Administrative Services Division of Fire Safety

Hazardous Materials Response Massachusetts Firefighting Academy

CHARLES D. BAKER

GOVERNOR

KARYN E. POLITO

LT. GOVERNOR

THOMAS A. TURCO, III

SECRETARY

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

Department of Fire Services

P.O. Box 1025 State Road

Stow, Massachusetts 01775

(978) 5673100 Fax: (978) 5673121

www.mass.gov/dfs

PETER J. OSTROSKEY

STATE FIRE MARSHAL

MEMORANDUM

To: Heads of Fire Department

From: Peter J. Ostroskey

State Fire Marshal

Date: January 1, 2019

RE: Massachusetts Firefighter Service Award Nominations

______________________________________________________________

The Massachusetts Fire Service Commission and the Department of Fire

Services would like to thank the fire service community for their participation

in the Massachusetts Firefighter Service Award program. This award is

available to any Massachusetts firefighter who has served for any period of

time totaling 20 or more years, in five year increments, i.e., (20, 25, 30, etc.).

This length-of-service award is available to call, career and volunteer members

of your department who meet the applicable criteria for their respective award.

Enclosed please find the Firefighter Service Award Package, which includes

the following:

1. Nomination form

2. Appeal for reconsideration form

3. Criteria for nomination of call, career or volunteer firefighters;

4. Order form from V.H. Blackinton & Co., Inc. for insignia

(order direct from your local dealer).

The nomination forms should be filled out and returned to Justine Potter, c/o

the Department of Fire Services, PO Box 1025, State Road, Stow, MA

01775. Upon review and acceptance of your nomination form, a certificate in

the name of the nominee will be returned to you so that you may sign and

award it, along with the service pin (ordered at your cost directly from your

local Blackinton dealer) to the nominee.

This award will be signed by the chairman of the Fire Service Commission as

well as the State Fire Marshal. It is our suggestion that the service pin be worn

on the right side of the uniform, above the pocket flap on the dress uniform

shirt, and in the corresponding location on the dress blouse or uniform jacket.

In closing, we would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation in

ensuring the success of this very worthwhile recognition award.

If you have any general questions involving this award, please contact Justine

Potter at (978) 567-3722 or Justine.Potter@mass.gov as all forms and

certificates will be processed by the Department of Fire Services.

Recipients can be viewed on our website at https://www.mass.gov/service-

details/massachusetts-firefighter-service-awards

Massachusetts Firefighter Service Award

Nomination Form

(Please print or type)

Name of Fire Department

Head of Fire Department

Name of Nominee Rank First Name Middle Initial Last Name

Nominated for: (check one)

Massachusetts Call Firefighter Service Award

Massachusetts Career Firefighter Service Award

Massachusetts Volunteer Firefighter Service Award

Total Years of Service years

All nominees must have 20 or more years of service in Massachusetts or out-of-state (given in five-year increments)

Requested date to be placed on Award

I, as head of the

Fire Department hereby certify that the above named individual is a member in

good standing and is qualified by virtue of length of service as provided for in the

Massachusetts Firefighter Service Award Criteria.

Date Signature

Please reproduce this blank form and use one form for each nominee.

Please send completed form to:

Justine Potter, Department of Fire Services, PO Box 1025, State Road, Stow, MA 01775

By email at Justine.Potter@mass.gov or Fax to (978) 567-3121

Appeal for Reconsideration

I, ________________________, a firefighter on the____________________ Fire

Department hereby appeal the decision of___________________________, head of

the department, in failing to submit my name as nominee for the Massachusetts

Firefighter Service Award based upon ____ years of service as a Call, Career,

Volunteer, Massachusetts firefighter (attach statement as necessary).

_________________________ _______________________________ Date Firefighter

I, _________________________, head of the ______________________________Fire

Department certify that I have reviewed the criteria for the Massachusetts

Firefighter Service Award and in my opinion the above named firefighter is not

qualified based upon years of service for the following reason(s):

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________ Date Head of Fire Department

Please submit this form along with any attachments to Justine Potter, Department of Fire

Services, PO Box 1025, State Road, Stow, MA 01775 by email at Justine.Potter@mass.gov

or Fax to 978-567-3121

Note: Reconsideration for denial of the Massachusetts Firefighter Service Award is limited

solely to issues of length or service as provided in the criteria for respective award, i.e., call,

career or volunteer.

Criteria for

Massachusetts Firefighter Service Award

Below are the criteria to be applied by the head of the fire department wishing to

nominate any current Massachusetts firefighter (call, career, volunteer) for a length of

service award. Please review all criteria carefully before submitting nomination for

consideration. All nominees must have 20 or more years of service in Massachusetts or

out-of-state (given in five-year increments) and be a member in good standing as a call,

career or volunteer firefighter.

Massachusetts Call Firefighter Award

Service shall include:

• Call firefighter service in one or more department(s).

• Prior service as a call, career, or volunteer or career firefighter in the same or any

other department.

Massachusetts Career Firefighter Award

Service shall include:

• Career firefighter service in one or more department(s).

• Prior service as a call, career, or volunteer firefighter in the same or any other

fire department.

Massachusetts Volunteer Firefighter Award

Service shall include:

• Volunteer firefighter service in one or more department(s).

• Prior service as a call, career, or volunteer firefighter in the same or any other

department.

This length of service award may include any years served as a career member (military

or civilian) of a Department of Defense fire department, or DCR Bureau of Forest Fire

Control, and is applicable only to active Massachusetts firefighters. All information used

in applying the above criteria is subject to verification and approval by the current head

of the fire department. Any firefighter aggrieved by the decision of the chief may submit

an appeal for reconsideration form.

Note: No person convicted of any felony crime in any state or under the laws of any

country shall be eligible for the Massachusetts Firefighter Service Award.

SEND ORDER TO:

STATE, ZIP: STATE, ZIP:

DIE # YRS FINISH QTY DIE # YRS QTY DIE # YRS FINISH QTYA9846H 5 GOLD A9847J 5 A9848 20 GOLD

5 SILVER 5 20 SILVERA9846 20 GOLD A9847G 10 A9848A 25 GOLD

20 SILVER 10 25 SILVERA9846A 25 GOLD A9847H 15 A9848B 30 GOLD

25 SILVER 15 30 SILVERA9846B 30 GOLD A9847 20 A9848C 35 GOLD

30 SILVER 20 35 SILVERA9846C 35 GOLD A9847A 25 A9848D 40 GOLD

35 SILVER 25 40 SILVERA9846D 40 GOLD A9847B 30 A9848E 45 GOLD

40 SILVER 30 45 SILVERA9846E 45 GOLD A9847C 35 A9848F 50 GOLD

45 SILVER 35 50 SILVERA9846F 50 GOLD A9847D 40

50 SILVER 40A9847E 45

45A9847F 50

50

TOTAL QUANTITY:Pricing effective through December 31, 2018

TOTAL COST:

TOTAL QTY:

SUBTOTAL:

TOTAL QTY:

SUBTOTAL:

GOLD

SILVER

SILVER

GOLD

TOTAL QTY:

SUBTOTAL:

TOWN/CITY:

DEPT. P.O.#: P.O.#:

SILVER

GOLD

Call Firefighter Award

BILL TO: (BLACKINTON® DEALER #)

GOLD

GOLDSILVER

2018 Price Per Award = $17.40 Gold & $19.50 Silver

GOLDSILVER

SILVERGOLD

SILVER

SILVER

GOLD

GOLDSILVER

SILVER

MASSACHUSETTS

FINISH

MASSACHUSETTSCareer Firefighter Award

FOR DEALER USE ONLY

STREET:

(Plus Shipping)

TELEPHONE #:

All orders must be forwarded to a participating Authorized Blackinton® Dealer ONLY.

ORDER FROM:

FIRE DEPT. : Participating DEALER:

MASSACHUSETTS

STREET:

TOWN/CITY:

GOLD

FOR DEALER USE ONLYSHIP TO:

Volunteer Firefighter Award

Massachusetts Firefighter Award Form

Registration

Register at DFS Learning Management System

Department of Fire Services Massachusetts Firefighting Academy

INDIVIDUAL CRISIS INTERVENTION AND PEER SUPPORT & GROUP CRISIS INTERVENTION (GRIN)

Course Highlights

Psychological Crisis and Psychological Crisis Intervention

Resistance, Resiliency, Recover Continuum

Critical Incident Stress Management

Evidence-Based Practice

Basic Crisis Communication Techniques

Common Psychological and Behavioral Crisis Reactions

Putative and Empirically-Derived Mechanisms

SAFER-Revised Model

Suicide Intervention

Risk of Iatrogenic Harm

Relevant Research Findings

Relevant Recommendations for Practice

Incident Assessment

Strategic Intervention Planning

Large Group Crisis Intervention

Small Group Crisis Intervention

Adverse Outcome Associated with Crisis Intervention

Reducing Risks

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Crisis Intervention is NOT psychotherapy, rather, it is a specialized acute emergency mental health intervention that requires specialized training. As physical first aid is to surgery, crisis intervention is to psychotherapy. Thus, crisis intervention is sometimes called “emotional first aid.” This first part of the program is designed to teach participants the fundamentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual crisis intervention. Completion of “Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support” & “Group Crisis Intervention” and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (27 contact hours) qualifies as two CORE classes in the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation’s Certificate of Specialized Training Program

February 5-7, 2019 Course Number: 680 Location: Beauport Hotel 55 Commercial Street Gloucester, MA 01930 Time: 0800-1800 Notes: This is a “Priority Selection” course which is not first come-first serve. Priority Selection Date: January 22, 2019

December 21, 2018

The courses listed below are available at the time this calendar is created and are available through our new DFS Learning

Management System. Once in the system, follow the job aid “How to View the Training Calendar” to register for a course.

~January 2019 ~

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5

6 7 8 Preparing for Active Threat & Mass Casualty, Bourne

9 10 Statewide RIT, Barnstable

11 12

13 14 15 16 17 RIT for Public Safety Disp., Arlington

18 HazMat 4-hr Ref., Methuen Ethanol 1st Respond, Stoughton

19 RIT, Hardwick

20 21 Ethanol 1st Respond, Stoughton

22 HazMat 4-hr Ref., Methuen Ethanol 1st Respond, Stoughton Statewide RIT, Stow

23 HazMat 4-hr Ref., Methuen HazMat 4-hr Ref., Lexington Ethanol 1st Respond, Stoughton

24 HazMat 4-hr Ref., Lexington

25 26

27 28 RIT Refresher, Greenfield

29 HazMat 4-hr Ref., Lexington Surface Ice Resc, Canton PFALSE, Chelmsford

30 HazMat 4-hr Ref., Methuen

31

December 21, 2018

The courses listed below are available at the time this calendar is created and are available through our new DFS Learning

Management System. Once in the system, follow the job aid “How to View the Training Calendar” to register for a course.

~February 2019 ~

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 HazMat 4-hr Ref., Methuen NFA: EMS Quality Mgmt, Stow

5 MFA/NFA ICS for Structural Collapse, N. Reading Individual Crisis Inter. & Peer Support, Gloucester

6 7 8 Surface Ice Resc, Westwood

9 Saving Ourselves, W. Tisbury

10 11 NFPA Electric Veh Safety, Hingham RIT for Public Safety Disp., Erving

12 NFPA Electric Veh Safety, Hingham RIT for Public Safety Disp., Erving

13 NFPA Electric Veh Safety, Hingham Elevator Rescue, Stoughton

14 NFPA Electric Veh Safety, Hingham Surface Ice Resc, Bellingham

15 16 Advd. Structural FF, Stow Ethanol 1st Respond, Winchendon

17 18

19 20 21 22 23

24 25 RIT Refresher, Dedham Surface Ice Resc, Hanson

26 27 RIT Refresher, Dedham

28 RIT for Public Safety Disp., Middleborough

2/16Fire Data and Public Education Unit978-567-3380 • www.mass.gov/dfs

DEPARTMENT OF FIRE SERVICESPeter J. Ostroskey • State Fire Marshal

Ice and Cold Water

SafetyH

ELP

Hud

dle

• Get into HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Position). Bring your knees to your chest, hold your arms to your sides and clasp your hands. Cover your head if possible to protect your body from heat loss.

• DO NOT try to swim unless a boat, floating object, or the shore is close by. Swimming causes warm blood to circulate to your arms and legs, where it cools off quickly and reduces survival time by as much as 35-50%!

• If you are in the water with other people, huddle tightly together with your arms around each other to preserve body heat.

Each Winter many people are injured

from exposure in cold water. Skaters and ice fishermen fall through the ice; boaters and

canoeists capsize.

Learn how to protect yourself and others.

What do you do if you fall into cold water

What is hypothermia?Hypothermia is the excessive lower-ing of body temperature. Core body temperature below 95˚F causes shiv-ering, confusion, and loss of muscle strength. If not treated and reversed, hypothermia leads to unconsciousness and death.

Safety experts estimate that half of all drowning victims die from the fatal effects of cold water, not from water-filled lungs!

What do you do if someone falls through the ice?• Call 911 immediately. Make sure

properly trained and equipped rescue personnel are alerted to respond.

• DO NOT go out onto the ice. Many would-be rescuers have become victims themselves.

• Reach, throw or row. Extend a branch, pole or ladder to the victim. Throw them a buoyant object such as a life ring or float tied to a rope. If a boat is nearby, row out to the victim or push it towards them.

How cold is cold water?Any water that is cooler than normal body temperature (98.6˚ F) is, by definition, cold water. Cold water drains away your body heat 25 to 30 times faster than air! Cold water does not have to be icy, it just has to be colder than you are to cause hypothermia.

The lower the temperature of the water, the faster the onset of hypothermia.

Personal safetyAlways wear a personal floatation device (PFD) when boating, any time of year.

Waterlogged clothing makes it difficult to keep your head above the surface of the water.

Dress properlyClothing that is made from man-made fi-

bers does not protect the wearer for long when wet. Wool insu-lates better from the effects of hypothermia when dry or wet. Keep your head cov-ered, 50% of body heat is lost through the head.

How thick is safe ice?

Ice on moving water in rivers, streams and brooks is never safe. The thickness of ice on ponds and lakes depends upon water currents or springs, depth and natural objects such as tree stumps or rocks. Daily changes in temperature cause the ice to expand and contract, which affects its strength. Because of these factors, no one can declare the ice to be absolutely “safe”.

The only safe ice is at a skating arena!

2/16Fire Data and Public Education Unit978-567-3380 • www.mass.gov/dfs

DEPARTMENT OF FIRE SERVICESPeter J. Ostroskey • State Fire Marshal

Aux

ilio

Cómo Protegerse delAgua Fría y

el Hielo

Reducir el escape del calor del cuerpo• Si se cae al agua fría, asuma una posición

para reducir el escape del calor del cuerpo. En inglés esta posición se llama “Heat Escape Lessening Position” o HELP.

• Encoja las rodillas hasta el pecho, apriete los brazos contra el cuerpo y apriete las manos. Si puede cúbrase la cabeza para proteger al cuerpo y evitar la pérdida de calor.

• NO TRATE de nadar a menos que un bote, un objeto flotante o la costa estén cerca. Cuando nada, la sangre “caliente” circula por los brazos y las piernas donde se enfría rápidamente y, ¡reduce el tiempo de supervivencia en un 35 ó 50%!

Todos los inviernos muchas personas sufren

lesiones por exponerse a las inclemencias del agua fría.

Algunos patinadores y pescadores en el hielo se caen

por los agujeros en el hielo; otros que andan en botes y canoas se vuelcan y caen al

agua helada.

Abr

azar

se

Su seguridad personalSiempre que vaya a pasear en un bote, sea

cual sea la época del año, póngase un chaleco salvavidas o PFD (siglas en inglés que significan per-sonal flotation device).

La ropa empapada de agua le dificulta mantener la cabeza por

arriba de la superficie del agua.

Vístase adecuadamenteMantenga la cabeza cubierta. El 50% del calor del cuerpo se pierde por la cabeza. La ropa he-cha de materiales sintéticos, una vez que se moja, no lo protege a uno por mucho tiempo. La lana, ya sea seca o mojada, lo pro-tege a uno mejor de los efectos de la hipotermia.

¿Qué espesor se necesita para que el hielo no sea peligroso?El hielo sobre el agua en movimiento como en los ríos, arroyos y riachuelos jamás es seguro. El espesor del hielo en lagos y charcas depende de las corrientes de agua o de los manantiales, de la profundidad y la presencia de objetos naturales como cepas de árboles o rocas. Los cambios diarios de temperatura causan que el hielo se expanda y se contraiga, lo que afecta la fuerza del hielo. Debido a estos factores, nadie puede decir que el hielo es absolutamente “seguro”.

El único lugar donde el hielo no es peligroso es en

el salón de patines.

¿Qué se debe hacer si al-guien se cae en un agujero en el hielo?• Actúe rápidamente y llame al 911 para

solicitar ayuda inmediata. Asegúrese de alertar a personas debidamente entrenadas en cómo rescatar gente y debidamente equipadas, para que acudan pronto.

• NO SALGA a caminar sobre el hielo. Con frecuencia los que intentan rescatar a otros terminan siendo víctimas también.

• Alcance a la persona, tírele algo de qué agarrarse o reme hacia ella. Extienda una rama, un palo o una escalera a la víctima. Tírele un objeto que flote, como un salvavidas o una boya, amarrados a una cuerda. Si hay un bote cerca, reme a donde esté la víctima o empuje el bote en esa dirección.

¿Cuán fría es el agua “fría”?Por definición, cualquier agua que esté más fría que la temperatura normal del cuerpo (98.6 grados F.) es agua fría. El agua fría elim-ina el calor del cuerpo 25 ó 30 veces más rápido que el aire. El agua fría no tiene que estar helada. Para causar hipotermia sólo se necesita que esté más fría que su propio cuerpo.

Cuanto más baja esté la tem-peratura del agua, más rápidamente comienza la hipotermia.

¿Qué es hipotermia?La hipotermia es una baja excesiva de la temperatura del cuerpo. Un descenso en la temperatura base del cuerpo a 95 grados F. causa estremecimiento, confusión, pérdida de fuerza en los músculos. Si no se trata y se para la hipotermia, conduce a la pérdida de conocimiento y a la muerte.

Los expertos en cuestiones de seguridad calculan que la mitad de las personas que mueren ahogadas, mueren debido a los efectos mortales del agua fría y no a los efectos mortales de llenarse los pulmones de agua.