Iowa Firefighter

The official publication
of the
Iowa Firefighters
Association
Circulated to over
Iowa firefighters each month
16,000
www.iafireassn.org
Vol. 15 - No. 2 USPS# 020-244 August 2015 Phone (515) 604-6400
No one was injured when an SUV pulling a boat burst into flames while
traveling on U.S. Highway 18 in Clear Lake on June 27. Emily Hodgin of
Hudson was driving the vehicle when she noticed smoke coming from the
hood and pulled over. The fire quickly spread throughout the vehicle to the
boat it was towing. Highway 18 westbound was closed for a short time as
Clear Lake firefighters and police responded to the scene. See additional photo
inside. Photo by Chris Barragy of the Clear Lake Mirror-Reporter.
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Iowa firefighter, August 2015
LMFD chaplain goes to school

While most people have at least a vague idea of what firemen do in the
execution of their duties and associated training, probably few realize
what is involved in being a fire department chaplain.
Pastor Doug Domokos, who has served as the Lake Mills Fire Department Chaplain since Jan. 2013, understood at least the basics involved,
but felt he needed more guidance and support to perform his role properly.
So, he took it upon himself to seek out the training when he enrolled in
a two-day training, presented by the Missouri Fire Chaplains Corps. I
took the two-day training on essentials of fire chaplaincy (basic training)
since I had not had any fire chaplain training prior to this, he said.
Some of the topics covered included: foundations of fire chaplaincy;
roles and responsibilities; general firefighter traits and fire station culture;
fire service language; Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM);
and, death notifications. This training encompassed 16-hours of course
material designed as a survey of ministry in the fire service.
Domokos said the material and topics covered were very good, and
the two days allowed him to also connect with many fire chaplains. I
now have a network of support in the future.
The Missouri Fire Chaplains Corps is one of the most active in the
country, and geographically convenient for Domokos to continue his
learning.
I plan to continue my involvement with the Missouri Fire Chaplain
Corps and have officially joined their ranks. He added that he plans to
continue attending on-site continuing education to allow him to more
effectively serve the department and the community.
Water Supply This is all you get

By Scott Meinecke
I have received several shares
on my Facebook page about a
water district that has welded the
steamer fittings on hydrants shut
to prevent local fire departments
from using them instead of the
2 connections. Most comments
are focused on how stupid this is
and that they would cut the weld
if they needed the water. It is
unfortunate that the water district
that has caused this didnt plan
by using a hydrant without the
steamer fitting in the first place.
There is also an obvious trust
factor between the water district
and the fire department. If you are
told that you cant use the steamer
fitting then dont use it!

Trying to suck water out of
a distribution system is bad on
many counts. One of the common responses I have read to this
problem is to use a soft-sleeve
for the connection. The theory
behind this is the intake hose
will collapse before you develop
a negative pressure on the water
system. This would be true if your
entire area was at the same elevation. You must understand that
pressure changes with elevation.
Being in Iowa we are fortunate
to have some limited elevation
changes in most of our communities but not all of them. Water
pressure decreases 4.33 PSI for
every 10 feet of elevation above

the hydrant you are pumping
from. Simple math will show that
if you have collapsed your intake
line you created less than 0 psi
on any part of the water system
above your location.
Water pipes fail under normal
conditions for many reasons.
Reducing the normal operating
pressure to force the pipe alone
to prevent collapse will obviously
increase the risk of collapse. If
you cause a collapse of a waterline during fire suppression activities you are in trouble. As a pump
operator you need to understand
some basics of water supply and
hydraulics. The hydrant itself is
CONGRATULATIONS
ADEL FIRE DEPT.
Thank you and congratulations to the Adel Fire Department on taking delivery of their new Rosenbauer
top mount control custom pumper built on a Rosenbauer Commander 3000 chassis!
Rob Imhoff
(Northwest IA)
712.898.4322
Jon Radebaugh
(Southwest IA)
402.630.3211
Kerry Severa
(Southeast IA)
641.740.0723
Dean Hutt
(E Central IA)
319.290.6039
check out all our trucks at: www.heimanfiretrucks.com
Dave Brenno
( Northeast IA)
319.290.6042
the connection to the water supply. It is limited by many factors.

Lets look at some of them. Your
hydrants are fed from a network
of underground pipes. The pipes
vary widely in size. Obviously
the larger the pipe the greater the
flow capacity may be. The pipes
are made of different materials
based on age and preference of
the utility. Over time the pipes
will develop encrustation that
can reduce the flow capacity. It
is usually a good practice to flush
the hydrants periodically. Some
utilities will put an additive in
the water to help prevent this as
well. The network of pipes is connected to one another with valves.
As with any valve, you can have
problems that can effect flow.
They may not be fully opened or
closed. They can malfunction or
become non-operational.
The Rural Water District in our
area would prefer we only use
the hydrant as a top feed. This
means dont connect to the pump
but use the line to connect to the
tank without boosting the pressure. The general rule for pumping from a hydrant is to never
go below 20 PSI for your intake
pressure. As we have seen, this
may not be high enough based
on your elevation in relationship
to the rest of the distribution
system. Be sure to look at this
with the assistance of your water
supply utility. Get to know them.

You should know what they are
capable of providing at different
locations. If they tell you not to
use a hydrant or a connection on
that hydrant then dont. If they tell
you what you can get for maximum flow from a hydrant under
normal conditions then that is all
you can get!
Just because you have checks
in your checkbook doesnt mean
you have money in your account!
Set up a tour of your water utility. Discuss these topics with the
operator or engineer prior to the
tour.
Training Objectives
Upon completion the firefighter
should be able to.
Identify parts of a water distribution system.
Identify the connections and
operation of a fire hydrant.
Discuss intake pressure for
pumping.
Discuss pressure loss of elevation.
Identify causes of flow loss.
Determine hazards of sucking
water from your system.
Scott Meinecke is a member
of the Sheldon Volunteer Fire
Department, an instructor at
Northwest Iowa Community College, and field staff for the Fire
Service Training Bureau. He can
be contacted by email smei@
nwicc.edu
The Clear Lake Fire Department responded to this

car fire on June 27 on Highway 18. The driver noticed
smoke coming from the hood
and pulled over. The fire
quickly engulfed the vehicle
and the boat it was pulling.
The fire remains under investigation. Photo by Chris
Barragy of the Clear Lake
Mirror-Reporter.
Upcoming
events
Email your Upcoming Event
by the 10th of the previous
month (ex. Aug. 10 for the
September issue) to jeff@
iowafirefighter.com. There is
no charge.
Aug. 8, 2015: Hopkinton
waterfight. Registration at 11
a.m.. Womens start at noon,
men to follow 2 and inch.
Questions call Eric Sheehy at
563-920-3467.
Aug. 8, 2015: Ventura Fire
Departments Annual Pork
Loin Supper, Ventura Fire Station, starting at 4 p.m. grilled
/ smoked pork loin, baked
beans, potato salad, chips and
a beverage. The famous Viking
Inn ice cream sundaes are also
available.
Aug. 8, 2015: Maxwell Firefighters Waterfights, registration 12 noon, fights start at 1
p.m., men and women 1-1/2,
fight will be on the south side
of the city park, 1-4 place trophies, any questions contact
Tom Hudson 515-664-7361.
Aug. 13-23, 2015: Iowa State
Fair, Des Moines.
Aug. 22, 2015: North Liberty
Fire Departments 7th Annual
Salute to Summer Family Fun
Event at Bobbers Grill along
beautiful Lake Coralville in
North Liberty. Activities include: food, live band, kid inflatables, laser tag, pony rides,
silent auction, merchandise
raffles including Iowa Football
memorials and an Apple Vacation raffle. 11 am-11 pm. There
will also be a poker ride starting
at the North Liberty Fire Station at 10 a.m. ending at Bobbers Grill. Contact RDubay@
north-libertyiowa.org for more
information or www.facebook.
com/NlfdSaluteToSummer.
Aug. 22, 2015: Olin Hose
Co. Annual Outdoor Shindog,
9 p.m.-1 a.m., Zakk Alan Band
at Hale Tap, 5522 Co. Rd 45,
Wyoming, IA 52362, $5 mission.
Sept. 9-13, 2015: 137th IFA
Convention, Story City.
Sept. 13, 2015: 137 th IFA
Convention Business Meeting,
9 a.m., Story City.
Oct. 16-17, 2015: Tri-State
Emergency Responder Conference (Fire and EMS tracts
available), Dubuque. www.
nicc.edu/fireems
Oct. 24, 2015: Olin Hose Co.
Annual Fall Supper and Halloween Dance, 4-7 p.m., Spaghetti Supper at Olin School,
w/garlic French bread and
salad, 5 yrs. and younger free,
6-12 yrs. $5, 13 yrs. and older
$7; 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Full Circle at
Gregs Pitstop, $5 admission.
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Iowa Firefighters Memorial Update

The 22 nd Annual Memorial
Service will be held Sunday,
June 12, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at
the Iowa Firefighters Memorial
Site in Coralville. Address for
site is: 1 Russell Slade Blvd (Exit
242 off of I-80). The Annual
Candlelight Service will be held
on Saturday night, June 11 at 9
p.m.
If you would like a DVD of the
2015 Iowa Firefighters Memorial
Service, please contact Mike
Reuman. The cost will be $15,
which includes shipping.
We also have Memorial Tshirts, sweatshirts, firefighter
angel pins, patches, koozies and
coasters.
The next cut-off date for en-
graving names on the walls will

be May 10, 2016.
Be sure to fill out the proper
form as you see in the Iowa
Firefighter newsletter or call
Mike Reuman. We need these
completed forms to help us contact the families of the departed
when it comes close to the time
of the annual service.
The criteria for adding a name
on the walls (outside of the
line of duty) is the deceased
firefighter must have served a
minimum of 10 years on an Iowa
fire department or died while an
active member of an Iowa fire
department.
The cost to have a name engraved on the wall is $100 and
Departed Firefighters
Here is a list of departed firefighters since the last newsletter. If you know of a fellow firefighter who passed away,
and their name is not listed in this newsletter, contact the
executive directors office and she will add their name to the
list in the next newsletter.
Lyle Moser - Guttenberg

Ed Larson, Jr. - Corning
Clifford Bradley - Corning
For your
NewsPAPer label
Please send all corrections to:

Iowa Firefighters Association
Wendy Lensing, Executive Director
P.O. Box 67
Humboldt, IA 50548
bus. 515-332-1503 cell 319-640-5772
NOTE: Please include the label with the incorrect address found on the front page of this
newspaper.

Thank You!
must be paid by the family or

fire department. Send completed
forms to Mike Reuman, Chairman of the Iowa Firefighters
Memorial.
Contributions, forms and merchandise orders need to be sent to
Mike Reuman, Chairman, Iowa
Firefighters Memorial Committee, PO Box 7, Traer, IA 50675,
daytime phone: 319-478-8660,
cell phone: 319-883-9208, or
email: mreuman@traer.net.
Contributions to the Memorial since the last newsletter
includes:
Gary Stratton - Branson West,
MO (In memory of Mark Farren,
Colo Fire Department)

I.F.A.
Prayer
List
Please keep
the following
in your thoughts
& prayers...
ALL MILITARY
PERSONNEL
PATTY WILSON
Storm Lake
If you notify us of a
name to be added to
the prayer list, please
also notify when that
persons name can
be removed from the
prayer list.
New Firefighters Memorial Print

Prints are $40 each and can be purchased from any IFA
board member; Wendy Lensing, the Executive Director of the
IFA; Mike Reuman, Memorial Chairman; at any fire school;
during the Iowa Firefighters Memorial service; IFA Convention or Mid Year Meeting. All proceeds from the sale of these
prints goes directly to the Iowa Firefighters Memorial.
IOWA FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL WALL
The family of________________________________________________________

Publication of Blaze Publications Inc.
Jeff Gargano.......................................................................... Publisher/Editor
Jen Jensen.............................................Advertising Design Manager/Layout
Brenda Zimple.............................................................................. Type Setter
Published monthly by Iowa Firefighter at 512 Sumner Avenue, Humboldt,
Iowa 50548. Periodical Postage paid at Humboldt, Iowa. ISSN# 1538-7321
and additional mailing offices.
For ADDRESS CHANGES

CONTACT:
Wendy Lensing at
515-332-1503
wlensing@iafireassn.org
NEWS & ADVERTISING DEADLINE: 10TH DAY OF EACH MONTH
E-Mail us at: jeff@iowafirefighter.com
Telephone (515) 604-6400 FAX (515) 332-1505
P.O. Box 122, Humboldt, IA 50548
Advertising Rate Card available upon request.
We welcome your views, opinions, news tips and questions.
Letters to the editor must be accompanied by a name and daytime telephone number, and may be edited for space.
Postmaster: send address changes to

Iowa Firefighter, PO Box 67, Humboldt, IA 50548
(PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT CLEARLY)
would like to have their family members name inscribed on the Iowa Firefighters Memorial Wall. He/She was a member of the _____________________________ Iowa Fire
Department serving from ______________ to _____________ (minimum 10 years), or
died while an active member of this department. The family or fire department agrees
to pay the cost of having this name put on the Memorial Wall. Also, a short biography
of this person is requested so that it may be at the Memorial site.

Signed:_________________________________________, Fire Chief
Family members name/address/hone no. for contacting about memorial service:

Name:_______________________________ Relationship to deceased:_____________________
Address:__________________________________________________
City/State/Zip____________________________________________________________________
Phone No. ( )_______________________________________________________________
Fire Department contact person for contacting about memorial service:
Name:______________________________________________ Title:________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip____________________________________________________________________
Phone No. ( )_______________________________________________________________
The completed form, biography, and check for $100.00 should be sent to:
Iowa Firefighters Memorial Committee, P.O. Box 7, Traer, IA 50675
Firefighter Memorial
Megan Meyer of North Liberty took these photos at the Iowa Firefighter Memorial Service
on June 13. Megans brother, Andy Zalme, 42, passed away on April 16 from a heart attack
while at the scene of a car fire outside Dakota City, NE. Andy was Megans only sibling. He
left behind a wife and three young sons. Im five hours away from my hometown and my
brothers fire department. I wanted to do something to give back to the fire service since
the brotherhood gave so much to my brother and his family both before and after his death.
Obviously, helping his fire department would be hard to do from here, but this is something
I could do to help out and know that I was helping another family walking in the same shoes
as my family and I are, Meyer said. Photos courtesy of Photography by Meyer.
Fire ignites sign, roof at

Cedar Falls Dairy Queen
Firefighters doused a secondary roof that caught fire at a Cedar Falls
ice cream parlor Monday.
Fire officials found a birds nest ignited inside the electric Open
sign that was perched on the roof over the entryway to Dairy Queen,
623 E. 18th St. The fire in the sign had sparked the roofs wooden
shingles.
A passerby spotted smoke coming from the roof around noon and
told store workers, who used a fire extinguisher to control the flames
until firefighters arrived.
Damage was minor, and fire crews removed the damaged electric
sign from the roof.
(Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Waterloo, June 23, 2015; written
by Jeff Reinitz, staff writer.)
Fairfax Fire Department held

a picnic fundraiser at the Fairfax
Fire Station on June 27. Photo by
Richard C. Harman.
Officer
Directory
President
Brad Yeager
445 W. J St.
Forest City, IA 50436
Home: 641-585-5486
Cell: 641-590-4668
Work: 641-585-6775
Email: byeager@iafireassn.org
1st Vice-President
Mark McNees
404 E. 21st St.
Atlantic, IA 50022
Cell: 712-249-1070
Email: mmcnees@iafireassn.org
2nd Vice-President
Bill Halleran
505 E. Spring St.
Sigourney, IA 52591
Home: 641-660-6030
Email: bhalleran@iafireassn.org
3rd Vice-President
Marv Trimble
P.O. Box 74
Garrison, IA 52229
Home: 319-477-5031
Cell: 319-560-9014
Email: mtrimble@iafireassn.org
4th Vice-President
Jim Louie Shutts
1520 4th Ave.
Belle Plaine, IA 52208
Cell: 319-350-3182
Home: 319-444-3372
Email: jshutts@iafireassn.org
5th Vice-President
Gene A. Evans
1226 Walnut St.
Osage, IA 50461
Cell: 319-240-9014
Email: gevans@iafireassn.org
Past - President
Al Esch
629 Baja Dr.
Epworth 52045
Home: 563-876-3233
Work: 563-875-2858
Cell: 563-564-8272
Email: aesch@iafireassn.org
Executive Director
WENDY LENSING
PO Box 67
Humboldt 50548
Office Ph. 515-332-1503
Cell: 319-640-5772
Email: wlensing@iafireassn.org
Fax: 515-332-1503
REPORTS from YOUR I.F.A officers

I can honestly say that my time
on the Iowa Firefighters Association board has flown by. When I
think back through the years and
consider everything this board has
done its no wonder that the time
has gotten away from me. I suppose its my nature to focus too
narrowly on the issue at hand and
lose track of the bigger picture.
All too often Ive made a problem
were facing today become the
end all be all of my time on the
board. I have to remind myself
that this isnt a battle Im facing
alone and is why its important to
have a diverse board and strong
member support that can help
untangle the mess we sometimes
find ourselves in.
Its humbling to see the amount
of time and effort some of our
members put in to understand the
issues. We dealt with some pretty
big topics at the Capitol this year
and without the input from many
of you and other emergency services groups, I know I would have
struggled to understand the full
scope of the troubles we faced.
This was especially evident dur-
Brad Yeager, President

Not only does this bill take
funds we rightfully believed
should be spent locally, but
the money would be used
for a statewide system many
of us may never use.
ing the debate on the 911 funding

bill. The Governor requested taking a portion of the 911 surcharge
dollars and redistribute them to
the new statewide radio system.
This bill came out of nowhere at
the beginning of the session and
we were unpleasantly surprised
by the Governors request.
Making a long story short we
leaned heavily on our friends in
Emergency Management and
Law Enforcement to learn about
the full effects of this legislation.
From the beginning we knew
Mark McNees,
1st Vice President
... the governor line item
vetoed the increase to the
local PSAPs set to increase
to 58 percent. Obviously this
cost each county and PSAP
potential new funding. It would
have meant a projected increase
of nearly $30,000 yearly, in my
county of Cass alone.
Greetings firefighters,
This will be my last article as
a vice president. I find that hard
to believe in many ways but time
does not stand still. I was fortunate
to be able to backpack Europe
with my son this summer and as a
result I was not able to attend the
memorial service. I understand it
was moving as always and well
attended. I thank the committee
for all of their hard work and
dedication. I also left just as the
legislature finally wound down
the session.
Ill try to be brief regarding
the session and say that overall it
was positive for the fire service
considering all of the issues and
fiscal wrangling that took place.
As I reported at the mid- year, I
attended several meetings, had
numerous discussions with various parties, and expressed our
concern to legislators and administrators regarding HF 561 and
the creation of a statewide radio
network and a potential increase
in the funding percentage to local
PSAPs. It would take an entire
separate article to discuss all that
happened and the ramifications.
That article will probably appear
before the next session as the issue
is revisited.
In a nutshell, the governor line
item vetoed the increase to the
local PSAPs set to increase to
58 percent. Obviously this cost
each county and PSAP potential
new funding. It would have meant
a projected increase of nearly

$30,000 yearly, in my county of
Cass alone. I believe this will be
revisited as a study is due to be
completed regarding PSAP funding needs, and with that information I believe we, along with the
other vested interests, will be
able to lobby more effectively for
additional funds when we have
some more concrete numbers.
We also made legislators keenly
aware we were not in favor of
taking surplus funds from 911 for
a state system as we believe it is
strictly for locals. We had support
for that, but the two sides could
not agree on taking funds from
the state infrastructure fund and
it ultimately will come from 911
funds. One very positive note in
the bill is that it includes language
freeing up PSAPs to use funds for
more uses. So we have more work
to do on this issue.
The fire service budget survived
and a $100,000 appropriation for
mobile training units was approved, and for the moment we
prevailed on the issue of legalizing consumer fireworks. This is
contentious, even within the fire
service, and will undoubtedly resurface. Our number one concern
is for the safety of the public and
the increase in calls for the fire
service. We all heard statements
that injuries would go down with
legalization and education. I still
respectfully reject that argument
and wonder if the same was said
this bill was trouble for all of us.

Not only does this bill take funds
we rightfully believed should
be spent locally, but the money
would be used for a statewide system many of us may never use. So,
we beat the bushes and worked
with several legislators to mitigate
some of the damage this bill could
cause. By the end of the session
all of the organizations I dealt
with felt we had a bill we could
live with. Certainly not ideal, but
much better than the Governors
original language. A funny thing
in states where legalization has
occurred? Admittedly I have
paid more attention this year, but
I have seen these stories. two
NFL players blow fingers off, a
man dies instantly in Maine after
trying to launch a firework off
his head, a mother in Nebraska
taking fireworks to her face
causing severe injuries, as she
tried to protect her child from a
large box of consumer fireworks
that tipped over, also injuring
several others, and an Atlantic
native who is fighting for his life
after being beaten in Omaha for
having the nerve to go ask his
neighbors to quit firing off fireworks at 2 am. VP Marv Trimble
has asked many legislators if these
types of injuries and incidents are
really worth whatever increased
revenue the state would see from
firework tax receipts ? I ask the
same question.
I am currently working on filling
positions on committees and thank
those who have agreed to serve.
Without participation from our
members this association would
not function as well as it does. I
AFG Grants
happened on the way to the bill

signing though, the Governor
line item vetoed the language
we spent months haggling over
with legislators. We had hoped
to increase the percentage going
back to the local 911 call centers
from 46 percent to 58 percent but
the Governor didnt feel that was
necessary.
As frustrating as this is, all is
not lost. Well have some ammunition next year when a legislative
study of all the 911 call centers is
completed. This study will give us
all a better understanding of the
exact state our dispatch centers are
in and will give us solid ground to
make our pitch to the legislature
when the session starts next year.
It is disappointing though to have
to go back to the same issues again
next year.
Time will tell what I remember
from my experience on the board.
I hope its the successes and the
challenges we faced reaching our
goals.
Brad Yeager,
President
truly appreciate those who step
forward and agree to help out
for the betterment of Iowas fire
service.
Convention will be here soon
and I know Story City is working hard and will be ready for us
to enjoy our time in their city. I
encourage you to attend and participate. I also will alert you to the
fact that the IFA registration booth
for drills and credentials will most
likely have some set hours posted
prior to convention and at the
booth. We will make it as convenient as possible, but there may
be a time when you may need to
return to register for credentials or
drills depending upon your arrival
times.
Stop by the Hall of Flame at the
State Fair and thank those working the booth, and please consider
doing so in the future if you have
not done so. It really is a good time
interacting with the kids young
and old. In the meantime, stay cool
and train like your life depends
upon it.because it does.
Mark McNees,
1st Vice President
AFG grants awarded under Assistance to Firefighter Grants

Program since last issue:
Chickasaw Township Fire District, Ionia - Equipment $25,000
City of Fort Dodge Fire Department Modify Facilities $25,000
New Sharon Fire Rescue Equipment $38,108/Personal Protective Equipment $128,805
Delaware Township Fire Department, Des Moines Personal
Protective Equipment $29,900/Wellness and Fitness Programs
$12,320
Grandview Fire Department Personal Protective Equipment
$40,140
Coon Rapids Fire Department Personal Protective Equipment
$70,980
Milton Fire Department Personal Protective Equipment
$30,250
SAFER Grants awarded since last issue:
Waterloo Fire Rescue - Hiring $497,832
REPORTS from YOUR I.F.A officers

Every year as we celebrate the
birth of our great nation, I think
about what this great country and
the communities that comprise
our nation mean to me. Is the 4th
of July just a day off of work, a
parade, and some fireworks, or
should there be a deeper meaning
attached to celebration?
Our town holds a large celebration with a parade taking center
stage on the 4th. Each year our
department participates in the
parade as a reminder to the public
that we care about our community.
In recent years we have been continually adding displays to parade.
This year in addition to showing
off our trucks, the rest of the department walked in dress uniform
behind the colors presented by
the officers, and several firefighters pulling an old hose cart. We
also had a few firefighters in full
bunker gear, including SCBAs.
Retired firefighters rode on our
1937 International to honor those
that served before us. We feel this
pays tribute to our love of our
Country, tradition, and the fire
service, along with our mission
to keep up with technology and
provide the fastest, safest response
to help those in need.
The fire department is really no
different than any other parade
To
participant who promotes their

business or services in a parade.
We offer a service, someone
calls 911 and we respond to save
lives, and property. Our services
are different in the fact that they
are not really negotiable to those
that need us. There is no choice
who will respond, there is no
price shopping, no customer referrals for great service, and we
simply show up in the time of
need. When we show up, we are
expected to solve their problem,
quickly, efficiently and with a
caring heart and hand.
So, you know me by now lets
think of these analogies for some
perspective:
You deposit a check in the
bank; you expect that money to
be in your account and available
to be used right away
You call a customer service
number and you hear that your
call is important to us, you expect
an answer to your problem in a
fast and courteous manner, not be
on hold for 15 minutes
You used to check work emails
at work, now many times we (or
we expect others) to check work
emails 24/7 - while at home, in the
store, at your kids ball games
You used to make a whole
pot of coffee, or have to go to the
Wendy Lensing,
Executive Director
those that are helping out

this year, THANK YOU!!! For
those that havent helped but may
see the booth this year I hope
that you enjoy it and will think
about helping in the future.
I hope you are all having a good
summer so far. It seems like Mid
Year was only yesterday and now
we are only a little over a month
away from Convention. If you
are looking for one more thing

to squeeze in before summer is
gone, try to make it to the Iowa
State Fair and check out the Hall
of Flame! To those that are helping
Volunteers Needed for Hall of Flame
We are looking for volunteers to work the booth.

If you would like to help at the booth this year during the
Iowa State Fair, August 13th 23rd please contact:
Wendy Lensing: 515-332-1503 wlensing@iafireassn.org
You may also contact any of the IFA board members.
The days are set up in 4 hour shifts so you can enjoy the
rest of your day at the fair. All workers will receive a
Hall of Flame t-shirt to wear and admission to the fair.
Wanted!
Action Fire Photos

Please send them to
jeff@iowafirefighter.com
along with information to explain the photo.
store if you only wanted one

cup, now we get single cups
of coffee at home, instant
satisfaction
You decide to go out to a
restaurant and your choices
can be limitless. If the service, food and price are good,
you will return to one you
have visited previously, if it
is bad you may not give it
another shot
You get a choice as to what
auto dealership you purchase
from. If youre not satisfied
with the deal offered, you can
walk out without keys to a new
ride
You decide where to shop
for clothes and groceries. Most
people will shop where the prices
are fair and affordable and service
is good
Why should the Fire/EMS field
not be any different? Someone
calls 911, we get paged, we respond and the customer gets
what they need in a timely and
professional manner. We train for
these situations, a fire department
shouldnt have to be paged three
times for a response, we need to be
proud of the services we offer and
respond in a safe, timely manner.
Daytime coverage is a problem
in many areas of the state, which
can slow response time, but look

into an auto-aid agreement with a
neighboring town, set up a MABAS or TEAM Card system. Just
as in any business, dont be afraid
to think outside of the box. Think
about what can I do to make my
business run more efficiently and
serve my customer better?
After the 4th of July we soon
find it Iowa State Fair time. We
still need volunteers to work
at the Hall of Flame during the
State Fair. This is a very fun and
rewarding time for the volunteers
and all the kids who come through
to visit. You should see their eyes
light up looking at the fire truck,
talking with Sparky, learning how
to call 911 and how to stop, drop
and roll. It is easy to see the dif-
ference, which may truly be life

or death, you can make it happen
for families. Please contact our
IFA Executive Director, Wendy
Lensing to set up a time to give
back and work the booth.
After the State Fair it is time
to look towards Fire Convention.
I know this is an event I look
forward to each year. This years
festivities are in Story City, make
it a point to ask someone new to
join the fun, they wont be disappointed. We are stronger together
and I cant wait to see what we
can do.
As always, Let no mans ghost
return to say his training let him
down.
Bill Halleran,
2nd Vice President
out this year, THANK YOU!!! For

those that havent helped but may
see the booth this year I hope that
you enjoy it and will think about
helping in the future. Those that
have volunteered in the past have
enjoyed it almost as much as the
kids! We cant do it without all
of the volunteers that help us out
each year, not only in the booth but
setting up and tearing down. Your
help is greatly appreciated!! We
couldnt keep the Hall of Flame
going either without the generous
donations that we receive from
members and departments. Thank
you very much to those that support the Hall of Flame in whatever
way they are able.
I also want to extend an advanced thank you to those that
help each year at convention as
drill officials. This is another one
of those duties that without our
members that volunteer to help
each year we couldnt have the

drills. At the time that Im writing this Im still looking for a few
more volunteers for this year as
well, so if you might be able to
help this year please let me know
as soon as possible.
The departments should be
receiving the Convention mailing
very soon. This has registration
forms for convention, a credentials form, information on 5th Vice
President candidates and meeting
agenda as well as the information on this years Fire Prevention Poster Contest. As printed
elsewhere in this issue, if your
department is unable to attend the
convention meeting and wishes to
vote absentee on any of the known
issues you must request an absentee ballot from the IFA office and
have it filled out and postmarked
by Aug. 30th, 2015 in order for the
votes to count.
Please contact your local

schools art department and encourage them to participate in the
Fire Prevention Poster Contest.
This is for grades 3 rd5 th. We
would like for you to work with the
schools to encourage them to participate, help judge posters and get
the winning one from each grade
sent in for the contest. Maybe you
could display all the posters at your
station during fire prevention week
open houses. The poster contest
winners receive cash prizes, their
posters are displayed at the Hall
of Flame and they are invited to a
luncheon for the winners at a fire
station. The sponsoring fire department also receives $50 towards
their fire prevention program.
Keep checking the IFA website
for updates. There are lots of activities going on around the state.
Wendy Lensing,
Executive Director
Bill Halleran,
2nd Vice President
Our town holds a large

celebration with a parade
taking center stage on the 4th.
Each year our department
participates in the parade as a
reminder to the public that we
care about our community.
Todd Edeker, LODD Chaplain

Yep, if a person rejects my
offers of comfort, friendship,

companionship, or just plain old
fashion help, I do not dwell on the
rejection, but focus on pressing
on to find those who need, readily
accept, and appreciate my offer.
Mark 6.11 is one of the verses

I quote often when preaching.
and utilize the other six days
of my working stiffs life. I
remind myself of this powerful
quote in frustrating situations.The
Gospel writer Mark quotes Jesus:
If any place will not welcome you
and they refuse to hear you, as you
leave, shake off the dust that is on
your feet as a testimony against
them. To me this is saying, If
you reject my offers of help, assistance, or maybe offering to fill

a volunteer type position well,
golly gee Ill just press on.
I can confidently say it works!
Yep, if a person rejects my offers
of comfort, friendship, companionship, or just plain old fashion
help, I do not dwell on the rejection, but focus on pressing on to
find those who need, readily accept, and appreciate my offer(s).
To back this up, Mark verse 12

notes: So they went out and
proclaimed that all should repent.
They cast out many demons, and
anointed with oil many who were
sick and cured them. Thus the
author clearly proclaims the value
of dusting off your feet in the
presence of rejection, ready to be
there for those who need you, and
accept you. We all have set backs
in life. I have, and they hurt. In
the words of my mother (Thanks
Mom), I try to stop feeling sorry
for myself, knock the dust off my
feet/shrug my shoulders/ and
I remember the words of Mark 6
and focus on finding those who
are ready to accept me for I am
me.
Mark 6:11. Read it. Believe it.
Your Department, fellow responders, and community believe in
you!
Todd Edeker,
LODD Chaplain
Fire Service Training Bureau Update

By Randy Novak,
Bureau Chief
Highway Safety for

Emergency Responders
Training Courses
The Fire Service Training

Bureau is pleased to announce
the availability of the following
highway safety for emergency
responders courses:
FHWA National Traffic Incident Management (TIM)
Responder Training Program:
Three injury crashes occur every minute in the United States,
putting nearly 39,000 incident
responders potentially in harms
way every day. Congestion from
these incidents can generate
secondary crashes, increasing
traveler delay and frustration. The
longer responders remain at the
scene, the greater the risk they,
and the traveling public face. This
new national training program is
building a cadre of well-trained
responders who can work together
as a team in a coordinated manner,
from the moment the first emer-
gency call is made, to the correct

deployment of response vehicles
and equipment, to a safe work
area using traffic control devices,
to final scene clearance. This
four-hour course, taught cooperatively with the Iowa State Patrol,
includes the following modules:
Introduction
TIM Fundamentals and Terminology
Notification and Scene SizeUp
Safe Vehicle Positioning
Scene Safety
Command Responsibilities
Traffic Management
Special Circumstances
Clearance and Termination
Activities Table Top Exercises and Outdoor Situational
Awareness Activity (optional
two-hours)
VFIS Highway Safety for
Emergency Responders: Emergency Service Organizations
(ESO) respond to a wide variety
of incidents involving operations
on, or near a highway. These
operations pose special risks to
personnel performing fire, rescue

and EMS functions. Every year a
significant number of emergency
service personnel are killed or
injured while operating on our
highways. There may be a wide
variety of reasons for these losses,
but the point still remains, there
are ways to minimize the risks. In
many instances, an ESO responds
to a primary incident on a highway, only to become the victim
of a secondary incident the
nightmare in which a firefighter,
EMS provider or police officer is
suddenly struck and killed by traffic. In the words of James Joyce,
Commissioner of the Chicago
Fire Department, Firefighters
responding to calls need to operate as if someone is trying to run
them over. This six-hour course
includes the following modules:
Extent of the Problem
Planning, Multi-Agency Communications and Coordination
SOPs/SOGs
Legal and Regulatory Implications
On-Scene Operations The
Randy Novak,
Bureau Chief
Three injury crashes occur
every minute in the United States,
putting nearly 39,000 incident
responders potentially in harms
way every day. Congestion from
these incidents can generate
secondary crashes, increasing
traveler delay and frustration.
First 60 Minutes
Apparatus Design and Equipment
Scenarios and Best Practices
Highway Safety in Review
Both of these courses meet the
intent of the US Department of
Transportations Federal Highway
Administration requirements for
response to highway incidents.
For additional information, or to
schedule a course offering at your
location, contact the Bureau at
888-469-2374.
FSTB Receives an AFG
The Fire Service Training
Bureau recently received notification that it will receive an
Assistance to Firefighters Grant

in the amount of $191,305 (with
a match requirement of $28,695).
This grant will go towards the
purchase of a 4-story mobile drill
tower. This mobile drill tower will
be used for the following training activities: ladder skills, hose
handling, standpipe and sprinkler
operations, rope rescue skills, etc.
This new mobile drill tower will
extend the training capabilities of
the Bureau, adding to a growing
fleet of mobile training units.
The Bureau applied for funds
set aside for state fire training systems only. The Bureau competed
for this grant funding against other
state fire training systems.
Assistance to Firefighters
Grant Program
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in cooperation
with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency and the
U.S. Fire Administration, recently announced additional grant
awards for the 2014 Assistance to
Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. The Bureau would like to
congratulate the seven Iowa fire
departments and organizations
receiving grant funding in these
additional rounds.
The following fire departments
received a grant in the Fire Operations and Safety category: the
Carroll Volunteer Fire Department ($40,477), the Coon Rapids
Fire Department ($67,600), the
Delaware Township Fire Department ($40,210), the Grandview Fire Department ($39,181),
and the Milton Fire Department
($28,810).
The following fire department received a grant in the
Regional Request category: the
Amana Benefited Fire District
($115,000).
The following organization
received a grant in the State Fire
Training System category: the
Fire Service Training Bureau
($191,305).
To date, a total of 18 Iowa
fire departments have received
$1,415,589 in the 2014 Assistance
to Firefighters Grant program. We
will continue to announce Iowa
recipients as this information becomes available. For additional
information regarding this grant
program, please look at the AFGs
website (at: http://fema.gov/
welcome-assistance-firefightersgrant-program).
The mission of the Fire Service
Training Bureau is to provide
quality training and education
for Iowas fire and emergency
services. We hope that these training opportunities support some of
your training needs. Please feel
free to contact me with any questions or concerns. On behalf of the
entire Bureau staff, we thank you
for your continued support.
Electronic Stability Control

Ruling should mean fewer big
rig crashes, fewer responses
By Jim McGee
2,329 Big Rig
Roll-over Crashes
There should be fewer big rig
roll-over crash responses needed
in the future, thanks to technology
and a recent NHTSA ruling. The
June National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration ruling
promises to reduce the number
of truck roll-over crashes and is
expected to prevent 2,329 crashes
each year. Many are fatal and most
create additional roadway hazards
and risk due to prolonged incident
duration. More than a third of
drivers who died in crashes in
2012 were not using a seat belt.
Ejection or partial ejection from
the cab were the cause of death
in the majority of those fatalities.
Truck tractors and buses covered
by the final rule make up a large
proportion of air-braked heavy
vehicles and a large proportion
of the heavy vehicles involved
in both rollover crashes and total
heavy vehicle crashes.
Called ESC, the technology
is a current example of how the
confluence of automotive vehicle
communications technology, infrastructure technology and computing will reduce some crash
types by as much as 80 percent.
About 70 percent of new trucks
already have some form of stability control. Crashes are the leading
cause of on-the-job death for those
who drive trucks that weigh more
than 10,000 pounds, according
to the CDC. More than a third
of drivers who died in crashes in
2012 were not using a seat belt.
Ejection or partial ejection from
the cab were the cause of death in
the majority of those fatalities.
Stability Control Systems
There have been two types of
stability control systems developed for heavy vehicles. A roll
stability control (RSC) system
is designed to prevent rollover
by decelerating the vehicle using

braking and engine torque control.
The other type of stability control
system is ESC, which includes all
of the functions of an RSC system
plus the ability to mitigate severe
over steer or under steer conditions by automatically applying
brake force at selected wheel-ends
to help maintain directional control of a vehicle.
ESC and RSC
To date, ESC and RSC systems
for heavy vehicles have been developed for air-braked vehicles.
ESC is a vehicle control system
comprised of sensors, brakes,
engine control modules and a
microcomputer that continuously
monitors how well a vehicle responds to a drivers steering input.
The computer compares a drivers
commands to the actual travel of
the vehicle. In general, when the
sensors indicate the vehicle is
leaving the intended line of travel,
ESC applies the brake pressure
needed at each wheel to bring the
vehicle back on track. In some cases, ESC also reduces engine speed.
ESC has been found to reduce
single-vehicle fatal crash risk by
49 percent. It reduces the risk of
fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 75
percent for SUVs and by 72 percent for cars. Electronic stability
control (ESC) improves a trucks
stability by detecting and reducing
loss of traction (skidding). When
ESC detects loss of steering control, the brakes are automatically
applied to help steer the vehicle
where the driver intends to go.
Braking is automatically applied
to individual wheels to counter
under steering. Some ESC systems
reduce engine power until control
is regained. ESC does not improve
a vehicles cornering but it helps
to minimize the loss of control.
33 Percent of Fatal Truck
Crashes
The Insurance Institute for
DeWitt firefighter retires
Iowa Firefighters Association Past President Al Esch (left)

presented John Burken with awards at an open house for his
retirement in June. John served the DeWitt Fire Department
for 54 years.
Heros Week at Stratford Library

Doug Timmons reads Stop, Drop and Roll to kids at their Heros Week theme at the
Stratford Public Library. They also got to practice stop, drop and roll. The kids also looked
through a fire truck, and saw a firefighter in full gear to learn not to be afraid of them and
know they are there to help.
Highway Safety and NHTSA
say that 33 percent of fatal truck
crashes could be prevented by the
use of Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) technology. Truck tractors
and buses covered by the final rule
make up a large proportion of airbraked heavy vehicles and a large
proportion of the heavy vehicles
involved in both rollover crashes
and total heavy vehicle crashes.
About eight times every day,
law enforcement, fire, EMS and
towing and recovery operators
rush to the scene of a truck rollover crash where specialized T&R
equipment and expertise is often
needed to get travel lanes open
again. Many roll-overs are fatal
with the driver ejected due to lack
of seat belt use. Each roll-over
crash also increases responder
exposure to risk. 90 towing and
recovery workers are killed each
year while working to clear a crash
scene. The chances of secondary
crashes which are often worse
increase dramatically until a rollover is cleared and traffic returns
to normal conditions.
Human and Financial Costs
The financial costs of crashes
of an injury crash to carriers is
estimated to be $195,258. A fatal
crash costs over $3.5 million.
There were 3,309 fatal truck
crashes last year. Settlements to
victims can easily surpass federally-mandated carriers $750,000
per-incident insurance coverage
by millions. 2014s largest truck
accident settlement was for over
$34 million.
Though fatal truck crashes per
mile traveled went down by 77
percent between 1975 and 2009,
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration has shown that
truck crashes are ticking upward
by three percent per mile per traveled between 2011 and 2012.
Truck Fatalities Ticking
Upward
The trend for highway fatalities has been downward in recent
years, thanks in part to better
vehicles, highways and the use of

seat belts. Since the government
started collecting data about 30
years ago, seat belts have prevented over 280,000 fatalities and
7.2 million serious injuries.
Humans are the deadliest factor in highway fatalities. Incident
categories such as truck roll-over
crashes, one of several accident
types that are common and result
from an error in judgement, often
result from an error in judgment
and a human reaction.
Responders understand that crashes involving large trucks tend to
be more severe with lethal consequences. There were 3,300 fatal
crashes involving large trucks
last year.
Tr u c k Tr a f f i c I n c re a s i n g
through 2040
Truck traffic is predicted to increase steadily for the next 25
years. Freight by truck is a key cog
in the supply chain and the economy. As state economies grow
increasingly interlinked; nearly
50% of manufactured goods are
shipped by truck to destinations
more than one state removed from
their point of origin; and 80% of
all communities have goods delivered only by truck.
Manufacturing jobs are growing
in rural areas and today account
for 11% of all manufacturing jobs.
Nearly all fuels, including gasoline and diesel, are delivered by
truck from pipeline terminals; and
intermodal freight carried by rail
is carried the last mile by trucks.
Technology is moving swiftly
as the confluence of automotive
vehicle communications technology, infrastructure technology and
computing begins to show results
that will reduce some crash types
by as much as 80%.
About 70% of new trucks already
have some form of stability control. Crashes are the leading cause
of on-the-job death for those who
drive trucks that weigh more than
10,000 pounds, according to the
CDC.
Effective August 24, 2015

The final ruling by the National
Highway Safety Administration
(NHTSA) is effective on August
24, 2015 and establishes a new
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (No. 136) to require
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
systems on truck tractors and
certain buses with a gross vehicle
weight exceeding 26,000 pounds.
roll-over crashes accounted for
just 3.3 percent of all large-truck
crashes but were responsible for
more than half of the deaths to
drivers and their occupants in
2012. (Roll-over incidents are
also a leading cause of fatalities
within work zones.) Safety experts
blame distracted and sleepy drivers, other motorists; and freeways,
ramps and shoulders designed in
a simpler time for different types
of traffic.
Roll-over Hot Spots
ESC will not solve the roll-over
problem alone. There certainly are
other variables beyond human and
vehicle behavior as causal factors
in large truck roll-over crashes.
Highway and ramp design, lack
of shoulders, wind and weather
conditions also contribute. There
are statistical roll-over hot spots.
The American Transportation
Research Institute has developed
a useful map showing locations
(termed hotspots) where rollovers commonly occurred in many
states through 2009. The state-bystate roll-over statistics show that
a widespread roll-over problem
exists but has gradually improved.
NHTSA expects the ESC ruling to
eliminate 2,329 crashes per year.
The full report, Mapping Large
Truck Rollovers: Identification
and Mitigation through Spatial
Data Analysis is available from
ATRI at www.atri-online.org for
methodology and data sources.
The author lives in Nebraska.
He can be reached at jim.mcgee.
ne@gmail.com
10
Introduction toLesson
NFPA Standards
Plan Basics
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an American organization that creates and manages
over 300 codes and standards that
are intended to reduce the impact of
fire and other emergencies. Founded
in 1896, the NFPA has grown from
a small group of insurance firms
focused on fire sprinkler systems to
a global authority on a wide range
of fire and life safety topics. For
the American fire service, NFPA
provides guidance and best practices
for almost everything we do. So how
does the NFPA create and maintain
their codes and standards?
Code and standard development starts with the NFPA Board
of Directors and the 13-person
Standards Council. The Standards
Council oversees the development
of standards (new and revisions),
administers organizational rules
and regulations, and serves as an
appeals body. The Standards Council
also appoints Technical Committee
members. There are more than 250
Technical Committees that are in
a constant cycle of revising NFPA

codes and standards (1). Each Technical Committee typically consists
of no more than 30 voting members.
To maintain diverse viewpoints,
Technical Committee members are
chosen from nine main categories
(1):
1) Insurance Industry
2) Consumers
3) Enforcing Authorities
4) Labor
5) Installer/Maintainers
6) Manufacturers
7) Applied Research/Testing
Laboratories
8) Users, and
9) Special Experts.
No more than one-third of the
committee can be representing the
same category. This balanced approach to committee membership
ensures one group or interest cannot
create a standard that unfairly benefits them at the expense of another
group. A good example of why this
is important is NFPA 1901, Standard
of Automotive Fire Apparatus. In
an industry that has annual sales

near the $1 billion mark there is a
lot at stake (2). Changes made to
the standard can financially impact
(both positively and negatively) not
only the manufacturing industry,
but also the insurance industry, fire
departments, city government, and
equipment manufacturers, just to
name a few. Having a diverse group
of contributors helps maintain a fair
debate of ideas and concerns.
Once a Technical Committee is
established for a particular standard,
that standard is revised and updated
every three to five years. The revision cycle normally takes about
two years to complete. This process
contains four basic steps (1):
Step 1 Input Stage
Step 2 Comment Stage
Step 3 Association Technical
Meeting
Step 4 Council Appeals and Issuance of the Standard.
During the Input Stage (Step 1),
input is accepted from the public or
other committees and a first draft of
the code or standard is developed.

If you ever wished that a standard
could be changed, this is your chance
to submit your thoughts on what you
like or dont like about the standard.
The committee also makes changes
it feels are necessary to account
for changes in technology, cultural
changes, and other general updates.
Once completed, the draft is posted
for public review (1).
Next is the Comment Stage
(Step 2) where public comments
are accepted for ten weeks. This
is a second opportunity for you
to submit your ideas on how the
standard should be designed. If the
standard does not receive any public
comments and the Technical Committee feels the standard does not
require further revision, it becomes
a consent standard and it is sent
directly to the Standards Council
for issuance. If there are public
comments, then the Technical Committee holds a second draft meeting
to discuss these public comments.
When changes to the first draft are

completed, the committee votes on
the second draft by ballot and then
posts the second draft for review.
After the second draft is completed, anyone who wants to further
challenge the content of the proposed standard may do so by filing
the proper appeals motion with the
NFPA. All motions are reviewed
and those that are determined to be
valid are advanced to the Association Technical Meeting (Step 3). In
the technical meetings, committee
member debate the motions, discuss revisions, make the necessary
changes, and then the standard is
voted on again.
If a motion to change part of the
standard is voted down, an appeal
can be filed within 20 days of the
Association Technical Meeting to
request further review. This leads us
to the final stage, Council Appeals
and Issuance of the Standard (Step
4). At this point, the Standards Council handles the appeals process and
Learning Objective: The Fire Service Instructor shall be able to describe the importance of the lesson
plan basics.

Have you ever showed up to class and were treated to a surprise? Where the instructor had not actually
planned the training session? To be successful instructors, we must set the example by thoroughly
planning effective classroom and hands-on training events.

The Details of lesson Plans
A Thorough lesson plan will incorporate most if not all of the following key elements.

Objective
See NFPA, page 11
Each lesson should have a clear objective or goal. By clearly stating our objective, we can focus the rest
of our plan, and provide a central theme to our teaching session.

Elements/Content
The next item on our lesson plan is the elements or content of the lesson plan. Think of these as the
individual items of knowledge or building block skills needed to master the objective of the lesson.

Instructor Action
This is where we lay out exactly what we are going to do. Perhaps well review the previous lessons, give
a lecture, show a movie, tell a story, make a demonstration, answer questions, give a quiz, practice skills,
or so on. Outlining our actions will help us identify the equipment and materials we need, and come up
with a schedule for the lesson. Including a combination of visual information, lecture, and hands-on
instructional components will help ensure that the training session doesnt drag, and is engaging for all
students.

Students Actions
Here we lay out what the students will do, which could be as simple as watch, listen, ask, answer
questions, take notes, and learn. For some lessons we may be much more specific, including equipment
checks, skills, drills, and review.

NFPA
from page 10
decides if the Technical Committee
should continue to work on revising
the standard or if the newly revised
standard should be issued. Once the
standard is completed and approved,
it joins the catalog of NFPA standards either as a new standard or a
new edition of an existing standard.
As firefighters, we should take
advantage of the public input and
comments steps in the revision
process. By actively participating
in the revision process we ensure
our voices are heard and concerns
for firefighter health and wellness
are considered by the Technical
Committee. To learn how to submit
a public comment online, visit www.
nfpa.org/submitpipc.
NFPA standards can be a tremendously useful tool to help manage your fire department. If your
department does not have a full
NFPA membership with access to
all standards, start with individual
standards. A simple internet search
will take you to the NFPA site and
you can browse the catalog of standards that are available for individual
purchase. Some good standards to
start with would include: NFPA 1500
Standard on Fire Dept. Occupational
Safety & Health; NFPA 1001 Standard for Firefighter Professional
Qualifications; and NFPA 1404
Standard for Fire Service Respira-
tory Protection Training. Once you

get your copy of the standard, take
some time to read it and understand
it. Compare the recommendations
found in the standard with your own
department procedures. Identify areas you can make improvements and
reinforce the areas of the standard
that you already meet. If you find that
you need to make changes based on
the standard, make a plan for those
changes and be patient. It takes time
to put all of the pieces of the puzzle
together. Overall, you should find
that using NFPA standards will benefit your department and improve the
level of service you provide for your
citizens.
Captain Rich Rodewald
Drill Master
Council Bluffs Fire Department
Iowa Society of Fire Service Instructors Floyd Wm. Bill Nelson Instructor of the Year, 2014.
Works Cited
1. National Fire Protection Association. National Volunteer Fire
Council. Understanding & Implementing Standards. Vol. 2. Quincy:
Massachusetts, 2014.
2. Report Snapshot. Fire Truck
Manufacturing in the US: Market
Research Report. IBIS World. April
2015.
<http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/fire-truck-manufacturing.html>.
Nostalgia
Training in Humboldt
Instructor Scott Meinecke (left) of Sheldon gives Humboldt
firefighters instructions before they entered a burn trailer.
Members of the Humboldt Fire Department took part in Advanced Interior Attack Simulator training last Tuesday night
behind the Humboldt fire station. The hands-on training followed more than one hour of classroom time. The training
is offered free to fire departments through funding provided
by the state of Iowa. The training was done by Meinecke and
Jim Carpenter of Customized Firefighter Training.
Jim Miller, 83, of the Ely Fire Department sent these newspaper clippings
from the Ely Firefighters Museum at the fire station. They include the Ely Fire
Department, Solon Fire Department and the Swisher Fire Department. We
thought it would be neat to have them shown together because both volunteer
fire departments help the Ely Volunteer Fire Department when we need or call
them for mutual aid. And the Ely Fire Department responds to their calls for
mutual aid.
We invite you, the firefighters of today and firefighters of the past, to send us
your nostalgic photos of anything related to the fire service here in Iowa. Many
of you have great photos packed away, so its time to share them with those
who love seeing them. Please scan and email them to Jeff Gargano at jeff@
iowafirefighter.com, or mail them to Iowa Firefighter, P.O. Box 122, Humboldt,
IA 50548. Be sure to include a little information about the photo.
11
12
Tri-State Emergency Responder Conference

Excitement is growing in the
region as fire and emergency
medical responders prepare to
attend the fifth annual Tri-State
Emergency Responder Conference. This years event will once
again feature a dynamic group of
national speakers. The fire track
on Friday will start with Gordon
Graham, co-founder of the website www.firefighterclosecalls.
com, who will bring his insight on
reducing risk to your emergency
service operations, how to provide
better customer service and making sure emergency responders
can make smart decisions to stay
out of public scrutiny. Pete Van
Dorpe, Chicago F.D. (retired)
and current Assistant Chief of
Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire
Protection District, on Saturday
will share the information that
he discovered while participating
in the Underwriters Laboratorys
recent research on residential
firefighting tactics. Closing out
the day will be Eddie Enright,
Chicago F.D. (retired) who will
talk about the lessons he learned
in the fire service and the value
of duty, pride and tradition. A
powerful seminar that will benefit
not only the rookie, but also the
experienced firefighter serving
with a volunteer or career fire
department.
The EMS track will provide
another comprehensive set of
continuing education seminars
that cover medical and trauma
conditions. Steve Murphy, Battalion Chief/Paramedic from West
Gordon Graham
Pete Van Dorpe
Pierce, WA, is a new presenter

with the conference and will be
delivering his highly requested program - One Man and A
Baby.OB/GYN and Childbirth.
It is an interactive, informative
and funny presentation that leaves
him .. yes, delivering a baby!
Pete Lazzara, Chicago Fire, will
be back by popular demand for
both days. EMS Urban Legends
will take a look at some of the
myths that have evolved in how
we treat patients and that may be
harming the patient. Debbie Von
Seggern will be taking a closer
look at abuse cases in children
and elderly patients with her
class, Looking Beyond Your Assessment
MONEY.every department
can benefit from it and this year
to celebrate the 5th anniversary
of the conference, there will be a
chance for all attendees to enter
Eddie Enright
into a drawing and win $1,000

each day for their department.
The conference has partnered with
the attending exhibitors to offer
chances to win prizes when you
stop by the vendor hall. There will
be plenty of time allocated during
the weekend to visit with the ex-
Pete Lazzara
hibitors to learn of their products

and services that you will can take
back to your department.
This weekend is an excellent
way to recharge your batteries
for the great profession that we
are able to serve our community.
Entertainment is included in your
Debbie Von Seggern

package allowing you time to
network with your peers, so you
can share thoughts and ideas that
may benefit your community.
For a full list of the conference
presenters, entertainment and additional information, please visit
www.nicc.edu/fireems.
STEPHEN M. MURPHY,
Battalion Chief / Paramedic
Murph has been a paramedic for over thirty-five years. His experience in the EMS community
is extremely diverse. He has worked in both the rural and urban settings: Hes served as a flight
paramedic in Colorado, an EMS supervisor and manager in the private ambulance sector, and
as an EMS educator. He currently works as a Battalion Chief / Paramedic for West Pierce Fire
& Rescue near Tacoma, WA. He is also one of the primary partners in Murphee CME Inc., a
medical education and consulting firm. He continues to serve as an American Heart Association
Regional Faculty for both ACLS and PALS. He has been actively involved in the continuing
education of medical professionals, administrators, and other educators for the past thirty-five
years, and has had the privilege of being invited to speak at many state, national and international
EMS conferences. One of his most requested topics is OB/GYN Emergencies and Childbirth.
an online edition
See fire and rescue action

from around the Midwest.
Access the latest fire & rescue news & photos from
Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas & more.
See fire stories, photos, photo galleries, video, fire training articles,
training opportunities, fire school dates and more!
ALL FOR JUST 50 A MONTH - TRY IT OUT FOR 6 OR 12 MONTHS!

Check it out at www.blazepublicationsinc.com and subscribe online.
13
SAVE THE DATE! 5th ANNUAL CONFERENCE

October 16-17, 2015
Grand River Center
Dubuque, Iowa
www.nicc.edu/fireems
Fire Speakers
Eddie
Enright
Gordon
Graham
EMS Speakers
Pete
Van Dorpe
Pete
Lazzara
Steve
Murphy
Debra
Von Seggern
REGISTER AND LEARN MORE AT www.nicc.edu/fireems

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015
Each Day Includes:
Fire Track (Gordon Graham) or EMS Track

(Pete Lazzara & Steve Murphy)
National, local and regional vendors
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015
Networking with fire and EMS colleagues

from IA, IL, WI and MN
Fire Track (Eddie Enright & Pete Van Doorp) or

EMS Track (Pete Lazzara & Debra Von Seggern)
Entertainment at Mississippi Moon Bar -

Diamond Jo Casino: Dueling Pianos ( Friday) and
James Otto (Saturday)
NEW FOR 2015!
Daily drawing for one dept. to win $1,000

sponsored by Alexis Fire Equipment!
Conference Fee:
Before Sept. 1: $89/one day or $158/two days
On or after Sept. 1: $109/one day or $198/two days
National Speakers
Entertainment included
Snacks and Meals included
Free Access to Vendor Exhibit
No Hidden Charges
Hall
Earn continuing education hours in Fire or EMS.

Continuing Education Hours (CEHs) have been approved by Iowa,
Illinois and Wisconsin. RN and allied health CEUs will be available.
"I always enjoy the conference. As an RN and EMT, I find it very beneficial. - Sherrilyn M. Scherman, CRN
14
Lake Mills firefighters honored for service and retirement
An overflow crowd turned out to honor two Lake Mills volunteer firefighters, Dave Anderson and Dave Peterson, who retired recently after serving the community for almost
60 years combined. Photo by Terry Gasper of the Lake Mills Graphic.
Several current and former officers of the Iowa Firefighters Association attended the
retirement of former Lake Mills Fire Chief Dave Anderson. From left to right are: Brad
Yeager, Bob Platz, Scott Hagenson, Ellen Hagen, Dick Frank, Dave Anderson, Mike Reuman, Joe Specht, Dave Zimple and Tom Hancock. Photo by Terry Gasper of the Lake
Mills Graphic.
Waterball fights held in Monticello

Mens waterball fights were held at Monticello on June 5. Photo by Richard C. Harman.
Lake Mills firefighters Dave Peterson (left) and Dave Anderson pose with prints they received from the department to
commemorate their service and retirement. Photo by Terry
Gasper of the Lake Mills Graphic.
Dave Peterson and Dave Anderson share a smile as they

receive some good natured memories of highlights of their
careers. At left is IFA President Brad Yeager and at right is
IFA Past President Scott Hagenson. Photo by Terry Gasper
of the Lake Mills Graphic.
Ely Fire Department held a breakfast fundraiser at the

Ely Fire Station on July 4. Photo by Richard C. Harman.
15
Lightning
strikes Mt.
Pleasant theater
Lightning struckthe Main

Street Cinemasbuildingin
the 100 block ofNorth Main
Street in Mt. Pleasant earlyon the morning ofJuly
16, butsmoke was not noticeduntilaround noon.
The Mt. Pleasant Fire Departmentresponded along
with mutualaid from the
New LondonFire Department.Also assisting was the
Mt. PleasantPolice Department, and paramedics from
the Henry County Health
Center EMS.One firefighterwas transported to the
hospitaldue tobreathing
difficulties.Crews were on
the scene for several hours
due to the difficulty in accessing the hot spots. Damage
was minimal considering the
length of time the building
was smoldering.Photo and
information submitted by
Jerry Shafar.
Recruiting the Next Fire Service Leaders: The Millennial Generation

By Candice McDonald, MA
The Millennial generation,
those born between 1980-1999, is
the largest population of potential
new members for the fire service.
It is critical for organizational
survival to integrate and embrace
the talents this population has to
offer. This requires fire departments to change strategies for
how you recruit, manage, coach,
and promote volunteers.
Misconceptions of Millennials
Its easy for many members of
older generations to pass judgment against a Millennial sitting
in a restaurant staring at a bright
screen. What those older generations fail to realize is that this
behavior is exactly the same as
someone who flips through the
morning paper while sipping their
coffee. Both generations are reading current events; the delivery
of the material is just different.
Technology is the main way Millennials stay connected with local
and worldwide news.

Each generation has a unique
personality shaped by events in
history. Often personality differences and misconceptions can
occur across generations. Millennials are frequently labeled as
a generation of entitlement and
narcissism. However, the focus
of this group is just the opposite.
Helping others is a top priority for
the Millennial generation.
This shouldnt be surprising.
Community driven relief initiatives following tragic events such
as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, school
shootings, and the tsunami in
Southeast Asia have shaped this
generations views on the world.
These events created a group of
social-minded people that are
connected, diverse, and ready to
collaborate across boundaries.
Engaging Millennials
If Millennials are eager to help
others, why is the fire service
having a hard time engaging this
population as volunteers? The
issues stem from the outdated

methods being used by many
departments. Fire departments
need to implement new strategies
to capture this generation of talent
and determination.
Millennials are more likely
to respond to non-conventional
methods of recruiting. Departments need to be engaging in
social media including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and
Instagram for recruitment of this
tech-savvy generation. Technology is an extension of how this
generation relates to people and
organizations.
Research also shows that Millennials are influenced by peers
when deciding where they will
volunteer. Invite younger recruits
to come in a group or bring a
friend.
Incentives such as a free t-shirt
wont work with this population.
This generation is focused on
investing in their future and how
they will pay for education. Offer
a small scholarship to new recruits
that complete a set number of
volunteer hours. Highlight how
department sponsored training,
such as the EMT certification, can
be used by the Millennial to build
skills that enhance their career
path.
This group values time and
wants a hassle-free environment.
Fire departments who do not
respect that will lose this generation. Have a schedule of trainings
posted in advance and abide by it.
Start and end at the stated times.
Chances are this population has
other commitments scheduled after, such as family commitments,
a term paper, work, or social
plans.
Managing Millennials in the
same way you manage other
generations can be a challenge.
Managers need to adapt methods
based on how individuals best respond. Millennials desire efficient
processes and opportunities for
feedback. Complicated and timeconsuming systems will drive

this generation away. Persistent
positive feedback is a must for
retention of this group. This can
be as simple as thats a great
idea delivered via text, email, or
quick conversation.
Benefits of Investing in
Millennials
Investing in a Millennial can
offer numerous benefits to your
organization. The value this population can add to your organization is worth the investment in
changing strategies. With one out
of three adults being part of this
generation, departments cannot
afford not to invest in this group.
This generation was raised
with technology and the ability to
share ideas across the globe with
just one click. Speed, the ability
to multi-task, and working independently are all strong Millennial
traits that add value. This group
is eager to improve processes,

problem-solve, and want leadership to consult them with issues.
Millennials are team players.
Collaboration, patriotism, and
helping others are all characteristics of this group. It is important for leadership to set clear
boundaries and timelines for the
collaborative work. If the purpose
and expectations of the group are
understood, working with others
across generations is easy for the
Millennial.
Creativity and self-expression
are strongly integrated in the Millennial world. This translates to a
wealth of fresh perspectives. Millennials can bring new life to fire
prevention, community education,
and recruitment programs in the
fire service.
With creativity comes a desire
to work in a fun and comfortable
environment. It is important that
the Millennials can contribute
Richard Harman took this

photo of womens waterball
fights at Monticello on June 5.
ideas without being criticized.

The fun factor is also needed
to foster outcomes among this
group. Provide this group with the
right environment, and they will
show you how to work smarter
using technology and improve
time-worn processes.
Candice McDonald is a firefighter/EMS Officer with the
Winona Fire Department and
works for NASA in the Office of
Protective Services. She is the
co-chair of the Cumberland Valley
Volunteer Firemens Association
Reputation Management Committee, a trustee for the International
Association of Women in Fire
and Emergency Services, and
has served as the appointed Fire
Corps State Advocate for Ohio
and in other capacities for the
National Volunteer Fire Council
since 2009. www.CandiceMcDonald.com
16
Developing National Guidelines for the Use of Medical Helicopters

By Jim McGee
In the spring of 2015, the
Department of Transportation
released guidelines describing a
regulatory and oversight framework for helicopter air ambulance
operations. The guidelines were
prompted by a 2009 recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to the
Federal Interagency Committee
on EMS (FICEMS) regarding
Helicopter Emergency Medical
Services, including a recommendation to develop national guidelines for the use and availability
of helicopter emergency medical
transport by regional, state, and
local authorities during emergency medical response system
planning.
The National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) issued the
guidelines to be used by regional,
local and state planning officials.
The regulatory control and oversight authority of air ambulances
is exclusively that of the FAA
and cant be pre-empted by state
regulations since the FAA enjoys
Constitutional pre-emption over
other authorities. However, a

court found that states may require
HEMS documentation to ensure
that a patient is transported to an
appropriate medical facility and
that air ambulances are equipped
with voice communications between the flight and medical
crews because those are needed
for quality patient care. A state
cant impose any aviation safety
or operational requirements since
HEMS are defined as air carriers, according to the Airlines
De-regulation Act (ADA.) As
a general rule, states regulate
medical services while the federal
government maintains exclusive
authority over aviation safety and
economic issues. States usually
license ambulances, certify and
establish EMT standards by approving Basic Life Support and
Advanced Life Support protocols.
It is a state role to prescribe the
triage protocols used to determine
the mode of emergency transportation for patients with emergency
medical conditions.
States have been reserved
the role of regulating medical
care within state borders, with

pre-hospital operations typically
within the duties of state Offices
of Emergency Medical Services
(OEMS). OEMS regulate patient
care. The regulation of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)
is the responsibility of the state,
including EMT certification and
protocols in Basic Life Support
and Advanced Life Support.
Basic life support (BLS) is a
level of medical care which is
used for victims of life-threatening illnesses or injuries until they
can be given full medical care
at a hospital. It can be provided
by trained medical personnel,
including emergency medical
technicians, paramed-ics, and by
laypersons who have received
BLS training.
Advanced Life Support (ALS)
is a set of life-saving protocols
and skills that extend Basic Life
Support to further support the
circulation and provide an open
airway and adequate ventilation
(breathing).
The Golden Hour objective is
enabled by HEMS operators, who
provide a quality-of-life service

and transport patients with timecritical injuries and conditions.
Improved patient outcomes and
chances of survival are a result
of HEMS. While in-flight to a
medical facility, medical services
are provided; and states may act
in their traditional role as the
overseer of medical services,
staffing, qualifications of personnel, equipment requirements, and
sanitation.
The state may not impose
aviation-related requirements or
impose economic regulations of
the services. Courts have held
that the Constitution intended the
federal government to make the
law of the land when it comes
to the entire field of aviation. State
regulations cant go into the area
of aviation safety. The FAA controls the installation and storage of
onboard medical equipment; and
the HEMS pilot is exclusively in
charge of determining, minimum
weather conditions and flight risk.
State regulators may require
voice communications equipment between the flight crew and
medical staff because that is a

necessary patient care safety communication but the FAA controls
the installation. The state may not
impose operational requirements
such as air ambulance avionics
equipment. State regulations may
address
Medical standards of care
Medically-related equipment
standards
Patient care environment
Medical transport plans
License and accreditation
based on medical care standards
The Guidelines for the Use and
Availability of Helicopter Emergency Medical Transport (HEMS)
can be found at www.ems.gov
Jim McGee lives in Nebraska
and can be reached at jim.mcgee.
ne@gmail.com
Fire reported
at Mason City
restaurant
A Tuesday morning fire at a
Mason City restaurant caused
minor damage.
The Mason City Fire Department responded to a grease fire
at Rib Crib, 455 Tiffany Drive,
around 9:45 a.m. The restaurants
suppression system extinguished
the blaze.
Damage was contained to the
unit that caught fire, according to
the fire department. No injuries
were reported.
Owner Stan Schultz said Rib
Crib would reopen at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
(Mason City Globe-Gazette,
Mason City, July 8, 2015)
Fort Madison
apartment
fire causes
smoke, water
damage
Fort Madison firefighters responded to an apartment fire at
1936-1/2 Ave. H Sunday at 8:55
p.m. According to Fire Chief
Joey Herren, firefighters were on
the scene of the fire for two hours
extinguishing the fire.
Herren said the apartment,
located on the second floor of the
building adjacent to Kempkers
True Value Hardware, caught fire
in the kitchen. Firefighters saw
smoke coming out of the back of
the apartment.
The firefighters made entry and
put out the fire, Herren said. The
fire started on a cooking stove.
Herren said the occupants were
outside and heard the smoke detectors going off.
The fire caused damage to the
cabinets above the stove and there
was heavy smoke and water damage.
(Fort Madison, Daily Democrat,
Fort Madison, June 22, 2015)
17
Jewell, Ellsworth
participate in
drill
On June 1, Jewell Fire and

Rescue and Ellsworth Fire
and EMS participated in an
Ag Plane Rescue Drill held at
a local private air strip south
of Jewell. Approximately 40
members from both departments were in attendance. Dan
Kubal, owner/operator of Kubals Aerial Spraying Service
based at the Newton Municipal
Airport, donated his time and
one of his spray planes, the Air
Tractor 802, for the drill. Realistic scenarios were discussed
by Kubal including extrication
procedures of a downed pilot,
aircraft systems and security,
basic ag plane structure and
various potential payloads with
hazardous materials considerations. Submitted by Duane
Hendrickson, Chief of Jewell
Fire and Rescue.
Fire blazes through stormdamaged Dyersville home

Fire broke out at 1207 Third Street Southwest at about 2:30 p.m. June
22, only a few hours after a tree limb ripped through the roof of the home.
Natalie Fangman was pulling her son out of his crib to go downstairs
during the storm that morning when the tree limb fell through the roof
into the bedroom across the hall.
Weather reports indicate straight-line winds measured at up to 78 miles
per hour in the Dyersville area. Fangman said she had not yet heard storm
sirens when the damage occurred.
The intersection of Third Street and 12th Avenue Southwest near the
Fangman home saw some of the heaviest wind damage in the tri-states,
with most homes losing trees or suffering damage.
Her husband, Mike Fangman was working on the damaged roof a few
hours later when he saw smoke billowing from the chimney. He asked
Natalie to check the home, and when she opened the front door, the main
floor was filled with smoke.
For a few minutes, things were in slow motion. Natalie said she was
on the phone with a relative and had to repeat several times Our house
is on fire, before hanging up and calling 911. She opened the door to
the bathroom and heard crackling and popping.
The couple tried to rescue their cats, and Dyersville assistant police
chief Mike Comer attempted to extinguish the flames.
Firefighters eventually found and rescued cats Sookie and
Steve, who area currently recovering from smoke inhalation.
That was the best part of yesterday, Natalie said.
Natalie praised the work of Comer and the fire department. He was
amazing yesterday, and the whole fire department was amazing yesterday,
and to carry it off in the middle of all that, and to find our cats, means
the world to us, she said.
The electricity had been turned off inside the home, but Dyersville
Assistant Fire Chief Tim Gansemer said that tree limbs on power lines
outside likely shorted electricity throughout the home. The fire department battled three different blazes, one in the basement near the electrical panel, one in the laundry room on the main floor and another in the
garage. That was a major challenge for us, Gansemer said.
After the flames were extinguished, they stayed on scene until almost
6 p.m. watching for hot spots.
The next day, it still didnt feel real to Natalie. I just drove around,
and I didnt remember that I need to buy new shoes, because I dont have
shoes, she said.
Neither Natalie nor Gansemer knew yet whether the home would be a
total loss, though almost everything inside was lost, including carpeting,
flooring, furnishings, toys, and clothing.
The Fangmans have four children: a 17-month-old boy, a 4-year-old
girl, a 10-year-old girl, and a 17-year-old boy.
Theyll be living in a hotel and looking for a rental in the immediate
future. Natalie said that insurance will help the couple, but she misses
being able to provide the kids with home-cooked meals. Theyre more
upset about being displaced, she said.
People were really great yesterday and brought us some sub sandwiches, but last night after everything calmed down, we were in a hotel
room, and I had fruit snacks and cookies and had nothing to give them
a good meal, she said.
(Dyersville Commercial, Dyersville, June 24, 2015; written by Sara
Millhouse, group editor.)
Camper catches fire on Highway 63
A camper hauling a boat was

engulfed in flames just south of
Denver on U.S. Highway 63 in rural Denver Wednesday afternoon.
Jason Backens, 45, and his son
Connor, 16, both of Waterloo
along with their 10-year-old English Mastiff, Lili, were on their
way home from vacationing in
Chetek, WI, when Jason smelled
something burning under the
hood of the camper. At first, Jason
thought the smell to be that of
plastic as white smoke and steam
were visible.
We were just driving down and
the camper started steaming, and
so my dad pulled over wondering
what was happening, Connor
said. It started steaming up from
the engine below. He got out, and
when we opened it up, there was
black smoke and then he tried to
grab the fire extinguisher.
But the smoke grew darker,
and then Camper was engulfed in
flames before Jason could reach
the fire extinguisher.
I ran back inside and popped

the hood that covers the engine
and flames just burst out of there,
too, Jason said. Then, I ran out
and there was flames coming out
of the front of it and the inside,
and I just got everybody out.
Jason said he was partially in
the flames, but he was not injuries.
All three made it out of the

camper and on to the highway before Jason called 911. The Bremer
County Sheriffs Office, Denver
police and fire and the Iowa State
Patrol all responded to the scene.
(Waverly Democrat, Waverly,
June 11, 2015; written by Tyler
Poslosky, staff writer.)
Garage lost to fire in

Lynnville Saturday
The Lynnville Fire Department, assisted by the Sully Fire Department, was called to a garage fire at 302 Cross Street in Lynnville at
about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 27.
The 18x24 garage was destroyed by fire which started when the
resident was working on a vehicle in the garage. No injuries were
reported. Siding on the neighbors home was damaged by the fire.
(Sully Hometown Press, Sully, July 2, 2015)
18
Odebolt and Ida Grove Fire Departments have busy week

Area fire departments responded to several calls during the past
week.
On June 3 at 8:15 a.m., the Odebolt Fire Department was called to
a house fire at 408 Park Ave.
Odebolt Fire Chief Greg Neville reports the new owners of
the home were in the process of
moving in and had placed boxes
on the kitchen counter and stove,
accidentally hitting a button the

stove. Prior to the fire, MidAmerican Energy had reset the meter
and turned the utilities on, causing
the box to start on fire.
Neville said the fire was out
in 25 minutes with damage contained to the kitchen. He said there
was smoke damage to the rest of
the house and minimal water damage.
The Lake View Fire Department was paged to provide mutual

aid and arrived after the fire was
extinguished. The Sac County
Sheriffs Office was also on the
scene. The Odebolt department
was on the scene approximately
two hours.
On Saturday, June 6, just before midnight, the Odebolt Fire
Department was paged out to
Antique tractor claimed by fire near Waterloo

An antique tractor that had been in Reece Millers
family for about 50 years was destroyed Wednesday
when a fire broke out in the outbuilding where it was
stored.
My dad started farming with that. This is a century farm, and I think he bought it back in the early
60s, said Miller, a John Deere retiree who operated
Miller & Sons Lawn and Landscape at 3502 Dewitt
Road.
The blaze gutted the 30-by-60-foot metal shed,
which also housed equipment for Millers business,
and started to spread to a neighboring 30-by-35
building before crews with Waterloo Fire Rescue
extinguished the flames.
No injuries were reported. The building also held
snowblowers, a small utility truck and other supplies. Smoke from the blaze drifted over nearby U.S.
Highway 20, and a neighbor called 911 after hearing
explosions, said Battalion Chief Marty Freshwater.
There were flammables in there, a flammable
cabinet and gas. They probably got going, Freshwater said.

Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to a
propane tank outside the west wall and gasoline and
diesel tanks against the south wall.
As for the tractor, a John Deere 720, it was stored
on the north end of the building but wasnt used in
the business.
We were just saving it. It had been reconditioned
one time, and it ran, but we just kind of kept it
around, Miller said.
During his time at John Deere, Miller worked in
marketing and helped with the early stages of planning the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum
at the Cedar Valley TechWorks. He retired in 2009
after 36 years.
He said the fire wont interrupt services to his
landscaping customers.
(Waterloo - Cedar Falls Courier, Waterloo, June
4, 2015; written by Jeff Reinitz, staff writer.)
Fire guts garage in Creston Sunday

A fire completely destroyed a
two-car garage in Creston Sunday.
The garage was fully engulfed
in flames when Creston Fire
Department responded at 5:24
p.m. on Fathers Day. Firefighters
responded with three fire trucks,
and used compressed-air foam
and water to knock out the fire.
It was a good response, said
Todd Jackson, Creston Fire Chief.
It was a couple minutes to get it
knocked down.
After firefighters doused the
flames, they overhauled the build-
ing and put water on hot spots

to prevent the fire from starting
again.
The cause of the fire is unknown
at this time.
We are interviewing the occupants of the house, and basically,
were looking at a couple days until our investigation is finished,
Jackson said.
The garage is owned by Becky
Sales of 100 Stone St. The fire
also damaged her house located
east of the detached garage, and
melted the siding on Mike Sny-
you
should
have
your
department
featured!
ders house located west of the

garage on Adams Street.
No injuries were reported in
this fire.
The garage and the two vehicles nearby are a total loss. Damage estimates are $10,000 to the
garage, $10,000 to the vehicles
and $15,000 to Sales house,
totaling $35,000, and $15,000 to
Snyders house.
More details will be published
when they become available.
(Creston News Advertiser,
Creston, June 22, 2015)
monitor a severe thunderstorm.

High winds downed several trees
in Odebolt, and electricity to some
residents was off more than two
hours.
On Sunday, June 7, at 12:01
a.m., the Odebolt Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at
the Odebolt/Arthur/O-A/BG-IG
Middle School. The department
was on the scene 20 minutes.
Following the school call, the
department did storm spotting
and patrolled Odebolt streets with
three trucks checking for downed
wires and trees to make sure there
werent any potential fire hazards.
Neville said the firemen set
cones out for downed trees and
returned to the fire station at 1:30

a.m.
On June 7 at 2 a.m., the Arthur
Fire Department was called to the
Brian Fertig farm at 6359 280th for
cornstalk round bales on fire.
Arthur Fire Chief Paul Rydberg
said an electric line was knocked
down when high winds blew a tree
down. The electric line ignited the
bales.
The Odebolt and Ida Grove
Fire Departments and farmers
Barry Bergman and Brian Streed
assisted at the scene. The departments were on the scene six hours.
(Ida County Courier, Ida Grove,
June 10, 2015)
Spirit Lake apartment fire

causes scare
The Spirit Lake Fire Department and Lakes Regional Healthcare
Ambulance were called shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 to the
Sunrise Apartments, located at 1901 23rd Street for reports of smoke
in apartment 118.
Firefighters were uncertain whether or not anyone was still inside
the smoke-filled apartment as they arrived on scene. Crews were ready
with oxygen masks, a fire hose and a stretcher. Once they were able
to gain access to the apartment, a quick survey of the interior revealed
no one inside. The use of water wasnt necessary, as there appeared to
be no flames or immediate danger.
Also assisting on scene were Dickinson County Emergency Management, Spirit Lake Police Department and the Dickinson County
Sheriffs Office.
(Spirit Lake Dickinson County News, Spirit Lake, June 24, 2015;
written by Brandon Hurley, staff writer.)
Fire damages Iowa Falls house

An Iowa Falls home sustained
fire and water damage after an
electrical fire on Wednesday.
According to the Iowa Falls
police, the Iowa Falls Fire Department was paged to 150 S. Fremont
St. at 2:32 p.m. Wednesday after
receiving a report of smoke coming from a home.
The fire department quickly
extinguished the fire upon arrival
and indications showed it was an

electrical fire. The homeowner,
Jodi McCloud, was contacted as
nobody was home at the time of
the fire.
A dog located inside the home
was taken to a veterinarian clinic
and is believed to be doing well.
(Iowa Falls Times-Citizen, Iowa
Falls, July 4, 2015)
Just fill out the attached form and send it back with a group photo and well feature
your department in an upcoming issue of the Iowa Firefighter Newspaper.
Submitters Name_______________________________________ Submitters Phone #___________________
_____________________________________________________

Officers Name:
Office:
Department Name:_____________________________ _____________________ ______________________
Total Number of Members:_______________________ _____________________ ______________________
_____________________ ______________________
# Volunteer________________# Paid_______________
_____________________ ______________________
Year Department Established:____________________
_____________________ ______________________
# Fires Per year_______________________________
# Rescue/Extrication Calls Per Year________________
Is Your Dept. Fire & EMS Combined?_______________
# Pumpers________ # Tankers_________ # Rescue__________ # Ambulance_________
Other:____________________________________________________________________________________
Names in picture: (on separate form please)______________________________________________________
Mail to: Iowa Firefighter Newspaper, PO Box 122, Humboldt, IA 50548

E-mail to: jeff@iowafirefighter.com or fax to (515) 332-1505
Please type the names as they appear in the photo. For best reproduction, please send or e-mail the actual photo and not a photocopy or scanned copy.
19
Cool Insurance Tips for Hot Auto Sales

American consumers shifted
into high gear in May, purchasing
1.6 million new cars; the fastest
pace in nearly a decade. The hot
sales are attributed to low interest
rates, consumer confidence and
low fuel prices.
At this rate, U.S. auto dealers
hope to sell almost 18 million
vehicles in 2015.
If youve purchased a new vehicle, or if you plan to soon, youll
want to keep it well maintained,
washed and waxed, and make sure
you have adequate auto insurance.
Heres what you need to know:
Liability
Liability pays for injuries to others and property damage from an
accident you caused. While most
states set a minimum of required
liability, you should consider increasing the coverage to protect
your assets. Liability limits usually
have an amount paid per person,
total maximum paid for each occurrence and property damage
liability per accident. It is often
listed as 100/300/50, meaning
$100,000 bodily injury per person

up to $300,000 and $50,000 for
property damage.
Comprehensive and Collision
This is protection for your vehicle. Collision pays for the physical damage caused when your auto
collides with another vehicle or
object, such as a tree.
Comprehensive pays for damage
from almost any loss other than
collision: theft, fire, vandalism,
flood, hail, falling objects, animals
and glass breakage.
Both of these usually come with
a deductible the amount you
agree to pay before insurance kicks
in the higher the deductible the
lower your premium will be.
Optional Coverages
These include:
Medical payment for medical and funeral expenses for you
or others injured or killed in an
accident while riding in or driving
your auto
Uninsured/underinsured motorist reimbursement of medi-
Electrical fire damages Le

Mars house
An electrical box is thought to have caused a house fire Sunday night.

Le Mars Fire-Rescue was called at 10:06 p.m. to 412 Plymouth St.
S.E. for a structural fire.
Upon arrival, there was electrical main service arching at the back for
the house, said Assistant Fire-Rescue Chief Mike Wise.
He explained two exposed wires were touching each other and throwing sparks.
Smoke was present when firefighters arrived on scene.
We did open up part of the wall to make sure we didnt have any
extension, Wise said. We had some hot embers.
MidAmerican Energy Co. was called to the scene to kill the power to
the house, owned by Monte Hartman, Wise said.
Occupants of the home were outside when firefighters arrived.
There were no injuries to them or firefighters.
Residents were not allowed to return to the home Sunday because the
electricity was shut off until repairs could be made, Wise said.
Overall damage to the structure is estimated at $2,000, he said.
Twenty-three firefighters were on the scene, along with three trucks
and the chiefs vehicle.
Le Mars Police assisted at the scene, helping with blocking off the
roadway.
Le Mars Ambulance was on site to provide rehab for firefighters as
needed.
Firefighters returned to base at 11:21 p.m.
(Le Mars Sentinel, Le Mars, June 16, 2015; written by Amy Erickson,
editor.)
Gas vapors ignite inside vehicle

in Charles City neighborhood,
driver hospitalized
Interior of vehicle has significant damage, fire department
says
One man was injured in a vehicle fire Wednesday evening in
the 1200 block of Waller Street
in Charles City.
The driver of the vehicle was
transported to Floyd County
Medical Center by ambulance,
according to a Charles City Fire
Department news release. His
condition was unknown at about
10:45 a.m. Thursday, when the
release was issued.
According to the release, the
fire department responded at 7:15
p.m. Wednesday to a report of a
vehicle fire near the intersection
of South Joslin and Waller Street.
Upon arrival, the fire had been

extinguished. Firefighters who
stayed on the scene put out hot
spots.
An investigation of the fire
found that there was a gasoline
leak within the vehicle that caused
vapors to enter the passenger
compartment. After the vehicle
had stalled, the driver attempted
to start the vehicle again and the
vapors ignited.
There was significant damage to
the interior of the vehicle because
of the fire.
Assisting at the scene were the
Charles City Police Department
and AMR Ambulance.
(Charles City Press, Charles
City, June 19, 2015)
cal costs and damage caused by

someone driving without insurance who hits you, or from a hitand-run driver
Rental reimbursement payment for a rental car if your vehicle is damaged by a covered loss.
It usually has a daily and total
maximum, such as $40 a day up
to $800
Towing or Emergency Road
Service
Here are some ways drivers can
lower their auto insurance costs:
Combine it with your home or
renters insurance
Increase your deductibles
Qualify for good driver/good
student discounts
Install anti-theft devices like
alarms
Park your vehicle in a garage
Complete a driver education
course
Check insurance costs before
buying a new vehicle
An easy way to make sure
you have adequate auto insurance is to give a California Casualty advisor a call for a policy
review or no hassle quote today
at 1.800.800.9410 or visit www.
calcas.com/FireFighters.
Also, dont forget a lucky first
responder will win a Harley-Davidson Road King from Califor-
nia Casualtys Work Hard/Play

Hard contest. The deadline to
enter is coming up, so visit http://
go.calcas.com/Harley.
Sources for this article:
http://www.automobilemag.com/
features/news/1506-may-2015-auto-sales-big-picture-growth/
http://www.naic.org/documents/
consumer_alert_understanding_
auto.htm
This article is furnished by
California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to
Iowa firefighters. Get a quote at
1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.
com/FireFighters.
Hot Grilling Tips to Avoid Disaster

There is nothing better than a
summer barbeque. As the mouthwatering smell of hamburgers,
chicken and other grilled foods fill
the air, the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) is warning
grillers to be careful.
According to a 2013 NFPA
report, an average of 8,600 home
fires were started each year between 2007 and 2011 by gas or
charcoal grills; 60 percent of those
flared up on a balcony, porch or
outside patio.
The NFPA advises everyone
to make sure the grill is working
properly and review safety tips
before firing it up. Its extremely
important to check gas canisters
and hoses for cracks, breaks or
leaks.
Did you know ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm was
severely burned in a gas grill accident? She has recorded several
videos to share her story and raise

awareness about grilling safety.
Here are some home grilling
safety tips from the NFPA:
Read your grills safety tips and
warning information before using
it
Only use propane and charcoal
outdoors
Check gas tanks and hoses for
leaks
Stay alert when grilling
Keep grills well away from the
house, deck railings, overhanging
eaves and branches
Never leave the grill unattended
Be careful when disposing
charcoal; always make sure coals
they are completely out and put
into a meal container with a lid
And, how accomplished of a
griller are you? WebMD has a
grilling safety quiz at their webpage, http://www.webmd.com/
food-recipes/rm-quiz-grill-skills.
Remember, accidents happen.
Make sure your home or apartment
is fully protected with the right
amount of insurance. Call a California Casualty advisor today for a
policy review, 1.800.800.9410 or
visit www.calcas.com/FireFighters.
Also, dont forget a lucky first
responder will win a Harley-Davidson Road King from California
Casualtys Work Hard/Play Hard
contest. The deadline to enter is
coming up, so visit http://go.calcas.
com/Harley.
Resources for this article:
http://www.nfpa.org/
http://www.webmd.com/foodrecipes/rm-quiz-grill-skills
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and
home insurance to Iowa firefighters. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410
or www.calcas.com/FireFighters.
20
Firefighters from Pacific Junction, Malvern, Oak Township, Hastings, Silver City and Offutt Air Force Base conducted a training burn
on June 20 on Alcorn Avenue in Mills County. Photos submitted by
Lucas Lechtenberg.
Iowa firefighter
classifieds
CLASSIFIED ADS
FOR THE
IOWA FIREFIGHTER
NEWSPAPER
Classified ads run $10 for the first
10 words, and 25 cents a word after that. A photo is $10 additional.
Rates are the same in each state
(Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota,
Nebraska and Kansas). Email the
ad to jeff@iowafirefighter.com or
call 515-604-6400 to place your
personal or departmental ads.
For sale: 1984 Amkus Jaws

set. Selling the power unit, shears
and ram. The power unit has new
hoses. Starts and runs good. Contact New Vienna/Luxemburg
Chief Mark Sparky Lukan
at 563-599-0643.
FOR SALE: 1987 International

1,000 gpm pumper 1,250 gal.
tank; 7 speed manual trans.; L-10
Cummings; 17,600 mi.; pump
tested 2015. Seal bids to be taken
until 5 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2015.
Owner has the right to reject any
or all bids. Send bids to: City of
Mayer, P.O. Box 102, Mayer,
MN 55360. Email
mayerfd@frontiernet.net
FF-1
FIREFIGHTERS NEEDED,
earn extra cash PART-TIME
(8-to-10 hours a week) while
helping your community, EARN
$400 to $800 PER WEEK. Call
1-800-603-8614.
FF-1
FOR SALE: 1990 Ford F-450

2 wheel drive. 6.2 liter diesel.
25,000 miles. walk in rescue
box. asking $10,500. Contact
Russell fire chief Craig Alexander with ? @ 641-344-0808
FF-1
FOR SALE: 1995 Amtech Type
III Ambulance, Ford E450 chassis,
7.3 power stroke engine, 21,316
miles, inverter, contact Mike Semerad at 402-750-6697 or at
Howellsfire@yahoo.com. FF-2
Whats an
inch tall and
can move a
fire truck?
A classified ad in the
Iowa Firefighter!
Call 515.604.6400 to get your
truck moving fast!
Absentee Early morning blast kills rural Preston man

Voting
Sec. 8. (a) A fire department

can exercise its right to vote via
absentee ballot for any known
issue or candidate. All known issues would have to be advertised
through the Association at least
30 days prior to the date in which
the meeting would take place
in order for them to be open to
absentee voting. If a known issue (resolution) is amended or
changed in any way at a meeting
the absentee votes on that issue
are considered void. If a department chooses to vote by absentee
on any known issues, they must
do so by department. They also
effectively give up their right to
vote off the floor on any other
issues at the meeting where their
absentee ballot is to be cast.
(b) In order to exercise its right
to vote by absentee ballot, each
fire department must request a
ballot from the Executive Directors Office. The ballot would
be created with the following
information to satisfy credentialing: question(s) to be voted on
along with space to mark how
voted, the department vote quantity (provided by the Executive
Director, a place for the Fire
Chiefs signature, a place for
another Chief Officers signature, and a space for a notary to
place their stamp. If the ballot is
not filled out appropriately than
it shall be considered void. The
ballot will also be mailed with a
confidential envelope for return
security. The ballot will have a
return postmark deadline of 14
days prior to the meeting where
the vote would take place. The
Executive Director will accept
the ballots and record the sealed
ballot for reporting purposes.
The Executive Director will then
secure the envelopes containing
ballots in a lock box. This box
will be delivered to the meeting
where the question is to be voted
on. The box will be given to the
Proxy/Absentee Committee. The
Proxy/Absentee Committee shall
then open the sealed ballots, count
the votes, and will then produce a
report for the meeting.
In order to vote absentee on
any known issue that will be
brought up at the Convention
Business Meeting on Sept. 13,
2015, absentee ballots must be
requested from the office of the
Executive Director in time for the
department to receive the ballot,
fill it out and have it postmarked
by Aug. 30, 2015.
Known issues that will be voted
on at the Sept. 13 meeting are as
follows:
5th Vice President Candidates are Chris Hinds, Perry
2017 Convention City
Forest City
If your department is unable
to attend the meeting on Sept. 13
and you wish to vote on any or
all of these issues please request
an absentee ballot from the office of the Executive Director.
You may call 515-332-1503 or
e-mail wlensing@iafireassn.org
to request the ballot, but you
must allow time for the ballot to
be mailed to you by regular US
Mail and for you to fill it out and
have it postmarked by Aug. 30,
2015.
A rural Preston man died after

the house he was in exploded early
Thursday morning.
Authorities said Stephen Walter
Brandenburg, 73, was living in the
two-story farmhouse located at
2236 312th Ave., just off Iowa 64
about eight miles east of Maquoketa.
Only a few wooden beams and
a brown patio railing remained as
evidence that a house even existed
on the property.
Hundreds of curious motorists
drove past the scene after the sun
came up Thursday morning. They
saw fluttering, yellow tape circling the property, which Jackson
County Sheriffs Deputy Steve
Schroeder called a crime scene.
White foam covered every surface, much like the morning dew
that still covered the grass. An
empty Folgers coffee can sat in the
middle of the yard, with shredded
cushions from metal deck chairs
resting near the highway.
Metal and glass shards, roofing shingles, clothing and pink
insulation blanketed the property,
including the Brandenburg Drainage office and white metal sheds
located only yards from the source

of the explosion.
The incident occurred at about
4:40 a.m. Thursday. The Jackson
County Sheriffs Office received
a call from Per Mar Security reporting that the fire and motion
detector alarms were sounding in
multiple locations at Brandenburg
Drainage.
A neighbor arrived on the scene
to determine the source of the
alarms and discovered the house
had exploded, Schroeder said.
As sheriffs deputies shut off
the natural gas connection to
the house, they said they heard
someone calling for help from the
homes basement.
Deputy Corey Kettmann and
Preston firefighter Lucas Schmidt
entered the basement and found
Brandenburg. He was taken from
the rubble and transported to
Jackson County Regional Health
Center. He was then airlifted to
the University of Iowa Hospitals
and Clinics in Iowa City, where he
later died as a result of his injuries,
the sheriffs office said in a press
release Thursday afternoon.
The cause of the explosion has
yet to be determined. The Iowa

State Fire Marshals Office is investigating and will announce its
findings.
The sound of the blast was heard
miles away.
I heard a big boom and the
house shook. I thought it was just
the thunder, said Deb Frieden,
who lives near the property.
They heard the explosion in
Preston and assumed it was thunder, said Adam Thines, a Preston
firefighter who responded to the
scene, is a friend of the Brandenburg family and works for a subsidiary of the drainage company.
No one thought anything of it.
We get a (false) alarm call from
Brandenburg about once a month,
said Thines, who returned to the
scene later Thursday morning to
help clear debris. But we got the
call that the alarm was real, and
when we came around that corner
and saw this
Vibrations from the explosion
rattled windows and knocked
photos from the walls of homes
located more than two miles away,
deputies reported.
The drainage company office
21
and outbuildings on the property

were minimally damaged in the
blast.
The sheriffs office closed 312th
Avenue, a gravel road near the
scene, because debris covered the
road.
Maquoketa Valley Rural Electric
Cooperative arrived on the scene
a few hours after the explosion to
turn off the electric power supply
to nearby buildings.
Preston firefighters and neighbors returned to the scene to assist
the Brandenburg family.
Preston and Miles fire departments, Community Ambulance
Service in Preston, Jackson County
Regional Health Center, Jackson
County Emergency Management,
the Jackson County Sheriffs Office, and Iowa State Fire Marshals
Office responded to the call.
In the 1860s the house served as
the Union Center Post Office and
the Blakely General Store before
being converted into a home. The
property is owned by Brandenburg
Drainage.
(DeWitt Observer, DeWitt, June
27, 2015; written by Kelly Gerlach,
staff writer.)
OR
22
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one lucky winner the opportunity to win a new 2015 Custom Harley-Davidson or $25,000.
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Auto and Home Insurance
23
24
Camanche Fire Department

responds to garage fire
At 12:01 hours on July 20 Camanche Fire Department was
dispatched by E911 for the report of a structure fire. The Camanche Police Department arrived on scene first and advised
the garage was fully and the four occupants were out of the
building. The Camanche Fire Department arrived on scene
within one minute to find a single story large garage with
flames coming through the roof of the garage and heavy black
smoke coming from the structure. All four of the occupants
were out upon our arrival. Crews used two 2 lines, a 3
inch master stream and the ladder truck to attack the fire.
The fire department responded with two Engine Companies,
one Ladder Company and an ambulance and 12 personnel.
Clinton Fire Department provided automatic aid with a
Ladder company and four personnel. The utility companies
were contacted to shut off the gas and electric services to the
residence. The fire caused part of the garage roof to collapse.
After about 45 minutes the fire was brought under control.
Crews continued to check for fire extension and extinguish
hot spots. The garage was a total loss. Damage is estimated
at $25,000 to the structure and $20,000 contents. The cause
of the fire is under investigation by the Camanche Fire and
Police Departments but appears to be accidental in nature.
The fire department was on scene for about two hours. Assisting Agencies: Camanche Police Department, Clinton
Fire Department, Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy.
Incident Commander: Dave Schutte, Fire Chief, Camanche
Fire Department.
Ashes lead
to shed fire
WCFD quickly
puts out blaze
Fire produces small
explosion at Wood Street
location Tuesday
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15-0419
Careless extinguishment of
fire-pit ashes caused a residential
shed to catch fire on Tuesday, according to Webster City Fire Chief
John Conyn.
The Webster City Fire Department received a call for the fire,
located at 803 Wood Street, at
about 2:05 p.m. Before fire engines arrived on scene, a small
explosion occurred in the shed.
Conyn said the loud pop that rang
through the neighborhood came
from an aerosol can stored in the
structure.
Flames from the shed spread to
a corner of the Wood Street house.
By about 2:15, the fire appeared to
be extinguished. Conyn said firefighters recovered an unharmed
dog from the house. While he
said the fire caused an estimated
$3,000 to $5,000 in damage, firefighters caused no internal water
damage to the house while putting
out the fire.
Firefighters did a really good
job of stopping it in place as well
as checking for extension with the
use of atmospheric monitoring
and a thermal imaging camera,
Conyn said.
Webster City Fire Department
trucks were reporting back to
station at about 2:40 p.m. Conyn
said the owners of the house had
no working smoke detectors at the
time of the fire. He encouraged
members of the public to take a
moment to check that their own
detectors are working properly.
(Webster City Daily Freeman
Journal, Webster City, June 17,
2015; written by Jim Krajewski,
staff writer.)

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The official publication

Iowa firefighters each month

Vol. 15 - No. 2 USPS# 020-244 August 2015 Phone (515) 604-6400

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Tell them you saw it in the Iowa Firefighter

Iowa firefighter, August 2015

Iowa Firefighters Memorial Update

graving names on the walls will

Lyle Moser - Guttenberg

Please send all corrections to:

must be paid by the family or

New Firefighters Memorial Print

IOWA FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL WALL

The family of________________________________________________________

For ADDRESS CHANGES

Postmaster: send address changes to

(PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT CLEARLY)

Family members name/address/hone no. for contacting about memorial service:

Iowa firefighter, August 2015

Tell them you saw it in the Iowa Firefighter

Fire ignites sign, roof at

Fairfax Fire Department held

Tell them you saw it in the Iowa Firefighter

Iowa firefighter, August 2015

REPORTS from YOUR I.F.A officers

Brad Yeager, President

ing the debate on the 911 funding

a projected increase of nearly

this bill was trouble for all of us.

happened on the way to the bill

AFG grants awarded under Assistance to Firefighter Grants

Iowa firefighter, August 2015

Tell them you saw it in the Iowa Firefighter

REPORTS from YOUR I.F.A officers

participant who promotes their

those that are helping out

are looking for one more thing

Volunteers Needed for Hall of Flame

We are looking for volunteers to work the booth.

Action Fire Photos

along with information to explain the photo.

store if you only wanted one