Report - Oswego Fire Protection District

Oswego Fire Protection
District
End of the Year Report 2015
Semper Pius
The Oswego Fire Protection District has a long and proud history of protecting the lives of people
and businesses in and around Kendall County and is firmly grounded in the fact that the saving of life
can come in many forms.
The members of the department have seen many changes and experiences over the last year; the
retirement of Chief Rick Neitzer after nearly three decades of service, the completion and dedication of
the Ray Hoff Memorial Training Center, numerous seminars and classes hosted at OFPD, promotional
testing, 30,000+ hours of training, delivery of a new Medic 1, the hosting of the Andrew Fredericks Memorial Golf Tournament, yet another “explosive” victory in the Optimist Club Pumpkin Races and a fantastic set of Christmas blessings through the Meat Raffle and the Toys for Tots programs to name a few.
Throughout the year, our members have directly impacted, improved and saved countless lives
through their aggressive Emergency Medical treatment, rescue services, and Fire attack actions. But,
we also know that saving a life can be hidden in less obvious actions such as; providing a meal for an
underprivileged family or delivering some Christmas presents to those who would normally go without.
It may be seen by limiting fire loss through successful and aggressive Fire Prevention activities, or in
effective defensive driving practices, or even in a quiet consolation of someone who has suffered a
great loss. Regardless of how “heroic” our actions may or may not seem on the surface, they are all significant. Each interaction we have with the public, interns, students, and cooperating agencies defines
what the Oswego Fire Protection District stands for and who “we” are.
I am sure that 2016 will offer a similar blend of victories and defeats, of challenges and joys, and
of smiles and sorrows as 2015 offered… however, we, as a unit, are poised to make great strides in the
protection of property and the saving of life. We are well trained, well equipped, dedicated and courageous, but none of us can stop there. We must continue to reach farther, as to a child lost in blinding
smoke, we must challenge each other to grow new knowledge and skills as we would for a new firefighter, and we must dedicate ourselves to this most noble profession…since so often, we may only
have one shot at saving a life…and we know that one second too late, or too soon…and we fail in our
mission.
In closing, I want to thank all of the members of the Oswego Fire Protection District , Local #4773,
the Board of Trustees and Fire Commission, and all of those we partner with in the “saving of life and
protecting of property”, for your continued support, assistance, hard work, and dedication. I am proud
to be serving with each of you and I look forward to the year(s) ahead. As we look ahead to all that
awaits us, as we face the trials and turmoil ahead, I am reminded of something that Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr. once stated which acts to help keep me focused. He said that, “Life’s most persistent and urgent
question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Respectfully,
Chief “V”
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Station #1
3511 Woolley Rd.
Oswego, IL, 60543
2013- 1,115 Calls for Service
2014- 1,137 Calls for Service
Central Station
2015- 1,001 Calls for Service
Station #2
2200 Weisbrook Dr.
Oswego, IL, 60543
2013- 1,919 Calls for Service
2014- 2,132 Calls for Service
2015- 2,073 Calls for Service
Station 2
Station #3
2200 Galena Rd.
Montgomery, IL, 60538
2013- 1,203 Calls for Service
2014- 1,293 Calls for Service
Station 3
2015- 1,414 Calls for Service
Station #4
27100 W 127th St.
Plainfield, IL, 60585
2013- 162 Calls for Service
2014- 187 Calls for Service
Station 4
2015- 215 Calls for Service
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Our History
The Oswego Volunteer Fire Protection District began as a village fire department after
a fire destroyed the Congregational Church in Oswego in 1893. On July 17, 1895 the
village purchased a hose and hose cart, and by August 28 of the same year, a fire company was formed. A hose house was added to the town council house at 65 Washington Street in June of 1897. In 1898 a bell was placed in a tower atop the house to signal the firemen for a call. This bell stood in front of Station 1 on Main Street in downtown Oswego until the end of 2009 when Station 1 moved into a new facility on Woolley Road. It is now once again proudly displayed at its new home at 3511 Woolley
Road.
Following a devastating fire that destroyed several buildings at a local farm, area farmers decided something had to be done to protect their interests. In 1936, the Oswego
Fire Protection District was formed by voter referendum, covering all of Oswego
Township and part of Will County. The district now also covers the majority of Na-Au
-Say Township and a portion of Bristol Township. Andrew Pierce, Glenn Leigh,
James Steward and Wally Davis were appointed the first commissioners.
In 1986 the district began providing full-time advanced life support emergency medical
services in addition to the traditional fire suppression services. With the additions of
Station 2 in 1998 and Station 3 in 2004, the fire protection district slowly transitioned
from a primarily volunteer organization to one that consisted of full-time paramedic
firefighters working 24 hour shifts providing protection 365 days a year. Station 4 was
manned in 2006, and in June of 2008 the fire protection district shifted from contract
paramedic firefighters to a full time department with the swearing-in of 54 districtemployed paramedic firefighters. Although no longer used to cover every call, a part
time program is still in existence today, and is relied on for manpower and experience
during heavy volume times, as well as general alarms within the district.
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Mission Statement
The Oswego Fire Protection District has been established to provide the citizenry
of the District with professional fire prevention, fire suppression and emergency
medical services. To this end, the District must constantly strive to attain, as well
as maintain, the confidence and respect of the community which it serves. This can
only be accomplished through the constant and earnest endeavors of all District
employees to perform all duties and assignments in an efficient, honest and professional manner. It is equally important that all employees realize that, through exemplary conduct, we must continually strive to foster and enhance the realization
that the Oswego Fire Protection District is an important requisite to the well being
of the entire community.
Oath Of Office
All members and part time personnel shall take the following oath:
I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States of
America and that of the State of Illinois; that I will familiarize myself with and be
obedient to the policies, rules, regulations and orders of the Oswego Fire Protection District; and that I will faithfully serve the Oswego Fire Protection District in
the discharge of my duties as a (Firefighter, Firefighter/Paramedic, Lieutenant,
Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief and Chief) to the best of
my knowledge and ability.
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The Oswego Fire Protection District
owns and maintains numerous
vehicles and apparatus. Our
inventory of vehicles is ever-changing
with both additions and the retirement
of vehicles (surplus).
Station #1
Car 1
2013 Ford Intercept Utility Vehicle
Car 2
2008 Ford Expedition
Battalion 1 2012 Ford Expedition
Medic 1
2015 Ford F550 (newest vehicle in the fleet, took delivery in 2015)
Truck 1
2010 Pierce 100’ platform
Medic 5
Certified OFPD
2001 American LeFrance (declared surplus in 2015) Firefighter /
Mechanics logged
2011 Ford F350
more than 2,229 hours
2011 E-One 3,500 gallon Tanker
working in the shop
2006 International
maintaining our fleet .
Car 4
1994 GMC Suburban
Car 5
2005 GMC Envoy (Fire Marshal Vehicle)
Car 6
2004 GMC Envoy
Car 7
2007 Ford Expedition
Squad 1
1992 E-One
Squad 4
1999 Ford F-250
Squad 7
1994 E-One
Squad 8
2000 International
Boat 2
(Boat 1&2 have a trailer)
Antique
1936 Ford
TRT Trailer
2009
Antique
1929 Model A
UTV Trailer
2015
Engine 1
Grass 1
Tender 1
Boat 1
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OFPD acquired a decontamination trailer
from Rush Copley Hospital. The trailer is
currently being reconditioned for
operational use.
Station #2
Medic 2
2010 International
Engine 2
2013 E-One
Engine 22 2003 Pierce
Station #3
Medic 3
2009 International
Engine 3
2006 Pierce
Engine 32 1995 E-One (declared surplus in 2015)
Station #4
Medic 4
2005 International
Engine 4
1998 E-One
New Addition
In 2015 the OFPD received a grant from the Illinois Public Risk Fund. We were able to
obtain a 2016 four-seat Gator with all the necessary equipment. We also purchased two
skids for the vehicle. The first is an EMS skid, and the second is a brush truck skid. In
addition to the two skids, the project also included a trailer to house and deploy the Gator and skids. This new addition was added in December of 2015 and the in-house shop
is working diligently to get it operational and in service.
On Order
The OFPD has placed an order for a 2016 E-One Engine and we expect to take delivery
in March of 2016.
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2015 Mutual Aid Received By Station
Incidents by Hour of Day 2015
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2015 Day vs Night Incidents
2015 Auto-Aid given by Station
Total Calls for 2015 – 4,703
Mutual Aid Given 2013, 2014, 2015
Average Travel time in Seconds/ Station
Incidents by Month
Calendar
Year
Calendar
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2013
363
341
355
399
358
368
374
375
324
354
365
423
2014
486
429
345
309
367
413
381
369
434
414
378
424
2015
453
361
399
378
397
387
363
394
371
381
398
421
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Ipad Inspections Completed By Station 2015
Alarm Acceptance Tests Completed 2015
Sprinkler Hydrostatic Tests Completed
Oswego Fire Crews completed 726 Pre-Fire
Building Reviews
Fire Alarm Plan Reviews – 64
Hood Inspection Tests Completed 2015
Sprinkler System Plan Reviews – 44
Hood Plan Reviews – 8
Project Review Group reviews - 40
Oswego Fire Prevention Bureau conducted
two hands-on live fire extinguisher training
classes for local private businesses and their
employees (20+ personnel)
Oswego Fire updated its Fire Prevention
Code to incorporate the 2012 Edition of the
International Fire Code
Fire Prevention Personnel conducted in excess of 100 Final/Safety
Inspections for New/Change of Occupancy businesses
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ISO – Class 2 Public Classification Rating
The Oswego Fire Protection District invited in the Insurance Services Office
(ISO) reviewers for a multiple-day, intensive review of the Fire District itself, its
water supplies, and its emergency communications systems, resulting in a
classification rating improvement from a Class 3 to a Class 2. This represents a
significant improvement. Of the approximate 48,855 fire departments in the
entire country, only 97 have achieved the elite Class 1
Classification and 917 the Class 2 rating - which correlates into
Oswego Fire having achieved a rating higher than 97.9% of fire
departments across the entire United States.
In coordination with our
local Village and County
Planning & Zoning communities, Oswego Fire participated in 40 Project Review
Groups - which is intended
for developers looking to
initiate new growth projects within the district.
False Fire Alarm Fines Waived - $2650
False Fire Alarm No-Fine
Notices - 32
False Fire Alarm Fines Paid - $2550
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Emergency Medical Services
Oswego Fire and EMS crews received call of the quarter
for each of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Quarters of 2015. This
award is given by the SFVEMS office. Calls are reviewed
by the cardiac committee and cardiologist. The call must
be a stemi (Heart attack) that showed
excellent care, short scene times and early
recognition by the crew in the field.
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The EMS office provided training to
School District personnel on how to remove and care for
special needs
students in
emergent
situations.
Emergency Medical Services
Oswego EMS Mentored 4 Paramedic Students
In 2015 Oswego EMS crews mentored and
trained 4 paramedic students for the
Southern Fox Valley EMS System
Paramedic Class. These four students
rode with our crews for approximately one
year to obtain the requirements to become a certified paramedic in
the State of Illinois.
Oswego EMS crews hosted
and delivered several
seminars and training sessions, including an intubation obstacle course.
Oswego Fire personnel
taught more than 18 CPR
and First Aid Classes
with more than 150 students. These included
the BLS for Healthcare
Providers, as well as the
Heartsaver for Adult /
Pediatric / Infant certifications. Both these
courses also include
the use of the AED.
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October was a busy
month for the OFPD.
We hosted our annual
open house. More than
200 people attended
the open house. Families were able to pick
up a passport to safety.
The passport allowed
them to travel from
safety island to safety
island learning about
fire prevention.
We are often invited to
participate in community events. In 2015
OFPD crews logged
more than 80 community events in which we
attended or participated. These included
events such as block
parties, 5k’s, the
Christmas Walk, Prairie
fest weekend, the
Bunny Hop, and
National Night
Out.
Crews logged more
than 100 Public Education events in
2015.
The Toys for Tots drive was a huge success. OFPD members
volunteered their time to team up with the Marines, Oswego
School District 308 Jr. High Schools, the Oswego Optimist
Club and the local community. Together we collected over
5,000 toys and 75 new bicycles. This year the Oswego
Meijer store donated $9,000 toward the toy drive.
Chief Veseling agreed to take
a pie in the face at one of our
community events. This
helped to raise more that 1,000
toys by Thompson Jr High
School. He ended up taking
numerous pies as you can see.
Oswego Fire’s National Child Passenger Safety Technicians continued both walk-in and by appointment child safety seat installations,
which includes both validation that
an existing seat is correctly installed, as well as education and
assistance for the new installation for expectant
families and newly purchased car seats.
The Scholarship program continued in 2015 with this
year’s two students, Quinn Parlier and Kaitlyn
Olcott each being awarded a $500.00 Scholarship in
honor of Retired Fire Chief Rick Neitzer.
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Guess Who?
On at least 11 different occasions
Oswego Fire hosted outside personnel as ”riders” for the day, allowing for students, aspiring firefighters, and local governmental
personnel to get a feel for what it’s
like to be an Oswego Firefighter/
Paramedic for the day.
Firefighters gave a ride to school in a fire
truck this fall after a youngster won the ride
at our annual Open house.
The OFPD Honor Guard logged over 400 hours of event time in
2015. The Honor Guard has become a staple at many of the
yearly local events. Seven OFPD members volunteer to be a member of
the Honor Guard. Unfortunately, the Honor Guard attended several funerals this past year The Honor Guard stays busy and has logged more than
30 events over the last year.
The OFPD Pipes and Drums
Corps continued to volunteer
time to many events throughout
the year. They are pictured
here at our golf outing.
Oswego Fire Local 4773
continues to work side
by side with the District
to deliver the best
service possible to our
community.
Through a partnership with the OFPD,
the Local raised $2,800 from the Meat
Raffle for the annual Christmas Gift
Program. Gifts and goods were purchased for 8 needy families this holiday season.
Local 4773 worked very hard alongside the
OFPD to host a golf outing to benefit the
Andrew Frederick’s Memorial Foundation. This
was a huge success, with golfers from around
the country coming to Oswego. Together
$15,000 was raised for this worthy cause.
The Local has also
been running two gun
raffles during the year
to raise money for the
union benevolent fund.
The local held its first
ever family picnic. This
was a huge success and
had a large turnout from
the Oswego members.
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Training hours logged per category 2015
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Training hours logged per category 2015
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Training hours logged per category 2015
Ray Hoff Training Facility
In 2015 we dedicated a new
training facility to Ray Hoff.
The new Ray Hoff Memorial Training Facility has
been of great value. OFPD
firefighters have been
using the facility for all
types of fire ground
operations including
logging over 400 hours of
live fire training. The facility is also being utilized by
outside agencies, including
Waubonsee Community
College, Chief Shabbona
Fire Academy, Romeoville
Fire Academy and the
Montgomery Fire
Department. Waubonsee
put through an entire Basic
Firefighter Operations
course including Modules
A, B and C.
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OFPD members continue to seek out and
educate themselves through outside
seminars, classes and certification
courses. Some outside courses taken this
year included: Truck Operations, First in
Company Officer School, Vehicle Machinery Operations and Cause and Origin.
Average number of training hours per firefighter– 357.1549.
OFPD hosted 6 seminars with over 350 in attendance.
More than 18 cars were used for extrication training.
All OFPD members
completed an Engine
Company Operations
course.
OFPD hosted a 120
Hour Cause and Origin
course certified by the
State of Illinois. Several
members attended this
course and obtained
certification.
Members received monthly officer development
training.
OFPD had two acquired structures that were used extensively
for all types of training, including but not limited to, search,
hose advancement, ladders and ventilation.
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FOIA REQUESTFOIA Officer:
Wendy Held
Oswego Fire Protection District
3511 Woolley Road
Oswego, Illinois 60543
Fax Number: 630 554-8681
Attn: FOIA Officer Held
REQUESTING A FIRE REPORTTo request a fire report a written request must be received. This request may be dropped off at Station #1 at 3511 Woolley Road in
Oswego; it may be faxed to 630 383-0301; or it may be mailed to 3511 Woolley Road, Oswego Fire Dept. Oswego, Illinois 60543. All
written requests shall have the following information:




Name of person requesting report
Date of incident
Full address of incident
Fax/address of location to receive the report
Whenever possible, reports will be provided to the requestor via return fax.
REQUESTING AN AMBULANCE REPORTYou may request a copy of your ambulance report by contacting the executive assistant at 630 554-2110, faxing the request to 630 5548681, or sending the request via the website contact request form.
REQUESTING OTHER INFORMATIONRequests for other reports or information of another nature can be made by contacting the administrative assistant at 630 554-2110,
faxing the request to 630 554-8681, or sending the request via the website contact request form.
Contact Information
Oswego Fire Protection District
3511 Woolley Rd.
Oswego, Ill, 60543
630-554-2110 Central Station
www.oswegofire.com
Fire Chief Michael Veseling
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