Retiring Firefighters

At the Fire District annual summer party we honored retirees Kent Hylton and Roger Ford. They have been dedicated volunteers for many years. Together they have over 45 years of service. Thanks for your dedication to serving the residents of Wasatch County and we wish you a happy retirement.

Fire Sprinkler Demonstration Video

Don Buckley,  with the Utah Fire Sprinkler Coalition came to Wasatch County earlier this week to put on a demonstration about fire suppression sprinklers.  We are so thankful to all of those who were able to come out and support Wasatch County Fire District and learn from this great demonstration!  For those of you that weren’t able to make it, we have put together a video and some key facts regarding fire sprinklers.

In this video the first 2 minutes shows a room without sprinklers becoming engulfed, the second part of the video shows the room with fire sprinklers and how effectively they suppress the fire.  Hope you enjoy!

Fire sprinkler facts and statistics:

*In the event of a house fire you have an average of 3 minutes to get out of the house

*The average time for a room to become fully engulfed is 4 minutes

*The average response time for a fire department is 6-10 minutes (or longer depending on the distance the fire department needs to travel, road conditions, traffic etc..)

*When the room in this demo is engulfed it is about 1,000 degrees

*The #1 cause of death for firefighters is cancer.  When materials are burned they release toxic fumes into the air, these toxins get on the firefighters gear and can be breathed in.  Fire sprinklers are “green” and help minimize toxin levels.

*If one fire sprinkler is triggered, they don’t all go off.  Fire sprinklers are triggered by heat, not smoke, and only the sprinkler in the area of the fire will go off.

*A fire hose puts out 150-250 GPM (gallons per minute), whereas fire sprinklers put out 13-25 GPM, causing much less water damage in a home.

*It takes an average of 6-12 months to be able to live in your home again after a fire.

*The overall cost to put fire sprinklers in a home is about 1%-2% of the cost of the home.

*THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT FIRE SPRINKLERS IS THAT THEY BUY YOU TIME TO GET YOU, AND YOUR FAMILY OUT OF THE HOUSE AND TO SAFETY!!!

FIRE SPRINKLERS SAVE LIVES!!

Here is a link with more information :

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-equipment/Home-fire-sprinklers/Fire-Sprinkler-Initiative/Fire-sprinkler-coalitions/Utah-Fire-Sprinkler-Coalition

Cabin Explosion in Timber Lakes Sunday March 17th

Wasatch County Fire responded to a page on Sunday for multiple calls for a cabin explosion in the Timber Lakes Subdivision.  Upon arrival at the scene we were informed that there were no occupants at the home and the structure was fully engulfed in flames. Residents throughout the subdivision stated that they heard the explosion and nearby cabin owners informed us that they had broken windows and contents that had been knocked off shelves inside their cabin.  It was confirmed upon contacting the homeowner that it was vacant and had not been anyone there for several days.

Firefighters spent several hours working to put the fire out and then investigation began on the cause.  There was debris scattered several hundred feet above and below the structure and on the roof of a nearby cabin.  The State Fire Marshall’s office will be assisting with the investigation and it will be several weeks before they will have any information on the cause.

There has been concern expressed from the residents in the area and questions as to safety issues with propane tanks.  The Fire Marshal has put together a safety bulletin, shown below, to hopefully answer questions and concerns.

WHATS HAPPENING- Cabin explosion in Timberlakes and one of our off duty firefighters recognized by Heber City PD for assistance with flooding basement

Timber Lakes Fire Friday February 15th

Just before 7pm on Friday night Fire was paged for an explosion at a structure in the Timber Lakes subdivision. We were informed that there was one female in the home and possibly two others.
The female with her four children had arrived at the cabin to spend the weekend and as she entered through the garage she noted a gas smell and entered the home to check it out. The children remained in the car. After several minutes there was an explosion. The neighbors heard the explosion and noted flames coming from one side of the home. Three male neighbors arrived and heard the woman calling for help and found her trapped under a beam. They were able to lift the beam off of her and pull her out to safety.
Upon arrival of fire units the home was fully engulfed and they began fighting the fire in defense mode from above the home with the arial apparatus, as well as with hoselines from several points surrounding the structure.
The severe storm that had been forecast hit as crews were working the fire with heavy snow and wind causing low visibility and extreme road conditions. Wasatch County Fire has several 4×4 apparatus that remained on the scene and other units were realeased. There will be a crew at the scene during the night.
The woman was treated at the scene and EMS was informed that air transport had been grounded due to the storm. The patient was transported to Heber Valley Hospital suffering from burns and trauma from the collapse of the structure, and later by Life Flight ground transport to Salt Lake City.
Thanks to the heroic neighbors, the Timber Lakes maintenance crews, and the snow plows who all worked so hard to keep the roads open and accessable for us.

On January 27th off duty Firefighter Josue Armendariz and his family drove by a street with water running down the road.  They stopped to see if the could help out and Josue helped the officers and the homeowner help divert the water running into his house and down into his basement.  Thanks Josue for seeing the a fellow citizen in need and taking the time on the freezing cold night to stop and help.  Thanks also to Heber City PD for their “Busted” program.

Wasatch County Fire also has a Facebook page.  Please check out our page for more updated information about our department.

With the rapid growth and development Wasatch County Fire District is going through some growing pains and would like to share with you our goals for the future as we try to meet the demands for equipment, staffing needs and budget issues that are impacting us as we work to provide the best service possible to the residents of Wasatch County.

We are publishing a series of articles in the Wasatch Wave and have provided the link below.  Please let us know through the website, Facebook, by phone or in person your thoughts.

GROWING PAINS PART 1

GROWING PAINS PART II

Growing Pains Part III

Growing Pains Part IV_V2

Growing Pains Part VI