Introduction
Summer has arrived!  An increase in both the local population and call volumes portend a very busy docket for the remainder of the summer months. 

Personnel

• Three firefighter-EMT applicants were interviewed early in June, with Ryan Deering being selected to fill the open firefighter-EMT position.  He has begun his initial orientation shifts as the 6th full time EMT hired for the department.  Ryan will be assigned to ‘A’ shift with Eric Dubord and Dena Smith. 
• Shifts have been designated as A, B, and C, with ‘A’ shift being comprised of the staff members noted above.  ‘B’ shift is comprised of David Grattopp, Andrew Anthony, and Lee Laskey; and ‘C’ shift is comprised of Rachel Schaap, Robert Hupp, and Bryan Ferguson.   Dena Smith, David Grattopp, and Rachel Schaap serve as shift leaders for their respective shifts. 
• The efforts of those that assisted with the clean-up following the wildland fire on Monday, June 18, 2007 are appreciated.  The latter stages of attack as well as the washing and reloading of equipment are much easier to do when many hands are involved.  Special thanks to Tim Nichols for providing pizza at the station, and for those that ensured hydration and safety/accountability at the scene. 
• Officers Chris Johnson and Patrick Schad, National Park Service Rangers that frequently train with the department provided law enforcement services on an EMS response at the end of June when Leelanau County Sheriff’s Deputies were delayed in responding to a potentially violent patient.  Their assistance and continued stewardship with the department is greatly appreciated.

Training

• Two training opportunities occurred in June.  The first was EMS-related and discussed the local drug culture in our service area and current drugs of choice in the region.  This presentation was provided by members of the Traverse Narcotics Team (TNT). 
• The second training opportunity was a live house burn.  The Glen Arbor Fire Department was invited to participate in this activity by Elmwood Township Fire Department.  Many hours of preparation go into an activity such as this. The preparation of the house (gutting and removing all hazardous substances, carpet, securing glass windows, etc.) must comply with NFPA guidelines and those of the Michigan Office of Firefighter Training.  Following the Chief’s review of the proposed site the plan for training evolutions and assurance of compliance with all applicable safety requirements, six firefighters from the department were able to take advantage of this opportunity.    Two burn areas were established in the house where fires were started and stoked by supervising fire instructors while firefighters in teams of two were permitted to watch the development of the fire and experience the heat and thermal changes in the room.  This was a rare opportunity to gain some valuable exposure to fire suppression activities, pump operations and water shuttle.   Following the interior training evolutions the house was burned in a controlled manner and provided opportunities to practice exposure protection and general fire ground operations.  Elmwood Township provided an excellent rehab area and ensured the safety of all participants.  It is hoped that future opportunities to participate in similar training activities will permit more department members to take advantage of valuable training such as this. 
• A third departmental training session scheduled for Monday, June 18 was pre-empted by the wildland fire clean-up.  This session, a discussion of box card assignments and equipment running order will be held in August. 
• New protocols have been distributed by the local medical control authority.  Each agency is responsible for ensuring that personnel are informed about changes and have received an in-service related to the new policies and procedures.  John Dodson, David Grattopp, and Dena Smith attended a training session at the medical control authority at the end of June.  A summary of the changes and an educational package will be created and provided to each member.  Glen Arbor Fire Department is required by protocol to show that all of its personnel have received education about the new protocols.  The medical control authority will be performing random written testing within the EMS system as a mechanism to evaluate whether providers are knowledgeable about the new protocols.   The protocols can be viewed at the following website: 

              http://www.nwemsinfo.org/images/protocols/nrmca%20protocols07.pdf

Apparatus

• Vehicle maintenance and repair activities were encountered in June, beginning with the replacement of the transmission in 391.  All remaining maintenance activities are in the process of being scheduled, awaiting parts, or awaiting evaluation by an authorized repair location.  None of these issues is critical to daily operations or the safety of the vehicles. 
• A squeak  found to be generated by the flywheel in 393 was resolved. 
• A small drip of fluid coming off the flywheel has been noted under Engine 311.  This repair must be performed by an authorized Cummins dealer, and will be done as soon as feasible. 
• The ABS indicator light is intermittently staying on in Tanker 321.  This is a Kenworth chassis issue and will be performed as soon as feasible with an authorized dealer. 
• 331 is awaiting the arrival of several parts to effect repairs.  The replacement part for the cartridge that controls the hydraulic outrigger on the front driver’s side of the truck has not yet arrived.  This part will be replaced by Pierce mechanics.  A leak from the drive case has been noted and will be addressed at an upcoming maintenance session.   “Boots” covering the front axel joints of the truck have been ordered.  This particular repair is a warranty item that is time-consuming and may need to be performed off-site. 
• The tires on the Polaris have been turned around to afford better traction in the sand. 

Facilities

• The holes left in the training room door from the lock change discussed in last month’s report, have been filled and the surface of the door sanded.  Both interior and exterior door surfaces have been repainted.
• Eric Dubord continues to work on the fascia around the building. 
• The bay garage door sensors have been adjusted so that they will respond to a lower obstruction in the doorway.  While performing hose tests, a crew closed a bay door onto a charged hose line when paged out for an EMS call.  Instead of the charged line prompting the door to reverse direction and return to the up position, the door motor ran continuously for a period of time.  This poses a safety issue and is of particular concern if children are around the bay doors when they are being closed.  This was addressed by having the vendor adjust the doors. There is still some fine tuning to do, and the vendor will be completing this in July.  
• Glen Arbor Fire and Rescue Association funds were used to extend the rear patio area to accommodate the donation of a Dacor gas grill by Mr. James Stevenson.  Bryan Ferguson provided most of the concrete work on the project with assistance from Eric Dubord and Ryan Deering.  

All members are reminded that summer is a time when community members often stop by to tour the station and to see how their tax dollars are spent.  A clean kitchen and neatly kept beds show respect and appreciation for the station and the role the department plays in the community.  Everyone’s contribution to this is appreciated.

Equipment

• The dry hydrant at the corner of Crystal Bend (County Road 675) and M-22 was found to be plugged up with several large rocks, most likely the result of its damage earlier in the year.   Unfortunately, this was discovered while attempting to fill the tanker during a water shuttle operation.  The dry hydrant has been flushed.  A submersible camera designed by Andrew Anthony was used to identify the problem and aided in the mitigation and clearing of the blockage.  Our staff members have many talents that contribute greatly to our organization’s operations. 
• Testing of all hose began in early June.  All hose from all apparatus was numbered, dated, and tested per NFPA guidelines.  This required many hours of unloading and loading all sizes of hose.  One section of large diameter hose was found defective and two sections of 2 ½ inch hose were found defective.  All have been taken out of service.  The hose that has been tested is marked with white spray paint.   As a reminder, hose that is rolled with the threaded end “out” is considered out-of-service. 

Programs and Additional Services

• The end of the month brought a flurry of activity related to preparations for the annual pancake breakfast.  Most of the last two days were spent purchasing food and supplies,  setting up tables and chairs, preparing the kitchen and grills, and making last minute arrangements for ice and other perishable items.  More information about the pancake breakfast will be provided in the July report. 

Acknowledgements Received

• We received three very nice thank you notes this month related to the wildfire at Port Oneida.  One was from the National Park Service and the others were letters to the editor posted in the Leelanau Enterprise from the Director of Camps Leelanau and Kohahna and the Acting Director of the Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear organization.  Copies have been placed in the Communications book in the Radio Room at the station. 
• Many contributions to the Glen Arbor Fire and Rescue Association have been made in memory of Ms. Susan Merrill Matschke.  We appreciate the family’s designation of Glen Arbor Fire Department as a recipient of memorial contributions in Mrs. Matschke’s name.

Submitted by:

John A. Dodson
Chief of the Department