FY2015 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2015 | Page 14
FY 2015 Accomplishments
Annual Fire Rescue Training
Prevention Study and Findings
2015 Focus: High Rise
High Rise training was
completed in FY 2015
as part of a two-year
process. The initial
classroom portion,
conducted in FY 2014,
reviewed all necessary functions of battling a
high rise fire. The focus was on firefighter
safety and maintaining crew unity to prevent
serious injury or death. In the spring of FY
2015, a citywide hands-on drill was held,
incorporating the classroom lessons. The
training focused on the factors encountered
during a high rise incident and the importance
of establishing key operational functions.
In 2015, the Arlington Fire
Department conducted an indepth study of Fire Prevention’s
duties, responsibilities, and
workload in an effort to assess
the section’s ability to retain
highly skilled workers.
Members of the team gathered detailed data
on Fire Inspection, Fire Investigations, and
Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams’ duties,
certification requirements, and workloads.
Issues identified in the report were submitted
with recommendations to address each issue.
The report’s findings were approved and the
recommendations were implemented in
August 2015.
Cardiac Survival Training
9th EOD K-9 Unit
In December 2014, a ninth
canine was donated
anonymously to the Fire
Department and a canine
handler was identified. In
January 2015, both Jay
White and George (dog)
were sent to Alabama for 10
weeks of training. The team
was certified in March and
were put into service in April
for the Academy of Country
Music Awards Event.
In 2015, the Arlington EMS
System made its 100th
cardiac arrest save since
implementation of the
Cardiocerebral Resuscitation
(CCR) Protocol in June 2011.
The CCR protocol focuses on providing
optimal timing for defibrillation, minimizing
interruptions to chest compressions,
minimizing pauses between chest
compressions and defibrillation, early
administration of intravenous epinephrine,
and minimizing over-ventilation during
cardiac arrest. During FY 2015, the Arlington
EMS System saved 24 lives with this program
and showed an outstanding bystander CPR
rate of 55.2%, which is well above the
national average of 39%.
DUTY
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HONOR
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COMPASSION
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EXCELLENCE