CLOUDCROFT VFD & EMS

Fire Prevention Week 2011

Once again, volunteer fire and EMS departments from Cloudcroft, James Canyon Fire, Upper Cox Canyon, Sixteen Springs along with other members of the Otero County Fire Fighters Association successfully organized and coordinated an outstanding lineup of activities in honor of Fire Prevention Week!

The activities began at Cloudcroft Elementary School on Friday, September 23rd. Members of Cloudcroft Fire and EMS department along with Fire Chief Erich Wuersching provided a demonstration of firefighting equipment and tour of Cloudcroft's amazing ladder truck. Sue Dreikosen, firefighter and training coordinator for Cloudcroft FD, explained to the students how each of the tools and equipment work. Sue demonstrated how the PPE (personal protective equipment) and equipment are used by firefighters with the assistance of Cloudcroft firefighter Mike Davis, who was in his full firefighting gear. Then Chris Jensen, Fire Prevention supervisor from the Lincoln National, presented each student with a water bottle, fire prevention coloring books, pencils, and lots of other cool Smokey Bear stuff! The kids loved it!

 

 

Oh, and guess who showed up to make the day even more awesome? Smokey Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog! Smokey and Sparky made sure they visited each classroom and hugged (almost) every kid in the school! Whew, that's a lot of hugs - but Smokey and Sparky loved all of the attention. Thanks goes to Willie, Phillip and Tina for helping Smokey and Sparky get around to all of the classrooms and hug so many junior firefighters.

Smokey and Sparky helped the volunteers from 16 Springs Fire and EMS Department present prizes and awards to students who won the essay and poster contests for Fire Prevention Week, to include fire prevention bears, super-blaster water guns, and even cash money! The following students received awards for their essays and posters: Kindergarten - Isaiah Gaskill and Tim Loper; 1st Grade - Billy Pollard and Arthur West; 2nd Grade - Brant Babbitt and James Williams; 3rd Grade - Stephen Pan; 4th Grade - Felicity Braziel and Sierra Shoemaker; and 5th Grade - Jasmine Recinos and Addie Hansen. Congratulations! Will these kids become firefighters or EMTs? We certainly hope so - local fire and EMS departments need new and loyal volunteers all of the time.

 

On Saturday, September 24th, the festivities continued with a parade of emergency vehicles along Burro Avenue in Cloudcroft. Then, on to Zenith Park for more activities including demonstrations on ladder truck equipment, rappelling, fire extinguisher use, vehicle extrication rescue using the jaws-of-life, life-flight helicopter, and even an RV that simulated for us what to do during a thunderstorm or if our home catches on fire - so cool!

 

There were two giant jumping balloons and games, to go along with all of the great demos and information that was provided by volunteers from the fire departments. Child ID Find was available providing information aimed at reducing the number of lost and stolen children. And the kids also received free bicycle helmets and lots of other great safety and fire prevention gear! What a day!

The following weekend on October 1st, Otero County Fire Fighters Association and fire personnel at Holloman Air Force Base held a muster and parade in Alamogordo, in honor of Fire Prevention Week.

Thanks to Cloudcroft Fire and EMS Department, 16 Springs Fire and EMS Department, Holloman AFB Fire Department, US Forest Service/Lincoln National Forest, and all of the many fire and EMS personnel from the local departments in Otero County that helped make Fire Prevention Week informative and fun. These folks make our community a much safer place to live and we appreciate them all!

Did you realize that residents of Otero County rely very heavily on local fire and EMS volunteers to respond for home fires, forest fires, vehicle accidents, weather emergencies, and ambulance service? These volunteers are always willing, able and ready to help you in an emergency. We all need to support our local departments in any way we can. You can help your local fire and EMS department in more ways than you can even imagine. Everyone has something to offer to their fellow volunteers, and your time commitment can be minimal. Call your local department today and find out about their next meeting and the volunteer opportunities they have. It's up to each and every one of us to keep our community safe.

Contact Cloudcroft Fire & EMS Department:

CLOUDCROFT VFD & EMS

P.O. Box 317 / 1100 Hwy. 82
Cloudcroft, NM 88317
Phone: 682-3409  Fax: 682-1102
Email: ccvfd@nmex.com

http://www.cloudcroftfire.org/

 

 

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Otero County Fire Fighters Association (OCFFA) is comprised of 21 volunteer fire and EMS departments serving Otero County, New Mexico. OCFFA works closely with the U.S. Forest Service, New Mexico State Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Mescalero Tribe; the municipalities of Alamogordo, Tularosa, and Cloudcroft; and numerous other federal, state and county entities and local communities. Due to the rural nature of the communities in Otero County, the residents and visitors of our area rely heavily upon local fire and EMS departments for fire and EMS services. Volunteers are people like you, helping people like you. Join your local department today. Call Paul Quaroli, Otero County Emergency Services Director, at 575-439-2612 for more information about OCFFA.