WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT Planning to Protect......Acting to Save December 2016 Volume 4, Issue 12 Inside this issue: Fire & EMS Run Review 1 EMS Bureau Report 2 Fire Prev./ Public Safety 4 Operations Bureau 6 Training Bureau 7 In Their Own Words 8 YEARS of SERVICE ~December Lt Alan Hefter...12/28/88 Bat Chief J Spartz.12/28/88 Lt. A Whitmore...12/03/95 POC J Schwieso...12/04/01 Five Red Bulbs Highlight 2016 s Keep the Wreath Green Campaign. West Bend s Keep the Wreath Green Program ended with the Holiday Season. Keep the Wreath Green is a way for the fire department to remind the community of fire hazards during the holiday season. Unfortunately, 2016 was one of the worst years in recent history with five red bulbs being placed on the wreath. Each bulb indicates a structure fire in the department s response area. The first fire occurred on November 25, the day after Thanksgiving. A dryer was on fire at 2021 Barton Avenue. The fire was contained to the dryer and the building suffered smoke damage. No residents were displaced. Another fire occurred in the same room in early 2016 which caused significant water damage when the fire sprinklers prevented the fire from becoming larger. On December 2 the department responded to a house fire at 753 S Indiana Avenue. Arriving crews found the house completely involved in fire. All occupants were able to exit Continued on Page 6..Acting to Save Emergency Activities Types of Calls December 2016 November 2016 Year to Date (2016) Year to Date (2015) Fires Calls 47 26 441 400 Emergency Medical Calls 242 246 2859 2829 Paramedic Intercepts 10 11 136 132 Interfacility Transports 37 26 457 504 Totals 336 309 3893 3865 Town of Barton Calls 8 4 93 84 Town of West Bend Calls 11 8 119 147
Emergency Medical Services Bureau Page Page 22 BC Todd Van Langen and Captain Tom Thrash Another Year Of Answering The Call by BC Van Langen response you stop what you are doing and fill the role you are assigned to that day. People pick a career in the fire service for a variety of 2016 is now behind us, that means a lot of different things to different people. For our department it means another year of answering the calls for help from the community we serve. Our personnel responded to being said there is a wide variety of situations that our personnel respond to. We start our day at 7:30 a.m. and work 24 hours until 7:30 a.m. the following morning. What happens in between those 24 reasons, one very important underlying reason that is a common among all firefighters is the desire to help people and make a difference. The EMS system that our Department has helped to build over the years in- nearly 4000 emergency calls in 2016. There are many types of 911 calls received by our Dispatch Center and paged to the appropriate station(s) for response. Those calls can be basically broken down into fire calls and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls. With that licensed at the Paramedic level we are able to offer a Paramedic Intercept Program to surrounding departments which enhances the quality of care a patient receives prior to hours can be challenging, stressful, tiring, and fulfilling. Our personnel are cross-trained, able to respond to any type of fire or EMS emergency. Each day you are assigned to a position on the fire apparatus and on the MedUnit. When the page comes in for an emergency cludes Froedtert and Aurora Health Care facilities. With our department arriving at a hospital. New in 2017 is the Community Paramedic Pilot Program. West Bend Fire department partnered with Froedtert Health on this program. Paramedics will visit patients in their homes with the goal of reducing hospital admissions. re-
Emergency Medical Services Bureau Battalion Chief Todd Van Langen & Captain Tom Thrash Page 3 A Busy 2016 for our Emergency Medical Services The West Bend Fire Department EMS Bureau is always busy. Working to ensure all of our ambulances and Paramedic have what they need to complete their mission. The mission is to provide the best possible prehospital care that we can and transport peo- ple that are sick or injured to the most appropriate facility. During 2016 we ended up with over 2400 patient transports. That means that over 2400 times a Paramedic from the West Bend Fire Department had an opportunity to help someone and transport that person to a hospital. That could be done in one of our ambulances or as a member of another ambulance as part of a Paramedic Intercept. As the chart shows we take 67% of our patients to St Joseph s Hospital which is the closest. As noted we also transport to other hospitals as well. If you ever have questions about our ambulance services or about our relationships with area hospitals and our transport capabilities do not hesitate to call us. We are always happy to answer any questions from the members of our community. 2016 WBFD Transports
350 300 250 200 150 100 50 Page 4 Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Fire Safety Education, Code Enforcement and Fire Investigation Deputy Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tammy Lamberg December Prevention & Inspection Activities Periodic Inspections Reinspections/Follow-ups Violations System Acceptance Tests Requests/Complaints Meetings/Consults Permits Home Smoke Alarm Installs Community Safety Presentations Plan Reviews 0 318 13 37 6 2 5 5 1 1 4 WBFD assists in Town of Barton with Weasler Engineering project Captain Lamberg worked with CG Schmidt Inc., Design Build Fire Protection, Guetzke and Associates and Next Electric on all facets of fire protection systems involved with the renovation and new addition at Weasler Engineering. Left: Sprinkler system technicians and a fire pump installation specialist are shown during an acceptance test of an underground fire pump at Weasler Engineering.
Page 5 Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Fire Safety Education, Code Enforcement and Fire Investigation Summary of 2016 Inspection Totals 2016 Semi-Annual Inspections Annual Inspections Total Inspections Violations Found Re-Inspections Completed System Acceptance Tests Plan Reviews & Permits January 349 36 385 99 19 5 7 February 353 27 380 92 11 4 8 March 357 50 407 96 16 6 6 April 45 26 71 14 15 4 9 May 372 78 450 68 24 5 5 June 344 62 406 76 25 3 4 July 351 61 412 81 24 8 6 August 355 67 422 89 26 7 6 September 354 70 424 70 23 8 5 October 42 21 63 12 19 5 6 November 376 17 393 62 23 6 6 December 335 32 367 47 20 4 3 Totals 3633 547 4180 814 245 65 77 Change from 2015 +15 +11 +26-94 +20 +7 +14
Fire Department Operations Bureau Battalion Chief John Spartz Busy 2016 Year End for West Bend Fire Department Continued from Page 1 Page 6 Fire vents through the roof at the Silver Lake Drive. Photo credit: Washington County Insider the building and fire crews rescued a dog. The house was uninhabitable and the family had to find another residence with the assistance of the Red Cross. A stove fire accounted for the third red bulb on December 21. Crews found a fire on the kitchen stove and quickly extinguished it with hose line. Damage was contained to the kitchen and the origin and cause investigation determined the fire to be from unattended cooking. Heavy smoke damage occurred to the house and the residents were able to find residence with other family members. A malfunctioning waste oil heater caused a fire at Heiser Chevrolet, 2620 W. Washington Street on December 26. Workers came into the shop and discovered smoke in the building. The fire department was alerted and found the roofing materials on fire from the overheated chimney. They quickly removed the insulation to expose the fire and found it had spread among the Styrofoam panels. Crews had to removed insulation until they were ahead of the Fire fighters climb the ladder at Heiser Chevrolet on December 26. fire. The chimney also caused the supporting framing members to burn which were removed. The business was closed for about an hour and resumed normal operations shortly after the fire. The Washington County sheriff s Department received a call of smoke filling a basement at 5523 Silver Lake Drive in the Town of West Bend on December 28. Responding crews received a report of a man trapped in the house. A West Bend police officer was able to rescue the man with the help of his son. The man was found at the threshold of the main door with fire burning below the deck. All three were transported to the hospital for smoke and burn injuries. Fire crews found a fully involved house fire with winds blowing the fire through the house. The house was located at the bottom of a hill next to the lake which caused several issues. Suppression efforts were begun with the department s onduty crews and mutual aid was requested. Crews used multiple hand lines and an aerial ladder to extinguish the flames. Water was trucked into the location because there are not any fire hydrants in the area. Eventually, the fire went to a 2nd MABAS Box Level which brought in resources from thirteen different departments. The house was a total loss. The West Bend Fire Department also responded to two vehicle fires during the holiday season. Both vehicles were destroyed. Other departments were active during the holiday season and West Bend assisted on three mutual aid calls. Assistance was requested from Allenton on December 18 for a poll shed fire. West Bend sent a tender to supply water. In addition, the tender assisted Germantown for a fully involved house fire on December 21. Truck 2 Aerial operation at Warner Fabrications in Newburg. Finally, West Bend sent a battalion chief, Truck 2, and the tender to Newburg for a fire in a commercial structure. Crews and Truck 2 operated on scene for four hours.
Fire Instruction & Training Bureau Deputy Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tom Thrash Page 7 Portable Heater Safety Tips Heating is the second leading cause of United States home fires, deaths, and injuries. December, January, and February are the peak months for heating fires. Space heaters are the type of equipment most often involved in home heating equipment fires, figuring in two of every fire fires. (40%) and four out five (84%) of home heating fire deaths. Placing things that can burn too close to heating equipment or placing heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding, was the leading factor contributing to ignition in fatal home heating fires and accounted for more than half (56%) of home heating fire deaths. Few Simple safety tips and precautions you can prevent most heating fires: 1)Keep anything that can burn at least three-feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater. 2) Have a three-foot kid-free zone around open fires and space heaters. 3) Never use your oven to heat your home. 4) Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer s instructions. 5) Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. 6) Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. 7) Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters. 8) Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home. 9)Test smoke alarms at least once a month.
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 educa- tion assignment, the members of the West Bend Fire Department are always dedicated to making their contact with area residents a positive experience. Personnel Spotlight: MPO Robert Monday MPO Robert Monday joined the West Bend Fire Department on July 7, 1997. He was originally a member of the Newburg Fire Department where he grew up. Bob attended West Bend East High School and obtained his fire fighting certifications through Moraine Park Technical College. MPO Monday certified as an EMT-I shortly after joining the department and then as paramedic in 2009. He was promoted to MPO in 2002. Currently, Bob lives with his wife, Amy, and their two daughters, Jenna and Sara. WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT Planning to Protect...Acting to Save 325 N 8th Ave. West Bend, WI 53095 262.335.5054 www.ci.west-bend.wi.us