This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/09/2018 12:00 AMWhen thinking about what might start a house fire, certain basics might come to mind—leaving lit candles, fireplace ashes, etc. Those are always a possibility but fire fighters are trying to educate residents that the list of fire starters is very long.
Recognizing National Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere”, the North Madison Volunteer Fire Company (NOMAD) held an open house on Oct. 7, a chance to share with residents fire safety tips, what the volunteer fire department does, host some demonstrations, and possibly recruit new volunteers.
The annual open house included a chance for kids and adults to practice with a fire extinguisher and witness how fast an oven fire can start. NOMAD President Paul Harris said the department holds the open house in conjunction with the designated fire safety week recognized across the state.
“Last year NOMADs responded to nearly 400 calls for assistance, many of them involving a fire-related incident,” he said. “Education is the strongest tool we have to reduce and prevent fires. Even with the best efforts, incidents still occur.”
The all-volunteer department provides a full range of fire, rescue, and EMS first-responder services to all of Madison north of The Pines. The department works with Madison Hose Company #1, as well as the Madison Police Department and Madison EMS.
The town pays for the trucks and the majority of the equipment, but the department still relies heavily on volunteers and donations. Chief Dave Cone said the department currently has roughly 50 volunteers, nearly half of whom are fully trained interior firefighters—those who run into a burning building.
At the open house, the firefighters also demonstrated how they get a person out of a car after a particularly bad accident. Using a donated car, the department showed a crowd of about 40 how firefighters break the window, pry the doors off using a tool know as the jaws of life, and even sometimes take the whole roof of the car off.
“We stabilize the car and then we remove the doors and remove the roof,” he said. “We do this maybe four or five times a year, usually up on Route 79 or on Route 80 when we get a particularly bad crash and someone is pinned in the vehicle and we can’t just open the doors and take them out.”
For more information about the North Madison Volunteer Fire Company including volunteer opportunities, visit www.nmvfc.org, call 203-245-2772, or email contact@nmvfc.org.