SpencerWeb, Author at Central County Fire & Rescue

Captain Doug Raines Recognized as one of the 2017 Beyond the Best

Posted on November 7, 2017

How can I help? For more than 20 years Captain Doug Raines has asked that question and made a lasting impact on our community. In October 2017 he was honored for his efforts, being named one of the 2017 Beyond the Best, which recognizes 50 top local business and community members.

Raines’ ongoing commitment to the community goes beyond being an emergency responder. Nearly 20 years ago he established the first Child Safety Seat Program in St. Charles County through CCFR. This program eventually transformed into the St. Charles County Safe-Kids Coalition. He took the initiative to apply for and receive multiple grants that enabled the purchase and distribution of free child safety seats and bike helmets throughout the community. The coalition continued to grow taking in Lincoln and Warren counties.

In 2000, he initiated the annual effort to adopt a local family for the holidays providing food, gifts and other necessities that were needed. Not only did he raise the funds, but also personally shopped and prepared the items for delivery to each of the families. After many years of his effort, the program eventually evolved into the Central County Community Outreach Program, which has gone on to raise money and provide support to community organizations and local residents in need.

In 2012, after a CCFR firefighter was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the young age of 28, he began working with the local MS society to help find a cure. The first step was a 24-hour walk-a-thon in front of the fire station #1 that raised more than $26,000. In 2015, he was named the St. Charles Walk Coordinator for the St. Louis MS Society hosting the annual MS Walk at Ft. Zumwalt East High School.

Most recently, he built a partnership with the St. Charles County Library District to become a sight for the Little Library Program. He built and installed the Little Library at CCFR Station #3 on Willott Road in St. Peters.

Outside of organizing fundraising events and developing safety programs, Raines has often been seen helping out with random acts of kindness – proving groceries for those in need, helping stranded motorists or lending a hand to someone in need.

“Doug never looks for acknowledgment but is quick to praise and honor others for their efforts. His constant desire to help those in need has been the benchmark within the CCFR family for which we strive to achieve each and every day,” says Chief Dan Aubuchon.

Fire Prevention Month 2017

Posted on

October is Fire Prevention Month. This year’s theme — “Every second counts: Plan two ways out!” — reinforces why everyone needs to have an escape plan in place.

In a fire, seconds count. Seconds can mean the difference between residents of our community escaping safely from a fire or having their lives end in tragedy.

Draw a map of your home, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
Close doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

For more tips, visit nfpa.org. http://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Campaigns/Fire-Prevention-Week

For Sale Vehicle Information

Posted on

Central County Fire & Rescue is offering the following vehicle by sealed bid.

ALL VEHICLES SOLD AS IS

Vehicle #1

2000 Ford F-150 Pickup
White
VIN.# lFTRXl 7W5YKB22467
Mileage 105,771
AM/FM/ CD PIS, P/W, P/L, A/C, Tilt Wheel, Extended Cab,
Vehicle includes camper shell

Vehicle #2

2000 Ford Excursion 4X4
White
VIN.# 1FMNU41S6YED17535
Mileage 130,114
AM/FM/CD, PIS, P/W, P/L, A/C, Tilt Wheel, Cruise, P/mirrors

Vehicle #3

2010 Chevy Suburban 4X4
Red
VIN.# 1GNZKLEG5AR138257
Mileage 111,236
AM/FM/CD, P/S, P/W, P/L, A/Cl Tilt Wheel, Cruise, P/Seat, P/mirrors, Trailer Package

Availability

Units will be made available upon receipt of payment.

General Conditions of the Sale:

The vehicles listed above will be sold as is by sealed bid.
Vehicles are available for inspection at CCFR Station 4,1259 Cave Springs Blvd. St. Peters MO. by appointment only.
Call 636-262-9504 Asst. Chief Brian Ochs for an appointment.
All bids must be submitted on this bid form (print and complete the information on this page).
THE VEHICLE WILL BE AWARDED TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER ! ! !
Bids shall be sealed and clearly marked “Used Vehicle Bid”

Bids will be accepted until 3 p.m. on September 29, 2017, at the Central County Fire & Rescue Headquarters located at 1220 Cave Springs Blvd., St. Peters, MO, 63376.

The bid opening will be at 8 a.m. on October 10, 2017, at Central County Fire & Rescue Headquarters, 1220 Cave Springs Blvd. St. Peters, MO. 63376. The District reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any and all technicalities and to award the bid to the best bidder.

Upon notification of award of the bid, the successful bidder will be required to post a deposit equal to 10% of the total bid amount within 48 hours of the awarding of the bid. The deposit shall be held in escrow until the successful bidder takes delivery of the vehicle at which time the balance of the bid will be payable in full.

Bidder Information

Name:

Address:

Phone Number:

Vehicle You Are Bidding On:

Bid Amount:

Trivia Night

Posted on

Join us Oct. 27 for our 7th annual trivia night!

All proceeds will benefit the St. Peters Senior Center Home Delivered Meals program. Tickets are $25 per person or $200 for a table of eight. Complimentary soda and beer will be provided; guests are welcome to bring food and decorations for their table.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and 10 rounds of trivia will begin at 7 p.m.

Mail checks to Assistant Chief Steve Brown at 1220 Cave Springs Blvd., St. Peters, MO 63376. Checks should be made out to “Central County Community Outreach.”

Questions? Call 636.970.9700!

Free Bike Helmet Fittings

Posted on

Get properly fitted for a bike helmet at Siteman Cancer Center’s “A Day of Play.”

Central County Fire & Rescue will be at the event offering complimentary bike helmet fittings. Helmets will also be available for a suggested $5 donation to Central County Community Outreach.

Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Siteman Cancer Center

at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital

150 Entrance Way, St. Peters, MO 63376

Eclipse Safety 2017

Posted on November 3, 2017

No one wants to miss out on Aug. 21’s total solar eclipse. Here are some CCFR-approved tips to make sure you and your family are able to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event safely!

Viewing the Eclipse

The most-often given piece of eclipse safety advice — don’t look directly at it — can’t be given often enough. Looking directly at a solar eclipse can result in permanent vision loss.

Instead, viewers should wear an approved pair of solar viewers, purchased from a reputable manufacturer and featuring an ISO 12312-2 certification. Eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses and block out all other light. Keep a close eye on curious kids, who might be tempted to take their glasses off, or keep them indoors until the two or so minutes of totality, when it is safe to view the eclipse without solar viewers. Not everyone in St. Louis is in the path of totality; click here for NASA’s map to determine where your location falls in the path.

Driving During the Eclipse

Parts of the St. Louis area will see a total eclipse, while others will see a partial eclipse. Tourists are already flocking to towns in the path of totality and traffic is expected to be a major issue in the area. If you are planning to drive somewhere to view the eclipse, give yourself plenty of time to get there and make sure you keep these recommendations from the Department of Transportation in mind if you end up behind the wheel during the event:

Do not stop or park on the side of the highway. Not only is it a traffic violation for motorists to stop on a highway unless they’re experiencing an emergency, it increases the likelihood of an accident.
Do not take your eyes off the road to view the eclipse or use cellphones or cameras while driving to photograph the eclipse.
Do not wear eclipse safety glasses while driving. The glasses filter out most visible light, essentially blinding motorists.
Those living or staying inside or near the path of totality should avoid unnecessary road travel on Monday due to the increased volume.
If you’re behind the wheel when the sun is entirely or mostly blocked, turn on your headlights.
Depending on your location, when the eclipse appears will vary. Plan travel accordingly if possible.

Meet the Inspectors

Posted on

Fire inspectors play a crucial role in protecting both people and property from potentially catastrophic fires. At Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR), newly promoted inspectors Brian Butts and Pete Jordan work tirelessly in the field to search for fire hazards in the St. Peters community.

A day in the life of a CCFR fire inspector includes examining public buildings to ensure that local, state and federal fire codes are being met. They also perform annual safety inspections, test equipment and oversee fire drills at local schools, among other things.

“Our main goal is for everyone to be safe,” Jordan says. “Providing our residents with the tools they need for fire prevention — through inspections, permits and community education — is one of the district’s most important roles.”

Butts agrees.

“Firefighting is reactive, but inspectors are more of a proactive way of keeping our citizens safe,” Butts says. “I find that inspections can be a good reminder to our businesses of the safe practices we should be doing to prevent fires and accidents.”

Both Butts and Jordan say their experience as firefighters in the district — Butts since 1986 and Jordan since 1999 — give them insight into the worst types of emergencies and accidents CCFR’s crews respond to, and which ones might have been avoided with a greater focus on fire prevention.

Fire inspectors follow a nationally recognized code and while many of the items they look for may seem like common sense, they are often things that are easy for someone to overlook when they’re busy running a business.

“The biggest misconception I feel is that businesses sometimes feel safety inspections are an intrusion,” Butts says, adding that an inspector’s role is to ensure safety in public places where people are at the mercy of the building’s owner. “The codes we follow were all developed unfortunately as a result of a catastrophic loss of life or property. Our job is prevent such a loss from happening in our community.”

After all, St. Peters isn’t just where they work.

“I have seen this area grow up from gravel roads and have been fortunate enough to see most of this area being built,” Butts says “Having a sense of its history and being part of this community for such a long time, it is home.”

Ask The Chief: Why do I see fire trucks at the grocery store?

Posted on

CCFR firefighters are on-duty 24-hours a day, seven days a week, always ready to respond to a call, even when they are at the grocery store.

Each crew of firefighters stays together throughout their entire 48-hour shift to ensure they can respond to an emergency, with the proper equipment, from any location within minutes. This is why you may have seen firefighters leaving their carts and running out of grocery stores. When they receive a call, they leave immediately and come back later to finish their grocery shopping.

There are also benefits to our crews eating and preparing meals together. A 2015 Cornell University study found that “Firefighter platoons who eat meals together have better group job performance compared with firefighter teams who dine solo.”

Because of the importance of building this camaraderie we require our crews to eat at least two meals per shift together. This gives the firefighters an opportunity to discuss the calls they have run, share emotions and build bonds that directly correlate to effective teamwork in an emergency situation.

Being out in the community also gives us a chance to meet with residents and get to know the people in our neighborhoods, which makes us better first responders. If you see us out and about stop and say hi. We’re always happy to answer questions, give kids a chance to see the fire truck up close or hear what’s happening around town.

Have other questions about CCFR or the fire service? Let us know by sending us a message on Facebook @CentralCountyFire or emailing Garyd@ccfrmail.org.

CCFR Community Outreach Mud Volleyball

Posted on

On July 8, join CCFR Community Outreach for its second annual Mud Volleyball Tournament.

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 8, 2017

WHERE: 10100 Ecology Dr., St. Peters, MO 63376

WHAT: A fun fundraiser for the Disabled Athlete Sports Association in St. Peters and the continued efforts of CCFR’s Community Outreach program. Featuring more than 70 teams playing on six courts while enjoying BBQ, beer and specialty drinks — all for a great cause! First and second place teams will win a cash prize.

Register a team of six (min. 2 female players per team) for $150; each team will play a guaranteed three games in first round-robin open bracket. Each team will receive six drink tickets — no outside alcohol will be permitted.

Click here for more information and to register your team.

30-Year Old Smoke Alarms Fail To Work In Sunday House Fire

Posted on

Family Awoke To Smell Of Smoke, Safely Evacuated

At nearly 4 a.m. on Sunday, May 28 a St. Peters family awoke to the smell of smoke coming from their basement. After the mother, father and daughter exited their bedrooms the father discovered a haze on their first level and a finished basement full of smoke.

“Thankfully, the family was able to safely leave the home and call 911,” says CCFR (Central County Fire & Rescue) Chief Dan Aubuchon. “When our crews arrived at the home in the 500 block of Pioneer Dr. they found a small fire under a built-in fish tank in the basement. They also found that that the family had smoke alarms on every level of the home. None of them were working.”

Smoke alarms expire after ten years. “This family’s home was built thirty years ago, and still had the original detectors. Smoke alarms must be replaced every ten years, and the batteries need to be replaced every six months. This family is very fortunate in two ways – it was a small fire, and they awoke to the smell of the smoke. If one of these two aspects had been different the outcome could have been drastically different,” says Aubuchon.

CCFR offers complimentary smoke alarms, equipment checks, and battery replacements. Residents can call 636.970.9700 to schedule an appointment.

“If your smoke alarms were installed before 2007 they need to be replaced. If you aren’t sure which kind to purchase, can’t reach them to change the batteries or need any other help with your smoke alarms, please give us a call, we are here to help and prevent another incident like the one we experienced this weekend,” says Aubuchon.