Category: District News

With great growth comes great opportunity. As the needs of our community evolve, Central County Fire & Rescue is excited to evolve, too, in order to best serve our residents and meet their biggest safety needs.

2019 was a record-setting year for Central County Fire & Rescue. Our crews responded to 6,611 emergency calls — an all-time high — while the number of medical emergency calls continues to rise.

CCFR has worked tirelessly to hire and train crew members so that we are equipped to keep up with this growing need in the most efficient manner. In early 2019, the District welcomed four new firefighter/paramedics to its ranks. As of this writing, 33% of CCFR’s suppression team are now licensed paramedics, the remaining are EMTs. Meanwhile, CCFR also set a goal of training every firefighter to drive and operate the District’s pumper, aerial and brush trucks. Seven new drivers were certified in 2019, which resulted in 96% of all fire suppression employees being certified to operate the District’s apparatuses.

Our team of investigators also continues to grow. These 19 CCFR investigators were able to determine the cause of more fires than last year, and discovered that 29 fires were intentionally started, up from 16 in 2018.

2019 brought with it a growing business community in our area. New commercial spaces including Amazon, FedEx and others moved into our community, and the CCFR Community Risk Reduction team worked to ensure these structures and occupancies are operated safely. This process also includes making sure structures are safe, with the appropriate number of fire hydrants, adequate water supply and adequate access for emergency vehicles.

CCFR continues to implement the community-created SAFE-T (Securing A Future of Excellence—Together) plan:

• Opened new Fire Station #5.
• Put two new multipurpose, all-terrain brush trucks into service.
• Completed training and began using bailout kits, which allow CCFR firefighters to swiftly escape a building if they become trapped.
• Put new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) into service, which replaced ones that were 15 years old. The new technology in these devices provide better communication, improved safety and forward-looking infrared technology.

A portion of the SAFE-T plan also focused on working to ensure financial stability, which included building a reserve that could sustain CCFR operations for six months. Through strong fiscal management, the District reached this goal in 2019 while also reducing the general revenue tax rate by 5.5%.

Thank you for your continued support of Central County Fire & Rescue. As the role of the fire service continues to evolve, we remain steadfastly committed to working with the community and providing the highest quality emergency services to keep our entire community safe. We encourage you to visit our website (centralcountyfire.org) and follow along on social media to learn more about our fire prevention resources and community programs, and to reach out if there’s ever anything we can do for you!

View the full 2019 Annual Report here

As a lifelong resident of St. Peters and treasurer of the CCFR Board of Directors, Patricia Hamm is dedicated to ensuring the District’s tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively to keep the community safe.

“The Fire District is the community’s toolbox, ready to respond no matter what the emergency,” Hamm says. “As a board member, I want to make sure our firefighters, EMTs and paramedics have the training and tools they need to do the job right and get the best outcomes in an emergency situation, while also being good stewards of our community’s investment in the District.”

Hamm became a member of the board 11 years ago because she wanted to make a difference in the growing community that she and her husband, three children and a grandchild call home.

She says that the board is committed to looking for ways to improve and adapt the Fire District as the St. Peters area grows and develops.

“As we look to the future, our District is going to start to notice a change in those who serve our community,” she says, noting that many CCFR employees have been on duty for more than 25 years, since before the District was started in 1998. “I want to make sure that we are prepared for the next generation of first responders here in the St. Peters area.

“We are fortunate to have an exceptional team of professionals, and a community that is the lifeblood of the quality emergency services this team can provide. For that we are grateful, and will do whatever it takes to not let them down.

Property values are rising, which often results in higher property taxes for many residents. To help reduce this burden, Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) voted to reduce its general revenue tax rate by 5.5% for 2019. This will result in a savings of approximately $21 a year for the owner of a $200,000 home. 

Continue reading “CCFR Lowers Tax Rate By 5%”

Property values are rising, which often results in higher property taxes for many residents. To help reduce this burden, the Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) Board of Directors voted to reduce its general revenue tax rate by 5.5% for 2019. This will result in a savings of around $21 a year for the owner of a $200,000 home.

“Fiscal responsibility and being good stewards of the funding our community provides is critically important to our fire district. When we learned that an increase in area property values meant we could reduce our overall tax rate and continue providing the high quality emergency services our residents expect, we knew that this was the right decision to make. ” said CCFR Board Chairman Dave Tilley.

The 2018 general revenue tax rate was .9937 and the proposed general revenue tax rate for 2019 will be .9384.

Central County Fire & Rescue Releases 2018 Annual Report Highlighting Highest Call Volume In District’s 20-Year History

In 2018, Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) celebrated 20 years of serving the community with its highest call response ever. The fire district, one of the largest in the St. Louis Metro area, responded to 6,509 emergency calls. When the District started in 1998 it responded to 3,500 calls and in 2017 there were 6,301.

“Over the years we have seen a shift in the emergency needs of our community, and we have adapted our services to meet these needs. We no longer just fight fires, we are a multi-service emergency response and emergency preparedness organization,” said CCFR Assistant Chief Steve Brown.

“Last year, shortly after implementing an advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical service program, more than half of our calls were related to emergency medical incidents,” said Brown.

The District’s first full year providing ALS service was 2018. ALS service means CCFR’s trained paramedics can administer medications, start IVs, secure airways and provide advanced medical monitoring. District leadership worked to secure the proper licensure, established medical protocols with the St. Charles County Ambulance District (SCCAD), and researched and purchased the proper medical equipment to best meet the needs of the community.

The District also continues to work toward full implementation of the community-created SAFE-T plan, which included recommendations for service, program, equipment and facility updates. In 2018, the CCFR saw its first full year using a new fleet of fire trucks that was recommended in the plan. This new equipment reducing truck maintenance costs by 79 percent, as many repairs are now covered under warranties.

“As our community grows and changes, our District and its capabilities grow with it. With additional training and up-to-date equipment, CCFR can handle more types of emergency situations, provide advanced emergency medical services, and offer robust community risk reduction programs and community outreach efforts,” said Brown.

The District also remains committed to maintaining financial stability to consistently provide quality emergency services to its residents, continually working toward the recommended six months in reserve funds for CCFR.

To view details about emergency calls in 2018, the CCFR team and more click here to view the entire report.

Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) opened a new Station #5 in early May 2019. The station is located at 3421 Harry S. Truman Blvd. in St. Charles. Construction began in August 2018.

Continue reading “CCFR Opens New Fire Station #5 on Harry S. Truman Boulevard”