2020 | ANNUAL REPORT WESTMINSTER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS

2020 ANNUAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF...... 1 WHO WE ARE...... 3 STRATEGIC GOALS...... 10 BUDGET...... 12 FIRE PREVENTION...... 14 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT...... 15 FIRE RESPONSES...... 16 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES...... 18 DEPARTMENT SERVICES...... 20 TRAINING...... 22 SPECIAL TEAMS...... 24 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...... 26 OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE...... 28 COVID RESPONSE...... 31 RETIREMENTS...... 32 1 MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF

On behalf of the women training academy involving our north area fire/ and men of the City EMS coalition partners. of Westminster Fire Department, I am privileged to present the Fire Department’s 2020 Annual Report. To state that 2020 was a challenging year is definitely an understatement. As experienced by nearly all organizations, the Westminster Fire Department encountered several interesting challenges and we learned a great deal experiencing the new and interesting opportunities. While many sectors of our community were shut-down or experienced 2020 Fire Recruit Academy (From Left): Clarise Smith, James reduced business operations, the Fire Department Porter, Jordan Melani, Anthony Lopez, and Lt. Steve Bennett continued to meet community expectations by providing high quality fire and EMS services. I It is necessary to pay tribute to two former Fire continue to be impressed with the commitment, Department employees that passed away in dedication, and professionalism demonstrated 2020 from job-related cancer and COVID-19. by the women and men of the Westminster Fire Retired Fire Captain Mark Miller retired from the Department by continually meeting the many Westminster Fire Department and became Fire challenges from not only COVID-19, but the host Chief of Cambria, California. Mark, a Westminster of other risks to our community. High School graduate, retired after a few years with Cambria and relocated to his home town The Fire Department retired nine long-term here in Westminster. Mark passed in November as personnel representing over 300 years of the result of cancer. Shortly after, retired Battalion experience this past year. This is double our Chief Gary Pedigo passed away in December normal rate of annual retirements. Additional from COVID-19. After Gary's highly successful firefighters left for other career opportunities fire service career, Gary joined the Westminster resulting in 12 total vacancies. As a result of Police Department as an Equipment Services these vacancies, the Fire Department conducted Assistant. Mark and Gary contributed in many its first lateral recruitment process with eight ways as the Fire Department transitioned from experienced firefighters joining the department. an all-volunteer department to a full-service These firefighters brought a minimum of three career department. Both will be missed and their years of experience with other agencies, thereby numerous contributions will be remembered for requiring a shortend orientation time. This years into the future. resulted in significant financial savings in overtime funds to cover the vacancies. To fill the remaining In 2020, the service calls increased slightly, with vacancies, we hired four additional recruit WFD responding to 12,431 calls for service, as firefighters who completed a 13-week recruit compared to 12,398 in 2019. This is interesting given that many community and business operations were shut-down for nearly 2-1/2 months in 2020. As with past years, the prime driver of service calls continues to be EMS. Annually, we experience a 3-5% increase in EMS service calls and EMS accounts for 67.3% of all service calls.

The number of fires continue to remain fairly consistent in comparison to past years, with fires MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF 2 representing approximately 10% of our 2020 service calls. While fires account for a relatively small percent of total service calls, the community has experienced a 13.4% increase in fires over the past 10 years. Fires within a building, residential and commercial, accounted for 65 fires in 2020. Fires outside of a building accounted for 60 and brush or grass fires totaled 73. Several other fire categories made up the difference. Total reported fires in 2020 reached a 10-year high of 262. The total number of fires does fluctuate each year primarily due to the number of grass and brush fires with a direct correlation to our semi-arid climate changes influencing the dryness of vegetation.

Other call type categories influence the annual the City’s Strategic Plan for enhanced regional total service calls. These types of service calls, not collaboration. In 2021, the Fire Department will categorized as EMS or fires and do not represent be deploying a new computer-aided dispatch a direct threat to life or property, accounted system (CAD) that improves our capability to for 1,129 or approximately 9% of all calls. These take advantage of our automatic and mutual ‘Good Intent’ calls include units dispatched and aid partnerships. The new CAD system will canceled en route, steam reported as smoke, enable the Fire Department to provide residents wrong location specified, or a vicinity alarm with and businesses more efficient and effective no hazard identified. Good intent calls were lower emergency response, resulting in higher quality in 2020 with 1,585 reported. False alarms, either services, and improved fire and life safety for the malicious or unintentional, accounted for 655, Westminster community and all public safety down a little from past years. False alarms place personnel. citizens and firefighters at unnecessary risks due to the perceived need to respond emergent to Our education and information efforts will an incident that turns out to be no risk to anyone. continue through the use of virtual platforms The Fire Department is transitioning to embracing in the delivery of non-emergency services. As I the principles of community risk reduction, which compose this letter, COVID infection numbers are seek solutions to reduce the risks within the trending downward and I hope the downward community, rather than focusing on the response trend continues. COVID continues to be a side of the fire and life safety response matrix. significant risk to public safety personnel. Until the safety and health of Fire Department personnel With schools conducting virtual classrooms, the can be assured without the use of COVID safety Fire Department offered support by developing protective equipment and social distancing, the virtually-oriented fire safety education programs. practice of conducting virtual delivery of non- Throughout 2020, many of our public education emergency services will continue into 2021. activities were transitioned utilizing stronger social media applications and interactions. I encourage I want to thank Westminster City Councillors, City residents and businesses to subscribe to the Fire Manager Don Tripp, and the outstanding City of Department Facebook and Twitter pages and Westminster staff for the great support. On behalf also to the Emergency Management social media of the women and men of the City of Westminster platforms. All Fire Department social media Fire Department, I am honored to present our platforms offer current up-to-date information on 2020 annual report. all hazards within our community. Doug Hall The proactive regional collaboration with our north area fire/EMS agencies directly supports Fire Chief 3 WHO WE ARE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The Westminster Fire Department’s mission is to 143 personnel, both commissioned and civilian. protect community interests through The Fire Department’s executive command team exemplary service. The Department operates includes a fire chief, two deputy chiefs, EMS from six fire stations located throughout the City chief, fire marshal, training chief, emergency and utilizes five fire engines, two ladder trucks, five management coordinator, management analyst, advanced life support ambulances, and specialty executive assistant, and three shift battalion chiefs apparatus as needed. who oversee the department.

The Westminster Fire Department is comprised of WHO WE ARE 4 OUR CHIEF OFFICERS

Doug Hall Bob Hose Erik Birk Fire Chief Deputy Chief Deputy Chief Administration Operations

Dave Maikranz Jeromy Hill Paul Spellman Training Chief EMS Chief Battalion Chief A-Shift

David Varney Ron McCuiston Battalion Chief Battalion Chief B-Shift C-Shift 5 WHO WE ARE LOCATED IN COLORADO'S FRONT RANGE Incorporated in 1911, the city of Westminster spans strategically in their designated districts. Each of 34 square miles and is located in the heart of the these stations are staffed twenty-four hours a day, U.S. 36 corridor connecting Denver and Boulder seven days a week and serve our population of on Colorado’s front range. Within Westminster, almost 118,000 residents. the Fire Department has six fire stations placed

FIRE ADMINISTRATION 9110 YATES ST.

FIRE STATION 1 3948 W. 73RD AVE.

FIRE STATION 2 9150 LOWELL BLVD.

FIRE STATION 3 7702 W. 90TH AVE.

FIRE STATION 4 4580 W. 112TH AVE.

FIRE STATION 5 10100 GARLAND ST.

FIRE STATION 6 999 W. 124TH AVE.

TRAINING TOWER 3851 ELK DR. WHO WE ARE 6

WESTMINSTER FIRE DEPARTMENT MISSION | VISION | VALUES

MISSION | “ OUR MISSION IS TO PROTECT COMMUNITY INTERESTS THROUGH EXEMPLARY SERVICE”

VISION | To be VALUES | Professional recognized as the Responsive premier fire and EMS service in the State of Innovative Colorado. Dedicated Ethical 7 WHO WE ARE STAFFING BY THE NUMBERS

6 143 20

FIRE STATIONS FIRE DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES STAFF

3 21

SHIFT BATTALION A-SHIFT FIRE OFFICERS CHIEFS 3

C-SHIFT B-SHIFT ROTATING LINE OPERATION SHIFTS 3 42

SAFETY AND MEDICAL FIREFIGHTERS OFFICERS

21 123 33

FIRE ENGINEERS PERSONNEL WORKING FIRE PARAMEDICS LINE OPERATIONS WHO WE ARE 8 DEPARTMENT HISTORY On December 12, 1933 a fire ripped through a first paid firefighters, Tim Eckberg and Bill Work. barn on the corner of 75th and Bradburn in the Bill Work, one of the longest tenured employees small town of Westminster, CO. Earl Richards, a of the department, has served in almost every local resident, came out to help. After putting position throughout the out the fire and realizing there was no organized department and last fire service in the town, he went before the town served as Deputy Fire board to ask that they authorize a volunteer fire Chief of Administration. corps. They agreed, and the Westminster Fire Department was born. In January 2020, Bill Work retired from Richards, who would eventually be named the the Westminster Fire department’s first fire chief in 1935, along with two Department after other residents, Mel Bryant and Carl Hawkinson, serving the Westminster became the first members of an all-volunteer community for over Westminster Fire Department. As Westminster forty-five years. began to expand as a city, the fire department followed suit. Today, the Westminster The need for Fire Department operates as an all- Bill Work, Retired fire personnel Deputy Chief began to grow career, all-hazards and in 1974, fire department. the City hired As of 2020, the Westminster Fire Department Robert Panuccio employed 143 personnel, with 123 full-time line to transform firefighters, working on three shifts, using a 48/96 the volunteer scheduling model. department into The City of Westminster has grown substantially a combination from its roots as a small farming community on of career and the outskirts of Denver to the city it has become volunteer today. It is now a vibrant, dynamic, and affluent Bill Work personnel. city of approximately 118,000 citizens and 46,137 Near the end of that year, the City hired two of the households. 9 WHO WE ARE STRATEGIC GOALS 10 2019-2023 STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS Our 2019-2023 Strategic Plan is a dynamic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats document reflecting alignment with Westminster we may face in order to achieve each strategic City Council’s Strategic Plan. The Westminster goal. Fire Department’s 2019-2023 Strategic Plan has identified ten goals to ensure activities, programs, Through the duration of the 2019-2023 Strategic and services support the City of Westminster’s Plan, Westminster Fire Department staff will strategic plan. Our five-year strategic plan details regularly assess the document to ensure initiatives that provide direction from a leadership outcome-based effectiveness and efficiencies of perspective regarding the activities, programs, each of our activities, programs, and services with and services offered to the community as a whole a continual focus on firefighter safety, mental and within the organization to City employees. health, and overall wellness.

Included with each of our strategic goals is a We encourage our stakeholders to review the full S.W.O.T. Analysis which allows us to identify the document, which can be found on our website. 11 STRATEGIC GOALS 2020 STRATEGIC GOAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

REACHED COLLECTIVE IDENTIFIED REPLACEMENT BARGAINING AGREEMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT FOR 2021/2022 SYSTEM The second round of Collective Bargaining The Fire Department selected a vendor for a negotiations took place in late February new Records Management System (RMS) called for the 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining ImageTrend. The system that ImageTrend is Agreement. The city management and Local replacing is over 10 years old and is no longer 2889 representatives mutually agreed to current with reporting requirements. The again collectively bargain using Interest Based transition to the new RMS promises many Bargaining (IBB), a collaborative negotiating technological upgrades that will streamline process where each party states its respective practices. The function of a records management interests related to the negotiations and items system is to house a database for all Fire and subject to collective bargaining. A contract was EMS incident reporting, as well as fire inspection agreed upon by both parties and approved records. The data reporting available through by Westminster City Council. The 2021-2023 this new RMS will provide quantitative and Collective Bargaining Agreement became qualitative information regarding areas of effective as of January 3, 2021. performance, standards, and trends.

INITIATED A FIRE PURCHASED AND DEPARTMENT FACILITY IMPLEMENTED NEW SPACE STUDY APPARATUS In February, the Fire Department selected a The fire department put their new Pierce consultant from a competitive RFP process to Ascendant 107' Aerial Ladder Truck into service on conduct a fire facility space study. The purpose Feb. 3 with a wet down and push in ceremony. of the space study is to evaluate the current Fire This new aerial ladder truck is equipped with Department facilities and prepare for future rear steer which will allow the truck to have service demands. The consultant also provides a better turning radius for tighter streets. This recommendations and identifies priorities of feature is essential for the developments in how the City should proceed to meet those Downtown Westminster and Westminster Station. current and future demands for service. These Additionally, the fire department put into service recommendations could include new facilities, a replacement Chevy Tahoe as the Battalion Chief major remodels, and/or relocations. apparatus as well as a replacement ambulance. BUDGET 12 WESTMINSTER'S FISCAL REVENUE The economy of the Denver Front Range and City staff made a calculated decision to propose across the country experienced significant a one-year budget cycle for 2021 and 2022 to impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In early strategically monitor the uncertain economic March, Colorado experienced its first presumptive climate which included several department positive case of COVID-19, leading to emergency budget reductions, avoiding staffing layoffs. declarations and state and local public health orders resulting in the closure of several Through these uncertain times, the Fire businesses and non-essential services. The severe Department continued to provide exceptional economic blow resulted in substantial revenue service to our community. We were fortunate to losses to local businesses and a significant receive CARES and FEMA funding to acquire the decrease in sales tax revenue, which is the primary necessary equipment and PPE to maintain the revenue source to the City of Westminster. During health and safety of our patients and personnel. 2020, the City estimated a revenue reduction of Though there is no doubt that we will face over $18M and diligently implemented measures considerable challenges as the economy recovers, to control costs by freezing spending on capital our personnel have persevered and continue projects, hiring, and travel, and utilizing CARES to deliver exceptional service and care to our and FEMA funds where eligible. community.

2020 GENERAL FUND REVENUE SOURCES 13 BUDGET OUR OPERATING BUDGET BREAKDOWN FIRE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION

The Fire Department represents about 12% of y Using CARES funds, purchased PPE and the City of Westminster’s General Fund Budget. equipment such as Aeroclave and Ionization The overwhelming majority of Westminster Fire’s filters providing decontamination and budget (approximately 86%) went to the salary sanitation for vehicles and fire facilities. and benefits of our personnel. Looking to 2021, the Westminster Fire Highlights of the 2020 budget process include: Department is looking to purchase and install new and replacement SCBA fill stations, y Procurement of a new ambulance and a new complete the fire storage facility, implement fire engine. the Tablet Command program, and complete y Initiated a storage facility project to house fire sole source vendor authorization for future fire apparatus and equipment. apparatus purchases.

2020 FIRE DEPARTMENT OPERATING BUDGET | $16,767,406

CITY OF WESTMINSTER AND COLORADO TAX RATES

3.65 Mills | City Property Tax Rate 3.85% | City Sales and Use Tax Rate 2.90% | State of Colorado Tax Rate 1.0% | Regional Transportation District (RTD) 0.10% | Cultural District (CD) 0.75% | Adams County Tax Rate 0.50% | Jefferson County Tax Rate FIRE PREVENTION 14 FIRE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION Westminster Fire Department’s Fire Prevention facilitate 3,404 business and property inspections Bureau has a mission to eliminate the loss of life utilizing self-inspections and technology to and injuries through education, engineering, and comply with social distancing requirements. enforcement using a multi-disciplinary approach. The Fire Prevention Bureau not only works to Further, the Fire Prevention Bureau requires all educate our businesses, schools, and citizens new construction, significant building alterations, on various topics of fire and life safety, but also tenant finishes, sprinkler systems, and hood works to ensure the appropriate fire suppression systems to apply for permits and submit plans systems, design criteria, and access are met of their proposed construction activity. For the through the enforcement of the International Fire duration of 2020, these permit valuations for Code, which has been adopted by City ordinance. the fire department alone reached $7,248,543 collecting $287,938 in permit revenue. To ensure that our community meets these requirements, the Fire Prevention Bureau, as The Fire Prevention Bureau employs a full-time well as station personnel, regularly inspects staff of 6, including a fire investigator to help businesses and properties for compliance under determine causes of fires and, if appropriate, the Fire Code. This helps to identify areas of whether criminal activity was involved. In 2020, vulnerability, such as lack of a sprinkler system or the Westminster Fire Department had a total of improperly stored flammable material. In 2020, 179 fire investigations. the Westminster Fire Department was able to

768 $287,938 92 PLAN REVIEWS FIRE PERMIT REVENUE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS

1,096 1,676 40,371 FIELD INSPECTIONS BUSINESS LICENSE REVIEWS PUBLIC EDUCATION CONTACTS

2,308 179 58 COMMERCIAL INSPECTIONS FIRE INVESTIGATIONS COMPLAINT INVESTIGATIONS 15 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ENGAGING WITH OUR COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO FIRE INCIDENTS

The Westminster Fire Department strives to reach at hospitals, assisted living facilities, and even, our community through as many channels as at special requests, outside of residental homes possible. Whether it be through events, printed for childrens birthdays. The Department also materials, or social media, the Department’s goal participated in the Halloween Drive-Thru Trunk or is to reach and educate the public of all ages to Treat event at Saint Anthony's North, passing out increase fire prevention awareness and safety. candy to children.

Starting in March, the state enacted "Stay At Home' orders and the Westminster Fire

Throughout the course of 2020, our public education efforts required creative thinking to Department needed to re-evaluate outreach be able to successfully teach fire prevention, efforts and develop creative approaches to awareness, and safety. One of the ways this reach our community. With the social distancing was done was through virtual platforms and requirements, fire department staff still found eLearning. Our Public Education Officer, Sherrie several ways to provide meaningful and Guerrero, developed a virtual Bitmoji classroom, educational interactions with our community. integrating video conferencing and Google Classroom. This was especially helpful during One of the ways we were able to connect with Fire Prevention Month in October for our third our community was through drive-by parades. grade program. These resources provided an These no-contact parades encouraged social intriguing and entertaining learning environment distancing and allowed our personnel to connect to maintain our outreach. with our community. These parades took place FIRE RESPONSE 16 RESPONSE TO FIRE INCIDENTS In 2020, the Westminster Fire Department Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI). Of the responded to a total of 262 fire incident calls. 262 fires that occurred, 179 of the fire scenes Of those calls, the most frequently reported fire were investigated to the fullest extent, with incident call was response to building fires at a Westminster Fire Investigation members acting as total of 60. Natural vegetation fires trailed behind the lead. at 43 incidents, reported as the second highest Overall, the number of fire incident calls increased fire incident call response. significantly in 2020 compared to the previous Structure and vegetation fires can be quite year. The number of fires from 2020 compared significant and are thoroughly investigated by to 2019 experienced a 59.7% increase by 98 the highly trained Westminster Fire Department additional fire incident calls. The total reported fire Fire Investigation Team. Each member of this incident calls for 2019 was 164. team is certified by the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI) or the International 17 FIRE RESPONSE TOP 5 FIRE RESPONSES IN 2020 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

60 43 26 26 19

BUILDING VEGETATION RUBBISH COOKING VEHICLE FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRES

ANNUAL FIRE INCIDENT TRENDS In 2020, the Westminster Fire Department focus on fire prevention and community risk recorded the highest number of fire incidents reduction programs. While these efforts provide it has experienced in the past five years. In 2019, more awareness, data provides that the decrease a significant decrease was reported and it was may have been an abnormal trend. Fire incident believed that a contributing factor could be the data will continue to be closely monitored to try growing number of newly constructed homes and gain more insight on these response trends that are required to install residential fire sprinkler and fire prevention efforts. systems, as well as the department's continued

TOTAL FIRE INCIDENTS BY YEAR FIRE COUNT

YEAR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 18 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division Over the past several years, the EMS division has is staffed with thirty-three Fire Paramedics, three been involved in several projects. The most recent Safety and Medical Officers (SAM Officers), two project, starting in 2019, began with a request for EMS Field Coordinators, one Administrative proposal process (RFP) for the replacement of Assistant and is under the supervision of the EMS the department’s records management system, Chief. which includes electronic patient care reporting along with EMS continuous quality improvement EMS calls account for the majority of service calls (CQI) metric measurement. Through this RFP performed by the Westminster Fire Department. process the fire department selected a vendor In 2020, the Westminster Fire Department and began the transition to the new system in responded to 8,365 EMS calls and transported March 2021. 6,212 patients to area hospitals. Additionally, funding for an additional LUCAS As of March 2021, the ambulance revenue 3 CPR device and LifePak 15 cardiac monitor/ collected for 2020 totaled $1,631,505.29 with defibrillator was secured. These items were the total amount billed for 2020 totaling purchased so the department would have a $6,530,744.94. Westminster Fire utilizes a private spare of each for training, temporary replacement billing company to bill and collect revenue and during repairs of another device, and for rapid anticipates the revenues to increase as some deployment during a large-scale incident that accounts from 2020 have not yet reached full may require deployment of a 6th ambulance. maturity. 19 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES TOP 10 EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSES SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITY

1 SICK/ILL 2 PERSON

1 FALL 2 VICTIM 3 BREATHING 4 PROBLEM

3 TRAUMATIC 4 INJURY 5 UNKNOWN 6 PROBLEM

5 CHEST 6 PAIN

7 ABDOMINAL 8 PAIN

7 SEIZURES 8 CONVULSIONS

9 TRAFFIC 10 ACCIDENT

9 PSYCHIATRIC 10 PROBLEM DEPARTMENT SERVICES 20 SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITY The Westminster Fire Department offers several programs help to reduce risks in our community services to our community as well as opportunities and aim to promote overall safety. Due to the to learn more about our department and overall Coronavirus pandemic, many of these services to safety. Some of those programs include the our community were postponed to limit in-person annual Citizen's Fire Academy, Westminster Med contact. The department plans to resume these Ambulance Program, car seat inspections, CPR/ services as soon as regulations and policies allow. First Aid certification classes, fire extinguisher trainings, and fire drills. These services and

CHILD PASSENGER SEAT CITIZEN'S FIRE ACADEMY SAFETY INSPECTIONS The Citizen's Fire Academy is a free, thirteen The Westminster Fire Department has several week course that allows Westminster citizen's personnel that are certified as car seat the opportunity to learn about the wide- technicians that are available to inspect and range of services that the Westminster provide instruction on installation of child Fire Department provides. The course also safety seats free of charge. Inspections are teaches the participants the logic behind the performed for age and size appropriateness, emergency services systems. Each session proper installation and use, and whether seats is themed to cover a different aspect of the have been recalled or visibly damaged. These fire department operations such as vehicle services are offered to the public twice per extrication, EMS, and wildland firefighting. month by appointment and are frequently requested by the community. 21 DEPARTMENT SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR DEPARTMENT SERVICES TRAINING WESTMINSTER'S BRAVEST

WESTMINSTER MED AMBULANCE CITIZEN CPR & FIRST AID PROGRAM CERTIFICATIONS The Westminster Fire Department operates The Westminster Fire Department offers CPR the Westminster Med Ambulance Program and First Aid classes to citizens which covers or “Westy Med”. This annual membership adult and infant CPR as well as AED training. program is designed to help individuals These classes provide an opportunity to and families supplement the high cost of become CPR and First Aid certified, serving as ambulance transportation expenses that may a tool for community risk reduction. not be fully covered through their medical insurance. The registrants must currently FALL PREVENTION PROGRAM carry a medical health insurance policy to The Westminster Fire Department offers a fall qualify and Westminster residents can either prevention program for older adults who are subscribe to the individual or the family annual at a higher risk for falls resulting in injuries. membership which covers immediate family The Westminster Fire Department utilizes within the home. the “Stepping On” program, as well as other approaches, in providing these prevention WESTMINSTER MED ANNUAL programs. These programs are offered to older STATISTICS adults in residential settings, as well as in living and care facilities. Fall prevention education is 617 190 part of the overall Community Risk Reduction program, targeting risks and reducing hazards INDIVIDUAL FAMILY within the City. MEMBERSHIPS MEMBERSHIPS 1,147 TOTAL PARTICIPANTS TRAINING 22 TRAINING WESTMINSTER'S BRAVEST Westminster Fire Department’s Training Division teaching styles and fully utilize existing software has a core mission to provide all personnel programs in ways that had previously not been the foundations for essential credentials and done. The training division also had to learn how certifications and to ensure the safety and to perform video and voice-over editing, which knowledge of our personnel. had a learning curve in itself. Conducting video meeting trainings, and the associated challenges The Training Division coordinates the logistics with these systems, became a normal part of and scheduling of training sessions to maintain doing business. the required certifications of our department personnel, as well as maintaining the department Additionaly, after the COVID-19 emergency was training records. declared, the Training Division also performed the task of logistics management for the City under Even though many of the department's training the Emergency Operations Center. This included events were altered due to COVID restrictions, sourcing and providing supplies and equipment, several trainings still occurred throughout the year. such as personal protective equipment, sanitation, An obstacle the training division had to overcome and disinfectant supplies, for the City to continue during COVID required was the transition from to function. normal in-person learning to a video and online format. This required the trainers to learn new 23 TRAINING WESTMINSTER FIRE'S SPECIAL TEAMS

2020 TRAINING HOURS

31,381 SPECIAL TEAMS 24 WESTMINSTER FIRE'S SPECIAL TEAMS The Westminster Fire Department maintains to serve not only our own department and city, several special teams including our Wildland but also serve at a regional and national scale. Fire Team, Car Seat Inspection Team, Cancer Most of our department's special teams report Prevention Program, Hazardous Materials Team, to the Training Division Chief. Additionally, each Peer Support Team, Technical Rescue Team, Fire team has a designated lead. The team lead assists Investigations Team, Juvenile Fire Setters Team, with managing necessary equipment for their and Dive Rescue Team just to name a few. team, helping to identify and organize specialized These teams play a critical role within Westminster trainings, and team membership. Fire’s operations by providing skills and resources

OVERVIEW OF OUR SPECIAL TEAM OPERATIONS DIVE RESCUE TEAM WILDLAND TEAM The Westminster Fire Department Dive Rescue The Wildland Team is an essential resource Team specializes in dive rescue and recovery that responds to devastating wildfires, for surface water rescue, ice rescue, and for all deploying when called upon by the state water-related incidents. The team continually or federal government. In 2020, Colorado trains with other dive teams in the Denver experienced some of the most severe wild fires metro area including South Metro Fire, West in recent history including the Cameron Peak Metro Fire, and Thornton Fire. In 2020, the dive Fire and East Troublesome Fire. team responded to three incidents involving The team responded to six deployment submerged vehicles. Over the duration of requests for assistance throughout Colorado 2020, the team completed over 391 hours of training and certified one additional diver. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 25) 25 SPECIAL TEAMS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILDLAND TEAM (Continued) TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM which included the Cameron Peak Fire, The Technical Rescue Team is utilized to PREPAREDNESS FOR THE COMMUNITY Williams Fork Fire, East Troublesome Fire, and perform technically skilled rescues to a Pike and San Isabel National Forests. In total, diverse range of incident calls. These types the State estimates that suppression costs for of incidents could include building collapse, all of the fires that occured in the 2020 wild vehicles through buildings, trench rescue, fire season amounted to at least $266 million, confined space rescue, or high and low angle burning over 625,356 acres. rescues. They require specialized training, tools, and skills to understand how to safely FITNESS COMMITTEE protect lives. Even with COVID restrictions, The Wellness and Fitness Committee is the team completed over 500 hours of responsible for providing physical fitness, training. health, and coordinating the job specific performance assessment program. The committee's mission is to maintain and improve the cardiovascular capacity, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and overall readiness for duty of all Fire Department personnel. To achieve this, the department provides fitness testing, medical screening, rehabilitative assistance, additional heart disease screenings, as it has for over three decades. These have proven successful in providing a healthy and medically stable For 2020, the Technical Rescue Team workforce. Over time, individuals that may responded to nine incidents which included show health risks are able to be identified seven motor vehicle accidents in buildings and provided adequate resources to maintain that required stabilization, one vehicle their health and safety. underride into the trailer of a semi-truck, and one technical rescue extrication.

A highlight for 2020 was that the team received a $18,305 grant from Firehouse Subs for heavy lifting and stabilization equipment. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 26 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PREPAREDNESS FOR THE COMMUNITY Emergency Management continued to Colorado, but the nature of COVID-19 and how to actively support major emergency and disaster manage it were still largely unknown. preparedness, mitigation, prevention, response In March, the situation quickly escalated and and recovery efforts of the City of Westminster Emergency Management supported the and its residents. development of the City’s emergency declaration In 2020, we experienced the worst global which was signed on March 12. The City’s virtual pandemic since the 1918 influenza. COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was presented challenges unlike anything any of us activated to support our continuity of operations have ever experienced and demanded that we and the efforts of our public health and medical quickly innovate and adapt almost everything communities. The virtual EOC remained activated we do and how we do it. The public health and until June when the City shifted its focus to emergency management communities have long working with the counties to support economic anticipated and planned for a pandemic, but no recovery, human services, and support community amount of planning, training, and exercises can COVID-19 testing and planning for vaccination fully prepare you for the actual event. efforts.

Starting in January, Emergency Management As we enter the second year of the pandemic, began sharing information with City staff and we continue our efforts to support testing, the public about the emerging pandemic and vaccination, and community recovery efforts. The providing frequent updates to City officials. COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that there Westminster Emergency Management and are many natural and human-caused hazards that several City of Westminster departments can quickly emerge endangering lives, property, also participated in Tri-County Public Health our economy, and our community. These events Department’s mass vaccination exercise at Front remind us of the importance of preparing for Range Community College. sustainable and coordinated government and community response. By late February, it was clear the pandemic was spreading quickly and would soon reach 27 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES

272 | POSTS 287,662 | REACHES 6,228 | LIKES/COMMENT/SHARES 47,907 | POST CLICKS TOTAL RESPONSE TIME IN 90TH PERCENTILE | (IN MINUTES) OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE 28 OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES Call processing time, turnout time, travel time, performance measures. The bottom percentages and total response time are key operational represent the percent of time Westminster Fire performance measures for the Westminster Fire met the department established benchmarks. All Department and throughout the fire service. times are calculated at the 90th percentile.

The performance times represent the actual performance of Westminster Fire’s operational

ANATOMY OF A 911 CALL FOR SERVICE

CALL DISPATCH TURNOUT TRAVEL

CITIZEN CALLS 911 AND 911 DISPATCHER THE TIME FROM THE TIME FROM WHEN REPORTS INCIDENT TO 911 PROCESSES CALL WHEN PERSONNEL THE APPARTUS AND DISPATCHER AND DISPATCHES ARE DISPATCHED TO PERSONNEL LEAVES THE APPROPRIATE WHEN THE PERSONNEL FIRE STATION TO WHEN APPARATUS AND ARE DRESSED IN THE APPARATUS AND PERSONNEL TO THE APPROPRIATE GEAR AND PERSONNEL ARRIVES AT INCIDENT IN THEIR ASSIGNED UNIT THE INCIDENT

TOTAL RESPONSE TIME IN 90TH PERCENTILE (IN MINUTES) 29 OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OVER TIME TOTAL INCIDENT RESPONSE OVER TIME

The Westminster Fire Department continues to pandemic. During the first few months since the experience increasing service call volume. The start of the 'Stay at Home' statewide orders, there call volume from 2016-2020 has continually were reports of invdividuals choosing to not seek increased, experiencing a 16% increase in just five treatment for their illness due to fear of either years. Interestingly, the incident call volume from hospitals or leaving their homes. As COVID-19 2019 to 2020 increased only slightly by a total cases began to level-off and decline, calls for of 33 incident calls or a total of 0.2%. We believe service began to resume normal call volume. that this may have been a result of the COVID-19

INCIDENT RESPONSE TYPES OVER TIME OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE 30 TOTAL INCIDENT RESPONSE OVER TIME

2020 RESPONSES BY TIME AND DAY 31 COVID RESPONSE COVID RESPONSE RETIREMENTS IN 2020 On March 17, 2020, City of Westminster facilities many of these events have been canceled or closed to the public due to the global pandemic postponed, the department accommodated caused by COVID-19. Many City of Westminster these events with the resources available to try employees transitioned to working remotely and meet the needs of the department and our from home, while public safety employees from personnel. the Fire, Police, and Public Works and Utilities departments continued their essential work In an effort to maintain a connection with our by providing exceptional community, our personnel creatively found ways services to the public. Even to make meaningful connections though there were several while maintaining social changes to our normal distancing requirements. There daily work routines, our were several monumental life employees continued to events that even COVID-19 could deliver exceptional care and not cancel, such as birthdays. service to our community Our department received several and to each other. requests, and with the help of our Police Department, we provided When the pandemic birthday parades and other reached our community, event parades to help bring a our City quickly took little happiness to our citizens for action and helped to these special moments. accommodate all of our employee's needs. Many We also participated in several of our meeting formats parades at senior housing changed from in-person facilities and hospitals to to virtual conference show our support and provide rooms and we adapted encouragement to those who to operating in a virtual were unable to leave their world. Our shift personnel residences, as well as to those also felt the impacts by the working everyday on the front increased precautions and lines of the pandemic. requirements, including additional personal As we forge ahead and navigate protective equipment (PPE) required on every call. the uncharted territory of a pandemic, and try to prepare for operations post-pandemic, our The impact of the pandemic also altered many department continues to provide exemplary of the scheduled events that were planned service to our citizens and community while throughout the year including trainings, maintaining a hopeful outlook for what the future conferences, promotions and retirements. Though will bring. RETIREMENTS 32 RETIREMENTS IN 2020

During 2020, the Fire Department experienced Our department greatly treasures their service numerous retirements of tenured personnel and their friendship and we wish them well in ranging in rank from Firefighter up to Deputy this next chapter of their lives. Chief. The year began with the retirement of Deputy Chief Bill Work with over 45 years of With the pandemic, our department was unable service and the most recent retirement was Fire to fully celebrate these Inspector Jim Feggestad with over 36 years of well-deserved retirements service. to the fullest extent as we traditionally would have. Collectively, this group of retirees served over 322 When health guidelines years of dedicated service to the department and allow, the department the community. These individuals contributed intends to fully honor and to many of the successes of the department and recognize their service and each have left their mark on several aspects of careers with a celebration. this department, whether in apparatus, training, special teams, or firefighter safety. DEPUTY CHIEF BILL WORK 45 YEARS OF SERVICE RETIRED 01.09.2020

FIRE LIEUTENANT FIRE FIGHTER FIRE ENGINEER FIRE CAPTAIN JOEL SHERRY TONY DITIRRO STEVE NORWOOD JOHN BAZZANELLA 33 YEARS OF SERVICE 39 YEARS OF SERVICE 38 YEARS OF SERVICE 29 YEARS OF SERVICE RETIRED 02.16.2020 RETIRED 05.01.2020 RETIRED 07.01.2020 RETIRED 07.05.2020

FIRE ENGINEER FIRE ENGINEER FIRE ENGINEER FIRE INSPECTOR TIM REISBECK MARK SCHMIDT JC ENGDAHL JIM FEGGESTAD 29 YEARS OF SERVICE 41 YEARS OF SERVICE 32 YEARS OF SERVICE 36 YEARS OF SERVICE RETIRED 08.02.2020 RETIRED 08.03.2020 RETIRED 08.05.2020 RETIRED 09.17.2020 W WWW.CITYOFWESTMINSTER.US/FIRE WESTMINSTER FIRE DEPARTMENT 9110 YATES STREET F @WESTMINSTERFIREDEPARTMENTCO WESTMINSTER, CO 80031 303.658.4500 @WESTYFIRE [email protected]