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FD Monthly Updates CHANHASSEN FIRE DEPARTMENT P.O. Box 97 · 7610 Laredo Drive · Chanhassen, MN 55317 Bus. Phone 934-9191 · Minnewashta Station No, 2 · Phone 474-7094 MEMORANDUM TO: Todd Gerhardt, City Manager FROM: John Wolff- Fire Chief Greg Hayes- 1st Assistant Chief Mark Lktfin- 2nd Assistant Chief DATE: October 17, 2003 SUB J: Monthly City Council update Fire Department Overview: Staffing is at 42 firefighters as of October 17, 2003, allocation is 45 PTE's. We have two members on a leave of absence; available staffing is 40. Call volume continues at a record level, approximately 25% higher than last year, through 10/1/03. At current trends, we would expect year-end calls to exceed 850 calls. On a personal note, I will not be seeking re-election as Fire Chief at the December 1, 2003 election. There are two viable and capable candidates running for the position. This is my 6th year as Chief and have accomplished the goals I set out to achieve back in 1997. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve the City of Chanhassen in this capacity. I will do my best to ensure a smooth and seamless transition to the new Fire Chief effective 1/1/04. In the past few weeks we have been running at least three calls per day. Some of the more notable calls are: 1000-gallon Liquefied Propane tank was hit by a vehicle. The fire department responded to the Western Motel at about 9:30 P.M. on October 7, 2003. Upon our arrival we found a 1000-gallon LP storage tank rolled over onto the valves. There was a small leak from a damaged valve. Carver County Emergency Management responded and assisted in the evacuation of the motel. Southwest Transit provided temporary shelter and the Carver County Red Cross provided logistical support for the evacuees. Todd Gerhardt September 15, 2003 Page 2 Ultimately, the tank was uprighted by the gas company and transported off site to offioad the LP gas still in the container. During the mitigation of the tank, the fire department conducted air monkoring and placed hand lines for protection in case of a catastrophic loss of the tank. On October 8, 2003 the fire department responded to a house fire on Deerfoot Trail. Upon our arrival, we found the deck on fire and fire showing out of the soffits of the 4-season porch. The fire department was able to control and extinguish the fire quickly and greatly limited the damage to the interior of the home. Chaska and Eden Prairie fire departments provided mutual aid on-scene and Excelsior Fire District provided coverage for the city. Fire Training: During the past month, the fire department completed refresher training in auto extrication at Shakopee Towing. This training includes the use of the powered extrication tools used to cut and/or lift vehicles and equipment in order to remove patients. In October, we completed the annual physical agility test. This test is required of all members to ensure that they are able to complete basic job skill tasks. The overall goal is to motivate the membership to maintain a minimum physical condition in order to lower the health risks of performing firefighting activities. Fire Inspections: General Mills was issued their certificate of occupancy for the new warehouse. The project went very well. Both General Mills and the general contractor were very good to work with. The few minor problems were quickly corrected and the building process moved very quickly. Current building projects moving ahead are: Eckankar Spiritual Center, Powers Ridge Condo's, Vengra Building on Watertower Place, Villages on the Ponds, Senior Campus, U of M Learning Center, Holiday Inn Express, and two office/warehouse buildings in the Century Boulevard area. All these buildings are currently at different stages of construction. The Fire Department is checking the DNR website daily to see if any burning bans are in place. As of Thursday Oct. 16, there were no restrictions or bans yet, but that could change quickly depending on dry grass and field conditions. We have had only one grass fire and that was at the Arboretum, where three to five acres were burned. Fire Education Activities: This past week the Fire Department had it annual fire prevention week activities. We taught different fire prevention information to all four elementary schools in Chanhassen. Approximately 2100 children from preschool levels, through 5th grade either visited the fire station, had firefighters visit the schools, or participated in the coloring and poster contest. We had a total of 28 firefighters who took time off from work, and donated almost 300 hours of time. Todd Gerhardt September 15, 2003 Page 3 The Fire Department open house was Sunday Oct 12th' and was once again a huge success. Estimates put the crowd at 800 to 900 people based on the amount of food we went through. Budget: ~\~ ~ l..{~ Operating budget a~s, presented to the City Council at the work session on 10/~3'/03.