The Montesano Fire Department responded to 1,511 major incidents in 2018, according to a report Fire Chief Cory Rux presented to the Montesano City Council on March 12.
Major incidents, including fires, emergency medical services and “good intent calls.”
“Since 2015, we’ve had almost a 30 percent increase in our calls,” Rux said at the council meeting.
“Already this year we’re up 70 in our call volume from where we were last year,” Rux added.
When asked about the increase, Rux said, “I think everywhere you go, people are using 911 more and more. … We’re also getting a lot more requests for interfacility transports.”
There are about 35 current volunteers and six full-time staff at the MFD.
There were 27 fires that MFD responded to last year, compared with 20 in 2018 and 10 in 2016. Those fires could be from a structure fire to a grease fire on somebody’s stove. Rescue and emergency medical services calls, which include transports from one care provider to another, accounted for 75 percent of the major incidents MFD responded to.
The average 911 EMS response time — from dispatch to arrival — was 4.77 minutes, the report states.
“It’s actually very impressive to have a 4.77 minute response time from time of call to time of arrival,” Rux said. He mentioned a similar industry standard for a nonvolunteer fire crew is about 4.5 minutes 90 percent of the time.
“Our response time for fire is what I’m most excited about. For fire, it takes a considerable amount of time to get your bunker gear on” he said. The fire engine dispatch to arrival average response time was 5.62 minutes last year.
“One of the biggest accomplishments over the past couple of years has been the procurement of capital equipment,” Rux said. The fire department has new defibrillators, two new ambulances and a new fire engine set to arrive this month thanks to voter-approved funds.
The Fire Department will be having an open house so residents of the area can see the new equipment.
Other
business
* — The council also authorized an easement purchase, which allows American Tower Communications to have the right to property as long as it is using the land as it is now, for a communications tower. Currently, the company leases the property for about $9,000 per year. The sales of the easement would cost ATC $170,000.
The city will retain ownership of the property, which is about 100 feet by 60 feet. But ATC will not have to pay a lease as long as they use the land for the tower.
If ATC abandons the use of the land, the easement rights will return to the city.
* — The council approved construction of a shop building at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. DMJ Construction of Hoquiam will build it for about $68,000. The building will be used for storage and as a shop.
* — The city passed a resolution to buy a used 10-yard International dump truck for about $50,000.
Michael Lang can be reached at 360-537-3939.
