The year 2000 saw your volunteer Fire department responding to 73 Calls for their assistance, A decrease of almost 40 calls from 1999. Many of these alarms were for motor vehicle accidents, investigations and false alarms, a significant statistic, as these alarms accounted for an unusually high percentage of our calls. The Firefighters motto should be “Please Put me out of Business!” And by looking at the reduction in the number of serious fire related calls last year brings hope that maybe the time and effort that the members of the Fire Department have been putting in for fire prevention training and education is really paying off.

We responded to the following calls last year

Structure Fires 11 Assist other agencies 5
Utility Lines 9 Motor vehicle Accidents 11
Hazardous Material 5 False Alarms 12
Investigations 8 Mutual Aid 5
Grass/Brush 2

Power lines coming down or causing fires kept us busy last year especially during the “Mini-Hurricane” last fall. While there is little that we can do directly until Bangor Hydro gets the power shut off, it is still the Fire Departments responsibility to protect the public from these dangers. Please take to heart the saying “ No power line is safe to touch EVER”

The Towns emergency plan was put into action this past winter during an extended power outage with an emergency shelter being opened and staffed by the Fire Department, American Legion personnel and the
Red Cross at the American legion hall. I was very pleased to see that all went very smoothly and am confident that should an incident of a larger scale happen we will be ready to provide shelter to those in need

With heating oil prices going through the roof this season, with no end in sight, I am concerned with the possibilities that alternative heating sources may be installed or maintained in a less than safe manner. I ask all to please be careful with wood stoves, kerosene heaters and the like. Have your chimneys cleaned on a regular basis, especially if you are relying on green wood. Have a professional either install or check your installations of any of these devices. The small fee involved will be well worth it to prevent a devastating fire. Heating equipment fires caused by improper installations or maintenance top the list of the causes of residential fires

I wish I could report to you that we have made progress in resolving the space requirements for the Departments equipment and Personnel but I cannot. Nothing further has been done to find an acceptable solution to the departments needs. Maybe next year.

I would like to thank first the Folks at the Dead River Company A.k.a. Murphy’s Store for their continued support of the Department. With out their help, one of our fire trucks would be literally out in the cold. Also I would also like to thank Murphy’s, Gott’s Store and Big Al’s pit stop, John Goodwin Jr. and HG Reed Inc. as well as all the private citizens for all that they have provided, without hesitation, to us during emergencies.

My thanks go as well to all the Officers, the members of the Fire Department and the Southwest Harbor Fire Association. Once again you have all proven that when the community is hurting, you are there to provide them with the comfort and aid that is needed to heal the wounds.

Respectfully Submitted
Samuel T. Chisholm
Chief
Southwest Harbor Fire Department