A Day in the Life.....
A Day in the life of a firefighter
Captain Joe Zukas addressed the Lynn Rotary Club recently with facts about the Lynn Fire Department and a picture of a day in the life of a firefighter. After the terrible event recently in Boston where 2 firefighters lost their lives, Rotarians were glad to hear about how the Department is organized and how they go about their often dangerous jobs with professionalism and concern for lives. Captain Zukas reviewed the structure and make up of the Department and explained the various areas of responsibility for the Department. A large percent of their calls are now medical calls with a lesser percentage of fire calls than in the past, thank goodness. Department members are called upon to provide support in areas such as fire prevention, the arson squad (with a juvenile firesetting intervention program), emergency medical services, and fire and ambulance dispatch services for Lynn, Swampscott, and Nahant. In 2009 there were 15,091 emergency 911 ambulance dispatches in the city of Lynn involving 8,433 emergency transports to local hospitals. These broke down to 10,722 BLS (basic life support) calls and 4,369 ALS (advanced life support) calls resulting in 6,447 BLS transports and 1,986 ALS transports. On most EMS calls the closest Fire apparatus and the appropriate ambulance (ALS or BLS or both) is sent. The first arriving vehicles cancel other responders or upgrade the level of care if need be.
Members were very interested in the facts presented by Captain Zukas, especially when discussions revolved around the dangerous job of fighting fires. Heat and toxic gasses are facts of life in a fire currently and caution must be taken for all firefighters to remain safe. Proper equipment was discussed as well as how the tactical situation was often handled. Club members were appreciative of the explanation of the department and the roles of the firefighters and most importantly of the important service firefighters provide to the community.