The Kent Island VFD Life Safety Division recently hosted Kent Island Cub Scout Pack #495 at Station #1 where the scouts learned about Safety and Firefighting from Life Safety Officer Dave Reid and his daughter, FF Chelsea Reid. 

The scouts learned about the equipment firefighters use to protect themselves from the heat and toxic gases.  In addition, the group was trained in home safety in the departments Safety Trailer which uses safe smoke to teach the children how its safer at the floor, and how a heated door means there could be fire on the other side.

While we pride ourselves on our ability to respond to emergencies in our community, teaching Safety and preventing the need for our services is much more beneficial.

Thanks to Dave and Chelsea for their dedication and commitment to the Life Safety Program.

Photos by Elena Butler... Thank You

THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS WERE ELECTED TO LEAD THE KENT ISLAND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR 2012. 

CONGRATULATIONS! WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER VERY SUCCESSFUL YEAR.

ADMINISTRATIVE:

       President:  Jody Schulz

       Vice President:  Don Lewis

       Board of Directors:  Dave Reid, "Pops" Gellert and Grace Gardner

       SECRETARY: ANNIE GARDNER

OPERATIONS:

       Chief:  Buddy Thomas

       1st Asst. Chief:  Tracy Schulz

        2nd Asst. Chief:  Paul Schlotterbeck

        EMS Asst. Chief:  Jeff Reiss

        Suppression Captain:  Bobby Finck

        EMS Captain: Steve Andrews

        EMS Lieutenant:  Francis "Mo" Mowbray

CONGRATULATIONS to ROBBIE DALZIEL and CHRIS FARRELL who have successfully completed the Firefighter I training class.

The objective of the Firefighter I course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to safely and effectively perform basic firefighting operations as part of a firefighting team.

Robbie and Chris have been trained to understand and apply principles of fire behavior; building construction; water distribution systems; fixed fire protection systems; ventilation; hose streams; fire prevention; and inspections, ladders, and rescue techniques.

Major topics covered in the course are the fire department organization, communications, incident command system, ropes and knots, fire behavior, safety, fire prevention, personal protective equipment, fire extinguishers, respiratory protection, ventilation, hose lines, forcible entry, search and rescue procedures, and ladder and sprinkler systems.  

Numerous Kent Island Volunteer Fire Dept. Members and Cadets travelled to the Easton Airport Tuesday, Dec. 13th for a familiarization on Maryland State Police Medevac, Trooper #6.

A special Thanks to Sgt. Chad Gainey for providing an excellent tour and familiarization with the medevac helicopter.   Medevac operations are an important part of emergency services operations and a critical link in our joint lifesaving mission.

THE HISTORY OF THE AVIATION COMMAND…

http://www.mspaviation.org/

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command was established in 1961 to provide airborne law enforcement and aerial search and rescue support for the Maryland State Police and allied law enforcement agencies in Maryland and its neighbors. Since then our missions have included routine traffic patrol, monitoring of special events, surveillance of criminal activity, tracking of escapees and suspects, and searches for missing children. Advances in technology have allowed us to enhance our capabilities throughout the use of Forward Looking Infrared (the "FLIR") and the 30,000,000 candle power Nite Sun search light on State Police Helicopters. These tools allow helicopter crews to see deep into the night to locate hiding criminals or lost children and direct ground units to their location. The helicopter provides a panoramic platform for the police commander to evaluate an event, allowing for a more efficient operation. During a vehicle pursuit, ground units may reduce their speed and the suspect vehicle can be observed from above with the pursuit terminating until safer conditions prevail. This helps shelter citizens from the fleeing vehicle. You can't outrun a helicopter.

On March 19, 1970 our role was expanded and the world of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was changed forever. On that day, we were the first civilian agency to transport a critically injured trauma patient by helicopter. Never before had this been done in a non-military setting.

The driving force behind this expansion into the area of medical evacuation (medevac) was Dr. R Adams Cowley. Dr. Cowley, the founder of Shock Trauma in Baltimore, believed that medevac transportation of critically injured patients to Shock Trauma would save lives. He was right. Since the early 1970's, Shock Trauma and the Maryland State Police have earned a worldwide reputation as the leaders in trauma care.

Today the Aviation Command performs five separate mission profiles using the same aircraft and crew: medevac, aerial law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment.

What began with one helicopter to cover the entire state has grown to include Helicopter Sections, Maintenance Operations , Support Operations and Administration . Since 1970, the helicopter sections of the Aviation Command have completed over 180,000 missions and have transported over 120,000 patients.

The Aviation Command also operates a Fixed Wing Section with two fixed wing aircraft. The twin engine airplane is used primarily to extradite prisoners who are wanted by the State of Maryland. The smaller single engine airplane is used for selected law enforcement missions (such as speed enforcement, surveillance and crime scene photography) at a significant cost saving compared to a helicopter.

The Aviation Command is the only flight program in Maryland that performs medevac, aerial law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment.

We hope to continue to improve the services we provide well into the new millennium.

 

excerpted from the simple truths website.. www.simpletruths.com/

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,400 - with no balance carried from day to day - what would you do? Well, you do have such a bank... your time.

Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as "lost" whatever you have failed to use toward good purposes. It carries over no balances and allows no overdrafts. You can't hoard it, save it, store it, loan it or invest it. You can only use it - time.

Here are six terrific truths about time:

First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time.

Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results.

Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use.

Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use.

Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone.

Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities.

I can't think of a better way to spend your few precious minutes of time than to spend it with Kent Island Fire Dept. serving the emergency needs of your friends, neighbors and relatives. If you would like to know more about how you can put your valuable time to good use and save a life in the process, come see us at 1610 Main St. we have a good story to tell about the service we provide.


See you at the firehouse.
 

A Two car crash Thursday evening on Eastbound Rt. 50 brought your Kent Island Volunteer Fire and EMS personnel to the scene and closed the highway backing traffic up on the Bay Bridge to the Western Shore.  Operators of both  vehicles had to be extricated and were then transported to Shock Trauma in Baltimore by Maryland State Police Medevac Helicopter.  Asst. Chief Schlotterbeck had the Rt. 50 Command.  Mutual aid was received from Grasonville VFD and Queen Anne's County DES. 

CONGRATULATIONS to Cadet Matt Nation who has successfully completed the Cadet Program and has been voted into the Senior Department as a full member. 

As a Cadet, Matt has done a great job.  He is always helpful around the station, takes advantage of all of the training opportunities and has a strong desire to learn new things and to advance himself in the world of Emergency Services. 

We look forward to Matt becoming more involved in the department as he progresses through training as an Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter while maturing and gaining more experience. 

Good Job Matt, keep up the GREAT WORK!

From the Kent Island Bay Times
Published: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 10:45 AM CDT
CHESTER The Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department has recently undergone an insurance rating evaluation by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The ISO is an independent organization that rates a fire department's ability to protect its constituents against fire. This is the first time the department has been evaluated by the ISO since 1990. ISO uses a rating scale, from 1 to 10, when determining the effectiveness of the overall fire protection in a community. Lower numbers result in better insurance rates for residents and business owners and shows the community that they have better fire protection. The ISO rating that was in effect since 1990 was 7 in areas with fire hydrants such as Bay City and Cloverfields. The rating in non-hydrant areas such as Marling Farms and Love Point was 9. After the lengthy evaluation process, the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department improved the ratings to a 8B in non-hydrant areas and a very good rating of 5 in areas with hydrants. This improved rating became effective Monday.

What these numbers mean to the average resident is a possible reduction in their homeowners insurance premiums. The possible savings on a $350,000 home could be a $150-200 reduction in their premium. Residents and business owners are encouraged to contact their insurance agent to see what this new rating will mean to them.

The Insurance Services Office Public Protection Classification rating is used by most insurance companies in marketing, underwriting, and to help establish fair premiums for homeowners and commercial fire insurance policies. Assistant Fire Chief Paul Schlotterbeck, who led this evaluation for the fire department, said that the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department plans to use the information obtained during this evaluation to continue to improve operations, equipment and training in order to provide the community with the best possible fire protection and thereby lowering insurance rates.

Over the last year, a representative from the ISO made several visits to the community and met with fire department, water, and emergency services personnel. The Kent Island VFD would like to thank Alan Quimby and Joe Haxton of the Queen Anne's County Sanitary District and Chief Robbie Blackiston of the Queen Anne's County Department of Emergency Services Communications Division for their efforts and assistance during this evaluation, Schlotterbeck said.

The Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department is comprised of friends and neighbors who volunteer their time to protect the residents and visitors of Kent Island. The department is continually seeking new members for all types of duties.

In addition to firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, Schlotter-beck said the department also needs help with fundraisers and administrative duties.

"We have a great cadet program for youth from ages 14-16. Cadets participate in training and learn from experienced personnel," he said, adding that training is free.

New members are provided with all equipment and the training is free. Stop by the firehouse, pick up an application and find out how rewarding it is to help your friends and neighbors when an emergency hits home.

THANKS TO ASST. CHIEF SCHLOTTERBECK FOR ALL OF HIS HARD WORK WITH ISO IN THEIR EFFORTS TO EVALUATE OUR CAPABILITIES.

CONGRATULATIONS to our members JoAnne Donovan and Donnie Eller who have successfully completed the Maryland Fire-Rescue Institute Instructor II Course.  This 30 hour course provided training in the five-step process for planning and training management; needs analysis; course objectives; task analysis; lesson plan components; formats; creating, modifying, adapting, and using lesson plans; testing and evaluation; management and supervision of training; policies records, scheduling, and standards; recruiting and selecting instructors; and budget and resource management.

Instruction included lectures, discussions, exercises use of audio/visual material, presentations/reports, development of a research paper, observations, development and presenting a training program.

Successful completion of this course prepares JoAnne and Donnie to be able to plan and develop all aspects of course curriculum, including a needs analysis, task analysis, course goals and objectives, a lesson plan, instructional support materials, and evaluation instruments.

Please join us in congratulating JoAnne and Donnie on their accomplishment.

Station #1units were alerted for an MVC in the 1-6 box for a vehicle that had left the roadway. Rescue 1, Engine 14, Ambulance 1, Paramedic 100 and Chief 10 responded. The vehicle was traveling northbound on Rt. 8 when for unknown reasons, the vehicle spun off the roadway into a tree. Paramedic 100 transported the patient to a local emergency room with apparent minor injuries.