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Posts Tagged Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten

Rockford fire chief accepts position in Colorado

Mar 20

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the rrstar.com:

Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten accepted the position of chief for the Poudre Fire Authority in Fort Collins, Colorado. His last day with the Rockford Fire Department will be May 7. The Rockford Board of Fire and Police Commissioners will now begin searching for  someone to succeed him.

After joining the Rockford Fire Department in March 1994, Bergsten was named chief in 2008. A successful track record and a willingness to pilot new programs earned Bergsten recognition as the 2020 Illinois Fire Chief of the Year.

Among the new programs Bergsten oversaw were the implementation of a mobile integrated health program; expansion of a certified fire vehicle repair shop operated by the department; a program that allows Rockford fire personnel to transport patients experiencing a mental health issue to a specialized facility instead of an emergency room; and providing Naloxone kits and training to the families of those who have overdosed.

He will be asked to establish some of those programs at the Colorado department which he said, like Rockford, is high-performing and accredited.

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Rockford Fire Department news

Jan 28

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Excerpts from wifr.com:

Pointing to his accomplishments and leadership, the Illinois Fire Chief’s Association has selected Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten as Fire Chief of the Year. Some of his accomplishments include the replacement of a full fleet of engines within four years and initiating mobile integrated healthcare. But, he says the award is team effort.

It’s been nearly forty years since a Stateline fire chief has won the award and Bergsten says it feels good to recognize the hard work of the department.

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Fatal fire in Rockford, 4-19-19

Apr 20

Posted by Admin in Fatal fire, Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from mystateline.com:

The Winnebago County Coroner says a 56-year-old woman was killed in a fire Friday morning in the 800 block of 18th Street, not far from Churchill Park and Keith Creek just before 3 a.m.

Rockford fire officials say after arriving, they could see smoke and flames coming from the outside. Five minutes after arriving, they went inside, where they found the victim. She was taken to the hospital, where she later died. Three dogs also died in the blaze.

Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten says there’s an easy way to prevent these kinds of tragedies. “One thing we would like to emphasize is make sure you have working smoke alarms. That’s imperative so that you can get early notification that you do have a fire in your house so you can exit in a safe manner. This is our second fire fatality this week and we want to make sure everyone has working smoke alarms.”

Bergsten says the fire only took 30 minutes to extinguish, and that the cause is still under investigation.

 

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Rockford Fire Department news

Nov 9

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, New Apparatus Order | 3 Comments

Excerpts from rrstar.com:

Aldermen on Monday agreed to buy the Rockford Fire Department three new quints for $3.2 million under terms of a 4.2 percent loan. The loan will cost the city $479,529 a year for eight years.

The vehicles are expected to provide front-line response to fires, rescues, and medical emergencies for about seven years before moving to a reserve truck capacity, Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said.

“We got rid of the typical ladder trucks four years ago,” Bergsten said. “Now they’re multipurpose so they can go to any emergency.”

thanks Dennis

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Rockford Fire Department news

Jan 9

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Excerpts from wifr.com:

Four months ago, 17 men and women became recruits for the Rockford Fire Department. Friday, 16 of them graduated. 

Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten says this class brings the fire department back to full staff. The 16 firefighters were selected from more than 600 applicants.

Included in the class is Natalie Adasiewicz who is one of fewer than ten women in the department and the sixth generation of firefighters in her family.

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Rockford Fire Department news

Sep 6

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the rrstar.com:

The Rockford City Council approved an agreement that will expand the Rockford Fire Department’s mobile integrated health program, could reduce congestion in area emergency rooms, and decrease the number non-emergency ambulance rides.

Chief Derek Bergsten said under the program, Rockford firefighter paramedics will provide will conduct home visits with Medicare patients focused on preventative care, chronic disease management, and post-hospital discharge follow-up.

Humana at Home of Chicago will reimburse the city for the visits which will utilize existing staff and equipment. The cost to the city for fire department personnel and the vehicle for the program is an estimated $133,559 per year. Payments from Humana to the fire department are expected to total up to $8,400 per month and cover most of the cost.

While conducting a home health visit that can help reduce re-admissions into hospitals, fire department personnel also will conduct a safety check of the home or apartment. Those checks could include looking for trip hazards, making sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are operational, and providing residents with fire prevention information.

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Rockford Fire Department news:

Aug 6

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 2 Comments

Excerpts from wifr.com:

Some of the Rockford fire stations are seeing the wear and tear from decades of use. From the toilets to the showers to the roof and even the living quarters Rockford Fire Station 10 is just one of the many stations in need of some serious repairs.

“We’ve cleaned the floors and the toilet and everything it’s just old. I’ve been at this station for 12 13 years,” says Rockford Fire Lt. Kathleen Macias.

“All of our stations were built prior to 1989 except for station 3 which was built 2016,” says Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten.

Built in 1957, Station 10 is nearly six decades old, and like many others was built at a time when mostly men were on the department. At 3900 square feet the station only has one shower and two small bathrooms, and with 6 people including three women space can be tight.

The city is looking at putting together a schedule to determine which stations have to be rebuilt and or relocated as well as what repairs need to be made to bring some of them up to current modern standards. The cost for rebuilding a station is estimated anywhere from $5 to $6 million.

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Rockford Fire Department news

May 18

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from wrex.com:

The Rockford Fire Department was given the green light to purchase four new ambulances.  Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten says the new ambulances will replace old vehicles that frequently break down due to wear and tear. The four ambulances cost $1,096,736 and will be paid for through the Fire Department Capital Budget. 

thanks Dan

This from the Fire Service, Inc. Facebook page:

We would like to thank Chief Derek Bergsten and the City of Rockford Fire Department on their order of 4 new Wheeled Coach Type 1 Ford F450 4×4 ambulances. These will compliment the existing Wheeled Coach fleet with the reliable Cool Bar HVAC system, Knox Med Vaults, Hoseline temperature control cabinets and other customizations to enhance the delivery of EMS to the City. We’re pleased to have the City of Rockford FD as part of the Fire Service, Inc. family. Delivery late summer.

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Rockford Fire Department news

Apr 1

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from wrex.com:

Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten says that response times have been an issue for Station 7 on the city’s south side for years. It’s why the station is moving north, from the airport  into the fire maintenance facility on sawyer road.

“The amount of calls in that area has been increasing, so us not meeting those service demands has definitely had an impact on patients and on fire and EMS calls,” said Bergsten.

According to the 2016 Standards of Cover Report, Station 7 had the worst emergency response performance out of all the city’s stations, taking more than eight minutes to respond to 18% of its EMS calls. That’s twice as long as the benchmark standard of four minutes.

The project’s been in the works for almost ten years, but finally moved forward when MercyHealth announced its new campus on Rockford’s east side. It’s a collaboration the chief says will benefit the community in more ways than one.

“To build a brand new station and fully staff it, the city did not have those funds. So, this was an agreement that was met with the city and mercy to take those funds for permit fees to recommission the station,” said Chief Bergsten.

Chief Bergsten says they expect to move into the new station by August 1.

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Rockford Fire Department news

Mar 30

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from wrex.com:

Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten has been selected to join a national panel focused on the future of emergency medical services.  the EMS Agenda 2050.

Ten professionals with medical, fire and public health backgrounds will develop a roadmap of what the future of EMS holds for the country.

“I think the biggest idea is really linking up our emergency response to the entire health continuum. That involves the emergency room, the primary care physician that we’re all talking and working together to benefit that patient.”

Bergsten joins firefighters from LA, New York City and Boston on this panel. The first in-person meetings for the panel are scheduled for late 2017 in four cities across the country.

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