July - August - City of Boca Raton

A publication by the staff of the City of Boca Raton Fire-Rescue Services Department
July-August 2012
BOCA FIRE RESCUE NET
http://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/fire/newsletters.shtm
Fire Chief Report
By:
Thomas R. Wood
CFO, MIFireE
Welcome Aboard to
12 New Firefighters
It was a long hard process, but we finally
hired our 12 new firefighters on
June 11 th . They are completing our
eight week orientation program. We
have a “Badge & Award Ceremony”
scheduled for Thursday, August 2nd,
2012, at 2:00PM in the 6500 Building
Auditorium. All are welcome to attend
and see the “rookies” get their badges.
Please join me in welcoming: Robert
Batista, Steven Betancourt, Anthony
Davis, Alexandra Kennedy, Brian
Glisson, John Gonzalez, Eric Hanks,
Anthony Jerina, Mark Kasprow,
Francisco Ramirez, Scott Sieben and
Joseph Vesce.
Transitions
Jason Stout was promoted to Captain
and Jeff Lazzeri was promoted to
Lieutenant on May 29, 2012. Tom
Karbowski was promoted to Captain
and Jared Vermeulen was promoted to
Firefighter/Driver on June 4, 2012.
Phil Strasser was hired as our parttime
Supply Officer on June 25, 2012.
A “Badge & Award Ceremony” was
held at 9:00AM on June 14th, at the
6500 Building Auditorium. Please congratulate
all of these employees on their
promotional achievements.
Happy Fourth of
July!
Paramedic of the Year – Firefighter
James Haag
For all the reasons for his Excellence
Award, listed in the May/June 2012
Newsletter, James Haag was chosen as
our 2012 Paramedic of the Year. The
award was given on June 14 th .
Excellence Awards – Miami Association
of Firefighters IAFF Local 587,
Hollywood Professional Fire Fighters,
Local 1375, Firefighters of Boca
Raton Local 1560
Union leadership from Miami, Hollywood
and Boca Raton were responsible
for challenging the Federal EPA diesel
motor emissions regulations based on
safety issues. The IAFF adopted Resolution
45 at their national convention in
San Diego in August 2010, upon the
action of these three union organizations.
The EPA revised the rules and
issued “EPA Grants Relief for Fire
Trucks and Ambulances; Proposes SCR
Maintenance and Short-Term Relief for
Non-road Equipment” on May 23, 2012.
Background – Boca Raton:
On November 30, 2009 a Boca Raton
Medic Unit went into “engine shut
down” and would only restart at one
minute intervals after handling a vehicle
crash on I-95. Regeneration had been
recommended and aborted several times
due to heavy call volumes. The motor
manufacturer re-programmed all the
Medic Units to go into “power derating”
instead of “engine shut down” in
April 2010. Also, by April 2010 many
Boca Raton Medic Units were out of
service for up to an hour every 4 ½ days
for regeneration. This prompted our
mechanics to “force regeneration” on a
30 days cycle, which eliminated most of
the random “parked regenerations”.
Background – Georgia:
At a Fairburn, Georgia commercial
structure fire on February 11, 2010 a
mutual aid 100’ Platform from the Union
City Fire Department went into regeneration
shortly after arrival at the
working fire. The driver was able to
abort regeneration and there was only a
brief delay in resuming the firefight.
Background – Texas:
On February 15, 2012, the Brackettville
(Texas) Volunteer Fire Department responded
to an overturned tractor trailer
crash and fire on FM 334 in Kinney
County, Texas. The driver of the 18
wheeler was able to escape, but his passenger
was trapped and calling for help.
The crash occurred 20 miles from the
Brackettville Fire Station. The first
engine to arrive was unable to control
the diesel fuel fed fire with just water.
They were counting on their new Brush
Truck with a foam system to quench the
flames. The new Brush Truck had been
delivered in September 2011 and was
equipped with the latest EPA required
DPF (diesel particulate filter) system.
The firefighters reported that the
“regeneration” dash board light was lit
and the Brush Truck would not travel
faster than 30 miles per hour, making
the 20 mile trip agonizing. Once the
Brush Truck arrived, its foam capability
was successful in extinguishing the fire,
but it was too late for the victim. The
preliminary reports indicate that the
DPF was nearing saturation, which may
have signaled the motor to power derate,
or simply lose performance due to
the restrictions in the exhaust system.
Union leadership from the three communities
clearly predicted the “worst
case scenario”, such as that in Brackettville
and took bold action. For all their
efforts they were awarded our Department
Excellence Award, which is inscribed
with the Vince Lombardi quote;
“The quality of a person's life is in direct
proportion to their commitment to
excellence, regardless of their chosen
field of endeavor.”

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Innovation Awards – EMS Captain
Shaun Fix & Captain Jeff Ross
While attending the Pediatric Advanced
Life Support class the week of June
11th, it came to my attention that the
Pediatric Medication Card developed
within our Department has become
widespread and is used throughout
other EMS agencies in Palm Beach
County. The Card is used in conjunction
with the Broselow Pediatric Tape
for measuring infants and children and
determining appropriate EMS interventions
based on their size.
EMS Captain Shaun Fix inspired Captain
Jeff Ross to initially develop the
Card back in 2004. Captain Ross has
maintained and updated the Card ever
since. They are both deserving of recognition
and appreciation for this work.
The award is an acrylic paperweight
etched with the Department logo and
the US Marine Corp motto “Improvise,
Adapt, Overcome.” The award was
given on June 14 th .
Congratulations!
Until next time…be safe.
OPERATIONS
By: Glenn Joseph
Deputy Chief
As of this month, some of Boca Raton
Fire Rescue’s finest employees have
retired. Captains Dan Grader, Paul
Ceresa, Michael Gressinger, PIO Frank
Correggio, Lieutenant Robert Owens
(again) and Cheryl Freeman as Chief
Wood’s Executive Assistant have all
ended their long and distinguished careers
with the City of Boca Raton. It
has been a distinct honor and a privilege
for me to have worked with you all.
Your contributions to this organization
and family have been significant and
model the level of professionalism and
dedication that is an inspiration to the
rest of us. I wish you all a long, healthy
and happy retirement. May all your
dreams and aspirations come true except
for one, that way you always have
something to strive for.
As with all clouds, the silver lining is
that after a long and rigorous selection
process, I believe we have hired 12 of
the best firefighters in the tri-county
area to add to the Boca Raton Fire Rescue
Services family. There are just too
many names to list here, but I would like
to extend a personal welcome to all of
our new hires, and I am encouraging
everyone to take a minute to stop by
Fire Support and introduce yourself to
the new candidates, and as the opportunity
presents, take a moment to teach
them “The Boca Way.”
As always, Be Safe, Be Competent, Be
Professional.
Let’s do the numbers:
May June
Total EMS Incidents 872 833
Average Resp. Time 5.48 5.38
Min
EMS Unit (most alarms) M2-225 M2–201
Total Fire Alarms 181 199
Average Resp. Time 6.24 6.44
Fire Co. (most alarms) TRK1-178 TRK1195
Station 5 (most alarms) 425 413
Other 255 236
Total Alarms 1,308 1,268
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES
By: Raul Travieso
Assistant Chief
This year’s ANNUAL FIRE STATION
OPEN HOUSE was a huge success with
over 800 children and parents visiting
our 8 stations. Visitors were given a
complete tour of the Department’s ultramodern
facilities plus demonstrations of
the latest in firefighting and emergency
medical vehicles and equipment. The
“Neighborhood” Fire Station Open
House event was held on May 12 th and
gave neighbors an opportunity to meet
their local Firefighters and Paramedics.
We are well into the start of this year’s
Hurricane Season with 4 named storms
to date. We want to remind everyone
that there is still time to conduct your
family’s disaster plan, your home’s
shutter drill and to complete your stock
of hurricane supplies. Remember: you
are considered essential employees and
you want to be sure your loved ones are
prepared in case you have to report to
work.
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
TERMS
TROPICAL STORM WATCH
An announcement that tropical
storm conditions (sustained winds
of 39 to 73 mph) are possible
within the specified coastal area
within 48 hours.
TROPICAL STORM WARNING
An announcement that tropical
storm conditions (sustained winds
of 39 to 73 mph) are expected
somewhere within the specified
coastal area within 36 hours.
H U R R I C A N E W A T C H
An announcement that hurricane

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
conditions (sustained winds of 74
mph or higher) are possible within
the specified coastal area. Because
hurricane preparedness activities
become difficult once winds reach
tropical storm force, the hurricane
watch is issued 48 hours in advance
of the anticipated onset of
tropical-storm-force winds.
H U R R I C A N E W A R N I N G
An announcement that hurricane
conditions (sustained winds of 74
mph or higher) are expected somewhere
within the specified coastal
area. Because hurricane preparedness
activities become difficult
once winds reach tropical storm
force, the hurricane warning is issued
36 hours in advance of the
anticipated onset of tropical-stormforce
winds.
LOGISTICS &
SUPPORT
By:
Michael A. Gergora
Assistant Fire Chief
Greetings from the Logistics and Support
Division!
We received our two new Horton Medic
Units in June and they will be sent to
Fire Station 1 and 2. The department
now has ten Hortons on the front line
serving our community. One of the
units has an Auxiliary Power Unit
(APU) that is designed to power the
truck when the motor is turned off in an
effort to reduce fuel consumption.
Training instructions will be provided to
ensure that our personnel will have a full
understanding of how the APU works
and when to use it.
Other outstanding Fire Rescue issues:
Apparatus:
New Apparatus: 2 new Medic Units
are receiving the equipment to be
placed in service.
Facilities:
Miscellaneous: Station roof and Plymovent
repairs continue.
Equipment: New 2 -1/2” hose has
been order and should be arriving any
day.
On a personal note; I would like to
thank everyone for the amazing amount
of support that my boys and I received
from the Department and the City with
the passing of my wife, Terry. We feel
so blessed to be part of this family and
we will be forever grateful.
Please let me know if you have any
suggestions for improvements to our
equipment, stations or uniforms.
Please stop in my office anytime that
you are at Fire Administration.
The internet has many informative sites
that can be searched for more helpful
information regarding hurricanes, including
NOAA, FEMA, and NWS.
The city’s website is also an excellent
resource for hurricane information.
I wish to take this opportunity to welcome
our 12 “new hires” who started
their careers and joined our family on
June 11, 2012. We are confident they
will all be successful during their 8-
week orientation to begin shift work the
first week in August.
As a final comment: I wish our most
recent retirees, Frank Correggio, Mike
Gressinger, Dan Grader, Cid Ceresa,
Bob Owens, and Cheryl Freeman a long
and healthy retirement. It’s been an
honor working with each of you for
these many years.
Work continues on the roof leaks at all
of our facilities. Please report any leaks
immediately so that we can process a
work order to Facilities Maintenance for
repairs. This is a slow process and we
have to be patient, but it is important
that we do our part in reporting problems.
We have been experiencing problems
with Johnson Controls for the electronic
locks. This is due to some
changes in the programming of the system.
Hopefully it will all be worked out
soon. The access programming for your
City I.D. cards is now done in house by
our staff. Please fill out the appropriate
form and forward your requests to Kimberly
Bunting or myself. This should
shorten the turnaround time to fix any
card access issues.
Please join me in welcoming our 12
newest firefighters to our department.
We look forward to having them on our
team.
Until Then - Stay Safe and Professional!
Congratulations!!
Melissa & Jesse Duffy: Baby
girl Dakota Rayne, May 1,
2012
Nancy & Nate Nichols: Baby
boy William Bassage, May 24,
2012
Jennifer & Lange Jacobs:
baby girl Jill Elizabeth, June
5, 2012
Lorraine & Raul Travieso:
New grandson, Brenden Paul
Carpenter, June 18, 2012

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
EMS
By:
Mike O’Neil
Division Chief
Randy Boaz ALS Competition in
Miami:
Our two Advanced Life Support Competition
teams competed and placed
third and seventh place this past June
out of seventeen teams. The scenario
was an active shooter with multiple
gunshot victims and was very similar to
the final scenario used during the 2011
Boca Raton EMS Challenge. The scoring
difference was four points between
third and first place. This competition is
an excellent tune up for our ALS teams
before the annual ClinCon competition
that BRFRS has been competing in
since 1980.
The Miami competition was named
after Randy Boaz. Randy was one of
the first paramedics with the City of
Miami Fire Rescue and was very influential
in the direction and advancement
of Emergency Medical Services in
Southern Florida. Randy was my EMT
and Paramedic instructor in 1974 when
I attended EMT and Paramedic classes.
New Equipment:
CPAP:
We are replacing our current Continuous
Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
machines this next month with disposable
CPAP that expands the use to include
Asthmatics and three different
settings for Positive end-expiratory
pressure (PEEP). This has been made
possible by a generous donation by the
Women's Club of Boca Teeca that
make a donation for equipment each
year.
Port-Mid Line-PICC line Access:
Some of the patients we encounter have
a temporary IV access route inserted by
their Doctor to receive on-going medications
without having to find a vein each
time they receive medication. We presently
have the ability for our EMS Captains
to access these routes but will be
expanding this capability to all of our
paramedics after training and equipping
all of our units with the needed supplies.
Video Laryngoscopes:
Only three of our units have this much
needed critical piece of equipment. We
have been testing a new device called
the KingVision and have been pleased
with the results. The KingVision is basically
the same type of equipment that
we now have but costs $995 vs $11,000
per unit.
All personnel will receive training on
the above three items the last week in
July and start using the equipment immediately.
Patient Outcome Program:
We have been tracking our Cardiac Arrest,
Cardiac Alert (Heart Attack), and
Stroke Alert patients for the last two
years with Boca Raton Regional Hospital
and now Delray Medical Center is
reporting patient outcomes back to us
electronically using approved security to
protect patient information under the
Quality Improvement umbrella. The
program is a work in progress and is
refined as we go along. The bottom line
question is, “how are we doing”?
We treat about ninety Cardiac Arrests
each year and deliver about thirty-six
percent of our patients to the Emergency
Room with a pulse. About ten percent
are discharged. Nationally, the discharge
rate varies from 2.5 % to about 7 %. The
majority of our Cardiac and Stroke patient
are also discharged to their home.
Why do we have a higher success rate
on Cardiac Arrests?
Early use of AEDs and CPR by
trained citizens
Rapid response times.
Aggressive treatment including
Induced Hypothermia.
The Zoll AutoPulse, which is
an automated machine that
manually performs CPR on
patients in Cardiac Arrest.
BIRTHDAYS
July 2012
Matthew Tupper 07/05
Ed Thompson 07/06
Robert Cervi 07/07
Brian J. Marlen 07/08
Jason Stout 07/08
Anthony Jerina 07/09
Ellen Beckman 07/10
Jamie Smith 07/10
Patrick Bayne 07/10
Christopher King 07/14
Christopher Owen 07/18
Robert Nelligan 07/19
Donnie Craig 07/20
Randy Bautista 07/22
Adam Elliott 07/27
Jason Sekula 07/29
Ray Lintner 07/31
Steven Wright 07/31
August 2012
Chris Innerst 08/01
Joseph Johnson 08/02
Matthew Smith 08/05
Jonathan Santana 08/07
Andres Veas 08/09
Michelle Murphy 08/10
Shane Leon 08/10
Gary Keidel 08/12
John Elliott 08/15
Shea Miller 08/16
Kevin Sullivan 08/18
Ron Hartley 08/19
Glenn Joseph 08/19
Anthony Davis 08/20
Manuel Nuno 08/20
Michael La Salle 08/23
Michael Sember 08/23
John "Jack" Culligan 08/26
Matthew Grunke 08/26
Nicholas Massimino 08/29
Richard Rafalski 08/31
September 2012
Scott Sieben 09/01
Ryan Kelly 09/04

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
COMMUNICATIONS
By:
Pat Kelly
Division Chief
Hello once again,
The job of a 911 Call Taker and Dispatcher
has long been recognized as
being a challenging position. There are
three new employees working with us
who have decided to accept this challenge.
They are Kristen Kline, Amanda
Basalyaga and Ashley Carlozzi. The
next time you are by the 911 Center,
please stop in and welcome them to the
organization. Any constructive feedback
that you can provide would also
be appreciated as they embark on what
I am certain will be a long and rewarding
career.
There are several buildings in the city
which have been identified as Target or
High Hazard occupancies, but which
are not High Rise Structures. A High
Rise Structure receives a higher level
response to an Internal Fire Alarm than
a run-of-the-mill commercial building.
This is because of the increased logistical
challenge of moving personnel and
equipment to a higher elevation to mitigate
an emergency. These additional
buildings have been selected because of
the specific process, contents, or increased
life hazards which exist within
them. All of these buildings have been
reclassified as Internal Fire Alarm –
High Hazard (abbreviated IFH). Where
these buildings would have been assigned
two fire engines in the past, they
will now receive an assignment of three
engines and the Battalion Chief.
Till next time, from everyone in the 911
Communications Center, be safe.
SPECIAL OPS
By:
Norm Engel
Division Chief
First off, I’d like to congratulate our
latest group of Retiree’s. The experience
and leadership they leave behind will be
greatly missed. But as one of my closest
friends, Frank Correggio, has said, “We
will continue to ride the wave and step
up to fill the void with their departure as
we have always done.” Have a safe and
wonderful retirement to all of you!!
We have recently concluded a week of
Radiological / Nuclear Training here at
the 6500 building conducted by the
Counter Terrorism Operations Support
personnel from the National Nuclear
Security Administration out of Nevada.
I’d like to thank our personnel that attended
any or all of the classes and
know they found the training invaluable.
The Prevention Mission, when it comes
to Rad/Nuc, is very new to us, but as
I’ve said before, we are the First Responders
and a little knowledge goes a
long way with these types of incidents.
I’m trying to get them back here for a
three day Responder Ops class in September,
schedule permitting.
As with anything else, our budget dictates
what we can and cannot do, so I’ve
been trying to capitalize on free training
being offered from FEMA and the Local
Emergency Planning Committee
(LEPC) out of Stuart, Fl. We just
hosted a sixteen hour Incident Command
for Hazardous Material Incidents
class here at 6500 that was funded by
the DOT. I also recently forwarded an
email to all the stations on two Rope
Rescue classes being offered for free
down in Miami Dade’s Training Center.
The biggest problem with these classes
is that they get announced with very
short notice and fill up quickly. I’m attempting
to get some of these classes
closer to home through these grants but
as Scotty J has told me on more than one
occasion “It’s a wobbly bridge that we
must cross”.
In case you haven’t heard we will be
adding two new vessels to our boat program.
Well, maybe not new, but revitalized
is more like it. The two Jon Boats
that have been sitting in mothballs for
many years will now be on a new double
trailer ready to be deployed at a moment’s
notice for possible urban flooding
and responses to isolated bodies of
water such as lakes or canals. The engines
have been serviced and/or repaired
and will be tested weekly to ensure their
operational readiness. A big thank you
goes out to FFD Kevin Sullivan for getting
the engines ready and creating a
power point presentation for the weekly
testing procedures required now that
they are considered front line equipment.
They will be another resource for
us to consider deploying if we have to
respond to another small plane mishap
like the one we had at the Polo Club a
few months ago. If the pilot was incapacitated
and couldn’t paddle his plane
over to the bank, how would we have
reached him in a timely manner? Just
something else to make yo u
think...hmmmmm, maybe it’s not such a
bad idea.
In closing, I hope and wish all of you a
great summer! Be safe!!
FIRE AND LIFE
SAFETY
By Matt Welhaf
Senior Fire Inspector
Hurricane Season Fuel Storage Limitations
With four named storms already, it appears
we may be in for a busy hurricane

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
season. Usually this time of the year,
The Fire and Life Safety Division, as
well as Fire Dispatch, receives numerous
inquiries regarding the storage of
fuels in residential occupancies. This
becomes a serious concern due to the
larger quantities of stored fuels needed
to run portable generators. Obviously,
the best place to store any flammable/
combustible fuel (i.e. gasoline or diesel)
would be in an outside storage shed
with at least a ten foot separation from
your residence. Also, just as obvious, a
shed is most likely not going to withstand
the high velocity winds of a hurricane.
So with that being said, here are
some suggestions for storing fuels
safely.
First, only metal and plastic containers
that are approved for the storage of petroleum
products should be used. The
requirements for containers can be
found in the Florida Fire Prevention
Code, NFPA 1, Chap. 66 or in NFPA
30, Chap. 6. The plastic containers addressed
in NFPA 1 are the high-density
polyethylene plastic “Jerry” cans that
are commonly used today. They are
quite sturdy for their intended use, and
they have been approved by most jurisdictions
for storing petroleum products.
Approved containers should have an
embossed or printed statement that they
meet the appropriate standards for the
storage of petroleum products. Make
sure to look for this before purchasing
and/or using any fuel containers.
Fuel storage limits for residential occupancies
are divided into two categories
per the Florida Fire Prevention Code
and NFPA 1. The first category is for
dwellings with three occupancies or
less, including single-family homes,
which are permitted to store an aggregate
of 25 gallons of fuel. The second
category allows the storage of 10 gallons
or less of fuel in multiple occupancy
dwellings such as condominiums,
town homes, and apartments.
If you choose to store fuel for your portable
generator or power tools, the containers
should be stored away from any
ignition sources such as all air conditioning
units, heating units and ventilation
ducts. You may also want to purchase
a flammable liquid storage cabinet
for your garage. These can be purchased
on the internet, and they come in
various sizes and shapes.
Best Wishes and
Congratulations to our
Publishing
Goddess
Cheryl
Freeman
We wish you a long
And happy retirement!!
Finally, if you’re going to store any
flammable or combustible fuel in a residential
occupancy, the Boca Raton Fire
Rescue Services Department recommends
that you limit storage to the least
amount needed.
Should you have any further questions
regarding this issue, you may contact the
Fire and Life Safety Division at (561)
982-4030.
Service Years
July
Mike O’Neil 33
Sue Sova 30
Tony Armijo 17
Jeff Ross 17
Jim Smith 17
Victoria Osborn 16
Loyd Putnam 13
Dave DePierro 7
Jim Haag 7
Nick Massimino 7
Pat Murray 7
Nate Nichols 7
Lance Parks 7
August
Randy Lowe 31
Aaron Oatley 16
Jesus Rodriguez 13
Warren Hunt 12
Bob Rubino 12
Ed Guinn 10
Tom Karbowski 10
Scott Cannarozzi 6
Irena Elmstrom 6
Rhett Martin 6
Shea Miller 6
Karl Richards 6
Dave Weyer 6
Tom Wood 6

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Frank Correggio, Public Information Officer
Rain And Slippery Roadway Factors
In Vehicle Rollover
On June 1, 2012, a vehicle traveling
north on I-95 exited onto the west bound
ramp to Yamato Road. The rain that had
been falling all morning appeared to
have made the roadway slippery. As the
2004 Ford Explorer negotiated the exit
ramp, the driver began to feel the back
end of her vehicle slide on the wet pavement.
Within seconds the SUV slid off
the exit ramp and flipped on its side.
The female driver, the only occupant,
was not injured. Florida Highway Patrol
was on scene to investigate.
Photo by Frank Correggio
Senior Fire Inspector Gary Keidel
Photo by Frank Correggio
Apartment Fire Displaces Boca Raton
Family
On May 25, 2012, at approximately 9:20
pm, Boca Raton Firefighters responded to
a report of a structure fire at 330 W.
Camino Real and noticed smoke coming
from a bedroom window. Additional
crews entered the ground floor apartment
while police officers helped to evacuate
other residents living in 17 apartments.
The fire crew located the fire and quickly
extinguished it. The family was not at
home when the fire started and there
were no reported injuries. The Red Cross
was called to assist the family. Fire officials
estimate the damage at $10,000.00.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is
under investigation by the State Fire Marshal.

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Congratulations
and Best Wishes
to our “Rookie”
Retirees!!

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BOCA FIRE RESCUE
Robert Batista
Steven Betancourt Anthony Davis Brian Glisson
John Gonzalez
Boca Raton
Fire Rescue
Services
Welcomes
Our Newest
Members
Eric Hanks
Anthony Jerina
Mark Kasprow
Alexandra Kennedy Francisco Ramirez Scott Sieben Joseph Vesce