Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fire Station 4 is located in midtown Anchorage and responds to emergencies in the most rapidly growing commercial area in Anchorage. With the recent growth in this area Station 4 crews have been required to further their training in responding to fires in larger commercial structures which can be more complex due to their scope and size. In 2008 Station 4 crews responded to almost 3,200 calls for assistance, many requiring emergency medical assistance, rescue, fire suppression, or in some cases a combination of all three. (more…)
Posted in Operations
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
October marks Fire Prevention Month, and AFD Status will be providing tips throughout the month on ways to fire-proof your homes, educate yourself and your children, and hopefully make everyone around you a little safer.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 1.4 million fires in the United States in 2008, causing 3,320 civilian deaths, 103 fire fighter deaths, and incurring $15.5 billion in property losses. Fire departments nationwide respond to a structure fire every 61 seconds, and a civilian died from fire injuries every 158 minutes. (more…)
Posted in Public Service Announcement
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Insurance Services Offices (ISO) is a private company that analyzes risks for insurance companies to help them base their insurance rates in metropolitan areas throughout the United States. Part of this rating system is based on an assessment of potential property loss due to fire and natural disasters, and therefore is heavily dependant on the ability of that area’s fire department to respond to those incidents. The last time that ISO audited the Anchorage Fire Department and support utilities was in 2006, and prior to this audit Anchorage held a rating of Class 3 / Class 8. Class 3 was the rating given to the Anchorage Bowl area, and Class 8 was given to the Anchorage Hillside, with much of the discrepancy due to the lack of hydrants on the Hillside. After an extensive review of training records and an operational exercise that proved Anchorage Fire Department resources could adequately provide a sustainable water supply sufficient to battle structure fires on the Hillside, the ISO awarded a Class 2 rating for the entire Municipality. This dropped insurance premiums for numerous Anchorage residents; residents living outside of this area are still seeing ratings as high as Class 10. Here is the press release from that audit: AFD 3-8-06 (more…)
Posted in Community Involvement, Public Service Announcement
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
If you see a lot of strange faces wearing out of town fire department t-shirts, or see a bunch of fire engines that don’t say “Anchorage Fire Department” downtown this week, don’t be alarmed, there’s not a major catastrophe. The Alaska State Firefighters Association (ASFA) is holding its annual conference, bringing together first responders from familiar places like Fairbanks, Juneau, and the Mat-Su Valley with participants from places like Moose Pass, Dillingham, and Kwethluk in an effort to increase the knowledge and skills of Alaska’s first responders. This year, there are even guests from Canada, Oregon, and Washington in town to experience the Conference. (more…)
Posted in Community Involvement
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