perth fire services 2018 review · 2019. 6. 13. · perth fire services 2018 review 2018 review 2...

PERTH FIRE SERVICES 2018 REVIEW

EDUCATION, PREVENTION, PROTECTION

Perth Fire Services 2018 Review

2018 Review 2

April 24, 2019

Fire Chief’s Message

It is with pleasure that I am able to present the Perth Fire Services 2018

report. The following pages will give a snapshot of what the Fire Service is

all about, and what activities it performs on a daily basis.

The Perth Fire Services mission statement is simple. We are committed to

reducing the loss of life and property damage from fire, and at every

opportunity to improve public awareness of fire safety issues. This is

accomplished through the presentation of fire prevention programs and

property inspection initiatives.

The Fire Service is an ever changing dynamic. Education avenues are

increasing and inspection techniques are changing. Volunteer training is

advancing to match professional levels with the goal of not only protection

of property, but protection of firefighters on the front lines.

Our volunteer members have worked extremely hard to match todays

training requirements of NFPA standards, with 2018 marking year two of a

three year plan.

The Perth Fire Services attended 121 calls for service in 2018. Of the

seven fire related calls, 3 fires totaled property losses of $40,000 and four

fires ended up with no monetary loss to property.

I would like to take this time to thank our 31 volunteer members for their

professionalism and dedication to protect our community. They continued

to provide a high quality of service at a minimal cost to the tax payer.

I would also like to thank all of the town staff who continue to help the Fire

Service fulfill our mission.

Yours in fire safety,

Trevor Choffe

Fire Chief, Health and Safety Officer


2018 Review 3

Perth Profile

Town of Perth

Population: 5930

Number of Properties: 2545

Population Density: 484.1 persons per square kilometer

Land area: 12.25 square kilometers

Fire Agreements

Lanark County Mutual Aid

The Perth fire Service has a mutual aid agreement with the following

municipalities:

Beckwith Township

Tay Valley Township

Town of Carleton Place

Township of Drummond/North Elmsley

Town of Mississippi Mills

Town of Smiths Falls

Township of Lanark Highlands

Township of Montague

The Perth Fire Service relies on Rescue 1 out of the BBDE station for all

high level auto extrication situations.

The Perth Fire Hall

The current Fire Hall at 1881 Rogers Road, was originally built in 1974 and

initially used as a scissor factory. In 1999, the Perth Fire Services and the

Perth Police Service officially took over the space. In 2013, the Perth

Police vacated when they disbanded. Currently, the former police side of

the building is occupied by T.R. Leger School, Fortin Consulting, and The

Table food bank.


2018 Review 4

The Perth Fire Hall

Several updates took place over the last two years. This included the

completion of new interior lighting and weather stripping as part of the

Honeywell program. A new hvac rooftop unit was replaced due to age.

Much needed minor paint and flooring updates to the offices took place.

Another addition to the hall was a bunker gear drying rack, which was

constructed with the help of retried Deputy Chief Alan Chaplin.

Thirteen sets of bunker gear and ten sets of gloves can be dried at one

time. Materials for this project cost under $1000 thanks to a generous

donation from our current Deputy Chief Pat Publow. An equivalent

commercial drying system would cost upwards of $20,000.


2018 Review 5

Fire Service Structure

Our current roster is composed of thirty-one (31) volunteer firefighters. The

Fire Chief is considered a full time position, which leads the group.

12

6

4

8

2 20

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

0-4 years 5-9 years 10-14 years 15-19 years 20-24 years 25 plus

Years of Service

Years


2018 Review 6


The average age a Perth Fire Services member is 39 years and 1 month,

and the average level of experience is 9 years and 7 months.

Our oldest member is sixty with twenty-nine years of dedicated service. Our

youngest member is nineteen with three months of service.

There are currently five teams of six members. The team consists of an

Officer, two Operators and three Firefighters. Each team takes an on call

shift every five weeks, which includes truck checks, standby service, etc.

Every member is expected to respond 365 days a year when able.

2

4

10

14

3

1

AGES 18-19 AGES 20-29 AGES 30-39 AGES 40-49 AGES 50-59 AGES 60 PLUS

Age Range of Department

Total


2018 Review 7


2018 Personnel

Trevor Choffe - Fire Chief Peter Echlin – Operator

Pat Publow - Deputy Chief Ron Wood – Operator

Steve Churchill – Captain Keith Fielding - Operator

Derek Popplewell – Captain Colin Anderson – Operator

Clayton Jobson – Captain Stefan Deachman - Operator

Jim Hogan – Captain Jarred Salisbury – Operator

Nick Mahon – Captain Patrick Publow Jr – Operator

Shane Beckett – Firefighter Dustin Dobbie – Operator

Dale Hermer– Firefighter Jeremy Kirkham – Operator

Jeff Dean – Firefighter Shane Rutherford – Firefighter

Josh Mahon – Firefighter Mike Dolgowicz – Firefighter

Ryan McParland – Firefighter Jamie Allen - Firefighter

Craig Dobbie – Firefighter Blake Kettyle - Recruit

David Thompson – Firefighter Chris Evans - Recruit

Greg McQuat – Firefighter Trent Peden - Recruit

Jamie Smith – Firefighter Peter McCracken - Recruit


2018 Review 8

2018 Personnel Training

Hours of training is required in order to perform a specific duty safely and

effectively in an emergency situation. It essentially creates habits that will

enable us to be successful in the most difficult situations.

The basics of firefighting are evolving and education is an ongoing event

for the Perth Fire Services. The members meet the first and third

Wednesday of every month as a minimum, for training initiatives.

In 2013, the Ontario Fire Marshals office updated training practices and

adopted the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for

training. Several of our members were grandfathered to the standards but

did not receive official certification. In 2018, we continued with year two of

a three year training plan. This plan was developed to bring the Perth Fire

Services up to NFPA standards. Twenty-one (21) members took part in

NFPA 1001 Standard for Firefighter Professional qualification level I.

The Firefighter Level I course covered Firefighter Safety, Fire Dynamics,

SCBA Use and Maintenance, Personal Protective Clothing, Portable

Extinguishers, Ropes and Knots, Fire Control, Ladders, Ventilation, Fire

Hose Basics, Advancing Hose lines, Fire Streams, Forcible Entry, Fire

Detection, Alarms and Communications, Lighting and Power Sources,

Salvage and Overhaul, and Sprinkler Systems. All members successfully

completed the practical components and written certification.

Including exams and sign off days the group took part in over 30 sessions

and over 110 hours of training. Training topics included: Opioid response,

Ice water rescue, Preplan interaction, VO evacuation, pump operations,

search and rescue, all in addition to the NFPA level course.

Post traumatic stress disorder training was expanded on in 2018. In

collaboration with the County Fire Chiefs, and Fortlog Services, a group

was set up to start being proactive when it comes to PTSD. Through

training, the Perth Fire Services and their significant others have started


2018 Review 9

2018 Personnel Training

down the path of understanding what PTSD is and how it can be mitigated

together.

Fire Prevention and Public Education

The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public to take precautions to

prevent potentially harmful fires, and be educated about surviving them. It

is a proactive method of reducing emergencies and the damage caused by

them. Education activities include engineering, inspection, public safety

education, and investigation.

Engineering is addressed in conjunction with our enforcement of the

Ontario Fire Code and working with the Towns building services, and the

permit process. We rely heavily on the Fire Code and Building Code with

regards to Fire prevention.

3

44

8 83 3 3.5 3 3

12

21

31

25 25

20

31

25 25 25

31

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2018 Training Breakdown

Hours Firefighters


2018 Review 10

Fire Prevention and Public Education

Inspections are mainly addressed through a complaint or request based

process at this time. The goal is to increase the number of inspections to

comply with today’s standard from the National Building Code of Canada.

This has been identified as the weakest area of our Service.

Public safety education comes in many ways. Radio promotions, news

paper ads, smoke alarm checks, school presentations, fire drills and

extinguisher training to name a few. Any function that the Fire Service may

attend is an opportunity to share the education message.

Investigation is performed for all fires and information is gathered for all

calls. The information is used to target specific areas or trends to help

mitigate the issue.

42%

14%

24%

12%

8%

Fire Prevention initiatives 2018

SA checks Extinguisher training Group presentations School fire drills Vo fire drills


2018 Review 11

2018 Perth Fire Services/Association Events

The Perth Firefighters Association are heavily involved in the community. I

am continually amazed at the amount of work the members put in. The

association is a group within the fire services which focus on peer support

and community involvement.

Association led events are as follows:

Golf tournament – association organizes a tournament and donates

all proceeds back to the community in the form of youth physical

fitness.

Kids curling events – donation.

Perth Firedawgs ball hockey – organize and fund.

Perth Firedawgs basketball – organize and fund.

Kids golf initiatives – volunteer support and funding.

Ribfest/block party – fireworks and volunteer support.

Perth Triathlon – volunteer and donation.

Bicycle Rodeo – organize and fund.

Public Swimming – Sessions funded throughout the school year.

Public Skating – Sessions funded throughout the school year.

All events listed below are Perth Fire Services functions and are supported

by the Perth Firefighters Association:

New Year’s Day Polar Plunge – provide safety team for plungers and

cut hole in ice, etc.

Kidfish – volunteer support and donation.

Easter Egg Hunt – Supply fire prevention items to children.

Maplefest – Fire prevention display booth and coordinate safety

square.

Relay for Life fireworks – Setting off display grade fireworks.

Kilt Run – Provide water support via the ladder truck at course

intersection.

Taycare Day Care fundraiser – Provide sparky and fire truck on

display.

Public School fun fairs – Provide fire truck etc. for year end events.


2018 Review 12

Canada day fireworks – Licensed firework technicians fire display

grade fireworks and collect donations on the street.

Muscular Dystrophy Road Toll – Collect donations at road tolls for

MD using fire trucks on town streets.

Perth Fair Demolition Derby – Fire Trucks provide suppression during

derby events.

Festival of Lights Fireworks – Display grade fireworks at festival of

good cheer event with licensed technicians.

Santa Clause parade – Fire trucks and float in parade.

Conlon Farm outdoor rink flooding – Flood rink during winter months.

Emergency Responses for 2018

The Perth Fire Services responded to 121 calls in 2018, 133 calls in 2017 and 102 in 2016. The following chart indicates calls by month for each year.

98

5

7

17

5

20

6

16

11

89

10

67

1112

17

1112

8

17

12

10

4

1110

8

56

14

9

6

9

7

13

Total Calls by Month

2018 Calls 2017 Calls 2016 Calls


2018 Review 13

Emergency Responses for 2018

False fire calls are typically reported as an activated alarm. You can see from the call summary that they lead the way at 42% of all calls. Activated alarms could be the result of a dead battery, an expired alarm, or even an accidental activation. Public education efforts are being tailored to focus this area and reduce the number of false calls.

Fire with loss2%

Fire with no loss3%

Burning complaint8%

Co False calls3%

False fire calls42%Medical assist

6%

Other7%

Pre fire conditions15%

Public hazard2%

Rescue9%

Mutual aid3%

EMERGENCY CALL SUMMARY


2018 Review 14

Fleet

Vehicle and Operation Costs

Id # License Plate

Model Year Age Tank Capacity

Pumping Capacity

Truck 770/308

628 5DW

Dodge Ram 1500

2003 16 NA NA

Repair Expense $661.47

Fuel Expense $1666.86

Insurance Fees $986.40

Target Replacement 2019-21

Fus Standard NA


2018 Review 15


Id # License Plate


Pumping Capacity

Pump 720 or 332

AJ-17635

Spartan Pumper

2014 4 800 Gal 1500 GPM




Target Replacement date 2034 moved off Front line

Fus Standard 20 years as Front line


2018 Review 16


Id # License Plate


Pumping Capacity

Pump 721 or 303

160 9KS HME Pumper

2001 17 600 Gal 1050 GPM




Target Replacement Date 2021-2026

Fus Standard 25 years Second line


2018 Review 17


Id # License Plate


Pumping Capacity

Ladder 710 or 309

520 1NJ Seagrave 100’

2004 14 500 Gal 1500 GPM




Target Replacement Date 2029

Fus Standard 25 years


2018 Review 18


Id # License Plate


Pumping Capacity

Van 750 or 302

743 9YX Ford F-450

2011 7 NA NA





Fus Standard 20 years


2018 Review 19


Id # License Plate


Pumping Capacity

Pump 39 or 305

EK8 329 LaFrance 1939 79 NA NA

Repair Expense $0

Fuel Expense $50.00


Target Replacement Date NA

Fus Standard NA


2018 Review 20


Id # License Plate


Pumping Capacity

Trailer 311

2003 15 NA NA

Repair Expense $0

Fuel Expense $0

Insurance Fees $0


Fus Standard NA

Note: The Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS) is a national organization that represents more than 90% of the

private sector and casualty insurers operating in Canada. FUS provides assessments for fire defenses

for the primary purpose of fire insurance grading.

perth fire services 2018 review · 2019. 6. 13. · perth fire services 2018 review 2018 review 2...

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