TCAT to introduce the Tcard for riders

BY MEG MALONE

The wheels on the buses around Tompkins County go round and round, and starting early next year, there will be a change in how these buses collect fares to bring riders all through the town.

In January, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit will introduce the Tcard, which has been in the works for more than two years, according to a press release issued by TCAT on Monday. The change to this new system is twofold for TCAT, said Patty Poist, communications and marketing manager for TCAT.

“It will enable us to better track our passengers — what they need and what they want — and then adjust our schedules accordingly to improve service,” Poist said.

With the current fare box, TCAT is unable to track unique riders, said Nicole Tedesco, TCAT’s Service and Operations Analyst.

“The flexibility that I can use, the creativity that I can use in creating my reports using the new system is not in the same league as the old system,” Tedesco said. “With the old system we had a couple of canned reports, and that’s pretty much all we could get out of it.”

TCAT worked with Black Box Computer Consulting, an Ithaca company, to develop the hardware and software for this project, Tedesco said. Currently, TCAT has been working with a company based out of the U.K.

Tedesco said that working with the local Black Box Computer Consulting makes it more convenient and efficient than working with an overseas company to get parts and support necessary to keep things running smoothly.

“One of the nice things about working with a local company is as we have these ongoing needs, we just walk down to the Commons and talk it through with their engineers,” Tedesco said.

The new Tcard is essentially an expansion of an earlier program with Cornell University, Tedesco said. Cornell came to TCAT with the idea and funded the first phase of the project about two and a half years ago, Tedesco said.

This program with Cornell already serves about 70 percent to 75 percent of TCAT’s ridership, and the new Tcard will work to provide that same program to the rest of the community, including Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College, Tedesco said.

John Nitti, a junior at Cornell University, said he uses the TCAT usually two or three times a day. Nitti is able to pay for a yearlong pass online and then use his student ID when boarding the bus. He puts his ID within the proximity of a sensor, which reads it without having to actually swipe the card. Nitti said he has never had a problem with this system, and that a card system similar to what Cornell already is using would help streamline things for TCAT passengers from the rest of the community.

“I think it would be more convenient for everybody,” Nitti said. “Rather than people fumbling for change on the bus — that kind of just delays things — it just really makes it easier for everybody. It’s a little bit quicker I guess.”

Keith Miller of Newfield, who has a paper pass with TCAT, said a card would be more convenient, especially in terms of not losing the paper pass. TCAT rider Michael Lucas of Dryden does not have pass with TCAT, but said that the new card system was something he probably would be interested in.

Tedesco said while they haven’t gotten too many calls about the switch, people who have contacted TCAT seem to be responding positively to the switch. In 2008, TCAT had 3.3 million rides, Tedesco said.

“We’re pretty sensitive to what people say here,” Poist said. “We have a citizen’s advisory group and we get all kinds of input.”

TCAT has prepared about 2,200 Tcards to be available for people looking to transfer from their current paper pass, or to start a new plan. The card itself is free and riders are paying for the fare program they want. TCAT received state funding in order to complete this next phase of the project, Tedesco said.

However, this new initiative is not limited to just card form. TCAT will also offer the option of purchasing a sticker tag, which can be applied to a cell phone or another flat surface, or a fob to put on a set of keys. These will be available for $3 and $4, respectively, and can be scanned when boarding the bus.

“We’ve never done these special fare media before, so that’s exciting” Tedesco said. “I think that for folks who are frequent bus riders, that’s going to increase the convenience.”

While the system will officially switch over on Jan. 17, cards can be purchased starting on Jan. 1 and can begin being used immediately, Tedesco said.

Getting the cards out into the community is just one part of the project. From Jan. 1 until about March 1, TCAT will be installing the new hardware into all of the bus systems, Tedesco said. During this period, Tcards will not be rechargeable, and instead expired cards will get dropped into the fare box and recycled back into the system, Tedesco said. Additionally, the project requires some Web development, as the TCAT Web site will allow Tcard holders to check their balance online, Tedesco said.

TCAT is touting the slogan “Simple. Rechargeable. Sustainable” for the project and while TCAT is eliminating paper passes, they will still be using paper transfers, Tedesco said. Looking to the future, Tedesco said TCAT plans to work on finding a way to allow riders to load transfers right onto their pass.

“There’s still the possibility of fraud using paper transfers. We’re going to be working in some security features to help keep that down,” Tedesco said. “But there’s also the convenience factor. If we’re marketing this system as being super easy to use and having less waste, that’s another thing we need to look at.”

The Tcard isn’t the only change that TCAT has been working toward during the past year. In November, the new Green Street station, which leases space to Gimme! Coffee, opened and the station will have its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Friday at 10 a.m.

According to the Tcard press release, the Green Street Station will be staffed as a place where people who have paper passes with unused rides can trade in for a Tcard with that same number of remaining rides.

“If it turns out that there’s a huge demand, we’ll just increase our staffing,” Tedesco said.  “We definitely need to give folks the opportunity to trade in their old cards and get new ones.”

The Tcard press release states that there are plans to build a kiosk where riders can buy and recharge Tcards at the Green Street station.

Additionally, on Jan. 17, new routes will be in effect and a new price system will be in place. These changes to the route schedules and fares, can be found on the TCAT Web site.

Life is Water: A Night of Music and Awareness

by Meg Rindfleisch

ITHACA, NY— Crowds huddled together outside the State Theater on the evening of December 5, begging for tickets as people emerged from the box office.

“You don’t have any more tickets? Are you sure?” a man in a black jacket asked.
A woman dressed as a Christmas elf waited outside the theater, eagerly handing out pamphlets on hydraulic fracturing to passersby.
“Tell the governor ‘no fracking way’ to fracking in the Finger Lakes! Sign the petition tonight!” she yelled.
The attraction of the evening was Life is Water, a benefit concert held by the local hydraulic-fracturing awareness group, Shaleshock. Sold out just a few days before the event, the concert drew a crowd of more than 1600 people on the early winter night. The concert raised between $8,000 and $9,000, most of which will go to Shaleshock’s campaign against hydraulic fracturing and awareness.
“How could you not hear about this event?” Schuyler County resident Susan Wiener said. “It’s not my typical way of supporting initiatives, but apparently this was a really good way to bring people together.”
Three local bands—Donna the Buffalo, The Horse Flies and The Sim Redmond Band—attracted people of all ages to the concert, from toddlers to grandparents. The bands were approached by Chris Tate, Shaleshock member and concert coordinator, to play the benefit show just six weeks before performing.
“I usually don’t play benefits, but I became interested in the issue before the topic of the concert came up,” Judy Hyman, violinist for The Horse Flies, said. “I’ve become very active in the issue, so doing a benefit concert was kind of a no-brainer.”
Tate proposed the idea of a concert at his first Shaleshock meeting at the end of the summer. A former managing director for the Ithaca Performing Arts Center, Tate had connections with many local bands. He settled on Donna the Buffalo, The Sim Redmond Band and The Horse Flies because of their immense popularity in the Ithaca music scene.
“These three bands are very seminal to our area,” he said. “It was a natural combination artistically to choose these three bands for a concert to defend the Finger Lakes.”
“We hadn’t done something of this magnitude at the State Theater in a really long time,” Hyman said. “When Chris said he could get all three bands, I knew it was going to be a success.”
Life is Water featured hour-long sets by each of the three bands, followed by informational videos on hydro-fracking and its environmental and economic impacts.
Attendants were encouraged by Shaleshock members to sign a petition asking Governor Paterson to repeal the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement. The SGEIS, proposed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, provides gas-drilling industries with guidelines for fracking procedures. The DEC is only accepting comments on the SGEIS until December 31.
“This is just a completely bogus document,” Tate said. “Drilling contracts could potentially be signed by January 1.”
Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal natural gas drilling have become increasingly important concerns in the Finger Lakes area. Central New York lies on top of a large natural gas reservoir, known as the Marcellus Shale. The Marcellus extends into Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and West Virginia.
Shaleshock, created in summer 2008 by Ithaca and Van Etten residents, is trying to raise awareness in the Tompkins County area about the consequences of hydro-fracking.
According to Shaleshock’s Web site, the success rates of horizontal gas drilling and fracking are extremely low and can leave behind thousands of gallons of toxic water, potentially contaminating the Finger Lakes watershed. Economically, the gas extraction industry creates temporary employment in communities but once the natural gas is gone, so are the jobs.
“When I found out the magnitude of what this could mean, in terms of water usage and potential pollution and air quality, I became absolutely freaked out,” Shaleshock member Lisa Wright said. “We have a real problem on our hands because it doesn’t seem that the Department of Environmental Conservation is at all prepared to effectively deal with this.”
Shaleshock has been creating alliances with anti-fracking groups across the country, especially in areas that have already experienced the negative effects of industrial gas drilling. By raising awareness on a large scale, Shaleshock aims to prevent gas drilling from reaching the Finger Lakes region.
“This has hit me like a ton of bricks,” Hyman said. “I thought I had found Nirvana. All I had to do was endure the winter to have this wonderful, peaceful and beautiful area and lifestyle. Now, gas drillers could ruin it.”

The concert was streamed live online via the Ithaca Journal and Wishing Well Magazine. The entire concert can be viewed here.

For Soundslide, click here.

Veterinary students gain valuable hands-on experience at Cornell Equine Park

Cayuga Nature Center becomes one of the first U.S. companies to install wood-gasification boiler

 

Cayuga Nature Center is known in the Ithaca area for their children’s educational programs on local science and nature.  Now, they are taking on a new project and reducing their carbon footprint at the same time.  Cayuga Nature Center has just become one of two U.S. organizations to test new wood-gasification boilers.  This system will replace their old propane system and use wood-chips to heat their facilities.

The company Advanced Climate Technologies has brought a project to the United States in which two facilities (Clarkson University and Cayuga Nature Center) are receiving these new boilers to test out.  Cayuga Nature Center hopes to have this system up and running in the next week or two.  These systems have proven to be very successful in Europe, and should spread throughout the United States quickly pending the success of the program at Cayuga Nature Center.

Tom Trencansky, Executive Director of Cayuga Nature Center says he can’t see any reason not to install this new boiler.  By burning woodchips instead of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced  Also, the boiler is 90 percent efficient, meaning there is very little waste.  Trencansky said “It would be nice to be a model for bettering the earth.”

In addition, this system should save Cayuga Nature Center a substantial amount of money.  The installation of the system was not free, but there was a significant grant given to Cayuga Nature Center by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.  Trencansky anticipates that a considerable amount of money will be saved by using the  system itself.  The current propane systems are expensive, and while woodchips are not free, they are not nearly as costly. Cayuga Nature Center is anticipating saving around $6,000 per year on heating.  Also, Trencansky said they will be purchasing the woodchips from local sources to help support local business.

This system is described by Trencansky as cutting edge technology.  Tony Nekut has been helping Cayuga Nature Center install their new system and explained how it works.  Woodchips are sent through an auger, and a wood-gasification process takes place.  This produces a clean fuel.  When the fuel is burned, water runs through the system and the water is heated.  Water then runs through the building and distributes heat.

David Dungate, President of Advanced Climate Technologies Bioenergy, explained this process in more technical detail.  “In the main combustion chamber there are three zones.  In the primary zone the fuel is heated to gasify the organic components in the fuel, the gases then go through secondary and tertiary zones where air is introduced to completely combust all the gases.  The heat from the gases makes through three heat exchange zones where the heat from the gases is transferred to water flowing through the boiler.  The rates of fuel feeding and air introduction are modulated by the boiler control system based on the water temperature, exhaust gas temperature and oxygen level in the exhaust to ensure efficiencies between 85-90% are constantly maintained.”

Since this technology is brand new in the United States, Cayuga Nature Center is going to be testing this equipment through the winter.  The boiler has been installed with a fully operating computer system so it can be easily monitored.  Several students from Cornell University as well as other organizations are going to keep tabs on the boiler.  They will be testing it’s efficiency, it’s production of greenhouse gases and also the potential for wear-and-tear costs over the years.

Cayuga Nature Center certainly will not be abandoning it’s roots as an educational organization with this new boiler.  Trencansky said they will be having many demonstrations for the public to see the new system.  “We will have an open door policy.  We want to be a model to show other companies this new technology” Trencansky said.

Cayuga Nature Center hopes to have this up and running by next week.  They will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony in celebration of this accomplishment.

For more information:

http://www.cayuganaturecenter.org

http://www.actbioenergy.com

Building buffers to benefit waters

MEG MALONE

One project that Scott Doyle, senior planner for the Tompkins County Planning Department, has worked on, involved a property in Lansing that was in foreclosure. Doyle said they were able to have a conservation easement put on the property, preventing usage of the creek’s buffer area. When it was auctioned, it was bought by Habitat for Humanity, who will now build a home on the property, he said.

“Basically forever this property will be protected to the creek,” Doyle said.

The Planning Department has been involved in numerous projects like this that are creating stream buffers in riparian zones — the areas alongside the beds of waterways. A document released by the Tompkins County Planning Department titled, “Enhancing Water Resources in Tompkins County: Benefits of Riparian Areas and Stream Buffers,” defines what a riparian buffer is and outlines the scientific findings that support riparian buffer zones. According to this document, there are numerous benefits for stream stabilization, water quality, animal habitats, as well as financially thanks to reduced maintenance costs, all by strategically planting certain vegetation.

Areas of the county have differing levels of regulation, Doyle said. Thanks to a state grant that the Planning Department received in 2007, the Planning Department has been working on creating more strategies and materials that will soon be available to the community to help them learn about and create their own riparian buffers, Doyle said. This would involve making their Web site more interactive, providing sample easements and ordinances and also a guide to what types of vegetation can be planted, he said.

“With relatively minor improvements, you can get significant water quality benefits, and then also wildlife benefits with enhancing the various buffers,” Doyle said. Additionally, Doyle cites the creation of these buffers as a “fairly low-cost” measure to provide these significant benefits.

The Tompkins County Water Resources Council outlined their goals dealing with riparian corridors in April in the Tompkins County Water Quality Strategy. The three objectives outlined in the strategy included collecting more data, keeping current riparian corridors healthy and damage-free, and creating a long-term care plan for these corridors.

“Some of the tributaries to the lake have a lot of sediment and a lot of water quality issues, so we know that we can be doing a better job with a lot of these things,” Doyle said. “We’ve also reviewed a lot of development that hasn’t necessarily been set back from these waterways as much as they could be. We think there’s a lot of non-point run-off associated with those sites of pollution.” Riparian buffers then work as a filter, Doyle said, working to keep this excess sediment out of the water.

This year’s Open Space Plan released by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said a buffer should be at least 100 feet, Doyle said. According to the “Benefits of Riparian Areas of Stream Buffers,” depending on the role of the buffer — whether it be for stabilizing, improving water quality, serving as flood protection or for animal habitats — the suggested width may change.

The Community Science Institute is a nonprofit organization that recruits volunteers to collect water samples, which are then tested and analyzed by a certified lab, Executive Director Steve Penningroth said. By examining the “Maps and Data” section of their Web site, the community can examine what the land use is in the areas surrounding various local waterways, which Penningroth said affects the type of pollution found within those respective waterways. The data available on their Web site includes the levels of bacteria, suspended sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen, and salt and minerals, with these numbers collected from both base flow and storm water conditions.

To collect the samples for Community Science Institute, a group of volunteers goes out to test from the same points during the quarter, collecting both high-water and low-water samples, said Gregg McConnell, meeting coordinator for the Fall Creek Watershed Committee.

“For the most part, we focus on coliform and E. coli and phosphorus,” McConnell said. “Those are all nutrients of concern in Cayuga Lake, as well as the watershed.”

While phosphorus is often found in lakes, an excess can cause rapid, unwanted plant growth in the water environment, said Renee Jensen, environmental educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County. “I think probably the most beneficial thing about buffers is that they reduce erosion and really keep that soil in place,” Jensen said. “Nitrogen is found in a lot of the lakes also from the erosion and run-off, but I think phosphorus has the most devastating effect.”

Green Thumbs for Blue Water, a program run by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, provides information about buffers, including benefits, as well as the resources for people to construct their own buffer.

“There’s a lot of things that people need to understand when they’re choosing buffers: the right plants, the right size, maybe they want to incorporate in their landscaping,” Jensen said. “But I definitely think there needs to be more education on it.”

Star Light, Star Bright: Leonid Meteor Shower

 

by Meg Rindfleisch

ITHACA, NY—Bundled up in a scarf, hat and jacket, Sean Killian rested his head on the cool ground at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was anxiously waiting for the show to begin, sacrificing sleep just to get a glimpse. Clusters of Ithaca College students, like Killian, wandered around campus for the best views. This was going to be the show of a lifetime.

The main attraction of the night were the Leonids, an annually occurring meteor shower expected to peak between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. EST Tuesday. Below freezing temperatures weren’t enough to keep students in for the night, despite the cloudy conditions that prevented the majority of the meteors from being seen.

“Well, I only saw a few, but I had fun tonight even though it was cold. I’ll remember this night for a long time,” Killian said.

Many college students learned about the light show through social networking websites, such as Twitter and Facebook. The Facebook event titled “Leonid Meteor Shower 2009” had almost one million confirmed guests.

“I got a message on Facebook about the whole event,” said Emily Krempholtz, a sophomore at Ithaca College. “I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll see a meteor shower.’”

For many students, it was their first time witnessing a meteor shower. Even though the clouds interfered this time around, the popularity of the event on the Internet has sparked an interest in astronomy in young adults. Word is beginning to spread about the Geminid meteor shower, expected this December, on Facebook.

“I’ve never seen a meteor shower before,” said Paloma Altamirano, an Ithaca College student. “Hopefully, I’ll see more.”

The Leonids, like other meteors, are made up of tiny bits of space debris. Leonids are created from the comet Temple-Tuttle, which orbits the sun and passes through the Earth’s atmosphere every 33 years. Comets that enter the Earth’s atmosphere leave behind a trail of dust, which become meteors.

“The ones we see in the sky are very small particles, like bits of eraser from the end of a pencil,” Luke Keller, associate professor of physics at Ithaca College, said. “They are planetary material left over from the very early formation of planets in our solar system.”

As these Leonid dust particles travel through the atmosphere, they become hot enough to vaporize, traveling at speeds of 160,000 mph, according to SPACE.com. Sometimes, they even emit light, creating “shooting stars” that are seen from Earth. When groups of these particles are vaporized at the same time, giving the illusion of a meteor shower.

“Sometimes, the Earth in its orbit goes through a line of dust in the solar system,” Keller said. “They get close to the sun and they start to evaporate. As they do this simultaneously, it appears in the sky as a shower.”

The Leonid shower is named after the constellation Leo, which the meteors appear near. Other meteor showers, according to Keller, are named after the constellations they fly near, most notably the Geminids, the Orionids and the Perseids. Stargazers in Asia and North America had the best views of the shower, while those in Europe and Africa experienced daytime during the peak of the Leonids.

“As far as display goes, it all depends on who in the world has the nighttime,” Keller said. “It has to do with what side of the Earth is going through the comet’s tail.”

While viewer on the East Coast had a better chance of witnessing the shower in North America, the skies of Ithaca were too cloudy. By 4 am, Killian decided to call it quits, heading back to his dorm room to get some rest.

“There’s always next year,” he said.

 

The Effects of Obesity on Emergency Services: Bangs Ambulance

 

ITHACA, N.Y.: With the numbers of overweight Americans continuing to increase, emergency services have been responding to more and more calls for obese patients. Bangs Ambulance, of Ithaca, New York has been investing in new equipment to make it easier to transport heavier patients, and safer for the Bang’s crew.

The Center for Disease Control says that over two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and those numbers are continuing to rise. Overweight people are at a higher risk of heart disease, and diabetes along with many other ailments. This increases the need for ambulances that can accommodate larger patients. Traditionally, bariatric stretchers have been used in these situations. President of Bangs Ambulance, Tim Bangs, said bariatric stretchers can hold up to 1600 pounds, but are strenuous on the emergency crew responding to the call. Bangs said it is much easier to use the new Stryker stretchers that Bangs Ambulance began using last year.

Stryker stretchers are not as wide as a bariatric stretcher and can only hold up to 750 pounds, but they can lift or lower a patient with the push of a button, Bangs explained. “This is historically a backbreaking job. (With a bariatric stretcher) You have to lift the entire stretcher, hold it up, and push it in while your partner guides it in the ambulance.”

Eddie Wilson, the New York – Pennsylvania Territory Manager for Stryker, said EMS is one of the three most injury – causing occupations. Wilson continued that these injuries are not caused by the occasional morbidly obese patient, but by the repeated lifting of the average patient. Since the average weight of American’s continues to rise, routine lifting becomes more strenuous. “Almost every one of my customers have dealt with a patient over 500 pounds, but the real problem is that the average weight for a patient now is around 230 pounds.” Wilson said.

Bangs Ambulance decided last year to purchase these new stretchers after the numbers of obese patients continued to increase.

“Before it would be pretty odd if we saw a patient that was 350 pounds. We would need to call an extra person to help us lift them. Now we’re starting to see 450 -500 pound patients regularly and a two-person crew can do that comfortably” Bangs said.

He continued by saying that the main problem now is getting patients out of their homes. Even though the new stretchers can help get patients into or out of an ambulance, it is sometimes much more difficult to move a patient outside.

One of the crew members for Bangs, Traci, said that although moving obese patients onto stretchers is a challenge, she has never had a big problem occur. “I’ve never experienced a problem trying to transport an obese patient. If we need an extra set of hands there are usually firemen at the scene or we can call down for additional resources.”

The new Stryker stretchers are about twice as expensive as a traditional stretcher. Bangs said they cost about $13,000 as opposed to a normal stretcher that would cost $6,000. The real payoff for ambulance companies is the reduced number of injured employees. Bangs said since they purchased these new stretchers, their number of workers compensation claims has dramatically decreased. “We pay upfront for the stretchers, but they pay for themselves in the end” he said.

Eddie Wilson said that Stryker’s goal is to reduce the number of injuries to EMS workers. “If we can remove the repetition of lifting heavy patients over-and-over, we can keep the emergency crews from straining their backs.”

The other benefit comes from sending a smaller crew to the scene. Bangs explained that even if a larger crew is needed for an obese patient, they don’t charge the patient extra. “Other people are starting to have a different class of billing for a bariatric patient. If you weigh more than 450-500 pounds and they need to send additional crew members, they will get billed more.” Bangs said. However, Ithaca is nowhere near adopting a policy like this. For now, the new stretchers allow a smaller crew to be sent to the scene, and therefore less money is spent.

 

 

 

 

Chimney fire safety important as winter approaches

By Meg Malone

With winter just around the corner and the cold setting on central New York, people may be getting ready to get back to using their wood stove or fireplace. The Varna Volunteer Fire Company prepared for the season with their chimney fire training session Thursday night.

The training, led by Daren Miller, who has been with the Varna Volunteer Fire Company for about 25 years, tackled a number of issues for firefighters including terminology, tools and protocol.

“I give this every fall about this time,” Miller said. “People start burning stuff more now. Typically that’s when we get most of our calls. People start up a device that hasn’t been run since the previous year and without any maintenance.”

A chimney fire exceeds 2,000 degrees, said George Enzian, who works at Ithaca Stove Works at 414 N. Meadow St. in Ithaca and has been a chimney sweep for 19 years. Ithaca Stove Works is a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild.

Creosote, a byproduct of incomplete combustion, provides the fuel for a chimney fire to start, Miller said.

The build up of creosote is “the log that has been gasified and then it’s been condensed again so now it’s stuck to the side of your chimney,” said Tom Kucera, owner of Ithaca Stove Works.

Creosote has a high ignition temperature and burns hotter than your wood box would normally, Miller said.

“Prevention is pretty straightforward,” Miller said. “You clean your chimney, you’re not going to have a chimney fire because you have to have fuel to have a chimney fire. Fuel is creosote and if you keep the creosote out then you won’t have a fire. Simple as that.”

The issue tends to be how often people do clean their chimney, Miller said. Creosote is generally either glazed to the inside of the chimney or is more of a lumpy consistency, which can be brushed off, he said. Additionally, creosote also expands when it burns into a popcorn-like consistency, he said. By looking at the type of creosote, Enzian said, he can help assess what the homeowner can change.

Incomplete combustion may happen a few ways, such as burning wet wood or having an oversize chimney, Kucera said.

“When you’re building a fire, the less smoke you make, the safer you are. So build your fires to not sit there and smolder,” Enzian said he generally tells his customers.

Tracey Houk, who lives in Danby, said that she uses her wood stove to heat her family’s home every day during the winter. Houk said she did not believe that her chimney had been replaced since the house was built in 1972. Houk said she gets her chimney cleaned once a year, either at the end of the winter or before the start of the next winter.

Enzian said having your chimney cleaned at least once a year is important, perhaps more if you have an older stove. As far as when, he said that getting your chimney looked at the end of the burn season or during the summer is important since it allows for more time to make any upgrades or fixes as need be. Plus, with many people waiting until the fall for a chimney cleaning, it can get very busy and as the weather changes, it becomes more difficult, Kucera said.

“Keeping the integrity of your chimney is what keeps the chimney fire inside the chimney,” Kucera said. This includes checking for cracked flue tiles or loose bricks, he said and also it is important to give your chimney a quick inspection in the fall before the first use to make sure it’s free of any animals that may have made their way inside.

A chimney fire makes a roar like a jet engine, Miller said. If you do have a chimney fire, call 911, said Enzian, who actually has had people call him instead when a chimney fire has started in their home. Also if possible, close the draft of the fireplace, Miller said, or the stove doors, Enzian said.

Houk said she worries about a chimney fires because of the possibility of it spreading and catching the house on fire. Old or poorly installed chimneys can pose the risk of not containing the fire properly and starting a house fire, Enzian said. According to a January 2009 publication by John R. Hall Jr. for the National Fire Protection Association: Fire Analysis and Research Division, in 2006 there were about 4,200 home structure fires as a result of a chimney or a chimney connector.

Despite these national statistics, some local statistics seem to show that those in the Ithaca area are on top of their chimney care. Deputy Fire Chief Tom Parsons of the City of Ithaca Fire Department said that of the 125 fires responded to from Dec. 1, 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009 only four of them were chimney fires and all stayed contained to the chimney. Miller also said he sees less chimney fires now than he had about ten or fifteen years ago. Additionally newer chimneys are built to be more effective at containing chimney fires and modern stoves with a calibrated low-burn rate will produce less creosote, Kucera said.

Still, the Varna Volunteer Fire Company has developed a protocol to deal with the chimney fires that do crop up in terms of tools used and what a firefighter should be doing when they arrive on the scene. The chimney fire kit, which is on top of the first vehicle that Varna dispatches to the scene of a chimney fire, includes cables, gloves, a mirror, a shovel, a bell, a brush and a dry chemical fire extinguisher– since they don’t use water on chimney fires, Miller said.

Small Town, Big Heart: Why Volunteer Numbers in Trumansburg Have Stayed Strong

by Meg Rindfleisch

TRUMANSBURG, NY- While the number of volunteer firefighters has steadily declined over the past 20 years, the Trumansburg Fire Department shows no sign of a lack of dedication or interest in its members.

            According to the National Fire Prevention Association, the number of volunteers has decreased by 72,300 members. Tom Ambrose, assistant chief of the TFD, believes that Trumansburg is an exception to this trend.

            “We are kind of an anomaly to that statistic,” Ambrose said. “We have a good core of people. Our numbers have remained pretty solid.”

            With a population of roughly 1,500 people, Trumansburg has a decent sized fire department, according to Ambrose. The TFD has 52 members on its 2009-2010 roster, with 30 emergency medical technicians.

            “You know, this is Trumansburg,” Ambrose said. “The populations isn’t that big and to have 30 certified EMTs is astronomical.”

            The process to become a volunteer firefighter or EMT requires a time commitment ranging from 78-140 hours of training. Many small towns, according to Ambrose, are not capable of receiving state certification programs in their area. Tompkins County is providing local fire departments with this certification.

            “State certifications are right at our doorstep,” Ambrose said. “It’s a great thing to have this close to us.”

            Yet, training and certification are not the most important aspect of being a volunteer fire or rescue person for many volunteers. The ability to give back to the community and the comradery are what matter most.

            “The best part is helping people out that are in distress,” Joseph Bailey, a 16-year-old volunteer, said. “I just get along with everyone here.”

            Laughter and jokes filled the Trumansburg station as volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians prepared for a night of rescue training on Wednesday. They poked fun at each other, even teasing the younger members as they put on their harnesses. Laura Keefe looked to her fellow volunteers with a grin.

            “Working with this close-knit group, these people become a different kind of family for me,” Keefe said. “It’s nice to be part of this community and give back this way.”

            Keefe, who has been a member of the TFD since 2001, volunteers with her husband, both former military officers. She said their love of adventures and thrills are what initially attracted the couple to becoming volunteers.

            “We’re both so adventuresome,” Keefe said. “We had always been moving around and were never part of a community. It’s nice to finally have that.”

            While attending to fire and rescue calls takes an emotional toll on volunteers, Ambrose said that knowing he’s helping out his neighborhood is worth the hardship.

            “I hear the address on the call, and I know who it is,” Ambrose said. “It’s trying when you’re fighting a fire in a house you know. But when I get there, I’ll be able to help.”

Below, Assistant Chief Tom Ambrose explains why volunteer EMTs and firefighters at FDT are truly exceptional

Interview with Gregg Cottrill