Fire district #5 sees major improvements
In the past year, Marion County Fire District 5 (Lincolnville) has seen a lot of changes, according to fire chief Lester Kaiser.
In July 2005, MCFD5 applied for and was awarded a 100 percent grant for a thermal imager camera.
This grant was funded by Department of Homeland Security under the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP).
The thermal imager camera, which is made by Bullard, allows firefighters to perform rescue operations in dense smoke by allowing them to see where they are going and to see any victims which may be in the house.
Without this device, firefighters would be virtually blind until ventilation removes the smoke to allow better visibility.
The thermal cam performs many other tasks besides allowing firefighters to see in thick smoke. It allows them to locate hot spots after a fire is extinguished so firefighters may eliminate them with minimal damage to the structure. Traditional methods involved cutting holes in walls and ceilings to locate hot spots and spot fires inside the walls.
The thermal cam also allows firefighters to locate hot outlets and light ballasts which could lead to a fire. It also can be used after dark to search for victims or lost people and to locate victims from boating accidents or persons in the water who are not below the surface.
The thermal cam also allows firefighters to track the flow of hazardous materials on the ground and water by sensing the temperature difference between the hazardous material and the surface it is on. This was a major step for the department.
Fire truck
In November 2005, the department purchased a new fire truck. It is a 1999 Central States pumper which is equipped with a four-man cab, a 1,500 gallons per minute pump, and a 1,000-gal. water tank.
The four-man cab allows firefighters to respond in one vehicle, allowing time to discuss the strategy to be used upon arrival at the emergency scene.
The four-man cab also allows firefighters to be dressed and ready to commence operations upon arrival at the scene. Seat-back cutouts allow firefighters to put on air packs enroute to the scene, saving precious time.
The truck also is equipped with full size compartments on both sides of the vehicle to carry all equipment that could be needed.
This vehicle, though large, is easy to handle and maneuver in what some may consider tight spaces. It is equipped with a device that deploys tire chains at the flip of a switch when needed. This could be a great help in the winter time when there is ice on the roads.
EMS first response
For about the past 15 years, Lincolnville has had a first response vehicle for use by department EMTs to respond to medical emergencies and vehicle accidents.
This has now changed. The new fire truck is being utilized as a medical first response vehicle as well as a fire truck. This is a change from the norm for Lincolnville and for Marion County.
With this vehicle also acting as a first response vehicle, it provides many benefits to the responders and to the people the district serves. Not a transporting unit, the truck carries all the items that are needed to provide first response service for a medical incident, any special rescue incident, vehicle accident, agriculture accident, or any other emergency.
Having rescue tools on the same vehicle reduces the number of vehicles on scene, and the four-man cab allows discussion of strategy and tactics enroute to the scene, same as for fire incidents. The four-man cab also allows additional personnel to respond with EMS to assist as needed, whether it is carrying equipment or helping to lift or move a patient.
ISO rating change
One of the most exciting things that has happened to MCFD 5 and the citizens of Lincolnville is that the department recently was re-rated by the Insurance Service Office.
This agency evaluates fire departments and has a significant impact on the price of fire insurance paid by residents and businesses.
Lincolnville was re-rated from an ISO public protection class 9 to an ISO public protection class 8, which should save approximately 15 percent on homeowners' insurance for fire protection and about the same for businesses.
This rating change was a major step forward. The process took about one and one-half to two years of preparation, including a lot of training within the department and training with other departments in the county.
The rating change was not accomplished single-handedly. It was a group effort by a number of departments, including MCFD 5 (Lincolnville), MCFD 6 (Lost Springs), MCFD 3 (Ramona), Marion Fire Department, and Herington Fire Department.
For approximately the past three years, these departments along with others have been training to do water shuttle operations. A water shuttle utilizes tankers to haul water from a water source such as a tank, pond, stream, or hydrant to the site of a fire and dump it into a portable tank from which the fire department draws to fight the fire.
In order to lower the ISO rating, a fire department must meet certain requirements regarding equipment, training, department information and records and, most importantly, the availability of water, either from a hydrant or a source at the scene.
The ISO evaluation certified that the department was able to meet all the criteria.
