10.13.08 Smoky House Fire in Barlow Section

At around 11:15 AM, on Monday October 13, 2008, Cherry Hill Firefighters responded to a reported house fire in the 200 block of Barlow Ave, in the Barlow Section of Cherry Hill. The caller reported a smoke condition coming from the basement. Firefighters arrived and reported a heavy smoke condition throughout the dwelling. The first team of firefighters advanced a hoseline through the front door. Their efforts in searching for the basement steps were hampered by the increasing smoke condition. As other teams of firefighters arrived, they opened windows and doors to alleviate the smoke and building heat and within a few minutes from their arrival, firefighters were able to gain access to the basement and extinguish the fire.

As firefighters were working throughout the dwelling, they systematically searched the entire home for any occupants. Everyone had managed to evacuate. Due to the age and type of construction of this particular home, the dwelling was overhauled and several walls were opened up to search for hot spots and fire extension. In all, about 25 firefighters were used to bring this incident under control. This fire is under investigation by the Cherry Hill Fire Marshal’s Office.

Photos provided by Steve Skipton

10.2.08 CHFD EMS Members Attend State Conference

The New Jersey Statewide Conference on EMS was once again held in Atlantic City, NJ from October 2nd-4th, 2008. The conference is organized and sponsored by the NJ Office of Emergency Medical Services. It offers continuing education credits for basic life support, advanced life support, EMS physicians, EMS educators, EMS management/administrators, and school nurses.

This year the Cherry Hill Fire Department supported the state conference by participating as an exhibitor, with the CHFD conference booth on display. The booth was staffed by EMS Chief McCargar & Platoon Leaders: Dave Milsted; Chrissy Oatman; and Steve McCann. During the class intermissions, they were able to talk with prospective candidates interested in the hiring process and answer many questions that EMTs have had since the new process began. The booth displayed EMS action pictures and EMS training pictures along with a slide show that was created for public events. Our members were also able to visit other vendor booths and create contacts for the future.

One of the speakers at the conference made an impact on the attendees about a topic that affects all of us in the field. Her name is Dr. Nadine Levick, recognized internationally for her research, education, and published documents on ambulance safety. We encourage you to view her information at this website: http://www.objectivesafety.net/index.html. Dr. Levick has several educational resources and webinars available for review on her website and has extended an invitation for CHFD to participate in future EMS safety forums.

Next year, the conference will be held in Atlantic City from November 12 -14, 2009. You can view some details about the conference through this link: http://www.state.nj.us/health/ems.