City of Hutchins, Texas - Fire Department

Fire Home

Our Vision Statement is simple: "We continually strive for excellence, guided by principles of trust, integrity, honesty, loyalty, safety and respect for all.”

In addition to fire duties, the Hutchins Fire Department also provides emergency medical services to parts of the surrounding Dallas county areas. All shift personnel are trained as Paramedics and our ambulances are equipped with state of the art medical equipment. 

When you see one of us in the community, feel free to say hello; we would love to visit with you! You can also stop by the station for a tour and a more in-depth look in the fire station and the officers that serve you! 

Hutchins Fire Focus

Teaching the next generation the tools of the trade

 

Services We Offer

The Hutchins Fire Department is focused on the community. Below are non-emergency services we offer.

• Blood Pressure Screening
• Child Seat Installation Inspections
• Fire Station Tours
• Smoke Detector Installation
• Fire Extinguisher Classes
• Life Saving Equipment Training
• Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Basic First Aid

Read more about these services here

Be Prepared

Take a little time to be prepared for an emergency. View our important links on the Emergency Management page.

Safe Haven Law

Under the Safe Haven Law, parents who are unable to care for their child may leave their infant with an employee at a designated safe place. The Hutchins Fire Department is a designated safe place.People will ask how old a child has to be, repercussions, etc. Give them a place to learn more.

Please note: Some of these classes are not certified so you will not receive a certification card.

About Us

The Hutchins Fire Department was established as an all-volunteer Fire Company in 1947 and continued as such until the Mid 1980's when the department hired its first paid full time Firefighter. The department continued to hire additional full time Firefighters with Paramedic Certifications. In the mid 1990's the department was staffed with 2 Full Time Firefighter/Paramedic's per shift, supplemented by a part time and volunteer staff. Currently the department is staffed with 20 shift Firefighter/Paramedics, an Administrative Captain and the Fire Chief.  

Today, Hutchins Fire Rescue has a full staff of Firefighter/Paramedic's manning 1 station on a 24/48 hour rotation. The Hutchins Fire Department has an ISO PPC rating of 4 on a 1-10 scale. The Department is currently planning for its second fire station, planned to open in 2020.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Hutchins Fire & Rescue is to minimize the loss of life and property resulting from fires, medical emergencies, environmental, and other disasters. We will accomplish our mission through prevention, education, fire suppression, medical services, code enforcement, rescue skills, and other related emergencies and non-emergency activities. We will actively participate in our community, serve as role models, and strive to effectively and efficiently utilize all of the necessary resources at our command to provide a product deemed excellent by our citizens.

Vision Statement

We continually strive for excellence, guided by principles of trust, integrity, honesty, loyalty, safety and respect for all.

Core Values

P – Professionalism - We always conduct ourselves in a way that reflects a positive image for the City and the Fire Service.

R – Respect - We will treat our customers, and each other with respect and courtesy at all times. We will be honest, forthright, loyal, and articulate in all of our daily communications and activities.

I – Integrity - We understand the trust placed in us by the public and our colleagues; is integral to the performance of our duties. We are committed to honest and ethical behavior and will hold ourselves accountable to these values.

D – Dedication - We are dedicated to the organization, each other, our families, and the citizens we serve. We are dedicated to working in partnerships with the community and each other to reduce fires, enhance customer service, and improve quality of life. We are dedicated to our core values.

E – Excellence - We believe the pursuit of excellence and demonstrated high professional standards are critical to our work. To ensure the best possible service to our community, the fire department supports continuous training and encourages professional development

Goals

The Hutchins Fire Department will deliver focused customer service through the delivery of comprehensive Public Safety services of the highest quality.

The Hutchins Fire Department will support and maintain a safe, healthy, well trained, and high-performing workforce.

The Hutchins Fire Department will provide high-quality services as part of an integrated emergency medical care system.

Hutchins firefighters will be community resources for life-safety knowledge and information about the Department's services.

The Hutchins Fire Department will attract and retain a qualified and diverse workforce.

Priorities

Life Safety, Incident Stabilization, Property and Environmental Conservation.

EMS

Emergency Medical Services

The Hutchins Fire Department provides Emergency Medical Response to our community with a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) staffed with two Firefighter/ Paramedics. Every responding apparatus is staffed with Firefighter/ Paramedics who are trained to assist with complex or life-threatening situations. 

In 2017, the Department responded to over 1800 emergency calls for service and this number is projected to increase each year due to growth and expansion in our community.

Ambulance Bill

The City of Hutchins outsources the ambulance billing to a private company.

To obtain a copy of an ambulance bill, please call Change Health at:

855-626-9660

Attorney Requests & Subpoenas: www.chartswap.com
or contact EMSAttorneyRequests@Changehealthcare.com

Medical Director

Medical Control

The BioTel EMS system supplies prehospital emergency medical services for over 2.4 million people in the Dallas metro area and responds to approximately 260,000 EMS 911 calls annually. Medical direction for the system is provided through the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center under the leadership of Dr. S. Marshal Isaacs.

The History of BioTel

BioTel is short for Biomedical Telemetry. "Bio" refers to a relationship with life, and "telemetry" refers to the transmission of data other than voice by means of radio.

BioTel began operations on January 3, 1975, when UT Southwestern cardiologist Drs. James Atkins and Erwin Thal, along with the leadership of Dallas Fire-Rescue, developed and implemented a new paramedic training program. These newly-minted paramedics required rapid access to a physician or nurse for medical direction and consultation, which was provided by resident physicians and staff nurses in the BioTel radio room at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Dallas Fire-Rescue (known then as the Dallas Fire Department) was the first group to use BioTel. DFD utilized 128 paramedics, in MICUs then staffed with 1 paramedic and 1 EMT-Basic.

BioTel was initially located in a Parkland Medicine ER treatment room, and back then they had just 2 radios. At first, physicians from specific areas like medicine, OB/Gyn, surgery/trauma took calls. Cardiology fellows began taking calls from BioTel, but only for medical emergencies (non-surgery/trauma or OB/Gyn). The cardiologists would sometimes spend the night taking calls as well as monitoring Holter cardiac monitors.

BioTel is one of several centralized medical control entities in this area. BioTel differs from these other entities because it provides 24 hour-a-day online medical control in addition to offline medical control. This means that a paramedic can speak with a BioTel nurse, paramedic or physician whenever they need to, and speak with a BioTel professional who has been trained in the BioTel protocols.
BioTel moved from its location in the old Parkland hospital to the new Parkland Hospital on Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Today

"BioTel" refers both to the EMS system in the Dallas area, in which an organized network of EMS providers all function under the same set of medical treatment guidelines as well as the BioTel radio room that provides on-line medical direction for the paramedics in the BioTel system.

The BioTel EMS system includes 11 transporting fire departments in Dallas county:

• Dallas Fire-Rescue
• Desoto Fire-Rescue
• Duncanville FD
• Garland FD
• Highland Park DPS
• Hutchins FD
• Irving FD
• Lancaster FD
• Mesquite FD
• Sunnyvale DPS
• University Park FD

Additionally, The BioTel EMS system provides medical direction for the Cockrell Hill Fire Department and on-line medical control for Acadian Ambulance.
The BioTel online medical control room at Parkland is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by an RN. A second person, either an RN or a paramedic, is scheduled for peak hours.

An EMS-trained faculty member of UT Southwestern is either on duty in the Parkland emergency department or immediately available for contact. All emergency medicine faculty receive orientation to the BioTel Treatment Guidelines, allowing them to provide medical direction or oversee residents as needed. EMS faculty members with bring emergency medicine residents into BioTel to provide online medical control training.

The most frequent requests for BioTel consultation:

1. Complex medical cases
2. Field determination of death
3. Destination decision-making
4. Patient Refusal documentation
5. Medical-legal issues
6. Social patient issues

BioTel also assists outside air medical and ground EMS service providers with critical information regarding the emergency care and transport of EMS patients.

BioTel has matured from being a service that only provided online medical direction to a sophisticated EMS program that serves as a critical resource for EMS providers in North Texas. BioTel assists with the conduct of EMS research and provides hospital notifications for critical trauma, burn, acute coronary syndrome, and acute stroke patients.

Link to locate Bio-Tel below:
https://www.biotel.ws/

Notice of Privacy Practices

Overview

IMPORTANT: THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

The Hutchins Fire Department is committed to protecting your personal health information. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of health information that could reasonably be used to identify you, known as “protected health information” or “PHI.” We are also required by law to provide you with a detailed Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) explaining our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI. 

We respect your privacy and treat all healthcare information about our patients with care under strict policies of confidentiality that our staff is committed to following at all times.

PLEASE READ THE DETAILED NOTICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR DEPARTMENT. 

Detailed Notice

CPR/First Aid Classes

Chief's Bio

	Fire Chief Stacey Hickson started with Hutchins Fire Rescue June 4, 1984. He worked his way up thru the ranks becoming the second full time firefighter ever hired by the department.  He became acting chief for 6 months in 1988 and then promoted to captain in 1988.  He was promoted to Fire Chief by the city council in June 1996.  He also serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Hutchins.  He holds a paramedic certification which he obtained in the early 90’s.  He retired from the department in August 2017 and was hired back October 2018.  He plays golf often with his best friend of 45 years.  He is married, has one daughter, 2 step sons and a step grandson.  Contact Chief Hickson: shickson@cityofhutchins.org

Chief's Corner

Welcome to the Hutchins Fire Department. The Hutchins Fire Department is about more than just Fire Suppression. We also offer services in Emergency Medical Services, rescue, fire prevention, public education, fire investigation, hazardous materials response, wildland response and pre-fire mitigation services. Our department is also charged with emergency management oversight and duties.

The Hutchins Fire Department strives to keep pace with emerging programs and methods, ensuring that we provide the best possible service to our citizens, business owners, and visitors. We believe by working in partnership with other City departments, such as the Police Department, Parks and Recreation and in front of Public Works, we help create a community where residents and visitors can work, play, and live in a safe environment. Our Vision Statement is simple: "We continually strive for excellence, guided by principles of trust, integrity, honesty, loyalty, safety and respect for all." In addition to fire duties, the Hutchins Fire Department also provides emergency medical services to parts of the surrounding Dallas county areas. All shift personnel are trained as Paramedics and our ambulances are equipped with state of the art medical equipment. I invite you to stop by the fire station for a tour or to simply seek answers to your questions. If you see any of us out in the community, don't hesitate to say hi - we would love to visit with you. You are always welcome to call or email me directly.

n front of

Personnel

Apparatus

HFD Ladder 342

Ladder 342 is a 100’ platform is mounted on a Spartan Gladiator LFD chassis with seating for 5, a Waterous 2000 gpm pump, 400 gallons of water and 20 gallons of class A foam, FoamPro 2002 foam system with auto-refill system, Harrison 10 Kw hydraulic generator, A-11 Aerial Information System.

HFD Medic 342

2018 Frazer Special Edition 14' Door Forward MICU
Placed in service in JULY 2018

HFD Booster 342

2008 Type 6 Brush Truck
Placed in service in 2008

HFD Medic 341

2012 Frazer 14' MICU

HFD Engine 342

2004 Spartan Engine
Placed in reserve status in 2016

HFD Engine 341

2020 Spartan Engine
Placed in service in 2020

Services

The Hutchins Fire Rescue offers many non-emergency services to city residents.

Blood Pressure Screening

Departmental paramedics will perform free blood pressure checks.

Fire Station Tours and Apparatus Demonstration

The Fire Station tour takes guests through Fire Administration and the station to demonstrate how a firefighter spends the 24-hour shift. The tour also includes a display of the various apparatus housed at the station. Weather and time permitting, the firefighters may demonstrate the apparatus and equipment. Contact the station at 972-225-3311 to schedule a tour.

Smoke Detector Installation

Firefighters will come to your home and install smoke detectors where they are needed. This service is aimed primarily for the elderly and those citizens with physical disabilities. Contact on 972-225-3311.

Elderly Checks

Do you know seniors who are living alone? The Fire Department offers free elderly checks. Seniors who sign up for telephone reassurance programs decide when they want to be called. They typically are required to give police the name and phone number of an emergency contact.

Child Abandonment – Save Haven

You can leave your baby, up to 60 days old, with an employee on duty at any hospital, emergency medical services provider or child welfare agency in Texas.

A distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can give up custody of their baby, no questions asked. They must simply bring the infant to a safe haven location and make sure they locate a person to give the child. As long as the child shows no signs of intentional abuse, no name or other information is required. The specific locations and maximum age of the child varies from state to state. It's safe.

It's anonymous.There is no penalty for doing so, however you do give up parental rights to the child. You do not need to tell anyone.

Training

The Hutchins Fire Department personnel are certified to provide training on life saving equipment (AEDs) or techniques (CPR) as well as basic first aid, and fire extinguisher training.

Please note these classes are not certified so you will not receive a certification card.

Automatic Electronic Defibrillator (AED)

The AED training course consist of AED overview and basic operations of the equipment. This course lasts approximately one hour.

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

If an emergency situation occurs, would you know what to do? The Hutchins Fire Department can help prepare you for an emergency. The Hutchins Fire Department offers a CPR course to both residents and businesses of Hutchins. This class is called CPR for Family and Friends and is offered free of charge. The course consists of CPR techniques for adults, children, and infants, choking procedures and rescue breathing. Each student must physically perform CPR on a mannequin correctly to pass the course. This course lasts approximately four hours.

Basic First Aid

This class will teach the purpose of dressing, bandaging & splinting and the proper way to apply them. It will teach the proper way to treat lacerations, abrasions, fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains. This course is incorporated into the CPR training outlined above and together lasts approximately four hours.

Lifesaving and first aid classes are generally limited to 12 students per class. There is no age requirement to take this course although an adult is asked to accompany children under the age of 12.

Fire Extinguisher Training

You are at home and a small fire breaks out in your trash can. Are you familiar with your fire extinguisher The Hutchins Fire Department fire extinguisher training will show you the proper way to utilize the fire extinguisher, and how to select the proper fire extinguisher for the fire you may be faced with. This course last approximately one hour.

Fire extinguisher training may be conducted most days of the week after 10 a.m. and in available time periods on selected days.

HOW TO SCHEDULE A CLASS

To schedule a non-emergency service, training, or public education, please contact Fire Administration at 972-225-3311, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. The department schedules public educational activities, lifesaving training, and other activities after 10 am and in available time periods on selected days. This allows firefighters to perform their morning functions of preparing themselves and the fire apparatus and equipment to ensure their readiness in the event of an emergency. Due to the nature of our business, occasionally previously arranged programs are subject to last minute changes, delays, or cancellation. While we strive to meet every prearranged program obligation, occasionally interruptions do occur and last-minute notification and rescheduling may be necessary.

Careers

The Hutchins Fire Department is Hiring Paramedics!!

The Hutchins Fire Department wants to hire you as a paramedic and we will send you to get your Basic Fire Certification.*

In order to be eligible for employment all applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as listed below at the time of hire.

QUALIFIED APPLICANT

• Must be a U. S. Citizen and a minimum of 20 years 6 month of age.
• Must possess a high school diploma or G.E.D. certificate.
• Must possess a valid Texas driver’s license and have a good driving record. To be considered a good driving record you must not have more than 2 traffic tickets in the past 3 years, no DUI’s, DWI or reckless driving.
• Must not have been convicted of a felony at any time or a Class B misdemeanor or above in the last 10 years.
• Must register for the Selective Service, as required by law, and/or have an honorable discharge from the Armed Forces, if applicable.
• Must have vision correctable to 20/20. Glasses and contacts are ok.
• Good driving record is considered to be no more than 2 traffic ticket in the past 3 years.

EMPLOYMENT PROCEDURES

* Application Form * Physical Performance Test * Background Investigation * Polygraph and Psychological Test * Interviews with Review Board and Chief * Physical Examination by Physician and Drug Screen after job offer.

To view current available job opportunities go to our Jobs page here.

Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management coordinates the activities of various agencies and city departments responsible for operations during disaster situations. Emergency Management executes preparations and carries out emergency functions through: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Goal: To increase the city’s capabilities to respond to hazards threatening the city while, implementing necessary steps to prevent or reduce the impact of a disaster upon the community.

The Mayor of Hutchins is the Director of Emergency Management for the City, while the Fire Chief serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator. The Coordinator coordinates and manages an emergency preparedness program and provides regional disaster resource assistance.

General Preparedness

• Ready.gov: A great resource of information from the Department of Homeland Security.
• KnoWhat2Do: An emergency preparedness program started locally in North Texas with lots of information and useful tools.

Preparedness for Families and Kids

• Fire Safe Kids: A website dedicated to fire safety that includes games, printable coloring handouts, and information. 
• Ready.gov Kids: The Department of Homeland Security's website dedicated to preparedness for kids.
• Smokey Bear: Fire prevention information and games brought to you by Smokey the Bear.
• Young Meteorologist: A website from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that promotes information on weather and preparedness. 

Fire Prevention

Statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration: "Fire kills over 3,000 and injures 16,000 people each year. Firefighters pay a high price for this terrible fire record as well; about 100 firefighters die on duty each year. Direct property losses due to fire reach almost $12 billion a year. Most of these deaths and losses can be prevented!"

Home Fire Safety

• Smoke Alarm Education
• Clothes Dryer Fire Safety
• Prevent Kitchen Fires
• Electrical Fire Safety
• Prevent Home Garage Fires
• Basement Fire Safety
• Heating Fire Safety
• Home Fire Sprinklers Save Lives
• Household Chemical Safety
• Burn and Scald Prevention
• Carbon Monoxide Safety
• Electronic Cigarette Fires and Explosions
• After the Fire: Returning to Normal
• Escape from Fire: Once You're Out, Stay Out
• Home Safety Checklist

Seasonal Fire Safety

• Summertime Burn Safety
• Summer Fire Safety
• Outdoor Grilling Fire Safety
• Winter Fire Safety
• Winter Holiday Fire Safety
• Portable Generators and Winter Storms

Arson Resources

• Reducing Residential Arson
• Prevent Youth Fire Setting
• Working Together to Extinguish Serial Arson
• Community Arson Prevention
• Arson for Profit
• National Arson Awareness Week
• Vehicle Arson – A Combustible Crime

Permit Fee Schedule

Forms

Return all signed and completed forms to the Hutchins Fire Department at 1525 E. Wintergreen Rd. Hutchins, TX. 75141. Any fire sprinkler and fire alarm plans must be submitted to Reed Fire Protection for review. 

Useful Links

General Preparedness

• Ready.gov: A great resource of information from the Department of Homeland Security.
• KnoWhat2Do: An emergency preparedness program started locally in North Texas with lots of information and useful tools.

Preparedness for Families and Kids

• Fire Safe Kids: A website dedicated to fire safety that includes games, printable coloring handouts, and information. 
• Ready.gov Kids: The Department of Homeland Security's website dedicated to preparedness for kids.
• Smokey Bear: Fire prevention information and games brought to you by Smokey the Bear.
• Young Meteorologist: A website from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that promotes information on weather and preparedness. 
• Condos and Apartment Fire Safety
• Emergency Preparedness Checklist For Your Home - by HomeAdvisor
• Fire Safety and Preparedness for Your Home, Deck, and Property