An EMT‐Basic Refresher Course will be held in the district at Station 3 beginning Monday, January 4 and ending January 30. Classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held on Monday and Wednesday evenings (with one exception) and on Saturday morning, January 30. Please see your calendar for specific dates, times and locations. If you want to take the Refresher Course and haven’t already in‐ dicated so, please let Leesa Zalesky know. This class is being held through Southwest Community
College. Mark Bauer, Adam Rodgers, Robin Walsh, Steve Ebner, Doug Zalesky and Doug Ram‐ sey have signed up for the class so far.
The curriculum for the course will include a CPR refresher for anyone who needs it on January 30. If you’d like to participate in
the CPR refresher, or if you need more information, contact Leesa.

Steve and I met the county inspector in mid-December to complete the annual ambulance inspection process. First the good news: both ambulance rigs passed the 2010 inspection and the licenses for BLS with IV transport have been renewed. However, the inspection process was not flawless.

For those who don’t know, the inspector has a specific list of equipment that must be available on the rigs. All of the equipment is subject to scrutiny for availability and appro- priate working order. It is a complete inspection from front bumper to rear bumper. Cleanliness is also a factor.

It was discovered during the inspection that the French catheters (all sizes) on Medic 71 had been removed from the rig. Fortunately, an extra set was available in inventory and they have been replaced. French catheters are equip- ment that must be in place on the rigs at all times.

Without going into the specifics, I want to be absolutely clear about one thing: leaving trash behind in the stiff neck bag, or anywhere else...

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Chief: Steve Ebner 701
Assistant Chief: Doug Zalesky 702
Fire Captain: Mark Bauer 706
Fire Lieutenant: Garret Vogel 709
Wild Land Fire Captain: John Vogel 704
Wild Land Fire Lieutenant: Cassie Ramsey 708
EMS Captain: Leesa Zalesky 705
EMS Lieutenant: Will Walsh 707
Public Information Officer: Leesa Zalesky 705

ATTENTION! Special Notice!
The January EMS training will be held on Thursday, January 14, 1900 at Station 3.
Dr. DeMond will be conducting this session on performing EKGs in the field with the new cardiac monitors.
EMT-Basics are now permitted to run EKGs. Please be there!

The Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Department will host “Christmas for Kids” on Saturday, December 19 at 2:00 p.m. at the Library on the San Juan Basin Research Center (Station 2). The event will include activities and treats for youngsters and a reading of “The Night Before Christmas.” Organizers suspect that Santa will be on hand, perhaps even arriving by fire engine. The event is open to all kids in the area, so if you know any please invite them to attend. Plenty of volunteers are needed for this event so if you’re will-ing, able and available please contact Assistant Chief Doug Zalesky for the details.

Annual Banquet: If you’re interested in volunteering to help organize the annual banquet,contact Chief Steve Ebner or Assistant Chief Doug Zalesky. Date, time and locationare forthcoming.EMT-B Refresher Course: Tentatively set for the month of January, pending approvalby the college. To be held at Station 3. Leesa Zalesky will instruct the class; contacther for details. A CPR refresher will be included. If you need a new CPR card but don’t need the EMT-B refreshercourse, contact Leesa.Cookbook Sales: The Christmas season makes this the ripe time to market our department cookbooks.The Fundraising Committee is asking for help from each member. Please consider a commitment to sell aminimum of five cookbooks to your friends, neighbors and family members. If you know about any events orlocations where cookbooks could be marketed, please contact Mary Ebner.LaPlata West Water Authority Meeting: Will be held Saturday, December 5, Station 3 at 2:00 p.m. Themeeting is open to the public. Attendees will hear an update on...

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I may be plagiarizing the infamous University of Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, but so be it. I mean it when I say, related to our department, that there’s no “I” in team. You’ve proven it. On any given day or night, on any given incident, I am constantly reminded about how willing FLMFD members are to ensure that a scene runs safely and smoothly. What makes a department like ours function at its best are personnel who don’t question the task assigned, but take on that task with the intention of delivering the best job they possibly can. Why do we do that? Because we know the cardinal rule of what we do is “everybody goes home”; and because we know that accomplishing that outcome requires a commit-ment from every member to do without question what’s asked at the time no matter how menial we might consider it.I was reminded this month, when I was again asked to give statements to attorneys, of how difficult that can be. Two years ago, on what historically will be one of the most catastrophic MVAs this or...

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Calling All EMTs!The new LifePak 12 cardiac monitorsare in! Dr. DeMond has indicatedthat EMT-Basics will be ableto utilize this equipment during patientcare, with the exception ofinterpreting cardiac rhythms. Thus,it’s imperative that we train allEMTs on the application and use of these new monitors.The November EMS training is scheduled for SATURDAY,NOVEMBER 7 and will be dedicated to thisprocess. A complimentary hot breakfast will beserved beginning at 0830 at Station 3. Breakfastchefs are Doug Zalesky and Mark Bauer. Training willcommence at 0930 and will end at 1100. Our instructorfor the session will be Jen Gaddis.Please make every effort to be at this training, evenif you’re familiar with 12-Lead application. This isnew equipment for the department and we wanteveryone familiarized with the units. For insurancepurposes, we need to document that all eligible personnelhave been trained. Those unable to attendthe training will need to arrange for remediation at alater date and will not be able to use the monitorsuntil...

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Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Department

P.O. Box 11

Marvel, CO 81329

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, October 30, 2009

Contact: Steve Ebner, Fire Chief 970/259-8714 or Doug Zalesky, Assistant Chief 970/259-7118

Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Department Statement on October 30, 2009 Evacuation in District

October 30, 2009 ~ Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Department (FLMFD) representatives said today that at approximately 10:00 a.m. on October 30 the department received a report of a possible poisonous gas emission and fire west of State Highway 140 in the area of County Road 122.

A natural gas transmission line, owned and operated by an out-of-state energy company, traverses that area. It is not uncommon for natural gas transmission lines to also carry hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S). A combination of hydrogen sulfide and natural gas are commonly extracted during the drilling process, and the two are later separated during the refinement process.

Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, highly toxic gas with...

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We've been notified by SJB Health that nine doses of H1N1 flu vaccine have been set aside for our department, which I'll pick up tomorrow (Tuesday).  More will be coming as supplies arrive in our area.  I believe this is in nasal mist form.  If you're interested in getting vaccinated, please let me know asap so I can create a list and get vaccinations scheduled. First preference will be given to EMTs and First Responders (because they have direct patient contact).

My sister in Rapid City, South Dakota called this afternoon.  She works in health care at Rapid City Regional Hospital.  At a meeting there today it was announced that they have 12 H1N1 cases in hospital right now.  There have been two deaths.  The hospital there is now taking some pretty dramatic steps to control access to the facility as well as providing for infection control with staff.   I think we can expect much the same to occur here in coming days or weeks.

Please remember that handwashing is the first line of defense with the...

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