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2023 Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week

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ACCREDITED SPOKANE VALLEY FIRE IS HOSTING RISK ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM

Jun 27, 2019

For Immediate Release:

June 25, 2019

Contact: Julie Happy

Community Affairs Manager

Spokane Valley Fire

509.892.4155

ACCREDITED SPOKANE VALLEY FIRE IS HOSTING RISK ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM

FOCUS IS ON NUMBER OF TRUCKS DEPLOYED IN RESPONSE TO A CALL FOR SERVICE ***************************************************

The Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) is a member of the Pacific Northwest Consortium for accredited fire departments. The consortium is made up of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Canadian departments that are accredited or in the process of becoming accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). These area agencies meet to analyze best practices nationwide and review application within their own agencies.

This week the consortium is in Spokane meeting at the SVFD Administration building. The focus for this session is on risk assessment. Nationwide best practices will be evaluated and assessed for the deployment of apparatus in response to service calls.

This assessment will help determine how the SVFD can:

Better utilize existing resources to best respond to the risks which exist in the SVFD District
Deliver a higher level of service while being good stewards of the public’s resources
Forecast and plan for future needs in regard to apparatus, facilities, and staffing
Understand the risks in order to respond appropriately

“Understanding the risks is important when determining the number of apparatus to send on a response to a call,” said Fire Chief Bryan Collins. “There are safety issues to evaluate on all sides, the safety needs for the incident and the safety needs for the remainder of the community. This type of risk evaluation is impactful to the community at large in that it keeps more units available to serve the remainder of the area should the need arise.”

This process of Risk Assessment with the consortium will evaluate calls received, probability of occurrence, consequence, and impact to the department. This score will help determine the risk to community as well as the risk to the department when deploying apparatus. More clearly stated – how many trucks does an incident require and how many apparatus are needed to remain available for the remainder of the community should another call for service occur.

The SVFD is one of a handful of accredited fire departments in Washington State. They are the only Accredited Fire Department in the Spokane Metro Area. Accreditation is a higher standard of practice that a fire department willingly chooses to implement within their organization. It promotes excellence and encourages quality improvement, leading to higher service levels for citizens. Accreditation is an impactful choice of a fire department in their commitment to serving their community.

For more information on SVFD Accreditation visit spokanevalleyfire.com

About SVFD
Spokane Valley Fire Department serves the City of Spokane Valley, City of Liberty Lake, City of Millwood and the surrounding unincorporated areas of Spokane County with a combined population of 125,000 across 75 square miles. SVFD firefighters and paramedics responded to more than 17,280 emergency calls in 2017. Established in 1940, SVFD is an Accredited Agency by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, one of only a handful in Washington State.

For more information about Spokane Valley Fire Department, visit www.spokanevalleyfire.com.

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← HAVE A HEART - PULSEPOINT RECRUITS RESIDENTS TO SAVE LIVES SVFD BEGINS RISK ASSESSMENT TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO CALLS FOR SERVICE →

Did you Know?

You can sign up for a station tour. Great for small groups.

You should replace the batteries in your smoke alarms twice a year.

Creating a defensible space with regards to wildfires could just save your home or property.

We have Friends & Family CPR classes every month.

Media Contact

Julie Happy

509-892-4155

happyj@spokanevalleyfire.com

Commissioner Patrick Burch

Board Member Since: July 18, 2016
Current term expires: December 31, 2025

Commissioner Burch was appointed to the Board of Fire Commissioners in July 2016 to fill an unexpired term and has served continuously since that time. He became a volunteer member of the Department’s CERT Team in 2008 and later served as a team leader/member of Fire Corps.

“I admire the Spokane Valley Fire Department’s focus on continuous improvement. Our dedication to the community, fiscal responsibility and the fact that we are one of the few accredited fire departments in the State of Washington all make SVFD great!”

Note: As the individual appointed to this non-partisan position, Commissioner Burch was elected by voters in November 2017.

Commissioner Mike Kester

Board Member Since: January 1, 2020
Current six year term expires: December 31, 2025

Commissioner Mike Kester was elected to the Board of Fire Commissioners in November, 2019.

Commissioner Kester grew up in the Spokane area and has a deep appreciation for just how fortunate we all are to live in this beautiful area. He believes that being involved in this community is not something to take lightly.

His background includes joining the United States Coast Guard (U.S.C.G) after high school and serving on a port firefighting boat doing search and rescue in Portland, Oregon. After the Coast Guard, he attended the University of Montana earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Resource Management. He then went on to work for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, serving in their Parks Department.

Spokane was the next step in his career. He went to work for the Burlington Santa Fe Railroad and the next 22 years was spent as a conductor moving freight. Commissioner Kester retired in 2010 after a workplace injury and now, he and his wife enjoy making meals for World War II Veterans, helping out at the YMCA ,and providing meals for those in need.

“In the 25 years of being a resident of the Spokane Valley the professionalism of the SVFD has inspired me to take an active part in bettering our community. We have one of the best fire departments in the whole Pacific Northwest. My wife and I have 3 children and 5 grandchildren. I have dedicated my life to keeping them safe. I want to apply that dedication to our community. Keeping us all safe is a goal we should all aspire to in one way or another. Communication within the department and with the public is, and always will be one of my primary goals.”

Commissioner John Guarisco

Board Member since: August 27, 2018
Current six year term expires: December 31, 2027

Commissioner Guarisco was appointed to the Board of Fire Commissioners in August 2018 to fill an unexpired term and has served continuously since that time. Commissioner Guarisco founded Marjoni Marketing in 2004 and in 2010 merged with MDI marketing. He then pursued Real Estate, earning his license and now, currently serves the greater Spokane area as a licensed Realtor. He has long been active in the community and has won numerous awards during his career including the Volunteer of the Year (2014) and the Community Caring Award (2010) from the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Greater Spokane Valley Rotary Club and holds an AA degree from Spokane Falls Community College.

Note: As the individual appointed to this non-partisan position, Commissioner Guarisco was elected by voters in November 2019.

Commissioner Bill Anderson

Board Member since: January 1, 2000
Current six year term expires: December 31, 2023

Commissioner Anderson served our community as a Spokane Valley Fire Department firefighter for 29 years. Throughout his career, he worked as a firefighter, dispatcher and engineer before he was promoted and became an officer. He was Station Captain of Millwood Station 2 when he retired in 1999. During his years as firefighter, he was an active leader of Spokane Valley Firefighters Local 876 and served as a trustee on the Washington State Council of Firefighters for 25 years.

“It’s important to me that we continue the good service we’ve always given the people. We’ve accomplished a lot and are pulling in the same direction to get better. I’m very proud of the Spokane Valley Fire Department.”

Commissioner Brian Asmus

Board Member Since: June 14, 2021
Current term expires:

Commissioner Brian Asmus was appointed to the Spokane Valley Fire Department Board of Fire Commissioners in 2021.

Commissioner Asmus is the former Liberty Lake Police Chief and current Director of Safety and Security at Central Valley School District (CVSD).

“Brian Asmus brings extensive Public Safety leadership experience, and a long history of being actively engaged in his community to his new role as a SVFD Commissioner,” said SVFD Fire Chief, Bryan Collins. “During his time as a Police Chief, Brian interacted with SVFD firefighters and administrators on a regular basis, making him very familiar with our structure, standing within our communities, as well as with many of our current SVFD board members and personnel. Brian’s experience working and collaborating on regional issues aligns nicely with SVFD’s philosophy and will help us continue to be a catalyst for local and regional excellence and innovation.”