View
14
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
In my report in the spring 2010 edition of
this newsletter, I wrote about the dire pre-
dictions from our fire behavior analyst.
Fortunately, he was wrong. The 2010 fire
season was once again fairly calm and did
not live up to the predictions from last
winter. In May and June it started to rain
and life was good most of the summer.
We had a couple notable exceptions – the
Lakeside Fire and the Davis Fire.
The Lakeside Fire started on July 16, 2010
at approximately 5:35 p.m. in the Browns
Gulch area on the east side of the Missouri
river. The fire quickly grew into a 200
acre fire despite all the rain. The fire
started in York Fire’s jurisdiction and
quickly burned into ours. We established
unified command between York Fire, Tri-
Lakes Fire, the Lewis and Clark County
Sheriff’s Office, DNRC, and the U.S. For-
est Service. This inclusive approach al-
lows all the parties to bring their resources
to the table to attack the fire in a coordi-
nated and supportive approach. The fire
burned north and then turned east burning
in a combination of live and red and dead
timber. The fire behavior was extreme
even with the relatively wet conditions
present.
Those individual homes in harm’s way
were immediately evacuated and structure
protection was established in the affected
T R I - L A K E S
T R U S T E E S
Bonnie Jones,
Chair
Nathan Bartow,
Secretary
April Gerth,
Treasurer
Mark Meyer
Bru Bizzotto
Fire Chief:
Bob Drake
475-3552
431-3600
Jackie
Jandt,
Newsletter
T R I - L A K E S V O L U N T E E R
F I R E D E P A R T M E N T Tri-Lakes Tribune W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E 2
Website:
trilakesvfd.com
Fire Chief’s Report
The 2014 wildfire season turned out to
be very mild. Thank goodness! The
spring was awful with no real moisture
until June 20th. We were in bad shape
and then it began to rain and it was
awesome!
We have been through three cycles now
of training for offensive attack on struc-
ture fires from the outside and the re-
sults have been very good. We have
used the new approach on the structure
fires we have had this year with dra-
matic results. The approach is working
and the results are there!
The latest unexpected surprise we have
been dealing with is the Ebola outbreak
in Africa. It doesn’t seem like that
something that far away should impact
us here but, as we have seen in Dallas,
it can. I wish we could bury our heads
in the sand and hope that nothing bad
happens here.
We usually try
the other ap-
proach that if we
get ready, it
won’t happen
here. There are
two articles in
this newsletter
that explain what
Ebola is and our
plan for address-
ing it.
We are now
down to 12 ac-
tive volunteer
firefighters, 6
active volun-
teer firefighter/
EMTs, and 5
active volun-
teer EMTs. On
average on any
given day, at
least half of the
volunteers are
not available due to work, family, trav-
el, etc. We have had 5 calls in the last
year where no one from Tri-Lakes was
available to answer the page. Our mu-
tual aid partners or St. Peters ambu-
lance took care of the calls in our ab-
sence.
We need additional volunteer firefight-
ers and EMTs to keep going with an
effective force. If you are able bodied
and have any available time, please
give me a call at 406-431-3600 and talk
to me about volun-
teering. I won’t sug-
ar coat it. I will
shoot straight with
you about what it
takes to be a volun-
teer for Tri-Lakes. I
guarantee you will
never regret coming
on board and help-
ing people on what
is usually the worst
day of their lives.
Fire Chief
Bob Drake
Fire Chief’s Report—Continued On Page 6
http://trilakesvfd.com
The Tri-Lakes Fire Company continues to grown
with the addition of several new firefighters:
Larry Fries
Hans Oaks
Maren Olsen
Cassie Ward
Welcome, and thanks.
P A G E 2
T R I - L A K E S T R I B U N E
Ebola: What Parents Need to Know
In an effort to share
accurate information
and tips, the American
Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) clarifies what
Ebola is and what par-
ents can do to protect
their children.
What is Ebola? Ebola is a viral infection, yet it is very rare and
is not easy to transmit from person to person.
There is a serious outbreak in West Africa,
however, in part due to lack of germ prevention
and access to adequate medical supplies.
What are the Signs & Symptoms of
Ebola? Ebola typically starts suddenly with a fever but
symptoms can also include a severe headache,
fatigue, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomit-
ing, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or
bruising. The time from infection with the virus
to the onset of symptoms is from 2 to 21 days
(with 8 to 10 days being most common). A per-
son with the Ebola virus can infect others as
soon as they begin to have symptoms. Early-
stage Ebola disease may be confused with other
infectious diseases (e.g., flu) because the initial
symptoms are similar to those seen with other
viral infections.
How is Ebola Spread? Unlike the flu, Ebola is not spread through the
air or water. The chances of you or your chil-
dren becoming infected are slim. Ebola is only
transmitted through direct contact with the body
fluids of an infected person or from objects like
needles that have been in contact with infected
body fluids. This means it does not spread
through air, food, water, or by touching things
like money and keyboards. See Q&A's on Ebo-
la Transmission on CDC.gov.
Can You Get Ebola From a Dog or
Cat? At this time, there have been no reports of
dogs or cats becoming sick with Ebola or be-
ing able to spread Ebola to people or animals.
The chances of a dog or cat being exposed to
Ebola virus in the United States is very low
as they would have to come into contact with
blood and body fluids of a symptomatic per-
son sick with Ebola. See Q&A's about Ebo-
la and Pets on CDC.gov.
Can Ebola Be Prevented? Yes, killing the virus is easy. The Ebola virus
can be killed with soap and water, heat, or a
disinfectant or sanitizing agent. According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion (CDC), washing hands frequently is a
good precaution. This is perhaps the most
important message for children to learn and
share. Because people in West Africa may
not be able to follow these precautions and
may not have access to soap and water, Ebola
has continued to spread.
Important Message for Parents: It is much easier to catch to the flu or other
respiratory viruses than Ebola. For example,
based on the Ebola statistics we have right
now, it is likely that flu will cause far more
illness and deaths around the globe than Ebo-
la will.
News Coverage Understandably, there is heavy coverage in
the media about the spread of Ebola. Howev-
er, it is a good idea to limit young children's
exposure to news stories about it. This way,
parents can decide what information they
want to share
based on their
child's level of
understanding.
Ebola—Continued On Page 8
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E 2
Long-time trustee Rich Meyering, passed away on August 15, 2014 fol-
lowing a brief bout with cancer.
Rich was an active member in many organizations that served the com-
munity. His passion was as member of the Lakeside Volunteer Fire De-
partment which became Tri-Lakes Volunteer Fire Department in 2006.
He joined as a volunteer firefighter in 1991 retiring in 2003 when he was
elected to the Board of Trustees where he served as Chairman until a
month before his passing. He also spent many years as an EMT-First Re-
sponder. He absolutely loved being a part of the volunteer department and
serving the residents of the area. He focused on the needs and welfare of
the volunteer firefighters and EMTs making sure they had what they
needed to complete their mission safely.
Rich’s institutional knowledge and passion are missed at every meeting. He truly gave his all to Tri-Lakes.
Rich, rest in peace, we will take it from here!
Rich Meyering
The Chicken Coop is On Fire! Heat Lamp Safty Tips
Heat Lamp Safety Tips:
NEVER use a 250 watt infrared heat bulb in
a plastic lamp or garden clamp light! This is a
very dangerous thing to do and these cheap
plastic lamps just aren’t made to withstand
the heat produced by these larger bulbs and
the high amount of electricity required to run
the bulb.
ALWAYS read the wattage instructions and
safety warnings on any lamps you buy before
using them. Wattage information can be
found on the
packaging and
most lamps even
have it in the ti-
tle. Always use a
lamp that is rated
for a higher watt-
age than the bulb
you use. A 300
watt lamp is usu-
ally the size needed for a 250
watt infrared heat bulb, but the
wattage of lamp sold may vary
from place to place.
Purchase a proper heat lamp or brooder lamp
from your local feed store or pet store, these
can be found in the reptile section of pet
stores. Read the wattage instructions carefully
to be sure you are buying the proper sized
lamp for the bulb you plan to use and be sure
it is a metal or ceramic lamp, not a plastic one.
Hard wired coops or barns are best for running
heat lamps, meaning a building has its own
power supply and grounded power outlet. If
you do use an extension cord, be sure it has
the appropriate amp/watt rating for lamp watt-
age size and ensure to use a sturdy outdoor
cord plugged into a grounded outlet. Never
connect two extension cords together if you
can avoid it. Purchase a cord long enough to
reach your heat lamp. Keep the connection
between the lamp cord and the extension cord
Heat Lamp Safety—Continued On Page 9
P A G E 4
P A G E 5 V O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E 2
Ebola and Tri-Lakes
There have been many news stories in recent months about the Ebola outbreak in Africa. Please see the
related article about “Ebola: What Parents Need to Know” on page 2 of this newsletter. Just like
every other medical response provider in the country, Tri-Lakes is grappling with the balance between
being prepared for such an event and the remote possibility we may see an Ebola case in our area.
Tri-Lakes has taken a measured approach with our other partners in rural fire, St. Peters Ambulance,
and the 911 Center to keep our members safe while providing the best possible care for what could be
a critically ill patient.
First and foremost, we have recognized that, although remote, it is not impossible for us to see an Ebo-
la case here. We all know the kind of people who live in Helena – caring and compassionate people
who volunteer their time and expertise all over the world. It is not so farfetched that one of our caring
doctors, nurses, or aid workers would travel to Africa to help during this tragic time. If it is possible,
then we better be prepared.
So what does prepared look like for us? Here are the steps we have taken to date:
1. Through discussions with various health departments and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as
a response community we have implemented steps at the 911 Center to ask the right questions to
try to detect the possibility of an Ebola case as early as possible. This will give all our medical re-
sponders an early warning of the possibility so proper precautions may be taken.
2. We have worked to determine what PPE (personal
protective equipment) is needed to keep our
volunteers safe and purchased those supplies.
We have 25 sets of these supplies on hand.
3. We have trained our EMTs using the CDC
guidelines on how to properly get into and out of
the specialized protective equipment.
4. We have on-scene procedures and plans to quickly
identify possible Ebola cases, institute safety by
backing out to put on PPE, start proper health
care system notifications, and limit the number of
responders exposed to the potential virus.
5. We have an agreement with St. Peters Hospital to
transport not only the patient but all responders that
had patient contact to the hospital to isolation and
decontamination facilities. Once the patient has been transferred into the capable hands of the hos-
pital staff, the responders will be decontaminated using the hospital’s specialized facilities follow-
ing the recommended CDC guidance.
6. Once our responders have been released from the decontamination process and assessed for expo-
sure, they will be given the option to self-quarantine in our new training building while the patient
is tested for Ebola. It takes a couple of days for reliable test results to be obtained. During that time,
Ebola and Tri-Lakes—Continued On Page 9
P A G E 6
T R I - L A K E S T R I B U N E
Meet Our New Volunteer and New Arrival!!!
The following table shows the number of calls and the number of volunteer hours spent on each for the
last three years (hours only include volunteer hours spent on fires where our firefighters were not eligi-
ble for state reimbursement):
As you can see from the numbers, our fire call and medical call volumes were down slightly this year.
Fire calls were down 7% with fire call hours increasing by 4%. The decrease in numbers reflects the
wetter summer we had in 2014. We had 7 fewer medical calls but the hours on those calls fell over 14%
as the number of responders on those calls continued to fall. As in past years, training consumes the
vast majority of hours as our volunteers continue to strive to retain and expand their skills. Total training
hours are down this year due to a lower number of firefighters and EMTs training.
I wish I had a solution to the decreasing number of volunteers. We try to make it as easy as possible to
be a volunteer, however, there is no way to make getting pulled away from your job and/or your family
at a moment’s notice easy for anyone. We spend hundreds of hours training so we can safely help you,
our residents.
A big thank you to our volunteers! They are awesome selfless people who give their all protecting you
every day. They are the true heroes in our organization and make all things possible!
Bob
2014 % Change 2013 % Change 2012 2 Year % Change
Fire calls 69 (7%) 74 (12%) 84 (18%)
Fire call hours 515 4% 493 (50%) 983 (48%)
Medical calls 81 (8%) 88 7% 82 (1%)
Medical call hours 202 (14%) 236 (31%) 340 (41%)
Training hours 1,431 (18%) 1,754 23% 1,424 0%
Total hours 2,556 (11%) 2,888 (7%) 3,103 (18%)
Fire Chief’s Report—Continued From Page 1
DeLaHunt
Tri-Lakes would like to
welcome our new volun-
teer Firefighter:
Dillon DeLaHunt
Thank you for “Signing up!”
If you are interested in
volunteering, please call
Bob Drake at 431-3600.
The Tri-Lakes Commu-
nity would like to con-
gratulate and welcome a
new family member to
our volunteer family:
Norah Kate Alpert,
daughter of Kristina
and Sam Alpert. Sam
is one of our volun-
teer firefighters.
P A G E 7 How to Make a Winter Survival Kit
Everyone should carry a Winter Survival Kit in
their car. In an emergency, it could save your life
and the lives of your passengers. Here is what
you need:
a shovel
windshield scraper and small broom
flashlight with extra batteries
battery powered radio
water
snack food including energy bars
raisins and mini candy bars
matches and small candles
extra hats, socks and mittens
First aid kit with pocket knife
Necessary medications
blankets or sleeping bag
tow chain or rope
road salt, sand, or cat litter
for traction
booster cables
emergency flares and reflec-
tors
fluorescent distress flag and
whistle to attract attention
Cell phone adapter to plug into lighter
Kit tips: Reverse batteries in flashlight to avoid acci-
dental switching and burnout.
Store items in the passenger compartment in
case the trunk is jammed or frozen shut.
Choose small packages of food that you can
eat hot or cold.
911 tips: If possible, call 911 on your cell phone. Pro-
vide your location, condition of everyone in
the vehicle and the problem you're experi-
encing.
Follow instructions: you may be told to stay
where you are until help arrives.
Do not hang up until you know who you
have spoken with and what will happen next.
If you must leave the vehicle, write down
your name, address, phone number and desti-
nation. Place the piece of paper inside the
front windshield for someone to see.
Survival tips: Prepare your vehicle: Make sure you keep
your gas tank at least half full.
Be easy to find: Tell someone where you are
going and the route you will take.
If stuck: Tie a florescent flag (from your kit)
on your antenna or hang it out the window.
At night, keep your dome light on. Rescue
crews can see
a small glow
at a distance.
To reduce
battery drain,
use emergen-
cy flashers
only if you
hear ap-
proaching ve-
hicles. If
you're with
someone else,
make sure at
least one person is awake and keeping watch
for help at all times.
Stay in your vehicle: Walking in a storm can
be very dangerous. You might become lost
or exhausted. Your vehicle is a good shelter.
Avoid Overexertion: Shoveling snow or
pushing your car takes a lot of effort in storm
conditions. Don't risk a heart attack or injury.
That work can also make you hot and
sweaty. Wet clothing loses insulation value,
making you susceptible to hypothermia.
Fresh Air: It's better to be cold and awake
than comfortably warm and sleepy. Snow
can plug your vehicle's exhaust system and
cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to enter
your car. Only run the engine for 10 minutes
an hour and make sure the exhaust pipe is
free of snow. Keeping a window open a
crack while running the engine is also a good
idea.
Don't expect to be comfortable: You want to
survive until you're found.
P A G E 8
T R I - L A K E S T R I B U N E
For the first time in our history, we finally
bought a brand new truck! Actually, two of
them. We were having trouble with one of our
brush trucks and decided it was time to replace
both of the 20 year old trucks with updated
chassis.
We started out like we always do - looking for
used ones. We looked on-line and around the
state and region for good used low mileage one
-ton trucks that would fit under the fire beds we
have on the old brush trucks. We found many
candidates, but either they had over 100,000
miles on them or the price was astronomical.
After months of searching, we finally starting
talking to other fire departments, the City of
Helena, and the County to see where they had
been getting their trucks.
We found out we were eligible to buy on the
New Truck Changes!
Here are some things to remind your children if they are concerned: They are safe.
Our health care system is among the best in the world for taking care of sick people.
Ebola is rare and does not exist everywhere. When cases are found, the person with
the infection is taken to a safe place to be cared for so that he can get better and not
make anyone else sick. Doctors and scientists who know a lot about Ebola are working hard to find ways to
prevent or cure this illness.
Social Media With many children and teens spending a lot of time on social media, there is also the risk that
they could read something online about Ebola that they do not understand and may become un-
necessarily alarmed. Pay close attention to what your children are seeing online. Talk to your
children and help them avoid graphic exposure to the media.
Keeping Calm News about the spread of diseases can be alarming, even for adults. Keep yourself well in-
formed so that your own fears are under control. Talk with your children in ways that make
sense to them so they don't become overly concerned or afraid.
Ebola—Continued From Page 2
Montana State and local government contract and
we were pleasantly surprised. We could buy brand
new chassis ordered to fit our current truck beds for
way less than we could find used trucks. An added
benefit was they came with warranties and we were
able to order them with only the equipment and
options we need rather than having to take what is
on them. We were also able to order the color we
wanted rather than having to either take what we
could find or
go through the
process of hav-
ing them paint-
ed.
The result - we
now have two
identical brand
new 2015 Ford
F350 brush trucks that will last us for years. Hav-
ing the trucks be twins simplifies training, makes
them easier for the volunteers to operate, and also
makes them easier to maintain with interchangea-
New Trucks—Continued On Page 12
P A G E 9 V O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E 2
our responders can voluntarily stay away from their families to
limit the risk of exposing their loved ones to the virus. If the origi-
nal patient comes back negative, then responders can go home knowing they are safe. If the result is
positive for Ebola, then we have already taken all the precautions to keep our community safe and will
immediately start the health monitoring of our responders and insure they are given all the attention they
need while waiting for the 21 day incubation period for the virus to pass.
We want you to know we are paying attention to this very serious matter. We do have a plan and that plan
includes supporting our volunteers every step of the way. Not only are we taking all the precautions we can
to keep them safe, we are addressing their biggest concern – their families. The biggest concern our volun-
teers had was not about exposing themselves but taking something home to their kids or spouse. That is why
we are going farther than CDC guidance and giving our volunteers the option and the ability to stay away
from their families until they KNOW they are safe to go home. Addressing this real concern will keep our
volunteer EMTs available for calls and in the fight for you, our friends and neighbors.
out of the ele-
ments and be
sure it is
mounted high
enough animals
can’t disturb it
or unplug it.
Heat lamps
should be se-
cured to the
side or roof of
the coop at a minimum distance of 15″
from the chickens’ head height if se-
cured above the roost and a minimum of
24″ from the bedding. It is also best to
hang a lamp a minimum of 10″ from any
coop or barn walls, especially if you
have a plastic coop. These lamps can get
very hot, especially the bulb itself and
the metal reflector and it is very im-
portant to ensure the lamp or bulb will
not come into contact with any animals
or a flammable surface. Be sure the
lamp is hung securely and cannot be
knocked down into the bedding or
bumped hard enough to cause the bulb
to burst. Pigs and horses have been
known to chew on the cords if they can
reach them. Plan ahead to keep them
safe.
Heat Lamp Safety—Continued From Page 3
For Brooders and Chicks: Do Not use a large heat lamp in a small brooder
that does not have the minimum safety height
and distance requirements. For these smaller
brooders a smaller clamp light and a 60watt or
40watt bulb is often better and will be much saf-
er. The incandescent light will not effect the
chicks in a negative way.
NEVER use a cardboard box for a chick brooder
with a larger heat bulb, as these boxes are highly
flammable and often don’t have the proper room
for the safety distance. This is one of those times
where home-
made may not be
good.
Supervision:
Kids are curious and
they want to look at
the chicks or the ba-
by pigs. Make sure
they cannot get
themselves and the
animals into trouble. The heat lamps need to be se-
cured in such a way they can’t get knock over or
lowered into the bedding. They certainly don’t in-
tend for anything to happen but sometimes they end
up causing harm to the very thing they care so much
about. A little forethought and supervision may just
save you and us a pile of grief.
Ebola and Tri-Lakes— Continued from Page 5
P A G E 1 0
T R I - L A K E S T R I B U N E
P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E 1 0 , I S S U E 2 Kid’s Page
3200 Spokane Creek Road
Helena MT 59602
The Tri-Lakes Board
of Trustees meets
the first Tuesday of
each month at 7:00
pm at Station #3,
3200 Spokane Creek
Road. The public is
encouraged to at-
tend.
Have a very
and a
ble parts. By working diligently
with local contractors and our vol-
unteers, we were able to upgrade
both trucks and have them in ser-
vice prior to the fire season. The
total cost to buy the chassis, change
the beds, and upgrade the wiring on
both trucks was $75,000 or $37,500
each. They have proven to be awe-
some additions to the department
already!
New Trucks—Continued From Page 8
Recommended