March 2021

City of Rochester Hills Fire and Emergency Services Monthly Report for March 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 March 2021: 524 (Approximately 33% 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: 1,626 Year-to-Date comparison 2020 to 2021: 1,733 (2020) 1,626 (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 524 incidents that occurred in March, 242 times (46 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 90 calls for service that resulted in estimated $500 in damage. On March 17, 2021 the City of Rochester Hills Fire Department was dispatched to the 900 block of Dahlia Lane for a reported residential structure fire. While responding, units were advised by Dispatch that the incident was downgraded to a still alarm with smoke noted from the garage. Upon arrival, the first arriving units found a single story residential structure with smoke showing from the garage. Battalion 1 established Command, investigated the garage area, and performed a 360 with no other issues noted. Parents of the homeowner continually tried to make access to the garage to extinguish the fire. The parents were escorted from the garage to the neighbor’s front porch. Incoming crews were advised of a cooking fire with clothing noted on top of the stove.

Crews extinguished the smoldering clothes and checked the garage walls for extension. Crews removed the stove from the garage and also performed salvage operations. No civilian or firefighter injuries occurred at this incident. The Rochester Hills Fire Department has seen a number of fires in the recent months involving cooking or combustible storage on top of the stove or inside the oven. The United States Fire Administration reports each year, from 2016 to 2018, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated average of 189,300 cooking fires in residential buildings.

Emergency Medical Services Division Division Head – Captain Tim Matz Statistics Total number of EMS runs: 433. During March, the department responded to 29 incidents that were either determined as potential COVID-19 or the patient was positive with COVID-19. Total number of Cardiac Arrest: eight (8), the age range was 39 to 89 years of age. 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 March, the Fire Department enhanced our fleet and took delivery of two (2) new Marque ambulances. These units will replace our two oldest units, which are currently Reserve EMS units from 2009 and 2011. The two new units have numerous improvements that the Fire Department, DPS Garage, and Purchasing department collectively worked on to obtain. The biggest change was switching the inside cabinetry from wood to aluminum which reduces the wear and tear in the patient compartment and allows for easier cleaning and disinfecting. A new addition is a Bio Light, which safely emits a UV light to help kill bacteria and viruses while still allowing patient care to continue. Both ambulances also have stand-by heaters in the patient compartment that heat the back area to keep the stretcher, medications, and equipment warm in cold winter months. With the addition of these two ambulances, the oldest unit we have is from 2017. During March, members improved their knowledge and care of Autistic community members with training from the Autism Alliance of Michigan via Zoom training sessions. This training is referred to as MAST, Michigan Autism Safety Training, and focuses primarily on First Responders and how to interact with autistic patients. It went into depth on what Autism is, some of the cues a patient may exhibit, what the spectrum is, how to safely approach and treat an Autistic patient, what to watch for in their interaction, and how to work with the patient while treating. Numerous members reported learning many new pieces of information about Autism and the patients we treat, and was a great preparation for Autism Awareness month, which occurs in April. Last fall the department purchased Carter kits that contain items specifically made to help Autistic patients stay calm and handle the change of their environment while being in an ambulance. As medical issues continue to change in the world, our providers continue to train and work with enhanced equipment to function better and smarter within our ever-changing environment.

Another area of focus within the Fire Department has been Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). Two years ago a committee was formed to improve this area of patient care. The committee is overseen by the EMS Coordinator and has three Lieutenants who review electronic Patient Care Reports (ePCRs). Lieutenants Justin Boks, Andrew Matz, and Rich Markovitch review ePCRs daily and provide feedback to EMS personnel. During March, CQI committee members participated in an online seminar from the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance (NAAC), which is a subsidiary of the National EMS law firm Page, Wolfberg, and Wirth. The course was Certified Ambulance Documentation Specialist (CADS) and covered many areas of EMS care documentation including HIPAA, correct documentation, major documentation errors, signature laws, and how to improve documentation and patient care. The CQI committee will work with the Education committee to help improve our providers and any documentation issues that may occur. The EMS Division is pleased to announce that during March, a department member passed a licensing test to become a State of Michigan EMS Instructor/Coordinator. Lieutenant Rich Welch attended this course in 2019 / 2020 and when he registered for the State exam, the pandemic hit and the State of Michigan cancelled all testing. However, he was able to endure and successfully passed the test as soon as the State allowed testing. Lt. Welch has been added to the EMS Education Committee and can now pass along his vast knowledge with the other EMS I/C’s to all of our department members. The EMS Education Committee includes Lieutenant’s Nick Birchmeier, Loren Mitchell, Rich Welch, and Firefighter/Paramedic Derek Gardner. Community Risk Reduction Division Division Head - Assistant Chief Bill Cooke The Community Risk Reduction Division highlights for the month of March 2021 included the following: Fire and Life Safety Inspections: 66 Follow-up Inspections: 75 Plan Reviews: 17 FOIA Requests: 11 Professional Development (Training Hours): 73 hours Appearance Citations: 3 Public Education Activities Smoke Detector Program(s)/Installation(s): 42 During the month of March, the Community Risk Reduction went “live” with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Community Risk Assessment (CRA) program. Only 250 U.S. Fire Departments were selected to participate in this program, with only five in the State of Michigan. CRA Dashboards are designed to assess the unique risk for emergencies in Rochester Hills. Powered by “My Sidewalk”, it will allow the fire department to assist in analyzing incident data and make risk reduction decisions based on data rather than based on assumptions. The data will allow the Community Risk Reduction Division to determine what public education services are best to improve the community. The CRR Division is pleased to announce that Lieutenant/Fire Inspector Walter Murphy successfully passed the Fire Inspector II Exam. This examination is based on NFPA 1031, the Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Inspector and Plan Examiner, and prepares our Inspectors to utilize the most common fire code requirements found during the inspection process. The Community Risk Reduction Division congratulates Lieutenant Murphy on this accomplishment and his commitment in personal development.

The Community Risk Reduction Division would also like to congratulate Fire and Life Safety Educator John Lyman for becoming a certified Basic Life Instructor. This certification allows him to instruct CPR classes to the fire department employees as well as to the public. Studies and statistics have shown that early CPR and AED intervention saves lives. Congratulations on this accomplishment! Additionally during the month of March, the CRR division celebrated Sparky the Fire Dog’s 70th birthday. To provide a brief history, the idea of “Sparky” was formulated at the 1950 NFPA Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey. NFPA announced that the Advertising Council had approved a national fire prevention campaign to be launched in 1951, with NFPA as sponsor. The new initiative needed a symbol, and it was a no brainer. Inspired by the success of Smokey the Bear (the brawny bear symbol of the U.S. Forest Service), NFPA decided to create a Dalmatian character using the dog traditionally associated with the fire service. The rest they say is History, as Sparky has become a national figure and beloved advocate for fire safety. March 18, 1951 is Sparky the Fire Dog’s official Birthday. Check out Sparky’s new website. https://www.sparky.org/?_ga=2.255214731.288235319.1618334685- 1587772923.1618334685 Training, Health and Safety Bureau Division Head - Captain Larry Gambotto During the month of March 2021, members of the Rochester Hills Fire Department received 784 hours of Fire and EMS professional development. Year-to-date, members have completed 1,427 hours of training. This month’s topics included Pittsburgh Drills, ET3 Parts 1 & 2, Autism Awareness and Officer Training. Fire Training Members completed the Pittsburgh Drill, designed to test their skills in locating a downed firefighter through multiple different obstacles that simulate a building collapse.

EMS & Special Training For the Special Training this month, members were educated on the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) protocols and procedures for assessment and documentation of ET3 patients. Members will soon be implementing these protocols that will allow for patients to be transported to alternate receiving facilities (Urgent Cares) or treat patients in-place with medical control directions. The ET3 model is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid program. Battalion Drill In preparation for Autism Awareness month in April, members received instruction regarding treating and working with people on the Autism spectrum. The training, Michigan Autism Safety Training (MAST) was delivered by the Autism Alliance of Michigan via Zoom. Follow this link below for a Fire Safety Social Narrative document. https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/FIRE-SAFETY-Social-narrative.pdf Officer Training All department officers completed online training on the Underwriters Laboratory Firefighter Safety Research Institute - Fire Safety Academy website. Courses reviewed were Fire Attack and Ventilation. The Fire Attack course covered how to improve fire suppression decision making skills and enhancing water application techniques to increase victim survivability during a fire attack in a residential structure. The Ventilation course covered the impact of modern construction practices and ventilation techniques on fire behavior from full- scale testing in realistic legacy and contemporary residential structures.