Community2010 Year in Review

Report to the

West Metro Fire Rescue

The year 2010 was a year during which West MetroFire Rescue embraced therapidly expanding world of technology to improve theway we deliver services. WestMetro Fire Rescue has alwaysrelied upon technology forour daily work. Whether weare monitoring cardiacrhythms or using infraredcameras to track heat sources,technology plays a significantrole in our daily operations.

West Metro is now part of thesocial networking community, using this technology to boost communication and education efforts. RSS feeds,Tweets, Facebook Postings,Flickr pictures, YouTubevideos and our new websiteare helping West Metro reachout and deliver life safetyservices and information on adaily basis. westmetrofire.org

Community2010 Year in Review

Report to the

Letter to the Community

I always appreciate the opportunity to let you know how much weenjoy serving you. West Metro Fire Rescue continues to see ourcall volume increase, especially for emergency medical calls. Ourability to have a fire fighter paramedic on every piece of fire apparatus allows us to efficiently and effectively serve those inneed.

We have increased our fire fighters’ training and are truly an all-hazard agency. We continue to maximize training hours at the Training Centerwithout requiring our personnel to leave the District. We are expanding the marketing efforts for the West Metro Fire Rescue Training Center so that we canreach out to other fire and emergency agencies to assist them in meeting their trainingrequirements and increase our revenues.

For the first time in the last 16 years we had to postpone and reschedule our annualFamily Fire Muster. Our original June date was inundated by heavy rain and wemoved it to August. We had great weather, slightly less participation because of thechange in date, but enjoyed a great August summer day. All those who participatedlearned a lot about safety and had a great time.

We completed the rebuild of Fire Stations 4 and 8. These two incredible facilities willserve our fire fighters and surrounding communities well into the future. We alsobroke ground on Fire Station 5, our final fire station to be rebuilt, which will be completed summer of 2011. We look forward to the challenges 2011 will bring andthe opportunity to continue serving you. Please take care and be safe.

Sincerely,

Douglas McBeeFire Chief

Fire-Related Calls8,086

West Metro responded to 403 confirmedstructure fires in 2010. Top 3 causes offire: w Equipment Failure/ Heat Source (furnace, dryer, appliance) w Smoking Materials (matches, lighters, cigarettes, etc.) w Electrical

WEST METRO FIRE RESCUE

2010 CALLS Medical Calls

15,840

66% of West Metro’s responses are formedical emergencies:

w 68% Medical/Illness w 32% Trauma/Injury

Total Calls 23,926

Fire, Medical and Rescue Response

In 2010, West Metro Fire Rescue responded to 23, 926 emergencies. The majority (66%) of our911 emergencies continue to be for medical illness and injury. Several unusual incidents in2010 left lasting impressions.

During the dry, summer months and into the fall,West Metro responded to several grass and wildland fires. Two of the most significant fires occurred along the hogback - one near C-470 andMorrison Road in August and a second near the Lockheed Martin complex in October.

Easter morning brought a crash of a helicopter ontop of Mount Morrison and a semi-truck load ofhay caught fire during an afternoon rush hour onC470 in April. Much to our community’s dismay,West Metro paramedics responded to a shootingin February at Deer Creek Middle School. Fortunately, everyone survived that terrible incident.

West Metro operates an internal apparatus replacement fund that enables us to replace very expensive trucks and equipment when they have run their course without asking thetaxpayers to fund new equipment.

West Metro replaced two medic units and twofire engines in 2010. Fire engines are generallyreplaced every 20 years and ambulances replaced every ten because of the high mileagethey accrue.

Apparatus

This chart illustrates the number of calls the crews assigned to each station respondedto in 2010. The total number is different from the total number of incidents (23,926)because multiple resources respond to individual incidents. Some stations house morethan one response vehicle, while others operate as a single resource.

Call Response by Station

West Metro completed construction on Station 4 (on Green Mountain/West Alameda)and Station 8 (near Jewell and Garrison). Station 5 in the Applewood community wasdemolished and construction on the final bond-funded project began. Station 5 will reopen summer 2011 bringing with it much needed technologies and space for the firefighters who work there.

Station Construction Update

Station 4 Station 8

Station 5

Reopens Summer 2011

The West Metro Fire Rescue Training Center celebrated its first full year of operationand provided thousands of hours of training to West Metro Fire Fighters. Dozens of regional and national training events were held at the center, bringing tremendous opportunities to further develop fire fighter skills and knowledge.

West Metro Fire Rescue Training Center

Beyond running the daily medical calls, West Metro’s emergency medical serviceswere required at many major events through-out our District. In 2010, those events included Mile High Nationals at Bandimere;the Motocross Nationals at Thunder Valley in June; and the Motocross of Nations at Thunder Valley in September. This international event brought thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from around theworld to Lakewood for the two-day event. Inaddition to providing the emergency medicalcare on site during the event, West Metro assisted with traffic access to and from theevent, and ensured life safety issues were addressed in the campground that was put inplace to house participants and spectators.

West Metro’s special event paramedics provided emergency medical services at RedRocks Amphitheater throughout the summermonths.

West Metro Fire Rescue also received a grant from the Colorado Department ofHealth EMS Division that enabled WestMetro to purchase new, state-of-the-art cardiac monitors for each of our nine ambulances.

Emergency Medical Services

In 2010, West Metro Fire Rescue responded to 23,926 emergencies.The majority (66%) of our 911 emergencies continue to be for medicalillness and injury.

FinancialsWest Metro Fire Rescue aims to promote financial sustainability with each budget year.That means maintaining a balanced annual budget with current expenditures paid fromcurrent revenue. Additionally, West Metro funds and operates sufficient reserves for capital improvements and apparatus replacement to help pay for large ticket items, like fire trucks.

2010 RevenuesIn 2010, West Metro Fire Rescue general fund revenues were $50.3 million. Propertytaxes account for about 75% of all revenues received by the district.

2010 ExpendituresExpenditures for 2010 were $50 million.

2010 ReservesTotal reserves, including those requiredby law and those designated by ourBoard of Directors, were maintained at$17.2 million in 2010. This providesWest Metro Fire Rescue with the abilityto implement changes necessary in uncertain economic environments.

Strong financial planning andforecasting of resources andcash flows help us prioritizeand meet the District’s long-term needs.

Education and InformationWest Metro’s Community Outreach Division and fire fighters delivered educationalprograms to more than 156,000 people in our community in 2010. These efforts are intended to help lower the incidence of fire and injuries in our community. Throughclassroom and community presentations, we aim to prevent losses resulting from firesand injuries.

West Metro’s Citizen Fire Academy graduated ten community leaders after they completed 11 weeks ofclassroom and hands-on lessons designed to share withthem the inner workings of the fire service and WestMetro Fire Rescue.

West Metro launched a new website in December2010. The new site features many advances to helpWest Metro communicate with our community, including:

• RSS Feeds so people can sign up to receive updates and information specific to their interests

• Photo and Video Gallery• Audio public service announcements• Highlights on each division, station and special team• New forms to make it easy for people to register for classes• E-commerce for collecting fees, donations, and course registrations• Quick links to West Metro's Facebook, YouTube, Flickr sites

The site is much easier to navigate through and find information. We invite you to visitwestmetrofire.org to get the latest fire and injury news and information.

westmetrofire.org

citizen

fireAcademy

20 10

Citizen Fire Academy

RSS Feeds so people can sign up to receive updates and information

specific to their interests

Photo and Video Gallery

Audio public service announcements

Highlights on each division, stationand special team

New forms to make it easy for peopleto register for classes

E-commerce for collecting fees, donations, and course registrations

Quick links to West Metro's Facebook, YouTube, Flickr sites

$

Volunteers

Volunteers make things happen. At West Metro FireRescue, our volunteers are vitalto our success in reaching ourcommunity. Our volunteersworked nearly 4,600 hoursthat are valued at more than$92,441. Their dedicated efforts helped West Metro provide fire and injury prevention education to morethan 156,000 in 2010. WestMetro’s outreach volunteers assist with preparing educational materials; checking child safety seats;working events; and teachingclasses.

They are integral partnersin helping us keep ourcommunity safe.

EventsWest Metro Fire Rescue held several communityevents in 2010 to celebrate the completion of projects. In May, Station 4 was officially opened forbusiness with hundreds of neighbors touring thefacility and meeting their fire fighters. Station 8opened the following week with its own openhouse and hundreds more joined that celebration.

The West Metro Fire Rescue Kids Club held eventsthroughout the year to encourage families to learnand practice fire and injury prevention in the home.A Spring Egg Hunt, Safe Trick or Treat Street atWhole Foods Belmar, and Breakfast with Santaeach gave hundreds of families the opportunity tolearn, practice and play.

The West Metro Fire Rescue Training Centeropened its doors to the public in October, givingcitizens the chance to learn how we train our firefighters to handle their emergencies.

And the Family Fire Muster experienced its firstrainout in 16 years. For over a week, heavy springrains drenched the community forcing West Metroto postpone the event. In August, more than 6,000people joined us at Red Rocks Community College for this annual summer family traditionthat gives families fun activity stations to practicelife safety lessons.

Life Safety and Prevention

Helping keep our community safe away fromhome is a primary mission for West Metro’s LifeSafety Division. In 2010, thousands of hourswere spent reviewing construction plans for thenew St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. WestMetro’s fire marshals review construction plansto ensure the projects meet the fire code, and lifesafety systems, like sprinklers and detection systems, are located where they need to be tokeep people safe once the building becomesopen for business.

West Metro also spent significanttime on the RTD Light Rail projectbeing built on the north end of our district. West Metro is reviewingplans for parking structures and otherbuildings along the light rail routewhile ensuring access and egressroutes are maintained during construction.

West Metro’s fire marshals reviewconstruction plans to ensure theprojects meet the fire and life safetysystem codes.

West Metro Fire Rescue is now a candidate for accreditation from the Center for PublicSafety Excellence, Inc. The process of accreditation for fire departments is quite comprehensive and provides for many community benefits. The primary benefit is having a broadly-based review of how we do business conducted by other accreditedagencies. The purpose of the review is to evaluate how effectively West Metro providesemergency services and examines quality improvements. The accreditation process willvalidate how West Metro is meeting or exceeding industry standards and compares usto other best practice organizations. It also aligns our operations with our strategic planning goals and objectives and reinforces the collaborative relationships we havewith other public and private agencies. The bottom line is that by becoming an accredited organization, we will continually raise the bar on meeting our community’sneeds and expectation. The process takes about two years.

Accreditation

Administration .............................. ext. 510 or 514Public information, events, media information................................................................ext. 523 or 547

School/educational presentations, and car seat information ....................ext. 506Sponsorships/Business Partnerships................................................................ext. 523 or 554

Station tours ....................................ext. 510Fire Prevention/Inspection ....ext. 510Fire Investigations ........................ext. 531Juvenile Firesetter Information ext. 554

Ambulance Billing........................ext. 526 or 525Human Resources........................ext. 548 or 550Board of Directors ........................ext. 514EMS Division..................................ext. 557Training Center ............................(720) 963-6300Human Resources Job Line ....(303) 989-3968Non-Emergency Dispatch ......(303) 969-0245 Non-Fire Fighter Volunteer Opportunities................................................................ext. 537

West Metro Fire RescueAdministrative Offices­

303­989­4307

It’s easy to get involved with West Metro FireRescue and ensure your voice is heard. Contact your publicly elected Board of Directors to share your thoughts and opinions by calling 303-989-4307 or visitingwestmetrofire.org. Board meetings are opento the public and held the first and third Tuesdays of each month, 7 p.m., at WestMetro Fire Rescue’s Administration Building,433 South Allison Parkway in Lakewood.

Be involved & have a voice:

For Emergencies-Dial 911

Muster volunteers needed!Call 303-989-4307 x537 for more information.

SMOKE ALARMS & CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS

SAVE LIVES. ARE YOURS WORKING?

Save the date! Saturday, June 11, 2011

Rain date June 18, 2011.westmetrofire.org No pets!

West MetroFire Rescue’s

Family FireMuster

Sat., June 11,

2011

FREE!9:30 a.m. -

2 p.m.

Red Rocks Community

College,

Lakewood

sm