pUnion Hill Fire Department remains a strong volunteer organization in our community.nbsp In 2011 12 new members joined the organization bringing their total active membership to 65.ppThe department answered 2093 calls in 2011 up 81 from 2010.nbsp 199 of those were fire calls and 1894 were requests for the ambulance.nbsp 62 of the departments calls were during the day from 6 am to 6 pm.nbspnbspnbsp More than half of the calls were for illness or injuries.ppOf the 199 fire calls 96 of them were in Webster 77 in the daytime and 98 were in the Town of Ontario 73 in the daytime.ppDepartment members logged over 1500 hours of training and volunteered 12372 hours.ppThe full report for download on the Downloads page of our site at a hrefhttpwww.uhfd.orgfilelockerdownloadfileid13586 fcksavedurlhttpwww.uhfd.orgfilelockerdownloadfileid13586www.uhfd.orgappnbspp

pNow that winter is upon us we would like to remind you to keep the nearest fire hydrant clear of snow.nbsp Firefighters loose valuable time locating and clearing hydrants during an emergency. ppAlso make sure your house numbers are visible from the road and easy to read.nbsp Next time you pull up to your house at night see if you can easily find and READ your house number.ppMany residents in our district heat with wood this time of year – be sure to have your chimney cleaned and inspected each season and make sure that smoke and CO detectors are in working order.nbsp Union Hill will provide FREE detectors to residents of our district and will assist with installation if needed.ppRemember to slow down on icy and snow covered roads and keep your windows clear of snow so you can see.nbsp Taking a few extra minutes at the start of your trip can help prevent an accident.ppFinally – give us a BREAKnbsp When you see an emergency vehicle responding to a call safely pull to the side to let us pass.nbsp When passing a scene move over so as not to put emergency responders in harms way.nbsp ppThe Union Hill Fire Department wishes all a Happy and Safe New Yearp

p fckxhtmljob1After attending a conference in Clearwater Florida Chief Ball announced that the department is considering changing traditional one night a week training with a model practiced by the Fairfax Virginia fire service.pp fckxhtmljob1Instead of once a week drills the department is considering changing to monthly Saturday or Sunday drills for 8 hours.nbsp By drilling once a month on skills the members can become more engaged in training and focus on tasks better said Chief Ball.nbsp The Chief added the once a week drills are hard for members with todays busy lifestyles and noted that often times the two or three hours just isnt enough to ensure that training stays focused and on track.nbsp Often we just get things set up and its already time to pick up and head back to the station he said.nbsp Fairfax County started the new model a year ago and has seen an improvement in training and found that volunteerism increased as well.nbsp Many new members note that they didnt join the deparment before due to the time requirements of once a week drills.pp fckxhtmljob1The department officers are currently reviewing the training needs for next year and will incorporate the weekend drills starting in the spring.nbsp Weekly drills will still be held according to Ball but the drills will be more classroom and conceptual in preparation for the weekend drills.nbsp The drills will also be optional and only 45 minutes in length.pp fckxhtmljob1The officers and members are excited about giving this a try said Ball.nbsp Fire fightersnbspare great cooks and we plan to start the day saturday or sunday with a traditiional breakfast and then get together for a mid-day lunch between training evolutions.nbspp

p alignleftnbspppbfont size3Come out andnbspcast your vote fornbspthis important propositionfontfont size3 faceTimes New RomanTimes New Romanfont size3 faceTimes New RomanTimes New RomanpShall the following Resolution of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the North East Joint Fire District entitled RESOLUTION 2011-50 AUTHORIZING DISPOSITION OF 1.8 ACRES OF REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 566 PHILLIPS ROAD UPON ACQUISITION OF 3.57 ACRES OF REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 600 PHILLIPS ROAD adopted November 3 2011 and authorizing and empowering the Board of Fire Commissioners to carry out a transaction resulting in the disposition of 1.8 acres of real property valued at Fifty Thousand Dollars 50000.00 in exchange for 3.57 acres of property located on the same street and valued at Seventy Thousand Dollars 70000.00 without anypfontfontpnbsppbp

pUnion Hil held its annual election of offcers on December 6.nbspppElected to OfficeppBoard Member 5-Year Termnbsp Scott SchellppAssociation Presidentnbsp Don CeraasolippAssociation Vice-President Matt MetzlerppAssociation Treasurernbsp Kevin RamphppBenevolent Committeenbsp Dan Corretore and Bill FreundschuhppChiefnbsp Brian BallppDeputy Chief – Firenbsp Greg Read and Kirk WillisppDeputy Chief – Ambulancenbsp Jerry SeldesppCaptainsnbsp Mark Fox and Kevin RamphppCrew Chiefsnbsp Charlie Harding and Matt MetzlerppLieutenantnbsp Neil AyersppCongratulations to allppnbspp