Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Monday, September 13, 2010
Real time reporting - Planning Board - 9/13/10
Could the Fire Dept visit on a weekend and report back on the situation? Would they be able to get equipment up the hill through the parked cars?
The Planning Board is in a tough spot; they appreciate the work and services that the Y provides but the parking and safety considerations are a considerable issue.
Need to verify what the occupancy of the building is? One had 480 and another had 720. The number drives the parking requirements so the difference is significant and needs to be resolved. Complicated by the fact the entrance from National Drive is across private property where the Y has an easement and access for safety (the second entrance).
Meeting minutes accepted for June 7, June 21, July 12 (as amended), and July 26.
Application for 216 East Central withdrawn without prejudice, motion to accept, passed.
Franklin, MA
Friday, September 3, 2010
Franklin, MA: tower truck exercises
Tower One was getting exercised on Thursday morning.
Franklin, MA
Monday, January 5, 2009
In the News: repair shops, 2010 budget, space heaters
Car shops and parts places are among the few businesses experiencing growth in the recession, as consumers try to save money by keeping their cars longer, said Jon Hurst, president of the Massachusetts Retailers Association.
"I will vouch for that!" said Adam Dauley, assistant manager at AutoZone on Rte. 140 in Franklin.
"We've had a good 50 percent increase in sales in the last few months. Sales have been unbelievable," he said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
"If it doesn't go up, never mind being cut, we're in trouble," Nutting said.
Franklin gets 37.5 percent of its revenue from state aid; this year, that is $33 million of the town's general fund, he said.
"We're vulnerable to fluctuations in state aid. Other communities are too, but not nearly (as much)," Nutting said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
"They can be very innocuous, but as we saw Dec. 12, it can be fatal," said Franklin Fire Chief Gary McCarraher.
On Dec. 12, Franklin resident Bruce Barck, 62, was killed in a fire ignited in his kitchen by a space heater placed too close to "tons of combustible materials," McCarraher said.
Keeping combustible materials away from space heaters is "vastly important," he said.
The number one recommendation from McCarraher and fire officials in Milford and Bellingham: read, follow and keep the manufacturer's instructions. "Like everything, you've got to read the instructions and use (space heaters) judiciously," said McCarraher.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Friday, December 26, 2008
Fire Dept - Reports
You can find the Fire Department page here
You can find the report section here
You can find the monthly response statistics here
If you have not picked up your hard copy of the report at Town Hall, you can try to view it online here: http://www.town.franklin.ma.us/pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/2008arpt.pdf
Coverage of the Fire Department begins on Page 82.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Fire Dept -
The mission of the Franklin Fire Department is to …
- Have a positive impact in the lives of citizens and visitors of Franklin in their time of crisis by providing compassionate, contemporary, community driven services.
- Safeguard human life from the perils of fire, sudden illness, injury or other emergency medical condition, natural and man-made disasters as well as preserve the environment and property from ensuing destruction.
- Be responsible for a safe, productive and pleasant work environment for our employees, and provide them opportunities to gain new skills and advance their personal career goals.
The operational objectives the department uses to measure its success in meeting our mission are:
- Initiating advanced life support to patients within 8 minutes of receiving the telephone call at our communications center.
- To access, extricate, treat and transport and transport trauma patients to a level one trauma medical facility within one hour of the occurrence of the injury.
- Interrupt the progression of fires in structures within 8 minutes of open flame ignition.
- Maintain overall emergency response readiness above 70%.
- Provide safety and survival skills for all school students in grade K through 5 consistent with the Student Awareness Fire Education (SAFE) initiative of the Commonwealth.
- Provide educational opportunities for department members to insure optimal performance and safety.
- To develop and maintain “best practice” to insure personnel and citizen safety.
- Insure fire safety through timely, consistent code compliance services to all external customers.
- Provide all department services in a manner that satisfies the needs of our customers.
If you have not picked up your hard copy of the report at Town Hall, you can try to view it online here: http://www.town.franklin.ma.us/pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/2008arpt.pdf
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
In the News - Plain St fire, schools re-open
Franklin woman escapes blaze
By Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff
A napping woman escaped her second-story Plain Street apartment without injury yesterday afternoon, awoken by fire alarms and fleeing as her house filled with smoke and flames, officials said. |
Fire caused by match or cigarette
By Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff
Fire Chief Gary McCarraher Tuesday, Aug. 2, announced the two-alarm blaze that roared through the home at 185 Plain St. Monday was accidental, caused by careless disposal of smoking materials. |
Franklin schools to reopen after pipe explosion
By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff
|
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Science Safety Initiative Presentation
Currently focused on science but will expand to other study areas, like art (due to the ipigment materials) over time.
Laboratory Safety Institute provided training (based in Natick).
Looked for "best practices" to ensure safe learning in the classroom environment. Can't learn if students or teachers are at risk. Need to avoid liability.
Web based document, with hotlinks, can be expanded as necessary to get to the details required. Includes links out to the relevant government regulations and guidelines.
Has an elementary section to cover the aspect of the elementary school curriculum as well.
Document organized by curriculum area as well as by the safety procedures.
The live version will be on the web. Each classroom will have a printed copy for reference.
Butterfly certification from gov't for 3 years to obtain, grow and release according to current procedures.
Obtained two mentors from MA-DEP to help provide advice on operations.
Partnership with US-EPA to obtain a free survey on science and laboratory operations.
Issue with fire blankets, regulations and safety advice have changed. No longer stop, drop, roll and cover with a blanket. With the newer material, the blanket may worsen the fire condition and help to adhere the material to the body. So the procedures have been changed.
"We're trying to leverage what we have for what we don't have."
Monday, May 26, 2008
Franklin Fire Dept. new Tower Truck
The new $860,000 Tower 1 truck is at home in the new fire station in downtown Franklin, MA.
The truck will be paid for over five years, the first payment this year at $160,000, followed by four yearly payments of $175,000 each.
With a little luck it will be used for training and parades. If it does get called out to be used in a fire, the safety features it contains will hopefully enable a safe operation and rescue, if necessary.
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From the Town Council meeting authorizing payment (audio and text)
From the Finance Committee meeting authorizing payment (audio)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
In the news - downtown fire at Delux Tux
Patriots lose Super Bowl, but their wedding tux orders are salvaged
By Michael Morton/Daily News staff
FRANKLIN - While a three-alarm fire destroyed much of his brother-in-law’s downtown business just as Super Bowl XLII got under way, John Ricci discovered yesterday that customers’ paperwork somehow made it through the blaze relatively intact. |
Friday, November 16, 2007
Sprinkler Law Taking affect
The Fire Safety Act, signed into law by former Gov. Mitt Romney in 2004, requires all bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues that hold 100 people or more to have automatic sprinklers. The legislation was passed in the wake of The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which killed 100 people in February 2003.
Gee, why are some folks complaining now? It is not like this just came out yesterday. For those in business prior to the law being signed, they have had time to get their act together.
Ira Cantor's writing in the Franklin Gazette has details on the three establishments in Franklin required to put them in. (I think there might be a couple more but they are already not operating for a variety of reasons so the count is skewed.)