Recycled Turn-out Gear!

A year or so ago, we gave some old retired turn-out gear to a woman who said she was making it into purses and lap-top bags. I didn't pay much attention; we normally have to throw our obsolete stuff into the compactor at the Transfer Station. So today, I'm reading the Ledger-Transcript, mostly to see who wound up in the Police Log, and there is an article about Evon Cassier from Hancock, who just won $10,000 in a nationwide contest for "Project Runway", whatever that is. My curiosity was piqued, so I stopped by her house on Forest Road to see what she was up to. It turns out that Evon has been in town for 3+ years, and had  made a bag from a friend's old firefighing coat. She then took the concept and then ran with it. I have always been a big supporter of home-based occupations in Hancock, but it is particularly cool if someone can recycle our worn-out gear. Evon just made a substantial donation to the Hancock Fire Dept Association. Look her up at www.evoncassier.com

Bob Kierstead, 1938-2011

Robert(Bob)Kierstead, HFD Chief from
1973-1995

Past and Present Fire Officers gathered in front of
14 Engine 1, the last piece of apparatus purchased by Chief Kierstead.



Retired Fire Chief Robert (Bob) Kierstead died in November. As he wished, Bob was laid to rest without a lot of fanfare, but I feel I have to make note of this man's passing. Bob was a Hancock native, and did a great deal for the Town in his many years here. Like his father, he was a Selectman, and he was our Town Clerk for a good length of time. He ran the Hancock Toy Shop in that funky building at the base of Norway Hill Road for years, and was an accomplished woodworker. He and his wife, Marilyn, raised their two daughters in their home on Wilder Road. However, his biggest mark of the town was holding the position of Fire Chief for almost 22 years. He took over the department at a relatively young age, and made huge strides to bring it forward.

Bob became Chief in the early 1970's, when we were still crammed into the old station behind the Market. Somehow, they shoe-horned three trucks into that building, and still had room for meetings, not to mention a pool table. Under Bob's leadership, our current Fire Station was designed, financed, and built, and was put into service in 1980. He and a few others did comprehensive studies of the fire protection needs of the town, and came up with a plan to keep two fire engines and two tanker trucks in the station, and put those four pieces of apparatus on a regular replacement schedule, both to keep our trucks up to date, and to even out the financing of the equipment. Hancock now has over 6000 gallons of "water on wheels", quite a bit more than our surrounding towns. Because of Bob Kierstead's foresight, we can make a significant first attack on a structure fire before Mutual Aid units arrive from other departments.

Bob instituted a training schedule to keep all firefighters up to date on the latest techniques and equipment. Hancock bought it's first Rescue Truck. Before then, if you needed a ride to the hospital, you were picked up by a combination ambulance/ hearse. Dead or alive, you were getting hauled off in that rig! Hancock trained and certified it's first EMTs. Members were given pagers to alert them to a call, rather than relying on hearing the fire horn or getting a phone call. SCBAs (air packs) were purchased so firefighters could enter a burning building safely, rather than using the old "surround and drown" technique of firefighting.

Bob could still be Old School, however. I can recall several instances when we were called to a house fire; Bob would arrive first, then assign members from the first engine to go inside to find the fire. He made sure they had full gear- air packs, helmets and hoods, gloves, etc. We were always instructed to crawl into a house filled with smoke. Bob would then walk inside behind that crew, with no more protection than a bunker coat. He would stoop over to get below the smoke, but wasn't about to get down on his hands and knees, as he didn't want to mess up his khakis. He would do a quick appraisal of the situation, then back his way outside. He might hack and spit a little from the smoke, but then he would light up one of his little White Owls, and proceed to give assignments to the arriving crews.
The photo above is one of the few action shots we have of Bob. He was not a man to pose for pictures. This was taken in 1993 at the scene of a fire in Bud Wilder's garage on Forest Road. While it is a bit out of focus, I feel it captures Bob in his element.

I think every new recruit to any fire department remembers his or her first Chief. Bob was my first Chief, and while Lindy Joseph and Mike Cass did an excellent job in that position after him, Bob is how I still picture a Fire Chief to act. In his 22 years, I know he influenced a large number of Hancock firefighters, both past and present. Our Department and the Town owe Bob a great debt of gratitude.

Automobile Extrication Training

Every third Tuesday night, we have a Rescue Training session. In October, our Captains worked with David Hall to set up a realistic Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) scenario out behind the dump. Two old cars, donated by Hayes Towing of Stoddard, were "crashed" and were filled with multiple "victims." Our crews had to triage the patients, stabilize them, and remove them for transport as quickly and as safely as possible. Equipment was assembled, task assignments were made, and adequate lighting was set up.
Poor old Rescue Randy (see earlier post) was the one victim that did not survive. The other victims were extricated with varying degrees of difficulty. Some of the car doors would not open, so our Power Hawk tool (Jaws of Life) was used to remove the entire door to provide access.
All patients had cervical collars to stabilize their necks, and were placed on backboards for transport as they were extricated. Thanks to David Hall for his help, as well as all the "victims."
The following weekend, Mark Thompson and Tom Ball ran a training session with the Power Hawk to completely dismantle what was left of the vehicles. Doors came off, roofs were removed; by the time they were done, there was not a whole lot left of those cars!
All photos courtesy of David Skerry.

Nasty weather, Summer Edition

Usually we can expect some weather related problems from blizzards or deep cold spells, or Spring flooding. This Summer is starting off with a bang- literally. A big thunder-storm rolled through town on June 1st, and a large barn/ riding ring on Middle Road was struck by lightning at about 4 o'clock. The bolt of lightning struck one peak of the building and traveled 200 feet to the other end, where it started a fire. Several other corners of the barn had damage, either melting and scorching of the trim and siding, or structural damage like it had been hit by a vehicle. Because of the size of the building (20,000 + sq. ft.) a second alarm was called in. Firefighters from Mutual Aid towns helped us check every part of the structure to make sure nothing else was on fire.
We were quite busy the following week as well. Several more storms blew through, taking down trees and power lines all over town. Let's hope it calms down for the rest of the Summer.

Training with "Rescue Randy"

Last year, the BoundTree Corporation donated about $6000 worth of training equipment to our department on the occasion of the retirement of Lindy Joseph, a former Hancock firefighter, Captain, and Chief. Included in that generous gift was a 165 pound training dummy called "Rescue Randy." As part of a monthly rescue drill, Randy was given the role of an unfortunate victim of a logging accident on Reaveley Road. Our EMTs and firefighters had to find Randy, then put together a plan to safely extricate him out from under a 40 foot Hemlock tree. Obviously, we could not use a real person for such a training exercise! As you can see from these photos, Randy's extrication was successful, and he is now recovering back at the station. Thanks again to Lindy and the folks at BoundTree Corp.

Firefighter of the Year 2010

At our Annual Dinner this Spring, Mark Thompson was named Hancock Firefighter of the Year for 2010. He has been a member of the department for about 11 years, and a Captain for about six years. He now hold the rank of 14-o-1. Along with the two other Captains, Mark takes charge of most of our in-house training sessions, and he spends a good deal of time in preparation to make the most of those sessions. Mark has done a lot of work in and around the fire station, using his woodworking and welding skills on projects in the building and on our trucks. Congratulations, Mark!

Saturday Training Session

On April 16th, the State Fire Academy in Concord brought their Burn Trailer to Moose Brook Park for fire department members to train in. The trailer is basically a large fire-proof box that can be used to simulate a "room and contents" type building fire. Over the course of the morning, crews circulated in and out of the trailer to observe fire behavior, venting techniques as well as standard safety precautions. The trailer provides a controlled environ-ment to experience realistic fire and heat for newer firefighters. Thanks to the HFD Auxiliary for providing lunch afterwards!