Firefighter Memorial

On September 11, 2010, the members of the Tallahassee Fire and Iron Motorcycle Club donated a “Memorial to the American Firefighter” statue and had it installed on the grounds of the TFD Training Facility, on Appleyard Drive. Since that date, the statue has served as a reminder of the men and women that have lost their lives serving in the fire service and those that continue to serve their communities unselfishly daily. On Sunday, November 11, 2012, vandals destroyed the memorial statue beyond repair. The incident was reported to local law enforcement, however no suspects have been charged to date. As a result of the incident, TFD received an outpouring of support from local businesses, employees and citizens throughout the community. This support prompted Fire Lieutenant Reggie Brown to coordinate an effort to have the statue replaced. Lt. Brown received donations of labor, materials and funding from employees and private citizens. However, it was the generous donation from Dr. Reynaldo Perez of the Florida Wellness Center of Tallahassee,

Inc. that allowed a memorial statue to be commissioned. The new sculpture is meant to replace the previous monument and stand as an example of not only firefighter sacrifice but perseverance as well. The statue has been completed and the Florida Wellness Center and contributing individuals are seeking to donate the monument to the TFD and have it erected at the Training Facility. A dedication will be held once the site is prepared and all of the pieces are in place. “It is unfortunate that someone would deface a symbol of the dedication firefighters have for our community, but the outpouring of support to replace the monument eclipses our sadness”, said City of Tallahassee Fire Chief Cindy Dick. The case is currently being investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department Criminal Investigation Division. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call (850) 891-4200.

Notable Firefighter Memorials in the U.S.

National Fallen Firefighter Memorial Emmitsburg, Maryland

In 1992, Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial to honor and remember America's fallen fire heroes and to provide resources to assist their survivors in rebuilding their lives.

Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial Ocala, Florida

Dedicated in 1992, the Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial occupies a place of honor at the center of the Florida State Fire College campus. A life sized bronze statue of a firefighter marks the center of the memorial which displays the names of fallen firefighters from Florida.

FDNY Memorial Wall New York, New York

On June 10, 2006, lawyers and staff from the national law firm Holland & Knight donated a historic 9-11 Memorial Sculpture to the New York City Fire Department. The wall is in honor of the 343 FDNY Firefighters, as well as employees of Holland & Knight who died on 9-11. The 56-foot bronze

sculpture is located across the street from the WTC site at FDNY Engine 10 Ladder 10.

TFD Receives Statue from Generous Local Donor

March/April/May 2013

Volume: 11

Issue: 2

The City of Tallahassee

and The Tallahassee Fire Department

Present:

The Newsladder

Top to bottom: The new

statue proposed to be

installed at the site of the

previous memorial; The

original monument that

was vandalized pictured

at night; Proposed site at

the TFD Training

Division on Appleyard

Drive and Municipal

Way. 9-11 Memorial FDNY Engine 10 Ladder 10

Now Quarterly!

The Tallahassee Fire Department responds to over 20,000 incidents annually. As a result, a large number of those emergency calls have an emotional impact on a child. The Tallahassee Fire Department has made it a long standing practice to help cheer up children at emergency scenes by donating a small stuffed animal. The stuffed animals are donated to the Tallahassee Fire Department from various organizations. Firefighters keep the stuffed animals in plastic bags on all of the fire trucks stationed throughout the City of Tallahassee and Leon County. In an effort to replenish our supplies, the Tallahassee Fire Department recently teamed up with Monster Jam to “Stuff the Truck”. The effort was to receive a huge number of new, small stuffed animals that can ride along with the fire fighters to have for children when they are called. Hopefully this small gesture will bring some comfort to a child when dealing with the tragedy of a house fire or other first response needs. We were pleased that the event which took place on February 22, was a huge success for the Tallahassee Fire Department and Monster Jam. We received over 250 stuffed animals from citizens in and around our community. We will distribute the stuffed animals at emergency incidents throughout the City of Tallahassee and Leon County to children who are negatively impacted. Monster Jam was gracious enough to provide two tickets per household to each donor, as well as provide a meet and great with the driver of “Back Draft”, the bigger than life Monster truck.

Page 2 The City of Tallahassee

and The Tallahassee Fire Department

TFD Stuffed the Truck with Monster Jam

In the event of a fire every second counts, so families must always be prepared. Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. A small flame can become completely out of control and turn into a major fire in less than 30 seconds. It only takes minutes for a house to fill with smoke and become engulfed in flames. The Tallahassee Fire Department encourages families to develop, evaluate and practice a fire escape plan twice a year with everyone in your household, including children and people with disabilities. It's also a good idea to practice your plan with overnight guests. Some tips to consider when preparing your escape plan include: Draw a map of each

level of your home showing all doors and windows

Identify two ways out of each room. Make sure all doors and windows that lead outside open easily

Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t reach them

Have a plan for elderly and disabled family members or guests

Designate an area in the yard as a meeting spot

Practice your fire escape plan during the day and at nighttime hours

Remember to escape first and then notify the fire department using 9-1-1. Never go back into a burning building for any reason. Teach children not to hide from firefighters. If someone is missing, or if pets are trapped inside your home, tell the firefighters right away. They are equipped to perform rescues safely.

Escape Planning Tips

Battalion Chief Gene Sanders

Fire Prevention Division

Top to bottom: Vehicle

vs building at Papa

Johns located on

Apalachee Pkwy;

Aircraft Firefighter

Training at TLH; High-

angle rope rescue at

FSU; Senior Leadership

Tallahassee visits the

Tallahassee Fire

Department; The

Tallahassee Fire

Department Hazardous

Materials Team

Training.

Left to right: Fire Engineer Seth Blessing, Fire Lieutenant Mark

Evans, Back Draft Driver Jeremy Slifko, Firefighter Brett Tillotson

Firefighters Stationed at the Airport Receive Training

who have specialized equipment and training to remove patients from areas with limited access. Firefighters gained access to the roof and along with Leon County EMS immobilized the patient onto a stokes basket. The alert and oriented patient was then attached to a rope and lowered down using a crane that was already onsite. A firefighter also was rigged to the stokes basket as it was lowered 60 feet safely to the ground. The patient was then transferred to an ambulance and transported to

On February 22, units from the Tallahassee Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team responded to a high-angle rope rescue at the FSU indoor training facility currently under construction located at 389 Stadium Drive. A construction worker was on the roof of the 60 foot structure when he lost his footing and fell on his back. Co-workers called 9-1-1 after they failed to get him to his feet. The Tallahassee Fire Department dispatched members of their Urban Search and Rescue team

Page 3 The Newsladder

Tallahassee Fire Department Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) personnel from Station 5, located at the Tallahassee Regional Airport, recently trained on an aircraft firefighter simulator. If you drove past Tallahassee Regional Airport, you probably noticed the 20 - 30 foot high intensity flames and numerous emergency response vehicles on scene for the exercises. The ARFF trainer being utilized is a Federal Aviation Administration approved mobile Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting trainer designed to be used by fire departments to meet their annual “live burn” certification requirements by simulating realistic aircraft fire scenarios. The trainer can simulate fires caused by flammable liquid spills and interior cabin fires along with engine, wheel brake and auxiliary power unit malfunctions.

The ARFF trainer is from Kellogg

College, located in Battle Creek, MI

and is used to train fire departments

across the United States to respond to

aircraft fires. The Federal Aviation

Administration requires that firefighters

stationed at airports in the United

States attend annual ARFF training.

Tallahassee Firefighters Perform High-Angle Rope Rescue on FSU Campus

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in good condition. Southway Crane was the company who helped lower the patient and firefighter to the ground. Officials with the company say that this was the first time they have experienced this type of situation.

Specialized Rescue

Training

Sometimes people need to be rescued from areas that are not accessible by foot or out of the reach of a stretcher. Tallahassee firefighters are specially trained and equipped to perform rescues in these types of situations. Tallahassee firefighters receive specialized training to perform rescues in the following areas: High-angle

Confined spaces

Trench

Water

Collapsed buildings

What is a “Crash Truck”? A crash truck is a fire truck that is specially designed to respond to emergencies on and around the airport. These trucks have to be able to respond quickly on and off the runway at the airport so they need to be able to drive off-road and be capable of extinguishing large fires often involving large amounts of fuel. These trucks are painted bright yellow to allow for added visibility as they operate on the airfield. These trucks carry much more water than a fire truck, as well as large amounts of dry powder to extinguish fuel fires. Here is a list of some of the things found on a crash truck:

3,300 Gallons of water

500 Gallons of foam

500 Lbs. of dry powder

Fire Station 5 is located at the Tallahassee Regional Airport with three airport firefighting trucks, as well as three firefighters. Last year Station 5 responded to 526 calls for service.

W E ’RE ON THE W EB ! W WW . TALGOV .COM/ FIRE

THE CITY OF TALLAHASSEE AND

THE TALLAHASSEE FIRE DEPARTMENT

PRESENT:

The Newsladder

Tallahassee Fire Department

327 North Adams Street

Tallahassee, FL 32301

The Newsladder is a publication of the Tallahassee Fire Department

Intended For The Citizens of Tallahassee

Cindy Dick, Fire Chief Mike Bellamy, Editor Email: Mike.Bellamy@talgov.com

Phone: 850-891-6608

Fax: 850-891-6665

Be Heart Healthy!

This is a good time to reflect on the sobering fact that heart disease remains the number one killer of both women and men in the United States. Because of this fact, identifying the risk factors that contribute to heart disease is of the utmost importance. Risk factors are conditions or habits that make you more likely to develop a disease. Although getting older and a family history of heart disease are risk factors that can’t be changed, you do have control over other important risk factors such as: High blood cholesterol High blood pressure Smoking Excess weight Diabetes Physical inactivity So, get started today by taking these steps to protect and im-prove your heart health! Don’t smoke Maintain healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure Maintain a healthy weight Get and stay active Choose more “heart-healthy” foods Know your family history Learn the signs that something’s wrong For more information on preventing heart disease, visit http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

Battalion Chief Jason Byrd

EMS Division