Smart Growth Fiscal Impact-2nd Revision

8/6/2019 Smart Growth Fiscal Impact-2nd Revision

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Smart Growth RelatedFire Service FiscalImpact Study

Germantown Fire DepartmentGermantown Fire Department

Dennis Wolf, Fire Chief

August 11, 2009

2nd Revision


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Table of Contents

Mission............................................................................................................................................2Guiding Fire Protection Philosophy on Smart Growth....................................................................2

Estimated Needs Summary and Expense........................................................................................2

Key Discussion Points.....................................................................................................................2

Existing Risks and Future Growth Outside of the Smart Growth Area..........................................4

Call Volume.....................................................................................................................................4

Emergency Responses Graph......................................................................................................5

Response Time.................................................................................................................................6

Average Response Time Table....................................................................................................6

First Unit On The Scene Within 6 Minutes Chart.......................................................................6

Commercial Inspections..................................................................................................................7

Incident Activity Comparison Graph...............................................................................................8

Five Year Activity Summary Table.................................................................................................8

Responses By District Graph and Table..........................................................................................9

Summary..........................................................................................................................................9

Appendix A....................................................................................................................................10

Detailed Expense Estimates.......................................................................................................10

Detailed Expense Estimates

Germantown Fire DepartmentPage 2

August 11, 2009Smart Growth Related Fiscal Impact Study 2nd Revision


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Germantown Fire DepartmentSmart Growth Fiscal Impact

Mission

To provide timely and effective response to fire and medical emergencies for the protection oflives and property in Germantown. Another way to put this simply is to say, We solveproblems forpeople.

Guiding Fire Protection Philosophy on Smart Growth

The fire department will require as much built-in fire protection for Smart Growth as possible,which includes sprinklers, standpipes, firewalls, smoke control features, etc. The fire departmentwill accomplish this through the plans review process. Smart Growth will require additional

resources, including but not limited to, additional fire station(s), engine company, truckcompany, and crews, and drive the need to establish a minimum staffing level of 4-persons perengine or truck company. The department anticipates an increase in demand for emergency fireand EMS services and non-emergency essential services. Additional resources are required toprovide adequate services for the increase in EMS and fire calls, and the increased number ofcommercial occupancies that will need annual fire inspections and other essential services, andthe increase in residents.

Estimated Needs Summary and Expense

Item Estimated Start-up Item ExpenseFire Station 5 Land, construction and FF&E $2,625,000

Additional staffed and equipped engine company $1,626,447Additional staffed and equipped truck company $1,911,4474-person minimum staffing policy $790,500Asst. Fire Marshal & Fire Inspector/Public Educator $163,080EMS Response Squads $657,060EMS Coordinator $88,229Estimated Start-up Total Expense $7,861,762

Key Discussion Points

The Germantown Fire Department is a suburban fire department that provides essential

emergency services including fire suppression, first-responder advanced life support(ALS) EMS response, Level A hazardous materials and bioterrorism response, andtechnical rescue response including high-angle, confined space, swift-water, and urbansearch and rescue.

Each day, the department staffs four engine companies, one truck company, oneparamedic response SUV, all supervised by a battalion chief.




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Minimum staffing on the engines and truck is 3-persons, and the paramedic responseSUV and battalion chiefs SUV are staffed with one person each, for a minimum staffingneed of 17 persons per shift.

Each shift has 20 assigned personnel, but scheduled leave such as vacation, unscheduledleave such as sick leave, and training and other leave results in an average daily staffinglevel of just over 17 personnel. As we say in the department, we are always atminimum.

The Germantown Fire Department is a one-major-incident department. One large fire,major traffic accident, mass-casualty EMS call, or hazardous materials response requiresall of the on-duty resources leaving no backup save mutual aid.

The department is creating a standard of cover that will identify and classify thecommunity fire risk and set service level objectives. The standard will createconcentration and distribution standards and establish an initial effective response foreach risk. This report should be completed in October 2009.

The department responds to approximately 2,700 calls per year. Over 60% of theresponses are EMS calls. The department will respond to about 12 serious fires per year.

The fires the department responds to currently are single-type fires. In other words, it is acommercial fire or a residential fire, but not both. Smart Growth will provide significantchallenges with mixed-use buildings. For example, if the fire is in a commercial space ina mixed-use building, crews must simultaneously fight the fire and search and clear everyresidential unit. This is very time consuming and requires many fire fighters.

The City of Germantown enjoys a Class 3 rating from the Insurance Services Office(ISO). Less than 5% of departments nationwide have a rating of Class 3 or better.

According to the Insurance Services Office, the city needs a second truck company now.We have several very distinct commercial districts, and adding taller buildings increasesthe need for taller ladders for rescue and access and elevated streams. Smart Growthdevelopment only exacerbates the current deficiency of inadequate truck company

coverage. Failure to provide the fire protection needed for Smart Growth could result in anunfavorable change in the Citys ISO rating, which would mean residents and businesseswould pay more for fire insurance.

The department will need to develop and teach strategy and tactics for fighting high-risefires and fires in mixed-use buildings.

Smart Growth projects are going to require significant staff time and technical expertisefrom the initial concept presentation to City staff through construction to the approval ofthe Use and Occupancy (U&O) permit (the fire department is the last agency to sign theU&O. The building may not be occupied until the U&O card is signed by a certified thefire inspector.).

In April 2008, Germantown Fire Marshals Office experienced staff reduction from two

qualified fire marshals to one, which resulted in service level reductions. The FireMarshals Office does not currently have the staff to serve Smart Growth needsadequately.

Current development regulations isolate residential and commercial construction and theassociated fire risks and hazards. The mixed use permitted by Smart Growth will haveresidents living and sleeping in the same structure that houses commercial occupancies.




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The taller buildings present challenges of getting fire fighters, equipment, and water tothe upper floors.

The reduced setbacks increase the risk of fire spread from one building to another. Narrower streets, traffic circles and other traffic calming devices increase response times The proximity of buildings to the street increases the difficulty of accessing the fire

building and places apparatus and personnel in potential collapse zones. Increased density and mixed use will produce more fire and EMS calls, especially in

medical occupancies. Smart Growth development should not result in a decrease in current service levels or in

customer service.

Existing Risks and Future Growth Outside of the Smart Growth Area

The Germantown Fire Department responded from one fire station from 1948 until 1977, whenthe Central Fire Station opened. A third fire station opened in 1982, and the fourth fire stationopened on July 1, 1992. Since 1992, the city has added many single and multi-family residential

units along with many thousands of square feet of commercial space with no additional firestations or increase in staff. Since 1992, several separate commercial districts have developed allover Germantown, creating the need to respond additional resources from distant stations. Thedepartment has seen an 88.3% increase in call volume since 1992 with no increase in staff orresources. To wit, the growth of the fire department has not kept pace with the growth of thecommunity. Compound this with the potential from significant growth outside of the SmartGrowth area. For example, Station 4 at 3031 Forest Hill-Irene Road covers the Forest Hill-Winchester area. Station 4s first-due response district covers approximately 4 square miles.Within this four square mile area there are 282.7 acres of undeveloped land zoned forcommercial use and 358.7 acres of undeveloped land zoned for residential use, which is about24% of the total land in the district. Under the master plan for this area, which includes conceptdrawings submitted with rezoning applications, and the uses permitted per City zoningregulations applied to undeveloped and underdeveloped parcels that are zoned commercial andoffice, an additional 2,743,500 square feet of office space in a mix of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-storybuildings and 280,000 square feet of retail space in mostly 1-story buildings could be constructedin this stations first due district. Simply put, the fire department does not have enough resourcesto protect what already exists, much less Smart Growth or the future development in Station 4sdistrict.

Call Volume

Since 2001, the department has experienced a 45.12% increase in the number of emergencyresponses. The majority of the increase is attributable to more EMS calls. During this same

period, the number of EMS response rose by 87.15%. In 2001, EMS calls accounted for 47.6%of the departments responses. In 2007, EMS calls accounted for 61.32% of all responses. Thistrend will continue as more medical facilities come online. In 2007, over 25% of all EMS callsmade were to medical facilities including doctors offices, surgery centers, clinics, and assistedcare living facilities. In 2001, the department responded to 98 such facilities, compared with 424responses in 2007.




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Emergency Responses Graph




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Response Time

The Germantown Fire Department is proud of its approximately five minute average responsetime. However, research has shown that average response time is a poor benchmark. Thecurrent standard used by fire department accreditation agencies is setting a percent of time thefirst unit arrives on the scene within 6 minutes of the initial call. The current national standard isthat the first unit should arrive on the scene within 6 minutes on 90% of all responses. Thefollowing table shows that Germantowns average response time has increased, and as theaverage response time increases, the percent of time the first unit arrives in 6 minutes or less hasdropped. The department is concerned that Smart Growth features including the higher density,narrow streets, and traffic calming devices like traffic circles will cause response times toincrease. This is also true if the first-due companies are busy, and other companies must respondfrom further away.

Year Average Response Time

(minutes) All Responses

Percent of Time First Unit

Arrives in 6 Minutes or Less2001 4:46 79.66%2002 4:48 80.61%2003 5:04 72.17%2004 5:14 72.78%2005 5:21 74.90%2006 5:23 72.94%2007 5:13 72.98%2008 5:10 74.7%

Average Response Time Table

First Unit On The Scene Within 6 Minutes ChartCommercial Inspections

Germantown enjoys a low fire loss compared to the value of the property at risk. This isespecially true in the business community thanks to an aggressive commercial inspectionprogram. Fire company personnel and the fire marshals conduct fire inspections of allcommercial occupancies in Germantown. The department inspects all commercial occupanciesannually, and inspects target hazards with high life risk or property value semi-annually. Theresult is that Germantown has a low incidence of fires in commercial occupancies, and the codeviolations found are minimal. The benefit to residents and visitors is that they work and shop inan environment safe from the risk of fire. Smart Growth is going to increase the number of

commercial occupancies requiring annual inspection.

Measure FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09

Inspections byFire MarshalsOffice

216 377 241 142 167




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Inspections byFire Fighters

820 767 855 1,147 1,060

Total Inspections 1,036 1,144 1,096 1,289 1,227

Code ViolationsFound 357 368 308 412 429

Code ViolationsCorrected in 90days

100% 99.84% 100% 100% 100%




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9241023 1001 1005

1161 11781214

10791154

1223

1067 1105

879943

988

1110 1106 10811173

13431446 1467

1690 1

Year

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20

0

500

1000

1500

2000

FIRE Responses EMS Responses

INCIDENT ACTIVITY COMPARISON

Incident Activity Comparison Graph

FIVE-YEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY

SITUATION FOUND 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

FIRE CALLS Structure fires, vehicle fires, grassfires, rubbish fires, etc.

202 123 148 141 125

EMS/RESCUE Emergency medical calls, rescuecalls, locked-in calls, etc.

1,343 1,446 1,467 1,690 1,663

HAZARDOUS CONDITION Flammablematerial spills without fire, power lines down, firedanger present without fire, hazardous chemicalspill, etc.

210 220 181 160 140

SERVICE CALLS Water removal, assist police,unauthorized burning, move-up or stand-by, etc.

152 217 240 218 203

GOOD INTENTSmoke scare, steam or gasmistaken for smoke, alarm tripped by accident, etc.

68 177 170 116 131

FALSE ALARMS Malicious false alarms, bombscares, alarm system malfunctions, etc.

436 412 477 431 490

OTHER Situations not covered above 11 5 7 1 16

TOTAL RESPONSES 2,422 2,600 2,690 2,757 2,768

AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME 5.06 5.09 5.08 5.07 4.57

Five Year Activity Summary Table




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Responses By District Graph and Table

Summary

Smart Growth will require the City to provide additional fire resources to maintain the samelevel of services offered now. However, past growth has contributed to the need for some ofthese resources. The development of the medical corridor along Wolf River Boulevard andGermantown Road has led to a significant increase in EMS calls, which makes Engine 93unavailable for fire calls when on a medical response. This affects fire and EMS response forSmart Growth, along with the additional demand Smart Growth will place on fire departmentservices. The growth in the eastern portion of Germantown at Poplar and Forest Hill and in thedevelopment park area at Forest Hill and Winchester is part of the need for a second aerial truckand the need to provide a four-person minimum staffing level on all apparatus. The intent of this

report is to identify the future long-term needs of the Germantown Fire Department for the next10 years, some of which can be attributed to Smart Growth. It is beyond the scope of this reportto determine what percent of the cost of these additional resources is attributable to SmartGrowth.

Germantown Fire Department Page10



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Appendix A

Detailed Expense Estimates

Smart Growth Fiscal Impact - Fire Protection

Item Quantity Unit Extended

Fire Station - Land 1 $500,000 $500,000

Fire Station - Construction 1 $2,000,000 $2,000,000

Fire Station - FF&E 1 $125,000 $125,000

Station Cost $2,625,000

Engine company - Apparatus 1 $530,000 $530,000

Equipment 1 $120,000 $120,000

Engine company & Equipment $650,000

Engine Company - Crew

Lieutenant 3 $53,798 $161,394

Driver 3 $47,375 $142,125

Firefighter 6 $35,000 $210,000

Firefighter/Pmed 3 $48,100 $144,300

Base Pay - Engine Crew $657,819

Estimated Benefits (40%) $263,128

Turnouts and Uniforms 15 $3,700 $55,500

Total Est. Cost Engine Crew $976,447

Engine Company - Apparatus and Crew $1,626,447

Truck company - Apparatus 1 $815,000 $815,000

Equipment 1 $120,000 $120,000

Truck Company and Equipment $935,000

Truck Company - Crew

Lieutenant 3 $53,798 $161,394

Driver 3 $47,375 $142,125

Firefighter 6 $35,000 $210,000

Firefighter/Pmed 3 $48,100 $144,300

Base Pay - Truck Crew $657,819



Total Est. Cost Truck Crew $976,447

Truck Company - Apparatus and Crew $1,911,447

Assistant Fire Marshal 1 $62,200 $62,200

Inspector/Public Ed. Officer 1 $49,000 $49,000

Base Pay - Fire Prevention $111,200



Total Est. Cost Fire Prevention $163,080




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Item Quantity Unit Extended

Increasing Minimum Staffing to 4

Engine 91 3 $35,000 $105,000Engine 92 3 $35,000 $105,000

Engine 93 3 $35,000 $105,000

Engine 94 3 $35,000 $105,000

Truck 41 3 $35,000 $105,000

Base Pay - 4 Person Minimum $525,000



Total Est. Cost 4 Person Min. $790,500

EMS Response SUV Program

SUV* 1 $35,000 $35,000

SUV FF&E* 1 $16,000 $16,000EMS SUV & Equipment $51,000

Firefighter/Paramedics 9 $48,100 $432,900



Total Est. Cost EMS Crew $606,060

Total Est. Cost EMS Vehicle and Crew $657,060

EMS Coordinator Position

EMS Coordinator 1 60378 $60,378


Base Pay EMS Coordinator $84,529Turnouts and Uniforms 1 $3,700 $3,700

Total Est. Cost EMS Coordinator $88,229

Total Estimated Fiscal Impact $7,861,762

*Note: The fire department has 1 EMS SUV already in service staffed by one paramedic.

Each SUV will require two paramedics, or 4 per shift, times 3 shifts.




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Appendix

Staffing Practices

Fire fighting operations have three basic functions: search and rescue; forcible entry andventilation; and applying water to the seat of the fire using handlines. All of these are laborintensive. It takes a minimum of two (2) fire fighters to operate one (1) handline. If the fire islarge and requires more than one line it will take more than two fire fighters. It takes a team oftwo (2) fire fighters to perform a primary search and rescue any trapped occupants. It takes ateam of at least two (2) fire fighters to perform ventilation work on the outside of the building(opening up the roof, gables, and/or windows to let the heat, hot gases, and smoke out). It takesat least two (2) fire fighters to pull ceilings and open up walls inside to expose hidden fire so thatthe handline team can extinguish it. Per OSHA regulations (29CFR1910.134), interior operationscannot take place without at least two (2) trained and fully equipped fire fighters being on stand-by outside the structure, ready to immediately begin rescue operations should a fire fighter get

into trouble (we call this a RIT team, short for Rapid Intervention Team). Also, fire fighting ishard, exhausting work. The air cylinders typically last about 15 minutes before they are empty.Sufficient additional fire fighters must be available to rotate crews from fire fighting operationsinto a rehab area for a new air cylinder, fluids (Gatorade, etc.), and a quick medical evaluationbefore they are sent back inside for more work. This does not take into consideration the need toestablish a water supply, control utilities, protect any exposures that may be threatened, or thefire fighters needed to operate the fire pumps.

The following chart shows how the typical Germantown Fire Department response of two (2)engines, the Quint, and a battalion chief is deployed:

First engine-in (3 people)Attack crew: 2Driver of attack pumper 1

Second engine in (3 people)Search & Rescue crew: 2Driver of supply pumper: 1

Third engine in (3 people)RIT team 3

I. Incident Commander 1

Total Fire Fighters 10

The ICMA green book (Managing Fire Services) says the following about the importance ofhaving a sufficient number of trained fire fighters available.

Various controlled and statistically based experiments by some cities and universitiesreveal that if about sixteen (16) trained fire fighters are not operating at the scene of a working




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fire within the crucial time period, then dollar loss and injuries are significantly increased, as arethe feet of fire spread.

As firefighting tactics were conducted for comparative purposes, five-person firesuppression companies were judged to be 100% effective in their task performance, four-personcompanies 65 percent effective, and three-person companies 38 percent effective; six-personcompanies are judged 20 percent faster than four-person companies. (Managing Fire Services,second edition, International City Managers Association, page 119). [The source for the abovequote was: John A. Granito, Evaluation and Planning of public Fire Protection, Fire ProtectionHandbook, 16th edition (Quincy, Mass.: National Fire Protection Association, 1986); and RobertW. Backoff, Measuring Firefighting Effectiveness: Preliminary report, School of PublicAdministration, Ohio State University, unpublished paper, 1986.]

Communities must assess their needs to determine the level of staffing that meets theirrequirements. However, it has been demonstrated that when staffing falls below four firefighters per company, fire ground effectiveness may be compromised. Tests conducted with the

Dallas, TX, Fire Department indicated that staffing below a crew size of four can overtax theoperating force and lead to higher losses. [Fire Protection Handbook, 18th edition (Quincy,Mass.: National Fire Protection Association, 1986, page 10-22]

Fire Departments operating emergency medical service transports need additional personnel tomaintain basic fire company strength. In some smaller communities, the staffing ratio perpopulation protected may be relatively high because of the need for sufficient on-duty personnelfor effective initial attack and rescue operations. This is especially true in bedroomcommunities, where call personnel are not readily available during the workday. [FireProtection Handbook, 18th edition (Quincy, Mass.: National Fire Protection Association, 1986,page 10-22]

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) also makes recommendations on staffinglevels.

NFPA 1500, A-6-4.1, makes recommendations for response to high-hazard or high occupancyareas. They recommend 5 fire fighter per engine and 6 fire fighters per truck in these high-riskareas.

The NFPA Fire Protection Handbook, 18th edition, 1997, recommends .5 personnel on duty per1,000 population for on-duty strength. For Germantown (39,279 population), that would be 20fire fighters on-duty all the time (39 x .5 = 19.5, rounded to 20). The Germantown FireDepartment has a minimum staffing level of 17, which is below this recommended on-duty

strength. Because of vacation, illness, schools and training, and unanticipated leave (military,funeral, etc.) we need 20 fire fighters per shift to maintain the minimum staffing level of 17.NFPA also recommends a minimum first-alarm response to different classes of hazards. Thisresponse is summarized in the chart below. The information from page 10-34 of the NFPAHandbook is compared with the actual first-alarm response for the Germantown FireDepartment.




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Hazard High Medium LowResources NFPA G.F.D. NFPA G.F.D. NFPA G.F.D.Engines 4 2 3 2 2 2

Trucks 2 1 1 1 1 1Chief 2 1 1 1 1 1Firefighters 24 9 16 9 12 9Tot Person. 26 10 17 10 13 10

The following hazard definitions are from page 10-34 of the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook:

High Hazard: Schools, hospitals, nursing homes, explosives plants, refineries, high-rise, andother high life hazard or large fire potential occupancies. In Germantown this includes allschools, both hospitals, the out-patient surgery clinics, the congregate care (senior housing)facilities, most churches (high life hazard when occupied and large fire potential all the time).

Medium Hazard: Apartments, offices, mercantile, and industrial occupancies not normallyrequiring extensive rescue or fire fighting forces. In Germantown this includes all apartmentcomplexes, all the hotels and motels, the commercial districts and shopping centers, and all ofthe office complexes and buildings.

Low Hazard: One-two-, or three-family dwellings and scatted small businesses and industrialoccupancies. Being primarily residential, Germantown has over 11,000 households to protect.

As you can see, Germantown does not respond even the minimum first alarm assignmentrecommended by NFPA. This is an indication that we are not overstaffed. We barely haveenough personnel to perform search and rescue and fire attack while complying with the OSHA

standard of having a RIT team.



Smart Growth Fiscal Impact-2nd Revision

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