FIRE OPS 101

Check out the video below to learn how a fire ops works and who it benefits. These are great events.  We are planning one for our local officials this fall!!

Carbon Monoxide Safety

Its that time of the year again... or so that is what the temps are telling us!  So we have found some Carbon Monoxide safety tips for you this heating season.  Please share these and if ever in doubt, Call 911!

Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

• CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height.
• Choose a CO alarm that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
• Call your local fire department’s non-emergency number to find out what number to call if the CO alarm sounds.
• Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.
• If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel.
• If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.
• During and after a snowstorm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.
• A generator should be used in a well-ventilated location outdoors away from windows, doors and vent openings.
• Gas or charcoal grills can produce CO — only use outside.

For more information on the different types of Detectors please visit the Kidde Safety Products website at  http://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us/

 What is a  Paramedic

We are asked this question more and more each year.  Either by a politician, someone taking a tour of the firehouse, or even by a patient being treated in the back of one of our medic trucks.  So below is some information about what a Paramedic is, does, and how that fits into our community.  If you ever have a question about what we do while on shift, please don't hesitate to contact the Fire Department for information on our ride along program! We love educating the public about the fire service!!!  

In the City of Crawfordsville we operate 4 ALS (Advanced Life Support) Ambulances.  And when they are called, they leave with one EMT Basic and One Paramedic.  They are followed by a chase truck with extra manpower.  That is typically an Engine or Rescue Truck.  Depending on staffing, that will give you 4 to 6 people on the scene of an emergency.  

We cover almost 200 square miles with these 4 Medic trucks on a first due basis.  That means that at any time there is an emergency in that 200 square miles, one of our trucks is going.  That includes almost 11,000 homes.  Also we mutual aid (assist an ambulance without a paramedic) in another 70 square miles.  

So... What is a Paramedic and why are they important?

A Paramedic is trained in advance life saving techniques that are geared towards out of hospital emergencies.  That means that everything from bee stings to Heart Attacks require pre-hospital care from a paramedic.  We combat life threatening injuries and illnesses with many skills, equipment, and drugs.  Paramedics perform advanced airways, ECG interpretation, and can give IV medication.   Without this care some would lose their life or have a severely altered way of life due to an emergency.  

What is the difference between an EMT-Basic and a Paramedic?

An EMT-B is trained in Basic Life Support.  That includes bleeding control, splinting broken limbs, and controlling non-life-threatening emergencies.  A well trained EMT-B can really affect the care that the Paramedic gives to patients. 

What does it take to be an EMT-B or Paramedic?

Emt Basic training last from 6 months to a year and requires 159 hours of training, including 16 placed on the job as an EMT

Paramedic Training takes 1 to 2 years and requires 1000 to 1300 HOURS which includes many hours as an acting paramedic in a hospital and in an Ambulance.  You also must already be an EMT-Basic to begin the Paramedic Course. 

Why is this important to Me?

At some point we all need help.  We hope that most of us never have to face a life threatening emergency of our own, but it happens.  We see it every day happen to people who were just going about their day to day and something happens.  When it does most of us count on trained professionals to show up and take care of us.  It is important for the public to know who is coming and what the scope of their knowledge and abilities are.  

The City of Crawfordsville has long prided itself on not only its EMS and Fire Protection, but the quality in care that is being provided to its citizens.  

To Find out more about a Career in EMS please visit the States Department of Homeland Security Website at  http://www.in.gov/dhs/3795.htm

This is a photo of the first motorized fire engine in the City of Crawfordsville!  This photo was taken in front of the College Street Station, now the College Street Deli Building, around 1918.