2008 Block Dance & Muster

Hinsdale Volunteer Fireman's Association's 2008 Block Dance & Muster
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NVFC Announces Winners of National Junior Firefighter Scholarships

NVFC Announces Winners of National Junior Firefighter Scholarships

Program Supported by the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in partnership with the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation, has selected 10 outstanding junior firefighters to receive a $5,000 scholarship through the National Junior Firefighter Scholarship and Grant Program. The departments of each of the scholarship recipients will also receive a $5,000 grant to support their junior firefighter programs. In total, the program has awarded $100,000, thanks to support from the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation.

“We are thrilled with the number of high quality applications we received,” said NVFC Executive Director Heather Schafer. “The Scholarship Review Committee faced a difficult task, but ultimately selected 10 applicants who serve as truly inspirational and outstanding examples of what it means to be a junior firefighter. These 10 individuals have gone above and beyond in their commitment and dedication to their programs, and they exemplify the future of the fire and emergency services. We are proud to partner with the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation to award these scholarships.”

Currently in its inaugural year, the scholarship and grant program has been an enormous success, and hundreds of junior firefighters applied for the competitive scholarships. In addition, the number of juniors and departments registered for the National Junior Firefighter Program has more than doubled since the scholarship application period opened.

“Throughout the country, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins stores are great supporters of the fire departments that protect our communities,” said Paul Leech, co-chair of the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation. “With these scholarships, the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation is recognizing 10 youths who have shown amazing dedication to serving their communities and being part of the next generation of fire service leaders.”

Winning junior firefighters and their departments will be honored during Firehouse Expo on July 24 at the Baltimore (MD) Convention Center at 1:30 p.m. in the Ballroom. Recipients will receive travel to the event courtesy of the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation, along with complimentary admission courtesy of Firehouse Expo. The ceremony is open to all Firehouse Expo attendees.

The recipients of the scholarships in alphabetical order are as follows:

Natasha Boger
Gold Hill, NC
East Gold Hill Volunteer Fire Department
A junior firefighter for over two years, Natasha has completed 15 fire-related courses and is only seven courses away from being a certified level 2 firefighter. She has logged over 400 hours as a junior. Natasha plans on attending North Carolina State University majoring in Civil Engineering.

Ethan Goodman
Dixon, MO
Dixon Rural Fire Protection District
A junior firefighter for over two years, Ethan has completed over 486 hours of training. He was named Firefighter of the Year twice. Ethan plans on attending Rolla Technical Institute with a major in vocational heating and cooling.

Elias Klar
Juda, WI
Juda Community Fire Department
A junior firefighter for over four years, Elias is a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. He is an Eagle Scout and plans on attending Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX, majoring in Business.

Jennifer Krawetzky
Manchester, CT
Coventry Volunteer Fire Association
Jennifer has been a junior firefighter for four years and served as a Medical Response Technician with over 300 response hours. Jennifer recently completed her EMT certification and plans on attending the University of Connecticut with a major in Biology.

Andrew Livingston
Fletcher, NC
Mills River Volunteer Fire & Rescue
Andrew has been a junior firefighter for almost four years and serves as Fire Chief of the Junior Fire Brigade. Andrew plans on attending North Carolina State University with a double major of Business Management and Fire Science.

Brittany Philpott
Johnsonville, NY
Johnsonville Volunteer Fire Company
Brittany was a junior member of the Explorer Post for four years and has served as its President. She has been an active firefighter for two years. Brittany continued her membership in the Explorer Post and remains a role model and mentor to the Post Officers and new younger members. She plans on attending Hudson Valley Community College and majoring in Business Administration.

Steven Reeves
Theodosia, MO
Theodosia Area Volunteer Fire Department
A junior firefighter for over three years, Steven was the first junior in his program and was instrumental in the recruitment of the remainder of the juniors. Steven plans on attending the University of Missouri-Columbia and majoring in Engineering.

Kayla Sulla
Great Neck, NY
Great Neck Alert Fire Company
A junior firefighter for close to five years, Kayla has been an active firefighter for two and half years. Kayla attained the rank of Captain, the highest in the junior program. She started a volunteer organization called Preserve America, based on her view that volunteering is one of America’s core values and is important to preserve. She remains active in the junior department as an advisor. Kayla will be entering her junior year at Long Island University and is majoring in Public Relations.

Kelsey Tripp
Fairview Heights, IL
Fairview Fire Department
A junior firefighter for four years, Kelsey serves as the Chief of her junior program. According to the laws of Illinois, she must wait until she is 20 years old to apply to become an active firefighter and to complete her level II certification. Kelsey will be attending Southwestern Illinois College and majoring in Fire Science.

Ashley Wilson
Clayton, DE
Clayton Fire Company, No. 1
A junior firefighter for three years, Ashley was named Junior Firefighter of the Year in 2006 and won the Governor’s Youth Service Award in 2007 for her dedication to the Clayton Fire Company. In addition to the completion of numerous fire related courses, Ashley is certified in CPR/AED. She will be attending Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, WV, and majoring in Nursing.

The NVFC and Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation extend a heartfelt congratulations to each of these deserving scholarship recipients, and a thank you to all who applied. Learn more about the National Junior Firefighter Program at www.nvfc.org/juniors.


About the National Junior Firefighter Program
The NVFC National Junior Firefighter Program provides resources and tools to fire and EMS departments to help them establish, expand, and manage a local youth participation program. It also motivate youth participants by helping them locate a local program, track their participation hours, earn incentive rewards, and makes them eligible for the National Junior Firefighter Scholarships. The program addresses retention and recruitment challenges by getting youth involved in the fire and emergency services, thus fostering a lifelong connection with the emergency services that will continue throughout their adulthood. The National Junior Firefighter Program is supported by the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation and Spartan Motors, Inc. Learn more at www.nvfc.org/juniors.

About The Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation The Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation brings together a wide network of stakeholders, including Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisees, crew members and employees, to support the service and leadership of emergency response organizations – especially in times of crisis. The Foundation supports emergency responders by providing financial assistance, building capacity, developing partnerships, encouraging volunteerism and honoring local heroes. To learn more about the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation please visit www.dunkinbrands.com/foundation.

2008 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week:

2008 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week:
Committed to Long-Term Results
June 22-28, 2008

Committed to Long-Term Results encourages long-term investments by chiefs and firefighters to enhance their health and safety. The ultimate goal is to institute a strong culture of health and safety within the fire/EMS service.

This year’s theme reflects the need for organizational action that supports and encourages a safety culture. Recommended activities and materials will incorporate three key areas where standard operating procedures, policies and initiatives—along with the training and enforcement that support them—can limit fire/EMS personnel’s risk of injury or death:

Fully implement NFPA 1500, especially sections addressing PPE:
Provide compliant PPE.
Train and enforce use of PPE, including respiratory protection.
Fully implement the Wellness-Fitness Initiative:
Provide annual medical and physical evaluations.
Provide equipment and time for exercise.
Provide nutrition information.
Initiate an emergency vehicle policy, to include:
Always buckle up.
Always stop at red lights and stop signs.
Always drive at speed limits and defensively.

Focusing on these 2008 key safety areas from Sunday to Saturday provides maximum flexibility, allowing for all duty shifts—both career and volunteer—to participate in your department’s selected exercises at some point during Safety Week.
To be notified of Safety Week activities, subscribe to the email list today.

Sponsored by IAFC, IAFF and IAFC's Safety, Health and Survival Section

SAFER Grant Application Period Now Open

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opened the FY 2008 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response(SAFER ) grant application period at 8:00 am EDT on May 27. Applications will be accepted through 5:00 pm on June 27. SAFER grants provide funding to fire departments to hire career firefighters and to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters.

SAFER was funded at $190 million for FY 2008. Ten percent of the funds appropriated are designated by law to be distributed to volunteer and combination fire departments to fund retention and recruitment activities. An additional ten percent is available for volunteer and combination departments to hire career firefighters.

Departments can use retention and recruitment funds in a number of ways, including marketing campaigns to attract new members, establishing a junior firefighter program, purchasing insurance packages and/or physical examinations, reimbursing members for participating in operational activities, tuition assistance, or length of service awards. Applicants must demonstrate the link between the activities they are requesting funds for and their identified recruitment and/or retention problems or issues.

The FY 2008 SAFER program guidance is available online. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) participates in annual stakeholder meetings to provide formal input to the SAFER grant criteria development process. The NVFC also works closely with Congress, advocating for SAFER to be funded at its authorized level and ensuring that a portion of those funds are made available to help meet the staffing needs of volunteer departments.

Storm knocks out power to hundreds in Berkshires

By Jessica Willis and Jenn Smith, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Article Last Updated: 06/11/2008 10:25:18 AM EDT


Wednesday, June 11
PITTSFIELD — Hundreds of customers lost electricity last night when a fast-moving storm swept across Berkshire County, with large hail, lightning and powerful wind gusts that knocked down trees and power lines.
South County took the biggest hit as police and fire crews scrambled to respond to reports of tree limbs and power lines down in Egremont, Great Barrington and Sheffield.

At 10:45 p.m., about 600 customers in Egremont, 600 in Sheffield, and 180 in Great Barrington were without power, according to Debbie Drew, a spokeswoman for National Grid.

"Nickel-sized" hail was reported in Otis at 9:50 p.m. last night, according to Tom Wasula, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Albany.

Wind gusts were estimated at about 60 mph, Wasula added.

In Pittsfield, police and fire crews responded to reports of wires down near 300 Cheshire Road, and in the area of Churchill and Cascade streets.

The storm formed when a cold front to the west started to push east, and met the heat and humidity over the Mid-Atlantic and New England, said Wasula, a meterologist for the National Weather Service in Albany.

Earlier in the day, an underground cable failure was responsible for leaving a sizable section of Pittsfield without power yesterday.

It wasn't clear why the cable failed, but the recent high temperatures could have been a factor, said Mitch Gross, a spokesman for Western


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Massachusetts Electric Co.
The outages were reported at 11:07 a.m. in the Coltsville area.

Heat, erosion, and electrical current are all factors that can contribute to an underground cable failure, Gross said, who added that underground cable gets hotter quicker than power lines that run overhead.

According to a WMECO report at noontime yesterday, a total of 959 customers were without power in parts of Pittsfield, and the neighboring towns of Cheshire, Dalton and Lanesborough.

Power was restored to most of the area shortly thereafter. As of 3 p.m., only 26 customers were without electricity, and by 3:30 p.m. power was completely restored to the area.

Alert Hose Co Fireman's Sunday

Photo taken by Jane Brown (Alert Hose Co)
--ADAMS,MA June 8,2008
The Alerts started their day by attending mass at St. Stanislaus Koska Church at 8 AM. then they were served breakfast at the Adams Elks Lodge. The memorial service was at 11 am at the Memorial Shaft in Bellevue Cemetery.The Alerts were led in and out by a member of the Berkshire Highlander Pipe Band. Guest speaker was retired Chief George Sweet from Cheshire


Chief Stephen Brown & retired Chief George Sweet

Fireman's Sunday

ADAMS -- The second Sunday of June is "National Fireman's Sunday." The Alert Hose Company of Adams, Adams Volunteer Fire Department will honor this day on Sunday, June 8.
The Alerts will start their day by attending mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Summer Street, at 8 a.m. They will then attend a breakfast at the Adams Elks Lodge.

The chairman of the program, William Gero, and his committee, Brian Tatro and Michael Mullany, invite the public to attend the memorial service at the Memorial Shaft, Bellevue Cemetery, 11 a.m.

The Alerts will be led by Foreman Edward Capeless of the Alert Hose Company. George Sweet, former chief of the Cheshire Fire Department, will be the guest speaker. A member of the Berkshire Highlander Pipe Band will pipe the alerts into and out of the Memorial Shaft area.

In case of rain, the program will be held at the Adams Fire Station, Columbia Street.

For information, call Ralph Anthony at 743-1137.

Texas A & M Winners

The MCVFA is pleased to announced the four winners of the Texas A&M Training Grant Awards for the 2008 Municipal School, held
on the campus of Texas A & M @ College Station, Texas July 20 thru July 25, 2008.

The Winners are:

Asst Chief/Emt Shawn McGrath, Cheshire Fire Dept

FF/Emt Christopher Callinan, Wareham Fire Dept

FF/Emt Derrick Irving, West Barnstable Fire Dept

FF/Emt Brian Tyson, West Barnstable Fire Dept

The Association extends our Congratulations to the recipients and wish them a successful training adventure.

Training Committee
Michael McCullough, Chairman
Rick Clark
Michael Bird