HomeMy WebLinkAboutrepoct14.pdfEXHIBIT 2015-056
September 16, 2015
Honorable Kate Supron
Board of Trustees
Village of Cayuga Heights
Monthly Report October, 2014
The volunteers of Cayuga Heights had a 51 call month in October. There were 24 calls in
the Village of Cayuga Heights, 22 calls in the Town of Ithaca and 5 mutual aid requests.
We had 28 EMS runs and 23 fire calls. Early in the month we were called to a residence
for an explosion in the home. Arriving units found that the furnace in the basement of the
home had an apparent malfunction causing an explosion. There was no fire and the
residents of the home were uninjured but the furnace had been encased in asbestos.
Crews immediately recognized that this was an incident involving hazardous materials
and started using their SCBAs and continued to the investigation. It was determined
there was no structural damage to the home and after the gas was shut off to the home our
phase of the operation was complete. Crews with SCBAs removed valuables from the
home for the residents and offered further assistance if needed. We returned to the
station and decontaminated all of the equipment used on this call.
October training became very interesting with the threat of the Ebola virus and mandates
from the New York State Health Department on required training for first responders.
The initial mandate required specific equipment and training requirements be
implemented immediately. We quickly purchased the equipment that the CDC said
needed to be used with response to any incident involving Ebola. Even before the order
was issued by the health department we had pulled out our infection control and
decontamination policies to ensure that they were up to date. We scheduled mandatory
department training and prepared all of our equipment. Shortly after we received the
isolation equipment that the CDC and NYS required, they changed the mandatory
minimum equipment needs so we had to order the new required equipment. This was
repeated twice more. We would purchase the equipment that was listed and then the
CDC and NYS would again change the requirements. At this time we have all of the
current required equipment and all of our members are trained to the level mandated in
the order from the health department. We also held training with the Cayuga Heights
Police and gave them isolation kits and boxes of gloves for all of their units.
Additional training in October focused on the two recruit classes held at the end of the
month. All of the recruits attended the first two classes in October and will finish with
the third class on November. The recruit classes are held on Saturdays and require the
recruits and trainers to be there from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. They are
tiring days but very fulfilling for all involved.
All apparatus is in good working order at this time. The new Tahoe arrived late in
October. It is currently at Admiral Emergency Vehicles getting the radio and lighting
equipment installed. We are looking to have it in service in mid November.
We had a meeting with Cornell University on October 23rd to enter into discussion for a
contribution to the upcoming purchase of a new truck as well as the possibility for an
annual contribution to the village for fire protection. We are currently drafting a letter in
advance of a meeting with the Planned Giving Committee at the university.
The air handling units mentioned in last month’s report have been replaced and are
working well. It was discovered in the search for parts that the company that built the air
handling units went out of business in 1995, this was five years before the station was
built. We figured the contractor had these units in storage and used them in the station to
get them out of their storage area. The units we are using to replace the old air handlers
are Trane air handlers. Trane is not in jeopardy of going out of business at this time.
The Cayuga Heights Elementary School first graders visited the station early in the
month. This annual trek from the school to the station is fun for all involved. We do a
fire prevention discussion with the children and then show them the tools and trucks and
end with the Bullex fire extinguisher trainer that allows all the kids to put out actual fire.
We had our Open House the first weekend of the month and although the day was rainy
and cold it was well attended. Late in the month we went down to CHES to speak about
fire prevention with the 4th and 5th graders as part of their health class requirement. On
Halloween the members of the department took the trucks around the Village and Town
and handed out candy to kids of all ages. This is an event that we do every Halloween
and is great public relations for the department.
Until I started on this report I did not realize how busy a month October was for the
department. We managed to get a lot of things accomplished!
Sincerely,
George Tamborelle
Fire Chief/Fire Superintendent