Village of Greendale The Garden Community

All Greendale Fire Department apparatus carry the same basic medical equipment and supplies. The only major difference is an ambulance can transport a patient to the hospital. Therefore, if an ambulance is not initially available or if a fire engine is closer to the call the fire engine will respond and provide the necessary care and treatment until an ambulance arrives.

Below is an excerpt from Chapter 14-Fire Prevention of the Greendale municipal code the section is entitled “recreational burning. Below is a list of requirements necessary to comply with the ordinance.

(1) RECREATIONAL BURNING (Wood Burning Appliance) A recreational fire is defined as a fire to be used for cooking, or esthetics benefit similar to that of a campfire. The fire shall be confined to a commercially designed outdoor wood burning appliance.

(a) Requirements on size and location of recreational fires, and general requirements.

1. Fires shall be in an approved outdoor appliance less than or equal to 3 feet in diameter and less than or equal to 3 feet in height. These dimensions are for the burn chamber and do not include the chimney of the appliance, nor a stand designed for the appliance.
2. It is recommended that only fireplace units having the fire area protected by a screen or wire mesh be used as to hold down any flying embers.
3. Fires shall contain only wood or charcoal; any other building materials are prohibited.
4. The wind velocity may not exceed 10 mph.
5. Fires shall NOT be started or accelerated using flammable liquids, such as gasoline.
6. The fire must be a minimum of 10 feet from all structures, roadways, and lot lines.
7. The outdoor appliance shall not be used on any deck or wooden surface.
8. If smoke travels in such a manner that it obscures roadways, if the fire department receives complaints from the area, or it is deemed to be a hazard, the Fire Official reserves the right to require that the fire be extinguished.
   

Many communities have and continue to tackle the issue of allowing recreation burning. With the rise in popularity of outdoor firepits and chiminea’s also comes a problem, ironically though the trouble is not over traditional fire prevention concerns, but due to the presence of smoke in residential neighborhoods. Therefore, the Greendale Fire Department is offering these additional recommendations to ensure the ability for residents to continue recreational burning and keep neighborhoods happy.

• Limit the number of recreational fires. Don’t burn every night, just on occasion.
• Move the firepit to a location in the yard that complies with distance requirements but also does not allow smoke to immediately drift towards neighbors or structures.
• Extinguish fires instead of allowing them to burn out.
• Have fires in the early evening and extinguish at typical bedtime.
• Do not have fires when the air is heavy and smoke stays close to the ground.
• Be aware of neighbor’s windows being open.
• Be a good neighbor.
  

The Greendale Fire Department is responsive to the needs of the community and hopes to continue the parameters of this ordinance. However, this is dependent on the voluntary compliance of residents balanced with the concerns others.

Firefighters work a 24 hour shift. Greendale Firefighters work from 8am – 8am. At 8am firefighters report to roll call where they learn of new information regarding equipment, street closures, and any important happenings from the previous shift. Next, the officer in charge gives the firefighters their assignments for the day and discusses some of the tasks they will attempt to accomplish amongst answering calls. After roll call, the firefighters go and check their fire gear, breathing apparatus, and the rigs to make sure they are stocked, ready, and maintained for the day. After equipment checks firefighters clean the fire station, while one firefighter goes to the store. Since the firefighters are going to be at the station for 24 hours they need to prepare lunch and dinner. At roll call the firefighters each chip-in about $7 to personally pay for the two meals they will eat together. The remainder of the morning is spent either doing training, fire inspections, or fire prevention. The firefighters usually stop to eat lunch around 12. After lunch its training, fire inspections, or fire prevention activities again. At around 430pm the firefighters work day is complete and they start to prepare for the evening meal. After dinner the firefighters may workout, watch TV, work on projects, but they must be immediately ready to answer a call. Depending on the firefighter they can call it a night and go to be at anytime, though once again they must be up and ready to respond throughout the night. The next morning, the on duty firefighters are replaced by the next shift and the whole cycle starts over.