Westminster Fire and Rescue March News

News from Westminster Volunteer Fire and Rescue

The Westminster Fire & Rescue Department holds their monthly meetings at 7:00 P.M. on the 1st Tuesday of the month and a combined drill on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Rescue training is the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Next association meeting Tuesday April 2nd at 7:00PM 

The Prudential Committee normally meets once or twice a month. A warning will be posted 48 hours prior to each meeting.

• Number of calls in February: 42
• Number of calls through March 21st: 29
• Number of calls calendar year to date: 119
• Number of calls fiscal year to date: 351

Association Meeting: The Westminster Fire and Rescue Association met for their regular meeting March 4th with President J.T. Tabolt presiding. There were 28 members present and 11 members excused. Currently there are 48 members of the volunteer fire department. The department welcomed 3 new applications for membership. Coby Jeffrey and Jesse Jeffrey from Rockingham and Anthony LeFevour from Westminster West. Coby will be a junior member until the age of 18 in July of 2025. Jesse and Anthony will be full members after the usual 6 months' probation period ending in September of this year.

Emergency responses:

February turned out to be another busy month with 42 calls for the month. Here is the breakdown for the 42 calls. 

• 3 mutual aid - 1 to Bellows Falls, 2 to Putney
• 25 rescue/medical calls
• 5 motor vehicle accidents
• 3 for police matters
• 3 public assists
• 2 box alarm/false alarm
• 1 for tree on wires/power line down

Burn Permit Alert:

Anyone wishing to do an outside burn must get verbal permission from one of the fire wardens before starting a fire. You must speak with one of the wardens. Leaving an answering machine message will not count as a permit. When calling for your permit, be sure to ask what materials are acceptable and which ones are unacceptable to burn. If the Fire Department is called to respond and the fire ends up being an illegal burn, the fire will be extinguished and a fine may be imposed.

In case there is a complaint from someone about the fire, the fire department is available to investigate and extinguish the fire if necessary. All burn piles should be a least 100 feet from any building. Some of the items not allowed are: trash, building material, anything with paint on it, cardboard. Keep in mind that there may be times when permits are not given out due to sudden changes in the dryness and wind conditions. Always be aware of open dry areas and windy conditions before considering a burn. If one of the wardens are unable to take your call, leave your name and a good phone number and one of them will call you back. Do not start a fire until you have spoken to one of the wardens and given permission.

• The wardens are:
• Warden : Chief Cole Streeter 802-722-3178
• Deputy Warden: Duty Chief Mark Lund 802-463-9355
• Deputy Warden: Pat Haas 802-387-5778 

Flooding:

Dangers of high water and flooded cellars becomes an issue this time of year. Residents should check the workability of sump pumps and drains. Be sure to keep watch of the cellar for incoming water. Water in the cellar can be extremely dangerous, especially if the water comes in contact with anything electrical. The Fire Department does not have the equipment to pump water that is less than 4 inches deep. Avoid driving through puddles on the road. Their depth can be deceiving. Watch the children around potentially deep water. And don’t forget the pets.

Off Road:

The fire department is looking for names of anyone who has an off-road vehicle that they would be willing to operate in case of an emergency requiring off road or 4 wheelers. Contact any member of the department if this is something you are able to make available.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS FOR SALE: 

Anyone want to buy a fire extinguisher? We have them for sale and there are 4 sizes available. See the Chief or stop by the fire station for more information if interested.

The Westminster Fire & Rescue Association welcomes donations throughout the year from anyone wishing to remember or honor a loved one or a friend. All memorial donations go into our scholarship fund to be given out at graduation. Send donation to:

Westminster Fire & Rescue Association

PO Box 111 Westminster, 05158

Donations in March:

• Allison Deen
• Thomas Cobb
• Chris Potter
• Bruce Mickle
• First Congregational Church of Westminster Women’s Fellowship

As always, we would like to thank the members of the community for their continued support of the fire department. 

Check us out on our website www.westminsterfireandrescue.org and you can find us on Facebook.