Hooray for Engine 8!

Engine 8 and their mates from Squad 1 rescued a climber from the cliff face at East Rock yesterday. 

Read about it in the New Haven Independent:
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/firefighters_rescue_climber/

Hooray for Engine 8!

Engine 8 was on top the cliff and responsible for rigging the ropes which the rescuers went down the cliff. 

A good reminder that the firefighters don't do just fires....

Contact Us

If you want updates on the citizens' initiative to keep Engine 8 as our neighborhood-based fire and rescue unit, you can always check out the blog (you're already here) --

See the new Facebook page New Haven in support of Engine 8

Or send email to:

SaveEngine8@gmail.com


And don't forget to drop a line to Mayor John DeStefano at mayordestefano@newhavenct.net
 He won't hear you if you never say anything.

And It's Not Actually an Ambulance...

After removing Engine 8 (fire and EMT -- Emergency Medical Technicians) from the Whitney Ave station, the City says it will station an ALS (Advanced Life Support) unit there.  The ALS unit will have city-wide coverage responsibilities.

And, just to be clear, the ALS unit is not an ambulance -- meaning, it cannot transport patients.  To do that, they would still have to call an ambulance.

So if you have a condition and you need to get to the Hospital right away, the ALS unit isn't going to get you there.

What the FD and the City have not explained yet (unfortunately for us) is the difference between a BLS (Basic Life Support) unit -- which is Engine 8 -- and the ALS.  What can the ALS do that the BLS cannot?  The BLS unit (i.e., Engine 8, with its Emergency medical Technicians) can stay at "home" in the station on Whitney Ave., and  can therefore arrive quickly on site in a medical emergency.  The ALS unit can travel all over the city responding to any calls that come in.  The BLS unit can also fight fires.  The ALS unit cannot.

The Emergency Medical Technicians on Engine 8 can revive you if you have a heart attack.  Or a near-drowning (see today's New Haven Register -- Firemen Revive Drowning Victim at Light House Point http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/07/12/news/new_haven/doc4e1b1c6d818e6664974081.txt).

Since they can't transport patients, what can the ALS paramedics do that is not covered by Engine8's EMTs? We'd be very interested to know.

Dangerous Misconceptions: But We’ll Get an Ambulance, Won’t We?

Some people have heard that, though the city is taking Engine 8 out of the Whitney Ave station, the city will put in an ambulance, and they have therefore concluded that everything will be OK.

Unfortunately, in thinking that, some people have fallen for a bit of comforting misinformation (or disinformation -- in the case of those who are repeating this and should know better).

Here's the thing: Engine 8 is a fire and rescue unit that also provides basic life support, and its home territory is right here.  That means it is not just a fire truck.  It can provide basic life support -- which means that it can give the first and most immediate response to keep you alive.  And it can do it fast because its home territory is right here.

The critical difference is this: the ALS (advanced life support unit, aka, "ambulance") that the city has said it will put at the Whitney Ave. station will not be locally based.  It will answer calls all over the city It will not have a "home" territory.  Which means it will not be "home" at the station most of the time.

Squad 1 out all day again for training

That headline says enough.

Squad 1 out all day Thursday July 7 for training. 

Meanwhile, Engine 8 was in the station and responded to numerous calls that day.

More Crew Reassigned -- Closing Possible Soon

More crew from Engine 8 have been re-assigned to other engines, making the closing possible within a couple weeks, likely by the end of the month.

Mayor DeStafano can stop this immediately, if he issues the orders.

Now is the time to contact the mayor.  Sign a postcard. Call the mayor's office.  And be prepared to walk with your vote: we need a mayor who understands the importance of safety in our neighborhood.  If not DeStefano, then somebody who will.

Engine 8: Officers Reassigned, 1st Step to Engine Closing

The 4 officers that lead each of the 4 shifts at Engine 8 got reassigned on Friday to other stations-- the first step in closing the engine.  Officer positions, as far as we understand, will now be covered by other officers "temping" in the Whitney Ave station and doing overtime from their postings.

It's the first of the month, so maybe the timing is just procedural.  But politically, it's a good time to make a move -- just before a holiday weekend in the height of moving season, when students and residents are gone.  A good time to get something done quietly.

In terms of safety, 4th of July weekend doesn't seem like a really good time to compromise the efficiency of the Engine.  It ain't for nothing that "fireworks" has the word "fire" in it. 

So no more waiting for something to happen -- now is the time. Sign a postcard,  contact the mayor and let him know you care.

And let him know you know elections are coming up in October.