In the past 12 years, the taxpayers in Cape Girardeau and beyond have made a sizable investment in the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

The first fire sales tax was instituted in 2004 and renewed in 2014. The tax generated about $2.5 million in 2015. The money has been used to build and renovate stations.

In the proposed 2016-2017 budget, several fire-station improvements were suggested, including $3.3 million for Fire Station No. 1 on Sprigg Street; $495,000 for Fire Station No. 2 on Mount Auburn Road and $1.2 million for Fire Station No. 4, currently on Kurre Lane. The city council also approved a new fire station on Lexington Avenue to replace Fire Station No. 4 for $3 million.

"Most of those come out of the fire sales tax," Mayor Harry Rediger said.

The city has upgraded the department's equipment. Several firefighting vehicles will be replaced at the end of the year, and Rediger said the vehicles already are being outfitted.

Assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider said most of the department's outfitting gear and breathing equipment have been upgraded. He said in recent years, breathing apparatuses can carry more air but are lighter. He said the department also is upgrading its helmets.

"The cost of equipment has increased tremendously over the years," Hasheider said. "It's keeping firefighters much, much safer and allowing them to do their jobs more effectively."

What have the taxpayers received for their money?

The department responded to 4,867 calls in 2015, and 187 of those were fires. The average response time on emergency medical service (EMS) calls was 4 minutes, 37 seconds, and 4:08 on fires.

On fire calls, firefighters respond in less than four minutes 50 percent of the time and less than seven minutes 92 percent of the time.

On EMS calls, the department responded in less than four minutes 41 percent of the time and less than seven minutes 88 percent of the time.

The National Fire Protection Association suggests a five-minute response time.

"There's always room for improvement," Hasheider said. "We're meeting national standards, and we're meeting our standards."

In those fires, the department reported $1.7 million in estimated losses, or about $9,000 per fire. Hasheider pointed out fires differ in size and scope, but the department has tried to limit smoke damage in particular by using ventilation techniques. The average loss per structure nationally, according to the NFPA, in 2015 was $19,500. There was one fatal fire in November 2015 that killed Zeno Blattel, 73, on Country Club Lane.

The city's ISO Rating is a 4, with a 1 being the best and 10 being the worst. ISO ratings can affect insurance rates.

The fire department's most common call is rescue and emergency medical service, accounting for 3,312 calls in 2015, or 68 percent of the total. The department's policy toward EMS calls changed in the early 1990s when there was an vehicle accident that resulted in a fatality near Fire Station No. 1, Hasheider said.

"With a quick response time, we may have been able to intervene," Hasheider said.

The department continues to emphasize responding to emergency calls in an attempt to save lives. Hasheider brought up the accident on Interstate 55 where a pregnant Sarah Iler died, but firefighters performed CPR on her after the two Cape Girardeau police officers arrived. Together, the responders saved Iler's unborn child.

"Life safety is our No. 1 priority," Hasheider said. "One ambulance arrives with three people. We had seven people at the scene within seven minutes."

Hasheider estimated the average amount of experience per firefighter is 15 years. While the department is relatively young, he said firefighters have experience at volunteer departments before they are employed. Rediger also said the department is well-trained, especially for a mass-casualty type event.

"I feel confident we'll be ready for anything that could come our way," Rediger said.

The department has gotten help from the city in other ways beyond direct funding. There are 2,365 fire hydrants in the city, and Hasheider said the number is nearly double what it was 20 years ago. On new mains, a city ordinance mandates a hydrant every 500 feet. Hasheider pointed out one neighborhood that is undeveloped but has fire hydrants in place.

"I think public works has done an admirable job putting in hydrants," Hasheider said.

Two-hundred and ninety eight businesses and residences in Cape Girardeau are equipped with fire-sprinkler systems. An ordinance requires businesses of certain size to have systems. Hasheider would like more home owners to install sprinkler systems, but existing systems have extinguished or greatly limited previous fires.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 1 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO