OFFICE OF THE FIRE COMMISSIONER Detroit Fire Department OFFICIAL BULLETIN TO: ALL DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL RE: INCIDENT RESPONSE POLICY Dear Members, During the past few weeks, the Department's Incident Response Policy received significant media attention. | am writing this bulletin to express my utmost respect and gratitude for the job you do daily. | care about your safety, | care about the safety of our residents, and | care about the safety of those who visit the City of Detroit. Traffic collisions are the second leading cause of on-duty Firefighter deaths. The incident response policy is designed to reduce the number of times we place you and citizens at risk of a traffic collision. The national research and data indicate that responding to “all runs” in emergency mode (lights & sirens) significantly increases the chance of an accident. Responding to all runs with lights and sirens activated is unsafe and unreasonable. We must reserve the use of lights and sirens for the calls where we know that there is a high probability that lives and property are in danger. On October 10, 2018, the Detroit Fire Fighters Association (‘DFFA") issued a false and misleading document. The Department will address those inaccuracies here: 1. DFFA’s False Statement: Fire Administration bypassed the Joint Health and Safety Committee. FACT: The Department researched nationwide best practices as it relates to response policies. At the conclusion of the research, and prior to implementation of the policy, the Department attempted on numerous occasions to schedule a joint health and safety meeting. Our attempts were either ignored or rebuffed by the union. In keeping with the nationwide best practices and because safety is our number one concern, we forged ahead with implementing the response policy. 2. DFFA's False Statement: Commercial Box Alarms, Box Alarms, Still Alarms, Special Alarms and Rescue Alarms have been eliminated. FACT: Anyone working and monitoring the Department radio knows the Department continues to dispatch all of the designated alarms. Specifically, 4,393 Commercial Box Alarms have been dispatched since January 2017. Since the implementation of the policy the Department has dispatched 117 Commercial Box Alarms. 3. DFFA's False Statement: EMS priority runs have been adjusted down to the detriment of public health and safety. FACT: The Department has not adjusted down the priority of EMS calls for service. The prioritization of EMS calls for service are governed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Bureau of EMS, Trauma, and Preparedness (BETP) protocols. As a State licensed life support agency in the State of Michigan, the City of Detroit is bound by protocol as communicated by the State of Michigan. October 12, 2018 Page 1 of 3 BULLETIN #35/18(s-)4. DFFA's False Statement: Central Office has been ordered to manipulate the level of response using an “invented” code system. FACT: The members assigned to Central Office and the call takers assigned to the Detroit Police Department were issued the Incident Response Policy. Those members recognize the policy as placing structure around dispatching procedures and understand they are expected to follow the policy as issued. 5. _DFFA’s False Statement: Members have been instructed to “take your time.” FACT: Members are to respond to all calls with a sense of urgency. The Policy categorizes which calls for service will receive a Code 1 response or a Code 2 response. Code 1 Responses are incidents which indicate an urgent and/or life threatening emergency. The response shall include the use of both lights and sirens in accordance with PA 300 of 1949. Code 2 Responses are incidents or service calls which indicate immediate attention is needed, but responding vehicles shall not use lights and/or sirens. The responding units will comply with all state and local traffic laws. Neither of these responses require that members “take your time. As it relates to EMS calls for service, prioritizing of runs as a code 1, 2, or 3 are processed by 911 using Priority Medical Dispatch, which then dictates whether the members will respond with lights and/or sirens based on State protocol. 6. _DFFA’s False Statement: Administration has jeopardized member and civilian safety by reducing proper manpower sent to a 911 scene and a slower response to protect the public from said emergency. FACT: The Department has not reduced manpower sent to a 911 scene nor has it slowed response to emergencies. In fact, the Department has increased the number of personnel on fire scenes, increasing the box alarm from 2 engines to 3 engines and has added a commercial box alarm. (4 engines, 2 squads, 2 trucks and 2 chiefs). The Department has also increased the number of responders to the most critical EMS calls for service with the implementation of the Medical First Responder program. This program increased the number of medically trained responders providing life-saving aid to a citizen or visitor in need of emergency medical assistance from two ambulance responders to six total including four fire responders and sometimes more depending on the nature of the emergency. First responding engines and squads are strategically located throughout the City and are the closest responding resource to citizens in need. The use of Engines and Squads for medical emergencies has greatly improved response times to medical calls for service and all are to be commended for their diligence and professionalism each and every day. The Department has also graduated 3 fire classes and 7 EMS classes under this Fire Administration. As it relates to ISO, the Department does appreciate the diligent hard work of all members during the ISO process. On the other hand, the DFFA filed numerous grievances attempting to stop the ISO process, which is designed to modernize and professionalize the Fire Department. October 12, 2018 Page 2 of 3 BULLETIN #35/18¢)7. DFFA’s False Statement: Detroit Fire Fighters respond to an average of 4,000 fire incidents a month. FACT: The DFFA inflated this number. On average, the DFD responds to 2,000 fire incidents per month. 8. DFFA's False Statement: That puts well over 60,000 emergency rigs on the street a month without incident. FACT: The Department responds on average to 16,500 incidents per month inclusive of all fire and medical runs. | hope that this information helps clear up any confusion you may have as a result of the misinformation put out by the DFFA. Again, | care about your safety and the safety of our citizens. This policy is designed to protect you. All of the documentation and policies related to this Bulletin can be found in the Department's Forms and Links. BY THE DIRECTION OF ERI EXECUTIVE FIRE COMMISSIONER October 12, 2018 Page 3 of 3 BULLETIN #35/18¢0)