WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT Planning to Protect......Acting to Save April 2016 Volume 4, Issue 4 Inside this issue: Fire & EMS 1 EMS Bureau Report 2 Fire Prev./ Public Safety 4 Operations Bureau 6 Training Bureau 7 In Their Own Words 8 YEARS of SERVICE ~April Home Smoke Alarm Guidelines The National Fire Protection Association is working to improve awareness on the topic of smoke alarms. Most people know that smoke alarms save lives. They cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. New homes and multifamily dwellings are required to have hardwired smoke alarms. These hardwired alarms are powered directly from the electrical system in the home and come with a traditional 9- Volt back-up battery in case of power outages. For people who live in older homes it is of utmost importance to be sure that you have an adequate number of reliable smoke alarms and that they are placed correctly throughout your home. The most reliable (Non hard-wired) smoke alarms are smoke alarms with long-life, non-replaceable lithium batteries that last up to ten years. These alarms will perform for a full decade without replacing the batteries. After ten years the entire device is meant to be replaced. (Replacing all smoke alarms, including hardwired, after ten years is strongly recommended by NFPA. The sensors in the devices begin to lose sensitivity after this period of time.) The lithium batteries are sealed into the device and are nonremovable. This feature eliminates the possibility of people removing batteries during nuisance activations. Continued on page 5..Acting to Save Emergency Activities Types of Calls April 2016 March 2016 Year to Date (2016) Year to Date (2015) Fires Calls 46 40 135 131 Emergency Medical Calls 226 232 941 987 Paramedic Intercepts 9 12 42 54 Interfacility Transports 44 43 158 194 Totals 325 327 1276 1366 Town of Barton Calls 10 9 31 22 Town of West Bend Calls 13 14 45 64
Emergency Medical Services Bureau BC Todd Van Langen and Captain Tom Thrash Page 2 Pediatric Sport Injuries by BC Van Langen More American children are competing in sports than ever before. Sports weight between kids of the same age. When kids of varying sizes play sports swelling or limitation in motion. There are some important injury prevention tips that can help parents promote a safe, optimal sports experience. Take time off, plan to have at least 1 day off per week and 1 month off per year to allow the body to recover. Wear should be reinforced during practice sessions and on game day. Take breaks, rest periods during practices and games, this can reduce injuries and help prevent heat injuries. Also important to consider, make sure your kids play sports that match their skill level, size, and physical and emotional help children and adolescents keep their bodies fit and feel good about themselves. It can teach kids to stretch their limits and learn sportsmanship and discipline. Kids can be particularly at risk for sports injuries for a variety of reasons. Kids, especially those younger than 8 years old, are less coordinated and have slower reaction time than adults. Also kids mature at different rates with differences in height and together, there can be an increased risk of injury for their child. Most injuries in young athletes are due to overuse. Most frequent sports injuries are sprains, strains, and stress fractures caused when an abnormal stress is placed on tendons, joints, bones, and muscle. In a growing child point tenderness over a bone should be evaluated further by a medical provider even if there is minimal the right gear. Players should wear appropriate and properly fitted protective equipment. Strengthen muscles, conditioning exercises during practice strengthens muscles used in play. Use proper technique, this maturity. The pressure to win can cause significant emotional stress for a child. The main goal should be to have fun and learn lifelong physical activity skills.
Emergency Medical Services Bureau Battalion Chief Todd Van Langen & Captain Tom Thrash Page 3 It only takes 2 steps to save a life following a cardiac arrest: Call 911 and do chest compressions CPR used to be difficult, trying to remember how many times to push on the chest and then how many breaths to give, how long do you check for a pulse. It was very confusing. So confusing that many times people were afraid to help because they could not remember the correct way to do it. Now CPR is much easier. The American Heart Association has taken the guess work out of it by teaching people to call 911 and PUSH HARD AND FAST IN THE CENTER OF THE CHEST. That is all you have to do until help arrives. You see, in the first moments after someone collapses from cardiac arrest they still have high levels of oxygen in their blood. If someone can efficiently compress the chest to continue circulating that oxygenated blood they can keep that patient viable until someone can bring an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) or until the Paramedics arrive with a defibrillator. By doing chest compressions we keep the oxygenated blood moving between the heart and the brain. This is essential to patient survival. Once the AED is used and a shock is delivered, the hope is that the heart cells are still receptive to that energy. If blood flow to the heart has been maintained our chances are much greater. This is how we successfully restart the heart. Once we have a return of heart activity our hope is that the brain has been successfully protected from oxygen deprivation as well. This improves the patients chance of returning to a normal life. REMEM- BER: Call 911 and PUSH HARD AND FAST IN THE CENTER OF THE CHEST UNTIL HELP ARRIVES. The West Bend Fire Department offers CPR courses. Contact Capt.. Tom Thrash at 262 335-5073 for more information.
80 70 60 50 40 30 Page 4 Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Fire Safety Education, Code Enforcement and Fire Investigation Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tammy Lamberg April Prevention & Inspection Activities Periodic Inspections Reinspections/Follow-ups Violations System Acceptance Tests Requests/Complaints Meetings/Consults Permits Home Smoke Alarm Installs Community Safety Presentations Plan Reviews 20 10 0 84 11 18 8 6 4 6 2 2 8 Keeping Our Senior Citizens Safe The WBFD Fire Prevention and Training Bureaus have been working together to provide frequent fire safety presentations to senior citizen groups in our community. We teach them about preventing fires and avoiding injuries and how to live safely in their homes and apartments. We also give them information about our FREE smoke alarm and Knox Box programs. If you have friends, family or neighbors over the age of 55 living in The City of West Bend who would benefit from either of these programs please contact the fire department at 262-335-5054.
Page 5 Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tammy Lamberg Smoke Alarm Guidelines Continued from Page 1 If an inadvertent activation occurs the devices have a Hush button that will silence the alarm for 5-7 minutes. The ten year alarms have easy to install mounting brackets. When the alarm is inserted into the bracket it activates the lithium battery. The back of the alarm has a place to write in the date that the device was installed. This helps homeowners remember when the 10- year replacement date has been reached. NFPA suggests checking the dates on these types of alarms twice a year at the same time that we change our clocks for Daylight Savings Time. Hardwired alarms have a test button for checking the battery strength and they will also chirp when battery power is low. When this chirping occurs it will typically only last for 3-4 days. It is important to replace the 9 volt battery as soon as you hear the chirping noise. Specialized smoke alarms are also available for people who are hearing impaired. These alarms will alert people with sthings such as strobe lights or bed shakers. Since the majority of home fires happen when people are asleep, a smoke alarm should be installed inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on all levels of the home including basements. The basement alarms should be placed close to the bottom of the stairs. Placing alarms in kitchens and bathrooms is not recommended due to the frequency of cooking and steam activations. The best protection is provided when all smoke alarms in the home are interconnected. This means that when one sounds they all will sound alerting everyone in the home that there may be a fire. See the diagrams below for more placement information. Smoke alarms should be placed as shown. NFPA recommends having alarms in every bedroom in addition to one on every level. Ceiling and wall placement are shown
Fire Department Operations Bureau Battalion Chief John Spartz Fire Extinguishers: Personal Fire Protection at the Ready People walk by them in nearly every occupancy even though they are colored red. They can be found in most commercial occupancies and can be found in your home. The Coast Guard requires them on boats over 14 feet in length. Unfortunately, many people don t even know how to use them and even more people don t take proper care of them. We are talking about fire extinguishers. A fire extinguisher is an affordable fire fighting tool that can be used relatively easily by almost anyone. A person can use the acronym PASS. PASS stands for Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep from side to side until the extinguisher is empty. According to the National Fire Protection Association, You should use a portable fire extinguisher when the fire is confined to a small area...and is not growing. You should also make sure everyone is out of the building and the fire department has been called. There are different types of extinguishers and you should conduct some research on which type to A Multi-Purpose, Dry Chemical ABC extinguisher and Pressurized Water can located on WBFD Truck 1 have been inspected and are ready for use. Page 6 buy depending on the hazards in you occupancy. A common extinguisher for the home is a Multi- Purpose (ABC) Dry Chemical extinguisher. Precautions need to be taken to insure the extinguisher is ready when it is needed. The extinguisher should be visually inspected monthly to check the pressure and that all components are in good condition. Turn the extinguisher upside down to prevent the powder from becoming packed too tight. An annual inspection must also be performed by a qualified company to meet fire codes. The company will inform you if the extinguisher requires further testing of the canister which is done every six years. The testing company tags the extinguisher after they complete the annual inspection so the fire inspector knows the work has been completed. The West Bend Fire Department also has fire extinguishers in each of the fire stations and, of course, on each truck. Every extinguisher is inspected annually per the National Fire Protection Association Standards so they are ready to use when needed.
Fire Instruction & Training Bureau Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tom Thrash Page 7 Attempting to eliminate fireground injuries: Physical fitness is a critical issue within the fire service, relating to individual performance and survival as well as organizational effectiveness. All of these topics are incorporated within the broad category of health, wellness and fitness issues. As a result the United States Fire Administration (USFA) recommended the implementation of effective firefighter health and well-ness programs to reduce the incident of Heart Attacks and Strokes, Strains and Sprains. The West Bend Fire Department adopted a health and wellness program under the leadership of Chief Vest, and still continues with strong support and participation under Chief Kudek. All members from the Chief to the Probationary Firefighter, of the West Bend Fire Department are encouraged to participate. Every day everyone is en -couraged to participate in workout time. We currently have four firefighters that are certified peer fit-ness trainers on staff. They assist other firefighters with coming up with programs that will help with their deficiencies and help them achieve their ultimate goal of living stronger and healthier. Each station is equipped with a minimum of an elliptical, a treadmill, a free weight bench, and a set of dumbbells. Many firefighters can be scene working out at some of the local gyms or one of our Fire Stations on their days off also. Many firefighters understand that heart attacks, strokes, and strains and sprains, might be able to be avoided by being proactive. This starts with self-discipline and sticking to a regular workout routine. Our employees here at the WBFD are dedicated to making difference and making our program a success.
In Their Own Words... The back page of our newsletter features a note or card that we have received from our customers.the people we serve. Whether it is during an ambulance call, fire call, or a public education assignment, the members of the West Bend Fire Department are always dedicated to making their contact with area residents a positive experience. Personnel Spotlight: Lieutenant Robert Schafer In 1995 Rob began his career with the West Bend Fire Department as a POC. He was then hired full time in 1999. After becoming an EMT- Basic he has been dedicated to continuing his education earning certification as a Paramedic in 2008, completing a 2 year premed course of study and earning his Bachelor s degree in Health and Wellness. In addition to his career with the fire department Rob has also spent the last 10 years working and training in the area of forensic pathology. In October 2015 Rob was promoted to Lieutenant. Has has also been selected to participate in a Mobile Integrated Health pilot program, which will provide in-home patient care in the community to improve patient health outcomes. In his free-time Rob enjoys spending time with his family and friends and occasionally playing his accordion. He especially enjoys sailing Lake Michigan during the all-to-short Wisconsin sailing season. WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT Planning to Protect...Acting to Save 325 N 8th Ave. West Bend, WI 53095 262.335.5054 www.ci.west-bend.wi.us