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THE FIRE LANE
Fire Call Summary, May 2012
fill the boot
On May 19 Turlock Firefighters Local 2434 held its annual Random Acts of Kindness Boot Drive and was able to raise almost $13,000 for local charities in Turlock. Turlock Firefighters Local 2434 voluntarily stood out on the corners of Monte Vista Crossings asking the citizens to fill their boots with donations. Firefighters were able to raise $1,000 alone from people emptying the change trays in their cars. Turlock Firefighters Local 2434 would like to not only thank the citizens who donated but also local businesses Red Robin and Jamba Juice, which helped out in the effort. - photo by Photo Contributed

The Turlock Fire Department responded to a total of 432 incidents during the month of May. These included a total of 282 emergency medical service calls. Turlock Fire responded to 29 motor vehicle accidents, and 20 commercial/ residential fire alarms. There were a total of 25 fire type calls: 2 building fires, 3 cooking fires, 2 unauthorized burnings, 4 special "outside" type fires, 12 vegetation/ rubbish fires, 1 electrical arching, and 1 fire classified as "other." Remaining incidents consisted of public assists, assist to police, smoke checks, gas leaks, chemical spill, locked in vehicle, power lines down, etc.
Noteworthy events for the month of May included a child locked in a vehicle. Fire crews and police arrived on scene to find the mother and baby fine outside the car thanks to a bystander. Jose Benavides of Modesto took action and helped the distressed mother who had locked her keys in the car with baby. Wasting no time, Benavides wrapped his hand with a shirt and broke the side glass window. Benavides suffered a couple lacerations to the hand from breaking the glass. Fire crews attended to Benavides' lacerations before he left while also attending to mother and baby. Besides Benavides, there were no additional medical issues; and the baby was uninjured. Take time to read the monthly Safety Tip about how serious children locked in vehicles really is.
(new firefighter pic)
Turlock Fire Department would like to welcome its newest member to the department, Firefighter Steven Morrison. After completing our tough selection process, Firefighter Morrison was required to complete a four-week academy facilitated by on-duty fire personal that covered a series of topics including but not limited to: Emergency Medical, Vehicle Extrication, Vehicle Fires, Wildland Fires, Structure Fires, Search and Rescue, and Fire Behavior. Completing this academy helps prepare him for what he will encounter as he starts his career working shift work. He will continue to train and be tested regularly over the next year to make sure he meets the standards we set in Turlock.

SAFETY TIP
NEVER leave a child alone!
More than 500 children have died in hot cars since 1998.
-Dial 911 immediately if you see an unattended child in a car. EMS professionals are trained to determine if a child is in trouble.
-Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even with the window slightly open.
-Even if it's only 80 degrees outside, a car with its windows up can quickly become as hot as 130 degrees. Heat enters via the car's glass windows, but can't escape via ventilation, creating a "greenhouse" effect.
-Distractions have inadvertently caused people to leave children behind in cars. Set something you will need with the child in the backseat. This triggers you to see the child when you reach for your belongings.
-It could take as little as 10 minutes for a child to die when left in a closed car, so in other words take the child with you because there's very little margin for error.