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PAGE 16 July, 2021 1ST Responder Newspaper - NY
Southern California Wildfire Siege 2019
VIDEO REVIEW
Video reviews by John Malecky
Southern California
Wildfire Siege, 2019
By Firestorm HD Productions
Available from:
FSP Books & Videos 188 Central Street, Suite 4
Hudson, MA 01749-1330 1-800-522-8528
E-mail: support@fire-policeems.com www.fire-police-ems.com
Price: $12.95
This DVD is approximately 53 minutes in length and involves coverage of four fires driven by high winds that lasted a span of five days. They are the Tick, Getty, Easy and Maria fires. They involved the Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County and Ventura County Fire Departments with mutual aid from several departments from California and other western US states.
At one fire I spotted a Type II engine from Albuquerque, NM. I found out later that many western states have agreements with California to furnish mutual aid when requested. It is an involved process, but worth learning about if you are interested. It also applies to firefighting aircraft, both fixed wing and rotary.
One of the fires involved the area of the historic Bel Air fire in 1961, which was one of the worst, if not the worst wildland fire in the state’s history. Another fire in Ventura County occurred very near the President Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. In the first fire, an engine company from Los Angeles County valiantly tries to prevent wind-driven flames from involving a couple of nice homes. They are eventually backed up by a second engine company making their best effort as well; but the wind overcomes their tactics and eventually flames start to take the homes.
Much of the footage involves wildfire suppression supported by fixed wing air tankers and rotary craft. Some of the fixed wing aircraft are huge, like commercial jet size. There was one fixed wing craft by CanadAir which I recognized as being one which is able to swoop down onto a lake for instance and take on water in its tank and they take off again to continue firefighting. There was no slouching here! Firefighters relentlessly fought using handlines from their pumpers and facing extreme heat. Even the videographer put in such a day that he admitted he had to rest from exhaustion, but promised to resume the next day!
JEFFREY ARNOLD/@FIREPHOTO25 Burning Brush in Rush
RUSH, NY - On Sunday, May 16th, Rush firefighters responded to a brush fire at the National Grid power station on Honeoye Falls Number 6 Road. The fire was quickly brought under control and there were no injuries reported.
STEPHEN M WALLACE
(L to R): The life-saving crew from Wrights Corners, Richard Jufer, Chief and EMT Jonathan McKnight, Tina with husband Jim, who is a CODE survivor, EMT Mark Hare, and Christopher Brueckner.
Wrights Corners Volunteers Save CODE Victim
WRIGHTS CORNERS, NY - The week of May 17–21st is National EMS week; Jim Tomasine experienced first hand the importance of first responders and EMS all year long after his life was saved.
On March 10th, Tina and Jim Tomasine stopped at Topps in Wrights Corners. Tina was going to pick up a few things and Jim was going to walk around the parking lot. Tina just turned when she heard a thump against the car. Jim had fallen against the car and was disorientated.
Thinking it was his diabetes, Tina was going to get him to get some food. She just started out of the lot when Jim went into convulsions. Tina dialed 9-1-1 and headed right over to the Wrights Corners main fire hall just a few seconds away. Niagara County Dispatch put the call out over the monitor to the Wrights Corners Fire Company.
Firefighter/EMT Mark Hare was thankfully inside the hall working on stocking the ambulance. Mark ran outside into the parking lot and found Jim in full cardiac arrest. The call was updated to the severe nature. Chief Jonathan McKnight was pulling into the hall along with Firefighter Christopher Brueckner and Richard Jufer. CPR was started, the ambulance was pulled around and Mark got the Monitor Defibrillator out and hooked Jim up.
New York State Trooper Anthony Andricaccio and Trooper Anthony Carbone arrived on the scene. CPR was stopped for Mark to check the rhythm on the monitor. Mark realized it was a shockable rhythm and delivered a shock to Jim with no positive result. Trooper Andriaccio assisted in CPR while Wrights Corners got the stretcher ready for transport.
Another check done with the monitor revealed another shockable rhythm. The second shock was delivered. Success, a sinus rhythm with a pulse. Advance Life Support units were too far away to wait. This highly trained Basic Life Support crew from Wrights Corners Fire Company transported Jim to Eastern Niagara Hospital.
On May 13th, Jim Tomasine and his wife Tina, came by the Wrights Corners Hall to thank the crew that saved Jim’s Life. Jim ended up having successful bypass surgery and is on the road to a recovery. As Jim put it, very simply, “They all saved my life!" It reminded me of what my Paramedic Instructor told all of us right before we graduated 38 years ago; “without quality Basic Life Support, there will be no need for Advance Life Support.”
Jim Tomasine is living proof of the importance of any quality care provided by first responders all year long, and recognized during national EMS week.
JUMP TO FILE #051321111
- STEPHEN WALLACE
