|
||||||||||||
Past News Archives
- 2002-2003 |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| Donation from The Link
Group Improves Incident Command - Thanks to The Link Group, an EDC company with offices on St. John, St. John Rescue has been able to accelerate its efforts to improve radio communications around the island. Through the company's generosity, our Rescue Chief, Assistant Chief, Coral Bay Assistant Chief, and others will have mobile radio systems installed in their vehicles. This will significantly improve our Incident Command capabilities, especially in areas where Rescue-1 is not a viable solution. St. John Rescue aplauds The Link Group for their kind contribution. |
||||||||||||
| Walt Trillhaase is Greatly
Mourned by All - Walt Trillhaase, long time member and past president of St. John Rescue, passed away December xx, after a long illness. His presence will be sorely missed by the community of St. John and all others he touched during his lifetime. In his honor, a black wreath was placed on Rescue 1 this month, and members showed their love by attaching black ribbons to their vehicles. Walt,
participated in and often initiated many of the projects that have made a difference
on St. John - dedicated rescue vehicles, jaws of life, AED's, certification training, and
so one. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contibutions be made to St. John Rescue
in Walt's memory. Those contributions have already begun to arrive and all are
greatly appreciated. Ste John Rescue members are convinced that Walt's legacy will outlast
us all. |
||||||||||||
| First Bank Honors St. John
Rescue with Neighborhood Grant Award St. John Rescue Inc. was one of twenty territory-wide recipients receiving First Bank 2003 Neighborhood Grant Awards, awarded on Decembere 17, at a well-attended ceremony on St. Thomas. St. John Rescue was represented at the event by members Bob and Karin Schlesinger. The award, presented by First Bank executives, is intended to assist St. John Rescue in off-setting the costs of training and preparation for emergency response in it's continuing efforts to service and benefit the St. John community. |
||||||||||||
| Plans for Coral Bay Upgrades
Underway - Improving the support capabilities for the community of Coral Bay is a long-standing goal of St. John Rescue. Our membership in the Coral Bay area continues to grow with the addition of George Cline and Mike Jordan to our roster. And, we are making great strides forward with the continued preparation of Rescue-2 for a permanent relocation the Coral Bay area for use by all. Equipment and supplies have been ordered to outfitting the vehicle. Special thanks go to STJ member Tyson Reed and his visiting friend Gavin, for helping to make this goal a quicker reality with their recent paint job. We still need to finish the air conditioning, order spare parts and build the storage bench inside the vehicle this month. And, we still need permission to park it somewhere in Coral Bay. Stay tuned for much more! |
||||||||||||
| Basic Life Support Training a
Landmark for St. John - Five members of St. John Rescue participated in the two-day mid-week Basic Life Support (BLT) Training, held by the St. Croix Training Academy on St. John. Other organizations participating included the VI National Park Service, EMS, and Fire. The resulting expertize makes a huge difference during an emergency and can only be accomplished by hard work and joint commitment by local government agencies and volunteer organizations combined. |
||||||||||||
First Ever CERT Training held on St. John - October 25-26,2003 |
||||||||||||
The Westin Hotel on St. John was
the site for the first ever CERT (Civilian Emergency Response Team) certification training
for the island. This FEMA sponsored training brought St. John Rescue team members together
with others in the community for a weekend of intense training in disaster response. A
complex disaster training scenario on Sunday afternoon provided invaluable hands-on
experience. Members of St. Croix and St. Thomas
Rescue organizations also participated, along local ARES and Red Cross volunteers.
Representatives from the Fire Department and VITEMA were also in attendance. Training was
led by the St. Croix Rescue Training Academy. See photo archives for pictures. |
||||||||||||
|
At one of our regular bi-weekly training sessions in mid-May,
some of our Officers got caught on camera by a Tradewinds reporter as they practiced
lifting and shoring techniques. Clockwise from bottom left is John Bowman, Assistant Chief and Training officer, Marty Alperen, STJ Rescue's President, Bob Malacarne, Chief, and Alfredo Alejo, Vice President. Our Rescue-1 vehicle played the role of 'victim' for the excercise.
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Brian Hendrickson of Power Hawk
Rescue Systems demonstrates a rescue tool. Looking on is Dennis Amodio of Tactical Rescue
Training Inc. As the sun broiled overhead at St. John's Susannaberg dump, several dozen
firefighters and rescue folks from across the Caribbean watched Dennis Amodio of Tactical
Rescue Training Inc. demonstrate how to get a trapped passenger out of a car. "You've
got to go to the corners. Always use your palms," he said, demonstrating how to break
open a window without getting hurt. A total of 67 people from across the Caribbean are on
St. John this weekend for St. John Rescue's first Caribbean Region Vehicle Extrication and
Building Collapse Training and Product Demonstrations.While half the group spent Saturday
afternoon learning vehicle extrication at the Susannaberg Dump, the rest studied how to
deal with collapsed buildings at St. John Rescue President Marty Alperen's house. Alperen said no St. John Rescue member has ever had to deal with a collapsed building. However, he said it could happen. In fact, two people were trapped under a Fish Bay house during 1995's Hurricane Marilyn. "The point would be to stabilize the house so you can get the person out," Alperen said. St. John Rescue now has the tools to stabilize collapsed buildings, he said. The tools demonstrated at this weekend's event wowed some of the firefighters and rescue workers from islands with very slim equipment budgets. "It only takes money," said Winston Williams, a firefighter from Guyana.In addition to Guyana, firefighters and rescue people came from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and of course, St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix.Eugene Phipps, who volunteers with St. Croix Rescue, said 15 of the organization's members came for the event. He said in earlier years, the members had to go abroad to get training. "This is something that all three islands should do on a yearly basis," he said. St. John firefighter Rafael Wesselhoft said he was glad to take advantage of the free training. "I like to know as much as I can so I can do my job the best possible," he said. T he U.S. Department of Transportation sent Sam Haiman over from Puerto Rico to watch the training. "The Department of Transportation is always looking for ways to reduce traffic fatalities," he said, as the firefighters and rescue people watched Amodio use a Power Hawk rescue tool to cut open one of the many abandoned cars at the dump. Alperen said he organized the event after Power Hawk Rescue Systems staff jumped at the chance to show off its tools to firefighters and rescue people in the Caribbean. He arrived in St. John Rescue's snazzy new vehicle, built especially for St. John conditions by Odyssey Automotive in Wharton, N.J. President Laurence Kahan said the vehicle was small because St. John's roads are small. It has four-wheel drive, a generator and high-powered lights, front and back winches to pull vehicles back on the road, and a ventilations system that runs off a solar panel. |
|
| St. John
Rescue, Inc. Receives Grant - ECHLA issues grant from St. John Fund to Mobilize St. John's
First Jaws of Life. Pictured are
Darrell Tasman of St. John Rescue and Eric Lambert, representing The Estate Chocolate Hole
Land-owners Association- - St. John, June 23, 1999 |
|
| St. John Rescue,
Inc. the island's volunteer rescue squad has recently received a $10,000 grant from the
St. John Fund., administered by the Estate Chocolate Hole Land-owners Association
(ECHLA). This is good news for St. John motorists, as the grant is the last link needed to bring new capabilities for rescuing trapped motorists on St. John. St. John Rescue recently received a "Jaws of Life." This set of hydraulic extraction tools, worth $15,000 gives the rescue squad the ability to free a trapped motorist or passenger quickly. The ECHLA grant will allow St. John Rescue to obtain auxiliary equipment to support the Jaws of Life, the rescue vehicle and medical supplies. The rescue vehicle, a 4WD 1998 Blazer, was donated by the Territory. It has been undergoing extensive mechanical and electrical repairs to make the vehicle roadworthy. Even without the vehicle fully outfitted and working , St. John Rescue has begun training with the "Jaws of Life" tools. Other recipients of ECHLA grants include Ms. Hulse's classes at JESS for computers, darkroom equipment and special trips for students to participate in "The Odyssey of the Mind" advanced education programs. The fund previously contributed to the building of St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay Fire Station, inspection lane shed, Cruz Bay Park's gazebo and the Community Room roof at Pine Peace School. The St. John Fund was created from a court settlement between Allen-Williams Corp. and ECHLA. It was a one-time funded account that was mandated by the settlement to contribute to the community of St. John's infrastructure. The Fund's current chairman is Eric Lambert. Those who have served on the committee in the past include former St. John Administrator William Lomax, Ira Fleming, Robert O'Connor Jr., and John Harvey. St. John Rescue shares its capabilities. St. John rescue is continuing to grow and train and once the rescue vehicle is operational, volunteers will be able to provide a greater level of emergency assistance to the St. John community.
|
|