Town of Carlisle, MA - Carlisle Fire Department 2007 Annual Report

The year ended with a full compliment of 27 on our roster and we continue to be an all call fire department saving the Town the cost of a full time department at over one million dollars a year. David Duren retired at the end of the year with over four and one half decades of service. This includes many years of helping with the training of apparatus drivers. David is one of only a few firefighters who have served under three Chiefs. I want to express my appreciation for his distinguished services and thank him for his dedication and commitment. Best wishes also in his well deserved retirement. The end of the year also saw the departure of another much valued firefighter. Robert West resigned after serving 10 years including several years as an emergency medical technician. Rob had daytime availability which has helped us maintain the department. He too went above and beyond helping with the driver training of our firefighters. We wish Rob the very best in his future endeavors. Finally, we welcomed Kevin Walker of Stearns Street in May. Kevin comes to us with keen interest and strong enthusiasm in serving the department. We look forward to Kevin’s service.

Sadly in November we saw the passing of retired firefighter Francis Booth. Appointed by Chief Waldo Wilson, Francis served the department between 1940 and 1978. With over 38 years on the fire department Francis went through much in Carlisle including his service to our country during World War II. A fire department honor guard was detailed to his funeral.

Regular 3 hour training sessions are held for all firefighters on the second and forth Wednesday of the month. We also scheduled an all day drill in the spring to focus on skill development. EMT’s have received in-service training on the first Wednesday of each month in the evening for 3 hours.

Once again we had the rare opportunity thanks to the generosity of Grant Wilson and Robert West to conduct live drills in a house scheduled for demolition on Westford Road. These training sessions provided extremely valuable opportunities for personnel, especially the newest firefighters to gain knowledge, skill, and experience in live fire conditions. Thanks to the efforts of Captain Supple the department has been able to obtain old vehicles for our training sessions on motor vehicle accidents and motor vehicle fires. These vehicles are set up at the fire station and various live simulations are done. This allows firefighters and EMT’s a rare opportunity to repeatedly practice their skills in mock situations.

During the year fire department members completed training the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as required by Presidential directive. This training along with the addition of policies and procedures aliens all responders throughout the United States with the same protocols and procedures for managing emergency incidents for the smallest incident to the largest scale disaster.

There were 177 ambulance calls and 178 fire calls in 2007. We saw a slight decrease in residential alarm investigations and an increase in ambulance calls. For 2007 ambulance calls made up 50% of the total calls the fire department responded to. Carbon monoxide calls are up 70%, we had 10 in 2006 and a total of 17 in 2007. This is due to the new State Law enacted in March of 2006 requiring carbon monoxide detection in all new and existing homes. When these alarms are activated residents call the fire department to determine if carbon monoxide is present. A large number of these alarms are false or turn out to be malfunctions however in 25% carbon monoxide conditions are found.

Our ambulance service license came under a State renewal this year. Our service received very high marks from the state inspector and our license to operate was renewed for another two year period. In addition, as required by the State Office of Emergency Medical Services, the final version of the Town’s “Service Zone” plan was submitted in November. This document outlines the area of service for our ambulance as well as other particulars regarding how we provide emergency medical services in our community. The goal of the process in developing service zone plans for all ambulance services across the State is to improve on the ability of each community to provide a higher level of emergency service.

In accordance with Statewide protocols we had a training session with our medical director in the spring where preliminary information was reviewed regarding enhanced skills that will be taught in the near future on assisting patients with inhalers and testing of blood sugar levels in cases of altered mental status.

We took delivery of the new engine to replace the 1981 truck on March 23, 2007. The new Engine 4 was put into service immediately. This piece of apparatus is the water source pumper and had a larger pumping capacity it also carries large diameter hose (LDH) which is the conduit that sends the water from the water source to the fire. This hose is laid out over the roadway from the fire to the water source. Engine 4 also carries that hydraulic rescue tools and responds to motor vehicle accidents. In addition the truck received updated communications and also equipment carries emergency medical equipment.

With the approval of the Selectmen the fire department obtained an old cruiser from the Carlisle Police Department during the year. This vehicle is used for calls when needed, by personnel who must go out of Town for training, and also by the officers for department business. We have found it to be much more efficient on fuel than the larger trucks for these types of uses. This vehicle is very much needed and appreciated.

Our ambulance will be 10 years old and we have begun planning for its replacement. Many design and care standards have changed in this time. The communications equipment that our ambulance must now have to be in compliance with state regulations is a major item. Much of the ambulance equipment will need to be replaced or updated. A warrant article will be put forth at the annual Town Meeting in the spring of 2008 for an appropriation of funds from the ambulance receipts account. It is important to note that ambulance billing receipts are put into an account where capital expenditures such as this are made without the need to raise taxes.

The fire station facilities are now nearing 25 years old and have become inadequate in many areas. Safety issues, lack of handicap access for the public, facilities for females, office space, and storage for equipment and supplies required for homeland security are just a few of the problems we currently face. In addition as apparatus is replaced with larger vehicles this too has created tight quarters. I recommend that planning begin for the future.

Deputy Chief White and Firefighter/EMT Jeffry Kiel continued work on our computer aided dispatching program. As a custom made management tool this program has become the backbone of our call fire department. It not only tracks the staffing levels of the department it constantly maintains a head count and assigns personnel to calls in accordance with the need for the particular incident. It makes the most efficient use of personnel and also allows us to staff calls in the most cost effective manner. One new feature added this year is the direct call-in ability. Personnel can now call directly into the computer to change their availability status. This “virtual light board” is monitored at the communications center dispatcher. Not only does this make it much more convenient for personnel it eliminates approximately 200 plus telephone calls the communications center each month. I am very grateful for the dedication and hard work of Deputy Chief White and Firefighter Kiel with this project.

The console at the communications center was replaced at the end of the year. This equipment was 20 years old. The technology has changed from buttons and switches to LCD screens and use of a mouse to point and click for all functions. In addition to state of the art 911 call receiving equipment that helps identify the specific geographic location of a caller the new installation includes a 2^nd dispatcher position to provide redundancy and back-up capability. This also allows for the future needs as the community grows over the next two decades. This replacement and upgrade has however created a space crunch at the police station which needs to be addressed in a long range plan for the renovation of the police station.

A review of the Greystone subdivision off of Cross Street was done and submitted to the Planning Board. Included in the project were three fire protection cisterns including one on Bingham Road. These cisterns will also provide water supply in cases of fire for many of the existing homes on Cross Street, Bingham Road and Pheasant Hill Lane.

The Oak Knoll cistern installation approved by the Annual Town Meeting of 2006 went to public bid this fall and was awarded to Onyx Trans., Inc. of Acton, MA. Onyx submitted the low bid of $ 94,000. The site was surveyed in the spring and excavation done to determine sub-soil conditions. The well was drilled and the contractor is currently coordinating the installation of the tank with an early spring completion planned if all goes well. This cistern installation will provide water in cases of fire in the Hemlock Hill, Oak Knoll and Laurelwood Drive areas. Planning of the second cistern installation at the fire station which was approved by the town also is in progress

The Carlisle Firefighter’s Relief Association and the Department hosted an open house at the fire station in October. Fire prevention information was available as well as personnel to answer questions. Apparatus and equipment were displayed and various demonstrations conducted. The “Smoke House” trailer was on hand to help teach children about exit drills in the home in case of fire. This mock house allowed our firefighters to simulate a fire conditions with real smoke and sound effects to teach children how to safely get out of a house. The availability of this trailer is made possible through our affiliation with Massachusetts Fire District Fourteen. We also had a very exciting demonstration on the use of portable fire extinguishers by Peter Robinson of A, C & M Fire Equipment of Acton. Peter staged several common fires including a fire on the stove, a lawnmower and a small trash fire. Selecting the proper extinguisher and safely using it to extinguish these fires was demonstrated. We are grateful to Peter and A, C & M for their assistance. Refreshments were served and a fun and interesting time was had by all. I wish to thank the members of the Carlisle Firefighter’s Relief Association for coordinating this important event.

Thank you once again to all who have registered with the department. At the end of the open burning season we had a total of 723 registrations and had issued 662 open burning permits. A reminder that any resident wanting to burn must register at the communications department in person. This only needs to be done once. Registrations are issued along with a copy of the open burning rules. There is no fee. Homeowners must always call the Fire Department prior to burning to obtain a permit on each and every day burning is planned. Hours of burning per State regulations are 10AM until 4PM.

I would like to remind residents that address identification numbers are required to be posted at the street. If you live on a common driveway the number also needs to be posted at any point where the driveway splits. These numbers are essential for emergency personnel when responding to your calls for help. Without them it is very difficult to find the house. This delays assistance in an emergency. Posting of these numbers is in fact required by Massachusetts Law Chapter 148, Section 59.

As I complete my fifth year as Chief of the Department I want to once again express my appreciation and gratitude to the officers and the EMS Coordinator who work very hard every day to support me and the efficient operation of department. Also to all of the firefighters and EMT’s who give of their time to be available every day of the year and who respond to answer your calls for help.