THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR CLES
BUT ONLY WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY!
First, CLES is a 501 (c)3 organization that was formed from a merger of Cooper Landing Volunteer Ambulance Association and Cooper Landing Volunteer Fire Department in 2007. Both organizations were originally formed in 1973 and 1974, respectively. Throughout the years, both departments individually provided fire and EMS response to the Cooper Landing community. Without the leadership and dedication of these early volunteers, CLES would not be in the position it is today. While there are many volunteers, a few that truly stand out today are Jerry Norris, Jack Harris, Michelle Stewart, Carrie and John Williams, Cheryle James, Jerry Neis, Dan Michels and many others that gave years and decades of service to the department. The current volunteers of CLES want to thank these individuals for the hard work and dedication they put into these organizations that laid the foundation for today’s CLES. They ensured the possibility of success both then and now!
As we enter 2021, the future is looking bright. A number of recently developed COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for emergency use. CLES has seized the opportunity to partner with Soldotna Professional Pharmacy and the KPB Office of Emergency Management to hold regularly scheduled vaccine clinics locally here in Cooper Landing. To date, we have administered more than 500 doses of vaccine to members of the community and outlying areas and will continue to provide this service throughout 2021.
In March, we held a blood drive in conjunction with the Blood Bank of Alaska and collected more than 70 units of life-saving blood! This could not have been accomplished without the support of our community!
We will continue to seize opportunities to promote the health and safety of the local citizens and visitors to Cooper Landing.
At the beginning of the year, we were informed that the State of Alaska is reconfiguring the radio frequencies that we use to communicate with dispatch, our fire/EMS units and neighboring fire departments. This change will require CLES to replace our ENTIRE inventory of both mobile and portable radios at a cost of approximately $100,000. The new system is expected to be rolled out no later than January 2022. We applied for and fortunately received a grant from the State of Alaska Code Blue Grant Program for approximately $75,000 to offset our overall expenditure on new radio equipment. This system upgrade, expected around September of 2021, will significantly improve our communication capabilities here in rural Alaska.
The EMS Medical Director is an integral part of any EMS organization. They provide the medical oversight for our treatment protocols, standing orders, medications, EMS training, quality assurance/improvement, and patient care report review. We were fortunate to operate under the volunteer direction of Dr. William Cooper for many years, however, in March, he informed us of his retirement. We subsequently sought out and retained the services of Dr. Michael Levy, an emergency medicine physician and renowned leader in EMS prehospital medicine in the U.S. Dr. Levy currently serves as the Medical Director for Anchorage Fire Department, Central Emergency Services, Soldotna, Nikiski Fire Department and a number of other departments in the borough. As a result, his essential services create another significant expenditure for the department moving forward.
In February, we were informed by a member of the community that a donation of $150,000 was being given to CLES, dedicated toward the purchase of a new ambulance. Our current EMS units are 9 and 20 years old respectively. This donation will allow CLES the opportunity to purchase a NEW 2022 State of the Art Type 1 EMS Ambulance for approximately $202,000. We chose Frazer Inc. based in Houston, TX to manufacture this new unit. Frazer is an all women-owned company that has been in business for more than 40 years and has a proven track record building ambulances for
many departments throughout Texas and the U.S. Their primary focus Is on patient and caregiver safety, reliability and dependability at a very competitive price point.
This new Frazer unit will be truly State of the Art. It will be built on a 2022 Ford F-450 4×4 diesel chassis with liquid spring suspension. Many of the specifications are geared toward safety from the exterior lighting to the interior modular design layout, passenger restraints and infection control systems. Our new ambulance is expected to be completed in the early spring of 2022 and is scheduled to arrive in Cooper Landing in early April 2022.
Below are some pictures of a unit similar to the one we have ordered for CLES.
CLES has operated our second fire engine/mini pumper (Engine 2) for the last 4 decades. “Unit 1”, was purchased in 1982 by Past Chief Jerry Norris and placed into service that year. At 40 years old, this Emergency One pumper has responded to well over 1000 emergency calls throughout its tenure in Cooper Landing and has well outlasted its lifespan. At With improved technology and equipment, it no longer meets the current needs of CLES. The single cab limits the number of responders to 2 on this vehicle. It lacks the necessary storage space for fire/rescue and EMS equipment that is required for a completely outfitted first response pumper. Parts for repairs are becoming increasingly difficult to find. As a result, CLES has designed and moved forward with the build of a NEW quick attack firefighting unit built by Stonewell Fire Bodies of New York. Built on a Ford 550 4×4 diesel chassis, this new mini pumper “Engine 2” will carry a 250 gallon per minute pump capable of “pump and roll”, a 300-gallon tank, storage for extrication equipment and up to 5 first responders on fire, EMS, and motor vehicle accident calls.
This will significantly improve our response to highway related emergency calls. The NEW Engine 2 is expected to arrive in late 2021 or early 2022 at a cost of $195,000. As a result, we will need to rely heavily on our community partners to support us in the purchase of this pivotal piece of firefighting apparatus.
The purchase of 2 ambulances and 2 fire engines over 2 years will put CLES in a position to be able to respond effectively to any emergency in the Cooper Landing area with modern State of the Art apparatus. The future of CLES is truly bright and poised to move into the next decade with a topline, dependable and reliable fleet. The need for community support could not be greater at this time, however, the investment will have a lasting positive impact on the community.
As we enter the busy season, we will kick off our 2021 Donation Drive. If you think you can Help US Help YOU and the Cooper Landing Community, please consider making a donation to CLES to support our mission. All donations are considered tax deductible. It takes the support of people like our community members to make an organization like ours possible. Please visit our website @ www.cooperlandinges.org or mail your donations to: CLES, P.O. Box 510, Cooper Landing, Ak 99572.
Thank you for your continued support to CLES!
The CLES Board of Directors
The CLES Leadership Team
The CLES Volunteers
