Jan1

Written by:
1/1/2010 2:41 PM 

HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and all. I hope that each and every one has a safe and prosperous new year. 2009 has been trying for many people and I hope that things change and that the new year offers many more opportunities for all.
Reflection on the past year in the department brings many things to light. The department continues to move forward at a strong and steady pace with training. As we start the new year we will be holding a Firefighter II class for about nine of our members. We just completed a HazMat Opera- tions class for the same nine members. Never before in the history of the department will we have this many people trained at these levels. Such training is important to better serving our district residents and in making sure that we minimize the potential for injuries or death. Our training continues to serve us well in the field and there are many
examples of how our capabilities have been enhanced and our outcomes improved. I salute those that continue to take the time and make the effort to partake of training op- portunities. Continual change is the norm in the fire service and with change comes the need to train so that we can adapt to the change. An example includes putting into ser- vice two Lifepack 12 units on both of the medic units. In order to begin using these units, training is required as these units offer many options for patient care. We trained with a paramedic from DFRA on the units and will continue to have additional training this month with Dr. DeMond. The units have been utilized in the field by those trained to do so and they are truly a positive addition to our department. Training is important, not only for keeping up with change but also for your own safety. I hope everyone will take ad- vantage of training opportunities this next year to hone your skills or learn new ones.
I would also like to take this time to thank those members of the department that volunteer their precious time to make sure that our apparatus is in driving and working order. I know it is a thankless job and one that requires a lot of time, but the end result is priceless. I
would ask each and every member to stop and think about how nice it is to arrive at a station, jump into a piece of apparatus and have it start. Remember, someone has volun- teered time to make sure that this simple thing happens. It really does no one any good to have a piece of apparatus sitting in a bay that won’t start or that cannot be driven to a scene.
Recently, an example of the importance of apparatus checks came to light. During routine truck inspections, it was discovered that a single switch on Engine 71 had failed, sometime between the last use/check and the cur- rent inspection. The switch controlled several vital func- tions of the engine and for all practical purposes, Engine 71 would have been of little to no use on a scene. Our capabilities as a department would have been significantly hampered. There are many other examples of things that get caught during routine inspections and these are dealt
with immediately, so most of us never know about them. It is an understatement to say that apparatus checks are important; they are vital and they are crucial. All members of the department can assist with routine apparatus
checks, either by participating in the sched- uled times or by taking a few minutes after a call to go over a piece of apparatus that was used on the call and identify problems or defi- ciencies as well as making sure the outfit is ready for the next call.
Keep in mind that if you operate a piece of apparatus, you are responsible for it and the people who ride with you. Your responsibility ends only after you have returned from the call and made sure the piece of appara- tus is ready for the next call.
Please take the time to thank those that do the routine checks. They really are special people that do something very critical for our successful operations.
THANK YOU!