Firemen respond to 279 calls in 2008

The Fairfield Fire Department responded to 279 calls with an average response time of 5.9 minutes and average attendance of 87 percent in 2008.

During fire chief Ralph Hickenbottom?s annual report to the Fairfield City Council Monday evening, he said Fairfield firemen spent 3,182 hours on scene and another 1,014 hours in training and meetings.

Of the 279 calls to which the department responded, 21 were building fires; the department responded to 49 different types of incidents ranging from grass fires and gas leaks to false alarms.

Hickenbottom reported a total estimated loss of $464,850.

The southeast Iowa fire district has gotten a lot of use out of the smoke trailer jointly owned by the Fairfield department and Packwood Fire and Rescue, as more than 500 people went through the trailer last year.

The trailer, which also can be used for severe weather training, is stored in Packwood and maintained by funding from the Iowa Elks Association.

In addition to accepting the fire department?s annual report, the city council authorized Hickenbottom to apply for two grants that the city would match funding for up to 5 percent.

For the complete article, see the Tuesday, April 28, 2009, Fairfield Ledger.