By Deputy Chief Kevin D. Quinn and Deputy Chief Steven Pinch, Union Fire District, South Kingstown, RI

Safety should be a priority for every emergency responder, and at the Union Fire District in South Kingstown, RI, safety is a guiding factor for every one of our 120 active volunteer firefighters and eight stations.

South Kingstown is located 24 miles south of Providence, on the state’s southern shore. The town’s population is just over 30,000 people with a land area of 57.1 square miles. Each year the district responds to over 800 calls for fire service.
 
The district is governed by five elected wardens, and the command staff is made up of a Chief and four Deputy Chiefs. The district also employs an administrator, tax collector, clerk, mechanic, maintenance person, and code enforcement division.
 
The Union Fire District, through the leadership of Chief Robert Perry, has a strong commitment to safety. The district’s motto is “Safety Always,” which is attached to every apparatus bay door in the district. It is the first thing a driver and officer see when leaving for a call.

We have also added reflective markings on the rear of many of our vehicles and have changed the rear marking lights from plain red to a combination of red and amber. All of our members have signed the International First Responder Seatbelt Pledge and are issued a tee shirt during their first recruit class with the district logo — “Safety Always” — printed on the right sleeve. Our three newest vehicles have “Everyone goes Home” on the glass of each rear passenger door.

Making sure that Everyone Goes Home is the responsibility of everyone in the department. To show our commitment to the Everyone Goes Home program, we constantly send and reinforce the message of firefighter safety. Creating a culture of safety is key to preventing tragedies and is taken very seriously at the Union Fire District. All members of our organization are committed to ensuring the health, wellness, and safety of our firefighters.

The National Volunteer Fire Council has teamed up with the International Association of Fire Chiefs for the 2012 International Fire/EMS Safety and Health Week. This event brings together the IAFC’s Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week with the NVFC’s National Firefighter Health Week.

The dates for Safety and Health Week are June 17-23. The theme is Rules You Can Live By, which focuses on the IAFC’s Rules of Engagement for Firefighter Survival and The Incident Commander’s Rules of Engagement for Firefighter Safety, and the NVFC’s Rules of Engagement for Firefighter Health.

Fire departments are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activity during Safety and Health Week to focus on safety and health training and education allowing all shifts and personnel to participate. An entire week is provided to ensure each shift and duty crew can spend at least one day focusing on these critical issues.

Learn more from the press release, and visit the Safety and Health Week web site for resources and planning tools: www.safetyandhealthweek.org.

Colonoscopy – it’s not a topic that most people want to talk about, but the truth is that it’s a simple procedure that can save your life. In a recent article published by the NVFC, Deputy Chief Kevin Quinn demonstrates the importance of this simple medical screening by sharing his own experiences from his initial hesitation to the results that probably saved his life. He also helps alleviate fears by letting you know what to expect and providing resources for more information. This is one article you really need to read, and then follow-up with your doctor: http://www.nvfc.org/media/news/learn-learn-learn-and-share-your-knowledge/

On February 17, the House and Senate passed legislation (H.R. 3630) allocating 10 MHz of radio spectrum in the 700 MHz band (commonly referred to as the “D-Block”) to public safety for the purpose of building a nationwide broadband communications network. Specifically, the bill creates a First Responder Network Authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and provides seven billion dollars along with a license to use the D-Block and adjacent public safety spectrum to build the network. It also provides funding for public safety research and development activities including deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1 services, which will complement the capabilities of the new broadband public safety communications network.

The creation of a nationwide broadband public safety communications network has been a top legislative priority for the NVFC since 2010. Click here to learn more.

The February 13 episode of FIRE FIT on Firehouse Radio looked at heart health, fitness, and nutrition as it relates to firefighters and EMS personnel. Michelle Detwiler of L&T Health and Fitness, a partner of the NVFC, offered practical, simple steps firefighters can take to improve their health and make sure they are at their best. The episode is now archived online. Listen now at: http://firefighterradio.com/2012/02/fire-fit-heart-healthy/

Stay tuned for more health and wellness podcasts from the FIRE FIT series on Firehouse Radio.

Check out the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Annual Report for 2011 to find out all of the ways the organization has been working for you over the past year. The report includes a year-end wrap-up including legislative activities, membership, international outreach, EMS, health and safety, partnerships, training, Fire Corps, the National Junior Firefighter Program, and more. Since 2011 marked the NVFC’s 35th anniversary, there are also photos that take you on a nostalgic look back at the organization throughout the years. Download the Annual Report: http://www.nvfc.org/files/documents/NVFC_AnnualReport_2011.pdf

Model building and fire safety codes that are adopted and consistently enforced ensure the highest level of safety for firefighters in the built environment. These codes ensure that all buildings are constructed safely by reducing fire risks through eliminating ignition sources, creating fire containment areas with fire walls, and requiring fire protection systems be installed. All firefighters have a vested interest in the administration of building and fire codes; these codes provide for your safety when you are called to go to work in a structure that is on fire!

As a firefighter, your input and participation is essential to develop model building codes and standards that endure building safety and fire prevention. The International Code Council (ICC) is just beginning the code development cycle for the 2015 International Codes, so now is the time to get invovled in the process.

Bruce Johnson, Director of Fire Service Activities, ICC – Government Relations, has outlined the ICC code development process and how you can participate. Click here to read the article.

By Jeanie Fossati, Fire Corps Texas State Advocate

The following is the firsthand account of Fire Corps Texas State Advocate Jeanie Fossati’s experience helping the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew to build a new house for volunteer firefighter Mizzy Zdroj and her family, who lost their home in the devastating Bastrop wildfire. The Heart of Pines Volunteer Fire Department also received a makeover. Click here for additional information and photos from the event.

It was quite an experience …

On the first day…not knowing what to expect, Fire Corps shirts and caps in hand…Richard Castillo, the Fire Corps Texas Regional Advocate and I drove to the staging area between Bastrop and Smithville, in Bastrop County, Texas. Volunteers from around the state were already there, and we were all anxious and ready to begin our task.

Immediately we were handed hard hats and a blue “Extreme Makeover” tee-shirt, a prerequisite attire before boarding a yellow school bus full of other volunteers, all looking just like us…full of anticipation  and excitement as we rode the bouncing bus 5 miles to the home site. Then, there it was, we had arrived, the big bus proved it, the big bright tinsel-covered “EXTREME MAKEOVER BUS” that is, right there in front of us, but there was also a mind altering reminder on the other side of the road as to why we were there.

When we got off the bus, we were standing in front of an empty lot full of debris and burned objects among acres of fire blackened pine tree trunks. This used to be someone’s home, the Zdroj’s family home to be exact, and all their possessions were at the edge of the street reduced to ruins, except for one thing…in the middle of this empty lot was a 10’x20’ shed that had been painted with artistic designs. Mizzy Zdroj was an artist, when she wasn’t fighting fires for the Heart of Pines Volunteer Fire Department,  and even though her surroundings were full of devastation, and she had lost everything , including all her art, she had still managed to paint some beauty in what was going to be her family’s home.  This shed was where the Zdroj family was planning to live, all four of them, as there were 4 beds inside….until they got the knock on the door by Ty and the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition cast.

We didn’t have time to dwell on that image as we were hurried off and all escorted to the end of the street where we rehearsed over and over. “The Texas Calvary” was coming to help build the house. Leading the volunteers was Santa on a big longhorn bull, of course a BULL… after all it is TEXAS. We all shouted and hooped and hollered as we were filmed coming down the road to the build site all dressed in our blue shirts and red and green hard hats. This gave me a quick indication of what was to come in the days ahead.

Richard was not able to come back again until the reveal day, but I kept him posted on the progress, with a different adventure to tell every day. Sometimes working with the production crew and designers as an “extra,” or working in the “Art World,” assisting the carpenters, landscaping, and then the staging and decorating. I handed out Fire Corps shirts and material to everyone including the Project Manager, the Producer, the Designers, and of course the Zdroj family, as I explained that Fire Corps was all about… “Citizens helping Fire and EMS Departments.”

The build was during the holiday season so the build and the whole production took on a Christmas theme. It was quite interesting, seeing how much goes on behind the scene of this ABC production. The field across from the build site was packed with travel trailers, and 18 wheeled trucks that held tools, building supplies, lighting and sound equipment. Even in the late hours of the night, the scene was lit up like daylight. It amazed me how organized the chaos was. Volunteers had 24 hour shifts, there was always someone working. Mother Nature didn’t care…we had rain the whole week, but nothing stopped the progress.  The build site and all the roads were slippery with mud, and I took that mud home with me every night, sometimes working til 2 in the morning.

After only one week, 106 hours to be exact, the ABC Extreme Makeover team, along with 3,000 volunteer citizens made this life changing event happen…

…“Move That Bus! Move That Bus!  Everyone was ready for the reveal. You could see Mizzy’s sincere appreciation to have been selected, but her complete joy when she saw the newly remodeled fire station that had been kept a total surprise was quite emotional. She and all the firefighters were not just given a new home and equipment, but a new sense of hope for the future of the community.

I am glad I was able to help represent Fire Corps and be a part of this new beginning for the entire “Lost Pines” family in Bastrop County, Texas.

…I’ll say it again… It was quite an experience!!

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards have a significant impact on the fire service. Documents such as NFPA 1001 Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, NFPA 1403 Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions, NFPA 1500 Standard on Occupational Safety and Health, and NFPA 1901 Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus are just a few of the many standards that the fire service uses as a basis for training, certification, and the acquiring of equipment.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) strongly encourages all members of the fire service to be active in the development and review process for the NFPA standards.  Yet you may wonder how the NFPA standards come into existence or how they are revised. NVFC Health and Safety Committee Chair Kenn Fontenot has written an article to help clarify the process, including how standards are written, by whom, and how you, the user, can influence what goes into these documents.

Click here to read the article.

Is there an outstanding volunteer firefighter, fire prevention officer, or junior firefighter in your department? Then recognize their achievements by nominating them for one of four prestigious national awards from the National Volunteer Fire Council.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors a volunteer firefighter who has served at least 20 years and has made a major contribution or achieved significant accomplishments in the volunteer fire service at the local, state, and/or national level. The nominee must have demonstrated superior dedication to the volunteer fire service, been active in their state firefighters’ association, and have positively impacted the community through the fire service or other volunteer activities. Nominations are due March 1.

The Fire Prevention Award, sponsored by First Alert, honors a volunteer firefighter for remarkable efforts made in the area of fire prevention. The award was established in the memory of volunteer firefighter and NVFC board member Marc Mueller, who energetically promoted the causes of volunteer firefighters and supported all efforts to elevate the volunteer fire and emergency services to their highest level. Nominees must have made a major contribution or played a key role in a significant accomplishment in the field of fire prevention, demonstrated innovation in establishing and enacting goals and/or obtaining funding for the protection of the public through fire prevention and life safety programs, and have demonstrated success in the area of fire prevention. Nominations are due March 1.

The Junior Firefighter of the Year Award honors a junior firefighter or Explorer who has shown extraordinary dedication, commitment, and achievements as a youth member of the fire service. Nominees must have been a junior firefighter or Explorer for at least one year and have gone above and beyond in their participation and accomplishments as a junior firefighter. Two letters of recommendation are also required. Nominations are due February 15.

The Junior Firefighter Program of the Year Award recognizes a department that has an outstanding junior firefighter program. The program must have been in operation for at least one year, and departments must demonstrate creativity and community impact for the program. Nominations are due February 15.

Learn more about all of these awards and submit your nominations today at www.nvfc.org/about-us/awards.

Award Sponsors

If you are interested in sponsoring the Lifetime Achievement Award, contact Heather Schafer at hschafer@nvfc.org or 202-887-5700.

First Alert
BRK Brands, Inc. (Aurora, IL), is a fully owned subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (Rye, NY) NYSE:JAH, a leading provider of niche consumer products used in and around the home. For 50 years, BRK Brands, Inc. has been the manufacturer of First Alert®-branded home-safety products, the most trusted and recognized safety brands in America. BRK® Brands designs and develops innovative safety solutions including Tundra® Fire Extinguishing Spray, ONELINK® wireless alarms, and a comprehensive line of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, and escape ladders to protect what matters most. Such products are also marketed under the BRK Electronics® brand, The Professional Standard for the builder and contractor audiences. BRK Brands, Inc. products are found in more than 30 countries worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.firstalert.com, http://www.brkelectronics.com, or http://www.jarden.com.

Tyco International
Tyco International (NYSE: TYC) is a diversified, global company that provides vital products and services to customers in more than 60 countries and has 113,000 employees worldwide. Tyco is a leading provider of security products and services, fire protection and detection products and services, valves and controls, and other industrial products. Internationally recognized Tyco product brands include Scott, Ansul, Simplex, Sensormatic, and Software House. More information about Tyco can be found at www.tyco.com.