On the Line. Upcoming Events. In This Issue. May 25th. Thursdays in May. May 15-21

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "On the Line. Upcoming Events. In This Issue. May 25th. Thursdays in May. May 15-21"

Terence Fisher
5 years ago
Views:

7 UFD statistics for April Calls for service: 282 YTD: 1,091 Average response Time All incidents: 6 minutes and 26 seconds Average response Time Emergency incidents: 6 minutes and 16 seconds

Response Time Fire: 7 minutes and 9 seconds Average turnout per fire incident: 6 people We received mutual aid four times two times for EMS calls and two times for fire calls.

1 The Monthly Newsletter for the Urbandale Fire Department... May 2016 On the Line Our Core Values: Pride, Respect, Duty, Unity, Integrity and Compassion. In This Issue Chief s Corner More Than Average Lt. Manser... 3 Around the Department Fire Service Trivia. 4 Upcoming Events May 25th Next meeting with the Chief. Station 1400 hrs. Thursdays in May Prevention/Training Efforts 5 Citizen Fire Academy You ve Been Caught Letters 5 May Safety Tip Member Profile: Tad Watson... 6 EMS Week Safety Incidents.. 6 Picture This. 7 UFD statistics for April Calls for service: 282 YTD: 1,091 Average response Time All incidents: 6 minutes and 26 seconds Average response Time Emergency incidents: 6 minutes and 16 seconds Emergency Medical Service calls: 211 Average Response Time EMS: 6 minutes and 11 seconds Emergency: Non-Emergency: 6 minutes and 5 seconds 6 minutes and 15 seconds Fire related calls: 71 Average Response Time Fire: 7 minutes and 9 seconds Average turnout per fire incident: 6 people We received mutual aid four times two times for EMS calls and two times for fire calls. We provided mutual aid ten times seven times for fire calls and three times for EMS calls. Kyle Clark May 2 Simon Carl May 16 Drew Stiles May 26 Eric Ennen June 2 Fire Service Trivia.April 2016 Q: Most firefighters know that the Hurst company developed the original Jaws of Life rescue tool. What was the original purpose for the hydraulic rescue tool? A. It was developed for the military to rescue pilots from downed helicopters in Vietnam B. It was developed to rescue drivers from crashes in NASCAR races C. It was developed after a particularly bad interstate crash where the driver bled to death when they couldn t extricate him from his truck cab D. It was originally used to bend metal in manufacturing and adapted for rescue work. Urbandale Fire Department On the Line May

Will it be an entrapment with fire or hazardous materials threatening an occupant or will be a breech birth with a foot presenting?

2 Chief s Corner Chief Jerry Holt Are you ready? Are you scared? You should be a little at least. You don t know what s coming! What will the next call be? Will it be the simple diabetic with low blood sugar or will it be something more complex? Will it be a house fire with a confirmed person trapped or will be another false alarm? Will it be an entrapment with fire or hazardous materials threatening an occupant or will be a breech birth with a foot presenting? Will it be a call that requires the use of ropes and a mechanical advantage for rescue or will it be code with a very difficult airway? Will it be easy or will it take all of your skills, training, education and experience to bring about your best performance? The truth is that we just don t know. We never know what we are responding to. It may sound like it is nothing and turn out to be life challenging to us or for the person who called. We do know that complacency kills. There are plenty of case studies that detail Photo by Lt. Birkett responders responding as they have hundreds of times before only to find the situation to be very different on this response. Expecting one thing and finding another can throw off a well-planned response. Thinking that nothing big ever happens here can set one up for disastrous results. One incident comes to mind was an incident where firefighters were dispatched to a high rise for a fire alarm. The location was one they were very familiar with and in fact, they had responded to two false alarms to this location earlier in the day. This alarm was an automatic alarm just like the others. Having already been there earlier in their shift, firefighters became complacent and rode the elevator to the floor where the alarm was showing the problem to be. When the elevator door opened, they were met with heavy black smoke. Before the fire was over, two firefighters had died. One has to wonder if this had been the first alarm at that location, would they have ridden the elevator to the floor below the floor showing on the alarm panel as they should have. I m betting they would have. There are many other examples. Complacency kills. But complacency doesn t always kill. In fact, sometimes nothing bad happens. And of course we all know what that does it breads the normalization of deviance. When you set the standard of how things should be done but then O N TH E L IN E How about this? perform to a lower level (shortcut) without bad consequences. The shortcut becomes the new norm. Perhaps a discussion for another time We have all been there. We have all been in a situation where we were always supposed to do it this way but we did it that way and things were okay. Complacency doesn t always kill but it does reduce performance. So how is one always ready? By knowing all aspects of the job and counting on members of the team to work together to perform as we have been trained and by knowing that we are all human and it is a certainty, we all make mistakes. The key is catching those mistakes before there are unintended consequences. Think CRM, think layers of redundancy team members looking for errors and omissions, working together so an error is identified and caught BE- FORE someone gets hurt or we damage equipment. Plan for the Ready for this? worst case scenario and the routine calls will be handled fine, just don t plan on the call to be routine! Outside of CRM, one can improve their ability to perform by having a high level of proficiency, following protocols, planning ahead, minimize distractions, focusing on the task at hand, effectively using the available resources, creating and using a checklist to make sure you are correct 100% of the time, and by maintaining situational awareness. I was told that if you recall the five P s you will be all right. Those five p s are; Prior Practice Prevents Poor Performance. Actually, it was shared a little more colorfully with me but you get the point. The more you practice the better you will be able to respond when that critical skill is needed. This is especially true on those skills that are infrequently used but they have significant impact if they are not done correctly. So, are you scared that your next call might be something that you re not ready for? You should be! Being scared should make you take action and continually pursue excellence in everything you do. The more you prepare, the less likely that you will be caught on the scene having to perform a skill that you haven t practiced. What will your next call hold? Are you ready? Urbandale Fire Department On the Line May

More than Average Lt. Derek Manser It s overwhelming the power of a dream, or the dreamer, but also people dreaming along. Because you don t give up, you keep dreaming when other people see it too.

3 More than Average Lt. Derek Manser It s overwhelming the power of a dream, or the dreamer, but also people dreaming along. Because you don t give up, you keep dreaming when other people see it too. With work, faith, and being willing remarkable things can happen to pretty average people. Kenny Chesney Isn t that what we are, average people with extraordinary talents developed by chasing a dream? Some would say that we all possess a dream job, and I would be inclined to agree with them. We have all worked hard to achieve a job in the fire service. We put our faith to the test when we pursue our dreams, only hoping they come true. We all were willing to put in the long hours, extra training, travel, finances, and whatever was needed to get closer to the dream. when things get tough. When I stopped to think about it, I was overwhelmed by the wisdom and life lesson my grandpa had articulated in so few words. To think that I was treating my profession as something I had to do instead of something I get to do bothered me, by doing this I was completely forgetting my dream. As I drove home that night I remember thinking how lucky I am to get to live my dream. Living a dream is not always a possibility and for some people it never happens. It s been said that if you find a job you love, you will never work a day in your life. That s the lesson that my grandpa was trying to teach me that evening. He knew that I love what I do and wanted to remind me to be thankful for what I had. You are reading this because you didn t give up; you kept pushing even when things may have gotten tough. The path to a job in the fire service is not a path traveled alone. Your friends and family are right there beside you every step of the way, cheering you along even if you don t know it. Each of us has a different idea of where we want our careers to go and will develop ourselves and our skills according to that path. As I started brainstorming what to write my article about I found myself reflecting back on all of the experiences that I have had since day one of academy, in my life and on the job. I found myself realizing how fortunate we are to do what we do. Two experiences in particular stood out to me and are the driving force behind this article. One fall I found myself in a little bit of a rut during hunting season and frankly frustrated that the days were dwindling and the conditions were not improving. It was a wet and warm fall, which for any hunter can be stressful, and for me waiting on birds to migrate down made every day feel like an eternity. My grandfather needed help baling cornstalks and due to the lack of birds my schedule was quite open, so I obliged. Sitting at the dinner table later that afternoon my grandpa asked what I was going to do the next day. I replied I have to go to work. Grandpa looked at me, smiled, and said Derek you don t have to go to work, you get to go to the fire house tomorrow. I was quiet after his response, caught off guard by what he had said. I finished eating the last bite of pot roast on my plate and said you re right grandpa. Fast forward a few years later and another humbling experience happened to me at my promotional badge pinning. This promotion was something that for me was a big deal, but I didn t want to make too much fanfare of it. I only set out to invite a few people to attend and only reserved five places. Little did I know my family and a few friends would also be there. As I looked out to the crowd and saw all their faces I was surprised. I was so happy everyone could be there. You see your family and friends play an important role in your life; these are the people that are dreaming along with you, supporting you, and are proud of your accomplishments. This can be overwhelming, like it was for me, when you don t necessarily realize they are there the entire time. It is humbling experiences like these two examples that we all need. We all need to remember how fortunate we are. We owe it to our friends, family, coworkers, and citizens to put every ounce of effort into everything we do in this job because they are putting just as much into us. It is not enough to meet the minimum; we must shoot for the stars and surpass their expectations. After all, remarkable things can happen to each and every one of us. With work, faith, and a willing attitude we will be more than just average in the end. My family is made up of generations of farmers on both sides. A profession that certainly takes hard work, faith, and perseverance. My grandparents know the meaning of being a dreamer and not giving up even Urbandale Fire Department On the Line May

What s Happening Around the Department Trivia From page 1: Answer: B The next meeting with the Chief will be May 25th @ 1400 hrs. Station 42. These meetings are not limited to fulltime staff.

They are in the small conference room at 42 at the bottom of the dry-erase board feel free to take what you need. Valid now thru October 30, 2016.

4 What s Happening Around the Department Trivia From page 1: Answer: B The next meeting with the Chief will be May 1400 hrs. Station 42. These meetings are not limited to fulltime staff. Everyone is welcome to attend. We have received coupons for $8 off admission to Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun in KC. They are in the small conference room at 42 at the bottom of the dry-erase board feel free to take what you need. Valid now thru October 30, (Ocean of Fun opens 5/ 27/16) UFD will be hosting the Polk County Fire Chief s Association monthly meeting on May 9, The meeting will begin at 1800 hrs. and should conclude by 2030 hrs. There is not much new to report on the possibility of a consolidation with Clive FD. We have identified that there are road blocks of joining two unlike departments. The big hold up is joining a Civil Service department with a non Civil Service department. That may take legislative action to allow some type of action to take place. We have released a RFP on a Standards of Coverage document (SOC) that provides for a SOC study with four options; a SOC for Clive, a SOC for Urbandale, a SOC for a combined Clive/Urbandale and a proposal to produce all of those. I feel that it may be price prohibitive to do all of the SOC but we will see what comes back. If you have any questions about this project, please feel free to contact the Chief and he is happy to discuss this with you. In addition to the outstanding breakfast provided in April by Illahee Hills for our staff, they also provided us with a gift card for pizza - $100! Very nice gesture by them and they are truly appreciative of all of your efforts. Each shift can use the card to order pizza and they will be passed on to the Lieutenants so that each shift will have access to the cards. If each shift can limit their purchase to $33 we can spread it evenly through all three shifts. The History of the Jaws of Life The Hurst Jaws of Life rescue tool system was the first ever to be designed and the patent application was made on April 26, The tool was introduced shortly thereafter. Originally manufactured by Hurst Performance Inc., in Warminster, PA, the tool was developed for use in the race car industry. Hurst Performance also manufactured the famous Hurst Shifter which was used extensively in race cars. The original Hurst rescue tool was debuted at the Daytona Raceway in It weighed 350 lbs and had to be mounted on a pick-up truck. At the time, race car drivers had to be pried from their wrecked cars using pry bars, winches, and jacks. An extrication could take up to an hour. In fatal wrecks, the deceased driver would often have to be removed from the car using acetylene torches. The first patented hand-held hydraulic rescue device weighed close to 80 pounds and had 32 arms. It was rated for 5000 psi of lifting force. So how did it get its nickname as the Jaws of Life? In 1972, a promotional film about the production tool was made, and Mike Brick, the inventor of the tool, commented "The view from the driver's seat is not so grim because the driver is saved from the jaws of death to the jaws of life!" Later that year the film was shown to the actors in the television show Emergency! An actor couldn't remember the name of the tool during a scene, but he remembered the line in the film. He said, "Give me the Jaws of Life." And from that point on, it has been known as the Jaws of Life. To help promote sales, Hurst also established the Green Cross patch program. Department using the Hurst rescue tool were encouraged to send in pictures and description of accidents where the tool was used to save a life. Some of these pictures and stories would be used to help promote sales. Departments would be awarded a Green Cross Patch which rescue crews could sew onto their rescue jumpsuits. autosafety_kevin_brick.pdf Construction season is in full swing. Not only in our community but also in neighboring communities and that affects traffic in both communities. Be aware of closings and be sure to check the web site for updates on Urbandale street closings. -Projects. 100th Street will remain closed most of the year and the only access in to area north of the interstate will be via 86th Street. Also, the intersection of 100th & 54th Ave. will also remain closed for most of the year. Urbandale Fire Department On the Line May

Car Seat checks Conducted public education for 305 people (157 children & 148 adults) Replaced/installed 9 smoke detectors and smoke detector batteries CPR classes for 4 people You ve Been Caught

5 Other programs/training/projects completed by UFD in April: Training Report: 877 hours of training were completed in April. Fire Training: 660 hours EMS Training: 217 hours Prevention & Inspection Activities: Completed 43 inspections Completed 41 re-inspections Completed 7 preplans Conducted 23 plan reviews Conducted 2 Car Seat checks Conducted public education for 305 people (157 children & 148 adults) Replaced/installed 9 smoke detectors and smoke detector batteries CPR classes for 4 people You ve Been Caught Doing An Outstanding Job We continue to recognize your efforts. Whenever we receive a thank you letter, card or a phone call, we pass that along to the people involved in the form of a You ve Been Caught Doing An Outstanding Job letter. As of May 1st, we have sent 74 notices to our personnel. The following people received You ve Been Caught notices since our last newsletter: D/E Brennan Burke & Lt. Macumber: We received a thank you card addressed to the Carseat Technicians that reads Thank you Urbandale Fire Dept for installing our car seats in late Feb (even though we had Ford vehicles!). Thank you for helping keep our baby girl safe. We appreciate and support all the work you do! Andrew and Amanda Phillips. D/E Brennan Burke & Lt. Macumber were the two people who helped Mr./Mrs. Phillips A/C Cardwell, David Burns, D/E Jamie Erie, David Langley, Cody Nicely-Green, Lt. Routson, D/E Drew Stiles, Tad Watson and Kyle Wilkins: We received a thank you note following a very difficult incident involving a cardia arrest of a baby. The family was very thankful for your efforts. The note reads Urbandale Police and First responders, Connie and I would like to thank you for your services on March 7, That day you responded to our son Gavin Lee Sievers. Even though he passed away we know that you did everything you could to help our little boy. He was loved very much and will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Please know that we appreciate everything you do for this city!! Thank you, Shane, Connie & Jaxon (Twin brother of Gavin) Lt. Routson, Lt. Miljkovic, D/E Drew Stiles, Cody Nicely-Green, David burns, D/E Jamie Erie, Cory Young, Tad Watson, David Wyner, Fire Marshal Jon Rech, A/C Cardwell and A/C Lyon: The Field family dropped of a six foot sub and a bunch of food for saving Lola. She was really thankful for all our efforts. Lola (family pet) was in a house fire in March and made it out safely. D/E Josh Boyle, Rob Harris, Karla Hogrefe, Lt. Manser and Ryan Young: We received a thank you note with the payment following an EMS call. The patient s family wanted to say Great job guys! Thanks! Thanks to all of you for providing outstanding service!! Safety Tip: Always maintain situational awareness. You never know what you might be walking into. Our prayers go out to Prince George's County for their loss. The firefighters were shot while responding to a welfare check in the 5000 block of Sharon Road in Temple Hills, according to police. Police say a concerned neighbor called fire officials to check on the suspect, who they believed was having medical issues. When the suspect did not respond, the civilian and firefighters tried to enter the home, at which point the individual began firing at them. We must remain vigilant- always looking for what can go wrong. This is not meant as criticism of PG County but more a testament of how things can go wrong even when you do the right thing! Stay focused, be vigilant! (BVSF) Urbandale Fire Department On the Line May

experience, and professionalism. Previous EMS experience: Windsor Heights Fire- 3 yrs., Clive Fire- 4 yrs., Fraser Ambulance- 3 yrs. Previous Fire experience: Windsor Heights Fire- 3 yrs.

6 Member profile: Tad Watson O N TH E L IN E Member Profile... Level: PT FF/EMT Length of time with UFD: 5 months Why I was interested in the Urbandale Fire Dept: I ve done multiple joint trainings with the UFD and was impressed by the level of knowledge, experience, and professionalism. Previous EMS experience: Windsor Heights Fire- 3 yrs., Clive Fire- 4 yrs., Fraser Ambulance- 3 yrs. Previous Fire experience: Windsor Heights Fire- 3 yrs., Clive Fire- 4 yrs. Family life: Divorced. I have 2 boys, Madden age 3 and Mavryk age 2. We also have one fish that I got for the boys. Madden named him Fishy Water My professional work: Currently I work for the Urbandale and Clive fire departments part-time. Activities or hobbies I enjoy: Playing guitar/bass, woodworking, and playing video games Most memorable moment with UFD: Considering I have only been here for a short time, I would say just getting the opportunity to work here has been my most memorable moment to date. Most memorable moment outside of UFD: Watching both of my boys being born. Favorite TV programs: The Office, Walking Dead, American Horror Story Favorite movies: John Wick, any comedies really Last book that I read: Once A Runner John L. Parker Personal goals: To become a Paramedic and be hired full-time at Urbandale. What I enjoy about the Urbandale Fire Dept: Everyone has something that they specialize in so you never go a day without learning something new or improving on current skills. Favorite saying: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends John 15:13 Last Safety Incident: As of May 1st 6 days without a safety incident 38 days without a lost time injury Last incidents: 6/9/15: Plywood fell on a firefighter while working over head. 8/26/15: Ambulance 413 struck a mailbox damaging the mailbox. 8/29/15: Injured knee on the scene of a vehicle fire lost time injury. 1/2/16: While pulling in to the station, the wrong garage door button was pushed and the garage door came down on a truck damaging the door. 1/5/16: While working out, employee twisted ankle resulting in a lost time injury. 2/8/16: While backing in to the station, a mirror was damaged when it struck the station. 2/21/16: Employee tweaked shoulder while donning SCBA. 3/24/16: Employee slipped and fell injuring knee and foot. 4/21/16: Apparatus struck a wall while being backed. 4/24/16: Personal vehicle was damaged while it was being used for FD purposes Urbandale Fire Department On the Line May

They followed that donation with a donation of $16,536 for our Gator, trailer and equipment.

7 The Mayor and City Council recognized the generous donation by the Grand Lodge of Iowa, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. This group is responsible for two significant donations to the City of Urbandale; they donated $13,615 to the Urbandale Police Department for body cameras. They followed that donation with a donation of $16,536 for our Gator, trailer and equipment. Members of A-Shift recently completed a blue sheet for UPD officers who assisted on difficult CPR incident. UPD Officers Hazel and Johns were presented blue sheets for exceptional performance by A-Shifters FF/PM David Langley, FF/PM Cody Nicely-Green, D/E Drew Stiles, Lt. Routson and FF/PM David Burns on April 24, 2016 at the UPD roll call. Urbandale Fire Department On the Line May

Cody Station 4 On the morning of November 20, 2006 my partner and I were responding to a priority one Cardiac Arrest assignment when our ambulance was

Cody Station 4 On the morning of November 20, 2006 my partner and I were responding to a priority one Cardiac Arrest assignment when our ambulance was Billy Station 44 On April 29 th at around three in the afternoon our unit was transporting a Critical CVA patient to a stroke center. With lights and sirens on we approached an intersection with a green