Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department

Fire Department Replaces 1986 First Out Pumper

April 1st the new all wheel drive Pierce pumper was delivered to Beech Mountain and passed its acceptance tests with flying colors. Once it is fully equipped and available for service, members will begin practicing for structure fire attack with “Class A” foam. This new technique will make the departments efforts more effective, thus lowering property losses.

The truck committee composed of John Hoffman, Tim Holland, Jim Brooks, Gary Miller, Riley Hatch and George Beusser began defining our needs in 2006 after National Standards recommended replacing the 1986 truck. Bill Peters with Fire Engineering Magazine and a member of the NFPA 1901 standards committee wrote the specifications and bidding procedures. He also assessed the bids, led the preconstruction meetings and conducted the completion inspection. John Hoffman and Riley Hatch made two trips to Appleton, Wisconsin to review our truck during the construction process.

While our truck was under construction, Fred France and Betty Redman, were successful in obtaining a FEMA Grant towards the truck purchase. Members used these monies along with a grant from the Thorenson foundation and a USDA Rural Development loan to complete the purchase.

Members are very excited about the delivery and some what overwhelmed with the new features of this pumper. Thank you for your continued support that has made this purchase possible. Our truck is pictured below.

Fire Department Fund Raiser Set For Saturday August 2nd, 2009

Fund Raising Chairman, Brian Barnes asks that each owner mark their calendar for this Annual Fundraiser and Homecoming Weekend.

Golf and Tennis Tournaments will operate as usual under the direction of Tim Smith and John Currin.

The Saturday Night Cocktail Buffet and Dance will move to a new location – The Beech Mountain Club Restaurant.

Event invitations and other donation opportunities will be forthcoming in the near future. Reserve your spot at each of these events early as space is limited.

Thank all of you who continue to support us!!!

New CPR Protocols Taught in Free Summer Classes

The American Heart Association has simplified CPR Techniques to further accommodate the public. This is a great time to take our free class or renew your certification.

Every two minutes someone dies from cardiac arrest, their heart stops beating its normal rhythm and they quit breathing. 85% of these cardiac arrests take place in the person’s home around family or friends and many of these victims could have been saved if cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, had been started right away. Too many times the witnesses or bystanders only call 9-1-1 hoping that help will come soon enough with a defibrillator or drugs to save the victim. One of the most important steps in the “Chain of Survival” is early CPR and this can be done by anyone with two hands and proper training. Without it, no amount of medicine or machines can help the victim. Bystander CPR has been shown in studies to translate into a threefold increase in the chance of survival for cardiac-arrest victims.

CPR is performed on a person who is unresponsive, is not breathing, and has no pulse. This is a simple technique that provides for continued blood flow through the body which in turn supplies life needed oxygen to the brain, something that can not be done by a person in cardiac arrest. Without this flow of blood and oxygen a victim stands little chance of survival after only a few minutes of down time.

The Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department has been teaching CPR courses to the general public for many years. We offer a number of courses, free of charge, in the community many times each year. These courses are taught with local fire department member/instructors under American Heart Association guidelines which are simple, fun, and easy to do. With a limited number of students in each class the participants have ample opportunity to have hands on practice based on the “watch and then practice” technique of learning. Very little lecture is given as the class is geared to video and supervised practice on life-like mannequins that help students learn and retain the needed knowledge to perform this life saving technique.

Currently Family and Friend Adult CPR classes are tentatively scheduled to be held June 5, July 9 and 23rd, and August 7. These are two or three hour single night classes and will be held at the Beech Mountain Club recreation area from 6 PM to 9 PM. Class reservations may be made through the Club recreation department. Other courses and dates can be set as demands require. Also arrangements can be made with head instructor Tim Holland to teach this class or other certified classes at your home for a group or 4-6 people.

Please do not wait and say “I wish I knew how to help” when it is too late. Sign Up Now!!

Beech Mountain Homeowners -- Save Money on Your Homeowner's Insurance!!

The Beech Mountain Fire Department has recently completed an insurance rating review on fire protection standards, and has received a "six" rating, an upgrade from the former "seven" rating held by the department for many years. Call your insurance agent and ask for a rate reduction on your homeowner's insurance. You should receive a rate reduction of 20-25% if your insurance company still has your policy rated based on a "seven" protection rating. We have learned that some Beech Mountain homeowner's policies are still rated based on a "nine" (for locations with NO fire protection) fire protection rating. If you are one of those, your savings will be even higher.

View Beech Mountain AED Locations!!

The Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, in cooperation with the Town and Beech Mountain Club, maintains more than 20 Automated External Defibrillators (AED) at various fixed locations around Beech Mountain and in Emergency Responder Vehicles so as to provide the best possible response times should our citizens or guests have a heart attack. See the List of AED locations by clicking here. You may want to make yourself aware of these locations so that you will know where to look should an emergency occur.