April 2021

City of Rochester Hills Fire and Emergency Services Monthly Report for April 2021

To: The Honorable Mayor Bryan Barnett and the esteemed members of the Rochester Hills City Council From: Sean M. Canto - Chief of Fire and Emergency Services Ladies and Gentlemen: The primary purpose of this report is to keep the officials of the City of Rochester Hills informed as to the activities and programs of the Rochester Hills Fire and Emergency Services Department. As a second purpose, this report will be shared with the Officers and all fire personnel in the organization to illustrate how their day-to-day activities benefit the citizens and the community of Rochester Hills. Call Data: Total Incidents April 2021: 629 (Approximately 27% of these incidents occurred in Senior Congregate Housing / Skilled Nursing Facilities) Total number of mutual aid coverage / requests: 5 - No Rochester Hills Fire Department units were available during these times. Total Incidents Year-to-Date: 2,255 Year-to-Date comparison 2020 to 2021: 2,320 (2020) 2,255 (2021)

Operations Bureau Deputy Chief - Todd Gary Shift Commanders - Bat. Chief Jason Murray, Bat. Chief Rogers Claussen, Bat. Chief Jerry Yurgo The Operations Division has begun to track on a more accurate basis the number of “Concurrent Incidents” that are happening. This graph details that out of the 629 incidents that occurred in April, 336 times (53 percent) additional incidents were taking place at the same time. As this happens the department’s resources are stretched thin, if not depleted. The department will continue to monitor this information closely. We pay close attention to these totals to ensure we can respond to simultaneous emergencies quickly enough and with enough personnel. Call concurrency examines the frequency of multiple calls occurring during the same time that units are still committed to a previous call. This situation affects the ability of the organization to commit additional resources to respond to additional calls as they occur.

Members responded to 112 calls for service that resulted in estimated $54,600 in damage. On April 4, 2021, the City of Rochester Hills Fire Department was dispatched to the 3900 block of West Hamlin Road for a reported commercial structure fire. While responding, units were advised by Dispatch that the building occupant received a notification from their business, and after checking the camera saw a fire in the research area of the building. Upon arrival, the first arriving units found a commercial structure with light smoke inside the building, crews were able to shut down the process and extinguish the fire, which was limited to the research area. Crews extinguished the remaining smoldering areas and checked the interior walls for extension. No civilian or firefighter injuries occurred at this incident. This fire just highlights many of the research and development processes that occurs in our City, each presenting its own type of hazard. With our ability to perform Fire and Life Safety Inspections, and with the addition of two (2) Fire inspectors last year. The department is better able to be prepared for incidents just like this one. The Members of the Rochester Hills Fire Department Community Risk Reduction Division have also been completing numerous pre-incident surveys, which provides valuable information to the crews and the incident commander. This information is on all apparatus through technology with Oakland County CLEMIS utilizing our Mobile Data Computer (MDC).

On April 10, 2021 Rochester Hills Tower Ladder 4 was dispatched to assist the Oakland Township Fire Department with an individual stuck in an inoperable bucket truck approximately 30 feet in the air. The individual was in the bucket for some time before being found and the weather this day was extremely windy. Rochester Hills Tower Ladder 4 arrived and after securing the individual in a ladder belt assited him in the aerial bucket.

Emergency Medical Services Division Division Head – Captain Tim Matz Statistics Total number of EMS runs: 517. During April, the department responded to 62 incidents that were either determined as potential COVID-19 or the patient was positive with COVID-19. Total number of Cardiac Arrest: 11, the age range of these patients is 31 to 89. Three patients were transported to local Hospital for further cardiac care. For information related to Coronavirus statistics for the State of Michigan, please go to: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98163_98173---,00.html

During the month of April, the EMS division put two new Ambulances in service. We took delivery in March and had all the necessary work completed to put them into active service early April. On April 15, the State EMS office held a virtual inspection getting them officially licensed as Advanced Life Support units. They replaced our two oldest ambulances from 2009 and 2011. These two new units will help keep Rochester Hills working well into the future. As June approaches, the EMS division is diligently preparing to implement the new Medicare model program ET 3 Emergency Triage, Treatment, and Transport. As one of 184 agencies in the United States selected for this program, it will allow any patient with a minor injury or illness to go to an Urgent Care or be treated at home instead of going to a hospital. The premise is to get the less sick patients to resources instead of bring them to a hospital. Presently, hospitals are very busy and this can help reduce the patient load while still getting our patients the help they need. We are working along with the Cities of Rochester and Auburn Hills, as well as Ascension Providence Rochester’s Emergency Physicians group. For the month of April the department EMS training was on Airway. Since the Pandemic started, we, as health care providers, have had to change several of our treatments. Due to the COVID virus being a droplet and airborne disease we have had to back off on more advanced airway procedures. With vaccination’s being given the possibility of our treatments going back to normal has encouraged us to start treatments we haven’t performed in a while. Along with refreshing skills not recently used, we conducted training on two new airway devices to improve patient care. Our Basic EMT’s have been involved in a study with our Medical Control Authority. With the increased price of Epi pens, the Oakland County Medical Control Authority had a study approved by the State to see if EMT’s could be taught and properly give a medication that they would have to draw up themselves and give in a patients muscle. To date, the study has been successful and our EMTs had their annual review and refresher training. This training and study has helped to improve care for patients of Allergic reaction and difficulty breathing while help control costs. Epi pen costs are in the hundreds of dollars while the Epi kit is $20. Community Risk Reduction Division Division Head - Assistant Chief Bill Cooke The Community Risk Reduction Division highlights for the month of April 2021 included the following: Fire and Life Safety Inspections: 72 Follow-up Inspections: 50 Plan Reviews: 10 FOIA Requests: 2 Professional Development (Training Hours): 28.5 hours Appearance Citations: 4

Public Education Activities Smoke Detector Program(s)/Installation(s): 32 During the month of April, two significant events occurred in our community that are very much worth noting. Both of these events reiterate the importance of Community Risk Reduction efforts. On April 7, 2021 at 9:56 A.M., Lieutenant/Inspector Jon Mills was conducting an annual Fire and Life Safety inspection at one of our senior living complexes and found himself in a very unusual situation. While walking with the maintenance director, Lieutenant Mills discovered a significant fire in a waste container, located inside of the facilities laundry room. Lieutenant Mills quickly went into action by notifying Oakland County Dispatch of the fire via his portable radio. He then instructed staff to activate the fire alarm pull station, which notified the residents and staff of a fire in the building. Lieutenant Mills then quickly located a nearby fire extinguisher and efficiently extinguished the fire. Fire apparatus responded to the location and assisted with checking for any hidden fires and by removing smoke from the building. Firefighters also verified no residents or staff were injured during the event. The quick actions of Lieutenant Mills made a significant difference in the outcome of this fire. Without his assistance, fire damage to the building would have been more extensive and the risk of injury to the residents and staff would have been much greater. This event also repeats the importance of having Fire Inspectors on-duty and out in our community making an impact in fire and life safety. Accolades to Lieutenant/Inspector Mills for his fast action and effort in keeping our community safe! On April 8, 2021 at 10:03 P.M., the Rochester Hills Fire Department was called to an address in the Rochester Estates Mobile Home Park for a fire in a mobile home. Fire Department staffed arrived to find 4 occupants of the home outside of the dwelling, reporting a fire in the kitchen. Firefighters from Station No. 2 entered the building and discovered a used fire extinguisher laying in front of the stove and a smoldering fire on top of the stove. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire with a pressurized water fire extinguisher. After the smoke was cleared, our staff gathered some very important information from the homeowner. The homeowner stated she and her children were all in bed at the time of the fire. Not one of the occupants visually discovered the fire, but they all were alerted of the fire by a smoke alarm inside her residence. The actions of the smoke alarm allowed the homeowner to safely evacuate her family from the fire, but also allowed her enough time to partially extinguish the fire prior to Fire Department involvement. Without the smoke alarm and her actions, the outcome of this fire would have been devastating. After the fire, Community Risk Reduction staff discussed this incident and were able to discover some very important information. It is nearly impossible to measure the effectiveness of what we do in the Community Risk Reduction Division. The CRR personnel have all delivered the message throughout the years of why fire and life safety education and inspections are so critical to provide a safe community for our residents and visitors of Rochester Hills. With all of these messages, it is still nearly impossible to determine if our efforts have made a difference, however, this story has a different ending. Fire Department records indicate that our staff installed a smoke alarm in this resident’s home in September of 2015. The smoke alarm was a key factor in the successful outcome of this emergency. This event is a reminder that the actions of the Community Risk Reduction division has a purpose and makes a difference in our community. Even though we may not be able to measure the performance in all that we do, this means that our actions are vitally important to the health and

safety in our community. Thank you to past and current Community Risk Reduction members who have and will continue to make fire and life safety their priority! Training, Health and Safety Bureau Division Head - Captain Larry Gambotto During the month of April 2021, members of the Rochester Hills Fire Department received 343 hours of Fire and EMS professional development. Year-to-date, members have completed 1,770 hours of training. This month’s topics included Nozzle Forward refresher training, Active Assailant and Rescue Task Force training, and Firefighting and MRI Machines. Fire Training Members reviewed and refreshed the techniques of Nozzle Forward. Nozzle Forward is an adaptable system of hose line management and fire attack. Members were able to practice the system while flowing water outside at the Fire Department Training Tower. Special Training For Special Training this month, members revisited Active Assailant and Rescue Task Force skills. These skills include assessment, treatment and evacuation of victims during active assailant scenarios. Members reviewed placement of tourniquets, chest seals and wound packing use out of Trauma Care bags. Rescue Task Force procedures include Law Enforcement Officers and Paramedics (NOT tactical medics) teaming

up to move quickly into “warm” zone areas along cleared corridors to initiate treatment and evacuation of victims. Battalion Drill Community Risk Reduction’s Lieutenant Ann Echols reviewed firefighting in an MRI suite. Lt. Echols had recently toured Accession Providence Rochester’s MRI suite and created a drill to review policies and procedures required if a fire were to break out in an MRI unit. Administration Division Rochester Hills Firefighters are constantly finding new ways to give back to the community. April was Autism Acceptance Month or National Autism Awareness Month. This month is designated to promote awareness of autism and autism spectrum disorders and shine light on the unique abilities that people with autism bring. The Rochester Hills Professional Firefighters IAFF Local #3472 raised $1,500 through Autism Tee-shirt sales and donated the money to Oakland University Cares.

Finally, in April the Rochester Hills Fire Department received the first shipment of our new Bullard Thermal Imaging Cameras. The Rochester Hills Fire Department will be the first fire department in the world to receive this particular model. These cameras allow firefighters to see through smoke or darkness to more easily find trapped victims. It can also help the firefighters to find the seat of the fire, hot spots, and other hazards. This gives the ability to have every single firefighter on duty to have a camera available to them. A thermal imaging camera is as important as a fire radio or an axe. It is essential that each firefighter has one for their use while fighting a fire. The cameras weigh just 1.6 pounds, have a 3.5-inch display and are simple to use with a one- button operation. The camera was engineered to be compact, lightweight, tough and durable, even in extreme fire conditions. The Rochester Hills Fire Department would like to thank City Administration and City Council for investing in the safety of our members and the community. We would also like to thank Bullard Thermal Imaging for working with the Rochester Hills Fire Department. See attached links for more information on our new Thermal Imaging Cameras. https://www.rochesterhills.org/NewsFlash/NewFireEquipment.pdf https://www.bullard.com/pressroom/helping-protect-firefighters-by-getting-more-eyes-on-the-fire