AVON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD FOR HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAM

Award Recognizes Success and Excellence in Injury- and Illness-Prevention Initiatives

In November, the Avon Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) was presented with the 2018 International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officer Section (VCOS) Volunteer Firemen’s Insurance Services (VFIS) 2018 Illness and Injury Prevention Program Award for its health and wellness program.

“One of the things I am proudest of during my time as Chief of the Avon Volunteer Fire Department is the work our team has done to support the health and wellness and protect the safety of our volunteers,” says AVFD Chief Michael Trick. “Key to our success in this area is the expertise and leadership of medical officer Captain Adam Corrado, MD. He has dedicated countless hours to our initiative, helping it grow from a wish list item to a fully-functional program that saves lives and wins awards.”

The AVFD has undertaken and, as of 2017, fully implemented a comprehensive health and wellness program for its volunteer members that fully complies with all the latest editions of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1500, 1582, 1583, and 1584, including toxic fireground exposure reduction and mitigation procedures and reporting, annual physical performance evaluations, annual compliant physical examinations, and fitness evaluations. The Department has even gone so far as to have brought on board Life Scan Wellness Centers from Tampa, Florida, as an authorized provider to augment its examination process with ultrasound screening, which identified a previously undiagnosed and silent case of cancer in an active AVFD member under 50, essentially saving his life.

The AVFD’s medical division has produced and distributes to every member and recruit a bound guide to department health and wellness programs. A program this comprehensive requires the unanimous support of the officer corps, and under Chief Michael Trick’s leadership and his 15-member staff of officers, the AVFD has achieved 100 percent capture for physical exam and performance qualification in 2017 for the first time in the Department’s 75-year history.

About the VCOS-VFIS Illness and Injury Prevention Program Award

The Illness & Injury Prevention Award is designed to support the NFFF and USFA initiatives to reduce firefighter injuries and illness. The Illness & Injury Prevention Award recognizes success and excellence in developing and implementing an injury- or illness-prevention or vehicle-safety program. Typical types of programs that may qualify include: physical and physical fitness, wellness, cancer prevention, and vehicle safety.

About the AVFD

Incorporated in 1943, the Avon Volunteer Fire Department proudly protects more than 18,000 people living in the 22.6 square mile area that makes up the Town of Avon. The Department’s mission is to provide fire suppression and prevention, life safety and rescue support, as well as other community support to the citizens of the Town of Avon. In addition, the Department provides mutual aid support to those surrounding communities that, in time of need, may request such assistance.

Staffed entirely by volunteers, the Avon Volunteer Fire Department prides itself on the selflessness and dedication of its members. The Department operates six companies and 15 pieces of apparatus, including a brush truck, ladder truck, tanker, rescue vehicle, boat, and pumpers. Four stations are located throughout Town – Company 1 on Darling Drive, Company 2 on Secret Lake Road, Company 3 on West Avon Road, and Company 4 on Huckleberry Hill Road. Anyone interested in learning more about the AVFD should call the Avon Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) at 677-2644, visit www.avonvfd.org, connect on Facebook at AvonVFD, or stop by the Company 1 firehouse located at 25 Darling Drive any Monday evening after 7:00.