~ Employment Opportunity ~
The Smithfield Fire Department is seeking qualified candidates to establish an eligibility list.
For full information, please visit the Town of Smithfield website: https://www.smithfieldri.com/employment/
Smithfield Fire Department News - Blog
News Blog Help On this page you will find all the online notices and announcements from the Smithfield Fire Department. Click in the “Categories” section in the right sidebar to narrow the scope of posts that you want to see. Posts below are listed in chronological order, regardless of category, with the newest posts at the top of the page. The 10 most recent posts of all types are listed and linked, at right, in the sidebar under “Smithfield FD News.”
A New Fire Station Benefits All of Smithfield
By Chief Robert W. Seltzer
Passage of a $4.5 million bond referendum on November 6th will enable the Town of Smithfield to build a fire station in the Route 116/Route 7 north end of town. This investment not only provides much needed service to the area, but also offers benefits for the entire town.
For the duration of time that the Greenville and Esmond/Georgiaville fire & rescue apparatus are answering alarms in the north end of town, those areas are being left without fire & rescue service.
If an incident occurs in Greenville or Esmond/Georgiaville while crews are north on Route 116, it takes 12 minutes to get back to the south end of town. The increase in response time issue now flips from the north end of town to the south end of town.
By building a new fire station in the northern part of town, the south end apparatus will not have to cover both the northern and southern ends because apparatus will already be in place to respond.
The new fire station will allow fire & rescue resources to be located throughout the entire town so that all areas of town receive appropriate response times and available resources.
- Response times in areas of Smithfield currently served by a fire station are 4 to 6 minutes. Response times in areas of Smithfield currently NOT served by a fire station are 8 to 14 minutes.
- The new fire station will bring the 8 to 14 minute response times in the north end of town down to 4 to 6 minutes.
- The new fire station will improve our insurance underwriter’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating also known as the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating. This results in savings for homeowners and business insurance rates in every part of the Town of Smithfield.
Everyone in the Town of Smithfield deserves the same level of Emergency Services regardless of where they live or where their business is located!
Online video presentation available of the new Fire Station Bond Public Presentation
The Smithfield Fire Department held their first public presentation regarding the new fire station bond on Monday, October 1st at the Smithfield Senior Center.
A video of the presentation has been posted to the Smithfield Fire Department website.
To view the video you may access it from the internet at www.smithfieldfire.com. Once on the website you will see a picture indicating the dates of the presentations. Scroll down past the picture until you reach the wording “More Information”.
Click on More Information and you will be directed to the New Fire Station Bond page. Scroll down the page until you come to the video.
Smithfield Fire Department releases PowerPoint presentation explaining the need for and funding of a new north-end fire station
The Smithfield Fire Department presented their first public presentation for the new fire station bond on Monday, October 1st. at the Smithfield Senior Center. Members of the public were presented with the research that was put together by the Fire department Study Implementation Task Force and their final recommendations concerning the need for a new fire station in the north-end of Smithfield.
Of significant importance, the following facts were emphasized.
- Response times in the north-end of Smithfield for fire & rescue apparatus to respond range from 8 to 14 minutes. With the addition of a new fire station, response times will be reduced to 4 to 6 minutes, similar to response times in the remaining parts of town that have a fire station.
- The Public Protection Classification (PPC) which is issued by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) for Smithfield is currently a PPC = 4. With the construction of a new fire station in the north-end of town, the PPC classification will become PPC=3. What does this mean? It means that homeowners and business across town will see a reduction in their property insurance rates.
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While Greenville and Esmond/Georgiaville apparatus are answering alarms in the north-end of town, those areas are no longer protected. If an incident occurs in Greenville or Esmond while trucks are well north on route 116, then it takes 12 minutes to get back to the south end of town. The response time issue now flips to the south-end of town.
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By adding the new fire station, south-end apparatus will not have to cover the north-end because apparatus will already be in place to respond.
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The new fire station allows fire & rescue resources to be located throughout town in such a way that all parts of town maintain appropriate response times and appropriate available resources.
The new fire station will fill the gap in fire & emergency medical services in the Town of Smithfield.
This investment will provide appropriate public safety infrastructure for years to come.
To see the complete Powerpoint presentation, you may click on the link below.
[CLICK ON LINK BELOW]
Smithfield Fire Department New Fire Station Bond Costs and Proposed Building Layout
[CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD]
Smithfield Fire Department New Fire Station Bond Costs and Proposed Building
Smithfield Transitions to Code Red Resident Emergency Notification System
Click the logo above to go to the registration site
The Town of Smithfield has transitioned to the Code Red Resident Emergency Notification System. Code Red replaces the Nixle emergency notification system and will allow the town to be compatible with state emergency agencies and more communities in Rhode Island.
In the event of a town-wide emergency or a localized geographical emergency, the town’s police department, fire department, emergency management agency or designated local official will be able to call, email, and text thousands of residents at once, notifying them of the emergency and also give instructions if needed. Using mapping databases Code Red can target a notification to a few residents on one street, or expand to any designated area within the town.
Messages regarding the safety, property or welfare of our residents will be disseminated using the Code Red system. These may include local AMBER alerts, locations of shelters for weather events, emergency instructions due to a large fire or chemical incident, boil water advisories, evacuation notices, etc.
Please Register Your Cell Phone
Technology plays a vital role in everyone’s day-to-day life. We know that not everyone uses a house phone today. In Rhode Island, most 9-1-1 calls are made from a cell phone. The 9-1-1 call-out database is compiled of home phone numbers, there is no 9-1-1 database for cell phones. More people use email and texting to communicate and the town wants to ensure that we can use those avenues to communicate with our residents for official information.
We encourage everyone to register with Code Red. To do so click on the Code Red logo above to go to the registration site. Users can register for emergency notifications only and can also register for general notifications as well. Residents should know that the information they provide on the link is safe. Information is not, and will not be, shared with anyone. No one has access to the account but local and state emergency officials authorized to activate warnings and alerts to the public.
Smithfield Firefighters Featured in RI Fire Chiefs’ “Rhode Island Firefighter Stories” Videos
Recently, Smithfield Firefighter/Paramedic Kelsey Brackett and Captain Michael LeBlanc were featured in the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs’ video series “Rhode Island Firefighter Stories”:
Firefighter/Paramedic Kelsey Brackett
Captain Michael LeBlanc
New RI Department Of Health EMS Protocols – 30 Minutes of CPR
Current American Heart Association Guidelines, which were released in 2015, highlight the importance of high-quality CPR. The American Heart Association’s guidelines are much like a road map assisting states as they reevaluate their EMS protocols and look for areas of improvement. In order to improve rates of survival there are many areas that must be emphasized: 1. Rapid recognition of sudden cardiac arrest and bystander CPR, 2. Prioritization of CPR and defibrillation with a reduction in hands off chest time, 3. Improved infield advanced care to include use of capnography and double sequential defibrillation. Based on “best practices” from other states and knowledge of CPR in the out-of-hospital setting Rhode Island has implemented a system in which a minimum of 30 minutes of high performance CPR will be performed where the patient is found.
The 30-minute timeframe has been shown to improve cardiac arrest victim’s outcomes by allowing out-of-hospital providers to administer high-quality CPR. Valuable lifesaving efforts are lost while trying to move patients prior to resuscitating them on the scene.
Learn more here: http://rifirechiefs.com/cpr-protocols/
Holiday Fire Safety Information
It is fun to decorate for the winter holidays, but holiday decorations can increase your risk of a home fire. As you deck the halls this season, be fire smart.
When you’re decorating with live trees, make sure you keep the tree watered. If a dry tree comes in contact with a flame, it can catch on fire in fewer than 10 seconds and spread quickly throughout your home. Take a minute to watch this video which shows the difference between a dry and watered tree, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZk4vIXCnc8
Here are a few tips to keep your holiday decorations bright and safe:
- Choose the freshest tree you can find. Check to see if the needles stay when you gently pull on a branch.
- After making a fresh cut on the trunk and placing the tree in a stand, fill the stand’s water basin. Make sure you water your tree every day. Keep electrical cords and lights away from the water.
- Choose holiday decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
- Choose holiday lights with a label from an approved testing laboratory, such as UL, and throw away any frayed or damaged light strands.
- Place your tree at least three feet from heat registers, space heaters, and fireplaces.
- If you decorate with candles, make sure they are at least three feet away from anything that can burn.
- Consider using battery-operated flameless candles, which can look, smell and feel like real candles.
Learn more about holiday fire safety on the USFA website. Follow USFA on Twitter at @usfire and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfire.
For more holiday safety information, visit USFA’s Holiday safety page.
(Content from the United States Fire Administration)
