The Monthly Newsletter for the Urbandale Fire Department... December 2018 n the Line OOur Core Values: Pride, Respect, Duty, Unity, Integrity and Compassion. In This Issue… Upcoming Events Trivia Question……………………………….…. 1/4 December 19th Chief’s Corner……………………………...…...... 2/3 FD Christmas Party Safety Incidents………………..………………… 3

This Old Man—Lt. Wilson…………..…...... 4

Around the Department…….…….……...…..... 5 Prevention/Training Efforts…………………… 5

You’ve Been Caught Letters…………………… 6

Safety Tips……………...…….…….……...…..... 7

Member Profile: Jason Campbell……..….….. 7

Calendar………………………………………….. 8

Cory Deaton 12/1 Logan Derry 12/5 Josh Boyle 12/8 Jason Campbell 12/16 UFD statistics for November Matt Dominguez 12/30 Calls for service: 352 YTD: 4,232

Average response Time from alarm to arrival – emergency calls in Urbandale: 5 minutes 54 seconds Emergency Medical Service calls: 210 Fire related calls: 81 Lt. Dan Birkett 12/01 15 years Other: 61: CUR: Fire: 11, CUR: EMS: 50 A/C Rob Light 01/01 31 years We are proud to have you all as part of our team!

Fire Service Trivia….December 2018 Q: What is Ben Franklin’s connection to the Fire Service

a) First Paid Chief of Philadelphia b) Invented the First Fire Nozzle c) Fought a fire at Independence Hall in Philadelphia d) Organized the first volunteer fire company in Philadelphia

Trivia Answer on page 4...

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 1

ON THE LINE Chief’s Corner—Chief Jerry Holt

I read a blog earlier this year that I think captures a lot of a rescue. what some people feel is wrong in the fire service. The au- thor was lamenting about how fire service maxims were On the other hand, the family is all out and they tell you being misused. I couldn’t disagree any stronger with the that, the event must be handled with much more caution blog. While it isn’t my intent to attack the author – every- and regard for the lives of our firefighters. Could there be a one is entitled to their opinion – it is my intent to discuss burglar in the home that the family doesn’t know about? the argument that we’ve gone too far with our own safety. Could there be a homeless person in their attic? Sure there could, but what’s the odds? Could an abandoned structure At the end of the day, the blog is about risk and risk aver- have homeless people inside? Sure and there are those sion. The author shares his stance on why “risk a lot to structures where we risk a lot to find out. But we must save a lot” is wrong. He is against the incident priorities as first BELIEVE that there could be someone in there and taught (LIP = Life safety, Incident stabilization & Property then we must believe we could save them. But I’ve heard conservation) and asserts that “… this saying has been firefighters make that argument that even being told that bastardized into a “me first” argument.” He further states no one is in there, we cannot be sure. But we can make an his agreement with a statement he read that is, “Risk a lot appropriate response. to save a lot is B.S.” Our friend simply doesn’t get it. What is missing in the argument against the RALTSAL is Let’s dig into the “risk a lot to save a lot” maxim. Nowhere two important items; we have to believe there is something in that philosophy does it say we won’t take risks. In fact, as valuable as our firefighter’s lives, another life that could it is quite the opposite. “Risk a lot to save a be saved; and, if something happens to our firefighters, it is lot” (RALTSAL) means that we most definitely will commit doubtful that things are going to get better. We are going troops to the most dangerous of situations if we have rea- to be aggressive to save lives. Period. We are going to risk son to believe that there are lives to be saved and our ac- our lives to save other lives until we find that there are no tions may result in saving their lives. As my friend sees it, lives to save. We aren’t going to take the same level of risk those of us who buy the RALTSAL simply aren’t aggressive in a structure when we are told there is no one in there. enough. Nothing could be further from the truth and any understanding that we are NOT taking risk is simply As to the LIP argument, again, my friend doesn’t under- wrong. stand the meaning of this maxim. The “L” in LIP is life safety, both potential victims and the lives we bring to bat- I don’t think my friend is the only one who doesn’t get it. tle the incident. There is no “me” first approach in that. I’ve heard many folks in their discussions about how we’ve What is there is the term “life.” That focuses on the people taken safety too far. Rather it is taking a facepiece off be- we are being called to help. They are first and they are the cause one believes they cannot communicate effectively to sole reason we exist. Having said that, what if they tell us believing that there is always someone trapped inside, I’ve no one is in there? Now, the “L” becomes about us. Should seen folks not take safety seriously. Maybe some have tak- we offer the same degree of risk for our personnel for sav- en safety too far but I haven’t seen it. I mostly see firefight- ing property that we do for saving a life? I don’t think so. ers who want to play dangerous games. Games that were We want to save property but I would never trade in any other environment they would surely “pass” on but someone’s property, no matter how valuable for the life of a they feel they must show how tough they are and how dan- firefighter. We will do everything within our power to save gerous our job is. That reminds me of another saying by as much property as we can but we will do that in a con- Chief Brunacini – Ego eats brains! trolled manner with the “L” of our We must take risk but they should personnel coming before the “P” of be tempered in reality and no one the property. really cares how tough you are when you are taking needless risks. The “I” and “P” are the same. No firefighter should die stabilizing an RALTSAL isn’t rocket science. It is incident. Is there a time when sta- right there in the saying…risk a lot! bilizing an incident puts our person- There is nothing more “a lot” than nel at risk? Yes, but we need to care- the lives of our personnel. If there is fully consider the risk versus the a chance to save a life, we are going benefits. I would submit that in the to be as aggressive as necessary and sense of property, there is rarely a we will be doing everything we can do to save a life. We case to be made for sacrificing the life of a firefighter to know that just because there is fire showing there is still a save property. I do acknowledge that “always” and “never” chance of survival and we have to do our search. A closed can be dangerous approaches. Yet, there are way too many door goes a long way to keeping an area tenable and we examples of firefighters dying needlessly at incidents know that…we are going in aggressively if we have reason where their action would have no influence on the outcome to believe that there is someone in there and that they can of the incident. be saved. We are going to aggressively “risk a lot” to make (Continued on page 3)

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 2

ON THE LINE Risk A Lot continued... In the end, I get a myopic view of how things should be done. As a young and inexperienced firefighter, I was taught and understood aggressive interior operations. So I became an aggressive firefighter, taking chances because that was the way we did it. I recall on many occasions wondering was it worth it. There were many aggressive attacks that were in- credible successful only to have the structure bulldozed in the days after the fire. I risked a lot for nothing…I had never even heard the phrase RALTSAL.

When I became a Lieutenant, I continued the aggressive fire attacks. I was blessed to work with outstanding personnel who believed in aggressive attacks. We continued to do well but I felt a little different now that I was responsible for tak- ing people into bad situations because that’s the way we always did it. It seemed now that I was in charge; I was risking much more in those lives entrusted to me. It was no longer about me but now it was about us.

When I became a Captain, I really started learning and came to find the RALTSAL maxim. I got it. I would never risk the lives of those serving under me to save something that could not be saved. Still put the customer first…but with a total understanding that we cannot help our customers if we get injured or killed in the process and there is nothing more precious than a life. It is our job to put our customer’s lives before ours but right behind their life is our lives.

Losing your property is terrible. I’ve been to many fires in my career where we’ve done an outstanding job yet the dam- age was done and the property loss couldn’t be overcome. I’ve been to too many fires where there was a loss of life – and one is one too many. They all haunt me in ways that most folks could never understand.

Being the fire chief, those lives entrusted to me are so very important to me. Don’t misunderstand any of the maxims; I am willing to risk those lives in an effort to save the lives of our customers. That’s what we do and I know that all of our personnel understand that. It is a dangerous job and there are times where our lives are going to be committed to situations and atmospheres that could kill instantly. I am willing to risk our lives. I am not willing to give the life of one of our firefighters for prop- erty that can be replaced or to recover a dead body.

All of our personnel should understand completely LIP and the mantra “Risk a lot to save a lot, risk a little in a highly calculate manner following standard operat- ing guidelines to save savable property and we take no risk for property or lives that have already been lost. It is not about not putting the customer first or not trying – we will always put the customer first and we will always consider if we could save a life. We need to be smart about taking risk and know that there are times when we most certainly will risk it all for those we serve. As for others, they can run their incidents the way they see fit. So will we.

Last Safety Incidents: ambulance. • 5/15/18: Employee hit his head on brick wall resulting As of December 1st in a laceration requiring 6 stiches. 32 days without a safety incident • 7/6/18: Employee injured his arm while moving a pa- tient. He returned to light duty following his approval 147 days without a lost time injury to return to duty. (We made it to 211 days without a loss time injury before the • 10/30/18: Employee was stuck by a nail through a string was broken) gloved hand on the scene of car in building. Last incidents: • 12/08/17: Employee injured back—picking up a box when felt a sharp pain in mid back area. Missed re- You matter!! Your safe- mainder of shift. ty is important...Please be on the look out for • 3/30/18: Ambulance was backed in to a bollard at Sta- unsafe Actions, Behav- tion 41. The accident occurred despite having a backer iors & Conditions. in place. Stay safe. • 4/23/18: Employee had his hand shut in the door of an

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 3

ON THE LINE This Old Man Finished School – Lt. Stu Wilson Some of you may not remember but a couple of years ago I wrote an article about me going back to school to finish my degree. I know some of you and even myself were wondering what is he doing and going back to school at his age. What is the benefit of it and is there a purpose for it? It is hard to believe it or not I made it through. I have been able to complete something that I have thought about doing for a long time and never imagined that it would happen. I completed by Bachelors of Science degree through Waldorf University back in June of this year. While I have a few more gray hairs and a little more arthritis from all the typing, it was well worth the effort. The effort that it took was something that I didn’t think I had in me to complete. The support I got not only from my family was tremendous which helped a lot. It is also nice to work for an organization that not only supports higher education but also encourages and will do whatever it can to help you achieve your goals. I can’t thank the City and Chief Holt enough for the encouragement and assistance they provided me during this process. When you put your time and effort into something like this you come out on the other side a better person. The benefits for me completing this degree will hopefully be in the ability to promote with in our organization but also pursue other goals that I don’t even know about yet. If that is not to be then I will take the benefit of proving to my kids that no matter how long it takes it is never too late to complete a goal you have set for yourself. It also proves to them that when you set your mind to something you can achieve anything. I also would hope that some of our younger and newer members would look at this and say that if this old man who had been out of school for 25 plus years can do it, then I can do it too. I would encourage you to start now and not wait till you are as old as I am to go back to school. There are tons of options out there any more from online classes to more traditional clas- ses. The opportunities are endless. I would also push you to take as many fire or EMS classes as you can, you never know what you may learn and be able to bring back to make us a better department. The last thing that I would like to say to our newer members is that you have joined an organization that takes education serious and it will do whatever it can to help you succeed and reach your full potential. If there is a class you want to take or want to go back to school do it, from the lieutenants to the chief officers we are all here to help you succeed. I would also like to thank Jim Cook for join- ing our department as I am no longer the oldest man on the line. Thanks Jim!!

Trivia Answer: Correct Answer, D tive of a private citizen and no effort was made to coordinate their training, equipment, or even working together at a fire. Ben Franklin and the Fire Service Franklin proposed that the City of Philadelphia take an active Ben Franklin is revered in this country as a true role in organizing these groups. When this idea renaissance man, whose interests spread across a was met with indifference, he approach a group large party of 1700’s society. As an inventor his is known as Junto, a benevolent group dedicated to famous for the franklin stove, which greatly im- civic and self-improvement. They agreed with his proved home heating and safety in smaller wood ideas, and with their backing, Franklin formed houses. As a scientist, his work with electricity the Union Fire Company in December 1736. paved the way for the widespread use of electrici- Members purchased leather fire buckets as well ty in public buildings. He was a prolific political as straps and handtools (used to disassemble and thinker and writer, and was one of the original carry out furnishings from burning buildings). authors of the Declaration of Independence. But The members met monthly to discuss fire preven- he also was known for his civic improvements, tion methods and conduct drills on fighting fires. including fire protection. More well-off members purchased fancy uniforms and leather helmets which bore the emblem of Throughout the early 1700’s, as urban cities be- the Union Fire Co. gan to grow, the threat of fire was constant. New Benjamin Franklin as a member York, Boston, and Philadelphia had all suffered of the Union Fire Company. Within a few years, several other volunteer fire the impact of large conflagrations which burned companies had been formed, based on the Union through large areas of the city. The widespread use of wood Fire Company Franklin founded. Unlike Boston, these compa- construction combined with open fire hearths and candle light- nies agreed to work together in case of fire, coming to each ing were responsible for the large share of these fires. Most other’s aid when the call of fire sounded. Soon Philadelphia cities lacked any type of organization to prevent or combat was protected by a system of volunteer fire companies. These fires. The main method of fighting fire involved the sure of fire volunteer companies took it upon themselves to raise funds to watchman patrolling the streets at night, looking for fires. purchase hand-pumps and hose as well as carts to carry lad- When a fire was spotted, the general public was summoned to ders, which the members pulled to the fires by hand. assist with bucket brigades or swabbers to put out roof fires caused by blowing embers. Franklin remained active in his personal war on fire. He fre- quently wrote letters to the Pennsylvania Gazette (the news- In 1733, after a visit to Boston, Franklin was impressed by paper he founded), urging citizens in specific steps they could how the City of Boston had started to form volunteer fire bri- take to prevent fires in their homes and businesses. He called gades. These loosely formed groups (as much social as civil) for citywide codes on the installation and inspection of stoves would respond to fires in their part of town and worked as a and fireplaces. He also pushed through a requirement that team to fight the fires. They held fundraisers to purchase each home have a fire bucket and that it be kept full of water equipment specifically for firefighting, then trained on how to in case of fire. Through his efforts Philadelphia became one of use it. The groups in Boston were formed usually on the initia- the safest cities in America.

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 4

ON THE LINE Other programs/training/projects completed by UFD in November:

Training Report: 784 hours of training were completed in November Fire Training: 420 hours EMS Training: 364 hours Prevention & Inspection Activities:

• Completed 25 inspections

• Completed 23 re-inspections

• Completed 8 preplans

• Conducted 25 plan reviews

• Conducted public education/PR for 128 people (60 children & 68 adults) including 21 people for CPR training.

• Replaced 15 smoke detector and 4 detector batteries

• Conducted 7 Car Seat checks

What’s Happening Around the Department…

• There was not a Staff meeting in November. The next scheduled Staff Meeting will be December 13, 2018 and Lt. Miljkovic will be the facilitator.

• We continue to move the process forward for the next round of hiring to fill the three open SAFER positions. The deadline for application was the last week in November.

• Construction continues on Fire Station # 43. They are making progress and if you haven't been by the site in some- time, you should drive by. They have some walls up and are going strong!

• The budget has been submitted. The budget meeting with the City Manager and Finance Director is set for the sec- ond week of December. Look for further details on what the proposed budget included in next month’s newsletter. If you have any questions, please see the Chief , one of the A/C’s or the Fire Marshal.

• December 4, 2018, Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Urbandale City Council Meeting

• December 11, 2018, Tuesday, 11:45 a.m. – Urbandale City Council Lunch and Learn Worksession

• December 11, 2018, Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. – CIP Committee Public Hearing – Council Chambers

• December 13, 2018, Thursday, 6:00 p.m. – CIP Committee Continue Public Hearing – IF NEEDED

• December 18, 2018, Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Urbandale City Council Meeting

• January 2, 2019, Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Urbandale City Council Meeting

• January 15, 2019, Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Urbandale City Council Meeting

• January 22, 2018, Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. – Budget Worksession

• January 23, 2018, Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. – Budget Worksession

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 5

ON THE LINE “You’ve Been Caught Doing An Outstanding Job”

We continue to recognize your efforts. Whenever we receive a thank you letter, card or a phone call, we pass that along to the people involved in the form of a “You’ve Been Caught Doing An Outstanding Job” letter. As of December 1st, we have sent 222 notices to our personnel. The following people received “You’ve Been Caught” notices since our last newsletter:

John Mitchell, Nick Heuer, D/E Eric Ennen and Cory Young: We received a thank you card and a gift card for the shift in appreciation of the care provided during a call.

We received a thank you card from State Center Fire & EMS for class we conducted for their staff. They provided a gift card that we have to use for the department as we see fit. (HuHot gift card)

Dave Wyner, Lt. Dan Birkett, Nick Heuer, Cory Young, John Mitchell and Brad Crookshank: We received a thank you card for a truck visit. The card reads “Urbandale Firefighters, Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to visit our kiddos! They loved getting to walk through your trucks! Firefighter Brad was awesome in teaching/showing our kids that when you have your gear on, it’s still you! Thank you again! Valerius Kinder & 1st Grade

Lt. Stu Wilson, D/E John Ouverson, Andrew Klenk, Kyle Clark, & Logan Derry: We had a high school student ride along and she a thank you note thanking them for the experience. The note reads “Dear Urbandale Fire Station, Thank you all so much for teaching me all the basics of the normal day at the fire station! I enjoyed the ride-along and getting to be a part of helping patients! Thank you so so much for this opportunity and an amazing experience! Lydia DeWitt”

Jarod Bark, David Burns, Lt. Demir Miljkovic, D/E Drew Stiles, Andrew Klenk and Matt Dominguez: We re- ceived a thank you note and a $20 donation following a call to which this group responded. The note reads “Dear Para- medics, I wanted to thank you very much for your kindness and help during a difficult time. You came on Wednesday evening 7th. I’m enclosing a small donation towards some equipment you could use. Thank you Mary Lee Phelan” (7125 Airline)

Beth Harris & Chad Jackson: We received an email from Lt. Dolbeer @ WDM FD regarding an EMS call that WDM FD and A423 responded on. The email reads “I wanted to pass along a thank you and my compliments to your staff on A423 today. We had a call for pregnancy problems, and the mother had already delivered the child on the bathroom floor. Your crew and my crew worked well together to take care of both patients in an calm and organized way, for an always chaotic scene. Your Medics did a great job with not only the patients, but the interaction with the family as well to allow them to be as much a part of the experience as they possibly could. If you could pass along our gratitude to them, we were happy to see them right behind us to hand off the newborn to, and for their help in making this a positive outcome.”

Rob Harris, Jim Cook, Lt. Routson, D/E Landers & Craig Pope: We received an email from the wife of a person we responded to. The email reads: We need to thank the EMS service for their quick response and sufficient care when Marvin fell on the floor and needed help to get up for his bed on Sunday Nov. 25. Marvin was so tired after trying for some time to get up on his knees so his wife called the EMS. The men were kind and medically knowledgeable with good care. We as an elderly couple needed to be safe. We thank them so much for their good care and quick response. Marvin and Shirley Berns

Lt. Macumber, D/E Josh Boyle & Coden Tennison: Kathleen Hanlon of 4739 76th brought by some Panera bread goodies after E411 helped her take a detector down today so she could go get replacements

Thanks to all of you for providing outstanding service!!

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 6

ON THE LINE Member Profile... Member Profile: Jason Campbell FT FF/EMT Time with Urbandale Fire: About 1 month Why I was interested in UFD: There is a lot that got me interested in UFD. One of those things are the core values of the department. The Core Values of Pride, Respect, Integrity, Duty, Unity, and Compassion really hit home for me. They are the core values that I grew up with, the same ones that were instilled in me in the military, and the core values that I hold myself to today. Previous EMS experience: I obtained my EMT certification about half why through my enlistment in the U.S. Air Force, and I was a Firefighter/EMT at Cedar Falls Fire & Rescue for a little over 12 years. Previous Fire experience: I was a Firefighter in the U.S. Air Force for 4 years, a volunteer Firefighter/EMT in Cedar Falls for 6 months, and a fulltime Firefighter/EMT in Cedar Falls for a little over 12 years. Family Life: Married to Melissa for 12 ½ yrs. Our children are Matthias – 9, Ellary – 8 and Genevieve -3 Profession: I am a Firefighter/EMT and have been one for a little over 16 years. Activities or hobbies I enjoy: I enjoy going on dates with my wife, spending time with my kids, fishing, camping, and watching baseball games. Most memorable moment I have had (with UFD): Being contacted by Chief Holt with a job offer! Most memorable moment outside of UFD: The most memorable moment outside of the UFD is a tie between getting mar- ried, getting baptized with my wife, and seeing my kids being born. Favorite TV programs: The Office, Home Improvement, and baseball games. Favorite movies: Cool Hand Luke and McClintock! Last book that I read: The book of James in the New Testament, and Pass it On by Billy Goldfeder. Personal goals: To continue to have a strong marriage with my wife, to become a Paramedic, and to have a successful career in the Fire Service. What I enjoy about the Urbandale Fire Dept: I really enjoy the positive atmosphere, the camaraderie, the hands-on training, and the team building that comes through all of those. Favorite saying: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:23

Safety Tip With the holidays here, there are so many people that are affected by the hurricanes and the wild fires and will be having a hard time enjoying the holidays. Several are our brothers and sisters in the fire service, and they continue doing the job they are trained to do. The motto we have is ‘Everyone Goes Home Safely’. As stated in www.firefighterclosecalls.com, Close calls can happen ANYWHERE! Each of those involved thought “today was gonna just be another day”…. Just like you and I…. and then BAM! Something goes wrong. Do whatever you can and NEVER GIVE UP on focusing on FIREFIGHTER SAFETY! And keep those working the California Fires and those affected by disasters in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to work and may be away from their families during this time.

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 7

ON THE LINE

Urbandale Fire Department · On the Line · December 2018· 8