A PUBLIC SAFETY
ASSESSMENT OF
THE SOUTHWEST
REGION OF NORTH
DAKOTA
A Project Conducted by the Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council for
Development
Funded by a Grant
from the Bremer
Bank Foundation
A Public Safety Assessment of the Southwest Region of
North Dakota
A Project Conducted by the Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council for
Development
William G. Murtha, Principal Researcher and Writer
Gene Buresh, Staff Researcher
Jim Parke, Staff Researcher
Rod Landblom, Executive Director
Funded by a Grant from the Bremer Bank Foundation
December 2014
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE ..............................................................................................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................ ii
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 1
North Dakota Region VIII......................................................................................................................... 2
Location and Area ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Map 1: Roosevelt Custer District ............................................................................................................... 2
Map 2: Region VIII Counties and Cities ..................................................................................................... 3
Federal Land and Mineral Ownership .................................................................................................... 4
Map 3: Federal Land and Mineral Ownership .......................................................................................... 5
Geographical Aspects of Region VIII...................................................................................................... 6
Climate ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Population Trends ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Oil and Gas .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Background ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Oil/Gas in Region VIII Counties .............................................................................................................. 9
Ethanol Production .......................................................................................................................... 11
Other Industries and the Economy .......................................................................................... 11
Area Transportation ........................................................................................................................ 12
Tourism .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Housing.................................................................................................................................................. 14
PROFILES ............................................................................................................................................... 15
ADAMS COUNTY ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Adams County Emergency Manager .................................................................................................... 15
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Adams County Sheriff’s Department .................................................................................................... 17
Hettinger District Fire Department ...................................................................................................... 21
Reeder Fire Department ........................................................................................................................ 26
Adams County EMS (West River Ambulance Service) ........................................................................ 30
BILLINGS COUNTY .................................................................................................................................. 35
Billings County Emergency Manager.................................................................................................... 35
Billings County Sheriff’s Department ..................................................................................................... 36
Medora Police Department .................................................................................................................... 39
Billings County Rural Fire Department ................................................................................................ 42
Medora Fire Department .......................................................................................................................... 46
Billings County EMS ................................................................................................................................ 50
BOWMAN COUNTY .................................................................................................................................. 53
Bowman County Emergency Manager ................................................................................................. 53
Bowman County Sheriff’s Department ................................................................................................. 54
Bowman Police Department .................................................................................................................. 57
Bowman Rural Fire Department ........................................................................................................... 60
Rhame Rural Fire Protection District ................................................................................................... 65
Scranton Rural Fire Department........................................................................................................... 69
Bowman Ambulance Squad, Inc ........................................................................................................... 75
DUNN COUNTY ......................................................................................................................................... 80
Dunn County Emergency Manager........................................................................................................ 80
Dunn County Sheriff’s Department ....................................................................................................... 82
Killdeer Police Department .................................................................................................................... 87
Halliday Rural Fire Protection District ................................................................................................ 91
West Dunn Rural Fire Protection District ............................................................................................ 95
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Killdeer EMS .............................................................................................................................................. 99
GOLDEN VALLEY COUNTY .................................................................................................................... 105
Golden Valley Emergency Manager ................................................................................................... 105
Golden Valley Sheriff’s Department .................................................................................................... 107
Beach Central Rural Fire Protection District/Beach Fire Department ......................................... 111
Golva Rural Fire District ....................................................................................................................... 115
Sentinel Rural Fire Protection District ............................................................................................... 118
Community Ambulance Service, Inc. Golden Valley County............................................................. 121
HETTINGER COUNTY ............................................................................................................................ 126
Hettinger County Emergency Manager .............................................................................................. 126
Hettinger County Sheriff’s Department .............................................................................................. 128
Mott Fire Protection District ................................................................................................................ 132
New England Fire Department/New England Rural Fire Department ......................................... 135
Regent Rural Fire Department ............................................................................................................ 139
New England Ambulance Service ........................................................................................................ 143
Regent EMS.............................................................................................................................................. 146
SLOPE COUNTY ...................................................................................................................................... 150
Slope County Emergency Manager ...................................................................................................... 150
Slope County Sheriff’s Department ..................................................................................................... 152
Amidon Fire Protection District ........................................................................................................... 154
Marmarth Fire Protection District ...................................................................................................... 157
Marmarth Ambulance Service ............................................................................................................. 161
STARK COUNTY...................................................................................................................................... 166
Stark County Emergency Manager...................................................................................................... 166
Stark County Sheriff’s Department ..................................................................................................... 168
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Belfield Police Department ................................................................................................................... 172
Dickinson Police Department............................................................................................................... 176
Belfield Fire Department ...................................................................................................................... 182
Dickinson Rural Fire Department ....................................................................................................... 186
Dickinson Fire Department .................................................................................................................. 190
Gladstone Consolidated Fire District .................................................................................................. 195
Richardton Fire Protection District .................................................................................................... 199
Taylor Fire Protection District ............................................................................................................. 204
Belfield EMS ............................................................................................................................................ 207
Dickinson Ambulance Service, Inc. ...................................................................................................... 211
Richardton-Taylor EMS ......................................................................................................................... 215
REGIONAL AGENCIES ............................................................................................................................ 219
North Dakota Highway Patrol ............................................................................................................. 219
Southwest Judicial District ................................................................................................................... 222
FEDERAL AGENCIES IN THE SOUTHWEST REGION ......................................................................... 225
United States Forest Service ................................................................................................................. 225
National Park Service: Theodore Roosevelt National Park ............................................................ 227
PUBLIC SAFETY ASSESSMENT SUMMARY ............................................................................ 229
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 232
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INTRODUCTION
The Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council for Development (R-CRC) is a quasi-public nonprofit agency that serves the eight counties and 27 communities of the southwest region of North
Dakota designated as Region VIII. Those counties include Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn,
Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope and Stark. Governed by local city and county officials and
operating under state enabling legislation, the Regional Council provides planning, development
and technical assistance services to the area’s counties and cities. For the past 38 years, the
R-CRC has acted as the region’s “council of governments” or the “regional planning and
development office” and thus responds to a number of issues and concerns as they affect local
governmental entities. It is in this role that the Regional Council has undertaken this Public
Safety Assessment with funding from Bremer Bank. This project is meant to provide a
description and needs analysis of Public Safety in the eight county region.
Southwestern North Dakota has the distinction of possessing a variety of natural
resources, both surface and minerals, within its boundaries that have, over the years, drawn the
attention of a multitude of interests from across the country. Within sub-state Region VIII,
covering 10,000 square miles, lies a rich heritage of a western farming and ranching culture
mixed with a half-million acres of federal grasslands, a national park and a major national river
system. Further, there are massive reserves of coal, oil, natural gas and uranium hidden below
the surface that offer another dimension to the character of the region. While sparsely populated
and very distinctly rural in nature, southwest North Dakota has seen dramatic growth resulting
from increased oil exploration in the Bakken Formation.
Development of the energy resources in the western-third of North Dakota has taken
place in varying degrees over the past many decades. In recent years, the success of oil
development in the state has created a large-scale fervor that has illustrated the value North
Dakota has to the United States’ economic health. Using this recent activity as an impetus, the
Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council for Development has found a need to understand the breadth,
scope and significance of the oil boom on the region in terms of public safety.
This report begins by giving a brief overview of region. This includes a brief description
of its agriculture, mining, oil and gas development, industry, transportation, and population
which play off one another and present steep challenges and, possibly, opportunities for first
responders and the federal, state, county, city and local governments that support them.
Agriculture has long been the dominant economic force in North Dakota, but recently oil
and gas development are beginning to outpace agriculture as the biggest economic driver.
Agriculture and oil and gas production are both volatile economic drivers, though energy
production is the more volatile of the two. This volatility in the oil and gas industry, as
witnessed by three boom and bust cycles in North Dakota since the 1950s, has lawmakers leery
of long term investment in the region, yet this lack of investment is having a detrimental effect
on law enforcement, fire departments and ambulance services. Infrastructure is overwhelmed,
housing is very difficult to obtain and call volumes are increasing across all three services. More
money for wages, compensation, additional personnel and equipment, more affordable housing,
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and more local training opportunities are necessary to meet the increased demand for service in
the region.
NORTH DAKOTA REGION VIII
LOCATION AND AREA
Region VIII is located in the southwestern corner of North Dakota, consisting of eight
counties in a sub-state division (Map 1). The cities range in size from Dickinson, with a steadily
increasing population counted at nearly 20,000 in the 2012 census figures and estimated to be
approximately 29-30,000 in 2014, to several towns with less than 50. Map 2 shows the counties,
county seats and incorporated municipalities of Region VIII. The Region covers 9,878-square
miles in the relatively dry country west and south of the Missouri River and is bordered by South
Dakota to the south and Montana to the west.
Map 1
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Map 2
REGION VIII COUNTIES AND CITIES


County Seat
Incorporated Municipality
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FEDERAL LAND AND MINERAL OWNERSHIP
Approximately 10 percent of the region’s surface is held by the U.S. government.
Included in this figure are the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and a sizeable
portion of the Little Missouri National Grasslands, a unit of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands. The
park unit, which contains 46,182 acres, is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of
Interior, Park Service. The portion of the grasslands within the district, 524,685 acres of noncontiguous land, is controlled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, and the
Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management under the multiple-use principles of land
management.
Note, the portion of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation falling within the boundaries of
the district, and the U.S. Corps of Engineers land holdings in the area of Lake Sakakawea have
not been included in any of the above figures. This area consists of approximately 250-square
miles or about 2.5 percent of the total land area of the Region.
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Map 3
FEDERAL LAND OWNERSHIP
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GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS OF REGION VIII
The Missouri Plateau covers the southwestern quarter of North Dakota. Generally
referred to as the Great Plains or Slope area, the surface of the land in Region VIII is irregular
and rolling. The most prominent feature of this Region is the Badlands of the Little Missouri
River. These are a series of buttes formed by erosion and made up of colored layers, which
verify an ancient time when the Region was under water. Many of these buttes are covered with
scoria, a clay baked red by the burning of the subterranean lignite coal veins. This strip of rough,
beautiful land is 2 to 20 miles wide and 190 miles long.
The high elevations are not exclusively found in the Badlands. The highest point in the
Region, and in North Dakota, is White Butte located in Slope County, which is 3,506 feet above
sea level. In the northern part of this Region, the Killdeer Mountains rise 700 feet above the
surrounding prairies.
Many tributaries of the Missouri River are located in various parts of the Region. The
tributaries include the Knife, Cannonball, Heart, and Little Missouri rivers. Many lakes and
reservoirs are also found in the region. The most important are: Lake Ilo, a National Wildlife
Refuge, located in Dunn County; Patterson Lake, a Bureau of Reclamation project for recreation
and water supply, located in Stark County; Bowman-Haley Dam, a Bureau of Reclamation
project for recreation and wildlife, located in Bowman County; and part of Lake Sakakawea, an
Army Corps of Engineers hydroelectric and recreation project, located in and bordering Dunn
County.
The soils of the Region are basically fertile if given adequate moisture and drainage.
Shale and limestone are the parent material for most of the Region’s soils. There are some
variations of a thin chestnut brown soil in the area that produce well if irrigated.
CLIMATE
Frequent passage of weather systems across the district brings a variety of weather in all
four of the seasons with wide variations in temperatures from day to day and month to month.
Summers are usually very pleasant, although hot winds and periods of prolonged high
temperatures may occur. Winters are generally cold, with occasional mild periods.
Temperatures in excess of 90 degrees Fahrenheit may occur from 20 to 30 days per year and zero
readings are common in winter. Weather Bureau records indicate that temperatures reach zero or
below an average of 45 to 50 days per year. The frost-free period ranges from 115 to 135 days.
Average data of the last spring freeze is May 20 and the first fall freeze is September 20.
Unpredictable rainfall and occasional severe drought further jeopardize agriculture.
Average annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches and varies from less than 10 inches to more than
30 inches. More than 75 percent of the annual precipitation falls during the growing season and
may be accompanied by thunder and lightning, with heavy precipitation for short durations. The
average annual snowfall is 32 inches.
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The rugged terrain of the Badlands and variable weather can pose many challenges to
first responders, particularly fire fighters and emergency medical personnel. Occasional heavy
rains make flash flooding a common occurrence. Lightning strikes can start grass fires which
can be very difficult to fight in these rough areas. The past two years have provided above
average summer precipitation increasing the amount of fuel available for grass fires when the
land dries out again.
Unusual weather events the past few years including extremely large hail, surprise
blizzards, more frequent tornadoes and above average rainfall have kept first responders and
emergency managers busy in addition to the usual extreme weather typical of the region.
POPULATION TRENDS
The population of the Region has been closely tied to agricultural, mining, and oil
development. And as a result has seen several boom and bust cycles. The Region experienced a
marked decrease in rural population from the 1920s to the late 1930s, losing population since
peaking in 1930, and continued to lose through 1970. With the development of oil activity in the
mid-1970s, the Region experienced rapid population expansion that extended into the 1980s.
With the oil “bust”, population declined rapidly.
The current oil boom is precipitating unprecedented growth with some projections seeing
a peak of temporary workers in the next five years and a permanent population to steadily
increase through 2025. One estimate cited by the Associated Press in December 2013 put North
Dakota’s population at 723,393 residents, more than 22,000 higher than estimates from the year
before (www.kxnet.com). Today’s population estimates exceed the previous record high
population figure set in 1930. Accurate population estimates, however, are difficult to make.
Agribusiness and Applied Economics Report 695: Modeling Employment, Housing and
Population in Western North Dakota explains, there is a distinction between residents and the
“service population…defined as the sum of the normal resident population (Census population)
and the population that works in [the region] but maintains a residence elsewhere” (34). The
state estimates 45,463 people in Western North Dakota are living in temporary housing (hotels,
RV Parks, campgrounds, mobile homes, and man camps). These people are not counted in the
census.
With those difficulties in mind a 2012 forecast projects a dramatic increase in population
in the region that will place an additional burden on public safety personnel.
Current population projections indicate a sizeable increase in population throughout
Region VIII…. The projections suggest a significant shift in growth patterns in the
region. Stark County is expected to show the largest growth at 74 percent by 2025.
However, with the exception of Adams County which is expected to show little
change, all counties within the region could grow by at least 20 percent by 2025.
(2012 North Dakota Statewide Housing Needs Assessment: Housing Forecast)
The North Dakota State Housing Needs Assessment further states:
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North Dakota is expecting to see population increases across all age groups by 2025.
Largely as a result of oil field development, the population of the prime workforce
(ages 25 to 44) is projected to double in Region VIII and more than triple in Region I.
Beginning in 2011, baby boomers began turning 65. Thus, over the next 15 years, the
number of people ages 65 and older is projected to increase by half (52 percent). The
45 to 64 age group will grow by only 5 percent in North Dakota as a whole; Regions
I, II, and VIII are expected to see increases while Region V will remain stable and
Regions III, IV, VI, and VII are projected to see decreases. Population younger than
25 years within the state is projected to grow by 18 percent, with the largest increases
projected in Regions I and VIII.
Housing unit projections suggest that housing demand in North Dakota will increase by around 30
percent across all income groups by 2025 ( Danielson, 92. Accessed 8/22/14).
The report adds constant monitoring must be done to ensure accurate projections since the
workforce in the oil industry is much more mobile than previously recognized. Due to this
mobility, traditional methods of calculating and projecting populations are ineffective and other
methods are required. As a consequence, the current and projected demand put on first
responders in each category are being under estimated. In other areas, such as oil production,
estimates from the past few years have been constantly revised upward. The previous year’s
high projections are becoming the next year’s low or middle projection. This emphasizes the
volatility of the region and the need to be proactive, flexible, and closely monitor data as it
becomes available.
OIL AND GAS
BACKGROUND
The Williston Basin is a geological formation underlying the western half of North
Dakota and portions of other nearby states. The area is heavy in oil and natural gas deposits with
the state thought to contain one of the largest oil reserves in the world. North Dakota currently
ranks second in oil production in the United States.
The United States Geological Survey estimates there are 7.4 billion barrels of
undiscovered, recoverable oil in the Bakken Formation based on a 2013 assessment (consultancy
firm Wood McKenzie forecasts 21 billion barrels of recoverable oil, based on greater density of
wells bored and recent production data, according to Reuters.com article accessed 6/19/2014).
The Bakken Formation play is a field that stretches from northwestern Stark County through
Dunn and Billings counties to eastern Montana. With the advent of the Bakken drilling
programs production increased dramatically. North Dakota moved rapidly from the 4th largest
oil producer in the nation a couple years ago to 2nd in the nation. In June 2014, North Dakota
realized it had reached 1 million barrels of oil production per day, based on data from April
2014. Oil companies have also begun to develop the Three Forks and Sanish (now renamed the
Pronghorn) formations. This formation runs to the South Dakota border. The Three Forks
Formation is estimated to contain approximately 2 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
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OIL/GAS IN REGION VIII COUNTIES
The oil and gas exploration and production in the Region closely approximated the
pattern followed in the state as a whole. The mid-1970s and early 1980s were the prime years,
with the number of producing wells doubling from 1974 to 1980, a rate which far exceeds any
other region of the state. Region VIII counties produced 35 percent of the petroleum in the state,
with Billings County being the second highest producing county. In 2008 Region VIII counties
produced 46 percent of the petroleum in the state, with Bowman County being the second
highest producing county (N.D. Industrial Commission, Oil and Gas Division). Today, 95% of
all state oil production comes from the Bakken Formation.
Natural gas or “wet gas” is found with oil, “dry gas” is found in isolation with
exploration and drilling procedure similar to drilling for oil. North Dakota wells produced
37,594,631 MCF of gas in June 2014 and sold 25,609,843 MCF of gas.
The Region experienced a tremendous energy boom in the early 1980s. This included a
large number of service businesses for the oil industry. During the “boom” days, more than 180
drilling rigs operated in North Dakota; as of January 2011, 161 rigs were operating in the state
but that number continued to climb throughout the year. Rig count peaked at 218 in 2012 and
now averages around 180 active drilling rigs.
The impact of the bust-cycle on the local business scene was illustrated by the decline in
the number of energy-related firms in the region. There was nearly a 73-percent drop in the
number of business operations between 1981 and 1995. This is significant considering the
interrelationship these businesses have with other local firms and the multiplier effect of energy
dollars upon the local economy. Petroleum activities increased in Bowman and Stark counties in
1990s. The Bakken oil play has resulted in an increased number of oil related businesses in the
region and recently oil and gas surpassed agriculture as the greatest economic driver, though it is
expected that agriculture and oil and gas will share that spot from one year to the next.
According to statistics from the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division, counties in Region
VIII produced a combined total of approximately 32.4 million barrels of oil in 2010, in addition
to approximately 32.6 million MCF of natural gas. Dunn County led the Region in oil
production 11 out of the 12 months of 2010 and was the only county that produced more than 1
million barrels of oil on a near consistent basis.
In 2013 North Dakota produced 312,015, 379 barrels of oil from 10,401 wells. Over
90% (284,554,268 barrels) of that production came from the Bakken formation from 7,070 wells
(ND Department of Mineral Resources). Average daily oil production in North Dakota for
June/July 2014 was at 1,002,445 barrels.
The increased oil production is a direct and indirect hazard for first responders. The lack
of infrastructure to move the oil is a major problem. Due to oil production there is a tremendous
increase in truck traffic on the highways and low maintenance (unpaved) roads. Lack of
pipelines requires oil to be shipped by rail and hauled by trucks. Most wells require hydraulic
9
fracturing; each well requires 6 million gallons of water to drill. That water is hauled out to
remote locations by truck. Waste water from the drilled well is hauled to waste disposal
facilities; occasionally it is illegally dumped in roadside ditches or fields, destroying the
surrounding soil for at least a generation. Other times pipes leak, or accidental spills occur. The
past year, August 2013 to August 2014 saw 228 waste water spills/illegal dumps totaling 4,450
barrels of waste water, or 186,900 gallons in Region VIII. The spill rate is increasing.
According to Emily Guerin in her article for InsideEnergy.org the spill rate in 2004 (before the
latest oil boom) was one spill for every 16 wells. There were 4,000 active wells in North
Dakota. In 2013, the spill rate is one spill for every six wells and there were 11,000 active wells
in North Dakota (Guerin). Bruce Hicks, assistant director of the state’s Department of Mineral
Resources is quoted in the article, “[t]he important thing […] is that over 80 percent of all spills
stay on the well pad and don’t contaminate ground or surface water.” So, only 890 barrels of
wastewater, or 37,380 gallons, have left the pad and contaminated ground and surface water in
Region VIII in the past 12 months. The article explains that waste water’s high salt content,
heavy metals and trace amounts of radioactive waste as well as other proprietary chemicals
destroy the soil so that nothing will grow on it for many years.
Pipelines are effective in reducing truck traffic but pipelines leak. Leaks are reported
almost daily. Major spills of oil and wastewater are reported every couple weeks. Law
enforcement is stretched thin and so trucks hauling waste water are difficult to monitor. Guerin’s
article suggests the fast pace of oil production is a major factor in the amount of waste water
being spilled
Another hazard is shipping oil by rail. The liquids being transported by rail are volatile
and occasionally trains derail and the tanker cars explode. These rail cars flow through the
center of many of the towns in the region. Local fire departments are not equipped to handle a
major spill or fire. Due to a lack of pipelines, rail is the primary method of oil transport. On the
other hand, gathering lines—pipelines that run from the well head to a collection site—are not
regulated by the federal government, unlike transmission lines which are. North Dakota does
monitor/inspect gathering lines, though because they are not federally regulated there is no
requirement for oil companies to tell where these lines are located. “The North Dakota
Department of Mineral Resources announced Tuesday [August 26, 2014] that it is adding three
new pipeline inspector positions. Department of Mineral Resources spokeswoman Alison Ritter
said the inspectors will deal with oil-, gas- and waste-gathering lines. The state’s appropriation of
three additional positions was automatically triggered by North Dakota reaching 15,000 total
wells” (http://roundhousetalk.com/2014/08/nd-oil-regulators-to-add-3-pipeline-inspectors/,
accessed 8/27/2014).
First responders are hard pressed to locate new wells in the event of an accident. The
roads to the site, being unpaved, are often rough thanks to heavy trucks churning up the roads
when they are wet. The long distances, bad roads and unfamiliarity with the location—assuming
one has cell phone reception to make an emergency call in the first place—makes for long
response times, and the ambulance crew is far from help if there is a breakdown or some other
type of emergency.
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All three services are stretched thin and hard pressed to keep up with the demands put
upon them by the increased oil activity. The lack of infrastructure and personnel compound this
problem.
ETHANOL PRODUCTION
In 2007 Red Trail Energy, LLC opened a 50 million gallon ethanol production facility in
Richardton, ND. The facility on a yearly basis will mill 3 million bushels of corn producing not
only the volume of ethanol but by-products such as grain meal which can be utilized by area
farmers and ranchers as a rich feed source for animal feedlot operations. It is anticipated that the
demand for corn for the facility will result in an additional cash grain crop for area farmers.
Previously, corn was grown in the region primarily as a feed crop. The demand for corn for
ethanol production has raised the prices of farm commodities generally thereby improving farm
balance sheets, at least temporarily.
Area firefighters cross their fingers and hope the plant doesn’t catch fire. The plant is
located outside city limits and so the ethanol plant is not a direct threat to the city.
OTHER INDUSTRIES AND THE ECONOMY
Industry other than agriculture, mining and oil has historically been at a minimum in the
region. Almost all of the businesses provided services to the people of the area or for agriculture
or oil. The largest employers other than the three major industries have been the schools,
government, hospitals or railroads. The cost of transportation of raw materials and finished
products, the climate and the distance from markets have hindered any major industry from
developing in western North Dakota.
There has been some economic development in the past twenty years in the areas of
manufacturing, value-added agricultural products and telemarketing. Several businesses have
grown to employ 100 or more people including TMI System Design Corporation, Baker Boy
Supply, Steffes Corporation, Fisher Industries, Consolidated Telcom, and Killdeer Mountain
Manufacturing with its plants in Killdeer, Halliday, Dickinson, Hettinger, and Regent.
Other regional employers with more than 100 employees include the Dickinson Public
School District, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center, Dickinson State University and West
River Health Services, including its hospital, assisted living facility and clinic in Hettinger, as
well as clinics in Bowman, Dickinson, Mott, New England, and Scranton in North Dakota and
Lemmon, McIntosh, Bison and Buffalo, SD.
Large regional employers traditionally make up a large percentage of volunteer fire
departments and ambulance services. As these companies move out of the area or move their
plants it has a detrimental effect on Ambulance and Fire Departments. Many businesses in
downtown Dickinson had employees in the volunteer fire department through the 1980s and
early 90s. As Dickinson lost its large employers in the downtown area its fire department, also
located downtown, lost many of its volunteers. Businesses and industry play a major role in in
their contributions as volunteers in Fire and Ambulance services. The trend now is fewer
11
businesses are allowing their employees to respond to emergencies while on the job due to fears
of insurance liability and the amount of time their employees are away from the job due to
increased call volume.
AREA TRANSPORTATION
North Dakota’s development has traditionally been closely tied to the railroads.
Communities grew around railroad depots, spaced five to twenty miles apart across the state in
the early 20th century. A rail line meant economic and population growth, access to markets for
farmers’ commodities, as well as efficient travel to major population centers like Fargo and
Minneapolis. The interstate highway system had a detrimental effect on the railroad and the
many small towns it supported. The Region lost all passenger train service in the 1970s, and by
the 1980s, all branch lines in the Region were closed. In 1994, Burlington Northern-Santa Fe
moved its division out of Dickinson, impacting 55 employees, most of which transferred from
Dickinson to cities outside the Region. The two railroads currently serving the Region are
Burlington Northern-Santa Fe and Canadian Pacific. Over 70% of Bakken oil is exported to
refineries out of state. Much of that oil is sent by rail. Increased oil shipments are having a
damping effect on agriculture as grain is piling up in elevators and is not reaching the markets
for which it was grown.
North Dakota’s highway system at one time provided more miles of road per car than any
other state (Robinson, 1966). The completion of Interstate 94 in 1966 provided the Region with
an excellent connection to other parts of the country. The establishment of the highway system
provided strong competition for the railroads as they progressively lost both passenger and
freight business. North Dakota has two transcontinental highways, US Highway 85 running
north and south and US Highway 2 running east and west. Highway 85 runs through Region 8
and is a major artery for trucks going into and out of the oil patch. Other state highways in the
region including Highway 8 and Highway 22 are also seeing dramatic increases in truck traffic
and are becoming increasingly dangerous. US Highway 12, running east and west across the
bottom of North Dakota, is also seeing increased traffic, though not as heavy as the other
highways. The junction of I-94 and Highway 85 in Belfield, North Dakota is very busy and has
seen a sharp rise in traffic accidents. As a rural community local first responders are hard
pressed to keep up with the additional call volume. Highways 85 and 22 are seeing the greatest
impact from the oil boom. Highway 85 is being expanded in some places to a four lane highway
to relieve some of the pressure. The state is considering widening Highway 22. Highway 22
from North Dickinson to Killdeer is the busiest highway in the region after Highway 85. A bypass around Dickinson is being built to relieve some of the congestion in the city on Highway 22.
Air transportation in the Region is minimal, but growing. Although Mott, Hettinger,
Bowman and Beach have landing strips, the only airport that handles a commercial airline is the
Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport located south of Dickinson. The Dickinson
Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport is located five miles south of Dickinson and has two
asphalt, grooved runways. One’s dimensions are 4,700 by 75 feet with weight limitations of
single wheel, 16,000 pounds. The second runway is 6,400 by 100 feet with weight limitation of
single wheel, 30,000 pounds. The airport hopes to expand its runways to between 7,200 and
7,600 feet long and 150 feet wide.
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The airport is served by Delta, and United Airlines. The airport offers flights to Denver,
CO and Minneapolis, MN each day. Passenger service through Dickinson’s airport has
increased dramatically with the oil boom. “Dickinson’s airport recorded 35,125 boardings in
2013, representing an eye-popping 50 percent increase from 2012)”
(http://www.prairiebizmag.com, accessed 8/28/2014).
Other services offered at the airport include: agricultural operations (aerial spraying), air
ambulance, charter flights, flight instruction, aircraft rental, aircraft sales, aerial surveying.
TOURISM
Tourism is North Dakota’s third largest industry, bringing in 5 billion dollars in revenue
in 2012 (2013 ND Tourism Report). Tourism has been a growth industry in the 1990s and
2000s. Numerous entrepreneurs have started agricultural and nature-based tourism enterprises to
add a non-farm income source. While southwest North Dakota’s economy has traditionally been
dependent on agriculture and energy industries, developing new revenue sources through tourism
enterprises has been increasingly important in addressing the adverse economic trends in
agriculture and volatility of the energy industry and the resulting out-migration impacting the
region. Natural resource-based tourism has increased in rural areas like this region in the past
decade. Tourism accounted for approximately 20 percent of the state’s total sales in 2000,
compared to 4 percent in 1990.
The Region has 37 historic sites and markers and about 40 attractions including scenic
drives, museums, theaters, biking trails, and libraries.
Since the major draw of the region is its natural resources, many of the entities have been
established to capitalize on pheasant, grouse, turkey, deer, antelope, and elk hunting
opportunities. Others have been established to capitalize on the rugged scenic views of the North
Dakota Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt Nation Park and the Little Missouri Scenic River as it
winds through Bowman, Slope, Billings, and Dunn counties. The Maah Daah Hey Trail that
winds through the Little Missouri National Grassland, the national park and private property also
draws hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. Bird watching is a growing component
drawing tourists. Endurance racing is also growing in popularity in the region with three major
events taking place in 2014 including a mountain bike race, ultra-marathon, and multi-day
adventure race in 2014. The Maah Daah Hey trail is gaining a reputation for rugged beauty and
challenging adventure among endurance athletes as well as casual outdoor enthusiasts. This has
led to an increase in search and rescue calls, particularly in Billings County.
The region has 90 retail establishments featuring unique or antique retail, including
quilting and pottery shops that sell products online to broaden their business beyond the typical
three to six months of tourism with internet sales. The region also has 106 dining entities with
nearly half located in the regional center, Dickinson.
The region has limited transportation for tourists with an airport with air service in only
one community and bus service only available in three counties. Only the city of Dickinson has
13
cab service. This lack of public transportation forces tourism entities to provide shuttle service
to and from airports for some of their guests.
HOUSING
The southwest region is facing a critical housing shortage. Housing growth in the region
is expected at 30%. Housing growth in the Dickinson area is expected to grow 77%. The lack of
housing, especially affordable housing, is having a direct and detrimental effect on public safety
personnel. Law enforcement struggles to hire people because there is nowhere to live. Smaller
communities are just as hard pressed as larger communities, if not more. Smaller communities
don’t have the lots or infrastructure to build more housing. Temporary housing, “man-camps”
often over-burden existing infrastructure and create additional safety issues from domestic
violence to difficulty locating a residence in an emergency, emergency notification, or weather
related threats. Lack of affordable housing has been a major choke point in alleviating the
pressure on first responders in the region.
14
PROFILES
ADAMS COUNTY
Interview: Adams County Emergency Manager, Michelle Gaylord
Interview conducted 6/5/2014
The Adams County Emergency Manager’s office is located in Hettinger, North Dakota,
the county seat of Adams County. The Adams County Emergency Manager is responsible for
mitigating disasters, disaster recovery and maintaining preparedness within the county. In
disaster mitigation the emergency manager finds resources that responders need to restore order.
The emergency manager links local first responders to broader support systems, such as state and
federal aid. She also serves as a first responder in checking out oil and other hazardous material
spills and helps get training for area first responders and writes grants for fire and ambulance
services. Essentially the Adams County Emergency Manager works to support the fire and
ambulance services in the county through grant writing and facilitating training sessions with
multiple services as well as handling some of the paperwork for volunteer services such as fire
and ambulance.
Adams County does not have much direct oil impact but it did approve the development
of a wind farm in the area. This may result in more economic activity and more traffic. At the
time of this interview 50 to 60 wind turbines were slated for construction north of Hettinger,
though this is not expected to have a heavy impact on population.
Currently the Adams County Emergency Manager is a part time position, averaging
about 25 hours per week but there is enough work to support a full time position. As oil
production and exploration continues to rise in the region the position would need to become full
time. A bank of volunteers to help out in the event of a large disaster or major emergency would
also be useful.
Adams County is seeing more hazardous materials on the rails and throughout the county.
Last year thirteen rail cars carrying coal derailed. Volatile oil and anhydrous ammonia are
moving through the county in increasing volumes. Other risks in the county are natural disasters
such as floods, droughts, and severe storms.
Adams County is experiencing much of the trauma related to the oil development but is
receiving none of the benefits. The higher wages in other communities in the region are taking
valuable employees away from the county. The increased traffic is tearing up the highways and
the increased rail traffic is threatening emergency responders’ access to victims. The increased
rail traffic may require an overpass though finding funding for the project will be difficult.
Oil development in the region is having an effect on communities in Adams County in
spite of a lack of wells. Housing prices are going up, groceries are more expensive and the fluid
population is taxing resources without contributing to local tax revenues. The railroad often
blocks Highway 8 as trains are getting longer. Sometimes the train blocks both railroad
15
crossings in Hettinger which can block emergency response vehicles. The increased highway
traffic is also taking a toll on local roads and highways.
In answer to increased oil production in the region the county has made some changes to
zoning and has drawn up plans to deal with a rapid influx of people though right now much of
the workforce is commuting northward for high paying oil field jobs. The emergency manager is
also looking to implement a reverse 911 program to notify people in the county during an
emergency.
The Emergency Manager position gets half of its funding from the county and the other
half from different grant programs. Its annual budget is about $30,000. The Emergency
Operations Center needs three antennae to expand radio coverage in the county and it needs a
weather radio for the courthouse. It will need an external antennae and a new computer by next
year. The Emergency Manager would like to have a vehicle to carry out the responsibilities of
the office. It adds a level of authority when out inspecting spills and other disasters and saves
the emergency manager from having to use personal resources to execute the duties of office.
The county also needs to add more warning sirens throughout the communities in the county.
16
Interview: Adams County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Travis Collins
Interview conducted 5/22/2014
The Adams County Sheriff’s Department, based in Hettinger, is a four-person
department. It has mutual aid agreements with Hettinger and Bowman Counties. The call
volume in the department is increasing since the oil boom began but the types of calls have
stayed the same. The department is still seeing driving complaints, reckless driving, DUI,
domestic violence and assault as well as some drugs. Also the severity of the violations has also
risen. The department will join the fire department and the ambulance on calls when it can.
The city of Hettinger has changed since oil exploration and production came into the
region. Though Adams County is not directly affected by the boom—there are no drilling rigs
currently in the area—the community has grown bigger. It has evolved from a sleepy retirement
community that ran from 8 am to 6 pm to a 24 hour community. Adams County may have
avoided the drilling rigs and some of the population explosion but it increasingly is called in by
other departments for assistance and the city of Hettinger is feeling a spill-over effect from oil
impacted communities. Hettinger is seeing some overflow from Dickinson which has added to
the call volume.
Adams County Sheriff’s Department often serves as a stepping stone to other
departments. It’s a county with a small population and there are few amenities to keep a single
person or a new family in the area. Hunting and fishing is popular in the area but there are few
retail centers in the area. Hettinger would benefit from more amenities such as a bowling alley
or a movie theater. Currently, entertainment is limited. Hettinger has been reduced to one
grocery store in the past year. Grocery prices are increasing. High prices and few amenities
make it difficult to keep people in the area, particularly young people and new families.
FINANCIAL
The Adams County Sheriff’s Department is funded through the county’s general fund and
has an operating budget of $25,000. There has been a small cost of living increase in an effort to
meet the rising inflation in North Dakota. Vehicle-related costs are increasing (fuel for
example), and the department will need more funding to hire more personnel, at least one,
though two would be better to keep officers fresh and reduce burnout.
PERSONNEL
The department consists of the sheriff, three sworn deputies and a jailer that also serves
as an office assistant. None of the staff have been with the department for much more than a
year. Adams County has its own limited detention facility to hold prisoners temporarily. Many
other departments must transport prisoners to the Southwest Multi-County Correctional facility
in Dickinson, which is a considerable burden in time and money. Officers are on duty for 10
hours and on call two hours. While the department is meeting demand at least one more officer
is needed to ensure a healthy department. Currently staff members don’t have time to spend with
their families or de-stress outside of work. More personnel would allow officers to take their
17
earned vacations and will reduce burnout. Housing is still accessible in the area but it is getting
difficult to find. More housing for law enforcement and other first responders will be needed as
the region grows.
TRAINING
Good training is available and there are a lot of new kinds of training that the department
hadn’t seen much demand for in the past. Lately the training has included school shooting
scenarios, domestic violence with firearms scenarios and case law training programs. The
difficulty is getting to the training and still keeping officers fresh. The time demands are taking a
toll on the department. A full staff would make getting to training easier, but high staff turnover
rate is making it difficult.
EQUIPMENT
Adams County has four vehicles in its fleet. Vehicles are hard to get but it has become
easier with more grant opportunities in 2013. Federal grants were dwindling at the time of this
interview but they were an important supplement to the county’s funding. The four vehicles
include two 2014 Ford SUV Interceptors, one 2013 Ford F150 and one 2002 Dodge Dakota
Quad Cab. The Department hopes to replace the Dodge soon.
Currently vehicles are on an eight year replacement cycle. The department would prefer
a six year replacement cycle. Recently a Crown Victoria was replaced. It was costing the
department $2,000 per month to keep running. The new vehicles were purchased with grant
money. All of the vehicles replaced had over 100,000 miles. Law enforcement miles are hard
miles.
The department budgets $35,000 for vehicle maintenance and gasoline. The new
vehicles will improve fuel efficiency and have lower maintenance costs, improving department
efficiency. The department does not have a contract with a specific mechanic garage; instead it
tries to utilize all the shops in town. Local garages make room for law enforcement vehicles so
the department is not experiencing delays in service.
Each Adams County Sheriff’s Department officer is fitted with a ballistic vest which cost
$800 each. Officers are also provided a firearm, gloves, and protective clothing. Each officer
has an AED in their vehicle which cost $1,500 each. All of the AEDs need to be replaced and an
additional AED is needed for the new vehicle. The AEDs in stock have become obsolete. Each
officer also carries a medical bag in their vehicle.
SUMMARY
Adams County Sheriff’s Department is meeting basic demand, but it is not thriving. The
department needs two more law enforcement officers to thrive and at least one to keep up with
basic needs. Financially, the department has just enough funding to maintain stability. It does
not have enough funding to meet the growth that is coming. It will need to replace one vehicle in
the next year and it will need new personal protective equipment gear. Changing technology has
18
created new demand for equipment. Training is widely available but the department has too little
staff to cover for those who go to training. Hosting training locally is very helpful.
More staff would be a stabilizing influence in the department. It would allow for
vacation time and officer training while being proactive in the community. The department
would like more staff so as to work with the community and implement such things as bike and
child safety programs and work more with the schools to promote safety and drug use
prevention. The area has the basic infrastructure to support law enforcement but the community
needs to offer more affordable housing and more recreational activities to retain personnel and
maintain a good quality of life.
19
Adams County: Sheriff's Department
Chief Travis Collins 5/22/2014
Coverage Area: 1500 square miles
Additional
needed
2
Personnel
Sworn Officers
4
Jailer/Office Staff
1
All officers have less than 1 yr. on
job
Call Volume
Avg. 2000 Calls/yr.
Includes assisting
other depts.
Murder/Non-Negligent
Manslaughter
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Larceny/Theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
Total Index offenses
Vehicles by Type
2012
2013
through
April 2014
915
0
0
0
0
0
6
3
0
9
0
0
1
2
7
0
10
Quantity
On Order
2014 Ford Utility
2
Interceptor
2013 Ford F-150
1
Pickup
2007 Dodge Dakota
1
Quad Cab
*vehicles rotate out on an 8 yr. cycle. Prefer 6
Vehicle Costs
2010
Need to
Replace*
Need
Additional
Estimated
Cost
1
$40,000
$40,000
$40,000
(min.)
1
2011
2012
Gas/maintenance
Equipment
Item
2013
Through
April
2014
$35,000
In Stock
On Order
Need
Replace
Ballistic Vests
4
AED
4
4
Medical Bag (1st Resp.
4
Kit)
Sheriff's Dept. will serve as 1st responders when available.
Need
additional
1
Estimated
Unit Cost
$800
$1,500
20
Interview: Hettinger District Fire Department, Chief Mark Faller
Interview conducted 6/04/2014
The Hettinger Fire Department is located in Adams County and covers an area of 360
square miles. It has mutual aid agreements with the communities of Reeder, North Dakota;
Lemmon and Norton, South Dakota; the North Lemmon Fire Protection District; Lodge Pole Fire
Department, and supports the U.S. Forestry Service in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands.
The Hettinger Fire Department is qualified to do extrication and heavy rescue—the two
have recently combined, previously heavy rescue included basic medical care and Hettinger Fire
Department (HFD) were qualified to do that. Heavy rescue qualification requires a minimum
amount of equipment.
The increased oil activity in the region has not meant a change in the type of calls
received, though HFD is seeing more traffic related calls, particularly semi-truck roll-overs; as
part of the mutual aid agreement with Reeder, HFD helps with accidents on Highway 22. At the
time of this interview, the first week of June, 2014 HFD had eight calls for the year. Four of
those calls were in the last week of May. Hettinger Fire Department averages 40 calls each year
though volume from one year to the next is widely variable. Weather plays a major role. 2013
was a wet year and also a very slow year with only 29 calls. Typically there are more prairie and
field fires, or farm equipment fires. 2012 was dry and there were 58 calls for service. In 2011
there were 30 calls for service.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Hettinger is located in Adams County which does not currently have oil production and
therefore does not qualify for oil impact grants. Being on the edge of oil producing counties
means Adams County (and Hettinger in particular) sends a lot of its workforce into the oil patch.
This reduces the volunteer pool making fire department positions very difficult to fill. Many
people move out of town to work while others commute. Neither are able to put in the time to
become volunteer firefighters.
Hettinger is a retirement community with a nursing home and a hospital that draws older
residents in from rural areas as they slow down. Agriculture dominates the economy and many
calls are related to that. In drought years, CRP land is cut for hay and this can dramatically
increase the call volume. CRP land has more dead brush (fuel) than other fields. Hay fields
have the highest fire incidents among crops. In the spring, right after snow melt is very risky
with high chance of fire. Due to high commodity prices there is much less CRP land, which
reduces, somewhat, the fire potential. In the spring, as fields are being fertilized, there is a great
deal of anhydrous ammonia traveling on the roads and accidents and spills become more
common.
21
PERSONNEL
Hettinger Fire Department has 25 volunteers that serve on an “all call” basis. Whoever is
available answers the call. HFD is an experienced crew with several members with 25-35 years
of experience. Five to six members answer every call and attend every meeting. They will be
gone within the next five years. Younger people do not have the ability to commit their time the
way the older volunteers have and that may be a problem in the near future. Two Hettinger city
council members and the mayor are also on the department; all of the squad members have
various commitments. HFD does have a waiting list. The three on the list each have 8-5 jobs
that would make them unavailable to respond during the day. The department is seeing more
and more people who are not available during office hours. This trend is happening all over the
region and suggests some paid personnel are necessary to maintain service.
FINANCIAL
The Hettinger Fire Protection District receives five mills from the tax levy. It brings in
just under $30,000 each year. The rest of the funding comes from fundraising, donations, and
grants. A death/dismemberment insurance supplement and line of duty insurance is offered to
the volunteers. The firefighters pay for a full year insurance supplement.
TRAINING
Training takes place twice a month. One department member is a certified extrication
instructor. HFD applied for a grant for an online training classroom for Fire-Fighter 1
certification (Fire-Fighter 1 more commonly referred to as FF-1 is the first level of fire fighter
certification). The class would save the department a great deal of money and time. It is not
known if that grant was received.
State Fire School takes place in Minot over 3-4 days. HFD can only send three to four
people to that training each year. Its good training but it is hard on working families and those
who come back from training are not qualified to teach those who stayed behind. The state focus
on state fire schools over regional fire schools is putting an extra burden on the fire departments
throughout the region. Centralization has hurt the rural volunteer departments. More training
needs to come to the rural areas, the rural volunteers often cannot make it to the centralized
training.
EQUIPMENT
The fire district has an aging fleet of vehicles. Its newest is a 2013 grass unit, one of
three. The other two are both 1982 models. HFD has two city pumpers, a 2002 purchased for
$185,000 now costs $300,000 to replace. The other city pumper is a 1986. The pumpers also
respond to grass fires. The fleet also includes a 1986 model tanker with 3,000 gallon capacity
tank; a 1992 rescue truck, a 1979-80 van used as a command vehicle/support van/chief vehicle;
and flat bottom boat acquired 4-5 years ago. Two months after acquiring the boat it was used to
rescue three girls on the lake.
22
HFD lost a grass truck in the Bucyrus fire of October, 2012. Grass fires take a heavy toll
on vehicles; rough terrain can tear up the bottom and skew the alignment, or pop tires, while
heavy smoke clogs air filters. Responding to grass fires means a high repair bill. In 2013 HFD
responded to one grass fire. In 2012 it was called to 30 grass fires. The department needs two
new grass trucks, a new city pumper and a new incident command vehicle. The 1979 van is not
well-positioned to serve as a command vehicle for much longer.
While its fleet is aging, HFD is well supplied with personal protective equipment. The
focus in 2014 was to update personal protective equipment and HFD used its funds to do that.
Its bunker gear (pants and coats) is one year old and it has new grass fire gear. It recently bought
20 pairs of structure fire boots at $300 per pair, 50 pairs of gloves ($100 per pair), and 25 pair of
extrication gloves. It also received a matching funds grant from the U.S. Forest Service, up to
$10,000 to facilitate these purchases.
Money is needed to update the building in which the fire department stores its vehicles
and equipment. Currently there is not enough room to house all of the vehicles and one vehicle
is always left outside. Hot summers, cold winters and unpredictable weather throughout the year
take a toll on equipment left outside. Further, that vehicle needs to be warmed up, windows
scraped, and/or snow removed before it is safe to leave the lot, adding to response times and
taking up man-power that could be directed to a call.
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) gear will need to be replaced within about
five years. The six newest SCBAs available were built in 1992 and cost $1600 and were
purchased four or five years ago. There are 13 sets of SCBA gear on site. Six need to be
replaced in the next four to five years. New SCBAs with bottle and mask currently cost around
$6000 per set. Chief Faller expects them to be $8,000 per set by time they need to be replaced.
SCBAs are critical to the safety of the crew. Within the last two weeks before this interview the
department responded to two anhydrous ammonia leaks.
A thermal imaging camera is also needed. The camera is useful in both structure and
grass fires as it helps locate hot spots. Thermal imaging cameras are increasingly common, even
among rural fire departments, though as the technology is continually updated the cost
continually rises.
The high cost of equipment limits the number of volunteers that can be on the
department. $40,000 was spent on extrication equipment alone. With 25 volunteers, many of
them near retirement age, Hettinger does not have a lot of cushion if the call volume increases, as
it does dramatically in dry years.
SUMMARY
Hettinger fire department is currently at full staff capacity. It could not afford to equip
more volunteers and so three people are on a waiting list. The majority of volunteers are nearing
retirement age and more people will be needed in the next two to three years. Increasingly
volunteers are not available during the day as their jobs either won’t let them answer a fire call
while at work or their work out of town and they are too far away to respond. While it is
23
somewhat controversial, more people suggest hiring full time fire fighters for some shifts may
become necessary very soon. Paying for full time staff is a burden many of these small
communities could not easily afford.
A recent change in the insurance premium tax portion increased compensation from
$7,000 to $8,000 each year to $13,000. The amount of compensation fluctuates depending on
population. The fire department does receive some compensation when responding to accidents
based on the number sent in response.
Personal protective equipment inventories are in good condition except for SCBA gear
which will need to be updated soon. The National Fire Protection Association recommends
SCBA gear be replaced every 10 years, but the amount of use is also a factor in the replacement
rubric. A thermal imaging camera is also needed.
All of the department’s vehicles are working but the fleet is very old. One city pumper
and two grass trucks need to be replaced immediately and three other vehicles will need to be
replaced soon after.
Training is becoming increasingly difficult for volunteers in the region to get to as the
state continues to consolidate and centralize training. Small communities at the extreme edges of
the state are hard pressed to make it to state fire school. More online training would be a big
help in alleviating some of the pressure, as well as more regional training sessions.
The Hettinger Fire Department volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and
careers. Many are farmers and ranchers, some are mechanics, some are in business, and some
work in the oil fields. All of them struggle to meet the demands for training and responding to
calls.
24
Hettinger Fire Department, Chief Mark Faller 6/4/2014
Coverage Area: 360 square miles
Extrication/Heavy Rescue Capable
Personnel
Volunteers
25
Call Volume
2011
2012
2013
30
58
29
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Grass Trucks
Pumper Trucks
Tanker Truck
3
2
1
Need to
Replace
2
1
1
Rescue Truck
1
1
Command Vehicle
Boat
Totals:
1
1
9
1
Equipment
In Stock
Bunker Gear
Structure Fire Boots
Gloves
Grass Suits w/
Nomex hoods
SCBA with bottles
25
20
50
through May
2014
8
Average 40
calls/year.
Need Add.
Cost
6
On Order
Need Replace
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
$1,500
$300
$100
$150
13
6
$6,000
Jaws of Life Eqpt.
$17,500
AAAF: Fire
Suppression Foam
$24/gallon
Air Packs
$2,000 w/spare
tank
Equipment Nozzles
$450-$5,000
Thermal Imaging
Camera
1
1
25
Interview: Reeder Fire Protection District, Chief Bruce Hagen
Interview conducted: 6/04/2014
Located on the western edge of Adams County, the Reeder Fire Department (RFD)
covers approximately 345 square miles in North Dakota and an additional 72 square miles in
South Dakota. It has contracts with two townships in South Dakota and has mutual aid
agreements with all of its neighbors, including Hettinger, New England, Scranton, and Bowman.
Bowman County also offers some financial assistance. Reeder Fire Department is qualified to
do rescue and extrication in addition to regular fire-fighting duties. RFD acts as a Quick
Response Unit for medical emergencies, teaming up with Hettinger Ambulance when transport is
necessary.
Reeder Fire Department is a small department covering some large industrial operations.
Loading facilities for frack sand and oil are being implemented in the area which will mean an
additional 300 trucks each day will be going through the district. In addition, one oil train will
be going through the area each day. Truck traffic, potential oil spills, and other hazardous spills,
as well as increased air pollution will create new challenges for this rural area. Currently frack
sand is being loaded in the area and crews are building silos. Oil loading is expected later in
2014. A dramatic increase in demand for fire protection is expected.
RFD is seeing more traffic related calls the past few years compared to pre-boom years.
Calls come in clusters. Highway 22 south of New England is a narrow two lane highway that is
seeing more commercial vehicle traffic. Reeder Fire Department’s response includes some
traffic control, first-response medical care, and some hazardous material clean up in small
amounts. Large spills activate a hazardous materials response team out of Bismarck. 2013 did
not have any spills, 2012 had 5-6 accidents with spills.
Call volume for the RFD has averaged 20-25 calls per year with 2012 being the busiest
with 52 calls; 2012 was a dry year and grass fires and vehicle accidents were numerous; 2011
had 17 calls; 2013, a wet year, had 18 calls; and as of May 2014 there were 6 calls for service.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Reeder is a very small town; 2012 census data estimates 160 residents. It is located at the
junction of North Dakota Highway 22 and US Highway 12 and so is seeing an increase in
commercial traffic due to increased oil activity in the region. Within Reeder’s fire protection
district is an old coal mine repurposed to store hazardous waste, a rail spur accommodating an oil
unit train, and an oil and frack sand depot.
PERSONNEL
Reeder Fire Department consists of 18 volunteers with the fire chief position being
assigned on rotation. Four of the 18 volunteers also serve as emergency first responders. There
are few businesses in town and 2/3 of the volunteers are farmers and ranchers, those who don’t
farm or ranch work in other towns. The best response time averages approximately ten minutes.
The average age of the department’s volunteers is 43.
26
Despite the small size of the crew, burnout is currently not a problem. Finding the time
to train, especially during planting, calving, or harvest season is very difficult. Compounding the
problem, the state fire school has been moved from Bismarck to Minot. Much of the region
struggles to make the trip to Minot for training, the distance makes a day trip impractical and it is
especially difficult for farmers and ranchers to leave town for multiple days. Bismarck was
already difficult; Minot made it more difficult.
FINANCIAL
Reeder Fire Department is a fire protection district and receives tax revenue. Six years
ago the community agreed to raise the mill levy. It also gets money from the insurance reserve
fund as well as $100 each year from its contracts with two townships in South Dakota. The rest
of the funding comes from fundraising, corporate and community donations and grants. Reeder
is located in Adams County and therefore does not qualify for oil impact grants since Adams
County currently has no oil production. In 2012, with a large volume of fire calls, many local
citizens donated to the department. Volunteer firefighters and members of the district board
receive medical flight insurance, and volunteers receive supplemental health and life insurance
as an incentive for volunteering.
TRAINING
The state offers a wide variety of classes at fire school and conferences, the difficulty for
the Reeder Fire Department is finding the time to attend. Locally, Michelle Gaylord, the Adams
County Emergency Manager coordinates training sessions with other fire departments in nearby
communities and that has been a valuable tool in being prepared for the next big fire. These
coordinated training events are organized a couple times each year and prepare smaller fire
departments to coordinate with each other in the event of a large fire.
As mentioned earlier, the Reeder Fire Department is comprised of, for the most part,
farmers and ranchers. Local training, therefore, is much easier to attend than multi-day events
two or more driving hours away. Reeder has no certified instructor but Hettinger sends both fire
and emergency medical instructors for local training sessions.
Chief Hagen sees demand for railroad tanker/oil field/industrial fire training in light of
the new hazards oil development is bringing to the area. Burlington Northern Railroad has
recently offered some training which RFD coordinated with the Hettinger Fire Department. The
need for more oilfield and railroad training is anticipated.
EQUIPMENT
Reeder Fire Department has seven vehicles. In the 50 years the Reeder Fire Department
has been in existence it has replaced two fire engines. The vehicle inventory includes a 1976
grass unit that needs to be replaced or held in reserve in a remote location; a 1985 big pumper
fire engine that stays in town; a 1987 extrication vehicle (van) which would cost $50,000 to
replace; 1990 Tanker with 4000 gallon capacity tank; a 1994 Ambulance utilized by the Quick
Response Unit (Reeder is not certified for patient transport); 1995 mini-pumper, utilized as an in27
town back-up vehicle, grass unit, and multi-purpose vehicle; and a 2006 grass unit. As for the
2006 grass unit, the fire department purchased a 2006 chassis and built a box onto it.
A new grass unit to replace the 1976 model would cost $70,000 used, $150,000 new.
To replace the 1985 pumper would cost $250,000. The big pumper, while old, has low miles on
it and so is expected to last a few more years as long as call volume is low. A new extrication
van that allowed easier access to tools would be of great benefit but the 1976 grass unit needs to
be replaced first. Bowman County does contribute some funds to help purchase vehicles.
Vehicle maintenance is done by the volunteers. A local garage does the oil changes.
Better communication equipment is needed. A larger communication tower is needed in the
county in light of weak signal and a narrower communication band. Truck radios have been
updated twice with grant money. Primary communication is through cell phones, though pagers
are required, they are used as a backup.
Reeder Fire Department has enough personal protective equipment on hand though it
would like to upgrade its bunker gear. It has 20 sets of bunker gear. Some pieces fit better than
others. About 1/2 of the bunker gear needs to be replaced and everyone needs new boots. A set
of bunker gear costs $1500-$1800. Reeder needs ten sets. The Bucyrus wild fire in October,
2012 lasted three days and ate up a lot of the department’s resources, including personal
protective equipment. RFD has about 20 air packs with associated gear, all are in good
condition. It also has foam capability to fight fires but only a small volume of foam. As the area
grows in industrial capacity, the fire departments in the area are going to need to upgrade as well.
SUMMARY
Reeder Fire Department has enough personnel though it is difficult for many of the
volunteers to get to state fire school for training. More training needs to come into the area if the
region is to rely on an all-volunteer force. Financially, Reeder is struggling, but it has always
struggled and so has learned to run lean; still, more funding is necessary to meet the demands for
protection stimulated by the growing industrial footprint in the area. Reeder’s biggest needs are
equipment. It needs new bunker gear, boots and a new grass unit, those are the highest priority.
It also needs extrication equipment, particularly an airbag jack, and the area needs a new
communication tower to reduce call times and maintain radio contact.
28
Reeder Fire Protection District
Interview: Chief Bruce Hagen 6/4/2014
Coverage Area: Approximately 472 square
miles
Volunteers
18
Call Volume
2011
2012
Total Calls
17
52
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
1985 Large Pumper
1
1995 Mini Pumper
1
1987 Extrication
Veh. (Van)
1
1990 Tanker 4000g
capacity
1976 Grass Unit
2006 Grass Unit
Totals:
Need to Replace
Need Add.
Cost
$250,000
1
$50,000
1
1
1
6
Equipment
In Stock
Jaws of Life
1
Air Packs
20
Gloves
F.R. Coveralls
Sets of Wildland PPE
Boots
Sets of Turnout Gear
Helmet Lamps
Air Bag Jack
Structure Helmets
On Order
2013
18
20
0
20
20
18
1
On Order
Need Replace
$150,000
Need
20
20
10
Estimated
Unit Cost
$17,500
$2,000
w/spare tank
$12
$150
$185
$300
$1,500
$71
1
18
$225
29
Interview: Adams County EMS: West River Ambulance Service, Crew Leader Suzan
Hanson
Interview Conducted: 5/28/2014
West River Ambulance Service (WRAS) is based out of Hettinger, North Dakota. It is a
Basic Life Support ground transport with Advanced Life Support capability. It is licensed in
both North Dakota and South Dakota. According to the North Dakota Department of Health
website, WRAS covers 690 square miles and serves a population of 2,324. From 2010 to 2012
call volume was between 255-258 calls per year. In 2013 call volume jumped up to 290 calls
and 2014 is on pace to reach 290-300 calls in 2014.
DEMOGRAPHICS:
The city of Hettinger, in which WRAS is stationed, is advertised as a retirement community. As
the rural population enters retirement and beyond it moves to Hettinger. The local hospital draws
a lot of traffic. WRAS calls for service, then, are driven primarily by an elderly city population
and a rural-agricultural economy. There is currently no oil production in Adams County but it
does see the traffic and some of the population overflow from those areas that are directly
impacted.
WRAS is seeing more drug overdose calls than in the past. Overdose calls range from
over the counter drugs, prescription drugs, and harder “street drugs”. Most alarming is the
number of heroin overdoses WRAS is responding to, though methamphetamine and crystal
methamphetamine related calls are also on the rise.
The increased heroin use is being ascribed to its lower price in relation crystal meth, most
of which is no longer manufactured locally but is coming up from the south and is more potent
than the meth seen in the area before the oil boom. Crystal meth use is a problem that has grown
with the oil boom in North Dakota. More training in drug related issues is needed in the area.
Outside of drug related calls the remaining bulk of calls for service reflect the agricultural
aspect of the area. At the time of this interview it had been a “quite a while” since there was a
vehicle accident call. Instead the most recent traumas have involved horses, a four-wheeler, an
auger, and cattle. In all, 25-30% of all calls are agricultural related, while the elderly still make
up the majority of calls.
PERSONNEL
WRAS is staffed by both volunteers and paid professionals. Paid staff includes one full
time EMT, one part time paramedic, and two supplemental paramedics for weekend duty
(brought in from other areas, not on the roster). WRAS has 15 volunteers including one first
responder, four EMTs and ten certified drivers with CPR training.
30
The staff work 12 hour shifts. The volunteers sign up for the times they are available.
The requested minimum is five weeknight shifts and one weekend shift per month for a total of
six shifts per month. Some volunteers give much more than the requested minimum. One EMT
took 18 shifts one month.
There were a total of 120 shifts available for the month of June: two 12-hour shifts per
day for two crew members or 60 shifts per position multiplied by two positions per day equals
120 shifts per 30 days. Currently WRAS is short staffed. One full time staff member resigned
and WRAS has been looking for another full time staff member for two years. Overall burnout
is not said to be a problem, though the part time paramedic is struggling somewhat. The part
time paramedic serves twice a week, putting in 150-200 hours every month on top of a full time
job. All of the volunteers take time away from their families to help out while working full time
jobs. This does take a toll.
WRAS needs two more full-time staff. A third full-time person or two part-time
personnel would be ideal, but two more full-time personnel are necessary to keep up with
demand. A third would ensure a better quality working experience for both full-time staff and
volunteers, reducing the burden placed on volunteers and their families. Few people want a
career in EMS. It is a vocation, not just a job and those who are willing to make the sacrifices to
meet that demand are few. More needs to be done to recruit more people into EMS careers,
particularly in Adams County.
FINANCES
WRAS is owned by West River Regional Medical Center, a non-profit short term acutecare facility. It is funded through the hospital, patient reimbursements and grants. Volunteers
receive a stipend of $50 per shift on a weekend or day time shift as well as a dollar per hour
amount for each service call depending on level of training.
TRAINING
Training hours, particularly for volunteers, have always been difficult to get, but each
monthly meeting offers some training. Training requirements have changed. Training went
from a specific number of hours of continuing education to maintain certification to requiring
hours from three categories: national components, local components, and individual components.
Fifty percent of hours must now come from national sources 25% can come from local sources
and the other 25% from individual components according to the North Dakota Continued
Competency Pilot Program Recertification Requirements (ndhealth.gov accessed 12/1/2014).
The North Dakota EMS Association and Southwest EMS Conference used to provide the bulk of
training hours needed to maintain certification. That is no longer the case.
EQUIPMENT:
WRAS has three ambulances; two Type-3 and one Type-1. Type-3 ambulances are
small, van style ambulances. Of the two Type-3s, one is a 1998 Ford that WRAS is looking to
trade out. WRAS has a $50,000 grant ready to assist with the new purchase. Base price for a
31
Type-3 ambulance is approximately $140,000. It also has a 2009 Type-3. Type one is a large
box style ambulance set on a Ford F-450 Chassis with four wheel drive, air ride, box front and
back controls and cost $180,000 base—without ambulance package.
Each ambulance performs a different function depending on need and availability. For
example, if the patient has a hip fracture the vehicle with the smoothest ride is chosen. In winter,
the four wheel drive vehicle is preferred.
Vehicles are maintained by the ambulance crew and local garages, major repairs are
taken to the dealership. The fleet is aging and this is leading to higher maintenance costs.
Ambulances do not last long; on average ambulances are best replaced after 100,000 miles. The
current fleet has one vehicle at 158,000 miles, one at 100,000 miles and one at 63,000 miles.
WRAS receives some money for medical equipment and supplies from other
communities. WRAS covers Reeder EMS and Fire Department (with 8 first responders)
providing transport and Reeder helps pay for medical equipment.
WRAS, like many EMS services this year, has received grants to purchase some medical
equipment which has been a tremendous benefit, though more is needed. Recently purchased
with grant money was a Lucas Device, purchased with a Helmsley Foundation grant. WRAS
was waiting on training to utilize it at the time of this interview. A Lucas Device performs chest
compressions on the patient.
WRAS has one Life Pack15 (it monitors the patient’s vital functions) and needs a second.
Reeder needs two AED devices. The biggest equipment need right now is for communication
devices. Across North Dakota the radio band was switched from a wide band to a narrow band.
This has limited the ability of many rural areas to pick up the signal. New pagers that can pick
up the narrow band are needed. The radios available will pick up the second signal from the
repeater but will not pick up the first signal, resulting in a 30 second delay. 30 seconds is a very
long time in EMS. Current response times are approximately six minutes from the moment the
call is received, up to eight minutes on evenings and early mornings due to traffic. Getting from
the call to rolling out the door takes about 15 seconds.
SUMMARY
The biggest need WRAS has now is personnel. At least another $100,000 is needed to
attract and retain more staff. Financially, WRAS is stable but does not have a lot of cushion.
Grants make up a large portion of its budget. In 2013 WRAS received $96,000 in grants. It paid
$300,000 in wages. Paid employees are not satisfied, facing low wages and increasing
responsibilities has made it very difficult to hire new staff. Volunteers are a tremendous benefit
but are also struggling to balance careers, families, and volunteer time in the face of increasing
demands in training coupled with little access to local training.
Regarding equipment, WRAS is trading in their oldest ambulance for a new model,
pending approval from the board. New pagers that can pick up the narrow band signal are
desperately needed in order to prevent delays in response times. Another “stair chair” and more
32
AEDs are needed to handle the demands of a rural population and older homes with steep narrow
stairs.
Changes in training have increased the burden on volunteers as there are now specific
categories of hours that need to be met and few local opportunities to get that training. Over the
next 5-10 years staffing will continue to be the critical issue. It is likely WRAS with have to
switch to a completely paid staff. Housing is available in the area should more people choose to
move to and work in Hettinger.
33
Adams County Emergency Medical Services (West River Ambulance Service),
Crew Leader Suzan Hanson, 5/28/2014
Coverage Area: Adams Co., parts of SD: 2500 square miles
Adams County EMS is a Basic Life Support Service with ALS
capability
Staff
PT Paramedic
1st
Responders
EMT Basic
Volunteers
Drivers
Total *
Call Volume
Vehicles by
Type
*2
supplemental
Paramedics
avail. Wknds
3
1
4
10
18
2010
258
Quantity
2011
255
On
Order
2012
256
Need to
Replace
2013
290
Additional
Needed
1
2009 Ford
Type 3
1
2011 Ford F450 Type 1
w/4wd
1
Equipment
In Stock
Stair Chair
Life Pack 15
1
1
Need
Add.
1
1
Lucas Devices
1
1
Pagers
Remarks
Looking to
trade in.
Rec'd $50K
grant
Try to replace
Amb. After
100K miles or
every 3 yrs.
Drive 100K
miles/yr
1998 Ford
Type 3
Ambulance
AED
2014
expect 300
1
cost
$140,000
$180,000 base
On
Order
Need Replace
Estimated
Cost
Remarks
waiting for
training to use
2
18
need to replace
old pagers
34
BILLINGS COUNTY
Interview: Billings County Emergency Manager, Pat Rummel
Interview conducted 5/15/2014
The Billings County emergency manager is responsible for the coordination of resources
for county events, hazards, and storms. The emergency manager is a liaison for city and state
organizations as well.
The emergency manager’s office is staffed by one full time and one part time person.
The office is meeting the demand. The increased oil drilling and production has not meant a
significant change in the types of hazards the county has to deal with but there is a rise in oil
related spill investigations. The emergency manager receives three to four spill calls per week.
Spills include oil, saltwater and/or filter socks. Most of the spills are minor and are quickly
taken care of.
Due to the increased oil field activity the emergency manager’s office is doing more
planning, working with the oil companies to prevent accidents from happening. There is no
major infrastructure planned or needed in light of the increased oil activity. However, the zoning
and building codes are sufficient and there is no intention to make any changes. The current
zoning and building plans prohibit chemical storage in the area so there is little risk to local
communities through chemical exposure or fire.
The emergency manager’s office is in the process of converting to the Everbridge
Notification System. The state paid for the notification system implementation and the upkeep
costs are minimal. Billings County is one of 24 counties to implement the Everbridge system.
The office of emergency manager has a budget of $120,000 per year. Spending is
variable depending on equipment needs. Funding comes from the county’s general fund. The
emergency manager submits a budget. For transportation, the emergency manager uses a
sheriff’s department vehicle.
35
Interview: Billings County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff David Jurgens
Interview conducted 5/15/2014
The Billings County Sheriff’s Department (BCSD) covers 1,280 square miles and does
no contract policing. The department will assist other agencies upon request. Most of the
population in Billings County is composed of farmers and ranchers living outside of town so the
oil boom has not affected the population the same way it has in other counties. There may be a
man camp or two proposed in the county but otherwise there is not any population explosion.
Since the increased oil activity the department is seeing some changes in the types of
calls it is responding to. There are more break-ins, burglaries, suspicious vehicle or people calls.
The majority of calls are traffic related. In 2013 there were 1,200 traffic citations issued by the
department. The department averages 30 calls for service each month. That is in addition to
incidents on patrol. By October of 2013 the department had 28 arrests, 18 thefts, two assaults,
14 assist alarm calls, six vandalism cases, 27 fire calls, 57 burn pit calls, 56 ambulance assist
calls, and 58 inter-agency assist calls. The department goes on all fire and ambulance calls and
has been doing commercial vehicle weight enforcement since the 1970s. The department
consists of six employees. The Sheriff’s Department office is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Monday through Friday and the county has active law enforcement coverage 18 hours each day.
Three people are on call 24 hours a day seven days a week.
PERSONNEL
The Sheriff’s Department has a staff of six people including the Sheriff, two deputies,
one commercial vehicle weight enforcement officer, and other administrative personnel. During
the weekday there are two deputies in the field, two people in the office. On weekends there is
one officer working. Medora is the only incorporated city in the county. The amount of drilling
activity in the area will determine staffing. The county has to wait and see how the drilling will
affect the county before it will be able to determine whether it needs to patrol 24 hours a day.
There is no housing available for law enforcement personnel in Medora. One deputy is
losing his apartment in Medora. Another deputy lives in Dickinson. The department is looking
at two deputies with no place to live. There is no plan in place to deal with the housing crisis.
Five people needed housing at the time of this interview. Staff members are living in Beach,
Dickinson and Belfield. The city of Medora has lots, the county does not. The county would
need to acquire land to build housing and prices are steeply inflated. The National Park has
housing for some of its employees who work in the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National
Park but they too have outgrown their housing capacity.
EQUIPMENT
The Sheriff’s Department has six vehicles in its fleet. The fleet includes two 2014 and
one 2013 Chevrolet ½ ton pick-up trucks, one 2013 ½ ton Ford pick-up and two suburbans, each
with a scale rack, model years 2013 and 2014. Each vehicle costs about $70,000 to $75,000
fully equipped. The department has sixteen scales for commercial vehicles that cost $5,000
each. Each vehicle is also equipped with a radio, camera, radar, vehicle repeater system and a
36
light bar. Vehicles are traded out at about 80,000 miles, roughly every three years. The mileage
has increased some the past few years.
Each deputy is responsible for their issued vehicle maintenance. Vehicles are usually
taken to either Belfield or Dickinson. There is no walk in service available. All service must be
by appointment and wait times can be long. Even an ambulance had to wait two to three weeks
to be serviced in Dickinson. Sometimes the department has to go to Bismarck to get serviced.
Dickinson vehicle service departments no longer make Billings County vehicles a maintenance
priority. Billings County does not have maintenance contracts with any service garages.
TRAINING
There is a wide variety of training available that meets state standards. The department
tries to send officers to training that is both pertinent and interesting to the officers. The wide
variety of options make that an easy task and the staff are proactive in requesting the kinds of
training that will make them safer and more effective on the job. Much of the training is offered
in Dickinson which has saved the department a lot of travel time and lodging costs.
FINANCES
The department is funded through county revenues and grants. The department is not
experiencing any budget shortfalls.
SUMMARY
Housing is the biggest concern for the Billings County Sheriff’s Department. There is no
housing available in Medora and surrounding communities are very expensive. Housing has
been a problem in Billings County well before the boom. The department sees no need for any
specialization. There is not much interaction with the federal government right now but as oil
development continues there may be more. The volume of criminal activity has increased in the
area. Most of it is drug related. More drugs are passing through Billings County (mostly
marijuana and methamphetamine) but are not becoming a problem among people living in the
county. Most of the work the Sheriff’s Department does is traffic related or missing equipment.
The Billings County Sheriff’s Department has to take a wait and see approach to staffing. If oil
development continues then it will have to hire more staff though there is no place for them to
live.
37
Billings County Sheriff's
Department,
Sheriff David Jurgens, 5/15/2014
Personnel
Sworn Officers
Commercial Veh. Wt.
Enforcement officer
Administration Staff
Call Volume
Calls For Service
Traffic Citations
Arrests
Larceny/Theft
Motor Veh. Theft
Burglary
Aggravated Assault
Alarm Assist
Vandalism
Fire Calls
Burn Pit calls
Ambulance Assist
Inter-agency assist
Total Crime Index Offenses
Vehicles
3
1
2
2012
10
1
5
2013
360
1,200
28
13
16
3
1
14
6
27
57
56
58
17
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
2014 Chevrolet 1/2 ton
2
Pickup
2013 Chevrolet 1/2 ton
1
Pickup
2013 Ford 1/2 ton Pickup
1
2014 Suburban w/scale rack
1
2013 Suburban w/scale rack
1
*all vehicles cost $70,000-$75,000 to replace
Equipment
Quantity
Commercial Veh. Scales
In car radio
In car camera
Radar
16
6
6
6
Replacement
cost
*
*
*
*
*
Need to
Replace
Additional
needed
Unit Cost
$5,000
38
Interview: Medora Police Department, Chief John Bey
Interview conducted 5/7/2014
The city of Medora is a major tourist attraction in the summer and a very small town the
rest of the year. In the off season Medora’s population is approximately 100 people. In the peak
of summer the population jumps to 3,000 to 5,000 residents. Factor in tourists and the town gets
very busy very fast. Medora Police Department has a good working relationship with
surrounding communities and other law enforcement agencies are quick to provide assistance
when needed.
Medora receives a generous amount of grant money for equipment and there are many
opportunities for high quality training. What is lacking are personnel, office space, and housing.
Call volume in Medora is widely variable according to the season. In January 2013 there were
five calls to the department. In July 2013 there were 41 calls to the department. This volume,
while variable according to season, has remained stable over the last few years. The majority of
actionable calls are alcohol-related, domestic violence, disorderly conduct, or DUI calls.
PERSONNEL
Medora has two full time officers: the police chief and one assistant. A retired North
Dakota Highway Patrol Officer is also available as a reserve officer. The department was
looking for a seasonal employee at the time of this interview. To meet the demand associated
with projected growth the department will need to hire a third full-time officer. The city built a
home for one full time officer and set aside a mobile home for the seasonal officer. There is no
housing available for the additional personnel the department will require. This problem affects
the National Park Service employees as well.
TRAINING
Each officer requires 60 hours of post certification training every three years. The
Southwest Crime Conference offers excellent training opportunities for officers in the region.
The emergency manager also coordinates training opportunities in the region. Funding for
training has not been a problem. Training is widely available, but in a department with only two
officers it is still difficult to get to as coverage must be maintained.
EQUIPMENT
Medora Police Department has four vehicles in its fleet. Two are on permanent
assignment, one is seasonal and one former seasonal vehicle is to be sold. The two permanent
vehicles were purchased recently with oil impact fund grants. The department fleet is in good
condition. There are no mechanic garages in Medora, however, so repairs are sent to either
Beach or Belfield, or the dealership in Dickinson. With a few garages to choose from, the wait
for maintenance is not long.
Personal protective equipment is updated and the department is well funded. The
department lacks adequate office space, however. The department office is a modest room built
39
to accommodate one person. The office is currently serving three people. A larger office is
necessary to maintain the department. This problem will be exacerbated as more personnel come
to work for the department.
FINANCES
The department is funded through the city and receives oil impact grant funds. The
department is financially secure.
SUMMARY
Medora Police Department is a small organization that relies on a community policing
approach designed to establish relationships with members of the community as a means of
reducing crime. The department is proactive, establishing a presence that is communal as
opposed to confrontational. This means spending a lot of time out in the community, interacting
with citizens. It has been effective in stopping problems before they develop. With only two full
time officers, including the chief, this can wear down the department. Further, a small proactive
department can become the victim of its own success. Without quantifying the number of crimes
prevented, it is difficult to gauge a department’s needs. One solution is to ask the officers.
Based on the interview with Chief Bey, Medora has enough staff now to serve the community,
but it is taxing the officers’ quality of life. There are enough officers to maintain coverage.
However, there are not enough officers to allow personnel convenient access to training or
vacation or even quality time with family without monitoring police radio. More officers are
needed.
The police department office is designed for one person department. The department
needs a third full-time officer and a larger department office.
A full-time officer will be hard to find if there is not more housing developed in the area.
Currently there is no housing available in Medora. Trained police officers are very difficult to
find in North Dakota. There are many factors, including wages and lack of affordable housing,
that are making North Dakota unattractive to candidates. More investment in housing will be
required to attract more staff.
Training and equipment are up to date and the department is well-funded. A larger office
and affordable housing will go a long way in attracting another full time officer to the
department.
40
Billings County: Medora Police Dept.
Interview: Chief John Bey 5/7/2014
Coverage Area: City Limits Population 100 off-season; 3000-5000 during tourist season
Additional
Personnel
needed
Full time
2
1
Seasonal
1
FT Reserve Officer: provides
security for public events
1
Call Volume
Widely varied from 5-41
calls/month
Crime Index Offenses
Murder/Non-Negligent
Homicide
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Larceny/Theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
Total Index Offenses
Vehicles
2012
2013
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need
4
41
Interview: Billings County Rural Fire Protection District, Chief Rodney Job
Interview conducted 5/01/2014
The Billings County Rural Fire Protection District (BCRF) covers 1,500 square miles and
is distributed between three locations: Fryburg, Fairfield, and Medora, with Medora being the
command center. BCRF is qualified to do heavy rescue, extraction and technical rescue. With
the Maah Daah Hey Trail, Theodore Roosevelt National Park and multiple drilling rigs, and
grain silos in the area, local fire fighters need to be qualified to perform technical rescues which
may include high/low angles, ravines, and tall structures. The fire department has mutual aid
agreements with the Medora Fire Department, the surrounding communities in Stark, Golden
Valley and McKenzie Counties as well as Wibaux, Montana. There is a great deal of federal
land in Billings County and operating on federal land has different rules than private lands.
There were two calls for service on federal lands in 2013.
Grass and wildland fires have been a major part of the call volume in Billings County.
But since 2010-2011 the department is seeing a sharp increase in rescues and traffic accidents;
2013 had approximately 57 calls for service. By the end of April 2014, there had been 15-20
fires and accidents for the year. Previous years averaged approximately 20 calls the entire year.
Last year’s calls were approximately three times the average of previous years. US Highway 85
makes up the eastern boundary of the BCRF coverage area. It is a major traffic artery to and
from the oil fields and serves as a major transcontinental highway running north and south while
intersecting Interstate-94. Chief Rodney Job describes Highway 85 north of Belfield as “a
nightmare” due to increased traffic.
Beyond increased traffic accidents on Highway 85, the traditional grassfire calls are
being compounded by oil field activity.
PERSONNEL
BCRF has one full time fire chief and 85 volunteers distributed around three departments.
Volunteers are mostly unavailable during the day since many volunteers work in the oil fields
and are hours away from the station; 60% of volunteers consistently show up for nearly all
meetings. Another 40% have a fair attendance record. BCRF has a support agreement with the
National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, in case of a fire emergency these two groups will
also respond, which, during the summer months when the National Park Service has more
seasonal employees on hand, is very beneficial. The lack of housing in Billings County is having
a detrimental effect on emergency service providers. Housing is a critical issue in Billings
County and has a retarded the ability of emergency services personnel to respond effectively to
emergencies. Each resident of Billings County and every volunteer with the Billings County
Rural Fire Department receives air transport insurance. Volunteers also get workers
compensation.
42
TRAINING
May 7, 2014 Billings County hosted a training conference in Medora for firefighters
around the state focusing on fire suppression and rescue. BCRF has a certified technical rescue
trainer and shares space with the Billings County Emergency Medical Service which has four
paramedics who are certified to train CPR and first aid. Dickinson has training structure in place
where firefighters can train in multiple structure and vehicle scenarios that BCRF has also taken
advantage of since it became qualified for technical rescue. Regular training is scheduled once a
month at the Medora station. BCRF has been increasing the amount of structure fire training as
more hotels, multifamily, and single family homes are being built in the region. It is also doing
more rescue and extraction training with EMS personnel in response to the dramatic increase in
traffic accidents.
FINANCES
BCRF receives tax dollars from the county, a portion of the state premium insurance tax,
compensation from the federal government when fighting fires on federal lands, and grants. It is
reviewing its insurance coverage but has approximately $1 million in vehicle insurance
coverage. Vehicle and equipment costs are the large bulk of BCRF expenditures and they’re
increasing.
EQUIPMENT
Billings County Rural Fire Department has 18 vehicles including five grass units, three
are located in Medora and Fryburg and Fairfield each house one; three pumpers (one 85 pumper
needs to be replaced within the next couple years, estimated cost $750,000); two tactical trucks, a
3,000 gallon and 4,000 gallon with full fire suppression; one water carrier; one trailer, one UTV
Ranger; two heavy rescue vehicles, one is stationed in Fryburg; and three mini-rescue vehicles.
The vehicles not slated for replacement are expected to last 10-15 years before needing
replacement with regular use, though it is not uncommon to lose a vehicle during a major fire.
Other equipment includes nozzles, which range in price from $450 to $5000; Fire
Suppression Foam, five gallons on hand at $24 per gallon; a Jaws of Life, costing $17,500, that
needs to be replaced for one that can cut through the new reinforced vehicle structures. The
department must also replace cutter/spreader hose on jaws-of-life. Laminated side windows on
vehicles are more common now, making window cutters necessary for many extractions.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply at the time of this interview.
The department must purchase National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) certified equipment.
This equipment comes at a premium price. Bunker gear is fitted to the individual, making
replacement expensive and not easily interchangeable; 23 sets of bunker gear costing a total of
$60,000 have been ordered to replace older, damaged gear; 20 grass suits have also been ordered.
Bottles for SCBA gear were recently replaced at a total cost of $18,000. Bottles are sold
separate from Air-Paks and helmets. Air-Paks cost approximately $5,000 each.
43
SUMMARY
Increased traffic in the area coupled with an increase in oil exploration and production
have meant an increase in traffic accidents, and grass fires, a few more grass fires are being
started by flaring pits (sometimes the gas “burps” sending flaming gas into nearby fields). There
is increased housing pressure in a county that has very little housing to begin with. This makes
finding and keeping the fire department staffed difficult, especially as the need for more people
increases with call volume. The department needs more personal protective equipment,
specifically grassfire gear, and will need to replace at least one vehicle, a pumper truck, that will
cost $750,000.
Billings County recently hired a full time fire chief, Rodney Job, who has been a valuable
addition to the department. Having a full time, paid fire chief affords the department the time to
take care of many of the administrative tasks that an unpaid fire chief in a busy department
would not be able to do. Running a fire protection district is a full time job. Offering a salary
for the position makes for a more efficient department.
44
Billings County Rural Fire Protection District
Chief Rodney Job 5/1/2014
Coverage Area: 1500 square miles. 3 Locations: Medora, Fryburg, Fairfield
Personnel
Full time
1
Part time
0
Volunteer
85
through
Call Volume
2013
April 2014
Grass Fires
2
Structure Fires
Accidents
20
Rescues
Total Calls
57
15-20
Avg. 20 Calls/yr
20
Need to
Need
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Replace
Additional
Grass Units
5
Pumpers
3
1
Tactical trucks
2
Water Carrier
1
Trailer
1
Pick-up Truck
1
UTV Ranger
1
1
w/H20 tank
Heavy Rescue
2
1
Mini-Rescue
3
1
Totals:
19
3
1
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Need Replace
Need
Helmets
Bunker Gear
23
23
Grass Suits
20
Air Bottles
0
0
Jaws of Life
1
1
Windshield
Cutter
AAAF: Fire
Suppression
5 gallons
Foam
Air Packs
Equipment
Nozzles
Estimated Cost
$750,000
Cost Per Unit
$250
$2,500
$18,000
$17,500
$24/gallon
$450-$5,000
45
Interview: Medora Fire Department, Chief Doug Koester
Interview conducted 7/08/2014
Medora Fire Department (MFD) covers the city of Medora and works closely with
Billings County Fire Department, particularly for any grass fires, with whom it has a mutual aid
agreement. MFD also has mutual aid agreements with Sentinel Butte, Beach, Wibaux, Belfield
and other communities in Stark County. Medora is trained in hazardous materials awareness.
The city of Medora is a popular tourist destination in the summer and a very small, quiet
community in the winter. It has very little housing available and an aging population. Due to its
popularity as a tourist destination, Medora has had more motels built in the area and existing
hotels have been expanded, adding some large structures to an otherwise sleepy little town.
This year, 2014, has been quiet so far. Many of the calls have been alarm calls without a
fire. New buildings recently built had some faulty sensors in their alarm systems which were
causing false alarms. At the end of June, Medora Fire Department responded to eight calls for
service. Structure fires are uncommon in Medora, but grass fires keep the department busy most
years; however, 2013 was a very quiet year with only 17 calls for service; 2012 had 52 calls for
service, those included mutual aid calls and direct calls combined. The new construction in the
area this year has kept the MFD busy doing “walk-throughs”, in which the department tours the
building and creates a plan to fight any fire that may occur.
PERSONNEL
The Medora Fire Department is an all-volunteer service with 17 people on the roster.
Most of the crew are older residents. Two retirees take care of the building and vehicle
maintenance while many of the younger volunteers work through the daylight hours in the oil
fields. Few young people live in Medora. In the summer response times can be pretty long. On
a good day in the summer the department can find five or six people to respond to a fire. Three
people can arrive rather quickly; the rest will take longer, if they can come at all. All volunteers
carry radios and get messages on their cell phones. Radio reception has deteriorated a great deal
since switching to a narrower band, making communication increasingly difficult. The
narrowing of the bandwidth has drastically reduced signal strength.
FINANCIAL
The Medora Fire Department is funded through the city of Medora and raises funds
through grants and a pull tab machine in downtown Medora. MFD was budgeted about $25,000
in 2013 but also received $400,000 in oil impact grants and the city budgets another $100,000
each year to pay back the loan on its new building. The building will be paid off in three years.
The Farm Credit Service also provided $25,000 towards the new building. Oil impact grant
money is the key to keeping the Medora Fire Department operational.
On average the maintenance budget runs at about $5,000 per year, though the figure
varies widely from one year to the next, going as high $10,000 one year recently and being less
in other years. The department offers one dollar an hour to each volunteer for training and
46
meetings that goes towards the purchase of clothing, such as jackets or shirts with the department
insignia on it.
TRAINING
FEMA offers funding upon implementation of the national incident command training.
For the Medora Fire Department the amount of paperwork needed to qualify for those funds and
complete that training has proved to be too much of a burden for a small department and so has
not participated. It does send five or six people to a fire school each year. Summer is a very
busy time, however, so most training is done in September through October when the tourism
season is over but the temperatures are still above freezing. A lot of training consists of
examining plans of local buildings and testing younger recruits on how to attack a fire safely.
There is no certified instructor in the department. One member did go to fire college but he is
often working 50 to 100 miles away during the day.
EQUIPMENT
The department’s fleet consists of a Class A Pumper (approximately ten years old), a
2005 grass unit, a 1973 grass unit, and a 1980 tender acquired through Army surplus that works
in town but won’t get much farther. The tender’s top speed is approximately 50 miles per hour.
The department would like to replace the tender and add a command vehicle that would be able
to haul people and supplies to a fire or could be used to go to trainings out of the area.
Remote nozzles with monitor are needed for the grass units. The nozzles can be
controlled with a joystick from within the vehicle, allowing firefighters more protection when
fighting fires. Nozzles plus installation cost about $6,000 each. Also needed are air bags, which
are used to lift overturned vehicles after an accident, which cost $4,000. A new HALE pump
assembly is needed for one of the grass trucks as well. The current pump is too weak to be
efficient.
Maintenance is performed by volunteers on the department. Two retirees spend two to
three hours a day five days a week at the hall tending vehicles and other necessary tasks. The
heavy maintenance is primarily done in Dickinson though a company out of Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, will come to Medora for major repairs on the pumper.
Personal protective equipment is mostly up to date. Another set of bunker gear is needed,
which costs $2,500, the department has 20 sets on hand. Bunker gear must be custom fitted and
as a crew matures sometimes their gear requires alteration. The department has 20 grass suits,
though tastes differ among the crew about what works best for them when fighting a grass fire, a
couple suits stay in the truck to be on hand if anyone needs an extra one. A brush jacket costs
about $250. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs) are constantly being rotated and
three more sets are due to be replaced in three years.
Fire suppression foam is widely used and is very expensive. A five gallon bucket costs
$130 and the department uses eight to ten buckets each year. Nozzles too occasionally need to
be replaced the department needs another estimated to cost $400 and replaced one last year that
47
cost $300. Hoses are in good condition after being replaced five or six years ago. The bank
donated money for storage lockers which cost about $6,000.
Finally, though perhaps most important, the department needs a back-up generator. When
the power goes out the garage doors can’t be opened. The fire hall also serves as a second
incident command center. In 2011, heavy flooding in the area revealed the necessity of having a
reserve command location.
SUMMARY
A better communication system—likely a new communication tower--and more young
people volunteering are the department’s two biggest needs according to Chief Koester. The
narrow band radios are not effective in the rough terrain of the badlands, making communication
very difficult. The bulk of the volunteers in the department are at or near retirement age and
while a few younger people join the department, they don’t stay for very long, which is costing
the department time and money. Turnover is very high. There are a lot of crew members with
20 or more years of experience and several with one to two years of experience, but there are
very few people with eight to twelve years of experience. The department will be losing most, if
not all, of its experienced people to retirement in the next few years and it does not have a middle
range to train the young recruits.
Oil impact grant funds play a major role in keeping the department in necessary
equipment and structure. Still some more equipment is needed including a new tender, a
command vehicle, a new, more powerful pump for one of the grass units, remote nozzles for the
grass trucks, a back-up generator for the fire hall, air bag jacks for overturned vehicles and a few
new SCBA units are all on the needs list. None of this will help without more personnel able to
commit long term to replace the older generation that is soon retiring. The area needs more
housing and more incentives to retain people. The increased amount of paperwork associated
with daily operations, including getting money for funding, may point to the need for a paid fire
chief or a paid administrative position of some kind.
48
Medora Fire Department
Interview: Chief Doug Koester 7/8/2014
Coverage Area: Medora
Personnel
More people are needed
Volunteer
17
Call Volume
2012
2013
Total Calls
Vehicles by
Type
2005 Grass Unit
1973 Grass Unit
2004 Class A
Pumper
1980 Tender
Cmd Vehicle
Totals:
52*
17
Quantity
On Order
through April
2014
8
Need to
Replace
*Includes mutual aid
Need
Additional
1
1
1
1
0
4
1
1
1
1
Maintenance
costs
$4,500$10,000/yr
Equipment
In Stock
Bunker Gear
Grass Suits
Radios
SCBA
Air Bottles
Remote Nozzle
w/ monitor for
grass units
20
20
17
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Need
Replace
Need add.
Estimated Cost
1
$2,500
3
$3,500-$6,000
2
HALE Pump
Assembly for
1
grass unit
Equipment
Nozzles
Backup
Generator
Storage
1
Lockers*
*Bank donated funds
$6,000/unit
On Order
Need
Replace
Need add.
Estimated Cost
1
1
$400
1
$1,700
$6,000
49
Interview: Billings County EMS (BCEMS)
Interview Conducted: 5/29/2014
BCEMS is a Basic Life Support service with Advanced Life Support capability. Its
official coverage area is 447 square miles and serves a population of 259. It shares four
paramedics with Belfield Emergency Medical Service. BCEMS has mutual aid agreements with
Belfield EMS and Community EMS in Beach combining for a range of approximately 2400
square miles. BCEMS has a full time paramedic available each day, 7 days a week and two staff
members during the weekday.
Full time paramedics are stationed in Belfield and Medora for ten hour shifts. Night shift
paramedics can choose their location and are paid $100 from a staffing grant. BCEMS has 29
volunteers on the roster. Eight members are active. Staff includes 20 EMTs, four Drivers with
CPR training, four full time paramedics, and one part time paramedic.
As stated earlier, BCEMS officially serves a population of 259; that is misleading.
Medora, the largest community in Billings County, has approximately 110 residents year round;
however in the summer that jumps up to 1,100 or more. This has been constant for many years.
What is new is the call volume outside the summer season is higher. In 2009 BCEMS went on
47 calls. In 2013 BCEMS went on 185 calls. At the time of this interview on May 29, 2014,
BCEMS had 75 calls.
Not only is call volume increasing but the severity of the emergencies is also increasing.
Before the oil boom most calls were by elderly patients and/or non-critical issues. Now BCEMS
is seeing more trauma, more severe trauma and more critical patients.
TRAINING
State training requirements have changed. There are now more categories that one must
have training hours in in order to maintain certification. It is an increased level of specificity that
can be hard for some volunteers to get. More full time, paid staff would allow time to meet
training requirements. As a volunteer the amount of time spent in training is a big hurdle to
overcome to maintain certification. Making it to training sessions can be a full time job in itself,
particularly difficult is there is virtually no training offered west of Bismarck. There is one
conference offered in Medora, the rest are in Bismarck and farther east and north. One
conference was held in Williston. Volunteers have a very difficult time making those
conferences. This is also a problem for volunteer firefighters in the southwest region.
PERSONNEL
To excel, BCEMS needs a leader with the time to lead. BCEMS needs more personnel to
handle the volume and manage the myriad tasks that go into managing an EMS. This is a
tremendous challenge in that there is virtually no housing in Medora and the surrounding area
but what housing is available is far beyond the financial reach of an EMS provider. This
problem is not limited to EMS but all emergency responders, including fire and law enforcement.
50
EMS has evolved from transporting the patient to the emergency room to bringing the
emergency room to the patient. Not every region has this luxury but it goes a long way in saving
lives and easing suffering. To maintain this evolution requires strong leadership and rigorous
training. These take time, and time, much like affordable housing in the region, is a scarce
commodity. The quality of service is higher but the demands on personnel are equally high.
Adding to that demand is a developing trend toward community para-medicine, aimed at
building community support for vulnerable patients to prevent re-admission to hospitals.
FINANCES
BCEMS receives a lot of money from oil revenue and so is doing better than most EMS
providers in the region. None the less, BCEMS volunteers and the few shared paid paramedics
on staff cannot meet the demand for service on their own. The sacrifices local volunteers are
asked to make in terms of time and lost wages, coupled with the lack of available housing means
volunteers cannot afford to donate the amount of time to BCEMS that is currently required of
them. BCEMS needs fully paid crews plus volunteers. As the region continues to invest in oil
production there must also be an investment in EMS to meet the rising demand for emergency
response in the area. This will require fully paid crews as well as infrastructure to support them.
BCEMS has good equipment, now they need more paid staff to run it and housing for the staff.
SUMMARY
Equipment and finances are adequate. There is a critical shortage of staff to use the
equipment. Demand for services is increasing as the rate of oil development increases. Within
five years BCEMS will need fully paid crews as well as its volunteers in order to meet that
demand. Lack of housing is also critically limiting personnel.
51
Billings County Emergency Medical Services: Keri
Rummel, 5/29/2014
Coverage Area: Billings Co., W. Stark, Golden Valley: 2400 square miles
Billings County EMS is a Basic Life Support Service with ALS capability (ALS avail. Approx. 90%)
Staff
FT Paramedic
4
PT Paramedic
1
EMT Basic
20
Volunteers
Drivers
4
Total
29
8 active
Call Volume
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
47
no data
no data
no data
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Additional
Needed
2009 GMC
Ambulance
1
0
0
0
2002 Cheverolet
Ambulance w/
4wd
1
1
0
Need new
Amb. Every 5
years
0
*Will replace
1 this year, 1
next year
Quick Response
Unit: 2012
4
2*
Suburban
*Belfield and Beach each supply 1 QRU for BC staff use
Equipment
In Stock
Four Gas Meter
6
H2S Monitor**
**Dispose after
1 yr.
4
On Order
Need Replace
Need
185
Estimated
Cost
$400$600/unit
$100/unit
52
BOWMAN COUNTY
Interview: Bowman County Emergency Manager, Dean Pearson
Interview conducted 6/5/2014
The Bowman County Emergency Manager is a disaster coordinator. He is responsible
for the logistics during a major emergency, getting materials to the people that need them,
authorizing critical measures as needed (for example, shutting down the highway or a rail line at
the request of first responders) and working as a liaison between first responders and political
leaders throughout the crisis. The emergency manager also monitors storms and is the contact
point for the National Weather Service when a severe storm is threatening the county.
Demand for the emergency manager’s services in Bowman County has grown in
conjunction with the increased oil activity. The emergency manager is currently dealing with a
number of challenges including hazardous chemicals and volatile liquids on rail cars rolling
through the county, hazardous material spills, chemical spills, lack of adequate housing and
transportation problems. Housing is an issue because sub-standard housing can put people at
risk during severe weather. New residents may not be familiar with the hazards that severe
winter weather may pose as well so the office of emergency manager has to educate new
residents to the hazards. In addition, new residents may not be in the 911 system. Much of the
additional challenges posed by the oil industry are related to production and not drilling.
The county is making some changes to its zoning laws in order to be ready for increased
oil and other industrial development.
The emergency manager is responsible for the emergency notification system. Bowman
uses a reverse 911 system and other text messaging systems, social media, and sirens. It has
used the text system for five years and is constantly updating it.
Equipment utilized by the emergency manager includes radio, telephone and computers.
The emergency manager has the use of a vehicle from the Sheriff’s Department or will use a
personal vehicle.
Funding for the office comes from tax revenue and federal and state grants which can
vary widely from one year to the next. The emergency manager is paid out of the general fund
and its budget is variable. The emergency manager’s office is currently stable financially. The
office has benefited from oil money which has allowed it to purchase radios, computers and
other necessary equipment. Currently the emergency manager office has everything it needs to
carry out its duties.
53
Interview: Bowman County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Rory Teigen
Interview conducted on 5/2/2014
The Bowman County Sheriff’s Department covers 1,170 square miles. Bowman County
is feeling the effects of increased oil drilling and production in the state. The volume of calls for
service has increased across many categories. The number of civil processes served by the
department has gone up considerably. Vandalism and theft have also increased. Domestic
violence has roughly stayed the same or increased slightly.
In the past, vandalism and theft were seasonal. Certain times of the year were busier than
others. Today, criminal activity is steady, there is no longer a quiet or low call volume period.
According to Sheriff Teigen, the resident offenders have been steadily offensive while new
residents are responsible for the increased criminal activity. Generally, the department is seeing
bigger cases and more serious offenses. Transports to the jail in Dickinson have risen drastically
and it is taxing the department considerably.
There has been a steady increase in the demand for personnel; 20 years ago the
department had one deputy. Today, there are three full time deputies, two part time employees
the department shares with the road crew, and another staff member that the department shares
with the road superintendent. The department regularly joins the fire and ambulance services on
calls. It also supports Slope County and the city of Bowman law enforcement agencies as
needed.
FINANCES
The Sheriff’s Department is funded through Bowman County. The department is
charged $70 each day to house prisoners at the Southwest Multi-County Correctional facility in
Dickinson. Prisoner costs have doubled. Any money generated by the Sheriff’s office goes into
the general fund. The department is meeting its financial needs. Bowman County has diverse
income sources to contribute to the financial health of the Sheriff’s Department.
PERSONNEL
Officers work four days in a row for nine to ten hours each day and then spend some off
duty time on call. The department had hired another officer at the time of this interview. With
the new hire the department has enough people to provide coverage. The department does its
own investigations with complex investigations being referred to the Bureau of Criminal
Investigation (BCI). BCI is short-handed however. Officer applications are dwindling. Across
the state there are fewer applicants for officer positions. Positions are getting harder to fill. Law
enforcement is struggling to compete with wages in other industries.
TRAINING
Training requirements have not changed significantly in the last ten years. Training
opportunities are getting farther away and the department is relying on webinars more. Roughly
ten percent of training is done online, 15 percent is done in the department and the other 75
54
percent is done at conferences and other training sites. Bowman does not see a need for any
specialization right now but as the county grows that may become necessary.
EQUIPMENT
Each officer is issued a vehicle. There are five vehicles. The oil impact grants have
helped supply vehicles and equipment. Vehicles are maintained by shops in Bowman. The local
garages make department vehicles a priority so there is no long wait to get vehicles serviced but
the cost of maintenance has increased.
Oil impact grants allowed the department to replace its ballistic vests. The department
tries to replace vests every six years. Thanks to the oil impact grant the department’s personal
protective equipment is well-stocked and in good condition.
SUMMARY
Bowman County Sheriff’s Department is able to meet immediate needs. The area is
growing and that will tax the department’s ability to respond without further investment. Oil
impact grants have been very beneficial in purchasing equipment. More staff will be needed in
the near future. Housing for staff is becoming increasingly difficult. Housing is available but it
is very expensive. Bowman County also has to compete with both other law enforcement
agencies and other industries for workers. Wages are high in other areas and the pool of
candidates is shrinking.
The Sheriff’s Department anticipates the department will need to develop some
specialization as the county grows. It is currently a member of the Southwest Drug Task force
which is always struggling for funding. BCI is also very busy with a new scale of demand for
services. Bowman may need to hire an investigator and perhaps a K-9 unit to maintain
effectiveness. The nearest K-9 unit is in Belfield.
Overall, Bowman County Sheriff’s Department has enough funding and personnel to do
the job it has been commissioned to do. The department tries to be proactive and data indicates
that the area is growing and demand for law enforcement will also grow. The department will
need more funding to meet those challenges.
55
Bowman County Sheriff's Department
Interview: Sheriff Rory Tiegen. Interview conducted 5/2/2014
Coverage Area:
Additional
Needed
Personnel
FT Sworn Officers
Shared with Road Crew
Shared Staff
Call Volume
Calls For Serice
Transports
Domestic Violence
Civil Papers
Murder/Non-Neg.
Manslaughter
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Larceny/Theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
Total Index Offenses
*DNR (Did not report)
Vehicles
4
2
1
2012
increased
increased
steady to
higher
increased
2013
increased
increased
steady to
higher
increased
DNR*
0
DNR
DNR
DNR
DNR
DNR
DNR
DNR
0
0
1
3
0
2
6
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need
Replacement
cost
5
Equipment
meeting needs
OIG Grants were big help
56
Interview: Bowman Police Department, Chief Charles Headley
Interview conducted 6/25/2014
The Bowman Police Department serves the city of Bowman and has mutual aid
agreements with the Bowman and Slope County Sheriff’s Departments and the Dickinson Police
Department SWAT, hostage negotiation, and a member of the Southwest Narcotics Task Force
headed by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Staff is on call 24 hours a day seven days a
week. Officers are on active duty from 8:00 am through 2:00 am seven days a week. Officers
assist the ambulance and fire departments on emergency calls. Officers are trained in first aid
and CPR.
Since 2008 the police department is seeing an increase in the volume of calls that is
proportionate to an increased population but specifically there is an increase in the amount of
domestic violence and DUI charges. The top offenses are alcohol related, then theft. Primarily
alcohol is a factor in most reported crimes.
Bowman is not only increasing in population but with that increase is an increase in the
number of people that speak English as a foreign language. This has created an increased
demand for interpreters. With the language barrier, trust can be an issue between citizens and
police.
PERSONNEL
The Bowman Police Department at the time of this interview had two sworn law
enforcement officers and a part-time administrative assistant. Another law enforcement officer
arrived in July and a fourth was anticipated. As city employees the department members are
compensated for water/sewer and garbage pick-up for which they are taxed. Employees also
receive health insurance coverage. Finding housing and staying competitive in the labor market
has become increasingly difficult in Bowman.
With four officers, the department can meet demand. Though as oil activity increases, a
fifth officer will be needed to maintain coverage. A busy weekend can heavily tax department
resources. Prisoner transfers to Dickinson are a three hour round trip. Multiple calls can use up
a lot of department resources.
FINANCES
The department is funded through city taxes and grants. The department received
$113,000 in oil impact and law enforcement grants that went towards vehicles and other
equipment. The operating budget for 2014 is $267,280. Expenses for 2013 totaled $213,000.
Last year the department expenses exceeded funding and so the budget was raised this year.
TRAINING
The department has not had trouble getting to training. The state offers high quality
training for police officers and tuition is covered. Training sessions can take two to five or even
57
seven days. So far the department has been able to cover shifts while an officer is in training.
Bowman also has a certified firearms instructor. The department is pursuing more training in
room clearance, carbine rifle training, active shooter training exercises and officer training
shooting and safety.
EQUIPMENT
Each officer has his/her own patrol car. The fleet includes a 2011 Chevrolet Impala, a
2007 Crown Victoria and recent grants have allowed the department to purchase two 2014 Ford
Tauruses with the police package, fully equipped. The department has one surplus vehicle, a
2003, it is looking to sell.
The local Ford dealership in Bowman and Northwest Tire Service in Dickinson do the
bulk of the fleet maintenance. There is no maintenance contract. Maintenance costs are running
at about $5,000 each year and that includes regular maintenance and major repairs. The local
service repair shops work with the department to keep cars on the road. Body work however is
difficult to get due to a many vehicles waiting for body repair.
Bowman Police Department is well-equipped with personal protective equipment.
Through oil impact grants the department was able to purchase new ballistic vests. The
department is well-stocked with tasers, batons, chemical spray and side arms. The department
uses the Glock pistol and there is a certified armorer in the department to handle repairs. The
department is well equipped.
SUMMARY
Lack of personnel is a pressing problem for the Bowman Police Department. The
community is growing and as the population grows more police will be needed. The department
is a little bit short staffed now but is getting by. Finding more officers is increasingly difficult.
The last candidate search took six to eight months before the position was filled. Affordable
housing is a growing problem in the community. The department may have to offer some form
of housing allowance in the future. The department would like to have five sworn officers. It
currently has four. Training and equipment is currently sufficient.
58
Bowman Police Department
Interview: Chief Charles Headley, 6/25/2014
Personnel
Sworn Officers FT
Office Staff-PT
Call Volume
Accidents
Alcohol related arrests
Burglary
Larceny/Thefts
Criminal Mischief
Citations/Corrections/Warnings
Murder/Non-negligent
Manslaughter
Rape
Aggravated Assault
Motor Veh. Theft
Total Index Offenses
Active as
of July
2014
3
1
2012
45
15
8
54
36
391
Additional
needed
1
2013
no data
no data
no data
18
no data
no data
0
1
DNR
DNR
DNR
DNR
0
0
2
23
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
2011 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Ford Crown Victoria
2014 Ford Taurus
1
1
2
2003 Surplus Vehicle
1
Vehicle Costs
maintenance
PPE Equipment
Level 2 Ballistic Vests
Firearm
Radar Systems
Tasers
In-Car Video Camera
Medical Bag
Utility belt, hand cuffs, holster
Update Radios
In-Car Computer
Quantity
Need to
Replace
Need
Additional
Estimated Cost
plan to sell
2010
2011
2012
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need
Additional
2013
$5,000
Estimated Unit
Cost
$550
59
Interview: Bowman Rural Fire Department, Chief Chris Palczewski
Interview conducted 6/03/2014
Bowman Rural Fire Department (BRFD) is certified in search and heavy rescue and is
trained in hazardous material awareness. The department is a kind of “catch-all” emergency
service, not big enough to heavily specialize but big enough to deal with a wide-range of
emergencies. Bowman’s firefighting coverage area is 600 square miles; its rescue coverage area
is 1,800 square miles. For heavy rescue Bowman Fire works with Bowman Ambulance. The
Bowman Rural Fire Department (BRFD) has a written mutual aid agreement with Amidon in
Slope County and verbal mutual aid agreements with Rhame, Scranton, and Ludlow, South
Dakota. The Bowman Fire Department has 28 volunteers and no paid positions and is not a
member of a protection district and, therefore, receives no tax revenue from the community.
The ambulance and fire department share heavy rescue equipment. Bowman Fire
Department stores the equipment, and three fire department volunteers are also certified
emergency medical responders (EMR). A heavy rescue team requires five EMRs and so the fire
department and ambulance cross train and collaborate on auto extraction. Bowman Fire
Department is trained to identify hazardous material and evacuate the area but is not trained to
clean up large hazardous spills. Bowman does have level one hazmat suits if they need to do a
smaller hazardous material recovery which occasionally involves recovering anhydrous
ammonia. Major spills are handled by a hazardous materials response team in Bismarck.
Call volume in and around Bowman has been increasing. Though BRFD didn’t respond
to any grass fires in 2013, it still saw an increase in call volume from 2012. In 2012, there were
45 calls for service, 2013 had 56 calls for service and by the end of May, 2014 there had been 27
calls for service. For the last seven to eight years call volume has been increasing by five to ten
calls a year. In the past few years the call volume was dominated by grass fires and traffic
accidents but this year has seen more non-incident calls, which is often a tripped alarm or similar
event where no person or property is threatened, and other structure related incidents. Traffic
accidents continue to increase. The increasing population in the area is contributing to the
increase in call volume.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Bowman has approximately ten percent of its labor force working in the oil fields.
Bowman County has always had some oil production and in the late 1990s to early 2000s
Bowman County was very active. Today oil production in the county is “slow and steady”
according to Chief Palczewski. The city of Bowman is growing and more oil activity is
expected, both new wells and there is talk of using carbon dioxide in existing wells for enhanced
oil recovery. Denbury is expected to add three to five drilling rigs in the area. The oil wells in
Bowman County are consistently long-term production wells.
FINANCES
Bowman Rural Fire Department receives no money from a mill levy. It relies on grants,
donations, a portion of the insurance premium tax from the state, and grants from the city of
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Bowman’s general fund. City funding is voluntary and the amount varies from one year to the
next, but the city will reserve funds for equipment by request. Bowman’s annual budget is
approximately $69,000.
PERSONNEL
As mentioned earlier, BRFD has 28 volunteers. Four were added from a waiting list of
seven at the end of June, leaving three potential volunteers on the waiting list. The surplus is due
to a successful recruiting campaign four years ago. Based on the call volume and operating
budget, Bowman has enough people to comfortably meet its obligations and has enough
equipment to ensure the safety of everyone on the crew. Three to five volunteers work out of
town, three to five others occasionally work out of town. During the week the department can
field five to eight people consistently, weekends are more difficult. Typically five to nine people
can be on the scene upon receiving the initial call.
The majority of the department ranges in age from 35-55 years old. The oldest member
is 60 and the youngest is 22. The four additional members from the waitlist are all younger
members.
EQUIPMENT
The department’s biggest need is a bigger building. The current building is not big
enough to house the equipment. The BRFD had proposed a new fire station in 2008, it was a
shovel ready project, but it did not qualify for funding and so the old building was remodeled.
The building has reached capacity once again and needs to be replaced.
BRFD has nine vehicles in its fleet; some of them are very old and need to be replaced.
The fleet consists of a 1961 city pumper that is rarely used and needs replacing (replacement cost
is $250,000), a 1982 tanker also that needs a new chassis and will cost $150,000. A 1987
wildland truck also needs a new chassis but the box is in good condition. Replacing this chassis
will also cost $150,000. A 1989 wildland truck is in fair condition as is the 1992 heavy rescue
truck. Through a bequest Bowman was able to purchase two universal engines in 2006, one goes
on all calls and is equipped for rescue operations. The second is not equipped for rescue. The
last member of the fleet is a 2012 tanker. One other vehicle, not counted in the fleet is out of
service and is being salvaged.
Typically a vehicle is replaced every five years. The next planned step is to build a new
wildland truck for a total of ten units. When replacing an older truck BRFD lost some of its
grass fire capability, the mini-rescue truck it has now is not capable of responding to grass fires.
So another grass unit is needed; however, the need for a new building is getting in the way. The
department needs to make more room, either a new building or more remodeling.
Personal protective equipment all needs to be replaced. It was all bought new in 2002.
28 sets of structure and wild fire gear. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
recommends replacing structure gear every ten years, though call volume is a factor. And NFPA
standards change every three to five years.
61
Other equipment includes 14 sets of SCBAs costing approximately $5,700 per unit, and a
four way gas meter that was donated by an oil company that cost $1,000.
TRAINING
The incident command system has seen an expanding utilization among emergency
responders and is a regular component of the training regimen in the Bowman Rural Fire
Department. For some small fire departments the new system feels awkward though for those
departments involved in the Bucyrus fire in 2012, Bowman included, it is seen as a key
component to successfully coordinating with other departments when fighting a major fire. In
order to qualify for FEMA grants fire departments must have 80% of its members trained in the
incident command system. Some of that training is available online and Bowman makes good
use of that online capability. Training is scheduled the third Monday of each month and lasts
two to four hours in addition to the North Dakota State Fire School. Training is heavily
emphasized in the department.
The whole fire department has National Fire-Fighter one (FF1) training, which is about
40 hours, and some have FF2 training. All fire-fighters are also required to take the “everybody
goes home” program which is four hours. Each month there is a minimum of four hours of
training and some months there is considerably more. The additional training is voluntary yet
there is still a strong turnout for it. The department has two department certified instructors, one
of whom is also a state certified instructor.
FEMA grants cover the expenses for a large part of the training. Ten years ago Bowman
received a $149,000 safety and training grant. They acquired a $30,000 DVD library, training
infrastructure and some personal protective gear, including helmets. The helmets were replaced
last year with money from oil impact grant funds.
SUMMARY
Bowman’s biggest need is a new fire station in a centralized location. Bowman’s
responsibilities are growing and its current building cannot handle the growth. Currently
Bowman Rural Fire Department has trouble getting onto the highway at certain times of the day
due to traffic congestion and it does not have room to store the equipment and train the people it
needs to keep up with demand.
BRFD’s fleet is aging and it will need some new vehicles soon. It also needs to update
its personal protective equipment. It has enough volunteers to meet its needs and has one or two
more people on a waiting list. Volunteers aren’t always available during certain times of the day
but so far that has not become a problem. The department is well trained and has demonstrated a
commitment to maintaining a high level of training and working with other fire departments in
the area to practice coordinating their efforts fighting major fires. The department also works
closely with the ambulance service to conduct rescue/extraction operations in the southern part
of the region, covering an area three times the size of their fire coverage. Traffic accidents and
grass fires continue to be the most frequent types of calls. This trend is expected to continue as
62
oil production continues to grow in the area, though the population is steadily increasing and
with it, new construction, which could mean more structure fires in the future.
63
Interview: Bowman County Rural Fire Protection District/Bowman Fire Dept., Chief Chris Palczewski
6/5/2014
Coverage Area: Fire Dept: 600 square miles. Extrication/Rescue 1800 square miles
Extrication/Heavy Rescue Capable partnering with Bowman Ambulance Service
Personnel
Volunteers
28
Waitlist
3
Call Volume
2009
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
1961 Pumper
2
1982 Tanker/Pumper
1
2012 Ford F-550 MiniRescue Truck
1
2006 Universal Engine
w/ Rescue
1
2006 Universal Engine
1
1987 Wildland Truck
1
1989 Wildland Truck
1
State
Certified
Instructor
Dept. Certified
Training
Officer
EMR Certified
New Volunteers
1
2
3
4
2010
2011
2012
2013
45
56*
*No grass fires
Need Add.
Cost
On Order
Need to
Replace
1
through May
2014
27
$250,000
$150,000 replace
chassis
1
$150,000
1
$150,000
2012 Tanker Truck
1992 Heavy Rescue
Truck
Totals:
Equipment
Bunker Gear
w/helmets, boots
Wildland Fire
Protection Wear
1
9
In Stock
On Order
2
1
Need Replace
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
28
$2,000
28
$150-$250
Gloves
$100
SCBA with bottles
14
$5,700
Jaws of Life
1
$17,500
AAAF: Fire
Suppression Foam
Equipment Nozzles
$24/gallon
$450-$5,000
2-3 during
grass fires
Lg Vehicle Air Filters
4-Way Gas Meter
$200
1
64
Interview: Rhame Fire Protection District, Chief Tom Johnson
Interview conducted 7/22/2014
Rhame Fire Protection District works closely with Bowman Fire Department to cover one
of the largest areas in the region. Rhame’s coverage area is 26 miles by 40 miles. It has verbal
mutual aid agreements with Marmarth, Bowman, and Scranton. Rhame has written mutual aid
agreements with Amidon and Golva. It calls on Bowman for extrication though it does assist
with motor vehicle accidents.
An exploratory well was being drilled north of Rhame at the time of this interview and
there are wells to the south and west of Rhame. There is a chance that oil production could
increase in the area which will increase the demand for fire and other emergency service
dramatically. This area has seen horizontal drilling but not fracking. Hydraulic fracturing wells
require much more water and result in a much higher increase in traffic since trucks have to haul
water into the area.
Rhame’s call volume has been widely variable. Fires are down thanks to wet weather;
2013 had approximately 20 calls for service. The previous year, 2012, was drier and Rhame
responded to 40 calls for service. Grass fires are still the most common type of call though as oil
activity in the area picks up, so too do accident calls. Rhame Fire Department shares space with
the Rhame Quick Response Unit.
PERSONNEL
There are 22 volunteers on the department. There are 10 to 12 active members. Active
members make every monthly meeting and training and can answer fire calls consistently. Like
many rural departments, it is very hard to find firefighters during the day. Rhame is a very small
community with very few businesses; many residents have to work outside of town. Those who
are volunteers are mostly farmers/ranchers or work in the oil field. The district has a healthy mix
of young and experienced volunteers. One must be at least 18 years old to volunteer. There is
no upper limit. Chief Johnson says burnout has not been a problem though preventable fires and
accidents can be frustrating. There are no benefits for volunteers except a meal on meeting
night. There has been discussion of offering retirement benefits but nothing has been decided.
FINANCIAL
Rhame gets tax money from Bowman and Slope Counties. Rhame is a fire protection
district and so it gets a tax levy. It works closely with Bowman Fire Department and gets some
financial assistance from them but Bowman is not a fire protection district. The mill levy was
increased slightly for the 2015 tax year. Oil impact grants and financial assistance from
Bowman County have helped tremendously.
EQUIPMENT
Two years ago oil impact grants allowed Rhame to purchase new turnout gear and air
packs. In 2013 Rhame was able to purchase a new truck, a grass unit, with money from
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Bowman and Slope Counties for $93,000. The fleet also includes a 1976 Dodge city pumper and
two tankers, an Army 6X6, and a 1993 Freightliner. The department wants to switch the
Freightliner for a new vehicle with an automatic transmission. Rhame also has a 2008 foam unit
which cost $200,000. There are three grass units that stay in town and four other vehicles
strategically placed throughout the coverage area. The grass units are all Fords and include a
1999, a 2004 and the recently purchased 2013 model. The four units parceled out across the
coverage area include a 1985 grass unit, a 1982 grass unit, a used 2005 pick-up truck and a 1960
International truck. The International is hard to find parts for but it still runs. Three, if not four
of these vehicles will need to be replaced soon. The department also needs a Ranger/Gator (6X6
all-terrain vehicle) to deal with the rough terrain along the Little Missouri River. In total the
department will need five new vehicles within the next two to five years.
Maintenance is done in house when possible or Rhame uses a local garage. There has
been no trouble with getting vehicles serviced. The local Ford garage has been very good at
getting vehicles fixed and back to the department quickly. Sax Motor Company left the area,
however, which has been hard on the department.
Maintenance costs are directly proportionate to call volume. In 2012 there were a lot of
calls for service resulting in a lot of breakdowns. This year has been very quiet, with only four
calls for service at the time of this interview and there have been no breakdowns. The
department is moving away from in house maintenance to avoid any liability issues that may
result.
The turnout gear and grass fire gear is in good condition. The department also bought six
SCBAs three or four years ago. The new SCBAs have the latest technology including carbon
fiber bottles.
TRAINING
Volunteers struggle to make it to training. As mentioned earlier, most of the volunteers
are farmers and ranchers or work in the oil field. These jobs are very time consuming and
certain times of the year are busier than others. Training is difficult to get to. The area needs
more short training sessions at different times of the year to accommodate these volunteers.
Some kind of incentive would also help get people to training since they have to take time away
from their families and their work in order to do the training.
SUMMARY
Rhame Fire Protection District is not short on volunteers, but certain times of the day it is
difficult for many of them to respond to a call. The volunteers come from many different work
backgrounds including farming/ranching and the oil field. The volunteers bring their work
knowledge to the department, making the department better. Financially, Rhame is stable, but it
will require more grant funding to pay for five vehicles over the next five years, including an allterrain vehicle. Training is difficult to get to. More regional training sessions would help.
Rhame’s coverage area is full of difficult terrain. It is a rural area with farming and ranching
being the prime economic drivers, though oil activity is increasing slightly it is not exploding
66
like it has to the north. More funding for equipment and more regional training will ensure
Rhame is prepared to protect its district over the next five years. A few more incentives such as
a retirement benefit and some training incentives will ensure the department continues to have a
healthy and responsive volunteer force. The lack of day time volunteers may mean the
department will need to invest in some full time paid positions, though that was not discussed
during this interview.
67
Rhame Fire Protection District
Chief Tom Johnson 7/22/2014
Coverage Area: 1040 square miles
Staff
Volunteers on Roster
22
Active volunteers
12
Call Volume
2014 through
June
2012
2013
40
20
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
1999 Ford Grass Unit
2004 Ford Grass Unit
2013 Ford Grass Unit
1985 Grass Unit (off site)
1982 Grass Unit (off site)
2005 Pickup (off site)
1960 International Truck
(off site)
1976 Dodge City Pumper
Freightliner (Tanker)
Army 6X6 (Tanker)
2008 Foam Unit
Ranger/Gator 6X6 ATV
Total
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
11
Equipment
In Stock
SCBA
Bunker Gear
Wildland Fire Gear
6 new
22
22
4
Need to
Replace
Call volume is
widely
variable
Additional
need
Cost
$93,000
4
1
1
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Interview: Scranton Fire Department, Chief Ryan Schumacher
Interview conducted 6/27/2014
The Scranton Fire Department covers approximately 280 square miles of territory in the
gap between Bowman and Hettinger on US Highway 12. Reeder Fire Protection District
annexed 100 square miles of Scranton’s coverage area. Scranton has mutual aid agreements with
each of the surrounding communities on Highway 12 east to Hettinger and west to Bowman.
Scranton is not yet certified for rescue but the demand for rescue is growing and Scranton is
working to meet that demand. Traffic has increased four times its volume from before the
current oil boom. Three miles outside of Scranton is an old coal mine where frack sand and
Bakken crude oil are being unloaded and loaded onto rail cars, respectively. In the past the depot
loaded coal and grain, now ethanol and Bakken crude are being loaded onto the rails. The
hazardous materials coupled with the dramatic rise in commercial traffic and traffic accidents
make the area increasingly dangerous. The third largest grain co-op in the state is also in the
area. Sometimes grain elevators explode, too.
Scranton has seen its call volume increase by ten calls a year for five years. By May,
2014 Scranton responded to six fire calls. Emergency Medical Service units are seeing five to
ten calls per year increases. Generally, the department sees a need to prepare for a lot more than
just grass fires. Industry is moving into the area and commercial vehicle traffic is coming with
it. Vehicle extraction/rescue will be increasingly in demand.
PERSONNEL
Over the last ten years the Scranton Fire Department has lost a lot of its veterans. Today,
Scranton Fire is a young department. Scranton is an all-volunteer department with 24 members
on its roster. Sixteen members make virtually every meeting and every call; eight more make it
to major incidents. The department uses an all call system wherein those who can answer the
call. Seventy percent of the force is composed of farmers and ranchers that work outside of
town. The other 30 percent work in the agriculture industry in town. Local employers are good
at letting their employees answer fire calls. The community is very supportive of their fire
department.
There has been some reluctance to get into vehicle extrication in the department. That
could be due to the additional time commitment required. With most of the department tied up
with agriculture it is hard for many to get away to do the additional training. Still, the demand
exists for another extrication team.
FINANCIAL
Scranton Fire Department has several revenue streams. It gets money from Bowman
County ($6,247 in 2013), and Slope County ($4,925.61); it receives charitable gambling revenue
from the Friends of Firefighters organization ($22,976); it runs a concession at the Bowman
County Fair ($2,944), receives donations ($4,050), does some other fundraisers ($18,109), and
rents out the fire hall for weddings and other events ($2,740), and receives money from the state
insurance premium tax ($19,649.31) as well as a few minor income streams from interest and
69
miscellaneous income. In 2013 its income was $82,517.14 and its expenses were $83,600.59 for
a net loss of $1,083.45. For 2014 the department requested $13,000 from the fire district’s board
of directors.
Recent renovations to the building have allowed the department to rent out its community
room for weddings and other large gatherings. The renovations have drastically reduced the
hall’s heating bill though even with the income from renting out the hall it doesn’t fully cover the
utility bills. Rental income from 2013 was approximately $2,700. Propane for the building was
$5,700 for the year, down from around $10,000 a year before renovations. The hall was financed
with a matured certificate of deposit. The building was built six or seven years ago at a cost of
nearly $300,000.
As a volunteer department there is very little compensation for service. Benefits include
use of the garage to wash one’s vehicle and a free supper on meeting night. Expenses are
contingent upon activity. Some years have been very expensive. The Bucyrus fire in October of
2012 took a heavy financial toll on a lot of departments. Scranton had a truck break down while
fighting the Bucyrus fire. Vehicles take a serious beating fighting grass fires. Maintenance costs
fluctuate according to what breaks down and how often but there has not been any inflation in
what services are charging.
TRAINING
Meetings are held once each month and each month a new topic is studied. A lot of
training outside of the department is offered in May which proves to be a very bad time for this
department whose members are either out in the fields planting or in the ag service stores selling
product. Scranton tries to get to training meetings offered in Bowman as much as possible.
Bowman is certified in extrication and Scranton sees the need to be certified as well. A week
before this interview Reeder had six calls for fire/EMS due to traffic incidents including a truck
rollover.
BNSF railroad offers a railroad hazard training session in May due in large part to the
increased amount of volatile fluids going through the area. Dickinson, too, offers a lot of
applicable training opportunities, but it is in Dickinson which is hard for many people in the
department to reach. More training needs to come to the Highway 12 corridor. There are many
small communities along Highway 12 that, similar to Scranton, are made up of volunteers
heavily invested in the ag industry who cannot get away from their farms for more than a few
hours at a time.
Scranton and other rural departments want more training that focuses on the specific
hazards of rural communities: more traffic/extrication, more hazardous/volatile substances by
rail. Some in the department feel that much of the training mandated by FEMA and that offered
by other organizations does not mesh well with the realities of a rural fire department. NIMS
(the National Incident Management System) is seen by some as an unnecessary burden. The
feeling is that not everyone needs to do incident command training. Federal programs come with
a lot of regulations and mandated extra training that some in the department feels is unnecessary,
for instance, the requirement that every firefighter has to cover incident command training is
70
considered excessive. Again, many rural departments struggle to reconcile work and family
demands with training demands. In contrast, Bowman Fire seemed comfortable with the
incident command training program, though in Bowman firefighter-1 members were able to
complete the training online. The solution may be to find a way to do the basic incident
command structure training in a way that does not take volunteers away from their
work/families.
Compounding the training problem, state fire school was moved from Bismarck to Minot.
When the school was in Bismarck the department was able to send eight or nine people to the
school each year. Because of distance and additional time-demands, only three to four people can
now make it to fire school in Minot. The department is feeling the loss of that access to training.
Ideally seven to eight training sessions along the Highway 12 corridor would be offered
each year affording each of these small rural communities an opportunity to get the training so
desperately needed to meet the changing demands in the region. More local conferences each
year would alleviate some of the burden sending crew members to Minot puts on these small
departments.
EQUIPMENT
The Scranton Fire Department fleet includes three grass units: a 2011 Ford F550 grass
truck, a 2008 F550 grass truck, and a 2004 F450 grass truck. Each of the grass trucks are
designed to be put on new chassis when needed, adding tremendous savings for the department.
A 2001 Ford F550 mini-pumper was in need of repairs at the time of this interview. It has
needed frequent repairs the last year or so and the department hopes to re-purpose it for strictly
city work soon. The fleet also has a 1995 Kenworth tanker, a 1986 Chevrolet mini-pumper that
will be replaced as soon as enough funds are available, and a 1983 city pumper that is about to be
forcibly retired by the insurance company.
The department wants to purchase a Ford F650 chassis with 1000 gallon capacity tank
with foam capability and extrication equipment. A new, larger mini-pumper is needed so the
2001 mini-pumper can be relegated to replace the 1983 city pumper.
Most vehicle maintenance is done in the garage. One volunteer firefighter is a certified
mechanic while many other volunteers are mechanically inclined. Bowman Sales and Service,
an authorized Ford dealer, does the major repair work on the vehicles. Maintenance expenses for
2013 were $2,563. Fuel expenses were $1,124.
With 24 volunteers on the roster Scranton needs 24 sets of bunker gear. Recently the
department replaced 18 sets of bunker gear. Bunker gear has a life of about ten years. The
department tries to replace half of its bunker gear every five years. Grass suits are not very
popular with the SFD. They were deemed ineffective and so the department relies on bunker
gear even when fighting grass fires.
Pagers are a big expense, costing $500 per unit. They don’t last very long and are
expensive to repair. The department spent $500 in repairing pagers in 2013.
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Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs) were purchased new in 2000-2001 with
FEMA grant funds. At the time they were state of the art. In 2002 they were obsolete, utilizing
steel bottles. Today the department needs ten more SCBAs which cost $5,000 per unit. Lately
there has been a push to use SCBAs while responding to vehicle fires to protect crew members
from the toxic fumes coming off a burning vehicle.
Thermal imaging cameras play an important role in grass fires, especially hay fires. The
camera is used to find hotspots in the hay bales and put it out before it ignites. Hay bales that are
wet begin to rot in the middle which generates heat. The years 2013 and 2014 have been wet
periods with an abundance of hay which will cause more problems in the future. Fighting hay
bale fires is a long process. Bales have to be torn open to address the heat source, and the
increased oxygen can then cause the bale to ignite and spread. Identifying which bales need to
be torn down is made easier with the thermal imaging camera. The current camera needs a new
battery charger.
SUMMARY
The Scranton Fire Department has a young crew and gets very strong support from the
community it serves. Burnout is not much of a problem for the department though some of the
mandated training is a burden to some volunteers who don’t see where it can help them directly.
Many in the department are farmer/ranchers and those few that work in town work in the ag
industry. This makes spring and fall training schools very difficult to attend, with the state fire
school moved from Bismarck to Minot it’s even more difficult. Training sessions in Dickinson
are hard to get to, Minot is nearly impossible. More training and conferences need to come
down to the Highway 12 corridor.
Scranton Fire Department’s coverage area is home to the third largest grain co-op in the
state. Grain elevators are conspicuously explosive under the right conditions. More oil
production is coming to the region, traffic is already increasing, traffic accidents are more
common and a major rail depot handling Bakken crude oil and other volatile liquids is three
miles away from the Scranton Fire Department. More training in containing rail accidents,
vehicle extrication, and hazardous materials is the key to being prepared for the next emergency.
A mini-pumper, a larger grass fire unit with extrication tools, hazardous material gear,
and foam capability are needed in the event of a major oil fire in the area, a rescue truck and ten
more SCBAs are also needed to meet the growing demands in the area. And finally, the paging
system through state radio is terrible, the e-dispatch application is just as bad, messages are
garbled and difficult to understand. Pagers are expensive, don’t last long and don’t deliver a
quality signal.
Overall the department is healthy, well-organized and efficient. It works very hard to
provide for its members and its members work very hard to provide for their community.
Finances are tight here like most rural fire departments. Some more equipment is needed, and a
more efficient delivery system for national training would go a long way. Not everyone
understands the value of some of the nationally mandated training and the additional paperwork
72
and regulations are an extra burden on an all-volunteer department. The national programs are
asking a lot from rural volunteers, some kind of incentive or compensation may help relieve
some of that burden and make the additional requirements more palatable.
73
Scranton Fire Department, Chief Ryan Schumacher 6/27/2014
Coverage Area: 280 square miles
Personnel
On Roster
Active
Volunteer
24
16
Call Volume
2013
through
May 2014
6
Vehicles
Quantity
Grass Units
3
Mini-Pumper
2
Tanker
1
City Pumper
1
Equipment
In Stock
Pagers
24
On Order
On Order
SCBA
20
AAAF: Fire
Suppression Foam
Eqpt Nozzles
Need Additional
1
1
1
23
1
Need to
Replace
1
Bunker Gear
Thermal Imaging
Camera
Increasing every year for last 5 years
Need Replace
Need
Cost Per Unit
often
$400-$500
23
$2,500
10
$5,000
needs new
charger
$24/g
$450-$5000
74
Interview: Bowman Ambulance Squad, Inc.; Jennifer Hestekin
Interview conducted on 6/10/2014
Bowman Ambulance Squad, Inc. (BAS) is a Basic Life Support ground transport service
with Advanced Life Support capability. Most days BAS offers advanced life support service, a
few days each month it can only offer basic life support. It serves a population of 3,531 and a
coverage area of 1,579 square miles (http://www.ndhealth.gov/ems/providermap/, accessed
9/3/2014). BAS covers most of Bowman County, part of Slope County, and part of Harding
County in South Dakota. BAS has written mutual aid agreements with Hettinger Ambulance,
Marmarth Ambulance, and Harding County Ambulance (South Dakota). There is a plan in place
for reimbursement for time when providing aid but there has not been a need to utilize it. In the
case of multiple vehicle accidents or too many victims, whoever is closest to help comes.
BAS has 21 members on its roster, 18 of which are active. Of those 21 members, two are
full time EMTs. One is a full time paramedic. Two are volunteer paramedics. Five are EMT
volunteers; three are inactive EMT volunteers; six are EMR volunteers, and two are drivers.
BAS was adding four more EMTs at the time of this interview. Full time employees cover
shifts Monday through Friday during regular hours. Volunteers cover nights from 5 pm to 7 am
and weekends Friday night through Monday morning. Volunteers are compensated while on call
and get a stipend when making a run. Weekend volunteers get a bonus—a flat payment.
Call volume has been increasing every year since 2011. In 2011 there were 266 calls for
service; 2012 saw 314; in 2013 there were 354 calls for service. As of May 2014, there were 118
calls for service. BAS is averaging 20-25 calls each month. In the past the bulk of the calls were
from the nursing home, bringing patients from the nursing home to the hospital. Now BAS is
seeing lots of medical (heart attack, and stroke for example) calls and a few more trauma calls, as
well as transfers to Bismarck.
Nearly half of the calls for service are transfers. BAS averages ten transfers a month, two
of those go to Dickinson, and one to five are transfers to Rapid City; the rest are to Bismarck. A
transfer to Bismarck means a seven hour trip going 177 miles each way. This mileage takes a
heavy toll on ambulances and personnel.
TRAINING
BAS offers EMT, EMR, and CPR classes to the community of Bowman. It has two
instructors able to train volunteers in house who also go to train crews in Scranton, Amidon, and
Rhame. There is some, though very little, online training available, usually it is used in
conjunction with an in-class practical. Emergency responders are able to pick up a few hours
online but most of the training still requires physical manipulation of some kind.
Last year BAS received Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support Training which is valid for
four years, and participated in a rural trauma development course which involved coordinating
with nurses and doctors that was very beneficial. BAS would like to have that training available
again.
75
BAS also trains with the local fire department in extractions and are certified to use
cutting and extraction tools.
Another valuable training resource is a “Sim Truck” a semi-trailer with equipment to
simulate various emergencies. These trucks come out of Bismarck and Minot to the area to train
personnel. Bowman Ambulance service would also like to see more H2S training in light of the
oil production that has been a continuing presence in the area, and it will be especially useful
if/when oil exploration and production increase.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Bowman County has always had some level of oil production. It is the fifth largest oil
producer in the state. It has recently experienced a modest increase in population. The city of
Bowman is located at the intersection of Highway 85 and Highway 12. Highway 85 is a main
artery to the Bakken formation as well as a transcontinental highway connecting Mexico to
Canada. It is a narrow two lane highway through much of North Dakota and one of the busiest
in the state. Increased traffic in the Bowman area has led to an increase in the number of traffic
accidents and an increase in trauma call volume. The lack of housing north of Bowman is
having a spillover effect in Bowman. More people are staying in campgrounds and in town. The
lack of permanent housing makes it difficult to locate these people in an emergency. Law
Enforcement is always present when an ambulance goes on a call. Lack of housing also makes it
difficult to hire more personnel. This is a major problem throughout the southwest region of
North Dakota.
FINANCIAL
BAS is funded through patient compensation, grants and a 3 mill levy which provides
approximately $26,000 per mill and is shared with Marmarth Ambulance Service based on
population. BAS net revenue in 2013 was $348,922.59 and expenditures were $363,726.32.
Grants and the mil levy are very helpful but BAS is still spending more money that it is taking in.
To compound this problem, BAS needs three more full time paramedics (two at the bare
minimum) to handle the call volume. With additional paramedics BAS could upgrade to an
Advance Life Support ground transport service which would allow it to bill more on runs and
upgrade the level of service to the surrounding communities.
EQUIPMENT
Bowman Ambulance Service has three ambulances: a 2011 Ford, 2009 GMC, and 2001
Ford. The 2011 and 2009 have fewer than 100,000 miles and at current volume are expected to
last another two to three years. The 2001 Ford has 147,000 miles and needs to be replaced. It
would cost $130,000 to remount the box on a new chassis or $145,000 for a new unit. Three
vehicles are sufficient to cover the community at current call volume and population. As
mentioned earlier, an increase in transfers is putting a larger mileage burden on the vehicles.
76
Vehicle maintenance is performed by the local Ford Dealer in Bowman or Northwest
Tire in Dickinson. The GMC goes to the GMC dealer in Bismarck for repairs. $24,000 is
budgeted each year for maintenance though costs are widely variable from year to year. Costs
are trending higher as access to garages is getting more difficult. It has not become a serious
problem yet but it is harder to get service now than in years past.
Medical equipment is also a growing expense as additional equipment is needed and
some equipment needs to be updated. As transfers are becoming increasingly common along
with medical emergencies such as heart attack and stroke, a second Life-Pak 15 is needed. It is
used to transmit 12-Lead ECG data to the destination hospital during transfers. The Life-Pak 15
costs $23,000. BAS needs two power lifts at $15,000 each, two air mattress splints for adults at
$300 each, an IV Fluid warmer costing $1,200 and a second GPS computer for the second
ambulance which costs $2,000. New printers are needed to replace the thermal printers which
are poor quality. Printers are used to print the report for the doctors receiving a patient through
transfer.
A new “sim man” is also needed for training purposes. BAS trains not only its own
volunteers and the volunteers in other small communities in the area but also offers CPR classes
to the community, and so its training mannequin has taken a lot of abuse over the years. A
replacement will cost $10,000-$15,000.
More personal protective equipment is needed, including updating helmets ($100 each)
and HEPA masks ($100) which have a two year shelf life. Two vehicles each have two
decontamination suits (an inactive uranium mine is in the area). Also, the H2S monitors the
BAS currently own have expired and as oil activity continues it is important to have poisonous
gas monitoring capability.
Finally, Bowman Ambulance Service, Inc. needs a new building. BAS has three
ambulances but only two can fit in its garage. A larger facility is needed to handle the vehicles,
provide more space for training and provide living quarters for on-call staff.
SUMMARY
Bowman Ambulance Service has four critical needs: a new building, a new ambulance to
replace an older one, three more full time paramedics, and a Life-Pak 15. Bowman has
experienced a modest increase in population while surrounding communities such as Buffalo,
South Dakota are discussing plans to provide crew-camps for temporary housing, which would
mean more intercepts for the ambulance service. Bowman County also is the fifth largest oil
producer in the state and a major oil pipeline is planned to be run through the area. This means
traffic on Highway 85 and Highway 12 will increase dramatically, if more oil production comes
to the area the population could explode.
BAS is able to offer good training opportunities to its members and the surrounding
community. They are a valuable asset to the communities they serve directly and play a
supporting role to surrounding communities. BAS, like most ambulance services in the region,
is struggling financially, though with additional investment it can improve its financial situation
77
and increase the level of service to the community. There is some uncertainty of the extent of oil
production in Bowman County and there is also uncertainty regarding other development,
particularly the pipeline which may make people cautious to invest, but in order to maintain the
current level of service investments must be made. Housing is a critical issue and lack of
affordable housing makes it very difficult to attract the personnel BAS needs in order to meet the
rising demand for service.
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Bowman County EMS a division of Southwest Health Services in Bowman,
ND
Interview with Jennifer Hestekin 6/10/2014
Coverage Area: 1500 square miles including Bowman County,part of Slope County and Harding County, SD
Bowman EMS is a Basic Life Support Service with ALS capability. ALS capable over 95% of the time.
Staff
Full time Paramedic
1
Volunteer Paramedics
2
Full Time EMT
2
EMT Volunteers
5
EMR Volunteers
Drivers
6
2
Total
18
Call Volume
2011
2012
2013
266
314
354
through
May 2014
118
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Estimated
Cost
2001 Ford
1
1
$145,000
2009 GMC
1
2011 Ford
1
Total
3
Equipment
In Stock
Training Manequin
1
Life Pack 15 (12 Lead
Defibrillator Unit)
Radios
Adding 4
soon
2 Staff are Certified
Instructors
On Order
1
Need
Replace
Additional
Need
1
1
Yearly Vehicle
Maintenance
Cost
$24,000
Estimated Unit
Cost
$15,000
1
$23,000
$3,000/unit
Basic Monthly Resupply
$450
Power Lifts
2
Oxygent Bottle guages
Cooling Pad for Ht Stroke
victims
$15,000$20,000
$100/unit
$400
On Order
Need
Replace
Equipment
In Stock
Decontamination Suits
4
4
HEPA Regulator Masks
Printer
2
1
2
1
Net Revenue:
$348,922.59
Net Expenditures
$363,726.32
Additional
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
4
$100
79
DUNN COUNTY
Interview: Dunn County Emergency Manager, Denise Brew
Interview conducted 6/12/2014
The Dunn County Emergency Manager is responsible for the safety of the county and
works closely with the Sheriff’s Department; the Sheriff is the backup emergency manager. A
major part of the work requires that the county has the proper tools to mitigate a disaster and
foster an efficient recovery. Disaster is a broad term and the role of emergency manager extends
beyond tornado and flood clean up. It also requires investigating hazardous material spills,
monitoring industrial hazards, and public health risks. The emergency manager has a network of
fellow emergency managers and works with Southwest District Health which provides a lot of
support. The southwest region is closely knit and the counties have all benefited from mutual
aid.
In order to be effective before, during, and after an emergency the county needs good
communication. This means access to cell towers as well as informing and educating the public.
The emergency manager is a part time position but it’s a busy one. Dunn County is a rural
county that has had a sudden influx of people and industrial equipment due to increased oil and
gas exploration and production. The county is being overwhelmed by the oil industry and it has
to scramble to maintain its integrity and viability. The county has always been prone to severe
weather. The addition of thousands of people and tons of equipment coupled with oil field
waste, chemicals, and volatile liquids over dirt roads and aging highways multiplies the hazards
exponentially.
During an emergency there is heavy cell phone usage and cellular towers get overloaded
by the volume. Emergency responders need the towers to communicate with one another and an
overloaded tower can mean loss of communication. To rectify this problem the county wants to
use funds for a first responders’ network that would allocate a certain percentage of tower signal
to emergency responder communication. The county also relies on state radio and a phone
paging system as backup.
Before the oil boom informing the public of burn bans was the most pressing issue.
Today the major problems include hazardous material spills, illegal waste water dumping, and
severe weather. Weather has always been a concern but the boom in temporary housing (trailers,
mobile homes and RVs) has made weather a greater concern since many new residents (or guests
since few intend to become permanent residents) have storm shelters. Educating new residents
about weather hazards has been difficult. Many residents from warmer climates are not prepared
for the winter. The emergency manager offers outreach programs to new residents but those are
not well attended. The county is seeing a lot more hungry children than ever before as well.
Social Services is heavily burdened and is seeing more applications for assistance than ever
before. Some companies coming into the area have poor safety and/or environmental records
and have to be checked thoroughly before they can be issued permits to operate in the area.
Oil development is keeping the emergency manager very busy due to spills. In 2007
there were 18 spills of oil and or waste water. In 2012 it was up to 246. In 2013 there were 350
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reported spills in the county. In 2014, by the time of this interview there were three major spills
and the emergency manager is seeing two to three in a day some days. This year 50 barrels of oil
made it into a creek; two spills got the State Health Department involved with oil in the water.
In 2013 there were 17 intentional wastewater dumps discovered in the county. The Sheriff’s
Department spends a lot of time investigating intentional water dumps but the office only has
two officers on patrol at a time.
Dunn County is still an agricultural driven county. The conflict between farmers and
ranchers with the oil industry can be and has been dangerous. Moving equipment and cattle can
create major hazards on the highways. Some traffic control measures are now necessary to
ensure everyone’s safety.
The county needs better communication infrastructure in order to maintain public safety.
Knowledge and communication are the two keys to an effective emergency response. Educating
the public is very important. The new population is vulnerable to severe weather; few new
residents are prepared for North Dakota winters. Emergency notification resources are also
important. For example, the unincorporated community of Manning needs an emergency siren.
The county has begun using “Everbridge” as its new reverse 911 notification system and is
getting residents signed up for “ping4 alerts” a free application implemented by the state for
smart phones that will alert the user to an emergency based on what cellular tower he/she is
receiving a signal from. There is also a weather radar station in Bowman, North Dakota that
serves the region offering advanced warning for severe weather.
The emergency manager is funded through the state and the county and also gets some
financial help from the Emergency Manager Performance Grant (EMPG) through homeland
security. The EMPG funds 50% of the emergency manager’s salary, the state funds the other
half. The county funds the radio budget and other equipment.
In addition to mitigating disasters and coordinating recovery the emergency manager also
helps first responder entities get funding from the state. The emergency manager was
instrumental in getting radios, H2S gas monitors, and pagers for first responders such as the
ambulance and fire department.
The tools the emergency manager uses in a disaster or for disaster recovery include an
emergency vehicle, a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe that is a retired Sheriff’s Department vehicle, that
was having a radio installed at the time of this interview, has a light bar and also serves as a
quick response unit vehicle in a medical emergency (three EMTs work in the courthouse where
the emergency manager’s office is located). The vehicle is also equipped with a full jump kit.
Other equipment includes a computer, radio and other communication equipment.
The influence of the oil industry is keeping the Dunn County Emergency Manager very
busy. Some more equipment, such as a siren for Manning and some more storm shelters, are
needed. The county also needs expanded search and rescue equipment such as boats and a
Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) such as a Ranger 6X6 for search and rescue operations over rugged
terrain.
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Interview: Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Clay Coker
Interview conducted 6/12/2014
Dunn County has had explosive growth over the last five years due to increased oil
activity in the area and the Sheriff’s Department has struggled mightily to keep up with the
demand for service. Four years ago the Sheriff’s Department had the Sheriff and two deputies.
Today the department has the sheriff and 13 deputies and is looking to hire more. Temporary
housing and oil production are driving demand.
The Dunn County Sheriff’s Department has a written mutual aid agreement with the
Southwest Region SWAT team and verbal agreement for search and rescue with the other
counties in the region. Dunn County has two deputies that are also members of the SWAT team.
Dunn County is a 24-hour seven days a week labor market but the people working in
Dunn County don’t necessarily live in Dunn County. Instead they sleep in temporary housing
facilities like those provided by Target Logistics that house 500 people at a time and rotate them
in and out. The county has approximately 3,500 residents but an additional 10,000 people work
and sleep in the area then go back to their permanent residences on their days off.
There were approximately 1,100 producing wells in Dunn County at the time of this
interview. There were 30 drill rigs. Dunn County was projected to have up to 7,000 producing
wells. This increased oil activity has meant an 81% increase in calls to the Sheriff’s Department,
from 3,019 in 2012 to 5,479 in 2013. Traffic citations issued have increased 21% from 1,802 in
2012 to 2,189 in 2013. Arrests have increased 14% going from 231 in 2012 to 264 in 2013.
Citing the Attorney General, Sheriff Coker states there was a 17% increase in crime.
Sheriff Coker states there has not been a large increase in violent crime, most offenses are traffic
or drug related. Traffic through the county is very heavy. Counters on Highway 22 record
20,000 vehicles each day. Local residents are struggling to adjust to the increased traffic.
One explanation offered for the increase in calls to the Sheriff’s Department is there are more
people in the area to witness and report violations taking place. Generally the increase in crime is
a function of more people in the area and not necessarily people committing more crimes.
Traffic is creating problems for some communities. The increased oil traffic is having an
effect on farmers and ranchers. Local ranchers can’t move their cattle as easily as they used to
and during harvest farmers have to deal with increased traffic on the highways making it very
difficult to move equipment from one field to another.
Similar to the Stark County Sheriff’s Department, Dunn County is burdened by long
transfers to the mental health facilities and juvenile detention center in Jamestown, Fargo and
Mandan respectively. Transfers to the Southwest Multi-County Correctional Center in
Dickinson are also time consuming but not as bad. The department averages 200 or more arrests
each year. It takes 25 minutes to get to Dickinson from Manning, the county seat of Dunn
County and the location of the Sheriff’s Department headquarters. Killdeer to Dickinson takes
45 minutes and from Dodge is one hour. All arrests are transferred to Dickinson unless they are
juveniles or require a mental health facility. The region needs both a mental health facility and a
82
juvenile detention center. Arrests reduce the workforce by half. With two people on duty at a
time this can be a considerable burden.
The Dunn County Sheriff’s Department is responsible for 75 square miles of water. The
department needs a ground unit search and rescue squad with water capability. Over the Fourth
of July holiday there were over 60 boats and trucks utilizing the boat ramp in Dunn Center.
PERSONNEL
The Sheriff’s Department is staffed by fourteen sworn officers and two administrative
assistants. There are two officers on the day shift, two on the night shift and a sergeant on the
swing shift. There are five people on duty every 24 hours. Two to three officers are on active
duty 24 hours a day seven days a week. Officers’ shifts run from 6 am to 6 pm and 6 pm to 6
am. The sergeants work 12 hour shifts beginning at noon and midnight. Officers are not asked
to be on-call. In an emergency people will be called in if needed but no one is officially on-call.
There are over 1,000 miles of road in Dunn County and two officers to cover it at a time
24 hours a day. Officers work five days, rest two days, work two days, rest five days so each
officer works seven days and rests seven days in a 14-day period. Officers put in 84 hours each
pay period. Time off is very important and very valuable. It is necessary that officers be well
rested as they have a lot of area to cover and often must work alone. The department needs four
or five more people to meet the increased demands the oil boom is putting on Dunn County.
Ideally the department wants 20 people on staff over the next three to five years. Unfortunately,
there is no room for more staff in the current office. Currently, officers do not patrol a specific
area; there is not enough manpower to dedicate a regular patrol. Two officers have to cover
everything on their shift knowing focusing attention on one area means leaving another area
exposed.
Two major barriers to hiring more people are competing with oil field wages and lack of
affordable housing. To combat the wage differential the department raised wages 15%. Officer
pay is now comparable to other law enforcement agencies in the state. Housing is still a
problem.
Dunn County has no officers in the department who have been in the area for more than
four years. Half of the department personnel have been in Dunn County for less than a year at
the time of this interview. That has also been a challenge for the department since the
community and the officers do not know each other. Communities and law enforcement have
better relationships when both sides know each other.
TRAINING
Training hours are set by the state. Officers must have 60 hours of continuing
education/training every three years to maintain licensure. The Sheriff would like to see his
department focus on more first responder medical emergency training and tactical awareness and
safety. Training is difficult to get to because the department is often short-handed. With a
small department an illness or scheduled leave reduces manpower to where there is no one left to
83
cover for training. People still get to training but it is a burden. New officers require six months
of training before they are eligible to work alone. That includes 12 weeks of basic instruction
and twelve weeks of field training. Officers transferring from out of state still are required to
take four to six weeks of training, including ride along with a field training officer before they
are allowed to work alone.
EQUIPMENT
The department has 13 vehicles; one for each officer. Four are pick-up trucks, two carry
scales to weigh vehicles the others are Chevrolet Tahoes. The oldest vehicles are from 2011 the
newest are 2013. Three vehicles were bought with grants. Two replacement vehicles are on
order. The department tries to replace vehicles after 80,000 miles. Tahoes are preferred vehicles
because they can carry a lot of equipment. Each vehicle has leather restraints which are more
comfortable for prisoners during transport.
Regular maintenance is done by the local service station in Manning. Bigger repairs are
sent to the first available garage. Dickinson Tire and Sax Motor Company both service the
department’s vehicles. Electronic equipment was being sent to Bismarck but there were long
wait times. The department tries to use local businesses as much as possible. Kohler
Communications in Dickinson is starting to see some department business. Minot also installs
and repairs some of the vehicle electronics.
FINANCES
In 2013 the department replaced two vehicles for $140,000. It spent another $35,000 for
parts and $10,000 for tires for a total $185,000 on vehicles. Other equipment such as
ammunition, personal protective equipment and radios cost about $75,000. Office supplies and
equipment cost $18,000 in 2013. With salaries expenditures were about $1.1 million in 2013.
The department collected $1,050,772.75 in fines and fees in 2013 and was awarded $582,184.00
in grants.
The department needs good salaries to keep good people. This means 5 to 15 percent
annual salary raises. The department feels that good wages, excellent equipment and good
working conditions will attract the highest quality personnel. Due to the challenges the county is
facing as it deals with the problems associated with rapid industrial growth it needs high quality
personnel.
SUMMARY
Dunn County Sheriff’s Department needs to keep paying good wages to retain and recruit
high quality personnel. There is a lack of infrastructure and a high call volume that will turn
away the best candidates without good wages and affordable housing. More personnel are
needed as well. Currently two officers patrol over 1,000 square miles at a time. This was
workable before oil drilling and production exploded across the region but currently there are too
few officers to cover too much area to be effective. Illegal dumping and vehicle weight
84
restrictions are destroying roads and grasslands. More patrols are needed to protect the county
from industrial hazards.
The department feels more tactical shooter training and more medical training are
important to maintain effectiveness in the field. Each officer has been issued gunshot trauma
kits. More drug interdiction training is also in high demand as the county is inundated with
temporary workers making tremendous amounts of money with few resources to invest in or
recreational opportunities. The lack of infrastructure and affordable housing mean drugs and
alcohol are the key expenditure for many people which is making the job more difficult for the
department and further undermining public safety.
Not only the small communities but the roads are also taking a beating by the increased
activity in the region. The department needs more vehicle weight enforcement to deter
commercial drivers from driving with unsafe loads. The department often works with the
Department of Transportation.
The department is well-equipped, generally but it has 70 square miles of water it also has
to cover and no boats. More water resources are needed. The Dickinson Rural Fire Department
does have a water rescue unit but the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department sees a need for law
enforcement presence on the water and around the boat docks as well.
Due to the large amount of call volume the department receives a dispatch center would
be helpful. According to Sheriff Coker 40% of the dispatch volume out of Bismarck goes to
Dunn and McKenzie Counties.
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Dunn County Sheriff's Dept
Interview with Sheriff Clayton Coker 6/12/2014
Personnel
Full time
Part time
Office Staff
Call Volume
Traffic Citations
Warning Tickets
Arrests
Total Calls
Traffic Stops
Fatal Accidents
Injury Accidents
Property Accidents
Total Accidents
Reckless Driving Reports
Traffic Hazards
Assaults
Sexual Assaults
Thefts
Vandalism
Domestic Disputes
Bar Calls
Fees and Fines Collected
Grant Awards
$1,050,772.75
$582,184.00
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Cheverolet Tahoe
Pickup Trucks
Vehicle Costs
Vehicle Replacement (2)
Fuel, Maintenance costs
9
4
2013
$140,000
$35,000
2
14
2
2012
1,802
616
231
5,920
Additional Needed
5
2013
2, 189
532
264
7,010
3,032
2
39
217
258
327
240
5
1
27
8
67
66
Need to
Replace
Need
Replacement
cost
$70,000
Vehicle Costs (cont.)
Tires
Equipment
Officer's Equipment
(Ammo, Radios, PPE,
etc.)
Office Equipment
Office Supplies
$10,000
$75,000
$3,000
$15,000
86
Interview: Killdeer Police Department, Officer Scott Wilson
Interview Conducted 7/7/2014
Killdeer Police Department is dealing with a rapidly increasing population coupled with a
dramatic rise in traffic since the oil boom began. There are 8,000 vehicles passing through
Killdeer every day. Killdeer sits at the junction of Highway 22 running north and south and
Highway 200 running east to west. Both are avenues into the oil fields.
Killdeer is seeing more trailer parks being built throughout the city and expects a large
population increase to follow. The last census counted 750 residents. The number of water
hookups suggests a population of 1,500. Killdeer recently annexed 365 acres of surrounding
area. That area is zoned for single and multi-family dwellings and some commercial properties.
There are 27 counties participating in the State 911 dispatch system. McKenzie and
Dunn Counties make up 40% of the volume. In 2010 there were 168 calls for service to the
department; 2011 had 184 calls for service, and in 2012 there were 334 calls. By November
2013, there were 653 calls for service, and through June of 2014, there were 355 calls for service
to the police department. The department expects to average about 700 calls for service each
year. That is not factoring in population increases.
Killdeer is seeing a lot of child custody issues, fights, domestic violence and drug
offenses. Many people are living in small RVs or trailers. This may be a contributing factor in
assault calls and domestic violence; people are packed too tightly together and violence erupts.
The drug related offenses are changing. Harder drugs and larger amounts are being seen in the
area than in the past. The city is housing more sex offenders than in the past. Each state has a
different classification system for its sex offenders, translating those into North Dakota’s
classification is time consuming and there is an increasing backlog. Finally, traffic complaints
are very high. The department hired two more officers but one dropped out. The police chief
and another officer quit a week or two before this interview.
The Killdeer Police Department works closely with the Dunn County Sheriff’s
Department and uses either the Dunn County Sheriff or BCI for help on major crimes. Killdeer
is becoming busier and there is more ethnic diversity than ever before. The challenge for the
police department is the shift from everyone knowing everyone else in the community to no one
knows anyone. In 2012 the community was closely knit and everyone was familiar. Today that
is no longer true.
PERSONNEL
Killdeer Police Department requires a minimum of four full time officers to run
smoothly. At the time of this interview it had two. The police chief recently quit the job after 31
years (not all in Killdeer) citing lack of funding. The remaining officers, both of them, are very
busy. Hiring more officers is time consuming. Killdeer has little or no affordable housing.
Officers’ wages are well below what can be made working for the oil industry and organized
crime, specifically drug cartels, is growing throughout the area. The department needs at least
two more full time officers. Four part time officers would also help. Even with four officers the
87
department could not provide 24 hour coverage, however. Officers on day shift are on duty from
8 am to 5 pm and on call from 5 pm to 5 am. The night shift is on duty from 5 pm to 2 am.
FINANCIAL
The Killdeer Police Department (KPD) is funded through city taxes, oil impact grants and
the Attorney General grant that comes out of the state’s general fund. Killdeer is a four person
department with two officers. In 2009 the department’s expenses were about $100,000. In 2012
expenses came to $376,000. In 2013 expenditures dropped to $224,000. Expenditures are
expected to rise in 2014 as the department added one officer and one vehicle.
KPD tries to offer a competitive salary and provides full benefits. Killdeer was one of
the top paying departments in the state for law enforcement but other communities have been
catching up. Being competitive with other law enforcement agencies is not the same as being
competitive with other industries. Law enforcement is not the only entity putting pressure on the
city budget for funding, either. The city of Killdeer is facing a lot of challenges in its effort to
support the police department.
TRAINING
Before the department became critically short-handed, training was widely available and
easily accessible. That is no longer true. There are not enough officers to allow anyone time off
to go to training. The types of training are changing. There is now more demand for street
survival training as drug cartels are moving into the area and reports are coming in of the cartels
gathering information on local officers.
EQUIPMENT
The police department has four vehicles in its fleet. All were purchased recently with oil
impact grant funds and are expected to last four to five years. The fleet includes two 2013
Chevrolet Tahoe, one 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe, and a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. Each
vehicle costs approximately $90,000 with the police package installed.
The department has four “Toughbook” laptop computers on order at the time of this
interview since the new in car cameras the department bought don’t work with the previous in
car computers. Four laptops with printers and four in car cameras cost $70,000 altogether. New
radios and reader cost $8,400. The cost to replace expired ballistic vests was $5,000.
Vehicle maintenance costs in 2012 were $19,000. Maintenance costs in 2013 were
$14,000. Major repairs are sent to the Chevrolet Dealer in Bismarck and regular maintenance is
performed at local garages in Killdeer. Electronics repair is sent to Bismarck. Electronic repairs
have been taking multiple days which is very frustrating for the department. Kohler
Communications in Dickinson has been considered as an alternative but Kohler is very busy and
lacks the capacity handle KPD’s equipment. Still, the department is not happy with the
electronic communication service in Bismarck. There is a strong demand for electronics
88
installation in the area. Outside of electronics, the vehicles are being serviced in a timely
manner.
SUMMARY
The city of Killdeer is growing rapidly and the impact of the oil boom is felt strongly.
Traffic and crime, including hard drugs and drug cartels, are increasing along with the
population. Housing shortages are making it more difficult for law enforcement to work
effectively. Financial shortages are compounding the problem. Killdeer Police Department has
two officers and it needs four. Wages and equipment costs have overwhelmed the budget as the
demand for services have leveled out at a still overwhelming 700 calls per year. The population
will continue to grow. Killdeer annexed another ½ square mile for housing and commercial
development and trailer parks are mushrooming throughout the city.
When law enforcement reaches its full strength it is likely it will need a larger office.
The city needs a bigger city hall and some accommodation will need to be made if the police
department continues to share the building. The severity of the boom and its impacts on Killdeer
are not as bad as they were in 2012. There is a feeling that the volume is no longer rising but
staying steady. The severity of the crisis feels lessened but Killdeer is still in crisis.
Killdeer Police Department needs more space. It needs a larger department. Four people
would be enough to handle the volume today. As the population increased with the additional
land and the housing that is planned to go with it more officers will be needed. The department
needs an administrative assistant and it needs a police chief. A police chief will alleviate much
of the burden placed on the officers today.
Housing is critically short. The city has plans to build housing for police and teachers.
The cost of living in the area is prohibitively expensive making it very difficult to live in
Killdeer. The lack of infrastructure and amenities also make it hard to attract and retain
employees.
89
Killdeer Police
Department
Interview: Officer Scott Wilson, 7/7/2014
Full time
2
Additional
Needed
2
Call Volume
2012
2013
Calls For Serice
Murder/Non-Negligent
Homicide
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Larceny/Theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
Total Index offenses
334
653
0
0
2
0
0
2
11
3
18
0
0
0
0
4
1
5
Vehicles
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need
2012 Chevrolet Tahoe
2013 Chevrolet Tahoe
2014 Chevrolet Silverado
1
2
1
Vehicle Costs
2010
2,011
2,012
2013
Maintenance
No data
Quantity
19,000
Additional
needed
14,000
Equipment
No data
Need to
Replace
0
0
Personnel
Computer, printer laptop, in
car camera package
Radios and Reader
Ballistic Vests replaced
4
through
June 2014
355
Replacement
cost
$90,000.00
$90,000.00
$90,000.00
Through
April 2014
No data
Total Cost
$70,000.00
$8,400
$5,000
90
Interview: Halliday Rural Fire Protection District, Chief Robert J. Bogers
Interview conducted 7/11/2014
Halliday serves an area of about 900 square miles. Halliday is a small rural community
located in Dunn County and serves as a stopping point on the way to Lake Sakakawea, a popular
recreation destination for boaters and campers. With the increased oil activity in the area the
roads are full of commercial and recreational vehicles and equipment.
Halliday has mutual aid agreements with the West Dunn Fire Protection District (which
includes Killdeer, Dunn Center), the city of Golden Valley, and Richardton Fire Protection
District. Halliday is extrication and rescue certified and trained in hazardous materials
awareness.
Call volume in the district has increased with the increased oil activity. Traffic related
incidents, particularly truck roll-overs with minor spills are now one of the most common types
of call. Before the recent oil activity there were no such accidents. Roll-over spills only became
common two to three years ago. Call volume has been variable the past three years with 2012
being the busiest with approximately 40-45 calls; 2013 was quieter with only about 35 calls
between fires and rescues. Both are a big jump since 2011 which was seeing an average of 20 to
25 calls per year. The reason for this increased call volume is there are more commercial trucks
on the road than ever before and there is a dramatic increase in oil production resulting in an
increase in oil related incidents.
PERSONNEL
Halliday Rural Fire Protection District has 25 members on its roster, five or six of those
members are very active, making every meeting and virtually every call. The volunteers range in
age from 21 to 60 years old. Over the last two years six people were added to the department,
the oldest of those was 33. Chief Bogers is confident that the department members will be able
to serve the community for many years to come. A couple volunteers work in the oil field and it
is difficult for all of the crew to be available during the day as many work out of town. In the
evenings and late afternoons coverage gets better, but daytime coverage can be hard to meet.
FINANCES
The department receives tax dollars from its district. As an all-volunteer membership no
wages are paid and there are no benefits offered to the volunteers. Training is paid for by the
department and the department supplies all personal protection equipment.
TRAINING
Halliday wants more chemical fire training and more oil fire training. There is not much
training in chemical or oil fires available right now. The state fire school is the primary source
of training for the department but it isn’t easy to get to and is very expensive in terms of time for
the volunteers and compensation from the department. Dickinson offers a regional training once
each year but that is also hard for some members to get to. If Dickinson held regional trainings
91
three or four times a year that would make it much easier for Halliday to send its members.
Halliday has one certified extrication instructor. Any other specialized training must be sought
outside of the department.
EQUIPMENT
Halliday has seven vehicles in its fleet and has ordered another, a grass unit. It needs a
larger building to handle its fleet. Modern vehicles keep getting larger, but the garage stays the
same size. HFPD has a parcel of land and has received some money for the new building and it
is working out some more legal details before construction begins.
The vehicles in the Halliday fleet include a 1967 pumper that needs to be replaced, a
1972 pumper, and a 2011 pumper. It also has a 1999 grass unit and a 2012 grass unit. It has a
2011 rescue truck and a 2014 tanker.
Maintenance is done in house by two volunteers. Major repairs get sent to Bismarck.
Scheduled maintenance costs average $8,000 to $10,000 dollars each year and include fuel costs.
The department has not had any problems servicing its fleet quickly. Its ambulances, a 2011 and
a 2013 which also share the building with the fire department, do have some problems with
service. One ambulance spent two weeks getting fixed in Bismarck only to return and still have
a problem. In comparison the fire department has been very fortunate. Access to vehicle service
out of town is situational and variable. The fire department has not had any major problems yet.
Personal protection equipment is in mixed condition. The department has 26 sets of
bunker gear that were all purchased within the last three to four years. Grass suits are in short
supply, however. The current inventory of grass suits need to be replaced. Fifteen to eighteen
grass suits are needed at an estimated cost of $200 per set. Grass suits cost $190 five to six years
ago. Halliday has ten SCBA units on hand. Four units are two to three years old, the rest need to
be replaced at a cost of approximately $5,000 per unit. Six spare bottles also need to be
replaced.
SUMMARY
The department is well staffed with 25 volunteers, the most the district has ever had. The
age of the department is a balanced mix of new and experienced volunteers that will ensure a
healthy department for many years provided the community can continue to support them.
Halliday is a quiet rural community close to wonderful natural amenities that many people find
attractive, suggesting there is enough in the area to keep people from moving away.
Financially the district is stable. It needs a lot of money to replace its personal protection
equipment, replace a pumper and add a grass unit, and the new building will be a considerable
drain on the budget. More grants will be needed to meet those needs.
More regional training with a focus on chemical spills/fires, oil fires, and train
accidents/fires is sought. These are hazards that are increasing throughout the region.
92
With more funding to complete the building project underway and the replacement of
some vehicles, and more training, Halliday will be well poised to handle the challenges the
increased oil activity is bringing to the region. The department is ready for the challenges that
the growing oil industry is bringing to the area and will put additional funding to good use.
93
Halliday Fire Protection District
Chief Robert J. Bogers
7/11/2014
Coverage area: 900 square
miles
Certified extrication and
rescue
More personnel
needed
Personnel
Volunteers
25
Active Members
6*
* can make
every call
Call Volume
2011
2012
25
45
Truck roll-overs and spills are most common call
Vehicles by
Quantity
On Order
Type
Grass Unit
1
1967 Pumper
1
1972 Pumper
1
2011 Pumper
1
1999 Grass Unit
1
2012 Grass unit
1
2011 Rescue
1
Truck
2014 Tanker
1
Totals:
7
1
Equipment
Bunker Gear
w/helmets,
boots
Wildland Fire
Protection
Wear
SCBA
SCBA Bottles
In Stock
On Order
2013
35
Need to
Replace
Need Add.
Estimated Unit
Cost
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
1
1
Need
Replace
26
$2,500
26
18
$200
10
6
6
$5,000
94
Interview West Dunn Fire Protection District, Chief Chuck Muscha
Interview conducted 7/9/2014
The West Dunn Fire Department (WDFD) encompasses Killdeer, Manning and Dunn
Center and covers approximately 1,000 square miles. It has verbal mutual aid agreements with
Halliday, Richardton, and Dickinson with 21 volunteers stationed in Killdeer and 15 in Dunn
Center for a total of 36 members in the department. WDFD is certified in rescue operations and
has hazardous materials awareness training.
Call volume has stayed steady the last few years with 61 calls in 2011, 59 in 2012 and 60
in 2013; 2014 has been a wet year so the bulk of calls have been “non-calls” (a tripped alarm or
other non-threatening event) and accident rescues. Accidents have been the majority of calls this
year.
One aspect of the oil boom that is affecting WDFD is locating the emergency. In the
event of an emergency at a well site, navigation is sometimes a problem; a new road built out to
the site may not be updated on the map. There is often confusion as to how to get to the site.
For grass fires it is usually easy to figure out where the emergency is; the billowing smoke and
flames are usually a good indication of a problem. On a well site the emergency is not always so
visible. More needs to be done to make sure emergency personnel can find a well site in the
event of an emergency.
Well sites are hard to find sometimes, but the role of rural fire departments is one of
containment rather than suppression. Oil field safety has increased dramatically, Fire Chief
Chuck Muscha explains, but the heavy fire fighting should be left to the oil companies to handle,
the same way that airports have their own firefighters. Local departments just don’t have the
resources to handle a major fire; there is not enough foam in any department to fight an oil field
fire, its best to let it burn itself out. Chief Muscha suggests the area has been very fortunate that
there has not been a major oil field fire yet, and that it is only a matter of time before one
happens. Lightning strikes on tanks can have a devastating effect and are a major source of fires.
Fiberglass tanks alone don’t conduct electricity but salt on the outside of the tank can make the
tanks very conductive. Steps need to be taken to insure saltwater disposal tanks are properly
insulated and grounded in the event of a lighting strike.
PERSONNEL
The West Dunn Fire Department can field 36 volunteers. Its maximum capacity is 40.
The department shrank a bit about four years ago. Eight to ten volunteers can be counted on to
show up for every call. Half of the department works in the oil fields and so are not available for
every call. Very few volunteers work in the city anymore, making fast response times difficult.
95
FINANCES
The West Dunn Fire Department, formed as a fire protection district, receives tax revenue
from the county. The mill levy was recently raised to six or seven mills which amounts to
approximately $200,000. The department is all volunteer and there are no benefits.
TRAINING
Vehicle extrication and well site training have been the focus of the department as the
majority of its call volume stems from accidents and calls to well sites. As well pads get bigger
the amount of equipment and the danger rises significantly. WDFD does not have the resources
to handle a major oil field fire.
EQUIPMENT
Chief Muscha says the West Dunn Fire Department in the last five years is the best
equipped it has ever been. Water is abundant in the area and water haulers are quick to help
when needed. Some vehicles need to be replaced. Killdeer has three grass trucks, three pumpers,
three tankers and one rescue rig. Dunn Center has one grass truck, one tanker and one pumper.
Six vehicles need to be replaced. One, a quick attack truck has recently been built and
added to the fleet in Dunn Center. Four grass trucks costing $120,000 each need to be replaced
as well as one pumper and one tanker. The department is working to replace the pumper this
year and replacing one of the grass trucks next year.
Fleet maintenance is done locally when possible, for pumps and other technical
equipment a contractor comes to Killdeer to service the equipment. Maintenance costs are
widely variable, this year a breakdown cost the department $3,000. This year has been a good
year for maintenance so far. Fuel costs are higher than maintenance costs this year. Fuel costs
are also widely variable depending on the location and nature of the call. If the department sends
five or six trucks the fuel costs for that call fuel may cost $400 though it varies widely.
The department has 40 sets each of grass gear and bunker gear, all have been replaced
within the last five years. The grass and bunker gear is now expected to last about eight years
before it needs to be replaced. Grants have gone a long way in keeping the personal protective
equipment updated.
Air-Paks have recently been upgraded. The department has 22 Air-Paks, all of them are
state of the art with “all the latest bells and whistles”. The new packs are more user friendly than
older models. Overall the department is well stocked and the equipment is in good condition.
SUMMARY
Regarding personnel, Chief Muscha says “we are holding our own”. The department has
enough people to meet the demand for service though two to three more people who can be
available 50% of the time would be a great relief to the department. A few more volunteers, a
96
waiting list of people wanting to join would also be helpful. The department is covered but its
lean, a little fat would help. Financially, the chief says the department is better off than it has
ever been. Operating costs are very high but overall the department is moving in the right
direction. For the first time the department has enough money to do long term planning,
budgeting for trucks and gear with a clear time line describing what can be purchased when.
“The county has been very good to us,” Chief Muscha says. The department receives a lot of
support from the county. Oil field calls are increasing but the department is seeing an increase in
the amount of support it receives so it is balancing out. The department is looking to replace six
vehicles over the next few years, primarily replacing vehicles as they can. The grass rigs are still
working but need to be replaced to keep maintenance costs in check. Training has focused more
on oil field hazards and the oil companies have worked with the department to offer more
training opportunities.
97
West Dunn Fire Protection District
Interview with Chief Chuck Muscha
7/9/2014
Coverage Area: 1000 miles (approx.)
Certified Rescue Unit
Vols that
Personnel
can make
every call
More
personnel
needed
Volunteers
36
8
4
Call Volume
2011
2012
2013
61
59
Need to
Replace
4
1
1
60
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
Grass Trucks
Pumpers
Tankers
Rescue Rig
Quick Attack
Truck
Total
4
4
4
1
14
6
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Bunker Gear
w/helmets, boots
Wildland Fire
Protection Wear
SCBA
SCBA Bottles
Jaws of Life
AAAF: Fire
Suppression Foam
Equipment
Nozzles
Need Add.
Last two years
have been
wet.
Unit Cost
$120,000.00
1
40
Need Replace
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
$2,000
40
22
1
$4,000
$800
$17,500
$20-24/gallon
(variable)
$450-$5,000
98
Interview: Killdeer EMS, Ann Hafner Paramedic Manager
Interview conducted: 6/30/2014
Killdeer Emergency Medical Services (KEMS) is an Advanced Life Support (ground
transport) service. It covers approximately 1,200 square miles, covering large and small parts of
three counties (Dunn, Billings, McKenzie) and the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. On June 1,
2014, 211 square miles were added to the coverage area. The North Dakota Department of health
states KEMS serves a population of 1,935 and an area of 956 square miles. Adding in the
additional coverage area gives a total area of 1,167 square miles
(http://www.ndhealth.gov/ems/providermap/, accessed 9/2/2014). The population figure does
not count the crew camps and temporary residents in the area, nor does it accurately count other
fluid populations.
PERSONNEL
KEMS has 24 volunteers and 11 paid positions. Many of the staff live outside of
Killdeer. Crew members come from Beulah, Bismarck, Zap, Garrison, and Amidon to
work/volunteer in Killdeer.
According to the North Dakota Department of Health Division of Emergency Medical
Services Killdeer Area Ambulance Service roster as of 6/30/2014, KEMS has six paramedics
listed. All paramedics are paid positions. Five EMTs have paid positions. There are two EMT-I
volunteers. Three are EMT volunteers. One is an EMT-B volunteer. Nine are EMR volunteers.
The remaining volunteers are drivers or not yet certified.
Ambulance crews answer calls with a minimum of three people: one paramedic, one
EMT, and one driver. Law Enforcement follow on every call. Paid staff work 12-48 hour shifts.
Volunteers inform the Ambulance Chief of their availability and are scheduled accordingly.
Service is provided 24 hours a day seven days a week. More people are needed to handle the
volume of calls being taken.
CALL VOLUME
In 2006, KEMS responded to 56 calls. The number of calls has risen every year since,
more than doubling in 2007 to 116; 2008 saw 129 calls for service. In 2009, call volume
dropped to 114, then in 2010 it jumped to 174; 2011 broke at 200, and 2012 skyrocketed to 288
while 2013 ended at 313 calls for service. The number of burn victims increased dramatically in
2014 with at least eight by June, all of them oilfield related. Before the oil boom burn victims
were very rare. Trauma and cardiac arrest are the two most frequent types of calls. Any critical
patients—particularly severe trauma or heart attack—over 30 minutes from the hospital will be
air lifted by Med Flight.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The KEMS coverage area is large and there are no hospitals in the area. Some patients
are 1.5 hours away from the nearest hospital. Oil sites are mobile and hard to find. Fluid
99
emergency locations make it very difficult to reach victims in a timely manner. Some people die
because they are too far away from a hospital. Until April 2014 there was no AED (Automated
External Defibrillator) in Grassy Butte. Every ambulance call for service takes 45 minutes to
two hours minimum. On average a call takes three hours. There is no hospital between
Dickinson and Minot. These realities make it very difficult for emergency medical responders to
save lives. Many calls are out in rural areas on muddy roads and it is easy to go in the ditch.
KEMS is recruiting commercial driver’s license holders to volunteer as drivers.
Killdeer EMS has written mutual aid agreements with the surrounding ambulance
services including Dickinson Ambulance Service, McKenzie County, New Town, Mercer
County, and Billings County. There is no financial obligation by either party in any of these
agreements, however.
Killdeer has a critical shortage of infrastructure. There is currently no housing available
for new full time personnel. A projected 200 units of housing are being built north of Killdeer.
This may alleviate some of the housing pressure though it will likely increase the call volume for
emergency personnel. Currently a trailer in a nice trailer park rents for $1,800 a month. A four
bedroom trailer in Killdeer rents for $2,450 a month. The mortgage on a modest home can be as
low as $600 per month elsewhere. Wages for paid emergency medical personnel cannot
compete with housing costs. There is a dis-incentive to live in Killdeer. “No one wants to live
in Killdeer,” Hafner explains. Killdeer has no doctor and no grocery stores available on
Sundays. There is no urgent care or emergency care available in Killdeer. The nearest hospital
is Dickinson, 35-50 minutes away depending on traffic. There is no dentist. There is not
enough daycare. There are no community support programs for patient recovery. Killdeer has a
medical clinic that keeps office hours Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends. KEMS
needs more full time paramedics and more flexible volunteers. There is very little to attract
people to live in the area. Housing is unavailable or unaffordable. The lack of child care also
severely limits people’s options.
Killdeer sits at the intersection of Highways 22 and 200. A round-about had been
constructed at this intersection in the fall of 2012. This has been of tremendous benefit,
mitigating some of the congestion at this intersection. Still, traffic in Killdeer is a major issue
and is the cause of many accidents in the area
.
The permanent resident population in Killdeer is aging. Housing costs make settling in
Killdeer extremely difficult. The growing majority of residents are temporary, living in crew
camps and hotels. The pool of medically trained personnel and motivated volunteers with a
sense of community spirit from which KEMS can draw upon to meet demand is shrinking.
TRAINING
Training requirements have changed and some volunteers are hard pressed to meet them.
The training hours are the same but the types of training required have changed. The difficulty
lies in getting the specific number of hours in each category. The training needed is hard to find
and volunteers have a harder time finding the time to train when it is available. There are five
emergency medical responder conferences throughout the state each year. These conferences
100
offer a wide variety of training but they require time away from work and family, which many
volunteers cannot easily afford.
While not much training is easily available a lot of training is done on the job. KEMS is
at the forefront of oilfield trauma. KEMS is seeing calls for vehicle accidents, particularly truck
roll overs, burns, as well as a lot of heart attacks. KEMS would like to get more oilfield-specific
training but there is very little available.
FINANCIAL
KEMS is supported by a 5.6 mill levy, grants, and donations from the community. Costs
rose rapidly with the demand for service but the tax base has not grown as fast. Grants are often
awarded to buy equipment, not to cover the daily bills. Grants are awarded on a competitive
basis, which sometimes means the best grant writer wins.
Five years ago the ambulance service budget was set at about $50,000. It has grown
considerably since then and still costs are out pacing funds. The budget doubled from $300,000
in 2013 to $600,000 in 2014. Despite the increase in funds, Chief Hafner expects the budget to
be short this year. There were a lot of big expenses in 2014, including hiring an additional
paramedic. In March, KEMS had to swallow a $700 electric bill after the Ambulance service
moved into its own building, before that it shared space with the Killdeer Fire Department. The
building cost $805,000; much of the cost was due to inflated prices as a result of the oil activity
in the area. The city of Killdeer helped secure and pay for the property but it was still a big
financial burden. Additional costs include offering a stipend to volunteers. Volunteers are
compensated $2.00 per hour while on call. Volunteers earn less than $10,000/year. Two
volunteers leave work to take calls. KEMS cannot afford to offer volunteers medical insurance
coverage. All training is paid for by KEMS through a fund set up specifically for training costs.
Each paramedic costs $600-$800 per year for training. In addition, eight members participated
in Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support Training (PHTLS) which cost $175 per person in 2014.
Vehicle costs, particularly repairs and replacement, have been a tremendous financial
burden. KEMS lost one ambulance, a 1995 Ford, to a blown engine in May. Another
ambulance, a 2005 Ford, needs to be replaced. It has 110,000 miles on it and is having electrical
problems. It is hoped the 2005 will make it one more year before being replaced. Another
ambulance bought in 2012 sells for $230,000 but KEMS bought a demonstration model for
$187,000. In sum, KEMS needs two new ambulances which will total $400,000. It currently is
borrowing an ambulance from Dickinson EMS while the 2005 is being repaired.
The fluid population makes collecting bills difficult. KEMS had to write off $100,000 in
unpaid bills in 2013. The hospital does not compensate the ambulance service for transport.
EQUIPMENT
The Killdeer Ambulance service has three ambulances, two are to be replaced. As stated
earlier, one (1995) has a blown engine and is completely out of service. The box from the
ambulance is being fitted onto a new chassis at a cost of approximately $150,000. A second
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(2005) has 110,000 miles on it and is in the shop having an electrical problem fixed. It is
expected to last one more year before it is taken out of service. Dickinson ambulance service has
provided the use of one of its ambulances while the 2005 is being repaired. The third ambulance
is a 2012 Ford F-550 with 23,000 miles on it at the time of this interview. It was a demo vehicle
and so only cost $187,000 but would cost $220-230,000 to replace. It is the primary vehicle.
All vehicles are four wheel drive. Four wheel drive vehicles are more expensive but are a
necessity in this region of long drives on muddy dirt roads. Bad roads take a serious toll on
ambulances. Because of the age of the fleet, maintenance costs are high. Killdeer garages are
very busy and it is difficult to get timely service. A local mechanic does light maintenance on
the vehicles but heavy repairs are sent to Dickinson. This takes the ambulance out of service for
long periods of time and it takes away valuable personnel who must transport the vehicle to
Dickinson. Across the region maintenance costs are increasing while available mechanics and
access to garages are decreasing. Often maintenance on vehicles is taking longer than expected.
KEMS recently received a $20,000 donation from a Killdeer resident which allowed
them to buy a piece of medical equipment, but more is needed. State grants allowed KEMS to
buy a Life-Pak—the state bought one for each Ambulance service in the state. Killdeer has one
old Life-Pak that needs to be replaced, so it needs two more Life-Paks which cost $30,000 each.
Advanced Life Support equipment is needed for a second rig. Half of the crew have EMS
turnout gear which includes a fluid resistant jacket and pants and cost $200 per set. Everyone
must buy their own boots. Medical supplies cost approximately $1,500 per month to maintain
supply. Currently KEMS is meeting the demand, “it’s difficult but we’re doing it” Hafner says.
KEMS will need a total of $75,000 to $100,000 in medical equipment within the next two to
three years.
SUMMARY
Killdeer Emergency Medical Service needs more local people with flexible schedules to
work as volunteers. It also needs more housing for full time personnel that may be hired.
Whether there is housing for more full time paid positions or not, more funding is needed. Two
ambulances need to be replaced costing a total of $400,000. Additional medical equipment is
projected to cost $75,000-$100,000 in the next two to three years, included in that projection is
the addition of two AED Life-Pak units.
Personnel are well trained and training is up to date but volunteers struggle to meet the
new training format demands. The rise in trauma due to increased traffic and other oil field
related accidents means the Killdeer Ambulance crew is gaining a lot of experience on the job.
Conferences offer a lot of good training but are very expensive for volunteers since they must
take time from work and from their families to attend them. Ambulance personnel are hard
pressed to keep up with demand but burnout is not yet a problem—though as demand rises so too
does the chance for burnout.
A medical facility that can handle emergencies 24/7 in or around Killdeer, more
affordable housing, a grocery store that is open on weekends, perhaps a dentist are all things that
would be nice to have in Killdeer and would go a long way in improving the lives of Dunn
102
County residents. What is needed right now is more funding, more personnel, and better
infrastructure.
103
Killdeer EMS
Interview: Ann Hafner, Paramedic Manager 6/30/2014
Coverage Area: 1,200 square
miles
Advanced Life Support (ground transport)
More
Staff
35
needed
FT Paramedics
6
FT EMT
5
Vol. EMT-I
2
Vol. EMT-B
1
Vol. Drivers
12
Vol. EMR
9
Call Volume
2009
2010
114
174
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
1995 Ambulance
1
1
2005 Ambulance
1
2012 Ford F-550
1
Equipment
In Stock
Training Mannequin
1
IV Training Arms
Lucas Devices
Life Pack 15 (12
Lead Defibrillator
Unit)
Power Gurney
Radios
Basic Monthly
Resupply
1
EMS Turnout Gear
18
2
2011
200
Need to
Replace
2012
288
Estimated
Cost
1
$150,000
1
On Order
2013
313
replacing the
chassis
has 110,000 miles
$230,000
Demo model:
$187,000
Need
Replace
Additional
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
1
1
$30,000
$1,500
17
$200
104
GOLDEN VALLEY
Interview: Golden Valley County Emergency Manager, Brenda Frieze
Interview conducted 5/29/2014
The Golden Valley County Emergency Manager’s role is to facilitate and coordinate extra
assistance in an emergency; maintain emergency plans, and ensure residents are notified of an
emergency. This is a part time position in Golden Valley County. If the oil and gas industry
continue to develop as projected the emergency manager position will need to be expanded to
full time.
The county’s emergency manager position gets half of its funding from county tax
revenues and half from the state Department of Emergency Services based in Bismarck. It has
an operating budget of about $18,000. That covers wages and the code red emergency
notification system, a kind of reverse 911 program.
The risks to Golden Valley County are changing as oil and gas exploration and
production increase in the region. There are more people in the area who have fluid residency.
A lack of permanent housing makes it difficult to notify people in an emergency. It is also
difficult to assess the population. The census counts permanent residents, not those who live
here temporarily.
Traffic has increased significantly since the increased oil activity in the region and so has
crime. The crime rate doubled from March 2012 to March 2013 according to the emergency
manager. Beach, the county seat of Golden Valley County, does not have a jail. All prisoners
must be transported to Dickinson which is taxing law enforcement.
The county is also seeing more hazardous material spills, higher volume of traffic
accidents, and more work place accidents, particularly oil field related trauma such as falls and
amputation injuries. EMS response is limited due to the lack of addresses on oil rigs. Airborne
emergency medical services have played an important role in the area.
The city of Beach is growing to meet the population demand. There is a new clinic being
built and some duplexes for teachers to live in. There is also an office building being constructed
as well as more single family homes. The oil boom has sparked some zoning changes as well as
posed some new threats.
A rail port is being constructed that will handle much of the volatile Bakken crude oil as
well as hazardous chemicals. The area for the rail port has been rezoned commercial. The
additional buildings and industrial infrastructure will require more equipment for the fire
department, another sheriff’s deputy and another ambulance as well as more volunteer EMRs
and fire-fighters. Paying for all of this is beyond the available resources of the county. Prices
for housing are also going up.
105
Elderly housing and assisted living is at capacity. Higher rents in the area have pushed
people on fixed incomes out of their homes. More assisted living facilities will be needed for the
elderly and the handicapped.
The emergency manager’s office relies on grants for much of its equipment, radios in
particular. The radios were upgraded two years ago at the same time the fire department
upgraded theirs. New radios currently cost between $7,000 to $10,000. The older version radios
cost $2,000. Many emergency services had to upgrade their radios when the bandwidth was
reduced.
The emergency manager position is getting busier. More industrial infrastructure and
more people are moving into the area which is taxing the resources of the county. If the growth
continues as it is projected the emergency manager will have to be a full time position. Since the
emergency manager often must visit disaster sites or spill locations the position would benefit
from an official vehicle so that the emergency manager would not have to use up her own
resources while executing the duties of the county. It would also announce any visits as official
business, reducing confusion and delay when the emergency manager has to assess a problem.
106
Interview: Golden Valley County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Scott Steele
Interview conducted 5/13/2014
The Golden Valley Sheriff’s Department serves an area of approximately 1,000 square
miles. The area population has grown and actionable calls have increased with it. The
department is seeing more felonies committed than in the past. There has been a sharp increase
in the number of calls for service. More arrests are being made and more people are going to
court. Court is held in Beach once a month. Recently the courtroom was full. This was
unprecedented.
New people are coming into the area but do not stay long. The community of Beach is
seeing people cycle in and out of the city without establishing roots. There is a lot of temporary
housing in the area. This new fluid population is a challenge for law enforcement. In the past
law enforcement usually knew the victim or the suspect. Today law enforcement may not know
either party making the job more difficult.
The Sheriff’s Department works with the North Dakota Highway Patrol in case of
highway accidents and it is partnered with the Southwest Narcotic Task Force. The Bureau of
Criminal Investigation (BCI) has been a valuable resource for the department but it is being used
less than in the past due to the high volume BCI already has to deal with. The department also
offers mutual aid to surrounding communities.
FINANCES
The Sheriff’s Department receives funds from both the city and the county and it receives
grants. Its yearly budget has grown every year since 2012 and yet the department still struggles
to meet its financial obligations. In 2012 the department had $304,000 in expenditures. In 2013
the budget was $325,000. In 2014 the department budget was approximately $400,000 and it
received $127,000 in law enforcement grants. Grants have kept the department out of trouble.
They have provided funding that will ensure the department is well equipped. These grants are
“just in time” funds, however. The department needs more funding so that it can plan for the
increased demand that is coming with the rise in population. Grants are very helpful but the
department needs sustainable funding.
PERSONNEL
Golden Valley has five licensed officers and one office person. The fifth officer position
became full time, from part time, in 2013. There is at least one officer on duty at all times.
When at full strength there are one to two officers on duty and sometimes three. The officers
work ten-hour shifts. The officer on duty during the day will serve as a backup officer at night.
The department was short-handed for about a month and a half at the time of this interview but
burnout was not becoming a problem. The department has been at full strength since June.
With five officers and the current call volume, burnout could become an issue but it is
okay for now. The town of Beach is growing and there is an awareness of the problems
explosive growth can cause, as seen in northern counties. The department wants to grow with
107
the county but recruiting is difficult. The department received three applicants recently and none
of them were fully qualified.
Housing is a big issue in retaining personnel. There is no affordable housing available
for families. Homes are selling for very high prices in the area. Law enforcement officers
cannot afford to buy a home. Based on current trends the department will need at least one more
sworn deputy and one more office person. At the time of this interview the department was
looking to hire a part-time temporary office worker.
TRAINING
There have been some significant changes in the types of training the department is
utilizing. The department is learning new techniques to identify people. The department has
been conducting more investigations on its own. Early in the boom cycle BCI did the majority
of investigations of serious crimes. Since BCI is so backed up the sheriff’s department has to
investigate more and so there is an increased demand for that training. Getting people to training
when the department is fully staffed with five people is not a problem. When the department is
down to four people it is difficult. The department has one training officer. The demands of the
job require more training than the state minimum. Fortunately, there is more training in amount
and variety in the area. In the past a lot of training required travel. Now there is more training
being offered locally.
EQUIPMENT
The Golden Valley Sheriff’s Department has five patrol vehicles. Four patrol vehicles
are Ford F150s model years 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2013. The fifth is a 2013 Ford Interceptor
SUV. The 2008 vehicle will be replaced next year. The equipment on the vehicle will be
transferred to the new model reducing replacement costs from about $80,000 to $50,000.
Local garages handle vehicle maintenance. The department is not seeing an increase in
the unit cost of maintenance but it is putting a lot more mileage on its vehicles than it has in the
past. The department aims to replace one vehicle every two years for a ten year rotation. Due to
the increased mileage the department will need to accelerate that schedule to a new vehicle each
year. Two vehicles were replaced at 200,000 miles, which is twice the usual replacement
mileage.
Prisoner transport and calls related to oil activity are driving up the mileage. A prisoner
transport to Dickinson is 120 miles round trip. A transport to the mental health facility in is 350
miles round trip. Due to oil activity there are more calls to the north end of the county and there
is some drilling beginning at the south of the county. The distance to oil pads in the area is
increasing. The vehicles average 12 to 14 miles per gallon, which is up from the 9 to 11 miles
per gallon they were getting. Still, the operating costs due to the extra mileage officers are
driving have increased significantly.
Each vehicle has a camera which cost $5,000 each. Each vehicle has a computer, which
were replaced in 2012 and were implemented with the CAD system (computer aided dispatch), a
108
printer and a driver’s license scanner. Last year the camera equipment was upgraded at $5,000
per camera for a total of $25,000. Radar units will be replaced over the next one to two years at
a cost of $3,000 each. Of the five radars on hand three are 10 to 12 years old, one is four years
old and one is new.
Personal protective equipment is in good order. Each officer has an active shooter kit and
vest (an active shooter kit includes plates for the vest and a helmet). Officers are fitted for vests.
Overall, the personal protective equipment is in good condition. Protective equipment is a top
priority in the department and law enforcement, oil impact, and homeland security grants have
played a big part in ensuring the department is covered.
SUMMARY
If the call volume stays the same, the department will not need to hire more people,
though even now it is difficult for officers to get time off from work. The department has
enough staff, but there is no cushion and that leaves the department vulnerable to illness or a
major emergency. The department struggles to hire and retain personnel. The hiring process is
“slow and painful” while the pool of applicants is rather shallow.
Financially, the department needs more sustainable funding. Some funding for
equipment was refused because the department could not afford to maintain it once it was
bought, a fingerprint scanner is one example. Grants have been a big help but it is always last
minute, one time funding. The department needs enough funding so that it can plan for the
challenges ahead. Each officer requires about $100,000. This includes vehicle, equipment,
uniforms and personal protective equipment.
The department will continue to pursue training opportunities. Fortunately more training
is available locally. With five officers, training is not difficult to get to, with less than five it is
difficult to get officers to training.
109
Golden Valley County Sheriff Dept
Sheriff Scott Steele, 5/13/2014
Personnel
Projected
Need
2
Full time
Part time
Office Staff
5
0
1
Call Volume
2012
2013
through April
2014
Calls for Service
Public Relations Stop
Murder/Non-Negligent
Homicide
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Larceny/Theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
Total Index Offenses
*
*
1,107
735
138
176
0
0
0
0
0
3
5
0
8
0
0
2
6
2
0
10
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
2008 Ford F150
2010 Ford F-150
2011 Ford F-150
2013 Ford F-150
1
1
1
2
2013 Interceptor Ford SUV
1
Equipment
In Stock
Camera Upgrades
Radar Units
Ballistic Vests
Active Shooter Kits
Finances
Total Expenditures
Yearly Budget
Grants Received
5
5
5
5
2012
$304,000
*
*
Need to Replace
Need
1
On Order
Need
Need
Replace/Upgrade
3
1
2013
*
*
*
Replacement
cost
$80,000
Unit Cost
$5,000.00
$3,000.00
$500
2014
tbd
$400,000
$127,000
110
Interview: Beach Central Rural Fire Protection District/Beach Fire Department, Chief
Dan Buchholtz
Interview conducted 5/14/2014
Beach Central Rural Fire Protection District (BCRFD) and the Beach Fire Department
(BFD) share the same volunteers but have two separate funding sources and a different set of
vehicles. The rural fire department covers 465 square miles of territory around the city limits.
The departments are certified in extrication and have hazardous materials awareness training. At
the time of this interview the departments answered 18 calls for service. In 2013, a wet year,
there were 65 calls for service, and in 2012 there were 74 calls for service.
Service calls are changing. Ten years ago 30 calls in a year was busy and 90% of those
calls were grass fires. In 2013, there were three grass fires the rest were car and truck accidents
or oil field related calls. More wells are being developed north of Beach resulting in more
commercial traffic in the area.
Other changes include the rail line. Before the oil boom approximately 24 trains loaded
with coal would come through Beach each day. Now there are 27-29 trains running through the
middle of Beach carrying hazardous materials with a mandatory evacuation radius of two
miles—the approximate size of Beach. Chemicals coming through Beach now include acids,
chlorine, asphyxiates, and insecticides as well as Bakken crude oil. This has been an increasing
concern to the department which lacks the equipment and training to handle a major hazardous
material event.
Beach is anticipating growth of up to 25 percent. A developer wants to build 400
housing units in the area and there is discussion of also building an oil depot. This would have a
tremendous impact on the community.
PERSONNEL
There are 25 volunteers shared between the city and rural fire departments. The two
departments’ bylaws state candidates must be 21 years or older to become volunteer firefighters.
Out of 25 volunteers, five are over 60 years old, but still short of 70. Eight are over 50 but
younger than 60. Ten are over 30 and under 40. Two volunteers are under 30 years old. The
departments are aging. Two volunteers are waiting for new recruits to join so they can retire
without burdening the department. Recruits have not been forthcoming. There are more jobs in
the community but not the kinds of jobs that allow new residents the time or the job stability to
become volunteer firefighters. Still, four volunteers work in the oil field and four others are
members of the police department. Some employers don’t allow their volunteers to answer fire
calls while on the clock. Other businesses are very good about letting their employees go to
answer a fire call.
FINANCIAL
The Central Rural Fire Protection District receives $15,000 each year through tax
revenue from the county. The rural fire department is at its maximum mill levy. This covers
111
overhead and fuel costs. There is no money for equipment. Financial resources are dwindling.
The city and rural fire department share a building which the city owns. The rural department
pays rent equal to the cost of one half the utilities. The city department is funded through the
general fund. It also has an operating budget of $15,000 per year but it has more flexibility. It
can request more funding from the city without having to raise the mill levy which would require
a vote. On the other hand, the city fire department does not get oil impact funds, the rural fire
district does. Oil impact grant funds cannot be shared or put into a general fund. It is difficult
for the city department to get equipment because it gets no oil impact grants. And it is difficult
for the rural department to get funding for anything other than equipment because its tax levy is
at its maximum.
EQUIPMENT
The rural department has seven vehicles in its fleet including a 1981 Peterbilt tanker with
4,000 gallon capacity. The Peterbilt has 1 million miles on it. The speedometer died at 800,000
miles and the truck can go 30 miles before it also requires an additional gallon of oil. The
northern boundary of the county is 45 miles away. A replacement tanker will cost $289,000.
The department has $100,000 and is waiting on grants to make up the difference. In addition to
the big tanker the fleet also has a small tanker, a 2001 GMC with a 900 gallon tank. The fleet
also has four wild land units each one a four wheel drive one ton truck with 300 gallon tank. Of
the four, two need to be replaced at a cost of $75,000 each, the 1978 and the 1981 wild land units
specifically. The 2008 and 2012 wild land units are running well. A 1979 mini pumper is
wearing out. It would cost $100,000 to $120,000 to replace.
Beach Central provides county-wide vehicle extrication and has for 40 years. Now the
city contributes to the auto extrication program. Together the city and county were able to
provide funding for a new extrication truck to be built, this is a shared vehicle and so was not
counted above.
Replacing the tanker truck is Beach Central’s highest priority though it also needs a UTV
(Utility Terrain Vehicle) Polaris 6x6 with an 80 gallon tank and pump for grassfires and a
carrying rack plus backboard for search and rescue. There four calls for search and rescue in the
last two years and the department couldn’t haul people out due to lack of equipment.
The city has two vehicles, a pumper unit and a mini-pumper. One pumper is a 1981 with
a 1,250 gallon tank and the other is a 2008 mini pumper with a 1,000 gallon tank. In the event of
an accident the newer engine goes and the older stays on site. In the case of multiple alarms
there are major headaches. The city also needs a new pumper.
The departments received new personal protection equipment a year and a half ago with a
50 percent cost share oil impact grant. The city covered the other 50 percent. Since the
departments share volunteers, this worked well for both departments. The departments have 25
sets of turnout gear, 14 SCBAs and 25 wild land fire suits. The departments share a cascade
system to fill the SCBA bottles in house. The department also has a thermal imaging camera and
a gas analyzer. Two nozzles for hoses which cost $1,000 per unit are also needed.
112
TRAINING
Every member of both departments is busy. Training sessions are scheduled once each
month plus special training sessions as they become available. It is difficult for many volunteers
to get to training. Older members are reluctant and younger members are working out of the area
or can’t get away from work. Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad recently offered a
hazardous materials training class in the southwest region and there has been an increase in the
amount of oil field training. Both departments would like more hazardous materials
certification, but that would require more equipment and 100 more training hours, neither of
which the two departments can afford.
SUMMARY
Beach Central Rural Fire Department needs a new tanker truck and a 6x6 ranger
equipped with tank, pumper, backboard and carrying rack. It receives very little funding from its
tax district and is nearly out of money. Since both departments share a building and volunteers,
both departments are short-handed and both departments are dealing with an aging volunteer
force. The Beach Fire Department is also struggling because it has not received oil impact
grants. Together the two departments support one another but neither is completely secure.
Industrial hazards in the area are growing and more investment is needed to ensure Beach and
the surrounding areas have adequate fire protection.
Beach is projected to grow by 25 percent over the next several years. The fire
departments need more funding to meet the needs of this growing population.
113
Golden Valley County: Beach Rural/Municipal Fire Protection District
Chief Dan Buchholtz 5/14/2014
Coverage Area: 465 square
miles
Personnel
Staff 65
or older
Staff 5060
Staff 30-40
Staff <30
Full time
Part time
Volunteer
0
25
5
8
10
2
Call Volume
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Grass Fires
Structure Fires
Accidents
Rescues
Total Calls
Avg. 20 Calls/yr
Vehicles by Type
Grass Units
w/300g tank
1981 1,280 gal.
Pumper (City)
2008 mini
pumper w/1,000
gal. tank (city)
1979 minipumper
1981 Peterbilt
Tanker
2001 900 Gallon
GMC minitanker
UTV Polaris 6x6
w/80 gal. tank
and pump
Total
2 vols would
retire if there
were more ppl
4 vols. Work in oil
fields
4 vols. on GVPD
through April
2014
3
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
4
2
1
1
2
74
2
65
Need
Additional
Replacement
cost per unit
18
$75,000
1
1
1
$120,000
1
1
$289,000
1
0
1
9
Equipment
In Stock
Bunker Gear
Grass Suits
Air Packs
Equipment
Nozzles
25
25
14
On Order
5
Need
Replace
1
Need
Cost Per Unit
$2,500
2
$1,000
114
Interview: Golva Rural Fire Protection District, Chief Gary Rising
Interview conducted 5/13/2014
Golva Rural Fire Department (GRFD) covers approximately 340 square miles. Located
14 miles south of Beach, Golva is a small town with a strong agricultural economy. Farming and
ranching are the key industries. Hazards in the area are mostly agricultural based. There are few
structure fires, but grass fires are common, especially in a dry year. A wet year, like what the
region has had the last two years, can mean a very busy fire season when the land dries out again
due to the large amount of fuel growing in the fields and stacked in the barns.
Golva has a mutual aid agreement with Beach Fire Department, which makes up the bulk
of its call volume. Golva has 30 volunteers on its roster. Six volunteers are also ambulance
volunteers. Fifteen volunteers answer every call; about 20 volunteers are considered active,
making most of the monthly meetings and are available for most calls.
Call volume averages roughly 12 a year. As of April 2014 Golva responded to three
calls, two of which were offering aid to another department. In 2013 all calls were mutual aid
calls. Thanks to a moderately wet 2013 and 2014 Golva has had a low call volume but has
played an important supporting role to other departments in the western part of the region. Being
a rural community, there are a lot of farmers and ranchers around to supply another water truck if
the fire department needs it while answering a grass fire.
EQUIPMENT
Golva Rural Fire Department operates 11 vehicles, the newest is a 1999 Grass Truck; the
oldest is a 1962 Fire Engine. A new pumper was scheduled to arrive in July 2014 at a cost of
$253,000. The following is a complete vehicle inventory:
2 Pumper Tenders, model years 1998, 1978
1 Engine, model year 1962
5 Grass Rigs (Brush Trucks), model years 1999, 1994, 1988, 1984, 1979
1 Rescue Rig, model year 1994
2 Transport Vehicles, both model year 1979.
Golva needs to replace four of its grass rigs, the 1979, 1984, 1988 and the 1994. One
replacement has been ordered. A replacement for the 1978 pumper-tender has also been ordered.
Vehicle maintenance is done locally, except for technical equipment which must be sent
elsewhere.
A year ago Golva received a grant that allowed it to purchase new turnout gear and
rangeland gear for its volunteers. Golva has 30 sets each of turnout gear ($1,500 per set) and
rangeland gear ($150 per set).
115
FINANCIAL
Golva is a part of a fire protection district and therefore receives tax income of 10 mills
as well as insurance premium tax re-imbursement, grants and donations. Its yearly budget is
approximately $7,500.
PERSONNNEL
The Golva Fire Department has 30 volunteers. Fifteen answer every call and about 20
are active. Golva is an aging community with a small population. The average age of the
department is 50. Golva did get a couple new recruits this year. There are a few temporary
workers in the area that came with the oil boom, but there is little interest in volunteering for the
fire department.
TRAINING
Training is always difficult to get. This year, 2014, Golva was able to send six members
to the state fire school. It is not clear how many will be able to get to the regional fire school.
Since Golva is a very rural community with an agriculture based economy it is difficult for many
members to get away from the farm/ranch and get to training. The time away from home is too
costly to their business for many volunteers. More local training would be helpful.
SUMMARY
Golva is aging and its volunteer fire department is aging as well. There are few young
people in the area. Some temporary workers are moving into the area but are not able or are not
interested in joining the fire department. Without more incentives, Golva will have a difficult
time finding enough people to run the fire department. Mutual aid calls are increasing due in
large part to oil activity in the area though Golva has not seen a direct impact yet. Golva needs
to update its fleet. Four grass units need to be replaced. Grass units are the most heavily utilized
vehicles and take the most abuse. The Golva call volume may be small but Golva plays an
important supporting role on the western edge of the region.
116
Golva Fire Protection
District
Fire Chief: Gary Rising 5/13/2014
Coverage Area: 340 square
miles
Personnel
Volunteers
30
through
Call Volume
April 2014
2
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
1978 PumperTender
1
1
1
1998 Pumper
Tender
1962 Fire Engine
1979 Grass Unit
1984 Grass Unit
1988 Grass Unit
1994 Grass Unit
1999 Grass Unit
1994 Rescue Rig
1979 Transport
Veh.
Totals:
11
2
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Turnout Gear
Rangeland Gear
Air Bottles
30
30
Need
Add.
Cost
$253,000
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
5
Need
Replace
Need
Add.
Estimated Unit
Cost
$1,500
$150
AAAF: Fire
Suppression
Foam
$24/gallon
Air Packs
$2,000 w/spare
tank
Equipment
Nozzles
$450-$5,000
117
Interview: Sentinel Rural Fire Protection District, Secretary Rick Olson
Interview conducted 5/14/2014
Sentinel Rural Fire Protection District (SRFPD) based out of Sentinel Butte is a small,
aging department that fills an important gap along Interstate 94 between Billings County Fire
Protection District out of Medora and the Central Fire Department in Beach. SRFPD assists
Beach with fire and rescue and also has mutual aid agreements with Golva, Wibaux, Medora,
and Billings County.
The types of calls Sentinel Rural Fire receives is changing slightly as the volume is
increasing as a result of increased oil activity in the area. Before the boom Sentinel saw more
train fires than any other. Now it is seeing car fires, grass fires and oil fires with a dramatic
increase in mutual aid calls. There is more interstate traffic than ever before in the area and more
fires along the interstate and highways caused by discarded cigarette butts and hay balers. Three
years ago there was a large oil field fire that injured four fire-fighters, two critically. The fire
burned for two weeks and crews rotated 24 hour shifts to watch that the fire did not flare out of
control again.
At the time of this interview SRFPD responded to four calls for service in 2014. Before
the boom SRFPD averaged 10 to 15 calls each year. Since the boom it responds to 30 to 40 or
more calls each year both directly and through mutual aid.
Sentinel Butte is an older community and there are few young people available to replace
those volunteers who are retiring. Still, there is a lot of support from the community. The
department also works to support the community, helping with fundraisers occasionally when
someone needs to raise money for medical bills and such.
PERSONNEL
Sentinel Rural Fire Protection District has 15 members and they also serve as first
responders in a medical emergency. Five members are in their 70s and are now primarily
drivers. There are no paid personnel in the department. There are others in the community who
are not fire-fighters that may lend equipment, such as a water truck, if the need arises and will
offer other support not directly fighting the fire.
TRAINING
Training is held one night a month. Training is focused on fighting grass fires, structure
fires, maintaining hazardous materials awareness, and working around grain bins. There is a
push in the industry to use air packs whenever dealing with grain bins as there is a high risk of
asphyxiation in bins. The department does some regional training and works with other
departments. Older fire-fighters don’t make it to training very often.
118
EQUIPMENT
Sentinel Fire has ten vehicles in its fleet. Not all of them are in good working condition.
Two grass units that would have been replaced and disposed of have been strategically placed
with local farmers to the north and south of the coverage area, getting a little bit more use out of
them before being fully decommissioned. The fleet includes a water tender (1980s model semi)
that was donated to the department for one dollar. The department spent $10,000 to make it
operational. It now needs to be replaced which will cost from $60,000 to $100,000. The
department has $40,000 to spend toward a new tender and is seeking more. Sentinel Fire also
has one small water tender truck (800 gallon 1965 International), a pumper truck from Billings
County, a command vehicle that also serves as a grass unit (2008 Chevrolet Suburban), a 2000
Ford grass unit, 2012 Ford grass unit, and a 2004 Chevrolet grass unit. A 1978 GMC and a 1985
Ford (both grass units) were sent to the north and south of the coverage area. Vehicle
maintenance is handled by a volunteer who is paid a stipend of $50 each month. Maintenance is
also done during training meetings.
The department needs more personal protection equipment. It currently has ten sets of
turnout gear and needs ten more. It also has ten wild land suits and needs an additional ten.
Turnout suits are approximately $1,500 per unit, wild land fire suits are approximately $150 per
set. The department has six air packs and needs ten. Air packs range from $1,400 to $2,000
each with spare tank. Olson explains that if you have the equipment, you can get the people.
The departments in the area are frequently sharing personnel as the need arises. With an aging
crew, having spare equipment will keep the department viable.
FINANCES
The department gets funding from the tax district and puts on an annual pancake and
sausage supper on the first Saturday in March as a fundraiser. The tax base is very small so the
biggest portion of the funding comes from grants. There is no compensation for fire calls.
SUMMARY
Sentinel Rural Fire Protection District is a small but important department. Its members
are nearing retirement age, and some are well past retirement age. Few young people are
available to replace those who leave. To guard against being short-handed the department keeps
some extra gear available for firefighters outside the district to fill in as needed. Lack of
personnel is the biggest problem facing the district. The department needs more bunker and wild
land fire gear, a few more air packs and new water hauler to replace the old semi-truck it had
been using. SRFPD is financially stable though it is not rich. It draws from a very small tax
base in a rural community. It has a strong working relationship with the community that keeps
both the district and the community healthy.
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Sentinel Butte Rural Fire Protection District: Rick Olson 5/14/2014
Additional Personnel are
needed
Personnel
Vols. Over 70
Total volunteers
Call Volume
Avg. 10-15 Calls
per year before
boom
Avg. 30-40 calls
since boom
Vehicles by Type
1978 GMC Grass
Unit
1985 Ford Grass
Unit (G.U.)
2000 Ford G.U.
2012 Ford G.U.
2004 Chev. G.U.
Water Carrier
sm. 1965
International
800 gal. Capacity
Lg. Water
Tender (semi)
2008 Chev.
Suburban
ATV Light rescue
Pumper truck
Totals:
Equipment
Helmets
Bunker Gear
Grass Suits w/
nomex hoods
Air Bottles
Air Packs
5
15
through
April
2014
4
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
1
1
1
1
Need
Add.
Cost
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
10
1
In Stock
On Order
4
Need
Replace
$100,000
1
Need
Additional
Estimated
Unit Cost
10
10
$1,500
10
10
$200
12
6
0
0
4
$2,000
w/spare
tank
120
Interview: Community Ambulance Service, Inc. Golden Valley County EMS, Kitty
Kmapkewicz
Interview conducted: 5/22/2014
Community Ambulance Service (CAS) based in Beach, ND is a licensed Basic Life
Support (BLS) ground transport service with Advance Life Support (ALS) capability. CAS is
the EMS provider for Beach, Sentinel Butte, and Golva as well as the surrounding area extending
south into parts of Slope County and north into parts of McKenzie County. CAS has mutual aid
agreements with Wibaux, MT; Billings County; and the city of Medora. It serves a population of
1,952 and covers 1,154 square miles.
Over the past few years CAS has fielded approximately 170-175 calls a year. At the time
of this interview CAS was averaging 16-20 calls per month making 2014 on pace to be above
average. Each call for transport results in a 120 mile round trip. The newest ambulance put
20,000 miles on in a few months. Any transfer to Dickinson will take three hours. Four hours if
the victim is in the northern part of Golden Valley County. Volunteers’ time away from work is
three to four hours minimum, often five hours. This makes it very difficult for volunteers to
respond during working hours.
PERSONNEL
CAS has one full time and one part time paramedic and 19 volunteers. Eleven volunteers
are EMT-B and 8 are EMRs (1st responders). CAS is seeing an increase in the number of
accidents and trauma calls. In the past most calls involved the elderly, now trauma and accidents
are more common than elderly related calls. Two volunteers are law enforcement officers.
Some are also on the fire department, some are teachers. This means they may not be able to
respond to every call due to other work commitments. Still, CAS is on the way to the scene
within 3-4 minutes of an emergency call.
Volunteers get a stipend based on their training level. They are scheduled for specific
times but all volunteers are notified when there is an emergency. All emergency responder
agencies receive the same calls and then decide for themselves if it is an emergency they need to
respond to.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Recently CAS attended train accident training in Marmarth, North Dakota. CAS relies
on the Beach Fire Department to secure the scene in Haz Mat incidents. There has not been a
serious hazardous materials incident in the area yet but the potential is there. A major rail line
carrying Bakken crude oil as well as many other hazardous materials passes through the middle
of Beach on a daily basis. In addition, a hazardous materials storage facility (namely for crude
oil) is being built west of Beach, North Dakota. In light of these hazards more people and more
equipment will be necessary to be able to respond in the event of an emergency. Complicating
that effort is an aging population. There are few new volunteers. The bulk of the volunteers are
121
48-54 years old. The youngest is 29, the oldest is 64. The area is seeing an aging population
coupled with an increase in industrial hazards.
The roads in western North Dakota are very rough and are taking a toll on CAS
ambulances. The old highway from Beach to Medora is “ridiculous” according to paramedic
Kitty Kmapkwicz.
It is likely CAS will, like many other EMS services, have to convert from a volunteer to a
paid department. It will be hard to attract staff because housing is hard to come by. The small
supply of homes has driven prices out of reach for most people who may come to the area.
There are only a few vacant houses in the area. Rental units are also in very short supply. The
school had to build its own houses to support their teachers.
TRAINING
CAS is focusing more training hours on treating trauma patients, and being hazardous
materials aware. Some training is hard to get or hard to get to, particularly for volunteers who
also have full time jobs and families to support. Trainers must come to the area for volunteers to
have access to them though CAS sends people to conferences and other training events as they
can.
CAS does a lot of its training with the Beach Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department,
and they assist each other on calls whenever possible. Many on the fire department are also
EMRs. Together CAS and BFD cover extractions. The BFD stores some of the CAS
equipment. The potential for a major emergency event with heavy casualties is ever present in
the area and CAS and BFD continue to seek out training opportunities to mitigate such disasters.
FINANCES
CAS receives a total of 10 mills from Golden Valley County and shares two mills with
the Beach Fire Department to use towards extraction operations. CAS also receives grants from
various sources and donations from the community. At current funding levels it takes five years
to buy one ambulance.
The cost of a call can range from $500-$600, depending on what is used. Of 18 calls in a
month two to three patients don’t pay their medical bill. They either supply a false address, or
don’t have insurance.
EQUIPMENT
CAS utilizes three ambulances: a 2006 (being replaced at the cost of $260,000 base), a
2009, and a 2013 ambulance. One ambulance is stationed in Golva and two ambulances are
stationed in Beach. CAS tries to replace its ambulances after 80-90,000 miles. Most miles in an
ambulance are hard miles, particularly in rural areas. Most calls require transfers to medical
facilities in other areas, including: Sidney, Baker, or Glendive, Montana, Dickinson or Williston,
122
North Dakota. The bulk of calls are taken to Dickinson—60 miles east of Beach. Spirit Life
helicopter was often called in to transport patients, but it has left the area since this interview.
Vehicles are serviced (oil change, lube, filters, etc.) in Dickinson. Beach does not have
the resources available to service the ambulances. Dickinson garages do their best to prioritize
emergency vehicles as they can, though Dickinson garages are often very busy. One vehicle, a
2013 International gets serviced at the International Dealer. It has had numerous maintenance
issues, another vehicle, a Chevrolet, is serviced at Sax Motors in Dickinson.
Vehicle maintenance is very expensive on these vehicles. Tire replacements alone cost
$400/tire. The International regular oil change, lube and filter costs $300-$400. Annual
maintenance costs range from $15,000-$20,000. This year one ambulance blew its engine and
must have it replaced. There is a constant balancing act between maintaining older equipment
and staying within the maintenance budget—when that balance is lost vehicles need to be
replaced, but while new equipment saves a lot of money in maintenance costs it is a struggle to
come up with the money to buy one. Many agencies are stuck in the middle, trying to eke out
the most miles out of aging vehicles while maintaining a reliable fleet and keeping ahead of
maintenance costs.
In regards to medical equipment, CAS recently ordered a 12 Lead ECG. The 12 Lead
ECG is a device that monitors the patient’s vital signs and transmits the data to the hospital. It is
often used to determine if the patient can be driven or must be flown to the hospital. CAS now
has two Lucas CPR Devices as well. A third Lucas CPR device is needed.
CAS is replacing its CPR training equipment. Current equipment is over 20 years old.
They are getting new radios, ten units at $3,000 per unit. Each ambulance also requires a new
radio, rig radios cost about $4,000. CAS also needs a new repeater. CAS needs more
decontamination equipment. Basic resupply of expendables costs $400-$500 per month. To
replace a spine board in 2013 cost $10,000. Defibrillators for three ambulances cost $30,000 per
unit. It also needs a gurney lift for each ambulance (approximately $20,000 per lift). There are a
lot of big people in the area and they are aging, and so are the volunteers. A complicating factor
is that each ambulance must have the same equipment so that staff is familiar and efficient in an
emergency. CAS also requires a stair chair costing $15,000 and a cooling pad for heat stroke
victims ($400).
Each ambulance must be kept warm when it receives patients. Therefore ambulances
must be parked in a heated garage. The current facility is not big enough to accommodate the
newer, larger ambulances. The current building is aging, over 30 years old. It has a large
community room that is used for training but the room needs to be fixed up or replaced. The
sidewalk outside the building also needs to be replaced. A new, larger building would be the
best long term solution and would help prepare CAS for the challenges to come.
SUMMARY
In order to meet the rising demand for services within the next 5-10 year CAS will need a
larger building, new larger ambulances, new communications devices, new medical equipment,
123
more safety equipment, including gas monitors (currently CAS has one), and will require paid
full time staff. There will also need to be affordable housing to retain those who come to work in
the area. There are too few volunteers able to meet the demand for service. CAS has been
getting by very cheap since its beginning in 1975 but the demands for service and the area
economy make it very difficult to be a volunteer.
124
Golden Valley County Ambulance Service: Kitty Kmapkewicz
5/22/2014
Golden Valley County EMS is a Basic Life Support Service with ALS capability
Staff
FT Paramedic
1
PT Paramedic
1
EMT-I Volunteers
1*
EMT Basic
Volunteers
1st Responder
Volunteers
Total
Call Volume
Avg. 170-175/yr
Vehicles by Type
2013 International
Diesel
Chevrolet
*Returning to EMT Basic
10
8
21
through April
2014
Avg
18/month
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need
Additional
1
0
0
0
1
Need
Replace
1
Additional
Need
1
Equipment
In Stock
Heart Monitor
CPR Manequin
Ambulance
Manequin
IV Training Arms
Lucas Devices
Basic Monthly
Resupply
Gurney Lift
Oxygent Bottle
guages
Cooling Pad for Ht
Stroke victims
Pressure Washer
Building
1
1
On Order
Has maint.
Problems
Estimated
Cost
1
2
1
1
$450
1
1
$20,000
3
$100/unit
1
$400
1
$3,000
1
125
HETTINGER COUNTY
Interview: Hettinger County Emergency Manager Ilene Hardmeyer
Interview conducted 6/11/2014
The main goal of the Hettinger County Emergency Manager is preparedness. Hettinger
County is impacted by the oil industry but it does not produce any oil. If oil drilling and
production comes to Hettinger County there will be more work to do, including noting and
tracking oil and waste water spills. For now, the focus is on weather related emergencies and
hazardous material incidents.
The emergency manager manages emergency plans and coordinates between state and
local entities in an emergency. Since 2009 the amount of federal support is dropping. Homeland
security is no longer offering funds and FEMA has not been very involved since Hettinger
County has not had a disaster since 2009.
Hettinger County is feeling the biggest impact of the increased oil activity in New
England and Regent though the two communities are starting to stabilize. Housing, traffic and
rising crime rates are taxing law enforcement and emergency medical services. Old roads
throughout the county are posing some safety concerns but there is little money to fix them.
Trailer courts in Mott now have a storm shelter thanks to the Mott Park Board and the
courthouse in Mott also serves as a storm shelter for low income housing. MDU is building a
pipeline through the county.
Other risks to the community are environmental. There are no major rail lines running
through the county so it is safe from the volatile tanker cars that have many communities in the
state nervous. The county is not a repository for hazardous chemicals like other communities in
the region are either. The biggest threats to the county are weather and flooding. The
Cannonball River runs through Mott and the last few years have been very wet. FEMA has
purchased all but six homes in that are in the floodplain in Mott. Every ten years since the 1950s
west Mott has been flooding. The number of homes in the area has been reduced from 40 to 50
down to seven. North Dakota builders are more careful about building in the floodplain.
Hettinger County does not have the housing or infrastructure to accommodate a large
population increase. If more people move into the county major infrastructure changes will need
to be made, particularly in New England which lacks sewer and water. Mott has no room for
more housing, it recently built ten apartment complexes that are all now full. New England is
vulnerable because it catches much of the overflow population from Dickinson.
The zoning commission in Mott developed a new zoning plan last year. New England is
wrestling with its own zoning issues.
The emergency manager position is funded in part through Homeland Security. Half of
the wage is paid by Homeland Security. Homeland Security had also provided money for
training and equipment but that funding was cut during the federal sequestration of funds and has
not been reinstated. It has a budget of $21,000 and must cover supplies and equipment.
126
Hettinger County is oil impacted but not oil producing and its needs reflect this
challenge. Hettinger County needs more funding for training and equipment. First responders in
the county are waiting on grant funds for firefighting equipment in particular. Federal grants are
neither consistent nor easy to obtain. A grant writer for the county would be a considerable help.
The whole southwest region would benefit from a dedicated grant writer.
Each community in the county has its own special needs. Mott needs a lift station. New
England needs more housing, though as Dickinson builds more apartments New England may
see some relief. First responders throughout the county need more hazardous materials
awareness training and education. Most of the risks are environmental, storms and flooding are
the biggest threats, though roads are taking a toll from increased commercial traffic. There is
less funding from the federal government, Homeland Security grants are sorely missed. For
Hettinger County, a lot depends on how the surrounding counties handle the pressure put on
them from oil production. Hettinger County is surrounded by oil producing counties and takes a
lot of the traffic and excess population but does not qualify for the same grants. The emergency
manager needs more funding to stay on top of the pressures that come from not only those
hazards within the county but also those pressures imposed on it from surrounding counties.
127
Interview: Hettinger County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Sarah Warner
Interview conducted 5/5/2014
The Hettinger County Sheriff’s Department, based in Mott, North Dakota does contract
policing for Mott, New England, and Regent. Mott is contracted for 240 hours of coverage each
month. Regent is contracted for 40 hours each month, and New England is contracted for 80
hours of coverage each month. The department also assists fire and ambulance services as
needed. Two deputies are Emergency Medical Responders and every deputy carries an AED in
his vehicle. Hettinger County Sheriff’s Department is also a member of the Southwest Drug
Task Force. In addition, Hettinger County assists Adams and Grant counties as needed and
works with the Game and Fish Department. Counties assist each other without compensation.
Arrests and investigations have increased each of the past three years. There were 34
arrests in 2011, 45 in 2012, and 58 in 2013. There were 81 investigations in 2011, 140 in 2012
and 229 in 2013. By April of 2014 there were six arrests, 28 investigations, nine traffic citations
and two criminal citations. Hettinger County has seen a dramatic impact due to increased oil
activity in the region. Hettinger County is not an oil producing county but it is surrounded by oil
producing counties.
The department is seeing the same types of offenses at a higher volume. Domestic
violence, citizen complaints, burglaries and trespassing are the most common issues the
department has to deal with.
PERSONNEL
The department needs more deputies and an administrative assistant. Wages are not
competitive in relation to other departments who qualify for oil impact funds and are especially
not competitive compared to other industries. Housing is increasingly difficult to find. New
England and Regent are difficult places to find an apartment, and Mott’s housing is sufficient.
The deputy stationed in New England is struggling to find housing. The department offers a
$500 moving expense to new officers. The department has four deputies and is adding one when
funding allows. Two to three officers are on duty at a time. Shifts are eight hours long and then
officers spend some time on call.
FINANCIAL
Regent and New England both have a very small tax base making it difficult to fund law
enforcement. It is hoped county tax equalization will increase revenue so that these communities
can better fund law enforcement efforts. The demand for law enforcement is there, the funding
is not. The county is looking at better ways to pay for law enforcement. Grants are a valuable
addition but grants are often dedicated specifically for equipment. Further, one time payments
will not fund a full time officer for more than a year. The department needs sustained funding in
order to meet the demand for service.
The amount of hours the department has been on duty has increased each year since
2010. In 2010 total hours worked were 7,465. In 2011, total work hours were 8,381.5. In 2012,
128
officers put in 9,102.5 hours, and in 2013 officers worked 9,748 hours (Hettinger County
Sheriff’s Department).
EQUIPMENT
Hettinger County Sheriff’s Department has six vehicles that are operational. Two
vehicles, both Ford SUVs were recently purchased with grant funding. Two more vehicles, a
2004 and 2006 Ford Expedition need to be replaced by next year. An additional vehicle is
needed one year after that. The department hopes to have its fleet updated by 2016.
Since 2010 mileage and fuel costs have increased, nearly doubling from 2010 to 2011,
peaking in 2012 and then coming down slightly in 2013 with 2012 and 2013 being first and
second highest respectively.
The department had been relying on used vehicles but that has not proven to be cost
effective. The savings gained in buying used vehicles is lost to additional maintenance costs.
The sheriff’s vehicle was in the shop for repairs four times in April of 2014. Used vehicles last
only one to two years at the most. With the purchase of two new vehicles maintenance costs
have gone down despite increased total mileage each year since 2010.
Personal protective equipment is in good condition. The department recently purchased
new ballistic vests and four new shotguns. The rifles purchased through state surplus are
workable but are aging.
TRAINING
Like many law enforcement agencies in the region Hettinger County Sheriff’s
Department has been focusing on school shootings. The Southwest Crime Conference offers a
wide variety of training classes as well. There is also more focus on training officers to
recognize human trafficking. All of the officers are current with training hours including basic
investigation, which is a two week course. Complex cases, such as multi-jurisdiction offenses
are passed up the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). Eighty percent of training is done
outside of the department. Twenty percent of training is done in the department. The
department has a certified firearms instructor and also practices house clearings.
SUMMARY
The department needs funding to hire more deputies. Funding must be sustained; onetime payments are not sufficient. The department also needs an administrative assistant and all
of the staff needs better wages to stay competitive with other agencies and meet the rising cost of
living in the region. In addition, the department will need to replace two more vehicles this year
and one more the year after. Purchasing used vehicles is not cost effective in light of the
increased mileage vehicles are putting on each year. Training is available and officers are
receiving the training they need.
129
Hettinger County is not seen as an oil producing county and so it is easy to overlook it;
however, New England is close to Dickinson and receives a lot of spillover from Stark County.
People that can’t afford to live in Dickinson move to New England. Regent is also struggling
with an influx of temporary residents which is taxing these communities infrastructure and
putting added pressure on law enforcement.
130
Hettinger County Sheriff's Department
Interview: Sheriff Sarah Warner 5/5/2014
Full time
Part time
5
Additional
Needed
1
Call Volume
2010
2011
2012
2013
**
255
17
0
**
81*
**
35
34
166
15
2013
**
365
299
0
**
140*
**
38
45
181
22
1,107
194
552
29
84
31
198
70
58
129
16
Personnel
Calls For Service
**
Traffic Citations
89
Warnings: verbal
103
Warnings: written
2
Criminal Citation
**
Felony Investigation
68*
Misdemeanor Investigation
**
Transports
18
Arrests
7
Civil Papers
180
Court
12
Crime Index Offenses
2012
Murder/Non-Negligent
0
Manslaughter
Rape
0
Robbery
1
Aggravated Assault
4
Burglary
3
Larceny/Theft
7
Motor Vehicle Theft
4
Total Crime Index Offenses
19
*Year did not specify type of investigation
**Categories changed in
2013
Vehicles
Quantity
through
April 2014
138
10
10
8
2
7
21
13
6
20
1
0
0
0
1
8
13
4
26
On Order
6
Vehicle Costs
2010
2011
Total Miles
# of Repairs/Oil Changes
Fuel Used (gallons)
Fuel Cost
59,445
no record
3,640.15
$10,728.15
98,596
15
6,906.65
$24,142.71
Need to
Replace
2
2012
Need
2013
117,534
104,769
14
39
7,590.15
7,076.02
$27,431.33 $25,881.73
Replacement
cost
Through
April 2014
28,797
12
2,108.62
$7,440.93
131
Interview: Mott Fire Protection District, Chief Lyle Frieze
Interview conducted 5/5/2014
The Mott Fire Protection District (MFPD) covers 740 square miles. It is an all-volunteer
department with 28 volunteers. The department is composed of local farmers and business
people from in and around Mott with the majority of the crew living in the city of Mott. There is
no oil in Hettinger County and Mott is far enough away from Dickinson that it does not suffer
the spill-over effect that New England is experiencing in terms of population growth and
increased traffic. So while Mott isn’t being pummeled by the boom they continue in their quiet
struggle to meet the demand for service.
Call volume for the district has been variable. Most calls are on CRP lands or some form
of grass fire. Mott has had very few structure fires, though there was one a week before this
interview. Mutual aid keeps the department fresh. At the end of March of 2014, the department
responded to a mutual aid call for a fire that burned 650 acres. At the time of this interview the
department responded to four fire calls in 2014. In 2013, the department fought two fires. The
oil boom has not had an impact on the call volume in this area yet.
PERSONNEL
The department is well staffed compared to other departments. It is limited by the
amount of equipment the district can supply to its volunteers but the department has 28
volunteers on the roster and six people on the waiting list. Unlike other departments the oil
fields have not drawn off many volunteers and most of the department lives in town while the
rest live on farms nearby. The Mott department has a strong relationship with its community and
many young people still aspire to be fire fighters when they get older. To become a volunteer
the candidate must be approved by majority vote of the department.
The department works on an “all-call” basis. On average 15 to 20 volunteers are able to
answer a call. That gets harder to do on weekends, however.
TRAINING
The equipment fire-fighters use is regularly changing and so a healthy portion of training
is spent learning how to use the new equipment. Mott has been pursuing state certified
extrication training and the rest of the training has done on its own. All fire-fighters must be
CPR and first-aid certified every two years, each member goes to state fire school once every
two years and no member may miss more than three meetings in a row without being dismissed
from the department.
FINANCIAL
As a fire protection district Mott receives tax dollars for equipment and the department
helps write grants for more funding. The district operates on 4.8 mills or roughly $36,000 from
the district. In 2013, Mott spent over $50,000 on equipment. At the time of this interview Mott
purchased a new truck for $59,000, getting $21,000 of Community Block Grant funds from
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Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council, $10,000 from the Forest Service, $7,500 from a local group,
and $3,000 the fire department raised on its own and the rest coming from the district. The
department relies heavily on alternative funding such as grants, community donations and
fundraising, though grants make up the bulk of it.
EQUIPMENT
The Mott Fire Protection District does most of its shopping at a government surplus
supply center. All of the equipment is in good condition, some of it is brand new and it is deeply
discounted. Also, it is all the district can afford.
Recently the department was able to purchase a new grass truck at a deep discount
compared to how much other departments are spending on trucks. Their latest vehicle cost
$59,000 and was purchased with help from several different agencies including the U.S. Forest
Service and Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council. In sum, the department has nine vehicles in its
fleet. The oldest is a 1965 rescue van that needs to be replaced. Its maximum speed is 54 miles
per hour. The department also has two water haulers, an 800 gallon capacity tanker and a 3,000
gallon capacity tanker. There are two pumpers in the fleet, one stays in town at all times and
there are four grass trucks, one of which was purchased this year. Maintenance costs are
increasing though it is not related to scarcity of service or oil impacted inflation. A service
station in Elgin handles most of the vehicle maintenance. The shop makes the district vehicles a
priority so vehicles are not long out of service.
Personal protection equipment across the department needs to be replaced. Protective
gear is old and outdated and is over-due for replacement. New structure gear pants and coats at
$1,800 per set will cost the district $30,000. Fortunately the fire volume has been low so what is
left of the gear is not being used up too fast and the department may be able to get the funding
for new gear before it becomes a critical danger. The department’s air packs are in good
condition. It also needs updated extrication equipment. The current equipment is over 20 years
old and is slow.
SUMMARY
The Mott Fire Protection District has not felt the impact of the oil boom that other
communities in the region have. It has enough volunteers to meet demand and a few on the
waiting list. Most of the volunteers have jobs in or around town and so are able to provide a
timely response to a fire emergency. Like many small departments Mott is very good at
stretching funds to cover needs, but too, this model of doing more with less is not sustainable and
can lull people into a false sense of security, setting the scene for a major disaster in the future.
Mott has recently acquired funds for a new vehicle but it needs to update and upgrade its
extrication equipment and replace its rescue van in order to meet its responsibilities. It also
needs new bunker gear which is projected to cost at least $30,000. The department is meeting its
training goals and is getting by financially though more money is needed.
133
Hettinger County: Mott Fire
Dept.
Chief Lyle Freeze 5/13/2014
Coverage Area: 740 square miles
Personnel
Volunteers
28
Wait List
6
through
April 2014
3
1
Call Volume
2013
Grass Fires
Structure Fires
Accidents
Rescues
Total Calls
2
2
4
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
3,000 gallon water
1
hauler
Pumper Truck
2
1965 Rescue van
1
Grass units
4
* one recently purchased through surplus program
Tanker truck 800 gallon
1
capacity
Totals:
9
Equipment
In Stock
Helmets
Turnout Gear
Rangeland Gear
Air Bottles
28
28
28
28
Extrication Eqpt
1
AAAF: Fire Suppression
Foam
Air Packs
Equipment Nozzles
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need Add.
Cost
1
$59,000*
Need
Replace
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
28
$1,800
$150
1
$17,500
$24/gallon
$2,000 w/spare
tank
$450-$5,000
134
Interview: New England Fire Department/New England Rural Fire Department, Chief Joe
Kathrein
Interview conducted on 6/11/2014
New England Fire Protection District (NEFPD) covers the city of New England and the
surrounding area with a city and a rural department. Its coverage area is over 600 square miles.
NEFPD has both fire and rescue capabilities. The rescue capabilities coverage area, working in
conjunction with New England Ambulance service covers 900 square miles. NEFPD has verbal
mutual aid agreements with Reeder, Amidon, Regent, Dickinson, and Scranton though there are
no formal compensation agreements. NEFPD is not heavy rescue certified but has heavy rescue
equipment including extraction tools and is Hazardous Materials Aware.
NEFPD has seen an increase in calls for rescue though a decrease in the amount of fire
calls. In 2012 there were approximately 50 emergency calls total. In 2013 there were
approximately 17 fire calls. Through May of 2014 there have been 8 calls for rescue and one fire
call. 2014 has had a late spring and a lot of precipitation through June. NEFPD does not charge
for putting out fires but will charge for commercial rescue calls. For example NEFPD began
charging for commercial vehicle accidents that are not emergencies such as a dumped load.
NEFPD is seeing more commercial vehicles and out of state vehicle calls. NEFPD is on
North Dakota Highway 22, a small two lane highway that has been inundated with vehicle
traffic, both private and commercial. Plans are in place to widen the highway.
Changing demographics have been significant. The city of New England (located
approximately 20 miles south of Dickinson) is seeing a lot more traffic flowing north and south
on Highway 22. New England is also seeing increased population pressures and some new
buildings. Following the installation of new fire alarm systems the NEFPD responded to 9 nonevent calls in one month. Non-event calls are calls when an alarm was triggered but there was
no hazard. In this case the newly installed fire alarms were giving false positives. This has since
been resolved. Still, with new construction comes new alarm systems which occasionally will
signal when there is not in fact an emergency. The increased population coupled with more
traffic on the highways and more building add to the traditional burden of agricultural hazards
such as chemical/fertilizer spills, grass fires, and structural fires.
PERSONNEL
NEFPD has 31 volunteers. Fifteen of these volunteers are extrication certified. Three
NEFPD volunteers also volunteer for the Ambulance service. Five of the volunteers are EVOC
certified—meaning they are qualified to drive the Ambulance if needed. Four people are
interested in joining the volunteer fire department but struggle with availability.
Of the 31 volunteers 10-12 volunteers are able to respond immediately to a call. The rest are not
as consistent. Four volunteers will be retiring from the NEFPD in the next two years. The
majority of volunteers are in the middle, neither rookies or near retirement. The NEFPD only
accepts applicants who are 21 years or older. Following completion of the new fire hall being
built on the edge of town the NEFPD will be looking to add two more volunteers to the roster.
135
One major challenge to recruitment is finding new people who live and work in the area. Fewer
and fewer volunteers have jobs in town, many work either on their farms or in the oil field
making it difficult to respond quickly and in substantial numbers to an emergency call.
Currently the NEFPD works on an “all call” basis. When an call is sent all respond who can. To
date this has resulted in a timely response with adequate numbers though the NEFPD may need
to switch to assigning volunteers hours if oil activity increases in the region. Volunteers do
receive a small benefit for their service. Each firefighter receives about $10.00 per call they
respond to, all training is paid, and they are compensated mileage and hotel costs when they go
to training.
The NEFPD is doing okay right now keeping its volunteers trained and well rested during
these last couple years which have had above average precipitation. However, dry years—like
those seen 3-5 years ago—can take a tremendous toll on a crew, and big fires can be especially
hard on a volunteer force who must take time away from work and their families, losing wages in
the process, to fight fires that can take multiple days.
FINANCES
NEFPD and NEFD have separate equipment but maintenance costs run about $20,000
per year. The departments are funded through local taxes. The NEFPD has a budget of about
$45,000/year and the NEFD has a budget of about $10,000 per year. Both rely on grants and
donations to purchase equipment.
TRAINING
Both organizations are all-volunteer and it is difficult to go to training far from home.
Local training sessions are much easier. Much of the volunteer force, as mentioned before, are
farm/ranch hands and construction workers making winter training easier to get to. Since a new,
larger fire station is being built it will be easier to meet the required training goals in house.
The fire school has been moved to Minot from Bismarck increasing the difficulty for many in the
southwest region to make it to the fire school training sessions. New England’s new facility has
been recommended as a strong candidate for regional training sessions that could cater to the
needs of those fire stations in the deep southwest part of the state. Currently New England Fire
Departments do not have any certified instructors.
EQUIPMENT
The NEFPD is getting a new Ford Skid Unit Rangeland vehicle costing $180,000 and
working toward purchasing a new tanker ($150,000-$180,000) to replace the 1950s model tanker
they’d used for city fires which expired six to seven years ago. The new fire hall will have room
for two more vehicles. The regular vehicle maintenance is done in house by the firefighters
themselves, five of whom are mechanics.
The department is also replacing 33-34 sets of wildland gear at $11-1200/unit. It also has
14 SCBAs on hand, all certified, and extra tanks are available. These extra tanks will be updated
in the next 3-4 years-switching to carbon composite tanks. SCBA equipment has a life
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expectancy of 10-12 years but too, the technology is constantly evolving, requiring upgrades.
An additional consideration is that all the crew must have the same kind of equipment so that
everyone is familiar with every piece.
The NEFPD also shares a thermal imaging camera with Mott Fire Department purchased
seven years ago that cost approximately $12,000 and they were able to buy with a grant. A
newer, lighter model is now on the market. They would like to have two of those.
SUMMARY
Currently there are enough personnel to handle the demands of both the city and rural
departments. Updating equipment and building a new facility has cost a tremendous amount of
money. Money from oil impact grants went a long way in funding the building. In addition,
contributions from Ambulance (which will be sharing space in the new facility) and city fire
department, as well as donations from numerous businesses and local residents has been of
tremendous benefit in acquiring a modern structure to house the needs of the Fire Departments
and Ambulance Service.
Vehicles will be the greatest expenditure for the department which needs three vehicles
including a tanker in the next year or two, a suburban to use as a command vehicle and a skid
unit. New pagers would also be a big help in maintaining communications and rangeland gear
also need to be replaced.
Financially the NEFPD is okay until the next busy fire season or other major disaster.
Fires in 2009 drained the budget leaving very little cushion. The NEFPD is looking forward to
being able to conduct more training locally in their new facility which could also work as a
central training location for other small communities whose volunteer firefighters have limited
time to reach training sessions in Dickinson, Bismarck and Minot.
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Interview: New England Fire Protection District/New England Fire Dept., Chief Joe Kathrein 6/11/2014
Coverage Area: 600 square miles
Rescue Capable, heavy rescue equipped
Joining in
Retiring in
Personnel
next 3
EMS Vols.
EVOC Certified
1-2 years
months
Volunteers
31
4
2
3
5
Call Volume
2009
2010
2011
Rescue/Auto
Fire
Total calls
2012
2013
17
50
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
"Big Fire Truck" 2000
Pumper Truck (City)
1996
Tanker Truck: 4,000
gal. Cap. 1979
Rescue Truck 2008
Cmd Vehicle
(Suburban)
Skid Unit (Rangeland
Firefighter Unit)
1996
Skid Unit (Rangeland
Firefighter Unit)
1985
Totals:
1
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need Add.
Cost
1
1
$150,000$180,000
Certified
Mechanics
5
through May
2014
8
1
9
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
6
1
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Bunker Gear
Structure Fire Boots
Gloves
Wildland Fire
Protection Suits
SCBA with bottles
AAAF: Fire
Suppression Foam
Special Nozzle for
Foam Sticks
Thermal Imaging
Camera
Harness Eqpt. For
Grain Bin/Sewer
Extraction
Structure Extrication
Tools
Pagers
Annual Maintenance
Costs
33
33
1 within 5 yrs
at latest
2
Need
Replace
$180,000
2
Need
Additional
33
Estimated Unit
Cost
$1,500
$300
$100
$1,200/unit
14
$6,000
$24/gallon
6
1 (share with
Mott)
$600
1
1
$12,000
1
$4,000
1
$4,000
33
$400-$500
Average
$20,000/yr
138
Interview: Regent Rural Fire Protection District, Chief Terry Hartman
Interview conducted on 5/09/2014
Regent Rural Fire Department (RRFD) covers 700 square miles. The department was
certified for rescue in the summer of 2014 with the recent purchase of a rescue vehicle. It had
possessed a jaws of life and been trained in its use for several years. Located in the middle of
Hettinger County, Regent has mutual aid agreements with Mott, New England, Gladstone, and
Hettinger. RRFD is an all-volunteer department.
Regent has had very few structure fires in recent years, the great majority of calls have
been grass fires. At the end of April 2014 RRFD responded to six or seven fires. In 2013, there
were less than ten fires for the year; 2012 was a very busy year, however. The cause of most of
the fires has been agriculture related. Hay bailers and combines commonly start grass fires, and
controlled burns on windy days can get out of control and cause problems.
Recent oil activity in the region has not had a dramatic impact on the Regent
department’s call volume but it has had an impact on its personnel. Five or six years ago the
Regent Rural Fire Department lost many of its seasoned veterans to oil field jobs. Before the oil
boom the average age on the department was 42, now the average age is 28.
PERSONNEL
Regent Fire Department has 22 volunteers and a volunteer fire chief. The fire chief takes
responsibility for vehicle maintenance and does receive some compensation for that. Many of
the volunteers are farmers and ranchers. It is hard for them to get to special training sessions in
the spring and may make it hard for them to respond at certain times of the year due to the
demands of their work. Firefighters receive workers compensation while on duty and accident
insurance benefit. There is no retirement fund available. Those who work in town or for another
business must clock out to answer a fire call. Business owners argue this is to protect them from
any liability in case someone gets hurt. At monthly meetings a free supper is provided. That is
the extent of the fringe benefits available. Currently the fire chief feels comfortable with the
amount of people available to answer calls.
RRFD operates under an all-call system and so far that is working well. Some fire
protection district board members (not active firefighter volunteers) who are also area farmers
will also answer a call to bring extra water if it is needed.
Calls are sent out via e-dispatch. A scanner in the fire hall reads a signal and activates
volunteers’ pagers. At the same time a page is sent to each firefighters cell phone as a backup.
When responding to a call each truck that leaves the station will have a minimum of two people.
Usually eight to ten firefighters are able to respond during the day, more are available at night.
Five trucks are available for grass fires and one truck, a pumper stays in town. A 3,000
gallon and 2,500 gallon tanker truck answer all fires.
139
EQUIPMENT
The fire department has eight vehicles. The inventory includes a 1969 pumper truck, a
1978 pumper with 2,000 gallon tank which serves as a reserve water carrier, a 1978 two ton
truck with 800 gallon tank and spray bar, a 1988 one ton truck with sliding grass unit is being
replaced after replacing four to five clutches, a 2005 one ton truck with sliding grass unit, and a
2005 rescue truck. A Chevrolet one ton truck with aluminum flat bed and bumper has been
ordered to replace the 1988 grass unit. The fleet also includes a 2010 Kodiak 1.5 ton grass unit
and a 1985 semi with 3,000 gallon tank. The skid units on the grass trucks are interchangeable.
Access to a mechanics garage has not been a problem for the department. The fire chief
does regular maintenance checks and a local garage takes care of the service. Mott Equity
mounts the tires and the fire trucks a shop priority so vehicles are never out of service for very
long. Radios are serviced by a company in Bismarck.
The status of the department’s personal protection equipment is mixed. Each member
has a full set of bunker gear (structure fire clothing) that is replaced as needed. Regent has 22
sets of bunker gear. The Hettinger County Emergency Manager has applied for a grant for wild
fire protective clothing (a.k.a. grass suits) for each fire department in Hettinger County. Regent
had no grass suits at the time of this interview (grass suits are lighter than structure suits allowing
for more mobility which is critical when fighting a grass fire since it covers much more area than
a structure fire). Each crew member has been assigned a respirator with canister and Regent has
eight SCBA units and 12 tanks. The SCBAs are most often used for anhydrous ammonia spills
and structure fires. Due to very few structure fires the SCBAs are in good condition. RRFD also
has one jaws-of-life and cutter that needs to be replaced soon.
Regent Rural Fire Department needs a larger building. It currently shares space with the
Regent Ambulance Service and there is not enough room for training and equipment. Either the
two groups need to each have their own building or a larger building must be built to
accommodate the requirements of each. As a rural fire department with many volunteers making
a living as farmers and ranchers there is not time to go to state fire schools. Training must be
done at the fire hall. The fire hall lacks adequate training space. Ambulance personnel need
living quarters while on duty. The current hall does not have any place for on call ambulance
crews to stay. Both the ambulance and fire department require more space to maintain their
effectiveness.
TRAINING
Volunteers have a hard time getting to state training school so Regent tries to bring the
training to its volunteers and his having some success. The state library has a lot of material that
Regent borrows while using its own equipment. Some updated material for the Regent Fire
Department Library would be a welcome addition. The summer of 2014 focused on extrication
training. An expert came to the area to update extrication training and equipment. Two years
ago all new volunteers were given EVOC (emergency vehicle operating course) training.
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The department anticipates electric vehicles may pose new challenges as their popularity
increases. Some training or exposure to the strengths and hazards associated with those kinds of
vehicles is welcome.
FINANCES
Regent Rural Fire Department has formed a protection district and is thereby able to
collect tax revenue up to $16,500. It receives $5,000-$6,000 from the insurance premium tax
fund and it received $17,000 from the state of North Dakota in 2014. Hettinger County is not an
oil impact county but some fire departments, such as New England Rural, have received oil
impact funds.
SUMMARY
The fire department is one of the few that seems to have enough personnel. It still needs
to update some of its equipment, such as the jaws-of-life and get more wild land fire suits (grass
suits). It recently acquired a new vehicle to replace one that was failing and so as long as the call
volume stays low the department won’t need another vehicle soon. It does need a new fire hall.
There is not room in the hall for both the ambulance staff and the fire department. To get to a
fire someone has to move the ambulance out of the garage first (this is discussed in more detail
in the interview with the Regent Ambulance Service). Not only is the current building too small
to comfortably fit the vehicles, but also the meeting room is too small for teaching sessions.
Local training is a staple to this department as so few can afford to go to state training. The state
has been very helpful in bringing training to the department but the department still needs a
space for that training to take place.
141
Interview: Regent Rural Fire Protection District, Chief Terry Hartman 5/29/2014
Rescue Certified Summer 2014
Coverage Area: 700 square miles
Personnel
Has enough
Volunteers
23
people
Call Volume
2012
2013
very busy
9
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
1969 Pumper
1978 Pumper w/
2,000gal. Tank
1978 2 ton truck
w/800gal. tank
and spray bar
1988 1 ton
w/sliding grass
unit
1
Estimated
Unit Cost
Need
Estimated
Unit Cost
22
$200
1
1
1
2005 Rescue Truck
1
2010 Kodiak 1.5
ton grass unit
1
1 (Chev. 1 ton w/
aluminum flat
bed and bumper)
1 (Wore out 5
clutches)
1
8
Equipment
In Stock
Bunker Gear
w/helmets, boots
22
Wildland Fire
Protection Wear
SCBA
SCBA Bottles
Respirator
w/cannister
Jaws of Life set
Building
Need
Add.
1
2005 1 ton truck
w/grass unit
1985 Semi w/3000
gal. tank
Totals:
Through April
2014
7
Need to
Replace
1
On Order
Need Replace
0
8
12
$5,000
22
1
1
1
1
$17,500
142
Interview: New England Ambulance Service, Stephanie Steier, Crew Chief
Interview conducted 5/6/2014
New England Ambulance Service (NEAS) serves a population of 1,080 and covers 585
square miles according to the North Dakota Department of Health Ambulance Service Providers
map. NEAS covers New England to three miles north of Sheffield, east to Lefor, south to the
Adams County line and west two miles past Highway 85. NEAS offers Basic Life Support
ground transport service with Advanced Life Support available at least 40 hours per week.
There is no full time police force in New England. The nearest police department is Mott. New
England, nestled in Hettinger County, is not in an oil producing county, though located 20 miles
south of Dickinson. On Highway 22, New England sees a lot of traffic and population overflow
coming through and living in New England.
PERSONNEL
The New England Ambulance Service staff currently consist of one full time paramedic
seven EMTs and nine EMRs for a squad of 17 members. Call volume fluctuates dramatically.
In 2012, there were 97 calls for service. In 2013, there were only 60 calls for service. At the
time of this interview there had been 27 calls for service since January 1, 2014. Calls for service
ebb and flow without any predictability. The length of an ambulance run is limited. NEAS will
go to the nearest hospital in Dickinson, Bowman, or Hettinger but patients must then transfer to
another agency to go further. NEAS does not have the staff to run to Bismarck.
A large percentage of the community of New England is elderly. The elderly population
is dying as more young people and their families are trickling into the community. Despite more
young people moving into the city of New England there is only one volunteer with less than
five years of experience. One EMT has six years of experience, the rest of the volunteers all
have 18-20 years of experience. NEAS has one active crew member over 70. There are no
young volunteers coming in. Stephanie Steier, the crew chief, suggests that the new certification
requirements are keeping people away who would otherwise join.
North Dakota is a participant in the national registry’s recertification curriculum pilot
program. Changes have taken place in re-certification and curriculum. There have been changes
in the number of hours required and the categories of training required; there are fewer recertification hours to complete, but there is more mandatory training on equipment that is not
implemented in the region, and is not used in this area.
There is some frustration that the national requirements are not a good fit for the realities
of rural North Dakota. According to Steier, many older volunteers are resistant to the changes in
re-certification. Many don’t understand the necessity for specialization, or set hours in certain
categories. One may infer this tendency towards resisting changes to re-certification stems from
the problem some experienced volunteers face in re-balancing the obligations of home and work
while still meeting the requirements to maintain certification. Changing the requirements for recertification disrupts that careful balance that for many is required in order to participate as
emergency medical providers.
143
EQUIPMENT
NEAS shares space with the New England Fire Department. A new building has been
built to house the two services. NEAS will have two bays dedicated to their ambulances. The
building provides living quarters, kitchen, community room and large multi-bay garage.
NEAS has two ambulances, a 1993 and a 1994 Ford. A replacement is on order, bought
with grant money and fundraising. Both ambulances need to be replaced. Two months before
this interview one ambulance broke down and cost $2,500 to repair.
NEAS has some new equipment received through grants, needs more, while other
equipment is serviceable but outdated. NEAS currently has an “irreducible minimum” amount
of equipment. Replacement equipment and new equipment are very expensive. NEAS recently
bought a Lucas CPR Device with a Helmsley grant for $11,000. Among the biggest needs is a
stair chair. With an aging staff a mechanical assist to get patients out of their homes is more than
a luxury, it’s a necessity.
FINANCES
Funding is a chronic problem for NEAS. It is not a tax funded district. In addition, the
pool of volunteers is dwindling and there is no money to compensate existing volunteers or
encourage new ones. Potential volunteers cannot afford to offer their time. More money is
necessary to bring in more staff. The one paid position is forced to balance grant writing with
providing care. Grant writing is becoming more complex.
SUMMARY
NEAS needs more money, more staff and the money/incentives to retain them. It also
needs two new ambulances and to add to and update its medical equipment. A stronger police
presence would also be helpful.
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New England Ambulance Service, Stephanie Steier 5/9/2014
Coverage Area: 700 square miles
NE Ambulance Service is a Basic Life Support Service with Advanced Life Support Capability
Staff
Full time
1
Paramedic
EMT Volunteers
7
EMR Volunteers
9
Total
17
through April
Call Volume
2012
2013
2014
97
60
27
Vehicles by
Need to
Quantity
On Order
Need
Type
Replace
1994 Ford
2
1
2
2
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Need Replace
Need
Estimated Cost
Life Pack 15
Defibrillator1
Monitor
Lucas CPR
System Device
Stair Chair
1
$11,000
1
145
Interview: Regent EMS, Terry Hartman
Interview conducted 5/9/2014
The Regent Ambulance Service (RAS) is a Basic Life Support service with ground
transport. According to the North Dakota Department of Health, RAS serves a population 675
residents and covers 443 square miles. RAS makes approximately 30 to 40 runs each year. It is
not a tax district but does receive some funding from the state thanks in part to joining with
Dickinson Ambulance Service, New England and Mott to form Rural EMS Assistance, Inc. “a
non-profit group to seek grant money that can be used to hire part-time staff to fill scheduling
gaps” (Bakken.com, 7/22/2013).
Regent and the other members of the corporation share staff to cover shortages when
needed. Alone, Regent does not have enough staff to cover if someone wanted to leave town for
the weekend. Substitutes cover for 24 hours and are compensated $20 by the program. Each
squad also adds five dollars per hour more for workers compensation and insurance. Weekends,
volunteers are compensated $50 for 24 hours and an additional $50 per run.
The Regent squad is comprised of 16 volunteers. Five are drivers with CPR certification.
Five are first responders. Five are EMT-Intermediate, and one is an EMT-Basic. The Regent
squad has no paramedics. Regent responds to 30 to 40 calls each year. Located 49 miles from
Dickinson and 51 miles from Hettinger (the two nearest hospitals) every ambulance run is a
minimum of 100 miles or more.
The types of calls for service are changing slightly. Responders are seeing more
domestic violence and people are reluctant to admit what the emergency really is, leaving a
surprise for emergency medical personnel. Hartman says “we don’t know what’s behind the
door anymore” when we answer a call. Two years ago, everyone knew everyone in the
community, now responders may know only 50%. Responders are more cautious when coming
onto the scene of an emergency and are increasingly uncomfortable responding to an emergency
without law enforcement on site.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Regent is a small, quiet community with a quiet drug problem. Many working poor live
in Regent and work in communities to the north. Drugs are more evident than ever before and
the population is a bit rougher. Strangers and weapons are a sight more common than four to five
years ago. Having law enforcement on the scene is becoming increasingly important to the
ambulance staff, particularly if the patient is not well known. Some EMTs have started wearing
ballistic vests when answering calls.
Five to ten years ago, hunters and outfitters were buying houses and renting land in the
area for upland game hunting. Pheasant populations in the area were booming as crop prices
were falling, making hunting a key economic driver in the area. With the oil boom establishing
itself to the north and west, that is changing. Today, oil companies and oil field workers are
buying the houses that the hunters are selling. There are 20 vacant homes for sale in Regent.
146
The 2010 census put the population of Regent at 260 residents. Locals expect the population is
around 300.
TRAINING
The ambulance service does most of its training at monthly meetings, bringing in trainers
from out of town. Training goes on constantly. There is no demand for any specialized training.
PERSONNEL
Similar to other small town ambulance services, there aren’t many strangers in town, so
when there is a bad accident or loss of life it takes a heavy emotional toll on the squad. Small
volunteer squads are more vulnerable than large, professional organizations.
Regent faces a critical shortage of people willing and able to volunteer for ambulance
duty. The state has offered some money so that volunteers are compensated for weekend
coverage as an incentive to give up more of their time. If this money is cut, the ambulance
service would be lost. Regent Ambulance service needs more people in order to survive.
EQUIPMENT
RAS has one ambulance; a 2006 Ford with a diesel engine replaced a 2000 model year
ambulance two to three years ago. The squad tries to update the ambulance every six or seven
years. If it is still viable, RAS will try and replace the current ambulance in four or five years.
As the population in the area grows a second ambulance will be needed. Based on population
projections in Dickinson and Stark County it is likely that Regent’s will continue to absorb some
of the spill over from its northern neighbors.
A garage in Regent takes care of the regular maintenance of the ambulance, but major
repairs must be done by diesel mechanics in Dickinson. Maintenance costs are increasing due to
the poorly performing engine. When the ambulance in being serviced, Regent must borrow
another ambulance from the supplier.
A new heart monitor was a welcome addition to the RAS and puts them in a comfortable
position regarding medical equipment; however, training equipment is very old. RAS did
purchase new CPR mannequins but needs a new ambulance mannequin and IV Training Arms.
Slope Electric Cooperative donates $1,000 each year to RAS and that money often goes towards
new equipment.
Staff is the greatest need RAS has, but next to that, a new building with living space, an
area to secure drugs and sensitive equipment, a large meeting room and a two bay garage is
critical. RAS currently shares a building with the fire department and it makes for a very hectic
operation. The ambulance blocks the exit for the fire truck. In order to answer a fire call,
someone must first move the ambulance. The fire department and ambulance service are
crowded into a small space. The space is not conducive to a well-organized, efficient fire
department and ambulance service. It is crowded; there are lots of distractions, security issues,
147
and with so many people and equipment in a confined space, it is difficult to keep everything
neat and clean.
Regent has the lot for a new building, it needs a sewer and water tie in and the structure
needs to be built. With a new building including living quarters RAS will save money that is
now spent on boarding substitute staff in the local hotel, which is completely booked during the
hunting season throughout the fall.
FINANCES
Regent Ambulance Service is not in an ambulance district and therefore receives no tax
funds. To form a taxable district is a long and time consuming process that RAS cannot
currently afford. It does receive some funding from the state, but those are one time payouts
that vary from year to year. Grants, donations, and insurance compensation are the only forms of
funding Regent receives.
RAS is part of a pilot program being monitored by the North Dakota Department of
Health and receives funding from the state. It formed a non-profit corporation with four other
ambulance services dedicated to securing grant money and paying a stipend to volunteers from
other organizations to cover shifts when local volunteers are not available. Outside volunteers
are paid $20 per day during the week and $50 to cover weekends and $50 for an ambulance run.
SUMMARY
Regent Ambulance Service is struggling to find enough people to maintain service. It
needs additional staff, either volunteers or paid, and it needs a building to house them in. The
security of the ambulance crew is coming into question as more people are moving into the
community and drug use in the area is on the rise. Regent does not have a municipal police
force, though a sheriff’s deputy is in the area for several hours each day. The Hettinger County
Sheriff’s office is located in Mott, about 15 miles and 20 minutes from Regent.
Finding the money to pay for volunteers to pay for volunteers from other departments is a
challenge, but incorporation with Dickinson Ambulance Service, New England, and Mott to find
those funds is helping. The other big challenge is finding room for training, equipment, and
visiting crew members a place to stay. Regent Ambulance Service is in a difficult position. It
needs more people and a proper building. Becoming a tax district has been discussed but there is
little community support. Without community support, Regent Ambulance Service cannot form
a tax district and funding will continue to be a problem despite sharing resources with other
communities.
148
Regent Ambulance Service: Terry Hartman 5/9/2014
Coverage Area: 443 square miles
Regent Ambulance Service is a Basic Life Support Service
Staff
EMT-I
5
Volunteers
EMT Basic
Volunteers
1st Responders
1
5
Drivers w/CPR
cert.
5
Total
16
More staff are
needed
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need
On Order
Need Replace
Need
Call Volume
Avg. 30-40 /yr
Vehicles by
Type
2006 Ford
Deisel
Equipment
Heart Monitor
CPR Manequin
Ambulance
Manequin
IV Training
Arms
Building
1
In Stock
1
1
Estimated Cost
1
1
1
149
SLOPE COUNTY
Interview: Slope County Emergency Manager, Dick Frederick
Interview conducted 5/9/2014
The role of the Slope County Emergency Manager is to coordinate resources (including
emergency services) before, during, and after a disaster. The emergency manager is a liaison for
local, state and federal officials and handles all the necessary paperwork for the county in an
emergency. Keeping Slope County prepared has required a bit more effort than before the
increased oil activity in the region. There are more hazardous materials on the highways running
north and south—US Highway 85 runs through Amidon, the county seat of Slope County. US
Highway 85 is a major artery to and from the oil fields in the north.
Due to increased traffic and larger volume of hazardous materials the emergency
manager is coordinating more inter agency training and pushing to improve communication
systems. New communication towers, more frequencies and new notification methods are all
being implemented to meet the increased demand.
Bowman and Slope County work together with their emergency services. Responding
agencies share duties and pool resources in all communities in the two counties. There is a tower
on Rainy Butte and an antennae and tower in Rhame, both were funded through Bowman BLM
funds.
The Slope County Emergency Manager and Bowman County Emergency Manager share
many responsibilities which has reduced costs while accomplishing much. The two counties
work well together. So far, despite higher traffic volume and other risks the workload has been
manageable. Hours worked can vary widely, increasing dramatically in an emergency, but
Frederick, who is also the Slope County Sheriff’s Deputy, Fire Chief and Ambulance Crew Chief
in Amidon says only 20 to 25% of his time is spent as the emergency manager which can be
estimated to be about 20 to 25 hours per week.
Transportation issues are among the biggest risks facing Slope County but weather is also
a threat, especially in winter and summer. The county will face some flooding near the
Cannonball River, especially in the spring, and electrical outages are common. There is no plan
for flood mitigation. The county has seen several big accidents on Highway 85, two in the last
year that required heavy emergency response.
The county uses social media, weather alert radios and the Bowman; Baker, Montana and
Dickinson radio/television stations to notify the public of an emergency. Slope County also uses
the “Code Red” reverse 911 emergency notification system that allows the emergency manager
to map the affected area and send calls out to residents there. The Code Red program has been in
service for two years, before that the county used “Global Connect”. The county is considering
switching to “Everbridge” which may offer better access and availability for a better price. For
transportation the emergency manager uses a patrol vehicle from the sheriff’s department. Most
of the miles driven are to and from training sessions.
150
The emergency manager is not involved in zoning or planning. Like many emergency
managers he may make recommendations to the board but is not a member of the board. Slope
County recently implemented a zoning commission.
The Slope County Emergency Manager, like other emergency manager positions, is
funded through a mix of county revenue and state distribution of federal grant funds. The county
covers half of the salary and expenses of the emergency manager; the rest comes from the
state/federal government. The emergency manager’s basic needs are being met, and funding to
maintain those needs is sufficient. Grants have played an important role in providing funding for
necessary equipment. An Emergency Operations Center for Bowman-Slope would be beneficial.
The county currently has a mobile operations center it uses as an incident command post during
large wildfires. A permanent building would also be useful.
151
Interview: Slope County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Pat Lorge
Interview conducted 5/9/2014
The Slope County Sheriff’s Department is based out of Amidon on Highway 85. The
sheriff’s department covers 1,250 square miles. It does not do any contract policing. The
increased oil activity has meant more traffic on Highway 85 and an increase in call volume. The
department is getting more traffic related calls, seeing more reckless drivers, driving under
suspension (DUS) violations and driving under the influence (DUI). The department gets some
assistance from the North Dakota Highway Patrol and would like to see a more consistent
presence in the area. Heavy commercial traffic comes through the county running to and from
the oil fields to the north. A more consistent law enforcement presence will be helpful in
keeping traffic under control.
PERSONNEL
The Sheriff’s department has five employees, the sheriff, one part-time deputy, one
secretary and two-part time officers patrolling the highway. The department wants to hire one to
two more people. It prefers to hire local people to fill the position but there are very few
available. Non-residents would have to find housing and there is none available in Amidon.
TRAINING
The department is satisfied with the training available and does not anticipate any need
for specialization in the near future.
EQUIPMENT
The sheriff’s department has four vehicles. All are four wheel drive sport utility vehicles.
They include a 2005, 2008, 2013, and a 2014. The vehicles are serviced in Bowman.
Maintenance costs are steady and the department is comfortable with its fleet. Personal
protective equipment is up to standard and there is no need to replace it in the near future.
FINANCIAL
Recently the department received a $200,000 grant. This grant will allow the department
to add the needed employees.
SUMMARY
The Slope County Sheriff’s Department needs to hire one to two more people. It
currently has enough training, equipment and money but it lacks personnel. The lack of staff is
compounded by the lack of housing in the area. More incentives are needed to attract personnel
as well as more housing.
152
Slope County: Sheriff's Department
Interview with Pat Lorge
Coverage Area: 1,250 square miles. No Community Contracts
Additional
Personnel
needed
Full time
1
2
Part Time
1
Part Time on Highway
2
Support Staff
1
Call Volume
variable
Crime Index Offenses
2012
2013
Murder/Non-Negligent
0
0
Homicide
Rape
0
0
Robbery
0
0
Aggravated Assault
0
0
Burglary
1
0
Larceny/Theft
1
1
Motor Vehicle Theft
0
1
Total Index Offenses
2
2
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
2005 SUV
1
2013 SUV
1
2014 SUV
1
2008 SUV
1
153
Interview: Amidon Fire Protection District, Chief Dick Frederick
Interview conducted on 5/9/2014
The Amidon Fire Protection District covers 450 square miles including the community of
Amidon. Amidon has mutual aid agreements with each of its contiguous fire districts as well as
with Baker and Wibaux, Montana. Amidon pools funds with New England and Bowman to
offer extrication. There are National Grasslands in the district and so Amidon works with the
U.S. Forest Service in the event of grass fires.
The district is seeing more traffic accidents and a few more medical emergencies than it
has in the past. The area population is growing, slightly. Old farms are being occupied that were
once empty and a few more trailers are in the area. Its fire calls have been low in 2013 and 2014
due to a wet year. 2011 through 2012 were very busy fire seasons.
FINANCES
Amidon Fire Protection District gets funding from a mill levy, donations from the
community, grants, and fundraisers. Each summer the department sells bratwurst and beverages
for nine days during the Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota. Located on Highway 85 Amidon is
a popular stop for motorcycle enthusiasts on the way to and from the Sturgis Rally.
PERSONNEL
Amidon is an all-volunteer department with 22 members. Getting people and getting
them to training is very difficult. Many volunteers are retiring. There are few young people
around to take their place.
EQUIPMENT
Each member is fitted with wild land fire gear which includes coveralls, Nomex hoods,
respirator and boots. At the time of this interview new bunker gear had been ordered with
money received from oil impact grants. Some wild land gear still needs to be replaced. The
department has 12 fire shelters that need to be replaced and a few more added. The shelters are
reflective aluminum and are a requirement to fight fires on federal land. The Amidon Fire
Protection District has some National Grasslands within its area. Five SCBAs need to be
replaced. In light of the low structure fire volume this has not been a major priority. As oil field
activity increases in the area, however, these will be more in demand.
Amidon Fire Protection District owns seven vehicles but has access to eight, one is
waiting on a tank and an additional vehicle is on loan from the city. The fleet includes an army
issue 1997 6x6 pumper/tanker unit with 18,000 miles on it purchased two years ago, and a 1974
Airport Crash Truck that has been in service for ten to twelve years and has been a primary
vehicle for the department. Finding parts for repairs is becoming difficult. The fleet also
includes four brush trucks or “grass units”. A 2014 grass unit is waiting on its 650 gallon tank to
be installed. Other grass units include a 2004 CAFS truck, a 1994 foam capable model truck and
154
a 1983 model truck without foam capability. A 1971 tanker and a semi-tanker with 3,000 gallon
tank (on loan from the city for no cost) round out the fleet.
TRAINING
Training is difficult to get. The department needs more hazardous materials training,
more search and rescue training and more incident command training. It would like to get more
oil field specific training as well. Amidon is an older department, however, and many older
volunteers find it difficult to make the time to attend additional training. The incident command
system has been mandated to receive FEMA grants. There is some resistance to the incident
command system. Some of that may be due to a natural inclination to resist change and some of
it may be due to a discomfort that stems from imposing a new bureaucratic system on a small
department that has long existed without one. It may be difficult for some older volunteers to see
the necessity of the new system and feel thereby feel overburdened with the additional training
requirements.
Meetings are scheduled for once each month and are paid for out of the regular budget.
The department tries to get local certified instructors to come in and train or go to regional
training sessions as much as possible. Getting to state fire school is difficult and expensive.
Finding time to get more training has always been difficult because the rural agriculture based
economy takes up so much of volunteers’ time that there is little left over for additional training.
SUMMARY
More people and more time for training are the two biggest needs for the Amidon Fire
Protection District. The next biggest need is more funding to update vehicles and equipment and
more space to house those vehicles and equipment. In dry years the department must respond to
large grass fires and/or multiple fires. Amidon has a large area to cover including National
Grasslands. The terrain is very rough; much of it is in the rugged badlands.
The department needs full-time paid personnel, but according to Chief Frederick the
district couldn’t afford to pay the wages.
155
Amidon Fire Protection District
Chief Dick Frederick 5/9/2014
Coverage Area: 450 square miles including
Amidon
Contributes funds to New England and Bowman Fire Departments to cover
extriction
Staff
Volunteers
22
Call Volume
Predominantly
wildfires and traffic
calls
Need to
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Need
Replace
1974 Airport Crash
Truck*
1
1
1971 Tanker Truck*
1
1
Semi-Tanker 3,000
gallon (owned by city)
1
2014 Grass Unit (Brush
Truck) w/650 gallon
tank
1
1983 Brush Truck
1
1994 Brush Truck
2004 Brush Truck
1
1
Equipment
In Stock
Fire Shelters
12
SCBA
Bunker Gear
Wildland Fire Gear
22
22
*Replacement
parts hard to
find
water tank
1
On Order
Need Replace
Need
Additional
12
4
5
5
22
Not foam
capable
Foam Capable
CAFS capable
Estimated
Cost
$335$400/unit
$2,500 (est.)
$1,500
5
156
Interview: Marmarth Fire Department, Fire Chief Crystal Hamlin
Interview conducted 6/17/2014
Marmarth is located on the southern border of Slope County a few miles east of the
Montana border. Marmarth Fire Department (MFD) is supported by the Marmarth Fire
Protection District and covers an area south to the South Dakota border, north to the Golden
Valley County line and east to the Little Missouri River. It will often fight fires east of the river
if it is close to town though that is Rhame’s area. MFD has verbal mutual aid agreements with
Rhame and two communities in Montana, Baker and Plevna. It has written agreements with
Amidon, the U.S. Forest Service, Bowman, Camp Crook, and Golden Valley County.
The fire department has some rescue equipment but is not certified in extrication. Baker,
Montana is certified and helps Marmarth when needed. Baker is also water rescue certified.
Marmarth has one member trained in water rescue. The department has had hazardous materials
awareness training but major hazardous material spills are handled by Bismarck.
The majority of the calls Marmarth responds to are grass fires and vehicle accidents.
There are a few structure fires and calls to oil well sites, too. MFD accompanies the ambulance
service on vehicle accident calls. 2013 was a quiet year for the fire department with only about
12 calls; 2014 has also been quiet so far with only three calls through May, only one was a fire
call. Weather is a big factor in call volume. The last two years have been wet, so call volume
has been low.
With increased oil production in the area Marmarth purchased a vehicle with foam
capability that can be used on structure and volatile liquid fires. In the past foam trucks would
be called in from Baker but now Marmarth has that capability.
PERSONNEL
Marmarth Fire Department has 23 volunteers on its roster. Six to seven people are active
and regularly available. Two to three members are phasing out due to age. All volunteers have a
pager or older radio and respond as they can. Most volunteers work outside of town in either
Baker or Bowman making it difficult to field calls during the day. Two people must be on a
truck before it leaves on a fire call. A grass fire can be fought with two people. Other fires
require at least three people, but four are needed to be effective. Long lasting or large fires
(multiple days) will rotate crews.
The fire department is evolving and there is some generational conflict with new
volunteers and older volunteers. There is a large age gap with the new volunteers all being in
their 20s and the older volunteers in their 50s and 60s. Equipment and procedures are evolving
and the department is adjusting to meet those changes and it is not always smooth.
TRAINING
The incident command system is still a new idea that is slowly taking root in the
department. More sessions are dedicated to implement the system and progress is being made.
157
The department has no certified instructors but the volunteers share what they learned with one
another as one or two may make it to one conference or another and bring that training back.
The fire school in Minot is very hard for the Marmarth Fire Department to attend. The training
is excellent but it’s a long way to go for a weekend. Marmarth trains with Baker, Montana’s fire
department whenever possible.
Marmarth is limited, particularly in winter, in the kinds of training it can do due to space
limitations. It needs a bigger space. Since many of the fire department volunteers are also
ambulance volunteers it would be more convenient to share a building. In larger communities, it
is better to have separate buildings, but in this case, the consensus is it is better to have one large
building to share.
EQUIPMENT
The MFD fleet consists of three grass trucks, a fourth is being built to replace the oldest
one; a 2001 pumper purchased used about two years ago; a 2001 tender put on a used chassis; a
1997 command vehicle (pick-up truck) donated by an oil company that does not start; a 2000
Chevrolet crew cab the department shares with the ambulance service, and a utility trailer that
stores gear and is looking to be outfitted to refill air bottles. In sum, one grass truck and the
command vehicle need to be replaced.
In a good year, maintenance costs average between $6,000 and $8,000. In busy year
costs can skyrocket. The Bucyrus fire in October 2012 was a costly fire. During that event
Marmarth lost the pumps on a truck, a fuel filter went out, got a flat tire and a bent rim. That
was one fire.
The department has been keeping up with maintenance schedules. Light maintenance is
done in town by the volunteers and bigger repairs go to Bowman for service and a company out
of Minnesota services the big truck.
The status of the department’s personal protective equipment is mixed. The bunker gear
is in good shape; the department is buying four new sets. Grass suits are in limited supply and
more have been ordered. Some suits are too small. Each volunteer has one grass suit and there
are ten tops in reserve. Wildland fire protection gear does not last very long and so the
department tries to keep extra sets on hand in case of rips or other damage. MFD has ten SCBAs
which is enough in light of the call volume. Each air pack has one additional air bottle. The
majority of the personal protective equipment has been replaced within the last few years in
accordance with the dictates of the fire insurance policy.
Marmarth needs a new fire hall to be built. The fire house has nine foot garage doors
making a very tight fit for vehicles. One vehicle stays outside. Run off flows into the building
during spring melt and heavy rains, damaging the back wall of the building. This has been a
problem since the building was built.
158
FINANCIAL
Marmarth Fire Department is funded by the Marmarth Fire Protection District and
receives mills from Slope County as well as funding from the cities of Bowman and Marmarth.
Grants make up the bulk of Marmarth’s funding and it accepts donations. The department runs
very lean, it does not have a lot of financial cushion though the city of Marmarth and Bowman
and Slope Counties will contribute what they can during a crisis.
SUMMARY
Marmarth Fire Department is a small volunteer service near the Montana border along
the Little Missouri River. It is nestled among active oil wells and federal grasslands. The
department of 23 volunteers has six to seven active members who can make nearly every call but
two to three people will retire in the next year or two. More people are needed to keep
Marmarth’s territory covered without over extending the crew. Financially, Marmarth is getting
by; like all small rural departments, Marmarth has learned to do more with less. Grants keep the
department running. The department needs to replace one grass truck and its command vehicle.
Both are getting too old and are no longer mechanically sound. The vehicles have a limited
range and need to be replaced. Space for training is needed. A new building that isn’t prone to
flooding in spring and after heavy rains that can fit all of the vehicles inside and have room for
the ambulance and fire crews would make the department more attractive to potential volunteers
while improving the health and efficiency of the fire service. More people, a building providing
space for training and that can house all the vehicles, a new grass truck and a new command
vehicle are the key needs of this department right now.
159
Marmarth Fire
Department
Chief Crystal Hamlin,
6/17/2014
Interview: Chief Crystal Hamlin
6/17/2014
More
personnel
needed
Volunteers
23
6
yes
Losing 2-3 people to retirement in next 1-2 years
Last two years
through
Call Volume
2013
have been
May 2014
wet.
12
3
Being
Need to
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
Built
Replace
Grass Trucks
3
1
1
2001 Pumper
1
2001 Tender
1
Personnel
1997 Cmd Vehicle
(pickup truck)
2000 Chevrolet
Crew Cab (share
w/ amb.)
Eqpt Trailer
Totals:
Active
1
Unit Cost
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
1
1
1
8
1
2
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Need Replace
Bunker Gear
w/helmets, boots
23
4
4
Wildland Fire
Protection Wear
SCBA
SCBA Bottles
Building
Need Add.
23
$2,000
7
10
20
$4,000
$800
1
160
Interview: Marmarth Ambulance Service, Hailey Dschaak
Interview Conducted: 06/17/2014
Marmarth Ambulance Service (MAS) is a Basic Life Support Ground Ambulance
service. It serves a population of 217 residents and covers 391 square miles. MAS has written
mutual aid agreements with Bowman; the city of Baker, Montana and Fallon County, Montana.
It has verbal mutual aid agreements with Golden Valley County, Amidon, and other surrounding
communities in North Dakota and South Dakota.
PERSONNEL
Marmarth Ambulance Service has no paid positions. All crew members are volunteers.
Many volunteers also serve on the Marmarth Fire Department. There are 20 people on the
Ambulance Service roster. Two members are EMT-I. Six members are EMT-B. Two members
are EMRs and there are ten drivers. Out of these 20 volunteers, six or seven can be considered
active participants. Only two EMTs were available for the summer 2014.
MAS has one certified instructor. Few first responders are willing and able to dedicate
the time required to become EMTs despite MAS covering training costs. Some people will stay
for the training but will then not be available to cover shifts. Most of the crew live in town, three
members live out of town. Out of town volunteers often come in to cover weekends, some put in
24-36 hours of coverage each month.
More personnel are needed, though it is difficult to suggest where they might come from.
Very few residents work in town and there is no high school from which to recruit more
volunteers. Transferees from Bismarck, Billings, and Dickinson are paid $50-$100 depending
on qualifications.
MAS rents a room from the Historical Society for volunteers who are from out of town to
stay at while covering a shift. Shifts are 12 hours long and consist of two members (minimum).
Call volume in the service area is widely variable and is closely linked to oil activity. Lately the
call volume is averaging one to two calls per month. There were 24 calls in 2013. Five years
ago, when more oil drilling and production was in the area the volume was considerably higher
with five to ten rigs operating in the service area. Usually there is at least one functioning oil rig
in the district at all times.
Summers usually see a higher call volume as not only oil production but archeologists
(“bone hunters”), both amateur and professional, come to the Marmarth area to dig for fossils.
Each summer at least one of them gets lost and has to be rescued. Due to the rough terrain in the
area if a rescue is necessary it is more likely the patient will have to be carried out to a road or air
lifted.
There has been some change in call volume over the past five years. This area saw
increased oil activity five years ago, which meant trauma calls were the most frequent, either oil
related or traffic. Today the ratio of trauma to non-trauma calls is about even. Things are steady
161
right now, but that could change quickly. A contributing factor in call volume is the oil
companies that work in the area.
Dschaak explains that when a new oil company buys an old oil company, there are new
problems. In one recent case an older oil company with a well-trained workforce and a strong
safety record was bought out by a new company that lacked both experience and the same
commitment to safety. This resulted in more fire and emergency medical calls to the area.
Fallon County in Montana, Bowman and Slope Counties are all cross deputized to work
in each other’s counties. The Highway Patrol has been very effective at getting responders to
accidents as well. Still, help for serious medical problems is about 15 to 20 minutes away,
longer in the early hours of the morning.
TRAINING
After finding and retaining personnel, training is the biggest challenge MAS has to face.
Training is a very big time commitment. Marmarth hosts a conference every fall and is trying to
host another in the spring. Marmarth has one certified instructor and 90% of instruction is done
in house. The conference is paid for with oil impact grants and tax revenues. Oil impact money
has been used to bring national instructors to the Marmarth conference.
Conferences in Minot and Bismarck, traditional venues for major conferences in the state,
are very difficult to get to since insuring area coverage is the highest priority and so few crew
members are active. Even Dickinson is an hour and a half away, meaning three hours of driving,
minimum. Any conference would likely require a multi-day commitment. Food and lodging and
time away from work makes attending a conference very expensive for volunteers and very few
people can afford it, and Marmarth Ambulance service is an all-volunteer crew.
FINANCIAL
Marmarth Ambulance Service is funded through grants, contributions from Bowman
County (approximately $2,000 per year), and donations as well as a portion of the mill levy,
though the Marmarth Fire Department gets the bulk of the mill levy the two departments share
some equipment and many personnel and so ultimately some of the funding. Crew members
receive no benefits and no compensation beyond cost of training is paid for.
There is a critical issue with insurance compensation. Noridian Mutual Insurance, the
company through which insurance claims are processed, has not compensated any ambulance
runs in over a year. Dschaak stated 11 other service providers are having this problem.
According to Dschaak, the ambulance service is not getting paid due to a bureaucratic error. It
has been well over a year since the ambulance service has been able to bill for service. Reduced
Medicare and Medicaid payments are also putting more financial pressure on MAS.
162
EQUIPMENT
The MAS has two ambulances, both 1995 models. One ambulance has 130,000 miles
and the other has 75,000-80,000 miles. It has another vehicle that serves as grass/structure fire
support vehicle and medical support vehicle. It also has a crew cab stocked with extra medical
and fire equipment that makes runs on both large grass fires and medical emergencies.
Squad members keep the vehicles maintained and either Bowman or Baker, MT take care
of the larger maintenance issues. Vehicle maintenance costs average about $4,000 per year.
Batteries and tires are the most expensive running $1,000 and $2,000 respectively. Maintenance
costs have stayed consistent with inflation and have not spiked due to increased demand as they
have in other areas. One of the ambulances needs to be replaced.
Long-term needs include a new building for the Fire Department and Ambulance Service
to share. It will require a garage to park the vehicles, a training center and living quarters to
house volunteers during their shifts. It must be big enough to accommodate the vehicles.
Other medical equipment needs include a 12-Lead ECG and a power gurney. Volunteers
are getting older along with the rest of the population and patients are getting heavier. Older
patients in the area often wait until they are fully incapacitated before calling an ambulance.
Their condition is nearly always a major medical emergency. Many homes in the area are much
older than existing building codes and have steep stairs and narrow hallways making bringing a
patient out to the ambulance a difficult task. A power gurney, while expensive at $25,000, has
become a necessity to insure the safety of both patients and emergency responders.
MAS received the Fire Department’s old turnout gear when it bought new gear.
Updating personal protective equipment is a constant battle in an area that has several severe
toxic threats running through town on a regular basis. The rail line that runs through town
carries ag chemicals, oil field chemicals, as well as nuclear material. The past few years have
seen one major train derailment in Plevna, MT west of Baker (summer 2012). Marmarth has a
mutual aid agreement with Plevna. The derailment caused both a chemical spill and fire. A few
years ago a train with a “hot box” set fires all along the rail line. Exposure to H2S gas is also
common in the area. Gas monitors are needed. The Fire Department has one.
SUMMARY
The biggest need the Marmarth Ambulance service has is recruiting more people and
bringing training to the area so they can maintain certification without unduly burdening the
crew. After personnel, Marmarth needs a building with living quarters, garage, and training
space for the fire department and ambulance service to share. A new ambulance, a 12 Lead
ECG, a power gurney, and a gas monitor are essential equipment they need to replace or add.
Demand for service is steady right now but as the population continues well past their
retirement years and oil activity in the area increases, so will demand for service. Eastern
Montana has not yet been affected by the boom but oil development is on its way over.
Marmarth has mutual aid agreements with Fallon County in Montana and will likely see an
163
increase in call volume as that area is developed. Signs indicate there will be more oil activity
soon as the Bakken formation moves into production phase and oil exploration moves back into
Slope County. There are a lot of hazardous materials that pass through Marmarth on the rail line
and US Highway 12. With a few oil wells in the area there is often possible exposure to H2S gas
and there is only one gas monitor in the community which the fire department has. Another is
needed for the ambulance.
164
Marmarth Ambulance Service
Crew Chief, Hailey Dschaak 6/10/2014
Coverage Area: 391 square miles
Basic Life Support Service
Staff
Volunteers on
20
Roster
Active Vols.
6*
Vol. EMT-I
Vol. EMT-B
Drivers
EMR
Certified
Instructor
Call Volume
2
6
10
2
*2 vols.
Available
summer 2014
More
vols. are
needed
Need to
Replace
1
Estimated
Cost
1
2013
24
through May 2014
Avg 1-2 calls/month
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
1995 Ambulance
Medical Sppt
Veh.*
Crew Cab Pickup
truck*
Total
2
*Shared with
FD
1
1
4
1
Maintenance
Equipment
$4,000
In Stock
On Order
Need Replace
Life Pack 15 (12
Lead
Defibrillator
Unit)
Power Gurney
Radios
Gas Monitors
Helmets
Haz Mat Suits
Building
1 (Fire
Dpt)
Additional
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
1
$23,000
1
$25,000
$3,000/unit
4
$100-$120
$100
20
1
165
STARK COUNTY
Interview: Stark County Emergency Manager, Bill Fahlsing
Interview conducted 7/1/2014
The role of the Stark County Emergency Manager is to mitigate hazards, develop hazard
and disaster plans, respond to major emergencies and facility disaster recovery. The emergency
manager gets involved in an emergency at the invitation of first responders, whenever hazardous
materials are involved, and whenever multiple jurisdictions are involved. The emergency
manager (EM) works from his/her office or emergency operations center. During an emergency
the EM coordinates resources so first responders can do their job effectively and efficiently. The
EM is also responsible for informing public officials so they may communicate with the public.
The EM is not a first responder but will investigate a scene at the request of a first responder
agency or if the EM feels it is necessary to assess the situation first hand. Some of the duties of
an emergency manager are delineated in the North Dakota Century Code and others are
determined by the community. State law dictates that every jurisdiction must have an emergency
manager or an emergency plan in place. Some cities have their own emergency manager and
other communities rely on the county. The local emergency management plan is currently being
re-written. The position of emergency manager for Stark County is currently being restructured.
Since the increased oil activity in the region the EM is responding to an increasing
demand for service. The EM is having to work more hours and is seeing an increase in
hazardous material emergencies and violent storms. The Stark County Emergency Manager is
also the 911 Coordinator and is seeing an increase in criminal activity as well which is important
from a public safety concern. Stark County is seeing more meth amphetamine labs, more
missing and abducted children, and more bomb threats as well as an increase in sex trafficking.
In the past two years there have been two meth labs reported, one in a hotel and one in an
apartment building. The emergency manager was called to find shelter for residents in the
apartment complex and the hotel. The emergency manager does not have nearly the resources
needed to respond to the volume of incidents and potential hazards throughout the county.
The emergency manager says first responders need more training to handle the
increasingly complex hazards developing along with the oil industry. For example, Dickinson is
building a refinery, which went online in 2014. If the refinery ever catches fire there is no one in
the area capable of fighting it. The heavy call volume is taxing volunteer agencies such as the
fire department and there is a constant demand for more equipment.
As mentioned briefly above, risks in the county are increasing. Hazardous materials have
been a “thorn in my side” Bill Fahlsing states. Oil, salt water, industry chemicals, and diesel
spills have plagued the county the past few years and have kept emergency managers awake at
night worrying over worst case scenarios. Fahlsing cited a hazardous material traffic study
during this interview noting that Interstate 94 through Stark County has the third highest volume
of hazardous materials flowing through it. Bakken crude oil makes up 67.1% of all hazardous
material flowing through the county. Gasoline is another 9.1% and other flammable liquids are
at 6.1%. North Dakota Highway 22 carries as much hazardous materials as North Dakota
Highway 85 with 34% of hazardous materials. According to the report the railroad carries
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64,470 tanks of hazardous liquids through the area each year averaging 176 rail cars a day. In
2013 Stark County averaged 5,000 truck shipments a day, both hazardous and non-hazardous.
The refinery being built on the outskirts of Dickinson is 0.3 mile from Patterson lake drainage.
The Stark County Emergency Manager is issued a vehicle and has three full time support
staff. The staff includes a deputy director, a 911 data specialist and an office administrator. The
office administrator is retiring and will need to be replaced. The county commission is
evaluating the need for an office administrator in 2016. Currently the position is funded through
grants. There is no permanent funding available.
The emergency operations center needs to upgrade its technology. It is still able to meet
the demands of the office but it is becoming obsolete. A lot of the equipment used is through
mutual aid with other agencies.
The emergency manager and shift commander from the Sheriff’s Department determine
when to sound the emergency sirens. The county uses the Emergency Alert System (EAS) that
includes both weather and amber alert systems. Century Link provides 911 emergency
transmission lines and feeds Verizon and ATT. All land lines in Stark County are registered for
the Reverse 911 program and cell phone registration is also an option. Two weeks before this
interview the Reverse 911 program was utilized to warn residents of an armed suspect fleeing
police in Dickinson. The emergency manager also has local media outlets on speed dial with a
“media button”.
In the near future the emergency manager’s office will be implementing the Integrated
Public Alerting and Warning System (IPAWS) which will replace the Emergency Alert System
(EAS) and the county will be implementing a Community Mobile Alert System which will
expand the notification system to mobile phones and computer systems.
The emergency manager position is funded through the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) and the state of North Dakota. Funding from DHS is through the Emergency
Manager Performance Grant (EMPG) that is given to the state and distributed to the counties and
covers half of the staff salary. The other half comes from county revenues.
Stark County is growing rapidly and the hazards are growing along with it. The
emergency manager is working hard to keep up. More staff and permanent funding will help the
emergency manager continue to meet the needs of Stark County.
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Interview: Stark County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Clarence Tuhy
Interview conducted 6/19/2014
Stark County Sheriff’s Department covers 1,200 to 1,300 square miles. It does contract
policing for Richardton, Taylor, and Gladstone. It assists Belfield as needed. Two officers are
assigned to the Southwest Regional Tactical Unit and one officer is assigned to the Southwest
Drug Task Force.
Call volume in Stark County has increased considerably since 2010. Through 2010 the
department averaged 7,000 to 8,000 calls for service per year. Year-end reports for 2013 record
14,118 calls for service.
A dramatic increase in population is driving call volume. There are more drug offenses,
more traffic citations and more domestic violence complaints. In 2012 there were 150 traffic
accidents and 1,586 citations issued in the county. In 2013 there were 122 traffic accidents and
2,718 citations. The department is providing more court room security, more prisoner transports,
more mental health transports (to and from Fargo and Jamestown), and more juvenile transports
(to and from the Mandan facility). The increased transports and court security are taking time
away from patrolling. In addition, there were 53 defendants on the 24/7 monitoring program to
be processed the day of this interview leaving only four to five hours for officer patrols.
PERSONNEL
The Stark County Sheriff’s Department has 23 sworn officers and four civilian staff.
Officers work 12 hour shifts and provide on duty coverage 24 hours a day seven days a week.
The department needs four more officers for patrol and two more employees for courthouse
security. When court is in session one deputy is in the courtroom and one or two more officers
are transporting prisoners. A court hearing can tie up two to three officers. Three days a week,
when hearings are being held, two to five officers can be tied up. Transfers, round trip, can
range from two to 800 miles charged at a rate of 55 ½ cents per mile and can take up to 13 hours.
Officers are paid $20 to $25 per hour plus overtime. Transports are very expensive to the
department in time and money. More officers will help alleviate overtime costs and reduce
burnout among the officers.
The current labor market is making it difficult to hire and retain officers. Good quality
officers are hard to keep. Many highly effective officers are being lured away by better wages in
other departments and industries. Recently many recruits from Minnesota are coming into the
area for training and then moving on to richer environments or moving back to Minnesota as
demand for their skills increases. It takes six to eight weeks to hire a new officer and four to six
months before that officer is fully trained and familiarized with the system. Losing two to three
employees at a time like the department has had happen recently is taxing the department’s
resources.
A major barrier to recruiting and retaining officers is housing. Housing in Dickinson is
prohibitively expensive. There are four housing units available through the Dickinson Police
Department and four to five deputies are utilizing that program. More apartments are being built
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that will have a few units dedicated to housing officers but they were not available at the time of
this interview.
Work attitudes are changing as well. In the past, officers were desperate to get more
overtime. Today, there is a lot of overtime available but officers are not taking it, choosing
instead to spend more time with their families.
TRAINING
Officers require 60 hours of post academy training every three years to maintain
certification. There is a wide variety of training available and there is a corresponding demand.
Bismarck has a training academy and the Southwest Crime Conference also has many training
opportunities. It has been difficult to free officers up to get them to training due to the increased
work load and loss of staff. A recent trend in the area is an increase in English as a foreign
language (EFL) speakers interacting with law enforcement. More translators and or training is
needed to help officers communicate with EFL speakers.
EQUIPMENT
Each deputy is assigned a vehicle. For 23 deputies there are 23 vehicles. The vehicles
are all four wheel drive SUVs, Chevrolet Tahoes and Ford Interceptor SUVs. Bad roads and
rough weather prohibit passenger sedans. Vehicles are on a three year rotation. The department
tries to replace vehicles at 90,000 miles to ensure a good trade in value. Vehicles with more than
90,000 miles also begin to drain the budget with maintenance costs. The department tries hard to
procure vehicles locally. Local dealerships are quick to make sure their vehicles are serviced and
back to their customers quickly. Once a new vehicle is purchased it may take weeks to equip it
with law enforcement tools. Transferring equipment from one vehicle to the next is also
expensive. It costs between $8,000 and $9,000 to tear out and install equipment from one
vehicle to the next. A major expense is a new cage has to be built that matches the new vehicle’s
specifications.
Local garages try hard to maintenance law enforcement vehicles quickly. Still
appointments for service take about a week to get. Transport vehicles are harder to get serviced.
Each vehicle puts on 1,200 to 1,500 miles each month.
Other law enforcement equipment is becoming increasingly expensive. Despite
increasing costs the department is well equipped. People are hoarding ammunition which is
costing law enforcement dearly in increased prices. Two years ago the amount of money spent
on an officer for gun and ammunition was $840. Today it costs $1,200 to $1,400 to provide a
gun and ammunition per officer. Ammunition has to be ordered one year in advance. Radar
equipment for each of the 23 vehicles cost $2,000 per unit. In car video cameras cost $5,200 per
unit. Every few years the technology upgrades making equipment obsolete. Radio upgrades
recently cost the department $6,000 per unit. Each vehicle has an on-board computer.
Computers do not last long.
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Each vehicle contains a medical equipment bag. The vehicles do not contain AEDs
because the department cannot afford them. There are two AEDs in the building the Sheriff’s
Department shares with the police department and emergency manager.
Dickinson needs a mental health facility and a juvenile detention center. Transports to
facilities in Jamestown, Fargo, and Mandan are very expensive and take officers away from other
critical tasks. Local facilities would save a great deal of money in transportation and overtime
costs. More office space is coming as the Dickinson Police Department is constructing a new
building. Lack of office space has long been a chronic problem for the department.
FINANCES
The Stark County Sheriff’s Department needs more money. The department seeks and
receives a lot of grants. Many of those grants require matching funds and/or go toward the
purchase of specific equipment. There is no additional funding to maintain and/or repair that
equipment. This taxes the budget. Expenses are widely variable from one year to the next but
they are rarely lower than the year before. Stark County’s increased traffic and population is
putting a heavy strain on the Sheriff’s Department.
Each full time officer costs the department $101,000 in salary, vehicle expenses, and
equipment. Expenditures have consistently out-paced budget allocations.
SUMMARY
The Stark County Sheriff’s Department is strained to meet the increasing demands put
upon it by an exploding population and rapid industrial development in the area. It needs more
personnel, four more officers on patrol and two to work security at the courthouse. Affordable
housing options for new employees are very limited. Expenditures are outpacing allocation.
Lack of mental health and juvenile detention facilities are further taxing the department’s labor
and financial resources through long transports. A critical lack of office and storage space will
be resolved once the Dickinson Police Department moves into its new building being constructed
in northwest Dickinson. More personnel, more funding, and local mental health and juvenile
detention facilities must be considered to ensure the Southwest Region’s long term health.
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Stark County Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Clarence Tuhy 6/19/2014
Coverage Area: 1,200-1,300 square miles
Additional
Personnel
needed
Sworn Officers
23
4
Office Staff
4
Courthouse Security
2
Call Volume
2010
2011
2012
2013
8,000
no data
10,493
14,118
Crime Index Offenses
2012
2013
Murder/Negligent
0
0
Homicide
Rape
0
0
Robbery
0
0
Aggravated Assault
4
3
Burglary
2
1
Larceny/Theft
75
45
Motor Vehicle Theft
8
8
Total Index Offenses
89
57
Need to
Need
Vehicles by Type
Quantity On Order
Replace
Additional
Chevrolet Tahoe
12
Ford Interceptor SUV
11
Total Vehicles
23
Need to
Need
PPE Equipment
Quantity On Order
Replace
Additional
Ballistic Vests
23
Firearm
23
Radar Systems
23
Tasers
23
In-Car Video Camera
23
Medical Bag
23
Utility belt, hand cuffs,
23
holster
Update Radios
23
In-Car Computer
23
Estimated
Cost
Estimated
Unit Cost
$800
$850
$2,000
$5,200
$135
$6,000
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Interview: Belfield Police Department, Chief Joseph Schmidt
Interview conducted on 4/29/2014
The Belfield Police Department serves a population of 1,500 plus oil field and other
temporary workers who have not been counted in the census. As a small town Belfield does not
have the resources to absorb the shock of the oil boom as easily as Dickinson. There is little
room for growth, yet Belfield has taken a lot of spill over from Dickinson, exacerbating its
infrastructure woes.
Belfield sits at the junction of Interstate 94 and Highway 85. Due to its location Belfield
has seen an unprecedented increase in traffic. Since the boom traffic runs through Belfield 24
hours a day seven days a week. Traffic violations and narcotics trafficking are common
offenses. Drug abuse, domestic violence and drug and alcohol related offenses make up the
majority of the department’s call volume. Drugs, assault, and terrorizing are the most common
offenses. Belfield PD is a small department that has not been in existence for very long so there
are few records available to compare but the oil boom is having a dramatic impact on the
community (Belfield began hiring staff in October/November of 2012). Still, the increased drug
and alcohol use is not strictly limited the new arrivals. Local residents are also contributing to
the increased crime rate.
Belfield does not have any contracts with any other communities but it does offer mutual
aid to the Highway Patrol and Stark County Sheriff’s Department. It is a member of the
Southwest Drug Task Force and it has a K-9 unit. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)
assists with major/violent crimes such as homicide, kidnaping and other major felonies that
would be very time consuming.
Shortages in funding and personnel have plagued the department since its inception.
Belfield’s infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, sewer, water and housing are all in terrible
shape. The community’s costs far outstrip its revenue. The police department is one of many
parts of Belfield that is starving for funds. Fortunately for the Belfield Police Department grants
from various agencies have allowed the department to purchase necessary equipment and
provide officer funding.
PERSONNEL
Belfield Police Department has five full time personnel. It has one full time secretary and
four full time officers. Three officers are funded through the city budget. The fourth is paid
through a grant from the state. The department needs two more officers to handle the call
volume and maintain a healthy department. The department does not have an investigator so one
of the additional officers would lead investigations. Currently, each officer does his/her own
investigation work and requests assistance as needed. BCI is facing a dramatic increase in
volume as well.
The K-9 program was begun in August of 2013. The department also participates in the
Regional Special Tactics Unit which requires weekly and monthly training and responding to
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calls as needed. Each officer is also cross-trained in emergency medical response and the
department also participates in aggressive driving enforcement with funds from the state.
The department offers 24 hour coverage of the city with one or two officers on duty
and/or on call at all times. Each officer works a 12 hour shift. There is no time when an officer
is not either working or on call. The officers work overtime every week. The city’s lack of
funding is a barrier to hiring more officers. One officer in the department was taking his first
vacation in 20 months. Burnout is common for law enforcement in the region but it is
particularly high in small departments such as Belfield. The department tries to give its
personnel one week off each month but the community has not been cooperative (domestic
violence and narcotics require backup so no one is ever able to turn off their radio and relax).
The Stark County Sheriff’s Department is a resource for backup but sometimes there is not time
to wait for a deputy and so a call goes out to an off-duty officer nearby.
Three officers receive funding for housing through a state grant. A fourth officer has to
find housing with on his own. Housing poses a major problem for department staff as the
average salary is approximately $45,000 and the average monthly rent is $2,200. This is not
viable.
FINANCES
The Belfield Police Department is funded through city revenues, specifically, property
and sales taxes; state funding and grants. The oil impact grants have been a tremendous help.
Most oil impact grants require some matching funds. Two recent grants required a 10% match
and one recent grant required and 80% match. FEMA grants also allowed the department to
purchase a radio.
The city cannot meet the financial needs created by the rapid growth and rise in demand
for services. This is having a detrimental effect on the department which needs more officers
and affordable housing in order to maintain its effectiveness. Belfield PD is compensated by the
requesting agency when answers requests for services, but mutual aid is not compensated. When
the K-9 unit is dispatched the state provides compensation.
Any time an officer testifies at either an administrative hearing, criminal hearing, or in
court that officer is paid overtime. More DUIs are being contested in court since tougher
penalties for DUIs have recently been instated which costs the department a lot of time and
money. A DUI stop can take from two to four hours, factoring in court time they can cost an
officer up to 20 hours.
TRAINING
An officer must complete 12 weeks from the North Dakota Law Enforcement Academy
in Bismarck in order to serve in North Dakota. Transfers from out of state have an abbreviated
academy tenure. Each officer must have 60 hours of continuing education every three years to
maintain certification. Belfield PD conducts very little training in house beyond annual taser
certification training. A lot of training is done at the Southwest Crime Conference but the great
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majority of training, about 80% is done in Bismarck. The K-9 unit also gets regular training,
about 16 hours every month and national recertification annually.
EQUIPMENT
All of the police department vehicles were purchased with state grant funds. The fleet
includes a Chevrolet Tahoe (K-9 unit), three Ford Interceptor SUVs, and a Ford Expedition that
serves as a reserve vehicle. The vehicles last about three years. Maintenance is contracted
through Dan Porter Motors and Sax Motors in Dickinson. The department budgets for regular
vehicle maintenance, break downs are not budgeted. Basic maintenance: oil change, lube, and
new filter averages $50 to $75 for each vehicle.
SUMMARY
Belfield Police Department needs more funding and more personnel. The city of Belfield
needs to fix its streets and expand its sewer and water. There are too many people in Belfield for
the current infrastructure to support. This is putting a heavy burden on the city’s resources
including the police department. Belfield needs to expand both its infrastructure and its police
department to meet demand. It does not have enough money to do that. Oil impact and other
grants have helped Belfield purchase necessary equipment, particularly vehicles. State funds
have also allowed Belfield PD to add an officer. Two more officers are needed to meet demand.
Belfield will continue to grow along with the rest of western North Dakota. Belfield needs more
funding to meet that demand.
174
Interview: Belfield Police Department, Chief Joseph Schmidt 4/29/2014
Personnel
Full time Sworn Officers
Administrators
Crime Index Offenses
Murder/Non-Negligent
Homicide
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Larceny/Theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
Total Index Offenses
*Reported Partial Year
4
1
2012*
Additional
Needed
2
2013
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
14
1
18
Vehicles
Quantity
On Order
Chevrolet Tahoe (K-9 Unit)
Ford Interceptor SUV
Ford Expedition
1
3
1
Need to
Replace
Need
Replacement
cost
175
Interview: Dickinson Police Department, Captain David Wilkie
Interview conducted on 6/24/2014
The Dickinson Police Department provides coverage to a city that has nearly doubled in
size since the oil boom began. Dickinson serves as the main office for the Southwest Drug Task
Force. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Southwest District office is in Dickinson.
Dickinson is also the home of the only SWAT team in the region. SWAT is sent out at the
request of law enforcement from each jurisdiction. The SWAT team has members from many
different departments throughout the region which save those departments money. In the case of
a bomb threat a bomb squad is sent from either Minot or Bismarck depending on availability.
The department has a negotiator for hostage and barricaded subject and received a grant
for a command vehicle with communication for the negotiator. Dickinson also has an entry team
that is non-lethal explosives qualified.
Incident volume has increased in Dickinson but it is due to the increase in population and
not necessarily an increase in per capita crime. The amount of high risk calls over the past five
years has remained steady. Dickinson’s population is estimated to be about 28,000 people.
There is more sex trafficking in the area but it is not based in Dickinson, rather Dickinson is one
stop in a circuit.
Cultural differences are creating more challenges for law enforcement and some new
residents. Culture shock is playing a role in some of the call volume. Some new residents fail to
recognize or understand the state’s definition of domestic violence. In other cases social services
may see child neglect where the perpetrators may not. There are many more people in the area
that may not speak English or speak English as a second language. Spanish is becoming the
most common foreign language followed by Somali. Translators for Spanish are not difficult to
find but Somali is problematic because there are so many dialects.
Call volume has been increasing each year since 2009 with a small dip in 2010. In 2009,
there were 18,991 calls for service; 18,556 in 2010; 22,871 in 2011; 24,848 in 2012; 25,310 in
2013 and at the time of this interview there was one less call than the same time in 2013. Calls
are expected to reach 26,000 this year.
The department has more weapons in the evidence locker than ever before. There are 50
weapons in evidence. Two years ago 25 weapons would be considered a lot. Twenty stolen
bows are in evidence suggesting theft is also on the rise. There is a big increase in concealed
weapons violations, terrorizing with a weapon, and increase in shootings both at people and
random targets.
FINANCES
The Dickinson Police Department is funded by city taxes and grants. The last two years
the department has been awarded oil impact grants, homeland security grants, justice assistance
grants (JAG), Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants (for more personnel), and
Department of Transportation grants offering overtime pay for impaired driving enforcement.
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The department also received a 50% matching grant for ballistic vests. Grants have played a
major role in securing much needed equipment.
The department submits a budget through an executive committee to the city commission
each year. Budget meetings begin in July and goes through December. The operating budget for
2014 is $4,843,000. Expenses for 2013 were $4,861,000. $500,000 budgeted for building costs
was carried over to 2014. The overtime budget used 47% of its revenue in 2013, approximately
$156,000. The department was understaffed. In 2013, the department spent 316% of its
advertising budget to recruit more personnel. Last year (2013) was the first time the department
had vacant positions.
The human resources director handles the hiring advertising but officers in the
department select the new hires. New hires are offered a signing bonus of up to $2,500 if they
have graduated from North Dakota Police Academy paid in three installments at six, twelve and
eighteen months. New officers receive $1,500 signing bonus if they have not been to the
academy. The city also offers an additional two dollar an hour skill-based pay bonus.
PERSONNEL
The Dickinson Police Department has 40 sworn officers and 12 non-sworn personnel
including 11 dispatchers, one dispatch supervisor, two records personnel and one records
supervisor and one administrator. The department wants another dispatcher and another records
person. It is also looking to add a school resource officer, a drug task force officer, a detective
and two street deputies. More middle management is needed. Currently the department
leadership jumps from staff sergeant to captain. Sergeants are heavily burdened with
administrative duties. A few lieutenant positions would take some of the burden off the staff
sergeants.
Each shift is 12 hours long and has seven officers. Monday through Friday there are
three administrators and four detectives in the building. In the evening there are seven officers
maximum and four officers minimum and no administrators or detectives on duty. The duty
schedule is designed to offer long breaks each month and two full days off each week. The
schedule is designed for efficient use of human resources while keeping officers well rested and
preventing burnout. To date it has been very effective.
Wages are very competitive in the area but housing is still a barrier to hiring. Wages
cannot keep up with the cost of housing. The department has set up FEMA trailers for new
employees, offering a two bedroom trailer for $600 a month for 12 months. The department
offers the FEMA trailers for 12 months so that officers can meet the nine month work history
required to qualify for a home loan. Some officers find discounts on rent from local residents
and there are some units being built, about four, that would be dedicated law enforcement
housing at a discount.
The department is losing officers who are going back home. Housing is very expensive
here but wages are good. Many officers came from Minnesota as it was going through a
recession. As Minnesota recovers officers are going back home.
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The Department of Justice, Cpt. Wilkie explained, recommends 1.8 officers for every
1,000 people. Dickinson’s population is estimated to be between 24,000 and 28,000 people,
which puts the ratio of sworn officers to population at 1.6 to 1.2 officers per 1000 residents
suggesting the department needs 38 to 50 officers. Dickinson has 44. The population is steadily
increasing meaning the department will need more officers now and in the future to meet
Department of Justice recommendations. Some middle management positions need to be created
to balance staff duties as well.
TRAINING
Dickinson Police Department has access to a lot of relevant training and has a strong
training budget. The difficulty is in finding a way to send everyone who wants to go. The state
requires 60 hours of post certification training every three years. Most officers have 200 to 400
hours of training over three years.
The training budget has grown from $1,500 to $38,000 but half of that cost is for hotel
rooms. The department will use all of it but the department is seeing good value from the
training.
The department needs more bi-lingual officers. Language is becoming a barrier to
effective law enforcement. The department would like to have more Spanish speaking officers
in particular. There is not much language training available to officers. What is available is
commands and awareness training which is neither thorough nor is it community building.
The department would like to bring back some more community-based programs such as
neighborhood watch and Badlands Crimestoppers. It would also like to revive the D.A.R.E.
program and implement the Citizens’ Academy and Youth Academy. A second school resources
officer that would cover the junior high schools and another to focus on the high school would be
welcome as well as a school resource officer at the college.
EQUIPMENT
The Dickinson Police Department has 24 vehicles in its fleet. The department is moving
toward using Ford Explorers but it has many different vehicles in its fleet. The Explorers have
all wheel drive and are cheaper to equip. They also handle snow better than the sedans. The
fleet includes a Lenco Bear Cat (an armored personnel carrier) a 2014 Ram 1500, a Chevrolet
Blazer, a Chevrolet Impala, several Ford Crown Victorias, a Pontiac Grand Am, a Ford Ranger, a
Ford F250 for the tactical response team, a few Chevrolet Tahoes, three Dodge Chargers, and
some Ford Explorers. The goal is put vehicles on a three year replacement schedule. In practice
there have been many maintenance issues that are disrupting that schedule. On average the
department is putting on 33,000 miles per year on each vehicle.
Some vehicles are more expensive to maintain than others due to maintenance problems.
For instance, one Chevrolet Blazer is averaging ten cents per mile to operate. Another is at 14
cents a mile while a 1991 Chevrolet van is costing the department $1.54 per mile.
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The department takes bids on a maintenance contract; currently T-Rex Conoco holds the
contract. When the new police department building is finished the public works department will
handle regular vehicle maintenance. Vehicles under warranty go to the auto dealer for repairs.
Auto body repair is bid out to local shops. In 2014 vehicle maintenance was budgeted at
$30,000.
The department needs a fleet administrator. The vehicle pool needs to be closely
monitored and carefully managed A fleet administrator would be allowed to monitor the fleet
more closely allowing a more proactive approach to maintenance and repair, ultimately saving
the department time and money.
Personal protective equipment and electronics are mostly up-to-date and in good
condition. Radios, radar, in car camera and computers are updated as the vehicles are updated.
Tasers will be coming up for an update soon. Shotguns and pistols will also be replaced soon.
Firearms last about ten years. Shotguns will cost about $700 each to replace. The shotguns are
being updated and will offer more consistency instead of different models throughout the
department. Pistols will cost between $800 and $900 each to replace.
The new building being built will alleviate a lot of the clutter the department has now and
will save the department money in training and maintenance costs. The new building will have a
training room for 60 people at a time allowing for more training locally as well as offering space
for officers from other departments in the region a chance to get training locally, saving everyone
money in fuel and lodging cost as well as time. A local training facility would have saved the
department $3,000 in the month of June. Hosting training brings tremendous cost savings. The
new building will also have a covered parking area with plug-ins for the vehicles which will
reduce wear and tear on the vehicles and save officers the trouble of scraping windshields and
brushing snow off the vehicles in the winter. Local training, a protected carport and more
working space will go a long way in boosting morale in the department.
SUMMARY
Housing is a major problem for this department. The department is short-handed and
there is no affordable housing available for new staff. The department offers some housing to
new staff but it is not enough and complicates the mission of the department. Grants have been
very good to the department. Skills-based pay has also been a welcome benefit and the
department would like to see it made permanent. Right now the city could take away the extra
two dollars an hour in a moment.
In addition to permanent funding and additional personnel the department needs more
middle management positions, including a fleet administrator. The new department headquarters
being built is a tremendous benefit and will go a long way in boosting the department’s morale
while offering the staff better working conditions, better fleet maintenance and more training
capacity. It comes at a time when the current building is bursting at the seams with the police,
sheriff’s department and emergency managers having to share a single building.
179
The department anticipates the drug task force will likely need to expand over the next
several years, and more school resource officers will be needed. There is a growing feeling that
the region needs its own bomb squad as well. Dickinson is projected to grow dramatically over
the next decade. Funding and equipment are good but the housing shortage is hurting the
department.
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Dickinson Police Department, Captain David Wilkie 6/24/2014
Personnel
Active
Additional
needed
Sworn Officers
44
2
Office Staff-nonsworn personnel
12
2
Call Volume
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
18,991
18,556
22,871
24,848
25,310
2012
2013
0
0
0
3
0
2
42
71
27
341
56
468
23
47
436
644
Need to
Replace
Need
Additional
Estimated
Unit Cost
Crime Index
Offenses
Murder/NonNegligent
Manslaughter
Rape
Robbery
Aggravated
Assault
Burglary
Larceny/Theft
Motor Vehicle
Theft
Total Index
Offenses
Vehicles
2014
26,000
expected
Quantity
24
Vehicle
Maintenance
Costs
2014
Training Costs
$30,000
2014
$38,000
PPE Equipment
Quantity
Ballistic Vests
Firearm:
shotgun
Firearm: Pistol
Radar Systems
Tasers
In-Car Video
Camera
In-Car Computer
44
On Order
44
44
$700
44
24
44
44
$850
24
24
181
Interview: Belfield Fire Department, Chief Kevin Huschka
Interview conducted 4/29/2014
The Belfield Fire Department (BFD) covers the city of Belfield and has mutual aid
agreements with South Heart and Billings County. Primarily a city fire department, it will
respond to rural calls when asked and has a grass unit. BFD is an all-volunteer department with
18 members. A couple members also volunteer on the Billings County Fire Department. Calls
for service have included structure fires, a few more truck fires and a few fires in ditches along
the roadway. Belfield has assisted with a few hazardous materials spills, a gas spill at the gas
station, and a tanker roll over. Belfield is not certified to clean up hazardous spills but plays a
supporting role.
Belfield is located at the junction of Highway 85 and Interstate 94. It has seen explosive
growth in its industrial parks and is surrounded by drilling rigs. Heavy commercial truck traffic
is a major concern in the area. There is not adequate infrastructure to handle the influx of people
the oil boom is bringing, and housing is a big issue as well, increasing the burden for all
emergency service personnel.
There is the perception in the fire department that the community doesn’t feel they’re
needed. Thanks to a lack of major disasters, no one really notices the department. They work
quietly and efficiently with a focus on preventing fires before they start. As a result the
community doesn’t understand how important the department is to the community or how
important the community is to the department. In other communities, the fire department is a
popular figure in the community. Young people want to be on it and older people want to
support it. In Belfield the department has a lower profile.
PERSONNEL
Belfield is struggling as a department with a volunteer force that works far from town
making availability uncertain, increasing fatigue and there is some burnout among members, yet
overall morale is good. Of the 18 volunteers almost all of them have two or more years of
experience. Some members are working three to four hours away from Belfield. The long
distances to and from work make getting to training difficult and there is uncertainty as to how
many people will be available to answer a fire call. Recruiting additional volunteers is also
difficult; finding volunteers available during the day is more difficult. Many of the volunteers
also serve on the Billings County Fire Department. The BFD is an all call department.
Volunteers carry pagers and receive a text message on their cell phones. The pagers do not
deliver a high quality sound. Many people are not receiving their pages. In an emergency, only
five department pagers work after the state switched from analog to digital system.
182
EQUIPMENT
New pagers are needed and they are expensive. The pagers have to function on
Belfield’s narrow band. The department needs 10-12 pagers which cost $400 each. The
department radios are in good condition. Radios cost between $600 and $800 each.
Vehicles include two pumpers, one grass unit, one support van (in poor condition) and
one trailer. The department needs to replace one of its pumpers which has become obsolete and
it needs a new grass unit. Currently the department has to be familiar with two different
pumpers. A new pumper will match the newer model pumper and eliminate having to learn to
operate two different types of pumper.
Scheduled maintenance on the vehicles is done in house by the volunteers, while major
repairs are taken to a local garage in Belfield. Fleet vehicles get inspected and recertified every
two years, if they don’t pass inspection the fire rating changes and homeowner insurance
increases. Maintenance is expensive. Costs average $3,000 to $5,000 dollars. Batteries are
particularly costly. The department recently spent $1,000 for batteries. Each truck has several of
them. Pump tests are also very expensive. The cost of some vehicle parts has nearly doubled in
recent years while maintenance and fuel costs have also risen.
Personal protective gear, specifically bunker gear, is about ten years old and is near the
recommended replacement age but it still has some life left. SCBAs are also about ten years old.
Air bottles are hydro-tested every five years at a cost of $20 per bottle. The department has 30
bottles.
The fire department and ambulance share a building that was built about five years ago.
The ambulance and fire department have always shared space.
FINANCES
The great majority of Belfield Fire Department’s funding comes from grants; energy
impact grants in particular. Many grants require a match. The department also receives
approximately two percent of the city sales tax as well. The city sales tax is set at one percent.
Volunteer benefits include free supper at the annual meeting and free use of the exercise
equipment in the fire hall.
TRAINING
Lack of personnel has made training difficult. With so few people available in the
evenings, it is hard to get training done. Some kind of training is done each month and the
department sends a few people to fire school where there are constantly new courses to take
while new training methods and information are coming out frequently.
SUMMARY
Belfield is a small department nestled between two large fire departments, Billings
County Rural Fire Department and Dickinson Rural Fire Department, and so often gets
183
overlooked, but it plays a vital role in the community it serves. Belfield is being hurt by its
success; the lack of major disasters means it is somewhat overlooked by the community it serves.
Lack of appreciation by the community can be detrimental to the health of a fire department.
Today the department is meeting the needs of the community, but it has some needs of its own.
It needs pagers or a better emergency notification system for its volunteers. Some form of
compensation or other incentives for the volunteers would help too, though those who are
volunteers aren’t serving for the money, some gesture of appreciation or recognition of the
sacrifices the volunteers are making would go a long way and may inspire others to sign up.
Getting to the training sessions from a job three or four hours out of town is difficult.
Answering a fire call during the day from that position is impossible. More people who can
answer a daytime call are needed.
Bunker gear will need to be replaced within the next couple years and the department
needs a new grass truck and pumper to replace an older one. Its support van is in rough
condition but it runs well enough and so it will be kept. Maintenance and fuel costs are
increasing and new versions of old equipment are also increasingly expensive. Traffic in the
area is increasing and traffic accidents are more common. Belfield Fire Department serves the
city and about a mile past city limits and so deals with some of the issues at the junction of
Highway 85 and Interstate 94 while also playing a critical supporting role to the larger
departments to the east and west.
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Belfield Fire Department, Chief Kevin Huschka 4/29/2014
Personnel
Volunteers
Vehicles by
Type
Pumpers
Grass Unit
Command
Vehicle
(support van)
Trailer
Totals:
18
2
1
Need to
Replace
1
1
1
1
Quantity
Need Add.
Cost
1 new
1
5
Equipment
In Stock
Bunker Gear
18
Air Packs
17
Equipment
Nozzles
Pagers
Radios
On Order
On Order
Need
Replace
16
Need
Estimated
Unit Cost
$1,500
$2,000
w/spare tank
$450-$5,000
5
13
$600
$600-$800
185
Interview: Dickinson Rural Fire Department, Chief Andy Paulson
Interview conducted 4/29/2014
The Dickinson Rural Fire Department (DRFD) is an all-volunteer service with about 35
members, down from 45 since the oil boom. The department is funded in part by tax revenue
generated by the county. It currently has two locations, one in north Dickinson off North
Dakota Highway 22 just north of 21st street west and one in south Dickinson at the corner of SW
7th street and Main Ave. The rural fire department covers grass and structure fires, auto
extrication, heavy rescue, and water rescue with dive team. Its fire coverage area extends from
the south Stark County line north to eight miles past the northern Stark County line into Dunn
County. From one mile east of South Heart east to the Green River bridge. All area within
Dickinson city limits is covered by the Dickinson Fire Department. For rescue operations the
fire department covers all of Stark County. For water rescue the department covers the eight
counties of the southwest region. The department also has mutual aid agreements with
Dickinson and all the surrounding communities. DRFD is responsible for the airport and the
new oil refinery being built on the edge of town. The airport has recently been granted over $1
million to expand. The DRFD has absorbed these additional responsibilities but has not received
additional funding. This could prove detrimental to the health of both the community and the
department.
The oil boom has been a mixed blessing for the department. Work in the oil fields has
taken personnel away from the department while oil impact grants and donations from oil
companies have allowed the department to purchase much needed equipment. Through oil
impact funds the department was able to replace two vehicles.
All volunteers are on call at all times in the Dickinson Rural Fire Department. At one
time an “on call” roster was utilized but was found to be counter-productive as one person or
another may need to switch availability or some other personal emergency may jeopardize
coverage. If a volunteer is out of town it is noted so everyone is aware of who is available for a
call and who is not. The length of a fire call is widely variable. Some calls may be done in 20
minutes while others may take nine hours. Sometimes the department sees multiple calls in a
day. On average DRFD sees 70 calls for service each year. As the area population increases and
more people utilize area lakes and rivers for recreation (remember the water rescue team covers
the whole region) the number of calls for water rescue has increased dramatically. A water
rescue call may use eight to ten members to answer, many of them department officers.
PERSONNEL
The fire department, as mentioned earlier, has 35 active members. The station is
organized from the top down with the fire chief at the top of the command structure followed by
the assistant chief, ten captains, and the crews. The department needs more personnel. That
demand will increase as the airport expands and the new refinery comes on-line. The department
is very busy and the volunteers spend many hours training and servicing equipment. Pride in the
department and passion for the job have gone far in mitigating the burnout that naturally occurs
in busy departments, but more people, and a full time paid chief and assistant chief position are
needed to the department running smoothly.
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FINANCIAL
Dickinson Rural Fire Department is funded through a mill levy by the county, grants (oil
impact grants provide a majority of the equipment funding), fundraising, and private donations.
The mill levy is limited to 13.5 mills and provides roughly $140,000 in revenue. The city of
Dickinson does not provide any tax revenue to the department and so a recent annexation of land
has had a detrimental effect on the financial health of the department. Equipment costs are
estimated to run up to $1.5 million. Due to the large amount of administrative tasks the
department must deal with on a daily basis a full time paid chief and assistant chief position need
to be established. The growing airport and the new refinery being built on the outskirts of the
city will require an expanded fire-fighting department which means more money must be found
to meet the increasing demand. Additional funds will have to come from grants as the tax levy is
already at its maximum.
TRAINING
The department has a different training focus each month; one month is rescue, the next
fire, the next dive/water rescue in addition to specialized training with multiple agencies or
medical training such as first-aid and CPR. With the increased oil activity and a new oil refinery
being built in the area fire-fighting strategies are evolving. Many of the volunteers work in the
oil field and so share their knowledge with the department. Oil companies and the railroad
occasionally offer training opportunities as well. The great majority of training is done in house,
roughly 90%. The rest is done at fire school or regional conferences. Getting to state training
school is very expensive since the department covers the cost of mileage, hotel, and a stipend for
meals while the volunteer must take time off from work—burning up vacation time. Located in
Minot this can be very costly in terms of time and money. The department is limited by how
many people it can afford to send financially and in terms of coverage. Someone has to stay
home to put out the fires and do the rescues. Regional schools have proven to be a better fit for
the department. A regional school is usually within an hour of the station and so limits the need
for hotels, reducing mileage costs, ensures more people can attend while maintaining a
responsive department in an emergency, and often is more focused on the specific hazards in the
area, often oil fire and rail accidents.
EQUIPMENT
Dickinson Rural Fire Department has 16 vehicles, 11 of which are considered main
operational vehicles and another five are specialized support vehicles. With some overlap there
are four purposes for the fleet: structure fires, grass fires, rescue, and water rescue. Each purpose
has its own set of vehicles—though again there is some overlap. Many in the department have a
strong mechanical background including skilled tradespeople allowing the department to
construct the vehicles it needs. This has been a key cost saving measure for the department.
New technologies are developing constantly however which require special certification to
maintain the equipment. So far the department’s volunteers are keeping up with certifications to
be able to continue to maintain the vehicles. This constitutes a considerable donation on the part
of the volunteers on behalf of the department. An added benefit of building and maintaining the
187
vehicles themselves is that it reinforces group cohesion, as well as affording the department
valuable upgrades at greatly reduced cost.
Maintenance costs are widely variable but generally increasing with demand for parts and
service. Fuel costs are outstripping funding. The pump for one truck recently cost $5,000 to
replace.
At an average call volume of 70 calls per year personal protective equipment gets
replaced about every five years. High quality equipment in excellent condition, particularly
personal protection equipment, is a point of pride for the department and so a lot of money is
invested in maintaining it. Thanks to oil impact grant funds bunker gear was replaced two years
ago. New air packs were purchased from the department’s funds. “We don’t scrimp on safety”
Chief Paulson explains. Still, gear is expensive. Through fundraising the department was able to
train and equip a water rescue team, but each diver costs $5,000 to equip.
In order to maintain its preparedness and meet the increasing demand the oil boom is
putting on the area the department needs two more trucks. The water rescue vehicle is dying. It
was a bus donated by the ARC of Dickinson that was converted into the water rescue vehicle.
The main tanker is old and the pumper needs a new pump, but it was built in 1986 and
replacement parts cannot be found. It is estimated the department will need $1.5 million to cover
new vehicles and equipment.
As Dickinson and the surrounding area expand so too must the rural fire department. A
bigger building is needed to house the expanded department. Finding land to build the
department will be a serious challenge due to the high price of land in the area. Safe access to
the roads from the station will also be a challenge in light of increased traffic.
SUMMARY
Dickinson is growing and the surrounding area is growing with it. The expanded airport
and the new refinery are both an economic boon but a tremendous liability for Dickinson Rural
Fire Department. In order to continue to meet the demands placed upon it the department is
going to require major investment including a new building, full time fire chief and assistant
chief, new vehicles to replace those too old to be effective and additional vehicles to meet the
new hazards posed by a larger airport, an oil refinery, volatile liquids on the rails, increased
population and more oil exploration and production. The cost of maintenance is increasing and
the price of fuel is outstripping funding. The department will not only need more money for
equipment and staff it will require more volunteers to fill the gaps that funding cannot or will not
provide.
188
Interview: Dickinson Rural Fire Dept., Chief Andy Paulson 4/29/2014
Certified Rescue for Stark County
Certified Water Rescue for 8 County Region
Personnel
Need FT Chief,
Full time
0
Asst. Chief
Volunteers
35
More Vols.
Needed
Quantity
On Order
Call Volume
Average 70/year
Vehicles by Type
Main operation
veh.
Specialized Sppt
veh.
Water Rescue
van*
1986 Tanker*
Total
11
Need to
Replace
Estimated cost
2*
5
*1
*1
2
16
Equipment
In Stock
Bunker Gear
Wildland Gear
Water Rescue
Gear
35
35
On Order
Need Replace
Estimated Unit
Cost
$5,000/person
189
Interview: Dickinson Fire Department, Chief Bob Sivak
Interview conducted on 4/15/2014
Dickinson Fire Department (DFD) covers approximately 14 square miles and has a
mutual aid agreement with the Dickinson Rural Fire Department. The Dickinson Fire
Department responsibilities include: public education, code enforcement, and emergency
response: fire, hazardous materials, auto-extraction, confined space/high angle rescue (rope
work).
Calls for mutual aid are only after a first response is issued. DFD will accompany the
police department on “high risk warrants” where the use of tear gas or other potentially
incendiary situations/conditions may exist. DFD maintains a safe distance while staying near at
hand.
Dickinson is one of eight communities tasked with regional response to hazardous
material calls divided into major and subaltern response departments. The four majors are
Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, and Grand Forks. The subaltern communities are Williston, Devil’s
Lake, Jamestown, and Dickinson.
Dickinson uses state assets and equipment to assist in hazardous material spills.
Hazardous material response teams are organized on two levels: operations and technical.
Operations level is responsible for containment of the material without coming into contact with
the material. Technical level is responsible for handling the hazardous material and associated
equipment. Dickinson and the other subaltern communities respond at the operations level and
Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, Grand Forks operate at the technical level. Chief Spivak explains there
is more hazardous material storage in the area due to the increased oil production in the region.
There is therefore a corresponding increase in hazardous material spills.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of calls; 2009 saw 218 calls for service.
In 2012, the department responded to 399 calls for service; 2013 saw 460 calls for service. Calls
have more than doubled in the last four to five years and population is projected to rise
dramatically. An increasing number of calls are cooking fire calls confined to container or stove
top. Also there are a high number of “false calls” where steam or smoke sets off an alarm.1
Calls are answered in a tiered response. The Officer In Charge decides on response level
then alerts those on duty to general alarm. Volunteers are on-call from Monday evening to
Monday morning. Full time firefighters typically take the day shift while night duty (from 9:30
PM to 6:30 AM) consists of one volunteer and one full time officer.
1
“False calls” can cause some statistical confusion because there is an environmental trigger of an alarm. Steam or
smoke will set off an alarm, suggesting there is a situation that needs immediate action but it is not at the level of
an emergency. It would not be accurate to call these “false” alarms because the alarms were performing as
designed.
190
PERSONNEL
The Dickinson Fire Department has nine full time employees and volunteers make up the
rest. There are 43 active firefighters and four reservists. The reservists serve many
administrative duties including serving on committees and helping with in-house duties.
Due to the economics of the region many of the volunteers have to travel greater and
greater distances from work to get to the fire station which is having an increasing impact on
response times. Many firefighters are working in the oil fields making a daytime response
difficult. In the 1980s there were utility companies such as MDU and Northwestern Bell with
offices downtown near the fire station, many of these employees were volunteer firefighters
making response times very short. Downtown Dickinson is no longer home to those large
utilities and the corresponding workforce that supported the fire department. Urban sprawl, as
well as the nature of the economy, has had a detrimental impact on the fire department’s
response times. A change in the downtown workforce has meant a change in the Fire
Department volunteer workforce.
A new fire station is being built on the northwest edge of the city. Three to four more fire
stations will be needed to meet expected demand based on NFPA and ISO guidelines of having
pumper trucks within 1.5 miles of a fire and ladder trucks within 2.5 miles of a fire.
The expectation/guideline in personnel response is to have 15 volunteer fire fighters on
the scene within nine minutes. Over the last three to four years the DFD has not been able to
meet that guideline. Additionally, the guidelines recommend four fulltime firefighters with fire
engine within six minutes 90% of the time, and second and third trucks can arrive later.
The area is seeing more multiple calls than it has in the past. They are not frequent but
there are more now than in the past. Multiple calls can quickly tax the department’s resources.
EQUIPMENT
DFD recently acquired a new 100’ ladder truck and have ordered a 75’ ladder truck.
With the addition of more multi-story buildings—particularly apartments—the need for more
ladder trucks becomes readily apparent. With the additional trucks, more staff are needed as
well. The Dickinson Fire Department has six response vehicles: one ladder truck, one rescue
vehicle, and four pumpers.
The DFD also has four utility vehicles: one Suburban, one flatbed Ford F-450 with
trailer, one pickup truck, and one minivan. Another ladder truck is on order. Some vehicles are
overdue for replacement. The smaller vehicles are serviced primarily by the city. Complicated
mechanic work is done by a local mechanic shop. Due to increased demand in the area
maintenance costs have risen dramatically. The Dickinson Fire Department values its
relationship with local mechanic’s garages which have been quick to respond to the needs of the
department.
191
Currently the Department is comfortable with the state of its personal protection
equipment. The Department buys three to four sets of bunker gear per year. The guidelines on
the bunker gear call for replacement approximately every ten years but all gear is evaluated on a
piece by piece basis.
FINANCES
The Dickinson Fire Department gets its funding from local taxes as well as a percentage
of the revenue collected by the state on insurance premiums. The Dickinson Fire Department
costs are approximately 19-20 dollars per person which is considered better than average.
Volunteers have been and continue to be a tremendous asset to the DFD. Recruiting firefighters
has been augmented by a partnership with Stark County Emergency Management who created
television advertisements and word of mouth continues to be one of the department’s best
recruiting tools.
Paying for training is one of the major areas of spending in the department right now
since about 50% of the firefighters in the department have less than two years of experience.
In terms of time expense, the full time staff also teaches the volunteers. This compounds the
number of hours needed in the day to meet demand.
SUMMARY
Staffing is the biggest issue facing the Dickinson Fire Department. The two main
challenges to meeting staffing requirements for full time personnel are money and demand for
personnel. The economics of the region make it difficult to find full time fire fighters while at
the same time funding a full time firefighter would have to come from the city budget.
Competition for dollars is fierce in light of tremendous pressures for infrastructure, a tight-fisted
state government, and the perception of federal agencies that North Dakota is bursting with oil
revenues and therefore should not be getting federal grants. In particular the Dickinson Fire
Department was denied a SAFER grant. No specific reason was given but an impression was
left suggesting that Dickinson should have lots of other resources for funding in light of the
tremendous profits being made in the oil industry. In this way, the Dickinson Fire Department is
another victim of the oil boom. Chief Sivak was quick to point out that the city of Dickinson has
been very supportive but is struggling to fund all of the projects that have become necessary
since the oil boom.
Finding time to train is also a challenge for the department. Training requirements have
changed dramatically over the last 30 years, going from an informal, in-house set of practices to
a highly organized well regulated federal and state certification program that is rich in
complexity and expertise. Training requirements are growing every year as new technologies
and challenges are forthcoming. Firefighters are responsible for attending several training days
each month on top of their regular jobs and firefighting duties. While online training has been
helpful 15-20% of all training and certification has a practical assessment, meaning trained
instructors must be present to work with personnel. There are several training schools
throughout the state and annual meetings but 85-90% of all training is done “in house”. As
mentioned before, upper level firefighters train the lower level firefighters, costing a lot of man
192
hours for the department, particularly when 50% of the Department have less than two years of
experience. Firefighters are expected to be certified level one within one year. Level two
firefighters are qualified to instruct.
Call volume is increasing while volunteer and funding for full time fire fighters remain in
short supply. Time for training in light of new government standards is also a challenge.
Multiple calls are becoming more frequent emphasizing the need for more highly trained
personnel. In light of the relatively young department, the need for more training and personnel
is increasingly pronounced.
193
Dickinson Municipal Fire Department,
Chief Bob Sivak 4/15/2014
Coverage Area: City of Dickinson: approximately 14 square miles
Staff
Full time
9
Volunteer
34
Reserve
4
Call Volume
2009
2010
2011
2012
Fires
37
32
Medical Rescue
Hazardous
Cond.
Service Call
Alarm: No
threat
Other
181
205
Total Calls
218
237
no data
no data
Vehicles by
Need to
Quantity
On Order
Need
Type
Replace
Ladder Truck
1
1
Pumpers
4
Rescue
1
Suburban
1
Pick-up Truck
1
Flatbed F-450
1
Trailer
1
Minivan
1
Totals:
11
1
Equipment
In Stock
Dept. is well equipped.
Helmets
44
Bunker Gear
44
Grass Suits
44
2013
56
9
95
44
198
64
466
194
Interview: Gladstone Consolidated Fire District, Chief Joe Wanner
Interview conducted 7/15/2014
The Gladstone Consolidated Fire District covers an area around Gladstone approximately
50 miles north to south and 10 miles east to west. The area is seeing increased traffic as well as
new home construction along the Highway 10 corridor between Dickinson and Gladstone. The
trend is large, multi-million dollar homes on large plots of land outside city limits and thereby
free of city zoning restrictions.
Call volume for the department is down from previous years thanks to a wet year. There
were only four fire calls from October 2013 to the end of June 2014, though the department did
lend aid to other departments. The call volume was averaging about 30 per year but the last few
years have been lower, averaging about 20. There were 14 calls in 2013; 2102 had 17 calls, and
2011 had 30—2011 was a dry year, while 2010 had approximately 20 calls. Most of the fires are
grass fires, though the new construction in the area increases the likelihood of structure fires or
structure/grass fires.
The department is seeing a dramatic increase in the amount of accidents. The department
is offering more mutual aid on traffic accidents than fires. Many accidents involve commercial
trucks and chemical, oil, or wastewater spills. Oil activity in the region has had a big impact on
the district.
Larger homes in rural areas require increased water capacity to fight them. Since the
home is outside of city limits firefighters don’t know if the home has been inspected by a fire
inspector. Many new homes have fireplaces which are an additional hazard. These new homes
have sensitive alarm systems that trigger without an actual fire being present costing the
department a lot of time and money.
PERSONNEL
Gladstone has 36 volunteers on its roster. There are no paid positions. About half of the
volunteers are under 30, another quarter are under 40 and the other 25% are over 40. The last
two years have seen some good recruitment but still more personnel are needed. Only 16 people
are able to respond to any emergency. More local service people are on the force now than ever
before, which is a positive trend. Wet years like 2013 and 2014 mean there is no burnout and the
department is well rested and fresh. In dry years, like 2011 the department can get overtaxed and
exhaustion and burnout become a factor. Back to back fires are very exhausting. Wet years
often precipitate very busy dry years due to the increased amount of fuel. April-May and after a
frost in the fall are busy fire seasons.
FINANCES
As a fire protection district the department receives tax revenue. The department receives
$36,000 each year. That money goes toward operating costs. All equipment is purchased
through grants. Volunteers get $10 for each fire call they respond to and a free meal at monthly
meetings and training sessions. Volunteers get medical benefits for themselves, but not for their
195
families. There is no supplement for lost wages and no death benefit for the volunteers.
Volunteers not only put themselves at risk when answering a call they are also risking their
families financial health. Families of firefighters need more protection if their family member
gets hurt and can’t work.
TRAINING
The increasing volatility of rail cars and other industrial hazards require more evacuation
training plans. A flaming tanker at a train derailment has a minimum safe distance to 1,000 feet.
The very high temperatures make fire foam useless and the toxic chemicals that may be on other
tankers increase the potential hazards. Foam may be useful to cool a tanker car after the fire has
burned itself out but there is no good way to attack a flaming tanker so the emphasis must be on
evacuation and reducing collateral damage. With the dramatic increase of rail to transport
volatile liquids, communities need to work with their fire departments on creating efficient
warning and evacuation strategies. The department is looking for more hazard mitigation plans
and training with a focus on getting people evacuated quickly and safely.
The department has been able to complete all of its incident command training online and
FF 1 (Fire-fighter one) training online. The department does not have certified instructors,
bringing trainers to the station is difficult, so online training has been beneficial in providing
important training that is affordable and flexible for the department. Regional training
opportunities are also a key component of the department’s training system.
The number of vehicle accidents in the area is increasing. Every car fire is a host to
another potential accident, in that there may be a tanker involved or a welding truck with volatile
gasses. Accidents are very risky and more training to handle these complex incidents is sought.
EQUIPMENT
The Gladstone Consolidated Fire District has a fleet of six vehicles including a 1998
pumper, a 1998 grass tender unit, a 1999 grass unit, a 2013 grass mini-pumper, a 1979
equipment hauler, and a 1996 4,000 gallon water tender semi-truck. The department tries to buy
a new vehicle every two years. The replacement schedule is based on maintenance costs. Those
vehicles generating the highest repair costs get replaced first. Newer vehicles generally have
lower maintenance costs. The fleet needs more vehicles to handle the industrialization and
increased population moving into the area. Most vehicle maintenance is done in the fire hall.
Big fixes that need to go to a shop are usually fixed and returned within 24 hours.
Over the next ten years the department plans to purchase eight more vehicles and reduce
its manpower. Vehicles will be added to both urban and grass fleets. The vehicles will be built
by the department to reduce costs. More water capable urban apparatuses are needed. New
structures outside city limits and infrastructure require equipment that can handle structure fires
with the mobility of grass units. The department also wants two rangers. A ranger is a six-wheel
all-terrain vehicle (also referred to as a UTV) fire departments use for mop up operations on
grass fires. They are light and versatile and are a great labor saving tool. Rangers cost about
$30,000 each.
196
A new fire hall is being built in the spring of 2015 at a cost of $800,000. The new
building is necessary to meet the growing needs of the department. It will be designed to
accommodate the additional equipment the department will be purchasing over the next ten
years.
Personal protection equipment needs some upgrades. Twenty SCBA bottles need to be
replaced costing $800 per unit. The department has 40 bottles. In addition 20 air packs costing
about $4,000 per unit also need replacing. The bunker gear and wild land gear will need to be
replaced in two three years but are in good condition now. The department wants to purchase
wild land breathing apparatuses with better hearing, and eye protection systems. Wild land fires
are very loud environments. It is difficult to hear. Off-truck headsets need to be lighter and
more user friendly.
Fire suppression foam is a major expense, different types cost different amounts but on
average a gallon of foam cost $20. A department will use 60 to 70 gallons of foam on a fire.
Departments share foam and reimburse each other as they can.
SUMMARY
The city of Gladstone’s population has tripled in the last 25 years. That growth is
expected to continue for the next 25 years. Gladstone Consolidated Fire Department will have to
keep up with that growth. Fortunately, it is well staffed with 36 volunteers on its roster.
Through a tax levy it has an operating budget of $32,000 to $38,000 each year which goes
toward operational costs. Grant monies have allowed the department to purchase necessary
equipment and help finance a new building. The department builds its own fire-fighting units,
which allows the department to tailor the equipment to their specific needs. The new building
will be used to house the additional equipment, eight trucks and two rangers, the department
intends to purchase over the next ten years, while providing much needed training space.
Regional training is important to the department. State fire school is expensive and
difficult to attend as it costs volunteers time away from work. The department offers a stipend to
go to training but it is very costly in time and money. More area specific training is needed.
This is where more regional training conferences can be useful.
While the volunteer gets some medical benefits and a small stipend for answering a fire
call he or she is also putting his/her family’s financial health at risk. Some kind of benefit needs
to be in place to reduce the risk to families who have a member on the fire department.
Finally, Chief Wanner cites the need for a consistent fire prevention program across the
region, including better fire index awareness. Burn programs in the past have dramatically
reduced the number of grass fires. In 1990 burn programs reduced fire incidents from 60 to 16.
Fire protection districts need consistent standards for their fire indexes. With population growth
there are more potential fire hazards in the district but those hazards can be mitigated with
consistent fire awareness programs.
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Gladstone Consolidated Fire Protection District
Interview: Chief Joe Wanner 7/15/2014
Coverage Area: approx. 500 square miles
Always
available
Personnel
More
personnel
needed
Volunteers
36
16
Call Volume
2010
2011
2012
2013
through June
2014
20
30
17
14
4
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Need to
Replace
Need
Add.
Unit Cost
1998 Pumper
1998 Grass
Tender
1999 Grass Unit
2013 grass minipumper
1979 Eqpt. Hauler
1996 4000g water
tender semi
Ranger 6X6 ATV
Totals:
1
2
$30,000.00
Equipment
In Stock
Need
Estimated
Unit Cost
Bunker Gear
w/helmets, boots
36
$2,000
36
$2,500
Wildland Fire
Protection Wear
SCBA
SCBA Bottles
AAAF: Fire
Suppression Foam
Equipment
Nozzles
Building
Last two years
have been wet.
#s do not count
mutual aide
1
1
1
1
1
0
6
On Order
40
40
Need
Replace
20
20
$4,000
$800
$20-24/gallon
(variable)
Dept. uses 6070g per fire
$450-$5,000
1
$800,000
198
Interview: Richardton Fire Protection District, Chief Jason Kostelecky
Interview conducted on 7/16/2014
The Richardton Fire Protection District serves an area that extends 30 miles from north to
south and seven to eight miles east to west around Richardton. It has mutual aid agreements with
Taylor, Gladstone, Hebron, Mott and Halliday. Dickinson covers for Richardton in any rescue
operation.
While the majority of calls have still been to grass fires the department is seeing a rise in
auto accidents. There were fewer fire calls in 2013 and 2014, but 2014 had seen two semi
accidents and two agriculture related accidents through June. The population of Richardton is
growing and this is having an impact on the number of calls. Call volume rose in 2011 and 2012
with about 30 calls in 2011 and 36 calls in 2012. Due to heavy precipitation in 2013, there were
only seven calls for service. As of July 1, 2014 Richardton had seven calls for service and
expects to answer roughly 15 calls this year. Two wet years in a row indicates a very busy future
as there will be a lot of fuel to burn when the weather dries out.
Richardton is seeing industrial growth. An ethanol plant outside of Richardton has been
online since 2007 and two chemical supply stores that cater to the oil field are located in
Richardton, one downtown on Main Street next to a hair salon, the other is in an industrial zone.
A chemical supply store caught fire in Williston on July 22, 2014 sending flames hundreds of
feet into the air and requiring evacuation within a half mile radius of the fire. The cause of the
fire was undetermined. Multiple oil trains and oil field truck traffic pass through Richardton.
There is discussion of building a frack sand operation on the west end of town and adding a fuel
depot on the east end of town. The city has recently annexed a great deal of land adjacent to the
city. Currently there are no fire hydrants on the edges of town. There is also one oil well in the
district that is five years old and another well is being drilled. There is another well south of
Taylor, and the Northern Border Pipeline transporting natural gas from Canada to Chicago also
runs through the district. The pipeline was built in 1982.
PERSONNEL
Several department volunteers work in the oil field and have limited availability. A few
people left the department to work in the oil patch. Richardton is struggling to find people able
to stay in the area and volunteer. It is difficult to recruit more members as most of the good
candidates work in the oil fields and cannot commit the time for training and work far from
town. Richardton has 29 volunteers on the roster. Some volunteers are over retirement age.
Eighteen volunteers could be considered active. If half of the active members can come to a fire
it is a very good turnout. Typically a call can bring five to seven volunteers, up to twelve is very
fortunate. Weekdays the department can field six volunteers. Business owners are relied on
heavily during the week.
FINANCIAL
Richardton Fire Protection District is funded through a mill levy and grants. The
department receives $70,000 in tax revenue. There is discussion of reducing the levy. The low
199
call volume for the past two years has allowed the department to update equipment. Even a
small fire can cost $500 in fuel costs. Volunteers are not paid and receive no benefits but they
department does provide a meal once a month at monthly meetings and pays for personal
protection equipment and training.
TRAINING
There is always room for more training. The department would like to have more
hazardous materials training as there are two companies in town that sell chemicals to the oil
industry, and the high volume of commercial and train traffic transporting fuels and chemicals
that runs through the district. The department would also like more training in oil field fire
response. Training is difficult to get to. The department can only send a handful of volunteers to
a training session. Training is very expensive in terms of time for all of the volunteers.
The great majority of the training done is hands-on practical training. One percent of
training is done online or use a DVD. Chief Kostelecky says the department would offer more
video training but tracking down relevant material is very time consuming and there are just not
enough hours in the day to do it.
State fire school is also very expensive to attend. On average it costs the department
$500 to $600 per person to attend state fire school. Add the additional burden on volunteers of
time away from work and family and many cannot make it. It would be easier if the school was
not so far away. With the school in Minot many departments in the southwest region cannot
afford the travel expense.
EQUIPMENT
Richardton has eight vehicles operating in its fleet. A 1981 tanker, formerly an oil field
truck, with a 13 speed transmission needs to be replaced. The tachometer and speedometer don’t
work and it requires a CDL to drive it. It is excessively costly to maintain as it is constantly
breaking down. A replacement truck would have an automatic transmission. The fleet also has a
1996 pumper that can produce 750 gallons of water per minute, a 2014 compressed air foam unit
that is used for both grass and structure fires. The department has three pickups it uses as grass
units, a 2006, a 1999, and a 1996. The 1999 was bought used and has over 100,000 miles on it.
The 1996 is worn out and needs to be replaced. The other two vehicles are a 1989 equipment
van on loan from the U.S. Forest Service that is too small and overloaded with equipment and a
2013 Polaris 6 X 6 Ranger with a 100 gallon tank and pump. The department tries to replace one
vehicle every two years but two vehicles need to be replaced immediately and three more will
need to be replaced in the next couple years. Over the next four years the department will need
five vehicles.
The department would like to add a pumper with Class B foam capability. When this can
be done depends on grant funding. The current pumper does not have foam capability. It was
purchased as a rebuilt vehicle after being totaled out. A new pumper in 2004 cost $275,000.
Today the price is estimated at $350,000 to $400,000.
200
Vehicles are maintained by a volunteer in the department. Breakdowns are sent to a
garage in Richardton when available the nearest garage when that is not available. Some garages
are very quick with maintenance while others are not. The fleet is old and so maintenance costs
are high. New vehicles will cost more money in the short term but save the department money in
the long term.
Richardton recently replaced its bunker gear. The replacement is done in phases, pants
and coats are replaced together, then boots and hats the next round. The current SCBAs the
department owns are good for another five years though they lack the latest safety features; new
packs calculate in minutes the amount of air left in the tank. Richardton owns 15 sets of air
packs all bought at the same time. The newest version of air packs cost $6,000 to $7,000 per
unit. The company’s grass suits need replacing. They are all ten to fifteen years old and getting
worn out. An air compressor to fill bottles is also needed. The department will soon have to
replace many of its fire hoses as well.
SUMMARY
Richardton is growing in population and industrial hazards. The oil boom is taking
volunteers away from the department and the new population is not in a position to put down
long-term roots and become a volunteer firefighter. Those who may be interested in
volunteering are usually working far out of town in the oil field and so are not available for most
emergencies. Richardton is hard pressed financially despite the money it receives from the tax
levy. Some residents feel the levy is too high and wish to reduce it. The industrial expansion in
the area and increased population means that Richardton will need more funding not less. Two
quiet fire years in a row have allowed the department to purchase some much needed equipment
but more is needed. A foam capable pumper needs to be added to the fleet and a tanker needs to
be replaced. SCBAs need to be updated and the department needs an air compressor to fill
bottles. Currently the department cannot fill its own air bottles.
More energy related training is needed. Chemical and volatile liquids are flowing
through Richardton by rail, truck and pipeline while ethanol is being manufactured and oil and
gas are being produced a few miles outside its city limits. The oil field is getting closer and
Richardton needs more investment to be ready to face the challenges ahead.
Like many departments in the region its building is getting too small to handle the larger
vehicles and new equipment a fire department is expected to have. The department would like a
new building, more incentives to attract and retain more personnel. A younger group of
volunteers with more time to dedicate to the department would be a big benefit.
Not only are more young volunteers are needed, a one day fire school with three to four
classes in Dickinson or some other nearby regional hub is needed as well. More training
sessions on weekends would also help Richardton and other small volunteer departments. Some
very important training opportunities are missed because they are offered during the week and
very far away.
201
Ultimately, Richardton needs more funding for equipment and volunteer compensation.
It needs to recruit more young people and the city needs to provide more infrastructure for young
people to live and work in the community as opposed to three and four hours away in the oil
fields. Government regulations ask a lot from volunteer firefighters, it needs to start giving more
than just equipment grants back if it wants to maintain an all-volunteer model.
202
Richardton Fire Protection District, Chief Jason Kostelecky 7/16/2014
Coverage Area: 240 square
miles
Personnel
More personnel needed
Full time
Part time
Volunteers
29
6 people
are
available
weekdays
Active Members
18*
Call Volume
2011
2012
2013
30
36
Need to
Replace
1
7
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
1981 Tanker
Pumper w/ foam
capability
1
1996 Pumper
1
2014 CAFS
grass/structure
unit
1
2006 Grass Unit
1999 Grass Unit
1
1
1
1996 Grass Unit
1
1
1989 Eqpt Van*
1
1
2013 Polaris 6X6
Ranger w/100g
tank
1
Totals:
8
4
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Bunker Gear
w/helmets, boots
Wildland Fire
Protection Wear
SCBA
0
Need Add.
1
15 (gd for
5 more
yrs)
through
June 2014
7
Estimated
Unit Cost
Last two years
have been wet.
$375,000.00
1
1
Need
Replace
29
29
most fires
have 5-7
responders
*On loan
from USFS
Too small to
carry all eqpt.
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
$2,000
29
$6,000-$7,000
(latest models)
203
Interview: Taylor Fire Protection District, Chief Kevin Zillich
Interview conducted 7/7/2014
Taylor Fire Protection District covers 226 square miles in a narrow east to west and long
north to south strip stretching across Stark County into Dunn and Hettinger Counties. Taylor has
written mutual aid agreements with Richardton and Gladstone and verbal agreements with
Hebron, Halliday and West Dunn Fire Protection District. It does not do rescue or extrication
but it has hazardous materials awareness training.
Taylor has not noticed a dramatic change in call volume or types of calls. The majority
of calls are still grass fires with a few car and truck accidents along the interstate. The last
couple years have been wet so the fire calls have been few. There were 15 calls for service in
both 2013 and 2014.
Though call volume has been light, the population is growing. There is increased traffic
on the roads and the rail line runs through Taylor. A rail fire would wipe Taylor out. Taylor
also has a grain elevator that supplies fertilizer and anhydrous ammonia to area farmers that also
poses a major threat to the area.
PERSONNEL
Taylor has 24 volunteers on its roster most of whom are able to show up for calls
regularly. A few more young people have joined the department and there are a strong group of
veterans in the department as well. Taylor has a good balance of young and experienced
firefighters.
FINANCIAL
Taylor is funded through tax revenue and grants. There are no benefits for the
volunteers.
EQUIPMENT
Taylor’s fleet is getting old. It has a 2008 Ford F-550 truck with compressed air foam
system (CAF), a 1979 International 2½ ton tanker with 1,200 gallon capacity tank, a 1984
Chevrolet one ton truck serving as a grass unit, and a 1988 Ford ¾ ton grass unit. The
department needs three new vehicles, some need to be replaced and an additional grass unit is
needed. It needs another CAF capable unit since it has limited water capacity and many of the
hazards in the area do not respond well to water—volatile liquids, for instance. The department
is in the process of pricing new vehicles. Taylor also needs one, perhaps two, inductors for the
CAF system.
Regular maintenance is done by the crew and there are a few mechanics that also serve as
volunteers. There have been few very expensive repairs needed, so the department has been
fortunate the past year or two. Still, as the fleet ages the maintenance costs are creeping higher.
204
The department has ten SCBA units and needs eight new ones. There has not been a lot
of structure fires but still the department needs to be prepared. Taylor shares many of the same
industrial hazards that Richardton does. The department has 15 new sets of bunker gear and
some old ones. Taylor recently bought 30 grass suits and so does not need more of those.
TRAINING
Training is hard to get to. Many volunteers are farmers and ranchers and cannot afford to
be away for a day or more. The fire hall lacks enough space for a meeting room and so it is
difficult to have training in the hall. The building needs to be expanded. There is room on the
plot to expand but it is difficult to get the board to provide the funds. The tax district is also very
small.
SUMMARY
Taylor has enough people to meet its needs. It needs more training space, more air packs,
and more vehicles. Taylor has a very small tax base so revenues are very slight. It will require
more grants to maintain Taylor’s fire-fighting capacity. Fortunately the past two years have been
quiet for grass fires but more people are moving into the area and Taylor shares the growing
industrial footprint with Richardton to some degree and will need to be well funded to meet the
next emergency.
205
Taylor Fire Protection District Chief Kevin Zillich
7/7/2014
Coverage Area: 226 square
miles
Personnel
Volunteers
24
Call Volume
2013
15
through
June 2014
15
Need to
Replace
Last two years
have been
wet.
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
2008 Ford F-550
w/CAFS
1
1979 2 1/2 Ton
tanker w/ 1200g
tank
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
3
2
Equipment
In Stock
On Order
Need Replace
Bunker Gear
w/helmets, boots
24
1984 Chevrolet 1
ton Grass Unit
1988 Ford 3/4 ton
Grass Unit
Totals:
Wildland Fire
Protection Wear
SCBA
SCBA Bottles
AAAF: Fire
Suppression Foam
Need Add.
1
1
Need
Estimated Unit
Cost
9
$2,000
8
$4,000
$800
$20-24/gallon
(variable)
30
10
Equipment
Nozzles
Building
Unit Cost
2 inductors for
CAFS
1
(expansion
needed)
Larger
meeting room
for training
206
Interview: Belfield EMS, Susan Wolf
Interview conducted on 4/29/2014
Belfield EMS (BEMS) is a Basic Life Support service (BLS) with Advanced Life
Support capability (ALS). BEMS has been BLS with ALS capability for four years. The
majority of its runs are as ALS. BEMS covers 963 square miles and serves a population of 2,425
(http://www.ndhealth.gov/ems/providermap/, accessed 7/30/2014). From Belfield, BEMS
extends south 17 miles, east 9 miles to South Heart, west to Painted Canyon, and north 28 miles
to mile marker 102 on Highway 85. Belfield EMS works closely with Billings County EMS,
sharing paramedics and receiving some funding as well. BEMS also has mutual aid agreements
with Dickinson, New England, and Killdeer. They do not share equipment with other agencies.
For most calls a Quick Response Unit (QRU) staffed by a paramedic driving a nontransport vehicle is first on the scene while someone goes to the station to pick up an ambulance
to transport the patient. QRUs respond from home and house their vehicle there.
DEMOGRAPHICS:
More people are working in the area than ever before and for many housing is fluid. Few
people are setting down roots, which makes them harder to bill and harder to find in the case of
an emergency. BEMS is busier than ever but many patients don’t pay their bills or give a false
address, leading to an increase of unpaid services.
Additionally, due to increased vehicle traffic, response times are longer. Also, BEMS is
increasingly called to be on standby for Belfield Police Department calls. For BPD calls there is
no compensation unless there is transport.
CALL VOLUME
Call volume has increased sharply since oil drilling increased in the area. Before the oil
boom BEMS was averaging 40-50 calls per year. Last year it responded to 200 emergency calls.
BEMS is seeing an increase in trauma and motor vehicle accident calls, which have come to
dominate call volume. Most of the trauma is related to motor vehicle accidents but there has
been an increase in crush, burn, and amputation trauma related to oil field work. Before the
boom the majority of calls were due to illness and health complications related to old age. There
has been an increase in the amount of traffic in the area—please note that BEMS is at the
junction off a transcontinental highway, US Highway 85 running north to south, and Interstate
94 (running east to west) as well as Highway 10 running east to west. Highway 85 in particular
is a major artery leading into McKenzie and Williams Counties which are at the epicenter of the
oil boom. Due to its close proximity and the lack of ambulances, transfers to the Dickinson
hospital are rare—usually Dickinson Ambulance will come for transfers. There are few long
haul runs, most of the long runs are flown out by helicopter.
207
PERSONNEL
BEMS is staffed by four paramedics, each of whom has a Quick Response vehicle.
These are paid positions and paramedics are each scheduled to work four days per week. Each
day there is one paramedic working for BEMS and one working for Billings County EMS
(BCEMS). BEMS has a distinct range from BCEMS though BEMS does extend into Billings
County. In addition to the full time paramedics BEMS has ten volunteer positions: nine
Emergency Medical Technicians: eight Basic EMTs and one Intermediate EMT and one
Ambulance Driver. Seven of the volunteers have over five years of experience and three have
approximately two years of experience. Of the ten volunteers five to six are active/regularly
available each week and one to two are available weekdays. BEMS has very little cushion when
it comes to personnel and multiple calls will exhaust resources quickly.
TRAINING
The state of North Dakota has made some changes in training requirement, mandating
hours in specific areas. This has put some additional pressure on volunteers and their ability to
maintain certification but BEMS has been able to meet the requirements. About half of the
training is done “in-house” and half is done at conferences. There is some reading and testing
material available on-line but much of the training and certification requires physical movements
and procedures.
In light of increased traffic and oil related activity in the region BEMS is looking to add
more on-site training around oil pads and drilling rigs as well as more burn victim training. Burn
victim training is difficult to find in this region though burn injuries are more common as a result
of increased oil exploration and production.
The BEMS does provide a community health fair where they share safety and first
aid/CPR instruction with the community. This leaves both full-time personnel and volunteers
little time to pursue much training outside of the minimum requirements necessary to maintain
certification.
EQUIPMENT
Belfield EMS has one ambulance and has ordered a second. It uses four Quick Response
Units—which all belong to Billings County EMS—as needed. Maintenance and fuel costs range
from $5,000 to $10,000 dollars per year. Maintenance is done by local garages in Belfield.
Major repairs are handled by Parkway Ford in Dickinson. The vehicles average approximately
15,000 to 20,000 miles each year.
FINANCES
BEMS is funded through patient reimbursement and the city pays one-third of
paramedics’ wages and vehicle insurance. A large portion of its funding comes from grants.
208
BEMS is a non-profit, public service and has received energy impact grants (EIG) though not
enough to survive on.
SUMMARY
BEMS, like most emergency response organizations in the region, would benefit from
having more personnel. An additional paramedic to share with Billings County is needed at
minimum. Volunteers play an important role at BEMS but their availability is limited by full
time jobs and the needs of their families. As oil field related injuries and traffic accidents
continue to dominate the call volume some more specialization in burns, amputation, and crush
trauma may be needed to enhance service and keep up with demand.
Additional needs, after personnel, are new equipment and a larger building to house
them. BEMS needs to replace the old ambulance it has now and add a second to meet the rising
demands in the area. The current ambulance is over ten years old. Belfield Ambulance needs a
bigger building to house the newer model ambulances which are bigger than the older van
models. A larger facility will also accommodate staff 24 hours a day and allow BEMS to be an
Advance Life Support operation.
209
Interview: Belfield EMS, Susan Wolf
4/29/2014
Coverage Area: 963 square
miles
Basic Life Support with ALS capability (ground transport)
Staff
Quantity
Add. Need
FT Paramedics
4*
1
*Some Paras are shared with Billings Co.
Vol. EMT-B
8
Vol. EMT-I
1
Driver
1
Call Volume
2013
40-50/yr. pre200
boom
Addition
Maint.
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
Need
Budget
$5,000Ambulance
1
1
$10,000/yr
Quick Response
*Belong to Billings Co.
4*
Units
EMS
Additional
Equipment
Quantity
On Order
Need
Building
1
210
Interview: Dickinson Ambulance Service, Inc.; Penny Lewis, Operations Manager
Interview conducted: 4/16/2014
Dickinson Ambulance Service is a privately-owned company that offers advanced life
support service with certified paramedics available on every call. It handles approximately 190
calls each month. Personnel work 48 hours a week on rotating 12 hours shifts. One twelve-hour
shift is active while another shift is on secondary. In the past, two people were on active shift—
present in house--and two people were on call at home. Now, due to increased volume, four
people are in the building at all times. Staffing is dictated by state requirements. There are no
volunteers. All twenty personnel are paid employees.
Dickinson Ambulance service does have relationships with other ambulance services in
Minnesota, South Dakota and Montana and will share personnel as needed. Lately more
personnel are coming to work in Dickinson than are going out from Dickinson.
Because every state has different rules and each service operates slightly different from one to
the next, it takes transfers in particular as well as new medics about six months to become
acclimated. This suggests that merely bringing in more personnel as need arises is not an ideal
solution. Full-time long-term personnel are needed.
The Dickinson Ambulance Service works closely with local fire departments and law
enforcement. They are on stand-by for general alarms, when SWAT teams are called and when
high risk warrants are being issued. It also will assist hospital staff in small but important ways,
as needed.
The Dickinson Ambulance Service is also involved in community education. A
considerable amount of training is provided to the community at no additional cost beyond
material and operational expenses. It offers CPR and First Aid training to the public as well as
recertification programs for paramedics and hospital staff.
The Dickinson Ambulance Service is seeing a sharp increase in the severity and
frequency of injuries. The severity of the trauma can increase the amount of time a crew is out
on a call. In addition, more calls of a severe nature quickly eat up the Ambulance Service’s
resources. There is also a growing amount of specialization in the industry with which the
Ambulance Service strives to keep up by including Pediatric Life Support and Neo-natal Rescue
Program.
Personnel are overworked due to the volume and nature of the calls. In light of the local
hospital being chronically full, more patients are sent to Bismarck (a four hour round trip) eating
up more work hours.
The location of the calls is also creating challenges. Within city limits there are new
housing developments and new street names that don’t follow existing traditions of numerical or
alphabetical order, making finding the location difficult. To compound the problem much of the
temporary housing or new housing lack house numbers. The Ambulance Service receives
mapping updates each month from the local 911 Emergency Dispatcher but with the rapid
growth it needs updating virtually every week.
211
Outside the city limits the problem becomes one of communication. The Dickinson
Ambulance Service makes calls to wherever needed and many times must go out to remote
drilling rig sites. Many of these places have no cell phone or radio coverage. Ambulances are
being sent out to remote areas that are communication dead zones creating additional security
risks for personnel. A police officer often will accompany Ambulance personnel but that is at
the discretion of the law enforcement officer in charge, and too, law enforcement is also seeing
an increase in activity.
An additional barrier is radio communication. What is needed is a shared radio network
for the various public safety organizations. The increased traffic and rapid development together
make it difficult for local ambulance services to respond in a timely manner.
FINANCIAL
As a privately-owned company the Dickinson Ambulance Service does not qualify for
many of the grants that other public or non-profit agencies receive. The bulk of its funding
comes from patient insurance reimbursements and motor vehicle insurance. It does receive some
funding from Stark County. Last year the Dickinson Ambulance Service received $25,000 from
Stark County. This year it received $10,000. Dickinson Ambulance Service spends from
$47,000 to $52,000 a month on payroll, and is seeing a steep increase in the amount of overtime
pay. Due to the oil activity in the area the Dickinson Ambulance Service is seeing a sharp
increase in uninsured patients, patients who have insurance but have not met the mandatory
waiting period, patients giving false information, and false addresses making collection difficult.
All of these create extra costs for the Ambulance Service.
According to Penny Lewis, Operations Manager with the Dickinson Ambulance Service,
the Service has lost revenue with the passage of the Affordable Care Act which no longer offers
rural reimbursements. In the past, the government reimbursed the ambulance service for calls to
rural areas. This has been cut.
Charge for service is dependent on the type of call and only calculated by “loaded mile”.
There is a set fee for Basic Life Support and a higher fee for Advanced Life Support. This is
determined by the needs of the patient. The patient is not charged until he/she is in the vehicle.
The Dickinson Ambulance Service is operating with dwindling margins. The increased demand
has put a stress on personnel, more overtime is being paid out, more patients are uninsured and
there are more people without fixed addresses who do not pay their bills. In addition, the
increased volume of calls and the local hospital operating at full capacity means longer runs
creating more wear and tear on vehicles. The Dickinson Ambulance Service is not in financial
trouble but the current demand to compensation ratio is dramatically reducing its financial
cushion, reducing the service’s ability to absorb large costs.
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EQUIPMENT
Dickinson Ambulance Service currently has four emergency transport vehicles. There is
enough demand for six vehicles plus more personnel to operate them. The current facility is
large enough to fit four ambulances though it is a very tight fit—drivers must scrape off the snow
and ice in winter to fit the vehicles in the bays. The ambulance service needs more space. It
needs a larger building at its current location as well as a second station placed on the north end
of town
.
Basic vehicle service (such as oil changes) is done in house by staff and more complex
service, including tire rotation and replacement, is handled by local garages. The local
automotive maintenance industry has been very supportive of the Ambulance Service—making
them a priority—and so the Ambulance Service is able to keep running despite the high demand
for auto service in the area.
Since switching to diesel engines the Dickinson Ambulance Service has seen a reduction
in major maintenance costs but due to increased mileage there has been an increase in overall
maintenance costs. Currently vehicles are requiring oil changes as much as twice a month. An
average ambulance can go about 175,000 miles before it needs to be replaced. Instead of junking
the vehicle it will get a new chassis, putting the old box on a new frame means a savings of
thousands of dollars without compromising safety. Still vehicles last about two years before they
need to be refurbished.
SUMMARY
The Dickinson Ambulance Service is meeting the needs of the community now but its
margins are shrinking rapidly while projected need is increasing. In order to keep up with
demand the Dickinson Ambulance Service will need a second facility on the north end of
Dickinson. It needs more staff and more vehicles. And ultimately, like most of the public safety
institutions in the area, the Dickinson Ambulance Service needs more money. The Ambulance
Service is answering more calls with a longer duration necessitating increased overtime pay.
While expenses are rising there is not a corresponding increase in revenue which is shrinking the
financial cushion the ambulance service has available. The regional population is expected to
double and triple over the next two decades. Investment in the ambulance service is vital to a
healthy community.
213
Dickinson Ambulance Service, Inc.
Interview: Penny Lewis, Operations Manager 4/16/2014
Coverage Area: 691 square miles
Advanced Life Support (ground
transport)
(More staff are
Staff
needed)
full time
20
no volunteers
Call Volume
190/month
Vehicles
Quantity
Ambulance
4
Add. Need
2
214
Interview: Richardton-Taylor Ambulance Service; Lea Foldberg, Crew Leader
Interview conducted on 7/22/2014
RTAS (Richardton-Taylor Ambulance Service) is a Basic Life Support ground transport
service with 24 hour coverage seven days per week. RTAS has a coverage area of 592 miles and
serves a population of 1,534 (http://www.ndhealth.gov/ems/providermap/, accessed 8/10/2014).
There are five active EMTs and six drivers. All of the EMTs are 40 years or older. A
couple drivers are in their 20s. Duty shifts run 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. One person
may do two shifts in one day. Personnel are scheduled each day.
There are no full time employees. All of the volunteers have full time jobs. Though the
geographical coverage area has not changed there have been some major changes in the amount
of people being served. The population data came from the North Dakota Department of Health
website (https://www.ndhealth.gov/ems/providermap) which may be using the 2010 Census
figures and may therefore not reflect the recent influx of people to the area.
There has been a sharp increase in the amount of people living in the Richardton-Taylor
area. Both Richardton and Taylor are growing, Taylor in particular is facing challenges to its
infrastructure, particularly its sewer and water systems, which are at full capacity and run the risk
of being overwhelmed. In addition to those who are staying in the area permanently Richardton
and Taylor are also seeing a sharp increase in fluid populations—people living in the area part
time or are passing through. This fluid population does not get counted though it does put
pressure on an already burdened system.
Call volume has varied from 80 calls in 2008 to as high as 112 calls in 2010. It was at 90
calls for 2013. At the time of this interview, 7/22/2014, RTAS responded to 55 calls for service.
The majority of calls are still made by elderly patients requiring transfer from home to a nursing
facility in Richardton. RTAS is seeing an increase in accident calls, alcohol and drug related
calls, domestic violence, and bar fights.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The Richardton-Taylor area has had an ethanol plant operating on its fringe since 2004
and downtown Richardton has recently seen an oil field chemical sales company open in
downtown Richardton where chemicals involved in oil production are housed. These both have
the potential of becoming hazardous to the local population.
Richardton-Taylor is an aging community with an agricultural economy. Its close
proximity to Dickinson means many people who could not afford to live in Dickinson moved to
the Richardton-Taylor area. The Richardton-Taylor area is now at full capacity. The recent
addition of a grocery store, however, has been an important addition to the community,
providing a few more jobs while also meeting a critical shortage.
215
TRAINING
Training requirements have changed making it difficult for some volunteers to get the
number of hours they need. The training hours have not increased, but there are now specific
categories of that must be met in order to maintain certification.
RTAS has two certified CPR instructors, but all training beyond CPR instruction must be
done elsewhere or a trainer must be brought in. Roughly 25% of all training is done in house,
bringing a trainer in to the facility. The other 75% of training must be done at conferences or
other venues (schools, conventions). There is a small bit of training that can be done online but
the majority of training requires physical manipulation of equipment and models.
FINANCES
RTAS has been a taxation district for nearly two years. It receives 10 mills, which
averages about $100,000. Grants, donations, insurance reimbursements and mill levy puts total
income at (very roughly) $250,000. RTAS budgets $7,000-$10,000 per year for vehicle
maintenance.
The money has gone a long way in retaining volunteers. Volunteers are paid $3.00 per
hour while on call, $5.00 an hour while on call during weekends. When responding to a call
volunteers are given $50 to $60. The communities of Richardton and Taylor do not regularly
support the Ambulance Service. Occasionally Richardton would give some money to the
Ambulance Service but Taylor has not. Other perks for employees consists of a party once a
year, training, and mileage to go to training is paid, and sometimes volunteers receive shirts or
jackets.
For now, RTAS is stable but they anticipate needing some big ticket items in the near
future. They are discussing a new building in Richardton to house the ambulance. The current
building was built in 1929 and cannot accommodate the larger style ambulances. It also does not
have living quarters. The overnight shifts are currently housed at the Abbey in Richardton. The
new building is projected to cost approximately 1.1 million dollars. The bidding process was to
take place two weeks after this interview was conducted. Building costs are well above average
in this area due to the rapid growth. Labor and supplies are very costly. Upon completion of the
new building a second ambulance will need to be added. There is no room for a second
ambulance in the current building.
EQUIPMENT
RTAS has one van style ambulance built in 2011 it now has 32,000 miles on it. Early on
the ambulance has had troubles with its transmission. The auto dealer and the mechanic who
services the vehicle disagree whether the transmission is up to the job. The mechanic anticipates
further issues. Most of the transmission work is still under warranty, but the budget reflects the
anticipated need for further repairs.
216
Major repairs are done in Dickinson. RTAS has a good relationship with the garages in
Dickinson and rarely has a long wait for service. Regularly scheduled maintenance is performed
at local garages in Richardton by qualified personnel who are also volunteers with RTAS.
RTAS is well stocked with medical equipment. It has one hydraulic cot, several years
old but in good condition, valued at $12,000 to $15,000. It has a Zole Heart Monitor (similar to
the Life Pack used by several other Ambulance services) valued at $25,000. Last year, with the
help of the Stark County Commission RTAS was able to purchase a CPR Board—similar to the
Lucas Devices purchased recently by many other ambulance services—at a cost of $15,000.
While RTAS feels it is adequately stocked with medical equipment, storage is a problem.
The van-style ambulance is not large enough to store all of the equipment a modern ambulance
usually carries. RTAS will have to upgrade its ambulances to the new box style in order to
maintain effectiveness.
SUMMARY
RTAS currently has enough people to do the job. There is some fatigue among staff and
some are experiencing burnout. Having a full time job and extra responsibilities, the crew
leader—like most of the volunteer emergency response departments I’ve spoken to--does need
some relief to alleviate burnout. A few more staff now would be nice, more will be necessary
over the next couple years. The ambulance district board hired a bookkeeper to take care of the
financial matters but everything else is done by the crew chief, which takes a toll. RTAS is
financially stable. Becoming a tax-funded district two years ago was a major factor in providing
that stability. Still, a new building and a new larger ambulance, both of which are necessary to
continue to meet demand, will be a hefty challenge financially. The current vehicle is good
enough for now but will be replaced within the next couple years and another ambulance added
to the fleet. More people to will also be needed over the next few years as current volunteers
retire and demand for services continue to grow. Training has not posed too much of a problem
beyond it is difficult to get to. Many conferences are too far away to accommodate volunteers
with families and full time jobs. More local conferences in the southwest region would be very
beneficial. The city of Richardton still has a bit of room left to house a few more people, though
living quarters in the new building will go a long way in making volunteers comfortable during
their shifts. More people, a new building, and new, bigger ambulances are the keys to
maintaining a healthy, efficient ambulance service in the Richardton-Taylor community. Steps
are being taken to meet those needs but more help will be needed to reach those goals.
217
Richardton-Taylor Ambulance Service
Interview: Lea Foldberg 7/22/2014
Coverage Area: 592 square miles
Basic Life Support (ground transport)
Staff
11
2 are certified
Vol. EMT
5
CPR
instructors
Vol. Drivers
6
Call Volume
2010
2011
2012
2013
Variable:
112
no data
Vehicles by Type
Quantity
On Order
no data
Need to
Replace
90
Addition
Need
2011 Ambulance
Van
1
1*
1
Equipment
In Stock
CPR Board
Zole Heart
Monitor
Power Gurney
Building (built
1929)
1
On Order
Through June
2014
55
Maint. Budget
$7,000-$10,000/yr
*Van style is too small to carry eqpt.
Need
Additional
Estimated Unit
Replace
Need
Cost
$15,000
1
$25,000
1
$13,500
1
$1.1 million
218
REGIONAL AGENCIES
Interview: North Dakota Highway Patrol, Officer Skogen
Interview conducted 7/24/2014
The North Dakota Highway Patrol Southwest Division has offices in Dickinson and
extends across Region VIII and into neighboring counties. Beyond patrolling the highways, the
department also has a K-9 unit based in Dickinson, does crash reconstruction with crash
investigation experts, commercial vehicle enforcement and emergency response. The Highway
Patrol works with other departments in the region offering mutual aid as needed including fire
departments and ambulance services, the Department of Health and emergency managers on
hazardous material spills. All the agencies help each other, the Highway Patrol also does a lot of
traffic control for departments with smaller staffs. Inter-department cooperation and assistance
is one of the best resources available to all first responders in the region and the Highway Patrol
is quick to recognize that.
The activity in the area has increased significantly but is consistent with the increased
number of people in the area. The department has lost some officers to the oil field, some have
retired and some have moved to other departments. Traffic calls are increasing in the region.
Reports of reckless drivers are increasing exponentially, some of them are legitimate and others
are annoyance calls. Suspicion of drunk driving calls have sharply increased.
The increased volume of activity will require more personnel. North Dakota has fewer
troops per capita than surrounding states. The Highway Patrol needs the state legislature to add
sworn officers and increase funding. More troopers are coming but this district has felt heavily
burdened since oil activity increased.
PERSONNEL
There are 12 troopers and two sergeants covering the eight counties plus a little bit more
in the region. The department would like to be at ten people per shift but currently there are six
people on each shift. The department is hurting for staff from east to west. People were shifted
to the west from the east but the east has not been able to refill those positions, so the department
is short-handed across the state. In the southwest the department went from eight hour shifts to
ten hour shifts to deal with the significant increase in traffic and crime. The ten hour shifts have
maximized coverage with less overlap.
Housing is a big problem for troopers. Troopers coming to the area to work are getting
gouged by housing costs. The state is paying a stipend for housing in some particularly busy
counties such as Dunn, McKenzie, Williams and Mountrail, but not in Ward or Stark Counties.
Troopers are still struggling. Housing and the cost of living are making the region difficult to
live in. It is becoming an obstacle to hiring personnel.
219
TRAINING
Training is readily available and the department has been proactive in getting the training
it feels will be necessary to meet the area demand. There is more hazardous materials training
now. Hazmat training is offered one to two times a year. Railroad, pipeline and human
trafficking are also increasingly frequent training topics. Criminal interdiction training is
becoming a popular item in light of increased human and drug trafficking. The department is
also investing more time on active shooter training as well. The Highway Patrol requires a
different response to an active shooter scenario than a swat team would have due to different
manpower capacity. The Highway Patrol has less people required to cover a wider area which
require different tactics when faced with an active shooter scenario.
EQUIPMENT
The Highway Patrol fleet is in good condition. The department takes pride in its
equipment. It currently has 12 vehicles in action and one in reserve. Vehicles are rotated out of
the fleet every three years at about 70,000 miles. The troopers utilize mobile scales to weigh
commercial vehicles. The Department of Transportation (DOT) owns the vehicles and the
Highway Patrol (HP) pays the DOT. Maintenance is done by local garages through a contract.
The garages submit a bid. Sometimes there are maintenance backlogs of one to three days and
major repairs may take one to one and a half weeks. It has gotten a little bit harder to get
vehicles serviced compared to before the boom in Dickinson but it has not been a major problem.
It has been a major problem in Williston.
Other equipment is in mixed condition. Most of it, particularly personal protective
equipment is in good condition. Ballistic vests are expected to last four to five years and those
are fine. The HP is getting new rifles, the current stock are becoming outdated. The department
is also getting new light bars on their vehicles.
SUMMARY
The Highway Patrol’s biggest needs are housing and people. Ten more people are
needed in order to meet the regional demand. More people would facilitate more teamwork on
shifts and reduce reliance on other agencies. Between the increased volume of calls the K-9 unit
is getting and the mutual aid calls patrollers respond to the department is stretched thin and kept
busy. Fortunately, the HP is well equipped. While volume is increasing, the department does
not anticipate a need for further specialization in the near future. The HP has its own emergency
response, search and rescue, and crowd control units and has its own air assets. The department
is well equipped and well-funded. It now requires the region to provide affordable housing so
more troopers can afford to hire on.
220
North Dakota Highway
Patrol
Interview: Officer Skogen 7/24/2014
Personnel
Active
Sworn Officers
Vehicles
Patrol vehicles
12
Quantity
12
Additional
Need
10
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Interview: Southwest Judicial District, Hon. William A. Herauf, Presiding Judge
Interview conducted 4/07/2014
The Southwest Judicial District, thanks to careful planning and dedicated staff, have been
able to meet the growing challenges posed by the energy boom so far, but changes are necessary
to maintain the level of service mandated by our state and federal constitutions. In order to
process the growing number of traffic violations and criminal complaints, keep pace with the
more steady, yet time consuming, civil/domestic case filings, and maintain the security of the
building and the safety of visitors and staff, the Southwest Judicial District requires at least four
additional clerks2, one more judge, and one more court recorder. It will also require structural
changes to the Stark County Courthouse, which serves as the regional judicial hub, to increase
workspace and streamline access to the building to ease the burden on security personnel.
The need for the changes listed above are based on the following facts: first, the
Southwest Judicial District has seen dramatic increases in traffic and criminal violations. Traffic
violations alone have more than doubled since 2009. These traffic violations do not take a great
deal of time to process in the courts but create a great deal of paperwork for administrators and
their assistants.
Further, among criminal violations, the Southwest Judicial District has seen not only an
increase in the amount of violations but an increase in the degree or severity of these offenses—
there has been a rise in the amount of drug charges (harder drugs such as methamphetamine and
heroin) with intent to distribute rather than mere possession (for instance) than previous years.
There is also an increase in the number and severity of assault and aggravated assault cases. This
increase in crime has a quantifiable cost in time.
The court uses a formula to determine the amount of time each type of offense will cost
to process in minutes. Felonies require a greater time cost than misdemeanors and so an increase
in the amount of felonies and the higher class of felonies are creating a dramatic increase in the
amount of time spent by the courts in processing these cases. These increases are greater than
one would anticipate based on number of offenses alone. This formula does not take into
account the increased burden on State’s Attorneys or defendants’ counsel.
The Southwest Judicial District is working through an exceeded capacity; therefore, each
judicial cycle it is adding more and more cases from the previous cycle. Thoughtful planning
and organization have enabled the judiciary to nearly meet the rising tide of cases, but more
personnel are necessary to continue to meet the growing needs of the community.
As mentioned above, the Southwest Judicial District has some advantages thanks to
careful planning and a responsive state Supreme Court. The North Dakota Supreme Court
oversees funding for the district and is answerable to the state legislature. One advantage the
Southwest Judicial District has over other judicial districts is it uses a block system to handle its
case load. For instance, instead of scheduling a date and time for each arraignment, preliminary
hearing, or pretrial conference a block of time will be set for arraignments, preliminary hearings,
2
Specifically, Stark County needs 2.86 more clerks, Dunn County needs 1.85 more clerks and the entire district
needs 1.26 more judges based on current staffing/workload formulas.
222
or pretrial conferences for that period. This allows for greater flexibility and efficiency for both
the judges and the attorneys, speeding up the process without compromising the quality.
Another advantage is the use of mediation in domestic matters. Mediation has reduced
the time that domestic cases take up in court because many of the contested issues are resolved in
mediation, leaving fewer issues for the court to decide. Generally, felonies and domestic matters
are the most expensive cases in terms of time; the mediation process alleviates considerable
pressure the court has when processing domestic cases, but domestic disputes still take up a
substantial amount of the court’s time3.
These are two ways the Southwest Judicial District has been able to utilize its limited
resources to meet its mandate. To continue to meet its mandate, however, the Southwest Judicial
District will need both more space at its hub in Dickinson and more personnel distributed
throughout the region--though the majority of the personnel will be needed in Dickinson.
The need for personnel is quantifiable based on the case load and the formulas available
for determining how much time each case will require. To understand the need for space one
only has to tour the Stark County Courthouse in Dickinson to see that there is obviously more
work than there are personnel to do it, as well as no space to put new personnel. The hallways
are packed with litigants while the offices are packed with staff. There is no room left, nor hours
in the day to accommodate the current and rising demand.
The Stark County Courthouse best illustrates the challenges of both the region as a whole
and the local challenges counties will be facing now and in the future. The Stark County
Courthouse is cited because it is located in Dickinson (Stark County’s county seat) and the main
economic hub of the region. Stark County also has the largest population and case load in the
region. In addition, most of the attorneys working in the Southwest Judicial District have offices
in Dickinson. Logistically, Dickinson is the best place to process the majority of the region’s
caseload. The Stark County Courthouse also highlights some of the local challenges other
county seats may face as growth continues. Currently, security is a challenge due to the
courthouse design and the increasingly hostile attitudes and reactions of some litigants. The
Stark County Courthouse design makes a lockdown of the building difficult. One can enter and
exit the building from at least three sides. In the event of a lockdown, it would be difficult to
secure the exits in a timely manner. Add the increased number of people inside the building and
security becomes particularly difficult. The courthouse is both porous and congested, creating a
challenge for security personnel.
Currently the Southwest Judicial District judges, clerks, and recorders are slowly losing
ground in regards to workload, and reports indicate that the case load, due to the increased
energy activity in the region, will only increase over the next 20-30 years. In order to mitigate
the rising tide of cases the Southwest Judicial District will require both more physical space and
more personnel. In addition, some changes will have to be made to meet the growing security
needs. The Southwest Judicial District needs both more staff to do the work and more space for
3
The increased mediation shifts the burden away from the judiciary while adding to the demand for more attorneys
and other qualified professionals to work as mediators. The demand for attorneys in the community is a separate,
albeit not un-related, topic and must be discussed elsewhere.
223
them to do it. The addition of staff and increase in building capacity along with a few structural
changes will enable the district to meet its current needs and prepare it for the challenges ahead.
224
FEDERAL AGENCIES IN THE SOUTHWEST REGION
Interview: U.S. Forest Service, District Ranger Ronald Jablonski
Interview conducted 7/25/2014
The U.S. Forest Service is responsible for 1,028,784 acres on the Little Missouri National
Grasslands, the largest grasslands in the nation. The national grasslands are in McKenzie,
Billings, Slope and Golden Valley Counties. Though headquartered in Bismarck the Dakota
Grasslands, as it is also named, has ranger district offices in Dickinson and Watford City. This
federal land is dedicated for multi-use with different parcels being open to different things. 90%
of the grasslands are leased for mineral extraction, 95% are open to cattle grazing. There are
approximately half a million head of cattle grazing on the grasslands. The oil and gas industry
pays royalties on oil extracted from the grasslands. Counties also receive payment in lieu of
taxes (PILT) from the federal government for the federal lands in their area. Region VIII has
671,687 acres under federal control and received $241,680 in PILT in 2014. The sum of
payments to the counties in the region in 2013 was $216,052 (http://www.doi.gov/pilt/countypayments, accessed 10/29/14). There is no federal land in Hettinger County.
The increased oil activity has brought new pressures to the Grasslands. Squatting, illegal
dumping, trash, abandoned cars and trucks, and vehicles going off road and tearing up the
grasslands and increased drug activity including rolling meth labs are common occurrences in
the grasslands since the oil boom began. Generally there is considerably more traffic on the
roads, most of which are dirt though Highway 85 also runs through the grasslands.
The Forest Service protects and manages the grasslands. The protection role involves
both law enforcement and fire fighting. There are 1.5 law enforcement officers patrolling the
grasslands each day. Due to the increased human and industrial pressure on the grasslands there
is some push to have two person patrols instead of single person patrols. Officer safety is
becoming an increasing concern in light of more people, traffic and drug activity in the region.
The dirt roads have heavy oil field traffic, lots of semis and pickup trucks. In bad
weather the roads can become very dangerous. Rain and snow can devastate the road. Wells in
the area can leak H2S gas and be very dangerous.
The Forest Service also pays counties a stipend for law enforcement and firefighters.
Law enforcement may patrol a campground and firefighters may assist on a fire if they have an
agreement. Not all firefighter agencies have agreements with the U.S. Forest Service and so are
not eligible for compensation. Volunteer firefighters must be nationally certified to work with
the U.S. Forest Service.
The increased oil drilling and production in the national Grasslands poses some serious
fire hazards. The wild land/oil and gas interface can create cascading disasters. Wells, pipes,
prairie, roads, tanks and wild fire do not mix well together. Well pads are stacked very close
together; a burn or a blow-out can affect the nearby pads. To complicate matters, oil can be
burned off, but saltwater can’t. Saltwater, or fracking waste water, is highly toxic and will kill
225
plant life and destroy the soil so nothing can grow for many years. Due to the environmental
hazards oil and gas production is a very big concern to the U.S. Forest Service.
To mitigate the risks the U.S. Forest Service has people with fire fighter training working
with oil companies in the region to make oil pads more fire safe. The department also has
firefighters ready every day during the week and can be made available over the weekend
depending on the fire index. If the fire danger index is very high the Forest Service may send out
patrols. The Forest Service also has people on call and many people in the office are qualified to
handle a fire engine in an emergency.
The U.S. Forest Service is very busy in the region. The oil impact has meant more
training in defensive driving and situational awareness. It is looking to put out two person
patrols instead of solo patrols but it will be difficult to fill those positions. In response to the
increased dangers more training is being sought for officers.
The service is facing a critical lack of personnel and housing. It is struggling to house the
people it has working in the area now and it needs more people. It is hard to recruit people who
love outdoor recreation so much they make a living protecting it and offering them a place to
work that has no forests, no mountains, no winter recreation, and no place to live. The
department needs a lot more law enforcement. The Little Missouri Grasslands would
comfortably absorb four more law enforcement officers, two more in Dickinson and two more
stationed in Watford City. There is a dramatic increase in the amount of investigations and
trespassing.
The USFS fire department is not suffering as much as law enforcement. The department,
when it is fully staffed, is sufficient to meet the needs of the region. It is well stocked with
equipment though there are personnel issues. It is short-handed right now with three vacant
positions. The Forest Service does have access to fire fighters through the National Fire System
in case of an emergency.
In 2009, a wildland fire crew was activated in response to a tornado that came through
Dickinson. The crew brought chainsaws and cleaned up all the downed trees in the city which
allowed the city to recover much more quickly than it could have without the help. The Forest
Service plays a big supporting role in its neighboring communities and cooperation amongst the
Forest Service, local fire fighters, and law enforcement has proven to be an asset to both the
Forest Service and the surrounding communities. Like most of the emergency response agencies
in the region housing is a critical factor in attracting and retaining employees. Many employees
are drawn away by the oil industry. Without affordable housing the agency will continue to
struggle to find personnel.
226
Interview: National Park Service, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Chief Ranger Dean
Wyckoff
Interview conducted 5/7/2014
The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the crown jewel of North Dakota. It receives
more visitors per year than any other park in the state. It is divided into two units, north and
south. The south unit of the park is located in Billings County at the edge of Medora. The north
unit is located off Highway 85 approximately 5 miles from Watford City—before the oil boom
the north unit was 15 miles from Watford City. The oil boom has had a dramatic effect on the
National Park though one of the most critical is it has taken housing away from employees.
There are very few vacancies in the area. Those few apartments that are open to rent are much
too expensive for a park service employee to afford. The average employee earns $35,000 a
year. In 2010 one could find a two bedroom apartment for $700 per month. Today that
apartment is renting for $1,700 per month. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management try and accommodate their employees but there is no housing available. The Park
Service is losing staff because there is nowhere to live. There is a two to three year waiting list
to build a home. The Park Service expects more vacant positions in the future since wages
cannot keep up with the cost of living.
Before the boom many local people worked for the park in the tourist season as feel
collectors and other seasonal positions. Today all the seasonal help is from out of state. The
National Parks Service has 40 full time employees between the two units of Theodore Roosevelt
National Park (TRNP).
The north unit of the park is seeing dramatic increases in crime. The Park Service is
seeing more drug and alcohol violations, more DUIs, domestic violence and prostitution in the
park, including prostitution rings. There was a bison shot in the north unit of the park. The first
recorded incident in the park’s history. The Game and Fish Department is also seeing a dramatic
increase in poaching. Alcohol related offenses, traffic violations and drugs have dramatically
increased in the park. Before the boom the Park Service would see three to four drug-related
crimes in the park a year. Now they are seeing three to four every few months. The Missouri
National Grasslands has one campground that is adjacent to the north unit of the park. There are
1.5 law enforcement officers in the Missouri National Grasslands of North Dakota, which is over
a million acres.
The south unit of TRNP is not seeing as much pressure as the north unit but it is still
experiencing the same kinds of problems. The Park Service has now implemented a rule stating
campers cannot stay in the park for more than 30 days in a year in an effort to keep people from
living in the campground permanently. There has always been a two week limit on any visit to a
campground.
The Park Service lacks manpower. It has been taking about 18 months to fill each vacant
position. Federal funding and housing are linked, the sequestration hurt the Park Service. The
lack of affordable housing made a difficult situation worse. Heavy equipment operators are hard
to find. The Park Service cannot compete with oil field wages. A cost of living adjustment will
help, but they are difficult to get approved. Right now, the Park Service is losing staff to the oil
227
and gas industry. The Park Service remains short-staffed while surrounding local agencies are
growing. The Park Service needed two more full time park rangers, two part-time and two
seasonal employees at the time of this interview.
More pressure is being put on law enforcement in the Park Service, particularly in the
north unit where a man-camp is located near the park. Drunk driving violations are steadily
increasing there. More people in the area mean more use of the parks. The park is more fully
utilized than ever before
Fire is a constant concern in the national park. 2011 through 2012 was a dry year and
had many fires. This past year has been wet and there have been few wildfires. All Park
Rangers are certified EMTs and serve on local ambulance service crews. There is a lot of
interagency cooperation.
The National Park Service will need more cost of living adjustments and more affordable
housing in the region in order to keep its staff. The pressure from more people in the area due to
oil field activity is putting a lot of stress on the National Park and its park rangers. More
intervention will be needed to maintain the integrity of the park.
228
Public Safety Assessment Summary:
For this assessment, sixteen law enforcement agencies were interviewed (including the
regional North Dakota Highway Patrol, the US Forest Service and the National Park Service).
Among those agencies, 94% stated more personnel were needed; 15% needed to purchase
vehicles now or in the near future; 38% stated more funding was needed in order to maintain
effectiveness. Eight percent needed a new building. Every law enforcement agency interviewed
said more housing was needed.
There were 25 fire departments interviewed for this assessment; 60% of those
departments said more people were needed. Many departments said some paid personnel are
needed to either fill in for volunteers during the day and/or take care of the paperwork and other
administrative tasks associated with running a department. Nearly every fire department, 96%,
need to add and/or replace vehicles. More funds are needed in 64% of departments interviewed;
36% of those departments need a new building or needed to expand the existing building. Only
8% of those interviewed said housing was an issue for their department.
Housing is less an issue for fire departments since most of the crew members are
volunteers who already live in the area. However, 60% said more people are needed. More
affordable housing will lead to more people being able to become volunteer firefighters.
Eleven emergency medical service providers were interviewed for this assessment. Of
those eleven interviews, 91% of those interviewed said more people were needed. The
ambulance services were more often a blend of paid personnel and volunteers. As mentioned
earlier, volunteers already have a place to live. Hiring is difficult because a new employee is
likely relocating to the area. That is where housing becomes an issue. Of the eleven agencies
interviewed, 18% said housing was a problem, but 91% said they were short-handed. More
affordable housing would relieve the labor shortage.
Seven of the eleven agencies, 64%, also need new buildings. Some ambulance services
share a building with their local fire departments and lack of space is becoming a problem. One
cause is the style shift from vans to box ambulances. The box style ambulance can carry more
equipment but require larger garages. Also, crew members need lodging during their shift. The
new buildings often need both larger garages and living quarters for personnel.
Every agency interviewed, whether law enforcement, emergency medical service, or fire
department, said there needs to be more opportunities for regional training. Many also wanted
larger training rooms. An investment in new buildings with living quarters, larger garages, and
bigger training rooms across the region will save money in travel and lodging costs associated
with training. It is more effective to bring one trainer to the region than send eight to ten people
across the state for a week of training school. Many volunteer organizations cannot afford the
trip.
The population in the region is expanding rapidly. Industrial and population pressures
are increasing and first responders are hard pressed to meet demand. Four out of five agencies
are short-staffed, over half of them need more funding, over one third need new buildings. Two
229
out of three agencies will need to purchase new vehicles within the next twelve months—most
will require grants because they don’t have the budget to buy them outright.
The southwest region is facing unprecedented growth. For many years first responders
have been doing more with less. Each department has learned to run lean, make due, and save
for a rainy day. Today the wave of demand exceeds their capacity to get by with what they have.
Major investment is needed to insure the continued safety of the region. More housing, more
recruitment, new equipment, more money for wages and/or benefits, new buildings and more
local and regional training opportunities will be required to meet the safety needs of the region.
230
PUBLIC SAFETY ASSESSMENT SUMMARY
Summary Page:
COUNTY
Needs
People
Adams
Law Enforcement
1
Fire Department
Ambulance Service
1
Billings
Law Enforcement
1
Fire Department
2
Ambulance Service
Bowman
Law Enforcement
2
Fire Department
Ambulance Service
1
Dunn
Law Enforcement
2
Fire Department
1
Ambulance Service
1
Golden Valley
Law Enforcement
1
Fire Department
4
Ambulance Service
1
Hettinger
Law Enforcement
1
Fire Department
1
Ambulance Service
2
Slope
Law Enforcement
1
Fire Department
2
Ambulance Service
1
Stark
Law Enforcement
3
Fire Department
5
Ambulance Service
3
Other Agencies
North Dakota HP
1
US Forest Service
1
National Park Service
1
Totals
Law enforcement:
16
(includes ND HP, NPS, and USFS)
Fire Dept.
25
EMS
11
Vehicles
Funding
Building
2
1
2
1
1
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
2
1
1
1
3
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
1
2
3
6
1
1
1
# of Agencies in County
1
1
3
1
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
3
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
6
3
Housing
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
1
3
2
1
1
2
1
3
3
6
3
1
1
1
N/A
N/A
N/A
2
1
3
3
Needs ppl.
15
93%
vehicles
2
15%
funding
5
38%
building
1
8%
housing
16
100%
15
60%
24
96%
16
64%
9
36%
2
8%
10
91%
9
82%
6
55%
7
64%
2
18%
231
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235