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Many thanks to Liz Britton and Bill Granger for serving on the Board. A certificate
and a resolution of appreciation was presented to Mary Korff, outgoing chairman.
^ FIRE AND RESCUE OPEN HOUSE
It rained. Not many of the residents who came out for the occasion—and there was a
good turnout! — ventured outside the fire house to see the demonstrations. But there was
plenty to see inside and plenty to eat to boot!
All the equipnent was on display. Chief Crawford even cranked up the cab so we all
could see the caterpillar engine. It looked impressive, all right, but some ofus could only
speculate how daring is the mechanic who services the engine with the cab suspended above!
We've told you about the new fire truck before so you know that bugger is BIG!
Bob Gallo was spokesman. He showed us how they operate the hoses using water frcm the
tank in the truck. It takes two firemen to hold the hose and one engineer on top of the
truck who controls the generator. There are eight hoses and they can pump 800 gallons a
minute but they usually don't need anywhere near that much water. He told us that the
stream is not good for putting out the fire. It's used to wet down adjacent buildings,
etc. The spray is the thing to use. The spray smothers the fire, while the stream would
spread it.
There are hoses to use if they want to take water from a pond, for example, and for
use with the hydrants.
The next thing we saw was the demonstration of the fire extinguisher. This was to help
us all understand how to use them. Most importantly, one must have the right kind of ex
tinguisher. Read the label. The A type is for wood and paper only. Don't try to put out
an electric fire with one of those! B & C contain carbon dioxide. These are for the
•electric and gas fires. The one they showed us was all three.
The first thing to do in order to use an extinguisher is to remove the safety pin which
holds it closed. And, once again, the proper way to put out a fire is not to aim directly
at it. Point to the front of the fire, then move it back and forth, left to right and
front and back as you work slowly down to the fire itself.
We were also treated to the sight of firemen in full regalia. It is good to know our
firemen are so well equipped. Some wore the tanks and carried the masks to protect from
fumes. Each tank will last for 20 minutes. We could understand that was long enough for
another reason — the tanks are heavy! After twenty minutes the fireman is ready to unload
the tank!
Maybe they did not demonstrate what the smaller fire truck can do but we were told that
it is used for smaller fires—for brush fires, or to help the big one. The hoses can be
rigged so that water can be pumped from one to the other.
The Firemen's Auxiliary was out in full force and they came loaded down with delicious
goodies! The punch was delicious, too. It was all served very appetizingly and courteous
ly. It made us think what a welcome sight they must be to tired firemen when they set up
their refreshments at a fire!
Rescue had both ambulances there with all their equipment. It's a good feeling to
know that such good help can come so quickly when it's needed. EMT's were ready and willing
to take your blood pressure and they looked busy. Maybe others did as I did—had it done
twice.
Chief Crawford had a message which may not have been heard by all assembled but it is
a very important message. Now is the time when residents start to use their fireplaces and
•l^ood stoves. PLEASE TAKE THE PRECAUTION TO HAVE THE FLUE AND/OR CHIMNEY CLEANED, AS WELL
AS INSPECTED FOR RUST. Caps, too, need to be inspected and cleaned. Let us have a safe
winter ahead!