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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/17/2024 Item 7a, Tuggle - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: September 17, 2024 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Todd Tuggle, Fire Chief VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 7A. FIRE DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2029 STAFF RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, REGARDING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FY 2024-29. THE QUESTIONS ARE BELOW WITH STAFF’S RESPONSE SHOWN IN ITALICS: 1) What is a Quint? a. A quint is a combination pumper, that combines the functions of a fire engine and a ladder truck. The “quint” refers to the five main tools it has for firefighting. i. Pump – means the apparatus has a full-sized pump capable of providing the needed fire flow for the types of fire hazards in our jurisdiction and is capable of pumping its own aerial device. ii. Water Tank – the apparatus contains its own tank water, typically 300-500 gallons, to pump for a limited duration. iii. Hose – The apparatus has a full complement of hoses for all types of structural firefighting operations. iv. Aerial Device – A quint also possesses a ladder with a plumbed waterway of at least 75’ in height to provide rescue access for firefighters and an elevated waterway for larger fires. v. Ground Ladders – The apparatus possesses a complement of ladders to reach multistory buildings, typically lower than 35’ above ground level. 2) Which resource is Truck 1 and what is the reason for a reduction in it use? a. Truck 1 is a 100’ Tractor-tiller aerial apparatus housed out of Fire Station 1 at the corner of Santa Barbara and Broad. Truck 1 was placed into service in 2010 with the expectation of running approximately 500-800 responses a year over the course of its 20-year life span. During its lifespan, the call volume has increased steadily, such that in calendar year 2023, Truck 1 responded to over 2000 calls for service. This higher than planned utilization has caused unplanned wear and tear to Truck 1, warranting a major refurbishment of the apparatus in order for it to reach its 20-year life span. In order to reduce the use of Truck 1 several ideas have circulated, the quickest of which to be implemented would be staffing the Medic Rescue, a 2-person EMS unit, to take on lower acuity calls for service in place of Truck 1. 7a. Fire Department Strategic Plan 2024-2029 Page 2 3) What is Tablet Command? a. Tablet Command is an accountability software application that works in conjunction with our Computer Aided Dispatch system through the SLO PD Emergency Communications Center. Tablet Command was initially a countywide effort to share location and incident information across all of the fire agencies. Because of some dynamics across the agencies in the county, the regional effort collapsed, but multiple local efforts have progressed forward. It is the department’s intent to leverage the capabilities of the PulsePoint system architecture towards the streamlined accountability and CAD interface that Tablet Command represents. 4) What is the Public Safety Academy? a. The Public Safety Academy was titled Fire Ops 101 when it was delivered in August of 2023. This effort was resurrected from an effort started in 2018 to communicate the nature of the firefighter job to internal and external stakeholders. The next planned Fire Ops 101 is scheduled for August of 2025. 5) What is the NFPA? a. NFPA is the National Fire Protections Association. It is a non-profit organization that coordinates and advocates for professional standards across the fire service. NFPA is referenced 4 times in the Strategic Plan, calling out three different Standards documents. NFPA has developed over 300 standards and codes to support industry safety needs. Specifically, the Strategic Plan references 1402, 1582 and 1500. i. 1402 – This is the training standard for professional structural firefighting and the needed props to conduct safe and effective training. ii. 1582 – This standard provides the parameters for conducting annual physicals for firefighters that include imperative checks such as cardiac function, cancer screenings and functional movement assessment. iii. 1500 – This standard specifies the minimum standards for a professional safety and health program responding to fire, emergency medical, hazardous materials, special operations and other emergency incidents. 6) What is the Counseling Team International? a. TCTI, The Counseling Team International, is a consortium of mental health professionals that specifically provides mental health services to First Responders. TCTI has been secured as part of a larger contract for services for both Police and Fire. This specific Goal 3c is largely complete and part of a continued refinement of the effort to improve mental health of our workforce. 7a. Fire Department Strategic Plan 2024-2029 Page 3 7) How was Community Feedback incorporated into the plan? a. Public engagement occurred through both social media and townhall style interactions. Questions included desired core services, public education and training, interaction with SLO FD and general satisfaction or comments. The responses from the public were integrated into the Strategic Plan in several areas. For example, Goal 4c speaks to providing whole community Disaster Preparedness training. Goal 1a seeks to answer the community request to reduce the use of Truck 1 on non-emergent incidents. Leveraging the Medic Rescue/ EMS Unit is intended to support the larger goal of reduced response times, but also the specific request coming from the community. External and Internal stakeholders had similar requests of the Department in the Strategic Plan development. 8) What increases in funding/ staffing, if any, do you staff anticipate to implement the tasks and objectives? a. The potential staff and funding increases remain to be seen. Thus far, there has not been a significant increase in funding requests. Some implementations have been through efficiencies observed in other services. For example, Goal 6a calls for implementation of asset management software. The department was able to realize savings on a subscription software service through collaboration with SLO County Emergency Medical Services Agency in order to offset the cost of an asset management program for a wide range of assets across the Department. Other goals may necessitate investments such as implementation of a comprehensive Fuels Management program. Goal 5c involves not only the Fire Department Strategic Plan, but also the Climate Action Safety Element of the General Plan and will likely involve some initial investment on the part of the City. Staff is working diligently to offset as much of the cost as possible through strategic grant applications such as a Coastal Conservancy Planning Grant. Much of Strategic Initiative 3, all of Strategic Initiative 4 and Goal 5a are rolled up into existing cost centers and do not foretell additional expenditures.