SVFD Training at Chris' PizzaOver the past few weeks you may have noticed a lot of SVFD activity at the old Chris' Pizza building. The structure is scheduled for demolition and the SVFD has been given the opportunity to use this building for training. We have practiced removing victims from a building, navigating through a smoke filled structure and most recently venting and breaching.Breaching walls is a way to get from one spot in a structure to another when the normal paths are not an option. Fundamentally it means making a hole in a wall that's large enough to get through. Here are few Photos from the drill on Monday, September 15th. Emergency Services Day at Sherman CampOn Tuesday, July 29th, members of the SVFD in conjunction with the Connecticut State Police and LifeStar set up a display of emergency services on Veteran's Field for the campers of both junior and senior camp. Over 80 campers and staff members had the opportunity to get a close look at the fire and EMS apparatus as well as spray a little water from a fire hose. In addition we had two, yes two, helicopters land on the field for the campers to get a close look at. Some pictures from the day are available on the SVFD Photos page.Election of officers held July 10th.On July 10th the SVFD held its annual election of officers. In attempt to help balance the load across both the EMS and Fire sides of the department several of the positions were renamed to more accurately reflect their scope and responsibility. In addition the SVFD has elected Jim Reilly into the newly created office of president. For a complete list of officers please check out the Members section.SVFD Places ThirdFor the second year in a row, the softball team from the SVFD placed third in the Bear Showalter Memorial Softball Tournament in the Fire Department B division. Congratulations to all who participated.HEARTSafe Community You may have noticed the signs that recently appeared around town announcing that Sherman was a HEARTSafe Community. A HEARTSafe community designation indicates that the town has attained a level of education and awareness to respond to cardiac emergencies as well as the necessary means to respond with trained first responders. For details on the requirements for becoming a HEARTSafe community check out this brochure . The CT Department of Public Health also has a short video explaining the importance of having the appropriate response to a Sudden Cardiac Arrest that can be viewed here. Softball Kodak momentsPictures from a recent SVFD softball game are now available for anyone who wants to relive the moment. Games are on Sundays and there is still plenty of season left. Details of the schedule are available here.Huntington's Disease Benefit DinnerOn Saturday May 31st, there will be a benefit dinner at the Bantam Fire House to raise awareness and funds for Huntington's Disease. The event runs from 5:30-9:30 and the $30 includes hors d'oeuvres, dinner salads, roast beef, baked potatoes and dessert. For details about the event and how to purchase tickets, please check out http://www.curehd2006.comEMS Week 2008 May 18th-24th Sunday, May 18th, marks the start of EMS Week The SVFD will actually start its EMS Week activities a few days early with a demonstration at the Sherman School Ice Cream Social on Wednesday May 14th. Members of the SVFD will give those in attendance a quick demonstration on how to use the public access AEDs at the school. There are two public access AEDs in the school, one is outside the entrance to the gymnasium and the second is downstairs in the hallway between the multipurpose room and the cafeteria. As the name implies, these devices are intended to be used by members of the general public who are present at the time of a cardiac emergency. The demonstration is intended to show how to follow the directions that are included with the unit itself. During EMS Week there will also be presentations at the daycare and preschool in town to help the children get acquainted with the EMS personnel and equipment that they may see them using in an emergency. Sherman Fireman's Ball Held 8/4/07 .Under a cloudless starfilled sky, the guests at the annual Sherman Fireman's Ball danced to the music of The Hey Baby Band on Saturday night, August 4th. From the looks of the food on the tables and the smiles on everyone's faces it looked as though a good time was had by all. If you happen to have any pictures from the event that you'd like to share, please send them to ShermanVFD@gmail.com. Appreciation Dinner Held March 8thOn Saturday, March 8th, the SVFD held the 15th annual appreciation dinner. The event is a way to recognize and say thanks to not only the members of the fire department but also to extend our appreciation to our mutual aid companies in Gaylordsville, New Milford and New Fairfield.The dinner is also a time to recognize life members who have reached a milestone in their service to the fire department. Life members are any SVFD member who has served for 15 years or longer or who has served as Fire Chief. Jim Reilly was the newest addition to the ranks of life members, achieving his 15th year of service in October 2007. Check out the Members page for a complete list of life members. Additionally, the following members were recognized for service anniversaries:
Why was Route 55 closed the other day?If you happenned to be in need of taking route 55 from Sherman to Gaylordsville on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 29th you were met with barricades and a closed road. If you are wondering what was going on, here are few snapshots of the truck that overturned, spilling roughly 600 sheets of plywood onto the road and surrounding property. Luckily no one was hurt in the incident.Sherman voters approve Firehouse Expansion At a town referendum vote on Saturday, June 9th, Sherman residents approved the bonding for the conversion of the firehouse into an Emergency Services Facility. For details of the plan, please go to the Town of Sherman website. Thanks to all the Sherman voters who turned out to cast their votes. Pancake Breakfast Held December 23rdThanks to all who came out on a damp Sunday morning to join us for breakfast and get in those last minute requests to Santa. Due to the inclimate weather that afternoon we were unable to escort Santa on his tour of Sherman after breakfast. We hope to have him back in the truck next year.Boot Drive Held Sunday November 4th The SVFD held its annual boot drive on Sunday, November 4th. Through the generous donation of residents and others just passing through town we collected over $4100 which will be used for radio equipment. Our radio equipment includes everything from the pagers that wake us up in the middle of the night to the base station at the firehouse. Being able to effectively communicate is critical to the safety of the members. We thank you for your support in helping us maintain our communications network. |
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Did you know...Through the first 8 months of 2007, SVFD members interrupted their daily routine to respond to emergency incidents a total of 1676 times. There weren’t 1676 calls to 911, but when a call comes in we always have more than one person responding. If if you add up all the times each person responded then you reach 1676. If each response conservatively took a half an hour, which is a very low estimate, then that means members have provided over 800 volunteer man-hours of EMS and fire services in response to 911 calls.Additionally, there have been almost 1200 man-hours spent on local drills and training. This does not include the many hours of community service that members provide in training for first aid and CPR classes as well as the time outside of the weekly drills that is spent maintaining the aparatus and managing the day to day operation of the firehouse. Sherman Resident Wins Jeep Raffle SVFD Fire Captain Kris Fazzone (l.) presents long-time Sherman resident Andy Alexander with the keys to a 2007 fire engine red Jeep. The professional architect won the jeep in the recent fundraising raffle sponsored by the SVFD. Mr. Alexander's winning ticket was drawn under state supervision at the annual FIreman's Ball on August 4th. The keys to the Jeep were presented Sunday evening August 12th at the firehouse. Mr. Alexander said he purchased a single raffle ticket, without much expectation of winning, to aid the SVFD fundraising effort. He said he would likely buy more tickets at the next raffle. Rose DeMatteo, an ancillary member of the SVFD, coordinated sales of the raffle tickets and the presentation of the keys. Bone Marrow Match Found for Pat Harris .Sherman resident Pat Harris has received word that a suitable bone marrow donor has been located. He is now is undergoing treatment in New Milford Hospital, prior to receiving the much needed bone marrow transfusion, and is reported to be “in very good spirits.” More… Landing Zone Safety Class Hosted by SVFD The Sherman VFD held a Landing Zone safety class at the Sherman School on Monday, May 21st 2007. This was the first time that helicopters and crew from both LifeStar and LifeNet of NY presented landing class together. Joining the 38 members from Sherman in attendance that night were representatives from Bridgewater, Campion Medic 4, Kent, Warren, Roxbury, Washington, Northville, Water Witch, Gaylordsville, New Milford Ambulance and Northfield. All told over 100 people had the opportunity to improve their skills and understanding of helicopter landing zone safety, protocols and procedures. Photos from the evening can be viewed courtesy of Veronica Scheer and there are a couple minutes of video from the evening. If you have photos that you would like to share, please email them to webmaster@shermanvfd.org SVFD Graduates 8 new MRTsThe Sherman Volunteer Fire Department is proud to announce the graduation of eight new Medical Response Technicians as a result of the class that was hosted by the SVFD over the past few months. Pending final certification from the state, the following have joined the ranks of first responders:
The class included an additional 15 students as follows:
This is the first time that the SVFD has hosted a class of this nature and it is also the largest group of MRTs that have been added to the ranks of the SVFD at one time. Class coordinator Joe Dos Santos would like to express his appreciation for the dedication shown by this group and their commitment to the SVFD and the community. Thanks also go out to the instrutors, Earle Judson and John Osborne. Sherman IGA Aids SVFD Fundraising Thanks to the generosity of Mike Luzi and the Sherman IGA, residents enjoyed a rare free lunch -- of hot dogs, hamburgers chips and soda -- over the recent Father's Day holiday weekend. All they needed to do to was purchase a raffle ticket for the Fire Engine Red Jeep now being offered by the Sherman Volunteer Fire Dept. The lunch was served outside the IGA from 11:00 am to 2:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The raffle tickets cost $25.00 each. The purchase of a single ticket was sufficient to enable an entire family to eat for free. More than 125 raffle tickets were sold during the two-day event. The free lunch was Mike's effort to help boost sales of the raffle tickets. "An expanded firehouse is a much-needed improvement for Sherman," Mr. Luzi told the Citizen News. "The volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel are trying very hard to lower the cost of the project by raising a portion of the funds for the project themselves. Sherman is grateful for their many hours of volunteer work and I am glad to support their fundraising effort." Proceeds from the sales of the tickets will be used to buy interior furnishings for the firehouse expansion, which was recently approved by voters. New Milfod Hospital Celebrates EMS Week Sherman Designated a HEARTSafe community The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), in collaboration with the American Heart Association, announces that Sherman has been designated a HEARTSafe Community... With this classification, Sherman joins other towns such as Roxbury and Stamford as being recognized as a town where someone who is suffering a sudden cardiac arrect will have the best possible chance for survival. Gary St. Amand from the Connecticut Department of Public Health will be on hand at the next BOS meeting on Thursday, April 26th to present the Town with a certificate. Hats off to Mike Berger Walk around the Sherman Volunteer Fire Dept. this week and you’ll notice something very different: several members are now hairless and virtual look-alikes of Yul Brenner, Howie Mandel and even our own Kris Fazzone. More..... Two groups of photos from the evening are online at HERE and HERE . Bone Marrow Registration DriveFrom the Danbury News Times following the bone marrow registration drive:THUMBS UP to the Sherman Volunteer Fire Department for an impressive bone marrow registration drive. It was organized to help Pat Harris, a longtime resident of Sherman. He has been diagnosed with myelodysplasia syndrome, a blood disease that could develop into leukemia without a bone marrow transplant. Nearly 400 people turned out for the registration drive. A match for Harris may not be found among those 400, but it's possible a match for someone else waiting for a transplant will be found among them. |
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