Members of the Cheshire Fire Department,
I am proud to present you the Cheshire Fire Department’s Annual Report for 2007/2008. This report illustrates the time and effort given to the citizens of Cheshire firefighters. It describes the various tasks and roles within the Department, as well as providing statistics for the activities we have completed this year. This report is written to give the department and our customers, the residents and businesses of Cheshire, a summary of the activities of our officers and membership and to show the level of dedication of our members.
This report is broken down in to the different functional areas of our department including:
¨ Operations and Suppression
¨ Fleet and Facilities Maintenance
¨ Fire Prevention
¨ Training, Health and Safety
¨ Fire Marshals Office
¨ Website update
Operations and Suppression
This year we finished up the year with 850 calls for service. Our department continues to enjoy the benefit of having well maintained facilities, quality apparatus, and quality training. With the completion of station #3 our facilities are in excellent shape, in the coming year we are going to focus on improving the buildings and grounds of Fire Headquarters. The dedication of our members is what makes the Town of Cheshire Fire Department an efficient, effective department, providing an essential protective service to our “customers”, the residents of Cheshire. Operationally, 2007/08 was less busy than last for the Department; with emergency responses decreasing increasing from 996 Calls for service to 850 calls for service, which represents approximately a 14.5% decrease in total call volume. Last year, the total dollar value caused by fire was approximately $66,800.00* *(not including cases still under investigation)
This year we suffered a higher fire death rate than we have in the past years, the increase in fire deaths has no correlation to the activities of the department’s fire prevention efforts. This year also marked a significant number of fatal motor vehicle accidents within our jurisdiction, these incidents take a toll on our members emotionally and the need to support each other becomes greater and greater.
In the coming year it would be in all of our best interest as a department to focus on recruitment of new members and encouraging our existing members to become and stay more engaged, the expectations of our department our changing and continue to increase, we need to keep on top of our expected level of service to satisfy the residents of Cheshire. Society continues to increase demands on us volunteers however with a proactive approach we can continue to maintain our level of service and meet the demands placed on us.
Under the directions of D/C Youngquist we have went out to bid for a replacement for engine #6 and will be opening bids on July 17th of 2008, This was a long a trying process but again, we pushed through and were successful in drafting specifications that don’t compromise the safety of our fighters.
The Cheshire Fire Department
applied for a FEMA grant for nearly $900,000 dollars to replace truck-one with
a more up to date new piece of apparatus. If we are successful in this attempt
we will replace the 1970 Snorkel with a similar style vehicle to Truck-two.
The graph below is an illustration of where the demands for service were over the last year:
The chart below shows what time of day we have received our calls for service. Our busiest time is between 1400 and 1700
This year was a busy year for the Cheshire Fire Department and with the trends over the past several years our members continue to meet the demand that is placed on them.
The illustration and graph below indicate where we rank this year as opposed to the last several years.
Monday has
become our busiest day of the week; this is a change from Fridays for the last
several years.
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Our total response time to all incidents is indicated below. An important factor to remember is that many of the extended response times are to non-emergency events, such as Carbon Monoxide alarms with no signs or symptoms or Motor Vehicle Accidents with minor antifreeze spills. As the chart indicates we are on scene within ten minutes 82% of the time. NFPA 1720 requires that departments be on scene within ten minutes 80% of the time with ten firefighters.
More than sixty (65%) percent of calls that we respond to, we are on scene in five minutes or less.
The chart below shows the dollar losses over the last twelve years and the downward trend. The spike in 99-00 was a $500,000 loss at AJ Waste on Burton Drive. This year’s losses don’t include open investigations**.
The chart below is a graphic representation of what types of incidents we responded to. As noted more than one third of our responses are to false alarms. Nearly another third of our responses are to non-fire emergencies. Additionally, 10% of our activity is spent fighting fires. These numbers are consistent with the fire service state/nationwide.
fleet/facilities
maintenance and purchasing
This year under the direction of Assistant Chief Steve Casner our maintenance division has kept our fleet of equipment in a state of readiness. Our ladder, pump, air quality and hose testing continue to result in and produce OSHA compliant results. Under the direction of our maintenance staff our equipment inventory and maintenance program continues to improve. A/C Casner and Director of Maintenance Ken Clark deserve the credit for maintaining our fleet. Our fleet continues to be ready for service and its maintenance is second to none. Completed maintenance projects include:
- Purchased a new Zodiac boat to replace the failing Bombard inflatable
- Purchased gear on our annual replacement program for 17 firefighters
- Purchased three new generator lights and added them to the fleet.
- Upgraded our entire compliment of Hurst rescue tools to the quick connect style
- Outfitted Engine’s two and five with trial reflective materials, the department prefers the lime green and red striping, this will continue on all apparatus providing better visibility and a safer apparatus
- Purchased the needed audio visual equipment for the new training office in the old firehouse
- Completed a DMV inspection on all of our apparatus and the only item noted, which was repaired on the spot was a low air warning buzzer which was operable, however at the wrong pressure.
|
UNIT |
|
YEAR |
MAKE |
MODEL |
HOUSED |
|
Engine |
1 |
2001 |
Pierce |
Dash |
Co. #2 |
|
Engine |
2 |
2006 |
Pierce |
Dash |
HQ |
|
Engine |
3 |
1990 |
Pierce |
Lance |
Co.#2 |
|
Engine |
4 |
1992 |
Pierce |
Lance |
HQ(Reserve) |
|
Engine |
5 |
2003 |
Pierce |
Dash |
HQ |
|
Engine |
6 |
1982 |
Pierce |
Arrow |
Station #3 |
|
Engine |
7 |
2000 |
Pierce |
Dash |
Station #3 |
|
Rescue |
1 |
2003 |
Pierce |
Quantum |
HQ |
|
Rescue |
2 |
1994 |
Pierce |
Dash |
CO. #2 |
|
Truck |
1 |
1970 |
Maxim/Pierce |
Snorkel |
Station #3 |
|
Truck |
2 |
1998 |
Pierce |
Lance |
HQ |
|
Brush |
1 |
1995 |
Ford |
F350 |
HQ |
Fire Prevention Office
The fire prevention bureau performs a great of public relations and education activities throughout the course of a year. Many of these are possible through the efforts of Associate Member Adam Stern, Lieutenant Tom Baldwin and many others. Some of these activities include:
- Put on a fire prevention open house in the fall of 2007
- The purchase and distribution of more than 35 smoke/carbon monoxide detectors and batteries
- The purchase and distribution more than 50 batteries for smoke detectors
- Attendance at the fall festival, and many other public events
- Attendance at “Touch-a-Truck” and other similar venues
- Provide educational discussions to senior citizens at the senior center
- Attend CHAT meetings at the Senior Center
- Provide safe treats for residents on Halloween
- Prepare for a fire department open house, this fall
Lieutenant Baldwin and Associate member Adam Stern do a tremendous job scheduling and coordinating these efforts and should be commended for his efforts. As should all of the officers, drivers, and firefighters who pitch in to get it done and make these events go off without a hitch. These encounters with the public play a very valuable role in our image within the department and across town lines.
Training/firefighter
health and safety
Drills:
- 12 Monthly Drills (675
Training Hours Vs. 314 previous year, a 115% increase)
- 7 Special Topic Drills
- 6 Haz-Mat Ops refreshers
- 27 Individual OSHA
Refreshers
- 4527 Total Training hours
Live
Fire Training:
- 2 Live Burns at Wolcott
Fire School
- Flashover Simulator at
Connecticut Fire Academy
Extrication
Training:
- Hurst Recertification, plus
Basic and Advanced extrication class, Fall 2007
- Rescue Jack Training,
Spring 2008
Courses
and certifications:
- Firefighter II
- Fire Service Instructor I
- 2Q
- State Pump Operator
- 3 Haz Mat Operational
classes
- EVOC
- UTV
- Maze Trailer
- Flashover simulator
- MRT
- EMT recertification
Certifications
Awarded:
- 8 - Firefighter I
- 6 - Firefighter II
- 6 - (3 currently in) Fire
Service Instructor I
- 2 - Fire Service Instructor
II
- 1 (currently in) - Fire
Officer I
- 4 - 2Q
- 3 - State Pump Operator
- 4 – EMT
- 8 - EMT Recertification
- 1 - Paramedic
- 8 - Haz Mat Operational
- 24 - CFA Maze Trailer
- 18 - CFA Flashover
Simulator
- 5 - EVOC
- 6 - UTV Operator
- 2 - Zodiac Rescue Craft Operators
Special
Guest Instructors:
- Lt. Dave Russell, FDNY
- Lt. Kerry Deegan, CPD
- Trooper Paul Makuc, CSP
Fire Marshall’s Office
- Gary Bowen, AT&T
- Kevin Kessler, Firematic
- CFA Instructors
|
Class |
Number of Classes |
Number Students |
|
HazMat Ops - Full |
3 |
8 |
|
Hazmat Ops - Refresher |
6 |
46 |
|
Bloodborne Pathogens |
9 |
89 |
|
Hazardous Communication |
6 |
77 |
|
Lock-out / Tag-out |
6 |
70 |
|
Sexual Harassment |
6 |
68 |
Health
At the start of the fiscal year, the number of Firefighters over due for annual physical exams was 34. After the November round of physicals, the number decreased to twelve (12) and then to three (3) after June. Contributing to the successful decrease was the addition of a half day and the number of Firefighters stepping up to meet this requirement. The totals for each round were 36 and 38.
A total of 32 flu shots were administered during November.
Membership
· 5 new Regular members
· 6 new Recruits
· 12 new juniors
fire
marshals office
The Fire Marshal’s Office successfully completed its Annual Goals for Life Safety through its Inspection/Enforcement/Prevention Program as revealed by the following Performance Indicators showing inspections prioritized and completed by the degree of life hazard. Additionally, the Fire Marshal’s off-hours inspections of public assembly buildings with liquor licenses continued into its fourth year with substantial compliance achieved. The continuing goal to focus more attention on business and mercantile occupancies necessitated 97 such inspections, in addition to the priority inspections shown below. Unfortunately, the elimination of the part-time inspector positions resulted in noticeably fewer inspections/re-inspections in nearly all priority categories.
Approximate # # Completed, Initial & Re-inspection
|
Multi-family Dwellings (3 & above) |
78 |
113 |
|
Health Care Occupancies |
4 |
11 |
|
Educational Occupancies |
10 |
33 |
|
Day Care Occupancies |
17 |
21 |
|
Board & Care |
8 |
20 |
|
Hotels & Dormitories |
7 |
12 |
|
Service Stations |
14 |
19 |
|
Restaurant & Assembly |
33 |
70 |
The Fire Marshal’s Office is mandated by statute to investigate and report to the State all incidents to which the Cheshire Fire Department responds. For FY 2007-2008, this totaled some 850 occurrences. There were two fatalities and only a single serious fire injury during this period. Structural fire damage totaled $66,800 ** This Office, in conjunction with the Fire Department, offered free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to residents in need. Due to the continuing number of responses to dwellings without working detectors, we plan to continue this program in to the future.
Any arson and criminal mischief incidents involving set or intentional fires resulted in arrests or referral to juvenile authorities, if applicable, and usually to our own “Fire Hawk Program” for juvenile fire setters as well. It is also a stated mission of this Office to provide primary response for the Fire Department for all emergencies during business hours, the most vulnerable time. By so doing, public safety is enhanced by the immediate response to any and all calls for aid.
** Does not include open investigations
Website
The CFD website was redesigned this past year and is maintained by Life Member Manny Quinones, as well as many members of the department who contribute information to the site. The updating of the site is an ongoing project and the site can not continue if we do not all pitch in and send Manny information on a regular basis. There are many items that are available to the membership at our site some of which include:
¨ Points, past and current
¨ Annual reports
¨ Rolling Procedures
¨ Calendar-Duty Officer
¨ Town Council Reports
¨ Live radio feed
¨ Emergency Preparedness information
¨ Pictures of recent events
¨ Links to other Town/State agencies
We get a great deal of questions, comments and feedback from our website on a weekly basis, so please try to visit the site at www.cheshirefd.com or www.cheshirefd.org and see what we have to offer you as well as what other items that you might like to see on our site.
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Conclusion
In the coming year the Executive board will be working on some initiates to recruit and retain members as well as reviewing options to help maintain our level of service that we deliver, we will be looking to the department to help with this project as we all have a vested in maintaining our department as it is today and will hopefully continue to be for the future.
This year the department lost a member who had been part of the organization for many, many years, we lost Life Member Mike MacNamara. Mikes sense of humor and wit will be missed around the firehouse.
Our relationship with the Cheshire Police Department continues to flourish, we have conducted training to the CPD through the training division, this is a credit to the professionalism of our department which is made evident at how we all present ourselves at every call or every time we are in the public’s eye.
Let us also take a moment to recognize Captain William Herzman and Rick Trocchi for their achievements for the Exchange Club and Grove Award Respectively. Also, congratulations again to the thirteen (13) Firefighters who received the Green Cross Award.
Glen Heavens and Nicholas Kehoss continue to spend a tremendous amount of time working with out Junior Fire Firefighters. Our juniors continue to be an asset to the department and we hope to bolster these ranks in the coming year.
Finally, in closing, the membership of our department has been through some extremely tragic and trying situations over the last year: from having a busy year; to dealing with losses of three members of our Cheshire community. The integrity of the members of the Cheshire Fire Department has not and cannot be questioned, ever. While the situations over the last year took a toll on our members we never for a moment skipped a beat or missed a call. This dedication and willingness to serve are the things that will allow us to continue as a volunteer organization for the foreseeable future.
In the coming year lets us all contribute something positive to our organization, something that will bring about positive change in the organization. If each of us contributes one positive thing in the next twelve months our organization will be better for it next year.
Negative energy and the lack of participation are not healthy for our organization and we should all work to rid the department of these two threats to our existence.
I would again like to thank our members for keeping the passion of who and what we are in mind. We are all committed to the mission of our organization and we are professional group of individuals providing a critical service to the residents and businesses in Cheshire.
Each and every member should be proud to wear the patch of the CFD on your sleeve; we have all worked hard to put the pride in our organization and will continue to work hard to keep it.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jack Casner
Chief of Department