Report Prepared by: Derek Parker, Fire Chief, Fire Department
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SUBJECT: Review of Merced Fire Department FIRE OPS 101 From April 22, 2023
REPORT IN BRIEF
Merced Fire Department and Merced City Firefighters Association hosted an IAFF FIRE OPS 101 event on April 22, 2023.
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DISCUSSION
FIRE OPS 101 provides elected and appointed officials and the media with a hands-on opportunity to better understand the complexities of what firefighters do on a daily basis. By offering a small sliver of the many disciplines which Merced Firefighters face when they serve the community the Fire Department administration and Firefighters Association the goal is to educate our policymakers so they can make informed decisions. Merced Fire's labor-management relationship is very healthy. One of our labor-management goals is to share that relationship and open it up to our elected officials.
Mayor Serratto, Councilmembers DeAnda, Perez, Smith, Boyle, and Xiong, along with City Manager Dietz, Risk Analysis Lemos, and Merced College's Dean of Allied Health, Child Development, and Public Safety Dr. Valerie Albano all participated in the 2023 FIRE OPS 101. Participants were given an overview of what the Fire Department's Mission, Vision, and Values are. They were presented the challenges which are facing not only the profession, but what the local challenges are and how that impacts Merced, its residents, the community, and the culture within our city. The joint presentation from both the Fire Chief and the Firefighters Association President allowed for a unified message for the participants.
The participants were outfitted with turnouts, provided helmets, and gloves and then divided into working groups to rotate through the following stations:
* Fire engine hose pulls and flowing water (putting fires out)
* Vehicle extrication (using the Jaws of Life (r))
* Forcible entry (breaking in doors)
* Resuscitation of an overdose victim (administration of naloxone and CPR)
After ...
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