North Davis Fire District

Monday, 22 June 2009

Those of you who have lived in Clearfield longer than five years probably remember that the city once had its own fire department. A study was commissioned by Clearfield, West Point and three other cities back in 2002 to determine the feasibility of forming a consolidated fire agency to address the fire protection and emergency medical needs of these cities. The participating cities would realize substantial savings and enjoy a higher level of fire protection services. Based on the study results, the cities of Clearfield and West Point decided to continue along the path toward consolidation and the formation of the North Davis Fire District began. The North Davis Fire District was formed in October 2004 after a resolution was passed by Clearfield’s City Council. This resolution allowed the cities of Clearfield and West Point to form their own fire district, ultimately resulting in a greater level of full-service fire protection for both cities in the most economical way possible. Looking back over the past five years, the North Davis Fire District has done all it set out to do, and more, by providing excellent fire and emergency response services for both Clearfield and West Point. The District now has two fire stations, one in Clearfield and its headquarters in West Point, as well as 18 full-time firefighters/ Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), plus Fire Chief Roger Bodily, Fire Marshall Craig Whiteside, and District Clerk Michelle Marsh, and 14 part-time firefighters/EMTs. All North Davis Fire District (NDFD) firefighters are certified EMTs. The firefighters are split into three crews, shift A, B and C, and work a “72/96 schedule”, that is three sets of 24 hours on/ 24 hours off, then four days off. “We’re a full-service fire department, as well as medical emergency responder,” said Chief Roger Bodily. “In addition, we perform building inspections, fire prevention education at schools and pre-schools, building pre-plan inspections so we know where electrical and gas shut offs, and stairs are located in the event of a fire and to assist in rescues. Our guys are also good at cutting people out of vehicles with the Jaws of Life tool.” For fiscal year 2008 the District received approximately 1,934 calls. Seventy percent of the 911 calls received were medical emergencies, such as overdoses, falls, car accidents, back or abdominal pains, heart problems, and industrial accidents. The calls that the District responds to vary from structure, car or trash fires, to gas leaks, hazardous material spills, to rescues, such as someone trapped in a machine, or a car, to seizures, heart attacks, and even a child’s head stuck between two stair rails. Sometimes they’ve even been called to rescue an animal. A firefighter’s job is never dull. Which hospital an injured person is taken depends on the patient and the type of injury. By law the District has to take critically injured individuals to the nearest facility, and the primary hospitals they use are Davis Hospital in Layton, Ogden Regional and McKay-Dee Hospital, both located in Ogden. Trauma cases are taken to Ogden Regional, University of Utah or LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. The NDFD’s average response time to a fire, from alarm to arrival, is about 7 minutes 48 seconds. The average response time for the NDFD ambulance, from dispatch to arrival, is about 6 minutes 9 seconds. “There are several factors that come into play when responding to an alarm,” explained Chief Bodily. “Traffic, distance, weather conditions, and road construction all affect how quickly we can reach the emergency. I always encourage people, if possible, to have someone standing in front of the business or residence flagging us down. Every second counts, and every little bit helps. We also recommend making sure that your house number is clearly visible throughout all seasons of the year.” The North Davis Fire District operations are overseen by a sevenmember Board of Directors, of which the members are appointed by the respective City Councils. The Chairman of the Board, Gary Petersen is a City Council member for West Point; the Chairman of the Board position alternates between Clearfield City and West Point every four years. The other members are Vice Chairman Vern Phipps, Clearfield City Council member, John Petroff, former mayor of West Point and current County Commissioner, Eric Craythorne, current West Point mayor, Kathryn Murray, Clearfield City Council member, Chris Williams, Clearfield City resident and Public Relations Director for Davis School District, and treasurer Chief Bodily. The North Davis Fire District board meets monthly on the third Thursday, 6:00pm at the West Point NDFD headquarters, 381 North 3150 West (north of the West Point City building). All meetings are open to the public. Chief Roger Bodily has served as a firefighter in the Clearfield area for 39 years. He started as a part-time volunteer firefighter with the original Clearfield City Fire Department in 1970. Bodily then became the acting-Fire Chief in 1981 when Chief Elmo Hodson retired, and was the Fire Chief until 2005 when the Clearfield department was absorbed into the North Davis Fire District. He has continued to serve as the Fire Chief for the Fire District since it was operational as of July 1, 2005. “The biggest changes I’ve seen since becoming the District are the added personnel, the addition of the new headquarters station in West Point, and the increase in the number of calls we respond to,” said Chief Bodily. “We started in 2005 with 12 full-time firefighters and we now have 18; we used to average about 100 – 150 calls/year but as the population has grown so have the emergencies. We also started out with one ambulance.” The District now has three ambulances (one in West Point and two in Clearfield), three pumper trucks (two in Clearfield, one in West Point), one aerial truck with a 100 foot ladder (in Clearfield), one 4-wheel drive grass truck with a 250-gallon water tank, and three staff pick-up trucks. Adding a second station in West Point meant a reduced emergency response time for citizens living in West Point, increased manpower for the whole District, and allowed for more space for additional personnel and training needs. When a call comes in to the District an alarm sounds at both stations, allowing the closest station to respond. The 9-1-1 calls for Clearfield go through Clearfield Police Department dispatch, and 9-1-1 calls for West Point go through the Davis County Sheriff Department’s dispatch. “It literally takes seconds for us to receive the call from the two dispatch agencies,” said Chief Bodily. “Because of the Fire District we have more people to respond and each station acts as a back-up for the other station.” The North Davis Fire District is funded by property tax dollars, grants, impact fees, and permit fees. Permit fees include funds received from firework permits, hazardous materials permits, home day-care inspections, commercial inspections, and ambulance charges. As the population grows, particularly West Point since Clearfield has just about reached its’ maximum build-out, future plans include adding additional fire stations and personnel. “West Point may be annexing some land in the north west, which may mean another smaller station in that city,” explained Chief Bodily. “South Clearfield may also need another station in the next five to ten years. As the need arises we’ll budget for additional firefighters. In the meantime, we do the best with what we’ve got.” Indeed they are!

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 August 2009 )

 

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