1ST Responder Newspaper - SE
August, 2016
FLORIDA
The times they are a changing Chaplain's Corner Didymus McHugh
Back when I joined the fire service, we had the high boots, canvas coats, leather New Yorker helmets, fireball rubber gloves, and that was it. Now, a firefighter has a pair of boots inside bunker pants, bunker coat, hood, helmet with a suspension system, leather gloves and everyone on the fireground has their own portable radio. Now I look at the fire trade magazines and catalogs, and I just saw firefighter bulletproof vests. Wow! So many times we have seen war and riots overseas. Over the years, there has become something that is becoming a "new norm."
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Since Columbine, there has become a new environment of mass shootings. They happen in theaters, night clubs, schools, malls, churches, military bases, etc. Where is the safety? Did each event have mental health issues going on? This is definitely the “see something say something” era, and I hope that people actually do that. I do not care if someone wants to say that you may be profiling. If you say something, maybe someone who needs treatment or correct medication can actually receive it. Think seriously about taking a psychological first aid of mental health first aid course. I know that it may sound a little Utopian, but maybe we can help someone before they take someone’s life. If we say something early, maybe the police can help defuse the situation. We are supposed to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. I think that it is a shame that more people do not live that way, and you don’t have to go to my church to think that way. We use different terms these days to be politically correct and soften the blow to what is going on. When I was working EMS, I used to go to things that people classified as riots but today it is known as “civil unrest." A fight used to be a fight, not an “altercation." When someone needs help, they need help. When someone is behaving erratically, help them to get the help that they may need. Caring about people is also caring enough to speak out. It's bad when fire and EMS have targets on their backs, causing the need for bulletproof vests. My heart also goes out to the police who have to wear the vests all the time. They also have to end someone’s life when that person is ending so many lives. There has also become a new term used, "suicide by police officer." In the emergency services, we take care of people of any race, color, creed, or orientation, and same thing goes for our fellow responders. Who cares what you are, just as long as you can do the job. I think that we, as emergency services, can teach the public how to act. So many emergency services are also involved in the community. All those who are coaches or scout leaders, or civic leaders or people who mentor the youth, or assist other people, raise your hands. Thank you for doing it. You have the power to change lives. By your acts, you may unknowingly change someone’s destructive behavior or thoughts. I strongly believe that each person is a walking encyclopedia. They have learned so much, experienced so much and have a wealth of stories. And when a person dies, usually, that entire library is lost. My mind goes to the youth of Sandy Hook, and how many of those lives did not get a chance to live to the plans that were set before them. Each life that is taken affects so many people. Please keep in your mind and prayers all those who are no longer with us, no matter their background, political view, or anything else that may be different than yours. A life is a precious thing. Lives matter.
PAGE 35
CHARLIE ROBBINS
Engine-102 arrives on-scene and stretches a one-and-three-quarter inch hand-line to the front door.
Fire through the roof upon arrival for Lehigh Acres Lehigh Acres, FL - At 4:46 P.M. on July 5th, LAFD Engines 102, 105, 101, Truck-104, Rescue102 and Battalion-100 Chief Naranjo, were dispatched by Lee Control to 24 McKinley Avenue for a possible house fire. Upon arrival, Chief Naranjo advised that he had a single-story residential structure with heavy smoke and fire showing. Chief Naranjo advised first-due Engine102 that they would be the attack crew and it was unknown if the occupants were out of the structure.
JUMP TO FILE #070516123 Engine-102 arrived oneminute later and stretched a oneand-three-quarter inch hand-line through the front door and began an aggressive interior attack. Engine-105 arrived two-minutes later and stretched a second line, as well as assisting Engine-102 with pulling ceilings, as the bulk of the fire was in the attic area, possibly caused by an air handler malfunc-
tion. Engine-101 and Truck-104 arrived shortly after and their crews relieved the first-due companies, who were in need of relief due to the 94-degree air temperature at the time of the fire, knocking down hot spots before commencing salvage and overhaul. The fire was knocked down within 15-minutes and the LAFD Fire Marshal's office will be investigating the cause of the fire. - CHARLIE ROBBINS
PROVIDED
Large animal rescue in Sumter County Sumter, FL - At approximately 4:10 P.M. on Wednesday, June 22nd, Sumter County Fire & EMS (SCFEMS) responded to a citizen assist, regarding a large cow stuck in mud. The cow was located in a field at the intersection of CR470 and CR419, in Lake Panasoffkee. Upon arrival, crews found a cow that had become stranded in the mud, at the edge of a watering pond and was
JUMP TO FILE #062316114 struggling to survive due to the position it was in. The animal was struggling to breathe and was unable to stand due to the slippery mud and total exhaustion it was experiencing. The crew from SCFEMS Engine-21 recognized the need for the depart-
ment’s Special Operations Team to be activated for deployment of the state issued “Large Animal Rescue," equipment cache. Upon arrival of the Special Operations Team with the large animal rescue equipment, a rescue system was constructed and the cow was pulled from the mud, without injury. - RICK PITTS