July - Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department

Omnis Cedo Domus
Volume 2, Issue 7
July 15, 2009
Special points of
interest:
 Firefighters saves
restaurant
 Strategic Plan
GRAND TRAVERSE METRO FIRE DEPARTMENT
The
Metro Insider...
 Call Statistics
 Message from
Chief Parker
Firefighters save business in Garfield Township ...
 Information from
Chief Flynn
 Cherry Festival
activities and fun
 Fun in the Sun
Phone Extensions:
Chief Pat Parker
1235
Asst Chief Flynn
1228
Asst Chief Schnaidt 1226
Brian Belcher
Robert Casey
Mike Lince
Kathy Fordyce
1232
1233
1238
1236
Robin Ehardt
Mary Griggs
Marcia Schwind
Meredith Hawes
1227
1222
1221
1234
Dave Lather
Randy Agruda vm
Mike Vaughn
1229
1240
1225
Troy Holliday
Brian Bloom vm
Tony Posey vm
1231
1241
1242
Admin Fire Office 3000
231-947-3000
Station One
3814
231-947-3814
Station Eight
****
231-938-9533
Station Nine
0299
231-947-0299
Station Eleven
7682
231-941-7682
Juvenile Fire Setter vm 1240
Metro responded to a reported fire at Auntie Pasta’s on July 13th. The building was evacuated because of heavy
smoke and the fire was put out after only a couple of minutes. We had 23 personnel respond for this incident.
Good job everyone.
Here we see Metro firefighters on the scene of a garage fire
on Laura Dr. on July 6th.
Metro firefighters perform live fire training at this
structure on Supply Rd on June 28th. (Above / Right)
Grand Traverse Metro Emergency Services Authority 897 Parsons Rd, Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone (231) 947-3000 www.gtmetrofire.org
Omnis Cedo Domus
The Metro Insider...
Page 2
Metro Embarks on Long Range Strategic Plan
Metro started the long range planning process in 2003. There have been different variants of the plan since then. We with the help of
Northwestern Michigan College's Leadership & Team Development organization, we are heading deeper into the process. We would like to
involve everyone in the organization this time. Chief Flynn, Chief Schnaidt, or I will be visiting with each station to get your thoughts on the
following issues:
a) What is our reason for being?
b) What are our guiding principles or organization values?
c) What's our high-level vision for the future? 20 years from now, what do we hope to see?
There will be some white paper put up in your stations. I would ask that you all think a bit on these questions and write them down or send
me an e-mail with your thoughts.
We intend to keep you all informed as to the progress and as always, keep the 2-way lines of communication open during the process.
July — Aug
Training Topics
July 20th — 1900 hrs (Sta. 8)
Ladders—Port. Radio Re-Prog
July 22nd — 1900 hrs (Sta. 9)
REQ: Pre-Incident Survey
(Sta. 11)—Port. Radio Re-Prog
July 23rd — 1900 hrs (Sta. 1)
REQ: Hose Leadouts / Hydrant
Connections
July 29th — 1900 hrs (Sta. 9)
Port. Radio & Pager Re-Program
July 30th — 1900 hrs (Sta. 1)
Port. Radio & Pager Re-Program
Aug 5th — 1900 hrs (Sta. 11)
Medical Training
Aug 10th — 1900 hrs (Sta. 8)
Medical: Extrication
Aug 12th — 1900 hrs (Sta. 9)
REQ: Hose Testing / Apparatus
Pumping
Aug 13th — 1900 hrs (Sta. 1)
Truck Company Operations
Visit www.gtmetrofire.org for
current training and
NEW Public Education
calendar.
Message from the Chief …
Happy summer finally! There is a lot of good news to report. The first six months of the year have past and
we stand at 1800 calls for service. At that pace will be at around 3,600 calls or over 100 more than last year.
We have been extremely busy this past month and I want to let you all know how proud I am of your efforts.
It’s great to see you all working as a team and really coming together as a department. Your actions have
been noticed by the public as being exemplary. Keep up the good work.
Last Thursday the 9th of July, the Garfield Township Board as well as their planning commission approved
the special land use permit as well as a resolution leasing us land in their township park. This meant that we
are a GO in terms of applying for the construction grant from the feds. We should hear back in early fall
whether we made the peer review. We feel that we met all of the requirements.
We also applied for a grant to replace One Tanker through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)
program. If we don’t get the grant, we will have to replace it in 2011. A few of us head down to Spartan to
inspect the chassis for new E-11. From there it goes over to Spencer in South Haven for the cabinets to be
put on. Expect this truck in the system around December.
Thanks to all who helped out during the recent Cherry Festival. Heroes Day, two parades, as well as the very
successful teen night was well represented by Metro personnel. You all made the department proud. Big
thanks to Meredith for her leadership during these events.
Thanks for your cooperation as we change over to a new compensation program. There will be some bugs to
work out, but in the end we will make it work. Compensation will be paid under the old system for the first
6 months of the year. Expect those checks by the end of this month. We also change over to our new
frequency on August 1st. Please be patient as we switch over 80 pagers and radios to the new frequencies.
As always, be safe out there!
Pat
Grand Traverse Metro Emergency Services Authority 897 Parsons Rd, Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone (231) 947-3000 www.gtmetrofire.org
Omnis Cedo Domus
Volume 2, Issue 7
Page 3
Note from Chief Flynn ...
New Compensation Policy- As you all know we started the new compensation policy on July 5 th. I would like to thank everyone for putting
up with the many changes that it took for us to move to this new policy. I would also like to remind everyone that they need to fill out a
weekly time sheet if they have either worked a station shift or responded on a call within the effected pay-period. The Station Captains and
the duty shift personnel will be constantly reviewing the daily logs to see that they are entered in Firehouse. Please make sure your personal
weekly time sheet reflects the calls you responded on and are entered on the daily log. It doesn’t matter which station’s daily log you are
entered on. Any questions should be brought to the Station Captains.
New radio frequency- We will be moving to the new Metro frequency on or about August 1, 2009. GT Mobile will be installing a new digital
repeater on the East Bay tower on July 20th and this should greatly enhance the frequency. This is a demo and we will be checking its
capability. Please check the new posting for reprogramming locations. ALL PAGERS MUST BE REPROGRAMMED NO LATER THAN
AUGUST 1st. Please make sure you get to one of the locations posted for reprogramming of you pager.
Monday, July 6 was the
inaugural Heroes Day at
the National Cherry
Festival. The Festival
saluted past and present
Heroes in all branches of
our Armed Forces, Fire
Fighters, First
Responders, Public Safety
and Homeland Security.
Upon arriving at the
National Cherry Festival
Welcome Center,
―Heroes‖ were adorned
with an American Hero
medallion, along with
special extras, and greetings and salutations throughout the Festival grounds and downtown Traverse
City.
Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department provided its Truck One as well as a public education table,
information on the Fire Corps, and the ever popular Sparky.
Thanks to our Public Education volunteers: Kyle Clute, Adam Drewery, Nick Trahair, Curtis
Walters, and Shawn Stinson.
Sparky always lending a helping paw with Traverse City Fire Dept.
Thanks to a lot of support . . . .HEAT was a success! Over 150 teens showed up to see Cartman, morning show host from 95.5 The Zone
emcee HEAT on July 8th at the Inside Out Gallery from 8pm-11pm. HEAT featured headlining act JTX, whose hit songs include Party Like a
Rock Star and Nothing Else Matters, in addition to a special guest D.J. Ricky T,
along with booths, food, giveaway bags with fire and life safety information,
cd’s, and a grand prize drawing worth over $750. Grand Traverse Metro Fire
Department was proud to partner with the National Cherry Festival, Pepsi,
Oneupweb, Mt. Holiday, Third Level Crisis Center, EMI – Virgin Records, and
Hybra Advance Technology, Inc. The first year event had a balanced budget
and received over $14,000 of in-kind support.
Special thanks to all of the volunteers from Metro Fire Department that worked
the event and the firefighters that showed up to support the event: Chief
Parker, Mary and Terry Griggs, Tony and Sara Posey, Kyle Clute, Terry Hall, Joe
Lambert, Mike Wilkins, Chris Childers, Hal Miller, Mike Bryan, Cory Ellis,
Curtis Walters, Zach Protsman, Jeremy Metcalf, Brian Bloom, and special
thanks to Nick Trahair for photos!
Grand Traverse Metro Emergency Services Authority 897 Parsons Rd, Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone (231) 947-3000 www.gtmetrofire.org
Omnis Cedo Domus
Page 4
Fun in the Sun….. Keeping your skin protected, and adding years to your life.
Contributed by: Beth Pryde, GT Metro Wellness Coordinator
Resource: Medicinenet.com,Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s e-zine, WebMD, Mayo Clinic.com
Well I think it may finally be safe to say we are entering summer like weather. I was starting to doubt my choice of article topics with
the cold and cloudy days we have been experiencing. So just in time for the July newsletter publication, the sun is out, and Summer
Sun Skin Protection is the ―Hot Topic‖. (Pun intended!)
So out of all the information reviewed in preparation for this article, there was no debate as how best to protect your skin from sun
damage: Stay out of the Sun! But that wouldn’t be any fun so…….., the next best thing is to wear a ―broad spectrum‖ sunscreen.
Broad spectrum is defined as blocking two types of Ultraviolet rays, UVA and UVB. Most sunscreens in the past, and some even now,
do not have UVA sun protection. Even though UVB rays have been the primary rays associated with sunburns and cancer, UVA rays
have most recently been shown to be the cause of premature skin aging and breakdown of skin cells, as well as cancer. It has been
documented that up to 80% of a person’s lifetime exposure to the sun is acquired before age 18. And thus skin cell damage that could
lead to various skin cancers, are most preventable by taking these precautions early in life and living these habits throughout your life:
∙Limiting direct sun exposure during peak UV radiation times between 10 am and 4 pm ∙Wear sun UV protecting clothing, wear a
wide brim hat
∙Wear Sunglasses with 100% UV protection
∙Liberally and repeatedly use a broad spectrum sunscreen of a minimum of 15 SPF, 365 days a year
Facts you may not know!
SPF (sun protection factor) is how long a sunscreen remains effective on the skin. A user can determine the duration of effectiveness
by multiplying the SPF by the time it takes to suffer a burn without sunscreen. For example a SPF of 15 would allow a person who
would normally burn in 10 minutes, 150 minutes of exposure time. (noting that effectiveness reduces over time and with water
exposure).
Clothing and glass windows do not block all UV rays. They block only 30 % of UVA rays, and most UVB rays. Therefore, they will
prevent serious burns, but not all burning, and aging/wrinkles.
Tanning Beds use UVA rays. They will not burn as readily, however they are a significant cause of premature skin cell aging/
breakdown, wrinkles, and contribute to the onset of some skin cell cancers.
Inappropriate application and amount of sunscreen can drastically reduce the effective SPF of a sunscreen. About 1 ounce (5-6
teaspoons) of sunscreen is the recommended amount to cover the entire body. That is enough to fill a shot glass. In addition,
sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes prior to going outside to allow skin absorption, as well as applied every 2 hours for maximum
protection effectiveness.
Everyone should use sunscreen. Even if you have darker skin pigment and tan easily; if you spend time outdoors during daylight
hours you should wear sunscreen or sun protective clothing. Regardless of skin type, the sun’s energy penetrates deeply into the skin
and damages DNA of the skin cells, which may ultimately lead to skin cancer. At greatest risk are those with fair or freckled skin that
easily burns, light eyed, and with blonde or red hair.
The greatest legacy you can give to your children is health. And as most skin cancers are preventable with the measures mentioned
here, your modeling and teaching of these to your children could be life saving lessons. Previous generations did not have the
knowledge or the products to make the difference. But now with skin cancers on the rise, these simple habits can change the course of
yours and your family’s health.
So in this case vanity is a good reason to make some changes. By limiting sun exposure and using sun protection and sunscreens, not
only can you drastically reduce your risk for skin cancer, but you can reduce age spots, wrinkles, and premature aging of you skin, and
look 10 years younger. Sounds like a WIN- WIN to me!
Grand Traverse Metro Emergency Services Authority 897 Parsons Rd, Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone (231) 947-3000 www.gtmetrofire.org