Fauquier County F ire , Rescue & Emergency Management

Summer me is upon us, and a er a

short visit to Florida with my family, I

feel refreshed and ready to go! With

that, I hope that all of you have some

me away this summer to relax without

being on your career shi or volunteer

staffing a sta on.

According to a new report by Career-

Cast.com that analyzed 200 different

professions, work environment, com-

pe veness and risk, firefigh ng ranks

near the top of the list of

most-stressful careers for 2013 at num-

ber 3.

Stress can lead to chronic illnesses such

as heart disease, diabetes, and autoim-

mune diseases, anxiety, depression, and

PTSD. Not to men on divorce, alcohol-

ism and suicide.

One of my best friends and a rookie

partner in the 1980’s never wanted to

be a paramedic. A er running calls to-

gether, he realized that he really en-

joyed both the firefigh ng and the para-

medic part. He later became a Fire Cap-

tain / Paramedic nurse on the Trauma

Hawk helicopter for Palm Beach County

Fire Rescue. He had it all…so it seemed.

In 2005, he commi ed suicide. It was

only a er, that many of his friends and

family iden fied some severe post trau-

ma c symptoms that Jeff had been dis-

playing.

Dr. Bruce Rabin, medical director of the

Integrated Medicine Program at Alleghe-

ny General Hospital, is one of the few

physicians in the area who readily recog-

nizes the health impacts of stress on

firefighters. In his book "Coping with

Stress for Health and Wellness," he

notes that for firefighters, stress can’t be

avoided, but it can be managed. Coping

techniques for acute and chronic stress

include: spending me with loved ones,

deep breathing exercises, posi ve think-

ing – even small, op mis c thoughts or

funny anecdotes, and physical exercise.

This summer, please take the me to de-

stress –

F R O M T H E D E S K O F C H I E F B I L L I N G T O N I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Image Trend & Battalion 1 2

Southern Voice & Medic 1 3

Gear Room & Battalion 3 4

Congratulations! 5

Recruitment 6

Fundraiser Flyer 7

VAEMS 8

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER,

July 2013 Issue

FAUQUIER COUNTY DEPARTMENT

OF FIRE RESCUE & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Phone: 540-422-8800 www.fauquierfirerescue.org

We seem to be having two common mistakes being made to our NFIRS Re-ports. The first being that when a unit is cancelled both the Incident Type and Primary Action Taken are not cancelled. Please remember that if one field is cancelled the other must be also. The second issues is when the unit doesn't transport and uses something other than cancelled for the Incident

Type and Primary Action Taken. When doing this, please remember to select one of the options in the Provider Im-pression. Example: M14 arrived on scene of an auto accident with everyone out of the vehicle and advising they didn't want to go to the ER. M14 clears the scene "No EMS needed.” The Primary Action Taken would be "Provide first aid & check for injuries.” The Provider Im-pression can be "Impression/assessment, other" or "None/no patient or refused treatment.” Keep up the good work, and stay cool.

Safety during the summer months: when cleaning the bays, be careful of wild animals like this 25-foot

anaconda (slight exaggeration). It might not hurt you, but it will give you a shock!

Central Battalion cleaned their bays—lookin’ good!

I M A G E T R E N D U P D A T E B Y T E C H N I C I A N B A N K S T O N

I N S I D E B A T T A L I O N 1 B Y T E C H N I C I A N N E E S E

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER, Page 2

Fireworks: What’s Legal, What’s Not in

Fauquier County

Check out this article about

fines and guidelines

ANNOUNCEMENT!

DFREM MAIN OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED

ON JULY 4!

12 HOUR SHIFTS ARE ALSO OFF ON

JULY 4TH!

24 HOUR SHIFTS REMAIN ON

SCHEDULE

REGULAR SCHEDULES RESUME ON

JULY 5

The month of June brings many things—warm weather ,the feel of sum-mer and so much more. The Southern Battalion is busy continuing to train, even in the hot days of summer. We are training on everything from Tech-nician I, Driver Pump Op-erator and EMS skills. We cannot begin July without recognizing some of June’s accomplishments. Such as the great job that everyone did on the Tech-

nician II testing to include the candidates, evaluators and Lieutenant Kidwell for all his hard work in setting this up. We also congrat-ulate the Remington Vol-unteer Fire Department for the election of their new Officers. Although many personnel re-main the same there were a few changes. We say thank you to the officers

leaving and welcome the new officers aboard. As we launch into July, we would like to remind eve-ryone to stay hydrated and remember to choose the PPE level appropriate for the call.

portant when you have to spend days at a time with each other. One thing that keeps it inter-esting here is the large vari-ety and types of calls we run at Medic 1, including calls in all parts of the County, since I have been here we have been on fly-outs out in Cat-lett and a CPR in Rappahan-nock County, all while cover-ing the large call volume in Warrenton.

Since the changing of per-sonnel throughout the county in May, everyone seems to be settling into life at Medic 1 or as we like to call it “Medic Fun.” Now that everyone has spent a few shifts with

their partners, eve-ryone seems to be enjoying their time here. Everyone is getting more and more comfortable with their partners, which is very im-

I have enjoyed my time here at Medic 1 and the Central Battalion and am excited and looking toward the future. The pictures are from an MVA on 6/23:

S O U T H E R N V O I C E B Y B A T T A L I O N C H I E F L I C H T Y

M E D I C O N E B Y C H A R L E S M Y E R S

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER, Page 3

Welcome, Dr. Michael Jenks, as Fauquier

County Fire & Rescue’s new

Operational Medical Director.

Join us in

congratulating Battalion Chief

Natasha Randall who has been appointed

our new Chair of DFREM/VFRA EMS

Committee!

All have been collaborating and working hard with

Fire & Rescue Administration to

update our existing OMD agreement.

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER,

Starting Monday June 24th you be able to place your annual gear replacement request. During this time you will not need to fill out a gear request form. All you will need to do is send Techni-cian Butler an email requesting your items. Please remember that when requesting items to in-clude your size request, this will help make this process as quick as possible. The closing of the annual gear replacement request will be Monday July 8th at 1800hrs.

Orders will be filled as quickly as possible. Orders that do not require items to be sent off for embroidery could be ready as early as July 10th. The first day of open gear room hours, remem-ber this will take place on the second Wednesday of each month until the end of the year. So please come by on July 10th and see us and pick up your items we will also be serving some snacks and drinks.

Thank you and if you have any questions please feel free to contact either myself or Technician Butler. Gear Request email – Richard.Butler@fauquiercounty.gov

I N S I D E B A T A L L I O N 3

G E A R R O O M U P D A T E B Y B A T T A L I O N C H I E F B R I A N L I C H T Y

Please come out and join us for breakfast. Time 8AM-11AM. Hope to see there!! Contact Robin Williams for more information: rswain2002@aol.com

Getting Fit, North Side! Upperville

Volunteer Fire

Company

ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKE

BREAKFAST

July 14th!

Page 4

PRESS RELEASE: LOCAL EMT RECOGNIZED FOR 30 YEARS

OF SERVICE

Kenneth, Johnson, Jr., a Lieutenant with the Fauquier County Fire Rescue & Emergency Management Department, was recently recognized by the Board of Directors of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) for achieving 30 consecutive years as a Nationally Registered EMT-Paramedic. This distinction is an honor held by few EMTs. To maintain his sta-tus as a Nationally Registered EMT, Lt. Kenneth Johnson, Jr. completed, on a biennial basis, the most comprehensive recertification program for Emergency Medical Technicians in America. He not only completed courses to refresh his fundamental knowledge and skills, but also attended a minimum of two hours per month of additional continuing education courses to advance his knowledge on new lifesaving skills. By maintaining his Nationally Registered status and completing regular continu-ing education courses, Lt. Kenneth Johnson, Jr. is among the few elite EMTs with the most training in pre-hospital emergency medical care in the nation. Lt. Kenneth Johnson, Jr. was Nationally Registered as an EMT-Paramedic in 1981 and has been serving the County of Fauquier since February of 2007. Prior to this position, Lt. Kenneth Johnson, Jr. worked for the Arlington County Fire and Rescue De-partment. The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians serves as the national EMS certification organ-ization by providing a valid, uniform process to assess the knowledge and skills required for competent practice by EMS professionals throughout their careers and by maintaining a registry of certification status.

Also in Fauquier

Now!

Assistant Chief Stevens received his Chief Fire Officer Designation (CFOD), which is an International Distinction, from the Center for Public Safety Excel-

lence! Our very own Chief Billington and AC Stevens are two of only 913 CFODs worldwide!

CONGRATULATIONS! Happy Birthday to You! 7/6 Chief Billington 7/14 John Jeniec 7/24 Jim Weeks IV 7/29 Scotty Williams 7/31 Peter Moznich

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER, Page 5

WAY TO GO!

Chief Billington celebrating summer and his birthday with

his wife, son and daughter in sunny FL!

Technician Eric Neese

and his beautiful wife Jennifer got

married June 5 in Las Ve-

gas. Congrats to you both!

Welcome to the world and the Fire & Rescue

family, Colt Walker Baer! Born June 12,

8lbs 20 inches, to Nicholas Baer and wife,

Hannah. He is now 10lbs 22 inches!

Congratulations!

Kimberly Strayer’s mare gave birth to her new foal, Tucker, in June. Welcome to the Fire & Rescue family, Tucker!

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER, Page 6

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER, Page 7

The Virginia Office of EMS encourages you to read the memo regarding the proposed removal of the requirement for a practitioner's signature for EMS providers who perform an invasive procedure or administer a drug. Until changes to the Board of Pharmacy (BoP) Regulations occur, EMS personnel will continue to be required to obtain the signature of the medical practitioner who assumes responsibility for the patient at the hospital on the prehospital patient care report.

Please visit the link to review full announcement: Memorandum Regarding Practitioner Signatures

The OEMS apologizes for any inconvenience the delay in the implementation of

these changes may cause and we will keep you posted as new information becomes available.

THE FIRELINE NEWSLETTER, Page 8

Celebrating the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the unforgettable cow rescue! Molly

Cow reports she is doing well. #somethingsonlyhappenonce