While we are not done yet, the committee working on the rooms led by Forman Mallett, Andy Gigliotti, Dave Lennon, Josh Sworzen and Dana Labee would like to take a moment to give everyone an update. As we finish up refreshing on our meeting room after being inturpted by the pandemic of 2020, it is interesting to note the one item in the room that didn't get removed during construction...the memorial placque, became a fixture of the room back in 1964. Many members can find a grandparent, parent, uncle, brother or other relative amoungst the names of deceased firefighters going all the way back to the charter members. As shown in this Transcript photo, 115 names were on the placque when it went up. Today, the original placque has additional placques on either side as room for names quickly ran out. So while we enjoy the new lighting, flooring, decor and colors that have changed, take a moment to reflect on our tradition and those who added their touches so many years ago. Luckily in the firehouse, some things remain the same. Pictures of the work done by the committee on the room are shown below in the included slideshow.

The website now has added pages for both official Facebook streams, the Adams Fire Department and the Alert Hose Company. You can find the latest posts in the drop-down menu under News. Go check them out!

As we all are dealing with the ramifications of our present reality of COVID-19 based restrictions, the Adams Fire Department is directing its members to courses offered at the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute. The UL FSRI Fire Safety Academy is a special software application developed for the delivery, administration, documentation, tracking and reporting of educational materials developed to disseminate the research findings of the UL FSRI and ultimately increase the knowledge of the fire service. Topics include tactics, fire suppression, fire dynamics and firefighter safety.

The Fire Safety Academy is designed for the fire service, but registration is open to everyone, at no cost. To register, visit the Sign Up page, provide your name, a valid email address and password. A verification email will be automatically sent to the address provided. Once verified, this will become the USER NAME for accessing the Fire Safety Academy via the Sign In page.

The new courses are:

• Cardiovascular and Chemical Exposure Risks During Training
  
• Residential Attic and Exterior Fires
  
• Positive Pressure Attack
  
• Understanding and Fighting Basement Fires
  
• Firefighter Safety and Photovoltaic Systems
  
• Impact of Ventilation on Fire Patterns
  
• Impact of Horizontal Ventilation on Fire Behavior

​**IMPORTANT- The Fire Safety Academy allows department Training Officers to access and to track your training. During the sign up process you simply identify your department by Fire Department Identification Number or FDID# (Adams Fire Department 3004).

Thank you to artist Peter Vacchina who left this Mosaic of hope that he created in front of the station. The note attached stated "I would like to leave this 'Mosaic of Hope' here, in your honor, as attribute to what all of you are doing for us during this pandemic. I am placing mosaics in locations around our community as a reminder We Are All in This 2GTHR.”
The Mosaic will remain where he left it throughout this crisis.  Once again, thank you Mr. Vacchina.

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?"