MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: Jesse Thyes, Village Administrator William Q. Rice, Fire Chief DATE: February 2, 2018 RE: 2017 Annual Report The following is the annual report of the Grafton Fire Department for 2017. This report describes the Administration, Operations, and Fire Prevention activities of the department throughout the year. TOTAL CALLS FOR 2017 Fire 167 EMS 1015 Vehicle Crashes 72 Total 1,254 ADMINISTRATION The Department is managed and organized by two full-time employees; the Fire Chief and the Division Chief of Fire Prevention and Inspection. A part-time Office Assistant works four days a week totaling 20 hours. The Department also has a Deputy Chief who is a Paid-on-Call member. The Division Chief position provides daily assistance to the Fire Chief in administrating the Department. This position is also responsible for managing the Fire Prevention Program. The Deputy Chief position is part-time paid-on-call position. The Deputy Chief assists largely with the paid-on-call side of managing the Department. Both positions assume incident management responsibilities regularly. The Fire Station was staffed by part-time Firefighter/EMTs and Paramedics, Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Part-time Day-shift employees are both Fire and EMS certified. Generally, there are two part-time employees on duty during this day time period for 12 hours and on most days there is a third person added from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. Exact staffing times vary due to availability of qualified personnel and other daily operational needs. Village of Grafton - Fire Department - 1431 13 th Avenue - Grafton, WI 53024 p (262) 375-5314 - f (262) 375-6947 - wrice@village.grafton.wi.us
The bulk of the non-day time service requests are covered by our Volunteer/Paid-on-Call force. Our membership has continued to improve in 2017. Average attendance for Fire calls has seen some increased each year since 2013. The average attendance at training sessions has reached a plateau in 2017. This lack of training attendance is a growing concern for the Department. The Grafton Fire Department is continuing to see a common trend in the American fire service; Volunteer/Paid-on-Call Fire and EMS Departments needs more volunteers to accomplish the same amount of work than in previous years. This condition was originally noticed in 2015 and continues in 2017. Overall membership numbers are good but availability very weak at times; this was especially true on weekends in the summer and fall of 2017. The calendar year 2017 continued to show improved stability in the overall operation of the Department. The Department continues to function largely as a volunteer organization; membership which is critical continues to be fragile. The Department s Emergency Medical Service (EMS) continues to see great success at the Paramedic Level. Budget: In calendar year 2017, the Department had approval of $35,000 for new fire pagers; these units replaced pagers of various vintages and styles which had become unreliable. The Department spent $5,000 on physical fitness equipment. This expenditure largely completed our small physical fitness room. The Department was approved for Engine 865 and Engine 864 to have refurbishments in 2018. Due to an accident, Engine 865 was moved up to a 2017 refurbishment. The repairs and updated cost were $134,000. As the new workforce begins to establish itself, the greatest benefit is seen in the number of responders to non-ems calls. These numbers had dropped over the years but are improving to a more comfortable level in 2017.This increase does come with a cost which is shown in an increase in part-time wages spent. The new on-call pay system implemented in 2017 to pay up to three EMS personnel for nights and weekend availability has been helpful but not completely reliable for coverage. New personnel were added to many day shifts to aid in advancing their basic skills in an attempt to speed-up availability in scheduling. 2017 proved to be a relatively expensive year for repairs and maintenance of Department equipment and facilities; apparatus brakes, tires, and more were spent in repair budgets.
OPERATIONS Training: The year 2017 was one an exceptional year regarding training. It included many new certification classes attended, specialized training topics and joint operations with surrounding fire and EMS agencies. Several state-certification classes were also held at the firehouse including Aerial Operator and Hazardous Materials-Operations. These trainings were above and beyond our normal training schedule. The Grafton Fire Department met or exceeded many of its training goals for the year. In 2017, Grafton Firefighters and EMTs participated in a incredible 8,768 hours of training which includes 34 new fire and EMS certifications; among numerous outside and internal training opportunities. Also, through a joint effort with Aurora Medical Center, GFD has continued to expand our online training delivery program to ease the burden on mandatory training requirements to our volunteer membership. With 16 people currently enrolled in certification classes, 2018 shows no sign of slowing down the outstanding progress in furthering knowledge and skill that has now been engrained in the culture of GFD. The Training Division looks to build on the accomplishments of the past several years and take on new challenges to better serve the department and community.
EMS: There was a total of 1,015 EMS calls in 2017, which is an increase of 100 EMS calls compared to 2016. Given this change there has been an overall 25% increase in annual EMS calls since 2014. The increasing demand for EMS services is being seen throughout many communities given the increase in elderly populations and care facilities. It is common for the department to respond to our elder care facilities that have residents or patients that have had falls. These falls require lifting assistance by the department and may or may not involve any injuries or illnesses. In the past, this was often done by care center staff while now staff is being directed by their management to call the Fire Department for those services. In 2017 there were 92 calls for service to the new Village Point Commons, which was not fully occupied until early summer 2017. It was projected that Village Point Commons would add over 100 calls/year once fully occupied. The department saw a decrease of 15 mutual aid calls to neighboring fire departments during 2017. The year 2017 was the second full year of providing our own Paramedic service. This program upgrade has been a great success by providing a paramedic on the first out ambulance for our EMS calls. This service was previously offered by Thiensville or Port Washington Fire Departments. While the department roster includes the highest number of paramedics since 2015, staffing of the unit can be difficult with many paramedic certified members constantly moving on to other jobs outside the Grafton area. Weekend shifts during the summer months are some of the departments most challenging shifts to ensure paramedic coverage due to many members having an increased number personal and family commitments at these times. The use of a paramedic first response vehicle helps with coverage given a member can take this vehicle home yet remain immediately available for calls. There is no doubt the upgrade to Paramedic level service has had an impact on people s lives in Grafton; measuring that impact is difficult but clearly noticed in improved outcomes. Through the direction from the departments Medical Director the department added several new skills and equipment allowing for continued improvement in the care provided to our citizens. The most significant Department challenge continues to be the time commitment from the paid-on-call (volunteer) personnel to continuously staff the Paramedic/EMS unit s. This challenge while met again in 2018 will most likely be a serious issue regarding sustainability in the months and years ahead. The Department s on-call EMS units are largely reliant on volunteers. The Department s members volunteered over 57,000 hours of on-call time in 2017 to assure its ambulance was staffed and available for calls. The community must never underestimate the value that these Department members bring to Grafton.
FIRE PREVENTION: Fire Prevention Education: The Grafton Fire Department continued to offer its traditional Fire Prevention activities; including elementary school visits during the month of October to bring greater awareness to Fire Prevention practices in 2017. A new format was utilized for the elementary school visits; streamlining the process and making best use of the volunteer hours needed for these visits. The Grafton Fire Department Open House event, on October 8, 2017, at the Fire Station had an extremely large attendance. Annually, almost all of the Grafton Fire Department members are present to assist in making this event an outstanding experience for the people of Grafton. Our Public Education activities rely almost entirely on members donating their time to staff these events. The Department in 2017 continued to visit block parties, businesses and other organizations to provide various public education requests throughout the year. Grafton Fire Department also opened the Fire Station again this year in support of the Giro d Grafton bike race. This event is particularly challenging to the Department because it requires all apparatus to be removed from the station for over 15 continuous hours. Visitor attendance at the station was noticeably lower at this event. Fire Inspection: The Grafton Fire Department conducted an increased number of fire inspections in 2017 compared to 2016. In 2017, the Fire Department found 6,972 violations throughout Grafton. Throughout the year, the Fire Department focused a considerable amount of time reviewing new Village and Town projects that were taking place or about to start construction in Grafton. The Village of Grafton became a Delegate Authority for Fire Suppression and Fire Alarm plan review in late 2017. This process will allow the Village to expedite the review process of new projects, something that was out of the Village s control previously. Re-inspections of occupancies have increased in 2017 as more basic fire inspections are conducted by part-time staff on Day-shift. Often re-inspections take a considerable amount of resources due to the habitual or non-complaint fire code violators. There has been a significant increase of compliance throughout the Village. Unfortunately, the property owners or occupants that are non-compliant, are significantly non-compliant and require dedicated resources until the violations have been corrected. Currently, there are 487 open violations that the Fire Department is working towards getting corrected.
TOTAL CALLS FIRE-EMS-CRASHES: VILLAGE/TOWN/MUTUAL AID MONTHLY COMPARASON Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Village Calls 70 78 62 80 73 85 79 84 76 90 82 95 Town Calls 18 13 23 13 29 15 14 17 20 18 21 16 Mutual Aid Provided 25 8 8 9 3 0 4 7 5 3 3 8 TOTAL 113 99 93 102 105 100 97 108 101 111 106 119 Eight Year Call Comparison 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Fire 212 198 232 229 213 180 228 167 EMS 739 785 745 777 814 881 915 1015 Crash 70 70 54 72 Total 951 983 977 1006 1097 1131 1197 1254
Eight Year Call Comparison Graph VILLAGE/TOWN Monthly Call Comparison Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec. Fire Village 14 14 2 7 6 6 10 8 7 13 9 15 Fire Town 7 1 2 3 4 2 1 2 8 4 3 5 Fire M.A. Prov. 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 5 EMS Village 52 57 58 71 62 74 67 74 67 74 71 77 EMS Town 10 9 16 7 23 9 9 13 10 12 15 9 EMS M.A. 21 8 8 9 3 0 3 6 4 2 2 3 Prov. Village Crashes 4 7 2 2 5 5 2 2 2 3 2 3 Town Crashes 1 3 5 3 2 4 4 2 2 2 3 2 TOTAL 113 99 93 102 105 100 97 108 101 111 106 119 Monthly Call Comparison
MAJOR CALLS: Notable Fires & Other Significant Events 3 Vehicle MVC Dump Truck vs. Car Village 1 st Ave. & Hy. 60 1/2/17 High Levels CO Village Pick &Save 2-2-17 MVC Car vs. Tree Town Hy. V 2-2-17 MVC Rollover Village 17 th & Washington 2-5-17 Furnace Fire Village Pace 2-21-17 Structure Fire Village Highland Dr. 2-25-17 Hazmat Village Dairy Queen 3-3-17 MVC Crossover/Rollover with FFL Town I-43 & Ulao Pkwy 3-18-17 Garage/Brush Fire Town Glenview Lane 4-8-17 Kayaker x5 Capsize Village Mil. River & Falls Rd. 5-29-17 MVC Crossover Car vs. Bridge Town I-43 & Lakefield Rd. 6-4-17 MVC Dump Truck Rollover Town I-43 & Pioneer Rd. 6-7-17 Tractor Fire in Barn Town- 5 th Ave 6-9-17 Structure Fire Town-Homestead Trail 9-3-17 Machine Fire Village Grob Inc. 9-27-17 Structure Fire Delaware Ave. Apt. Build. 10-21-17 Structure Fire Village Highland Dr. 11-4-17 MVC Rollover/fire Town Pioneer & Lakeshore Dr. 11-5-17 MVC Semi vs. Camper Town I-43 at Lakefield Rd. 11-7-17 CO Leak Village Strip Mall Falls Rd. 11-18-17 MVC Head On with FFL Fatal Town Hy. 60 11-22-17 Structure Fire Town Apple Blossom Lane 11-23-17 Large Brush Fire Town Lakeshore Rd. 11-26-17 Brush Fire Town East River Rd. 11-28-17 Man Fell Out of tree; 30 Fall Town Hy. V 12-3-17 MVC rollover Town Green Bay Rd. 12-23-17 Structure Fire/Fireplace Village 11 th. Ave. 12-24-17 MVC Car vs. Fence into pond Village St. Pauls Church 12-24-17 Fire Responses by Type: Response by Types Fire Incident Type Total Fires 29 Overpressure, rupture 2 Hazardous Conditions 24 Service Calls 10 Good intent 18 False Alarm 61 MVC/Extrication/Motor vs ped 68
SUMMARY: The Grafton Fire Department has continued to evolve since the Department become a municipal Fire and EMS Department in 2013. The most noticeable change is in the interaction of the public with the Department on a daily basis. The Department experienced highs and lows in 2018 regarding coverage and staffing. Some months the Department was unable to assure 100% availability of EMS personnel and full fire coverage. At other times later in the year, the Department noticed less coverage gaps and overall participation improved. The Department continues to use the DPW and Water Utility personnel to augment day-time non- EMS response in 2017. This practice continues to augment day-time fire staffing and is critical. It The DPW added one person in 2017 who is fire trained, he has fit in well and helps improve the day-time response. The most notable statistic in this annual report continues to be an increase of 25% total call volume in the last eight years. This increase has largely been absorbed by the existing work force again this year but higher call volume is affecting the workforce. It is now not unusual for an on-call Firefighter/EMT/Paramedic to respond to over five calls in one 24 hour on-call shift. This time commitment is challenging members with families and other interests as they simply cannot devote such long periods of time away from family, work and friends. The practice of paying our part-time Day-shift employees to work 24 hour shifts on Saturdays has been helpful. Unfortunately, those shifts are only being filled about one out of four Saturdays. In December of 2016, the Fire Chief addressed the Village Public Safety Committee to begin the discussion of how the Department will be staffed in the future. The Fire Chief reported that volunteerism is declining, members are leaving the area for life advancements and members have many competing interests for their time. In 2017, the Fire Chief worked with the Public Safety Committee to develop a plan for a full-time skeleton staff in the future. This plan would provide minimal coverage and still relay very heavily on a volunteer/paid-on-call type system for the foreseeable future. A recommendation was made to work toward a minimum staffing of 2
Firefighter/Paramedic s on duty 24/7. To attain this, the Department would need to hire three Firefighter/Paramedic s each year for three years. This concept was accepted by the committee but not recommend or approved. At the 2018 budget hearing, it was decided to hire one 24 hour Firefighter Paramedic in July of 2018.