Following in the footsteps of the Jackson Police Dept, the Jackson Fire Dept has also prepared a short update for the citizens of Jackson to know what is going on in the dept. We will attempt to send shorter updates on a monthly basis to keep you informed about what we do.
The Jackson Fire Dept consists of approximately 22 men and women volunteers, and still has room for a few more to join. We meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm for training, maintenance and meeting purposes. We have jobs for everyone to do, so you don't need to be the first one to run inside a burning building, but it helps if you are willing to do so (after training of course). The number of calls amount to about 120-160 a year and do not involve any medical training. Those calls are handled by the Bartlett-Jackson Ambulance Service.
The biggest news in the Dept right now is the near completion of both the addition to the station and the renovations to the existing station to bring it up to code. Tamarack Construction and other sub contractors have been doing quite a bit of work in there lately and we should be able to move into the new space soon. At some point later in the summer we will have an open house to show off how we can now put four trucks into four separate apparatus bays instead of the tight, cramped quarters from before. As many of you may know from Town Meeting, the station was not meeting the life safety codes for the State of NH and some work had to be done immediately to bring it up to speed. As soon as the cold weather has passed, we will fill the lovely new planters that are out front, to complete the look of the newly sided
station. We thank Larry Siebert of Ravenwood Curio Shoppe for his patience while the renovations are going on.
We are also anxiously awaiting delivery of the new rescue truck that will replace 22-0-2. 22-0-2 is the old ambulance body vehicle that we currently use to transport our cascade air system to refill breathable air tanks on scene. It can also transport 5 firefighters to a scene and holds much of our extra equipment that doesn't fit on the fire trucks. It a valuable piece of apparatus and responds to every single call, but the existing 1986 vehicle is unreliable and insufficient for our needs.
The Fire Dept, as well as the Police and Ambulance service continue to struggle with the fact that not everyone has posted their house numbers on the side of their houses or at the end of the driveway. This could be a life or death issue if any of these agencies are not able to locate your residence as fast as possible. Additionally, some properties with automatic alarm systems have not had their addresses updated with their alarm company. If 911 calls come to us and provide an old or incorrect addresses it will slow the response time. Please, do yourselves a favor and make certain that your house number is visible from the road.
Our call volume has been quiet lately, consisting of a large brush fire in Bartlett, a dump truck on fire near the Dana Place Inn and a dryer fire in Bartlett that we assisted with. While we wait for the woods to green-up, please watch for brush fires. They can spread quickly at this time of year and cause a great deal of damage. Please see Jon Edgerly at the Transfer station if you need a burn permit. As noted in the Police update, the moose are out, so please keep your eyes peeled while driving at any hour of the day.
On May 17th, Benjamin English, III, a member of the Jackson Fire Dept, will graduate from Lakes Region Community College with a degree in Fire Sciences. Ben has been a member of the Jackson Fire Dept since he was 18 and hopes to become a career firefighter with his degree. His father, Benjamin English, II has been a member of the Jackson Fire Dept for 32 years, so "young-Ben" has literally grown up with the JFD. We wish him luck in the future.
As always, please check the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon-monoxide detectors, and make sure they are fresh. Both detectors can, and do, save lives.
Kimberly "Schroeder" Steward
Justice of the Peace
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