Sedgwick County Fire District #1
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
Revised 04/22/2005

Fire Chief Gary Curmode
Administration | Operations / Safety Training | Medical | Fire Prevention | Vehicle Maintenance

General

Sedgwick County Fire District #1 provides fire protection and emergency medical service response for approximately 631 square miles of Sedgwick County, primarily the unincorporated areas of the county and the following cites: Bel Aire, Kechi, Park City, Maize, Bentley, Andale, Garden Plain, Goddard, Viola, Haysville, and Furley.

In 2007, the Sedgwick County Fire District No. 1 was supported primarily by a district-wide property tax of 18.556 mills. Other revenue sources include ad valorem taxes, inspections fees, building rentals, hazardous materials response fees, and other charges for services. The total 2007 adopted budget of $15,975,275 allowed for the construction of new stations, maintained staffing and operations of administration, safety/training, fire prevention departments; and the eight district fire stations.

Honored in 2003 as only one of 90+ accredited fire departments worldwide, Sedgwick County Fire District No. 1 has reached the end of its first five-year accreditation term. Throughout the past year, staff worked to prepare a revised reaccreditation document for presentation to a Center for Public Safety Excellence peer assessment team prior to a site visit in the spring of 2008. This effort required an extensive rewrite of the District’s Standard of Coverage document in conjunction with a revision of its Risk/Hazards Analysis Plan.

Complementing this activity was an in-depth analysis of 10 performance categories as outlined in CPSE’s Fire and Emergency Services Self-Assessment Manual, Seventh Edition. Appropriate information was added, deleted, and rewritten to accurately reflect changes that have occurred since the 2003 accreditation process. A comprehensive document will be sent to CPSE in late January 2008
 

Administration

Administrative Personnel
Chief Administrative Officer	Office Specialist	Part-Time Application  Specialist
LaWanda Deshazer	Janice Robinson	John Leslie

Sedgwick County Fire District #1, administrative personnel play a key role with the every day function of the Fire District, from bookkeeping to control of the department's budget.

The administrative offices are located on the lower level of Station 37. The administration can be reached by calling (316) 660-3473 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. After hours, our voice mail system notifies staff members of messages waiting. You can also reach the administration by fax, mail, and/or e-mail at the following:

Sedgwick County Fire District #1
4343 N. Woodlawn
Wichita, Kansas   67220-3837
Fax:  (316) 744-0944
e-mail:  scfd@sedgwick.gov

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Operations / Safety-Training

Operations / Safety-Training Personnel
Deputy Chief Rick Brazill
A-shift	B-Shift	C-Shift
Battalion 32 – North Division
Chief Stewart Segraves	Chief Carl Cox	Chief Eddie Fajardo
Battalion 34 – South Division
Chief Terry Mauldin	Chief David Matthew	Chief Ron Reavis

The Operations Division is led by Deputy Chief Rick Brazill. His office is located at Station 37 in the administrative offices. He can be reached at (316) 660-3473 or via e-mail.

The North Division Chief (Battalion 32) is housed at Station 32. The battalion consists of Stations 31, 32, 33 and 37. The South Division Chief (Battalion 34) is housed at Station 34. The battalion consists of Stations 34, 35, 36 and 38. They can be reached at (316) 660-3473 or via e-mail.

A division chief, serving as Battalion 32 or 34, on each of the three shifts manages the daily operations of the department. Operations personnel work a 24/48 shift (24 hours on duty and 48 hours off duty). Each shift consists of two division chiefs, eight station captains, seven lieutenants, and 24 firefighters for a total of 41 line personnel on duty daily. All Operations personnel are Kansas Certified EMTs' and eight are Kansas Certified EMICTs'.

SCFD #1 has an Enhanced First Responder agreement with WFD. In addition, the District has Automatic Aid agreements with Andover Fire and Rescue Department and Butler County Fire District #3, (Rose Hill). SCFD also has numerous Mutual Aid agreements with the surrounding Sedgwick County Volunteer Fire Departments.

Operations

The year 2007 was especially active for the OPERATIONS DIVISION of Sedgwick County Fire District No. 1. Fire station relocations, large-scale training activities, new apparatus deliveries, and several major response incidents superseded the otherwise routine activities of the Division.

The fire station relocation plan first adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2005 began to take shape. The scheduled opening of new Station 33 in January 2008 will relocate this five-man station from near Colwich to 10625 West 53rd Street North in the city of Maize. This is the first of five stations to be relocated over the next two years.

The District received approval from the BOCC and County Manager’s Office to revise the plan in 2008 to relocate Station 35 to 199th Street West and Kellogg in Goddard, and to build the District’s ninth Station, Station 39, at a yet-to-be-determined location in southwestern Sedgwick County. Six new firefighter positions were also approved this year to raise staffing levels to accommodate Station 39.

The District’s fourth new-hire recruit academy was held in March and April of 2007 and brought seven new firefighters into our ranks. The recruit academy concept was developed in 2004 with the first recruit academy beginning in January 2005.

The recruit academy is six weeks in length and consists of approximately 300 hours of training. Upon completion of the academy, each recruit firefighter participates in a public graduation ceremony and is presented with a badge and a certificate of completion by the Fire Chief. Once the recruit graduates from the academy, he/she is given a shift and station assignment. The recruit’s training continues throughout the first year with station crews and through other District activities. The academy approach has proved to be a very successful way to bring in newly-hired firefighters and prepare them for the demands of life in the station.

In October, emergency response professionals including technical rescue, EMS, law enforcement, SWAT, emergency management, local hospitals, government officials, and incident commanders came together to participate at a large-scale response event—the Community Integrated Disaster Response Exercise (CIDRE). This exercise encompassed all aspects of a disaster’s mitigation and ran nonstop for more than 48 hours. Participants were required to complete a specific track of classroom work prior to participating in the “Capstone Event,” or mock disaster.

The District’s Technical Rescue and Hazardous Materials Teams responded to two major incidents outside Sedgwick County in 2007.

On May 4, a major tornado struck Greensburg, nearly destroying the entire town of 1,500 residents. Within the first few hours of the incident, the Technical Rescue Team was requested and responded to the Greensburg disaster. Over the next ten days, the Technical Rescue and Hazardous Materials Teams were at work in Greensburg assisting with search and rescue and hazardous materials emergencies.

The second major incident of 2007 began on July 1 with flooding in Coffeyville. Ninety thousand gallons of crude oil were accidently released from a refinery and were carried into the community by rising floodwaters. Sedgwick County Fire District No.1 was again asked to respond to this incident. Both the Technical Rescue and Hazardous Materials teams were deployed to Coffeyville along with our Incident Management Team.

On July 17, the District responded to Valley Center to assist with a major fire at the Barton Solvents tank farm facility. Stations 31, 32, 33, and 37 were called upon, along with Boeing Fire Department, McConnell AFB Fire Department, Wichita Fire Department, and Frontier Refinery Fire Department to control this incident.

Hazardous Materials Team

The District’s HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM continues to operate as part of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Hazardous Materials Task Force. This joint response effort involves funding, personnel, and equipment from Sedgwick County Emergency Management, Sedgwick County Fire District No. 1, and the City of Wichita Fire Department. Incidents requiring advanced capabilities anywhere within the borders of Sedgwick County are handled by the Task Force, while less demanding incidents receive a response limited to the appropriate jurisdiction’s team.

To maintain a high level of response capability, the District’s HazMat team completed several hundred hours of outside training in 2007. In March, Sedgwick County hosted the 80-hour Hazardous Materials Technician course sponsored by the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office. Seven District firefighters completed this course. In October, Task Force crews completed two days of training with Kansas National Guard’s 73rd Civil Support Team.

In November, Sedgwick County hosted an eight-hour Hazardous Materials Technician refresher course. Twenty- five team members completed this course and required competencies. The annual Kansas HazMat Symposium was relocated from Wichita to Overland Park and five District team members attended the three-day training event. Several team members also attended federally-sponsored specialty training in Alabama and New Mexico.

Serving as part of the Kansas HazMat Regional Response Team, sponsored by the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office, District HazMat technicians saw two major deployments in the state during 2007—the Greensburg tornado and major flooding in Coffeyville. The Regional Response Team is in place to assist areas of the state, whose resources may be depleted or inadequate, to mitigate a large, complex, or lengthy incident.

Technical Rescue Team

The TECHNICAL RESCUE team is a specialized group of firefighters that responds to emergency calls involving confined spaces, high-angle, swiftwater, trench cave-ins, building collapses, and SCUBA rescues. The team responds jointly with its counterpart from the Wichita Fire Department to provide the highest level of expertise available within the Sedgwick County area.

To strengthen the team’s water rescue response to floods, seven team members participated in a technician-level swift water rescue class in 2007.
The rescue team trained in Colorado with a six-day technician-level class that was held on the Arkansas River near Salida, Colorado. The course included training in boat operations, low-head dam rescues, and night operations. In May, the Technical Rescue team joined other local, state, and federal agencies in working to mitigate hazards and search the tornado-devastated town of Greensburg.

In October, the team joined forces with a contingent of rescuers from South Carolina Task Force 1, and many other local and state agencies, for the Community Integrated Disaster Response Exercise (CIDRE). The event simulated the detonation of a mobile explosive device that resulted in the collapse of a large commercial structure with 60 simulated victims trapped inside. Crews worked 16-hour rotating shifts breaching concrete, cutting structural steel, moving large objects with a crane, and administrating emergency medical care.

This event, along with Structural Collapse Technician classes in 2006, were part of Sedgwick County’s continued pursuit of two major objectives —the formation of a regional response rescue team for south-central Kansas and the potential formation of a state urban search and rescue team. The District, in cooperation with other state agencies, continues the process of forming these teams to support any agency in the state dealing with technical rescues or urban search and rescue incidents, both natural and man-made.

SWAT Tactical Medic Team

The SWAT Tactical Medic Team is comprised of specially trained Sedgwick County Fire District #1 and Wichita Fire Department Paramedics. Thisteam assists by providing emergency medical support on critical situations that involve the Wichita Police Department SWAT Team. Tactical Medics are commissioned law enforcement officers and have completed the Counter Narcotics & Terrorism Operational Medical Support (CONTOMS) national certification program.

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Safety/Training/Medical

Safety/Training/Medical Division Personnel

Division Chief “Buddy” Pressnell

Captain Don Paget

The Safety/Training/Medical Division is led by Division Chief “Buddy” Pressnell. His office is located at Station 37 in the administrative offices. He can be reached at (316) 660-3473 or via e-mail. The Medical Division Chief is assisted by the North Battalion Chiefs as needed for Safety/Training, Accident & Injury review, and other medical related issues as requested.

Safety-Training

Year-round training continues with area agencies in all aspects of fire district responses. The Safety Division investigates any accident involving District personnel and property. This division maintains a Health Committee, a Safety Committee, as well as an Accident Review Board.

The Peer Fitness program was in full swing with all District personnel participating in a rigorous fitness assessment given at Station 34. This assessment is being used to design personalized programs to assist members in achieving optimal health and fitness during their career. These are all aimed at keeping employees safe and healthy.

Medical

Responses involving Emergency Medical Services are a large part of the duties of Fire District No. 1 personnel. To support them in this endeavor, as well as maintain competency and certification as Basic Emergency Medical Technicians, the MEDICAL/SAFETY-TRAINING DIVISION provided approximately 500 hours of medical continuing education in 2007.

This included updating cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills, training in transition of patient care, patient assessment, and adult cardiac arrest skills. Training was also provided to Sedgwick County Emergency Management personnel and members of the Bentley, Kansas Fire and EMS volunteer service.

Groundwork was completed this year in preparation for credentialing of all District personnel holding a certification through the Kansas Board of EMS. About 25 District personnel, both EMTs and MICTs, will be credentialed in 2008. Credentialing through the District’s medical director ensures that all personnel rendering medical assistance possess the skills and knowledge necessary to provide the best possible care. Following this initial credentialing, all certified personnel will be credentialed on a four-year rotating cycle.

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Fire Prevention

Fire Prevention Personnel
Fire Marshal – Tim Millspaugh
Division Chief – Walter Rooney
Investigation / Inspection
Captain Kevin Holman	Captain Tavis Leake
Public Education
Lieutenant Patti Peterson

The Fire Prevention Division is lead by Fire Marshal Tim Millspaugh. His office is located at Station 37 in the administrative offices. He can be reached at (316) 660-3473 or via e-mail.

The FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION consists of five employees who perform building inspections, plan reviews, public education, fire investigations, code enforcement, and similar activities.

In 2007, the Division conducted 77 fire investigations of which two-thirds were structure fires. Fifteen confirmed arson fires were investigated during the year with 11 arrests made by District investigators. The District is pleased to report there were no civilian fire fatalities in 2007.

The Division’s Inspection Section, which also includes fire company officers, performed 1,647 fire inspections on commercial buildings within the District. The Inspection Section has three certified inspectors through the International Code Council, and one inspector certified as a Fire Protection Specialist through the National Fire Protection Association.

The Plan Review Section reviewed 128 sets of building plans representing $84,484,741 worth of commercial building projects with an average review time of 8.78 working days. While this is almost a $9 million decrease from 2006, it is still well above the 10-year average of $77,161,018.

The Public Education Section’s mission is to create more positive attitudes toward fire and life safety behaviors and inform the public of methods to prevent fires. Fire Prevention Education is provided through ongoing education programs and public awareness campaigns that help people make informed decisions regarding safety. In 2007 educational programs were delivered through cooperative development and planning with other state and fire service organizations to 34,322 children and 24,498 adults. The section continues its strong commitment to the Fire and Burn Safety Alliance of South Central Kansas, Inc. to reach our high-risk audiences, including juvenile fire setters. Twenty youth fire setters and their families were assisted with assessment and intervention in 2007. The Adopt-A-School Program continues to provide safety education and mentoring in local schools.

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Vehicle Maintenance  

Vehicle Maintenance Personnel
Captain Gary Boomershine	Captain Brian Richey
Volunteer Lieutenant Robert Schneider

The Vehicle Maintenance Division is located within the Sedgwick County Fleet Management facility at Stillwell Yards. The liaison for Vehicle Maintenance is the Director of Fleet Management, Marvin Duncan. They can be reached at (316) 660-7475 or (316) 660-7476 or via e-mail.

The FIRE MAINTENANCE DIVISION continued to operate from the Sedgwick County Fleet Management facility at 1015 West StilIwell during 2007. With the exception of salaries, Fleet Management provides all support to the Fire Maintenance Division including, but not limited to, use of facilities, stockroom support, use of fleet software and administrative services.

In 2007, all front-line equipment was on a four-month preventive maintenance inspection and service cycle. Conducting thorough inspections and repairs ensured equipment quality and increased equipment availability. In addition, all staff vehicles were placed on a 4,000-mile preventive maintenance and inspection cycle. All reserve equipment is scheduled for preventive maintenance and inspection every six months.

Throughout the year, fire technicians created 410 work orders that included 161 road calls, 143 preventive maintenance inspections, 9 vendor warranties, 30 vendor repairs, and the remainder for general maintenance. To support these work orders, $21,248 worth of stocked parts were issued and $23,262 worth of non-stocked parts were issued. Repairs not feasible for in-shop technicians were sublet to outside venders at a cost of $40,515.

Overall, fire maintenance continues to search for improvement areas and solicits comments from the users by survey, e-mail, telephone and face-to-face contact with operators.
 

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