Mark Your Calendar!
Send additions, corrections, etc. to Wayne


January 2011

Jan 6 (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Jan ??: Reprogramming Day: Radios will be reprogrammed for the narrow band mandate. This was supposed to have happened in December, but has been delayed. The details on when the Day (and Makeup Day) will occur, and how, have not been given out. Be sure your radio is accessible to Ed, Wayne, or Lisa if you're going out of town.

Jan 13 (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday training was canceled due to continued snow and ice. We were prepared to respond to a page, but no sense in tempting fate just for training.

Jan 18: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Jan 20: (Thu 6:30pm): First training of the year (last week canceled because of snow). We took out all the BAs, topped off cylinders, checked BAs for batteries. Half were low, two had corrosion problems (one will have to be rebuilt), three or four had stripped screws so we won’t know about them until later. We have five functional (plus one never opened) BAs. At least two will remain unusable until packs are rebuilt/replaced. Ran trucks 1 hour, checked emergency lights. Note: compressor line did not pop off pumper automatically. Decided this was because power went out early this morning and compressor requires resetting. It therefore did not keep the line pressurized, and it could not pop off.

Jan 27: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Finished reloading batteries into the SCBA packs with stripped screws. Old compressor failed so Ed had purchased new DeWalt which we installed and got going tonight. Took batteries out of knocker for replacement – Jon will pick up.


February 2011

Feb 3: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Feb ??: Reprogramming Day: Radios will be reprogrammed for the narrow band mandate. This was supposed to have happened in December, but has been delayed. The details on when the Day (and Makeup Day) will occur, and how, have not been given out. Be sure your radio is accessible to Ed, Wayne, or Lisa if you're going out of town.

Feb 10: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday training. Any interested are welcome to come by and observe. Checked over pumper for wig-wag, searchlight, and worklight repairs. Jon installed new batteries in knocker, conferred with Jim about fuel additives instead of draining the knocker gas tank before starting. Discussed pumper bay doors and a more secure way of locking doors open and shut. Glenn general cleanup and recycling of accumulated trash.

Feb 15: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Feb 17: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. Ed had added cleaner to old knocker fuel, started up and eventually ran for fifteen minutes – no sign of problems.

Feb 24: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Glenn brought newly arrived battery packs and we installed these and boxed the last three BAs. Not on trucks.


March 2011

Mar 3: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Mar ??: Reprogramming Day: Radios will be reprogrammed for the narrow band mandate. This was supposed to have happened in December, but has been delayed. The details on when the Day (and Makeup Day) will occur, and how, have not been given out. Be sure your radio is accessible to Ed, Wayne, or Lisa if you're going out of town. NOTE: DIDN'T HAPPEN, postponed until some time in April.

Mar 10: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday training. This will be at Oconee County Fire Department Station #1, 7580 Macon Highway in Watkinsville. The training topic will be Fireground Operations. Summary: Fireground Operations training at Oconee County Fire Department Station #1. Classroom setting with review of ICS fireground ops terms divisions (floors), sectors (alpha, bravo, etc), and functional groups (attack, ric, etc). Scenario presentation. Emphasis on accountability and systems to enforce: colored cones and tags system, pump operator system, etc. This was intro for what is planned to be a 2-3 year ongoing series covering 1)Team Leader, 2) Safety Officer, and 3)scenario-based fireground ops. Presentation given by Marc Freeman (Clarke County FD and OCFD) and JW Thaxton (Gwinnett County/OCFDvol).

Mar 15: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Mar 17: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. Charged portable lighting system and thermal imager. Pumper and tanker out, nursing operations set up and execution. All cycled through, but not timed. Note that left backup light on tanker is out, and pumper is now at ¼ fuel level.

Mar 18-19: Special training by registration, 2661 Hog Mountain Road, Oconee County Civic Center. Ed and Wayne have registered - contact Ed if interested. Summary: Special 1.5-day Training with Oconee County FD, at OC Civics Center. Attached, Beyond Hoses and Helmets. Leadership; Recruitment and Retention, Team Building, Marketing, Problem Solving, Conflict Resolution.

Mar 24: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Short training – just touched base on remaining training for Mar 31, plans for reprogramming day, schedules.

Mar 25-27: Friday through Sunday, Firefighter Weekend at GPSTC in Forsyth, Georgia. Currently no one has firm plans to go this year. Contact Ed if interested. Summary: No one was interested - or rather, there was so much training in March that folks just wanted a free weekend.

Mar 31: (Thu 6:30pm): Fifth Thursday training. This will be a combination Pipeline Class and fish fry with Oconee County Fire Department, Station 1 at 7580 Macon Highway in Watkinsville. Summary: Transco/Williams pipeline class at Oconee Station #1. Reps gave details on natural gas construction, emergencies, and route through west Oconee and Clarke counties. Fish fry afterwards.


April 2011

Apr 7: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Apr 8: (after 1pm and ongoing): Reprogramming Day, the Ongoing Saga: Radios will be reprogrammed for the narrow band mandate.

Apr 14: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday training. Outfitted Charleen with turnout gear and BA for FF One course beginning next week. Ed took her through a couple of rounds of donning gear and using BA and face mask. We went through old and new radios and pagers after previous Friday’s reprogramming. New pagers and radios are in safe.

Apr 19: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Apr 21: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. Determined channel use on both radios and on truck radios. Programming has been done inconsistently for truck radios. CP200s are largely different from before. HT750s are largely the same as before.

Apr 28: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Mostly discussion of pager problems in general, and during Thursday AM tornado warning and alert from dispatch. Pagers not triggering all the time. Conducted pager test from Central, all pagers triggered ok.


May 2011

May 5: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

May 12: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday training. Removed crosslays from pumper bed and swept the clay off that accumulated from the 108 Wilson Rd fire. Charleen and Fred stopped by, and we replaced items that needed size adjustment. Charleen needed a tour of the first out, so we went over the pumper and all the equipment on it.

May 17: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

May 19: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. Checked pumper running and emergency lights. Washed pumper. Fueled up tanker (24 gallons at just a little over half full).

May 26: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Canceled due to severe storms/tornado watch.


June 2011

Jun 2: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting. We also met for an hour after the business meeting. This was actually an impromptu discussion after the general business meeting. We went over the brush fire at 111 Black Snake Road, using handouts and going over questions involving strategy and tactics. This counts as training.

Jun 9: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday training. We went over the brush fire at 111 Black Snake Road, using handouts and going over questions involving strategy and tactics. Since Lisa was present, we also went over communications between Central and firefighters, and with Forestry. We addressed recent problems with radios and pagers, with some solutions. We discussed the Forestry 50/50 grant due June 30, and determined that a chainsaw is a good purchase to propose.

Jun 16: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. Discussed severe weather events of Wednesday night. Pulled out knocker and stripped her of WFD tools and equipment, preparatory to pickup by Forestry.

Jun 21: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Jun 23: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Had planned to possibly wash tanker, but Tim Woodsides, on recommendation from Josh Adams, dropped by and we spent a couple of hours going over station, training, and VFD basics. Contact information exchanged and forwarded to Ed.

Jun 30: (Thu 6:30pm): Fifth Thursday training. Training for pumper driving. We took Charleen through initial steps of station management after a call, opening the building (and closing if necessary), and operating the pumper as the first out. We went through parking it back in the bay, exiting, and did practice runs at Martin Place. We touched on use of PTO and pump operation, but that and communication and training for the tanker will come at a future date.


July 2011

Jul 7: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Jul 14: (Thu 6:30pm): We went over pumper panel operation for charging a 1.5” hose. This included PTO engagement, use of valves and pump panel controls to select output, and fireground procedures for deploying a hose and charging it. Ed and Charleen topped off the pumper at the DB hydrant afterwards.

Jul 19: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Jul 21: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. Ed and Jim took the knocker to Forestry in Crawford. Goodbye! We went over the tanker with Charleen, identifying and familiarizing her with equipment, inside dash and main panel, and fire pump controls.

July 28: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. After a discussion of communication with Central through radios, Charleen drove the tanker, with Ed, down Hutchins-Wolfskin Road and then up 77 through Crawford, west on Athens Road, and back down Wolfskin. Goal was to familiarize Charleen with driving the tanker and introduce her to one of the back roads. Turned out to be a good training when on Sunday Charleen drove the tanker to an automatic aid call to Stewart Circle in Arnoldsville.


August 2011

Aug 4: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Aug 11: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday Training. At Forestry Office in Lexington. Tracy went over mostly safety aspects of wildland fires in different situations. Three videos, discussions of each. LCES with Communication and Escape routes especially emphasized. Some discussion of strategy and tactics, but focus was on safety.

Aug 16: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Aug 18: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. : Jim disconnected the hardwiring and plumbing from the old compressor so Tracy could pick it up. Familiarized with the portable lighting system and charged it. Outfitted Charleen with wildland gear: pants and shirt, shelter, helmet.

Aug 25: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Washed tanker (finally!). Went through procedures for checking fire pump oil, draining water from oil reservoir, and discharging air brake cylinders. Topped off fire pump oil reservoir. Noted delay in pressurizing air brakes initially, then again after discharge, but after shutting off battery and turning back on, air brakes pressurized quickly.


September 2011

Sep 1: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Sep 8: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday Training. Canceled.

Sep 15: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. To Oconee County (Civic Center) for vehicle extrication talk by Deputy Chief Dwight Clark (Forsyth County Fire Dept). General overview of subject and emphasis on safety during procedures.

Sep 20: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Sep 22: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Driving practice – set out cones in a broad curve and worked on driving pumper through narrow passage. This is in advance of EVO course now scheduled for end of October weekend. Glenn and Ed worked on FEMA AFG proposal, with Ed multitasking. Jim rewired and set up new plug plate in old compressor location.

Sep 29: (Thu 6:30pm): Fifth Thursday training. Jesse Carter (?) from Arnoldsville VFD attended. We went over schedules, plans for the EVO course Oct 29-30, the state of ISO for some folks in Clarke County along Double Bridges Road (Mr. Morgan 1110 DB Rd and ACC Dep Chief Hendrix). Then set up and went through nursing of pumper from tanker, use of deck gun, refilling of tanker. Jim concluded his rewiring from last week and noted that the two outlets in the south wall are wired inappropriately – no large loads on these! NOTE: Passed along Paul Bush’s old MinIV to Jesse.


October 2011

Oct 6: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.

Oct 13: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday Training. More driving practice – set out cones in a straight line and worked on driving tanker forward and backward. This is in advance of EVO course now scheduled for end of October weekend.

Oct 18: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Oct 20: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday training. More driving practice – set out cones for parallel parking and practiced 3x each cycle per driver for several rounds. This is in advance of the EVO course next week.

Oct 27: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. More driving practice – set out cones at cul de sac at end of Martin Place and practiced serpentine backing and forward. Mostly pumper, but also tanker. This is in advance of the EVO course next week.

Oct 28-29: Emergency Vehicle Operations Class Friday evening and all day Saturday. Contact Ed Frey (right sidebar) for details. (Charleen Foott, Ed Frey, Wayne Hughes, Glenn Galau 4 hours each Fri/Sat.)


November 2011

Nov 10: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting (postponed to second Thursday due to absences).

Nov 3: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday Training (held first Thursday due to postponed business meeting). Reviewed details of pumper bed lays. Driver’s half inward: 1.5” x >200’ with nozzle. Hooked up to single outlet with 2” wye. 3” x 300’ ends hang free. Passenger half : two lays of 3” hose, about 250’ each, all hang free. Charleen examined pumper for lighting, found one rear running light out. (Training held Nov 3 instead of Nov 10 because of business meeting postponement.)

Nov 15: (Tue 7:00pm): Third Tuesday Oglethorpe Firefighters Association meeting (Farm Bureau Office in Crawford).

Nov 17: (Thu 6:30pm): Third Thursday Training. Final makeup for Charleen’s live burn in Walton County. Ed and Charleen both participated. Wayne spent an hour at the station in case any showed up and recharged TIC.

Nov 19: (Sat 6:30am-11am): Sixth Annual Restoration Run. Pumper used to occupy two checkpoints along the way, ensure safety of runners, establish direction at intersections, and drive and park appropriately from point to point. Cary directed the mission and Wayne and Charleen conducted the details. Nov 24: (Thu 6:30pm): Fourth Thursday training. Canceled for Thanksgiving.


December 2011

Dec 1: (Thu 6:30pm): First Thursday Business Meeting. This is our usual Monthly Meeting, beginning at 6:30pm, followed by Elections of the Board and new officers. All are welcome to attend but only Board Members vote on business matters during the 6:30-7pm period. The bylaws can be downloaded as a Word Doc here. Oglethorpe County SOG (Standard Operating Guidelines) can be downloaded as Word doc here. Other information such as contacts, and records of interest such as training and WFD history can be found on the right sidebar.

Dec 8: (Thu 6:30pm): Second Thursday Training. Typically our last training meeting of the year. Inventory. Noted BA serials and locations, other items that may have changed location in last year, new items in last year. Sorted through returned gear, packaged clean turnout, set aside dirty for cleaning. Went through PJ discovered items, radios and pagers.

Dec 15: WFD End of Year Party. Held 6:30-9:30 at Wingate's Studio.

Dec 22: Normally canceled for Christmas, but may meet informally 6:30pm to tie up a few loose ends for the end of the year. Will update.

Dec 29: Special training: More of an end of year work session, but everything is training. We put together the last two remaining cleaned turnout jackets and pants, got all the sizes and serial numbers on same, and redistributed jackets and pants into boxes according to sizes. Put up a size guide based on previous issues for convenience. Completed inventory, took photos of compressor and chainsaw. Discussed Josh Robinson (BFD) injury during s/o at 46 Poplar Lane structure fire Dec 18.


January 2012

Jan 5: (Thu 7:00pm): First Thursday Business Meeting.