WEST BEND FIRE DEPARTMENT Planning to Protect......Acting to Save January 2015 Volume 3, Issue 1 Inside this issue: Fire & EMS 1 EMS Bureau Report 2 Fire Prevention/ 4 Operations Bureau 6 Training Bureau 7 In Their Own Words 8 YEARS of SERVICE ~ JANUARY MPO K. Asselin..01/19/96 FF J. Goeldner...01/04/98 FF T. Eichmann.01/05/00 LT D. Peil...01/05/00 FF R. Abel.....01/07/08 POC FF S. Coyne...01/12/11 POC FF R. Weber..01/12/11 FF J. Weinert...01/06/13 WBFD Members Pinned at Ceremony Getting Pinned usually isn t a good thing unless you are in the fire service. A Pinning Ceremony is a tradition held by the fire service where a member receives his badge after gaining a promotion. The West Bend Fire Department began recognizing members that have been promoted with Pinning Ceremonies in the recent past. Such a ceremony was held during January in conjunction with 4 new police officers being sworn in at the new West Bend Police Department Training Room. The ceremony was held after the Common Council recognized the members achievement. (See Page 6 for more details) Rob Hasse has his Lieutenant s badge pinned on by his son, Mac at the Department s Pinning Ceremony held in January...Acting to Save Emergency Activities Types of Calls Jan-15 Dec-14 Year to Date (2015) Year to Date (2014) Fires 2 4 2 9 Emergency Medical Calls 249 266 249 227 Paramedic Intercepts 14 14 14 5 Interfacility Transports 60 41 60 43 Hazardous Conditions 3 8 3 3 Service Calls/Good Intent Calls 9 17 9 22 False Alarms/False Calls 17 15 17 26 Other/Special Incident Types 1 0 1 3 Totals 355 365 355 338 Town of Barton Calls 7 7 7 12 Town of West Bend Calls 19 6 19 15
Emergency Medical Services Bureau Page 2 Nutrition at the Firehouse by BC Van Langen Fire personnel work a 24 hour shift when at the firehouse. This is like a second home where all normal daily activities take place, except at the sound of the emergency tone personnel stop what they were doing and respond. Part of the daily activities includes prepare dinner. The most people that the cook may be providing food for is 6 firefighters at Station-1 and 3 firefighters at the outlying stations. The cook may have a specialty dish that they like to pre- ping is done at the local grocery store closest to that fire station. Firefighters are like any other shopper, clipping coupons and looking for daily specials. It is important that the firefighters maintain good nutrition while working a 24 hour shift due to the cooking meals at each fire station. At the start of a work cycle each firefighter contributes money to a food account. One person is designated to do the grocery shopping and cook the meals for the day. Shopmain meal prepared each day. Breakfast is prepared only on weekends, lunch usually consists of leftovers from previous meals, and dinners are the main meal of the day. The firefighter who is cooking is given approximately a half hour to prepare lunch and approximately an hour to pare or they may ask shift members what they would like to eat for the day before they go do the shopping. When one shift is done with a work cycle they may pass on left over food to the oncoming shift. The picture below shows the result of an emergency call coming in physical demands of the job. Most of the meals that the firefighters prepare have a healthy look. Lean meats, vegetables, and low fat food items are commonly what is served. There is one just when the Station 1 crew is sitting down for a delicious meal of turkey burgers, beans, and sweet potato fries. In most cases the meal can be saved with a little help from the microwave.
Emergency Medical Services Bureau Battalion Chief Todd Van Langen & Captain Tom Thrash Page 3 It seems that 2015 is going to move as fast as 2014 for the West Bend Fire Department. This January was extremely busy. We ended 2014 as our busiest year to date for emergency responses and the trend is continuing. As expected, January of 2015 kept the pace with 366 calls. Even with our high call volume WBFD EMS is always taking time to improve the service we provide to our patients. Our highly trained and very dedicated paramedics will do whatever it takes to provide the highest quality care. We are especially proud of our consistent success in recognizing and treating patients who are having a myocardial infarction or MI (Heart attack). Our Paramedics will do specific advanced assessments and procedures to identify this possible life threat. Once the patient s cardiac condition is identified WBFD p a r a m e d i c s w i l l transport the patient to a facility with the advanced cardiac capabilities necessary to best treat the patient. Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa has contacted us to work with them to be part of a study involving their cath lab. This is the operating room where 12 lead ECG used by paramedics to identify MI WBFD EMS Cardiac Monitor, used to identify Myocardial Infarctions. heart catheterizations are completed. We were chosen because of our excellent track record of identifying acute cardiac emergencies and our prompt treatment and transportation of these patients. The Froedtert Heart and Cardio Vascular Team views us as one of the best paramedic services in our area with regard to treatment of cardiac related incidents. We are honored to work with Froedtert to improve cardiac care procedures. This process will involve participation from our paramedics, our medical director from St. Joseph s Hospital, the Froedtert Emergency Department and the Heart and Cardio Vascular Department at Froedtert. Once this study is completed all ambulance agencies who work with Froedtert will be following the new procedures. Citizens in most of Southeastern Wisconsin will benefit from more efficient treatment and transport of cardiac emergencies. This efficiency is vital due to the damage to heart tissue that occurs with every minute that passes during a heart attack. We are excited to be a part of the improvement process regarding the response and treatment for these patients.
Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tammy Lamberg Page 4 January 2015 Fire Inspections Follow-up Compliance Semi-Annual Annual Total Violations Inspections Cards Station #1 175 6 181 31 3 6 Station #2 29 1 30 15 1 1 Station #3 62 1 63 29 2 3 Bureau Captain 21 27 48 13 13 2 Totals 255 35 322 88 19 12 Building Relationships with Property Managers & Business Owners By Captain Tammy Lamberg A main focus for the WBFD Fire Prevention Bureau in 2015 is to continue strengthening relationships with business owners and property The property representamanagers. Our initial step will be to obtain email address contacts for every occupancy. This will help us to transition to a paperless inspection reporting system and to more specifically target our line of communications with the appropriate property representatives. We will also use email to help property representatives to become more familiar with who we are. Captain Lamberg and Battalion Chief Beistle will be able to personalize communications with the designated party for each property. This makes us more accessible and improves the ability to identify and accommodate individual needs and concerns that are specific to individual occupancies. Our goal is for fire prevention to be on the minds of property owners throughout the year and not just at the time of their annual or bi-annual inspections. January Permits & Fees tives will also be encouraged to use email to contact Captain Lamberg or Battalion Chief Beistle at any time with their questions or concerns. Count Permit Type Total Fees 1 Alarm System install/modification; 51-250 devices $340.00 1 Sprinkler system alteration/upgrade $435.00 1 Temporary LP Tank $75.00 Total= Total Permit Fees for January $850.00
OCCUPANCY TYPE ACTIVITY NOTES Storage Acceptance test Sprinkler installed in new addition Residential Acceptance test Upgrade to alarm system Healthcare Acceptance test Kitchen suppression system Commercial Plan review Change of occupancy Business Follow-up Egress violations addressed Business Plan review Alteration of sprinkler system for build-out plan review Industrial Investigation Follow-up on spray booth installed without proper fire protection or permit Commercial Acceptance testing Upgrades to emergency egress and alarm devices tested Educational/ Assembly Fire Prevention & Public Safety Bureau Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tammy Lamberg Plan Reviews, System Acceptances, Consultations and Site Investigations for January Acceptance testing Testing of second phase of alarm/fp systems install for renovation project Retail Follow up Meeting with owner regarding chronic egress issues and storage of combustibles Business Plan review Tenant build out/change of use review Page 5 Carbon Monoxide Alarm Requirements by Captain Tammy Lamberg Approximately 500 people are killed each year by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Because carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas every home should have carbon monoxide alarms. CO is produced by any fuel burning equipment such as fireplaces, wood stoves, furnaces, water heaters, ranges, grills, etc. In the state of Wisconsin carbon monoxide alarms are required in all existing multifamily residential properties and newly constructed homes. Our fire inspectors are very attentive to this requirement when they are doing fire inspections in multifamily dwellings. We look to see that the CO alarms are mounted in the designated areas and at the proper height. In multifamily dwellings CO alarms are required on every level and within 15 feet of all sleeping areas. The alarms should also be free of dust and cobwebs and located out of direct sunlight. CO alarm batteries should be checked frequently and replaced as necessary. The entire CO alarm device should be replaced every 5 years. (Smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years.) Replacement is necessary due to the expected life of the sensors. All CO alarms should be approved by Under- writers Laboratories to make sure that they will adequately protect you and your family. If you have a CO alarm that activates you should go outside and remain outside until the situation can be evaluated by the fire department. Some signs of CO exposure include headache, nausea, sleepiness and dizziness.
Fire Department Operations Bureau Battalion Chief John Spartz & Captain Jon Coutts Keep the Wreath Green Program Ends with 2 Fires The Keep the Wreath Green program ended with the holidays in early January. Keep the Wreath Green is designed to remind residents to practice fire safety during the holiday time. A white light is placed on the wreath as a remembrance of all the people that have perished by fire. A red light bulb is placed in the wreath every time a structure fire occurs. This season, West Bend Fire Department responded to 2 structure fires resulting in 2 red bulbs being placed in the wreath. The first fire occurred on Wednesday, November 26, which was the first day of the season. Fire crews were called to a house fire on Edelweiss Lane in the Town of Barton. The fire was contained to the bedroom with smoke damage occurring throughout the remainder of the house. One occupant was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and damages were estimated at about $35,000. A dryer fire occurred at the Country Inn and Suites on December 9 around 7 pm resulted in the second red bulb on the wreath. The front desk worker heard a sound in the laundry room and discovered fire coming from underneath the dryer. She extinguished the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher and alerted the fire department. Lint build up was suspected as the cause of the fire. No one was injured during the incident. Hasse, Bendit Promoted (Continued from Page 1) Rob Hasse Matt Benidt Page 6 Rob Hasse s promotion to Lieutenant was recognized during the pinning ceremony held in January. He has been with the department since 1997 and served as a fire fighter and held the rank of Motor Pump Operator. He is also certified as a paramedic. Matthew Benidt was promoted from fire fighter/paramedic to Motor Pump Operator was also recognized during the January pinning ceremony. He has been with the department since 2007.
Fire Instruction & Training Bureau Battalion Chief Chuck Beistle & Captain Tom Thrash Page 7 Move Over or Slow Down for Emergency Flashing Lights: One of the most dangerous places for emergency responders and maintenance personnel is along the side of the road. Each year hundreds of these hard working men and women are injured or killed by passing motorists while working along the roadways. In 2001, Wisconsin passed a law designed to protect emergency responders, tow operators, and highway maintenance personnel who are conducting business on the roadways. It is called the Move Over Law, and the concept is easy. If you see a vehicle on the side of the road with its emergency lights flashing, you are required to move out of the lane closest to the vehicle if possible. If a safe lane change is not possible, or you are traveling on a two lane roadway, you are required to slow your vehicle, maintaining a safe speed for traffic conditions, and drive at a reduced speed until completely past the scene. Not moving over can be painful and costly. If you get a ticket, you will be assessed three demerit points on your license and a $249 fine. In addition, your driver s license will be suspended if you are involved in a crash, and you may serve up to seven years in prison if you hurt or kill someone. Failure of motorists to move over is one of the reasons that motor vehicle crashes kill emergency responders. We are asking you to drive attentively and slow down when approaching scenes where there are vehicles with flashing lights working in or on the side of the roadway.
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 Depart- ment are always dedicated to making their contact with ar- ea residents a positive experience. Personnel Spotlight: Fred Samuel joined the West Bend Fire Department in February of 2002. Prior to moving to West Bend he served as a fire fighter/emt on the Big Bend/Vernon Fire Department in Waukesha County where he grew up. FF Samuel is currently a fire fighter and paramedic on the Blue Shift. He also fills in as an acting motor pump operator and lieutenant. Other responsibilities include fire inspections and hazardous materials technician. In his free time, Fred enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle with his wife, Tracy. They enjoy spending time with friends and family on their trips. 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