Tuesday, May 15, 2007

APRIL 2007 FIRE CALLS & SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH

Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to 14 calls during the month of April 2007. Ten of these calls were within the city limits of Madisonville, and four of them were out in the county. Of those calls, two were grass fire calls, three were structure fires, one was a vehicle fire, one was a wreck, five were lifeflights, and two were classified as an other type call. Volunteers also attended five drills during the month of April, focusing on rescue tools and basic firefighting procedures.

RED HOT SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH:
Electrical safety is a "hot" subject! This is a good time of year to teach your children, friend's children, or grandchilden about the dangers of playing by power lines. Oftentimes we take for granted what children know. It's very enticing to swing from a huge power line, or climb a huge grounding pad. But, it's just not safe! It's best to stay away from all lines! This includes phone lines, cable lines, and tension lines. Better safe than sorry!

Stay safe out there and stay away from power lines!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

MARCH 2007 Fire Calls and Safety Tip fo the Month

MARCH 2007 Fire Calls & Safety Tip of the Month

Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to 17 calls during the month of March 2007. Five of these calls were within the city limits of Madisonville, and twelve of them were out in the county. Of those calls, six were grass fire calls, three were structure fires, one was a wreck, four were lifeflights, two were gas spills, and one was classified as an other type call. Volunteers also attended three drills during the month of March, focusing on pipeline safety and basic firefighting procedures.

RED HOT SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH:

It's time to get those barbeque grills going! Spring weather is upon us and the outdoors are beckoning us to come out and enjoy them. Whether you're grilling steaks or roasting marshmallows over a fire, safety should be your main priority.
Never position a barbeque pit or open flame closer than 20 feet from a home or building. And NEVER leave children unattended near a pit or fire. Campfire games are fun, but don't encourage children or adults to run around a fire. Maintain a safe distance from the open flames and assure that everyone nearby does the same.

Keep safety at the top of your list and enjoy the Springtime and all it brings!

Friday, January 06, 2006

December 2005 Fire Calls & Safety Tip of the Month

Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to 22 calls during the month of December 2005. Seven of these calls were within the city limits of Madisonville, and fifteen of them were out in the county. Of those calls, ten were grass fire calls, four were structure fires, one was a vehicle fire call, three were wrecks, one was a lifeflight, and three were classified as an other type call. Volunteers also attended two drills during the month of December, focusing on truck and equipment operations. Members were also blessed by sharing a Christmas Dinner and Awards ceremony during the month.

RED HOT SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH:
BURN BAN IN EFFECT!!!!!
Madison County has a burn ban in effect for all of our county, towns and the City of Madisonville. This means that NO burning should be done within the county due to extensive fire danger. Governor Perry has declared Texas a state of emergency due to the draught and is urging citizens to be EXTREMELY cautious where fire danger is concerned. Special caution should be exercised around barbeque pits, cigarettes, vehicles parking / stopped in tall grass, welding machines, etc. It takes only a small spark to burn an entire field -- or even a home.

How are we doing with this blog? Please give me some feedback! Drop me a reply at shelly.b@ci.madisonville.tx.us!! Thanks!!

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

Madison County Emergency Management has been busy this past week and weekend with relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina. We are coordinating support efforts for victims and are happy to announce that our community has been wonderful and giving above my expectations! THANK YOU to each of you who have donated time, money, or goods to help relieve the discomforts of those displaced by the recent Hurricane Katrina

Our local efforts this weekend included the delivery of four trailer loads of supplies sent out through the Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department. The first trailer load went out Saturday morning to the shelter in Buffalo, Texas. Our donations helped them to prepare for evacuees and to provide snacks and diaper bags to those evacuees traveling by bus through their city, since one of their service stations is a designated stop on bus routes. They housed up to ten families and had numerous evacuees served by their efforts and our donations.

A second load of supplies went out early Sunday morning to Kinder, Louisiana, where that small town is providing meals for about 1,000 evacuees. Their feeding and clothing efforts are being met through the churches of the area and through donations from us. An additional load of supplies was also routed to Kinder on Monday night, with specific requests for non-perishables and serving goods. Donations from local churches made it possible for us to provide enough paper goods for about a week's worth of feeding for those families. People there are staying in RV's, motels, and private homes. Many are intending to make their new home there, since they have little or nothing to go home to. The people of Kinder, Louisiana, have been MOST GRATEFUL and appreciate us beyond measure!

Another load of clothing, which was graciously sorted by a local youth group, was taken into the mission in Houston for distribution there. Those receiving the donation were very grateful and the clothing was able to be distributed quickly, since it had already been sorted and boxed.

Several families have stayed in local motels here, and motel owners have been very generous in donating nights to those evacuees. Local churches and individuals have fed them and provided for them. Bryan/College Station has had evacuees sheltered there, but that number decreased over night last night. They are able to shelter up to 1,000 victims, but had under 400 this morning.

A group of evacuees came through the fire department on Saturday. Madison County First Responders accessed their medical needs and Dr. Hubley donated his expertise and time to check them out. Guardian Ambulance was also called out. Our local Salvation Army teamed with Wal-Mart to provide prescriptions for their medical needs. Brookshire Bros. and Clouser were also called upon to help. The volunteers at the fire department welcomed these evacuees and assisted them in getting clean clothing, food, and supplies for them to complete their journeys, although they did not want to stay locally. A local church has been instrumental in offering to open a shelter locally; however, we are attempting to follow the state government's plan of centralizing shelters and will continue to support that plan, unless the situation changes. Local emergency management is excited to find so much support and is interested in hearing from anyone who would like to be assigned to a shelter team or other volunteer mission in the future. You may call Shelly at 936-348-3317 or Janet at 936-348-3810 to sign up as a volunteer in times of disaster!

The Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department will remain open this week from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. to accept donations of non-perishable food, bottled water, canned drinks, new underwear, wash clothes, hand towels, baby goods, paper goods, personal hygiene items, black hair care products, and first aid supplies. The First Baptist Church will also be open and accept donations during the day and Wednesday evening. The Madisonville State Bank is accepting monetary donations to the Salvation Army, through their drive-in or inside tellers. For further information on donations, please contact the fire department at 348-9297, Shelly at 348-3317 or 348-0504, or Amy at 348-6105 or 903-536-7700.

Your county and city government are proud to work with our local citizens to provide relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and appreciate your help!

Thanks,
Shelly Butts
Madison County Emergency Management Office
Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department
Madisonville Police Department

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

JULY 2005 FIRE CALLS

Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to 27 calls during the month of July 2005. Seven of these calls were within the city limits of Madisonville, and twenty of them were out in the county. Of those calls, twelve were grass fire calls, two were structure fires, three were vehicle fire calls, six were wrecks, two were lifeflights, none were oil spills, and two were classified as other type calls. Volunteers also attended three drills during the month of July, focusing on live firefighting and SCBA.

RED HOT SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH:
It's back to school time and children will be getting back into routines. Now's a good time to get into the routine of practicing fire drills in the home! Drills are a great way to familiarize children of every age with getting out of buildings safely in the event of a fire or if evacuation is needed. Need help learning how to do a home fire drill? Just drop me a line and I'll get someone to assist you!

While we're talking about fire drills, why not ask your day care provider about how often they practice fire drills or focus on fire prevention presentations! The Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department is happy to assist day cares, too!

And, let's mark your calendars now for the First Annual Fireman's Fun Fest and Feast being planned for October 8th! What a great way to kickoff this year's Fire Prevention Week! We'll be visiting schools, day cares, community groups, etc., to help spread the Fire Prevention message! Make plans to be part of it this year!

Thursday, May 05, 2005

April 2005 Fire Calls & Safety Tip of the Month

Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to 19 calls during the month of April 2005. Six of these calls were within the city limits of Madisonville, and thirteen of them were out in the county. Of those calls, four were grass fire calls, one was a structure fire, three were vehicle fire calls, two were wrecks, five were lifeflights, three were oil spills, and one was classified as an other type call. Volunteers also attended three drills during the month of April, focusing on live firefighting, search and rescue, patient packaging, and SCBA.

RED HOT SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH:

It won't be long before school is out for summertime and children may be at home for longer periods of time. Now is the perfect time to practice family fire drills! And don't forget to include your babysitter, if he or she watches your children in your home. Parents don't need to instill fear into their children for them to understand the importance of getting out safely. Stress to them that the closet or under a bed is NO PLACE to be if your home catches on fire. You may also want to show them a picture of what a firefighter looks like while wearing his breathing apparatus and bunker gear. Teach them not to be afraid of firefighters or other emergency responders.
Even though Fire Prevention month is in October, firefighters are available to help parents educate their children all year long!
How are we doing with this blog? Please give me some feedback! Drop me a reply!! Thanks!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

March 2005 Fire Calls & Safety Tip of the Month

Madisonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to 17 calls during the month of March 2005. Four of these calls were within the city limits of Madisonville, and thirteen of them were out in the county. Of those calls, four were grass fire calls, three were vehicle fire calls, five were wrecks, two were lifeflights, two were oil spills, and one was classified as an other type call. Volunteers also attended three drills during the month of March, focusing on pipeline safety, weapons of mass destruction, and incident command.

RED HOT SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH:

It's time to get those barbeque grills going! Spring weather is upon us and the outdoors are beckoning us to come out and enjoy them. Whether you're grilling steaks or roasting marshmallows over a fire, safety should be your main priority.

Never position a barbeque pit or open flame closer than 20 feet from a home or building. And NEVER leave children unattended near a pit or fire. Campfire games are fun, but don't encourage children or adults to run around a fire. Maintain a safe distance from the open flames and assure that everyone nearby does the same.

Keep safety at the top of your list and enjoy the Springtime and all it brings!