WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT

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1 WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT Inside this issue: Fire & EMS Run Report EMS Bureau Report 2 Fire Prevention/ 4 Operations Bureau 6 Training Bureau 7 In Their Own Words 8 YEARS of SERVICE ~ July POC FF S. Rusch..7/5/95 MPO M. Forster...7/7/97 MPO R. Hasse...7/7/97 MPO R. Monday...7/7/97 FF S.Stockhausen..7/19/10..Acting to Save Emergency Activities 1 Planning to Protect......Acting to Save Slinger incident command informed BC Spartz, who was assigned as Hazardous Materials Command that two trains had collided and one of the engines was on it s side. Haz Mat Command was also informed that a diesel fuel leak had been found during scene size up. The diesel fuel spill was reported to be a result of a ruptured fuel tank on one of the engines. It was July 2014 Volume 2, Issue 7 Washington County Hazardous Material Team Requested Slinger, WI On Sunday July 20 th 2014 at 9:01 pm the Slinger Fire Department requested the Washington County Hazardous Materials Team for a diesel spill. The West Bend Fire Department responded with the county hazardous materials team trailer along with Battalion Chief John Spartz, who is the team leader. also reported that a rail tank car had also been derailed and was lying on a 1,000 pound propane tank. The hazardous materials team performed a secondary size-up and confirmed that three diesel engines were involved. One engine did have a large rupture in it s fuel tank. It was estimated that approximately 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel had been spilled from the tank. The engines were off the tracks and close to the rail car lying on the propane tank. The ruptured tank placard was number 3256; the DOT Guide Book stated it was an elevated temperature liquid, flammable. (Continued on page 6) Types of Calls Jul-14 Jun-14 Year to Date (2014) Year to Date (2013) Fires Emergency Medical Calls Paramedic Intercepts Interfacility Transports Hazardous Conditions Service Calls/Good Intent Calls False Alarms/False Calls Other/Special Incident Types Totals Town of Barton Calls Town of West Bend Calls

2 Emergency Medical Services Bureau Battalion Chief Todd Van Langen & Captain Tom Thrash Page 2 Summer is Here Drivers be Vigilant! All corners have crosswalks. Some crosswalks are painted and some are otherwise marked but not all are designated. Look for pedestrians every time you will be crossing a sidewalk with your vehicle. Be especially attentive when entering or leaving a yourself become distracted by things such as a phone call, text message or by viewing GPS directions, etc Even a few seconds of taking your eyes off the road can lead to tragedy with a pedestrian who assumes that you are going to see them. Don t Summer is in full swing. Activity on our roads, streets and sidewalks greatly increases with the nice weather. Families are involved in recreational activities and kids are out of school and everyone is out walking, running and your surroundings and take extra care to compensate for the pedestrian or driver who might not be as cautious. The latest U.S. statistics available for pedestrian deaths show that in ,743 pedestrians and 726 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor biking. During this time vehicle operators need to become extra vigilant when driving on our roadways. No one ever wants to be involved in the tragedy of a pedestrian accident. The way to protect yourself is to be aware of vehicles. That is more than 12 people every day. In addition there were 76,000 reported pedestrian injuries that year. Vehicle operators should remember the following things: driveway or parking lot in the middle of a block. Pedestrians are less alert in these situations than when they are at an intersection. We know that pedestrians are supposed to cross at crosswalks but always be prepared for pedestrians at any location. While driving do not let be in a hurry, take extra care and always keep your eyes scanning the roadway. Awareness by both drivers and pedestrians is the way to stop the tragedy of pedestrian accidents. Drive with vigilance and have a safe summer. -Battalion Chief Todd Van Langen

3 New Products for Cardiac Arrest Victims One of the jobs in the WBFD EMS Bureau is to be up to date with the newest technology and techniques for our paramedics. We have some of the best paramedics Within The West Bend Fire Department Paramedic Service our med units carry over 40 medications to treat various types of medical conditions. These medications have varying expiration dates and our department needs to maintain a minimum inventory of all of our medications. Emergency Medical Services Bureau Battalion Chief Todd Van Langen & Captain Tom Thrash in the state and we are always striving to stay up to date. We have made changes to the way we respond and treat patients in THANK YOU TO AURORA GRAFTON In the past the pharmaceutical companies that we purchased our medications from would exchange expired medications for new medications at no cost. Not long ago this practice was discontinued costing the department significant amounts of money to replace expired medications. cardiac arrest. I have done articles about CCR or Cardio Cerebral Resuscitation in previous monthly reports. CCR is a procedure that emphasizes doing continuous chest compressions. CCR has helped us to raise our survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest from 12% to over 25%. Recently we found out about a new device that works to increase those numbers even more. It is called a Res Q Pod. It is a device that is placed on the end of an endotracheal tube or combi tube which are both advanced airways. The Res Q Pod helps to close off the respiratory circuit much like you and I Page 3 are able to do when we are breathing. This allows there to be more negative air flow in the lungs which will allow the heart to fill with more blood. When there is more blood filling the heart during chest compressions that means there will be more blood pumped out the brain as well. -Captain Tom Thrash Thanks to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton that has changed. A new system has been established with Aurora Healthcare where we can bring our medications that are greater than 60 days from their expiration date in and exchange them for new medications. This system has greatly reduced the amount of medications that our department has to discard. In addition we are now purchasing almost all of our medications from Aurora Healthcare. In the first year of using this system we saw nearly a $4,500 savings. We would like to thank Aurora Healthcare for working with us on this program and saving our taxpayers money! -Captain Tom Thrash

4 Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tammy Lamberg July Fire Inspections Page 4 Follow-up Compliance Semi-Annual Annual Total Violations Inspections Cards Station # Station # Station # Bureau Captain Totals How to Safely Dispose of Staining Materials By Captain Tammy Lamberg It seems like we spend just as much time performing home maintenance in the warm weather months as we do relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. One project that we are all too familiar with is staining of wood decks, balconies and porches. Since this is usually a summer project we want to remind home owners about the precautions that should be taken regarding the disposal of staining materials. High summer temperatures can cause rags that have been improperly stored to spontaneously combust. To avoid this: Hang rages or spread them out flat until they have been allowed to dry. Never ball them up, put them in the trash or store them in a box. Place the dried rags in a non-combustible, container such as an empty paint or stain can. Fill the container with water until the rags are submerged. Close the container July Permits and Fees tightly. Count Permit Type Total Fees 1 Kitchen Suppression Systems $ Sprinkler Alterations, heads $ Temporary Liquid Construction Site $ Sprinkler Install heads $ Fire Alarm Install 1-50 devices $ Fire Alarm Install devices $ Save the container until your local community has a hazardous waste pick up day. Never dump stains or paint down your drain or sewer. Total= Total Permit Fees for July $

5 Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tammy Lamberg Page 5 Plan Reviews, System Acceptance Testing, Consultations and Site Investigations for July OCCUPANCY TYPE ACTIVITY NOTES Retail Acceptance test New alarm system acceptance Health Care Follow-up Electrical concerns corrected Residential Follow-up Excessive storage and egress concerns addressed Assembly Follow-up Occupancy limits established and egress concerns addressed Health Care Acceptance test Pre-action sprinkler system final acceptance testing Business Plan review Plan for tenant build-out & fire protection systems reviewed for retail space Residential Follow-up Non-compliant alarm system and monitoring concerns addressed Storage Follow-up Improper storage of vehicles and hazardous materials addressed Business Consultation Owner informed of specific requirements and need to update FP system Retail Plan review Tenant build-out/renovation plan reviewed for multi-tenant building Manufacturing Acceptance test Sprinkler system/alarm system in new addition hydro tested. Commercial Follow-up Addressed apparatus access issues and Knox box issues Retail Acceptance testing New alarm system acceptance testing completed Assembly Follow-up Discussed corrections needed to alarm system to avoid false alarms Preventing Juvenile Fire Setting By Captain Tammy Lamberg Many fires related to juvenile fire setting occur in the summer months when kids have less supervision and more time on their hands. Juvenile fire setters fall into three general groups: The first is made up of children, mainly boys, under 7 years of age. Fires started by these children are the result of accidents or curiosity. The second group of fire setters includes children ranging in age from Although the fire setting of some of these children is motivated by curiosity or experimentation, much of it is a result of underlying psychological conflicts. These children will continue to set fires until their issues are addressed The third group comprises adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18. These youth tend to have an established history of fire setting behavior. The fire setting episodes are usually the result of psychosocial conflict, inner turmoil and intentional criminal behavior. They have a history of school failure and behavior problems and they are easily influenced by their peers. Juveniles who set fires may have some of the fol- lowing characteristics: Curiosity with fire Lack of respect for the danger of fire Recent death of a loved one, divorce or abandonment by a parent Parental alcoholism or drug abuse History of lying, stealing, truancy, bullying, cruelty to animals or substance abuse Social isolation or victim of bullying Victim of emotional or physical abuse Bedwetting Lack of empathy To prevent juvenile fire setting pay attention to your children. Watch for indications of a problem. Model the correct behavior with fire. Don t allow access to ignition sources and ask for professional guidance if you feel that there might be a problem.

6 Fire Department Operations Bureau Battalion Chief John Spartz & Captain Jon Coutts Page 6 Washington County Hazardous Material Team Requested (Cont d from page 1) This placard information indicated taking precautionary measures to evacuate residents within a half mile diameter in all directions. The propane tank had released its product into the atmosphere but the scene was MSA Four Gas Meter deemed safe for responders to enter by air monitoring from a four gas meter. Railroad officials were then contacted and they stated that the engines should be left undisturbed and left in place. Following those recommendations the hazmat team took no actions on any of the leaks at the scene. Slinger Fire Chief Richard Hanke was aware of a creek that flowed from the marshy area between the tracks and eventually into a river. He requested that efforts be made to reach the creek near the wreck. Efforts were initially hampered with the train being stopped on each track as the creek flowed between them. The hazardous materials team followed the creek to the West of the incident and found the leading edge of the diesel spill. Control measures were placed to prevent the fuel from advancing toward the river. Command then requested a recon of the area located to the East of the incident and a recon team of six entered the ravine. They found diesel fuel in a marshy area approximately 500 feet to the South and East of the collision. It was determined that the water in the marsh flowed from the East to the West and was not threatening a pond near the high school. This information was reported to the command post. At this time the incident was considered stabilized and the hazmat team was released from the scene. Cause of this incident is still under investigation. Thank you to all individuals, groups and businesses who protect & serve our communities in times of need.

7 Fire Instruction & Training Bureau Arson Investigator Training. The West Bend Fire Department has been making use of an abandoned house to train in during the months of July and August. Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tom Thrash The first segment of training was designed for our department s fire investigators and members of the Washington County Fire Investigation Team. B.C. Spartz and Capt. Thrash used basic household items to start a number of fires in different areas of the house. From there they developed different scenarios that would imitate a realistic cause and origin for each of the fires. (Pictured below are a couple of the before and after pictures of the different scenarios.) Some of the scenarios were designed to indicate arson and others were designed to look accidental. After the burns investigators were asked to walk through the house writing their hypothesis on the ignition sources and areas of origin Page 7 indicating how each fire started. After all of the investigators had completed their investigation the theories were discussed and a video was played showing how each fire had actually started. This type of live hands-on training is invaluable to arson investigators. It hones their skills and tests their training and knowledge. Thanks to everybody involved on making this a very successful and educational training.

8 In Their Own Words... The back page of our newsletter features a note or card that we have received from our customers.the people we serve. Whether it is during an ambulance call, fire call, or a public education assignment, the members of the West Bend Fire Department are always dedicated to making their contact with area residents a positive experience. Personnel Spotlight: Fire Fighter Evan Gilling Charles Evan Gilling became the West Bend Fire Department s newest firefighter on June 23, Evan grew up in Jackson and did some of his paramedic ride-a-long training with The West Bend Fire Department. Evan started his career as a volunteer with The Jackson Fire department. He was then a full-time firefighter in Antigo and Rhinelander prior to coming back home to this area and being hired by The West Bend Department. In Evan s spare time he enjoys hunting, fishing and riding his motorcycle. We would like to welcome Evan to our WBFD family and wish him a long and safe career with our department. WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT Planning to Protect...Acting to Save 325 N 8th Ave. West Bend, WI