June 7, 2001

Fest displays fire-safety equipment

       When planning for this year’s Strawberry Festival, the White River Township Fire Department had more in mind than just fun and games.  Throughout the festival, members of the Fire Department will give fire-safety talks and let residents get a firsthand look at some of its newest equipment.  From new electro cardiogram equipment that takes a more complete picture of the heart to a special trailer used for trench rescues, the department is hoping people take more away from the festival than strawberries.  “The public pays the taxes, and we want to show them what we have,” said White River Township firefighter Steve Rowland. “We want to have the best quality and the best service for the public.”  One of the new toys the fire department will have on display is a new 12-lead EKG machine, which is big step up from the older, three-lead model. In addition to being more advanced, the newer EKG equipment also includes a built-in fax machine. So if a patient is having a heart attack, paramedics can fax a copy of that persons heart readout to the hospital so the doctors will know exactly what is wrong before the patient gets there.  The old EKG machine can only take three different views of the heart, and couldn’t be used as a diagnostic view,” said Wayne Fletcher, the Fire Department’s paramedic. “With the 12 lead, we can see, 99 percent of the time, when someone’s having a heart attack, and start to address it immediately.”  The new EKG unit is a portable version of the ones used at hospitals, but cost around $22,000. One engine in the entire department carries the EKG unit because of cost factors Fletcher said.  The festival will also give the fire department a chance to demonstrate its thermal-imaging camera, which it purchased with the funds raised from last year’s festival.  “When we go into a fire, we can’t even see our hand in front of our face because of the smoke,” Rowland said.  “But with the camera, we can see someone crawling on the ground.  It helps us to find people.  It helps us to find the fire when we can’t see the fire.”  The department has used the camera many times outside of fires as well.  Since it detects any source of heat, it has been used to find faulty wiring and for little tasks like changing a light bulb.  Other displays at the Strawberry Festival this year will include a car-fire demonstration, a simulated house fire and look at the three White River Township fire stations.  The White River Township Fire Department Strawberry Festival runs from 4 to 10p.m. June 15 and from 11 a.m. to 9p.m. June 16.   In the photo below, firefighter/paramedic Wayne Fletcher (left) instructs firefighter/paramedic Mike Schilling (center) on how to use the 12-lead electrocardiogram on fellow firefighter Chris Kindred.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

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