Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Without Volunteer Firefighters or a Community Emergency Response Team the LMRFD is Screwed...

I see Chief Winn is working on how our fire district can survive by looking at additional funding. I hope we finally have a fire chief with the best interest of the community in mind. 

It's easy to run calls and post pictures, it's a lot more difficult to actually manage a fire district. I hope Chief Winn understands how desperately we need volunteers in Dolan and Meadview. It doesn't matter if they answer the phones, do follow ups on illegal burns, whatever. 

What we really need is a local well trained Community Emergency Response Team to assist the citizens in our fire district during emergencies. 

Mohave Valley, Bullhead City, Lake Havasu, and Needles California all have CERT teams. 

Why do we need a CERT Team? Because if we have a major earthquake or other disaster where roads are damaged and travel isn't possible we will LITERALLY ONLY HAVE the TWO FIREFIGHTERS on duty. 

In a major disaster cell phones and emergency services repeaters will be down. 
The LMRFD will have no way to gather damage or casualty assessments. 
No way to tell outside agencies how many injured or dead we have. No way to tell outside agencies how many structures are damaged or destroyed.
No way to tell outside agencies what we need.... 

If you've been in the military or worked in emergency services you know how important communications are, especially when things go badly and you need help.

A fire chief needs to manage laws, rules, and regulations as well as the budget, equipment, personel, and communications. 
But in a disaster without personnel or communications he has nothing to manage, and our community LITERALLY HAS 
NO HELP.

We need enough people interested in a CERT team, the support of our fire district and Mohave County Emergency Services would provide the CERT training.

A couple years ago several people from Dolan Springs took the CERT training in Chloride supported by NACFD.

At that time the LMRFD refused to provide support for a CERT team. I hope that has changed...

If nothing changes and we have no volunteers or a CERT team I'm going to look into annexing OUT of the LMRFD. 
It's impossible to cover the 144 square mile fire district and a 2200 square mile ambulance area with the SAME two firefighters.

People outside the fire district get the same services as taxpayers who support the fire district. I'm just tired of getting NOTHING for my tax dollars.

Learn more about Community Emergency Response Teams

More CERT Links

Mohave County CERT Program




City of Needles CERT






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