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By First Assistant Chief Siminski

Friday August 29, 2025

Many hands make light work! This motto is so true in life and the fire service. Teamwork is essential in almost everything we do on EMS calls, fire scenes, car crashes, work details, fund raisers, you name it… Not only do we need to work together as a fire company, but we need to work with our neighboring companies as well.

For our Monday night drills on 8/11 and 8/29, Chaffee-Sardinia Fire and East Concord Fire worked together, keeping the common theme from last month, RIT CPR and EMS primary roles at structure fires. A heavy focus on actions to handle a MAYDAY situation was also included.

EMS providers went over some rehab and recovery efforts to ensure the health and safety of all our firefighters. Other lessons describe the actions and preparations for the first arriving EMS unit to handle patient care if something were to go wrong during the initial firefight, including rapid CPR on a firefighter in full protective gear. From positioning the ambulance, planning an evacuation route, quickly initiating patient care and life-saving interventions, to situational awareness, everything ties back to teamwork and staying calm under pressure.

To conclude the evening, there was a full-scale simulated structure fire with units deployed to conduct a primary search of the building. During the search one member had become separated from the rest of the search team and had gone unconscious. A MAYDAY was called once the crew noticed a missing member, and the search diverted to finding him. Once found, the crew made a radio call to the Incident Commander and the EMS Branch Leader that they were making their way from the second floor with one firefighter down and unconscious. The EMS Branch Leader quickly staged EMS medical providers at the exit point and initiated all the skills we just practiced.

The lecture, drills, and simulations could not have gone better! So many ideas were shared, and the process was streamlined into a well-oiled machine. I’d like to spotlight 2 people in particular for their extensive roles in the planning and delivery of these drills, EMS Lieutenant Alexis Kozmycz of the Chaffee-Sardinia Fire Co. and EMS Chief Greg Stowell of the East Concord Fire Dept. These two recognized the need for training, created lecture and skills stations, and delivered the core information allowing the team to work together smoothly. Thank you both for your dedicated professionalism and a job well done!