Fire Department assesses 2010, looks forward to elections

FALLS VILLAGE — The Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization whose members are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to emergencies in our community (which includes the Amesville section of Salisbury).

January is a time for looking back over the last year and planning ahead for the next. In 2010, we responded to seven fires (including a Christmas day chimney fire), 87 emergency medical incidents (including car accidents), nine hazardous conditions (carbon monoxide emergencies, fluid spills, power lines down and/or burning), nine service calls (traffic control, water problems, standby, assisting Connecticut State Police), 12 good intent calls (dispatched and canceled, smoke or odor investigation) and 23 false alarms.

Our members spent more than 1,667 hours in training classes this year and 2, 972 hours in work details, fundraisers and meetings. We worked hard at fundraising for our annual operating expenses through such events as the farmer’s market, Jacobs’ Garage anniversary celebration, Music Mountain Family Fun Day, Ed McGuire Memorial Road Race and the Annual Firemen’s Ball.

In addition, the building committee ran a capital campaign for the new emergency services center.

The fire department voted to begin billing for emergency medical transports starting Jan. 1, 2011. This was a tough decision based on the difficulty in raising operating expenses through fundraising and donations and the increasing cost of medical supplies, as well as the need to replace the ambulance within a few years. We are also working to gradually replace our aging defibrillators, for some of which parts and service are no longer available.

Elections for officers are quickly approaching, as is the upcoming Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course in February, and a Rope Rescue Technician course in the late winter/early spring.

All our volunteer fire and EMS personnel want to thank you, our Falls Village neighbors and friends, for your encouragement and support — financial and otherwise. We work for all of you to keep you safe and consider this an honor.

Beckie Seney is a firefighter, EMT/EMS instructor and member of the Board of Directors.

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