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Meeting Report - October 2006

  • Tuesday, October 24 2006 @ 07:49 pm PDT
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Meeting Reports The regular meeting of the Long Island Emergency Vehicle Technicians was held on Wednesday, October 11 at the East Farmingdale Fire Department. Forty members enjoyed an excellent dinner followed by dessert and coffee - hosted by Chief Kevin DeVito and Station Engineer Artie Shireffs.

The LIEVT Fire Chefs Hats were presented President Steve Velazquez opened the business meeting with a pledge to the flag. He reported that the scheduled speaker, Lt. Mike Wilbur of FDNY, a well known speaker, had a family emergency and had to be out of town. Fortunately, Jack McLoughlin, President of Fire Research Corp. and Hauppauge Fire Fighter, volunteered to fill in at the last minute.

Steve gave the details of the upcoming EVT and ASE tests. Fortunately for our members, our member Chris Lo Preto of the Sayville Fire Dept. who moonlights as a college instructor, is having a preparatory class on October 17, a week before the EVT test. The annual holiday celebration will be held on Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Thatched Cottage. There is no charge for members in good standing – an RSVP is a must.

Steve introduced Ryan Cassidy of the Merrick Fire Dept. who talked about our member and his ex-Chief Tommy Gleason’s three year old daughter Shannon’s illness. She requires frequent blood and platelet transfusions. The website is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/shannong . A blood donation center will be set up at the Commack Fire Dept. on Saturday, November 11 from 9 am until 2:30 pm. There will be a collection in Nassau early in the year. Firehouse sent a copy of their publication for each attendee. The planned speaker, Lt. Mike Wilbur was their keynote speaker in July and is a regular contributor.

Jack McLoughlin gave a talk on the need for the redesign and safety improvements in the cabs of fire trucks. One of the reasons for this is that the firefighters with all their turnout gear cannot fit into the area allotted. It has been pointed out that seat belts must be worn on fire apparatus – this is not being adhered to anywhere in the country with a few notable exceptions. It was also mentioned that the officer in charge may be held liable for any injury or death of a firefighter under his control who is not seated and belted. In addition, the Fire Research people mentioned the new NFPA requirement that all hose must be secured on a fire apparatus in all areas. There was a recent settlement of over 5-1/2 million for a pre-connected hose that came loose in Pennsylvania and killed a young girl. Additionally, there was a fatal accident in California due to a 5 inch hose being dropped inadvertently on a major highway. A lady was decapitated because of this and it is in the courts at the present time.

Steve presented the East Farmingdale hosts with a plaque before he conducted the raffle. Fire Research donated a gift certificate to Home Depot, Fire News gave eight theater tickets, Kit Cafaro donated a Seagrave cast collectible and East Farmingdale made a nice contribution to the raffle. Mark you calendar: The next regular meeting will be held at North Bellmore Fire Department on Wednesday, November 8 - Into the Fire will be shown on the History Channel on Sunday, October 22 at 4 pm. The Shannon Gleason blood donation center will be at the Commack FD on Saturday November 11 from 9 am – 2:30 pm.