A new county-wide program hosted by Bargersville Community Fire Department will provide assistance to families with members suffering from disorders that cause loved ones to wander away from caregivers.
 
Today is Project Lifesaver Johnson County’s first “official” day of operation.
 
Project Lifesaver will provide small transmitters attached to bracelets worn by the program’s clients. The transmitters emit unique radio signals. If a client wanders away from safety, trained personnel will respond to the area with equipment capable of tracking and locating the transmitter.
 
Indiana State Police are a vital partner with Johnson County and other Project Lifesaver agencies in the state by supplying helicopters to assist personnel in locating missing clients.
 
Several hundred Johnson County children and adults already have been diagnosed with disorders that would qualify them as candidates for Project Lifesaver.
 
BCFD is hosting the county-wide program as a first-step, and support, for other public safety agencies to adopt the program within their own communities.
 
Bargersville Community Fire Department Chief James White said firefighters will respond outside their fire district’s boundaries at the request of other public safety agencies.
 
BCFD Battalion Chief Michael Morris and BCFD Lt. David Porter share Project Lifesaver’s leadership roles in Johnson County.
“A lot of patients are older citizens and susceptible to their environment, including climate and terrain,” said Morris. “Each of these elements poses challenges for the transmitters and client. “
Client’s transmitters will dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to locate a missing person compared to a  ground search.
“The transmitters send out a signal that is detectable for about a mile,” Morris said. “That could save someone’s life.”

 
Project Lifesaver Johnson County was generously funded by Johnson County Community Foundation, $5,000, Johnson County Autism Support Group, $5,000 and Autism Advocates of Indiana, $3,000.
 
 
More than 500 children with Autism are registered within Johnson County schools, said Lt. Porter.
 
It is unknown how many families have members suffering from Alzheimer and other disorders that would cause a loved one to wander from safety.
 
Beginning today, anyone interested in learning more about Johnson County Project Lifesaver can send a request by e-mail to: projectlifesaver@bcfd.net. Messages should include a name telephone number and address.
 
 
Participation is free, but donations are welcomed.

Welcome to the new Bargersville Community Fire Department's Web site. We hope you find useful information related to our community as well as BCFD's public safety work. Visit us here often for updates. Please note our sponsors and give them your support, too. We will update our site with stories and photos related to our emergency calls as well as listing important community events. We'll also build a calendar of public meetings for you to review. Our hope is to turn BCFD.net into one of your favorite sites for local information and a gateway to learning what BCFD is doing in our fire district. The goal is to provide everyone with news they can use as well as keep visitors up-to-date on daily activities throughout the fire district. Again, welcome to BCFD.net. Chief James White

 
 
Amber Foster dreamed of working with her father, Bargersville Community Fire Department Battalion Chief Rodney Hayes.
She grew up around firefighters and often was at the scene of fires, training exercises and vehicle accidents. It was routine for the teenager to visit Station 1, where Chief Hayes is assigned.
Firefighting around the Hayes household has been a way of life, not a job.
Throughout the country, many families have multiple generations of firefighters and now the Hayes family is starting its own tradition.
Amber’s mother, Michelle Hayes, plays a key role in the department’s Support 200 section. Often, Michelle and her children, including Amber, have provided drinks and food at major incident scenes. A department-wide dinner or celebration draws the Hayes family to the heart of the action.
But being on the outside looking in wasn’t in Amber’s plans. About two years ago, Amber became a cadet with BCFD. She also enrolled in Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 classes. As part of her preparation, she also took an Emergency Medical Technician class.
As she graduated from Center Grove high school this spring, Amber completed the necessary steps in becoming a member of Bargersville Community Fire Department.
“Being on Bargersville Community Fire Department is amazing,” Amber said. “It is so hard to believe that I was able to get the career of my dreams right out of high school.
“I am so proud to be able to work side-by-side with my father.”
On May 27, the fire department conducted its second day of burning an old house as part of an on-going training exercise. Fires were set inside the multilevel building and teams of firefighters extinguished the blazes.
“While driving to my first training fire, I was a nervous wreck,” Amber said.
Shortly after arriving, Amber changed into her protective gear and found her Dad.
Battalion Chief Hayes took his daughter inside the old house to help start the training fires.
“It was insane to watch the flames creep out of each room closer and closer to us,” Amber noted.
Hayes explained to his daughter how and why the fire was growing in intensity and once it reached a challenge for waiting firefighters, the attack teams were called.
At last, it was Amber’s turn to meet the fire head-on.
“He said he was moving me to the nozzle on attack along with Lt. (Tom) Tharpe,” Amber said of her father.
 When she got called in to put the fire out, she said it was “exciting,” but she was nervous.
“Once that fire was put out, it really set in that I had made it, and I really was a firefighter,” Amber said.
The goal to become a firefighter before her father retired had worried her for years.
“Now that I am, I hope it made him proud and I can’t wait to work with him again,” Amber said.
 

 
A 28-year-old Monrovia man was critically injured Wednesday after he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a Johnson County field.
The victim was taken by LifeLine helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
The accident occurred shortly before 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Witnesses saw the motorcycle leave Old Ind. 37, about a quarter-mile north of Ind. 144.
Shortly after leaving the pavement, the man was thrown from the motorcycle, which continued southeast in the field nearly 50 yards.
Bargersville Community Fire Department paramedics and Rural/Metro Ambulance attended to the injured man’s multiple injuries until LifeLine medics arrived.

Fighting fires takes skill, knowledge and equipment.
It also takes courage.
Firefighters often enter buildings that are extremely hot, smoky and with flames licking every direction.
And most of the time, visibility is extremely low.
This week, Bargersville Community Fire Department’s firefighters are meeting these and other challenges head-on inside a vacated residence at 6790 West County Road 300 North.
The building’s owner offered the former residence as a training site.
Using stringent safety guidelines, teams of firefighters set fires in the building. A backup fire hose and safety team were in place as “attack teams” entered the house and extinguished the fires. Outside, a Rapid Intervention Team was prepared to enter the building, too, in the event something unexpected occurred.
The training began today and will continue throughout the week.
Firefighters from neighboring White River Township were invited to participate in the training exercises.
 

A major water drainage project has been completed at BCFD’s Station 1.
 
Last winter, new storm water sewer drains were installed around the building at 89 S. Baldwin Street, Bargersville. The new sewer lines were tied into the Bargersville storm drainage system.
 
Historically, huge pools of water formed around fire headquarters after minor rains – sometimes flowing under overhead doors into the bays where fire trucks are kept.
 
Cold temperatures often turned those pools into ice.
 
Final touches of the project were completed last week as contractors changed the elevations around the building to send water into the sewer drains.
 
More than 150 tons of asphalt was used to repave the parking lot.
 
The final touch was added Friday as newly configured parking spaces were painted by the building as well as a new half-court basketball court to the north side of the paved lot.
 
Previous parking had vehicles facing north-south. The new configuration has firefighters’ and visitors’ vehicles facing east-west.
 
Fire Chief James White said the total improvement package cost about $34,000.
 
“We have battled the water pooling for years and years,” White said. “Hopefully, the work will cause most of the water from Baldwin Street and our parking lot to enter the new sewer drains.”
 
Visitors to Station 1 will have priority parking outside the primary public entrance.
 
“We wanted to make it easier for our visitors to have access to us and our facility,” White said. “I think this project accomplished our goal.”
 

Bargersville Community Fire Department dispatcher, Larry Shirley, saw an orange glow coming from inside the Rubber Mulch Product’s warehouse directly across the street from fire headquarters.
 
Within seconds of Shirley’s 6:27 p.m. discovery on April 14, firefighters were on the scene and saw a small fire.
 
And just a few seconds later, the entire interior exploded in flames, driving firefighters away. Between 30,000 and 40,000 pounds of shredded rubber was fueling the blaze.
 
Fire investigators said the cause of the blaze was “gross equipment failure,” an accidental cause.
 
Damage to the warehouse, equipment and rubber product was set at $348,000.
 
 RMP processes recycled vehicle tires into mulch for use in playgrounds, athletic fields and walkways. Some of the mulch was colored to suit customer’s needs.
 
The blaze shot flames and billowing black smoke high into the air over the heads of firefighters and threatened to burn away overhead power lines that threatened firefighters’ lives, too.
 
Two additional fire departments – White River Township and City of Franklin - were summoned to the scene in the first block of South Baldwin Street.
 
Firefighters thought the blaze was out several times, but smoldering rubber reignited often throughout the night and early the next day.
 
No one was injured.
 
An event highlight was firefighters’ ability to protect the company office that was just a few feet away from the warehouse.
 
With flames and intense heat so close, fire officials were concerned about the office catching fire. “Firefighters immediately recognized the threat and took quick action to protect the office building,” BCFD Chief James White said. “That building was not damaged.”
 
Of major concern was what, if any, impact the thousands of gallons of potentially contaminated water flowing from the burning building would have on the environment.
 
Recognizing the environmental risks, firefighters decided early to prevent as much of the suspect water from entering storm sewers as possible. Early water tests by Johnson County Emergency Management Director Forrest “Tug” Sutton indicated high levels of acid that could possibly kill fish or wildlife in streams where town’s sewer water is discharged.
 
John Bonsett, Johnson Count y Health Department Director, praised BCFD’s quick action to protect the environment. Indiana Environmental Management officials also were monitoring air quality and possible stream pollution.
 

A vacant log cabin was destroyed by fire Thursday afternoon on the western outskirts of Bargersville.
 
Bargersville Community Fire Department firefighters arriving at the cabin, 3481 North County Road 450 West, found the cabin burning wildly.
 
 Flames were billowing 50 feet from the building along with dense black smoke blowing through the town.
 
It was not immediately determined how the fire started. However, investigators believe the building had been burning a long time before being discovered.
 
The area near the fire is without hydrants and water had to be shuttled to the scene by tankers.
 
Because of the fire’s advanced stages, little could be done to save the building.

Bargersville Community Fire Department’s 2008 review reveals a record-breaking 964 demands for service and heart-warming accomplishments.
 
BCFD recorded a 36 percent increase in service calls during 2007 and 2008.
 
Among the department’s outstanding accomplishments are 5,017 hours of training, purchase of land for a third fire station and hiring three career lieutenants and a fire marshal.
 
In June, firefighters responded to dozens of calls for help rescuing people from rising flood waters. Nearly 30 people were helped from flooded neighborhoods and homes while the safety of hundreds of others was evaluated and investigated.
 
Other events testing the resilience of BCFD included acts of vandalism that sent highly-dangerous anhydrous ammonia clouds across the Town of Bargersville. Quick-acting firefighters reduced the risk to the entire town by using specially designed water nozzles to create foggy water streams to attract the acrid clouds and pull them to the ground. Only two serious injuries occurred.    
 
Firefighters trained for ice rescues, car crashes, loading patients into medical helicopters, proper search techniques in smoke-filled homes and fighting fires during the controlled burning of donated houses, barns and sheds. The crews also trained with other area fire department personnel.
 
BCFD members also learned how to rescue and handle animals found at emergency sites.
 
Other training included safety procedures for firefighters trapped inside burning buildings and monthly emergency medical procedures for sick and injured men, women and children.
 
Firefighters attended classes about structural engineering,  techniques and procedures to use with alcohol-related fires. In another course, natural gas officials taught firefighters how to properly asses and proceed with gas leaks and explosions.
 
Because the fire district is a combination of rural, suburban and urban living, firefighters dedicated time studying first-hand how modern farm equipment functions and tips about how to rescue a farmer who becomes entangled in the machinery.  
 
Part of BCFD’s district does not have fire hydrants. Thus, firefighters must shuttle water in huge tankers to fire scenes. This year, BCFD took ownership of a new tanker capable of carrying 3,000 gallons of water. Currently the fire department has two other smaller tankers.
 
 Rural training included placement of portable water dump tanks to allow tankers quick off-loading to expedite the water shuttle process. Water shortages are not tolerable when attempting to stop fires and protect surrounding properties.
 
New radios were issued to help firefighters improve communications among officers and improve signals inside larger commercial buildings and schools.
 
To improve fire and other emergency operations, the fire district hired three lieutenants to quickly bolster decision making and direction at emergency scenes.
 
Hiring a full-time fire marshal will allow better planning and safety for newly constructed buildings and increased inspections of existing buildings.
 
BCFD’s District Board moved forward in October with the purchase of land along Ind. 135, north of Whiteland Road, to ensure areas exploding with new residential and commercial properties be adequately protected and quickly served in accordance with national guidelines.
 
The low point of the year was the death of Paramedic Vania Shields.  She was killed in September in a horrendous off-duty crash along I-65 near Whiteland Road.  Shields was popular with the department’s membership and known for her quick wit and compassion that she shared with co-workers and sick and injured people she helped. Her husband, Joe Shields, is one of BCFD’s new lieutenants.  

A rural Bargersville man was awakened New Year’s morning by a loud series of squeals.
 
It was a pet pig, Piggy Sue.
 
Piggy Sue, a pot-bellied pig, knew something Patrick Brandum didn’t: The house was on fire.
 
Bargersville Community Fire Department firefighters received a call for help about 12:40 a.m. and arrived at the Brandum residence within four minutes.
 
Patrick Brandum had left the residence through a bedroom window. He told firefighters a dog; two cats and Piggy Sue were in the burning home.
 
Firefighters moved quickly to stop the fire and smoke-filled residence from being destroyed. Damage was limited to about $60,000. The cause of the blaze was suspected as electrical.
 
Piggy Sue was carried from the residence by a firefighter. She had burns on her ears and belly. The pig also had inhaled a lot of smoke. The dog, Helix, and cats also were saved, too.
 
Firefighters and Johnson County sheriff’s deputy, Ramona Jackson, gave Piggy Sue oxygen through a mask they placed over her snout. A veterinarian told the Brandum family the oxygen saved Piggy Sue’s life.
 
A few days after the blaze, Piggy Sue was still coughing, a little, and her burns were healing.
 
Since the story was reported by Nicole Misencik, WTHR-13, BCFD firefighters have received accolades from great pig supporters as well as a lot of good-natured teasing from firefighters representing other area fire departments. Some firefighters have received letters and more than one telephone call laced with oinks and snorts.
 
Despite the teasing, Piggy Sue remains a hero to the Brandum family for saving Patrick Brandum’s life.
 
As a reward, Piggy Sue, a giant popcorn lover, gets all the treats her little pot belly can hold.

A water heater flue caused a fire that heavily damaged a rural Bargersville home Monday, investigators said.
 Fire Marshal Kevin Killinger said the fire started in the attic.
It is suspected the double-walled metal flue had separated and caused a blockage that allowed excessive heat to build up in the attic.
“We checked the fireplace chimney and there was no breach in its structure,” Killinger said.
 Killinger set the damage at $220,000. No one was injured during the incident.
 
Homeowner, Keith Morris, 751 S.  Johnson County Road 700 West, was not at the residence when the fire was discovered by his brother, Mike Morris, a Bargersville Community Fire Department battalion chief.
The brothers were raised in the southwest Johnson County stone and frame home.
The stubborn blaze had quite a head start on firefighters and required assistance from five area fire departments to extinguish.
 
 Mike Morris lives about two blocks from his brother’s home. He saw smoke oozing from the roof line of the residence while checking his mailbox. He called for help over his fire radio.
“I went out to check to see if the mail had been delivered, and as always – I don’t know why I do it, I glanced down the road at the house every time,” Morris said.
What he saw was a truck driver from Bolt Trucking waving at him. Morris took a closer look and saw the smoke.
Firefighters from Trafalgar, Morgantown, Franklin, Green Township in Morgan County, and White River Township assisted in the firefighting operation. The area is not served by fire hydrants and water was shuttled to the scene with fire department tankers.
The front portion of the residence was burning throughout when firefighters arrived shortly before 2 p.m. The blaze was under control within 40 minutes, but smoldered into the night.
As his peers worked tirelessly to save the house, Mike Morris sat in his pickup truck with his two young daughters.
“Dad put that Brown County stone on the house in about 1974,” he said, as his brother firefighters vigorously worked to save the building that housed so many memories.  “It’s where I grew up.”
 

Pets and farm animals often are involved in dangerous and stressful emergency situations.
Whether it’s an automobile crash or farm fire, Bargersville Community Fire Department firefighters often find animals in distress.
 Veterinarian, Dr. Emily Williamson, and Johnson County Animal Control officers held classes three days this week at Station 1 to teach firefighters techniques to deal with animals under stress.
Firefighters often find dogs, cats and livestock at emergency scenes. Sometimes, the animals are aggressive and threaten firefighters and others. Often the animals are reacting from fear and are not being aggressive to humans.
Dogs generally protect their masters or property. For example, an elderly woman falls in her home and emergency personnel are called. Upon arrival, firefighters find the woman being guarded by two large dogs.
 
What should they do?
Dr. Williamson and animal control officers gave firefighters important tips about safely removing the animals from the immediate area using a snare or noose attached to a long pole.
“It doesn’t hurt them at all,” Dr. Williamson said of the capture technique.
Dr. Williamson also taught firefighters how to attempt to revive an injured dog or cat suffering smoke inhalation.
Additionally, Dr. Williamson demonstrated how to safely handle a cat by picking it up by the back of the neck and then stretching its rear legs.
“Cats fight with their rear claws and not their fronts,” Dr. Williamson said. “If you stretch the rear legs out, it prevents them from scratching you and believe me, some cats can cause deep and serious cuts.”
 
Sometimes, cattle are involved in crashes when trucks or trailers carrying them overturn.
Dr. Williamson offered methods for moving the animals off the highway and corralling them between emergency vehicles.  One tip she offered was that beef cattle will move from the dark to light.
“They are easily moved as long as they see something in front of them whether is a group of people holding hands or a roll of (emergency scene) tape with some type of streamer hanging from it,” Dr. Williamson explained.
Deer often are struck by vehicles. Dr. Williamson said a deer trapped in the wreckage or window will be unable to survive and should be quickly destroyed.
 
Of major concern are raccoons.
“Do not handle coons,” Dr. Williamson said. “They carry a dangerous roundworm that is found in their feces and it can be transmitted to humans and other animals. Do not touch their fur because the roundworm can be found and transmitted from there, too.”
 
Animals capable of powerful kicks, including horses, must be handled properly.
For example, a horse removed from a burning barn should not be turned loose in the barnyard.
“It will return to the burning barn,” Dr. Williamson said. “It is best to lead them into a paddock (secured area) and turn them around so they can watch you leave through the gate. This avoids you being kicked. The leading cause of death for veterinarians is being kicked.”
And when in doubt about what to do with an animal, Dr. Williamson said a veterinarian should be consulted.
 

As snow begins to fly and temperatures drop below freezing, winter safety reminders could save your life. 

Governor Mitch Danels reminds us that winter safety is necessary to keep Indiana residents healthy. 

 

Click on the above headline and pdf file to read the governor's proclamation.

 



 

 
Bargersville Community Fire Department’s customers were warned Monday that improperly used space heaters can be deadly, said Fire Marshal Kevin Killinger.
Every year, space heaters are associated with more than 25,000 residential fires and 300 fatalities, according to estimates from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
 To minimize the risk of fire while using a space heater, read and follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions.
Here are more safety tips from the commission:
• Keep all furniture and combustible items at least three feet away from any heating device.
• When selecting a heater, look for one that has been tested and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. These heaters have been determined to meet specific safety standards, and manufacturers are required to provide important use and care information to the consumer.
• Never use space heaters to dry clothing, towels or other combustibles.
• Never refill a fuel-burning space heater while it’s on or inside your house.
• Space heaters should not be left on while you are asleep or leave the room.
• When not in use, space heaters should be unplugged.
• Never use a space heater with a damaged or frayed cord.
• Be sure your space heater is in good working condition and that the heating element is protected by a metal guard.
• Make sure that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working before using a space heater.
• Keep small children away from space heaters.