New Volunteerism Video Highlights Vashon’s Daniel Luechtefeld’s Big Save
- John Cornelison
- January 20, 2013
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Congratulations to Vashon islander Daniel Luechtefeld for
- Training to support his community,
- Volunteering (with VashonBePrepared, VIFR, VMIRC, ARES and other community organizations),
- Responding and actually saving a neighbor’s life, and
- Volunteering to help make a video of that dramatic rescue.
Daniel has served on the VashonBePrepared Board for a couple years now as the Vashon Maury Island Radio Club (VMIRC)’s representative and professionally is a recognized mobile telecom expert.
The “Daniel” video (ISCI: WSFF 9002) was filmed during the 2012 Strawberry Festival weekend and released Nov. 4th 2012 by filmmaker John Helde’s Try This Films. It is being widely distributed now that it has gone live at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E4rMZ1Jd90 – and available through VashonBePrepared’s YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/VashonBePrepared/.
More info about the underlying Volunteer Firefighter effort is at www.JustBeThere.info According to Washington Fire Chiefs Association - who got the grant to do the production:
Did you know that nearly 75% of all firefighters in the United States are volunteers? In the State of Washington, we have a volunteer firefighter staffing problem, in both recruiting and retention. Overall, we have not recruited volunteers rapidly enough to keep pace with attrition. It is estimated that we recruit approximately 3900 new volunteers each year although that number continues to decline, and in recent years, we are losing about 3700 per year. Further, in Washington State, we are governed by a standard (NFPA 1720) that indicates the state actually needs 9000 more responders to provide adequate coverage and meet stated response times.
If you are interested in being involved with Washington volunteer opportunities in your local fire service you can call 1-800-FIRELINE or go to http://www.justbethere.info/volunteer to be connected with a fire department in your area.
Have you been following the big snowstorms back east? I’ve been listening in as distant friends and family rush to prepare, then hunker down to wait out the blizzard. Supermarkets are getting low on fresh foods, as families stock up in advance of the storm. Friends and family relate how they’re getting in extra bottled water and wondering how to maintain home heat and refrigeration if the power goes out. Maybe the gas tanks of their cars aren’t full, but they live in cities where they can walk to many essential services. In a city, the household plan for staying safe and comfortable may rely on municipal services, utility companies, and emergency responders. On rural and isolated Vashon, we don’t enjoy such a robust infrastructure, so we need to prepare as best we can, and be ready to help each other if possible.