Weekly Update
February Board of Directors Meeting Summary

The Board of Directors met on February 13 at Glendale City Hall. The Board reviewed and discussed the conceptual plans and costs for remodeling Station 84 in Whitefish Bay. The Board requested to schedule a special meeting for February 26 to take action on the remodeling plans. More information on the specific plans will be released shortly.  The project at Station 83 in Shorewood is still being discussed.

The Chief presented the 2018 Department Strategic Plan and discussed the goals included in the Plan. Board members asked several questions about the CAD to CAD Interface and the frequency of lift assist calls. The Chief also presented the 2017 End of Year Performance Metrics. Total calls for service were down 4% from 2016 while response times stayed generally the same as in 2016. A significant contributor to the reduction in 2017 calls for service was due to a 28% reduction in mutual aid responses. The Department experienced a 9% increase in cardiac arrest patients that had a return of circulation during resuscitation efforts. Chief Whitaker reported to the Board that strengthening the chain of survival beginning with bystander CPR, providing CPR instructions to 911 callers, an ongoing, consistent training program for providers and improved quality assurance methods all likely contribute to this increase. In 2018, one of the Department's Strategic Objectives is to increase the number of incidents where bystanders are performing CPR and applying automated external defibrillators upon EMS arrival as a means to improve cardiac arrest survival rates again.

The Board also reviewed the January Financial Report with the Finance Director and heard a report from the Fire Commission Chairperson on recent Fire Commission activity.
Weekly Summary

  • Congratulations to newly promoted Lieutenant Robert Lange and Heavy Equipment Operators Ryan Bialk and Josh Dibb. They were promoted by Fire Commission Chairman Nick Padway at a ceremony on February 12. Achieving success in promotional processes that involve written and practical exams along with interviews is no easy process - please extend your congratulations to all three!
  • Congratulations are also in order for Lieutenants Marc Formolo and David Keckheisen who successfully completed their probationary periods based on action by the Fire Commission.
  • A fire in an office building at 8855 N 55 St in Brown Deer caused $250,000 in damage on February 11. The fire was contained and extinguished by the building's fire sprinkler system, however the building suffered smoke damage throughout. The Fire Department is working with the Brown Deer Police Department and State Fire Marshal to determine a cause.
  • A 2 year old boy was found drowning in the pool at LaQuinta Inn and Suites, 5423 N Port Washington Rd. The boy was removed from the pool by a bystander who then started resuscitation efforts when it was determined the boy was not breathing. A police officer arriving on scene continued with resuscitation until paramedics arrived. The boy, who began breathing on his won, was transported to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
Calls for Service This Week
 
Incident Type
Incident Count
Fire/Rescue/Service
Weekly Average (2017)
36
39
Emergency Medical
Weekly Average (2017)
97
113
 
Priority 1 & 2 Calls
Meeting Response Goal of 7:02
80%
(goal of 90%)
Average Response Time
Priority 1 & 2 Calls
5 minutes 35 seconds
(goal of 6 minutes)

*Priority 1 & 2 calls are calls for service which the Department sends an initial responding unit to a scene with lights and sirens operating. Priority 3 calls are responses that are considered non-emergent.


Don't Forget Your Peanut Butter Donation!

The Department's fire stations are again collection points for the Hunger Task Force's Peanut Butter Drive this year. The collection began January 25 and runs through March 2.

Documents of Interest




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