FIRE CHIEF REFLECTS ON HIS FIRST YEAR

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department hasn't had a lot of firefighting business during the past year and the fire chief wants to keep it that way.

Chief Dan White, who recently completed his first year on the job, said the city does not have a tremendous number of fires but that doesn't mean the department hasn't been busy.

In addition to preparing themselves and the community for emergencies and disasters, firefighters routinely respond with medical assistance or clean up hazardous material spills. They also are responsible for fire code inspections, public fire education and emergency rescues.

Those jobs keep White and his department very busy.

White came to Cape Girardeau on Jan. 2, 1997, after spending almost 22 years with the fire department in Springdale, Ark. He retired there as fire chief. In the year since coming to Cape, White has discovered a sense of community and a respect for the city's firefighters.

"It's a good fit," he said.

The sense of cooperation he feels within the community is something White has been working to have within the department. During his first year as chief, he has tried to establish a relationship of trust with the firefighters who work under him.

"The department was sound when I got here, but it needed some work on relationships," he said.

White implemented a team concept approach to managing the department. Firefighters serve on teams which study issues affecting the department. One team studied the list of potential firefighters for the department, another at the promotion process.

A third team helped design a firetruck for the department. White compared the process of designing the truck to selecting the options when ordering a new car.

"Only we have a lot more options," he said.

If he tried to select the options himself, he said he might design it to fit his own tastes, but might forget or overlook other options that would be helpful to the department, White said. The team process allows the department to select a truck with input and expertise from several people.

The result -- a $272,000 Pierce Quantam 1,500 GPM Triple Combination Pumper -- should be delivered in late September or early October.

As White looked to the future of the department, he identified two pressing needs -- a new fire station and a new training facility -- both of which are in the department's capital improvement plans.

"Like most things, it's a matter of money," White said.

Present plans include moving Station No. 3 from Emerald to a new site, which would be built on land the city owns on North Sprigg Street, just south of Lexington.

Moving the station would give the department better response time to emergencies, White said. The new station would not be as close to Station No. 1 but would be closer to the new elementary school as well as several subdivisions on the north side of town.

The new station would also prove more functional than the current No. 3 station, White said. The present station, built in 1951, could not accommodate the newly ordered firetruck because the 10-foot doors aren't tall enough for the truck.

In addition to the new station, White hopes to see a training facility built in Smelterville, a section of town which was bought out by the city because of flooding.

The training facility would include a heat resistant building, made entirely of concrete and called a "burn building," in which the department can set fires and practice deployment.

White said that such practice is important in preparing the crews for fighting fires. Firefighters routinely enter buildings where fires reach 200 to 300 degrees and must be around buildings that get as hot as 1,400 degrees. The only way they can be ready to face such heat is through exposure to such situations, White said.

"When you're fighting a fire, the smoke gets so thick that you literally cannot see your hand in front of your face. The adrenaline gets pumping. The fear factor sets in. You're battling the intense heat and don't know if you can do it. That's where training kicks in," he said.

The lack of practical training opportunities and facilities is one of the biggest weaknesses in the department, White said.

"We need to practice our skills. We can't do that by watching films and reading books," he said.

Still, the fire department in Cape Girardeau is very sound and the personnel of extremely high quality, he said.

"I am pleased with the professional knowledge, bravery and courage of these firefighters," he said. "Cape Girardeau is very fortunate."