Alcohol in the Fire House Not A Good Idea Today

Alcohol in volunteer fire departments was a tradition where I worked in Washington, Idaho, and Montana in the 80's. After a fire the firefighters would go back to the station, have a beer and clean the trucks. Not the best idea in case of another fire...

I was working for the sheriff's office back them, and got stuck dispatching once in a while. I was covering a dispatch shift at the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office on Christmas one year, The fire department was having it's yearly Christmas party.

It was a small county not much going on , and I was board. So I decided to wish the firefighters a Merry Christmas. I punched up fire frequency on my console and hit the fire tones, after a pause I said Merry Christmas from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.

The phone range about a minute later, when they were done saying not nice words, they told me when all 40 pagers went off, their hearts all skipped a beat. They knew at that point nobody could drive a fire truck.

Another time I dispatched the fire department to a barn fire about 5 miles north of town. We could see the smoke from the sheriff's office and as soon as the fire rig turned north they advised dispatch to start tankers.

As soon as the first rig turned in the driveway, they advised dispatch to cancel the tankers and bring beer. The barn was a total loss and they let it burn. In big cities like Spokane nothing like that went on at fire stations, but they were a paid full time fire department. Drinking was for off duty.

The reason these volunteer fire departments did one hell of a job for over 100 years, was they weren't just fire fighters, they were the community. They trained together, they fought fires and they risk their lives so many times together, and not for one dime in pay.

Times have changed and drinking in the fire house is no longer done, one main reason was somebody had to drive those fire trucks from the barn fire back to the station.

But preventing volunteers in any position especially hard to come by EMS and firefighter personal from using a lawful product on their off duty time, is going to far. Having a drug free workplace is one thing, but telling volunteers they can't have a beer at a family picnic isn't American, and I can think of nothing more American than a volunteer firefighter.

I don't agree with reno's policy, but with a breathalyzer less than $50 on eBay, there's no reason for any volunteer to respond with anything over zero for blood alcohol. A beer or two Friday night shouldn't keep a volunteer with a zero blood alcohol on Saturday afternoon from responding to save your life. There are times as a police officer or firefighter when you just need to let off some steam from what you saw that shift.

 Lost Tradition
We've lost a lot of traditions like the pole firefighters would slid down from the sleeping area to the fire trucks. I got to slide down one of the poles at Station One in Spokane. We figured out sleepy firefighters shouldn't slide down brass poles from the second story in the middle of the night, some weren't awake.

Lost Tradition
I see no firefighters ride the tail board of the fire truck any longer. That was fun, the truck would stop at the  fire hydrant and a firefighter would grab two 2 1/2" hoses and wrap them around the hydrant, then signal the fire truck to take off laying hose as it went.

The firefighter at the hydrant would hook up the hoses and standby for the signal to turn on the hydrant when the engineer had them hooked to the pump.

The volunteer fire department was the community in many small towns, but we've made it so difficult for someone to volunteer, they say why.

Reno policy allows up to .08 BAC for firefighters

www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/06/22/reno-policy-allows-bac-firefighters/11178803

Why No Volunteers? LMRFD Prohibits the Use of Alcohol by Volunteers & Employees

I see now why the LMRFD lost so many volunteers when they started "drug testing" some time ago. In my opinion they ask a little too much from those they ask to volunteer and take hours of training on their own time.

It seems like prohibiting the use of alcohol while off-duty by volunteers and employees would reduce dramatically the number of people who would apply or volunteer in small areas like Dolan Springs.

Many people like a cold beer on a hot summer day, and there's nothing wrong with that. You shouldn't drink and drive, or show up at work drunk or hung over, but other that that there's nothing wrong with a cold beer once in a while.

In the LMRFD employment and volunteer application in the Statement of Understanding and Agreement's Drug and Alcohol Testing section volunteers and employees would not be allowed to have a beer at a family barbeque without being fired.

To prohibit volunteers from engaging in lawful conduct while off-duty in my opinion is asking too much from people willing to GIVE their time to the community.

Drug and Alcohol Testing: In order to assure a drug-free work environment, the District prohibits the use, sale, transfer, being under the influence and/or reporting to work after using or ingesting illicit drugs in accordance with department policies. Under District policy, alcohol is included within the meaning and prohibition of drugs. Successful passage of drug testing will be condition for employment and continued employment. http://lmrfd.org/employment-volunteer-application 

Entire volunteer fire department resigns after drinking is banned
http://www.fark.com/comments/2116797/Entire-volunteer-fire-department-resigns-after-drinking-is-banned-at-local-firehall 

Heroin and Opioid Overdose Help for Users and Abusers

Recently Governor Ducey signed a new law allowing Naloxone also know as Narcan to be dispensed without a prescription. Narcan is a miracle drug to me. As a paramedic I would give Narcan to a patient down from a heroin overdose in respiratory arrest. Within in seconds the patient would wake up, many times mad because we ruined their high. That is until we told them if we would have arrived a few minutes later, they would be dead.

Please, if you know anyone who either uses opioid for pain, or abuses heroin or opioids to keep some Narcan on hand. There's no need for an IV like the old days, it's delivered by a simple nasal spray.

For those who abuse heroin or opioids there's an app for that too. It's called Remote Egg Timer and it's for those who abuse drugs. Currently it's only available at the Android App Store.

Remote Egg Timer allows you to set a contact person, time, and GPS locator. When the user shoots up they start the timer, in 10 minutes an alarm goes off asking if they're ok. If they don't respond, a text message is sent to your contact saying something like "I used call 911".

This app would also be good for those people who are a little stubborn when having chest pain, shortness of breath or stroke symptoms like our neighbor. She had left arm pain for 2 1/2 hours before calling for help.

Please if you have chest pain, arm pain, or shortness of breath, call 911.

Prices soar on the drug-overdose antidote Narcan THIS IS WRONG

Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill last month that allows pharmacists to dispense a drug called Naloxone or Narcan for opioid overdoses without a prescription. Naloxone is a miracle drug, it can reverse an overdose in seconds.

As a paramedic I would find an overdose victim down in respiratory distress and barely breathing. I would start an IV and give the patient a dose of Naloxone. In most cases the within seconds the patient is breathing and is soon alert and oriented.

Pharmacies are over charging for various medications. When pharmacies placed quotas on pain medications, the cost for 90 100 mg extended release morphine tablets went from $200 to over $1000 at K-Mart in Kingman. Prices also went up on Naloxone, the drug used to save people from opioid overdoses. 

Soon after a similar bill allowing the use of Naloxone passed in several states, one company raised the cost of their two pack of Naloxone from $575 to more than $3,700. I'm sorry but Naloxone is not an expensive drug, and should be given to anyone who takes opioid pain medications just in case of an overdose. In Dolan Springs this could mean the difference between life and death for an accidental overdose.

http://www.12news.com/news/local/arizona/prices-soar-on-drug-overdose-antidote/229180559

LMRFD WOW Call -- They Were on Another Call Wasn't The Point

You stopped reading at the first statement... They didn't Respond.

If the LMRFD was on another call that day, that's NOT the problem. The LMRFD ambulance in Dolan isn't available between 3 and 6 or more hours a day because they're out on calls. So not being available to respond because they're on other calls is pretty normal, and not the issue here.

Not having the LMRFD ambulance from Meadview, or AMR River Medical respond when someone is down from unknown medical problem, in not normal. In fact River Medical was so concerned about how this call was being handled, they called the sheriff dispatch and asked if they wanted River Medical to respond.

It's a rare event when another EMS agency is so concerned about how a call is being handled, they offer assistance to the sheriff, not the responding EMS agency.

What's not normal is to pronounced someone dead over the phone or radio. If someone from the LMRFD had already checked on the patient, that's one thing.

An EMT or paramedic making any diagnosis over the phone is wrong, let alone saying is dead.

Why didn't the LMRFD ambulance from Meadview respond, they weren't available? Why didn't the LMRFD ask AMR River Medical respond like they do on every other call when they're not available?

What if this was your husband or wife?

Government agencies have a history of not identifying problems until someone points them out.

Man down unknown medical call

1. EMS agency Respond
2. Have 2nd unit respond from EMS agency
3. have another EMS agency respond.

First Responders and Marijuana After November 2016

It looks like voters in Nevada and Arizona will have chance to join Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington State, and Washington, D.C. in deciding if they want to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol already has 200,000 signatures to get their initiative the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act on the ballot for the November 2016 general election in Arizona, so we need to talk about this.

If recreational marijuana becomes legal in November law enforcement, EMS, and fire agencies will need to revise their policies on marijuana use. In 2013 CBS 5 Investigates traveled from Phoenix to Dolan Springs to interview me about the use of medical marijuana by first responders. 

Back in 2013 most agencies including DPS didn't have a policy on medical marijuana. CBS 5 only found 3 agencies with specific policies on medical marijuana. Yuma does allow city employees, including firefighters and EMTs to use medical marijuana as long as it is off-duty. Gilbert Fire Department allows employees to have medical marijuana cards, but may reassign or put the employee on paid leave, and Chandler Police Department prohibit officers from having a medical marijuana card. 

What's the LMRFD going to do if recreational marijuana becomes legal? We were told that when the LMRFD started drug testing several years ago, they lost many of the volunteers we depended on.

We would never want anyone to respond to fire or EMS calls while impaired on marijuana, alcohol, or anything else. That said, I would much prefer to have a first responder who used marijuana the night before, rather than one who had a hangover.

Marijuana is legal in one form or another in 23 states and the District of Columbia, and medical marijuana or legalization is on the ballot in as many as 20 states in 2016.

First Responders and Alcohol

Cops and firefighters are notorious drinkers, in many towns there are cop or firefighter bars. Ask anyone who's been on the job more than a few months and they'll have stories about drunk cops pr firefighters. 

In Spokane a DEA agent pulled out of the Sheridan Inn and hit a Spokane police car broadside. He didn't go to jail back then, but was held until a supervisor arrived from Seattle. He was never charged. 

My Undersheriff from Lincoln County got in a fight downtown Spokane. When officers tried to arrest him, he was threatening to tip over their patrol cars. He was 6'5" 300 pounds and they were worried he could really do it, so the sheriff had to talk him down. We go a new undersheriff after that.

One Christmas I was working dispatch while the local fire department was having their party, I punched out the fire tones ringing all 30 pagers at once, after a long pause I said Merry Christmas. After a few minutes the phone rang, it was the firefighters telling me I scared the hell out of them because no one was in any condition to respond to a fire.

Here are some links about first responders and alcohol abuse
Who Will Rescue the Heroes
Firefighters and alcohol
Alcohol and the badge
They drink when they're blue 

What about Marijuana Marijuana vs Alcohol

Many police and fire agencies where it's legal are still not allowing their employees to use marijuana for medical or recreational purposes. If you have ever had bad hangover from alcohol, you know you're not functioning their best. Yet it's ok to drink the night away and show up for duty the next day. Is this the EMT you want showing up when you need medical care?

Marijuana on the other hand doesn't cause a devastating handover leaving someone barley functioning the next morning. No one should ever come to work high or with a hangover. If they're not in top condition, go home.

Drug Testing
People using alcohol or meth can pass drug tests......
Many people today use marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. It's sad that someone who drinks alcohol everyday can be a volunteer for the LMRFD, but someone who used marijuana a month ago would be rejected for failing a drug test. Someone who used meth on Friday can pass a drug test on Monday. Marijuana stays in the system for 30 days, meth and most other serious drugs only 72 hours.

We need to change some of our policies on drug testing. Before the LMRFD required drug testing we had a lot of volunteers. How many injuries or accidents did we have?

Was the drug testing policy changed because of real safety issues and documented accidents, or to be politically correct?

I can only hope in November we choose to stop destroying lives by legalizing recreational marijuana in Arizona.

Jay Fleming
Speaker
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)
LINK to My Speakers Page 
LINK to LEAP Web Page

Please do your research

Marijuana and Kids
Why legalizing weed is unlikely to turn your kid into a pothead

Cartels are Losing Money Because of Legal Marijuana
Marijuana Legalization: Bad For The Cartels, Better For All

This article tells how many police officers including myself feel about the drug war today.
Why I Hated Being a Cop

LMRFD Refused to Respond, Deputies only response was WOW.

On Friday MCSO received a call of a man down between the RV park and the Dollar Store in Dolan Springs. The deputy was quite some distance from Dolan and asked LMRFD to respond. Shortly the dispatcher advised the deputy that LMRFD was NOT responding.

Sounding confused the deputy asked the dispatcher why? Dispatch advised "per fire department, they already know he's dead". The deputy had the same reaction I did, saying,"WOW". After laying on the ground for about 20 minutes MCSO arrived.

I don't know how the LMRFD knew the person was dead. I've worked for law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies and anyplace I've worked EMS responds to verify someone is deceased. The only way I know to do that is to hookup a heart monitor and verify the rhythm is a flat line.

There are many heart rhythms that can't be detected, especially by a lay person without a heart monitor. I think the tax payers in the LMRFD deserve their EMS to respond and verify a death, especially when the fire station is just blocks away.

This person deserved the LMRFD to respond and verify death, or attempt resuscitation. Only being a few blocks away they should have responded and if nothing else, cover the body and standby for MCSO to arrive.

I hope there's a good explanation for this call. There had been a big improvement in the way calls were handled since the new chief took over. I hope he gets to the bottom of this and lets us know why.

Voting in LMRFD Fire Board Election? READ Information on the Dolan Springs Community Council Money Problems

For people who want information on the Dolan Springs Community Council Money Problems please look at my blog on Corruption in a Small Town

Here's the Report Everyone Should Read!

Please read...
Jay Fleming

Candidates for LMRFD Fire Board

I see Charlotte Kiffer who is running for the fire board says she's understands budgets and financing, and has experienced in mediation and conflict resolution.

Anyone who saw her aggressive abusive manner she attacked me when I found discrepancies in the Community Council finances would know she's a nut. She had to be told several times to calm down during the meeting because of her loud abusive behavior. This type of unprofessional display is not who we want representing us, or the conduct we need at fire board meetings.

If she understands budgets, why didn't she care a woman who had been dead for 1 1/2 years was still signing council checks? When Kathy said she didn't have anyone else to sign the checks. Charlotte took that excuse, and never asked why the current elected board members couldn't sign them.

Rather than look at the discrepancies in the Community Council finances, she mounted a take over of the council and removed me from office. Do you really want someone who covers up budget problems rather than investigate them?

Please don't trust Charlotte Kiffer with our fire department budget. If she covers up problems with the community council budget, our fire district would be in money trouble again very soon.

If Charlotte Kiffer is elected there will be no oversight of our tax money. She has covered up the fact that a dead lady, or former board member who moved away were the only people besides Kathy Dodson-Long who were signing Council checks. In the last year ONLY 4 checks were signed by current elected board members.

Will she try to prevent the video taping of fire board meetings like she did the council meetings. If there is noting to hide, why not allow video taping of meetings?

Yes Charlotte rode in an ambulance once... But what does she know about EMS or firefighting?

With Charlotte Kiffer's aggressive and abusive attacks at council meetings, and lack of willingness to look into thousands of dollars of checks written to questionable sources at the council, please think before you vote.\

Jay Fleming

Fire Board Election, What We Need to Ask...

On May 17th Dolan Springs and Meadview will elect a new board of directors for the LMRFD , and we need to ask some hard questions to those running.

HOMEOWNER INSURANCE RATES
While under the direction of the NACFD, Mr Flynn got rid of our volunteers because they wanted a paid only fire district. This action may have reduced manpower to a level where we can no longer maintain a good rating for homeowners insurance.

We need to ask what our current ISO fire rating is? We were told time and time again that we had an ISO rating of 8. In my opinion without volunteers our rating will drop to an ISO rating of 8B or even a 9. That would mean dramatic increases in homeowners insurance rates.

The keep or receive an ISO rating of 8, the fire district needs be able to pump 250 GPM for two hours continuously without interruption. We need to ask how the LMRFD can logistically pump 250 GPM for two hours continuously without interruption.

VOLUNTEERS
We were told over and over by Mr Flynn and Chief Moore that firefighters had to be certified to Level I or II firefighter status. This is another half-truth we were told. According to the Arizona Center for Fire Service Excellence Fire Service Certification is not required in Arizona it's voluntary.

There are no state regulations requiring fire service personnel to become certified. However departments may make certification mandatory for their firefighters.

That said, in my opinion ALL volunteers for fire service should be trained to a level the Fire Chief and the volunteer is comfortable with. Some volunteers may become firefighters, others may only want to drive the fire truck or tanker and operate the pump to protect firefighters. Simply having volunteers to drive tanker trucks will help protect firefighters and may give us the manpower and water capability needed to receive an ISO rating of 8.

Driving the fire truck or tanker and running the pump doesn't sound very important, but in a heart beat it can be the most important job at a fire scene. This is what happened to me as a young firefighter.....

As a member of the Civil Defense Fire Rescue I was training at the Spokane Fire Department drill tower. That day we were training on how to do interior attacks on a multi story building. The drill tower is a 3 story cement building and it was full of smoke, another firefighter and I were to do an attack on the third story. 

I pulled a section of hose and threw it over my shoulder. We headed up the stairs and hooked into a stand pipe on the 2^nd floor on the way up. The drill tower was filled with black smoke to simulate a fire. As we turned the corner onto the 3rd floor we gave the signal to the engineer to charge the line. 

As soon as the line was charged the coupler failed. The nozzle separated from the heavy brass coupler on the 2 ½” hose and shot across the room like a missile. As the nozzle took off in one direction ricocheting across the room and down the stairs. The hose took off like a huge angry snake flying around the room. 

We were in full bunkers, but that brass coupler was heavy and could do a lot of damage. If it should hit one of us in the head, it could kill you instantly. If it knocked the nozzle off one of our Scott Airpacks, it would become another missile to deal with.

Because of our training the firefighter running the pump immediately knew something was wrong from the sound the pump, and shut it down. Shutting down the pump when he did most likely saved our lives, he certainly saved us serious injuries that day.


Volunteer firefighters make up the majority of US firefighters. According to the NFPA’s U.S. fire department profile, there are an estimated 30,125 fire departments in the United States. Of these, 2,495 departments are all-career, 1,860 are mostly career, 5,290 are mostly volunteer and 20,480 are all-volunteer. In other words, 70% of all firefighters in America are volunteers, which equates to 768,150 fire and emergency service responders.

We can have a fire academy here in Dolan Springs to train volunteer firefighters, and an EMT course to train EMT's for the ambulance.

At fire board meetings some people made it sound like you would need to spend years in school to be an EMT. Actually we have the person who can train EMT's right here in Dolan Springs in 180 hours.


ISO RATINGS
CLASS 8

To receive a Public Protection Classification (PPC™) of Class 8 or better a community must first have the minimum facilities and practices needed for a PPC rating and must earn a score of at least 20 points when evaluated according to the criteria in the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). The community must also have these additional minimum facilities:

• There must be a minimum water supply of 250 gpm for a 2-hour duration for fire protection in the area.
  
  If the fire department delivers the 250 gpm through tanker shuttle, large-diameter hose, or other alternative water supply, the water must be available within 5 minutes of the arrival of the first-due engine, and the department must maintain the flow, without interruption, for the 2-hour duration.
• The fire department must have one suitably equipped engine that responds to all first alarm structural fires. Pump capacity must be at least 750 gpm at 150 psi. The engine must have a water tank in accordance with the general criteria of NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, “pumper Fire Apparatus.” 

Who's Really Using Illegal Underhanded Tactics Providing Disinformation and Assassinating Characters

It seems that Ellen Reh-Bower is the one using illegal underhanded tactics and providing disinformation about the fire district and the candidates in violation of election laws.

Ellen violates election laws by signing her blog www.lmrfdsupport.com It's spelled out in this Powerpoint about County Employees and Elections by the Pinal County Board of Suporvisors 

On Ellen's blog signing the blog as Ellen Reh-Bower, Office/Admin LMRFD she is violating the section under Restricted Activities that say's "Public employees may not distribute material that contains political advocacy While acting in their official capacity" in this case signing as the "Office/Admin LMRFD" This is one of those illegal underhanded tactics she uses to provide disinformation while accusing others doing the same.

On Ellen's LMRFD Support candidates page she uses three times the amount of space attacking one candidate as on the other four candidates. Somehow the other four candidates were left out altogether.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I apologize for providing inaccurate information here about Ellen Reh-Bower and the paragraph was removed.
Since you need to follow a link to comments section, I wanted everyone to see Ellen Reh-Bower's comment and the reason for my apology.
Ellen Reh-Bower' Comment
"Ellen Reh-Bower sat there at every board meeting as the Office Administrator of the LMRFD and watched it go broke." FYI, I NEVER sat at ANY board meeting of the LMRFD before it went broke. That is an easily verifiable, bald faced LIE. It is also an easily verifiable FACT, but you are not interested in FACTS.... that I DID send financial information to the County, our bank, personnel, the board and the "chief", over a period of a year, confirming that the direction we were going was disastrous. I have in my possession 52 emails proving that. A simple review of the minutes for years preceding FEB 2013 will reveal that I NEVER attended ANY board meetings. Your informant is mistaken!" "

NOTE: I Tried to Verify her statement but the LMRFD board minutes prior to 2013 are sparse, saying the meeting was recorded.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now she uses underhanded tactics and provides disinformation about the fire district and the candidates signing her PERSONAL Blog as the Office Administrator of the LMRFD.

EXAMPLE OF RESTRICTED ACTIVITY A public employee who, on her own computer on the weekend, drafts a press release about how a measure might affect their agency, and signs the document with their title.

To provide balanced unbiased information about all the candidates is one thing, only listing some candidates rather than everyone running, then singling out one candidate for attack and signing it as Ellen Reh-Bower, Office/Admin LMRFD should be looked into by the Mohave County BOS and the Arizona Attorney General for election violations.

Much damage has been done by a small vocal group centered in Dolan Springs with hostile and slanderous attacks toward those who fought the consolidation and the takeover of the LMRFD.

LMRFD Going Dark? Why Did We Pay Flynn?

What happened to Mr Flynn fixing our money problems? It looks like he got paid thousands of dollars a month to fix the districts money problems, and did nothing but take our money.

Why didn't the LMRFD just go dark and not hire Mr Flynn if this was going to be his plan. I remember Mr Flynn telling us he would be there to help until the LMRFD was back on it's feet.

Since he didn't do what he was hired to do, we need to get our money back. That would solve some of our problems.

Misinformation about the Focus Group that looked into the problems at the LMRFD

When I started this blog all I wanted to do was educate the people of Dolan Springs about EMS. Some people just want to create problems rather than solutions. We need people who want to LMRFD to grow and prosper. After all, the ambulance is a business and needs to be treated like a business.

This Post was Submitted by Donna Wickerd

It's a response to LMRFD Denied Operating Line of Credit (bottom of page)

That was posted by Ellen Reh-Bower the Contributing Editor of LMRFDSupport.com

There has been a lot of misinformation given out to the community about the Focus Group that investigated the issue of consolidation for Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District. I would like to dispel rumors by setting the record straight.

The Focus Group was not an independent organization, but rather a group of individuals who are interested in improving the local economy and lifestyle of local residents in the Dolan Springs and Meadview areas. The core of the Focus Group was Rebecca Smith and I, who are both community activists and worked together as a team for several years to investigate the financial issues behind the closure of Mt Tipton's secondary school. Rebecca has a talent for analyzing raw numbers and I have a talent for analyzing a business model and improving it.

Together we created an alternative to closure that was financially sound, but was ultimately rejected by KUSD. After attending an LMRFD meeting in April 2015, I was surprised to find that consolidation was pretty much a done deal, with no public input or investigation by the community served by LMRFD, and in fact that I was the ONLY PERSON FROM DOLAN SPRINGS in attendance, all the other attendees forming a small but vociferous group from Meadview supporting consolidation with NACFD. I couldn't resist questioning the quick consolidation of our fire district, so I called my friend Rebecca, who I knew would be the perfect partner for this kind of project, and together we embarked on a quest to understand the finances and operations of LMRFD. 

Together we compiled information from John Flynn, the county treasurer, as well as past and present employees of LMRFD, to create a picture of its current state of operations. We then brought in experts from the community who were involved in business, volunteer firefighting, and EMS response. With that information, we proposed a viable plan to operate LMRFD independently with both professional employees and community volunteers. We presented our plan at a Town Hall Meeting at the Dolan Springs Community Council building in an attempt to educate the community about the issue. At that meeting, several other people were given time to express their own opinions and questions from the floor could be directed at any member of the public in attendance.

That's it. That's all we ever did. Our Focus Group became the target of various individuals in both communities who were bitter about the past and set on consolidation, regardless of the facts. Rebecca and I were condemned and attacked personally about our views without ever being engaged in an actual discussion about the facts or our ideas. Jay Fleming was also targeted, despite never being a member of the the Focus Group, or having attended any of our meetings. 

The fact is, Jay Fleming is a good friend of mine. He is a retired law enforcement officer and paramedic, with an interest in communications technology, who gave me very sound advice about EMS operations during our discovery phase, but otherwise had no official role in the Focus Group. Since then, the negativity and attacks on my two friends have caused them both to retreat from public service. Rebecca has even decided to leave the area entirely, selling her home and relocating permanently. This is a devastating loss to our town, Rebecca Smith has contributed to our community in so many ways over the years it would be impossible to list them all, and has always been willing to go the extra mile to improve lives in our community. Not only am I losing one of my best friends over this, but Rebecca will no longer be there for me to call when we have another community emergency that her skills can help solve.

I am a problem-solver, I live to create cooperative solutions to social issues in my community. I find it more fun and inspiring than having a beer at the local bar or watching TV and Youtube. Those of you who know me will attest that I am at my best working with others to create solutions and improve the lives of the people around me, whether it is through education, grant writing, political organization or my business and technology skills. As long as I live in Dolan Springs, you can count on me to be involved, in the most constructive possible way, when it comes to finding and implementing solutions to our community's most urgent issues. And I'm not leaving, you will not drive me away. Negative Nancy can throw mud at me all day long, I will never stop caring or give up on the people that I love in this community. I'm not going to be silent when I see my neighbors sinking in the mud. You are stuck with me! All I ask is that if you are not interested in working together to create constructive dialogue and innovative solutions, then get out of the way and let someone else pitch-in instead. Don't think that you can blacken my name, because the light of my love for this community and the people in it will always outshine the darkness of your negativity.

Sincerely, Donna Wickerd

Regarding the post at http://www.lmrfdsupport.com/lmrfd-news.html

“LMRFD Denied Operating Line of CreditSubmitted by Ellen Reh-Bower, Contributing Editor

Fears that funding might be difficult to come by for a once again stand-alone fire district are being realized. Administrator John Flynn announced at the monthly meeting, March 21 that he had been turned down by Wells Fargo for a standard operating Line of Credit. It was expected that the LMRFD might not qualify for as much of a LOC as before its insolvency, but Wells Fargo is the County’s servicing bank, and is in first position for all tax dollars received on the LMRFD’s behalf. It is in practically a zero risk positon! Mr. Flynn was shocked. He has subsequently been turned down by 3 other banks, and continues to negotiate with several more. He announced the possibility of “going dark” for a 6-9 month period if no funding can be found to con -tinue operations after July 1.

Now would be a good time for those members of the now defunct "Dolan Springs Focus Group" to put up the funding they offered. Concerns voiced a year ago by those in favor of consolidation with NACFD as to whether the LMRFD would be able to procure an operating Line of Credit as a stand-alone District, were glibly discounted with at least one member of the DSFG commenting, 'I have money, I will loan it!'”

Police Scanner for less Than $10

If you liked listening to the local government frequencies using the online radio scanner I posted about, here's the next step.

It's a wide band Software Defined Radio, or SDR receiver. It covers more frequencies than most expensive scanners. Here is one on eBay for less than $8.00 http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB2-0-Digital-DVB-T-SDR-DAB-FM-HDTV-TV-Tuner-Receiver-Stick-RTL2832U-R820T-/272017744759?hash=item3f55856377:g:5SQAAOSw5ZBWIGuE

Download HDSDR software and your off and running.

Jay

Free Online Fire Sheriff Scanner.. Listen on Your Phone

If you would like to know about emergencies in Mohave County this is a free online police scanner you can use on your computer, phone or tablet.

Here are links to Mohave County Scanner Feeds  and a link to Nation Wide Scanner Feeds

Not sure this covers sheriff district 4 in Dolan, but does listen to LMRFD

Have fun,
Jat

Dolan Springs Community Council Meeting February 6th Mohave County Emergency Management

Dolan Springs Community Council meeting February 6th speaker will be the Mohave County Emergency Management

Mohave County Emergency Management Coordinator Byron Steward and Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Browning will be the speakers at the February 6th Community Council meeting.

This is a great opportunity to learn what we need to do to prepare for major weather events and other emergencies that may effect our area.

As individuals we need to prepare to take care of our family and friends. As a community we need to prepare to take care of our friends and neighbors who may be injured or for some reason can’t take care of themselves.

Get involved in your community, learn, live, share.

Jay

LINKS
Dolan Springs Community Council Facebook Page

Mohave County Emergency Management Facebook Page

ARES Volunteers Support Major Flood Responses

This is why alternative communications are so important..

Amateur Radio operators put their skills to work during flooding in the Centralia area of Southwest Washington and historic flooding in the Greater St Louis area in December and January. In Missouri ARES® volunteers from three counties pitched in. According to Bill Grimsbo, N0PNP, District C Emergency Coordinator, Amateur Radio volunteers contributed more than 170 hours of service just in his district, working with responding agencies.

“These people commit their personal time as well as working regular hours at jobs that represent a cross section of America’s workforce for the greater good of the community,” he pointed out.

Prolonged rainfall occurred December 26-28, with the heaviest rainfall in a 50 to 75 mile wide swath from Southwest Missouri through the St Louis Metropolitan area and into Central Illinois. The total 6 to 12 inches of rainfall led to life-threatening flash flooding and historic river flooding, capping off the wettest year on record for St Louis at 61.24 inches.

More than 26 radio amateurs from St Louis Metro ARES, St Charles County ARES, Illinois Section ARES, and St Louis and suburban radio club members worked with the American Red Cross in serving some 19,400 meals and coordinating more than 640 overnight stays for those displaced by flooding. ARES and club operators were asked to help coordinate communications among shelters in four counties and Red Cross headquarters. On average, volunteers worked 6 to 8 hour shifts, employing repeaters maintained by area radio clubs.

READ MORE

Confused Over LMRFD Budget

I'm confused about the budget, income, and expenses for the LMRFD. When you review the budget figures, or ask at fire board meetings how much it cost to operate the fire district, we're told it's between $60,000 and $62,000 a month.

I'm not a numbers guy, so someone please explain this to me...

The LMRFD gets $1,100,000 from tax revenue and other income. 

$62,000 X 12 months = $744,000

$1,100,000-$744,000=$356,000

Doesn't the LMRFD have $356,000 over the monthly cost to operate?

Confused....

 

Wanted Firefighter EMT Paramedic for Small Arizona Community

Wanted Firefighter EMT Paramedic for Small Arizona Community

The Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District (LMRFD) is looking for a firefighter EMT paramedic for our high desert community. If your an experienced firefighter or one who may be retiring soon and would like to continue serving your community, or a young person looking to get experience, this is the place.

Bring your hiking boots and check out Dolan Springs beautiful trail system near Mt Tipton.  web page www.dolanspringstrails.com  Dolan Springs is a small community with a population of around 2,000 people, but 1,000,000 people visit the Grand Canyon West. 

Bring your big boy toys, 4-wheelers, 4X4's and boats, to explore Lake Mead and hundreds of miles of ATV and jeep trails. Check out Meadviews Ridge Riders ATV Club

Dolan Springs is the Gateway to Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon West. Meadview overlooks Lake Mead with it's 1000 miles of shoreline, year round fishing, boating, swimming, and water skiing,

These are high desert communities with mild climates, according to BestPlaces.net Dolan Springs has 293 of sunshine, compared to Seattle with 152 days of sunshine.

Entertainment an hour and you're in Laughlin Nevada all the shows like Vegas only cheaper prices. Want the big city, Las Vegas is only 90 minutes away. Big city not your cup of tea, it's 35 miles to Kingman Arizona and historic Route 66.

Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District

Volunteer Firefighter Facts like the $139 Billion they Save Our Nation Each Year -- Please Educate Yourself

Educating people about how important volunteer firefighters are to to America, especially the $139 Billion Dollars they save us in these times of budget problems. 

Volunteer Fire Service Fact Sheet

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services. Organized in 1976, the NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer fire and emergency services in the national arena and provides invaluable tools, resources, programs, training, and advocacy for first responders across the nation. Each state firefighter’s association elects a representative to the NVFC Board of Directors.

We welcome you to browse our web site at www.nvfc.org to learn more about the volunteer fire and emergency services and information regarding membership, training, legislation, and meetings.

This Fact Sheet was produced in order to provide an overall picture of today’s volunteer fire and emergency services.

• Volunteers comprise 69% of firefighters in the United States. Of the total estimated 1,140,750 volunteer and paid firefighters across the country, 786,150 are volunteer.1 • Communities served by volunteer firefighters depend on them to be their first line of defense for many types of emergencies. Volunteer firefighters are summoned to a wide array of emergencies across the country every day including fires, emergency medical incidents, terrorist events, natural disasters, hazardous materials incidents, water rescue emergencies, high-angle and confined space emergencies, and other general public service calls. The public relies on the volunteer emergency services to be their first line of defense in these emergencies. Volunteers spend an enormous amount of time training to prepare for these emergencies.

• The majority of fire departments in the United States are volunteer. Of the total 30,052 fire departments in the country, 19,807 are all volunteer; 5,797 are mostly volunteer; 1,971 are mostly career; and 2,477 are all career.

The volunteer fire service has challenges with recruitment and retention, but the option is what? Please educate your self about volunteer firefighters and the $139 Billion Dollars they they save the nation each year.
More Fire Service Statistics and Fact Sheets HERE

Response to LMRFD Support.com

I have nothing to gain from the Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District other than better fire/EMS and fire insurance rates. I choose to educate the area's residents about problems with the EMS system in the LMRFD, and look for alternatives and solutions. Other choose to attack people with name calling and unprofessional conduct. 

As a young paramedic I took oath that said, "I shall share my medical knowledge with those who may benefit from what I have learned". I try to honor that oath, and the paramedics that came before me.

Ellen tells us she has worked for the fire district for 10 years. I don't understand why someone with limited web and computer skills was being paid over $16.00 an hour. That's more per hour than a firefighter paramedic with 3000 hours of training gets paid. Why....

When I asked why information was outdated on the LMRFD web page, she said she didn't know how to change it. I question her computer skills. When I requested information i was told she would need to charge me for information because it would take hours, and she would need to print hundreds of pages to find a few fire calls I had asked about.

$16 an hour, really.... Anyone that knows databases could find the information is a couple minutes, and print it on one page of paper.

It's funny that for 2 years the LMRFD web page had information that mislead people wanting to visit or move to the area. Telling them the LMRFD had 7 ALS ambulances, 4 rescue vehicles, and lots of man power, when it really only had 1 ambulance and 2 EMT's most of the time.

When I complained about the misleading information, Ellen told me she didn't know how to fix it  and their web master had quit. What I find funny, is how good she is at running the LMRFD SUPPORT page, when she couldn't run the fire districts page.

LMRFD Budget
We've been told over and over that the LMRFD needs $62,000.00 a month to operate, and we have no money. We're also told the LMRFD receives $1,100,000.00 in tax revenue. So how is it we have no money? 
12X$62,000=$744,000 
$1,100,000-$744,000=$356,000
Do we have an extra $356,000 or $29,666 a month?

LMRFD and the NACFD
The LMRFD doesn't have a bad relationship with NACFD. We have had a mutual aid agreement, and will continue to have a mutual aid agreement with NACFD. It's a standard agreement between neighboring fire districts.

At several fire board meetings prior to the consolidation vote by NACFD, Mr Flynn told us he didn't care if we decided to consolidate with NACFD or go as a stand alone fire district, he would be there to support us during the process.

After consolidation his attitude changed and at fire board meetings he appeared to be mad the NACFD vote didn't go his way. What happened to I'll support you no matter what the decision? 

At one time the LMRFD had many local paid and volunteer firefighters. We went broke, we got that, but so did Rural Metro Ambulance Service. They were the second biggest EMS provider in the nation, and they went broke, so stop blaming everything on the old fire board.

The good ol boy system is alive and well in Mohave County. Rather than do a nation wide search for firefighters, we were told no body want's to work here. Then they hire their buddies part time from the "small community" of local fire fighters. They work one day here, one at their fire department, and then get a day off.and do it again. Pretty good deal...

We don't have one LMRFD firefighter who lives inside the LMRFD. The only firefighter with a stake in the community is Mike Pettway who's lived in the area for a long time. He's worked for the fire district for many years and truly cares about the community. I feel Mike is the only firefighter who is truly a POC, Paid on Call firefighter, he's the only one closes enough to respond if needed off duty. All the other firefighters live in Kingman and Lake Havasu 40 to 100 miles away.

In a major weather event, or worse, we would have the 3 firefighters working at the time. On a bad day, and Mr Flynn doesn't want to admit it, but on some days, there is only one firefighter working in the LMRFD, and not always a paramedic on duty.

I've asked Chief Moore, Mr Flynn, and the county attorney who's responsible when the fire board allows firefighters to leave the fire district on ambulance calls, and my home burns down.I pay $200 a year to the LMRFD so firefighters are in the fire district to protect my home if needed.


Homeowners Insurance Class 8 ISO

Homeowners Insurance is going to go up because over the last 3 years the leadership has gotten rid of all the volunteer firefighters. 

To receive an ISO rating of 8, the LMRFD would need to pump 250 gallons per minute continousley for 2 hours. Tell me how with 2-3 firefighters, that's 30,000 gallons of water

Minimum Criteria for Class 8 or Better

To receive a Public Protection Classification (PPC™) of Class 8 or better, a community must first have the minimum facilities and practices needed for a PPC rating and must earn a score of at least 20 points when evaluated according to the criteria in the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). The community must also have these additional minimum facilities:

There must be a minimum water supply of 250 gpm for a 2-hour duration for fire protection in the area.

If the fire department delivers the 250 gpm through tanker shuttle, large-diameter hose, or other alternative water supply, the water must be available within 5 minutes of the arrival of the first-due engine, and the department must maintain the flow, without interruption, for the 2-hour duration. ISO Rating Info

Hostile and Slanderous Attacks
There were no hostile or slanderous attacks from me. I asked questions Mr Flynn questions he didn't want to answer. 

Like why was the turnout time, the time it takes to leave the fire station, over 5 minutes on some calls when NFPA 1710 recommends a turnout time of less than 80 seconds, and many departments have a time of 60 seconds for turnout time on fire responses. 

Like the question about the Two-In-Two-Out Rule. 

I asked if two firefighters could enter a burning home to do a rescue. After a long pause, Mr Flynn said yes. Commonly referred to as the 2-in/2-out rule, it's a federal mandate said to be "the most important advance in firefighter safety in decades", and "a regulation that goes a long way in making one of the most dangerous professions safer".

His answer was correct, but... OSHA says "If an immediate action is necessary to save a life, an exception or deviation to the 2-in/2-out rule is permissible. If initial attack personnel are aware of an known life hazard that can be alleviated by immediate action, deviation from the 2-in/2-out rule may be permitted as an exception to a fire department operational plan. 

However, such deviations can result in OSHA issuing a "de minimis" citation. A "de minimis" citation does not require a monetary penalty or corrective action, but any actions taken in accordance with this exception provision require an investigation by the concerned fire department with a written report to the Fire Chief.

If firefighters decide to deviate from the 2-in/2-out OSHA rule, and it leads to injury or death, then OSHA fines us a lot of money, and the families file lawsuits.

The safety of the citizens and firefighters must come first. 
 Landmark Residential Fire Study Shows How Crew Sizes and Arrival Times Influence Saving Lives and Property

Confusion Over Who is in the LMRFD and Who Pays Tax to the LMRFD

There seems to be some confusion over what parcels are in the LMRFD, and who pays taxes to the LMRFD. Everyone pays a tax to the Fire District Assistance Fund, usually between $2.00 and $10 a year. Many people think because it says "Fire District" Assistance Fund, in means they're in the fire district, many are not.

Use the Mohave County Assessor's Office web page, on the left you'll see a link to your Current Tax Bill. Look for Lake Mohave Ranchos FD on your tax bill. If it doesn't say "Lake Mohave Ranchos FD" you're not in the fire district.

I pay $178.78 or 22.65%  of my property taxes to the LMRFD. I only pay $108.35 or 13.73% of my property taxes to Mohave County.

Please check and see if you are in the LMRFD. I talk to people every week who think they're in the LMRFD, only to find they're not. This includes some parcels only blocks from the Meadview fire station.

Don't wait until the election in May, only to find you don't receive a ballot because you're not in the fire district.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and that the new year is prosperous for you and yours.

We vote in a new fire board this next May. I hope we can come together as a community and support the new fire board in whatever course they choose.

We still need people to take the CERT Training coming up in January. SEE Confusion About CERT Training for how to contact Mike Browning to sign up, or for more information on CERT.

CERT Training is something everyone should take. It doesn't matter if you're a prepper or not, it's basic training in first aid, search and rescue, and other skills everyone who lives in a rural area should know. In case of a major emergency you can provide support for your family, friends and neighbors until emergency services can get there.

Let's Be Careful Out There

Merry Christmas
Jay & Jean Fleming
Dolan Springs Arizona

Amateur Radio Volunteers Respond to Flood Emergency in Southern India:

Amateur Radio Volunteers Respond to Flood Emergency in Southern India:

from The ARRL Letter on December 10, 2015
Website: http://www.arrl.org/ 
Add a comment about this article! 

Amateur Radio Volunteers Respond to Flood Emergency in Southern India:

In the wake of severe flooding in Southern India resulting from several days of torrential downpours earlier this month, volunteer radio amateurs jumped in to provide emergency communication and other disaster assistance. Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSIhttp://www.arsi.info/) President Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN, said hams swung into action soon after flood waters -- 3 to 4 meters deep in some places -- overwhelmed India's fourth-largest city, Chennai, and the surrounding region. Power outages in many parts of the affected area hampered Amateur Radio relief operations, and some radio amateurs were caught in the flooding. Hams with emergency power were able to pitch in, however, via two local repeaters. An HF network remained on standby.

Local hams, several belonging to the South India Amateur Radio Society (SIARS http://www.siars.org.in/) in Chennai, contributed to relief and rescue operations, working in part with ALERT, a non-governmental relief organization "Once it became possible to move, hams started going out assisting with delivery of food and water to stranded individuals and assisting with rescue from tall buildings, where people were trapped," Madhavan said. ARSI National Coordinator for Disaster Communication Jayu Bhide, VU2JAU, said the flooding was one of the city's worst disasters and was unexpected in a metropolitan area. 

Most of the cell phone network, Internet, and other communication systems were knocked out due to power failure and flooding.

The emergency network supported communication for distributing food, tracing missing people, and providing other assistance as needed. With the conventional communication infrastructure disrupted, ham radio was a mainstay. The flooding also cut off access to several bridges, dividing the city.

Bhide said this week that Chennai is slowly recovering as the flood waters recede, but recovery is expected to take a long time. More than 300 people were reported to have died as a result of the disaster. -- Thanks to Jayu Bhide, VU2JAU, Jim Linton, VK3PC, and Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN

Source:

The ARRL Letter