Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue 2021 Community Report

Report to the Community

www.tmfpd.us

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Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue Washoe County, Nevada

Contents

Message from the Chair & Fire Chief District Operations & Station Locations Responder Summary Incident Summaries & Statistics Fire Prevention & Programs Peer Support Financial Summary Improvements to Service Year in Review

Message from the Chair On behalf of the Board of Fire Commissioners, we are pleased to present this report on your fire and EMS services status. The District has made significant improvements that include a new force of wildland firefighters working to reduce hazardous fuels. We have added to the fleet by acquiring

a

new

ladder

truck,

new

brush

trucks,

and

new

structural

engines.

We

have

accomplished this while ensuring a sustainable financial future.

This past year was undoubtedly one of the most difficult in the County’s history, notwithstanding the Nation as a whole.

As the global pandemic hit home and afar, we extend our heartfelt

condolences to all those impacted and who have lost loved ones.

As a result of the pandemic,

our responders had to modify some duties to reduce the virus's spread. Our community and public outreach were put on hold until circumstances improve.

The Fire Commissioners are united in our

overall response to ensuring we reduce the spread of COVID-19 while continuing to provide a high level of EMS and emergency services throughout the Fire District.

We are in this together, and we will defeat this global pandemic.

I am very proud of the

dedicated service from Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue's men and women.

I hope you find this

report informative. Please reach out to the fire staff if we may be of assistance to you.

Bob Lucey, Chair Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue

Board of Fire Commissioners, Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue

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Message from the Fire Chief

On behalf of Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue's professional and volunteer staff, I am pleased to tell you about our Fire District staff's exceptional work and commitment in its service to you, our citizens.

We endeavor to provide you the best possible service in all types of emergencies. Our

professional

staff

includes

those

trained

in

para-medicine,

structural

and

suppression, hazardous materials, technical rescue, and fire code administration.

wildland

fire

When we arrive

on the scene, we come with the tools, equipment, and skills necessary to resolve the emergency.

We have been challenged as a fire district, community, and nation this last year. I am confident that we can meet the challenges that lie ahead.

We invite you to be active participants in your

own safety and the safety of your local community by working to keep the area around your home free of excessive vegetation and other combustibles. In our dry and wind-prone climate, we are here to partner with you and help you create defensible space around your property. Wildfire is a significant risk to our region. Fire embers can create as much hazard as direct flame contact, and limiting combustible material around your home reduces your home's potential exposure.

The staff at Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue can advise you on steps you can take to reduce your risk, with assistance in Community Wildfire Protection Plans and the Green Waste Collection Program that helps make disposal of dry vegetation easier. Please take a moment to read about your Fire District and our services.

Please let us know if we can be of assistance.

Charles A. Moore, Fire Chief Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue

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District Operations A key component of service delivery is the tools and equipment firefighters use to extinguish fires, deliver emergency pre-hospital care, and rescue trapped or injured persons. Equipment, especially fire engines, are expensive. TMFR staff takes great pride in the equipment provided by our taxpayers and we endeavor to make them last. Our fire engines will see front line service for 10+ years, and another 5-7 years as reserve engines.

In July 2020, the District acquired a 2008 100 foot aerial platform which saved over $1M as opposed to purchasing a new one. Later this year, the District will take delivery of five new structural engines that will ensure our fleet is modern and reliable for years to come. The District has placed five (5) new brush engines into service in 2021. Five (5) new structural engines enter service in June and July 2021.

Because some rural areas do not have fire hydrants available, the District responds with water tenders to rural addresses. Each water tender carries 3000 gallons of water and responds with a fire engine whenever a fire is reported in a rural area. Â

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District Operations The District serves its residents from eleven (11) career stations and seven (7) volunteer stations. We serve all unincorporated areas of Washoe County areas, not including Incline Village. The District also serves the California side of Verdi through an Inter-local Agreement where the residents pay for service through a contract with Sierra County, California.

Eleven (11) career stations are staffed 24 hours a day, with a minimum of one Advanced Life Support paramedic on each fire engine. Many times, an engine may be staffed with more than one paramedic.

Paramedics are the most highly-trained class of Emergency Medical Technicians working in the U.S. They provide advanced life support procedures before a patient is transported to a medical facility.

Paramedic Fire Stations

30

32

33

Bowers Station 30 is

East Washoe Valley

Foothill Station 33 is

located at 3905 Old

Station 32 is located at

located at 470 Foothill

Highway 395 in Washoe

1240 Eastlake Boulevard.

Road. It houses the

Valley.

District's ladder truck.

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Paramedic Fire Stations

36 Station 36 is located at 13500 Thomas Creek and serves the Arrowcreek area

37

39

Station 37 is located at

Station 39 is located at

3255 W Hidden Valley

4000 Joy Lake Road and

Drive and serves Hidden

serves the Galena and

Valley and the east I-80

Saint James areas

corridor

40

42

44

Station 40 is located at

Station 42 is located at

Station 44 is located at

10201 W 4th Street and

3680 Diamond Peak Drive

10575 Silver Lake Blvd and

serves Verdi, Mogul and

and serves Cold Springs

serves Golden and

upper Caughlin Ranch

Lemmon Valleys

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Paramedic Fire Stations

45

46

ADMIN

Station 45 is located at 110

Station 46 is located at

District is located at 3663

Quartz Lane and serves

500 Rockwell Blvd and

Barron Way. Logistics and

Sun Valley.

serves Spanish Springs

Fleet Maintenance are also

Headquarters for the

located here

Station 40 in Mogul is staffed with four firefighters. Station 33 on Foothill is also staffed with four firefighters plus one Battalion Chief. Station 45 Sun Valley is currently staffed with three firefighters on the engine and two firefighters on an ambulance, plus one Battalion Chief. All other stations are staffed with three firefighters.

As the COVID pandemic continues to impact our community, the District has staffed an ambulance at station 45 Sun Valley to assist REMSA with a significant medical transport volume increase. An ambulance is Washoe Valley is cross staffed.

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Our Responders Total Full Time Employees:

155 Total Paramedics:

90

Total Volunteers:

56

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Incident Summaries The Need for Data Collection TMFR responds to all types of calls. Some are emergencies, and others are not. The full effect of what happens in our community is realized if the incidents are documented, reported, shared, and analyzed.

Data is a critical business asset and an effective component in the management of our resources.

The District uses the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) to report its responses to the public and the U.S. Fire Administration. NFIRS is the national standard that fire departments use to collect and report their emergency response activities.

Responses are categorized into nine (9) types.

These are: Fire Ruptures, Explosions, and Overheat (with no fire) Rescue and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Hazardous Conditions (with no fire) Service Call Good Intent Call False Alarm and False Call Severe Weather and Natural Disaster Special Incident Types

TMFR uses data to identify trends, quantify activities, determine causes, plan the deployment of limited resources, and reduce the loss of life and property caused by fires.

The following several pages describe the District's responses in 2020.

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Incident Summaries Total Aggregate Responses by Year - 2017 to 2020

2020

11,017

2019

11,596

2018

11,019

2017

11,581 0

2,500

5,000

7,500

10,000

12,500

This graph represents the total call volume by year. It includes all incident types and all NFIRS categories.

The number of responses has remained relatively constant despite the rapid

growth of the area.

Responses by Fire Station Total Aggregate Responses From Each Fire Station

3078

Station 45 Sun Valley

1958

Station 46 Spainish Springs

1315

Station 44 Stead Station 36 Arrowcreek

968

Station 42 Cold Springs

965 782

Station 37 Hidden Valley Station 40 Mogul

507

Station 32 Eastlake

452

Station 33 Foothill

447 283

Station 30 Bowers

221

Station 39 Galena

41

HQ 0

41

1,000

2,000

3,000

9

4,000

Fires in 2020: 398 total responses, which equal 3.5% of all responses

Cooking Fire 7.4%

Building Fire 17.1%

Other Fire 21.1%

Vehicle Fire 11.2%

Wildland Fire 43.2%

This graph represents the total number of fires (398) in 2020. The total number of fires includes structure fires, wildland fires, vehicle fires, and other types. The total number of wildfires in 2020 was 166. The total number of acres burned was 49,700 acres.

Structure fires account for 1/2 of 1% of all calls. There were no residential fire deaths in 2020.

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Other Types of Responses in 2020: 3796 total responses, which equals 34.3% of all responses

False

297

Haz-Mat

146

Service Call

620

Explosion / Rupture

7 2669

Good Intent

57

Miscellaneous 0

1,000

2,000

3,000

Good Intent calls include canceled responses before arrival, wrong locations, controlled burning reported as uncontrolled fire, smoke or steam reported, but no fire found, and reports of gas odors with no leaks found.

Other types of calls include animal rescues, lockouts, and unauthorized burning.

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Emergency Medical & Rescue Services in 2020: 6,875 total responses, which equal 62.3% of all responses

EMS service

6,161

Vehicle Accident with Injuries

289

Vehicle Accident excluding Injury

292

Rescue

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Other EMS

110 0

2,000

4,000

6,000

Paramedics are used to stabilize many life-threatening emergencies at the scene of an incident prior to and during patient transport to a hospital. Patient care is wide ranging. It can be caring for patients in emotionally traumatic situations to administering lifesaving medications for patients in respiratory or cardiac arrest. On medical emergencies, paramedics can provide early recognition of strokes and heart attacks (myocardial infarctions). For trauma patients, paramedics are able to control bleeding, provide pain management, and sedation in patients that have sustained traumatic injuries and are hemorrhaging on-scene. They are the first line of emergency care.

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Fire Prevention & Programs The Fire Prevention Division is vital to the mission of the District. It protects the community through comprehensive programs that focus on public education, plans review, fire inspections, and fire investigations.

We create community awareness and engage the public through education on fire safety and mitigation techniques and other hazards in the built environment, especially in and around the interface between wildlands and buildings (wildland-urban interface). Wildfire is a significant threat to our region. The Fire Prevention Division ensures that measures are engineered into buildings and planning processes so that new buildings and communities meet minimum fire code standards.

Fire Prevention Division Statistics for 2020:

Plan Reviews conducted on new and remodeled construction: Fire Inspections on existing structures: Fire Investigations on cause and origin: Open Burn Permits Issued:

1,059 28 (400 hours)

1,605

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779

Fire Prevention & Programs Two common causes of some structure fires are fireplace ash and coals that are discarded before they completely cool - and oily rags.

Oil-based paints and stains release heat as they dry. If the heat is not released into the air, the heat can build up to a temperature high enough to cause ignition of the rags. This is why oily rags left in a pile can be a hazard.

Fireplace coals may also

contain residual heat for several days, even though you might be able to hold them in your hand. When you clean out your wood-burning fireplace or wood stove, it is important to remember that coals can rekindle. Never place fireplace ash in a combustible container or on a combustible surface, like a wood deck.

Both oily rags and fireplace coals can be placed in TMFR Fire Safety cans. Water should be added to fireplace coals and oily rags and allowed to soak

TMFR has provided over 1,200 fire safety cans free to the community since inception of the program. Funded by donations and from the District's general fund, these cans serve as a practical way to reduce risk in and around your home.

for several days before discarding them. For oily rags, add a detergent that breaks up oil to the water, like Dawn or Tide, and let them soak for three days before discarding them.

Never leave fireplace coals or oily rags on a combustible surface or near other combustibles.

Place them in a fire safety can on a noncombustible surface, outdoors with the lid firmly in place.

The District plans to provide more fire safety cans in the late summer of 2021. Please watch our website and our Twitter feed for details. Since the inception of the program, the District has distributed close to 1,200 TMFR Fire Safety cans. The success of this program can be measured by the fact that the number of fires related to fire place ash and oily rags has been dramatically reduced.

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Be sure to mix fireplace coals in water and oils rags in water and detergent for three (3) days before discarding.

Fuels Division & Defensible Space Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue launched a new fuels reduction division in 2020.

The wildland

fuels reduction team consists of 15 wildland firefighters and a Division Chief tasked with clearing targeted areas that present a significant threat to wildfires. Priority areas consist of clearing hazardous wildland fuels that rest under power lines. Working in partnership with NV Energy who is paying for wildland fuel reductions around their utility infrastructure; the team ensures a minimum clearance of ten feet radius around poles and increasing to 30 feet depending on the type of line.

Fuels are either reduced to a 1-inch height or bare mineral soil. We appreciate the public-private partnership with NV Energy as we work towards measures to reduce the wildfire threat in Washoe County. It is a failed strategy to rely only on emergency response when wildfires occur. The best approach is to make maximum use of advanced preparation and prevention.

The Fuels Reduction team is also a critical resource to support the Fire District and regional fire partners in wildfire suppression operations. The team responds to wildland fires and serves as a force multiplier to those firefighters based at fire stations.

Additionally, as the program expands, the crews can address community projects to reduce the fire threat if certain criteria are met.

The wildland fuels team has accomplished the following objectives in the first two quarters of operations: 20 days of operations at 10 locations of Green Waste Collection events equaling approximately 15,000 cubic yards of dry vegetation.

Treated 230 power poles - removing fuels from the base of each.

Fourteen responses, equaling 70 days of wildfire response.

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Peer Support Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue now has a fully trained peer support team. The program, spearheaded by Truckee Meadows Battalion Chief Derek Reid, has fully embraced endeavors by the International Association of Fire Fighters and Truckee Meadows Firefighters Association IAFF 2487 it develop a peer support program that will serve to benefit the mental health and spiritual needs of Truckee Meadows Firefighters and support personnel. And through collaborative efforts with the newly formed Northern Nevada peer Support Network, the program will also serve to support many fire agencies in northern Nevada.

The stresses faced by firefighters and paramedics throughout their careers – tragedies such as the events of September 11, 2001, the Boston Marathon bombing, and everyday emergencies such as house fires and car accidents – can have a cumulative impact on mental health and well-being. Our local region has experienced its share of tragedies involving first responders, including the Reno Air Race crash and Carson City IHOP shooting, both in 2011. Mass causalities or loss of friends can severely traumatize fire personnel.

In the past, the fire service's general culture has made it difficult for firefighters to seek emotional support.

In one study, 92 percent of firefighters said that stigma was a barrier to behavioral health treatment.

Approximately 20 percent of firefighters and paramedics have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

PTSD can have devastating consequences if untreated and is often associated with other behavioral health problems, such as depression, substance abuse, family dysfunction, violence, and increased risk of suicide. Peer support programs have been demonstrated to be an effective method for providing support to occupational groups, including firefighters. An active peer support program has created a support network for our first responders' mental and physical health, with trained assistance. Strong mental health translates to improved public service.

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Improvements to Service Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue has implemented several improvements to service over the last year. Two bulldozers were acquired at no cost. Some modifications were made to refurbish them and add equipment to make them suitable for wildfire use. Bulldozers are used to cut a fire line in front of advancing wildfires to break the continuity of vegetation.

The new force of wildland firefighters were added, consisting of 15 firefighters, a heavy equipment operator, and a Division Chief. They are tasked with clearing targeted areas that present a significant threat to wildfires. Currently, priority areas consist of clearing hazardous wildland fuels that rest under power lines. NV Energy is funding a significant amount of the cost for the fuels crews and their projects include clearing dry fuels around utility infrastructure.

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Improvements to Service The District added a new refurbished 100-foot aerial platform ladder truck in 2020, five (5) new brush engines, and refurbished three (3) brush engines. Five (5) new structure engines are scheduled to arrive in April of 2021 and will be ready for service in June of 2021.

The Fleet Maintenance Division was expanded to add two additional full-time mechanics to keep all of its 110 pieces of equipment in good working order.

Logistics, Fleet Maintenance, and Administration moved to a new location that centralized these functions under one roof. The move to 3663 Barron Way made our operation more efficient and provided more space at the same cost as previous locations.

Command staff has been reorganized to provide more overhead in Training, Operations, and Fuels Reduction. These changes provided new momentum to these important areas. We have added personnel and new equipment to our Water Entry Team (WET). The WET team is specially trained in all types of water rescue emergencies.

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Financial Summary General Fund Summary For Fiscal Year Ending June 2020

Misc 3.6%

Services & Supplies 15.4%

Capital Outlay 0.6%

Intergovernmental 36.5% Taxes 59.6%

Salaries 53.1% Employee Benefits 31%

License & Permits 0.2%

Revenues $33,456,526

Expenditures $30,077,160

Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue's finances are stable. The General Fund balance as of June 30, 2020, was $11,475,006, an increase of $2,479,366 or 27.6% from the prior year. This increase was primarily caused by active and diligent efforts to preserve fund balance, anticipating unknown impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the regional economy.

The total fund balance of $11,475,006 equates to 27.6% or approximately 4.6 months’ worth of expenditures (excluding transfers out to fund Capital Projects and Sick and Annual Comp Benefits costs) compared to the prior year’s ending fund balance of $8,995,640 equates to 15.35% or approximately 3.8 months’ worth of expenditures. In FY 19-20, the total General Fund expenditures were $30,077,160 which was $1,078,633 or 3.5% under budget. The General Fund revenues and other sources were over budget by $2,449,954 or 7.9%.

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2020 Review Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue experienced an unprecedented year for wildfire, both in the total volume of calls and severity of fires. Precipitation for the summer was negligible and that caused early curing of fine fuels and made medium to heavy fuels more susceptible to burning.

Several large wildfires threatened hundreds of homes during the wildfire season. The significant fires in 2020 were the North Fire in Red Rock, the Poeville Fire on Peavine Mountain, and the Rock Farm Fire in the Arrowcreek area. Total acres burned in 2020 equaled 49,700 acres. Hundreds of home where threatened over the course of the summer and autumn.

The Rock Farm Fire was caused by a structure fire that spread into the brush and was pushed by the wind to the Arrowcreek subdivision.

Hundreds of homes were protected from fire, but the initial structure in this incident and a nearby residential structure was destroyed.

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2020 Review (continued) In March 2020, the global pandemic required significant changes in response protocols and station operations. All public outreach, station tours, and ride-a-longs remain suspended until precautions are no longer necessary. In December, the Fire District partnered with the Washoe County Health District to ensure all firefighting personnel had vaccinations if requested.

District paramedics are assisting Washoe County Health District with Point of Dispensing (POD) locations, in Gerlach and other locations in the County.

A TMFR ambulance has been placed into service at Station 45 - Sun Valley to assist REMSA with surge capacity and an abnormally high level of responses experienced during the pandemic. Additionally, the District provides a cross staffed ambulance at Bowers Station 30 in Washoe Valley.

District ambulances responded to 467 calls for help and transported 170 patients to hospitals, in 2020.

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Hidden Valley Fire Station Redevelopment Approvals to redevelop the Hidden Valley Fire Station have been obtained, and construction is anticipated to begin in June 2021. The new fire station will replace the existing modular crew quarters and the separate apparatus bay, which is too small to house modern fire engines and equipment. The crew quarters will relocate to the residential structure at 5335 Pelham which will connect to the new apparatus bay and the project has been designed to blend into the neighborhood in both scale and materials.

Improved parking and access to the Boynton Slough open space will also be incorporated into the site design.

The current cost estimate for the project is $2.6M.

The apparatus bay will house a new full-size Type 1 structure engine, a Type V brush engine, and a specially designed UTV vehicle that will be used for backcountry wildland firefighting and rescues.

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Deployment Plan A significant issue for the District is aligning our fire stations' locations to where the demand for service is and meet our Standards of Cover service levels. Approximately 75% of our calls occur in the northern half of our District and 25% in the southern half. The southern portion of the District has more fire stations than the north. Planning is underway to rebalance resources.

The plan includes consolidating two fire stations in Washoe Valley where call volume is very low, and moving six firefighters from the South Battalion to the North Battalion. An enhancement of the the automatic aid relationship with Carson City Fire Department to help with emergency response in the county's extreme southern end is also underway.

The crew size at the consolidated station

would increase to four (4).

Mutual and Automatic Aid It is common for Northern Nevada Fire Agencies to rely on mutual aid to assist one another in large incidents. Here is a tabulation of TMFR responses in 2020:

This table does not include enhanced automatic aid with the City of Sparks. These responses are under a special agreement that dispatches the closest fire engine to the emergency regardless of jurisdiction.

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