Mission Statement The Leawood Fire Department will meet the emergency and service needs of our community

in a professional, compassionate, and timely manner.

2018 Annual Report

2018 was a great year for the Leawood Fire Department. This annual report has some of the highlights pulled from throughout the year. Please

take a look and feel free to contact us with questions or comments.

Inside the Report: Page 2 - From the Chief Page 3 - Incidents by Grid Page 4 - Personnel Highlights Page 5 - Department Health & Safety Page 6 - Support & Appreciation Page 7 - Annual Data & Accreditation Page 8 - About our Department

2018 By the Numbers - 12,390 LFD Personnel Training Hours - 628 CPR or CPR/AED/1st Aid Students - 111 Infant & Child Car Seat Installations - 289 Public Education / Relations Events - 1,037 Building Inspections - 75 Residential Smoke Alarm Assists - 192 Construction Plan Reviews - 6 Special Permits Issued

On, February 3rd, 2017, Patrick Cocherl, began experiencing pain and pressure in his chest while he was home alone. When he noticed his jaw stiffening and began sweating profusely, he realized what was happening and called 911. The crew of Leawood Fire Department A-Shift Quint 33 made up of Captain Mike Knisely and Firefighters Chris Cosgrove and Jeff Anderson arrived within three minutes of the call for help. As the fire crew approached, Mr. Cocherl went into sudden cardiac arrest. The Leawood crew was able to immediately initiate the lifesaving actions needed.

On December 4th, 2018, Patrick Cocherl and his wife Kathy, representing their Cocherl Family Foundation, presented a donation of $50,000 to the Leawood Fire Department at a Leawood City Council Meeting. During the presentation, Mr. Cocherl gave a touching speech about their 40 years as Leawood residents and his appreciation for the first responders who saved his life. He expressed hope that the donation would be used for equipment that would further aid the Fire Department in protecting the community. Mayor Peggy Dunn and Fire Chief David Williams then presented Mr. Cocherl with a certificate of appreciation and a Hallmark ornament replica of the LFD’s 1949 Ford Central Pumper.

L-R: FF Jeff Anderson, Capt Mike Knisely, Kathy Cocherl, Patrick Cocherl, FF Chris Cosgove

Cardiac Arrest Survivor Makes Donation to the LFD

2018 Annual Report Leawood Fire Department Page 2

2018 was a great year for the Leawood Fire Department! First and most importantly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the City of Leawood Governing Body and the Community for their outstanding support as we strive to serve and improve.

The fire department was humbled by the support and generosity of the Cocherl Family Foundation’s donation of $50,000, presented at a City Council meeting in December. Mr. Cocherl made the donation to thank us for our response to his home on February 3, 2017 when he suffered cardiac arrest. The donation will go towards equipment and supplies to help us enhance our service to the community.

At the beginning of each year, the Department sets goals and a vision for that year. Some of those past goals have been accreditation, an Insurance Services Organization (ISO) Public Protection Classification rating of 1 (exemplary), and the start of our advanced life support paramedic program. In 2018, our goal was internally focused on improving the health and safety of our firefighters. Two big areas of focus this year were Peer Support and Cancer Prevention. These initiatives involved research and education as well as cooperative planning and policy work with Human Resources and the Police Department to ensure well-rounded programs.

Cancer prevention has actually been in the works for several years with programs like diesel exhaust removal systems in the stations and two set of serviceable fire gear per firefighter. Providing Peer Support, however, is a fairly new initiative to the fire service and first responders. We partnered with the Police Department to provide training for both departments. We believe the health and well-being of our firefighters is not only a benefit to them and their families, but to the community as well. Both programs are discussed in more detail in this report.

In closing, we are looking forward to 2019 and continue to look for ways to improve our service to the community.

2018 Fire Department Budget: $8,453,333

Fire Department Personnel

Total Full Time Equivalents: 53.49 Administration Positions: 3.8 Fire Prevention Positions: 2 Operations Positions: 47.69

2018 Annual Report Leawood Fire Department Page 3

2018 Fire Department Incidents by Leawood Map Grid

City of Leawood Grids

(Each Grid is 1 Square Mile & Matches Census Grids)

Incident Type in Leawood Per Grid for 2018

Grid Fire EMS HazMat Tech

Rescue Other Total

Percent of Total

91 1 126 9 0 35 171 5%

115 3 114 14 1 57 189 6%

139 0 145 6 0 34 185 6%

162 0 11 0 0 0 11 <1%

163 7 119 13 0 65 204 6%

186 4 609 14 5 87 719 22%

187 2 80 9 1 82 174 5%

210 2 81 2 0 28 113 3%

211 5 145 11 0 60 221 7%

234 1 57 8 0 25 91 3%

235 6 162 11 0 60 239 7%

258 2 59 6 1 10 78 2%

259 1 126 8 0 70 205 6%

282 5 236 5 0 63 309 9%

283 0 37 3 0 8 48 1%

306 1 38 3 0 13 55 2%

307 0 6 0 0 1 7 <1%

Out of Leawood

31 55 0 1 12 99 3%

Unspecified 1 59 5 1 153 219

Total 72 2,265 127 10 863 3,337

2018 Annual Report Leawood Fire Department Page 4

2018 Retirements

Battalion Chief Steve Duncan retired on March 18th with over 28 years of service to the citizens of Leawood. He began his career with the LFD on October 14, 1989 and worked his way up through the ranks to shift commander. Along the way, he even

managed to earn a law degree.

Battalion Chief Steve Duncan Captain Mike Knisely Captain Mike Knisely retired on December 8th with over 20 years of service to the citizens of Leawood. He began his career with the LFD on September 14, 1998 and worked his way up the to company officer. Mike was a passionate instructor and helped educate a lot of peers as well as

the public in areas such as CPR and First Aid.

2018 Promotions

2018 New Hires

Firefighter / A-EMT Joshuah Hopkins

Firefighter / EMT Sterling Fuller

Lieutenant Aaron Kline

Lieutenant Curtis Newman

Lieutenant Jacob Williams

Battalion Chief Scott Gilmore

Battalion Chief James ‘Mike’ Hoffine

Captain Derek Boggs

Captain Geoff Gladish

Captain Kirk Gurske

2018 Annual Report Leawood Fire Department Page 5

Firefighter mental health is a subject that has finally started getting the attention it deserves. It has been shown that firefighters and EMS personnel have a suicide rate that is 10 times higher than the average American worker. It is also realized that approximately 22% of firefighters suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a survey of 1,000 firefighters, 47% admitted to suicidal ideations, 19% had formulated a plan and 16% had actually attempted suicide.

In an effort to provide for the well-being of our firefighters and families, the Leawood fire department started a peer support program. Five LFD volunteers attended 40 hours of peer support training with personnel from other agencies across the region including the Leawood Police Department. The program addresses the mental health of our first responders and offers assistance to both members and their families as needed. It is designed to be proactive and preventative in nature. It should be noted that peer support does not replace the formal help offered by professional clinicians such as psychologists and psychiatrists. However, peer support can help with referrals and recommendations when the need for professional help arises. Peer support enables members to reach out for help on an informal level as a way of taking the first step.

As part of the peer support team, members are required to uphold confidentiality. All of the peer support members have committed to being available as necessary to assist with any needs that may arise at any time. As part of the training, peer support team members are available to help other response agencies across the region and the state. This can include conducting formal critical incident debriefings.

As the program grows, the department hopes to add more peer support members and continue service development. Healthy responders and families will remain the focus and will ensure the continued success of our department.

Peer Support

Department Health & Safety

Cancer Prevention Current research reflects that firefighters are at a significantly higher risk for contracting cancer than the general population. Recent studies have indicated that firefighters are twice as likely to be formally diagnosed with specific types of cancer than the average person. According to the IAFF, there were 7,508 deaths in 2014 of active and retired firefighters related to cancer. The identification of this unfortunate trend has created an urgent need to analyze this problem and implement a solution.

Research has shown that elevated rates of cancer can be linked directly to the carcinogens that are found in products of combustion. Many experts attribute the rise of rates to the use of plastics and synthetics in the modern homes of today and the frequent exposure to diesel exhaust fumes. During fire incidents, firefighters are routinely exposed to these carcinogens. Although firefighters cannot control the exposure to harmful chemicals while actively fighting a fire, there are precautions that can be taken throughout and after the incident. The goal of the initiative is to minimize the exposure to these harmful byproducts. Although precautions are taking place on the fire scene, some of the most proactive practices take place in the stations.

The Leawood Fire Department is actively working to protect its firefighter from the elevated risks of cancer. Each firefighter is issued two sets of bunker gear including two firefighting hoods. This allows a firefighter to respond in full PPE while the other set is being cleaned. All Leawood fire stations are currently equipped with diesel exhaust removal systems. The department also has a PPE washer/extractor, a special industrial strength laundry machine designed to extract contaminants. In addition, the Department adopted 12 life safety initiatives from the white paper: Taking Action Against Cancer. These include special cleaning, storage, and decontamination procedures for trucks and equipment, air quality monitoring practices on scenes, and firefighter personal scene decontamination and cleaning practices.

While it is currently impossible to eliminate all risks while operating at fire scenes, it is the goal of the LFD to minimize as many risks as possible. For more information visit: https://firefightercancersupport.org/

2018 Annual Report Leawood Fire Department Page 6

Leawood Women’s Club

The Leawood Women’s Club dissolved in 2018. During their many years of service to the community, the Club donated money on an annual basis to the City’s Fire and Police Departments to help enhance public safety. During their final meeting, they had a chance to have a picture taken with Leawood’s 1949 Ford Central Pumper. This was Leawood’s first fire truck and was reconditioned with financial support from the LWC.

9-11 Memorial Stair Climb In 2003, Lieutenant Charles Cogburn from the Albuquerque Fire Department symbolically climbed 110 flights of stairs in remembrance of the 343 New York Firefighters who lost their lives in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Lt Cogburn performed the climb while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The first organized 9-11 stair climb took place the following year after he returned home in Albuquerque. Since then, the concept has spread across the nation and across the world with climbs occurring in places like Paris, London, Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney Australia.

The first organized climb in Kansas City took place in 2011. Only 343 firefighters are allowed to make the climb, one for each fallen New York firefighter. Last year, the 343 spots were filled in four minutes after registration opened. Each climber is given a lanyard with a photograph of one of the fallen so they can symbolically make the climb for and with the fallen, who no longer can. The climbers makes the climb in their full firefighter bunker gear including an air pack.

Leawood Fire Department has had volunteer participation every year since 2015. In 2018, four Leawood firefighters made the climb: Russ Walker, Rhys Hernandez, Jeff Vaughn, and Travis Bloomingdale.

L-R: FF Jeff Vaughn, FF Rhys Hernandez, Capt Russ Walker, FF Travis Bloomingdale

FF Hernandez climbed for FF Thomas Holohan

FF Bloomingdale climbed for Lt Charles Margiotta

FF Vaughn climbed for FF Steven Olson

Capt Walker climbed for FF Michael Roberts

The Leawood Women’s Club with Mayor Peggy Dunn,

Fire Chief Williams, & Police Chief Rettig with Leawood’s 1949 Ford

2018 Annual Report Leawood Fire Department Page 7

2016 2017 2018

Annual Budget $8,308,606 $7,252,098 $8,453,333

Total Incidents 3,046 3,300 3,337

All Fire Type Incidents 88 96 72

Structure Fire only 46 56 39

EMS Incidents 2,070 2,255 2,266

Technical Rescue Incidents 7 12 10

Haz Mat Incidents 112 125 127

Other Calls for Service 769 812 862

Call Handling Time (Dispatch) 90th Percentile Baseline Performance 1:03 1:13 1:07

Turnout Time (Reaction—dispatch to enroute) 90th Percentile Baseline Performance 1:29 1:25 1:30

Travel Time—1st Unit on Scene 90th Percentile Baseline Performance 5:25 5:35 5:25

Travel Time—Effective Response Force 90th Percentile Baseline Performance 8:31 9:10 8:43

Total Response Time—1st Unit on Scene 90th Percentile Baseline Performance 7:06 7:26 7:13

Total Response Time—Effective Response Force 90th Percentile Baseline Performance 10:05 10:46 10:23

Total Fire Loss $1,404,501 $2,090,940 $1,284,610

Total Value Saved—Fire Incidents $33,805,519 $75,117,820 $28,623,000

The Leawood Fire Department completed its third annual compliance report (ACR) in 2018, an annual requirement for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). The LFD was required to submit a report with exhibits showing continued compliance with established standards and practices. This was followed up by a phone interview between the LFD Accreditation Manager and a CFAI representative. The ACR process is required annually for four years following accreditation until the fifth year when the entire accreditation process is repeated.

The Department also gives back to the accreditation process by providing trained and certified peer assessors. Both LFD Deputy Chiefs are certified peer assessors and have completed multiple site visits for other fire departments around the nation in recent years, including 3 visits in 2018 to Fairfax County, VA, Rocky Mount, N.C., and Wilmington, N.C..

LFD is already preparing for the next accreditation process and updating the Self-Assessment Manual. The LFD Strategic Plan will be redone in 2019 with community stakeholder input. The Standards of Cover / Community Risk Assessment will be updated in late 2019. A site-visit by a peer review team will take place in early 2020 and the Department will go before the Commission on Fire Accreditation International in August of 2020.

Fire Department Accreditation

2018 Annual Report Leawood Fire Department Page 8

City of Leawood Fire Department 14801 Mission Road Leawood, KS 66224

Phone: 913-681-6788 Fax: 913-681-2399 LFD Website: www.leawood.org/fire

Station 1 9609 Lee Blvd 913-266-0610

Station 2 12701 Mission Rd

913-266-0620

Station 3 / Admin 14801 Mission Rd

913-266-0630

Community Services The Leawood Fire Department provides a wide array of public services.

Some of the more common are listed below. Contact 913-266-0600 for more information.

Blood Pressure Checks CPR/AED/1st Aid Classes Hands-Only CPR Training Fire Extinguisher Training Fire Inspections Fire Investigations Firefighter Visits

Fire Station Tours Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention School Programs Car Seat Installation Home Safety Checks Detector Assistance