New fire station up and ready

The new Great Barrington fire station.(Darren Vanden Berge / Berkshire Eagle Staff

New fire station up and ready
Memories aside, it is time for current crew to move on
By Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Updated: 10/27/2009 08:32:11 AM EDT



GREAT BARRINGTON -- It was a big night for the Great Barrington Volunteer Fire Dept. Monday night.
With sirens blaring and lights flashing, the department's four fire engines drove from their former home on Castle Street, which they have inhabited since 1899, to their new digs on Stockbridge Road.

"It's a bittersweet night," admitted Deputy Chief Edward G. McCormick. "I think of all the calls we went out on, all the guys I served with who aren't here anymore, it's good and it's sad."

"I think sometimes about the firemen who came before me, and the decisions they made in our meeting room," said Deputy Chief Gary Oggiani. "For more than 100 years, people met here to make those decisions. That's something to consider."

"Yeah, I'll miss it -- a little," conceded Chief Harry Jennings. "But the old building just didn't have enough space for modern firefighting equipment."

The ceilings in the old buildings were a constant problem. They were too low to allow the cabs to be opened and serviced. There was maybe 3 feet of space between trucks, meaning that firefighters had to drive the trucks outside to open the compartmental doors.

In fact, the vehicles spent a lot of time outside, since they had to be driven outside to be washed.

The new station has about 16,500 square feet, and while everything fits, the vehicles have to be carefully parked because a bay at the rear of the building holds the



decontamination unit.
There are offices for Jennings and his deputies. There is a meeting room for the department's auxiliary group, and a dining area. There is storage space for equipment and suits.

There is some controversy from opponents of the new station who believe it is too large. But, Jennings noted, the building seems large because in the old building, the department was trying to accomplish the logistical equivalent of fitting 10 pounds of sausage in a five-pound bag.

"In the old building we were using every inch of space we had," said Jennings. "Counting the attic and the basement, we had almost 15,000 square feet. We had exercise equipment in the attic, we used the basement for storage. This building is a lot more user-friendly."

The department will host an open house on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. Residents are invited to tour the facility. Refreshments will be served. The town will have a formal dedication ceremony in a few weeks, said Jennings.

In addition, there will be a formal decommission event for the old firehouse, he said. Presently, there are no concrete plans for the building, although some town offices are already there, and other departments plan to use the space for temporary storage.

But Monday, there was an informal decommissioning ceremony. Just before the trucks all left, McCormick gathered the firemen around him and asked for a moment of silence.

"Let's remember the good times we had here, the calls we went on and especially our brothers who have come before us and served this town so well," he said.

The firemen bowed their heads for a moment.

"I declare this station closed," said McCormick.

Hinsdale Fire funds help communication

By Scott Stafford
Updated: 09/17/2009 11:51:53 PM EDT


Berkshire Eagle Staff

HINSDALE -- A state grant for $11,900 will allow the local fire department to upgrade its radio transmitter and antenna to call volunteer firefighters to the scene of emergencies more quickly.

According to Larry Turner, Chief of the Hinsdale Volunteer Fire Department, the taller antenna and new Motorola radio will eliminate delays they are experiencing because of outdated equipment.

The current 36-watt system isn’t powerful enough to get through to some of the firefighters’ homes or workplaces.

When a call comes in, an automated system pages the firefighters and volunteer EMTs, which then gives them a voice message on the nature of the call and a location.

"Some fellows have trouble listening to the voice message depending on where they’re standing in the house," Turner said. "So they’d have to call around to find out where to go."

The new 100-watt system won’t have any trouble punching the signal through, he said.

"That will take care of all the problems we’ve had," Turner noted.

He said the town was notified of the grant on Monday and expects to have the new system working within two months.

"This is a big step for us -- the voice message after the tones is real important," Turner said. "It will help us immensely."

According to Ray Bolduc, Hinsdale’s director of emergency management and volunteer firefighter, the grant comes from the Massachusetts

Security Trust Fund Grant Program administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
"We’ve been using this old system for about 10 years," Bolduc said. "The problem is we live all through the community. But we’ve done a test and 100 watts should hit everywhere."

There are about 30 members of the Hinsdale volunteer fire department and ambulance corps.

To reach Scott Stafford:
sstafford@berkshireeagle.com.

Adams Alerts to hold fundraiser

By Ryan Hutton
Posted: 08/25/2009 01:06:53 AM EDT


North Adams Transcript

ADAMS -- The Adams Alert Hose Company is looking to get better aquainted with members of the public tonight at the Bounti-Fare.

David Nicholas,, owner of the Bounti-Fare, has offered up his resturant’s patio for the Alerts to use for a fundraiser. Tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the Bounti-Fare’s patio there will be a BBQ and a raffle to support the Alert Hose Company.

"I’m excited. It’s a way for [Nicholas’] staff to donate back to the communtiy," Firefighter Anthony Piscioneri said. "They came up with this little idea a few years ago to benefit all sorts of organizations with their own appreciation night."

During the summer months, Nicholas and his staff open up the patio to local organizations where they offer BBQ fare and a 50/50 raffle with the proceeds going back to the organization.

"This is going to be the Alerts’ third year down there," Piscioneri said. "But David has also done it for the Boy Scouts and Adams Ambulance and diffrent organizations. They put together hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob and chicken, and everyone eats outside. Plus there’s a 50/50 raffle and a Chinese auction."

There will also be a cash bar inside and members of the Alerts will be on hand to meet and greet the public. Piscioneri said everyone is welcome and there is no cover charge.

"It’s a good time," he said. "In the past we’ve had good weather and fairly


good crowds. We’re trying to publicize it more becuase it benefits not only the department but also the [Bounti-Fare] and the community."
Procceds from food sales, the 50/50 raffle and the Chinese auction will go toward the department’s public education fund.

"Basically it goes into our expenses that we use for open house activities during things like Fire Prevention Week," Piscioneri said. "It also goes toward public events like our space at the street fair or when we go into the schools. It funds all the handouts that go to the children and it really goes right back to the community."

Piscioneri said the event will be a good way for people to get to know the department better.

"It’s a good way for the community to come out and support not only the fire department but the Bounti-Fare," he said. "They do a great job of lending their time and energy to the community. It’s also a great way to meet the guys on the department."

To reach Ryan Hutton, e-mail rhutton@thetranscript.com.

NARH drill trains personnel for large-scale emergencies

Teddy Meranti, 12, a victim, gets ready to exit the decontamination unit at North Adams Regional Hospital Tuesday afternoon during a drill of the incident command system. The annual drill involved hospital, ambulance and fire personnel. It was intended to train staff in how to handle large emergencies and work in unison with other agencies. (Gillian Jones/North Adams Transcript)

By Jennifer Huberdeau
Posted: 08/05/2009 01:12:14 AM EDT

NORTH ADAMS -- Shannon Benoit was busy preparing wrist bands and admissions intake sheets in the lobby of the North Adams Regional Hospital’s emergency department as teams around the building prepared for the arrival of 14 "victims" of a mock chlorine chemical spill and car wreck.

"Normally we’d input all of the information into the computers," Benoit said. "We’d have two laptops and two regular computers where four admissions department staff members would input critical information, while the others would be banding patients that come through from the triage nursing station." Admissions Clerk Michelle Scarpitto said the annual mock drill allows the department to assess its procedures.

"It’s absolutely worth all the work," she said. "We can tell what we’ve done right and what we did wrong." Outside, members of the North Adams Fire Department were setting up the Massachusetts Decontamination Unit, where those involved or near the scene of the "truck accident and spill" would be scrubbed down and evaluated for injuries.

"Today’s incident happened in a semi-residential area," Sharon Leary, REACH outreach and communications manager, said Tuesday as she stood nearby waiting with a number of victims. "We have a variety of injuries represented, as well as people who would have just been in the area, who may have been exposed to either a chlorine leak or inhaled the gas. In real life, these


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people would be called the ‘walking well’ -- people who aren’t critically injured but need to be checked out. They usually bring themselves to the emergency room."
Sasha Piatczyc, 23, of Williamstown, was anticipating the spray down inside of the decontamination unit.

"My character is a 18-year-old female who lived within a 1Ž2 mile of the accident, opened her door and inhaled the fumes," she said. "I get to act a little bit, because my character is coughing and feels as if she’s going to pass out."

Cousins Matthew Meranti, 12, and Teddy Meranti, 14, thought it would be fun to volunteer to play victims and take a stroll through the decontamination unit.

"It’s a good way to help out," Matthew said.

As firefighters climbed into full-length yellow decontamination jump suits, complete with taped wrists and ankles and purified air packs, Kathy Arabia, vice president of guest services for Northern Berkshire Healthcare, said the mock drill tests the hospital’s incident command system -- a chain of command created for emergency service responders following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks -- and the ability of the hospital staff to work in unison with outside agencies.

"We didn’t let the majority of our employees know about today’s drill," she said. "We wanted it to be as real as possible. These annual drills allow us to test the time it takes to set up the decontamination unit, how well we can respond to the critical care patients and what our response time is overall." She added, "We’re measuring ourselves and critiquing our response through on-site evaluators and even with an evaluation by the victims."

Firefighter David Simon said the annual drill is critical to keep the department "on its toes."

"Like anything else you do, you learn by repetition," he said. "If we keep this stuff packed away and don’t use it, our skills will get rusty. Another big part of this is the teamwork, working with departments outside of our own. There’s a lot of logistical stuff that goes on and a lot of different people involved."

As the drill began, there seemed to be some confusion at the decontamination unit, as hospital staff pushed the victims through the unit several times because of errors being made during the scrubbing process.

"This is why we practice," Leary said.

The three departments jointly responded to a mass casualty accident in July 2006, when 10 people were exposed to chlorine gas at the Northern Berkshire YMCA. No one was critically injured during the accidental exposure.

To reach Jennifer Huberdeau, e-mail jhuberdeau@thetranscript.com.

Firefighters given some recognition

By Conor Berry
Updated: 08/03/2009 12:22:09 AM EDT


Berkshire Eagle Staff

PITTSFIELD -- More than two dozen firefighters from seven Berkshire departments took part in a Saturday afternoon ceremony at the Crowne Plaza to celebrate completion of a rigorous, 10-month training program funded by a federal grant.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant -- a four-year award that primarily funds education, training and recruitment for fire-and-rescue efforts -- was awarded to the Cheshire Fire Department in January 2007, with an agreement that part of the $660,000 grant also would be used to help out the Savoy Fire Department.

The grant primarily provides money to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, which is often a difficult task in many small or rural communities, according to grant coordinator James Pasquini.

The intensive training took place from September 2008 to June 2009. Participating firefighters came from departments in Cheshire, Savoy, Adams Windsor, Lenox, Lee and Richmond.

The Crowne Plaza was decked out with fire paraphernalia for Saturday’s graduation ceremony, which featured a keynote address by Victor Esch, a Homeland Security official who’s also a firefighter.

Pasquini said a little less than half of the $660,000 grant remains, and that money will continue to fund more training, education and recruitment efforts.

After the grant was awarded, some Cheshire officials were concerned it might jeopardize the small town’s



ability to win more vital equipment grants in the future.
Officials also expressed a desire to explore the possibility of flipping the grant, so it could be used to purchase vehicles and equipment instead. That effort was unsuccessful.

"You still can’t buy equipment with it," Pasquini said of the grant, which will continue to pay for fire-prevention, training and education classes.

Cheshire and Savoy fire officials wanted to share the wealth, so to speak, which is why they took a regional approach and invited other Berkshire towns to take part in the 10-month training program -- a nationally recognized firefighter certification program.

Kids are taught to handle trouble

Austin Filiault, 9, of Lanesborough, proceeds with the demeanor of a real firefighter while attending the Lanesborough Volunteer Fire Department’s Fire Safety Camp. (Photo by Holly Pelczynski / Berkshire Eagle Staff Saturday, August 01

By Jenn Smith
Updated: 08/01/2009 07:25:21 AM EDT


LANESBOROUGH -- If you saw children running from smoke, manning fire hoses and donning fire gear at the Lanesborough Volunteer Fire Department recently: Do not be alarmed.
These children won't be responding to the latest house fire or report of a kitten stuck in a tree. But they are now trained to handle emergency situations calmly and safely.

On Thursday and Friday, the department hosted its first two-day Fire Safety Training Camp, a free program offered for local students ages 8 to 12.

The camp itself was designed for kids, by a kid, Nick Garrity. The 10-year-old son of deputy fire chief Butch Garrity proposed the idea last summer.

"I thought it could be important and I thought people could find it interesting and learn that [being a firefighter] is more than going out on calls," Nick Garrity said.

Nick Garrity being backed up by Devin Truden
After some more arm-twisting, some donations of funding from some local business, and the help of some adult volunteers, young Garrity saw his vision become a reality this week.

"This is the most awesome thing I did this summer," said Jaqi Byrnes, 10, after getting the opportunity to help wash a fire truck and play in the water.

"It's so awesome. I think I might actually be a firefighter when I grow up," said Tessa Christman, 10.

During the two-day experience, the campers took classes on fire safety and responding to an emergency medical situation. They watched educational videos and



used real firefighting equipment to practice putting out simulated fires.
"It was the perfect opportunity to educate the children in the town," said Kirsten Hoffstedt, who helped organize the activities.

Mary Reilly, a firefighter who also teaches at St. Mark School in Pittsfield, taught some of the classes.

"For these older kids, it's reinforcement. They can have fun and learn some new skills too," Reilly said.

On Thursday night, the students had homework: To go home and create a family escape plan for their own homes.

"It's good to know in case you find yourself in a fire situation," said Ori Lazarevic, 10, whose father is also a firefighter.

On Friday, they met with guest presenters who talked to them about drug and alcohol safety, and outdoor, wilderness and water safety. A graduation celebration followed.

Said Butch Garrity, "I hope they come away with an awareness and appreciation of fire safety and what it's really like to be a firefighter."

Boy saved after fall in Tophet Brook

By Ryan Hutton
Posted: 07/31/2009 02:15:30 AM EDT


Click photo to enlargeThe fifth green at The Range’s mini-golf course was... (Ryan Hutton/North Adams Transcript)«1»North Adams Transcript

ADAMS -- Rescuers pulled a 13-year-old boy from Tophet Brook after the recent rain fall turned the stream into a torrent roughly 24 feet wide.

According to police reports, the boy was swimming with friends at the "Big Basin" swimming hole when rain fall caused a "swift rise in the water level" and the boys left. As they were leaving the area, two of the boys fell into the brook. One was able to reach the bank and climb out, but the other remained trapped in the river. The boy was perched on a boulder about 12 feet into the river, which was had water frequently lapping at it.

The Adams Police Department received a call at 5:24 p.m. on Wednesday saying that a boy was trapped in the river. Officers Michael Wandri and Gregory Charon responded in minutes, and Charon managed to toss the boy a rope and had him secure it around his waist.

The Alert Hose Company arrived a few minutes later and began preparing a rescue.

"He was pretty secure at the time we arrived, but it was still very dangerous," said Fire Chief Stephen Brown. "We were able to pass to him a life jacket and a water helmet and had him put those on just in case. We were observing signs of hypothermia, so time was of the essence at that point."

Brown said they managed to extend a 28-foot ladder across to the boulder and prepared to send a rescuer out to the boy.

"The river was swollen to about 24 feet wide," he said. "That 28-foot ladder was just able



to get across. We checked the water depth before we put any rescuers in and at that point it was about two and a half to three feet deep and moving at about 25 miles per hour. That’s when we realized we could not put a rescuer in the water safely."
They had also established a rescue team downstream in the event that the boy fell into the water again, but Assistant Fire Chief Paul Goyette managed to crawl out to the boy using the ladder and managed to bring him back safely. Brown said the firefighters had people ready in cold water rescue suits and life jackets ready to go into the river if the boy slipped, but added that, thankfully, it didn’t come to that.

"Water at that depth and speed exerts hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch," Brown said. "It would not have been safe to send someone in. But if the situation turned bad, we would have done whatever we had to do."

According to the police reports the boy was carried up a hill back to the road where he was given immediate aid by the Adams Ambulance Company and taken to North Adams Regional Hospital as a precaution.

Both Brown and Adams Police Chief Donald Poirot said all those involved in the rescue acted admirably and bravely.

"I’m very proud of my officers," Poirot said. "Officer Charon took a lot of initiative to make sure the boy was secured until the Alerts arrived and were able to perform a rescue. He really went above and beyond."

Poirot said he is working on a certificate of commendation for the officers for their actions. He also cautioned others to avoid such dangers as the rain continues to fall on Berkshire County.

"It’s really a warning to avoid running water when there’s this much rain," he said. "We’ve had a lot of it and the ground is saturated. What we used to know as streams are now rivers."

To reach Ryan Hutton, e-mail rhutton@thetranscript.com.