On May 17th Dolan Springs and Meadview will elect a new board of directors for the LMRFD , and we need to ask some hard questions to those running.
HOMEOWNER INSURANCE RATES
While under the direction of the NACFD, Mr Flynn got rid of our volunteers because they wanted a paid only fire district. This action may have reduced manpower to a level where we can no longer maintain a good rating for homeowners insurance.
We need to ask what our current ISO fire rating is? We were told time and time again that we had an ISO rating of 8. In my opinion without volunteers our rating will drop to an ISO rating of 8B or even a 9. That would mean dramatic increases in homeowners insurance rates.
The keep or receive an ISO rating of 8, the fire district needs be able to pump 250 GPM for two hours continuously without interruption. We need to ask how the LMRFD can logistically pump 250 GPM for two hours continuously without interruption.
VOLUNTEERS
We were told over and over by Mr Flynn and Chief Moore that firefighters had to be certified to Level I or II firefighter status. This is another half-truth we were told. According to the Arizona Center for Fire Service Excellence Fire Service Certification is not required in Arizona it's voluntary.
There are no state regulations requiring fire service personnel to become certified. However departments may make certification mandatory for their firefighters.
That said, in my opinion ALL volunteers for fire service should be trained to a level the Fire Chief and the volunteer is comfortable with. Some volunteers may become firefighters, others may only want to drive the fire truck or tanker and operate the pump to protect firefighters. Simply having volunteers to drive tanker trucks will help protect firefighters and may give us the manpower and water capability needed to receive an ISO rating of 8.
Driving the fire truck or tanker and running the pump doesn't sound very important, but in a heart beat it can be the most important job at a fire scene. This is what happened to me as a young firefighter.....
As a member of the Civil Defense Fire Rescue I was training at the Spokane Fire Department drill tower. That day we were training on how to do interior attacks on a multi story building. The drill tower is a 3 story cement building and it was full of smoke, another firefighter and I were to do an attack on the third story.
I pulled a section of hose and threw it over my shoulder. We headed up the stairs and hooked into a stand pipe on the 2nd floor on the way up. The drill tower was filled with black smoke to simulate a fire. As we turned the corner onto the 3rd floor we gave the signal to the engineer to charge the line.
As soon as the line was charged the coupler failed. The nozzle separated from the heavy brass coupler on the 2 ½” hose and shot across the room like a missile. As the nozzle took off in one direction ricocheting across the room and down the stairs. The hose took off like a huge angry snake flying around the room.
We were in full bunkers, but that brass coupler was heavy and could do a lot of damage. If it should hit one of us in the head, it could kill you instantly. If it knocked the nozzle off one of our Scott Airpacks, it would become another missile to deal with.
Because of our training the firefighter running the pump immediately knew something was wrong from the sound the pump, and shut it down. Shutting down the pump when he did most likely saved our lives, he certainly saved us serious injuries that day.
Volunteer firefighters make up the majority of US firefighters. According to the NFPA’s U.S. fire department profile, there are an estimated 30,125 fire departments in the United States. Of these, 2,495 departments are all-career, 1,860 are mostly career, 5,290 are mostly volunteer and 20,480 are all-volunteer. In other words, 70% of all firefighters in America are volunteers, which equates to 768,150 fire and emergency service responders.
We can have a fire academy here in Dolan Springs to train volunteer firefighters, and an EMT course to train EMT's for the ambulance.
At fire board meetings some people made it sound like you would need to spend years in school to be an EMT. Actually we have the person who can train EMT's right here in Dolan Springs in 180 hours.
ISO RATINGS
CLASS 8
To receive a Public Protection Classification (PPC™) of Class 8 or better a community must first have the minimum facilities and practices needed for a PPC rating and must earn a score of at least 20 points when evaluated according to the criteria in the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). The community must also have these additional minimum facilities:
- There must be a minimum water supply of 250 gpm for a 2-hour duration for fire protection in the area.
If the fire department delivers the 250 gpm through tanker shuttle, large-diameter hose, or other alternative water supply, the water must be available within 5 minutes of the arrival of the first-due engine, and the department must maintain the flow, without interruption, for the 2-hour duration. - The fire department must have one suitably equipped engine that responds to all first alarm structural fires. Pump capacity must be at least 750 gpm at 150 psi. The engine must have a water tank in accordance with the general criteria of NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, “pumper Fire Apparatus.”
