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Missoula Fire Department 2002 Annual Report Vision Statement: To save lives, protect property, and ease suffering. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 Table of Contents Cover Letter Mission, Vision, Values Organizational Chart Division Reports Administrative Division Training Division Fire Prevention Bureau Operations Division Maintenance Division Appendixes ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 Missoula Fire Department's Mission, Vision, Values Mission Statement The mission of the Missoula Fire Department is to provide for, maintain, and improve the quality of life of the residents of Missoula. This is accomplished through an efficient – effective delivery of emergency services; code enforcement; public education; and on-going training. We carry out our mission with the highest degree of professionalism, recognizing that our people are the key to our success. Vision Statement Save lives, protect property, ease suffering. Values We value our professionalism. We value the high quality of service we provide to the public we serve. We value shared leadership. We value teamwork and team concepts. We value and respect the rights of citizens and firefighters. We value a safe environment for both the citizens we serve and our firefighters. We value our adaptability to the changing needs and services we provide. We value the diversity of our community and department. Within the Fire Department, 73 sworn firefighters and 3 civilian personnel make up five separate divisions - • Administration - management & administration of the department; planning & budgeting; records & reports. • Training – coordination and delivery of training, new employee orientation, disaster preparedness, training records and documentation, certifications, and safety. • Fire Prevention Bureau - fire investigations, public education and training, code enforcement through building inspections, plans review for new construction, subdivisions, and zoning changes • Operations - response to fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, and a broad range of rescue calls (high & low angle rescues, water and ice rescue, confined space rescue, vehicle / industrial extrications). • Maintenance – fire apparatus, tools, hose and appliances, stations and facilities maintenance, apparatus specifications, research and development of apparatus and equipment. ---PAGE BREAK--- CITY OF MISSOULA FIRE DEPARTMENT F IR E M A R S H A L B A T T A L IO N C H IE F T R A IN IN G O F F IC E R M A S T E R M E C H A N IC F IR E C A P T A IN S E N IO R F IR E F IG H T E R F IR E F IG H T E R F IR S T F IR E F IG H T E R T R A IN E E C H IE F A D M IN IS T R A T IV E O F F IC E R F IR E C H IE F S E N IO R A D M IN IS T R A T IV E C O O R D IN A T O R M A IN T E N A N C E D IV IS IO N T R A IN IN G D IV IS IO N P R E V E N T IO N E D U C A T IO N IN V E S T IG A T IO N D IV IS IO N O P E R A T IO N S D IV IS IO N B A T T A L IO N A B C D F IR E IN S P E C T O R A S S IS T A N T F IR E M A R S H A L A S S IS T A N T F IR E C H IE F A D M IN IS T R A T IV E S E C R E T A R Y S E C R E T A R Y M E D IC A L D IR E C T O R F IR E D E P A R T M E N T C H A P L A IN E M S C O O R D IN A T O R 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 Administration Personnel Changes The administrative division of the Missoula Fire Department underwent a major change during CY2002 with the retirement of Assistant Fire Chief Earl Hall in August and the resignation of Chief Robert C. Deeds in November (effective at the end of the year). Tom Steenberg, a Fire Captain with 18 years experience with the department, was selected as Assistant Fire Chief in November of 2002. Tom applied for the Fire Chief's position when it opened and was appointed to that job in March of 2003. Chief Steenberg recommended the appointment of Michael Painter, a Fire Captain with 22 years of service to the position of Assistant Fire Chief. That appointment was made by Mayor Kadas & confirmed by the Missoula City Council in April of 2003. Our department also saw our secretary Kristi Bennett leave in 2002 - she was replaced in October by Erica Carver. Master Planning In August of 2001, the department undertook development of a new Fire & Emergency Services Master Plan for Missoula. A Citizen Review panel met regularly through April of 2002 - at which time they presented to Chief Deeds a list of "Guiding Principles" for the department to use in its plan. Finishing the process of developing a comprehensive master plan is amongst our highest priorities - for FY2004 & FY2005, that master plan is also amongst Fire Department goals in the City's Strategic Plan. ---PAGE BREAK--- Training he Training Division, headed by Training Officer Joe Kahler, continued to work to maintain all necessary requirements for the Missoula Fire Department. National and State agencies such as NIOSH, OSHA and DOT mandate annual training in areas such as self-contained breathing apparatus, hazardous materials and emergency medical training. The division also provided training to maintain proficiency in all other aspects of emergency response delivery. T Under the direction of Captain Gary Mendenhall, trench rescue training was conducted on all shifts. Plans were also developed to offer regional training at MFD Station 4 in May of 2003. Another bright spot in 2002 was the completion of instructor training of two firefighters (Troy Ault and Chad Kidd) to the Rope Rescue Technician level as defined by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA). These instructors began training all firefighters to the tech level. Four senior firefighters also completed the initial ‘Montana Professional Fire Officer Development’ course in December. This course was organized and hosted by the Helena Fire Department and it was very well received. The course addressed all of the component requirements contained in NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications. The Training Division looks forward to 2003 and the challenges of meeting the training needs of the department within budget constraints. 7 ---PAGE BREAK--- 8 Practice Burn River Road September 2002 Ice Rescue Training ---PAGE BREAK--- EMS Training MS training at the Missoula Fire Department continued to be scenario-based for 2002. We incorporated a three ton concrete septic vault (donated by Montana Pre-cast) to test not only our EMS skills for a trapped victim with crushing injuries, but also to test our ability to perform advanced life support during rescue operations. E Other scenarios during the year included a still water near-drowning at Spartan pool (thanks to Parks and Rec), a high-angle rescue scenario involving an electrocuted patient (thank you to Great Northern Equipment rentals) and a vehicle maintenance accident involving a pinned victim. In all of these rescue scenarios and other regularly scheduled EMS training, our EMS mannequin, Megacode Kelly, has been a critical component of the realism. 9 ---PAGE BREAK--- Fire Prevention Bureau Fire Extinguisher Training The Fire Prevention Bureau accomplished the following in the previous year: 10 We conducted 1,340 safety inspections. Through these we noted 2,445 violations of the Uniform Fire Code. We conducted 401 re-inspections and documented 931 violations corrected. The members of the bureau conducted 177 public education talks. Through this we were able to reach 4,117 people. The Fire Prevention Bureau was called to investigate 46 fires in 2002 with one fatality. In February of 2002 an arson fire destroyed the home of a lesbian couple compelling the community to show support for diversity. No charges have been filed in this fire. Some of the larger projects we were involved with included the new Broadway Building at St. Pats, with five stories above ground and two below. All three of the high schools have undergone major renovations and will be completely fire sprinkled. There has been a significant amount of new construction, along with renovation of many older buildings. Bob Rajala, Fire Marshal ---PAGE BREAK--- Operations he Missoula Fire Department responded to 4,451 requests for service in 2002. Of those, 206 were fires resulting in a total loss of $931,105. We also responded to 2,429 medical aid calls, 376 false alarms, and 1,015 public assist calls. The rest of the calls were for hazardous conditions such as motor vehicle crashes with no injuries, gas line ruptures due to construction, power lines down, antifreeze and gas spills, overpressure ruptures and severe weather calls. T SUMMARY OF CALLS Fires Structure Fires (tsf 111,112,113,114,116,121) 72 Vehicle Fires (tsf 122,130,131,136) 33 Other Fires 99 Dollar Loss $931,105 False Calls Malicious/Mischievous (tsf 710,711,713,714,715) 28 System Malfunction/Other 348 Overpresssure/Rupture Responses 7 Hazardous Conditions(ie natural gas leak,down power line,mva cleanup,hazmat) 390 Rescue Calls Medical Aid (tsf 311,321,322,323) 2,429 Other Rescue 22 Public Assist Calls (tsf 500's and 600's) 1,015 Other Miscellaneous Calls 6 4,449 Total Calls tsf = type of situation found 11 Colorado Wild Fires 2002 ---PAGE BREAK--- 12 River Rescue June 2002 Colorado Wild Fires Western Montana Monument Services South Fourth Street October 20, 2002 ---PAGE BREAK--- Maintenance Division he year began for the Maintenance Division with the approval by the City Council of the purchase of a final engine to complete our front-line fleet. Our new Pierce Saber will be here by the end of May, 2003. Everyone seems to be pleased with the three Sabers currently in service at Stations 1, 2, and 3. Hopefully the fourth will be as welcome and trouble free as its predecessors. T However, this year was not without some surprises. Brakes and brake lining were hot commodities for the Maintenance Division, and with some help from Philip Keating, completing some light duty restrictions, we were able to troubleshoot and repair a potentially dangerous situation. Evidently the de-icer that is used on the roadways has some corrosive characteristics. This is the probable cause of several brake calipers on the four-wheel disc systems “freezing” in place, causing extreme brake wear. By removing the calipers, replacing the brake pads, and lubricating the slide pins with a high temp Teflon™ , the problem was eliminated. Brakes were also the issue for our 1990 Mack pumper, which we affectionately refer to as “Big Bertha”. A potential unsafe condition, as well as a very costly repair was averted due to the firefighters performing pre-trip inspections. Several parts that were worn beyond their specifications were detected and repairs were made prior to other components being damaged. Thank you to the crews for their diligence. Another safety improvement made this last year was the installation of the remaining communication headsets in our large apparatus. These communication units enhance clear communication among the crew members, as well as offer hearing protection from outside sources. The crews appreciate the improvement, and for the most part, the units have been trouble free. Pump testing in 2002 to ensure all apparatus meet the requirements set forth by NFPA went very smoothly. All units passed with flying colors. We are gearing up to begin another round of pump testing this year. Each year seems to bring to the surface new questions, as well as some good practice for the crews on operating the engines at their extreme limits. 2002 Pierce Saber Placed in Service June 2002 13 ---PAGE BREAK--- Combat Challenge Team Missoula's defending World Champion and team record-holding Fire Fighter Combat Challenge Team competed October 30th in the 2002 World Challenge XI championships held in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The team was one spot (and under 3 seconds) from qualifying for the final round. The 2002 Team members were Randy Thorpe, Robert Hanneman, Matt Kerns, Jeremy Williams and Charlene Bachart. Charlene is the first female Combat Challenge Team member from our Department. While she didn’t make it to the World finals this year, we expect great things from her in 2003. 2002 Team Results World Challenge XI Deerfield Beach, FL October 30th, 2002 14 Team Time: 5:50.87 (22nd Wild Card) 1:55.65 Randy Thorpe 1:56.72 Robert Hanneman 1:58.50 Matt Kerns 2:07.17 Jeremy Williams MFD missed qualifying for the finals by just under 3 seconds. Rocky Mountain Regional Castle Rock, CO August 24th, 2002 Team Time: 6:50.84 (6th) 1:57.12 Robert Hanneman (10th) 2:00.77 Randy Thorpe 2:52.95 Jeremy Williams "Go Hard Or Go Home" Muscular Association Fundraiser Spokane, WA May 11th, 2002 Men's Competition Team Time: 4:56.59 (2nd) 1:29.92 Randy Thorpe (1st) 1:34.51 Robert Hanneman (4th) 1:35.88 Matt Kerns (6th) DQ 1:52.16 Jeremy Williams 1:57.10 Ron Brunell Women's Competition 2:36.26 Charlene Bachart (1st) MFD also won an informal relay competition held after the formal individual runs. ---PAGE BREAK--- 15 Appendix Budget Overview 2002 Summary Report 2002 NFPA Annual Run Survey 2002 Firehouse Magazine National Run Survey