Fire Commission

BURLINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT 136 S. Winooski Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401 Phone: (802) 864-4554 Fax: (802) 865-5387 June 17, 2025 Chief’s Report to the Burlington Fire Commission Personnel: We had two members resign recently. Jared Markovsky is pursuing a fire service career in Maine and Alec Johnson is relocating to Florida. We wish them the best and thank them for their service to the city. Chief LaChance’s last tour is 6/30/25. This will create 6 vacancies. The plan as of now will be to start the next recruit school earlier than April, possibly October of this year. BC of Training Troy Ruggles will be promoted to Deputy Chief of Operations and SFF Adam Savoy will be promoted to BC of Training on 7/7/25. Congratulations to both. Responses: In April and May of 2025, the fire department has responded to 1,855 calls for service. During the same period in 2024, we responded to 1,651, a 12.35 % increase. 2024 2025 1,651 1,855 1|Page Overtime: April 01, 2025 – May 31, 2025 2024 2025 • Minimum Staffing Overtime: 1652.25 hrs 1688.75 hrs • Mandatory Minimum Staffing Overtime: 305.5 hrs 317.25 hrs The above data shows a 2.2% increase in Minimum Staffing Overtime and a 3.8% increase in Mandatory Minimum Staffing Overtime during the same period last year. Overall, the minimum staffing overtime burden on the employees and city budget increased by 2.5%. Note: The above overtime burden on the staff accounts for Minimum Staffing Overtime, giving us the 22 people required to meet minimum staffing levels. This does not account for extra duty jobs or CRT overtime. In the same period, our staff committed to the following extra duty and CRT overtime: • Extra Duty: 155 hrs • CRT Overtime: 611.5 hrs Fleet: Preliminary work has started on creating specs for an RFP for a new Ladder 2 and an ambulance. Build times are still around 44 months. Buildings: Station 2 floor project is nearing completion with concrete being poured last Thursday. It will have to cure and be sealed before we can move back in sometime in July. Currently, Ladder 2 has been relocating to downtown for the night tour. 2|Page Community Response Team Pilot: We have given Buprenorphine once in the field and transported the patient to UVMMC. Unknown on outcome but will follow up with Dr. Wolfson. Members can now offer Buprenorphine to a patient suffering from withdrawals without having had Narcan first. We are tracking data from the CRT deployment. Below are some metrics showing the program's impact. This data shows how many people the team has touched, the quantity of wound care supplies handed out, comfort care supplies distributed, Narcan leave-behind kits distributed, the number of referrals, direct phone requests, and incidents where the team went above and beyond in their duties. Total: 2587 1341 355 233 63 20 4 # of # of Wound # of Comfort # of NLB Kits Total # Total Total Attendees Care Items Care Supplies Distributed Referrals/ Request Above & Distributed Distributed Bridge to For CRT Beyond Service Members Incidents Providers Via Phone 3|Page Administrative Division: Station 2 apparatus floor is being poured and should be ready for occupancy by July 1st. · Station 1 stairwell and basement work still pending contract approval by the city attorney’s office. · Floor sweepers have been purchased for Stations 2, 4 and 5. · BP Wastewater has been scheduled to jet the apparatus floor drains at all Stations except Station 2. · Mountain Air has been scheduled to complete HVAC PM work at all stations except Station 2. · Champlain Door Systems will be conducting apparatus door maintenance over the next few weeks. · Working toward parking lot and front ramp improvements for Stations 1, 3, 4 and 5. · Station 1 WiFi – In collaboration with City IT and Burlington Telecom, temporary improvements have been made to ensure adequate WiFi coverage. Personnel: · Members have been submitting annual employee appraisals utilizing the revised process. Thank you. · We will have (6) vacancies by mid-Summer. Our entry-level firefighter application process will open July 1st. Policies: · Introduced a new SOG that provides guidance regarding the use of background checks in our hiring process. · In the process of developing new SOGs to address accidents & injuries. · Will be reviewing all administrative SOGs to ensure all are current and applicable. If aware of any issues or have suggestions, please let me know. Operations Division: Purchased the following items that are now NFPA compliant to the 2025 standards. • 76 SCBA Units • 7 Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) Packs • 6 SCBA Units for Confined Space Operations • 100 Spare SCBA Cylinders • 101 Facepieces • 101 Face Mounted Regulators Working group formed for new public safety building. Will be working with developers to come up with conceptual designs and needs for a new firehouse/public safety building. Prep for July 3rd event. Hiring extra members, creating Incident Action Plan. Situation Table Training 6/24-6/25 4|Page Fire Marshal’s Office: • The FMO conducted two fire extinguisher trainings for businesses in the City last month with the new fire extinguisher training prop. Attendees where excited to that they were able to see real fire instead of the usual video screen training they have received from other trainers in the past. Live fire is important to see because not everybody is comfortable around fire. This style of training helps them to decide if they want to fight the fire before evacuating. • BSD had a short run of students damaging chrome books by shorting out the charging ports because of TikTok challenges. We had one fire last month because of this which caused no building damage or injuries. TikTok challenges are always changing and the FMO has spoken with some students about the dangers of these challenges. I have offered to speak to all schools specifically about these challenges, but have not had a reply yet. • Construction is booming in the city. New construction as well as remodeling has taken off and a lot of large projects are in the pipeline, but are dependent on zoning changes. Training Division: • We completed the Lateral Recruit Academy 25-01 on May 30, 2025. Captain Blake did a super job as always with the class. All recruits have been assigned to their respective crews and will complete their one-year probation. We learned a lot about running this academy for laterals both positive and negative. We will utilize the lessons learned going forward in future academies. • We are working with the US Coast Guard on a multi-jurisdictional drill coming up in August to be held at the USCG station Burlington. • We are pleased to advise that the AFG funding for our live fire training has been freed up and we will be scheduling these for this Fall. I am hopeful we will be able to complete these before the grant deadline of June 2026. • We are in to our summer training program where we are allowing more company level drills to be managed by the company officers. We provide the topic and the necessary tools and the officer coordinates on shift for completing the training. You may have seen our members at the waterfront for water rescue and or the Moran Frame &Rock Point for rope rescue or at any other location in the city. We have energetic, skilled and proactive officers and members honing their skills every day. • We have been adding to our drill yard at McNeil. A new container for storage of equipment was added to remove storage within the training building itself and we also are adding a 20-foot container to replace our wooden roof prop. • The BC of training was asked to conduct a training for VT 911 call takers in Montpelier on May 28th. The purpose of the training was to enhance knowledge of the fire service for those call takers/dispatchers. • The UVM Med Center tour and training proved beneficial when shortly thereafter we responded to an auto fire in the parking garage. Members operated efficiently and mitigated the problem quickly. • We have members attending water rescue and rope rescue training coming up. One of our members is finishing his two-week class at NFA. 5|Page EMS Division: The EMS Division is currently in the midst of our June department-wide training initiative. We were fortunate to welcome Brigid Blazek, a certified de-escalation trainer and Community Service Officer, who provided a condensed 2.5-hour de-escalation course to our department members. This training was both timely and highly impactful, offering practical tools to enhance our response strategies during high-stress interactions. We extend our sincere gratitude to Brigid, the Community Service Liaisons, CAIP Division Supervisor Lacey-Ann Smith, and the Burlington Police Department for their support and collaboration. This partnership is particularly meaningful, as the Burlington Police Department typically does not provide de-escalation training outside of their own personnel. Their willingness to share resources with our division demonstrates a commendable commitment to interdepartmental cooperation and public safety. Following this training cycle, the EMS Division will shift focus toward several key initiatives: • Patient Safety SOG Update: We are in the process of updating and introducing a new Standard Operating Guideline focused on patient safety. • EVOC Refresher: In collaboration with the Fire Training Division, we will be coordinating a refresher course on Emergency Vehicle Operations Certification (EVOC) to ensure continued operational excellence and safety. • QA/QI Documentation Improvements: We are also partnering with our QA/QI Committee to evaluate and enhance our documentation practices, update relevant SOGs, and develop a clear, user-friendly documentation guide for our members. We look forward to continuing these efforts to support our personnel, improve patient care, and ensure high standards across all EMS operations Below is information about response types, training information, and a company-level inspection report. 6|Page  Burlington FD Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 April / May Total Incidents INCIDENT TYPE SERIES NAME / INCIDENT TYPE TOTAL CALLS False Alarm & False Call 235 700 - False alarm or false call, other 2 7001 - False alarm caused by Contractor/Construction 6 710 - Malicious, mischievous false call, other 1 711 - Municipal alarm system, malicious false alarm 2 712 - Direct tie to FD, malicious false alarm 1 731 - Sprinkler activation due to malfunction 3 733 - Smoke detector activation due to malfunction 60 735 - Alarm system sounded due to malfunction 23 736 - CO detector activation due to malfunction 2 740 - Unintentional transmission of alarm, other 10 741 - Sprinkler activation, no fire - unintentional 4 Report ID: 51595 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:59 PM Page: 1 of 3  Burlington FD April / May Total Incidents Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 INCIDENT TYPE SERIES NAME / INCIDENT TYPE TOTAL CALLS 743 - Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional 78 744 - Detector activation, no fire - unintentional 9 745 - Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional 31 746 - Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO 3 Fire 26 100 - Fire, other 1 111 - Building fire 7 113 - Cooking fire, confined to container 5 118 - Trash or rubbish fire, contained 4 131 - Passenger vehicle fire 1 140 - Natural vegetation fire, other 3 160 - Special outside fire, other 5 Good Intent 241 600 - Good intent call, other 82 611 - Dispatched & canceled en route 32 622 - No incident found on arrival at dispatch address 55 641 - Vicinity alarm (incident in other location) 1 651 - Smoke scare, odor of smoke 7 653 - Smoke from barbecue, tar kettle 1 661 - EMS call, party transported by non-fire agency 57 671 - HazMat release investigation w/no HazMat 4 672 - Biological hazard investigation, none found 2 Hazardous Condition 28 400 - Hazardous condition, other 2 411 - Gasoline or other flammable liquid spill 4 412 - Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 6 424 - Carbon monoxide incident 3 440 - Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other 1 444 - Power line down 1 445 - Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 1 462 - Aircraft standby 1 463 - Vehicle accident, general cleanup 9 Rescue & EMS 1236 Report ID: 51595 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:59 PM Page: 2 of 3  Burlington FD April / May Total Incidents Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 INCIDENT TYPE SERIES NAME / INCIDENT TYPE TOTAL CALLS 300 - Rescue, EMS incident, other 1 320 - Emergency medical service incident, other 3 321 - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 1187 322 - Motor vehicle accident with injuries 19 324 - Motor vehicle accident with no injuries. 7 331 - Lock-in (if lock out , use 511 ) 1 353 - Removal of victim(s) from stalled elevator 13 360 - Water & ice-related rescue, other 1 381 - Rescue or EMS standby 4 Rupture/Explosion 1 243 - Fireworks explosion (no fire) 1 Service Call 88 510 - Person in distress, other 1 511 - Lock-out 1 512 - Ring or jewelry removal 1 520 - Water problem, other 1 531 - Smoke or odor removal 2 542 - Animal rescue 1 550 - Public service assistance, other 12 552 - Police matter 7 553 - Public service 10 554 - Assist invalid 38 555 - Defective elevator, no occupants. Includes Elevator alarms. 1 561 - Unauthorized burning 13 Total 1855 Report ID: 51595 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:59 PM Page: 3 of 3 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)  Burlington FD Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 April / May Training Report TOPIC NAMES TOTAL HOURS Aerial Operations 75 Aerial Operations, District Tours 8 Aerial Operations, Driver Training 22 Aerial Operations, Ground Ladder Training 8 Aerial Operations, Ground Ladder Training, PHYS FIT, Search & Rescue 38 Aerial Operations, PADO 38 Aerial Operations, ROPE OPS 1 Aerial Operations, TRUCK OPS 22 BFD ADMIN 4 BFD ADMIN, DEPT ORIENT, HR RECRUITS 36 BFD ADMIN, Ground Ladder Training 36 BFD SKILLS 11 Report ID: 52691 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:52 PM Page: 1 of 4  Burlington FD April / May Training Report Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 TOPIC NAMES TOTAL HOURS BFD SKILLS, Hose Line Stretches, PHYS FIT, Pre-Planning, Standpipe 36 Operations BFD SKILLS, May Day Drills, PHYS FIT, Rapid Intervention Teams, 36 SCBA, Search & Rescue BLDG CONST, District Tours, Pre-Planning, Tactical 144 Tours/Familiarization BLDG CONST, FORC ENTRY, PHYS FIT, Power Saw 44 Use/Familiarization, Pre-Planning BLDG CONST, FORC ENTRY, PHYS FIT, Power Saw 45 Use/Familiarization, SCBA, VENT REC COLLAPSE 1 COMPANY 2 COMPANY, ENGINE OPS 6 DEPT ORIENT, SCBA, SOG Review 36 District Tours 9 District Tours, Pre-Planning, Tactical Tours/Familiarization 78 District Tours, RECRUITS 36 Driver Training 26 Driver Training, EXISTING, NEW 3 Driver Training, PADO, PHYS FIT, Pump Operations 27 EMS CE 31 EMS CE, VT EMS Protocol Review 6 EMS CERT 6 EMS NEW 119 EMS NEW, EMS OUTSIDE, ROPE OPS 26 EMS RECRUITS, RECRUITS 36 ENGINE OPS 7 ENGINE OPS, Hose Line Stretches 45 ENGINE OPS, Standpipe Operations 36 EXTRICATION 2 EXTRICATION, PHYS FIT 36 FORC ENTRY 13 FORC ENTRY, Hose Line Stretches, PHYS FIT, SCBA, Search & 18 Rescue Facilities Tour 10 Facilities Tour, Fire Alarm Systems, Fire Suppression Systems 39 Report ID: 52691 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:52 PM Page: 2 of 4  Burlington FD April / May Training Report Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 TOPIC NAMES TOTAL HOURS Facilities Tour, Fire Alarm Systems, Fire Suppression Systems, 141 Standpipe Operations Facilities Tour, Fire Alarm Systems, Standpipe Operations 30 Fire Inspector CE's 15 Fire Officer 10 Fire Officer , LEADERSHIP 10 Ground Ladder Training, Hose Line Stretches, SCBA, Search & Rescue 27 Ground Ladder Training, PHYS FIT, SOG Review, Search & Rescue 35 Ground Ladder Training, VENT REC 48 Hose Line Stretches 14 Hose Line Stretches, PHYS FIT 36 Hose Line Stretches, Rapid Intervention Teams 18 INDIVIDUAL 2 Inspection 1 MEDIC W/ FTO, Pre-Planning 21 NREMT Cardiology 8 OPEN WATER, PHYS FIT, SWIFT WATER, WATER RESC 54 Officer Development 15 PADO 9 PADO, PHYS FIT 38 PHYS FIT 48 PHYS FIT, ROPE OPS, ROPES 36 PHYS FIT, Radio Training, SCBA, SOG Review 36 PHYS FIT, Rapid Intervention Teams 36 PHYS FIT, TRUCK OPS 27 PHYS FIT, VENT REC 40 Power Saw Use/Familiarization 3 RECRUITS, ROPE OPS, ROPES 12 ROPE OPS 146 ROPE OPS, ROPES 4 ROPES 56 Railroad Safety, Railroad Train Safety, Railroad Yard-Safety 184 Rapid Intervention Teams, SCBA, Search & Rescue 34 Report ID: 52691 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:52 PM Page: 3 of 4  Burlington FD April / May Training Report Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 TOPIC NAMES TOTAL HOURS SWIFT WATER 7 Search & Rescue 8 TRUCK OPS 7 VEH EX REC 27 VT EMS Protocol Review 43 (NULL) 3 Total 2541 Description: Total member training hours for last calendar month Report ID: 52691 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:52 PM Page: 4 of 4 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)  Burlington FD Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 Asset Checks Completed April / May APPARATUS NAME TOTAL CHECKS Ambulance 1 19 Ambulance 2 9 Ambulance 4 33 Ambulance 5 3 Ambulance 6 11 Battalion 1 5 Car 2 1 Car 4 1 Engine 1 13 Engine 3 25 Engine 5 22 Engine 6 7 Report ID: 50258 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:54 PM Page: 1 of 2  Burlington FD Asset Checks Completed April / May Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 APPARATUS NAME TOTAL CHECKS Ladder 2 21 Ladder 4 24 Ladder 6 6 Rescue 1 4 Tower 1 57 Utility 1 3 Total 264 Report ID: 50258 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 01:54 PM Page: 2 of 2 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)  Burlington FD Address: 136 S Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401 Total General Fire Safety Inspections April/May FIRE STATION TOTAL INSPECTIONS COMPLETED Central - Station 1 3 Station 2 3 Station 3 4 Station 4 2 Station 5 2 Total 14 Report ID: 50255 This report was generated on : 06/16/2025 02:39 PM Page: 1 of 1 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)