Using funds raised privately, the Fort Lewis Mesa Firefighters supported local 4-H youth during the La Plata County Fair Junior Livestock Sale on Saturday, August 8. FLM Firefighters purchased the market hog project of district resident Sam Romero. The hog has been processed into sausage for use at future fund raising events. FLM Firefighters were also able to provide significant add-ons for three 4-H youth directly related to the department. They are Ty Thorsheim, Shantell Stiner and Reese Smith. “Firefighters’ generous funding of this effort allowed us to bid on sale animals of district youth throughout the sale, driving up prices,” commented Assistant Chief Doug Zalesky. “This in an important effort that builds goodwill for the department and helps out local youth at the same time. The department should be commended for voting to make such a worthy investment.”

The Duty Officer (DO) program has been re-initiated at Fort Lewis Mesa Fire. Line Officers will work to cover weekends and holidays as the Officer in Charge, otherwise known as the Duty Officer. The DO will serve as the office in charge of the department. 

FLMFD helped usher in the new school year for FLM Elementary students the week of August 24. Bedecked with “slow down, school’s in session” banners, Rescue 73 and Engine 72 were roadside Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the school alerting drivers that the new school year was underway. A banner was also hung in the school cafeteria letting students know that the fire department welcomed them back. Local law enforcement officers dropped by to express their gratitude to the department for lending a hand. 

Thanks to all members who took the time to participate and special thanks to Assistant Chief Doug Zalesky, Bruce Kowalski and Dennis Portlance for making it happen! This exemplifies the sort of community activities that set us apart and give the department excellent visibility. Good job!

 

All fire stations in the district need some “sprucing up”. The properties need to be weed whipped, trash picked up, and most of the bay floors need to be swept and washed out. Fence will be installed at Station 3 on the boundaries of the property. The Line Officers need your help! Please try to attend scheduled work days to lend a hand. (Watch your calendar for specifics).   The tasks are much easier and take far less time when many hands show up. Or, you can contribute by taking an hour or so on any given day and weed whip a station when you can spare the time. These are ongoing tasks that need attention all the time so feel free to pull weeds or clean property whenever you can. 

As always, we need to pay attention to the cleanliness of apparatus. If a truck needs to be washed, please take it upon yourself to do so. Don’t put apparatus away dirty inside or out! The appearance of the department’s stations and its apparatus are a direct reflection on us all. 

Many thanks to Brad Ray, Jr....

 Thirty-plus firefighters, auxiliary members and their families (plus one Kazakhstani) enjoyed the perfect weather at a picnic under the pines at the Old Fort on Aug. 23. Thanks to all who helped and those who came with all the good food.

Reminder: the auxiliary has scholarship money available for those who would like to receive training not paid for completely by the fire department. This money can also be used for babysitting or transportation expenses if needed so that you can get training. To apply, see Steve or Robin for the (simple) form to fill out. 

1. Energy Impact Grant: We had requested in this grant for a new truck, station 5 and equipment for a total of $473,000.00. This would have been a 50/50 cost share that would have been a cost to us of $236,000.00 if approved.



What has transpired is this, we have been granted $139,000 for the construction of station 5 on CR 117. There is no cost share on this project as this was what we had requested for the cost of construction in the grant. We are currently looking for other options for the purchase of the new truck.



2. We applied for $2,100.00 on the Ready Reserve grant for wild land training. We have been granted $2,000.00.



3. We submitted a grant to the State EMS for 2 life Pac 12’s and some pediatric equipment for a total of $32,000.00. This is a 70/30 grant. We have been successful in securing this grant.



4. We submitted a grant for $68,000.00 for 800 MHz radios through Homeland Security, we have been told, although I do not have it in...

Here comes August! The Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Department will resume regular monthly trainings after taking the months of June and July off to give members a chance to enjoy their summer. Please check the enclosed calendar for dates, times and locations. 

The Line Officers will forge ahead with their plan to blend EMS and Fire trainings as much as possible. Thus, your calendars may not reflect a specific training division like “EMS” or “Fire”. We will only specify those when the situation warrants it. 

We’re taking an exciting new approach to training, with more hands-on sessions, which is what members have requested. These hands-on sessions require considerable planning and work to coordinate them. Consequently, it’s important for members to turn out to make the effort worthwhile.

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“The Future of EMS For FLM” will be the topic for training on Thursday, August 6, 1900 at Station 3. Times are changing and so are demands on the fire department. Chief Ebner will give a short presentation on planning for the future regarding EMS in the FLMFPD.

Part of our work as a fire department is planning for the future protection of, and service to, the citizens of the district. With a good plan in place, we can meet future challenges.  If we don’t plan, we’ll be put into a position of being reactive rather than proactive, and that’s not a good basis to operate from...for the department or the citizens we serve.



The time is rapidly approaching when the department will have to consider making a majority of hospital transports. With that in mind, the EMS training night on August 6th has been devoted to an open discussion of the future of EMS in the district. To compile goals and a plan requires a frank discussion with members to discern the direction you want the department to take,...