Become a Volunteer Firefighter.
The men and women of the New Canaan Fire Company are proud to serve the community, and we are seeking new members.
As a volunteer firefighter, on day one you’re encouraged to ride out on a rig. But many of our members continue to serve for years. We are close community, joined by the joy of helping out our neighbors and the passion for constantly learning.
If you are interested in learning more about volunteering, you can email recruits@newcanaanfire.com, and we’ll be happy to share more.
Highlights from our company Drill last week, training on power tools and forcible entry.
Thanks Mikey for the great video!
Portrait of a Firefighter
@silvaaanaaaa is one of our members taking the Firefighter 1 course. Last night, they trained on putting out car fires. They used a car fire prop, a metal model of a car equipped with gas burners to create the flames.
We’re proud of Silvana and the other four New Canaan firefighters who are close to wrapping up their first firefighter training course and graduating from their probationary period.
Photo credit to @freezy_babyy
Another great reel from our Firefighter 1 training class. Practicing SCBA usage, controlling fire sprinkler systems, and practicing “bowling” with fire houses.
Reach out to recruits@newcanaanfire.com to join.
Thanks again Mikey!
Sparks were flying at Thursday’s drill.
We covered forcible entry of commercial spaces, with two stations: using tools to gain entry into a locked door, and using a K12 rotary saws to create an opening in a locked garage door.
Of course, we’d only use these tactics when absolutely necessary.
More action from our Firefighter 1 course.
Interested in learning about volunteering? Email recruits@newcanaanfire.com.
Another great video from Mikey!
Scenes from our Firefighter 1 course.
Several of our members are enrolled in this course, and when they pass they can shortly afterwards swap out their yellow helmet for a “black lid”, officially marking the end of their probationary period and beginning of their service as a full New Canaan firefighter.
h/t to Mikey for making the awesome video.
Warning: Train service in New Canaan is suspended this morning. Busses will be set up, but it will take time.
This morning, a Metro North Train failed to stop, and exceeded the end of the line by about 20 feet. One patient was transported by @newcanaanems. All other passengers and crew safely disembarked.
This week, Eversource came in to do a training on natural gas incident response, since natural gas is relatively new to New Canaan. We covered pipeline infrastructure, common problem, and how to safely respond. But the highlight was the demo of natural gas behavior, Bill Nye the Science Guy style. We were blown away (not literally).
Remember to call 811 before you dig to avoid accidentally hitting a pipe. And after a snowstorm, clear the snow from your meter, and any exhaust/intake pipes, so the gas keeps flowing as it should!
h/t to Mikey for the awesome montage.
At “probie drill” (eg training for our new members) we practiced properly tying knots around tools, in case they need to be carried up to a roof during an emergency.
We practiced on hoses, pike poles, chainsaws, ladders, halligans and axes.
Fun to “learn the ropes” with our great group of new firefighters.
Amazing article in @newcanaanite about the Fire Company’s recruiting last year (the best in recent memory) and a few of our awesome new members. Check it out! (www.newcanaanite.com or google New Canaanite to find it).
Usually our drills are very active and hands on. But in mid-Jan, if we did any drills involving water, we’d make a skating rink.
So our drill this week was a discussion of the Metro North train system, and how to handle emergencies on or around trains/train tracks, led by @mtametronorth Asst Fire Chief (and in conjunction with @newcanaanpolice ).
We all found the discussion both useful and fascinating. We’ve all ridden Metro North probably dozens or hundreds of time, but there are a whole lot of safety features to learn about that are easy to miss.
And remember folks: New Canaan has several railroad crossings, and you should never enter the crossing if the lights are flashing. We talked about incidents where people try to save seconds by entering when the lights are flashing (maybe trying to beat the gates) but end up stuck. Even with the emergency brakes pulled, trains can require up to half a mile to fully stop.
New Canaan Fire Company No. 1.
Photo taken just before drill tonight.
Proud to serve the community.
New Website!
We totally revamped our website, with a new cleaner design and new content. Hopefully it will be much easier for the community to find information on fire safety, volunteering, our department assets, and more.
Enjoy! And post in comments if there is any content you’d love to see.
www.newcanaanfire.com
Clickable link in bio.
To finish up the fire company highlights of 2022…
The picture shows our front row seats to Waveny Park 4th of July fireworks, where we had around 20 firefighters on hand for safety and set-up.
This was a banner year for recruiting for the fire company. Our best recruiting year since 2016, 11 new firefighters joined the ranks. The class of 2022 includes 3 women, ranges in age from early 20s to mid 50s, and includes a wide range of professions and backgrounds (students, attorneys, automotive professionals, veterans, financial services professionals, medical professionals, retail, etc.).
The big group of recruits makes this a terrific time to join. With those numbers, we’re able to host more of our training in New Canaan, and are able to offer a greater variety of training. Plus, it’s more fun to learn the ropes (literally) with peers and friends.
For more info, email recruits@newcanaanfire.com.
And with all our new crop of members, we need to pay for additional gear, training sessions and more. Consider donating here https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1371276 (link also in bio)
Continuing on with the biggest events in 2022…
At 4:48am on Jan 24, we were dispatched to Silvermine Road to a barn on fire. By the time we got sent over, the barn was already fully involved with fire, and couldn’t be saved. We began a defensive operation to put out the fire and protect nearby exposures. Luckily, no one was injured, and all the horses were safe.
New Canaan has six career firefighters on duty all the time, but to effective fight a structure fire, we could use 30 people or more. That’s why we need volunteers to answer the 4am call and serve the community. If you’d like to learn more, email recruits@newcanaanfire.com.
Next up in New Canaan Fire Company highlights of 2022…
Vehicle stabilization and extrication training. We put a mannequin (simulating a passenger) into a donated vehicle, and rolled it over. We then practiced stabilizing the vehicle using the yellow Res-Q-Jacks and practiced safely removing the passenger from the car. We partnered with @newcanaanems for this drill, just like we would at the scene of a car accident.
Don’t worry - our mannequin made it out just fine!
As 2022 winds to a close, we’re going to share some of the highlights of the year for New Canaan’s volunteer Fire Company.
This summer, we did a hazmat (hazardous materials) drill, simulating a chemical leak. We practiced putting on hazmat suits, then setting up multiple specialized decon (decontamination) stations to clean off first responders while catching the water so the chemical doesn’t spread any more. We then practiced properly removing hazmat suits to minimize the likelihood of contact with any remaining hazard.
Interested in getting involved or supporting your volunteer fire company? Click on our profile for the link!
A perfect day for our annual live burn training!
