Vigilant Guard Exercise Underway

THIS IS AN EXERCISE!!!

The Vigilant Guard exercise that simulates a significant earthquake in Erie County and Western New York got underway early Monday morning, November 2, 2009.

Our entire Emergency Services team is involved in coordinating and participating in this week-long scenario that involves National Guard troops from across the northeast and first responders from around the world.

An Emergency Operations Center has been established at the Erie County Emergency Services Training & Operations Center in Cheektowaga NY with more than 100 emergency management personnel converging to handle the made-up disaster. A "Sim-Cell" constantly injects realistic problems into the scenario, allowing the role players to exercise their skills and come up with creative solutions to the challenges they're presented.

The exercise includes training venues in Erie and Niagara Counties including the cities of Buffalo, Lockport and Tonawanda.

A simulated rubble pile was engineered and created in less than three weeks at the Spaulding Fiber site on Wheeler Street in Tonawanda. The pile includes huge chunks of concrete as well as other debris including crushed cars and medical equipment. Rescuers burrow threw the debris looking for simulated victims, some digging in as far as 35 ft. from the outside perimeter of the pile. A separate smaller pile allows rescuers to locate and retrieve live victims.

More than 400 responders and guardsmen worked the rubble pile on Tuesday. Firefighters and USAR (Urban Search & Rescue) Specialists from across New York State, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Alaska, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and Massachusetts are heavily engaged, receiving experience and training that is unparalleled. International partners have come from Canada, Denmark and the UK for the week - sharing their experiences and taking home an invaluable exchange of information.

The scene is rich with the brotherhood of the fire service and the emergency services community with first responders from all disciplines and locales enjoying creating new friendships and revisiting old ones.

We've uploaded Monday's photos from the pile to our Flickr.com account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40216465@N03/collections/72157622601194813/

And, our ESU Facebook page has been updated as well:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Erie-County-Emergency-Services/109499386703

Stay tuned here and to these pages for frequent updates from the field and the EOC.

VIGILANT GUARD EXERCISE IN THE NEWS:

National Guard Vigilant Guard Site and Journal

http://dmna.state.ny.us/blog/journal.php?journal=1254502561

Tonawanda News

http://www.tonawanda-news.com/thetonawandas/local_story_307000347.html

WIVB-TV Channel 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVPHdeIlowM

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/Simulated_earthquake_hits_region_20091102

WNY ShutterBug

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wnyshutterbug/4067494302/

THIS IS AN EXERCISE!!!

PLEASE HELP A GOWANDA VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER

The members of the Gowanda Volunteer Fire Department and other area organizations have teamed up to hold a pop can - bottle drive benefit on October 31, 2009 from 9am-1pm. The pop can drive is being held to help offset the costs of medical treatments for Louis LaBelle, who is a 16 year old member of the Gowanda Volunteer Fire Department and a student in 11th grade at Gowanda Central.

Louis was just recently diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He has been in Children’s Hospital and is starting medical treatment at Roswell. Louis was a member of the Collins Fire Company as a junior firefighter since the age of 12 and most recently joined the Gowanda Volunteer Fire Department as a full fledge fireman last year at the age of 16.

Louis has been very active in this community as a firefighter and in school. During the flood, Louis was faithfully at the hall everyday and evening giving a helping hand to the community. We are asking you as a community to help us help one of our own firefighters and his parents in making this long journey ahead of them less painful.

The members of the department and other concerned and caring community members will be assisting us in doing a door - door pop can drive on October 31, 2009. Anyone willing to donate any pop cans or bottles at all will be greatly appreciated. Anyone wanting to drop off pop cans or bottles may do so, the day of the drive at the fire hall on Aldrich Street.

There is also another benefit planned on January 9, 2010 at our fire hall with more details to follow. We truly appreciate the community support. As we said before, Gowanda is truly a town of caring neighbors and a close knit community.

Thank You,

Steve Raiport,
Fire Chief, Gowanda FD

URGENT: New Fall Training Courses Announced

URGENT: New Fall Training Courses Announced

The Fall Training Schedule has been uploaded to www.erie.gov/fire with eight (8) new courses added.These course represent the balance of the remaining state fire instructor hours allocated to Erie County unt...il March 31, 2010. We have course requests on file that represent more than 1,500 state fire instructor hours that will go unfulfilled unless we receive more training hours from NYS OFPC. If you do not feel that this situation satisfies the training needs of your fire department and our fire service at large, we encourage you to contact your state representatives.

To maximize the efficiency of all remaining instructor hours, all courses are at risk of not running as scheduled unless the maximum number of allowable students are registered for the respective course.

Please note the following about these courses:

1R09002 Scene Support Operations: STARTS NEXT MONDAY 9/21 at the Training & Operations Center. This course will not run as scheduled unless full with at least 20 students. This course will run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 weeks.

1S09008 Firefighter 1: Will run double-sessions on Saturdays at the Training & Operations Center. As this may be the last Firefighter 1 course we run until next spring and in fairness to all fire departments, registration will be limited to 2-3 students per fire department depending on the number of applications received. Chief officers are encouraged to prioritize the applications they submit by placing a circled number in the lower right hand corner of the application, with 1 being the highest priority.Please download, print and share the attached Firefighter 1 Student Packet with all interested recruits and chief officers.

1T09002 Firefighter 2: As this may be the last Firefighter 2 course we run until next spring and in fairness to all fire departments, registration will be limited to 2-3 students per fire department depending on the number of applications received. Chief officers are encouraged to prioritize the applications they submit by placing a circled number in the lower right hand corner of the application, with 1 being the highest priority.

1Y09002 Apparatus Operator-EVOC: Runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Some Saturdays at Alden- 10/6, 8, 13, 15, SAT-10/17 2X (double-session)

7809003 Apparatus Operator-Pump: Is expected to run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Some Saturdays at Alden following the EVOC course#1Y09002. Exact dates to be determined. Registrations will be accepted now. Preference will be given to those registering for the EVOC course at the same time.

1Y09003 Apparatus Operator-EVOC: Runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Some Saturdays at Orchard Park - 10/6, 8, 13, SAT-10/17 3X (triple-session)

7809004 Apparatus Operator-Pump: Runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Some Saturdays at Orchard Park following the EVOC course#1Y09003 - 10/20, 22, SAT-24 (2X), 27, 29, SAT-31 (2X). Registrations will be accepted now. Preference will be given to those registering for the EVOC course at the same time.

7809002 Apparatus Operator-Pump: Runs Tuesdays and Thursdays at Mortons Corners. Please not the following details about the EVOC and Pump courses:

NYS OFPC Course Descriptions & Details: Apparatus Operator Courses

1Y - Apparatus Operator - Emergency Vehicle Operation (01-05-0004)Provides vehicle operators with a better understanding of the seriousness of emergency vehicle operation. Based on objectives from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1002 Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator, Chapter 2, this course stimulates the thought processes to make students aware of the potential for tragedy and financial loss and of the legal and moral responsibilities encountered when operating an emergency vehicle.

Note: Apparatus Operator Emergency Vehicle Operations equivalents are EVOC Courses offeredby VFIS Insurance, ESIP Insurance, or Utica National Insurance. Train the Trainers are not accepted as equivalent.
Designed For: Fire service personnel
Course Length: 18 hours
Prerequisite: Scene Support Operations and a valid driver's license

78 - Apparatus Operator – Pump (01-05-0005) Offers knowledge and skills essential to pump operation. Based on objectives from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator, Chapter 3, this course includes responsibilities of pump operators, hydraulics and friction loss, pump controls and accessories, fire streams, pumper practices, pumping from draft and pump evolutions, and using the fire pump at the fire hydrant. Demonstrations and practice sessions are included.
Designed For: Fire service personnel
Course Length: 24 hours
Prerequisites: Apparatus Operator - Emergency Vehicle Operation (01-05-0004) and Scene Support Operations or equivalent
NYS Certification Level: Firefighter Recruit I, Fire Instructor I
National Certification Level: Fire Service Instructor I
College Credit: Yes

38 - Water Supply Operations (01-05-0047) Offers firefighters with information and skills in determining water supply requirements for firefighting purposes and water delivery methods. Demonstrations and practice sessions are included.
Designed For: Fire service personnel
Course Length: 18 hours
Prerequisites: Apparatus Operator - Pump (01-05-0005) and Scene Support Operations or equivalent

79 - Apparatus Operator - Aerial Device (01-05-0003) Designed to follow the NFPA 1002 Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Professional Qualifications, provides the student with knowledge necessary to operate, inspect and maintain aerial devices. Course content includes emergency vehicle operations review, classification and typing, vehicle inspection, operation of various types of aerial devices including platforms and ladders, proper location of placement and setup at an incident including driving, spotting and stabilizing. Fire departments must possess an aerial device to offer this program enabling students to fully operate this device.
Designed For: Fire service personnel
Course Length: 24 hours
Prerequisites: Truck Company Operations (01-05-0046) or Ladder Company Operations (01-05-0029) andApparatus Operator - Emergency Vehicle Operation (01-05-0004) or equivalent

Source: http://www.dos.state.ny.us/fire/residential.html - As of: 09/14/09

Check http://www.dos.state.ny.us/fire/residential.html for all other pre-requisites and other information regarding this training.

URGENT: Fire Service Coordination for Buffalo Firefighter Funerals

All firefighters and emergency personnel are asked to honor the wishes of the families of the fallen firefighters and the Buffalo Fire Department. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and concern for all those affected by this tragedy.

• NO APPARATUS at the funerals on Friday - August 28. There is very limited parking and all personnel are asked to carpool and reduce the number of vehicles as much as possible.
• All personnel are asked to assemble outside St. Joseph's Old Cathedral at least one hour prior to each funeral.
• Class A uniform or other appropriate attire is requested.

Funeral for Lt. Charles McCarthy ONLY - Friday-August 28, 2009
Fire Departments wishing to pay their respects to Lt. McCarthy may assemble with their apparatus at the James Cannan Funeral Home http://www.cannanfh.com/ by 7:45am on Friday morning.

• This is an opportunity for a stationary display of equipment and staff to pay last respects and both will be positioned along Union Road outside the funeral home.
• PLEASE NOTE: Understand that your apparatus and personnel will not be included in the procession from the funeral home to the church.
• Directions to the funeral home can be found at: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=3155+Orchard%20Park%20Road+Orchard%20Park,+NY+14127
• All apparatus is asked to approach the funeral home from the south (Milestrip Road/Southwestern Blvd./Five Corners) as equipment will be directed to park facing north on Union Road.
• One representative from each participating agency is asked to contact Tiger Schmittendorf (FC-3) or Dan Neaverth (ES-14) on the Erie County F-2 (46.38) frequency or by cell phone as they approach the area of the funeral home.
• Participating agencies are asked to RSVP with number of personnel and apparatus to:
  Erie County Fire Safety
  716.681.7111
  -OR-
  Tiger Schmittendorf
  Deputy Fire Coordinator
  schmitte@erie.gov
  716.432.3915
  -OR-
  Dan Neaverth
  Deputy Commissioner-EMS
  daniel.neaverth@erie.gov
  716.983.6080
  
• +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  To: All
  
  From: Michael Lombardo, Commissioner of Fire
  
  Subject: Memorial Services for Lt. McCarthy & FF Jonathan Croom
  
  Date: August 25, 2009
  
  Services for Lieutenant Charles McCarthy and Firefighter Jonathan Croom are as follows:
  
  
  Lt Charles McCarthy:
  
  Viewing: Thursday, August 27th, 2:00pm – 8:00pm
  James Cannan Funeral Home
  3155 Orchard Park Road
  Orchard Park, NY 14127
  
  Funeral: Friday, August 28th, @ 9:30 am
  St Josephs Old Cathedral
  50 Franklin Street
  Buffalo, NY 14202
  
  
  FF Jonathan Croom:
  
  Viewing: Thursday, August 27th, 2:00pm -8:00 pm
  Amigone Funeral Home
  1132 Delaware Avenue
  Buffalo, NY 14209
  
  Funeral: Friday, August 28th, @ 1:00 pm
  St Josephs Old Cathedral
  50 Franklin Street
  Buffalo, NY 14202
  
  A breakfast collation following each funeral will be held at HSBC Arena.
  
  All fire service members are requested to form one hour prior to the start of each funeral, in dress uniform. Parking will be available at HSBC Arena.

Firefighter 1 Boot Camp - July 6-17, 2009 - IS FULL

Registration for the Firefighter 1 Boot Camp course from July 6-17, 2009 (8am-4pm) at the Training & Operations Center is FULL and closed. We received more than 50 applications but unfortunately cannot accommodate everyone. Thank you to everyone who responded and demonstrated an interest in participating.

• A reminder to those students who are indicated as confirmed on the roster for Course#1S09004 which can be viewed at: http://www.erie.gov/depts/community/emergency_fsd_resources.asp#urgent_alerts
  Confirmed students must attend the mandatory orientation along with a chief or training officer on Monday-June 15th at 7pm at the Training & Operations Center.
• A $50 student fee is required, due at the mandatory orientation. This covers beverages, fruit, Boot Camp and Graduation T-shirts and other supplies. This may be paid by check or cash. Please make checks payable to James McCullough.
• Please share and review the attached Student Packet with your chief and address all points outlined as appropriate.