RIPLEY - The Ripley Village Council heard from Ripley Fire Chief Tony Pfeffer on the importance of training in his department at their regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 13.
“Training is the most important thing we can do,” Pfeffer said. “It provides safety for us and for the public. They deserve for us to be the best we can be.”
Pfeffer was asked to attend the Jan. 13 meeting in order to answer questions posed by council member Karen Spires about firemen receiving EMT training paid for from the Fire Department’s general fund.
Pfeffer said his department began doing cross training after they responded to a car accident 10 years ago and were unable to assist the young man who was injured because they did not have the proper training.
“Without training everybody is going to stand there and look,” Pfeffer said.
“We have a great life squad, no question about it,” Pfeffer said, “but a lot of times the squad is somewhere else. We have a great working thing going. We need to assist them and keep them as good as they are. Right now there is no problem in Ripley.”
The Ripley Fire Department currently has an Insurance Service Office rating of Class Four. According to ISO’s website the rating can be described as, “ISO’s expert staff collects information about municipal fire-protection efforts in communities throughout the United States. In each of those communities, ISO analyzes the relevant data and assigns a Public Protection Classification (PPCTM) — a number from 1 to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria. Virtually all U.S. insurers of homes and business property use ISO’s Public Protection Classification in calculating premiums. In general, the price of fire insurance in a community with a good PPC is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC, assuming all other factors are equal.”
Ripley Life Squad CEO Jeff Shelton was also present at the meeting and spoke on Pfeffer’s behalf.
“The Fire Department has worked wonderful with us,” Shelton said. “We appreciate them and what their doing.”
As the emergency response industry grows and changes, Pfeffer said the role of the fire department is changing too. He cited two recent calls his department responded two, a bat in someone’s attic, and an older woman who’s supply line on her sink broke loose and began pouring water all over her kitchen, as some of the variety of services they provide.
“We’re no longer a fire department, we’re more like a public safety department,” Pfeffer said. “We end up going to everything.”
In addition to filling in for the Life Squad as needed, the department also responds to motor vehicle accidents and anytime someone goes into cardiac arrest. Pfeffer said the department has a defibrillator on their truck and that it takes at least five people to respond to a cardiac arrest. The Life Squad has two full time staff at the station at a time. Shelton said the cardiac arrest survival rate in Ripley is 44 percent, which is higher than the national average. Pfeffer said the defibrillator could also be used to save one of their own firemen. The leading cause of death in firemen nationally is heart attack.
In order to be ready to respond to anything the department is called to, Pfeffer said he ensures his department receives as much training as they can. While Ripley firefighters are not required to receive EMT training because of the amount of training required, many have volunteered to complete the training anyway. All Ripley Firefighters have CPR and general first aid training, they also have four first responders, six basic EMTs, no advanced EMTs and one paramedic. The paramedic received his training through another department. As a department they train in trench rescue, hazardous materials response, rope rescue, vehicle extraction, farm rescue, and Rapid Intervention Team training, among other emergency situation training.
“It’s like I tell my guys, the more we sweat in training the less we bleed in battle,” Pfeffer said.
Council also questioned Pfeffer on the specific way the $2,300 per person EMT training and other training is paid for.
“The way it was done was my major concern,” Spires said.
Pfeffer said all of the training is paid for out of the department’s general fund and 75 percent of the cost is reimbursed through a grant from the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of the Fire Marshal.
“We all appreciate what you do,” council member Charles Poole said. “I think the question is about P.O.s (Purchase Orders).”
Pfeffer said he is very strict with his department about the use of purchase orders, so if something was paid for without one it was his doing and he would correct that in the future. He also said he would provide a training cost estimate to the finance committee.
Spires also raised questions about the Ripley Fire Department Association and what their fundraiser money is spent on. Pfeffer explained that the Association was setup about 20 years ago because the department was receiving a large donation each year and in order to provide a tax break to the woman making the donation, a nonprofit organization needed to be established. The Association’s funds have been used to pay back a $40,000 loan for a rescue truck purchased in 1991. In 1995 the Association spent $42,000 on a truck engine purchased by the village. Currently the Association has a Certificate of Deposit at Ripley Federal Savings Bank that was a lump sum donation to be used towards the purchase of a new pumper truck.
“Our hope is to be able to buy a truck without having to go to the tax payers,” Pfeffer said. “It’s your fire department. You’re getting every dime of (the Association money).”
Pfeffer said the Association also spends money on uniforms, radios, spray nozzles and any equipment the department needs.
“We have 30 guys giving up their Saturdays four or five times a year to make money for you,” Pfeffer said. “We don’t make a lot of money on fundraisers anymore.”
“It makes plenty of sense once you blurt that out,” Spires said.
Council also voted to approve a fire protection contract with Union Township at the Jan. 13 meeting. The two-year agreement, effective from Jan. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2010, is worth $86,000 to be paid in $21,500 installments.
Council Member Roberta Sidwell said the Neighborhood Watch Group is planning to hold a community safety day in late spring or early summer. Watch Group Co-Chairman Linda South said she would “love to see the fire department and the school involved.” The group would like to hold the event in the new park. Sidwell said the main goal of the event would be to teach children in the community the importance of bicycle and skateboard safety.
Ripley Police Chief Harvey Bowman introduced new auxiliary officer Rich Shofstall.
“We’re starting to get some coverage back on midnights to stop some of the nonsense,” Bowman said.
In other council news:
• Village Administrator Charles Ashmore announced the village has been awarded a Transportation Enhancement Grant. The grant will be used to construct the streetscape along South Second Street and a visitors’ center in Red Oak Park. The streetscape would match the already completed grant project on Main Street with underground wiring and decorative light poles. Ashmore said that while the project has been designed with a $1 million budget, the Ohio Department of Transportation will meet with village officials to finalize the actual grant amount on Feb. 5.
• Kinkead Ridge Winery owners Ron Barrett and Nancy Bentley asked for council’s support in their efforts to pass new state legislation. The legislation, to be authored by Senator Tom Niehaus, will allow Kinkead Ridge to open a new wine tasting room at their 5 North Second Street property, formerly Germann’s Flower Shop. Current law does not allow for a tasting room to be separate from the winery. The tasting room would be different from a bar in that it would close by 6 p.m. and would only sell samples of wine and wine by the glass. Barrett said he also hopes to sell food delivered by local restaurants. The room would never be open on Sundays.
• Council discussed the parking situation on Main Street between Second and Third Street. The issue was brought to council’s attention because business patrons are having problems with cars that are parked in front of their business all day and limiting access to their business. Bowman said there is currently an ordinance in effect that prohibits cars from remaining in the same parking spot for more than 24 hours. He also said that in the event of a problem anyone should contact him so that he can try to correct the situation.
• Ashmore said in the event of a power outage or similar emergency after normal village office hours residents can contact the Brown County Communications Center. The Center can then get the resident in contact with the proper village official.
• Council agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ripley Life Squad. The memorandum was requested by Rob Wilson, director of the Brown County Communications Center. Shelton said the memorandum is designed as written proof that Ripley Life Squad is the primary emergency response provider for ambulance coverage within the village.
• Council Member Scott Eagan commended the police department on their new website. Eagan said the website looks great and he hopes the rest of the village will be able to “piggyback” on the work done for the site and redesign the entire village website.
