Appropriate Staffing Saves Lives
June 7, 1009
On September 1, 2007 a fire broke out at an apartment building in Orlando, FL. A mother and her four children were trapped inside the apartment. Within seconds, the Orlando Fire Department had dispatched three engines, two ladders, two heavy rescues, and two chiefs to the scene. The first engine arrived on scene in just over three minutes. After fighting intense flames and trying to locate the victims, firefighters were able to save the family who was hiding in their bathroom. There were only seconds to spare.
This video shows the importance of a properly staffed and trained fire department. There are numerous similar apartment complexes located in Amherst. Would we be able to handle a fire like this? Would the outcome be as rewarding?
At full or minimum staffing, there are only enough firefighters in the town of Amherst to staff two fire engines. If we are busy on one of more than 3,800 annual ambulance calls, we may not even be able to staff a single engine. That is a long way from the six apparatus initially send on this call; and they still had to call for more.
An appropriately staffed fire department is essential for the safety of our community.
Watch video on YouTube
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2009 MDA Poker Ride Flier Now Available
April 30, 2009
The flier for the Amherst Firefighters 2009 MDA Poker Ride is now available in .pdf format. There is a link at the bottom of this box and in the margin to the right. Viewrs are encouraged to print flier and forward it to anyone who might be interested.
Click here for a copy of the flier.
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Fire Department Continues to See Record Numbers
April 9, 2009
For the 12th straight year the Amherst Fire Department is already on track to respond to more emergencies than ever before. Some calls for help are forced to wait for help to come from as far away as Northampton and even Greenfield.
Click here response statistics.
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Amherst Team Raises more than $700 for MDA
March 17, 2009
On February 26, the Amherst Firefighters participated in the 13th Annual MDA Ski Muster at Wachusett Mountain. This was the third year in a row that the Amherst Firefighters put a team together for the event. Pictures have been added under the "Events" section on the "Pictures" page.
Click here for pictures.
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New Ambulance Put Into Service
March 6, 2009
This week the Amherst Fire Department put a new ambulance into service. Designated as "51-R-29," the ambulance will be stationed at Central Station as the primary ambulance. It is on a Chevy chasis and is built by Horton Emergency Vehicles.
The oldest ambulance ("51-R-97") will be traded in to the dealer once one of our other ambulances returns from repairs.
Click here for info on the new ambulance.
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Comments and Questions
January 5, 2009
AmherstFirefighters.org now offers a Comments page for visitors to leave feedback and general comments on. We have also added a section to our Frequently Asked Questions page for visitors to ask questions. We hope this will make it easier for visitors to the site to find what they are looking for.
Thanks for visiting AmherstFirefighters.org!
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Local Student Reports on Fire Department
November 9, 2008
A young man named Chris recently picked the history of the Amherst Fire Department for his school project. Chris and his Dad are regular visitors to our stations while they are on their bike rides. Chris was nice enough to send us a copy of his report and give us permission to share it on our site.
Great work Chris!
PowerPoint Presentation (4MB): Click here to see Chris' report.
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September 2008: Busiest Month On Record
October 3, 2008
Last month the Amherst Firefighters responded to more emergencies than ever before. There were 164 fire-related calls (more than ever before) and 404 emergency medical calls. This is only the second time we have responded to more than 400 medical calls in a single month.
Click here for our Response Page.
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Understaffing Makes Local Headlines
22 News (Springfield, MA) aired this story on March 17, 2008 regarding the staffing of the Fire Department.
Click on the picture to the right to view the news report.
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Firefighters Address the Select Board
Amherst, MA - March 17th, 2008
The Amherst Firefighters presented the Select Board with the benefits of a Fire-based EMS system and suggestions to improve the level of service.
Full Article Here.
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"Town's Essential Services Require Adequate Funding"
Amherst, MA - March 12th, 2008
An article written by one of our members is posted in the local paper.
Click here for Full Article
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Emergency Services: What is the public paying for?
Amherst, MA - March 7th, 2008
A brief reponse to the Town Managers ideas on protecting our community.
Click here for Full Story
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What are other towns doing?
Amherst, MA - March 7th, 2008
A look at Massachusetts towns close to Amherst in size.
Click here for Full Story
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Press Release: Town Manager Misses Point of Emergency Services
Amherst, MA - February 27th, 2008
Town Manager Laurence Shaffer presents controvercial numbers to the Select Board and asks them to take a "leap of fiath."
Click here for Full Story
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Fire Department Does Not Meet 1965 Standards
Multiple studies have shown that AFD was understaffed in 1965. This 2003 report shows that staffing levels have not changed since then despite a 500% increase in call volume.
Reorganization Study Committee Report, November 2003
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Threats to Fire Dept. an ongoing problem in Amherst (Letter to the editor)
Amherst, MA - written January, 2007
Amherst already among the most understaffed departments in the state. Proposed budget cuts would further compromise Department's ability to protect the community.
Click here for a copy of the entire letter
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