Get to Know a Firefighter - Capt. Mike Friley

Most people will go their entire life and never get a chance to actually meet a firefighter. If they do get to, it's usually during an emergency and they don't really get to know them.

In this edition of "Get to Know a Firefighter" we introduce Captain Mike Friley. As always, our goal is to let you see into our world in the hopes that you realize we are just ordinary men and women doing an extraordinary job.

 

DISPATCH: What is your name?

MIKE: Mike Friley.

DISPATCH: Where are you from?

MIKE: Florida.

DISPATCH: How long have you been a firefighter?

MIKE: Since 1994.

DISPATCH: How long have you worked for the City of Oak Ridge?

MIKE: 12 years.

DISPATCH: Were you a firefighter before you came to work for ORFD?

MIKE: Yes. At Rural Metro Fire Department.

DISPATCH: Are you married?

MIKE: Yes, to Joy.

DISPATCH: Do you have any children? 

MIKE: Yes. We have 2.

DISPATCH: How old are they?

MIKE: Hannah is 15 and Jonah is 11.

DISPATCH: What was your job before you became a firefighter?

MIKE: I was a Paramedic for Anderson County Ambulance Service. Before that I was a deckhand and bouncer on the Knoxville Riverboat for college parties. It's hard to throw someone out of a bar when it's in the middle of the river.

DISPATCH: Why did you want to become a firefighter?

MIKE: It seemed like a challenging job where every day would be something different. That has definitely held true.

DISPATCH: What is your favorite thing about being a firefighter?

MIKE: Definitely, the other firefighters. Firefighting is a team effort. Without each other, we can't accomplish a thing. I have also found firefighters to be some of the most resourceful people I've ever met and most of them love their job.

DISPATCH: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

MIKE: I once won an essay contest at Fulton High School writing about Black History month. My English teacher had to come get me out of in-school suspension to accept the award. Ironically, I was there because I had skipped her class.

 

Capt. Mike Friley

 

Get to Know a Firefighter - FFE Duane Chase

Most people will go their entire life and never get a chance to actually meet a firefighter. If they do get to, it's usually during an emergency and they don't really get to know them.

The ORFD Dispatch is happy to introduce something we call "Get to Know a Firefighter". Periodically, we'll introduce you to one of Oak Ridge's Bravest. Our goal is to let you see into our world in the hopes that you realize we are just ordinary men and women doing an extraordinary job.

DISPATCH: What is your name?

DUANE: Duane Chase.

DISPATCH: Where are you from?

DUANE: Oak Ridge.

DISPATCH: How long have you been a firefighter?

DUANE: 17 yrs.

DISPATCH: How long have you worked for the City of Oak Ridge?

DUANE: 2 yrs.      

DISPATCH: Where you a firefighter before you came to work for ORFD?

DUANE: Yes 1.5 yrs. at Clinton Fire Department and I’ve been a volunteer at Marlow Fire Department since June of 1994.

DISPATCH: Are you married?

DUANE: Yes to Melissa.

DISPATCH: Do you have any children? How many?

DUANE: Yes. We have 2.

DISPATCH: How old are they?

DUANE: Allyson is 14 and Caden is 8.

DISPATCH: What was your job before you became a firefighter?

DUANE: I worked in a tire factory in Clinton.

DISPATCH: Why did you want to become a firefighter?

DUANE: My best friend talked me into volunteering and I have been hooked ever since. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

DISPATCH: What is your favorite thing about being a firefighter?

DUANE: It’s really hard to put my finger on a specific thing. Everything about the fire service, that’s my favorite thing.

DISPATCH: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

DUANE: As a child, becoming a firefighter was never my dream. My grandfather owned and operated an excavating service and for as long as I can remember all I wanted to do was drive a dump truck or operate a piece of equipment so that I could be just like him.

Firefighter Engineer Duane Chase

ORFD Buys New Sparky Costume

Recently the Oak Ridge Fire Department purchased a new Sparky the Fire Dog costume.  The costume is used by members of the department to teach children fire safety lessons.

The cost of the new costume was equally split by the City of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Firefighters Association.

If you are interested in more information about the Oak Ridge Fire Department's Public Fire Education program, contact Josh Waldo at 865-425-3520 or email him a jwaldo@cortn.org.

ORFD Members Receive New Certifications

On November 4^th, several members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department successfully passed examinations through the Tennessee Commission on Fire Fighting and received new certifications. 

Congratulations to each of these firefighters for working hard to improve themselves. 

Aerial Apparatus Driver / Operator

Brock Stooksbury

Tom Hill

Fire Fighter II

Joey Smith

Duane Chase

Seth Burnett

Haz-mat Awareness

Chad Ward

Amy Rousey

Kenny Spratling

Haz-mat Operations

Adam Daugherty

Kevin Brown

Craig Humphrey

Amy Rousey

Yield to Emergency Vehicles

Firefighters run into burning buildings while everyone else is running out.  Police officers often deal with desperate criminals intent on escaping.  EMT's and Paramedics routinely find themselves climbing through glass and debris to get into wrecked vehicles to take care of patients.  Ask any of them what is the most dangerous thing they are called to do every day they are at work and you will most likely hear them say, "responding to the call".

The RAND Corporation released a report in 2004 that showed vehicle accidents and/or being struck by a vehicle was the third leading cause of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters and the second leading cause of deaths for police officers and EMS workers.  Read the report here!




















What does that mean to you?  Every rookie firefighter, police officer and EMS worker is told over and over and over again, "If you don't get to the scene safely, you can't do anything to help".  That is something every driver on the road needs to keep in mind, too.  When you see an emergency vehicle approaching with its lights and siren on, yield the right-of-way and immediately drive to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection, and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed, except when otherwise directed by a police officer.

Like most states, Tennessee has a "Move Over Law" which reads, in part:  Upon approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle, when such vehicle is giving a signal by use of flashing lights, a person who drives an approaching vehicle shall:

1. Proceeding with due caution, yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the authorized emergency vehicle, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, if on a highway having at least four (4) lanes with not less than two (2) lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle; or
2. Proceeding with due caution, reduce the speed of the vehicle, maintaining a safe speed for road conditions, if changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe.

In simple terms: if you see a fire engine, police car or ambulance sitting on the side of the road, safely change lanes so you don't drive in the lane right next to them if that's possible.  If that is not an option, slow down and keep an eye out for the emergency workers.  The chances are pretty good they are busy working to help someone and they may not be able to take their attention away from whatever it is they are working on. 

Bottom line: help those that risk their lives to help others by keeping your attention focused on the roadway and not whatever it is the emergency workers are doing.

If you would like to read the State of Tennessee's "Move Over Law", you can do so by clicking here.

NHTSA Statement on the Possibility of Post-Crash Fires in the Chevy Volt

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued this statement announcing the opening of a formal safety defect investigation to assess the risk of fire in Chevy Volts that were involved in a serious crash.  Here is a link to the press release:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2011/Statement+of+the+National+Highway+Traffic+Safety+Administration+On+Formal+Safety+Defect+Investigation+of+Post-Crash+Fire+Risk+in+Chevy+Volts

Below is a partial copy of the text in the press release with the section highlighted about the risk of a possible fire:

"NHTSA is not aware of any roadway crashes that have resulted in battery-related fires in Chevy Volts or other vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries. However, the agency is concerned that damage to the Volt's batteries as part of three tests that are explicitly designed to replicate real-world crash scenarios have resulted in fire. NHTSA is therefore opening a safety defect investigation of Chevy Volts, which could experience a battery-related fire following a crash. Chevy Volt owners whose vehicles have not been in a serious crash do not have reason for concern."

As the text says, the NHTSA is not aware of any roadway crashes that have resulted in a fire, so this is being sent out FYI for safety awareness should you or your department encounter an MVC involving a Chevy Volt.

ORFD welcomes two new firefighters

Congratulations to Amy Rousey and Kenny Spratling.  They graduated from the ten-week fire recruit class at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle, TN on November 18, 2011. 

This ten-week program is designed to take the student from pre-service entry level to Firefighter I and covers all aspects of firefighting based on NFPA 1001: Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, with the exception of emergency medical training.  The students participate in classroom instruction, nighttime response exercises and practical skills training including “live” fire scenarios.  At the end of the last week, eligible students take the Tennessee Commission on Firefighting Personnel and Standard Education certification exam for Firefighter I.

Firefighter Trainee (FFT) Rousey has been assigned to Engine Company 4A and FFT Spratling has been assigned to Engine Company 2B.