Letter of Merit - LRMFA Hitch 3rd Qtr 2014.pdf · Steele and Reynolds each received a Letter of Merit from Chief ... One of his daily stops was at Concord Central Fire ... Chief Scott

Please join us in congratulating Lt. Paul Steele and Dispatcher ChrisReynolds as recipients of the NH Fire & Emergency Medical Services Com-mittee of Merit, “Letter of Merit.” Lt. Steele and Dispatcher Reynolds werenominated for this recognition by Belmont Fire Department Chief Parenti,for their exceptional performance during their response to a Mass CasualtyIncident at the Boy Scout Camp at Hidden Valley Campground, Belmont, NHon June 24, 2013.

As stated in the letter, “…your actions at this incident are in the best tra-ditions of the Fire Service, and you are a credit to the LRMFA and the FireService in the State of New Hampshire.

“The NH Fire Service Committee of Merit commends you for your actionsat this incident, and awards you this ‘Letter of Merit’ in recognition of youractions.”

The letter was presented to Lt. Steele and Dispatcher Reynolds at theregular meeting of the LRMFA Executive Board. Chief Parenti thanked bothdispatchers for their calm, professional, actions during this incident.

Congratulations Lt. Steele and Dispatcher Reynolds on a job well done!f

THERuralHitch

Third Quarter 2014

A publication ofLakes RegionMutual Fire AidAssociation

Serving:AlexandriaAlton

AndoverAshlandBarnsteadBelmont

BridgewaterBristolCampton

Center HarborDanbury

DorchesterEast AndoverEllsworthFranklinGilford

GilmantonGroton

HebronHill

HoldernessLaconiaMeredith

MoultonboroughNew HamptonNorthfieldPlymouthRumney

SanborntonSandwichStraffordThorntonTiltonWarren

Waterville ValleyWentworth

62 Communications DriveLaconia, New Hampshire 03246

603.528.9111www.lrmfa.org

LRMFA Dispatchers AwardedLetter of Merit

Lt. Paul Steele (left), Belmont Fire Chief David Parenti, and Dispatcher Chris Reynolds.Steele and Reynolds each received a Letter of Merit from Chief Parenti for their

performance during a mass casualty event in Belmont.

Long-Time Capitol Area FireCompact Chief Retires

On August 16, 2014 the long career of Fire Chief Richard E. Wright wascelebrated as it came to an end with his retirement on June 14, 2014 asthe first chief of the Capitol Area Fire Compact. In addition, he had servedas Loudon’s fire chief for many years.

Richard Edward Wright was born in Concord, New Hampshire on October25, 1932 to Edith and Frank Wright. He had two older brothers, Robert(Bob) and John (Jack).

In the 1930s, Dick’s mother would gather up her three sons to go watchthe big fires being put out in Concord. Dick, being the youngest, wouldsometimes watch the fires from his baby stroller.

At age 11, Dick had a newspaper delivery route in downtown Concord.One of his daily stops was at Concord Central Fire Station, which was thenlocated at 44 Warren Street. Dick would run errands for the firefighters and

DICK WRIGHT — CONT. ON PAGE 12

Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid 2 The Rural Hitch


Board of

Directors

AlexandriaChief Mark Chevalier

AltonChief Scott Williams

AndoverChief Rene Lefebvre

AshlandChief Steve Heath

BarnsteadActing Chief Dep.

Chief Shawn MulcahyBelmont

Chief David ParentiBridgewater

Chief Don AtwoodBristol

Chief Steve YannuzziCampton/

Thornton/EllsworthChief Dan Defosses

Center HarborChief Leon Manville

DanburyChief Tom Austin

DorchesterArthur Burdette

FranklinChief KevinLaChapelleGilford

Chief Steve CarrierGilmanton

Chief Joe HempelGroton

Chief Roger Thompson

HebronChief John Fischer

HillChief Dee FordHolderness

Chief Eleanor MardinLaconia

Chief Ken EricksonMeredith

Chief Ken JonesMoultonborough

Chief Dave BengtsonNew Hampton

Chief Mike DrakeNorthfield

Wayne CrowleyPlymouth

Chief CasinoClogstonRumney

Chief Dave CourseySanbornton

Chief Paul DexterSandwich

Chief Louis BrunelleStrafford

Chief ScottWhitehouse

Tilton

WarrenChief Dave RielWaterville Valley

Chief Chris HodgesWentworth

Chief Jeff Ames

TheRural Hitch

is published quarterly byLakes Region

Mutual Fire Aid Association

ChiefJames R. Hayes

EditorDebbie Kardaseski

Email all submissions to:[email protected]

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEChief Rene Lefebvre

ChairANDOVER

Dave PaquetteSecretary/TreasurerDEP. CHIEF (RET.), ASHLAND

Chief Mike DrakeNEW HAMPTON

Chief David ParentiBELMONT

Chief Dave BengtsonMOULTONBOROUGH

Deputy Tom Joslin, ex officioMEREDITH

Association President

From the Chief...By Chief James R. Hayes

Many things have happened over the last quarter. We con-tinue to enhance data in the CAD system and make changesto the Simulcast system, all of which should improve opera-tions for the units in the field. Dispatcher Chris Harris resignedhis position and moved his family to Florida and we wish themwell. Matt O’Neill from New Hampton was hired to fill the full-time dispatcher vacan-cy. Matt was a per diem dispatcher with LRMFA and started his full-time position onSeptember 4th.

Over the past year, a group of fire chiefs and staff members have been working ona Strategic Plan for the LRMFA. At the February meeting, the plan was adopted by theBoard of Directors and since then the committee has been working to implement it.A printed copy of the plan was provided to each of the fire chiefs in our system andsent to each board of selectmen/city council as well. One element identified in theplan was the need to do a much better job of promoting the Lakes Region Mutual FireAid Association as an organization. Not only do the elected officials and general pub-lic within our system need to know more about LRMFA, but our own fire/EMS depart-ment members need to know more about the role LRMFA plays in emergencyresponse and the services we provide. An Open House was held at the Communica-tions Center on September 13th in an effort to give people the opportunity to learnmore about us and the E-911 Center. The attendance was small but I believe it wasbeneficial for those who did attend. Only one elected official attended from the 35towns we service.

The proposed 2015 budget was presented to the Board of Directors at their meet-ing on September 10th. The major change in the budget is the incorporation of fund-ing for a Capital Improvements Plan (CIP). The staff has been working on developinga CIP to manage maintenance and upgrade of the infrastructure of the Communica-tions Center and our radio network. The BOD voted to create a CIP Committee of 4–5 board members to work with the staff on this project. A public hearing on theproposed 2015 budget will be held on October 7th at 7:00 p.m. The hearing will beheld at the Lakes Region Community College in the Academic Commons Room. Thiswill give elected officials an opportunity to learn about the funding mechanism forLRMFA and ask questions related to the budget.

You may recall from past issues of The Rural Hitch that we have been trying toobtain funding from various grants to replace the Orbacom T5 Radio Dispatch Con-sole we currently use. The console is in a limited state of operation due to compo-nent and software failure and the company that made the system is no longer inbusiness, thus there is no technical service available. Grant funding was not suc-cessful, therefore the Board of Directors voted to authorize the direct purchase of anew Zetron Radio Dispatch Console using a combination of reserve funds and bankfinancing. New workstations that house the dispatch console equipment, the CAD,

FROM THE CHIEF — CONT. ON PAGE 13


amount of land in current use. In thatforest-land are miles of hiking trails andone of the best-known rock climbingareas: Rattlesnake Mountain. Thisworld-famous area offers all levels ofrock climbing, resulting in all levels ofrock climbing accidents, which RumneyFire Department has to handle. On abusy rock-climbing weekend, it keepsthe department quite busy.

The mountain has also had its shareof fires, several quite large. The terrainis rough and steep, making it difficult tofight fires. One of the fires was set andthe arsonist was quickly caught. Themost recent fire, in 2008, was ofunknown origin.

Rattlesnake Mountain is also hometo Peregrine Falcon nests. During the2008 fire, Rumney resident Bill Taft res-cued a nest of juvenile falcons, one ofwhich became quite famous: Ember.Taft has been tending to these falconsfor years, performing medical checksand banding the birds, some of whichhave been found in Boston!

Another factor keeping the depart-ment busy is Route 25. This well-trav-eled route runs through town and trafficmoves at a high rate of speed much ofthe time. It is a beautiful area and lots oftourists in the summer and snowmobil-ers in the winter drive the road. Thedepartment is also responsible for thelarge wind farm located on the ridgelinearound Tenney Mountain Ski Area.There are four fulltime workers servicingthe wind turbines and they sometimesget hurt. The plus side to the wind farmis the road system the company builtthroughout the area to reach the towers.The roads have made it easier to accessthe area in the event of snowmobileaccidents, forest fires, etc.

Like all departments, there are inci-dents that make an impact on both thedepartment and, in this case, the town.Three teens were killed in a car accidenton Mothers Day. They were travelling onBuffalo Road, a windy narrow road, and

Featured department...Rumney Fire Department

Address: 59 Depot StreetRumney, NH 03266603-796-9924

Officers: Asst. Chief Jim McCartAsst. Chief Kenny SavageCapt. Nick CourseyCapt./EMS Ray VallentinCapt./Groton Chief RogerThompson

Lt. Sam CoesLt. Dan MadogliaEMS Director Bill Taft

Apparatus: 1 Tanker2 Engines1 Ambulance

Rumney Fire Department was founded in 1936 by a local dairy farmernamed Lloyd French, Sr. He served asthe department’s chief from its found-ing until 1974 — quite a long tenure fora fire chief! The next chief, Aaron Shortt,served until 1988 and was followed byJohn Hemeon who served until 2000.Ken Ward took over in 2000 and led thedepartment until 2013 when the cur-rent chief, David Coursey, took over. In78 years, Rumney Fire Department hashad only five chiefs — an unusual occur-rence but one that speaks well of thedepartment and the town of Rumney.

The town of Rumney is small in popu-lation (1,480) but fairly sizable inacreage: 27,264 (42.6 square miles).Forty-four percent of the area is Nation-al Forest land, which has a sizableimpact on the tax rate as does the large

Chief David CourseyRumney Fire Department

missed a corner. The car went off theroad into an oak tree hanging over theriver. The tree tore the roof off the carbefore it fell into the river where oneteen drowned. The other two died fromtheir injuries. It was very difficult call forall involved.

CURRENT BUILDINGBUILT FOR THE FUTURE

The original fire department buildingwas on Main Street, across from theCommon in an old Grange building. Asmaller, substation was housed in WestRumney in a converted grain store.

In 1973, the site at 59 Depot Streetwas a train station. When that wasdemolished, the department built itscurrent building and all apparatus wasmoved in, with the West Rumney stationnow being used for storage. A lot ofthought was put into the building and ithas served the town well. The only “bug”in the current building is the insulation— or lack thereof. Heat was cheap in1973 but times have changed and thebuilding’s insulation needs to be beefedup. Chief David Coursey would like toput a small addition on the building tohouse a new forestry truck that is beingbuilt from a 550 Ford.


BUDGET INCREASED BYTAXPAYERS AT TOWNMEETING!

The residents are very supportive ofthe fire department, even going so faras increasing their budget at town meet-ing this past year! The departmentworks with a board of fire commission-ers, which acts as a “selectboard” forthe department. Each year, one of thethree commissioners’ term ends sothere is the potential for the board’smakeup to change each year.

Like many small department, Rumneyrelies on grant money for some of its pur-chases. In the past, FEMA grants havebeen used to purchase gear, breathingapparatus, and a tanker. Rumney FireDepartment has also received radiogrants. However, grant money is verytight at this time. In addition to the cur-rent difficulty with receiving grants is thefact that items purchased all at oncewith grants tend to wear out all at once!Chief Coursey stays on top of this prob-lem by replace a few items each year,lessening the impact. Everything “firerelated” is expensive: the departmenthas established Capital Reserve Fundsfor trucks and equipment/gear to lessenthe impact.

Recently the department decided tohold a fundraiser in order to purchase athermal imaging camera. These cameras

are invaluable tools — but expensive. AStinson Lake resident approached a firecommissioner and handed him a brand-new, in-the-box thermal imaging camera!This anonymous donation is one exam-ple of the level of support the depart-ment enjoys. The department has alsoreceived generous donations after beingof service to residents.

WIDE COVERAGE AREARumney Fire Department is responsi-

ble for much more than the town ofRumney, which, as mentioned earlier,includes Rattlesnake Mountain, thewind farm, and Route 25. The depart-ment also handles the east side of Gro-ton, some of Dorchester, and the westside of Ellsworth. Many of the areas areremote and/or difficult to access.

Chief Coursey is enthusiastic whenhe speaks about the number of activemembers in the department: 20! Ofthose twenty, 10–12 work in the areaand are available during the day, some-thing that’s unusual these days. Itmakes it easier to handle the 250–300calls per year.

CHIEF A RUMNEYNATIVE

Chief David Coursey grew up in Rum-ney. His first exposure to the fire depart-

ment was when be became a fire com-missioner when Lloyd French, Jr. retiredfrom the commission. French, Jr.encouraged Coursey to run for the posi-tion, which he then held for fifteenyears. Several years into his commis-sioner duties, John Hemeon handedhim an application to the departmentand in short order, he was voted in. In2013 he was asked to become chiefafter Ken Ward retired. The job wasn’tunfamiliar to Coursey as he’d workclosely with Chief Ward during histenure as chief. He was voted into the 3-year position by the department and,the rest as they say, is history.

The Chief didn’t grow up in a firefight-ing family. He and his Dad were in theski business and had stores at TenneyMountain, Waterville Estates, and onMain Street in Plymouth. Once heretired from the ski business he wentinto the hay business, making hay forlocal farmers and helping out atLongview Farm, a well-known local farm-stand.

The job of chief keeps him reallybusy. He is paid for 15–20 hours perweek plus works as the local codeenforcement official and is paid per firecall. The work actually takes a lot morethan 15–20 hours but he does have asecretary (shared with the Planning

Rumney Fire Department

RUMNEY FIRE DEPARTMENT — CONT. ON PAGE 6


Board and Selectmen) to help out. If you’re looking for him, hecan usually be found at the station!

Chief Coursey’s son, Nick, is a firefighter plus he works forthe town of Rumney. His middle son Kevin is a landscaper andhis daughter Liz works at Plymouth Animal Hospital. He and hiswife Joan, who is a teacher at Holderness Central School, haveeight grandchildren to enjoy and spoil.

THE FUTUREWhen asked what the future held, Chief Coursey mentioned

the addition for the new forestry truck. He said the departmenthas planned to replace a piece of apparatus every ten yearsand the town has Capital Reserve Funds set aside for that pur-pose with the next replacement due in 2016 or 2017. He wouldlike to expand the department on the EMS side by generatingmore interest in EMS training. Currently Rumney EMS’ ambu-lance is housed in the station but it is a separate entity and notpart of the department. Coursey would like to add dry hydrantsand repair or replace one existing dry hydrant each year for thenext few years.

The department holds its business meeting the first Mon-day of the month and has training the third Monday of themonth, with other training scheduled as needed. On October19, Rumney Fire Department will participate in a live-burntraining in Dorchester.

The second Saturday of the month see the departmentmembers cooking up breakfast, another fundraiser.

The department also has an active Explorer program withfive members right now, who are “anxious to get going.” Thisprogram has helped tremendously and promises a brightfuture for the department. f

RUMNEY FIRE DEPARTMENT — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

SCBA Respirator Fit TestingService Available From LRMFAFor Member Agencies!

TO SCHEDULE FIT TESTING AT YOUR DEPARTMENT,PLEASE CONTACT DEPUTY CHIEF BELAND AT528-9111 OR [email protected].

“Rural Hitch” AvailableElectronically

If you would like to receive the Rural Hitchelectronically (and save trees and postage!),

please send your email [email protected].

Feel free to share your electronic copy with others.We’ll add anyone to the email list who isinterested in receiving the Rural Hitch.

Gilford FD’s Nick Mercurito lead Department ofSafety, Bureau of EMS

In a press release NH Dept.of Safety, Fire Standards &Training and EMS DirectorPlummer announced theappointment of Gilford FireRescue, Lieutenant Nick Mer-curi as EMS Bureau Chief. Nickhas also served as EMSRegional Coordinator forLRGHealthcare. He holds a BSin Nursing from Boston Collegeand a Masters in HealthcareAdministration from New Eng-land College. During hislengthy EMS career he hasworked as a registered Nurse

as well as an EMS provider since 1989 and has experience ina municipal service as well as a private ser vice. Congratula-tions Nick from all your LRMFA friends. f

Wentworth FireDepartment Offered Landfor New Station!

The Wentworth Fire Department has been offered an acreof land about an eighth of a mile down Beech Hill Road on theright. The offer was made by Randy and Andrea Comsteller ofBeech Hill Road. The department discussed the donation withthe Fire Commissioners and the Select Board and, as a result,the department has accepted the offer. The department isvery excited, as this will be the site of a new fire station. Went-worth Fire Department will be looking into paying the subdivi-sion and survey costs along with the cost of taking this pieceout of current use. Although this is still contingent on thosecost factors, the department feels it is a fantastic opportunityand plans on moving forward with the project, barring anyunforeseen issues.

This site moves the department approximately eight tenthsof a mile from the current location and will not affect home-owners fire insurance rates. Those that fall into the five-milerange will still fall into that range. The fire department wants tothank Randy and Andrea for this very generous offer and lookforward to working with them on the project. Wentworth FireChief Jeff Ames will post more information as the processunfolds. If you have any questions, please feel free to stop bythe station or call the department at 764-9411. This is a hugeopportunity for the fire department as it has been looking for apiece of property for some time. Several landowners havebeen approached during the past few years while looking for apiece of property that was not in a flood plain that was largeenough to build on for now and to accommodate future needs.

This Beech Hill Road property fits all those requirements. Amonstrous thanks goes to the Comstellers for their generosityand support!!! f

Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid 7 The Rural HitchLakes Region Mutual Fire Aid 7 The Rural Hitch

EMS UpdateVague Symptons Can Mean Big

ProblemsShawn Riley, EMS Deputy Chief, Laconia Fire Department

I have always been a big proponent of taking time to thoroughly assess EMS patients with vague complaints. I real-ize when we operate in a busy 9-1-1 system it is not uncom-mon to become overwhelmed with the daily work load.Stacked calls, fire inspections, training, and, of course, every-one’s favorite, “TEMSIS,” make the less-urgent calls seem likea nuisance. I also realize our volume of “Super Users” (that’sthe new politically-correct name for “frequent flyers”) make us“suspicious of legitimate medical issues” when it comes to theless urgent calls.

As many of you know, my wife Stephanie has been diag-nosed with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). I thinkher story can set the stage as a prime example of why weshould listen to our patients and take the time to investigatevague complaints.

When I teach patient assessment I often talk about condi-tions that can cause mild shortness of breath (SOB). We haveall been to calls where a patient complains of mild SOB whichhas been present for weeks or months. They don’t fit the pro-file for respiratory distress or respiratory failure. They can com-plete sentences and aren’t in horrible discomfort. When I askEMS providers what they would do for this patient, the answersvary from doing a 12-Lead EKG to signing the patient off. I thenask the students what they think the likelihood of blood can-cer would be. One of the early signs of many blood cancers ismild SOB.

Steph didn’t have blood cancer but she did have mild SOBfor several months. She even spoke to her Primary Care Physi-cian about it. As this was a very mild complaint, he didn’t worrytoo much or take the time to explore it further. Several monthslater she started complaining of dull back pain that startedwithout any incident of injury. The pain lingered and becameworse. Again, her PCP thought little about this vague symptom.He gave her a muscle relaxant and eventually some physicaltherapy intervention. One morning, after several months ofincreasing pain, it was no longer tolerable. She went to the ERwhere they gave her a CT scan expecting to find a pulmonaryembolism. To everyone’s surprise they found a primary lungtumor and a metastatic lesion in the spine. The cancer had notonly been growing unchecked in the lung, but was able tospread to the bones in the spine over the past several months.Taking the time to investigate mild SOB and then mild backpain could have potentially mitigated a likely terminal disease.

I share this story not to criticize anyone or point fingers. Ithink this is an example of where mild symptoms can mean bigproblems. As we in EMS move from “technicians” to “clini-cians” we have a duty to understand the human body ingreater detail. We need to know the broader range of diseasesand the symptoms they cause. The only way to do this is toread everything you can get your hands on. There is not one

comprehensive class you can take that will give you all theknowledge you need to do this job well. Learning and keepingup with the ever-changing medical environment is a lifelongjourney.

MORE ON LUNG CANCERLung cancer is di -

vided into two broadcategories: small celllung cancer and non-small cell lung can-cer. Both have a grimprognosis when theyprogress to stage 4.Generally speaking,small cell lung can-cer is more aggres-sive but much morerare.

Lung cancer is byfar the most prevalent cancer in the United States. Pancreaticcancer does have a slightly higher mortality rate but more peo-ple develop lung cancer thus more Americans die of lung can-cer than any other type of cancer each year. Almost 225,000people annually develop lung cancer. Prior to their diagnosisthey may very well present to EMS with vague symptoms ofSOB or back pain.

STAGES OF CANCERCancer is typical described in stages 1–4. Stage 4 is the

worst and has the lowest survival rate: 5 years. The methodused to determine the stage of cancer is the TNM Classifica-tion (tumor size, lymph node involvement, metastatic spread).Once the tumor has spread from the original site to a distantmetastatic site, it is automatically considered stage 4. Oncecancer has left its primary location and established a second-ary metastatic site, it is considered to be all over the body.Think of it like this: blood is flowing through the tumor andpicking up cancer cells; then the blood travels throughout thebody leaving its dirty little hand prints (cancer cells) every-where just waiting to grow into metastatic tumors. It shouldalso be understood that a metastatic lesion is not a new typeof cancer, i.e., when breast cancer spreads to the brain it is not“brain cancer,” it’s still breast cancer, it’s just a metastaticbreast cancer lesion in the brain.

EMS UPDATE — CONT. ON PAGE 8

One main reason lung cancer and pancreatic cancers havesuch a high mortality rate is that the early symptoms are oftenvague. It’s not until the cancer has spread that it creates symp-toms severe enough to cause people to seek medical atten-tion. By this time it has become stage 4 and is far lesstreatable.

CLOTTING PROBLEMS WITH CANCERPATIENTS

One important fact I learned about cancer from Steph’sexperience is cancer patients have a very high probability ofthrowing a clot. About 50% of all cancer patients develop acondition called Trousseaus Syndrome. This condition causesa hypercoaguable state. In other words, half of all cancerpatients are more prone to blood clots. Blood clots can causestroke, heart attack, and often pulmonary emboli. If you aretaking care of a newly-diagnosed cancer patient and they havesigns and symptoms of a pulmonary emboli, take their com-plaint seriously.

Soon after Steph was diagnosed with lung cancer we took atrip to the Frozen Four in Philadelphia. She wanted to creategood memories for our 12-year-old son Shane, who loves hock-ey. I am cheap so we drove to save money. Steph is a veteranof OEF/OIF (Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation IraqiFreedom). She has flown all over the globe and taken manylong car rides throughout her military career. I certainly neversuspected she would be at risk for a pulmonary embolism (PE).We drove home straight through. The moment we stepped outof the car in back in New Hampshire she had a sudden “feel-ing of impending doom.” The long car ride and her hypercoag-ulability had caused several large PEs. This is why manycancer patients will be put on Coumadin or Lovenox.

DON’T FORGET YOURSELFIf you work in the fire service you are statistically at higher

risk for cancers. If you have vague medical complaints getthem evaluated. Don’t avoid routine cancer screenings. Can-cer caught early is far more treatable and has a much bettersurvival rate with far less suffering.

CONCLUSIONCancer will never be something we’ll diagnose in the back

of an ambulance. However, we certainly may see patients withsigns and symptoms caused by undiagnosed cancer. Whenthey call us they are asking for our help. Our duty is to helpthem to the level of our ability. Resist the temptation to dismisstheir vague and mild symptoms as a misuse of 9-1-1. Askquestions, do a patient assessment, get a thorough medicalhistory. We also often take care of diagnosed cancer patientswith advanced disease. Try to understand a little bit abouttheir disease. Know the possible complications they can devel-op. Cancer and cancer treatment can cause horrible humansuffering; above all, show empathy for these patients. They areoften in intense pain and dealing with a grime prognosis. f

Cancer Survival rates. The maroon color represents the percent of peo-ple who die from each type of cancer. Visit this interactive cancer sur-vival rate chart at: http://www.prooffreader.com/2014/02/interactive-

graphic-cancer-diagnosis.html


EMS UPDATE — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Next Rural Hitch DeadlineFOURTH QUARTER (Oct/Nov/Dec):

December 10, 2014

Fall Paramedic RTP 2014NHBEMS (CREF#) 85-664

Dates:PALS group 1 10/15 WednesdayPALS group 2 10/20 Monday

Attend only one day of ACLS and one day of PALS or must producerecent ACLS or PALS Certification

RTP Day 3 10/14 TuesdayRTP Day 4 10/21 Tuesday RTP Day 5 10/28 Tuesday

Co-requisites online courses: AWR160, IS100, IS200, IS700, NHOODLE-Blood Products, Spinal Restriction Protocol, Therapeutic Hypothermia,

Adrenal InsufficiencyWhere:

• ACLS and PALS classes are held at the Healthlink Building at575 Main Street Laconia. (Please park in City Hall municipalparking lot or parking garage)

• RTP classes are held at the Taylor Community in the WoodsideRoom 435 Union Ave in Laconia

Time:All five class days are from 0800 to 1700hrs

Cost: $450If you work for an LRGHealthcare MRH service the fee is waived

Seating for ACLS and PALS is limited so please register early.For questions please contact Shawn Riley at

(603)524-6881 or [email protected]

To sign up please email name, address, DOB, National Registry number,service affiliation, SID number (FEMA number) and ACLS/PALS group

preference to [email protected]



By Kevin LaChapelle, Fire Chief

On Saturday evening atapproximately 2038 hours,several passersby stopped atthe Franklin Fire Station toreport smoke coming fromPackers Outlet located at 195Central Street in DowntownFranklin. At that same time,Lakes Region Dispatch tonedthe Franklin and Tilton/North-field Fire Departments to abuilding fire at this same loca-tion. First-arriving companiesarrived within two minutes andfound heavy smoking issuingfrom the single-story conven-ience store. Captain Jason Jenkins immediately requested asecond alarm. Initial crews made an aggressive fire attackfrom the exterior of the building, bringing the fire under controlwithin 40 minutes.

The store was closed and there were no occupants in thebuilding at the time. There were no injuries during fire opera-tions. Humid weather conditions had great effect on firefight-

ers during this incident. A third alarm was requested for addi-tional crews needed for overhaul of the building.

The following departments provided mutual aid;Tilton/Northfield, Belmont, Sanbornton, Hill, Andover, Laconia,Salisbury, Concord, and Boscawen. Bristol and Penacook Res-cue covered the Franklin Fire Station.

There were three other emergency incidents in Franklinwhile crews were operating at the building fire. The mostsevere was a cardiac arrest, handled by Franklin, PenacookRescue, and Bristol.

Fire Chief Kevin LaChapellestated, “Our crews were spreadvery thin tonight. Strong team-work and hardworking crewsmade for a successful out-come at the fire. We are grate-ful for the solid mutual aid thatassisted during the flurry ofcalls throughout the Citytonight.”

The cause of the fire isundetermined at this time. Asmall crew remained on sceneovernight. The New HampshireState Fire Marshal’s Office isassisting in the investigation.f

Third Alarm Fire Destroys Packers Outlet, Franklin


Belmont Fire Chief EarnsHis CredentialsFrom the Laconia Citizen

Fire Chief David Parenti has successfully completed theprocess that awards him the professional designation of ChiefFire Officer (CFO). The Commission on Professional Credential-ing (CPC) officially conferred the designation on Parenti earlierthis month.

PARENTI IS ONE OF ONLY 961 CFOSWORLDWIDE

The commission awards CFO designation only after an indi-vidual successfully meets all of the organization’s criteria. Theprocess includes an assessment of the applicant’s education,experience, professional development, technical competen-cies, contributions to the profession, and community involve-ment. In addition, all applicants are required to identify afuture professional development plan.

Parenti has a rich knowledge of the emergency servicesprofession and has far surpassed critical core competenciesfor personnel serving in senior fire officers positions.

Parenti has been a member of the Belmont Fire Depart-ment for four years. He is currently the President of the NewHampshire Association of Fire Chiefs and resides in Concord.

The CFO designation pro-gram uses a comprehensivepeer review model to evalu-ate candidates seeking thecredential.

The Commission on Pro-fessional Credentialing, anentity of the Center for Pub-lic Safety Excellence, Inc.,(CPSE) administers the CFODesignation Program. TheCPC consist of individualsfrom academia, federal andlocal government, and thefire and emergency medical services profession. To learn moreabout CPC, visit www.publicsafetyexcellence.org. f


Personnel Changes

Moved AlongDispatcher Chris Harris

Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid

New HireDispatcher Matt O’Neill

Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid

New Full-time FirefighterRandy Danforth

Franklin Fire Department

DepartmentNews

Send your DepartmentNews todebbie@

debbiekgraphics.com.

Include new hires,promotions, new

apparatus,department events, opentraining events, etc.

was proudly appointed ErrandBoy #1.

At age 12, Dick unofficiallystarted going on fire calls withthe Concord Fire Department.When he would hear the sirenssounding, day or night, he wouldride his bike from his home onPine Street to Central Station.The firefighters would let him ridewith them to the fires…hidden, ofcourse!

Growing up, Dick spent hissummers on Locke’s Island, LakeWinnipesaukee, at his family’scottage. He met his future wife, Jean, there when they were15 years old. Her family lived in the cottage next door.

Dick continued to respond to fire calls as a volunteer dur-ing his high school years. He graduated from Concord HighSchool in 1950 and then worked for the Rumford Press inConcord.

Dick and Jean were married in 1952. They raised their chil-dren, Rick and Gina, in Concord. They enjoyed 54 years ofmarriage, until Jean’s passing in 2006.

Dick entered the United States Army in 1953 and served inGermany for two years. After that, he worked for the RumfordPress at their New York City sales office. In 1956, Dickreturned to work at the Rumford Press in Concord.

In 1957, Dick joined the Concord Fire Department as a callfirefighter. From 1963 to 1970, Dick worked as a full-timeConcord firefighter. During these years, he also worked part-time at Wright Communications in the two-way radio business.From 1970 to 1989, Dick worked at Wright Communications,along with his brothers, on a full-time basis. During theseyears he continued to respond as a call firefighter for the Con-cord Fire Department.

In 1973, Dickwas appointedas the volunteerChief Coordina-tor of the CapitolArea Fire Com-pact. He washired to fulfill the full-time position in 1989.

Dick and Jean moved to Loudon in 1979. Dick joined theLoudon Fire Department that year. He served as the LoudonFire Chief from 1994 to 2004 and then again from 2011 to2013.

Dick retired as Chief Coordinator of the Capitol Area Mutu-al Aid Fire Compact on June 14, 2014. His dedication to thefire service has truly spanned a lifetime.

At his retirement celebration, Chief Wright was awardedmany honors by a number of associations and departmentshe’d worked with through the years, including a plaque pre-sented by Deputy Chief John Beland from LRMFA which read:“Presented to Chief Richard ‘Dick’ Wright In appreciation foryour many years of support to the Lakes Region Mutual FireAid Association. August 16, 2014”f

DICK WRIGHT — CONT. FROM PAGE 1

Top: Chief Dick Wright arrives at his retirement celebration. Above: The manyawards and gifts given to Dick asmomentos of his long career.


the E-911 CAD, and other computer systems were alsoapproved for purchase using reserve funds. The new worksta-tions and dispatch console equipment should be installed bymid-December.

A committee has been reviewing and making proposedchanges to the By-laws and Articles of Incorporation for theLakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association in order to updateand clarify some sections. The proposed changes werereviewed at the September 25th meeting of the General Mem-

bership and will now be presented to the Board of Directors atthe October 29th meeting.

There are always things happening out of the spot light thatare meant to make the Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Associa-tion a stronger organization and position it to provide betterservices to the fire and EMS departments of our member com-munities — and ultimately to the citizens and visitors of thosecommunities. Please keep checking our website and Face-book page for things happening in the LRMFAA! f

FROM THE CHIEF — CONT. FROM PAGE 3

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Alexandria Volunteer Fire Department Stays Busy onBog Road With Two Accidents In Two Days

JULY 12, 2014 — YOUNG DRIVER WITH HIS LICENSE ONLY 1 WEEK!

JULY 13, 2014 — THIS ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY SPEED. IT HAPPENED ONA STRAIGHT STRETCH OF A DIRT ROAD, JUST BELOW THE ACCIDENT ABOVE.


Laconia Fire Department Celebrates New Firefighters

Family, friends, and more than 20 Laconia firefighters gathered in August to celebrate the swearing in of Rick Raper, Chris Morgan, andGregg Brown. The ceremoney also marked the completion of probation for five firefighters — Nate Mills, Greg Accoin, Trevor Greene, Ray Bushey,

and Brennen Lorde. Laconia Fire Chief Ken Erickson, Assistant Chief Kirk Beattie, Director Deb Pendergast,and Mayor Ed Englar were also on hand for the celebration.

New Hampton FireDepartment Fights Fire AtAmbrose Brothers Pit

New Hampton FF/EMT-I K. Hughes stretches a 2" line atAmbrose Brothers Pit.

14th Senior Safety DayThis year, thirteen LRGHealthcare communities are partici-

pating in the Fourteenth Annual Senior Safety Day on Satur-day, November 1, 2014. Local fire department personnel willvisit seniors in their communities to check their smoke alarms,replace batteries, and install alarms if needed. This event tiesin nicely with the 2014 fire prevention theme of “WorkingSmoke Alarms Save Lives — Test Yours Every Month.”

As of September 30, the following departments are takingpart: Franklin, Tilton-North-field, Andover, Bristol, NewHampton, Sanbornton, Hill,Gilmanton, Laconia, Gilford,Belmont, Meredith, andCenter Harbor.

Melissa Rizzo, M.Ed.,CCP, RHC, Community Edu-cator at the Franklin Region-al Hospital, thanks areadepartments for their sup-port of this important eventand for providing a great ser vice to seniors in theregion. f


Training Division News

Firefighter Skills DrillsLRMFA Training Division is pleased to sponsor three Fire-

fighter Skills Drills this fall. These drills will give students anopportunity to review critical operational skills, leading to pro-ficiency and effectiveness during emergency operations. Theskills drills are designed to run in four-hours blocks with mostof the time devoted to hands-on practical applications of theskills being drilled on. As skills are mastered, the instructorswill increase the intensity, time, and pressure, making thedrills as realistic to fireground operations as possible.

These programs are open to all LRMFA firefighters having adesire to enhance their fireground effectiveness by honing crit-ical firefighting skills. All classes are Saturday mornings andcost $25.00 each. Go to lrmfa.org for registration form.

FIRE DEPARTMENT GROUND LADDERSOCTOBER 18, 2014. 0800–1200Ashland Fire DepartmentLead Instructor: Deputy Chief Chris Dolloff0800–0815 Student arrival and briefing0815–0845 Ladder review: terminology, commands &

carriers, and safety0845–0945 Evolution #1: Pumper extension ladder drills

for safe rapid deployment (14' to 28')1000–1100 Evolution # 2: Pumper extension ladder

drills for safe, rapid deployment (28' andbeyond, 2 section, 3 section, extension, andpole ladders)

1100–1145 Evolution #3: Removing a victim via groundladders.

1145–1200 Debrief and dismissal

SELF-CONTAINED BREATHINGAPPARATUSNOVEMBER 8, 2014. 0800–1200Ashland Fire DepartmentLead Instructor: Deputy Chief Tim Joubert0800–0815 Student arrival briefing0815–0845 SCBA review, function, safety features & lim-

itations0845–0930 Evolution#1: Donning/Doffing SCBA in PPE.

Emergency Procedures. Changing Cylinders.0945–1030 Evolution#2: Following a hoseline wearing

SCBA with vision obscured & overcomingobstacles.

1030–1145 Evolution#3: Moving in a forward direction,successfully overcoming obstacles to enterand exit a maze.

1145–1200 Debrief and dismissal.

Company OfficerDevelopment Series

These programs are funded by LRMFA Training Division andare free to LRMFA members. Training is open to all ranks andwalk-in registrations are welcome. All programs begin at 6:30p.m.

INTEGRATING TECHNICAL RESCUETEAMS IN YOUR ON-SCENE INCIDENTMANAGEMENT SYSTEMTUESDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2014Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid

As an Incident Commander do you understand what hap-pens when you special call for the Hazardous Materials Teamor the Swiftwater Extrication Team? This program will be led byteam leaders who will explain the process for requesting thesespecialized resources and what to expect in terms of responsefor different non-emergent and emergency situations. Addi-tionally, discussion will cover the most efficient and effectivemethods for dovetailing the integration of a technical team intothe existent ICS structure of your incident. This class is a mustfor all responders but especially Company and Chief Officerswho may request these resources and then need to integratethem into their incident upon their arrival.

Instructors:Deputy Fire Chief Brad Ober, Gilford Fire Department: Chief

Ober has more than 20 years of experience with the Ashland,Tilton-Northfield, and Gilford Fire Departments. Chief Oberspent many years as a Chief Officer with the Three RiversWater Extrication Team. His combined experience with theWET Team and as a fireground command officer has given hima unique insight on how to best integrate special team opera-tions into emergency scene ICS systems.

Captain John Keller, Plymouth Fire & Rescue: CaptainKeller is an active member and instructor for the Central NHHazardous Materials Team. He has extensive training in Haz-ardous Materials Response and training. Additionally, John isactive in technical rescue training and response. His manyyears of training and experiences lend great value to this pro-gram.

LEADERSHIP IN TODAY’SENVIRONMENT OF CHANGETUESDAY DECEMBER 2, 2014Franklin Fire Department

This class will help us identify and deal with changes in ourworkplace and our lives. Students will learn how to apply lead-ership techniques in order to prepare for, plan, and communi-


Train like your life depends on it… because for you, yourbrothers, sisters, and those you serve — it does!

cate change throughout their organizations. Whether thechanges are major or not, these steps can be used for suc-cessful implementation of any change. Change is happeningall around us. This class will help us focus on the factors thataffect our organizations, our staff, and our customers.Instructor:Captain David Hall, Tilton-Northfield Fire Department: Cap-

tain Hall has been a member of the Tilton-Northfield Fire andEMS since 2003. He has earned a Bachelor’s Degree inApplied Leadership Technology and an Associate’s Degree inFire Science Technology. David also works as a Staff Instructorfor NH Fire Standards and Training. He has over 20 years expe-rience in customer service and management.

Other Training Opportunities:These courses/conferences are not offered by the Training

Division but are published as a service to LRMFA members.

TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT(TIM) TRAINING SESSIONOCTOBER 15, 2014, 0830–1230Gilford Community Church, 19 Potter Hill Rd., Gilford

An additional Traffic Incident Management training sessionhas been added. This is free training and recommended forall First Responders such as: Fire, Police, EMS, Public Works,and Tow Truck Drivers.

For more information, contact Emily Killinger, AdministrativeSecretary for Highway Maintenance, (603) 271-2693 or useemail [email protected].

LRGHEALTHCARE FALL AEMTTRANSITION CLASSESFRIDAYS, 0800–1700. OCTOBER 17, 24, 31AND NOVEMBER 7, 14, 21.LRMFA

You will be required to do a telephone orientation with oneof the instructors. Prerequisites: Haz-Mat Awareness(AWR160) and ICS (IS 100b, 200b, 700); if you need any ofthese prequisites, please contact Shawn Riley immediate atLaconia Fire Dept. Contact Kelley Shastany ([email protected]) to register. This program is open only to LRGHealth-care affiliated services and is free of charge.

2014 NH TRAUMA SYSTEMCONFERENCEFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2014Mountain View Grand Resort, Whitefield, NH

This conference is presented jointly by the NH Dept. of Safe-ty, Div. of Fire Standards & Training and EMS and the

Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The cost is $50 and you mayregister online at http://apps.nh.gov/blogs/irc. Registrationcloses November 3.

The conference programs include: Hospital-based — To CTor Not to CT (Pediatric); EMS — When to Fly: Scene Triage/Transport; Protocols to Improve Outcomes; Massive Transfu-sion; Geriatrics; Rib Fracture/Pain Controls; EMS Protocols;Case Reviews — How to Pick Your Battles; Anticoagulation andTrauma — Bad Combo; Rapid Reversal Protocols; Best Prac-tices/New Practice; and an MD Panel Discussion.

For more detailed information, go to https://apps.nh.gov/blogs/irc/.

EMT REFRESHER TRAININGNOVEMBER 6, 8, 9, 2014New Hampton Fire Department

Tony Manning will instruct this 3-day EMT Refresher Train-ing. The class will meet on Nov. 6 (1800–2100) and Nov. 8–9(0800–1730). Cost is $150 and includes lunch on Saturdayand Sunday. A minimum of 15 people are needed to hold theclass. Registration will close October 25. Please call NHFD at744-2735 to reserve your spot.

SCBA Respirator FitTesting Service

Available From LRMFAFor Member Agencies!TO SCHEDULE FIT TESTING AT YOURDEPARTMENT, PLEASE CONTACT DEPUTY

CHIEF BELAND AT528-9111 OR [email protected].

“Rural Hitch” AvailableElectronically

If you would like to receive the Rural Hitchelectronically (and save trees and postage!),

please send your email [email protected].

Feel free to share your electronic copy with others.We’ll add anyone to the email list who isinterested in receiving the Rural Hitch.


PHOTO COURTESY BILL HEMMEL. LAKESREGIONAERIALS.COM ©2009

LRMFA HEADQUARTERS, LACONIA, NH

2014 LRMFAExecutive Board Meetings

• Oct. 14 • Nov. 11 • Dec. 9 •

2014 LRMFABoard of Directors Meetings

(7 p.m. in the conference room at LRMFA)• 4th Quarter: October 29 •

Third Quarter Stats...From July 1, 2014 throughSeptember 30, 2014Incidents Dispatched: July 2014 2,168

August 2014 2,153September 2014 1,852Total 6,173YTD Total 16,412

Resources Available:Engines 92 Tankers 12Ladders 5 Rescues 22Forestry 38 Ambulances 52Utilities 26 Fire Boats 30Towers 7 Air Units 5ATVs 13 Command Vehicles 31

Statistics:

f Began operations in September of 1971. Moved opera-tions to our current facility in June of 2000.

f Dispatches Fire and Medical Emergencies for 35 com-munities and35 Fire and EMS Agencies.

f Serves a population of 115,383 residents.f Is spread over 5 NH Counties, covering a geographical

area of 1,494 square miles (16% of the area of theState of NH — 1.5times the size of the state of Rhode Island).

f Protects over $18.8 billion dollars of property.f Has an operating budget of $1,165,880 (2014

budget). f Has 8 full-time and 7 part-time employees. f Dispatched 21,570 incidents during 2013 (59.1 calls

per day).f Dispatched 21,504 incidents during 2012 (58.92 calls

per day).f Dispatched 21,601 incidents during 2011 (59.18 calls

per day).

Third Quarter 2014Number of incidents = 6,173 (YTD 16,412)

Radio transmissions = 70,649 (YTD 190,535)Emergency phones = 7,719 (YTD 20,712)Admin phones = 5,612 (YTD 16,499)

This breaks down on a daily basis to 67 incidents perday and 11 radio transmissions for each incident, or768 per day on average. Along with the emergency inci-dents we an swered/made 61 calls on the administrativelines per day and 84 calls on the emergency phones perday.

Department NewsSend your Department News [email protected].

Include new hires, promotions, new apparatus,department events, open training events, etc.


Fire Apparatus Sales & Service Since 1991

PO Box 970, West Ossipee, NH 03890Phone: 603-323-7117 • Fax: 603-323-7447Email: [email protected] • www.lakesfire.com

• HME Mini-EVO• Ford 550 4x4 chassis

6.7L diesel Engine• 1500 GPM Hale Pump• Class A Foam• LED response and

scene lighting• 140 Cubic feet of

compartment space• 40 Cubic feet of

hosebed• All Stainless steel

body, pump houseand plumbing

Lakes Region Fire Apparatus Latest Delivery!Congratulations Chief Dana Costello and the Denmark Fire Department

— First HME Ahrens Fox Mini EVO in the State of Maine!Truck

PurchasedWith AFGGrant

Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association62 Communications DriveLaconia, NH 03246

DepartmentNews

Send your Department Newsto

[email protected].

Include new hires,promotions, new apparatus,

department events,open training events, etc.

Documents

Letter of Merit - LRMFA Hitch 3rd Qtr 2014.pdf · Steele and Reynolds each received a Letter of Merit from Chief ... One of his daily stops was at Concord Central Fire ... Chief Scott