A publication from the Hazardville Fire Department Winter 2012 / Vol. 6 Issue 1

Happy New Year

The members of Hazardville Fire Department (HFD)extend their best wishes for a wonderful New Year.

To help ensure your safety in the year to come, we hopeyou’ll consider adopting the following resolutions: • If you don’t already have one, please make getting a carbon monoxide

detector a priority. They are very affordable and can be purchased atvirtually any local hardware or department store. If you do have one, besure it’s in working order and has battery back-up. The HFD has receivednumerous calls as a result of CO detectors going off in homes lately. Thissmall investment could save the lives of you and those you love.

• Make sure your smoke detectors are also in working order, and changethe batteries every six months or so. Again, it could make the differencebetween life and death.

• Check your fire extinguisher and, if necessary, purchase a new one.Familiarize yourself with how it works, and keep it in a place that is easyto access. Stop by the HFD if you need assistance determining what typeof extinguisher to purchase.

• This time of year, many people enjoy the warmth of a fire and the glowof candles. Put them out before going to bed. Make sure candles are instable and secure holders and keep them away from combustiblematerials and small children.

We want 2012 to be safe and happy for everyone, so please remain alertto the fire dangers that exist in your home. As always, we remain committedto helping to protect this community and look forward to our continuedservice in the year ahead.

Sincerely,The Hazardville Fire Commissioners, Fire Fighters and Volunteers

The Hazardville Fire Department(HFD) recently lost a longtimefriend, John “Jack” Fox, whopassed away at the age of 87. A former resident of Enfield, Jack spent recent years at the The Villages retirementcommunity in Florida.

Jack was a retiredschoolteacher, a WWII USMarine Corp Veteran, and an IwoJima Survivor. He was also amember of the HFD from 1969to 1976, serving as SecondEngineer from 1971 to 1975. Inaddition, Jack taught 3rd gradefire safety for six years and was apast member of the Shaker PinesFire Department. He retired fromthe HFD and teaching in theearly 1990s, at which time hemoved to Florida to enjoy thesunshine and warmth.

The HFD was saddened by the loss of Jack and extends its most sincere sympathies to his family.

In Memory of Jack Fox

The year 2011 will long beremembered for its crazy weather

and damaging storms. Hopefully, we alllearned some valuable lessons abouthow to prepare for and function safelyduring a power outage.

During a power outage – or at anytime – carbon monoxide (CO)detectors are critically important forpeople using alternative heat sourcessuch as a fireplace, kerosene heater orgenerator. The Town of Enfielddistributed CO detectors following theOctober snowstorm, and they weregone within an hour. If you still do nothave a CO detector, please be sure toget one as soon as possible. Smoke andCO detectors, with battery backup,should be located on every floor ofyour home.

To eliminate fire hazards anddanger, strive to keep your home cleanand free of clutter. When power is lost,shut off the main circuit breaker inyour home. Be sure that all stoveburners are turned off and, as anextra precaution, avoid sittingthings on the stove. Anumber of fires haveresulted from peopleputting things likemail andnewspapers ontheir stove duringthe outage, only tohave them catch firewhen the power comes back on.

Whenever possible, flashlights orbattery operated lanterns should beused instead of candles. Be sure to have

Power OutagePreparedness

The Village Trumpet 2 Winter 2012 / Vol. 6 Issue 1

Spotlight On… New Squad 5 Members

Recently, the Hazardville FireDepartment had the pleasure of

welcoming aboard two new Squad 5members, Brett Cowhey and ColeMagnuson. Squad 5 is a trainingprogram for high school studentsbetween the ages of 14 and 18 who areinterested in fire service.

Born in Springfield, MA, Brettmoved to Enfield at the age 3. He isnow a sophomore at Cheney TechnicalHigh School, where his favoritesubjects are diesel shop and civics. Inhis free time, Brett enjoys playingpaintball and soccer. He has one oldersister.

Brett made the decision to becomeinvolved with the HFD after doingsome research about Squad 5 online.He has been with the department forabout a month and enjoys watching thefirefighters train and seeing howeverything works. He looks forward tocompleting his training so that he can

ride on the fire truck with the otherfirefighters.

Cole was born and raised in Enfieldand has a twin brother and two sisters.He attends Fermi High School, wherehis favorite class is wood shop. He is amember of the school’s indoor trackteam and also enjoys playing baseballand basketball for fun. Cole has been amember of Squad 5 for a month andspends Monday evenings training. Hesays it’s “pretty cool” and has reallyenjoyed the experience so far. He plans

a battery powered radio available sothat you can listen for importantinformation. If using kerosene heaters,make sure they are in safe workingorder, and if using a generator, keep ita safe distance away from your home.Take the time now, while you havepower, to familiarize yourself with

where your watershut-off is located.

There are a fewother things you can

do in advance to helpprepare for a power

outage. Be sure to havecash on hand, since ATMs

and credit cards cannot be usedwithout power. Also, develop a

plan for your pets, as they may not beallowed in shelters. Lastly, prepare anemergency supply kit and poweroutage checklist for your home. Manyof us were caught off guard during the October storm, so let’s be readynext time!

to work with his partner, Brett, once aweek and looks forward to futureopportunities.

Squad 5 members, like Brett andCole, participate in weekly drills andtraining sessions. They are able to attendemergency incidents and perform suchduties as fighting grass fire, setting up airbottle change stations and assisting withtraffic control. They are also able to pullthe lines from the apparatus, hook uphydrants and provide tools, as needed.Although members are not allowed intoburning buildings until age 18, Squad 5offers an excellent opportunity to gainvaluable skills and knowledge.

“There’s still room on Squad 5 forother interested teens,” says HFD FireChief Jack Flanagan. “We take thisprogram very seriously, because thesekids are the future of our Department.”

If you would like more informationabout Squad 5, please call the HFD at(860) 749-8344.

Brett Cowhey Cole Magnuson

The Village Trumpet 3 Winter 2012 / Vol. 6 Issue 1

Searching for an opportunity tomake a difference? Consider

joining forces with the HazardvilleFire Department (HFD). Becominga volunteer firefighter is a life-changing experience – not only foryou, but for the individuals andfamilies whose lives you will touchalong the way.

Volunteer firefighters are trainedto work under the direction ofcompany officers to perform rescue,fire extinguishment, ventilation,salvage, overhaul, extrication andmedical-aid duties. Some of thespecific job functions andresponsibilities include responding toemergency calls; gaining knowledgeof all tools and equipment in use bythe fire department; becomingfamiliar with the streets and generalconditions of the district; activelytaking part in the general care andmaintenance of the fire station andits equipment; and participating inrequired training sessions. Duties areoutlined more specifically atwww.hazardvillefire.org.

If you are interested in becominga volunteer firefighter, please visit usonline or call (860) 749-8344.Volunteers enjoy many rewards andincentives, the greatest of which is asense of belonging to a brotherhood/sisterhood that is unlike anythingyou have ever known before.

theseBOOTS are

made for HELPING...Thanks to Kelly Fradet Lumber,

Hazardville Fire Department(HFD) firefighters recentlyparticipated in an important drillfocused on rescuing fellowfirefighters. Kelly Fradet enabled thisdrill by offering the use of a buildingslated for demolishment.

Firefighter rescue, which involvesassisting and/or removing a firefighterfrom a troubled location or situationin the fireground, is one of the mostchallenging situations a firefighterencounters. When faced with rescuinga fellow firefighter, factors such asteamwork, communication and focusbecome very difficult to control.

Depending on circumstances,firefighter rescue may be as simple asguiding the firefighter to the outsideor as complicated as extricating thefirefighter from a collapse orentanglement, securing his/her airsupply with a new source, and

removing him/her from thestructure. There are three possiblescenarios:

1. Assisting/rescuing a member oftheir crew;

2. Assisting/rescuing a firefighterencountered during interioroperations;

3. Assisting/rescuing a firefighter whenperforming as part of a rapidintervention.

In any of the above situations, thefirefighter(s) performing the rescuemust remain calm, communicateeffectively, and use teamwork toresolve the situation. This is one of thereasons why continual training isimportant, as well as having theopportunity to utilize real-lifesituations such as an actual buildingfor training. Many thanks to KellyFradet for making this possible!

Firefighter Rescue DrillProvides Essential Training

Thanks to Kelly Fradet Lumber, members of the HFD recently participated in a drill to prepare them for the difficult task ofrescuing a fellow firefighter.

The Village Trumpet 4 Winter 2012 / Vol. 6 Issue 1

Hazardville Fire Department385 Hazard AvenueEnfield, CT 06082

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

US POSTAGEPAID

HARTFORD, CTPERMIT NO. 2775

HFD Responds to Storm Alfred

Back on October 29, StormAlfred took many Connecticut

residents by surprise, but members ofthe Hazardville Fire Department wereready and waiting to help theircommunity. Firefighters were on dutythroughout the storm to ensure thesafety of Enfield residents. As you canimagine, they were very busyresponding to EMT calls, checking onthe accessibility of roads with downedtrees, and contacting the powercompany to report downed wires.

Chief Jack Flanagan commends theHazardville firefighters and greatlyappreciates their commitment duringthe storm. “These firefighters wentabove and beyond the call of duty tohelp their community in time ofneed,” he says. “This was also a

difficult personal time for many ofthem, as they dealt with their ownstorm-related damage and lack of heatand power at home.”

Many members’ families helped outby providing homemade meals andsupport to the firefighters throughout thedisaster. “It was great to come back to thefire station after a call to the aroma of ahome-cooked meal,” says Jack.

The HFD responded to 250 storm-related calls, including carbonmonoxide calls resulting fromgenerators being too close to the homeor inside the garage. To put this inperspective, Jack points out that in thecourse of a normal year, the HFDresponds to approximately 700 callstotal. “This definitely has not been atypical year,” he laughs. Hopefully,2012 will be a little calmer, but localresidents can count on the HFD team,no matter what comes our way.