Waynesville Fire Department 2019 Annual Report

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Annual Report 2019

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Mission Statement “The Waynesville Fire Department members recognize that the citizens of the Waynesville Fire District are the reason for our presence and will protect them with “Honor, Compas- sion, Courage, and Commitment”. Vision Statement The primary mission of the Waynesville Fire Department is to protect and enhance the high quality of life for the citizens and visitors of the Town of Waynesville from the ad- verse effects of natural and man-made emergencies. Member Expectations 1. Maintain and promote a winning attitude. 2. Practice the Golden Rule. 3. Be a team player. 4. Seek excellence. 5. Do that which is right. 6. Stay focused. 7. Participate. 8. Capitalize on adversity.

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Chief’s Letter From The Chief It is my honor to present the 2019 Waynesville Fire De- partment Annual Report to Mayor Caldwell, esteemed members of Council, Town Management, and the citizens of Waynesville. The men and women of this department proudly serve the citizens and visitors of Waynesville with“ Honor, Compas- sion, Courage, and Commitment.” We are dedicated to improving our existing service, and it is always our goal to provide exceptional customer service. 2019 was an eventful year that saw the retirement of one member, promotion of another, and the addition of two new career members, as well as several volunteers. Waynesville Fire Department answered 2898 calls for service, including fires, medical emergen- cies, and rescues. Department members provided more than 500 hours of fire prevention educa- tion to the public. As a whole, the department obtained over 7000 hours of training. As we look forward, we will seek new ways to serve our citizens, be fiscally conservative, and improve the safety of all residents and visitors of Waynesville. Again, we are both proud and honored to serve the Town of Waynesville. Sincerely, Joey Webb Sr. Fire Chief

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT History The Town of Waynesville was established in 1810 by Colonel Robert Love. Love do- nated the land the historic courthouse sits on and served as Town Square. The town also gets its name from Love, who named it after his beloved Revolutionary War commander General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. Waynesville was incorporated in 1871 and is the county seat. Waynesville merged with Hazelwood in 1995 to form the present-day community. Waynesville Fire Department was formed in 1903 by Frank Miller. Two hose reel carts were purchased in 1906, one for each end of Town. The Department built its first actual fire truck in 1912. The first commer- cially manufactured truck was purchased in 1926 , which the department still owns today. At present, the Waynesville Fire Department operates out of two stations which are staffed 24 hours a day with two personnel each. Waynesville Fire Depart- ment has lost two members in the line of duty. Chief Lawrence Kerley was killed in a gasoline tank explosion in 1942 while evacuating residents. Firefighter and Town employee Wayne Yarborough died immedi- ately after fighting a brush fire. These members will never be forgotten.

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Organizational Structure Total Personnel Count 18 Career Members 5 Part-Time Members 18 Paid-On-Call Members

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT About The Department • Waynesville Fire Department is the busiest fire department in Haywood County, answering almost 3000 calls annually. The Department has an ISO Class 4 rating in the Town limits and a 9E in the ru- ral district. • Waynesville Fire Department has 41 members with over 800 years of combined experience. • WFD is staffed with a captain and three engineers each day and operates a two-person engine out of the Main and Hazelwood stations. Personnel operate on a 24 on, 72 off schedule. • Every career member is a state certified firefighter, certified instructor, certified child passenger seat technician, certified driver-operator, CDL licensed driver, and certified general rescue techni- cian. • WFD career staff includes 15 Emergency Medical Technicians, 1EMT-Advanced, and 2 EMT- Paramedics. • WFD personnel also possess a wealth of individual certifications including Fire Inspector, Fire Inves- tigator, Swiftwater Rescue Technician (2 per shift), High-angle Rescue, Trench Rescue, NC Breathing Equipment School, Urban Search and Rescue, Dive Rescue, and Helo-aquatic Rescue. • WFD personnel had over 7,200 hours of training in 2019. Call Responses by Type General Fund Budgets By Department

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Incident Details Call Volume by Hour Call Volume by Day Call Volume by Month

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Call Geographic Mapping (Heat Map) 29.85% Call Overlap ! Call overlap is when you receive more than one call at a time. Nation- al recommendations suggest adding an additional station when overlap reaches 10%.

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Fire Prevention Waynesville Fire Department has a comprehensive Fire and Life Safety Program that is led by Captain Darrell Calhoun. Members provide many educational programs for all ages. The department operates a fire safety house that was provided by a partner- ship through Kiwanis and several other community groups. 2019 was a busy year for these efforts! Below are some of the main highlights of the year: -29 Community Outreach/Public Relations Events -29 Station Tours -27 Fire Truck Demonstrations -6 Fire Safety House Exit Drill Events -37 Smoke alarms provided and installed -87 Child safety seats installed and/or checked -4 Fire extinguisher specific training events -2 Child Safety Seat Events These programs were provided to 1862 children and 810 adults and consisted of more than 500 hours of education!

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Notable Events of 2019 • Retirement of Chris Mills after 24 years of service. • Promotion of Chris Mehaffey to Assistant Chief. • Hiring of Engineers Doug Smith and Lloyd Messer. • Passing of long time member Mike Hill. • Tragic Line of Duty death of Jonathan Creek Fire Captain Claud Messer. • Suyeta Park Arson Fire. • Chief Webb named Western Director of NC Association of Fire Chiefs.

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT

WAYNESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Station Locations Station 1 1022 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Phone (Non-Emergency) 828-456-6151 Station 2 280 Georgia Avenue Waynesville, NC 28786 Phone (Non-Emergency) 828-456-8648 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Visit us at https://www.waynesvillenc.gov/departments/fire