Fire dept’s medical assist calls

The Arcadia Fire Department responded to a variety of emergency calls during the week of March 27 – April 2, 2011. The following is a breakdown of incident types for this time period:

Incident / Type/ Count Fire:                            2 EMS/Rescue:                    63 Hazardous Condition:            2 Good Intent Call:                2 Service Call:                    16 False Alarm:                    8 Total Incident Count:        93

Sunday, March 27 * At 3:20 a.m., Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 106 responded to a medical call in the 400 block of West Huntington Drive.  Upon arrival, fire personnel encountered an elderly male with low blood sugar.  Fire personnel treated the patient with advanced life support at the scene and transported the patient to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. * At 4:40 p.m., Engine 106 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a medical assist in the 700 block of West Naomi Avenue. Upon arrival, fire personnel found an elderly male with internal mouth injuries as a result of a verbal argument that caused his dentures to dislodge, puncturing his tongue.  Fire personnel transported the patient to an area emergency room for further evaluation and treatment.

Monday, March 28 At 11:04 a.m., Engine 106 and Rescue Ambulance 106 responded to a medical assist in the 400 block of Fairview Avenue.  Upon arrival, fire personnel found an elderly patient experiencing general weakness.  Fire personnel treated and transported the patient to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Tuesday, March 29 At 3:21 p.m., Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a medical assist in the 300 block of South Third Avenue. Upon arrival, fire personnel evaluated and treated a female patient who experienced a syncopal episode. The patient was extremely dizzy and hypertensive. The patient received advanced life support measures on scene, including an intravenous line and drug therapy. The patient was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Wednesday, March 30 At 5:14 p.m., Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a medical call in the 400 block of South Santa Anita Avenue.  Upon arrival, fire personnel found an unconscious male, whom they treated for low blood pressure, gave intravenous fluids, and transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Thursday, March 31 At 5:01 p.m., Engine 105, Rescue Ambulances 105, Truck 105 and Battalion 105 responded to a vehicle accident at the intersection of West Huntington Drive and West Santa Clara Avenue. Upon arrival, fire personnel evaluated two male patients complaining of various injuries. Both patients were involved in a two-vehicle accident with one vehicle into a structure.  There was little damage to the structure. The patients were treated at the scene and transported to the local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Friday, April 1 At 12:00 p.m., Engine 105, Engine 106, Engine 107, Truck 105, Rescue Ambulance 105, and Battalion 105 responded to a reported gas leak in the 300 block of Campus Drive. Upon arrival, fire personnel noticed a light odor of natural gas as students and faculty members evacuated to the playground of an elementary school. With the assistance of a gas company representative, fire personnel isolated the odor to a utility closet and eliminated the leak by tightening the gas line connections. Once the area was safe, all students and faculty members were released to return to their classrooms.

Saturday, April 2 At 5:38 p.m., Engine 106 and Rescue Ambulance 106 responded to a medical assist in the 1100 block of De Anza Place. Upon arrival, fire personnel evaluated and treated a young male patient who was suffering from chest pain after being struck by a baseball. The patient showed signs of trauma with possible broken ribs. The patient received advanced life support measures at the scene, including an intravenous line and drug therapy for pain. The patient was transported to Los Angeles County USC for further evaluation and treatment.

Fire Prevention Plan Checks 3    Residential Building Plan Checks                Construction Inspections 1    Commercial Building Plan Checks            1    Fire Alarm Inspections 1    Fire Sprinkler Plan Checks                    2    Fire Sprinkler Inspections 1     Fire Alarm Plan Checks                        3    Occupancy Finals 2    Solar Panel Plan Checks

Other Inspections 1    Annual Life & Fire Safety Inspection            5    Temporary Kiosk Inspection 4    Annual Life & Fire Safety Reinspections        1    Exit Sign Evaluation 12    Permit Inspections                                2    5 -Year Sprinkler Certification Inspections 8    Business License Inspections                    2    Fire Extinguisher Training Presentations 90    Engine Company Annual Inspections

Fire Prevention Bureau staff began annual fire extinguisher training for all City departments. In addition to learning the basics of how to use a fire extinguisher, many employees received hands-on training with the device.

Training During the reporting period, the Arcadia Fire Department conducted a total of 467 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.

Volunteer Weekly Activity Report During the reporting period, the Arcadia Fire Department had a total of 12 hours of volunteer activities.  Specifically, volunteers from the community donated their valuable time last week in assisting the Department with administrative duties in the Fire Prevention Bureau and 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.