Nye County Emergency Services
Volume 2, Issue 2
Inside this issue:
Amargosa HazMat Operations 1 class Ambulances 2
Wildfires 3
Snakes 3 This picture depicts Shaun Gilliand and Shayne Smith packaging a vic- tim of a hazardous materials exposure. They have placed dual blankets Animal Control 3 on the ground and are packaging the victim to be removed to the con- A Word from Brent Jones 4 tamination reduction corridor for decontamination. The two firefighters use excellent technique to keep any potential contamination away from Contact information 4 the patient and themselves HazMat Operations class- Amargosa, February 2007
he Hazardous Material’s class con- sists of 20 hours of intense train- ing in defensive actions such as dam- ming, diking, diversion, retention, spill control, blanketing, foam and fire- fighting, overflow and underflow dams, decontamination, and remote valve shutoff. The students demonstrated all of these events on the last day of train- ing which culminated in using the newly acquired skills. Page 2 Nye County Emergency Services
This class is the second level of certification through the Nevada State Fire marshal’s of- fice in response to release of hazardous mate- rials. The next level is the technician Level which is a 40- hour course encompassing offensive measures. Steve Maison
In with the new “out with the old”
his week we placed into service three new ambulances. These ambulances will be utilized in the communities of Smoky Valley, Beatty, and Tonopah. These new ambulances are roomy, built to last, and this rotational replacement will help us to update our “floater” ambulances. It may not be goodbye for these 80’s vintage ambulances but we won’t be using them as primary county back-up vehi- cles. They have served us well and deserve a little R & R. As many of you know I am a little partial to these ambulances, they take me back, a little nostalgic journey. It is not yet clear what will become of them we are currently reviewing options.
Patty Winters Volume 2, Issue 2
Now is the time to protect your property 2. Look for bushes and ladder from a wildland fire. Early recognition fuels that surround your home: and preparation now makes it easier for Keep bushes well trimmed and wa- you than when it is hot and dry. Here tered. Groom the bushes so there is are some tips in making sure your home walking space between the bush clear defensible space around. If is safe: and the structure. In addition, this you have old chicken wire place it will make it easier to change over the piles to keep the winds 1. Check ground fuels: Light grasses clogged sprinkler heads and when and weeds are now emerging. Make from spreading your compost mate- it is time to paint the outside. sure they are removed from around rials. any structure, barn, or out-building. 3. Check for crown fuels: Up in the 5. Propane tank & Barbecue: Look They are easier to remove now than trees, crown fuels can ignite the roof around to make sure the weeds are when they turn brown. To make it of our home. Make sure the removed from around the tank & fun: Hook up an old stretch of fence branches are at least 30-feet away barbecue. with some bricks or heavy objects from the roof area of your home. Check your water hoses to see if to your quad or riding lawnmower Remove any dead limbs. 6. and knock down grasses while they they have been damaged by the sun 4. Keep your trimming piles of leaves, are small. It looks good and your during last summer or through the grass, and combustible materials neighbors will compliment you on winter months. Also, did you check separated from each other with your grading skills. your burn barrel? Have a safe and fun summer!! Snakes in Springtime Steve Maison
of a building where they are protected The weather is warming up and we are on one side. doing more outside work. The weather is agreeable to us and others, namely snakes. • Give all snakes a wide berth, 5-6 feet The desert has many varieties of snakes, to allow them to escape. mostly benign, the exception is the rattle- • The important thing to snake. The rattle snake populations in Nye County consist mainly of the Mojave rattle- remember when bitten: snake, Sidewinder, Speckled Rattlesnake 1. STAY CALM and the Great Basin Rattlesnake. Rattle snakes live in elevations from the sea level 2. Seek medical attention, and do not to 11,000 ft. from the desert valleys to the To avoid getting bit: delay. Mountains. 3. Do not waste time with home reme- The potential for running into a rattlesnake • The best protection for snake bites is dies, electric shock, cutting yourself prevention: Be aware of your sur- is low, but there are a few precautions that and do not use a tourniquet. can be taken to lessen the chance of being roundings, take care when moving piles of boards, rocks and firewood. 4. Elevate the wound and move towards bitten. Snakes are generally nocturnal, a hospital. hunting and feeding at night but may be • Wear high, sturdy boots. encountered in the day time sunning on a rock or shading up under a Creosote bush • Do not put your hands and feet where Remember: A good snake is one that is or sagebrush. Though uncommon, rattle- you cannot see. alive and well. Snakes provide humans snake bites do occur. Generally rattle- with tremendous service. They eat ro- • Avoid wandering around in the dark. snakes are not aggressive. They strike dents, insects and other reptiles, and in Step on rocks and logs, never over. when they are threatened or provoked. turn are eaten by other predators. 8,000 people are treated annually for • Always avoid walking through dense STAY SAFE snake bites in the US per the CDC. How- brush. ever rattlesnakes account for approx. 800 Jim Medici of those bites with only 1 or 2 being fatal. • Be careful stepping over the doorstep as snakes like to crawl along the edge FOR TRAINING INFORMATION: Contact Information Training Officer: Steve Maison: (775) 209-6861 Phone: (775) 751-6316 e-mail: [email protected] Fax: (775) 751-4280 E-mail: [email protected] EMS Training: [email protected] Patty Winters: (775) 482-7244
e-mail: [email protected] New Hire Safety Trainings and Site Spe- Animal Control; cific Trainings: Jim Medici: (775) 209-0861 www.nyecountyemergencyservices.net 171 N. Kitty Hawk Dr Pahrump, NV 89060 e-mail: [email protected] (775) 751-6315
Director: Brent Jones Mailing address: Phone:(775) 751-4278 250 N.Hwy 160 Ste.7 Pahrump, NV 89060 [email protected]
The U.S fire Administration (USFA) announced that in residential buildings , operational defi- ciency, including “failure to clean”, is the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires followed by mechanical malfunction and electrical failure. Remember to clean out the lint filter after each use and also check around the vent for lint build up behind the dryer.
A Word from Brent Jones—Director
he new 500 gallon water trailers are s we going into the spring and A New Smoky Valley Water Tender is T summer months I continue to just about ready to roll off the assembly being delivered as I write this note. be impressed by all of the dedicated vol- room floor. We anticipate having the new Crystal, Ione, Pahrump, and Nye Station unteers who stand fast, ready do what is truck in Smoky Valley by the end of May. 51 will be glad to see their arrival just needed throughout this great County. This new Water Tender will be a definite prior to wildland fire season beginning. The three new ambulances are now in asset for that part of the County. Thanks again to everyone throughout the service in Smoky Valley, Beatty and county who makes what we do possible Tonopah. I hope that those three agencies on a daily basis. he new Emergency Services facility in are as proud of these new pieces of T apparatus as I am. Pahrump is slowing making its way to- If anyone has any questions, concerns wards completion. We joke around the and/or comments please feel office that in "two weeks" it will be free to give me a call and/or e-mail me at completed. Realistically sometime mid your convenience. and/or late summer will probably be when we can finally move into that new location, and what a difference it will Brent make!