Aurora Fire Department calls rise 10% in 2022
Fire department call volume in the city rose 10 percent in 2022, according to recently named Fire Chief Matthew McBirney’s annual report.
He said crews responded to 2,216 EMS/rescue calls and 606 fire/other calls in 2022. Total calls were up from 2,542 in 2021 and 2,155 in 2020. Former Fire Chief David Barnes said the call total in 2020 was low because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Over the past 10 years, the combined emergency call volume has increased by more than 50 percent,” said McBirney. “Average response time to fire/other calls was 7.25 minutes and to EMS/rescue calls was 4.43 minutes.”
Fire loss for the year was estimated at $243,752, which was up from $186,978 in 2021. “The 2022 total was primarily from a house fire on Parker Road and a garage fire on Circlewood Drive,” McBirney said. “All fires were extinguished quickly and there were no significant injuries.”
Major department purchases in 2022 included an aerial ladder truck for $900,000, rescue squad for $260,000 and complete removal and replacement of roofing materials at Station 1, which cost $235,000.
“Our 1986 ladder truck was retired, auctioned off and shipped to Brazil, where it is still serving,” said the chief.
There were several personnel changes, including the addition of full-time firefighter/paramedic Noah Wilson. Barnes retired after 45 years with the city, and longtime administrative assistant Joyce Smolen retired and was replaced by Melissa Stanton.
Capt. C.W. Hudson retired and Ed Grecol was promoted to captain, David Horvath was promoted to lieutenant and firefighter/paramedic Matthew Levitt was hired.
The department’s staffing model has eight positions for firefighters/paramedics, with six full-timers assigned to each shift. Twenty-five part-timers fill two positions, plus cover open shifts because of full-timers’ vacations and other leaves. Full-timers work a 56-hour week.
CPR classes, inspections among fire department activities
With public relations and education being a large part of the department’s job, McBirney said firefighter/paramedic David Justus and members of the fire prevention bureau taught fire extinguisher classes to 450 employees of businesses and 250 eighth-graders at Harmon School.
Firefighters/paramedics Mike Overholt and Gus Weir taught CPR classes to adults and school-aged children, and certified 571 people in either Health Care Provider CPR or Heartsaver AED and/or first aid.
The department’s fire prevention bureau reviewed plans, issued permits, conducted acceptance tests for fire sprinkler systems/alarms and made final certificate of occupancy inspections.
Notable commercial projects that required in-depth plan reviews and collaboration with developers were the Ashley Furniture warehouse on Lena Drive and the K-M Tire warehouse on Francis D. Kenneth Drive.
Other business locations where the department provided assistance were Avanton and Piping Rock on Lena Drive, McMaster-Carr on Aurora Industrial Parkway, Layer Zero on Harris Drive and Anna Maria of Aurora on Route 43 north.
Personnel were involved with 380 fire safety inspections of commercial properties, 205 followup inspections, 192 notices of corrective action and several follow-ups to ensure compliance with the Ohio Fire Code.
Twenty-six residents requested lockboxes, which contain a key to the resident’s home and allow first responders to gain entry when a resident cannot make it to a locked door. The total number of lockboxes in circulation is now 169.
The department continued its partnership with the Aurora One Fund’s smoke detector program, in which the latter supplies smoke detectors at no charge and FD personnel install them in homes of residents who cannot afford them.
Firefighters participated in many community events, including Safety Town, July 4 festivities/fireworks, National Night Out, fall festival, community block parties, Christmas tree lighting and an American Red Cross bloodmobile.
Among monthly training topics for personnel were University Hospitals protocol updates, shock, poison response, Ohio trauma triage protocols, pediatric respiratory and other emergencies, sepsis, sports related injuries and firefighter physical fitness.
Some of the fire training exercises focused on fire engine operations, auto extrication and stabilization, boat operations and trailering, advancing small and large hand lines through a structure, ladder truck driving and CO emergencies.
Some local firefighters participated in Portage County Search and Rescue and Portage County Water Rescue teams’ drills and shuttles, and some were members of the county fire investigation unit, which had 19 callouts in 2022.
“The many public education and community events we participate in is a chance to interactwith residents under more relaxed conditions than when we show up to provideemergency services,” said McBirney. “We feel privileged to have wide support in our community, and maintaining that relationship is our highest priority.”
Contact the newspaper at auroraadvocate@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Calls to the Aurora fire department increase by 10% in 2022
