Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Fire Medical

TO:	Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners
FROM:	Mark Bradford, Chief
CC:	David Corliss, City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager Casey Toomay, Assistant City Manager
DATE:	April 17, 2015
RE:	Fire Medical Projects and Issues

International Agency Accreditation

We will continue to work to maintain agency accreditation by reviewing and updating department goals and objectives on an on-going basis to identify what has been accomplished and for changes within the organization and the community.  We will monitor performance measure targets.

Firefighter Staffing – NFPA 1710 Compliant

The Fire Medical Department has long established a staffing goal of maintaining four (4) firefighters on all fire apparatus (engine, quint, rescue and aerial companies), and two (2) on each ambulance.  The basis for this goal was the findings from past staffing studies conducted by the US Department of Labor.  The studies provided information concerning current firefighter staffing levels in the Emergency Operations Division against established national standards for emergency response capabilities.  Subsequently, the department established a ‘minimum staffing’ level to accomplish the assembly of an effective work force at emergency incidents that provides for firefighter safety and timely mitigation of the emergency.

Because of the impact of the negative variable of factors (vacations, other leave, sick time, paramedic training, etc.) affecting on-duty staffing numbers, there is a significant impact on our overtime/Extraboard hours.  To increase the average daily firefighter on duty numbers in this division by one firefighter per shift (3 FTE) to account for the schedule’s negative variable factors affecting staffing of our current staffing levels would cost approximately $54,125 per year/per FF or a total cost of $162,819 annually.  This staffing level would meet the NFPA 1710 standard and offset the scheduled overtime/Extraboard staffing costs.

Maintaining 1^st Response and Effective Response Force Times

It is becoming difficult to maintain an effective work force response time in the periphery of the city and the core (multiple / simultaneous incidents) with the current station locations.  The effective response service area of each fire station is the area accessible by fire units within four (4) minutes driving time, taking into account street patterns, terrain, and traffic arrangement for fire station as factors that impact response and station locations.  Discussions should begin to identify future fire station location requirements.

Facility Maintenance

Strategic Goal 2 provides recommendations for necessary, reliable and efficient physical assets and infrastructure availability now and in the future.  Although the Fire Medical Department started updating and improving the conditions at four of the five fire stations, including new construction of Stations No. 2, 3 and 5; and renovation of Station No. 3, routine cost of maintenance and unexpected repairs continue to run short of the needed funds to maintain these newer facilities. 

In order to maintain our current infrastructure, these additional forecasted projects total $4,952,735.

Fire Station No. 1 Renovation 2015/2016 Capital Improvement	$2,302,185.00^1
Training Tower Replacement Strategic Goal 1C	$725,000.00
Concrete Repair Driveways and Approaches	$1,735,000.00
Station No. 2 Maintenance	$27,345
Station No. 3 Maintenance	$98,750^2
Station No. 4 Maintenance	$32,950
Station No. 5 Maintenance	$15,285
Training Center Maintenance	$6,350
Administration	$3,085
Stone Barn Terr. Facility	Unknown
Station No. 5 Drainage	$18,000

¹ 2010 Cost Estimate, does not include emergency generator and asbestos removal.

² Does not include outstanding bids for mud jacking required for sinking floors and exterior walls.

Apparatus and Vehicle Replacement

The Apparatus and Vehicle Replacement Program has served as a means to provide the Fire Medical Department with a long-range apparatus and vehicle replacement schedule.  An Apparatus Replacement Program funded from a 2008 sale tax initiative has provided partial funding for the purchase of fire apparatus using criteria established through historical department experience and national fire and maintenance replacement standards.  As we near the end of the eight-year sales tax funding, an on-going replacement funding source needs to be identified. 

Employee Training

Strategic Goal 1 indicates the need to effectively achieve our mission; we will need to improve our commitment to employee training and education.  We are challenged to meet the required NFPA, Federal and State employee certifications in management and supervision (Blue Card), technical rescue (high angle, structural collapse, water/ice, and extrication), hazardous materials, domestic terrorism/weapons of mass destruction and emergency medical services.  Increase annual funding approximately $30,000.

Facility Fiber Connectivity

The ability for us to use technology of a basic nature is impaired by the lack of high speed connectivity from district stations to servers.  Currently Station No. 1, Station No. 4 and Administration/Station No. 5 are connected via fiber.  We have requested that Station No. 2, No. 3 and the Training Center be connected as soon as practical.