March 19, 2025 • 34 mins
Milton Fire Rescue is more than just a response team—it’s redefining community protection under Chief Gabe Benmoussa. With 25 years of experience, he has transformed the department into one of only 310 internationally accredited fire agencies, pioneering solutions tailored to Milton’s unique needs.
From the Technical Large Animal Rescue team to fire blankets at EV charging stations, Milton Fire Rescue stays ahead of emerging challenges. Its Community Paramedic Program proactively cares for vulnerable residents, while its advanced life support capabilities contribute to a cardiac arrest save rate above the national average.
Discover how this innovative department is setting new standards for safety—visit Milton Fire Rescue online or follow them on social media.
Learn more about Milton Fire Rescue: https://www.miltonga.gov/government/fire
Community Connect:
https://www.communityconnect.io/info/ga-milton
PulsePoint
https://www.miltonga.gov/government/fire/pulsepoint
Fire CARES
https://www.miltonga.gov/government/fire/milton-fire-cares
With the community in mind, this podcast explores the stories, people, and initiatives that make our community unique. Each episode offers insights into local government, highlights Milton's history and future developments, and showcases the vibrant arts, culture, and sustainability efforts shaping our city. Join the conversation, celebrate our community, and discover how we're building a better Milton together.
Do you have an idea for an episode or would like to request a specific topic to be covered? Email Christy Weeks, christy.weeks@miltonga.gov
Learn more about the City of Milton at www.miltonga.gov.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to Milton and Maine, the official podcast for
the city of Milton.
We want to bring you closer tothe heart of our community
through stories that inform,inspire and connect.
Each episode offers abehind-the-scenes look at the
people, projects and prioritiesshaping Milton, covering
everything from local governmentand future development to arts,
culture, sustainability andpublic safety.
(00:28):
Whether you're a resident, alocal business owner or just
curious about our city, this isyour front row seat to what
makes Milton special.
Welcome to another episode ofMilton in Maine.
I'm your host, christy Weeks,and today we're jumping back
into a topic that touches allour lives in one way or another
public safety, but this timeit's fire rescue edition.
Joining me is someone who's atthe forefront of this aspect of
(00:50):
the city Milton Fire Chief, gabeBen Moussa.
Chief Ben Moussa, thank you fortaking the time to chat with us
today.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Thank you, it's a pleasure being here.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So let's start with getting to know you a little
better.
Give us a little bit aboutyourself.
What drew you to Milton andwhat makes the city so special
for you.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Well, I started my career about 25 years ago.
I started actually here inGeorgia as a firefighter in
DeKalb, and then I ended upgoing out to the West Coast or
to Arizona.
I spent most of my career thereand then the opportunity to
work in the northwest, so Iended up in salem, oregon.
(01:29):
I was there as a deputy chiefof fire, ems, and from there we
wanted to come back to the eastcoast in a sense, and we like to
travel as a family and, uh,it's a lot easier, right, you
imagine?
right all the the way fromOregon to the East coast and so
on.
So so this the opportunitypresented itself, and I you know
(01:49):
I've had other opportunities,but I I did a little bit of
research.
I did not want to go to abigger organization, but I
wanted a department that, in acity that had a small kind of
small town feel.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
So that was kind of what drew me to Milton.
Obviously the characteristicsof Milton, the government in
Milton, the financial stabilitythat Milton has, that's
important because.
But also one of the city thatsupported its fire department,
right, and not only that, ourcity government supports the
fire department, but also thecommunity supports the fire
department.
That is a thing.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I had a great conversation with Mark and Derek
and they talked about howamazing the community is to the
fire department, but also thecommunity supports the fire
department.
That is a thing.
I had a great conversation withMark and Derek and they talked
about how amazing the communityis to the fire department.
Everybody loves a fireman.
Yeah, sorry, it's just the wayit is.
You guys get all the accolades,yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Well, it's America's most respected and trusted
profession, year over year.
So the firefighters are reallyat the forefront of anything
goes.
You know the community has,that's it, we're it when they
call, so whatever it is, we'llsolve it On their worst day, in
their worst moments.
Absolutely so.
Anything we figure it out.
In a sense we're very adaptiveand very innovative, I think, in
(03:01):
handling emergencies andnon-emergencies.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
And we're going to get into that a little bit later
, because I know you've got alot to share but I kind of want
to ask because it is publicservice, it is public safety
what made you choosefirefighting?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I don't know, it was really by chance.
I was invited to do aride-along in my early 20s and I
was hooked.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
That was it, that was it.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I was like, yeah, this is what I want to do.
It's a, it was meaningful and Isaw the impact that the fire
service has in people's lives,right, but also it's also a a
way to give back in the sense,and to me it's also we learn as
well from those experiences.
I think it makes us betterpeople.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Compassion really drives that compassion component
of somebody.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Exactly so.
There's that empathy, there'sthat compassion, but it's also
that carrying on those fireservice traditions of service,
of dedication, commitments,selflessness and things like
that selflessness and thingslike that.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Well, all huge things , and that's been pretty
consistent with a firedepartment since the dawn of
time.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yes, absolutely All right.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Wow, Not something that I ever thought about.
In all these other episodesI've always had something to
relate to Yep.
Wanted to do that when I was akid Wanted to do that.
I can't say that I ever wantedto run into a burning building.
Fire terrifies me.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, fortunately we live in times where there is not
that many fires.
They do happen, but not at therate that it used to be.
That's because of all thetechnology advancements, the
building advancements, and newercommunities might not
necessarily have as many fires,but I don't know if that that is
true without looking at thestatistics you know so, but I
(04:51):
think the older, the the citiesare, with older construction and
all those things, but uh, it'sjust.
I mean, fire can happen, right,can happen anywhere, anytime,
but it's just not, as we don'thave as many fires as we used to
.
So that's why the sort of likethe, the mission of the, of
providing service, of the fireservice, has evolved over time
(05:14):
to other things.
Yeah, so we in milton is uniquebecause we have about 45
percent medical calls, ems callsthat include your arrest, your
don't feel well, you knowheadaches, chest pain, strokes,
you know all of those aremedical calls injuries, fall
injuries, things like that.
And then the rest of them areall the other calls, that's your
(05:36):
fires, that's your caraccidents, special rescue stuff,
so, but typically the majorityof fire departments around the
country run about 80 to 85%,sometimes even 90%, medical
costs.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Wow, I did not realize that that percentage was
that high.
Yes, so kind of shifting alittle bit from your personal
journey into this world.
Let's take a look at theorganization that you actually
lead.
The Milton Fire Department is,and always has been, a real
cornerstone in Milton, and Ithink that was from the get-go,
as everything shifted fromFulton County into our own city.
(06:14):
Give us a brief history on howit all began and how the
department itself has evolvedover the years.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, so after, obviously, the city incorporated
which I wasn't here at the timeI'm the only second fire chief
in the city's 18 year history.
There's always, I think,beginnings, and I wasn't part of
that.
The legacy that they built wassolid.
They built it on the foundationof community first, and I'll
tell you that the reputationthat the Milton firefighters
(06:44):
enjoy here is probably one ofthe best.
But that was built not by, Ithink, who was the chief or who
was the deputy.
That was built by thefirefighters that go out there
every day and answer the calland take care of people.
That's who built that reputationfor the Milton fire rescue.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yes, absolutely so we build that reputation for the
Milton Fire Rescue.
They did a good job.
Yes, absolutely Stands with youguys still.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
So we protect that reputation, we carry on that
legacy to newer firefighters tounderstand that that's an
important piece, earning therespect of the community While
we're giving respect becauseit's the fire department, but I
still believe that we have toearn that respect, and the way
we earn that is being good atour job, being masters at our
(07:24):
skills and our craft and makingsure that we provide the top of
everything, the top medical care, the top fire suppression,
everything that we do.
But also to be a little bitmore innovative and think
outside the box.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Which is imperative in a lot of situations, because
I'd imagine at some point youguys do come across situations
that aren't your standard issue.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Correct.
So many people might not knowbut the fire department is also
the emergency management sort oflike the emergency management
function for disasterpreparedness and weather events.
We take the lead on that.
Our emergency manager is fromthe fire department.
We're fortunate here in Miltonwe work collaboratively with
other departments to managethose events, those weather
(08:08):
events, those disasters anddisaster preparedness, so that
emergency management, whilethere is an emergency manager,
there are also police officers,there are public works, there's
communications, there's cityadmin.
Everybody pitches in andeverybody's trained in emergency
management.
That are that participate inthat activity or that function.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
It's quite a group and everybody is really good at
what they do.
And just after this lastconversation, little storm that
we had and I say little lightly,I mean I realized it was
impactful for a lot of peoplethe level of preparedness that
we had to serve the communityand the feedback that I have
seen via our social mediabecause the communications team
(08:48):
does do a great job Greg does agreat job pushing out regular
updates and addressing what'sgoing on.
People knew not to go on theroads, they knew where the road
closures were, they knew wherethe trees were down and that's
important.
I mean, most people need toknow how's my drive to work
(09:09):
today.
Am I even going to work today?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yes, it all comes to preparedness and city of Milton
has taken that approach.
Yeah, we're going to prepare,we're going to prepare, we're
going to prepare.
So we can never over-prepare,because when that happens, it
happens.
I mean, uh, talk abouthurricane Milton.
It was coming and all of asudden it was not coming Right,
so we were fortunate, right, butwe were prepared.
(09:31):
So had Milton come through here, we would have been prepared
either way.
So preparedness is important.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
And I was a rookie during that.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Back to where we were .
So what are some of the biggestchallenges that the department
has faced in the early days?
You know, as I realize youweren't here 16, 18 years ago,
but I'm sure you have a reallygood handle on what their
biggest obstacles were when theyfirst started.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I think and again I might be speaking out of terms,
but I would say that anyorganization that starts,
there's always growing pains.
There's also finding anidentity right, developing a
culture.
So that's kind of where I wouldsay, maybe, some of the
challenges.
I think, like Milton was readyfor that and and they provided
(10:18):
everything right uh, they neededso, other than that, I really
don't know, but they but I think.
I think that would be probablywhen you're an organization
you're first starting.
It's that.
Those are some of the things,right you know, and it's because
you also have to.
People were used to a certainlevel of service right, right,
and then the service is adjusted.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Yeah, so now, when you?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
come in.
You don't want to provide thesame right service or less, you
want to provide better.
So I think that's one of thethings that Milton Fire Rescue
did was develop and I call it agrassroots fire department,
because truly we are agrassroots fire department,
because under my leadership, Idon't want us to be just like
(10:59):
any other fire departments.
I want us to be the Milton firerescue department that is a
grassroots.
It's like that serves the needsof the specific needs of the
community, that we are in tunewith the community and its risks
.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
And the community does change and adjust and grow
over the years.
So it's up to you guys to figureout how to properly address
those changes.
Yes, so you brought up cultureand I think it's important to
talk about it because everyorganization, public safety or
not, has a culture that isimperative to the success of
(11:35):
their mission Just my personalopinion is imperative to the
success of their mission.
Just my personal opinion Firehas a culture, but I don't think
people understand y'all role asa family.
You've got shifts that aretogether and pretty much live
together for those 24 hours on,and then they have their time
off and then they're back on andthey're with the same people
and that creates that family.
(11:55):
So within that family, how doyou keep culture even keeled?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Well, you have to.
I mean, obviously you have tohave expectations right, Cause
it depends on the type ofculture you want, but you have
to have expectations.
You have to have a clearlydefined mission, vision, and we
have the sort of like the Miltonway, the cultural belief.
So, and outside of those, aslike any family there's, there's
good and bad, so but I thinkoverall we're fortunate.
(12:23):
We have a great group of peoplethat are dedicated.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, I have met quite a few of them.
I know there's a lot out therethat I haven't, but such a great
group.
They are open and they werevery welcoming.
I got my tour of all thefirehouses.
Everybody was amazing.
So, as you're talking aboutculture and how Milton Fire
Department evolved, you know, soto speak, it's important to
(12:48):
know and to talk about theimportance the fire department
plays in the community.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And yes, we know you guys react to emergencies,
emergencies, but it's so muchmore than that yeah, it is
obviously that, that communityengagement, you know the, the
public education events that wedo, the campaigns, the, the
midland fire cares program, thecommunity paramedic program
great program.
Just learned all about it and Ithink you have an episode on
that, so I do I do.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
It's a good one yeah, it's a one.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
So that's part of like I was talking about, that
grassroots, you know, so thatyou can take a community
paramedic program and try tocopy it from somewhere else, and
that's just kind of like.
That's all it is.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
And that was something that evolved after
your arrival.
Correct this paramedicine.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
That was my vision to have that program, the CARES
program.
But I wanted it to be more thanjust sort of like fill the gap,
but more of like a communitysort of centric program where we
are engaging with our at-riskcommunity.
We're working with ourhospitals, doing follow-ups,
like, for example, one thing wedo ahead of like storms and
snowstorms and stuff ourcommunity paramedics will go out
(13:52):
there and engage with theat-risk population and they will
make sure that their heat is on, they have what they need,
supplies medicine, all thethings.
Yes, and then we check on themthroughout.
We make phone calls, so it's agreat program.
We do wellness education.
We do also a safe sitterprogram.
(14:13):
Brandy is a great instructor,she does a great job and that's
just teaching young people howto safely babysit and teaching
them the CPR and choking andit's a great program.
That's under the communityparamedicine program, so that's
just one of those programs.
We have a barn safety becausethis is an equestrian community.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Tell me about this one.
I don't know about this one.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
You have to get Alex on your episode.
Oh, alex, you're next.
But what they did is theyoffered up a barn inspection
safety to make sure that thoseanimals are safe.
So they developed a checklistprogram.
You can do a self-inspection.
They can come and help identifyif there's any hazards or risks
.
So that's to keep those animalssafe.
So that's the barn safety.
We were the first as a firedepartment, first in the nation,
(14:58):
to actually have an ordinanceto mandate fire blankets at
electrical vehicle chargingstations.
Because, electrical vehiclelithium battery fires.
You can't put it out with water.
It takes a long time.
So one of the things we lookedat as new technology, and now
we've changed our ordinance towhere it's required to have a
fire blanket.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Everybody's supposed to have a blanket, just like an
extinguisher at a gas station.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
It's kind of similar.
Our engines carry fire blanketsas well in case there's an
electric vehicle fire somewhere.
We also did a program with ifyou have a.
This is to enhance the safetyof the firefighters but also to
assist us in safely responding.
But also to assist us in safelyresponding, we give out these
stickers free of charge at ourfire admin and therefore, if you
have an electrical vehiclethat's charging in the garage,
(15:42):
you can put the sticker on thegarage frame and when we show up
, if there's a fire, we knowthere's an electrical vehicle
there and all it does.
It enhances the safety of thefirefighters but also help us
better serve for the communityand that there is that hazard.
There's many videos on theinternet for vehicle fires
inside garages.
You can see the garage door.
It was one in Colorado wherethe garage door blew up and just
(16:04):
almost took out the fire fire.
You can see the video where itjust hit its helmet, luckily,
but that was an actual entiregarage door.
So those are some of theinnovative programs that we put
in place.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Didn't see that coming when he got up that
morning Exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So that was not served as a linchpin for other
cities around the country thatthey've reached out to us about
those things, those programs,which seems odd because I don't
know that, I didn't realize andthis is just on me that that was
such a heavy piece of NorthGeorgia electric vehicles.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
I mean, I see them, I do see them, they're there and
I just didn't realize that itwas something that was so top of
mind over places likeCalifornia and the West coast,
where they love those electricvehicles.
So that's that's importantinformation.
Yes, absolutely, learnsomething new today.
So, based on some of theseinitiatives you talked about in
(16:59):
and I'm going to put you on thespot a little bit what's your
favorite, what's your favoriteinitiative that you've got going
, that you really had a lot ofpassion behind.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
The Community Paramedic Program.
Yeah so.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
I do have a question about that.
Was there one in your previous?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
No, there wasn't, I did.
However, I was in in Salem,oregon, during the COVID
pandemic and the system wasgetting taxed.
So what I did is I actuallyworked with volunteer nurses and
doctors and we created thisprogram that was called alluvium
Uh, what it was.
It was like a almost like adoctor in the box and it was all
(17:36):
volunteer.
So what they did is they wentand visited and did follow-ups
with those COVID patients, sothat was kind of it was COVID
centric, and so we took the careto them to try to keep the
firefighters in service forother things, because the call
volume went up for COVID.
So if it wasn't, so if it wasn'ta life threatening or you know
so they will go in there andthey will follow up.
(17:58):
So that was kind of like theclosest.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Yeah, and it also, I would imagine, kind of took some
of the stress off of peoplerunning to the ER.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Exactly, and I was trying to keep them there,
alleviate the ER saturation.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, wow, that's amazing.
Well, we're glad it's here.
I just learned a lot about itand I know there's more down the
road that we've got coming outand that you guys have planned,
so you should be really proud ofthat, thank you.
So community engagement is keyand firefighting sits upon the
idea that you have to stay aheadof the curve, right, and I
(18:34):
think you kind of touched onthat earlier when you talked
about the innovations and thetechnology that we do have, but
let's talk about how that'sactually shaping the field well,
I give you a simple example.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
We, our system is uh, we have what's called an
automatic vehicle locator, soour closest unit response so by
gps, from where the calloriginated from, so where prior
to that it was sort of byterritory, but now it's by that
system which recognizes thatthis unit is closer to that call
.
So, therefore, it goes.
So that's one of thetechnological advances that
(19:08):
we've incorporated.
But we use technologysignificantly like for our
day-to-day operations.
We use for our recordmanagement system, for our
pre-plans hazardous pre-plans.
We can do that from our phone.
It can be accessed.
We have a great program.
It's called First Do and thatprogram sort of like everything
is our fingertips right and partof that program is a thing
(19:28):
called Community Connect andthat is like a sort of community
outsourced information.
Any community member can enterinformation about their home and
I think this is so importantyeah.
I mean you could put I have twodogs.
So that's important information, if it's important to the
community to put in.
That's important for us to know, because if we have a fire, we
know that we're going to belooking for two dogs, for
(19:49):
example.
Or if you have an at-riskfamily member, an elderly that
may be bedridden and they stayat a certain bedroom and you
want to share that informationwe know.
But it could be also as simpleas sharing the gate code for
your gate.
Oh, the ever important gatecode, exactly so that that helps
.
Because, first of all, we don'thave to if, if you're traveling
(20:10):
you're not home and we get analarm, we don't have to to to
break down the, you know,destroy the gate.
We can put in the code and wecan off, we go.
It could be like my neighborshave a key, for example, so that
Community Connect is verysecure, the data.
We don't share it.
It comes up when there is acall at that particular address.
(20:31):
That information shows up.
There is homes in Milton thathave a basement and a
sub-basement.
There's homes that have indoorpools.
That's good for us to knowbecause in an emergency there's
a fire we can't see.
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Piece of information and I will have all that
information in the show notes soit'll be easy access and I know
we have plans to push that backout because it's been uh, you
guys launched it 2021 2022 2022,a few years ago.
So it's time to revisit andbring some more light to it,
because I think that that'simportant.
(21:13):
I have a cat.
I would not want somebody toforget my cat in the house.
Exactly, exactly.
So just saying so, as we'retalking about the technology
advancement, can you talk alittle bit how it's protecting
not only the community?
We get that.
How is it protecting yourfirefighters?
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Well, it's keeping them safe, you know, knowing
that what's in a building, orhow it's built or whatnot.
That helps us.
Part of our pre-plan.
It enhances their safety.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Right and you guys over the years have figured out
I mean, back in the day and thisstems from my one tour the
turnouts is that what y'all callthem Were stored in a place
that was accessible and in thegeneral, and now you all have a
very specific room for thatstuff to go into, so it's
separate from other stuffbecause of the toxins.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Yeah, we follow the standard of the International
Fire Chiefs and theInternational Association of
Firefighters, which called inthe National Fire Protection
Association the standard forhealth and wellness and cancer
prevention.
One thing I think I shouldmention that firefighters are 9%
more susceptible to gettingcancer and 14% more to die from
(22:24):
cancer than the regular averageAmerican.
So cancer wrecks havoc onfirefighters in this country.
So we try to obviously to.
Our stations are designed rightnow the 42 and then 45, soon to
be 44 as well.
We have designed it to whereit's sold out, just like when
we're operating out.
There there's the cold zone,the warm zone, the hot zone, so
(22:44):
in a sense.
So the hot zone is like thedirty zone, which is like what
the turnouts are.
They're in the room.
It's got its own ventilationsystem.
We have extractors that we washour gear so that it extracts
all of those things carcinogensand all this stuff Because when
we go to these homes plastic isburning all kinds of materials,
you know.
So that's all toxic, it's fullof cyanide, it's all kinds of
(23:05):
stuff there.
So we try to focus on thehealth and safety, but we also
do as well for firefighters,because I feel like that's the I
think that's the biggestinvestment the community makes
is the firefighter.
You can replace a truck, butyou can't replace a firefighter.
So we're fortunate that the cityprovides us funding to have an
annual exam, medical exam thatagain follows the national
(23:27):
standards, and the goal of thatis to catch things early, detect
things early, so they can takecare of it, so that they can
have a healthy career.
My thing is, it's not everyonegoes home every day of the shift
, but they go home at the end oftheir career as well.
So that's very important to meand we're fortunate again that
citizens of Milton and the cityhave funded two sets of gear for
(23:50):
each firefighter, because whenyou go to a fire you can't put
that gear back on because you'reputting on the bad stuff.
So while that gear is beingcleaned and washed, they have a
second set of gear that they canbe ready to go for the next
call.
So we're fortunate to have.
So those are all small thingsAlthough, yeah, they can be
costly sometimes, but they havean impact long-term impact on
(24:13):
the life of firefighters, ontheir health and wellness.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
And I don't know that everybody really thinks about
that.
Unless you are in public safetyor you're married to one, you
don't really process everythingthat y'all experience, and I can
appreciate that.
It was interesting to learnthat those efforts are being
made to protect our firefighterswhich, as you mentioned, are
(24:38):
our most important asset?
Yes, so, as we go on, miltonhas a unique character and I
would imagine that the firedepartment reflects that.
What sets Milton apart from theother departments you've worked
for or have observed or haveinformation about?
Speaker 2 (24:58):
Like I said, milton is very community-centric.
Now, I'm not saying that theother departments are not they
are but I think our it's Miltonis very community centric.
Now, I'm not saying that theother departments are not they
are but I think our firedepartment is unique to our
community, like I said, and youguys were able to develop it
around that relationship andthose specific needs.
But also I think it's ourcustomer service is above
anybody else.
Our firefighters care and thatwill go above and beyond for our
(25:22):
customers.
We've had firefighters whodrove a vehicle for a nice lady
that got transported to thehospital, or taking care of an
animal and checked untilsomebody came.
There's all kinds of storiesout there, but I think it's the
level of skill, medical skilland the care level of skill,
medical skill and the care wehave.
(25:42):
I think I don't know if Markmentioned this in his CARES
program, but we're above thenational average when it comes
to cardiac arrest saves.
We're above the nationalaverage.
So I think we're at 30% rightnow.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
So that's thanks to the quick response, to the care,
all the things that we do, thatwe work with our medical
director, and this is not thingsthat I bring, these things that
my firefighters bring to thetable.
They're talented, they're greatat what they do but, most
important, they care.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
And that's what makes this job different than any
other job.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
I would agree with that.
I would agree with that.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
They're not here for the money, they're not going to
get rich being a firefighter.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
They do it because they care because there's that
calling of public service.
Yeah, I do know we had talked alittle bit about innovations,
technology and stuff and I don'tknow how technology related
this is.
But specific to Milton, y'allhave a rescue for large animal.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah, we have a specialty team.
It's the technical large animalrescue.
So because we have horses, thistickles me because I have
horses.
So that's one of those needswhen we talk about, and I think
Milton was one of the firstteams ever in Southeast to be
formed with that kind of focuson large animals and they've
they've been really good at that, and that program got modeled
by others, including ourneighbors to the north.
(27:00):
Cherokee County has a similarprogram, but Milton was the
first.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Yeah, because when something happens, who do you
call?
I mean, it's tricky.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Ghostbusters, ghostbusters, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
No, I've had horses, call it.
I haven't had anybody get stuck.
I haven't had anybody in aditch, but I've had them colic
to where I've had to get them upBack in the day.
I was not very big and I'mwrestling a 1,200-pound animal
trying to convince him he needsto be on his feet.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
And all firefighters are trained by a vet that
started this program and they'recertified and they know how to
work around horses and animalsand they know what to do.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Yeah, it's amazing.
I love that about here.
I love that you look ateverything that's involved.
It's not just the people, it'sthe entire community as a whole,
because animals are a huge partof people's lives.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Well, we protect life and the environment as well.
Ah, there we go.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
There we go.
If you could share and thiswill be the last question I've
got you on the hook for todaybecause you know I'm going to
make you come back later on downthe line but if you could share
one thing with the people whoare listening about the
department, that, or the workthat y'all do, that most people
don't know, understand but couldmaybe really benefit from or
(28:19):
might be curious about just andit doesn't have to be specific
to technology Just one thing youwant people to know about y'all
.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
I think people think fire is just fire, but we are
actually like uh, because we doemergency medical medicine, in
the sense we practice medicine.
I don't think people don'tthink of EMS as medicine.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Talk about that because your trucks are equipped
with some stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, all our trucks in the city of Middleton are
advanced life support.
So a lot of people sometimesmay ask well, why do I have a
fire truck come into my stroke?
Well, it's because we haveparamedics that can administer
drugs.
We're actually the first inNorth Fulton to be able to
administer certain drugs to havean effect on some of the
emergencies for cardiac or chestpains and things like that.
(29:02):
So we're at the forefront ofmedicine.
So we do practice medicine in asense.
I mean by the time we get tothe hospital and ER, we've
already made interventions and,like I said, we're fortunate
that the city lets us and givesus the tools to invest in, for
example, intubation.
We have video laryngoscopes sothat we can have a success rate
(29:24):
when somebody is not breathingon their own and we have to put
a tube down their throat.
We can actually visualize thethroat, the trachea, and we can
put the tube right in it, versus, like a blind, not having the
video.
So those are significantlyexpensive pieces of equipment,
but they are important.
So, when it comes to people'slives and safety, that's what I
(29:47):
love about Milton.
We're going to invest in thosethings.
So give us the tools so we cando our job.
And that's exactly what happensand that's why I love this
community.
We invested in autopulses, whichis the mechanical CPR devices.
As people know, when a humandoes CPR, you get tired, you're
not as effective.
So by having these autopulses,which we have in every single
(30:10):
unit in Milton, that means wecan put a patient on it and they
are getting a quality CPR beingdelivered nonstop Without
taxing.
Without taxing.
But not only that, but thinkabout trying to do cpl while
you're trying to move down thestairwell.
You're not going to beeffective because you're
watching your feet you're.
So when you put them on thatmachine there, it's doing what
it needs to do all the way tothe hospital or all the way till
(30:31):
we get a pulse back that tiesinto that toolbox that we have
for cardiac survivabilitytoolbox.
That's just one piece of that.
So I want people to know thatwe do practice medicine and the
reason why we show up it'sbecause we're the closest.
We can be there within fiveminutes or less and we can start
treating you.
We can start delivering thetreatment that the patient needs
(30:52):
.
So when you see yourfirefighters, they're not just
firefighters, they haveadditional skills.
I have RNs on staff as wellregistered nurses on staff.
Derek is one of them.
Who's the community paramedicon that.
So we have a lot of talent andI didn't mention this, but
Milton is one of only 310 firedepartments around the world
(31:12):
that's internationallyaccredited.
I did not know that.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah, I knew you were accredited, don't get me wrong,
I knew that.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Yes, so we're one out of 310.
We were the first in NorthFulton to be accredited.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
And talk about what that is.
I know it's a very in-depthprocess.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
It's a three-year process before you're granted
accreditation and you have tomake sure that everything you do
your policies, your procedures,your service delivery, your
hazard analysis, your communityrisk analysis everything has to
be done and it has to be done tothe point where it gets
evaluated that it meets thestandards, but also the most
important piece of that that italso data creation cements the
(31:51):
fact that your departmentmatches the needs of your
community, aligns with the needsof the community.
So that was for us, was anaffirmation that we are aligned
with the needs of this community, with the risks that are here,
the level of service we're sortof like I don't want to use the
word judge, but evaluated by ourpeers Correct and, like I said,
there's a process and there's acommission that we go and that
(32:13):
commission is Commission forFire Accreditation International
and it's part of the Center forPublic Safety Excellence.
So I I mean the name says itall excellence.
It does and that's what we want.
We want excellence in service.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
In services.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Chief, this was really enlightening.
I mean, I've had severalconversations with you since
I've been here, so I had someinsight, but not quite to this
level, and I really appreciateyou taking the time to be here.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
And you will be back and again.
A huge shout out to ourcommunity and their support.
We appreciate it.
A huge shout out also to civicmembers of our community, which
is that support the Milton FirstResponders Foundation.
Yes, the Milton FirstResponders Foundation is an
amazing, amazing, amazing groupthat do so many things for our
Fire Fire and Not Policeofficers.
They care deeply about them andthey will stop at nothing to
(33:03):
make sure that they're supportedand they're appreciated.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That's amazing.
Yeah, I've seen a handful ofthings with them and had the
privilege of meeting a couple ofthem.
Well, y'all are loved and,again, I am so grateful for you
taking the time to be here.
I know you're busy, so I knowthere's other conversations down
(33:27):
the road that we need to haveto keep the community up to date
and to make sure that they knowthat y'all are there for them.
Yes, absolutely.
That's the best part.
So, for our listeners, if you'dlike to learn more about the
Milton Fire Department, checkout our website or follow them
on social media.
All the information that ChiefBen Moussa shared with us today
will again be in our show notes,so it'll be easy access for you
.
And, as always, stay tuned formore episodes of Milton and
(33:48):
Maine and until next time, takecare and stay safe.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Thanks for listening to Milton and Maine.
We hope this episode gave youfresh insights into what makes
our city so special.
Stay connected and don't missan episode by subscribing to
this podcast on your favoriteplatform and following us on
social media for all updates.
And, of course, if you want tolearn more about the city, visit
us online at wwwmiltongagov forresources, news and upcoming
(34:17):
events.
Until next time, thanks forbeing part of the conversation
and we'll see you on the nextMilton and Maine.
Welcome to Milton and Maine, the official podcast for
the city of Milton.
We want to bring you closer tothe heart of our community
through stories that inform,inspire and connect.
Each episode offers abehind-the-scenes look at the
people, projects and prioritiesshaping Milton, covering
everything from local governmentand future development to arts,
culture, sustainability andpublic safety.
(00:28):
Whether you're a resident, alocal business owner or just
curious about our city, this isyour front row seat to what
makes Milton special.
Welcome to another episode ofMilton in Maine.
I'm your host, christy Weeks,and today we're jumping back
into a topic that touches allour lives in one way or another
public safety, but this timeit's fire rescue edition.
Joining me is someone who's atthe forefront of this aspect of
(00:50):
the city Milton Fire Chief, gabeBen Moussa.
Chief Ben Moussa, thank you fortaking the time to chat with us
today.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Thank you, it's a pleasure being here.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So let's start with getting to know you a little
better.
Give us a little bit aboutyourself.
What drew you to Milton andwhat makes the city so special
for you.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Well, I started my career about 25 years ago.
I started actually here inGeorgia as a firefighter in
DeKalb, and then I ended upgoing out to the West Coast or
to Arizona.
I spent most of my career thereand then the opportunity to
work in the northwest, so Iended up in salem, oregon.
(01:29):
I was there as a deputy chiefof fire, ems, and from there we
wanted to come back to the eastcoast in a sense, and we like to
travel as a family and, uh,it's a lot easier, right, you
imagine?
right all the the way fromOregon to the East coast and so
on.
So so this the opportunitypresented itself, and I you know
(01:49):
I've had other opportunities,but I I did a little bit of
research.
I did not want to go to abigger organization, but I
wanted a department that, in acity that had a small kind of
small town feel.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
So that was kind of what drew me to Milton.
Obviously the characteristicsof Milton, the government in
Milton, the financial stabilitythat Milton has, that's
important because.
But also one of the city thatsupported its fire department,
right, and not only that, ourcity government supports the
fire department, but also thecommunity supports the fire
department.
That is a thing.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I had a great conversation with Mark and Derek
and they talked about howamazing the community is to the
fire department, but also thecommunity supports the fire
department.
That is a thing.
I had a great conversation withMark and Derek and they talked
about how amazing the communityis to the fire department.
Everybody loves a fireman.
Yeah, sorry, it's just the wayit is.
You guys get all the accolades,yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Well, it's America's most respected and trusted
profession, year over year.
So the firefighters are reallyat the forefront of anything
goes.
You know the community has,that's it, we're it when they
call, so whatever it is, we'llsolve it On their worst day, in
their worst moments.
Absolutely so.
Anything we figure it out.
In a sense we're very adaptiveand very innovative, I think, in
(03:01):
handling emergencies andnon-emergencies.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
And we're going to get into that a little bit later
, because I know you've got alot to share but I kind of want
to ask because it is publicservice, it is public safety
what made you choosefirefighting?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I don't know, it was really by chance.
I was invited to do aride-along in my early 20s and I
was hooked.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
That was it, that was it.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I was like, yeah, this is what I want to do.
It's a, it was meaningful and Isaw the impact that the fire
service has in people's lives,right, but also it's also a a
way to give back in the sense,and to me it's also we learn as
well from those experiences.
I think it makes us betterpeople.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Compassion really drives that compassion component
of somebody.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Exactly so.
There's that empathy, there'sthat compassion, but it's also
that carrying on those fireservice traditions of service,
of dedication, commitments,selflessness and things like
that selflessness and thingslike that.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Well, all huge things , and that's been pretty
consistent with a firedepartment since the dawn of
time.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yes, absolutely All right.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Wow, Not something that I ever thought about.
In all these other episodesI've always had something to
relate to Yep.
Wanted to do that when I was akid Wanted to do that.
I can't say that I ever wantedto run into a burning building.
Fire terrifies me.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, fortunately we live in times where there is not
that many fires.
They do happen, but not at therate that it used to be.
That's because of all thetechnology advancements, the
building advancements, and newercommunities might not
necessarily have as many fires,but I don't know if that that is
true without looking at thestatistics you know so, but I
(04:51):
think the older, the the citiesare, with older construction and
all those things, but uh, it'sjust.
I mean, fire can happen, right,can happen anywhere, anytime,
but it's just not, as we don'thave as many fires as we used to
.
So that's why the sort of likethe, the mission of the, of
providing service, of the fireservice, has evolved over time
(05:14):
to other things.
Yeah, so we in milton is uniquebecause we have about 45
percent medical calls, ems callsthat include your arrest, your
don't feel well, you knowheadaches, chest pain, strokes,
you know all of those aremedical calls injuries, fall
injuries, things like that.
And then the rest of them areall the other calls, that's your
(05:36):
fires, that's your caraccidents, special rescue stuff,
so, but typically the majorityof fire departments around the
country run about 80 to 85%,sometimes even 90%, medical
costs.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Wow, I did not realize that that percentage was
that high.
Yes, so kind of shifting alittle bit from your personal
journey into this world.
Let's take a look at theorganization that you actually
lead.
The Milton Fire Department is,and always has been, a real
cornerstone in Milton, and Ithink that was from the get-go,
as everything shifted fromFulton County into our own city.
(06:14):
Give us a brief history on howit all began and how the
department itself has evolvedover the years.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, so after, obviously, the city incorporated
which I wasn't here at the timeI'm the only second fire chief
in the city's 18 year history.
There's always, I think,beginnings, and I wasn't part of
that.
The legacy that they built wassolid.
They built it on the foundationof community first, and I'll
tell you that the reputationthat the Milton firefighters
(06:44):
enjoy here is probably one ofthe best.
But that was built not by, Ithink, who was the chief or who
was the deputy.
That was built by thefirefighters that go out there
every day and answer the calland take care of people.
That's who built that reputationfor the Milton fire rescue.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yes, absolutely so we build that reputation for the
Milton Fire Rescue.
They did a good job.
Yes, absolutely Stands with youguys still.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
So we protect that reputation, we carry on that
legacy to newer firefighters tounderstand that that's an
important piece, earning therespect of the community While
we're giving respect becauseit's the fire department, but I
still believe that we have toearn that respect, and the way
we earn that is being good atour job, being masters at our
(07:24):
skills and our craft and makingsure that we provide the top of
everything, the top medical care, the top fire suppression,
everything that we do.
But also to be a little bitmore innovative and think
outside the box.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Which is imperative in a lot of situations, because
I'd imagine at some point youguys do come across situations
that aren't your standard issue.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Correct.
So many people might not knowbut the fire department is also
the emergency management sort oflike the emergency management
function for disasterpreparedness and weather events.
We take the lead on that.
Our emergency manager is fromthe fire department.
We're fortunate here in Miltonwe work collaboratively with
other departments to managethose events, those weather
(08:08):
events, those disasters anddisaster preparedness, so that
emergency management, whilethere is an emergency manager,
there are also police officers,there are public works, there's
communications, there's cityadmin.
Everybody pitches in andeverybody's trained in emergency
management.
That are that participate inthat activity or that function.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
It's quite a group and everybody is really good at
what they do.
And just after this lastconversation, little storm that
we had and I say little lightly,I mean I realized it was
impactful for a lot of peoplethe level of preparedness that
we had to serve the communityand the feedback that I have
seen via our social mediabecause the communications team
(08:48):
does do a great job Greg does agreat job pushing out regular
updates and addressing what'sgoing on.
People knew not to go on theroads, they knew where the road
closures were, they knew wherethe trees were down and that's
important.
I mean, most people need toknow how's my drive to work
(09:09):
today.
Am I even going to work today?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yes, it all comes to preparedness and city of Milton
has taken that approach.
Yeah, we're going to prepare,we're going to prepare, we're
going to prepare.
So we can never over-prepare,because when that happens, it
happens.
I mean, uh, talk abouthurricane Milton.
It was coming and all of asudden it was not coming Right,
so we were fortunate, right, butwe were prepared.
(09:31):
So had Milton come through here, we would have been prepared
either way.
So preparedness is important.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
And I was a rookie during that.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Back to where we were .
So what are some of the biggestchallenges that the department
has faced in the early days?
You know, as I realize youweren't here 16, 18 years ago,
but I'm sure you have a reallygood handle on what their
biggest obstacles were when theyfirst started.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I think and again I might be speaking out of terms,
but I would say that anyorganization that starts,
there's always growing pains.
There's also finding anidentity right, developing a
culture.
So that's kind of where I wouldsay, maybe, some of the
challenges.
I think, like Milton was readyfor that and and they provided
(10:18):
everything right uh, they neededso, other than that, I really
don't know, but they but I think.
I think that would be probablywhen you're an organization
you're first starting.
It's that.
Those are some of the things,right you know, and it's because
you also have to.
People were used to a certainlevel of service right, right,
and then the service is adjusted.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Yeah, so now, when you?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
come in.
You don't want to provide thesame right service or less, you
want to provide better.
So I think that's one of thethings that Milton Fire Rescue
did was develop and I call it agrassroots fire department,
because truly we are agrassroots fire department,
because under my leadership, Idon't want us to be just like
(10:59):
any other fire departments.
I want us to be the Milton firerescue department that is a
grassroots.
It's like that serves the needsof the specific needs of the
community, that we are in tunewith the community and its risks
.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
And the community does change and adjust and grow
over the years.
So it's up to you guys to figureout how to properly address
those changes.
Yes, so you brought up cultureand I think it's important to
talk about it because everyorganization, public safety or
not, has a culture that isimperative to the success of
(11:35):
their mission Just my personalopinion is imperative to the
success of their mission.
Just my personal opinion Firehas a culture, but I don't think
people understand y'all role asa family.
You've got shifts that aretogether and pretty much live
together for those 24 hours on,and then they have their time
off and then they're back on andthey're with the same people
and that creates that family.
(11:55):
So within that family, how doyou keep culture even keeled?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Well, you have to.
I mean, obviously you have tohave expectations right, Cause
it depends on the type ofculture you want, but you have
to have expectations.
You have to have a clearlydefined mission, vision, and we
have the sort of like the Miltonway, the cultural belief.
So, and outside of those, aslike any family there's, there's
good and bad, so but I thinkoverall we're fortunate.
(12:23):
We have a great group of peoplethat are dedicated.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, I have met quite a few of them.
I know there's a lot out therethat I haven't, but such a great
group.
They are open and they werevery welcoming.
I got my tour of all thefirehouses.
Everybody was amazing.
So, as you're talking aboutculture and how Milton Fire
Department evolved, you know, soto speak, it's important to
(12:48):
know and to talk about theimportance the fire department
plays in the community.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And yes, we know you guys react to emergencies,
emergencies, but it's so muchmore than that yeah, it is
obviously that, that communityengagement, you know the, the
public education events that wedo, the campaigns, the, the
midland fire cares program, thecommunity paramedic program
great program.
Just learned all about it and Ithink you have an episode on
that, so I do I do.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
It's a good one yeah, it's a one.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
So that's part of like I was talking about, that
grassroots, you know, so thatyou can take a community
paramedic program and try tocopy it from somewhere else, and
that's just kind of like.
That's all it is.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
And that was something that evolved after
your arrival.
Correct this paramedicine.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
That was my vision to have that program, the CARES
program.
But I wanted it to be more thanjust sort of like fill the gap,
but more of like a communitysort of centric program where we
are engaging with our at-riskcommunity.
We're working with ourhospitals, doing follow-ups,
like, for example, one thing wedo ahead of like storms and
snowstorms and stuff ourcommunity paramedics will go out
(13:52):
there and engage with theat-risk population and they will
make sure that their heat is on, they have what they need,
supplies medicine, all thethings.
Yes, and then we check on themthroughout.
We make phone calls, so it's agreat program.
We do wellness education.
We do also a safe sitterprogram.
(14:13):
Brandy is a great instructor,she does a great job and that's
just teaching young people howto safely babysit and teaching
them the CPR and choking andit's a great program.
That's under the communityparamedicine program, so that's
just one of those programs.
We have a barn safety becausethis is an equestrian community.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Tell me about this one.
I don't know about this one.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
You have to get Alex on your episode.
Oh, alex, you're next.
But what they did is theyoffered up a barn inspection
safety to make sure that thoseanimals are safe.
So they developed a checklistprogram.
You can do a self-inspection.
They can come and help identifyif there's any hazards or risks
.
So that's to keep those animalssafe.
So that's the barn safety.
We were the first as a firedepartment, first in the nation,
(14:58):
to actually have an ordinanceto mandate fire blankets at
electrical vehicle chargingstations.
Because, electrical vehiclelithium battery fires.
You can't put it out with water.
It takes a long time.
So one of the things we lookedat as new technology, and now
we've changed our ordinance towhere it's required to have a
fire blanket.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Everybody's supposed to have a blanket, just like an
extinguisher at a gas station.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
It's kind of similar.
Our engines carry fire blanketsas well in case there's an
electric vehicle fire somewhere.
We also did a program with ifyou have a.
This is to enhance the safetyof the firefighters but also to
assist us in safely responding.
But also to assist us in safelyresponding, we give out these
stickers free of charge at ourfire admin and therefore, if you
have an electrical vehiclethat's charging in the garage,
(15:42):
you can put the sticker on thegarage frame and when we show up
, if there's a fire, we knowthere's an electrical vehicle
there and all it does.
It enhances the safety of thefirefighters but also help us
better serve for the communityand that there is that hazard.
There's many videos on theinternet for vehicle fires
inside garages.
You can see the garage door.
It was one in Colorado wherethe garage door blew up and just
(16:04):
almost took out the fire fire.
You can see the video where itjust hit its helmet, luckily,
but that was an actual entiregarage door.
So those are some of theinnovative programs that we put
in place.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Didn't see that coming when he got up that
morning Exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So that was not served as a linchpin for other
cities around the country thatthey've reached out to us about
those things, those programs,which seems odd because I don't
know that, I didn't realize andthis is just on me that that was
such a heavy piece of NorthGeorgia electric vehicles.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
I mean, I see them, I do see them, they're there and
I just didn't realize that itwas something that was so top of
mind over places likeCalifornia and the West coast,
where they love those electricvehicles.
So that's that's importantinformation.
Yes, absolutely, learnsomething new today.
So, based on some of theseinitiatives you talked about in
(16:59):
and I'm going to put you on thespot a little bit what's your
favorite, what's your favoriteinitiative that you've got going
, that you really had a lot ofpassion behind.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
The Community Paramedic Program.
Yeah so.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
I do have a question about that.
Was there one in your previous?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
No, there wasn't, I did.
However, I was in in Salem,oregon, during the COVID
pandemic and the system wasgetting taxed.
So what I did is I actuallyworked with volunteer nurses and
doctors and we created thisprogram that was called alluvium
Uh, what it was.
It was like a almost like adoctor in the box and it was all
(17:36):
volunteer.
So what they did is they wentand visited and did follow-ups
with those COVID patients, sothat was kind of it was COVID
centric, and so we took the careto them to try to keep the
firefighters in service forother things, because the call
volume went up for COVID.
So if it wasn't, so if it wasn'ta life threatening or you know
so they will go in there andthey will follow up.
(17:58):
So that was kind of like theclosest.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Yeah, and it also, I would imagine, kind of took some
of the stress off of peoplerunning to the ER.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Exactly, and I was trying to keep them there,
alleviate the ER saturation.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, wow, that's amazing.
Well, we're glad it's here.
I just learned a lot about itand I know there's more down the
road that we've got coming outand that you guys have planned,
so you should be really proud ofthat, thank you.
So community engagement is keyand firefighting sits upon the
idea that you have to stay aheadof the curve, right, and I
(18:34):
think you kind of touched onthat earlier when you talked
about the innovations and thetechnology that we do have, but
let's talk about how that'sactually shaping the field well,
I give you a simple example.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
We, our system is uh, we have what's called an
automatic vehicle locator, soour closest unit response so by
gps, from where the calloriginated from, so where prior
to that it was sort of byterritory, but now it's by that
system which recognizes thatthis unit is closer to that call
.
So, therefore, it goes.
So that's one of thetechnological advances that
(19:08):
we've incorporated.
But we use technologysignificantly like for our
day-to-day operations.
We use for our recordmanagement system, for our
pre-plans hazardous pre-plans.
We can do that from our phone.
It can be accessed.
We have a great program.
It's called First Do and thatprogram sort of like everything
is our fingertips right and partof that program is a thing
(19:28):
called Community Connect andthat is like a sort of community
outsourced information.
Any community member can enterinformation about their home and
I think this is so importantyeah.
I mean you could put I have twodogs.
So that's important information, if it's important to the
community to put in.
That's important for us to know, because if we have a fire, we
know that we're going to belooking for two dogs, for
(19:49):
example.
Or if you have an at-riskfamily member, an elderly that
may be bedridden and they stayat a certain bedroom and you
want to share that informationwe know.
But it could be also as simpleas sharing the gate code for
your gate.
Oh, the ever important gatecode, exactly so that that helps
.
Because, first of all, we don'thave to if, if you're traveling
(20:10):
you're not home and we get analarm, we don't have to to to
break down the, you know,destroy the gate.
We can put in the code and wecan off, we go.
It could be like my neighborshave a key, for example, so that
Community Connect is verysecure, the data.
We don't share it.
It comes up when there is acall at that particular address.
(20:31):
That information shows up.
There is homes in Milton thathave a basement and a
sub-basement.
There's homes that have indoorpools.
That's good for us to knowbecause in an emergency there's
a fire we can't see.
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Piece of information and I will have all that
information in the show notes soit'll be easy access and I know
we have plans to push that backout because it's been uh, you
guys launched it 2021 2022 2022,a few years ago.
So it's time to revisit andbring some more light to it,
because I think that that'simportant.
(21:13):
I have a cat.
I would not want somebody toforget my cat in the house.
Exactly, exactly.
So just saying so, as we'retalking about the technology
advancement, can you talk alittle bit how it's protecting
not only the community?
We get that.
How is it protecting yourfirefighters?
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Well, it's keeping them safe, you know, knowing
that what's in a building, orhow it's built or whatnot.
That helps us.
Part of our pre-plan.
It enhances their safety.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Right and you guys over the years have figured out
I mean, back in the day and thisstems from my one tour the
turnouts is that what y'all callthem Were stored in a place
that was accessible and in thegeneral, and now you all have a
very specific room for thatstuff to go into, so it's
separate from other stuffbecause of the toxins.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Yeah, we follow the standard of the International
Fire Chiefs and theInternational Association of
Firefighters, which called inthe National Fire Protection
Association the standard forhealth and wellness and cancer
prevention.
One thing I think I shouldmention that firefighters are 9%
more susceptible to gettingcancer and 14% more to die from
(22:24):
cancer than the regular averageAmerican.
So cancer wrecks havoc onfirefighters in this country.
So we try to obviously to.
Our stations are designed rightnow the 42 and then 45, soon to
be 44 as well.
We have designed it to whereit's sold out, just like when
we're operating out.
There there's the cold zone,the warm zone, the hot zone, so
(22:44):
in a sense.
So the hot zone is like thedirty zone, which is like what
the turnouts are.
They're in the room.
It's got its own ventilationsystem.
We have extractors that we washour gear so that it extracts
all of those things carcinogensand all this stuff Because when
we go to these homes plastic isburning all kinds of materials,
you know.
So that's all toxic, it's fullof cyanide, it's all kinds of
(23:05):
stuff there.
So we try to focus on thehealth and safety, but we also
do as well for firefighters,because I feel like that's the I
think that's the biggestinvestment the community makes
is the firefighter.
You can replace a truck, butyou can't replace a firefighter.
So we're fortunate that the cityprovides us funding to have an
annual exam, medical exam thatagain follows the national
(23:27):
standards, and the goal of thatis to catch things early, detect
things early, so they can takecare of it, so that they can
have a healthy career.
My thing is, it's not everyonegoes home every day of the shift
, but they go home at the end oftheir career as well.
So that's very important to meand we're fortunate again that
citizens of Milton and the cityhave funded two sets of gear for
(23:50):
each firefighter, because whenyou go to a fire you can't put
that gear back on because you'reputting on the bad stuff.
So while that gear is beingcleaned and washed, they have a
second set of gear that they canbe ready to go for the next
call.
So we're fortunate to have.
So those are all small thingsAlthough, yeah, they can be
costly sometimes, but they havean impact long-term impact on
(24:13):
the life of firefighters, ontheir health and wellness.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
And I don't know that everybody really thinks about
that.
Unless you are in public safetyor you're married to one, you
don't really process everythingthat y'all experience, and I can
appreciate that.
It was interesting to learnthat those efforts are being
made to protect our firefighterswhich, as you mentioned, are
(24:38):
our most important asset?
Yes, so, as we go on, miltonhas a unique character and I
would imagine that the firedepartment reflects that.
What sets Milton apart from theother departments you've worked
for or have observed or haveinformation about?
Speaker 2 (24:58):
Like I said, milton is very community-centric.
Now, I'm not saying that theother departments are not they
are but I think our it's Miltonis very community centric.
Now, I'm not saying that theother departments are not they
are but I think our firedepartment is unique to our
community, like I said, and youguys were able to develop it
around that relationship andthose specific needs.
But also I think it's ourcustomer service is above
anybody else.
Our firefighters care and thatwill go above and beyond for our
(25:22):
customers.
We've had firefighters whodrove a vehicle for a nice lady
that got transported to thehospital, or taking care of an
animal and checked untilsomebody came.
There's all kinds of storiesout there, but I think it's the
level of skill, medical skilland the care level of skill,
medical skill and the care wehave.
(25:42):
I think I don't know if Markmentioned this in his CARES
program, but we're above thenational average when it comes
to cardiac arrest saves.
We're above the nationalaverage.
So I think we're at 30% rightnow.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
So that's thanks to the quick response, to the care,
all the things that we do, thatwe work with our medical
director, and this is not thingsthat I bring, these things that
my firefighters bring to thetable.
They're talented, they're greatat what they do but, most
important, they care.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
And that's what makes this job different than any
other job.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
I would agree with that.
I would agree with that.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
They're not here for the money, they're not going to
get rich being a firefighter.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
They do it because they care because there's that
calling of public service.
Yeah, I do know we had talked alittle bit about innovations,
technology and stuff and I don'tknow how technology related
this is.
But specific to Milton, y'allhave a rescue for large animal.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah, we have a specialty team.
It's the technical large animalrescue.
So because we have horses, thistickles me because I have
horses.
So that's one of those needswhen we talk about, and I think
Milton was one of the firstteams ever in Southeast to be
formed with that kind of focuson large animals and they've
they've been really good at that, and that program got modeled
by others, including ourneighbors to the north.
(27:00):
Cherokee County has a similarprogram, but Milton was the
first.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Yeah, because when something happens, who do you
call?
I mean, it's tricky.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Ghostbusters, ghostbusters, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
No, I've had horses, call it.
I haven't had anybody get stuck.
I haven't had anybody in aditch, but I've had them colic
to where I've had to get them upBack in the day.
I was not very big and I'mwrestling a 1,200-pound animal
trying to convince him he needsto be on his feet.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
And all firefighters are trained by a vet that
started this program and they'recertified and they know how to
work around horses and animalsand they know what to do.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Yeah, it's amazing.
I love that about here.
I love that you look ateverything that's involved.
It's not just the people, it'sthe entire community as a whole,
because animals are a huge partof people's lives.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Well, we protect life and the environment as well.
Ah, there we go.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
There we go.
If you could share and thiswill be the last question I've
got you on the hook for todaybecause you know I'm going to
make you come back later on downthe line but if you could share
one thing with the people whoare listening about the
department, that, or the workthat y'all do, that most people
don't know, understand but couldmaybe really benefit from or
(28:19):
might be curious about just andit doesn't have to be specific
to technology Just one thing youwant people to know about y'all
.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
I think people think fire is just fire, but we are
actually like uh, because we doemergency medical medicine, in
the sense we practice medicine.
I don't think people don'tthink of EMS as medicine.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Talk about that because your trucks are equipped
with some stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, all our trucks in the city of Middleton are
advanced life support.
So a lot of people sometimesmay ask well, why do I have a
fire truck come into my stroke?
Well, it's because we haveparamedics that can administer
drugs.
We're actually the first inNorth Fulton to be able to
administer certain drugs to havean effect on some of the
emergencies for cardiac or chestpains and things like that.
(29:02):
So we're at the forefront ofmedicine.
So we do practice medicine in asense.
I mean by the time we get tothe hospital and ER, we've
already made interventions and,like I said, we're fortunate
that the city lets us and givesus the tools to invest in, for
example, intubation.
We have video laryngoscopes sothat we can have a success rate
(29:24):
when somebody is not breathingon their own and we have to put
a tube down their throat.
We can actually visualize thethroat, the trachea, and we can
put the tube right in it, versus, like a blind, not having the
video.
So those are significantlyexpensive pieces of equipment,
but they are important.
So, when it comes to people'slives and safety, that's what I
(29:47):
love about Milton.
We're going to invest in thosethings.
So give us the tools so we cando our job.
And that's exactly what happensand that's why I love this
community.
We invested in autopulses, whichis the mechanical CPR devices.
As people know, when a humandoes CPR, you get tired, you're
not as effective.
So by having these autopulses,which we have in every single
(30:10):
unit in Milton, that means wecan put a patient on it and they
are getting a quality CPR beingdelivered nonstop Without
taxing.
Without taxing.
But not only that, but thinkabout trying to do cpl while
you're trying to move down thestairwell.
You're not going to beeffective because you're
watching your feet you're.
So when you put them on thatmachine there, it's doing what
it needs to do all the way tothe hospital or all the way till
(30:31):
we get a pulse back that tiesinto that toolbox that we have
for cardiac survivabilitytoolbox.
That's just one piece of that.
So I want people to know thatwe do practice medicine and the
reason why we show up it'sbecause we're the closest.
We can be there within fiveminutes or less and we can start
treating you.
We can start delivering thetreatment that the patient needs
(30:52):
.
So when you see yourfirefighters, they're not just
firefighters, they haveadditional skills.
I have RNs on staff as wellregistered nurses on staff.
Derek is one of them.
Who's the community paramedicon that.
So we have a lot of talent andI didn't mention this, but
Milton is one of only 310 firedepartments around the world
(31:12):
that's internationallyaccredited.
I did not know that.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Yeah, I knew you were accredited, don't get me wrong,
I knew that.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Yes, so we're one out of 310.
We were the first in NorthFulton to be accredited.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
And talk about what that is.
I know it's a very in-depthprocess.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
It's a three-year process before you're granted
accreditation and you have tomake sure that everything you do
your policies, your procedures,your service delivery, your
hazard analysis, your communityrisk analysis everything has to
be done and it has to be done tothe point where it gets
evaluated that it meets thestandards, but also the most
important piece of that that italso data creation cements the
(31:51):
fact that your departmentmatches the needs of your
community, aligns with the needsof the community.
So that was for us, was anaffirmation that we are aligned
with the needs of this community, with the risks that are here,
the level of service we're sortof like I don't want to use the
word judge, but evaluated by ourpeers Correct and, like I said,
there's a process and there's acommission that we go and that
(32:13):
commission is Commission forFire Accreditation International
and it's part of the Center forPublic Safety Excellence.
So I I mean the name says itall excellence.
It does and that's what we want.
We want excellence in service.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
In services.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Chief, this was really enlightening.
I mean, I've had severalconversations with you since
I've been here, so I had someinsight, but not quite to this
level, and I really appreciateyou taking the time to be here.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
And you will be back and again.
A huge shout out to ourcommunity and their support.
We appreciate it.
A huge shout out also to civicmembers of our community, which
is that support the Milton FirstResponders Foundation.
Yes, the Milton FirstResponders Foundation is an
amazing, amazing, amazing groupthat do so many things for our
Fire Fire and Not Policeofficers.
They care deeply about them andthey will stop at nothing to
(33:03):
make sure that they're supportedand they're appreciated.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That's amazing.
Yeah, I've seen a handful ofthings with them and had the
privilege of meeting a couple ofthem.
Well, y'all are loved and,again, I am so grateful for you
taking the time to be here.
I know you're busy, so I knowthere's other conversations down
(33:27):
the road that we need to haveto keep the community up to date
and to make sure that they knowthat y'all are there for them.
Yes, absolutely.
That's the best part.
So, for our listeners, if you'dlike to learn more about the
Milton Fire Department, checkout our website or follow them
on social media.
All the information that ChiefBen Moussa shared with us today
will again be in our show notes,so it'll be easy access for you
.
And, as always, stay tuned formore episodes of Milton and
(33:48):
Maine and until next time, takecare and stay safe.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Thanks for listening to Milton and Maine.
We hope this episode gave youfresh insights into what makes
our city so special.
Stay connected and don't missan episode by subscribing to
this podcast on your favoriteplatform and following us on
social media for all updates.
And, of course, if you want tolearn more about the city, visit
us online at wwwmiltongagov forresources, news and upcoming
(34:17):
events.
Until next time, thanks forbeing part of the conversation
and we'll see you on the nextMilton and Maine.
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