During a recent meeting of the Ferndale Community Crime Watch group, at the Ferndale Cooperative Extension Building on Kanis Road, members presented a donation to our department from recent fundraising to benefit the entire community. Fire Chief Ronnie Wheeler was at the meeting to receive the check,  show our sincere thanks, and provide updates about how our fire department continually strives to respond to any of our areas emergency needs.  WPFD always appreciates engaged community support that helps us do our job better.  Thanks again to all of  your that came out to the meeting.

WPFD would like to wish you and your family a Happy New Year! We truly hope 2012 will be safe and prosperous for everyone. If you are heading out on this festive evening for celebrations and parties we hope that you will be careful, never drink and drive and will never let others drink and drive. We need more highway hero’s on a nigh like this to make sure everyone gets home safely. Best wishes to all in 2012!

WPFD Assistant Chief Charlie Amato, based at Station #2 in Ferndale, recently received a SWN Community Hero Award from his employer. Charlie is a Drilling Superintendent for Southwest Energy Corporation, also known as SWN. His employer wanted to recognize Charlie for his many years of service to his hometown community and make a generous donation to our organization in his honor.

Here is more information about the award:

Every year, SWN employees quietly invest their own personal time to volunteer in various roles with valuable nonprofit organizations. The SWN Community Hero Awards is a volunteer recognition program created and funded by Southwestern Energy to reward our employees for their dedicated community service.

This annual program honors those outstanding employees for their volunteer achievements with a nonprofit organization and grants a monetary award to each of the qualifying nonprofit partners where the winning volunteers have focused their time.

Congratulations to this year’s winners for their investments of time and talent to nonprofit organizations in their communities!

Charlie Amato – West Pulaski Fire Protection District #23 – Charlie serves as the Battalion Chief, and responds to medical, fire and rescue emergencies day and night.

With Christmas just around the corner, all of us at West Pulaski Fire Department hope that your celebrations are safe and fun. As you decorate your home, reconnect with family, entertain guests, serve delicious meals, and devour sweet treats we hope that you will always be mindful of safety.  The holiday decorations, festive trees, candles, cooking, and extra heat for colder nights can introduce an increased risk of fire and injury.  We hope that you will keep safety at the top of your list of things to do for the holidays.

Please  click this link for a  Holiday Safety Checklist provided by the NFPA:   Winter_Holiday_Safety_Checklist

West Pulaski Fire Department gathered together at the Ferncliff Camp on December 3rd for food and fun at our annual Christmas party.  This is almost the only time we get together each year that doesn’t involve training, maintenance, our fundraiser dinner, business meetings, maintenance, or responding to someone’s emergency. In case you were wondering, this is pretty much our only leisure event all year long. The rest is mostly work for us. So after the good food and comraderie, Fire District Chief Ronnie Wheeler wanted to recognize the service of some WPFD personnel with Firefigher of the Year Awards.  Congratulations to Scott Matthews, Andrew “Drew” Brzozowski, Matt Breeding, Craig Cox and Jason Rogers on recognition of department service.

Click the READ MORE link to see the firefighters with their awards ——————–>

Station #1 - Firefighter of the Year: FF Scott Matthews

 

Station #2- Firefighter of the Year: FF Drew Brzozowski

Station #3 - Firefighter of the Year: Capt. Matt Breeding

Station #4- Firefighter of the Year: FF Craig Cox

WPFD Department Firefighter of the Year: Capt. Jason Rogers

Daylight Savings Time – You have rolled back your clock for Daylight Savings Time, now make sure your batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have been replaced. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. Remember to change your batteries when you change your clocks and test them monthly!

Fox 16 Special Report: Volunteer Fire Departments

These folks recently completed their training and exams to finish a 40-hour course of advanced first aid. Congratulations to these WPFD firefighters for reaching Certified First Responder status : Andrew Brzozowski-EMT, Micheal Felton, Andy Moore, Kirk Holt, Karyn Holt, David Moody, Joseph Reeves, Dan Speerly and Scott Matthews .

Sometimes when you see WPFD respond there will be lots of trucks, manpower and activity associated with a specific emergency incident. You might be wondering just what is going on at an emergency scene but you never get to hear our conversations. Well, our folks are quite busy responding quickly and with the right equipment to manage an incident effectively. To do this, we rely heavily on communications of radio and voice pagers to coordinate this response.  We ensure everyone knows what to do and where to be with quick communication. Here is a sample of a recent call involving a structure fire with responses from two station companies and several pieces of equipment (apparatus or “fire-trucks”).  By the way…this was all done in the middle of the night when most of us were already sleeping quite soundly (2:22 am). With some short notice, we can be quite organized and effective….even though our sleep was interrupted.  This sample is actually an entire response (what we say and hear to each other) to the structure fire but plays as a continuous recording of actual voice traffic over a 2-hour period but can be listened to within a 6-minute period.

Click this link to listen —>>>     October Structure Fire- Audio

Each fall and winter season, WPFD responds to several emergency calls involving fireplaces/chimneys and home heaters. The use of combustible fuel inside a home is a traditional and effective way to battle freezing temperatures. Not only does a fireplace or wood stove feel great on a chilly night, it also take some of the pressure of your home heating system by reducing the dependence on costly electric or propane/natural gas heating units.

However, using an alternative heating source comes with some big responsibilities to ensure that they are properly maintained and operating in a safe manner.  Keeping your fireplace, wood stove, pellet stove, and chimney/stovepipe clean is of the highest importance.  Failure to get your homes fire fueled heat system inspected and cleaned each year can lead to prevent potential leaks of fire, smoke, and harmful gases from the exhaust system (vent or chimney) into the home or attic causing dangerous conditions. Don’t risk fire, loss of your home, or death from carbon-monoxide leaks. Get your system inspected and cleaned to ensure your home is ready for a full cold season of safe heating!

Safe Home Heating–

• Heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year.
• Most fire fueled heating failureds are due creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes.
• All home heating systems (including electric and natural gas) require regular maintenance to function safely and efficiently.
• Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
• Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials.
• Leave glass doors open while burning a fire. Leaving the doors open ensures that the fire receives enough air to ensure complete combustion and keeps creosote from building up in the chimney.
• Close glass doors when the fire is out to keep air from the chimney opening from getting into the room. Most glass fireplace doors have a metal mesh screen which should be closed when the glass doors are open. This mesh screen helps keep embers from getting out of the fireplace area.
• Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces that do not have a glass fireplace door.
• Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures.
• Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces. Otherwise you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire.
• Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves.

Build A Better Fire–

• Never use flammable liquids to start or rebuild a fire in your fireplace or wood stove.
• Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup.
• Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke.
• Never burn cardboard boxes, trash, plastic or debris in your fireplace or wood stove.
• When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate.
• Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Soak hot ashes in water and place them in a metal container outside your home.

Outside Your Home–

• Stack firewood outdoors at least 30 feet away from your home.
• Keep the roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris.
• Cover the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester.
• Remove branches hanging above the chimney, flues or vents.

Inside Your Home–

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and inside and outside of sleeping areas. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Consider installing the new long life smoke alarms.
• Provide proper venting systems for all heating equipment.
• Extend all vent pipes at least three feet above the roof.