Career and volunteer firefighters, from East Pierce Fire and Rescue, District 12, City of Buckley and South Prairie fire departments, practiced their skills at a training burn near 200th Ave and South Prairie Road in March. Two vacant structures were donated by the Bowen family and Powell Development for various fire and police training activities.
East Pierce Fire and Rescue personnel conducted several training exercises in the structures beginning in January up to March 18th, when the actual training burn took place. With two buildings, personnel had the opportunity to practice and hone their skills in search and rescue, ventilation, operation of power and hand tools, as well as hose, nozzle and pump operations. “This type of training is invaluable” states Fire Chief Dan Packer. “It gives our personnel a chance to train for fires that happen far too frequently”.
Training burns are the best way for firefighters to practice under real conditions, but structures are not always available. Property donations are tax deductible, however, the structure must have useful training value before the department can use it.
If you have a building you are considering demolishing and would like to donate it for firefighter training purposes, contact Assistant Chief Dave Wakefield, at (253) 863-1800, for details.
Last November voters overwhelmingly approved the unification of fire and emergency medical services for the entire area between Auburn and Orting. A record-setting 86% Yes vote was returned in support of merging what had been three separate fire agencies; two fire districts and a city fire department operated by Bonney Lake. The unified single agency, Fire District No. 22, will operate under the name East Pierce Fire & Rescue.
This final step in uniting emergency services for the area completes a process that has been several years in the making. When the 35-square-mile area, which contains approximately 35,000 citizens, was served by three separate agencies, there were considerable inefficiencies that have been removed by creating a single department. Duplication of resources, separate payroll and accounting systems, and different budgeting processes are just a few of the areas that are greatly improved by stripping away the duplication of three small agencies serving one community.
Since 1993, the three departments have been cooperating on small endeavors, such as fire prevention education in local schools. More recently, they have jointly purchased equipment and conducted training together. Then, in the general election last fall, the voters were able to weigh in on the question of making the consolidation permanent. “I am very pleased with the tremendous support the community has demonstrated by overwhelmingly validating the methodical, step-by-step approach that we’ve taken in putting the unified fire district together,” said Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Rick Kuss. “The elected officials from the two fire districts, and from the City of Bonney Lake, have been careful to make improvement of service to the community the number one priority during this entire process. The taxpayers entrust us with their hard-earned money, and we need to make certain that they receive the very best, yet most efficient service, that we can provide.”
The most dramatic result of combining the three agencies is the new Advance Life Support, or paramedic service. By being more efficient, East Pierce Fire & Rescue has been able to hire new employees, who are cross-trained as both firefighters and paramedics. Now a crew can be deployed on a fire engine, and of course provide fire suppression and rescue, but also be able to perform emergency medical care at the highest level authorized by the State of Washington. Utilizing these dual-role fire-medics is a way of maximizing the taxpayer’s dollars in a way not previously possible.
The members of East Pierce Fire & Rescue have been learning a lot about customer service lately. We have dedicated a portion of our monthly employee meetings to the subject, and brainstorming together on how we can be more proactive in helping our community in less traditional ways. I am very proud of the way that our firefighters and staff have risen to the challenge, often in seemingly mundane ways, but with the express purpose of ‘adding value’ to the baseline emergency services that we already provide.
Sometimes opportunities present themselves when we least expect them, such as coming across stranded or disabled motorists. In the last twelve months, firefighters have helped with over two dozen motorists who were out of gas, changed four tires, jumped five batteries, and helped with several ‘lock-outs’. On at least three occasions, there have been groceries to take care of when motorists were involved in minor traffic accidents. The firefighters either brought them to the station to be picked up later, or in one case took them to the motorist’s home, and put them away! Early one morning, firefighters responded to an elderly citizen’s home, who was unable to tell the 911 dispatcher what his problem was. The firefighters arrived to find him unable to get back into bed, after falling out and spending several hours on the floor. After helping him back into bed, they discovered that the gentleman had not eaten in over 24 hours, so they stayed awhile longer and cooked him a big breakfast – with his permission, of course.
When assisting with non-emergency problems, the firefighters make sure that they stay ready to quickly respond if an actual 911 emergency occurs. Last year our department responded to over twenty-four hundred 911 calls, or about seven per day. Our members are committed to adding value to the rescue role that we hold in the community, in whatever manner feasible.
Several of the firefighters have told me that they view their role in the community as one of stewardship; that their jobs, training, equipment, and salaries are held in the public trust. If that attitude impresses you like it does me, the next time you see an engine company on the street, tell them how you feel about the job they do, or as always, give me a call at (253) 863-1800.
It’s almost summer and already the weather is bringing our leisure activities outdoors. It’s easy to start making plans for camping, hiking, boating and other summer fun, but we often neglect the most important component of that planning, which is safety. Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in outdoor-related activities, just in the state of Washington. Nearly all of these tragedies are 100% preventable by putting a little extra thought into your activity planning and keeping safety in mind while you’re out there.
Around here, camping, hiking and water sports are the most popular outdoor activities. One of the most important things to remember when heading out into the great outdoors is to be prepared. Whether it’s as simple as preventing a sunburn or as serious as making sure you’re ready for a life-threatening medical emergency, the idea is the same: take with you what you might need. Here are some tips for enjoying your summer:
Always have a plan
Wear or bring comfortable, waterproof shoes and a rain jacket
Bring enough to drink and eat.
Wear your PFD.
Use your sunscreen!
Feet First!
If you take a couple of extra minutes before you go to get prepared, and if you keep your head up and eyes open while you’re outdoors, you’ll be well on your way to having not only a fun summer, but a safe one, too!
While shopping at the Bonney Lake Fred Meyer several weeks ago, resident William Sandlin suffered an apparent heart attack. Store employee Michelle Harwood, assisted by co-workers Nick Hill and Angie Allen, immediately began CPR. Shoppers Anastasia Petrovich, Cid Livingston, and Jim Rice also stopped to provide help and support. Because of the skills and willingness of each of these people to become involved, Mr. Sandlin received immediate life-saving techniques that enabled him to recover. These citizens were formally recognized at a fire commissioners' meeting for their heroic and unselfish actions, and it is with pride that we again recognize them here. This is a good reminder to everyone of the value of CPR and how it could help you save a life; someone's parent, child, spouse, friend, or even your own.
The Board of Commissioners for East Pierce Fire & Rescue (Fire District No. 22), are citizens elected by the community to provide policy oversight for the Fire District. Fire Commissioners are an exact parallel to City Councilmembers in a City form of government. Typically, there are three members of a Fire Commissioner Board. However, the current Board of Fire Commissioners will be asking the citizens this fall to raise the number of Fire Commissioners from three to five. Washington law allows for a Commissioner Board of five members, if the citizens within the fire district so choose in a duly constituted election.
“By adding two more commissioners to the Board, we can assure solid and well-distributed representation throughout the District,” commented Commissioner Tom Bresnahan.” “City Councilmembers in Bonney Lake have expressed concern about representation within the City,” says Bresnahan. “By expanding the number of permanent seats on the Board, the opportunity for a citizen residing within the city limits to run for a fire commissioner position is greatly enhanced.”
However, Fire Chief Dan Packer adds that citizens residing within Bonney Lake, by virtue of their overwhelming vote to join the fire district last November, have already secured full and complete membership in the fire district, and enjoy exactly the same level of service and customer status as those residents outside the city limits. “As managers of an emergency response system,” says Chief Packer, “we make no distinctions based on political boundaries. Resources are deployed in a way that gets the best people to the scene in the quickest, safest manner possible.”
After the merger of the two fire districts last fall, there are currently six Board members, but unless the citizens approve a measure increasing the number of positions to five, three of the current board members will be dropped when their current terms expire.
Tom
Bresnahan was appointed to the Board of Commissioners for Pierce County Fire
District #24 in February, 1998 and was nominated to serve as chair of the board
in November, 1998. As a co-owner of several pizza stores, Tom brought to the
board his expertise in financial management, resolving employment issues,
providing exceptional customer service, and operating within a budget. His
positive attitude and progressive ideas have served the district well as we
moved into the 21st century.
Tom is highly regarded for his integrity, accountability to the community, and his ongoing desire to cut waste and duplication to save tax dollars. This led him to also serve on the Board of Supervisors, which was instrumental in bringing about the unification of Pierce County Fire District 22, Fire District 24, and Bonney Lake Fire Department, now known jointly as East Pierce Fire and Rescue.
Tom will be leaving July 1st to begin new adventures and rediscover the sun in the state of Florida. We wish him well and appreciate the tremendous level of dedication and commitment he has given to the fire district and our community. In accordance with state laws for merging fire districts, Tom's position as a fire commissioner will not be filled.
East Pierce Fire & Rescue is now very fortunate to have the Fire Safety Trailer as part of their fire safety education “toolbox”. The safety trailer was completed in October 1999 and made its debut at the Fire Department Open House on October 9th. Since then, over a thousand children and adults have gone through it. It is available by request, to groups of children in a variety of settings, and can be taken to schools, fairs, business “safety days” and many other places in the community. Since it is completely mobile, it is easily transportable to any location.
Safety trailers are available on the market custom or ready made, but for most departments, they are far too expensive to consider. We are fortunate that our trailer was constructed primarily by volunteers, with funds, labor and materials donated by local business and individuals in the community. The total cost of the trailer was less than $6000.
The Fire Safety Trailer, often referred to as E.D.I.T.H. (Exit Drills In The Home), is essentially a small-scale, two-story house on wheels. The inside of the trailer is set up with a kitchen and living area downstairs and a bedroom upstairs, with windows on each floor. The purpose of the trailer is to create an environment in which children and adults can realistically practice what to do in the event of a house fire. The tools we use for teaching about fire safety are very hands-on. Most people retain information far longer if they are allowed the opportunity of doing something themselves, rather than just being told about it.
Children and adults begin the tour with a brief lesson in escape planning and fire safety, and end with actually escaping through an upstairs window and climbing down an escape ladder. The trailer is equipped with smoke detectors and artificial smoke creating a life-like, yet perfectly safe, scenario for all. The entire tour is supervised and taught by trained fire department personnel.
To request use of the trailer, please contact East Pierce Fire & Rescue at (253) 863-1800.
Nearly 230 property owners in the Kelly Lake area had never been included in a fire protection district since the fire districts in this area were formed in the 1960’s. In many cases, the properties were charged very high insurance premiums, because they did not technically fall within a fire protection district. East Pierce Fire & Rescue assisted a grass-roots movement, lead by citizens within the unprotected area, in gathering petition signatures and coordinating with Pierce County to enable the property owners to join Fire District No. 22 (East Pierce Fire & Rescue), and thereby receive fire protection and emergency medical services.
Homeowners living in the previously unprotected area were not paying fire taxes, and accordingly were at risk for not receiving help in the case of an emergency, in addition to the fire insurance issue. “Of course, we have always responded to calls for help within the area out of moral obligation”, says Fire Chief Dan Packer. “But the possibility always existed that we would be tied up on a call with our paying citizens, and be unable to respond. Fortunately, that dilemma has been resolved, with the successful petition drive that gained membership into the fire district for those homeowners,” Packer said.
Although membership within the fire district does bring the obligation to pay a property tax for fire and emergency services ($2.00 per thousand of property value per year), many property owners will see a lower insurance premium as a result of now living within a fire protection district.