Turkey Creek Fire Department Receives New Ambulance
SYRACUSE — Turkey Creek fire and township boards did not convene for their scheduled Monday, April 13, meeting, but Fire Chief Mickey Scott still submitted his monthly report by email.
In his March report, Scott noted:
• The department’s new ambulance was received Friday, March 20, three days before the factory shut down until further notice because of the pandemic. The delivery of the new vehicle allows the department to schedule repairs on its 2011 ambulance. “We had to wait so we could keep an ambulance in service at both stations,” wrote Scott. “All of our ambulances are now back in service.”
• The department responded to 14 fire calls and 71 EMS calls in March. Fire caused an estimated $1,950 in property damage in the territory, while department action saved $125,800 worth or property.
• Department personnel completed 261 hours of fire and EMS training during the month.
• No monthly testing of outdoor warning sirens was conducted “in order to avoid concern and confusion from our citizens due to the current conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic,” wrote Scott, noting “the National Weather Service and the state of Indiana cancelled the test on March 15 for the same reason.”
• The Wednesday, April 29, CPR class has been cancelled. The next class is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29. The class is free to the public. Call (574) 457-5507 to reserve a spot in the class.
• All meetings and training events and the daily training sessions that require members of both stations to attend have been cancelled until further notice, with department members training at their respective fire stations.
• Full-time personnel complete daily COVID-19 screening procedures as they report for duty and all personnel wear masks at the stations.
• Emergency responders are complying with state and federal guidelines for personal protective equipment. “We are maintaining and being mindful of the conservation of our PPE as much as possible,” Scott reported. “We have received some handmade cloth masks from the citizens of our community and we are thankful for these donations. We are working to be prepared as best we can and we respond to every medical call with the necessary PPE for COVID-19. We are also placing a surgical mask on our patients we come in contact with and transport.”
Scott concluded his report with an admonition to the community.
“We ask that the citizens of our community please be mindful of themselves and others by maintaining social distancing and to stay at home as directed by the governor.
“This is an unusual situation we are currently involved in. It is up to us to protect our community by the actions we take. We have heard some local businesses have begun limiting the number of people in their stores at any given time. We applaud them for their efforts to protect their employees and the citizens.
“We understand this situation may be an inconvenience for everyone for a while. But it is up to everyone to make some sacrifices for the overall betterment of our community.”
Pending the lifting of the coronavirus shutdown, the fire board is scheduled to next meet at 6:45 p.m. Monday, May 11, in Syracuse Town Hall, with the township advisory board to follow at 7 p.m.