By Stephanie Irvine
The Manhattan Fire Protection District has had a busy year — up nearly 400 calls for service over last year’s total.
Chief Steve Malone reported that as of the December meeting, the district had responded to 2,631 calls for service. With tones going off during the meeting, that number will undoubtedly rise before the official end of the year.
Last year, the district saw about 2,250 calls, according to Malone.
Once again, the district had a busy month, with several calls for barn and brush fires within the district and for mutual aid, in addition to other calls.
Additionally, Ambulance 83 was involved in an accident while transporting a patient to Riverside Hospital. The ambulance was t-boned at Rt. 45 and Armour but, luckily, no injuries resulting from the crash were reported.
Malone reported protocol was properly followed, and the ambulance driver was drug-tested with clear results. No disciplinary action was necessary as a result of the accident, and the district is working with the insurance companies, both of the at-fault driver and the district’s insurance to cover either replacement or repair. They still are working with repair shops to determine the extent of the damage, which appears to be fairly significant.
Battalion Chief Bruce Boyle reported Ambulance 83, which was involved in the accident, would be out of service for about eight-to-nine months. However, although Ambulance 83 would be out of service, they wouldn’t be in a position where they would be down an ambulance for long.
“You will remember the International ambulance we had that has been in the refurbishing process for the past two years; well, it looks like I’m going for final inspection on that on December 30. That will put us in a position where we will have a spare. So there’s some positivity,” Boyle said at the meeting.
Given the current shortage of new ambulances available for purchase, having an extra is necessary. Even if a district needs an ambulance, they still have to get under contract to purchase a new ambulance in advance, as the waitlist is nearly three years to receive it.
Boyle reported they plan to put the district on the list and under contract for a new ambulance after the first of the year, but he reiterated they won’t receive the ambulance for two-to-three years.
Deputy Chief Dave Piper reported the “Hello to Hello” 90th percentile response time is at 10 minutes and 24 seconds. This reflects the total time from when dispatch answers the call to when the crew knocks on the door to the person who called, nine times out of 10.
The district uses the 90th percentile, because it gives a more accurate picture of responses.
The district aims to be just over seven minutes, and Piper reported they meet that about 61 percent of the time; however, travel time greatly affects the total response time.
Piper also reported he is pursuing several grants for the district.
After a closed-session review of contracts, the board of trustees also voted to renew the Malone and Piper contracts, signaling approval of the chiefs’ performances during the past year.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.
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