Kristy Tallman
The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District Board (SHFAD) of Directors convened on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to address critical initiatives aimed at mitigating wildfire risks and fostering community involvement in fire prevention efforts.
Financial Transparency and Income Updates
The meeting commenced with a detailed financial report presented by the SHFAD. As of January 1, the district reported an income of $277,686.69, comprising cash receipts, property taxes, and interest expenses. The net income, after accounting for expenses, stood at $143,389.53. Additionally, the SHFAD highlighted a substantial savings balance of $2,128,486.73. In the subsequent month, the district reported an income of $247,004.14, further demonstrating its financial stability and prudence.
Call Volume and
Data Tracking
During the meeting, it was reported that the call volume for February 2024 was 137 calls. Of these calls, 86% were related to EMS and 40% were fire-related incidents, with a transport rate of 49%.
SHFAD Chief Nick Tyler said, “This is the first time we’ve utilized an ESO system to extract data. So that was nice. But we do have just a portion of the month to shoot in the training and everything else. So it’s not 100% accurate, especially when we look at transport rates because of just the way some of the data lined up.”
It was noted by Tyler that the call data is now being tracked through the newly implemented Electronic Health Record (ESO) system, which went live on February 1, 2024.
“That’s what’s wonderful about this,” said Tyler, “I was kind of playing with the data the other day. And I can look at everything. So specifically with the transports, I was looking at data on transportation rates per hour of the day to see if we’re trending in any hour specific, you can look at individual people, their transportation rates, ambulances, you can really look at all the data to try to extract issues and forecast those a little bit. So that’s something that we’re going to be looking at making sure that we’re getting these numbers up.”
Tyler stated their basic offload time when talking about wall time, delays and crews getting back was currently an average of 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
The district has initiated a new call monitoring system called ESO. ESO is a company that provides software and data for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and fire departments for a range of tasks such as ESO alerting which is a stream that captures patient information before they arrive at the hospital allowing EMS and hospital professionals to communicate securely.
It also provides the district a means by which to closely track calls and events as they occur in the district.
Previously the district was using a charting system that was free from the state called Image Trend, however, they chose to go with the ESO system for several key reasons according to Chief Nick Tyler.
Tyler said the programming allows for better data collection and it has the ability to auto-sync times from their dispatch system allowing them to look at times a lot more than in the past.
“This will help ensure that we are providing the best, fastest service to the community,” said Tyler, adding, “It also has data extraction capabilities. I can now run reports on almost every aspect of what we do to ensure we are providing the best possible service to the community.”
Fire Mitigation & Safety
During the meeting Tyler also provided an update on the district’s ongoing reduction efforts, and their work with the forest department and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to complete their goals. He outlined the district’s plans to establish a dedicated fuels reduction group funded by a million-dollar allocation.
“The million dollars is going to fund a 10-person fuels reduction group, which is super exciting,” Tyler said.
They also discussed their upcoming task of clearing vegetation along approximately 20 miles of road to reduce fire risks within the community. Tyler said, “We estimate about 40 days worth of work out there, somewhere between 20 to 40 days depending on the grade,” Tyler said.
Helipad Training Coming Soon
The district announced they are planning an upcoming drill with Lifeflight regarding the use of the landing zone. There will be a classroom portion followed by a hands-on training session utilizing the new helipad which was opened by Samaritan Health Services in October 2023. The helipad will only be used when it’s called for, however, it will not be staffed.
“We are very excited for the addition of that landing zone,” said Tyler. “We often utilize any available spot on that end of town, preplanned for the air ambulance to utilize. This increases the efficiency of those operations.”
The district wants to see how the new helipad might work out even though they have used other options in the past. They have scheduled a “hot load” exercise on March 7 where they will load equipment onto the helicopter and practice landing. The paramedics will complete their skills check-offs on the same day to recertify their PALS certification which is part of the EMS training program.
Approval For Shop
Remodel and Expansion
Discussions also centered around the procurement of bids for the shop remodel and expansion project. Despite challenges, bids were successfully obtained from three contractors: Savage Smothers, Cabins Homes, and Darwin JDC Contractors.
According to Tyler, Savage Smothers presented the lowest estimate at $25,000, followed closely by Cabins Homes at $26,000, and Darwin JDC Contractors at $26,015. With $30,000 allocated in the budget for the project, the board moved to enter into a contract with Savage Smothers, the contractor responsible for building the original shop, to proceed with the renovation.
Wages Increase On The Way
Tyler discussed with the board his wage negotiations with the union, focusing on a proposed 6% increase over two years, with 4% taking effect in July 2024 and an additional 2% in July 2025. Tyler had already sought the approval of the union and sought the approval of the board. The board voted unanimously to approve the wage increase.
“That’s a big step for the district. And talking to a couple of people with this offer in this package, some folks that we’re looking outside of Sweet Home and looking for other jobs, we’re not there yet, pay for pay, but it takes a large financial consideration away, where that’s not the driving force. Now they’re not looking at leaving to go make more money. We’re more competitive with finances now.”
New Generator For The Station
During a report given by Battalion Chief Randy Whitfield, the existing generator at Station 22 is 29 years old. In January 2024, it had an electrical issue that caused it to fail and required $5,300 in repairs. During the generator repairs, Linn County provided a portable generator so the station would have backup power.
Whitfield said he looked into replacing the aging generator and got a quote for a new 60kw dual fuel (natural gas and propane) generator that would meet the station’s needs. The estimated cost is around $40,000. The new generator would allow Station 22 to serve as an emergency gathering area if needed, and would automatically switch between fuels if the natural gas was disrupted.
The county may have some COVID relief funds still available that could potentially help purchase a new generator for Station 22. Whitfield has been in communication with the county about this opportunity. If the county funds a new generator, the old generator could potentially be moved to another district station to provide backup power there.
Change In Board Meeting Time
During the discussions the board made a motion to change the meeting times. After unanimous approval the board has decided to change the meeting time from 7 pm to 6:30 pm.
The board meets every third Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will be held on March 19, at 6:30 pm.
Bond Seeks Voter Approval
During the board meeting Chief Tyler presented his bond proposal to the board. The SHFAD is seeking funding through a bond measure to purchase equipment for both fire and EMS operations.
See the chart to the right for a breakdown of the equipment the board seeks in range of priority
The district passed the bond resolution calling for a measure election on May 21, 2024 for voters to authorize issuing general obligation bonds not exceeding $3.33 million to finance capital projects related to wildfire risk reduction.