UPDATES - Please read the entire page for Updates

Welcome to Pine Village Volunteer Fire Department 

Note 1: If there is an (*) beside a number, it means that the month is not closed out yet, and the numbers are not final, once they are final, we will change them to show .

Note 2: 

UPDATE: We had one of our members complete a Child Seat Safety Technician.  This is important because we are able to now provide in general an "on-call/per request" from those in our area (Conway, Pine Village, Mayflower, etc.).  We will be adding a request as a "link to fill" which will go directly to CPT Herpel, and this will allow those interested to speak with him.

FOR NOW: We will be operating on a "per-request" status.  If people want to have their child seat, child seat installation checked out, fill out the "link to fill" request and CPT Herpel will set up a time for you to meet at the station and get checked out.  

In the future: We will figure out a child seat event.  The amount of coordination involved is where it takes it much longer than the simple "hey can you look at my car seat," type of situation.  However, there were already talks started prior to the taking of the class.  We will definitely make sure that everyone knows when one is going to happen.

GRANT REQUEST UPDATE

- DENIED - 1.  Extractor - This is for cleaning our gear since we cannot bring it into our homes due to the carcinogens that are trapped in the gear from structure fires. - DENIED -

2.  Tanker/Pumper - While we are on the list for a Forestry tanker, we are extremely far down the list.  We were supposed to get that tanker last year.  When we checked on it last year, they said it could be a few years.  So, I got bids and we submitted a grant to cover that.

3.  We are trying to submit for total SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) replacement.  The main issue with this is the number of fires that we get, and the potential for us having to go into a fire, it limits us.    We have in our SOP that each entry crew needs to check each other's air level and that they have their PASS turned on.  Then either the Health and Safety Officer (HSO) who is running the safety on the scene, or the Incident Commander is running the scene as a whole.  The HSO is there to supervise safety.  The rule that we are operating under is the 1/3 rule.  What that means is that the crews allocate 1/3 for entry, 1/3 for egress, and 1/3 for emergency use.  So, we need to get tanks that hold up better, and the air turns on the "Integrated PASS device."  It is called Integrated because there is no manual turning on their PASS device.  The safety level is much higher.

- DENIED - 4(1).  We wrote for Extrication equipment.  The Extrication equipment will go on our "Second Due/Crash/Rescue Engine."  This will provide us the ability to conduct Rescue without calling out any other departments. - DENIED -

4.  Back-Up Grant - We wrote for Extrication equipment.  The Extrication equipment will go on our "Second Due/Crash/Rescue Engine."  This will provide us the ability to conduct Rescue without calling out any other departments.

5.  We wrote for a second Automatic External Defibrillator.  We have one, but we are attempting to increase the level of medical protection for our residents.

6.  Inside that grant in #5 we also wrote for 10 replacement radios.  We have radio issues, and we are trying to improve our communication abilities.

       The reason for explaining all of this is so that everyone that we serve knows what is going on.  We have 2-5 (or more) grants that we will be writing for within the next several months.  What we are going to be working towards is any kind of shortfalls from any of the grants above.  Everything that we have coming up that we are going to be writing for is going to be "third-party" grants.  So, we will be filling in for those 6 items because they are the top priority for us.  If we do get the grants, follow on requests will be:

1.  NexGen 51 gear - This new style of gear is a combination of Wildland gear/Extrication Gear.  I am going into 20 years of Fire/Rescue (with a career in the Army right after the September 11, 2001 attacks), and when I first started, we ALWAYS wore our Bunker (Structural Gear) for everything.  When I went through my second Academy it was in California, and this was when I started seeing a different type of gear, that being the wildland gear.  The NexGen 51 takes it further.  Instead of us wearing a $10,000.00 set of Structural Gear to an extrication where they easily can get cut up, the NexGen gear is lighter and it affords people to use that on both wildland and extrication calls.

2.  Cairns XF1 Helmets - Me being a traditional firefighter, I looked at the "European style helmets," and I swore I would never wear one.  I actually bought one on my own after talking to several departments that use them, and they said that they loved them.  A problem that we have is our helmets getting hung up on things.  These do not do that.  So, I will write for helmet replacement when the new round of grants comes along.

3.  From there we will continue to evaluate how we are going to be able to serve the community better.

GRANT UPDATE (cont)

- We will be writing for a different type of extrication equipment in the next set of grants.  It is going to be for a couple of reasons.

         1.  The COST, we are striking out grant after grant.  So, I am thinking that potentially, if we reduce the 

              cost, then maybe we will not get rejected so much.

         2.  Storage capabilities -  The new ones that we are going to write for we will have more room for them

         3.   Portability - The difference between the ones that we were originally submitting for versus the ones 

               that we will be submitting is over $10,000.00

-  If we strike out on the remaining grants, we will most likely be using a grant writer for at least one grant, and then we will be able to reflect on what they write and then be able to use the way that (s)he writes.

Again, thank you to those who visit the page, if you have questions, there is a comment link.