Fire at 185 Pleasant Street

The Willimantic Fire Department responded to a working structure fire at 185 Pleasant Street this morning, at approximately 1:25 hrs. Greeted with heavy fire conditions, first arriving crews escalated the incident to a Second Alarm. Chief Palmer requested a Third Alarm when he arrived and assumed Incident Command. (Images taken by Laura Beecher). Our members made an aggressive transitional (blitz to interior) attack and knocked the bulk of the fire down in 15 to 20 minutes.

Several residents were taken to the hospital for evaluation. They were treated and released. Mutual aid was received from North Windham (to the scene), Windham Center (station coverage), South Windham (air supply), UConn FD ("Rapid Intervention"), Columbia ambulance ("Rehab"), and Lebanon & Mansfield ambulances (patient transport).

For coverage of the fire:

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/windham_cty/burns-received-in-willimantic-fire

http://www.wfsb.com/news/22643144/detail.html

http://www.ctnow.com/news/ctn-willimantic-fire-0223,0,4310330.story

http://www.courant.com/community/windham/ctn-willimantic-fire-0223,0,4401544.story

 

Report for 2009

The Willimantic Fire Department responded to a total of 5,450 emergencies in 2009, which is an increase from 4,872 emergencies in 2008.

For the purposes of this report, emergencies are categorized as either Fire-related or Medical-related (EMS).

Fire-related emergencies totaled 2,001 (5.4 calls per day) in 2009, compared to 1,876 in 2008, representing an increase of 125 calls.

Requests for emergency medical services totaled 3,449 (9.4 emergencies per day) in 2009, compared to 2,996 in 2008, representing an increase of 453 calls.

Willimantic Fire Department apparatus traveled over 19,500 miles within the Town of Windham and neighboring communities.

The Fire Prevention message was presented to over 1,100 children and adults through a formal Public Education outreach program. More then 300 children visited the Willimantic Fire Station and were taught to recognize firefighters during emergencies.

The Department received a $93,933 Assistance to Firefighters FEMA grant, which was used to buy a Washer/Extractor to clean soiled firefighting gear. Also purchased were two medical monitors designed to measure Carbon Monoxide levels in the human body. Members were trained and outfitted for Swift Water Rescue, anticipating the opening of a Whitewater park on the Willimantic River. Special communication equipment was purchased for use in confined spaces (e.g. below-grade rescue). Last, the grant provided a ruggedized, military-spec lap top computer for incident management in challenging conditions.

The grant was received through the direct efforts of a grant committee, which did an outstanding job with the application. This is the fourth grant the Willimantic Fire Department has received from FEMA in the last ten years, for a total exceeding $600,000. The Willimantic firefighters continue to work hard applying for grants to help reduce our cost for operations, and the impact on local taxpayers.

Chocolate Festival

This weekend marks the annual celebration of all things related to romance and love with the observance of Valentine's Day. According to local celebrity David Fenn, Willimantic has been dubbed "Romantic Willimantic" by the people who, well...rhyme.

Seriously though, Willimantic is the host of the annual Chocolate Festival each year on the weekend closest to Valentine's Day. The festival is always quite indulgent with many opportunities to sample various chocolate items at participating vendors around town. To see the festival flier, go to www.romanticwillimantic.org

What does this have to do with the fire department? We'll be hosting a bouncy castle tomorrow, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, during the Downtown Chocolate Chip Stroll. Bring the kids/grandkids by and visit the firefighters!

Looking Forward to 2010

As January draws to a close, we look forward to the remainder of 2010 with cautious optimism. We're cautious, because we are concerned what the poor economy will mean for the services we provide. We optimistic because we have a new form of government and fresh faces in the Town Hall. The Town of Windham has transitioned to a Town Manager/weak Mayor/Town Council form of government--and so far it looks like it's going to work well.

Speaking of change, our department is undergoing significant change as well. Peter Smat was recently promoted to Captain, replacing Captain Jim Jensen (Ret.). Chief Palmer is retiring at the end of March, and the Deputy Chief will be serving as Acting Chief for the foreseeable future. Once the Chief departs, all of our officers will be between 36 and 44 years old. We've become a very young department.

Peter Smat was serving as Training Instructor and Public Education Coordinator prior to his promotion. Bob Golas has assumed the Training Instructor role now, and he's assisted by Natalie Siebecker. Bob also teaches for the Hartford County Fire School as an Adjunct Instructor, so he's well-qualified. Natalie is also assuming the role of Public Education Coordinator.

Our number one goal for 2010 is to go through a seamless transition to an interim Chief and continue to provide quality services to the Service District and the Town of Windham.

Second, and concurrently, we need to look at quality of life issues for our staff. We will ask ourselves, Are there any adjustments we can make--within our budgetary reality--that will make things better for our staff?

Third in this list, but not third in importance, we will need to continue to evaluate safety. What can we do to improve the safety of our firefighters? There may be some opportunities for changes in our operations, which will create a safer work environment. As the nation continues to see infrastructure deterioration from the recession, we need to work even harder to ensure all of our people go home safe and whole at the end of the day.

The remainder of the year looks like it will be a challenge for many reasons, but I think we're up to it--and we certainly must be...as people will need our services more than ever.