The Arcadia Fire Department responded to a variety of emergency calls during the week of Oct. 3 – Oct. 9, 2010. The following is a breakdown of incident types for this time period:
Incident / Type / Count Fire: 1 EMS/Rescues: 48 Hazardous Materials: 4 Public Service Assistance: 5 Good Intent Calls: 12 False Alarms: 11 Total Incident Count: 81
Sunday, October 3 At 12:45 p.m., Engine 107 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to an emergency medical assist in the 1800 block of Anita Crest Drive. Upon arrival, fire personnel found an elderly female with stroke related symptoms including expressive aphasia, confusion, and unable to state her name. Fire personnel provided advanced life support measures and transported her to an area stroke center for further evaluation and treatment.
Monday, October 4 At 10:43 a.m., Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a medical assist in the 100 block of West Huntington Drive. Upon arrival, fire personnel treated a male patient who was complaining weakness on the right side of his body, slurred speech and blurred vision. The patient experienced a minor fall the previous day striking the side of his head. The patient was tested for a possible stroke. In the field, the patient was entered into the FastMag Study, a regional stroke based medical study, and given medication to slow the effects of the stroke symptoms. The patient was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
Tuesday, October 5 At 10:38 a.m., Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to an emergency medical assist in the 2300 block of Sewanee Lane. Upon arrival, fire personnel found an elderly male lying on the kitchen floor. After further evaluation, fire personnel determined the patient had suffered a syncopal episode lasting a couple of minutes. Fire personnel completed a thorough assessment, including a 12-lead electrocardiogram, and transported the patient to an area emergency room for further evaluation and treatment.
Wednesday, October 6 At 12:24 p.m., Truck 105 responded to a water problem in the 2200 block of South Sixth Avenue. Upon arrival, fire personnel were approached by the owner of the location who stated her roof was leaking water due to the rain. Fire personnel assisted the owner in protecting her property by covering the roof of the structure with plastic and protecting her belongings inside of the structure by moving them to unaffected areas, protecting them from further water damage.
Thursday, October 7 At 6:24 a.m., Engine 107, Engine 105, Engine 106, Truck 105, Rescue Ambulance 105, Battalion 105, and Pasadena Truck 31 responded to a reported structure fire in the 00 block of West Forest Avenue. Upon arrival, fire personnel found a single story residential structure with smoke coming from the front. Upon entering the structure, fire personnel found heavy smoke conditions and the bulk of the fire contained to the living room. Firefighters extinguished, overhauled, and investigated the fire. One female occupant was treated for smoke inhalation, shortness of breath and chest pain. The cause of the fire was determined to be unattended candles.
Friday, October 8 * At 6:23 a.m., Engine 105, Engine 106, Engine 107, Truck 105, Rescue Ambulance 105, Battalion 105 and Pasadena Truck 31 responded to a house fire in the 100 block of Forest Avenue. Upon arrival, fire personnel found the owner of the house who stated she had extinguished a small fire with water from a garden hose prior to the Fire Department’s arrival. Fire personnel investigated further to overhaul the area of the fire and to make sure it did not extend into the attic space. The owner was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. * At 10:30 p.m., Engine 105 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a medical call in the 1300 block of South Tenth Avenue. Upon arrival, fire personnel found a male in his forties complaining of chest pain. Fire personnel provided advanced life support measures and transported the patient to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
Saturday, October 9 At 6:10 p.m., Engine 107 and Rescue Ambulance 105 responded to a traffic collision in the 700 block of North Santa Anita Avenue involving an automobile and a bicyclist. Upon arrival, fire personnel found an injured male patient who had collided with a moving automobile while on his bicycle. Fire personnel treated the patient and transported him to the closest trauma center due to the extent of his injuries.
ACTION Workshop On Saturday, October 9, the City of Arcadia hosted an ACTION Emergency Preparedness and Crime Prevention Workshop at the Arcadia Public Library. The ACTION (Arcadians Caring Together Improves Our Neighborhoods) Workshop provided information to residents on emergency preparedness, earthquake preparedness, fire safety, household hazardous materials, and crime prevention, including identity theft. Personnel from all City departments took part in the event and nearly 100 residents attended the four-hour event. Post-event evaluation survey results will be analyzed and used towards assessing the interest for potential subsequent workshops and designing future training opportunities that best tailor to the needs of the community.
Fire Prevention Bureau Bi-Weekly Activity Report Activities Performed: 6 Residential Building Plan Checks 2 Commercial Building Plan Checks 6 Fire Sprinkler Plan Checks 1 Fire Alarm Inspection 2 Fire Sprinkler Inspections 1 Hood & Duct Inspection 1 Occupancy Final 96 Annual Life & Fire Safety Inspections 10 Permit Inspections 2 Business License Inspections 1 Complaint Investigation 1 5 Year Sprinkler Certification Inspection
On October 5th, Fire Prevention personnel received a Fire Prevention Week Proclamation from the City Council. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!” and emphasizes the importance of installing and maintaining smoke alarms in all residences.
Training During the reporting period, the Arcadia Fire Department conducted a total of 397.75 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 10 hours of volunteer activities. Specifically, volunteers from the community donated their valuable time last week and assisted the department with processing emergency medical services forms and paramedic reports and performing administrative duties at the Fire Prevention Bureau. 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.
Arcadia Fire Department Earns 2009 Life Safety Achievement Award The Arcadia Fire Department has been presented with a Life Safety Achievement Award for the year of 2009 by the Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI) in partnership with the Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. The award was announced by Alan Shuman, President of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NAFSM), RFSI’s parent organization. For 19 years, the Life Safety Achievement Award has recognized local fire prevention efforts that have contributed to reducing the number of lives lost in residential fires. The Arcadia Fire Department qualified for this award in year 2009 because it recorded zero fire deaths in structures or a reduction by at least 10% during the year. In addition, the department was able to demonstrate the existence of an active and effective fire prevention program and a clear commitment to reducing the number of fires in the homes in their community. Although residential fires in the U.S. account for only 20 percent of all fires, they result in 80 percent of all fire deaths. The RFSI is committed to reducing that number.
“Experience tells us that fire prevention activity and public education can significantly reduce life and property loss from residential fires”, the Residential Fire Safety Institute said. “Prevention and education are very cost effective compared to the traditional approach of relying on fire suppression. The Life Safety Achievement Award recognizes fire departments for their fire prevention efforts and encourages them to continually improve those efforts.”
The RFSI is a public interest group whose mission is to reduce residential fire deaths and injuries. The RFSI advocates the use of residential fire sprinklers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and teaching people fire-safe behavior. The RFSI assists fire departments with implementing residential sprinkler/smoke alarm programs on a local basis. The RFSI’s partners include the United States Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals and private industry/associations with an interest in and commitment to residential fire safety.