Monthly Update on Activities

To:      The Resident’s of the Hutchinson Fire District, City Council, and Visitors to this site                                
From:  Brad Emans, Fire Chief
Date:  06/03/2013
Re:      Monthly Update on the Activities of the Hutchinson Fire Department for May 2013

Fire Department Response:  The Fire Department responded to 34 emergency calls for service in the month of May.  

"Fire Officer Only" Response: A “fire officer only” responded to 7 calls in May saving the Hutchinson Fire District the cost of a “general” alarm estimated at $1,274.00 for the month.

Response Time (First Truck “Out of the Door”): May – 3 minutes  40 seconds.            

Example of a Few of the Calls your FD responded to:

• • A Fire Officer responded and investigated a fire that started in a microwave in an assisted living facility in the southeast part of the city. It was determined to be an accidental fire caused by operator error;  
  • A Fire Officer and HUC (Hutchinson Utilities Commission) responded to investigate a possible natural gas leak in a medical facility in the downtown area of the city. The “gas smell” was actually sewer gas from a dry trap;
  • Firefighters and HUC responded to a natural gas line cut by a contractor in a residential area in the northwest part of the city. HUC was able to pinch the line closed and then repair it;
  • Firefighters responded to a possible commercial structure fire in the rural district. A person driving by on the highway saw “black smoke” coming from the building and called the fire in on their cell phone. The fire was actually a grass fire and a small abandon building burning behind the commercial building. Preliminary cause of the fire was a burn barrel;
  • Firefighters responded to an attached residential garage fire in the southwest part of the city. The Incident Commander had to remove the property owner from the garage as he was trying to fight the fire with a garden house ultimately putting him in danger. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire limiting the damage to just the garage. Preliminary cause of the fire was a grill;
  • Firefighters responded to a grass fire in the southwest part of the fire district when the property owner was cutting CRP land and struck a rock, sparks from the rock strike started the extremely dry CRP land on fire;
  • Firefighters responded to a residential structure fire in the southwest part of the city. The fire was contained to the attic area. Preliminary cause of the fire is overloaded electrical wiring;
  • Firefighters responded to a grass fire in the southwest part of the of the fire district when the property owner was cutting CRP land with a skid steer and attachment when the skid steer started on fire and then spreading to the CRP land. Preliminary cause of the fire is a failed gas line on the skid steer;
  • Firefighters responded to a “grove fire” in the southeast part of the fire district. Mutual aid for water and additional equipment was received from Brownton FD and Stewart FD. Preliminary cause of the fire was “smoldering embers” from a controlled piled material fire that took place 48 hours earlier;
  • Firefighters responded to “smoke from an unknown origin” in a residential property in the southwest part of the city. • Firefighters using both FD TIC’s (Thermal Imagining Camera) were able to locate the source of the smoke thus limiting the amount of smoke damage. Cause of the fire/smoke was a short on the furnace circuit board;

Training:

Firefighters Trained on the Following Topics/Equipment:

• Firefighters completed Level 1 and Level II “live burn” training at the fire department training site. Live burn training simulates actual structural firefighting in a controlled atmosphere for firefighter safety;
• Firefighter completed the quarterly 1st Responder training. This 4 hour session focused on triaging patients, and mass casualty incidents with multiple trauma patients;
• Three of our new firefighters (Firefighter Baysinger, Firefighter Rath, and Firefighter Schmeling) completed their 140 hours of firefighter training, and the Minnesota Certification Test and will be participating in the swearing in / badge pinning ceremony along with Firefighter Harlow and Firefighter Travis who came to us from other fire departments.  

Fire Prevention / Public Relations / Other Information:

• The FD assisted the Park Department in the Crow River dead fish clean-up project. Winter kill left hundreds of dead rough fish to rot on the banks of the river;
• “Inspections Update”: To date 166 rental units have been inspected to the minimum fire safety standards for residential rental property;
• The FD assisted in the escort out of the city for the boys track team as they participated in the state true team track meet;
• The FD participated in the annual Memorial Day Parade and ceremony.

Measurements:

1. Number of calls that required more than one engine, four firefighters and one IC in May: 14

2. Number of Calls that required investigation in May: 5

3. Estimated dollars “saved” in property (building and contents) by the fire department response for the month of May: $725,000

4. Estimated dollars “lost” in property (building and contents) to fire in May: $74,000