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Lake Worth Fire Department
safety
The month of October has historically been earmarked for Fire Prevention Education throughout the United States. Even though it is important to practice fire safety throughout the year, many fire departments use the month of October to address specific fire prevention topics with the entire community.
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In 2020, the Lake Worth Fire Department filmed fire prevention videos for their customers to view online through social media and throughout the Lake Worth Independent School District. This year, the department once again provided fire educational videos through social media and the department’s website. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety” as the theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week. This year, Fire Prevention Week was recognized from October 3rd through October 9th. Firefighters from the Lake Worth Fire Department provided direct, in-person fire education to many students in the Lake Worth Independent School District that focused on the “sounds” of fire safety. This included smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and how to respond to these sounds if they occur.
If you have questions about fire safety or need help developing your own safety plans, please feel free to contact the Lake Worth Fire Administration Office at (817) 255-7956 for assistance.
Fire Chief Mike Christenson Retires
After nearly 40 years in the fire service, Fire Chief Mike Christenson retired on June 4th, 2021. Mike served the community of Euless prior to his time here in Lake Worth. His 10-year tenure as fire chief brought along significant change to the organization. As fire chief, he played a tremendous role in the department’s achievement with the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, Texas Best Practices Program. The Lake Worth Fire Department is currently 1 of 25 departments named a “Best Practices” fire
department. Chief Christenson’s other achievements include approval of the Driver/Engineer positions, increased staffing to 6 full-time personnel per shift, numerous remodels of the fire station, and placed two brand new fire trucks in service. Division Chief, Ryan Arthur, assumed the position of Fire Chief on May 10th, 2021. Chief Arthur states, “Chief Christenson has made a significant impact on the Lake Worth Fire Department, and we thank him tremendously for his efforts in moving this department forward. We wish him and his family nothing but the absolute best as he navigates the future and his new endeavors as Director of Public Works.” Though officially retired from the fire department, Mike wished to continue serving the citizens of Lake Worth by following another opportunity. He assumed the role of Director of Public Works on May 10th, 2021. As he did with the fire department, the citizens and visitors of Lake Worth will most definitely continue to experience the tremendous service level Mike brings to the organization. Great job and congratulations!
Lake Worth Fire Department Earns Best Practices Recognition
After nearly two years of preparation, diligence, and determination, the Lake Worth Fire Department will be officially recognized as a “Best Practices” Fire Department by the Texas Fire Chiefs Association (TCFA)! The Lake Worth Fire Department will be the 25th department in the State of Texas to receive this high honor and recognition. The TFCA developed this Best Practices program as encouragement for fire departments throughout Texas to seek continual improvement in their services to the local community. There are 12 chapters which define best practices in the typical service areas provided by a fire department. Fire departments seeking to solidify their overall performance based upon measurable data should pursue this third-party designation by completing the performance requirements outlined in the program. This was a challenging yet invaluable endeavor for the Lake Worth Fire Department and its personnel. We are extremely proud of this recognition and look forward to continuing our efforts in exceeding excellence. CERT program offers a consistent, nationwide approach where the skills learned by the volunteers can be applied in almost any community. CERT volunteers are trained to do the greatest good for the most significant number of people.
The City of Lake Worth is no stranger to CERT and the many benefits the program brings to a community. Saginaw CERT recently voted unanimously to change the name of their organization to Northwest Tarrant CERT. The Northwest Tarrant CERT will expand to a more regional community response group. The Lake Worth Fire Department is pleased to announce the co-sponsorship with the new Northwest Tarrant CERT program.
The Northwest Tarrant CERT will aim to recruit members from all portions of Northwest Tarrant County to help strengthen the community resilience. The Northwest Tarrant CERT has been in action recently, helping with COVID-19 vaccine clinics, warming shelter operation for the February 2021 winter storm, helping put together the Saginaw Senior Center, and many more activities. The volunteers of Northwest Tarrant CERT are true public servants who wish to only give back to their amazing communities.
First responders will be overwhelmed within the first five minutes following a disaster. That means citizens could be on their own until help arrives. Community members must prepare and establish a culture of resilience against the hazards we face. If you wish to learn about disaster preparedness, make a difference in your community, and become a part of a valued volunteer organization, this Preparedness Corner article is for you.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteer members about disaster preparedness for potential hazards that could impact their communities. The CERT Basic Academy trains citizen volunteers on basic disaster response skills that include but are not limited to light search and rescue, fire safety, basic first aid, and team organization. The
The Northwest Tarrant CERT leading sponsoring agency will remain the Saginaw Fire Department. Northwest Tarrant CERT will seek co-sponsorships from multiple organizations to assist with recruitment.
In order to join the Northwest Tarrant CERT you must complete the CERT Basic Academy, and successfully pass a background check. If you are interested in joining the Northwest Tarrant CERT please reach out to the Lake Worth/Saginaw Emergency Management Coordinator Joseph Laster (josephlaster@saginawfire.us). Lake Worth/Saginaw Emergency Management wins TML Award
The City of Lake Worth in conjunction with the city of Saginaw has been awarded the 2021 Texas Municipal League Excellence Award in Public Safety (under 25,000 population category). The Public Safety Award was presented to both cities for their collaborative and creative efforts to create the shared position of Lake Worth Saginaw Emergency Management Coordinator (LWS EMC). The LWS EMC, Joseph Laster, was hired in September of 2020.
The function of emergency management has continued to evolve into a more prominent and specialized role in emergency services. The goal of emergency management is to protect citizens from all hazards. The most effective intervention to reduce the impact of a disaster is personal disaster preparedness. The LWS EMC focuses on providing disaster preparedness outreach to the public through classes, public service announcements, managing the Northwest Tarrant Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and putting together community events that focus on disaster preparedness.
