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 April 2020
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Message from the Chief
Our overall emergency call volume was down approximately 25% in April after having dropped about 15% in March from January and February incident data. American Medical Response (“AMR”), the emergency ambulance provider for all of Napa County, is also reporting an approximately 30% decrease in emergency medical calls during the same period. April was still a hectic month for us in a different way, preparing for potential impacts as a result of the COVID19 pandemic. Your Fire Chief was engaged daily in meetings (all via “Zoom” and teleconference) with other Napa County Fire Chiefs, Napa County Emergency Medical Service providers, Napa County Emergency Operations Center (“EOC”) staff, City EOC staff, ACCERT, and internally with ACFPD staff to plan, coordinate, and share information. In some cases, we also shared resources due to the shortages of certain personal protective equipment.
I would like to express my gratitude to AMR for sharing medical gowns with us and the City of Napa Fire Department for sharing N95 masks and “HEPA” filters (needed to protect personnel in the event a COVID positive patient needed advanced airway treatment). At the same time, we waited to receive these supplies from the California Office of Emergency Services (ordered through the Logistics Section of the Napa County EOC). I would like to call out Napa FD Captain Christopher Gilbert particularly and express my appreciation for his assistance with obtaining the HEPA filters, which are specialized and not a normal part of our emergency medical equipment. We implemented an “Exposure Control Plan” in March, which needed to evolve in April (as we learned more), and I am happy to report that FD staffing impacts due to illness have been minimal to date. I would also like to thank our District staff for their dedication and diligence throughout this incident. On behalf of the District, I would also like to thank our community for being so careful and helping to keep our call volume low so that we could be in a better position should impacts have challenged our capacity as a result of the pandemic crisis. Please stay safe and healthy, and together we will all get through this!
Glen E. Weeks
Fire Chief
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Owl Rescue
Firefighters assisted Napa Wildlife Rescue by helping perform a rescue of a Great Baby Horned Owl that had fallen out of a Eucalyptus Tree. Firefighter O’Shaughnessy reunited the baby owl with its family.
Public Education
Firefighters and police officers paid a special drive-by visit to celebrate JJ’s 5th Birthday. Happy Birthday, JJ!!
Training
Your firefighters participate in physical fitness training daily.
Probationary Firefighter Drossos training with specialized rescue equipment (high pressure air bags) to lift a vehicle.
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