3b. Acting Fire Chief Ed Coppersmith3b
MEMORANDUM
CHANHASSEN FIRE DEPARTMENT
Station i
PO Box 97
7610 Laredo Drive
Chanhassen, MN 553
Station 2
6400 Minnewashta Pkwy.
Excelsior, MN 5533
TO: Todd Gerhardt, City Manager
FROM: Ed Coppersmith — Acting Fire Chief/l Assistant Chief
Rick Rice - 2 nd Assistant Chief
Mark Littfin - Fire Marshal
DATE: June 16, 2011
SUBJ: Monthly City Council Update
Fire Department Overview:
Staffing is at 45 active firefighters as of June 10, 2011. There are four firefighters currently on
leave. Current allocation is 45 PTE'S. We are in the hiring process with six applicants. We
anticipate 2 -3 more firefighters retiring this year, and 2 -3 firefighters retiring in the first six
months of 2012. Three firefighters have retired already this year.
The fire department is in the process of a special election for the purpose of electing a Fire Chief
to fill the recently vacated position for the remainder of the calendar year.
Year to date there have been 218 calls for service. There were 35 calls in April, and as of
June l O we have responded to 11 calls.
There have been two fires in June. One was a mulch fire on Lake Drive West caused by careless
disposal of smoking material. The other fire was a balcony fire on Market Boulevard caused by
an unattended liquid candle device too close to combustibles. No injuries were reported on either
of the fire calls, and there was only minor damage to the deck.
Training: Training for June will consist of first -in drills which is instruction on pump
operations and basic firefighter skills. We will also be training on tanker operations which will
educate firefighters on how to fight fires in a non - hydrant area.
Fire Marshal
Fire Prevention: Final preparations are under way for the numerous 4th of July activities which
include the Kidde parade, the City 4th of July parade, medical standby at City Hall for the City
Center activities, neighborhood block party parades, and fireworks standby. It should be a fun
and exciting holiday.
Fire Investigations: There were two small fires to report on. The first was at 8240 Market
Boulevard at an apartment. The fire department responded to a reported fire on the deck. It was
determined that the fire resulted from an open flame from a "fire pot" which spread to a
combustible flower pot. The fire was quickly extinguished and dollar loss was less than $2,000.
The second fire was at 1566 Lake Drive West where some ground mulch approximately 20 feet
by 20 feet was burning. Again the fire was quickly extinguished with no damage to the building.
Fire Inspections: Inspections on new construction sites remain slow. Projects at various stages
of construction include the Downtown parking ramp, Minnetonka Middle School kitchen
addition, Autobahn Motorplex, and K. Hovnanian Townhomes. Inspections are continuing at
existing buildings as well.
Summary of Total Calls
May 2011
2011 YTD
May 2010
2010 YTD
Total Calls
36
209
47
238
Detail of Incident Types
May 2011
2011 YTD
May 2010
2010 YTD
Incident Type
Fire
0
11
3
15
Structure Fire
0
4
0
7
Grass Fire
0
1
0
0
Misc Fires
0
6
3
8
— Overpressure Rupture, Explosion, Overheat
0
0
0
1
Rescue & Emer enc . Medical Service Incident
21
IT
22
116
Medical
17
80
21
101
PI Crash
3
16
1
15
Misc Calls
1
1
0
0
Hazardous Condition
4
16
4
12
Gas Leak
2
11
2
6
Misc Calls
2
5
2
6
Service Call
2'-
10 ;
Mutual Aid/Auto Aid
1
8
1
8
Misc Calls
0
0
1
2
Good Intent Call <<
2
32
5
31
Rescue/Medical - Dispatched & Cancelled
1
12
2
12
Smoke Scare, Odor of Smoke
1
8
2
10
PI - Dispatched & Cancelled
0
7
0
4
Misc Calls
0
5
1
5
False Alarm & False Call
8
45
11
53
CO Alarm
3
8
1
5
D' /Old Smoke Detector Activation
1
14
4
11
Unintentional Transmission of Alarm
3
20
4
30
Burnt Food Smoke Detector
1
3
2
6
Misc Calls
0
0
0
1
Severe Weather & Natural Disaster
0
0
0
'0
Total Incident Count
36
209 .
47
138