North Charleston Fire Museum Celebrates Anniversary with 4th Annual Bike Rodeo and Safety Day

The North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center will celebrate its fourth anniversary on Saturday, April 30, 2011 with the Annual Safe Kids Bike Rodeo and Safety Day.

The Fire Museum opened its doors to the public April 28, 2007 and since that time has hosted over 110,000 visitors. As a thank you to the community, the North Charleston Fire Museum, in conjunction with Trident Area Coalition of Safe Kids, will host a full day of family fun activities to entertain while educating to prevent accidental childhood injury.

Children will receive a FREE new bike helmet and can take part in free jump castles, a climbing wall, music and water games.

Snoopy, McGruff the Crime Dog and even Charlie The RiverDog will be in attendance. Guests can visit over 30 different vendors and booths, watch vehicle extrication demonstrations by the North Charleston Fire Department, the South Carolina Highway Patrol roll over simulator and North Charleston Police Department Bike Team exhibitions.
Children can also navigate their way through the bicycle obstacle course after receiving a free bike inspection and tune up. Bring your own bike or use one of the free bikes available for check out.

Attendees can cool off in the museum and enjoy FREE admission for the entire family. The Bike Rodeo runs from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm and the Fire Museum will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm with the last admission at 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 30, 2011.

For more information contact Max Sterling at (843) 740-5550 x 221 or maxjsterling@gmail.com.

All North Charleston Fire Department personnel to receive EMT-B training

The North Charleston Fire Department has been awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the U.S. Fire Administration to train all personnel to the level of Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B).

The total grant allocation is $160,000.  Last Thursday, March 17, 2011, the North Charleston Finance Committee approved $32,000 in matching funds to be combined with $128,000 from federal funding sources.  The matching funds require a final reading at City Council on Thursday, March 24, 2011 for full approval.

Currently, the North Charleston Fire Department has 229 personnel of which most are certified to provide emergency medical response at the First Responder level, a 56 hour program that meets U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Guidelines.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant will increase the level of medical training for all personnel to EMT-B, which requires 144 hours of training.  EMT-Bs provide basic life support, typically procedures including CPR, automated external defibrillation, mechanical ventilation, placement of air way adjuncts, splinting, and suctioning.  In addition, EMT-Bs are trained to assist patients with administration of preprescribed nitroglycerin, metered-dose inhaler, and epinephrine auto injectors.

The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations. Since 2001, Assistance to Firefighters Grant has helped firefighters and other first responders to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

“This grant will allow us to significantly improve our capability in providing initial medical response in coordination with Charleston County EMS,” stated North Charleston Fire Chief Greg Bulanow.

“Having a certified EMT-basic on scene with EMS has proven nationally to be of a great benefit and is very important to the overall care of the patient. We are looking forward to working with North Charleston with this project,” stated Charleston County EMS Director Don Lundy.

Why EMT-B training is important to North Charleston

• NCFD medical responses have increased by more than 300% since 2004 and now make up more than two thirds of total call volume.
• The NCFD responds to only the most serious medical incidents by using dispatching protocols that identify the severity of the need.  In 2010, the NCFD responded to approximately 5,400 of the approximately 16,000 total medical calls in North Charleston.  This ensures that the fire crews are still available to respond to fires while providing the fastest care to those with immediate life-threatening medical needs.  
• Some of the factors that contribute to the increased call volume include: 
• The City is thriving and continuing to grow both in size and density.   
• The American population is aging as the baby boomers reach retirement age.   Seniors tend to move to urban areas and generally place more of a demand on emergency medical services.  
• The economic downturn in the US economy has caused many more people to be uninsured or underinsured.  They may wait until an emergency occurs before they confront a medical situation.