City Of Overland Park Fire Department
Annual Report 2020
Our Mission: The Overland Park Fire Department is a value driven team of dedicated professionals committed to providing emergency, educational and specialized services for the purpose of saving lives and reducing property loss for the community we serve.
Welcome
"We hope our report provides transparency and a look inside what I consider to be one of the finest fire departments in the nation, based on performance."
- Fire Chief J. Bryan Dehner
Who We Are
Established in 1919, the Overland Park Fire Department began as a band of volunteers and has evolved into a professional, metropolitan fire department serving the second largest city in Kansas. But we didn't get here overnight...
We're proud of our history and mindful that we stand on the shoulders of the men and women who came before us. Learn more about our origins and evolution in,"OPFD 100 Years of Service."
While our history and traditions are important, we're not resting on our laurels. The Overland Park Fire Department is progressive, innovative and agile. We embrace the highest industry standards, including accreditation by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). We also enjoy the highest possible rating by the Insurance Services Office, ISO 1. We operate with transparency and accountability and take seriously our charge to guard the public trust.
Who We Serve
The Overland Park Fire Department serves the cities of Overland Park, KS and Merriam, KS. These neighboring cities are located in Northeastern Kansas in Johnson County. The City of Overland Park has a landmass of 75.6 square miles and Merriam's landmass is 4.32 square miles.
Overland Park's population of 199,130 makes it the second largest city in the state. Its 13.566 Mill Levy Rate is the lowest in Johnson County, yet this First Class City enjoys a AAA Bond Rating.
The average home value in Overland Park is $342,337 and the median household income is $86,487. Overland Park is an award winning city. It's rated as one of the "best cities to raise a family" and one of the "best cities for jobs." Overland Park is known as a business and retail center.
While Overland Park is largely suburban, its downtown district is becoming urban as a number of multi-story, mixed use developments are being constructed. In addition to these community types, the southern portion of the city is still largely rural. This mix of densities and hazards requires the Overland Park Fire Department to be proficient in all types of firefighting from residential to high-rise operations and even wild land firefighting. For the most comprehensive look at how we access the hazards in our community and plan for protection, take a deep dive into our Standards of Cover document.
How We Serve
Unquestionably our most valuable resource is our personnel. They solve people's problems with professionalism and compassion and embody the spirit of the OPFD. Here's our makeup for 2020:
Firefighters, Firemedics & Paramedics 113
Battalion Chiefs 6
Captains 18
Lieutenants 22
Administrative Staff 22
Volunteers 3
Total Employees 184
We take seriously our charge to protect the public trust and that extends to our fiscal practices. We strive to operate professionally and efficiently. Our 2020 Fire Department Budget was just over 25-million dollars. (This includes our contract with Merriam, KS.) To learn more about our finances, check out the 2020 Overland Park Budget.
The money our customers provide is put to good use. Our 2020 per capita cost was about 120-dollars. For that amount we provided fire & emergency medical services, including advanced life support (ALS) first response. We also provided Special Operations Teams support, including Hazardous Materials & Technical Rescue. Additionally, we offered prevention & public education services aimed at improving life safety. And we did all of this in the midst of a world-wide pandemic.
*Watch "Proud to Serve 2020"
Our facilities include 6 traditional fire stations, 2 squad houses and a training center that also houses our administration. Construction is currently underway for a new station (Fire Station 48) in the southern part of our response area and we will likely add 2 additional stations when we merge with Johnson County Fire District #2 in the near future.
How We Prevent
There's great wisdom in the saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." For this reason we invest heavily in our efforts to prevent emergencies before they begin. Our Prevention Division ensures fire code compliance, investigates cause and origin of fires and promotes public education related to safety and fire prevention.
With a fire marshal, assistant fire marshal, 5 inspectors and an administrative assistant, this division posts some impressive statistics.
Number of inspections: 5,056
Number of citations: 1,482
Inspector's goal is compliance, but they achieve their goal by developing relationships with business owners and helping them along the path to compliance. While we cannot know the number of fires prevented by these efforts, we can tell you that the city's total fire loss for 2020 was about 2.6-million dollars. As context, our city's appraised valuation is more than 30-billion dollars. That means we experienced a fire loss of only .008% (less than 1-thousandth) of the city's valuation!
Additionally, the fire loss for the city of Merriam, Kansas (which we also protect) was about 131-thousand dollars. Merriam's appraised valuation is more than 1.5-billion dollars, which also puts their fire loss at .008% or less than 1-thousandth of the city's valuation.
While these numbers are impressive, the most important statistic is O fire fatalities. In 2020 there were no fire deaths in Overland Park or Merriam, Kansas, which are home to more than 210-thousand residents combined.
Most of the fires we respond to are the result of human behavior. Here are the top 3 causes of fire in Overland Park for 2020:
Careless discard of smoking material: 146
Unattended cooking: 54
Vehicle fires: 49
We engage in aggressive public education to change risky behaviors. Our public education specialist delivered over 100 programs to almost 3,000 people. When shutdowns limited in person interactions, we took to virtual delivery. Zoom meetings with school children and home daycare providers and pre-recorded video products bridged the gap. These tools will undoubtedly change the delivery of our public education going forward.
*Watch Exit Drills In The Home
Of course, some fires are maliciously set. That's why we have 15 of our people trained in fire investigations. They partner with a team of 6 specially trained police detectives to find and convict persons involved in the crime of arson. Over the last 3 years, our team has 5 successful arson convictions! Of the 71 fires investigated in 2020, only 1 was found to be incindiary (intentional). Our team worked with the Johnson County District Attourney's Office to obtain a successful conviction in that case.
Numbers Of Note
2020 was a unique year in many ways. Typically our call volume increases from year to year, but this year was different. Lockdowns halted daily life and altered many human behaviors. The result was actually a slight decrease in overall call volume for the year.
2020 Total Calls For Service 20,204
EMS Calls 16,664 (8% reduction)
Fire Calls 3,533 (15% reduction)
(Average of 56 calls per day)
What we saw in 2020 was a significant drop in call volume corresponding to the start of the lockdowns, followed by a sharp increase in medical calls as the COVID-19 virus began to spread through our community. Our folks were on the front lines of the virus as they responded to COVID patients, treating them and then transporting them to area hospitals.
Response times:
In a year when emergency medical response was on full display, we maintained our record of rapid response. If you called 9-1-1 for a fire or medical emergency (code 1 call) in 2020, the first responding unit from our station got to your door in 3 minutes and 57 seconds, on average!
Overland Park is a great place TO LIVE!
Our 2020 sudden cardiac arrest save rate in Overland Park was over 26%. That's good, considering the national average is around 10%, however this number represents an almost 20% decrease from last year. In the midst of a global pandemic it is a grim reminder that COVID has reached into every aspect of what we do. The Johnson County medical director tells us peer-reviewed literature indicates this unfortunate phenomenon is being witnessed across the US and internationally. Possible causes may include COVID-compromised patients and fewer bystanders willing to risk infection through intervention. Whatever the cause, the results are tragically the same. This situation is complex and evolving and its duration still unknown.
Resource Placement
We work to place our resources in the most strategic locations. As our city grows & response densities change, we adapt. We're constantly analyzing the most efficient ways to respond to your emergency quickly. This map illustrates call volumes for 2020 by areas of our city.
In 2020 we opened our new Squad House 49 at 119th & Westgate. Data indicated the need for medical response resource in that area. The first week the new location was open, Robyn Zwolinski was glad Shawn and Matt were in the right position to, "get there in time!"
How We COVID
While all sections of this report reflect the effects of COVID-19, there's much more to the story. The efforts our people are undertaking to continue serving our mission and respond to the outbreak of this deadly virus are commendable. As the virus runs through our community, the 9-1-1 calls for help ring our phones.
COVID Cases in Johnson County: Greater than 55,000
COVID Cases we've treated/transported: Greater than 900
In the midst of treating and transporting COVID patients externally, our fire department was also tasked with navigating the COVID crisis internally (for all city employees). To do this, we forged relationships with Johnson County's epidemiologists to develop COVID policies and procedures for all city employees and operated a COVID hotline to keep the virus from knocking out essential city services. Since the start of the pandemic, we've answered 700 calls to the COVID Hotline.
Additionally we had to find massive amounts of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to keep our people from contracting and spreading the virus. From scouring stressed supply chains to community donations, our folks did whatever it took to procure needed PPE.
Simple masks used: 18,420
N-95 Masks used: 1,720
Gowns used: 1,470
*Mask donation from the Korean American Society of Greater KC
Of course, our involvement in the pandemic doesn't stop there. As vaccines are becoming available we're being asked to be part of the all-hands-on-deck efforts to get vaccines in arms!
We're happy to help in hopes this effort signals that we may be turning the corner in this fight.
*Jeff Heinrich administers vaccines at JoCo Heritage Center
The reality of COVID hit the OPFD early. In March of 2020, our EMS Chief was stricken and remianed on a ventilator for 18 days. During this time his entire family battled the virus. Chief Green's wife was told several times that things did not look good for her husband's recovery. By the grace of God, Jason recovered. He told his story to a local TV station in hopes of encouraging people to take the virus seriously.
While the physical toll of the virus is evident, the mental toll on responders is also palpable. From responding to highly infectious patients to worrying about contracting or carrying the virus home to loved ones, maintaining this heightened state of vigilance for an extended time is mentally and emotionally taxing. That's why we've increased our Peer Support Team's interactions. We want our people healthy and whole for our mission and their families.
Stories To Tell
We use video to educate, illustrate and archive. The combination of moving pictures and sound make this medium a powerful tool for communication. Here are a few of our impactful videos from 2020.
"Just for Kids Engine 41"
What do you do when a world-wide pandemic keeps kids from visiting fire stations to see fire trucks? You take the firetrucks to the kids, virtually! OPFD's Public Educator worked with our Operations and Media Services Divisions to create this fun, educational video for kids. It's on our YouTube Channel in the "Just for Kids" playlist.
"Saving Our Own"
Question: What has historically been the most deadly situation for firefighters in Johnson County? Answer: Below grade fires.
So, when the Harper family offered the home they were demolishing as a training ground for firefighters, we were presented with a unique opportunity.
"New Squad House 49"
We work closely with our media partners to provide transparency & accountability. They help provide an open window into our department. Here's a great example of leveraging these relationships to share good news. Thanks to 41- Action News. KSHB.
"Pan-demic!"
We also leverage the power of social media to broadcast safety information & even create our own public service announcements. The pandemic had more people cooking at home so kitchen safety took precedent. Check out this topical approach to public eduction.
CPR Smoke Alarms Home Escape Smoking Safety Aged Alarms Carbon Monoxide
New Faces
Each year we welcome new members to the Overland Park Fire family. These new family members go through a Recruit Academy to learn the OPFD way. Upon completion they not only understand our protocols and operational philosophy, but also our culture. We invest significantly in these occupational athletes, expecting that they may spend a 20 year career with us!
This year we welcomed 11 new firefighters. Check out their academy videos to learn more about these new public servants.
The amazing Training Staff behind the academies:
Training Officer Angela Caruso-Yahne, Admin. Assistant Mary Bitter, Training Officer Jay Hall, Training Chief Gary Wilson, Training Officer Joe Stapp & Public Education Specialist Trisha Roberts.
Ben Petrie, Christopher Ridihalgh, Jacob Hinman, Dylan Johnson, Spencer Cooper and Jeremy Ruegsegger
Tyler Bloom, James Gabbert, Erin Henderson, Michael Hubbard & Donald Mckinny
We're always looking for amazing people to help serve our mission. If you want to know more about employment opportunities with the Overland Park Fire Department, visit our new JoinOPFD section on our city's website!
Fond Farewells
First responders will tell you it's not a job, but a calling. For this reason, many enjoy long careers with us. In 2020, we said goodbye to a dozen family members. Combined they represent 320 years of service to the people of Overland Park! It would be impossible to calculate the number of lives they impacted in the course of their duties. We owe each of them a debt of gratitude.
Before retiring, some of our retirees shared their stories along with some words of the wisdom for the next generation. Watch their interviews to get an idea of the caliber of people who wear the the Overland Park Fire Department patch.
Additional Retirements
Craig Branstrom
Firefighter 24 yrs. service
Mike Burns
Firefighter 25 yrs. service
Phil Keena
Firefighter 25 yrs. service
Mike Lander
Firefighter 21 yrs. service
Tim Locke
Firefighter 14 yrs. service
Greg Thacker
Firefighter 29 yrs. service
Last Alarm
This annual report is dedicated to the memory of Overland Park Police Officer, Mike Mosher who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sunday, May 3rd 2020. Officer Mosher was shot and killed while confronting a hit and run suspect. The suspect was also killed. Our responders were called to the scene. Many hands worked valiantly to try and save Officer Mosher's life. His passing was felt by all involved.
To our brothers and sisters at the Overland Park Police Department and the Mosher family, we offer our condolences and prayers. We vow to never forget.
* Tribute to Officer Mike Mosher