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Posted: Feb 22, 2016

Onset (MA) Fire District Hosted an Open House

For two hours Sunday, OFD members showed off their apparatus - fire trucks and auxiliary equipment - provided tours of their modest facilities, and served refreshments to a steady stream of visitors. The underlying theme of the program, however, was that a new fire station is desperately needed in Onset and plans are already underway to begin the process.

"We've outgrown this building and need to build another one not too far down the road," said Chief Ray Goodwin. "That's why we put together the Building Committee and have started working on a new facility."

According to Goodwin, the existing building was constructed in the 1950s by volunteers and more than served its purpose in the intervening six decades. However, dramatic changes in firefighting techniques and equipment have rendered the building unsuitable for long-term usage and impossible to accommodate some apparatus.

"Our apparatus bays are too few in number and inadequate to accommodate new fire equipment," Goodwin said. "We also have no apparatus bay vent system; most of our interior systems are obsolete; and we have a lack of storage space."

The department's newest fire truck is too large to fit into the building, so it spends every day outdoors and exposed to the elements. On the crowded parking area adjacent to the building, a temporary shelter houses two vehicles simply because there is no space indoors for them.

With a dire need for a new station, the Onset Fire District Building Committee began meeting in 2015 and has already developed a preliminary timetable for completion of the project. Chaired by Bill Lockwood, the committee has targeted 2019 as the finish date for a new station once a critical component - its location - is secured.

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Posted: Feb 22, 2016

Jackson (MS) Fire Apparatus Collides with Car

Our crew is on High Street where a Jackson fire truck collided with a black Nissan Sentra. According to officials, it appears that the fire truck was pulling out of the Shell gas station when it was broadsided by the Nissan Sentra.
A Jackson fire truck collided with a black Nissan Sentra.

According to officials, it appears that the fire truck was pulling out of the Shell gas station when it was broadsided by the Nissan Sentra.

The car's airbags deployed and the driver was treated on the scene for a minor leg injury.

The fire truck had minimal damage.

The Nissan has significant damage.

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Posted: Feb 22, 2016

Detroit Fire Appratus in Accident Heading to Fires

While some Detroit firefighters were rushing to put out a string of suspicious fires, others were involved in an accident.

A minvan ran into Engine 54 on Grand River near Biltmore while the fire truck was headed to a suspicious fire just a few blocks away. It had its lights and sirens when it was hit.

The crews involved in the crash were responding to a fire at a home on Rutherford Street. It's one of six abandoned properties, all near Grand River and Greenfield, that investigators believe had been purposely set on fire all between 6 and 8 a.m. Monday.

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Posted: Feb 22, 2016

Defibrillators Added to Six Nations Fire Apparatus

Six Nations fire and emergency services department has placed an automatic external defibrillator on every truck in its fleet to treat any firefighter who may suffer a cardiac arrest.

The measure was ordered by Six Nations fire chief Matthew Miller as part of heart month in February. The units were paid for by a grant from the Six Nations Community Trust.

Miller noted that, according to statistics provided by the National Fire Protection Association, cardiac arrest continues to be the leading cause of death for on duty firefighters in North America.

The association says 56 per cent of line of duty deaths in 2014 were the result of cardiac arrest.

Due to this "staggering" number, the Six Nations department has placed defibrillators on every fire truck in the fleet, Miller said.

"When the unthinkable happens, and a firefighter collapses on an emergency scene, we need to be prepared to provide the highest level of care possible."

He noted that the department also has introduced its firefighters to a livesaving technique known as firefighter down CPR.
 
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Posted: Feb 22, 2016

Calgary Ambulance Drivers Face Speed Restrictions

Unlike ambulances, both firetrucks and police vehicles don't have rules that dictate how fast they can go in Calgary. The rule, which took effect on Friday, says paramedics can only drive a maximum of 15 km/h over the posted speed limit when operating emergency vehicles with lights and sirens activated.

Prior to the change, ambulance operators could drive at a speed of 25 per cent over the posted limit, while operating with lights and sirens.

The Calgary Police Service and the Edmonton Police Service don't have a specific number for what speeds police vehicles can drive at, but officers are expected to drive to an emergency event at a speed that is safe and reasonable.

Unlike Calgary, Edmonton officers mustn't exceed the limit by more than 50 km/h.

As for the Calgary Fire Department, crews can go as fast as they deem necessary, as long as its safe.

"Safety is the number one factor our drivers take into consideration," said Calgary Fire Department spokeswoman Carol Henke. "I don't think that they need to be looking down at the speedometer to know whether they're being safe or not -- they know intuitively and through experience."
 
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