Weekend Update, Friday, January 9, 2015

Students: Welcome to our newest student firefighter, Cole Tarbell. Cole hails from Mount Holly, Vermont. He will be moving in this weekend. James Gambino will be returning this weekend to start his second semester. On Monday we'll be interviewing 3 candidates to fill our remaining slot.

Drivers: Even though the students are back for the next semester, we still need a call force driver to respond on ALL calls.  Everyone did a great job stepping up over Christmas, but the need is still there. This is one of those "shared sacrifices" that I've been talking about. We can't keep relying on the same people to cover our calls. Please do your part!

Military Leave:  I am currently on military leave. I'll be on leave until around January 30th. Deputy Johnston is the acting fire chief while I'm away. The Navy has sent me to Millington, Mississippi, which is near Memphis. (should be a bit warmer there) I'll be serving on the selection board that will choose the Navy's next class of Chief Warrant Officers.

New Web Site:  www.gmfd.org has taken on a new look. It's still a work in progress. It's going to be an improvement over our previous site.  The new site is powered by Google and will interact much better with the Google apps we are currently using.  Check out the site, keep an eye out for improvements.

Engineer's Training Day:  This Sunday 0900, great time to take advantage of driver/operator training with our Engineers.

Safety:  It's cold. I know I don't have to remind anyone. When you're heading out on calls in the cold, take the time to dress for it. Look out for each other. What is EMS Protocol Yellow 7?

MFSI:  MFSI sponsors some great training opportunities in Maine. The 2015 calendar is posted. MFSI Events Calendar 2015   Maine weekend at the NFA is coming  up soon the flyer is posted on our bulletin board. Western Maine (Bethel) and Central Maine (Winslow) Fire Attack Schools are coming up this spring. In March MFSI will be sponsoring two NFA classes in Brunswick. That flyer is on our bulletin board too.  These are some great opportunities, please take advantage of them.

Basic EMT: A basic EMT class is coming up in Biddeford. It starts February 3rd. FMI contact Skip Dore  by email stewartdore@smems.org   A flyer is posted. If you are interested in this class, submit a training request to the Training Officer ASAP.

SMEMS: Check out www.smems.org for EMS training opportunities. Don't forget about MEMSED for on-line CEH's.

Water Rescue Courses: There are a series of technician level classes and a train-the-trainer coming up soon. Jan 24 and again March 3 in Kennebunkport, Water Rescue Technician classes will be held and a train-the-trainer class is in Portland February 19-22. I'd like to take advantage of these classes. If anyone is interested please send me an e-mail. There are prerequisites for attending these courses. More info is available at www.lifesaving.com   

Recruiting:  The best recruiters we have are those who are doing the job. Each of you! If you know someone who would be a good fit for our organization, invite them to come see the station. Bring them to a company meeting or training. How did you get involved in the fire department? What keeps you here?  We have a new program called "Volunteer Observer Trainee".  Anyone who wants to join but would like to "look around" first can come on as a "VOT" before making the full commitment. If you know someone who might be interested, talk with them. Show them what we do.

Events Next Week: Sunday Engineer Training 0900; Monday 1300-1600 Student Interviews;

Duty Officer: Deputy Johnston

See you in a couple weeks,
Chief


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