Worthington Fire & Rescue Report

What has your volunteer Fire-Rescue Department been up to lately?

Your Fire-Rescue Department has a critical need for volunteers to help us protect our families, friends, neighbors and properties in Town and our surrounding communities.
If interested in being a First Responder, Fire Fighter (FF) or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); or otherwise helping, contact any Department member or myself at: (413) 441-0957.
Safety Reminder: Residents should not attempt to clear downed trees, limbs etc. on or near power lines or guard rails; they should be considered energized and dangerous. Call 9-1-1.

Below are the highlights of our Fire-Rescue responses, training programs and other activities for the period of ~ January 1 through ~ June 30, 2024.

Recently Added to the Fire Department Web Page: Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements

Emergency Responses: 107

Medical Responses – 63
Fire Alarm calls – 14
Power Lines down – 7
Vehicle accidents – 6
Chimney fire – 1
Structure Fire – mutual aid T-1 & E-1
Structure Fire – mutual aid T-1
Welfare checks – 1
Search & Rescue – 0
Carbon Monoxide Alarm calls – 1
Miscellaneous Hazards – 2
Basement flood – 1
Mutual aid response – 2
Brush Fires – 2
Lightning strike on structures – 3
Statewide 911 outage – 1 (in station coverage)
Power line pole fire: 1

Training & other “behind the scenes” activities

Station – 2^nd Monday each month – vehicle checks; regular FD meeting; review of incidents; upcoming in-house & external training; planning FD action items, etc.
Station – 3^rd Monday each month – vehicle checks and vehicle driver training.
Station – 4^th Monday each month – available staff undergo various trainings, e.g., pumps & hose; ladders; wearing structural Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs); and review procedures.
As a sidenote, we also do significant training with several of our mutual aid & regional partners. Several of these (**) are listed below.
** (4) Personnel completed 1^st Responder/1^st Aid/CPR certification training.
** (2) Worthington Firefighters completed Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) 40-hour training and are now members of Hampshire County RIT response teams.
** Multi-Agency Rehab training with EMS @ Hilltown Ambulance; also, Situational Awareness for Safety Training @ BCC; also, Dispatch & Life Flight protocols training @ Northampton Dispatch.
In-house Engine-1 pump training including foam/water operations from local pond & dry hydrants.
In-house Tanker-1 pump & vacuum system training from local pond sources and portable tank.
Awarded & completed $2700 Massachusetts Emergency Management FF grant that procured a 200-gpm portable pump; 100’ of 2” hose; (6) Fire Fighter personal flashlights & (2) flashlight charging stations for Engine 1 & Rescue 1 vehicles.
Awarded & completed $10,500 Massachusetts FF Safety grant that procured 1 complete set of Fire Fighter structural turn-out gear, and 1 air dryer cabinet for 2 sets of turn-out gear.
Added town road maps with winter road closings into updated vehicle notebooks for easy access. Notebooks also include County, State & Federal emergency resource contacts; list of Life Flight auto-launch protocols & Worthington landing zones.
Burning season permits issued and logged starting January 1 to the season’s end on May 1^st.
Began process to identify solar locations (residential) to include in our apparatus notebooks; reference data includes solar array size/arrangement, owner, phone#, 1-line diagram, location of inverters, disconnects, batteries, etc. for emergency responders. Notebooks to be organized by alphabetical / numerical road address.
Created an abbreviated Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) covering all Fire-Rescue aspects for training officers, First Responders, & Fire Fighters.
Hoses & ladders testing completed for Tanker1, Engine1- & Engine3. 1500’ reserve hose tested.
Pump Testing completed on Engine1, Engine3, and Tanker1.
Orchestrated R.H. Conwell school Fire Drill & Fire Safety demo involving all staff and students.

Miscellaneous:

Completed ~25 Inspections (CO/Smoke Detectors, Tank Installs/Removals or Solar Installs)
Performing routine maintenance and repairs on each vehicle sequentially – 2 x month
Continued process of developing & submitting Federal & State Assistance to Firefighters grants.
On-going updates of vehicles/equipment binders including checklists, tools inventory, squawks, maintenance schedules, general operational guidelines, quick reference guides, etc.

From the Desk of Chief Michael Dondiego