On Sunday September 14, five members of the Hamlin Fire Department and two members of FUSE (Firefighters United for Safety Education) brought a strong fire prevention message to the customers of the Farmers Market in Hamlin. Members showed people around the truck and explained how the equipment protects firefighters from the twin dangers of heat and smoke. FUSE provided “Spot” the fire dog and his mini fire truck which attracted kids by the dozens. FUSE also provided 50 bags of fire prevention materials to the children that visited.

Thanks go out to firefighter Brian Hueser, firefighter Dave Sebert, Explorers Hannah Deserto and Mike Meckfessel for spending several hours of their day creating great memories for many – many people.

Also thank you to FUSE members Charlie Hungerford and Chuck Moselle for bringing the trailer full of materials and the robot. With out their help this event would have been much less successful.

 

Hamlin Engine 242 and its crew of four spent an enjoyable six hours in the public eye on Saturday reminding the community to stay vigilant about fire prevention. The day began preparing Engine 242 and the fire prevention materials for the first stop at Top’s Friendly Market on Lake Rd. in Hamlin. This was the first partnership between the Hamlin Fire Department and Top’s but we hope this continues to blossom. The shine from the engine was quite the attention getter and brought several families over to chat and tour the engine. After a wonderful meal cooked up by the Tops employees, 242 and crew were off to their second engagement at Hamlin Beach.

The Morton Fire Department organized a “Safety Day” in area 5 at Hamlin Beach State Park and invited many organizations to join them, including the Hamlin Fire Department. The Hamlin crew joined members of the Morton and Hilton Fire Departments, the Park Police, Hamlin Volunteer Ambulance, the Border Patrol and FUSE (Firefighters United for Safety Education) giving beach goers a wide variety of experiences, materials and equipment to explore.

The Hilton Fire Department had the largest amount of equipment on location. Their Safety Trailer provides excellent opportunities to teach people about the importance of smoke detectors and EDITH Drills. Their new brushfire truck and 4-wheeler were also on display. The Border Patrol helicopter flew out from Niagara Falls for the afternoon. This was the second time in seven days that they had come out to Hamlin. This was the same helicopter and pilot that were at the Hamlin Safety Day on Sunday August 3.

The robot fire truck from FUSE was a huge hit with the multitude of children at the event. It is unbeatable at drawing attention to itself and drawing young people into conversations about safety and fire prevention. Caroline Hungerford worked tirelessly all afternoon at the controls, guiding people to the FUSE table where they could get all types of materials, information and ask questions.

The crew from 242 continued with the message of fire prevention explaining how the bunker gear and air packs protect us from the heat and smoke from fires, which led naturally to discussions about EDITH Drills, smoke and CO detectors. Younger folks enjoyed the opportunity to try on the bunker gear and air packs while parents were content to take pictures. Another popular activity was spraying water from a fire hose. This was set-up by the Hamlin crew and enjoyed by many beach goers on a warm August afternoon.

The main event was the Morton Fire Department’s extrication demonstration using the crew and tools from Rescue 218. The event was narrated by a policeman from the Brockport P.D.. and included the Hamlin Ambulance crew as well as the Park Police.

The whole event ended just as the storm clouds began to gather in the west and the crew of Hamlin Engine 242 made their way back to the fire house, filled out paper work and checked out the equipment. It was a long day, but one that brought many happy memories to many members of the Hamlin community.

I would like to thank Chief Tom Maier, Lt. Rick Wood, Firefighter Mike Stevenson and Probationary Firefighter Aaron Lewis for spending their time away from home and families to make the Hamlin FD look good.

Story and pictures by John Deserto

On Saturday June 7 Firefighters United for Fire Safety (FUSE) attended the 10th annual Hamlin Wheelfest. In addition to spreading fire prevention information they provided tours of Hamlin's engine 242 and Walkers off road six wheeler. "Spot" the fire dog (robot) made several tours of the grounds and brought many younger folks to the FUSE area. In addition to fire prevention a dental group was at Wheelfest making dental impressions of children's teeth and the Monroe County Sheriff Department was making child identification cards. The weather was warm and sunny, the crowd was large and everyone had an enjoyable day. Story by John Deserto Photo's by Tom Maier

On Saturday December 16 the Brockport, Hamlin and Walker Fire Departments teamed up with Life Solutions of Hamlin to spread holiday cheer to the Hamlin community. Jolly old St. Nicolas was escorted by two fire trucks from Hamlin and one each from Walker and Brockport as he delivered Christmas meals and trees to clients of Life Solutions. The tradition started three years ago when a Hamlin firefighter learned that Life Solutions needed some help delivering the gifts and thought that the fire department could help. It is always difficult to tell who enjoys this more, the kids when Santa jumps out of the big red truck or the firefighters who carry the gifts in. An added bonus is the opportunity to take advantage of this “teachable moment” to talk about having and maintaining smoke and CO2 detectors, electrical safety and escape plans with families on site. While the firefighters get much of the glory, they all know the real hero’s are the members of Life Solutions who work untold hours all year to help the members of the Hamlin community.

The Safety Day at the Hamlin carnival was a great success. Firefighters United for Fire Safety (FUSE) spent many enjoyable hours educating young and old alike in fire safety."Sparky" the safety dog drove around gathering people and bringing them to the FUSE tent. FUSE members distributed smoke and CO2 detectors, gave tours of the safety trailer and had children practice 911 calls. New York State Troopers brought the "convincer" that shows what happens in a crash if you do not wear your seatbelt. The Monroe County Sheriff Department fingerprinted over 150 children and provided them with photo id cards.