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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-10-07, Page 1010•THE HURON EXPOSITOR, OCTOBER 7, Itis PIZZA TRAIN 527-0180 MAPLEWOOD MANOR 527-1440 McGAVIN FARM SUPPLY & EQUIPMENT 527-0245 Seaforth Agricultural Societ 527-1321 Anna's Dress Shoppe Ltd. 527-0489 Wilson Sanitation 527-1220 L. McGRATH PLUMBING & HEATING 5226/493 SPARKY'S PLACE FAMILY DINING 527-1964 BOX & SMITH FUNERAL CHAPEL 527-1142 SILLS HOME, lg4RE • New Fire Extinguishers & Recharging Depot • Replacement Batteries •Fire Escape Ladders 527-1620 Fire Prevention Week, Oct 4-10 Develop a home escape plan and practiie it on October 7 at 6:00 p.m. n<>4 MFE< Sparky ®a' d Sparky the Fire Doge are trademarks o1 NFPA. Continent -wide fire drill planned tonight Last year in Ontario, 154 people lost their lives to fire. Most of these deaths could have been prevented if the victims had installed working smoke alarms and practiced a home escape plan, said the Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council. When a fire occurs, there is no time to plan. You must react quickly and appropriately. That is the message behind this year's Fire Prevention Week theme: "Fire Drills: The Great Escape." Fire Prevention Week is an annual event that commemorates the great Chicago fire of 1871. During the week of Oct. 4-10, fire departments in communities all across North America will devote their time and energy to raising public awareness about the importance of developing and practicing a home escape plan. Fire departments will also be encouraging everyone to join in the first-ever North America -wide fire drill on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. GO'FAST • React To FIRE! Seaforth & District Community Centres 527-1272 In case of fire, don't try to save possessions - go directly to your meeting place.:; FIRE PREVENTION "Never Try To Fight A Fire Alone" SMOKE DETECTOR ALWAYS KEEP A FRESH BATTERY 2:orrc?Rot YOUR jars YOt IR HOME '125 tinguisher) REMEMBER TO HAVE THEM CHECKED! For more information on Fire Safety call the following... CHIEF DEP. CHIEF CAPTAIN CAPTAIN George Garrick Tom Phillips Jim Sills Rene Dupuis 527-0873 522-0921 527-1248 527-1804 FIRE EMERNUMQEBERNCY527-1100 Seaforth & Area Fire Dept. Jason Beuttenmiller is trying to become a full-time firefighter. HILGENDORFF PHOTO Rookie wants to be full-time firefighter By Scott HilgendortT Being raised in Seaforth, Jason Beuttenmiller has grown up knowing the sound of the community's fire siren. As a child growing up in Seaforth, Jason Beuttenmiller would race outside to see the fire tucks go by every time the town's fire alarm sounded. Now, as an auxiliary member of the Seaforth Fire Department, he has a chance to be on those trucks. "I realized I could be on those trucks instead of being a bystander." he said of his decision to join. Beuttenmiller figures the time spent watching the trucks go by as a child and growing up as a neighbor of Jim Sills, a captain and long-time member of the department; have influenced him toward becoming a member of the Seaforth Fire Department. , "I have aspirations of being a full-time firefighter and I figure- this is the hest experience I could get," he said. Just this week, Beuttenmiller interviewed for a position in Burlington. "It's a well-respected profession. I like the aspect you have to be physically fit. It's a very diverse job," he said. "You're not just a straight firefighter. You handle car accidents, medical emergencies; any type of emergency." Beuttenmiller is one of 24 members of the Seaforth Fire Department, joining its ranks last January. • As an auxiliary, his role has had some limits but he's getting a chance to learn many aspects of the job. They practice twice a month going over different procedures or how to use specific pieces of equipment. The goal is to be proficient at everything from tools needed to battle a fire to equipment used to help free someone trapped in a car. Through his interest in becoming a firefighter, Beuttenmiller had already been asking lots of questions of other volunteers on the department. He had a fairly good idea about what he would be getting into when he joined. Firefighters carry pagers that go off whenever there's a call. Unlike full-time firefighters in cities who work shifts, Seaforth's firefighters are on-call 24 hours a day. The first time Beuttenmiller's pager went off was in January when a house caught fire north of Seaforth. "It was 10:30 at night. I went off and I went running for my car. i dropped my keys once getting in my car and once when I was in the car." he said. describing the adrenaline rush that occurs when the pager sounds. As an auxiliary, Beuttenmiller had to sit that one out. It was a call outside town and only nine firefighters leave in case there is another emergency in Seaforth. Beuttenmiller's first fire came this summer when a call cane through about a grass fire. • It became a lesson in thinking on your feet because of the surprise that waited for them when they arrived. Beuttenmiller was in the truck and asking Sills what would he expected of him at the scene. What they didn't know was that the grass fire was started by sparks from a car accident. "As soon as we saw the accident, that changed all our plans." he said. Their first response was to help the woman driver whose car had rolled over at the side of the road. They radioed for an ambulance and helped the woman until the ambulance arrived. Beuttenmiller never did sec the grass fire. As the other trucks arrived. they went on to put out the fire. • Because of the unpredictability of the calls, there are always firefighters on- call. Every weekend, while there are usually more around, six arc assigned to stay in town to ensure there is protection. With that and the fact the pager can go off at any time, Beuttenmiller said, "You do have to miss some things." Despite the effect it can have on firefighter's personal lives, Beuttenmiller said, "It's worth it." Worth it enough that he competed against 1,500 other applicants just to get a job interview with the Burlington department. Applying for a full-time position means strenuous physical testing. written tests and interviews. "It's pretty demanding. I've done two physicals so far," he said. ARCHIE'S SERVICE CENTRE 527-0881 FLOWER MAGIC 527-1110 JIM ETUE INSURANCE 527-0720 961 FIN a31 311 P1 A�'