10/7/2015 - Rotary Meeting Minutes: “Sunrise Rotary goes to Brattleboro Fire Department, Fire Department survives (barely).”
10/7/2015
Rotary Meeting Minutes: “Sunrise Rotary goes to Brattleboro Fire Department, Fire Department survives (barely).”
President’s Quote: “Women who seek to be equal with men… lack ambition” Timothy Leary
Thanks to our greeter Bob Fagelson (who looked very chipper outside the Firehouse this chilly morning). Turner volunteered to greet next week, back at our “home” meeting space.
Thanks to our scribe, KJ (that’s me! hey look, my name in print!) next week Michelle (cheers were heard!)
Guest introductions
Attorney John Mabie, nooner who seems to enjoy coming to visit us, a lot! J
Cyndi Ferrante – Nooner who Jim V found up at the Legion, good thing Jim forgot we were at the Firehouse this week, we’re all glad you found Cyndi.
Our Student guests: Davey, Lucy and our youngest Mesa.
Announcements
Sandy S: Trivia night is on Monday, October 19th this month, asked for three volunteers to proofread and immediately received three volunteers. Deciding he was having good luck he asked for two volunteers to score keep (in Turner’s absence, yes it takes TWO to replace Turner) and promptly received two more volunteers. (I hope you bought a card Sandy, your luck is holding)
Toni: Has received two gift certificates for the raffle. If you volunteered to try to find gift certificates please let Toni know how it’s going.
Kevin: Announcement for Noon club, having a social next Thursday, October 15 from 5:30 – 7:30 at the Marina. The food is free, but the drinks are “on the individual”. If you can attend, please let President Ali know.
President Ali:
Club Assembly is next week, pick a committee, share ideas!
Future Speaker assignments: 10/14 – Club Assembly, 10/21 Marcy, 10/28 – Toni, Nov 4 – Dan.
Coffee for Sale: See Tristam
Some housekeeping items: Please arrive on time! If you miss the bell and the pledge you owe a quarter (Ed is watching!). If you have a birthday, you owe $2 (it’s worth $2 for the song, no?). Streaking (leaving early), please remember to tell the speaker you have to leave AND pay your $2 streak fee (taking kids to school is an exception). If you have financial hardship, please see President Ali.
Birthdays
None!
Cards
7 of Hearts – Ed wins! What a WINNER! Free lunch on Ed (he won $8)
Brags
Amelia: $5 brag for Hilltop Montessori. Hosted a group from Alabama – 11 folks came to Vermont, some of whom have never left Alabama before. Shared their quilt work and performed a play. Thanks to WKVT for the advertising.
Sadie: Mom is here this week, so Sadie could stay for the whole meeting! Sadie is doing a staged reading at the Actor’s Theatre Playhouse in West Chesterfield. Entitled “Love, Loss & What I Wore”, shows are October 10 and 17 (Saturdays) @ 7:30 PM. (http://www.atplayhouse.org/2015/LITLOVELOSS.html)
Jon: Brag for mothers-in-law, Keri is out of town for a week and Jon’s mother-in-law has been very helpful picking up kids and just being there as a backup. AND… Jon got a smart-phone!
Nick: Brag for single parents. Got a taste of it this past week and it was challenging. AND Nick is teaching his semi-annual investment class, 4 week class, begins next Thursday, October 15 @ 6 PM.
Dan: Breakfast!!! $5 brag for the Brattleboro Fire Department a world-class group!
Sandy L: After 20 years finally deconstructed the kitchen as best they can, now the pros are there with sledgehammers!
Sandy S: Engagement Party on October 17th, please come, please RSVP!
Marcie: Favorite Family Fall event the Medieval Fare at the Putney Grammar School this weekend, Saturday from 10 – 4. (http://thegrammarschool.org/medieval-faire/)
Jill: Thursday, October 8, a free workshop Communication of the Heart, from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Brattleboro Retreat. Jill participated in this workshop last year, it is a great workshop, please RSVP! (http://www.brattlebororetreat.org/communication-heart)
Kevin: $1 for the Houston Astros for eliminating the Yankees from the playoffs. AND Seconds Dan’s brag for Brattleboro Fire guys, these are the guys you want onsite when you need them.
Jim M: Proud bragger for the Yankees ($5! – putting Kevin’s $1 to shame)
Ross: for the woman who’s obituary was in the New York paper yesterday, said she was a lifelong Yankees fan, except for Alex Rodriguez.
Jen: Son attended his first Yankees game where he saw them retire Andy Pettitte’s number.
Toni: for Jen – she found the directions and did the newsletter on her own!
Damon: The Blue-Jays!
Guest Speaker: Brattleboro Fire Chief Mike Bucossi
He is blessed to have some of the best Firefighters in the country.
Brattleboro Fire has a carrier staff of 25 people, 21 on shift, the Chief, Assistant Chief, Alarm Superintendent and Administrative Assistant. They also have a small
staff of 10 on-call firefighters who train alongside the career staff.
Career staff work 24/48, this means they work 24 hours on shift and then have 48 hours off. Five firefighters on in the downtown house and two at the West Brattleboro house. Their lives, personal and professional, revolve around the firehouse as they spend a minimum of 1/3 of their lives there. When off shift every firefighter has a pager and an app on their smart phone to ensure they are always reached if they are needed. These people eat/sleep/drink the firehouse.
Brattleboro Fire Department serves 12,500 residents over 36 square miles and, on average, responds to 2,000 calls per year. Not a week goes by where Brattleboro Fire doesn’t provide mutual aid to Hinsdale, Putney, or Chesterfield. On average they assist Keene NH every month, whether it be to cover as a rescue team for Keene as they work a fire or to assist with other needs.
Brattleboro Fire has a budget of $1.8M (not including capital expenses), spread out over the tax base it costs less (daily) to fund the fire department than to have a smart phone in your pocket.
The Firefighters are very busy otherwise as well, with the Assistant Chief serving as health officer and fire inspector among other things. The Brattleboro Fire Department is well respected around the State and region, members serve on the 13th Ambulance district (chair), State training curriculum committee, per diem State fire instructors, Governor’s committees, and the New England division for Fire Chiefs (Board members).
Brattleboro Fire Department has an insurance of 3/3Y, only two other departments in the state share this rating, there are none lower in Vermont (1 is really good!). This is based on a number of criteria including training levels and response time. This all boils down to mean Brattleboro residents have a reduced home owner’s insurance rate.
Brattleboro Fire is an “all hazards” department, all career staff are level 2 certified, and this is the highest hazard training available. They respond (in conjunction with Rescue Inc.) to all P1 (life threatening) calls, there are 19 EMT’s and 5 EMT-I’s on staff, everyone on the department is defibrillator trained.
Brattleboro Fire Department has one of eleven of Vermont’s technical rescue teams and one of seven of Vermont’s Decontamination teams.
Please take time to read the memo regarding Town Manager Peter Elwell’s recommendations to the Select board regarding the future of the Brattleboro Police and Fire facilities. Please come lend your voice in support of this project. (Copies available online @ http://www.brattleboro.org/vertical/Sites/%7BFABA8FB3-EBD9-4E2C-91F9-C74DE6CECDFD%7D/uploads/Police-Fire_Memo_10-5-15_CORRECT.pdf)
Over the next five years Brattleboro Fire has requested some new equipment, two engines a ladder truck and a Rescue truck, and these cost $500,000 - $900,000. These are not new requests, but have been deferred for many years.
This is National Fire Prevention week – “Hear the Beep where you sleep”, most fire related deaths occur between 11 PM and 7 AM, 50% of these deaths could be prevented with working smoke detectors in bedrooms. Brattleboro has at least one reported fire every year where smoke detectors saved lives.
Thank you Chief and the folks at Brattleboro Fire Department.