Think Twice About Sleeping Naked

Reporting from On Scene
Incident: Medical Assist


I don't know how many of you have ever been told by your mother to put on clean underwear before going out in case you are ever in an accident and need to go to the hospital, but I have some advice that pertains to staying at home:

Don't sleep naked!

That way, when you wake up having one serious major asthma attack (or some other emergency) you are not found unconscious and naked on the floor after dialing # 911 by 4 firefighters, 2 paramedics and 2 police officers.  That can/could be rather embarrassing as a woman in her early 30's found out.

We ended up covering her up with some sheets and loading her for transport to ER while giving her a breathing treatment.

I guess that her mother didn't quite prepare her for everything.

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      Lieutenant
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Helping Fido & Kitty In an Emergency!

Reporting From Off Scene

If you are like us, we love our companions, our four legged friends. We don't want to see harm come to them so it's really important as responsible pet owners to take actions to prevent our pets from starting fires as well as prevent them from being hurt in a fire.

Ways to prevent Fido & Kitty from starting an accidental fire:

• Never leave a pet unattended around an open flame. Pets are curious in nature and are attracted to cooking appliances, candle flames and fires. Use flameless candles, which remove the danger associated with your pet knocking the lit candle over.
• Never leave glass food/water bowls sitting out on wooden decks. In the summer especially, the sun can heat up and filter through the water, which 'could' ignite the wooden deck. 
• We also recommend removing knobs on stove or at least cover them so your furry critter can not move them, igniting a fire.
• Check your residence for any exposed wiring that your pet may be tempted to chew on. Not only could this cause a fire, it will certainly harm them in other ways.

Ways to keep Fido, Kitty, etc. safer in the event of a fire:

• Alert firefighters to the presence of pet(s) in the home with the use of "Save My Pet" stickers/decals that clearly indicate the type of pet you have and the number of pets. These stickers should be displayed on all doors and some windows. These stickers/decals must be kept up to date and REMOVED when you move or no longer require them. If firefighters know in advance that there are beloved pets inside, they will be more mindful when doing their searches.  Stickers/decals can be obtained at your local Veterinarian's office or through your local Humane Society,
• Practice your fire escape home plans with your pets!
• Keep collars on pets and think about hanging leashes by the doors. Often pets will wait by doors and will try and run out when firefighters come in.
• If possible, a pet door does provide your pet with an escape route. If it's necessary to confine your pet to a kennel, think about placing that kennel in a room or area close to a door so firefighters can easily find them. *Keep in mind, pets are more likely to be harmed or even die in a fire when they are locked in a kennel or room.
• For your own piece of mind, take a mental note of where your pet likes to sleep or hide in case you must evacuate your home fast.

With a little preparation and planning, you can help us protect your beloved Fido & Kitty from fires and fire emergencies.

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Engineer aka: Chauffeur  
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"Save My Pet"

Reporting from Off Scene


Some home owners display a "Save My Pet" decal/sticker on their front and back doors to let emergency services personnel know that there are pets inside the residence. Some of these stickers/decals have spaces where you can fill out what types of pets and how many you have.

Some have questioned, do they really work?  Truthfully, it depends on the particular fire department involved and the circumstances surrounding the emergency.  If it is safe to do so, firefighters will look for your pet.  Many of us have pets of our own and we clearly understand that pets are an extension to the family unit. However, it's important to keep in mind that we see people, as the bigger priority than pets in any emergency situation.  You can't expect emergency service personnel to run into a burning building or an unsafe structure for a pet once all of the people have been safely evacuated, but the stickers/decals can make a difference if firefighters are doing primary or secondary searches/checks in buildings. If we know in advance that there is a pet, we will be able to safely look for it. Keep in mind that if you live in a house or an apartment and there's a fire, firefighters may come in through a window and not necessarily the front or back door. So, we encourage home owners with pets to place stickers/decals near their windows as well as on their front and/or back doors.

One of our biggest issues with the use of these stickers/decals, and one reason why firefighters may not completely pay attention to them (and it's not because we don't care or are heartless WRONG!!), it is because many pet owners don't bother to remove the stickers/decals when they move or when they no longer have pets.  With this mind, there are many situations where firefighters have re-entered an unsafe structure to do one last search in hope of recovering the family pet, which endangers their own safety... only to find out that there was NO PET!!!

We suggest that you get to know your neighbours and try to remain on friendly terms with them. Let them know that you have pets, what kinds, how many and even their name. When you're not around in an emergency, they can help by keeping an eye out for your pet and/or let firefighters know about them. Be sure to notify the company that monitors your home alarm system that you have pets. Pets aren't able to call 911, but the company monitoring your fire alarm system can alert police and firefighters in advance, that there are beloved pets in the home.

These stickers/decals certainly don't hurt and can come in quite handy in case of an emergency but PLEASE REMOVE "Save My Pet" stickers/decals, when and if they are no longer needed. Your local fire department would appreciate it!

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    LadderJockey
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The Empty Table at Easter

Reporting From Off Scene

We shall set a place for two this Easter. This table will be proudly set for the members in our profession who are missing from our midst today. The firefighters who were to sit here, died in the line of duty or afterwards, none the less they made the ultimate sacrifice. This table for two will forever be referred to as "The Empty Table", a tribute to all firefighters who now watch over us as guardians.

"Empty Table" photo was taken on June 10, 2012 by Steven Walsh who was attending a memorial for fallen firefighters.  His father, Joseph F Walsh III was amongst those being honored, who had died from job related cancer on April 27, 2012.

To those in their communities, they are firefighters. To us, they are brothers and sisters. This is the perfect holiday/occasion to reflect on the symbolism of this place/table that has been set for our fallen members.

The table is set for two.  Two in - two out, the firefighter's rule!

The white table cloth symbolizes the purity of their intentions to respond to their department's every call, their devotion and loyalty to every firefighter, and their communities.

The floral arrangement has a story to tell of it's own.  You see, the red rose, is for those who made the ultimate sacrifice - they gave their own life so that others could live, it shows that we mourn, honor and miss them. The white rose, is for those who witnessed and experienced tragedy and destruction first-hand, and are still with us today by the grace of God.

The slice of lemon is placed upon the plate to remind us of their bitter fate and the bitterness of faith felt by those left behind to carry on without them.

The salt is placed upon the plate, symbolic of the many tears shed by family and friends and all those who suffer the pain of losing them.

The glass will remain inverted - as they are not able to toast with us.

The chair will remain empty - they are not here, but let's not forget them.

The last item is the Firefighter's Flag "Loyal To Our Duty", because it keeps us humble and reminds us of all the firefighters that are with us and all those that have gone before us.

This "Empty Table" serves to remind us that in this profession, we are all brothers and sisters and we hold one thing dear to us all, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and the fact that we shall NEVER FORGET!

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       Crew 14 Members
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If You Run... You Go To Jail Tired!

Reporting from On Scene
Incident: Garage Fire

As we were pulling away from the fire hall, our radios came to life and we found ourselves responding to a structural fire. The police were already on scene and were reporting smoke coming from the garage,

Of course, the first thing that we noticed when pulling up on scene, was the smoke. Next, we couldn't help but notice all the cops surrounding the residence, 3-4 cop cars at least. Just as the air brake was set, I jumped from the rig. One of the officers came running over and told us that there were boxes of clothes burning in the garage.

We made our way into the badly cluttered garage and sure enough, there were a few boxes which appeared to be clothes, fully engulfed in flames. I used my hook to start pulling the boxes on fire out and to my surprise, I lifted what appeared to be a burning pair of men's underwear that got snagged on my hook out!

I held up the burning pair of underwear and said to our Captain, "Man alive! That had to be one heck of a spicy meal to have set this pair of underwear on fire!"  After we got all the boxes pulled out, we used our thermal imager to make sure that there were no hot spots left in the garage.

Being the curious person that I am, afterwards I asked one of the cops still on scene what the story was with this call. He indicated to me that they had showed up that afternoon to arrest the guy for breech of parole. The guy ran from his house straight to the garage, possibly to hide when he saw the police cars show up. The guy obviously could hear the police officers outside the big garage door and in a vain attempt to get away, he lit the boxes on fire and then bolted out the side door of the garage... directly into the arms of the waiting police officers.  This bad guy had a history of running from the law, and this time, the police were well prepared.

Not sure what this guy was thinking. Not sure what his logic was for setting the boxes on fire either. He just added more charges to his already growing list of offences. And did he really think that the police would not be at both doors?  Although some cops may look stupid, they really are not!

Any ways, made for a good call. Some times, it's the silly calls that really make our day.

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      Lieutenant
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