2007 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EASTON FIRE & RESCUE DEPARTMENT

To The Honorable Board of Selectmen:

 I respectfully submit the annual report of the Easton Fire & Rescue Department for the year 2007.

 

OPERATIONS

2007 was another busy year for the Easton Fire Department.  The department responded to a total of 3322 incidents in 2007.  A total of 6235 pieces of apparatus were utilized to handle those incidents.  The department responded to 63 fires in structures, 40 brush fires, 10 vehicle fires, and 55 other types of fires.  The department also responded to 1335 medical emergencies and 403 automobile accidents.  A total of 1212 patients were transported to local hospitals.  The remainder of the responses can be categorized as either investigations of potentially hazardous situations or public service calls.

 On July 2, 2007 five (5) new firefighter / paramedics were appointed to the department.  They are Jeffrey Dupuis, John Dzailo, Patrick McGovern, Charles Snow, and Darren Stone.  Three of the new members

filled positions that were vacated in 2006 by retiring personnel.  The remaining two new members have filled two of the four new positions created by the passage of the Proposition 2 ½ override budget last year.  We hope to fill the two remaining positions with new certified paramedics in January 2008.

 The new firefighters completed an orientation / training period during the summer and were then assigned to one of our four work-groups.  On December 21, 2007, Jeffrey Dupuis, Patrick McGovern, Charles Snow and Darren Stone graduated from the twelve-week intensive Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Recruit Training Program.  John Dzialo is scheduled to start the same program on January 7, 2008      

 Even with the addition of new personnel, I must emphasize that we are still considerably under-staffed for a department that is required to cover 29.4 square miles and protect over 23,000 residents.   The total compliment of funded fire department positions in 2007 is only four (4) more than we had funded in 1987.  However, the number of emergency calls has increased tremendously during the same time frame.  It remains increasingly difficult to handle the escalating demands for service with the very limited on-duty staffing.  The incidence of multiple emergency calls taking place simultaneously increases each year as the town continues to grow.  Citizens are being forced to wait for dangerously long periods of time for the arrival of emergency vehicles because the on-duty personnel are committed to other calls. 

 With insufficient staffing, the safety of the personnel responding to the needs of the community is jeopardized.  As mentioned above, with increasing frequency there are times when all available on-duty personnel are committed to one call leaving no one available to respond to the next incident.  We do have a method in place to call back off-duty personnel, but the number of call back personnel is minimal and unpredictable.  We are forced to rely on mutual aid apparatus to respond to calls in our own town.  Mutual aid is a vital part of any emergency response system, but the response times can be lengthy. 

 To emphasize how critical the situation has become, in 2007, Easton Fire Department apparatus (fire trucks and ambulances) responded on mutual aid to assist all our surrounding communities 84 times.    Yet we had to call apparatus in from other communities 186 times to assist us.  There were 1212 patients transported to area hospitals in 2007.  146 of those patients were transported by out of town ambulances.  Not only were there delays in providing emergency services while waiting for the mutual aid ambulances to arrive, but there was also a loss of revenue to the Town of Easton (the transporting ambulance bills for services).  From the chart below, you can see that each year we are relying too heavily on our neighboring communities to provide the services we cannot provide with current staffing levels.

 

Patients transported by mutual aid ambulances

 

1997 = 62 or 6.9%

1998 = 68 or 7.7%

1999 = 80 or 9.4%

    2000 = 116 or 10.3%

    2001 = 103 or 10.2%

    2002 = 125 or 12.7%

 2003 = 137 or 14%

2004 = 147 or 14%

                                                                                                                                                           2005 = 172 or 15%

                                                                                                                                                            2006 = 166 or 14%

                                                                                                                                                            2007 = 146 or 12%

 Mutual aid is a concept that has been utilized by the fire service for over a century.  It is a system designed to help every city and town deal with those unusual incidents that a community cannot handle on their own.  After the events of September 11, 2001 local fire and police departments are expected to be the “first line of defense” against terrorist activities and events involving weapons of mass destruction.  However with current staffing levels, we must rely on mutual aid just to handle the day-to-day routine calls.  With all neighboring cities and towns experiencing financial difficulties, mutual aid may not be as reliable as it has been in the past.  This will further reduce our ability to provide the emergency services expected and demanded by the citizens of Easton .

 

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

 Firefighting and emergency medical training are vital to ensuring that the Easton Fire Department is able to respond effectively and efficiently to the many calls for assistance that we receive.  Most of the training is conducted “in-service” while the personnel are on duty, but many members take advantage of training and educational opportunities on their own “off-duty” time.   Captain James Walsh is the department’s training officer and coordinates the training activities.  We frequently work directly with the instructors and training staff of the Department of Fire Services Massachusetts Firefighting Academy as well as training instructors from surrounding communities.  This ensures that firefighting practices and procedures keep pace with new advances in technology and tactics.

 On an annual basis all EMTs, from the basic level to the paramedic level, are required to complete many hours of continuing education in order to improve their ability to deliver high quality medical care.  Our EMS Training Coordinator FF / Paramedic Brendan McCarthy and Advanced Life Support coordinator FF / Paramedic Evan Malone conduct most of the medical training for department members along with offering CPR and first-aid training to various groups in the community.  Doctor Henry Crowley has been contracted to be our ambulance service medical director and is committed to providing oversight over the entire medical delivery system.  He has been conducting monthly training sessions for all of our medical personnel and responds to emergencies when available to offer expertise and “hands-on” assistance.

 

PUBLIC EDUCATION AND FIRE PREVENTION

 The most important function of any Fire Department is to prevent the occurrence of situations that produce injury, death, destruction to property or negatively impact our environment.   We try to accomplish this through our Public Education and Fire Prevention division.  

The S.A.F.E. (Student Awareness of Fire Education) Program is now in its 13^th year.  This program is a cooperative effort between firefighters, school principals, teachers, and students.  The program was originally developed and continues to be funded through a state grant.  This years S.A.F.E. funding was originally vetoed by Governor Patrick.  However, I am proud to say that our Legislators (Senators Robert Creedon & Brian Joyce as well as Representatives David Flynn, Geraldine Creedon, & Christine Canavan) all voted in favor of over-riding the Governor’s veto.  The S.A.F.E. funding was restored in the final state budget.  We are fortunate to have legislators that always support public safety programs.  Through the determined efforts of Captain Dave Beals, FF Larry Blye and FF Chris Mills the Easton Fire Department S.A.F.E. program has been a huge success and continues to grow.

 The demands on the Fire Prevention office are continuing to increase.  A great deal of new construction is taking place in Easton at this time.  Hundreds of residential, commercial, and industrial inspections were completed during the year.  We have seen an increase in the need for residential and commercial plan reviews as well.  This trend continues.  There are several new residential developments as well as commercial buildings on the “drawing board” for the immediate future.  

FIRE ALARM

Captain James Walsh and FF William Wolffe performed repairs and maintenance procedures to the municipal fire alarm system throughout the year.  Several new radio activated fire alarm boxes were installed.  Master alarm boxes activated by a building’s internal fire alarm system were installed at the following locations; Orthopedic Care Center , Target Store, the new Bank of Easton, and Old Pond Plaza .  Several new radio pull boxes were also installed on newly constructed roads throughout town. 

 

APPARATUS AND STATIONS

 At this time, I am pleased to report that our fire apparatus is currently in very good condition.

 However, I cannot make the same statement about the condition of our two (2) ambulances.  Ambulance # 2, a 1999 Horton, is showing severe signs of 8-years worth of wear and tear.  It currently has over 92,000 road miles on it.  The chassis, frame, and suspension system have all deteriorated.  Ambulance # 1, a 2004 Horton, currently has over 73,000 road miles on it.  Another 20,000 – 25,000 miles will be added during 2008.  Both ambulances had to be taken out-of-service many times during the year for service and repairs.  It is absolutely critical that a new ambulance be purchased as soon as possible.  I have requested funding in the FY-09 Capital Budget plan to replace the 1999 ambulance. 

 Fire Station # 2 on Depot Street , our oldest station, is in need of repairs or replacement.   This station was built in 1934 under a Federal WPA project.  The 1997 Fire Study committee concluded that a three-station configuration is necessary to adequately cover the Town.  Of our three stations, the Depot Street station is most ideally located.  It offers immediate access to the Town’s only major east / west connector (Route 123) and is closest to our main north / south connector (Route 138).  Funding was requested and approved at the annual town meeting to conduct an engineering study of the Depot Street station to determine the best course of action to take in regards to this building.  An engineering contract has been awarded but the results of the study have not been processed at this time.

 

PERSONNEL

The members of the Easton Fire & Rescue Department continue to donate many hours of their own time in order to ensure that the department responds effectively to the needs of the community.  They responded in a very efficient and professional manner throughout the year.  I would like to thank all of them for their commitment to this effort. 

  Mission Statement:

“The Easton Fire & Rescue Department is committed to protecting the people, property, and environment within our community.  We will be responsive to the needs of our citizens by providing rapid, professional, humanitarian services essential to the health, safety, and well being of the community.  We will accomplish our mission through fire prevention, fire safety awareness education, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and other related emergency and non-emergency activities.  We will actively participate in our community, serve as role models, and strive to effectively and efficiently utilize all of the necessary resources at our command to provide a product deemed excellent by our citizens.  ALWAYS READY, PROUD TO SERVE”.

 

TO REPORT A FIRE OR ANY EMERGENCY, DIAL 911

 For other Fire Department business or assistance, dial 508-230-3311

 Additional phone numbers;

Fire Chief’s Office 508-230-0750

Fire Prevention Office 508-230-0750

Fax Number 508-238-2891

 

CONCLUSION  

On a personal note, I would like to thank all the officers, firefighters, and the department’s administrative secretary (Pam Berglund) as well as the Board of Selectmen, Town Administrator, all the Department heads and members of the various Town boards and committees for their assistance over the past year.

   Respectfully submitted,

 Thomas F. Stone, Fire Chief