To keep everyone informed and up to date, OUR PROFILE as of year end is demonstrative of a high level of diversity amongst our members. Our roster includes 22 active volunteer firefighters plus four additional members who are in, or will shortly commence, training at a fire academy to receive their requisite credentials. Three of our firefighters are paramedics (we also have three additional firefighters currently attending paramedic classes) and 12 are Emergency Medical Technicians. About half of the membership lives in the City of Parker. About one-third choose the fire service as their paid profession and serve on area fire departments in addition to volunteering in Parker. Many on our department are degreed engineers representing several disciplines. Some of our members possess masters or PhD level degrees in their chosen field. We also boast of two police officers. The commonality of this diverse bunch of folks is a strong desire to assist their neighbor when a call for help goes out and a dedication to strive for excellence.

BY THE NUMBERS, we responded to 224 calls for help during 2007. About 10% represent house fire responses, another third were for medical emergencies and the reminder are a compilation of calls for alarm investigations, vehicle accidents and the like. To paint a picture of our activities, during the year our firefighters entered and extinguished fires in burning houses, successfully extricated trapped occupants from cars involved in head on collisions, responded to children locked in cars and treated a wide range of medical problems from heart attacks to breathing difficulties to traumatic injury. Our members were twice involved in searches for missing persons. Our average response time, measured from dispatch to the arrival of the first fire truck was 7 minutes 39 seconds. This represents a reduction in average response time of more than 3 minutes since 2005.

OUR MEMBERS ARE DEDICATED TO EXCELLENCE. During 2007, our members collectively accumulated over 1,100 staff hours of in-service drill on Tuesday evenings. We spent an additional 1,000 staff hours training at the fire academy or at other sponsored venues. This does not count the time spent with respect to answering emergency calls. But it doesn’t end here. Stop by the station on most Sundays and you will find a crew of firefighters insuring the big red trucks are ready to respond and the equipment they carry is operative. In light of all the missed soccer games, ruined dinner and upset plans to enjoy an evening out with a spouse or girl friend, I want to recognize all family members and others whose support is so instrumental to us.

REFLECTING BACK ON THE YEAR, our most memorial item must be the fundraiser where we raised over $60,000. On behalf of the officers and firefighters, I want to extend our profound appreciation to the fundraising committee led by Annette and Tom Stone, to the citizens and businesses that underwrote the event, and to the citizens of Parker without whose attendance and active participation in the auction would not have made the outcome so very spectacular.

FINALLY, this would not be a fire department article without a reminder to check your smoke detector batteries or system in compliance with the manufacturer’s or monitoring company’s instructions. Be extra diligent in taking care that portable heating devices are placed safely away from other combustible items (typically, at least three feet of clearance) and insure that your chimney and fireplaces are properly maintained. I urge all residents to not only have an escape plan from the house in case of fire, but to make sure your children are taught what to do and where to go. A fire can grow at an incredibly fast pace – having a plan that is known to all and regularly practiced can literally be a life-saver.

You can learn more about your fire department by visiting our website, www.parkertxfire.com or by stopping by the station.

Mike Sheff
Fire Chief