JVL. ~ ( ~ r' ~~ A PART OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES AND OTECTIO FIRE THE EIGHTEEN YEAR FIRE PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR RALEIGH

Transcription

1 THE EIGHTEEN YEAR FIRE PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR RALEIGH FIRE OTECTIO JVL ~ ( ~ r' ~~ A PART OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES ELEMENT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROPOSED JANUARY 1977

2 THE EIGHTEEN YEAR FIRE PROTEC ION PR GPAM FOR RALEIGH A PART OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES ELE E T OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

3 THE CITY OF RALEIGH FIRE DEPARTMENT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING GROUP THE CITY OF t~le~gh PLANNING DEPARTMENT Cl'I'Y MANAGER Mr. L. Po Zachary ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER - PROGRA~MING AND BUDGETING Mr. W'. H 0 Cat'per ASSISTANT CITY ~~NA~ER - OPERATIONS Mr. D. E. Benton, Jr. FIRE DEPAR'I'MEN'I' Mr. R. E, Keith, Chief Mr, Ken Farmer, Administrative Assistant PLANNING DEPARTMENT Mr. A. C. Hall Jr., Director Mr. Don dlambrosi, Planner Mr. Jeff Neubauer, Planner Mr. Kenn Simback, Planner Proposed By Adrninistrati0n January, 1977

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND 2 SERVICE GOALS, LEVEL, POLICIES AND STANDARDS 5 PRESENT SITUATION - DEFICIENCIES 5 DEPARTMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS 6 THE EIGHTEEN YEAR PROGRAM 8 PROJECTED PROGRAM COSTS 9 PROJECTED PROGRAM COSTS TABLE 10 THE MAP OF THE EIGHTEEN YEAR PROGRAM 11 DEFINITIONS

5 I. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Raleigh's first fully paid department was established in 1912 with a force of 23 men and officers. As Raleigh continued to grow, so also did its ne.ed for fire protection. By the mid-1920's there w,ere five stations; today there are 14 fire stations at strategic locations in the City with a fleet of 45 vehicles and a work force of 310 employees. Raleigh's first fire chief was Sherwood Brockwell, followed by C. D. Farmer. Since Farmer, the chiefs have been Hubert H. Horton, L. F. Hicks, Ernest Holland, Ellis King, Ralph Butts, A. B. Lloyd j Jack Keeter, C. R. Puryear and the present chief since 1974, R. E, Keith. At this time, 280 cf the department's employees are directly involved with fire fighting. The department functions which account for the remaining employees include Rescue and Fire Prevention services. With 14 trained emergency medical technicians 840 rescue calls were made last year. The fire marshall and his staff average some 4,300 inspections per year to advise individuals of potential fire hazards within their homes and businesses. During these inspections, checks are also made for proper exits and fire fighting equipment. In addition to their inspection duties bureau personnel also make almost 400 talks per year to civic groups and clubs regarding fire drills, hazards and safety. -1-

6 Service Goals The Fire Department pursues three primary goals: 1) Preventing where possible the loss of life and property due to fire, 2) Maintaining one of the highest levels of service in the state. 3) Providing educational assistance to the public to advise them of potential fire hazards and proper safety precautions. Level Of Service The Fire Department attempts to maintain a level of service which is broadly based on the Insurance Services Offices grading schedule for Municipal Fire Protection. This grading schedule is on a scale of one to ten, with one being perfect. (There are no perfect fire defense systems within the United States.) A ten means unprotected or no fire defenses. Ralei~ is in Class III. There are no better ratings in North Carolina or the southeastern part of the country. Raleigh is considered to be a blend city in that there are no clear cut areas which are pure residential or pure business areas. Although the downtown area (CBD) is considered busines! there is a large degree of residential properties adjacent to it, and therefore the designation of a blend city. -2-

7 Service Policies The Raleigh Fire Department provides a backup service for surrounding rural companies. to make the initial response. The rural company is required Once they are on the scene and it is determined that they do not have either the manpower or the equipment to cope with the situation, the Raleigh Fire Department will assist them. This service policy will be continued. The Raleigh Fire Departrn~nt also works closely with the rural companies in the locations and designs of rural company stations. Through this cooperative effort the two protection systems are able to effectively assist one another without tremendous duplications of coverage. Also, by situating the rural stations in a proper distribution pattern it enhances the possibility of acquisition of the rural station by the City as the City expands. This can happen provided that the station is initially designed so that it is suitable for inclusion within the city system. This is a relat.ively new program that can have obvious benefits for both the rural and city companies. It is one that will be pursued more extensively in the future. Finally it is a departmental policy that new stations be located as closely to the fringe of the presently or potentially urbanized area as is possible. This provides the possibility of maximizing the coverage capabilities of the stations while in no way endangering the level of service to the citizens. It can also provide the City with somewhat lower land costs for new stations.

8 Service Standards The following factors are the service standards that we use at the present time, 1. Required ~ Flow: Standard - Maintain an average of 7,000 gpm available fire flow throughout all areas of the city. 2. Response Distance: Standard - Maintain a 1 1/2 mile response distance for the first due engine company, 1 1/2 mile response distance for the first due ladder company. Also to maintain a response of two engine companies and one ladder company within 1 1/2 to 2 miles of the fire scene. 3. Response Time: Standard - To maintain an average response time of a maximum of four minutes. Our criteria for these standards are based on the following: 1. ISO Grading Schedule for MUllicipal Fire Protection 2. AlA Special Interest Bulletin #176 "Fire Department Stations and Companies - Location, Distribution and Response." 3. Time - Temperature Curve 4. February 1975 ISO Municipal Survey of Raleigh, N. C. (These items can be provided upon request) -4-