OPERATIONS
Update from Charlie Butterfield, Deputy Chief of Operations
The Operations Division of the Meridian Fire Department is responsible for the day-to-day emergency services delivery to the public. This division is staffed by 79 full-time personnel operating out of five fire stations on three rotating shifts. Services are delivered from four fire engines, one ladder truck, and one command unit staffed daily. All four engines and the ladder truck are capable of providing advanced life support. In addition the Operations Division also maintains two brush firefighting units and a 2,500 gallon water tender. These specialized units are “cross staffed”, meaning that if those resources are needed the crews assigned to that station leave their fire engine and respond in those specialty resources.
Part of providing excellent service to the community means having reliable tools to do the job. As part of a comprehensive fleet replacement plan developed in 2014, the Fire Department with the support of the Mayor and City Council, replaced Engine 34, housed at our station on Eagle Road. This new fire engine will now provide our citizens and visitors with thousands of responses to emergencies occurring within Meridian. In 2019, the Operations Division will place Engine 36 into service at our station on Franklin Road while awaiting the completion of station 6 in South Meridian.
Engine 34 Dedication
The department responded to nearly 7,000 total incidents in 2018. The continued growth trend in the Treasure Valley and specifically in the City of Meridian and the Meridian Rural Fire Protection District presents an ongoing challenge to continually provide excellent delivery of emergency services. To meet this challenge, Meridian Firefighters spend countless hours training for emergencies and ensuring they are physically and mentally prepared to meet the needs of our community. Additionally, we continue to support our citizens in other ways by conducting fire safety classes and friendly firefighter visits at schools, as well as performing car seat installations, installing smoke detectors, replacing smoke detector batteries and a variety of other activities. Click here to learn more about public education events in 2018.
The Operations Division also includes the Department’s Training Unit. It is a priority of our Department to ensure that our firefighters are properly trained and equipped to deal with the dangerous, unpredictable, and often unforgiving situations that they encounter on a regular basis. The Training Unit is overseen by the Division Chief of Training and utilizes two 40-hour Training Captains and two Field Training Officers (1 fire and 1 EMS) on each 48 hour shift to develop, coordinate, and deliver training to our crews. Click here to learn more about training updates in 2018.
Other Operations Projects/Initiatives in 2018:
PTSD LEGISLATION
Our First Responders see the best and worst of society, and respond to calls that many of us will only see in horror movies. Currently workers compensation does not cover any of our first responders that suffer a post-traumatic stress injury. Our Fire Chief and Police Chief worked with other public safety leadership around the State to get this changed. Most traumatic calls for service can be dealt with through peer support or a couple of sessions with a specialized public safety counselor. Nationwide, however, we know that approximately 3% need additional time to work through these traumatic events. This is the focus of the PTSD legislation that was introduced this legislative session. Our first responders spend their focus and efforts taking care of us- it’s time we also take care of them.
FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND WELLNESS INITIATIVE
In 2018 our firefighters stepped up in a big way by developing a comprehensive fitness program. This work was spear-headed by Captain Luke Smillie from Fire Station #1. This program has unified our Department fitness standards, and in conjunction with the approval of the needed fitness equipment, has placed a strong emphasis on overall health and wellness from the most seasoned firefighter to our newest members. This program includes fitness education and an on-line fitness tracking program to track overall health and improvement.