October 17th – October 23rd
During the week of October 17th - October 23rd the Virginia Fire Department was called for service seventy-five times; three fire calls, twenty-six transfers, and forty-six 9-1-1 EMS calls. First the three fire calls during this week were dispatched and cancelled prior to our arrival. The reason mostly for these calls is that a fire alarm panel goes off and maintenances personal are there to verify that it is truly a mistake or false reading by the fire panel.
The Fire Marshall was busy this week with three inspections, a safety talk to the YMCA Silver Sneakers group, as well as worked with other city entities to improve on fire safety and regional resources on fire responses and investigations. The Fire Chief and Fire Marshal attended the Laurention North Firefighters Association meeting in Pike Township along with the State Fire Marshal’s office and representatives from fire departments across the iron range. The area Fire Chief’s monthly meeting was held in Mountain Iron last Thursday and was attended by chief officers from Eveleth, Fayal, Mountain Iron and Virginia. These meetings are important to disseminate information regarding upcoming training and discuss the challenges that all fire departments in the region face.
Twenty-six transfers brought us to Cook Hospital, Essentia Health Northern Pines, and Virginia. These patients were transported to Miller Dwan, St. Luke’s, and Essentia Health St. Mary’s. The 9-1-1 EMS calls brought us to six different communities; once to Cherry, three times to Eveleth, Iron, and Mt. Iron, eleven times to Gilbert, and the rest in Virginia. We transported these patients to three different hospitals; Fairview Range Medical Center, Essentia Health St. Mary’s and Virginia. Seven of our patients didn’t need to be transported for one reason or another and two were brought back to their respective nursing homes. During this week Cardiac again was the number one reason for us being dispatched, we treated again more women (44) than men (28) the average age was 61 years old. During this week we performed ninety-four procedures and administered fifty-five medicinesour busiest day was Tuesday with 15 calls.
As Halloween is approaching quickly the Virginia Fire Department would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about some seasonally relevant safety tips.
-Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
-Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
-Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
-Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
-Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to
the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
-Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
-Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.
-Take the time to look through the candy that is collected and discard anything where the wrapping appears to be damaged or not in its original wrapping.
-Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
-Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
-Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
-When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.
-Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
-Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
-Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
-Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
-Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
-Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.