At our last meeting we welcomed Jeff Miller and Chuck Witt of the Newark Fire Department to our meeting.
Opening and Invocation led by Pat Albrecht
Wellness Report – No reports
Guests: Malwina Plichta, Exchange Student; Chuck Witt & Jeff Miller - guest speakers
Thank you received from Chrissy Rollo, Newark Community Hospital and Manny & Alice Crespo, Newark Free Lunch Program
Announcements:
Malwina went to the District Conference. Enjoyed herself very much. Next years outbound students received their blazers. She will be going to RBTL STARS OF TOMORROW performing one of their pieces from the High School Musical. She will also be leaving for a Taylor Swift concert in Philadelphia!
Take flyers for the Newark Rotary Family Fest 9/9/23
Need craft vendors - see Linda Werts if you need an application or suggestion
Need help with silent auction items
Next year's District Conference will be in Ithaca
Happy Moments:
- Chrissy Kent - her daughter, Natalie is now 18
- Kevin and Lynn Mooney - returned from a wonderful cruise — Australia to Seattle stopping at many islands on the way. They were also able to reunite with a Rotary couple from Australia they had hosted 7 years ago.
Birthdays: Susie Earl, Jorge Bueso
Anniversaries: Susan Hasanauer, Adam O., Jan Hence
Queen of Hearts. Bruce Chambers did pick the Queen of Hearts - Congratulations!
Paul Harris Fellow: Scott Healy announced that Adam O is receiving his Paul Harris +7. Congratulations!
Program: Steve Hallagan introduced Chuck Witt and Jeff Miller from the Newark Volunteer Fire Department. Chuck Witt is the former Fire Chief, Jeff Miller current Newark Fire Department Chief.
In 1993 they discontinued the whistle that used to blast a number sequence that correlated to a specific location.
Currently receive over 500 calls per. The increase is due to more fire detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, traffic accidents, NYSEG gas calls, etc.
40 active volunteers, over 100 members. Costs have significantly increased. Newark Department is highly trained - they are extremely professional and dedicated. It is the largest fire department in Wayne County.
Questions:
How do you know which district a particular fire is in? When you call 911 they will determine which district.
How do you recruit? They have no issues attracting new members. Training is 20 hours, 3 years to take a state class. Usually they only take about 30% of those who apply.
Do you actually recruit? No - its word of mouth. People just go to the department and apply.
Female members? Yes - 2 active and 7 members
How do you know who is responding? They have an app that allows people to indicate if they are responding.
Are there dedicated drivers? There are specific training requirements for the specific trucks.
How do you deal with chemicals or flash fires? Constant training regarding on new materials and chemicals. Now battery fires in cars is a new issue - again constant training.
Are metal roofs a consideration? Yes - creates new challenges for the fire fighters.
Training? Yes - constant training with different situations. They also are continually evaluating different buildings and scenarios: i.e. Cannery Row, Industrial buildings, etc.
How to best support you? Get the word out regarding all they do - financial support is always appreciated.
(Thank you to Lucina Hallagan for writing this story and to Russ Harris for photos.)