Staunton Fire
Protection
District
2009 Annual
Report
Organization Overview
The Staunton Fire Protection District (SFPD) in Staunton, Illinois, is an all-volunteer fire department located 40 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The district covers 32 square miles of territory with an estimated population of 7,500. The largest portion of the population (5,500) resides in the city of Staunton, and the remainder lives in the rural farm area surrounding the city. The fire district is mainly a bedroom community with a large portion of its residents traveling to other larger surrounding cities for employment. The city boasts a medium size business district, a hospital, a long- term care facility, an assisted living facility, three schools, ten churches, and some small industry. The district also has a major interstate highway, a state highway, two railways, a private airport, and several pipelines contained in the response area. The district covers portions of three different counties and seven different townships
The SFPD currently maintains a maximum roster of 50 active firefighters (but normally carries a roster of 40-45 active personnel) and approximately 30 inactive and honorary firefighters. The department is structured into 4 companies with 1 captain, 1 lieutenant and 10-11 firefighters per company. A fire chief and two assistant chiefs oversee the overall department operations. A fire department chaplain and a junior firefighter program of 5-10 personnel round out the department roster. Department members average 10 years of service.
The department currently operates seven apparatus, an ATV, and a trailer. Engine 1 is a 1986 Pierce class A pumper with a 750 gallon water tank and a 1,000 gpm pump. Engine 2 is a 2007 Pierce class A rescue pumper with a 1000 gallon water tank and a 2,000 gpm pump. Engine 3 is 2000 Pierce class A pumper/tender with a 1,500 water tank and a 1,500 gpm pump. Tender 1 is 1989 Marion tanker with a 2,200 gallon water tender. Squad 1 is a 1994 Road Rescue heavy rescue truck. Brush Truck 1 is a 1994 Ford 4 wheel drive vehicle with a skid unit that contains a 200 gallon water tank and 500 gpm pump. ATV 1 is 2006 Polaris 6 x 6 all terrain vehicle. The department also maintains a 1946 antique parade truck. The SFPD also operates a special operations trailer that carries the department hazardous materials equipment and a large foam supply.
The department maintains state of the art equipment including two hydraulic rescue tool systems, air bags, five portable pumps, positive pressure fans, large diameter hose, and a complete compliment of firefighting and rescue tools. SFPD firefighters are protected by NFPA compliant bunker gear and state of the art self-contained breathing apparatus. The department maintains a full compliment of personal pagers, portable radios, and mobile vehicle radios.
The current SFPD station was dedicated was built in 2002. The station has a total footprint of 11,955 square feet with 6,900 square feet of truck bays and 8,550 square feet of finished office area. The bay area of the station provides sufficient parking for 9 apparatus. The apparatus bay area also includes an SCBA/compressor shop, a maintenance shop, a laundry room, a restroom, and a generator room. The second story above the shop area is a dedicated storage area. The finished office area of the station encompasses two stories. The first floor consists of a radio/dispatch area, the district board room, two offices, a large training/meeting room, a kitchen, a storage/housekeeping room and two restrooms. The second floor includes a large recreation room, future bunk rooms (which are currently being used for storage and meeting rooms), female and male shower rooms, an office, a dayroom area and two mechanical rooms.
The SFPD has averaged 115 calls per year over the last 10 years. The bulk of the incidents are minor in nature and include vehicle fires, utility emergencies, and smoke investigations. The department responds to an average of five working structure fires and 25 rescue calls per year. The department provides rescue services, but a third party, municipal ambulance service is contracted for advanced life support care services.
The SFPD provides a wide variety of support services to the district residents. This includes an extensive public education program, a pre-planning program, an extensive firefighter training program, an equipment maintenance program, a customer service program, a rural water supply program and disaster response services.
The department has a developed a well-defined automatic mutual aid program that is coordinated with fire departments in Macoupin, Madison and Montgomery counties. The department is also a member of the 3M Firefighters Association (a 36 department mutual aid organization), the Madison County Hazardous Materials Team program (a specially trained group of haz mat responders available to all departments in Madison County), and the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (a statewide mutual aid program).
The SFPD receives the largest portion of its operating funds from the Staunton Fire Protection District that is a taxing district which was established in 1978. Each household within the fire protection district is taxed a basic rate. The current fire district budget is approximately $225,000 per year. All funds collected are administered through a district board. The three-person board manages the financial and legal dealings of the fire protection district. The funds accumulated through taxes are used to buy new equipment, pay for maintenance of current equipment, and pay per capita rates for the contract ambulance service.
Additional funds for the department are generated through fund raising efforts of the volunteers. The volunteers take part in a number of fund raising projects throughout the year which include the annual 4th of July celebration, a golf tournament, and a barbecue. All funds collected are used for department activities or to purchase new equipment.
The Staunton Fire Protection District currently maintains a class 5 ISO rating. The department maintains one of the largest volunteer contingents in the area. The department has won the prestigious Life Safety Achievement Award for excellence in public education for the past 12 years. In 2007, the Staunton Fire Protection District won the International Association of Fire Chiefs VCOS / Volunteer Fireman’s Insurance Safe Vehicle Operation Program Award. Current Fire Chief Rick Haase was named the Illinois Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year during 2001 and the Fire Chief Magazine Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year during 2004.
The SFPD has long been a cornerstone of community service. Besides providing fire and rescue related services, they have been a strong supporter of the community. They have sponsored little league baseball teams, soccer teams, and have numerous donations to other civic organizations.
The Staunton Fire Department/Staunton Fire Protection District has a long history in the Staunton area. The department has been providing quality emergency services to the public since 1923.
Personnel
The Staunton Fire Protection District personnel have always been the most important organization asset. The SFPD volunteers receive absolutely no type of financial reward for their countless hours of service to the community. The volunteers do so much more than just respond to incidents. They spend many hours each year training to hone their fire and rescue skills. They conduct over 60% of the required apparatus and equipment maintenance. They spend countless hours conducting public education, pre-planning, and customer/community service activities. Each year the Staunton Fire Protection District volunteers accumulate between 8,000 – 11,000 hours of overall service to the community.
The following personnel joined the department during the calendar year:
Probationary Firefighter Greg Birk
Probationary Firefighter Renee Smith
Probationary Firefighter Sean McDowell
Probationary Firefighter Alan Williams
Junior Firefighter Dylan Harbison
The following firefighters resigned from the department during the calendar year:
Firefighter/Chaplain Nathan Meador
Firefighter Ken Van De Hey
Firefighter Adam Fontaine
Firefighter Joe Foster
Firefighter Brendan Clark
Probationary Firefighter Tim Newton
Junior Firefighter Tim Newton Jr.
During 2009, the following personnel received promotions within the department:
Lieutenant Ray Scroggins was promoted to captain
Firefighter Bill Miller was promoted to lieutenant
Probationary Firefighter Mike Bloemker was promoted to firefighter
Probationary Firefighter Anthony McKay was promoted to firefighter
Firefighter Bill Adler moved to an inactive status after 21 years of active service
Assistant Chief Glenn Kellebrew moved to honorary status after 35 years of active service
During 2009, the following SFPD personnel passed away:
Inactive Firefighter Martin Przymuzala. He was an SFPD member for 59 years
Inactive Firefighter John Vesper. He was an SFPD member for 58 years
The SFPD volunteer organization elected to the following personnel to leadership positions:
Dick Brown – President
Ryan Ray – Vice President
Mary Bryan – Secretary
Anthony Saracco – Treasurer
Rick Haase – Fire Chief
The following personnel were recognized with service anniversary awards during the 2009:
Firefighter Ron Dustman - 35 years of service
Assistant Chief Glenn Kellebrew - 35 years of service
Assistant Chief Kevin Kuethe - 25 years of service
Firefighter David Jones - 20 years of service
Captain Russell Alexander - 15 years of service
Lieutenant Corey Painter - 15 years of service
Firefighter Jon Eaves - 5 years of service
Firefighter Ted Berg - 5 years of service
The following additional active firefighters were recognized for service anniversaries over 20 years of service:
Lieutenant Mark Bryan – 23 Years of Service
Captain Dennis Crouch – 24 Years of Service
Firefighter Dick Brown – 26 Years of Service
Fire Chief Rick Haase – 26 Years of Service
Firefighter Ron Williams – 28 Years of service
The following inactive/honorary firefighters were recognized for membership anniversaries over 50 years:
Honorary Firefighter Jim Sullivan – 59 Years of Service
Honorary Firefighter Ray Frioli – 55 Years of Service
Honorary Firefighter Lowell Lovejoy – 55 Years of Service
Inactive Firefighter Pete Passetti – 50 Years of Service
The following personnel were recognized for their special service to the fire district and volunteer organization:
2009 Chief’s Award – Firefighter Ryan Ray.
Mark Bryan and Dennis Yarnik – SFPD Ambulance Board Representatives
Keith Meyers – 2009 Fourth of July Celebration Chairman
Corey Painter – 2009 Fourth of July Parade Chairman
Kevin Kuethe, Glenn Kellebrew, and Ray Trost – 2009 Golf Tournament Chairman
Danny Mosser – 2009 Illinois Fire Safety Alliance BBQ Chairman
David Jones – 2009 Family Picnic Chairman
Danny Mosser – Honor Guard Coordinator
Ryan Ray – 2009 Recognition Dance Chairman
Mark Bryan – 2009 Family Christmas Party Chairman
Firefighter Ron Dustman was awarded the 2009 Citizen of the Year Award by the Staunton Chamber of Commerce.
The SFPD volunteer membership has accumulated the following statistics throughout their careers:
Category / Total NumberIn Department / Total
Years of Service / Average
Years of Service
Honorary Firefighters / 7 / 328 / 47
Inactive Firefighters / 16 / 553 / 35
Active Firefighters / 36 / 420 / 12
Junior Firefighters / 9 / 19 / 2
Total Firefighters / 68 / 1320 / 19
The SFPD year-end membership staffing over the past ten years includes the following:
Category / 2000 / 2001 / 2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009Honorary Firefighters / 7 / 7 / 7 / 6 / 6 / 6 / 5 / 5 / 6 / 7
Inactive Firefighters / 16 / 17 / 18 / 17 / 15 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 17 / 16
Active Firefighters / 41 / 44 / 40 / 42 / 40 / 39 / 41 / 38 / 40 / 36
Junior Firefighters / 5 / 5 / 5 / 8 / 5 / 6 / 4 / 7 / 9 / 9
Total Firefighters / 69 / 73 / 70 / 73 / 66 / 66 / 66 / 67 / 72 / 68
Staunton Fire Protection District
Department Roster
12/31/09
Chief Rick HaaseAssistant Chief Kevin Kuethe / Assistant Chief - Open Position
Company I
/Company II
Captain Brian Dustman / Captain Dennis CrouchLieutenant Bill Miller / Lieutenant Mark Bryan
Firefighter Ron Dustman / Firefighter Dick Brown
Firefighter David Jones / Firefighter Dave Volentine
Firefighter David Wells / Firefighter Keith Meyers
Firefighter Anthony Saracco / Firefighter Ryan Ray
Firefighter Greg Birk / Firefighter Mike Masinelli
Firefighter Renee Smith / Firefighter Jon Eaves
Firefighter Ed Reiter
Company III
/Company IV
Captain Russell Alexander / Captain Ray ScrogginsLieutenant Danny Mosser / Lieutenant Corey Painter
Firefighter Ron Williams / Firefighter Larry Ziegler
Firefighter Jim Aljets / Firefighter B. J. Hearty
Firefighter Daniel Mayfield / Firefighter Ken Newcomb
Firefighter Glen Tebbe / Firefighter Don Houston
Firefighter Anthony McKay / Firefighter Ted Berg
Firefighter Sean McDowell / Firefighter Mike Bloemker
Firefighter Alan Williams
Inactive Firefighters
/Honorary Firefighters
Pete Passetti / Jim SullivanFrank Rizzi / Lowell Lovejoy
Jim Huhsman / Ray Frioli
Jim Williamson / Fred Monschein
Russ Masinelli / Bill Knop
Norm Ruffini / Glenn Kellebrew
Lloyd Garde /
Ed Wineburner
Larry BellovichDon Kasubke /
Junior Firefighters
Rick Allen /Butch Fey / Jr. Firefighter Bradley Clark
Ken Hibbler / Jr. Firefighter Andrew Hamilton
Randy Williams / Jr. Firefighter Harbison
Bill Adler / Jr. Firefighter Matt Miller
Jeff Clark / Jr. Firefighter Jake Rhodes
Ray Trost / Jr. Firefighter Tony Rowell
Jr. Firefighter Dakota Tebbe
Jr. Firefighter Jordan Williams
Jr. Firefighter Spencer Williams
District Representatives
/Department Officers
President Bill Knop / President Dick BrownSecretary Bart Yakos / Vice President Ryan Ray
Treasurer Ron Dustman / Secretary Mark Bryan
Treasurer Anthony Saracco
Incident Responses
During the 2009 calendar year, the Staunton Fire Protection District responded to a total of 105 calls for emergency assistance. This is a 9% decrease in the number of calls seen during this same time period from the previous year.
During 2009, an average of 9 firefighters and 2 apparatus responded to incidents. The average response time (time the call was received until SFPD apparatus was on scene) was 6 minutes. The average total call time (time the call was received until the time units were again ready to respond) was 38 minutes. There were no SFPD injuries during the 2009 incident responses and there no motor vehicle accidents involving an SFPD apparatus.