EFD Installing Free Residential Smoke Alarms
Last modified on August 5th, 2022 at 05:26 pm
Fires can be deadly—especially in homes that don’t have working smoke alarms. Seven times a day, someone in the United States dies in a home fire. About three out of five of these deaths occur in homes lacking smoke alarms, where residents are twice as likely to die in a fire than in homes where working smoke alarms are present.
To help more families gain access to these lifesaving devices, the Elkins Fire Department is providing smoke alarms in homes at no cost to residents, under a grant program of the West Virginia State Fire Marshal. These alarms, which are powered by sealed lithium batteries with a life span of ten years, must be installed by EFD. As part of this program, a database is being created so that new smoke alarms can be distributed to these homes in 10 years, after the current ones reach their end of life.
To schedule your smoke alarm installation, contact the fire station. Your address and a valid phone number is required to secure your detector.
Quantities are limited, so get in touch today!
- EFD phone: (304) 636-3449
- EFD email: shimes@cityofelkinswv.com
EFD Receives Elevator Training
Elevators are a great convenience–until they stop working, whether due to mechanical problems or as a result of a larger emergency. Elkins Fire Department and Randolph County Department of Homeland Security personnel spent Saturday getting up to speed on the special challenges and risks associated with rescuing people trapped in elevators.
The training session was led by John Hoffman, a retired fire chief from New Jersey and the current Braxton County Department of Homeland Security director. Members were instructed on operating landing doors, manual lowering of elevator cars and firefighter bypass operations.
The training was held at Davis Medical Center.
Elkins Allows Year-Round Outdoor Burning
Outdoor fires to dispose of natural materials are now allowed throughout the year on certain days of the week under a new law adopted by Elkins Common Council last month. The law, which only applies inside Elkins city limits, eliminates the use of burning seasons, establishes safety rules, and clarifies what materials may be burned. A permit issued by Elkins Fire Department is required.
The new law allows only the burning of natural, untreated, and unprocessed materials (such as tree trimmings, grass, leaves, and similar garden waste). Fires to dispose of non-natural materials, including but not limited to paper, garbage, and lumber or other construction debris, are prohibited, even if contained in a “burn barrel” or similar container. Fires to clear grasslands or forests are also prohibited.
Outdoor burning to dispose of these natural materials was previously restricted to certain seasons. Under the new law, such materials may now be burned year-round from 5 p.m. Thursdays to 7 a.m. Fridays; from 5 p.m. Fridays to 7 a.m. Saturdays; and from 5 p.m. Saturdays to 7 a.m. Sundays. Fires must be completely extinguished by 7 a.m.
Before such fires are ignited, a permit must have been issued by Elkins Fire Department. A safety zone around the fire must also be cleared of flammable materials. This cleared area must measure at least 10 feet on all sides of the fire at a minimum but, in any event, must be large enough “to ensure that the fire will be contained,” the law states.
Fires must be attended at all times. Permit holders are required to monitor wind and other conditions and must cancel or extinguish fires if those conditions become unsafe. EFD personnel may order the extinguishing of any fire if they determine that it poses a risk to life or property. Permit holders will be held criminally responsible, and may be found liable for damages, if a fire escapes the safety zone and causes damage to others’ lands or properties.
Under the new law, permits are not required for “small fires set for the purpose of food preparation or for providing light or warmth, the area around which has been cleared of flammable materials in the manner described above.” These fires are allowed whenever weather conditions do not make them unsafe.
Outside Elkins city limits, state burning guidelines must be adhered to. These guidelines are identical to those imposed inside city limits, except that burning is restricted to the seasons March 1-May 31 and October 1-December 31.
To apply for an outdoor burning permit, contact the Elkins Fire Department: (304) 636-3433.
EFD Statement About Central St. Fire
Statement from EFD Chief Steve Himes:
Elkins Fire Department responded around 11 p.m. Monday night to a fire in a home on West Central Street in Elkins.
The fire, which appeared to have been started intentionally, resulted in one fatality. Another person was transported to Davis Medical Center with non-fire-related injuries. The Office of the State Fire Marshal has completed its on-scene investigation. We are awaiting official identification of the decedent and cause of death.
The first EFD units were on the scene within four minutes of the initial 911 call. Including personnel from Beverly Fire Department, 27 firefighters responded to this incident. Elkins Police Department and Randolph County EMS also assisted on scene.
The fire is estimated to have caused about $85,000 in damage.
Fire Prevention Week 2021 School Visits
During Fire Prevention Week 2021, the Elkins Fire Department visited North Elementary School, Third Ward Elementary School, Jennings Randolph Elementary School, and Midland Elementary School. EFD also hosted a visit from Shining Light Learning Center Preschool.
On these school visits, EFD personnel provided fire-safety tips and distributed smoke detectors to 130 kindergartners. Smoke-detector distribution is funded each year by the Snowshoe Foundation.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme was “the sounds of fire safety.”
Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of paying attention to the sounds your smoke and CO detectors make, especially the low-battery chirp.
When you hear the chirp, get to work! Replace the batteries so your smoke/CO detector can do its job: keeping you and your family safe.
Pictured: Firefighter 2 Andrew Roth and Probationary Firefighter Hunter Corcoran visiting with Third Ward students and Captain Ron Corcoran and VFD member and Randolph County EMS director Kurt Gainer receiving Shining Light students at the EFD station.
EFD Chief Retiring After 40-year Career
Mayor Jerry Marco presents a plaque to retiring EFD Chief Tom Meader.
Elkins, W. Va., April 21, 2021: Elkins Fire Department Chief Tom Meader announced his retirement at last night’s special council meeting after more than 40 years of volunteer and paid service at EFD. His retirement is effective April 30. Captain Steven Himes was appointed interim chief and a committee was formed to search for Meader’s replacement.
The year 1979 saw two important developments in the history of the Elkins Fire Department. That was the year that EFD gained new room to grow in its building at 216 Fourth Street, after the city government’s administrative offices were moved from there to the former federal building on Davis Avenue. That was also the year that Meader joined the department as a volunteer firefighter.
At the time, Meader was operating Tom’s Sunoco service station, at the corner of Randolph Avenue and Davis Avenue. Friends who were volunteer firefighters suggested that he should apply.
“It seemed like a good fit,” says Meader. “I had my own business, and I was located close to the station, so I’d be able to get down there quickly. I thought I’d give it a try.”
Meader soon realized he had both a knack and a passion for the work of a firefighter.
“I loved every minute of it,” he says. “I loved the work, I loved the training, I loved the camaraderie. There’s a reason why, once someone joins the department, they very seldom end up leaving. It just gets in your blood.”
In 2001, having sold his service station to future Randolph County Commissioner Chris See, Meader joined the City of Elkins Water Distribution Department. He was still serving as a volunteer firefighter, however, and—in 2004—he accepted the then-unpaid position of EFD chief. Four years later, in 2008, the Elkins council appointed Meader the first paid EFD chief since 1986.
“It just got to a point where the budget was too big and there was too much else going on for the chief job to stay volunteer,” says Meader.
Even as chief, Meader maintained a hands-on role in the department’s emergency responses. Until 2016, the department had only one watch-standing firefighter on duty per shift, but best safety practices required at least a two-person team before a fire engine could depart the station.
“There were a lot of times when it was just me and the duty man,” says Meader. “I fought a lot of fires even once I made chief.”
Once on-scene, these first-responding skeleton crews were typically joined by volunteers. Meader says volunteers were and still are crucial to the department’s success.
“Our volunteers are fantastic, and we really couldn’t do what we do without them,” says Meader. “You’re talking about guys who will get up at 2 a.m., fight a fire, then go to work by 6 a.m. somewhere else. They don’t have to do this, but they choose to. It gets in their blood.”
Still, as time went on, Meader began to notice trends that concerned him.
“There’s less and less people coming out to volunteer,” he says. “Every volunteer department is struggling to get volunteers these days, and some of them are going to go out of existence. It’s just a changing world, and you have to move forward. You can’t just stay there circling the drain.”
Meader’s plan for moving forward depended on increasing the number of paid, civil-service firefighters working at the department. (Although the chief position is paid, it is not a civil-service position.) There was a problem, though.
“We just didn’t have the budget,” says Meader. “That’s when I started looking at expanding the fire fee. Why shouldn’t the people outside the city pay for the services they get from us, just like the people inside?”
Property owners inside Elkins had long paid a fire-protection service fee to help support the department, but EFD—which answers an average of 650 calls a year—is required by the state fire marshal’s office to respond both inside and outside of city limits throughout an overall region known as the department’s “first-due area.” The EFD first-due area is 150 square miles and home to more than 15,000 people.
After establishing that West Virginia Code §8-13-13 grants cities the authority to charge such a fee, even outside city limits, Meader worked with council and his fellow administrative officers to make his proposal a reality. In 2015, council authorized collection of fire fees throughout the EFD first-due area.
The department is now entirely funded by the proceeds of this fee, which are restricted solely for the department’s use. Fire-fee income enabled the department to expand first to seven and now—as of last night’s swearing in of two new civil-service members—nine professional firefighters, or three per shift, in addition to the chief.
The predictable revenues of the fire fee also enable the department to plan more effectively for the purchase of new fire engines, which must be replaced every 20 years and which currently start at $450,000.
The expanded fire-fee income also helped Meader achieve his goal of improving the department’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) issued by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). ISO PPC classifications are based on multiple factors, but one of the most important is the average number of on-duty firefighters per shift in a given year.
“Getting to three firefighters on duty per shift helped us improve our ISO rating from a 5 to a 3,” says Meader.
According to the ISO website, out of 523 West Virginia fire departments rated by the organization, EFD is one of only 36 with a score of 3 or better. PPC scores for a given community are part of the formulas that insurance companies use to establish rates for structures located there; although these formulas are complex, lower ISO PPC ratings generally benefit policyholders.
“I’m very pleased with everything we’ve been able to accomplish because of the fire fees,” says Meader. “We couldn’t have done it any other way.”
In addition to the nine paid civil-service positions, the department has around 30 volunteers. Professional and volunteer personnel are qualified to provide emergency medical services and perform vehicular extraction, HAZMAT containment, and trench, high-angle, and swift-water rescue. EFD also has eight certified divers. Multiple times per year, EFD firefighters visit area schools to instruct students about smoke detectors and fire safety.
When asked what he plans to do in his retirement, Meader says it might not look too different from what he does today.
“I love my job and I hate to retire but the time has come,” he says. “I’ll probably still keep volunteering though because I really can’t stand to leave it behind. I’ve been in this building and running out to fires and everything else almost every day since 1979. Every day was a different experience, and that’s what I love about it. Anyone who thinks they might be interested in firefighting, I tell them there’s always something new to learn, and when you can help someone in a tragic situation it’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
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Fire Department to Add Two Firefighters
Elkins, W. Va., March 18, 2021: The Elkins Fire Department will soon be able to assign three professional firefighters to each shift, increasing personnel safety and speeding response times. At last night’s meeting, city council approved adding two paid positions to the department, bringing its total staffing level from seven to nine full-time civil-service firefighters.
“This is your fire fee at work,” said EFD Chief Tom Meader. “EFD is totally funded by the fire-protection service fee charged to everyone the department serves, both inside city limits and in our first-due area outside the city. Without that revenue stream, we’d never have been able to grow like this.”
With only seven firefighters currently on staff, there are sometimes just two working a given shift, which Meader says is not ideal.
“Depending on the nature of the call, two firefighters is not always a safe minimum, so there are times right now when we have to wait for a volunteer to arrive before rolling out from the station,” he explained.
Once the two new positions are filled, EFD—which responds to an average of around 650 calls a year—will be able to assign three firefighters per shift, enabling the department to respond even faster when help is needed.
“With three on a shift,” said Meader, “we will be able to roll out within two or three minutes of being dispatched.”
The two vacancies created by last night’s council action will be filled from the department’s existing civil-service list, which was updated in the fall of 2020.
“We’ll be going down the civil-service list in order and putting candidates through our standard pre-hiring evaluations,” said Meader. “We look forward to welcoming two new firefighters into the department by about mid-April.”
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Two dead in River Street Fire
House was posted as uninhabitable with entrances sealed
Elkins, W. Va., March 10, 2021: Two people died last night in a fire that occurred in a house on River Street. The house had been closed and posted as uninhabitable by city fire and code enforcement officials. The decedents have not been identified, and the W. Va. State Fire Marshal is investigating.
The house, at 5 River Street, had been offered for sale at auction in 2019 for unpaid property taxes but did not sell. The State of West Virginia now holds a lien against the property for the unpaid taxes and associated fees.
This property came to the attention of city officials last year because of a large refuse pile in the backyard and signs of entry and occupation by unauthorized persons. Because there was no water service to the house, it was considered de facto uninhabitable under city code. The front porch was also missing, and the house was in a general and advanced state of disrepair.
City Code Enforcement Officer Phil Isner ordered the unauthorized occupants to vacate the premises, requested electrical power be disconnected, and—on June 1, 2020—posted signs on the front and back doors informing that the house had been determined to be unsafe. The signs prohibited occupancy until such time as an official finding that the identified hazardous conditions had been corrected.
At the time of the posting, Isner sealed the back door with plywood and screwed the front door shut. He also closed and locked the building’s windows. Isner and Elkins Fire Department Chief Tom Meader included the property on their near-daily rounds monitoring properties of concern.
Lacking title to the property or a court order authorizing further steps, the city had at this point exhausted its options for enforcement actions against this property. After the posting, the city offered to redeem the tax lien, take title of the property, and shoulder the cost of demolishing the decrepit structure, but this offer was declined by the owner of record.
The Elkins Fire Department responded to the fire and attempted to make entry, but the building was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived. Because the fire occurred in a building with no electrical power or gas service, it seems to have resulted from human activity. As is always the case when fires result in deaths, the W. Va. State Fire Marshal is investigating and will be the only source of any further official statements regarding this matter.
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EFD: Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms, Test Monthly
Colorless, Odorless Gas is an Invisible Killer
Elkins, W. Va., February 12, 2021: The Elkins Fire Department is reminding area residents of the importance of installing carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in the home and testing them once a month. CO alarms provide an early warning of the presence of deadly CO gas, and monthly tests are vital to ensure they are working properly.
“Carbon monoxide is the invisible killer,” says Elkins Fire Department Chief Tom Meader. “It’s an odorless, colorless gas created when fuels burn incompletely. Inside the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles running in an attached garage or a generator running inside a home or attached garage can also produce dangerous levels. The only way to detect CO is with a working CO alarm.”
According to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in 2016, fire departments responded to about 80,000 non-fire CO calls per year, almost all in the home. More than 400 people die each year, on average, from unintentional CO poisoning from consumer appliances, motor vehicles, and other sources, according to the CDC.
“CO monitors can cost as little as $5,” says Meader. “That’s well worth it when you consider you might be saving a life.”
The Elkins Fire Department, NFPA, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advise residents to take certain steps to ensure that their household is safe from CO.
“First, never ignore an alarming CO alarm,” says Meader. “It is warning you of a potentially deadly hazard. If the alarm signal sounds, do not try to find the source of the CO. Immediately move outside to fresh air and then call 911.”
Next, ensure your CO alarm is working properly by following the steps below:
- Test CO alarms once a month using the test button, and replace CO alarms if they fail to respond correctly when tested.
- Make sure you have CO alarms in your home outside each separate sleeping area, on every level and in other locations as required by laws, codes or standards.
- Replace the CO alarm according to manufacturer’s instructions or when the end-of-life signal sounds.
- Know the difference between the sound of the CO alarm and the smoke alarm and their low-battery signals. If the audible low-battery signal sounds, replace the batteries, or replace the device.
- Follow manufacturer’s installation instructions.
- For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one CO alarm sounds, they all sound.
Area residents with questions or concerns about CO alarm testing and alarm requirements may contact the Elkins Fire Department at (304) 636-3433. Information is also available here: www.cdc.gov/co.
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Fire Department Testing September 12
Last modified on August 10th, 2020 at 05:24 pm
The Elkins Fire Department (EFD) will be performing civil service testing on September 12. The physical fitness testing and written testing will both be offered that day.
There are currently no openings at EFD. However, the only way to be considered for a future opening is to pass the physical and written tests and be placed on the eligible candidates list of the Elkins Firefighters Civil Service Commission.
EFD’s physical fitness standards have recently been updated. (To download them, click here.) The standards are challenging, so candidates interested in testing in September should begin training immediately.
Download an application packet here.
Alerts
MLK Day (1/16) Schedule
Elkins City Hall will be closed on Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Garbage service will run on regular schedule.
Christmas Tree Disposal
The City of Elkins Street Department will collect Christmas trees for disposal January 3-20. Please place trees at the curb after removing all ornaments, tinsel, lights, etc.
Starting Jan. 1: No more phone payments
Starting Jan. 1, City of Elkins will no longer accept phone payments for any city bills or services. Learn more.
No Spring Cleanup
Because of the city’s monthly bulk-item pickup program, we will no longer be offering Spring Cleanup. Don’t wait until spring, put your items out each month. Find the schedule for pickups here.
Bulk Pickups Schedule Change
As of the week of October 17, the bulk-item pickup schedule is changing. Find the new schedule here.
Water Issues?
Last modified on May 8th, 2022 at 10:51 am
Got a non-emergency water issue? Report it online by clicking here.
