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As of July 1, 1998 The Shreveport
Fire Department gained Class 1 status. Fire Chief Bo Roberts explained
just how impressive this honor is by stating "There are but two
other Class One Fire Departments in Louisiana and just twenty-eight in
the United States." Even more impressive is the fact that only
thirteen Class One fire departments provide Advanced Life Support and
medical transportation, so Shreveport F.D. has now become number
fourteen! Chief Roberts also stated that only five cities with
populations greater than 150,000 providing these services are Class 1.
"Achieving this rating is a real honor for our Department and
serves as an indicator of the outstanding job that our firefighters and
the Water Department employees are doing."
Moving the Fire Department to this
coveted level has been one of Robert's primary goals since accepting the
Fire Chief's position in 1993. Shreveport enjoyed an admirable Class Two
PIAL rating for some time and had been attempting to satisfy the
mandatory requirements to move to Class One. Through a combination of
internal effort and the passage of the 1996 Bond package approved by the
citizens of Shreveport, the necessary elements were united to propel the
Department into the Class One category. Chief Roberts was quick to
recognize the various divisions within the Fire Department and the Water
Department for the vital role they played. In order to obtain a Class
One rating, a Fire Department must acquire 90% or better of a 100%
rating system. Shreveport's total was 90.66%, an increase of 5.93% from
the 1992 rating total of 84.73%.
The Class One rating will mean a
9%, or approximate $2 million, annual reduction in insurance premiums
for commercial customers, according to the office of the State
Commissioner of Insurance. These savings are attractive to businesses
considering locating in Shreveport. The Fire Department will not be
re-evaluated by PIAL for five years.
The Fire Department's share of the
bond funds was carefully distributed to areas of greatest need. One
105-foot ladder truck and three seventy-five foot ladder trucks were
purchased from Quality Manufacturing in Talladega, Alabama, at a cost of
some $400,000 each. These apparatus replaced the Department's aging
aerial fleet. four new pumpers costing $252,000 each replaced four
high-maintenance pumpers. Large diameter supply line hose was purchased
for five additional pumpers and various new equipment was bought and
placed as needed to upgrade additional front line apparatus. Since the
last PIAL rating, a total of ten new pumpers, four ladder trucks and one
rescue truck have been added the the fleet. The Department now has 20
pumpers, five reserve pumpers, seven aerial ladder trucks and one
reserve, two rescue trucks and one reserve, three Aircraft Rescue Fire
Fighting vehicles and a hazardous materials van. All pumpers and ladder
trucks, hoses and equipment are tested annually to assure peak
performance.
The Operations Division carefully
managed firefighting personnel to assure that adequate staffing on all
equipment was maintained in order to receive 11.14% of a possible 15.00%
credit. During periods when the number of available personnel began to
wane, Assistant Chiefs on all three shifts called in overtime personnel
to fill the gaps. An additional 15 new firefighters will be employed in
1998. an increase in pre-incident surveys from 570 per year to 840 in
1997 made a positive impact in this Division. These surveys provide
firefighters important information about the structure and it's contents
when responding to a reported incident.
Superintendent Todd Simmons of the
Transmission and Distribution Division of the Water Department reported
that his department provided more hydrant inspections and maintenance,
and replaced all existing two inch water mains with six inch or larger
mains. A two million gallon elevated tank on Linwood Avenue was placed
in service, and the Shreveport-Bossier Port placed a two and one-half
million gallon elevated tank and a two million gallon ground storage
tank in service. these efforts produced a total credit for the Water
Department of 38.13% of a maximum 40.00%.
The Fire Communications Division
received a maximum 10% in the evaluation of their telephone service
listing and recording facilities, staffing levels, alarm dispatch
circuits, radio and emergency power facilities. The Fire Department now
has 29 Fire Communication Officers, compared to 20 FCO's in 1992.
Emergency calls are answered in approximately six seconds. The current
$2.2 million renovation of the facility and technology upgrades have
resulted in the Emergency Communications Center being one of the most
modern of its kind in the nation. Caddo 9-1-1 has purchased a new
digital telephone switching system, replacing the old analog system.
This eliminates the conventional telephone equipment and places the Fire
Communications Officers at computer terminals. Construction on a new $15
million parish-wide radio system will begin later this year. The system
will provide vastly superior radio coverage for emergency personnel,
thus improving life safety for the emergency responder and our citizens.
The Fire Training Academy is
graded according to the facilities and their usage, training programs,
and pre-fire planning. The 19-acre Academy has a six-story drill tower
with a penthouse, a combustible liquid pit, a library, numerous visual
aids and an in-house video studio to enhance the state of the art
training provided by its staff. The three classrooms have a combined
story Burn Lab, allowing the live fire training operations to be
conducted. Additional training aids include cutaway of a fire pump and a
fire hydrant. Numerous day and night drills and classes are held both at
the Fire Academy and at the fire stations throughout the year.
The Fire Prevention Bureau was
given a rating of 1.99% of a possible 2.00%, which was the highest score
ever awarded a Fire Prevention Bureau in the State of Louisiana. This
rating was based on their efforts in investigations, inspections and
public fire education. Fire investigators determine the cause and origin
of fires, then pursue leads to arrest the suspect and work with the
District Attorney for a conviction. Fire inspectors make approximately
15,000 inspections within the city annually enforcing City and State
fire codes. Public Education Officers conduct approximately 500 safety
seminars each year and appear at parks, festivals and schools delivering
safety information to our citizens. |
