Category Archives: Fire Prevention and Safety

BHC’s Fire Prevention Week Includes Operation EDITH on Oct. 12

Beacon Hose wants to remind all of our residents that Fire Prevention Week is this Oct. 8-14! This year’s theme is “Cooking Safety Starts with You! Pay Attention to Fire Prevention” — we recommend looking at this great tip sheet about cooking safety!

Not only will Beacon Hose visit Laurel Ledge Elementary School and United Day during Fire Prevention Week, but we invite everyone to join Operation EDITH on Thursday, Oct. 12!

Operation EDITH stands for “Exit Drills in the Home” and is intended to help families practice their home fire escape plans. All you need to do to participate is wait until Beacon Hose’s fire whistle sounds at 6 p.m., practice your home fire escape plan as a family, and wait outside at your meeting place. Beacon Hose’s firetrucks will be driving through many neighborhoods to see how many families have a secure plan and practiced it with us.

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Beacon Hose Hosts Free Hands-Only CPR Training Feb. 4

Update: Thanks to whose to attended!

Earlier this month, tens of millions of Americans watched Monday Night Football when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suddenly collapsed on the field due to cardiac arrest. Thanks to immediate intervention with CPR and an AED, Hamlin was resuscitated and has begun to rejoin his team.

That incident renewed the public consciousness of the importance of knowing CPR — even at a basic level that any bystander can perform until trained first responders arrive on scene. Beacon Hose, along with Waterbury Hospital and the Woodland High football team, encourage everyone to join us for just 15 minutes on Saturday, Feb. 4, to learn hands-only CPR.

Hands-only CPR provides the most important function of CPR — continuing circulation of blood to major organs until the heart can regain its normal function. The few minutes in which bystanders provide hands-only CPR prior to first responders’ arrival with more advanced equipment can make a difference in the victim’s survival.

This training does not provide CPR certification but will be a quick and helpful way to instill the basics of CPR for anyone. There is no age restriction and the training is free. There is no need to register; simply come to Beacon Hose at any time between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Feb. 4.

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Beacon Hose Reports Record 2022 Call Volume

2022 was the busiest year in the history of Beacon Hose. We responded to 1,233 emergencies, including 293 fire calls and 940 EMS calls (some of these calls were combined fire-EMS responses). The total volume of calls shattered our previous record of 1,099 in 2021.

Our fire responses included:

🚨 73 motor vehicle accidents
🚨 66 calls for service
🚨 11 fires
🚨 8 rescues
🚨 27 incidents involving hazardous materials

Thanks to all of our members for their continued dedication to Beacon Falls. Stay safe!

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Beacon Falls Awarded $64,000 FEMA Grant for Vehicle Extrication Equipment

Thanks to a substantial grant award by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the town of Beacon Falls, Beacon Hose will soon put into service new — and urgently needed — vehicle extrication equipment.

FEMA awarded to Beacon Falls on Jan. 6 an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) in the amount of $64,463. With the town’s match of about $3,200, Beacon Hose will soon be able to acquire state-of-the-art spreaders, cutters, rams, and stabilization equipment.

A substantial portion of Beacon Hose’s emergency responses are for motor vehicle accidents on Route 8. It’s no secret that the stretch of highway that runs through our town is a frequent spot for accidents, and the new equipment will not only improve our emergency capabilities, but it will lessen our reliance on some equipment that has been in service for more than 30 years. Metro North’s Waterbury railroad line also runs through town.

Continue reading Beacon Falls Awarded $64,000 FEMA Grant for Vehicle Extrication Equipment

Beacon Hose Reports Record 2021 Call Volume

2021 was the busiest year in the history of Beacon Hose. We responded to 1,099 emergency calls, including 240 fire calls and 859 EMS calls. The volume of EMS calls shattered our previous record (766 in 2020).

Our fire responses included:

🚨 88 calls involving EMS (mostly motor vehicle accidents)
🚨 46 calls for service
🚨 43 false alarms
🚨 30 miscellaneous calls
🚨 18 fires
🚨 15 incidents involving hazardous materials

Thanks to all of our members for their continued dedication to Beacon Falls. Stay safe!