With the Toledo Fire Department's calls for service increasing last year, a trend that fire officials say is continuing, the department is making moves aimed at reducing the stress and workload placed on the busiest fire companies.
"Some stations are getting the brunt, so we're trying to take some of the sting out," Gary Martin, deputy chief of operations, said.
The changes, which focus on moving equipment and some personnel, are the result of an eight-week analysis Chief Martin spearheaded.
Using data from 2011, density maps were created to show where medical incidents and fires are reported in Toledo.
With that information, Chief Martin and others developed possible scenarios for restructuring but decided on a plan that would move a ladder truck to a reserve unit and relocate several rescue squads.
Fire Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld said, "What we're trying to do is rearrange our resources to better utilize and support those companies that do a bulk of the work."
He added that the changes "would mean a more efficient use [of resources]. ... We understand in these economic times we're in there are budget constraints, but we're expected to provide a service; we want to do it in the most professional and efficient way we can."
No costs are associated with the moves.
Among the moves, a front-line ladder truck -- which is essentially a truck ready to take a call at a moment's notice -- at East Toledo's Station 13 will become a reserve unit, which means that, when other front-line trucks are in use, it can be put into service with a call from dispatch.
The change means three front-line trucks will be at stations 17, at 1047 W. Central Ave., Station 4, at 3940 Hill Ave., and Station 5, at 1 N. Ontario St., and three reserve trucks will be at stations 25, at 2933 W. Central, 9, at 900 South Ave., and 13, at 1899 Front St.
"[The reserve trucks] will be fully stocked and ready to go into service with a phone call," Lieutenant Hertzfeld said. "If a big fire comes in and there are two trucks at that fire, dispatch can make a call to another station and say, 'Put yours in service.'"
Moves will be made elsewhere: Station 7, 2155 Franklin Ave., will get a new unit -- probably a rescue squad, although the final decision has not been made.
Rescue squads will move from Station 17 to Station 18, at 5221 Lewis Ave. in West Toledo, from Station 3, at 701 Bush St. in North Toledo to Station 13 in East Toledo, and from Station 9 to Station 21, at 1474 S. Detroit Ave., both in South Toledo.
"There are no stations closing, that's first and foremost," Lieutenant Hertzfeld said. "[Residents] aren't going to notice a change, there will still be firefighters at every station. ... We're not taking any service away, we're just changing the way it's delivered, to an extent.
"I think there's going to be a degree of ... efficiency brought into this."
With an average of 23.5 calls for service per 24-hour shift, Station 17 was Toledo's busiest last year, he said.
A little more than a year ago, Kacy Christian, 29, joined the Toledo Fire Department, serving four months each at Station 25 on West Central and Station 9 on South Avenue before he wound up at Station 17.
In his four months at Station 25, Mr. Christian did not respond to any fires. On his first day at Station 9, his crew was dispatched to a working fire, he said.
Now, at Station 17, "we've been averaging two fires per tour, per shift," Mr. Christian said. "I went from months of nothing to probably 30 to 40 fires. ... We average two fires per shift, on top of EMS runs.
"We stay busy and you have to stay focused," Mr. Christian added. "That's where taking a step back for a minute and thinking about the situation comes into play when it's 4 a.m., 2:30 a.m., or the 15th run and the second fire."
Mr. Christian said he and the other firefighters at his station average, perhaps, two or three hours of sleep a night.
"It's very sporadic," he said. "You might sleep 20 minutes here, 10 minutes there. There are some nights you do get sleep."
Lieutenant Hertzfeld said the changes aren't "going to happen in one tour -- it's going to be done in parts."
The changes are expected to start May 1, but the sequence has not been determined. In any case, they will not require the department to buy equipment, the lieutenant said.
"We have to do more with less," he said. "It's a matter of shifting resources to areas where the work is and trying to balance the areas where they don't see as much activity."
Chief Martin said it is his intention to compile statistics every January on fire runs and compare them to previous years to see if the changes were beneficial or if others need to be made.
With the equipment moves, some personnel changes will occur but no jobs will be lost, the lieutenant said. It's unclear how many people will move to different stations.
Firefighters will have the option to bid for different positions once the jobs are created by moving equipment.
In 2011, the fire department handled more than 54,000 calls for service, up 4.5 percent from the previous year, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said. In the first three months of this year, the department is up about 100 incidents per month.
Once the moves are made, the department will continue to monitor call trends and make adjustments if necessary. "You always take some chances and roll the dice, but you cannot argue with the statistics," Chief Martin said.
Chief Martin, who on Thursday finished touring the firehouses to explain the plans, said reception has been positive overall. He allowed that the shifting of equipment might prompt some resistance from firefighters who have worked at their stations for long periods and might be unhappy about leaving their crews.
"Any time there's change, it's difficult," Lieutenant Hertzfeld said.
Copyright 2012 - The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
