The Monthly Newsletter for the Urbandale Fire Department... August 2018 n the Line OOur Core Values: Pride, Respect, Duty, Unity, Integrity and Compassion. In This Issue… Upcoming Events Chief’s Corner……………………………...…...... 2/3 September 11th

Life After the Fire Service—Lt. Macumber….. 3/4 Annual observance of 9/11—Station 42

Safety Incidents………………..………………… 5 October 7th Bells Across America Ceremony—Station 42 Safety Tips……………...…….…….……...…...... 5

Around the Department…….…….……...…...... 6 Prevention/Training Efforts……………………. 7

Trivia Answer…………………………………….. 7

You’ve Been Caught Letters……………………. 8

Picture This………………………………………. 8/9

Training Calendar………………………………. 10

UFD statistics for July Scott Lyon August 1 Calls for service: 375 YTD: 2,764 Elizabeth Harris August 9

Average response Time from alarm to arrival – emergency Derek Manser August 15 calls in Urbandale: 5 minutes 41 seconds Andrew Klenk August 19 Emergency Medical Service calls: 228 Mike Cardwell August 30 Fire related calls: 74 Other: 73 CUR: Fire 17, CUR: EMS 54 , Inc. # issued in Error: 1

Fire Service Trivia….August 2018

Q: True or False. The U.S. Forestry Service’s Smokey the was based on an actual bear cub saved during a wildland fire a. True b. False

Find the answer on page 7—see “Trivia”...

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 1

ON THE LINE Chief’s Corner—Chief Jerry Holt

It is hard to believe that it has already been a month since the rescues, stranded motorists, occupied flooded vehicles, home flash flooding. It started on the last day of June and went into flooding, a house explosion with active fire and numerous early morning hours of July 1st. While most of the rain was other calls for service. Not getting any sleep and being on a over by midnight, the response went well into the next day. A fire all night long can be taxing. They handled the calls very quick Google search shows that Des Moines receives about professionally. 35 inches of rain annually. This storm resulted in almost 19% of the annual rain fall in less than three hours! That’s a lot of Lt. Macumber and Lt. Manser, along with their crews did a rain! We were lucky that we didn’t get the additional rain they great job of “doing what they could do”. Some of the ordinary had anticipated in the early morning hours of July 1st or it procedures were replaced with doing as much as you can could have been even worse. We are also very lucky in that with what you have to work with. For example, one individual with this massive amount of flash flooding which included wa- that we happened upon was out of his flooded vehicle. Where ter rescues, stranded motorists, occupied flooded vehicles, normally, we would have provided a ride for this person or home flooding, an explosion and fire, that there were no waited with him until someone could come get him, he was deaths or reported injuries. left to “walk home” as there were no resources free and there were not likely to be free resources for some time. Perfect? We responded to a lot of calls that night! A review of the data No, we would love to have given him a ride home but the unit in our records management system shows we responded to in question still had potential life threatening calls waiting. In a 63 calls from June 30 through July 1. Of course, some of perfect world, we would have given him a ride home…in a those calls were not related to the storm. A report from CAD disaster such as this, the crews actions were spot on. shows that we were dispatched to 47 calls in the time period from 2030 hrs. on June 30th to 1245 hrs. on July 1st. Of course we didn’t respond to all of those calls as we simply didn’t have the resources to answer all of those calls ourselves and mutu- al aid responded to several calls. Additionally, we had several situations where we stopped and helped that were never offi- cially calls for service so they weren’t in the system. Needless to say, we responded to a lot of calls. The impact in our community was significant. Street flooding was wide-spread as storm sewers were simply unable to han- dle the volume of storm water. Our residents were greatly impacted with more than 1,000 structures being damaged as a result of the flooding. Damage ranged from “destroyed” to “affected” but there were many folks who lost a great deal including some who lost everything. There were numerous situations handled by our crews where there was no documentation of names, times, etc. Perfect? The City itself was also impacted and sustained damage to No, in a perfect world we would have gotten all the infor- infrastructure. The most heavily damaged City building was mation we needed to do an accurate report. This wasn’t a the Urbandale Police Department. This building was inundat- perfect world. They did what they had to do to make it work ed with water significantly damaging the building and con- and they did a good job. That included taking a mom and her tents. Storm debris was significant and our Public Works De- child with them on several calls while waiting for an opportuni- partment has spent significant time removing debris from to get her where she needed to go. roadways and storm drains while providing debris removal for our residents. Most Parks trails were not usable for 1-2 days; The closer to the incident the less time to prepare yourself for 5-6 trails unusable for 1 week; 2 trails unusable for several what you will see and what your plan of action will be. Lt. weeks and Parks & Recreation employees will spend a signifi- Manser and his crew did a good job of responding to the ex- cant number of future hours returning parks, trails and bridges plosion and were quickly backed up by Lt. Macumber and to normal. The Library also received water damage. crew. The first five minutes are the hardest and while this inci- dent appeared like a “big one”, it was actually an easy fire as It is anticipated that much of the cost for the City to recover the water and electricity dictated a defensive and extremely from this incident will not be insured. We are still in the pro- cautious operation. Again, they did a good job. Is there room cess of gathering costs for repairs and determining what for improvement? I think every significant incident gives the items might be covered and to what extent, but the overall opportunity to learn and improve – while this incident was cost to the City of Urbandale is expected to exceed $500,000 handled very well, there are almost always things to improve in response and recovery. Thus far, the fire department’s big- on. Those on duty that day were Lt. Manser, Chad Jackson, gest cost has been the replacement of a transmission dam- Cory Deaton, Bryce Landers, Beth Harris, Lt, Macumber, D/E aged by water at approximately $5,000. Brennan Burke, Matt Linge and Coden Tennison…and they all performed admirably. Those on duty during the two days did a tremendous job. C- Shift was working when the storms hit and most of the shift The next morning A-Shift came in to find eight people who did not return to the station once they started answering storm had sheltered at the fire station. (Sheltering at the fire station related calls around 2100 hrs. Calls for service included water (See “Flood” continued on page 3)

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 2

ON THE LINE “Flood” Continued from page #2

is a conversation for another time – not our first choice to on calls. We had requested housing from PCEMA but at that shelter people at a fire station) Great work by A-Shift under point in the incident, difficult circumstances… There were three groups of people they hadn’t started who were sheltered at the fire station that night; A Mother/ arranging for shelters. Father with two children – 4 y/o and 6 month old, their grand- parents and an unrelated man and women. Long story short, In this case, Chief they purchased the goods and cooked them breakfast, Cardwell wasn’t able changed the diaper and feed the baby. Lt. Miljkovic also man- to be out with the re- aged to get them connected with a local church to provide sponding crews as he them a place to stay. They went above and beyond and all is still mending his should be recognized for their efforts. Great job to everyone broken leg so he was on A-Shift with a special shout out to David Langley who had helping from home by diaper “duty” and fed the baby and to Matt Linge & Coden monitoring calls and Tennison for holding down the westside of town on their own. making sure that all of the calls for aid were covered by acting as the fire department A-Shift continued to respond to “citizen assist” calls well into dispatch as WestCom was also overwhelmed. When Michelle the next day. Those on duty were Lt. Miljkovic, Rob Harris, saw that there were evacuees going to the fire station, she David Langley, John Mitchell, Craig Pope, Lt. Routson, D/E and Mike’s son Aaron responded to the station to fill the need Drew Stiles, Jarod Bark and Taylor Smothers and they too of having someone there to help. performed admirably. Michelle and Aaron stayed at the station and helped those In addition to the outstanding work by our personnel, Chief who were staying there. They helped feed them and even Cardwell’s family got into the mix. We had one of the “blue purchased food and diapers for those that were there and sheets” submitted for the wife and son of A/C Mike Cardwell. that had nothing but the clothes on their back. Both Michelle During the flash flooding, we had several people that needed and Aaron certainly went above and beyond and are worthy to be evacuated and we did not have a shelter for them to go of recognition. to. We were overwhelmed with calls and simply did not have the staff to take care of these people which were relocated to Events like this can bring out the very best in people. There the fire station. It is not the best approach to have evacuees are countless stories of how people all through the metro in the fire station when there is no staff there to provide help “stepped up” and helped their neighbors, friends and even or honestly, to protect the fire department equipment and pri- strangers. This storm brought out the very best in those that vate property of the firefighters who are away from the station responded – great job A-Shift and C-Shift!

Life after the EMS/Fire Service – Lt. Cory Macumber Being on vacation away from the station is a good thing and Shortly after my fathers retirement from public service, his when you spend that time with others who are retired or soon words to me were “retire as soon as you can, life is to short to to be retired, there is a lot of talk about life after work. This not enjoy what you have worked for” Which leads me to the was my situation this past week while on vaca- proven fact that firefighters life expectancy on tion having a few cold beverages on the dock average is 10-15 years less than non- in the Ozarks. This was not the first time retire- firefighter for a variety of reasons from heart ment has crossed my mind but the difference problems to our increased chance of cancers. this time is that it sank in a bit further than nor- If one were to only consider this factor then my mal and got me to thinking; how many years answer is 9 years to go but that is not the only do I truly have left? I have realistically come up factor one should base it on even though for with two numbers to choose from; 9 years me it’s weighted pretty heavy. which marks 22 years in the 411 system which is 66% or 16 years to go which puts me at age In all the articles I have read and talking with 55 with 80%. my good friend and EMS mentor, who finally retired after serving in EMS for 30 years, is When I started in EMS 21 years ago you could “letting go”. We are wired in a way or some not have told me that I needed to think about may say short circuited, that we live for; the life after nor when I started here 12 years ago did I think rush, providing the helping hand, the station life etc… and much about retirement, but it’s something we all need to be very few jobs can provide that feeling to us, so many hold on looking much sooner than you realize because time goes by longer for that reason which is a real reason we must consid- very fast. I’m not just talking about the financial aspect; as er. If this were the factor my number would be 16 years to go. there are more parts to retirement than just money from what In an article written by Brian Crawford in Fire Engineering he I have read and what I have been told by a few people that I addresses this separation issue by recommending depart- have had the honor to work with and are now retired and my ments establish retirement programs/strategy’s & resources father who has been retired for more than 10 years. (See “Retirement” continued on page 4)

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 3

ON THE LINE “Retirement” continued from page #3 that aid firefighters in advanced planning for; finances and all of our families have adjusted to our schedule and life styles health, other careers, hobbies and educational opportunities over many years and we, as the retiring firefighter, can not outside the EMS/Fire service to help gap that feeling. He also expect our family to instantly adjust to having us home all the notes that it is also just as important to promote and support a time when they were used to us being going for a minimum of network of retired firefighters that allow the opportunity to 24 hours, typically longer, for all those years. It is critically maintain that bond to other firefighters and the department important that we as firefighters need to involve our family in along with being a resource for upcoming retirees. the planning of our retirement so all involved can make the successful transition into retirement without causing unfore- All this should be done through a “team” approach that in- seen issues at home. cludes departmental planning of sanctioned events with the firefighter and his/her family Finally, there is the financial aspect we must prior to his/her last shift, which in turn creates a consider when deciding about life after the more comfortable and productive environment EMS/Fire service and this one we need to start vs. firefighters who are not comfortable with planning today. There are many resources out their impending separation from the depart- there to aid you in the financial planning long ment. There is always an exception to anything into the future such as a personal financial and retirement is no different. A few years ago I planner. As good as the 411 system is to us we meet a retired DSMFD Lt. that lives in Urban- never know how the legislators will react from dale while changing smoke detector batteries year to year and for the past few years we who told me that when he retired from DSMFD have been hearing that they want to change after 25 years he never looked back after his the 411 system and one of these years it will last shift. Which in my mind confirms that the get it done. We must not rely on the 411 sys- decision to retire is very personal and no one person or agen- tem alone for our retirement financial stability. We need to cy has the magic answer that we all look for but rather we take advantage of securing our financial stability in other ways need to consider many factors in one’s decision. such as matching funds offered by the employer, Roth IRA’s etc.. The best advice is to go speak with a financial advisor A couple other factors to consider when thinking about retire- early rather than later. ment are age and family, let’s look at the age factor first. The current US life expectancy is 78.74 and if the average life ex- One area you should become familiar with is the 411 web pectancy of a firefighter is 10-15 years less that puts us at site; www.mfprsi.org. This site has all the needed information about age 65 on average when we kick the bucket. If I go out about our retirement system from calculators and forms to in 9 years that puts me at the ripe old age of 48 which is great board members and contacts. They will even calculate a fore- as I will have many years remaining to enjoy but only if a plan casted retirement plan for you after you answer a few ques- is in place to cover me for the next 20-30 years but if I wait tions for them. and retire in 16 years at the age of 55 I have a few less years to enjoy but the plan only has to cover me for the next 10-20 All in all, retirement is not a light decision to make and is a years. Lets be honest here while we are talking age, this is a very personnel decision that takes; planning ahead, talking young persons game. The older you get, the harder it is to do with others who have successfully made the transition, sup- some of the things we do. Not saying older members can’t do port from the department and family to make the transition it but there are increased chances of injury & illnesses and into retirement successful or so I have read and been told by now those good years in retirement can become less. great people who are now enjoying the fruits of their hard earned retirement. I wish all of us a successful and enjoyable Now, consider your family at home in the retirement process, retirement when ever you decide that day is.

Thank you for everything you do! You may think only when something goes wrong does anyone notice but nothing could be further from the truth. We know all the good that you do and we just don’t say it enough; thank you for doing it!

The patch colors: The color Red - symbolizes the life and continued growth of our FD. Gold trim - symbolizes that Firefighters, like gold, will withstand trial by fire and still remain. Black background - represent the foun- dation built by our past members and we will never forget all they have given in the line of duty. Our Mission is to preserve life, protect property, and promote safety through education.

Our Core Values:

Pride, Respect, Duty, Unity, Integrity, and Compassion.

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 4

ON THE LINE Safety Tip—From firefighternearmiss.com Beware of possible Exposures: A fire/ EMS paramedic PPE? was treating a patient who seemed to be a minimal risk for exposure from bodily fluids. The situation quickly changed, 3. What are your agency’s infection-control policies? resulting in a significant exposure to bodily fluids. 4. How and when should potential exposures be reported After receiving on-scene care, the patient was loaded in the and to whom? back of an ambulance. In the process of switching the oxy- gen line from the portable tank to the mainline truck supply, 5. How should our equipment and apparatus be decontami- the paramedic leaned over the patient. The patient had ex- nated? cessive blood in his airway and forcefully exhaled. The spraying blood splattered onto his face and lips, possibly into LEADING PRACTICES: There are things that can be done his mouth. He immediately began spitting onto the floor to to reduce the many risks EMS responders face during the reduce the chance of any exposure to his mucous mem- performance of their jobs. When dealing with a known sick branes. At the time, he was wearing eye and hand protection patient, it’s imperative that you use the proper level of pro- but was not wearing a mask. tection. You and your partner should check each other to ensure the PPE is properly worn and that susceptible areas The medic washed his face thoroughly, notified hospital staff of the body are and filled out an exposure report, and the source patient was protected. When tested. possible, place a mask over the pa- TAKE AWAYS: It is imperative that we avoid complacency tient and attempt to and treat every call as if there is the potential for exposure. cover bodily fluids One of the first steps you must do is to take BSI (body- with a disposable substance isolation) precautions. We all need to remember sheet or another to practice this when we are in the field. type of barrier to As we can see from this report, even a seemingly minor EMS further minimize call can rapidly deteriorate. The old saying, “An ounce of exposure. prevention is worth a pound of cure,” proves true when it Doffing your PPE is comes to these situations. If you’ve ever had to deal with an also a critical step. infectious-disease exposure report and follow-up, you won’t This is another time want to go through it again. when exposures DISCUSSION TOPICS can occur. Once again, it’s essential to use the buddy sys- tem to help in PPE removal to ensure you don’t contaminate 1. What steps can you take to reduce your risk of exposure yourself by touching contaminated clothing and equipment. Apparatus and equipment must not be placed back into ser- to bodily fluids and potential pathogens when rendering vice until they have been thoroughly cleaned and decontami- patient care? nated. 2. What is the proper way to remove and dispose of soiled

...summer is quickly coming to an end!

Last Safety Incidents: • 3/30/18: Ambulance was backed in to a bollard at Sta- tion 41. The accident occurred despite having a backer As of August 1st in place. 78 days without a safety incident • 4/23/18: Employee had his hand shut in the door of an ambulance. 25 days without a lost time injury • 5/15/18: Employee hit his head (We made it to 211 days without a loss time injury before the on brick wall resulting in a lac- string was broken) eration requiring 6 stiches. Last incidents: • 7/6/18: Employee injured his arm while moving a patient. He • 9/24/17: Twisted ankle stepping out of the ambulance— returned to light duty following no lost time. his return to duty approval. • 12/08/17: Employee injured back—picking up a box when felt a sharp pain in mid back area. Missed re- mainder of shift.

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 5

ON THE LINE What’s Happening Around the Department…

• The minutes from the July Staff meeting have been posted. site improvements, at the existing Pilot Travel Cen- The next scheduled meeting is August 9th and Lt. Birkett is ter. the scheduled facilitator. • “Waterford Creek South Plat 1” Final Plat (156th • The Station 43 project is out to bid. Bids are expected back Street and Waterford Road) Approved final lot and for an August 1st bid opening. If all goes well, it is anticipated easement configurations for 102 single-family de- that the bid will be awarded at the August 14th City Council tached lots and 55 single-family attached lots meeting with a ground breaking soon after. It is hoped that (townhomes), on 39 acres. we will be able to break ground the week the bid is awarded and that construction can begin immediately. The bid in- • “Northwest Corporate Park Plat 1” (NW Urbandale cludes a deadline of early September 2019 for the opening of Drive and Meredith Approved final lot and easement the new station. configurations for approximately 4.71 acres for two lots. • Our effort to raise funds for re-staining the monument bases and concrete in the Monte Burr Memorial Garden are going • “Radiant Point Townhomes Plat 1” (171st Street and very well. While we have yet to gain in profit, we have cov- Sharon Drive) Approved a site plan for construction ered all of the cost of the koozies and t-shirts. Anything we of 80 single family attached residences (townhomes) sell now is profit and will directly go towards that cost. on 10.66 acres. • “Shafer Property” Amendment (128th Street and • The department is planning to submit a Endow Urbandale Meredith Drive) Approved the rezoning of 74 acres grant application to help fund the cost of doing work within to allow approximately 54 acres of industrial land the Monte Burr Memorial Garden. We successfully applied for uses, approximately 15 acres of retail uses, and a grant in 2016 for smoke detectors. We will be pursing a approximately 5 acres of business park/flex uses. $2,000 grant this year. • Planning & Zoning have been busy. Since the last newsletter, • “Mallard Prairie Plat 2” Preliminary Plat and “Mallard they have approved the following items: Prairie Townhomes” (172nd Street and Hickory Drive) Approved site plan for construction of 58 sin- • The rezoning of 0.15 acre at 2500 128th Street gle-family attached residential lots. (Koalaty Time Child Care) to allow for expansion of an existing child care facility. Would also approve a • The FD budget preparation is in full swing. We are currently site plan for construction of a 1,685 square foot preparing the CIP and operating budget for submission this building addition for an existing child care facility. fall. • Job offers have been made for our open positions and we • Approved a site plan (Urgentcare Travel) for con- should have three new personnel starting in August. struction of a 957 square foot building, with related

Congratulations!

• Lt. Derek Manser & Casey on the arrival of their new probie. Avery Fern Manser ar- rived on July 27, 2018 @ 0041 hrs. She weighed in at 9 pounds and 5 ounces.

• Lt. Stuart Wilson on the completion of his Bachelor’s in Applied Science in Fire Science degree from Waldorf College.

• Jarod Bark on the completion of his Bachelor of Science Fire Administration from Columbia Southern University.

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 6

ON THE LINE Other programs/training/projects completed by UFD in July:

Training Report: 635 hours of training were completed in July Fire Training: 492 hours EMS Training: 143 hours Prevention & Inspection Activities:

• Completed 41 inspections

• Completed 38 re-inspections

• Completed 13 preplans

• Conducted 10 plan reviews

• Conducted public education/PR for 433 people (202 children & 231 adults)

• Replaced 9 smoke detector batteries

• Conducted 6 Car Seat checks

“Trivia” - Correct Answer, B (kind of) efforts to escape the fire by climbing a tree had been seri- ously burned. The crew rescued the bear, and he was The Real Story of Smokey [the] Bear flown to Santa Fe for treatment. Once healed, the cub, For more than 70 years, a friendly brown bear has been who had gained notoriety in , was gifted to the urging the American public to do their part to help prevent U.S. Forest Service as a symbol for the prevention forest fires. And yes, there actually was a bear cub named program. Nicknamed Smokey, the cub was flown to Wash- Smokey. But the history of Smokey the Bear has its roots ington D.C.’s National Zoo where he remained a popular during World War II. As the war progressed, the threat attraction until his death in 1976. from large in the western Unites States increased Over the years Smokey Bear has become one of the most as the number of wildland firefighters was greatly dimin- recognized characters in the U.S. Fire Service. His catch- ished and the fear of firebombs launched on balloons from phrase, “Only you can prevent forest fires” originated in Japan became real. The U.S. Forest Service decided to 1947. Each year, Smokey appeared on posters, stamps, develop a public service campaign to encourage people to printed ads, and in radio spots. In the 1970’s Smokey help reduce the incidence of fires started by people who made the jump to television with a series of public service carelessly discarded matches or failed to extinguish camp- ads. Ads featuring Smokey Bear and the devastation of fires. forest fires did make a difference and the number of fires The first “spokesperson” for the wildfire prevention cam- resulting from human causes actually decreased. paign was actually a deer. Disney’s movie “” had If you look up Smokey the been released in 1942, and the U.S. Forest Service was giv- Bear, you’ll quickly notice en permission to use Bambi and other woodland creatures that his official name is from the movie in their ad campaign. However, they only Smokey Bear, not Smokey had the rights to use the characters for one year and need- the Bear. Why the ed to develop their own character. Artist Albert Staehle change? There never was was commissioned to create and draw this new character one. The official campaign and Smokey Bear was born. The first posters in the fall was, and still is Smokey 1944 featured the bear in his ranger hat, extinguishing a Bear. The “the” was added campfire. The character quickly gained in popularity and as part of a tune in 1952, became a fixture in each year’s new release for the cam- and it stuck. paign. To find out more, visit: While the Smokey Bear campaign did come first, there was an actual Smokey Bear. In 1950 a wildfire burned in the https://smokeybear.com/en/ Captain Mountains of New Mexico. A fire crew was nearly smokeys-history? The original Smokey Bear image overrun by the fast-moving fire. After the fire passed, the decade=1940 from 1944. crew discovered a baby bear cub nearby who despite his

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 7

ON THE LINE “You’ve Been Caught Doing An Outstanding Job”

We continue to recognize your efforts. Whenever we receive a thank you letter, card or a phone call, we pass that along to the people involved in the form of a “You’ve Been Caught Doing An Outstanding Job” letter. As of July 31st, we have sent 124 notices to our personnel. The following people received “You’ve Been Caught” notices since our last newsletter:

Fire Marshal Jon Rech & Dave Wyner: We received a thank you note for a class that the Fire Marshal and Dave put on at the Urbandale High School for an incoming class of English language learner students. The card reads “Jon & Dave, Thank you for coming to the school and talking to the kids about fire prevention and safety. This is such valuable information for them and they really enjoyed meeting real firemen! Annie Jordan”

Matt Linge and Chad Jackson: At some point yesterday someone brought a pancake bake into the station. I found a card on it this morning and it says, “Matt-Chad-all Urbandale Fire, You helped us after being rear ended on May 19, and you saved so many last night. Thank you – Toni Hagar + Mike Bosze (Scott

Ross Budden, Andrew Klenk, D/E Ouverson, Bryce Landers, and Kyle Clark: We received a box of chocolates for both stations and a thank you card Jim & Dixie Rottinghause of 4615 76th Street. We responded to their home on July 2. The note reads “Thank you for all you do for our family and community. You are all so kind and special to us”

Lt. Wilson & Bryce Landers: We received a $40 donation following helping a home owner with a lock out. Eleanor Weder- quist – 4510 65th St.

Fire Marshal Rech: We received a thank you note for a tour conducted by FM Rech. The card reads “Thank you for the hospi- tality and kindness shown during our fire station visit. It meant a lot to the students. This experience truly opened their eyes to the public service field. We greatly appreciate your time and patience. We look forward to visiting again with other students next year. Student Connectedness Group

D/E Brennan Burke, Rob Zahnd, Matt Linge, Jeremy Rosenau & Coden Tennison: Those named received a thank you note from an EMT student who had done ride time: Thank you so much for the incredible ride time on Friday. You were all so welcoming, inclusive, and encouraging. Not only did I learn so much, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thanks again, and I hope our patch cross again soon. Nicole Poritier” Thanks to all of you for providing outstanding service!!

The Urbandale Fire Department Honor Guard and the Urbandale Police Department Honor Guard presented the colors to lead off this year’s July 4th Parade.

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 8

ON THE LINE Pictures from the July 4th Parade...

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 9

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · August 2018· 10