mountain view fire rescue - 2013 annual report | colorado
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Welcome! Calendar year 2013 proved interesting; from wildfires, unprecedented flooding to improving services to our residents and citizens and the surrounding communities. The experiences have allowed us to grow from a diverse and dynamic fire department to a better suited all hazards emergency services organization.TRANSCRIPT
The rare occurrence brought fast and furi-ous rainfall. Flash-flood watches were issued, area streets became impassable, motorists were trapped in their cars, and homeowners watched as water levels continued to rise and fast-moving creeks swelled to the size of rivers. As warnings were issued for residents to move to higher ground, search and rescue efforts were launched.
Fully mobilized, Mountain View Fire Rescue (MVFR) crews efficiently and resourcefully responded to each emergency. On Thursday, September 12th, MVFR was dispatched to nearly 50 calls that included medical services, water rescues, basements flooding, smoke and gas odor investigations, traffic accidents and evacuations. This was in addition to calls re-ceived directly from the Carbon Valley Emer-gency Operations Center. Multiple swift wa-ter rescues were successfully executed by the MVFR Tech Rescue Team. With a number of communities in the District evacuated, four shelters were set up to support displaced fami-lies. MVFR also issued multiple safety warn-ings and updates to keep District residents informed.
Stretches of major roadways and neighbor-hood streets were washed away. MVFR or-
ganized the efforts to transport large capac-ity pumps from St. Louis. The pumps were deployed in the full-scale excavation efforts to divert water and help minimize damage to property so residents could return home as quickly as possible.
One of the most dramatic moments occurred when three MVFR firefighters pulled Long-mont resident Erin Brazzil from her car, which had been overtaken by floodwaters near the north entrance to the Boulder County Fair-grounds parking lot. They were able to extri-cate Brazzil from the nearly submerged ve-hicle. A fire medic then used MVFR’s Jet Ski to safely bring Brazzil to a waiting Longmont fire engine, which transported her to Long-mont United Hospital. The MVFR firefighters were present at the opening day of the Colo-rado Legislature’s 2014 session to be honored by Colorado Representative and Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino for their “ingenuity and bravery.”
MVFR provided free bottled water to shel-ters and Carbon Valley residents returning to their homes. As part of the rebuilding process, MVFR has participated in a number of efforts to mitigate flood damage, as well as com-
munity outreach programs, including the Rise up Colorado Food Drive.
District residents and businesses in Dacono, Del Camino, Erie, Mead, Niwot and unincor-porated areas of Boulder and Weld counties gratefully acknowledged the support provided during the floods and MVFR’s ongoing com-mitment to “Making a Difference in the Lives of Others.”
Year-In-Review Special Report2013 Flood Disaster - Flood Statistics
What began as showers on Monday, September 9th, quickly escalated to days of violent
weather that would be described as “a 100-year flood” and “a 1,000-year rain.”
100 Year Flood
“Can’t tell you how proud and
honored I am to work with all
of you.”Battalion Chief Mike Lee
A Message From Chief Lawley
Mark A. Lawley Fire Chief
I’m pleased to inform you that we contin-ue to make significant strides in improved emergency services to all of you. Moun-tain View Fire Rescue (MVFR) annually establishes goals directly related to meet-ing and improving service demands. This, coupled with sound business principles and practices, has allowed MVFR to look beyond traditional fire service practices to create a dynamic and functional op-eration. MVFR has worked diligently to transition its business practices into a hybrid system. By taking the positive as-pects of government, sound private sec-tor practices and abstract problem solv-ing methods, we have created superior emergency and non-emergency services and products.
Less than 5 years ago MVFR’s finan-cial condition was less than satisfactory. Today, MVFR has been able to allocate a significant portion of its annual oper-ating budget to needed infrastructure, personnel and programs without addi-tional burden to the taxpayer. A philoso-phy of pay as you go has allowed MVFR to build up financial reserves. More im-portantly, MVFR realizes that unique solutions to fiscal and service demands are required in order to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. We have a bright, enthusiastic and well educated work force committed to working on solutions to ad-dress today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Furthermore, MVFR has taken advantage of opportunities to seek alternative fund-ing. Over the past five years we have ob-tained grants and private donations in excess of 1.5 million dollars. MVFR has also created a Foundation to raise funds to assist with community education pro-grams and eventually capital project needs. Of course, MVFR owns and oper-ates its own ambulance service, and col-lects revenue from those services to offset business costs. As MVFR advances its agenda to improve service in an effective and efficient manner, we have created an environment that allows us to look ab-
stractly for sound fiscal and operational solutions to providing quality service.
Additionally, MVFR has taken on oth-er tasks to improve service and lower home and business owner fire insur-ance ratings. Late last year, MVFR re-ceived a reduction in its Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating from a Public Protection Class (PPC) 5/9 to a 4/9 and then a 3/9 with further reduc-tion anticipated in 2014.
For the past two years, MVFR has worked to obtain National Accreditation through the Center For Public Safety Ex-cellence (CPSE). The (CPSE) states, “Ac-creditation Program, administered by the Commission on Fire Accreditation Inter-national (CFAI) reflects a comprehensive self-assessment and evaluation model that enables fire and emergency service organizations to examine their service levels and performance and compare them to industry best practices. This pro-cess leads to improved service delivery by helping fire departments to:
• Determine community risk and safety needs;• Evaluate the performance of the department;• Establish a method for achieving continuous organizational improvement.”
MVFR was accredited in August 2013.
We realize there is no one action or solution that is going to address all our challenges. Our recent history has shown that we are committed and de-termined to seek out and create the necessary business tools and process-es to address today’s and tomorrow’s service demands.
Best regards,Mark A. Lawley Fire Chief
Dear Community Member,
Explosions
2 5223
Structure Fires
3035352525
Trash Fires
2135373537
Vehicle Fires
2225372840
Wildland, Grass& Crop Fires
68929196
122
Other Fires
59
101
71
4948
Service Calls &Good Intentions
66
66
81 74
6
66
15
92
False Alarms
25
52
39 24
0
20
52
21
EmergencyMedical Calls
1,8
26
1,8
39
1,9
00
1,76
51,
57
3
Extrications& Rescues
7 2981016
HazardousMaterials
988495 9670
Colored bars are not exact correlative proportions.
TotalEmergency Calls
3,5
82
3,6
51
3,7
39
3,31
83,
25
3 2013 CALLBREAKDOWN
1,900 Emergency Medical Calls
746 Service Calls & Good intentions
523 Motor Vehicle Accidents
240 False Alarms
29 Extrications & Rescues
59 Fires, Other
96 Hazardous Materials
68 Wildland, Grass & Crop Fires
30 Structure Fires
21 Trash Fires
22 Vehicle Fires
5 Explosions
Motor VehicleAccidents
44
0
52
7
52
3
44
250
7
FIRE EMERGENCY CALLS
ALL OTHER EMERGENCY CALLS
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
2013 Emergency Response Statistics
• MVFR earned accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation Inter-national and the Center for Public Safety Excellence in August 2013.
• InsuranceServiceOfficeRating(ISO)wasloweredtoa3/9froma4/9inNovember2013.
• Maintainingsuperiorfinancialmanagementandfocusingonwhatismostrelevanttocommunities in the District, MVFR intro-duced Priority Based Budgeting to continue to operate on a single mill levy to District taxpayers.
• TrainingwasincreasedforspecializedgroupswithinMVFR,includingtheWild-land,TechnicalRescueandHazardousMaterialsdivisions.
• In October, Fire Prevention Month, the Com-munity Outreach team made kitchen safety and bunker gear presentations to more than 1,500students.
• IncollaborationwiththeZoll&MeadBoost-er Club, MVFR Donated eight automated externaldefibrillators(AEDs)toschoolsintheDistrict.
• Morethan200individualswerecertifiedincardiopulmonaryresuscitation(CPR)andfirstaidtraining.
• MVFR continued to take an active role in localcommunityorganizations,suchasCar-bon Valley Rotary, Carbon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Erie Chamber of Commerce, MeadChamberofCommerce,NiwotCom-munityAssociationandmetwithrepresen-
tativesoftheTowns,Cityandjurisdictionsit serves.
• The Barnyard Safety Buddies education pro-gramwashonoredasFireandLifeSafetyEducators 2013 Program of the Year.
• MVFRcompletedconstructiononanewstationalongHighway119aspartofitslong-term plans to better serve the residents alongthe119corridorandforquickeraccessto I-25.
• TheMVFRadministrationofficemovedtoamoreconvenientlocation,whichbettermeetstheneedsofthestaffandoffersthepotential for expansion.
Attendance at Events
CommunityOutreachPrograms&Objectives
LongandShort-TermDistrictGoalsAchievedin2013
MVFRprogramsandprojectsprovideopportunitiestosharethefiresafetymessage.Educationaloutreachistailoredtospecificaudiences:children,adultsandseniorsliving,learningandworkingintheDistrict.
• AEDsinSchoolsprovideschoolswithautomatedexternaldefibrillators(AEDs)and the training to prepare schools for the unexpected.
• Smoke Alarm Program keeps homes and businesses in the communities safe by ensuring life saving devices, such as smoke alarms,areingoodworkingorder.
• Sparky the Fire Safety Dog creatively teacheschildrenfireandlifesafetytips,includinghowtoescapeduringafire,whatasmokealarmsoundslikeandwhattodowhentheyhearit,aswellasdeliversothersafetylessonsthatcansavelives.
• Engine10sharesthehistoryofthefireservicewithcommunitymembers.
• 9HealthFairsmakecitizensawareoftheimportance of being actively involved in theirownhealthcare.
• CarSeatProgramclarifiesColoradocarseatlawsandexplainsmethodsforkeeping children safely restrained in a vehicle.
• Station/ApparatusToursshowthe
communityhowpreparedtheDistrictisforemergenciesandconveyfireandlifesafetymessages.
• BacktoSchoolCrosswalkProgramallowsMVFRfirefighterstoassistinthecrosswalksatlocalschoolstoteachstudentshowtosafelycrossstreets.
• FirePreventionWeek/Monthemphasizesnationalfireandlifesafetymessagestopreschool through 3rd grade students duringthemonthofOctober.
• Senior Blood Pressure Checks help seniors activelyparticipateintheirownhealthcare.
• CPR/FirstAidClassesprovidetrainingandcertificationsocitizensarebetterpreparedfortheunexpected.
• FileofLifeassistscrewstoefficientlyandquicklydeliverexcellentservicetocustomersthathavespecialmedicalneeds.
• Barnyard Safety Buddies mobile program brings essential safety messages to children ages 2 to 8 years old.
Raisingawarenessbyhelpingthepublicunderstandwhatcancauseafireandwhattodoincaseofafireisthekeytopreventingfires.During2013,itisestimatedthatapproximately34,600people attended and participated in specialeventsorganizedorsponsoredbyMountainViewFireRescue.
Community Service
Programs
• Fired up for Food Drive• MuscularDystrophyAssociation(MDA)Campaign• GiveCancertheBoot• Holiday Toy Drive • Annual Mead Pancake Breakfast• Christmas for the Troops
MVFR proudly supports thesecommunityevents:
Accomplishments for 2013
4,186,954 Real Property Tax From Boulder
269,875 Miscellaneous Fees
452,638 Wildland
975,559 EMS Charges
500,000 Specific Ownership Tax Weld
202,000 Specific Ownership Tax Boulder
7,402,992 Real Property Tax From Weld
2013 REVENUE
35,900 Firefighter Health & Safety
5,145,375 Firefighting
341,582 Community Outreach
68,288 Fire Prevention
37,238 Communications
403,096 Training
494,639 Fleet Maintenance
199,360 Wildland / Rescue
2,423,999 EMS
747,364 Stations & Grounds
4,080,717 Administration
2013 EXPENDITURES
STATION
STATION
STATION
STATION
STATION
STATION
MVFR District3 minutes5 minutes7 minutes10 minutes
RESPONSETIMES
PLATTEVILLE
ERIE
FORTLUPTON
BOULDER
LONGMONT
MEAD
NIWOT FREDERICK
85
36
287
2566
52
7
119
STATION
FinancialReport&Stations
FirePrevention&TrainingReport
Engine Company Inspection ProgramIn2013,811inspectionswereassignedwith754completedbytheEngineCompanyand34completedbyFirePreventionpersonnel.7inspectionswerecompletedbytheoccupantonself-inspection.
16Inspectionswere“NoContact”(unabletocontactanoccupant).
95reinspectionswereconducted,with23ofthembeingconductedbythePreventionDivisionforadditionalfollowup.
INSPECTIONS
IN2013811
PlansReviewedby Jurisdiction
Construction/Remodel/TenantFinish 32
Extinguishing System 2
FireAlarmSystem&Alteration19
Commercial Site 46
Oil&Gas6
Other 44
Residential Site 55
Sprinkler System - Commercial 29
Sprinkler System - Residential 17
Subdivision-Commercial/Mixed 3
Subdivision - Residential 31
Technical 25
WaterSystem/Utility 1
Total 310
Boulder County 73
Dacono 26
Erie 78
Mead 37
WeldCounty87
Other 9
Total 310
ReviewA total of 310 plans were received for review in 2013. This is an increase of 62 from what we received for review in 2012.
Annual Business Inspections 34
Building Construction 32
Extinguishing System 2
Fire Alarm System 17
Hydrant Test 1
Reinspection/Referral 23
Special40
Sprinkler System - Commercial 33
Sprinkler System – Residential 40
Technical 8
Total 232
Prevention Division Inspections“Special” inspections are complaints, incident response, Knox box installations/key changes, special requests, new businesses, special events, home fire safety survey, fire drills, or subdivision access.
“Technical” inspections are specialized, seasonal, or not very common inspections such as those associated with a change in use, fireworks, fire pumps, spray booths, fuel tanks.
Fire Marshal Penfold conducted one Fire Extinguisher Class with 7 participants.
Fire Training Hours
16,270.75
16,586.25
26,831.50
2013 Board of DirectorsMountain View Fire Rescue is governed by a citizen-elected Board of Directors.
All members elected to board positions reside within the boundaries of the District. The Board of Directors meets on a monthly basis.
ScottLyle President
Four-year term end-ing May 2014 Lives
in Erie
Jerrod Vanlandingham
Vice President Four-year term
ending May 2016, Lives in Erie
Debra Brodhead
Treasurer Four-year term
ending May 2016, Lives in Mead
Mike Rangel
Secretary Four-year term
ending May 2014, Lives in Dacono
Joe Baker
Assistant Secre-tary/Treasurer Four-year term
ending May 2016, Lives in Dacono
3561N.StagecoachRd.#200 Longmont,CO80504 (303)772-0710 mvfpd.org