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A Scott Story of “Saving Grace”
Scott Health & Safety, Monroe, NC ( a part of Tyco Fire & Security Breathing Systems business unit) - The City of Ketchikan, Alaska is a small island town situated on Revillagigedo Island near the southern tip of Alaska, approximately 650 miles north of Seattle and 230 miles south of Juneau. No roads or bridges reach the island, limiting access to aircraft or boats. Because of the city’s island nature, numerous fish canneries lie within the town’s limits, along with the hundreds of bunkhouses and rental units used by the thousands of workers who process the season’s catch. In addition, an onset of over 850,000 cruise-ship tourists swarm Ketchikan over the summer season to hunt, fish and explore the Alaska wilderness.
This influx of summer tourists, seasonal service workers, and cannery employees doubles the island’s resident population of 15,000 at any one time, creating a strain on the city’s emergency management team. The only mutual aid assistance available is from two small volunteer fire departments at the two ends of the island. And because of the remote nature of the region, a significant number of the department’s requests for assistance come from outside the city limits.
Under the direction of Chief Rich Leipfert, the Ketchikan Fire Department prides itself in its personnel and their dedication to service. With only nineteen career staff members and 40 active volunteers, this tiny fishing town in Alaska recognizes the need to be equipped with the latest technology available to the fire service. The department has been a Scott Air-Pak¨ Fifty™ SCBA user since 1997. In 2002, the department purchased two Scott Eagle Imager™ thermal imaging cameras. According to Chief Leipert, the Eagle Imager quickly became an integral part of their everyday fire fighting arsenal, with the department using the cameras in every incident where heat, fire or hazmat may be present. They also use the camera in overhaul situations after the fire is extinguished. Even the police department has requested the use of the department’s cameras for search and rescue and criminal investigations, using the camera so much that the police department is now in the process of purchasing its own camera.
This past March, the fire department’s Eagle Imager camera was called into duty at a fire in a local residential neighborhood. The following is a synopsis of the incident report on the fire (the name Grace is used in place of the victim):
At 12:43 p.m. on March 19, 2004, the Ketchkan Fire Department received a 911 call from the police department reporting a house fire at 933 Park Ave. The first arriving ambulance reported significant smoke coming from the building and received a report from police officers on scene that thee was an individuastill in the building. Initial arriving fire units deployed lines and attacked the fire that had started in the living room area.
Scott Health & Safety is a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, a major segment of Tyco International Ltd. Tyco Fire & Security designs, manufactures, installs and services electronic security systems, fire protection, detection and suppression systems, sprinklers and fire extinguishes. With $11 billion in annual sales and more than 90,000 employees, Tyco Fire & Security includes more than 60 brands, which are represented in more than 100 countries. Its products are used to safeguard firefighters, prevent fires, deter thieves and protect people and property.
Tyco International Ltd. is a global, diversified company that provides vital products and services to customers in five business segments: Fire & Security, Electronics, Healthcare, Engineered Products & Services, and Plastics & Adhesives. With 2003 revenue of $37 billion, Tyco employs 260,000 people worldwide. More information on Tyco can be found at www.tyco.com.
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