Weekly Fire Report - Oct. 14

The Arcadia Fire Department responded to a variety of emergency calls during the week of October 5, 2008 to October 11, 2008. The following is a breakdown of incident types for this time period:

Incident Type Count

Structure Fires: 2

Vehicle Fires: 2

EMS/Rescue: 62

Hazardous Condition: 5

Service Call: 2

Good Intent: 9

False Alarm: 16

Total Incident Count: 98

The following is a sample of emergency calls responded to during the designated week:

Sunday, October 5, 2008
* At 6:39 p.m., Engine 106, as Urban Search and Rescue 106, responded to a reported parachute victim down in Canyon Park in the City of Monrovia. Fire personnel were staged while Air 5 determined location and nature of parachute. The parachute was determined to be a mass of balloons in the canyon. All units released. There were no injuries to civilians or fire personnel.

Monday, October 6
* At 9:50 p.m., Engine 106 and Rescue Ambulance 106 responded to a motor vehicle accident involving a motorcycle in the intersection of West Colorado Boulevard and Oakhurst Lane. Upon arrival, fire crews found one patient lying on the street with multiple traumatic injuries. Fire personnel treated and transported this patient to an area trauma center for further treatment and evaluation. The scene was released to the Arcadia Police Department for further investigation of this hit-and-run accident.

Wednesday, October 8
* At 11:42 a.m., Truck 105 and Rescue Ambulance 106 responded to a reported vehicle accident involving a pedestrian in the intersection of West Duarte Road and South Golden West Avenue. Upon arrival fire crews found an elderly male, unconscious and not breathing with severe multiple traumatic injuries. Using a variety of advanced life support measures and equipment, fire personnel treated and transported this patient to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment. This scene was released to the Arcadia Police Department for their investigation.

Friday, October 10, 2008
* At 11:19 a.m., Engine 106 and Engine 107 responded to a fully involved vehicle fire on the westbound 210 freeway. Fire personnel extinguished and overhauled a passenger vehicle fire. The cause of fire was undetermined. Fire crews assisted clean up and awaited the arrival of a local tow company. There were no injuries to civilians or fire personnel.

Volunteer Weekly Activity Report
During the reporting period, the Arcadia Fire Department had a total of 2 hours of volunteer activities. Specifically, Mr. Tom Moore, an Arcadia resident and long-time volunteer, contributed his valuable time last week in assisting the department with processing emergency medical services forms and paramedic reports. It is worth noting that all volunteers and department personnel who have access to emergency medical services forms and paramedic reports are trained on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule.

Fire Prevention Bureau
7 Residential Building Plan Checks 2 Occupancy Final Inspections

6 Commercial Building Plan Checks 3 Permit Inspections

3 Hood Duct Plan Checks 4 Business License Inspections

6 Fire Sprinkler Inspections 1 5-Year Sprinkler Certification

1 Fire Alarm Inspection 1 Complaint

1 Hood and Duct Inspection 23 Annual Life Safety Inspections

The Fire Prevention Bureau has obtained a force gauge. The gauge will be used to measure the amount of force necessary to open an exit door. Exit doors can become increasingly difficult to open as they age due to exposure to the environment and the settling of foundations. As with other building components, exit doors must be properly maintained to ensure their reliability during an emergency. The gauge will allow FPB staff to know precisely when an exit door requires excessive force to open and, therefore, requires service.

Training
During the reporting period, the Arcadia Fire Department conducted a total of 390 hours of training. Some of the subjects covered were: Hose Evolutions, Ladder Evolutions, Ventilation Techniques, Salvage and Overhaul Techniques, Tiller Certification, Defensive Driving, Engine Company Equipment, Search and Rescue, Communications, EOC Operations, Records Management, Fire Suppression Tactics, Power Tools, Hand Tools, Truck Operations, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic Continuing Education, Hazardous Materials, Lighting Operations, Rope Rescue, Incident Command, Pre-Incident Planning, Supervision and Management, and Standard Operating Guideline Review.
On Monday, October 6, 2008, the Arcadia Fire Department conducted a multi-agency drill at the Santa Anita Race Track with the Los Angeles County and Monrovia Fire Departments. Fire crews identified fire department connections, reviewed travel routes, and discussed firefighting strategies and tactics in preparation for the upcoming Breeders Cup races on October 24 and 25. Multi-agency drills, such as this, are vital in maintaining open communications with our surrounding Fire Departments as well as personnel at Santa Anita Race Track to insure emergency operations are effective and efficient.