Cont... - Salt Lake City Fire Department

Salt Lake City Fire Department
Prepare
effectively
Respond
professionally
Impact
positively
April 2013
Message from Fire Chief, Kurt Cook
Salt Lake
City recently
received
some exciting
news.
The
International
Association
of Fire Chiefs
announced
the host
cities for the
upcoming
annual FireRescue International conferences and our city
is on that list.
Salt Lake City will host the conference in the
summer of 2018. While that may be a few
years away, we are definitely looking forward
to having the conference in our city.
During this conference, chiefs and company
officers receive senior-level leadership
training. As an organization, the IAFC
represents the world’s leading experts in the
first responder community.
Not only is hosting the conference a big
deal for the Salt Lake City Fire Department,
but it will benefit the Salt Lake Valley and
State fire services. This conference will draw
thousands of people from around the world
including hundreds of fire service vendors
and suppliers.
Last summer, representatives from the
IAFC visited our city to determine if it was a
destination worthy of this conference. Salt
Lake City joins Chicago, Ill. (2013), Dallas,
Texas (2014), Atlanta, Ga. (2015, 2019),
San Antonio, Texas (2016), Charlotte, N.C.
(2017, 2012) and Phoenix, Ariz.
(2020) as the future host
cities.
We are excited to
show the IAFC what
Salt Lake City has to
offer.
Be Safe!
Photo by Jay Dyal/SLCFD
SLCFD Medic Engine 3 travels through the St. Patrick’s Day Parade while SLCFD Chief Kurt Cook shakes
hands with the spectators.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade fun
SLCFD was honored to be part of the huge St.
Patrick’s Day celebration in Salt Lake City in
March. This parade was a great opportunity
for the fire department to interact with the
residents and friends of Salt Lake City in a
different atmosphere.
As the Capital City Fire Department, SLCFD is
proud to serve this great area.
SLCFD firefighters and their families rode
on top of two vehicles during the parade.
SLCFD Chief Kurt Cook enjoyed the parade
by walking along side the department’s
vehicles as he shook hands with many of the
spectators.
SLCFD Fire Marshal to attend NPS
SLCFD Division Chief Martha Ellis will represent
the department at the Naval
Postgraduate School as she
works toward a Master’s
Degree over the next 18
months.
Chief Ellis is one of just 32
people accepted to the program from several
hundred nationwide applicants. She will make
frequent trips to NPS in Monterey, Calif. While
Photo by Jay Dyal/SLCFD
SLCFD Captain Bob Silverthorne greets some of the
parade spectators.
her first trip will be in May, she has already
begun class work online.
During the class, which is sponsored by
the Department of Homeland Security, the
students will develop critical thinking and
resource skills. Chief Ellis said she will take what
she learns and teach others throughout the
department.
Chief Ellis will graduate from the program in
September, 2014.
Cont...
Are your smoke detectors working?
As you went around your house last month,
change the clocks to “spring forward” to match
up with daylight
savings time, did you
happen to also check
the batteries in your
smoke and carbon
monoxide detectors?
If not, that is definitely
something you should
do as soon as possible.
Smoke and carbon
monoxide detectors
are a vital tool in
home safety. When
functioning correctly, these detectors alert us
during critical emergencies and can save lives.
But sometimes the detectors stop working. That
can be because of dead batteries or the detector
itself is past its shelf life.
Please take a few minutes to make sure all the
smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your
home or business are functioning properly. Then
test the detectors once a month to ensure that
they are functioning properly.
Detectors should be placed outside the sleeping
areas in the home. For better protection, detectors
should be installed on every level inside a home.
Preparing for upcoming firework shows
The summer, and firework season, might be a few
months away, but SLCFD is already preparing for
the professional shows that will take place in Salt
Lake City.
The Fire
Prevention
Bureau held
a special
training last
month where
inspectors
were
refreshed on
the rules and
regulations
that need to be followed for
professional shows.
The inspectors were also treated to a
demonstration on how professionals set up the
firework shows.
Time to get the grill out
Now that the weather is getting warmer, many
of us will enjoy meals from the barbecue. When
using the barbecue, there are some important
safety tips that everyone should follow. These tips
apply to both gas and charcoal barbecues:
• If you have a gas grill, make sure the
connections from the propane tank to the
grill are tight
• If you have a gas grill, use porcelain rocks
instead of lava rocks since lava rocks are
porous and can hold grease which can catch
fire
• If you have a charcoal grill, don’t dispose of
the ashes when they’re hot
• Never leave your grill unattended
• Open the grill lid before you light it
• Make sure you use the grill 10 feet away from
your house
• Don’t light a grill on a wooden deck
• Keep the grill and the
grill lighter away from
children
• When you turn off a gas
grill, remember to turn
off the propane tank
• If you’re using a charcoal
grill, let lighter fluid
soak into the coals a few
minutes before lighting
them so that any vapors
have time to evaporate
• For fire safety purposes,
keep a spray bottle or bucket of water nearby
in case the grill fire gets out of control
• For purposes of garage safety and home
safety, don’t light your grill inside the garage,
even if the door is open
Neighborhood House
SLCFD’s senior staff held its annual retreat in
March, and part of the activities included time at
the Neighborhood House.
Along with spending time singing and playing
Bingo with the senior group that frequents the
Neighborhood
House every day,
SLCFD senior staff
members built 13
garden boxes.
This year’s focus
was unity and
team work, and
the senior staff
members enjoyed
serving the
community in a
new way.
SLCFD promotes two captains
SLCFD Chief Kurt Cook recently promoted two
new captains, Matt Taylor and Jeff Kauffmann.
Now with his new
rank, Capt. Taylor
will continue
to serve as the
department’s
Emergency
Preparedness
Coordinator. He
works closely
Photo by Jay Dyal/SLCFD
with the city’s
SLCFD Captains Matt Taylor and
Emergency
Jeff Kauffmann.
Management
department.
Capt. Kauffmann will be a captain in combat.
Congratulations to Capt. Taylor and Capt.
Kauffmann on their new promotions.
Need to Contact Us?
Emergency: 911
Non-Emergency: 801-799-FIRE
www.slcfire.com
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@slcfire
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facebook.com/slcfire
Run Totals
March 2013
2013 YTD
Medical1,8625,581
Fire4271,353
Station 1
319
966
Station 2
503
1,509
Station 3
198
542
Station 4
87
298
Station 5
268
818
Station 6
224
650
Station 7
223
660
Station 8
392
1,131
Station 9
46
150
Station 10
107
318
Station 11
207
605
Station 12
220
667
Station 13
83
212
Station 14
128
400