HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.c. Fire Department Annual Report CITY OF RdSEMOUNT
EXECU`z'IVE SLfNIlRARY FOR ACTION
CITY COUNCIL MEETZNG DATE: MARCH 16, 1993
AGENDA ITEM: FIRE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT AGENDA SFsCTIONe
DEPARTMENT HEAI� REPORTS
PREPARED BYs SCOTT AKER, FIRE CHIEF AGENDA N���� � �
ATTACER�IEN'1'S: FIRE DEFARZ'MENT ANNUAL REPORT AP O B .
�
This item will be the presentation of the fire department' s annual report.
It will be in both written (see attached) and oral form.
Tf there are any questions which you would like addressed aC this council
meeting or at future meetings, please let me know.
RECOIMIl+2ENDED ACTION:
Motion to accept the fire department's annual report.
COLTNCIL ACTION z
Rfl SEMOUNT
FIRE DEPARTMENT
ANNUAL REPORT �
TO THE CITY COUNCIL
MARCH 1993
Respectfully Submitted
by
SCOTT AKER, FIRE CHIEF
CITY OF ROSEMOUNT
INTR4DUCTION
In response to suggestions made at the annual and serni-annual reports of the fire
department you will find that this annual report has changed slightly. The major
changes are in the following three areas:
1. The entire report has been shortened. Because the council is aware of what
has been taking place at the fire department, we have made an attempt to leave
out those things which the council is familiar with.
2. Yau will notice that there is no month by month report of fire calls. You have
been receiving these during the year on a monthly basis and I �have opted to
leave them out of this report. If you would like a complete set of that
information, one can be made available to you.
3. As city ordinance suggests, the Chief does need to as part of his annual report
give specific recommendations as to the use and future needs with respect to _
vehicles. Because mast of those have not changed, this report will only deal
with the two or three vehicles for which we are looking to have sorne action in
the near future.
MEMBERSHIP
One year ago, at the presentation of the annual report, it was indicated that th�
membership was made up of 36 persons. During the past year, our numbers dropped
to 31 and have rebounded to a current 35 member roster. We are currently using the
standard city application for people who wish to join the fire department, as that
complies with all cunent ADA and ather hiring regulations. A 30 to 40 step hiring
process is currently being reviewed by the City Clerk and the membership committee
of the fire department to make sure it is in compliance with all requirements. Also,
a jab description which will comply with cunrent ADA and other requirements is
being put together.
A breakdown of the number of inembers that we have had over the past few years is
., indicated below. bw�: _ _....�.r. �
1988 ---------- 38 .
_ i989 ----------_ 4 _ _ _
_ _ ____ __ _ _ _ .:_ _ _. __. _ . 0._ .
_-- 1990._ ---------- 39
1991 ---------- 33
1992 ---------- 36
1993 ---------- 35
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EQUIPMENT
Aerial/Elevating Platforms (3518Q) ---------- 1
Pumpers (35181, 351$�, 351$3) ---------- 3
Grass Rigs (35192, 35194) ---------- 2
Tankers (35195) ---------- 1
Hose Truck (35196) ---------- 1
Rescue Vehicle (3590) ---------- 1
Chief/Mise. Vehicle (3598, 3599) ---------- 2
Utility/Rescue (3591) ---------- 1
As was indicated in the introduction, I will only comment on those vehicles that have
undergone a change in the recent past, or are looking to have changed in the near
future.
Aerial Truck (35180�: This vehicle is 20 years old at the present time. It has been
_ postponed, delayed, and the funding for it has changed in the CIP numerous times
over the last few years. The primary reason for this delay and funding change is that
the cost of such a vehicle has risen to approximately $600,000. Funding this item
through the CIP means that almost no other items could be funded for that year
without experiencing a substantial increase in that budget. I am sure there are some
mixed feelings in the community as to the necessity of a vehicle, primarily based on
the cast of the vehicle. I feel it is a very good idea as we approach the referendum
date of May 4th to lay out the cost of this vehicle, the benefits this vehicle could �
provide, the drawbacks of not having such a vehicle, and ultimately allowing the
citizens to decide as to whether or not they would like the protection that this
particular firefighting tool could prowide.
Pumper (35182): This vehicle is 29 years old at the present time. Its replacement �
has also been postponed in the CIF due to budget constraints for as long as I have !
been on the fire department. Although we make do without its use on a day-to-clay
basis it is a necessity that we have this vehicle when we're looking at our IS4 rating j
for the city. Our standard operating procedures could also be modified and should be
modified to incorporate the use of an additional pumper. Althaugh not part of the
pending city referendum, this vehicle's future depends on that referendum. If monies ;
are provided throu�� a r��erendum�or th�-replacement of the aerial truck, it will
ultimately free up the monies needed to move ahead with this_vehi.c�.
Hose Ti-uck (35196�: This vehicle, I am happy to say, and you will be pleased to
hear, i� r�ferenced here due to just the opposite reasons as the previous two. This - � � � -"-�-� �
vehicle is brand new, was just recently put into service, and has already proven to be
a great asset to our firefighting operations. This vehicle currently cames 1200 feet
of 4" hose, 400 feet of 1 1/2" hose, and 350 feet of 2 1/2" hose, along with a ¢
portable fire hydrant, and a portable drop tank. Due to the fact that we are still
learning and this vehicle is relatively new, the total firefighting strategies that it will
allow us to incorporate into our procedures have not even been fully explored.
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Because one of its uses is to supply hose and water to an aerial truck and the future
of an aerial truck has not yet been decided, some of the hose and modifications to
this vehicle have been postponed until we find out the future of an aerial truck. For
that reason, if you see this vehicle you will notice that some of the compartmentation
on the vehicle has been temporarily;cQnstructed out of plywaod rather than
permanently fabricated as is the rest of the vehicle. The department felt that it would
be mast cost effective to fully understand the eapabilities of how this truck could be
used in the future in conjunction with pending fire department purchases before
specific and permanent modifications would be made to this truck. For that reason it
has been suggested that 1992 monies, which were scheduled for these modifications
and purchases, be encumbered until 1993 when we have a clearer picture of the
direction the citizens wish us to take in the providing of fire service. That
encumbrance was part of the gackage the council approved on March 2, 1993.'
The status, reliability, and operation of all the other nine vehicles within aur
firefighting fleet has not changed since the semi-annual or previous annual reports but
I would be happy to comment on any of thase at any time should you be interested.
TRAINIlVG/EDUCATION
During 1992 one of the main training components we had to incorporate into our
regular training was all of those things which provide more protection against blood-
borne pathogens. These bloadborne pathogens include things like aids, hepatitis, and
anything else that wauld be transmitted via bodily fluids. As you are well aware,
policies and programs were developed and implemented which not only affected the
fire department's operation but all departments of the city which could possibly be
exposed to such agents.
As I alluded to earlier in a memo, because the council authorized expenditure for our
outside training and education in lump sum at the beginning of the year and has
authorized me as Chief to disperse those monies as are needed during the year, the
number of people attending classes has increased. This increase is primarily due ta
the fact that we can respond and register people in a timely manner and then those
people get their first choice in classes. This seems to be working very well during
1993 and we would again propose such a situation in the future. If you have any
questions or concerns on this change, please let me know.
We will again have the opportunity, as far as I know at this time, to send another one
of our members to Texas for training in liquid petroleum fires. This training
experience is provided and totally paid for by Koch Refining. We also had a member
of our fire department recently return from one week's trairung at the National Fire
Academy in Maryland. 'The majority of the cost of this one week of training was
also picked ug by the fire academy with very little cost to the city.
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We have over the past year also become more involved with cross training with
surrounding communities and especially Apple Valley. They do not have the
capabilities to shuttle water and operate tanker operations should it be necessary in
certain parts of the city that do not have hydrants. We have provided some training
for them in those areas and they have reciprocated with training on some of their
specialized equipment that we may have a need to call upon. We also look for this
type af trairung to increase even more in the future.
STATISTICS
A list of all the ca11s for 1992 is attached af the end of this report. As was indicated
earlier, a more detailed breakdown of ca11s is available should you so desire. It
would be the same as the one you are receiving on a monthly basis now.
1982 - 163 1988 - 269
1983 - 187 19$9 - 270
1984 - 215 1990 - 330
1985 - 217 1991 - 384
1986 - i 89 1992 - 355
1987 - 264
The number of calls during 1992 dropped slightly from 1991. One of the major
reasons for that drop is the new policy which we now have with Koch Refining which
allows them to directly call for an ambulance and not call for the fire department's
response in minor medicals and non-life threatening emergencies. This policy
appears to be working very well. It provides for the same level of service, while
substantially decreasing city costs, providing better coverage to the city, and
enhancing safety procedures.
MISCELLANEOUS
As soan as details can be worked out and we are able to name a medical director for
all of the fire department's and police department's emergency services, we will be
moving ahead with the purchase of an automatic external de�ibrillatar. We are
looking forward to getting this tool and putting it into service and we believe it will I
be a big benefit to our community.
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� y
NEEDS
As was reported in previous annual and semi-annual reparts the major needs of the
fire department had to do with the amount of space available at a fire station, and the
purchase of an aerial truck and pumper. We are pleased to see that these items are
being addressed via the referendum.
� GOALS
All of the usual goals such as improved fire service, improving physical fitness,
enhancing response times, and gene�al safety on the fire scene are and will continue
to be gaals of the fire department. Working more closely with other departments is
definitely becoming a reality, as we have worked out an automatic response with
Apple Valley both for them to respond to Rasemount and for us to respond to their
city at times we do not have optimum numbers of firefighters available. Increased
enhancements such as this which will ultimately provide better sezvice to the City of
Rosemaunt and will continue to be looked at in the future.
The opportunities that will be available to us with the new dispatching service appear
ta be ever increasing. At this point in time it looks as though besides �ust receiving
an address as we currently do through the county, we will be able to get cross streets
isolated as to certain quadrants of the city and even receive information as to`the
closest fire hydrant, best access roads, etc, Gearge Lundy, our Fire Marshal, has
offered to work closely with Eagan dispatch and incorporate all of these things inta
the system.
CONCLUSION
Outwardly there axe probably not many apparent changes to the fire department.
From my perspective, however, things seem to be running more smoothly. There is
a lot of excitement and anticipation with the forthcoming referendum finally being on
the agenda. We look for the months prior to the referendum to be extremely busy
and should the referendum be suceessful, those following the referendum to be even
more challenging.
Again, as I have indicated in the past, should there be an instance wTiere council feels
that it would be necessary to elaborate an anything other than at the two scheduled
meetings dunng the year or when I am at a council rneeting, please feel to contact me
and make your request. I would welcome any input, suggestions, criticisrn, or
questions you may have.
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� . . . . . � . . . .
JAN FfB MAR APR MAY i JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC incident
„ Totals
FIRE CALLS 2 1 8 6 5 4 4 3 g s 3 s S5
Commercial p p 2 � 0 � � � a � � � 6
-- Residentiai _ 1 1 3 3 1 ' 0 2 � - 2 � p p '. 2 l S
Other Structure p p p p 0 � Q � � � ' 2 0 4
Veti�de 1 4 2 Q 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 � 2 12
Grass/Brush/Ag. p p � 2 2 3 0 0 3 2 p �— �3
Other _ p p p p 2 _._._0 � O 2 0 O 0--f___ S
^.__�.—__ —.
__._.� ____._.._ _
RESCUE CALlS 17 25 23 13 15� 27 25 18 22 24fi 19 R `24� 2S2
Veiucle Accident 10 7 9 5 3'� �p 6 � 7 � 6 S S �q
_ Commercial Med. 1 10 2 2 �__�—__ 7 � 2-- __2�__ 3 S}— 40
� - -------- - ---- -- --------�---- ------------------_
Res�dential Med. 6 8 11 5 8 11+ 11 i 12 � 9 1 S 11 14 121
—_—,-____._ --� ----_ —_
Other 0 0 1 1 1 i 3 1 5 4 1 0 0 17
—_ -�_ _—.. _.. ,.�_ .
� __._
�
� - — --�-
� _� _�.
HAZAROOUS SITUAl1t�N 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 p 2 2 p � y d
Spill/Leak _ � �---- � 0 �- � 2 O 2 ___._2� O 1 �
-- Power line---- 0 � � � � 0� � � �� 0 ___OT._ � Q 0
--+----} -+---
_ Other � 0 0 1 0 Oj 0 0� d _ 0 _�_0�. 0� p _1
�..___ �
FALSE ALARM 3 0 Q 1 2� 1 2 � - 3 --0 � p 15
Residentiai-Malfunction 0 0 0 0 0 v 0 i 0 . 0 0 0 0 1 �
Commercial- Malfunction 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 � 11
Residential-Unintentionaf 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
Commeraat-Unintentional 0 0 0 0 Q 0 0 0 0 0 p 0 p
Malicious-Mischievous 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 p
t;QOD �ffENT 0' 0 1' 1 1 2 8 3 1 1 1 0 19
Smoke Scare 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 3
Other 0 0 1 1 1 2 g 2 p � p p �6
I�l11UAL AtD 0 0 3 0 Q 0 0 0 0 1 0 Q 4
rire 0 Q 3 0 0 0 0 0 p p p p 3
Etescue . p p p a � � � � � 0 � � 0
Naz-mat p p p 0 0 p p p p � p p �
MONTHLY TOTAIS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL 1992
(. 23 26 36 21 24 34
41 26 37 33 24 30 355