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http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612130324
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Fire authority looks to future with additional battalion
By SARA REED
SaraReed@coloradoan.com
Even as they approved next year's budget, the Poudre Fire Authority Board of Directors was looking ahead Tuesday to the 2008 budget.
When PFA issued its new strategic plan in 2004, adding a south battalion to Station 5, 4615 Hogan Drive, was its highest priority. But it has yet to be completed because of consecutive years of budget cuts. That addition would add three battalion chiefs - one per shift - to the agency, doubling the current number and would cost about $350,000 annually.
During PFA's board meeting, Mayor Doug Hutchinson and city councilwoman Karen Weitkunat said it's time to start looking at other ways to fund the expansion, though she was not specific about ways to do that.
"We can't just wait for the sales and property tax to be there," Hutchinson said.
Safety is the top reason to move to a two-battalion structure, said Mike Gress, chief of operations, who oversees the battalion chiefs.
During an incident, it is the battalion chief's sole duty to coordinate the scene, Gress said. If a battalion chief is not yet on scene, the captain from the first crew to the scene will take command until either they pass it to the captain of the next crew or the battalion chief arrives.
This results in captains sometimes having to split their attention between commanding their crew and working on the incident, Gress said, which can become dangerous.
"Sometimes you just get so focused on one thing that you don't hear anything else," he said. "That's when firefighters start getting hurt."
A second battalion is also needed because PFA's coverage area is so large, Gress said.
If the battalion chief is on a call in Station 7's area near LaPorte and gets a call in Station 14's area near Timberline and Trilby roads, it can take 20 minutes or more for them to get on scene, Gress said.
"You need someone on scene as fast as possible who only oversees the incident," he said.
An on-call battalion chief is available and is called three or four times a week, Gress said. Other supervisors, including Gress, will respond to a scene or take command of the remaining resources as needed.
"We've all been there," Gress said.
PFA is the only fire department or authority of its size in the country to operate with only one battalion, Gress said.
The Salem, Ore., Fire Department is similar to PFA in staffing levels, jurisdiction population and other aspects and is one of the agencies PFA uses for comparisons. The Salem Fire Department also responds to medical and other emergency calls other than fires, just as PFA does.
The Salem Fire Department covers an area about one-third the size of PFA's and has about 20,000 fewer residents in its coverage area but responded to about 4,000 more calls last year than PFA.
But Salem Fire Department operates with two battalion chiefs and did not wait for a large increase in call load to do so.
The department has operated with two battalion chiefs for at least 25 years, said Dean Chambers, information services coordinator with the department, when it responded to as many as 4,000 calls a year
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Fire authority looks to future with additional battalion
By SARA REED
SaraReed@coloradoan.com
Even as they approved next year's budget, the Poudre Fire Authority Board of Directors was looking ahead Tuesday to the 2008 budget.
When PFA issued its new strategic plan in 2004, adding a south battalion to Station 5, 4615 Hogan Drive, was its highest priority. But it has yet to be completed because of consecutive years of budget cuts. That addition would add three battalion chiefs - one per shift - to the agency, doubling the current number and would cost about $350,000 annually.
During PFA's board meeting, Mayor Doug Hutchinson and city councilwoman Karen Weitkunat said it's time to start looking at other ways to fund the expansion, though she was not specific about ways to do that.
"We can't just wait for the sales and property tax to be there," Hutchinson said.
Safety is the top reason to move to a two-battalion structure, said Mike Gress, chief of operations, who oversees the battalion chiefs.
During an incident, it is the battalion chief's sole duty to coordinate the scene, Gress said. If a battalion chief is not yet on scene, the captain from the first crew to the scene will take command until either they pass it to the captain of the next crew or the battalion chief arrives.
This results in captains sometimes having to split their attention between commanding their crew and working on the incident, Gress said, which can become dangerous.
"Sometimes you just get so focused on one thing that you don't hear anything else," he said. "That's when firefighters start getting hurt."
A second battalion is also needed because PFA's coverage area is so large, Gress said.
If the battalion chief is on a call in Station 7's area near LaPorte and gets a call in Station 14's area near Timberline and Trilby roads, it can take 20 minutes or more for them to get on scene, Gress said.
"You need someone on scene as fast as possible who only oversees the incident," he said.
An on-call battalion chief is available and is called three or four times a week, Gress said. Other supervisors, including Gress, will respond to a scene or take command of the remaining resources as needed.
"We've all been there," Gress said.
PFA is the only fire department or authority of its size in the country to operate with only one battalion, Gress said.
The Salem, Ore., Fire Department is similar to PFA in staffing levels, jurisdiction population and other aspects and is one of the agencies PFA uses for comparisons. The Salem Fire Department also responds to medical and other emergency calls other than fires, just as PFA does.
The Salem Fire Department covers an area about one-third the size of PFA's and has about 20,000 fewer residents in its coverage area but responded to about 4,000 more calls last year than PFA.
But Salem Fire Department operates with two battalion chiefs and did not wait for a large increase in call load to do so.
The department has operated with two battalion chiefs for at least 25 years, said Dean Chambers, information services coordinator with the department, when it responded to as many as 4,000 calls a year
