Peacham Volunteer Fire Department

Peacham Fire Department Annual Report 2007

This report is available in PDF format.

The Peacham Fire Department responded to 19 in-town fire calls and emergencies, 56 in-town medical emergencies and 11 mutual aid calls, for a total of 86 emergency response calls in 2007.

Congratulations to Mike Walsh for completing the EMT-B level of medical training in 2007. Mark Fitzhugh is also enrolled in an EMT-B class in 2008.

The big event in 2007 was on the 4 th of July when we hosted the friendly fire competition among area departments. Everyone who participated had a great time and it strengthened the friendships among area departments and their members. We will keep you posted on the events in 2008.

We would like to thank the Philip Dawson family for allowing the department to use their fire struck house as live fire training for area departments. Many valuable hours were spent by several departments training before and during the live burn. This type of training is not readily available and we did appreciate the use of the building.

The replacement of the rescue unit is still ongoing. By town meeting in 2008 we should have an option before the selectboard. We have taken our time and deliberately searched for the appropriate vehicle that meets our needs and not settled for something less than adequate. This is a large investment and we feel this vehicle must meet the requirements as it responds to more calls than any other unit.

We are glad to have Jerry and Diana Senturia back in Peacham to respond to calls after a long stay out of town.

Calls in Peacham (by type):

Structure fires: 1
Other interior fires: 0
Chimney fires: 5
Vehicle fires: 0
Grass/ Brush fires: 2
Controlled burns: 1
Power lines down: 4
Rubbish fires: 1
HAZMAT leaks / Investigations / Hazardous Conditions: 5
Medical emergencies (including vehicle accidents with injuries): 56
Total calls in Peacham* 75

Calls NOT in Peacham
Mutual aid given (fire): ( Danville 5, Barnet 3, Groton 2, Ryegate 1)
Mutual aid given (medical): 0
Total calls Not in Peacham: 11

TOTAL CALLS IN 2007: 86

* For emergencies located in Peacham, the Peacham Fire Department received mutual aid assistance 11 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
Kathy Corcoran, EMT-B
Peter Craig, FF
Mark Fitzhugh, FF
Jerry Senturia, EMT-B
Richard Greenwood, FF
Barry Hayes, FF
Neil Monteith, FF
Rodney Reis, FF
Diana Senturia, SS
Denise Walsh, ECA ( EMT-B in training)
Mike Walsh, FF, EMT-B

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. This phone is only answered when firefighters are present responding to an emergency or during training.

Thank you for your support.
Jeffrey Berwick, Chief

Medical Response Report 2007

This report is available in PDF format.

In the year 2007, Peacham Volunteer Fire Department responded to 56 medical calls. 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.

At the 2007 Town Meeting we presented our request to replace “Rescue 1” and you approved, thank you! We are now working on getting proposals from vendors which will fit our budget; this has taken more time than we initially planned. We may have an agreement with a vendor by the 2008 Town Meeting.

This year we are fortunate to have seven members trained as EMS medical first responders. Michael Walsh completed certification for EMT-B. Another of our firefighters, Mark Fitzhugh has begun the EMT-B training course. Three of our members are trained as CPR instructors. Again, we thank you for your continuing generosity which allows us to be well-equipped and well-trained. You should not be surprised to hear that your fire department is well respected among the other EMS agencies of the Northeast Kingdom.

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 have a serious burn, if you have a severe allergic reaction, 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 in a “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 the “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