Great Barrington

Great Barrington Police Join Near Miss Initiative to Improve Officer Safety

⋅ Client News, Police News ⋅ , , ⋅ 0 Comments

Great Barrington Police Department
William Walsh Jr., Chief of Police
Town Hall
334 Main St.
Great Barrington, MA 01230

For Immediate Release

Monday, Dec. 10, 2018

Contact: Chief William Walsh Jr.
Phone: 413-528-0306

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Great Barrington Police Join Near Miss Initiative to Improve Officer Safety

GREAT BARRINGTON — Chief William Walsh is pleased to announce that the Great Barrington Police Department has joined the Near Miss Initiative in order to help improve officer safety.

Through its participation with Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) Near Miss, the Great Barrington Police Department will take the important step of providing a platform for officers to promote safety and wellness, peer learning and the sharing of lessons from other officers across the country.

LEO Near Miss is a voluntary, non-disciplinary initiative that is designed to improve officer safety nationwide. It works by enabling law enforcement personnel to share near miss information, including event summaries and lessons learned with other officers, which can be used to prevent future near misses and critical incidents.

The initiative is anonymous and the LEO Near Miss system does not capture any tracking information from those who upload incidents into the system.

A “near miss” is any incident that could have resulted in an officer being seriously injured or killed if not for a fortunate break in the chain of events. Near misses can occur any time during the performance of law enforcement duties and, at times, can include situations like armed subjects, domestic disputes, theft and shootings.

Regardless of the situation, a near miss provides lessons learned, and reporting a near miss allows fellow officers to learn from these incidents so they can go home safely to their loved ones after every shift.

“With our participation in this initiative, we’re taking a critical step toward ensuring our officers are safe when they’re serving the community,” Chief Walsh said. “By sharing reports of near-miss incidents, our officers will be able to both access and provide potentially life-saving information with their peers and make the work they do far less unpredictable.”

To see reports from LEO Near Miss, click here.

###

 

Great Barrington Police Investigating After Pedestrian is Struck by Motor Vehicle

⋅ Police News ⋅ , ⋅ 0 Comments

Great Barrington Police Department
William Walsh Jr., Chief of Police
Town Hall
334 Main St.
Great Barrington, MA 01230

For Immediate Release

Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018

Contact: Chief William Walsh Jr.
Phone: 413-528-0306

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Great Barrington Police Investigating After Pedestrian is Struck by Motor Vehicle

GREAT BARRINGTON — Chief William Walsh reports that the Great Barrington Police Department is investigating after a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle.

Great Barrington Police and Fire units responded to a location on Stockbridge Road at 7 p.m. Friday. Upon arrival, rescuers found the victim, a 75-year-old Connecticut woman, laying on the ground with head trauma and chest injuries. The victim was taken by ambulance to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield with serious injuries. She is expected to survive, according to hospital officials.

The driver remained at the scene and was cooperative with police.

A preliminary investigation indicates that the pedestrian was crossing the roadway from the Holiday Inn Express to the Jennifer House Commons when she was struck.

Traffic was reduced to one lane in the area during the emergency response and investigation. Monterey and Stockbridge Police also responded to the scene to provide mutual aid.

###

Great Barrington Firefighters Honored for Outstanding Rescue and Recovery Attempt

⋅ Fire News ⋅ , , , , , ⋅ 0 Comments

Great Barrington Fire Department
Chief Charles Burger
37 State Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230

For Immediate Release

Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Great Barrington Firefighters Honored for Outstanding Rescue and Recovery Attempt

GREAT BARRINGTON — Chief Charles Burger is pleased to announce that two Great Barrington firefighters from the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team earned a citation for Meritorious Conduct from Gov. Baker during the Firefighter of the Year Awards ceremony earlier this week.

The Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team at the Firefighter of the Year Awards ceremony. (Courtesy Photo)
The Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team at the Firefighter of the Year Awards ceremony. (Courtesy Photo)

Firefighters Justina Bona and Robert Gaughran were two of the 26 members on the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team to receive an award during a ceremony on Nov. 20. Gov. Baker recognized the team for their outstanding rescue and recovery attempt at Bash Bish Falls State Park over the summer.

“I am very proud of my firefighters for their well-deserved recognition,” Chief Burger said. “They worked a long, hard and dangerous weekend to try to minimize and bring closure to a tragedy. Their technical knowledge, skill, and dedication are an asset to the community.”

The Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team, which is run by the Western Massachusetts Fire Chief’s Association, is comprised of firefighters from the four western Massachusetts counties.

Member firefighters are specially trained in rope, confined space, trench and collapse rescue, and are regularly called to assist at some of the most difficult and dangerous incidents. To make the team, members first receive extensive training and complete drills each month to remain active. Great Barrington has three firefighters on the team — Gaughran, Bona and George Houghtli.

In July, a New York man fell into Bash Bish Falls and died. Recovery efforts brought rescuers from 13 local and state entities, including Firefighters Bona and Gaughran.

The multi-day effort included rigging multiple rope systems and rappelling down and under multiple falls to locate where the victim was lodged. However, efforts were eventually called off due to the dangerous terrain and location of the body.

###

Great Barrington Firefighters Graduate from Call/Volunteer Academy

⋅ Client News, Fire News ⋅ , , ⋅ 0 Comments

Great Barrington Fire Department
Chief Charles Burger
37 State Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230

For Immediate Release

Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Great Barrington Firefighters Graduate from Call/Volunteer Academy

From left to right: Great Barrington Firefighter Robert Gaughran, Lt. Darrell Marks, Firefighter Justin Bona, Chief Charles Burger, and graduating Firefighters Michael Bissaillon and Iovan DeRis. (Courtesy Photo)

GREAT BARRINGTON — Chief Charles Burger is pleased to announce that two Great Barrington Firefighters graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s Call/Volunteer program.

At the ceremony on Monday, Oct. 29, Call Firefighters Mike Bissaillon and Iovan DeRis graduated alongside call and volunteer firefighters from throughout Massachusetts.

The Call/Volunteer academy program is a rigorous 240-hour course that is held twice per week as well as most weekends over a four-month period at the academy’s Springfield campus. Time is spent in the classroom and on the drill yard where students acquire the basic knowledge and skills for firefighting. All of the training concludes with live firefighting in the burn building. Participants graduated with their Firefighter I & II and Hazmat – Operations Level Responder certifications.

The two newest members will now officially join the Great Barrington Fire Department.

“Both Mike and Iovan have been enthusiastic since they walked in the door,” Chief Burger said. “They have shown great dedication and diligence over the past four months and excelled through the academy. They are fun to work with and the Fire Department and town are lucky to have them.”

Bissaillon is a husband and father of four, as well as a personal trainer and owner of a CrossFit gym in Great Barrington.

“Joining the Great Barrington Fire Department and graduating from the Fire Academy have been two of my most challenging life accomplishments,” Firefighter Bissaillon said. “It is very rewarding and I’m looking forward to putting what we learned to work.”

DeRis is a husband, father of three, and is a contractor who owns the Great Barrington Building Company in addition to his role as a call firefighter.

“Firefighting is mentally and physically demanding but we overcome those challenges through good training and teamwork,” Firefighter DeRis said. “The academy training program has given me a basic foundation in firefighting and I look forward to putting my new skills to the test and being able to make a difference in our town.”

The Great Barrington Fire Department is always looking to add members, and anyone interested in joining can contact Chief Burger by phone at 413-528-0788, by e-mail at [email protected], or by stopping by the station.

###

1 2 3 4 5 >»