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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014/02/03 - ADMIN - Minutes - Fire Civil Service Commission - Regular FIRE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MINUTES February 3, 2014 – 8:30 a.m. FIRE STATION 1 CONFERENCE ROOM 1) The meeting was called to order at 8:35 a.m. by President Lee. 2) In attendance were Commissioners David Lee, Bill MacMillan, and Jim Rhodes. Also present were Ali Fosse, HR Coord/Staff Liaison; Steve Koering, Fire Chief; Mark Windschitl and Rodger Coppa, Assistant Chiefs; and Eric Curran-Bakken, Local 993 Union President. 3) Commissioner MacMillan was named President of the Commission in accordance with state statute. 4) A motion was made by President MacMillan, seconded by Commissioner Lee, to appoint Commissioner Rhodes as Secretary of the Commission. Motion carried unanimously. 5) A motion was made by Secretary Rhodes, seconded by Commissioner Lee, to approve the minutes from the December 18, 2013 meeting. Motion carried unanimously. 6) Assistant Chief Coppa presented the internal Fire Captain promotional process and the Commissioners reviewed the list of 6 candidates on the eligibility roster. Although there are no current vacancies for the position of Captain, anticipated retirements in the upcoming several months may result in a vacancy. A motion was made by Secretary Rhodes, seconded by Commissioner Lee to approve the Fire Captain Eligibility Roster and certify the top three names: Steve Powers, Shawn Glapa, and Eric Curran-Bakken. Motion carried unanimously. 7) Discussion about anticipated future vacancies continued. As there are multiple expected retirements in 2014, Commissioner Lee asked if the Commission could certify another name on the Firefighter Eligibility Roster to speed the hiring process. The Commission and Union were supportive of this move, as long as it was understood that the first hire must be made from names 1, 2, or 3 on the roster. A motion was made by Commissioner Lee, seconded by Secretary Rhodes to certify the next name on the Firefighter Eligibility Roster: Tony Hanson. Motion carried unanimously. 8) Chief Koering presented his first annual report (attached). Highlights include a statistical review of 2013 with fewer structure fires and increased medical calls. A review of major 2013 fires/incidents was presented, including a well-publicized incident where our staff heroically saved the lives of three children by pulling them from a car submerged in a freezing holding pond. Other areas of discussion were education, technology, training, and staffing. In the future, Commissioners have requested to have a copy of the Chief’s Report prior to the meeting. 9) The next meeting will be held at Fire Station 2. The Commission adjourned at 9:46 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Ali Fosse City Staff Liaison to the Fire Civil Service Commission Fire Civil Service Commission Report Steve Koering: Fire Chief I. Introduction I would like to share with the Commission the following report of the Fire Department’s activities in Fiscal Year 2013. II. Fire Statistics 2013 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Structure Fires 83 61 61 96 57 84 76 66 Other Fires 58 71 46 68 37 53 64 48 Rescue/Emergency Medical 3,032 2,959 3,200 3,140 3,206 3,078 3,117 3,360 False Alarms 322 314 293 270 325 288 278 296 Mutual Aid Given 61 62 67 64 76 60 70 84 Mutual Aid Received * 29* 26* 27* 22* 36* 45* 25* 31 HCFIT Response (Aid Given) 4 8 1 9 N/A 3 5 6 Hazmat Responses 74 76 77 77 85 74 88 95 Other Hazardous Responses 80 111 66 57 108 101 57 110 All Other Responses 540 619 654 657 578 597 683 588 Total 4,252 4,273 4,464 4,429 4,472 4,335 4,433 4,647 * Mutual Aid Received number is not to be included in Total Total calls for 2013 were up due to an increase in the number of emergency medicals. Major fire incidents were down. Medicals have increased to over 70% of our call volume. III. Major Fires/Incidents in 2013 March 18, 2013 – 1351 Hampshire Ave S At 1002 hours, Fire and Police units responded to 1351 Hampshire, in reference to a water flow alarm. While en-route, we received an update from Dispatch that there was smoke coming from Apt. 209 per Police. Upon arrival, crews went to #209, observed smoke in the hallway and made entry into the unit. We determined the sprinkler system had put the fire out, completed a search of the apartment, and started salvage and overhaul. We pulled the toilet from the bathroom floor to assist in extricating a large amount of water. Crews also completed salvage and overhaul in the apartments directly below Apt. 209. The fire was contained to the room of origin, but there appeared to be significant smoke and water damage throughout the unit. Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal Smith made contact with building management and the renter. Chief Smith provided management with a notice of hazardous conditions form as well as several correction orders. After that, the Fire Marshal turned the unit over to building management. All Fire units cleared. SMP Damage was estimated at $55,000 St. Louis Park Fire Department February 3, 2014 April 10, 2013 – 2504 Pennsylvania Ave S with three exposure reports At 1604 hours, Fire units responded to 2504 Pennsylvania S, in reference to the report of a garage fire. Upon arrival E2 observed smoke and fire from the A side of an unattached garage. Crew 2 pulled preconnect lines from E2 for exposure protection and fire suppression. Additional SLPFD personnel arrived on-scene along with mutual aid companies to assist with exposure protection and fire suppression. The fire was knocked down and crews completed salvage and overhaul of the structure, extinguishing any hotspots. The residence associated with the involved garage, or the A side exposure, suffered damage to the exterior siding and a window. The B and C side exposures also suffered damage to exterior walls. Also, as a result of the fire, a boat that was being stored outside the unit of origin on the C-side was damaged extensively. Fire Marshal Smith and LT Schlegel completed a fire investigation and then turned the home over to the homeowner. Fire Marshal Smith will add his investigation report to this fire report once completed. All SLPFD units cleared. SMP Damage was estimated at $65,000 Exposure #1: 2510 Pennsylvania Ave S: Fire units responded to an unattached garage fire at 2504 Pennsylvania S. Upon arrival crews pulled lines, worked to put the fire out, and worked to protected exposures on the A, B, and C sides of the structure. As a result of the original garage fire the residence at 2510 Pennsylvania or the B side exposure suffered some damage to the exterior of the building. SMP Damage was estimated at $5,000 Exposure #2: 7619 Cedar Lake Rd: Fire units responded to an unattached garage fire at 2504 Pennsylvania S. Upon arrival crews pulled lines, worked to put the fire out, and worked to protected exposures on the A, B, and C sides of the structure. As a result of the original garage fire the residence at 7619 Cedar Lake Rd or C side exposure suffered some damage to the exterior of the building. SMP Damage was estimated at $5,000 Exposure #3: 2504 Pennsylvania Ave S: (house): Fire units responded to an unattached garage fire at 2504 Pennsylvania S. Upon arrival crews pulled lines, worked to put the fire out, and worked to protected exposures on the A, B, and C sides of the structure. As a result of the original garage fire the residence at 2504 Pennsylvania or the A side exposure suffered some damage to the exterior C-side of the building. The interior was checked for fire extension and none was found. SMP Damage was estimated at $30,000 July 18, 2013 – 600 Highway 169 At 1037 Fire units responded to 600 Hwy 169, in reference to the report of a possible fire in an electrical room in the basement garage area. While en-route, Captain 33 requested a general alarm for staffing. Upon arrival Captain 33 took command and spoke to maintenance employees, who told us there was a possible fire in the electrical room in the garage with heavy smoke. At this point Captain 33 requested a full 1st alarm assignment for staffing and Chief 3 assumed command. Fire crews made entry into the garage area and found the affected electrical room. In the hallway there was considerable smoke and it was observed that the sheetrock in the wall was cracked with the door frame leaning forward. At this point we laid hand lines to the door with the help of mutual aid companies and then crews made entry to the room. No active fire was found in the room. The building was evacuated as a precaution and also was ventilated with the assistance of mutual aid companies. Mutual aid companies also assisted with rehab and any other tasks as directed by command. Xcel responded and controlled power to the building as directed by command. After the area was ventilated, the building was turned over to maintenance. All fire units cleared and command was terminated. SMP Damage estimates not available September 6, 2013 – 6860 Excelsior Blvd At 2324 hours, Fire Units responded to a call for a fire in the laundry room with people trapped in the building. Fire arrived with heavy smoke showing and decided to shelter in place and advanced a hand line into the building. Members found the fire and knocked it down. Additional crews removed smoke and did a primary search of the building, once the smoke was removed, members removed nine people from their units without any injuries. Hopkins Chief 1 began the investigation and Park Chief 5 started the Hennepin County Fire Investigation Team. Command was turned over to Chief 5 during the investigation and fire units cleared. DW Chief 5 Supplemental Report: Tenants were assisted by building management with finding temporary units within the complex. Hennepin County Fire Investigation Team (HCFIT) was notified, as well as Hennepin County Sheriffs Crime Lab. A phone call was received from Mark Armstrong representing HCFIT lead to cancellation of the county team and notification of the State Fire Marshal. Crime Lab was also cleared. Ron Raymond from State Fire Marshal's office was called and said to secure the property and the investigation would be done in the a.m. Tenant names and contact information were collected to facilitate any interviews and investigation. Chief 5 worked with Rescue 1 crew and building management to secure the building. Chief 5 met Investigator Raymond and building management at the property at approximately 0700 on September 7. Investigator Raymond completed his investigation and property was turned over to management. Inspection Department was notified and Inspector Jasmer was given management's contact information. A CD with photos from Investigator Raymond was turned over to Assistant Chief Smith. Damage was estimated at $110,000 November 21, 2013 – Highway 100 & Highway 7 At 0610 hours, Fire Units were called for a possible vehicle in the storm water pond. Initial response included Engine 1, Engine 4 and Utility 1 to provide the departments full complement of rescue equipment at the scene. En-route Police advised four children trapped in the vehicle. A general alarm was called, second ambulance and HCMC supervisor was requested. Utility 1 and Engine 1 arrived at about 06:15:30 to find two adults standing on a completely submerged car in the still water of the pond; Hennepin County Water Patrol was requested and Dispat ch responded that they had been contacted. Two life jackets were thrown toward the standing adults falling short. One Firefighter and one Fire Captain geared up with cold water protection equipment while one Firefighter swam out to the vehicle unprotected. Law enforcement tethered a line to the protected Firefighter who made entry as Engine 4 was arriving on scene. Engine 4 Lieutenant exited Engine 4 fully geared up in protective equipment and proceeded to make entry. Fire Captain completed gear up in an older model exposure suit with assistance of Engine 4 driver; command was transferred to Engine 4 driver who unintentionally remained both command and primary line tender supervising assisting law enforcement during the rescue phase of the operation. Fire Captain made entry as the two adults were brought to shore by tethered Firefighter and law enforcement officers pulling. Law enforcement led the adults to an ambulance. The female adult was identified as the driver and guardian of the missing children while the male adult was a good Samaritan who attempted to reach the children and then kept the female calm awaiting rescue. The unprotected Firefighter had attempted to make entry to the vehicle, however was unable to locate an entry point in the cold water. After successfully reassuring the adults and keeping the vehicle marked, the unprotected Firefighter was ordered back to shore to find a warm location. Significant effort was spent attempting to determine the orientation of the vehicle. It was determined to be a four door sedan facing an easterly direction. An open driver's window was located. With the roof of the vehicle approximately 3 feet below the surface of the water attempts to reach into the vehicle head first were thwarted by the buoyancy of the protective equipment. The tethered Firefighter made blind sweeps of the vehicle with his legs to extend reach. A victim was located and worked toward the window until reachable by hand where the victim became stuck. The Fire Captain made effort to reach under water to release the victim's leg from the entrapment. The victim was passed off to the Lieutenant who swam the patient to shore. The Firefighter resumed leg sweeps of the vehicle. First child was handed off to law enforcement who transferred the child to the paramedics. The female adult and good Samaritan were moved to Engine 1 from the ambulance. The unprotected Firefighter who had been warming up in the ambulance then assisted Paramedics with first child on scene and subsequently all the way to hospital. The tethered Firefighter located a second child and handed off to the Fire Captain who swam the second child to shore. The tethered Firefighter continued leg sweeps. The second child was delivered to law enforcement (almost knee deep in water and mud) who delivered the child to Paramedics. Ladder 1 arrived about this time (approximately 06:29:10). The arriving officer, who had intended to take fire command, was immediately pressed into service to assist paramedics with CPR. Concurrently the third child was pulled from the car and rescuers were then in the best position to have the tethered Firefighter pulled to shore by law enforcement. Transfer of a child was made for the third time up the hill to waiting Paramedics. Remaining two rescuers were unable to make further contact and a reluctant decision to start breaking glass in the murky water was made. A window punch was delivered to the tethered Firefighter who then broke the driver's side rear passenger window, cleared it and began making leg sweeps. The Fire Captain took the window punch and then broke out the rear window of the vehicle. As the Captain and Lieutenant cleared out the glass, the tethered Firefighter located a fourth child who was removed from the vehicle. The tethered Firefighter was again pulled to shore. At this time the rescuers were still presuming four children missing and now removed from the vehicle. Command relayed four children out to Dispatch in an attempt to time stamp the progress. While rescuers were attempting a secondary search of the vehicle and standing by for further instruction from shore, Utility 2 had arrived and were gearing up two back-up Firefighters in protective equipment. It was determined the Fire Lieutenant needed to leave the water and the subsequent intention was to have the back-up crew provide relief if needed. Upon the three rescuers reaching shore, the fire Lieutenant mad a request of officers as to the total victim count. After checking the State Patrol advised there may be a fifth child missing. As the back-up crew was not yet quite ready, the initial crew headed back to the vehicle. The Fire Captain paused to ensure EMS was aware of the possible fifth victim; by the time he caught up, a fifth child was located in the vehicle. Law enforcement again pulled the tethered Firefighter to shore. It was confirmed that there would be no further victims to locate and Dispatch was then advised a fifth child had been pulled from the vehicle; this time stamp was made into the Dispatch system at about 06:42. Once protected rescuers had made entry at about the time of Engine 4's arrival, the rescue operation had been pulling victims out of the water at an approximate rate of one every 3.5 minutes and follow up crews continued to be pressed into EMS service. Each ambulance departing the scene had at least one and sometimes two Firefighters assisting en-route to the hospital. This resulted in Ladder 1 actually having no crew on scene; a responding Squad 6 crew assumed responsibility for Ladder 1. Ambulances departing the scene with only one Firefighter utilized Police Officers or State Troopers as another set of hands. Chief 5 arrived at 06:44 to observe that all victims were accounted for, take command and proceeded to work on accountability. Additional personnel were requested to respond to assist in the ambulances en-route to the hospital. The initial Captain and Firefighter assisted with hooking of the vehicle to tow truck and a slow pull to shore. The vehicle was re- hooked a second time and pulled to a stable position to allow a secondary visual search to be conducted; no further victims were located. State Patrol then requested that the vehicle remain in the stable position for the investigation and re-construction. Hennepin County Sheriff's Water Patrol arrived and prepped divers to perform a gridded search of the pond to confirm that there were no more victims. Two firefighters remained in mustang suits with two others assigned as line tenders for back-up while the divers were in the water. Two additional firefighters were staged in Ladder 1 with mustang suits on as a ready response and safety back-up. Chief 1 arrived at 06:52 and took command at 06:58. The Command Van arrived at 07:10. A Community Service Officer and Chief 4 were dispatched in two vehicles to pick up Firefighters from the hospital. Golden Valley and Hopkins Fire Departments were called to supplement the remaining crews and prepare for an initial debrief of the incident. The protected rescue crew was evaluated by paramedics on scene (at least the 6th ambulance involved in the incident). After providing CPR support en-route, the Firefighter who made entry unprotected was briefly evaluated at the hospital and provided medical scrubs as dry clothing. Fire crews were slowly released to put vehicles back into service and prepare for initial defusing while a small group remained on scene assisting with the investigation. Firefighter Hanson remained with Engine 1 to assist State Patrol investigators with drying the pavement with gas and electric fans. Fire Department Recognition at Annual Meeting The Fire Department held its annual meeting on January 28, 2014 at Fire Station #1. Fire Chief Steve Koering invited department members and their families to attend, as well as the Fire Civil Service Commission, City Manager Tom Harmening, Mayor Jeff Jacobs and Councilmembers as the following staff were honored for their exemplary performance in 2013: Medal of Valor - Firefighter Eric Bakken Meritorious Service Award – Capt. Paul Rosholt, Lt. Dan Yaekel, Firefighter Tim Smith Chief’s Commendation – Lt. Matt Nordby, Lt. Shawn Glapa, Firefighters Mike Lindblom, Tony Hanson, Phil Robinson, Tom Buda, Andy Chapeau, Bob Hampton, Keith Heinzen, John Myhre and Nancy Schmelzle Unit Citation Award – Capt. Mark Nelson, Lt. Eva Hansen, Lt. Matt Nordby, Lt. Dan Yaekel, Firefighters Jens Anderson, Bob Hampton, Jason Saba and Andy Willenbring Excellence in Customer Service Award – Lt. Matt Nordby and Firefighter Jason Saba III. Fire Prevention Bureau Fire Protection Permits: 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Permits Issued 220 177 224 208 392* 397* Permit Valuation $2,445,439 $2,351,624 $1,454,498 $1,395,429 $2,211,436 $1,886,652 Permit Fees $52,838 $49,859 $37,936 $34,356 $53,151 $53,783 * Recreational Fire Permits are now included in the total number of permits issued. Crews continue to do company inspections of all businesses. In 2013 the fire department conducted 571 permit inspections and 672 company inspections/re-inspections. These walk through inspections allow crews to familiarize themselves with the structure while doing code enforcement. We are scheduled to go through every business once every three years. The Fire Department issues its own Fire Protection Permits and makes a weekly deposit of permit fees. Recreational Fire Permits The Fire Department has heavily marketed the need for recreational fire permits to residents. Starting in May of 2012, the Recreational Fire Permits changed from being annual permits to permanent permits, for as long as the person resides at their residence. On-site inspections are also now required prior to permit issuance. Recreational fires have been becoming increasingly popular, however, many residents do not meet the Minnesota State Fire Code for setbacks and are ineligible for a permit. The City implemented a $50.00 Civil Penalty Fine for people who do not have a permit or are in violation of the permit regulations. Permit holders who violate the regulations will have their permit revoked for one calendar year. Year # Permits Issued # Complaint Calls 2005 270 36 2006 302 26 2007 313 36 2008 470 64 2009 548 63 2010 628 25 2011 698 31 2012 521* 79 2013 173 56 * 340 Annual and 181 Permanent Fire Prevention/Public Education: The St. Louis Park Fire Department worked over 400 hours on Public Education in 2013. The largest event of the year was the Fire Station 1 Open House. Approximately 1300 people attended this event to see the station, emergency vehicles and learn about fire safety. Station tours were popular in 2013 as community members, scout troops, pre-schools classes, Meadowbrook After School Program children, St. Louis Park Senior High School Youth Development Committee, home schooled and private school groups, special needs adults and seniors came to tour the stations. Department members made every effort to accommodate the tours requests and provided educational information on every tour. Fire Department staff provided public education to nearly all of the schools in the city, including Torah Academy, Holy Family, Park Spanish Immersion, Aquila, Peter Hobart and Susan Lindgren, and Kindercare. The events included Career Day at the High School, science fairs, and family reading nights. The Department provided basic fire prevention at the pre-school and kindergarten level to over 400 children. The Department also provided fire safety and education to senior groups at Menorah Plaza, Park Shore Apartments, Lenox Community Center. The Fire Department sent personnel and vehicles to safety events put on by businesses in the city. The West End, Costco, Cub Foods, Old Navy, Jerry’s Hardware, Home Depot, and Sam’s Club all held Safety Days in 2013. Some events had hundreds of people attending. The Fire Department also participated in a number of other large city and community events in 2013:  Block Parties: Fire engines went to block parties and neighborhood gatherings throughout the year  Fourth of July Fireworks  National Night Out: The Fire Department had a strong presence in the community, visiting numerous block parties, talking about fire safety and answering any questions residents had.  Parktacular Parade: As always, the Ladder Truck was a popular participant in the Parktacular parade. The Fire Department also provided fire safety handouts and information at the Parktacular Children’s Event at Wolfe Park.  Children First Ice Cream Social  Kool Kids at West End  Vehicle Fair at Central Community Center  Westwood Halloween March  Westwood Lutheran Community Help Day  Toy Drive with Park Tavern  Boy Scout’s Pinewood Derby lV. Fire Department Technology/Equipment The iPads are being used for fire inspections by the crews and the Fire Marshal’s office staff. The Firehouse Inspector application allows the inspections to be completely paperless and facilitates communication between the crews and the business owners. Inspections are emailed to the responsible party and if there are any questions, there is a direct route to communicate with the person who conducted the inspection. The Firehouse Inspector application has been updated to allow photos to be included in the inspection report. This function eliminates confusion about violations for the business owner. Other applications used on the iPads are Google Maps for use on mutual aid calls, Extricate contains diagrams of airbag systems in a variety of cars and models for the use in vehicle accident extrication. Wiser is an application to help identify hazardous materials and how to mitigate an incident. A weather application is also a valuable tool for hazardous material incidents. Lt. Glapa has created template documents of the inspections forms (including correction and alarm forms) that are the same as the paper copies we carry. This allows us to obtain information on-line in the field. There is also a signature box included and the form can be sent electronically to the signee/responsible party. V. Fire Department Training In 2013, fire department personnel completed 6,852 hours of training. Following are some of the more interesting or larger trainings and a quick summary of the diverse topics: In January we had an outside organization do training on railcars due to the increased rail traffic (especially ethanol tank cars) we have seen in recent years. There was a Critical Incident Stress Management review, and a required confined space rescue training. We also took advantage of a condensed Incident Safety Officer course offered free of charge through the State Fire Marshal. In February, Lieutenants Hansen and Glapa presented a review on company inspections and the use of iPads in the field. Personnel completed a required training for EMT and one on extinguishers. We also took part in a presentation and discussion labeled Cultural Initiative. This presentation outlined the importance of the department’s mission and values, and how everyone has a part in creating a successful culture in the fire department. March brought two more required trainings, one on SCBA, and one on Hazmat response. There was a training designed to get all personnel through city buildings and familiar with their fire safety systems. There was also a training to review administrative responsibilities of station officers and those acting out of class. April had department members participating in defensive tactics training with one of our police officers, a RIT/Mayday training, a defensive driving classroom review and a training designed to re-familiarize personnel with the Command Vehicle. We also sponsored a 12 hour National Fire Academy-Incident Safety Officer class where many department members participated and we were able to open it up to include 10 officers from surrounding departments. May started with a behind –the –wheel driving course set up in the parking lot of the rec center. We had the opportunity to train on a LP tank fire prop from Hennepin Technical College. We also spent two weeks reviewing our knot and rope skills and completed a challenging rescue scenario. June brought a required Hazmat training and a water rescue training on Meadowbrook Lake at Meadowbrook Golf Course. We also participated in Joint Ops training with many of our mutual aid cities at the South Metro Public Training Facility in Edina, practicing a large response to a high rise fire. July was a hot month and some of the scheduled classes were canceled due to excessive heat. We did, however, complete an active shooter joint training with the police department and trainings involving pumping and ground ladder use. August had the department picnic and National Night Out, which restricted our Tuesday night training opportunities. We did have a required EMT class, and also completed a joint training with our public works department for Trench Rescue. Heavy equipment and a vacuum truck were utilized along with tools borrowed from Edina Fire Department to familiarize personnel with trench rescue techniques. In September, we had another required Hazmat training with Hopkins Fire Department instructing, and another challenging rope rescue scenario. We also had two weeks of auto extrication training with one week in the classroom, and the following week at Bobby and Steve’ Towing and Recovery, working with the tools and actual vehicles. October brought with it a novel attempt at getting department personnel their required annual live fire training. We utilized a live burn prop at Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie for three consecutive Tuesday nights in an attempt to hit all three shifts and give multiple opportunities for paid-on-call to participate. This schedule allowed us to do some radioactive release response training that is the first step in preparation for a county wide exercise at Rogers High School and Monticello Nuclear Plant. November had a Thermal Imaging class and another required EMT. We also had the opportunity to do some live burn training in acquired houses in Richfield. In December, personnel had invaluable Ice Rescue training through the ice on Twin Lake. We completed our annual OSHA required training, and reviewed and practiced with our lifting airbags. The Station 1 Exercise Facility continues to be available for use by all city employees and council members. With ongoing orientations, we currently have 48 non-Fire Department authorized users. VI. Mutual Aid We are doing automatic mutual aid/auto aid with six cities: Edina, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Golden Valley, Plymouth and Minnetonka. This program continues to be successful by front loading our fires personnel and equipment. To quote a famous firefighter we “Go ugly early.” 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Mutual Aid Given 54 61 62 67 64 76 60 70 84 Mutual Aid Received 25* 29* 26* 22* 22* 36* 45* 25* 31 *Each mutual aid received number denotes a minimum of two cities helping St. Louis Park. VII. Staffing In 2013 Fire Chief Luke Stemmer retired after almost 37 years of service. Assistant Chief Mark Windschitl was appointed the Interim Fire Chief by City Manager Tom Harmening. The Fire Civil Service Commission helped to create a Fire Chief position profile and certified the hiring process. City Manager Tom Harmening hired an executive recruiter to conduct a nationwide search for a new Fire Chief. This multi-step process started in July and was completed in early November, with the Fire Civil Service Commission certifying the top three candidate names on the list. City Manager Tom Harmening conducted additional interviews with the three certified candidates and offered the position to Steve Koering, who was an Assistant Chief in Eden Prairie. Chief Koering was sworn in as the new Fire Chief on November 18th. Many other personnel changes occurred within the Career Fire Department in 2013:  Firefighter John Hale resigned on January 28, 2013 to go to work for the Rogers Fire Department.  With the departure of former Assistant Chief Mike Dobesh in 2012, Lieutenant Rodger Coppa was promoted to Assistant Chief on February 11, 2013.  With an open Lieutenant position, Firefighter Matt Nordby was promoted to Lieutenant on February 9, 2013.  With an open Firefighter position, Tim Nordstrom was hired as a Career Firefighter on March 11, 2013.  Career Firefighter Jim Chandler was hired on June 25, 2012 and resigned on March 10, 2013 to go to work for the St. Paul Fire Department.  With another open Firefighter position, former Paid on Call Firefighter Tim Smith, who had resigned on December 31, 2012 was hired on as a Career Firefighter on April 15, 2013. In 2013, Paid-On-Call firefighter numbers started out at 22. Paid on Call Firefighter Mike Radway resigned and Paid on Call Firefighter Dave Koefod retired in 2013. This put us at 20 Paid on Call firefighters, which is five (5) below our budgeted strength. Paid on Call firefighter interviews were conducted in June, with four new Paid on Call firefighters being hired – Kari Buckel, Brian Berube, Dan Erzberger and Matt Grabow. 2013 ended with 24 Paid on Call firefighters. In 2013, the Chief, Lieutenant and Firefighter list processes were conducted and certified by the Fire Civil Service Commission. VIII. Programs The File of Life program which was launched in June, 2007 is still a very popular program. We will continue to market this program through the city website, Park Perspectives, neighborhood groups and various other groups and organizations, fire events and apartment/condo communities. There is no fee for residents to obtain these kits. This program was established to help Police and First Responders to provide service when a person may not be able to communicate effectively due to a medical reason or personal injury. The kit includes a magnetized refrigerator folder and an information card to indicate health problems, medications, allergies, emergency contacts, etc. Our Child Car Seat Safety Program continues to be in high demand by both residents and non-residents. We conduct inspections two or three times a month for two to three hours. We still require pre- payment of car seat appointments via credit card and this has virtually eliminated “no shows” for appointments, which was a big problem previously (approximately 40% did not show up for their appointment). The fees are $25.00 for the first car seat or base and $10.00 for each subsequent car seat or base. We currently have three certified car seat technicians. Car Seat Inspections Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Seat Inspections 106 100 250 205 225 98 122 Fees $2,275 $2,340 $5,064 $4,250 $4,390 $2,070 2,305 Although not a program the Fire Department continues to provide training for city employees in CPR, First Aid, and Right to Know. Fire Department personnel trained over 100 residents and business groups in Hands Only CPR and AED familiarization. IX. Stations After a year of being in the stations, things are going well. There are still some items that we are working that need to be corrected, such as tile work, lines on the Station 2 bay floors, lighting issues, bay speakers and Station 1 artwork.