Five Facts about the Ferndale Fire Department
(City of Ferndale Press Release, April 24, 2015)
1. They go on 2,500 runs per year.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Proxmire, Oakland County 115
That averages out to seven runs per day, which means that—on top of training, inspections, equipment maintenance and testing, and emergency preparedness and fire prevention outreach—the Ferndale Fire Department works pretty much around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to keep residents safe.
2. Most of what they do is actually medical—not fire.
You may be surprised to learn that up to 85% of their service calls are for medical emergencies, not fires. Every member of the Ferndale Fire Department is either a paramedic or an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)—both of which require significantly more training and education than a First Responder certification.So, why train firefighters to be high-level emergency responders instead of just hiring a private ambulance company? According to Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan, the advantage is clear. “The people who work for the private ambulance services can’t rescue—they can’t go in and pull people from buildings, cars, trenches, or anything else,” Sullivan says. “They’re not trained for that, so they have to wait until a victim is rescued before they can assess and treat. We can do both. Having a paramedic ambulance and people trained to use it, we save more lives. Period.”
3. They don’t just fight fires, they work to prevent them.
If a fire breaks out, it’s great to have a well-trained department available to put it out quickly, before major damage occurs. But the best scenario is not to have a fire in the first place.
That’s why Chief Sullivan works closely with managers and safety professionals at businesses throughout Ferndale to reduce the risk of fires and chemical incidents. “We want to make sure that every preventative measure is taken, and work to make sure companies’ internal response practices are ironclad.” he says.
4. Seven other Oakland County cities have their back.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Proxmire, Oakland County 115
What would happen if there was a massive multi-building fire or serious chemical spill—an emergency situation beyond the scope of a city’s fire department? In Ferndale, organized help for an event like this is just a radio call away—through an organization called OAKWAY.
OAKWAY is an emergency collective made up of fire chiefs from Ferndale, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Madison Heights, Royal Oak, Southfield, Waterford, and West Bloomfield. Through training, emergency preparedness, and collaboration, OAKWAY provides immediate aid and support to member departments when they are met with emergency circumstances that overwhelm their resources.
“It’s one more layer of preparedness,” Sullivan says. “If something bad were to hit, I know we’ve got seven other departments nearby that are prepped, trained, and ready to respond.”
5. They really do save lives.
“We got called to a bad accident in another city a few years back—car flipped, two women and a small child trapped inside,” Chief Sullivan says. “We were called in because of a Jaws of Life malfunction.”
Ferndale Fire Department personnel removed the roof and extricated two victims. They were prepared to do so, Sullivan says, because of regular training and equipment checks. “We check equipment and supplies daily, weekly, and monthly. We train regularly,” he says. “It’s time consuming, but it’s important. You have to be prepared.”
2. Most of what they do is actually medical—not fire.
You may be surprised to learn that up to 85% of their service calls are for medical emergencies, not fires. Every member of the Ferndale Fire Department is either a paramedic or an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)—both of which require significantly more training and education than a First Responder certification.So, why train firefighters to be high-level emergency responders instead of just hiring a private ambulance company? According to Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan, the advantage is clear. “The people who work for the private ambulance services can’t rescue—they can’t go in and pull people from buildings, cars, trenches, or anything else,” Sullivan says. “They’re not trained for that, so they have to wait until a victim is rescued before they can assess and treat. We can do both. Having a paramedic ambulance and people trained to use it, we save more lives. Period.”
3. They don’t just fight fires, they work to prevent them.
If a fire breaks out, it’s great to have a well-trained department available to put it out quickly, before major damage occurs. But the best scenario is not to have a fire in the first place.
That’s why Chief Sullivan works closely with managers and safety professionals at businesses throughout Ferndale to reduce the risk of fires and chemical incidents. “We want to make sure that every preventative measure is taken, and work to make sure companies’ internal response practices are ironclad.” he says.
4. Seven other Oakland County cities have their back.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Proxmire, Oakland County 115
What would happen if there was a massive multi-building fire or serious chemical spill—an emergency situation beyond the scope of a city’s fire department? In Ferndale, organized help for an event like this is just a radio call away—through an organization called OAKWAY.
OAKWAY is an emergency collective made up of fire chiefs from Ferndale, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Madison Heights, Royal Oak, Southfield, Waterford, and West Bloomfield. Through training, emergency preparedness, and collaboration, OAKWAY provides immediate aid and support to member departments when they are met with emergency circumstances that overwhelm their resources.
“It’s one more layer of preparedness,” Sullivan says. “If something bad were to hit, I know we’ve got seven other departments nearby that are prepped, trained, and ready to respond.”
5. They really do save lives.
“We got called to a bad accident in another city a few years back—car flipped, two women and a small child trapped inside,” Chief Sullivan says. “We were called in because of a Jaws of Life malfunction.”
Ferndale Fire Department personnel removed the roof and extricated two victims. They were prepared to do so, Sullivan says, because of regular training and equipment checks. “We check equipment and supplies daily, weekly, and monthly. We train regularly,” he says. “It’s time consuming, but it’s important. You have to be prepared.”