Wednesday 07th of January 2009 05:05 AM
The mission of the Sterling Fire Department (SFD) is to protect the lives and economic well being of the people of Sterling from the effects of fires, accidents and related emergencies.
Your fire department provides six essential services.
Emergency Medical Care. In cooperation with the private ambulance service, trained firefighters respond to provide basic life support care to victims of accident or sudden illness. All fire trucks are equipped to provide life saving medical care.
Fire Prevention. Firefighters protect public safety by inspecting buildings and enforcing fire and certain nuisance codes. Firefighters also provide safety education in preventing fires, using fire extinguishers and similar topics.
Firefighting. Firefighters are trained and equipped to rescue persons trapped by fire and extinguish fires that do occur.
Technical Rescue. Firefighters rescue persons trapped in vehicle crashes, confined spaces, cave-ins, building collapse, machinery entanglement and like situations.
Hazardous Materials. Firefighters respond to control accidents involving hazardous materials.
Disaster Response. As part of a coordinated public safety effort, firefighters respond to flooding, tornadoes, ice storms and other large emergencies.
The SFD has an authorized strength of 16 career and 30 part-time firefighters operating four pumpers, one ladder truck, a rescue truck, water tanker, service truck and two staff vehicles. Four firefighters are on-duty 24 hours a day in the fire station located on Centennial Square. Each year Sterling firefighters respond to approximately 1,500 9-1-1 emergency calls for service or about 4 each day. The SFD is totally tax supported with a budget over one million dollars. Fees may be charged to recover costs related to hazardous materials emergency control and fires outside of a recognized Fire District not covered by mutual aid agreements.
The SFD protects the City of Sterling and the Sterling Rural Fire Protection District. The City of Sterling is seven square miles in area with a population of approximately14,000. The SFD provides fire/rescue services to the people of the Sterling Rural Fire Protection District through a contract with the Board of Directors. The Sterling Rural Fire Protection District encompasses over 520 square miles with a population of 6,000. The towns of Merino and Iliff and the Padroni and Atwood communities are within the Rural Fire Protection District.
The ISO public fire protection classification is used to help set property insurance rates using a 1 to 10 scale. Lower insurance rates are available to property owners protected by better rated fire departments. The City of Sterling is rated as Class 4. This class is extended to all property within 5 miles of the fire station. Other portions of the Sterling Rural Fire Protection District are rated Class 9/10 due to the lack of a recognized water supply system and distance to the fire station.
Fires can grow from smoldering to an explosion of flames in three minutes or less. Delay in calling 9-1-1 may be fatal. Call 9-1-1 promptly for any fire, no matter how small, smoke or gas odors or any other emergency where life or property is in danger. Stay on the line until the 9-1-1 operator hangs up. Firefighters would much rather respond to a minor emergency than to be 
called when it is too late. Firefighters close up with hose
9-1-1 should be used in medical emergencies as well. Persons who have chest pains, shortness of breath or other sudden illness or who have fallen for no apparent reason may have a serious medical emergency. 9-1-1 should also be called for emergencies involving poisoning, serious burns, falls, broken bones, severe bleeding and similar conditions.
Smoke detectors cut the risk of dying in a fire by half. Unfortunately most people killed by fires die in their own homes while asleep. Smoke detectors sense the presence of a fire and sound the warning in time to wake sleeping persons and allow them to escape. All homes need to have a working smoke detector in the hallway leading to the bedrooms and on every level. Smoke detectors should not be installed in garages or near kitchens, bathrooms or fireplaces to avoid nuisance alarms. For the best protection:
Contact the SFD for more information or assistance with smoke detectors.
Most home fires start in the kitchen, heater area or by the careless use of smoking materials. Some common sense fire safety rules include:
Contact the SFD for a home fire safety survey.
Home fire extinguishers may be very effective if you are trained in proper use. Only UL listed fire extinguishers should be purchased for use. The most practical home fire extinguisher is a 2-3/4 lb. multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher available in hardware and discount stores. Fire extinguishers should be mounted in the bracket provided in a readily accessible location. The three rules for using fire extinguishers are:
Contact the SFD for more information on the purchase and use of a home fire extinguisher.
The fire station is at 410 North 5th Street in Sterling. We encourage scout groups and school tours as well as family visits. For questions or concerns or to schedule visits, call the SFD at 522-3823.
Dial 9-1-1 for emergencies.
Sterling Fire Department
P.O. Box 4000
Sterling, CO 80751
Phone: (970) 522-3823 (non-emergency)
Fax: (970) 521-0632