Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout7. Fire Strategic Plan ~ CITY OF SHAKOPEE Memorandum TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Mark McNeill, City Administrator SUBJECT: Fire Strategic Plan DATE: May 9, 2006 INTRODUCTION: The Council is asked to continue a discussion of the. request for a fire strategic plan to be performed regarding the Shakopee Fire Department. BACKGROUND: Attached is a memorandum which was considered by the City Council at its meeting of May 2nd. It had been written in a response to a directive from the Council at its April 26th meeting, regarding the need for long range planning for the Fire Department. In that, I recommended that a strategic planning committee be formed, to be made up of members of the City. Council, City staff, and the Shakopee Fire Department, to look at the potential having the strategic planning done by an outside consultant. To be consistent with what a couple of other cities in the metro area with whom I had conferred had done, the recommendation was that this be done for a 20 year time. The estimated cost of that would be $25,000. The Fire Chief also presented a list of 5 year issues, and recommended that the strategic planning be done in-house. Because of the lateness of this on the May 2nd agenda, the Council chose to defer until they actually have had a chance to look at the City of Stillwater's results of their strategic planning effort (available on the Stillwater website www.cLstillwater.mn.us). It was directed that this issue be brought back for consideration at the May 16th meeting (and with the direction that this be placed at the front of the agenda). I have also provided copies of a Fire/EMS plan that was performed in-house by the City of Woodbury, and a Fire Department guide plan that was done by the City of Burnsville. I am not advocating necessarily the findings of either ofthose, but Council should be aware that it can be done in house, if there is the availability and willingness for participants to do the work themselves. It should be very comprehensive. I know that timing is a concern for Shakopee, as the Chief expressed concerns about the Stillwater study (done by a consultant) had taken more than eight months. However, doing it in- , house may not satisfactorily address an "immediacy" need (note that the Burnsville study took 2 years). RECOMMENDATION: I still recommend that a Fire Department Strategic Planning Committee be appointed, and review the options (specifically, short and long term issues, and what can be done in house, vs. an outside consultant). That recommendation would then come back to the City Council for review and action. RELATIONSHIP TO VISIONING: This has ties to Goal D, Vibrant, Resilient, and Stable, and Goal E, Financially Strong. ACTION REQUIRED: If the Council concurs, it should appoint a Fire Department Strategic Planning. Committee to review options available, and bring that back to the Council for action. ~~U~ Mark McNeill City Administrator MM:th CC: Chief Ed Schwaesdall CITY OF SHAKO PEE Memorandum TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Mark McNeill, City Administrator SUBJECT: Fire Strategic Plan DATE: April 27, 2006 INTRODUCTION: The Council is asked to consider follow-up from the April 26th meeting, during which time there was discussion of the need for a strategic plan for the Fire Department. BACKGROUND: Several issues were discussed at the April 26th workshop, including staffing, Fire Department organization, compensation, and the like. The Council discussed the need for having a strategic plan of from 5 to 10 years in duration, which would allow for a more "global" planning effort for the department. It was suggested that a committee be formed to look at strategic planning needs. Members of the department, city staff, and two members of the City Council could be members. Following the meeting, it was suggested to me that the City of Minnetonka had recently done strategic planning for their fire service. I spoke with Chief Joe Wallen to find out what they had done. He said that they were actually in the process of gearing up to do another strategic plan, as their previous one had been done 20 years ago, and was now nearly fully implemented. He described to me Minnetonka's process. He spoke of the need for this, but also recommended strongly that an outside company be engaged to look at this - in his opinion, if the strategic planning efforts were done "in-house", the results are not always as objective as they could be. He also recommended that 20 years be used as a time frame, as five years in the fire service is too short. He also said that the City of Stillwater had recently done strategic planning. As a result, I spoke with Chief Stuart Glaser of the Stillwater Fire Department. In 2005, they had completed a strategic planning study for their Fire Department. It is found in a 105 page document, which is viewable at the City's website-www.ci.stillwater.mn.us. Like the Minnetonka Chief, he supported having an outside agency do the Strategic Plan. He recommended that the study committee would still be needed, but it would have a different purpose than what had been proposed at the Shakopee Council Workshop - it could put together the Request For Proposal (RFP), interview the candidates, and then serve as liaison to the consultant as the study is done. He said that their study took approximately 8 1'2 months. I spoke with ChiefSchwaesdall on this issue. He subsequently provided me with a list of issues which the Fire Department has identified as part of their 2006-2010 Vision. It is a very comprehensive list. His concern is that eight and a half months would be too long of a time frame to address some of the items listed (attached). I would suggest that a Committee could look at the issues, and determine which are ones that an outside consultant is better able to address, and which are ones that should be looked at "in..; house. BUDGET IMPACT: Both Minnetonka and Stillwater mentioned $25,000 as preliminary budgeted amounts. Stillwater actually had responses from six consultants that ranged from $6700 to $57,700. The Chief there said that the ones at the low end were from architects, who appeared to be more interested in selling their services for the design of a fire station, rather than looking at operational and equipment issues. In talking through with staff, our recommendation is that the. funding for this could be taken from the Police budget - there are five unfilled positions, and therefore, money would be available so that it does not impact other portions of the budget. RECOMMENDATION: I recommend two things: 1. ACommittee be appointed to act to put together an RFP for Fire Strategic Planning services, and look at the Fire Department's 5 Year Vision list. Such a committee could be made up of two members of the Council (Councilors Joos and Lehman had volunteered Wednesday night), three City staff, and three members of the Fire Department. From the staffs side, we would recommend designation of the Finance Director, the Assistant to the City Administrator, and the City Administrator. 2. The amount of $25,000 to come from the Police Personnel line item, for which a budget amendment would be needed in the future. Relationship to Visioning: This could support Goal A (Active and Healthy Community), Goal B (High Quality of Life), Goal 0 (Vibrant, Resilient and Stable), and Goal E (Financially Strong). ACTION REQUIRED: If the Council concurs, it should, by motion, do the following: 1. Appoint a Fire Strategic Planning Liaison Committee. 2. Direct that funding for said study to be made available for $25,000, and that the budget shall be amended to take that amount from police staffing. 3. Direct that an RFP be drafted for review by the Committee, which would solicit possible consultants. Mark McNeill City Administrator MM:th Shakopee Fire Department 5 Year Operational Plan 2006 - 2010 Outline Part A: Overview for 5 year window 1. Mission Statement-Ed 2. Vision - 5 year (What we plan to look like in 5 years)-Ed, Rick, AI a. Services offered b. Geographic Coverage c. Stations d. Equipment / Apparatus e. ISO Goals: 4,3,2,1 Part B: Breakdown for years 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010 ***Either show theses sections with changes for each year (chapter by year) or list year changes under each section 1. Services Provided-Ed 2. Facilities / Property-Ed, Dave a. What Stations each year b. Training or other facilities 3. Apparatus-Ed a. Replacement Schedule b. Expansion Plans with stations and additional services 4. Equipment-Ed, Rick, AI a. SCBA b. Gear c. Hoze, nozzles, ladders, tools etc d. Extrication/Rescue e. Ventilation f. DivelWater g. High Level h. Hazmat i. Others 5. Communications - Marty 6. IT / GIS - Dave, Marty, Carrie D. a. City LAN, email, servers/shares etc b. MDT / MCT / CAD c. GPS d. Computer needs- new, replacement schedule/plan e. Key Card Access f. Key Card swipe sign - in I access 7. Personnel-Ed a. Organizational structure b. Management / Officers i. Full time transitions as appropriate ii. Admin requirements c. Firefighter staffing numbers d. Staffing plans i. By Station(s) ii. Acceptable response time(s) defined 1. Trigger points to make changes a. Add firefighters b. Shift firefighters around c. Shift designations d. Duty Crews e. Full time iii. Transition to duty crews in some year or trigger point iv. Group calls by trigger point criteria v. Station pages by trigger point criteria vi. Response type additions or changes (Firefighting, Med etc) e. Compensation i. Hourly / Wages ii. Pension (baseline and increase plan) iii. Benefits (gap insurance policies, etc) iv. Other possibilities 1. Real estate tax incentives 2. Real estate / finance incentives f. Job descriptions and requirements g. Firefighter / Officer review process i. Beyond just % attendance h. HR Resource requirements 8. Firefighter Recruitment-Ed, Dave, AI, Rick, a. Recruitment Strategy and goals by area and location - stations b. Recruitment Activities i. Annual Schedule / Guideline 1. TV, Paper, Neighborhood awareness/interest activities, Public location activities (Home Depot, Lowes,. Grocery Stores, etc) 2. Collateral a. Pamphlets, video, pics, banners, web etc, 3. Committee with chair 9. Firefighter Retention-Ed a. Pension b. Real Estate Tax Incentives c. Wages d. Social Benefits 10. Trianing-Ed, Dave, Marty, Jake a. High Level Training Requirements (NFPA, OSHA etc) b. Drills (requirements, mix, schedule) c. Make-up drills ( include daytime / alternate time) d. Basic Requirements / Certifications e. Training Planning and Schedule f. Outside Training (College, Sectionals, State, Fire Acadamy, FDIC, others) g. Specialty training i. High Level ii. Dive / Water Hi. Hazmat iv. Advanced Medical v. Confined Space / Trench vi. Others h. Training Facilities i. Search room ii. Confined space iii. Roof operations iv. Live Burn v. Tower/ sprinkler/ standpipe vi. Classroom vii. Audio Visual requirements viii. Books, Video, PC, Web resources 11. Response / SOG anticipated changes / Policy Requirements-Ed, Rick, AI, Dave a. Anticipated new hazards / responsibilities b. Response type changes i. Firefighting ii. Hazmat iii. High Level iv. DivinglWater v. Medical vi. Others. . . c. Station or partial paging, group calls, availability roster d. New policy requirements I needs e. EOP responsibilities plan 12. Homeland Security Requirements-Ed, Dave a. Target or Special Hazards b. Facilities Security and Protection c. EOP integration with our SOG's and Policies d. Special Duties and Personnel Requirements e. Response Levels / Plans for activation and response (EOP) 13. Maintenance Needs Planning-Ed, Scott B a. Apparatus b. Equipment c. Facilities 14. Fire Prevention-Ed, Rick, AI a. Public face to face activities b. Schedule c. Committee with leader/chair d. Equipment needs / props e. Collateral i. Books, CDs, Videos, Pics, Banners Web etc. f. Include Homeland Security issues/response plans for public g. CERT h. Other 15.Archivist functions - record keeping / history-AI WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE I. INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRE/EMS TASK FORCE ............................:;........................2 2. COMMUNITY PROFILE...................................................................................................... 7 3. FIRE DEPARTMENT PROFILE ..........................................................................................9 4. FIRE PREVENTION: STANDARDS, WORKLOAD ANALYSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................... 14 5. EMERGENCY RESPONSE: STANDARDS, WORKLOAD ANALYSIS, AND .RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................~........................ 23 6. S T AFFIN G OPTIONS........................................................................ .................................36 7. FINAN CIAL IMPLICATIONS........................................................................................... 42 8. PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER INTEGRATION MODEL ................................................... 47 9. RECRUITING AND RETENTION OF PAID-ON-CALL FIREFIGHTERS..................... 55 10. FUTURE INDICATORS MA TRIX .................................................................................... 57 II. APPEND ICES...................................................................................................................... 59 1 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY. FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRE/EMS TASK FORCE This section describes the Fire/Emergency Medical Services Task Force and the taskforce mission. Background The 2005 budget request for the Woodbury Public Safety Department Fire Division included three new full-time firefighters. The intent was to provide 2 full-time staff on a 24-hour basis. City Administrator Clint Gridley started his new position inWoodbury in June 2004 just as the budget requests were being made. He wanted to know what the long-term plan was for staffing the fire division, how the proposal fit with the paid-on-call structure and what impact it would have on the level of volunteerism. And lastly, Mr. Gridley questioned how the additional fire staffing would be connected with the very successful police paramedic program. He suggested that a task force study the need and make recommendations for future staffing and organizational structure. The City Council agreed and a joint task force made up of city staff and citizens was formed. Task Force Mission Statement The mission of the Fire/EMS task force was to review the current and future staffing levels of the City of Woodbury Fire/Emergency Medical Services Division of the Public Safety Department and how the department fits the needs and wishes of the community presently and into the future. If changes are recommended as a result of this discussion, the task force will then examine traditional and new options for meeting the determined needs and resolving the organizational, revenue, expenditure and tax implications for the preferred option(s). Task force Participants Councilmember Cheryl Hurst Council Representative Bill Betten Economic Development Authority Joseph Kielbasa Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club Greg Orth Public Safety Board Bill Hering Director of Public Safety Tim Johnson Director of Finance . Mike Richardson Fire Services Manager Greg Schlichting President, Firefighter's Benefit Association Nick Koktavy Administration Associate Jody Vogl-Eilertson Director of Administration and Human Resources (Chair/Facilitator) 2 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASKFORCE Research Elements As the task force began its work, they identified the following research elements. Notations have been made next to each of the elements to. indicate the level of accomplishment. A. Define the needs. 1. Research the performance standard results over the recent years and the trends (do they show diminishing service levels as growth occurs?) Accomplishment: The task force reviewed numerous statistical and factual research items. Conclusions were made on elements of the information. Results are denoted throughout this report. B. Question and define the Fire and Emergency Medical Service levels desired by the community/Council. 1. Define the population, growth, property value and demographic projections for the City. 2. Outline the NFP A standards for personnel, response time, and equipment. 3. Describe how other similar-sized cities are staffed. 4. Define the community benefits for potential insurance rating improvements. Accomplishment: The task force reviewed numerous statistical and factual research items. Conclusions were made on elements of the information. . Results are denoted throughout this report. C. Identify cost impacts with full-time personnel and associated facilities and equipment. 1. Identify the revenue and expenditure projections. 2. Determine if the Emergency Medical Service has self-sustainability as an enterprise fund. 3. Measure citizens' ability to pay. Balance the cost and benefits of fire safety needs and other community needs (e.g. parks and recreation, public works, redevelopment). 4. Analyze potential referendum vote iflevylimits are again imposed. Accomplishment: The task force subsequently decided that this element is more appropriately guided by the City Council. D. Relationships 1. Analyze the current interrelationship of paid on-call volunteerism to full-time staffing levels, the impact on volunteerismwhen more full-time personnel are added and provide recommendations for positive and successful integration. 2. Analyze the interrelationship between the police paramedic side and the fire EMS side. 3 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREJEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 3. Analyze the Public Safety Department organizational culture. 4. Analyze the organizational culture of full-time, fire/EMS departments. Accomplishment: Throughout the course of the project, the task force discussed each of the relationship issues identified in this element. These discussions were paramount in coming to conclusions and recommendations. There is a flavor of this element throughout the report, however, no specific research was conducted or described. E. Intergovernmental Sharing, Revenue Generation 1. Maplewood, S1. Paul, Cottage Grove, Lake Elmo (Service Contracts) 2. Services to St. Paul Park, Afton, or other townships Accomplishment: The task force discussed and decided against these options for various reasons. F. Future Indices to Guide Decision-Making 1. Benchmarks to tie staffing levels to 2. Performance Measures Accomplishment: The task force reviewed numerous statistical and factual research items. Conclusions were made on elements of the information. Results are denoted throughout this report. Citv of W oodburv Critical Success Factors The Woodbury City Council has identified seven components that are essential to the success of the community. These are the guiding principles that govern the council's strategic planning for Woodbury's future. The seven components, together with the result the City wishes to achieve, are: Safety - Woodbury residents feel safe in their person and their property. The city provides high quality, visible, protective services and works with other agencies serving our citizens to provide similarly high quality services. Quality of Life - Woodbury maintains a high quality living environment characterized by: 1. open space 2. quality parks, and 3. attractive neighborhoods with: 4 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASKFORCE a. a variety of life cycle housing options b. convenient access toa wide range of private sector services (e.g. health care), and c. convenient access to high quality discretionary public services (e.g. recreation) The city directly implements those aspects of the physical and service environment for which it is responsible and promotes provision of desired services by other private and governmental agencies in areas outside its own responsibility. Positive Economy - Woodbury has a progressive, customer-oriented business community and a range of employment opportunities. The city monitors this area and provides leadership to promote achievement and bring together other parties as necessary to continue success. Education - Schools serving Woodbury residents achieve, and are perceived as achieving, outstanding results. The city supports school districts with their building needs and with the maintenance of a safe, positive environment for learning in the school buildings within Woodbury. Community - All people in Woodbury feel a sense of ownership in the community as shown by participation in many active organizations meeting the social and spiritual needs of the people living within Woodbury's boundaries. The city is one means for citizens to meet the community's needs but the city's role is to be a partner with other organizations, promoting and supporting their efforts, not being the primary builder of community. City Services - The city emphasizes the use of appropriate technology, equipment and infrastructure to provide services at a high level relative to other communities and at a cost perceived by residents as giving excellent value for taxes paid. The city not only implements those systems for which it has responsibility but promotes maintenance of an adequate level of service by other governmental and private entities serving our population. Natural Environment - The water quality of city lakes is maintained or improved. Contaminants are prevented from reaching the ground water. Natural areas are preserved in order to retain important plant communities, especially wetlands and tree strands, and to provide wildlife habitat. The city sets an example, not only through its policies and regulatory practices, but also through the conduct of its own operations. 5 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Proper staffing of the Fire Division directly relates to four of the adopted components. Safety - staffing the right number of trained people at the right time is essential to minimizing injury and property loss. Quality of Life - providing quick and efficient emergency medical services contributes to the overall health of the City and has a positive effect on its quality of life. Community - maintaining a robust paid-an-call contingent for fire and EMS staffing offers another way for members of the community to contribute to its wellbeing. City Services - providing an adequate level of safety services is a basic function of government. The intention of the Fire/EMS task force is to support the critical success factors for public safety to ensure the associated components are fulfilled. The specific recommendations contained herein are all with these objectives in mind. Prior Studies Two previous studies have been done on fire/EMS staffing. They are included in the appendix of this report. The City Council designated Fire Division response times as a strategic issue to be studied in 1997. The final report on Strategic Issue 97-04 was released on February 1998. The final recommendations were: . Construct the Fox Run Fire Station . Provide structured daytime response In August, 2000, another staff report was prepared titled "Report on the Future Staffing of the Fire Service." The purpose of this report was to further define the recommendations made as a result of the prior study. The study reaffirmed the two recommendations made in the earlier report. Both of the recommendations were implemented. Fox Run Fire Station opened in late 2001 and full- time firefighters were added for daytime coverage in the fall of2001. 6 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRElEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 2. COMMUNITY PROFILE Section Two contains information about Woodbury and its government. Woodbury - Explosive Growth in Residential and Retail Development A growing suburb in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Woodbury is located just southeast of St. Paul, the state's capital. The city is in close proximity to Minnesota's largest employer, 3M, and to the St. Croix River Valley, providing a beautiful natural setting and year-round recreational opportunities. Woodbury is known for its attractive residential neighborhoods, which are connected by 86 miles of multi-use trails and surrounded by 2,800 acres of dedicated parkland. Woodbury was ranked number one on Money Magazine's recent list of the most desirable places to live in the Central United States for cities under 100,000 populations. Residents have a wide choice of housing, ranging from apartments and townhomesto large-lot estates. The community is also known as one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota. Year Population 1980 10,297 1990 20,075 2000 46,463 2005 (est.) 55,341 Woodbury is also home to a thriving business community with major employers, such as The Hartford, Assurant (formerly Fortis), TARGET.DIRECT, Woodwinds Health Campus, eFunds, and EcoWater Systems. Several major shopping centers can be found in the city, making Woodbury the retail shopping hub of the east metro region. Woodbury Lakes, the east metro's first lifestyle center, will open in the fall of 2005. City Walk, representing the new urbanism concept, is now partially open. City Government and Organization The mayor and four council members make up Woodbury's elected City Council. 7 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The City Council hires the City Administrator, who is the chief operating officer of the City. The City Administrator recommends the hiring of department heads to manage the various departments and divisions in the City. The Public Safety Director is tasked with managing the Police, Fire, and EMS Divisions. Clinton Gridley serves as City Administrator and William Hering serves as the Public Safety Director. Minnesota Statute 412.221 Subd. 17 authorizes cities to establish fire departments and Statute 438.06 dictates the responsibilities of a city fire marshal. Under this authority, the City established the Fire Division of the Public Safety Department pursuant to Ordinance 2-180 (2). The Fire Code is contained in Minnesota Department of Public Safety permanent rules 7510.3510 and is adopted in City Ordinance 8.1. These laws give authority to cities to create fire departments and set forth fire prevention as an authorized activity, but do not list performance standards. Aside from some guidelines discussed later in this report, cities have the authority to establish the level of service for this activity. 8 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 3. FIRE DEPARTMENT PROFILE The following information is intended to provide a short description and history of the Woodbury Fire Division. The Woodbury Fire Service Today After 32 years as a private corporation and three years as a separate city department, the Woodbury Fire Division became part of the Public Safety Department in 1996. The Public Safety Director manages all public safety activities and the Fire Services Manager is responsible for fire protection. The Division has a proud tradition of service to the community and 90% of respondents in the recently completed community survey rated the department's service as above average or excellent. The Fire Division provides the following services: . Fire suppression . EMS ambulance response . Rescue response . Fire prevention . Fire investigation . Public fire education . Hazardous materials response.and mitigation The equipment and facilities of the Fire Division are excellent because the City has maintained an aggressive capital improvement replacement program. Adding equipment and maintaining an aggressive replacement schedule has resulted in reduced maintenance costs and a higher level of service to the community. The four fire stations are located at: . 6301 Upper Afton Road . 2100 Radio Drive . 6975 Thames Road . 1275 Woodbury Drive The majority of the Fire Division staffis made up of paid- on-call employees. Paid-on-call employees are similar to volunteer firefighters except that they receive hourly pay for the work they do. They are not paid to be on call, but respond from their home or work when an emergency call is received for their fire station. 9 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Although our authorized strength is 100 paid-on-call firefighters (25 at each of our 4 stations), actual staffing averages approximately 63 employees due to recruitment limitations - a major weakness in addressing future staffing needs. The community survey completed in early 2005 revealed that about half of the citizens of Woodbury are not aware that the bulk of the Fire Division employees are paid-on-call employees. Many people are surprised to hear that our fire stations are not staffed with full-time employees. The City of Woodbury is not unique regarding this issue. A survey of residents of Eagan, Maple Grove, and Plymouth would probably reveal that many citizens are not aware that their departments are staffed with paid-on-call responders. It is common for people involved in an emergency such as a fire to perceive that response time is slow. It is important for citizens to understand that the majority of the responding firefighters must drive from horne, dress in their protective clothing, and then drive the fire apparatus and/or ambulance to the scene of the emergency. The Fire Division currently does not require the paid-on-call employees to be on-call during any certain time of the day; however, some stations have voluntary on-call sign-up. Paid-on-call employees are required to respond to a minimum of 20% of their station's calls. In addition to the paid-on-call staff, three full-time managers and onepaid-on-call manager collectively (called chief officers) also staff the Fire Division. The full-time managers work a standard workweek and are also on-call 24-hours per day. They manage operations, training, and fire prevention. There are two full-time firefighters on duty 14-hours per day (5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) who provide quick response when they are not busy on an earlier call. History of Providing Fire Prevention Services During the early years, fire inspections were completed by a various assortment of paid-on-call responders. At one time, an assistant fire chief was responsible for fire prevention. Inspections were done on either a volunteer basis or on an hourly basis. Entities that were inspected have never been charged a fee for the service. In 1979, the City hired its first full-time Fire Marshal. Since that time, there has been at least one person assigned to fire prevention activities at all times, although responsibility for this activity has frequently shifted among available personnel, which has made consistency problematic. Our current staffing level for fire prevention was created in early 2004 when a second full-time division commander position was created. One division commander is dedicated to fire inspections while the second is assigned some fire prevention activities in addition to managing operations and training. 10 , WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Throughout the existence ofthe fire prevention program, the opportunity has existed for paid-on-call members to take extra training and assist with the program. This has had varying degrees of success and is dependent on the paid-on-call person's time availability. Some people with excellent technical skills have participated in the program, but due to their inability to spend the time necessary to complete the inspection tasks, the program is not an overall success. The Fire Division expects that all four full-time firefighters be trained inspectors. Currently, two employees hold that certification and two more will become certified within a year. The Division is also experimenting with hiring some part-time inspectors to help with the influx of new construction. Also, as a part of a secondary review process for the Fire Division, transferring the fire inspection service to the Building Inspection Division will be analyzed. Construction on the east side of the City requires a full-time employee equivalent to review plans and oversee construction of new commercial property. History of Providing Emergency Medical Services In 1970, the Fire Department began providing ambulance service to the community as well as to the southern half of Oakdale. The Woodbury Lions Club provided funds for the purchase of the first ambulance and a citizen's advisory board called the Woodbury Ambulance Council was established to oversee operations. Service to the southern part of Oakdale was discontinued when they organized their own ambulance service in the late 1970's. In 1995, the City began offering advanced life support (ALS) services by training police officers. as paramedics. The Police Division currently employs 18 police officer paramedics who provide ALS response on average in less than 4 minutes. Fire Division EMTs staff the ambulance and provide transportation. Working as a team, the Public Safety Department provides excellent service, which is demonstrated by its incredibly high save-rate for cardiac arrest patients of above 50% when the national average is about 5%. The Public Safety Department has always been aggressive in training its members to the highest level. Being an emergency medical technician is a minimum requirement, but many firefighters have trained to a higher level and are able to administer intravenous drugs. Regions Hospital (formerly St. Paul-Ramsey) has always been the medical director for the ambulance service. 11 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Historical Timeline The following historical timeline gives the history offire protection in the City of Woodbury. ffi 1942 Woodbury Township writes fire protection agreement withSt. Paul Park Fire Department. ffi 1955 First housing development built; fire protection agreement written with EastCounty Line Fire Department (Maplewood) for northwest comer of city. ffi 1959 "Garage fire" reported as "grass fire"; Woodbury Civic Organization studies the need to create a fire department. ffi 1961 Woodbury Fire Department incorporates and begins to serve the city. Annual agreements are written between the fire department corporation and the city. - 1964 First fire station constructed on Upper Afton Road. Up until this time, members stored fire apparatus at their homes. ffi 1970 Fire Department agrees to staff ambulance service for Woodbury Ambulance Council. Lions Club purchases first ambulance. ffi 1975 New City Hall completed; includes City's second fire station; second ambulance placed in service. ffi 1979 Mike Reber appointed Fire Marshal, City's first full-time fire employee. ffi 1989 Third fire station completed; third ambulance placed in service. ffi 1990 Headquarters fire station remodeled. Former City Hall becomes Public Safety Building. ffi 1993 Corporation sells assets to City, dissolves. ffi 1993 First full-time Fire Chief hired - Ken Southom. 12 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREIEMSSTAFFING TASK. FORCE ffi 1994 Reber retires, Kevin Mahle named Fire Marshal. ffi 1995 Advanced Life Support program implemented. The program is a two-tiered program, with ALS provided by police/medics and BLS provided by'fire dept. EMT's. ffi 1995 Southom resigns. Mike Richardson named Acting Chief. ffi 1996 July 1, Public Safety Department created, Greg Orth becomes Public Safety Director, Bill Hering is Deputy Director, and Mike Richardson named Fire Services Manager. ~ 2001 Construction of Fox Run Fire Station; Afton Road Station is replaced. ~ 2001 Two full-time firefighters hired and work weekdays during the day. ~ 2002 Greg Orth retires; Bill Hering named Public Safety Director ffi 2003 Two additional full-time firefighters hired and coverage expanded to 14 hours per day, 7 days per week ~ 2004 . Fire Inspector resigns; full-time staffing reorganized and now includes the Fire Services Manager, two Division Commander/Fire Marshals, and four full-time firefighters. ffi 2004 October - Fire/EMS Staffing Task Force formed. 13 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 4. FIRE PREVENTION: STANDARDS, WORKLOAD ANALYSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS The purpose of this section is to describe the workload in the fire prevention area and to make recommendations for community standards for each activity. Also included is an analysis of how the recommended standards affect workload. Background There are a total of seven core functions in the Fire/EMS Division, three core functions are in fire prevention and four are in fire response. Fire Prevention Program A. Fire Inspections B. Fire Investigations C. Public Fire Education Emergency Response Program A. Fire Suppression B. Emergency Medical Services C. Rescue Response D. Hazardous Material Response Fire Prevention Program Objective According to the City's performance measurement program, the objective ofthe fire prevention program is to "decrease the number of fires and fire-related injuries though code compliance, investigation of causes, and public education; " " In order to meet this objective, all plans for new construction are reviewed for compliance to the fire code. Certificate of occupancy inspections are completed prior to use to verify that codes have been met. Ongoing fire inspections are conducted to ensure that code violations do not create a hazard for people or create an increased chance of property damage. Examples of fire inspections issues developed during a typical inspection include blocked exits, overuse of extension cords, stock piled too close to sprinkler heads, and poor housekeeping. Any of these issues, if left uncorrected, could lead to death, injury, or increased property damage. 14 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE All dollar loss fires are investigated to determine how the fire started. The principal reasons are to gather data to prevent future fires and to.determine if a crime was committed. Public education events are held to teach the public how to protect themselves from injury caused by fire. Performance Measures The City has had a performance measurement program for more than ten years. The program is a tool used by the City Council to evaluate programs and establish budget priorities. The following performance measures cover the past five years Workload 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Fire investigations 47 70 64 71 60 Public education events 337 106 108 106 108 Existing sites to be inspected 323 . 356 470 444 748 Effectiveness Residential fires per 1,000 households .30 .69 .71 .25 .98 Percentage of existing sites 33.3 64.1 28.2 53.6 27.8 inspected Dollar loss per million property $324 $112 $169 $182 $84 served Workload Analysis As the performance measures show, the number of fire investigations completed and the number of public education events has beenstatic over the past four years. The drastic drop in public education events from 2000 to 2001 is related to the way the division handles the National Night Out in August of each year. The division used to try to attend as many block parties as possible prior to 200 L The determination was made to hold one centrally located event in 2001 and the number of events dropped substantially. Fire prevention staff reviews all plans for new construction. Making sure the fire code is properly implemented is crucial at this stage because it is difficult to make changes after a building is built. 15 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Since the fire prevention staff has only one chance at doing this task properly, it is given higher priority than inspecting existing sites. A major concern to the task force is the percentage of existing sites inspected. The goal over the past five years has been to inspect two-thirds (66%) of all existing occupancies. The goal has never been realized, with goal achievement coming close in 2001 and to a lesser extent in 2003. In addition to reviewing the department's workload for the past five years, the task force looked at recommended standards and what other communities are doing before making recommendations for a reasonable community standard in this area. Recommended Standards (New) The National Fire Protection Association (NFP A) standard on fire prevention is NFP A 1201. This standard gives only vague direction on performance standards for fire prevention. The standard merely recommends that fire prevention and public education be major areas of focus for a fire department. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) provides insurance companies information about a municipality's fire protection services to help establish appropriate fire insurance premiums for residential and commercial properties. ISO guidelines recommend that a fire department inspect commercial facilities twice each year. What Other Communities Do Each year, the. Roseville, MNFire Department publishes the Twin Cities Metro Fire Department survey. The results of the survey as they pertain to fire prevention appear in the appendix section of this report. The cities of Bloomington and Plymouth house their fire inspectors in their community development department as opposed to the fire department. Most of the communities (11 out of 17) employ full-time fire inspection personnel. Nine of the 17 perform an annual inspection on their existing occupancies. Only four of the reporting cities indicate a fee for fire inspections. Options Considered for Providing this Service The task force evaluated the following options for providing this service. 16 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Option Consequences Eliminate the service Potential for increased injury, property damage or death. Failure to comply with some laws. Outsource the activity Not recognized by ISO; could jeopardize existing rating. FD loses familiarity with bldgs. Maintain existing level of Not meeting current performance goals servIce Increase inspections by Lack of interest by POC staff. Turnover. POC staff Increase inspections by FT Lack of time; other areas suffer staff Add full-time inspectors Increased cost (Could be Fire or Bldg Insp) Add part-time inspectors Some increased cost; turnover and scheduling Issues Decrease existing level of Increased potential for fires, increased severity servIce of violations, failure to meet recognized standards. Note: The task force feels that the option of transferring the plan review and continuing inspection program to the Building Inspection Department may be a viable option, but needs more study. The task force recommends that internal city staff members study this option separately from this task force report. Regardless of who does the inspections, the community standards would remain the same. Recommended Community Standards After reviewing available standards, what other communities are doing in the fire prevention area, and interviewing the City's fire prevention staff, the task force evaluated various options and arrived at what are believed to be reasonable community standards. New Construction Plan Reviews - The Fire Division currently assigns a Division Commander! Fire Marshal to the task of reviewing new building plans. This position works closely with the Building Department to see that all buildings are constructed according to the Minnesota State Fire Code. The time to enforce the Fire Code is while the building is being constructed. Retrofitting is expensive. Enforcement of the code after the fact would be time-consuming and unpopular with contractors and business owners. It is strongly recommended that reviewing all plans for new building construction remain the community standard. 17 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The Fire Code requires frequent interpretation and good judgement. Because of that, a person trained to the fire marshal level should be responsible for reviewing plans for new construction. . Community standard -Review all plans for new commercial construction. Level I Facilities - This level of facility is defined as properties with a high risk ofloss oflife and a high risk of loss of property. They include hazardous materials generators and user facilities, commonly referred to as 302 or 312 facilities. High hazard facilities also include gas stations, manufacturing plants using chemicals in their processes, and places with indoor pools. Level I facilities with a high risk of loss of life include schools, day care centers, churches, restaurants, recreations facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and apartment buildings. The past standard called for 66% of existing commercial structures each year. The task force recommends that high hazard facilities be inspected every year at the expense of completing less hazardous occupancies every other year. The level of training required to perform this type of inspection is that of a fire inspector. Theymust be more familiar with the fire code than firefighters trained to the firefighter II standard. . Community standard - Inspect level I facilities annually. Level II Facilities - This level of facility includes occupancies with medium to low risk ofloss oflife and either a high or medium risk of property loss. Level II facilities include office buildings, shopping centers, clinics, and other commercial property that is nbt in the high hazard group. The task force determined that there was merit in establishing priorities and inspecting the high hazard occupancies annually. The performance standard for lower hazard occupancies would consequently be inspected every other year. A trained fire inspector should complete this level of inspection. . Community standard - Inspect level II facilities every other year. Pre-plans - Pre-plans are completed by the personnel who would respond to an emergency at the facility. Pre-planning takes a lower level of training than a fire inspector and is generally done by the paid-on-call staff from the district in which the commercial structure lies. Pre-planning includes obtaining owner/occupant information and preparing diagrams that show the buildings main systems that have an effect of firefighting operations. 18 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The task force feels that it is reasonable to complete pre-plans on an annual basis, however there may be other ways to achieve this goal than to have firefighters visit every facility annually. If fire inspections are conducted on a regular basis, the information gathered from the inspection department could be made available to the fire suppression personnel. A firefighter trained at the firefighter II level is adequately trained to complete this activity. The task force acknowledges that this may not be the preferred activity for paid-on-call firefighters. A small group of fire personnel could complete pre-plans and share their findings with the others. . Community standard - Use a variety of methods to complete pre-plans and keep firefighters up to date on buildings in their response area. This activity has a lower priority than inspections and review of new construction. Certificate for Occupancy Inspections - A Building Division official. and a Fire Division inspector should inspect and sign off on all peffilits for occupancy. The purpose is to ensure that the building is safe for human habitation and safe operation. A person with training in certificate for occupancy inspection should complete this task. Currently, the four, full-time firefighters complete Certificates of Occupancy. To make sure all buildings are safe before they open for business or habitation, the task force recommends that the community standard be 100% of certificates for occupancy are signed by the Fire Division. . Community standard - Complete all certificate for occupancy certificates. Fire Investigations -Every time a fire causes dollar loss, an investigation is conducted to determine the cause of the fire. The cause of the fire is determined first, to rule out criminal activity, and second, to provide information for the prevention of future fires. Sometimes there may be a product defect. Other investigations may reveal a pattern of unsafe acts, such as leaving unattended candles burning. The Division Commander/Fire Marshal oversees the fire investigation function. The Marshal depends on four to six trained paid-on-call firefighters to complete each investigation. For fires that occur outside of normal working hours, a fire investigator is paged and reports to the fire. In the.case of arson, a cooperative investigation is made with the Police Division. If a death were to occur, the Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office would take the lead in the investigation. . Community Standard - All fires that result in dollar loss or injury should be investigated. 19 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FlRE!EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Public Education- Public education includes a wide variety of activities. The function includes annual open houses during fire prevention week, appearances at block parties, and participation in annual community events such as Woodbury Days, the 4th of July, and National Night Out. Public education can also include classes on the proper use of fire extinguishers. Public education could be considered a quality of life activity. People are very interested in the activities of the Fire Division and young children enjoy the interaction with firefighters. Meeting a firefighter at a non-stressful event decreases the likelihood of a child panicking when they have contact with a firefighter in an emergency situation. Because this is a non-emergency activity, the amount of time spent in this area may have to be decreased in order to fulfill our more emergent duties. . Community Standard - Fulfill as many requests as staffing will allow. Effects of Community Standards on Future Workload The following table depicts the Fire Division workload when the recommended community standards are applied. The first table represents the higher priority activities and consideration should be given to staffing for these activities. 2005 Proiected Workload - High Priority Activities Activity Number Goal Goal X Hrs. per Total (2)Hours Variance No. = Event Hours Available +/- New Construction 70 100% 70 24 1680 1,680 0 Performed b : Fire Marshal Level I Inspections 344 100% 344 9.5 3,268 -703 Performed b : Level II Inspections 640 50% 1,616 780 -836 Performed by: Trained fire inspectors (1 20 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Certificates of 200 100% 200 1.25 250 326 +76 Occu anc Performed by: Full-time firefighters Investigations 63 100% 63 504 0 Performed b : Trained investi ators TOTAL 5,855 -1,463 (1) Where this inspection emanated from (Building Division or Fire Division) is still to be determined. (2) Hours available is assumed to be the number of hours that was committed to these activities in 2004 for both tables. 2005 Projected Workload - Lower Priority Activities This table represents what the task force deems as lower priority activities. As discussed above, there may be other means of completing the pre-plan activity. While having each facility reviewed annually by the staff who could potentially respond to them is ideal, the staff completing fire inspections could relay the information that is normally gathered during a pre-plan. While the public education events are enjoyable to the community and contribute to the quality of life in Woodbury, the Fire Division should participate only when adequate staff is available. Activity Number Goal Goal X Hrs. per Total *Hours Variance No. = Event Hours Available +/- Pre- lans 984 100% 984 2.6 2,558 2,038 -520 Performed b : Public Ed. Events 109 100% 1,940 1922 -18 Performed b : Full-time or TOTAL 3,960 -538 21 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Summary The task force recommends the following community standards: . Community standard ~ Review all plans for new commercial construction. . Community standard - Inspect level I facilities annually. . Community standard - Inspect level II facilities every other year. . Community standard - Use a variety of methods to complete pre-plans and keep firefighters up to date on buildings in their response area. This activity has a lower priority than inspections and review of new construction. . Community standard - Complete all certificate for occupancy certificates. . Community Standard ~ Allfires that result in dollar loss or injury should be investigated.. . Community Standard - Fulfill as many public education requests as staffing will allow. The workload for fire prevention exceeds the staff time available to complete it. There are several alternatives for providing staff for completing fire inspection activities: . Hire additional full-time fire suppression personnel and have them complete fire inspection activities in their available time. . Hire additional full-time fire prevention staff. . Hire temporary part-time fire inspectors. Later in this report, the task force will recommend additional fire/EMS staffing. The additional full- time firefighters requested could accomplish the community standards identified in this section. However, the task force recommends the City conduct additional research on if the fire inspection activities should be conducted by the building inspection department. In addition, the task force recommends that additional research be accomplished to determine the viability of charging a fee for fire inspections. 22 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 5. EMERGENCY RESPONSE: STANDARDS, WORKLOAD ANALYSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS The purpose of this section is to describe the workload in the emergency response area and to make recommendations for response standards. Emergency Response Program Background There are four core functions in emergency response. Following is some background on the four emergency response core functions and how the City provides them at this time. Fire Suppression - Fire suppression is the most common and widely known area of the fire service. It involves responding to fires in buildings, vehicles, and areas outside of buildings. It is a labor- intensive function and takes the majority of the Fire Division's time, even though it only represents about 25% of its call load. Training is intensive, time consuming, and ongoing. Woodbury has four fire stations from which a combination of full-time and paid-on-call employees respond to accomplish the core function of fire suppression. Equipment is expensive, with a fire engine costing about $300,000 and a ladder truck costing approximately $700,000. The City has to maintain enough fire equipmentto contain a large fire as well as respond to multiple calls. Maintaining the equipment and facilities becomes another labor intensive task in the fire suppression area. Emergency Medical Response - Woodbury Public Safety utilizes a two-tiered response to emergency medical calls. Police officers trained to the advanced life support level respond to all medical calls. They triage and treat the patient. Firefighters, who are trained to the emergency medical technician level, respond with an ambulance. If the patient requires advanced life support care, the paramedic police officer will accompany the patient to the hospital. If the patient requires basic life support, the firefighter/EMTs will complete the transport. The City maintains an ambulance at each of the four fire stations. Emergency medical calls are responsible for 75% ofthe Fire Division's emergency response activities. Training is also intensive and requires a substantial time commitment. 23 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FlREJEMS STAFFING TASKFORCE A unique aspect of the emergency medical response function is that user fees pay all activities and equipment required for this core function. The Emergency Medical Services Fund is an enterprise fund that is managed by the City's Finance Department and pays for all EMS activities. Rescue Response - This core function is closely related to the EMS function but has some differences. Rescue activities include extricating patients from automobile accidents as well as rescuing people trapped in industrial accidents. The Division maintains two fire engines equipped with extra rescue equipment such as the Hurst Jaws of Life and cribbing material to stabilize overturned vehicles. None ofthe rescue activities are supported by the EMS fund; they are supported by the general fund. There are ten rescue disciplines. At the present time, we only offer three of them. Confined space rescue is an example of one area for which the Fire Division is not trained. Hazardous Materials Response - The Fire Division is trained to the hazardous materials operations level, which means that it can respond to and be involved with the mitigation of hazardous materials incidents. CommonHAZMAT incidents include semi-trucks that have rolled over on the freeway and broken gas mains, which are usually caused by construction activities. For more serious HAZMAT incidents the department relies upon the state-supported regional HAZMAT team from S1. Paul. They operate both a chemical assessment team and a full response team that is available free of charge so long as they are requested through the state duty officer and providing that they are available. Emergency Response Objectives The objective ofthe fire suppression program. is to "limit the amount of harm to people and property by providing timely response to all fires and emergencies in an efficient manner." The objective ofthe EMS program is to "provide quick and effective medical treatment and transportation to those who have suffered an injury or significant illness." The key elements of any emergency response program are getting the right amount of trained people on the scene in the right amount of time. The task force spent considerable time determining what standards met these goals. 24 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Performance Measures The emergency response performance measures are divided into two groups in the City's performance measurement program. They are fire suppression and emergency medical services. Fire Suppression Performance Measures Workload 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Fire runs 520 608 640 642 650 Effectiveness Percent of structure saved 69.1 68.9 72.2 96.8 96.3 Percentage of in- service times < 4 63 48 61 72 77 Percentage of on- scene times < 8 45 48 60 67 70 Percentage rating dept. good/exc. 80 N/A 90 N/A 90 EMS Performance Measures Workload 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 ALS Patients 713 912 882 853 859 . BLS Patients 503 341 399 473 492 ~ Non-transports N/A 239 249 ' 290 256 Total transports 1,016 1,492 1,530 1,616 1,607 Effectiveness Average medic response time 3.5 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.6 Percentage rating service good/exc. 97 98 98 96.5 92 25 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY -FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE. Total Workload vs. Population The following tables are not part of the City's performance measurement program, but were produced internally. Workload 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Population 46,463 48,539 49,843 50,399 51,764 Fire runs 520 608 640 642 650 Calls per 100 people 1.12 1.25 1.28 1.27 1.24 EMS calls 1,494 1,536 1,696 1,789 1,819 EMS calls per 100 people 3.22 3.16 3.40 3.55 3.47 Total calls 2,014 2,144 2,336 2,431 2,469 Total calls per 100 . people 4.33 4.42 4.68 4.81 4.71 Staff'mg vs. Population 2000 I 2001 2002 2003 2004 Population 46,463 48,539 49,843 50,399 51,764 Full-time Fire Staff 3 5 5 7 7 Paid-On-Call Staff 53 62 67 68 58 Total 56 67 72 75 65 26 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Workload Analysis Looking at the performance measures for fire suppression for the past three years, a conclusion could be made that there are no problems with the current emergency response program. The number of fires has stabilized over the past four years, average response time is getting better, and citizens are obviously pleased with the service. There is critical information about emergency response, however, that does not show up through the performance measurement program. The first involves how response time is currently being measured. The past practice has been to count the first arriving fire engine as the benchmark for establishing response time. The engine may have from two to seven people on board. The task force has set the community standard for fire response as getting five trained people on the scene in less than nine minutes (more about that issue later in the report). While the response time figures are improving, units are arriving with insufficient staff to make an effective fire attack about 33% ofthe time. Another area where performance measures may not be indicative of a problem is the area of staff turnover. The Fire Division has approximately the same number of personnel it does today as it did in 1991 when it handled 840 total fire and EMS calls. The departmentis handling nearly 200% more activity with the same number of personnel. Hiring and training new personnel is a constant activity for the Fire Division. It takes approximately two years for a new employee to receive all of the initial training and about five years for the person to get adequate firefighting experience. One-third of the paid-on-call staffhave less than two years service. This element reduces the chance of placing five trained people on scene in less than nine minutes. The purpose of this task force was to create a strategic plan for the future. While performance measures show slow growth in the number of fire calls, they also show a five-year average of 1.23 fire calls and 3.36 EMS calls per hundred residents. At that rate, the City will experience 815 fire calls and 2,227 EMS calls in 2010 when the population is expected to reach 66,277 according to the City's comprehensive plan. That is an increase of23.2% more than 2004. Police calls are also growing at an equivalent rate. There were 26,001 in 2004 and we expect that there will be more than 32,000 police calls in 2010. If the 48,000 hours of paid-on-call activity necessary to manage the 2004 workload increases at the same rate, it could take potentially 59,000 hours to manage the 2010 workload ifno staffing changes are made. During 2004, the average paid-on-call firefighter worked 534 hours. Without increased staffing, the average will go up by 170 hours, or 32%. The task force believes this is not achievable with the current staff and will result in increasedtumover. 27 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The task force concludes that activity in the next five years will exceed the ability of the current Fire Division's personnel. Response Time The task force spent considerable time looking at data and trying to determine reasonable response time standards. Emergency medical services (EMS) identifies brain death as a critical point in time around which to deploy resources. When breathing stops, the brain undergoes potential irreversible damage within four to six minutes without oxygen. After ten minutes without oxygen the chances of survival are minimal. Since the inception ofthe advanced life support program in 1995, paramedics have arrived on scene in an average of less than four minutes. This has resulted in a cardiac save rate of more than 50% while the national cardiac save rate is less than 5%. This program is the hallmark program of publicsafety and the task force agrees that the program should be maintained. The "flashover" stage of fire growth is another critical point in time with which fire departments want to. arrive and deploy their resources. Flashover generally occurs about eight minutes after the fire starts. That is why the National Fire Protections standards on response, NFP A 1710, recommends that fire departments arrive within eight minutes with sufficient personnel and equipment to commence an attack on the fire. Regardless of the speed of growth, or length of burn time, all fires go through the same stages. The three stages of burning are the smoldering stage, the incipient stage, and the flashover stage. The "flashover" stage of a fire marks a big turning point in fire conditions. In single-family dwellings, flashover is a critical stage of fire growth for two reasons. First, no living thing in the room of origin will survive, so the chances for fire fighters to save lives drops dramatically. Second, flashover creates a quantum jump in the rate of combustion, and a significantly greater amount of water is neededto reduce the burning material below its ignition temperature. Flashover also creates the need for more staffing to handle the larger hose streams needed to extinguish the fire. A post-flashover fire bums a lot hotter and moves faster, compounding the search and rescue problems in the remainder of the structure. 28 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The table below shows a comparison of fire conditions and fire fighting operations before flashover and after flashover: Pre-flashover Post-flashover Fire is limited to one room Fire may spread beyond one room Firefighters use small hoses Larger and more hoses are needed Search and rescue easier Search and rescue is compounded Initial resources can handle fire Incident requires additional resources Predicting when flashover occurs is fairly easy to do. Tests have been conducted and conclude that flashover occurs between six and ten minutes of ignition. Measuring flashover is a function oftime and temperature. Fire growth occurs exponentially; fire doubles itself every second of free burning that is allowed. Fire growth can be plotted on what is known as the time and temperature curve: Based on its research of response time standards, the task force concludes that setting response time standards is a local decision, but there are commonly accepted guidelines. The task force recommends that the following response time elements be included in any community standard concerning emergency response: . Response to fires where there is risk of serious injury, death, or major property damage should occur in less than nine minutes . Response to emergency medical services incidents where there is a chance of brain death should be less than five minutes 29, WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASKFORCE Emergency Response Standards There are three sets of recognized standards that address fire department emergency response. First, there are Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards that have the effect of law. Entities can be fined for not following OSHA standards. Minnesota has its own OSHA division of state government and they enforce the federal OSHA standards. OSHA Regulations - The most crucial OSHA standard for determining proper emergency response by fire departments is what is commonly called the "two in, two out" rule. The rule is part of OSHA's respiratory protection standard. It says that if two firefighters enter a dangerous atmosphere such as a house on fire, there must be two firefighters standing by outside in full protective clothing and breathing apparatus to back them up should a problem occur with the two inside. There is an exception for saving lives when an immediate rescue attempt is feasible. The exact wording of the ruleis: 1910. 134(g)(4) Procedures for interior structural firefighting. In addition to the requirements set forth under paragraph (g)(3), in interior structural fires, the employer shall ensure that: 1910. 134(g)(4) (i) At least two employees enter the IDLH atmosphere and remain in visual or voice contact with one another at all times,' 1910. 134(g)(4)(ii) At least two employees are located outside the IDLH atmosphere; and 1910. 134(g) (4)(iii) All employees engaged in interior structural firefighting use SCBAs. NFP A Guidelines - The next set of standards that govern emergency response are National Fire Protection Association (NFP A) guidelines. NFP A guidelines represent a recommended course of action but are not enforceable the way that OSHA regulations are. While cities can be fined for violating OSHA r~gulations, they cannot be fined for violation ofNFP A guidelines. NFP A guidelines can, however, be used as evidence in civil proceedings. Most cities cannot follow all NFP A guidelines because it would be too expensive to do so. NFP A 1710 is the operational standard for career (full-time) fire departments and 1720 sets the standard for volunteer fire departments. 30 WORKING. DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE NFP A has other standards concerning firefighters' health and safety. NFP A 1710 states: 4.1.2.1.1 The fire department shall establish the following time objectives: (1) One minute (60 seconds) for turnout time (2) Four minutes (240 seconds) or lessfor the arrival of the first arriving engine company at a fire suppression incident and/or 8 minutes (480 seconds) or less for the deployment of a full first alarm assignment at afire suppression incident. 5.2.3.2.1 The fire department shall have the capability to deploy an initial full alarm assignment within an 8-minute response time to 90 percent of the incidents as established in Chapter 4. NFP A 1710 also sets standards for emergency medical services response. They are: 4.1.2.1.1 (3) Four minutes (240 seconds) or less for the arrival of a unit with first responder or higher level capability at an emergency medical incident. (4) Eight minutes (480 seconds) or less for the arrival of an advanced life support unit at an emergency medical incident,. where this service is provided by the fire department. Chapter 5 ofNFP A 1710 goes on to define what a full alarm assignment is comprised of, but its intent is to set guidelines for fire departments that are staffed completely with full-time firefighters. NFP A 1720 is a guideline for the operation of volunteer departments. The guidelines are not as specific. The time standards for fire suppression are not nearly as stringent and there are no time standards specified for EMS. The standard on commencing an initial fire attack is: 4.2.2.1 Upon assembling the necessary resources at the emergency scene, the fire department shall have the capability to safely initiate an initial attack within two. minutes 90 percent of the time. 31 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 4.2.2.2 Initial attack operations shall be organized to ensure that at least four members shall be assembled before initiating interior fire suppression operations at a working structural fire. ISO Ratings - A community's ISO rating is its public protection classification as determined by the Insur~nce Services Office, Inc. (ISO). The ISO rates the fire department, water system, and method of receiving alarms when ranking a City on a 1 through 8 scale. On March 7, 1997, the City received notification from ISO that our rating had improved from 5 to 4. ISO ratings are a 10-point scale with 1 being the best. The City was surveyed again in 2004 and on March 4, 2004, the City received notification that the developed area of the City would retain its rating of 4 while the non-hydranted area would receive a rating of 8b. Many cities feel the ISO rating is outdated andis no longer a strong indicator oftheir fire protection abilities. Many insurance companies have developed their own rating schedule. On March 9, 2005 Fire Services Manager Mike Richardson conducted a survey of four insurance companies that insure properties in Woodbury. The results were: . American Family uses an internal system. It resembles the ISO system. American Family uses a Town Zone classification 1 through 10 with 1 being the best and 10 being the worst rating. Premiums are based on Town Zone and distance from a fire station and from a hydrant. There is no change in premium throughout the City of Woodbury, which is dependent on Town Zone classification 4 through 8. . Farmers Insurance uses the ISO Rate Classification. A rate change from 4 to 3 would not mean anything for residential structures. A rate change from 4 to 5 would mean a 5 to 7% increase in homeowner premiums. . Allstate uses the ISO Rate Classification. A rate change from 4 to 3 would not mean anything for residential structures. A rate change from 4 to 5 would mean a 5 to 7% increase in homeowner premiums. . State Farm uses its own system that is zip code based. Dollar loss history in a zip code area determines the premium rates. 32 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FlREIEMS STAFFING TASKFORCE Twenty of the fire departments that responded to the 2004 Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Regional Fire Department Survey were asked their views on their community's ISO rating. Twelve indicated they don't have much concern over their ISO rating, four indicated they intended to maintain their existing rating, and four intended to improve their rating. Two of the four who intended to improve their ratings were rated class 7/9. One of the concerns that cities in the survey expressed about ISO ratings is that there is no clear-cut path to improvement. The rating schedule is so complicated that it is difficult to create a plan for an improved rating. It is also very difficult to evaluate whether the return on investment for improving our ISO rating would be beneficial. Emergency Response Staffmg Matrix Based on a review of rules, guidelines, rating schedules, historical performance measures, economic conditions, and safety factors, the task force created a recommended response matrix for the City of Woodbury. The complete Emergency Response Staffing Matrix appears in the appendix of this report. For the purposes of simplicity, the column titled" 1 st" represents the desired immediate response and the column titled "2nd" is the desired secondary or backup response for that incident. Abbreviated Staffmg Matrix Sustained Incidents Rescue Calls Medical Calls 15t Total 15t Total 15t Total 15t Total 5 38 5 5 13 2 8 2 3 Recommended Community Standards Based on its study of available resources, the task force concluded that there should be defined objectives for providing an adequate number of trained personnel on the scene of an emergency incident in a reasonable time. Essentially, the task force took into consideration the response time standards discussed in the response time section of this report and combined them with the staffing necessary for each type of incident. The recommended community standards for emergency response are: 33 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FlREJEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Fire response: . Initial response of five personnel on the scene in less than nine minutes 90% of the time. . Secondary or backup response of six personnel on the scene in less than thirteen minutes 90% of the time. EMS response: . One paramedic on the scene in four minutes or less 90% of the time. . Two emergency medical technicians and an ambulance on the scene in less than eleven minutes 90% of the time. While a sustained fire in a residential or commercial.structure will require as many as 38 personnel on scene, the task force felt it was not necessary to establish a measurable standard beyond the initial and secondary response. Mutual aid from other cities is often used to make up the personnel for a sustained attack and the task force felt it would be difficult, if not impossible, to create a measure that would track response from other cities. Effects.of Community Standards on Future Workload When the staffing matrix is applied to the 2005 projected workload, our statistics show that the City will not achieve the desired staffing for fire and other emergency calls, but will exceed the number of staff desired on medical calls. Sustained Fire Hazmat Rescue Medical Incidents Incidents Spills/Leaks Calls Calls Desired . Response 38 11 13 8 3 2004 Incidents 13 328 327 331 1,628 Average response 29 7 10 9 4 Desired vs. Actual -9 -4 -3 1 1 Hours per Call 2.1 .8 1.2 1 1 Variance , in Hours -252 -1,101 -1,332 298 1,969 34 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY. FIRElEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE . Summary The task force has reviewed available response time and staffing standards as well the response statistics for the Woodbury Fire Division. Based upon the review, it feels the emergency response matrix that was created by the task force isa valid guide for determining response needs. In conclusion, the task force recommends adopting the following community standards: Fire response: . Initial response offive personnel on the scene in less than nine minutes 90% of the time. . Secondary or backup response of six personnel on the scene in less than thirteen minutes 90% of the time. EMS response: . One paramedic on the scene in four minutes or less 90% of the time. . Two emergency medical technicians and an ambulance on the scene in less than eleven minutes 90% of the time. The task force further recommends that the Fire Division establish performance measurements based on these response standards as measurements for determining future staffing needs. The statistics show that the City will not achieve the desired staffing for fire and other emergency calls, but will exceed the number of staff desired on medical calls. There are two solutions recommended. First, the task force recommends that the Public Safety Department administration review the deployment of the paid-on-call force and explore the option of scheduling paid-on-call employees for standby time. In addition, as this report indicates in several places, the City has not been able to recruit the amount of paid- on-call firefighters necessary to accomplish the community standards. As such, the task force recommends implementation of the Integrated Public Safety Model which will be detailed in the next sections of this report. 35 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 6. STAFFING OPTIONS This section explores options for meeting the response objectives recommended by the task force. Review of Staffmg Recommendations The task force has recommended the following community standards as it has studied fire/EMS staffing: Fire Prevention (The functions may be performed by Fire or Building Inspections Division) . Review all plans for new commercial construction . Inspect level I facilities annually . Inspect level II facilities every other year . Use a variety of methods to complete pre-plans . Complete all certificate for occupancy certificates . Investigate all fires that result in dollar loss or injury . Fulfill as many requests as staffing will allow. Emergency Response Fire response should include the following elements: . Initial response offive personnel on the scene in less than nine minutes 90% of the time. . Secondary or backup response of six personnel on the scene in less than thirteen minutes 90% of the time. EMS response should include the following elements: . One paramedic on the scene in four minutes or less 90% of the time. . Two emergency medical technicians and an ambulance on the scene in less than eleven minutes 90% of the time. What Other Cities Have Done In considering the staffing options, the task force looked at other communities in the Twin Cities Metro area. Some suburbs, such as S1. Louis Park, Bumsville, Richfield, Coon Rapids, South S1. Paul, and West S1. Paul chose to employ firefighting staffthat is predominately full-time. 36 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY. FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASKFORCE Other suburbs, such as Eagan, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Apple Valley, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie have all hired a small number of full-time people to supplement their paid-on-call staff. Whileevery city seemS to have a shortage of paid-on-call responders during the day, each has a unique way of staffing for that shortage. Plymouth pays a group of paid-on-call responders an hourly wage to cover their city for 12 hours of the day. Two full-time captains schedule the coverage and work with the paid-on-call responders. Minnetonka uses a combination of mechanics and radio technicians who are also firefighters to provide daytime coverage. The most common option is used by cities such as Maple Grove and Eden Prairie, which rely heavily on a full-time fire inspection staff to provide daytime response. Fire department staffing is not just a local concern, but also a national one. According to the November 29, 2004 issue of USA Today, the number of firefighters in the United States has declined by 1.3% while the population has increased by 24.4% over the past two decades. More peoFi1e.. fewer fire ighters uMhl,l\$ the ,~$t fwm fima,the 1y<wm ~~ f~ tmn~nl pemmlaige tha~$ Sil<Un:eSI N<<tiil<na! fi!'i!!l Pt'@mctil.ln Ass@ciatioil; Cellsu,. BureifU According to the 2004 Municipal Year Book published by the International City/County Management Association, the average number of full-time firefighters per capita in the West N orth- Central region is 1.05 firefighters per 1,000 population. That figure is based on 118 cities responding from a seven-state area including Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. The data for cities of 50,000 to 99,999 in the entire country is 2.57 firefighters per 1,000 population. Cities of 25,000 to 49,999 report an average of 1.64 full-time firefighters. The report does not distinguish whether the cities are older freestanding communities or newer suburban communities. 37 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY- FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE A number of cities in the United States have adopted a public safety model, which staffs both police and fire with cross-trained police officers. The concept seems to have started in Michigan in the early 1900's and is used today by about 50 cities throughout the country. A list of communities utilizing the public safety model is included in the appendix. While the majority of cities using this model have populations less than 25,000 there are a small number with larger populations, such as Sunnyvale, CA with a population of 128,000 and Kalamazoo, MI with a population of 75,000. Considering the Options The task force identified twelve different options for providing fire and EMS staffing. All were evaluated on their likelihood of success to meet the community standards recommended by the task force. Alternative Consequences L Hire a completely full- Pros: Vastly improved response times time fire department and Reduces turnover costs for pac model it after Bumsville or Cons: Cost Edina Eliminates pac element 2. Hire a sufficient number Pros: Improved response times of full-time personnel to Does not eliminate pac staff allow an immediate Costs less than complete FT response of 5. Maintain Cons: Turnover costs for pac staff continue pac. staff. Creates separate department or "silo" in Public Safety 3. Add 3 full-time Pros: Less cost than above two options firefighters and provide 24 Maintains pac staff hour coverage (2005 budget Cons: Short-term solution proposal) Does not address fire prevention needs 4. Combination of full-time Pros: Readily available personnel fire- fighters and other city Employees know the city staff to provide an Cons: Other staffworking at capacity immediate response of 5. Recruiting interested people Training time to do two lobs 5. Add fire prevention staff Pros: Helps ease fire prevention workload to supplement daytime Staff more knowledgeable in bldg. const. response. Cons: Short term solution for days only Response could overwhelm prevention 38 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 6. Schedule paid-on-call Pros: Less expensive than other options employees to work specific Maintains strong POC resence hours. Cons: Most have strong demands on time Scheduling very difficult to accom lish 7. Continue "as is" and do a Pros: Less expensive than some other options massive recruiting drive to Flexibilit to try other options in future hire more paid-on-call staff. Cons: No evidence that turnover will stop No evidence that interest is there 8. Make changes to current Pros: May yield better response percentage and hour Less ex ensive than some other options requirements for POC Cons: No evidence that it will work Most employees 'ving all they can now 9. Increase POC activity by Pros: Would reward biggest contributors creating performance Some benefits inexpensive incentives Cons: May be disincentive for some Expensive for some benefits 10. Hire CSO/EMTs to Pros: Less expensive than firefighters complete ambulance trans- Ma redirect some to fire.activities ports Cons: Except for above, does nothing for fire Creates another layer to mana e 11. Become a totally Pros: Could strengthen police function integrated public safety Consolidated management department (cross-train Current EMS s stem workin well police officers) Cons: Recruiting the right people Training time for two occupations A vailabilit when tied u on olice calls 12. Discontinue EMS Pros: Reduce dual/role conflicts service and contract with Less training private vendor Fewer rofit/loss issues Cons: Eliminates program with great benefit EMS fund supplements police and fire Res onse time of private ambo uncertain 39 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREJEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Narrowing the Options to Two After consideration and discussion, the task force narrowed the options to the two that seemed to do the best in terms of meeting the response criteria and that provided the best long-term solutions. The two options were numbers 2 and 11. Following is a more detailed description of those two options, which will now be referred to as Option 1 and Option 2. Option 1 - Hire adequate numbers of full-time firefighters to provide an initial response of five. Commonly referred to as the traditional model, this option would continue to operate completely separate police and fire divisions. Fourteen additional full-time firefighters would be added to the existing seven over a five-year phase-in period. Eighteen of those personnel would be assigned to the traditional 24-hour firefighter shift that is used by other communities. The most attractive aspect of this option would be that five personnel would be on duty and available for immediate response a majority of the time. When any ofthe full-time personnel were busy with other calls, the paid-on-call responders would serve as a backup. The paid-on-call personnel would also back up the full-time staff at major incidents. The probability of meeting the community standards as recommended by the task force with this option is high. Approximately 25% of the time that firefighters are busy on one call, another call will be received. Having a staff of five on duty at all times, with the addition of three full-time management personnel, should allow goal attainment. Option 2 - Hire additional full-time firefighters to staff a crew of two on a 24-hour basis and hire additional police officers and cross-train them as firefighters. Called the public safety officer concept, this model would provide for hiring five additional full-time firefighters over a two-year period and have them work around the clock. They mayor may not work the traditional 24-hour firefighter shift. Additional police officers over and above the normal compliment of officers would also be hired over a five-year period. Together, the full-time firefighters and the cross-trained police officers, called public safety officers, would make up the initial response of five that is recommended by the task force. A watch commander position, responsible for all public safety operations on a 24- hour basis, would be created. The principal attraction of this concept is that it strengthens the police division while addressing fire and EMS staffing. The police division is understaffed when compared to similar suburbs in the Twin Cities. In addition, the Woodbury police officers tender an increased level of service because eighteen of them are trained as advanced life support paramedics. Police handle 26,000 calls per year while fire handles 650. Together, they handle 1,800 medical emergencies. The public safety option puts resources where the greatest demand for service is located. 40 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The probability of meeting the goals outlined by the task force with this option is high, but not quite as high as the first option. The reason is that at times, the cross-trained police officers may be tied up on police matters. In that case, there will be a heavy reliance on paid-on-call responders. The tradeoff for this slightly lower rate of goal attainment is that more personnel will be available to handle police calls, which far exceed the number of fire and EMS calls. One Option Preferred At its May 27, 2005 task force meeting, the group endorsed Option 2, the public safety model as its preferred model. The basic organization of this model is to have two full-time firefighters and three cross-trained police officers on duty at all times. Together, they will provide an immediate response of five personnel to meet the community standard for initial response. The paid-on-call staffwill provide the secondary response of six personnel and will also provide first response when the full- time staff is unavailable. 41 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 7. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS The total annual cost of the integrated public safety option is included in this section as well as the approximate cost per capita at full implementation. Potentially revenue resources are discussed and recommendations made in this section. Costs for Options 1 and 2 Included in the appendices is a comparison of expenditures required to support Options 1 and 2. Also included is a chart that shows the tax impact for both options. The following information is a synopsis of that data. The full operational costs are an estimate based on a five-year implementation schedule for each option. Option 1: The Traditional Option 2: The Integrated Public Combination Fire De artment Model Safe De artment Model Current Fire Division Current Fire Division Costs (2005 $1,531,620 Costs (2005) $1,531,620 Operational Costs at Operational Costs at Full Implementation - $2,855,781 Full Implementation - $2,487,402 5 ears 5 ears Cost per Capita at Full Cost per Capita at Full 1m lementation $19.98 1m lementation $14.42 These costs do not include any service level improvements that the City may wish to make outside of either option. Revenue Initiatives One of the tasks assigned to the task force was to examine various revenue resources to fund any improvements that it may recommend. The task force understands that fees for the review of new construction and remodeling as well as certificate for occupancy permit inspections are included in building permit fees. Fire Inspection Fees - The International Fire Code 2000 lists approximately 30 areas where the City could charge fire inspection fees. In 2005, there will be 344 level rand 640 level II facilities. The task force is recommending inspecting level I occupancies once per year and level II every other year; It is estimated that it will take 3,345 hours to complete those inspections (including follow-up visits) and enter the data into a database. 42 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Discussion: The task force recommends that fire inspections fees should be established. There was discussion about whether a flat fee, a fee based on' square footage, or a fee based on the hours required to complete the inspection was appropriate. Recommendation: Explore the option of establishing a nominal fee for every fire inspection, but increase the fee for those requiring return visits to mitigate code violations. The business community should have input into this decision. Referendum - One possibility for funding public safety staffing or operations would be through a referendum. In November, 2003 Mounds View, MN voters approved an additional tax levy of $143,000 for the purpose of hiring two additional police officers. Discussion: There is no interest. at the task force level for a referendum on this issue. Extrication Fee - Some communities, including St. Paul, MN, have introduced an automobile extrication fee. The City charges about $400 whenever someone must be extricated from a motor vehicle after an accident. The bill is normally sent to the auto insurance carrier and-is generally covered under the owner's policy. During previous discussions about EMS, the Council rejected the idea of billing for public safety services such as extrication. The City responds to approximately 200 motor vehicle accidents per year of which 120 involve personal injury. The potential for the extrication charge is approximately 25, depending on how extrication is defined. The possible income is about $9,600. Discussion: The task force feels this is an appropriate charge since many people involved in motor vehicle accidents do not live or pay taxes in Woodbury. Recommendation: Explore the establishment of an extrication fee that will be billed to vehicle owners with the expectation that the bill would be submitted to the owner's insurance company. Define extrication as the use of tools to remove someone from a damage vehicle. Fire Response Fees - It is possible to charge fees for fire response. Most insurance companies have predetermined guidelines for reimbursements to fire departments for consumables. For a structure fire, this is typically $1,000 and for vehicle fires it is typically $500 per incident. The Council previously discussed this during a budget workshop and they rejected the idea of charging for fire response because they felt that public safety was a basic responsibility of government and should not require added fees. 43 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FlREJEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Discussion: There is no interest by the task force to charge for this service. Vehicle Fires- There is legislation proposed this year to allow cities to use revenue recapture to collect fees for fighting car fires on the freeway. Discussion: The task force felt this was an appropriate fee since many of the people experiencing car fires and using our resources do not pay property taxes in Woodbury. Recommendation: Explore the establishment a fee for fighting car fires for non-residents. Emergency Medical Services Taxing District - Minnesota Statute 144F.Ol allows two or more political subdivisions to create a special tax district for the purpose of funding pre-hospital care. A board representing each jurisdiction would govern. the district. This law was scheduled to sunset, but the 2005 legislature is expected to extend the duration of the law until 2010. An example of a possibility would be for Woodbury, Cottage Grove, and Maplewood to form such a district since we all operate similar EMS systems. The law allows the district to impose a tax of .048 percent of the district's taxable market value or $250,000, whichever is less. Discussion: There is no interest by the task force to establish a taxing district. Emergency Preparedness Levy - There is special taxing authority for emergency management activities allowed in Minnesota Statute, 12.26 Subdivision 2. In part, the section says, "a local political subdivision may levy annually upon all taxable property in the political subdivision...a tax in excess of and over and above all taxing limitations in an amount as may be necessary to pay expenditures incurred for emergency management purposes." An emergency management levy could pay for one time capital costs such as new and replacement warning sirens or could be used for ongoing costs such as paying for the director's salary. On the positive side, it is clear the law allows a special tax over and above any levy limits, should the legislature impose them during their special session. On the negative side, it is my understanding that any special levy must be approved annually by the state. Relying on a special levy for ongoing operational costs could be problematic if it was rejected for any reason at the state level at a later date. Discussion: There is no interest by the task force to establish a taxing district. Revenue Recapture - This program allows us to put in a claim against the tax refund of any person owing us money for EMS services. The City began this program in March, 2004 but have not yet seen its full potential. The City could go back to previous years and attempt to recapture revenue for unpaid bills. 44 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FlREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Discussion: This is being used to the fullest extent possible at this time. DHS SAFER Grants - The Public Safety Department will apply for federal grants for three firefighter positions. The City Council approved the application at its June 22, 2005 meeting. The following table shows the. five-year draw down schedule of grant funds for each position should they be approved. No inflation factor has been applied to the figures. Cost figures include annual salary, benefits, and operating costs for each position. Grant Year Federal Share City Share Total Year One $36,000 $38,000 $74,000 Year Two $32,000 $42,000 $74,000 Year Three $20,000 $54,000 $74,000 Year Four $12,000 $62,000 $74,000 Year Five None $74,000 $74,000 TOTAL $100,000 $270,000 $370,000 45 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 46 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRElEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 8. PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER INTEGRATION MODEL This section contains a detailed plan on the implementation of the public safety model. The plan will require annual evaluation and will need to be amended based upon that evaluation. Overview Again, the Woodbury Public Safety Department has two emergency response divisions, the Police Division and the FireDivision. The two divisions, which were merged together into one department by ordinance on July 1, 1996, respond together to handle emergency medical calls. Police officers are trained as paramedics and firefighters are trained as emergency medical technicians. During 2004, the police responded to 26,000 calls for service and the fire division responded to 650 fire calls, of which 60 resulted in property damage. Mutually, they responded to 1,800 medical calls. The Police Division is staffed with 54 sworn police officers that provide 24-hour police protection. The fire division has full-time employees on shift from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. seven days per week and relies on paid-on-call employees to cover nighttime calls ~and to provide sufficient backup during the day. For the past 15 years, the Police Division has added 2.3 officers per year, essentially maintaining 1 sworn officer per 1,000 population despite the additional paramedic responsibilities. According to the U.S. Department of Justice report Crime in the United States 2003 the national average for cities in the 50,000 to 99,999 population range is 1.8 officers per 1,000 population. For Midwest cities and Minnesota, it is 1.6 per 1,000. The Fire Division began hiring full-time employees in 2001. There are currently four full-time shift firefighter/ EMTs and three management level employees. However, the number of paid-on-call employees remains the same as it was in 1991 when the division handled 840 Fire/EMS calls. The paid-on-call staff fluctuates from 60 to 65. The increased workload without a corresponding increase in staff has led to the inability to meet the response time standards established by the City. Thus, the City began hiring full-time firefighters in 2001. A request for three additional full-time staff during the 2005 budget process led to establishing the Fire/EMS Staffing Task Force. The task force has met since October, 2004 and has developed a number of response objectives. They are: . Fire incidents: 5 responders on scene in less than nine minutes and 6 additional responders on scene in less than thirteen minutes 90% of the time . EMS incidents: 1 paramedic on scene in less than four minutes and an ambulance with two EMTs on scene in less than 11 minutes 90% ofthe time 47 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE These objectives were created by studying OSHA rules, NFPA recommendations, fire accreditation recommendations, staffing reports from other agencies, the historical performance objectives, and the reality of the level of service the community is capable of providing. The City currently meets those objectives 64% of the time for fires and 72% of the time for medicals. Based on these objectives, the task force developed two staffing options. The first option, referred to as the traditional combination fire department model, involves hiring additional full-time firefighters. Option 1 involves having a minimum of 5 full-time firefighters on duty at all times. It includes the addition of 14 new firefighter/EMTs to the existing staff of7 full-time response personnel. Staffing, when fully implemented after a five-year phase-in period, would include 3 administrative positions and 3 shifts of 6 firefighters each. Each shift would have a working supervisor. Total personnel would be 21 after the phase-in period. Option 2, which is the option preferred by the task force, is called the Public Safety Officer Integration plan, which is sometimes referred to as the "hybrid" option. It combines a base crew of full-time firefighters around the clock, a well-trained and staffed paid-on-call component, and a group of cross-trained police officers/firefighters, referred to as public safety officers. These cross-trained personnel would exclude officers that serve as paramedics. The second option would add sufficient additional full-time firefighter/EMTs to the existing staff of7 in order to have a staffof two on duty 24 hours per day. It would also add 18 public safety officer positions over a five-year period. To maintain its existing police staffing ratio, the police division will need to add 12 officers during the next five years. Six additional cross-trained officers would be in addition to the 12 officers needed to staff at the current level. Eighteen total additional officers would be cross-trained as a condition of employment. Existing non-paramedic police officers would be encouraged but not required to be cross-trained. It is estimated that the PSOs will spend 70% of their time on police duties and 30% on fire duties. Position 2005 2010 Police staff 54 54 Public safety officers* 0 18 Fire staff 7 12 Total . 61 84 * Number could increase with staff turnover or volunteer cross-training. The task force is recommending that the City adopt the objective of placing 5 personnel on the scene of a fire in less than 9 minutes. This plan meets that objective a majority of the time by providing a fully integrated departmental response to the most serious incidents. 48 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Police Staffin2 In 1990, the population of Woodbury was 20,075 and the police department had 19 sworn officers. In 2005, the population is estimated at 55,341 and the authorized strength ofthe police division of public safety is 54. For the past 15 years, the City has added an average of 2.3 police officers per year. In five years, the population is projected to be 66,277. Based on past staffing patterns, uniformed police strength should be a minimum of 66 officers, or 12 more than what is currently staffed. That is a growth rate of2.4 officers per year, which is consistent with the previous 15 years. The historical average for police staffing has been one officer per thousand residents. It is estimated that employees who are trained as public safety officers will spend approximately 30% of their time on fire duties. That means that only .7 of their time should be counted as police officer staffing. In other words, ifthe City needs an additional 12 police officers in 5 years, the City should hire 18 in order to maintain our current ratio of officers per thousand population. This is exclusive of any other specialized police programs or service level adjustments. One issue that is not addressed by this plan is the staffing shortage caused by the paramedic program. The City currently allocates approximately 5 FTEs to the EMS program. Most police agencies do not provide advanced life support service and are staffed at a ratio equal to or better than our city. Those who provide ALS through the police department staff at a higher ratio than we do. Maplewood staffs at 1.38 per 1,000 and Cottage Grove staffs at 1.13. The Watch Commander Pro2ram This public safety option includes providing a single watch commander position that would be in charge of the entire operational staff of the department (fire, EMS, and police) on a 24-hour basis. Police sergeants and fire duty officers now supervise police and fire operations on a 24-hour basis. There are six police sergeants who report to the captain in charge of police operations. Another .police captain supervises special services, which includes investigations and juvenile services, and a third captain handles administrative work, primarily training and police policy development. In the Fire Division, there is a Fire Services Manager who performs the traditional duties of a fire chief. There are two full-time division commanders who are in charge of training/operations and fire prevention. A third division commander is a paid-on-call employee who oversees station operations. During the daywhen the full-time chief officers are on duty, one of them performs the role ofthe duty officer and sees to it that all calls are handled appropriately. During the times when full-time chief officers are not working, a combination of full-time chief officers and paid-on-call employees staff the duty officer program. 49 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE One officer is on call at all times to oversee the fire division and its delivery of services. Full-time employees currently are on call at least one night a week and one. weekend a month. There are some problems with the existing system of supervision. First, there are some employees in the Fire Division who are putting in an incredible number of hours beyond 2,080 with no additional compensation because they are exempt employees. Second, there is little coordination between police and fire supervisors ona daily basis. While the people who fill these positions work well together, they generally are not aware of the issues and activities of each other's divisions. They don't know each other's staffing levels and are generally unaware of any special events being handled by the other division. Another problem is that there are inconsistencies in the way employees are handled. After a recent critical incident, police personnel attended a critical incident debriefing while fire personnel were not invited to attend. This was not done intentionally, but happened because people are so focused on their own responsibilities, they do not address the big picture. With one supervisor in charge of all public safety operations, practices would be more consistent. During the five-year phase-in of this option, the duty officer program would continue in some form for an unspecified time. A watch commander program would then supplant it. A captain or lieutenant level public safety officer would oversee operations of the entire Public Safety Department on a 24-hour basis. This person would be responsible for seeing that all public safety services were properly delivered. As an example, if any employee had to leave due to illness, whether it was a firefighter, paramedic, or police officer, the watch commander would be responsible for filling the shift. Watch commanders would see that fire stations and ambulances responded when needed. This would be particularly important when the full-time complement of firefighters is busy and the paid- on-call force was used to provide response. The watch commander would be responsible for the oversight of all the employees on his or her shift, police and fire. This position would oversee more complex incidents, although the person would generally not commit to operational work. 50 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE In summary, the supervisory structure of the Public Safety Department is represented in the table below. Position 2005 2010 Public Safety Director 1 1 Deputy Director 1 1 Captains - Operational 3 2 Watch Commanders - 0 5 Captains or Lieutenants Sergeants 6 5 Fire Services Manager 1 1 Division Commanders 2 2 Total 14 17 FT Uniformed Employees 61 81 Ratio 1:4.4 1:4.8 Phased Implementation Both options include a 5-year phasing plan. It is recommended that Option 2, the Public Safety Model, be implemented as follows: Year. One Hirethree full-time firefighter/EMTs - The schedule for the firefighters is yet to be determined. While the prevailing thought is that the City go to 24 hour coverage immediately, the City could phase the firefighters in and have the new positions work during the busiest times of the day or those times when it is hardest to get paid-on-call employees. Hire four public safety officers. one of whom would be a sergeant - If the population grows to 57,500 as predicted the City will need to hire three additional police officers to maintain the historical ratio of 1: 1 ,000. In order to free up time for the public safety officer concept, four officers should be hired and trained as PSO's. Fire training would begin for the four new employees and should take about six months to complete. Once done, they would be assigned to shifts where they are most needed to supplement the full-time firefighters. In order to begin the transition process to the public safety model, it would be desirable to promote an officer to sergeant. During the first year, this additional sergeant position would be used to free up time for the deputy director and one of the captains to begin the phasing in process of the concept. 51 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The City will also need at least three new supervisory positions to make the program successful. The earlier the City promotes good people and gets them some experience at supervision and management, the more likely the City will be successful in five years. Purchase one additional squad car - Historically, the City has maintained a ratio of one additional squad car for each three new police employees. Year Two Hire two additional full-time firefighter/EMTs - This complement of personnel would give the City 9 firefighter/EMTs and would allow the City to go to 24 hour coverage utilizing a 40 hour workweek if we could fill shifts utilizing paid-on-call employees or overtime. Hire four public safety officers. one of whom would be a sergeant - Again, the concept would be to hire public safety officers at a higher ratio than the historic police officer ratio. When their training is. complete, they would be assigned to the shifts that would provide the best fire coverage. Another sergeant would be promoted and the first two watch commander positions would be filled from the ranks of the existing sergeants. We would begin having a watch commander on most night shifts. Purchase a watch commander vehicle - A watch commander vehicle is envisioned to be a larger police squad car, probably a sports utility vehicle. This is not mandatory and we could put the watch commanders in normal police sedans. Year Three Hire three public safety officers - These officers would be trained and would fill shifts as needed to provide proper police and fire staffing. Purchase one additional squad car - Historically, the City has maintained a ratio of one additional squad car for each three new police employees. Year Four Hire four public safety officers. one of whom would be a sergeant - Again, the concept would be tohire public safety officers at a higher ratio than the historical police officer ratio. Once their training is complete, they would be assigned to the shifts that would provide the best fire coverage. 52 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE The third watch commander position would be filled from the ranks of existing sergeants. Purchase one additional squad car - Historically, the City has maintained a ratio of one additional squad car for each three new police employees. Year Five Hire four public safety officers. one of whom would be a sergeant - Again, the concept would be to hire public safety officers at a higher ratio than the historical police officer ratio. One their training is complete, they would be assigned to the shifts that would provide the best fire coverage. The fourth watch commander position will be filled from the existing sergeants. Purchase a watch commander vehicle - A watch commander vehicle is envisioned to be a larger police squad car, probably a sports utility vehicle. This is not mandatory and we could put the watch commanders in normal police sedans. Phase-in Chart Year Full~time Police Public Safety Watch Fire Officers Commanders 2005 7 54 0 1 2006 3 0 3 1 2007 2 0 3 0 2008 0 0 3 1 2009 0 0 3 1 2010 0 0 2 0 TOTAL 12 54 14 4 Annual Evaluation Necessarv As with any five-year plan, the longer it is from the current date, the less accurate it is likely to be. Each year, an evaluation should be done to make sure the plan is working and the number of personnel is adequate. 53 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY ~ FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE Public Safety Integration Model Summary In summary the public safety model option provides for the following response: . Sufficient full-time firefighter/EMTs will be hired to provide an on-duty compliment of2 firefighter's 24-hours per day, 7 days per week. Fire command staff would remain at 3 full-time employees. . Cross-trained police officers known as public safety officers, who will provide 2 additional responders initially and 3 later in the phase-in process. Over a 5-year period, 6 additional public safety officers would be hired and cross-trained in addition to the expected 12 officers necessary to keep up with growth. Seventy percent oftheir time would be spent on police activities and 30 percent on fire activities. On an FTE basis, this would be equivalent to 12.5 police positions and 5.5 fire/EMT positions. . A supervisor will provide 1 responder. During early phase-in, the fire duty officer program will be continued in some form. Later, a public safety watch commander will assume this role. When the watch commander position is phased in, the supervisor should no longer be counted as a responder because of all the management duties that will be required of the position. The watch commander program is described in a separate section below. . Sufficient paid-on-call staffwill need to be available to respond to fire and rescue calls as part of the initial 5 responders and will also be needed to provide coverage when the full- time staff is not available or during other large emergency events. There is a strong need to recruit and retain paid-on-call firefighters to work in concert with the full-time staff. The current POC. staff is 60 and a strong effort should be made to increase the staff to 75 if possible. 54 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 9. RECRUITING AND RETENTION OF P AID-ON-CALL FIREFIGHTERS The task force recognizes the need for a well-staffed and trained paid-on-call component of the Fire Division. The task force also recognizes that recruiting and retention are a significant problem. Past history was analyzed and existing employees were surveyed. Recommendations are made based on these findings. Background Woodbury has relied on volunteer firefighters since the department was formed in 1961. The term "paid-on-call" firefighters is now used to describe a firefighter who is not a full-time employee, who responds when called to assist, and receives pay for their time. There are a number of reasons to continue a paid-on-call system for a portion of our staffing needs. Some of the reasons are the cost of full-time personnel, the lack of a workload suitable for a completely full-time service, and the amount of money invested in the current system. The task force determined and recommends that paid-on-call employees remain a viable part ofthe Public Safety Department. Not Just a Local Problem A google.com search of the phrase "recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters" conducted on March 1,2005 revealed 370 references on this subject. A research paper that addressed recruiting and retention was completed by Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View Fire Chief Nyle Zikmund in December 1995. Zikmund made the following recommendations: 1. We need to profile potential recruits based on research. More research is needed in this area. 2. Recruitment and retention must both be addressed to break the cycle of high turnover. 3. Pay and compensation are not a recruitment factor, but are a factor in retention. 4. Persistence is the key to recruiting efforts. 5. Recruitment should become more professional and mimic the practices of successful businesses. 55 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASKFORCE Woodbury's Experience Woodbury's staffing allotment for its four fire stations is 25 paid-on-call firefighters per station, or 100 total. The addition of full-time personnel may require an adjustment to the number of paid-on- eall staff, but the fact is that the department has never achieved a staff of 80 paid-on-call personnel and usually has a staff in the upper 50's or low 60's. Since 1993, the maximum paid-on-call staffwas 73 in 1995 and the minimum was 59 in 1996. The 12-year average from 1993 to 2004 was 64. Some stations recently have had staffing contingents approaching single digit numbers, seriously affecting the station's ability to respond to calls in their area. In the experience of the fire service management staff, when the paid-on-call membership dips below 15 at any given fire station, the station begins having problems getting into service. 56 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 10. FUTURE INDICATORS MATRIX As the work of the task forceprogressed, it became obvious that the response objectives would become the driving force for future staffing decisions. The question is simply "can we meet the objectives at the currentstaffing level?" If the answer is "no", then staffing changes should be considered. The following indicators will indicate a need for future staffing adjustments: . Placing 5 trained personnel on the scene of an incident in less than 9 minutes drops to 70% ofthe time or lower. Solution(s): Encourage or require scheduled standby hours for paid-on-call employees Hire additional public safety officers . Placing6 additional personnel on the scene of a fire in less than 13 minutes drops to 70% or lower. Solution(s): Hire additional paid-on-call firefighters Encourage city employees in other departments to become part-time firefighters Hire additional public safety officers . Placing a paramedic on the scene of a medical emergency in 4 minutes or less drops to 70% or lower. Solution(s): Train full-time firefighters as paramedics (or require paramedic certification as a prerequisite for hiring) Hire additional part-time paramedics Train additional police officer paramedics . Placing an ambulance on the scene of a medical emergency in less than 11 minutes drops to 70% or lower. Solution(s): Require scheduled standby hours for paid-on-call employees Hire additional full-time firefighters or public safety officers 57 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIRE/EMS STAFFING TASK FORCE . Paid-on-call staffing at any station drops below 15. Solution(s): Targeted hiring campaigns for paid-on-call firefighters Hire additional full-time firefighters or public safety officers . Total staff during daytime hours drops below a point where 11 personnel are available for a fire. Solution(s): Hire additional paid-on-call firefighters Encourage city employees in other departments to become part-time firefighters Hire additional full-time firefighters or public safety officers . When, total calls in .the response area of a fifth fire station reaches 20% of the overall call load, a new station should be constructed and staffed. Solution(s): When calls reach 15%, plan for construction and do a survey of the area to determine interest in becoming a paid-on-call firefighter When calls reach 20%, initiate construction process and begin hiring to staff station 58 WORKING DRAFT CITY OF WOODBURY - FIREIEMS STAFFING TASK FORCE 11. APPENDICES Appendix 1: Option 1 & 2 Costs- Appendix 2: Tax Impact Appendix 3: Option 2 - 2006 Property Tax Appendix 4: Response Matrix Appendix 5: 2004 Workload Appendix 6: 2005 Workload Appendix 7: Metro Survey - Inspections Appendix 8: Metro Survey - Staffing Appendix 9: Recruitment and Retention Appendix 10: List of Public Safety Departments 59 Bumsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 1 of 18 Burnsville Fire Dellartment (PATCH) September 25, 2001 . Overview The Bumsville Fire Department is pleased to present our Guide Plan. This plan represents approximately 2 years of work by multiple department members, with input from all department members, the public and city staff representing other departments. This Guide Plan is an extension ofthe department's efforts in Accreditation, which was awarded to the department in August of 2000, and the continuation of the City Council adopted "Fire and EMS EnhancementPlan", which was meant to guide the department's progress for the period of 1990-2000. This Guide Plan is intended to be a dynamic document - providing direction to our efforts, but flexible enough to allow for changing conditions in the community. The Guide Plan attempts to anticipate the future and meet challenges to providing excellent Fire, EMS and Rescue services to the community. The Guide Plan is divided into 1 0 "functional areas" that encompass fire department service and programs. The areas are: Prevention, Public Education, Suppression, Facilities and Equipment, Emergency Medical Services, Training, Emergency Management, Administration, and Leadership. Significant areas of strength for the department include an extremely high citizen satisfaction rating for both Fire and EMS, highly qualified and dedicated personnel, being recognized as an Accredited Agency, excellent equipment and a team that is focused on customer service. Challenges that the department will face in the next few years include staff turnover and appropriate staffing levels, financial "stability" in EMS, planning for facility needs, adjusting to technology and simply providing the right services for the right reasons at appropriate costs. The Fire Department Guide Plan provides the framework on which the department will build the future. By managing resources and continually assessing community needs, the Bumsville Fire Department is confident that Bumsville will continue to be a strong, vibrant and safe community. Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 2 of 18 FIRE PREVENTION The Fire Prevention Division through plan review, inspections, fire investigations, training and education creates a safe place to live and work. Identify, recruit and train STRATEGY department personnel to . Increase interaction with Suppression personnel fill all key Prevention + Establish process for early identification and Division positions over selection of qualified candidates the next three years + Establish mentoring program for Prevention staff candidates Safety is improved in STRATEGY Bumsville by reducing . Continue to promote existing focus on fire safety. the number of fires, + Seize all legitimate opportunities to educate the preventable injuries, public. deaths and property loss + Provide for fire safe single family dwellings; develop an inspection program that provides for voluntary through education and residential safety inspections. training Significant fire and STRATEGY emergency risks in + Utilize new software to increase data collection and Bumsville are identified improve target risk planning. + Combine efforts with Emergency Management Director to analyze and determine specific risks for fire and other emergencies. . Prevention programs are based on research and tailored according to results obtained. + Target prevention programs to specific problems and future needs of the community Safe structures are STRATEGY maintained through + Evaluate altemativemethods to accomplish needed periodic inspections and inspections. Identify priorities in Prevention. up~to-date codes + Utilize Suppression personnel in commercial inspections, multi-dwelling occupancies, hotels and follow-up inspections . Research new codes and submit appropriate changes to the City Council for approval. + Adopt State approved additions to the Building Code to provide for built-in fire protection for more Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 4 of 18 structures. . Utilize Building and Zoning Inspectors in investigation and follow up of code violations. Fires are aggressively STRATEGY investigated for cause . Training of suppression personnel in basic fire and origin, resulting in investigation and preservation of evidence, continued prosecution of arson training of identified key investigators and training of additional fire and police personnel in advanced fire cases. investigation. . Active use of Prevention staff on suspicious, unusual or undetermined fires. . Following recognized standards for fire investigation. . Establish Certified Fire Investigator status for Fire Marshal and Inspectors. Measurements . Fire Investigation staff achieve Certified Fire Investigator status. . Prevention training provided for all department personnel. . Most recent version of the State Fire and Building Codes are adopted. . Minimum training and education requirements, eligibility list for Fire Inspector is established. Qualifications for Fire Marshal position are adopted. . Code compliance and complaint resolution data are maintained. Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 5 of 18 PUBLIC EDUCATION Fire Department Public Education programs create relationships with the community and result in a safer community. Education programs are STRATEGY targeted specifically to . Continue Learn Not to Bum program in elementary vulnerable groups. schools. . Evaluate Risk Watch prevention program for K_Sth Grade. . Enhance pre-school programs. . Expand prevention and education programs for Senior Citizens, such as Fall Prevention, Senior Safety Camp, Fire and Injury prevention programs. . Establish further programs and outreach efforts to non-English speaking populations in Burnsville and the surrounding area. . Participate in appropriate programs dealing with violence prevention and suicide prevention. Public Safety messages STRATEGY are communicated . Enhance the Fire Department website to include a utilizing a variety of variety of information about department programs media and activities, and services . Increase support and participation in established City including collaborative ofBurnsville outreach activities (Fire Muster, Safety relationships and sharing Camp, Home Remodeler's Fair, National Night Out, of resources. Neighborhood meetings and activities, Block Captains, Multi-Housing Association) . Make effective use of Annual Fire Prevention Week activities, including the Open House. . Respond to special requests for training and safety presentations, including home/apartment safety presentations, business emergency planning. Department public STRATEGY education programs are . Utilize new computer technology and programs to routinely evaluated for measure and analyze results. success and . Determine what shares of the groups targeted for effectiveness. information actually receive it. . Conduct tests prior to and following education Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 6 of18 campaigns to determine whether audiences understood the message intended and gauge whether people changed their behavior by randomly surveying or visiting a sample of the intended target with a checklist interview. . Evaluate resources needed to continue present and future public education programs, including the possibility of a Full-time Public Education Specialist. Measurements . Number of Public Education contacts is tracked. . Survey of school teachers and the community is completed. . Partner organizations are identified to accomplish Public Education goals Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 7 of 18 SUPRESSION Bumsville's Fire, Rescue and EMS programs result in the preservation of life, property and the environment Fire Department STRATEGY response will be safe and . Develop a staffing plan that complies with City effective, for both staff Council Ends and Outcomes, directives, federal and the nublic mandates and recognized industry standards (OSHA, MN Legislative Auditor, IAFC Accreditation, etc) . Develop Non-structural fire preplans. . Anticipate the impacts of proposed development/redevelopment Response times will STRATEGY meet City Council . Define the emergency response directive to reflect a performance standard of coverage using "Fractal Response Times" expectations instead of utilizing an "Average Response Time". ** . Consider a standard thatwill achieve a four (4) minute response time for emergency response to 90% of emergency calls. (** Fractal response time is a measurement of critical time elements or "milemarkers" along an incident timeline - see attached diagram) The department STRATEGY maintains a high degree . Enhance the pre-planning activities of the of readiness for non-fire suppression shift to include non-fire risks related emergencies . Enhance the interaction between the Prevention Division and the Suppression Division for pre- planning and inspection activities. . Department programs reflect the capabilities and resources needed to deal with those identified hazards Measurements . Complete Staffing study comparing Bumsville with appropriate national standards and local needs. . Updated definition of "Response Time" and compliance data for the approved standard. . Increased number of pre- fire plans for "target hazards" Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 8 of 18 Incident Response Timeline Incident Incident 911 911 Call Call Units Unit(s) Unit(s) Incident Incident Occurs Detected Rings Answered Forwarded Dispatched Respond Arrive Begin Under Concluded To Work Control Dispatchers Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 9 of 18 FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT The Fire Department utilizes facilities and equipment to maximize service delivery to the community. The Fire Department STRATEGY optimizes use of . Analyze space configurations at City Hall, FS 1 and facilities and equipment FS 2 with the purpose of enhancing programs and in service delivery. service. . Conduct detailed analysis of appropriate station locations and deployment of resources. Physical training STRATEGY facilities stay abreast of . Determine training physical facility needs. the latest training needs. . Work with Apple Valley, Burnsville, Lakeville and Eagan (ABLE) cities to research Flashover simulator . Research potential enterprise opportunities of ABLE facility Necessary tools and STRATEGY equipment are available . Replace current aerial ladder device with Quint type to achieve service goals fire apparatus. . Evaluate Rescue Equipment and apparatus needs, including consolidation and purchase options. . Include tools and equipment in a detailed replacement schedule. . Utilize mutual aid agreements where appropriate Measurements . Station location analysis and response time compliance study is completed. . Equipment Coordinators are identified. . Appropriate replacement for apparatus is completed or scheduled. All department vehicles are included. Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 10 of 18 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE (EMS) The Burnsville Fire Department operates a full service, premier Emergency Medical Service. The Emergency Medical STRATEGY Services (EMS) System . Establish the position of EMS Administrative in Bumsville is efficient, Captain. accountable and cost . Billing, collections and changing legal and healthcare effective management aspects are monitored and updated as appropriate. . New revenue sources are generated to support ongoing EMS operations . Evaluate expansion of EMS operations. The EMS System adapts STRATEGY to changing community . EMS Risk Analysis is evaluated through community- needs wide assessments, . EMS will adapt practices and procedures to meet changing demographics of the community (Aging population, Development/redevelopment, city infrastructure) . EMS Practices are shared and refined through active liaisons with Burnsville Police Department, Fairview Ridges Hospital, group homes and senior care facilities. . Active participation with Dakota County and neighboring communities enhances the safety and quality of life in Burnsville. Measurements . Financial evaluation of the impact of proposed Medicare reimbursement rule changes is completed and financial plan adopted. . Accurate data collection program in place. . Membership and participation in Dakota County EMS program established. Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 11 of 18 TRAINING Excellent Fire Department service is achieved through effective learning and training programs. The Burnsville Fire STRATEGY Department is prepared . Provide leadership development training for unprecedented opportunities for staff. personnel turnover. . Conduct Captain's promotion process every two years, maintaining current eligibility list. . Develop and implement a formalized Field Training Officer (FTO) program for Captain's position. . Establish necessary knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and develop standards for selection for specialty area assignments. . Conduct active recruitment of Fire Department candidates through interactive presentations to likely candidate groups (paramedic programs, technical colleges, etc.) . Apply appropriate physical fitness standards during the hiring process. Training is meaningful, STRATEGY effective, organized and . Training is provided addressing increasing meets mandates and expectations and demands while considering appropriate .industry pressures of remaining cost effective. . Increase sharing of training resources through standards. effective partnering with other organizations. . All Fire Department personnel meet Fire Department Fitness Program standards. . Training produces measurable results, while emphasizing realistic scenarios. . Continued development and training ofthe Technical Rescue Team. . Ensure accountability by monitoring EMS continuing education, quality management, and system data collection. Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 12 of 18 Training resources and STRATEGY technology increase . Computerize all lesson plans with the ability to training effectiveness access them from all department workstations. . Recruit and assign personnel to attend the National Fire Academy. . Improve training delivery by acquiring and integrating sound technology improvements. . Develop a computerized library of department training materials and aids. Measurements . KSA's are established for Fire Department positions . Recruitment presentations are developed and presented to applicant groups. . Approved Candidate Physical Ability Test is adopted. . Personnel participate in the Fire Department Fitness Program . NFP A training standards are adopted . Increased number of staff utilizing Employee Development program . Increased number of applicants to the National Fire Academy Bumsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 13 of 18 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT City of Burnsville Emergency Management programs are focused on creating a disaster resistant community Emergency Management STRATEGY is focused on prevention. . Utilize GIS programs to track damages and provide historical records of disaster events. . Continue efforts to work with City Engineering and Building Department to implement mitigation projects following disaster events. Emergency Management STRATEGY programs reflect the . Complete the Community Hazard Analysis and hazards present in the Mitigation plan. community. . Public access to hazard information is achieved through technology. . Assess the resources and capabilities of the city organization to respond to known/expected hazards. City Staff is prepared for STRATEGY and effective in . Provide annual training to City Staff with designated responding to disaster Emergency Management responsibilities. events . Utilize appropriate training opportunities available through the State of Minnesota Department of Public Safety and FEMA. . Conduct an annual update and exercise ofthe City Emergency Operations Plan. Measurements . Hazard Analysis and Mitigation plan is adopted and approved by State and FEMA. . City Emergency Operations Plan is approved by Dakota County and the State of Minnesota Department of Public Safety. . Annual training and exercise is completed. Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001...2004 Page 14 of 18 ADMINISTRATION Fire Department Administration effectively supports the delivery of Fire Protection, EMS and Rescue services. Staff resources support STRATEGY effective Administrative . Evaluate Fire Department Administration work functions processes for effectiveness. . Provide for expansion of work effort in Administration . Identified priorities are evaluated. . Evaluate acquisition of Administrative staff position to support Accreditation, Training, and EMS. Technology optimally STRATEGY supports administrative . Implement applicable portions of the Technology functions Guide Plan. . Identify appropriate data elements and needed decision-making information. A positive organizational STRATEGY culture and customer . Implement organizational culture and values service program exists initiative through the department Process within the department. Improvement Committee. . Pursue development of a formalized value statement and updated mission statement. Bumsville Fire STRATEGY Department optimizes all . Ensure appropriate fees are charged for service in available revenue and accordance with city policies and guidelines. utilizes resources . Explore additional revenue sources and financial effectively. strategies, internally and with other organizations. . Pursue mutually beneficial joint operations with other departments Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 15 of 18 Measurements . Fire Department vehicles are equipped with Mobile Computer applications . Financial plan for EMS and other revenue sources is adopted. . Number of staff seeking future positions is increased. . Promotion and eligibility lists are in place and current l Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001 ~2004 Page 16 of 18 LEAl)ERSHIP Department leadership creates strong connections between the capabilities of the department and the safety needs of the community. An organizational STRATEGY structure exists that . Evaluate effectiveness of current structure, including meets department and comparison with other models. community needs. . Analyze current expectations of department leadership . Determine appropriateness of assigned responsibilities The Fire Department STRATEGY develops future leaders. . Develop a mentoring program to identify and develop interested department members. . Establish standards and benchmarks for fire department leadership positions. . Identify and support leadership training opportunities. Continuity/Succession STRATEGY planning is in place for . Current promotion and eligibility lists are maintained ~ositions. . Retirements, promotions and movement within the organization is identified in advance and planned for. . Selection and training for specialty job replacements is done in a timely fashion The Fire Department STRATEGY provides ongoing . Provide leadership and management training. education and . Establish mentoring and coaching relationships with development for internal and external resources (i.e.: other city assigned roles, regardless departments, other fire departments.) . Maximize interaction with other city departments. ~f rank. . Utilize the Employee Development program. Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 17 of 18 Measurements . Leadership position requirements are published and discussed with department members. . Department members utilize the Employee Development program. . Department structure and management study is completed. . Survey of City Departments is conducted to identify areas of interaction and collaboration. ? Burnsville Fire Department Guide Plan 2001-2004 Page 18 of18