Los Santos Roleplay UCP • Los Santos Fire Department Monthly Bulletin!

Welcome to the June edition of the Los Santos Fire Department's Monthly Bulletin!

The LSFD's Public Affairs Division is proud to present the third edition of our monthly bulletin! Our writers have all been hard at work to make this the best release yet. We have several exciting new things to talk about in this release, and, of cours, the much anticipated list of Monthly Bulk Promotions.We hope that you enjoy reading it and feel free to voice your suggestions or comments to any PA member.

The time is here again to have a re-think on all the months events. This month has been a tough month in some ways for the Los Santos Fire Department, through retirements and absences, however as always we have stuck to the task and ensured a service is always provided to all the citizens of Los Santos. I would like to thank everyone of you for this commitment and dedication that you have all shown throughout the last month.

We have seen a re-vamp of the sub-departments this month with the focus being on improving the service provided by the sub-departments to provide an improved service along with increasing the efficiency of departments. This has brought out the release of new sub-department awards which are discussed in the article found within this monthly bulletin.

Next months target is going to be specifically on improving the departments professionalism as a whole. This month has been shown that this is the area currently needing improvement, I'm sure that this month we will have a better month all round and ensure that we are seen as the professional, dedicated and committed doctors, firefighters and EMT's that we are.

Let's look to the future and show the civilians of Los Santos what the Los Santos Fire Department is all about.

Sincerely,
LS Fire Department Bureau Chief Jenny Russ

TraceMedia Connection

Written by Arturo Fontana

So, some of you may have been asking yourself a question lately. What is this TraceNews™ connection? Well, simply put, TraceNews™ has a similar mission as your Public Affairs Department (PAD), that being to keep the City of Los Santos up to date on current and relevant LSFD news, events and activities. At the same time, the LSFD has been working very hard over the last few months to improve our image and reputation of professionalism to the citizens of Los Santos, as well as improving our recruitment rates.

With this mission in mind, Bureau Chief Jenny Russ was contacted by the Vice President of TraceMedia™, Ms. Allegra Nixon on May 31, 2012 to propose a special working relationship between the LSFD and TraceMedia™. At the time, TraceMedia™ had an in-house Doctor who wrote for TraceNews™ publishing health articles within their new medical blotter section. The blotter would answer questions from the citizens of Los Santos about various medical and health related issues. TraceMedia™ thought it would be more appropriate to have a Doctor from the LSFD answer the medical column. Both TraceMedia™ and Chief Russ thought this new relationship would be a great opportunity to get the LSFD image and reputation on the street, while providing the citizens of Los Santos with an interesting read. You can support Chief Russ with your blogger views by visiting her new Health Tips with BC Russ web page here.

In addition to the new LSFD health tip blogger, Chief Russ and TraceMedia™ thought it would be a great idea to further expand on our new relationship. Similar to the LSPD, TraceMedia™ would include a freelance journalist that would write articles exclusively for TraceNews™ highlighting the bravery and heroism of the men and women within the LSFD. Your new freelance journalist is none other than Mr. Logan Fontane, infamous surfer, EMT and hard core FD junky journalist from San Fierro! Logan has written four FD articles already, expanding the LSFD exposure beyond the borders of the PAD. You can enjoy Mr. Fontane’s FD articles here. We are excited about our new relationship with TraceMedia™, and we are encouraged to see that the FD’s professional and exciting image will continue to be spread throughout San Andreas!

Introduction of Sub-Department

Awards

Written by Elena Armero

The Los Santos Fire Department is proud to announce a change to the awards and commendations program for all sub-Departments. Each individual sub-Department, listed here, will be permitted to commission two new awards for their respective members.

This will bring a wealth of changes to the current system. First, it will surely lead to the commission of new awards for sub-Departments lacking any at the present time. The Head and Deputy Head of each sub-Department will work to establish criteria for these awards, as well as the design of the award itself. Finally, the LSFD may see new types of awards commissioned by the sub-Departments, such as ribbons, pins, or uniform stripes barring denial of the Command team.

Suggestions for awards can be made to your sub-Department heads. Members are encouraged to follow the status of the new awards and commendations here. All newly commissioned awards will be posted. The Air Operations Division and the Training Division have already submitted awards for processing, shown below. The methods of obtaining one of these awards will remain undisclosed until they are commissioned.

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Success of the Pharmacy

Written by Elena Armero

The months of May and June have brought many changes for the Hospital Services of Los Santos, one of the most significant being the introduction of a Pharmacology Clinical Department. The department, led by Doctor Eric Blackwell and Doctor Elena Armero, works in conjunction with all branches of the Los Santos Fire Department providing a wide range of pharmaceuticals. The pharmacists work primarily to distribute over-the-counter medications including aspirin and haloperidol, but also function to monitor the distribution of 'prescription only' medications ranging from morphine to demerol. Pharmacologists also work to assist the function of the Los Santos Fire Department in it's Pre-Hospital responsibilities in preparing each of the intravenously administered drugs, atropine, saline solution, and more.

One of the most significant milestones of the Pharmacology Department in the last month has been the opening of Los Santos Hospital Services newest facility, the County General Pharmacy. Open from 7 o'clock to 6 o'clock Monday thru Friday, the pharmacy functions as the face of the Department to the public. Citizens of Los Santos, many of whom work in other governmental branches, can visit the facility to refill a previous prescription by a Los Santos Hospital Services physician, purchase over-the-counter medications, and speak with a pharmacist regarding any questions they may have about medications during standard business hours. A call-forwarding system has been setup to the non-emergency line to receive calls during non-business hours. Below, you will see a photo of the brand new facility.

The Pharmacology Department as a whole has seen great success with the public over the past month. Over three-hundred and eighty total doses of medication were provided to more than one-hundred and ten patients. You can find a more detailed breakdown of the success of the Los Santos Pharmacology Department here. The Pharmacology Clinical Department welcomes new pharmacists: Alejo Santiago, Jordan Kent, and Chase Gamble, and new pharmacy assistants: Abelina Sierra and Sergei Kovalev. We thank you for the time you've devoted that has led to the multiple successes of the department. The Pharmacology Department encourages all members of the Los Santos Fire Department, Hospital or Pre-Hospital to visit the new facility if you've yet to see it.

Upcoming goals for the Pharmacology Department include bolstering our efforts to interact with the public, including making the pharmacy open at more times during the day. The Pharmacology Department also aims to promote the benefits of safe, prescription-based drug use for serious conditions. A minor point, however significant, the department is also interested in the purchase of a new sign, to better identify the pharmacy to possible patients. Additionally, there is a pending request for the relocation of a few of the Hospital Services ranchers to County General. The department has also submitted a financial request to the Hospital Services Department for the purchase of one or two more of the vehicles, due to the influx of Intern Physicians.

County General Pharmacy

Subdepartment Changes

Written by Mathew Baker

As is customary in the spring season, and with the recent influx of changes in the LSFD, there have been several changes to the various subdivisions that make up our great department. If you read the last monthly bulletin, you surely know that the Training Division has experienced a few changes in leadership - Jenny Russ still holds the Head position, Mathew Baker was appointed Deputy Chief, and Arturo Fontana was appointed Chief Instructor. Together, these three have worked tirelessly to create a new training process that is focused towards a more complete and less tiresome tertiary education.

In the Recruitment Division, Lieutenant Robert Hanson has recently assumed the position of Deputy Head of Pre-Hospital Applications. Few changes are publicly known as of now, however, along with Kayla Liams and Jenny Russ, he has been doing a great job at checking applications and keeping trackers updated. We are all anxious to see what exciting changes RD Command has planned for us! We all wish Lieutenant Hanson lots of luck with his new leadership role.

In the Air Operations Division, AOD Command has been hard at work in updating their training system to meet today's rigorous standards. After much deliberation in AOD itself and with High Command, the training will now follow a much more professional and orderly fashion, which will hopefully allow our pilots' skills to soar.

In the Public Affairs Department, Arturo Fontana has been appointed Deputy Community Liason Officer, due to his outstanding dedication and contributions to the PAD and informing Los Santos of what really goes on inside the Fire Department! Together with CLO Russ, they have worked together to better organize and expedite the process of creating articles and projects, and there appear to be many more new additions along the way. They have also worked on improving our photograph technology (click here) which will hopefully provide for much more vivid press releases.

The LSFD Car Show!

Written by Nick Apps

The Los Santos Fire Department. What do they do again? Possibly a question you ask yourself or your mates in the bar sipping a bud, but behind the ambulances and fire trucks, is a dedicated team of hard working men and women, who dedicate their entire life to ensuring that Los Santos is served by a legendary and professional Fire Department.

We therefore, would like to cordially invite you to the Los Santos Fire Department Show Day. It will be hosted on Sunday, the 24th of June, 2012, beginning at around 6pm in the car park of Stage 25, with ample parking being available. We obviously don’t want to reveal too many secrets, but we are happy to share with you something:

• All departments that operate within the LSFD will be there and with members who will be more than happy to answer your questions or show how we operate. Departments you will defiantly be able to see are:

• There will be food available at the venue, and a possible guest, consisting of a Star DJ!

• Not only will you be able to talk to our members, you may be able to get actively involved in some demonstrations.

• And finally, there will be an after party inside Stage 25, with half price entry for those who attended the original show.

Either way fair citizens of Los Santos; it shall be a wonderful evening, in the warm sunshine of the fair city. Should you have any questions, never hesitate to contact our Public Affairs Department. Details will be with this newsletter.

See you there, and stay safe!

Written by Robert Hanson

Total members in the Los Santos Fire Department: 41

High Command - 4.8%

Commissioner
1 - 2.4%
Bureau Chief
1 - 2.4%
Battalion Chief
0 - 0.0%

Command - 17.1%

Captain
5 - 12.2%
Lieutenant
2 - 4.9%
Chief of Surgery
0 - 0.0%

Non-Commissioned - 78.1%

Attending Physician
0 - 0.0%
Senior Resident
1 - 2.4%
Resident
4 - 9.8%
Intern
8 - 19.5%

Engineer
1 - 2.4%
Firefighter II
3 - 7.3%
Firefighter I
7 - 17.0%
Probationary Firefighter
8 - 19.5%

Written by Robert Hanson

We would like to wish everyone who has resigned from the Los Santos Fire Department the best of luck with the rest of their lives.
______________________________________________________________________

Emmanuel Everett

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Sean Barclay

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Emma Mackay

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Kimberley Roach

______________________________________________________________________

Christopher Bishop

______________________________________________________________________

Kate Allison

______________________________________________________________________

Sebastian Laroche

______________________________________________________________________

Vjekoslav Ljubic

______________________________________________________________________

Nathan Davies

______________________________________________________________________

Jerald Wingate

______________________________________________________________________

Audrey Bowmen

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There are two main sections to this area of the monthly bulletin this month. We have the anticipated monthly bulks along with the exceptional promotions that have been done throughout the month. So here we, the monthly bulks:

Firefighter I -> Firefighter II

Firefighter II -> Engineer

Resident -> Senior Resident

Engineer -> Lieutenant

Congratulations to all who have been promoted in this month's bulks, remember if you wasn't promoted this time, promotions are still done throughout the month. Now promotions that have been done through the month due to exceptional circumstances or through full-filling qualification requirements:

THE FOLLOWING PROMOTIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. THEY ARE NOT NEW PROMOTIONS.

Probationary Firefighter ->

Firefighter I

Intern -> Resident

Resident -> Senior Resident

Engineer -> Lieutenant

Chief of Surgery -> Captain

Lieutenant -> Captain

Battalion Chief -> Bureau

Chief

Written by Arturo Fontana

The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets on. Joseph French Johnson

Every month, we recognize our fellow brothers and sisters in the Los Santos Fire Department and All Saints General Hospital who have received commendations for their tireless dedication, bravery and professionalism. We praise these wonderful achievements with awards. Let's take a moment and reflect on who was honored this month:

Service Award I

Firefighters Ronald Bray and Alice Treeby have served the department for three months. Engineer Mathew Baker has provided immense contributions to the LSFD over the last three months. Congratulations and job well done!

EMT-B Certification Award

These are our newest members of the department who have successfully passed our basic medical training program and have been certified as Probationary Firefighters. We expect great things from these probies!

Recipients:
Leo Smith
Dereck Hird
Kawika Tyler
Katy Brown

EMT-P Certification Award

These individuals have continued to exceed expectations in the field of emergency medical care and are now certified to administer advanced emergency medical care as paramedics. The cream of the crop!

Recipients:
Mathew Baker

Firefighter Certification

The department’s medics not only provide outstanding emergency medical care, but they are also expected to fight fires in Los Santos. The following individuals have traversed the department’s firefighter training program to receive their firefighter certifications, which also makes them eligible for promotion to the rank of Firefighter I:

Recipients:
Desmond Agosti

Award of Merit

The following individuals have gone beyond the call of duty during a medical situation, exhibiting outstanding execution of basic, intermediate or advanced life saving skills in the field of battle. These individuals have demonstrated impeccable, meritous service in the field, while maintaining a clean displinary record, having conducted themselves professionally to a level that surpasses their peers. These men and women continue to demonstrate great capability and set the standard for excellence within the department:

Recipients:
Arturo Fontana

Marty Sweet Memorial Award

The following individuals have gone beyond the call of duty during a fire situation and exhibited outstanding bravery during the most stressful and dangerous of fire situations. These men and women of the LSFD have set the standard for excellence within the department and without reservation put their lives on the line every day for the citizens of Los Santos:

Recipients:
Shawn Donnell
Desmond Agosti
Nick Apps

Award of Valour

The following individuals have demonstrated impeccable selflessness, bravery and heroism through risking their lives to save another. These men and women of the LSFD have made the ultimate sacrifice for the LSFD and survived to tell the story:

Recipients:
Zak Baker

Medical Internship & Residency

The LSFD is not only comprised of pre-hospital personnel that provide emergency medical services in the field, but the ASGH maintains an amazing staff of highly trained doctors to administer surgical procedures and tend to our many drug addicted citizens of Los Santos; however, every doctor has to start somewhere. So, we would like to recognize the newest interns and residents of the ASGH. Without the extraordinary efforts of our hospital staff, our emergency procedures in the field would be worthless. Thank you for all you do and keep saving lives!:

Recipients:
Dr. Eric Blackwell (Resident II)
Dr. Elena Armero (Resident I)
Dr. Alejo Santiago (Resident I)
Dr. Jayden Reynolds (Resident I)
Dr. Chase Gamble (Resident I)
Dr. Zelda Michigan (Intern)
Dr. Landon Parker (Intern)
Dr. Sergei Kovalev (Inern)
Dr. Abelina Sierra (Intern)

Every month, High Command recognizes two individuals from the hospital and pre-hospital sides of the department for their outstanding and consistent efforts to advance emergency medical care and the Hippocratic Oath within the field and administratively within the office. We recognize the exemplary efforts of these individuals with the Physician of the Month and Firefighter of the Month awards. So, without further delay:

The title of Firefighter of the Month goes to Shawn Donnell for their continuous dedication shown to the department and expertise show in all elements of their work in the field and in the office.

We would also like to present Elena Armero with the title of Physician of the Month for their admirable work ethics shown towards their many duties as a physician and continuous dedication throughout the department.

Written by Arturo Fontana

Some men and women of the Los Santos Fire Department and All Saints General Hospital are not satisfied with just being a medic or doctor or just being a firefighter, they strive to excel professionally within the Department and experience all it has to offer. One way to do this is to join a sub-department or clinical team. We will now recognize those who have received commendations and awards for their efforts and professionalism within the LSFD and ASGH sub-departments and clinical teams. At the moment not all sub-department awards are commissioned, more are to come during the month:

TD: Golden Apple Award

This award is given to an instructor who has shown impeccable behavior and exceptional dedication to the TD. This is very hard to get, and can only be awarded by the Deputy Commander+.

Recipients:
Arturo Fontana

Instructor of the Month

This award is given to an instructor who has performed excellently and has surpassed his peers continuously throughout the course of a month.

Recipients:
Zak Baker

AOD: Distinguished Service Ribbon

This is awarded to a AOD member who has provided exemplary service to the AOD and dedication.

Recipients:
Mathew Baker

Pilot of the Month

This award is given to an pilot who shown impeccabl behavior, dedication to the AOD and high flying skills.

Recipients:
Dr. Eric Blackwell

Written by Jenny Russ

This months article of the month has been picked by DSG Franky Smart from the San Andreas Sheriffs Department. The article chosen is the "How do you control bleeding?", written by Arturo Fontana. The following article can be read below:

How do you control

bleeding?
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In the unfortunate event that you or a family member has sustained a deep laceration, puncture wound, or gunshot wound and is experiencing significant bleeding, it is critical that you know how to take basic life saving actions before emergency care arrives to control the bleeding. Quick thinking on your part to control the bleeding may just save your life or that of your loved one. First and foremost, CALL 911! Depending on the volume of calls coming into to the Los Santos Fire Department dispatch center and the proximity of the 911 call to Downtown Los Santos, the normal response time of our emergency medical technicians (EMTs) is less than three minutes; however, three minutes can seem like a lifetime when you are bleeding to death.

The next critical action you can take is to calm yourself or your loved one down because shock can come over a patient very quickly. Believe it or not, shock actually kills more patients than the bleeding itself because the body’s internal organs and functions essential shut down during shock in an effort to protect the heart; however, shock can very quickly lead to cardiac arrest or fibrillation. So, it is imperative that you stay calm or provide support to your loved one to avoid entering shock or increasing the amount of blood loss. Once someone enters shock or experience stress, the patient’s body excretes adrenaline which in turn increases the patient's blood pressure and pulse rate. The patient’s bleeding would increase with an increase in blood pressure or pulse rate. If you suspect that yourself or your loved one is entering the stages of shock, you can apply a blanket to raise the body temperature to combat the symptoms of shock.

You have called 911 and are trying to remain calm or providing comforting words to your loved one to keep them calm, well it is time to attempt to control the bleeding until the EMTs arrive. There are a few actions you can take pretty quickly to control or slow the rate of bleeding. One decisive action is to apply direct pressure to the wound either with a bandage (if available) or any type of clean (unsoiled) particle of clothing such as a T-shirt. If the wound is along an extremity, you can even attempt to wrap the clothing around the wound and form a type of tourniquet. If there is any debris or foreign object(s) or weapon lodged within the wound, DO NOT remove the object(s). The object is actually helping to clot the wound from bleeding further. If an object is embedded in the wound, just wrap the clothing or bandages around the object and apply direct pressure until the EMTs arrive. In addition, if the bleeding is the result of a gunshot wound, ensure that you have inspected both sides of the person’s body or appendage to confirm entry and exit wounds. Finally, if the wound is within an extremity, you can try to elevate the limb above the heart to slow the bleeding.

Ok, so you have called 911, remained calm, elevated the wound above the heart, and applied direct pressure to the wound with some clothing or bandages, but the wound continues to bleed profusely. In this circumstance, you would apply additional clothing or bandages to the wound with more direct pressure. You NEVER remove the clothing or bandages from the wound, as it will also remove any beneficial clotting of the wound and make the bleeding worse. If you still can’t get the bleeding to stop or slow, you can attempt to apply pressure to one or more of the arterial pressure points. Finally, if the bleeding still persists and is located on an appendage, you can consider applying a tourniquet to the body part just above the wound, but realize that cutting off blood circulation to any part of the body for a prolonged period of time can result in necrosis of the tissues. If the tissue necrosis is extensive enough, the body part may need to be amputated to avoid an infection in the bloodstream.

For more information on how to control bleeding and life saving tips associated with gunshot wounds, please visit a wonderful article posted on the TraceBook News outlet:
http://tracebook.us/news/blog/2012/05/28/healthtips-1-gunshot-wounds/

Submitted by Arturo Fontana, Deputy Community Liaison Officer
Los Santos Fire Department[/quote]

That concludes this months bulletin and again I would like to state that although the list is small for bulks, many have already been done. I would like to extend my thanks to all the public affairs team who took part in the release of this monthly bulletin and hope everyone has enjoyed the release. Let's keep the work up and continue to strive and show the civilians of Los Santos what we can all do. The upcoming month is sure to be a good one with plans in place to further the sub-departments and the hospital sector of the LSFD.

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Produced by the

Public Affairs Department

Images updated by

Mathew Baker

Edited for release by

Battalion Chief Jenny Russ

Approved for release by

Commissioner Stuart Collins