GODFREY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT _ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

Pride, Integrity, and Professionalism Since 1946

2016 Annual Report 70 years of service 1946-2016

Chief’s Message

GFPD Board of Trustees 6011 Godfrey Road Godfrey, IL 62035 Dear Board of Trustees and citizens of the District, It is my pleasure to present the Godfrey Fire Protection District 2016 report. For seventy years, our firefighters have served the community by providing high quality emergency services. This organization has changed a great deal since the 1940’s. The services we provide have expanded, but our mission of saving lives and property remains the cornerstone. We will continue to adapt to the needs of our community and provide value to the taxpayer. 2016 was full of accomplishment, hard work, and improvement. We also passed a rescue referendum that preserved two career firefighter positions. Godfrey voters gave the referendum a resounding “thumbs up” with 76% of the electorate voting yes! I cannot thank our citizens enough for the support. Our firefighter/EMTs know the community stands behind them, and there is no better feeling. THANK YOU GODFREY! The Godfrey Fire Protection District provides emergency services to over 18,000 citizens from two strategically located fire stations with nine apparatus and thirty-three personnel. Eighteen personnel are career staff, while fifteen are paid-on-call. GFPD responded to 1,971 calls in 2016. With a successful 2016 behind us, I look to 2017 as a year to refine, maintain, and improve our services. Sincerely, Erik Kambarian Fire Chief

Board of Trustees

President Steven Rynders

Vice President Maurice Hand Secretary/Treasurer Terry Ford

Board of Commissioners

President Keith Sherman

Vice President Jay Cox Secretary Delbert Clemmons

Mission Statement

The Godfrey Fire Department is a paramilitary based organization operating under an established chain of command, whose purpose is to protect life and property by providing quality fire protection, emergency medical care, public education, and

emergency management to the citizens of the Godfrey Fire Protection District in a safe and cost effective manner.

Core Services

Fire Protection ● EMS ● Public Education ● Emergency Management

Motto

Pride, Integrity, and Professionalism since 1946

Philosophy

Kaizen: Kaizen in Japanese means “good change”. It is a widely recognized and implemented management philosophy that emphasizes continuous improvement and humanizing the workplace. This improvement practice encompasses employees from the chief executive to the entry level worker as well as processes in an organization.

For more information on Kaizen: Link

2016 Personnel

Personnel Highlights

Promotions and Appointments: Prob. POC Matthew Halliday appointed to POC Firefighter Prob. POC Nick Dawdy appointed to POC Firefighter Prob. POC Thomas Byrd appointed to POC Firefighter New Personnel: Probationary POC Firefighter Zach Botterbush Probationary POC Firefighter Daniel Neil Probationary POC Firefighter Craig Kinder Probationary POC Firefighter John Rynerson Personnel Leaving Service: POC Firefighter Scott Haegele (20 years with GFPD) Length of Service Recognition (15+ years): Assistant Chief Eric Cranmer (28 years) Assistant Chief Edward McBride (26 years) Captain David Bellitto (22 years) Assistant Chief Shawn Bloemker (21 years) POC Firefighter Scott Haegele (20 years) Lieutenant Ed Knezevich (15 years) POC Firefighter Top Participation Points: 1. POC Firefighter Caleb Prettyman 773 points 2. POC Firefighter Aaron Fry 757 points 3. POC Firefighter Monty Hawkins 661 points 2016 Optimist Club First Responder Award: POC Firefighter Aaron Fry

2016 Call Statistics

Total calls for 2016 were 1,971. This is a slight increase from 2015 with 1,960 calls. As expected, emergency medical response continues to dominate as the primary type of service we provide. GFPD also responded to 90 motor vehicle accidents with 64 of them involving injuries and 6 requiring extrication. A breakdown of each call category is provided below: Fire: Structure fire, cooking fires, chimney fires, brush fires, vehicle fires, etc. EMS/Rescue: Medical emergencies, motor vehicle crashes, search and rescue, etc. Hazardous Condition: Gas leak, power lines down, carbon monoxide call, etc. Service Call: Lift assists, assisting other agencies, person in distress, etc. Good Intent Call: Smoke scare, dispatched but canceled, etc. False Alarm: Alarm system malfunction, smoke detector activation, no fire, etc.

2016 Calls: 1,971

2016 Call Statistics (Continued) Falls: Falls have become an increasing problem in the community. The best case scenario for a fall is what we call a lift assist. This is an elderly or disabled person that has fallen without injury and calls GFPD, simply because they have no one else to rely on. The worst case scenario is a fall that results in a life changing or life ending injury. This is, by far, the most common type of call we now respond to. In 2016, over 18% of all calls were fall related.

Responses by Apparatus: In many cases, such as an EMS call, a one unit response with a small rescue truck from the closest station is appropriate. In other cases, such as a structure fire or motor vehicle collision, multiple apparatus respond. While our rescue pumpers are very versatile and have a multitude of capabilities, we also have more specialized apparatus. For instance, our water tanker, unit 1460, carries 2500 gallons of water. This apparatus is useless on an emergency medical call, but of supreme importance when responding to an area of the district that lacks fire hydrants.

2016 Call Statistics (Continued)

2016 Call Statistics (Continued)

Calls by Station Response Area: The 36 square mile district is covered by two fire stations with nine apparatus/vehicles. Station 1 is located at 6011 Godfrey Road and Station 2 is located at 1712 West Delmar. Each station has a dedicated response area that it serves.

Actions taken: We have traditionally focused on the statistics of what type of calls we respond to. For this report, we ask, what did we do when we arrived? This shows a breakdown of primary actions taken for all 1,971 calls in 2016.

Primary Action Taken Count Percent

Fire control, extinguishment, salvage 44 2.22%

Search, rescue, extricate 4 .20%

Provide Emergency Medical Services 1,012 51.3%

No treatment, ambulance on scene 327 16.58%

Patient refused treatment 118 5.98%

Assist physically disabled 169 8.56%

Patient deceased, no treatment 17 .86%

Hazmat detection, monitoring 6 .30%

Remove hazard, ventilate, force entry 9 .45%

Services and assistance 12 .65%

Provide manpower, equipment, water 24 1.21%

Control traffic 1 .05%

Notify other agencies, provide information 8 .40%

Investigate 200 10.14%

Investigate fire out on arrival 1 .05%

Standby 5 .25%

Cancelled en route 14 .70%

2016 Call Statistics (Continued) Major Fires: The 2016 NFPA Fire Experience Survey highlights three fires classified as “Major Fires” that incurred significant loss. There were no firefighter or civilian deaths as a result of fire in 2016. 03/18/2016 9435 Godfrey Road $150,000 loss 05/06/2016 3704 Riehl Lane $75,000 loss 06/11/2016 4701 Brecht Lane $135,000 loss

Paid-on-Call Program

GFPD was a completely volunteer department until 1951, when one career firefighter was hired. Volunteer/paid-on-call personnel continue to be an integral and vital part of our department. Paid-on-call firefighters are required to be on duty (at the station) a certain number of hours per quarter. They operate alongside career personnel and supplement our staffing levels. Most arrive in the evening and spend the night, while others serve during the day. They are required to complete the same annual firefighter training that career personnel complete so they can integrate seamlessly into any incident. GFPD is proud to be a combination career/paid-on-call department and the community is well served both operationally and fiscally by this model of service. 2016 total on duty hours by paid-on-call personnel: 5,641

Fire Protection (Core Service) Fire protection is a core service we provide and the reason for our creation in 1946. Today, we are an all-hazards organization but fire protection and suppression is still at the heart of who we are and what we do. In March of 2016 the Insurance Services Office improved Godfrey’s public protection classification or ISO rating to a 3/3x from a 4/9. This rating places GFPD in the top 10% of fire departments nationwide. The improved rating is the result of a variety of initiatives within the District and with community and government partners. In 2016, GFPD sent Assistant Chief Shawn Bloemker, Lieutenant Brian Estes, and Firefighter John Farmer to a course called “Nozzle Forward”. This intense course focused on rapid hose line deployment and advancement techniques. These techniques have already been incorporated into our operations. Another focus for 2016 was thermal imager training. While GFPD has had thermal imaging cameras for over fifteen years, we are utilizing them more effectively and more often.

Emergency Medical Services (Core Service)

GFPD dramatically increased EMS capabilities in 2016. Highlights include:

The addition of two Zoll E Series cardiac monitors that allow our EMTs to obtain a 12 lead EKG of the heart and then transmit that data to the receiving hospital.

The addition of four Zoll ResQCPR systems. GFPD was the first organization in the State of Illinois to implement ResQCPR and the first in the state to have a save with the device. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the ResQCPR System is the first and only CPR device indicated to improve the likelihood of survival in adults who have experienced non-traumatic sudden cardiac arrest. You can see a video featuring GFPD using the device here. Two of the four systems were donated, one by the Woodman Family, and one by Mr. Joseph Springman.

In October, GFPD launched Advanced Life Support service. This new capability allows GFPD to administer the same interventions that ambulance providers have. This is critical to patient outcomes because GFPD arrives before the ambulance providers almost 95% of the time. This service would not be possible without the cooperation and determination of our ALS personnel: Assistant Chief/Paramedic Eric Cranmer, Captain/PHRN Thomas Wills, Firefighter/Paramedic Doug Dankenbring, and POC Firefighter/Paramedic Aaron Cranmer. Over $10,000 in equipment had to be obtained to provide this service and over 75% of the cost was funded through grants and donations from: Illinois Public Risk Fund, Illinois Department of Public Health, Phillips 66 Wood River, Casey’s General Store, Freer Auto Body, Alton Memorial Hospital, and memorial donations in memory of Mr. Kyle Steiner.

Public Education (Core Service) Report by Public Education Officer, Captain Thomas Wills

In 2016 we reached over 2,000 children and over 800 adults through school visits, community events, station visits, CPR classes, CPR community events, car seat installations, and smoke detector installations. Our 2nd grade education program again was very successful and a change in scheduling will see an increase in the number of students reached in 2017. The annual open house was hugely successful with nearly 600 visitors this year. It was, by a long measure, the best open house I’ve seen. We were invited and participated in community events both in Godfrey and at Saint Anthony’s Health Center. We assisted with fire drills at our schools, installed (thanks to the Red Cross) up to 3 smoke detectors in 61 homes with one resident purchasing 6 additional detectors and us assisting her with installing those as well. Our car seat technicians were equally busy, many times scheduling, on short notice, car seats (with return demonstrations) for 38 families. 2017 looks to be another great year. We will be offering quarterly community Friends and Family classes for CPR in addition to the normal requests that will be coming in. We will also continue to attend community events to bring awareness to and teach hands only CPR. As always, our car seat techs will be available to make sure newborns are safe. We will continue to partner with the Red Cross to provide smoke detectors for our elderly and disabled residents. Our 2nd grade fire safety education will be conducted in the spring semester and a 5th grade presentation utilizing the Max Fire Box is in the works for the fall semester to coincide with Fire Prevention Week. That will lead us into the annual Open House and although it will be difficult to top this past year, we’re going to try our hardest to keep building the event.

Event Attendance Children Adults

Schools 181 15

Scouts 33 9

Open house 300 250

CPR 14 90

Car seats 38

Smoke Detectors 61

Funday/Community 4 1150 271

daycare/preschool 232 20

Station visit 2 110 29

Emergency Management (Core Service)

Emergency management is often cast aside, until disaster strikes. This is not the case at GFPD. In 2015, through a cooperative partnership with the Village of Godfrey, a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan for Godfrey was adopted. The Fire Chief of GFPD serves as the Village of Godfrey Emergency Services and Disaster Agency Director, and the Village of Godfrey has a Deputy ESDA Director to provide coordination before, during, and after a disaster. In 2016, Godfrey was awarded the “Ready to Respond” designation by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Godfrey is only the second municipality in Illinois to receive the designation, which recognizes communities that achieve an enhanced level of preparedness through successful completion of rigorous criteria. The Ready to Respond Community Program emphasizes a “whole community” approach to preparedness that involves elected officials, government entities, volunteer and not-for-profit organizations, private industry, and residents. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the assistance and cooperation of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency and EMA Director Larry Ringering.

IEMA Director James K. Joseph presents Godfrey with the Ready to Respond designation award.

Technical Rescue

Our technical rescue capabilities continue to improve. GFPD trains regularly on a variety of technical rescue topics and plans for scenarios that could occur in Godfrey. Captain Jake Ringering is our technical rescue officer and has several years of experience in this area. He is certified as a rope rescue specialist and confined space rescue specialist and develops the extensive annual technical rescue training program for GFPD. Many of our rope rescue training topics are hosted on the GFPD YouTube channel which is available for other departments to use. In 2016, GFPD shift 2 hosted a real-time confined space rescue drill at the Village of Godfrey Waste Water Treatment Plant. The drill challenged personnel with the rescue of a sewer plant employee (manikin) that was trapped at the bottom of a thirty-foot-deep valve vault with a potentially hazardous atmosphere (simulated). Responding personnel utilized rope rescue, confined space rescue, hazardous monitoring, and respiratory protection equipment and techniques to successfully “rescue” the victim.

Hazardous Materials

Godfrey Fire has a robust hazardous materials response capability. Fifteen members of the department are state certified in hazardous materials operations, five are state certified hazardous materials technicians, and four are state certified in hazardous materials incident command. The department has a variety of equipment to detect and respond to a hazardous materials incident. In 2016, two GFPD members on the Madison County Hazmat Team participated in a statewide readiness exercise deployment to Quincy, Illinois. This drill activated the team with short notice and required continuous, integrated, 24 hour operations with members of a technical rescue team from Urbana, Illinois, and members of Urban Search and Rescue Illinois Task Force 1.

Inspection Program

This is the sixth year of our business inspection program. Through this program we have the opportunity to interact with the business owners in Godfrey and ensure commercial properties are safe for the public. We utilize the state adopted NFPA 101 Life Safety Code as well as the International Fire Code adopted by the Village of Godfrey. In 2016 all three shifts performed over 250 inspections and pre-plans. Out of these inspections, less than 5% required intervention by the Fire Chief and the Village of Godfrey Building and Zoning Administrator to ensure compliance. All inspections and pre-plans are now performed on 4G Android tablets and immediately emailed to business representatives. GFPD would like to recognize Thornton Photography for working with our firefighters (who also function as our inspectors) during their building renovation to ensure their work met or exceeded code requirements and provides a safe place for their customers. This is an excellent example of what public-private cooperation looks like.

Training Program

GFPD has a progressive and extensive training program. All career firefighters attend the State Fire Academy where they are certified to the NFPA Firefighter I level. All paid-on-call firefighters are trained to the level of NFPA Firefighter I through a rigorous one-year program that includes live fire training. Subsequent training ensures all personnel are trained to the level of NFPA Firefighter II. Our training website, www.godfreyfiretraining.com hosts our annual, probationary, and officer training programs. For 2016, total training hours were 6,531. GFPD also has three (one per shift) EMS Lead Instructors licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health. They ensure each shift receives excellent emergency medical training that qualifies for continuing education credit. All career personnel are licensed EMTs. Total number of Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal certifications: 234 OSFM and IDPH certifications & licenses obtained in 2016: 15 (detailed below) Aaron Cranmer Basic Operations Firefighter Hazmat Operations Technical Rescue Awareness Trench Rescue Operations Vehicle Machinery Operations Instructor I EMT-Paramedic Chris Dennison Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist

Training Program (Continued) Jacob Elder Hazmat Incident Command John Farmer Rope Rescue Operations Instructor II Matthew Halliday EMT-Basic Erik Kambarian Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist Thomas Wills Pre-Hospital Registered Nurse EMS Lead Instructor GFPD hosted and attended several training courses in 2016. Assistant Chief Shawn Bloemker, a nationally recognized fire behavior instructor, is our training officer and also oversees our rigorous probationary paid-on-call firefighter training program.

GFPD thanks Bowers Towing for their continued support and use of their facilities and personnel for vehicle rescue training.

Grants and Donations

The District aggressively pursues grant funding to supplement an increasingly tight operating budget. GFPD is also fortunate to receive donations that we greatly appreciate! In 2016, the District received grants and donations from the following:

$700.00 grant from Illinois American Water Company for fire attack hose.

$12,762 grant from Illinois Public Risk Fund for a cardiac monitor, personal protective equipment, radios, scene lighting, and a fire demonstration kit.

$24,750 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant for a breathing air compressor and rescue struts.

$1,485 from the Illinois Department of Public Health for advanced life support equipment and supplies.

$500 from Phillips 66 Wood River for medical equipment.

$500 from Casey’s General Store for medical equipment.

$242.75 from Reliance Bank for public education materials.

$100 from Quik Trip for medical equipment.

Donation from Mr. Joseph Springman for a ResQCPR system.

Donation from the Woodman Family for a ResQCPR system.

Donation from Freer Auto Body for medical equipment.

Donation from the Alton Wood River Sportsmens Club for fire hose.

General donation from Evangelical School.

General donation from Mr. Allan Evans.

Donations received in memory of Mr. Robert Schudel.

Donations received in memory of Mr. Kyle Steiner.

Inoperable vehicle donations and other general donations

Community Outreach

The people of GFPD are invested in this community. All career, and several paid-on-call members live in Godfrey. You may see our personnel “filling the boot” to fight muscular dystrophy, standing at the Hardees drive through to “Heat Up STL”, assisting Alton School District when they need “big water”, or connecting with children at the Kidcation Olympics. A great deal of this outreach is done without compensation, on a member’s own time. Firefighters, by nature, like to help people. The members of GFPD do it in more ways than one.

Honoring the Fallen

GFPD participated in honoring St. Louis County Police Officer and Godfrey native Blake Snyder who died in the line of duty on October 6, 2016. Officer Snyder’s eternal resting

place is Valhalla Memorial Cemetery in Godfrey.

This annual report is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Robert Schudel. Mr. Schudel gave 29 years of

volunteer service to Godfrey Fire Protection District.

Robert (Santa) Schudel 1932-2016