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The year of 2008 was another busy year for the
Department both on the Emergency Service side and the Code Enforcement Bureau.
The Department Responded to approximately 757 calls for Service during the year.
While the amount of structure fires increased in 2008, the severities of these
structure fires were kept to a minimum. The number of Rescue / Medical Related /
Hazardous Condition type calls also increased. There were no Fire related
Civilian Fatalities and 3 minor Fire Related Civilian Injuries reported in 2008.
The year again was a very busy one for our Code Enforcement Division with the
numbers is some cases exceeding our records in 2006. We continue to work with
our surrounding Departments, not just Mutual Aid response to emergencies but
sharing knowledge, equipment, training programs and transferring of information
on a daily basis. This was very evident with the operations at the Fire of April
24th our fire community came together and operated flawlessly. I
attribute this mostly to the tenacity, dedication and high level of training of
our Department and its members, which is second to none. This Mutual
cooperation will continue to be an important program as we move thru the 21st
century.
Code Enforcement:
The Code Enforcement Division had another busy
year, equaling the records of 2006. We issued 525 permits for the year, with an
estimated construction costs for all permits at $5,641,255.00 and the total
amount of permits fees collected at approximately $24,706.00. There were 4 new
single family homes completed in 2008 along with a 6 unit Townhouse project
bring the total of new Single Family Dwellings to 10 for the year again crushing
that previous 20 year average of only 3 per year. The amount of renovation /
addition / repair permits increased to over 279 residential and 43 commercial
permits accounting for more than $1,373,490.00 residential and $2,878,315.00
commercial for a total of $4,251,805.00 in estimated project costs. With all of
this building and renovations again this year, we continue to show that
Johnstown is a great place to live and work.
Although, the new construction is news worthy, the other areas of Code
Enforcement remained busy as well. The Codes division has conducted over 7,607
inspections for the year; this along with the accompanying paper works continues
to occupy our staff almost non-stop. We continually come up with ideas to make
this work more streamline and we be would lost without our Secretary. This
position is a 16 hr. position but the work is fast passing the available hours,
an area that we are monitoring and will have to be addressed. The Complaints we
are receiving from outside the department are decreasing mostly due to very
diligent ward patrols and over all cooperation from the Citizens. Our policy of
voluntary compliance continues to work very well with the number of cases going
to our court system continuing to decline. The Code Enforcement Division
continues to be an integral part of the department with its efficiency growing,
along with great cooperation from the DPW we will continue to win the battle of
blight, keeping Johnstown the Best Community around.
Multiple
Dwelling / Commercial Building/ School Inspections:
In 2008, the Fire Department completed 58 Multiple Dwelling Inspections; these
inspections are of Dwellings containing 3 or more dwelling units and are
required by NYS Multiple Residence Law to be conducted at least of 3 years or
sooner if necessary. In Johnstown we now have 152 known Multiple Dwelling.
Depending on the size of the complex these inspections can range from 3-8 hours
each including paperwork and follow-ups.
We conducted 107 Commercial / Industrial Building Site Survey Inspections, these
inspections are of our existing businesses, industrial complexes, city/county
buildings, and health care, day care and public access properties. The
inspections allow us to review floor plans, contact information, and provide
Fire Safety Information to be used in the event we are called to these
locations. They also provide the property owner with valuable Fire Safety and
housekeeping tips to keep their businesses and employees safe. These inspections
range from 1-2 hours, utilizing 2 firefighters and are usually conducted by the
on-duty Staff.
The Department again conducted the School districts Annual School Inspections on
both Public and Private Schools in the City. There are currently six (6) Public
and one (1) Private Schools meeting the Department of Education Criteria for
these inspections. These inspections are conducted at different times of the
year on a rotating basis, to allow for the inspections to be completed while
different / changing environments that exist throughout the school year.
Inspections are based on strict guidelines set down by the Dept. of Ed., they
are not just the classroom building but also all of the buildings that make up
that particular piece of property. It takes over approximately 125 man-hours a
year to complete these inspections, the necessary paperwork and the report to
the respective School Boards, again this service that we provide Free of Charge.
Fire
Prevention and Training:
Asst. Chief Michael Heberer and Capt. Gary McCoy continue
to lead this Division, conducting all of the Federal and State mandated
Department Training as well as providing out reach Fire Safety Programs to our
community. Both Instructors have completed their annual certifications and have
attended many Seminars to stay on top of our changing profession.
The Training Divisions exceeded the required NYS Minimum
Training Requirement of 150 hours per firefighter, completing over 185 hours of
In-Service Training (4,625 employee hours) for 2008. Some of the Topics include
OSHA required Training Topics ranging from Respiratory Protection to Blood borne
Pathogens, Hazardous Materials Communications, and General Safety. Along with
Annual CPR/AED/First Aid Refresher Training, Mandatory 24 hour per employee
In-Service Code Enforcement Training, Live Fire Training, Safety/Survival
Training, and Strategy / Tactics Training to list a few. This continued
education allows us to maintain our high level of readiness, providing what I
believe to be the Best Trained, Most Qualified Firefighters in the County if not
the State.
The Department’s Fire Prevention program continued to provide
Fire Safety Education Training programs to our community Businesses, Schools,
Industries, Government Agencies and Individuals. We provide in-house tours /
fire safety programs and demonstrations for students and citizens of Johnstown
as well as our surrounding communities. In 2008 more than 2,200 students,
teachers, and parents benefited from our in-house training demonstrations. While
these programs required over 400 man-hours to complete, all were accomplished
with on duty staff. We also provide an off-site program that was presented to
various schools including Johnstown High, FMCC, Warren St., Glebe St., Jansen
Ave., Pleasant Ave., and Broadalbin-Perth, for their respective
Career/Wellness/Safety presentations. These programs serviced more than 1,250
students and staff, averaging 16 man-hours each.
Our Training Division also provided Fire Safety Training to
local Businesses and Agencies such as, the Wells House, Willing Helpers Home,
Pine View Commons, Johnstown Senior Citizens Center Wal-Mart Distribution
Center, Benjamin Moore Paints, Power Logistics, Super 8 Motel, Microtel,
Catholic Family Charities, YMCA, BOCES, Frontier Communications and our DPW to
list a few. These programs require approximately 2 hours per session to complete
and are provide free of charge.
The Training Division is currently training the Department
for the implementation of a New OSHA requirement that has required us to
purchase some equipment and provide each member with specialized training, in
Firefighter Survival / Rope Rescue Evolutions. They are also re-working our Fire
Prevention Program to target our young students, teaching the Dangers of Fire
and Exit Drills (Fire Drills) in the Home.
Vehicle,
Building, & Alarm System Maintenance:
Fire Department staff again this year has completed many
tasks around the Fire House; a few highlights include the installation of new
overhead doors and upgrading our heating system is already in progress, getting
the HVAC system controlled and running properly again, most of this work is
being completed by our staff., our members also completed our outside display
case for the 1865 hand pumper. The members also took on an addition to our
weight room, made possible through donations from the family of Victor Nicollela
and some available grant money. As with all the projects asked of the staff
their work was impeccable. The dedication of this entire department never ceases
to amaze me. When asked to do any type of task, they step forward without
question and with the window project saved the City and taxpayers countless
dollars at every turn. They take pride in this Department, the City and
everything they do. They are examples of the type of employees that any business
would hope to have.
Our Vehicle Maintenance Staff has completed the yearly
service work on our vehicles, conducting hours of preventative maintenance along
with most of the required repairs. We did require some specialized repair work
on our Lead Engine 711 and the Ladder 761, but without our staff performing the
preliminary repair work, these costs could have easily doubled. The Maintenance
Crew put in approximately 625 hrs. This year doing the service and repair work,
with their knowledge and expertise they have saved the City an untold amount of
money. (Example: 625 hrs @125.00 per hour $78,125.00 in labor cost savings
alone).
2008 Johnstown Fire Department Fleet:
1983 Grumman Aerial Platform
1990 Ford SuperDuty Bucket Truck
1991 Central States Pumper
1993 Jeep Cherokee (Inspection/Training Vehicle)
1997 Central States Pumper
2005 Chevrolet 1500 Pick-up (Command/Inspection Vehicle)
2006 Dodge Durango (Chief’s / Alarm System Vehicle
The Alarm System Maintenance Division continued the necessary upgrades,
maintenance and new installations of the Municipal Alarm System. In 2008, we
installed 4 new master alarm boxes and ran 1,425 of new wire. The system consist
of 128 boxes with 68 of them being master boxes located on various businesses,
the remaining boxes are located throughout the City as Street Boxes. A total of
600 employee hours were spent servicing, testing, repairing and adding to the
alarm system. This is an old system but it is very functional, allowing for
early detection and response to the businesses with master boxes will little
cost to those businesses.
Personnel:
The Johnstown Fire/Codes Department consists of 25 members including the Chief.
The Department is made up of four platoons, each is manned (at full staff) by 6
members, and the Department operates a 4 member minimum staff. These minimums
allow us to barely comply with Federal OSHA and New York State Mandated Safe
Staffing Levels.
2008 has been good to the Department as far as personnel are concerned we have
had 3 retiree’s and 3 new hires. The additions and promotions of last year have
proved to be all outstanding choices with every individual making outstanding
progress with their new positions.
The year has had its share of illnesses with two members
receiving on the job injuries; one has returned to work, the other is still
recuperating. Another member was out on extended level for a scheduled surgery,
he has made a remarkable recovery and is back to work at full strength. Even
with these issues, the Department Still Can boast that it had 17 members who did
not use any sick days and another 4 who only used, while no one member used more
than 2 sick days.
They are:
Used No Sick Days:
Chief Bruce Heberer Asst. Chief Don
Biron
Asst. Chief Mitch Zelich Asst. Chief Jeff
Kollar
Capt. Gary McCoy
Capt. Nelson Pedrick
Firefighter Michael Stewart Firefighter Scott
DeNinno
Firefighter Steve Maxson Firefighter Kirk
Horan
Firefighter Brian Miller
Firefighter Shawn Humphrey
Firefighter Larry O’Regan Firefighter Luke
Yuenger
Firefighter
Kevin Hale
Firefighter Michael Frank
Firefighter John Stortecky
Used Only One (1) Sick Day:
Asst. Chief Michael Heberer Capt. John Duesler
Firefighter Paul Stegel
Firefighter John Swedick
Just more evidence of the type of employee’s that the City of
Johnstown Fire Department has working for them.
It is hard to describe the accomplishments of our Fire
Department; we are constantly compared to those who provide fire protection for
free, which I believe is an unfair generalization, this department is about more
than pay and benefits. I believe that the City of Johnstown Fire Department and
its members provide vital and important services to its citizen’s day in and day
out. Whether its Fire/EMS Emergencies, Maintenance work, or Code Enforcement
Duties our Department is providing the highest level of service bar none. The
citizens of Johnstown can rest assured that they are being served by the most
qualified, highly motivated, conscientious Fire Department that I have ever
seen. This group of individuals goes above and beyond with every task they take,
while these members are paid for their work, it is about more than that to them.
These are members of the community, serving their neighbors and yes, at times
risking their lives, because of what they believe in, not what their pay is.
I can only repeat my past feelings as 2008 comes to a close,
I have the most dedicated, selfless, brave individuals any employer or taxpayer
could ask for, and they are for the lack of a better term extraordinary. This
makes my job as Chief not only a great job, but at the Department level an easy
job.
As my Third year as Chief comes to a close
I look not towards retirement but to the endless possibilities that lie ahead
for this Department and This City. I was privileged to be Chief, while Fire
Department Celebrated 200 years of service to the Citizens of Johnstown in 2008,
from the day it was founded, till today and into the future we have and will
continue providing outstanding service with the highest level of professionalism
and readiness on all levels that the Taxpayers expect and deserve, continuing to
honor the traditions of the past while constantly changing, adapting and
improvising to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
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