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A publication by the staff of the City of Boca Raton Fire-Rescue Services Department
BOCA FIRE RESCUE NET
November/December 2010
FIRE CHIEF REPORT
By:
Thomas R. Wood
CFO
1st Place and 2nd Place in the
Flagler County ALS Competition
Wow…it doesn’t get much better than
this! Our “A Team” comprised of Shea
Miller, Jeff Lazzeri, James Haag and
Ryan Hardy took 1st Place and “B
Team” with Robert Parks, Evan Gaub,
Mike Sember and Jon Vought won 2nd
Place at the Flagler County ALS Competition. The competition was held on
October 23rd and 24th for a full 24
hours. In that time frame, each team
handled 12 scenarios and 36 patients.
They had short breaks for meals and
about a one hour nap. The scenarios
were all different and set in various
areas of Flagler County. The scenarios
included riding all terrain vehicles
http://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/fire/newsletters.shtm
(ATVs) and helicopters. They included
confined space entries and rappelling.
There were 12 other teams in the competition from as far away as Nebraska.
We can certainly be proud of our teams.
Due to the sheer excellence of taking the
top two spots, all team members were
awarded Department Excellence Awards
on November 3rd, which are inscribed
with the Vince Lombardi quote; "The quality
of a person's life is in direct proportion to their
commitment to excellence, regardless of their
chosen field of endeavor." Congratulations!
Randolph Mantooth “Johnny Gage”
speaks at the 6500 Building
In his acting role as “Johnny Gage” of
the hit TV show “Emergency!” Randy
provided inspiration for many to pursue
careers in Fire Rescue/EMS. Our own
EMS Captain Shaun Fix said that he is
here today because of the inspiration of
“Emergency!” when he was a child.
Randy’s character was portrayed in a
very positive light, and it provided
credibility for the paramedic profession.
“Emergency!” may have been the best
marketing tool to enhance Emergency
Medical Services throughout this country. Although there is no proof of a
direct connection…while the original
“Emergency!” television broadcasts
were televised from 1972 through 1979,
Boca Raton was in the process of formulating its paramedic program in 1973
and launched it in 1974.
Randy’s acting career took him in many
other directions; however, he continued
to support Fire Rescue and EMS. His
personal experience with carbon monoxide poisoning in 1975 and his real life
rescue by two paramedics that day has
lead to his current campaign to make
firefighters aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide during overhaul and to
seek medical monitoring and rehabilitation at fire scenes. This is what brought
him to speak at the 6500 Building auditorium. Randy’s support has been exemplified by his service as the honorary
chairman and spokesperson of the
County of Los Angeles Fire Museum
Association since 2005. In appreciation
of his lifetime of support and inspiration, Randy was presented with the
Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services
Team A: Shea Miller, Jeff Lazzeri, James Haag, Ryan Hardy/Chief Wood/ Team B: Evan Gaub, Robert Parks, Jonathan Vought, Mike Sember
Picture by Jay Bell
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Page 2
“Excellence Award” on October 20,
2010. The award is inscribed with the
Vince Lombardi quote; "The quality of a
person's life is in direct proportion to their
commitment to excellence, regardless of
their chosen field of endeavor."
Retirement
Firefighter Kenny Clark
will be retired by the
time this newsletter goes
to print. His last shift
day was October 28,
2010. Ken started his
career on January 10,
1977, and finished with 33.8 years of
service. Ken achieved the rank of Lieutenant (Captain today) during his short
three years in the Fire & Life Safety
Division between June 1990 and September 1993. Ken was also a “Charter
Member” of our Honor Guard Team
(1992-1994). Captain Bob Diaz wrote
the best tag line in one of Ken’s evaluations: “…FF Clark is a pleasure to
work with…”. Ken…Best wishes for
your retirement!
F.Correeggio
Chief Tom Wood presenting Randolph Mantooth with the “Excellence”
Save the Date
The Annual Holiday Party is scheduled for Friday, December 3, 2010. The
Benevolent should be releasing more details very soon.
Happy Thanksgiving and
Happy Holidays!
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Page 3
OPERATIONS
By:
Glenn Joseph
Deputy Chief
First, I would like to congratulate Irena
Elmstrom and Sherry Griffith for their
2nd place finish at the National Combat
Challenge Competition. I would also
applaud the Advanced Life Support
Competition Team A and B, for their
outstanding performance at the Temple
Terrace Advance Life Support Competition. In the early 90s I participated in
ALS competitions, so I think I have just
the slightest idea of the commitment,
dedication and hard work that it takes to
have such extraordinary results. Hats
off to all of you, the future of Boca
Raton Fire Rescue Services Department
is in good hands.
On a more somber note, Michael Gergora and his family are facing some
significant challenges and will require
our emotional and spiritual support.
Please take a moment to offer a supportive and encouraging thought, it will be
appreciated.
Logistics and Support is in the process
of developing specifications for the
replacement of two fire apparatus and
three medical transport units. The
specification committees are working
on improvements and we appreciate
their efforts; any suggests should be
forwarded to Tom Sova by email.
Let’s do the numbers for October :
Total EMS Incidents
Average Resp. Time
EMS Unit (most alarms)
853
5.44 Min
Med2–213
Total Fire Alarms
Average Resp. Time
Fire Co. (most alarms)
Station 5 (most alarms)
Other
Total Alarms
144
6.34 Min
Trk1-167
471
218
1,215
ANNOUNCEMENT
BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION
Submitted by: Raul Travieso
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Boca Raton Firefighter and Paramedic Benevolent Association is proud
to announce its annual sponsorship of a
4-year, $1000 per year scholarship
through the George Snow Scholarship
Fund. This year we will once again
sponsor a qualified student of a Fire
Department employee.
The George Snow Scholarship Fund
applications are now available on their
website. For more information go to
www.scholarship.org or call 561-3476799.
Please feel free to contact me if you
have any questions.
November Birthdays
John Lamey
Dorrant Mowatt
David Dipierro
Sean Migone
Kim Puchalski
Francine Chokanis
Ken Clark
Valentino Polistena
Warren Cann
Arnaldo Rodriguez
Loyd Putnam
Ben Frederick
David Eddinger
Scott Hauss
Paula Ursini
Alejandro Callegari
George Fox
Bryan Walton
11/02
11/03
11/06
11/07
11/09
11/11
11/12
11/15
11/23
11/24
11/25
11/25
11/26
11/26
11/27
11/27
11/29
11/30
December Birthdays
November Service Years
Carlos Vidaurreta
Dave Rosenthal
Mario Eaton
Mike Young
Brian Ward
Mike Francis
Tom Carroll
Pat Kelly
Joe Hauck
Joe Ramsey
3
4
6
12
13
13
20
23
29
33
December Service Years
Curt Berryman
Craig Ashley
Chris Burden
Robert Cervi
Mark Dell
John Elliott
Andrea Entus
Jordan Flaschner
Dave Covert
Bob Graffam
Frank Correggio
Dan Grader
5
7
7
7
7
7
8
8
29
29
33
33
Patrick Murray
Michael Davanzo
John Gibson
Joel Narcowich
Jesus Barrera
Tomas Martin
Scott Stinecipher
Philip Strasser
William Pazanski
Ed Guinn
Scott Clark
Kimberly Bunting
Bruce Angier
Jordan Flaschner
Joanne Barnes
Brian Ward
Robert Parks
Michael Altamuro
John McClain
Todd Withrow
Aaron Fix
12/01
12/01
12/02
12/04
12/04
12/06
12/07
12/07
12/07
12/08
12/11
12/14
12/15
12/20
12/24
12/25
12/25
12/28
12/29
12/30
12/31
January Birthdays
Thomas George
William Puchalski
Michael O’Neil
Jack Kareff
Shaun Fix
William Fowler
01/01
01/04
01/05
01/05
01/07
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Page 4
ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES
By:
Raul Travieso
Assistant Chief
TIME MARCHES ON! Due to recent
reduction in Staff, we were required to
reorganize the division of Planning and
Emergency Management. The division
has been expanded and renamed the
“Administrative Services Division”
which will more accurately reflect the
tasks assigned to the newly formed
team. As the Assistant Chief of this
division, I will continue to be responsible for Emergency Management and
Planning functions. I will also continue to supervise Communications,
Training & Safety, and Public Information.
To continue improving our 9-1-1
program, Division Chief Patrick
Kelly will assume the responsibilities
of Communications Officer. Division Chief Joe Majhess will now be
responsible for the Training &
Safety Section along with Captain
Jeff Rupp who will remain on the
team assigned to “Training &
Safety”.
FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY
By:
David Woodside
Assistant Chief
This newsletter will take us through both the Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. The Fire & Life Safety Division wishes you and your family “HAPPY HOLIDAYS”. On November 26th the Fire and Life Safety Inspectors will again visit all
of the Christmas tree stands located within the city limits and provide Christmas
tree tags to be distributed with each tree sold. The tags provide the consumer with
vital information to keep them free from fire and related accidents during the holiday season. The fire prevention tips below will help you to be safe during the
holiday season.
Thanksgiving Safety Tips
Have a working smoke detector on every level of the house, in every bedroom,
and in the halls adjacent to the bedrooms. Test smoke detectors monthly and
replace batteries at least twice a year.
Overnight guests should be instructed on the fire escape plan and designated
meeting place for your home.
Have a fire extinguisher available not more than 10 feet from the stove, on the
exit side of the kitchen. A class ABC multi-purpose dry chemical extinguisher
is recommended.
Start holiday cooking with a clean stove and oven.
The “NEW LOOK” of the Administrative Services Division includes the
transfer of Victoria Osborn for
much needed clerical support. The
“NEW LOOK” incorporates our responsibility, together with assistance from
Assistant Chief Daryl Scott for the new
employee hiring process.
Keep the kitchen off-limits to young children and adults that are not helping
with food preparations to lessen the possibility of kitchen mishaps.
We are all anxious to tackle these new
assignments and responsibilities as we
strive to continue our program to improve Fire Rescue Services.
Never leave cooking unattended. If you must leave the kitchen while cooking,
turn off the stove or have someone else watch what is being cooked.
Change
Things do not change; we change.
Henry David Thoreau
Candles should never be left burning when you are away from home, or after
going to bed. Candles should be located where children will not be tempted to
Do not wear clothing with loose sleeves or dangling jewelry when cooking. The
clothing can catch on fire and the jewelry can catch on pot handles, causing
spills and burns.
Cook on the back burners when possible and turn pot handles in so they don’t
extend over the edge of the stove.
Keep Thanksgiving decorations and kitchen clutter away from sources of direct
heat.
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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
play with them, and where guests will not accidentally brush against them. The candle holder should be completely noncombustible and difficult to knock over. The candle should not have combustible decorations around it.
Christmas Safety Tips
Water the tree daily and check for excessive dryness frequently.
Use decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
Use only decorations listed by an approved testing laboratory ex. UL, FM, ETL.
DON’T place extension cords under rugs, carpets or decorations.
Supervise small children closely around candles, trees and decorations.
Keep the tree in the coolest section of the house. This will retard drying.
Always disconnect all decorations when leaving the house and before retiring for the evening.
Use clips not nails to hang lights. This will minimize the damage to the cord.
Keep trees away from open windows. A gust of wind may upset a tree and could cause a fire.
Remove the tree and all gift wrappings promptly after the Holidays.
Never use electric lights on a metal tree.
Don’t use lights with worn, frayed, or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
Connect no more than three strands of push in bulbs or a maximum of 50 screw in bulbs.
Never use lit candles on a decorated tree.
DON’T use candles or open flames around any Christmas decorations.
IN THE EVENT OF FIRE, EVACUATE YOUR HOME IMMEDIATELY AND THEN CALL 9-1-1.
Please be aware of the safety tips and share this information with our customers, friends and family members.
Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.
Winners at the
U.S. Nationals
Boca Raton
Fire Rescue’s
Irena Elmstrom &
Sherry Griffith,
along with
Delray Beach
Fire Rescue’s
Ilene Rose and
Crista Mockenhaupt capture 2nd
Place in the
Female Finals
at the
Combat Challenge
U.S. Nationals.
Congratulations!
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Page 6
OPERATIONS
By:
Daryl Scott
Assistant Chief
We would like to thank and congratulate all the personnel who recently participated in the promotional examinations for EMS Captain, Captain, and
Senior Fire Inspector. The Department
appreciates the time and commitment
that is necessary when competing in the
promotional process.
Recently Deputy Chief Joseph, Assistant Chief Travieso, and I attended the
Gordon Graham seminar on Managing
Risk over in Bradenton. The day-long
seminar was very informative and entertaining. The Department will be
hosting Mr. Graham on April 21, 2011,
so mark your calendars now -- additional information will be forthcoming.
Risks are all around us and we face
many risks in our daily operations. The
Fire Rescue Service is not the only high
risk profession; the military is an example of another. Mr. Graham spoke
about Admiral Hyman Rickover, who
directed the development of the U.S.
nuclear navy; he was known as the
“Father of the Nuclear Navy.” The
nuclear navy had a tremendous safety
record due to rules of success that Admiral Rickover developed. These rules
are: 1) continuous improvement, 2) hire
highly competent people, 3) establish
solid supervision, 4) have a healthy
respect for the dangers we face, 5)
every day is a training day, 6) audit,
control and inspect, and 7) learn from
past mistakes. These rules are summarized, but if we implement and follow
these rules, safety in our Department
would improve.
Until next time be safe.
EMS
By:
Mike O’Neil
Division Chief
ALS Competition
Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services competed in an Advanced Life Support
Competition in Flagler County last
week. Team A consisting of Shea
Miller, Jeff Lazzeri, James Haag, and
Ryan Hardy took the honors with a 1st
Place finish. Team B consisting of
Robert Parks, Mike Sember, Evan Gaub,
and Jonathan Vought took 2nd Place in
this competition.
This competition in Flagler County was
a 24 hour process that consisted of 12
scenarios with over 30 patients. Some of
the scenarios involved arriving to a
scene in a helicopter, a prison fight, interacting with a SWAT team, rappelling,
a fire, riding in an armored vehicle, and
beachside scenarios.
Our Fire Department has a lengthy history of finishing in the top ranks in various competitions throughout the United
States and Africa since 1981. In many
competitions, other teams have told us
that their goal is to place higher than
Boca’s Teams. Earning the bragging
rights is fine, but the competitions are
some of the best training that is available. Not only do the team members
learn a lot, but other members of our
Department learn from the team members as well. Congratulations to Team
A & Team B. [Picture on Pg. 1]
Holiday Season Approaching
As the holidays will soon be approaching, I would like to remind you about
the spirit of the season. The Forgotten
Soldiers Outreach program is a not-forprofit organization that sends care packages and letters of encouragement to the
deployed men and women serving in the
Armed Forces. For more information on
how you can help, I have listed their
web site address:
http://www.forgottensoldiers.org/ .
Organ Donation to Save Lives
The Life Alliance Organ Recovery
Agency is an organization with the University of Miami School of Medicine
that I am familiar with. Many years
ago my younger brother suffered an
irreversible brain injury and his driver’s
license indicated he was an organ donor. The decision was made to comply
with his wishes and to donate his organs. The agency coordinator commented to me that eight individuals
were notified that an organ had been
located for them on that Christmas
morning. Organ donation is truly a gift
of life.
For more information about Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency, you may
view their website at:
h t t p : / / s u r g e r y . me d . mi a mi . e d u /
x289.xml or call 800-232-2892.
TRAINING
& SAFETY
By:
Pat Kelly
Division Chief
Hello once again.
As you are aware, Division Chief Joe
Majhess has assumed the responsibilities of the Training and Safety Officer,
and I have been assigned as the Communications Chief. I will be working
closely with Division Chief Majhess as
we guide and facilitate each other in our
new roles. With a new hiring process
looming on the horizon, the Training
and Safety Section will be very busy for
many months to come. I will continue
to assist in whatever way I can and ask
that you do the same. The next time you
see Division Chief Majhess, please welcome him and offer whatever area of
expertise you may have. Along the
same lines, Victoria Osborn has also
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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
been assigned to the Administrative
Services Division and will be working
closely with Training and Safety.
Please take the time to welcome her in
her new role and help her feel at home.
While I have yet to define my role as
Communications Chief, at first glance I
imagine a primary function is that of
facilitating you in our combined effort
to provide the highest level of service
that we can. Please feel free to contact
me with any recommendations on improving our communications system.
We recently completed training with
the new F-4, self rescue device which
should be placed on all apparatus in the
next couple of weeks. Hopefully, none
of us will ever find ourselves in the
situation of having to use the system to
escape an above ground fire situation.
It’s nice to know that we have the
equipment and training if the need
arises. As we emphasized in training,
this is a “last ditch” system and our
focus should be to avoid getting ourselves in this type of situation in the
first place. [See page 8 for pictures.]
The recently developed Standardized
Pump Chart has been placed on all fire
apparatus. This document is now the
standard for field operations when making fire-ground hydraulic calculations,
and will also be the standard for the
practical portion of future driver’s promotional exams. As with any such
document, it should evolve over time.
Please forward recommendations for a
future revision of the document to Division Chief Majhess.
Jay Bell and Carlos Vidaurreta accept
Excellence Awards from Chief Wood
for their work with the Department.
Special
Operations
By:
Scott Johnston
Division Chief
Time continues to fly by at a rapid pace,
and we are already making our holiday
plans. With that being said, I would like
to wish all of our members a Happy and
Healthy Holiday Season, and please take
time out of your busy schedule to spend
time with family and friends and, of
course, our Brothers and Sisters here at
Boca Raton Fire Rescue. One of the
best times I have personally enjoyed
around the holidays is the Santa Toy
Drop. This is a great way to spend time
with one another while providing a great
community service, not to mention
watching the faces of the children (and
adults) when we pull around the corner
and Santa jumps out. If you have never
experienced this, I encourage you to get
involved and you will be hooked for
life.
As the saying goes, we “like it” when a
good plan comes together, and I hope
you share the same feelings with our
new gear now coupled with an F4 escape device.
As you know the training was completed in October, and we will be conducting make-up training for those
members who missed it. Judging by the
feedback we received during the training, I think we have added an important
component to the safety of each and
every firefighter when working on fire
floors above ground level. By the time
you read this, the F4’s should be on the
airpaks in all of our apparatus. As I also
stated during the training, the ultimate
goal to work towards is issuing the device as part of our personal protective
equipment. [See page 8 for pictures.]
I would personally like to thank our
instructors, D/C Pat Kelly, Capt. Mike
Davanzo, Capt. Aaron Oatley, Capt.
Jeff Rupp, FFD Warren Cann, FFD
Matt Tupper, FFD Nate Nichols, FF
Chris Owen, and FF Neil (Jake) Duffy.
Your commitment and enthusiasm for
this training was nothing shy of
“outstanding.” I would also like to
commend all our Chief Officers, including “The Chief” and all our 40hour members for coming out and taking a “slide” on our new devices.
Ironically at the end of our second
week of our training, I had the opportunity to meet and listen to Joe (Joey)
DiBernardo (Ret.) from FDNY Rescue
3 (“Rescue Hook” in the audio recording we played) describe what actually happened on Black Sunday and the
physical and psychological injuries
Joey and the surviving members had to
deal with. Joey now travels the country
specifically to speak about the importance of having a bail-out system with
you each and every day while on the
job. You may be interested to know
that on this particular day, Joey decided
NOT to take his personal escape rope
with him for some reason, which he
can’t justify or remember. To clarify,
this was prior to FDNY issuing everyone their own personal system. Before
Black Sunday, any rope or system was
purchased by the member - just like
many of us have in the past.
Our goal during this project was to supply our members with an ensemble that
would provide the ultimate safety factor
while working above ground level, and
do it prior to being required by NFPA.
After all, it was just a couple of years
ago that all bunker coats were required
by NFPA to have a “DRD” device built
in. Keep your eye out to what will soon
be required for Firefighter Self Rescue
and I think you will look back and say:
“We have had that for years!!!”
Until next time, Stay Safe.
Holiday Season is coming soon; time to
change all the batteries in your home
fire alarms.
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Page 8
Pictures by Jay Bell
Captain Thompson Goes Out The Window
Firefighter Bautista Goes Out The Window
Staging Area
Assistant Chief Travieso Hanging
Chief Wood Going Down
Captain Rupp and Division Chief Kelly
Making Sure Assistant Chief Travieso
is Hooked Up Properly and Safely
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Page 9
Communications, Planning
and Emergency
Management
By:
Joe Majhess
Division Chief
Frank Correggio, Public Information Officer
During the last month, our 9-1-1 Communications Center has implemented
the new Emergency Police Dispatch
(EPD) and Emergency Fire Dispatch
(EFD) protocols. Use of these protocols allows call-takers and dispatchers
to obtain pertinent information from the
9-1-1 caller by asking a set of standardized questions, determined by the nature of the emergency. Standardization
will ensure all pertinent information is
collected and passed on to responding
police and fire emergency units to help
them prepare and plan their response.
Additionally, potentially life- saving
instructions can be provided to the
caller. This was the case during a recent call when call-taker Lilibeth Vargas successfully directed the caller in
the sudden and unexpected delivery of
his new baby girl prior to the arrival of
Fire Rescue units.
Quick Thinking Neighbor Helps Firefighters
On September 27, 2010, at approximately 2:45 pm, Boca Raton firefighters responded to a structure fire at 435 NE 3rd Street. When firefighters arrived, they
found fire on the front porch deck. A neighbor who smelled smoke raced into action
and was attempting to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. Fire crews finished
extinguishing the fire within minutes. Crews forced the front door of the home open
to find smoke inside and used a thermal imaging camera to determine if the fire had
made its way into the attic space. Several hot spots were located and firefighters
were forced to cut holes in the ceiling, but no fire was found. Fire officials estimate
that the fire originated underneath the front porch deck. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. There was no one home when the fire started. Officials
estimate the damage under $10,000.00. There were no injuries reported.
The use of these protocols is rapidly
becoming the international standard and
their implementation by the City of
Boca Raton will allow our Communications Center to continue to lead the way
in Public Safety and Customer Service.
Photo by F. Correggio
Pastor Joe Guadagnino is honored by Division Chief Johnston and Chief Wood during Pastor Appreciation Week for all the
assistance he provides the Department.
Vehicle Burns In Homeowners Driveway
On September 29, 2010, at approximately 1:00 p.m., emergency dispatchers received
a call from a homeowner that smoke was noticed inside a vehicle parked in their
neighbor’s driveway in the 1100 block of SW 21st Street in Boca Raton. When the
owner of the vehicle opened the door to investigate, flames quickly spread throughout the interior and the convertible top. Boca Raton Firefighters arrived within minutes to find the 1995 BMW 325i engulfed in flames, which reached over 20 feet in
the air. Fire crews positioned their hoses to keep the flames away from the structure
and quickly extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.
Page 10
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Fire Prevention Week
Last month, Fire Chief Tom Wood and
the members of the Department along
with the National Fire Protection Association promoted National Fire Prevention Week. Fire Prevention Week was
established to commemorate the Great
Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed
more than 17,400 structures and burned
more than 2,000 acres.
This year the theme for Fire Prevention
Week was “Smoke Alarms: A Sound
You Can Live With.” With the busy
holidays coming up during the months
of November and December, Boca
Raton Fire Rescue Services suggests
you follow these safety tips:
Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping
area and on every level of the home,
including the basement. Interconnect
all smoke alarms throughout the
home. When one sounds, they all
sound.
Test alarms at least monthly by
pushing the test button.
Smoke rises; install smoke alarms
following manufacturer's instructions high on a wall or on a ceiling.
Save manufacturer's instructions for
testing and maintenance.
Replace batteries in all smoke
alarms at least once a year. If an
alarm “chirps” warning you that the
battery is low, replace the battery
right away.
Replace all smoke alarms, including
alarms that use 10-year batteries
and hard-wired alarms, when they
are 10 year old or sooner if they do
not respond properly.
Have an escape plan and practice
E.D.I.T.H. (Escape Drill In The
Home) with your entire family.
Have a fire extinguisher handy and
know how to properly use it.
Install Carbon Monoxide detectors
in your home.
Remember, Boca Raton Fire Rescue
Services wants you to be safe, and it is
time for you to check those batteries in
your alarms. For additional information on fire safety, please visit
www.nfpa.org.
Assisted Living Facility Evacuated
After Natural Gas Line Is Ruptured
On October 5, 2010, at approximately
10:45 am, Emergency Dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call of a natural gas leak
at 400 NE 47th Street. It appears that
workers struck the line while digging in
the area. Fire crews arrived within
minutes and noticed gas leaking from a
ruptured 2 inch line, and quickly
evacuated 12 residents from the Advent
Square living facility located on the
property. Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services Hazardous Material Team technicians and Florida Public Utilities were
able to stop and secure the leak. Advent Square residents were then allowed to return to their homes. There
were no injuries reported.
Firefighter/Driver Scott Brooks,
Firefighter Raul Chacon, Lt. Jamie
Smith, Firefighter Shannon Frederick, and Firefighter Paula Ursini
Firefighter/Driver Scott Brooks and
Firefighter Donnie Mullens clear dirt
away from ruptured gas line
Photos by F.Correggio
**Photos by Jay Bell**
Page 11
BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Photo by F. Correggio
Cardiac Arrest Survivor Meets Rescuers
On October 23, 2010, firefighters from Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services met a very special guest. Marty Ball, a chef in Boca
Raton, visited Fire Station #5 on West Glades Road and for the first time he and his wife Jacki shook hands with the crew that
saved his life.
On August 24th at approximately 5 pm, Mr. Marty Ball experienced a heart attack while at work at Florida Atlantic University.
When FAU Police Officer Lee Hagenbuch arrived, he found Mr. Ball without a pulse and not breathing and quickly began
CPR. Boca Raton Firefighter/Paramedics arrived within minutes, continued the CPR, and initiated advanced life support treatment and defibrillation. This treatment continued while Mr. Ball was being transported to Boca Raton Regional Hospital,
where he arrived breathing with a strong pulse and was awake and talking.
Mr. Ball and his wife Jacki both thanked, shook hands, and hugged each member of the crew, FAU Police Officer Lee Hagenbuch and emergency room nurse, Cari Presely. Mr. Ball spoke about the incident, took a tour of the station, and revisited the
medical unit that transported him to the emergency room. After the tour, everyone sat down for a special lunch prepared by the
firefighters.
Remember to eat “heart healthy” during the holidays!
Smoke Detectors
Save Lives…
Remember to
Change Those
Batteries!