Firefighters Flame Out Departments Must Contend With More Of Everything

In just 20 minutes, Coeur d’Alene firefighters were overwhelmed late Sunday as they rushed to a burning shed, two car accidents and an apartment fire.

Much to their relief, the apartment fire turned out to be nothing more than scorched food. Still, the crush of calls forced the Coeur d’Alene department to turn to the Kootenai County Fire District for help.

Days spent rushing from accident scenes to house fires to medical calls - all at the same time - are becoming increasingly common, firefighters say.

“It’s happening more and more and we expect it to get worse real quick,” said Capt. Ken Good of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.

Firefighters from across the state battled more blazes in 1994 than in any other year in the past five years, according to statistics recently released by the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s office. They fought 6,542 fires, up 34 percent from 4,894 fires in 1993.

In Kootenai County, firefighters fought 700 fires last year, up 50 percent from the 466 blazes in 1993, according to the Fire in Idaho Annual Report.

“You’ve got more people, you’ve got more accidents, you’ve got more fires, you’ve got more of everything,” said Chief Wayne Nowacki of the Rathdrum Rural Fire District.

The increase in calls has some fire officials concerned that their manpower is not keeping up with the growing need for services.

Twenty years ago, the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department employed 21 paid firefighters. Their numbers remain the same today, said Dan Cochran, president of the Coeur d’Alene firefighters union.

“The anxiety level goes up and the stress level goes up,” Cochran said Monday afternoon, while in the middle of his third consecutive shift.

Coeur d’Alene Fire Department statistics show that employees responded to a total of 1,464 fire and emergency medical calls last year, up from 1,333 calls in 1993.

Cochran said he believes the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department needs three more people for Station 2, where only two paid firefighters are on duty at a time.

A 1993 Post Falls Fire Department master plan suggested hiring two new firefighters every year until the year 2000, said Deputy Chief Dan Ryan.

In January the department hired two additional firefighters, bringing its total to six paid employees and 45 volunteers.

The additional manpower has helped firefighters keep up with a rising workload, Ryan said. From 1991 to 1994, the number of calls the department answered increased from 438 to 680 - 55 percent.

But with a 3 percent cap slapped on all county budgets this year, the department may not be able to afford two more firefighters for the coming year, Ryan said.

The Rathdrum fire department, which pays only its fire chief and deputy fire chief, will campaign for volunteers to help with the growth, said Chief Nowacki.

The department already has 28 volunteers but needs about 10 more. The firefighters battled 104 blazes in 1994, a 93 percent increase from the year before.

“We might even go door to door to see who’s interested and who isn’t,” Nowacki said.

State Fire Marshal Lee Bright believes part of the key to reducing fire department workload is through fire prevention education programs.

Firefighters “are asked to do more and more with the same people they had over the years,” Bright said. “We’re either going to have to beef up the fire departments and spend more money. (But) The cheaper way is to be proactive rather than reactive.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Fire calls increasing

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FIRE CALLS INCREASING The number of fire calls in Idaho has risen recently, especially in Coeur d’Alene. The number of fires in all of Idaho per year, according to the 1994 Fire In Idaho Annual Report 1991: 5,462 1993: 4,894 1994: 6,542

Total calls the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department responded to; includes fires, smoke in a house, car accidents, emergency medical service, etc. 1993: 1,333 1994: 1,464 For January to March of 1994: 298 For Jan to March of 1995: 347 Paid Coeur d’Alene Fire Fighters currently: 21 SOURCE: Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Staff graphic