By Chief Ben Palm
PLEASE GET A BURN PERMIT:
Arizona has been dry for quite some time, and the heat lingered long. Multiple wildfires have started in our State and the fire danger is High. There are several things you can do to help us serve you better:
Firstly, create defensible space around your home by cutting tall grass and removing low tree limbs; thoroughly rake leaves. Secondly, obtain a burning permit for all open flame fires and brush burning. This is very important! Stop in at the Fire Administration Building. There is no fee, and it helps us to stay informed. Let’s stay Firewise.
Becoming Fire Adapted Communities:
Join us at the Wildfire Adapted Community Event, Saturday, January 13th at 11am at the Congress Fire Station. Congress firefighters and our Auxiliary are cooking up some Chili! A suggested donation is $6 for adults/$3 for children to cover the cost of food. Denny Foulk from Yavapai County Emergency Management will be presenting information relating to evacuation preparation. This is the second event for the Wildfire Adapted Communities. YFD hosted a successful pancake breakfast on November 4th. The Wildfire Adapted Community Coalition involves Congress, Wickenburg, Peeples Valley, Southern Yavapai, Williamson Valley-Bagdad and Yarnell Fire Departments. Looking forward to what we can accomplish together. A suggested donation is $6 for adults/$3 for children to cover the cost of food.
New Faces at YFD:
We are happy to have Autumn Winter and Devin Carvalho on our team! Autumn is an EMT and Devin is a Medic and Firefighter who is assisting with our Cadet Program. Both join us from out of town, and we welcome them to YFD’s Family.
Training Updates:
Congratulations to Chandler Hill, Taylor Erwin, Jesse Root and Zach Moralez on graduating from the Yarnell Fire Training Center EMT program on November 18th. Also, Josh Western is preparing to graduate from Paramedic School on December 16th. Jeff Shearer and Nick Bomar are attending Firefighter I and II classes in Bagdad through March 2018. Keep up the good work!
Employee Spotlight:
YFD is a combination Fire Department who relies heavily on dedicated volunteers. Without them it would be difficult to provide efficient service. One of those volunteers is Chuck Edwards. Chuck resides in Glen Ilah, is a true family man who is very proud of his wife, Trish, and his daughters. Among his hobbies are star-gazing, traveling and camping; he’s also a movie aficionado, with particular interest in Sci-Fi. He sings well, both for fun and in the Community Presbyterian Church choir. Chuck was in the first EMT graduating class at Yarnell Fire Training Center. He is also a certified wildland firefighter. He is a great addition to YFD, and he has added to the cohesiveness of our department. We know we can count on him. Thank you, Chuck, for being a dedicated volunteer!
Cadet Program:
This is our third year and we’re excited to have 8 students. The Cadets were visited by Air Vac 17, Wickenburg on November 4th. For information about this program Contact Captain Rice at 928-427-6578.
October Calls: 19
EMS: 14 Motor Vehicle Accidents: 1 Welfare Checks: 1 Smoke Checks: 1 Wildfire: 2