Firehouse news with Chief Mark Miller

[March 24, 2011]  The article below begins with Lincoln Fire Department Chief Mark Miller's recent report to the city council.

February report to the Lincoln City Council

Emergency runs for February 2011 included the Lincoln firefighters responding to:

• 2 structure fires

• 1 stove fire

• 1 elevator extrication

• 2 motor vehicle accidents

• 7 carbon monoxide incidents

• 1 police assistance

• 13 false alarm activations

Total calls by category

• Fire-related runs -- 45

• EMS-related runs -- 116

• Rescue-related runs -- 4

Fire inspector activities

Fire inspectors for the Lincoln Fire Department have been busy conducting inspections in 13 commercial buildings.

The inspections include follow-up inspections with State Fire Marshal's Office of Fire Safety Division and private contractors who require assistance.

Fire investigators worked two cases involving origin and cause of fires within the city.

Fire prevention activities

Fire prevention activities for February included a juvenile fire-setter's intervention and home safety inspections checking for fire hazards and trip hazards in the homes of seniors and the less fortunate.

Emergency action plans have been conducted at the following facilities:

• ADM feed mill on Fifth Street

• ALMH on 200 Stahlhut Drive

• Logan Correctional Center

Crews also have been briefed on high-speed rail progress, and preliminary planning has been discussed for crossing closures.

Maintenance of the station and apparatus

To close up the Department of Labor inspection, a new chain saw was ordered out of capital funds, Lincoln Fire and City Hall were reinspected by the IDOL and we passed.

After fire events this month the hydraulic generator on Engine 5101 failed. The repairs have been made and the generator was sent back to the factory in Wisconsin. We hope that the issues are now corrected; we had a faulty two-stage switch that is to blame. Also Engine 5101 had a hydraulic lift cylinder failure. A new set of cylinders and a modification kit had to be installed.

Apparatus repairs include two major repairs at this time.

Engine 5104, a 1991 pumper, is having electrical issues and does not have turn signals or hazard lights. This is dangerous due to we cannot warn other drivers of changes in direction. We have had mechanics try to fix this problem without accomplishment.

Engine 5101 is in need of body repair due to an accident several months ago. I have received the funds for repair costs and have requested the body shop for an appointment. We have a $1,000 deductible and about $3,000 in damage to the body.

Truck 5103 has a hydraulic leak in the stabilizer jacks that will need to be repaired; the cost is around $5,000 and can be done locally. None of the apparatus have had any fall preventative maintenance and we will be needing tires on Engine 5101.

Training programs

Training for the month of February varied from fire officer training to fire investigation continuing education.

Lincoln firefighters reviewed our assigned EMT-B drug bags and procedures on use and documentation.

Hazardous materials training with Level A suit testing was conducted and annual awareness refresher for IDOL.

Pre-plans of the following commercial buildings were conducted in training: Lincoln College Heritage North and West dorms.

Administrative

Two grants have been applied for in the month of February.

A federal grant for Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement is requesting assistance to send four members to the Illinois Fire Service Institute for Inspector I and Inspector II.

These two classes totaling 80 hours of training will bring the fire inspectors and the fire chief up to date on the International Fire Code and Building Code.

The prevention side of the grant would allow Lincoln Fire Department to purchase 300 smoke detectors and night lights to support our current safety programs.

A grant from the National Fire Protection Association also was applied for.

This grant was put together by the Logan County Department of Public Health to work with Risk Watch, a community-based safety program that coordinates the fire, police and health departments with the hospital, park district and emergency management to promote safety in many fields.

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Feature topic: What is a juvenile fire-setter's intervention?

The juvenile fire-starter intervention program is a program that we conduct for children who have had potential problems with playing with matches, lighters or fire in general.

The parents and the schools usually request help from the fire department to evaluate the child and work on a program to teach children the consequences when playing with fire.

Currently we are working a couple of sensitive cases involving children and providing assistance, and hopefully we will prevent a fire in the future.

Inspector Tim Aper and I are certified as juvenile fire-setter intervention officers.

We use a program from the State Fire Marshal's Office that highlights questions and answers for the child and the parents.

We have stories and scenarios that the child and the parents read. We evaluate sources that children are drawn to such as lighters, matches and smoking materials.

We provide guidance on how to keep lighters, matches and smoking materials out of reach or to remove them from the environment.

The program does vary per the age of the children and the capacity that the children and the parents contribute back.

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Meet your firefighter
(Information taken from LDN archives)

This month's firefighter is Chief Mark Miller.

Miller joined the Lincoln Fire Department 21 years ago. Since that time he has served as a firefighter, a fire inspector, lieutenant, captain and assistant chief. He has experience as a consultant, an instructor of firefighting and rescue techniques and hazardous material handling.

On Jan. 19 he was appointed as Lincoln's newest chief, replacing Kent Hulett.

During his 21-year career in Lincoln, Miller has completed his education, receiving a degree in fire science. He has also received a Medal of Honor and a Life Saving Medal for services to the community.

Miller and wife Amy live in the Starkey Acres neighborhood with their two sons, Evan and Wiat, along with their three adopted dogs.

Miller has served the community as a past board member of the Lincoln Area YMCA, a Cub Scout leader and a volunteer for the Humane Society of Logan County.

In career-related activities, he has served as a board member on the Logan County Fire Protection Association and has been a member of the Central Illinois Fire Investigators Association and the Illinois Society of Fire Service Instructors.

[Fire Chief Mark Miller and LDN]