Monthly Update on Activities

To:       Citizens of the Hutchinson Fire District, Web-Site Visitors, and Our Face Book Friends
From:  Brad Emans, Fire Chief
Date:   02/01/2012
Re:       Monthly Update on the Activities of the Hutchinson Fire Department for January 2012

Fire Department Response: The Fire Department responded to 39 calls for service in the month of January.  

Fire Officer Only Response: A “fire officer only” responded to 14 calls in January saving the Hutchinson Fire District the cost of a “general” alarm estimated at $2,548.00 for the month.

Response Time (First Emergency Vehicle Out of the Door): January – 3 minutes 46 seconds.       

Example of a few of the calls:

• • The FD backfilled the station for the Dassel FD while they were out on a live burn several miles from their station;
  
• • The FD responded to a large grass and slough fire in the northeast part of our fire district. A resident was burning when the fire got out of control burning several acres of land before the FD could get it under control;
  
• • A FD Officer responded to a CO call in an apartment building, however, there was no CO, the resident just wanted to know how the CO detectors work;
  
• • A FD Officer responded to a residential property when they had “something” causing a “cloud” on the first floor. It was determined that the furnace was missing a furnace filter and was then sucking up concrete dust from the crumbling walls in the basement;
  
• • The FD responded to a “chimney” fire in the northwest part of our fire district. The chimney was blocked and smoke was filling the basement. Firefighters laddered the roof, cleaned the chimney, and ventilated the smoke out from the basement.

Training:

Firefighters trained on the following topics/equipment:

• Firefighters completed a walk through and pre-plan for the new nursing home “Harmony River” prior to the transfer of citizens living there;
• Firefighters completed one phase of the annual medical training required to maintain their 1st Responder license. The training is called the “44 Plan”;
• Firefighters completed the annual inventory of equipment on the trucks and trailers, this exercise not only gives us an accurate inventory of equipment we have, it also gives us an opportunity to remove each tool and determine if it is in need of repair;
• Fire Officers conducted a four hour scenario based IC (incident command) class on complicated building located in the fire district.

Fire Prevention / Public Relations / Other Information:

• The FD held the formal retirement ceremony for Battalion Chief Popp, the ceremony includes an inspection and final farewell of the ranks, retirement bell ringing ceremony, “last page out”, and flag ceremony;
• A tour and short fire safety/first aid class was given to two groups of Cub Scouts;
• The FD was invited to speak at the Kiwanis meeting, with a topic of “2011 – Year in Review”;
• The FD was invited to speak at the Hutchinson Safety Council to give them an update of activities involving the FD.  

Measurements:

1. Number of calls that required more than one engine, and four firefighters in January:  5

2. Number of Calls that required more than “required by law investigation” in January: 1

3. Estimated dollars “saved”  in property (building and contents) by the fire department response for the month of January:  $75,000

4. Estimated dollars “lost” in property (building and contents) to fire in January: $0

The Fire Department Annual Report is now available on the City of Hutchinson Web-Site, or on the HFD Facebook Page!