11.c. Five Cities Fire Authority PresentationMEMORANDUM
TO: CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JOEL ARANAZ, FIRE CHIEF - FIVE CITIES FIRE AUTHORITY
SUBJECT: PRESENTATION OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE DELIVERY OF
FlRE PROTECTION SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE FlVE CITIES FlRE
AUTHORITY AS IT RELATES TO NATIONAL AND STATE MANDATED
STANDARDS
DATE: APRIL 24,2012
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the City Council: 1) receive the presentation by the Five Cities Fire
Authority ("Authority"); 2) seek clarification as necessary; 3) provide input; and 4) direct staff
to work with the Five Cities Fire Authority Board of Directors to develop a long-term strategy
to address future needs.
IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES:
The presentation is for informational purposes only. Therefore, there is no cost impact of
this item at this time, but is intended to identify future needs for planning and budgeting
purposes.
BACKGROUND:
The cities of Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach and the Oceano Community Services
District (OCSD) operated as three distinct entities in years past in providing Fire Protection
Services to its residents. In January 1998, Federal and Cal OSHA instituted its "2in12out1'
policy requiring no fewer than five firefighters on the fire ground prior to making entry into an
atmosphere which is immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). The National Fire
Protection Agency (NFPA) originated Standard 171011 720 in 2001 setting the National
standard for response time criteria as well as numbers of firefighters required on the fire
ground in the protection of life and property. 2004 saw the implementation of shared
Administrative duties at the position of Fire Chief and part time Training Officer. Full
consolidation of the three entities occurred in July 201 0.
At the April 10, 2012 meeting, Council Member Costello requested a presentation on Fire
Authority needs be placed on the agenda for the April 24, 2012 meeting, which was in
response to a request by the Five Cities Fire Authority Board of Directors to each of the
constituent agencies. The Arroyo Grande City Council concurred.
Agenda Item 11.c.
Page 1
CITY COUNCIL
PRESENTATION OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE DELIVERY OF FlRE
PROTECTION SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE FIVE CITIES FlRE AUTHORITY
APRIL 24,2012
PAGE 2
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
Firefiqhterlcivilian Mortalitv Rates Due To Fire:
Firefighting remains as one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Since the early 19701s,
an average of 100 firefighters have died annually in the United States. Only in the last two
years (201 0 and 201 1) have the number of fatalities dropped significantly. In 201 0 and 201 1
the number of firefighters killed in the line of duty dropped to 87 and 81 respectively.
Conversely, civilian fatalities in residential fires have increased from 2,630 in 2009 to 3,120
in 2010. We contend the nexus between the two statistics is the increased safety to the
firefighters through proper fire ground safety guidelines and response criteria and the
materials being utilized inside the homes of Americans coupled with the increasing age
demographics of our society. Over 63% of fire deaths occur within the following age groups:
Ane Group % of Fire Deaths
40-49 years of age = 12.9%
50-59 years of age = 16.4%
60-69 years of age = 13.6%
70-79 years of age = 11.5%
80-89 years of age = 9.2%
Total - - 63.6%
Staffina:
Prior to the formation of the Authority and the sharing of Administrative duties at the
positions of Fire Chief and Training Officer, the OCSD Fire Department staffed its engine
with two personnel - one full-time paid position and one reserve. Administrative duties were
handled by the part-time Fire Chief (30%).
The Fire Department of Grover Beach staffed its engine with 3 personnel - two full-time
paid positions and one reserve. Administrative positions included one full time Fire Chief,
one full time Administrative Secretary, add one part time Training Officer.
The City of Arroyo Grande Fire Department also staffed its engine company with three
personnel - two full-time paid positions and one reserve. Full time Administrative positions
included one full time Fire Chief and one full time Executive Secretary. Part-time positions
included one part time Administrative Officer and one part time equipment mechanic.
There have been multiple alterations to the administrative staffing positions over the last 8
years. For comparison purposes, the following chart is offered:
Agenda Item 11.c.
Page 2
CITY COUNCIL
PRESENTATION OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE DELIVERY OF FlRE
PROTECTION SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE FIVE CITIES FlRE AUTHORITY
APRIL 24,2012
PAGE 3
Arroyo Grande
3 Firefighters
FT Fire Chief
FT Exec. Secretary
pT Admi,,. Officer
pT Fire Mechanic
6.0 (13.8)
Grover Beach
3 Firefighters
FT Fire Chief
FT Admin. Secretary
PT Training Officer
5.5
Three Separate
Fire Agencies
Engine Company
Administration
TOTAL
PERSONNEL
Arroyo Grande
3 Firefighters
FT Fire Chief
FT Exec. Secretary
PT Admin. Officer
PT Fire Mechanic
6.0 (12.8)
Arroyo Grande
and Grover Beach
Sharing
Administration
Engine Company
Administration
TOTAL
PERSONNEL
Oceano
2 Firefighters
PT Fire Chief
2.3
Five Cities Fire
Authority
Engine Company
Administration
TOTAL
PERSONNEL
Oceano
2 Firefighters
PT Fire Chief
2.3
FCFA Station 68
Grover Beach
3 Firefighters
3.0
FCFA Station 61
Oceano
2 Firefighters
2.0
Grover Beach
3 Firefighters
FT Admin. Secretary
PT Trainiqg Officer
4.5
FCFA Station 66
Arroyo Grande
3 Firefighters
FT Fire Chief
FT Battalion Chief
FT Exec. Secretary
PT Admin. Officer
PT Fire Mechanic
7.0 (12.0)
Agenda Item 11.c.
Page 3
CITY COUNCIL
PRESENTATION OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE DELIVERY OF FlRE
PROTECTION SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE FIVE CITIES FlRE AUTHORITY
APRIL 24,2012
PAGE 4
State and Federal Regulations:
The OSHA 2inl2out rule was established in 1998 requiring a minimum of five firefighters on
the fire ground be present prior to making an interior fire attack where the atmosphere is
considered to be IDLH. One firefighter is to staff the pump panel while two firefighters staff
the interior attack line and two firefighters staff an outside backup line. The theory behind
2inl2out was to have a rescue team as an immediate backup should conditions suddenly
deteriorate inside the structure. An officer faced with an imminent rescue situation may
enter the IDLH area prior to the arrival of all five firefighters. Once the rescue effort is
complete the firefighters must exit the structure until the 2inl2out rule can be complied with.
The NFPA took the 2inI2out rule and expanded their study to include all the tasks required
of a structure fire and tied that to the rate of fire growth from when the fire was first
discovered to the point of flashover. Flashover occurs once the room has been heated to a
point where all contents of the room have reached the point of ignition, also known as
flashpoint. Once the flashpoint has been reached, all contents of the room break into open
flame which is flashover. Flashover is incompatible with life. Through studies performed by
the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, flashover occurs at about 8 minutes from
the onset of the fire. It is this 8 minutes that the arrival of the effective response force is
based upon. 'The correlation of staffing and equipment needs in accordance with the growth
of fire is one of the key determinant factors in the development of response coverage. The
goal is to maintain and strategically locate enough firefighters and equipment so that an
effective response force can reach a fire scene before flashover. The studies conducted by
the NFPA identified an effective response force to be 14 firefighters arriving within 9
minutes of dispatch (based on a 2000 sq. ft. structure) with 90% reliability.
Current Response Force:
Given the staffing levels of the individual agencies, the value of the consolidation is evident
in order to meet OSHA regulations for fire response outlined above. Currently, there are
eight firefighters and one chief officer on duty daily within the Authority. The Authority must
rely on Automatic Aid from neighboring departments to attain an effective response force.
The two closest fire stations are Pismo Beach Station 64 on Bello Street at Wadsworth
Avenue and Nipomo Station 22 on Hwy. 1 at Willow Road. The Automatic Aid agreements
allow us to meet the effective response force number but not within 9 minutes 90% of the
time.
Future Needs:
To meet the NFPA standard, the Authority needs to reduce one Automatic Aid engine by
increasing on duty staffing by two firefighters daily. One firefighter would staff Engine 61
bringing their compliment to 3. The second firefighter would staff Engine 66 increasing their
compliment to 4.
Additionally, the Authority has identified the need for an apparatus replacement and building
maintenance schedule. Engine 61 is 16 years old and is beyond its life expectancy as a
front line piece of firefighting equipment. Engine 68 is 8 years old taking it to the half way
point in its firefighting career. Engine 66 is our newest engine at 5 years old. Truck 66 is our
Agenda Item 11.c.
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CITY COUNCIL
PRESENTATION OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE DELIVERY OF FlRE
PROTECTION SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE FIVE CITIES FlRE AUTHORITY
APRIL 24,2012
PAGE 5
newest apparatus being just over one year in age. The Authority's reserve engine has 11
years on the job. Replacement cost of a new engine will be in the half million dollar range.
There is no line item in the budget for apparatus replacement or building maintenance.
Fire Prevention is the final need identified by Authority staff. Currently, the Authority utilizes
the Building Official for the City of Arroyo Grande as its Fire Marshal and a shift Captain at
station 68 as the Fire Marshal for Grover Beach and Oceano. In order to gain consistency
and efficiency throughout the Authority, a single, dedicated Fire Marshal position needs to
be created. With the adoption of the 2010 Building and Fire Code all structures within the
State of California must be built with a fully engineered automatic sprinkler system. Other
built-in fire protection systems such as smokelheat detection and fire alarm warning
systems have become more technical in their application. The employment of a full time
Fire Marshal is a long term investment for the residents living and visiting in our area.
ADVANTAGES:
Developing a long-term strategy will provide a proactive approach to addressing critical
public safety needs for the community.
DISADVANTAGES:
No disadvantages are identified since this item is for information purposes only.
ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are provided for City Council consideration:
1. Provide input and direct staff to work with the Five Cities Fire Authority Board of
Directors to develop a long-term strategy to address future needs; or
2. Provide other direction to staff.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
No environmental review is required for this item.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS:
The agenda was posted in front of City Hall on Thursday, April 19, 2012. The Agenda and
report were posted on the City's website on Friday, April 20, 2012. No public comments
were received.
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