Dubuque Fire Department Public Information BrochureCopyrighted
October 18, 2021
City of Dubuque Action Items # 5.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: Dubuque Fire Department Public Information Brochure
SUMMARY: City Manager providing a copy of the Dubuque Fire Department public
information brochure.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Dubuque Fire Department Flyer Supporting Documentation
Q
Bill 0011MIJ 0 a I Oki a 01 a Vil:
Internationally Accredited
Following a very thorough, five-year process including document review
and onsite assessment, the Dubuque Fire Department was accredited by the
Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), a division of the
Center for Public Safety Excellence, in October 2021.
The Dubuque Fire Department is one of fewer than 300 fire departments
in the world and just five other departments in Iowa (Cedar Rapids,
Davenport, Iowa City, Sioux City, and West Des Moines) to be accredited.
This accreditation is a voluntary process and an international recognition of
achievement. It shows to the community that the Dubuque Fire Department
continually self -assesses, looks for opportunities for improvement, and is
transparent and accountable through third -party verification and validation.
Working towards, achieving, and maintaining accreditation:
• Provides greater community alignment.
• Encourages quality improvement.
• Facilitates input from and builds positive relationships with labor.
• Identifies areas of strengths and weaknesses.
• Allows for the establishment of a plan for improvement.
• Provides data supported decision -making.
• Communicates management and leadership philosophies.
• Ensures the agency has a defined mission and related objectives.
Encourages the development of organizational procedural documents.
"It's not what you get, its what you become. You don'tget
accredited, you become accredited, and as an accredited agency
you build a culture of improvement." - Chief Rick Steines
GOLD PLUS AWARD FROM THE
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
The Dubuque Fire Department is
a leader in prehospital health care
in Iowa. Since 2017, the Dubuque -1,
Fire Department has been an annual 2021
recipient of the American Heart missia-
Association's Mission Lifeline award
for excellence in emergency care. •
The American Heart Association sets
benchmarks for the standard of care
relating to heart attacks and each
year the Dubuque Fire Department reviews its emergencies
involving heart attacks. The department has identified
priorities for early recognition, early notification, and early
treatment of all patients experiencing a heart attack.
In 2021, the department received the Mission Lifeline
Gold Plus award for its excellence in the treatment of heart
attacks. This is the second year in a row the department has
received this recognition for its efforts to implement quality
improvement measures for the treatment of patients who
experience severe heart attacks.
Rated Top Public Services by Local Business Leaders
When asked to rate all of Dubuque's public services for 2020-2021, local CEOs, business owners, and top managers rated Dubuque's fire service
#1 and its ambulance service #2. Using a scale with 1 being low and 7 high, the fire service scored an average of 6.36 and ambulance 6.19.
Source: Greater Dubuque Development Corporation InfoAction Survey
TOP 3% RATING FOR FIRE SUPPRESSION CAPABILITIES
Following an evaluation of Dubuque's fire protection service, the national
Insurance Services Office (ISO) upgraded the City of Dubuque's fire
suppression capabilities rating to Class 2 in 2016 based on the city's fire
department, emergency communications, water supply, and community
risk reduction. Dubuque's Class 2 rating is the second -highest rating
possible and puts Dubuque among the top three percent of the more than
48,000 fire departments in the United States evaluated by ISO.
The Class 2 rating reflects not only Dubuque's fire department and
emergency dispatchers, but also the Ci's water department and the
critical infrastructure they maintain and firefighters rely on when fighting
a fire. The rating provides fire departments with a benchmark and can be
used for planning, budgeting, and justifying fire protection improvements.
According to ISO, the rating is important to not only fire departments and the safety of the entire community, but residents and business owners
in communities with high fire suppression ratings may get lower insurance prices. ISO says most U.S. insurers use the information as part of their
decision- making when deciding what business to write, coverages to offer, and prices to charge for personal or commercial property insurance.
INCREASING STAFF LEVELS
There is no working from home for our brave firefighters and
medical officers. It is not long before they have additional resources.
In fiscal year (FY) 2019, the fire department was authorized for 89
uniformed personnel. Beginning in FY2020, the department initiated
a plan to add staff as part of the plan to add a West End fire station.
This plan outlines adding one additional firefighter each year from
FY2020 through FY2025, bringing the total personnel count to 95.
One staff member was added in FY2020 and in FY2021.
Due to the budget issues caused by the pandemic, no staff were
added in FY2022 but two are expected to be added in FY2023, then
MISSION STATEMENT:
To protect, assist, and educate our community and
visitors with pride, skill, and compassion.
Our shared values are:
INTEGRITY We serve in an honest and equitable fashion.
We respect those we serve and are accountable to them.
PROFESSIONAL We provide a high degree of excellence.
We work with a positive attitude.
DEDICATION We are committed to helping our neighbors.
We strive to do our best for others.
SKILL Our ability is important in the lives of our neighbors.
We hold ourselves to a high standard.
COMPASSION We show empathy for those in need and seek
ways to be helpful. We perform with a sense of community.
one in FY2024 and one in FY2025. The City also froze some vacant
positions during the economic crisis created by the pandemic,
putting extra strain on employee schedules, allowing fewer
vacation opportunities, and requiring more overtime of existing
staff. Now that those vacancies have become unfrozen, the City is
moving quickly to fill those open positions.
The fire department's staff expansion plan also calls for the addition
of up to six more firefighters in FY2026 to increase the authorized
uniformed personnel total to 101, depending on whether a seventh
station is added or an existing station is relocated.
PRIDE Our tradition is a job well done. We strive to be
prompt, safe, and fit for duty.
ALWAYS CALL 9-1-1 IN AN EMERGENCY
FDO02-101421