Roseville Fire Department Monthly Report January 2014
FIRE DEPARTMENT NEWS Bitter Cold and Snow impacts January Fire Activities For the second straight month January saw some of the coldest temperatures and average snow fall. The combination of the two resulted in an increased call volume for weather related incidents and significant challenges for the firefighters to keep warm while providing service to the community. In January, the Fire Department responded to 419 calls total. Natural Gas Scare On Wednesday January 29 th at approximately 2330 hours, the Fire Department received multiple reports of a strong odor of natural gas in an area from County Road B to County Road B-2 from Hamline to Rosedale Mall area. Crews spent about an hour attempting to track down the source of the odor but were unable to find a source. The odor dissipated and crews returned to the station. New Brighton Apartment Fire On the morning of January 14 th Roseville Fire was requested to respond to assist New Brighton Department of Public Safety with a working apartment fire. When New Brighton Police officers arrived on scene, they reported a working fire on the second floor. The hallway was impassable and they began rescuing residents from their balconies. Roseville Engine 631 was the second fire truck to arrive at the scene. This rapid response was due to the fact that we had a staffed crew that was ready to respond. Upon arrival, they were tasked to connect to a hydrant and lay a supply line to the New Brighton engine. Engine 631 s crew then pulled a second attack line off of New Brighton s engine and made entry into the fire unit via the balcony. They performed a primary search of the fire unit as there was a report that someone was still inside the apartment. Fortunately, this was not the case and all of the occupants had escaped the fire. Engine 631 s crew was then tasked with assisting in ventilation and cleared all of the remaining units on the second floor of the apartment building. Only two occupants were transported to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire was just on the Roseville and New Brighton border at 1002 County Road D. Crews from New Brighton, Roseville, & St. Anthony worked through very cold weather and heavy snow to extinguish the fire and perform several rescues. Commercial Building Fire On January 9 th at approximately 2230 hours the fire department responded to a reported building fire at 2401 Fairview, which is the old Toys-R-Us store. Fire Crews arrived to find the building under construction and some construction materials on fire. Crews quickly extinguished the fire before it could spread to the building.
FIRE DEPARTMENT NEWS Rollover Accidents January marked a very busy month for the Fire Department. Due to the severe weather and poor road conditions, firefighters responded to a number of rollover accidents. While the drivers were often found to be a bit shaken, they escaped serious injury because they were wearing their seatbelts. Some of the drivers were transported to local hospitals for further observation. Fire at Rosedale Mall On Sunday January 12 th Fire Department responded to Rosedale Mall for alarms sounding and heavy smoke from the underground loading garage. Upon arrival crews found heavy smoke from the garage area and a large trash fire in the garage. Crews evacuated the AMC theaters which were directly above the fire, while other crews worked to extinguish the fire. The fire was contained to the garage area. Crews spent another hour venting the smoke form the Mall areas. Fire Department Receives Second Donation From NuStar As part of the ongoing partnership between Roseville Fire and the fuel storage facilities within the city, NuStar donated another $13,000 to go towards the new foam trailer and utility vehicle. This is now a combined total of $26,000 from NuStar. This is just another great example of the public / private partnerships which make Roseville a model community.
INCIDENT RESPONSE/ EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Fire Incidents The Fire Department responded to a total of 74 fire incidents during the month of January, which were as follows: Responses Incident Type No. Hazardous Conditions (No fire) 4 Fire 6 Service Call 9 Good Intent Call 18 False Alarm & False Call 37 Total 74
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES During the month of January the fire department responded to 338 EMS incidents. The calls occurred during the following dates and times: Call Volume by Day of the Week 59 45 50 45 48 48 42 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Call Volume by Hour of Day 68 57 44 45 50 34 17 22 0001-0300 0301-0600 0601-0900 0901-1200 1201-1500 1501-1800 1801-2100 2101-0000
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES Medication Administered Oxygen (non-rebreather mask) 18 Oxygen by Nasal Cannula 7 Aspirin 4 Nitroglycerin 3 Oxygen by Mask 1 Top 10 Incident Types Sick Person 66 Fall Victim 56 Breathing Problem 37 Chest Pain 22 Traffic Crash 21 Pain 21 Unconscious/Fainting 15 Stroke/CVA 14 Psychiatric Problems 11 Hemorrhage/Laceration 10 Procedure Administered Runs by Location Type Blood Glucose Analysis 14 Venous Access-Extremity 7 Spinal Immobilization 6 Airway-Nasopharyngeal 1 Home/Residence 207 Trade or Service 44 Health Care Facility 29 Residential Institution 21 Industrial Place and Premises 4 Public Building 3
TRAINING On-Shift Emergency Medical Training This month s emergency medical training focused on delivering babies. Firefighters reviewed the birthing process as well as how to treat the mother and baby who are having medical emergencies. This may include preeclampsia, placenta previa, placenta abruption, breech presentation, prolapsed cord and newborn resuscitation. While these are not skills that firefighters have to use frequently, they are situations that we encounter from time to time. Our continuing education program helps to prepare firefighters for those unusual and stressful moments. Emergency Medical Instructor Course In January, Roseville Fire hosted a Department of Transportation Emergency Medical System Instructor Course. Participants came from all over the State of Minnesota, with participants from as far away as Moorhead and Duluth. The 24 hour class focused on the new national curriculum changes for EMS education. There were seven firefighters that completed the course. This marked the first time the training room was used for regional training. The design of the room paid dividends as all participants were able to have internet access as well as power available at each of their tables for the electronic presentation devices. Out Reach Education Also this month Roseville Fire hosted a ropes and knots class as a part of the basic training of new firefighters in Ramsey County. Students from Falcon Heights, North St. Paul, Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake Fire Departments participated in the class. This training was performed in conjunction with the Ramsey County Chiefs training committee. The program allows students to travel to the various Ramsey County departments and be instructed by members of the respective departments. Battalion Chief Greg Peterson, David Brosnahan and firefighter Adam Sabotta served as instructors for Roseville Fire. Community Education The leading cause of death up until the age of 44 is trauma. From the ages of 15-24, three quarters of these deaths are related to motor vehicle accidents. In an effort to help young drivers understand the importance of safe driving, Battalion Chief Peterson spoke to the latest class of student drivers at the Roseville Area High School. This class is very popular with the students as they get a firsthand look into the effects of both good driving habits and the consequences of poor choices.
TRAINING On-Shift Training Roseville Fire trained on two different fire subjects in the month of January. The first was an in-depth review of Hoarding Home Fires. Hoarding is quickly becoming a more talked about and visual disability in mainstream media. While this is a serious condition that needs assistance, it also provides huge hazards and dangers to firefighters responding to these scenes. The stability of the home, the toxicity of the smoke, and the firefighter s ability to get in and out of the house, as well as perform their suppression responsibilities, are negatively affected by these types of environments. Firefighters reviewed different tactical options and how to better assess and handle these types of scenes when we come into contact with them. The second fire drill in January was a review of firefighter air management. A firefighter working while operating their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) can be very difficult where they demand a lot of air to perform their duties. This drill gave firefighters an opportunity to review good air management and breathing practices while using their SCBA. Then, in the hands-on portion of the drill, firefighters worked through a physical fitness circuit while in full gear and SCBA. The purpose of the hands on portion was to measure their own personal air consumption to give them a better idea of how much air they breathe out of their bottles while physically active. Officer Meeting On Tuesday, January 7 we hosted our first Officer s Meeting for 2014. We started the meeting with recognizing two firefighter promotions: Nick Krueger and Erin Stone. Following the promotions we had a training and review session on EMS report writing and how to continue to improve our report records for all of our emergency runs. The remainder of the meeting was spent discussing current projects and events within the fire department. Some of those items were discussing staffing programs, 2014 training and events, as well as a discussion on the process of our new fire engine we anticipate receiving in 2015. Approximately 18 chiefs and officers were in attendance for the three hour meeting.
FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION Fire Marshal Activity The Fire Marshal conducted the following activities in January: Inspections 17 Plans Reviewed 16 Complaints Investigated 3 Fire Inspector Activity The Fire Inspector conducted the following activities in January: Multi-Family Inspections 7 Commercial Inspections 6 Foster Care Inspections 1