All Three Public Safety Departments Accredited

Our Fire Department has officially received Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, Inc. (CFAI) for meeting the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and rigorous on-site inspection. We are one of 114 agencies to achieve Internationally Accredited Agency status with the CFAI worldwide and the first in Iowa to receive it. CFAI was established in 1996 as a non-profit organization. The International Association of Fire Chiefs worked in concert with the International City/County Management Association in the development of the CFAI program. This Accreditation makes West Des Moines one of only a handful of cities in the nation to have all three public safety departments (police, fire, and EMS) accredited. Departments are judged on more than 100 factors ranging from training and competency to physical, financial, and human resources. Our EMS, Fire, and Police departments provide excellent service and accreditation by National Boards serves to validate the highly professional manner in which they operate. Most importantly, in order to maintain our accreditation we must continually improve and demonstrate accurate data collection and goal evaluations. Pictured above are City staff and officials as they accept the accreditation award: Lt. Rod Benson, Mayor Gene Meyer, Chief Don Cox, Doug Rex, and me.

EMS Public Access Defibrillation Program

Sudden cardiac arrest is a phenomenon in which the victims heart stops beating effectively. Current statistics show that for adults, nearly 80 – 90% of the time this sudden cardiac arrest results in a rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). To treat VF, our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department delivers a shock to the heart with a defibrillator in an attempt to restore normal cardiac rhythm and produce a normal heartbeat. The earlier EMS can deliver this shock, the higher the likelihood of survival from the event.

On February 14, 1999, the City of West Des Moines initiated our Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program. Key parts of the program involved placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in police cars and later on fire apparatus. This effectively extends our EMS system to allow for earlier defibrillation in the case of sudden cardiac arrest. Support for this program included ensuring that all public safety personnel maintained training in CPR and AED use. Since that time, our program has grown to include nearly all of the city facilities, with many city employees being trained in CPR and AED use.

In 2005, there were 6 occasions in which our police and/or fire personnel were called on to use their training and AEDs in an effort to save a life. To the credit of those involved, a heartbeat was restored before reaching the hospital in 3 of those 6 victims who suffered sudden cardiac arrest. This reflects the dedication of our police and fire department personnel to maintaining their training for emergency medical events. It also reflects the collaborative efforts between our police, fire and EMS departments in crossing traditional lines of responsibility.

Overall, the EMS department responded to 27 sudden cardiac arrests in 2005. They were able to restore a heart rhythm and normal heartbeat to 12 of those victims (44%). According to the National Center for Early Defibrillation, this puts us into the category of “Model Communities” who are able to provide early defibrillation in under 6 minutes, resulting in cardiac arrest survival rates of 45%.

I would like to take a moment to say thanks to our public safety employees who have taken the time to keep up on their CPR and AED training. As EMS often discuss in their training classes, you never know when or where the next emergency will happen. I can only hope that if it happens to me, I am here in West Des Moines where I know I will get excellent care!

WDM Utility Atlas Map Now Available!

The WDM Utility Atlas is now online! The Atlas, which contains a City map with quadrant grids and grid details, identifies where the City’s fiber optics, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer are located. It is exciting to have this project completed, thanks to the City's Public Works CADD Technicians and the Information Services team. The Utility Atlas can be found at http://utility.wdm-ia.com. You can also find it on the Online Services tab on the City homepage.

Our partners in the construction environment and the various utilities have been asking for this service for a long time. It is fantastic that we can share this information with them, and with our residents, electronically. We expect that it will provide a benefit to the entire City because it will reduce costly repairs and, more importantly, minimize disruption of service to our community.

As a City, we are working to provide more and more Geographic Information Systems (GIS) elements to the public. This is an important first step towards that goal.