Heroic Rescue in Milton Structure Fire
POSTED ON November 6th, 2015 ON my burlingtonfreepress.com

Saint Michael's Fire responded Mutual Aid to Milton for a reported house fire on Wednesday morning.
Propane tanks at the other end of the home continued to feed the fire, causing periodic explosions in the kitchen area — although the tanks themselves did not catch fire, Fire Chief Turner said.
Most of the contents of the house were reduced to ash. The exceptions: a kettle atop an iron stove, the skeleton frame of an off-road vehicle, what appeared to be an oxygen tank, and folded sections of roof.
Milton fire, police and rescue squads responded to the blaze, as did crews from Colchester Center, St. Michael's College and Georgia.

Local Hero: Kate Soons
POSTED ON May 5th, 2015 ON mychamplainvalley.com

This year, our very own Kate Soons was featured as a local hero for Vermont's EMS week.

Vermont EMS Week starts Sunday, May 17th. This year's theme is EMS Strong.
You're going to meet a stand-out in EMS education, who has put in around two dozen years of service to her community.

When a call comes in, Kate Soons is there.

Saint Michael's Fire Mutual Aid to Essex Junction
POSTED ON April 14th, 2015 ON burlingtonfreepress.com

Fire departments from Essex Town, Colchester Center, Saint Michael's College and Malletts Bay as well as rescue personnel from Essex, Colchester and Williston responded to the scene in addition to Essex Junction Fire Department.The Essex Junction Fire Department was called to the Cherry Street fire at about 5:30 a.m. Flames engulfed the entire front of the house and could be seen shooting out from the roof as firefighters arrived.

Police and firefighters had to cut a hole in the exterior of the home to remove an unresponsive woman from inside, Essex Police said. Police said the woman is in her 20s, and she was found on the second floor.

SMFR Respond to Rt. 2&7 Crash in Colchester
POSTED ON February 24th, 2015 ON wcax.com

St. Michael's Fire and Rescue responded to report of a three car accident, with a head on collision, in the bottom of Sunny Hollow yesterday to provide patient care and stabilization.

Just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, multiple units responded to a three-vehicle crash in Sunny Hollow on Route 7. Police say a driver had to be cut out of his car after a collision in Colchester.
Police say the crash is still under investigation.

SMFR Attends Camp Ta-Kum-Ta Chapel Inauguration 
POSTED ON October 16th, 2014 ON wptz.com

The new Ecumenical Chapel and the Memorial Garden at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta officially opened on Sunday. Rebuilding the chapel took just over two and half years. Originally located in Colchester at the former Camp Holy Cross, the building was taken apart, moved, and rebuilt at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta in South Hero.

The community hopes it will serve as a place of reflection for all members of the Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a camp for children with cancer.

SMFR & Colchester Tech Rescue Training in the News
POSTED ON August 31ST, 2014 ON smcvt.edu

Every year since 2007 for members of the Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue squads, it's meant "Boot Camp" -- five days of special training that allows veteran and new members to get reoriented and back in the rhythms of their important life-and-death work beyond the classroom.

Leslie Lindquist '05, assistant rescue chief and a former biology major who after graduation completed an advanced paramedic program and earned a master's in health science before returning to St. Mike's full-time a year ago, said Boot Camp shows the lasting bond that squad members feel even after they graduate.

SMFR attends Vermont bill signing for ban  of Cell Phone use
POSTED ON July 11TH, 2014 ON vtdigger.org

Beginning Oct. 1, police can stop any driver they see holding a cellphone in their hand while driving. The law, which was signed Thursday by Gov. Peter Shumlin, requires drivers to use hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth, when talking on their cellphones while driving.

The law is the same as an existing one that bans the use of hand-held cellphones in work zones. Beginning Oct. 1, drivers can be stopped and fined up to $200 for a first offense. No points are assessed against one’s driver’s license for a first offense. Steeper fines and points are assessed for subsequent offense within a two-year period.

St. Michael's Fire responds to Rt. 7 for a School bus crash
POSTED ON June 16TH, 2014 ON WCAX.com

A school bus crash closed Route 7 near the Colchester-Milton line Friday. Police say the first bus driver slowed down for a turning car when it was rear-ended by the second bus. Luckily both vehicles were on their way to pick up kids and did not have passengers at the time of the crash. 

Fire and Rescue responds to campus townhouse fire
POSTED ON FEBRUARY 17TH, 2014 IN The Defender

Eight minutes – the Saint Michael's College Fire and Rescue squad's response time to the fire scene at Townhouse 105 from the moment the first call came in via 911 at 3:28 a.m. – was particularly remarkable, says St. Mike's Assistant Fire Chief Erik Haversang '11, considering that from the time their beepers went off as they slept in campus residences, these emergency-experienced students all drove or ran over to the station across Route 15 from main campus, donned air packs and fire-retardant gear, jumped on the new Engine 8 and old Engine 9 and roared over to the student 100-series Townhouses in the northeast corner of main campus, just a few hundred yards from headquarters. 

St. Michael's Fire Squad Captain, 2013 SMC graduate Andrew Virnig of Minnetonka named Admission Counselor

POSTED ON JULY 30TH, 2013 IN READMedia
Virnig, who graduated with a degree in psychology, will be a recruiter for the college, travelling to his home state of Minnesota, as well as to Maine, Western Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut to tell the Saint Michael's story. He will also plan travel for other recruiters, attend college fairs, visit high schools, and read applications of prospective students during application season.

Hanover resident creates national winning website for SMFR Squads

POSTED ON MARCH 5TH, 2013 IN READMedia
In competition with some of the largest universities in the country, the Saint Michael's College Fire & Rescue website was named best in the nation at the 20th Anniversary Conference of the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF) held February 22 - 24 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, DC.

No holiday break for these St. Michael's EMT undergrads

POSTED ON DECEMBER 28TH, 2012 IN THE BURLINGTON FREE PRESS
Most collegiate emergency services cover only their campuses and shut down during vacations. By contrast, St. Michael's and UVM crews have service areas that extend well beyond college boundaries, so they're committed to having members at the ready at any time.

The St. Michael's fire crew responds to all the same calls as the Winooski Fire Department and the Malletts Bay Department in Colchester, and they're available to assist other area departments as well. The ambulance crew is the primary responder for Winooski, St. George and Hinesburg, about 15 miles away; and back-up for Williston, Essex, Colchester and Jericho.

Amy McGann of Hanover is a student and volunteer firefighter

POSTED ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2012 IN THE HANOVER MARINER
St. Michael’s offers students the opportunity to join a volunteer fire department run entirely by students. The department answers real calls in the surrounding town of Colchester and is considered by the local fire department as an extra station.

McGann didn’t see an option like the one St. Michael’s offers at any of the other schools she looked at. As a result, she has been attending the school -- and volunteering at the department -- for over a year now.

Saint Michael's College Fire & Rescue Squad Student Leader Christopher Eldridge of Dover wins Service Award

POSTED ON APRIL 20TH, 2012 IN READMEDIA
Christopher Eldridge, a Saint Michael's College senior business major, was selected as the college's winner in the Commitment to Service an Engagement Award category presented by Vermont Campus Compact (VCC) at their 2012 Statewide Awards Ceremony on April 12 at the Capitol Conference Center in Montpelier, Vt.

This award is given to one student per VCC campus for the breadth and depth of his or her community involvement.

Saint Michael's College students tally 109,806 hours of community service in 2010-2011 academic year

POSTED ON DECEMBER 14TH, 2011 IN SMCVT NEWS
The student-run Saint Michael's College fire department and ambulance service serves the Saint Michael's campus and surrounding communities and portions of Interstate 89. The students, certified EMTs, were called 2,081 times in 2010-2011, and responded to 1,828 of those calls, missing only those that came when the squad was on another call. Saint Michael's is the rescue squad of choice for many in the area. The fire unit of Saint Michael's Fire and Rescue responds to about 600 calls a year, operating as a battalion of the Colchester Center Volunteer Fire Company. Some 43 students gave 80,300 service hours on Fire and Rescue, serving some 2,500 individuals.

Saint Michael's all-volunteer, student-run fire department take possession of new 'Engine 8' fire truck

POSTED ON NOVEMBER 13, 2009 IN SMCVT NEWS
Built by the Sutphen Corporation of Ohio, the truck is the second fire truck for the squad. Each holds eight fire fighters, thus making it possible for 16 trained personnel to go to the scene of a fire. The Saint Michael's Fire Department serves the college, as well as Winooski and Colchester.

Emergency birth proves to be a St. Michael’s family affair

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 7TH, 2007 IN THE ECHO
Although an emergency birth may be a once in a lifetime experience for the Lubkowitz family, the St. Michael’s fire and rescue squad is trained to deal with similar situations on a regular basis. Fire and rescue chief Pete Soons says the rescue squad trains so they can work with kids in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

IN THE NEWS

Since 1969 it has always been the mission of Saint Michael's Fire and Rescue to try to make an impact on campus and in our community. We are always pleased when our services and members make the news or are recognized by the Saint Michael's College community.

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