2018 Fire Department Annual Report

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Community Schools and Ivy Tech to create a dual-credit,co-op program for high school students. This class has continued and has expanded to include EMT training for a greater number of high school students in the South Bend Schools. Currently,there are 11 students enrolled in the Junior year program and 15 in the Senior year program. As this program targets 11th and 12th grade students, it is a long-term recruiting project. In fact,2 individuals on the current SBFD hiring list are graduates of this program. The majority of students taking part in the program have been African-American, Latino,or female, and fits well with the above stated objectives of improving diversity and inclusion. 4. Training. In order to ensure the members of the department provide service at the high level expected by our citizens,it is imperative that members of the SBFD operate in a culture of constant improvement. Using the training resources available to all members of the Department ensures that we remain safe when responding to situations which are inherently dangerous while providing necessary response to calls for service in a solutions-oriented manner.Having access to a state-the-art training center, which was built and opened in 2014,provides our firefighters with a place to safely practice their occupational skills. Examples of training evolutions that were performed in 2018 include ventilation,hose line deployment, residential fire operations, SCBA confidence courses,and several state certification courses(Fire Officer II,Fire Inspector I, Driver-Operator/Pumper, Driver-Operator/Aerial, Safety Officer, and more).Thousands of EMS training hours were logged in 2018,to include pediatrics,cardiac emergencies,and trauma response. Additionally,the Department trained all members in the Fireground Survival Course for which the Department hosted a Train the Trainer course in 2017.This program provides firefighters with self-rescue tools and techniques for their own survival in hazardous conditions. Members of the SBFD logged 67,304 hours of training during the year for 2018. This was an increase of 12,017 hours over totals from 2017. This culture of training is in line with the City's demand for excellence and allows members of the SBFD to innovate in the way they perform the functions of their jobs. 5. Community Risk Reduction. The SBFD Fire Prevention Bureau provided hundreds of hours of public education on fire prevention and gave out thousands of pieces of prevention materials. Members of the Department conducted multiple smoke alarm blitzes in different neighborhoods, installing 1,663 smoke alarms, 19 hearing-impaired smoke alarms, 182 carbon monoxide alarms,and 34 combination alarms. Public Education Officers provided hundreds of contact hours with thousands of local children to stress the importance of fire prevention in their homes and schools.The Fire Inspection Division performed over 3000 inspections and over 130 hours of fire drill and fire evacuation planning for local businesses and commercial buildings to include both high rise and multi-tenant residential buildings.This activity is necessary to ensure the safety of citizens in the community and to ensure that property owners are in compliance with codes to minimize potential hazards to those that live,work, and play in the city.The Fire Investigation Division investigated 140 structure fires in 2018. This is down from 155 in 2017.Total structure fires have remained relatively the same over the past five years. In spite of this,property losses from those fires have decreased from a total of$3,068,867 in 2014,with a decrease each year,down to $1,373,075 in 2017.This is a product of increased training,both quantitatively and qualitatively, and increased, focused community risk reduction activities.The SBFD Fire Prevention Bureau will continue to provide programming and education in risk reduction throughout the community. Prevention measures and inspections along with strong codes make the City safer for the residents.