Butte County Board of Supervisors Agenda Transmittal

Transcription

1 Butte County Board of Supervisors Agenda Transmittal Clerk of the Board Use Only Agenda Item: 5.09 Subject: Fire Services Restructure Department: County Administration Meeting Date Requested: 4/25/17 Contact: Andy Pickett Phone: Regular Agenda Consent Agenda Department Summary: (Information provided in this section will be included on the agenda. Attach explanatory memorandum and other background information as necessary). Municipal fire protection services in unincorporated Butte County are provided by the Butte County Fire Department using a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE to provide staffing. The partnership was established in 1931 and has served the County well. The increasing cost of providing the service has outpaced the County's ability to maintain the existing level of service. Per direction of the Board of Supervisors, the County contracted with Matrix Consulting Group (Matrix) who conducted an analysis of various options to provide fire protection services. Matrix recommends maintaining the current relationship with CAL FIRE and adjusting the level of service. Matrix additionally recommends establishing a fire protection district to stabilize funding into the future to ensure the desired level of service continues. Fiscal Impact: Recommended changes would result in savings of approximately $1.8 million in FY With a fire protection district in place, an undetermined level of additional savings would be realized in the future. Personnel Impact: All career fire personnel are employees of the State of California. The cooperative agreement would be reduced by 13 FTE. Action Requested: 1. Direct staff to request funding from the City of Chico for the operation of Station 42 within the City limits, or to close the station if the City chooses not to fund it. 2. Direct staff to negotiate with the State to transfer Station 55 in Bangor to CAL FIRE. 3. Direct staff to end the Amador program at Station 13 in Stirling City. 4. Direct staff to end the Amador program at Station 36 in Jarbo Gap. 5. Direct staff to end the Amador program at Station 62 in Berry Creek (Harts Mill). 6. Direct staff to begin LAFCO procedures to establish a fire protection district. Administrative Office Review: Shari McCracken, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer

2 Butte County Administration Paul Hahn, Chief Administrative Officer 25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 T: Oroville, California F: buttecounty.net/administration Members of the Board Bill Connelly Maureen Kirk Steve Lambert Doug Teeter Larry Wahl DATE: April 25, 2017 MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: RE: Butte County Board of Supervisors Paul Hahn, CAO Fire Services Restructure Summary Butte County staffs its Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE. The cost of the cooperative agreement has increased in recent years, and will likely continue to rise at a higher rate than available resources. During the FY budget hearings, staff presented the funding challenges to the Board of Supervisors, who directed staff to analyze options to provide fire services within available means. Background The Butte County Fire Department was established in The Butte County Code, Chapter 2, specifies that the Butte County Fire Department will be provided through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE, with the CAL FIRE Unit Chief serving as the Butte County Fire Chief. Although there is no federal, state, or local mandate to provide fire services, the County has done so for 86 years, all of them through the cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE. Butte County Fire Department (BCFD) is an all risk fire department that provides municipal-like fire/rescue services to residents of unincorporated Butte County. BCFD has 12 career fire stations throughout the County, and 15 volunteer fire stations. CAL FIRE is a state agency tasked with protecting the watersheds of California, which it does primarily through prevention and suppression of wildland fires. CAL FIRE maintains a network of fire stations throughout California, generally in the foothills and mountains, which are staffed

3 during a declared fire season. The exact dates of fire season vary year to year, depending on weather conditions, but typically begin in April or May, and end in October or November. During the winter months CAL FIRE stations are typically closed. In Butte County, CAL FIRE maintains 10 stations. At the end of fire season, the County pays CAL FIRE to maintain six of these stations open during the winter months. This is referred to as the Amador program, which is a cost-effective way to provide year-round service to remote areas. During the winter months calls are typically for medical assistance, traffic collisions, or other public assistance. The staffing for BCFD is by cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE. The County enters into an annual agreement with the State to provide firefighters, command staff, dispatch, training, support and administrative staff to operate BCFD. Unlike most fire departments in California, Butte County Fire Department is funded from the General Fund, primarily with discretionary resources. Fire departments throughout California are typically funded through some form of dedicated funding, such as special district, county service area, community services district, community facilities district, benefit assessments, fees, or taxes. In Butte County, the vast majority of discretionary resources are allocated toward the public safety system. The BCFD s reliance on the discretionary revenue has resulted in ongoing funding instability for the department. When discretionary revenues are impacted by the economy, legislative changes, or other state/federal actions, adjustments have to be made to the public safety system. Analysis Matrix Consulting was contracted to analyze service models and funding models. Matrix analyzed two service models: a stand-alone fire department and a modified version of the existing cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE. Matrix also analyzed one funding model: a fire district. Service Models Stand-alone Fire Department A stand-alone fire department means the County would end its relationship with CAL FIRE and, instead of contracting for staffing, the County would hire its own staff. All fire department staff would be County employees, with all employee rights, duties, and responsibilities falling under the direct control of the Board of Supervisors. A standalone fire department would likely save operational costs after a period to recoup capital investment costs needed to build and remodel several stations. Fire Department costs are overwhelmingly personnel related, so the way to effectuate these savings would be to create a firefighting force that is compensated less than the existing one. A stand- 2

4 alone fire department would save about $1 million in operational cost annually by using the average mid-level pay of CAL FIRE, Chico Fire Department, Oroville Fire Department, and Redding Fire Department as the top pay. The downsides, however, are numerous. A workforce that is underpaid, relative to its comparable agencies, will be less stable and constantly in flux. The stand-alone fire department would become the region s feeder for other fire services. Additionally, a new stand-alone fire department would require capital investment in building and renovating fire stations. The BCFD currently uses a number of CAL FIRE facilities, including Station 63 for coverage in Thermalito and all of the Amador stations, which would not be available without a cooperative agreement. In addition to ongoing hiring and retention issues, and capital investment costs, a standalone fire department means no longer having the benefits of belonging to the CAL FIRE system. The department would not have the fluid and extensive coverage it currently enjoys, it would not draw on CAL FIRE resources such as additional crews, dozers, air attack, mop up crews, security at wildfire incidents occurring in Local Responsibility Areas such as Palermo, and Incident Management Teams for local emergencies as was recently experienced during the Spillway Incident. Modified CAL FIRE Cooperative Agreement The partnership between BCFD and CAL FIRE has resulted in a highly functional fire department. In addition to the County partnering with CAL FIRE, the cities of Biggs and Gridley, and the Town of Paradise also have cooperative agreements with CAL FIRE. The result is these agencies function as a single, seamless fire service that has provided a high level of service for residents of unincorporated Butte County. The cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE does have a significant downside: cost increases are out of the direct control of the Board of Supervisors. The State negotiates salary and benefits and the County has no say. Consequently, when the Board of Supervisors is faced with adjusting funding levels, the sole available option is to decrease the level of service. In 2016, the CAL FIRE Local 2881 negotiated raises that range from 8.5% to 22.3%, depending upon classification, between January 2017 and July 2020 and include: 22.3% for Firefighter II Paramedic, 20.75% for Fire Apparatus Engineer and Fire Apparatus Engineer Paramedic, 18.5% for Fire Captain Paramedic, 18.0% for Fire Captain and Heavy Fire Equipment Operator, 17.5% for Firefighter II, and 8.5% for Battalion Chief. 3

5 These increases were backed up by studies demonstrating CAL FIRE firefighters made substantially less than average firefighters throughout the state. However compelling, these raises were negotiated outside the context of available County resources, and were concluded ahead of, and with larger increases, than the County s negotiations with its own employees. In addition to negotiated wage increases, in 2016 the Governor signed into law Senate Bill 3, which raises the California minimum wage to $15 an hour by These statutory increases impact the pay of entry-level firefighters. This change creates compaction between job classes, which has necessitated that higher classes must be adjusted upward as well. The existing cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE can be amended to effectuate savings with responsibility shifts and service adjustments. Several Butte County Fire stations serve residents of cities on a level higher than the typical reciprocity of auto aid agreements. The most obvious example is Station 42 in North Chico, where 81% of all calls are to the City of Chico. Other examples include Station 44 in South Chico with 65% and Station 63 in Oroville with 28% of calls going into cities. In Bangor, Station 55 is located entirely within the State Responsibility Area (SRA), and situated in a strategic location for SRA wildfires that would be more logically operated as a State, rather than County station. Although Amador stations are cost-effective, when funding is insufficient to maintain all services, there is an element of balance that must be considered. In the case of Amador stations, there is a discrepancy between some of the busier stations and the less busy ones. In some instances there are Amador stations that respond to less than one call per day. In a time of limited resources there must be some consideration in funding two firefighters 24 hours/day in order to respond to a single call. Funding Model Fire Protection District As part of analyzing options and preparing recommendations, Staff participated in community meetings, met with residents, and engaged with several fire departments. This extended dialogue has allowed staff to see the value of maintaining the existing system as presently constituted. However, given the negotiated increases of CAL FIRE employees, the impacts of the minimum wage increase, the subsequent negotiated increases of County staff, and the impacts of other state/federal funding shifts, the County s discretionary resources are insufficient to fund the current public safety system. The FY budget recommendations are currently being prepared, and they include reductions to every public safety department. 4

6 The best way to ensure stability for BCFD is to develop dedicated funding that can be used exclusively for a Fire Department. Among the variety of funding mechanisms, a single, countywide fire district offers the best features to maintain stable services. It allows residents receiving the service to determine the level of service, it allows the continuation of the existing cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE, it allows other jurisdictions to join the district, and allows for governance dependent or independent from the Board of Supervisors. The formation of a fire protection district would require LAFCO and voter approval. Staff Recommendation Based on the analysis of options and the current inability to fund all public safety systems, staff recommends that the Board: Direct staff to request funding from the City of Chico for the operation of Station 42 within the City limits, or to close the station if the City chooses not to fund it. Direct staff to negotiate with the State to transfer Station 55 in Bangor to CAL FIRE. Direct staff to end the Amador program at Station 13 in Stirling City. Direct staff to end the Amador program at Station 36 in Jarbo Gap. Direct staff to end the Amador program at Station 62 in Berry Creek (Harts Mill). Direct staff to begin LAFCO procedures to establish a fire protection district. 5

7 Fire Service Restructuring Study FINAL REPORT April 2017

8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. STAND-ALONE FIRE DEPARTMENT 8 2. CONTINUING THE COOPERATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH CAL FIRE CURRENT FIRE SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM 33 APPENDIX A PROFILE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT 65 APPENDIX B COMPARATIVE SURVEY RESULTS 83

9 INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This introductory section provides the summary of the project goals and objectives, as well as the key activities conducted to complete the study, followed by an executive summary of the recommendations. 1. PROJECT INTRODUCTION The Matrix Consulting Group initiated a Fire Service Restructuring Study to assess alternative delivery approaches to provide fire protection services in the unincorporated areas of the County. To meet the study objectives, the project team engaged in the following activities: Conducted interviews with key managers from the County, including representatives from the fire service, in order to understand the context of the study and identify challenges and restructuring opportunities. Conducted interviews with elected officials to gain an understanding of their perceptions of the fire protection system in the County and restructuring opportunities. Conducted interviews with Fire Department personnel, including labor representatives. Conducted interviews with City leaders and fire personnel in the cities of Oroville and Chico to gain an understanding of their role and opportunities for fire protection in the County. Review of extensive workload data from the County, CAL FIRE, dispatch center, including detailed incident and call for service information to understand the fire and emergency service workload demands of the County. Review of organizational, operational, and financial information regarding the fire service delivery system, including the current CAL FIRE agreement with the County, organizational charts, budget and salary information, etc. Matrix Consulting Group Page 1

10 Additionally, the project team assessed the network of fire station locations (via GIS capabilities) and physical tours to identify the gaps in service delivery areas across the region. At the conclusion of the data collection, analysis and information gathering portion of the study, the project team provided a list of potential alternatives to restructuring fire protection services in the County to the Board of Supervisors. These alternatives included: 1. Remaining with CAL FIRE for the provision of fire services and examining cost saving opportunities: Positive Elements Services continue to be provided with CAL FIRE. Chief Officer oversight for personnel and incidents with access to incident management teams on large-scale incidents. Air Attack for immediate access to Wildland fires and the ability to use State resources on Wildland fires in the local response area (LRA). CAL FIRE handles all workers compensations and general liability claims. The County has no employee responsibilities including hiring, promotions and terminations. The County has no responsibility for potential pension liabilities, retiree health care and lump sum buyouts for separating employees. The County has no responsibility for negotiations, grievances and arbitration with bargaining units. Potential Issues There is no local control related to hiring, promotions and assignments. There is no local control over bargaining salaries and benefits. Any cost increases realized by the State are passed on to the County in subsequent agreements 2. Forming a stand-alone Butte County Fire Department operated by the County Positive Elements County gains full local control of fire department operations County makes all personnel decisions County has control of negotiations with bargaining units Matrix Consulting Group Page 2

11 County determines compensation package Potential Issues County would have additional labor group(s) to bargain with. All fire department employees would be in the CalPERS system and bring potential long-term pension liabilities to the County. Support for the fire department will impact other County departments and may require additional personnel in areas such as human resources, fleet maintenance, finance and information technology. Implementation will require a staggered approach to allow development of job descriptions, deployment plans and policies. 3. Forming independent fire districts to serve specific areas of the County: Positive Elements Each service area would locally determine the desired service levels and tax funding to support fire protection. The cost of providing fire protection services is removed from the County General Fund. Potential Issues No local control for the County. Will require LAFCO and voter approval. Some areas could vote to not fund a district or local fire protection. County would have to determine how to transfer County owned assets. Each District would require automatic and mutual aid agreements with other fire agencies in the County. There may be varied methods of operating each agency. 4. Forming a single countywide fire district to provide services in the unincorporated areas: Positive Elements County Board of Supervisors could have governance control by being the Board of the Fire District. Incorporated cities and towns can opt into the Fire District Costs of providing fire protection services are removed from the County General Fund and paid through a separate fire tax. Fire District would not be required to be part of CalPERS. The Fire District could continue to contract with CAL FIRE for services. Potential Issues Matrix Consulting Group Page 3

12 LAFCO and voter approval is required to form the Fire District. Requires the same consideration for employment issues and support services as a stand alone fire department if not contracting for services. Independent operations would need to be phased in. Decision for transfer of assets to the District would need to be decided by the County. * Depending on compensation package the Department may have higher turnover rates due to proximity of higher paying agencies. 5. Forming a joint powers agreement with an existing provider such as Chico to provide services countywide: Positive Elements County can determine partner agency and levels of service desired. Cooperative agreement development is very flexible and can fit any service level provision. Participating agencies can determine length of agreement and service levels desired. Potential Issues Loss of local control for County depending on service provider. Service provider would need to be capable of administering services to a complex service area. Funding for fire protection services remains in the County General Fund. 6. Forming a joint powers agency and partnering with existing agencies to provide fire services countywide: Positive Elements Agencies are known at time of formation and costs determined. * Governance model is determined by the participating agencies. * County would have representation on governing Board. * No voter or LAFCO approval required to form. Potential Issues * Cost allocation plan for each participating agency would need to be developed. * Funding for County portion would remain in the General Fund. * Support for personnel, fleet, facilities and technology would be required. * Transfer of assets would need to be determined. Matrix Consulting Group Page 4

13 After meeting with the Board of Supervisors and discussing the positive elements and potential issues regarding each alternative, the Board of Supervisors directed the project team to examine cost savings opportunities available while remaining with CAL FIRE as the service provider and examining the feasibility and cost of the County operating a stand-alone fire department. The project continued with further data analysis and the conducting of five (5) community meetings as well as distributing an on-line survey to allow members of the public to provide the project team with input regarding their satisfaction with the current fire protection system and areas they felt improvement opportunities existed. It is important to note that during these meetings, the public expressed great satisfaction with the current cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE and the services provided to residents and business owners. They also expressed concerns with any changes to the system that resulted in fewer resources or closing of stations and many stated that they were willing to pay more to ensure fire protection services remained at current levels. Overall there were 939 responses to the Community Survey. Of these responses 86% of respondents stated they were satisfied with fire protection services in the County, 83% had a positive impression of BCFD personnel and 56% were interested in the County examining alternatives available to current model of providing fire services. As such, this report represents the organizational options and cost estimates regarding the delivery of fire and emergency services to the unincorporated areas of the County from the two perspective chosen by the Board of Supervisors. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Matrix Consulting Group Page 5

14 Overall, the project team found that the residents of Butte County are receiving a cost effective service from the current cooperative services agreement, although there are opportunities to reduce the cost of the system. Adding a stand-alone fire department to the County would result in decreased annual costs, but brings large one time capital investment needs and additional risks associated with adding safety employees such as unfunded pension liabilities and collective bargaining, which are currently handled by CAL FIRE. In total, the project team found the opportunity to save as much as $2,257,211 annually by implementing changes with the current Cooperative Services Agreement and working with other entities to implement cost sharing opportunities. These savings will make continuing to use CAL FIRE a more cost effective option than forming a stand-alone County Fire Department. The table below summarizes the key findings and recommendations of the Fire Department and Emergency Services Feasibility and Cost Analysis. # Key Finding Key Recommendation 1 In a stand-alone fire department a new station would need to be constructed in the Thermalito area. 2 In a stand-alone fire department the County would need to enter into mutual aid agreements with other fire rescue providers in the County to ensure an effective response force can be assembled in a timely manner. 3 Five volunteer stations will need to be renovated for career personnel if a standalone fire department is formed and CAL FIRE will not continue the Amador program. Construct a new station in the Thermalito area to provide appropriate response time coverage if a stand-alone fire department is formed. The cost to the County will be $1,675,000 for a 5,000 square foot facility. If a stand-alone fire department is formed, enter into automatic aid agreements with CAL FIRE, Chico, Oroville and Paradise to ensure aid is available for large-scale incidents. Convert five (5) volunteer stations to career stations by adding living and sleeping quarters. The cost to the County will be a $1,600,000. Matrix Consulting Group Page 6

15 # Key Finding Key Recommendation 4 The cost of operating a stand-alone fire department would be approximately $1,020,209 less than the current budgeted costs for fire services in the County. There would be one time capital costs and additional risks such as unfunded pension liabilities and employee bargaining units, which makes examining cost reductions for the current model a wise decision for the County. 5 BCFD stations in Chico are responding to a high number of calls in the City of Chico. These stations are being used as primary responders to emergency incidents in City much more frequently than automatic and mutual aid services are designed for. 6 The Richvale station is underutilized, but does protect critical structures in the unincorporated areas of the County. There is a need to weigh cost vs. risk to determine if this station should continue to remain open. 7 Station 55 is wholly located in and responds to areas within the State Responsibility Area (SRA). There is an opportunity to transfer operational control of this station to the State. 8 Amador stations 13, 36 and 62 are underutilized and should be removed from the Amador program. 9 The data analysis suggests that there are currently inconsistencies in the way data is captured and entered into the CAD system to report response times. 10 There are currently no formal response time performance objectives relative to the service area, characteristics and risks. 11 Call processing performance standards should be established. Continue to utilize CAL FIRE to staff the Butte County Fire Department and examine opportunities to reduce costs associated with the current Cooperative Services Agreement. Develop a cost sharing approach for BCFD resources to be first due in Chico. At current response levels, the County should be compensated $963,312 annually for the services provided to the City with County resources. Determine if there is a significant financial risk to the County if a rice production facility were lost due to fire. If there is no such risk, close the Richvale Station or work with businesses to subsidize the cost of operating the station. The subsidy should be a minimum of 25% of operating costs or $164,500 annually. Closing the Station would save about $658,000 annually. Direct the Butte County Unit Chief to initiate the process of transferring operation responsibility for Station 55 from Butte County to the State, saving approximately $658,000 annually. Remove Stations 13, 36 and 62 from the Amador program which will save the County approximately $471,399 / year. Task CAL FIRE with developing internal standards to ensure consistent capturing and reporting of each of the response time elements. Establish service level objectives for fire, rescue, and emergency medical response in accordance with service area characteristics and risks. Adopt a policy of processing calls in 1- minute or less at a 90% level. Matrix Consulting Group Page 7

16 # Key Finding Key Recommendation 12 Turnout time performance standards should be established. 13 Travel time performance standards should be established based on population density and risk categories. Adopt a policy of achieving a 1:00 - minute turnout time for EMS calls and 1:30 for fire Calls Adopt travel time standards of 13:00 or less 90% of the time for rural areas and 6:30 or less for special / high-risk areas. Matrix Consulting Group Page 8

17 1. STAND-ALONE FIRE DEPARTMENT This chapter includes the feasibility and cost analysis of County forming its own stand-alone fire department. The sections below first discuss the key assumptions in the development of the alternative, followed by the proposed management, organizational, and operational approaches, as well as the associated costs. 1. KEY ASSUMPTIONS FOR A STAND-ALONE FIRE DEPARTMENT. A significant assumption in this chapter is the complete separation of Butte County from the current Cooperative Services Agreement with CAL FIRE. The table below outlines additional key planning assumptions used to structure the fire department within the County. Planning Elements and Assumptions Element Management / Governance Compensation Salaries and Fringe Benefits Operating Expenses Emergency Medical Service Assumption The Chief of the Fire Department would report directly to the Butte County Administrator, under the overall policy direction of the Board of Supervisors. The levels at which positions would be compensated (e.g. average top step, bottom step, mid-range) can have a substantial impact on the total projected cost of an in-house Fire Department for Butte County, since labor costs (salaries and benefits) typically account for over 80% of the fire department operating budget. Personnel information was collected from Chico, Oroville, CAL FIRE and Redding with the average bottom step of their compensation plans serving as the assumed top step for the salary ranges in the fire department. Benefit calculations used were actual costs associated with health care and retirement contributions. The current maximum County contribution to health care is $16,572. The CalPERS contribution is % for safety positions for FY2016/17. Previous Butte County Fire Department Budgets as well as current budgeted operating costs were used to estimate the annual operating expenses. These expenses are estimated at $20,039,219. EMS service would continue to be provided by the County contracted firm under the Exclusive Operating Area Agreement. Matrix Consulting Group Page 9

18 Planning Elements and Assumptions Element Fire Suppression Network and Unit Staffing Assumption Three principal factors drive determining the number of staff required to staff response units: (1) The average hours in the workweek for shift personnel; (2) The number of response units; and (3) The minimum staffing of each response unit. Principal issues and assumptions associated with projecting staffing for an in-house Department are as follows: Response Personnel Workweek: If the County establishes a county fire department, the assumption is that County would employ a 72-hour standard workweek for shift personnel. Number of Responding Units: The project team is operating under the assumptions that the Department will continue to staff eighteen fire stations. Response Unit Staffing: The minimum daily staffing would be two (2) personnel as is the current staffing model in Butte County. HazMat / Technical Rescue, etc. Communications and Dispatch Impact of An In-House Fire Department on County Support Departments Apparatus and Major Equipment Needs Command Structure: Two (2) Battalion Chiefs would be assigned to each shift. In the absence of a Battalion Chief a Captain would step up to act as the Battalion Chief. Specialty services would continue to be provided by the current system. Dispatch services would be provided by the County Sheriff. There will be an increased workload impact on County support departments, including human resources, legal and risk management, finance, fleet etc. requiring support personnel to handle these duties or added personnel to the County departments to support the fire department. These charges would still be the responsibility of Butte County. 2. FIRE STATION LOCATIONS As noted previously there are eighteen (18) stations staffed year round with six (6) of those stations being Amador stations that are CAL FIRE stations staffed in the non-fire season with the County funding the staff for these facilities form the time fire season ends until the new fire season is declared. It is currently unclear whether CAL FIRE will staff Amador stations if the County formed a stand-alone fire department and ended the Schedule A contract for providing fire service protection. Continuing the Amador program would be the most cost effective Matrix Consulting Group Page 10

19 option for the County. If there is no opportunity to staff the stations through the Amador program, five (5) of the six (6) Amador stations would need to be replaced with the conversion of current volunteer stations to career stations. This will require the stations to be renovated to accommodate career personnel. The chart below identifies the Amador station to be replaced with the volunteer station. Amador Conversions Amador Station Volunteer Station Station 13 Station 12 Stirling City Stirling City Station 23 Station 24 Forest Ranch Forest Ranch Station 35 Station 31 Paradise North De Sabla Station 36 Station 37 Jarbo Gap Parkhill Station 62 Station 61 Berry Creek Berry Creek The current cost for construction and renovation varies depending on the type of work to be performed. Estimates in the Sacramento area range from $125 to $200 per square foot for an average of $160 per square foot. For the purposes of this discussion and using the average cost, a 2,000 square foot addition could potentially cost $320,000. Converting the five (5) stations noted above and using the 2,000 square foot estimate the total cost for renovation would be a minimum of $1,600,000. This cost could be reduced if some or all of the work could be handled in-house through the County maintenance departments. As noted in the chart above Station 35 Paradise North is located in the northern section of the Town of Paradise and is an Amador station funded by the County. These Matrix Consulting Group Page 11

20 resources would be moved north to Station 31 De Sabla. The area would then be serviced by Station 31 De Sabla and Station 33 Magalia. Station 54 provides primary service to the Robinson Mills area and is currently being staffed through the Amador system. This area does not have any volunteer stations close enough to convert to a career station. There are two possible solutions for this area. A new facility could be built in the area. At an average cost of $ per square foot a 5,000 square foot station with living quarters and apparatus bay would cost a minimum of $1,675,000. Again, this option illustrates the need for an additional facility if CAL FIRE will not continue the Amador program. Station 63 is not an Amador station but the County does fund two positions at this station. The rest of the staffing is provided by the State during the fire season. This station provides primary response to the Thermalito area with additional support from Stations 64 and 72. However, these two stations are too far away to provide appropriate primary response to the area. Similar to the situation with Station 54, there are two possible solutions. Build a new facility more centrally located in the Thermalito area or continue the agreement with CAL FIRE for this station. As noted previously a new facility, using the same footprint, would cost approximately $1,600,000. In order to provide appropriate response to this area a new facility will be required. As noted previously design, site work and construction costs will range of $300 to $360 per square foot. Using a figure of $335 per square foot a 5,000 square fire station with living quarters and apparatus bay would cost approximately $1,675,000 for construction and Recommendation: Work with CAL FIRE to continue the Amador program if a standalone County Fire Department is formed. Costs would continue to be the same as current Amador staffing costs. Matrix Consulting Group Page 12

21 Recommendation: Construct a new station in the Thermalito area to provide appropriate response time coverage if a stand-alone fire department is formed. The cost to the County will be a capital investment of $1,675,000 for a 5,000 square foot facility. Recommendation: Convert five (5) volunteer stations to career stations by adding living and sleeping quarters. The cost to the County will be a $1,600,000 investment in capital facilities. There is currently a partnership between the County and the Cities of Biggs and Gridley that will need to continue. Stations 73 and 74 continue to provide service to areas of the county that surround these two cities. alignment. The map bellows illustrates the benchmark travel time for this new station Matrix Consulting Group Page 13

22 Using the same parameters as the existing station system there is not a significant difference in travel time for the stand-alone department than is experienced from the existing stations utilized under the Cooperative Services Agreement, which is why the more cost effective Amador staffing plan should continue if an agreement can be reached with CAL FIRE. The map below illustrates the benchmark travel times for a full first alarm assignment to structure fires using the new station network. As in the previous illustration, the travel times are not significantly impacted with the new alignment. The map below shows the call concentration for Butte County. Matrix Consulting Group Page 14

23 The calls for service follow the population densities outlines earlier. This also supports the station locations being in the areas where the services are being requested. In addition to the new alignment of stations, the County will still need to negotiate and execute mutual aid agreements to ensure they have appropriate assistance during large incidents. Agreements with CAL FIRE, the City of Chico, Oroville and Paradise should be developed to benefit all parties within the County. Recommendation: If a stand-alone fire department is formed, enter into automatic aid agreements with CAL FIRE, the City of Chico, the City of Oroville and the Town of Paradise to ensure aid is available for large scale incidents. 3. STAFFING LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A MINIMUM OF TWO (2) PERSONNEL AT EACH COUNTY FIRE STATION. Matrix Consulting Group Page 15

24 The current service delivery model uses a daily minimum staffing of two (2) personnel for each station. The effective response force identifies fourteen (14) personnel are necessary for a residential structure fire (moderate risk). The current staffing alignment would bring seven (7) stations to get the manpower necessary to handle the moderate risk. Too few personnel at an emergency will reduce the effectiveness of the response and increases the possibility of injury to the firefighter. History has shown that not sending enough resources usually results in increased property loss, increased resources to handle the heavier workload and ties up those resources for a longer period of time. In April 2010 The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) completed studies on the effectiveness and efficiencies of various crew sizes. Their work included numerous laboratory tests and actual field tests. For the field tests the study used a response of three engine companies, a truck company and a command officer with an aide. They measured and timed 22 fire ground tasks using different crew sizes. The crews arrived at the scene in a staggered fashion much like what is found in our communities. While the results of their 60 tests show that three and four-person crews were complete on scene tasks faster than two-person, the new fire department staffing model will continue to utilize a daily minimum manning of two (2) personnel per station. This will continue the current service levels and ensure the County is comparing costs of a standalone department with those of the current Cooperative Services Agreement with CAL FIRE. It is important to note, that as funds become available or population densities change to suburban or urban in the County, the project team recommends three person Matrix Consulting Group Page 16

25 staffing due to the efficiency and personnel safety gains illustrated above by using a three person staffing model. The table below outlines the stations and staffing that will be used as the career part of the new fire protection system in Butte County in a stand-alone fire department. Career Facilities (Year-Round Coverage) Facility Station 33 Magalia Station 41 Chico (Nord) Station 42 Chico (North) Station 44 Chico (South) Station 45 Durham Station 55 Bangor Station 64 Oroville Station 71 Richvale Station 72 Palermo Station 73 Biggs Station 74 Gridley Station 63 Thermalito Station 12 Stirling City Station 24 Forest Ranch Station 31 De Sabla Station 37 Parkhill Station 54 Robinson Mills Station 61 Berry Creek Minimum Daily Staffing Ownership 2 County 2 County 2 County 2 County/Lease 2 County 2 County 2 County 2 County 2 County 2 City/County 2 City/County 2 State 2 County 2 County 2 County 2 County 2 State/Amador 2 County Staffing each station with a minimum daily staffing of two (2) personnel creates 36 positions to be filled on a daily basis. To calculate the number of people it will require to Matrix Consulting Group Page 17

26 fill those positions every day of the year there are several assumptions that need to be made. The assumed schedule is the current 72-hour workweek utilized by CAL FIRE. Paid time off includes ten (10) sick days, three (3) weeks of vacation and ten (10) personal and/or holidays. The table below details the calculation. Number 156 Shifts for one FF 10 Sick Days 72-Hour Work Week Schedule Description 10 Personal Days/Holidays/etc 9 Vacation days (3 shifts make up one week) People to cover a single shift 2.87 People to cover 24 / 7 / Positions to Cover 104 Total Number of Personnel Required The calculations shown above indicates 104 shift personnel will be required to fill the positions needed to staff apparatus on a daily basis. 3. COMMAND AND SUPPORT SERVICES STRUCTURE OF A STAND ALONE DEPARTMENT WILL REQUIRE A FIRE CHIEF AND TWO DEPUTY CHIEFS. The command staff of a stand-alone fire department will be comprised of a Fire Chief and two (2) Deputy Chiefs as the executive command team. The Fire Chief will report to the County Administrator and will have overall control and responsibility for the management of the department. Two Deputy Chiefs will have command and control of two separate sections within the department. The emergency operations of the department will fall under the command of one Deputy Chief. The other Deputy Chief will have command and control of the support functions of the department including fire prevention, training, fire investigations and maintenance of buildings and apparatus. Staffing for these functions will mirror the existing fire protection system. Also Included in Matrix Consulting Group Page 18

27 this section is an administrative assistant assigned to the Fire Chief s office to handle administrative and clerical duties for the department. 4. ORGANIZATION CHART FOR A STAND-ALONE DEPARTMENT. The chart on the following page provides the proposed structure of the fire department indicating the lines of authority for the command and control of the department as a stand-alone organization: Fire Chief Administrative Assistant Deputy Chief (Operations) Deputy Chief (Admin/Supprt) Battalion 1 Battalion 2 Battalion 3 Fire Prevention Maintenance Training St. 33 St. 41 St. 55 Prevention Officer (2) Training Officer (3) St. 12 St. 42 St. 64 Weed Abatement (1) Safety Officer (1) St. 24 St. 44 St. 73 Pub Ed / PIO (1) Office Tech (1) St. 31 St. 45 St. 74 Investigator (1) St. 37 St. 71 St. 63 Office Tech (1) St. 61 St. 72 St. 54 Matrix Consulting Group Page 19

28 5. THERE ARE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS IN A STAND-ALONE FIRE DEPARTMENT. As noted previously there will be impacts on other departments in the County if a stand-alone fire department is formed. This includes human resources, fleet maintenance, information technology and finance. The Human Resources department will now be needed to handle the recruiting and hiring of fire department personnel. The finance functions will need to handle additional payroll duties, billing, grant funding management and purchasing. Maintenance of the apparatus will be added to the fleet services of public works. The current fire protection system utilizes two (2) personnel in human resources, one (1) in finance, four (4) in the fleet maintenance program and one (1) in information technology. For the purposes of planning these same personnel will be added to the various departments in the County to support the stand-alone fire department and ensure the needs of the additional County personnel associated with this department can be effectively supported. 6. BUDGETING FOR A STAND-ALONE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL CONTROL AND PLANNING. There are several new position classifications to be added to the County payroll with the formation of a stand-alone county fire department. Among the various items that will needed is pay scales for personnel assigned to the fire department. For the positions in the fire department data from Chico, Oroville, Redding and CAL FIRE was used to establish pay scales to allow the project team to develop a cost for these employees. Not all the agencies had every position, but like positions were used to determine the average wage for positions similar to those needed for a stand-alone department. Matrix Consulting Group Page 20

29 surveyed: The following table illustrates the current pay for positions in the communities Current Pay of Area Positons Position Average Fire Chief $127,508 Deputy Chief $104,243 Assistant Chief $114,967 Battalion Chief $64,692 Captain $62,766 Lieutenant $52,113 Engineer $58,921 Firefighter $47,405 Fire Inspector $48,852 Admin Asst. $35,845 Training $65,112 F. Prevention Chief $65,112 As Butte indicated they wanted to have lower employee costs, the average pay of current positions served as the top pay for the required Butte County employees and then was adjusted to develop starting and mid level pay rates. This ensures the stand-alone fire department has lower salary costs than surrounding agencies, but does place the agency at risk of losing employees to higher paying agencies and using Butte County as an initial employer and place to obtain training. Recommended Butte County Fire Department Pay Scale Position Low Mid High Fire Chief $84,155 $105,832 $127,508 Deputy Chief $68,800 $86,522 $104,243 Battalion Chief $42,697 $53,694 $64,692 Captain $41,426 $52,096 $62,766 Engineer $38,888 $48,904 $58,921 Firefighter $31,287 $39,346 $47,405 Fire Inspector $32,242 $40,547 $48,852 Training Officer $42,974 $54,043 $65,112 Prevention Officer $42,974 $54,043 $65,112 Matrix Consulting Group Page 21

30 The salary shown in the high column is the average of the starting salary of the communities surveyed. According to the CalPERS website, for FY 2016/17 Butte County contributions will be % into the retirement system for safety employees and % for all others. Using the 2016 health care information provided by the County indicates the highest County contribution is $16,572 for the employee and family plan. These two factors were used in the calculations below along with the federal taxes required to be paid by the employer to determine the total cost per employee. For some positions the County already has identified salary ranges such as the administrative assistant. In these instances, the current County information was used. The table below identifies the personnel costs for the fire department for salary and benefits. Estimated Fire Department Personnel Costs Position Number Salary Benefits Total Salary Total Benefits Total Cost Fire Chief 1 $84,155 $45,335 $84,155 $45,335 $129,490 Deputy Chief 2 $68,800 $40,087 $137,600 $80,174 $217,774 Battalion Chief 9 $42,697 $31,165 $384,273 $280,485 $664,758 Captain 52 $41,426 $30,730 $2,154,152 $1,597,960 $3,752,112 Engineer 52 $38,888 $29,863 $2,022,176 $1,552,876 $3,575,052 Training Officer 3 $42,974 $29,151 $128,922 $87,453 $216,375 Prevention Officer 2 $42,974 $29,151 $85,948 $58,302 $144,250 Investigator 1 $42,974 $29,151 $42,974 $29,151 $72,125 Weed Abatement 1 $32,242 $26,010 $32,242 $26,010 $58,252 Pub Ed/PIO 1 $32,242 $26,010 $32,242 $26,010 $58,252 Admin Asst. (Sr) 1 $34,008 $24,080 $34,008 $24,080 $58,088 Admin Asst. - C 2 $30,805 $23,373 $61,610 $46,746 $108,356 Totals 127 $5,200,302 $3,908,582 $9,108,884 The following table provides the annual operating budget for the fire department. Matrix Consulting Group Page 22

31 Proposed Fire Department Budget FY 2017 Line Item Costs Salaries $5,200,302 Overtime $1,705,130 Benefits $3,908,582 Volunteer Salaries and Benefits $134,218 Total Salaries and Benefits $10,948,232 Communications $605,390 Uniform Allowance $121,000 Utilities $112,383 Janitorial $28,000 Insurance $55,303 Maintenance / Repair $516,138 Training $163,200 Building Rent / Lease $84,776 Tools and Equipment $10,000 Travel / Transportation $130,000 Supplies $26,000 Specialized Supplies/Svcs. $1,063,886 Special Items Administration $86,042 Special Items Auditor $20,602 Special Items - County Counsel $796 Special Items - General Svcs. $210,641 Special Items - Info Systems $11,768 Special Items - Treasurer $538 Other Charges $74,371 Capital Transfers $1,355,029 Total Budget $15,624,095 This budget combines the items paid for through the current CAL FIRE Cooperative Services Agreement and those budget items that are a part of the general County budget. The communications item is based on the existing contract with the County paying for the positions within the communications center that would be needed by the Sheriff to assume those dispatching duties, which will have to be vetted with the Sheriff to determine any capital improvements or capacity issues related to the transfer of dispatching responsibilities. Note the last item is the transfer of funds for capital Matrix Consulting Group Page 23

32 improvements that will also need to continue to ensure capital assets can be replaced according to current schedules. The additional staffing needed for other departments such as finance and human resources is outlined in the table below. These costs are not directly included in the fire department budget but will need to be considered as part of the overall cost of operating a stand-alone fire department. The salary information is from the current County pay plan and is outlined in the table below. Associated Personnel Costs for a Stand-Alone Fire Department Position # Salary Benefits Total Salary Total Benefits Total Cost Heavy Equip Mechanic 4 $37,170 $24,778 $148,680 $99,114 $247,794 Human Resources Tech. 2 $39,437 $25,279 $78,874 $50,558 $129,432 Financial Technician 1 $33,842 $24,044 $33,842 $24,044 $57,886 Information System Tech. 1 $36,442 $24,618 $36,442 $24,618 $61,060 Total Cost $297,838 $198,333 $496,171 As shown above, the additional personnel, based on the current system with CAL FIRE will cost an estimated $496,171. Using this figure the total cost impact on the County for a stand-alone fire department is $16,120,266. This represents an annual savings of $1,020,209 or 6.3% decrease over the current budgetary costs for providing fire services in Butte County. There would be a 3-year pay back for the required one-time capital costs for a new station in the Thermalito area and required renovations to five volunteer stations totaling $3,275,000. There are also additional risks and unknown costs that can result from the County becoming the employer of the fire personnel. These include becoming responsible for increasing unfunded liability issues associated with pensions, workman s compensation and legal costs from employment issues that are currently handled by CAL Matrix Consulting Group Page 24

33 FIRE as part of the agreement and all employees being CAL FIRE employees, such as collective bargaining and lawsuits. When examining the options to fund a countywide fire district, there are two methods available for the County. The first is to continue the use of general funds to fund the newly formed department. The second is to seek to form an independent fire district in the County, which would become a separate taxing authority and the taxes collected by the County for the district would fund the newly formed fire department. This option would require extensive public education to gain support, LAFCO approval and ultimately voter approval to form the district. Recommendation: Examine opportunities to reduce costs and continue to utilize CAL FIRE to staff the Butte County Fire Department and examine opportunities to reduce costs associated with the current Cooperative Services Agreement. Matrix Consulting Group Page 25

34 2. CONTINUING THE COOPERATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH CAL FIRE This chapter examines opportunities to reduce the current cost providing fire services through the Cooperative Services Agreement with CAL FIRE. As shown previously, the current provision of utilizing CAL FIRE to provide fire protection services under this agreement is a more cost effective option than the County forming a standalone fire department. In conducting this analysis, the project team examined the potential of cost sharing opportunities, cost avoidance opportunities and efficiency opportunities available if changes were made to the current system. 1. THERE ARE OPPORTUNITES TO EXAMINE COST SHARING WITH OTHER ENTITIES UTILIZING COUNTY RESOURCES TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES. The current cost to operate each station funded by the County on full-time basis is approximately $658,000 per year. This is a significant recurring cost for the County and must ensure that the stations it is funding are being fully utilized to meet the needs of the citizens in the unincorporated areas of the County. Much of the growth from the cities and towns in Butte County has been through annexation and infill. The annexation of land as it is developed, particularly in the Chico area has resulted in County stations now being located within the City limits of Chico. There are also County funded stations located in the City of Oroville. Due to the large number of responses the County personnel are making into the cities, it is appropriate at this time to examine opportunities for cost Matrix Consulting Group Page 26

35 sharing as County resources are being used beyond typical automatic and mutual aid and are now supplementing city fire protection services in several areas. (1) Stations 42 and 44 in Chico Have a High Percentage of Responses into the City of Chico. The City of Chico has grown over the years largely through annexation of newly developed areas. In fact between the 2000 and 2010 United States Census periods the City grew from 76,797 to 86,187 or 12.2% over the ten-year period. The current population estimate by the Census Bureau is 90,316, an increase of 17.6% since The city current covers and area of 33.1 square miles, up from 28 square miles in This has resulted in 5 additional square miles of taxable land inside the City of Chico, which is no longer part of the unincorporated area of Butte County. According to BCFD records, In FY 2015, stations 42 and 44 responded to 3,276 calls for service inside the City of Chico. In the majority of these responses, BCFD was the first due company and not responding due to the need for additional resources at a major incident in Chico. This represented 81.1% of the calls for Station 42 and 65.3% of the calls for Station 44. During the same timeframe, the City of Chico Fire Department responded to 20 calls for mutual aid outside their urban area. The following information is from the Chico CAD system and illustrates the number of responses by unit in the City of Chico for FY 2015: Matrix Consulting Group Page 27

36 Chico CAD Data for Responses by Unit in FY 2015 Unit Responses Percentage E % E % E % E % E % E % E % E % E % E % E % E2R % E2R2 2, % E3CR % E4 1, % E % E42 2, % E % E % E4R % E5 1, % E6 1, % E % E % E % ENG6A % SQ1 1, % T1 1, % Grand Total 13, % As shown above, Engine 42 is responding to as many or more calls on an annual basis in the City of Chico as primary CFD units. In fact Engine 42 accounted for approximately 15.3% of unit responses in the City of Chico in FY Engine 44 accounted for just over 4% of unit responses in the City over the same time period. Of theses calls the following table illustrates the number of critical calls responded to by the BCFD into the City of Chico during FY 2015: Matrix Consulting Group Page 28

37 Critical Calls Responded to by BCFD in Chico FY 2015 Call Type Engine 42 Engine 44 Total Confirmed Commercial Structure Fire Confirmed Residential Structure Fire Confirmed Apartment Fire Large Vehicle Fire Medical CPR Medical Stroke Medical Unconscious Possible Commercial Structure Fire Possible Residential Structure Fire Total As illustrated above, of the calls responded to into the City of Chico by BCFD, 289 or approximately 11% posed an immediate threat to life or property. Of these, 214 or 74% of the calls, were medical related calls for service. There are two critical factors regarding this situation. First, the data clearly illustrates that at a minimum BCFD Engine 42 is a primary response component in the Chico emergency response system. Secondly, the high utilization of this unit to respond to calls within the City limits of Chico makes it unable to provide services to the unincorporated areas of the County when engaged in an emergency call within the City limits. The County should work with the City to determine a fair and equitable cost sharing for their utilization of these services. The project team recommends using call responses, which combined represented the cost of 1.42 stations or $963,312 annually. If the City is not willing to assist with the funding of these stations, Butte County should consider closing station 42. Recommendation: Close Station 42 or develop a cost sharing approach for BCFD resources to be first due within the City of Chico. Current utilization rates indicate that the County should be compensated $963,312 annually for the services they are providing to the City with County resources. (2) The Richvale Station is Underutilized, but Provides Critical Service to the Rice Production Community. Matrix Consulting Group Page 29

38 Station 71 (Richvale) is underutilized, responding to a total of 79 calls in their first due area in FY This equates to one call every 4.6 days. The total call response for the year was 265, including calls where the station responded to cover other station call areas or was a second or third due resource. The total responses accounted for one call every 1.4 days. The difficult question for the County is to determine if the fire and non-fire risks in the Richvale area warrant the need for the station to remain open. It is important for a jurisdiction to consider the financial impact losing one of the production facilities to a structure fire would have on the County. While there were no structure fires responded to in the jurisdiction during the year, there is a risk of fires in these facilities as well as the residential and commercials areas immediately surrounding them. If a loss of one of these facilities due to a fire would have a significant impact on the County financially, the station should remain open. This should be evaluated by the finance department to determine the impact of total taxes received from one of these facilities and how much revenue would be lost if the building was destroyed in a fire. If there is no significant financial impact, the station should be closed with the Oroville and Thermalito stations becoming the initial responders to the area. If there would be significant financial hardship on the County, the County should work with the rice producers to share the cost of the facility that exists to provide an immediate response to their facilities. It is common for developers and large manufacturing facilities to subsidize the cost of constructing and staffing fire protection facilities when they are needed to provide services to an area that otherwise would not warrant a fully staffed fire station. Matrix Consulting Group Page 30

39 Recommendation: Determine if there is a significant financial risk to the County if a rice production facility were lost due to fire. If there is no such risk close the Richvale Station or work with the business community to subsidize the cost of operating the station. The subsidy should be a minimum of 25% of operating costs or $164,500 annually. Closing the Station would save approximately $658,000 annually. (3) Station 55 (Bangor) and the Response Area Are Wholly Located in the SRA and Should Become a State Station. The Bangor Station (55) is wholly located in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) and serves the SRA as its primary response area. The project team met with representatives from CAL FIRE and there are procedures in place for the Unit Chief of the area to request making fire stations in this this type of situation a State operated fires station. The County should direct the Butte Unit Chief to prepare such a request and transfer the responsibility for operating the station to the State of California and the CAL FIRE Butte Unit. This would save the county approximately $658,000 annually. Recommendation: Direct the Butte County Unit Chief to initiate the process of transferring operation responsibility for Station 55 from Butte County to the State, saving approximately $658,000 annually. 2. SEVERAL AMADOR STATIONS ARE UNDERUTILIZED. As previously illustrated, the Cooperative Services agreement incudes staffing State stations during the non-fire season to ensure areas in the SRA continue to have fire protection personnel assigned for immediate response to emergencies during non-fire season. In total there are six (6) stations staffed during the non-fire season using the Amador program. The project team examined the utilization of these stations and found three stations that should be removed from the program, Stations 13, 36 and 62. The salary, benefit and overtime costs for staffing each of these stations is approximately $157,133 per year each. Matrix Consulting Group Page 31

40 2.1 Amador Stations 13, 36 and 62 Are Underutilized and Should be Removed from the Amador Staffing Program. The project team examined the locations and call demand for the Amador stations to determine if there were any opportunities to remove some stations from the programs or share costs with communities that also benefit from the program. For analysis purposes the timeframe of November 1 April 30 was used to examine call volume and an incident count of less than 180 or less than 1 call per day was the factor for whether a station was considered underutilized. The following table illustrates the call demand for stations 13 (Stirling City), 36 (Jarbo Gap) and 62 (Berry Creek) between November 1 and April 30 in FY Incident Responses Nov April 30, 2015 Station 13 Stirling City 36 Jarbo Gap 62 Berry Creek Total Incidents As illustrated above, the three stations ran a combined 391 calls for service over the six-month period. The station with the least call volume was station 13, which averaged.38 calls per day or 1 call approximately every 3 days. Station 36 responded to 149 incidents or an average of.83 calls per day. Of the three underutilized stations, station 62 had the most calls, responding to 174 calls during the six months, just under the 1 call per day threshold. Recommendation: Remove Stations 13, 36 and 62 from the Amador program which will save the County approximately $471,399 annually. Matrix Consulting Group Page 32

41 3. CURRENT FIRE DELIVERY SYSTEM This chapter includes a discussion on the effective delivery of fire and rescue services, including key considerations in how services should be provided as well as an assessment of the current delivery of fire and rescue services in the unincorporated areas of Butte County, which is provided under a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE. The sections below first discuss the general service environment considerations then move to workload demands, followed by an assessment of how fire services are organized and delivered. 1. SERVICE LEVEL DEFINITION WITHIN THE FIRE SERVICE Since the mid-nineties there has been considerable discussion and dialogue about the level of service provided by the fire service. Community expectations, reduced funding, changes in service requests and availability of resources have all played a part in the community s desired level of service. At a minimum two critical points have emerged as being a constant in any analysis or discussion about the level of service and the intervention of emergency incidents. The dynamics of fire growth is directly related to various configurations of fire station locations, built-in fire protection, and company staffing patterns. The fire suppression tasks required at a typical fire scene vary widely depending upon risk level. In order to save lives and limit property damage, fire companies must arrive in a timely fashion with adequate resources to do the job. One of the greatest challenges facing fire service managers is to match the arrival of resources with a specific point of fire growth. Matrix Consulting Group Page 33

42 The answer for controlling variations in fire dynamics lies in finding a common reference point - one that is common to all fires regardless of the risk level of the structure, the contents of the structure, or the time the fire has burned. This reference point is called flashover. All fires go through the same stages of growth regardless of speed or length of burn time. The flashover stage is very significant, because it marks a critical change in conditions. It is desirable to have fire companies on scene with hose-lines deployed before flashover occurs. When flashover occurs, everything in the room instantaneously erupts into flame. This eruption generates a tremendous amount of heat, smoke, and pressure resulting in enough force to extend the fire beyond the room of origin through doors and windows or breaches in walls. The combustion process then speeds up because it has an even greater amount of heat to transfer to unburned objects through convection, radiation, and conduction. Flashover is a critical stage of fire growth for two reasons. First, the chance of saving lives drops dramatically because no living thing in the room of origin will survive. Second, flashover creates a significant increase in the rate of combustion, and a significantly greater amount of water and resources are needed to reduce the burning material to below its ignition temperature. Once a fire has reached flashover, it is too late to save anyone in the room of origin, and a greater amount of resources (equipment and personnel) are required to handle the larger hose streams needed to extinguish the fire. Matrix Consulting Group Page 34

43 A post flashover fire will burn hotter and move significantly faster through the structure. This compounds search and rescue problems in the remainder of the structure and at the same time requires more firefighters for fire attack and extinguishment. Flashover normally occurs from four to ten minutes after free burning begins. The time to flashover is a function of time and temperature. Fire growth occurs exponentially, doubling itself every second of free burning that is allowed. Consequently, given the progression of a structure fire to the point of flashover, two of the most important elements in limiting fire spread are the quick arrival of sufficient numbers of personnel and equipment to attack and extinguish the fire as close to the point of origin as possible. The differences or critical factors between pre-flashover and post flashover events are listed below: Critical Factors for Flashover Pre-Flashover Fire limited to room of origin Post-Flashover Fire rapidly spreads beyond the room of origin Matrix Consulting Group Page 35

44 Fire requires less and smaller attack lines (usually one hand line) to control Search and Rescue unhampered Requires less overall resources Initial response can handle Fire requires more multiple and larger attack lines to control Search and Rescue becomes greatly hampered Requires additional resources Additional units needed from other stations (recall of off-duty personnel) While the Butte County Fire Department (BCFD) does not provide emergency medical transport services to the County, they do respond to medical incidents as a first responder. As with fire control, the emergency medical field has a critical point for the successful outcome of a response to a medical emergency. Nationwide, a great deal of effort and research has been put into developing performance objectives for the delivery of EMS services. This effort is critical for agencies making decisions about deployment and location of emergency resources. The objectives promoted for EMS have their basis in research that has been conducted into the impact of the passage of time on the survivability for victims of cardiac arrest. The following graphic demonstrates the survivability of cardiac patients as related to time from onset: % Survival Rate 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Response in Minutes The previous graph illustrates that the chances of survival of cardiac arrest diminish approximately 10% for each minute that passes before the initiation of CPR Matrix Consulting Group Page 36

45 and/or defibrillation. These dynamics are the result of extensive studies of the survivability of patients suffering from cardiac arrest. While the demand for services in EMS is wide ranging, the survival rates for full arrests are often utilized as benchmarks for response time standards, as they are more readily evaluated because of the ease in defining patient outcomes (a patient either survives or does not). This research results in the recommended objective of provision of basic life support (BLS) within four minutes of notification, and the provision of advanced life support (ALS) within eight minutes of notification. The goal is to provide BLS within six minutes of the onset of the incident (including detection, dispatch and travel time) and ALS within ten minutes. This is often used as the foundation for a two-tier system where fire resources function as first responders with additional (ALS) assistance provided by responding ambulance units and personnel. Additional recent has demonstrated the impact and efficacy of rapid deployment of automated external defibrillators (AED) to cardiac arrests. This research conducted in King County (WA), Houston (TX), and as part of the OPALS (Ontario Pre-Hospital ALS) study in Ontario, Canada shows that the AED can be the largest single contributor to the successful outcome of a cardiac arrest particularly when accompanied by early delivery of CPR. It is also important to note that these medical research efforts have been focused on a small fraction of the emergency responses handled by typical EMS systems non-cardiac events make up the large majority of EMS and total system responses, and this research does not attempt to address the need for such rapid (and expensive) intervention on these events. Matrix Consulting Group Page 37

46 The science of fire and medical situations has led to more definitive roles and responsibilities for local government and the fire protection systems in the community. In the next sections the discussion will turn to the analysis of time, tasks, area demographics and other factors relating to the deployment of resources within the emergency response system. 2. CRITICAL TASKS REQUIRED AT EMERGENCY SCENES. There are a number of tasks, which must occur simultaneously to adequately combat different types of fires. The absence of adequate personnel to perform these tasks requires each task to be prioritized and completed in chronological order. These fire ground tasks include command, scene safety, search and rescue, water supply, fire attack, pump operations, ventilation, back up, and rapid intervention. An initial full alarm assignment should be able to provide personnel to accomplish the following tasks: Establish incident command outside of the hazard area. This will allow coordination and direction of the incoming emergency response personnel and apparatus. A minimum of one person should be dedicated to this task. Establish an uninterrupted water supply of at least 400 gallons per minute for 30 minutes. Once established the supply line can be maintained by the pump operator to ensure uninterrupted water supply. A minimum of one person is assigned to this task that can then assume support role. Establish an effective water flow rate of 300 gallons per minute. This will be supplied to a minimum of two hand lines each operating at a minimum flow of 100 gallons per minute. Each hand line must have two individuals assigned with one serving as the attack line and the other as a back-up line. Provision of one support person to handle the hydrant hookup, utility control, forcible entry, and assist in deploying fire hose lines. Establish a search and rescue team. Each team will consist of a minimum of two personnel. Matrix Consulting Group Page 38

47 Establish a ventilation team. Each team will consist of a minimum of two personnel. Establish an initial rapid intervention team (RIT). Each RIT team shall consist of a minimum of two properly trained and equipped personnel. Critical tasking will vary depending on the size and nature of the incident. The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) provides a suggestive list of tasks that need to be completed at a fire situation based on the risk. A similar list is provided within the NFPA 1710 document. The CPSE analysis, from the 8 th edition, is summarized in the table below showing the minimum required personnel to mitigate the initial emergency response requirements by occupancy risk: Critical Tasks for the Effective and Efficient Control of Structural Fires Critical Task Maximum Moderate High Risk Risk Risk Low Risk Attack Line Search and Rescue Ventilation Backup Line Rapid Intervention Pump Operator Water Supply 1* 1* 1* 1* Support (Utilities) 1* 1* 1* 1* Command Safety Officer Salvage/Overhaul 2 0 0** 0 Command Aid Operations Chief Logistics Planning Staging Officer Rehabilitation Division Supervisors High-rise Evacuation Stairwell Support Total Personnel *Tasks can be performed by the same individual **Task can be performed by the attack crew A task analysis for emergency medical calls analyzes three different types of calls or patient conditions. These three types of calls usually require the most effort on the part Matrix Consulting Group Page 39

48 of the response team. Other calls or patient types can generally be handled with two or three personnel. Many times, especially in trauma calls, there are multiple patients. The table below outlines the tasks for handling these critical patients and the number of responders it may require for a successful outcome. Critical Tasks for Effective Patient Care Critical Task Cardiac Multi-System Stroke Arrest Trauma Patient Assessment 2 per patient 2 per patient 2 per patient Airway Management/Intubation 2 per patient 2 per patient 2 per patient Cardiac Defibrillation 1 N/A N/A CPR 1 N/A N/A EKG Monitoring IV/Pharmacology Splint/Bandage/Immobilization N/A N/A 1 Patient Lifting/Packaging Medical Information Collection It is incumbent upon the fire department to have a response plan in place to ensure a sufficient number of personnel are on scene to accomplish the stated critical tasks. Structure fires are very labor-intensive incidents with any number of factors, such as weather, making the task that much more difficult. Within Butte County there are two prevalent fire risks, wildland/vegetation fires and moderate risk structure fires. A moderate risk structure fire is typically defined as a single-family home. The County has several higher risk structures such as those located in some of the downtown areas of the communities protected, including the rice production facilities in Richvale. Adding to the risk and potentially increasing the personnel needed for response is the lack of a water system in many areas of the county causing the fire department to bring their water supply with them. Currently year round minimum staffing levels for BCFD is 36 personnel assigned to eighteen (18) stations throughout the county, which includes six (6) Amador stations Matrix Consulting Group Page 40

49 that are funded by the County in the non fire season. During the peak season there are an additional 4 stations staffed with an additional 38 personnel. For purposes of discussion, the year round station staffing will be used for planning and analysis. Based on the moderate risk analysis, it would take 7 stations responding to a residential house fire to meet the effective response force recommendations. The County also has 12 volunteer fire companies that respond with the career personnel to assist in mitigating emergency scenes. The response time data did not provide sufficient information to evaluate the response or manpower availability of these volunteer companies as the data focused on the Butte County Fire responding units. Adding to the issues faced by Butte County is the OSHA requirement of two in two out in (g)(4). This regulation states that if entry into an Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) atmosphere is necessary then two firefighters must enter together and remain in contact with each other. In addition, there must be two firefighters located outside the IDLH atmosphere for potential rescue if needed. This is a mandatory requirement. To meet this requirement at a structure fire, the first arriving company must wait for a second engine to arrive before making entry into the structure to begin rescue efforts. 3. AREA DEMOGRAPHICS ARE ALSO IMPORTANT IN PLANNING A FIRE RESCUE RESPONSE SYSTEM Area demographics play a role in the delivery of fire protection services and the risk factors involved. Population density is one of the more critical factors as the more the area is built upon there is typically a corresponding increase in the use of services. Matrix Consulting Group Page 41

50 The table below outlines how each of these factors are defined. These definitions, based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), are then used to further the discussion about resource placement and response time benchmarks. Demographic Risk Categories Risk Category Definition Urban An area with a population density greater than 1,000 people per square mile Suburban Area An area with a population density of 500-1,000 people per square mile Rural Area An area with a population density of less than 500 people per square mile The map below further illustrates the population densities within Butte County. The areas in and around Chico, Oroville and Paradise have the heavier population densities. The Gridley and Biggs areas have a slightly heavier population density as well. Matrix Consulting Group Page 42

51 As illustrated in the previous map the majority of the unincorporated areas of the County that are protected by the Butte County Fire Department are rural in nature. It is possible for a jurisdiction to have multiple risk categories within its boundaries. In fact, many cities and counties have multiple risk categories and Butte County is no exception with areas that are rural and areas that fit the urban and suburban category. The population data is limited to census tracts and does not necessarily follow a station or district response boundary. Additional factors for consideration in area demographics include building inventory, age of the buildings and the roadway network. For purposes of planning, Station 42 Chico (North), 63 Oroville, and 74 Gridley are considered urban. Station 33 Magalia, 35 Paradise North, 41 Chico (Nord), 44 Chico Matrix Consulting Group Page 43