Palm Beach County Fire RescueAnnual Report - FY 2016

When seconds count, count on us!

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners

Paulette Burdick, Mayor

Melissa McKinlay, Vice Mayor

Hal R. Valeche

Dave Kerner

Steven L. Abrams

Mary Lou Berger

Mack Bernard

County Administrator

Verdenia C. Baker

Fire Rescue

Chief Jeffrey P. Collins

Table of Contents

Organizational Chart 3

Accomplishments 4-12

Busiest Stations/Units 13

PBCFR Fact Sheet 14

Calls by Type 15

Response Time by Station 16

Fire Facts 17

Station Location Map 18

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue405 Pike Road

West Palm Beach, FL 33411(561) 616-7000www.pbcfr.org

Evidence Records Specialist

Sr. Secy

Admin Secy

FIRE RESCUE ADMINISTRATORFire Chief

Palm Beach County Fire RescueJAN 2015

Filled Position (1,404)Budget Complement (1,494)

Public Information Officer

BUREAU OF SAFETY SERVICESDivision Chief

OPERATIONSDeputy Chief

FINANCEDirector of Finance

SUPPORT SERVICESDeputy Chief

Existing Inspections

Receptionist

Sr. Secy

Investigations

Community Education

Sr. Secy

Plans Review

Drowning Prevention

Medical Director

Fire Operations Officer

Planning

Records & Info. Specialist

StaffingBudget-Purchasing & Accounts Payable

Payroll & LTD

Revenue & Contracts

Litigation

Career Dev/HR

Wellness/Dispatch Serv.Division Chief

Information Tech ServicesDivision Chief

Fleet Maint/ Fleet Director

Sr. Secy

Sr. Secy

Wellness Program

9-1-1 Dispatch

Comm./QA

Inventory & Management

Stores

Capital Projects

Building Maint

Vehicle Maint.

Respiratory Protection

Telecommunications/Electronic Repair

Materials Manager

Parts Warehouse

Inventory Specialist

Operations Division Chief

Training & Safety Division

Division Chief

Emergency Management Division Chief

EMS Training Coord.

Fire Training Coord.

Sr. Secy

Prof. Develop. Coord.

Specialty Training Coord.

LogisticsVideo/

Communication

Compliance Coord.Alarm Office

Training

Driver Operator Coor.

CQI Fire Section

Career Development

Fusion Center

Incident Management Team

CERT

Battalion 1

Battalion 4

Battalion 2

Battalion 9

Battalion 3

Battalion 5

Battalion 7

Chief of EMS

Volunteers

Aircraft Rescue

Firefighters

Trauma Hawk Flight

MedicsSpecial Ops.

Administration

Internal Affairs

HIPAA

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AccomplishmentsAdministrationVideo AnnouncementOn June 3, 2016, University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and PalmBeach County Fire Rescue's F.A.C.E. Team coordinated with Palm Beach County Fire RescueAdministration, Delray Beach FireRescue, West Palm Beach FireRescue and IAFF Local 2928 tofacilitate a county-wide videoservice announcement to theRegion 7 Fire Service.

The Firefighter Cancer Survey is open to all Region 7 firefighters as the University of Miami'sSylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center continues its comprehensive look into the rates ofcancer in Florida Fire Fighters. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue was honored to have been

A special thanks to all for theconsistent and cooperativesupport that has beenshown to the F.A.C.E. Teamand the University of Miami.Without such support wewould not be as far along aswe are and as pivotal afactor in the planned StateWide - UM - FCI - FirefighterCancer Initiative.

chosen to assist in breakingground on this study andnow assisting the otherdepartments in furthering /expanding the footprint ofthe study.

Chiefs from the three departmentsdelivered a message for allfirefighters to participate in thevoluntary survey that is underwayand was launched at Palm BeachCounty Fire Rescue in December of2015. The resulting video will bereleased shortly.

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Accomplishments

Completed the comprehensive Kronos payroll application to handle all payroll transactions toinclude scheduling and extended leave tracking. This new payroll system will allow formodifications, flexibility and reduce paper transactions. Ratified the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics ofPalm Beach County, Local 2928, IAFF, Inc. on August 25, 2016. The previous contract expired onSeptember 30, 2015. Continued to hire new recruits to meet the demand of retiring staff. A total of 80 new staffwere hired and trained this fiscal year. These new hires filled vacancies and reduced overtimerequired to meet staffing requirements. Implemented the acceptance of on-line credit card payments for all emergency medicaltransports in the final quarter, over 300 credit card transactions were processed. Received a U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency,Assistance to Firefighters Grant award in the amount of $603,371 for the purchase of 38automatic chest compression devices. Purchased Fire Station #29, located at 10055 Belvedere Road, from the Village of Royal PalmBeach. The purchase of this facility eliminated an annual rental payment of $112,500 to theVillage. The County has been providing fire rescue services to the Village since 1999.

Career DayOn Saturday October 17, 2015, the 1stCountywide Fire Service Career Day was held bythe Fire Chiefs Association of Palm Beach County.The event was at the centralized location ofGaines Park and Community Center in West PalmBeach. Many departments including Palm BeachCounty Fire Rescue, West Palm Beach FireRescue, Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, Riviera BeachFire Rescue, Palm Beach Fire Rescue, Palm BeachGardens Fire Rescue, Boca Raton Fire Rescue,Delray Beach Fire Rescue, and even Broward County Fire Rescue, to name just a few hadrepresentatives present to answer questions. Attendees throughout the day learned of the manydifferent careers available in fire rescue agencies ranging from Internet Technologies, dieselmechanics, to dispatchers and firefighters. It was encouraging to see the prospective futureemployees gathering information from the departments and local education representatives inorder to better understand how to pursue a fire service career.

Administration Highlights

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AccomplishmentsBureau of Safety Services [BOSS]

DispatchCommunications CenterThe Palm Beach County Fire RescueCommunications Center received acomplete make-over this pastyear. New larger workstations wereinstalled along with all new flooringand computer cabling. This was thefirst major overhaul since theCommunications Center moved tothe Emergency Operations Center in1998.

CertificationsOver the past fiscal year, all of the fire investigators with PBCFR are now certified through theInternational Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) as either a Fire Investigation Technician(FIT©) or Certified Fire Investigator (CFI©). Currently we have three (3) CFIs and five (5) FITs inthe department. This additional training and expertise has allowed the Investigations Divisionto attain a 39% clearance rate, which is higher than the national average of 32%.In addition, the PBCFR Investigations Division has been selected to participate in a pilot studyfor the University of Miami Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI) studying the effects of carcinogensto fire investigators, a first of its kind in the nation.

The renovation took placeover a period of 2 months. Inaddition, a sever positionback-up PSAP/training lab wasformed. The new back-upPSAP/training lab has sevenworkstations outfitted withCAD, 911 Phones, and tworadio consoles. This area canbe utilized for large scaleincidents such as hurricanesor any other disastersituations.

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AccomplishmentsEmergency ManagementPBC AHIMTDuring September 18-20, 2015, the Palm Beach County All Hazards Incident ManagementTeam (PBC AHIMT- aka SE Florida Region 7 AHIMT) recently participated in the three-dayCamp Blanding Operation Integration VII Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) statewide exercise.

The PBC Region 7 AHIMT and NE Florida(Jacksonville) Region 3 AHIMT workedvery closely with response assets fromacross the state to participate in thisimportant exercise. The All HazardsIncident Management Teams, along withthe Florida National Guard’s ChemicalEnhanced Response Force Package (FLNGCERFP); Florida USAR Teams and TaskForces; several light technical rescueteams (LTRT); the Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission (FWC); FloridaAir National Guard (FLANG), and the

Florida Forest Service (FFS) established an incident command post, determined objectivesneeding to be met, developed Incident action plans, and coordinated command and controlthroughout the operation.The Palm Beach County AHIMT began work with command, control, operations and planningactivities being conducted. The following day, briefings were held with operations personnel,and air assets were brought in to moveequipment, K9’s, and military and civilianpersonnel to perform wide-area searchesand remove trapped victims from thecollapsed buildings. Night operationsutilizing air assets from the military wereextremely successful with no accidents orinjuries reported. On the final day,work continued as air assets were used toextract personnel, provide reconnaissance,determine any unmet needs of both thevictims and rescuers, and conduct asmooth demobilization process. In all,there were approximately 150 personnelfrom dozens of agencies involved in thisexercise.

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AccomplishmentsOperationsCareer Firefighter of the YearOn the morning of April 4th, 2016, as Firefighter Alfred Pulvirenti was driving to work he noticedthat a home was on fire in the development along the roadway he was currently on. FirefighterPulvirenti stopped his vehicle and jumped a chain link fence running to the front door of thehome and knocking on the door to get anyone inside out to safety.There were three residents sleeping at home and he was able to safely escort them all outside,away from danger. Once he was certain the residents were safe he ran back to the home andusing the outside water hose did his best to keep the flames contained until the first fire enginearrived to extinguish the fire. Firefighter Pulvirenti’s quick thinking and heroic actions wereinstrumental in preventing any harm from coming to the occupants.For his heroic actions that day Firefighter Alfred Pulvirenti was honored as the Career Firefighterof the Year at the 2016 Annual Fire Service Awards hosted by CFO and State Fire Marshall JeffAtwater in Tallahassee. He was also awarded the Maltese Cross by Palm Beach County FireRescue for exhibiting 'extreme bravery'.

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AccomplishmentsOperationsStation 91Station 91 was recently named “Fire Station of the Year” by the Chamber of Commerce for theirwork in the community, as well as their efforts on emergency calls.

Not long after, on April 21st, Station 91 wasdispatched to a fire with reports of an elderlycouple trapped inside. When they arrived, theyfound PBSO deputies attempting to rescue theresidents, but they were driven back by the heat.Flames were seen coming from the side and rearof the home. An elderly female made her wayout prior to 91’s arrival. E91 rapidly located anelderly male confined to a hospital bed. Thevictim was quickly removed, treated, andtransported to the hospital. Firefighting effortsknocked the fire down as it spread to the fenceand trees lining the property.

Station 91 makes a point of being actively involved in the Lake Worth community, in spite of being one of the busiest stations in the county.

Firefighters from Station 91 found out thatmany North Grade Elementary 4th gradestudents would not be able go on an end ofthe year field trip to Epcot because theirfamilies couldn’t afford the approximately$110.00 cost. The crews from Station 91started a campaign through Facebook andother efforts, and raised enough money tosend all 63 students who would have beenunable to attend. On April 7th, 2016, thefirefighters presented the school principaland students with the gift. The students in

return thanked the crews with homemade cards and a special banner.

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AccomplishmentsPublic EducationSafer Homes - Fewer BurnsOn October 8th, 2015, PBCFR partneredwith FP&L and the American Red Crossto promote home and fire safety. TheSafer Homes - Fewer Burns program issponsored by FP&L in response to thealarming frequency of children sufferingburn injuries when water heaterthermostats are set too high.

Arborists trimmed foliage that interfered with electrical services. Electricians checked thethermostat setting on water heaters and repaired potentially dangerous electrical issues and the

Red Cross supplied and installed smoke detectors.

Members of the Community EducationDivision and on-duty crews supplied one-on-one fire safety education for families withchildren. Topics included: escape plans, fireextinguisher use and safe cooking habits.

They also installed 10 year lithium ion smokedetectors. It was a great way to providepersonal attention to matters of preventionand home safety before tragedy occurs!

Teams of fire safety experts, electricalcontractors, arborists and home safetyconsultants visited 50 homes in theCity of Belle Glade where PBCFRsupplied fire safety information.

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AccomplishmentsRescue OfficeAHA AwardPalm Beach County Fire Rescue crews have been tweaking how they treat patients in cardiacarrest, and the results have been life-saving. Patients in cardiac arrest are being revived nearlythree times more often now than they were in 2014. In health care terms: Fire Rescue’s return ofspontaneous circulation rates have tripled to 53 percent from 16.

The American Heart Associationhonored Fire Rescue’s efforts bypresenting officials with the SilverEMS Mission: Lifeline award onSeptember 28th, 2016 at thestation on Pike Road west of thecity. Officials credit the increase inrevival to smoother transitions ofpatients from dispatchers torescue crews and hospitalpersonnel, said Battalion ChiefRichard Ellis, who leads thecounty’s EMS teams. Dispatchersare trained to ask callers a series

medical director for Fire Rescue.When rescue crews arrive, theyalert the closest cardiac hospitalthat a patient is coming its way.“We recognize we can’t do thisalone,” Ellis said. County firestations have teamed up with theAmerican Heart Association toteach residents hands-only CPR aswell. Hundreds learned the life-saving skill at Meyer Amphitheatrein West Palm Beach.

of questions to determine if a person is in cardiac arrest. Then they can coach callers throughchest compression and CPR. The sooner chest compressions begin, the more likely a patient is tosurvive, said Dr. Kenneth Scheppke,

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AccomplishmentsTrainingDronesPBCFR has created an UAS [Unmanned Aircraft Systems] Committee which is comprised ofrepresentatives from the divisions that have identified a need for UAS capabilities. Thecommittee also includes representatives from the County Resources Manager and Channel 20(Public Affairs). The Training Division is hosting and conducting training for PBCFR personnel on2 separate tracks. Members of the UAS committee shall receive UAS orientation and FAA testprep instruction from an area licensed vendor. Once those individuals have been issued part107 licenses from the FAA they shall conduct training for other individuals that the departmentwishes to self certify. Recurrence Training will be needed on a regular basis to maintain flighthours and skill proficiency. PBCFR has scheduled drone training to begin in December, 2016.

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Busiest Station ZonesBusiest Units

Busiest Station Zones FY 2016

Station 23 Century Village, WPB 6,412

Station 41 Indian Springs, Boynton 6,153

Station 45 Kings Point, DB 6,021

Busiest Units FY 2016

Engines Rescues

E23 2,687 R91 4,346

E42 2,650 R33 3,744

E91 2,641 R31 3,645

E33 2,620 R23 3,367

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Services Provided: Fire Protection, Emergency Medical Services, ALS/BLS Transport,Hazardous Materials Mitigation, Special Operations, AircraftFirefighting, 9-1-1 Dispatching, Public Education, Inspections,Investigations, Plans Review, Community Assistance

Population Served: 892,680 (PBCFR Jurisdiction) + 326,122 additional dispatched for

Area Covered: 1,762 square miles served – this includes unincorporated PalmBeach County and 18 municipalities: Belle Glades, Cloud Lake, GlenRidge, Haverhill, Jupiter, Juno Beach, Lake Clarke Shores, LakePark, Lake Worth, Lantana, Loxahatchee Groves, Manalapan,Pahokee, Palm Springs, Royal Palm Beach, South Bay, South PalmBeach, Wellington and Westlake

Dispatched Services for 13 municipalities: Atlantis, Delray Beach,Greenacres, Gulf Stream, Highland Beach, Jupiter Inlet Colony,Mangonia Park, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, PalmBeach Shores, Riviera Beach, Tequesta and West Palm Beach

Budget: $383 million (FY 2017 includes all operating funds)

Millage Rate: 3.4581 mils

Number of Personnel: 1,510 Full Time Budgeted Positions and approximately 100Volunteers

Number of Stations: 49 (+29 additional stations dispatched for)

Daily Firefighter Strength: 285 minimum staffing

Number of In-Service Units: 43 ALS Engines, 54 ALS Rescues, 2 Special Operations Units, 6 ALSAerials, 4 Tenders, 19 Brush Trucks, 1 Light/Air, 5 ARFF vehicles

Number of Calls FY 2015: 115,403 EMS Calls1,235 Structure Fire Calls

(PBCFR Jurisdiction) 16,078 Other Calls132,716 TOTAL

Number of Calls Dispatched: 199,421 (all agencies)

Average Response Time: 6 minutes 32 seconds

Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Fact Sheet

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PBCFR MEDICAL

STATSFY 2014* FY 2015* FY 2016*

# of Patients

Transported

ALS: 51,002

BLS: 16,138

ALS: 60,256

BLS: 11,815

ALS: 62,257

BLS: 10,849

*ADPI billing records

115,403

EMS

1,235

Structure Fires

16,078

Others EMS 87.0%

Structure Fires 0.9%

Others 12.1%

Total: 100.0%

Percentage of Calls by Type FY 2016

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PALM BEACH COUNTY FIRE-RESCUEFIRE FACTS

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Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners

Paulette Burdick, Mayor

Melissa McKinlay, Vice Mayor

Hal R. Valeche

Dave Kerner

Steven L. Abrams

Mary Lou Berger

Mark Bernard

County Administrator

Verdenia C. Baker

Fire Rescue

Chief Jeffrey P. Collins