Fire Chief: ‘Our goal is zero calls’

Cobb inside Fire Station No. 1. Cobb said his goal is to lower the amount of calls to 911.

Madison’s Fire Department, headed by Fire Chief Ralph Cobb, isn’t the standard run-of-the-mill fire station.

Among typical duties of suppressing fires around town, the fire department also offers services to equip citizens with the skills to deal with certain emergencies unaccompanied.

“This isn’t the average fire department.“ Cobb said. “We not only deal with structural fires, but provide emergency medical services and offer a wide variety of fire education and prevention services.”

Every firefighter is a certified emergency medical technician and 2/3 of them are paramedics, which  requires a two-year training.

Cobb said firefighters on the trucks can all provide emergency medical help. They carry cardiac monitors and drugs just like the ambulance.

“It’s important to citizens of Madison that we have these skills because we typically arrive first,” he said.

He said if the situation could be fixed on the scene, they usually dismiss the ambulance from coming.

The department offers CPR classes  to the public every other Saturday, at a cost of $5 per class.

“The keys to a successful resuscitation is bystander intervention,” Cobb said. “We’re going to get there as quick as we can, but the most important factor is that bystander who has been trained, and in our opinion, everyone healthy enough to perform should be trained.”

He said by providing those CPR services and offering prevention education, actual transports to the hospital is 15 percent less in Madison, compared to other communities.

“The main thing is that we’re here for the citizens and that we improve their quality of life,” Cobb said. “We would not be here if it weren’t for their needs.”

Around 80 percent of the 911 calls deal with medical issues, car wrecks and illnesses, according to Cobb.

“A large number of the medical calls are time sensitive and the quicker someone is by your side, the more likely you are to prevent death and extension of injury,” Cobb added. “Our goal is zero calls.”

He said on average, they only put out 24 structural fires per year, which is an extremely low number.

“Most of the fires we see are caused by careless and reckless behavior and by using unauthorized heating sources in an effort to stay warm. The primary problem is unattended cooking and candles,” Cobb said.

The department visited every commercial building in the city last year to conduct safety inspections and gather data on building to conduct a risk analysis and know where and what those possible risks are.

Cobb said these duties provide for a safer Madison.

For more information on these services and classes, contact the fire department at (256) 772-3326.