2023 Department Report

Report of the Fire Department

To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee:

On behalf of the Mashpee Fire & Rescue Department members, it is my honor to submit my annual report for the calendar year 2023.

OUR MISSION

“The Mission of the Mashpee Fire Department is to minimize loss and suffering within our community.  We accomplish this by education, training, and mitigating emergency incidents within the limit of available resources.”

PERSONNEL

As your Fire Chief, I am proud to work with 39 full-time firefighters and two highly qualified administrative staff employees.  Their work to accomplish the mission of this Department represents a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week commitment to the citizens we proudly serve.  2023 proved to be another record year for incidents.  As of December 31, 2023, the current authorized strength of the Department was forty operational members (4 Captains, 4 Lieutenants, 28 Firefighters, 1 Lt. Fire Prevention Officer, 1 Lt. EMS Officer, 1 Fire Chief, and 1 Deputy Fire Chief).  1 Administrative Assistant, 1-Billing Clerk for a total of forty-two members. 

In 2023 we received the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from FEMA which allowed the department to hire four (4) new personnel, increasing our shift staffing to nine.

New Personnel:  SAFER Grant – FF/Medic Keith Birch, FF/EMT Jessica O’Kane, FF/EMT Nicholas Hill, FF/Medic Corey Celeste.  Additional new personnel – FF/Medic Timothy Houde, FF/EMT Connor Peltier, FF/Medic Andrew Desmarais, FF/Medic Blake Wilson.

We would also like to recognize the following personnel who resigned or retired in 2023 and thank them for their service:  Captain/EMT Stephen Costello, Firefighter/EMT John Lacava, Firefighter/Medic Thomas Deeg, and Firefighter/EMT Bruno Arraes.

In January 2023, Jennifer Thomas accepted the position of Administrative Assistant, replacing long-time Assistant Christa Comp.

FIRE OPERATIONS

Our Fire Departments Fire Inspector and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Officers continue to develop new ways to deliver public education courses, site visits, and other public safety events to enhance the quality of life in Mashpee.  Some beneficial offerings have been Smoke & Carbon Monoxide detector surveys of your home or business; Child Car Seat Installation; Vial of Life medical review; Fire Extinguisher Training; Home Safety inspections & lectures, and the management of End-of-life decisions.  The Fire Inspector and EMS Officer work closely with the Council on Aging and Board of Health to monitor activities within the Town that this Department can assist with.

The Fire Inspection Division conducted 705 Building Department Permit application reviews, issued 537 Fire Department Permits, and conducted 575 site inspections during 2023.

WILDFIRE PLANNING

Wildfire mitigation projects continue in the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge.  The use of prescription fire for habitat restoration and fire fuels reduction was completed this year on State and Federal lands. There are plans to continue these programs in 2023 to accomplish beneficial burns by the Massachusetts Division and Federal Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.  These planned prescription burns are accomplished in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, and the Town of Mashpee.

THANK YOU

I wish to thank the Select Board for their confidence in every member of the Fire Department.  Further, I would like to thank the administration, department heads, and members of all Town departments.  Your support and assistance are critical to the successful completion of our mission.

On behalf of the Fire Department, I want to thank the citizens of Mashpee for their continued support and appreciation of our work.

Respectfully submitted,

John F. Phelan, Fire Chief

Mashpee Fire Department Emergency Response Statistics

Response Description                 2022                2023               

Fires

Private Dwellings                            16                    10

Apartments                                       5                      7

Hotels & Motels                                 0                      0

Public Assembly                                1                      1

All other Residential                          0                      2

Schools & Colleges                           0                      1

Health Care                                       0                      0

Stores & Offices                                1                      0

Industrial                                            0                      0

Storage Structures                            3                      0

Other Structures                                1                      2

Fires in Highway Vehicles                 6                      2

Fires in Other Vehicles                      0                      1

Fires Outside of Structures                7                      2

Fires in the Wildland                          9                      15

Fires in Rubbish                                 0                      2

All Other Fires                                    3                      3

Total Fires                                          52                    48

Emergency Medical Responses      3014                3101

False Alarms                                     510                  583

Hazardous Materials Response        65                    70

Other Hazardous Response              64                    53

All Other Responses                         517                  573

Total for all Incidents                        4224                4428