The 467th meeting of the Massachusetts Institute of Fire Department Instructors was hosted by Randy Sherman and the Barnstable Fire Academy on Wednesday, June 18th.  This was also our annual ‘clam-bake’ meeting and President McLeieer presented us with several aspects of his trip to FDIC in March. Michael attended many classes and gave each MIFDI member attending this meeting a CD that contained all the FDIC classes and their content.  For our presentation however, Michael focused on three of the classes he found to be most notable; Firefighter Live Burn Training, Firefighter Arson and Vehicle Extrication. Many aspects of each topic were presented and were a real ‘eye-opener’ to many of us.  C. Randall Sherman, recently appointed to the position of Deputy Chief of the Yarmouth Fire Department, introduced Deputy Robert Crosby, of the Barnstable Village Fire/Rescue Department, and Lee W. Pareseau, Director of the Barnstable Fire Academy.  Director Pareseau welcomed us, overviewed the status and goals of the academy and gave us a brief insight into the operation of the facility.
 

An ‘abridged’ business meeting was held with Everett Pierce noting that July 17th will be the graduation of the present single class attending the academy. There will be a one week break following the graduation, then another single class will begin.

October 1st will mark the beginning of the reconstruction of the academy’s burn building.

Everett also informed us that the Task Force on Public Assembly has proposed that all occupancies of 50 people or more will be sprinklered and there will be NO ‘grandfathering’. Building owners will have 5 years to accomplish this goal. Enforcement will be tied to their liquor licenses and violations will initially be civil in nature, escalating to criminal if the violation is not corrected and/or paid. Also being proposed is formalized training for fire inspectors with continuing education and recertification. It will also be required that there be someone trained and ‘on-duty’ in all places of public assembly, (50 & up capacity), during all hours of operation.

It was announced that a savings account has been established so that we can at least earn a little interest on our money. A motion was made by President McLeieer and seconded that we leave it up to Treasurer Jardin as to how much is deposited into that account.   Motion carried.

MIFDI Second Vice President Mark Roche reminded members that meeting sponsors are needed to host future meetings.
 

JUNE MIFDI MEETING HIGHLIGHTS:

Lee W. Pareseau, Director of the         MIFDI President Michael McLeieer
Barnstable Fire Academy addresses     delivers his presentation detailing his
the attending MIFDI members at the     trip to FDIC in Indianapolis in March.
June meeting.

The Treasurer’s Report:
JUNE 2003 MEETING                                     Bills Paid
Checking Balance   1/1/03 =   $1,221.08             Sept 03 Newsletter  $105.00 Mike
Checking Balance   5/23/03 = $2,266.50             5/30  FDIC $216.25 Mike
                                                                           6/18  CD’s $  11.98 Mike
Checking Balance  6/2/03  = $ 1,035.57
Saving Balance      6/2/03  = $ 1,100.00

50/50 Raffle = Collected $ 65.00
Winner = $33.00
Deposit from 50/50 Raffle = $32.00
 
 

MIFDI Stickers & Pens Cost    $ 865.00        MIFDI Clothing collected $ 364.00
                               Collected   $   98.00        purchased $ 354.00

Owed to treasurer for mailings $ 1.00
                                                                     Cost  $ 27.50/member
                                                                      Clam Bake       -412.50
                                                                      Coffee/Donuts    -19.67
                                                                     Charcoal /Fluid   -20.00      Total  $ 452.17
                                                                      Collected         $ 390.00
                                                                      Owed to treas $  27.00     Total  $417.00
 
 
 

Total Members = 134                                    Mailings
 Dues paid thru 2004 = 07                E-Mail - 38      Home - 74
 Dues paid thru 2003 = 109                                      Work  - 22
 Dues paid thru 2002 = 18                                                      96
 
 
 

Treasury Balance as of 8/11/2003 =  Checking  $   528.32
                                                       Savings    $1,666.73
                                                         Total      $2,195.05
 

Respectfully submitted 08/11/2003
David M. Jardin
MIFDI Treasurer
Deputy Fire Chief—Stoughton

Thank you to the membership for your support.

NEW BUSINESS:

• See Business Meeting section (above).

COMMITTEES:
The Historical Committee - consists of Steve Perrson, Ira Hoffman, and Richard Gomes. Nothing to report.

The Bi-Law Committee - consists of Norm Aubert, C. Randall Sherman, Mort Shurtluff, Chris Kelly, Brian Ash, and John Cummings.  Nothing to Report.

Public Relations Committee  - consists of Mr. Ira Hoffman and Michael McLeieer.  Nothing to report.
 

MFTC UPDATE:   Steve Persson

MFA UPDATE:  Everett Pierce - Report listed in Business Meeting section (above).

The 468th M.I.F.D.I. meeting will be held the 4th WEDNESDAY, September 24th, 2003 at the Department of Fire Services / Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, Stow, MA. We will meet in the main building, Classroom 109. Please make sure you sign in at the front desk in the reception area.

Our speaker will be District Chief Ken O’Donnell from the Boston Fire Department.  He will speak on Fire Ground Safety & Firefighter Safety.  Lunch will be available on site. During the afternoon, there will be time for those interested in staying for a guided tour of the MFA complex.

SCHEDULE:
0900 Coffee and pastry - 0945 Board of directors
1000 Presentation - 1130 Business Meeting - 1200 Lunch (on-site)

DIRECTIONS:
From Route 128: Take Route 20 west to the intersection of Route 27 in Wayland. Turn right onto Route 27 and continue until Route 27 makes a right towards Maynard. DO NOT TURN RIGHT! Continue straight for approximately three (3) miles and the Academy will be on your right.

From Route 495 North: Take Route 85 (exit 25) toward Hudson. At the 1st second traffic light, take a left onto Route 85. Take a right onto Broad Street (first set of lights right next to Tuck's GMC Trucks), at the second set of traffic lights, take a right onto Route 62. Continue straight until Route 62 takes a left towards Stow. DO NOT TURN LEFT! Continue straight for approximately four (4) miles and the Academy will be on your left. There are green signs with gold symbols to help point the way.

From Route 495 South: Take Route 62 (exit 26) into Hudson Center. Continue
halfway around the rotary and continue on Route 62 East. Continue straight until Route 62 turns left towards Stow. DO NOT TURN LEFT! Continue straight for
approximately four (4) miles and the Academy will be on your left. There are green signs with gold symbols to help point the way.

I hope everyone had a safe & enjoyable summer break.  This has certainly been an active summer.  From the summer heat, to the severe weather & endless rain, to the worst blackout in U.S. history, hopefully fall will be less eventful.

It’s time for us to gather together again for the first MIFDI meeting of the fall, 2003.  We have an exciting meeting planned at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow on the Fourth Wednesday, September 24th, 2003.  Our speaker will be District Chief Ken O’Donnell from the Boston Fire Department.
Ken was formerly a Safety Officer with the Boston Fire Department and has a very interesting program planned for us.  Please tell or bring a friend to this very important meeting.  We can arrange for a tour of the DFS/MFA campus after lunch for anyone who is interested.

Our membership continues to grow and it’s good to see new and old faces  attending the monthly meetings.  By continuing to exchange ideas for better ways to conduct our training drills, and networking with one another, we will continue to be prepared to handle any emergency situation we encounter.  Participate often in Massachusetts Firefighting Academy courses and remember to practice like it’s the real thing, because next time it could be!

If you are not already aware, OEMS has improved their website. I received an e-mail from Russ Johansen that all Massachusetts EMTs may now check their OEMS continuing education credit status on-line. EMTs may now go to the OEMS web page www.state.ma.us/dph/oems and "Search" the "EMT Continuing Education Credited Hours on File" section to determine their credit hour totals.  He said to please keep in mind that it does take some time to input all the roosters that they process, so the totals may be running a couple of weeks late depending on the time of year.

Finally, we are looking for MIFDI meeting places in 2004.  If you or your  department are interested in hosting a meeting or have a speaker in mind for an interesting topic, please don’t hesitate to contact myself, Scott or Mark.

Remember, this is your organization.  Please let the Officers or Board of Directors know if there is anything we can do for you.

Stay safe,
Michael

P.S.  Remember our fallen FDNY brothers on September 11th.

September 19, 2003, Greenwood Fire Apparatus Open House.
36 Valancourt Drive, North Attleboro 10am-2pm.

September 23rd and 24th, 2003 - 9th Annual Massachusetts Fire and Life Safety Education Conference.  * NEW LOCATION * Mansfield Holiday Inn, Mansfield, Massachusetts.  For registration information e-mail: Jennifer.Mieth@state.ma.us, look on-line at www.mass.gov/dfs/pubedconf or call (978) 567-3381.

October 3-5, 2003, Worcester Firefighters Memorial Safety & Survival Seminar
Contact 508-831-0519 for info or www.wfd1009.org

October 5-9, 2003, IAFF Redmond Symposium, fire service health & safety event.  San Francisco, California. For info contact www.IAFF.org

October 5-11, 2003, National Fire Prevention Week

• Never permit personnel to climb an aerial until the operator is certain that the ladder is set for climbing.

• Never elevate or lower an aerial ladder while persons are climbing.

• Never allow members to use a leg lock on an aerial ladder. (Use a ladder belt).

• Never use the aerial as a battering ram.

• Avoid placing the weight of an aerial on unstable or questionable structures such as fire escapes and cornices.

• Avoid moving the aerial with persons on it.

• Avoid simultaneous operations. Raise, rotate, and extend in sequence except in special circumstances.

• Limit the number of persons on the aerial to the minimum necessary for the task and never more than the safe load limit.

• Take special care when operating near overhead wires. In the event of contact with wires, warn personnel on the ground not to touch the vehicle. Members on the vehicle that choose to jump must make certain not to contact the vehicle and ground at the same time.

• When members are working off an aerial, always have the operator remain at the controls.

Forest Fire Patrolman Mickle, assigned to District 12 in Berkshire County, was part of a wild fire crew assisting with a major forest fire in Montana when he suffered an aneurysm. Wayne was only 48 years old when he died on August 15, 2003. May he rest in peace.

Congratulations to M.I.F.D.I. Past President & Director Norman Aubert on his recent promotion to Assistant Chief with the Massport Fire & Rescue Department.

MIFDI
Attn: David Jardin, Treasurer           If you have not already done so, it's time to renew your dues.  Due Jan. 1st.
52 Willow Street
Stoughton, MA 02072-1027

*Dues are $25.00 per year for Active Members -

*$100.00 per year for Associate members (which includes a 1/4 page of advertising in the MIFDI Bulletin and on the MIFDI website).

*Retired members dues are $12.50 for one calendar year (January 1 through December 31).

This forum is an extension of the Guest Book on the MIFDI Web-site, and provides our members a way to ask questions and get answers about problems encountered in the Fire and EMS service. If you would like to reply to a question, pose your own question or submit an article for publication in the MIFDI bulletin, but have no internet capabilities, you may do so in writing to: Michael McLeieer, President - MIFDI, PO Box 507, Merrimac, MA 01860-0510.
Fax # (877) 327-4353.  Faxing or e-mailing of articles is preferred.  Please e-mail articles in MS Word format to michael.mcLeieer@merrimacfire.com

SEPTEMBER 24th:       Department of Fire Services / Massachusetts Firefighting Academy, Room 109 - Stow, MA

OCTOBER 22nd:           To be announced

NOVEMBER 19th:        To be announced

DECEMBER 17th:        Yerardi's Restaurant, 418 Watertown St., Newton