RED BLUFF Once again, the Red Bluff Fire Department reports that medical needs were the majority of calls responded to in 2004 totally nearly 70 percent of calls received.

The department responded to 125 fire calls and 561 other type calls for a grand total of 2,195 calls responded to.

One of the major accomplishments of the fire department was completion of the 11th Red Bluff Fire Academy.

“Over the past year, our city has experienced robust growth in both the commercial and residential sectors,” said Fire Chief Michael Damon. “As a result, our Fire Prevention Bureau has been seriously inundated with plan checks and new construction inspections. The city manager and staff are reviewing staffing proposals in Fire Prevention. It takes qualified, experienced and dedicated employees at every level of our organization to continue to provide the highest quality of emergency services to our community as we have done over the past year.”

Division Chief Gerry Gray said the department places a great deal of emphasis on training of all fire personnel for the wide variety of situations they may encounter in the field.

“Every employee, both career and reserve, must complete 20 hours of assigned training every month,” Gray said.

This satisfies the federal, state and other mandates and helps ensure that personnel is prepared to serve the community, he added.

“Most notably, in 2004 all fire personnel completed a significant medical skills upgrade, which will now permit our firefighters to intubate unresponsive and non-breathing patients using a device called a Combitube,” Gray said.

Reserve firefighter staffing at the department improved at the end of 2004 with the hiring of seven new reserve firefighters who graduated from the Red Bluff Fire Academy and completed 240 hours additional work experience training. The department now has 24 reserve firefighters along with 13 career personnel.

The Red Bluff firefighting fleet consists of three pumpers: 2001 Pierce Dash, 1989 Emergency One Pro XLT, 1978 American LaFrance Pioneer; one 1997 Pierce Arrow ladder truck with a 105-foot aerial ladder, one rescue squad and one quick-attack squad.

The department is working to replace its oldest fire engine, which is more than 26 years old, with a new all-purpose fire truck.

During the 2004 fire season, two engines and eight fire personnel responded to the Oregon Fire in Butte County and the French Fire in Shasta County.

Chief Damon said, “I wish to thank each and every member of our department for another great year of public service and hard work.”