February 2022

Chief's Message

2022 has arrived, having been ushered in by 2021 or better known as the Year of Delta. Omicron has most definitely bridged 2021 into 2022 at a 'dead run.' This latest version of COVID seems to have little regard for vaccination or booster status. As the science has indicated, we are learning that being vaccinated and boosted will give you the best chance of weathering Omicron and hopefully staying out of the hospital. 

Speaking of hospitals, our poor healthcare community is under siege by the virus's effect on their workforce and the sheer numbers of patients coming through their doors to be treated for the virus and non-related healthcare issues. Please help them and all of us in the 'pre-hospital' healthcare business by getting vaccinated and boosted if you haven't done so yet!

2022 looks like it will be a hectic 12 months here at ACFPD. We have launched a Master Planning project with the Fire District Board's support to help us assess our community's current and future Fire Protection and Emergency Medical needs as it grows and develops. Matching community expectations, industry standards, and financial capabilities have always been a challenge throughout the 50 years that I have been in the California Fire Service. ACFPD has been fortunate to have excellent community support and strong policy guidance from its elected officials. 

This Master Planning project will reach out to the American Canyon Community, our firefighters, paramedics and staff, our neighbors to the South in Vallejo and the North in the County and the City of Napa, in addition to our partners at American Medical Response (AMR). All of this will be done to define and quantify expectations and opportunities for collaboration as the Fire District strives to serve better the City of American Canyon and the surrounding District service areas. We are excited about the work ahead of us and the value that this project will bring to the service we provide to the community daily.

Update on our newest members at ACFPD –

We recently welcomed four new firefighters to our department with their swearing-in ceremony at the November 30th Fire District Board meeting: Probationary Firefighters Christina Breitenbuecher, Brad Bermann, Davis Pratt, and Kyle Murchison. They have all completed their Recruit Academy and are now on the 'Line' working alongside the rest of our dedicated firefighter-paramedics and EMTs. If you see them on the street in uniform and wearing their fire fighting bunker gear, they will be the ones with the Probationary Firefighter shields on their shiny new black fire helmets! They will wear those helmet shields for the next 17+ months as they progress and successfully test out of their 18- month probation before they officially become full members of our team. We wish all of them the best as they continue to learn new skills and perform all the jobs required of a journeyperson firefighter here at ACFPD.

Happy New Year!

Mike Cahill
Fire Chief

Follow us on Social Media: 

Facebook: Facebook.com/AmCanFire 

Instagram: Instagram.com/american_canyon_fire

Click Here for the Monthly Statistical Report for January 2022

February is Heart Month

February is American Heart Month This means focusing on your cardiovascular health. The phrases "heart disease" and "cardiovascular disease" are used interchangeably to describe the various conditions that affect your heart. Heart or cardiovascular diseases include blood vessel diseases, heart rhythm problems, and congenital heart defects. Every year, one in four people will die from heart disease. Heart disease can strike anyone, but specific individuals may be more at risk than others. Some of the most common risk factors for heart disease include: High blood pressure High cholesterol Diabetes Obesity Poor diet Inactive lifestyle Cigarette smoking Excessive alcohol consumption How To Reduce Your Heart Disease Risks 1. Get enough exercise. 2. Quit smoking. 3. Eat a heart-healthy diet. 4. Watch your numbers. 5. Reduce your alcohol intake. 6. Watch your weight.  7. Get better sleep.  8. Reduce stress factors. Marshal says, 'It's never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle and reducing your heart disease risks!'

Pulse Point

PulsePoint AED is a simple-to-use tool that enables you to help build the public AED registry in your community – or anywhere!

When CPR-trained individuals receive an alert from PulsePoint Respond, it tells them where a cardiac arrest event is happening and where they can find the nearest AED. Data on AED locations can often be missing, inaccurate, or simply not detailed enough to make the devices easy to find in an emergency. That’s where the PulsePoint AED app and AED Registry can make a big difference.

With the free PulsePoint AED app, citizens can help even before a life is in danger by easily identifying AEDs throughout the community. Users place the AED location on a map, add business and descriptor information and submit photos of the AED in the context of its surroundings. Local agencies receive this information for review and verification.

Firefighter / Paramedic Chad Pilkington has taken an active in the American Canyon community building the library into the Pulse Point app to give every citizen of the American Canyon community a better chance of survival if they are the victim of a heart attack. 

Another benefit of living in AmCan!

CPR Training  Are you CPR Trained? Would you like to be?  The American Heart Association hosts online CPR/AED classes to provide basic life support training.  Visit: AHA CPR/AED Training to find class near you.

American Canyon CERT Upcoming Training

Basic CERT Training will be held at Napa Valley College on March 12th, 19th and graduation will occur on March 20th. To sign up to assist in being a resource for your community visit: CERT Basic Training Link

What is CERT? 

Community Emergency Response Training (C.E.R.T.) is a nationally recognized emergency training course that teaches essential emergency response skills. By taking and completing the CERT course you will gain the skills and confidence necessary to help yourself, your family, and your community during a disaster.

Upcoming Fire District Board Meeting

The next Fire District Board meeting will take place virtually, on Tuesday, February 22nd at 6:30 PM. The link will be posted on our web site.