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Home My WebLink AboutFire Department Annual Report 1982Cayuga Heights Fire Department 1982 ANNUAL REPORT UYUGA HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT 194 PLEASANT GROVE ROAD ITHACA, NEW YORK February 22, 1983 Honorable Frederick G. Marcham, Mayor Members of the Board of Trustees Village of Cayuga Heights I am submitting herewith the Annual Report of the Cayuga Heights Fire Department for the year ending December 31, 1982. The Department responded to 230 emergencies of which T3 were general alarms, 3T were incident investigations, and 120 were rescue calls. This means the general alarms were 6 more than the previous year. . There were T more incident calls, and 13 more rescue calls than for the year 1981. The insured fire loss for the Village in 1982 wasf$350.00, down from $2,065.00 for the year before. The loss in the part of the Town of Ithaca we call our Fire Protection District was $112,600.00, up from the amount of $44,530.00 for the year 1981. We had 2 large losses in the Fire Protection District. The first was the Group Rome last January with a loss of $84,900.00. The second was a garage and house fire with a loss of $26,000.00. Our volunteer Fire Department has an active membership of 48 persons. Of these members, there are 34 active firefighters and 14 active'fire- police persons. Being a volunteer Fire Department, we are always on the look -out for new members. Any person with any interest or questions is urged to call any member, or stop at the Fire House, and talk to us. A special thanks from all our members goes out to the wives this year. The ladies of the Fire Department served food, coffee, and good will at our cold fires this year, and we sure did appreciate this. The Rescue Squad had another busy year. The services offered have grown with the addition of Advanced EMTs to the Squad. The members of the Fire Department have worked hard and let out a bid for a new truck for the Squad. We hope to take delivery of this vehicle in the first half of 1983. I want to thank the Mayor and the Board of Trustees for the support and cooperation we have had during the year. The Village Clerk has been a great deal of help as has the Village Treasurer and the membership of the Fire Department does appreciate this. Thank you all. Respectfully submitted, Francis L. Miller Fire Chief "HELP PREVENT FIRES" OFFICERS OF THE CAYUGA HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT • Francis L. Miller Fire Chief • Edward C. Collins 1st Assistant Fire Chief • W. Warren Buck 2nd Assistant Fire Chief • Daniel R. Rogers 3rd Assistant Fire Chief Christian M. Boissonnas 1st Lieutenant John P. Millier 2nd Lieutenant William H. Thomnson 3rd Lieutenant Richard A. Vorhis 4th Lieutenant (Fire Police) OFFICERS OF THE CAYUGA HEIGHTS FIRE COMPANY Edward L. Kabelac Robert D. Grant Peter J. Romani Peter I.•Kuniholm * Ronald E. Anderson * John W. Patte * Denotes Member of the Fire Council President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Fire Warden Fire Warden - 2 - CLASSIFICATION AND NUMBER OF ALARMS VILLAGE FIRE DISTRICT MUTUAL AID NON NON NON FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRES FIRES - PUBLIC ASSEMBLY PROPERTY Churches - 1 - - - - Clubs - 1 - 2 - - EDUCATIONAL PROPERTY Non Residential Schools - 3 - 10 - - INSTITUTIONAL PROPERTY Care Of Young - - 1 - - RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY One /Two Family Dwelling 2 6 3 3 - - Auartments - b - 3 - 1 Motels - - - - - 1 Dormitories - 4 - - - - STORE OFFICE PROPERTY Food Sales - - General - - :Offices - 2 - - - - UTILITY PROPERTY Energy Distribution - 1 - - - - MANFACTURING PROPERTY Metal Products - - - SPECIAL PROPERTY Road and Parking 3 1 1 Other - 2 - Vehicles - - 1 TOTALS 5 25 6 23 1 13 -3- FIRE CAUSES During the year 1982 the Fire Department responded to and extinguished 8 property damage fires. Not counted in these 8 fires were 3 grass fires and 1 fire in some trees caused by wires knocked down when a tree fell. All fires need oxygen, fuel, and heat to exist. The oxygen is pleantiful all around us, the fuel is in abundant supply all around us, so all we need for a fire, is something to cause enough heat to start the fire. The following is a breakdown of the 8 fires we had this year and what started these fires. THE FORM OF THE HEAT OF IGNITION VILLAGE FIRE DISTRICT (What caused the heat which started the fire) Spark escaping from wood stove 1 1 Short circuit from damage to wires 1 Cigarette 1 Cigarette lighter (flame type) 1 Hot ember or ash 2 Automobile engine heat 1 TOTALS 3 5 THE IGNITION FACTOR VILLAGE FIRE DISTRICT (What allowed the heat to start the fire) Incendiary 1 Suspicious 1 Fuel spilled or released accidentally 1 1 Improper storage 1 Lack of maintenance 1 Operational deficiency 1 1 TOTALS 3 5 THE FORM OF MATERIAL IGNITED VILLAGE FIRE DISTRICT (What the heat ignited to start the fire) Upholstered sofa 1 Mattress 1 Gasoline 1 1 Rubbish 1 Soot 1 2 TOTALS , 3 5 -k - TYPE OF SITUATION FOUND VILLAGE FIRE DISTRICT MUTUAL AID STRUCTURE FIRE 1 4 - OUTSIDE FIRE (with value) 1 - - VEHICLE FIRE 1 1 - TREES,BRUSH, GRASS FIRE 2 1 1 REFUSE FIRE (without value) 1 2 - FIRE / EXPLOSION 1 2 2 OVERPRESSURE RUPTURE 2 1 - RESCUE 1 - - HAZARDOUS CONDITION 1 4 1 SERVICE CALL 2 3 7 GOOD INTENT CALL 8 4 - FALSE CALL 7 7 2 STANDBY 2 — 1 TOTALS 30 29 14 -5- FIRE LOSS VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Arson is the fastest growing crime in the United States today. The State of New York is trying to do something about this crime and assist the fire departments in the State. The State has given grants of money to certain counties to start arson squads. These squads of dedicated personnel are well trained and equipped to do their job. Any time the Fire Chief finds a fire which looks not quite right, he can call for the arson squad to come in and investigate. We had such a fire in'January, and we called the team to begin an investigation. With the assistance of the Tompkins County Sheriff's Department the guilty persons were discovered and the proper actions were taken. The loss of this one fire amounted to $84,900. The loss of property to arson fires in the entire country is staggering every year. Any steps to help lower the losses due to arson fires will also decrease the danger we firemen have to face in fighting these fires. We believe the State has made a good move with these arson grants, and we will do everthing we can to support them. - 6 - 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 Buildings and Contents 5,943.42 12,557.00 2,200.00 65.00 350.00 Motor Vehicles 3,333.56 2,013.00 907.00 2,000.00 -0- Exposure Loss -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- Totals 9,276.98 14,570.00 3,107.00 2,065.00 350.00 FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 Buildings and Contents 4,000.00 96,965.36 29,730.10 39,530.00 111,100.00 Motor Vehicles 72.56 1,200.00 • -0- 5}000.00 1,500.00 Exposure Loss -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- Totals 4,072.56 98,165.36 29,730.10 44,530.00 112,600.00 Arson is the fastest growing crime in the United States today. The State of New York is trying to do something about this crime and assist the fire departments in the State. The State has given grants of money to certain counties to start arson squads. These squads of dedicated personnel are well trained and equipped to do their job. Any time the Fire Chief finds a fire which looks not quite right, he can call for the arson squad to come in and investigate. We had such a fire in'January, and we called the team to begin an investigation. With the assistance of the Tompkins County Sheriff's Department the guilty persons were discovered and the proper actions were taken. The loss of this one fire amounted to $84,900. The loss of property to arson fires in the entire country is staggering every year. Any steps to help lower the losses due to arson fires will also decrease the danger we firemen have to face in fighting these fires. We believe the State has made a good move with these arson grants, and we will do everthing we can to support them. - 6 - MANPOWER RESPONSE 53.4 % of total calls were days 34.3 % of total calls were evenings 12.3 % of total calls were nights MEMBERSHIP Active Volunteer Firemen in the Department 34 Active Volunteer Firepolice in the Department 14 TOTAL 48 During the year 1982, the Fire Department had 7 new firemen join the Fire Department, and 7 resign because of moving away from our area. -7- ALARMS MEMBERS AVERAGE RESPONDING RESPONSE FIRE ALARMS (days) (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) 39 384 9.8 FIRE ALARMS (evenings) (4 :00 p.m. to 12:00 mid.) 25 389 15.6 FIRE ALARMS (nights) (12:mid. to 8:00 a.m.) 9 170 12.3 TOTALS 73 943 12.9 53.4 % of total calls were days 34.3 % of total calls were evenings 12.3 % of total calls were nights MEMBERSHIP Active Volunteer Firemen in the Department 34 Active Volunteer Firepolice in the Department 14 TOTAL 48 During the year 1982, the Fire Department had 7 new firemen join the Fire Department, and 7 resign because of moving away from our area. -7- INCIDENT RESPONSES SITUATION FOUND Odor investigation Broken water pipe Water in basement Assist other department Electrical problem Investigate alarm sounding Standby for motor vehicle accident Standby for wires down Investigate wood burning stove TOTALS VILLAGE FIRE DISTRICT MUTUAL AID 6 5 - 2 - 1 5 2 - 3 - - 2 1 - 4 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 - - 25 10 2 The above incident calls represent several hours of time'donated by individuals to assist their neighbors when they need the help. The entire Fire Department is not called, just enough of the members to do the job. Sometimes the Fire Police are called to assist in traffic control, sometimes just one person responds to talk to an older resident to reassure them that everything is all right. What ever the need, we can find someone in the Fire Department to fill the order. -a - MUTUAL AID With today's increasing prices, it has become more and more important to participate in the mutual aid program established by the State of New York. The mutual aid reported on this page represents more help than one might at first realize.During the day, while most persons are working, the call for mutual aid is likely to go out sooner than it does during the evening and night hours.One of our alarms this year represents a call for help at 1:45 in the morning when the temperature was -10 degrees at it's highest. We had help at this fire from three departments besides our own with a total of 73 firefighters showing up. We were on the scene of this fire for over 9 hours. Another fire call while we were there was covered for us by Varna and Ithaca men and equipment. Less than a month after this fire we had another which caused us to call Ithaca, Varna, and Lansing to assist us again. These situations make us realize better how much our helping each other means. We did a lot of stanby for other departments this year while other departments had bad fires. On one of these calls into the city, we answered 3 fire calls for them. No department could possibly buy enough equipment nor find enough men and women to do everything for themselves. We are happy to give our help to others, because when we need them, they - give their all to help us. ALARM RECEIVED FROM SITUATION 1 ITHACA Car fire near border line on Cornell 6 ITHACA, LANSING, VARNA House fire on Warren Road 7 ITHACA, VARNA 106 Cayuga Heights Road 10 ITHACA, LANSING, VARNA Garage fire on Birchwood Drive Eyff- I;lVy11WC 1711 myce SITUATION 2 LANSING Responded to fire at Uptown Village Apartments 13 VARNA Standby in their station 14 ETNA Standby in their station 18 ITHACA Standby in their station 29 LANSING Assist at grass fire on North Triphammer Road 30 LANSING Assist in smoke removal at Morse Chain Plant 35 LANSING Standby in our fire station 40 ITHACA Standby in their fire station N9 41 LANSING Standby in our fire station 46 LANSING Investigate fire alarm at Howard Johnson's 50 LANSING Investigate smoke at Friendly's 54 ITHACA Staaby and answered 3 alarms for the city 63 LANSING Assist at Pyramid Mall in an investigation 69 LANSING Standby in our fire station for plane in trouble -9- EQUIPMENT USED AT ALARMS ITEM TIMES ITEM 1300 USED 20 Adapter 2 Electrical Cord Air Packs 11 Dry Chem Extinguisher Axes 6 Hose 1 1/2" Bolt Cutters 1 Hose 1 3/4" Brooms 6 Hose 2 1/2" Cascade System 2 Hose 3" Chinning Bar 2 Hose Booster First Aid Equipment 1 Extension Ladder Flood Lights 19 Folding Ladder Gas Cans 5 Roof Ladder Generator 8 Pike Poles Hand Lights 33 Plastic Sheeting Hand Tools 10 Plastic Bags Heat Gun 5 Rope Hose Clamp 1 Water -Master Keys 4 Nozzles 3/4" 14 Nozzles 1 1/2" 9 Pry Bars 4 Safety Belts 3 Salvage Covers 4 Shovels 2 Smoke Ejectors it Staple Gun 2• Wet Vac 1 Wyes 3 - 10 - AMOUNT USED 1300 feet 20 pounds 1150 feet 1700 feet 3400 feet 1200 feet 2600 feet 156 feet 20 feet 88 feet 88 feet 300 square feet 5 gallon 100 feet 1400 gallons EQUIPMENT USED AT INCIDENTS ITEM TIMES USED Generator 1 Rand Lights 4 Heat Gun 3 Keys 2 Safety Belts 1 Screwdriver 1 Spanner Wrench 1 Tow Chain 1 Trash Puma 1 ITEM AMOUNT USED Flares 24 Hose 1 1/2" 150 feet Rope 100 feet Water 27.gallons - 11 - VEHICLE STATUS First Line Until Reserve Until Engine 201 (1968) 1000 G.P.M. pumper 1983 1988 ' Engine 202 (1980) 1500 G.P.M. pumper 1995 2000 Engine 203 (1975) 1250 G.P.M. pumper 1990 1995 Truck 234 (1974) Ladder truck 1989 1994 Squad 241 (1969) Rescue truck 1982 -- DEPARTMENT VEHICLE DATA These vehicles are driven for driver training, drills and weekly checks as well as for alarms and incident calls. Without this extra driving, the Fire Department would not know if the trucks were operating properly nor would we have the qualified operators to use the equipment at real alarms. Our own John Patte did an excellent job this year of keeping the equip- ment running. We put the trucks through some difficult times at two bad fires in below freezing weather this year. John worked many hours the weeks after these fires to return the trucks to their normal excellent condition. We owe a lot of thanks to John for the work he has done on the vehicles this year. The Rescue Truck has made it through another year thanks in part to some tender love and caring. We went to bid in December for a new truck to replace the 14 year old vehicle. We hope to take delivery of a new one in the early months of 1983. - 12 - ALARM INCIDENT MILES FUEL VEHICLE RESPONSES RESPONSES DRIVEN USED Engine 201 11 - 480.0 158 Engine 202 52 2 1076.0 222 Engine 203 35 2 597.4 213 Truck 234 18 - 407.0 232 Squad 241 139 1 811.3 202 These vehicles are driven for driver training, drills and weekly checks as well as for alarms and incident calls. Without this extra driving, the Fire Department would not know if the trucks were operating properly nor would we have the qualified operators to use the equipment at real alarms. Our own John Patte did an excellent job this year of keeping the equip- ment running. We put the trucks through some difficult times at two bad fires in below freezing weather this year. John worked many hours the weeks after these fires to return the trucks to their normal excellent condition. We owe a lot of thanks to John for the work he has done on the vehicles this year. The Rescue Truck has made it through another year thanks in part to some tender love and caring. We went to bid in December for a new truck to replace the 14 year old vehicle. We hope to take delivery of a new one in the early months of 1983. - 12 - 3 RESCUE SQUAD The Department's Rescue Squad began operation four years ago. During the first year the squad answered a total of 68 calls. During 1982 the Squad responded to 120 calls for a total increase of better than 76 %. The actual growth pattern can be seen in the chart below. Service Area # % # % # % # % Village 59 (49.2 %) 45 (42.0 %) 36 (42.3 %) 25 (36.7 %) Town 35 (29.2 %) 35 (32.7 %) 37 (43.5 %) 27 (39.7 %) Mutual Aid 26 (21.6 %) 27 (25.2 %) 12 (14.1 %) 16 (23.5 %) Total 120 107 85 68 The actual increase from 1981 to 1982, as anticipated, was lower than in previous years. It amounted to about 12 %. There are several possible explanations for this trend. However, the most logical one is the leveling off of need based on a relatively fixed geographic area and population. Some growth can probably still be anticipated based on the nationwide trend for increased use of per - hospital emer- gency medical care and the unpredictable nature of emergencies. The distribution of calls by type remained relatively constant as can be seen in the chart below. There was a major downward trend in the number of cardiax arrests which may have been luck or simply better utilization of medical care in general, combined with a greater willingness to call for help before the situation becomes critical. Call Type Medical Emergency Cardiac Related Cardiac Arrest Respiratory Problems Accidents Motor Vehicle Accidents # (82)% # (81)% # (80)% # (79)% 46 (38.3 %) 45 (42.0 %) 29 (34.1 %) 28 (41.1 %) 17 (14.1 %) 18 (16.8 %) 13 (15.2 %) 7 (10.2 %) 1 (.8 %) 6 (5.6 %) 5 (5.8 %) 7 (10.2 %) N/A 9 (8.4 %) N/A N/A 37 (30.8 %) 18 (15.0 %) 13 (12.1 %) 15 (14.0 %) - 13 - 18 (21.1 %) 18 (21.1 %) 13 (19.1 %) 12 (17.6 %) Assults 1 (.8 %) 0 0 1 (1.4%) Plane Crash 0 0 1 (1.1 %) 0 Suicide 0 1 (.9 %) 1 (1.1 %) 0 Total 120 107 85 68 1982 was the first complete year that the Squad was able to offer advanced life support along with basic care. Our experience to date has been positive although, as expected, it has required additional manhours on the part of those qualified members of the Squad. This increase is not accurately reflected in the relatively small increase in recorded manhours comparing this year to last year. The increase amounted to approximately 16 manhours (344 vs. 328). However, these figures only reflect the actual time the rescue truck was out -of- service according to Fire Control's records. It does not show the many hours spent on the scene with the ambulance or travel to the hospital to assist the ambulance crew. A conservative estimate would place this figure in the range of 120 plus additional manhours. Given the fact that advanced life support has again become more complex with the addition of new drugs and techniques this trend is expected to continue. This past year has been one of positive growth for the Rescue Squad. The squad has enjoyed a reasonably steady supply of qualified manpower along with the strong moral and financial support of the Fire Department and Village Board. Specifications were drawn up for a new Rescue Truck and the purchase was approved by the Village Board. Delivery is expected this coming summer. We have several new members taking- the basic Emergency Medical Technician Course at TC3 and we expect that another advanced life support course will be offered this coming fall. Rescue Squad training has continued with an average of one and a half two -hour training sessions per month in addition to the members' regular fire department training, meetings and drills. We have modi- fied our duty schedule slightly so that the crews operating on weekends provide 24 hour coverage instead of a twelve /twelve rotation. This requires more time, but less frequent weekend shifts and seems to be working satisfactorily. All things considered, 1983 should be a year of continued growth and expansion for the Village's Rescue Squad. The growth will probably not be as dramatic as in the past. However, the Squad will continue to provide a valuable and much needed service at what must be considered a reasonable cost. - 14 - FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING FOR THE YEAR 1982 The Fire Company had 22 drill during 1982. These drills amounted to 44 hours of training offered by our own people for our own people. Some of the training included hands on use of the Fire Department equipment at different locations, not just at the Fire.House. On one occasion we took the trucks and equipment to the newly rebuilt Group Home on Warren Road, and carried out a full fire drill involving the occupants of the home as well as our firemen. After the drill we had a nice talk with the kids that live in the home and we hope we eased some of the fears they have had since the fire in January. At some other drills we talked about policies of the Fire Department on how we conduct ourselves at situations, and why. At some other drills we went to the Ithaca training tower and had real fires in con- trolled situations to attack. The condition of the Ithaca training tower has worsened in the last few years, and was condemned this year. We really feel the loss of this facility in our training program. A lot of our members help other members on a one -on -one basis in the area of truck driving and pump operations. A program of driver training is being developed by the officers of the Department at the present time. This program will assure us of better drivers and more a more uniform use of the equipment. Many hours have been spent in the classrooms by our members in the last year. The Fire Police attended a school given by Police Chief McEwen. The Rescue Squad members spent much time in classes to main- tain their State of New York E.M.T. status. The new members have to take an Essentials of Firemanship class which is 36 hours long. Many others have taken various courses offered by the State, including Pump Operators Course, Officer Training Course, Fire Department Management & Operations, and Grass & Brush Fire School. We had 16 members attend s 2 day seminar given at Ithaca College by the National Fire Protection Association on the topic of 'The Fire Ground Commander'. There are many other seminars given around the State which some of our members find time to attend. - 15 - FIRE INSPECTOR'S ANNUAL REPORT SUBMITTED BY EUGENE J. DYMEK The Village fire prevention - inspection program continues to give priority to multiple residence, sorority, fraternity, and educational properties. Most of these facilities were inspected once. Inspections were also made of commercial buildings. The Northeast Elementary School, BOCES, and .DeWitt Junior High School were all inspected in accord with State requirements. The Cayuga Heights School building with it's day schools and mentally disabled occupants was given special attention with inspections scheduled for three times a year. There were 13 requests for assistance concerning fire detector placement and the installation of wood burning stoves. 1992 was another year in which there were no-fires in inspected properties. - 16 -