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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - February 3, 2015 SSLODI CITY COUNCIL SHIRTSLEEVE SESSION CARNEGIE FORUM, 305 WEST PINE STREET TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 A. Roll Call by City Clerk The Shirtsleeve Session of February 3, 2015, was called to order by Mayor Johnson at 7:00 a.m. Present: Council Member Kuehne, Council Member Mounce, Council Member Nakanishi, Mayor Pro Tempore Chandler, and Mayor Johnson Absent: None Also Present: City Manager Schwabauer, City Attorney Magdich, and City Clerk Ferraiolo NOTE: Mayor Pro Tempore Chandler arrived at 7:01 a.m.; Council Member Kuehne arrived at 7:04 a.m. B. Topic(s) B-1 Benefits of Returning Browned -Out Fire Engine 1 Back to Service (FD) Fire Chief Larry Rooney provided a PowerPoint presentation on the benefits of returning browned -out Fire Engine No. 1 back to service. Specific topics of discussion included background; summary; engine/pumper and truck capabilities; Fire Station areas; benefits of staffing Engine No. 1; National Fire Protection Association 1710 recommended standards; Fire Department staffing; recommendations; and fiscal impact. In response to Council Member Nakanishi, Chief Rooney stated that other communities have also browned out engines, adding that Stockton shut down three units, which have since been brought back to service. At the request of City Manager Schwabauer, Chief Rooney explained that aerial capability is the ladder function, which includes a water pipe, on the fire truck that allows firefighters to access buildings over one story high. In response to Council Member Mounce, Chief Rooney stated Lodi has a significant amount of two-story buildings, as well as three stories, and that District 1, which is the smallest district and includes the downtown area, is the most dense with the tallest buildings, oldest infrastructure, and inadequate or lacking fire systems in place. For those reasons, the Department is concerned about responding to that area with the appropriate resources and in a quick -enough manner. In response to Council Member Nakanishi, Chief Rooney stated that, when responding to requests for mutual aid, the Department sends the most appropriate or requested apparatus, whether that be the engine or the truck. In response to Council Member Mounce, Chief Rooney stated that a replacement fire truck would cost in the neighborhood of $1 million. Mr. Schwabauer stated that the last truck was serviceable as a front-line truck for five or six years because it was running as an engine, and Chief Rooney added that a truck should typically last for 20 years. Council Member Mounce stated she believed the City should be setting aside money to replace this asset, that a full response team should be available to the citizens of this community, and she supported putting the browned -out engine back in service. Mr. Schwabauer responded that the City has a vehicle replacement fund for all City vehicles; however, there is insufficient resources in that fund today and he believed it would not be built-up sufficiently if the engine needed to be replaced within the next five years. The primary reason is budgetary with the challenge being the ability to provide levels of service and having the necessary capital. In response to Mayor Johnson, Chief Rooney stated he would provide a breakdown of response calls per district. In response to Mayor Johnson, Chief Rooney stated that the capacity of the fire engine is four, but is staffed with three firefighters, and the capacity for the fire truck is five, but is staffed with three. In response to Mayor Johnson, Chief Rooney stated that the Department will be able to more efficiently staff the engine once the six new firefighters complete their academy training. In response to Council Member Mounce, Chief Rooney stated that the Department has 46 funded firefighter positions, which includes the six new firefighters, with the total number of Fire Department personnel at 53.5. In response to Council Member Nakanishi, Chief Rooney stated that the six new firefighters would enable the Department to maintain the minimum staffing level of 15, which was the level in 2009 prior to browning out Engine No. 1. In further response, Chief Rooney stated he has no plan to return to Council to request an increase to the staffing level and stated that the current recommendation is to meet the need using overtime dollars. Council Member Nakanishi expressed his support of the Fire Department recommendation to bring Engine No. 1 back to service. In response to Mayor Pro Tempore Chandler, Chief Rooney stated that, prior to Stockton Dispatch taking over the dispatching in December 2014, Lodi Fire responded to all 911 calls, regardless of how severe the nature. Since the changeover, Stockton Dispatch pre-screens the emergency calls and dispatches the more appropriate unit. For example, lower level (Alpha) calls are dispatched to an ambulance at a longer response time instead of sending the engine or truck. In response to Council Member Kuehne, Chief Rooney stated that the Department has a good working relationship with American Medical Response (AMR) and its assistance with the lower - level calls frees up firefighters to handle the bigger issues, thereby providing the best level of service. Chief Rooney stated that firefighters will often ride to the hospital in the ambulance if the paramedic requests assistance with a patient, and he believed this was an important part of providing a full complement to Lodi citizens and increasing survivability odds to patients. In further response, Chief Rooney stated that AMR's response model is based on volume, and he did not believe it would put two to three paramedics on an ambulance, but the company does a fine job and will ask when it needs assistance. Council Member Mounce expressed support in continuing the practice of having firefighters ride along in the ambulance if it is deemed necessary and once again expressed her support of the recommendation to bring Engine No. 1 back to service in a permanent manner. Mr. Schwabauer recognized the Lodi Fire Department for the tremendous job and service it has provided to the citizens of this community all while doing so with less people. He cautioned, however, about making priority decisions with only one priority on the table, pointing out that there are inadequate staffing and service levels in other departments, including the Police Department and Public Works Streets Division. Council will need to weigh this priority with others that will come before it in the near future. In response to Mayor Johnson, Chief Rooney stated that Stockton Fire has reported a 28 percent reduction in call response; however, Stockton is also not answering lower -level calls, as well as next level calls. Chief Rooney explained the call levels: Alpha (lower -level) calls are for those who need a response for a minor injury, but are not in dire need; Bravo (next -level) calls are slightly more urgent, such as a non -life-threatening injury; Charlie (higher-level) calls are for those with life-threatening injuries. Staff is currently reviewing call data to determine if it should also eliminate responses to Bravo calls. The Fire Department is responsible for basic life support in the city, whereas AMR is advanced life support, and his goal is to ensure the Department is available to support AMR. Chief Rooney estimated that, based on preliminary data, Lodi Fire has realized a 15 percent reduction in calls since eliminating the Alpha -type responses. In further reply, Chief Rooney stated that the City of Stockton has eliminated Alpha and Bravo calls; Lodi has eliminated Alpha calls only at this time; and Manteca is still responding to all calls but is considering a reduction. In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Schwabauer agreed that the City has done better than budgeted since 2008 due to a combination of factors: expenditures were below budgeted amounts and revenues were in excess of what was expected. He stated that he will continue to be conservative in his recommendations, adding that his goal is to ensure employees receive their paychecks and that citizens receive the necessary services. Council Member Mounce stated that being conservative is a positive reflection of the community as a whole, but now is the time to begin to allow for growth. Ed Miller expressed appreciation and gratitude to the Fire Department for its service to his family recently, as well as to the community as a whole. He believed that the costs were merely alluded to in the presentation, but were not quantified, adding that further discussion is necessary to include maintenance and depreciation costs along with all of the other financial aspects before making any decision. C. Comments by Public on Non-Aaenda Items None. D. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the City Council, the meeting was adjourned at 7:54 a.m. ATTEST: Jennifer M. Ferraiolo City Clerk AGENDA ITEM Bml CITY OF I,ODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION TM AGENDA TITLE: Benefits of Returning Browned -Out Fire Engine 1 Back to Service MEETING DATE: February 3, 2015 PREPARED BY: Fire Chief RECOMMENDED ACTION: Introduce the benefits of returning "browned -out" fire Engine 1 back into service. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: In 2009, the reduction of revenues from the recession forced the City of Lodi Fire Department to reduce expenditures by shutting down Engine 1. Despite the cost savings, the brown out of Engine 1 has resulted in reduced levels of service and service delivery impacts. The purpose of this report is to show the benefits of returning Engine 1 back to service. SUMMARY: The brown -out of Engine 1 has had multiple impacts to the Fire Department as well as the community at large. Browning -out or temporarily closing fire companies, results in a reduction in the City's daily firefighting and emergency response force. This means that fewer fire companies are available to respond to the same number of emergency requests for service. While all stations have remain staffed, daily emergency response resource levels have varied, resulting in a fluctuating number of in-service companies available to respond to incidents. Fully staffing Engine 1 will assist with the following: • Public Safety is increased with additional resources available to respond. Brown -outs naturally increase response time, jeopardizing the safety of the community and firefighters. Seconds count when it comes to fires, heart attack, choking, drowning and trauma victims. • District One, which includes the downtown business district, would have increased fire protection with the engine back in service. With only Truck 1 responding, the next engine is coming from Station 4. Truck 1 does not carry the necessary equipment or personnel to complete both truck and suppression duties that an engine provides (Attachment 1). • With the brown -out of Engine 1, Truck 1 is used for calls that normally would be intended for an engine, and is unable to respond to incidents it is suited for. At times Truck 1 is responding to vehicle and rubbish fires without sufficient water and tools. • During the times of a brown -out, if Truck 1 arrives on the scene first a split-second tactical decision must be made if the vehicle will be used as an engine or perform the duties as a truck, thus leaving a margin of error in not utilizing the vehicle in its greatest capacity. • Reduced wear, tear, and maintenance on Truck 1, which is being overused as both a truck and engine. Ar • Increase firefighter safety by maintaining a minimum staffing level of 15 firefighters rather than the current 12 firefighters who now must rely on mutual aid resources or a call back of off-duty personnel. • In the event the Department sends a firefighter with an ambulance to support patient care, the City still has the minimum staffing of 12 firefighters remaining to cover emergency responses instead of declining to nine. • Reduce the strain on utilizing mutual aid resources. We cannot always depend on mutual aid units being available due to the need to protect their own jurisdictions. • Complying faster with OSHA standard's "two-in/two-out" safety measure, with additional resources available in the response. • Personnel injury rate decrease with more firefighters on scene to complete suppression tasks. The practice of browning -out emergency vehicles has been found to reduce expenditures but at an overall expense to the community. The effects of a disaster (fire, flood, earthquake, etc.) on businesses can have lasting impacts to small communities. According to FEMA and the Small Business Administration, 40 percent of businesses do not reopen after a disaster and 25 percent of those that do, close within a year. It is imperative for the Lodi Fire Department to minimize the damage of a fire and the key to this is adequate staffing. The National Fire Protection Association standard 1710 (NFPA) indicates that a fire department shall have the capability to deploy an initial full alarm assignment (those personnel, equipment, and resources ordinarily dispatched upon notification of a structural fire) consisting of between 15 and 17 personnel. The NFPA does not recommend standard staffing levels, but its annual report says the number of firefighters per 1,000 people is "a good way to develop a sense of the size of the department relative to population they protect." In 2011, the national median number of firefighters was 1 per 1,000 residents, in cities with 50,000 to 99,999 people. With the City of Lodi population of 63,338 (2013, US Census Bureau) the City should have roughly 63 firefighters on staff. At this time the City has 46 firefighters on staff, 25 percent below the national median. The decision to implement a brown -out was made out of financial necessity. In 2012, the City partially authorized funding to staff Engine 1 on a part time basis, resulting in staffing Engine 1- 34 percent of the year (in service 124 days of the year). In 2013, Lodi Fire was fully staffed enabling the department to put Engine 1 in service for 69 percent of the year (in service 215 days of the year). For a portion of 2014, Lodi Fire was understaffed by six firefighter, therefore only able to staff Engine 1- 46 percent of the year (in service 168 days of the year). RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the City Council consider the benefits of returning Engine 1 to service. The browning -out of Engine 1 has negatively impacted the Fire Departments ability to provide adequate coverage for public safety services and hinders an effective response model. An effective response model utilizes all available resources to their full capabilities, sending the closest appropriate fire apparatus to the call. The Lodi Fire Department is committed to providing the highest levels of service and returning Engine 1 into full service will ensure we meet these standards. FISCAL IMPACT: Currently Lodi Fire has $321,080 earmarked in the overtime budget to partially staff Engine 1. The total estimated cost of returning the browned -out Engine 1 back to full service for one year is $365,000 in additional overtime. This would include the constant staffing of overtime cost for one captain, engineer, and firefighter. In contrast, the cost to hire nine firefighters (one captain, engineer, and firefighter for three shifts) would cost the City and estimated $1.3 million annually. Kifig. lIT#NAMED WINE LARKSBALIE G z W 12 II i1lf.-in IL -- - IRONIESi ■ _ Fes-- I' . cc 7 �_ ll1j _ Z TAYLORWMAGIC W � �� 4-_ i u Li F4 ow�j,,�k 12 KETTLEMAN C] 1,6 ; Lu 2 CAMPH OR ID m G r 93 CENTURY r $WAI _;r--.� in PROVIDENCE p� lif z ;jJ rfal. L) LEXINGTON ti00 0 HARNEY x ..., R 3 F H13{y1 W z � ARIIISFRflNG I • ' 41 BEAR CREEK Q 13 RUET f Benefits of Returning Out Fire Engine 1 Back :• In 2009, the reduction of revenues from the recession forced the City of Lodi Fire Department to reduce expenditures by shutting down Engine 1. �:• Despite the cost savings, the brown out of Engine 1 has resulted in reduced levels of service and service delivery impacts. �:• The purpose of this report is to show the benefits of returning Engine 1 back to service. 2 Summary ❖ Browning -out or temporarily closing fire companies, results in a reduction in the City's daily firefighting and emergency response force. ❖ This means that fewer fire companies are available to respond to the same number of emergency requests for service. ❖ While all stations have remain staffed, daily emergency response resource levels have varied, resulting in a fluctuating number of in-service companies available to respond to incidents. 3 ENGINE/PUMPER • Carries 500 gallons of water • Full compliment of hose in various sizes and lengths TRUCK • Carries 250 gallons of water • Provides forcible entry, ventilation, and extrication i' ■ =Q� KETTLEMI4N �'` � _ CALM P A cm 42 7 CE NTIJ RY r O me sure► � PRCvVFpENCE m Q � LEXINGTON Vel Q ZO H/4RNEY Legend QFire Distil#rea Fire Gist 3 Area Lodi Fire Station Areas $ Fire Dist 2 Area Wes es Q Fire Dist I Area 6 625 6 5 1 5 �:• Public Safety is increased with additional resources available to respond. Shorter response times when Engine 1 is in service. Brown -outs naturally increase response time. �:• District One would have increased fire protection with service by Engine 1. With only Truck 1 responding, the next engine is coming from Station 4. 0 Benefits of Engine I continue ❖ With the brown -out of Engine 1, Truck 1 is used for calls that would be intended for an engine, and is unable to respond to incidents it is suited for. ❖ At times Truck 1 is responding to vehicle and rubbish fires without sufficient water and tools. Therefore an engine is added to the response for support ❖ During the times of a brown -out, if Truck 1 arrives on the scene first, a split-second tactical decision must be made if the apparatus will be used as an engine or performed the duties as a truck, thus leaving a margin of error in not utilizing the vehicle in its greatest capacity. ❖ Reduced wear, tear, and maintenance on Truck 1 which is being overused as both a truck and engine. Benefits of Engine 1 continue s� {,, _ �' _rte 'i � _-�•. Increase firefighter safety by maintaining a minimum staffin level of 15 firefighters rather than the current f2f. firefighters. Complying faster with "two-in/two out" OSHA Standard safety measure, with additional resources available in the response. Ensuring firefighter safety,thus, personnel injury rate decrease with more firefighters on scene to complete suppression tasks. Benefits of Ergine continue The practice of browning -out emergency vehicles has been found to reduce expenditures but at an overall expense to the community. •: The effects of a disaster (fire, flood, earthquake, etc.) on businesses can have lasting impacts to small communities. •: According to FEMA and the Small Business Administration, 40% of businesses do not reopen after a disaster and 25 % of those that do, close within a year. 9 s� NFPA ROCOMWWndw�►► The National Fire Protection Association 1710 (NFPA) indicates that a fire department shall have the capability to deploy an initial full alarm assignment (those personnel, equipment, and resources ordinarily dispatched upon notification of a structural fire) consisting of between 15 and 17 personnel. ❖ In 2011, the national median number of f Tref i hters was 1 per 1,000 residents in cities with 50,000 to 99, 99 people. With the City of Lodi population of 63,338 (2013, US Census Bureau) the City should have rou hl 63 firefighters on staff. At this time the City has 46 firefighters on staff, this is 25% below the national median. 10 Totals For the Year In Service Out of Service 2012 124 34% 242 66% 2013 251 69% 114 31% 2014 168 46%1 197 54% ❖ In 2012, the City partially authorized funding to staff Engine 1 on a part time basis, resulting in staffing Engine 1- 34 percent of the year. ❖ In 2013, Lodi Fire was fully staffed enabling the department to put Engine 1 in service for 69 percent of the year. ❖ For a portion of 2014, Lodi Fire was understaffed by six firefighter, therefore only able to staff Engine 1- 46 percent of the year. 11 Recommendation �:• The browning -out of Engine 1 has negatively impacted the Fire Departments ability to provide adequate public safety services and hinders an effective response model. �:• An effective response model utilizes all available resources to their full capabilities. �:• Staff recommends the City Council consider the benefits of returning Engine 1 to service 12 Fiscal Impact �:• Currently Lodi Fire has $321,080 earmarked in the overtime budget to partially staff Engine 1. �:• The total estimated cost of returning the browned -out Engine 1 back to full service for one year is $365,000 in additional overtime. ❖ This would include the constant staffing of overtime cost for one captain, engineer, and firefighter. �:• In contrast, the cost to hire nine firefighters (one captain, engineer, and firefighter for three shifts) would cost the City and estimated $1.3 million annually. 13 Questions or Comments 14