New Canaan Firefighters Undergo ‘Patient Packaging and Hauling’ Training

New Canaan firefighters on Tuesday underwent a specialized type of training that prepares them for safely packaging and hauling a patient up a steep embankment, such as after an individual is ejected from a motor vehicle or falls down a hill in the woods. “The idea is to get a rescuer down to the person in a safe way, do a quick patient assessment, stabilize the patient, take care of any [cervical] spine precautions, package them in a way that we can get them back up the hill,” said New Canaan Fire Department Lt. Duffy Sasser, who underwent the training with several other career firefighters as well as a member of the volunteer company. “We try to pull that sort of gear out at least a few times a year, because—although that is a very low-frequency event for us—it is something that, when it happens, you need everybody on the same page when it comes to putting all those systems to use and it comes to using the proper knots and all the things that have to come together to make that work,” Sasser said. The volunteer New Canaan Fire Company undergoes the same training as the career firefighters, on the same schedule, he said—in this case, working the same ropes and knots systems—“because everybody has to be hands-on and it’s important that we are consistent across-the-board.”

New Canaan Firefighters-Sponsored Mets Win NC Baseball A Division Crown

New Canaan Firefighters Mets 14, Ed’s Garage Doors Marlins 4

An exciting 2015 New Canaan Baseball “A” Division season came to a close as the New Canaan Firefighters-sponsored Mets defeated the Ed’s Garage Doors-sponsored Marlins 14-4 in the championship game on Saturday, June 13. The final matchup featured the #1 seeded Mets (11-3) vs. the #3 seeded Marlins (8-5-1). Two of the three Mets regular season losses were to the Marlins which added to the highly anticipated final at Mead Park’s Mellick Field. After Mets starter John Bajaj held the Marlins scoreless in the top of the first, the Mets jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom half of the inning on RBI singles delivered by Bajaj, second baseman Harry Mayock, first baseman Quentin Pearl and a 2-RBI double from left fielder Ned Smith.

New Canaan Fire Department Swears in Two, Promotes Two, Presents Special Commendations

More than 100 town officials and residents joined New Canaan firefighters and their families Tuesday night for an awards, swearing-in and special commendation ceremony at Lapham Community Center. “Tonight means a lot to me because it’s something I’ve worked very hard to get, to be a career firefighter,” Damien Sheerin said after he’d been sworn in. “Tonight feels a little surreal, that all my hard work has paid off, to be a firefighter officially in New Canaan, Connecticut.”

See the photos and captions in the slideshow above for quotes and information about each honoree. They are:

Fire Commissioner Kerry Smith
Retired Deputy Fire Marshall Bill Dingee
Firefighter Jim Pickering
Firefighter Damien Sheerin
Lt. Duffy Sasser
Capt. Michael Baker

The ceremony was led by Fire Commissioner Jack Horner. Town officials in attendance included Selectman Beth Jones and Emergency Management Director Mike Handler.