Firehall Bathroom Safety

I've recently discovered that sometimes people just don't realize how dangerous the common washroom is today. What with all the shiny appliances and slippery floors it makes you wonder why bathroom accidents aren't more frequently reported.
For example just recently one fair maiden had the unfortunate involvement with a trip to the "loo". Apparently Beth (last name disguised for privacy reasons.. but she works in Windsor... ) took a tumble in this hazardous area and broke her nose. The area has been upgraded as shown. When I did some research with the Occupational Health & Safety Act I found the following rulings:

Section 2; Paragraph 1; Mandate 3 - There shall always be an individual posted at the exterior of the door to listen to someone falling off the porcelain white seating unit. At no time should an individual go to the lavatory alone and it is strongly recommended that individuals attend in pairs. Women, appearing wiser, have always practiced this procedure. Males MUST commence going in pairs as well to maintain OH&S standards.

The following is a list of bathroom safety tips that everyone should follow. Remember only YOU can prevent BFHA (Bathroom Fire Hall Accidents). Take responsibility! Thousands are depending on you for their safety in the community.

How To Make The Bathroom a Safe Place

Install a bathtub or shower with a floor surface made of non-skid material. Any firefighter accomplish this on his or her day off and will charge a small nominal fee.

Add adhesive strips or appliqués with a slightly abrasive surface to the bathtub or the floor or the shower stall. Happy faces would be nice.

Use a non-skid mat while you are in the tub or shower, and consider using another one on the bathroom floor to prevent you from slipping as you leave the bathtub. A better choice is to wear slip resistant shoes in the shower.

Install grab bars on the walls. These are designed to help you keep your balance as you enter or leave the tub or shower. Grab bars must be attached to studs or other structural supports in the wall. Visit your local nursing home for tips. At times you will notice who some of the retired firefighters are because they are the ones hanging around the fridge. The "funny" ones are asking the nurses to grab a one and three quarter to attack from the unburned side!

You can also install a grab rail or bar as well. It attaches to the side of the bathtub. It is always inappropriate to use someone else's bar or rod.

Consider using a transfer bench for elderly or injured persons. This is designed to fit securely over the tub and help keep your balance as you step in or out of the tub or shower. This is especially important for those aging officers such as Ray Gauthier, Jim "Doorstop" Arpin and Ron Trofin.

Raised toilet seats and safety frames help the consumer use their home toilet safely and comfortably, often without caregiver or family assistance. The raised seat plus a step stool is especially useful for those individuals who are "vertically challenged" such as Darrell Ellwood when their little feet won't touch the ground.

Use a hand-held shower attachment for better control of water flow when washing your hair or shaving your legs or other pleasurable areas.

Use a shower seat or chair for elderly persons who would like more stability. Many models come with adjustable legs and slip resistant feet. These can also be adapted for those individuals who utilize the "Trofin Curl" periodically when they shower.

Hot water temperature setting should not exceed more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius). Have a qualified person check this for you. This person should not be Don Vernes

Install a ground fault circuit interrupter on bathroom outlets to stop the unsafe flow of electricity. Don't leave items like hair dryers or electric razors plugged in when not in use, they still pose a hazard. Don't worry about using items when the water is running. After all, how can you test this electrical equipment unless it is under realistic conditions.

West Virginia Firefighter, Paramedic Killed in Explosion - Firehouse.com In The Line Of Duty

West Virginia Firefighter, Paramedic Killed in Explosion - Firehouse.com In The Line Of Duty:

"GHENT, W.Va.-- Four people were confirmed dead and at least four others reportedly suffered serious or critical injuries as a result of an explosion at the Little General Store on U.S.19 in Ghent, according Celeste Hinzman, Public Relations Officer for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the State of West Virginia.

A supervisor with the Raleigh County Emergency Operations Center said the original 911 call came in at 10:43 a.m. and reported a propane leak at the gas station, which is across the street from the Flat Top Lake entrance.

When firefighters arrived on the scene less than 10 minutes later, she said, the tank exploded, completely leveling the store and blowing a large fire truck from the Ghent Volunteer Fire Department onto its side.

Among those killed, Hinzman said, were one firefighter and one EMS worker."

The Nursing Home

At a nursing home a group of seniors were sitting around talking about their ailments.

"My arms have gotten so weak, I can hardly lift this cup of coffee," said one.

"Yes, I know," said another. "My cataracts are so bad I can't even see my cup of coffee."

"I couldn't even mark an 'X' at election time - my hands are so crippled," volunteered a third.

"What? Speak up! What? I can't hear you," said a fourth.

"I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck," said a fifth, to which several nodded weakly in agreement.

"My blood pressure pills make me so dizzy I can hardly walk," exclaimed another.

"I forgot where I am and where I'm going," said an elderly gent.

"I guess that's the price we pay for getting old." winced an old man as he slowly shook his head and all agreed.

"Well, count your blessings," said Betty cheerfully, "thank God we can all still drive."

Firehouse TrainingLIVE

Firehouse TrainingLIVE:

"Presented By Larry Manasco
February 13, 2007 - 3pm(ET) Register Today
Larry Manasco

OVERVIEW: Following his monthly Firehouse.com series, Larry Manasco will walk us through a step-by-step process to establish a training calendar for your shift, based on the needs of your response area. Firefighters should train during every tour, but choosing the topics and the means to carry them out can be difficult. This webcast will cover the practical applications of training props and offer ideas for both quick and extensive training sessions for your company and department-wide."

George Copeland Says Good Bye To Gary Percy

George Copeland, right, says good bye to Gary Percy, left, in Gary's personal office. When asked to explain why he was laughing on his final day the Chief explained, "Hey, I'm finally out of here! Now I can go work somewhere else and get more money and grab another pension. I owe all of this to my best new friend Chief Tapak from.... ummm.... well, wherever he's working these days. I believe he's still in Canada somewhere.", Gary stated.
"It's mainly because of him that I learned how to work harder after I worked all my life and now I have multiple streams of income. Bob and I are thinking of writing a book together... maybe we'll name it "The Big Book Of Big Bucks". That sounds kinda trendy don't ya think? We're also going to contact Belle River Bob and get his feel on this venture.
When asked of any long range plans the Chief mentioned, "Ohhhh... I got huge plans coming up. I've already contacted Pat Burke. He's the new fire marshal guy, ya know. He's done TV appearances in the GTA and he says I can get in on the action any time I want. He needs a guy to write his speeches and hold the cue cards... That's ME! We're going to get Tapak to hang around and open the limo door when Pat wants to go to some special events.
When last seen, Gary was on his computer Googling Tapak to see where he was currently employed.

Senior Bumper Stickers

I received these from Art Caza.. remember Art "My Face Hurts" Caza? : )
Thanks Arty!

Pete Rivers - Let's Ride!!!

They say a picture is 'worth a 1000 words'. All I can say is that I wish I was wearing this contraption when I broke Pete Rivers (pictured at left) in on the engine when he qualified for his 1st class increment : ) All I can remember is; "Oh Oh.. watch out, Pete" and stifling my screams. I believe I actually kissed the tarmac when we returned to the station. I also had a full head of hair before I got into the cab of the vehicle.

Young Guys - Names

Ok, here's the roster for the 'NHL' players pictured above.

Front Row L - R

Bradd , Tapak , Pacey , Kimmerley , Dwelska , Mailloux , Winkup

Back Row L to R.

Harrison , Ray Berthiaume , Mcgregor , Maxim , Kato , Berthiaume , Serbu , Day , Maisonville , Johnson , Brian Spratt , Oke .

Paid For Waiting

I remember wayyyyyy back in the 70's a conversation between Joe Kato and Asst Chief Charlie Broderick that seems to fit even today. It went something like this:

Chief Broderick enters the room to see about 7 or 8 guys taking a nap during the afternoon.


Chief: Hey, what's going on here, Kato?
Joe: What do ya mean, Charlie?
Chief: All these guys sleeping while on duty?
Joe: Well, Chief... do the guys get paid just for fighting fires?
Chief: Of course NOT!
Joe: Well, in that case .... I would assume that they get paid to wait for fires also then, right?
Chief: That would make sense!
Joe: Well, take a look around.... they're WAITING!!!!

Above we have a picture of a couple of guys 'waiting' for a fire. They seem to be doing a great job too. Come to think about it I don't ever remember having trained them to do this during their recruit classes.
They must be "naturals", huh? : )

Name The 'Young" Guys

Ok... I think I recognize most of these "young" guys. Can you?
Thanks to Jimmy Berthiaume for the photo.. I think the original is kind of yellow by now..

Florida Town Fire Chief Collapses, Dies - Firehouse.com In The Line Of Duty

Florida Town Fire Chief Collapses, Dies - Firehouse.com In The Line Of Duty:

"an. 17--SPRINGFIELD -- Chris Adams grew up in the Springfield Fire Department. His father was a firefighter there, and for most of his adult life, so was he. In 2004, when the department needed a new chief, Adams was the man Mayor Robert Walker picked for the job.

He was at the job he loved Tuesday when a heart attack claimed his life. Adams was 40.

'Everybody's just shell-shocked right now,' said Springfield Police Chief David Barnes, a close friend. 'He's been like a brother to me for the last 19 years.'

Barnes said Adams had been having chest pains for several days but thought it was bronchitis. He collapsed at Springfield City Hall on Tuesday morning and was taken to Bay Medical Center.

Doctors later told Adams' family and friends the pain was brought on by a blood clot in his chest that caused the heart attack, Barnes said."

Ask Arp!

Q: We haven't heard from you for some time. Do you have any new 'words of wisdom' for us?
Arp: I sure do; If at first you do not succeed don't try sky diving!
Q: Are there any new theories that you have heard about recently.
Arp: There are two theories about arguing with women. Neither one works.
Q: Anything else?
Arp: Sure. Never test the depth of water with both feet.
Q: Any other little tid bits, Arp?
Arp: Yes sir... I should have learned this a lot earlier. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
Q: Before you go would you give us one final glimpse of your incredible intelligence?
Arp: I would love to. Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time.

One Year Later

Well, Well, Well... the Blog is a year old today (Saturday the 13) and we have had 9014 hits on the site. Not too shabby I must say and a big thanks to all of you out there that supported the idea of delivering a sense of humor and also times when there were to many LODD deaths out there. "Ask Arp" was reborn and a new column will be very soon forthcoming.. funny how he gets funnier and funnier as he gets older, huh? Man, I still remember Arp trying to "catch" the apparatus door at headquarters a few years back.. I can still remember the scream after a proclamation, "Stand back! I've got it!!!" Kind of sounded like a left fielder yelling for the ball and at the last minute the sun got in his eyes... lol. Anyways.. thanks folks.. it's been a great year and hopefully there will be many more in the future.

J

#3 Station Tecumseh and Turner

This is the old #3 Station located at Turner and Tecumseh dated at the official opening in 1930. Isnt that Bob Tapak driving the truck???

No Photos... NO Fun!!!!

Hi All,

As you can tell there is a problem with the Blog. The problem originates with the host site that actually runs the blog program.. this is www. Blogger.com. Recently they have switched all the accounts to a new "beta" program and there are some serious "bugs" in the system. In the meantime "Blogger" is trying to rectify the problem and that is why the photos are not showing up in my posts. This isn't very much fun! I guess you could all try and "visualize" what the pictures look like : ) But that certainly wouldn't work for most of the retirees as they can't "visualize" where they park their cars and have a major problem when exiting their local Walmart store. I'm speaking from experience so don't send me any hate mail stating that YOUR memory is fine. Keep checking back now and again for some posts that may be a little different in content until we get this problem back on track. After all.... I have always told folks that Firefighters do their thinking mostly "standing on their feet" When things are back to normal I'll send out a honking mass email to everyone... soooooo...... stay tuned and stay safe!

Mongo Carries The Author

Talk about a dangerous pastime! Here's the author showing up for duty at #2 Station with Mongo as my chauffeur. The "Hairy One" insisted that he sit for awhile and rest his calloused feet for a spell.
As I look back on this photo taken around 1990 I can see that Mongo has aged very well except for some gray hair here and there. I guess that's why most of the guys in the stations refer to him as "Silverback" now and again.

Church Street Fire 1994

Thanks to Tommy Gilbert for the photo.

Twenty people were left homeless after this fire in the 500 block of Church Street around February 28, 1994.

Check the "Do" : )

Check the "Do" on RJ. Isn't this called a "Halfro"?

Old Guys Now Retired Since '05

Wow... OLD guys... if anyone has their email addresses... let me know, k? Name	Date of Hire	Date of Retirement
Williams, Dennis	Nov. 22, 1971	January 31, 2005
Axford, Dennis	Feb. 11, 1974	July 31, 2005
Marchant, Brent	May 21, 1974	July 31, 2005
Glabb, Bernard	Nov. 15, 1971	October 31, 2005
Hussey, Douglas	Nov. 15, 1971	October 31, 2005
Molnar, David	Aug. 04, 1970	October 31, 2005
Phillips, Larry	Dec. 20, 1971	October 31, 2005
Percy, Gary	Jan. 25, 1966	Feb. 28, 2006
Fauteux, Joseph	Aug. 16, 1971	March 13, 2006
Newton, Gary	May 23, 1966	March 31, 2006
Burns, John	Jul. 02, 1969	May 18, 2006
Mousseau, Duane	Sept. 07, 1965	May 31, 2006
Beecroft, Gary	May 14, 1973	May 31, 2006
Janisse, David	Sept. 04, 1973	July 31, 2006
Desjardins, Russell	Feb. 16, 1970	July 31, 2006
Lajuck, Dmytro	Jul. 02, 1974	August 31, 2006
Glabb, Bernard	Nov. 15, 1971	October 31, 2005

Recent Promotions and Awards

Ok.... here's the scoop on guys who were promoted since the new year. These guys get younger all the time. Poor Bob McGonigal .. he must be suffering from the old "what happened" syndrome... You know what I mean... When Bob looks in the mirror he still doesnt understand how much he resembles Tom Serbu... anyway... congrats to the new folks and their promotions... stay safe all.



Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, January 07, 2007:
FF James Creamer promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue
FF Kenneth McAgy promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue
FF Timothy Dennis promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue
FF David Harding promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue
FF Andrew Broderick promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue
Captain Peter Hryniuk promoted to District Chief, Fire Rescue
Captain Donald Vernes promoted to District Chief, Fire Rescue

Promotion and Awards Archives - 2006

I found this by accident... wow, when I read this I kept thinking.. Bob McGonigal must really feel old if he reads it... then again maybe he has trouble reading the monitor and has to use large "coke" glasses to see the print. Actually I had to make the print a little larger for the little round guy... Anyway, congrats to these guys and keep the crews safe on your watch. Good luck, fellas!

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, December 31, 2006:
FF John Smith promoted to Fire Prevention Officer, Fire Prevention Division
Fire Prevention Officer Richard Marr promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Fire Prevention Division

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, December 03, 2006:
FF William Kacso promoted to Fire Prevention Officer, Fire Prevention Division

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, November 05, 2006:
FF Don Easby promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue Division

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, August 06, 2006:
FF Rick Miller promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue
FF Mark Uttley promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, June 25, 2006:
FF Anthony Campigotto promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, June 04, 2006:
FF. E. Dickson promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, June 01, 2006:
Fire Inspection Officer Lee Tome promoted to Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Fire Prevention Division

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, May 21, 2006:
Captain Raymond Gauthier promoted to District Chief, Fire Rescue
Firefighter Ron Hagman promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, April 02, 2006:
Captain William Loma promoted to District Chief, Fire Rescue
Captain Mario Piva promoted to District Chief, Fire Rescue Firefighter
Gilles Carriere promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue Firefighter
James Maxim promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue

Effective 0800 hrs. on Sunday, March 5, 2006:
Captain William Ferguson promoted to District Chief, Fire Rescue
Firefighter Robert Bremner promoted to Captain, Fire Rescue

Indiana Firefighter Dies from Injuries

Sidney Hall, a 15-year veteran of the Upland Volunteer Fire Department, died Friday afternoon, two days after being rescued from a burning home by fellow firefighters.

Hall was sent to Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, after falling through a floor while fighting the blaze at 7056 E. 100S.

"The family of Upland volunteer firemen would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the fire departments, ambulance departments, Parkview Samaritan helicopter, Parkview Hospital doctors and staff who helped rescue Sid," said a news release sent Friday by the Upland Volunteer Fire Department. "Sid was a valuable member of our family and department and will be greatly missed. We ask that you continue to pray for the family and the Upland firemen."

Rodney Dangerfield's Best

My wife only has sex with me for a purpose. Last night she used me to
time an egg.

It's tough to stay married. My wife kisses the dog on the lips, yet
she won't drink from my glass!

Last night my wife met me at the front door. She was wearing a sexy
negligee. The only trouble was that she was coming home.

A girl phoned me and said, "Come on over. There's nobody home." I
went over. Nobody was home!

A hooker once told me she had a headache.

I went to a massage parlor. It was self service.

I was making love to this girl and she started crying. I said, "Are
you going to hate yourself in the morning?"
She said, "No, I hate myself now."

I knew a girl so ugly, they use her in prisons to cure sex offenders.

My wife is such a bad cook that if we leave dental floss in the
kitchen, the roaches hang themselves.

The other day I came home and a guy was jogging naked in front of my
house. I asked "Why?"
He said, "Because you came home early."

I know I'm not sexy. When I put my underwear on I can hear the
Fruit-of-the-Loom guys giggling.

At my age, Im envious of a stiff wind.

My wife likes to talk on the phone during sex. Last night, she called
me from Chicago.

New Hampshire Department Loses 'Go To' Guy

Click Here For Link To Read Rest Of Story

Members of Barnstead Fire-Rescue in New Hampshire have lost their dependable "go to" guy.

Firefighter Stephen Jones, 56, experienced difficulty breathing last week while on duty. He was rushed to a local hospital where he went into cardiac arrest, and died.

"His passion was the fire department," said Chief George Krause. "He was known to leave New Hampshire and visit fire houses in New York City just to shoot the breeze..."

Jones, a 40-year volunteer, enjoyed taking the department's safety trailer to other stations across the state. "He has friends everywhere. He made an impression on every person he touched."

Krause said Jones mentored many young people, and never expected recognition. He did it because he wanted to. "He was a firefighter's firefighter."