Welcome to The Second Alarm, the Valdosta Fire Department's Monthly Newsletter. The objective of this newsletter is to communicate information to our members and the citizens we serve. Communications in any organization are pivotal to its success. Though this newsletter does not replace the day to day communication within our organization, we hope this newsletter will aid in sharing valuable information about our department to you. This is YOUR department! We continue to provide you service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Our doors are open at the stations. Please stop in at your neighborhood station and say hi.

On Thursday, May 26th, 2022, the VFD was informed that they maintained their top rating in what is referred to as an Insurance Service Office (ISO) Class 1 rating. The areas rated include the fire department , water distribution and the dispatch center capabilities. Any score of 90 or above is rated as a Class 1 fire department. The evaluation, conducted last October, came back in May indicating an overall score of 94.95. This is an increase from the 2016 score of 93.25.

We were demonstrating a rope rescue technique referred to as a pickoff. This is used in applications such as a worker stranded on the side of a building. Lieutenant Nick Bishop demonstrated a pickoff to “rescue” Sergeant Nicholas Kester who was playing the role of a stranded worker.

Congratulations to Sergeant Ricardo Garcia and Lieutenant Nick Bishop who recently became two of only three members to ever attend and complete the Georgia Smoke Divers course. The Georgia Smoke Diver Association conducts advanced firefighter training placing firefighters in real-life scenarios that teach self-survival. Firefighters must complete a six-day, 60-hour rigorous course that includes various drills, physical activity, and replications of experiences that firefighters deal with in the field. The Georgia Smoke Diver course is an extremely demanding course both physically and mentally.

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