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2017 Fire Department Annual Reportugust 1, 2018 marked a significant milestone in our three plus year process to design and plan the expansion and remodel of our current fire station. Public policy requires a 30 day public comment period that ended on August i. During the public comment period, members of the community may make official comments on the design process and financial impacts regarding public safety improvement projects. If there is considerable resistance to the project, members of the community can petition for a public referendum on the project. During that 3o day period, the city and fire department held several meetings and open houses to provide citizens an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns regarding the project. It became obvious during this Fire Relief Association Message 2 Fire Prevention 3 Fire Reserve 3 Call Summary 4 Firefighter Retirement 5 Department Training 6 Insurance Service Office 7 CAD/Auto-Aid/Box Alarms 8 © 2018 City of Mendota Heights process that the citizens of Mendota Heights support the community and our firefighters. Nearly everyone that we spoke with indicated that they understood the need to expand and enhance the fire station and felt the cost associated with it should be considered an investment in our city. On behalf of our firefighters and our public safety team, I would like to personally thank all of you that voiced your support during this period. Your commitment to our community is evident and so appreciated! Construction on the 14,743 square foot addition and subsequent remodeling of the current station is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2019. A large addition to the north and west of the existing building will contain a new apparatus bay with a mezzanine area, training tower, administrative offices, emergency operation center, classroom, dayroom, kitchen, dorm rooms, and locker room. A smaller addition at the southwest corner of the existing building will contain two garage bays for HealthEast Ambulance Services. A small addition in the southeast corner of the existing building will contain the original Mendota Heights fire truck with some history on display. Once the administrative function of the department moves into the new space, the existing administrative space will be significantly remodeled. These areas will contain support areas for turnout gear storage, a communications room, and equipment storage. To improve firefighter health and reduce carcinogen exposure, decontamination areas will be added that will allow the firefighters to properly decontaminate and wash all of their personal protective equipment. This expansion and upgrade of the station serves the long-term needs of the Mendota Heights Fire Department by providing an efficient and modernized station designed to improve firefighter operations, response time, safety, training, and health. Chief Dave Dreelan W 11= LL A message from the Mendota Heights Fire Relief Association The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler as we, within the Mendota Heights Volunteer Fire Department, are looking forward to another beautiful fall season in our community. The Mendota Heights Fire Department has been protecting our friends and neighbors since 1947. We are a 36 -member volunteer organization made up of both Sunfish Lake and Mendota Heights residents who work full-time jobs in addition to the volunteer work we do for the fire department. Last year, firefighters willingly volunteered countless hours for training, fire prevention, meetings and responding to emergencies that help our community remain safe. Normally, at this time of year these members of the fire department visit residents and businesses in order to sell tickets to the annual Firefighter's Dance held every November. We have always enjoyed these door-to-door visits as a way to meet members of our community. Thank you for inviting us into your homes and for so graciously purchasing dance tickets, often giving more than the cost of the tickets to our community's fire relief association. Dance ticket sales have been the only department fundraiser since 1948. Over the past several years, interest in this dance has decreased. Attendance has dwindled to the point where we have made the decision to discontinue the dance in its current form. We hope to replace the dance with a community event that will be highly attended and enjoyed by all of our residents. As many of you know, planning for such an event takes time and resources. With the announcement of the planned fire station renovation this year, our resources will be focused on this building project. We encourage your feedback for future community events. As always, our team of volunteer firefighters enjoy visiting with and meeting all of our residents and will truly miss our chance to be in the community, traveling door to door, as we have over the last 70 years. Please email questions to mendotaheightsfirerelief@gmail.com. The Mendota Heights Fire Relief Association Needs Your HeID! The Mendota Heights Fire Relief Association is reaching out to the community by asking our neighbors to pledge tax- deductible financial support for our on-going community based activities. We gladly give our time, but we need your financial support to make it all come together. l00% of these fundraising efforts go directly toward supporting your local fire relief association. To donate, please mail your check, payable to the Mendota Heights Fire Relief Association, to 2121 Dodd Road, Mendota Heights, MN 55120 or donate to mendotaheightsfirerelief@ gmail.com via PayPal and Venmo. The above statement has been prepared and paid for by the Mendota Heights Fire Relief Association. Fire Prevention When thinking of a fire department, we often think of extinguishment of fires, hoses and water, and assisting those in need. While all of these aspects are part of a department, there is a fundamental attribute which is often forgotten. This is the department's focus on fire prevention and mitigation. At the Mendota Heights Fire Department we take great pride in our Fire Prevention Program. We are of the mindset that it is not only our job to put out fires, but also to prevent fires from ever happening. Afterall, a fire is much easier to extinguish if it never starts in the first place. The MHFD Fire Prevention Division has been hard at work in an effort to keep residents and visitors to Mendota Heights and the surrounding Fire Reserve communities safe. In 2017 the Fire Prevention Division hosted and was part of numerous events to raise awareness on multiple topics, including fire prevention, staying safe while in your home, and basic first aid skills. The Fire Prevention Division also hosted its first ever Citizen's Fire Academy. Through these efforts, the Fire Prevention Division made contact with approximately 1200 children and 35o adults. That is nearly 14% of the Mendota Heights population! Additionally, the Fire Prevention Division is well on its way to surpassing those numbers in 2018. If you would like to schedule a training for your group or business, or are interested in signing up for the Citizen's Academy, please contact City Hall. You likely know a fair amount about the Mendota Heights Fire Department. You've seen our big red trucks on the roads. Maybe you have a neighbor who works as a firefighter on the department. You may even have attended one of our Fire Prevention Open Houses on a crisp October afternoon. What you may not know, however, is that the Mendota Heights Fire Department includes an auxiliary "Fire Reserve" force. First conceived in 2o16, the Mendota Heights Fire Reserve group supports and supplements the department by assisting in non-precarius manners. This volunteer group - currently made up of nine retired MHFD fire fighters - assists the active membership in duties such as after -incident maintenance (i.e.: rolling hose, filling air bottles, etc.), community events, and Fire Prevention activities. They maintain these skills, much like their active firefighter counterparts, through their training department. The Reserve group also includes a Fire Reserve Captain and Secretary. Fall is a busy time for the Prevention Division, and 2018 will be no different. We hosted our annual Fire Prevention Open House in September, and you can once again expect to see us visiting with many of the local daycares, kindergartners and second graders in October during Fire Prevention Week. As always, be careful and stay safe out there! MENDOTA HEIGHTS MN FD JOHN', r„, mn M cc W m Z W 2017 Summary of Fire Calls Mendota LilySunfish Hei hts dale Mendota Lake Total g Building fire 6 0 0 0 6 Cooking fire, confined to container 4 0 0 1 5 Vehicle fire 2 0 0 0 2 Brush/grass fire 4 0 0 0 4 Dumpster/other trash receptacle fire 3 i o 0 4 Subtotals: 9 Overpressure rupture, explosion 1 0 0 o i Explosion (no fire) i o 0 o i Subtotals: ©� MedicalRescue & Emergency 20 9 0 3 32 Medical assist Motor vehicle accident with injuries 3 0 0 0 3 Extrication from vehicle 3 i o 0 4 Subtotals: Hazardous i o 0 0 1 Hazardous condition, other Combustible/flammable, other 1 0 0 o i Gasoline or other flammable liquid spill 2 0 0 0 2 Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 8 i o 0 9 Chemical spill or leak i o 0 0 1 Carbon monoxide incident 4 0 1 0 5 Electrical/wiring/equipment problem i o 0 0 1 Powerline down 4 i o 0 5 Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 4 0 0 0 4 Vehicle accident, general cleanup 1 0 0 o i Subtotals: TOTAL CALLS 3O3 4: MENDOTA HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT Mendota Sunfish Heights Lilydale Mendota Lake Total Smoke or odor removal 2 0 0 0 2 Assist police 1 0 0 0 1 Subtotals: ... Intent Call 18 2 0 0 20 Good intent call, other Dispatched and cancelled en route 55 9 1 3 68 Authorized controlled burn 1 0 0 0 1 Smoke scare, odor of smoke 6 1 1 3 11 Steam, vapor, fog thought to be smoke 1 0 0 0 1 HazMat release investigation 3 0 0 0 3 Subtotals: False Alarm and False Call 15 0 2 0 17 Unintentional - commercial Unintentional - residential 28 6 1 5 40 Malfunction - commercial 13 1 2 0 16 Malfunction - residential 7 1 3 4 15 Malicious, false call 1 1 0 0 2 Subtotals: .• 1 • • Totals: 225 34 Of the 303 total calls, 14 were mutual aid calls to other cities. n years past, the annual report has featured firefighters that have retired the year before and have had their retirement recognized at the following year's Retirement and Awards Dinner. Well, last year was a little different in that the retirement of long time Chief John Maczko occurred at the end of Feb. 2017 and he was also recognized at that year's recognition dinner due to the ailing health FirefiLyhter Retirement of his father, Paul Maczko (also a 20 year firefighter on the Mendota Heights Fire Department who passed away in August of this year). In any case, we want to fully recognize the retirement, as well as the incredible dedication of time and effort that John Maczko has put forth over the past 39 years to the firefighters and residents of the cities that we protect. John Maczko joined the department in 1978, climbed the ladder of leadership posts and became a chief officer (Assistant Chief) back in 1984 and finally, achieved the top position of Chief in December, 1985• Over his career, Chief Maczko has balanced the needs and concerns of the firefighters, the city and of course the residents as our department has progressively moved forward. The safety and wellbeing of the firefighters was D Z Z C D r always priority #1. If you were an officer under Chief Maczko, you knew that at the end of the day, everything had to be done to make certain that the firefighters who had come to the call, or to drill, would be going back home later, safe. At times it meant adapting how we did things, at times it meant going to the City to request money to repair equipment, and at times it meant going to the City to request to purchase equipment to make the firefighters' jobs safer -but as a firefighter, you knew he always had our back. Today Chief Maczko has retired from active firefighting but has not left entirely, he has now joined the newly formed Mendota Heights Fire Department Reserves program. Thank you once again for all of the time and commitment that you have shown this community for the past 39 years! ANNUAL REPORT: 5 Z LU ryQ a LU D Training Department The Mendota Heights training search and rescue, water rescue, auto a number of firefighters attended a department strives to provide extrication, tactics and fire ground day -long course about the latest science high quality training to all of the members of the department. In Worder to meet or exceed local, state and federal standards, firefighters must train frequently and on a wide range of topics. As LL in any profession, the environment changes rapidly, and the same is true in firefighting. To keep up with the most current science and methods, our training is continuously changing. Every year we train in several areas such as fire suppression, communications. While these topics consume the majority of our training, we do get the opportunity to learn about special topics. With the help of a federal grant, we had the privilege to have a guest speaker from Century College present about the increased risk of cancer to firefighters. Not only did he have significant knowledge about cancer, he provided his first-hand experiences and ways for firefighters to prevent it. Additionally, Department Training Hours 2017 2654 rlOJrs 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 Average Training Hours Per Firefighter 2017 79 Hours o 10 20 30 40 50 6o 70 8o 6: MENDOTA HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT and methods for attacking basement fires. This type of fire can be particularly dangerous and difficult to control. We also sent firefighters to a special auto - extrication class that focused on the particular challenges provided when extricating accident victims from today's hi -tech cars, including electric and hybrid vehicles. By providing our firefighters with robust refresher training on their basic skills, opportunities to keep current with the latest operational advancements, and partnering with other departments and agencies when the situation requires, we can provide our community the skilled and prepared emergency response services they expect to receive when they call 9-1-1. In 2017, a total of 72 scheduled training sessions were completed, equaling an average of 79 hours of training per firefighter. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to train in some acquired structures. Firefighters spent many hours working on fire ground skills that you cannot simulate at the station. 2018 brought us the opportunity to modify our training schedule to better suit our needs. The new schedule allows the firefighters more flexibility and opportunities to build on their proficiencies. Specialized Trainin Though the department trains thoroughly for the most commonly encountered situations, there are certain specialized skills that are not practical to train all firefighters on. To fill some of those gaps, the department relies on the Dakota County Special Operations Team (DCSOT). The DCSOT is a cooperative effort of public safety agencies in Dakota County. The DCSOT is currently operational with a focus on incidents involving Hazardous Materials, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Technical Rope Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Trench Rescue, and Structural Collapse Rescue. The team consists of 36 members from police, fire and EMS agencies within Dakota County. Team members operate as highly skilled rescuers, while ensuring crime scene preservation and the tactical safety of those involved in the incident. The Dakota County Special Operations Team is available to assist agencies within Dakota County with incidents that require additional resources or specialized skills. Mendota Heights Firefighter Dan Johnson was the most recently selected member of the department to be part of the Dakota County Special Operations Team (DCSOT). I.S.O. Insurance Service Office In the fall of 2017, the City of Mendota Heights went through an analysis of the structural fire suppression delivery system provided by the Fire Department. This process was a very extensive and comprehensive evaluation of the department's ability to provide fire protection to the community. The evaluation required countless hours of preparation by our fire fighters and city staff focused on several key areas: Needed Fire Flows (the amount of water that is available to extinguish fires in the buildings in our community) Emergency Communications (including emergency reporting, telecommunications and dispatching systems) Fire Department Operations (including equipment, staffing, training, placement of the station, response times, and overall operations) Water Supply (including inspection and flow testing of our hydrants and the pumping capacity of our fire trucks) ISO is an independent company that provides communities and fire departments with information about risks. ISO collects information about municipal fire suppression efforts in communities throughout the United States. In each of the communities, ISO analyzes all of the information and assigns a PPC (Public Protection Classification) grade. The grade is on a scale from 1-1o. A Class 1 rating is an exemplary rating and is usually a very large urban fire department. There are only 241 M M M G) I M ;a D Z Z G) Class 1 departments in the United States. A class 10 rating is given to a department that does not meet the ISO minimum criteria. The Mendota Heights Fire Department received a Class 4 rating. Given the size and operational model of our fire department, we are very pleased with this classification. This rating includes all of our fire suppression districts: Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, Mendota, and Lilydale. A community's investment in this program is a proven and reliable predictor of a department's ability to limit future fire loss. This statistical data on insurance loss predicts the relationship between fire protection services and fire loss. The insurance companies can use this information for underwriting to help establish fair premiums for homeowners and commercial fire insurance premiums. Therefore, communities with lower fire ratings have a better chance to have lower insurance premiums assuming all other factors are equal. Thank you to our Chief Officers, Captains, Training Officer and all of the members of the Mendota Heights Fire Department for their hard work at being able to reach the Class 4 rating for the entire district. ANNUAL REPORT: 7 City of Mendota Heights PRSRT STD Fire Department U.S. Postage iioi Victoria Curve PAID Permit #32324 Mendota Heights, MN 55118 Twin Cities, MN FD www.mendota-heights.com echnology continues to improve the level of service provided by public safety. Over the past year, the Mendota Heights Fire Department has improved efficiency when responding to emergencies by taking advantage of dispatch technology known as CAD or Computer Aided Dispatch. Computer tablets have been installed in the front- line fire engines to improve response effectiveness by giving firefighters accurate and updated information while en route to an emergency. Emergency addresses, GPS mapping, fire hydrant location, and reporting party contact numbers are just some of the valuable information firefighters now have access to with the click of a computer screen. The fire engine tablets also have GPS tracking that indicates the exact location of each unit and can dispatch resources to an emergency based on the closest unit available, thus improving response times. The Mendota Heights Fire Department has gone live with Automatic Mutual Aid or Auto -Aid. During large-scale emergencies, it is common for public CAD/Auto-Ai ******ECRWSS****** POSTAL CUSTOMER ox Alarms safety to rely on our neighboring communities for assistance with resources and personnel. In fact, all the communities in Dakota County take part in a mutual aid program which is an agreement to send resources or request resources from neighboring communities, whenever needed. The Auto -Aid program is designed to automatically dispatch resources from our neighbors on certain large-scale emergencies. This program helps reduce response times and ensures that help arrives when needed. Auto -Aid utilizes Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) to request the response of neighboring fire units based on geographical location to the emergency. In most cases, we receive Auto -Aid from Inver Grove Heights, Eagan or South Metro Fire, but resources could come from any community in Dakota County. In addition to receiving Auto -Aid, Mendota Heights Fire also responds to Auto -Aid requests from neighboring communities. The mutual aid and Auto -Aid programs increase the level of service provided by public safety agencies in all communities within Dakota County. Mendota Heights Fire has also created Box - Alarm assignments for requesting resources. The term "box alarm" dates to when fire boxes were located around cities to notify the fire department of an emergency. Before telephones, cell phones and gii were readily available, citizens would have to locate a fire box, usually on a street corner, and pull the box which sent a signal to the fire department notifying them there was an emergency near that specific fire box. The box alarm system ensured the appropriate apparatus response by pre -determining which fire units would respond to any given box. Today, box alarms are rarely used since emergencies can be reported by telephone or cell phone, but we still use the term in similar fashion to ensure the correct apparatus response to each emergency. By creating box alarm assignments, we can pre -determine a list of apparatus response required depending on the severity of the incident. A fire incident starts with one box alarm and can increase to a 2nd, 3rd or 4th alarm based on the size and severity of the incident. Each alarm will request and assign a pre- determined list of resources required to mitigate the emergency. A 2nd, 3rd and 4th alarm fire will request resources from our neighboring communities as part of the Dakota County Mutual Aid Agreement. By creating box alarms, we decrease response times and ensure that the appropriate resources are requested and responded to when needed.