ORANGE COUNTY
EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT #3
LITTLE CYPRESS FIRE RESCUE
8465 Highway 87 North             Orange, Texas 77632
   Phone: (409) 883-9200
    Department Email: ocesd3@gtbizclass.com
“SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE”

NEWS.......On Monday, May 14 patrol deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an area known as the Lakeview Sandbar on the Neches River north of Vidor in reference to a possible drowning. Once there, deputies talked to several witnesses who stated that a group of 5 people were swimming in the river next to the caller. The caller stated he heard some of the group screaming and saw they were in the river and obviously in distress. The caller and a local resident assisted in getting 4 of the swimmers out of the river but one male had gone under water and had not resurfaced. Two of the victims were transported to St. Elizabeth’s hospital. The missing swimmer has not been located. A search for him continues and will continue until he is located. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into the incident. Assisting at the scene are the Big Thicket Preserve’s Park Rangers, Little Cypress Fire Department, Vidor Fire Department and Bridge City Fire Department.

The Little Cypress Fire Dept. responded to a house fire off Old Hwy. 87 near Hudson Rd.  around 12:30pm Monday.  Quick action is believed to have saved the bottom floor.  Hayes Thompson said his son came to him and said there was smoke upstairs.  Everyone got out but the cause of the fire is still unknown.

Homeowners, businesses in ESD #3 could see
decline in insurance premiums
By Debby Schamber, The Orange Leader

Homeowners and businesses in the fire district of Emergency Services District No. 3 could see up
to a 38 percent savings on their insurance premiums because of lower Insurance Service Office ratings.

Major enhancements done by Fire Chief Elgin Browning and the board of directors at ESD No. 3
over the past two years have improved the rating from a 6/9 to a low 4 rating.
“We have exceeded and surpassed what we thought we could do,” Browning said.

The rating system is a range of one to 10 with one being the best and 10 being the worst,
according to information received from ISOmitigation.com.

Browning said the district’s goal was to get the rating down to a five for the entire district,
but he was elated when he was informed they had received a rating of four.
“This just means we are doing our job,” Browning said.

Fire commissioners committed major resources to this endeavor and the personnel devoted a tremendous
amount of time and energy to facilitate the program and improve fire protection. The commissioners
started by hiring a full-time fire chief who manages the department and part-time and volunteer firefighters.

Browning organized training classes and records, equipment testing and maintenance, inspection records
and ensured that each and every facet of the organization was analyzed. Browning who also serves
as fire marshal was evaluated on records, fire investigations and documentation, fire prevention
and community services.

“Elgin (Browning) was well planned and prepared for the inspection,” said Joe Parkhurst,
board president of ESD No. 3. “Without him we would have struggled.”

Commissioners also approved the purchase of a new ladder truck to meet ISO criteria.
The new ladder truck is part of the improvements needed to lower the I.S.O. rating.
The truck is the only ladder truck with a basket on it in the area.
It is made for high rise fires, multi story fires, large exposure fires and rescues. The ladder can extend
up to 110 feet and the basket has a five inch supply line that can pump 2,000 gallons a minute, Browning said.
In addition, new fire equipment was purchased, every fire hydrant was inspected and updated and a
program to annually test all fire engine pumps, ladders and hoses was implemented.
 
ESD No. 3 operates with a combined paid and volunteer force. According to Browning, in Texas 131 fire departments operate with a combined department and only 1,600 departments nationwide use
volunteers and paid workers.
The ESD No. 3 has eight part-time firefighters and 20 volunteer firefighter, Browning said.

“We have succeeded with our service to the community,” Parkhurst said.

The local community water companies play an integral role in the ratings. “They (ISO officials) look
at the district’s different water systems very in depth,” Browning said.
Other departments within the county also contributed to the rating score.
“The county came together as a team to make this happen, “ Browning said. “It included the
Orange County Sheriff’s Office who dispatches, the Road and Bridge Department who assisted with
 the fire hydrants and the offices of Emergency Management and the County Building Inspector.”

ESD No. 3s preliminary notification of the upgrade in the ISO rating has gone to the State Fire Marshal’s
office for final approval. It will then go to the Texas Board of Insurance where it will be reviewed for
at least 180 days. The improved rating should become effective and reflected on casualty insurance rates
either late this year or early 2008. Should there be additional improvements the department can request
a re-inspection in 12 months.

ESD #3 given grant for Thermal Imager Camera
By Debby Schamber, The Orange Leader

Firefighters aren’t superheros who can see through walls of fire, but with the help of a thermal imager,
they can.
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded Emergency Services District No. 3
a $14,000 grant to obtain a T3MAX thermal imager.
“I am very enthused to get the grant,” Chief Elgin Browning, of ESD No. 3, said.
“It will bring a capability to the department we have never had before.”
The thermal imager is expected to shipped by June 5 to the Little Cypress Fire Department.
“The assistant chief and EMS captain will be going to New Orleans June 1 to attend a 10-hour course,”
said “After completion of the training the thermal imager will be sent to the department.”
Before the imager will be used in Little Cypress, members of ESD No.3 will be trained on usage,
Browning said.
Normally when someone calls 911 they can lead the firefighters to the location where they are needed.
To locate structure fires, firefighters follow the trail of smoke and the orange glow of the fire. However,
there are occasions when the fire is hidden from view. A hint of smoke or a strange odor may be the
only link to the fire. But now, the thermal imager will help firefighters identify the location of the fire almost immediately.
Firefighters in Stevens Point, WI, were able to save a school from costly repairs with the use of
a thermal imager. They arrived at the high school to investigate a smoke odor. After arriving at the school,
they were told that repair crews had been welding in the hallway. After a quick scan with a thermal imager
they discovered a hot spot above the site where the welding was done, according to information posted
on the Web site of Bullard, the manufacturer of the thermal imager.
A thermal imager helps firefighters locate hot spots in buildings. First responders can also locate people
who may be lost in the woods. The thermal imager will help the firefighters locate the person by
their body heat.
While looking at the screen of the imager a firefighter can determine the temperature of a fire.
Starting at 500 degrees, heated objects are tinted yellow and gradually transition to solid red as
heat levels rise. This feature will allow firefighters to optimize the fire scene and is ideal or pin-pointing
hot spots during overhaul, searching for overheated electrical equipment or clarifying objects in a scene.
Use of the thermal imager saves firefighters a great deal of time and helps to avoid significant damage to
the building by fire and smoke. It will also minimize the amount of water used on a fire. If a hot spot goes undetected there is a chance the fire department may get a call later of a larger fire underway.
Hidden fires pose numerous challenges and dangers to firefighters. Finding the smoldering dangers
involves many inspection holes or just waiting for the fire to break into the open.

Browning hopes to purchase a mobilink to be able to view from outside a structure what the firefighter
is seeing from the inside. The mobilink will also provide videotape options.

It took just over five minutes for all Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School students and
staff to exit the school and gather on the band
practice field during a site evacuation on March 28,
at 9:00 a.m. Getting them on the buses and off of
the campus took roughly another twenty-five minutes, making the exercise total approximately thirty minutes. Twenty-seven buses were used to transport students and staff, who were driven to Little Cypress Junior High
to await the all-clear signal.
There are 1,127 students enrolled at LCM and the
staff, teachers, custodians, and secretaries,
total 114. This is the first such drill that the
LCM campus has held. According to
Dr. Jim Armstrong, Principal, “We are very
proud of how our students and staff responded.
Issues arose that we adjusted to, and our people
made good decisions based on our established
protocol.”
He also expressed gratitude for all of the first responders who assisted with this drill,
including Chief Elgin Browning and his staff of the Little Cypress Fire Department; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; and Constables Hennigan, Merritt and Manshack.