NAFECO

1 ARDMORE STREET • NEW WINDSOR, NY 12553

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EXECUTIVE STAFF

PUBLISHER

Joseph P. Belsito (Joe@Belsito.com) • • • GENERAL MANAGER

Kathy Ronsini (Kathy@1stResponderNews.com) • • • MANAGING EDITOR

Lindsey Palmer (Lindsey@1stResponderNews.com) • • • PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Ashley Ramos (Ashley@1stResponderNews.com) • • • CIRCULATION MANAGER

Michelle Rosa (Michelle@1stResponder.com) • • • BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Joe Belsito (Joe@1stRespondernews.com) • • • DISPATCHER RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

(Rich@1stResponder.com)

EDITORIAL STAFF

COLUMNISTS • • •

Rick Billings (Cartoon)

AJ Fusco (Food Blog) Bob Long (Cartoon) John Malecky (Apparatus, Video, Bookshelf) Didymus McHugh (Chaplain’s Corner) Fernando Villicana (Chaplain’s Corner)

CORRESPONDENTS • • •

Suzanne Boisvert • Albert Borroto • David Burns • Tim Cavender • Willie Cirone • DJ Corcoran • Scott Dakin • Corey Dierdorff • Chris Dilley • Brad Dykens • Joel Gordon • Freddy Howell • Steve Huffman • Michael Hunnicutt • Patrick Juliano • Michael Kane • William King • Heather Langston • Kate Lind • Ashley Lopez • Chuck Lowe • Steve Mapes • Amy Maxwell • Ashley McDonald • Michael Moser • Elisha Pappacoda • Ricky Phillips • Charlie Robbins • Frank Robinson • Steve Rose • Stephen Sabo • Shane Shifflett • Kevin Snider • Ken Snyder • Sasha Staton • Eugene Weber Jr. • Matt Whiteshield

EDITORIAL INFORMATION

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A division of:

In memory of those who gave all

1st Responder Newspaper honors and remembers emergency responders lost in the line of duty

Ohio: Donald Beauchene, 54 Rank: Lieutenant Incident Date: November 9, 2020 Death Date: November 17, 2020 Fire Department: Warren City Fire Department Initial Summary: Lieutenant Donald Beauchene contracted COVID-19 while on-duty. He passed away on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. Texas: Danny Watkins, 67 Rank: Chief Incident Date: December 14, 2020 Death Date: January 12, 2021 Fire Department: San Benito Fire Department Initial Summary: Chief Danny Watkins contracted COVID-19 while on-duty. He passed away from the virus on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

Tennessee: Ronald Steven Perry, 57 Rank: Firefighter Incident Date: November 15, 2020 Death Date: December 17, 2020 Fire Department: East Sullivan County Volunteer Fire Department Initial Summary: Firefighter Ronald Steven Perry responded to a mutual aid call of a building fire on Sunday, November 15, 2020. He and two other firefighters subsequently contracted COVID-19. Firefighter Perry passed away on Thursday, December 17, 2020, from the virus. Tennessee: Ronald “Ronnie” Gene Spitzer, 65 Rank: Chief Incident Date: December 11, 2020 Death Date: January 13, 2021 Fire Department: Rocky Top Fire Department Initial Summary: Chief Ronald “Ronnie” Gene Spitzer, while on-duty, responded to a medical call on December 11, 2020 with another firefighter. It was determined later that the patient had COVID-19. He and the firefighter both contracted the virus. Chief Ronald “Ronnie” Gene Spitzer passed away on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 from the disease. Pennsylvania: Mark “Dewey” E. Kulp, 52 Rank: Firefighter/EMT Incident Date: December 8, 2020 Death Date: January 5, 2021 Fire Department: Reading Department of Fire and Rescue Services Initial Summary: Firefighter/EMT Mark “Dewey” E. Kulp transported at least two patients to hospitals, who had tested positive for COVID-19. He also evaluated a patient on-scene that possibly had the virus. He subsequently contracted the disease and passed away on January 5, 2021. California: William Christopher Mertz, 54 Rank: Captain Incident Date: December 27, 2020 Death Date: January 20, 2021 Fire Department: Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District Initial Summary: Captain William Christopher Mertz, while on-duty at the fire department, contracted COVID-19. He passed away on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 from the virus.

Florida: Lloyd Losinger, 60 Rank: Captain Incident Date: December 4, 2020 Death Date: January 6, 2021 Fire Department: Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District Initial Summary: Captain Lloyd Losinger, while performing fire inspections, contracted COVID-19. He passed away from the virus on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Texas: Erik Segura, 45 Rank: Captain Incident Date: November 23, 2020 Death Date: January 26, 2021 Fire Department: Laredo Fire Department Initial Summary: Captain Erik Segura was part of the COVID-19 response team for the Laredo Fire Department. He contracted the virus while responding to an EMS call from a patient with a known case of the disease. He passed away on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.

JAMES STULTZ

JAMES STULTZ DeFuniak Firefighters Save Puppy from Drowning

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, FL - On the early afternoon of Tuesday, May 4th, service tones dropped for a puppy stuck underneath a house.

Firefighters arrived to find a frantic pet owner, who told responding crews that her 6-week-old puppy was stuck underneath her home in a pipe approximately 15-feet deep. Firefighters from the City of DeFuniak Springs Fire Department immediately sprung into action, gained access to the underside of the house and crawled 50-feet, where they found the faint yelps of a puppy desperately clinging onto life.

What they found was an approximate 8-inch-diameter well casing that descended 30-40 feet deep into the earth. At the bottom of this hole were the faint gasps for air of a small puppy, with barely enough room to remain afloat pinned between the wall of the casing. Firefighters requested for additional resources from City, while attempts continued to lasso the dog with a slip knot. After numerous unsuccessful attempts, crews reset and devised a different plan.

Public works employees were called to the scene and assisted greatly in devising a series of pvc electrical conduits together, with a long stretch of 12-gauge wire fed through and tied at one end. The plan was to push the conduit down past the dog, while placing the wire in positon over the dogs head. Once lowered around the dog, the wire would be pulled tight and the dog quickly evacuated from the well. It only took two attempts, and the dog was removed from the well, unconscious, not breathing and lifeless.

Firefighters immediately began chest compressions on the small dog, and provided oxygen via non rebreather mask, and the puppy quickly regained consciousness and began breathing again on its own. The dog was quickly whisked away to the local veterinary hospital where she spent the next 24 hours receiving IV fluids, and was released with a clean bill of health.

The puppy was subsequently named after two of the firemen involved in the rescue, Allen James. Fire Chief Ross Sheffield also got in on the action and was involved with not only bringing in additional resources from the City, but also in the final rescue attempt that brought the dog up from the bottom of the well.

Chief Sheffield praised the efforts of his firefighters, as well as the men from the City’s Public Works department without whom, the dog surely would have perished.

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When in doubt, keep it simple and put it in a taco!

FORK & HOSE CO.

a Food Blog by A.J. Fusco

One of the most popular foods both in the firehouse and my own house is tacos. I mean, if you get a day of the week named after you, you know you’ve made it big. Taco Tuesdays are featured on Fork and Hose Co. almost every week. And rightfully so! They are easily customizable depending on what’s in the fridge, what is on sale or just what you feel like eating. A taco can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. But the reason I love them so much is because a simple taco is almost always better than one with too many ingredients. Keeping it to a few ingredients will let each flavor shine through. Usually I like to stick to a protein, such as chicken, shrimp, pork or steak. Then maybe 2-3 toppings and that’s it; anymore than that and you will have a mess on your hands, literally. Another reason I love tacos, is that they can be a relatively quick dish to make. And in this case, shrimp cooks up faster than any other proteins, so the food hits the table in no time. You could also braise tougher cuts like pork shoulder or beef chuck ahead of time if need be. But with these shrimp tacos we keep it simple with the classic taco ingredients of lime, garlic and cilantro. And no taco would be complete without hot sauce!

So the next time you are not sure what to make and have to feed the crew quickly, think of these tasty shrimp tacos. You won’t be disappointed!

CILANTRO LIME SHRIMP TACOS

Yields 8 Tacos

Ingredients: 1 lb. Shrimp, peeled/deveined/tails removed 1 Lime, zest and juice Handful of fresh cilantro, picked and chopped 1 Garlic clove, chopped Salt, to taste EVOO 8 Corn Tortillas

Garnish: Chopped Cilantro, lime wedges and hot sauce Procedure:

-In a bowl, combine the shrimp, lime zest and juice, drizzle of EVOO, pinch of salt, chopped garlic and cilantro. Marinate for 15 minutes.

-While shrimp marinates, toast tortillas over open flame or in a dry pan until brown in spots. Remove and cover with a paper towel. -In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of EVOO followed by the shrimp. Cook until starting to turn pink, flip and cook until fully pink. -Remove and assemble tacos with garnishes.

AJ FUSCO

PROVIDED Palm Harbor Firefighters Rescue Baby Birds from Fire Boat 68

PALM HARBOR, FL - On April 23rd, during routine checks of Fire Boat 68, E68A crew, Lt. Arntz, Firefighter Paramedic Bacon and Driver Engineer Hammes (who’s taking the photo) found these baby birds in distress. One baby bird was caught in the lift motor area and the other was found on a piling in the water. After rescuing them, Suncoast Animal League was contacted and referred their care to a company called "Birds in Helping Hands". They quickly met with the firefighters at Home Port Marina and transported the birds to their facility for care. Pictured (L to R): Lt. Arntz, and Firefighter Paramedic Bacon.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

If you have photos you would like to see in our Where are they Now? feature please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Lindsey@1stResponderNews.com.

CHUCK LOWE

Clearwater FD once ran this 1997 Spartan Gladiator/Saulsbury as Squad 51. It was acquired several years ago by Winter Haven and continues to operate as Squad 515. The department plans to replace this rig in the near future.

Fire Destroys Custom Foam Insert Manufacturing Warehouse in Oakland Park

OAKLAND PARK, FL - At 10:53 A.M. on April 21st, Oakland Park Fire Rescue units were dispatched to a fire alarm at 4201 NW 6 Avenue. Upon exiting the station, units quickly realized that this call was not just a fire alarm after a large plume of heavy black smoke was seen from miles away in every direction.

The first arriving unit was the on-duty battalion chief, Rob Normoyle, a 28-year veteran of the fire service. Upon arrival, a secondalarm was immediately called for and a defensive attack mode was established by command. Command also received information early on that everyone had been evacuated from the building. Mutual and automatic aid units were utilized from Fort Lauderdale and Broward Sheriff's Office, Departments of Fire Rescue.

According to the report submitted by Fire Inspector Natalia Blanco-Whiteshield, the fire began when a bailing machine had an electrical malfunction and ignited the closed-cell, high-density foam. Workers attempted to extinguish the fire with three dry chem extinguishers without success. Within four minutes of the initial fire, the entire contents of the warehouse were involved. The building was engulfed in smoke and flames upon arrival and the roof had already collapsed.

Sixteen units, consisting of 45 personnel, worked in concert to safely protect exposures and extinguish the fire.

JUMP TO FILE# 051321102

- MARC VERMONT

MARC VERMONT

First arriving units.

IN SERVICE

If you have photos you would like to see in our In Service feature, please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Lindsey@1stResponderNews.com.