Town of Scarborough

Report from Fire / EMS / EMA
tornadoes that affected multiple counties from 7/18-8/16,
2009. Finally we dealt with the Ice Storm of 2008 which
caused significant damage throughout town and cut power
to some areas of the community for several days. At the
peak of this storm 49 roads or sections of roads were
completely blocked by trees or wires and 90% of the
community was without power. This event also included
the monumental debris removal project that was conducted
town-wide this past spring. When these types of disasters
rise to the level of a Presidential declaration it allows the
town to recoup reimbursement for specific qualified
expenses based on a cost sharing formula of 75% federal,
15% state, and 10% local. If it wasn’t for the federal and
state government’s assistance all of these costs would have
had to been bourn by the taxpayers of Scarborough. I’ve
included a chart below that summarizes the total
reimbursement we either have already, or are expected to
receive based on these events.
Disaster
Total
Patriot’s Day Storm 2007 513,604
July-August Severe Storms 2008 17,381
Ice Storm of 2008 488,884
Highlights from the past year
Here is a brief list of some other events, activities, and
projects that the department worked on this past year:
• In mid July the town celebrated its 350 th birthday with
a weekend long event attracting thousands of citizens
and visitors. The celebration featured a triathlon, an
expanded Summerfest type event, a huge parade, and
our annual fireworks display. All public safety
agencies, including emergency management, were
involved in providing public safety services as well as
the detailed planning and coordination necessary for
this important event in the town’s history.
• Throughout the year we have been preparing for our
Insurance Services Office (ISO) survey. The ISO is an
independent office that conducts detailed surveys to
create fire protection classifications for fire
departments across the country. The various insurance
companies that write residential and commercial fire
insurance policies use those ratings to establish the
premium rates they charge their policyholders. The
survey includes an extremely comprehensive analysis
and examination of the department including
apparatus, equipment, training, response times and a
variety of other considerations. They also factor in the
water supply system and award points for dispatch
center operations. These surveys are conducted
approximately every 10 years and we are long overdue
for ours. So far we have compiled over 200 pages of
data, maps, and assorted information responding to the
various questions that will be analyzed when the
survey is conducted sometime this fall.
July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009
• As the H1N1 flu blossomed into a world wide
pandemic the EMA office took the lead on planning
for the eventuality that Scarborough could be affected.
We have attended many seminars, workshops, and
planning sessions, and continue to work with the
Maine Centers for Disease Control, our public health
officer Dr. Kirsch, and other partners to bolster our
emergency plans and prepare for the potential threat of
a pandemic flu.
• For a number of years Scarborough has participated
and was a founding member of the Metro Fire Chiefs
Coalition with seven other communities that surround
the City of Portland. We meet on a monthly basis to
work on joint projects for cost and operational
efficiencies. During the past fiscal year we were
successful in obtaining our second Federal Fire Act
Grant worth almost 310,000 to purchase a sprinkler
and fire alarm system training trailer that will be
shared by all the communities to teach our members
how these systems work. Scarborough was the host
community for this grant application and as of this
printing we have developed a set of specifications and
are about to go out for competitive bids. The Metro
Fire Chief’s Coalition also received a special
recognition award from the Greater Portland Council
of Governments for our success on these grant
applications and other regionalization initiatives that
we have undertaken to be more efficient and save our
communities money.
• The rescue transitioned to a new state mandated
electronic run reporting process that is tied into our
computerized records management and computer aided
dispatch system. This new program was created based
on a national database of electronic medical records
that will allow us to contribute and mine data that will
be helpful in identifying trends and improving medical
care over time.
• I was pleased to promote the following new call
company officers during the past fiscal year:
Ellen Pallotta — Canteen
Brian Cousino — Tank 1
Joe Pallotta — Engine 6
Jon Rioux — Ladder 1
• I would also like to take this opportunity to thank two
long time company officers that stepped down from
their leadership roles in the company this year, Art
Greene and Tom Bahun both of Engine 5, for their
outstanding work and leadership during their tenure on
the Board of Engineers.
42