TRAINING
Up to date training is necessary to keep Maynard’s Firefighters ready to carry out the mission of the organization. Part of our organizational vision states that we will achieve our goals by continuously investing in our people. Our personnel is our single biggest investment, and the investment we make in training our firefighters will pay dividends for decades. Investing in training, and essentially our people will help us achieve a culture of change, trust, empathy, competence and employee satisfaction. Putting a clear focus on developing a comprehensive training approach, we will indeed work toward solving some underlying organizational culture issues. Comprehensive training involves a commitment to broadening the experiences of our firefighters by exposing them to training outside of Maynard and even Massachusetts. Maynard Fire has committed to sending firefighters to training programs at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Because the mission of our industry has evolved over the years, our training focus has changed along with it, yet it is certainly no less important. Currently, our firefighters and officers are performing training on a monthly basis to keep their present skills intact and retain cognitive reflex. Moving forward you will see a greater focus on topics other than just traditional firefighting techniques. Some of these topics will focus on specialty areas such as hazardous materials response, technical rescue(s), emergency medical response, fire prevention and public education just to name a few. The Maynard Fire Department has begun developing a succession plan to allow for a smooth transition for fighters moving up to the rank of Captain, and for Captains moving up to the rank of a Chief Officer. Succession planning requires a focus on leadership development to give candidates for promotion an idea of what issues they will face and arm them with the tools necessary to handle them. Maynard Fire is currently conducting specialized training on a monthly basis to enhance our service delivery in Emergency Medical Response. We will utilize NFPA, OSHA, and ISO Standards as our benchmarks for success in this category. The training coordinator and the chief will meet on an annual basis to set organizational goals for the upcoming year and periodically to ensure these goals are being met and alter the direction of the program as needed.
FIRE PREVENTION
The Maynard Fire Department Fire Prevention program consists of multiple areas concentrating on preventing human suffering by limiting or eliminating the potential for fire-related losses. Working under the Code of Massachusetts Regulations and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Maynard Fire Department is responsible for numerous categories of inspections including, but not limited to:
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detector inspections.
- LP gas installations
- Oil burner installations
- Commercial cooking compliance inspections
- Tank Truck inspections
- Fire alarm installation, upgrade and repair inspections
- Sprinkler system installation, upgrade and repair inspections
- Underground storage tanks
- Annual inspections of Night Clubs and Bars for the Liquor License Renewal (Chapter 304 of the Acts of 2004)
- Annual Rooming House inspections
- Quarterly Theater inspections
- Annual inspections of state operated residential facilities
- Quarterly fire drills in all schools and day care facilities
- Annual mercantile inspections
- Annual apartment building / multi-family inspections
The Maynard Fire Department currently performs these inspections utilizing on-duty operations personnel such as the Duty Captain and Firefighters. We are hopeful we can add a Deputy Fire Chief who will focus on Fire Prevention among other operational areas. We will also be looking at updating our by-laws as they apply to fire prevention and notification procedures in the coming years. We have implemented a comprehensive pre-fire planning program to ensure that firefighters have the most up to date and accurate information on a particular building as possible. We have also implemented a Fire Safety Survey Program that calls for commercial inspections on commercial occupancies on a bi-annual basis. A majority of our inspections are completed on I-Pads, and we can email results the building owner or occupant right on the spot. We complete about 900 inspections of all types annually, and we expect that number to continue rising each year.
COMMUNICATIONS
Traditionally organizations have used a municipal signaling system so that alarms can be received at the fire department and or the dispatch center. In 2013 the Maynard Fire Department made the decision to begin phasing the traditional “Telegraph System” out and replace it with a wireless radio communications system. The Radio Box System will save repair and maintenance costs down the road. In 2014 the Maynard Fire fully committed to a civilian dispatch center along with the Maynard Police Department. This center is located at the Police Station and the transition has allowed the fire department the ability to increase staffing safety. The Maynard Fire Department also takes care of a majority of their portable and mobile radio programming. In-house programming saves us considerable money over time and allows for more flexibility in purchasing or modifying equipment.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
The Maynard Fire Department Ambulance transports approximately 800 patients a year. Our primary hospitals are Emerson and Lahey, however we are capable of transporting to Boston and other neighboring hospitals. We primarily service Maynard citizens, but on occasion are needed in neighboring communities, as we also need assistance from other communities. This is common when two or more medical calls occur simultaneously.
All of the Maynard firefighters are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)-Basic certified and rotate covering the ambulance each shift. This insures that all EMT’s skills are fresh to provide the best possible treatment to our community. Our EMT certification is renewed every other year with the completion of forty hours of continuing education.
The Maynard Fire Department strives to provide top notch Emergency Medical Services (EMS) daily. We are a member of the Central Middlesex Emergency Response Association (CEMRA). This group meets monthly with our EMS coordinator, Medical Director, paramedic Intercept Company, Professional Ambulance Service (PRO), and eight other local communities. CEMRA addresses any EMS issues that may arise and insures that all neighboring EMS services are operating consistently. With CEMRA, Maynard is currently working under a special project waiver that allows EMT’s to administer Epinephrine (EPI) intramuscularly without an EPI-pen, the Check and Inject program. Administering EPI this route, provides the best outcome for the patient, with less pain and decreased cost. The Maynard Fire Department has recently purchased a LUCAS device that performs the most consistent mechanical CPR available, giving citizens the best chance of recovery from a sudden cardiac arrest.
Our EMS performs many non-emergent programs. We teach CPR to the community as well as programs to our elderly population. We have done programs with the Boys and Girls Club as well as the Maynard School System. This year we are going to instruct and certify every high school senior with CPR and first aid. We have given countless tours of our station including ambulance familiarization to children in case themselves, or a loved ones have to be transported, decreasing the anxiety that may arise from this situation.
Feel free to stop by the station any time if you have any questions answered or want a tour yourself.
EMS Coordinator – Chief Angela Lawless
Angela has worked for the Maynard Fire Department for four years as a fire fighter/EMT and has been involved in the fire service since 2003. She is an instructor at the Massachusetts Fire Academy teaching recruits basic firefighting skills as well as their daily Physical Training. Angela is a CPR instructor and enjoys teaching this life saving class to our community.
As EMS coordinator, Angela is responsible for the overall operation of our ambulance. This includes; ordering supplies, training, re-certification as well as implementing new programs. She works directly with our Medical Control Doctor to insure that Maynard is providing the best possible care to our Patients.
Outside of the Maynard Fire Department, Angela is a mom of three teenage children. She participates in Marathons as well as Triathlons. Angela has a previous Bachelors in Science in Business Administration and has recently obtained her Associates Degree in Fire Science. Currently she is working on her Bachelors in Science in Fire Science.
FACILITY MAINTENANCE
Although most major issues having to do with the upkeep of the fire station fall on the town’s facilities department, some functions are done here in-house. As you can imagine the upkeep on a facility as old as this one can be daunting at times. We are constantly chasing items such as leaking plumbing, roof leaks, window problems, air conditioner malfunctions and the list goes on. We try and handle what we can internally under the direction of Capt. Morrsion.
APPARATUS/EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE
Like facility maintenance, large repairs for fire apparatus and large equipment are done by outside vendors. We do have an aging fleet and there are a lot of items that are taken care of in-house such as bulbs, loose handles or mirrors, small electrical issues, tune-ups for small engines and last year even a pump rebuild for one of our forestry units. In-house equipment maintenance is especially difficult because we have no work space for work of this nature. Larger items are coordinated by Capt. Tim Gray and are sent to an appropriate vendor depending on the maintenance issue.