Our Firemen Are Not Just Firemen

[Henry]

Heard our firemen out directing traffic last night in the late evening.  I suspect there may have been an accident somewhere and they were on duty until The Vermont State Police arrived.  This group of local volunteers appears to be on the scene whenever any type of help is needed.  Fire, accident, wind storm, whatever the occasion, you never here, "Thats not my job."

[HayesFXFD17]

 In the days of the first New England fire departments it was an accepted practice to see fire companies literally involved in brawls to see who would get to the fire first and that is all that fire departments did in those days was just "fight fires".

    Since these times the fire department as an organization has evolved from just fighting fires to a multi-operational public defense organization. Services now include Emergency medical services, fire suppression, hazardous materials, public education, fire safety inspections, code enforcement and natural disaster mitigation along with a multitude of other tasks as deemed necessary by the persons initiating the response call. 

    Fire departments nation wide have truly become this countries first line of defense. If a person calls 911 today chances are good their local fire department will be responding regardless of the nature of the call, if the call is not something the fire department can handle they will asses the situation, secure the scene and refer to the proper authority. 



Justin Hayes
Fairfax Deputy Chief

[Julie & 6pt Dave]

And not just in our own neighborhood.   We were returning from a girls spring soccer game in Lundow on Sunday and decided to travel on Rt. 100 for a scenic ride home.  Somewhere south of Warren we came upon a good size tree that stretched across both lanes of the road.  Lucky for us the two cars following ours were being driven by Fairfax fireman who quickly took charge by directing traffic, recruiting additional help from other stranded vehicles and removing the debris from the roadway.  

We are truly fortunate to have such dedicated men and women from both fire and rescue volunteering their time to help in times of need.

Thanks to all of you for the service you provide.

[mirjo]

 Since these times the fire department as an organization has evolved from just fighting fires to a multi-operational public defense organization. Services now include Emergency medical services, fire suppression, hazardous materials, public education, fire safety inspections, code enforcement and natural disaster mitigation along with a multitude of other tasks as deemed necessary by the persons initiating the response call. 

    Fire departments nation wide have truly become this countries first line of defense. If a person calls 911 today chances are good their local fire department will be responding regardless of the nature of the call, if the call is not something the fire department can handle they will asses the situation, secure the scene and refer to the proper authority. 

AND to emphasize all that Justin pointed out, most of these departments are VOlUNTEER. As a member of Fairfax Rescue, I know I am personallly grateful for the fine folks we have have on our Fire Department. There is always someone willing to respond to a rescue call for lift assist even in the middle of the night. There have been a number of times the crew I have been on has had to do this for overall safety. We had a pregnant crew member for a few months and called more often than usual probably, but assitance always arrived when needed.

Let's not forget that they respond to all of the things mentioned and they also TRAIN to respond to all that stuff. It's a huge commitment of time for those committed to it.

I know they hear this a lot, but I'm not sure it can ever be enough. THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!!

[PotterFXFD]

 Thanks for the praise. We do as a department have very dedicated members.

 AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR NEW ONE'S. We meet at the station for training every Tuesday night, if anyone is interested stop by and see what we do and if it is something you can help with. All types are needed the brave strong type for interior work , to anyone with a CDL to drive truck, pull nad roll hose, direct traffic, run pumps and  people to get water, coffee and sandwichs on long calls.


 Stop by and see what it is all about.   It's not as bad as it sounds sometime. There is many of use that have been doing this for many many years. I have 24 yrs in the fire service, must be fun once in awhile.


Chief Dean Potter