WINTERS FIRE DEPARTMENT
2019 ANNUAL REPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Mission, Vision & Core Values 3
Office of the Fire Chief 4
Accomplishments 5
Fire Administration & Organizational Chart 6
Fire Operations & Training 7-9
Fire Prevention 10-11
Emergency Medical Services, Fleet 12-13 & Facilities
Winters Fire Protection District Service Area 14-15
City of Winters Service Area 16
Volunteer Program 17-19
3 Year Calls for Service 20
Types of Calls for Service 21
Calls by District 22
EMS Calls by Month 23
5 Year History- Calls for Service 24
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MISSION, VISION STATEMENT & CORE VALUES
Our Mission….. The mission of the Winters Fire Department is to protect life safety, property and the environment.
Our Vision….. Strive to provide excellence and professionalism in emergency response, fire prevention, fire training, and public education programs.
Our Core Values….. Through S.P.I.R.I.T. The Winters Fire Department will embrace these Core Values. Service. Professionalism. Integrity. Respect. Innovation. Trust.
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OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF
I am pleased to present this 2019 Annual Report which provides you an overview of the many accomplishments achieved by the staff here in Winters Fire Department. I trust the information contained within this report will provide insight into the Administration, Organizational Structure, Operations and Fire Prevention activities conducted on a day to day basis. As the newly appointed Fire Chief for the City of Winters in early 2019, I am honored to lead an organization that continues to grow and develop. Staff continues to meet the increasing challenges of delivering exceptional emergency services to our citizens and visitors. The Fire Department has an important place in the community, and it is our duty to meet that expectation each and every time we are called upon. In 2019, the Fire Department responded to 727 calls for service. Of these 727, 479 were for medical emergencies, 50 were for fires, the remaining incidents were of all other types such as rescues, hazardous material releases, and false alarms. Medical emergencies, including motor vehicle accidents, comprised 66% of the total incidents. The balance between medical and fire related incidents continue to contrast with the national average of 70 – 80% medical related calls. I am very proud of the dedicated and professional staff in the department. They have a tremendous sense of responsibility and loyalty to the community we serve. Please feel free to contact myself or any member of the Fire Department staff at any time. We look forward to hearing from the community.
Respectfully Submitted,
Brad L. Lopez
Fire Chief
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2019
• Swearing In Ceremony for Fire Chief, Brad Lopez. • Replaced Type I engine through an awarded San Ramon Valley FPD grant. • Hosted Annual Monticello Technical Rescue Drill, over 100 Fire, Law and EMS personnel participated. • Provided water deliveries for residents livestock during PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff. • Organizational restructure of staff and assignments to improve efficiencies in administration and operations. • Implementation of a new Report Management System in partnership with Yocha Dehe Fire Department. • 8 High school seniors graduated the Winters Fire Department Fire Explorer program. • Hosted Public Safety Day with over 100 community members attending educational activities by Fire, Law Enforcement and Reach Helicopter. • Participated in the Winters Christmas Tree Lighting & Tractor Parade. • Toys for Tots Program distributed to nearly 100 families & children with the community.
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FIRE ADMINISTRATION
The Fire Chief is the administrator that provides overall leadership, fiscal budgeting, and strategic planning for the department. The Fire Chief works a Monday thru Friday 9/80 schedule. The Fire Chief is considered a working Chief and is required to respond to emergencies and is On Call after hours and weekends.
The Department is organized into three divisions, each with a specific area of responsibility. The divisions include:
• Fire Operations & Training • Fire Prevention & Public Education • Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Fleet & Facilities
Each of the divisions oversees several important functions including personnel, emergency response, training, fire prevention, fire inspections, public education, fire investigations, EMS, and facility & fleet maintenance. The chart below illustrates the departments organizational structure.
FIRE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
City Manager
FIRE CHIEF FTE 1.00
CAPTAIN CAPTAIN CAPTAIN A SHIFT B SHIFT C SHIFT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FTE 1.00 FTE 1.00 FTE 1.00 FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer
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FIRE OPERATIONS & TRAINING
Matthew Schechla, Fire Captain [email protected] OPERATIONS Fire Department Operations consists of three shift assignments: A, B, and C shifts. Currently there are three full-time career Fire Captains, who each work a 48/96 work cycle (2 days on/4 days off) and each fill one of the assigned shifts. Our daily staffing maintains a minimum of one Fire Captain and one Firefighter 24/7/365 days where they staff one Type I Engine. The WFD utilizes a Volunteer/Reserve Firefighter program to augment daily staffing up to a total of four personnel on the engine.
The Engine Company responds to all calls for service to include but not limited to; fires, emergency medical services (EMS), vehicle accidents, public assists, hazmat and technical rescue in high angle/ low angle rope rescue and swift water emergencies. The 24hr staffing model was implemented during the transition into the new Public Safety Facility in late 2011. By transitioning towards a more traditional 24hr staffing model, this enabled the fire department to become more responsive in emergency services to the city and district.
In 2018, Winters Fire adopted “acting Battalion” shift coverage to provide pre- planning, scene management and assist with coordination on large incidents. Through collaboration between the Fire Chief and the Captains, each Officers fulfills 96 hours of on-call Battalion coverage per month. Staffing recalls are used to bring in volunteer firefighters to up-staff during times when call volume is high or extreme weather / red-flag conditions exist.
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TRAINING Firefighters are required to meet minimum training requirements mandated at both the State and Federal levels. It is the responsibility of the training officer to develop department training standards and schedules that ensure all mandated requirements are met. Most firefighters are California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) Certified to the Firefighter I level with several being certified at Firefighter II level. The Department has put great emphasis recently on CSFM Certified training. During 2019 WFD personnel completed 1928 hours of training.
In some cases, we have brought in outside instructors, in others we have utilized our own in-house instructors and we have sent people to courses hosted at neighboring fire departments. The CSFM provides career development tracks for Firefighter through Chief Officers; the Winters Fire Department utilizes these tracks to facilitate our training programs. At the emergency medical service level, all staff are certified at basic first aid and CPR. Dozens are certified at the Emergency Medical Technician (E.M.T.) All E.M.T.’s are also automatic external defibrillator qualified.
Training topics include: • Auto Extrication • Search & Rescue • Harassment Training for • Emergency Medical Services Supervisors • Ventilation • Wildland Firefighting • Multi-Company Evolutions & • Structural Firefighting Performance Standards • Fire Behavior • Personal Protective • Thermal Imaging Cameras Equipment • Communications • Hazardous Materials • Master Streams • Swift Water Rescue • Ladders Awareness & Operations
Annual Refresher Training: • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation • Emergency Medical Responder • Emergency Medical Technician • Wildland Firefighting RT130 • Personal Protective Equipment • Harassment & Workplace Violence • OSHA Respirator Fit Protection • OSHA Two-In-Two Out
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WEST VALLEY REGIONAL FIRE TRAINING CONSORTIUM
The Winters Fire Department is an active member of the West Valley Regional Fire Training Consortium. The Consortium is made up of fire 8 departments that are focused on multi-company training or multi-company drills (MCD). In 2019, WFD personnel attended:
• Active Shooter training (Woodland) • Confined Space Rescue (West Sac) • Monticello Dam Drill (Winters) • Live Wildland Burn (Davis) • Search and Rescue (Yocha Dehe) • Large Area Search (Woodland) • Thermal Imaging training (West Sac) • Multi-Casualty Incident training (Woodland) • 4WD Off-road drivers training (Woodland) • Hose and Nozzle advancement (Woodland)
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FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION
Art Mendoza, Fire Captain [email protected]
The Fire Prevention Division is responsible for providing public education to schools and residence within our community. Utilizing educational and nationally recognized resources through the National Fire Protection Association, we provide educational resources and conduct presentations within our community that focuses on fire safety, home fire escape plans, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm safety tips to preparing homes for wildfire.
In 2019, the Winters Fire Department initiated a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) through a State Responsibility Area (SRA) Fire Prevention Fund grant. This plan includes the areas of Golden Bear Estates and Positas Road and has been prepared cooperatively with many stakeholders and addresses pre-fire improvements, vegetation management, ignition prevention, community education and outreach, evacuation and firefighting initiatives and mitigations in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) within the Winters Fire Department and Madison Fire District.
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), pronounced ‘woo-ee, is a “geographical area where structures and other human development meets or intermingles with wildland and vegetative fuels.” The purpose of the WUI is to decrease the threat of life and property from wildfire. The western unincorporated areas of the Winters Fire District primarily reside within the WUI and State Responsibility Areas and as a result greatly affects building codes and standards.
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FIRE CODE ENFORCEMENT & INSPECTIONS FIRE INSPECTIONS 2019
New Construction Inspections
1 8 2
114
City Residential District Residential City Commerical District Commercial
State Mandated Inspections
California Health and Safety Code Sections 13145 and 13146 require every city or county fire department or district providing fire protection services to enforce the fire code as adopted. Additionally, section 13146.2 requires the fire department to annually inspect every building used as a public or private school as well as all apartment houses, hotels, motels, lodging houses, and, jails for compliance. On September 27, 2018, Governor Brown approved Senate Bill 1205. SB1205 requires the fire department to report annually to its administering authority, as defined, on the department’s compliance with the above-described inspection requirements. The bill requires the administering authority to acknowledge receipt of the report in a resolution or a similar formal document.
State Mandated Inspections (Annual) Occupancy Type Example Quantity Complete Educational E Schools (public and private) 8 8 Institutional I-3 Jails 1 1 Residential R-1 Hotels / Motels 7 7 Residential R-2 Apartment / Condos 116 116 The WFD is developing strategies to implement annual inspections and reporting requirements for 2020.
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EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, FLEET & FACILITIES DIVISION
Cheyne Baumgart, Fire Captain [email protected] EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES The Winters Fire Department career staff maintains certifications at the level of Emergency Medical Technician, to include the optional scopes of practice. Yolo County, and the State of California require 24 hours of continuing education to remain licensed as a Basic Life Support (BLS) provider. Additional hours are required for the optional scope which include interventions such as administration of Epinephrine, and Narcan, use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), glucometers, and IGEL, a supraglottic airway device. All members of the department are certified bi-annually in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and use of Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Training consist of a both didactic and manipulative hands on learning pertaining to treatment and care of adults and pediatrics.
Monthly meetings of the Emergency Medical Care Committee (EMCC) are attended to ensure that the any updates or variations to the county EMS standards of practice are met and appropriately addressed.
Department staff adhere to progressive, evolving medical protocols which provide guidance to ensure our customers receive clinically competent prehospital care. Each frontline apparatus is equipped with modern emergency medical equipment, in compliance with county standards, allowing crews to respond to any type of medical emergency that arises as part of an all risk department. Winters Fire collaborates with American Medical Response ambulance service to provide patient care, with Station 26 being a deployment location for Advanced Life Support (ALS) resources.
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FLEET, EQUIPMENT, & FACILITIES MAINTENANCE
Winters Fire utilizes specialized apparatus for the various types of emergencies the unique geography our location offers. The fleet includes serval types of vehicles that are designed to respond to specific types of emergencies.
Our fleet includes:
• Type 1 Engine (All Risk initial response, structural, medical, rescue) • Type 3 Engine (Wildland response, capable of access in complex terrain) • Type 5 Engine (Wildland response, rapid response for mobile fire attack) • Water Tender (Structural and Wildland response, mobile water supply) • Rescue/Squad (Rescue, carries specialized equipment for technical rescue) • Utility/ UTV (General vehicles for moving equipment and personnel)
Maintenance of vehicles entails daily, weekly, monthly, and annual service checks. Winters Fire personnel perform meticulous inspections ensuring that all vehicles are operating correctly and ready to respond at any notice. Additionally, third party contracts annually inspect apparatus to certify that all of our vehicles follow DOT standards, as well as produce acceptable emissions per the State of California.
Equipment ranges from the personal protective ensemble that firefighters wear to the tools they use during incidents. Daily, weekly, and annual inspections are performed guaranteeing that members of the department can respond safely and accomplish any tasks they are assigned. The cache of tools includes hand tools, rescue equipment and small motorized equipment. Gear receives and advanced inspection at the station and sent out to a partnership company for repairs or any discrepancies identified. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) is annually flow tested to meet NFPA recommendations.
Our specialized equipment such as vehicle extrication tools, ladders, and radios receive specific inspections by third party vendors to adhere to the recommendations and mandates by the NFPA and OSHA. Monthly Yolo Communication meetings are attended to brief on county wide updates that allowed for upgrades to our communication and alerting equipment.
Facility maintenance is done daily to safeguard the investment of the city.
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WINTERS FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT (WFPD)
The Winters Fire Protection District is an independent district that is governed by a Board of Commissioners, who meet quarterly to conduct business. The Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms by the County Board of Supervisors and must be residents of the District. The Winters Fire District contracts with the City of Winters for fire services.
This cost-effective partnership eliminates duplication of services and achieves economies of scale. The day to day fire services are under the direction of the City of Winters. The employees and all assets of the Fire Department are a department within the City of Winters. The Fire District meets annually with a subcommittee of the City Council in order to discuss, plan and participate in the provision of fire services.
WINTERS FIRE DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS
Name Title Term Expires Tony Turkovich, Chairman 12/2021 Dennis Mariani Commissioner 12/2023 Vickie Jacobs Commissioner 12/2021 Bob Bell Commissioner 12/2021 Gloria Lopez Commissioner 12/2023
For 2019 the Winters Fire District:
• Conducted four quarterly meetings
• Conducted one special meeting
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WFPD SERVICE AREA
The Winters Fire Protection District (WFPD) encompasses 86 square miles with a population of approximately 1500 residents. The land use is predominantly agricultural and commercial consisting mostly of scattered farms and ranches. The district currently has an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification of 8B.
The western portion of the WFPD proceeds north of SR128 and west to the Monticello Dam at Lake Berryessa. Most of the land here is considered State Responsibility Area (SRA) land, CAL Fire is the State of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection which is the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) during wild land fires incidents. The northern portion of the WFPD extends from CR89 north to CR28. The eastern portion of the WFPD extends to CR92F and Russell Blvd and north on CR92E to CR28.
The Winters Fire Department provides for fire protection services as the first responder under agreement with CAL Fire since we are the closest resource to the SRA land areas. Additionally, all other calls for service including Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are provided by the Winters Fire Department. American Medical Response provides for hospital transport of ill or injured patients within this area of Yolo County.
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CITY OF WINTERS SERVICE AREA
The incorporated portion of the city consists of nearly 3 square miles of service area. According to the United States Census Bureau 2017 for the City of Winters, the population is estimated at 7144, with approximately 2299 housing units. A rural residential community inhabited largely by people who commute to nearby cities for work. The city currently has and Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification of 4.
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VOLUNTEERS
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM The WFD Volunteer Firefighter program is the backbone of fire department operations and consists of approximately 16 active firefighters and support personnel. About half of our Volunteer Firefighters live within the Winters community, leaving the other half living in surrounding communities, such as Vacaville, Dixon, Fairfield, Sacramento, and Roseville areas.
Solano Community College provides a Fire Academy program where students obtain education and certification for a fire service career. This provides the WFD the opportunity to recruit firefighters into our volunteer program. Most of our Volunteer Firefighters remain in our organization for up to 2-3 years before moving on to other organizations such as CAL Fire or receive full-time employment with other fire departments. This year alone we have had 13 of our members gain employment as a seasonal firefighter with CAL Fire and several others obtaining full-time employment with other fire agencies.
U.S. FIRE DEPARTMENTS Nationally, fire departments are experiencing a significant decrease in their volunteer base. As illustrated in the below graph, between 1986-2017 the number of volunteer firefighters and rate per 1,000 people in the U.S. has declined near 30% percent.
Source: Yolo County Fire Protection Districts, Review of Challenges and Strategic Approaches.
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VOLUNTEER PROGRAM CONTINUED
LOCALLY A large base of reliable trained volunteers is the backbone of the Winters Fire Department. Similarly, the Winters Fire Department is also experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining trained volunteers. A recent study conducted of Yolo County fire departments demonstrated between 2008-2018 similar decrease of 29% percent.
Source: Yolo County Fire Protection Districts, Review of Challenges and Strategic Approaches.
This nationwide fire service challenge has caused the department to conduct volunteer recruitment bi-annually or as needed in order to maintain fire department operations and meet the needs of the community. There are several requirements to become a Volunteer with the WFD and they fall into one of two requirements:
RESIDENT VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER • Must be 18 years old. • Residency Requirement- Live within the Winters City or District. • Complete a WFD Firefighter Taskbook. • Participate in monthly Training Drills. • Respond to 10% of annual calls. • Successfully complete 12 months’ probation.
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VOLUNTEER PROGRAM CONTINUED
RESERVE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER • Must be 18 years old. • Complete a California State Fire Marshal approved Fire Academy or have a Firefighter I certificate. • Participate in a minimum of three 24hr shifts each month. • Complete a WFD Firefighter Taskbook. • Successfully complete 12 months’ probation.
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION The WFD career staff and volunteers make up the Winters Volunteer Firefighters Association. An Executive Board consisting of a President, Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer is elected each calendar year and facilitates association business. The Volunteer Firefighters Association conducts monthly business meetings, hosts several fundraising events within the community and supports local organizations and youth sports. Fundraiser & Supporting Events Include: • Toys for Tots • Fish Fry • Shrimp Feed • Christmas Tree Lighting • Youth Day Parade
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TYPES OF CALLS FOR SERVICE
INCIDENT TYPE 2019 2018 2017
FIRES- 100 SERIES
Structure Fires -111-120 Series 6 11 12
Vehicle Fires -130-138 Series 5 2 5
Vegetation Fires -140-143 Series 31 31 26
Other Fires 8 29 20
RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, HEAT - 200 SERIES 1 0 1
RESCUE & EMS- 300 SERIES
Medical Aids/Assists-320-321 424 364 391
Motor Vehicle Accidents -322-324 Series 52 41 48
Extrications -352 Series 1 3 0
Rescues- 300, 351,353-381 2 4 17
HAZARDOUS CONDITION- 400 21 17 23 SERIES
SERVICE CALL -500 SERIES 67 62 63
GOOD INTENT CALL -600 SERIES 45 63 58
FALSE ALARM -700 SERIS 62 72 52
SEVERE WEATHER & DISASTER -800 SERIES 1 0 3
SPECIAL INCIDENT TYPE 900 1 1 3 SERIES
TOTAL 727 700 722
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2019 CALLS FOR SERVICE BY TYPE
The Winters Fire Department had its third highest year in calls for service in 2019, responding to 727 calls for service. The increase in calls for service is attributed to Emergency Medical Aids and Wildland Fires.
Incidents By Type 8% False Alarms 1% Weather/Disaster 5% Good Intent 1% Rupture/Explosion 8% Service Calls 7% Fires
66% 3% HAZMAT EMS & RESCUE
Fires 100 Rupture,Explosion 200 EMS/Rescue 300 Hazardous Materials 400 Service Calls 500 Good Intent 600 False Alarms 700 Weather & Disaster 800 Special Incidents 900
Medical Aid Calls Heat Map The below heat map illustrates Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls throughout the city of Winters for 2019. Highest concentration of EMS calls for service are mostly centrally located within the city.
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2019 CALLS BY DISTRICT
Other OES/CALFIRE Yolo/Solano/Napa 1% Vacaville FD 5% 1% Dixon FD 6%
Winters District 19%
City of Winters 68%
City of Winters Winters District Dixon FD Vacaville FD Other Yolo/Solano/Napa OES/CALFIRE
2019 AVERAGE RESPONSE TIMES:
• City of Winters: 04:26 • Winters Fire District: 08:43
Response times to emergencies are critical to our mission in protecting life safety. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 Standard establishes a national Response Time Standard of 4 minutes from the time of dispatch to arrival of the first unit. Winters Fire Department continues to strive and improve efficiencies in order to meet this standard.
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2019 EMS CALLS
Emergency Medical Services are the most common calls for service the Winters Fire Department responds for. American Medical Response (AMR) unit is stationed at the fire department and provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) transport services to the city of Winters and the Fire District service areas. This unit is not always committed to the city/district and is frequently pulled into other areas of Yolo County.
EMS CALLS FOR SERVICE BY MONTH
EMS CALLS 2019 60 50
40
30 20 10
0
EMS CALLS 2019
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CALLS FOR SERVICE 5 YEAR HISTORY
The graph below demonstrates the steady increase of calls for service over the past 5 years. Calls for service have increased 9.5% over the past 5 years. 2019 was our highest reported year in calls for service.
740
720
700
680 727 722
700 660 697
658 640
620 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
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