While equipment entrapments may be rare, according to Emporia Fire Marshall Stephen Beemer, they do occur and when they do, they are “extremely serious” incidents.
This is especially true in a community such as ours where “agriculture is the backbone,” in the words of Beemer, a recent guest of KVOE’s Morning Show.
With this in mind, the Emporia Fire Department will be better prepared to handle these situations should they arise, thanks to a recent award from Frontier Farm Credit of $5,000, which has been put toward the purchase of a new black box machinery extrication and entrapment rescue program. Beemer says the equipment will provide an opportunity for firefighters and EMS personnel to train for a wide range of real-world scenarios.
Beemer says the equipment has been ordered; however, an exact date for when it will arrive has yet to be announced. Once it does arrive, however, Beemer says they will immediately begin “in-house training” with plans to open it up to others across the area once that is completed.
While they await the arrival of this new piece of equipment, Emporia Fire is continuing its work with the Get Alarmed Kansas initiative, which “empowers local fire departments to deliver free smoke alarms and expert installation” to residents. Beemer says that effort as of late has been moving steadily, with a good stream of applications coming in.
At this time, he says the department is focusing its efforts on identifying individuals who “May be more at risk.”
This project has also been the beneficiary of a recent grant award, this time from the Kansas Masonic Foundation, totaling $5,000. Beemer says the recent allocations are “more than just two grants; this is a perfect example of our community coming together to support each other.”
For more information on the Get Alarmed initiative and how you can apply for assistance, visit Emporiaks.gov.
