Howard Lake Fire Department
Although called the Howard Lake Fire Department, its role has expanded to many areas over the years. Its purpose remains to protect the citizens of the area.
Along with responding to fires of all kinds, it also is called for fire alarms, rescues, lost children and adults, weather watches, storm damage, accidents, and most anything else where people need help.
Medical situations account for the most calls. Fire department members also are responsible for running the Howard Lake Ambulance.
In 2010, members responded to approximately 291 ambulance calls and 87 fires, rescue, and miscellaneous calls.
The Howard Lake Fire Department may have up to 30 members, and of these, there are currently 20 emergency medical technicians. Members are expected to respond to calls seven days a week and 24 hours a day,
Required training for all new members include Firefighter One Training and a 120 hour Emergency Medical Technician class. Besides this training, there are two meetings monthly: a business meeting and a training meeting. There are also many other training opportunities members are encouraged to attend, including: fire schools, medical conferences, specialized training, and other mandatory and voluntary classes.
Over the past several decades, mandatory training has increased in a number of areas. Along with training in fire and medical emergencies, firefighters now must be trained in hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, national incident management systems, mass casualty incidents, and other areas.
The Howard Lake Fire Department currently covers the city of Howard Lake, all of Middleville Township, a majority of Victor Township, and parts of Albion Township. The ambulance service covers those same areas, as well as the City of Waverly and parts of Marysville and Woodland townships.
For larger incidents that require more equipment or manpower, Howard Lake has mutual aid agreements with all other Wright County fire departments.
Funding for the fire department is primarily through tax dollars. A fire board, including members of the fire department, Howard Lake City Council, and Middleville and Victor township board members, meet annually to set the department budget.
The fire department currently has two fully-equipped pumper trucks, a tanker truck, a heavy rescue unit, a first responder truck, a grass rig, and a Gamma Goat for grass fires. The members also proudly maintain a bit of their past with a 1959 pumper truck and a 1926 Ford Model T pumper truck for parades and special events.
Current officers of the Howard Lake Fire Department are: Chief Tom Diers; First Assistant Chief Daryl Drusch; Second Assistant Chief Merlyn Drusch; fire captains are Joe Drusch, Glenn Hofer, and Craig Loebertman; Secretary Joe Sherod; Ambulance Director Steve Bobrowske; and Assistant Ambulance Director Jake Drusch.
While being a fire department member requires a great deal of time and dedication, members will tell you that they are very proud of their commitment to protecting their neighbors and enjoy their time on the department.
Hands-only CPR training saves lives
“Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) affects 300,000 people each year, and the chances of survival are dismal,” according to Charles Lick, MD, emergency medical director for Allina and Buffalo hospitals.
Unless victims are provided with adequate aid in a timely fashion – ideally CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and a shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED) in the first three to five minutes – SCA is 100 percent fatal.
However, the average response time for paramedics is eight to 10 minutes, a Wright County Public Health news release stated.
Wright County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is currently working with Take Heart Minnesota of Wright County to teach 10 percent of Wright County residents how to do CPR.
At the Wright County Fair last year, Lick and Kevin Sipprell (medical director of Ridgeview Ambulance and Howard Lake Ambulance) demonstrated the technique, and answered questions from the audience.
“The more we can get the message out, the better,” Sipprell said. “We’re more likely to save some lives.”
Lick stressed the importance of three actions people should take if someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest.
“First, call 911. Then, start CPR. And third, find an AED, if possible,” Lick said. An AED is a simple-to-use device that can restart the rhythm of the heart.
“When you turn it on, a voice comes on, telling you what to do,” Lick said. Nearly 70 AEDs have been placed in or around Wright County, according to Allina Hospital.
In Howard Lake, AEDs are in several spots, including the fire department, police department, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School, HLWW Middle School, and St. James Lutheran School/Church, among other locations.
CPR is performed by pushing down with two hands on the patient’s chest, in between their nipples. Pressure should be applied firmly and quickly, in order to keep blood flowing throughout the body.
“CPR has gotten really easy,” Lick said. “If you can push down hard and fast – 100 times per minute – you can do it.”
In order to get the timing right, Lick suggested pressing down to the beat of the disco song “Stayin’ Alive.”
Hands-only CPR (without rescue breathing) is easier to remember and results in a greater number of chest compressions, with fewer interruptions.
“This is a good skill for all of us to learn,” Lick said. If a person has gone into cardiac arrest, CPR should be performed immediately and continuously until the ambulance arrives.
“In the two communities where we’ve implemented this, we’ve been able to greatly improve the chances of survival,” Lick said, explaining that survival rates in the City of St. Cloud and Anoka County went from 8.5 percent to 19 percent.
During the Wright County Fair presentation, many people had questions relating to CPR.
“What should be done if the person starts breathing?” someone asked.
Sometimes a person in cardiac arrest will start to breath with a snoring sound, Lick said.
“That’s not normal breathing,” he said. “They’re still in cardiac arrest. If you’re unsure, keep doing CPR. You can’t hurt someone worse by doing it.”
A mother asked what to do if the victim is a child.
“Fortunately, kids very rarely go into cardiac arrest,” Lick said. Most of the time when children need CPR, it is because of a blocked airway, and rescue breathing can still be done.
Another person asked about drowning victims. Lick said in that case, it is beneficial to do conventional CPR, but if a person is uncomfortable with it or unsure what to do, hands-only CPR is still better than nothing.
When an audience member asked where CPR should be performed, Lick said that a firm surface is best, because it makes chest compressions more effective.
One man asked what to do if the victim recently had open-heart surgery.
“Even if they’ve had their breastbone cut and bound together with wire, the chest compressions shouldn’t hurt it,” Lick said. “If you don’t do it, it’s a higher chance they will die. You can’t screw up by doing this.”
Wright County EMS is joining Take Heart America to improve SCA survival rates in Wright County through AED distribution and CPR training.
For more information about Take Heart America, go to www.takeheartminnesota.org.
Howard Lake Fire Department volunteers
Chief – Tom Diers
First Assistant Chief – Daryl Drusch
Second Assistant Chief – Merlyn Drusch
Tim Berg
Denny Bobrowske
Keith Bobrowske
Kurt Bobrowske
Steve Bobrowske
Tim Boese
Joe Dalbec
Richard Diers
Tom Diers
Daryl Drusch
Jake Drusch
Joe Drusch
Merlyn Drusch
Scott Graham
Jeff Granrud
Steve Halverson
Glen Hofer
Tom Kutz
Craig Loebertmann
Alex Mages
Don Mages
Ryan Olson
Dave Peterson
Jeremy Peterson
Joe Sherod
Eric Stoll
Kurt Strub
Paul Utne
