Doug Zalesky

From the Assistant Chief “702”

asstchief@flmfire.org — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:41:00 GMT

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!
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My Community and My Department – A Thanksgiving From the Assistant Chief “702”

asstchief@flmfire.org — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:09:00 GMT

I am writing this on Thanksgiving eve, a time to reflect and be thankful for all that we have in our life. Often we overlook many things that we should be thankful for, but most often we know what things are important to us.
I think all of us at one time or another, have been asked why we are firefighters and more specifi-cally why we volunteer for such a job. Often like me, our answer is because we “want to help oth-ers”. I know that is my standard answer. Awhile back, as I was sitting in the airport in Omaha waiting for my plane to come home, I had an interesting visit with an elderly lady. She walked up to me and asked if she could sit next to me and I said sure. When she sat down, she said she had noticed my shirt (fire department) and felt com-fortable to sit there. She went on to say, “You never know these days about people, but I know firefighters are good people.” So, we started a conversation that would clarify something in my mind that had always bothered me. She went on to tell me that her husband, who had passed away a couple years before had been a volunteer firefighter in their community for over 30 years. She told me that he was a very dedicated and unselfish member of the department and loved every minute of being a member. The lady proceeded to ask me about where I was from and about our department. I proudly told her all about it and figured our conversation would wind down. She then asked me the usual “Why are you a volunteer firefighter” and I gave her the standard answer. She looked at me and her reply caught me off-guard. Her comment was cloaked in “a lot of people want to help others” but with firefighters there often is more to it than that, they just don’t know there is more. Lost for words, I asked her why her late husband was a volunteer firefighter. Her response brought a lot of clarification to me as to why I do what I do.
She told me about how she and her husband, along with 3 little kids, had moved into a rural community where they knew practically no one. The lady said that in a matter of a couple months her family felt like longtime mem-bers of the community and that they had found home! Her story went on to tell of the wonderful people of the community and how they had made her family feel welcome and to quickly become part of the community. The story continued with how so many people had become important people in the lives of her children and how they had actually helped raise their kids. I sat there intently listening to this lady, as her story sounded so familiar. She looked at me and said “You asked why my husband was a volunteer; well he would have told you that there were two reasons. One, the community allowed us to be members of the community and welcomed us with open arms and two, they helped raise our kids, and for that I want to give back to those wonderful people.”
In the brief time I spent with that lady, I came to realize that her story was my story. When Leesa, Sam, and I moved here ten years ago, we knew virtually no one. But, in a matter of weeks, the people of this community (fire district) made us feel welcome and at home, and so many people in this community have been there for us when we were having a rough day. Over the years so many people of this community have been instrumental in raising our son. You probably know the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”. We believe in that and we have witnessed it during the ten years we have lived here. So many people in this community have had a hand in helping raise Sam and it is because of those people that we have a son that we are extremely proud of today. Many of those people are members of our department and some are not, but they are members of our community. We can never thank those people enough, but we can certainly try to repay the favor. So, now I know and you know as well, why I am a volunteer firefighter. I will forever be grateful to that lady at the airport.
Early on in our conversation, she had asked me if I was a paid firefighter. I told her no and that my pay was the opportunity to work with a group of dedicated, unselfish people who were on call 24-7, and that the ability to help a community member having a bad day was all the pay I needed. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
Thank you for all that you do and have a safe and happiest of Holiday Seasons!
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FROM THE ASSISTANT CHIEF “ 702 ”

asstchief@flmfire.org — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:28:00 GMT

Okay, here we are into November and I thought we had just gotten started with October. I think I missed most of that month. Anyway, here are a few memorable tidbits of information for you about the month of November. First, November is a month to recognize a lot of medically related issues, and there’s really a lot to list here. But certainly, November is a month that recognizes some of the more serious medical issues and diseases that our society deals with on a day- today basis. November is also Military Family Appreciation Month (we thank and salute you). It is also Peanut Lovers Month. A couple of weekly observations include (pay attention)
Dear Santa Letter Week (8-14) and National Family Week (21-28). Daily observations include National Men Make Dinner Day (4th), Marine Corps Birthday (Nov.10th, have to be fair to all), Veterans Day (11th, please shake a veteran’s hand and thank them for their service), Have a Bad Day Day (14th) and finally, Black Friday (26th), also known as Buy Nothing Day. Enjoy the month.

Leesa and I have had the opportunity to teach a First Responder class to personnel from the coal mine. We finished the first class during the third week of October and immediately began a second class on October 26th. It has been a real treat for us to have the opportunity to meet and train these people and to learn more about the mine and its operations. They are wonderful people and it is a real benefit to our department
to not only get to know them and the mine operations, but to get to train them. The mine represents a unique situation in our district and to have people trained to render immediate care to patients at the mine is extremely valuable. I feel very confident that when we run calls at the mine in the future, we can rest assured that their initial care will be top notch. The first class was comprised of 10 individuals and the second class is at about 14. We may even get some applications for membership in the department from these classes.
I am also privileged to get to help teach a Haz Mat Operations class to some of our members. While I am a big advocate for exposure to outside instructors, it is a treat for me to get to interact with members of
our department in the classroom. Unfortunately, with tighter and tighter budgets, we will need to more and more utilize the enormous talents we have in our own department to continue moving forward with our training. So, between teaching the First Responder classes and the Haz Mat Ops class, I guess that is how October slipped by so fast.

As I walked outside at Station 3 tonight, the cold temperature hit me and reminded me of the time of year
we are entering. I thought immediately of how the types of calls can be different due to the change in season and how responding to calls can take on a whole different mind set. Examples include chimney fires, hypothermia, and dealing with freezing temperatures and their effects on equipment.I would ask each and every member to take the time and think about responses to incidents from here on in because weather changes everything.

Do you know what to do in the case of a chimney fire? What about an MVA in below freezing temperatures?
Are you prepared with the appropriate gear/clothing to stand on a highway for an hour or two and help with traffic? Take the time to refresh yourself on some of the situations you may find yourself in during the coming months and think about how the weather can change your response.

Last of all, take advantage of some of the trainings coming up. We have some new equipment in the
department and we need to train on it before it is put in service. Also, many of the upcoming trainings are refresher trainings for many, but needed in that skills are lost if not used routinely. Trainings are really for your safety and as many of you know, I am a stickler on safety, only because I want each and every member of this department to go home safely and intact after each and every call.

Have a safe and happy month, and remember to thank those that do so much for all of us.

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FROM THE ASSISTANT CHIEF “702”

asstchief@flmfire.org — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:23:00 GMT

The month of October might just be the busiest month of all for observations and days of recognition. I could do the whole article on just that topic and still not have room for everything. So I picked out a few special ones related to the department and our members. I’m sure I missed many so I apologize in advance. Here goes. Of course everyone knows that October is Fire Prevention Month and that October 4-10 is Fire Prevention Week. The weekend of October 2-4 is the Fallen Firefighters Memorial weekend and October 1 is Fire Pup Day. October is also Go Hog Wild-Eat Country Ham month, the month of Free Thought, Positive Attitude month, Sausage month, Spinach Lovers month and Squirrel Awareness month. Some other important weekly observances include Emergency Nurses week (11-17), National Chemistry week (18-24) and Give Wildlife a Break week (26-11/1). Some significant day observances are Naval Academy day (10^th), Navy birthday (13^th) and Navy Day on the 27^th. Probably one of the best days of the month, for all you grouches, is National Grouch Day on the 15^th. Enjoy the month; there is a lot to celebrate.

September went by quickly and I had the opportunity to represent the department on a couple of occasions. One was to attend the badge pinning ceremony for the new Deputy Chief of DFRA, Hal Doughty. I also had the privilege to represent the department with Travis Luz, J.T Coyne and a former member of the department, Stan Auringer, at the first annual LaPlata County Fire Chief’s Association golf tournament fundraiser. To say we had a good time would be an understatement. We didn’t win a lot but it sure was a big time. Last week I attended a meeting of the Deputy/Assistant Chiefs for the county to work out the details of the automatic aid agreement that is being updated for the county departments. It outlines the response for each department for structure fires (tankers) relative to the department-in-need and location within that department’s district. Members will be updated when it is completed.

I want to send out good wishes for speedy recoveries to two members of the department. Mark and Corey both had shoulder surgeries this past month and are on the mend. We wish them both well during their rehab time and hope for a speedy recovery.

With winter just around the corner, we have a couple important items coming up before year’s end that the membership needs to be highly involved in. First, we continue to work on the proposed new by-laws, but need to get them voted on at the next business meeting (December). The vote was postponed at the last business meeting due to some concerns and input provided by members. I think it was wise to delay the vote and get the changes made. (see article on page 3 about the by-laws) Development of the revised by-laws has been a long process and with the changes being currently made I think we have a very strong set of by-laws to guide the department into the future. It is time however, to get them voted on so that we can move on to other issues. The second thing is the officer team for the coming year. The officer team plays a very pivotal roll in the day-to-day operations of the department and so, it is important that members provide input into that process as well as participate in the voting process. Being an officer requires an additional amount of time and commitment to the department. Often decisions that need to be made are not easy ones and so officers are not always the most popular people in the department. I want to thank all of the officers that have served this past year for their time and commitment. I know there are many other things that you could be doing with your time but, honestly, the department is a better place because of your time and commitment and I thank you personally. So, I hope all members will take this process seriously and get involved. Visit with any of the officers if you have thoughts or concerns and if nothing else, please participate in the voting process.

Lastly, we may be asked to be involved with the elementary school Halloween event the last of the month. If at all possible, I hope you will consider being a part of it. The department needs to become more involved with the school and they definitely want us to become more involved. Keep this event in mind and hopefully we can have a good turnout to help them.

Have a safe and fun month!

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From the Assistant Chief “702”

asstchief@flmfire.org — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:58:00 GMT

Time has flown by. It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to a close. Clearly that’s the case, because local schools are back in session and my own son has gone back to college, leaving us with an empty nest again. I want to thank the department for responding to the call from my residence and for the superior care I received. Leesa and I are truly grateful.

Some FYI September things. There are 51 monthly, 31 weekly and 74 daily observations of various things during the month. A few examples of the month long observations include Atrial Fibrillation month, National Prime Beef month (my favorite), One-On-One Month (you figure it out) and Pleasure Your Mate month (have fun with this one). Weekly observations include Play Days (8th-12th), National Clean Your Hands week (20th-26th), and Chimney Safety Week (27th-Oct 3rd). Some interesting daily observations are Oatmeal Day (4th-5th), Be Late For Something Day (5th), Salami Day (6th), International Chocolate Day (13th) , for all you Navy people, Air Force Birthday (18th) and last but probably the most important day, Wife Appreciation Day (19th).

August has been a busy month for the department. I want to thank Dennis Portlance and Bruce Kowalski for helping the department usher in the new school year by placing apparatus on Hwy. 140 near the entrance to the school to remind drivers to slow down in the school zone. I’ll have more information in the near future about the reading program we’ll be initiating with the school, which will be an opportunity for us to work with the kids and provide them with incentives to increase their reading capabilities.

The pipeline training presented in August by Williams was excellent. We’re very fortunate to have resources like Ted Stahl in our district to conduct these types of trainings.

By now most of you probably know that the department has received full funding for construction of Station 5 through an energy impact grant. I want to extend sincere gratitude to JT Coyne for his work on the grant application and for his excellent presentation to the grant committee when it met in Durango. His presentation was a key factor in the department’s successful grant application.

Over the course of the Spring and Summer, the Line Officers have worked hard to respond to the survey results taken of members earlier this year. Roughly one-third of the membership responded. Through the survey you provided us with a great deal of information and clearly there were matters of concern that many share. Station maintenance was one of those issues brought forth. The Line Officers have focused on this area, and we’ve made great improvements to the appearance of station property. I want to thank the members who turned out to assist with those projects. Budget constraints have not permitted us to contract for mowing, weed whipping and other tasks, but that will certainly be a topic of discussion when we turn to the next fiscal budget. In the meantime, I would ask that every member step up and help out with station work days being planned. The tasks are much easier when there’s a good turnout of members.

Proposed by-laws changes will be presented to the membership for discussion and approval on September 22. New by-laws will shape the future of the department and it’s very important that members be part of that process. By-laws are the guide by which the department functions. As a member, you have a voice in this. Copies of the by-laws will be distributed in your Station 1 mailboxes shortly. Or, you can request a copy electronically by contacting Robin at the office. Please review them thoroughly and come to the September 22 meeting prepared with questions, comments and suggestions. If you’re truly unable to attend, please contact me with your thoughts and I’ll convey those on September 22. You have my commitment to see to it that everyone has a chance to provide input. Be safe.

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From the Assistant Chief "702"

asstchief@flmfire.org — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:49:00 GMT

Well, already it’s August and the summer is quickly moving past us. Things have been slow so far in the district, but that could change very quickly if the heat persists and the rain stays away. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Some interesting tidbits about the month of August: It is National Catfish month, National Golf month, National Eye Exam month, National Water Quality month, Romance Awareness month, Peach month and Foot Health month. Some specific days in August to keep in mind are, August 3 – National Watermelon Day, August 6 – Wiggle Your Toes Day, August 10 – Lazy Day (my favorite), August 22 – Be An Angel Day and August 25 – Kiss and Make-Up Day (another favorite). There’s a lot going on during the “dog days” of August.

There are a couple of things I want to touch on this month. First, most, if not all of you, are aware that Lt. Maynard Brandsma (DFRA volunteer) passed away while hiking with his daughter. I had the pleasure to get to know Maynard by attending several classes with him during the past couple of years. Maynard was a very dedicated and loyal member of DFRA and had received several awards from his peers at DFRA for his commitment and dedication. He was fun to be around and he always challenged himself to become better. Our department was represented at his memorial service and the department also supported DRFA during his service by providing an engine and crew for coverage in Durango, so that members of DFRA could attend the service. My point for bringing this up is twofold. First and foremost, don’t let a day go by without living it to it’s fullest, things happen when you least expect them. Take care of yourself and those around you. Lastly, it always gives me a deep feeling of pride to see departments come together to help each other when things like this happen. I feel very blessed to say I am part of the fire service and to know that my fire service family extends far beyond our own department.

At the same time, a great friend of our department retired from DFRA, after 30-plus years of service. Chief Allen Clay recently decided to hang up his helmet and bunker gear and enjoy time with his family and friends. Chief Clay has done a lot for our department over the years and has been instrumental in us obtaining a couple pieces of apparatus during the last couple of years. He also spent many hours and days in our district on wildland fires and helped me by sharing his knowledge and experiences so that I could become better at my firefighting job. He will be greatly missed but his retirement is well deserved. The people of LaPlata County have been fortunate to have him as a firefighter for so many years. Chief Clay is truly a model for all firefighters to look up to and learn from. I thank him for all he has done for me and this department and wish him all the best.

The last thing to bring to your attention is related to Ft. Lewis Mesa Elementary. Our department will be taking a more active role with the school in the coming year. With a new principal at the school, it is an opportune time to get more involved. With that said, we are planning on having a huge presence in and around the school on the first day of classes. Our plan is to have one piece of apparatus on each end of the school along the highway, with flashing lights and a banner, welcoming the kids back but more importantly, reminding the public to slow down and remember that school is back in session and to be alert. Anyone who would like to participate is more than welcome. More details will be forthcoming.

Another item we are planning on starting with the school is a reading program/contest. We are still working out the details but prizes for the kids reading the most may include fire department backpacks and a ride to school in an engine. As I said, details are still being worked out and will be sent out when we complete them. I encourage everyone to get involved with this important program.

Stay alert and stay safe during the “dog days” of August.

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