Peacham Volunteer Fire Department

Peacham Fire Department Annual Report 2006

The Peacham Fire Department responded to 18 in-town fire calls and
emergencies, 46 in-town medical emergencies and 15 mutual aid calls, for a total
of 79 emergency response calls in 2006.

In 2006, we were fortunate to have Mark Fitzhugh, Denise Day and Eric
Greenwood join the department. Peter Craig has returned from his duty overseas
and we are glad to have him back.

The focus in 2006 was training several firefighters on low angle and cold
water rescue techniques to utilize the specialized equipment we received with grant
money. We did accomplish this goal with Aaron Morton & Rodney Reis training
in Massachusetts for three days on low angle rope rescue and Mike Walsh
attending a two day class in NH on water rescue. They returned and held several
training sessions with all of the members of the department on these specialized
rescue techniques.

As we have mentioned over the last several years our focus in 2007 is the
replacement of the refurbished1989 Ford rescue van. We have spent several hours
in research, discussions and alternatives in 2006. As listed in the warning we have
come up with a plan and dollar amount. The medical report in this town report by
Jerry Senturia also relays this information as well. To lessen the burden on the
taxpayers we started to put away monies for a down payment on the replacement in
2006.

The members would like to thank all that contributed food and drink at the
major fire in Peacham last March. The hot food was revitalizing.

Calls in Peacham (by type):
Structure fires:................................................................................. 2
Other interior fires:.......................................................................... 1
Chimney fires:................................................................................. 6
Vehicle fires: ................................................................................... 1
Controlled burns:............................................................................. 2
Power lines down:........................................................................... 1
Rubbish fires: .................................................................................. 1
HAZMAT leaks / Investigations / Hazardous Conditions:............. 4
Medical emergencies (including vehicle accidents with injuries): 46
Total calls in Peacham* .................................................................. 64

Calls NOT in Peacham
Mutual aid given (fire): (Danville 4, Barnet 7, Groton 2 ) ..............13
Mutual aid given (medical): (Barnet 2 ) ..........................................2
Total calls Not in Peacham ..............................................................15
TOTAL CALLS IN 2006: 79

* For emergencies located in Peacham, the Peacham Fire Department received
mutual aid assistance 10 times from neighboring departments.

List of Officers:
Jeffrey Berwick, Fire Chief, ECA
William Thresher, Assist. Chief
Chip Deasy, Captain, EMT-B
Aaron Morton, Captain, ECA
List of Members:
Cody Berwick, FF Richard Greenwood, FF
Kathy Corcoran, EMT-B Barry Hayes, FF
Peter Craig, FF Neil Monteith, FF
Denise Day, ECA Rodney Reis, FF
Mark Fitzhugh, FF Diana Senturia, SS
Locke Goss, FF Jerry Senturia, EMT-B
Eric Greenwood, FF Mike Walsh, FF, ECA

SS= Support Specialist
FF= Firefighter
ECA= Emergency Care Attendant
EMT-B= Emergency Medical Technician- Basic

If you are interested in assisting the fire department in any way, or if you are
interested in becoming a new member or a department supporter, please do not
hesitate to contact me. The department meets every Monday evening for a meeting
or training session.

I urge anyone who has an emergency, whether it is a Fire, Police or Medical
emergency to call 911 immediately. The non-emergency telephone number for the
Peacham Fire Station is 592-3392.

Thank you for your support.
Jeffrey Berwick, Chief



Peacham Volunteer Fire Department Accounts 2006
Income
Interest $17.49
Donations – Fire $1,595.00
Donations – Medical $600.00
Reimbursements $438.42
Postcards $32.62
Total $2,683.53

Expenses
Office Supplies $91.05
Computer $768.46
Personnel Equipment $278.80
Supplies $170.67
Maintenance $150.00
Training $1,259.97
Beverages/Refreshments $34.68
Equipment $219.99
Donation $120.00
Medical Equipment/Supplies $792.54
CPR $30.00
Total $3,916.16


Medical Response Report 2006

In the year 2006, Peacham Volunteer Fire Department responded to 48
medical calls. Of these, 2 were mutual aid to adjoining towns. Our medically
trained personnel also provided services at fires in Peacham and at mutual aid fire
calls.

We have been very happy with the community reaction to our Emergency
Medical Response program. We were honored that some families felt that we
merited contributions in memory of their loved ones.

As we have announced at two previous town meetings, time has come to
replace the rescue truck. Peacham Rescue 1 (a refurbished 1989 van) contains our
medical response equipment as well as specialized fire and rescue equipment. This
vehicle responds to all medical calls and most fire calls. With your approval we are
looking to replace this vehicle in 2007.

While considering how to start this process, we asked ourselves two
questions: 1. “What functions do we want to perform with the new rescue unit?”
and 2. “What equipment do we need to carry to perform those functions?” The
functions included the ability to ensure a safe and dependable response to a
medical call, the ability to care for patients inside the vehicle during inclement
weather, the ability to refill air bottles for firefighters, and the ability to care for
firefighters during an extended fire incident. The equipment included, all life
saving medical and rescue equipment that we currently carry on Peacham Rescue 1
and the new rescue equipment which we must currently leave at the station.
With this information we wrote detailed specifications for a replacement
vehicle. We contacted various vendors of fire/rescue vehicles and asked them to
prepare preliminary estimates for the cost of construction of a new rescue vehicle
so that this information could be shared with you at Town Meeting. We were truly
disappointed that the costs of such a vehicle was far beyond what we felt the
taxpayers of our town could be asked to bear (between $160,000 to $190,000). We
have therefore asked the select board to warn for enough funds to allow us to
purchase a used or refurbished rescue unit that will cost substantially less. More
details will be shared with everyone during Town Meeting. We certainly hope you
will support our request so that we may continue to provide our current high level
of service to the community. You should not be surprised to hear that your fire
department is well respected among the other EMS agencies of the Northeast
Kingdom.

This year we are fortunate to have seven members trained as EMS medical
first responders. Michael Walsh and Denise Day completed the Emergency Care
Attendant (ECA) medical course. They are now Vermont certified and assist us in
providing with much needed daytime coverage. Two of our other members are
trained as CPR instructors. Again, we thank you for your continuing generosity
which allows us to be well-equipped and well-trained.

People still ask us if the medical calls we respond to are serious. We respond
to calls that challenge us in many ways, for the person who requests our services
they are all serious. If you wake up at 3AM with chest pains, if you are bleeding
profusely, if you fall down the stairs, if you are having difficulty breathing, if you
are having trouble maintaining consciousness, the call is serious for you. As with a
fire call, we would much rather you call 911 as soon as you become aware of the
emergency medical condition, than ponder whether the call is “serious”.

We can’t help you if we can’t find you. Please display your 911-house
number. It should be visible from the road both day and night. We would also
like you to consider keeping a list of your current medications and any chronic
medical/surgical problems you have (“Vial of Life”). This can be kept in a sealed
envelope on your refrigerator. This will help us if we are called to assist you and
you cannot remember specific information or you cannot communicate with us.
For more information on house numbers and “Vial of Life”, visit the Peacham
Volunteer Fire Department on the web at http://www.peacham.net/fire.
If you are interested in taking a CPR course, contact Fire Chief Berwick or
me. Also, if you are interested in obtaining Emergency Medical Training and/or
Fire Training and becoming part of the Peacham Volunteer Fire Department,
please contact Fire Chief Berwick.

Jerry Senturia
Secretary, Peacham Volunteer Fire Department