Members of Salem Fire/Rescue and the Flight For Life crew pose in front of the FFL helicopter in the Salem Town Hall parking lot Monday. /Photo by Darren Hillock
Salem Paramedic Gail Dodge created a quilt that helped raise funds for the Flight For Life night vision goggles initiative. She is seen here with an award given to her by FFL for that effort. /Photo by Darren Hillock
Flight For Life-McHenry Base recognized Salem Fire/Rescue personnel on Monday for their support of the night vision goggles initiative of the FFL safety program.
Salem, Wilmot and Trevor Firefighter Associations and Salem Rescue Squad Association purchased over 250 of the limited edition FFL Safety Coins to show their support of the NVG safety initiative that the FFL organization had made in 2009. Because NVGs cost $13,000-$15,000 each, support from referring agencies was critical to making this initiative a success.
At a training session on Monday, FFL representatives discussed how NVGs work and why they are being utilized by FFL. Then each firefighter had the opportunity to look through the goggles in a darkened room and see firsthand the safety advantages of their use.
After the training, Salem Paramedic Gail Dodge was recognized by FFL McHenry for her personal contribution to the NVG program. She created a one-of-a-kind t-shirt quilt made of FFL and McHenry Fire t-shirts as a way to provide an additional incentive to get individuals to come out and donate blood at the FFL-McHenry and
McHenry Fire Blood Drive on June 26 at the McHenry Fire Station #1. Dodge spent many hours on the quilt in a very short time frame, donating all of her time on this project. She also helped to sell the raffle tickets to other firefighters and paramedics plus both she and her daughter Mandy donated blood.
“It makes all of us at Flight For Life proud to see our customers become engaged in our safety efforts,” said Jim Singer, FFL transport system director. “They truly believe that safety is everyone’s responsibility and priority.â€
The Flight for Life helicopter lands in the Salem Town Hall parking lot. /Photo by Karen Hillock
Salem Fire/Rescue members try on some Flight for Life night vision goggles. /Photo by Karen Hillock
Salem Fire/Rescue members get an up-close look at the Flight For Life helicopter. /Photo by Maggie Hillock
