Just because the local wildfire season has been relatively tame doesnít mean that Falconís firefighters have been idle. Here are some recent happenings in the Falcon Fire Protection District.Falcon Fire Department 40th anniversaryOn Aug. 1, Falcon Fire Department members, former members, retirees and their families enjoyed a barbecue and potluck at Station 2. About 110 people showed up to swap stories about the ìold daysî of the department and celebrate its 40 years of service to the Falcon community. New firefighters begin training academyContinuing a legacy of community service, 21 applicants were selected for the FFPD volunteer/reserve firefighter training academy that began Aug. 9. The academy, which utilizes a combination of online classes and weekend hands-on training, is expected to last about six months. The reservists who complete the training and obtain all required certifications will work side by side with paid firefighter/EMTs. Fire Chief Trent Harwig has said previously that he would like to have 20 active volunteers/reservists on the roster.Irons and Ladders trainingOn July 24, the Falcon Fire Protection District hosted a daylong forcible entry class taught by instructors from Irons and Ladders, LLC. About 32 students from eight different fire departments, including FFPD, learned how to defeat security features on residential and commercial doors and windows using basic hand tools such as axes, halligans and pry bars. Instructor Ryan Royal said in an email, ìForcible entry is a very small part of the fire ground, but it is very important and is sometimes underestimated. The quicker we can force entry into a building, the quicker the main (firefighting and rescue) missions can be accomplished.îStudents practiced these skills on realistic props designed and built by the Irons and Ladders crew, who are firefighters with experience in surmounting the very obstacles they present to their classes. Royal described the Irons and Ladders training as ìfor firefighters, by firefighters.î The teamís mission and motivation is ìto mentor and help firefighters get better at their job, and to do everything we can to make citizens safer by helping create well-trained and capable firefighters.î He estimated that more than 1,300 firefighters in Colorado and neighboring states have benefited from this class.LUCAS deviceFFPD now has two LUCASô Chest Compression Systems, thanks to grants from the Farmers State Bank, which helped fund the purchases.The purpose of effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation is to maintain a steady supply of oxygen to the heart and brain. However, performing adequate chest compressions during CPR is tiring, and the quality of those compressions often degrades within a few minutes, even for experienced EMS personnel. Providing consistent, high quality compressions in the back of a moving ambulance can be challenging, and is not possible during transport by helicopter.The LUCASô device mechanically provides safe and efficient chest compressions. This reduces rescuer fatigue, frees up a rescuer to perform other critical procedures, and allows high quality CPR to continue during lengthy and/or challenging transport situations. According to the companyís website (http://lucas-cpr.com/en/), experimental studies show that compressions provided by the LUCASô device actually sustain a higher blood flow to the brain and heart when compared to manual compressions.September is National Emergency Preparedness MonthThis yearís theme is ìDonít wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today.î The Falcon Fire Protection District has joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency in encouraging residents to make a plan and know what to do during an emergency.This includes having an up-to-date contact list for family members, neighbors and anyone else who needs to stay in touch during a disaster. Alternate methods of communication should be identified and established in case landline phones, cell phones and other communications methods are disrupted or not available.For more information about emergency preparedness for families or businesses, go tohttp://ready.gov/septemberhttps://readycolorado.com/prepareFollow FFPD on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/pages/FALCON-FIRE-DEPARTMENTTwitter: @FalconFireDept
