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International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2334

By JOSEPH R. LaPLANTE, Valley Breeze & Observer Managing Editor

NORTH PROVIDENCE - The generosity of the Zarlenga family has provided the North Providence Fire Department with enough money to buy a pair of much needed Pediatric Airway Management kits that will speed up emergency treatment to children by EMTs.

Pat Zarlenga told The Breeze that his family's financial donation was made in memory of his late father Pasquale A. Zarlenga, who had befriended the firefighters at the town's Geneva and Fruit Hill Fire Stations, providing them throughout the last 10 years with cooking instruction and meals as well as watching the Patriots and Red Sox on TV with them.

The new kits are bags designed to contain the department's Pediatric Broselow/Hinkle System Tapes, which have color coded compartments that store supplies in the appropriate sizes to accommodate resuscitation of the patient, from infant to young child, according to the Web site for the company that produces the kits.

The compartments in the new kits are color coordinated with the Broselow tape, which is used to measure the height of a child to determine what size supplies to use, said Captain John Gregson, director of Emergency Management Services.

"When the Broselow tape selects the appropriate Algor color to treat the patient, then the bag is opened to the appropriate colored compartment and all the necessary supplies are there. Appropriate sizes are at your finger tips," he said.

"This may not sound like a lot, but when the men and woman of the NPFD are faced with a pediatric emergency, stress levels can be very high. These kits take a lot of guess work out of the equation and can in fact reduce stress and allow for a much smoother scenario to play out, thereby increasing our chances of a successful outcome."

The Zarlenga family has a close association with the town's fire department: Pat Zarlenga is the former district chief at the Marieville Station, having served for 35 years as a volunteer and call firefighter; his brother, Richard Zarlenga, was a call firefighter at the Marieville Station for many years; and Pat Zarlenga's two sons, Andrew Zarlenga, a battalion chief headquartered at the Geneva Station, and Brian Zarlenga, a captain at the Fruit Hill Station, are firefighters in the North Providence Department.

The late Pasquale A. Zarlenga was known affectionately as "Gramps" to the crews at the Douglas Avenue and Fruit Hill Avenue Stations. Stopping by to see his grandsons was the original impetus for his visits, Gregson said.

Pat Zarlenga said the camaraderie of the men in the two station houses kept his father coming back.

"My father was a chef by trade and he used to cook up food for the firefighters and bring it over to them," he said. "He would go in and tell them how to cook things and always tell them when they were doing it wrong. They got a kick out of that. He gave them a lot of tips on cooking."

On occasion, a firefighter headed to the grocery store would call "Gramps" and "They'd tell him, 'Hey, chicken thighs are on sale for 99 cents a pound.' And my father would tell them, 'Pick up 10 pounds and I'll make something for you,'" Pat Zarlenga said.

"Gramps" was 97 when he died in June 2006.

"He was driving right up until February 2006," his son said. "On Sundays he would go to Holy Rosary Church in Fall River and on his way he would stop by one of the stations and leave off some warm scones for the guys. He loved going to the stations and visiting and watching football games with them."

Pat Zarlenga and his brother Richard used the money that mourners donated at their father's wake, plus some of their own funds, to make the contribution to the department for the family in their father's name.

The donation was a thank you to the fire department for welcoming "Gramps" "He had his best ten years of his life going in and out of those fire stations."

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LOCAL 2334

2008 EXECUTIVE BOARD

PRESIDENT- John Silva

VICE PRESIDENT- Dan Usenia

SECRETARY- William Charello

TREASURER- Jay Petrillo

AT-LARGE- Anthony Rampone

A-GROUP- Dave Singleton

B-GROUP- Brian Zarlenga

C-GROUP- Jason Hendrickson

D-GROUP- Dan Torregrossa

Local 2334

PO Box 3932

North Providence, RI 02911