2015 WHIDBEY ISLAND
SALUTE TO FIREFIGHTERS
A SUPPLEMENT TO THE SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD, WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES & THE WHIDBEY EXAMINER
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
OCTOBER IS
FIRE PREVENTION MONTH
FIRE PREVENTION MONTH FIRE PREVENTION MONTH FIRE PREVENTION MONTH page sponsored This page This is sponsored by: FIREby: DISTRICT #7
South Whidbey Fire & EMS JOIN US! JOIN US! Volunteer to be Volunteer to be aaFirefighter! Firefighter!
It’s very important that you take precautions when it comes to fire.Always practice these safety tips:
If your clothes catch fire . . . Safety Fire
Never play with matches or lighters Do not handle gasoline or other liquids that burn Be careful around stoves, heaters and open fires Do not cook unless an adult is present If smoke is around, stay low to the ground REMEMBER, if something catches on fire, get help. Call 9-1-1 Kids and adults should work together to form an emergency plan, including an escape route. Don’t forget to practice the plan.
STOP where you are. DROP to the ground ROLL over and over until the flames are out, covering your face and mouth with your hands
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
Change in scope Training required today doesn’t stop firefighters from serving communities By RON NEWBERRY Staff reporter
When Rusty Palmer entered the fire service in the mid 1970s in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the pace was slower, yet the job was more hazardous. He remembers there were only two selfcontained breathing apparatus in a department of 38 firefighters. So when a fire call came in, most firefighters went without adequate lung protection. “Today, we’ve got one for every firefighter and in every seat in the organization,” said Palmer, who’s now the fire chief at South Whidbey Fire/EMS. “And there’s a very strong expectation that everyone wears it.” Palmer has witnessed numerous changes in nearly 40 years in the fire service, with improvements in safety to better protect first responders among the most significant. But just as safety regulations in the industry have evolved and expanded over the decades, so has the scope of the firefighter’s role. Long gone are the days when the job was just about putting out fires. “When I joined, all I did was fight fire,” Palmer said. “Not long after that, I became an EMT (emergency medical technician). Then, I fought fire and became a medical aid, then a hazardous materials technician. “The number of things a firefighter is expected to do today is far and above what was expected four decades ago.” The expectation for a firefighter in agencies on Whidbey Island, whether paid or volunteer, is to obtain Firefighter 1 and EMT-Basic certifications within a year or two of being hired. Earning these certifications gives a firefighter the skill-sets to perform nearly all duties associated with firefighting as well as additional medical training beyond First Aid and CPR. Responding to medical emergencies is the most common call a fire department receives. Through September, Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue was called to respond to 12 structure fires this year, compared to nearly 700 medical incidents. About 70 percent of the calls that come into Central Whidbey Fire are medically related,
said fire chief Ed Hartin, whose department consists of 10 career firefighters, 10 part-time firefighters and 20 volunteers. About 60 percent of the calls that come into the Oak Harbor Fire Department are medical in nature, according to fire chief Ray Merrill. “When I first came into the fire service, we were strictly fire,” said Merrill, who got his start in Westport 40 years ago. “We didn’t do medical work at all.” “The biggest evolution firefighters have had in the last 40 years is the scope of their work,” said North Whidbey Fire and Rescue chief Mike Brown, whose department is mostly volunteer. “Besides our fire operation, we respond to motor vehicle accidents. We respond to hazardous material spills or releases. We respond to marine search and rescue. We respond to high-angle rescue. Those are things where the scope of our practice has expanded in such a way the last 40 years or so that our skill level is incredibly broad.” With this widened scope has come the need for more training for the modern-day firefighter. Palmer is amazed by the dedication shown by his department of 62 volunteers and 10 paid staff. His volunteers range in age from 19 to 75 and have given about 25,000 hours of their time to the department. He said South Whidbey is on pace to respond to more than 2,400 calls this year. “That’s with volunteers,” Palmer said. “It blows my mind that our volunteers are able to keep doing that because it is such a tap on their time. The amount of training is huge now.” The departments on the island have joined forces once a year to offer an academy where recruits can earn their Firefighter 1 certification. There will be two such opportunities for recruits six months apart starting in 2016. Agencies such as Central Whidbey and North Whidbey also offer support roles for volunteer members who want to help but aren’t interested in becoming a certified firefighter or EMT. Such roles include operating light apparatus such as a water tender or brush rig. “Our goal is to engage people more quickly
“Sending heartfelt thanks for all you do everyday to
Thank you to our firefighters 5826 Kramer Rd Langley, WA 98260
360-321-7799
save our lives”
Mother Mentors
Photo by Ron Newberry
Captain Matt VanGiesen with North Whidbey Fire and Rescue operates the pump during a large brushfire at Fort Ebey State Park in July. and give them a narrow skill-set so they can begin to provide to the community various aspects of work,” Hartin said. South Whidbey is considering this support role option for its volunteers, Palmer said. The Oak Harbor Fire Department doesn’t have volunteers. It has a career staff of 10 and 34 paid on-call firefighters. All new hires are required to gain certification as firefighters and EMTs within a year. “When you talk fire, it still comes down to putting the wet stuff on the red stuff,” Merrill said. “The basic concept is still there.”
“Whidbey General Emergency Medical Services saved my life. Thank you, EMS.”
- Wayne Locke, Oak Harbor resident
Thank you Thank you for for your your service. service
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Thank you for all your hard work & dedication. You are appreciated! Linda Earnhart
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Windermere Real Estate/Whidbey Island 32785 SR 20, #4, Oak Harbor, WA 98277 360-929-0922 - cell WhidbeyIslandHomes.com | earnhart@whidbey.net
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
South Whidbey Fire and Rescue
Commissioner Bobby Elliot
Commissioner Kenon Simmons
Commissioner Mike Helland
Chief H.L. Rusty Palmer
Asst. Chief Paul Busch
Deputy Chief Jon Beck
Deputy Chief Mike Cotton
Captain Brian Vicki
Captain Jerry Beck
Captain Tom Peterson
Lieutenant Rostov Hershel
Lieutenant Mari St Amand
Lieutenant Robert Frey
Lieutenant Eldon Baker
AJ Agnew
Alex McMahon
Andy O’Keefe
Anne Collins
Ariel Childers
Bill Frederick
Brett Davison
Brian Boyd
Carlee Mills
Chuck Baker
Thank you for your service!
THANK YOU TO OUR WHIDBEY ISLAND FIREFIGHTERS & EMS HEROES!
Thank you to our Whidbey
Harmony Veterinary Services, LLC
Firefighters and EMS
Sandi Farris, DVM
Responders
150 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor, WA 98277 (360) 679-3533
PO Box 772, Coupeville, WA 98239
Cheryl Keefe
Call us at: 360-969-9700
206-930-7316
www.harmony-veterinary.com
Broker/Owner
Whidbey Island South
Salute to Firefighters 2015
South Whidbey Fire and Rescue
Darela Chittim
Dena Peel
Don Mason
Drew Gardner
Erik Westphal
Heidi Beck
James Dobberfuhl
Jared Russell
Jeff Cravy
Jeff Simmons
Jen Buchholz
Jon Bryant
Jon Gabelein
Kathy Eyth
Kay Cope
Kelly Cammermeyer
Kelly McDonald
Ken Lindenstein
Ken Starkweather
Keppi Mills
Kevin Rookstool
Kurt Buchholz
Lisa Dilwicius
Marc Swenson
Thank you Whidbey Island firefighters and EMS responders for your service!
Thanks for your service! 31775 State Route 20, Suite A-1 Oak Harbor, Washington 98277 360-675-7573 www.growingkidsmiles.com kiddoc1@growingkidsmiles.com
360-341-3504
We salute our brave firefighter heroes. Thank you for your bravery and sacrifice. www.freeland-wa.org
THANK YOU for your service
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
South Whidbey Fire and Rescue
Melissa Conley
Pat McMahon
Paul Rempa
Paul Shimada
Peter Lett
Rebekah Pomeroy
Rob Harrison
Robbyn Hagglund
Robert Armstrong
Robert Husom
Sean McDougald
Sean Roberts
Emergency Checklist If the unthinkable happens, your children will look to you to know how to react and respond. Use the checklist below to help your family prepare and keep children safe in a disaster. Make a family plan and determine: n The facilities that will be used as shelters in your community in case of emergency n A designated meet-up location if your family is separated n An emergency contact outside of your area who would not be affected by a local disaster
Shane Cummins
Terry Welch
Tom Gideon
Tony Nissen Not pictured:
Trevor Jones
Vicki Lange
Will Piepeienbrink
WE THANK YOU WHIDBEY ISLAND FIREFIGHTERS AND EMS RESPONDERS
Division Chief Wendy Moffatt Ashley Taylor Melissa Simmons Kevin Simmons Capt. James Towers Bill Stolcis LT. Chris Blasko
Teach your children: n Basic personal information to identify themselves if separated from you n How to dial 911 n Your family’s meet-up locations n How to reach your family’s out-of-town contact Have a communications strategy: n Program all family cell phones with “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) contacts n Include all family phone numbers plus out-of-town contacts n Remind family members that text messages often get through in an emer-gency, even when a phone call can’t
Local Service, Measurable Savings
THANK YOU
360-331-4440
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5438 S Woodard Ave. Freeland, WA 98249 www.gordonsonblueberryhill.com Phone: 360.331.7515 • E-mail: gordonsonblueberryhill@gmail.com
www.wiws.org
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue
Commissioner Cheryl Engle
Commissioner Paul Messner
Commissioner Steve Hutchinson
Chief Ed Hartin
Deputy Charlie Smith
Training Capt. Jerry Helm
Lieutenant Jennifer Porter
Lieutenant Derik Vrable
Acting Lieutenant Alex Majestic
Alexandra McMahon
Andy Griffen
Brandon Skeith
Brent Stevens
Bryan Mollitor
Chuck Hathaway
Craig Youdarian
David Winship
Diane Paul
Dillion Rogers
Emily Hilberdink
Greg Behan
Holly Slothower
James Meek
Jeff Rhodes
To our local South Whidbey Firefighters and EMS Volunteers.
Thank you for your bravery, hard work and commitment. We appreciate your dedication to keeping us safe Visser Funeral Home 432 Third Street, Langley, WA 360-221-6600
Thank You Whidbey Firefighters And EMS Responders Village Pizzeria is the only waterfront restaurant In Langley. Serving delicious hand-tossed NY style pizza, we also serve pasta dishes, sandwiches, variety of salads and appetizers. Come in and enjoy the gorgeous view of the sound and full bar service next to a warm fireplace. Voting now open for “King 5 Best of Western Washington” vote for us best pizza; we were top 5 last year!
Burley Funeral Chapel 30 S E Ely Street, Oak Harbor, WA. 360-675-3192
106 1st Street, Langley, WA 98260 ▶ 360-221-3363
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue
Jeff Tasoff
Jesse Leyva
Jessica Shaffer
Jim Colton
Jim Huff
John Lloyd
Keith Andrews
Kim Harpe
Kolton Kellison
Kyle Jacobsen
Marvin Raavel
Michael Pelzer
Change the batteries in smoke alarms at Daylight Saving Time
Mike Matros
Phil Matthes
Robert Moore
Todd Duddridge
Tony McNair
Trenton Taylor
Will Piepenbrink
Will Suarez
Thank You Whidbey Firefighters
Bayview Embroidery N’Print “HIGH QUALITY - NOT HIGH PRICES”
(360)679-7900
bayview-embroidery-n-print.com
890 SE Pioneer Way, Ste. 101 Oak Harbor, WA. 98277
(StatePoint) While there are numerous ways to improve home safety, fires are a common threat that you have the power to prevent with preparation. The International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer team up each fall to educate the public about how to improve in-home safety. The “Change Your Clock Change Your Battery” program reminds everyone to replace the batteries in their home’s smoke detectors when they change their clocks for Daylight Saving Time so they have functioning smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms cut nearly in half the risk of dying in a home fire by providing an early warning. Having a fresh battery in your smoke detector plays a critical role in giving families the time needed to safely escape a home fire. In addition to sponsoring this educational campaign, Energizer has donated more than five million batteries to fire departments over the years. To learn more about the Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery program, visit www.energizer.com/responsibility Take action for the safety of your family and make sure you have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s the first step to a safer home.
“Thank you to all Whidbey Island Firefighters” Open 7 days a week. Cozy’s Roadhouse 8872 Hwy 525 Clinton WA 98236 360-341-2838 www.cozysroadhouse.com
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
North Whidbey Fire and Rescue
Commissioner Bruce Carman
Commissioner Jerry Goen
Commissioner Larry Wall
Chief Mike Brown
Batt. Chief Chris Swiger
Batt. Chief Lyle Zimmerman
Captain Gerald Smith
Captain Jeff Amidon
Captain Jim O’Connor
Captain Matt VanGiesen
Captain Steve Lacy
Lieutenant Bill McArthur
Lieutenant Dan Horton
Lieutenant Ed Klaszky
Lieutenant Sherri Brown
Amber W.
Jesus Rellama
Rebecca V.
Sarah P.
Albert Treiber
Amy Viers
Andrew Schmal
Ann Conto
Bill Brooks
Call us or stop by today for a free quote! Tricia Bozin
5595 Harbor Ave. Freeland, WA 98249 Porterwhidbey.com 360-331-1500
Vanessa McCalister
A big THANK YOU to all the South Whidbey Fire and EMS Volunteers
Thank you for your bravery T I R E S • W H E E L S • B AT T E R I E S • A L I G N M E N T • S H O C K S • B R A K E S
11038 WASHINGTON 525, CLINTON, WA 98236 (360) 341-3313 WWW.LESSCHWAB.COM
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Salute to Firefighters 2015
North Whidbey Fire and Rescue
Bill Cooper
Brandon Bailey
Catherine Martin
Chris Chastain
Chris Hernandez
Chris Lacy
Chris Turner
Cliff Horr
Codi Bittner
Dale Esperum
Dave Hanson
David Morris
David Nelson
Deborah Rogers
Dillon Sather
Dustin Amundson
Dylan Dahl
Frank Valencic
George Lawson
Gregg Alonzo
Guy Fealey
Hannah Tripp
Ian Eby
Jim Anema
Jimmy Zimmerman
Jon Lacy
Jon Pollock
Jonathan Walker
~est 1974~
Thank you to our brave fire fighters for your service!
Our family serving yours for 40 years Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner 7 Days a Week For Food “To Go” Call 360-331-9945 1642 Main St., Freeland
Thank You
Medical Tattoo Instructor for Plastic Surgery Centers Doctor Referred and Recommended Center Washington State Tattoo Advisory Board Member Washington State Licensed Instructor, Technician & Center Whidbey Island School of Micropigmentation 22 Years’ Experience Artist & Clinician
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE WHIDBEY ISLAND FIREFIGHTERS!
Salute to Firefighters 2015
North Whidbey Fire and Rescue
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Josh Fikse
Josh Koorn
Josh Richards
Ken Powell
Lauren Powers
Mark Boberg
Mathew Sypert
Neil Loose
Noah Hetzel
Paul Schroer
Robert Dorr
Ron Rogers
Ryan McCarthy
Ryan Nowicki
Scott Jackson
Sean Redmond
Steve Cope
Tim Schulz
TJ Kelsey
Tom Hoctor
Tom Mohlsick
Travis O’Connor
Ty Welshans
Walter Krytcha
William Canty
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE & BRAVERY
We salute our Whidbey Island Firefighters & EMS Responders 1685 Main Street (360) 331-5211 freelandfamilydental@gmail.com www.freelandfamilydental.com
(360) 678-5611 408 S Main St Coupeville, WA 98239
Yi Qin
Zac Skilbeck
Not pictured: Andy Kiesel, Cameron Hopkins, Carol Flowers, Holly Slothower, Jeffery Cobb, Johnathan Karlburg, Justin Smith, Kevin Frondozo, Mike Reinstra, Richard Hoover, Robert Crane, Shawn O’Connor, Sienna Smoot and William Cheman
The team at The team at Freeland Freeland
thanks you all! thanks you all! Mon–Sat 8am-7pm
Mon-Sat 8am-7pm Sun 9am•-6Sun pm 9am-6pm 331-6799 331-6799 • 1609 E. Main, Freeland 1609 E. Main, Freeland
What you should know about Smoke Alarms Save Lives
The most important things you need to know are smoke alarms save lives and they should be in every home. Follow these important smoke alarm safety measures: • Make sure your smoke alarms are working. This means testing smoke alarms monthly, replacing batteries once a year or when a low-battery alarm chirps and performing other maintenance as NFPA and your smoke alarm manufacturers recommend. And of course, a smoke alarm disabled because of nuisance alarms provides no protection at all. • It is important to have not just one smoke alarm but smoke alarms in every location required by NFPA standards. (On each level of your home, outside each sleeping area and inside each bedroom.) Tens of millions of U.S. homes are estimated to have smoke alarms but not enough smoke alarms to meet the standards and protect their homes. • Interconnect your smoke alarms so that a fire detected by any smoke alarm will sound an alarm at every location where a smoke alarm is installed. Interconnection can be done using hard-wiring or wireless broadcast technology. Interconnected smoke alarms provide early warning of fires that are still far away or are located on the other side of a door or wall that may block sound. • Develop and practice an escape plan so that everyone in the home knows what to do if the smoke alarm sounds. That includes planning a second way out from every room in your home. Every household that develops and practices an escape plan with two ways out from every location improves its time to escape in every type of fire.
There Are Different Types of Smoke Alarm Technologies—Ionization and Photoelectric
The two most commonly recognized smoke detection technologies are ionization smoke detection and photoelectric smoke detection. Ionization smoke detection is generally more responsive to flaming fires and photoelectric smoke detection is generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering (called “smoldering fires”). For each type of smoke alarm, the advantage it provides may be critical to life safety in some fire situations. Home fatal fires, day or night, include a large number of smoldering fires and a large number of flaming fires. You can not predict the type of fire you may have in your home or when it will occur. Any smoke alarm technology, to be acceptable, must perform acceptably for both types of fires in order to provide early warning of fire at all times of the day or night and whether you are asleep or awake.
The best evidence has always indicated that either type of smoke alarm will provide sufficient time for escape for most people for most fires of either smoldering or flaming type. However, research is ongoing, and standards are living documents. If at any time, research points to a different conclusion, then that will lead to proposals for changes in the NFPA standard or the closely related Underwriters Laboratories standard for testing and approving smoke alarms. Both organizations currently have task groups looking at smoke alarm performance in the current home environment.
For Best Protection Use Both Types of Smoke Alarm Technologies
For best protection, it is recommended both (ionization and photoelectric) technologies be in homes. In addition to individual ionization and photoelectric alarms, combination alarms that include both technologies in a single device are available.
Nuisance Alarms Can Be Minimized
Ionization type smoke alarms are more susceptible to nuisance alarms due to cooking, the leading cause of nuisance alarms, but both types have some susceptibility to nuisance alarms from cooking fumes, and both have susceptibility to nuisance alarms from the steam from a hot shower. In the past decade or so, a number of steps have been taken to reduce the likelihood of nuisance alarms, including hush features and refinements to installation rules that include guidance on safe distances from nuisance sources.
TV Demonstrations of Smoke Alarm Performance Can Be Misleading
Informal demonstrations, such as ones done for TV news shows, of smoke alarm performance can seriously mislead the viewer and do not provide a sound basis to assess performance. These demonstration tests are not performed in a controlled or scientific way that compares the time of smoke alarm operation to the time when occupants would be incapacitated. The selected fire scenarios may not be representative of real fatal home fires. Passing or failing a “test” of this sort may have nothing to do with performing well or badly in the wide range of real fires. A valid engineering analysis must select fires that are realistic and analyze them accordingly. In an informal demonstration, the eye reacts to conditions that look dangerous, mostly visible smoke and visible flame. However, most people are killed by invisible gases, which do not necessarily spread at the same rate as smoke or flame. A valid engineering analysis must measure conditions caused by fires and assess them according to their real danger. For more information go to www.nfpa.org/smokealarms
SPONSORED BY Oak Harbor Fire Department
North Whidbey Fire & Rescue
www.oakharbor.org Follow us at Facebook.com/OHFire
www.nwfr.org Follow us at Facebook.com/northwhidbeyfire