McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 2

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2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. P.O. Box 190 Wonder Lake, IL Office (815) Fax (815) Copyright 2014 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the expressed written permission of McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 2

3 Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Department Overview Conflicting Documents Governance Fire Department City New Management Review Team Emergency Activities Response Time Standard of Response Coverage National/Industry Standards Dispatch/Public Safety Answering Point Staffing Human Resources Fire Chief Recruitment WI Discrimination Laws Full-time Administrative Support Compensation Stations Apparatus Training Fire Prevention/Public Safety Education Fiscal Planning for Future Fire Protection Funding Formula Station #2 Staffing Adding First Responder EMS Responsibilities Private Corporation Life Expectancy Merging Fire & EMS Summary Introduction Underlying Issues Department Overview Mission Statement Fire Department Organization Chart Conflicting Documents Contradictions Corporation(s) Clarification Conflicts with City s Actions Sun Prairie Code of Ordinances Chapter 2.28 Fire Department Wisconsin Statute (8) (B): The Police and Fire Commission, City of Sun Prairie, Rules and Regulations, McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 3

4 Chapter 2.52 Police and Fire Commission (P&F) Fire Advisory Committee Chapter 2.53, Ordinance Creating Section 2.53, Sun Prairie Advisory Committee Section Scope of authority (Sun Prairie Fire Advisory Committee) Section Meetings Section Duties Wisconsin Statute, (8) (b) Police and Fire Commission, City of Sun Prairie, Rules and Regulations City Contract Contract for Fire Protection between the Fire Department and the City City Contract Section B Performance Standards* City Contract Section J Advanced Life Support (ALS) calls Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Inc., Policies and Procedures Section 1.1 Forward Conclusion Recommendation Conflicting Documents Governance Sun Prairie Situation Private Corporation Fire Departments Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Firemen s Angell Park and Speedway Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc Internal Governance Management Review Team MRT By-laws Administrative Officers and Board of Directors Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) Policies and Procedures Current Contract Agreement Sun Prairie Fire Advisory Committee formerly the Advisory Board Sun Prairie Hybrid Current Governance Model Challenges New Governance Model New Management Review Team (MRT) SPVFD New Management Review Team Election/Appointment of the MRT Board Power of the MRT Board Role Management Review Team and Fire Advisory Board Recommendations Governance Emergency Activities SPVFD Data Ten Year Emergency Activity Totals Incident by Nature Comparing Sun Prairie to National NFIRS Statistics Clarification Rescue/EMS Concern Series 700 False Alarms/Calls SPVFD 700 Series Breakdown SPVFD False Alarm Follow-Up McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 4

5 False Alarm Response Risks Emergency Service Trends Simultaneous/Overlapping Incidents Sun Prairie Simultaneous/Overlapping Data Incidents by Time of Day Incidents by Day of the Week Incidents by Month Incidents by District Incidents by Shift Mutual Aid / Automatic Aid Recommendations Emergency Activities Response Time Response Time Components SPVFD Notification Time SPVFD Turnout Time SPVFD Travel Time Recommendations Response Times Standards of Response Coverage Standards of Coverage Overview Determining Your SOC Benchmarks National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) Key Elements of a SOC Plan Recommendations Community Risk/Standards of Response Coverage National/Industry Standards National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) NFPA 1710 or NFPA Suppression Staffing and Response NFPA 1720 Standard NFPA 1720 Special Interest Staffing and Deployment Fire Suppression Operations Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Insurance Service Offices, Inc. (ISO) ISO Changes Fire Department Section Emergency Communications Section Water Supply Section Ongoing Evaluation ISO Point Scale Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department ISO Classification Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Recommendations - National/Industry Standards Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP/Dispatch) Sun Prairie Dispatch (PSAP) Dispatched Calls Landlines Calls: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 5

6 Cellular Dispatcher Training Other Function of Sun Prairie Dispatch Desire of Stakeholders Sun Prairie Dispatch Average Notification Time Dispatch Delays Dane County Public Safety Communications Center Agencies Served Services for Sun Prairie Dispatch Delay Employees and Work Shifts Priority Dispatch Dispatched Calls Dispatched Calls Dispatch Training County PSAP Willingness to Provide Dispatch Services Dane County Dispatch Average Notification & Pre-alerting Time Single Source for Dispatch Services Option #1 Maintain the Status Quo Option #2 Move All Sun Prairie Emergency Agencies into the Sun Prairie Dispatch 127 Option #3 Move All Dispatch Service to the County Dispatch Recommendations Dispatch/PSAP Staffing National Staffing Methodologies National and State Staffing Methodology Comparison SPVFD Current Staffing Methodology Career Volunteers Probationary Firefighters Duty Crew (Paid-On-Premise aka: POP) Night Watch Additional Career Employees Leadership/Fulltime Fire Chief Who Should Be the Employer? Department Interviewees Perspective Recommendation Staffing Human Resources Fire Chief Recruitment Needed Traits of a Fire Chief Hiring the Fire Chief Leadership Capabilities Continuity of Leadership Team Popularity Who Is the Boss? Human Resource Decision Making Human Resources Administration McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 6

7 Recommendations Fire Chief Recruitment, Decision Making & Administration Recruitment Material Critique & Recommendations Recommendations - Recruitment New Employee Orientation Recommendations New Employee Orientation Compensation Exempt versus Hourly Recommendations Compensation Performance Management Recommendations Performance Management Promotion & Succession Planning Age & Years of Experience Recommendations Promotion & Succession Planning Discipline Recommendations Discipline Employee Handbook & SOG s Recommendations: Policy Manual & SOG s Stations Fire Station Apparatus Bays Emission Exhaust Administrative/Living GIS Time/Distance Mapping Station #1 GIS Drive/Time Mapping Station # Apparatus Bays Living Area Station #1 GIS Drive/Time Mapping Station Overlap Recommendations - Stations Apparatus Apparatus Maintenance Condition and Equipment Standards Sufficiency of Apparatus Apparatus Replacement Apparatus/Vehicles Replacement Schedule Recommendations Apparatus Training Sun Prairie Fire Training Overview Insurance Services Office (ISO) Training ISO Training Points Awarded Assistant Chief Training/Safety Officer Fire Training Certifications Emergency Vehicle Driver Training Fire Officer Training McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 7

8 Department Training Library Training Aids Training Campus Competencies vs. Training Hours Recommendations - Training Fire Prevention/Public Safety Education Fire Prevention Typical Duties of a Fire Prevention Bureau: Pre-Planning Public Safety Education Risk Watch Program Recommendations Fire Prevention/Safety Education Fiscal Section Revenues - Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Fire Department Annual Cost Total Budget Expenses Operating Expense Budget Operating Expense Budget Capital Expense Budget % Fire Dues Recommendations - Fiscal Planning for Future Fire Protection Funding Formula Golden Rule He Who Has the Gold Makes the Rules It s Academic Station #2 Staffing Adding First Responder EMS Responsibilities Private Corporation Life Expectancy Merging Fire & EMS Advantage of Cross-Training Recommendations Planning for Future Fire Protection Recommendation Priorities Appendix A: Data Request Appendix B: New Employee Checklist Sample Appendix C: Sample Points System Activity Sheet Appendix D: Policies & Procedures Manual Critique Appendix E: Equipment Needed Table of Figures Figure 1: SPVFD Organization Chart Figure 2: Ten Year Total Emergency Activity & Percent Change Figure 3: Three Year Percent of Total Figure 4: False Alarm 700 Sub-category - Three-Year Average McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 8

9 Figure 5: Firefighter Fatalities Figure 6: Three-Year Average for Incidents by Time of Day Figure 7: Three Year Time of Day Figure 8: Three-Year Average - Calls by Day of the Week Figure 9: Day of the Week - Each Year Figure 10: Calls by Month - 3 Year Average Figure 11: Calls by Month for Each Year Figure 12: Incidents by District - Three-Year Average Figure 13: Incidents by Shift Figure 14: Three-Year Average of Aid Given to Received Figure 15: ISO Departments Class - National Figure 16: ISO Departments Class Wisconsin Figure 17: Sun Prairie Dispatch Processed Calls Figure 18: Dane County PSAP Call Processed Figure 19: Age of Members Analysis Figure 20: Years of Service Analysis Figure 21: SPVFD Station #1-4 Min Drive Time Figure 22: SPVFD Station #2-4 Min Drive Time Figure 23: SPVFD Overlap between Stations #1 & # Figure 24: Fire Inspections and Reinspection Figure 25: Adults and Children Safety Education Contacts Figure 26: Equalized Valuation of Communities that Fund the Sun Prairie VFD Figure 27: Total Equalized Valuation for City of Sun Prairie and the Three Townships Figure 28: Total Annual FD Costs for City of Sun Prairie Figure 29: Total Annual FD Budget Figure 30: Sun Prairie FD Annual Budget Figure 31: Fire Department Salary and Fringe Benefit Budget Figure 32: Capital Expense Budget Figure 33: Annual 2% Fire Dues Paid to the SPVFD Figure 34: First Responder Providers Breakdown in U.S Figure 35: EMS Delivery in the U.S Table of Tables Table 1: Purpose of the SPVFD Corporations Table 2: Corporation Records WI Dept. of Financial Institutions Table 3: New MRT Board Table 4: MRT Members Qualifications Table 5: Role of the MRT & Advisory Board Table 6: Sun Prairie NFIRS Categories Table 7: Comparison National & SPVFD NFIRS Data Three-Year Study Average Table 8: False Alarm Percent of Total Table 9: False Alarm 700 Sub-category - 3 Year Table 10: Overlapping Emergency Calls Table 11: Incidents by District Table 12: Mutual Aid Given McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 9

10 Table 13: Mutual Aid Received Table 14: Notification Time Comparison Table 15: Turnout Times Table 16: Travel Times under NFPA Table 17: SPVFD Travel Time - Average Table 18: SPVFD Employees Category Table 19: NFPA 1720: Staffing and Response Time Table 20: ISO PPC Point Scale Table 21: National and Wisconsin PPC Class Departments Table 22: SPVFD ISO Points Each Category of Survey Table 23: Sun Prairie Dispatch Training Program Table 24: Non-Emergency Sun Prairie Dispatch Table 25: Sun Prairie Dispatch - Average Notification Time Table 26: County Dispatch Pre-altering & Notification Time Table 27: Types of Departments & Percent of US Population Protected Table 28: Types of Staffing Compared to Population - National Table 29: Types of Staffing Compared to Population - Wisconsin Table 30: SPVFD Staffing Table 31: Leadership Desired Skills Table 32: Apparatus Assignment Table 33: Consultant Recommended Replacement Schedule Table 34: SPVFD Current Replacement Schedule Table 35: SPVFD ISO Credit for Training Table 36: Public Safety Education Activities Table 37: SPVFD Safety Activities Table 38: Annual FD Budget Detail McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 10

11 Executive Summary The executive summary is only a brief synopsis of the items discussed within this report. The report is extremely comprehensive, and includes information as to the rational or basis for the recommendations. Thus, to fully comprehend the recommendations, it is suggested that the report be read in its entirety. In addition to this report, the consultants have provided the City and fire department with an excel spreadsheet of all the recommendations in priority order. The fire department then has a working document in which it can re-prioritize the recommendations. Introduction McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. was commissioned by the City of Sun Prairie to conduct an independent comprehensive audit and assessment of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc., with the intent of assisting the fire department to identify cost-effective methods of providing future 24/7/365 on-duty personnel. The study was not to determine if the fire department should be a municipal department or remain a private corporation at this time. It was made clear to the consultants that that decision was made that the SPVFD will remain a private corporation. Therefore, SPVFD has autonomy over all fire department operations, leadership, and service delivery Although the fire department has control over the department, they are dependent on the city and towns which provide the tax dollars that fund the department s operations. Therefore, the city and towns are doing their due diligence in ensuring the taxpayer s money is providing the highest level of service. Two issues provided the fuel that initiated the study: a difference of opinion as to what is due diligence versus having control of the department operations; and the assurance to meet an expectation of 24/7 staffing. Recently, the City s attempt to inject its influence with fire department operations came through the development and passage of ordinances that required input by the City s police and fire commission, changing the makeup of the Fire Advisory board, McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 11

12 and inserting items within the contract for services. Unfortunately, the issue became very public which resulted in bitter feelings and little benefit to anyone other than the media. The other issues was the expectation of the city and towns that the fire department provide a minimum of one on-duty company 24/7. To accomplish this, the fire department hired eight fulltime career members, and instituted a duty crew program (10 PM to 6 AM) with paid-on-premise personnel. Even with these changes, the department has not yet achieved 24 hour on-duty personnel at the time of the study. As the consultants attempted to determine the corporate status, on numerous occasions, the consultants were told that there are two fire department corporations. However, incorporation records with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions indicated that only one corporation is registered in Wisconsin (Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc.). Thus, there appears to be some confusion over the corporate status of the organization. In order to provide a comprehensive assessment of the entire operations of the SPVFD, as well as address some of the main issues that were identified, seven consultants were assigned to this study. Each consultant has a broad range of expertise and experience from volunteer to career departments; and specialization in finance and in human resources. The result is a comprehensive book of opportunities for which the fire department to consider in future service, staffing, resources, governance, and service delivery. Department Overview The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department (SPVFD) was organized in April In October 1957, the department incorporated as the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., as allowed within Wisconsin Statute 181, Nonstock Corporations. In December 2008, the corporation underwent a formal name change becoming the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 12

13 The SPVFD provides protection to square miles consisting of the City of Sun Prairie, Town of Bristol, Town of Burke, and Town of Sun Prairie protecting a non-transient population of approximately 40,274. SPVFD is a combination department consisting of 8 career, 43 volunteers, and two civilian employees. The corporation has a four administrative officers: president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer who are also volunteer members of the department. The fire chief and two assistant chiefs are elected by the membership; therefore, the chief is in the position of having to discipline his employer. The department has a management review team (MRT) that acts as a quasi-human resource arm of the department consisting of the fire chief, both assistant chiefs, corporation president and vice president that meet as needed to address personnel issues. Angell Park is a 62 acre park and automotive racing venue within the city. The ownership of the park, along with its assets, belongs to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. Management of the park is performed by a board of directors, separate from the corporation. Unlike many fire departments, the SPVFD is not the primary provider of emergency medical services (EMS) within the City of Sun Prairie. This service is provided by a municipal department Sun Prairie Emergency Medical Services, (SPEMS). Although SPVFD is not formally licensed as an EMS provider, the department does provide first responder type service along with SPEMS. The fire department responds to all vehicle accidents in which there are injuries requiring extrication or fuel leak mitigation. What should be of significant concern to the department leadership, city, and towns is the fire department First Responders are not certified by the state of Wisconsin to offer that level of EMS. Conflicting Documents During the course of the study, the consultant s found many areas in which documents and/or information given by the department conflicts. This section within the report, describes in detail the documents examined and the areas in which they conflict. The following is a summary of this section. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 13

14 When the consultants inquired about the incorporation dates they found two entries with the Department of Financial Institutions for the SPVFD: Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions shows only a name change occurring on 12/15/2008 and therefore, only one corporation (Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc.) exists. The city, towns, and fire department need to determine exactly what is the legal corporation within the State of Wisconsin. Further, what needs to occur is to straighten up the confusion if there are not two separate corporations; and the impact, if any, on any legal protections that go along with incorporation. Something as simple as identifying the legal corporate structure shouldn t be this difficult. For those not involved in the organization, understanding the legal entity shouldn t be this difficult to understand. Police and Fire Commission approves the election of the fire chief per Section 2.52 of the City s ordinance. The contract written by the city indicates The fire advisory committee and the police and fire commission will provide notice to the fire department of required corrective actions. The fire advisory committee will provide notice of required corrections regarding operations. The police and fire commission will provide notice regarding required personnel corrective action. However, Wisconsin State Statute 62:13, does not apply to private fire departments; thus, it has no authority over the SPVFD. If the City and SPVFD is to follow 62:13 for hiring practices, then it also needs to follow the rest of the chapter providing protections against dismissal. Thus, the City and SPVFD cannot select which sections of a State Statute that they want to follow and those it wants to ignore. The city should remove any involvement with the police and fire commission, including involvement on the fire advisory board, and accept that the SPVFD is a private corporation contracted to provide fire protection. Movement towards a partnership will occur once there is mutual trust and open communication. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 14

15 Overall, there are several documents in which the language conflicts with each other thus allowing for processes in one, and negating it in the other. As well as questionable practices in which it would appear by statute, are not applicable to a private organization. Thus, a review and cleanup of these documents needs to occur. Governance The act of summarizing the governance of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. for the benefit of completing this study, was thought to be a simple and straightforward assignment. Private fire department corporations are autonomous service providers who, in the majority of cases, are funded with taxpayer s dollars in part or whole. Volunteer fire departments incorporate in order to protect their members personal assets, create tax exemption status, control their own finances, control their governance, and autonomy. The private corporation model for a volunteer fire department meets four basic premises: pride, exclusivity, influence, and self-determination. Fire Department The fire department has created a management review team (MRT) comprised of the fire chief, 1 st assistant chief, 2 nd assistant chief and the corporation president and vice president acts as a quasi-human resource branch, including discipline; however, it is unclear if their decision requires a vote by the general membership. Documents conflict with each other as well as information provided to the consultants. One should be concerned that a group of untrained individuals are involved in confidential personnel matters; and/or the liability associated with discrimination laws; this is a function for a qualified human resource professional. Federal employment laws require a minimum of 15 employees; however, in the State of Wisconsin, an organization that has at least one employee is covered under the Wisconsin discrimination laws. Thus, having employee s vote on personnel actions places all involved in a very liable situation. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 15

16 The fire department has a set by-laws to govern the operation of the department as well as standard operating guidelines. A separate board of directors (department members) oversees Angell Park and speedway. City City deems it has influence over the department through a series of actions described as a hybrid authority. There is the fire advisory committee, which is the new name for a group of nine individuals. Six members are chosen by the city s mayor and three members represent the townships. In summary the contract indicates the fire department will fully cooperate with consultants, FAC and P&F. New Management Review Team The governance structure within the SPVFD and its integration with the City needs to change. Based on these recommendations, the consultant s expect to hear it won t work, why should we change, it doesn t protect our interest, we have never done that before, we are unique, and it won t work in Sun Prairie ; but it does. The recommended management review team would consist of seven members: three department members and four citizens with private sector executive leadership experience. The intent is to form a public/private sector oversight of the operations of the fire department. The Fire Chief would report directly to the MRT. Emergency Activities SPVFD is one of very few organization assessments this consulting firm has conducted where the data meet all of the definitions of the IAFC good data descriptions. Emergency activities increased by 67.70% in the ten year period from Although the fire department is not the primary provider of EMS, the NFIRS category of Rescue/EMS, reported by SPVFD, is the highest category of emergency responses representing 24.52% of all calls; yet the members responding are not certified as First Responders. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 16

17 False alarms are 146.8% higher than the national average and the existing policy of follow-up needs to be assessed. False alarms account for 17.35% of all calls (fourth highest category). Twelve percent of all firefighter deaths occur responding/returning from calls. Therefore, efforts need to be made to reduce false alarms through follow-up, and if necessary, attaching fines to organizations that choose not to implement mitigations. In addition the city s false alarm ordinance should be revised to better reflect the actual cost of the department responding to the alarm. The report highlights the emergency activity by time of day, day of the week, by the month and number of simultaneous calls. Each one of these provides information to management that helps determine appropriate staffing levels and alterations, if needed, in operations. From this evaluation, it would be advantageous for the department to track which station would be the first due station on all calls to better document the need for staffing of station #2. The mutual aid data might suggest that the SPVFD has a staffing problem inasmuch as 83% of mutual aid is received whereas, only 17% of all mutual aid was given. Response Time In an attempt to retrieve the most accurate and pertinent data, the consultants sought and received response time data from three sources: Sun Prairie Police Department Communication Center Dane County Public Safety Communication Center Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Response time components include: Detection Time FD has not control Notification Time NFPA 1221 standard cannot exceed 60 seconds o Sun Prairie PSAP = 1 minute 27 seconds o Dane County PSAP = 1 minute 12 seconds (new pre-alert policy) Turnout Time 3 minutes 39 seconds for 2013 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 17

18 Travel Time 8 minutes 53 seconds for first mitigating unit 2013 Mitigation Time immediate upon arrival The department would benefit from implementing a quality/assurance program to ensure the response time data components match those from the PSAP. Monthly the fire chief should meet with both PSAP to review response time data. Standard of Response Coverage Standards of response coverage are an integral part of strategic planning for fire protection. They are the allocation and distribution of resources to meet the goals and objectives of a community s master fire protection plan. Standard utilized by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) to measure: Distribution station locations Concentration close enough together to provide first due full alarm response Reliability are the station resources there call history on simultaneous incidents The elements of standard of coverage included the department to self-evaluate: overview, community outcome expectations, community risk assessment, distribution, concentration, reliability, effectiveness, overall evaluation, and assessment of goals and objectives. It would be advantageous for the City and towns to engage in discussion to define the service expectations of the fire department by defining its expected coverage standards. National/Industry Standards Non-mandatory standards included: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Insurance Services Offices ISO), and the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). Mandatory standards include: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 18

19 NFPA provides guidelines for either career or volunteer staffing. Career departments fall under NFPA 1710; whereas volunteer departments are covered under SPVFD staffing methodology is defined by NFPA as a Combination department which by definition is: a fire department having emergency service personnel comprising less than 85% majority of either volunteer or career membership. SPVFD current membership represents: Employee Type # of % of Total Career % Volunteers % Civilian % Total % Therefore, the SPVFD would fall under the NFPA 1720 standards. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires the two-in/two-out requirement: OSHA requires at least one team of two or more properly equipped and trained fire fighters are present outside the structure, in full protective gear with water, before any team(s) of fire fighters enters the structural fire. Insurance Service Offices, Inc. (ISO) actual ISO Public Protection Classification document for SPVFD indicated the ISO survey was published in July 2014 and ISO awarded points resulting in a Class 3 rating. This is an excellent ISO rating for any department but especially a mostly volunteer organization and should be commended. Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) the department should not seek accreditation at this time but should get the CPSE benchmarks including the 70 core competencies from which to measure future performance. Dispatch/Public Safety Answering Point Depending where the call originates as well as if it originated from a landline or cellular phone will determine which dispatch center (PSAP) will answer the call. However, because they answer the call does not necessarily mean they will dispatch the call. This results in the call McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 19

20 being transferred to the other PSAP. Transferring calls takes time and precious seconds are lost in the first PSAP answering and determining the nature of the emergency and then transferring that call to the other PSAP for dispatch. All cellular calls go directly to Dane County PSAP. Landlines in the city go to the city PSAP; however, Sun Prairie PSAP only dispatches for police and fire so if it involves EMS it is transferred to the county PSAP for dispatch. Therefore, a car accident in the city will have the city PSAP dispatch police and fire and communicate with them, while EMS will be dispatch and communicated with by the county PSAP. Three divisions of public safety responding to the same accident utilizes two PSAP s which are not on the same frequency for communication. When discussing communications with the various groups, different ideas as to how dispatch were provided. These included: Police want all fire dispatch moved to the county, but want to keep police dispatching within the Sun Prairie PSAP. Fire wants to remain with Sun Prairie PSAP. Dispatchers (Sun Prairie) would like to dispatch for Sun Prairie EMS to eliminate the delays. This would require considerable renovation and staffing changes in the city s PSAP. County PSAP indicated they have adequate resources and redundancy to handle all of Sun Prairie s dispatch needs. The consultants recommend that all dispatch services for Sun Prairie be moved to the county PSAP and the residents of Sun Prairie would no longer need to pay for two PSAP services. This will require the city to outsource some services it currently provides, such as monitoring city cameras, monitor alarms, etc. Even if the city had to hire civilian personnel to perform these functions, it would be considerable less expensive than duplicating a PSAP. Staffing The SPVFD has significantly changed their staffing methodology in order to provide on-duty personnel; yet there is still a time period (up to four hours) in which the station might not be McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 20

21 staffed. With that said, there has been a significant commitment by the volunteer members to make the new program successful. The SPVFD staffs one station from 6 AM to 6 PM seven days a week with four career personnel. From 10 PM to 6 PM volunteers sign up for a Duty Crew and are on duty in the station. Also a Night Watch, a non-mandatory program, requires approximately one-third of the volunteers to make themselves available from 11 PM to 5 AM to respond to the station to cover the in-house personnel when they are out on a call. Large events i.e. structure fires, will get all available personnel to respond. The department has placed restrictions on were interested personnel have to live in order to be a member of the department. The consultants recommend that they seek paid-on-premise from a much larger geographic area which should allow them to adequately staff their new programs. Human Resources There are a number of topics covered in this section and include recruitment, compensation, performance management and discipline. In addition, in the Appendices are suggestions for development of a New Employee Checklist, sample points system for volunteers, and a critique of the policies and procedures manual. The major areas of concerns are the appointment of the Fire Chief, how personnel decisions are made, and administration of human resources. Fire Chief Recruitment A great deal of time is spent discussing the problems of a volunteer fire chief, who the chief should report to, and the skills and qualifications of a fire chief. It is extremely difficult to effectively lead and transition a department when the leader of the organization also must please those that vote for him/her. Thus, coupled with the recommendations for the change in governance structure of the MRT, the revamped MRT should appoint a fire chief not elect. The position should have a developed job description that outlines all of the skills, qualifications, and duties of the position. The recruitment should be completed through the MRT, with solicitation of internal and external candidates. An assessment center testing process should be McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 21

22 completed to ascertain the qualifications of the applicants. Finally, the selected individual should receive a contract and subsequent renewals should be through an assessment of the MRT of the individual s ability to complete stated goals and performance expectations. WI Discrimination Laws The State of Wisconsin allows an employee to sue an employer for discriminatory practices if that organization has at least one paid employee. So, although the department is not subject to many of the federal discrimination laws, it is vulnerable to Wisconsin employment laws. As such, it is recommended that the practice of the membership voting on promotions, discipline, etc., be stopped immediately. Rather, the Fire Chief should have overall responsibility for these actions in conjunction with the MRT. Full-time Administrative Support An area discussed in the human resources section was the lack of full-time administrative support for the Fire Chief and command staff, as well as support of the payroll and personnel functions of the department. Without this support now provided by a firefighter/administrative support there is a lack of continuity in that the employee is on shift; it is difficult to continually monitor and ensure that the department is responding to the changing employment laws; and with recommended changes in payroll the need for the implementation and maintenance of payroll and overall bookkeeping of the department. Thus, it is recommended that a full-time payroll human resources individual be reinstated to fulfil these responsibilities. Compensation The volunteer members of the organization now receive two types of compensation points that apply to an annual pay out and a stipend when volunteering for the evening shift. Currently these are paid and a 1099 is distributed for tax purposes. There is a push by the IRS to ensure that individuals are defined as employees or subcontractors. Employees receive a W-2 whereas subcontractors receive a A volunteer firefighter does not meet the definition of a subcontractor. There is different criteria in determining if a volunteer is an employee within the Fair Labor Standards Act versus the IRS. Per FLSA, the volunteers are still classified as a McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 22

23 volunteer and not subject to minimum wage or overtime provisions. However, the full-time employees of the department are subject to minimum wage, and overtime for hours worked over 40 in a defined work week. This section further highlights criteria for a number of FLSA definitions that are pertinent to understand; hourly versus salary, and suggestions for compensation systems. Stations This section of the report, describes each station, its composition, and GIS mapping of drive times and overlap to the other station. Of significance is the following information. Although the city has two strategically placed fire stations, the primary and most of the back-up responds from Station #1. The SPVFD provides protection to a 78 square mile response district to a non-transient population of approximately 40,000. Although at one time there was an emission exhaust system in about three-fourths of the station, that system has been inoperative for a number of years because the inability to get parts from the manufacturer. However, engine emission exhaust can be a cancer causing source. Wisconsin has two pieces of legislation to protect fire/ems personnel (includes volunteers): Heart and Lung Presumption legislation, and Cancer Presumption legislation. Both legislations assumes that if an employee gets a heart or lung disease, or gets cancer anywhere on the person, it is caused by their employment and the city has certain responsibilities. The station should be equipped with an emission exhaust system that hooks directly to the apparatus and ceiling mounted air scrubbers to capture other sources of exhaust. The fire pole in Station #1 should be removed for safety reasons. Station #1 would be completely compliant to American with Disability Act (ADA) if the elevator accessed the basement. The geographical placement between Station #1 and Station #2 is excellent with minimum overlap of initial response time/drive distances as GIS mapped in the report. There are no living McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 23

24 facilities on the fire side of Station #2; however, there appear to be space on the EMS side to share the facility. The air compressor for filling the SCBA (air tanks) should draw its intake air from outside the fire station to ensure less contaminates might be present. Apparatus Apparatus is owned by the city, towns, and some antique apparatus by the fire department. The city utilizes the city s maintenance center as does the towns for some of the preventable maintenance. More serious repairs that require a certified Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) are contracted out. At the time of the study the apparatus was well maintained and carried the required amount of equipment outlined by NFPA and ISO. All new apparatus should be equipped with an engine hour to measure the actual time the engine is in operations verses mileage. The consultants recommend the adoption of the apparatus replacement program illustrated below: ID Type Year Department Replacement Year Suggested Replacement Year Engine 1 Pumper Engine 2 Reserve Pumper 1992 n/a 2017 Engine 3 Pumper Engine 8 Pumper/Tender Ladder 1 Tower Ladder 100' (2 Yrs. Over) Ladder 2 Ladder Squad 5 Squad Tender 4 Tender Tender 9 Tender (7 yrs. Over) Brush 1 Brush Truck As Needed Brush 6 Brush Truck As Needed Car 4 Command/FPB Utility Trailer General As Needed Light Tower Lighting As Needed McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 24

25 Training Election of the chief officers occurs annually and after their election the chief officers appoint three captains who meet to establish the training goals. The feedback from members indicate that the changing officers annually contributes to an inconsistency in the delivery of training. Training drills are scheduled for the three hours the first and third Monday s evenings of each month and repeated on the Sunday morning following the first drill of the month. Members must attend at least 12 of the scheduled drill for a minimum of 36 annual training hours. However, ISO requires 20 hours a month of training for career or volunteers for a total of 240 hours annually. Members can be exempt from attending training if it conflicts with their primary occupation; however, there are no requirements to make up training that has been missed. Wisconsin Fire Fighter I certification program requires a minimum of 96 hours of classroom and practical training time. Even without the influence of ISO, the goal of 20 hours of fire training per month is difficult but achievable as well as necessary for safety reasons. Volunteer fire departments have used highly creative methods to increase their monthly/annual training hours along with technology were many hours can be achieved at home through an intranet program. In addition four weekend training sessions per year can add eight or more hours up to four times a year. SPVFD should investigate some additional means to increase the training hours without demanding excessive hours of on-site training. The ISO points awarded for training plus the breakdown of each component of the overall score is illustrated below: Training Earned Credit Credit Available Facilities, and Use Company Training Classes for Officers New Driver and Operator Training Existing Driver and Operator Training Training on Hazardous Materials McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 25

26 Training Earned Credit Credit Available Recruit Training Pre-Fire Planning Inspections Credit Awarded Whomever is appointed the training officer should also be appointed as the department s safety officer. All training lesson plans should be updated to include a method of measuring competency of the training events. Competency testing of all members career and volunteers should be conducted twice a year and observed by the fire chief and safety officer. Fire Prevention/Public Safety Education The SPVFD fire prevention program is very progressive; however, it would benefit from making one of the two inspectors the lead or fire marshal. The department exceeds the requirement for obtaining the 2% insurance funds from the state. The department would benefit from having, at minimum, a half-time civilian clerical person to help in the fire prevention bureau. The consultants highly supports the use of handheld portable mobile computers for fire inspections and pre-plan development. Greater emphasis should be placed on updating and using technology in the pre-plan efforts. Pre-plans should become part of the training curriculum and be accessible to all apparatus on mobile data terminals in the apparatus. The public safety education program is well run, but would benefit from including the Risk Watch program in conjunction with the police and EMS departments. Fiscal The question of two corporations or two separate bank accounts or books needs to be identified. The SPVFD, in conjunction with the city and towns, should develop a future capital needs program to identify major expenses for the next twenty years. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 26

27 The city should consider implementing a fire permit fee for fire alarms and automatic fire sprinkler plans reviews, installation inspections and testing, in or to meet the demands of the community served. The SPVFD should have an annual audit conducted by an outside company these audits and tax returns for the corporation should be provided to the agencies who contract with the department. Planning for Future Fire Protection Funding Formula Recently, the funding for the fire department went from 50% city / 50% towns to 70% city / 30% towns; however, the consultants believe the towns do not feel their issues are equally as important as the city s. The consultants recommend that the new funding formula be comprised of an average of percentages for each municipality using the following components: Equalized Assessed Valuation Population served Historical usage Authority as to how services will be provided is usually divided on the same principle with the municipality providing the greatest fiscal input having the greatest voting authority. However, this is academic inasmuch as the private corporation has the authority not the municipalities. Station #2 Staffing Within the next 18 months station #2 should have one on-duty crew assigned 24/7/365 with a minimum of three personnel. Adding First Responder EMS Responsibilities Currently the fire department s largest percentage of emergency responses involve rescue/ems; yet the fire department members are not certified in the State of Wisconsin as First Responders nor do they operate under a project medical director. The SPVFD should immediately train as many volunteers who might respond on any fire department apparatus to EMS situations. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 27

28 Private Corporation Life Expectancy The change from a private corporation to a municipal department occurs when the private provider finds it increasingly difficult to provide the resources, particularly staffing, to meet the needs of the people receiving the service. This transition occurs when the municipality and corporation begin to have honest open dialog as to future needs and expectations. It is greatly delayed when the corporation feels threatened or excluded from discussion of future needs. The consultants believe that SPVFD, like so many other private fire departments, will make that transition when a trusting environment of communications exist. Merging Fire & EMS Once the fire department becomes municipal, and employees will perform both fire and EMS duties, it is recommended that the city grandfather all current employees so only those wishing to be crossed trained are required to do so. However, all new employees must be dual certified and maintain that dual certification throughout their tenure with the department. The city will recognize cost savings by merging fire and EMS both in number of personnel needed, facilities, apparatus/equipment, department head, and most of all future cost avoidance. Summary Since the decision has already been made that the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department is to remain a private corporation; then those that contract for services must understand that they have little to no authority over the operations of the department. Rather, they need to work with SPVFD to ensure that the contractual outcomes and expectations are being met. With that said, plans should be made by the contracting agencies that if SPVFD no longer wants or is unable to provide service, a contingency is in place. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 28

29 Introduction McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. was commissioned by the City of Sun Prairie to conduct an independent comprehensive audit and assessment of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc., with the intent of assisting the fire department in identifying cost-effective methods of providing future 24/7/365 on-duty personnel. The project delivered a professional assessment and assessed the current level of fire, rescue, and prevention services being provided to the City of Sun Prairie and the towns of Burke, Bristol, and Sun Prairie. Important: The study was not to determine if the fire department should be a municipal department or remain a private corporation at this time. It was made clear to the consultants that that decision has been made. The consultants requested a considerable amount of data prior to the first site visit. In addition, to the data the consulting team made site visits, reviewed city ordinances, communicated with state, county, and local agencies, and conducted interviews with the following stakeholders (list not all inclusive): City Administrator Mayor City Council members majority Members of the Police and Fire Commission Representatives of the town governments served Member of Advisory Board Director of Administrative Services Fire Chief 1 st Assistant Fire Chief 2 nd Assistant Fire Chief Corporation President Corporation Vice President Members of the SPVFD Management Review Team Majority of the Fire Department s line officers Volunteer members on site All eight career staff members on site Sun Prairie Police Chief Director of the Sun Prairie Emergency Medical Services Communication Supervisor of Dane County Public Safety Communications Phone interviews with current members and past members of the SPVFD McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 29

30 Past studies Any report of this nature is only as good as the data and information provided to the consulting team. For a study of this nature, a significant amount of documentation was required. Every effort was made to obtain accurate data and examine the issues from a non-prejudicial perspective. The consultants found the data provided to be very complete and accurate with very few exceptions. Therefore, the recommendations made within this report are based on quantitative and qualitative facts such as: data provided by the department officials, department employees, interviews, observations, standards, research, and sources that are associated with the topic; and the experience of the consultants who have spent years in either fire and EMS, emergency services, or an aspect related to that endeavor. Appendix A lists the data that was requested by the consulting team prior the first site visit. Underlying Issues The city council and fire department leadership are both represented by very dedicated individuals who have committed to serving their community in different ways. As the cost for fire protection increases, a city is doing its due diligence in ensuring the contracted service received is effective and efficient for the taxpayers dollars spent. Thus, when it comes to delivery of service, both want the same results but each has a different perspective on how to achieve it. In addition to an evaluation of services, the fire department leadership and the city were meeting to improve response times. As a result to improve response times the private fire corporation hired eight career personnel that cover shifts from 6 AM to 6 PM 24/7/365. Certainly placing on-duty personnel in the station will eliminate the time it takes for volunteers to come from work or home to staff the vehicles; however, the totality of the issue of response time is far more complex. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 30

31 Running concurrently was an issue common in most studies where the city/towns are paying the vast majority of the fire department s budget and therefore, it becomes a question of how much influence those entities should have on how that service is provided. These issues can develop into a very compatible relationship or a much more contentious relationship. Again, these differences can often be resolved through communication, but the focus can shift from what is best for the people needing the service to who has what authority; or worse yet who has the power to determine the level of service. In the case of Sun Prairie, the relationship has become more than tense and unfortunately for all parties it has gone public. The press has covered every little aspect of discontent and the issue soon mushroomed to the city is trying to get rid of the volunteer fire department. This resulted in a multitude of yard signs. The issue became more complex when a series of ordinances resulted in having the Police and Fire Commission have influence on the hiring within a private fire corporation. What was intended to be a compromise has resulted in making the situation more complicated. On the positive side of these historic events, is that both sides have now refocused on service outcomes. This is not to say that everyone shares the same opinion; however, the majority of stakeholders interviewed wished to move forward by looking out the windshield versus the rearview mirror. Another issue to deal with is the ability to attract volunteers. It is difficult to identify specific reasons why fewer people are seeking to volunteer as emergency service workers. Some of the issues linked to the decline in attracting and maintaining an adequate volunteer roster, specifically during the daytime hours, include a higher demand for people s time, whether it is their full-time employment, family, or a combination of both. Citing a population shift as people move from small communities to larger or the reverse; changes in local industry where owners feel less inclined to allow their employees to engage in volunteer activities during the work shift; or as simple as a decline in the number of people who desire to serve their communities or neighbors. However after the fire department reviewed the draft report they indicated there are 14 probationary firefighters not included in the report. None of the previous McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 31

32 data submitted to the consultants included these members; therefore, the discussion of the probationary firefighters will be included in the Staffing section of this report. Regardless of the reasons, throughout the United States, there is a decline in volunteerism; however, this problem is actually a local problem that must be solved locally. Our leaders, either elected or appointed must come to the realization that although volunteers are willing to commit their time to a cause, it may just come at the wrong time of the day. Thus, to begin to solve local staffing issues requires the utilization of strong leadership and interpersonal skills by both municipal and fire department leaders. Throughout the study, department members will be described as volunteer, paid-on-call, paid-onpremise, and career. Although technically different, they all share the primary goal to serve their community and neighbors. The consulting team consisted of seven members: Dr. Tim McGrath Project Manager Dr. Victoria McGrath CEO McGrath Human Resources Group Mr. Robert Harrison Fiscal/Administration Fire Consultants Chief Paul Guilbert, Jr. Lead Consultant Battalion Chief Larry Pieniazek Chief Mike Stried Chief Robert Stedman Although the perspectives of those interviewed were diverse, the consultants at no time were restricted or influenced by any city/town official, elected official, appointed official, fire department leadership, members of the department, or agents on their behalf. Rather, the consultants took a non-biased, professional assessment of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department which has produced these study findings. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 32

33 The consulting team wishes to thank the City Administrator Aaron Oppenheimer for interviews and arranging meetings with stakeholders; Fire Chief Strauss for responding promptly to questions; and Firefighter Angela White who answered ongoing requests for additional data. Appreciation is also given to the members of the city administration, council, support staff, and Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department members who gave their time to share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the city/towns and fire department. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 33

34 Department Overview The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department (SPVFD) was organized in April Although originally organized independent of municipal government, the then Village of Sun Prairie directly controlled the use of equipment purchased for firefighting purposes. A very similar relationship currently exists between the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company Inc. and the City of Sun Prairie. Today, the SPVFD is a private fire department created under Wisconsin Statute 213 Police and Fire Fighting Service; and provides contracted fire services with the City of Sun Prairie and the Northeast Dane County Fire Unit. Included within the Northeast Dane County Fire Unit are the Towns of Bristol, and Sun Prairie. The SPVFD also provides contract fire protection services to the Town of Burke. In October 1957, the department incorporated as the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., as allowed within Wisconsin Statute 181, Nonstock Corporations. In December 2008, the corporation underwent a formal name change becoming the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. The SPVFD also enjoys tax exempt, not-for-profit status. The SPVFD protects a non-transient population of 40,274 people located within an area of square miles. There are square miles within the City of Sun Prairie (the second largest population base within Dane County); 36 square miles within the Town of Bristol; 12.7 square miles within the Town of Burke, and 29.9 square miles within Town of Sun Prairie. The City of Sun Prairie is covered 100% by municipal fire hydrants; whereas only an area of 7% within the three towns is collectively protected by fire hydrants. The SPVFD is trained and equipped to fight fires in those areas lacking fire hydrants. The SPVFD is a combination department that includes a volunteer staff of 43 fire fighters and 2 civilian members. The sworn staff is comprised of a chief, 2 assistant chiefs, 3 captains, 3 lieutenants and 36 volunteer members. The chief and 2 assistant chiefs receive annual stipends and share in the same call pool as do the volunteer members. There are 8 career staff members McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 34

35 comprised of 2 lieutenants, 2 apparatus engineers and 4 fire fighters. The first career members were hired in May 2012; and the second group was hired in March The SPVFD utilizes a hybrid system to provide for on-duty staffing at one of their two fire stations. In using a combination of career and volunteer personnel, one station is staffed for approximately 20 hours each day. A third group of members, the Night Watch, supplement night staffing by being on call at home, six hours each night. The department has put forth efforts to address the need to staff an initial response to small and large emergencies. Staffing methodology of the SPVFD will be discussed later in this report. The volunteer members of the SPVFD are governed by a constitution and by-laws that describes the volunteer hiring process, probationary period, the size of the department membership, chainof-command, election of fire and administrative officers and their duties. There are four administrative officers with the traditional titles of president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The four administrative officers also serve as the board of directors in compliance with Wisconsin Statute 181, Nonstock Corporation. Career personnel are traditional employees and are not volunteer members of the SPVFD. Career members who were hired from the volunteer ranks relinquish their volunteer status upon achieving full-time employment. Full-time and part-time employees are governed by a Policies and Procedures (P&P) Manual. The P&P manual is not a contract, but a living document used to provide direction and instruction, and can be changed and modified as new experiences may require. The P&P will be discussed later in the report. The SPVFD has in place a management review team or MRT that acts as a quasi-human resource arm of the department for both volunteer and career personnel. Comprised of the fire chief, both assistant chiefs, the president and vice president of the company, the team meets on an as-needed basis. The purpose of the MRT is to manage routine personnel issues and those personnel issues that were not previously resolved. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 35

36 Angell Park is a 62 acre park and automotive racing venue within the city. The ownership of the park, along with its assets, belongs to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. Management of the park is performed by a board of directors, separate from the corporation. The board is comprised of not less than five and no more than eight members, of which are members of the SPVFD of a Board of Directors. Applicants for the board of directors can come from outside the department with preference given to members of the SPVFD. Unlike many fire departments, the SPVFD is not the primary provider of emergency medical services (EMS) within the City of Sun Prairie. This service is provided by a municipal department Sun Prairie Emergency Medical Services, (SPEMS). Although SPVFD is not formally licensed as an EMS provider, the department does provide first responder type service along with SPEMS. The fire department responds to all vehicle accidents in which there are injuries requiring extrication or fuel leak mitigation. The level of emergency medical service the fire Department should provide in the future will be discussed in this report. The fire chief and two assistant chiefs share the responsibility of being the officer-in-charge throughout the course of each month. Operating within a rotating schedule, one of the chief officers is available to respond to calls both nights and weekends. Although there is typically a full-time lieutenant on duty weekdays from 6 AM to 6 PM, the department lacks a formal go-to person during the business week. The matter of hiring a full-time chief officer will be discussed within this report. The SPVFD is very active in fire prevention activities. Specifically, the department performs code-enforcing inspections meeting the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services requirements and the Wisconsin Administrative Code requiring all public buildings to be inspected at least twice during a calendar year. There are approximately 1,787 occupancies that require bi-annual inspections. Fire inspections are coordinated and performed by two members of the full-time staff who act as the fire inspector and an assistant fire inspector. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 36

37 Mission Statement Our mission as the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department is to deliver the highest professional service to our community by protecting life, property, and the environment. We carry out these functions by providing courteous and effective responses through quality training with the highest standards of integrity and performance. In partnership with our community we strive for excellence through prevention and education. Nothing is stronger than the heart of a volunteer. Fire Department Organization Chart The department s current organization chart is illustrated in the figure below: Figure 1: SPVFD Organization Chart McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 37

38 Conflicting Documents It is understood the SPVFD provides their emergency service by contractual agreement with the city, as well as the towns of Bristol, Burke, and Sun Prairie. In addition to the signed contracts for service, there appears to be other prevailing documents in the form of city ordinances, state statutes, corporation by-laws, as well as rules and regulations that may or may not govern the SPVFD. Some of which has caused confusion amongst the leadership of the department, city/town officials, and notwithstanding the consultants providing the research for this report. The McGrath Consulting Group began this study by reviewing the critical documents applicable to the fire department and conducting interviews with local officials, stakeholders, fire department leadership and both volunteer and career department. The consultants discovered what appear to be conflicts between what is written within public and non-public documents and the information that was verbally provided to the interviewers. On several occasions the consultants believed they had come to understand the mission and governance of the two corporations. The first known as the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Incorporated in 1955 and registered in 1957, as a Non-stock Corporation in accordance with Wisconsin Statute 181. The second, the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company Incorporated, which the consultants found to be the result of a name change that added Company to the original name (2008), and the relation to Angell Park. It was with each new page turned, that that perceived understanding became unraveled and confusion prevailed. Contradictions There was an escalating confusion as to the responsibilities and roles of the two corporations. Therefore, the consultants spent considerable time to avoid any confusion. However, as the consulting team members interviewed department members, rather than clarification of the corporation roles, the opposite occurred. At minimum it would be most difficult for someone outside the department to understand each corporation s role. It is important at this point to clarify that the consultants do not believe that anyone was deliberately attempting to mislead or conceal information; rather, the more the two corporations were explained to the consultants, the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 38

39 more conflicts they uncovered between the roles of the city s police & fire commission (P&F), fire advisory board/committee, and city ordinances. The consultants developed the figure below in hopes of clarifying the corporation roles: Table 1: Purpose of the SPVFD Corporations Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc Formed 2002 Incorporated 1955 WI Statute 213, Police and Fire Fighting Service To separate both organizations to isolate Angell Park (AP) WI Statute 181, Nonstock Corporations to avoid potential conflicts that tax money and donations intended for the fire department are not used at AP and from the potential liabilties associated with the operation of a race track. Purpose All operations of the fire department, manages money Operate Angell Park received from City per contract Governed Bylaws, President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer and Board of Directors for Angell Park Only, the titles are Board of Directors (SS 181) outlined within the Bylaws Volunteers Career Are Members with voting rights, governed by Bylaws Are employees, NO voting rights, goverened by document titled: Policy and Procedures Tax ID Yes Yes Tax Status Exempt, Non Profit Not Exempt Non-Profit WI Corp Yes, non-stock corporation Unknown Contracts With City and Towns Does Not contract with City and Towns Funding Taxes from City / Towns, donations, grants Angell Park Compensation Volunteers money earned goes to their Salary/Benefits of Career members retirement, given 1099's As the draft report was being concluded, the consulting team met to review the project and once again the issue of what corporation did what was in disagreement. Therefore, the consultants sought information on the incorporated date, qualifications, and registration of both corporations. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 39

40 Corporation(s) Clarification Organizations in Wisconsin incorporate through the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions; the division that would address issues with the SPVFD would be the Corporation Section of the Division of Corporate & Consumer Services as is described below. The Corporation Section of the Division of Corporate & Consumer Services at the Department of Financial Institutions is the filing office for the organizational instruments to create corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and limited liability companies, as well as documents to amend those charters in some respect or other. The unit also licenses foreign (outof-state) organizations desiring to transact business in Wisconsin. When the consultants inquired about the incorporation dates they found two entries with the Department of Financial Institutions for the SPVFD: Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. However, each had the same Entity ID (6S09576), Entity Type (Non-Stock Corporation, and when opened, both were under the name of Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. The consultants could not find any current incorporated documentation for the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. as illustrated in the table below: Table 2: Corporation Records WI Dept. of Financial Institutions Activity Date Incorporated Name Incorporated /Qualified/Registered 10/17/1957 Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. Delinquent 10/1/1994 Administrative Dissolution 1/18/1985 Restored to Good Standing 12/21/2001 Delinquent 10/1/2004 Restored to Good Standing 12/20/2004 Change of Name 12/15/2008 Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 40

41 The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions shows only a name change occurring on 12/15/2008 and therefore, only one corporation (Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc.). Perhaps the SPVFD has two separate bank accounts or divides its money and activities as if there were a separate corporation; however, having two separate bank accounts and having two different corporations are considerably different. Why should the city and/or towns be concerned if there are one or two corporations? The consultants are not attorneys but would anticipate that the municipalities have more culpability under the current arrangement. The consultants were told one corporation is tax-exempt and the other is not; however, if there is only one corporation it cannot be both. What began as a very confusing situation has exacerbated itself each time more clarification is sought. Conflicts with City s Actions Moving beyond the question of corporations are the conflicts in which the city s actual role of authority has over the corporation(s). As previously noted there are a number of city ordinances, state statutes, corporation by-laws, as well as rules and regulations that may or may not govern the SPVFD. The disagreements between the contractor and the contractees over the years are well known and very good people on both sides of the issue have attempted to find common ground, which has ended with the city taking action to find what has been described to the consultants as hybrid relationship. It is this hybrid relationship that could be more detrimental to the municipalities. Therefore, as the consultants attempted to understand what authority the municipalities actually have, the following questions arose: Does the Sun Prairie Police and Fire Commission have the authority to apply WI Statute over the contracted fire department? McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 41

42 Does the Sun Prairie Police and Fire Commission have the authority needed to enforce those portions of the contract between the city and the SPVFD Company Inc. in which they are identified? It is written within city ordinance and supported by state statute that the P&F does not have authority over the contracted fire department, yet the city continues to use the P&F, at least in writing, for the oversight of significant areas of the fire department operation. Does the Sun Prairie Fire Advisory Committee (FAC) have authority to provide oversight of the contracted fire department? It is written within city ordinance that the FAC does not have authority over the contracted fire department, the city continues to use the FAC, at least in writing, for the oversight of some areas of the fire department operation. Does the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. have the authority to exercise sections of the city ordinances that pertain to the fire department? The documents reviewed are listed in the order by which they were reviewed: Sun Prairie Code of Ordinances o Chapter 2.28, Fire Department o Chapter 2.52, Police and Fire Commission (P&F) o Chapter 2.53, Ordinance Creating Section 2.53, Sun Prairie Advisory Committee Wisconsin Statute, (8) (b) Police and Fire Commission, City of Sun Prairie, Rules and Regulations Contract for Fire Protection between the Fire Department and the City Contract for Fire Protection between the Fire Department and the Towns Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Inc. Policies and Procedures Sun Prairie Code of Ordinances Chapter 2.28 Fire Department o Section Fire Chief and Officers When the city of Sun Prairie contracts for fire services, the fire service provider shall nominate each of its officers, including but not limited to its chief, assistant chief, captain, fire ground officers and other such officers as required by the department. Said nominations shall be submitted to and subject to confirmation by the board of police and fire commissioners. In McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 42

43 the event of a vacancy or incapacity of an officer, the next ranking officer of the department shall perform the duties of said vacancy until the vacancy is filled. Officers shall continue to serve in their approved position while in good standing. All promotional activity for fire service provision is subject to approval of the board of police and fire commission. The consultants have identified that Section within the city ordinances requires that the P&F receive and confirm the nominations for officers within the SPVFD Company, Inc. However this section is in conflict with Wisconsin Statute (8) (B) and The Rules and Regulations of the city P&F. This conflict contributes to the confusion when attempting to understand the overall governance of the department. Wisconsin Statute (8) (B): A city that contracts for all of its fire protective services under this paragraph, but not for all of its police protective services under sub. (2g), shall have a board of police and fire commissioners under this section, but the board may address only issues related to the police department. The Police and Fire Commission, City of Sun Prairie, Rules and Regulations, Scope of Authority, Section 1.01 (a): Fire Association. The City of Sun Prairie contracts with a fire association for fire protection. The contract is administered by the common council. Until such time that city employs a fire fighter, the fire association will be considered to be outside the authority of the Board. Chapter 2.52 Police and Fire Commission (P&F) o Section Scope of Authority B. The board (P&F) shall appoint the chief of fire department who shall hold office during good behavior, subject to suspension or removal by the board for cause. The chief shall appoint subordinates subject to approval by the board. Such appointments shall be made by promotion when this can be done by advantage, otherwise from an eligible list provided by examination, approval by the board and kept on file with the clerk. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 43

44 The consultants have identified that Section 2.52 within the city ordinances requires the P&F to appoint the chief of fire department. The consultants believe that this ordinance as written provides the chief with the protection and benefit of Wisconsin Statute (3), CHIEFS. The board shall appoint the chief of police and the chief of the fire department or, if applicable, the chief of a combined protective services department, who shall hold their offices during good behavior, subject to suspension or removal by the board for cause. City ordinance section 2.52 appears to be in conflict with Wisconsin Statutes (3) and (8) (B) and The Rules and Regulations of the city P&F. This conflict also contributes to the confusion when attempting to understand the overall governance of the department. One of the most significant concerns is if the P&F approves an individual as the fire chief under its Wisconsin authority of 62:13 it must have occurred during an official meeting with minutes. However 62:13 gives considerable protection to the fire chief in terms of removal from office including but not limited to: charges being filed by the P&F, hearings, and official P&F actions. Let s assume that the SPVFD elects a new fire chief through the process historically accepted by the city. Could the individual being replaced demand his/her rights under 62:13? Can the city choose to follow only part of the state statue? Would this situation cause considerable issues between the city and fire department, perhaps even the community? State law clearly indicates the P&F has no authority in a private corporation. Fire Advisory Committee In December 2013 the city, via ordinance, changed the fire advisory board (FAC) consisting of five voting members (three township chairpersons, city mayor, and one representative; in addition the fire chief was an ex-officio member) and created the fire advisory committee consisting of nine voting members. The City of Sun Prairie Mayor appoints members of the fire advisory committee, who in turn are then confirmed by the common council. The committee consists of: the mayor, city council president, additional council member, one representative at large representing the townships, one representative from the Township of Sun Prairie, one representative from the Township of Bristol, one representative from the police and fire commission, one representative from the public with public safety experience, and one at-large McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 44

45 public representative. The Township of Burke has the right to select an ex-officio member to the committee. Their role seems to contradict: city ordinance, state statutes, corporation by-laws, as well as rules and regulations that may or may not govern the SPVFD. The change from Fire Advisory Board to Fire Advisory Committee is due in part to the change in the funding formula from a 50/50 split between the city and towns to a 70/30 split with the city providing 70% of the costs. It was described to the city that inasmuch as the city is paying 70% they should have more input into the issue. During the interviews with town officials, it is clear that some felt they were the unwanted stepchild ; for this reason and others the consultants will be suggesting a new funding formula for consideration later in this report. Discrepancies in the Fire Advisory Committee can be found in the following documents: Chapter 2.53, Ordinance Creating Section 2.53, Sun Prairie Advisory Committee o Sun Prairie Fire Advisory Committee. The Sun Prairie Fire Advisory Committee shall consist of nine voting members. The committee shall consist of six members to be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council. The members shall consists of 1) the mayor; 2) the city council president; 3) an additional city council member; 4) one representative at large representing the townships; 5) one representative from the Township of Sun Prairie; 6) one representative from the Township of Bristol; 7) one representative from the police and fire commission; 8) one representative from the public with a background in public safety; and 9) one at large public member. The Township of Burke has the right to select an ex officio member to be a liaison with the committee. The Townships of Bristol and Sun Prairie will each select a member to be seated on the committee. Together the townships agree upon and select the at large member. The alderperson [sic] shall first be appointed in December2013 for a partial term and thereafter annually, subject to confirmation by council, for one year terms beginning May 1. All other members shall be appointed annually, subject to confirmation by council, for one year terms beginning December McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 45

46 Section Scope of authority (Sun Prairie Fire Advisory Committee) The committee s recommendations are advisory only and the committee has no direct power or authority in regard to the operations, staffing, budget or stature of any department, board or other commission. The consultants previously identified that the P&F lacked the authority to interface with the fire department, but one member of the P&F is included within the FAC. The committee s recommendations are advisory only and the committee has no direct power or authority in regard to the operations, staffing, budget or stature of any department, board or other commission. However, found within the contract between the city and the fire department, the FAC is given discretion to determine the level of service provided (by the SPVFD) to the city, will evaluate the operational standards and come to a mutual agreement with SPVFD. Section Meetings Meetings of the committee shall be at the call of the chairperson and such other times as the committee may determine. All meetings conducted by the committee shall be open to the public. The fire advisory board, predecessor to the fire advisory committee, would meet on a quarterly basis as opposed what is now where the fire advisor committee only meets as needed. Section Duties A. Generally to collect information, comments, complaints, suggestions and data to oversee development of a twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven days per week fire standards. B. To collect such information from City of Sun Prairie, Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. and other sources to enable agreement upon metrics for response times and efficient safe suppression of any fire emergency. C. To facilitate transparency between City of Sun Prairie and Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc., including monthly accountability reports detailing all fire suppression activities, all training and response activities and financial accountability. Wisconsin Statute, (8) (b) A city may enter into a contract for fire protective services with a village, a town, or another city. A city that contracts for fire protective services shall pay the full cost of services provided. A McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 46

47 city that contracts for all of its fire protective services under this paragraph and for all of its police protective services under sub. (2g) is not required to have a board of police and fire commissioners. A city that contracts for all of its fire protective services under this paragraph, but not for all of its police protective services under sub. (2g), shall have a board of police and fire commissioners under this section, but the board may address only issues related to the police department. Wisconsin Statute (8) (b); when fire protective services are contracted and the police services are not, a P&F may only address issues related to the police department. Although both the city ordinance and Wisconsin statue 62:13 agree the fire advisory board has no authority in the operations of the fire department, there are references to how they will. The fire advisory committee is supported by the consultants as the conduit between the contractor and the contractees. Their role should be as the communication conduit to ensure any disagreements are identified immediately and addressed. Police and Fire Commission, City of Sun Prairie, Rules and Regulations Scope of Authority: 1.01 Except as specifically provided herein the rules herein provided shall be applicable to all sworn positions in the police department and persons engaged in firefighting services. (a) Fire Association. The City of Sun Prairie contracts with a fire association for fire protection. The contract is administered by the common council. Until such time that the city employs a fire fighter, the fire association will be considered to be outside the authority of the Board. The City of Sun Prairie Police and Fire Commission have adopted a set of rules and regulations. Within the scope of authority it is stated that the rules apply to all sworn positions within the police department and persons engaged in firefighting services. That was followed by Section (a) that the contracted fire association will be considered to be outside the authority of the board. However, the relationship between the Sun Prairie P&F and the SPVFD Company, Inc. is referenced in several city ordinances as well as the contract. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 47

48 City Contract Contract for Fire Protection between the Fire Department and the City City Contract Section B Performance Standards* * The consultants were unable to find documentation that clarified how the standard of performance to which the department would be measured and who determined the competency of those standards. Although the Wisconsin statue 62:13 and the language in the Fire Advisory Board indicates there is no authority granted to the city, P&F, nor fire advisory board, the city continues to apply rules to the SPVFD by city contract as follows: 1. Professional Standards The level of service provided to the city shall be determined by the fire advisory committee and the police and fire commission. Operational standards shall be reasonable and mutually agreed upon by the fire advisory committee. Personnel standards shall be determined by the P&F. 2. Training Shall provide to the FAC and the P&F a report showing all training provided. 4. Personnel Rules The SPVFD shall provide a list of perspective new employees to the P&F for approval The SPVFD will cooperate fully with the P&F in following all guidelines established in state statute, city ordinances and adopted policies for review of fire personnel. Before January 1, 2014, the fire department will obtain approval from the P&F of all current staff, including officers; said approval shall not to be unreasonably withheld. The P&F shall follow all aforementioned state statutes, city ordinances and adopted policies for said review. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 48

49 The P&F will promulgate reasonable and objective criteria for hiring, promotion, and termination of fire personnel in the same manner as prescribed for police personnel and in conformance with national, state and local law, administrative rule and guidelines. 6. Financial Record Keeping and Performance Standards The FAC and the P&F will provide notice to the fire department of required corrective actions. The FAC will provide notice of required corrections regarding operations. The P&F will provide notice regarding required personnel corrective action. During said term there will be evaluation of all data submitted to the FAC and the P&F. The consultants report will be compiled thus enabling the long term future of the fire service to be determined while providing the safety of persons and property in the city and the respective townships. The fire department will fully cooperate with consultants, FAC and P&F. Listed throughout City Contract Section B both the FAC and P&F are given specific duties to work on behalf of the city to assure the SPVFD complies with the contract. As stated previously these duties are without the necessary powers to perform those duties. The consultants again, find this to be a conflict that produces a situation difficult to understand. City Contract Section J Advanced Life Support (ALS) calls D: The city will pay the fire department seventy five dollars ($75.00) per person not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300.00) per call, provided the call was in the primary service area of the City of Sun Prairie EMS primary jurisdiction. The consultants have learned that although the current contract stipulates that the department will be paid for responding to advanced life support emergency medical calls, that money is now being used to fund the duty crew program. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 49

50 Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Inc., Policies and Procedures Section 1.1 Forward The policies and procedures set forth in this Policies and Procedures Manual shall be applicable to all full-time and part-time employees of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Inc. (SPVFD, Inc.) This manual fully recognizes and supports federal and state guidelines concerning professional behavior and on the job conduct. Discrimination, harassment and unethical behavior shall not be tolerated in the work place at any time. The consultants recognize that the volunteers do not fit the definition of employees; hence this manual would not and does not apply to the volunteer members. This manual is intended for all full-time and part-time employees of the Sun Prairie Fire Department Company, Inc. This typo may be easily resolved; however, the heading of this document contributes to the overall confusion when attempting to define the differences between the two corporations. Conclusion The city, towns, and fire department need to determine exactly what is the legal corporation within the State of Wisconsin. Further, what needs to occur to straighten up the confusion if two separate organizations do not exist and the impact, if any, on any legal protections that go along with incorporation. Something as simple as identifying the legal corporate structure shouldn t be this difficult to determine. For those not involved in the organization, it shouldn t be this difficult to understand. It appears to the consultants that although the laws of Wisconsin clearly indicate that P&F has no authority over a private corporation and the ordinance that establishes the Fire Advisory Board has no authority, the city requires compliance through a contract that requires the Fire Department will fully cooperate with consultant, FAC and P&F. The consultants were told when starting the project the topic was not if the fire department should be municipal or a private corporation that decision had been made; rather, it was to conduct an assessment of the fire department from an independent professional perspective. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 50

51 Inasmuch as the decision has been made that the fire department will be a contractual service, the city should remove any involvement of the police and fire commission, utilize the Fire Advisory Board as the conduit for communication, and remove language from the contract that requires the fire department to meet requirements that clearly the State of Wisconsin indicates they have no authority. This recommendation is made for the protection of the city which, by attempting to enforce part of a 62:13 requirement, are not to be prepared to follow the entire statue since they have no authority. The consultants understand that a contract can say anything if both parties agree, but question if the pick and choose approach to a statue will have standing in the case of litigation, or if it is worth the public outcry the city has experienced in the past. Therefore, there should be placed in the fire department contract measurable metrics to which are defined and can be measured such as those core competencies defined by the Center for Public Safety Excellence. The equally important duty of the FAC as the communication conduit should be a team building effort between the contractor and the contractees. Recommendation Conflicting Documents The city should remove any involvement with the Police and Fire Commission, including involvement on the Fire Advisory Committee, and accept that the SPVFD is a private corporation contracted to provide fire protection. Priority 1 The role of the Fire Advisory Committee should be as the communication conduit and team builder between the contractor and contractees. Priority 1 It was very unclear which corporation (if there are two) performs which function although the consultants were told repeatedly, there continued to be contradictory data. Priority 5 There needs to be clarification if the SPVFD has one or two recognized corporations by the State of Wisconsin. What protection afforded by the two corporations or lack of shroud be significant concern to the fire department and those that contract their services. Priority 1 Efforts should be made to ensure continuity between all of the documents identified in this section to remove any contradictory language. Priority 2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 51

52 Governance Opportunities most often come disguised as challenges those who succeed recognize the difference those who don t, only see the past! Sun Prairie Situation The consultants, as with many people that live in the south-central region of Wisconsin are well aware of the dysfunction caused when the city council proposed a different form of governance within the fire department. Some members of the council believed that change was necessitated by the existing conditions within the city and the forecast for rapid and significant growth in the near future. What is now known, is that good people on both sides found themselves in a disagreement about the role of government, which unfortunately, became an issue of power. Once the issue moves from what is best for the people needing emergency services to power or perceived power the results are negative for the community, with the exception of the media. What is best for the people needing emergency services cannot be determined by the number of yard signs, closed door meetings, and/or emotions replacing facts. The consultants refuse to spend any time, other than listening to the past wrongs; rather, the consultants recommend it is time to begin looking out the windshield rather than the rearview mirror. Private Corporation Fire Departments Wisconsin municipalities are responsible to provide fire protection within their jurisdictions. Fire protection can be provided in a number of ways: by the municipality, joint agreement with another local government, or contract with a provider. Private fire department corporations are autonomous service providers who in the majority of cases are funded with taxpayer s dollars in part or whole. Most private corporation fire departments started as a small group of dedicated volunteers to provide fire protection to their community; such is the case with the SPVFD. Volunteer fire departments have been an integral part of the fire protection service in the United States for over 300 years. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 52

53 Volunteer fire departments incorporate in order to protect their members personal assets, create tax exemption status, control their own finances, control their governance, and autonomy. The private corporation model for a volunteer fire department meets four basic premises: pride, exclusivity, influence, and self-determination. Pride from the unset members achieve a strong sense of pride from being a member. Pride is the intangible feeling of self-respect and worth; this is why so many volunteer firefighters serve their community without fiscal rewards. Exclusivity the members control who can join, who can advance, who is given power, and who can be removed. Members usually allow only members like us into the organization. Influence fire fighters have historically had strong political influence on the municipalities they serve. It has been said that there are three political parties: Republicans, Democrats, and the Fire Service. Sun Prairie has first-hand experience in this situation. Self-determination private fire department corporations mimic our country s strong believe in self-determination; one s free choice of their own future political status, make choices and decisions, exercise control over services, and the feeling of control. The consultants usually find one of two environments in fire departments governed by corporations: the fire department runs very smoothly and problems are at a minimum; or there is major dysfunction within the organization. Rarely do the consultants find organizations that remain in the middle of those two descriptions for any length of time. In addition, when the change comes from harmony to dysfunction it occurs rapidly and sometimes the department membership might threaten to quit, leaving the city/town in a precarious and intolerable situation. Volunteer/paid-on-call organizations tend to operate in a more informal manner than do larger career or combination organizations. This approach to managing people and systems seems to work quite well, particularly when dealing with volunteer/paid-on-call personnel. It allows the membership to participate at a level that is both acceptable to the organization and comfortable for the individuals involved. This becomes important in meeting the needs of department members. However, as a community grows and service demands change, more organizational structure is often needed. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 53

54 Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department The act of summarizing the governance of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. for the benefit of clarifying this study, was thought to be a simple and straightforward assignment. As the review of this study progressed, it became apparent, the governance is very complex. Although already described, the following is a summary of both organizations. The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department (SPVFD) was organized in April, Although originally organized independent of municipal government, the then Village of Sun Prairie directly controlled the use of equipment purchased for firefighting purposes. A very similar relationship currently exists between the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. and the City of Sun Prairie. In October 1957, the department incorporated as the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. becoming a Nonstock Corporation in compliance with Wisconsin Statute 181. The department underwent a name change and became the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc., December What challenged the consulting team is they were repeatedly told there were two corporations (as described in the Overview section); when in fact it appears there is only one: Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. Therefore, reference to the SPVFD is one in the same as the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. Today, the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. (SPVFD) of Sun Prairie, WI, is organized under Section (1) of the Wisconsin State Statutes, and was historically known as a Motorized Truck Company. The SPVFD in compliance with state statues, is a private notfor-profit, self-governed corporation that operates under by-laws adopted by the department s general membership. Firemen s Angell Park and Speedway Angell Park and its assets are owned by the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company Inc. The historic park is situated on approximately 62 acres of land donated in 1903 to the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 54

55 department. Originally a horse race track, today the park hosts midget car racing and other family-oriented events. Although owned by the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., the park is governed exclusive of the fire department with their funds maintained through separate tax supported funding. SPVFD Company Inc. by-laws define the management of Angell Park as a board of directors comprised of not less than five and no more than eight members, who are separate from the SPVFD Company, Inc. board of directors. Angell Park Board of Directors come from the pool of department volunteer members and are selected after submitting an application or being nominated during a regularly scheduled meeting. In the event there are not enough SPVFD members interested in serving within the Board of Directors, applicants can come outside of the SPVFD; however, first preference is given to current members. The titles of president, vice president, general manager, track prep manager, safety director, kitchen manager, pavilion manager and treasurer may be utilized to oversee the operation of the park. The SPVFD training campus is also located within Angell Park. The training campus is operated and maintained as part of the Angell Park operating budget. Publicly generated tax funds are not used in the operation of the training campus. Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. Internal Governance The SPVFD Company Inc. is responsible for the provision of direct service to the public in the form of firefighting, rescue, fire prevention, public education and related services, as well as the social side of the department. The fire chief and the officers manage the department s operating budget that is funded by public tax dollars, grants and charitable donations. Management Review Team MRT The Management Review Team (MRT) is comprised of the fire chief, 1 st assistant chief, 2 nd assistant chief and the corporation president and vice president. The team does not meet on a regular basis rather functioning on an as-needed basis. The MRT acts as a quasi-human McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 55

56 resource arm of the department for both volunteer and career personnel. The MRT manages personnel issues, such as leaves of absence, discipline and grievance type issues that were unable to be satisfied prior to being brought before the team and still require resolution; conflicting involvement of the general membership has been reported to the consultants. If the general membership becomes involved this could be a serious breach of confidentiality and/or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). By-laws Administrative Officers and Board of Directors The SPVFD uses a set of adopted bylaw s to guide the operation of the company. The constitution and by-laws of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. outline the election of the administrative officers and the duties for the positions of President, vice president, treasurer and secretary. The four officers also collectively serve as the Fire Company s Board of Directors for the purposes of complying with Chapter 181 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG s) are developed by the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc., to inform and guide the members of a fire department, specifically the SPVFD as they perform routine and daily operations. SOG s are used to guide firefighting tactics, emergency operations as well as station duties and are a means to achieve a uniform delivery of service. SOG s allow for deviation when appropriate as fire officers adapt to situations constantly in a state of change. This SPVFD SOG s are divided into four basic categories: Administrative, Programs, Training, and Operations for use by its members. Each volunteer and career member is provided a copy of the SOG s and are informed that the document changes based on necessity and emphasizes the need to routinely review the document. Members who do not follow the guidelines are subject to progressive discipline as deemed appropriate by the three chiefs and/or the MRT. Policies and Procedures (Note: this remains the point of confusion inasmuch in one reference the policies and procedures apply to only the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., the consultants can find no McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 56

57 current incorporation for this name through the State of Wisconsin; whereas others refer the policies and procedures to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc.) The policies and procedures set forth in the Policies and Procedures Manual apply only to the full-time and part-time employees of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. (SPVFD, Inc.) The manual fully recognizes and supports federal and state guidelines concerning professional behavior and on the job conduct. This manual is not intended to be a contract but rather a statement of the policies and procedures of the SPVFD, Inc., which shall govern the employment of all employees. The fire chief is given the authority to approve the personnel policy manual and is charged with providing the overall authority and responsibility for administering the policy. Any procedural changes within the manual must also be approved by the fire chief of the SPVFD, Inc. The policies and procedures manual will be further discussed in the human resources section of this report. Current Contract Agreement The City of Sun Prairie contracts with the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. for the provision of fire protection services that include but are not limited to fire suppression, rescue, auto-extrication, fire prevention, community education and fire inspection. The SPVFD contracts for the same fire protection services with the towns of Bristol and Sun Prairie, which is known as the Northeast Dane County Fire Unit. The Town of Burke also contracts with the SPVFD for fire protection services. In return the city pays 70% and the towns pay 30% of the SPVFD operating budget. However, although it first seemed that the governance of the department was quite simple to explain and understand, it is an entanglement of state statutorily approved self-governance, city ordinances and oversight by the Sun prairie Police and Fire Commission. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 57

58 Sun Prairie Fire Advisory Committee formerly the Advisory Board The Fire Advisory Board was originally created to provide a means for the SPVFD, the city and the towns to communicate. The board and the SPVFD shared concerns, discussed personnel, emergency responses and planned for future needs of the department. In December 2013, a city ordinance changed the Fire Advisory Board consisting of five voting members (three township chairpersons, city mayor, Gene Brink; in addition the fire chief was an ex-officio member) and created the Fire Advisory Committee consisting of nine voting members consisting: Six appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council o Mayor o City council president o City council member o One police and fire commissioner o One public member with background in public safety o One member at large from public One representing the Town of Bristol One representing the Town of Sun Prairie One at large representing the townships The Township of Burke has the right to select an ex-officio member to the committee. Sun Prairie Hybrid On more than one occasion the city wanted more influence into how the SPVFD provided service and the management of the corporation. Reasonable? Depends on whose perspective you take. So rather than have a municipal department or allow the private corporation autonomy some hybrid solutions were created and implemented. These hybrid solutions were an attempt by good people trying to do the right thing in finding a compromise which would make all parties happy. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 58

59 The consultants have reviewed the contract between the city and the SPVFD as fire service professionals, without the qualification to provide a legal opinion. With that said, the contract appears that the city s intent was to provide a form of oversight of the SPVFD during the life of the agreement. Upon conducting a broader review of the contract, it appears that the contract may lack legal basis for the oversight. However, that may not matter as it appears neither party completely follows the language written within the contract. Current Governance Model Challenges An inherent problem most often found in private corporation fire departments is the model of governance which hasn t changed much from the inception of the corporation. Slowly at times, almost not noticeable, the corporation leaders finds it increasingly difficult to address growing needs. Organizational structures in volunteer/paid-on-call departments are usually flat, with broad areas of responsibilities assumed by persons in chief officer positions. Authority and responsibility are maintained at the upper level of the hierarchy for at least two reasons: 1. It is often difficult to communicate and coordinate items of concern through several layers of the organization. 2. The time required to follow a multilayered chain of decision makers is slow and cumbersome. Therefore, as the department demands grow, so do the challenges associated with those demands. The resources, policies, procedure, staffing, and non-fire responsibilities will increase disproportionately to calls. New Governance Model New Management Review Team (MRT) When the consultants recommend a new governance model, we expect to hear it won t work, why should we change, it doesn t protect our interest, we have never done that before, we are unique, and it won t work in Sun Prairie. The consultants have firsthand experience is seeing it be successful in organizations similar to and much larger than Sun Prairie. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 59

60 But why a new governance model? First, there is still a contingency that believe the department should be a municipal department. Last time that issue came up there was significant dysfunction between the city and the fire department. Therefore, few are excited to travel that road again. On the other hand, there are inherent issues with a private corporation who, regardless of how many processes they include, elect their chief. The time it takes to make changes within the organization cannot address the speed in which issues must be addressed and challenges that will continue to grow as service demands do. Therefore, if you can t be municipal, and the current model becomes increasingly difficult to meet the needs of the district, and the parties cannot agree on a solution, the consultants suggest a model that works and will serve the provider and user well. SPVFD New Management Review Team The new MRT Board will be comprised of seven members as illustrated in the table below: Table 3: New MRT Board Management Review Team Fire Department 3 Citizen Members 4 Total Board 7 The Management Review Team members must meet the following criteria throughout their tenure on the board: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 60

61 Table 4: MRT Members Qualifications Management Review Team Members Qualifications Fire Department 3 members Citizen 4 members Any active SPVFD member (career, volunteer) Cannot be an employee of a contract municipality Must remain an active member of SPVFD while on Board Cannot be an appointed official of a contract municipality No automatic appointments due to Corporation Board Cannnot be a elected official Cannot be the Fire Chief Cannot be a member of the P&F Cannot be a current or former member of the SPVFD Cannot be a immediate family member of the SPVFD Must hold/held an executive position in a non-govermental organization Election/Appointment of the MRT Board The three fire department members must meet the above criteria and will be elected by the corporation to serve a staggered three-year term with an election every two years. The citizen members should be elected from interested citizens who live within the protection district served by the SPVFD. They should serve staggered terms. Vacancies that occur during the term of a MRT member should be replaced through a process in which qualified interested members submit an application to the standing members of the MRT who shall appoint by majority vote someone to fill the positon until the next election. The consultants were informed that currently there might not be enabling legislation within the state which would allow this type of election. This recommendation might require enabling legislation be created, or the group be constructed with the same distribution of members in some other fashion such as appointments from the participating municipalities and fire department. The intent of the combined department and citizen members is to seek community-minded individuals who have private sector executive leadership experience who can join with the department members to bring a private/public sector perspective in their executive power in service delivery. Power of the MRT Board The MRT Board will appoint a fire chief through an open, non-subjective search for candidates. They will establish the qualifications needed (open to internal and external candidates), create the job announcement, advertise the position, collect resumes, rank the candidates, perform McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 61

62 testing (including an assessment center), run background checks, and provide a three-year contract. The new MRT Board is an example of a board that has oversight and authority for the entire operations of the service provider. Typical functions of an MRT Board are to oversee programs, select the chief executive, and conduct strategic planning of the organization. Thus, a board of directors has complete autonomy over the operations of the organization. The fire chief answers solely to the MRT Board, which consists of the seven members described above. Role Management Review Team and Fire Advisory Board The Management Review Team is the executive board of the SPVFD. As with any executive board of a corporation, their main purpose is to serve as the communication conduit/bridge between the city/town and fire department. The table below highlights the major roles of each board: Table 5: Role of the MRT & Advisory Board Role of MRT Board Ultimate authority Determine mission and purpose Appoint the Fire Chief Evaluate all Chief Officers Ensure effective planning Monitor and strengthen services Ensure adequate financial resources Protect assets Provide proper financial oversight Ensure legal and ethical integrity Enhance the department's public image Role of Advisory Committee Communication conduit for city & towns to MRT No authority to govern Define service expectations Represent the interest of city/towns Makes recommendations to MRT Share knowledge and experiences Propose necessary changes Review pending litigation -support/oppose Understand role: advisory not operational Monitor fiduciary conditions Enhance the department's public image It is difficult for any municipality to invest fiscal and real property resources and not have control of how those services are lead, managed, operate, plan, etc., but that is the reality of contracting for service. As the client you set the expectations and allow the service provider to perform up to or above those expectations. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 62

63 The most successful public/private relationship this firm has experienced is based on a trusting relationship, open and honest communication, personal wants are second to what is best for the people being served, and transparency. Ironically, the greater success in the above areas satisfactorily ends the differences and as service demands grow, the advantages to transition to a municipal department become more apparent and appealing. It is most difficult for either side to see a partnership when they are in a defensive posture or the issue is control. Recommendations Governance There needs to be clarification if the fire department operates under two recognized corporations or one. Priority 1 The fire department should be governed by the internal Management Review Team which should be a combination of department members (3) and citizens with executive leadership experience (4). Priority 1 The role of the Management Review Team and Fire Advisory Committee should mirror those outlined in the report. Priority 5 The important role of the volunteer should remain a top priority for all parties, although how they serve might change in time their importance with not. Priority 1 With time and communication the consultants believe the SPVFD will find it advantageous to transform to a municipal department and form an association to continue the important fellowship aspect of the volunteer service. Priority 4 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 63

64 Emergency Activities The prime function of a fire department is to respond to emergencies. Although this activity only takes a small percentage of the department s total time, its state of readiness must always be at a maximum. The challenge for fire/ems leadership is to identify the need for resources that will provide the highest level of service, safety for those that receive and provide that service, and justify the fiscal resources needed. Fire chiefs and department supervisors should daily utilize categories of data for a variety of leadership/management functions, including but not limited to: Fiscal management Staffing Resource deployment Budgeting Purchasing Strategic planning Program development/implementation Program oversight/assessment Assuring competency Assuring cost-effective/efficient services Communication with governing board(s) Leadership can quantify the above objectives through good data. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) defines good data as data that meets three components: Good Data is Relevant you are collecting information on the things that matter, like response times and number of calls for service. Good Data is Accurate your processes for data collection must be consistent and trustworthy. Good Data is Reliable a measurement from one company is equivalent to the same measurement from another company. You don t have to adjust your data to accommodate known distortions. Source: International Association of Fire Chiefs: Weathering the Economic Storm, December 2008 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 64

65 SPVFD Data SPVFD is one of very few organization assessments this consulting firm has conducted where the data meet all of the definitions of the IAFC good data descriptions. The consultants ask for data from many different queries, which provide them a quantifiable platform from which to make recommendations. Rarely, do the data numbers match as they did in the case of the SPVFD. It is obvious that the department utilizes data in the leadership/management of the department. The consultants are very confident that the recommendations made within this report are based on accurate, reliable, and relevant data. Ten Year Emergency Activity Totals The table below illustrates the total calls and percent of change from year to year for the past 10 years: Figure 2: Ten Year Total Emergency Activity & Percent Change Total Calls % Change 9.21% 19.14% 0.52% 17.18% -1.32% 15.15% -6.45% % 27.40% 0.74% Emergency activities increased by 67.70% in the ten year period from It would be advantageous for the fire department to participate in meetings with the city to gain information on types of growth planned and have a forum to present their concerns and questions. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 65

66 Incident by Nature Under state law, Wisconsin fire departments are required to report all fire/ems incidents to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) program under authority of the United States Fire Administration (USFA); through the Wisconsin State Fire Marshal s Office. NFIRS categorizes incident types into nine categories with each category having a series number with multiple sub-categories under each main series number. The USFA collects and analyzes NFIRS data from participating states in order to provide a legal record of fact, assist fire department administration in evaluating its fire and EMS effectiveness, and to collect data for use at the state and national levels. The following table and figure reflects the emergency activities of the Sun Prairie Fire Department s three-year figures utilizing the NFIRS series categories: Table 6: Sun Prairie NFIRS Categories NFIRS # Incidents by Type % of Total 100 Fires % 200 Overpressure/Explosion/Overheat % 300 Rescue % 400 Hazardous Condition % 500 Service Call % 600 Good Intent % 700 False Alarm, False Call % 800 Weather Related % 900 Special Incident % Total % The figure below illustrates the percent of the total calls for each of the NFIRS categories: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 66

67 Figure 3: Three Year Percent of Total False Alarm, False Call, 17.35% 3 Year % of Total Weather Related, 0.18% Special Incident, 0.00% Fires, 8.81% Overpressure/Explosion /Overheat, 0.00% Good Intent, 17.97% Rescue, 24.52% Service Call, 10.62% Hazardous Condition, 20.54% Comparing Sun Prairie to National NFIRS Statistics 2013 Over the past years, the consultants utilized NFIRS statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration National Fire Incident Reporting System Topical Fire Report Series, which allowed comparison of emergency response data on a national, regional, state, and local basis. However, some categories (those in italics) of data were last gathered in 2004 and updated statistics are not available for those categories. Other sources, such as NFPA, do not list all of the NFIRS categories; however, the few they do indicate significant changes in numbers which lessened the value of the old NFIRS report. Therefore, the best comparison is illustrated in the table below which compares the most recent NFPA estimates (2012), to the SPVFD three-year study average. Table 7: Comparison National & SPVFD NFIRS Data Three-Year Study Average NFIRS National Sun Prairie 100 Fire 4.32% 8.81% 200 Overpressure//Rupture/Explosion 0.30% 0.00% 300 Rescue/EMS 68.14% 24.52% 400 Hazardous Condition 1.13% 20.54% 500 Service Call 7.00% 10.62% 600 Good Intent 9.70% 17.97% 700 False Alarm/False Call 7.03% 17.35% 800 Severe Weather 0.30% 0.18% 900 Special Incident 1.60% 0.00% * Italicized percentages in National category are 2004 percentages which have not been updated McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 67

68 SPVFD only listed seven of the nine National NFIRS categories. There were no entries for Series 200: Overpressure//Rupture/Explosion Series 900: Special Incidents Most likely there were no incidents that would be categorized in these sections for the three-year period, not due to fire department error. Clarification Rescue/EMS The comparison of SPVFD rescue/ems to national could be misleading inasmuch as SPVFD is not the primary provider of EMS. Therefore, SPVFD 24.52% is based strictly on SPVFD data and not national data. SPVFD does provide First Responder EMS services and the reason the percentage is highlighted is that it represents the largest percentage of their emergency responses. The area in which the consultants believe the fire department needs to address, in conjunction with the city, is the number of false alarms. Concern Series 700 False Alarms/Calls The percentage shown in Series 700 is based solely on SPVFD data and not associated with national data. The fire department indicated they had taken steps in the past to reduce the number of false alarms, which unfortunately is contradicted by the false alarm data presented. The reader must understand that when an alarm is received the department must respond to check the occupancy. The department does have latitude on how they will respond (e.g., emergency or non-emergency and with what type of apparatus); however, what is most important is what type of follow-up the department does to eliminate repeated false alarms. False alarms are a drain on a department s resources, prevent personnel from responding to actual emergencies, and increase the chances for vehicle accidents. The method in which many departments record false alarms can be misleading. Assume that a building is protected by an automatic fire alarm system and some minor event occurs in the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 68

69 building (e.g., burnt popcorn) which creates enough smoke to activate the fire alarm. Many fire departments would record this event as a false alarm because there was no actual fire, or no fire department intervention was necessary. However, the system activated as designed and, although minor in nature, the alarm was neither false nor a system malfunction. This is information that the leadership of the department should not only track but utilize in determining resource deployment. How false alarm calls are being recorded could be a contributing factor as to why the percentage of SPVFD false alarms incidents is 146.8% higher than the National average. Table 8: False Alarm Percent of Total Year False Alarms % of Total Calls 10.24% 19.28% 20.98% Total Calls NFIRS has six major categories and 23 sub-categories for Series 700: False Alarms/Calls. The six major categories include: Malicious, mischievous false alarm Bomb scare System or detector malfunction Unintentional system or detector operation (no fire) Biohazard scare False alarm and false call, other SPVFD 700 Series Breakdown The department provided a description of the NFIRS sub-category for false alarms for the threeyear study period as illustrated below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 69

70 Table 9: False Alarm 700 Sub-category - 3 Year Series # Title 2011 % 2012 % 2013 % Total % of Total 700 False Alarm/False Call - Other % % % % 710 Malicious % 3 1.9% 6 3.5% % 721 Bomb Scare 1 1.5% 1 0.6% 0 0.0% 2 0.5% 730 System Malfunction 3 4.6% 3 1.9% 1 0.5% 7 1.8% 731 Sprinkler Activation Malfunction 1 1.5% 4 2.5% 2 1.1% 7 1.8% 733 Smoke Detector Malfunction 3 4.6% 8 5.1% 9 5.2% % 734 Heat Detector Malfunction 0 0.0% 1 0.6% 0 0.0% 1 0.3% 735 Alarm System Malfunction 6 9.2% % % % 736 CO Detector Malfunction 0 0.0% 6 3.8% 6 3.5% % 740 Unintentinal Alarm Transmission 3 4.6% 2 1.2% 3 1.7% 8 2.0% 741 Sprinkler Activation Unintentional 0 0.0% 1 0.6% 1 0.5% 2 0.5% 743 Smoke Detector Unintentional % 2 1.2% 4 2.3% % 745 Alarm System Unintentional 4 6.1% 1 0.6% 7 4.0% % 746 CO Detector - No CO 0 0.0% % % % Total % % % % The total for 2011 is considerable smaller; however, there is no CO Detector data which represented the second highest percentage of incidents in 2012 and Figure 4: False Alarm 700 Sub-category - Three-Year Average SPVFD False Alarm Follow-Up After a SPVFD response to what was determined to be a false alarm, the officer in charge completes an incident report along with an Inspector Follow-up Request form. Within the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 70

71 Inspector Request Form the officer will describe the circumstances of the false alarm. Once completed the Inspector Request Form will be forwarded to the inspector responsible for the district in which the false alarm occurred. The respective inspector will perform a follow-up as to the cause of the alarm and ensure the malfunction has or will be corrected. The inspector will provide a report to the reporting fire officer as to how the matter is progressing or was resolved. Although the procedure appears to be a good practice, the percentage of false alarms to total calls (17.35%) suggests the policy is not working as designed. The consultants recommend a more aggressive false alarm procedure. The SPVFD does not have authority as a private corporation to issue citations; however, the City of Sun Prairie does have that authority and can delegate that authority to an inspector. Contained within City of Sun Prairie Ordinance 8.08 Alarm Systems, specifically Section C.2, Fee for Answering Alarms, allows for one false alarm per occupancy a year. Any additional alarms within 365 days have the following fine: C.2: All false alarms responded to by firefighting personnel and apparatus, in addition to police response: a. First two false alarms per location: no charge; b. Third and subsequent false alarm per location: $ The consultants recommend that the department follow their responses to false alarms more aggressively, and to apply the city ordinance governing charges for false alarms when subsequent alarms do occur. The consultants also recommend that the charges found within the city ordinance be modified to reflect the actual costs associated with department responses to emergencies. The consultants requested the number of citations and amount collected for false alarms pertaining to the fire department for the three-year study period. Not only were no citations issued during the three-year study period, the department indicted they have never issued a false McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 71

72 alarm citation or are aware of any being issued. Fire departments often are reluctant to issue false alarm citations for several reasons: image of the department which is perceived as helpful, not enforcement; the actual amount of work and time needed to process the citation; or lack of data readily available to the responding fire department officer that other false alarms have been transmitted within the 365 day period. In addition, a fine of $100 is most likely less expensive than having an alarm company service call and so property owners might risk the possibility of a fine as a cost savings approach. False Alarm Response Risks False alarms are a drain on a department s resources, prevent personnel from responding to actual emergencies, and increase the chances for vehicle accidents. The third leading cause of firefighter deaths involves vehicle accidents either responding or returning from the emergency as illustrated in the figure below: Figure 5: Firefighter Fatalities 2013 Emergency Service Trends Progressive fire department leadership utilizes emergency response data for multiple purposes including budgeting, strategic planning, management, and resource deployment. The data in the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 72

73 following areas is beneficial to the day-to-day management of a department. The following areas will be examined as they pertain to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department: Simultaneous incidents Calls by time of day Calls by day of the week Calls by month Calls distribution by district Distribution by shift Mutual aid/automatic aid Simultaneous/Overlapping Incidents The term simultaneous/overlapping incidents is a term utilized by the consultants which refers to times when the department is handling an emergency situation and another unrelated emergency incident occurs requiring immediate fire department response. Depending on the record management system utilized by a department, these incidents might be called simultaneous, overlapping, or back-to-back calls. The significance of the amount and frequency of simultaneous incidents can result in increased response times or greater usage of mutual aid. There is no consensus in the industry as to an exact number (percent of total calls) when simultaneous/overlapping incidents require additional resources. Fire departments do not have the ability to stack calls as do police agencies who routinely prioritize calls and dispatch accordingly. With few exceptions, when requests the fire department it is for an emergency at least in the opinion of the caller. If every piece of fire apparatus were available at its assigned location, every time a call for service was received, the department s reliability would be 100%. If, however, a call is received for a particular station/unit, but that station/unit is already committed to another incident, be it fire or rescue, and the next closest unit must respond from a different station or source; the substitute company may exceed the maximum prescribed response time. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 73

74 As the number of emergency calls per day increases, the probability increases that the primary unit needed for response is already committed and a backup or substitute unit will need to be dispatched. Although there are no national standards that indicate when simultaneous/overlapping calls require additional on-duty personnel the consultants experience indicates that when simultaneous/overlapping calls reach 15% to 20%, serious consideration to additional on-duty personnel is recommended. Sun Prairie Simultaneous/Overlapping Data The fire department provided three years of overlapping data as illustrated in the table below: Table 10: Overlapping Emergency Calls Year Yr. Avg Overlapping Calls Total Calls Percent of Total 5.35% 4.33% 3.80% 4.07% Overlapping emergency calls is far from the threshold of requiring additional on-duty personnel. This isn t to imply that overlapping calls are not of concern for department leadership. Rather, with overlapping calls at just 4.07% of all calls, mutual aid is an acceptable method of ensuring immediate emergency response to these incidents. Incidents by Time of Day Fire department leadership should be particularly interested in data which indicates when the department is at its busiest both in time of day, day of the week, and month. The reason is when a significant pattern is discovered that indicates the probability that emergency incidents will occur at a certain time, it allows the department to utilize peak staffing. This is especially beneficial for organizations that can clearly identify when emergency incidents are most likely to occur and have a source for hiring part-time personnel. Peak Staffing allows the department leadership to utilize additional resources (paid-on-call, part-time, paid-on-premise) for the time that statistically the call will occur; rather than adding McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 74

75 additional 12 or 24 hour shift personnel when statistically they will only be needed for a short period. The two figures below illustrate the three-year average for incidents by time of day and time of day for each of the three years. Figure 6: Three-Year Average for Incidents by Time of Day Figure 7: Three Year Time of Day Mid 1A M 2A M 3A M 4A M 5A M 6A M 7A M 8A M 9A M 10A M 11A Noo 1P M n M P M 3P M 4P M 5P M 6P M 7P M 8P M 9P M 10P M 11P M In most departments, incidents charted by time of day follow a pattern similar to a bell curve. The least busy time of day is from midnight to early morning, peaking in the mid-afternoon, and decreasing in the very late evening hours. Although the least busy time of day is from mid-night to early morning, it is also when the highest numbers of civilian fire deaths occur, due to the occupants sleeping. Those most at risk are the very young and old, who often are less able to escape and protect themselves. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 75

76 The above figures illustrate that the SPVFD three-year average time of day data matches the call distribution experienced by most fire departments. The figure illustrating the three years independent time of day for indicates there is not sufficient data to warrant peak staffing. The consultants would recommend that this type of data be queried and illustrated for a greater number of years in which a pattern might emerge. Incidents by Day of the Week Incidents reviewed by day of the week are another metric utilized by leadership to manage the resources of the organization. Coupled with time of day and perhaps incidents by month, this information could be of value if a pattern emerges suggesting peak staffing would be advantageous. Peak staffing is a very viable option for SPVFD inasmuch as they have a pool of career and paid-on-call departments in close proximity. The figure below illustrates the SPVFD three-year average for calls by day of the week for the three -year study period. Figure 8: Three-Year Average - Calls by Day of the Week Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Avg The figure below illustrates calls by day of the week for each of the three years. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 76

77 Figure 9: Day of the Week - Each Year Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Incidents by Month Most Midwest states find the summer months, especially when schools are on summer vacations, as their peak activity time; however, Wisconsin winter sports also are very active. What is challenging for many Wisconsin volunteer fire departments is that many see the summer months as the peak time for members to request vacations, resulting in the fire departments experiencing their minimal shift staffing numbers. Opening day of deer season can also be challenging for volunteer fire department staffing. The following two figures illustrate the Calls by Month for the SPVFD: the first being the threeyear average and the second the three years illustrated together. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 77

78 Figure 10: Calls by Month - 3 Year Average Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 3 Yr. Avg Figure 11: Calls by Month for Each Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Incidents by District As previously noted, the fire department provides fire suppression to the City of Sun Prairie, Town of Burke, Town of Bristol, Town of Sun Prairie, and mutual aid given to other emergency service providers as noted in the table and figures below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 78

79 Table 11: Incidents by District Calls by District City of Sun Prairie Town of Burke Town of Bristol Town of Sun Prairie Mutual Aid / Out of District Total Figure 12: Incidents by District - Three-Year Average Town of Bristol 5% Town of Sun Prairie 6% Mutual Aid / Out of District 3% Town of Burke 13% City of Sun Prairie 73% Incidents by Shift Leadership, utilizing the metric of incidents by shift, initially might appear to be of little value other than bragging rights for the busiest shift. However, in the case of SPVFD there is a breakdown of calls by: Fire Calls calls in which all members are encouraged to respond 24 hours Full-time (career) represents members present from 6 AM to 6 PM Duty Crew represents volunteers who stay in the station 10 PM to 6 AM McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 79

80 Currently there is a void period from 6 PM to 10 PM most often covered by individuals who are able to be at the station at 6 PM. The figure below illustrates the breakdown of responding shifts: Figure 13: Incidents by Shift Duty Crew 10 PM - 6 AM, 15.4% Fire Calls, 44.4% Career 6 AM - 6 PM, 40.2% Mutual Aid / Automatic Aid No community can practically and adequately equip and staff on a daily basis for the big one, (a significant emergency that would deplete the community of all of its emergency resources). Most communities provide apparatus and staffing to handle the expected daily call volume based on past experience and community hazards analysis. When the big one occurs, it is critical that a mutual aid plan has been established. For SPVFD mutual aid is currently utilized as a means to provide emergency coverage when existing resources are committed to other emergencies or the call overtaxes SPVFD resources. The concept of mutual aid is to offer assistance from one fire department to another. The sole purpose is to give or receive assistance when all available resources, equipment or personnel, are depleted and then on a limited basis. Automatic aid differs from mutual aid in that it is a predetermined agreement between departments, in which two or more departments automatically to the same emergency. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 80

81 During interviews with the leadership of the SPVFD, it was indicated that they have just one automatic- aid (auto-aid) agreement in place. The auto-aid agreement is with the Cottage Grove Fire Department, in which each department will provide the host department with a Rapid- Intervention-Team (RIT), typically during structure fires. A RIT, is a team of two or more firefighters dedicated solely to the search and rescue of other firefighters in distress. Although not formalized in an agreement, the SPVFD is dispatched jointly with Sun Prairie EMS to all but routine emergency medicals calls. The tables below illustrate the amount of mutual aid given and received to a department within the three-year study period: Table 12: Mutual Aid Given Mutual Aid Given Total Columbus Columbus RIT Cottage Grove Cottage Grove RIT Dane Deerfield DeForest DeForest RIT Lake Mills Marshall Total Table 13: Mutual Aid Received Mutual Aid Received Total Arlington Blooming Grove Columbus Cottage Grove Cottage Grove RIT Dane DCBS Deerfield DeForest Doylestown Fall River McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 81

82 Mutual Aid Received Total CI Madison CI Madison HIT Maple Bluff Marshall Monona Rio Stoughton Truax Waterloo Waunakee Total SPVFD requests aid considerably more than they provide aid to neighboring departments. For every time SPVFD gives aid, they receive aid at a ratio of 4.94 to 1. In some studies, the consultants have found that some individuals believe that requesting assistance from other communities on a routine basis will preclude them from having to add additional personnel, pay overtime, or provide more apparatus. This thinking is greatly flawed inasmuch as the foundation of mutual and automatic aid is reciprocity. Few department leaders would support providing resources to a neighboring department on a regular basis; the concept of mutual aid is to give assistance when all available resources, equipment or personnel, are depleted by the requesting department and then only on a limited basis. The percentage of mutual aid given to and received for the three-year study period is illustrated in the figure below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 82

83 Figure 14: Three-Year Average of Aid Given to Received MA Given 17% MA Received 83% SPVFD receives considerably more mutual aid than it provides which suggest that additional staffing resources should be investigated. The department should track the reason mutual aid was needed and begin to address those reasons. Recommendations Emergency Activities The SPVFD leadership should be commended for providing very relevant, accurate, and reliable data. Priority 5 The emergency activities of the department have fluctuated; however, there has been a 67.7% increase in emergency responses in the past ten years. The department and city should establish meetings to discuss city growth and impact on the fire department. Priority 1 The fire department needs to reevaluate/implement a program to ensure immediate follow-up on false alarms to identify and address the cause. The department must address false alarms more aggressively; including issuing fines per the city ordinance. Priority 1 The city s false alarm ordinance should be updated to better represent the actual cost to the department when responding to false alarms and increase the fine amount to match those costs. Priority 1 Simultaneous/overlapping emergency incidents only account for 4.07% of the total emergency responses and by themselves do not warrant additional staffing. Priority 5 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 83

84 The one area that the department should track data is identify response districts for each station and record those responses to establish resources needs for Station #2. Priority 1 Although incidents by time of day, day of the week, and month did not indicate any immediate need for peak staffing these data areas should be reviewed as part of the monthly evaluation of emergency activities by the department leadership. Priority 5 The department receives considerable more mutual aid than it provides suggesting that planning for additional staffing resources should take place. Priority 2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 84

85 Response Time Providing emergency services is all about response times. How long it takes the fire department to get on location to begin to mitigate the fire or provide emergency medical service is the primal issue. What is an acceptable response time is subjective depending if you are the one in need or not. When a citizen makes a call to for a fire, every second seems like minutes and his/her anxiety will disproportionately increase as the severity of the incident worsens. All fire professionals understand the importance of response time and many have lived the results of not being there just a few seconds sooner. Yet many fire departments do not routinely use data as a management tool to address opportunities to improve response times. In an attempt to retrieve the most accurate and pertinent data, the consultants sought and received response time data from three sources: Sun Prairie Police Department Communication Center Dane County Public Safety Communication Center Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Utilizing the three sources of data the consultants are confident the average response time data submitted in this report has a high degree of accuracy. Response Time Components When examining response times, it is essential that all parties are talking about the same response time components. When a fire department states they must be able to reach the emergency in four minutes; they are only referring to travel time and are excluding notification and turnout time. The actual measurement of response time must be a total system understanding of all components of response time, including: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 85

86 Detection Time: The time it takes to detect the emergency incident and dial Notification Time: The time from when the call is received by dispatch (PSAP) to the time the department is notified. Turnout Time: The time it takes personnel to prepare and leave quarters after notification. Travel Time: The time the first fire apparatus leaves the station to the time it arrives on the scene. (The term travel time ends when the unit arrives on location of the emergency) Mitigation Time: The time the first apparatus arrives at the scene to the time when actual extinguishing/treatment (mitigation) efforts begin. Detection Time the emergency agency has little to no control of when a person will actually dial in an emergency. First, most people are very reluctant to call until they realize they are unable to resolve the issue by themselves. Although detection time significantly impacts the emergency outcome, the fire department has no control over this factor. Notification Time the time from when the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP aka: Dispatch) receives the call until the time the department is notified. There are numerous standards for PSAP when it comes to answering the phone from how many rings are acceptable to the one most appropriate for SPVFD: NFPA The NFPA 1221 requires the PSAP (Communication Center) to be able to answer the phone and notify the department within 60 seconds. Turnout Time the time it takes personnel to prepare and leave quarters after notification. This factor of total response time is completely within the control of the fire department assuming they record and utilize the information in the management of the organization. Under NFPA 1720, turnout times vary depending on the population within a square mile (see table below). Travel Time - this represents the actual time it takes the apparatus to drive from the fire station to the emergency scene. Weather conditions and traffic congestion will be a factor in the length of time it takes the apparatus to arrive on the scene. Again under NFPA 1720 the travel times will vary as does the percent of compliance. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 86

87 Mitigation Time the time from arrival of the first mitigating unit until actual mitigation activities begins. SPVFD Notification Time Since the Dane County PSAP implemented their pre-alert program the notification times between the Sun Prairie PSAP and county are similar as illustrated in the table below: Table 14: Notification Time Comparison Notification Time Sun Prairie PSAP 1 minute 27 seconds Dane County PSAP* 1 minute 12 seconds * County's Pre-alert program SPVFD Turnout Time The term reaction time is often used interchangeably with turnout time. In either case it represents the time from when the department was notified until the time a unit leaves the station. Like most volunteer fire departments one or more off-duty officers will respond from work or home and use their portable radio to notify the dispatch of their response. However, the consultants sought and received the time the first mitigating unit (station apparatus) was enroute. The average turnout time (reaction time) in 2013 (no on-duty career at that time) is illustrated in the table below: Table 15: Turnout Times Turnout Time Turnout Time 3 minutes 39 seconds The above table represented a time period before the career and duty crew staffing were implemented. The data for turnout times was submitted to the consultants in a 764 page electronic PDF format document which combined all calls from January 1, 2011 through June 30, Therefore, the consultants were unable to isolate the 2014 calls. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 87

88 The consultants did a hand count of 139 pages or 417 entries and found that 36.21% indicated that the turnout time was 00:00:00. Obviously, it would take some time for the on-duty crew to put on their protective clothing, position themselves on the apparatus, start the apparatus and drive out the door. So entries of 00:00:00 are not a true representation of turnout time. With that said, what did catch the attention of the consultants was the total response times improved significantly which would be expected with on-duty personnel in the station. After review of the draft report the consultants were asked which PSAP provided the 00:00:00 times. Unfortunately, there were no identifies on the data provided so the consultants are unable to answer that question other than the data was provided by the SPVFD. SPVFD Travel Time The fire department would fall under the NFPA 1720 standard for travel time which varies depending on the population within one square mile as illustrated in the NFPA 1720 table below: Table 16: Travel Times under NFPA 1720 Demand Minimum Staff to Response Time Meet Objective Zone (a) Demographics Respond (b) (Minutes) (c) (%) Urban >1,000/mi Suburban 500-1,000/mi Rural <500/mi Related to Travel 90 Remote > 8 miles 4 Distance Special Risk AHJ* AHJ* AHJ* 90 The travel times allowed range from 9 minutes to 14 minutes and in remote areas whatever the authority having jurisdiction (SPVFD board) deems appropriate. The average travel time for the SPVFD in 2013 is illustrated in the table below: Table 17: SPVFD Travel Time - Average 2013 Travel Time Travel Time Average 8 minutes 53 seconds McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 88

89 In addition to the location of the emergency is within the response district of 55 square miles, travel times would be affected by weather conditions and traffic congestion impacting the time it takes the apparatus to arrive on the scene. Recommendations Response Times It is important that the reader of the report understands that the response time components listed are from the NFPA 1720 standard. These time/travel/resources needed will vary unlike the more stringent NFPA 1710 standard. Priority 5 The fire department needs to address the issue of turnout times when on-duty personnel are responding from the station. A turnout time of 00:00:00 is inaccurate. Priority 1 The fire department should implement a quality/assurance program to ensure that all response time data is accurate and accurately represents the response by the department. Priority 2 All emergency incidents that exceed a 20 minute response time should be removed from the average calculation of response time and placed in a separate spreadsheet indicting date, time of call, nature, and reason for the extended response time. This data should be provided along with all other response time data. Priority 1 The fire chief should meet with the two dispatch centers to ensure the data is accurate and capturing need information. Initially this should be a monthly activity and within several months change to quarterly meetings. Priority 2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 89

90 Standards of Response Coverage The Commission on Fire Accreditation, International (CFAI) defines standards of response coverage as being those adopted written policies and procedures that determine the distribution, concentration and reliability of fixed and mobile response forces for fire, emergency medical services, hazardous materials and other forces of technical response. CFAI uses the terms standards of response coverage and standards of coverage interchangeably throughout their description of the program. The consultants will discuss the SPVFD and the factors involving what is referred to as community risk and all hazard risk potential as it relates to emergency response throughout the community. Distribution Distribution: The locating of geographically distributed, first due resources, for all risk initial intervention. These station locations are needed to assure rapid deployment to minimize and mitigate average, routine emergencies. Distribution is measured by the percentage of the jurisdiction covered by the first-due units within adopted public policy response times. Concentration Concentration: Is the spacing of multiple resources arranged (close enough together) so that an initial "effective response force" can be assembled on-scene within adopted public policy time frames? An initial effective response force is that which will most likely stop the escalation of the emergency for each risk type. Concentration is measured by risk type category - high-risk areas need second and third due units in shorter time frames than in typical or low risk areas. Reliability Reliability looks at actual incident history data to measure historical performance. How reliable is the response system, does the department frequently see multiple calls for service and do these degrade service? Are there predictable times of the day, week or year when queued calls occur? Can these occurrences be controlled or can peak hour staffing be used? McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 90

91 Standards of Coverage Overview Standards of response coverage are an integral part of strategic planning for fire protection. They are the allocation and distribution of resources to meet the goals and objectives of a community s master fire protection plan. Standards of Cover (SOC), also referred to as Standards of Response Coverage (SORC) or Deployment Analysis, is a system for analyzing resource deployment, to determine whether a department is properly deployed to meet its community s risks and expectations. Standards of Cover (SOC) is applicable to all fire departments and districts, career and volunteer, large and small. However, there is no 'one size fits all' SOC. The SOC must take into account factors unique to the community the department serves. The SOC identifies agency-specific performance goals to which fire service leaders compare actual performance to measure the effectiveness of their fire department or district. The SOC process is not just about the number of fire stations and fire fighters, the SOC supports community and firefighter safety by identifying the number of personnel that should arrive at each risk type to safely and effectively accomplish the community s objectives. A small fire department or district s SOC may be only a few pages in length, while a large department s SOC can be upwards of one hundred pages. A well-written SOC should provide the authority having jurisdiction, fire chief, and members: Defensible position related to strategic plan and future funding requests. Defensible position related to adverse events and the criteria used to make your decisions. A clear method to assess past, present, and future service delivery decisions. Determining Your SOC Benchmarks The following agencies offer guidelines to help fire service leaders determine SOC performance benchmarks for their department or district. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 91

92 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) The CFAI draws many of their core competencies from portions of NFPA standards but unlike NFPA do not adopt the positon of one-size fits all. The national/industry standards section of this report described the influence of NFPA standards. NFPA 1720 would be the standards that would apply to the SPVFD and could be helpful in establishing SOC benchmarks. National Fire Protection Association Standards 1720: Standards for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments 2010 Edition Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) The CFAI was discussed in the national/industry Standards section of this report; however, the standards of coverage concept is the 'core competency' in the self-assessment process that must be met for an agency to be accredited by the CFAI. CFAI employs a comprehensive approach to deployment analysis. In addition to considering travel time and distance, several other deployment factors are analyzed, such as call concurrency, risk assessment, and deployment based on getting enough resources to a given risk for an effective outcome. CFAI believes that a community should first determine the levels of service it wishes to provide and then develop standards of cover to provide that level of service. Key Elements of a SOC Plan The key elements of a SOC plan are outlined below. 1. Overview - The study starts with a description of: (a) the community served, including demographics, geography, and specific unique community features; and (b) the agency, including statutory authority, funding mechanisms, department history, and types of services provided. 2. Community outcome expectations - What does the community expect of the department? Has there ever been a discussion with the elected officials about what service goals the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 92

93 department ought to deliver and measure itself against? 3. Community risk assessment - This is a critical step in the SOC process. Response standards should be identified based on risk classification. The four classes are Low, Moderate, Significant, and Maximum risk: Low risk: Areas zoned and used for agricultural purposes, open space, and other low intensity uses. Moderate risk: Areas zoned for single family properties, small commercial and office uses, and equivalently sized business activities. High risk: Business districts, high density residential, light industrial, and large mercantile centers. Maximum risk: High rise, unprotected, residential and commercial properties, heavy industrial, and high life risk institutional properties. Risks, other than fire are also considered, such as emergency medical service demand, technical rescue, transportation, natural hazards, weather, and others. The goal is to determine the probability of an event and the potential consequences. The SOC process analyzes deployment based on the risk assessment. That is, how many people must arrive in what time frame, properly trained and equipped, to achieve the desired outcome? 4. Distribution study - This is the location geographically, of first-due resources, typically engines. These station locations are needed to assure rapid deployment to minimize and mitigate average, routine emergencies. Distribution is measured by the percentage of the jurisdiction covered by first-due units within the adopted response time benchmarks. A distribution statement must have a percentage performance measure and a time measure and state a service level objective. Distribution is the strategic placement of available resources so that any hazards or risks, regarding life property and environment are covered appropriately. o Example of a distribution statement: For 90% of all incidents, the first-due unit shall arrive within six minutes total McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 93

94 response time. The first-due unit shall be capable of advancing the first line for fire control or starting rescue or providing Basic Life Support for medical incidents. 5. Concentration study - Concentration is the spacing of multiple resources arranged (close enough together) so that an initial "effective response force" can be assembled on-scene within adopted public policy time frames. An initial effective response force is that which will most likely stop the escalation of the emergency for each risk type. Concentration is measured by risk type category - high-risk areas need second and third due units in shorter time frames than in typical or low risk areas. A concentration statement must have a percentage performance measure, time measure and state a service level objective. Example of a concentration statement: In a Moderate risk area, an initial effective response force shall arrive within 8 minutes travel or 10 minutes total response time, 90% of the time, and be able to provide 1,500gpm for firefighting, or be able to handle a five-patient emergency medical incident. 6. Historical response reliability - Response reliability is the probability, expressed as a percentage, that the required amount of staff and apparatus will be available when a fire or emergency call is receive, and how often these resources are at the station. There are times when a call is received when the first-due company is unavailable, requiring a later-due company to be assigned. Simultaneous calls for service (concurrency) is a problem for fire agencies of all sizes. Analysis of multiple call frequency can produce meaningful results. An agency s deployment may look great for travel time on a map, yet be problematic due to simultaneous calls for service. Reliability looks at actual incident history data to measure historical performance. How reliable is the response system, does the department frequently see multiple calls for service and do these degrade service? Are there predictable times of the day, week or year when queued calls occur? Can these occurrences be controlled or can peak hour staffing be used? 7. Historical response effectiveness - Response effectiveness is the percentage of compliance the existing system delivers. How well is the agency meeting the existing service objectives? McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 94

95 If, for example, the current deployment is supposed to answer all calls within x minutes, y percent of the time, does it? If not, why not? 8. Overall evaluation - The first seven elements of the SOC are each a part of the deployment analysis. In this section, all the study parts are evaluated as a whole to determine if changes in deployment should be proposed. Proposed standards of cover statements by risk type are formed. 9. Goals and Objectives - These are the specific statements related to staffing, response times, and infrastructure developments which resulted from the deployment analysis. These goal statements and service level objectives must include: Rationale for the goal. This includes reference to the national, regional, or local standards used to establish the goal, conformity to the risk assessment, and the supporting deployment analysis. Estimated cost for implementation of the goal. Time frame for implementation of the goal. Method to measure the stated goal and/or objective. The most advantageous part of working on the core competencies of the CFAI is the process not the results. Leadership of the service department will literally self-examine every aspect of their organization asking: what service do we provide, what is the cost of that service, should we be providing that service, is there a more cost-effective manner in providing our core services, and meet the three basis components of the SORC of distribution, concentration, and reliability? Recommendations Community Risk/Standards of Response Coverage The standards of response coverage is a worthwhile internal assessment to address the all hazard risk potential impacting the department. Within the next year the SPVFD should utilize this tool in revising a strategic plan. Priority 3 All future capital expenditures should be evaluated against the SORC distribution, concentration, and reliability criteria. Priority 5 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 95

96 National/Industry Standards The SPVFD has standards (some mandatory and some advisory) which impacts how they provide fire and EMS. This section will address the federal and state codes and standards which apply to SPVFD. Although they are a private corporation fire department, they would be held to these standards in the occurrence of a catastrophic event. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Non-mandatory The National Fire Protection Association creates and maintains private, copyrighted, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments. NFPA was formed in 1896 by a group of insurance firms; their mission was to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Today NFPA members include more than 70,000 individuals representing nearly 100 nations. The first fire department to be represented in the NFPA was the New York City Fire Department in Today, the NFPA includes representatives from some fire departments, many fire insurance companies, many manufacturing associations, some trade unions, many trade associations, and engineering associations. NFPA is responsible for 300 codes and standards that are designed to minimize the risk and effects of fire by establishing criteria for building, processing, design, service, and installation all over the world. Its more than 200 technical codes and standards development committees are comprised of over 6,000 volunteer seats. Source: NFPA website/overview There is much disagreement as to the meaning of the words codes and standards. NFPA defines a standard as: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 96

97 A document, the main text of which contains only mandatory provisions using the word shall to indicate requirements and which is in a form generally suitable for mandatory reference by another standard or code or for adoption into law. Non-mandatory provisions are not to be considered a part of the requirements of a standard and shall be located in an appendix, annex, footnote, informational note, or other means as permitted in the Manual of Style for NFPA Technical Committee Documents. NFPA defines a code as: A standard that is an extensive compilation of provisions covering broad subject matter or that is suitable for adoption into law independently of other codes and standards. Source: NFPA Glossary of Terms 2013 edition If one were accepting the NFPA definition, it would appear that all standards listed in any NFPA code other than in the appendixes, are in fact mandatory. Such would be the case if a governing body were to adopt the code in which the standard is listed. However, governing bodies are not required to adopt the NFPA codes; whereas, many view the NFPA terms codes and standards as a benchmark by which to judge against. The understanding of the significances of NFPA codes and standards becomes more complicated in the event in which a firefighter might be seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. In these events, NFPA codes have the effect of a double-edged sword; the fire department is not required to meet them, but the fire department would most likely be judged against these standards by a host of investigating agencies. Therefore, it is advantageous for everyone in a decision-making position to be familiar with NFPA codes and standards. Leadership s decisions pertaining to resources and the deployment of those resources should be based on knowledge of current industry standards as outlined by NFPA. NFPA 1710 or NFPA 1720 NFPA adopted two standards addressing fire department organization and development: NFPA 1710 (Organization and Development of Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Operations, and McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 97

98 Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments), and a sister standard NFPA 1720 (Organization and Development of Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer/Paid-On-Call Fire Departments). If a department s employees are both career and paid-on-call, they are classified as a combination fire department. NFPA s definition is: Combination Fire Department a fire department having emergency service personnel comprising of less than 85% majority of either volunteer or career membership. The table below illustrates the category of employees, number of employees in each category, and the percent they represent of total employees in the SPVFD: Table 18: SPVFD Employees Category Employee Type # of % of Total Career % Volunteers % Civilian % Total % The SPVFD clearly falls into the combination category having only missed the mostly volunteer category by 3.87%. The question then becomes which of the two NFPA codes (1710 or 1720) should apply to the SPVFD? According to the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) indicates the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) has the power to decide which standard the department should utilize. Therefore, in this case the fire department board needs to identify which of the two standards they believe applies. Why does it matter which NFPA code would apply? Although NFPA 1720 is very comprehensive, it is not as stringent as NFPA The consultants recommends that the department does not adopt either code; rather they should attempt to meet as many of the NFPA standards as feasibly and fiscally possible. It is assumed the AHJ would choose NFPA 1720 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 98

99 inasmuch as it is less stringent and the majority of employees are categorized as volunteers (83.13%). The consultants recommend that when referring to NFPA standards, the department leadership utilizes NFPA What the department cannot due is switch between the two standards to choose which is best at any given moment. Suppression Staffing and Response NFPA 1720 Standard The table below is also discussed in the ISO 4.3 Staffing and Deployment section of this report. Under NFPA 1720, the number of responding firefighters and the amount of time in which they are required to respond varies with the number of people (population) per square mile to eight mile radius as illustrated in the table below: Table 19: NFPA 1720: Staffing and Response Time Demand Zone (a) Demographics Minimum Staff to Respond (b) Response Time (Minutes) (c) Meet Objective (%) Urban >1,000/mi Suburban 500-1,000/mi Rural <500/mi Related to Travel 90 Remote > 8 miles 4 Distance Special Risk AHJ* AHJ* AHJ* 90 * Determined by Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) a) A jurisdiction can have more than one demand zone b) Minimum staffing includes members responding from the AHJ s department and automatic aid c) Response time begins upon completion of the dispatch notification and ends at the time interval shown in the table. For example, if the fixed population is 500 to 1,000 people within one square mile the department must respond with a minimum of ten firefighters within ten minutes 80% of the time. This is considerably less stringent the NFPA 1710 requirement for the same criteria of 14 firefighters (one additional if the aerial is utilized) within a five minute response from the time of notification by dispatch 90% of the time. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 99

100 NFPA 1720 Special Interest The NFPA 1720 standard is very comprehensive and those who govern and lead the fire department should be familiar with the components of this document; it is less stringent than NFPA What should be of special interest to the department is Chapter 4 of NFPA 1720: Chapter 4 Organization, Operation, and Deployment 4.1 Fire Suppression Organization 4.2 Community Risk Management 4.3 Staffing and Deployment 4.4 Reporting Requirements 4.5 Fire Suppression Operations 4.6 Initial Fire-Fighting Operations 4.7 Sustained Fire-Fighting Operations 4.8 Intercommunity Organization 4.9 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 4.10 Special Operations 4.3 Staffing and Deployment The fire department shall identify minimum staffing requirements to ensure that a sufficient number of members are available to operate safely and effectively * The table (below) shall be used by the AHJ to determine staffing and response time objectives for structural firefighting, based on a low-hazard occupancy such as a 2,000 ft² twostory, single family home without basement and exposures and the percentage accomplishment of those objectives for reporting purposes as required in (reference to previous table). At one time, the only staffing and response time requirements pertaining to volunteer and paidon-call departments were as follows: Upon assembling the necessary resources at the emergency scene, the fire department shall have the capability to safely commence an initial attack within two minutes 90 percent of the time. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 100

101 Today departments qualifying under NFPA 1720 must comply with staffing and response times as illustrated in the table above. 4.4 Annual Evaluation The fire department shall evaluate its level of service, deployment delivery, and response time objectives on an annual basis The evaluation shall be based on data relating to level of service deployment, and the achievement of each response time objective in each demand zone within the jurisdiction of the fire department. Quadrennial Report Quadrennial Report. The fire department shall provide the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) with a written report, quadrennially, which shall be based on the annual evaluation required by This report shall explain the predictable consequences of identified deficiencies and address the steps within a fire department s strategic plan necessary to achieve compliance. Fire Suppression Operations NFPA 1720 is much less stringent than NFPA 1710 (career departments), which specifies how many individuals must be on the emergency scene to begin an interior fire attack. However, the following standards do apply to volunteer and paid-on-call departments: Incident commander. One individual shall be assigned as the incident commander The incident commander shall be responsible for the overall coordination and direction of all activities for the duration of the incident Initial firefighting operations shall be organized to ensure that at least four members are assembled before interior fire suppression operations are initiated in a hazardous area. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 101

102 4.6.3 Outside the hazardous area, a minimum of two members shall be present for assistance or rescue of the team operating in the hazardous area Initial attack operations shall be organized to ensure that if, upon arrival at the emergency scene, initial attack personnel find an imminent life-threading situation where immediate action could prevent the loss of life or serious injury, such action is permitted with less than four personnel when conducted in accordance with NFPA The fire department shall have the capability for sustained operations, including fire suppression; engagement in search and rescue, forcible entry, ventilation, and preservation of property; accountability for personnel; the deployment of dedicated rapid intervention crew (RIC); and provision of support activities for those situations that are beyond the capability of the initial attack. It is important to re-emphasize that NFPA standards are just that, standards, and not mandatory by law for a fire department to meet. However, once an incident occurs, the department will be judged on its performance as compared with the NFPA standards. It is not recommended that any department intentionally disregard these NFPA standards; rather, a department should work to meet them. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Mandatory OSHA states that once fire fighters begin the interior attack on an interior structural fire, the atmosphere is assumed to be immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) and paragraph 29 CFR (g) (4) [two-in/two-out] applies. OSHA defines interior structural firefighting as the physical activity of fire suppression, rescue, or both inside of buildings or enclosed structures which are involved in a fire situation beyond the incipient stage. This rule is commonly referred to as the two-in/two-out, which is OSHA s mandatory requirement for interior firefighting. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 102

103 OSHA requires that all fire fighters engaged in interior structural firefighting must wear SCBAs. SCBAs must be NIOSH-certified, positive pressure, with a minimum duration of 30 minutes. [29 CFR (f) (1) (ii)] and [29 CFR (g) (4) (iii)] OSHA requires that all workers engaged in interior structural firefighting operations beyond the incipient stage use SCBA and work in teams of two or more. [29 CFR (g) (4) (I)] Fire fighters operating in the interior of the structure must operate in a buddy system and maintain voice or visual contact with one another at all times. This assists in assuring accountability within the team. [29 CFR (g) (4) (I)] OSHA requires at least one team of two or more properly equipped and trained fire fighters are present outside the structure before any team(s) of fire fighters enters the structural fire. This requirement is intended to assure that the team outside the structure has the training, clothing, and equipment to protect them and, if necessary, safely and effectively rescue fire fighters inside the structure. For high-rise operations, the team(s) would be staged below the IDLH atmosphere. [29 CFR (g) (3) (iii)] OSHA requires that one of the two outside person's function is to account for and, if necessary, initiate a fire fighter rescue. Aside from this individual dedicated to tracking interior personnel, the other designated person(s) is permitted to take on other roles, such as incident commander in charge of the emergency incident, safety officer, or equipment operator. However, the other designated outside person(s) cannot be assigned tasks that are critical to the safety and health of any other employee working at the incident. Any task that the outside fire fighter(s) performs while in standby rescue status must not interfere with the responsibility to account for those individuals in the hazard area. Any task, evolution, duty, or function being performed by the standby individual(s) must be such that the work can be abandoned, without placing any employee at additional risk, if rescue or other assistance is needed. [29 CFR (g) (4) (Note 1)] Any entry into an interior structural fire beyond the incipient stage, regardless of the reason, must be made in teams of two or more individuals. [29 CFR (g) (4) (I)]. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 103

104 Insurance Service Offices, Inc. (ISO) Non-mandatory Insurance Services Office (ISO) ISO is a leading source of information about property casualty insurance risk that provides risk information to many industries, including government. The ISO Public Protection Classification program is designed to help establish fire insurance premiums for residential and commercial properties based in part on a community s fire protection services. Although the primary purpose of this tool is to rate fire protection from which insurance rates can be established, ISO ratings have been one of the few benchmarks to compare community fire protection. Realizing the true intent of the ISO classification, it should not be the sole determining factor in establishing public fire protection. Rather, the schedule should be considered an instrument for comparison and an additional factor from which to make a decision. ISO Changes ISO filed a proposed revised schedule in December 2012 with changes that focus on areas that have a proven effect on fire suppression and prevention, as well as revisions that align the schedule s requirements with those of nationally accepted standards. In January 2013 they have filed revisions both to modernize and enhance its Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). The schedule revisions would recognize proactive efforts to reduce fire risk and frequency. As of July 1, 2013 any community being evaluated by ISO will be graded on the revised FSRS. These changes are also incorporated in the Public Protection Classification (PPC). This applies to cities, towns, villages, fire protection districts, and other graded areas that are evaluated based on the major elements of their fire suppression system. The revised FSRS makes increased reference to the national consensus standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), American Water Works Association (AWWA), and Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO). Using feedback from those organizations and many other industry associations, ISO revised its PPC evaluation to make it more accurately reflect modern fire prevention and suppression capabilities. By incorporating more direct references to national consensus standards, ISO is reinforcing that it McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 104

105 doesn t just write standards but uses recognized fire suppression and prevention practices as the basis for the PPC evaluations. The new schedule continues to evaluate three major categories of fire suppression: fire department, emergency communications, and water supply. In addition, it includes a new Community Risk Reduction section that recognizes community efforts to reduce losses through fire prevention, public fire safety education, and fire investigation. The addition of the new risk reduction section represents a major shift in emphasis in the FSRS, giving incentives to communities that strive to reduce fire severity proactively through a structured program of fire prevention activities. Examples of fire prevention programs include wild land-urban interface ordinances, certificate of occupancy inspections, and inspections of fire prevention equipment. The revised FSRS continues to provide incentives to communities to strengthen their public fire prevention programs. The revision reflects current trends in fire protection, credits a community s fire prevention and fire protection capabilities in a measured, analytical way, and improves the predictive nature of the evaluation process (Source: ISO web site). There has been growing involvement in community efforts to limit losses before they happen, led largely by fire departments and their personnel. It is not easy to quantify the efforts made toward fire prevention and fire safety education, but there is enough anecdotal evidence to indicate that the more done to prevent a fire, the less likely a fire will happen or that it will be a major event. The following are samples of the FSRS revisions: Fire Department Section The fire department section recognizes fire departments use various methods to solve the critical issues of economic constraints as it relates to recruitment and retention. One way that ISO addressed this is through enhanced recognition for automatic-aid, personnel, and equipment. This includes an increase in the factors relating to automatic-aid for fire departments that operate with common fireground procedures. In addition, ISO now McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 105

106 offers credit to fire departments that develop and use standard operating procedures and incident management systems. ISO, based on NFPA 1710, also considers a fire department s deployment analysis as a potential alternative to ISO s traditional road-mile distribution study. That study established optimal distances for standard response districts around each fire station 1.5 road miles for an engine company and 2.5 road miles for a ladder service company. In conjunction with that change, ISO shifted emphasis from the number of apparatus and equipment carried, to the proper deployment of those resources by adjusting point totals for the relevant sections. ISO modified its apparatus equipment lists to include only items specified in NFPA That change will more closely align the schedule with consensus standards and allow additional flexibility to revise ISO lists if there are significant changes to NFPA Many other areas of the fire department evaluation make increased reference to consensus standards, particularly in fire department training, where credit will now be available for officer certification. The evaluation of pre-incident planning is now based on annual rather than semiannual inspections. Some of the changes directly affect the minimum facilities evaluated by the FSRS. By referencing NFPA 1901, ISO increased minimum pump capacities for apparatus needed to qualify for minimal recognition under Class 9 and separately for Classes 1 through 8B to follow NFPA requirements more closely. ISO also placed additional emphasis on firefighter safety, such as personal protective equipment and increased recognition for driver/operator training, with the realization that personnel can carry out successful fire suppression operations only if they are able to avoid accidents and injury. Emergency Communications Section One of the most rapidly changing areas in fire suppression has been in communications. The revised FSRS referencing APCO standards reflects current technology by incorporating major revisions to this section, with a pronounced shift in emphasis from hardware, such as phone lines and radio equipment, to a more performance-oriented McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 106

107 evaluation. The element of time is critical in allowing firefighters to attack a fire in its early stages, and the revised schedule places greater value on a communication center s ability to answer and process emergency calls in time frames specified by the NFPA. ISO also eliminated evaluation of phone lines and phone listings; instead, it considers enhanced 911, wireless technology, VOIP, CAD, and GIS capabilities. Water Supply Section In the water supply section, the FSRS now includes specific credit for communities, water utilities, or fire departments that enhance their understanding of a water system through periodic fire hydrant flow testing that meets NFPA and AWWA standards. The revised schedule also includes additional credit for flow through a single hydrant from a maximum of 1,000 gpm to 1,500 gpm, in accordance with AWWA. Credit Point Changes While the total credit points for the existing major categories remain unchanged, ISO increased or decreased the point weights for some sections. The total credit points still are: Emergency Communications (formerly Fire Alarm ): 10 points Fire Department: 50+ points Water Supply: 40 points The community risk reduction section has a weight of 5.5 points, resulting in a revised available points. The inclusion of the new section with its extra points allows recognition of communities that include effective fire prevention practices without applying undue penalty for those that have not yet adopted such measures. An important change throughout the revised FSRS is the way ISO credits record keeping. When no documentation exists to substantiate an item under review, ISO will not give credit for the section unless otherwise stated in the schedule. That means essentially a no records, no credit approach. ISO also established a new limit of 75% of the credit points possible when only McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 107

108 partial documentation of an item exists. ISO implemented those changes to emphasize the importance of proper record keeping. Ongoing Evaluation The revised FSRS was an effort that took several years and involved a variety of stakeholders in organizations that deal with water, fire, and emergency communications; federal, state, and local officials; insurance regulators; and insurers from across the country. But the introduction of the revised schedule is only the beginning and will not be an once-in-a-lifetime event. ISO is making a commitment to refine and revise the FSRS every three to five years. During that period, ISO will collect data regarding the relationships between the items in the schedule and their effect on fire loss. An evaluation of a community s firefighting ability is an ongoing process. ISO top insurer customers continue to tell states that the FSRS and PPC program help them predict loss and underwrite more accurately. Statistical data on insurance losses demonstrates the relationship between better fire protection and lower fire losses. By securing lower fire insurance premiums for communities with better fire protection, ISO programs provide incentives for communities that choose to improve their firefighting services. (Source: ISO web site) ISO Point Scale In review, ISO evaluates fire departments on a 100 point scale into three categories: 10% Receiving and Handling Fire Alarms (Dispatch) 50% Fire Department 40% Water Supply The best rating is a Public Protection Classification (PPC) of 1 and the lowest is 10 as illustrated in the table below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 108

109 Table 20: ISO PPC Point Scale PPC Points or more to to to to to to to to to 9.99 Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department ISO Classification The actual ISO Public Protection Classification document for SPVFD indicated the ISO survey was published in July 2014 and ISO awarded points resulting in a Class 3 rating. This is an excellent ISO rating for any department but especially a mostly volunteer organization and should be commended. The table below illustrates the number of departments in Wisconsin holding PPC classifications; the highlighted blue line illustrates the number and percentage of departments nationally and in Wisconsin that have a Class 3 rating as of Table 21: National and Wisconsin PPC Class Departments 2013 National % of Total Wisconsin % of Total Class % 0 0.0% Class % % Class 3 2, % % Class 4 5, % % Class 5 8, % % Class 6 9, % % Class 7 5, % % Class 8 1, % % Class 8B 1, % % Class 9 12, % % McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 109

110 2013 National % of Total Wisconsin % of Total Class 10 1, % % Total 49, % 1, % The figures below illustrate the same data in graph format: Figure 15: ISO Departments Class - National 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Class 6 Class 7 Class 8 Class Class 9 Class 8B 10 # of Departments ,410 5,216 8,722 9,026 5,708 1,836 1,111 12,437 1,734 Figure 16: ISO Departments Class Wisconsin Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Class 6 Class 7 Class 8 Class Class 9 Class 8B 10 # of Departments McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 110

111 The explanation of points awarded in each of the categories is illustrated in the table below: Table 22: SPVFD ISO Points Each Category of Survey Feature Credit Given Maximum Credit Receiving & Handling Fire Alarms Credit for Emergency Reporting 3 3 Credit for Telecommunicators Credit for Dispatch Circuits Credit Received Fire Department Credit for Engine Companies 0 6 Credit for Reserve Pumpers Credit for Pumper Capacity Credit for Ladder Service Credit for Reserve Ladder & Service Trucks Credit for Deployment Analysis Credit for Company Personnel Credit for Training Credit for Operational Considerations 2 2 Credit Received Water Supply Credit for Supply System Credit for Hydrants 3 3 Credit for Inspection & Condition Credit Received Divergence* Community Risk Reduction** Total Credit Credit is open-ended with no maximum * Divergence is a reduction in points if the fire department and water-supply scores are out of line with each other. ** Community Risk Reduction awards points to communities/departments efforts to reduce losses through fire prevention, public fire safety education, and fire investigation. Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Non-mandatory A better evaluation tool exists today. The International Fire Chief s Association (IFCA) has developed a program called the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), formerly the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 111

112 Commission of Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). The Center for Public Safety Excellence measures the quality and performance of a particular fire service agency and will award national accreditation to those departments that pass the stringent criteria. Any future effort by the SPVFD to demonstrate competencies should be channeled towards the CPSE accreditation. The consultants do not recommend that the department, at this time, attempt to become accredited; rather, they should use the CPSE standards as the benchmark of quality. The department has abundant opportunities to channel their efforts into better documentation, which is essential in any accreditation process. What is particularly difficult for those who administer fire organizations is the absence of the component community outcome expectations. In most cases, those who govern and provide funding for fire departments concentrate on the fiscal aspects of providing that service. Although this is an essential responsibility for those who govern, many do not articulate exactly what level of service they expect. What are acceptable response times? What level of fire service do they want to provide to the citizens? What non-emergency services can the fire department provide to the community? Thus, in many cases, the fire chiefs, not a unified team of governing officials and fire department leadership, determine the Standard of Response Coverage (SORC) for the community. Governing boards/department officials are constantly faced with the issue that there are more good causes than tax dollars to provide those services. Therefore, they strive to provide as many services at the highest level with available dollars. Absent of citizen outcry, governing officials have little incentive or motivation to suddenly change service levels. Thus, fire and EMS services are a quality of life issue that must be determined by community/department leaders. CPSE accreditation is a structured process for documenting the levels of fire safety, prevention, fire safety education, suppression services currently provided, and for determining the future level of service the department should provide. CPSE accreditation asks the department to determine and document if its fire protection services are appropriate, adequate, and effective. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 112

113 The advantage to the CPSE program lies in the process of completing it. The department must literally examine every aspect of its existence and determine the most cost-effective means of providing service. This program requires a significant time commitment and effort on the part of the fire administration. Critics of the program emphasize the cost and time commitment needed for completion. These critics miss the point that the process of compliance with CPSE standards may keep the department from catastrophic failure in the system of service delivery. Other critics claim it is nothing more than bragging rights, similar to an improved ISO classification. Again, the point is missed that a department that develops pride can often translate that pride into better performance and morale, which is priceless. Some fire departments have incorporated student interns from schools such as Oklahoma State University, which has one of the leading Fire Protection Safety Engineering Technology programs in the country, to assist the department in the accreditation process. These students usually work 8 12 weeks during the summer and live in the fire station, responding to calls for experience. The students receive compensation that has been negotiated with the department. Other students who have graduated from this program are often available to oversee and participate in the entire process, which can easily take months. If the fire department board determine that CPSE accreditation should be undertaken at some point in the future, the consultants recommend hiring a student intern to assist on the project. Recommendations - National/Industry Standards The SPVFD is classified as a combination department and therefore, the Authority Having Jurisdiction can choose to use either NFPA 1710 or NFPA 1720 as the benchmark for quality. The consultants recommend aligning with NFPA Priority 1 The fire department should not adopt either NFPA standard. Adoption would include the adoption of all OSHA and NFPA standards by reference. However, a plan should be developed to meet as many NFPA 1720 standards as possible in the future. Priority 2 The fire department leadership must ensure that the OSHA two-in/two-out rule is practiced on all structure fires. Priority 1 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 113

114 An ISO Class 3 is an excellent insurance classification and the consultants question the advantage of investing more resources solely for the purpose of attempting to improve to a Class 2 or Class 1 department. Rather, fiscal resources should be placed in staffing existing stations as the call volume dictates. Priority 5 The fire department should not seek international accreditation (CPSE) at this time; rather it should allow the new fire chief to establish his/her strategic initiatives and concentrate effort on better documentation. The CPSE can be used as a guide in reviewing department operations and the types of documentation needed. Priority 5 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 114

115 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP/Dispatch) The SPVFD receives emergency notification of incidents from two sources: Dane County Public Safety Communication Center or the Sun Prairie Police Department Communication Center. Both communication centers are commonly called dispatch or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) if calls come directly to them. The SPVFD provides services to the city and the towns of: Bristol, Burke, and Sun Prairie. Depending on where the call is originated and whether it is a landline (traditional hard wired phone), and from where that phone is located, or a cellular call; determines who answers the call (City/County) and who might or might not actually dispatch the call. Sun Prairie Dispatch (PSAP) Sun Prairie Dispatch is housed in the city s police department and secured from unwanted entry via several keypads requiring ID reader. The PSAP is staffed 24/7 by eight dispatchers/call takers, one supervisor, there are no other support personnel. There are four, 10-hour shifts with maximum staffing of two dispatchers and minimum staffing of one, which results in two dispatchers on duty from 11 AM to 11 PM. The four shifts are: 7 AM to 5 PM 11 AM to 9 PM 9 PM to 7 AM 4 PM to 2 AM The PSAP is overseen by a police lieutenant; however the dispatch supervisor oversees the actual day-to-day operations. The dispatch supervisor could utilize a third dispatch counsel if needed; however, that would occur only during extremely busy call loads. The dispatch center is the after-hours contact point. The dispatch center does not provide emergency medical dispatching (EMD). It was explained that EMS calls go to the county and they provide that service therefore, it is not essential for Sun McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 115

116 Prairie Dispatch. The consultants respectively disagree and believe EMD capabilities for a PSAP is advantageous Dispatched Calls 2013 The city s dispatch center processed the following calls for service as illustrated in the figure below: Figure 17: Sun Prairie Dispatch Processed Calls ,000 32,500 32,000 31,500 31,000 30,500 30, Processed Calls 32,217 32,994 31,025 Landlines Calls: Landline calls represent approximately 25% all calls; whereas, 75% are cellular and go directly to the county. All emergency landline calls originating within the corporate limits of the City of Sun Prairie go directly to the Sun Prairie PSAP/dispatch center. If the call is for: Police Sun Prairie Dispatch who dispatches the police department Fire - Sun Prairie Dispatch dispatches the fire department EMS Sun Prairie Dispatch transfers the call to the Dane County PSAP who dispatches Sun Prairie EMS. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 116

117 Example: a resident of the City of Sun Prairie experiences a medical emergency and dials from their home landline phone. Sun Prairie Dispatch would answer that call and the following would occur: Sun Prairie Dispatch would confirm the caller s address and phone number (these are displayed through what is called Automatic Location Indicator [ALI]), and Automatic Number Indicator (ANI). In addition, they would ask the nature of the emergency to determine what resources would be needed. Sun Prairie dispatcher would transfer (hot button contact) to the Dane County PSAP while requesting the caller remain on the line. County dispatch would dispatch Sun Prairie EMS and do all communication on that call through the county. Sun Prairie Dispatch would dispatch the Sun Prairie Fire department on serious EMS incidents (EMS: Echo, and Delta both life threatening situations) also the police would be sent. All communication with the fire and police would be handled by Sun Prairie dispatch. o During the draft review with three Sun Prairie police department leaders, the explanation of what occurs on this type of call became even more baffling as to who dispatches the fire department on an EMS call. Rather, it depended upon the type of call, who received the call and who dispatched. In other words, there were a number of different exceptions as to who dispatches. Thus, there was no consensus on who was actually is talking to the fire department. Thus, it would seem that this procedures needs to be simplified and documented. Both the police and fire department would indicate this incident as a response; however, the call volume number of phone activities for the Sun Prairie Dispatch would show it as two activities (one police and one fire). If the emergency landline call originates outside the city s corporate limits the Dane County PSAP would: Confirm the caller s address and phone number (these are displayed through what is called Automatic Location Indicator (ALI]), and Automatic Number Indicator (ANI). In addition, they would ask the nature of the emergency to determine what resources would be needed. If the emergency was within the city limits of Sun Prairie for police and/or fire the county would transfer the call to the Sun Prairie Dispatch and remain on the line until the call was answered. Sun Prairie Dispatch would handle the dispatching of police and/or fire and all radio traffic associated with that emergency o The exception for fire would be if Sun Prairie Dispatch had only one dispatcher on-duty who was tied up on another incident they would request the county to dispatch and handle the fire call. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 117

118 o If the fire call escalated to a MABAS alarm the Sun Prairie Dispatch would no longer handle communication with SPVFD rather the county does all MABAS dispatching. If the emergency was with the city limits of Sun Prairie for an EMS incident the county would dispatch and handle all radio transmissions. If the call warranted the SPVFD to also respond the county could either dispatch SPVFD or call the Sun Prairie Dispatch to alert the fire department. Cellular All cellular calls are received by Dane County PSAP. Cellular calls received by cell towers are equipped with Phase II Wireless E9-1-1 service. This service requires that wireless carriers provide Automatic Location Identification information to the PSAP centers. The accuracy requirements for this service are 50 meters (164 feet) for 67% of calls and 150 meters (492 feet) for 95% of calls with hand-based solutions, or 100 meters (328 feet) for 67% of calls and 300 meters (984 feet) for 95% of calls with network-based solutions. Therefore, if a caller utilizing a cell phone dialed and was unable to speak, the PSAP could trace the call to a location close to the cell phone. Cellular calls received by the county that required city police and/or fire department services would be transferred to the city s dispatch in the same manner as described above. All EMS requests within the city would be dispatched and handled by the county. Dispatcher Training The city dispatch center submitted the following training program for all telecommunicators (a.k.a. dispatchers): Table 23: Sun Prairie Dispatch Training Program Sun Prairie Telecommunicator Training Program Overview PT: Probationary Telecommunicator CTO: Certified Training Officer DOR: Daily Observation Reports TRAINING PHASES McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 118

119 Sun Prairie Telecommunicator Training Program Overview Phase ONE: 160 hours (10 hr work days // 16 days) Workload Distribution: PT 5-50% // CTO 95-50% Training Tasks (to be determined) One 10 hour ride-along with patrol Documentation: DOR s // End of Phase meeting with Supervisor Phase TWO: 160 hours (10 hr work days // 16 days) Workload Distribution: PT 50-90% // CTO 50-10% Training Tasks (to be determined) One 10 hour ride-along with patrol Documentation: DOR s // End of Phase meeting with Supervisor Phase THREE: Review Phase 160 hours (10 hr work days // 16 days) Workload Distribution: PT % // CTO 10-0% Training Tasks (to be determined) One 10 hour ride-along with patrol Documentation: DOR s // End of Phase meeting with Supervisor Phase FOUR: Shadow Phase // Final Phase 40 hours (10 hr work days // 4 days) Workload Distribution: PT 100% // CTO Support Only Documentation: DOR s // End of Phase meeting with Supervisor // Recommendation to go into rest of probationary period in solo position. REQUIRED CERTIFICATION Basic TIME certification - within 6 months Advanced TIME certification - within 1 year CONTINUING EDUCATION/TRAINING Recertification of advanced TIME certification every two years No mandatory training or continuing education required McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 119

120 Sun Prairie Telecommunicator Training Program Overview Dispatch are able to submit training requests to supervisor for consideration. Approval will depend on budget concerns and staffing levels. Other Function of Sun Prairie Dispatch The city s dispatch center performs other duties than answering and dispatching emergency calls. The following activities are listed in the Sun Prairie Police Department 2013 Annual Report: Table 24: Non-Emergency Sun Prairie Dispatch Non-Emergency Duties of Dispatch Direct access to local databases for problem solving Monitor various City building alarms Monitor City panic alarms Monitor wastewater trouble alarms Monitor 40 direct feed alarms for high risk local businesses Monitor department security cameras Monitor public school staff radio traffic Monitor public service radio traffic Access business and key holder information Provide access to TIME system for local needs Provide after-hours City contact point to include a safe refuge in the lobby with lockdown capability Provide emergency information through a paging system and social networking Provide direct support to the local emergency center operations Desire of Stakeholders Police Leadership would maintain the Sun Prairie Dispatch but would have all fire calls handled by the county much as they do EMS. The dispatch could perform all the non-emergency activities listed above and handle police emergency only. Fire Leadership would like all fire calls handled by Sun Prairie Dispatch Sun Prairie Dispatchers two dispatchers on duty at time of site visit would like to have all city EMS calls handle through them to eliminate the transfer delay. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 120

121 Without question if all fire and EMS calls were handled through Sun Prairie Dispatch, the city would need to increase the number of dispatchers and make renovations within the dispatch center itself. It is unknown if the transmitting and recording equipment would be sufficient to handle the increased activities. One would question if this expense could be justified when taxpayers are already paying for similar services. Sun Prairie Dispatch Average Notification Time Notification time represents the time from when the dispatch center answers the phone until the time the fire department is notified. Under NFPA 1221, dispatch time (time call is answered to the time of emergency unit notification) cannot exceed 60 seconds. Table 25: Sun Prairie Dispatch - Average Notification Time 2013 Notification Time Average 1 min 27 seconds 371 entries Dispatch Delays The Sun Prairie Dispatch average notification time exceeds the NFPA 1221 standard by 27 seconds. However, when visiting the city and county dispatch centers, the consultants witnessed the time lost in relaying the calls from county to city/ city to county. Although a communications study conducted by Multijurisdictional Public Safety Information System Commission in 2013 indicated that call transfers between city and county dispatch centers is automatically routed, such is not the case; it requires action on the part of the call-taker to hit a button which transfers the call. Why is that significant? Let s say, for example, the city dispatch receives a call for EMS. They take the vital information from the caller: nature of the call, confirm location, and phone number in the event they need to contact the caller. While this is occurring the call is transferred to the county who must pick up the phone and confirm the same information before dispatching the city s EMS unit. Do the dispatchers perform this function quickly and efficiently yes! However, transferring calls takes up vital seconds. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 121

122 Dane County Public Safety Communications Center The Dane County Communication Center (aka: county dispatch/psap) is a state-of-the-art communication center which provides countywide emergency call-taking services. The consultants are aware of the concerns in early 2014 with the dispatch center which included: difficulty with new CAD and radio systems, inability to meet national standards in dispatch times, and dispatching errors. This consulting firm has conducted assessments on numerous dispatch centers and had concerns, with the press coverage of the county s communication center problems, that the consultant s inquires and site visit would be challenging to get the needed data and information. Quite the opposite occurred, and the Assistant Operation Manager was very transparent with the data providing all the material requested and allowing the consultants to view the actual raw data from which he was querying form the CAD system. Agencies Served The county PSAP provides call-taking services for 146 response areas in Dane County which includes: Dane County Sheriff s Department City of Madison Police & Fire Departments In addition: o 26 law enforcement agencies o 23 fire departments o 28 EMS agencies o miscellaneous emergency agencies Services for Sun Prairie All cellular calls come to the county dispatch and if for police or fire, they will be transferred to Sun Prairie dispatch. If the emergency event is within the city limits of Sun Prairie for police and/or fire the county transfers the call to the Sun Prairie Dispatch and remains on the line until the call McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 122

123 is answered. Sun Prairie Dispatch would handle the dispatching of police and/or fire and all radio traffic associated with that emergency o The exception for fire would be if Sun Prairie Dispatch had only one dispatcher on duty who was tied up on another incident, they would request the county to dispatch and handle the fire call. o If the fire call escalated to a MABAS alarm the Sun Prairie Dispatch would no longer handle communication with SPVFD rather the county does all MABAS dispatching. For all EMS calls within the city limits, the Sun Prairie EMS is dispatched and all radio traffic is handled by the county PSAP All police, fire, and EMS calls for the towns of Sun Prairie, Burke, and Bristol are handle by the county. Dispatch Delay The consultants witnessed a cellular call which came into the county PSAP which needed to be transferred to the city. Although the dispatcher performed her transfer quickly time is lost, which was the identical situation found when the city transferred a call to the county. The bottom line is transferring calls takes time regardless of technology and human action. Employees and Work Shifts The county dispatch had 64 dispatcher/call-takers at the time of the site visit; however, they are authorized for 69 dispatcher/call-takers; five trainees had just begun their training. This includes 52 dispatcher/call-takers, 7 supervisors, 2 clerical, and 4 technicians. In order to ensure ample personnel are on duty the dispatchers are divided into six shifts, three of which are staffed as power shifts (additional on-duty dispatchers) as illustrated below: A. 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM B. 2:30 PM to 10:30 PM C. 10:30 PM to 6:30 AM D. 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM E. 6:30 PM to 2:30 AM McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 123

124 F. 2:30 AM to 10:30 AM Maximum shift staffing is 18 dispatch/call-takers on duty and minimum shift staffing is 15 dispatcher/call-takers. The county PSAP is overseen by a director and a communications supervisor who deals with the day-to-day functions. Priority Dispatch The county dispatch is the first in the state of Wisconsin to have implemented three priority dispatch protocol systems (medical, fire, and police) which are certified by the National Academy of Emergency Dispatch (NAED). Based on Dr. Jeff Clawson (father of Emergency Medical Dispatch), the implemented system now provides: Medical Priority Dispatch System Fire Priority Dispatch System Police Priority Dispatch System (it is believed this function is no longer being utilized) Dispatched Calls The county dispatch center processed the following calls for service as illustrated in the figure below: Dispatched Calls 2013 The county dispatch center processed the following calls for service as illustrated in the figure below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 124

125 Figure 18: Dane County PSAP Call Processed , , , , , , , , County PSAP Calls 408, , ,909 Dispatch Training New dispatchers attend an in-house communicator training academy, certified by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), which includes a lesson taught by instructors, training scenarios, and periods of on-the-job performance and evaluation under supervision. The above training is scheduled for five to six weeks. The new employee will be assigned to the call-taking position where their conversations are directly under supervision and performance is recorded for critique. After successful completion of the initial training, the dispatcher will receive a varying amount of on-the-job performance supervision during their one year anniversary. The dispatchers must become certified in the State of Wisconsin Department of Justice: Time System and Identification Training, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, Emergency Priority Dispatching, Emergency Police Dispatch, Emergency Fire Dispatch, Emergency Medical Dispatch, Emergency Telecommunicator (ETC), operations of the computer aided dispatch system (CAD), as well demonstrate the ability to follow strict PSAP policies and procedures. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 125

126 County PSAP Willingness to Provide Dispatch Services The consultants asked the county PSAP leadership if they had the ability and desire to become the single source of dispatching for the City of Sun Prairie. The county PSAP representative s answer was affirmative and the consultants believe that the county s redundancy in its ability to handle calls and dispatch should be investigated. Dane County Dispatch Average Notification & Pre-alerting Time There has been considerable criticism of the problems with the Dane County PSAP in terms of dispatch times not meeting national standards. The table below which shows the average dispatch time for incidents for the SPVFD far exceed the NFPA 1221 standard. However, a reassessment of how calls were handled prompted the PSAP to implement the pre-alert program, which significantly reduced the notification time. The pre-alert program better aligns with how the majority of PSAPs conduct emergency notifications where the emergency responder is notified after the very basic of information is obtained; additional information or services (e.g., EMD instructions) are taken after the responder has been notified and updated with pertinent information. In some PSAPs, a policy exists where the police are notified before fire or EMS regardless of the nature of the call. The consultants are not suggesting this is the case in Dane County PSAP but obviously a notification time that exceeds the NFPA 1221 standard by 1 min and 33 seconds is unacceptable. Table 26: County Dispatch Pre-altering & Notification Time 2014 Notification Time Average Pre-altering 1 min 12 sec 148 entries Average Notification 2 min 33 sec 148 entries Pre-alerting is a program started in May in which the dispatch notifies the fire department as soon as they obtain the: location, name, phone number and nature of the problem. The notification average time includes making additional inquires in order to prioritize additional resources prior to notification which might include giving the emergency instruction to the caller prior arrival of the fire department McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 126

127 Single Source for Dispatch Services There will be little consensus on the consultants recommendation to go to a single source of dispatch. There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to having a local PSAP. The consultants would suggest three options: Option #1 Maintain the Status Quo The system is familiar with all service providers and time and costs are avoided in retraining current staff. The problem with this option is it does not address the loss of critical time as calls are transferred from one PSAP to another. There is likely to be future staffing issues with the current city PSAP which will need to be addressed. When two Sun Prairie dispatchers were asked if they had the power to change one thing with the current dispatch system the response was allows us to dispatch EMS so our officers and patient don t have to wait at the scene for critical emergency service to be dispatched. The consultants have learned often the best answers come from the people providing the service. Option #2 Move All Sun Prairie Emergency Agencies into the Sun Prairie Dispatch This was the wish of the SPVFD in that they believe the city dispatch is best suited to address provider s issues. Like most studies the consultants heard that local dispatch centers know the city better than outside agencies. Although this is true the situations in which this might be a significant factor is limited inasmuch as the service providers also know the city the best and should be able to adapt a response by previous knowledge. Conversely, the police chief recognizes the need for continued funding for dispatch operations, equipment, and additional staffing as workload increase. The primary reason the chief suggested that fire dispatching should go to the county was due to the current staffing model, and in the interest of simplifying and standardizing fire dispatching. The same could be said for other departments. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 127

128 The consultants believes that even if the city were to provide additional fiscal resources, a standalone local dispatch center cannot provide the needed redundancy and resources that the county PSAP can provide. The current situation of a city utilizing two dispatch centers is problematic for the consultants for the following reasons: 1. Call transfers take time regardless of technology and the skills of the dispatcher when a call must be answered by a person at PSAP A, and the dispatcher must get enough information to determine the nature of the call before a transfer can occur. Then the information must be somehow gathered again. The process is not instantaneous. 2. The citizens of Sun Prairie are paying, through their taxes, for the services of Dane County PSAP. The decision by the city to duplicate PSAP is another tax the citizen is paying in order to duplicate a single service. 3. When professionals in the field attempt to have a discussion on who answers what and when and it leads to more confusion then simplification it should be obvious the system is too complex and needs to be simplified. Option #3 Move All Dispatch Service to the County Dispatch The consultants believe in the consolidation of resources which usually results in better service at a reduced cost. The only concern they have with their limited assessment of the Dane County PSAP is their average notification time prior the implementation of the pre-alert program. The city should ensure that the county dispatch call data be provided to ensure the agency notification times have in fact improved and are not a temporary improvement due to everyone watching the pre-alert program. The greatest benefit of this change would be a single source dispatch thereby eliminating call transfers and the ability of the county PSAP to provide services currently not provided by the city. The consultants understand that in February 2013 the city was provided a study which addressed options similar to the above, which included the creation of a shared communication center which never came to fruition. The consultants are unaware of the reasons this option was unsuccessful, but during the interviews it was very apparent that there would be significant resistance from changing the status-quo; although conversely the consultants were told that the status-quo would not survive long-term; however, Sun Prairie was not one of the cities/department that rejected the concept. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 128

129 The consultants recommend moving all emergency dispatch services to the Dane County Communication Center. Certainly, it is a cost savings measure inasmuch as the residents of Sun Prairie are already paying for the county PSAP and paying a second time for City of Sun Prairie to duplicate those services. The issue of other services provided by the city dispatch (e.g., monitor city cameras, etc.) would need to be outsourced or employees would need to be hired to perform those services. Certainly, the cost of the additional personnel to perform these services would be offset by the cost savings of closing the local dispatch center. The consultants recommend that the reader of this report refer to the Communication Study A Review of Options, which provides considerable information listing advantages, disadvantages, fiscal implications, and supporting data. The study link can be found on the Sun Prairie Police Department web site under the heading of Communication Study. Recommendations Dispatch/PSAP The City of Sun Prairie should move all dispatch services to the Dane County Communication Center to eliminate loss of transfer time and provide a single source of dispatching. Priority 1 The city will need to make considerable resources into maintaining their local dispatch center even if the desire is to maintain the status-quo. Priority 4 The police and fire department are in disagreement on the future of the city s dispatch center. Any future change, or efforts to maintain the status-quo, will be met with dissatisfaction by one or perhaps both departments. Priority 5 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 129

130 Staffing Challenge/Opportunity: the municipalities (predominately city) has set the expectation of 24/7 coverage by the fire department with a minimum of one on-duty crew member. Although the fire department has made significant effort and commitment to that goal, at the writing of this report there remains, on most occasions, a four hours vacancy (6 PM to 10 PM) at the station. It is hopeful this section will suggest opportunities to meet this 24/7 coverage expectation. The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department (SPVFD) was organized in April 1891, and as the name implies was staffed by volunteer citizens of the community. According to the National Volunteer Fire Council, there are over 20,050 all-volunteer fire departments and 5,445 most volunteer fire departments within the United States. The State of Wisconsin has 764 fire departments of which 93.1% are either all volunteer or mostly volunteer like SPVFD. The vast preponderance of the SPVFD members interviewed spoke of their dedication to the department and the community. Those same members described the department s willingness to serve their community in any capacity, when called upon to do so. There is no doubt or question about the capabilities of the SPVFD; what question does remain, is the SPVFD staffed to adequately serve the community 24 hours a day, every day of the year? National Staffing Methodologies There are many different factors to consider when staffing a fire department. These factors include: population, geographic size, number of calls, socioeconomics of the area, district risks/vulnerability, level of fire and EMS services desired, fiscal capabilities of the municipality, future area development, politics, other service provider options, citizen expectations, and availability of mutual aid. From the above analysis, the proper amount of staffing can be calculated in several ways. Regardless of how one determines the number, the final decision rests with those who govern and the service provider organization s ability to maximize those resources. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 130

131 Fire and EMS departments across the country are commonly classified through the determination made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There are basically four classifications utilized by FEMA and they include: Career departments which refer to departments where all firefighters/emts are career employees Mostly career which refers to departments that are combination where the majority are career supported by volunteer/paid-on-call/paid-on-premise Mostly volunteer which refers to departments that are a combination where the majority of employees are volunteer/paid-on-call All volunteer/paid-on-call which refers to departments that have no career firefighters/medics A recent staffing model is now becoming a popular alternative to the above basic classifications; many fire departments are implementing what are referred to as paid-on-premise (POP) personnel who are hired to work a designated on-duty shift usually 12 hours. POP personnel are considered part-time. Payment to these individuals could be on an hourly rate or a stipend for the 12-hour shift. Depending on the compensation structure, the organization may be responsible for benefits and/or overtime. There are also other options that are used on a less frequent basis. These options include private fire departments (non-governmental), contractual fire departments (the entire fire department is contracted in much the same way as one would hire an accounting firm), contractual employees (employees are hired from a third party service to provide staffing at a specified level), and public safety officers (combined fire and police duties into the responsibility of a single individual). National and State Staffing Methodology Comparison NFPA in 2011 reported the following four types of departments and the percent of US population they protect: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 131

132 Table 27: Types of Departments & Percent of US Population Protected Type of Department # of Departments US Population Served All Career 7.5% 46.5% Mostly Career 5.4% 16.4% Mostly Volunteer 16.1% 16.2% All Volunteer 71.0% 20.8% The NFPA compares a department s staffing methodology to both national and state data by population categories. There were 26,430 departments nationwide that responded to the survey. The SPVFD population protected (city and townships) in 2011 was estimated to be 40,274. The table below indicates how the SPVFD compares to the population in the United States in regards to staffing methodology. The line highlighted in blue represents the SPVFD current population protected. Table 28: Types of Staffing Compared to Population - National Population Career Mostly Career Mostly Volunteer All Volunteer Total 500, , % 17.0% 3.8% 0.0% 100% 250, , % 27.4% 4.8% 0.0% 100% 100, , % 12.2% 3.8% 0.0% 100% 50,000 99, % 18.3% 8.1% 1.6% 100% 25,000 49, % 20.6% 23.7% 7.7% 100% 10,000 24, % 22.6% 37.8% 18.7% 100% 5,000 9, % 5.9% 37.9% 52.0% 100% 2,500 4, % 1.8% 16.4% 81.2% 100% Under 2, % 0.8% 4.7% 94.1% 100% Source: NFPA 2011 Survey of the Needs of the US Fire Service NFPA also provides population comparisons to fire department staffing methodology for each state. In the State of Wisconsin 764 fire departments responded to the NFPA survey. The table below indicates how the SPVFD compares to staffing methodologies of other populations within the State of Wisconsin. The line highlighted in blue represents the SPVFD current population protected. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 132

133 Table 29: Types of Staffing Compared to Population - Wisconsin Population Career Mostly Career Mostly Volunteer All Volunteer Total 25,000 > 66.7% 8.3% 16.7% 8.3% 100% 10,000 24, % 12.5% 62.5% 18.8% 100% < 10, % 0.7% 6.8% 91.9% 100% Source: NFPA 2011 Survey of the Needs of the US Fire Service - Wisconsin SPVFD Current Staffing Methodology SPVFD utilizes a combination staffing methodology consisting of career, paid-on-premise (duty crew), and volunteers as illustrated in the table below: Table 30: SPVFD Staffing Employee Type # of Career 8 Volunteers 43 Civilian 2 Total 53 Career There are eight career members, although hired by the corporation, are not considered to be members eligible to vote. There are two shifts of four career members working from 6 AM to 6 PM, seven days a week. Each career member is assigned a department responsibility. The eight career staff members are comprised of two lieutenants, two apparatus engineers and four firefighters. The first four full-time members were hired May 2012; the second four full-time members were hired March Their salary and benefits are paid by the corporation although funding is provided by the city and townships. Volunteers As of the writing of this report, the SPVFD reported a total volunteer roster of 45 active members (of which two are civilian, non-firefighter volunteers), the maximum permitted by the department s by-laws. The consultants believe that the word active is used in the very strong sense to indicate the importance that all members are participating in department activities and needs. The by-laws limit the number of active members living beyond the city limits to 15. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 133

134 A challenge for most volunteer departments is weekday daytime availability. Although the consultants understand the need to limit the total number of members for fiscal reasons; this limitation is detrimental to daytime staffing. This daytime shortage of personnel is exacerbated by the limiting outside the city members to 15. The consultants recommend that the SPVFD reassess if these two restrictions to membership are counterproductive; at minimum expand the number living beyond the city limits. Recruitment efforts should be targeted to potential members who are available during weekday daytime hours; as it appears most department members are available during night time hours, a recruitment for daytime personnel would help bolster the daytime response. Probationary Firefighters The following data was provided to the consultants after review of the draft report by the SPVFD: Sun Prairie requires a probationary period of 12 months for people to qualify as a full member. SPVFD indicates they currently have 14 probationary candidates in addition to the 43 listed members. These probationary employees are not included in the reference to membership. The majority of these probationary candidates are signed off to function in the role of firefighter (state certified) and take one of the four spots on the truck. e.g. some are candidates who have ten years of firefighting experience and are able to be signed off to pack up (wear self-contained breathing apparatus) after a month or two. In addition, all probationary candidates are required to be part of the duty crew as a requirement of being accepted as a recruit. The majority of the probationary candidates apparently can function as a firefighter after six months presuming classes fall correctly. The new material goes on to say that nine can fill one of the four spots, but they limit it to one probationary member on each night shift to ensure there is sufficient experience. In addition, SPVFD states there are ten additional individuals on the waiting list for people to mentor them and be brought on as a probation candidate. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 134

135 Although the new information to the consultants it is positive news and indicates that SPVFD is active in recruitment. The department appears to be an exception to the majority of volunteer/combination departments that are having problems in recruiting volunteers. What strikes the consultants in the description given of these probationary members as to how do they tell who has what qualification and how do they keep them apart for safety? If nothing else the above description would suggest that somehow candidates at different levels of training need to be easily identified such as different color helmet, fire protective gear, etc. because it would be difficult for 43 other members to remember who is capable of doing what. To complicate matters, if needed to respond as a part of mutual aid, how would other departments know the skill level of these individuals? Duty Crew (Paid-On-Premise aka: POP) The duty crew provides in-station coverage from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM every day and was implemented in February The concept of the SPVFD Duty Crew came from a strategic planning session during which the department worked to reduce response times. When 100% of the volunteer staff participate in the duty crew program, the frequency of an assignment would come every 10 th day. When less than 100% participate, the frequency of an assignment could become every 9 th day, every 8 th day, etc. While conducting interviews, the consultants learned the duty crew program has made a positive impact on the department; however, the consultants learned that the duty crew was not embraced by 100% of the membership and that some volunteers refrain from participating. The leadership of the department indicated that 37 (86.05%) of the 43 members are willing to participate in the duty crew program. The department leadership places considerable emphasis on the need for volunteers to cover the station during duty crew assignments, in fear that if volunteer coverage was insufficient other staffing methods would need to be employed. Without question, on-duty career and paid-on-premise (POP) personnel improve response time and 24/7 in-house personnel has become an expectation of city. Therefore, the consultants McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 135

136 understand the fiscal implications of career staffing and encourage the department to recruit POP to augment station staffing regardless of the time of day. Duty Crew or POP programs are a cost-effective means to provide staffing within fire departments, as the SPVFD has already demonstrated. The program also benefits those working as POP fire fighters, as they can have greater exposure to a profession they enjoy and gain invaluable experience to be used where they currently work or volunteer. The consultants recommend that the duty crew POP program roster be opened to firefighters from outside the SPVFD. By opening the POP program to firefighters in the general area of Sun Prairie, a larger pool of available people can be created. By having a larger pool of firefighters to draw from, the department can avoid those times of the year when it is difficult to get people to work, such as summer, hunting and major holidays. The experience of this consulting firm has been that with programs such as the SPVFD duty crew, it becomes increasingly difficult to sustain willing personnel who have the time to devote to this program; which is another reason for expanding the POP to a greater geographic area for recruitment. Change can be difficult to accept, which seems especially so in the fire service. The addition of career personnel in 2012 and 2014, as well as the creation of the duty crew (POP program) in February 2014, already has brought significant change to SPVFD operations. The recommendation to blend POP personnel from outside the department is yet another change to department experience. For the current and proposed staffing options to be successful, it will require the SPVFD chief officers and line officers to exhibit a strong, positive and unified leadership role. Prior to recruiting members for the POP program that are not currently affiliated with the SPVFD, the department will have to determine the minimum standards desired of those candidates. The consultants recommend that the minimum qualifications should require candidates to hold Fire Fighter, Driver Operator and EMS certifications from the State of Wisconsin, prior to employment. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 136

137 Although POP staffing is highly discouraged by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), it is growing in number of areas in the United States and there seems to be no lack of participants both union and non-union firefighters willing to fill these positions. The expansion of the POP recruitment might be a necessity to meet the consultants recommendation of expanding the duty crew program hours to correspond with the ending of the career shift; thereby, eliminating the four-hour gap of the station(s) being empty of on-duty personnel. Therefore, the consultants recommend that the duty crew program begins at 6 PM and ends at 6 AM. Night Watch The SPVFD has used a formal Night Watch program between the hours of 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM, where approximately one-third of the volunteer department is available each night, but not on-duty at the station. The Night Watch is a method used to ensure there will be people to respond, usually to calls minor in nature. Calls of a more serious nature will see all available volunteer personnel requested to respond. Additional Career Employees Although the consultants do not have a crystal ball from which to view the future, they can predict with a high degree of assurance that the SPVFD will need to add additional career personnel within the next two years. This is not to suggest the volunteers are not dedicated, but they only have so much time to serve the citizens and visitors of the city and towns. The SPVFD corporate board, fire chief, and city/town representative (MRT and Fire Advisory Committee) should begin joint planning sessions related to staffing. The intent is to establish a dialog as to the future needs and how those needs will be funded. The consultants believe that Station #2 should be staffed within the next two years and it is anticipated that the daytime hours of staffing will need to be filled much as they are at Station #1. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 137

138 The more career members the SPVFD hire, the more the volunteer governance model will be challenged. There are copious papers written on the differences between career and volunteers, not from the perspective of one is better than the other; rather, the differences in perspectives between volunteers and career as summarized below: Career and volunteer/paid-on-call members most often see themselves very differently and without considerable mentoring of each group, the differences multiple and the similarities diminish. There is a difference which includes but not limited to: Time commitment Training Different standards of performance Differences in rules and/or enforcement of rules Communications Deployment Compensation Career development Unionization Threat Job security Perception As the number career members grow, the harmony with the volunteers/paid-on-call diminishes. Most volunteers/paid-on-call members joined the fire department to fight fires or provide some level of EMS. As more career members are hired, their probability of getting on a responding apparatus diminishes and they begin to resent responding to the station only to wash the vehicles when they return. The more people on-duty at the station lessens the chances of a volunteer/paid-on-call members opportunities to respond. What does help in the SPVFD is that the volunteer/paid-on-call can sign up for Duty Crew and be in the station to respond on apparatus. Of course this requires more time away from home and family. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 138

139 The culture of the city/town, but most apparent the fire department, is changing and the consultants believe that in the future the fire department will become a municipal department and for numerous reasons should be consolidated with the city s municipal EMS department. Leadership/Fulltime Fire Chief Successful organizations are all about leadership and the size and complexity of the SPVFD necessitates a full-time career fire chief. Leadership requires vision and the ability to influence, to get an organization from where it is to where it needs to be. Leaders are able to motivate people to accomplish tasks. Leaders get people to believe in themselves yet getting them to commit themselves to the organization. Leaders know they will be criticized as they move their organization forward to fulfill their stated mission, while challenging the status quo. It is the above brief description of the necessity of a fire chief to be a visible strong leader. Can this be accomplished by the members electing the chief? Perhaps, but for an organization to grow the chief must challenge the status-quo and hold people accountable. Historically, many elected volunteer fire chiefs who have done just that find themselves out of office at the next election. The component of popularity needs to be removed from the selection process. During the interviews conducted with local officials, stakeholders, fire department leadership and department members both volunteer and career, the need for a full-time chief officer, who is able to lead, manage and team-build, was a common theme heard loud and clear. However, there was no consensus among the members and critical partners interviewed as to what rank the chief officer should hold (chief or deputy chief), whether the person should be promoted from within or recruited from outside or, or the level of education and experience that should be required, The consultants have conducted a number of studies of volunteer fire departments where the fire chief is in fact the only full-time or career employee. In a majority of those studies this arrangement was found to be successful and beneficial. However, in the case of SPVFD, there are eight career employees and no full-time chief officer; therein lies a high McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 139

140 degree of frustration which will eventually appear as dysfunction. The people who have chosen the SPVFD as their career and employer are desirous for leadership by an experienced and knowledgeable full-time fire chief, along with the leadership and mentoring that position will provide. The need for a full-time fire chief has arrived. With that said, a number of individuals with department authority suggest that the department hire a deputy chief or assistant chief and allow the corporation to still elect the fire chief. This would put the second in command on premise interfacing with career, paidon-premise, and volunteers members on a daily basis. As much as the chief and deputy chief will state they are on the same page they will be challenged and this firm has seen the strongest of relationship dissolve into significant dysfunction within the department. Those of you who have or have had children know the challenge of a child playing mom against dad or vise-versa. Fire fighters are not children, yet they can be much more creative in getting the answer they want and because the second in command is in-house, whereas the chief is not; thus, they will be required to deal with the deputy chief more consistently. As hard as the deputy chief might try to let it be known he/she is not the chief, they are recognized as the person to go to. The resulting tension is slow to develop and explosive when it surfaces. Simply, this arrangement does not work. What must be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to hire a full-time fire chief is the current and future needs of the city and the towns. Today, the city includes all of its department heads in regularly scheduled meetings as well those meetings held with concerned citizens, developers, neighboring communities, state agencies etc. Typically, the SPVFD does not sit in on those meetings, partly because they are a contracted service (not a municipal department) and also because the current chief is not available during the business week. The same representation by the Fire Chief should take place with appropriate department meetings and/or town functions. The fire department needs to be represented by a fire chief who is at those critical meetings, either day or evening; who is able to provide advice; and who can provide interpretation of technical information and McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 140

141 guidance. The concerns of the fire department need to be heard as part of the overall planning for the municipalities. The consultants recommend that SPVFD appoint a career fire chief. Although there has been very talented and dedicated individual serving in that capacity, the Chiefs have been elected; therefore, are in the awkward position of supervising their boss. There seems to be little disagreement that a full-time chief is needed. What will be a challenge for SPVFD is to move from the election to an appointment where the fire chief has a designated term of office free to make the changes needed in the organization. Recruitment and appointment of a Fire Chief will be further discussed in the human resources section of this report. The second challenge will be having the membership broaden their selection process to include external candidates. Is it best for a new fire chief to come from within the department or outside the department? This is a much debated topic; usually the decision is greatly influenced on past experience. Internal or external should really be based on the needs, current and future, of the organization not on maintaining the status-quo. External candidates brought into a selection process usually raise the bar for internal candidates who now realize they are competing against someone outside the department with perhaps a more global perspective on issues. In many cases the very presence of an external candidate brings out a higher level of commitment from the internals and the selection process should be able to identify the most talented. If the result is the internal candidate is appointed, the process adds creditability to the selection and eliminates the right to passage belief. Who Should Be the Employer? Who will hire the fire chief, the city or the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc.? Although this might be a moot point at this particular time, it is worth serious consideration in the future. The past tensions between the city and fire department is still a fresh wound for some, but in the future this issue needs to be revisited in an open dialog between parties. Regardless of the employer, the full-time fire chief must be given McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 141

142 the authority to independently make informed tough decisions, which in many cases may not be popular with the membership but best for those being served. Complaints against leadership are not limited to the internal or external status of the fire chief, for not everyone will see things in the same manner. However, the fire chief must present a strong vision of where the organization is and where it needs to go, including the why and how. What is best for the people being served and what is best for an individual is not always in agreement. Currently the Fire Chief only has the authority permitted that position by the voting membership of the department. This could easily provide an impression that the chief s position is weak and lacking fortitude. The fire chief must be able to perform all the duties, both routine and during crisis, required of that position with confidence and without fear of the next election. Department Interviewees Perspective During the interviews conducted with local officials, stakeholders, fire department leadership and department members both volunteer and career, the need for a full-time chief officer, who is able to lead, manage and team-build, was a common theme heard loud and clear. However, there was no consensus among the members and critical partners interviewed as to what rank the chief officer should hold (chief or deputy chief), whether the person should be promoted from within or recruited from outside or, the level of education and experience that should be required, The consultants were discouraged to hear some current fire department leadership who wanted to continue to elect a volunteer fire chief, but to hire a position below that rank to serve as the day to day administer of the organization. The consultants experience from numerous studies can predict (with confidence) this leadership hierarchy is doomed to failure and will result in significant department dysfunction. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 142

143 The SPVFD is experiencing the growing pain of moving beyond the traditional volunteer governance model and as the number of career and paid-on-premise members increase, the challenges for a volunteer elected fire chief will increase in volume disproportionally. The skills, qualifications and traits of a Fire Chief, along with the recruitment and selection process will be discussed in the human resources section of the report. It is the recommendation of the consultants that a full-time fire chief be appointed to lead and run the operations of the SPVFD. Recommendation Staffing The SPVFD needs to meet the needs of the city by providing one in-house on-duty response staff to provide immediate response to fire calls 24/7/365. Priority 1 The internal restrictions as to where volunteer members must live (city or district) and how many of each are eligible for membership must be removed. The department cannot claim inability to get volunteers when their own rules might prohibit a very interested party because they don t meet the current rule. Priority 1 When recruiting candidates for the duty crew POP program from outside the SPVFD, the consultants recommend that the minimum qualifications should require candidates to hold Fire Fighter, Driver Operator and EMS certifications from the State of Wisconsin, prior to employment. Priority 2 Within six months the SPVFD leadership should recruit paid-on-call members from a much larger geographic area (outside SPVFD response district). These members would be in-house for a designated time and as long as they can arrive on time to those shifts their residency should not be a factor. These members can bring great diversity and talent to the department. Priority 2 The consultants recommend that the department begin formally tracking all time each member contributes to the department and place a dollar value on that service resource. Priority 2 The consultants recommend that the duty crew program be expanded to begin at 6:00 PM, so as to leave no gap in station coverage. Priority 2 Planning for future staffing needs should be conducted with the city/town in joint planning sessions. Included in the discussion should be the discussion of additional career members. Priority 2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 143

144 The SPVFD needs a career fire chief who is selected through a process that opens candidacy to qualified members both internally and outside of the current membership of the department. Qualifications, job description, testing, and assessment testing should be utilized in the selection of the chief. Internal and external members of the SPVFD should be encouraged to apply and no preference should be given to either group of candidates. Priority 1 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 144

145 Human Resources This section will discuss the current functions associated with human resources under its current organizational structure and recommendations for change. Before beginning, it must be mentioned that the personnel function of volunteer/combination departments is extremely difficult. In the case of Sun Prairie, there is minimal full-time staff available to take care of the myriad of issues that must be administered in relations to personnel; let alone all of the administrative and operational functions of a fire department. Thus, in most cases, the administration of personnel becomes secondary. One must understand, however, that in the State of Wisconsin, an employee can sue its employer over discriminatory practices. Typically, Title VII prohibits the discrimination based upon a number of protected categories. This federal law applies to employers with 15 or more employees. In Wisconsin, however, an organization only needs one employee and all of the protected categories are enforced. Thus, it is incumbent upon the department to ensure that it has consistent, fair practices that are adhered to by all supervisory personnel. Further, employees are treated fair and are held accountable for a set of standards. Thus, an employee policies & procedures manual and Standard Operating Guideline (SOG) or Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manuals are strongly recommended and that they are updated, accurate, trained upon, and enforced. (Both of these will be critiqued within this section or in the corresponding appendix.) In addition, the Sun Prairie Fire Department is a private organization; thus, there are a few federal and state laws that are applied differently to private organizations rather than a municipal organization. These too, will be discussed. Fire Chief Recruitment The current procedure for filling the position of the SPVFD Fire Chief is an election by the members of the fire department with the exception of the career members who are not considered members of the corporation. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 145

146 According to city ordinance Section , once the members of the fire department have elected the fire chief his/her name shall be submitted to the Police and Fire Commission (P&F) and subject to confirmation. In effect, the P&F gives their approval for the corporation s elected fire chief, under authority of Wisconsin State Statue of 62:13. One must assume this would or has been performed during an official meeting of the P&F, where minutes of the meeting are taken. The city cannot allow the P&F to enforce one aspect of and disregard others. For example, if the P&F has the authority to hire the fire chief, they do not advertise for that position, do not have any input as to what the candidate s qualifications are, have no input into the choice by the SPVFD, do not interview the nominees for fire chief prior to P&F action; rather they endorse the departments elections. Although this action might give city officials a sense that they have more influence over the corporation than is real, it is a dangerous practice for nothing more than the appearance of authority and good will. In reality the P&F actions would imply that the corporate elected fire chief has standing under the statue; including all the protection afforded chiefs under that statue. Assume that at the next election, the fire department elects a different chief. As far as the SPVFD is concerned, the former chief can remain a member of the department, but is no longer the fire chief. However, the actions of the city s P&F afford the outgoing chief protection from removal with the protection of Per 62.13, charges must be filed on the chief, who then is entitled to a public hearing before the P&F, and proof of wrong doing before could remove the chief from office, this typically is not an easy process in Wisconsin. Thus, the consultants strongly believe that the Sun Prairie s P&F has no authority over a private corporation and although the P&F has authority in the municipal police department, the same is not true for the fire department. In addition to how a fire chief should be selected, the question is to which agency should hire the fire chief the city or the private corporation? Could the city hire a municipal fire chief? Absolutely! The problem becomes the corporation would not have to accept that appointment and could revert to their by-laws as to how the leadership is chosen. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 146

147 Most recently, the SPVFD opened a process for officers. Interested parties had to apply and the fire department requested the P&F to conduct the interviews. The P&F, after the interviews, provided a list to the corporation as to the ranking of the candidates. The consultants praise the SPVFD for seeking input into the department s management team; however, several points make the function of the P&F less meaningful: first the P&F had no input as to the candidates they were to interview. In order to be on the officers list the individual had to be a member of the department and no outside individuals regardless of their qualification could apply. Secondly, once the SPVFD received the ranking of the candidates they could choose any name on that list regardless of the ranking (although they say that has never occurred). This process showed a willingness on the part of the corporation to work with the city, but in reality, the fire department did what it wanted. The consultants recommend that the city s P&F be removed from any official or unofficial actions involving the SPVFD officers or member s selection. The city should continue to open lines of communication with the fire department through the city administrator. In addition, the City of Sun Prairie should understand the amount of authority they have is limited as it is through a contract with the service provider. The time to communicate their expectations of service requirements is in the development of the contract. Once the contract is signed the city should have monthly meetings with the department leadership to discuss opportunities for greater partnerships, discuss issues, review service, and discuss means for better communication through the Fire Advisory Committee and through individual meetings. In essence the SPVFD is a private corporation and should be treated as such by the city; similar to the relationships with other private, municipal contracts. Conversely, the city and town-elected officials are performing their due diligence in ensuring the taxpayer s dollars are maximized and the elected officials and need an avenue (through the city administrator of appointed town official) to bring concerns and questions to the service provider. Needed Traits of a Fire Chief Good leaders must possess a variety of positive qualities. The qualities associated with a fire chief are centered on the leadership and management of the department and the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 147

148 department s ability to deliver service during emergency or chaotic situations. However, emergency operations are a small fraction of a fire chief s daily duties. During the routine of daily activities, the fire chief must be accessible, visible and portray the professional image expected of a strong leader. The fire chief, as a leader, should possess and practice good qualities such as: Good character: Operates with integrity and has a personality that is friendly, respectful, fair, consistent, and has a good sense of humor. Problem solving skills: Identifies and forecasts problems and follows through to solve them. Makes quick decisions when necessary and manages change effectively. Communication skills: Communicates well to all levels within the department and the community. Shares his vision and takes advantage of opportunities. Interpersonal skills: Helps others succeed, is able to listen without being judgmental and serves as the department s head cheerleader. The fire chief must earn and maintain the respect of local elected and appointed officials. There needs to be a two-way relationship of open communication. It is important that the elected officials are routinely informed of the routine successes enjoyed by the fire department as well as the challenges they are facing. The fire department should not have to solely accept the burden of significant challenges nor should the elected officials be surprised by one or more significant issues that have been brewing over time. Specifically, the method used to adequately staff the fire department. Typically to what level a fire department is staffed is a policy decision of the municipality; except in the case of the SPVFD. In this case, it is incumbent upon the fire chief of the private corporation, to work with the elected and appointed officials to achieve a common ground for staffing levels. Hiring the Fire Chief Initially, the consultants were told that only members can apply for the fire chief position; regardless of an outsider s experience or leadership ability, he/she is ineligible to apply. These McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 148

149 types of restrictions narrow the opportunity for change. This is not to imply that there are not talented people in the SPVFD, but most of them only know the Sun Prairie way simply they don t know what they don t know. However, after the review of the draft both the city and SPVFD indicated that both parties are open to an external candidate and willing to utilize a nationwide executive search. If both the city and SPVFD are open to an external candidate, the SPVFD will need to suspend their hiring practice list: Fire Chief Qualifications Checklist, which was a list developed by the Fire Chief and Police and Fire Commission as illustrated below: Fire Chief Candidate: Name: Meets 10 year minimum active and good standing Has been fire ground officer in last 5 years Has 50%+ call attendance Has 18+ drills Has 18+ drills with use of training events Certified FFI Certified FFII Has Entry Level Driver/Operator Incident Command (NFA certified) Safety Officer trained MCTO-Tactics trained Arson Awareness ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, and 800 Functions/operates all apparatus and equipment Obviously, an external candidate could not meet these requirements and therefore, a conflict exists between what is verbal verses what is written. The consultants asked if there could ever be exceptions to the Fire Chief Qualifications Checklist ; the answered received was there would be no exceptions and the above requirements have historically required 100% compliance. Certainly, anyone with the certification/training should be qualified on the fire-ground but again presently, it excludes external candidates. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 149

150 Secondly, the members elect the chief, with the exception of the career members who cannot be members of the SPVFD. Therefore, the individuals who spend the greatest amount of time in the department, most likely know the most about the internal workings, and have or should have more experience in fire services than most members are not allowed input into who their leader should be. Leadership Capabilities As discussed previously, becoming the leader of a 53 member combination department with a three-quarter million dollar budget requires a whole different skill set some of which are summarized below: Table 31: Leadership Desired Skills Leadership Desired Skills Fiscal management Coaching Staffing Conducting Performance Evaluations Resource deployment Counseling Budgeting Dealing with Difficult People Purchasing Delegation Strategic planning Diversity Program development/implement Employee Documentation Program oversight/assessment Ethics Assuring competency Family Medical Leave Act Assuring cost-effective/efficient services Harassment/ Workplace Violence Communication with governing board(s) Interviewing / Employment Law Problem Solving Techniques Managing Change Time Management Performance Management Team Building Principles of Supervision Writing Reports Comparison to the two qualification criteria (above) clearly shows there is a significant difference in the skills needed to be a fire chief versus an incident commander. The selection of the fire chief should be as objective and include assessment testing which requires candidates to demonstrate skills versus just discussing them. The final appointment (note: not election) will be through the new governance model to be discussed later in this section. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 150

151 Continuity of Leadership Team Inasmuch as the members elect the chief and the two assistant chiefs there is no guarantee that the fire chief leadership philosophy is the same or even will be supported by the election of the two assistant chiefs. In many cases the consultants have seen where two individual running for chief are very different in leadership style and often the membership will elect the chief and then elect his opponent as the assistant chief. The challenge to leading an organization are difficult enough without the top two or in SPVFD case top three not on the same page as to how the department should function or share like priorities. Popularity After meeting the above criteria, popularity becomes a significant factor. Popular elections are not necessarily mechanisms for selecting the most qualified or the best candidate for the position. The popular election does exactly what it states-it selects the candidate who is the most popular. Assuming there are several potential candidates for fire chief who met the criteria to be considered, does the individual who is most popular possess the best vision, leadership skills, management skills, mentoring skills, interpersonal soft skills Who Is the Boss? The fire Chief is voted on by the membership and reports directly to the Management Review Team (MRT) some of whom are his/her subordinates or superior. The fire chief accomplishes the strategic initiatives of the organization through people. He must direct and practice discipline (including termination) when necessary to the very same members who elect him and he reports to. A growing community needs a process to ensure that the individual leading the fire department is not only capable but has the authority to address the changes that challenge the department in difficult times. Many fire department corporations resist change, and the first casualty is most often the fire chief. The appointment, rather than election, of the fire chief is essential, along with the authority to make changes, especially unpopular but necessary changes in the organization. For example: departments that have alcohol in the fire station, regardless of when it can be consumed, place McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 151

152 the municipalities and the department in a liable position. The consultants are aware of several cases where the chief ordered the alcohol removed from the station only to be replaced at the next election by a chief who allowed alcohol back in the station The governance system described above can easily result in a lack of check and balances. Regardless of how independent the MRT members might be, the perception is that it is a good old boys club and decisions are made based upon friendships a theme heard during the interviews. Thus, the consultants strongly recommend that the Fire Chief be appointed and report to the revamped Management Review Team. The recruitment should be an objective process in which a job descriptions that delineates the skills, qualifications and duties of the position; the process should be posted internally and advertised externally; and an assessment center testing process conducted. The selected Fire Chief should be given a three-year contract. Renewal of the contract should be based upon achievement of the established goals and achievement of the performance expectations. The MRT has the authority to hire and dismiss the Fire Chief. Human Resource Decision Making The biggest area of concern is the decision making process for all personnel decisions. Hiring decisions are made by the entire membership or in some cases with input from the city s Police & Fire Commission. Thus, recruitment of volunteers and full-time members, promotions and discipline are handled by committee, rather than by either the fire chief or a select few. This is most concerning, as a large group of untrained individuals in personnel matters are making decisions that could have significant liability to the organization. As previously stated, the State of Wisconsin applies all of its discrimination laws on any organization that has at least one employee; thus, any personnel decision carries great consequences to the organizations as well as the individuals making those decisions. Although this has been discussed continuously throughout this report, it must be reiterated that WI Statute does not apply to private (fire) organizations. Thus, there is no need for any of the fire department s hiring, promotion, or termination processes going through the city s Police McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 152

153 & Fire Commission. Further, if the organization were to follow this statute, then all of the rules, including the process for removal of a fire chief must be followed. The department, therefore, would be in violation of the statute by removing the fire chief annually through election. Immediately, the decisions affecting employment, discipline, and termination should be moved to the fire chief and/or the current Management Review Team (MRT). No personnel decisions should be handled by the entire membership. Which decisions and how it should be accomplished will be discussed in the respective sections. Human Resources Administration In the previous budget year, there was a full-time individual assigned to the overall administration of the department budget, accounts payables/receivables, personnel, etc.; however, the city would no longer fund this position. To ensure that the daily administrative paperwork is completed, the fire department created a full-time firefighter position that performs these functions, in addition to responding to calls. Overall, the fire department is a private organization that must operate in such a manner that it hires, performs services to the communities it has contractual relations with, and must adhere to all of the federal, state, and local laws; thus, there is need for not only a full-time chief (to be discussed in staffing) but a fulltime administrative person who has the responsibility and authority for personnel functions. Although the department has some good programs in place, there is the need for ensuring laws are adhered to, being implemented and followed in order to not only avoid lawsuits, but also ensure that the department employees receive proper pay, benefits, policies, etc. The consultants recommend a full-time executive assistant, who reports to the fire chief, be hired to oversee the bookkeeping and human resources of the organization. If the department also requires this individual to be a trained firefighter, that is its prerogative; however, the pool of qualified applicants may be affected by this requirement. Rather, the individual should have education and experience in general bookkeeping and human resources. Further, the hiring process of this individual should be through the MRT and the fire chief not through the general membership. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 153

154 Recommendations Fire Chief Recruitment, Decision Making & Administration The revamped MRT should be the group with authority to hire and dismiss a Fire Chief. Immediately the practice of electing a fire chief should be discontinued. Priority 1 The MRT should establish a job description that outlines the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position that includes operational and managerial (administrative), and supervisory (leadership) skills. Applicants should be solicited both internally and externally and assessed through an objective assessment center testing process. Priority 2 The practices of membership voting on members, promotions, discipline, etc., should be immediately stopped and moved to the Management Review Team. Priority 1 The department should re-instate the position of full-time administrative assistant to handle all bookkeeping and human resource responsibilities. Priority 2 Recruitment Volunteer Recruitment: Overall, with the exception of the approval process, the department does a good job in selection of candidates for hire. The current hiring process for volunteers is as follows: There is no recruitment campaign most recruitment is done through word of mouth, or banners in front of the fire station. The department does not have any prepared brochures to solicit recruits, or utilize any other forms of advertising. Applications are accepted throughout the year. The department hands out an application packet that includes the following: o Letter of introduction description of process o General summary of duties o Expectations of the department o Application o Applicant s certification & agreement Applications are reviewed by the personnel committee which is made of the vice president, a fire ground officer, and two firefighters. Interviews are conducted with a team that is made up of several fire officers and volunteer firefighters. Applicants are then expected to attend two drills and then are voted in by the membership to serve a 12-month probation. At some point, final candidates are reviewed by the City s Police & Fire Commission. No interview is conducted, rather a paper screening of the applicants. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 154

155 All volunteer applicants, in addition to the interview and drill attendance have completed by the department background checks which include reference checking, and review of driver s license and criminal background checks. In addition, after an offer of membership all final applicants are sent to an occupational clinic for drug screen, SCBA and audio testing, and stress test. Material Critique & Recommendations The following is a critique of the volunteer application materials. Introduction Letter: Nicely written and spells out not only the mission of the department, but the expectations of a potential member of the department. General Summary: The general summary is an abbreviated job description. What is lacking is the mental and physical requirements of the position. Although the department does not yet have the number of employees to adhere to the federal American s with Disabilities Act, they still need to be mindful of Wisconsin statutes. Would suggest adding a line that the individual understands the requirements and is capable of physically performing them. The applicant should then turn that signed sheet in with his or her application materials. Expectations Letter: Nice addition to the packet. May consider making this into a brochure and expanding on some of the content. Thus, what does good physical condition mean? What is required attendance? Possibly spell out the state and department training requirements. A nice brochure could be used not only in the application packet, but also at functions or for members to hand out. A visible presence is always needed in volunteer organizations to keep the face of the department in the public s eye for recruitment. Application: The following items should be removed and/or changed on the application: Maiden Name construed for sex discrimination Social Security Number although not illegal to put on an application, with the number of individuals viewing the application, and today s threat of identity theft, this should be removed. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 155

156 Driver s License Number - another way to be perceived as discrimination Residences perception of discrimination if one moves around, or type of housing Work history the application only asks for current employer; would suggest getting the past three years of employers to see consistency in jobs. Also included should be past supervisor s and contact information. Fire Training suggest putting a list of required/desired certifications to assist the applicant in understanding what is important for this department. Applicant s Certification & Agreement well done, but may want to add the ability to check social media sites (not asking for any passwords or permission); just forewarning an applicant that social media sites may be investigated. Suggest adding a reference authorization form that becomes detached from the application that requests all of the information necessary to conduct the background/criminal checks residences, dates of birth, social security number, etc. This way the department has that information, but it is removed from the application materials that are viewed by the personnel committee, interview panel, and the police & fire commission. Interview Questions: A copy of the interview questions were provided. They were basic and focused around the responsibilities of the member to the department. The consultants would suggest adding a few more questions regarding the applicant s work history, examples of how the individual worked within a team, reasons for joining the department and future goals. Once these questions have been asked, then it is still important to discuss and have the applicant gain an understanding of requirements and expectations of being a volunteer firefighter. All individuals interviewing should either be trained in interviewing techniques and/or have the recommended administrative assistant in charge of personnel included in the interview process to ensure that it complies with state employment laws. The interview committee should consist of a mix of volunteer and full-time personnel. Police & Fire Commission Approval: At the completion of the probationary period, and prior to the membership vote, the city s P&F reviews the applicant s materials and approves for McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 156

157 membership. On a few occasions, by paper review, the commission has denied approval; however, it appears that this approval/disapproval does not carry much weight. There is nothing via state statute that requires this step, and until the department becomes a municipal department, it should be eliminated. Family Open House: Not currently being conducted within the department, many volunteer organizations find it helpful to conduct an open house with applicants and their families so that all understand the rigors and commitments of becoming a volunteer firefighter. Those that have implemented this step in the recruitment process and found slightly higher retention rates. Final Approval: Currently it is the vote of the membership to initiate an employee and to employ the volunteer after probation, along with a cursory review of the Police & Fire Commission. It is recommended that the above process develop a ranked list of applicants. The top candidates (number to be determined based upon number of openings) should then be given to the MRT and fire chief for final interview. The hiring decision should be that of the Fire Chief recommendation to the MRT. Civilian Volunteers: Individuals who wish to volunteer with the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department in capacities other than firefighting is new to the department. Individuals must complete an application similar to the volunteer firefighter application. The consultant recommends encompassing one application for firefighters and others. Remove the discriminatory information that was discussed in the volunteer recruitment application section, but add a section of services that the individual could contribute to the organization. An interview process by the fire chief and MRT should be conducted, with this group making the decision to allow membership. Full-time Recruitment: The recruitment of full-time members of the department is relatively new; thus it is a relatively new process. The department has developed checklists for all of the full-time positions that outline the requirements for each position. With that said, all of the requirements center around operational aspects of the position years on department and/or McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 157

158 certifications/experience needed, but for officer positions, none of them have any supervisory or administrative qualifications. Further, individuals are expected to complete a full application process; however, individuals must be from the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department to apply for positions. Thus, one questions the need to complete a full application. As with the volunteer process, all applicants are subjected to background screening, physical agility, and health assessments (SCBA, audio, etc.). The personnel committee reviews the applications and an interview panel of P&F Commissioners, external fire department officers, the fire chief and the Strategic Planning Committee interview the applicants. The fire chief and the P&F develop the questions. This interview team ranks the candidates in order and the top candidate is offered the position. There is no policy in place regarding hiring off the list, however, the last recruitment process hired the top candidates. Application Critique: As with the volunteer application, there are a number of items that need to be eliminated from the full-time application: Social Security Number Driver s License Number Residences The same recommendations on the certification and agreement form should be added to this application. Future Full-Time Recruitment: The process, overall is sound, but changes should occur in the job descriptions/checklists to ensure that those being hired for officer/supervisory positions are required to have training in supervision, personnel hiring, discipline, and other disciplines necessary to become an effective supervisor. Further, it is currently a closed shop, and applicants from other departments are prohibited from applying. Thus, the process should be open to both internal and external candidates. Restricting to only internal candidates has the potential of being a good old boys network, as well as inhibits the department from growing and brining in new ideas. Thus, allowing both internal and external applicants, the department can develop a good mix of employees. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 158

159 Internal applicants should be required to submit a shortened application form that demonstrates what they have done since originally joining the department. What certifications, classes, other training, as well as their past participation should be part of the evaluation process. This can also be gleaned from external members by asking for a listing of education, certifications, what committees/activities the individual participated within their current fire department. Thus, a new job application should be developed that inquires about those aspects of the position that have either been deemed important by the MRT and Fire Chief, as well as those within the job descriptions. Job descriptions should be updated and more complete by the addition of education/experience qualifications; supervisory or administrative experience required; and the mental and physical aspects of the position. Again, the recommendation is that the Police & Fire Commission be removed from the process until such time the department is a municipal department. Adding an assessment center when appropriate may also assist the fire chief in determining qualified applicants. The interview process can be bi-level with a team comprised of members of the department - volunteers, officers, and full-time members which provides input to the MRT and hiring team. The fire chief should make the final recommendation of hire to the MRT for approval. The hiring of the fire chief should be multi-level and include members of the MRT team. An assessment center testing process, which includes assessors that not only are fire chiefs from other departments, but also someone who represents human resources, the community, and if desired, a representative of the various communities the department represents. This assessment team should recommend to the MRT the final candidates. The MRT should also interview the final candidates and make the final selection. Recommendations - Recruitment Update the application packet for volunteer and full-time as recommended, eliminating all areas that could be perceived as discrimination. Add a separate authorization for background checks that is separated from other application materials. Priority 3 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 159

160 Eliminate the review of the City s Police & Fire Commission in the hiring process until such time as it is a municipal department. Priority 3 All individuals involved in interviewing should receive formal training on interviewing techniques as well as state discrimination laws. Or, the administrative personnel assistant should sit in on these interviews to ensure compliance. Priority 3 The interview questions should be expanded to include more background and general information of the applicant. Work history, motivation, and evaluating past performance examples are better indicators of an applicant s ability to perform the job than just gaining an understanding of department expectations. Priority 3 Consider adding a family open house to the recruitment process so that family members understand and buy into the rigors and commitments of a volunteer firefighter. Priority 4 The interview process, physical agility, and background checks should comprise a list of ranked candidates that are then interviewed by the MRT and fire chief. The fire chief should recommend those for membership for approval by the MRT. All voting of members should be immediately stopped. Priority 3 Revised the volunteer and generic application form to include those desiring to be members of the fire department through firefighting and/or providing other nonemergency services. Priority 3 Revise the hiring of full-time members to include external and internal candidates. Eliminate the involvement of the P&F Commission. Priority 3 Develop an assessment testing process for full-time positions, including the position of fire chief. Priority 4 The MRT should have final authority for hiring of all volunteers, civilians, full-time, and the fire chief. Priority 1 New Employee Orientation Regardless of a new volunteer or a new full-time employee, how an employee is introduced into the organization makes a dramatic effect on the longevity of the individual. Thus, a new member orientation is essential for both a volunteer and the full-time employee even if the full-time employee has been with the organization. The expectations for both need to be clearly spelled out, as well as the appropriate policies and procedures. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 160

161 The current orientation process for volunteers is a bit more developed than full-time employees. Individuals complete a contact form; are assigned a big brother (anyone who is interested in this responsibility can become a big brother); and individuals watch a Sun Prairie Way video. The department has a training program for probationary members, but the orientation needs to occur for non-operational items as well. Appendix B is a sample new employee checklist. This sample will need to be modified to include items specific to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department; and a second checklist for full-time employees should be developed that adds all of the pay and benefit information. But, the sample provides for some basic guidance. The department does provide a big brother and it is not a formal mentoring program. Although the program does not need to be formalized at this time, it is suggested that the assigned firefighter go through some process to ensure that the individual subscribes to the values of the department, is a member in good standing, and has a thorough knowledge of policies and procedures of the department. It appears to the consultants that the fire department collects the appropriate documentation for new members/employees and maintains them in the proper personnel files per stated and federal statutes. Finally, the new hire information form could be more complete and include the following: Employee s full (legal) name Preferred name Primary mailing address Any supplemental addresses Gender Birth date Marital status Home/Cell telephone numbers address Emergency contact o Name McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 161

162 o Address o Relationship o Cell/Home telephone numbers o Work telephone number All members need to be encouraged to keep this information updated with the administrative assistant human resources. Recommendations New Employee Orientation Develop a new employee orientation checklist for volunteer and full-time members to be completed and signed by the employee and the trainer. Priority 3 Update the new employee information form to get additional information. Priority 2 Develop a process for those who wish to be a big brother. Establish minimal criteria to be considered for this position. Priority 4 Compensation Compared to a number of combination fire departments, the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department conducts is compensation practices according to the Fair Labor Standards Act. For informational purposes, the following information applies to the definition of volunteers and what is an employee. What will not be discussed is the 7k FLSA exemption. This is an exception to the general overtime provisions (payment of overtime for all hours worked over 40 in a defined work week) which allows public employers change the work cycle to mitigate the amount of overtime a firefighter or police officer can earn. In a municipal fire department, they can establish a 28-day work cycle and pay overtime after an employee works 212 hours in that 28-day period. This provision, is not afforded to private organizations. Thus, the SPVFD cannot establish such a cycle and must pay overtime for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours. The administration of the compensation system, including setting up new members, ensuring appropriate compensation, and handling the payroll functions, including all of the taxes, should be the recommended full-time human resources/payroll generalist, under the direction of the Fire Chief. The MRT should have ultimate authority over the compensation of all members of the department. Once it is approved, through the budget process, administration of the program is the responsibility of the Fire Chief and HR/payroll generalist. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 162

163 Volunteers: The FLSA provides a specific exemption for individuals who volunteer services to public agencies. The FLSA, however, exempts public employers from paying minimum wage and overtime to individuals who qualify as volunteers individuals motivated to contribute service for civic, charitable, or humanitarian reasons. An individual who performs services for a public agency qualifies as a volunteer, if: The individual receives no compensation, or is paid expenses, reasonable benefits, or a nominal fee to perform the services for which the individual volunteered; and Such services are not the same type of services for which the individual is employed to perform for the same public agency. If an individual meets the above criteria for volunteer status, he or she will not be considered an employee covered by FLSA minimum wage and overtime provisions. A public employer can pay a nominal fee to volunteers; the fee must not be a substitute for wages and must not be tied to productivity. Thus, a paid-on-call member in a municipal environment, performing public safety responsibilities, and who does NOT receive compensation that is tied to productivity, such as an hourly wage, would also be exempt from the minimum wage requirements. Paid-on-Call or Paid-on-Premise Personnel: Individuals who receive some sort of compensation or nominal fee will have their employment status based upon how the fee is distributed. Two types of compensation are considered to be nominal fees by the Department of Labor (DOL) and continue to exempt the employee from the Fair Labor Standards Act Payper-call, or a monthly/annual stipend. Pay-per-call, whether the person responds from their home or place of employment or is scheduled for hours at the fire station (paid-on-premise), is compensation paid to the individual when responding to an emergency call. The amount of compensation may not be tied to productivity and may not vary on time spent on the activity. The Department of Labor s regulations specify that the payment of a nominal amount on a percall basis to volunteer firefighters is acceptable so long as the compensation is tied to the volunteer s sacrifice rather than productivity-based compensation. (DOL, Wage and Hour Division Opinion Letter, August 7, 2006) McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 163

164 However, the Department of Labor has determined that payment to volunteer firefighters on a per-hour basis destroys the bona fide volunteer status and creates an employment relationship. This type of payment is akin to hourly wages based on productivity. (DOL, Wage and Hour Division Opinion Letter July 7, 1999) The 20 Percent Rule: In August 2006, the Department of Labor provided clarification as to what amount will qualify as a nominal fee. The DOL explained that generally an amount not exceeding 20 percent of the total compensation* that the employer would pay to a full-time firefighter for performing comparable services would be deemed nominal (DOL, Wage and Hour Division Opinion Letter, August 7, 2006). Fire departments can apply the 20 percent rule to evaluate whether a fee paid to a volunteer firefighter is nominal based on market information, including: 1) Compensation paid to a full-time firefighter on the fire department s payroll; or 2) Information from neighboring jurisdictions, the state, or the nation. The determination of the full-time firefighter s compensation is up to the jurisdiction and must be made in good faith. The 20 percent rule does not apply to expenses and reasonable benefits provided to the volunteer. Thus, when determining the 20 percent rule, the organization should: Evaluate whether each specific payment to volunteers qualifies as (1) expenses; (2) reasonable benefit; or (3) a nominal fee. The nominal fee cannot exceed the total compensation paid to a full-time firefighter for performing comparable services. Analyze the entire package of payments made to volunteers in the context of the economic realities of the situation to determine whether furnishing these payments results in loss of volunteer status. *Note: The regulations specify total compensation, however provide no definition or direction in the determination of this amount. An attorney that collaborates with McGrath Consulting indicated that total compensation is confined to the annual salary of the position; however, there has been no case law that provides an organization direction in the establishment of this amount. Therefore, throughout the report, the terms total compensation and annual salary in relation to the 20% rule will used interchangeably. The consultants recommend that the city McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 164

165 work with the its attorney to establish a total compensation amount for each rank in order to ensure that compensation paid to volunteers does not exceed this amount. Full-time Compensation: All full-time employees submit a time card which the ranking officer reviews and signs. Overtime is paid for hours worked over 40 and the Employee Policies & Procedures Manual identifies the work week. Time paid for other activities vacation, sick, or holiday are provided, but those hours to not count in the calculation of overtime. This policy should be maintained as long as possible as many union fire departments utilize this time-off pay in the calculation of overtime. As a result, many municipalities are struggling to keep employee costs down and are finding it difficult to change this long standing practice. One of the consultants was told by a few employees that the department averaged the individual s pay which was paid on a bi-weekly basis. However, according to administration, that is not the practice of the department and bi-weekly pay is provided based on time reported on the time cards. Per FLSA, an organization cannot average pay to provide the employee with a consistent pay check. That does not appear to be the practice within the SPVFD. A problem that often occurs within combination departments is that employees volunteer their services outside of their normal work day. This practice, according to administration, does not occur. In the event that a full-time employee needs to respond to an emergency outside of the normal work day, then all the hours worked must be counted as hours worked and if necessary, paid at overtime. The area that should be evaluated is the method for determining the full-time salaries. In some cases a lieutenant is paid the same as a firefighter; thus, there is no differentiation in rank and the difference in responsibilities. The department should develop a pay structure that ensures that each rank is paid comparable to other fire departments, and also pay is in relation to the level of decision making and types of responsibilities. Further, when overtime is added to the equation, a problem called compression occurs where the base salary plus overtime exceeds the higher ranks. This typically causes problems in individuals who wish to promote to a higher rank and in McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 165

166 some situations, the individual would take a pay cut; rather than a pay increase for the added work. Once the department adopts an organizational structure, job descriptions should be developed that delineate all of the responsibilities of the position not just operations. Then a compensation structure should be developed that ties the compensation to both the external market and ensures internal equity. Exempt versus Hourly To determine if an employee is exempt from overtime or if overtime is required, one must understand Wisconsin s definitions of an exempt employee. These are different than the federal regulations. To be considered an exempt employee not eligible for overtime the employer must meet certain tests depending upon the category of the employee: Executive, Administrative and Professional. An exempt employee typically receives a set wage regardless of the number of hours worked. Exempt: employees are individuals who are not eligible for overtime. There are a number of white collar exemptions to overtime and the Fair Labor Standards Act has set up specific criteria that must be met in order to be exempt. At this time there are no job classifications that would meet the criteria for exempt. Depending upon the duties of the fire chief, and if the fire chief actually performs the duties as prescribed, then this position might be considered exempt under the executive classification. However, the consultants would need to review the job description for this position to be sure. Hourly: employees should be required to maintain documentation on the hours worked, and hours taken for any time off provisions. Further, hourly employees should receive overtime if the hours worked are in excess of 40 hours per defined work week. Employees should not be allowed to work in excess of the scheduled work day unless approved by a supervisor. If such hours are worked, and are in excess of the 40 hours overtime must be paid. It is not uncommon to find employees, (typically very responsible employees) who generously work more than the scheduled work day and do not put those hours on the time sheet. Although it seems harsh, McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 166

167 hourly employees who work beyond the scheduled day, without permission, should be counseled and if necessary, disciplined. At this time, all positions within the SPVFD are considered to be hourly and should be tracking hours worked for payment. Volunteer Compensation: Volunteer members are paid a varied amount annually. The compensation is based on the total budged amount divided by the number of calls. All of this compensation is invested into a retirement savings account. The department has a longevity formula as to when a member can receive this compensation. Recently started was a stipend for volunteering to be on premise. A member receives $50 when on duty from 10:00 pm 6:00 am. Although the shift actually begins at 6:00 pm, the member does not need to report to the station until 10:00 pm. The accrued stipends are paid to the employee in November of each year. At this time, no federal, state or local taxes are withheld and the employee is issued a 1099 for tax purposes. There has been a push lately by the IRS to ensure that individuals are defined as either subcontractors or employees. Some employers seek to avoid the obligations and potential liability presented by FLSA and other employment laws by classifying workers as independent contractors and paying them by means of the 1099 process rather than through payroll. However, the fact that an employer labels a worker as a contractor is not controlling. Rather, the FLSA and courts will focus on the economic reality of the relationship. Per the IRS website: tax laws apply to firefighters in the same manner as for other types of workers. It does not matter whether firefighters are termed volunteers, are considered employees, or are identified by any other name, if the work is subject to the will and control of the payer, under the common-law rules, they are employees for Federal tax purposes. Similarly, it does not matter whether they are paid on a call basis, monthly, hourly, etc., or whether the worker is full-time or part-time. These payments are wages that McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 167

168 should be reported on Form W-2, subject to withholding for Federal income tax, social security and Medicare purposes. Employers are responsible for withholding on these wages and filing Form 941. In deciding whether an individual is an employee for purposes of the FLSA, courts generally consider the following factors: The degree of the alleged employer s right to control the manner in which the work is to be performed (the more control one has over an individual, the more likely the individual will be deemed an employee) The alleged employee s opportunity for profit or loss depending upon his or her managerial skill Whether the alleged employee provides the equipment or materials required for his or her task or whether he or she employs helpers The degree of permanence of the working relationship Whether the service rendered requires a special skill Whether the service is an integral part of the employer s business No one factor alone is determinative; the Department of Labor will weigh all factors when considering whether an individual has been correctly classified as a contractor. Thus, in most volunteer/combination fire departments pay should be through a W-2 rather than a The payment of an employee through the payroll process will not violate the definition of a volunteer as previously described. It is therefore recommended, that all members be converted to a payroll, W-2 accounting system. Further, the department should discuss with its accountant what payroll withholdings need to occur. The department may be able to minimize its payroll reporting of federal and state taxes to only a social security liability. Many volunteer departments have problems with members attending training, meetings, and performing non-emergency functions throughout the station. Thus, many have developed points programs which afford certain points to activities deemed essential or important to the department. In such programs, for example, higher levels of points are provided for responding to emergency incidents, attending drills/training, whereas lesser points are given for station McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 168

169 cleanup, truck maintenance etc. At the end of the year, the same process could be continued but the total number of points are divided by the budgeted amount and the total dollars distributed to either the individual in the form of pay, or to the retirement account. Appendix C is a sample of a points program developed by a volunteer fire department. Individuals keep track of the assignments via the time sheet, and then once approved by the ranking officer, are submitted for pay. The projects listed on the example were areas of need identified by this particular department; whereas the SPVFD would need to develop its list based upon the specific needs of the department. Other categories that could be added, based upon comments from those interviewed would be: emergency calls, drills, other voluntary events (fundraisers, Public Safety Education, etc.). The consultants recommend a de-emphasis on attendance at meetings as decisions regarding overall budget, personnel, and standard operating procedures should be from the MRT- not voted upon by the membership. Recommendations Compensation Develop job descriptions that delineate all aspects of the job operations, administration, and if appropriate supervision. Priority 3 Develop a defined compensation system that assigns a dollar range to the various ranks so that as the department grows, it minimizes potential compression problems; as well as provides incentives for individuals to promote up the ranks. Priority 3 Continue to monitor activities of full-time individuals that may need to respond to emergencies outside normal work hours so that time is calculated as hours worked, and not paid any stipend. Priority 1 At this time all full-time positions should be considered hourly and paid for all hours worked. The fire chief positions, when filled, may be the only position eligible to be exempt from overtime. Priority 1 Discontinue distribution of a 1099 as volunteer members do not qualify as a subcontractor under the IRS. Rather, distribute the annual stipend distribution via a pay check and issuance of an annual W-2. Priority 2 Consult with the department s accounting firm as to the types of deductions the department must adhere to. Some Wisconsin departments have managed to be responsible only for social security payroll deductions. Priority 2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 169

170 Consider adopting a points system that rewards members for participation in activities that are necessary to the department (i.e., emergency calls, drills, voluntary activities, inspections, janitorial, etc.). Priority 3 Performance Management At the time the consultants met with representatives of human resources, the membership had just begun discussions of the need to conduct performance evaluations. Performance appraisals are among the most valuable tools available to a supervisor. However, performance appraisals are seldom done in volunteer organizations. Evaluations, or performance appraisals, are essential to improving volunteer performance. When handled effectively, these reviews can help close the gap between what volunteer members do and what administration needs them to do; they also motivate career employees. Members may view evaluations as a negative event, and they can be if not conducted properly. An effective evaluation program should focus on improving the individual s contribution to the organization. Presently, the department does not conduct evaluations of members. The department may wish to entertain the concept of an evaluation system that not only provides feedback on a member s operational performance, but one that also looks at the establishment of member goals and professional development. The evaluation process should be under the direction of the Fire Chief who is responsible directly and indirectly in ensuring that the process is fair and completed. Some of these responsibilities may be delegated to the HR/payroll generalist. The MRT is responsible for the performance evaluation of the Fire Chief. Supervision of a volunteer department is extremely difficult and it is important to know each member s motivations for joining the department. If the organization understands the individual s motivations and helps ensure that those motivations are met, the volunteer member will be less likely to leave the department. Members should be asked about their motivations before joining to ensure that they have the right motivation. Officers should occasionally check up on members to make sure that the desires and motivations for being a member are being fulfilled. Thus, a member performance evaluation process could be a time when officer and McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 170

171 member sit and discuss the individual s needs in order to keep them motivated. If conducted correctly, well-designed performance instruments can energize officers and members and help each see their responsibilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Performance evaluations should align with the job descriptions and the expectations of the department. They do not need to be lengthy complicated forms; rather, ask several questions of the supervisor regarding performance, training, willingness to help in the department, etc. A committee of employees and officers should be formed to develop a form and process that is simple to use, yet meets the desired performance outcomes. All supervisors deemed to be responsible for conducting performance evaluations should receive training on documenting performance, how to conduct a performance evaluation, and the nuances of the form to be used within the department. Performance evaluations should also be a vital part of the promotional process. Recommendations Performance Management Train all supervisory employees on how to conduct performance evaluations and performance documentation techniques. Priority 3 Develop an evaluation form to be used with all members of the department. Priority 3 Develop more comprehensive job descriptions and performance expectations for the fulltime members of the department to aid in the performance appraisal process. Priority 3 Consider adding a self-evaluation component to the evaluation process. This would aid the supervisor in completing the form and make the employee an integral part of the process. Priority 5 Promotion & Succession Planning The department does not have a process of competitive promotions. Rather, some are elected by the membership; others appointed by members of the board. There should be a process in place that individuals interested in open officer positions need to apply, submit appropriate documentation of current skills and education, and then complete some formal testing process. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 171

172 There are a wide variety of written tests for various officer ranks; along with assessment testing. Assessment testing goes beyond written examinations and oral interviews, and provides the assessors with information on a range of topics such as incident command, ethics, communication, organization skills to name a few. Age & Years of Experience The age and years of service is very revealing for the department. As the baby boomer generation continues to age, organizations are finding a significant skills gap between those that have the ability to retire, and the age and experience of those in line to replace them. Efforts and emphasis needs to be placed on developing succession plans so that less tenured individuals within the organization understand the skills, education, and knowledge necessary to step into these positions when they become vacant. Promoting individuals just based upon seniority does not benefit the individual, nor the organization. The following figures represent the age and years for members of the department. Figure 19: Age of Members Analysis < to to to to to 70 # of FF % of Total 0.00% 41.18% 33.33% 13.73% 7.84% 1.96% 1.96% McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 172

173 Figure 20: Years of Service Analysis < 1 1 < 5 5 < < < < < > Service Yrs % of Total 13.73% 27.45% 27.45% 15.69% 3.92% 0.00% 5.88% 5.88% On average, the consultants found that in most volunteer/paid-on-call departments, only one in three recruits remain with the organization after one year from entry. This turnover rate increases to an additional 23.9% by the ten-year anniversary date. Twenty seven percent of Sun Prairie fire department members have less than five years of service. These figures may be problematic inasmuch as turnover in volunteer departments is significant during this time period, and the younger the employee, the less likely they are to remain in the same job and/or location. The importance of this data reinforces the need for an active recruitment and retention program in the fire department. In fact, the department is relatively young with a total of 69% of its members with 10 or less years of service. This is the category of employee s that is most vulnerable to turnover. In volunteer/paid-on-call organizations, the organization must also be conscious of the age of its members. There is a tendency for individuals in their thirties to be less active as home, work, and family obligations take precedent. Forty one percent (38 members) are under the age of 30. The remaining 13 members are age 40 and above, with two members being above 60. When analyzing the organizational makeup of the members, a vast preponderance of members are in the vulnerable age to leave the department. It is critical that through performance evaluations, professional development, and training, members are kept active within the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 173

174 department. Those that feel they are unappreciated, or do not have a purpose for being there will leave the department. Thus, the department needs to place particular emphasis on recruitment, as well as retention efforts. This also includes training, supervisor training, and reward/recognition programs. It takes a lot of effort by supervisor volunteer staff to ensure that the needs of the volunteer are being met; otherwise, the volunteer will satisfy that need elsewhere. Whether full-time or volunteer members, criteria should be established for all positions and those positions filled through a competitive, objective promotion process. The process should be developed and placed in the policies and procedures manual. In addition, for many positions, an assessment center process should be utilized so that candidate s skills and qualifications can be identified. Departments that require competition for officer positions even competition with external applicants find that the caliber of the candidates, both internally and externally, increases. Rather than obtaining the position through a popularity vote, it is earned through a formal process. Candidates, after the testing process, should be ranked on a list by order of score. The top candidates should be interviewed by a team of members (officers and employees at that rank). Final applicants should be interviewed by the Fire Chief and MRT. The Fire Chief makes a promotion recommendation for final approval by the MRT. Note: Although not discussed, the MRT may wish to establish a personnel sub-committee. Often it is difficult to get all members together. So for decisions that are considered major (can be defined) or involve the Chief, the entire MRT would be involved. However, to approve the hiring of volunteer or career members; deal with intermediate level disciplines, etc., the personnel sub-committee could be utilized. This would need to be further delineated if utilized. Recommendations Promotion & Succession Planning Continue to aggressively recruit members to ensure a core base of volunteers within the department. Priority 1 The department needs to focus on operational training and supervisory training. Priority 3 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 174

175 Supervisory personnel need to develop coaching, mentoring, and performance management skills to understand the motivations and contributions of employees. The information should be utilized to develop continual training opportunities for staff. Priority 4 Although recommendations are made in this report to curtail the involvement of members in personnel and/or operational issues of the organization, it is still important to utilize members in committees to study and recommend changes to operations and/or policy. For example, a member/management committee to review and update SOG s on a regular basis. Priority 5 Develop a formal competitive promotion process that is well defined and allows both internal and external candidates to apply and compete for promotional positions. Priority 4 Discipline Even in volunteer departments, it is critical that all members are held to established standards of performance. These expectations should be outlined in the job description, employee policies & procedures manual, SOG manual, and in regular communications with the supervisor. Absent these, members have a tendency to determine their own goals and performance initiatives. This can be detrimental to the department when an employee s goals are not in alignment with the departments. When this occurs, it is the department s responsibility to correct and help the member move toward acceptable performance. There is a discrepancy between what the consultants were told and what might actually happen in the case of a member being disciplined. There was a concern expressed that an issue of discipline not resolved at the Chief s level and forwarded to the MRT could be brought to the membership to vote on the MRTs actions/recommendations. Conversely, the consultants were also told that a situation of that nature has never occurred and is doubtful it would. The problem is depending on which member of the leadership team asked the interpretation was slightly different. Apparently what does go to the general membership for a vote is if a member is to remain on the department if he/she hasn t met the required calls and/or training. At the January meeting, the membership evaluates the reasons for noncompliance and vote to retain or terminate the member. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 175

176 The consultants recommend that any discipline issue or issue that could be construed as discipline should not involve the general membership. The chances of violating discrimination laws are too great. Personnel issues should be handled by the Chief with appeal to the MRT. As recommended previously in the report, all personnel whether career or volunteer should be hired and promoted in the department by the fire chief or his/her designee through an established process with confirmation by the MRT. The same ideology applies to administering discipline within the department. This should not be a committee process. The references to the disciplinary process within the by-laws should be moved to the employee policies & procedures manual. The language in the employee policies & procedures manual, where the fire chief has overall responsibility for discipline should implemented. However, per the employee policies & procedures manual, and employee may appeal his or her discipline to the Police & Fire Commission it should be the ability to appeal to the Management Review Team. Therefore, the MRT must stay out of the discipline process so as to maintain its impartiality. Finally, there needs to be a correlation between the by-laws and the handbook as to the procedure. At this point, they are not in alignment. Finally, all members who have supervisory responsibilities should be trained in proper documentation and how to conduct disciplinary investigations and interviews. Recommendations Discipline The overall responsibility for discipline for the department should rest with the fire chief. Priority 1 Supervisory personnel should be trained in proper techniques to document and administer discipline. Priority 3 The employee policies & procedures manual not the department by-laws should specify the policies regarding discipline and the potential consequences with the MRT as the appeal body. Priority 3 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 176

177 Employee Handbook & SOG s Most organizations find that the pros outweigh the cons to having an employee policies & procedures manual when properly written and administered. Traditionally, an employee policies & procedures manual is a document that contains the policies of the organization. A Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) manual contains procedures for the operations of apparatus, equipment, and daily operations. It would appear from reviewing the department s SOG s that they have utilized the FEMA recommended standard operating guideline structure. There are a few policies within this manual that should be removed and placed in the department s employee policies & procedures manual: New Member Orientation The Sun Prairie Way Drug/Alcohol Harassment Leave of Absence Discipline Carrying a Concealed Weapon It is difficult to maintain and update policies, and when they are in multiple places, this task becomes even more daunting. Keeping them in one area helps ensure that employees are viewing the most recent and up to date version. With that said, the SOG manual looks as if it is keep up to-date, and is very comprehensive. The department should be applauded for its continuing efforts. Even more important that having SOG s is the ability of the department to continually train on them, so that every member understands what they are. This will be covered in the Training section of the report. The department s policies & procedures manual is also comprehensive and was recently updated. Between the SOG s and policies and procedures manual, it must ensure that all members of the department volunteer, full-time, civilian are covered under the policies. Although certain members may receive different forms of compensation, the performance expectations and level McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 177

178 of service quality is equal among all individuals within the organization. There may need to be distinctions within these manuals as to benefits or policies that apply only to volunteers or fulltime, but the overall theme of each manual SOG or policies & procedures should be inclusive. The consultant critiqued the policies and procedures manual and that can be found in Appendix D. Recommendations: Policy Manual & SOG s Continue to ensure that these manuals are kept up-to-date, members understand and adhere to the policies, and all receive on-going training on the department s rules and regulations. Priority 5 Place both manuals (policy manual and SOG s) on the department s intranet to ensure access by all personnel. Priority 2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 178

179 Stations The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. provides fire suppression, public safety education, fire inspections, vehicle extrication, rescue and EMS first responders to approximately 90 square miles, one city (12 square miles) and three towns (78 square miles); to a non-transient population of approximately 40,000 from two fire stations located within the corporate limits of the City of Sun Prairie. EMS is provided by a third party municipal service located either attached to or part of the safety complex which includes the fire department. Both fire stations are owned by the City of Sun Prairie and leased to the SPVFD. Repairs and maintenance to the stations is handled through the city s building inspection superintendent. Any repairs outside the capabilities of this division are contracted out and expenses are covered by the city; cleaning supplies are provided by the city through the building inspection superintendent. Fire Station 1 Fire Station #1 (headquarters station) is located at 135 N. Bristol in Sun Prairie. The station is a two story non-combustible building built in 1970 and remodeled in There is a basement under the two story section of the facility. Attached to the fire station is a separate facility for EMS which houses ambulances, supervisors vehicles, and living quarters for the on-duty 24/7 personnel. A single door connects the two facilities however, the consultants were told it is always locked. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 179

180 Apparatus Bays The station has four bays, three of which are two deep, drive-thru bays (three bays looking left to right) and one bay is single deep back in only. The seven overhead bay doors are 12 feet wide by 14 feet high and operated by both wall mounted switches and remotes in the vehicles. The apparatus assigned to this station include: Engine 1, Engine 3, Reserve Engine 2, Tower 1, Squad 5, Tender 4, two antique pumpers and an antique ladder, Car 4, Brush Truck 1, and a Public Ed. Utility trailer. There was an emission exhaust removal system installed in about ¾ of the bay floor area but is not utilized inasmuch as the system was provided from a foreign country, which has since gone out of business and the parts are unavailable. The hose to apparatus connectors are wrapped around ceiling support or service piping and obviously not untiled. Many modern fire facilities add ceiling air scrubbers as a secondary emission exhaust system for small engine exhaust which might be started in the fire station during daily apparatus checks. The apparatus floor is heated with radiant heat. There is a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) filling station with high pressure air compressor located in one of the rooms attached to the apparatus floor. The air compressor air intake is not piped to outside of the facility; rather it draws it tank air from an area attached to the apparatus bay floor. The department does have a containment fill station to prevent injuries in the event of a catastrophic cylinder failure. Emission Exhaust Emission exhaust is a serious concern to all emergency provider personnel. The SPVFD should address the requirement of NFPA Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program Annex A A edition, which requires that apparatus emission exhaust must be limited to the lowest feasible concentration. According to NIOSH and OSHA, removal should be by a vehicle exhaust removal system. Unfortunately, the Station #1 system is inoperative and the secondary air handling system is McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 180

181 inadequate and would not meet the OSHA requirements. Station #2 has an emission exhaust system that meets the OSHA requirements. The consultants recommend that a 100% emission exhaust capture system be installed in a location at Station #1 that meets state and federal safety standards. The running of smaller gasoline engines should be done outside of the station whenever possible. The emission exhaust system should attach directly to the exhaust pipe of the fire apparatus or support vehicles, and will automatically disconnect as the vehicle exits the station. In addition, the stations should have ceiling mounted air scrubbers to capture exhaust emitted from sources other than vehicles (e.g., power saws, generators, etc.) The State of Wisconsin has adopted legislation known as Heart and Lung Presumption Legislation which assumes a firefighter, emergency medical technician, and/or paramedic who develops a heart or lung issue is assumed to have contracted that disease due to his/her employment and the burden of proof lies with the employer. In addition, 24 states have Cancer Presumption Legislation including Wisconsin. An example of Cancer Presumption legislation is shown below: Amends the Workers' Compensation Act and the Workers' Occupational Diseases Act. Provides that any condition or impairment of health of a firefighter, emergency medical technician, or paramedic that results directly or indirectly from any blood borne pathogen, lung or respiratory disease or condition, heart or vascular disease or condition, hypertension, tuberculosis, or cancer resulting in any disability to the employee shall be conclusively presumed to arise out of and in the course of the employee's employment and shall be conclusively presumed to be causally connected to the hazards or exposures of the employment. Provides that the presumption shall also apply to any hernia or hearing loss suffered by a firefighter, emergency medical technician, or paramedic. Provides that the presumption does not apply to an employee who has been a firefighter, emergency medical technician, or paramedic for less than 5 years at the time he or she files an Application for Adjustment of Claim concerning the condition or impairment. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 181

182 Administrative/Living The first floor of this side of the fire station contains the fire chief s office, support offices, training officer s office, classroom, dining area, kitchen, and women s and men s washrooms which are American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. Access to the second floor is by two staircases and an elevator. The combined administrative/living area consists of approximately 10,746 square feet. The second floor consists of two offices, conference room, lounge area, and dorm rooms for on-duty personnel. The facilities for men and women are equivalent and include shower amenities. Station #1 has a fire pole for faster egress to the apparatus bay area from the second floor. Once heralded as the time-saving successor to stairs, the fire pole is, after 150 years, sliding towards extinction. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration database reveals hundreds of fire pole related injuries over the past 30 years ( ), ranging from broken ankles and toes to fractured skulls. The NFPA has called for the removal of all poles from U.S. stations due to safety hazards. Therefore, modern stations are often a single story thereby eliminating the need for stairway or pole. In some modern fire facilities the pole has been replace with a slide much like those found of children playgrounds. No matter the conduit, getting firefighters to the equipment as quickly and directly as possible remains critical. The basement contains storage and a physical fitness area. Access is from a single stairways but not the elevator, which prohibits the facility from being classified as completely ADA compliant. The department states that only storage and physical fitness provisions are in the basement it does not need to be ADA compliant. As part of all station assessments, the consultants ask if anyone other than a department member is allowed access to the basement; the answer was yes. If that is the case, the consultants stand by their statement of need to make the basement ADA compliant. Otherwise, access to the basement area needs to be confined to members only. In addition, the station has a diesel generator for emergency electrical power source in case electrical power outages. The emergency generator provides 100% of the station s needs, which is very advantageous during prolonged power outages or times of disaster. There is a full fire McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 182

183 alarm system and fire suppression system (sprinkler system) for the station and it is monitored off site. The station has ample parking, and the station security requires a mag lock card or key for entry through the service doors. GIS Time/Distance Mapping Within this section are GIS drive times distances from each of the SPVFD station. Although the consultants have identified that SPVFD falls under the definition of NFPA 1720 the consultant s mapping utilized the more stringent NFPA 1710 four minute drive time standard. The reason for using a more stringent drive time standard is that the life expectancy of a fire station location is often permanent and at some future point the staffing methodology in Sun Prairie will most likely move the NFPA standard from NFPA 1720 to NFPA Therefore, it is prudent to illustrate drive time standards under the more stringent NFPA standards. The mapping program utilized allows the consultants to identify a given distance a vehicle could travel within a designated time in minutes. The drive time/distance is calculated under normal driving and traffic conditions both of which could greater impact the map results. Station #1 GIS Drive/Time Mapping The figure below illustrates a four-minute drive time distance under normal weather and road conditions from SPVFD Station #1. The area in yellow is an approximate travel distance from Station #1. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 183

184 Figure 21: SPVFD Station #1-4 Min Drive Time Station #2 Station #2 is part of the Westside Community Complex which houses the public community center, park and recreation, police, EMS, and fire stations. The facility is located at 2598 West Main Street, Sun Prairie and was constructed in The fire station is a single story (very high ceiling space), non-combustible structure and a very state-of-the-art facility. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 184

185 Apparatus Bays The combined fire and EMS apparatus bay area consists of approximately 5,518 square feet, which includes protective fire department clothing and facilities to wash the gear (protective clothing). There are three, double deep drive-thru bays the two (left to right) are utilized by the fire department and the third by EMS. The following fire department apparatus is assigned to Station #2: Engine 8, Brush 6, Tender 9, Truck 2, and a light tower. The six overhead bay doors are 14 feet wide and 14 feet high and controlled by both wall mounted buttons and remotes in the vehicles. There is an OSHA-approved, full-emission exhaust system; however, the system is not augmented by the use of ceiling mounted air scrubbers which are useful in removing small engine exhaust. The apparatus floor is heated with radiant heating which is very cost-effective in cold weather climates. Living Area Currently, fire Station #2 is approximately 1,136 square feet, however, it is not designed for 24/7 on-duty personnel as it lacks dorm and shower facilities. The living area includes one office, watch/radio room, lounge, and men s and women s washroom. A watch office is a traditional carryover from early days when citizens would walk the streets at night watching for fires. If discovered they would carry large wooden rattles used to awake people to help fight the fire. The Rattle Watch was replace with a room (some cases a tower) built in the fire station where a firefighter would stay up all night in the watch office looking for signs of fire. The entire complex has an emergency power generator that is capable of providing 100% of the electrical needs during power failures. The generator is located in another part of the building and is secured to prohibit entry. The station has a complete fire suppression system (sprinklers) and fire alarm which is monitored off site. The facility complex has sufficient parking for multiple activities occurring simultaneously. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 185

186 Station #1 GIS Drive/Time Mapping The figure below illustrates a four-minute drive time distance under normal weather and road conditions from SPVFD Station #2. The area in red is an approximate travel distance from Station #2. Figure 22: SPVFD Station #2-4 Min Drive Time Station Overlap The term station overlap refers to the area within the response district that can be reached by more than one station within the NFPA four-minute drive time. Ideally a slight amount of overlap is desirable, as it indicates that the stations are placed far enough apart to cover the maximum amount of area. Excessive overlap is not desirable because the duplication of resources is not needed. The figure below illustrates the amount of overlap between SPVFD Station #1 and Station #2: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 186

187 Figure 23: SPVFD Overlap between Stations #1 & #2 The area in yellow is the four minute drive time distance from Station #1, the area in red is the four minute drive time distance from Station #2. The slight amount of gold color along U.S. 151 is the area both stations could reach in a four minute drive. The placement of the two stations is ideal especially being placed on both sides of U.S. 151 and should benefit the city, towns, and fire department as call volume increases. Recommendations - Stations The replacement of an OSHA approved emission exhaust system in Station #1 is essential. Priority 1 Future renovation planning of Station #2 to include facilities for on-duty 24/7 staff should start within six months. Priority 2 Ceiling air scrubber for small engine exhaust should be added in both stations. Priority 3 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 187

188 All SCBA air compressor system should have the in-take air drawn from outside of the station versus internally. Changes to existing system should be accomplished. Priority 2 The fire pole in Station #1 should be removed for safety purposes. Priority 2 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 188

189 Apparatus The consultants conducted an assessment of the fire department apparatus to observe its overall condition, sufficiency of equipment carried, pumping capacity, water carried, mileage, engine hours, and cleanliness. The SPVFD provides service to approximately 90 square miles of Dane County which requires apparatus designed to conduct fire suppression from positive water source (hydrant), to having to bring sufficient water (tender) to the scene via emergency vehicles. The table below illustrates what apparatus is assigned to each station, its type (purpose), year manufactured, owner, and other pertinent information: Table 32: Apparatus Assignment Apparatus Manufacturer Station Apparatus Type Year Mileage Hours Pump Tank GPM Gallons Owner Engine 1 Pierce Sta. 1 Pumper ,338 2,338 1,500 1,000 Town Engine 2 Pierce Sta. 1 Pumper ,929 4,132 1, City Engine 3 Pierce Sta. 1 Pumper , , City Ladder 1 Pierce Sta. 1 Tower 100' ,446 2,173 1, City Tender 4 Freightliner Sta. 1 Tender ,837 1, ,000 Town Squad 5 American La France Sta 1 Squad ,044 2,141 n/a n/a City Brush 1 GMC 2500 Sta. 1 Brush Trk ,845 n/a Town Car 4 Chevy Tahoe Sta. 1 Comand/ FPB car ,187 n/a n/a n/a City Utility Trailer Allamand Sta. 1 General 2008 n/a n/a n/a n/a SPVFD Antique Pumper n/a Sta.1 Parade Vehicle 1927 SPVFD Antique Pumper n/a Sta.1 Parade Vehicle 1927 SPVFD Antique Ladder Wagon n/a Sta.1 Parade vehicle unkn SPVFD Engine 8 Pierce/Kenworth Sta. 2 Pumper/Tender ,556 1,071 1,250 1,700 Town Ladder 2 Pierce/Enforcer Sta. 2 Aerial 75' ,661 1,111 1, City Tender 9 GMC Sta. 2 Tender ,187 n/a 250 2,000 Town Brush 6 Ford F350 Sta. 2 Brush Trk ,194 n/a Town Light Tower/ Generator Allmand Sta. 2 Light 2008 n/a n/a n/a n/a City/Town * Apparatus owned by the towns is equally divided between Town of Sun Prairie and Bristol Apparatus Maintenance The preventative maintenance for the city vehicles is done by the city s maintenance garage. The garage has a supervisor and three mechanics all working one shift. At times the townships vehicles have some of their apparatus preventative maintenance done at the city s maintenance facilities. The majority of time the townships contract their apparatus maintenance to Rennert s Fire Equipment Service, Inc. in DeForest, WI. Rennert s is a full service fire apparatus repair service (Pierce Warranty Center) and employs emergency vehicle technicians (EVT) qualified to McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 189

190 work on all type of fire apparatus. The city also utilizes Rennert s service for repairs beyond the capability of the city maintenance center or items needing work done by an EVT. All annual ladder testing is conducted by American Testing Center. All the maintenance records are kept both at the source of the work and by the fire department utilizing the Firehouse program, including all pump and ladder testing. Currently, there is a problem with Firehouse in that the maintenance performed by the city and/or contactor cannot be imported. It would be beneficial to contact Firehouse and see if there is a bridge program that address this issue. Fuel is procured through the local Co-Op with fuel cards on the vehicles. Fuel is available 24/7. If fuel is needed at the scene it can be obtained through the Co-Op. The Department of Transportation (DOT) annual inspections are by Fleet Services located in Milwaukee which includes the following inspection: steering, brakes, pancakes, transmission, tires, etc. Condition and Equipment Standards All the apparatus and equipment appeared to be in good working order. The equipment and hose on the vehicles appeared to satisfy the NFPA 1901 requirements of equipment needed to be carried on fire apparatus. The equipment needed for ISO full credit has changed with the major update of the new schedule updated in The new ISO requirements are more closely reflect those of the NPA 1901 standard. Appendix E is the list of equipment required for both NFPS and ISO. The vehicle extrication equipment is located as follows. Squad 5 has a full comprehensive set of equipment including the following: Cribbing Cutters Spreaders Air Bags Rams Supports McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 190

191 Engines 1 and 8 have limited cribbing and a cutter and spreader. Engine 3 has one battery operated Combo-Tool that can be used. Both Tenders and the Townships engines carry either a 2,500 or 3,000 gallon porta- tank. Sufficiency of Apparatus Sufficiency of apparatuses can be considered in two divergent ways: the amount of apparatus and its capability. The consultants have observed fire departments that have an abundance of apparatus, often resulting in apparatus that is rarely, if at all, deployed; or more apparatus than the department is able to staff. In other instances, departments are under-equipped and/or the apparatus is lacking the tools required to perform tasks on the emergency scene. At the time of the study, there appeared to be an appropriate number of engines, trucks, squads, and tenders. The majority of the fire calls occur within the city limits where positive water (hydrants) is available. However, water must be carried on the apparatus to fires in some of the township areas. The consultants were unable to determine how often the need for tender response is needed. If the need for the tenders is frequent consideration to replacing Tender 9 might be appropriate; if the need for tender is infrequent it could be removed from the department s inventory. Apparatus Replacement There are no standards as to the expected life of a piece of apparatus other than the additional safety equipment brought through new technology. The apparatus is affected by its amount of usage, the way the vehicle is used, the maintenance and preventative maintenance programs, the maintenance records (cost of maintaining the vehicle), technology changes for that type of apparatus, and the general appearance and ability to function safely are used to help decide when a vehicle should be replaced. As noted previously fire apparatus spend considerable time not moving but pumping or other activity requiring the vehicles engine to operate at high RPM s; therefore, engine hours and mileage become a factor in replacement. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 191

192 Over the years, the NFPA has attempted to define life expectancy of apparatus with little success. However, under the 2009 edition of NFPA 1901, a new Annex D, titled Guidelines for First-Line and Reserve Fire Apparatus was added which discusses apparatus built prior to Section D.1 discusses minimizing the risk of injuries to firefighters and improvements in safety features that have been instituted since The guideline further states that new safety upgrades and innovations are not generally found in units built prior to 1991; therefore, this standard recommends that apparatus built prior to 1991 be placed into reserve status. This reserve status is only recommended if compliance to NFPA 1912, Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing, has been adhered to. Apparatus that were not manufactured to the applicable NFPA fire apparatus standard or that are over 25 years old should be replaced. Apparatus/Vehicles Replacement Schedule The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department s leasing agencies do have a funded replacement program both the City of Sun Prairie and the three townships. The consultants recommend the following replacement schedule as illustrated in the table below: Table 33: Consultant Recommended Replacement Schedule. Types of Apparatus Years Recommended Pumper/Engine 20 Years plus 3 years reserve Tower/Aerial Ladders 20 Years plus 3 years reserve Tenders 20 Years Heavy Rescue 15 Years plus 3 Years Reserve Brush Trucks As Needed Auxiliary Vehicles As Needed Cars 10 Years The following table shows the SPVFD s current replacement schedule compared to the consultants : McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 192

193 Table 34: SPVFD Current Replacement Schedule. ID Type Year Department Replacement Year Suggested Replacement Year Engine 1 Pumper Engine 2 Reserve Pumper 1992 n/a 2017 Engine 3 Pumper Engine 8 Pumper/Tender Ladder 1 Tower Ladder 100' (2 Yrs. Over) Ladder 2 Ladder Squad 5 Squad Tender 4 Tender Tender 9 Tender (7 yrs. Over) Brush 1 Brush Truck As Needed Brush 6 Brush Truck As Needed Car 4 Command/FPB Utility Trailer General As Needed Light Tower Lighting As Needed Recommendations Apparatus Adopt the recommended replacement schedule as submitted in the report. Priority 2 All new apparatus should have hour meters installed so the hours can be tracked. Priority 2 The Aerial Tower 100 and Tender 9 need to be assessed and a plan to replace established within the next year. Priority 3 Extrication equipment limited to three pieces of apparatus should be sufficient and a cost saving by not replacing the fourth set; eliminate Engine 3 equipment when outdated or needs repairs/replacement. Priority 5 New aerial apparatus ladder should be no less than 95 feet in length. Priority 5 Any apparatus that exceeds 25 years since manufacturing should be made to meet NFPA 1912 Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing. Priority 5 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 193

194 Training The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department states their mission is to deliver the highest professional service to our community by protecting life, property, and the environment. We carry out these functions by providing courteous and effective responses through quality training with the highest standards of integrity and performance. In partnership with our community we strive for excellence through prevention and education. The department s ability to meet that goal is based greatly upon their ability to provide a high quality, up-to-date and comprehensive fire training program. Training is said to be the foundation of the fire service, beginning with the basic training given to each new fire fighter. Every other training topic and training subject fire fighters receive throughout their career is premised upon their basic training. A fire fighter, regardless of the compensation they may or may not receive, must be engaged in a comprehensive program throughout their relationship with the department, or they will not perform to the level of service expected of them. A training program that reflects current fire service standards and practices can aid the department in the retention of personnel as well as in the recruiting process. Training program goals must include the maintenance of basic skills, subject matter that addresses evolving hazards and current trends as well as the use of new tools and equipment. The ability to provide a very high level of service is premised on training being provided at the same level. Adequate training of fire department personnel can be extremely challenging to fire service leaders. The amount of time needed to adequately train the department members to ensure consistency, coordination, and good communication practices is one of the biggest challenges. Training is the number one key to safety and attaining desired results on the fire ground. When the amount, quality, and type of training are deficient in a fire department, the result is often poor performance and could include injuries or death on the fire ground. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 194

195 Sun Prairie Fire Training Overview The responsibility for training the members and employees of the SPVFD is loosely defined within the department by-laws. The training duties are performed in committee-like fashion by the three volunteer captains, with the first captain acting as the supervisor. The election of SPVFD chief officers takes place annually during the month of January. After the chief officer elections take place, the three chief officers appoint (or reappoint) members to fill the positions of 1 st captain, 2 nd captain, 3 rd captain / training officer; 1 st lieutenant, 2 nd lieutenant, 3 rd lieutenant / safety officer. Duties are then assigned to those officers who have been reappointed or are new to their positions. In March of each respective year, the three captains meet to establish the training goals for that year; a follow-up meeting is held during the following fall. It appears the process is such that training gets off to a slow start each year. The consultants were told that changing officers annually contributes to an inconsistency in the delivery of training and in achieving training goals. A fire department must develop short and long-term objectives to be successful. When prioritizing those goals and objectives, training must be given the highest of priorities. For the training program to be successful, the oversight and dedication of one or more members is required. In the case of the SPVFD, the consultants recommend that the department create the position of assistant chief/training/safety officer, who would be appointed (not elected) by the chief and two assistant chiefs and serve a three-year term. Creating the dedicated position of assistant chief /training/safety officer will allow the department to provide much needed focus to their training program. Training drills are scheduled for approximately three hours, the first and third Mondays (evening) of each month and repeated on the Sundays (morning) following the first drill of the month. This schedule allows for the volunteer members to attend training sessions either on a Monday evening or a Sunday morning. Members of the career staff are trained while on duty Sunday mornings. Non-regularly scheduled or special drills may occur throughout the year. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 195

196 Driver training is scheduled for the months that have a fifth Monday. Members must attend at least 12 of the regularly scheduled drills to remain in good standing with the department. The department by-laws do provide exemptions from training attendance requirements. Members can be exempted from attending training drills because of conflicts with their occupational work schedule, as an example: members who work second shift. However, there are no requirements for making up drills that have been missed. The consultants were not provided with a bona fide policy that clearly outlines the minimum or annual training requirements for SPVFD volunteer members and career staff. Training requirements for new (probationary) volunteer members are loosely outlined in the department by-laws and the standard operating guidelines (SOG s). Contained within SOG Sections , New Member Orientation and , The Sun Prairie Way, identifies the expectations of new (probationary) members and contains a training type checklist for those new members. The SPVFD does not have a formal recruit or training program in place. The Sun Prairie Way is a good program that has been given significant planning and effort in delivery as the entrylevel orientation program for new members to the department. The Sun Prairie Way should be included when a formal recruit and training program is developed. The consultants recommend that a recruit and training program be developed with the highest of priorities. Insurance Services Office (ISO) Training Included within an ISO assessment of a municipal fire department s ability to provide service is a review of the department s fire training program. Obviously, this is a means to ensure that the fire fighters expected to provide emergency service are trained to provide that service. Although contemporary fire departments provide a wide variety of services, ISO primarily focuses their reviews on fire suppression training. Fire departments such as the SPVFD must be mindful of the ISO requirements, as a failure to train and maintain records can quickly become detrimental to their current and future ISO fire rating. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 196

197 ISO requires 20 hours of training per month (or 240 hours annually) per person, regardless of their classification as either volunteer, paid-on-call, part-time or full-time (career), for full credit in their rating; all 20 hours must involve training in firefighting operations. Even without the influence of ISO, the goal of 20 hours of fire training per month, along with EMS training each month is both achievable as well as necessary. Volunteer fire departments have used highly creative methods to increase their monthly / annual training hours. This should become a goal for the SPVFD as well. Included within a typical ISO review is the department s recruit training program. For maximum credit, ISO also requires a minimum of 240 hours of training for each recruit. The ISO minimum for recruit hours may be easy for SPVFD recruits to accomplish given the Wisconsin Fire Fighter I certification program requires a minimum of 96 hours of classroom and practical training time. Documentation of the practice time required to prepare for the Fire Fighter I practical examination coupled with the hours devoted to completing the The Sun Prairie Way (orientation) program, brings a recruit that much closer to achieving the ISO required 240 hours of recruit training. A summary of the items ISO considers when reviewing a community s training for fire fighters includes: Facilities and aids Drill tower Fire building (including smoke room) Combustible liquid pit In areas where federal, state or local officials prohibit the use of combustible-liquid pits, credit may be available for video simulation depicting extinguishment of flammableliquid fires. Library and training manuals Fire pump cutaway Fire hydrant cutaway Half-day (3 hours) drill, 8 per year Half-day (3 hours) multiple-company drills, 4 per year McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 197

198 Night drills (3 hours), 2 per year ISO may credit a single-company drill under the first and last of these items; ISO may credit multiple-company drills under all three. Company training Company (shift) training at fire stations, 20 hours per member per month Officer training o Two days (6 hours each) per year for all officers Driver and operator training o Four half-day (3 hours each) sessions per year New driver and operator training o One half-day (3 hour) session per member per year Training on radioactivity of hazardous materials o One half-day (3 hour) session per member per year Recruit training o 240 hours per recruit ( does not include EMS) Fire pre-plans and inspections o The community (department) should have a fire pre-plan inspection of each commercial, industrial and other similar structure twice a year to achieve maximum credit in the FSRS (ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule). Records of the inspections should include complete and up-to-date notes and sketches. Records o When a community s (department) records are incomplete, ISO can reduce the total points credited for training by up to 20 points each for the items listed above (see ISO FSRS schedule for reference) ISO Training Points Awarded Included within an ISO assessment of a municipal fire department s ability to provide service is a review of the department s fire training program. Obviously, this is a means to ensure that the fire fighters expected to provide emergency service are trained to provide that service. To have achieved a maximum score, the training program would have had to receive a rating of 9.00% of the entire score. Upon review of the training program the department was awarded 6.22, or 69.11%. Although contemporary fire departments provide a wide variety of services such as EMS and special rescue operations, ISO primarily focuses their reviews on fire suppression training. Fire departments such as the SPVFD must be mindful of the ISO requirements, as a failure to train and maintain records can quickly become detrimental to their current and future ISO fire rating. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 198

199 ISO requires 20 hours of training per month (or 240 hours annually) per person for full credit in their rating; all 20 hours must involve training in firefighting operations. Even without the influence of ISO, the goal of 20 hours of fire training, along with the additional need for rescue and EMS training each month is both achievable as well as necessary. In a document dated June 2014, ISO presented its finding on a site visit assessment of the SPVFD. This section will illustrate the points awarded in the table below: Table 35: SPVFD ISO Credit for Training Training Earned Credit Credit Available Facilities, and Use Company Training Classes for Officers New Driver and Operator Training Existing Driver and Operator Training Training on Hazardous Materials Recruit Training Pre-Fire Planning Inspections Credit Awarded The numbers in the table might be confusing inasmuch as maximum points given is 9.00 points and yet they assess each area in training and give points which exceed 9.00; however, only the 6.22 points is used in the final ranking of the department. A number of areas identified provide ample opportunities for not only improving the ISO score, but far more important, improving the training and safety for the members. The department is in a position to improve its points awarded and improve the training program by implementing the recommendations in this section of the report. Assistant Chief Training/Safety Officer The position of fire training / safety officer is one of great importance within the department and carries with it significant responsibility. The person filling this position is typically a qualified McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 199

200 and highly energetic instructor, widely knowledgeable of the fire service both in subject matter and hands-on techniques. It is quite common throughout the fire service, that the person responsible for training and safety have a chief officer designation. The purpose is to help ensure training activities take place without road blocks being created by those higher in rank or authority. The same holds true when that person is supervising emergency operations as the safety officer and must modify or stop those operations until they can be performed in a safe manner. The consultants believe that the SPVFD will receive great benefit by creating the position of assistant chief / safety officer. Fire Training Certifications Basic and advanced fire fighter training courses within the State of Wisconsin are delivered through the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). The WTCS operates 16 technical college districts with 47 campuses throughout the state. Each WTCS district has a cadre of qualified, certified fire service instructors who deliver approved fire service training courses. The SPVFD is located within the Madison Area Technical College district. Basic (recruit) fire fighter training is provided in two ways. The first is Entry Level Fire Fighter Parts 1 and 2 that consists of two, 30-hour courses, for a total of 60-hours. The courses, when taken in sequential order are designed to provide the entry level fire fighter candidate with the information needed to comply with the minimum fire fighter training requirements as specified in SPS , Employment standards, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Chapter SPS 330, Fire Department Safety and Health Standards. The course curriculum is based on the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Essentials of Fire Fighting, 5th Edition. Entry Level Fire Fighter does not require a candidate to pass written and practical skills exams. The second method for achieving basic (recruit) fire fighter training is by participating in a 96-hour course that results in Wisconsin certification as a Fire Fighter I. At this level the candidate shall McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 200

201 have met the.requirements defined in NFPA 1001 Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, 2008 Edition, Sections 5.2 through 5.5 and the job performance requirements defined in Chapter 5, Core Competencies for Operations Level Responders, and Section 6.6., Mission- Specific Competencies: Product Control, of NFPA 472. Certification is awarded upon the candidate passing written and practical skills exams. The certifications offered and recognized by the State of Wisconsin are, Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Driver/Operator-Pumper, Driver/Operator-Aerial, Fire Inspector I, Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Instructor II and Fire Instructor III. All of the aforementioned classes require successful completion of written and practical exams before certification is awarded. Many, if not most, of the certifications listed above are nationally recognized by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). The State of Wisconsin Fire Education and Training office is a member and participant within IFSAC. Fire Fighter certifications are routinely found when conducting a forensic review of fire department training records. However, upon review of the SPVFD by-laws and SOG s the consultants cannot find specific training requirements addressing the requirement to obtain WTCS fire certifications by the members of the department. Article 3, of the department s by-laws, states that the applicant must meet the minimum standards set forth by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). Although one can find within the many NFPA standards in print the requirements for hiring, medical evaluation and training of fire fighters, the SPVFD bylaw article lacks specific citations. The consultants recommend that the SPVFD clearly identify by reference the NFPA standards that they want to apply to the members of the department; specifically the training standards that must be achieved. There is contradiction between Bylaw Addendum A, the checklist for new members that only requires the new member to register for Entry Level Fire Fighter, and SOG (New Member Orientation) that requires the successful completion of Entry Level Fire Fighter along with ICS-100 and IS-700. The consultants were unable to determine which of the two McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 201

202 documents ultimately prevails. The consultants recommend that that the SPVFD create a contemporary training policy that carries with it significant weight and made free from the influence of the general department membership. What brings greater concern to the consultants is not the confusion with one part of the by-laws and a departmental SOG, it is the lack of clear language requiring the minimum attainment of Fire Fighter I certification and the requirement of additional certifications as members grow into more responsible positions. The consultants recommend that the SPVFD adopt the specific requirement that all SPVFD fire fighters have successfully completed the minimum certification of Fire Fighter I prior to performing any emergency activities. The consultants also recommend that the department develop clear expectations about what additional certifications members must achieve as they progress through the department. The consultants have been told that all but 2 3 members lack certification as a Fire Fighter I. However, requiring minimum certification as a Fire Fighter I is not formalized in written form. The consultants recommend that the department create a campaign to get all members to a minimum level of Fire Fighter I certification. SOG , titled Mutual Aid Response Qualifications, states that all fire fighters responding to mutual aid requests under MABAS-WI shall meet the training standards and requirements of Fire Fighter I under s. Comm (now SPS ) and shall have obtained their Fire Fighter I State Certification (before responding to an official MABAS-WI call). This policy is consistent with MABAS-WI guidelines. Because the SPVFD does not formally require all members to be a Fire Fighter I, and some members have not attained that certification, a MABAS-WI response from Sun Prairie to a neighboring community could be delayed while the department waited to muster a crew comprised of certified fire fighters. Emergency Vehicle Driver Training Driving emergency vehicles, whether they be automobiles, SUV s, or small, medium and large trucks carries a high degree of liability. Accidents involving emergency vehicles do occur and at times cause injuries to civilians and or emergency workers. There are several measures that can McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 202

203 be performed to reduce those dangers, beginning with driver selection and emergency vehicle driver training. In the unfortunate instance that an accident involving the SPVFD does occur, the department will have their driver training program and driver training records closely scrutinized. The SPVFD has made clear their expectations and requirements for the operation of their vehicles within a comprehensive document identified as SOG 4003, Driving Emergency Apparatus. This SOG, clearly outlines the criteria for driver selection, driver training requirements that includes the appropriate fire certifications, department driver testing requirements as well as obtaining final approval as a driver. Fire Officer Training Within the fire service, it is very common to have an individual serving as a fire fighter one day and be an officer the next. In many departments the transition from fire fighter to fire officer is based solely on changing the color of the shirt and/or badge. It is as if the fire fighter experienced a form of magical osmosis, leaving the rank and file and miraculously prepared to serve in a supervisory position. Because the department uses the election process to select their leaders, the SPVFD is a prime example as to how quickly one can quickly transition from fire fighter to officer. There is no assurance that the best fire fighter with outstanding job skills will somehow become a great manager because of a promotion. Management and leadership skills can be learned and officers need constant training on how to best deal with emergency situations as well as the nonemergency issues they face the preponderance of the day with their personnel. The SPVFD does not employ a formal officer training program or curriculum for preparing their fire fighters to lead. Understandably, the department utilizes many of the officer-type courses found outside of the department and readily available. The requirements for SPVFD fire officer positions are found within SOG 1008, Fire Ground Officer Recommended Guidelines. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 203

204 The term standard operating guidelines many times is used to suggest that in fact they are just guidelines. Hence, the question must be asked if the requirements to be a SPVFD fire officer is a policy or just a guideline. The consultants recommend that the department place the requirements for all officers into a more formal document that carries significant weight and made free from the influence of the general department membership. Department Training Library The SPVFD maintains a training library within the department training office. Contained within the library are: Basic fire training manuals, published by the International Fire Service Training Association, (IFSTA). IFSTA training manuals are widely used throughout the State of Wisconsin. Textbooks, such as those written about fire tactics and strategies The Sun Prairie Way, contained within a 3-ring type binder Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) training SPVFD training lesson plans The department does maintain a modest file of lesson plans that guide the uniform teaching of those classes integral to the specific operation of the department. The consultants were told that the department lesson plans need both updating and expanding. The consultants recommend that significant effort be placed upon the project of making the department s training lesson plans current. Training Aids The department has an area within Fire Station #1 used as a fire training classroom. This room can accommodate the members of the department. The following training aids are available for department training drills: LCD Projector Computer, in need of replacement o Internet Access McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 204

205 DVD player(s) Computer software that can reproduce fire scene scenarios The consultants recommend that the department expand the use of technology to assist in meeting their training needs. Training Campus One of the most important facilities a fire department can own and operate is a training area with buildings designed to create real life emergency situations. The SPVFD operates such a facility, the Training Campus on the grounds of Angell Park Speedway, a venue that the department owns. This facility brings great value to the department s ability to train their personnel. Many fire departments seek acquired structures to conduct short-term training activities within., Acquired structures have typically been scheduled for demolition. In return for the use of an acquired structure, fire departments will cause the building to be demolished during a controlled fire training exercise. Demolition by a controlled burn, provides fire fighters with actual firefighting experience while reducing the owner s expenses for the demolition project. The SPVFD had been the beneficiary of such acquired structures. Instead of demolishing three single-family houses, the department relocated the structures into an area called the (fire) Training Campus. Located within the campus, are the three houses, complete with basements. Two houses are used for the training of firefighting tactics, but are not used for live firefighting. The third house is dedicated for the delivery of Public Safety Education classes. In addition to the three houses are two structures designed and built specifically to train fire fighters. A two-story drill tower is used for teaching such topics as ground ladders, hose movement and rope rescue techniques. The final structure is described as a burn tower where, when operational, can be used for live fire training and ventilation methods. At the time this report was written the burn tower was in need of repair. The campus is also equipped with fire hydrants spaced around the campus. Although the fire hydrants are not connected to a regular supply of water, they can be used to simulate a fire fighter using real fire hydrants. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 205

206 Competencies vs. Training Hours Competency is the quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually to perform the responsibilities of the position. Thus, the department must define the activities that are deemed necessary to determine if an employee is qualified to perform the essential functions of the position. Thus, competency testing should be based on the individual s job description, which should include the job responsibilities as well as the mental and physical requirements of the job not on how many hours spent on a training topic. Different levels of competency need to be developed based upon the roles and responsibilities of the rank; therefore, the competencies required of a firefighter are different than the competencies required of a chief officer. Beyond the actual training program, today s fire service requires more than simply teaching members how to perform their jobs safely; it requires validation of their competency to do so. A well-constructed training program will employ a system to ensure all members receive required training and document core competencies (evolutions in which the member must demonstrate their ability to safely accomplish the task), it does not appear that SPVFD does this. The topic of measuring competencies of department personnel continues to raise strong feelings from both those that manage the department and those department members who provide the actual service. Yet everyone seems to agree that a most importance issue is safety of the emergency responders. Therefore, is it adequate for a Chief to base the abilities of the emergency responder personnel on their certifications and monthly training records or attendance at drills, verses their actual ability to not only to perform the task, but also to do so in a safe manner? Emergency events do not discriminate between volunteer, paid-on-premise, or career employee status; yet the amount of time available to dedicate to training can be influenced by that status. It is hard to actually determine the quality of training by examining monthly training records. Yet one cannot argue that how you train is how you will perform on the emergency scene. Training and safety are hard to separate when looking at performance. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 206

207 When competencies are defined, measuring competencies is not only prudent; it actually can significantly improve a training program. One way to ensure established competencies are understood and individuals within that rank can perform the job functions is to utilize technology in measuring competencies. The use of technology will provide some substantial improvements in most training curriculums, while providing critically important documentation. Unfortunately, in many departments documentation is grossly inadequate, and documentation that the individual can actually perform the function in a safe manner is nonexistent. Discussion of competency testing often results in many jumping to the conclusion that if an individual lacks the skill associated with a particular task and cannot perform in a safe manner, there should be some type of punitive action. Quite the opposite should occur. Rather, remedial training should be given and documented, until such time the individual can perform the task safely and proficiently. Punitive action should occur if the individual refuses to correct the unsafe behavior. National news recently covered a story that teacher s tenure should no longer exempt them from demonstrating competency in the topic they teach not surprising there was great resistance to this concept and competency testing. SPVFD will most likely be met with the same level of enthusiasm. But because it might be unpopular does not exempt you from the responsibility of doing everything in your ability to ensure your personnel are safe. Recommendations - Training The consultants recommend that the position of training/safety officer be created, and that that position be given the rank of assistant chief. Priority 1 The consultants recommend that a recruit and training program be implemented as outlined in the report with the highest of priorities. Priority 3 The consultants recommend that the SPVFD clearly identify by reference the NFPA standards that they want to apply to the members of the department, specifically the training standards that must be achieved. Priority 3 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 207

208 The consultants recommend that that the SPVFD create a contemporary training policy that carries with it, significant weight and made free from the influence of the general department membership. Priority 3 The consultants recommend that the SPVFD adopt the specific requirement that all SPVFD fire fighters have successfully completed the minimum certification of Fire Fighter I prior to performing any emergency activities. Priority 2 The consultants recommend that the department develop clear expectations of what additional certifications members must achieve as they progress through the department. Priority 3 The consultants recommend that the department place the requirements for all officers into a more formal document that carries significant weight and made free from the influence of the general department membership. Priority 3 The consultants recommend that significant effort be placed upon the project of making the department s training lesson plans current. Priority 3 The consultants recommend that the department expand the use of technology to assist in meeting their training needs. Priority 4 The department should implement competency testing for all personnel below the rank of chief officer. Priority 1 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 208

209 Fire Prevention/Public Safety Education Fire Prevention The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department provides service to the City of Sun Prairie, and the towns of Burke, Bristol, and Sun Prairie both for fire protection and fire prevention and inspection services. The SPVFD has adopted Wisconsin Safety and Professional Services (SPS) Chapter 314, Fire Prevention. SPS 314 adopts the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) model code, NFPA 1, which is known as the Fire Code. NFPA 1 includes other NFPA codes by reference, allowing the SPVFD to perform necessary code compliance activities. WI Statute (2) (b) requires that the fire chief must provide for the inspection of every public building and place of employment to determine and cause to be eliminated any fire hazard or any violation of any law relating to fire hazards or to the prevention of fires. In March 2009, the SPVFD hired the first full-time, civilian fire inspector. The civilian fire inspector later became part of the group of four career fire fighters hired by SPVFD in The career fire fighters are divided into two shifts, each having one person performing fire inspection duties. The inspectors, as part of the crew of four career personnel assigned each day, work a rotating schedule of day shifts that begin at 6:00 AM and end at 6:00 PM each day. When necessary, the fire chief will perform inspections after-hours to ensure compliance with occupancy loads and fire exiting codes. The Sun Prairie Fire Department inspection data for each municipality is illustrated in the figure below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 209

210 Figure 24: Fire Inspections and Reinspection 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, City of Sun Town of Town of Town of Total Prairie Burke Bristol Sun Prairie Inspections Required 1, , , , , ,466 Series4 3, ,851 The department has divided their response area into eight fire prevention districts and each inspector is assigned four districts. Each inspector has the responsibility of performing The SPVFD fire chief is currently a volunteer, and responsible for completing a multitude of duties, fire prevention / inspection is just one of those duties; therefore, the department has two career members assigned to fire inspections and one of them has been given the title of lead inspector. The mandate that two inspections or less (when permitted by law), be performed is to meet the requirements of the State of Wisconsin fire department (2%) dues program. The dues program uses revenues collected from insurers doing fire insurance business in the state to fund state and local fire prevention and fire protection programs. The program is funded by revenue collected by the state from insurers (insurance companies) to support the program and equal to 2% of the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 210

211 fire insurance premiums received by the insurers. As per the contract(s), in 2014, the SPVFD received $132,095 in 2% dues revenue that was originally distributed to the city and towns. The Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) distributes most of the 2% fire department dues revenues to each city, village, or town maintaining a local fire department that complies with state law. The revenue not distributed is used to support the fire prevention program at the Department of Safety and Professional Services and the fire training programs offered through the Wisconsin Technical System. Fire prevention records are kept within the department s Firehouse software program. The fire inspector responsible for the respective districts assures that the records are current. Funded with the FY 2014 budget year is funding to purchase mobile (handheld) computing devices that will allow the department to make the transition from paper to electronic records. The mobile devices will allow the inspector to make notes and record violations that will be automatically downloaded when the inspector and the device return to the fire station. The inspector will be able to download a respective building s pre-plan information and thus make immediate additions or corrections to the plan. The SPVFD works with the four communities building departments. The building departments issue all building permits as well as occupancy permits and occupancy limits. The consultants were informed that the fire inspectors work closely with the local building officials and attend the city s Technical Review Committee meeting held every other Wednesday. Typical Duties of a Fire Prevention Bureau: Perform plan review of new construction as well as proposed alterations. Ensure that all alarm and extinguishing systems have the appropriate tags of testing and servicing required annually. Witness the acceptance tests of systems and fire pumps by the contractor. Follow up on false alarms when an attention to false alarm report is sent to the inspector, which has to be resolved and notification sent back to the initiating individual within two weeks outlining actions and results. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 211

212 Perform normal inspections and complaint inspections. Send in a monthly report to the fire chief. Contribute statics to the chief s annual report. The Fire Chief performs inspections that require after-hours occupancy loads or exit violation reports. All the jurisdictions do have local false alarm ordinances. These normally do not need to be pursued. Pre-Planning Pre-planning is how a fire department prepares for a fire or other emergency in advance of the event occurring. Fire department personnel visit occupancies within their response area and meet with the occupants to better learn about the specific structure. The intent is to gather information and document that information for use during an emergency. Pre-planning allows the chief and other members of the command staff to make informed decisions during an incident, because the critical information was gathered before the emergency occurred. The ability to learn what specific hazards or hazardous materials are contained with a given building can help avoid turning a routine emergency into a catastrophe. Pre-planning is different than fire inspections and code enforcement. Fire inspections are performed to identify hazards and to gain corrective action as well as compliance with fire codes. Pre-fire planning is done with an air of cooperation with the intended results to be, we can help each other during an emergency. Although the tasks are different they can be performed simultaneously thereby maximizing the on-duty crew s time and limiting the interruptions to the business owner. Examples of the type of information typically collected during a pre-plan meeting are: Classification of the occupancy Construction type Property site plan including roads and drives McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 212

213 Location of fire hydrants, water mains and other utilities. This type of information can be routinely brought to the scene of the emergency in the vehicles used by: chief, other command staff members, first due pumper/engine, and ladder trucks. The information can be stored as hard copies in three-ring type binders, mobile data laptop computers and/or transmitted mobile data terminals. Regardless of the method chosen to store the information, it must be easily and quickly retrieved in an emergency. During the interviews the consultants learned that the fire department does perform pre-plan inspections, however it was felt that a greater priority was needed for this program. The need for pre-plans is a safety issue for the emergency responders and it is best transmitted electronically for use in the field and incorporated into the training curriculum of the department. It is for this reason one of the career members is revising the older pre-plans so they might be added to the electronic data file. The consultants recommend that fire pre-plans be an assigned duty of one department member to oversee the program, develop a SOG on gathered information, and develop a plan of action for all department members in gathering data. This should include: confirming accuracy when on call to a location, ensuring updated information is forwarded to the person in charge, routinely referring to the pre-plans in training, and routinely use the pre-plans as training sessions. Public Safety Education The primary purpose of the fire department is the protection of life, property and the environment. Much effort and fiscal resources are placed on fire suppression, although the fire service is experiencing fewer fires. Fewer fires can be attributed to the use of codes, technology, and a more fire-conscious public. The public is more aware of fire prevention because of the efforts of fire personnel involved in public safety education. The fire service broadly defines the term public safety education. Quite naturally, one would assume it means to educate the public about fire prevention and how to react in the event of a hostile fire. Public safety education efforts can also include providing training and education in how to access 9-1-1, the installation and maintenance of smoke detectors, the installation of McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 213

214 residential fire sprinklers, how to use a fire extinguisher, the safe use of candles, CPR, and much more. The SPVFD has an established and active public safety education program with both volunteer and career members participating. The SPVFD interacts with the public on several levels providing information and assistance that the public gains immediate benefit. A child car seat program and smoke detector program are two examples of the department s activities. The table below illustrates the last three years of activities in public safety education: Table 36: Public Safety Education Activities Public Safety Education Contacts Car Seat Installs Number of Homes Receiving Alarms Alarms Installed In Above Homes Fire Extinguisher Classes Contact Adults 1,254 3,348 6,916 Contact Children 3,663 5,563 6,722 Funding for the public safety education programs is achieved entirely from grants, public donations, and donations from local companies. The department received two grants totaling $36,450 to purchase a fire extinguisher training simulator, purchase smoke detectors for distribution to the public and construct a portable residential fire sprinkler demonstration mockup. The department also provides more traditional public safety education activities. Fire prevention week activities are held annually with visits and presentations to both preschool and grade school children, a fire department open house and tour and live burn demonstrations. Throughout the year the department participates in speaking engagements, career fairs and the citizen s police academy. The SPVFD has made an impressive 27,566 documented contacts with both adult and child citizens during the years as illustrated in the figure below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 214

215 Figure 25: Adults and Children Safety Education Contacts 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1, Contact Adults 1,254 3,348 6,916 Contact Children 3,663 5,563 6,722 The consultants recommend the department continues its public safety education effort which includes: Table 37: SPVFD Safety Activities Safety Activities Station Tours School/Daycare Station Tours Extinguisher Classes Smoke Alarm Installation Car Seat Installation Business Tours Risk Watch Program SPVFD should investigate the all-purpose safety education program called Risk Watch developed by the NFPA in conjunction with Lowe s safety council. This program allows the department to partner with city and county police departments, city EMS department, and other safety organizations. The Risk Watch program was specifically developed for injury prevention. The program targets children ages 14 and under and is presented in the schools with the classroom teacher and McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 215

216 assisted by a firefighter, EMS member, and/police officer, or in many cases all three simultaneously. The curriculum in the Risk Watch Program consists of the following: Poison Prevention Choking/Suffocation/Strangulation Prevention Fire Prevention/Burn Prevention Motor Vehicle Safety Falls Prevention Firearms Injury Prevention Bike and Pedestrian Safety Water Safety The consultants recommend the department continues its public safety education efforts and acknowledges the effort of the members who dedicate their time and knowledge. It must be stressed that whenever anybody from the fire department is in the public eye they are representing the fire department; providing public safety education can be more than education, it an opportunity to market the department and recruit new volunteers. Recommendations Fire Prevention/Safety Education In order to receive the 2% funds from the State of Wisconsin the department must meet certain criteria including the number of inspections annually. The SPVFD exceeds these requirements and should be commended. Priority 5 The consultants support the use of handheld mobile computers to be utilized during fire inspections; these devices can be utilized in numerous other activities in the department. Priority 1 The fire inspection division would benefit from clerical help as the number of inspections and reinspection continue to grow. This position would be best filled by a part-time civilian. Priority 2 Greater emphasis should be placed on updating the technology involving the fire preplan program. This includes the pre-plans becoming part of the training curriculum. Priority 1 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 216

217 The public safety education bureau should look into partnering with the police and EMS departments in offering the Risk Watch Program in the schools. Priority 3 The department is encouraged to use all employees (volunteer, part-time, and career) in their public safety education programs. Priority 5 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 217

218 Fiscal Section The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department provides fire protection services to the communities of the City of Sun Prairie, the Town of Burke, the Town of Bristol and the Town of Sun Prairie. The fire protection services provided by the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department are provided through a contract the fire department has with each of the four communities. The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department has a two-year contract with the City of Sun Prairie for the years The City of Sun Prairie pays seventy (70) percent of the fire department expenses. The City of Sun Prairie also owns the two fire stations and pays for the utilities of both fire stations. These expenses are not part of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department operating budget. The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department has contracts with the three townships for a five-year period from The three townships fund about thirty (30) percent of the fire department budget. The funding amount by each township is based on equalized valuation and is shown in the figure in the Revenue section Prior to the new agreements the funding of the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department was shared on a 50% basis paid for by the City of Sun Prairie and 50% paid for by the Townships.. There are slight exceptions to the above agreement depending on the expenditure. When the City of Sun Prairie expressed the need to have full-time staffing in the fire station, it was decided to change the funding to a 70% City of Sun Prairie and 30% by the townships in order to better equalize the expenses versus the benefits received The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department in recent years became a combination type fire department as the fire department currently has 8 full-time career members, 43 volunteer firefighters, and 2 civilians. As mentioned earlier in this report the career fire department members work 42 hours currently averaged over a two-week period with rotating schedules. The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department receives payment on an annual basis from each of the four communities. Payment is received from each of the communities for operating expenses as well as for capital equipment expenses. In addition, each of the four communities provides the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 218

219 Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department with the revenue the community receives for their 2% fire dues payment from the State of Wisconsin. Revenues - Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department The funds to operate the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department are from the revenues received from the four communities that the fire department provides fire protection services to on an annual basis. The expenses paid by each community are based on equalized valuation. The figure below illustrates the equalized valuation of each of the four communities and the percentage of the total valuation for each community that services are provided for by the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department. Figure 26: Equalized Valuation of Communities that Fund the Sun Prairie VFD Equalized Valuation 3,500,000,000 3,000,000,000 2,500,000,000 2,000,000,000 1,500,000,000 1,000,000, ,000, EVA 2,368,668,5 372,841, ,718, ,759,700 3,409,988,4 % total 69.46% 10.93% 12.51% 7.09% The equalized valuation formula used to determine the fire department costs for each community changed to the current formula for the 2014 budget. The figure below illustrates the total equalized valuation for the City of Sun Prairie and for the three townships combined. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 219

220 Figure 27: Total Equalized Valuation for City of Sun Prairie and the Three Townships Total Equalized Value Allocations 3,500,000,000 3,000,000,000 2,500,000,000 2,000,000,000 1,500,000,000 1,000,000, ,000,000 - City of Sun Prairie Towns Total Total EV 2,368,668,500 1,041,319,900 3,409,988,400 % Total 69.46% 30.54% For the 2014 budget the percentages paid by the city and the three townships were rounded to even numbers and the city paid 70% and the three townships paid 30% of the fire department costs. Not all line items in the fire department budget have a 70% to 30% method of sharing expenses. Some items may be paid completely by the City of Sun Prairie. Expenses, such as the GPS which only benefits the city, are paid for by the city 100%. Some items, such as the town truck maintenance, are paid entirely by the three townships. Some items, such as turnout gear, are split 50%-50% between the city and the three townships. In previous budget years more of the costs were shared by various percentages with most of the expenses being split 50% to 50%, with the exception of the full-time staff that were funded with an 80% to 20% share of costs. The City of Sun Prairie provides the largest share of funding for the fire department operations since the city has the largest amount of equalized valuation. With the increase in fire department expenses over the last three years, the city has seen their contribution to the fire department increase significantly as shown in the following figure. The majority of the increased costs can be contributed to the increase in the number of career members on the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department that serve primarily the City of Sun Prairie. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 220

221 The fire department does collect some funds for fire reports and for fire calls on state highways with all of the revenue being transferred to the City of Sun Prairie. Fire Department Annual Cost The annual costs for the City of Sun Prairie include the 2% fire dues contribution, which is paid to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department on an annual basis. The 2% fire dues will be discussed in another section. Figure 28: Total Annual FD Costs for City of Sun Prairie City's FD Costs $700, $600, $500, $400, $300, $200, $100, $ Total Fire Department Costs $391, $406, $673, % Increase 3.91% 65.68% Total Budget Expenses Over the past three years, the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department has had significant increases in the total fire department budget. Most of the increases can be attributed to the addition of full-time career staff to the fire department to staff the fire station during the day time hours on a daily basis. Operating Expense Budget The following figure illustrates the total operating budget expenses for the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department on an annual budget basis for the years 2012 to McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 221

222 Figure 29: Total Annual FD Budget $800,000 $700,000 $600,000 $500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000 $ Annual Total $334,071 $495,905 $736,637 % Change +/ % 48.54% As shown in the above figure the fire department budget increased substantially from 2012 to 2013 with over a 48% increase in expenses and from 2013 to 2014, another increase over 48% in expenses. As previously mentioned, the primary reason for the substantial increase in the operating budget was the implementation of career fire department employees to provide daytime coverage for emergency calls. The figure below illustrates the fire department total budget for the last three years with the budget divided into the three main categories of salaries & fringe benefits, operating expenses and capital expenses. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 222

223 Figure 30: Sun Prairie FD Annual Budget Sun Prairie FD Annual Budget $800, $700, $600, $500, $400, $300, $200, $100, $0.00 FD Salaries & FD Operating FD Capital Total Annual Fringe Expenses Expenses Expenses 2012 $164, $168, $1, $334, $276, $169, $50, $495, $520, $187, $28, $736, As indicated in the above figure, the fire department has had a significant increase in the salary and fringe expenses portion of the budget over the last three years. From 2012 to 2013 the increase in this category was over a 68% increase and from 2013 to 2014 this portion of the budget increased over 88% from the previous year. Operating expenses have remained relatively low with about a 10% increase over the three-year period. Capital expenses are actually very low and have seen no major increase over the three year period. The figure below illustrates the increase in the salary and fringe benefit budget for the last three years. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 223

224 Figure 31: Fire Department Salary and Fringe Benefit Budget Salaries & Benefits $600, $500, $400, $300, $200, $100, $- Total Salary Fringe Benefit Budget $164, $276, $520, % Increase 68.14% 88.41% Operating Expense Budget The table below illustrates the entire fire department annual budget in detail for the years 2012 to 2014: Table 38: Annual FD Budget Detail Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Budget Numbers Salary & Fringe Chiefs & Admin Staff $20, $71, $20, Career Staff - $145, $364, Chief's Assistant $51, Fire Inspector $40, Fringe - $5, $62, FICA 9, , , IAP 42, , , Total Salary & Fringe $164, $276, $520, Advertising/Ext. Training $2, $1, $2, Communications $3, $3, $3, Foam $2, $2, $3, Fuel/Mileage $12, $14, $20, Janitorial Supplies $1, $1, $1, Office Supplies $2, $2, $2, Operating Supplies $29, $24, $32, Physicals $8, $8, $8, McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 224

225 Professional Services $4, $4, $4, Testing and Maintenance $8, $8, $9, SCBA Repair $8, $8, $9, Small Tools $ $ $ Town Truck Maintenance $12, $15, Training/Memberships $10, $9, $10, GPS Subscription - - $4, Copier Lease - - $2, Turnout Gear $18, $16, $15, Uniforms - - $3, Wireless/IT Support $7, $7, $7, General Insurance $7, $7, $8, Apparatus Insurance $5, $5, $6, Workers Compensation $25, $29, $35, Total Operating Budget $168, $169, $187, Engine 2 Replace Fleet Budget Fleet Budget - Replace Laptop 1, IT Budget - MDC's 6 - $6, $6, Engine 3 Replace - $27, Car 4 Replacement - $4, ipad Inspections - $2, $2, Rust Removal Engine 2 & Engine 1 - $3, $4, Scanners - $1, Wireless Headsets - $1, Sleeping Quarters Furniture - $4, GPS - $4, Turnout Gear - $12, Total Capital Budget $1, $50, $28, Total Operating & Capital Budget $334, $495, $736, With the exception of the significant increases in salary and fringe benefits there is very little change in the annual operating budget. The account for IAP is for an Incentive Award Program, which is a type of pension plan for the volunteers. The amount contributed for each member is between $800 and $900 annually. The members have to meet certain requirements in order to qualify for the annual contribution and to meet the pension benefit payments. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 225

226 Capital Expense Budget The fire department budget is comprised of the salaries and fringe benefits, operating budget and the capital budget as illustrated in the figure above. The following figure reflects the total capital expense budgets for the years 2012 to Figure 32: Capital Expense Budget Capital Expense Budget $60, $50, $40, $30, $20, $10, $ Capital Expense Budget $1, $50, $28, In the capital budget expenses, the cost to replace the engine is funded by the fleet budget. The fleet budget includes funds from the City of Sun Prairie to purchase new fire department vehicles. If the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department needs a new fire department vehicle, the City of Sun Prairie purchases the new vehicle from the fleet budget. The fleet budget includes funds that the City of Sun Prairie borrows to purchase a new fire department vehicle and once the vehicle is purchased the fleet budget fund does not contain a balance. When the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department needs new fire apparatus for the township service areas the townships purchase the new vehicle. There are no funds in the fire department operating budget for maintenance and repair cost for township fire apparatus. If township fire apparatus require maintenance and/or repairs, the fire department invoices the townships for the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 226

227 additional expenses. These expenses are in addition to the normal operating budget expenses paid for by the townships. As stated previously the capital expense budget is very insignificant and fire departments, along with municipalities, need to plan for capital expenditures in order to meet the department needs to serve the communities. 2% Fire Dues Each of the four communities receive 2% fire dues payments from the State of Wisconsin and each community provides the funding from the 2% fire dues payments to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department for conducing the fire inspections in their communities. The following figure indicates the amount of 2% fire dues funding that each community has provided to the fire department for the years 2012 to Figure 33: Annual 2% Fire Dues Paid to the SPVFD % Fire Dues Contributions 400, , , , , , , , City of Sun Town of Bristol Town of Burke Town of Sun Total Prairie Prairie , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Total 257, , , , , Although the consultants have been told there are two separate corporations, the State of Wisconsin only lists one the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. Perhaps the department separates employment career from volunteers, Angell Park, tax exempt and non-tax McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 227

228 exempt, and numerous other issues it appears that is for bookkeeping purposes only and all fiscal transactions are under the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. receives the 2% fire dues from the four communities and uses the funds for fire communications, fire prevention and education and fire inspection services. The 2% fire dues paid to the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department Company, Inc. are not part of the fire department operating budget. Recommendations - Fiscal The fire department should work with the four communities to develop and plan a capital improvement program for the replacement of major fire department equipment and facilities. Priority 2 The fire department and/or the communities served in the future may need to consider the implementation of fire inspection fees in order to meet the demands of the communities served. Priority 3 The fire department and/or the communities served in the future may need to consider the implementation of fire permit fees for fire alarm and automatic fire sprinkler plan reviews, installation, inspection and testing in order to meet the demands of the communities served. Priority 3 The consultants were informed that the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department does not have an annual audit conducted by an outside company. It is recommended that the finances of the corporation has an annual audit conducted by an outside agency. Priority 1 A copy of the annual audits as well as the tax returns for the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department should be provided to the four communities that the fire department contracts with for fire services. Priority 1 McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 228

229 Planning for Future Fire Protection Opportunities most often come disguised as challenges those who succeed recognize the difference those who don t, only see the past! Funding Formula The three towns used to share equally with the city in providing resources for their fire department. But as the needs and desires of the city changed when a decision was made that a 70% - 30% split with the city paying the larger portion was more equitable. But equitable is much more than measured in fiscal commitment; it s about feeling valued and an integral part of the department. People don t buy the cheapest car on the market, rather they buy the car within their fiscal capabilities that make them feel the best. People can t tell a good ventilation job by the fire department; they can tell if the building is saved or burns down. Even if it does burn down they can feel good about the fire department that shows compassion and cares about them. During the interviews with town officials there was an underlying sentiment of not feeling valued and the current partnership was more about what the city wanted than about their needs and desires. It was described by one as realizing you are the unwanted stepchild. Not every town official felt that way, but if the attitude is there it will not go away unless addressed. It is for this reason that the consultants recommend a funding formula based on three primal components: Equalized Assessed Values (EAV) the value placed on property for tax purposes is the tool used to bring all property to a uniform level of assessment. Owners of lower income property pay less while residents who own significant amounts of property pay more. The theory is that larger structures will require greater resources when on fire. Population usually based on permanent residents but if a significant influx occurs routinely during working hours etc. this figure can be substituted. The theory is that more people result in more emergency calls. Historical Usage based on the past three to five years what was the distribution of emergency responses to that municipality and what resource load did they place on the fire department. The theory is those who use the service more should pay more. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 229

230 Each component gets a percentage based on a total of 100%. Than all three percentages are added together to give an overall percent of cost; when these three percentages are added they will equal 100%. Therefore, those who use the service the most will pay a greater percentage because they have the highest potential for needing more resources in a fire, and have the largest number of residents, which relates to number of calls. The formula is well understood, easy and equitable to all; an opinion most often supported by those with the lower percentage of payment. However, it does develop a partnership based on quantifiable data, not speculation. Too often municipalities begin to add other components to the formula which address a current issue, but overall additional components to this type of formula usually result in more problems than they solve. Golden Rule He Who Has the Gold Makes the Rules It s Academic In most cases those who pay the most usually believe they should have the greatest influence on the decision making of the board. This would be the case if the service provider was a municipal department, but it isn t. The service provider is a private corporation and as such has total authority to determine who will get what service inasmuch as their board will determine service levels. Equal influence is usually the position taken by private service providers who strive to treat all contracts equally. This sounds good but is in conflict with the title of this section. This conflict is most often the driving factor why municipalities investigate other types of relationships. Such is the case in Sun Prairie where the city has placed a number of boards, commissions, contracts, and ordinances to achieve the decision making authority enjoyed with the other municipal services provided by the city. The common denominator to problems between private safety service providers and governing boards simply stated is: governing boards see budgets as inputs; whereas service providers see budgets as outputs both need to see budgets in terms of outcomes! Both of these groups McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 230

231 service providers and government councils are very dedicated people, absolutely doing what they believe are in the best interest of the public; but speaking in two different languages while in reality, neither understands the other. Ever notice it is sometimes easier to buy a new $850,000 piece of apparatus than get consensus on a $150 small item; wonder why? Could it be that both parties understand outcomes at that moment of time? The consultants recommend that the service provider encourage the municipalities to agree on the three traditional components to be utilized in developing a funding formula. This formula will be applied to all parties that contract for services with the SPVFD. Station #2 Staffing Within the next two years the SPVFD should staff a minimum of one response team 24/7 in Station #2. This will require a minimum of three on-duty personnel 24/7 hired in a combination staffing method which could include career, paid-on-premise, volunteers, or any combination thereof; however, will provide on-duty staffing at Station #2 seven days a week from 6 AM to 6 PM at which time an expansion of the duty crew program will also ensure in-house personnel the remaining 12 hours of the day. Although the SPVFD data was very good, the data lacked a breakdown of which station would be the primary station to cover the emergency incident; that is understandable inasmuch as currently Station #1 is staffed with on-duty fire fighters; whereas Station #2 is not. The consultants are not asking which station responds first, rather which station is the first due on the emergency if both stations were staffed. The consultants were told that the area around Station #2 is described as the growth area of the city and therefore, the city was proactive in placing public safety resources in that area. The future resources needed in Station #2 (apparatus and staffing) should be determined using accurate data taking into account first due station, response time, time of day, and extent of the emergency. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 231

232 Providing on-duty personnel at Station #2, 24/7 will require the city to renovate the fire portion of the facility to include living quarters, kitchen, shower facilities (men and women), locker room, exercise room, small classroom, and a small study area for the personnel or if there is available space on the EMS side consolidate the employees areas. Adding First Responder EMS Responsibilities Currently, the fire department is not the primary EMS provider in the City of Sun Prairie; however, they do respond to assist the Sun Prairie EMS department on a frequent basis as first responders. In fact the greatest NFIRS category of emergency calls for the SPVFD is Rescue/EMS at 24.52% of all emergency incidents. The department lists as one of their services that they are first responders; however, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Wisconsin Emergency Medical Services division does not list SPVFD as an EMS provider. Therefore, they are without the protection of being a recognized EMS provider in Wisconsin. The Sun Prairie Emergency Medical Services department is listed as a paramedic provider but this does not qualify or provide a blanket of recognition for SPVFD. Although the department only listed three members as emergency medical technician basic, it most likely has a few individuals certified as first responders; however, unless the agency is licensed by the State of Wisconsin and is under the direction/authority of a project medical director (doctor) they are unable to utilize their skills in the field. All SPVFD members are trained and able to administer cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while holding a current certification card and like the general public can operate an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). They are also able to perform basic first aid, however the problem becomes the expectation of the public and what action might exceed or not meet the level of basic first aid. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 232

233 If the SPVFD intends to provide first responder service which the consultants highly recommend and encourage they are then licensed by the State of Wisconsin. Stating you provide first responder services goes well beyond the protection of the Good Samaritan law. During member interviews, several members brought up the topic of their liability and frustration in providing services in which they did not feel qualified. They also questioned if the department should modify its insurance for coverage that might include EMS activities such as liability, malpractice, umbrella, etc. for their protection. In addition, a considerable number of members indicated they were willing and desired to become first responders. Perhaps the most disturbing statement came from a member who indicated that the fire department responds under emergency conditions (lights and sirens) to medical emergencies and upon arrival, only provides comfort and reassurance to the victim until authorized medical personnel arrive to provide treatment. The consultants are not suggesting that providing comfort and reassurance is not advantageous, but conventional wisdom would suggest with very minimal training members could be certified as first responders. What would be very beneficial is those members could then bring the knowledge and skills home in case of an incident with a family member. For years the fire service rejected any involvement in EMS, yet today across the county they are the largest provider of EMS. Fire department resistance to become certified in some level of EMS has significantly decreased in inasmuch as fires are decreasing and EMS is increasing annually as illustrated in the figure below: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 233

234 Figure 34: First Responder Providers Breakdown in U.S. Police Other, 5.17% Departments, 8.05% EMS Departments, 36.78% Fire Departments, 50.00% Source: EMS World 9th Annual National EMS Systems Survey The consultants recommend that the SPVFD should train and certify as many volunteers as possible to the level of first responders (currently just shy of 1 in 4 calls). The consultants understand that the fire department response to EMS incidents is in conjunction with Sun Prairie EMS and the fire department members are utilized as support personnel. The consultants would disagree with those who believe this is an unnecessary duplication of services; rather it is a prudent move to increase the number of safety personnel who can function in more types of emergencies providing higher level of care to victims and protection to the service provider. If one were to ask, What is best for the people needing medical attention? an agency with the strong reputation enjoyed by SPVFD would be hard-pressed to state: we are not certified to provide that service or it s not our job that doesn t seem to fit the dedication observed during our study. Private Corporation Life Expectancy When does the service delivery methodology need to change? That answer is simple, but the associated cultures needed to recognize, accept, and embrace that change is anything but simple. The Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department all-volunteer model has changed over the course of the years and has evolved into the current model of a mixture of volunteer, part-time (duty crew), and full-time personnel (career) providing emergency fire and rescue services. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 234

235 The organization didn t change overnight; however, today it is far from being what it was at its inception. The department staffing methodology changed because it needed to in order to meet the ever growing demands of the public. It changed because strong leaders recognized the need of the public outweighs their personal needs; what might be best for the public isn t always in alignment with what s best for me. Change often is least recognized by those who are closest to the issue. Not because they are incapable of change quite the opposite, for progressive leaders know change is inevitable and are very good at painting a vision, developing a plan, and getting people to buy into it. They are organization-driven not driven for self. Their motives are pure but there is some truth in not being able to see the forest because of the trees. It takes strong leadership to move an organization in a different path not to mention the courage needed. 100 years of service unimpeded by change is a statement associated with the fire service that reinforces the culture of status-quo. No one will be blindsided or resistive of change if the focus is on what is best for the people receiving the service. Service methodology changes when the agency provider can no longer provide the level of service required, and change is in the best interest of those needing that service. Will SPVFD need to become a municipal department at some point? Most likely because historically that is what is occurring all over the country as community and service demands increase and private fire departments find it increasingly difficult to obtain needed resources (e.g., members). Further, private fire departments are recognizing the associated liability to the organization as well as themselves. Will the change result in casualties? Most likely not! Members of private fire department corporations have a great sense of pride well deserved for the many years they have served the community. Usually members of the fire department are second or third generations and support for keeping the status-quo runs deep throughout a community; often making it extremely difficult to see something different, as better than what is or was. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 235

236 Is there a place for volunteers in a different service model? Absolutely. Few community leaders don t understand the value of volunteers not only from a fiscal perspective but from a commitment to service level. If private fire departments were profitable there would be considerable competition and the need for municipalities to spend the greatest part of their tax budgets on public safety services would diminish quickly. Should the SPVFD become a municipal department? The consultants believe it will occur, especially as nationally there is a decrease in those willing to volunteer; and the requirements become burdensome. The change will most likely come as the fire department needs to add a greater number of career members only after exhausting the resource of volunteer and paid-on-premise. It will most likely change when the liability of the status-quo overshadows the good intent of the department leadership. It will not change because of political pressure, but by the need for change in order to provide needed service. The consultants believe it will be an opportunity in the future to consolidate services, thereby improving services in a cost-effective manner. The city and towns are providing the major source of revenue for public safety services but not in the same manner for all of those services. As with most municipal or private sector businesses the fiscal ramifications is a major influence of decision making. The consultants recommend that the city develop a contingency plan in the event that the SPVFD is unable to provide the level of service expected by the public. Conversely, the fire department should develop a contingency plan for when the need for staffing can no longer be met with noncareer employees. These plans should not be done in a vacuum, rather in conjunction between the corporate board of the SPVFD and city officials. The public accepts that providing fire protection is a proper municipal function; they should never be placed in the position of trying to determine what the best way to accomplish that goal. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 236

237 The consultants encourage the membership of the fire department to form an association which will address the social aspects of volunteerism which is an important part of why people join and remain providing service for little to no compensation if the fire department becomes municipal. Merging Fire & EMS When the SPVFD transforms to a municipal department the city will need to decide if having three different public safety services is more prudent and cost-effective than consolidating fire and EMS. The first rule in consideration of consolidating fire and EMS is that all current employees/members be grandfathered; that is to say not mandated to become cross-trained. If currently they only provide EMS and no fire services they should be allowed to remain in that status. However, those that decide to cross-train should benefit from the fiscal rewards inasmuch as their talents are much cheaper than hiring two individuals who are not cross-trained. All future employees hired by the municipality should be required to obtain (or have at time of application) both a state of Wisconsin firefighter and an EMT certificate. These level of certifications must be maintained throughout their employment by the city. The figure below illustrates who are the providers of EMS and what percentage of EMS is delivered by that type of organization: McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 237

238 Figure 35: EMS Delivery in the U.S. Hospital-based 9% Public Utility Model 2% Other 12% Fire Based EMS 46% Private Company 18% Police Based EMS 2% Gov, Third Service 12% Source: EMS Magazine: 9th Annual National EMS Systems Survey There is no shortage of opinions on who should provide EMS; there seems to be considerable passion on the part of the individual whatever position he or she takes, most often based upon personal experiences. Therefore, regardless of the recommendation made, there will be individuals and/or groups that will steadfastly disagree. As previously stated, unfortunately, the perfect model for delivery of EMS is a myth; the right answer for a community is as complex as the community itself. However, significant influence is based on what the cost is of providing that service and how the provider can maximize their resources of apparatus and personnel. The consultants respect all perspectives, but will make their recommendations on what they believe is best for the person needing the service and secondly on what is the most cost-effective means to achieve that goal. Conventional wisdom would indicate that having two agencies is less expensive in duplicating resources in order to maintain three. McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. Page 238