New Slate of Officers for 2012

New Officers Appointed and Elected
The Westfield Fire Department held its annual elections at the January 3, 2012 meeting.  The Westfield Fire District Board of Commissioners reappointed John Lockwood as Chief.  Joe Augeri, who has previously served as Chief and Deputy Chief, returns as the newly appointed Deputy Chief.  Bill Balch, who most recently served as Captain was newly appointed as Assistant Chief.  The Westfield Fire membership elected the Captain and Lieutenant's positions.  Joe Passamano, who most recently served as Lieutenant was elected as Captain.  Mike Mosebach, Jason Lubee, Matt Holmes, Paul Heck, Dan Barone and Matt Caffrey were elected as Lieutenants.  Mike Mosebach, Jason Lubee and Matt Holmes are returning Lieutenants.  Dan Barone has previously served as Lieutenant and Captain and is a welcome return addition to the team.  Matt Caffrey is in his first year as Lieutenant - we thank him for stepping up to the plate and wish him much success in his new position.  Lastly, we thank all the officers in advance for the many sacrifices they and their families will make in the service of the residents of the City of Middletown.

Some Leave Office
Stephen Hughes and Darrell Ponzio served as Deputy and Assistant Chief through the end of 2011 but both resigned as officers to make more time for family and other commitments.  Thanks to Stephen and Darrell for the significant sacrifices they made in the service of the Department and the public.

New EMS Schedule

Notice to all WFD EMT's and EMR's: The new EMS Duty Schedule for January and February has been published and is available for viewing in the dispatch room.  Please note that starting February 1, the duty crew for each Friday and Saturday night will go on duty at 18:00 and will remain on duty through 10:00 the following morning.  It is the responsibility of each duty crew member to find a replacement of equal or higher certification if they cannot cover their assigned nights.  Please see 10-5-5 with any questions.

Happy Holidays!

The Westfield Fire Department wishes all its members as well as the residents of the City of Middletown a very happy holiday season!  We hope everyone enjoys time spent with family and friends and remind you to be responsible as you travel to and fro. 

Free Flu Clinic Coming to WFD

The fourth in a series of free flu clinics will be held at the Westfield Fire Department on Wednesday November 30 from noon - 8:00 p.m.  Click on the link below for more information.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7Ag3OVqgHKzNWMwNDllZDctOGEyNC00M2MxLWIxZmYtMGRhZjk2M2FiNTNi

Courage - the Hero with the Red Bandana

Words like hero, sacrifice and courage require some kind of revised definitional perspective in the wake of 9/11 and in relation to the actions of so many people who died that day or as a result of their participation in the subsequent rescue efforts.  The following video is worth watching if you want to recalibrate your view of what a hero is, what sacrifice means or what courage entails.  Nice work Welles Crowther - a true American hero.  

A little overwhelmed...

...Well, it's been quite a day. It started by watching the ceremonies at "Ground Zero" - or what I hope we'll all start calling "the World Trade Center" again soon. Like millions of others, I watched with my family and I have to say, I was pretty choked up at different times - to the point that I could not explain certain things to my two boys without having to pause for a few seconds to gain my composure. It struck me as strange to be feeling emotional about 9/11 a full 10 years after it happened, but I guess that's a good indication of how cataclysmic it was. Of course, everyone was inundated with 9/11 programming and events all week and all day today. I'm proud to say that the Westfield Fire Department was involved in several local events. For me, I liked the 4 hours or so that we hung the Middlesex County American flag from our Ladder 6 over East Street. Most people driving by honked and waved in support in the way that people did in the weeks following 9/11/01. Many people stopped to take photos and to visit. It was a nice, informal and subtle way of acknowledging the importance of this day in our history.  Tonight, the barrage of coverage and programming continued and I felt compelled to watch some if it - more so as a way to honor those who suffered and died than anything else.  Finally, I checked emails and such on the computer before heading to bed, and I came across this video.  A crowd of school children stops by a Manhattan FDNY firehouse to sing.  So simple and so beautiful.  Take a look and enjoy it.
  

Family Picnic Relocated

Due to the significant rain this week the Westfield/Cromwell Joint Family Picnic is being relocated to the rear of the Westfield Fire Department.  The picnic will start at the normal time (12:00 p.m.) on Saturday September 10th.  Please note that this event  is open to Westfield and Cromwell Fire Department members  and their invitees only and is not open to the general public.  For any questions, please call the Westfield Fire Department at 860-632-2690.

City of Middletown - Post Hurricane Reading

In the wake of Hurricane Irene the City of Middletown is providing the following in formation:

Click here to learn more about Food Facts.

Click here to read the Sewage Backup Fact Sheet.

Chix BBQ - Thanks to Those Who Made it Happen!

This is about a month too late, but given the amount of work all the members of WFD put into the annual chicken barbeque I feel compelled to send out a few "thank you" notes:

To Peter Murphy for providing overall coordination of the event, including about 6 weeks of planning and preparation.  Pete - no good deed goes unpunished!  You're officially nominated to run next year's event!

To all the members, past and present, including Jeff Doskos, who were up and out at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning to work the pit.  It's some really hard work that goes very under-recognized.  Excellent job by Brian White coordinating the pit.

To all the members who got the fire house ready for our guests and who served the thousands of meals - whether they were eat-in or take-out.  Great job presenting WFD as the professional organization that it is.

To Chief Lockwood and the Board of Commissioners for their support.

Lastly, to all those named below, who gave their time to do anything asked because.....well, I'm not really sure why, but it doesn't really matter - they were absolutely super!
Bailey Andrew
Owen Andrew
Nick Higgins
Krysta Holmes
Dan Palozie
Danielle Darley
Michelle Messer
Melissa Messer
Katelyn Augeri

2011 Memorial Day Events

The Westfield District's 116th annual Memorial Day Parade was held earlier today, stepping off from the Westfield Fire House at 2:00 p.m.  Westfield will participate in the Durham Memorial Day Parade which steps off from Durham Quarter Road and Route 17 at 9:15 a.m. on Monday May 30 and will then participate in the City of Middletown Memorial Day parade and service, which steps off from upper Main Street at 10:30 a.m., also on Monday May 30th.  Westfield will cap the day off by participating in Cromwell's Memorial Day Parade, which starts from the WWI Memorial Green at approximately 6:30 p.m.