Galesburg Fire Department Annual Report: Emergency Responses and Call Trends, 2008-2017, Exams of Statistics

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2017 Annual Report

Thomas E. Simkins, Fire Chief

Galesburg Fire Department

INTRODUCTION It is my privilege to present the 2017 Annual Report on the accomplishments of the Galesburg Fire Department (GFD). This document includes both emergency response statistics as well as information on the daily activities of the department during the year. The following pages are reflective in all instances of an organization with a full workload yet dedicated to serving our citizens in every opportunity that comes our way. Thanks and congratulations to an outstanding group of firefighters and officers who meet this challenge each day. Thomas E. Simkins, Fire Chief

EMERGENCY RESPONSES

Emergency Activity Reporting

The Galesburg Fire Department continues to utilize Firehouse to create emergency response reports which is used to transmit our emergency activity information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for inclusion in state and national fire incident statistics. FEMA allows Illinois statistics to be accessed by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. GFD has participated in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for over 30 years and has submitted Galesburg’s information electronically since 1995.

Firehouse categorizes all response activities (Fire/EMS/Rescue) into nine primary categories which are broken down into 97 sub-categories. This summary report begins with a 10-year view of total responses in 10 primary categories.

Figure 1 Galesburg Fire Department Comparison of EMS and Total Call Volume, 2008-

Total Calls / EMS

The chart in Figure 1 reflects a 10-year analysis of response trends in EMS and Total Emergency Calls. The largest share of the department’s emergency response volume (64.7%) continues to be in EMS. The most recent ten year span reflects a 27.39% increase in total calls and a 40.63% increase in EMS work.

2,028 2,^

2,227 2,228 (^) 2,219 2,253^ 2,^

2,420 2,

3,460 3,533^ 2,

3,653 (^) 3,628 (^) 3,595 3,

4,

4,286 4,289 4,

(^2008 2009 2010 2011) EMS (^2012 2013) TOTAL CALLS 2014 2015 2016 2017

numbers are a significant departure from those of prior years. Typically, the south and east sections of the city with the older housing stock have the most fires.

The department responded to 6 mutual aid calls (0.1%) outside the city in 2016. Of these, 1 was a hazmat release, two were for vehicle extrications, there was one mutual aid structure fire at 28 Sunnyview Drive (Henderson Fire Protection District), motor vehicle accident with injuries and a MABAS request for the light tower and UTV to assist in flood efforts.

For the 34 structure fires in 2017, the kitchen was found to be the area of origin of the highest number of fires with 5 fires (14.71%). There were 2 (5.887%) fires that started in bedrooms, 4 in vehicle storage areas (11.76%), and 5 (14.71%) other fires had an undetermined area of origin. There were 13 (38.24%) fires caused by unintentional actions of humans and 6 (17.65%) that were still being investigated at the time of this report. Another 6 fires (17.65%) were due to failure of equipment or heat source and 3 fires were intentionally set.

Dollar Loss

The total dollar loss for all fires in 2017 was $1,323,060. The largest loss was a commercial building at 2045 Lacon Street.

Based on federally established incident reporting guidelines the following costs cannot be included in the NFIRS reported dollar loss figure: overtime, clean-up costs, emergency lodging/food for fire victims, business interruption coverage, and other costs associated with a fire incident. Our dollar loss figures are actual dollar amounts paid out by insurance companies for structure and contents loss or actual uninsured structure repair figures. In the case of uninsured property, the assessed structure valuation may be used.

Overpressure Rupture, Explosion, and Overheat (no fire)

In 2016, there was one report of overpressure rupture, explosion, down from 2015.

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 4 3 1 2 0 3 3 3 2 1

Medical Emergencies

Galesburg firefighters are Licensed Emergency Medical Technicians trained in the use of cardiac defibrillators. Firefighters respond to emergency medical calls to initiate medical care or assist Galesburg Hospital’s Ambulance Service (GHAS) paramedic units. Galesburg Fire Department does not transport patients to medical facilities. Galesburg Hospitals’ Ambulance Service paramedic units do all emergency and non-emergency ambulance transports in Galesburg. If a GHAS ambulance is not available or the ambulance crew needs our assistance at a non- emergency scene, we will respond at their request. The Emergency Medical System Director, who is a Galesburg emergency room physician, reviews and approves GFD medical response

policies. Fire Department members’ credentials are reviewed annually by the Galesburg Area EMS System to ensure compliance with all Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines.

In 2016, the department expanded its mission and service by carrying and administering basic life support medications. This included Narcan for overdose situations, nitroglycerine for chest pains and heart attacks, and epinephrine for anaphylaxis and allergic emergencies.

The department responded to 2,731 medical and rescue emergencies in 2016. There were 2,508 calls for emergency medical assistance unrelated to vehicle accidents in 2016. Of these, GFD arrived first and initiated medical care on 2,020 responses (80.5%) of total EMS responses in the city. GFD personnel assisted Galesburg Hospital Ambulance System's personnel who arrived first or simultaneously with GFD on 486 (19.5%) alarms; provided medical care at 83 vehicle accidents with injuries and 8 vehicle/pedestrian accidents while performing extrication of trapped victims at 8 incidents. Citizens were removed from stalled elevators on just one occasion and there were 3 other non-classified rescues made in 2016. GFD responded to 117 calls to vehicle accidents where there were no injuries, but where other hazards such as fuel spills were present. There was one call for a water rescue in 2016.

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 1,921 2,028 2,118 2,277 2,228 2,219 2,253 2,516 2,685 2,

Hazardous Condition – No Fire

There were 125 (2.91%) responses in the Hazardous Conditions - No Fire category in 2016, 5 less than in 2015. The major sub-categories include 44 natural gas or LP gas leaks; 22 arcing or shorted electrical equipment; 10 carbon monoxide incidents; 11 gasoline spills; 9 electrical wiring/equipment problems; 14 power lines down; and 3 overheated motors.

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 149 153 131 138 123 119 147 131 130 125

Service Calls

A total of 402 responses were classified as Service Calls in 2016. This category has been on the rise for many years as the public demand for non-emergency assistance has increased dramatically. This is also a reflection of the department’s ever-expanding mission toward a good customer service that is willing to respond to the varied need of the community, no matter how small. The significant sub-category in this field was invalid assists. This is a service the fire department provides for situations where there is no other recourse available to the citizen. The 288 invalid assists (256 in 2015) were typically related to assisting elderly or disabled residents when a caregiver was unable to move the resident after they had slid out of a bed or wheelchair but were otherwise uninjured. In addition, the department occasionally assists when residents need to be moved from a residence to a vehicle for a medical appointment. The department also responded to 55 calls for unauthorized burning, 4 less than in each of the previous two years.

morning and afternoon hours. Experience has shown that the human element is active in some form or another as a cause in most all calls.

Figure 3 Galesburg Fire Department Emergency Responses by Time of Day, 2016

Structure fires, in particular, occurred throughout the 24-hour day in 2016. At least one of the 41 structure fires started in each of the individual 24 hour time periods of a day with the 4: a.m. hour having the most with 4 fires.

Alarm Volume Relevant to Time of Year

As normal in this report and depicted in Figure 4, there was not a month or season of 2016 when the department was significantly busier responding to alarms. The low month in frequency of calls was February with 296 calls in 29 days (10.2 calls per day) and the high month was May with 390 calls in 31 days (14.0 calls per day). In 2016, it appears the colder months were slightly busier for the department than the late spring to fall months.

12:00 midnight-6: am. 6:00 am - 12:00 noon

12:00 noon - 6:00 pm

6:00 pm - 12: midnight

338 296

(^346 )

433 368

407 (^353 380 376329 )

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Alarms

Figure 4 Galesburg Fire Department Emergency Responses by Month, 2016

Response by District

Responses are broken down into station districts or territories. These figures represent fire company territories and not EMS response territories which are significantly different. When apparatus become busy with other calls, training, inspections, and various other duties, other units respond to calls not normally assigned to the territory where the call is originating. Therefore, these statistics are of geographical significance only, unit response breakdowns are more reflective of which stations and vehicles were actually doing the work. In 2016, 29.6% / 1,272 calls originated in Central Station's first-in response territory (part of Ward 5 and primarily all of Ward 4); 31.6% / 1,356 calls originated in Brooks Street station's first-in response territory (part of Ward 1 and primarily all of Wards 2 and 3) and 38.5% / 1,651 calls originated in Fremont Street station’s first-in response territory (part of Ward 1 and primarily all of Wards 5, 6, and 7). Less than 0.2% of responses were for mutual aid outside the city.

Figure 5 Galesburg Fire Department Emergency Responses/Loss by Engine Company Response District, 2016

Fremont Station 1,651 Alarms 38.5% $549,955 loss

Brooks Station 1,356 Alarms 31.6% $291,450 loss Central Station 1,272 Alarms 29.6% $246,200 loss

District Unit

50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 Total

Central 8 287 163 31 23 1 ,061 6 24 26 1,

Brooks 4 122 1,024 43 38 387 4 13 8 1, 643

Fremont 7 146 81 1 ,144 41 461 3 30 151 2, 064

Outside City 0 1 3 3 1 4 0 1 1 14

Total 19 556 1,271 1, 221 103 1, 913 13 68 186 5, 350 Figure 6 Galesburg Fire Department Annual Unit Emergency Response Totals vs Response Territories

Mutual Aid

The department responded to 7 mutual aid calls (0.1%) outside the city in 2016. Of these, 2 were vehicle fires, two were for vehicle extrications, there was one mutual aid structure fire at Farmland Foods in Monmouth, and one EMS call. There were two calls to Contract Fire Protection properties in 2016.

Deaths and Injuries

The department had one documented incident with a civilian death in 2016. A structure fire started by lightning claimed the life of an elderly female occupant of a residence at 1145 East South Street on June 22 nd. There were no documented fire service exposures or injuries at emergency scenes during 2016.

NON-EMERGENCY ACTIVITIES – 2016

• Currently at 42 with average daily manning at 11.05 personnel
• Completed annual testing of 4 fire pumps, 2 aerial ladders, 16 ground ladders, 45 air paks, 102 air cylinders, 98 air masks, numerous hazardous materials monitors, 3 compressor systems, 3 building sprinkler systems, 153 lock boxes in the city, all fire apparatus and associated equipment,
• Reviewed plans for 31 projects, conducted 342 inspections of commercial occupancies and 525 rental inspections, supplied 275 occupancy and 23 use permits, oversaw fire protection systems at 351 properties, provided 32 fire safety education programs, 35 fire drills, conducted 6 juvenile firesetter interventions, oversaw 4 prairie burns
• The department maintained a supportive community presence for many events and parades, GAVC Fire Science program, area-wide firefighter training

• Personnel completed average of 86 hours of formal training per firefighter, maintained EMT certifications on all personnel and requirements for state haz mat and tech rescue teams, annual physicals performed on 43 firefighters
• Investigated all fire-related incidents including 31 structure fires
• Purchased and successfully instituted a fire-recall notification system, FireQRVS, to shorten response time and provide a more efficient method of contacting off-duty members during emergencies
• All facilities maintained on a daily basis, new landscaping added at Brooks and Central Station. Brooks Street underwent interior upgrades.
• Knox County EMA completed biannual rewrite of Emergency Operations Plan and state accreditation to get annual IEMA grant.
• The number of properties in the contract fire protection program remained relatively steady at 26 representing annual revenue of about $10,000 to the City.
• Galesburg Firefighters continued our annual support of the Salvation Army by ringing bells for three days at Wal-Mart.
• GFD and Local #555 again won the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Golden Boot Award for Central Illinois in 2015, collecting $32,584 through the “Fill the Boot” campaign during the Labor Day weekend. This is a testament to the graciousness of the people of Galesburg and the surrounding area.
• In June and July, annual testing and maintenance was performed on 1,564 of the 1,578 fire hydrants in the city to include 1,385 public and 193 private hydrants (some private hydrants are maintained and tested by the property owner)
• This was delayed in 2016 due to the issue surrounding possible lead contamination in the drinking water. The unidirectional flushing method was again used in coordination with the Water Department. As evidence of the success of this system, no rusty water complaints were received. 135 hydrants were flow tested to meet the department’s goal of flow testing 10% of the hydrants each year.
• In 2016, an advanced inspection of turnout gear was completed as per NFPA 1851. Eight new sets of turnout gear were purchased.
• 243 sections of department-owned fire hose of various sizes were tested. There were 7 sections that failed and were removed from service. 35 sections of hose were purchased during the year.
• The Prevention Bureau downgraded the use of the Risk Watch Program that is used in Galesburg Schools to educate children on a variety of life’s common hazards. The fire truck ride to school program was given to successful Risk Watch students; the Remembering When program with older adults was continued with fire personnel participating. We also providing free smoke detectors on these visits.

A future firefighter gets hands-on training during a fire station visit

• The department continued the smoke detector campaign with area agencies led by the Red Cross.

haz-mat monitors and detectors valued at over $100,000. Training was conducted at the Armory building in Galesburg and mock scenarios were held on all shifts at the Fire Training Site. The annual disaster exercise with BNSF involved a leaking tank car and decontamination procedures using MABAS assets.

• The department continued to build relationships with other City Departments through common training with GPD and Galesburg Hospitals Ambulance Service. GFD Inspections continued to meet on Thursday with the inspectors in Community Development.
• GFD provided service and leadership to the area fire service outside Galesburg by supporting and organizing the fall fire school which had over 120 attendees, hosting meetings of MABAS Division #31 and the Western Illinois Firefighters Association, and by our members providing off-duty training to local volunteers thus enabling a better mutual aid response for incidents in Galesburg.
• Firefighters completed the countless daily and weekly checking of apparatus and equipment, cleaning of stations, upkeep on all refrigerators, washers, dryers, and heating systems while attending to public calls for non-emergency service.
• Entry level testing was conducted this year with a new list of candidates

Candidates challenge the ladder climb portion of the entry level testing

• The Galesburg Area Vocational Center Fire Science Program enrolled 10 junior and senior level students from area high schools in 2015-2016. Students are bused from GHS and attend class taught by 3 GFD Captains/firefighters at the GFD Training Site each day during the school year. An EMT first-Responder curriculum is also taught by GFD personnel at the High School each day.

• The Fire Chief attended most of the meetings of the Emergency Telephone Systems Board, Fire and Police Commissioners Board, Development Review Committee, Traffic Advisory Commission, City Council, Knox County Board, Western Illinois Firefighters Association, and MABAS Division #31 among others.
• Knox County EMA Region #2 hosted several IEMA classes that were held in the basement of the Public Safety Building. These classes were attended by students from across the state of Illinois. Regional IEMA meetings of county coordinators were held at the Hawthorne Center Training Facility.
• KCEMA completed 5 classes in emergency management and participated in 2 exercises to satisfy requirements for EMA accreditation. This allows the City to receive an emergency management grant for $24,754 (amount figured on % of Fire Chief’s on duty time spent in EMA activities).
• Knox County EMA continued to develop and teach a series of workshops based on a fictitious tornado hitting Galesburg. The Burgnado workshops, attended by emergency response personnel and over 30 supporting agencies, were targeted at the individual capabilities that are required to successfully mitigate a disastrous tornado. Citizen groups were formed in the areas of volunteer coordination and donations management.