Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire chief: EMS calls are rising; department shifting to 90th-percentile metrics and lower-PFAS gear
Summary
At a March 23 meeting, Chief Steve Chick told the Community Development Committee the district runs about 6,000 calls a year, EMS calls now outpace fires, and the department will move from average response times to industry-standard 90th-percentile reporting; he also said the district is replacing turnout gear to cut firefighter PFAS exposure.
Chief Steve Chick told the Community Development Committee that Consolidated Fire District 2 has seen a long-term rise in demand and new reporting tools that will change how officials track performance. "What we've seen since 2010 is a significant increase in call volume. We've seen 60% increase in that period of time," Chick said, adding the district now runs "over 6,000 calls a year" and that the majority are EMS rather than fire incidents.
Chick said the department is shifting how it reports response times to reflect performance for most calls rather than relying on averages. "The reason that they're doing that is that we're looking for those 90% of the calls that are what we expect," he said, explaining that 90th-percentile reporting shows the response time that is met for 90% of calls and better captures reliability for serious incidents. He gave sample figures for turnout and travel times used in internal reporting.
Committee members asked for more granular breakdowns (by age, by residential vs. commercial calls) and Chick said a new data system and a partnership with an analytics firm will allow the district to provide those metrics. He also described a growing number of "lift assist" calls for older residents and said the county outreach nurse program helps identify repeated callers and connect them to services.
On PFAS, Chick said the department is actively reducing exposure by buying new turnout gear with much lower PFAS levels, noting the board has supported the expense. "We are switching to clear is what it's called. Clear gear... it has such a fractional amount of the PFAS in it," he said, and described one firefighter's cancer diagnosis (now in remission) as part of the impetus for that change. Chick also said the department "doesn't use a lot of [PFAS-containing] foam" operationally and is changing protocols and equipment where feasible.
The committee asked for future follow-ups on 90th-percentile performance by station and demographic breakdowns of EMS demand; Chick said those reports will be available as the new system comes online and the district begins quarterly reporting to the member cities.
