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Halloween Safety Tips

Top five Halloween fire safety tips

•Use a battery-operated candle or glow stick in jack-o-lanterns
•When choosing costumes, stay away from long trailing fabric
•Teach children to stay away from open flames, including jack-o-lanterns with candles in them.
•Dried flowers, cornstalks, and crepe paper catch fire easily. Keep all decorations away from open flames and other heat sources like light bulbs and heaters
•Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume.
•Remember to keep exits clear of decorations so nothing blocks escape routes. Make sure all smoke alarms are working.
Drill nights in August, 2020

As social distancing protocols remain in place, we continue to break down all our training into company-level drills, versus department-wide. Normally, this training style is incorporated heavily in our drill schedule regardless, but the members have received quite a bit of it over the last few months.
View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://southwindsorfire.org/#sigProIdbbd31464d9

Lifting/Stabilization:
While you’ve seen our Rescue Squad focus on advanced vehicle extrication and stabilization, it’s still vital for the the department as a whole to be proficient in rescue work. Several different scenarios were presented, all very possible in the real-world: victim trapped under a concrete pipe; victim trapped under a stone slab; victim trapped under a fallen tree; and a victim trapped in a vehicle under a fallen tree. With construction ramping up in the Buckland Road/Evergreen area, and the recent tropical storm bringing down hundreds of trees, these drills highlight difficult, high-risk-low-frequency events that we could run across any day.

Drafting:
In South Windsor, we are lucky to have most neighborhoods/areas well-hydranted. With that said, there are still several areas in town where using a hydrant as a water supply would not be geographically possible. Should we respond to a fire in those areas, we still need to be ready to provide fire suppression without hydrant access. One of our mutual aid partners, Broad Brook Fire Department, was kind enough to lend us their portable drafting tank. Companies practiced not only pulling water from the tank and pumping it, but also refilling the tank on the fly.

Captain’s Drill:
Every few months, the Training Division will pass along the responsibility of company-level training to the Company Officers. The house Captains and Lieutenants often know better exactly where extra training may be needed, and it’s a great opportunity for them to work together to bolster their skills. The companies covered hydraulics (water flow/pressures/pumping water to other apparatus), hose stretching and training with a new size hose line (2” hose as opposed to the standard 1 3/4” or 2 1/2”), and other new equipment familiarization.

September brings back some full-department drills, as well as a full-scale structural drill to put training/tactics to test. Stay tuned on our page for info on those drills.
Recruitment

Complete a Membership Application today! Contact Deputy Chief Scott Fine at 860-463-0500 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Bring membership application in person.

Do you have what it takes to become a member of the South Windsor Volunteer Fire Department? The SWFD is currently recruiting new members. What does it take? We are seeking new members of all ages and abilities who possess a desire to help and a passion for service, as well as a sense of pride and tradition. Founded in 1938, the South Windsor Fire Department has been an all-volunteer service for over 75 years; but we can’t do it without your help!!

Come join our team of highly dedicated and well trained members who have the newest apparatus and state of the art equipment at their disposal.

Positions include Fire Fighter, Fire Police, Fire Explorer (for youth aged 14-17), Support Staff and Fire and Life Safety. All training and equipment is included. For more information, please visit www.southwindsorfire.org.

South Windsor Volunteer Fire Department
1175 Ellington Road
South Windsor, CT 06074
Welcome!

The South Windsor Volunteer Fire Department proudly protects the lives and property of over 25,000 people living and working in a 28.5 square mile area. Our approximately 130 members, all volunteers, work out of three stations. In addition to our staff officers and line firefighters, we have a Support Unit (Company 6), a Fire & Life Safety Education & Community Outreach Support Unit, and an Explorer Post (Company 5) for members under 18 years old. The Department currently operates 5 engines, 1 aerial platform, 1 heavy rescue, a utility truck and 1 marine unit.

Please browse our site to learn more about the Department and visit us again in the near future for new and additional information. Thank you for visiting!