Thursday, November 15, 2007

Addison Fire Chief Noel Padden stresses safety as top priority for firefighters and citizens

By Minnie Payne

Addison Fire Chief Noel Padden

ADDISON — Records show, according to Addison Fire Chief Noel Padden, that the Town of Addison Fire Department has suffered only one casualty, in 1975, since its formation in 1969.

“Safety is the No. 1 priority for our 54 firemen and the citizens we serve,” said Padden.

The main requirement for a firefighter to be hired by the Town of Addison, said Padden, is that he be certified by the State of Texas as a paramedic.

“The ideal situation is that a new hire be certified as both a paramedic and firefighter,” he said. “Even though the new employee is a certified paramedic before he comes onboard, he must pass a number of tests to make sure he is familiar with the medical protocols he will work under to function as one of our paramedics.

“This can take from one to three months before he can operate as a fully trained paramedic.”

After this, Padden said, the employee is sent to Collin County Community College where he trains as a structural firefighter, which takes three or four months.

Padden explains that a firefighter is also required to pass a job task simulation test before being hired, as well as being tested on an annual basis. Emergency tasks such as fire hose advance, simulating the operation of a rescue tool, 175 pound body drag, ladder carry and climb, fire hose carry, stair climb with hose pack, hose pull, sledge hammer strike to simulate opening a roof, and balance beam walk must be completed within a designated time frame.

“Basically, it’s to make sure that the firefighter has the physical strength and ability to go through the rigors of firefighting.” he said. “We have a mandatory physical fitness program which requires all employees to participate one hour per day.

“Sometimes it can be walking; sometimes it can be cardiac strengthening; sometimes it can be weightlifting, among other things.”

There is no age limit as to hiring or retiring a firefighter, Padden said, as long as he can pass the job task simulation test.

In case of a serious injury or death, Padden explains that it would be up to the chief or senior management to pass the message on to the family.

“If a firefighter is injured, there’s Workers Compensation and if an employee is killed in the line of duty, the Town of Addison maintains life insurance on the individual two times his salary,” he said. “Depending on how he died, there may be some Federal assistance.

“There is a volunteer chaplain for the Town of Addison Fire Department and Police Department.”

Padden said that one of the things that make Addison one of the safest cities is that in 1992, the mayor and city council passed a mandatory sprinkler ordinance which requires any new structure over 500 square feet, built after 1992, have an automatic fire protection sprinkler system installed.

“As a result of that it has kept the number of major fires in the community down,” he said.

Padden, 53, was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Rockville, Md. a suburb in Montgomery County, Md., he said, graduating from Charles W. Woodward High School in Rockville in 1972.

“I earned an Associate of Arts Degree in Fire Science from Montgomery College in 1978, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Management from the University of Maryland in 1982, and a Masters of Public Administration Degree from the University of Utah in 1992,” said Padden.

He said that he started to work as a volunteer firefighter in 1972 at age 18 for the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department and remained with them for seven or eight years. His first paid firefighter’s job was with the Montgomery County, Md. Department of Fire/Rescue Services.

Prior to accepting the job as Addison Fire Chief and the town’s Emergency Management Coordinator in 1998, he served as Fire Chief for the Town of Greenwich, Conn. from 1994 to 1998 and Fire Chief for the City of Roy, Utah from 1986 until 1994. He was program manager with the United States Fire Administration and was also associated with the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

“Noel is dedicated to his family and often talks about traveling with his wife and daughter,” said David Benson, Deputy Chief of Operations. “He is also very dedicated to the fire service and brings various levels of experience to our department that he has achieved from other experiences related to the fire field.”

Padden has been married 22 years to his wife, “Teddy,” and they have one daughter, Alexis, 10.

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