Easy Accountability Kit Enhances Protection for Fire Department Staff
Hawk Labeling Systems offers an easy, affordable accountability kit for fire departments and emergency personnel.
Stillwater, MN, July 24, 2009 --(PR.com)-- One of the most important resources a fire department has is its personnel, and it makes good sense to adopt easy methods to help keep them safe and accounted for.
That’s what Travis Belisle, chief of the Somerset, Wis., Fire Department, keeps foremost in mind when his staff responds to fires and emergencies in St. Croix County, the fastest growing county in the state. The SFD has 22 volunteer and part-time fire, rescue and EMS staff serving its portion of the county on the Wisconsin border next to suburban St. Paul, Minn.
“Accountability is a big thing for us and for every department across the country,” says Travis. “We used to use ‘cow’ tags with a number on it that hung from a hook on the helmets. The command officer on the scene then collected the tags from the personnel. They were cumbersome. Plus they could fall off, weren’t customizable and did not offer personal identification. Electronic accountability systems are just too spendy for our small fire department.”
Hawk Labeling Systems, just across the border in nearby Stillwater, Minn., had developed special fire department accountability kits, and Belisle heard about them through Jim Sachs, a volunteer firefighter at the Lake Elmo, Minn., Fire Department. So when Belisle wanted to give it a try, Hawk Labeling sent along a starter kit with the K-Sun BEE3® portable heat-shrink tube, bar code and adhesive label printer.
The starter kit consists of a truck card, command card, 10 personnel tags and sticky-backed Velcro® tape for attaching the tags and cards. Hawk Labeling offers two other versions with additional cards and tags. Labels for the personnel tags can be color-coded and include name, rank and specialty.
Changes or new tags can be easily made with the removal and reapplication of a durable polyester label, available in 60 colors/sizes. “Having this easy and convenient system saves us time and effort in this part of our operations,” said Belisle.
A truck card is attached with Velcro to the vehicle dashboard, and upon entering the truck, each member of the crew removes one of their two tags attached their helmet and places it on the truck card. Then the other tag is removed and attaches to the command card.
“We attach the command card to our incident command board,” says Belisle. When the truck arrives on the scene, the incident command board stays with the command staff person, and the truck card remains in the vehicle. With this system, the incident commander knows exactly who is on site at all times and can identify when an individual misses report.
At the end of the operation, the command card is returned to the truck and the crew removes their tags from both the truck and command cards, returning both tags to their helmets until the next incident. Any tags remaining on either the truck card or command card alert the crew that someone has not yet reported to the truck, so they are not left behind or unaccounted for.
Belisle, whose department serves as backup for neighboring municipalities’ fire and rescue departments, says he plans to show the system to other departments when he goes on assist calls. “Because we have mutual aid with a number of surrounding fire departments, it is my goal to get them thinking about it. It makes sense for other departments to adopt a system like ours,” he said.
The Somerset Fire Department is a joint responder for neighboring St. Joseph, and all fire and rescue calls in the town of Somerset and township of St. Joseph go to both departments. “We are often using each other’s equipment,” says Belisle, “so labeling is essential in returning the equipment that we share, too.”
Belisle has put other types of labeling and identification to good use around the station for equipment, gear, clothing and lockers and in the office for organization as well as for hose compartments, fitting pipes, connectors and other components on the trucks. “The BEE3® works well for identification, safety and storage--all necessary for an efficient operation,” he said. “We are thinking of making equipment labels color-coded by each truck in the future.”
Valued at $49, the Hawk Labeling accountability starter kit is now given away free to fire departments, law enforcement and EMS/ambulance services with the purchase of a BEE3® printer kit for $87.60, creating an affordable solution for both small and large departments. The printer kit includes a batteries, AC adapter, two black-on-white tape cartridges and nylon wrist strap. A kit with a DC auto adapter is available too.
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That’s what Travis Belisle, chief of the Somerset, Wis., Fire Department, keeps foremost in mind when his staff responds to fires and emergencies in St. Croix County, the fastest growing county in the state. The SFD has 22 volunteer and part-time fire, rescue and EMS staff serving its portion of the county on the Wisconsin border next to suburban St. Paul, Minn.
“Accountability is a big thing for us and for every department across the country,” says Travis. “We used to use ‘cow’ tags with a number on it that hung from a hook on the helmets. The command officer on the scene then collected the tags from the personnel. They were cumbersome. Plus they could fall off, weren’t customizable and did not offer personal identification. Electronic accountability systems are just too spendy for our small fire department.”
Hawk Labeling Systems, just across the border in nearby Stillwater, Minn., had developed special fire department accountability kits, and Belisle heard about them through Jim Sachs, a volunteer firefighter at the Lake Elmo, Minn., Fire Department. So when Belisle wanted to give it a try, Hawk Labeling sent along a starter kit with the K-Sun BEE3® portable heat-shrink tube, bar code and adhesive label printer.
The starter kit consists of a truck card, command card, 10 personnel tags and sticky-backed Velcro® tape for attaching the tags and cards. Hawk Labeling offers two other versions with additional cards and tags. Labels for the personnel tags can be color-coded and include name, rank and specialty.
Changes or new tags can be easily made with the removal and reapplication of a durable polyester label, available in 60 colors/sizes. “Having this easy and convenient system saves us time and effort in this part of our operations,” said Belisle.
A truck card is attached with Velcro to the vehicle dashboard, and upon entering the truck, each member of the crew removes one of their two tags attached their helmet and places it on the truck card. Then the other tag is removed and attaches to the command card.
“We attach the command card to our incident command board,” says Belisle. When the truck arrives on the scene, the incident command board stays with the command staff person, and the truck card remains in the vehicle. With this system, the incident commander knows exactly who is on site at all times and can identify when an individual misses report.
At the end of the operation, the command card is returned to the truck and the crew removes their tags from both the truck and command cards, returning both tags to their helmets until the next incident. Any tags remaining on either the truck card or command card alert the crew that someone has not yet reported to the truck, so they are not left behind or unaccounted for.
Belisle, whose department serves as backup for neighboring municipalities’ fire and rescue departments, says he plans to show the system to other departments when he goes on assist calls. “Because we have mutual aid with a number of surrounding fire departments, it is my goal to get them thinking about it. It makes sense for other departments to adopt a system like ours,” he said.
The Somerset Fire Department is a joint responder for neighboring St. Joseph, and all fire and rescue calls in the town of Somerset and township of St. Joseph go to both departments. “We are often using each other’s equipment,” says Belisle, “so labeling is essential in returning the equipment that we share, too.”
Belisle has put other types of labeling and identification to good use around the station for equipment, gear, clothing and lockers and in the office for organization as well as for hose compartments, fitting pipes, connectors and other components on the trucks. “The BEE3® works well for identification, safety and storage--all necessary for an efficient operation,” he said. “We are thinking of making equipment labels color-coded by each truck in the future.”
Valued at $49, the Hawk Labeling accountability starter kit is now given away free to fire departments, law enforcement and EMS/ambulance services with the purchase of a BEE3® printer kit for $87.60, creating an affordable solution for both small and large departments. The printer kit includes a batteries, AC adapter, two black-on-white tape cartridges and nylon wrist strap. A kit with a DC auto adapter is available too.
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Contact
Hawk Labeling Systems
Michelle Sachs
800 458 3430
www.hawklabeling.com
Michelle Sachs
800 458 3430
www.hawklabeling.com
Contact
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