The Staunton Fire Protection District (SFPD) in Staunton, Illinois, is an all-volunteer fire department located 40 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The district covers 32 square miles of territory with an estimated population of 7,500. The largest portion of the population (5,500) resides in the city of Staunton, and the remainder lives in the rural farm area surrounding the city. The fire district is mainly a bedroom community with a large portion of its residents traveling to other larger surrounding cities for employment. The city boasts a medium size business district, a hospital, a long- term care facility, three schools, ten churches, and some small industry. The district also has a major interstate highway, a state highway, two railways, a private airport, and several pipelines contained in the response area. The district covers portions of three different counties and seven different townships

The SFPD currently maintains a maximum roster of 50 active firefighters (but normally carries a roster of 40-45 active personnel) and approximately 30 inactive and honorary firefighters. The department is structured into 4 companies with 1 captain, 1 lieutenant and 10-11 firefighters per company. A fire chief and two assistant chiefs oversee the overall department operations. A fire department chaplain and a junior firefighter program of 4-8 personnel round out the department roster. Department members average 10 years of service.

The department currently operates seven apparatus and a trailer. Engine 1 is a 1986 Pierce class A pumper with a 750 gallon water tank and a 1,000 gpm pump. Engine 2 is a 1977 FMC class A pumper with a 750 gallon water tank and a 1,000 gpm pump. Engine 3 is 2000 Pierce class A pumper/tanker with a 1,500 water tank and a 1,500 gpm pump. Tanker 1 is 1989 Marion tanker with a 2,200 gallon water tank. Squad 1 is a 1994 Road Rescue heavy rescue truck. Brush Truck 1 is a 1994 Ford 4 wheel drive vehicle with a skid unit which contains a 2000 gallon water tank and 500 gpm pump. The department also maintains a 1946 antique parade truck. The SFPD also operates a special operations trailer which carries the department hazardous materials equipment and a large foam supply.

The department maintains state of the art equipment including two hydraulic rescue tool systems, air bags, five portable pumps, positive pressure fans, large diameter hose, and a complete compliment of firefighting and rescue tools. SFPD firefighters are protected by NFPA compliant bunker gear and state of the art self-contained breathing apparatus. The department maintains a full compliment of personal pagers, portable radios, and mobile vehicle radios.

The current SFPD station was dedicated was built in 2002.. The station has a total footprint of 11,955 square feet with 6,900 square feet of truck bays and 8,550 square feet of finished office area. The bay area of the station provides sufficient parking for 9 apparatus. The apparatus bay area also includes an SCBA/compressor shop, a maintenance shop, a laundry room, a restroom, and a generator room. The second story above the shop area is a dedicated storage area. The finished office area of the station encompasses two stories. The first floor consists of a radio/dispatch area, the district board room, two offices, a large training/meeting room, a kitchen, a storage/housekeeping room and two restrooms. The second floor includes a large recreation room, future bunk rooms (which are currently being used for storage and meeting rooms), female and male shower rooms, an office, a dayroom area and two mechanical rooms.

The SFPD has averaged 107 calls per year over the last 10 years. The bulk of the incidents are minor in nature and include vehicle fires, utility emergencies, and smoke investigations. The department responds to an average of five working structure fires and 25 rescue calls per year. The department provides rescue services, but a third party, municipal ambulance service is contracted for advanced life support care services.

The SFPD provides a wide variety of support services to the district residents. This includes an extensive public education program, a pre-planning program, an extensive firefighter training program, an equipment maintenance program, a customer service program, a rural water supply program and disaster response services.

The department has a developed a well-defined automatic mutual aid program with 12 other area departments. The department is also a member of the 3M Firefighters Association (a 36 department mutual aid organization), the Madison County Hazardous Materials Team program (a specially trained group of haz mat responders available to all departments in Madison County), and the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (a statewide mutual aid program).

The SFPD receives the largest portion of its operating funds from the Staunton Fire Protection District that is a taxing district which was established in 1978. Each household within the fire protection district is taxed a basic rate. The current fire district budget is approximately $225,000 per year. All funds collected are administered through a district board. The three-person board manages the financial and legal dealings of the fire protection district. The funds accumulated through taxes are used to buy new equipment, pay for maintenance of current equipment, and pay per capita rates for the contract ambulance service.

Additional funds for the department are generated through fund raising efforts of the volunteers. The volunteers take part in a number of fund raising projects throughout the year which include the annual 4^th of July celebration, a golf tournament, and a barbecue. All funds collected are used for department activities or to purchase new equipment.

The Staunton Fire Protection District currently maintains a class 5 ISO rating. The department maintains one of the largest volunteer contingents in the area. The department has won the prestigious Life Safety Achievement Award for excellence in public education for the past 8 years. Current Fire Chief Rick Haase was named the Illinois Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year during 2001 and the Fire Chief Magazine Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year during 2004.

The SFPD has long been a cornerstone of community service. Besides providing fire and rescue related services, they have been a strong supporter of the community. They have sponsored little league baseball teams, soccer teams, and have numerous donations to other civic organizations.

The Staunton Fire Department/Staunton Fire Protection District has a long history in the Staunton area. The department has been providing quality emergency services to the public since 1923.

The Staunton Fire Protection Disct personnel have always been the most important organization asset. The SFPD volunteers receive absolutely no type of financial reward for their countless hours of service to the community. The volunteers do so much more than just respond to incidents. They spend many hours each year training to hone their fire and rescue skills. They conduct over 60% of the required apparatus and equipment maintenance. They spend countless hours conducting public education, pre-planning, and customer/community service activities. Each year the Staunton Fire Protection District volunteers accumulate between 8,000 – 11,000 hours of overall service to the community.

During the 2005 calendar year, the SFPD saw several changes within the personnel structure. The following personnel joined the department during the calendar year:

Probationary Firefighter Derek Lincoln

Probationary Firefighter Dennis Foster

Junior Firefighter Josh Schneck

Junior Firefighter Seth Geninatti

The following firefighters resigned from the department during the calendar year:

Lieutenant Mark Mayfield

Firefighter Randy Braman

Probationary Firefighter Chris Mathenia

Probationary Firefighter Dan Meyers

Junior Firefighter Kevin Williams

During 2005, the following personnel received promotions within the department:

Firefighter Mark Bryan was promoted to Lieutenant.

Probationary Firefighter Ted Berg was promoted to Firefighter

The SFPD volunteer organization elected to the following personnel to leadership positions:

Ray Trost – President

Dave Volentine – Vice President

Mary Bryan – Secretary

Larry Ziegler – Treasurer

Rick Haase – Fire Chief

The following personnel were recognized with service anniversary awards during the 2005:

Dennis Crouch – 20 years

Jim Baglin – 10 years

B. J. Hearty – 5 years

Ken Newcomb – 5 years

The following active firefighters were recognized for service anniversaries over 20 years of service:

Kevin Kuethe – 21 Years of Service

Dick Brown – 22 Years of Service

Rick Haase – 22 Years of Service

Ed Wineburner – 23 Years of service

Ron Williams – 24 Years of service

Glenn Kellebrew – 31 Years of Service

Ron Dustman – 31 Years of Service

The following inactive/honorary firefighters were recognized for membership anniversaries over 50 years:

Elmer Schnaare – 60 Years of service

Martin Przymuzala – 56 Years of Service

Jim Sullivan – 55 Years of Service

John Vesper – 55 Years of Service

Ray Frioli – 52 Years of Service

Lowell Lovejoy – 52 Years of Service

The following personnel were recognized for their special service to the fire district and volunteer organization:

Don Kasubke and Dennis Yarnik – SFPD Ambulance Board Representatives

Keith Meyers – 2005 Fourth of July Celebration Chairman

Corey Painter – 2005 Fourth of July Parade Chairman

David Jones – 2005 Golf Tournament Chairman

Jim Bertagnolli – Illinois Fire Safety Alliance BBQ Chairman

Danny Mosser – 2005 Recognition Dance Chairman

The SFPD volunteer membership has accumulated the following statistics throughout their careers:

During the 2005 calendar year, the Staunton Fire Protection District responded to a total of 97 calls for emergency assistance. This is a 10% decrease in the number of calls seen during this same time period from last year.

During 2005, an average of 11 firefighters and 2 apparatus responded to incidents. The average response time (time the call was received until SFPD apparatus was on scene) was 5 minutes. The average total call time (time the call was received until the time units were again ready to respond) was 52 minutes. There were no SFPD injuries during any of the 2005 incident response.

There were only three significant structure fires during the 2005 calendar year. The incidents included a residential structure fire on Panhorst Street, a residential structure fire on South Hackman street, and a residential fire on North Hibbard Street. All three fires were contained with fire damage in 2 rooms or less. The fire loss during 2005 was at the lowest level in over 5 years. The overall number of structure fires decrease by 40% from 2004 and it was the lowest number of structure fires in the last 10 years.

The most significant incident response of 2005 was the response to a drowning incident at the Staunton Reservoir during July. The incident lasted just over 24 hours and included the response of 15 other agencies and received a large amount of media attention.

SFPD personnel responded to 22 motor vehicle accidents during the year. This was a 10% increase over 2004 and a 40% increase over 2003 but the accidents were much less severe than recent years. There was a 50% increase in the number of brush fires over 2004 but there was a significant decrease in the number of utility emergencies. Over the past 10 years, the SFPD has seen a steady decrease in the number of vehicle fires and the number of carbon monoxide investigations.

During 2005 the SFPD responded to 16 requests for mutual aid assistance and received mutual aid assistance 7 times. The number of mutual aid responses has continually risen over the past 5 years.

As in past years, the winter months (December, January, February and March) were the busiest months for the SFPD responders. June and July proved to be the slowest incident response months during 2005.

The highest number of yearly responses since the inception of the Staunton Fire Department/Staunton Fire Protection District includes the following:

A month by month breakdown and a comparison of the 2004 incident responses to the incident responses during the past 5 years is shown below:

Regular training sessions are conducted each Monday evening and training for shift workers is conducted once or twice per month on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. The Staunton Fire Protection District is one of the few fire departments in the area (paid or volunteer) that conduct training on a weekly basis. Many departments only train every other week or monthly.

The SFPD training classes are instructed by both SFPD officers and guest instructors. The classes include both classroom training and a large amount of hands on training evolutions. An advanced training program is provided for officers and a specialized training program is provided for junior firefighters.

During the 2005 calendar year, Staunton Fire Protection District personnel accumulated 2,728 hours of on-site training and approximately 1100 hours of off-site training. This averages out to approximately 61 hours of on-site training per firefighter. An average of 23 SFPD personnel attended training each Monday evening and an average of 4 SFPD personnel per weekend training class. Captain/Training Officer Ray Scroggins coordinates the overall training program and Firefighter Allan Williams coordinates the weekend training classes.

Outlined below are some of the highlights of the 2005 SFPD training program:

The training program includes a wide variety of firefighting and rescue training topics and includes an extensive amount of hands on training evolutions. Some of the training topics included rapid intervention team operations, water supply operations, auto extrication, apparatus operation, and meth lab response, multi-injury/disaster operations, technical rescue operations and haz mat response.

The SFPD hosted a propane fire training class. Close to 50 firefighters from 5 different fire departments attended the training. The training was conducted by instructors from the Illinois Fire Service Institute.

Firefighter Don Houston completed module B of his Firefighter II certification. Firefighter Ted Berg, Firefighter Don Houston, and Junior Firefighter Daniel Mayfield completed emergency medical technician training. Chief Rick Haase completed the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association Chief Fire Officer Class.

Chief Rick Haase instructed at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Conference in Denver, Colorado, the Green River Firefighter Conference in Kentucky and the Volunteer and Combination Officers Symposium in Clearwater, Florida. Rick serves as a field staff instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute and is an instructor and member of the fire science advisory board for Lewis and Clark Community College.

The SFPD continued to expand its’ training library. The library contains all types of training manuals, video tapes, overhead transparencies, CD-ROMs which are available for department or individual use. Over twenty new additions were made to the library during 2005.

A set of training reference manuals were developed. These manuals include a compilation of training materials which were obtained from several different fire service websites.

The SFPD began to develop plans to construct a department training facility. The training facility will contain different props specifically designed to hone fire and rescue skills.

The SFPD began training to meet the requirements of the National Incident Management System requirements. The additional training requirements will be completed during 2006.

The SFPD continues the development standardized training programs for personnel. During 2005, the department developed four new training programs. These three programs are in addition to the twenty other standardized training programs that have been developed over the past six years.

The SFPD continues to develop standardized training evolutions to increase the efficiency of department operations. During 2005, fifteen new evolutions were developed. Over the past four years a total of 42 standardized training evolutions have been developed.

The SFPD currently produces a monthly safety bulletin and a monthly personal development bulletin for all SFPD personnel. Over the past three years, 34 safety bulletins and 28 personal development bulletins have been developed.

The SFPD began the development of a joint training program with other area fire departments. The joint training program will include probationary firefighter training, advanced firefighter training and officer level training. The new program will be implemented during 2006.

Members of the SFPD participated in the Community Memorial Hospital disaster drill during the month of November.

During the last 15 years, the department members have participated in nearly 40,000 hours of on-site training.

During the last 15 years SFPD personnel have obtained over 50 state and national training certifications. Some of the certifications that have been obtained by department members includes the following:

The Staunton Fire Protection District continues to spend a large amount of time preventing fires and injuries by conducting a comprehensive public education program. Outline below are some the highlights of this program.

During 2005, the Staunton Fire Protection District received the Operation Life Safety Life Safety Achievement award for the eighth year in a row. The Staunton Fire Protection District was one of 792 fire departments nationwide to receive this special award.

During 2005, the department conducted the following public education/injury prevention activities:

Weekly Newspaper Articles - The department provides 3 weekly public education articles (one on fire prevention, one on accident prevention and one on fire department activities/programs) to two different local newspapers (Staunton Star Times and Kwik Connection). Occasional articles are also provided to a regional newspaper (Alton Telegraph).

Meet Your Volunteer Firefighter Articles – During 2005 the SFPD continued the meet your volunteer firefighter program. Each week an article is written that features the efforts of one of the SFPD firefighters. This program will be completed during 2006.

Weekly Cable TV Ads – The department has partnered with the local cable TV company (Madison County Communications) and two different print ads (one fire safety and one accident prevention) is provided to the cable TV channel each week. The department provides the material content and the cable TV company provides the layout free of charge.

Weekly Radio Public Service Ads – The department has partnered with a local radio station (WSMI) and we provide the radio station with a weekly public service ad which they may use as time is available. The radio ads mirror the current articles which are being provided to the local newspapers in order to help drive home specific topics.

Public Education Sign - The department has installed a public education sign in front of the fire station. Weekly fire prevention and safety slogans are displayed on the sign.

Fire Station Tours – The department provided tours to two scout groups during the calendar year.

Presentations – The department provided a total of 3 presentations during the calendar year. The presentations included presentations to school classes and the Staunton K of C Council.

Public Service Activities – The department provides a number of different public service activities. During 2004, those activities included the following:

Participated in 7 local community parades

Provided a loaner carbon monoxide detector on 4 different occasions

Assisted with fire protection at the high school bonfire

Escorted local school sports teams as they returned from tournaments

The SFPD continues to develop a web site. The new web site contains all types of information regarding the department operations. The web site is currently being updated and the expanded.

Customer Relations Program - The SFPD continues to conduct a customer relations program. The program is designed to ensure that the department provides high level of service to the general public. As part of the program, the department installs smoke detectors in homes, install batteries in smoke detectors and recharges fire extinguishers used to extinguish fires. After incidents, residents are sent surveys to rate the level of service provided by the department. During 2005, on a scale of 1-10 (10 being excellent service) the department has an average rating of 9.8.

Illinois Fire Safety Alliance - The Staunton Fire Protection District is a member of Illinois Fire Safety Alliance. The alliance is a statewide organization that administers and support fire prevention programs. Over the past 10 years, the SFPD has received four grants from the alliance to purchase specialized fire prevention materials.

Special Activities – The department conducted a number of special public education activities. Those activities include the following:

National Fire Safety Council Program - For over 20 years the Staunton Volunteer Fire Department has participated in the National Fire Safety Council Program. This program works with local business to raises funds and provides fire prevention education materials to all pre-school through sixth grade students in all schools.

The SFPD conducted Fire Prevention Week activities. This year they conducted visits to the schools and fire station tours for several organizations and school groups.

The department volunteers sponsored a child to attend the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Burn Camp. This camp allows children who are burn victims to attend a week long summer camp that allows them to participate in all types of activities as well as providing special care for their burn injuries.

The SFPD volunteers initiated a scholarship program for Staunton High School seniors. During 2005, the volunteers provided a $250 scholarships to Megan Thomas and Josh Ziegler.

The SFPD volunteers continue a program to recognize the efforts of area residents who provide support to SFPD operations. During 2005, SFPD community service awards were presented to Staunton Unit Schools kindergarten teacher Marthee Rizzi and local business couple Rich and Beth Rae.

Special Annual Events - Each year the department recognizes special annual events with press releases, and in some cases, special programs. During 2005, the SFPD participated in over 10 annual safety events including Burn Awareness Week, National Safety Week, Driving Safety Week, and Electrical Safety Week.

State and National Prevention Program Participation - The department participates in many state and national fire prevention and safety programs. The programs include the Check Your Hot Spots campaign, the Keep the Wreath Red Program, Act on It Campaign, Operation Lifesaver, and the On the Safety Circuit campaign to name a few.

During 2005, the Staunton Fire Protection District completed or worked on the following projects:

The SFPD applied for and received a Firefighter Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Association. The SFPD received a grant for $195,000 to assist with the purchase of a new apparatus.

The SFPD apparatus specification committee is currently developing the specifications for a new apparatus that will replace the SFPD’s Engine 2 which is a 1976 FMC pumper. The committee is also setting up meetings with local apparatus distributors to discuss available options. The new apparatus being considered will be rescue pumper which is a pumping apparatus that will carry rescue equipment. It is hoped that the new apparatus will be received late in the 2006 calendar year.

The SFPD received a $500 grant from the ConocoPhillips Petroleum Company and the funds were used to purchase a new lap top computer. The computer will be used for training activities as well as incident documentation activities.

The SFPD received an $850 grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The funds have been used to purchase 10 backboards and six sets of immobilization straps.

The department is actively seeking to acquire additional grants. The department applied for a $6,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to purchase equipment to develop in-house public education and training programs and a $2,500 grant from the TUMS company to assist with purchase of a thermal imaging camera. They have also applied for a hydraulic rescue tool system through the FEMA CEDAP grant program and an ATV utility vehicle from the Smokeless Tobacco Organization.

SFPD members have been busy outfitting the new special operations trailer. The 8’ x 16’ enclosed box trailer which was purchased with grant funding from ConocoPhillips has been equipped with shelving and storage compartments to carry the department’s hazardous materials response and foam supply.

Additional bulk foam supplies were obtained from several area oil companies. The SFPD purchased 5 gallon buckets to hold the foam. The SFPD now carries 25 gallons of foam on each pumper and 120 gallons of foam on the special operations trailer. This is the largest foam supply in Macoupin County.

During 2005, the SFPD continued to add new equipment to its’ inventory. Equipment purchased and placed in service included additional auto extrication equipment, new forcible entry tools, and replacement hand tools and hose.

The SFPD received a mobile VHF radio system from the Illinois Mutual Aid Box Alarm System. The radio is specifically programmed for mutual aid operations. The SFPD is also scheduled to receive a new 800 mhz STARCOM radio which will also be used for statewide mutual aid operations.

The SFPD entered into an agreement with 11 other Madison County fire departments to purchase Porta-Count fit test system. The new system will be used to test SFPD for the proper fit of self-contained breathing apparatus masks.

Don Kasubke, a SFPD volunteer, purchased a new extra large propane barbecue grill for the fire station. The grill will be used for social functions as well as fundraising activities.

A major upgrade of the fire station computer system was completed during 2005. This include the update of printers, the addition of two new desk top computer systems, the installation of a network system and the installation of cable internet.

The department health and safety committee continues to be active. The committee routinely conducts safety audits and investigates all injuries and accidents.

Department members did not incur any recordable injuries during the calendar year. It has been 3 ½ years since the last recordable injury to a SFPD firefighter and 5 years since the last lost time injury to a SFPD firefighter. In recognition of two safety milestones (3 years without a recordable and 4 years without a lost time injury) all SFPD were award embroidered shirts and jackets during 2005.

During the month June the SFPD participated in the International Association of Fire Chiefs stand down for firefighter safety program. The SFPD conducted several special safety operations during the month including the following:

Daily safety messages on the pager test

Weekly safety audits

Safety meeting/training on June 13

Posting of special safety bulletins

The Illinois Department of Labor conducted a safety audit of the fire station facilities on May 16. No deficiencies were noted and the SFPD actually received several compliments on their safety and training programs.

During 2005, the department developed 13 new guidelines and updated 111 old guidelines. Over the past ten years, the department has developed over 230 standard operating guidelines.

The SFPD continues to participate in the statewide Mutual Aid Box Alarm System which will allow them to draw on mutual aid resources from across the state in the event of major incident. Chief Rick Haase is currently coordinating a project to develop an overhead incident management team for the Madison County MABAS organization.

The SFPD continues to participate in the Madison County Haz Mat Team program. The program provides specialized haz mat team response to all of Madison County as well as the Staunton Fire Protection District and the Bunker Hill Fire Protection District. The program allows the response of personnel specially trained in haz mat response operations as well as the response of a fully equipped haz mat truck, a command vehicle and a foam trailer. The team received a new command vehicle during 2005 and is scheduled to receive a new haz mat truck during 2006. Rick Haase is a duty officer for the haz mat team.

The SFPD hosted the 3M Firefighters Association meeting in May of 2005. Over 100 firefighters from departments across Macoupin, Montgomery and Madison County were present.

The SFPD worked with representatives from several city organizations to continue the planning efforts of the Staunton Area Emergency Management Council. The council conducted a large amount of disaster planning efforts during 2005 including the development of a new area disaster plan. The council has also developed a very comprehensive disaster planning program for 2006.

Two additional dry hydrants were installed during 2005. One was installed on old Route 66 and the other was installed at the Madison Communications facility. A total of five dry hydrants have been installed over the last five years. Additional dry hydrants are slated to be installed during 2006.

The SFPD continued its’ political awareness program to encourage representatives and senators to support fire service program funding and fire service friendly legislation. This program includes regular letters to local political figures and attendance at the annual fire service legislative day.

Chief Rick Haase represented the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts as a member of the State Fire Marshal Code Compliance Task Force. He took part in the review process of the State Fire Marshal fire code program.

Chief Rick Haase was asked to participate on the National Fire Mutual Aid Task Force established by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He is one of 18 Fire Chiefs from across the country asked to participate on the task force. He will define the parameters of the national fire mutual aid program that will be implemented during 2006.

The department completed its’ 66^th annual 4^th of July Celebration. The SFPD reinstituted a fireworks display at the 2005 event. Proceeds from the celebration will be used for routine department operations.

The department, in conjunction with the National Fire Safety Council, conducted an annual fundraising campaign for public education materials for the local schools. Local businesses and organizations donated over $1400.

The department conducted a pork steak barbeque at the fire station. Almost $1000 in profits was realized and all profits were used to sponsor a child at the Illinois Fire Safety Burn camp.

The SFPD participated in the Muscular Dystrophy Association fill the boot campaign. Almost $1,000 in donations was collected at the annual 4^th of July celebration.

The SFPD volunteers held their annual golf tournament during September. Proceeds from the golf tournament were earmarked to help purchase a thermal imaging camera.

Work on an updated long range master plan for the SFPD has begun. A committee has been named to assist with the development of the master plan.