Milford Firefighters Engage In A Safety Drill

In full gear on a hot day, Firefighter Anthony Vitale crawled through a narrow opening between wall studs and across a slab of plywood in a vacant motel room.

Suddenly, the plywood gave way, spilling Vitale onto his side on the floor.

Luckily, for Vitale, it was not the real thing. It was a simulation of what it would feel like if the floor of a burning building collapsed beneath him, part of a department-wide training exercise Thursday morning in the vacant, single-story motel rooms behind the Howard Johnson Hotel on Boston Post Road.

The "Mayday Training" was designed to prepare city firefighters how to react if trapped while battling a fire, whether they're dropped into a basement, caught in an attic with nowhere to go, or buried under a fallen ceiling, said Capt. Christopher Zak, training officer and fire spokesman.

Thursday marked the first of three phases, which will include training other firefighters how to rescue a comrade in trouble, as well as to prepare commanding officers and dispatchers how to do their parts in orchestrating a "Mayday" response, said Assistant Chief Robert Healey.

"The idea is to save lives, and that's what we're looking at," he said, adding that department officials are grateful to hotel management for allowing the training, which even brought dispatchers to the scene.

Vitale said he and other firefighters were rotated through different challenges during the roughly three-hour training, "so it's kind of a surprise when you get in there."

"Any time you train, if you can get the conditions as close to what we would see in the field, it's helpful," he said. "You never plan on falling through a floor. You think you have it -- you have a plan -- and then there's a curveball. We train for the curveballs, essentially. Train for the worst, hope for the best."

Firefighters have been known to delay calls for help and try to get out of a sticky situation on their own to avoid being the brunt of teasing the next day, Zak said.

He'd like to see protocols so clearly defined that there's no room for personal interpretation, hence drills on how to request help -- a firefighter in trouble should call "Mayday" and offer location, unit, surrounding conditions, actions taken and those needed -- and how to give it.

"We're trying to put them in a situation where they react automatically," he said. "Like muscle memory." The field training was followed by classroom training later in the day, he added.

The last time a Milford firefighter lost contact and got disoriented in a building was Sept. 9, 1989, when a massive inferno consumed Sante's Manor banquet hall on Naugatuck Avenue. The lost man called for help, and firefighters came through the back of the building and found him quickly, Zak said.

The last time a floor collapsed under city firefighters was during last December's fatal Brookdale Avenue fire. The burning house didn't have a full basement in that spot, so firefighters fell only about three feet, he said.


ORIGINAL STORY

Richetelli Budget Cuts Nix Milford Bike Patrol

There are three fewer police officers patroling the city since the fiscal year began July 1, and Police Chief Keith Mello says it’s beginning to have a tangible effect.

The Board of Aldermen voted to eliminate an officer position from the budget, saving $52,000, and the police union was the only municipal bargaining unit to not accept a wage freeze as part of a new contract, resulting in two positions not being filled this year.

“Being down three positions, there has to be a reduction in some areas,” Mello said.

One popular program being “temporarily discontinued” is the downtown bike patrol, he said.

On weekdays, an officer on a bicycle was downtown to help with pedestrian safety, traffic enforcement and to provide high visibility for businesses.

Mello said the officer also helped provide enhanced safety for the thousands of residents using the train station.

Mello stressed there is still coverage downtown being provided by regular police patrols.

The bike patrol was instituted several years ago at the request of downtown business leaders, who wanted more police presence.

This past year, the downtown officer has written 10,000 tickets, the chief said.

Mello also said this year there may be a marginal increase in the response time for “low-priority calls,” but “high-priority calls will still receive immediate and appropriate response.”

Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. said there are three vacancies in the Police Department, but two of those positions could be filled at any time if the police union agrees to a new two-year contract, which would include a no-wage increase this year, and a 2 percent increase in the second year.

Seven other municipal unions agreed to a similar deal, saving the city about $700,000.

Richetelli said talks between the police union and the city are in the “beginning stages.”

The mayor said he has been in talks with Mello to ensure the three vacant positions will not hurt on public safety.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Brian McCready

Autism on the Rise all Across America.

Cases of Autism have spiked all across America in the last Decade. Autism once rare is more common than ever. Some people have made the allegation that Mercury based vaccines have actually increased the risk of Autism in young children and in many cases outright induced it. The video below explains the effects of mercury on brain tissue.



Some things that parents of young children need to know is that there is no law requiring you or forcing you to have your children injected with mercury based vaccines. Parents should, and must object, to any vaccine containing mercury in light of the information presented here.

With this newfound connection between mercury and its ability to induce mental illnesses such as ADD and autism, parents should be especially concerned about the safety and types of vaccines their Dr. are using. Dr's alone should not be trusted at their word, and it will be entirely up to each parent to do their own individual research on vaccines to ensure the safety and protection of their children.

Should I be fortunate enough to be elected to represent Milford in the CT Legislature it would be my intention to outlaw the use of unsafe, and mercury based vaccines in our state. Please join us in bringing forth our own defense against the continued injustice and lies that are so commonplace in our State. For more information on Autism contact www.awalkonwater.com. See their associated video below: