Emergency Inside - Menlo Park Fire District (CA)
Menlo Park St. 1
Menlo Park St. 1
 |
| Station 1 bay with Truck 1 and Engine 1 |
The following is a summary of responses to interview questions regarding the department
Interviewee: Tony Ramirez
General Information
Primarily, MPFD serves the cities of Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, and some areas of San Mateo County. Approximately 30 square miles and a population of 90,000 are covered by MPFD
MPFD contains 7 stations, 7 engines, 1 truck, 1 rescue, 2 reserve engines (see the full list here: https://www.menlofire.org/apparatus )
MPFD is notorious for their progressive technology and practices; they are known nationally for their drone program. It is of note that Menlo Park is one of the most educated cities in California and the United States (see the Wikipedia article on Menlo Park here). In addition, because of the economy surrounding MPFD, MPFD is able to comfortably fund new projects and support their employees in various aspects within their career
Note: this interview was conducted at MPFD station 1, therefore responses are more specific to station 1. This interview does not represent the entirety of the Menlo Park Fire District
Note: this interview was conducted at MPFD station 1, therefore responses are more specific to station 1. This interview does not represent the entirety of the Menlo Park Fire District
 |
| Fun detail: Station 1 is the first fire station I have visited with fire poles! They are still used and implemented in various Menlo Park Fire District stations
1) What is the most common call for MPFD? Any special calls unique to MPFD?
- Medical calls compose 60-70% of all calls
-> All apparatuses are ALS certified (Advanced Life-Support)
-> Candidates with paramedic certifications/experience are highly favorable in the admissions process
- MPFD Station 1 employees are trained with an emphasis on cardiac arrest and lift assists due to a nearby hospital with various cardiac patients/lift assist patients
- MPFD receives many violent and drug calls in the east (East Palo Alto territory)
-> East Palo Alto (technically an unincorporated community, see wiki article here) struggles with lower academic performance and violence. While not extremely dangerous, it is important to recognize how East Palo Alto contrasts with nearby cities in the lense of crime
-> In response, MPFD has implemented shooter training (collaboration with the police) in order to provide a safe response to these calls
- MPFD also responds to many calls at the Facebook headquarters (located in Menlo Park)
-> Most calls are related to panic attacks/anxiety attacks of employees (labeled the "younger generation" by the interviewee)
-> Panic/anxiety attacks may not seem severe alone but can have drastic side-effects such as carpopedal spasms
- Google and Facebook campuses create concentrated commute which leads to increased traffic accidents in the MPFD response area
2) What is MPFD able to respond to?
- MPFD is an all-hazard department (a department capable of responding to any type of call)
- The MPFD heavy rescue acts as a major provider of resources for various calls
- Hazmat 14 (provided by Station 14 in Belmont, a member of San Mateo Consolidated Fire department) is sometimes needed, but MPFD is mostly self-sufficient
- MPFD also has various water rescue resources at its disposal
3) What role does MPFD play on wildfires?
- Under the ICS (Incident Command System), MPFD is capable of sending out 2+ engines and several single resources (individuals rather than a crew)
-> Typically only one engine is sent out
-> A strain is created, but MPFD is capable of full staffing when resources are sent out
- Eastern territories are more likely to have wildland incidents
4) Outside of WFPD, what organizations can department members contribute their efforts to?
- MPFD is the host and home of Task Force 3 (see information below)
-> Due to financial freedom, MPFD constantly encourages its employees to join TF3
-> Emergency responders of all kinds, from San Jose to Woodside to San Francisco, are involved in TF3
- There are 2 primary avenues of membership for outside organizations: Task Force 3 (CA-TF3) or the single resource path
-> Task Force 3 is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Task Force based in Menlo Park, CA. The task force is composed of various individuals, from emergency response workers to regular citizens (dogs too!). Task Force 3 responds to major incidents such as hurricanes or earthquakes
-> A single resource is not a specific organization. Rather, an individual member of the MPFD (or other departments) is able to respond as a single person to incidents and provide their own skills/contributions (Example: individual provide services as a fireline paramedic or firefighter)
- Important: the participation of members in various outside organizations requires financial resources from the person's main department, as the department must be able to sustain itself while the member(s) of such outside organizations are away
-> Other organizations exist, such as SWAT, and members are free to join whichever they please
5) How does MPFD collaborate with state/federal fire organizations? Roles?
- MPFD has two types of coverage for nearby districts: automatic aid and mutual aid
- Automatic aid: occurs when the original incident is first dispatched
-> Occurs with Redwood city fire and Woodside fire
- Mutual aid: requested by an incident commander, unlike automatic it is not automatic
-> Occurs with Palo Alto fire
- Redwood City, Woodside, and Menlo Park fire are known to train together due to their constant collaboration on incidents
- CAL FIRE: the only time MPFD is known to train with CAL FIRE is for wildland related subjects (MPFD collaborates with CAL FIRE during state-wide responses to wildfires)
- Incredibly involved with the surrounding community
-> Note: I didn't need to be told; when I walked in for my interview the halls were cluttered with piled donations of toys for their Christmas toy drive!
- Events include open houses, pancake breakfasts, demonstrations, fundraising for charity, easter egg hunt, toys for tots, rebuilding program, chili cook-offs, school visits, etc.
- MPFD also joins Facebook for many events due to their remote location
- According to Tony, MPFD is known for its high reputation among its residents
- Citizens are treated with exceptional respect and care
- MPFD puts an immense amount of effort to maintain this high reputation
-> Does put a strain on the department as MPFD must put forth A LOT of energy to maintain such a high reputation
- Unlike most other departments I have interviewed, MPFD does not struggle with financial issues
-> I'm very happy for MPFD that they can financially sustain themselves and support progressive firefighting causes; they are a key figure in the development of new technology in the fire service
- A common issue in MPFD is that the apparatuses are constantly "dinged" / involved in small vehicle accidents
-> This is likely due to the size of the apparatuses vs. the size of the neighborhoods
- MPFD's new drone program
-> Very progressive and useful, but
-> Since it is very new and experimental, it takes a good amount of time and resources for members to learn the new technology. Developments are still being made
-> Note: This drone program is the coolest progression by far I have seen in the fire service: MPFD is working to mount drones on top of the roofs of each of their stations. When a fire occurs, the drone is dispatched to the coordinates given by dispatch. Cameras on the drone provide a 360 view of the location and condition of the fire. This is INCREDIBLY useful as it gives MPFD a rundown of the scene and allows the crew to plan their attack on the fire with much more speed and effectiveness. Drones can also be used to locate homeless people/search and rescue victims.
- Must have the basic qualifications of 18+ years old, FF1 (accredited fire academy), EMT and drivers license
- The more certifications, the better!
- Paramedics are preferred over EMTs (due to ALS certification for each apparatus)
- MPFD is known for its educational reimbursement: 4,000 dollars are provided to employees to cover class tuitions
-> Education is highly encouraged due to the variety of equipment and apparatuses contained in MPFD
-> Therefore, it is possible to assume that candidates eager to accelerate their education would be given more favor in the selection process
- MPFD has both a cadet program and an explorer program
- No seasonals/volunteers
-> Regarded as one of the best cadet programs in California
-> Gives a huge advantage to those who participate by giving a chance to become employed in MPFD (About half of MPFD were cadets in their fire careers)
-> The program provides the opportunity for interested individuals to gain experience in the fire service, complete an FF1 certification, and gain volunteer service (needed for state certification)
-> 2 meets a month, intended for high school career exploration
-> Not the primary focus of MPFD as cadets take up most of the department's resources, but still a key part of MPFD
- Note: due to time constraints the apparatus information is limited in this section - Station 1 contains 1 engine (E1), 1 truck (T1), 1 drone unit, and 1 reserve engine - Engine and Truck contain EMS equipment (ALS certified) -> Includes LUCAS (CPR machine) -> On incidents, MPFD begins with hand CPR and transitions to using the LUCAS (this contrasts with Mountain View fire, who uses only hand CPR) See the interview here with Mountain View fire - Vehicle extrication equipment is battery powered - Use Scotts for SCBAs - The truck carries up to 12 SCBA bottles (considered kind of a breathing support unit on the scene for fires) Engine:   
Truck:
 Drone unit: 
Thank you to MPFD for making this interview possible!
|
Comments
Post a Comment