Chief’s Report January 15th, 2024 (2023 Review)

Our Fire District’s Operations are moving forward. Expanded partnerships, documented Training, improved Incident Response, and an active Safety Program all illustrate our progress. We’ve expanded our recruitment efforts to the point that if our current trajectory holds we may have enough trained Volunteers by the end of this coming year to schedule shifts! That means that at some point in the future some Volunteers may be able to get real rest with phones and radios silenced knowing that calls will be answered by others on shift.

Our Volunteers were key to our success in 2023. They each gave hundreds of hours of their personal time to support our Mission- an average of over 300 hours of documented time per Volunteer. Our Volunteers did not miss a single emergency response during the entire year (over 255 total), and ensured their training stayed up to date. Our Volunteers are the ones who maintained our vehicles and facilities, improved buildings and apparatus, tested equipment, procured and inventoried supplies, staffed outreach events, and much, much more. A number of Volunteers even purchased equipment and supplies with their own personal money in order to augment our meager tax budget. Our Volunteers also continue to focus on our active Grant Program- crucial for our continued operational stability and growth. Critical fire-related training and equipment are now being funded by grants which allows us to continue much needed emergency medical response until a levy is passed.

Here is just one example of how our Volunteers augment our Grant program:

Station 3 currently needs three mechanized commercial bay door openers. Our volunteer grant writer was able to secure a “matching” grant that will purchase the openers themselves (half of the total project expense).  The matching part (labor for installation) will be provided with the time and efforts of another volunteer that has that particular expertise… assisted by a crew of other volunteers. The sense of teamwork and camaraderie amongst our volunteers is amazing- they are consistently willing to come together for projects big and small that have positive impacts on both the Department and the community. And all this is going above and beyond the “call of duty”- it is these same folks that selflessly get out of bed in the middle of the night or drop what they are doing during the day to respond to medical and fire emergencies.

In addition to emergency response and improvements to our apparatus and facilities, our Volunteers worked hard to gain the confidence of our community through interactions on calls, outreach at public meetings, an open house, and social media. In 2023 we expanded our Public Engagement opportunities and many members of the community have expressed their appreciation for our efforts here.

2023 Operations Statistics

Calls

●       150 medical calls

●       63 fire calls

●       12 Motor Vehicle Crash calls

●       24 mutual aid (fire, medical, mvc calls - out of District)

●       6 assist to various agencies

●       We staffed 4 sporting events and one bonfire at the school.

That totals over 1,000 hours on emergency response alone. It is worth noting that 2023 included some of the most difficult calls I’ve seen during my time as an emergency responder- these are calls that were both difficult to manage on scene and hard for responders to process after the fact. For the first time, we called in our County Chaplains to provide post-incident stress management support for our volunteers as they worked through some tough issues. Even through all this, we missed no district calls dispatched in 2023. Again, a huge thank you to our Volunteers!

We continue to chart and report our medical calls as directed by the County Medical Director. Dr. Bond visited us personally and encouraged us to continue reporting medical calls on the current format (hard copy)

Finally, we also closed out 2023 fully current on Fire Incident Electronic Reporting requirements to the State Fire Marshal. Big thanks to both our responders and Kathleen for all the additional work that went into making that happen!

Apparatus and Buildings

We have a structural fire engine, a water tender, and a rescue vehicle at station 1 We have a structural fire engine and a heavy brush truck at station 2.

We have both a standard and heavy brush truck at station 3.

Our ¾ ton pickup (6281) is not in service pending an appointment for specialized mechanical work.

Volunteers, Education and Training hours Completed

We ended the year with 14 responding volunteers, 4 specialty volunteers, and 3 current applicants.

RITA FireFighter academy - 640 hrs Drill 1,040 hrs

State of jefferson 75 hrs Sawyer 60 hrs

Hazmat 20 hrs

CPR 80 hrs

Grant and Administration 100 hrs

That totals 2015 hours spent on training and education.

Two examples of our work for the Good of the Order

Medical: Last summer we received a dispatch for chest pain. Our Firefighters and EMTs responded to the station, launched a response, found the patient, assessed and recognized his cardiac event (STEMI), activated the Mercy Flight helicopter team, established a landing zone, and transferred the patient to the Mercy Flight helicopter crew. All in less time than it normally takes for a transporting ambulance to respond to Prospect. The patient entered the operating room and began bypass surgery less than 60 minutes after calling 911 from Union Creek. Five days later he returned to Prospect and attended a Volunteer Association meeting, enjoyed a piece of pizza with our group of Volunteers, and tearfully thanked us, in person, for our service.

Fire: We responded to a structure fire call on Mill Creek Drive recently. A young mother and her two young children and pets watched from across the street while we located the fire and put it out before it could spread to the rest of their home. She thanked us for our quick initial response and for saving their home and contents. Firefighters returned hours later when the family's carbon monoxide detector alarmed and addressed the problem.

Above and Beyond

In addition to responding to calls and training, our volunteers gave a total of over 1700 hours improving district facilities, maintaining apparatus, and serving the community.

Here is one example:

Station 3 Improvements

●       Concrete aprons and steps added (all by donation…thank you Jay N., and Knife River)

●       Reinforced and rebuilt exterior wooden staircase, railing, and landing to second floor entry (materials donated and grant funded)

●       Organized and inventoried equipment

●       Relocated tables and chairs to make room for critical equipment and apparatus

●       Built shelves for equipment organization and storage (donated materials)

●       Installed hangers for storing hand tools

●       Built racks for hanging Personal Protective Equipment

●       Painted entire exterior of building (Thank you, Stacy)

●       Removed stored garbage

●       Added exterior security lights to front and back of station

●       Relocated light switch in bay 3 for safety considerations (Thank you, Christopher)

●       Installed propane conduit and heating unit to protect apparatus from freezing

●       Removed rotten siding and replaced bottom of exterior walls with donated new sheeting

●       Added metal paneling to bottom of exterior walls (drip zone) (paid for with grant funds)

●       Cleaned brush and debris to create a pull-through bay for 6263

●       Added drain to bay 1 entry

In 2023 we also expanded a number of key partnerships with the following agencies for training, mutual incidents, and projects:

●       USDA Forest Service

●       Jackson County Fire District 3 (White City/Central Point/Eagle Point)

●       Jackson County Fire District 4 (Shady Cove)

●       Oregon Department of Forestry

●       Pacific Power

●       State Fire Marshal

●       Jackson County Emergency Preparedness

●       Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon

●       Southern Oregon Fire Chiefs Association

●       County Code Enforcement

●       Department of Environmental Quality

●       Jackson County Law Enforcement

●       Jackson County Search and Rescue

●       Crater Lake National Park emergency services

●       Mercy Flights

●       Oregon Department of Transportation

●       Southern Oregon Fire Service Chaplains

Based on feedback from Public meetings, we also expanded our Community Engagement efforts by:

●       Working with the Prospect Charter School to develop camp and course curriculum and supporting on-hand medical staffing at school events

●       Supporting the Christmas Eve Program at the Prospect Store

●       Initiating work on a Fuels Reduction Plan at the Lions Park

●       Supporting the Prospect Community Club’s annual Timber Festival

●       Hosting 2 new direct public engagement meetings

●       Hosting the first-ever PFRPD Open House with multiple partner agencies

Additional Progress

Clear Mission/Vision/Values

The Volunteer Association came together to draft the District Mission, Vision, and Values statements that have now been formally adopted by the District.

Our Mission is to preserve and protect life and property in our Upper Rogue community.

Our Vision is to advance public safety by providing emergency response, community education and prevention programs.

Our Values are Professionalism, Respect, Objectivity, Service, Preparedness, Ethics, Community.

The guidance inherent in these statements is important- defining our Mission, Vision and Values provides clear direction to all levels of the Department by serving as a way to measure our actions and focus our efforts. This establishes a framework for short and long term goals, and specifies behavior expected of each individual associated with the Department.

Safety

We appointed our first Safety Officer this year! Once a month our training schedule dedicates time to a safety presentation. Several Volunteers take advantage of our “Back Injury Prevention Area” and work to strengthen back and shoulders…the top two injuries for volunteer firefighters and EMTs. We had zero injuries of any kind for 2023.

Website and Social Media

Updated Prospect RFPD Website

Transitioned from a Private Group facebook page to a Public facebook page to be in line with other government agencies

2023 Grant Report

2023 Grants

1.     27 total grant actions

2.     12 grants awarded in 2023

3.     Total grant funds awarded to PRFPD in 2023 is $2,161,350 ($661,350 excluding the Seismic Retrofit)

4.     Please see full grant report below for more details

Grants received:

1.     Wildland Fire Education OFSM/DPSST $2400

2.     Staircase station 3 - $2500 SDAO safety grant

3.     Dump Trailer $18,850 Jackson County/ OFSM traded up from Chipper

4.     Seismic Retrofit- Stn 1 remodel- 12/16/22 -Value $1.5 M includes engineering, etc

5.     2023 Wildfire Season Staffing OSFM filed 4/20/23 $35K

6.     JCF Grant- requested 2 vehicle mounted exhaust systems 4/7/2023 $21.6 K

7.     Arthur Dubs- SCBA bottle refill station filed 3/31/23 $48,500

8.     Wildfire risk/Fuel reduction teaming with Shady Cove- $500K/ 3yr filed 1/31/23

9.     Anheuser Busch- Water for firefighters- 1 pallet requested 3/22/23

10.  Save Lives Oregon Harm Reduction Grant- Year supply Narcan

11.  Volunteer FF Assoc. ODF. Wildfire training and Fire shelters, 50% matching (volunteer hours) $30K

12.  SDAO- Mechanized door openers for Station 3- 50% match ( Volunteer hours) $2500

Grant Applications In Progress:

·

1.     Fire Chiefs Association- Fire camp recruiting- High School students

2.     FEMA/AFG  8 sets turnouts, PPE and SCBA tanks- Feb 2024

3.     Firehouse Subs 10 SCBA tanks Submitted Jan 11,2024

4.     USDA Rural Communities- New Fire Station-Year round –

5.     USDA Community Composting Grant no due date yet

6.     Ford Family Foundation- secondary money - year round

7.     Risk Assessment -OFSM

8.     Pacific Power- Due December 2024

Grants not awarded:

1.     Requested Water Tender from OSFM Engine grant 12/5/22 – loaned to us

2.     FT Fire Chief Salary for 3 yrs Requested from OFSM 11/29/22 - Valued at $287K

3.     4 sets turnouts- Fire fighters Charitable Foundation 12/20/22 _ Valued $17K

4.     16 handheld radios- with FD 3- AFG grant filed 2/10/23 _ Value unknown

5.     4 sets turnouts, 10 SCBA tanks- Gary Sinease foundation -2/15/23 Value $25K

6.     Firehouse Subs- requesting 10 SCBA tanks– filed April 6 $21,000

7.     Leary Foundation- $20K for PPE and SCBA tanks

Moving Forward

Goals for 2024

●       Recruit 4 more responding volunteers

●       Graduate 3 more Firefighters

●       Train 4 more medical responders

●       Implement Volunteer Shifts

●       Navigate and complete the Station 1 seismic retrofit/remodel

●       Follow our 2024 training schedule (weekly drill plus additional events)

●       Get 6 Volunteers Wildland Fire certifications

●       Get 6 Volunteers Sawyer certifications

●       Attend the State of Jefferson Medical Recertification Conference (for medical responders)

●       Get the Prospect Lion’s Park prepared for fire season (thinning and chipping project)

●       Partner with ODF and Pacific Power to reduce fuels adjoining the trailer park at 50 Mill Creek Dr

●       Address the fuels situation on the Airport Access Road

●       Continue to update emergency address signs throughout the district

●       Partner    with    Jackson    County    Emergency    Management    to                establish             improved emergency communications between Prospect and the County line.

●       Continue to obtain grants in order to operate safely and efficiently

●       Improve at least one local landing zone

2024 Training Forecast

Currently, we have three firefighters enrolled in Firefighter 1 academy, expected to graduate at the end of February. We also have one volunteer enrolled in EMT school and one working on ACLS training certification (the latter will be able to administer IVs once certified). In order to meet our goal of staffed shifts in 2024 we’ll need two more EMTs certified… two current volunteers have expressed interest. Another volunteer has expressed interest in becoming an Advanced EMT. When completed, all this will allow us to staff medical response shifts with Basic Life Support care, Advanced Cardiac Life Support care, and 3 responders certified to establish IVs. Finally, in 2024 all responders will complete routine recertification for CPR/AED/First Aid and Emergency Vehicle Driving.

Conclusion

This Chiefs Report is just a snapshot of all the work that our District’s Operations was able to accomplish in 2023- it is by no means an exhaustive list. Our staff and volunteers continue to go above and beyond, giving their time, energy and personal resources in readily measurable ways to support our Mission, which is to preserve and protect life and property in our Upper Rogue community. It is these folks who are the reason for the progress we’ve made as a District- can we please give them a well deserved round of applause for all they do!

To maintain the positive momentum Operations has worked hard to achieve in 2023 we need the help of each member of our Board of Directors as well. It is crucial to ensure that every single person on the PRFPD team is actively engaged in directly supporting our mission. Moving forward, we must each be able to measure our own efforts through the lens of “Does the action I am engaged in directly support our Mission? Does it move us toward our Vision? Am I clearly demonstrating our Values?” Only when these answers are a resounding YES will we be able to grow and serve our community in the best way possible.

Sincerely, Chief Neville