​Looking for something to do with the kids being home for the next 5 1/2 weeks?..(yes until May 4th now)….over the next couple of weeks the Alerts are going to be reaching out to our biggest fans and help them learn some very important fire safety tips during this time of instant homeschooling!....Adults are welcome to be a kid also...everybody needs an escape plan!

Our first challenge that we are putting out to everybody is to freshen up on your home fire escape plan....grab some paper, pens, pencils or crayons and draw out your house showing bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, doors, windows and the all important meeting place. Sketch in your "escape' route and then practice your plan!....remember to take those pictures of them drawing and carrying out that plan....and post them on our Facebook page...we can not wait to see those minds working and learning!...

In the spirit of supporting those that always support us, all entries that are posted will be put into a random drawing to receive a $25 gift card to AJ's Trailside Pub - they are still open and doing take-out. We have a stack of gift cards to random Adams restaurants and businesses that we purchased after recently winning the Cardboard Box Carnival at Bousquet Mountain in Pittsfield and felt compelled to give back to the community….Drawing to be held this Friday at 4pm.

A couple of ideas are shown below....

​As mentioned at an earlier monthly meeting, there is a free training opportunity for all members to participate in from the Emergency Responder Safety Institute. ​The Institute serves as an informal advisory panel of public safety leaders committed to reducing deaths and injuries to America's Emergency Responders. Through a special agreement with the Federal Highway Administration, the Responder Safety Learning Network (RSLN) offers a National TIM Training Certificate for registered users who complete ten specific RSLN online self-paced programs.

To earn credit for each program, you must view the program in its entirety and pass the Skills Challenge test. Once you earn credit for all ten programs, you will be able to download a special certificate that is the equivalent of completing the National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Program.

Although we have been lucky with some unseasonably warm temperatures of late, winter training is often an inside affair. Topics like CPR, first aid training and hazmat make up a recognizable staple of training topics. This past Tuesday, training was a bit different as the fire department did a tabletop or a simulation of an actual event, in this case a fire that happened in the eastern part of the state.

First a video showing the fire scene before the local department arrived was shown. Then, using large maps of the area, teams set about enacting a response. Later, using props, each group explained what they planned. Lastly, the video of the actual event was continued, showing what had actually occurred.

Training scenarios like this help make us think about "what if" in our communities: how would we handle this event; how does our policy, procedure, protocol, training, rules, orders etc... apply to this scenario; what would be our turnout, our staffing our equipment response?"

For a 3rd year in a row, Lt. Mike Therrien and his crew of firefighter/cardboard creation masters have successfully competed in a cardboard sled competition, this year taking home the top prize for most creative, a train complete with a locomotive, a flatbed trailer delivering a new fire truck and of course, a caboose! The level of detail was truly outstanding. Congratulations to all those involved in taking part and representing the company so well.