Friday, May 12, 2017

Weekly Update for Friday, May 12, 2017

OPEN SHIFTS:  May: Sunday 5/21 0700-1400. June: Friday 6/9 0700-1900; July: Monday 7/3 0700-1900; 7/3 1900-0700, (must be EMT); Friday 7/14 0700-1900. August: Saturday 8/5 0700-1900.
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Congratulations are in store for our Captain Lang, who was recently promoted to Lieutenant with the Biddeford FD.  Also FF Shevaughn Shay has completed his requirements for American citizenship. He's set to take the oath later in June.  Congratulations to both of you!
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Calling for a Paramedic:  Let's stop the practice of asking for an "in town medic". If you need a paramedic call for a mutual aid paramedic. If an in-town medic responds, great, then cancel mutual aid. Don't delay getting a paramedic on the road.  You may have heard fire alarm giving out EMD levels. If you hear the call is ECHO level, that is your trigger to start an paramedic and call for desk box 8.
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Image Trend Elite:  We're scheduled to shift to the new Image Trend software on  June 1st. We are active with it now for training. EMS Providers please, go to www.mefirs.org and log in. Make sure your log in does work. Look around and get familiar with the program. The APP has also been loaded onto the laptops and Ipads.
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Drug Boxes: Regional drug boxes go away after July 1st.  The logistical matters of what the future holds are still in the works.  One possible solution is using Pyxis. Putting a Pyxis machine in the EMT room at each Maine Health hospital. This would eliminate a nurse's involvement.
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Stroke Alert: When transporting a stroke patient, please use the phrase "stroke alert" when calling into the hospital. This will queu the ER staff to begin stroke protocols such as "tele-stroke".
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Carfentanil:  We've had the first fatality from carfentanil in Maine this past week and it was in York County. Carfentanil is an opiod used as a tranquilizer for large animals, like elephants. This is a link to the Bangor Daily News article http://bangordailynews.com/2017/05/10/news/york/elephant-tranquilizer-kills-first-maine-drug-user/   It can also be absorbed by humans from contact to skin or inhalation. You most definely want to use "body/substance isolation" when you know you're dealing with this.  There is also a threat from the opiod fentanyl. Which is also used to cut heroine. A recent article posted by NIST discusses first responders and fentanyl. https://t.co/HFcAIqBAe6
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Basic Fire School:  Our BLS course wrapped up yesterday. We graduated one (FF Shevaughn Shay) and Saco graduated 2. I want to thank everyone involved in instructing this course. It was truly a team effort. And a special thanks to Lt Sarto for organizing the event.
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ISO Rating:  This morning Capt Lang and I met with the field rep from ISO to discuss our ISO PPC rate. PPC is the "Public Protection Classification" scale. The scale runs form 1 through 10. With 10 being no organized fire department.  Our PPC is a 9.  After today's meeting, our PPC will be upgraded to an 8b.   This is something that Capt Lang has been working on for several months. This upgrade should improve homeowner and fire insurance rates in Lyman and Dayton.  The next step in this process is to challenge for a PPC of 6.  That will require demonstrating our water supply capability and getting our water sources certified. I'm hoping that over the next two years we can accomplish this.
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Computers: When you're finished with a computer, log off. I've found several of our computers with 4 or 5 people still logged on. This slows down the network, not to mention a security vulnerability. So, please, have some consideration for others and log off the computer when you;re done with it.
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EMS Day in Kennebunk:  KFR will be hosting its second "EMS Day" on May 20th from 0900-1400 at the Waterhouse Pavilion on Main St.
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LifeFlight Open House:  LifeFlight in Sanford will be hosting an open house on May 21st from 1200-1400 at the Sanford Airport, 167 Airport Road.
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Don't forget Mom on Sunday!



R/
Chief


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Roger S. Hooper, Fire Chief
Goodwins Mills Fire-Rescue
481 Goodwins Mills Road
Lyman, ME 04002
Office: 207-499-7878
Station: 207-499-2362
Fax: 207-499-2893
www.gmfd.org

"Like leaders in many walks of life, my business has been to serve with, and for, others."
    -General Stanley McCrystal, US Army

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