Do you know your Euclid Fire Department?
Do you know the location of the closest firehouse to your home or business? The Euclid Fire Department operates three fire stations throughout Euclid. Station 1, located at 775 East 222nd Street, is the fire department’s headquarters and it an ambulance (Rescue 1), a ladder truck (Ladder 1), and a command vehicle (Car 23) that the on-duty officer in charge uses. Staff personnel also work out of Station 1. Station 2, located at 1500 Chardon Road, houses one ambulance (Rescue 2) and one fire engine (Engine 2). Station 3, located at 25970 Lakeshore Boulevard, contains one ambulance (Rescue 3) and one fire engine (Engine 3). Two staff members serve each ambulance and at least three firemen staff each fire apparatus. Euclid had a fourth station, located at 1395 East 260th Street, but budget cuts forced its closure. While the site no longer houses any firefighting personnel or apparatus, it is currently being used as a police mini-station.
We have at least 16 firefighters and paramedics on duty each day, which provides full staffing for the three firehouses and the assigned equipment. The fire department has 76 sworn members, 71 of these divided among three platoons, or shifts. Each platoon is on-duty 24 hours, then off-duty for 48 hours. Shift change occurs daily at 8:30 am. The other five members of the department are staff personnel and work a typical 40-hour work week. These members are the fire chief, the assistant fire chief, the training officer, the Fire Prevention Bureau captain, and one fire inspector. The department employs two civilians who work as administrative assistants to the fire chief and Fire Prevention Bureau.
Statistically, by the end of September, the Euclid Fire Department had responded to 5,560 calls for help. It’s safe to say that this year we will likely respond to nearly 7,500 incidents, with 2010 projected to being the busiest year in the history of the department. This represents an increase of nearly 24 percent since 2000. We are now averaging over 20 calls per day.
While keeping busy responding to our city’s calls, we are also doing quite a bit to maintain our ability to serve our community.
- Vacancies allowed us to promote three members to ranks of higher responsibility.
- We conducted a competitive entrance exam last month to hire new personnel who will replace several members who have recently retired and will be retiring in the near future.
- We applied for and received a federal grant for $600,000 to purchase a new ladder truck; it should arrive in November.
- We’ll be receiving a new fire engine in March 2011.
- We are applying for additional grants from the federal government to add personnel.
- Nine of our members continue to train and participate as members of a regional specialized rescue team.
The fall is always busy for the Euclid Fire Department. In addition to our emergency responses, we also perform annual duties these fall months. These duties include ground ladder maintenance, cleaning and maintaining tools and equipment, pump testing of the fire trucks, annual driver’s training, monthly station maintenance, next year’s scheduling, and mandatory emergency medical service training and recertification classes.
The arrival of fall also reminds us to remember to change the batteries in smoke detectors. The best time to do this is when you set your clocks back Nov. 7. If you’re physically unable to do this or can’t afford replacement batteries, please call (216) 289-8425 to schedule a time when firefighters can come and do this for you free of charge. Also, I look forward to the opportunity to help educate you about the Euclid FD. Feel free to contact me via email, wanderson@cityofeuclid.com, or at (216) 289-8415 if you have questions or concerns. Thank you, stay safe, and call us if you need us. We’ll be there!