Fire trucks and ambulances have sirens for one reason: to overtake time!
Minutes (yes, even seconds) count in response to a fire or medical emergency!
The faster “help is on the way,” the greater possibility of preventing a disaster or saving a life.
Regular Banter readers know that I “hate long lists of statistics,” but the following is too frightening to ignore:
According to the Center for Disease Control, the U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):
* Every year, there’s an average of 358,300 home-based fires.
* There were more than 14,000 fire injuries because of 364,000 residential fires in 2016
* In 2017, businesses across the country experienced more than $31 million in property loss from fire damage.
* In 2017, there were more than 26,000 house fires, caused by faulty wiring.
* In 2017, there were at least 1,319,500 fires (wildfire, house fire, and commercial) in the United States that resulted in 3,400 deaths.
* Fire departments and fire services responded to fires in the United States every 24 seconds in 2018.
* In 2018, 82 firefighters died while on duty.
* Home fires account for 92% of civilian fire deaths.
* On average, seven people die in a fire a day.
* House fires cause an average of 2,620 civilian deaths each year.
* Every year 500 children (14 and younger) are killed by fire.
* More than 50% of children ages 5 and younger die while asleep during a fire.
* One civilian fire-related injury occurs every 35 minutes, or a little more than every half hour.
These statistics, unfortunately do not report response times, But the following do:
When fire departments analyze their response times, they are really analyzing seconds in time. For example. The NFPA 1710 standard states that “The fire department’s fire suppression resources shall be deployed to provide for the arrival of an engine company within a 240-second travel time four (4) minutes to 90 percent of the incidents.”
That means every second counts, including call answering time (15 seconds), call processing time (60 seconds), and turnout time (80 seconds). Unfortunately, 34% of large cities do not meet those standards.
Our previous three Banter columns have rekindled a decades-old “burning issue” in Tredyffrin Twp. Once again recapping for those who may not have read those columns, when Chesterbrook (Tredyffrin Township’s largest and most-populated sub-division) was originally developed in the mid-1970s, the community’s plan called for a fire station to be built within its 1.6 square miles
That was a half-century ago. Regretfully, the siren call is still mute!
The absence of that fire station is ever more alarming because the 2010 Census reported a population of 4589 living in 2356 households in Chesterbrook’s 28 villages where the median home value is $323,000. Add the scores of businesses with hundreds of employees in multi-level office buildings throughout the development — about $800 millions of dollars in real property-and at the risk of being burned for poking up an old axiom, this is a notable example of “playing with fire!”
In our previous columns we have shouted out a lot of reasons why we believe a new fire and EMS sub-station should be under roof on a parcel of land within Chesterbrook. We have noted the many reasons why We also have said why we believe the “temporary tented fire-EMS facility now in service at the eastern edge of Gateway Shopping Center is inadequate. Furthermore, we have noted that the Village of Berwyn main station (Bridge Street) of the Berwyn Fire Company needs updating.
Our opinion is only one of many, but….
In an online survey posted on the BFC website, an overwhelming number of its 444 responses (80+%) from people in the Tredyffrin-Easttown landscape agree that there is need for a new fire and EMS sub-station in Chesterbrook.
Here’s a small sample of their comments:
* It would be a welcome addition
* A substation is in demand to service these neighborhoods serviced by BFC. The temporary station has yielded enough data to warrant this plan. Thank you to BFC for being open minded and continuing to grow as the community grows.
* Strongly in favor. Great idea and perfect location.
* Plans for the building look very good. * Good luck with this venture.
* None other than I am very hopeful that this will happen!
* I worry about how far away the Berwyn location is and think a permanent location closer to Chesterbrook is needed.
* I support this development. It is good for Chesterbrook and the nearby schools plus 202. Great IDEA!!!!
* I’m grateful to you for helping my mother after a bad fall down the stairs. You should have everything you need to do your work.
******
The Berwyn Fire Company was formally organized in 1894, and today is the busiest fire company in Chester County and one of the busiest volunteer fire companies in Pennsylvania.
While BFC provides critical services to all the public in the TE area, most of its funding comes from sources other than taxes. Appropriations from Tredyffrin and Easttown Townships account for about 30% of the fire company’s funding. Private funding comprises the rest to the benefit of T-E taxpayers.
Next week, we will close this series by recalling a few historic major fires within BFC’s service area.
Finally, nobody asked, but Dale Carnegie was spot on when he said: “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” Make the best of it.
The Last Word: Good day, good luck, and good news tomorrow.
