Lacey Fire » Blog

It’s supposed to be about the customer.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 Posted in Incidents of Note

It’s been an amazing transformation for the fire service in the last decade and for once I am not talking about politics. While politics has an impact on the services that we provide it has become evident when talking with the public on just how important customer service is. Let me explain.
I heard my father talking today after flying back from California about how airlines really have the average customer by the nose (or other body parts) in that you the customer don’t have much choice. My father lamented the airlines have you collectively captive where prices are largely synonymous between carriers, that they all want you to handle your own luggage, and that the process of air travel is a generally thought of uncomfortable from start to finish. As a result, the public is frequently searching for alternatives and loyalty to one brand or provider is fairly low. For the airlines and their employees, employee morale is typically low, employees frequently have poor job security, and most of us customers wouldn’t really care if certain carriers disappeared tomorrow.
I see a similar phenomenon in government where the customer or in this case the public impression of many tax funded agencies is generally fairly low (insert politician ratings here). The impression I get especially going to door to door and meeting our public in support of upcoming fire department annexation elections is that the measure of dissatisfaction in politics and government clearly is real at the local level. But the other strong message I and other fire fighters receive is that the value of government or any service provided by tax dollars is now clearly in competition and evaluated by the voter in terms of worth. Regardless of the economy tax funded entities are becoming increasing scrutinized for their performance and value. So simply put, the tax payer is watching and listening and will answer the question frequently at the polls, “Is the service worth the taxes?” It’s about value and customer service; that’s the way it should be.
Applied to the fire service, it’s become evident that some old models of providing service are clearly obsolete. Political barriers need to come down between organizations so that collective savings on duplicated efforts can be attained. An example of this is that county fire departments generally formed decades ago, should combine duplicated efforts such as maintenance, administration, or even buying. Fire hose, for example, gets a heck of a lot cheaper per foot when 5000’ of hose is purchased by multiple departments simultaneously rather than 6 departments buying hose in 500’ increments 6 separate times.
Also critical to the fire service is the growing public expectation that “no” is frequently not an answer. If you say “no” enough then either the public has a false expectation of what they’re paying (education is key here) or they’re legitimately expecting a service. Lacey Fire District has in the last year added a lot of services including specialized rescue as part of joint county team doing such things as rope rescue, water rescue, and even such things as ice rescue. I suspect that this trend of expanded service is just starting and that the “fire service” is about to have a whole new role, potentially by default, with health-care reform. Time will tell.
As a parting thought, just to illustrate how things are changing, this is a recent photo from a house fire in which a house was fully charged with smoke and fire. The house was checked for human patients but none were found…However a family dog was found and full efforts were made to resuscitate the animal. The point is service matters and it’s clear in most cases that the family pet is viewed as member of the family. Do what it takes, it’s about the customer.

Working to save the family dog at a house fire.

More cities and towns looking to combine fire service.

Monday, March 15, 2010 Posted in Annexation 2010

Kent and Covington fire districts are proposing to form a fire authority to maintain service. You can read about their efforts here:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/cmv/news/86291267.html

Also major fire districts in Snohomish are also looking at consolidation, you can read about them here:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100310/NEWS01/703109696

We encourage upcoming consolidation and hope you vote yes on April 27th.

Mergers, Annexations, and Fire Authorities, oh my!

Friday, February 5, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized

Mergers, Annexations, and Fire Authorities, oh my!

As the budget axe swings in just about every community in our region, the fire and EMS service has not been immune to reductions and budget cuts. In nearby and like communities such as University Place, Lakewood, Bremerton, Central Kitsap, South Kitsap, Mukilteo, and more, these local communities have either just recently combined fire service or are seriously pursuing doing just that.

There are a lot of reasons for combing fire service, but perhaps the biggest is just simple efficiency. Every time you have two separate fire departments, you duplicate so many operations in management, maintenance, overhead, suppression, and so on. Does it make any sense to have one fire department cover one side of the street, and because the other side of the street is unincorporated (not in a city or particular fire district) its served by someone else? This is especially concerning if it costs more to maintain two government entities/fire departments instead of just one and possibly reduces service for the customer/tax payer.

I’ve yet to hear or see of a citizen ask which fire or police department responded first to their home when they were in need. Thus this argument should be based on service to the citizen first and the value to their checkbook, and not just about control and politics. With that said, typically mergers, annexations, and RFA (regional fire authorities) just make sense.

See for you self what other cities and agencies are doing: (oh…and when you read what other communities 30 miles to the north pay for fire protection, realize that LFD is about a 1/3 of the cost for the same ISO/service rating).

Lakewood/University Place merger: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/1056148.html

Snohomish County:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091104/NEWS01/711049853
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20050913/NEWS01/509130747

Kitsap County:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/poi/news/80440287.html
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/dec/05/bremerton-fire-merger-regains-momentum/

Thurston County:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/realdupont/archives/167911.asp

Lacey Sunrise Lions recognize the works of Lacey Fire Fighter’s

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 Posted in Public Events

kruse-cox-lions-photo-small The following story is taken with permission from the Lacey Sunrise Lions news letter. You can also visit their website here and also see the Lion’s local newsletter here! Thank you and good job to fire fighter’s Kruse and Cox!

LFD Fight More Than Fire With LSL
LFD (Lacey Fire Department) teamed up with LSL (Lacey Sunrise Lions) to tackle more than just a fire when they stepped forward to donate money $400. Two City of Lacey Firemen visited our Lions Club meeting on December 10th. Ryan Cox and Ethan Kruse presented the Lacey Sunrise with a check for $400.00.
This check was to cover the costs of a wheelchair ramp which was constructed for Margaret Nystrom. Margaret was referred to the Lacey Sunrise Lions club as being someone in need of a wheel chair ramp and lacking the funds to pay for the construction out of her pocket. The Lacey Fire Department Guild maintains a fund to help with local community individuals in need of assistance. They recognized the need for a ramp but lacking the experience of the Lacey Sunrise Lions Building Crew, requested our assistance. Two of the firemen showed up on the construction date to help with the work and found the hammers fit very well in their hands. Building Chairman Bob Kelley remarked that with a few more projects under their belt, they could earn carpenter pencils and eventually be allowed to sharpen them for actual use.
The ramp was constructed and Margaret was very pleased and happy to have access to her home without aid of someone to mover her up and down her steps. The prospect of being able to move in and out of her home was a comforting thought and lessens the danger of injury resulting from a fall or slip. Margaret thanked the crew continuously.
This donation from the Lacey Fire Department Guild exceeded the cost of the construction material and the balance was directed to further other needy projects. The Lacey Sunrise Lions sincerely thank the Lacey Firemen for both their generous donation and their work on the project. We look forward to partnering with them in the future and possible membership in the Lacey Sunrise Lions Club by some of the firemen. Those pencils are waiting, gentlemen!

What does healthcare reform mean for pre-hospital medical care?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized

When you dial 911 in Thurston County for a medical issue, you’re going to get a response of at least a local fire department member who is trained in some form of emergency medicine (EMS) to your assistance. But after the initial examination, if you require further care than the field EMS provider can give you then the majority of the time it means a date at the local hospital emergency department. Lately, many a customer or 911 caller has told Lacey EMT’s that they’re hesitant in going to the hospital for a variety of reasons which can include concerns about cost of the ER exam, private ambulance transportation, getting home from the hospital, emergency room wait times, and more. It’s our observation that sometimes 911 is being called because the fire department EMS providers is perceived as the most viable option for care for the individual.
If you read the Olympian, you may have caught where St. Peters is expanding its emergency room again even though it had a massive construction project less than 4 years ago that more than tripled its capacity. What we should note is that the business decision makers believe that emergency medicine is going to be a growth industry and thus have decided to invest millions in advance of a predicted wave of patients. Further, it’s also been in the paper about the difficulty at times local citizens have in finding out of hospital care such as a general practitioner and even specialists.
A few months ago, I asked the general manager of Olympic Ambulance, Mary Gregory, what she made on Medicare patient and she said it’s about $.18 on the dollar. So every dollar that is charged means that 82 cents are frequently not collected. I’ve also talked to a doctor in the community on the same subject and he told me typically can’t accept Medicaid because that he only collected less than 50 cents on every dollar which didn’t even cover overhead and insurance. So that every patient on government healthcare that he saw was a loss to his practice; he said he must limit Medicaid/Medicare patients because they ‘can take over your practice’ with my assumption in the statement is that it would kill his business/practice.
So what does this mean with health care reform for pre-hospital medicine specifically during that time a perspective patient arrives at the emergency room? The final answer is yet to be unveiled as bills are yet to be combined, and the new administrative rules adopted and implemented. But some bets are that the very methods in which people are treated may put new emphasis on how the system functions. That is to say that you may call 911 and you may not go to the hospital. Or you may not want to call 911 seeking other more affordable alternatives that involve not going to the emergency room. For agencies that charge patient transports to the hospital (such as some county fire departments and private ambulances but note Lacey Fire District does not charge for service) the impact of health care reform could be huge on their business and operations!
In the short term, Medicare rules set reimbursement rates at an apparent flat reimbursement rate, but Medicare rates are reported to be likely falling again in Washington State as the budget crisis continues. In the long term, it could mean a lot of things in Lacey and Thurston County as reimbursement methods and values (even for intra-facility or hospital transport: private ambulances bread winner for years) are likely to dramatically shift. What if private ambulance service that currently handles the majority of hospital transport in Lacey decided it had enough of low profit 911 call service and won’t provide hospital transport? What could it mean also for pre-hospital care if the direction is to be treated at home and not necessarily taken to a very expensive emergency room? What happens if during the next pandemic flu epidemic that the local hospitals say no more patients because they are already full?
As our population of baby boomers continues to age and the demand for medical care continues to rise in our community, the answer to these questions will not come in a sweeping government notice when health care reform comes but will likely be a series of reactions to changes that are yet unclear in pre-hospital care.
But as we enter this era of uncertainty and guaranteed change in healthcare, it perhaps emphasizes the value on public emergency services and how that the future will likely bring a lot of potential change in how, technically speaking, Lacey Fire Fighters medically treat its customers. While some readers are expecting this to be a call to arms to remove private ambulance service in Lacey (far from it), it’s actually a realization that private ambulance service may not be a guarantee in the future because its “for profit” and that there is no mandate that a company provide service in the community. Lacey Fire Fighters are committed to serving in any and all capacities regardless of what the future may hold. We also understand that the financial demands on the community and its expectations especially in quality and consumptions of pre-hospital care will likely increase.
We advocate that fire departments in the region and state should be ready for radical changes in pre-hospital care and prepare their respective citizens through education on what these changes will before they are implemented. Further, maybe it’s time we consider that a 911 medical care call is not a guaranteed trip to the hospital and that we should be ready to provide more care in the home because the emergency room in the future might not always be an option. Fire department based paramedic/physicians assistants anyone? And before you laugh and say “no”, understand that some fire departments in our country are doing exactly that.
http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/articles/bill_a_mixed_blessing_for_ems.html
http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/articles/the_devil_is_in_the_details.html
http://www.aep.org/policy.asp#Pre-HospitalCarebyLicensedPractitionersOtherThanPhysicians

Tired of Police Funerals and Shootings.

Thursday, December 24, 2009 Posted in Incidents of Note

With the recent news of two Pierce County deputies being shot and then again another similar incident last night in Spokane County with less tragic results, it brings up a few questions that demand answers. “Why?” and “what to do about it?” should be asked of our elected officials.

In past posts on this Blog, we have been supportive of an expanded police officer staffing with emphasis on specialty capabilities (like SWAT) and protection from street level service reductions. Sgt. Dave Odegaard with the Thurston County Sheriff’s office recently discussed some of these reductions that have occurred the last few years and emphasized that officer safety is being threatened and along with the associated threat to public safety. How can officers protect the public when they are not given the proper tools to protect themselves? Even now, Sgt. Odegaard pointed out that in Thurston County, deputies frequently respond to domestic violence incidents solo because the resources and staffing are not there for adequate response. This is not acceptable to fire fighters and the public should hold the same position and make it clear to their elected politicians this expectation as well. Public safety in all forms matter and is a priority of local government.

Recently, some local police agencies have taken cuts or not replaced officers and then the politicians claim reductions in crime statistics in that their respective streets are much safer. They don’t recognize the fact that reduced officers mean less arrests, less prosecution, and eventually less reporting in crime. We need law enforcement and not score keeping. We need officers investigating and then following up on crime, and not purely first call or “call driven response” as the basis for police utilization.

It is our observation from a fire service prospective that our area is becoming more violent and that some of the situations that we are observing are part of trend that likely is not going away anytime soon. That at the same time politicians choose to reduce or hold steady police resources that the environment and demands of our community are not following this political edict. It is not chance that seven police officers have been shot in a period of three months but represents a symptom of real conditions on the street. Further, we need to understand that criminals/murderers like Monfort, Clemmons, and now Crable exist in our community and are waiting for their opportunity to kill police, citizens, fire fighters, or anyone who crosses their path at the wrong time.

This is another warning that we need to support our local police, demand from our politicians to fund and support law enforcement, demand that criminal justice system sentencing holes get plugged, and understand that doing nothing in the wake of these funerals and officer shootings is not an option.

For Greg.

Monday, December 14, 2009 Posted in Incidents of Note, Public Events

The fire service lost a great firefighter, leader, educator, and friend this weekend.

I first met Greg in some of our initial firefighter classes during Thurston County recruit academy in the fall of 1993. Being two of the youngest in the class, we had much more in common with each other than with most of the other firefighters who would become distracted with the problems old people have. (At that time, “old people” would have been thirty.) We eventually became roommates for several years but remained close with our old crew who eventually landed at departments in Lacey, Olympia, and Seattle. We found that most of the problems in the world, fire service, and relationships could be solved if we’d commit to the required amount of time and beer. Some of the problems required whiskey, but being the professionals that we were, we would do what was necessary. Anything for the service. If things couldn’t be solved in house, we would often retreat to snowboarding or lifting weights for a change of perspective. I got him out on the golf course once, but we both agreed bringing him there again wouldn’t help anyone.

Greg was the instructor my group had when we first visited Burn to Learn in North Bend. He was looking forward to getting to work with our team that day and assured us that we’d have a much better experience with him than with some of the other staff up there. As we were hauling pallets into our assigned room, we noticed that our room had significantly more than some of the others. We collectively decided that it shouldn’t be mentioned. He was eventually chastised for letting our room get too hot (melted some equipment) but didn’t apologize for the efforts. We could see he was taking the opportunity to teach our group personally and thought the experience was worth the reprimand. He wanted to make sure we both had the skills to take care of business when we were done and had fun while we were there. That’s just the kind of guy Greg was.

We had the opportunity to apply these skills some years later when we were living together in Tanglewilde. It was winter and I was trying to start a fire in the fireplace with wood that was both green and damp. Knowing that the normal newspaper/kindling combo wouldn’t do the trick, we decided that this situation called for an accelerant. We didn’t have any bbq fluid in the house so we had to use WD40 and some other flammable liquids I found in the garage. (If I shared here what we used, I would likely have FEMA agents at my door, and none of us want to go through that again.) We were keenly aware of the consequences of setting my house on fire in my response area and that we’d never hear the end of an ER visit. Since he outranked me we decided he’d be the safety officer and I’d have to do the lighting. After all, I was paying for the home insurance. So with Greg posed at my side with a large non-flammable blanket (safety first), I flung lit matches at the fuming mass of wood and paper products in the fireplace like a champion dart player. The incident action plan provided that should the vapor explosion spread to me, he would tackle me with the blanket and we would both “stop, drop, and roll”. The phone in the kitchen would serve as a backup plan if we had to call in help like normal people. Needless to say, we got the fire started and no one got hurt. Greg was well versed in incident management and this example only served to support the fact that proper planning will help you avoid most catastrophes.

We were all better for having known Greg. He and I took dozens of classes together over the years and had the kind of experiences on calls and in life that create that fundamental bond that never leaves. No matter how much time had passed since the last time we’d spoken, it only took a few minutes of catching up and it was like he was still sleeping in the room at the end of the hall.

I watched Greg grow from a Firefighter to Training Officer and then Assistant Chief. I was constantly trying to bring him over to Lacey Fire District #3 and thought I had succeeded when he took a trainee position with us. Knowing what he brought to the table, I was sure he would be successful with a career job soon after. Greg possessed all of the fire and ems skills and was one of those people who was really in the business to help people. He made our organization stronger and I was glad to have him on our team. Time would reveal to me that it was obvious his heart remained in South Bay. It was bitter sweet to see him leave my department, but I knew South Bay was where he was meant to be.

Greg was maybe the best example of a firefighter committed to his professional development. Whenever I had question about a class or book I knew I could ask him because he had probably taken it and it was likely that the book was already in his office. He accomplished more in the fifteen or so years he had in the service than most people will in their entire careers.
His greatest accomplishments would not end up on his resume because they are much bigger than any class, degree, or certification. He took the Training Officer role seriously and has no doubt left his mark on hundreds of young firefighters over the years. Greg’s South Bay Fire Department and many in our area are stronger because of his efforts. The men and women Greg helped teach and influence are now working at so many other departments and helping people all over the state. I count myself as one of them.

Thommy I’m sorry that I didn’t see the pain that you were experiencing. I will regret it for the rest of my life. I always looked forward to seeing you and knew that an invaluable resource was headed my direction when I would hear you on the radio. I knew that on any call there was nothing we couldn’t handle together. I wish you would have felt the same way during this last week with some of the issues you were dealing with. I wish you would have reached out and let some of us know. You would have had a hundred people knocking down doors to help you in a matter of seconds.
Most of us won’t be able to understand what made Greg feel like he had to make that final decision. What we can do is remember all that he gave us and how much he meant to all of us. That final decision will not be what defines Greg. He was bigger and better than that. Greg will be remembered for what he gave to his department, the fire service, and how he made us better for knowing him.
Greg Thompson was loved, he was respected, and he will be missed.
God bless you Thommy. Rest in peace brother.

Service and Trust

Thursday, December 10, 2009 Posted in City/District fight

In the 5th quarter debate of the Lakewood shooting, I am impressed at the phenomenal amount of finger pointing that is now deservedly occurring at all sorts of political camps and governmental agencies. Obviously, some of the criticism is deserved and the question now is really over their respective political salvation (such as Mike Huckabee and certain judges) and what will society really will do about solving criminal justice issues?
In the shadow of budget cuts, politicians looking for re-election, and simply blind luck that a Lakewood like massacre won’t occur in the respective incumbent’s hometown, the political spin machine in many cities and town is already working overtime. In Lacey and Thurston County, we ask where are the political priorities? What are the primary goals and priorities in the administration of our respective governments? And really (the $1000 question) is the politician’s goal the same as yours; “are you as the tax payer getting what you want?” We found in the last election that public safety (police and fire) was an absolute priority with voters.
In the wake of the council elections, outgoing mayor Graeme Sackrison talked in a city council meeting that he ‘didn’t know what the election results meant’. We knew having gone door to door through the city that our message was well received and it wasn’t like trying to ask for tax raise. The message we also heard was that it wasn’t just about the fire department issue, but that many voters had their own reasons for how they voted. With that said, anyone who believes that Pratt, Lawson, and Ryder are single-issue candidates is politically deaf as a post.
It is our belief that fire and EMS service in the county and the city of Lacey is very important but we also want to point out that especially in the wake of Lakewood’s loss that this should be Lacey’s call to arms. We believe that the police department should be better funded, allowed to function operationally independent of the city manager’s direction (that it is currently micromanaged), and that special operation capabilities in the police department should be added and not cut.
Many people don’t know that Lacey Police have open and unfilled positions where officers have left and have not been replaced, cut their Special Response Team (SRT) or SWAT team, drive worn out police cars, and at times have modified their schedules so that minimum staffing is three officers and a supervisor for the whole city! We disagree with all of these actions and others because we believe that there is a clear need to add to LPD’s capabilities and not go backward. The streets of Lacey are becoming tougher in our opinion, scenes are getting violent more frequently, and in the wake of Thurston County and Olympia’s future budget cuts, what is Lacey’s back up plan? The city won’t let officers take cars home so its not like you can recall off duty officers with any significant speed.
A political spin that was released to the police officers prior to the election was that the fire department budget was going to impact the police department. When we see multi-million dollar bike lanes under the freeway, rebuilt tree lined streets with negligible capacity improvements, a monstrous new city hall, and more…Then we think its more of an issue of decision makers with different priories especially by individuals who potentially have no clue or background in law enforcement. We also ask, do you the voters think it’s acceptable to cut the police department potentially in lieu of other non-public safety priorities? In the wake of potentially fire district annexation, what’s the city’s budget plan if you don’t have the fire district to blame?

A political lie that was disseminated prior to the elections was that a rift existed between the fire and police department…We can tell you that’s never been the case at least among the field units. We think public safety should be the city’s top priority; we have faith in January that this will finally be true.

We Will Remember the Lakewood Four.

Sunday, November 29, 2009 Posted in Public Events

As news filters out from Parkland that no less than four Lakewood Police Officer’s completing a shift were gunned down while they went over shift work in a coffee shop, it’s with heavy heart that we hear this news and also grieve. Its very tough for us to hear and watch the local law enforcement community receive word that some of their brothers and sisters are not coming home, just weeks after it happened in Seattle. Many Lakewood officers are former police officers from Lacey and surrounding jurisdictions with many Lakewood officers’ choosing Lacey Fire District response area as their respective homes.
We take this news very much as if we have lost one of our own brothers and sisters of the badge and are also feeling the sorrow, anger, and pain from today’s events and are not looking forward to the grief and tragedy of watching four families torn apart. There is no excuse or justification for what occurred today and we hope that justice is swift and sure.

We offer our condolences to the families of those effected especially those so close to home and offer our pledge to assist not only local police but our brothers and sisters with Central Pierce and Lakewood Fire Department who will be called on to assist law enforcement and their respective families today and for weeks to come. Let us know when, how, and where we can help. We will be there, like always.

It’s a Trap!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized

We know that in regards to the city district fight that nothing has changed and its all “window dressing” or a big charade to hide true intentions by a few key players. As much as we would like everything to be up front and straight forward when it comes to fire district/City of Lacey relationships we know the recent activity is both an act of self preservation by some and attempt by others to set the stage for a second round of political war.
During the most recent city council work session, the outgoing mayor/city councilmen Sackrsion invited Mr. Tom Dozal from the Lacey Citizen Advisory Council (the “CAC”) to give a prepared speech following a discussion on fire district annexation. Political speak aside, Sackrison unveiled his intentions to continue the fight against the fire district and the fire fighters by ensuring that the CAC and Dozal’s message was heard. Further, Sackrison’s intentions were clarified again to continue the fight at the last city council meeting where Dozal was quoted in the paper their intention to organize an effort to sink fire district annexation. The whole effort by Sackrison to dictate that if the annexation fails then the city must build their own fire department, as more or less a referendum is his efforts to fix the agenda even in his pending absence.

At the workshop in true classic Graeme politics, Graeme offered an impromptu response to anyone in the audience who had just heard Dozal’s prepared statements in the ‘interest of fairness’. The response from the fire fighters both in the this BLOG statement and city council workshop was the following: We have an interest in ending political fighting, we have an interest in ensuring a non-political vote on fire district annexation, we think the citizen’s advisory commission is illegal and illegitimate, and the city’s report on forming its own fire department (the ICMA report) is grossly and dangerously flawed.
The Olympian editorial board recently has identified and requested that it’s in the best interest of all parties most notably the public interest that the political fight needs to end. Again, we’re all for it. We’ll call it now though that Graeme and those who he appointed to the CAC are clearly not going to stop the political fight and will do everything in their power behind the scenes and in campaigns to poison the efforts for annexation. Now, it’s no longer about control for Graeme and his cabal, but it’s about revenge.

You wanna know our game plan? It’s going to be about being truthful, proving our points through research and accurate defendable facts, and informing in an ethical and straightforward fashion. We remain confident that voters, whether living in the county or city, will see beyond hidden agendas and propaganda. Like in November, the rules won’t change in April, and groups (unions and PAC’s) don’t vote, people vote.

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