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The various crews each performed their tasks quickly to cut the car and remove the roof. The driver was packaged and placed on a backboard and extricated. He was transported to the hospital by Quality Medical for treatment of his injuries. County Line Road eastbound lanes were closed for about 30 minutes for the extrication and police investigation. All fire crews took up at 5:40 p.m.

                          

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The July 2010 Duty Crew Assignments are available to download in Excel format.

• Click here to download

                          

Washington, DC — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants consumers to put safety in play if fireworks are part of your Fourth of July celebrations. A new CPSC study indicates that in 2009 there were two deaths and nearly 9,000 emergency room visits for injuries resulting from fireworks related incidents. Most fireworks injuries occurred to consumers younger than 20 and resulted in the loss of a limb in many cases.

In a press event held on The National Mall, Chairman Inez Tenenbaum announced that during the 30 days surrounding last year’s Independence Day holiday, there were nearly 6,000 reports of injuries involving fireworks. Burns and lacerations to the hands, the face and the head were the most frequently reported injuries. More than half of the injuries during this time period were related to firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers.

“Consumers need to heed our warning: fireworks related incidents, especially those involving illegal fireworks, can be fatal,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Only use legal fireworks and follow CPSC’s tips to ensure your holiday remains festive and safe.”

Chairman Tenenbaum was joined on The Mall by Chief Glenn Gaines, Acting Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Daniel Baldwin, Assistant Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and Arthur Herbert, Assistant Director, Enforcement Programs and Services, for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Also joining CPSC on the Mall was Jason Henderson. Mr. Henderson lost both hands and sight in his right eye during a fireworks-related incident.

CPSC is working closely with our federal partners to enforce fireworks regulations, protect our ports, prosecute manufacturers and distributors of illegal explosives, and educate the public about the risks associated with fireworks.

“Fireworks not only create significant dangers to citizens when used improperly or illegally but also increase the demands on fire departments and firefighters,” said Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines. “This nation has lost four firefighters as a result of the use of illegal fireworks. Calls to EMS and Fire departments increased as individuals continue to be injured and burned. Almost 9,000 people were injured last year as a result of civilian use of fireworks. With these increased demands the risks to firefighters and EMS personnel needlessly increase when fireworks play gets out of control.”

The federal government is committed to stopping the manufacture and sale of illegal fireworks.

“ATF is committed to protecting the public by finding and stopping those who endanger our communities by illegally making and selling explosives devices,” said ATF Assistant Director Arthur Herbert. “If you become aware of an illegal manufacturing operation, or see someone selling devices or fireworks illegally, report it immediately to your local law enforcement or to ATF at (888) 283-2662.”

Consumers who decide to purchase legal fireworks are encouraged to take the following safety steps:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
• Avoid buying fireworks that come in brown paper packaging, as this can often be a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers.
• Adults should always supervise fireworks activities. Parents often don’t realize that there are many injuries from sparklers to children under five. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
• Never have any portion of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Move back to a safe distance immediately after lighting.
• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not fully functioned.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light one item at a time then move back quickly.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks fully complete their functioning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding to prevent a trash fire.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

                          

Fortunately, the ambulance driver was wearing his seat belt, and driving a rig equipped with a front air bag that deployed, and managed to avoid injuries to his on-board patient and crew. The cyclist crossed the double yellow center line on a sloping downhill curved section of North Hope Chapel Road in Jackson, veering into the path of the on-coming ambulance. The 22 year-old driver of the Squad’s ambulance — Shane O’Brien — who is also a volunteer firefighter with the Jackson Mills Volunteer Fire Company Station 54 and son of one of their past chiefs — is credited with preventing further injuries by his calm decision-making keeping the ambulance under control and upright, despite the fact that the force of the impact sheared off the drivers side front wheel and suspension assembly.

The driver of the ambulance and a Squad Cadet riding in the rear of the ambulance were wearing seat-belts and were uninjured. An EMT providing care to the patient in the back of the ambulance suffered a few bumps and bruises but was otherwise unhurt. Immediately after the impact, even though the ambulance’s drivers side door jammed shut, the crew exited their vehicle and began providing aid to the injured motorcyclist. The incident commander was Jackson Vol. Fire Company No.1 Station 55 Chief Michael Fatovic. Initial assistance at the scene was also provided by Jackson Station 55 Assistant Chief Tim Carson, Jackson Township Fire District 3 off-duty career firefighter/EMT Jay Zimmerman, and Jackson First Aid Squad member EMT Sharon Brown — each arriving shortly after call dispatch.

First Aid Squad 22 Captain Al Cuciero also responded to the scene. The original woman patient in the ambulance did not suffer any further injury from the crash, and was transferred to another ambulance to continue her trip to a local hospital. The front airbag did deploy on the 2007 model year ambulance. The operator of the motorcycle suffered severe injuries, and due to weather conditions preventing two med-evac helicopters from flying, was transported via ground to the trauma center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center by another Jackson First Aid Squad ambulance, with paramedics from the MON-OC Hospital Corporation on board.

The motorcycle driver was pronounced dead after arrival at the Medical Center. The Jackson Township Station 55 assisted at the scene, as well as the Jackson Police Department and Quality Medical Care Ambulance Service. The Whitesville Fire Company Station 57 was also dispatched in the event of the need for a helicopter landing zone, however that was canceled. A full news report is available at Asbury Park Press Online.

                          

Firefighters took quick action to suppress the fire however it was substantially destroyed in a matter of minutes due to the headway made prior to notification of the fire. Station 55 was assisted by the Jackson Mills Fire Company Station 54, Whitesville Fire Company Station 57, and the Freewood Acres Fire Company Station 19-5 from Howell Township. The Jackson Fire Aid Squad and Jackson Police Department also were on the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Jackson Police Department.

                          

The June 2010 Duty Crew Assignments are available to download in Excel format.

• Click here to download

                          

Just as a fierce electrical storm was making its away across the area on Friday May 14, Station 55 and Whitesville Station 57 were dispatched at 19:51 hours for a lightning strike, possible structure fire at 5C Botanical Way in the Pleasant Gardens section. The Jackson Fire Aid Squad arrived on scene and reported that there was a fire at that address. It seems the residents had been enjoying dinner at home just as the lightning strike hit a nearby tree and the structure, apparently igniting a fire in the attic of that address.

Chief 5700 Scott Rauch arrived on location, established Incident Command and reported a working fire in a single family attached structure, that the residents had exited the building, and to fill out the response assignment. Tim Carson Chief 5510 and Mike Fatovic Chief 5500 arrived on scene, with 5510 taking over Operations, and 5500 responding to other calls in the districts. Ladder 5705 and Tanker/Engine 5708 arrived, raising the aerial to the roof and placing two handlines in service, followed by the crews from Engine 5521 and 5511. Station 55 assisted by performing the truck work ventilating the roof.

Due to the quick attack by the crews from Station 57, the fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes, however there was significant charging of smoke in the attic and first floor. Damage to the attic was substantial, and salvage and overhaul operations were fairly extensive as the contents of the attic had to be carefully removed to the outside of the structure. The original fire structure had smoke and water damage, and was declared untenable by the Jackson Township Building Department. The attached dwellings to either side of the fire building had smoke but no other damage. The homeowner of 5C suffered minor burns, and one other household resident had some smoke inhalation. Both were treated at the scene by Jackson First Aid and neither required transport. The fire scene was turned over to the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Jackson Police Department.

Meanwhile, as the structure fire was underway, Chief Fatovic and the rest of Station 55 personnel and apparatus were busy responding to a dozen other calls that included fire alarms, CO detectors, a transformer fire, downed power lines, and one other reported structure fire. At the end of the storm and related activity around midnight, the crews looked forward to a quiet remainder of the night.