Haddam Fire Co. Releases Stats

The released the following information this week regarding February stats:

Members of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. responded to 42 calls for emergency services in February.  The breakdown of calls is as follows:

• Medical Emergencies  23                  
• Fires, alarms etc.  11                   
• Motor Vehicle Crashes   5
• Other  3                   

On February 21^st, the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. responded to the Middletown town line at the request of the South District Fire Department.  While on scene, Firefighters performed extrication on one vehicle of a two car/one truck crash.  A total of 5 patients were treated and transported to Middlesex Hospital.

The Fire Company responded to a house in the early morning hours on February 4^th, for a smell of smoke in the residence.  During the drying cycle of a dishwasher, a plastic lid had fallen onto a heating coil and melted.  When the Incident Commander asked the resident if the smoke detectors went off, it was learned that there were no working alarms in the house.  The homeowner had disabled the detectors while work was being done on the house.  Sound familiar?  On Christmas morning in Stamford, two children and their grandparents were lost in a house fire where the smoke detectors had been disabled due to construction in the residence.  Please, never go to sleep in your house without working smoke detectors.  Test them monthly, and change the batteries at least twice per year.

Training drills for February included the annual driver training refresher program and a Hazardous Materials Operations review.  Crashes involving fire apparatus are one of the leading causes of Firefighter fatalities across the country each year.  Haddam Firefighters reviewed safe emergency vehicle operation practices, discussed several case studies of crashes throughout the country.  During the Hazardous Material review, use of substance identification devices was reviewed in the classroom.  Members then moved to the truck bays where a simulated decontamination station was set up.  Haddam Fire is trained to operate at the Operations Level, including some levels of Hazardous Materials mitigation and decontamination.

The Firefighter I program hosted by the Fire Company was completed on February 1^st.  While several of our members are completing portions of the program, the following have fulfilled all aspects of the course, and have passed both the written and practical state examinations for certification:  Steve Bates, Jesse Drake, Rob Goldfarb, Rob Lenois, Nate Meyer and Kyle Vallera.  A Firefighter II program is now underway.  This course is an advance program that includes a weekend class covering Rapid Intervention Crew training.  Haddam Fire is hosting the course, being offered through the Middlesex County Fire School.

At the March Monthly Meeting, the Fire Company accepted the application from Seth Jackson to move into Life Membership.  Seth first joined the Fire Company in January of 1988.  He was a member of the Grievance Committee, and has served in many aspects of the Fire Company.

Also at the March Monthly Meeting, the following Probationary Members were promoted:  Steve Bates – Firefighter, Rose Eberl – Fireground Support, Rob Lenois – Firefighter, Nate Meyer – Firefighter, and Kyle Vallera – Firefighter.

Plans are well underway for Haddam Fire to host this year’s Middlesex County Fire School Fall Firefighter I program again.  Any resident who wishes to consider joining the Fire Company should contact us as soon as possible to get the required background checks and interviews completed well in advance of the class.  While the program is a significant commitment of time, having the ability to take it at our own fire house is a huge convenience for our members.

More information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved can be found on our website – www.HaddamFire.com.