Columbus Fire and Rescue Magazine V4N1 by Columbus, MS Fire and Rescue

PUBLISHER COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI FIRE and RESCUE DEPARTMENT EDITOR ANTHONY COLOM ART DESIGN, LAYOUT, & PHOTOGRAPHY ANTHONY COLOM CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CHIEF MARTIN ANDREWS ASSISTANT CHIEF MARK WARD CHIEF OF TRAINING DUANE HUGHES FIRE and LIFE SAFETY EDUCATOR CAROLE SUMMERALL STAFF MARTIN ANDREWS: CHIEF MARK WARD: ASSISTANT CHIEF DUANE HUGHES: CHIEF OF TRAINING NEAL AUSTIN: SPECIAL OPERATIONS CHIEF BOBBY BARKSDALE: A-SHIFT BATTALION CHIEF MIKE GIBSON: B-SHIFT BATTALION CHIEF Jr. LANCASTER: C-SHIFT BATTALION CHIEF TODD WEATHERS: FIRE MARSHAL CAROLE SUMMERALL: FIRE & LIFE SAFETY EDUCATOR MICHAEL CHANDLER: ACCREDITATION MANAGER ANTHONY COLOM: PUBLIC RELATIONS TABITHA BARHAM: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Columbus Fire and Rescue Department 205 7th Street S. Columbus, MS 39701 (662) 329-5121

chief's chair ANSWERING THE CALL

On March18, 2014, a decision was announced that would rock my world. This was the day that Fire Chief Kenneth Moore announced his retirement. I had only been in the position of assistant chief since November of 2012. Having sat through only one budget process, I felt as if I had not grown accustomed to the position of assistant chief. Now, I was poised to take control of the entire department.

On September 30, 2014, at approximately 6:30 PM, I was walking with a friend through one of the neighborhoods in our city. We were talking and enjoying our walk. We saw children playing in the yard of one of the apartment complexes. They looked and sounded as if they didn't have a care in the world. They were just enjoying life. We completed our walk, and headed to our homes. The evening progressed and seemed to be pretty uneventful for the fire department. You see, as Chief, I am never off duty. I am always listening to my radio. Around 2:00 AM on October 1, chatter over the radio woke me up. There was an apartment fire. I got up and headed out the door. I arrived at the fire as the last on-scene engine company pulled in. Two of the apartments were engulfed with fire; it was the same apartment complex that my friend and I had walked past earlier that day. I immediately thought of the children playing in the yard, and said a prayer that they were all safe. The on-duty battalion chief reported a mother and two children were rescued from the second story of the apartment adjacent to the one the fire had started in. The mother was transported to the hospital by ambulance. There were still two civilians missing: one from the apartment the fire had started in, and one from the adjacent apartment. Rescue teams arrived on scene, and a young girl was found. She was also transported to the hospital. However, there was still one civilian missing from the apartment where the fire originated. Our men searched up until the last possible moment. When they could wait no longer because the fire was starting to breach the fire wall in between the apartment complexes, the go-ahead was given to attack from above with the ladder truck. All we could hope was that the last civilian was outside safe from the fire.

The fire was finally called "out" at approximately 5:00 AM. All that was left to do was to put out the hot spots and find that last civilian, which we knew by this time was most likely one of the children my friend and I had seen playing in the yard the evening before. Part of our mission statement says that we are here to â&#x20AC;&#x153;protect life and

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property due to fire.â&#x20AC;? Unfortunately, in this case, one civilian's life was lost. Our prayers continue for this family.

With the help and support of everyone in the department, I have grown into the position of Fire Chief this past year. This realization came when one family from the apartment fire I spoke about, came to the department to give thank-you hugs to the guys that responded. I knew that because of our dedication and desire to fulfill our calling, a family could celebrate one more birthday or holiday together.

by CHIEF martinANDREWS mandrews@columbusms.org

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editor's note HAPPY ANNIVERSARY This month marks the 3rd anniversary of Columbus Fire and Rescue Magazine. As we work towards change within the department and our publication, we ' d also like some things to remain the same: the things that have made us the excellent department we ' ve become.

In three years, Columbus Fire and Rescue Magazine has evolved from a 32-page 5.5”x 8” magazine to a 32-page 8.5” x 11” magazine. We can be found in locations where customers and patients tend to have time to sit and read. Citizens of Columbus and Lowndes County may also stop by one of our 5 fire stations and Fire and Life Safety office to pick one up as well. A lot of time and effort is put into the layout, design, marketing, and promotion of this magazine. We publish quarterly in print and a digital version on the internet. We have thousands of photos to choose from during each quarter, and that makes it extremely difficult to narrow down the choices. We never have a shortage of stories, photos, or helpful articles. We welcome any suggestions and comments from the public. We thank you all for your continued support, and we look forward to publishing many more issues for your enjoyment.

A lot of time and effort is put into the layout, design, marketing, and promotion of this magazine. We never have a shortage of stories, photos, or helpful articles. We welcome any suggestions and comments from the public. by anthonyCOLOM, PUBLIC RELATIONS acolom@columbusms.org

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Live Burn Training: Battalion Chief Jr.LANCASTER with C-Shift firefighters

training

command staff RECRUITING

I am a huge fan of college football, especially the Mississippi State Bulldogs! To build an organization or a team, you have to recruit the best individuals or players that will fit into your organizational needs. College football teams spend many hours on recruiting players that can have an immediate impact on their team. But, there are players out there that may not be as highly rated, but a coach may see that they have the potential to become a great athlete in their program; and like football teams, public service organizations, fire, police, and ems are also searching for the best individuals to recruit for their organizations. When Columbus Fire and Rescue became an Accredited Agency, along with that designation also came some recommendations as well. One of the recommendations from the peer assessment team was that the department continues efforts to bridge the large gap in the makeup of the racial composition of the department so that workforce composition is better reflective of the service area demographics. The department was also encouraged to continue recruiting efforts to recruit a broad base of applicants. The department is currently working on plans to address this recommendation, while realizing that this may take five to ten years to accomplish because of the low turnover of employees within the department and searching for the best qualified applicants. Columbus Fire and Rescue has an extensive hiring process. There is a Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) Orientation, followed by eight weeks of CPAT practice for applicants. Then those applicants that pass the CPAT are given a study guide for a written test that will be given a minimum of 30 days after CPAT. After the written test, an extensive background check is performed on those passing the written test, and individual interviews are conducted with each applicant. This process as a whole may take up to six months. Much like the college football recruiting process, our process gives the department time to evaluate these applicants. Not only are we looking for those five star individuals, but also those two and three star individuals who we feel have the potential to become a five star employee. A career with Columbus Fire and Rescue can be very rewarding to the right individual. Not only do you have a chance to serve your fellow

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citizens and the community, the department offers many benefits to the employee as well. Some benefits are: state retirement, health and life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid holidays, and a great work schedule, just to name a few.

As any college football coach knows, he has a limited number of scholarships to offer to players. The same can be said for the fire chief as well; there are always a limited number of positions that come open within the department that can be filled. This is the reason why a coach or a fire chief is looking for the best possible recruit to fill that scholarship or position. That coach is asking that recruit to invest his talents in the organization for four years, but the fire chief is asking that recruit to invest his talents in the organization for 30 years!

by ASSISTANT CHIEF markWARD mward@columbusms.org (662) 329-5121

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SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES I PHOTO BY ANTHONY COLOM l COLUMBUS FIRE and RECUE MAGAZINE

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prevention

Fire Prevention at Local Schools: Firefighter JamesAVERY Photo by anthonyCOLOM

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SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES

command staff COMMUNITY SERVICE

Columbus Fire and Rescue took part in a tremendously generous Christmas effort with a local city business. Pet Smart, the pet products and services store, held a competition throughout its nationwide chain of stores. Customers were encouraged to purchase stuffed animals and donate them as Christmas gifts to local children. Each store chose a local emergency response agency to distribute the donated toys. Each national region would select the store with the highest number of donations by mid-December. These stores would be presented a cash prize. This prize would be divided among the stores employees. What a great way to spread Christmas cheer to children who might otherwise go without. The donations also present employees with a chance at a great Christmas bonus.

Pet Smart of Columbus chose CFR to distribute their donated stuffed animals. The fire department keeps stuffed animals on each fire truck. These toys are given to frightened children at emergency scenes. The soft, plush toys calm and soothe small children. They also provide an emotional boost to firefighters, who use the gifts to restore hope to a traumatized child. All through the months of November and December, phone calls from Pet Smart resulted in hundreds of stuffed animals each week. It soon became apparent that the needs of the fire department had been met for the next year. CFR decided to partner with the Columbus Police Department's annual Christmas toy drive. Officer Rhonda Sanders was contacted, and she received stuffed animals from CFR. This donation was abundant enough to make up for a shortfall in the toy drive. Many children awoke Christmas morning to hug a stuffed animal donated by a caring patron of Pet Smart! The community spirit of organizations such as Pet Smart exemplifies the best in giving back to the community. Columbus Fire and Rescue was proud to have taken part in this effort. We look forward to similar partnerships in the future, as we constantly strive to better serve the citizens of Columbus, Mississippi.

by CHIEF of TRAINING duaneHUGHES dhughes@columbusms.org

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October 1, 2015, at approximately 2:00 am, Columbus Fire and Rescue was dispatched to Jamestown Apartments on the eastern side of the city for a structure fire. More than 20 members of the department responded to the call to help. This is an interview with Ms. Shalonda Conner and her oldest daughter Deja, one of the many families affected by the devastating fire.

Hello Ms. Conner. How are you ? I’m doing well. How has your recovery and your daughter’s recovery been going ? I was in the hospital in Jackson for about two weeks. I was in ICU for one week, and the rest of the time I was in the recovery room. I was burned internally from breathing in heat and smoke from the fire.

everything up until I went to sleep that night, and everything since my recovery, but nothing that happened that night. What about your recovery at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital? It was a really nice place, and the nurses were really good, too. My morning nurse was really nice and took really good care of me while I was there. My night nurse, Ms. Etosha, she was always real with me. My therapist, Ms. Jill, she always made sure that I pushed myself. I understand that you all were visited by Mayor Smith, Fire Chief Andrews, and Ms. Glenda Buckhalter, and that Mayor Smith gave Deja the Key To The City. Deja: I was shocked that he gave me the Key To The City. That was really big. It made me feel really special.

What were some of the things that you faced as part of the recovery process? The first week, I didn’t remember anything because I was in ICU. The second week I was breathing on my own, and they put me on solid foods again. I had to learn to walk again. I spent most of my time there in a wheelchair. I also had cracked ribs, so all they could do for me was give me medication for the pain. Learning to walk again was the most difficult part. My main focus was getting out of the hospital and getting to my daughter Deja who was also injured during the fire. Deja was hospitalized at Le Bonheur’s in Memphis ? Yes. Deja, can you tell me what you remember about the night of the fire? I don’t have any memory of what happened during the fire. I can remember

Yes. To show their faces and say we know what happened and we’re here, is huge. I kinda gave them the run down on Deja’s recovery, because her recovery was a lot different and longer than mine. Her first week at Le Bonheur’s, she was in ICU, and we were both intubated. We were both extubated on the same day. As I was waking up, she never did, and they couldn’t figure out why. It was about another two weeks for her. When I got out of the hospital, I went straight to her, and they were saying, “We can’t wake her up. We don’t know what’s wrong! We can’t wake her up. We don’t know what’s wrong!” They called in a specialist to read her MRI; that’s when they discovered that she

had brain damage. I shared that with Mayor Smith. She basically started over from the beginning, as if she was a baby. It was like bringing a newborn baby home. She had to learn to do everything all over again: walk, talk, eat.... everything. It’s a miracle for her to even be sitting here, and for you to even be able to ask her questions, have her understand them, and answer them. It’s special to me. It’s special to us. Ms. Conner, could you tell me what happened and what you and your family experienced the morning of the fire? I was home with my three children. I know the stories that are told about our getting out of our apartment, but I really have no idea how. I heard a noise, woke up, and went to check on the kids, and there was smoke in the hall. When I saw the smoke in the hall, I banged on the walls to try and wake everyone to save time so that I wouldn’t have to go into every room and wake them up. They all came running into my bedroom. My first instinct was to get to the window. I wasn’t even going to try to attempt to go downstairs. I didn’t want to know what was down there. I could see the smoke when I got them to the window. I know I called 911 during all of this, and I broke a window for my children, trying to get the little ones some air. By that time the smoke was so thick that you couldn’t see. Trying to get them to the window, and not being able to see, I had to walk with a child on my left, on my right, and one in front of me. I just knew I had to keep them close to me, so if one fell, I would know it. Once I broke the window, I tried to get my little ones up to the window. It took a lot out of me. It took all the strength I had to break the second window. I had nothing left. By the time I’d broken the second window, Deja had passed out. To try and get her up off the floor.....the strength could only have come from God. I just didn’t have it. Deja is a 14-year-old weighing 110 pounds.

My only thought during all of that was to make sure the people outside knew that I had 3 children inside with me. I do remeber seeing a ladder hit the window. I passed out after that. I don’t remember what happened. From what I was told, I was dropped down from the window and caught by Deputy Kemp from the Lowndes County Sheriffs Department. He’s a friend of mine. He’s been a friend of mine for awhile. He wasn’t even working on that side of town, but he said he heard the call and recognized the address. He said he prayed the whole time he was driving, and once they passed me off to him, he said he started counting heads and didn’t see Deja. He said he started asking around about the other one. He said he told them that I had one more child. He asked Skylar if Deja was there with us, and Skylar said she was. He said the firemen went inside with flashlights searching for her. He said when they found her, she was downstairs in the living room. That told me a lot; for her to be downstairs in the living room when I know she was right beside me at one point.... that means some terrible stuff happened to her while they were getting me out. Do you mean being separated from everyone, and ending up somewhere else ? Yes, exactly. I feel like I owe Deputy Kemp everything. My children are my life; and his knowing that I had a third child , and she was missing, helped save her life. They are all that I have. God has him as my friend for that reason. He was there that night for that reason. You never know why people are in your life. You never know. He works for the county, but yet he makes it to the middle of the city to help firefighters save my daughter’s life. I’m not discrediting the fire department because they definitely did their job. They did what they were suppose to do: get me and my children out. Have you all had the opportunity to meet the firefighters who rescued

you ?

families affected by the fire?

No! No! We really want to. I think we really need to.

I talked to Lynn (her daughter lost her life that morning) for the first time Tuesday. I just didn’t know what to say to her because both of our children were trapped inside. I found out about her later. Because when I was in the hospital I didn’t remember a lot of stuff. I found out the whole story later. It’s not that I feel guilty, but it’s that I don’t know how to feel with her. Our children were trapped in that building, but mine is here. I don’t know how to feel with that. You just don’t know what to say. When I saw her, she was so excited to see that we were alright. I was glad to see that she was good. We’ve talked. We’re actually gonna see each other tomorrow.

I’m going set that up for you. I’ll talk with Chief Andrews about making that happen. (Crying) I did everything I could as a mother to get my children out; and once you get to the point where there’s nothing else you can do..... that’s not a good feeling being in a burning building and being able to see outside, and not being able to do anything. The only place we could go was down. You try to protect your children from everything, and there’s nothing you can do. All I could do was pray and ask God to get my babies out. When those firemen put that ladder up to the window, that was my release. My body gave out at that exact time. I had given all that I could, and I gave out when they arrived. It was like I could finally rest because my help was here. I have no idea who the firemen are who saved us. These people were there for a reason: for me and my children to be here right now. To have this moment. I can’t imagine if Kemp wasn’t my friend, and he wasn’t there; nobody else knew that I had a third child. So yes, we have to meet the firemen who saved us. How has all of this changed your lives?

Your two younger daughters are doing well ? Yes, they’re well. They both struggle with it their own way, but they’re both good. My 5-year-old, she was having nightmares when we first came home. We don’t have any idea what they were about, but she was having nightmares. She’s afraid of smoke detectors. She’s afraid of different things. They remember, and they have the same fears that I have. It’s totally different for Deja because she doesn’t remember anything. Her fears are totally different from ours. I remember up until a certain point. Skylar remembers everything. It’s affected each one of use differently. It’s hard to sleep at night.

Drastically ! Good and bad. Any little thing that you can’t control doesn’t matter anymore. I hugged and kissed my kids every morning and every night before this happened, and we all make sure we hug and kiss each other now. It’s scary. In a split second things can change. Things scare us now. We’re afraid of noises. We’re afraid of smoke. We’re afraid of everything. When we cook in the house, my boyfriend will open the windows because any smoke in the house will frighten the kids. He’s really been there for us.

Thank you both for allowing me to talk to you and hear your story. We’ll all be praying for you.

Have you been in touch with the other

Thank you guys for everything.

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Deja: I went to sleep that night, and as far as I know, I just slept for a really long time until I woke up in the hospital. I would much rather Deja not remember any of the things that happened that night. To be honest, it’s kind of a blessing that she doesn’t remember any of it.

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Never Get Heart Disease Follow these 10 habits and keep your heart healthy for life

The smartest plan for attacking a heart attack is, of course, preventing one from ever happening. Choose three of the following preventive strategies that you're currently not doing. Make them a habit. The closer to the top of the list you get, the more you reduce your risk of heart disease.

A Dutch study found that people who drank 3 cups of tea a day had half the risk of heart attack of those who didn't drink tea at all. Potent antioxidants, called flavonoids, in tea may provide a protective effect.

1. Convince Your Spouse to Stop Smoking Nonsmoking husbands of smoking wives face a 92 percent increase in their risk of heart attack, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Breathing secondhand smoke boosts LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, decreases HDL ("good") cholesterol, and increases your blood's tendency to clot. 2. Walk, Run, or Lift Weights for 30 Minutes Four Times a Week Middle-aged men who exercised vigorously for 2 or more hours cumulatively per week had 60 percent less risk of heart attack than inactive men did, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. 3. Lose 10 to 20 Pounds If you're overweight, dropping 10 to 20 pounds could lower your risk of dying from a first heart attack by 16 percent. Being overweight drives up cholesterol and blood pressure, the precursors to coronary disease. A 10year Mayo Clinic study found that overweight people had heart attacks 3.6 years earlier than normal-weight people did, and that obese heart-attack patients tended to be 8.2 years younger than normal-weight victims. 4. Drink Five Glasses of Water a Day In a study at Loma Linda University, men who drank that many 8-ounce glasses were 54 percent less likely to have a fatal heart attack than those who drank two or fewer. Researchers say the water dilutes the blood, making it less likely to clot. 5. Switch from Coffee to Tea

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arteries by more than 80 percent, according to a recent University of Pennsylvania study. 8. Eat a Cup of Total Corn Flakes for Breakfast This cereal contains one of the highest concentrations of folate (675 micrograms) of any cold cereal. Taking in that much folic acid daily (the recommended amount is 400 mcg) cuts your risk of cardiovascular disease by 13 percent, according to researchers at Tulane University. Folate works by reducing blood levels of artery-damaging homocysteine. 9. Count to 10 Creating a 10-second buffer before reacting to a stressful situation may be enough to cool you down. Men who respond to stress with anger are three times more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease and five times more likely to have a heart attack before turning 55, say researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

6. Grill Salmon on Saturday, Have a Tuna Sandwich on Tuesday Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say that eating fish at least twice a week can lower your heart-disease risk by more than 30 percent. The magic ingredient is the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish. In another study, men without heart disease were 10 percent less likely to die suddenly when their blood levels of omega-3s were high. 7. Ask Your Doctor About Vitamin E and Aspirin Men who took the antioxidant and the blood thinner daily cut the plaque in their clogged

10. Eat Watermelon It contains about 40 percent more lycopene than is found in raw tomatoes, and a new study by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service shows that your body absorbs it at higher levels due to the melon's high water content. Half a wedge may boost heart-disease prevention by 30 percent.

Courtesy menshealth.com

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fire and life safety ARE YOU READY ?

Disasters can strike without warning, forcing you to go for days without basic necessities or to evacuate your home. A disaster can happen to anybody at any time regardless of race, creed or financial status. A fire, tornado or flood does not care if you are black, white, rich, poor, young or old; there are no exceptions and no citizen is exempt. How can you help us to help you? Prepare, Plan and Stay Informed.

Get a kit - Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand to make it on your own for at least three days, maybe longer. Think of your basic needs first: fresh water (1 gallon per person per day), food (non-perishable protein bars, dried fruits & canned foods) and clean air (dust or filter masks). Depending on the climate, you may include warm clothes & blankets, also, don't forget your pet's needs. You may want to consider two kits; one to stay and one to take with you in case you have to leave. Make a Plan - Plan in advance what you will do in an emergency situation. Use common sense and prepare to improvise. Develop a family communication plan; you may not be together when a disaster strikes so plan on how you will contact each other. Consider a plan where each family member calls, texts or e-mails the same friend or relative in the event of an emergency. Create a plan to shelter-in-place as well as a plan to get away; become familiar with alternate routes, get a current map and don't forget to take your emergency supply kit. Know emergency plans at school and work.

Hands or Church Group to assist if you are able. We all have a role to play in helping our communities recover from emergencies. For more information contact your local volunteer organizations; for more preparedness information on how to Prepare, Plan and Stay Informed, go to www.ready.gov.

Be Informed - About possible threats in your area. What type of potential natural (tornado, flood) and man-made (chemical spills, explosions) may impact your community. How will you be notified and receive current information about the disaster? How will you receive emergency alerts and instructions from authorities on scene? Consider WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts). Most mobile phone carriers have this service. If you don't have a mobile phone, there are NOAA Weather Radios, emergency alert broadcasts and outdoor sirens; again, know what your community has. After preparing yourself and your family for possible emergencies, take the next step and get involved in helping out during a disaster. Contact your local Red Cross, Salvation Army, Helping

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by FIRE and LIFE SAFETY EDUCATOR /PIO caroleSUMMERALL csummerall@columbusms.org

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bestservice customer

Battalion Chief mikeGIBSON and Captain kevinBROWN Photo by anthonyCOLOM

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