It's that time of year again, the eggs have been ordered, the strawberries are ready, and soon pancakes will be flying off the griddle!!!  Once again,  it's time for the Lafayette Twp. Fireman's Association's Annual Pancake Breakfast, every Sunday morning during the month of February at St. 2 in Chippewa Lake. 

Please print out the attached flyer and post it on your refrigerator and share it with your family & friends!!!  

Congratulations to EMT Cora Watkins & Jay Carroll as they exchanged vows on Friday December 16, 2011 in Brunswick, Ohio.

 
 Cora is a 12 year veteran of the Lafayette Township Fire Department who will soon be on to bigger and better things as she begins her new job in Solon, Ohio. Cora will remain in her current position as Secretary of the Lafayette Twp Firefighter’s Association.  She and Jay currently reside in their new home in Richfield, OH.
 
We wish them both nothing but the best as they begin their lives together.  

Lafayette Township Fire Department recently took delivery of a 2012 Braun Super Chief on a Freightliner M2 chassis.  This ambulance was built by Braun Ambulance Company and sold by Penn Care, Inc.; both Ohio based companies.

This truck is assigned to Station No. 2, and is fully ALS equipped.  Its spacious interior provides a comfortable working environment for our personnel and a superb treatment area with revolutionary features for our patients.  Despite its size, the vehicle’s superior ride quality will bode well for the citizens of Lafayette Township and the Village of Chippewa Lake.

Lafayette Twp Fire Department operates two ALS ambulances out of two stations and strives to provide the most advanced patient care/customer service to the citizens and visitors of Lafayette Township and the Village of Chippewa Lake.

Last week, Lafayette Twp Fire Department responded to two (2) major fire incidents within the Township. On Tuesday 11/15/2011 at 2159 hrs Lafayette was dispatched to the 5700 block of Lafayette RD for a residential structure fire. Upon his arrival, Captain West reported a fully involved Recreational Vehicle (RV) was on fire. Emergency crews from station #1 and #2 responded, apparatus to respond included Engines 101-1 & 101-2 as well as Squad 107-1. Chatham Township was automatically dispatched as per Lafayette’s mutual aid box agreement system (MABAS). Units from Chatham Township included Engine 91-1 & Tanker 92.

 
Crews were able to extinguish the fire with no damage to any surrounding structures.
 
On Sunday 11/20/2011, Lafayette was again dispatched for a residential structure fire in the 5700 block of Overlook Drive, just outside of Chippewa Lake. Again, emergency crews from Station #1 and #2 responded as well as Westfield Township.  Chief Hall established command and advised of 100% involvement to the 1 story residence. Upon engine 101-1's arrival they deployed 1, 1.75" hand line for exposure protection. Engine 101-2 provided water supply and a backup line. Medina County Fire Investigation Task Force was called to the scene to determine cause. All units returned to service without further incident.
 
Special thanks to Chatham & Westfield Townships for their quick and much needed response.

It’s that time of year again! Santa has been contacted and is preparing to make his annual special trip to visit the children of Lafayette Township, Chippewa Lake, and Gloria Glens!

Santa, escorted by the fire department of course, plans on delivering gifts on December 17, 2011 with Lafayette Twp delivery in the afternoon and Chippewa Lake & Gloria Glens in the evening. Gift collection will be on the Tuesday and Thursday before on December 13th and 15th from 7pm to 9pm at both fire stations. A generous donation of $3 per gift is much appreciated and will directly benefit the Lafayette Twp Firefighter's Association. 

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact either fire station during the hours of 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday and someone will return your call.  

Station #1 330-722-4965; Station #2 330-769-2831

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” General George S. Patton Jr.


Join LTFD as we honor all those that have served, currently served, or paid that ultimate price for our continued freedoms!!

Recently, construction began on what is the start of several renovation projects at station #2 in Chippewa Lake. The current station was built in 1961 and is currently able to house four pieces of apparatus and approximately 20 personnel.

The renovation plans are being completed in 3 phases with the first being the front of the building, widening the front bay doors to 12 feet and relocating the man door to the front of the building. Phase one also includes remodeling the interior front bays. Phase two includes separating the back bay doors and relocating the man door in the center of the bay doors as to provide more space in between the fire engines. Phase three includes a remodel of the interior offices toward the front part of the building.  

This remodel project is the first contracted improvement at station #2 in over 40 years! The hope is to improve storage space while maintaining and improving the functionality of what little space we currently have.

 Halloween Safety Tips for Adults

Parents of trick-or-treating kids can get so caught up in the fun themselves that they might forget some simple safety ideas that could keep everyone out of trouble. Having a fun and safe Halloween will make it all worthwhile! Kids love Halloween! They get to dress up and get free candy! What a perfect holiday! Give your kids some precious Halloween memories that they'll have for life.
 
If you take your kids to a sponsored event, like a safe Halloween thrown by your church or community center, make sure to keep an eye on them at all times. Even though it seems less dangerous, you are still in a strange environment full of people that you don't know. All it takes is a minute with your back turned to find your child gone.
 
Cell phones are everywhere now! Everyone seems to have one, they can be so affordable. Make sure that your child has a pre-programmed cell phone with him/her if they go out on Halloween night! Make sure that all-important numbers are already there and ready for use.
 
Below are more common sense tips that can help adults keep their kids safe.
 

• As bad as it sounds, this is just a fact of life now. Get on the internet and check your local state website for sex offenders. Almost every state has one; just do a search for your state sex offender site. Look up your zip code and it should have a list of registered offenders in your area that includes street addresses. Make sure that your kids stay away from these houses!
• Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren't going with them. Let them know that they are to check in with you every hour, by phone or by stopping back at home. Make sure that they know not to deviate from the planned route so that you always know where they will be.
• Trick or treating isn't what it used to be. In most cities it's not safe to let kids walk the streets by themselves. Your best bet is to make sure that an adult is going with them. If you can't take them yourself, see if another parent or two can.
•  Help your young child pick out or make a costume that will be safe. Make sure that its fire proof or treated with fire retardant. If they are wearing a mask of any kind, make sure that the eye holes are large enough for good peripheral vision.
• Know what other activities a child may be attending, such as parties, school or mall functions. If they are going to be at a friend’s home, get the phone number and make sure that you've met the parents.
• Make sure you set a time that your kids should be home by. Make sure they know how important it is for them to be home on time or to call immediately if something happens and they are going to be delayed.
• Kids will be kids. Explain to kids of all ages the difference between tricks and vandalism. Throwing eggs at a house may seem funny but they need to know the other side of the coin as well, that clean up and damages can ruin Halloween for everyone. If they are caught vandalizing, make them clean up the mess they've made.
• Some sick people find Halloween a great night to hurt cats. Explain to your kids that animal cruelty of any kind is not acceptable. Kids may already know this on their own but stress the point that it's not acceptable behavior. Make sure that they know that harming animals is not only morally wrong but punishable by law and will not be tolerated.
• Serve your kids a filling meal before trick or treating and they won't be as tempted to eat any candy before they bring it home for you to check. Check your local grocery store or craft store for Halloween cook books full of tasty treats on a horror theme for both kids and adults.
• Make sure that if your child is carrying a prop, such as a scythe, butcher knife or a pitchfork, that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on. Make sure that costumes won't get in the way when they are walking, which could cause them to trip.
• Teach your kids about not getting into strangers cars or talking to strangers, no matter what the person says to them. Explain to them as simply as you can that some adults are bad and want to hurt children, that they should never go into a house that they don't know, get into a car or go anywhere with a stranger. Also, tell them what to do should this happen, to scream as loud as they can to draw attention and to run away as fast as they can to someplace safe.
• Be sure to show your children know how to cross a street properly. They should always look both ways before crossing the street and should only cross at corners or crosswalks. Make sure that if you have more than one child, they know to take the hand of the younger child when they cross a street.

   
Halloween Safety for Kids & Teens


Kids love Halloween! They get to dress up and get free candy! What a perfect holiday! Give your kids some precious Halloween memories that they'll have for life.
 
Some of you kids already know things that you can do to be safe, like how to cross the street, not to talk to or go with strangers and things like that. But we adults know how exciting Halloween can be and that can make you forget to be careful.
 
Here are some tips that we have just for your kids, to help keep you safe on Halloween night! Some of these ideas are called “common sense” ideas, which mean that they are things that you should know and use every day in life. You are never too young to learn!
 

• Never, ever go into a stranger’s house or even ring their door for treats unless your parents are with you and say that it's okay. There are some people in life that aren't very nice to kids and you have to be careful. Always make sure that your mom or dad is within sight when you go out trick-or-treating.
• Be careful when you cross a street. Make sure to look in both directions and make sure that there are no cars coming. If you have a little brother or sister with you, take their hand and help them get across the street, too. If the street has a stop light, wait until the cross walk light tells you that it's okay to cross now, but still check before you cross, look both ways.
• If you are an older kid or young teen, and going out with friends, make sure that your parents know where you are going and who you are going with. This may seem like a pain but they are your parents and they love you. They just want you to be safe. 
• If you can drive and are taking a bunch of friends to a party, make sure that you have enough gas to get there. You don't want to run out on a dark street, all alone, like a bad horror movie!
• Hurting animals is never acceptable behavior! Some people use Halloween as an excuse to hurt cats and that is just wrong! Not only is it illegal in most places to hurt or torture animals and punishable by law, you should never hurt a helpless living thing.  

 
 
 
 

This weekend, 6 department officers and 1 member will be attending the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association (OFCA) Volunteer Firefighter Retention & Recruitment Campaign at Bowling Green State University.

OFCA has been awarded a 4-year Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant in the amount of $1,195,700. The SAFER grant aims to retain and recruit additional volunteer firefighters throughout Ohio communities. This grant was awarded to help fire departments increase the number of total volunteers in their departments and will be successful if all Ohio fire service leaders work together to take full advantage of the opportunities included in the grant.

Why Is This Campaign Needed? 

Throughout rural Ohio, citizens and current firefighters are at risk because of the lack of volunteer firefighters to adequately protect people and property from fire and fire-related hazards.  As call volume increases, more departments depend on volunteer firefighters. Throughout Ohio, 80 percent of the fire departments depend on volunteer firefighters to sustain operations.  In order to comply with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, the Ohio fire service must increase the number of volunteer firefighters by 30 percent.

OFCA attributes the volunteer recruitment problem to the lack of communication between the fire service and the public.  The public does not realize there is a need for volunteer firefighters and does not know where to obtain more information about becoming a volunteer firefighter. 

The retention problem can also be attributed to the lack of resources available to volunteer fire department leaders.  Many fire service leaders lack the experience and knowledge to effectively implement a local plan to retain and recruit volunteer firefighters.  To turnaround the declining trend of volunteer firefighters, OFCA was awarded a two-part recruitment and retention SAFER grant.

(SOURCE: http://associationdatabase.com/aws/OFCA/pt/sp/safer)

If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a member of our team, please stop by either one of our two fire stations during dayshift  (8am to 4pm Monday though Friday) to pick up an application, or contact Lieutenant April Winter at awinter@lafayettetwpfire.com .

Knowing your current and past medical information is crucial when our EMS providers arrive at your home to provide care. This information matters, and does effect the way we, as well as the receiving emergency department treats your current medical problem.

The File of Life, provided by the Cleveland Clinic is a way to better store your current and past medical information, as well as your current medications into one neatly organized file. In the File of Life you will find two (2) medical information cards for you to fill out. On these cards, you can provide us with vital information about your medical history, current medications you are taking, allergies, and other relative information that is critical to how we treat you. 

The File of Life also comes with a convenient magnet on the back and our EMS providers are trained to look on resident's refrigerators for this information. You can pick up your own File of Life at anyone of our two fire stations from the hours of 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday. 

-ALWAYS "Dedicated to our Community"