saco fire department-saco, maine1 january 2015 volume 2 issue 3 central fire station 271 north...
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1
January 2015
Volume 2 Issue 3
Central Fire Station
271 North Street
Phone: 207-282-3244
Fax: 207-282-8203
Web: www.sacomaine.org
Fire Chief
Chief John L. Duross
Deputy Fire Chiefs
Deputy Chief Robert A. Martin
Deputy Chief David O Pendleton
Call Division Chief
Raynald Legendre
Public Education Coordinator
Karl Finley
EMS Coordinator
Brad Chicoine
Fire Training Coordinator
Lieutenant David Hamel
FROM THE CHIEF…….
If you have not yet had an opportunity to view our Saco Fire Department Annu-
al Report covering the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, I would highly recom-
mend that you do. A link to the report can be found on the City of Saco home page un-
der the Latest News banner at www.sacomaine.org and on the last page of our news-
letter as well as on the home page of our Department at Saco Fire Department. We
have found that the Annual Report has become an excellent resource for evaluating our
performance over the past year and planning our future for the years to come. I would
like to take this opportunity to thank our Print & Media Editor, Tom Roughan, for his tire-
less efforts in producing an Annual Report document that we can be very proud of.
As noted by both the United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the Nation-
al Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the winter months are the leading time of year
for home fires. We join the USFA and the NFPA in reminding you to keep fire safety in
mind during the winter months. Exercising care when using candles, keeping safe dis-
tance to combustible materials when using portable heaters, and maintaining all heating
equipment in good working order can all help minimize the risk of a home fire occurring.
We strongly encourage the use of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for early
warning and detection and ask that when removing snow and ice from your doorways,
you not forget your secondary means of escape from the home.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Saco Fire De-
partment for all of their hard work and efforts over the past Holiday Season. Once
again, your commitment and dedication to our community were reaffirmed through our
annual Thanksgiving Day Lighting of Central Fire Station, and your support of the chari-
table giving efforts of the Salvation Army through our annual Giving Tree and the Adopt
A Family Christmas giving program.
Best wishes in the coming year,
John L. Duross, Fire Chief
Saco Fire Department-Saco, Maine
The Holiday Season was especially brightened by our annual Cen-
tral Station Lighting Ceremony. For the kids and families who at-
tended, all had
the chance to
see the arrival
of and greet our
very own……..
Santa Claus!
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Test your Fire and Safety Knowledge about ———————Carbon Monoxide (CO) Gas According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), some 430 deaths per year occur from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. From 1999 to 2010, the National Vital Statistics System recorded 5,149 unintentional carbon monoxide deaths in the U.S. The highest percentage of deaths occurred in the age group of age 45 to age 64. Learn what you know about carbon monoxide with these true or false statements.
1) Carbon monoxide is a gas that smells like rotten eggs and is smoky white in color. Answer: False. Carbon monoxide gas is odorless, colorless and is invisible to our eyes. It can mix with other gases in the air and you would be unaware that it is present.
2) Carbon monoxide is only created by burning gasoline. Answer: False. Carbon monoxide is created from the incomplete
burning of natural gas and material containing carbon such as wood, paper, gasoline, kerosene, propane, coal or oil.
3) If I have a window open, I can’t be poisoned. Answer: False. An open window may not provide adequate ventilation and
dispersal of carbon monoxide gas. The best prevention is to have all CO gas properly vented and avoid inhaling the gas at all.
4) In the cold weather, it’s OK to warm up the car in the garage before I open the garage door. Answer: False. One of the
most significant contributors of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere is the automobile. Open the garage door during warmups.
5) If I start to be poisoned by the gas, I’ll know it. Answer: False. In a matter of only a few minutes, if you have inhaled enough
of the gas, you could lose consciousness, suffocate and die. Symptoms of CO poisoning vary widely from person to person but may include headache, nausea, drowsiness or dizziness. If you suspect CO poisoning, seek fresh air and medical help immediately!
Saco Fire Department-Saco, Maine
Apparatus Spotlight
Rescue 3 — Type III Ambulance – A 2012
Chevrolet G4500 Cab & Chassis
PL Custom Medallion 170
Staffed by advanced medical life support
providers along with a state of the art life
support station and devices such as the
LifePack 15 cardiac monitor, a paramedic
level medication box, a battery operated
stretcher, IV supplies and advanced airway
equipment. Care area is able to carry up to 6
occupants but most commonly transports a
single patient with multiple EMT staff at-
tending to the needs of the patient
Say...can you rearrange these letters to spell a word associated with our depart-ment and public safety?
The answer is elsewhere in our newsletter
G E F N R DU O
In November and December, Depart-
ment personnel responded to the
many needs of our citizens, busi-
nesses and surrounding communi-
ties. The total of responses was 330
for this past November compared to
243 last year. Of the 330 calls, 237,
or 72%, were medical emergencies
compared to 70% last year. In De-
cember of 2013, the department re-
sponded to 282 emergency calls. In
2014, December responses totaled
270. Medical Emergency calls were
210, or 78%, of the total. Last year’s
were 233, 83% of the total.
.
I R
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As a part of our ongoing practices, the Department considers general
and specialized training to be of paramount importance for the
preparedness and professionalism of all staff. Training encompasses
both fire fighting and public safety techniques, preparedness of the
individual, coordination of the various teams and proper planning for
anticipated, as well as extraordinary tasks and challenges. All members of
the Career and Call Departments (including all Firefighters, Officers,
Deputy Chiefs and the Fire Chief) participate in our training sessions
and are required to participate in a minimum of scheduled training
subjects.
A recent training exercise was conducted on the grounds of the Central
Fire Station in Saco. The exercise focused on various methods and
techniques which department personnel may be required to use for a
“forcible entry” into a premises. Often, upon being called to an incident
scene, Firefighters and other
personnel encounter a home or a
business location at which all doors,
entrances, exits and windows are
locked and secured but entry is
needed by our staff to properly
respond to the incident.
Our Firefighters and professional
personnel learn basic and advanced methods of gaining entry to a
property safely and expeditiously while attempting to minimize property
damage caused by our “forcible
entry”. Time is of the essence in
many incidents and we learn best
practices of entry when no one is
home or at the premises or the
occupant(s) of the structure are
incapacitated and cannot assist us in
our entry.
Saco Fire Department-Saco, Maine
Help yourself and help others from getting the
Flu
Courtesy of FireFighter/Paramedic Marc Martin
Winter weather always heralds the dreaded flu season. The Center of
Disease Control (CDC) advises that the flu affects 5% to 20% of the
population of the United States annually. From those unfortunate to be
stricken with the flu, approximately 200,000 are hospitalized for flu relat-
ed complications and, of these, approximately 1,500 flu cases lead to pa-
tient deaths (typically among our pediatric and geriatric population).
The CDC recommends the following actions to help prevent the flu:
1) Get the annual Flu vaccine. Each year the World Health Organization
(WHO) studies and attempts to predict the upcoming year’s flu strain.
From these findings the WHO composes a flu vaccine. While they are
not able to accurately predict the most prevalent strain 100% of the time
they often come very close. Studies show that even when not accurately
predicting the most prevalent flu strain, the flu vaccination can still help
prevent or shorten the length of illness.
2) Take every day preventative action to stop the spread of germs. This
consists of hand washing, avoiding direct contact with sick people, cover-
ing nose and mouth with tissue when coughing or sneezing, avoiding
touching eyes, nose and mouth, and routine disinfection of surfaces and
objects that may be contaminated with the virus.
3) Take a flu antiviral drug if your Doctor or Medical Practitioner pre-
scribes it for you. If you get the flu, antiviral drugs can treat your illness
by making the illness milder and shortening the time you are sick.
By following these simple steps your odds of getting the virus or spreading the flu virus
to friends and loved ones. will be greatly decreased.
Public Education Coordinator, Fire-
Fighter Karl Finley, reports that Crush-
er, mascot of the Portland Red Claws,
visited with us at a recent gathering at
Sweetser which was attended by one of
our Fire Engines and crew.
During National Fire Prevention month, members of the de-
partment visited the Young and Fairfield Schools and 7 local
day care centers speaking to over 800 students and staff about
the need to maintain smoke detectors by replacing batteries,
the need of holding family fire drills at home and having a
meeting place for family members outside of the home in
emergency situations. And at St James Hall, FireFighter Finley
spoke to about 45 Cub Scouts and parents on these family
safety topics.
Remember to clear all your doors of
snow and ice
Winter snowfalls and ice buildup in front of your doors should be cleared after each winter storm to allow you to use any door from your home in case of an emergency and to help pre-vent injuries from slips and falls.
Wood and Pellet Stove Safety
The Flu is nothing
to sneeze at!
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News from our Crews
Brad Chicoine, who serves as our EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Coordinator in addition
to being a Firefighter/Paramedic, was recently appointed to the position of Safety Coordinator
for the City of Saco. Brad assumes this role in addition to his current Fire Department duties.
The Primary role of the Safety Coordinator is to serve as the City resource in facilitating and
managing activities designed to improve safety in the workplace, reduce the risks of accidents
and decrease safety related costs. Brad’s work in this position will fall under the supervision of
the City Administrator, or a designee of the City Administrator, and be performed in coordina-
tion with key safety personnel in each city department and the Safety Committee, to develop
policies, conduct accident investigations, assist with safety trainings and safety inspections and
to help with related documentation.
We wish Brad great success in this critical role for the City!
During the Christmas holiday season, Firefighter Sarai Briggs helped organize our Salvation Army Giv-
ing Tree which could be found in the public lobby of our Central Fire Station and our Adopt-A-Family-
for-Christmas charity. Sarai has long been active in giving back to the community. The Salvation Army
prepares tags which are placed on the Giving Tree. Each tag requests a gift for the needy. Our Firefight-
ers and other City employees take a tag off the Tree and purchase and donate the gifts which are distrib-
uted by the Salvation Army. Over 75 gifts were donated. The Adopt-A-Family donation of gifts to a de-
serving family chosen by the Salvation Army was made by the Saco Firefighters.
The Saco Fire Department publish-
es its online newsletter bimonthly.
To receive an email notifying you
when it is published, please visit
our newsletter page and complete
the email sign up information.
Just click below to sign up:
For the latest on what’s happening
at Saco City Hall, see the newest
edition of the City Hall newsletter
by clicking below:
Saco Fire Department-Saco, Maine
THE PEPPERELL POST
Fire Department Newsletters
Our latest Annual Report with
detailed information on Depart-
ment activities, responses, equip-
ment, facilities, personnel and
operations is available on our
website. To view or download
the Annual Report, click:
ANNUAL REPORTS
Page 2 word solution: FIREGROUND
Focus on Department Staffing
Fire Chief John Duross announced the appointment of the follow-
ing new Call Division Firefighter:
Cameron Balog of Saco, as Firefighter II/Paramedic and is as-
signed to North Saco Engine 8 Company
Fire Chief John Duross recently announced the retirement of Art
Prentiss:
Art began his association with the Fire Department in 1964 and
for over 50 years has been serving the City of Saco as a Call Divi-
sion member assigned to the North Saco Station Company and
more recently serving as a member of our Fire/Police Division
helping to manage traffic and pedestrian controls during safety
incidents. We extend our most sincere and grateful thanks to
Art for his years of unselfish service. Although we shall fondly
miss Art as a member of our team, we all wish Art a happy,
healthy and well deserved retirement!
Pictured is Katie Lord
Brad Chicoine
Sarai Briggs
Brad Chicoine
Be encouraged to be watchful of our elderly and infirmed neighbors. Winter carries
with it frigid temperatures, power outages and difficult walking and driving condi-
tions. Should you believe an elderly or infirmed neighbor needs medical or emer-
gency assistance, don’t hesitate to contact our department for information and help.