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| Four Seasons Hemet Herald | November 2016 | 3 It's hard to believe that we are now rapidly approaching the wonderful holiday period and all the festivities and colorful decorations that accompany it. When we were kids, we used to think that time moved so slowly and we eagerly anticipated this time of year. Now, we find ourselves wondering how it can possibly be here again so soon! Wasn't it just a few months ago that we took down and stored away our holiday decorations? Last month, your Board of Directors invited Hemet Fire Chief Scott Brown to attend our Executive Board meeting. The initial purpose of this meeting was to inquire about the findings of the fire which occurred on Tewell Ave. last July. There has been an abundance of speculative rumors about the cause, and we were hoping to learn how the fire started. But unfortunately, the Fire Investigators were not able to determine a definitive cause. Nevertheless, the meeting with Fire Chief Brown was very informative. We thought our readers might be interested in some of the information he shared during our discussion: • The Hemet Fire Department was officially established on July 29, 1908 • Hemet F. D. now serves a population of over 85,000 people, encompassing nearly 28 square miles • Hemet Fire Department 2015 Response Statistics: • 16,171 total responses, 13,000 of which were Emergency Medical Service (EMS) related calls, ie: medical, traffic collisions, rescues, etc. • 305 Fires (all types), 139 hazardous conditions, 963 service calls, 769 good intent, 312 other call types (specialty, rescue other) • On average, Hemet Fire Department responds to 180.2 incidents per 1,000 population, which is substantially higher than the regional median of 83.4 incidents per 1,000 population • Calls for service are currently trending to surpass 18,000 calls for 2016 Nationally, Fire Department based EMS is the primary provider of advanced life support services. In November 2014, HFD formally established its Paramedic Program. They are now providing front- line Paramedic response from Fire Station 1, Fire Station 2 and Fire Station 3 (the one at Devonshire and Cawston). In early 2015 this service was expanded, establishing a Paramedic Squad at the newly re-opened Fire Station 5 in east Hemet. Plans are underway to develop an additional Paramedic unit at Fire Station 4 in the near future. Here in Hemet, when you call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, Hemet Fire Department Paramedics respond, and an AMR ambulance staffed with a Paramedic is also sent to assist the Fire Department Paramedics. The fire paramedic and the ambulance paramedic both care for the patient as a team. Then, the ambulance transports the patient with paramedic level care, and the fire engine with a paramedic goes back into service ready for the next call in its area. We appreciated the time Fire Chief Brown spent with us. We were quite impressed with his professional experience, and found him to be genuinely committed to our public safety. On a totally different topic, a few people have asked why the "author" of our Board Message is not our Board President as in past years. We realize that we probably should have mentioned this before, but when the current Board was constituted, President Greg Rockvam made some collateral assignments. Consequently, he asked that Russ assume the responsibility of preparing the monthly message. Please know that this is a collaborative effort each month, and the full Board provides input that results in the final Board Message which appears in each edition of the Herald. Lastly, and regardless of your political preference, please remember your civic duty and exercise your right to vote on November 8th! It's a privilege not afforded to everyone in this world, and it's part of what makes this country so great. Please enjoy a wonderful, relaxing and safe Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends! Message From the Board of Directors Sincerely, and on behalf of your Board of Directors, Greg, Ken, Jim, Tony, Gene and Don, Russ Brown, Vice President

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