DOWNIEVILLE — Spirits soared, and smiles abounded as the Downieville Volunteer Fire Department packed up their gear and left the Two Rivers parking lot on May 18th, the second and final day of the “Fill the Boot for Burns.” Donations for the Firefighters Burn Institute in Sacramento totaled exactly $2,000. The Burn Institute was founded by Sacramento Fire Captain Cliff Haskell and the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 in 1973. For years, some of our locals have benefited from services provided by the Sacramento organization, leaving many eager to support a cause that will help those in our remote communities.

The 50th anniversary of Emergency Medical Services Week was celebrated in style at the Downieville Fire House this past Saturday, bringing almost as many kids as the annual Easter Egg Hunt. The event kicked off with paramedic Tegan Harrington and Stephanie Aufdermaur’s informative first aid and CPR training. Children were able to learn “hands-on” how to stop a bleed with direct pressure, pack a wound, place a tourniquet on a mannequin’s arm, and were instructed on the basics of CPR. Giggles and other joyful exclamations resounded as gift bags filled with EMS-themed tchotchkes were handed out, and access to an ambulance was provided for youth to hop on and inspect the rig. Fire truck #7340 was on scene complimented in the highest fashion by multiple wide-eyed children wearing gifted red plastic firefighter hats stuffing their faces with hot dogs and cupcakes. Occasionally, a cupcake hit the ground, and a mother could be heard saying, “Don’t cry! Go get another one!” as they cleaned the frosted mess off the ground.

Steve Folsom spent the latter part of the EMS open house demonstrating the inner workings of the Bauman Bag to new Forest Service personnel with whom EMS works closely. A Bauman Bag allows patients to be hoisted into a helicopter for evacuation, an essential tool for many of the area’s search and rescue cases.