Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG 45 HCFR Engine Crew Helps Celebrate Community By Vivian McIlrath, Public Education Technician Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Engine 25-A, serving the Plant City/Springhead area of Hillsborough County, educated families and members of the St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church. The church was honoring the pastor who has been leading his congregation for 21 years. Children and families were able to speak to the firefighters, ask questions, learn about fire safety and became junior firefighters by using the booster line to knock down the cones. Great job by Captain Anita Blackmon, Driver/Engineer Ryan Stevens, and Firefighter Jarrod Smith. Lake County Launches HAZMAT Medic Program By Elisha Pappacoda, Public Information Officer When an emergency occurs and noxious gases permeate the air, Lake County Fire Rescue’s Special Operations Response Team (SORT) is at the ready to respond and rescue citizens from danger. But what happens when the rescuers also need rescuing? That’s where the new HAZMAT Medic Program comes in, aimed at ensuring firefighters are safely treated for toxic exposures at hazardous incidents. The new specialized equipment and medications are now available on all three of the county’s SORT units. Firefighters will be able to treat patients - including firefighters who are most susceptible - for exposure to gas irritants, asphyxiants, corrosive gases, hydrocarbons, cholinergics, cyanide, and even weapons of mass destruction. With the HAZMAT Medic Program, the patient can begin receiving life-saving treatment on site before being transported to the nearest hospital. “Lake County’s Type II HAZMAT Team is the first of its kind in the state to offer this level of advanced medical capability,” said Lake County Fire Rescue Chief Jim Dickerson. “A program such as this is an asset to the county and is deployable throughout the region.” Ocala Firefighters’ Special Operations Training By Ashley Lopez, Public Information Officer On May 9, Ocala Fire Rescue firefighters cracked the egg – A.K.A. the shell of a vehicle – at Gavin’s U-Pull It, as part of a Special Operations Training Drill. Using pre-planned scenarios, two Training Captains guided fifteen OFR Special Operations team members through vehicle accident scene re-creations, each requiring different means to achieve the same end – freeing a victim from their vehicle. “Crack the Egg is a technique used only on four-door vehicles with a uni-body frame”; explained Training Captain Adam McCormick. “With this method, firefighters create an opening from the back of the vehicle that is inverted, and blocked from either side. The rear of the vehicle is then lifted, creating an aperture that allows firefighters to access and retrieve the victim(s) who would otherwise be inaccessible.” The Special Operations team also covered a technique called tunneling – an alternative method of retrieving individuals from a vehicle that is upside down; dash pulls and dash lifts – used to provide relief to a front-seat driver or passenger with a dash on their lap; and third-door conversions – creating a door-like opening on a two-door vehicle, to access a back-seat passenger. Palm Beach Gardens New Recruits By Shon Broedell, Deputy Chief of Operations/PIO The City of Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue is pleased to announce the addition of six new Fire Medics and one new Code Compliance Officer to the Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue family. Pictured L-R: Giovanni Prato, Jahwann McIntyre, Nick Johnson, Mike Ilarraza, Christina Freiria, Dave Duval, Ben Carter Hillsborough County Welcomes New Firefighters By Vivian McIlrath, Public Education Technician On Friday, May 12, 2017, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue welcomed its newest class of firefighters. With 39 recruits, these were the first set of recruits to train in the new HCFR Headquarters. Congratulations to firefighters: Nathan Schaedler, Thomas Tormey, Jerrad Huprich, Zackary Cook, Juanita Benjamin, Michael Gross, Marcus Johnson, John Binkley, Goran Birach, Louis Cobb II, Dimitrios Hatzileris, Vincent Diorio, Esteban Pinto, Richard Meyer, George Vazoulas, Jonathan Faedo, Ashley Taylor, Daniel Rivera, Devin Page, Noel Castro, Montrell Degree, Justin Murphy, Stephen Waszak III, Antonio Sepulveda, Bradley McAllister, Michael Geiger, Stephen Walker, Samuel Hernandez, Joseph Contino, Michael Hathaway, Dereck Alcala, Steven Rosario, Hunter Galarneau, Cody Hayes, Mathew Czaster, Justin Rose, Louis Fernandez IV, Jacob Sulkowski, and Robert Porter Jr. Spring is Here By Lauri McMahon, PEIR Officer It’s common to see baby animals outside during spring, as a new generation makes its way into the world. It’s not uncommon to see a mother duck trying to cross the street with her ducklings close behind, or if you’re in a rural area, having baby bears raid your garbage. Just recently, Iona-McGregor Fire District firefighters were called by a resident about some ducklings that had fallen in a storm drain. This is very common and we usu- ally get a call or two regarding this each spring. The crew at Station 72 off of McGregor responded and retrieved the six ducklings from the drain at Catalpa Cove. Firefighter Matt Gorka and Lieutenant Khalid Aquil are seen here retrieving the babies. Engineer Mitch Rabenbauer was also on the scene to assist. The babies were reunited with their mother and all are well. July 2017 FFS.QXD 6/29/17 9:56 AM Page 45