SCHOOL KIDS FIRE SAFETY PRESENTATIONS.

Each fall we teach fire safety to the students at Wheelerville Union Free School. Most years we visit at the school cafeteria

and teach how they can protect themselves and families from fire. The fall of 2021 was something special. 50 students

from th school were bused to your new fire house for our fire safety presentation. This was followed by a tour of the new

station. It was rewarding for us to hear the kids say “Wow” as they entered the truck bay. To us that means maybe one or

two of these kids will be back in a dozen years to stand with us at emergency response and garner the satisfaction of

helping the community in ways they might never have thought possible. Each school student had a chance to work a

functioning hose line with one of our veteran fire fighters. Hopefully the kids will remember that it is teamwork at the fire

house and not individuals that do the job.

We teach about smoke alarms and what they are there for, and what they sound like. We teach that smoke alarms need to

be tested each year for working functionality, and for the kids to get their parents involved in testing them.

We teach “Stay Low and Go” if they have a house fire. Warn your family

and get out. Feel the door for heat before opening it.

How to correctly call 9-1-1, know your street address, and give your

address to the dispatcher for fire or other emergencies. We discuss what

constitutes an emergency for them to call 9-1-1.

Homework for the kids is to ask their parents when they get home,

“where is our assembly point?”. If you are trapped inside the building yell

out “Here I am” as loud as you can.

We teach “Stop, Drop, and Roll” for clothes on fire from any fire, including

campfires.

9-1-1 SIGN INSTALLATION

Working with the Town Clerks office the Fire Company has installed nearly 700 9-1-1 driveway markers throughout our fire

protection district that includes all of Caroga and parts of the Town of Bleecker and Town of Arietta. These signs bring First

Responders, such as Fire, EMS, or Police to the correct driveway in any kind of weather. With a correctly-installed 9-1-1

Sign, your “help” doesn’t drive past your home because it could not find it. It is important to find the Right driveway the

First time when seconds count. Fire company volunteers install these signs in three seasons. Contact your Town Clerk if

you want First Responders to be able to find you. $15 and we install it for free.

STATION TOURS

Fire Company volunteers led nearly 500 residents on tours of your new station this spring and summer. Many people still

don’t know all that we do and the equipment we maintain that can help them in the worst of times when they call. We

explained what every tool and piece of equipment does from trucks to hand tools to radios. Any time you see a car or truck

at the station please stop in for a tour. We are proud of the new station and the town should be too. Come see your tax

dollars at work.

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

Our facility is made available 24 hours a day to Fulton Co Sheriffs Dept, NY State Police, NYS Forest Rangers as well as Local

Conservation Police.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

The meeting room is available for local organizations needing a place to meet including West Caroga Lake Assoc. Canada

Lake Conservation Assoc. etc

FIREWORKS STANDBY

Every year we have a fire truck near the town’s fireworks displays. Sparks can drift on to structures, trees, and people. We

are there with a hose line or a first aid kit. We light up scenes for viewers to find their way to their cars after the bright

fireworks are over.

POLAR PLUNGE STANDBY

January 1st, you will find us with a crew practicing ice rescue techniques in the cold waters at Caroga Lake Marina. After we

cut the ice out of the boat ramp for “Polar Plungers” to get to the water we are on standby for any cold-water emergency

rescues. The ice-cold water can have quite an effect on the body. Nice to have trained rescuers there watching over the

‘plungers’.

FOOT RACE STANDBY

In the past we have been standby EMS for the Peck Lake Triathlon and standby EMS and traffic control for the Wheelerville

School Foot Race thru town. Some of us have participated in the events and others are ready to help all participants. We

have also been flagmen at snowmobile poker runs that have come thru our town.

TRUNK OR TREAT AT HALLOWEEN

It’s always a treat for us to meet the town’s younger residents. We like the

youngsters and have them to the fire station several times each year. We

welcome the kids and invite them back in 10 years to serve their community

with us.

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE

The Wheelerville school nurse asked if they could use the new fire station for a

blood drive collection point. With covid still with us and the school careful

about a lot of visitors we are happy to loan them the meeting room and assist

registering and getting people in and out for this event we are proud to be a

part of.

CLASSROOM FIRE/EMS TRAINING FACILITY

Stop the Bleed Training. 55 fire fighters and members of the community were trained in stop the bleed techniques that the

American College of Surgeons organized. STB for severe trauma patients must be instituted immediately for severe bleeds.

This can be done by trained bystanders as those 55 people now have become.

CPR Training. We sponsored CPR training for members, auxiliary and family in the fall of 2021. Hopefully when covid has

run its course we can welcome anyone in the community to CPR training at the fire station

9-1-1- CALL BOX

Our town has a number of dead spots for cell phone calls. In the near future, we will have a phone box on the front of our

building that connects directly to the 9-1-1 dispatch center. Open the box, pick up the phone and the dispatch will ask you

the nature of your emergency.

KIDS SAFETY DAY

For years we sponsored Kids Safety Day at the fire house. We have experts from National Grid, State Police and Sheriffs

Department of Fulton County, Forest Rangers, Ambulance crews, and a special trailer set up as a small house for kids to

learn and practice home safety. We hope we can again do this again when covid subsides.

KAYAK POKER RUN AND ICE FISHING TOURNAMENT

These events are fund raisers for the Fire Company, but they also bring visitors to the town to patronize the local

merchants and see what a great place Caroga Lake is.