The Operations division of the fire department is dedicated to professionally delivering services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to the citizens of the Arvada Fire Protection District.  In addition to responding to over 8,000 requests for assistance each year, the firefighters provide a whole host of other services.

These services include, but are not limited to:

• Emergency Medical Services, in conjunction with PrideMark Paramedic Services.
• Fire Emergencies.
• Hazardous Materials Technical Rescue, including trench, confined space, etc.
• Ice and Water Rescue.
• Fire Prevention, including preventive education and inspections.
• Disaster Preparedness.

Emergency Medical Services

Over 60% of our requests for services are for Emergency Medical Services.  These types of calls consist of:

• Medical Emergencies
• Auto Accidents
• Assists

 

Fire Emergencies

Even though Fire Departments were founded to fight fires, today these make up a very small portion of our responses (less than 5%).  With that said these calls have the most potential for loss of life and property.

 

 

 

 Hazardous Materials

We respond not only to calls within our fire district boundaries, but as part of the Jefferson/Adams County Hazardous Materials team we respond to all calls within the counties of Jefferson, Adams and Broomfield Counties.  Station 4 at 68th and Pierce Street has as much equipment and training as any haz mat team in the state. 

Technical Rescue

Arvada Firefighters based out of Station 5, are the leads for us in the area of technical rescue.  They are trained and have the equipment to handle:

• Confined Space
• Trench Rescue
• High Angle Rescue (Ropes)

We also belong to a group of fire departments called the North Area Technical Rescue Team to which we give mutual aid to and train with. The great part of this relationship is that when we have a call of this nature in our area, other departments will provide manpower and equipment to assist us with what is usually a very labor intensive type of response.

 

Ice and Water Rescue

We have two stations that house equipment for Ice and Water Rescue.  Stations 2 and 5 have rafts, and ice rescue suits to handle most emergencies.  We are in the process of buying a Zodiac Boat with a motor to handle responses on large bodies of water.

Station 2 is also trained in swift water rescue which is important for areas like Clear Creek when the run-off is high and there is a great danger if a citizen were to get caught in the water.

Public Education

Firefighters conduct safety presentations to well over 5,000 people per year.  With the addition of a Public Education Officer, this effort will be further enhanced. 

Car Seat inspections are something that we have firefighters trained to perform.  We conduct over 1,000 inspections per year to make sure that our children are safe when riding in moving vehicles.

We have been very progressive in the area of installing Smoke Detectors.  Thanks to grants from area businesses like Sam’s Club, we have been able to provide smoke detectors at no cost to anyone needing them.  Firefighters will also install them on each level of your home if you need them to.

Each year firefighters also host a Citizens Academy to show citizens of our district what life as a firefighter is like.  The attendees get to put on the gear and actually fight some fire during this exhausting weekend.

Inspections

Firefighters completed over 2,000 inspections of District businesses and schools during 2006. These inspections are done in order to make sure that all public occupancies are fire safe for the students, employees and customers of our schools and businesses.

Disaster Preparedness

The fire district has been working very hard with the Cities of Arvada and Wheat Ridge, Jefferson County and the entire region to make sure that if a large scale incident were to strike our area, that we are prepared.  This has included attending numerous trainings and drills.