Fire Department

OUR MISSION

The Wickliffe Fire Department is committed to providing exceptional fire suppression, medical services, and other emergency and non-emergency activities to the residents of our City. We will accomplish this mission through training, education, compassion, and dedication for the protection of our membership and the community.

OUR CORE VALUES

SERVICE

We are here to protect and serve our community with the commitment to provide exceptional services.

PROFESSIONALISM

Through our dedication, attitude and compassion, we are privileged to serve the City of Wickliffe at the highest level of excellence possible. A commitment to excellence, possessing a positive attitude, and having pride in our work while conforming to high moral and ethical standards of conduct will be represented in each facet of our job.

RESPECT

For each person as an individual, an attitude that recognizes the worth of others and exhibits compassion for those in need.

INTEGRITY

We have a strong commitment with each other and those we serve. We will make decisions based on moral and ethical standards regardless of personal belief.

TEAMWORK

We believe that the whole is greater than any one member. By availing ourselves to each person's talents and strengths, it enhances the services we deliver, and that cooperation improves relationships. We are a family that is committed and accountable to each other because our lives depend on it.

COURAGE

Courage is the value that gives us the moral and mental strength to do what is right, even in the face of personal or professional adversity.

     The Wickliffe Fire Department advocates for the proper use of child safety seats and boosters for children riding in automobiles.  As there are so many different types of motor vehicles and various types of car seats and boosters, we understand the confusion that parents and caregivers face when trying to use them properly.  

The following agencies offer car seat education and installation.  The Wickliffe Fire Department does not provide this service.

Lake County General Health District (440) 350-2543

https://www.lcghd.org/car-seat-program-obb/

University Hospitals-Rainbow Babies and Children (216) 844-2277

https://www.uhhospitals.org/rainbow/services/injury-prevention-center/child-passenger-safety/car-seat-installation-and-education

Insurance Services Office

  At its most recent evaluation by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), the Wickliffe Fire Department received a Class 3 rating.  This result has a significant impact to the businesses, residents, and guests of Wickliffe.   

     ISO collects and evaluates information from communities in the United States on their structure fire suppression capabilities.  ISO analyzes the relevant data and assigns a Public Protection Classification (PPC) grade, a number from 1-10.  Class 1 represents an exemplary fire suppression program and Class 10 indicates that an area’s program does not meet ISO’s minimum fire suppression criteria.

     In 2015 there were 44,505 fire departments evaluated and given PPC grades nation-wide.  Of those, 4,248 were Class 3 or better.  That places YOUR Class 3 Wickliffe Fire Department among the TOP 9.5% of fire departments evaluated.

     Public Protection Classification ratings are important to both communities and fire departments.  Cities with lower PPC may see reduced fire insurance rates.  PPC also provides fire departments with a valuable benchmark useful for planning, budgeting, and justifying fire protection improvements.

     ISO evaluates communities according to a uniform set of criteria, incorporating nationally recognized standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association and the American Water Works Association. A community’s PPC grade depends on:

• Emergency Communication
• Fire Department
• Water Supply
• Divergence

Emergency Communication includes the following:

• Communications facilities provided for the general public to report structure fires
• Enhanced 911 phone system
• Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) facilities
• Alarms received and processed at the communication center
• Trained and certified dispatchers
• Facilities used to dispatch fire department companies to reported structure fires

Fire Department involves the following factors:

• Engine/truck companies
• Reserves
• Equipment carried
• Pump capacity/ testing
• Personnel
• Training
• Operational considerations
• Response to reported structure fires
• Deployment analysis
• Community risk reduction (fire prevention/ public education)

Water Supply evaluates:

• The water system
• Hydrant size and type (848 hydrants)
• Inspection and testing of hydrants

     A final factor is Divergence.  It recognizes the potential for disparity between the fire department’s effectiveness and the community’s water supply.  Simply stated, the best fire department is only as good as the water system that supplies it.  And conversely, the best water system is only as effective as the competency of the fire department using it.

     This rating is a direct reflection of the efforts and hard-work of our administration and its members.  We look forward to learning from this data to improve the service we provide you and to better our rating at the next evaluation.  Statistical data on insurance losses bears out the relationship between excellent fire protection, as measured by the PPC program, and low fire losses.  We are grateful to the citizens and businesses of Wickliffe whose support allows us to provide this vital emergency service.  

     When there’s an emergency, the best outcomes often begin with a safe and fast response from your Fire Department.  But once we’ve arrived, getting inside isn’t always easy.  Be assured, Wickliffe firefighters are well-prepared to gain access and depending on the severity of the emergency, we’ll take the safest, most direct route.  

     It is our intention to get inside quickly while doing the least amount of damage possible.  One way we accomplish this is through the use of Knox Boxes.  A Knox Box is a vault-style secure key storage unit.  Locked inside are the keys to that specific house provided from the owner for emergency use by fire department personnel. Having a Knox Box allows a fast, safe, and secure way inside for firefighters.  Afterward, properties are re-secured and the keys locked in the box, leaving everything in its original condition.  

     Only fire department personnel have the key to unlock a Knox Box and the key is kept secure to limit access.   The general public cannot acquire keys, keeping the system safe from unauthorized users.  They are small and slip over the top of a door using a bracket.  Once keys are locked inside, not even the home owner can access them.  Fire Department personnel must unlock the box to change the keys. Only the Wickliffe Fire Department has the key to open Wickliffe’s Knox Boxes.  

     The Wickliffe Fire Department has a limited number of Knox Boxes for residential use.  If you are interested in acquiring a residential Knox Box please contact the Fire Department at (440) 943-7133 to see if your household is eligible to receive one. Knox Box Website