GALESBURG FIRE DEPARTMENT

Transcription

1 GALESBURG FIRE DEPARTMENT 2010 EMERGENCY RESPONSE And NON-EMERGENCY ACTIVITY REPORT January 1 through December 31, 2010 Thomas E. Simkins, Fire Chief

2 Number of Incidents EMERGENCY RESPONSES Emergency Activity Reporting The Galesburg Fire Department uses specially designed software (Firehouse) to create emergency response reports for local planning. The same software is used to transmit our emergency activity information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for inclusion in state and national fire incident statistics. FEMA allows Illinois statistics to be accessed by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. GFD has been participating in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for more than 25 years and have been submitting Galesburg s information electronically since Firehouse categorizes all response activities (Fire/EMS/Rescue) into nine (9) primary categories which are broken down into 97 sub-categories. This summary report includes a 10- year view of total responses in the nine (9) primary categories. The chart below reflects a 10- year analysis of incident trends in four (4) key areas. While the number of fires and false alarms continue on a steady course, the department has experienced a gradual annual increase of approximately 2.4% in the number of EMS calls and, therefore, total calls over the period. GFD Incident Analysis Fires EMS ,028 2,118 2,227 False Alarms Total Calls 2,955 2,985 3,101 3,202 3,163 3,277 3,367 3,460 3,533 3,653 1

3 Fires The Fire Department responded to 3,653 requests for assistance in 2010 including 102 fires. The two "fire" response sub-categories having the greatest number of responses were building fires (41) and vehicle fires (16). The Fire Department extinguished 24 of 41 building fires and investigated 17 fires that were out on arrival. Twenty-three structure fires occurred during the 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. time period and 18 structure fires occurred during the 8:00 p.m. to the 8:00 a.m. time period. Breaking this statistic down further, 11 structure fires occurred between midnight and 8:00 a.m. in The average response time for the first due engine company at structure fires was 3 minutes, 11 seconds. The department met its goal and NFPA Standard of responding to 90% of structure fires within 4 minutes (this does not include a one minute react time in the standard) by arriving at 38 of the 41 calls (92.7%) within the allotted time. Statistics on time of day can be useful in determining manpower needs. However, the numbers show that there is not an overwhelming need to target any specific block of time; fires can and do happen throughout the 24-hour window of opportunity during the day as witnessed in the chart below reflecting the last two years activity. 23% 21% Structure Fires, Time of Day % 31% 12:00 midnight-6:00 am. 6:00 am - 12:00 noon 12:00 noon - 6:00 pm 6:00 pm - 12:00 midnight 2

4 Of the 41 building fires in 2010, 13 originated in the area of the City where Central Station apparatus would be the first-in unit; 15 fires occurred in the Brooks Street station's firstin area, and 13 fires originated in Fremont St. Station s first-in district. The areas of structures where fires originated most often were the kitchen, 7; bedroom, 4; exterior wall surface, 3; laundry area, 3. The most frequent cause of ignition was unintentional, primarily human error (20). There were 10 fires still under investigation at the year s end and 3 listed as undetermined with no further investigation. There were also 3 fires classified as intentional. Overpressure Rupture, Explosion, and Overheat (no fire) There were three (3) reports of overpressure rupture, explosion, and overheat (no fire) in Medical Emergencies Galesburg firefighters are Licensed Emergency Medical Technicians trained in the use of cardiac defibrillators. Firefighters respond to emergency medical calls to initiate medical care or assist Galesburg Hospital s Ambulance Service (GHAS) paramedic units. Galesburg Fire Department does not transport patients to medical facilities. Galesburg Hospitals Ambulance Service paramedic units do all emergency and non-emergency ambulance transports in Galesburg. If a GHAS ambulance is not available or the ambulance crew needs our assistance at a non-emergency scene, we will respond at their request. The Emergency Medical System Medical Director, who is a Galesburg emergency room physician, reviews and approves GFD medical response policies. Fire Department members credentials are reviewed annually by the Galesburg Area EMS System to ensure compliance with all Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines. The department responded to 2,277 calls for emergency medical assistance. Of those calls, GFD personnel assisted Galesburg Hospital Ambulance System's personnel who arrived first or simultaneously with GFD 387 times; GFD arrived first and initiated medical care on 1,654 responses, provided medical care at 81 vehicle accidents with injuries, medical care at 12 vehicle/pedestrian accidents, and extricated trapped victims at 5 separate incidents. 3

5 ,028 2,118 2,277 Hazardous Condition No Fire There were 138 responses in the Hazardous Conditions - No Fire category. The majority of responses in this category included 29 natural gas or LP gas leaks; 22 arcing or shorted electrical equipment; 31 carbon monoxide incidents; 7 gasoline spills; 15 power lines down; 3 overheated motors; and 9 electrical wiring/equipment problems Service Calls A total 197 responses were classified as Service Calls in The significant subcategory in this field was invalid assists. This is a service the fire department provides for those situations where there is no other recourse available to the citizen. The 128 invalid assists were largely related to assisting elderly or disabled residents when a caregiver was unable to move them or assist them after they had slid out of bed, a chair or their wheelchair but were otherwise uninjured Good Intent The department responded to 589 calls classified as Good Intent Calls. The subcategories: dispatched or canceled enroute totaled (338 calls), no incident found on arrival (85 calls), smoke scare/odor of smoke (54 calls), and Haz Mat release investigation with no Haz Mat found (62 calls which includes carbon monoxide checks in buildings with no CO detector) False Alarm/False Call There were 342 responses in the False Fire Alarm/False Call category. The largest volume of calls in the sub-categories were: automatic fire alarm system sounded due to 4

6 malfunction, 140 calls; automatic alarm system sounded, no fire, unintentional, 127 calls; carbon monoxide detector sounded, no carbon monoxide found, 22 calls; and carbon monoxide detector activation due to malfunction, 25 calls Severe Weather/Natural Disaster There were three (3) Severe Weather/Natural Disaster calls in 2008, two (2) in 2009, and four (4) in Alarm Time Analysis The least busy response time of the 24-hour duty shift is historically between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.; this held true in 2010 as only 1.86% of GFD's responses occurred during this hour statistics indicate the busiest hour of the day was between 2:00 and 3:00 the afternoon (5.77%). In addition, the department's call volume is greater between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. with 2,281 calls (62.4%) in comparison to 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. with 1,372 calls (37.6%). Alarm Volume Relevant to Time of Year There was not a time of year when the department was significantly busier responding to alarms. The low month in frequency of calls was January with 272 calls in 31 days (8.77 calls per day) and the high month was April with 325 calls in 30 days (10.83 calls per day). Spring (April through June) was the busiest season with a total of 955 calls and winter (January through March) was the slowest season with 824 calls. Response by District Responses are broken down into station districts or territories. These figures represent fire company territories and not EMS response territories which are significantly different. When apparatus become busy with other calls, training, inspections, and various other duties, other units respond to calls not normally assigned to the territory where the call is originating. Therefore, these statistics are of geographical significance only, unit response breakdowns are more reflective of which stations and vehicles were actually doing the work. In 2010, 40.5% 5

7 (1,479 calls) originated in Central Station's first-in response territory (part of Ward 5 and primarily all of Ward 4); 25.3% (925 calls) originated in Brooks Street station's first-in response territory (part of Ward 1 and primarily all of Wards 2 and 3) and 34.0% (1,243 calls) originated in Fremont Street station s first-in response territory (part of Ward 1 and primarily all of Wards 5, 6, and 7). There were 6 calls that were outside the City Limits. Response Time Average response time for all calls was 3 minutes, 47 seconds. This included 6 calls for service outside the city limits. 68.8% of all calls were responded to in less than 4 minutes. 82.8% of all calls were responded to in less than 5 minutes. Please note that not all responses require a lights and siren emergency response. Longer response times for non-emergency calls such as carbon monoxide investigations, invalid assists, and odor investigations represent a significant number of the call volume. The average response time for the first due engine company at structure fires was 3 minutes, 11 seconds. The department met its goal and NFPA Standard of responding to 90% of structure fires within 4 minutes (this does not include a one minute react time in the standard) by arriving at 38 of the 41 calls (92.7%) within the allotted time. Response Calls by Unit The statistics here represent the response activity of the individual fire apparatus. Engines 51, 52, and 53 are the front line engines. Engine 54 is the back-up or reserve engine. Unit 55 is the rescue squad at Central Station and 58 is the rescue squad at Fremont Street Station. It is worth noting that Unit 58 is only operational when the daily manpower is at 12 or more personnel. When the department is at 11 personnel (minimum manning) and there are hence only 3 men at Fremont Station, rescue calls are handled by Unit 53 in Fremont s district. In 2010, Rescue 55 was by far the busiest piece of response equipment (1,748 responses) due to its function as a rescue squad for EMS calls and a command vehicle for fire alarms. Engine 52 (1,006 responses) and Engine 53 (896 responses) at the outside stations were also heavily used for the same purpose in their districts. The smaller staff vehicles including units 50, 56, 57, and 59 also responded to many alarms at times when first-line equipment was down or when 40-hour personnel were on duty responding to fire and other alarms. 6

8 Unit District Central , Brooks Fremont Outside City Total 429 1, , Dollar Loss The total dollar loss for all fires in 2010 was $1,734,810. This breaks down to $1,713,810 loss on buildings (including contents) and $21,000 loss on vehicles. Total dollar loss for 2010 is significantly below the $2,701,775 loss of 2009, but in line with the 2008 loss of $1,696,525. The 2009 loss figure is tremendously skewed by the June 12 fire at Econo Inn where the fire loss was $2,250,000 (83.3% of the year s loss). In the same manner, the 2010 fire at Northgate Lanes on January 13 resulted in a loss of $1,031,000 (59.4% of the year s fire loss). Based on federally established incident reporting guidelines the following costs cannot be included in the NFIRS reported dollar loss figure: overtime, clean-up costs, emergency lodging/food for fire victims, business interruption coverage, and other costs associated with a fire incident. Our dollar loss figures are actual dollar amounts paid out by insurance companies for structure and contents loss or actual uninsured structure repair figures. In the case of uninsured property the assessed structure valuation may be used Loss figure categories: $1,000 and under 9 fires $1,001 - $10,000 8 fires $10,001 - $25,000 2 fire $25,001 - $50,000 3 fires $50,001 - $100,000 3 fires $100,001 - $250,000 2 fires $150, fire Major Fire Incident The most significant commercial loss was the fire at 1576 North Henderson Street, Northgate Lanes on January 13, The Fire Department was able to control the spread of fire and thereby confine damage to an office area with smoke damage throughout the building. 7

9 There was no damage to the bowling lanes, a significant portion of the value of the building and contents. The fire remains under investigation. Mutual Aid The Galesburg Fire Department responded to 6 calls outside the city during Three of these calls were routine calls where it was unsure if the incident was in or out of the city. These included a rollover on I-34, a vehicle hit by a deer, and a brush pile fire. There were also three formal mutual aid requests of the department. These all involved hazardous materials and were mitigated by our haz mat team members. We were requested by Knoxville Fire to patch a diesel tank on a semitrailer (successfully patched), by Clover Township Fire Protection District to identify a large unknown leak from a tanker truck in the parking lot of the Homestead Restaurant in Woodhull (team identified the product as airport de-icer), and by Henderson Fire Protection District to mitigate an incident involving a semitrailer involved in an accident on I-74. The trailer was carrying corrosives and a contractor eventually performed the clean-up. Deaths and Injuries The department suffered six (6) incidents of employee injury at emergency calls during the year. Three (3) of these were caused by overexertion or strain during response to medical calls. These all resulted from lifting or carrying a stretcher either in a normal situation or exacerbated by limited working space and obese patients. One of the other three (3) remaining injuries was caused by icy conditions. The other two (2) were results of improper technique by a firefighter resulting in a needlestick injury in one case and a hand laceration caused by breaking a window glass on a vehicle in the other. There were no employee deaths during the year. There were 5 civilian casualty reports filed for injuries related to fires during the year, all resulting from exposure to products of fire combustion. Four of these (4) were minor injuries and one was classified as moderate. No civilian fire deaths occurred in the city during NON-EMERGENCY ACTIVITIES The following non-emergency activities are listed below in the form of accomplishments. Many of the department s activities are routine from year to year, but constitute the degree of vigilance given to having personnel, equipment, and policies up to date and in good working order. These would include daily training, inspections, hydrant and hose testing, pre-fire planning, 8

10 familiarization and testing of apparatus and associated equipment, fitness exams for firefighters and their protective clothing, as well as researching new innovations and ways of doing the same thing better. Below is a list of some of the accomplishments during Contract Fire Protection The department initiated a new contract fire protection program in This program was aimed at creating revenue and providing improved fire protection to property owners in the area within 2 miles of the city limits. The annual fee is based on the assessed valuation of the individual properties at $7 per $1,000 EAV. The department has 19 contracts in place totaling about $8,000 in annual revenue. Reorganization The department underwent reorganization in early Three new Captain positions were added at Central Station to improve firefighter safety, oversight, and accountability while allowing utilization of Battalion Chiefs in a more administrative role. However, two 40-hour positions were held open during the year to reduce budget. GAVC Fire Science Program In coordination with the Galesburg Area Vocational Center at GHS, the Galesburg Fire Department initiated a new Fire Science curriculum. The program is modeled after the Office of the Illinois State Marshal Firefighter II certification program. The class is scheduled during the first block and is taught by three (3) GFD Captains at the department s regional training facility. This year there were 12 students in either their Junior or Senior years in the class. Miscellaneous Accomplishments in 2010 Assisted in the search process for a new Fire Chief culminating in the permanent replacement of Chief Cratty on June 4 Completed a grant-funded Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan for Knox County through SIU and IUPUI universities to position the county for future disaster mitigation and recovery funding Secured, implemented, and administered a Fire Safety grant from FEMA resulting in the on-going installation of 3,300 smoke detectors in approximately 1,100 Galesburg homes 9

11 by GFD personnel and local landlords; fire personnel offered and conducted approximately 1,000 home hazard-focused inspections during these installations Received and administered an Assistance to Firefighters Grant resulting in the installation of new fire sprinkler systems at Central and Brooks Street fire stations Through the computer replacement fund, acquired new, mobile workbook-style computers to enhance the department capability and efficiency in fire inspections, hydrant testing, and operational response Improved the Regional Training Site by acquiring a donated shed, remodeling the bathroom facilities, upgrading the electrical system, readying the collapse house for completion, and bringing the classroom building into code compliance for the new GAVC program. Secured an IEMA grant and hired a consultant to create a Knox County Tactical Interoperable Communications Plan that will be compliant with the statewide and federal plan for interoperable communications GFD and Local #555 again won the Muscular Dystrophy Association s Golden Boot Award for Central Illinois, collecting over $25,000 through the Fill the Boot campaign during the Labor Day weekend Galesburg Firefighters continued our annual support of the Salvation Army by ringing bells for three days at Wal-Mart The ad-hoc Apparatus Committee provided research and recommendations which culminated in the bid award for two new fire engines to replace #52 and #53 All personnel attended on-duty training in firefighting, hazardous materials, technical rescue, and mandatory EMS continuing education while officers participated in strategy and tactics classes through the Illinois Fire Service Institute; a Certified Fire Apparatus Engineer class was held through Illinois Central College at our training site and some individuals attended the National Fire Academy in Maryland All personnel received physical examinations in compliance with the NFPA standard for a respiratory protection program at OSF SMMC Occupational Medicine Annual testing was conducted for all city hydrants (public and private), hose, fire pumps, ladders, and self-contained breathing equipment With great support from the suppression shifts, the Fire Prevention Bureau conducted 397 commercial inspections and 497 rental inspections, supplied 293 occupancy and 32 use 10

12 permits, provided 66 fire safety education programs, 50 fire drills, and 2 juvenile firesetter interventions, while investigating 15 fires, overseeing 4 prairie burns and providing expert testimony at 10 court meetings during the year; the bureau continued to provide training of local teachers in the Riskwatch Program with 82 teachers having gone through the program since 2001 Continued to build relationships with other city departments through common training with GPD and Galesburg Hospitals Ambulance Service while creating a new weekly meeting schedule with the inspectors in Community Development Provided service and leadership to the area fire service outside Galesburg by supporting and organizing the fall fire school, hosting meetings of MABAS Division #31 and the Western Illinois Firefighters Association, members providing off-duty training to local volunteers, the Fire Chief s membership on the State Fire Advisory Commission, and our response to 6 requests for emergency mutual aid 11