It’s been an interesting week, so let’s dig in….

·         DriveCam---Launched August 1^st and according to Risk Management only 4 videos were recorded.  When you think about the number of runs (approximately 2384) plus the amount of times you drive when not in emergency mode (training, fuel, repairs), this is really a testament to how safe our drivers really are. 
 

Dear JFRD:

Thank you for your help in making the transition to DriveCam so successful.

Just wanted to provide you a quick note and update.

In 7 days of 24 hour activity, JFRD’s entire fleet has only four videos that appear to requiring the DriveCam coaching session.  The remaining clips are Emergency Mode videos where the driving requirements are relaxed.

Only four coachable events in 168 hours of drive time is an excellent stat!

Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Twane Duckworth

Risk Manager

·         Budget---Finance Committee started their budget hearings this week and we present our budget next Friday.  Once the Finance Committee has our presentation, we will be sending it out to you so you have a true understanding of what this year’s budgets request / realities are.  The goal is to keep you informed as we move along in the process.

·         Rehab—two weeks ago, the Director asked if we were doing the best we could to protect our firefighters after a fire, specifically Rehab.  Chief Mote assigned Capt. Grant, and I tasked Lt. Kornegay who researched 10 of the largest or most progressive departments in Florida.  Next we read NFPA 1584 and the US Fire Administration’s report on Rehab.  The outcome is a new focus on complying with the Rehab standard.  The crux of the new re-write is an emphasis on documenting your vital signs and exposure during firefighting operations on the C.Y.A. forms.  All these forms go into your permanent medical record.  I know you think you might not need it now, but down the road, unfortunately, someone will.  The automatic dispatch of Rehab 37, one rescue, and one rescue chief is the Administration’s way of saying we got you covered.  If the IC cancels the response, then they take on the responsibility of insuring this gets done and they’re covering your back.  Not all fires require rehab, per the standard it’s one 45 minute bottle or 40 minutes of strenuous work.  If you’re not happy with the new SOG, blame me as I’m just looking out for your best interest.  In 15 years, when you need documentation for a medical condition you think is related to the job, you can thank Chief Senterfitt.

·         Old Ladder 10—is now a museum piece at the Fire Museum.  We are in the process of restoring the tiller-ladder and we will be dedicating it to the Men of Ten and all the ladder crews on our department.  Once complete, we will be hosting an event for its dedication…pretty cool.

·         Sick Leave—contrary to what the blogs say about us, we are still human and we all suffer from the same issues and stresses as the normal public. These include financial problems, marital and child issues, divorce, break-ups, and medical problems just to name a few.  On top of that, we come to work and manage crisis events for everyone else.  This begs the question: Who’s managing ours?  Sometimes, things (life) can get overwhelming for all of us.  Here as re some numbers to put things in perspective;

·         Rescue—since 10-1-12 

·         22% have called in SL >7%  of their assigned shifts.

·         12% have called in SL>10%

·         3% have called in SL >13%

·         Suppression—since 10-1-12

·         17% have called in SL >7%

·         8% have called in SL >10%

·         3% have called in SL >13%

The priority for us is identifying and helping our folks who need it.  If you find yourself needing help, there are options the Department can help you with.  All can be confidential and all it takes is one phone call to get things started.   Below are some options we have for you.

·         The Chaplains office

·         CISM

·         EAP

·         FMLA

·         This week’s news stories

·         Wouldn’t it be great if all the positive things we do make front page news or mention on the 6 o’clock news stations?  Between all the good & noble charitable work you do with the Union, the daily runs where you truly save a life, to the regular runs where you simply make things better, or the structure fires where your risk your life to save another, you could fill a paper or an hour and half news show each day on these topics.  Unfortunately, it’s the negative stories that seem to get the air time.  With that being said, one news story doesn’t define who we are or what we are capable of doing.  99 percent of the time we are truly the best Fire Rescue service out there and don’t forget that! The other one percent unfortunately equates to three runs a day and if you are on the receiving end of the 3 runs a day, that’s not good.  When you’re  on-scene, the only person who can look out after you is each other.  If one of your crew has missed something or is acting outside of policies, please find a way to correct it.  Otherwise, we risk the chance of becoming yet another news story we all don’t want to see.

·         The fire in district 49---ISO is the national standard for rating communities for risk based on the fire protection capabilities of the local fire departments.  In order to get full credit for a fire station, four firefighters must be assigned to the station.  Currently station 49 has five.  The other night when the fire came in, the Rescue was on a run and that left three firefighters to respond from the first-due territory.  Can you think of any other territories with three responding?  Stations 11, 12, 14, and 41 all have only three FF’s responding into their 1^st due. Do I wish it were more?  Yes.  I wish we had staffing of four on engines and five on ladders, I think we all do the best we can, with the resources we have, for the emergencies we are trying to fix.  Sometimes we overwhelm the situation with manpower, sometimes the situations overwhelm us like last week:  an EF-2 tornado struck Ft. Caroline area at the same time a W3 structure fire was occurring on N. University, a structure fire in Queens Harbor, and a structure fire in Jax Beach with Ladder 4 as the truck?  Who would have thought that?   The crew of E49 did the best they could with the resources given.  I’m glad E49 wasn’t at Tact Support or at the Training Academy when that run came in; things could have turned out differently.

·         Dual response—I know this is still a controversial topic (except for those who were promoted).  I want to talk facts.  What are the three priorities of any Fire Rescue Dept.?  Protection of life, property, and the environment, in that order. 

·         Where were we at  five months ago?  34 Rescues for 840 square miles.  Response times for the first arriving Rescue unit were as follows:

First arriving rescue went on scene

·         < 5 minutes 3 % of the time.  (Rescues 1 and 21)

·         5-8 minutes 64 % of the time

·         > 8 minutes 33% of the time ( understand 40, 43, and 45 had average response times > 15 minutes)

·         Would you be happy with those times if they were coming to you or your family?

·         Where are we at now?  40 Rescues instead of 34 or a 17.6 % increase in five months!  When was the last time that happened?

               First arriving rescue times now

·         < 5 minutes 48% of the time

·         5-8 minutes 31% of the time

·         >8 minutes 21% of the time

·         Look at the drastic changes in response times for Rescues!!!

·         But at what cost?  It’s no secret we are in extraordinary budget times, not just locally, but nationwide.  (Miami-Dade Fire is closing up to 8 stations a day for staffing shortages)  We manage resources given under current budget conditions.  Simply put, we reallocated resources from one Division to another in order to better meet our priorities.  It’s not ideal, but under the given set of circumstances, it was the best option for the department and our customers.  And the staffing can always be restored in better budget times.

·         Time to recognize the hard work of some of our folks…

·         Last week the FAA re-certified our fire department response for JIA.  Anyone who has been through this process knows the difficulty of the audit.  It includes a written and oral exam of the firefighters assigned to the station with no prior notice.  We would like to congratulate and thank the hard work of Capt. Ragin, Capt. Thompson, and all their hard working crews for passing the inspection…well done!

·         To Matt Hayt and Duray Dismute, civilians, and to the A shift crews of E44, L44, R28, and R103---on August 6^th, they were dispatched to a drowning pediatric patient with CPR in progress by bystanders.  By the time they arrived at the hospital, they had return of respirations and pulses.  Excellent job everyone!!

·         To Fire Communications.  Day in and day out, they receive over 300 calls for help. Sometimes they are coaching husbands and wives on how to do CPR on their loved ones. Sometimes  its directing people trying to escape from their burning homes, and sometimes the help they are giving is to one of our own.  This week, the JFRD once again averted what would have been another true tragedy to our family.  On the other end of the line was the drowning child at the bottom of the pool of one of our own.  Directing the caller on what to do was FRCO Sutton Born, followed by the response and excellent treatment from station 57, I’m happy to say the all is well today because of their efforts.  Eng Chris Philips said it best…  “JFRD crews are daily called to illness, trauma, and death and occasionally we are burdened by the sorrow that surrounds those events. Today, even though it was a mother seeking to save the life of her own child, the efforts of those involved spared the firefighters and our JFRD family one more heartache.   I suppose every once in a while we need reminding that we are not simply robots that know exactly what to do when the citizens call us with their problems; that we do indeed have hearts and sometimes our work hits close to home serving to remind us that life is fragile; and with vigilant preparation and a reverence for our duties we can and will make a difference. Today, though, it was nice that someone made that difference in our lives.”---I couldn’t have said it better.

Well that’s it for this week.  I case you live under a rock, football is here and I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing weekend.

As always, we thank you for what you, why you do it, and for truly being the best Fire Department in the Country.

Very respectfully,

Kurtis R. Wilson

Subject: Please Read From Risk Management