EMS Levy and Fire Commissioner Elections — Our emergency medical services (EMS) levy renewal is on the general election ballot this fall. There is also a contested election for one of the five seats on our Board of Fire Commissioners. Of course, we would never tell you how to vote but we will always welcome questions about the fire district. Call us at 360-297-3619. And don’t forget that ballots must be put into a dropbox (there’s one at our headquarters fire station, another at Village Green, one at the Indianola tennis courts and at Norwegian Point Park in Hansville) or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Practicing for Proficiency in Pediatrics — Many thanks to the Medic One Foundation for awarding us a grant that covered nearly 3/4 of the $5,400 cost for a pediatric training mannequin. This specialized equipment gives our crews the opportunity to practice their life-saving skills in a realistic setting. Paramedics and EMTs can use it to practice establishing secure airways, starting intravenous lines, removing foreign body airway obstructions, doing chest compressions and much more. The Medic One Foundation also provides support to the Michael K. Copass, MD Paramedic Training Program at the University of Washington’s Harborview Medical Center. Two of our firefighters, Kaleb Murray and Janelle Randles, are the seventh and eighth NKF&R members to be accepted into this intensive, ten-month program. The foundation also helps ensure that emergency medical personnel across the region can keep their skills sharp through continuing education opportunities. In October, members of our A-Shift used the new pediatric mannequin to simulate a full response to a child choking incident, performing the “rescue” in front of our Board of Fire Commissioners.
Take Winter By Storm — By now, your winter preparations should be well underway. If you have a woodstove or wood-burning fireplace, the chimney should already have been cleaned and inspected by a certified sweep. You’ve got a supply of fresh batteries to power flashlights in the event of power outages, and your generator is situated where its exhaust won’t send dangerous fumes into the home’s living spaces or ignite adjacent combustibles. You’ve got food and water stored in case downed trees or snow and ice prevent you from getting out to shop. For more tips on getting prepared for the season, see Seattle-King County’s handy website: www.takewinterbystorm.org
Kingston Prepares – Join us and several other community groups on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Village Green Community Center as Kingston comes together to raise awareness and take crucial steps towards disaster preparedness with help from noted speaker and author Scott James, nationally acclaimed for his work helping households and communities become disaster-resistant.
Stand By Your Pan — With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we’re thinking about food and the fact that this delicious holiday is second to none for home cooking fires. More of these types of fires break out on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year. The majority of cooking fires break out when pans are left unattended on the stove. So, the first line of defense is to stay in the kitchen — or, “stand by your pan.” If fire does break out, you’ll see it and be able to snuff it quickly. Everyone knows that it’s a bad idea to put water on a pan fire. But we also don’t want you to use a fire extinguisher on it or throw baking soda at it. Neither method is effective. The best thing to do is to put a lid on it, and turn off the heat. Simple and safe.
From our family to yours, best wishes for a very safe and happy Thanksgiving!
