The first half of 2024 has been a "period of growth and transformation" for the Woodland Fire Department, according to its semiannual report released this week to the City Council.
The report comes in advance of expected discussion and possible award of a design contract for a new Fire Station No. 3, long envisioned at the northwest intersection of Gibson Road and Bourn Drive adjacent to Harry Lorenzo Avenue, the long-deserted site of Willow Spring Elementary School.
The city completed the purchase of the 4.7-acre property from Woodland Joint Unified School District in 2018 after two years of negotiations.
Councilmembers are scheduled to consider issuing a contract for designing the new station in upcoming months with the goal of its construction in the next two or three years.
Relocation of Fire Station No. 3 from its present site at off Springlake Court, a cul de sac, that connects to Pioneer Avenue, would give emergency responders faster access to incidents in the Spring Lake area, which has seen hundreds of new homes and a new school built over recent years.
The location's close proximity to Hwy. 113, would also let firefighters get to other areas of the community much quicker as well.
While specific costs are unknown, it's estimated between $8 million and $10 million would be needed for construction of the station. Presently, according to the city, there is $5 million for funding the project.
Potential funding sources could include additional contributions from the general fund reserves, use of Measure F sales taxes, internal or external borrowing or proceeds from the sale of city-owned surplus land at the project site, according to a city report released in late 2023. It's not yet known what the city would do with the present location of Fire Station No. 3.
In the semi-annual report, Chief Eric Zane noted the completion of an analysis for the new fire station. The analysis has led to several station tours throughout the region, reviewing design considerations and potential architects.
In terms of the actual report, a long narrative provided by Zane and Management Analyst Jeran Scruggs, states that the department "navigated a dynamic and demanding half-year, marked by significant advancements and strategic initiatives across its three primary divisions: Administrative, Operations, and Community Risk Reduction Administrative Division."
Specifically, the department welcomed a new fire marshal, whose expertise greatly enhanced the Community Risk Reduction Division, promoted a captain and an engineer, and hired two firefighter recruits.
Presently, there are no vacancies in the department for the first time in several years.
Elsewhere, the department purchased a tethered drone funded by a grant.
"This drone, equipped with advanced infrared technology, offers continuous aerial surveillance without the need for a human operator, due to its tethered power source," according to the report's narrative, presumably letting firefighters get an aerial view of things during major incidents such as structure fires.
"The Administrative Division also played a critical role in negotiating the new ambulance service contract and overseeing the FEMA reimbursement process for previous winter storms," stated the report.
Other tasks undertaken included continued work on evaluating the best replacement radio system for citywide public safety use, the rewriting of the citywide host ordinance, designed to further curb illegal firework activity, and the transition from funding the County Joint Emergency Management System to a contract with a third-party emergency management consultant "to enhance our citywide emergency management capabilities.
The department also hosted several training events, including a symposium sponsored by the California State Firefighters Association. This symposium brought together fire service professionals from across the state, offering a platform for knowledge exchange, professional development, and the latest updates in fire safety and emergency response.
Response times were at 4:55 minutes, a 2-second increase over 2023.
Calls for service ranged from actual fires, medical aids, false alarms, hazardous situations, general public service, and "good intentions," where people reported incidents that turned out to be nothing of significance. Emergency medical responses—as they have for years—are the primary calls for firefighters, with more than 2,500 every six months in both 2024 and 2023.
The number of actual fires, whether they were major or minor, accounted for fewer than 150 based on the report's graphics, which offered no specific figures.
In a grim statistic, however, the department reported there were 64 "CPR" calls during the first six months of this year, where firefighters tried to revive people suffering from a medical emergency. Of those 64 calls, 27 received cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 12 were transported to a hospital "with a pulse," and seven "survived CPR and went home."
No comments:
Post a Comment