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03242015 Part 3
March 19, 2015 Honorable Mayor and Moses Lake City Council Dear Council Members C IT Y OF MOSES LAKE Attached is a memo from the Assistant Fire Chief to the City Manager regarding Fire Department performance standards. Also attached is a white paper written by Ray Crouch, Sr., University of Tennessee, MTAS Fire Management Consultant, with regard to NFPA 1710. I thought you might find the white paper interesting. Also attached is a matrix which illustrates the performance standards being used by some other jurisdictions similar in size to the City of Moses Lake and some jurisdictions much larger than the City. The information is presented to the City Council for its review and consideration. Respectfully s"i~ed (/LW/~ JKG:jt K. Gavinski City Manager 764-3701 •City Attorney 764-3703 •Community Development 764-3750 •Finance 764-3717 •Fire 765-2204 Municipal Sen·ices 764-3783 •Municipal Court 764-3701 •Parks & Recreation 764-3805 •Police 764-3887 •Fax 764-3739 401 S Balsam St.• P.O. Box 1579 •Moses Lake, WA 98837-0224 • www.cityofml.com M E To: From: Date: Subject: M 0 R A N City Manager Assistant Fire Chief Bastian 3-11-2015 D u M Fire Department Performance Standard for Council Consideration Attached is a draft performance standard for the Moses Lake Fire Department for council consideration. Chief Taylor and I have looked at performance standards over the last few years, and I have compiled several samples from other jurisdictions within Washington in order to provide a comparison between what others have done, and what is proposed for the Moses Lake Fire Department. In my annual report that was presented to the City Council I referenced RCW 35.103 as the statute for the requirement to adopt performance standards. The actual code section that should be referenced for code cities is RCW 35A.92. This chapter of the RCW is virtually identical to RCW 35.103, but addresses code cities rather than Class 1 & Class 2 cities. Moses Lake Fire Deportment "Performance Standard" Pursuant to R.C.W. 35A.92 RESPONSE TIMES ARE CRITICAL TO GOOD FIRE PROTECTION Moses Lake Fire Department Fire Departme nts -Performance M ea sures 3SA.92.010 Intent. The legislature intends for code cities to set standards for addressing the reporting and accountability of substantially career fire departments, and to specify performance measures applicable to response time objectives for certain major services. The legisla- ture acknowledges the efforts of the international city/county management association, the international association of fire chiefs, and the national fire protection association for the organization and deployment of resources for fire departments. The arrival of first responders with automatic external defibrillator capability before the onset of brain death, and the arrival of adequate fire suppression resources before flash-over is a criti- cal event during the mitigation of an emergency, and is in the public's best interest. For these reasons, this chapter contains performance measures, comparable to that research, relating to the organization and deployment of fire suppression operations, emergency medical operations, and special operations by substantially career fire departments. This chapter does not, and is not intended to, in any way modify or limit the authority of code cities to set levels of service. Fire Propagation Curve The burning process occurs in clearly defined stages. By recognizing the different phases or stages, one can better understand the proc- ess of burning and fighting the fire at different levels and with different tactics and tools. Each stage is char- acterized by differences in room temperature and at-Incipient Phase (Growth Stage) mospheric composition. In the first phase, the oxygen content in the air has not been significantly reduced and the fire is producing some heat. Free Burning Phase (Fully Developed) The second phase of burning encompasses all of the free burn- ing activities of the fire. Room temperatures in the upper re- gions can exceed 1,300°F. Smoldering Phase (Decay Stage) In this stage of the fire may cease to produce flame, but will continue to produce high heat and can increase the possibility of a backdraft. Page 2 I HID 90 .. 70 .. I -'° ll t so I . • l ...., .. -.... ~ ~ .r.-+ - '° ----·1.- JO I 10 0 0 1 2 , 4 s ' 7 I 9 10 11 ll 1' J.4 IS 16 ...... Propagation Curve in Relation to Response Time The graphic above depicts the relationship between time, fire growth, and property destruction. You will note that the flash- over line located on this chart is at approximately l 0 minutes. This is a relative time frame, as flashover is dependent upon two things-ventilation and fuel. The typically furnished home in Moses Lake can see flashover much sooner than l 0 minutes due to the materials that are used in everything from carpeting to upholstery. The earlier fire suppression intervention can be accomplished in relation to the propagation of the fire, the less damage, and the greater the chance of successful rescue of fire victims. One of the key features of any performance standard, or standard of coverage adopted by the City of Moses Lake should be that of reducing the amount of time that it takes to take meaningful action at the scene of an emergency. Other emergencies, including cardiac arrests, significant bodily trauma, and response to special operations incidents such as water or ice rescue, or confined space rescues all ore heavily weighted upon the arrival of adequate resources within as short a time period as possible. Page 3 Predictable Consequences RCW 35A.92.040 (2)(b) "The annual report shall explain the predictable consequences of any deficiencies and address the steps that are necessary to achieve compliance". There are two primary issues that impact the Moses Lake Fire Department during emergency operations. These are: 1. Geography: The layout of the City of Moses Lake directly impacts response times due to the spread out nature of the bounda- ries, and features such as lake crossing points. 2. Availability of adequate resources to provide meaningfal intervention. This primarily relates to personnel staffing but can, and has, related to the availability of apparatus and equipment. The following describes the sequence of events involved with a fire in a structure and with cardiac arrest, a significant medical emer- gency. These explain the importance of response time in creating an effective outcome to an emergency and the results if response is delayed. Response Performance and Outcomes: The ultimate goal of any emergency service delivery system is to provide sufficient resources (personnel, apparatus, and equipment) to the scene of an emergency in time to take effective action to minimize the impacts of the emergency. This need applies to fires, medical emergencies, and special operations emergencies. Dynamics of fire in buildings: Most fires within buildings develop in a predictable fashion, unless influenced by highly flammable material. Ignition, or the begin- ning of a fire, starts the sequence of events. The incipient stage of a fire begins producing products of combustion that can be imme- diately dangerous to life or health (IDLH.) Temperatures throughout a structure in the incipient stage of fire remain within a surviv- able zone for a time. That time is dependent upon many things: Type of furnishings, amount of fuel load, and ventilation to name a few. The human survival factor in this stage of the fire is dependent upon early notification of the fire and immediate escape from the affected area. Smoke alarms are key to that early notification during times when people are asleep. Once flames have appeared the sequence of fire progression continues rapidly. Combustible material adjacent to the flame heats and ignites, which in turn heats and ignites other adjacent materials if sufficient oxygen is present. As the objects burn, heated gases ac- cumulate at the ceiling of the room. Most of these gases are flammable and highly toxic. The spread of the fire from this point continues quickly. Soon the flammable gases at the ceiling as well as other combustible mate- rial in the room of origin reach ignition temperature. At that point, an event termed flashover occurs; the gases and other materials ignite in what approximates an explosion of fire. Once flashover occurs, damage caused by the fire is significant and the environ- ment within the room can no longer support human life. Since flashover has such a dramatic influence on the outcome of a fire event, the goal of any fire agency is to apply water to a fire before flashover occurs. Confining a fire to the room of origin (which typically means extinguishing prior to or immediately follow- ing flashover) has been shown statistically to result in lower rates of death, injury, and property loss when compared to fires that had an opportunity to spread beyond the room of origin. The predictable consequence of not providing a meaningful suppression response is that of increased injury or death rates, and greater levels of damage to the building-and surrounding buildings. Emergency Medical Event Sequence Cardiac arrest is generally used as the prototypical life threatening medical event. A victim of cardiac arrest has mere minutes in which to receive definitive lifesaving care if there is to be any hope of resuscitation. Heart attack survival chances fall by seven to ten percent for every minute between collapse and meaningful resuscitative measures being initiated. Automatic external defibrillators (AED) is a part of this equation and the City of Moses Lake has installed these units in many city facilities, in police patrol vehicles, and in fire department command vehicles. The other part of this equation is the initiation of meaningful cardiac intervention such as "high performance" cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the introduction of cardiac medications. High performance CPR is a change to the traditional professional rescuer CPR. Statistics involving high performance CPR are en- couraging, and indicate that this change in how we do CPR is one of the most important factors in the potential survival rate of a cardiac arrest victim. High performance CPR requires more personnel to effectively perform. Generally five personnel are utilized to perform effective high performance CPR. This is one of the reasons that a fire engine will be dispatched with a medic unit-to provide staffing for personnel intensive medical incidents. The probability of recovery from cardiac arrest drops quickly as time progresses. The stages of medical response are very similar to the components described for fire response. The predictable consequences of delayed or inadequate response to a medical emergency such as cardiac arrest or serious traumatic injury is that of more unfavorable outcomes, including lower survival rates. The photo above of then Assistant Chief Tom Taylor in 2002 is a graphic reminder of the service that your fire department provides to the citizens of Moses Lake. "HOT ZONE" REFERS TO AN ATMOSPHERE THAT IS DANGEROUS TO LIFE AND HEALTH, ALSO REFERRED TO AS AN IDLH ATMOSPHERE. Moses Lake Fire Deportment Safety Standards for Firefighters 296-305-01003 Scope (1) The rules of this chapter shall apply with respect to any and all activities, operations and equipment of employers and employees involved in providing fire protection services which are subject to the provisions of the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act of 1973 (Chapter 49.17 RCW). 296-305-05002 Fire Suppression 296-305-05002(4) Initial attack operations shall be organized to ensure that if, on arrival at the emergency scene, responders find a known rescue situation where immediate action could prevent the loss of life or serious injury, such action shall only be permitted when no less than three (3) personnel (2- in/1-out) ore present and equipped to provide emergency assistance or rescue of the team entering the hot zone. 296-305-05002(5) Firefighters must not engage in interior structural firefighting in the absence of at least two standby firefighters (2in/2out) except as provided in WAC 296-305-05002(4). What this means is that if the Moses Lake Fire Department has compelling evidence to believe there is a life hazard present in the building, we can legally enter the structure with a minimum of three qualified and properly equipped personnel on scene. If there is not compelling evi- dence suggesting a life hazard being present we cannot legally begin interior fire suppression operations until we hove a minimum of four personnel on scene. Initial Phase and Rapid Intervention Team The initial phase of a fire incident is defined as that phase of the fire where tasks are undertaken by the first arriving company with only one crew assigned or operating in the hot zone. Once a second crew arrives at the hot zone, the incident shall no longer be considered to be in the "initial stage," and at least one rapid intervention crew should be assigned. A rapid intervention crew is a dedicated rescue crew assigned to immediately enter the hot zone to rescue trapped, lost, or injured firefighters who were operating inside the hot zone. Page 6 Moses Lake Fire Deportment In researching the issues surrounding the development of a performance standard it has be- come clear that a "meaningful" response should be directly correlated to a response that can intervene at an emergency incident and begin mitigating the incident. After reviewing WAC 296-305, WAC 296-824, and Title 29 CFR 1910.120(q) specific numbers of personnel are attributed to what a meaningful response would be. In the case of structural firefighting that number is 4 based on WAC 296-305-05002 and 6 in the case of hazardous materials response based on 29 CFR 1910.120(q). RCW 35A.92.030 sets specific service delivery objectives and states that every code city shall maintain a written statement or policy that establishes the following: (a) The existence of a fire department; (b) Services that the fire department is required to provide; (c) The basic organizational structure of the fire department; ( d) The expected number of fire department employees;and (e) Functions that fire department employees are expected to perform. (2) Every code city shall include service delivery objectives in the written statement under subsection (1) ofthis section. These objectives shall include specific response time objec- tives for the following major service components, if appropriate: (a) Fire suppression (b) Emergency medical services; (c) Special operations; ( d) Aircraft rescue and firefighting; ( e) Marine rescue and firefighting; and (f) Wildland firefighting (3) Every code city, in order to measure the ability to arrive and begin mitigation operations before the critical events of brain death or flash-over, shall establish time objectives for the following measurements: (a) Turnout time; (b) Response time for the arrival of the first arriving engine company at a fire suppression incident and response time for the deployment of a full first alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident; ( c) Response time for the arrival of a unit with first responder or higher level of capability at an emergency medical incident;and ( d) Response time for the arrival of an advanced life support unit at an emergency medical incident, where this service is provided by the fire department. (4) Every code city shall also establish a performance objective ofnot less than ninety (90) percent for the achievement of each response time objective established under subsection (3) of this section. Page 7 Objective Turnout Time Moses Lake Fire Department Given that WAC 296-305 requires a minimum of four personnel on scene prior to engagement in interior structure fire operations, MLFD is suggesting that four personnel be the baseline for response in the initial phases of a fire or special operations response. A full alarm assign- ment should be considered to be staffing of three engines, a ladder, a command unit, and a safety officer. Full alarm assignment would be comprised of on duty, off duty-call back, and mutual aid. Minimum personnel required to provide fire flow at a full alarm assignment is suggested to be: 4 for initial response team, and 11 additional personnel arriving on the follow on units described above, for a total of 15 personnel. Note: Not every fire will require a full alarm response. Many fires can be brought under con- trol through rapid intervention of an appropriately staffed and equipped initial response. The type, size, and use of a structure can greatly impact the number of firefighters necessary. For example a room and contents fire in a small single family home will not require 15 personnel for extinguishment, but a working fire in an industrial complex may take significantly more than 15 personnel. For the purposes of the response standard 15 personnel is used, this would at a minimum allow establishment of fire flows up to 5,000gpm based on existing apparatus and infrastructure available to the department. Standard Initial Response ( 4 personnel) Full alarm response 75 seconds 90% of the time 5 minutes 90% of the time 10 minutes 90% of the time 5 minutes 90% of the time 10 minutes 90% of the time Advanced Life Support Response Special Operations Response (with full alarm as- signment requested at initial dispatch) Page 8 Moses Lake Fire Department Attached to this document are supporting documents: ( 1) What other agencies are doing with regard to their performance standards (2) Geographical information detailing areas of concern within the jurisdiction (3) Current deployment ofMLFD apparatus and how they are staffed (4) Current deployment ofMLFD personnel Page 9 Alarm Processing Time -The time interval from the point at which a request or alarm is received and transmitted to emergency responders. The benchmark for this element of response time is a 60 second time frame. Turnout Time -The time points at which responding units acknowledge receipt of the call from the dispatch center. Total turnout time begins at this point and ends with the beginning of travel time. For staffed fire stations the benchmark is 60 seconds from 0700 -2200 hours and 90 seconds from 2201 -0759 hours. Travel Time -The point at which units are en-route to the call. When responding from a fixed facility, the point at which the apparatus exits the facility. Total travel time begins with this initial time point and ends with the on-scene time. On Scene Time -The time point at which the responding unit arrives on the scene. Termination of Incident -The time point at which unit(s) have completed the assignment and are available to respond to another assignment or emergency incident. Total Response Time -The time interval from point at which the alarm is reported (notification) to the time point when units arrive at the emergency event (on scene). Historical Response Performance The Bellevue Fire Department utilized emergency response data from 2005, 2006 and 2007 to establish baselines for performance in responding to alarms. All emergency responses were analyzed throughout the service area for the department with respect to the total response time. Total response time, as defined earlier in the document, is the total of the following elements, [call processing time, + turnout time + travel time]. Response Time Goals, All Emergencies Bellevue Fire Department Service Level Objective, is as follows: Service Level Objective Statement For 80 percent of all incidents, the first due unit shall arrive within 4.5 minutes travel or 8 minutes total reflex time. The first-due unit shall be capable of advancing the first line for fire control or starting rescue or providing basic life sunnort for medical incidents With the adoption of this document, response time goals for the Bellevue Fire Department are the following for all emergency responses. • Call Processing Time: 1.5 minutes or less for 80% of all incidents. 44 • Turnout Time: 2 minutes or less for 80% of all incidents. • Travel Time: 4.5 minutes or less for 80% of all incidents. • TOT AL RESPONSE TIME FOR FIRST ARRIVING UNIT: 8 minutes or less for 80% of all incidents. Response Time Goals, Structure Fires Additionally, the department has established the following goals for response to structure fires, that reflect the time necessary to assemble an effective response force. An effective response force is defined as the minimum amount of staffing and equipment that must reach a specific emergency location with in a maximum prescribed response time. • Travel time for all units needed for an effective response force: 8.5 minutes or less for 80% of all incidents. • TOTAL RESPONSE TIME: 12 minutes or less for 80% of all incidents. Response Time Performance Performance standards have two basic components. The first is the measurable task, or in this case the response time. The second part is the level of performance. This is normally stated in terms an average or a percentage (fractile) of the amount of such tasks that fall at or below the desired level, (i.e. 80%). Response time performance has been measured in a number of ways, including average (mean) and percentage or fractile. An average is the sum of all the values in the data set divided by the number of pieces of data. In this measurement, every piece of data is counted and the value of that data has an impact on the overall performance. An argument for not using averages for performance standards is that it does not accurately reflect the performance for the entire data set. Average Response Time Because the Bellevue Fire Department has historically recorded and reported average response times as a performance measure, we are including this measurement of response time. Table 6.1, illustrates the average response time for all emergency incidents for the time period January 1, 2005 -December 31, 2007. 45 City Policy The City establishes certain Levels of Service (LOS) standards in order to ensure that adequate facilities are available at a consistent level. Fire Response: 5 minutes travel time for 90% of events. Emergency Medical Response: 4 minutes travel time for 90% of events. • Optimal coverage: Fire stations should be located roughly 1.5 to 2 miles apart. (Update 2 to 3 miles) • Fire Service: 1.32 fire fighters per 1000 population. C ,"fy fJ'f Ke1111evv ;c-/( HB 1756 ADOPTED STANDARDS "Every fire jurisdiction shall adopt service delivery objectives in a written statement for all services that are provided in an emergency mode." These include the following, if appropriate: FIRE SUPPRESSION Turnout Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a turnout time standard of 120 seconds (2:00) for a structure fire incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .................................... 177 seconds (2:57) met standard 57% Travel Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a travel time standard of 240 seconds (4:00) for the arrival of the first engine company to a fire suppression incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .................................... 289seconds (4:49) met standard 79% Initial First Alarm Assignment: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of 480 seconds (8:00) for the arrival of the full complement of a first alarm response to a fire suppression incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .................................... 586 seconds (9:46) met standard 80% EMS Turnout Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a turnout time standard of 90 seconds (1 :30) for an EMS incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .................................... 128 seconds (2:08) met standard 67% Travel Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a travel time standard of 240 seconds ( 4:00) for a BLS unit, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .................................... 284 seconds (4:44) met standard 79% 11 SPECIAL OPERATIONS (Hazardous Materials, Technical Rescue) Turnout Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a turnout time standard of 120 seconds (2:00) for a Hazmat incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average ................................... .149 seconds (2:29) met standard 76% Travel Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a travel time standard for "Operations" level personnel on scene in 240 seconds (4:00). which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .................................... 338 seconds (5:38) met standard 65% AIRCRAFT RESCUE & FIREFIGHTING Turnout Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a turnout time standard of 120 seconds (2:00) for an aircraft incident at the airport, which the department should meet 90% of the time. FAA Requirement= 180 seconds (3:00) • 2013 Average ............................. .1 seconds (0:01) met standard 100% Travel Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a travel time standard of 240 seconds ( 4:00) for an aircraft incident at the airport, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .............................. 2 seconds (0:02) met standard 100% WILD LAND Turnout Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a turnout time standard of 120 seconds (2:00) for a wild land fire incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average, ............................ .176 seconds (2:56) met standard 45% Travel Time: The Yakima Fire Department has adopted a travel time standard of 240 seconds (4:00) for a wildland fire incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. • 2013 Average .............................. 423 seconds (7:03) met standard 56% Response Times 2012 Response Time Report Factors Below are the top three factors that impact response time in excess of the aspirational goal: 1. Distance to call in assigned response area. 2. Responding out of assigned response area. 3. On scene but not communicated. The Renton Fire & Emergency Services Department uses a fractal time measurement to monitor overall response times. The first goal is to have each apparatus en route to the emergency within two minutes (turnout time). The second goal is to have the first unit arrive at the scene within seven and one-half minutes 90% of the time. These response time measurements allow the department to analyze those incidents where response times do not meet department goals and find ways to reduce response times in order to provide the highest level of service possible. Washington State law mandates that fire departments establish priority response criteria and measure their performance each year in meeting these standards. This measurement is taken in intervals that include: Turnout Time: The time between being dispatched and acknowledging the call to the time they are en route. Travel Interval: The measured time between turnout time and when the first fire department unit arrives at the scene/ incident. Response Time: The time between being dispatched and when the first fire unit arrives at the scene (Turnout Time + Travel Interval). 2012 P r i o r i t y Response Results Response Measures Time Turnout Time Average: 1 minute, 22 seconds The initial time when units first Fractal: 2 minutes, 11 seconds or receive notification of emergency to less 90% of the time the point they respond. Arrival of First Alann Assignment Average: 10 minutes, 17 seconds Three engines, one ladder, one aid Fractal: 13 minutes, 28 seconds or unit, one command unit. less 90% of the time Arrival of First Engine at Fire Average: 5 minutes, 24 seconds Incident Fractal: 7 minutes, 33 seconds or less 90% of the time Arrival of EMT• at Emergency Average: 5 minutes, 8 seconds Medical Incident Fractal: 7 minutes, 38 seconds or *Emergency Medical Technician less 90% of the time Total Response Time (Both Fire Average: 5 minutes 11 seconds and EMS) Fractal: 7 minutes, 41 seconds or less 90% of the time 8 Response Time Standards Report Fire Administration Response time performance standards are an important method of measuring service levels to our community. Washington State legislation (RCW 35 .103) requires city departments to establish response time performance standards for certain major services and report the outcomes annually. Legislative Intent -The arrival of first responders with automatic external defibrillator capability before the on-set of brain, death, and the arrival of adequate fire suppression resources before flashover are critical events during the mitigation of emergencies and in the public's best interest. Standard 2013 2014 I 2 f~ f""t'I + -T -, -Fire Response Turnout Time: 90 Seconds I 90% I 79% 73% Fire Response First Engine: 5 minutes I 90% I 93% I 93% Full Alarm Fire Response: 8 minutes I 90% I 67% I 70% Emerge~cy Medical Respo_nse: 5 minutes~ 90% f 95% + 88% --~ 1 · Zone Emergency Medical (ALS): 10 minutes 80% 95% 95% -• 4 Zone Motor Vehicle Response· 5 minutes 90% 95% 97% ...,,-1 - Hazmat (Operations). 5 minutes -t 90% I 94% I 71% - Hazmat (Technician): 5 hours 90% I None * I None* This table illustrates the Wenatchee Fire & Rescue response standards and 2014 outcomes. Turnout Time Analysis City of Wenatchee Response Zones Fire turnout time is the time between dispatch and responding -when firefighters go to the apparatus, put on full turnout gear and get strapped into seat belts before responding. The fire officer communicates on radio "Responding" and the dispatcher types in the time. Cross staffing apparatus increased turnout times. RiverCom dispatch procedures affect fire response turnout time outcomes. Response Time Analysis RiverCom dispatch procedures affect fire response turnout time outcomes Four consistent factors causing response times exceeding five minutes include: travel distance, rush hour traffic congestion, weather conditions, and 2nd station responses (distance). Duty Chief program response from home affects full alarm response time outcomes. RiverCom dispatch procedures affect response time outcomes for fire and EMS. Private Ambulance Providers Data to verify the minimum response times for Advanced Life Support (ALS) (patient care procedure response time) established by the Regional EMS and Trauma Care Council and approved by the State Department of Health was provided by the two private ambulance providers (Ballard and Lifeline Ambulance Service). The average response times of the private ambulance companies in the City limits is under five minutes. 2015 Plan of Action RiverCom to implement new Criteria Based Dispatch (CBD) system. Continue monthly data reports to promote accountability and continued response time improvement. *Technical Hazardous Materials Response -There were no technician level hazardous materials response teams requested in 2014 • Wert o... f cJ1 e e_ • 10 ,:-, re_ Oe.p+. Chapter 4 -EMERGENCY RESPONSE -RESPONSE TIMES The Olympia Fi.re Department delivers services to citizens in distress by responding directly to the scene of the request for help. To be effective, firefighters must: • Arrive at the scene of the emergency quickly. • Be well-trained professionals. • Be well equipped. These three factors are critical for successful outcomes in emergency response. Fulfillment of one of these conditions without the others renders the emergency response system ineffective. It is insufficient to simply arrive at the scene quickly, if the firefighters are not properly trained or equipped. Likewise, the efforts of the Depai1ment's highly trained and motivated firefighters are futile if they anive too late. 4.1 The Importance of Time Decisions concerning fire and emergency medical se1vices often center on the location and number of fire stations in a community. These discussions usually involve the distance between fire stations, the population each se1ves, and the hazards associated with particular locations.39 The Depai1ment examined several different approaches used to locate fire stations and found a common thread -the impo11ance of time in fire suppression and emergency medical responses. 4.1.1 Fires Saving lives during a fire requires keeping people away from the heat and toxic smoke released by fire. Limiting exposure can be done in two ways, by controlling the fire or by sepai·ating endangered people through evacuation or shielding.40 Fire grows exponentially tmtil the entire smface area of the burning object is involved in fire, or until one of the elements needed to sustain combustion, such as oxygen or heat, is removed, as seen in Figure 18. As a typical fire involving a room and its contents grows, the fire approaches a critical point. As the fire preheats the room's contents, the heated contents produce flammable vapors. These vapors build to the point where eve1ything in the room ignites simultaneously. This phenomenon is known asflashover. At the point of flashover, fire totally engulfs the room and temperatures can exceed 1,000 degrees F. Flashover generally occurs six to nine minutes after the stai·t of a fire. When firefighters anive before flashover, they usually find a low-intensity blaze that requires ve1y little water and little eff011 to extinguish. However, once flashover occurs, ordina1y fire suppression techniques have little impact on life and prope11y loss in the immediate vicinity of the fire. After flashover, the smoke and heat generated by the fire dramatically reduce chances of safe evacuation in the remainder of the building. After 65 r:-1re-OepT. ( oFD) flashover, the blaze also presents much greater danger to firefighters. Therefore, the goal of fire suppression services is to intervene before flashover -six to ten minutes after ignition. Figm·e is·, Manual Fh'e Supp1·ession l ,000°F 0 MANUAL FIRE SUPPRESSION REACTION TIME VS. FIRE GROWTH FLASHOVER STAGE CONTROL 2 3 4 s 6 7 TIME IN MINUTES ..!.Z !5 DETECTION ~2 ~~ TRAVEL TIME ~~ ~f"" Zv f"" CONTROLLABLE RESPONSE TIME 8 UNCONTROLLED FIRE GROWTH 9 10 11 SET-UP TIME VARIES BY SCENE TYPE 12 Early suppression is the most effective means of fire intervention. Fire detection and automatic suppression technology have allowed suppression and notification to occm simultaneously, as Figure 19 shows. The most common systems are found in occupancies equipped with fire sprinklers. Automatic fire sprinklers have been in existence for over a century, and in that time have come to be recognized as the single most effective fire protection method available. Their effectiveness in commercial and industrial buildings is well documented. Average losses in fully-sprinklered buildings are only a fraction of the average loss in non-sprinklered buildings. ill buildings with operational sprinkler systems, fire deaths are ahnost unknown. •Times do not represent Olympia's actual response times. Graph is for illustrative purposes only. 66 oFD In comnnmities where sprinkler systems are required in all occupancies, fewer firefighters and less equipment are required. Olympia has adopted ordinances that reflect this philosophy. In most new commercial and multi-family buildings, the adoption and enforcement of the sprinkler requirement has dramatically diminished the fire threat. The City should continue to explore opportunities to fm1her the use of built-in fire protection systems. Figure 19*, Automatic Fil·e Suppression 1,000°F 165°F 0°F 0 FIRE SPRINKLERS REACTION TIME VS. FIRE GRO'WTH FLASHOVER STAGE CONTROL 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 TIME IN MINUTES ..:. :z !5 DETECTION !!IQ ~~ TRAVEL TIME ~!.;: ~'"' :z u '"' CONTROLLABLE RESPONSE TIME 4.1.2 Medical Emergencies 10 11 12 SET-UP TIME VARIES BY SCENE TYPE Approximately 70 percent of the Depa11lllent's calls are medical calls, where time is also critical. The American Heait Association has established a standard response time of four minutes for basic life s'Wpoli and eight minutes for advanced life suppo1t to begin for victims of cardiac arrest. These standards were established using the probability of survival curve, Figure 20. As the intervention time approaches four minutes, the slope of the probability of smvival cwve becomes steeper. This illustrates that without basic or •Times do not represent Olympia's actual response times. Graph is for illustrative purposes only. 67 OFO advanced life support, the chances of reviving a critical patient diminish quickly. Tue probability for smvival cmve also applies to drowning, electrocution, severe trauma, and choking victims. In all of these cases the victims' bodily systems are not able to supply the brain with sufficient oxygen. Without oxygen, the brain begins to die. Inte1vention after four minutes may still result in a "save," but the quality of life for the survivor is questionable. Response times for trauma victims are also critical. Medical researchers have linked response times for EMS to smvival of major trnuma victims. In one study, survival of major trauma victims, who were expected not to smvive, was linked to short response times (average 3.5 minutes), and trauma patients who were expected to smvive but did not were linked to longer response times (average 5.9 minutes).42 Again, shorter response times for EMS in Olympia will improve smvival rates. ii ro .0 e CL Figure 20, Probability of Sunrivaf3•"' .6 1 .4 5 .2 0 0 5 10 15 20 Collapse to Defibrillation Interval ·Relation of collapse to CPR and defibrillation to survival: simplified model. Graphical representation of simplified (includes collapse to CPR and collapse to defibrillation only) predictive model of survival after ·witnessed. out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to VF. Each curve represents change in probability of survival as delay (minutes) to defib1illation increases for a given collapse-to-CPR interval (minutes). 68 OFD 4.1.3 Response Time hi one of their most successfol advertisements, Fed.Ex described waiting "[a]s frustrating, demoralizing, agonizing, aggravating, annoying, time consuming and incredibly expensive."44 If this is how it feels to wait for a package, imagine what it feels like to wait for firefighters when you are experiencing an emergency. In the most severe cases, it is literally like holding your breath the entire time you are waiting. When people call the fire department for help, they want help ill11llediately. And the fire department is not immune from the Fil:st Law of Service: satisfaction equals perception 11dnus expectation. People expect of the fire department what they see on television or they expect the service to be similar to other service providers. On television, they watch an emergency that takes place in four and one half minutes, the time between commercials. In that time they see the fire depat1ment get called, a fire tJ.uck leaves the fire station three seconds later and ani.ves at the emergency in another two seconds. Tue emergency is dealt with in an average of three minutes. The remaining minute or so is spent rehashing the inevitable happy ending. The expectations of our service can far exceed the perception of our service. This, coupled with the Second Law of Service, it's hard to play catch-up, can leave the depa1tment with some unsatisfied customers. Components of Response Time There are five key factors that influence the time interval between ignition and inte1vention in fires, Figure 21 , page 71. Similru· factors influence the response time for medical emergencies. The first is the detection time period. Early discove1y through smoke detectors and other alarm systems increases the probability of the occupants escaping and results in earlier notification of the fire depa11ment. Without automatic detection in place, there is a vaii.able period of time that passes before one detects or recognizes that there is a problem. The detection time can be minimized through appropriate detection and alarm methods, enforcement of fire codes related to fire detection equipment upkeep, and it can also be lowered through public education concerning smoke detectors and alarm systems. The second period of time is the notification time.• This is the amom1t of time it takes to notify the fire department that there is a call. Including notification time is critical when looking at fire growth and probability of smvival from cardiac anest. It is also critical from a customer se1vice point of view; the customer is only concerned with the time it takes for a fire tJ.uck to an-ive after they have dialed 9-1-1, not how long it takes for the firefighters to be notified. •Also known as "call processing ti.me." 69 OFD Thmstou County Depa11ment of Collllllunications (CAPitol COMmunications - CAPCOM) averages 87 seconds for notification time for the top priority fire and rescue calls, and 109 seconds for BLS calls. Improvements can be gained through new dispatching technology and changes in dispatching protocols. An effective public education program also reduces dispatching times by decreasing the demands placed upon dispatchers through a decreased number of false calls. The next time interval is turnout time; the time between notification of the Department by CAPCOM and the first company going in route to the scene. The Department averages 89.8 seconds for nun out time, which is 49.6 percent higher than the recommended 60 seconds.45 Several factors influence turnout time, including the time required for firefighters to don their protective clothing and equipment and mount the fire apparatus. Turnout time is minimized through station design, proper training and equipment. TI1e fom1h time inte1val is travel time. The Department averages 4.03 minutes for travel time, which is compar·able to the recommended standard of fom minutes. Travel time is influenced by the distance between the emergency and the fire station, road conditions, traffic, weather, time of day, and how fast the fire apparah1s can safely travel. For most departments, this is the most significant time inte1val. As the City develops, and becomes more congested, maintaining short travel times becomes more challenging. If annexations and new development in the unincorporated Urban Growth Management Area continues, the travel time component will farther deteriorate. In addition, as Olympia adopts traffic mitigation (traffic calming) programs, which control and slow the flow of vehicles, the choices for direct, unintenupted travel nrurnw, and the travel time component will ftu1her deteriorate. The final period of time to consider is set1p time; the time between the arTival of the first engine company and the initial attack on the fire or the application of emergency medical treatment. Once on the scene, crews must fmd access, acquire info1mation in order to plan and execute their Inission, and conduct final preparations of themselves and their equipment before the actual rescue or fire attack occurs. While set-up time varies with the type of incident; training, staffing, equipment, and prior knowledge of response districts have a profound effect on set-up time. For example, most strucnu·e fires require 14 to 16 fu:efighters to perfo1m efficiently without undue fatigue.46.47 Fewer firefighters can extinguish smaller fires, but chances of firefighter injmies increase when fewer firefighters ar·e used. Since effectiveness in fire suppression means lives and prope11y saved or lost, it is impol1ant that adequate numbers of firefighters arTive on the scene simultaneously whenever possible. Additional staffing must come from adjacent stations or from nmhml aid depa11ments. Therefore, the set-up time can be extended while crews wait for additional resources. 70 OFO Figure 21, Example of Response Time fo1· a Fil'e ,..,,.. .. Not1noa t.1on Time Tum-out -rime Tr.a.vel Time ....... setup T im• 1nt:erventton 4.2 Response Time Goals The Department has adopted response time goals that are consistent with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710, Standard for Organ;:ation and Deployment of Fire Suppressfon Operations, Emergency Medical Operatfons and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments. Specifically, NFPA 1710 is a deployment standard that involves a multi-year implementation process and requires the following:48 • • One minute turnout time • First-unit travel time of four minutes 90 percent of the time • Initial Full Assignment travel time of eight minutes 90 percent of the time • ALS units, with two paramedics, response time of eight minutes 90 percent of the time In addition, the Department has adopted a 60 second notification time standard consistent with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International standards. • It is important to note that according to explanatory material in NFPA 171 O. a response that misses the four-minute criterion but still assembles the full first alann assigmnent within eight minutes still complies with NFPA 1710. This accounts for times when, for instance, a first-due engine may be tmavailable for a particular call. 71 OFD NFPA's goals also include minimum staffing goals of four people per initial response (two paramedics on all ALS calls), and up to 15 for a full alarm assignment. The staffing goals are discussed in more detail in the Staffing Issues chapter (page 259). 4.3 Olympia's Response Times Unfortunately, the Olympia Fire Depru.iment is not meeting all of its response time goals. In order to better rn1derstand the significance of the Depattment's response tinles, the Department perfo1med a comprehensive response time analysis, both by time and geography. For the pmposes of the study, Station Tln·ee was split into two areas- Response District Tln·ee and Response District Four-in order to better track response times in the noliheast part of the City. The distribution of its response times was examined first. The response time distiibution is the rank ordering of response times by how often they occur. The Depaliment's response time distribution for emergency calls is shown in Figure 22: As Figure 22 shows, 61 percent of the Department's response times are longer than six minutes. In addition, approximately 10 percent exceed 9.8 minutes. The Depa1iment averages 6.8 minutes for first arriving wilt, while its peer depa1tments repo11 an average of 5.16 niinutes. t Figu1·e 22, Response Time Histogl'am Total Response Time for Emergency Calls 1800 Average, 6.8 min. 1800 Ta'!lel. 6 min .• 39% 1400 1200 1000 .. .. u BOO BOO Actual 90%, 9.8 min. 400 200 0 10 12 14 IB r .... (mln.I • Includes "BLS Red." excludes "BLS Yellow" and other non-emergency calls. t It should be noted that the peer department data is very difficult to make comparisons with. Some of the peer departments could not. or did not give response time data, and the data that were collected were aggregate data. In addition. it is not clear that peer departments included notification time in their reported response times. Therefore, Olympia could not apply the same rigorous standards for comparison and it is likely that the Department exceeds its peers. 72 OFD The Depai1ment's analysis ofresponse times shows a steady decline in service over time. In other words, more and more of the calls have longer response times. This decline is best illustrated by looking at how the average response times change over time, as shown in Figure 23. As shown in Figure 24, the response times in the last two yeai·s have stabilized between 6.5 and 7 .1 minutes; however, a bivariate analysis of average response times shows a strong and significant increase in average response times over the last several years and is projected to fi.uiher increase if steps are not taken to remedy the situation. Figure 23, Response Time by Year· Anr.ig• Response Time y • 0.2885•· 571.22 R'-0.8llll0 O +-~~~..--~~~..--~~~.--~~~.--~~~.--~~--......-~~--.~~~~ 1llll0 10112 1llll8 2000 2002 2004 Year While this worsening of response times may seem insignificant at first glance, it is not. For example, in a Mayo Clinic study of early defibrillation (please see EMS chapter, page 150, for a complete description), survivors of ventricular fibrillation, on average, received care in the field only one minute sooner than non-smvivors.49 As Figure 25 illustrates, increasing response times dramatically reduces the probability of smvival for cardiac arrest victims. • Tius finding was confirmed by looking at individtk1I calls by year, where, the R-squared value (percent of variance accounted for by the dependent variable) was 0.0395, and was sigiuficant at F < 0.0000. 73 OFD Deployment of Personnel by Shift Assigned \ '1''''• ..... -~ .: ~~,-;!~ '~·f·,11 i-:; ,'t.1· .!~ ~. -~ ;:~~1}-~-~i~B~ .-I ~~:\"tr.~~;r,\ .. ~~,--~f.;:~~~1·~j~~f.;~i19 ~ " ......... ..,! ,,...i...,.,t~ ' .. . , . .r..-c.. .... ' .. ........ ... \1 ' •• ' ·'-"• .'I': ~ Eric Shurtz Firefighter I Paramedic/ Acting Officer Derek Beach Firefighter I Paramedic Patrick Heeren Firefighter I Paramedic Todd Pyper Firefighter I Paramedic Brian Russell Firefighter/ EMT Brandon Wertman Firefighter/ EMT Jim Stucky Firefighter I EMT Vacant Vacant - ' -" ~ I '' · •_,-, .--"~··-'n<' .. , l, ;.''¥.;t~-·~"-,o:,~·~~".11 .• . "· •. -~_J>t~(..r~:_.1)1 l . l ' '""'·fl~ .... ~.. "'l :· 11"' ~·f•t•·~--·~ ....... _,, .... ,, ... ~ !..-. ., '·• •• ' • \ "" .. Paul Guerin Andrew Deering Michael Dosh Todd Eldred Travis Pulliam Schrade Rouse Todd Schanze Vacant -,·' ' ·: ' -. . . ..:,; ~~.;:} > •' ... ., -'• ·• ~." ~ ... _,., ·~...._' . " '·~:---k :'~·;-~~ ,f' .. --~?~~~? Jay Morice Mark Graham Troy Hesse Jason Koziol Derek McDougall Chris Mortensen Joe Schwendeman Administration Tom Taylor Brett Bastian Pete Kunjara Firefighter I Paramedic I Acting Officer Firefighter I EMT Firefighter I Paramedic Firefighter I EMT Firefighter/ Paramedic Firefighter I EMT Firefighter I Paramedic Vacant ' .... , ' ~ iJlf' ~ 11 :)-'7"' •;,, • .. • --• .-r,;.. •• -"'IC , ~· -· •·" ,• ".,. .. , .. -~ , • ~· r '' , l -" J Firefighter I EMT/ Acting Officer Firefighter I Paramedic Firefighter/ EMT Firefighter I Paramedic Probationary Firefighter I Paramedic Firefighter/ Paramedic Firefighter/ Paramedic Chief Assistant Chief-Fire Marshal I Operations Officer Assistant Chief-Training Officer Deployment of Apparatus Unit Number Station Assignment Staffing Engine 1 Station 1 (1st out) 3 or 4 on duty members Engine 2 Station 2 Cross Staffed 2 on duty members Engine 12 Station 1 (2"d out) Call back personnel Ladder 1 Station 1 Cross Staffed or call back personnel Medic 1 Station 1 (1st out medic) 2 on duty members Medic 2 Station 2 Cross Staffed 2 on duty members Medic 12 Station 1 (Day Car) M-F 8am-4pm Day Car. All other times cross staffed or call back Medic 13 Station 1 (3'd out) Cross staffed or call back Medic 14 Station 1 (4th out) Cross staffed or call back Squad 1 Station 1 Cross staffed or call back Marine 1 Station 1 Cross staffed Brush 1 Station 1 Cross staffed Brush 2 Station 2 Cross staffed Brush 12 Station 1 Cross staffed or call back Tender 1 Station 1 Cross staffed or call back Rescue 1 Station 1 Cross staffed Definitions: Call back: Call back of off duty personnel to provide response. Cross staffed: Movement of on duty personnel from assigned apparatus to the cross staffed unit. What's all the Confusion about NFPA 1710? By: Ray Crouch, Sr. University of Tennessee, MTAS Fire Management Consultant Introduction: NFP A 1 710 may well be the most controversial standard that has been promulgated in recent history. Several groups have attempted to "hijack" this new standard and use it for their own purpose. The truth is, it is a very good standard with two very, very bad sections. ' NFP A standards were never intended to be used to plow new ground, but instead, are supposed to be a consensus of the latest information and technology from all users of the standard. Consensus standards generally represent the vast majority of the affected users. What in the world is NFP A 1710 & 1720 anyway? NFP A 1710 contains "minimum requirements relating to the organization and deployment of fire suppression operations, emergency medical operations, and special operations to the public by substantially all career fire departments." (Section 1.1.1.) In short and simplified terms, NFP A 1710 is a performance guide for a career fire department that generally provides for organizational, service, and staffing standards. Fully 98% of the standard is non- controversial, but two major sticking points are that each fire apparatus be staffed with four firefighters, and that response times be no more than four minutes after leaving the firehouse for the first arriving company and/or eight minutes for a full first alarm response; and four minutes for first responder capability to arrive at an emergency medical incident, with advanced life support capability arriving within eight minutes. NFPA 1720 concerns volunteer fire departments. Its staffing and response time requirements are more general and flexible, but it does impose a variety of deployment standards on volunteer departments. NFP A 1720 has not been very controversial, so far. History o{Development: How did we get to this point? To answer this question requires me to give you a brief history of how NFP A 1710 evolved to the point where it is now. The discussion of risk management within the Fire Service has been ongoing for many years. The National Fire Academy has offered classes in Risk Management since it started. Fire Chiefs and Municipal Officials have wondered for years if "their" fire department was effective. However, there was no standard by which to compare or judge the operations of a fire department. Without a standard, every fire department claimed to be "great". In 1987, a technical committee of NFPA, while developing the 1500 standard (Firefighter Health and Safety), inserted staffing and deployment language into the draft document. In 1992, NFPA's full membership voted down the this specific language at their annual meeting. This removed any staffing and deployment requirements from the NFPA 1500 standard. During this same time period, (1987-1992) the International Association of Fire Chiefs, working with a memorandum of understanding from the International City I County Management Association formed a task force for the development of a comprehensive set of standards for the deployment and operation of fire departments. This process ultimately resulted in the formation of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). At present, 50 fire departments have been accredited by this organization and 200 more departments are in the process at present. The natural conclusion of all this activity in standards development is that almost everyone, at every level, thought that there should be some standard developed. In 1995, the NFPA Standards Council authorized the development ofNFPA 1200, the Standard for Organization, Operation, Deployment and Evaluation of Public Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services. When the draft of this document was released, the poop truly hit the fan. The NFP A 1200 technical committee received over 20,000 comments on the draft standard. The comments were so varied, so passionate, and so diverse, that the technical committee decided that there could be no consensus standard developed. The NFP A 1200 technical committee voted to return the standard to the Standards Council, effectively killing it. Most groups and associations agreed that it was not possible to develop a consensus standard at this time. In the fall of 1998, NFP A decided to divide the staffing and deployment standards into two separate standards, one for volunteer fire departments and one for career fire departments. NFP A seemed determined to develop staffing and deployment standards and thus began the development of NFPA 1710 (substantially career fire departments) and NFPA 1720 (substantially volunteer fire departments). The battle was on. The NFP A 1710 & 1720 technical committees made many changes to the standard over the almost two year period of development. The standard almost became a consensus standard, but there were two big issues over which no consensus could be reached. The two big non-consensus issues were: (1) Individual company staffing (how many firefighters should be on a particular vehicle) and, (2) How much time should be allowed for the first vehicle and for the full first alarm assignment to reach the scene of the emergency. Most Fire Chiefs and local government officials believed (and continue to believe) that these two decisions are very complex and should be left up to the local jurisdictions to determine. This brings us to the final draft of the standard and the beginning of 2001. The NFP A 1710 technical committee decided to leave the two controversial provisions in the draft and let the full membership be the "bad boys" and vote from the floor of the membership general assembly in May of 2001 in Anaheim, California. Enter the full- blown, no holds barred, participation of the national organization of the International Association of Firefighters. The IAFF saw this as a perfect opportunity to mandate a minimum level of staffing per fire department vehicle by camping on the back of the new NFP A 1710 standard. The IAFF effectively organized an NFP A membership campaign from their membership and began making preparations to get their members to the Anaheim meeting in May. The IAFF was over-whelming successful and the NFPA 1710 & 1720 standards were adopted. In response to an outcry from various quarters, the NFP A Standards Council added an "equivalency" provision, allowing a local government to meet the purposes of NFP A 1710 or 1 720 by other "systems, methods or approaches." These provisions were added to the language and then approved by the Standards Council in July with an effective date of August 2, 2001. The National League of Cities, supported by many state municipal leagues appealed to the full NFPA board at its November 2001 meeting. In November the board of directors of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) denied an appeal of a national coalition of state municipal leagues, the National League of Cities, ICMA, NACO and other national groups, challenging the issuance by NFPA of two new standards (1710 & 1720) for the deployment of fire and EMS services. The board's decision lets stand the July approval of the standards by the NFPA Standards Council. In an effort to be conciliatory, the NFPA Board gave the standards their shortest review cycle of three years. For all practical purposes, NFPA 1710 & 1720 are now the model, national standards. Practical Implications for the Future: The practical implications that may flow from the adoption of NFP A 17 10 and 1720 can basically be divided into three major categories. Obviously local ordinances may potentially impact these issues; in some cases substantially; therefore, legal research may be needed for each locality. The three areas are: (1) Cities may be at or near this standard and may want to adopt it with or without modification; (2) potential involuntary imposition of the standard on local agencies; and (3) potential tort or other legal liability whether the standard is voluntarily adopted or involuntarily imposed. Local Review and Adoption: As previously stated, 98% of these standards (NFP A 1710 & 1 720) are just good practice for fire department operation, with the exceptions of the minimum staffing and time provisions which need to be reviewed in light of local considerations. Each locality should review their current fire department operation as compared to the whole NFP A 1710 or 1720 standards. Many fire departments do not want to be compared to the model standards for foar of falling well short, not of the staffing and time standards, but of the basic requirements. In some cases, fire departments have opposed the adoption of NFP A 1710 & 1 720 using the potential cost to meet the staffing and time constraints as their pretend concern, when their real objections were to being compared to the rest of the performance standards. In some cases, fire departments would like to adopt just the staffing standards so they can hire additional firefighters, but provide no appreciable increase in service levels to the public. The Fire Department and Municipal management in each locality should determine the number of firefighters assigned to a station, vehicle, or geographic area. These numbers may vary dramatically from city to city and even from district to district within a single city. Involuntary Imposition. Supporters of NFP A 1710 and 1720 have argued that no local agency is required to adopt these, or any other standard, and that no standard would apply to any agency that does not adopt it. This is mostly true, and becomes the basis of an excellent defense strategy if the city is forced to defend itself from legal action based on comparing the operation of the city to these "model national standards." No city has to adopt the NFPA standards in total, and any portion of the standard can be locally amended. To be sure, many cities do not use any of NFPA's codes or standards, and do not intend to do so. But these standards or their components could nevertheless be imposed on local agencies through formal or informal action at the federal, state or local level. If the State of Tennessee adopts a version of NFPA that contains the 1710 & 1720 standards (year models 2000 and prior do not contain 1710 or 1720) it significantly weakens the legal defense of the city since cities are a creature of the state and the state has adopted this standard. The Congress could, but is not likely, to adopt this these standards and thus impose them on Tennessee cities. However, in a more likely, but by no means for sure scenario, a federal agency such as OSHA could adopt these standards and impose them on cities in Tennessee. Inadvertent Local Adoption: Many local jurisdictions adopt some or all of NFPA's fire codes and standards. Routinely, these cities update to new versions of the standards. Where an agency does so generally, it may automatically adopt all changes to them (thus incorporating NFPA 1710 or 1720 upon its becoming effective); alternatively, the agency may have to take an affirmative act to adopt the applicable standard. Of particular concern, some fire departments (as a matter of department policy) may start to use the standard as a guide to their activities without consulting with their governing bodies or their legal counsel, and without awareness of the liabilities and obligations this could impose on their local agencies. Fire Chiefs should ask local counsel to review department policies and the code and policy adoption process in their jurisdictions, and warn fire departments, so that their governing bodies can act purposefully in considering whether to adopt 1710. Tort And Other Liability Analysis: Whether a local agency has voluntarily or inadvertently adopted 1710 or 1720, or has had the standard imposed upon it involuntarily, the failure to meet the standard presents significant personal injury liability issues as well as litigation requesting mandamus and injunctive relief. If thi s seems speculative, shortly after the issuance of NFPA I 710 and 1720 the leading national firefighters association (union) acknowledged on its website that this may be the initial way in which the standards are given effect. Interestingly, the same organization criticized opponents of 17 10 & 1720 for suggesting this potential to the NFPA Standards Council. In short, plaintiffs will argue against a city that adoption of the standard imposes a mandatory duty or other legal obligation, the breach of which gives ri se to a claim for damages or other relief. City officials should consult with attorneys and insurance representatives for further information on the potential costs. Remember, once a standard is adopted, it is binding on the unit of government and generally can be used as the standard of conduct in tort litigation against it. What applies to you -1710 or 1720? The answer to this question can be simply stated, but there may be a catch. The answer is, a fire department falls under the 1710 standard if it is, "substantially all career" and under 1720 if it is, "substantially all volunteer." Obviously the critical word here is "substantially." There is no specific definition of the word in the standard, nor is there any reference to a combination fire department. The conclusion that I draw from this is that you are going to have to choose between career and volunteer and be willing to defend how you picked the one that you did. NFPA did a national survey of 30,500 fire departments and found that between 3,300 and 3,600 fire departments would have to comply with 1710 if it were adopted. Or, in other words, only 8.8% of the fire departments in the USA are going to be impacted by 1710. In Tennessee, I estimate that between 5 7 and 61 fire departments will be considered career fire departments under the substantially career rule. In Tennessee, 11.6% of the state's fire departments will be impacted by the NFP A 1710 standards to one degree or another. The key to determining if 1710 applies to your fire department will come by asking yourself a series of questions. 1. On a fire scene, within the first ten minutes, are their more volunteer or career firefighters present? 2. Do career firefighters supplement the volunteers? 3. Do volunteer firefighters supplement the career firefighters? 4. How many career firefighters do you have and how many volunteers? (CN) 5. Can the first attack line be advanced into a structure without volunteers? 6. What percentages of calls are run exclusively by career firefighters? 7. How many firefighters come from a fire station or from home? 8. Is the staff being paid an hourly wage when responding to calls? After you answer these questions honestly, you will then have to make a decision whether your fire department is substantially career or substantially volunteer. A footnote to this discussion might be to mention that the NFP A Standards Council was the body that required the "substantially" term to be added to the document. The NFP A 1710 technical committee debated a vyide range of possible definitions for the term "substantially." Reportedly, the committee leaned towards a strict numbers approach, that is, if a department has 30 career/29 volunteers, its substantially all career. However, let me re-emphasize that there is no definition in the standard and you need be able to justify your answer -whatever you decide. The Components o(the Standard: One of the major problems in the fire service is knowing when you have a good fire department and when you don't. In reviewing the book, "How Effective are Your Community Services" and other readings on community surveys, in preparation for a recent project, I discovered a startling fact. Most communities rate their fire departments in the 89 to 98 percentile for approvals, regardless of the real level or effectiveness of service that they provide to the citizens. Citizens, and in many cases, elected officials, do not know if their fire department is, "good" or "bad." Since there is no national model standard of performance, the judgments of performance are based on perception or feeling, not on any measurable, objective criteria. The basic measurable criteria of the 1710 and 1720 standards are as follows: I. Organization a. Response Times b. EMS Requirements c. Special Operations d. Mutual Aid 2. Services a. Written SOGs b. Staffing c. Supervision d. Operating Uni ts e. Deployment 3. Safety and Health System 4. Incident Management 5. Communications 6. Pre-Incident Planning None of these criteria are unclear. However, the National Fire Service Labor Unions and their friends in other unions heavily influenced two of the criteria, to mandate staff intensive fire departments. These two criteria are the staffing requirements and the response times. Response times are critical to good fire protection -if you don't believe this, you can stop reading now until you have read the research on the propagation curve and its' relationship to victim survivability and property damage. With this said, response time in all known studies has been reviewed from a relatively outdated set of statistics and within a very narrow scope with only one changing variable, the amount of personnel assigned to the first arriving companies, or the total personnel arriving within a fixed period of time. In many cases, victims were dead even before the fire department was notified of the fire, and certainly well before they were able to get on the scene. The number and severity of structure fires has decreased over the past twenty years and the focus of the fire service has turned to EMS, rescue, and fire suppression in that order. In Tennessee, 98% of structure fires are extinguished by the first arriving engine company. In fact, response times are so critical, that should a fire department have a choice of 20 engine companies of two firefighters each, or 10 engine companies of four firefighters, I would, without hesitation, recommend the former. However, by the clever combination of response times and staffing requirements rolled into a single criterion within the standard with little room for variation, NFP A 1710 has attempted to make fire departments much more personnel intensive with little or no evidence that service delivery to the customer will be improved. Based on the four or five known studies of effectiveness of an engine company on arrival at a fire scene, there can be no doubt that "some" additional effectiveness is achieved. However, the difference in effectiveness between a two, three, or four firefighter crew may not be worth nearly the effectiveness of decreased response time. Any standard of performance measurement that that limits the ultimate outcome by measuring quantifiable numbers of people and time instead of looking at the final result - saving lives and property should not be held up as the "national standard." This standard does not take into account a city that would mandate monitored smoke alarms or use any other form of technology to reduce the loss of life and property. The standard (NFP A 1710) allows compliance by having a four-person company arriving within four minutes. This does not take into account the fact that the occupants may not be at home, or that they are asleep. In either case, several minutes, up to half an hour, would have elapsed before the fire was detected and reported. If instead, new money was invested into monitored smoke alarms, the two person fire company arriving in less than 3 minutes would be able to extinguish the comparatively small fire, in relative safety and assist the family from their dwelling. This statement is not to be taken in any way to indicate that we need less firefighters. Instead, it is meant to say that the old standard of fire station location needs to be reviewed. Fully 70% of the call volume of the fire departments that would be affected by NFP A 1710 is related to EMS. Two firefighters can handle the vast majority of these calls. Response time is critical in EMS calls. All the "hurry cases", blood loss, not breathing, choking, and no circulation, are extremely time sensitive. There is no question that response time should be a factor in the performance criteria of a fire department. However, when that response time is tied to an arbitrary number of staffing, it may well be counter-productive. Summary: It is important to remember that if re sponse time and staffing are tied together, it is a very expensive proposition to fix them. If fire departments have the ability to reduce response time by having flexibility in staffing, that should be our goal. NFPA 1710 was effectively neutered by tying response times and staffing together. Had these two criteria been separated, it may well have become the national model standard. In its present form, it will be used as a club by unions, fire chiefs and others to pound out more firefighters. In some cases more firefighters may have been the solution. In some cases, having more firefighters will not fix any problems, but will certainly cost a lot more money. There is no question that many organizations will oppose the standard with all the same enthusiasm as those who supported it. Fire Chiefs will be right in the middle. In either case, remember, a club can be a tool, but it is not always the tool of preference. There are no simple solutions. Ask a coach, how do you win? He will tell you there are lots of things, ways, people needed to win. So then, how do we have better fire protection? There are lots of ways to answer that question. NFP A 1710 may well be the firefighters full employment act, but it is not a simplistic solution on how to have a better fire department. Performance Standard Comparisons NFPA 1710 1 Minute 4 FF's I 5 Min. 15 FF's I 8 Min. 5 Min. I 90% 10 Min. I 90% 90% 90% 90% 1 Minute 4 FF's I 5 Min. 15 FF's I 8 Min. 5 Min. I 90% 10 Min. I 90% 90% 90% 90% 90 Seconds 7 Min. 90% 11Min.90% 8 Min./90% 8 Min. I 90% 90% Bellevue*** 2 Minutes 4 FF's I 4.5 Min. ERF 8.5 Min. ERF 4.5 Min. ERF 4.5 Min. 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% **** 2 Minutes 5 Min. 10 Min. N/A See attached 90% 90% 90% Olympia 1 Minute 4 FF's I 5 Min. 15 FF's I 8 Min. 5 Min. I 90% 10 Min. /90% 90% 90% 90% 2 Minutes 4 FF's I 8 Min. 14-15 FF's I 18 8 Min. I 90% 8 Min. I 90% 90% 90% Min. 90% Walla Walla 2 Minutes 4 FF's I 4 Min. 11 FF's I 6 Min. 6 Min. I 90% 6 Min. /90% 90% 90% 90% Wenatchee 90 Seconds 4 FF's I 4 Min. 15 FF's 8 Min. 5 Min. I 90% 10 Min. I 90% 90% 90% 90% Yakima 2 Minutes 4 FF's I 4 Min. 15 FF's I 8 Min. 4 Min./ 90% 4 Min./ 90% 90% 90% 90% Moses Lake 75 Seconds 4 FF's I 5 Min. 15FF'sI10 Min.1 5 Min. I 90% 5 Min. I 90% (proposed) 90% 90% 90% Highlighted agencies indicate agencies serving population bases similar to Moses Lake. 1MLFD proposed full alarm assignment response time would be from the time full alarm assignment was requested by command personnel-not beginning of incident. *Aberdeen Fire is very similar in operation, size, and population served to Moses Lake Fire. Aberdeen operates a transport ambulance service and utilizes a utility fee. Aberdeen provides out of town ambulance transport to the Olympia and Seattle I Tacoma area regularly, but maintains minimum staffing of 8 firefighters in the city when conducting out of town transports. Source: Phone conversation between Assistant Chief Kunjara and Chief Tom Hubbard (AFD) on 3-17-2015. **Anacortes Fire provides services to a similarly sized population as Moses Lake. The attached documents do not indicate staffing levels, but do reference "average" number of personnel responding. ***Bellevue Fire states a mission goal of 80%, this is less than what is required under R.C.W . 35A.92 (90%). The abbreviation ERF stands for "Effective Response Force" Bellevue Fire does not state exactly what comprises the ERF, but the standard of coverage report published by Bellevue Fire identifies that most of their companies are staffed with three personnel each, but their first alarm assignment for a single family residential fire is: 3 Engine companies, 1 Light Force, 1 Medic Unit, 1 Medical Services Officer, 1 Battalion Chief, comprising between 10 and 16 personnel. V') ~ w Lo. Q) b.O Lo. ro ro V) Lo. Q) > 0 u ""O c: ro c: ro ..c Lo. :::::s ""O c: ro c: ro ..c Lo. :::::s ..c :::::s V) ... ro Lo. :::::s Lo. > ..c V) Q) E ro Q) '+:i Lo. Q) ro V) Q) c: V) 0 c: c.. 0 V) c.. Q) V) Lo. Q) V') Lo. ~ Q) Lo. w '+== c: Lo. ~ Q) 0 ..c. ""O +.J V) c: .::it:. ro ro ..c. Q) +.J Lo. ro ..c Q) V) Lo. ro ro E Q) V) ro c: u 0 * c.. * V) * Q) * Lo. I Policy Anacortes Fire Department 312 Fire Services Manual Response Time Standards 312.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The purpose of this policy is to establish turnout, travel and response time goals and objectives for emergency incidents. 312.1 .1 DEFINITIONS Definitions related to this policy include: Dispatch processing time -The time elapsed between receipt of the telephone call and the dispatch of fire apparatus. Dispatch Time • The point in time that the department is toned via radio pager. Response time -The time elapsed between the dispatch center receiving the first notification of the emergency and the arrival of the first apparatus. Travel time -The time elapsed between the apparatus beginning travel to the emergency and when the apparatus arrives. Turnout time -The time elapsed between dispatch notifying the department of the emergency and when the apparatus begins travel. Arrived At Patient -The point in time that the first medical team arrives at the patient's side when the location of the patient is a distance away from where the unit is parked. Effective Response Force -The time elapsed between dispatch notifying the department and arrival at the scene of an emergency with the defined number of personnel for each incident classification. 312.2 POLICY FIRE SUPPRESSION It is the policy of the City of Anacortes to establish response time goals and performance objectives for Fire Suppression Incidents of not less than 90 percent for the achievement. Goals include within the City's Urban and Suburban Zones: (a) One minute or less for dispatch processing time. (b) One and one half minutes or less turnout time. (c) Seven (7) minutes or less response time for the arrival of the first engine company or EMS unit at a fire suppression incident. (1 min Dispatch, 2 min Turnout, 4 min Travel) 1. The average number of firefighters will be two (2). Printed Date: 2015/03/17 © 1995-2015 Lexipol, LLC (a) A defensive/transitional attack can be employed from the exterior of the structure to deliver 100 GPM (A room and contents fire no larger than 300 square feet) Response Time Standards - 1 ***DRAFT*** Anacortes Fire Department Fire Services Manual Response Time Standards (d) Eleven (11) minutes or less response time for the arrival of an effective response force at a fire suppression incident. (1 min Dispatch, 2 min Turnout, 8 min Travel) 1. The average number of firefighters to arrive will be six (6). (a) The average fire flow that can be delivered 200 GPM (A room and contents fire no larger than 600 square feet) Goals for Rural areas will be dependent on accessibility to the forestlands and will not be measured. EMERGENCY MEDICAL It is the policy of the City of Anacortes to establish response time goals and performance objectives for Emergency Medical Incidents of not less than 90 percent for the achievement. Goals include: (a) One minute or less for dispatch processing time. (b) One and one half minutes or less turnout time. • Inside City Limits 1. Urban: Eight minutes or less response time for the arrival of the first paramedic or E.M.T. unit at a emergency medical incident. (1 min Dispatch, 1.5 min Turnout, 5.5 min Travel. 2. Suburban: Fifteen minutes or less response time for the arrival of the first paramedic or E.M.T. unit at a emergency medical incident. (1 min Dispatch, 1.5 min Turnout, 13.5 min Travel. 3. Rural: Forty-Five minutes or less response time for the arrival of the first paramedic or E.M.T. unit at a emergency medical incident. (1 min Dispatch, 1.5 min Turnout, 43.5 min Travel. Outside City Limits 1. Urban: Ten minutes or less response time for the arrival of the first paramedic ambulance unit at a emergency medical incident. (1 min Dispatch, 1.5 min Turnout, 7.5 min Travel. 2. Suburban: Twenty minutes or less response time for the arrival of the first paramedic ambulance unit at a emergency medical incident. (1 min Dispatch, 1.5 min Turnout, 17.5 min Travel. 3. Rural: Forty-Five minutes or less response time for the arrival of the first paramedic ambulance unit at a emergency medical incident. (1 min Dispatch, 1.5 min Turnout, 43.5 min Travel. Printed Date: 2015/03/17 © 1995-2015 Lexipol, LLC ***[)l?JJ.t=T"*** Response Time Standards -2 Anacortes Fire Department Fire Services Manual Response Time Standards {EMS Density Map} 312.3 EVALUATIONS The Department shall annually evaluate its level of service, deployment delivery and response time objectives. The evaluation shall be based on data relating to level of service, deployment and the achievement of each response time goal in the geographic areas of the jurisdiction. In accordance with RCW 35.103, the legislature intends for city fire departments to set standards for addressing the reporting and accountability of substantially career fire departments, and to specify performance measures applicable to response time objectives for certain major services. The legislature acknowledges the efforts of the international city/county management association, the international association of fire chiefs, and the national fire protection association for the organization and deployment of resources for fire departments. The arrival of first responders with automatic external defibrillator capability before the onset of brain death, and the arrival of adequate fire suppression resources before flash-over is a critical event during the mitigation of an emergency, and is in the public's best interest. For these reasons, this chapter contains performance measures, comparable to that research, relating to the organization and deployment of fire suppression operations, emergency medical operations, and special operations by substantially career fire departments. This chapter does not, and is not intended to, in any way modify or limit the authority of cities and towns to set levels of service. RCW 35.103 -FIRE DEPARTMENTS -PERFORMANCE MEASURES Printed Date: 2015/03/17 © 1995-2015 Lexipol, LLC ***DRAFT*** Response Time Standards - 3 RESOLUTION NO. ___ _ Resolution adopting the performance policy, standards and objectives outlined in Substitute House Bill 1756 as Camas-Washougal Fire Department's emergency resource response time objectives. WHEREAS, Camas-Washougal Fire Department is established by ILA as the merged composite of the Camas Fire Department and the Washougal Fire Department to provide certain emergency medical, fire and rescue services under the tenets of that ILA; and, WHEREAS, Camas-Washougal Fire Department has a mission statement, goals and objectives to guide the organization in providing fire and medical services to our community; and, WHEREAS, Camas-Washougal Fire Department has a basic organizational structure which may include the elected officials, Chief, Officers, Paramedics, Firefighters and Fire Marshals; and, WHEREAS, Camas-Washougal Fire Department has a certain number of members now and in the future who perform the tasks required to accomplish our response objectives; and, WHEREAS, Camas-Washougal Fire Department is required by state law to establish turnout and response time goals for the first arriving Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and Fire Engine responses to fire suppression calls and response time goals for a full alarm assignment for Fire Engine responses to fire suppression calls; and, WHEREAS, Camas-Washougal Fire Department has evaluated the elements identified in SHB 1756 and included those provisions deemed appropriate in the Department's emergency service delivery; and, WHEREAS, Camas-Washougal Fire Department has developed written response coverage objectives required to comply with applicable provisions of SHB 1756. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Camas City Council hereby adopts the attached response coverage document as the Camas-Washougal Fire Department's official policy for determining emergency medical, fire and rescue resource deployment time standards; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the attached response coverage document officially defines the Camas- Washougal Fire Department's written policies and procedures that establish the response time standards of the department; and, This resolution was adopted at a regularly scheduled public meeting of the Camas City Council for the Camas-Washougal Fire Department on------------ Policy Statements The Camas-Washougal Fire Department exists as a fire department within the City of Camas and the City of Washougal. The Camas-Washougal Fire Department was organized under the tenants of an lnterlocal Agreement between the City of Camas and the City of Washougal( cite Attachment "A"). The Camas- Washougal Fire Department provides service to the City of Camas and the City of Washougal within Clark County Washington. The Camas-Washougal Fire Department also provides Transporting Advanced Life Support Service to the City of Camas, City of Washougal, East County Fire and Rescue Services, a portion of the City of Vancouver and a portion of Clark County Fire District Five. The services provided by the Camas-Washougal Fire Department include: A) Fire Suppression B) Fire Investigation C) Fire inspection of occupancies within the City of Camas and the City of Washougal D) Transporting Advanced Life Support (ALS) Emergency Medical Services E) First Response Advanced/Basic Life Support (ALS/BLS) Emergency Medical Services F) Public Education G) Fire Prevention H) Hazardous materials "Awareness Level" Response I} Low-angle Rescue J) Automatic and Mutual emergency response to neighboring jurisdictions The Camas-Washougal Fire Department operates under a chain-of-command which has been established by the Camas City Council and the Washougal City Council, who are elected to represent the public they serve. The chain-of-command, or organizational chart, is represented in attachment "B". The Camas-Washougal Fire Department normally employs fifty-six (56} career members. The total number by their assigned areas of responsibility is as follows: Chief-1 Division Chief: Fire Marshal-1 Division Chief: EMS-1 Training Captain-1 Deputy Fire Marshal-1 Administrative Support-2 Line Battalion Chiefs-3 Line Fire Captains: Paramedic-4 Line Fire Captains: IV Technicians-5 Line Firefighters: Paramedic-21 Line Firefighters: IV Technician-16 1) Turnout Time Turnout Time Standard: Response Standards The Camas-Washougal Fire Department has adopted a turnout time standard of two (2) minutes 90% of the time. 2) Arrival of 1st Arriving Engine Company at Fire Suppression Incident Response Time Standard: The Camas-Washougal Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of five (5) minutes for the first fire engine to arrive when responding to a fire suppression incident within their first due area 90% of the time. 3) Deployment of full first alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident. Response Time Standard for Full 1st Alarm Response: The Camas-Washougal Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of ten (10) minutes to deploy the first full ala rm assignment when responding to a fire suppression incident within the City of Camas and within the City of Washougal 90% of the time. 4) Arrival of First Response Medical Aid Vehicle at an emergency medical incident. Response Time Standard: The Camas-Washougal Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of five (S) minutes in the urban area, nine (9) minutes in the suburban area for the arrival of the first emergency medical aid vehicle with a minimum of two Firefighter EMT's when responding within their first due area 90% of the time. S) Arrival of Advanced Life Support Transport unit at an emergency medical incident. Response Time Standard: The Camas-Washougal Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of nine (9) minutes in the urban area, thirteen (13) minutes in the suburban area, and twenty-one (21) minutes in the rural area for the arrival of the first emergency medical transport unit with a minimum of one Firefighter Paramedic 90% of the time. 6) Arrival of Hazardous Materials trained and equipped Technicians. Response Time Standard: The Camas-Washougal Fire Department Firefighters are trained to Awareness Level for response to hazardous materials incidents and are responsible for hazardous materials incidents within the City of Camas and the City of Washougal. The Camas-Washougal Fire Department's response time standard is the same as for a fire suppression call. · Addendum "A" INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT This lnterlocal Agreement made this day by and between the City of Washougal, a municipal corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Washington, hereinafter referred to as "Washougal"; and the City of Camas, a municipal corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Washington, hereinafter referred to as "Camas". WITNESSETH 1. The cities of Washougal and Camas are currently operating under an lnterlocal Agreement entered into on the 5th day of July, 2006, whereby Camas provides ambulance services to the City of Washougal. 2. Both cities are desirous of modifying the previous agreement and continuing an lnterlocal Agreement pursuant RCW 39.34, the lnterlocal Cooperation Act, with the new Agreement to supersede the old Agreement in its entirety. 3. The parties to this agreement are also parties to an interlocal agreement with East County Fire & Rescue District for the provision of emergency medical rescue and licensed ALS transport service in Camas, Washougal, and East County Fire & Rescue District. The three party agreement sets forth provisions and condition common to all three parties. This agreement supplements the three party agreement by specifying additional provisions applicable only to Camas and Washougal. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and conditions contained herein, it is hereby agreed as follows: Section 1. PURPOSE: The purpose of this Agreement is to allow the City of Camas to continue to furnish emergency medical rescue and licensed ALS ambulance transport services to citizens within the City of Washougal. The two cities acknowledge that the current financial structure of the EMS system is unsustainable and that a solution must be determined cooperatively to make the system sustainable into the future. Further, the two cities are engaged in a cooperative evaluation of the viability of consolidating their respective fire departments in an effort to enhance service to the community and efficiencies in service delivery. In furtherance of both of these goals, the two cities agree to a trial period of consolidation of the operations of the two fire departments to determine if further consolidation efforts should be undertaken. Continuation of the trial consolidation will allow all Fire Department employees from the rank of Captain and below to staff either city's department, subject to scheduling by the two Fire Chiefs or the Battalion Chiefs. Wages and benefits for the employees of both departments shall be paid by their respective departments. The intention is to supply personnel when available to augment either department to reduce overtime spending and to evaluate service enhancements. Section 2. RESPONSIBILITIES OF CAMAS: A. The City of Camas will station an ALS ambulance at Washougal's Fire Station #171 twenty-four (24) hours per day. Camas ambulance staffing: Staffing deployment will be at the discretion of the Battalion Chief to allow for operational needs but shall be at a minimum; to provide two employees, one of which shall be a paramedic (minimum)at Station 171 in Washougal. In the event the use of accrued leave by the Camas firefighters reduce that number below two and there is sufficient staffing of Washougal firefighters on duty that day to fill the empty slot(s) the city of Camas shall not be required to fill the minimum staffing requirement, providing the criteria of a minimum of one paramedic is still met at Station 171 B. The staff noted above will respond to Washougal fire calls unless they are simultaneously engaged in a medical call per CRESA dispatch protocols and the existing mutual aid agreement. Section 3. A. C. It is the intent of the parties that the Camas ALS ambulance stationed in Washougal will typically be the first responder for Washougal aid calls. However, the dispatch priority will be determined by CRESA based on the closest available unit. D. Camas Fire Department will continue to provide monthly EMT training to the Washougal Fire Department as is currently provided. E. Camas Fire Department will provide future Washougal paramedics in training the required ALS service time, which is currently 60 medical calls/transports, necessary to complete paramedic training and gain full certification. Maximum of three at any given time and subject to the FTEP program. F. The identifying logo on the ambulance stationed in Washougal shall be the "tri- agency'' logo that identifies the unit as "Serving Washougal, Camas, and ECF&R. G. When available, the "on-duty" Camas Fire Department Battalion Chief shall respond to Washougal Fire Department calls at the same level as Camas calls. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CITY OF WASHOUGAL: The City of Washougal will continue to transfer applicable levy funds within ten (10) days of receipt from the Clark County Treasurers Office. B. The City of Washougal shall contribute an amount equal to one-half of the proceeds of its existing EMS levy at a rate of fifty cents ($.SO) per one thousand dollars ($1,000) of the assessed valuation property in the City of Washougal (first collected in 2005 based on the City's 2004 assessed valuation) as ~ollected, as limited by Chapter 84.55 RCW. In addition, the City of Washougal shall contribute an amount equal to the proceeds of a "levy lid lift" pursuant to RCW 84.55.050, which was approved by the voters in 2006 at the rate of ten cents ($.10) per one thousand dollars ($1,000} of the assessed valuation of property in the City of Washougal as collected, also limited by Chapter 84.55 RCW. C. Washougal staffing: Staffing deployment will be at the discretion of the Battalion Chief to allow for operational needs but shall be at a minimum; to provide two crew member~ at a minimum rank of firefighter/IV technician (EMT B, with IV therapy endorsements or equivalent). In the event the use of accrued leave by the Washougal firefighters reduce that number below two and there is sufficient staffing of Camas firefighters on duty that day to fill the empty slot(s) the city of Washougal shall not be required to fill the minimum staffing requirement~ D. The City of Washougal shall provide quarters for the ambulance and two ambulance personnel at Station #171 E. The City of Washougal shall provide an additional FTE to the EMS system or a staff position to the city of Camas as it is currently. Section 4. Section 5. Section 6. Mutual Responsibilities: It is agreed by the parties that a continuing cooperative evaluation of the EMS system will be undertaken with the goal of making the system sustainable into the future. The evaluation will seek system efficiencies, review services levels and explore alternative service delivery options. Volunteer Firefighters: It is agreed by the parties that the Washougal Volunteer Firefighters shall continue to be utilized according to past practice. Furthermore, the use of the volunteers and opportunities for them to serve may be enhanced as agreed by the Washougal Volunteer Firefighters, IAFF Local, and the two Cities. HOLD HARMLESS AND INSURANCE: The City of Camas shall defend, indemnify and hold Washougal, its elected officials, officers, volunteers and employees harmless from any and all claims, injuries, damages, losses or suits including attorney fees arising out of or in connection with the performance of this Agreement, except for injuries and damages caused solely by the gross negligence or intentional acts of Washougal and its employees, officers, or volunteers. The City of Camas further agrees to maintain during the terms of the Agreement liability insurance in amount as provided for in the WCIA Joint Protection Program, protecting itself, its officers, employees and the City of Washougal, their officer and employees, from claims of all persons for damages arising out of the negligence by the City of Camas, its officers and employees, in providing emergency medical services pursuant to this Agreement. Section 7. TERM: The term for the continuation of the trial consolidation shall begin on March 1, 2012 and shall extend for a period of 22 months ending on the 31st of December 2013 unless the trial consolidation is terminated for cause as outlined in Section 8 of this agreement. Section 8. Section 9. TERMINATION: In the event either party breaches this agreement, the other party may give written notice to the first party specifying the breach. The breaching party shall then have 30 days from the receipt of notice to remedy the breach, provided however, if the nature of the breach is such that it cannot reasonably be remedied within 30 days, it shall be sufficient if the breaching party has initiated steps to remedy the breach within 30 days and the breach is remedied within 60 days of the receipt of notice. If the breach of agreement is not remedied in a timely manner as provided herein, then the non-breaching party may terminate this agreement by giving written notice to the other party. BENCHMARKS: During the life of the agreement, the City Administrators and Fire Chiefs shall make status reports on the trial consolidation and EMS system evaluation to their respective City Councils each month. Joint Council sessions may be held as appropriate. Section 10. SEVERABILITY: If any section or part of the Service Agreement is held by a Court to be invalid, such action shall not affect the validity of any other part of this Service Agreement. Section 11. AGREEMENT OF FILE: This Agreement shall be filed with the City Clerks of the cities of Camas and Washougal, with the Clark County Auditor, and with the State of Washington. Division Chief EMS L Addendum "B" Station41 Captain Station42 captain Station171 Captain Chief AdminAsst. ..:~'~ :· ' Battalion Olief Station41 Captain Station42 Captain Station171 Captain I ,~tionChiefi .. ,;,:· ~-:·· '•' -'-~ Station41 Captain Station42 Captain Station171 Captain ' VOtunt~· ~ j Battalion _Oiief 1 .. . ·,• -.-'._ ~ Division Chief Fire Marshal ~J · Admln Asst.· ·1 •' . . .-~ 2014 Annual Report 2014 Emergency Medical Services Report {continued) The standard of response for a 1 •1 arriving engine company in their first due area for fire suppression incidents is 5:00 minutes. Currently, we have no software that can calculate the first due area of each respective station engine and cross- match that with the first arriving unit. However, what is a more indicative assessment is the response time of any first ar- riving engine to any fire suppression incident, regardless of station of origin. Essentially, it is less important where they come from, but how long it took the first mitigating engine to arrive after dispatch for all fire suppression incidents. This is represented in the first column of the preceding chart. The standard to deploy the first full alarm assignment to a fire suppression incident is 10:00 minutes. The second column represents this average. It should be noted, that often mutual aid is required to achieve a full first alarm assignment. It is difficult to calculate the response times of mutual aid apparatuses because their times are outside of our data set and purview. The average demonstrated above is the time to arrival of all CWFD resources dispatched to fire suppression incidents within the CWFD's fire suppression boundary. Arrival of Advanced Life Support Transport Unit to EMS Calls: Ambulance Response Times Rural {pop. <1000) •Avg. Time •Time Standard Subu rban (pop. 1000-2000) Rural (pop. <1000) 9:29 21:00 Urban (pop. >2000) Suburban(pop. 1000- 2000) 6:11 13:00 ---, I Time Standard Avg. Time Urban(pop. >2000) 4:10 9:00 c a_tyt <5 2014 Annual Report 2014 Emergency Medical Services Report {continued} Response Standard Report (Standard of Cover) CWFD 2014 Turnout Time 2:24 2:09 Standard 2:00 2:06 1:55 1:39 1:40 1:26 1:12 0:57 0:43 0:28 0:14 0:00 ST 41 ST 42 ST43 Agcy AVG Turnout time is defined as the duration in minutes between initial dispatch and an apparatus leaving the station en route to a call. Turnout times depicted are for all apparatuses for all priority (meaning Code 3 response) calls, by Station, day or night. The Agency AVG is calculated from the total number of priority calls, not by averaging the individual station turnout times. Station 42 has a predictably longer turnout time average. This is due to the cross-staffing of an engine and a medic unit requiring the shuffling of personal protective gear between the engine and the ambulance depending on the call type. 1 •1 Arrival Engine Company/Deployment of Full First Alarm on Fire Suppression Incidents: Engine Arrival at Fire Suppression Events §j/ 10:00 5:07 5:00 1st Engine Full Alarm Pa e4 2008 Performance Indicators Results -Response Time Standard Turnout Time: 2 minutes 90% First Arriving Fire Engine: 8 minutes 90% Full First Alarm Fire Response: 18 minutes 90% Emergency Medical (BLS): 8 minutes 90% Emergency Medical (ALS): 8 minutes 90% Hazardous Materials (Operations): 8 minutes 90% Technical Rescue (Operations): 8 minutes 90% Marine Response: 28 minutes 90% Wildland Fire -First Engine: 8 minutes 90% The response time standards shown above represent both urgent and non-urgent responses. Starting with the-2009 Annual Report, response time outcomes will be reported against the adopted standards. Response Times • Firefighters respond to a wide variety of situations, including fires, medical emergencies, traumatic injuries, rescues, and hazardous material incidents. The incidents are both unscheduled and urgent. The common factor in all these situations is the critical need for a rapid response time. Measuring response time is a key to judging Department performance that maximizes the opportunities for positive outcomes. • In 2005, Washington State passed legislation that requires career fire departments to establish response time standards and report the outcomes annually. The table to the left illustrates the response standards that were adopted by City Council in 2008. 21 Porl A11c;e/e~ IAJ/f 2012 Performance Indicators Results -Response Times Time Standard Met? Turnout Time 2min 90% No First Arriving Apparatus at Fire 8 min 90% Yes Full First Alarm Fire Response (14 or 15 people) 18 min 90% No Emergency Medical (BLS) 8 min 90% Yes Emergency Medical (ALS) 8 min 90% Yes Hazardous Materials (Operations) 8 min 90% Yes Technical Rescue (Operations) 8 min 90% Yes Marine Response 28 min 90% NIA Wildland Fire -First Engine 8 min 90% Yes The response times shown above include both urgent and non-urgent responses. Firefighters respond to a wide variety of situations, including medical emergencies, fires, traumatic injuries, rescues and hazardous materials incidents. The incidents are never scheduled, and the response required is often urgent. The common factor in all of these incidents is the requirement for the rapid response of trained personnel with adequate resources and equipment. Measuring this response time is a key to judging the performance of the Department. Positive outcomes are maximized when response times are reduced. Legislation requires that career fire departments establish response time standards and report those outcomes annually. The table above illustrates the response time standards that were adopted by the Port Angeles City Council in 2008, and whether those standards were met in 2012. I. Mission Statement WALLA WALLA FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE STANDARDS The Walla Walla Fire Department Mission: To minimize the loss of life and property, pain and suffering experienced by people in the City of Walla Walla and surrounding area due to man- made or natural accident or disaster. We will achieve this goal by providing the highest quality Fire, Rescue, Prevention and Emergency Medical Services. II. Adopted Standards A. Response time to don safety equipment and response to the incident. Turnout Time Standard: The Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a turn out time standard of 2 minutes, which the department should meet 90 % of the time. All firefighting safety equipment must be donned before the vehicle can leave the station for a fire response. 2010 92% Standard Met B. Response time for the arrival of the first arriving engine company at a fire suppression incident. Response Time Standard: The Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of 4 minutes for the arrival of the first engine company to a fire suppression incident, which the department should meet 90 % of the time. a. This equates to the travel time to the incident by the first arriving engine company. 2010 92% Standard Met 1 C. Response time for the deployment of a full first alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident. Response Time Standard for Full 1st Alarm Response: The Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a response/travel t ime standard of 6 minutes for the arrival of the full complement of a 1st alarm response to a fire suppression incident, which the department should meet 85% of the time. Further, the Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a 1st alarm response of 11 firefighters and or 2 engine companies (if applicable), 2 aid units and 1 Command Officer (if applicable). a. This equates to the travel time to the incident for the full complement of the first alarm assignment to a fire suppression incident 2010 88% Standard Met D . Response time for the arrival of the first arriving unit with a first responder or higher level capability at an emergency medical incident. Response Time Standard: The Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a response/ t ravel time standard time of 6 minutes/seconds for the arrival of the first emergency medical unit with appropriately trained personnel on board to an emergency medical incident, which the department should meet 90% of the ti me. a. This equates to the travel time to the incident by the first arriving engine company, aid car or other emergency medical unit with appropriately trained personnel on board (i.e . 1st responder, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, etc.). 2010 96% Standard Met E. Response time for the arrival of an advanced life support unit to an emergency medical incident, where this service is provided by the fire department. Response Time Standard: The Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of 6 minutes for the arrival of an advanced life support unit with appropriately trained 2 personnel (paramedics} on board to an ALS emergency medical incident, which the department should meet 90% of the time. a. This equates to the travel time to the incident by the first arnvmg engine company, aid car or other emergency medical unit with trained paramedics on board. 2010 96% Standard Met F. Response time for the arrival of the first arriving apparatus with appropriately trained and equipped Hazardous Materials Level "A" Technicians on board at a hazardous materials incident, where this service is provided by the fire department. Response Time Standard: The Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of 6 minutes for the arrival of the first unit with appropriately trained Hazardous Materials Technicians on board to a hazardous materials incident, which the department should meet 90 % of the time. a. This equates to the travel time to the incident by the first arnvmg engine company, aid car, or other special operations unit with appropriately trained and equipped personnel on board (Hazardous Materials Technicians). 2010 No History G. Response time for the arrival of the first arriving apparatus with appropriately trained and equipped Technical Rescue Technicians on board at the technical rescue incident, where this service is provided by the fire department. Response Time Standard: The Walla Walla Fire Department has adopted a response/travel time standard of 6 minutes for the arrival of the first unit with appropriately trained and equipped Personnel on board to a technical rescue incident, which the department should meet 85% of the time. a. This equates to the travel time to the incident by the first arnvmg engine company, aid car, or other special operations unit with appropriately trained and equipped personnel in board. 2010 No History 3