Wes Bowers
Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif.
(TNS)

Mar. 14—The Lodi Fire and Police departments are set to receive much-needed equipment this week, if approved by city leaders.

The Lodi City Council will consider two items on its consent calendar Wednesday night that will provide the fire department with a new chest compression device, and the police department with a variety of equipment over the next three years.

According to Wednesday’s staff report, the city will purchase a Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assisted System, more commonly known as a LUCAS 3, chest compression device from Stryker Medical for $25,000.

There will be no fiscal impact to the city, according to staff, as the purchase will be made possible through a donation from the Lodi Fire Foundation.

The LUCAS device, according to www.stryker.com, maintains a patient’s chest compressions during transport to medical centers.

The device is placed around the torso so a patient is lying flat against a back plate and the compression component is directly above the chest during transport.

It weighs a total of 17.3 pounds and can be carried by firefighter paramedics in a case that is worn like a backpack, according to Stryker’s website.

Staff said the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 47 LUCAS devices in 2020, of which Lodi firefighters received four the following year.

The devices were placed on the department’s frontline fire engines. This newest device will be placed on Truck 2051, equipping all of the front-line apparatus with the chest compression unit, staff said.

The council is also set to approve a three-year contract with LC Action Policy Supply of San Jose to provide the police department with a variety of equipment, including body armor vests, duty belts, holsters, flashlights, batons, and weapons.

The equipment is expected to cost no more than $100,000 during those three years, according to the staff report.

About 40 vests will expire within the year and must be replaced, staff said, and the department will also have ongoing vest and equipment needs for new officers, as well as equipment damaged in the line of duty.

Staff said LC Action Police Supply was found to be the most cost-effective, responsive, and guaranteed a quicker delivery.

Garbage rates discussed

The council will also undertake a public hearing to consider future solid waste collection rates for residential customers.

The council is no longer accepting public comments via Zoom or telephone, so you must be present to speak about the proposed rates.

Written comments related to an agenda item or non-agenda item can be mailed or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office or emailed to councilcomments@lodi.gov.

Public comments submitted by email, mail, or hand-delivered are forwarded to the council. Written public comments will not be read aloud during the meeting, but will be included in the final record.

For more information regarding council meetings, visit www.lodi.gov/152/City-Council&nbs

Aprell May Munford
The Republican, Springfield, Mass.
(TNS)

Mar. 15—AGAWAM — Replacing older models that were beginning to fail, the Agawam Fire Department received a delivery of 37 new air packs Monday.

The new self-contained breathing apparatuses — which firefighters don to protect against toxic smoke and gasses generated by structure fires, vehicle fires and hazardous materials incidents — were designed with more safety features than the older models, said Agawam Fire Chief Alan Sirois.

“This new standard provided a number of safety enhancements including adjusting the amount of time that a firefighter has to exit a burning structure after their low air alarm activates,” Sirois wrote in an email. “Improved redundancies in the air supply system as well as electronics were also included.”

Agawam firefighters last recieved new air packs in 2010 and they were beginning to give out, Sirois said.

According to the fire department, some fires fueled by composite materials and plastics can produce smoke “so toxic that inhalation can result in almost immediate death.”

The new air packs cost the department $254,363, but most of that cost was mitigated through a Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters grant, which also helped the department upgrade its air filling station.

Because there are 37 seated positions across the fire department’s vehicles that include a tower ladder, four fire engines, four ambulances, equipment standards set by National Fire Protection Association say the department must have 37 air packs.

“Each fire apparatus is capable of carrying a set number of firefighters, so an (air pack) is allotted for each riding position,” Sirois said.

The Town of Agawam maintains 60 full-time firefighters when fully staffed.

“These career personnel are augmented by a Call Firefighting force of 6,” Sirois added.

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(c)2023 The Republican, Springfield, Mass.

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Maddie Pfeifer
Corvallis Gazette-Times, Ore.
(TNS)

Mar. 14—The Albany Fire Department has released its 2022 report, highlighting the agency’s training methods, call data and grant funding. Among the revelations: 469 of the calls were false alarms and 89% were requests for medical assistance.

Training

In 2022, Albany firefighters logged 10,858 training hours. Specific types of training included “traffic incident management system” training which teaches them how to stay safe when responding to and managing traffic incidents. The Oregon Department of Transportation taught this course.

The agency also participated in a fire investigation course with the Office of the State Fire Marshal. During this training, investigators learned how to look into arson, electrical fires and more.

Albany firefighters utilized a “burn to learn” method of training as well. This happens when someone donates a structure to the department so firefighters can practice extinguishing a staged, controlled fire.

Each year, the department also has a wildland fire refresher training to prepare crews for wildfire season. Other trainings AFD participated in include ventilation, active threat and rescue technician training.

Call numbers

The 2022 report includes some data regarding the types of calls Albany Fire Department responded to.

There were 11,260 calls for service, with 89% of the calls being medical. The agency received 294 calls for fires, 41 calls for hazmat, four explosions and 469 false alarms.

According to the report, AFD responded to 507 motor vehicle collisions.

December in particular had a historically high call load with 1,158 emergency calls and 609 ambulance transports. The Dec. 23 ice storm in itself resulted in 85 calls for the day, which doubled the previous daily record.

Notable highlights

Another major point from the 2022 report included the opening of Station 15 in Millersburg. That city provided the funding, while AFD helped with the floor plan and amenities and provides the staffing for the station.

The agency also received multiple grants last year. The department received a $35,000 grant to increase staffing during wildfire season as well as $642,727 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant for a new fire engine and $1.3 million from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant to go toward the hiring of three new firefighters for three years.

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Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

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(c)2023 Corvallis Gazette-Times, Ore.

Visit Corvallis Gazette-Times, Ore. at www.gazettetimes.com

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A raging blaze tore through a cluster of businesses in downtown Lawrence early Friday morning, destroying a liquor store and a bakery. Crews responding to a report of a fire in the area of Essex and Newbury streets found flames shooting from a building that houses multiple businesses and thick smoke consuming the neighborhood.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFXT-TV FOX 25 Boston

In the next step in its fight to combat fire fighter cancer, the International Association of Fire Fighters filed suit March 16 against the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for its role in imposing a testing standard that effectively requires the use of PFAS in fire fighter protective gear.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFF.org