Haines fire chief to step down, stay on as volunteer member, as department sees highest call volume to date

Haines’ fire chief Al Giddings says he’ll be stepping down as head of the volunteer department at the end of the year, but staying on as a volunteer member. It’s been a busy time at the department which has logged its highest call volume to date: there were more than 300 medical calls and 31 fire calls as of last week. KHNS’ Corinne Smith checked in with the leader of Haines volunteer fire department for an update.

 

KHNS: Thank you so much, Chief Giddings, for joining us today. The assembly has been discussing in the last few months, the higher call volume for the fire and EMS teams here in Haines, can you talk about what the community needs are that you’re seeing and why this higher volume?

Al Giddings: Yes, thank you. And thanks for having me. Yes, higher call volume, we are probably going to top out at this rate here at about 420 calls for the year that’s combined fire, rescue, and EMS. 95 percent of our calls are EMS calls. And we don’t really have a reason to point to and say, this is why our call volume has increased. You know, it isn’t any one thing or one particular illness or fire. But I think when I first joined the department 10 years ago, the rough figure I can think of was maybe 220, 250 calls for the year. So now we’re talking over 400 calls. This is primarily a volunteer department, that’s a huge, huge increase. And then two, we’re just the single house, single fire station for the entire borough with a huge district. So the coverage is just enormous.

KHNS: Last month we had  another surge of COVID in the community. Were you also responding to those COVID cases?

Giddings: Yes, we do. And again, primarily, we do have two career staff, two part time staff and then we’re manned by volunteers. So a call would come in and if dispatch is able to identify, they would tell us this may be a COVID positive exposure. So we have to go into full protocols, which is gowning up eye protection, double gloves, and then we limit our personnel who rides the back of the ambulance for minimal exposure. And then yes, we have responded to positive COVID patients and transported them from their home or the field to the clinic. And then after that, though, we go through a very extensive decontamination process to decontaminate ourselves and our ambulance before we can put it back into service. So typically, because of the COVID protocols that is added, sometimes an hour and a half, or even two hours extra to the run. So a volunteer or paid staff would get called out of their homes at two o’clock in the morning, may not be done with the  run till 5am. And for volunteers, you know they have to get ready to get back to work the next day. So it has put a toll on the entire department. But I just can’t say enough about our staff, our directors and the volunteers who continually step up to do this. It’s remarkable.

KHNS: And taking on some risks there as well.

Giddings: Yes, and I think it would be okay to say that, you know, we have allowed, of course, our volunteers and anybody connected with the fire department, that if they have any health concerns at all, they are free to back away, step down or ask for a leave of absence. And there’s no dishonor in that. So we have had some members for various reasons, opt for more inactive status during this during this time. So but we have had others who have stepped up to carry that extra load. 

KHNS: And are you looking to hire more staff given the higher call volume and higher needs?

Giddings: That’s kind of the million dollar question. (Laugh) I think any department in Haines is looking to hire more personnel for more help. But yes, we eventually would like to, but of course, understanding our economic restrictions as well. But in the meantime, we’re constantly recruiting for new members to join the department. 

KHNS: And I also heard there is a new ambulance on the way in November, the new purchase from the borough?

Giddings: That’s correct. And this is purchased through CARES funding. And it should arrive next month. So a brand new ambulance, and it will replace one of our other ambulances, which is 15 years old, which is presently costing quite a bit just to keep it on the road mechanically. And then, so the new ambulance will become medic one and the medic one that we have now will become medic two. So we’ll still have two ambulances only.

KHNS: Are there other ways that you’re looking to kind of meet this higher demand?

Giddings: Well, training is our bedrock. And so with the COVID protocols, we have not been able to gather as we had in previous years, and that definitely has taken a toll on the membership in the department. So in order to meet the demand, we’re continually trying to think of new, intuitive ways to train. Of course, we’ve utilized Zoom, but you can only do so much with that. And slowly with full protocols in place, we’re gathering small groups at the fire department to get some real hands-on training. I think that’s the best we can do, to keep everyone on the top of their skills both fire, EMS and search and rescue for anything that comes in 911 over the phone.

KHNS: Are you also responding to substance use calls or overdose calls?

Giddings: Yes. So our ambulance company covers the full gamut. Everything from cut fingers, sprained ankles, sports injuries, traumatic injuries with chainsaws, or machinery all the way up to a cardiac event, difficulty breathing. Very ill patients for various secondary conditions, as well as COVID. And yes, psychiatric and substance abuse are all part of the response as well.

KHNS: Is there anything else that the community should know from your department at this time, anything you’d like to add?

Giddings: Yes, we’re constantly looking for volunteers, anyone who would like to help in any capacity. We appreciate tremendously the support that we do get from the borough and management, as well as all the citizens of Haines. It’s tremendous. And also, I’ll be stepping down as the fire chief come this next election year, but I’ll be serving in the ranks. I feel I can do more now in the ranks than I can as the chief. And they will take over in the beginning of the new year.

It has been an honor beyond words, to have served the…hang on a sec. I get a little choked up. But it’s been an honor beyond words to observe the department as their chief, and to kind of be in a position of taking care of, and getting to know them. And I just can’t say enough without the volunteers without the paid staff. Of course, there would be no fire 911 response in Haines. So if you do happen to see a responder out in the street or the store, take a second just to give them a high five and it really means a lot. So it has truly been an honor beyond words.

KHNS: Thank you so much. Chief Giddings, and thank you for your service. 

Giddings: You’re welcome.

The fire and EMS department will be holding in-house elections where staff and volunteers will vote for a new chief on Monday November 8. The newly elected fire chief will start in January 2022.

 

Correction: Elections will take place at an All-Company meeting for the Haines Volunteer Fire Department on Monday November 8, not November 15).