Wilton Fire Department

WILTON – In their first year participating with a team, the Wilton Fire Department raised over $400 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondack’s. The event, Bowl For Kid’s Sake, is an annual fundraising event where bowling teams raise money to help BBBS support the hundreds of children in the program. The Wilton Fire Department, as well, donates annually to the event.

On March 17, 2013, the Wilton Fire Department’s team took to the lanes of Spare Time in South Glens Falls for two games. The team consisted of Dakota, his Big Brother FF Warren Cutler, Kevin Meltzer, Todd Murray and Allison Murray.

— By Francine Grinnell (Saratogian.com)

Who are you?
I’m a Wilton resident and a husband and father. I’m a firefighter for the town of Wilton, a retired plumbing and heating expert and a country line dancer.

John Liptak, Sr.

Why did you become a firefighter?
I lived in Greenwich, Conn., where my father was a career firefighter, and he was a great influence. When I was 16, I became a volunteer firefighter until I got out of high school. I apprenticed as a plumber and was drafted, so I chose the Navy and stayed in from 1959 until 1962. We were based in Norfolk, Va.
I came home on leave with a buddy from Wilton, I met my wife Nancy up here and the rest is history. We were married the next year. I volunteered to become a firefighter for Wilton Fire Department and have been fighting fires for more than 45 years. I also worked for 23 years as a plumbing and heating technician in Saratoga Springs, then started my own plumbing and heating business. I retired 12 years ago.
When a fire call comes in, it’s first-come, first- served as far as the truck we get to respond to a fire with. We all have a truck we like to drive. The one I drive is going to be retired soon and we’ll get a new one. At this point, I have chosen to fight non-interior fires so I don’t have to climb ladders or wear an air pack anymore, but I do most everything else. We seem to respond to more traffic accidents here.
Now my son, John Liptak Jr., is also a firefighter.

What led to your interest in country line dancing?
I wasn’t interested at first. Nancy wanted to learn and she took lessons for six months. I was chicken, but she talked me into it. We went all over. We lived in Connecticut after we were married, then moved to Wilton, and we’ve been dancing together for more than 15 years. It’s great exercise.

Was there a fire you were called to that stands out in your memory?

Yes. In the 1970s, there was a fire at the Rusk family’s home on Parkhurst Road in Wilton. It was 28 degrees below zero out and the house burned to the ground in snow that was 3 feet deep. We had to dig out the remains of seven or eight people. I’ll never forget it.

How long will you fight fires and line dance?
Until they put me in the ground.

Courtesy of the Saratogian.com http://saratogian.com/articles/2013/04/23/life/doc517732193ad46051454789.txt?viewmode=fullstory

By PAUL POST
ppost@saratogian.com
Twitter.com/paulvpost

NORTHUMBERLAND — Preparation is the key to winning any battle, especially when it comes to saving lives.

Fire and rescue personnel spent Saturday morning training for an emergency they seldom encounter, but might have to one day — a logging accident.

More than two dozen Wilton and Schuylerville responders gathered at a 230-acre Saratoga County wooded lot on Gailor Lane, where classes are held regularly for BOCES forestry and conservation students.

“This is absolutely valuable,” Wilton firefighter Frank Merrill said. “There’s a lot we didn’t know. This could save somebody’s life if we’re in a situation like this.”

Participating agencies were Wilton Fire Department, Wilton EMS, Schuyler Hose Co., General Schuyler EMS, BOCES and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The first drill involved extricating a person from beneath a fallen tree.

General Schuyler Chief of Operations Jaime Barton responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center disaster. Some of the same rescue techniques used there are needed to help a woodlands accident victim, he said.

For example, to free a person pinned beneath a tree, firefighters use blocks to stabilize the log. Then, high-pressure air pillows are placed beneath it. When they’re inflated, the tree is raised just enough for rescue personnel to pull the person out and begin resuscitation efforts, if needed.

Barton said several people in Edinburg and Corinth have died from such accidents in recent years.

Like most emergencies, time is a critical factor.“You should never go in the woods alone,” Barton said. “Plus, people should always make sure their family knows where they are. And go with the best cell phone carrier you can. Some places have no service, or it might change depending on the time of year. In the summer, foliage might affect the service you get.”

Saturday’s drill was prompted by an incident last fall in which a BOCES student suffered a finger injury while working in the lot off Homestead Road. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious.

Before then, however, some rescue personnel had never been to the site, which has public walking trails. Now, in addition to learning a new skill, they’re more familiar with the property and how to get there.

“We’re drilling for situations we may encounter here and to know the land a little better,” said Dave Ballestero, assistant Wilton fire chief.

Several BOCES students also took part and learned what they should do if there’s an accident and fire and rescue personnel are on their way.

“They can be making wedges (used during extrication) and be out on the road to direct responders where to go when they get here,” BOCES Safety Coordinator Micki Jones said.

BOCES forestry student Cody Carpenter of Luzerne said he feels better knowing that local emergency personnel are better trained now.

“It’s getting them familiar so if anything happens, they know what they’re getting into,” he said.

Carpenter is also a Luzerne-Hadley firefighter and said he plans to suggest such training for his fire company as well.

“This extrication (training) is great because now we have interagency cooperation,” Barton said.

Article courtesy of Paul Post, Saratogian.com http://saratogian.com/articles/2013/04/14/news/doc516a07ca0cc19173349620.txt

By PAUL POST
ppost@saratogian.com
Twitter.com/paulvpost

WILTON — Family, friends and neighbors are mourning the late Emilio J. Jordan Jr., 62, who died in a Saturday evening house fire at his 4 Sunshine Drive home.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Jordan, who was confined to a wheelchair, was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire, which was reported at 7 p.m. by a home health aide who had just arrived at the yellow, split-level ranch house.

The blaze, confined to a second-story living area, had almost burned itself out when Wilton firefighters arrived.

“There was some smoke, mostly intense heat,” said Bill Morgan, assistant Wilton Fire Department chief. “The fire was receding.”

No foul play is suspected. However, the Saratoga County Arson Investigation Team and New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control is trying to determine the fire’s cause.

Neighbors didn’t know anything was wrong until fire trucks showed up, said Lisa Smith, of nearby Moonglow Road.

“It smelled like electrical; it just smelled funny,” she said.

No one else was in the house during the fire.

Jordan’s 12-year-old Bassett hound had singed ears and was blackened by the smoke. Smith said she took the dog to Northway Animal Emergency Clinic, in Moreau. State police said the dog has been adopted by a concerned citizen.

Smith said she believed Jordan had multiple sclerosis.

“He was a really nice guy,” she said.

Morgan said Jordan was in his wheelchair when firefighters discovered him. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday at Albany Medical Center.

The home aide was only able to enter a short distance into the home before being forced out by heavy smoke and extreme heat, police said.

“He was gone when she got there,” Morgan said.

Gansevoort Fire Department also responded.

Sunshine Drive is off Traver Road, about a half-mile south of Wilton Town Hall. The street has fire hydrants, but firefighters didn’t need them because the fire had pretty much died down by the time they got there, Wilton Fire Chief Scott Brackett said.

“They went in and knocked it down,” he said. “They didn’t use much water at all. I don’t think they even used 100 gallons. The house is not a total loss.”

Firefighters used water from a tanker truck, he said.

The ground floor of the house was mostly used for storage and a garage.

Brackett said he can’t recall the last time there was a fire fatality in Wilton.

Courtesey of Paul Post, Saratogian http://saratogian.com/articles/2013/04/02/news/doc515a29ac0d9e2758381512.txt?viewmode=default

From the National Frame Building Association (NFBA), Station 2 won 1st Place for Building of the Year (Institutional Building Category)!  

By PAUL POST
ppost@saratogian.com
Twitter.com/paulvpost

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Fire officials urge local residents to use extra safety precautions with woodstoves and space heaters during this week’s deep freeze conditions.

Several fires have left more than a dozen area people homeless since Jan. 1.

Friday’s forecast is a high of 17 degrees, with a low of 4 degrees. Thursday’s overnight low was forecast to be 10 degrees below zero.

“The most common mistake is that people don’t get their chimneys cleaned and inspected each year,” Wilton Fire Chief Scott Brackett said. “Early in the season, they tend to have small fires and creosote builds up. Small fires can actually cause problems because they don’t burn hot enough. Then, when it gets real cold, people build rip-roaring fires and the creosote catches fire.”