HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-2015 C4 Fire-Based Emergency ServicesCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Agenda Report, Meeting Date, Item Number
FROM: Garret Olson, Fire Chief
SUBJECT: CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH CITYGATE ASSOCIATES,
LLC FOR ANALYSIS OF FIRE-BASED EMERGENCY RESPONSE
SERVICES AND FUNDING OPTIONS
RECOMMENDATION
Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a Consultant Services Agreement with
Citygate Associates, LLC (“Citygate”) for analysis of fire-based emergency response services to
for an amount not to exceed $58,192.
DISCUSSION
Fire Based Emergency Response Analysis
This is an update to the fire-based emergency response portion of the City’s 2009 Fire Services
Master Plan. The focus of this effort will be an assessment of the efficacy and projected
sustainability of the City’s emergency response time goal as stated in the General Plan Safety
Element. The current response time goal is established as travel time to the emergency scene in
four minutes or less, 95% of the time.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization that
researches and publishes standards for the professional fire service. NFPA Standard 1710
entitled “Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations by Career Fire
Departments” provides response time objectives. It includes the objective of four minutes or less
travel time for the first arriving engine company for 90% of all fire and medical emergency
incidents in the community.1
To meet emergency service demands, this assessment will include an analysis of the
implementation of a shared service agreement, optimizing the location of our existing four fire
stations, , and/or lastly, the addition of a fifth fire station to serve new development in the
planned growth areas of the City, such as the Orcutt Area, Margarita Area, and Airport Area.
Prior Environmental Review
Development in each of these areas is covered in a specific plan document, and each specific
plan has been evaluated by an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). None of the EIRs for these
specific plan areas identified an impact relative to emergency response until a new EIR was
prepared for the Chevron Tank Farm project, which involved a significant update to the Airport
Area Specific Plan. The Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) EIR also discovered
response time impacts in the Airport Area. As a result, the proposed analysis will assess the
appropriate standard of response time (currently established at 4 minutes or less travel time for
95% all emergency responses), and identify solutions for meeting the City’s response time
1 (NFPA 1710 4.1.2.1(3), 4.1.2.1(4), and 4.1.2.3.3).
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FIRE-BASED EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES Page 2
objectives in a manner that addresses the safety impacts identified in these EIRs. The analysis
may also recommend methods to address associated costs, such as a new impact fee, which could
be developed as part of the City’s AB1600 fee program update that will be taking place as part of
the LUCE implementation work program for 2015-16.
Justification for Sole Source Contract
City staff has completed a preliminary assessment of this issue, however, it is recommended that
Citygate complete the complex analysis due to their expertise in this specific area and lack of
city resources to otherwise perform the needed work. It is recommended that the City negotiate
directly with Citygate to perform the analysis. Citygate performed the 2009 Fire Services Master
Plan with Stewart W. Gary, MPA, serving as Project Director. Mr. Gary still serves in this
capacity with Citygate and has submitted a proposal to complete this scope of work. Since this
scope of work is a refresh to the 2009 Fire Services Master Plan, tremendous economies of scale
would be realized by sourcing this project to Citygate. Citygate already has a working
knowledge of the City of San Luis Obispo and its Fire Department, and more importantly, has
already developed a data set for analyzing fire-based emergency response services in the City.
For Citygate, this project would be a “focused refresh” of the 2009 Fire Services Master Plan,
which has been received as a credible document by this community. Awarding this project to
Citygate would add consistency to the evaluation of fire-based services and would also decrease
the time, and likely the cost, associated with establishing a foundational understanding of fire
operations and community demographics required for a successful analysis. Direct contracting
for consultant services is allowed with City Council approval per the City’s Financial
Management Manual under these circumstances.2
Scope of Work
The scope of work for such analysis would include:
• A resource deployment Standards of Cover analysis with incident response statistics for all
types of emergency response services from computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records
management system (RMS) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data will be
prepared.
• A model of fire service impacts created by various growth proposals using key adopted
assumptions from the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE).
• Recommendations of various operational models for emergency services including cost
effectiveness and operational effectiveness.
• A summary of options and recommendations to fund any additional ongoing services costs.
Public input is a critical component of this effort. Citygate will engage public input most notably
through two meetings: one public meeting with the City’s Planning Commission and one public
2 “If it is determined that it is in the best interest of the City for services to be provided by a specific consultant -with
contract terms, workscope and compensation to be determined based on direct negotiations - contract award will be
made by the Council” (p. 295-2)
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FIRE-BASED EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES Page 3
meeting with the City Council. These meetings will take place early in the process to ensure the
opportunity to incorporate feedback relevant to this effort.
The final work product will be a formal report and presentation to the City Council during a
regular meeting with key policy questions and options clearly identified.
FISCAL IMPACT
Carryover funds of $58,192 from FY 2013-14 development review revenue will be used to fund
this project because the need for the study is being driven by development activity. This funding
is currently in the Fire Department FY 2014-15 budget and there will be no additional fiscal
impact.
ALTERNATIVE
1. Do not approve the contract with Citygate and direct the Fire Department to issue a
request for proposal. This is not recommended due to Citygate’s recent experience
performing this service for the City.
2. Do not conduct an analysis of fire-based emergency services in the City. While
Citygate’s 2009 Fire Services Master Plan acknowledges the need for an additional fire
station, this previous plan did not provide the level of detail regarding trigger points and
fiscal options that would be valuable to the City. Additionally, since the completion of
the 2009 Fire Services Master Plan, the City adopted a new Land Use and Circulation
Element and development activity throughout the City has changed remarkably. These
factors significantly influence the future of fire services in the City.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2009 Fire Services Master Plan
2. 2015 Master Plan Update Proposal by Citygate LLC
3. City of San Luis Obispo and Citygate Associates LLC Agreement
T:\Council Agenda Reports\2015\2015-03-31\Analysis of Fire based Emergency Services (Olson)\Council Agenda Report Fire Services Analysis.docx
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Fire Department Fire Department
Master Plan Master Plan
for thefor the
2250 East Bidwell St., Ste #100 Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 458-5100 Fax: (916) 983-2090
Management ConFolsom (Sacramento), CA sultants
City of San
Luis Obispo, CA
City of San City of San
Luis Obispo, CALuis Obispo, CA
Volume 1 of 3 Volume 1 of 3 ––Main ReportMain Report
January 16, 2009
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
VOLUME 1 of 3 – (this volume)
Executive Summary......................................................................................................................1
Policy Choices Framework.........................................................................................1
Overall Citygate Perspective on the State of San Luis Obispo’s Fire Services..........1
Main Challenges..........................................................................................................2
Challenge 1: Field Operations Deployment (Fire Stations and Staffing)..........3
Challenge 2: Headquarters Program Functions..................................................7
Challenge 3: Costs and Funding Strategies........................................................9
Fire Plan Phasing and Costs........................................................................................9
Priority One......................................................................................................10
Priority Two.....................................................................................................10
On-Going..........................................................................................................10
Section 1—Introduction and Background................................................................................11
1.1 Report Organization.........................................................................................11
1.1.1 Goals of Report....................................................................................11
1.1.2 Limitations of Report...........................................................................12
1.2 Background......................................................................................................12
1.3 San Luis Obispo Project Approach and Research Methods.............................12
1.4 San Luis Obispo Fire Department Background Information...........................13
1.5 Regulation Affecting the Fire Service..............................................................14
1.6 Negative Pressures on Volunteer-based Fire Services.....................................15
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis ...................................17
2.1 General Fire Deployment Background Information........................................17
2.2 San Luis Obispo Community Outcome Expectations – What is Expected
of the Fire Department?....................................................................................18
2.2.1 San Luis Obispo Existing Policy..........................................................20
2.3 San Luis Obispo Fire Risk Assessment............................................................22
2.3.1 Building Fire Risk................................................................................23
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2.3.2 Special Hazard Risks............................................................................24
2.3.3 Wildland Fire Risk...............................................................................24
2.3.4 Desired Outcomes................................................................................25
2.4 Staffing – What Must Be Done Over What Timeframe to Achieve the
Stated Outcome Expectation?..........................................................................25
2.4.1 Offensive vs. Defensive Strategies in Structure Fires Based on
Risk Presented......................................................................................25
2.4.2 Daily Unit Staffing in the City.............................................................27
2.4.3 Staffing Discussion...............................................................................27
2.4.4 Company Critical Task Time Measures...............................................28
2.4.5 Critical Task Measures Evaluation.......................................................31
2.5 Current Station Location Configurations.........................................................33
2.5.1 Possible Re-Deployment Scenarios......................................................37
2.6 Mapping Measures Evaluation.........................................................................37
2.7 Current Workload Statistics Summary.............................................................38
2.7.1 Incident Types......................................................................................40
2.7.2 City Response Times............................................................................41
2.7.3 Response Time Component Measurements.........................................43
2.7.4 Simultaneous Call Measurements........................................................44
2.7.5 Response Time Statistics Discussion...................................................45
2.7.6 Integrated Fire Station Deployment Recommendations......................46
Section 3—Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions.........................51
3.1 Overall Impressions..........................................................................................51
3.1.1 Management Team Organization and Duties.......................................52
3.1.2 Management Reports............................................................................54
3.1.3 Fire Prevention and Fire Investigation.................................................56
3.1.4 Public Education and Public Information............................................58
3.1.5 Fire Stations – Facilities.......................................................................60
3.1.6 Apparatus and Equipment Readiness...................................................62
3.1.7 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)..................................................66
3.1.8 Hose, Tools and Appliances.................................................................67
3.1.9 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus....................................................68
3.1.10 Mutual Aid/Automatic Aid..................................................................70
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3.1.11 Radio Communications........................................................................71
3.1.12 Pre-Incident Planning...........................................................................72
3.1.13 EMS Response.....................................................................................73
3.1.14 Hydrant Maintenance...........................................................................76
3.1.15 Training and Education........................................................................77
3.1.16 Risk Management.................................................................................83
Section 4—Fiscal Analysis..........................................................................................................87
4.1 Component Costs.............................................................................................87
4.2 Operating and Capital Financing Alternatives.................................................88
4.2.1 Facility Financing.................................................................................89
4.2.2 Operating Expense Financing..............................................................90
Section 5—Recommended Solutions and Phasing Plan..........................................................93
5.1 Deployment Plan Findings and Recommendations..........................................93
5.2 Non-Deployment Headquarters Functions Findings and Recommendations..96
5.3 Priorities and Timing......................................................................................101
5.3.1 Priority One........................................................................................101
5.3.2 Priority Two.......................................................................................101
5.3.3 On-Going............................................................................................101
VOLUME 2 of 3 – Map Atlas (separately bound)
VOLUME 3 of 3 – Statistical Appendix (separately bound)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of San Luis Obispo retained Citygate Associates, LLC to conduct a fire department
planning study to include:
A Standard of Response Cover planning analysis (fire station and crew
deployment) to examine the levels of fire department service by occupancy type
and land use classification;
Fire station and staffing infrastructure triggers for additional resources, if needed;
An analysis of headquarters and prevention systems;
Order of magnitude costs and possible financing strategies for changes to the Fire
Department.
This comprehensive study is presented in several sections including: this Executive Summary
summarizing the most important findings and recommendations; the fire station/crew
deployment analysis supported by maps and response statistics; the assessment of headquarters
functions; and the fiscal costs and financing options associated with the proposed
recommendations. The final section integrates all of the findings and recommendations presented
throughout the report and concludes with suggested priorities.
It needs to be stated at the front of this study that Citygate Associates team members who spent
time in City of San Luis Obispo found the fire staff at all levels very cooperative and helpful.
They are committed to their city, agency, and mission. Given the struggle to keep up while
coping with tight revenues, there is pride and on-going effort to deliver the best customer service
with the currently available resources. Fires are being attended to and medical calls are being
answered with excellent patient care. We find even with the suggested improvements needed over
time, that the City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department is one of the best suburban agencies we
have had the pleasure to work with. This study needs to be taken in the context of a “best
practices tune-up” for a good agency, not a set of fixes for an agency that is behind the times.
POLICY CHOICES FRAMEWORK
As a starting point, San Luis Obispo leadership needs to remember that there are no mandatory
federal or state regulations directing the level of fire service staffing, response times and
outcomes. Thus, communities have the level of fire services that they can afford, which is not
always what they would desire. However, the body of regulations on the fire service provides
that if fire services are provided at all, they must be done so with the safety of the firefighters and
citizens in mind (see regulatory discussion on page 14). Given this situation, the overall
challenge for the City is to design fire services within the fiscal constraints that limit the City’s
ability to staff, train and equip a safe and effective fire/medical response force.
OVERALL CITYGATE PERSPECTIVE ON THE STATE OF SAN LUIS OBISPO’S FIRE SERVICES
In brief, Citygate finds that the challenge of providing fire services in the City is similar to that
found in many California cities: providing an adequate level of fire services within the context of
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limited fiscal resources, competing needs, growing populations and the uncertainty that
surrounds the exact timing and location of future development.
The City has recognized the value of fire prevention and the need to prevent or limit the severity
of fires given the type of housing stock, commercial buildings, younger or elderly residents and
the threat of wildland fires on the City’s edges. To meet these challenges, the City has adopted
safety codes and inspection programs more strenuous than those mandated by state minimums.
Examples include the automatic fire sprinkler ordinance, hazardous materials code enforcement,
and the newer multi-dwelling property inspection program.
For the risks present in San Luis Obispo, which are more often found in much larger
communities, and given the modest quantity of on-duty firefighters, the City’s commitment to
fire prevention programs must be continued and not seen as “nice-to-have” in tough economic
times.
As much as San Luis Obispo Fire Department as a “full service agency” wants to do all of the
programs that an “all risk” fire department does, it does not currently have the resources in terms
of funds, time and personnel to fulfill this varied mission effectively in every area. This is not a
unique circumstance. Many moderate-sized departments, one to four stations in size, have this
difficulty. This Master Plan will offer advice on giving priority to high frequency, high impact
programs during the economic downturn. Over time, as resources increase, so can fire
department programs.
Citygate evaluated all aspects of the Fire Department during the preparation of this deployment
study and fire prevention systems review including fiscal recommendations, and three critical
challenges for the City emerged. To address each of these challenges, there are findings and
recommendations that deserve specific and particular consideration.
Throughout this report, Citygate makes observations, key findings and, where appropriate,
specific action item recommendations. Starting in Section 5 on page 93, all the findings and
recommendations are presented together, in order. Overall, there are 21 key findings and 20
specific action item recommendations.
It is imperative that the reader of this study understands that while there are issues to be planned
for and improved upon in the Department, there is not a problematic, “won’t do it, can’t do it”
culture to be overcome. The employees of the Department are eager for a plan that gives
direction and for the resources to do an even better job for the citizens of San Luis Obispo.
In this Executive Summary, instead of citing all the findings and recommendations, Citygate will
only highlight the most critical ones across three challenges:
MAIN CHALLENGES
One can summarize the fire service challenges that face the City in three themes: (1) insufficient
firefighter staffing in the existing system along with the need for an additional station in the
annexation growth area; (2) the modest need to increase headquarters program functions; and
(3) the need for a set of fiscal policies to fund improvements in fire services in conjunction with
new development.
Because of slow growth of revenue over the past decade due to recessions and state revenue
policies towards the cities, the City has not been able to increase career staffed field resources;
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while at the same time, it had to limit the headquarters support personnel and supply needs.
While City Measure “Y” has helped in recent years by restoring two positions to the fire
headquarters team, the measure was designed before the recent and severe national economic
downturn. As such, the City currently still has insufficient resources for all of its annual
operating needs.
Challenge 1: Field Operations Deployment (Fire Stations and Staffing)
Fire department deployment, simply stated, is about the speed and weight of the attack. Speed
calls for first-due, all risk intervention units (engines, ladder trucks and specialty companies)
strategically located across a department. These units are tasked with controlling everyday
average emergencies without the incident escalating to second alarm or greater size, which then
unnecessarily depletes the department’s resources as multiple requests for service occur. Weight
is about multiple-unit response for significant emergencies like a “room and contents structure
fire,” a multiple-patient incident, a vehicle accident with extrication required, or a complex
rescue or wildland fire incident. In these situations, departments must assemble enough
firefighters in a reasonable period in order to control the emergency safely without it escalating
to greater alarms.
In Section 2 of this study, Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis, Citygate’s
analysis of prior response statistics and use of geographic mapping tools reveals that the City has
a speed and weight of attack problem. There are currently not enough on-duty firefighters
citywide to handle more than one modest building fire emergency or 1 to 3 less serious
emergencies at once. To fill out an appropriate initial attack force on serious fires, the City must
send all of its four fire station crews, plus at least one County fire crew, if the County is even
immediately available and close by to respond.
The current City fire service deployment system has served the community well in the past
before but is now increasingly strained to handle more than one serious event and to provide
equitable coverage in all of the emerging suburban population density neighborhoods that could
develop in the southern annexation areas. The City can consider growing its fire defenses
commensurate with the risk and call for service growth; however, that will not occur until there
is a significant economic recovery in local revenues.
While no one city (even a metropolitan one) can stand by itself and handle everything and any
possibility without help, a desirable goal is to field enough of a response force to handle a
community’s day-to-day responses for primary single-unit response needs equitably to all
neighborhoods, as well as be able to provide an effective initial response force (first alarm) to
moderately serious building fires.
Due to the local economy, the City has struggled over the decades to increase the daily
firefighter staffing as the population and calls for service have significantly increased. As the
following table shows, the daily firefighter (not counting the Battalion Chief) count of 13 is only
two more than was provided 30 years ago in 1978:
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Historical Daily Firefighter Staffing in the City
Year Population
Minimum
Staffing
Calls for
Service
1978 34,050 11 1,095
2002 44,399 12 3,952
2004 44,163 13 4,263
2008 44,489 13 4,154
The City is close to a desirable goal of being self-sufficient for usual and customary emergencies
by fielding four fire companies per day. However, there are two gaps that, over time, could be
improved as fiscal resources allow:
1. The lack of 4-minute primary unit coverage by a City unit in the southern
annexation areas;
2. Not enough total firefighters on duty to field an effective initial force to serious
fires without help from the County Fire Department.
While the City could staff each of the three existing fire engines with 4 firefighters per day
minimum, up from three, replacing the staffing reliance on the County for one additional 3-
firefighter engine on a first alarm fire, it does not address response times in the southern
annexation area or allow simultaneous calls to be covered by a 5th unit in the event a County unit
is not available.
Over time, as fiscal resources further allow, if the City added a 5th fire station and crew in the
southern annexation area, and staffed the engine with a minimum of three personnel, then the
daily staffing increases to 16 per day (plus the Battalion Chief) would improve the response
times in the southern part of the City. Moreover, the increase also would improve City-based
staffing to serious multiple-unit emergencies in alignment with national best practice
recommendations. Therefore, adding a 5th fire station and crew improves all the response system
deficits identified in this study.
Thus, Citygate’s key deployment findings and recommendations are summarized below. For
reference purposes, the findings and recommendation numbers refer to the sequential numbers in
the main body of the report. Note that not all findings and recommendations that appear in this
report are listed in this Executive Summary.
Finding #1: The City does not have a fire deployment measure adopted by the City Council
that includes a beginning time measure starting from the point of dispatch
receiving the 911-phone call, and a goal statement tied to risks and outcome
expectations. The deployment measure should have a second measurement
statement to define multiple-unit response coverage for serious emergencies.
Making these deployment goal changes will meet the best practice
recommendations of the Center for Public Safety Excellence (formerly the
Commission on Fire Accreditation International).
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Finding #3: Given the travel distances in the existing southwest and southern annexation
areas, a 5th fire station is desirable, when the annexation areas fully develop.
Finding #4: If an additional fire company location could be funded, effective first-due unit
coverage can be obtained at the build-out of the City from five (5) fire station
sites, at 4 minutes travel time.
Finding #5: While multiple-unit coverage is currently adequate in the core of the City, it
depends on successful, timely, mutual aid from either of the two County stations,
which are not always available. A future 5th City fire station will increase
multiple-unit coverage in the southwest and southern areas, as well as lessen
dependence on the two County fire stations.
Finding #10: The City benefits from the mutual aid regional response system. While this
system cannot replace existing City stations or units, the City should continue to
participate in this valuable support system for simultaneous calls for service and
multiple-unit serious emergencies.
Recommendation #1: The City should adopt revised performance measures to direct fire
station location planning and to monitor the operation of the
Department. The measures should take into account a realistic
company turnout time of 2 minutes and be designed to deliver
outcomes that will save patients medically salvageable upon arrival;
and to keep small, but serious fires from becoming greater alarm fires.
Citygate recommends these measures be:
1.1 Distribution of Fire Stations: To treat medical patients and
control small fires, the first-due unit should arrive within 7
minutes, 90 percent of the time from the receipt of the 911 call.
This equates to 1 minute dispatch time, 2 minutes company
turnout time and 4 minutes drive time spacing for single
stations.
1.2 Multiple-Unit Effective Response Force for Serious
Emergencies: To confine fires near the room of origin, to stop
wildland fires to under 3 acres when noticed promptly and to
treat up to 5 medical patients at once, a multiple-unit response
of at least 14 personnel should arrive within 11 minutes from
the time of 911 call receipt, 90 percent of the time. This
equates to 1 minute dispatch time, 2 minutes company turnout
time and 8 minutes drive time spacing for multiple units.
Recommendation #2: As fiscal resources allow, the most beneficial next improvement in
fire services the City could make would be to add a fire station in the
southern City area equipped with one fire engine and a 3-person crew.
Recommendation #3: The City should adopt fire deployment measures for the emerging
southern annexation areas, ranging from rural to emerging suburban
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to suburban based on population, along the lines of this table modeled
after the recommendations in NFPA 1720 on combination (volunteer)
fire services. These measures would allow the City to define the
services that can be cost effectively delivered in the early annexation
period and then set the trigger point for adding fire services.
Proposed Deployment Measures Based on Population Densities
Suburban
Emerging
Suburban Rural
>1,000
people/sq. mi.
250-1,000
people/sq. mi.
<250
people/sq. mi.
1st Due Travel Time 4 8 12
Total Reflex Time 7 11 15
1st Alarm Travel Time 8 12 16
1st Alarm Total Reflex 11 15 19
Recommendation #4: The City needs to fund a fire records system that is National Fire
Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) version 5 compliant.
Recommendation #5: If, prior to the funding being available to operate a 5th fire station, the
City had partial funding to increase the number of daily firefighters, it
could do so by increasing Station 1 from 4 firefighters to 5 firefighters
per day. This would allow either:
A 3-person engine company to respond to medical emergencies
and small fires, while the other two personnel would still cover
a dedicated ladder truck and be able to respond to structure fires
and technical rescue calls citywide where the crew could
combine with an engine crew(s).
Or, three personnel would staff an engine/ladder “quint”
apparatus and two personnel would respond in a squad to
downtown area medical emergencies.
Both of these staffing options require additional discussion with the
firefighters’ representatives and making the decision on if the current
“quint” should be replaced with a dedicated ladder truck.
When the City can add a 6th firefighter per day to Station 1, then split
the crews into two 3-firefighter crews and open the 5th station.
In a last phase, as funding allows at the build-out of the City, the City
can increase the staffing at Station 1 on the pumper/ladder unit to 4
firefighters per day, which is a much more effective team to operate a
ladder truck at a serious building fire.
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Challenge 2: Headquarters Program Functions
A fire department San Luis Obispo’s size needs to have a management team that is the proper
size, and adequately trained and supported. There are increasing regulations to be dealt with in
operating fire services, and the proper hiring, training and supervision of line employees requires
an equally serious commitment to leadership and general management functions.
The organization chart shows an organization that should generally meet the needs of a
department the size of San Luis Obispo’s. However, due to the fiscal pressures on the City, there
has been greater emphasis on staffing fire companies to provide emergency response than on the
needs of the management team to coordinate and lead the organization. As the City struggled
with its shrinking finances, it froze some staff positions in some of the essential fire headquarters
support positions. This situation developed as an interim solution until the budget situation
would improve.
Given the on-going revenue challenge situation, the role of the San Luis Obispo Fire Department
services in the community needs to be re-assessed for some programs. The Department does not,
and will not for some time, have the size nor depth to be all things to all people and must
prudently choose what emergency and prevention responsibilities it can successfully carry out.
Each of the roles, such as hazardous materials inspections, technical rescue, hazardous materials
response, or public education requires the dedication of resources, personnel time, operational
funds, and management oversight, which the Department has in short supply.
This means the leadership team must focus on the programs having the greatest frequency of
need or that impact firefighter and citizen safety. Many of the pieces are in place to make this
happen, the hard part is choosing the programs and providing the effective direction to the
Department to make things happen. In today’s litigious society with the ever-increasing
oversight of the fire service by state and federal regulators, the San Luis Obispo Fire Department
cannot afford to ignore health, safety, training, and legal mandates while simultaneously loading
itself down with self-imposed restrictions that consume precious resources.
Citygate understands the City’s severe fiscal situation and does not find the headquarters
function significantly insufficient. In particular, for a city its size, there is a significant
commitment to fire prevention programs. However, the following findings and recommendations
do point the way for the Fire Chief and staff to first prioritize the current resources to the highest
priority needs and to provide a road map from which to request additional resources as the City
finds the ability to provide them.
The following recommendations for the headquarters and support functions for the San Luis
Obispo Fire Department can be accomplished over time as City fiscal resources allow. These
recommendations also provide the command staff the information from which to prioritize the
resources, both in staff and funding, that they do have:
Finding #12: Given the scope of programs in the Department, the need for executive oversight
of these programs, and the need for a trained, certified Fire Chief level position to
back-up the on-duty Battalion Chief, the Department needs a second in command
chief (Deputy Chief). The Department is not top heavy with only the Fire Chief
and four Battalion Chiefs. The Fire Chief also has to manage citywide disaster
preparedness, which has no staff assigned in the Department. Given all these
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issues, the Department is clearly large enough for a second in command to the
Fire Chief, at a Deputy Chief level position.
Finding #13: The size, scope and advanced programs in the Fire Prevention programs for a City
the size of San Luis Obispo are exceptional in breadth and quality. The City is
making a real effort to prevent fires, which allows it to limit loss and the overall
quantity of needed firefighters.
Finding #15: While the City has been able to invest in a new central station and headquarters,
the other three stations are 30-55 years old, and when built, were not constructed
to be 50-100 year facilities. They have been given some upgrades, but more will
be necessary. In other cities today, the more common size for a single fire
company neighborhood station with space for reserve apparatus, separate gender
areas and on-site outdoor activity space is an approximately 5,000 square foot and
larger building on at least a 1+ acre site. The City will soon be facing significant
repair and upgrade needs at the three neighborhood fire stations. The fire training
area is crowded and produces noise and smoke at times better suited to a more
outer city or industrial zone area.
Recommendation #7: The Department needs to add an Operations Chief (Deputy Chief
position) as soon as fiscally possible. There are too many large
programs without enough supervision and coordination or the Fire
Chief alone to handle, much less have the time to plan and be an
overall effective City Department Head.
Recommendation #8: Given the economic constraints on adding more staff to fire
prevention over the foreseeable life of this fire master plan, the
Department may have to begin to triage its fire inspection services to
the most critical occupancies if workload exceeds available staffing.
Those with smaller fire code requirements and risk for fire are going
to have to be inspected on a longer cycle or even be moved to a self-
inspection program.
As the City grows and has increased economic resources, a workload
analysis should be done on fire prevention, and as needed, additional
inspection and clerical resources will probably need to be added.
Recommendation #9: Given the City’s strong commitment to prevention as evidenced by its
fire sprinkler requirements, the City should continue to invest more in
the wildland fuel reduction program. The City will never have
enough firefighters on duty to prevent a wildland conflagration.
Individual properties have to be educated on defensible space issues
and the need for fuel reduction.
Recommendation #11: The City should program for an extensive evaluation of its fire station
and fire training building needs, and then make long-term, cost-
effective Capital Improvement Project decisions to either continue to
repair the three older stations, or given the small parcel sizes and
ages, re-build them completely nearby.
Executive Summary page 8
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Additionally, the City should investigate other fire training areas and
partnerships with County Fire, police agencies and the colleges.
Challenge 3: Costs and Funding Strategies
The current local government revenue structure in California makes it highly unlikely that the
City can fund the recommended fire service improvements and facility replacements without
some additional sources of revenue. New residential development, particularly if not
accompanied by new high sales tax generating commercial business, will not generate sufficient
new General Fund revenue to pay its share of both current City services and at least new
minimally adequate fire and medical emergency response services to serve the development.
The fiscal chapter of this study on page 88 summarizes the funding strategies for new
development that cities in California can use to grow fire services commensurate with new
development. No one strategy is perfect, either fiscally or politically. The City has time during
the current new construction slow down to consider the alternatives and choose the best-fit
method to use going forward once new construction restarts to the eventual build-out of the
General Plan.
FIRE PLAN PHASING AND COSTS
The following costs are estimated in current dollars to show the order of magnitude of what is
ahead for City fire services in the mid term to build-out.
If the City decides to begin adding staff to the stations as recommended by Citygate, the table
below provides an illustration or sample of how this might be phased in over several years and
the associated annual estimated cost in FY 08-09 dollars.
Sample Phasing and Additional Cost Plan
Phase Item Operating Cost Capital Cost
One Detailed study and costing of the fire plan
Recommendations Staff Time
Two
Add a Deputy Fire Chief position
Dep. Chief vehicle and office space
Conduct a repair/replacement study for the older fire
stations
$ 225,587
$ 75,000
$ 77,000
Three
Staff a 5th fire station with a 3-person crew
Construct a 5th fire station without land costs
5th Station Fire Pumper
$1,735,036
$2,750,000
$ 450,000
Four Add one fire inspector and one clerical support position $ 238,928
Outer Year Totals: $2,274,551 $3,277,000
Long
Term Total Replacement of Fire Stations 2 and 3 $5.5M
Executive Summary page 9
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Priority One
Absorb the policy recommendations of this fire services study and adopt revised
fire department performance measures to drive the location and timing of fire
stations.
If one-time funding can be identified, purchase an NFIRS 5 compliant fire
department integrated records system.
When on-going funding becomes available, add an Operations Chief (Deputy
Chief position).
Priority Two
If one-time funding can be identified, study in-depth the older fire facilities and
make long-term repair or replacement decisions.
Begin to identify and conduct the appropriate due-diligence steps to identify and
eventually secure or purchase a 5th fire station site in the southern annexation
area.
Using one-time funding or federal grants, plan for and replace the older fire hose
inventory and structure fire breathing apparatus units.
On-Going
Continue to support fire prevention programs, especially in the areas of wildfire
and fuel reduction programs.
As the economy recovers, look in-depth at the increased commercial construction
and the need for fire code inspection services over the long term. Identify the staff
impacts and plan as necessary for additional fire inspection and clerical support
positions.
When the ambulance agreement comes up for re-consideration, discuss the need
for the Department to have fiscal support towards establishing a paramedic
program supervisor, as a sworn or unsworn position.
Executive Summary page 10
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SECTION 1—INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
1.1 REPORT ORGANIZATION
This report and future planning document is structured into the following sections that group
appropriate information together for the reader.
This Volume (Volume 1) includes:
Section 1 Introduction and Background: Background facts about San Luis
Obispo’s current Fire Services.
Section 2 Standards of Response Cover (Staffing/Station) Analysis: An in-
depth examination of the Fire Department’s deployment ability to
meet the community’s risks, expectations and emergency needs.
Section 3 Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions: A
review of the Fire Department’s non-emergency operations and
headquarters programs.
Section 4 Fiscal Analysis: An outline of the costs and likely financing strategies
to implement this plan’s recommendations.
Section 5 Recommended Solutions and Phasing Strategies: An integrated
recommendations and conclusions section.
Separately attached:
Volume 2 Response Coverage Geographic Maps
Volume 3 In-depth Response Statistics Appendix
1.1.1 Goals of Report
As each of the sections mentioned above imparts information, this report will cite findings and
make recommendations, if appropriate, that relate to each finding. There is a sequential
numbering of all of the findings and recommendations throughout the first three sections of this
report. To provide a comprehensive summary a complete listing of all these same findings and
recommendations in order is in Section 5. Finally, the report brings attention to the highest
priority needs and possible timing.
This document provides technical information about how fire services are provided, legally
regulated, and how San Luis Obispo Fire Department currently operates. This information is
presented in the form of recommendations and policy choices for the San Luis Obispo leadership
and community to discuss.
The result is a solid technical foundation upon which to understand the advantages and
disadvantages of the choices facing the San Luis Obispo leadership and community on how best
to provide fire services, and more specifically, at what level of desired outcome and expense.
Section 1—Introduction and Background page 11
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1.1.2 Limitations of Report
In the United States, there are no federal or state regulations on what a minimum level of fire
services has to be. Each community through the public policy process is expected to understand
the local fire risks, their ability to pay, and then to choose their level of fire services. If fire
services are provided at all, the federal and state regulations specify how to do it safely for the
personnel providing the service and the public.
While this report and technical explanation can provide a framework for the discussion of fire
services for San Luis Obispo, neither this report nor the Citygate consulting team can make the
final decisions or cost out in detail every possible alternative. Once final Master Plan choices are
given policy approval, City staff can conduct any final costing and fiscal analysis.
1.2 BACKGROUND
This project involved the development of a Fire Services Deployment and Administrative
Services Master Plan. This effort involved the study of the fire services risk within the City of
San Luis Obispo. In this report, the term “Department” will be used when referring to the fire
agency itself, and the term “City” will be used when referring to the City of San Luis Obispo.
The City commissioned this study and resultant planning recommendations to evaluate the
current capacity of the Department to respond to emergency fire, rescue, and medical incidents
within its area, and review other related operational issues. In its entirety, this analysis and
corresponding findings and recommendations will allow the City Council to make informed
policy decisions about the level of fire, rescue, and emergency medical services desired and the
best method to deliver and fund them.
The challenges facing the City are not unique. At the start of this project in the summer of 2008,
San Luis Obispo faced the challenges that all California communities did in revenue not
matching needs in an atmosphere made worse by a state budget deficit. By late fall, the national
economy was in disarray and the California budget was already out-of-balance. This Fire Master
Plan has to acknowledge that the City may desire improved fire services, but in the near term
cannot afford any improvements. Thus, the plan will have to suggest how to prioritize existing
services to revenues, while laying out a future improvements road map that can be followed
when revenue growth occurs.
1.3 SAN LUIS OBISPO PROJECT APPROACH AND RESEARCH METHODS
Citygate used several tools to gather, understand, and model information about the City and Fire
Department for this study. We started by making a large document request to the Department to
gain background information on costs, current and prior service levels, the history of service
level decisions and what other prior studies, if any, had to say. We asked the Department to have
each of the members responsible for a program or segment to complete a SWOT questionnaire
and 42 of these were received.1
1 SWOT – acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats; a commonly used management tool for
evaluating organizations, which allows insiders to report on their perspective of an organization.
Section 1—Introduction and Background page 12
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In subsequent site visits, Citygate team members followed up on this information by conducting
focused interviews of fire management team members and other appropriate City staff. We
reviewed demographic information about the City, proposed developments, and managed growth
projections. As we collected and understood information about the City and Department,
Citygate obtained electronic map and response data from which to model current and projected
fire services deployment. The goal was to identify the location(s) of stations and crew quantities
required to serve the City as it develops.
Once Citygate gained an understanding of the Department service area with its fire, rescue, and
EMS risks, the Citygate team developed a model of fire services that was tested against the
mapping and prior response data to ensure an appropriate fit. This resulted in Citygate being
able to propose an approach to improving fire services in the Department that would also meet
reasonable expectations and fiscal abilities in the southern area of the City where future growth
is likely to occur.
1.4 SAN LUIS OBISPO FIRE DEPARTMENT BACKGROUND INFORMATION
San Luis Obispo (Spanish for St. Louis the Bishop), is located near the coast roughly midway
between San Francisco and Los Angeles on US Highway 101. It is the county seat of San Luis
Obispo County and the home of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). The City is
the commercial, cultural and governmental center of San Luis Obispo County. It is one of
California’s oldest communities being founded in 1772 by Father Junipero Serra on the site of a
Chumash Indian village named Tilhini and is the fifth Spanish mission of the 21 missions in
California.
The City is 10.8 square miles in size. The Pacific Ocean lies 12 miles west of the City and the
Santa Lucia Mountains, part of California’s Coast Range, lie to the east. San Luis Obispo is a
seismically active area; there are a number of faults nearby including the San Andreas Fault.
The Union Pacific Railroad between Oakland and Los Angeles passes through the center of San
Luis Obispo.
The demographic profile of San Luis Obispo as of 2008:
Population 44,239
Households 18,639
Density 4,144 per square mile
Housing Units 20,222
Age profile Under 18 14.2%
18 to 24 33.6%
25to 44 23.7%
45 to 64 16.5%
65 or older 12.1%
The 2007 median household income in the City was $42,900 (compared to a California median
of $59,948 in California) and the median home price dropped from $650,000 in 2006 to
Section 1—Introduction and Background page 13
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$500,000 in 2008. 7.1 percent of the families are below the poverty line. The unemployment rate
is 7.4 percent, although 40.9 percent of the people have a bachelors degree or higher.
Because of its location on Highway 101, San Luis Obispo has long been a stop off for travelers
between San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Madonna Inn is a
particularly notable landmark in the City.
1.5 REGULATION AFFECTING THE FIRE SERVICE
In addition to restrictions on local government finance, there have been a number of new state
and federal laws, regulations, and court cases that limit the flexibility of cities in determining
their staffing levels, training, and methods of operation. These are given an abbreviated
overview below:
1. 1999 OSHA Staffing Policies – Federal OSHA applied the confined space safety
regulations for work inside tanks and underground spaces to America’s
firefighters. This requires in atmospheres that are “IDLH” (Immediately
Dangerous to Life and Health) that there be teams of two inside and two outside
in constant communication, and with the outside pair equipped and ready to
rescue the inside pair. This situation occurs in building fires where the fire and
smoke conditions are serious enough to require the wearing of self-contained
breathing apparatus (SCBA). This is commonly called the “2-in/2-out” policy.
This policy requires that firefighters enter serious building fires in teams of two,
while two more firefighters are outside and immediately ready to rescue them
should trouble arise.
While under OSHA policy one of the outside “two-out” personnel can also be the
incident commander (typically a chief officer) or fire apparatus operator, this
person must be fully suited-up in protective clothing, have a breathing apparatus
donned except for the face piece, meet all physical requirements to enter IDLH
atmospheres and thus be ready to immediately help with the rescue of interior
firefighters in trouble. However, given these stipulations and the operating
complications they cause, the four-city automatic aid partnership to which San
Luis Obispo belongs, does not recognize the incident commander as one of the
“two out” personnel, since to send the incident commander inside to perform a
firefighter rescue means the incident totally loses command and control,
generating more safety problems.
2. May 2001 National Staffing Guidelines – The National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) Standard on Career Fire Service Deployment was issued
seven years ago. While advisory to local governments, as it starts to become
locally adopted and used, it develops momentum, forcing adoption by
neighboring communities. NFPA 1710 calls for four-person fire crew staffing,
arriving on one or two apparatus as a “company.” The initial attack crew should
arrive at the emergency within four minutes travel time, 90 percent of the time,
and the total effective response force (first alarm assignment) shall arrive within
eight minutes travel time, 90 percent of the time. These guidelines will be
Section 1—Introduction and Background page 14
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explained and compared to San Luis Obispo in the deployment measures section
of this document.
3. The on-scene Incident Commanders (Battalion Chiefs) at Hazardous Materials
Incidents must have certification compliant with NFPA 472, Standard for
Emergency Response to Hazardous Materials Incidents. This is also now an
OSHA requirement.
4. CAL OSHA Requirements – Among the elements required is a safety orientation
for new employees, a hazard communications system for employees to
communicate hazards to supervisors, the CAL-OSHA process for post injury
reviews, the required annual report of injuries, and a standard for safety work
plans. Employers have many different responsibilities under the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Initially OSHA focused its efforts on the private sector; more recently, it has
turned its attention to the public sector and specifically the fire service.
1.6 NEGATIVE PRESSURES ON VOLUNTEER-BASED FIRE SERVICES
While San Luis Obispo does not operate a volunteer firefighter system, wholly or in part, a
common question is why not solve some of a city’s fire staffing problems with volunteers? To
pre-address this question, here is a brief overview of the state of depending on volunteer
firefighters:
All volunteer-based fire departments are under great pressure today to maintain an adequate
roster. The reasons for this are not unique to any one type of community and are placing
pressure on small community volunteer systems across the state and nation:
1. Economic pressures result in more two-income families and less time to
volunteer.
2. In a commuter economy, more jobs are clustered in metropolitan and dense
suburban areas. Communities like San Luis Obispo, that formerly were small
towns increasingly have residents who work elsewhere and many of the younger
age people who would consider volunteering are just too busy.
3. Due to the growth in society of complex systems and technology, the fire service
was given more missions, like emergency medical services, hazardous materials
response, and technical rescue. This dramatically increased the legally mandated
training hours for volunteers, causing many to drop out as the time commitments
became unbearable.
This change, coupled with all the other factors, means that volunteer firefighter programs dry up
due to lack of members. Additional training and additional responses mean a significant time
commitment for “true” volunteers; who are serving for love of the community and to give
something back. Most departments feel that it takes 100-120 hours of training per year to meet
safety minimums, and this time is before a volunteer goes on a single incident.
In addition, most employers today are unwilling to allow volunteers to leave their jobs to respond
to an emergency dispatch. Across the fire service, volunteer programs have been changing and
adapting to a different model. The current model understands the commitment needed, and
Section 1—Introduction and Background page 15
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usually includes two types of volunteers: the first is the usual community-based person; the
second is a younger person who desires to be a career firefighter. While the younger person is
going through community college fire science classes, after obtaining basic firefighter
certification, they work “part-time” for shift stipend or for an hourly wage, without benefits.
These personnel are used successfully to increase daily station staffing and are called “reserve”
firefighters or part-time firefighters. They do not need to live in the community they serve, as
they are often not needed to respond from home with quick travel times. Community-based
volunteers can be used from home for major emergencies, within their limited training as they
gain certifications and experience. Once they meet state minimums, they also can be used for
per diem shifts.
As this report will explain in detail, San Luis Obispo fire services are already spread thin and
understaffed for headquarters functions. Even if a small volunteer cadre could be found to assist
with non-emergency work, volunteer programs take design, supervision, and some fiscal support.
In Citygate’s opinion, the needs of the San Luis Obispo Fire Department far outweigh what a
small volunteer or per diem apprentice firefighter program could solve. More importantly, just
creating and operating such a program would seriously drain the already thin headquarters
staffing from managing critical day-to-day operations.
Section 1—Introduction and Background page 16
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SECTION 2—STANDARDS OF RESPONSE COVER (STATION /STAFFING )
ANALYSIS
Section Intent: This section serves as an in-depth analysis of the current City’s ability to deploy
and meet the emergency risks presented in the City. The response analysis will use prior
response statistics and geographic mapping to help the City Council and community visualize
what the current response system can and cannot deliver.
2.1 GENERAL FIRE DEPLOYMENT BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Center for Public Safety Excellence (formerly the Commission on Fire Accreditation
International) recommends a systems approach known as “Standards of Response Coverage” to
evaluate deployment as part of the self-assessment process of a fire agency. This approach uses
risk and community expectations on outcomes to assist elected officials in making informed
decisions on fire and EMS deployment levels. Citygate has adopted this methodology as a
comprehensive tool to evaluate fire station location. Depending on the needs of the study, the
depth of the components can vary.
Such a systems approach to deployment, rather than a one-size-fits-all prescriptive formula,
allows for local determination of the level of deployment to meet the risks presented in each
community. In this comprehensive approach, each agency can match local need (risks and
expectations) with the costs of various levels of service. In an informed public policy debate, a
City Council “purchases” the fire, rescue, and EMS service levels (insurance) the community
needs and can afford.
While working with multiple components to conduct a deployment analysis is admittedly more
work, it yields a much better result than any singular component can. If we only look to travel
time, for instance, and do not look at the frequency of multiple and overlapping calls, the
analysis could miss over-worked companies. If we do not use risk assessment for deployment,
and merely base deployment on travel time, a community could under-deploy to incidents.
The Standard of Response Cover process consists of eight parts:
1. Existing Deployment – each agency has something in place today.
2. Community Outcome Expectations – what does the community expect out of the
response agency?
3. Community Risk Assessment – what assets are at risk in the community?
4. Critical Task Time Study – how long does it take firefighters to complete tasks to
achieve the expected outcomes?
5. Distribution Study – the locating of first-due resources (typically engines).
6. Concentration Study – first alarm assignment or the effective response force.
7. Reliability and Historical Response Effectiveness Studies – using prior response
statistics to determine what percent of compliance the existing system delivers.
8. Overall Evaluation – proposed standard of cover statements by risk type.
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 17
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Fire department deployment, simply stated, is about the speed and weight of the attack. Speed
calls for first-due, all risk intervention units (engines and trucks) strategically located across a
department. These units are tasked with controlling everyday, average emergencies without the
incident escalating to second alarm or greater size, which then unnecessarily depletes the
department resources as multiple requests for service occur. Weight is about multiple-unit
response for significant emergencies like a room and contents structure fire, a multiple-patient
incident, a vehicle accident with extrication required, or a heavy rescue incident. In these
situations, departments must assemble enough firefighters in a reasonable period in order to
control the emergency safely without it escalating to greater alarms.
Thus, small fires and medical emergencies require a single- or two-unit response (engine and
ambulance) with a quick response time. Larger incidents require more companies. In either
case, if the companies arrive too late or the total personnel sent to the emergency are too few for
the emergency type, they are drawn into a losing and more dangerous battle. The art of fire
company deployment is to spread companies out across a community for quick response to keep
emergencies small with positive outcomes, without spreading the stations so far apart that they
cannot amass together quickly enough to be effective in major emergencies.
Given the need for companies to be stationed throughout a community for prompt response
instead of all companies responding from a central fire station, communities such as San Luis
Obispo are faced with neighborhood equity of response issues. When one or more areas grow
beyond the reasonable travel distance of the nearest fire station, the choices available to the
elected officials are limited: add more neighborhood fire stations, or tell certain segments of the
community that they have longer response times, even if the type of fire risk found is the same as
other areas.
For the purposes of this fire services study, Citygate used all eight components of the Standards
of Response Cover process (at varying levels of detail) to understand the risks in the City, how
the City is staffed and deployed today, and then modeled those parameters using geographic
mapping and response statistical analysis tools. The models were then compared to the proposed
growth in the City so that the study can recommend changes, if any, in fire services to the City’s
service area.
Thus, Citygate tailored the deployment recommendations in this report to the City’s unique
needs, and did not use one-size-fits-all national recommendations.
The next few subsections in this section will cover the City area factors and make findings about
each component of the deployment system. From these findings of fact about the City’s fire
deployment system, the study is then able to make deployment change recommendations.
2.2 SAN LUIS OBISPO COMMUNITY OUTCOME EXPECTATIONS – WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT?
The next step in the Standards of Response Cover process is to review existing fire and
emergency medical outcome expectations. This can be restated as follows: for what purpose
does the current response system exist? Has the governing body adopted any response time
performance measures? If so, the time measures used by the City need to be understood and
good data collected.
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 18
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The community, if asked, would probably expect that fires be confined to the room or nearby
area of fire origin, and that medical patients have their injuries stabilized and be transported to
the appropriate care location. Thus, the challenge faced by the City is to maintain an equitable
level of fire service deployment across the entire City service area without adding significantly
more resources as demand for services grows and traffic congestion increases, slowing response
times.
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) Fire Department Grading Schedule would like to see first-
due fire engines stations spaced 1.5 miles apart and ladder trucks spaced 2.5 miles apart, which,
given travel speeds on surface streets, is a 3- to 4-minute travel time for first-due engines and a
7- to 8-minute travel time for first-due ladder trucks. The newer National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) guideline 1710 on fire services deployment suggests a 4-minute travel time
for the initial fire apparatus response and 8 minutes travel time maximum for the follow-on units.
This recommendation is for departments that are substantially staffed by career firefighters, as
the City is.
The ISO grades community fire defenses on a 10-point scale, with Class 1 being the best.
Historically, the City has been evaluated as a Class 2 department, meaning the fire engine and
ladder truck coverage is adequate and similar to many suburban density areas (Class 2) fire
departments. For many reasons, it is not necessary for an agency to only deploy to meet the ISO
measures. The ISO criteria are designed to evaluate the fire protection system for underwriting
purposes a department’s ability to stop a building fire conflagration. The ISO system does not
address small fires, auto fires, outdoor fires and emergency medical incidents. Also, underwriters
today can issue fire premiums in Grading Schedule “bands” such as 3-5 and give safer buildings
a single rating of Class 1 for example.
Thus, if an agency only tries to meet the ISO or NFPA station placement criteria, they do not
necessarily deliver better outcomes given the diversity of risk across American communities.
Importantly within the Standards of Response Coverage process, positive outcomes are the goal,
and from that company size and response time can be calculated to allow efficient fire station
spacing. Emergency medical incidents have situations with the most severe time constraints. In
a heart attack that stops the heart, a trauma that causes severe blood loss, or in a respiratory
emergency, the brain can only live 8 to 10 minutes maximum without oxygen. Not only heart
attacks, but also other emergencies can cause oxygen deprivation to the brain. Heart attacks
make up a small percentage; drowning, choking, trauma, constrictions, or other similar events
have the same effect on the brain and the same time constraints. In a building fire, a small
incipient fire can grow to involve the entire room in a 4- to 5-minute time frame. The point in
time where the entire room becomes involved in fire is called “flashover,” when everything is
burning, life is no longer possible, and the fire will shortly spread beyond the room of origin.
If fire service response is to achieve positive outcomes in severe EMS situations and incipient
fire situations, all the companies must arrive, size up the situation and deploy effective measures
before brain damage or death occurs or the fire spreads beyond the room of origin.
Given that the emergency started before or as it was noticed and continues to escalate through
the steps of calling 911, dispatch notification of the companies, their response, and equipment
set-up once on scene, there are three “clocks” that fire and emergency medical companies must
work against to achieve successful outcomes:
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 19
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1. The time it takes an incipient room fire to fully engulf a room in 4 to 5 minutes,
thus substantially damaging the building and most probably injuring or killing
occupants.
2. When the heart stops in a heart attack, the brain starts to die from lack of oxygen
in 4 to 6 minutes and brain damage becomes irreversible at about the 10-minute
point.
3. In a trauma patient, severe blood loss and organ damage becomes so great after
the first hour that survival is difficult if not impossible. The goal of trauma
medicine is to stabilize the patient in the field as soon as possible after the injury,
and to transport them to a trauma center were appropriate medical intervention
can be initiated within one hour of the injury.
Somewhat coincidently, in all three situations above, the first responder emergency company
must arrive on-scene within 5 to 7 minutes of the 911-phone call to have a chance at a successful
resolution. Further, the follow-on (additional) companies for serious emergencies must arrive
within the 8- to 11-minute point. These response times need to include the time steps for the
dispatcher to process the caller’s information, alert the stations needed, and the companies to
then don OSHA mandated safety clothing and drive safely to the emergency. The sum of these
three time steps – dispatch, company turnout and drive time – comprises “total reflex,” or total
response time. Thus, to get the first firefighters on-scene within only 5 to 7 minutes of the 911
call being answered is very challenging to all parts of the system, as this study will describe later
in detail.
The three event timelines above start with the emergency happening. It is important to note the
fire or medical emergency continues to deteriorate from the time of inception, not the time the
fire engine actually starts to drive the response route. It is hoped that the emergency is noticed
immediately and the 911 system is activated. This step of awareness – calling 911 and giving the
dispatcher accurate information – takes, in the best of circumstances, 1 minute. Then company
notification and travel take additional minutes. Once arrived, the company must walk to the
patient or emergency, size up the problem and deploy their skills and tools. Even in easy to
access situations, this step can take 2 or more minutes. It is considerably longer up long
driveways, apartment buildings with limited access, multi-storied office buildings or shopping
center buildings such as those found in parts of the City.
2.2.1 San Luis Obispo Existing Policy
The City’s General Plan Safety Element, in Chapter 5, in Section 9.3a “Discussion” states that,
“The Fire Department has set a response time objective of 4 minutes.” This measure does not
state the beginning and end measurement points for the 4 minutes. So as written, this time
interval could be driving time, or also include part or all of the steps of dispatching the crew.
Since this measure is identified in a discussion section of the General Plan Safety element and
further worded as “The Fire Department has set…” it does not appear that the San Luis City
Council has adopted a fire department response measure that meets all the elements considered a
best practice today.
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 20
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In other budget performance measure documents the Fire Department reports call for service
types and totals, and some response time measures, but these again are not tied to a City Council
policy of what level of outcome is desirable.
Current best practice nationally is to measure percent completion of a goal (i.e., 90 percent of
responses) instead of an average measure, as many fire departments did in the past. Response
goal measures should start with the time of fire dispatch receiving the 911 call to the arrival of
the first unit at the emergency, and the measure should state what is delivered and what the
expected outcome is desired to be.
Percent of completed goal measures are better than the measure of average, because average just
identifies the central or middle point of response time performance for all calls for service in the
data set. From an average statement, it is impossible to know how many incidents had response
times that were considerably over the average or just over. For example, if a department had an
average response time of 5 minutes for 5,000 calls for service, it cannot be determined how many
calls past the average point of 5 minutes were answered slightly past the 5th minute, in the 6th
minute or way beyond at 10 minutes. This is a significant issue if hundreds or thousands of calls
are answered much beyond the average point.
Finding #1: The City does not have a fire deployment measure adopted by the
City Council that includes a beginning time measure starting from
the point of dispatch receiving the 911-phone call, and a goal
statement tied to risks and outcome expectations. The deployment
measure should have a second measurement statement to define
multiple-unit response coverage for serious emergencies. Making
these deployment goal changes will meet the best practice
recommendations of the Center for Public Safety Excellence
(formerly the Commission on Fire Accreditation International).
In national recommendations years ago, it was thought to take 1 minute for the company to
receive the dispatch and get the apparatus moving. However, as will be discussed later, even 1
minute for company turnout is unrealistic, given the need to don mandated protective safety
clothing and to be seated and belted in before the apparatus begins to move.
Thus, from the time of 911 receiving the call, an effective deployment system is beginning to
manage the problem within 7 minutes total reflex time. This is right at the point that brain death
is becoming irreversible and the fire has grown to the point to leave the room of origin and
become very serious. Yes, sometimes the emergency is too severe even before the Fire
Department is called in for the responding company to reverse the outcome; however, given an
appropriate response time policy and if the system is well designed, then only issues like bad
weather, poor traffic conditions or a significant number of multiple emergencies will slow the
response system. Consequently, a properly designed system will give the citizens hope of a
positive outcome for their tax dollar expenditure.
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2.3 SAN LUIS OBISPO FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT
The City mostly contains a mix of older, single- and multi-family dwellings, small and larger
businesses, and retailers. There are also some office park buildings, smaller warehouse and light
manufacturing facilities, with some newer and some very old. In addition to the City area, the
Department protects under contract the very large and diverse Cal Poly Campus. The campus has
other effects on the community by driving a demand for various types of student housing, some
of which are rental units owned by out-of-town parties. Both newcomers to the community, as
well as long-term residents, may not realize the community assets that are at risk today in such a
vibrant and diverse community. The City is charged with responding to a variety of
emergencies, from fires to medical calls to special hazards and cargo transportation emergencies
on the highway. Here is a partial inventory of the types of risk demographics in addition to the
visible homes and business buildings:
Some hazardous materials storage, use, and release, including industrial and
transportation on the highway and Union Pacific Railroad
Local businesses use hazardous materials and are regulated by the fire prevention
bureau
Wildland fires
Weather and seismic disaster potential
Newer mid- and high-rise buildings – both downtown and Cal Poly
Large retail sales buildings
County community airport (City Fire is the secondary responder)
Residential care facilities, many of them for the elderly
Student housing.
In the downtown area, there are twelve significant new projects in the planning stages that
include a mix of retail and multi-story building office or residential uses. In just commercial uses
downtown, there are over 77,000 square feet of new space planned. Including the new southern
annexation areas, there could be up to 700,000 square feet of commercial space added by the
build-out of the City. There also continues to be small in-fill housing projects built or planned
across the City in the range of 979 additional units. Overall the total number of housing units
envisioned at build-out is 24,300 or up modestly from the current number of 20,222. At a factor
of 2.19 persons per household, this increase in units could add 8,900 additional residents,
increasing the total population to just over 53,000. This does not include the Cal Poly Campus
amounts.
In the southern and western City areas, there are several planned annexations either recently
completed or proposed. The recent additions include the Airport and the Margarita Specific Plan
Areas. The housing numbers cited above included these new areas.
Other possible future annexations could include the Chevron land areas in the south and to the
west, a proposal by Congregation Beth David in collaboration with the Twisselman and
Madonna families for the annexation of approximately 1,386 acres of property. This area is
identified as Area 9 of the Sphere of Influence update and is roughly bounded by Los Osos
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Valley Road, Foothill Blvd. and the existing City limits. The building and population effects of
these possible annexations is unknown, but given the character of planning to date in San Luis
Obispo as well as the environmental and topographic constraints on these lands, increases in
buildings and population will likely be modest.
While some of the above new construction may be slowed due to the national economic
downturn, these projects are all desirable and will eventually be built.
The significance of the above information is that the City must be staffed, equipped and trained
to deal with (at least through the first alarm level prior to automatic or mutual aid) most any type
of emergency faced by a United States fire department. True, the City does not have an
international airport, an oil refinery, or major rail terminal, but that is about all the Fire
Department does not experience in its calls for service.
To its credit the City has adopted over the years a very stringent automatic fire sprinkler building
code ordinance that exceeds the state building code minimums and basically requires all
buildings larger than 1,000 square feet to be fully fire sprinklered.
The Department does not operate a full-featured fire records system and as such accurate fire
dollar loss estimates are not available. However, in reviewing the records available, most recent
building fires have started small and allowed the available on-duty force to catch them. The
reasons for this can range from the impact of automatic fire sprinklers to the fire being still small
upon being reported, to the fire having occurred close to a fire station, being in a newer building,
and most importantly, the fire being attacked with a prompt and effectively sized response force.
In order to understand the importance of response time in achieving satisfactory outcomes, the
deployment of resources must be based upon assessment of the values at risk. There are actually
many different types of values at risk depending upon the nature of the emergency. At a very
basic level, a fire in a structure is among the most frequent events with a measurable outcome. A
single patient medical emergency is a different event, and while it is the most frequent, it is
normally not as threatening to life and property as the structure fire since the structure fire can
spread from building to building and eventually become a conflagration.
The fire incident reporting system indicates a wide variety of events that can result in a call for
service, but it is a reported fire in a building that is the essence of a fire department’s deployment
plan. This same reporting system is often the only statistically significant evidence of the
frequency and consequence regarding the values at risk in any community.
2.3.1 Building Fire Risk
In addition to the building and community demographics cited above, in a Standards of Response
Coverage study, building fire risk can also be understood by looking at larger classes of
buildings as well as the wildfire potential that surrounds the City.
In Map #2 in the mapping appendix to this study (found in Volume 2, separately bound), are
displayed the locations of the commercial buildings that the Insurance Service Office (ISO) has
sent an evaluation engineer into for underwriting purposes. Also mapped are the buildings the
Fire Department has separately identified, as higher risk for serious fires, should one start. Then
on the perimeter of the City the wildfire threat zones are mapped as identified by the City and
CAL FIRE.
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One of the measures the ISO collects is called fire flow, or the amount of water that would need
to be applied if the building were seriously involved in fire. The measure of fire flow is
expressed in gallons per minute (gpm). In the City, the ISO has data on 218 commercial
buildings. Of these, 49 buildings have required fire flows of 2,000 gpm or higher. There are a
total of 12 buildings with fire flows in excess of 3,500 gpm. This is a significant amount of
firefighting water to deploy, and a major fire at any one of these buildings would outstrip the on-
duty City fire staffing and even the two near-by CAL FIRE Stations. Using the generally
accepted figure of fifty gallons per minute per firefighter on large building fires, a fire in a
building requiring 2,000 gallons per minute would require 40 firefighters, or three times the on-
duty staffing of thirteen (13) firefighters in the City.
The Department also used a U.S. Fire Administration building fire risk assessment tool that
looked at the commercial buildings from a variety of fire and life safety measures and found that
46 buildings were “high hazard” properties in that if they caught fire, the entire building, its
occupants and adjoining buildings would be very much at risk.
In the new southern annexation areas, in addition to the ISO buildings identified above, City Fire
Prevention has identified 119 buildings, some large, that the Department now has to inspect and
respond to. Given their age and that they have been built in the County over a long period of
time, most of the small- to mid-size buildings are not covered with fire sprinklers.
An effective response force is the deployment of multiple units (pumpers, ladder trucks and
incident commander) so they can arrive close enough together to combat serious fires and keep
them to less than greater alarm size. This refers back to the earlier points in this report on speed
and weight of attack. The massing of units in a timely manner (weight) must be such that serious
fires do not typically become larger. Since City zoning has placed these buildings throughout the
City, this places additional pressure to have a multiple-unit effective response force of pumpers,
and, also importantly, ladder trucks throughout the more built-up areas of the City.
2.3.2 Special Hazard Risks
The City has approximately 300 businesses that use or resell hazardous materials. Examples are
gasoline stations and dry cleaners. These businesses are highly regulated by the building, fire
and environmental codes. The Fire Department Fire Prevention Bureau handles the code
enforcement of advanced hazardous materials state regulations along with the City fire
prevention inspectors under the fire code. The City participates in a countywide shared, regional
fire department Hazardous Materials Response Team for serious incidents.
2.3.3 Wildland Fire Risk
The wildfire threat in San Luis Obispo is significant, as many of the City’s edge neighborhoods
are exposed to wildland fuels and upslope terrain, all of which combine to pose a real danger.
Examples of these areas are Bishop’s Peak, the Perfumo Canyon/Irish Hills Open Space, the
Bowden Ranch Open Space, the Cerro San Luis Open Space, and Islay Hills. Additionally, over
the decades the City has, in fact, experienced serious wildfires on its borders. To combat this
risk, the City works closely with its mutual aid partner fire departments while training and
equipping its firefighters for wildland firefighting in San Luis Obispo County conditions.
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2.3.4 Desired Outcomes
Once policy makers choose outcomes, then the response system can be designed with staffing
and station locations to accomplish the desired outcomes. An outcome example is, “confine a
residential fire to the room of origin.” That outcome requires a more aggressive response time
and staffing plan than “confine the fire to the building of origin, to keep it from spreading to
adjoining structures.”
Given the Fire Department’s current response time goal and its Class 2 fire insurance
classification rating, the City has, in effect, adopted a structure fire goal of deploying a
significant force to building fires to contain the fire near the room, or compartment, of origin, if
the fire is small to modest when first reported. By delivering paramedics via fire engines, the
City has committed to a higher level of emergency medical care than the County Ambulance
System can deliver by itself.
2.4 STAFFING – WHAT MUST BE DONE OVER WHAT TIMEFRAME TO ACHIEVE THE STATED
OUTCOME EXPECTATION?
The next step in the Standards of Response Cover process is to take the risk information above
and review what the firefighting staffing is, and what it is capable of, over what timeframe.
Fires and complex medical emergencies require a timely, coordinated effort in order to stop the
escalation of the emergency. Once the tasks and time to accomplish them to deliver a desired
outcome are set, travel time, and thus station spacing, can be calculated to deliver the requisite
number of firefighters over an appropriate timeframe.
2.4.1 Offensive vs. Defensive Strategies in Structure Fires Based on Risk
Presented
Most fire departments use a strategy that places emphasis upon the distinction between offensive
or defensive methods. These strategies can be summarized:
It is important to have an understanding of the duties and tasks required at a
structural fire to meet the strategic goals and tactical objectives of the Fire
Department response. Firefighting operations fall in one of two strategies –
offensive or defensive.
We may risk our lives a lot to protect savable lives.
We may risk our lives a little to protect savable property.
We will not risk our lives at all to save what is already lost.
Considering the level of risk, the Incident Commander will choose the proper
strategy to be used at the fire scene. The Incident Commander must take into
consideration the available resources (including firefighters) when determining
the appropriate strategy to address any incident. The strategy can also change
with conditions or because certain benchmarks are achieved or not achieved. For
example, an important benchmark is “all clear,” which means that all persons who
can be saved have been removed from danger or placed in a safe refuge area.
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Once it has been determined that the structure is safe to enter, an offensive fire
attack is centered on life safety of the occupants. When it is safe to do so,
departments will initiate offensive operations at the scene of a structure fire.
Initial attack efforts will be directed at supporting a primary search – the first
attack line will go between the victims and the fire to protect avenues of rescue
and escape.
The decision to operate in a defensive strategy indicates that the offensive attack
strategy, or the potential for one, has been abandoned for reasons of personnel
safety, and the involved structure has been conceded as lost (the Incident
Commander makes a conscious decision to write the structure off). The
announcement of a change to a defensive strategy means all personnel will
withdraw from the structure and maintain a safe distance from the building.
Officers will account for their crews. Interior lines will be withdrawn and
repositioned. Exposed properties will be identified and protected.
For safety, Federal and State Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OSHA) mandate that
firefighters cannot enter a burning structure past the incipient or small fire stage, without doing
so in teams of 2, one team inside and one team outside, ready to rescue them. This totals a
minimum of 4 firefighters on the fireground to initiate an interior attack. The only exception is
when there is a known life inside to be rescued. This reason, along with the fact that a four-
person company can perform more tasks simultaneously than a three-person company, is why
NFPA Deployment Standard 1710 for career fire departments recommends four-person company
staffing on engines (pumpers) as well as on ladder trucks.
Many fire department deployment studies using the Standards of Response Coverage process, as
well as NFPA guidelines, arrive at the same fact – that an average (typically defined by the
NFPA as a modest single-family dwelling) risk structure fire needs a minimum of 14 to 15
firefighters, plus one on-scene incident commander. The NFPA 1710 recommendation is that
the first unit should arrive on-scene within 6 minutes of call receipt (1-minute dispatch, 1-minute
company turnout, and 4-minute travel), 90 percent of the time. The balance of the units should
arrive within 10 minutes of call receipt (8-minute travel), 90 percent of the time, if they hope to
keep the fire from substantially destroying the building. (The NFPA recommendation of 1-
minute dispatch time is generally attainable; the 1-minute company turnout time is generally
unattainable considering the time it takes firefighters to don the required full personal protective
equipment.)
For an extreme example, to confine a fire to one room in a multi-story building requires many
more firefighters than in a single-story family home in a suburban zone. The amount of staffing
needed can be derived from the desired outcome and risk class. If the community desires to
confine a one-room fire in a residence to the room or area of origin, that effort will require a
minimum of 14 personnel plus incident commander. This number of firefighters is the minimum
needed to safely conduct the simultaneous operational tasks of rescue, fire attack, and ventilation
plus providing for firefighter accountability and incident command in a modest, one fire hose
line house fire. A significant fire in a two-story residential building or a one-story commercial or
multi-story building would require, at a minimum, an additional two to three engines and an
additional truck and chief officer, for upwards of 12 plus additional personnel. As the required
fire flow water gallonage increases, concurrently the required number of firefighters increases.
Simultaneously, the travel distance for additional personnel increases creating an exponential
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 26
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impact on the fire problem. A typical auto accident requiring multiple-patient extrication or
other specialty rescue incidents will require a minimum of 10 firefighters plus the incident
commander for accountability and control.
2.4.2 Daily Unit Staffing in the City
Below is the typical minimum daily unit staffing assignment in the City currently:
Units and Staffing Daily Plan
Minimum Per Unit Extended
3 Engines @ 3 Firefighters/day 9
1 Ladder Truck @ 4 Firefighters/day 4
Subtotal firefighters:13
1 Battalion Chief @ 1 Per day for command 1
Total 24/hr Personnel: 14
In addition to the City daily staffing listed above, CAL FIRE operating under contract as the San
Luis Obispo County Fire Department operates two stations near the City, one at the northern City
limits near the entrance to Cal Poly, and a southern station at the County Airport. The staffing on
these companies can vary from a minimum of two up to four or more during fire season. The
City and County Fire Departments operate under an “automatic aid” policy where they each send
one closest unit in defined northern and southern City areas. This policy means that most City
building fires receive a County Fire unit, if available and not on a County or CAL FIRE
assignment. This means that initial staffing on a City building fire can increase by 2-4 personnel.
2.4.3 Staffing Discussion
If the City provides fire services at all, safety of the public and firefighters must be the first
consideration. Additionally, the chief officers, as on-scene incident commanders, must be well
trained and competent, since they are liable for mistakes that violate the law. An under-staffed,
poorly led token force will not only be unable to stop a fire, it also opens the City up for real
liability should the Fire Department fail.
As stated earlier in this section, national norms indicate that 14 or so firefighters, including an
incident commander, are needed at significant building fires if the expected outcome is to
contain the fire to the room of origin and to be able to simultaneously and safely perform all the
critical tasks needed. The reason for this is that the clock is still running on the problem after
arrival, and too few firefighters on-scene will mean the fire can still grow faster than the efforts
to contain it. Chief Officers also need to arrive at the scene in a timely manner in order to
intervene and provide the necessary incident command leadership and critical decision making to
the organization.
To meet its goal of sending 3 engines and 1 ladder truck to serious building fires, the City has to
send 100 percent of its on-duty force. Then to augment its staffing above a minimum of 13, it has
to send the 5th unit from the County Fire Department. However, these units are slightly delayed
during the dispatch step, as they are not dispatched from the same communications center. Given
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the occurrence of building fires in the City at approximately 65 per year, or about five per month,
the City can typically field enough firefighters at a modest building fire, but when it does so, it
does not have any remaining force for simultaneous calls, even medical ones. Mutual aid units
and the regional ambulance provider would cover any such simultaneous calls.
2.4.4 Company Critical Task Time Measures
In order to understand the time it takes to complete all the needed tasks on a moderate residential
fire and a modest emergency medical rescue, the Department staff provided information using
their standard operating procedures to demonstrate how much time the entire operations take.
The following tables start with the time of fire dispatch notification and finish with the outcome
achieved. There are several important themes contained in these tables:
1. These results were obtained under best conditions, in that the day was sunny and
moderate in temperature. The structure fire response times are from actual events,
showing how units arrive at staggered intervals.
2. It is noticeable how much time it takes after arrival or after the event is ordered by
command to actually accomplish key tasks to arrive at the actual outcome. This is
because it requires firefighters to carry out the ordered tasks. The fewer the
firefighters, the longer some task completion times will be. Critical steps are
highlighted in grey in the table.
3. The time for task completion is usually a function of how many personnel are
simultaneously available so that firefighters can complete some tasks
simultaneously.
4. Some tasks have to be assigned to a minimum of two firefighters to comply with
safety regulations. An example is that two firefighters would be required for
searching a smoke filled room for a victim.
The following tables of unit and individual duties are required at a first alarm fire scene at a
typical single-family dwelling fire. This set of duties is taken from Department operational
procedures. This set of needed duties is entirely consistent with the usual and customary
findings of other agencies using the Standards of Response Cover process and that found in
NFPA 1710. No conditions existed to override the OSHA 2-in/2-out safety policy.
Shown below are the critical tasks for a typical single-family house fire with two rooms burning
on the 2nd floor. The response force is three engines, one ladder truck, one Battalion Chief
responding for a total of 14 personnel (table continued on following page):
Critical Tasks – Structure Fires
Structure Fire Incident Tasks
Time From
Arrival 1st
Engine
Total Reflex
Time
Pre-arrival time of dispatch, turnout and travel to 90% of calls 7:45
Engine 3 arrives – on scene report 00:00
Pre-connect hose line to front door – 1 firefighter (FF) eventually to be
joined by Captain 3
01:20
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Time From
Structure Fire Incident Tasks
Arrival 1st Total Reflex
Engine Time
Engine 3 size-up, full walk around, condition report 01:28
Engine 3’s 1 ¾” line (200’) charged at front door 02:00 9:45
Battalion Chief on-scene (01:13): assumes command 02:11
Truck 1 on-scene 02:20
Truck 1 assigned roof ventilation and utilities 02:40
Engine 3 Captain and FF3 ready for entry (on air) 03.29
CAL FIRE Engine on-scene, assigned exposure residence 03:48
Truck 1 – Ventilation, first ladder to roof 04:10
Engine 2 on-scene – assigned Rapid Intervention (RIC) and water
supply
04:15
Engine 4 on-scene assigned Primary Search with back-up attack line
(1 ¾” x 200’)
04:45
Engine 3 – Attack line advanced interior via front door 05:40 13:25
Truck 1 – Ventilation, second ladder to roof 05:05
Truck 1 – Utilities controlled 06:03
Water supply to attack pumper E3 07:00
T1 – Ventilation – Heat hole in roof complete 07:33
CAL FIRE Engine – water to exposure line side D 08:10
Engine 3 – Fire knocked down on second floor 09:06 16:51
E4 primary search – first floor “All Clear” 10:00
E4 primary search – second floor “All Clear” 11:25
Incident under control 11:25 19:10
A similar timed drill was conducted simulating a fire in a second-story room of a three-story
apartment complex. There was full fire involvement of the living room, kitchen and dining room
area. The occupants evacuating, but it was unknown as to if all were out. Upon size-up, 1
person was observed on the 3rd floor window above the fire yelling that he is trapped – but is not
yet in immediate danger. In this scenario the time to having the fire under control was 14:45
(minutes/seconds) after the arrival of the first unit, or 22:20 from the time of receiving the 911
call. This more complicated problem took over 3 minutes longer to control.
The above duties grouped together to form an effective response force or first alarm assignment.
Remember that the above discrete tasks must be performed simultaneously and effectively to
achieve the desired outcome. Just arriving on-scene does not stop the escalation of the
emergency. Firefighters accomplishing the above tasks do, but as they are being performed, the
clock is still running, and has been since the emergency first started.
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Fire spread in a structure can double in size during its free burn period. Many studies have
shown that a small fire can spread to engulf the entire room in less than 4 to 5 minutes after open
burning has started. Once the room is completely superheated and involved in fire (known as
flashover) then the fire will spread quickly throughout the structure and into the attic and walls.
For this reason, it is imperative that fire attack and search commence before the flashover point
occurs, if the outcome goal is to keep the fire damage in or near the room of origin. In addition,
flashover presents a serious danger to both firefighters and any occupants of the building.
For comparison purposes, the critical task table below reviews the tasks needed on a typical auto
accident rescue. The situation modeled was a two-car collision with three patients and one of
these entrapped. Three engines and the Battalion Chief responded with a total of ten (10)
personnel. (table continued on following page)
Critical Tasks – Auto Incident – 2 Vehicle, 2 Patients – Air Transport
Vehicle Extrication Critical Tasks
Time From
Arrival 1st
Engine
Total Reflex
Time
Pre-arrival time of dispatch, turnout and travel to 90% of calls 9:00
Engine 4 on-scene report, hot lap. PD controlling traffic. 00:00
Patient contact – patient conscious, complains of mild chest
pain and possible fractured left tibia. Contact by E4 Capt.
01:06
1 ¾” hose line pulled and charged, check for down fluids
(coolant only). By E4 FF/Medic
01:16
Ambulance on scene, assigned 2 mild patients 02:00
E4 FF/Medic with patient, axial stabilization started 02:11 11:11
Initial vehicle stabilization (chocks, shut-off motor, steering
wheel cover)
03:05
E3 on-scene, assigned extrication 03:38
BC on-scene and does walk around 04:43
E2 arrives, assigned safety – Captain as safety officer 04:45
E2 engineer staffs charged hose line 05:33
The following completed by E3 crew:
Vehicle stabilized 04:48 13:48
2 personnel ready to force driver door 06:00
Extrication tools to front of vehicle, tools connected 06:35
Door removal completed 10:18
Other activities:
Second extrication tool brought to scene and started by E2 06:45
Battery disconnected 08:30
Second ambulance on scene 08:30
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Time From
Vehicle Extrication Critical Tasks
Arrival 1st Total Reflex
Engine Time
Plan formulated to remove patient out driver’s side 10:30
Patient extricated 11:24 20:24
Patient packaged in Full Spinal Precautions 13:44
Total Time to Control 13:44 22:44
The table above shows typical task times for good patient care outcomes. These patient care
times and steps are consistent with San Luis Obispo County patient care protocols and would
provide positive outcomes where medically possible.
2.4.5 Critical Task Measures Evaluation
What does a deployment study derive from a response time and company task time analysis?
The total completion times above to stop the escalation of the emergency have to be compared to
outcomes. We know from nationally published fire service “time vs. temperature” tables that
after about 4 to 5 minutes of free burning a room fire will grow to the point of flashover where
the entire room is engulfed, the structure becomes threatened and human survival near or in the
fire room becomes impossible. We know that brain death begins to occur within 4 to 6 minutes
of the heart having stopped. Thus, the effective response force must arrive in time to stop these
catastrophic events from occurring.
The response and task completion times discussed above show that the residents of the City are
able to expect positive outcomes and have a better than not chance of survival in a modest fire or
medical emergency, when the first responding units are available in 7 minutes or less total
response time.
The point of the tables above is that mitigating an emergency event is a team effort once the units
have arrived. This refers back to the “weight” of response analogy. If too few personnel arrive
too slowly, then the emergency will get worse, not better. Control of the structure fire incident
still took 11 minutes after the time of the first unit’s arrival, or 19 minutes from fire dispatch
notification. The outcome times, of course, will be longer, with less desirable results, if the
arriving force is later or smaller.
In San Luis Obispo the quantity of staffing and the time frame it arrives in can be critical in a
serious fire. As the risk assessment portion of this study identified, the City’s housing stock is
diverse and increasingly used by the young and the elderly (over 11,000 residents). There are
many multi-story buildings, any of which can slow the firefighting times as personnel and tools
have to be walked to upper floors. Fires in these buildings could well require the initial
firefighters needing to rescue trapped, or immobile occupants. If a lightly staffed force arrives
they cannot simultaneously conduct rescue and firefighting operations.
In EMS trauma incidents, the patient is initially being assessed within 11 minutes total reflex
time and is able to be transported within 22 minutes. These times are good for trauma patients,
when all the needed units can arrive by minute 7, which is not always possible at the outer
perimeter areas of the City, or when multiple calls for service occur.
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However, each of these incidents, while only being moderate in size, required 10 to 14
personnel. If 14 City personnel are committed to a building fire, this is 100 percent of the entire
on-duty force for a single modest structure fire. Response needs greater than this always will
require mutual aid assistance from adjoining departments. Even at that, once the two nearby
County fire stations respond (if available) other mutual aid fire units are much farther away.
Fires and complex medical incidents require that the other needed units arrive in time to
complete an effective intervention. Time is one factor that comes from proper station
placement. Good performance also comes from adequate staffing. On the fire and rescue time
measures above, the City can do a good job, in terms of time, on one moderate building fire or
two routine medical calls. This is typical of departments that staff few 3-person companies for
average, routine emergencies. However, major fires and medical emergencies where the closest
unit is not available to respond will challenge the City response system to deliver good outcomes.
This factor must be taken into account when we look at fire station locations.
Previous critical task studies conducted by Citygate, the Standard of Response Cover documents
reviewed from accredited fire departments, and NFPA recommendations all arrive at the need for
14+ firefighters plus a command chief arriving within 11 minutes (from the time of call) at a
room and contents structure fire to be able to simultaneously and effectively perform the tasks of
rescue, fire attack and ventilation.
If fewer firefighters arrive, what from the list of tasks mentioned would not be done? Most
likely, the search team will be delayed, as will ventilation. The attack lines only have two
firefighters, which does not allow for rapid movement above the first floor deployment. Rescue
is done with only two-person teams; thus, when rescue is essential, other tasks are not done in a
simultaneous, timely manner. Remember what this report stated in the beginning: effective
deployment is about the speed (travel time) and the weight (firefighters) of the attack.
Yes, 13 initial firefighters (3 engines, 1 ladder truck) can handle a low risk house fire (especially
on the first floor). An effective response force of even 16 will be seriously slowed if the fire is
above the first floor in a low-rise apartment building or commercial / industrial building.
Finding #2: The diversity, age and size of the City and Cal Poly building stock
and the increasing numbers of younger and older populations
means that there is a greater chance of more serious fires where
rescues will be necessary, and if so, the current quantity of
firefighter staffing will be quickly overwhelmed with too many
critical tasks to accomplish.
When the on-duty staffing is stretched thin, the City can bring in automatic or mutual aid
equipment, but from a distance and under the assumption that the aiding department is not
already busy. Given that some of the current built-up areas of the City seem to have the
minimum number of firefighters for an initial attack on a building fire, does the mapping and
analysis of prior response times show the City is meeting desired policy goals or reasonably
modified ones, and can the system provide the same level of service equitably to all
neighborhoods?
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2.5 CURRENT STATION LOCATION CONFIGURATIONS
The City is served today by four fire stations. As part of this fire services study, it is appropriate
to understand what the existing stations do and do not cover, if there are any coverage gaps
needing one or more stations, and what, if anything, to do about them as the City continues to
evolve. In brief, there are two geographic perspectives to fire station deployment:
Distribution – the spreading out or spacing of first-due fire units to stop routine
emergencies.
Concentration – the clustering of fire stations close enough together so that
building fires can receive enough resources from multiple fire stations quickly
enough. This is known as the Effective Response Force or commonly the “first
alarm assignment” – the collection of a sufficient number of firefighters on-scene,
delivered within the concentration time goal to stop the escalation of the problem.
To analyze first-due and first alarm fire unit travel time coverage for this study, Citygate used a
geographic mapping tool called FireView that can measure travel distance over the street
network. Citygate ran several deployment map studies and measured their impact on various
parts of the community.
The maps (found in Volume 2 of this study) display travel time using prior City incident data to
adjust the normal posted speed limits per type of street to those more reflective of slower fire
truck travel times. Since the City does not currently have a City Council adopted travel time
measure, the initial map measures in this study are 4 minutes travel time for first-due units for
good suburban outcomes as suggested by NFPA 1710. For a first alarm, multiple-unit coverage,
the “concentration” of units measure in this mapping study is based on an 8-minute travel time as
suggested in NFPA 1710. When one minute is added for dispatch reflex time and two minutes
for company notification times, the maps then effectively show the area covered within 7
minutes for first-due units and 11 minutes for a first alarm assignment from the time the 911 call
is made.
An additional measure used was the Insurance Service Office 1.5-mile recommendation for first-
due fire companies and 2.5-mile service for second-due companies and ladder trucks. 1.5 miles
driving distance equates to 3.5 to 4 minutes travel time over the road network.
The map set in this study also shows coverage from the closest, nearby automatic aid fire stations
from County Fire. The first goal is to determine if the City can substantially cover itself with its
fire stations in appropriate response times. If so, then the automatic aid coverage is useful for
back-up unit response when City units are on other incidents.
Map #1 – Existing Fire Station Locations
This first map shows the City and its current fire stations along with the two County fire stations
that are part of the regional closet unit response system. This map view, then, is important to
remember as later maps in the set display the fire station coverage areas.
Map #2 – Risk Assessment
Displayed here are the locations of the higher fire flow buildings as calculated by the Insurance
service Office (ISO). Most of these buildings are along the major road corridors due to zoning.
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 33
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These are the buildings that must receive a timely effective first alarm force to serious fires.
Also displayed in blue are the locations of the Fire Department identified higher hazard
buildings. For either of these measures, risk measurements do not exist for the Cal Poly campus.
On the perimeter of the City, the wildland fire threat severity zones are mapped.
Finally, the new southern annexation growth areas are identified.
Map #3 – First-Due Unit Distribution – Existing Stations
This map shows in green colored street segments the distribution or first-due response time for
each current City or County fire station per a desirable suburban response goal of 4 minutes
travel time. Thus, the computer shows how far each company can reach within 7 minutes fire
department total response time from the time of the fire communications center receiving the
call. Therefore, the limit of color per station area is the time an engine could reach the 4-minute
travel time limit, assuming they are in-station and encounter no unusual traffic delays. In
addition, the computer uses speed limits per roadway type that are slowed by actual fire unit
travel times. Thus, the projection is a very close modeling of the real world.
As can be seen in this measure the shape of the City is very hard to serve, even with a grid type
road network in the City core. The existing stations are somewhat laid out on a NW-SE line with
Station 4 over in the southwest neighborhood area. While much of the City is within 4 minutes
travel time of a fire station, some of the edges and the south central existing or annexation areas
are not. The Cal Poly campus is also not completely covered within the 4-minute drive time, but
this is not a City Council policy decision as the CSU system contracts for fire protection from the
City at the level the City can provide, not per a CSU response time policy.
A goal for the City could be to cover 90 percent of the geography containing higher population
densities with a first-due unit coverage plan based on a goal measure statement to deliver
acceptable outcomes. This would only leave the very hard-to-serve outer edge areas with longer
coverage times, and depending on the emergency, with less effective outcomes.
There should be some overlap between station areas so that a second-due unit can have a chance
of an adequate response time when it covers a call for another station. The outer perimeter areas
are hard to serve, and in many cases, cost-prohibitive to serve for a small number of calls for
service.
The message to be taken from this map is that it would be very challenging for the City to
improve travel time coverage without adding fire stations. The size of the southern annexation
areas are just too large for either of the existing City or County stations to cover in a desirable
suburban outcome travel time of 4 minutes. These areas are not yet highly populated and would
receive coverage within 10 minutes or less driving time, meeting an NFPA 1720 emerging
suburban or rural level of response coverage.
Map #4 – ISO Engine Coverage Areas – Existing City Stations
This map exhibit displays the Insurance Service Office (ISO) requirement that stations cover a
1.5-mile distance response area. Depending on the road network in a department, the 1.5-mile
measure usually equates to a 3- to 4-minute travel time. However, a 1.5-mile measure is a
reasonable indicator of station spacing and overlap. As with the 4-minute drive time map, much
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 34
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of the populated core of the City is served within 1.5-mile distance from the existing fire stations.
As the 4-minute map projected, the southern annexation areas are not.
It should be noted that the 1.5-mile coverage distance is slightly better than the 4-minute drive
time model, especially in the Cal Poly campus. This is because the 4-minute model used real fire
unit travel times to calibrate how fast larger fire units actually cover the street network. Thus
depending on time of day (rush hour, civic events) and weather the actual travel times will be
between the two models. Stated this way, the two models represent the best and least coverages
likely and both state that the southern annexation areas cannot be covered within suburban
outcome travel times.
Map #5 – Concentration (First Alarm) – City and Mutual Aid Stations
This map exhibit shows the concentration or massing of fire companies for serious fire or rescue
calls. Building fires, in particular, require 14+ firefighters arriving within a reasonable time
frame to work together and effectively to stop the escalation of the emergency. Otherwise, if too
few firefighters arrive, or arrive too late in the fire’s progress, the result is a greater alarm fire,
which is more dangerous to the public and the firefighters.
The concentration map exhibits look at the Department’s ability to deploy three of its engines,
one ladder truck, one Battalion Chief and one mutual aid engine to building fires within 8
minutes travel time (11 minutes total Fire Department response time from the 911 call receipt).
This measure ensures that a minimum of 13 City firefighters, one Battalion Chief and 2 to 3
County firefighters can be deployed at the incident to work simultaneously and effectively to
stop the spread of a modest fire.
The green color in the map shows the area where the City’s current fire deployment system
should deliver the initial effective response force. Streets without the green highlights do not
have three engines, one ladder truck and the Battalion Chief in 8 minutes travel time.
As can be seen, due to the spacing of the City and mutual aid fire stations, an effective response
force of 4 to 5 stations can be gathered in much of the City. While this is effective coverage, it is
built upon receiving aid from one or both of the County stations.
Map #6 – Battalion Chief and Ladder Truck Coverage
This map displays the 8-minute travel time coverage for the ladder truck and Battalion Chief
from Station 1. It shows that the ladder unit coverage depth in 8 minutes is good, even to the Cal
Poly campus and much of the southern annexation areas. Thus, Station 1 should continue to be
the location of these specialty units.
Map #7 – All Incident Locations
This is an overlay of the exact location for all fire department incident types for three years from
July 2004 through July 2008. It is apparent that there is a need for fire department services in all
of the station areas of the City. It also should be noted that call for service volumes are higher
where the population densities and human activity are the highest. This is normal, as people
drive calls for service more than do open space areas.
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Map #8 – EMS Incident Locations
This map further breaks out only the emergency medical and rescue call locations. Again, with
the majority of the calls for service being emergency medical, almost all streets need fire
department services.
It should be noted that even over a four-year period, the actual calls inside the Cal Poly campus
were few. The same may not be true in the southern annexation areas, as this study did not plot
the calls that only the County Fire unit might have responded to.
Map #9 – All Fire Type Locations
This map identifies the location of all fires in the City. All fires include any type of fire call
from auto to dumpster to building. There are obviously fewer fires than medical or rescue calls.
Even given this, while it is evident that all first-due station areas experience fires with Station 1
and 2’s area, with the greatest population density, having the most fires.
Map #10 – Structure Fire Locations
This map is similar to the previous map, but only displays structure fires for four years. While
the structure fire count is a smaller subset of the total fire count, there are two meaningful
findings to this map. There are still structure fires in every first-due fire company area. The
location of many of the building fires parallels the higher risk and older building type
commercial areas in the more built-up areas of the City. Fires in the more complicated building
types must be controlled quickly or the losses will be very large.
Map #11 – All Incident Location Hot Spots
This map set examines, by mathematical density, where clusters of incident activity occurred. In
this set, all incidents are plotted by high-density workload. For each density measure, the darker
the color, the greater the quantity of incidents in a small area. This type of map makes the
location of frequent workload more meaningful than just mapping the dots of all locations as
done in Map #7.
Why is this perspective important? Overlap of units and ensuring the delivery of a good
concentration for the effective response force. When we compare this type of map with the
concentration map, we want the best concentration of unit coverage (first alarm) to be where the
greatest density of calls for service occurs. For the City, this mostly occurs in Station 1’s area,
which also receives timely back-up support from both Stations 2 and 3.
Map #12 – EMS Incident Location Densities
This map set is similar to Map #11, but only the medical and rescue hot spots of activity are
plotted. The clusters of activity look very similar to the all-incident set in Map #11 because
medical calls are such a large part of the total.
It should be noted that Station 3 has a very high density of medical calls close to it. This district,
while somewhat separated from the City core and containing mostly housing has multiple
medical and invalid care buildings. As such, even though Station 3 appears from a map view to
be placed too far out to the edge of the City, it is actually very well located close to the majority
of its calls for service.
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Map #13 – All Fire Location Densities
This map sets shows the hot spot activity for all fires. Again, the call-for-service density is
highest in the northern half of the City.
Map #14 – Structure Fire Densities
This map only shows the structure fire workload by density. Here, the activity clusters are
spread across more areas of the City, due to the actual lower quantity of structure fires.
2.5.1 Possible Re-Deployment Scenarios
As these baseline coverage maps were understood, Citygate worked with the City staff to
identify and test the impacts of possible re-deployment scenarios. The next series of maps will
explain the best-fit choices identified.
Map #15a – Effect of Adding a 5th City Fire Station
Given the size of the southern annexation areas, Citygate and staff looked at the effect of adding
another fire station. Prior to this, Citygate used the mapping computer model to look separately
at the coverage zone of the County station at the airport as well as moving Station 3 westerly. No
combination of moves could cover any of the annexation area substantially without uncovering
existing City neighborhoods.
City staffed identified two possible station sites in the annexation area and Citygate added into
the road network two important future interconnect streets. The best-fit station site that could
cover the most under-served road miles in 4 minutes driving time was located across the street
from 265 Tank Farm Road on the north side of the road.
The advantage to this site is that it improves two areas – the existing under-covered area east of
Station 4 and much of the annexation areas. Both this station and the County Airport area station
might cover more of the annexation area if, as development streets are master planned, more
cross connect streets can be designed in the second phase airport annexation area.
Map #15b – Concentration of Stations With a 5th Fire Station
If this map is compared to Map #5 the addition of another fire station on the southern area
greatly increases multiple-unit coverage in much of the City from five to six or seven units. Even
westerly in Station 4’s area, the multi-unit coverage is increased significantly. Even most of the
southern annexation area would receive four stations in 8 minutes travel to the future southern,
central City limits.
2.6 MAPPING MEASURES EVALUATION
Based on the above mapping evaluation, Citygate offers the following findings:
Finding #3: Given the travel distances in the existing southwest and southern
annexation areas, a 5th fire station is desirable, when the
annexation areas fully develop.
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Finding #4: If an additional fire company location could be funded, effective
first-due unit coverage can be obtained at the build-out of the City
from five (5) fire station sites, at 4 minutes travel time.
Finding #5: While multiple-unit coverage is currently adequate in the core of
the City, it depends on successful, timely, mutual aid from either of
the two County stations, which are not always available. A future
5th City fire station will increase multiple-unit coverage in the
southwest and southern areas, as well as lessen dependence on the
two County fire stations.
After the historical response statistics are analyzed in the next section of this report, then an
integrated set of deployment recommendations will be made.
2.7 CURRENT WORKLOAD STATISTICS SUMMARY
In this section of the Standards of Response Cover process, prior response statistics are used to
determine what percent of compliance the existing system delivers. In other words, if the
geographic map measures say the system will respond with a given travel time, does it actually
deliver up to expectations? A detailed analysis of in-depth statistics is provided in Volume 3 of
this report. What follows is a summary of those comprehensive measures and findings.
The sections of this report that concentrated on mapping the distribution and concentration of fire
stations used geographic mapping tools to estimate travel time over the street network. Thus, the
maps show what should occur from the station placements. However, in the real world, traffic,
weather, and units being out of quarters on other business such as training or fire prevention
duties affect response times. Further, if a station area has simultaneous calls for service, referred
to as “call-stacking,” the cover engine must travel much farther. Thus, a complete Standards of
Response Coverage study looks at the actual response time performance of the system from
incident records. Only when combined with map measures can the system fully be understood
and configured.
As a review of actual performance occurs, there are two perspectives to keep in mind. First,
NFPA 1710 only requires that a department-wide performance measure of 90 percent of the
historical incidents (not geography) be maintained. This allows the possibility that a few stations
with great response time performance can “mask” the performance of stations with poorer travel
times.
In the Standards of Response Coverage approach, it is recommended that the performance of
each station area also be determined to ensure equity of coverage. However, even this approach
is not perfect – a station area may well have less than 90 percent performance, but serve lower-
risk open space areas with limited buildings thereby not having an economic justification for
better performance. In addition, the study must discuss just what is measured within the under-
performing statistic. For example, a station area with a first-due performance of 88 percent with
only 50 calls in the 88th to 90th percentile is far different from an area with 500 calls for service
in that 88th to 90th percentile.
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All measures then must be understood in the complete context of geography, risk, and actual
numbers of calls for service that exceed the community’s performance measure. The
Department’s response time performance must be compared to outcomes such as fire loss or
medical cases and be contrasted to the community’s outcome expectations. A community could
be well deployed and have poor outcomes, or the reverse. A balanced system will avoid such
extremes and strive for equity of service within each category of risk.
Fire departments are required to report response statistics in a format published by the U.S. Fire
Administration called the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). The private sector
develops software to do this reporting according to state and federal specifications.
Data sets for this section of the study were extracted from the San Luis Obispo Police Dispatch
Computer system. The Fire Department does not use an NFIRS compliant records system and
only files abbreviated fire incident reports into the police system. The lack of NFIRS data is not
only a major limitation to this study, it also means the Department cannot completely measure its
emergency operations, or completely respond to lawsuit information requests.
Finding #6: Federal and state incident reporting mandates have established
NFIRS 5 (National Fire Incident Reporting System Version 5) as
the definitive reporting standard for fire departments. While
NFIRS 5’s “Basic” module is mandatory, best practices dictate use
of the optional “Apparatus” module to document vehicle
responses. The Department needs to adopt this reporting standard.
Total response time in this study is measured from the time of receiving the call at the City
Police dispatch center to the unit being on-scene.
For suburban and urban population density areas, NFPA 1710 recommends a 4-minute fire unit
travel time, which when a more realistic 2 minutes is added for turnout time and 1 minute for
dispatch processing aggregates to a 7-minute total reflex (customer) measure. For multiple-unit
calls, the outer NFPA 1710 recommended measurement is 8 travel minutes, plus two for turnout
and one minute for dispatch, which is an 11-minute total reflex measure.
Data sets were “cleaned” to eliminate records without enough time stamps or records with
impossible times, such as a 23-hour response. The data sets were modeled in the NFIRS 5 Alive
fire service analysis tool.
For this statistics review, we are modeling the Department’s prior performance and comparing
the data results to the “ideal” per NFPA 1710 for fire service deployment, since the existing City
measures are not specific or adopted yet by the City Council. Additionally, the Fire Department
measure does not begin with the time of fire dispatch receiving the call, or include what outcome
is desired, all of which are considered a best practice by the Center for Public Safety Excellence
(formerly the Commission on Fire Accreditation). Later, this study will integrate all the SOC
study elements to propose refined deployment measures that best meet the risk and expectations
found in the City.
The City’s police dispatch system provided 33,679 response records for apparatus over a 48-
month period.
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2.7.1 Incident Types
Below is a list of San Luis Obispo “Nature of Call” counts for the 48-month period. These counts
are based on first apparatus arrivals so they represent incidents as opposed to apparatus
responses. Only call categories of 10 or more were included.
Nature of Call Count
Medical 9,770
Alarm Fire 986
Public Assist 845
COLL MINOR INJ 844
Electrical Haz 209
Fire Ill Burn 173
Hazmat Small 151
Alarm Water Flow 135
Fire Structure 131
Smoke Check Out 127
Fire Vehicle 111
Fire Sm Trash 106
Medical Non-Em 99
Fire Wildland 85
Smoke Check In 74
Fire Rpted Out 64
COLL FREEWAY 62
Gas Inside 58
COLL MAJOR INJ 57
Gas Outside 55
Here is a breakdown by city:
City Count
San Luis Obispo 15,317
Cal Poly 288
SLO County 110
Atascadero 1
Morro Bay 1
Nipomo 1
Paso Robles 1
Here is the numeric breakdown by year:
FY 04/05 3,810
FY 05/06 3,682
FY 06/07 4,111
FY 07/08 4,154
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This graph compares incident activity by hour of day by year. Notice while incident activity
closely tracks for each of the 4 years there was a slight increase in activity in FY 07/08 from
16:00 – 20:00 as well as from midnight through 03:00.
Demand by Vehicle ID
In general Engine 3 is seeing a steady increase in activity. T1 saw an increase in activity in the
last two years. Engine 4 had a slight bump in activity in FY 06/07.
2.7.2 City Response Times
While many fire departments track average response time, it is not highly regarded as a
performance measurement. One of the most commonly used criteria to measure response
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effectiveness is fractile analysis of response time. A fractile analysis splits responses into time
segments and provides a count and percentage for each progressive time segment.
Here is a fractile response time breakdown for San Luis Obispo City station responses for the
study period. To focus these calculations only Code 3 responses on or after 7/1/2006 (which is
after the mobile data system conversion was solidified) are used which dropped the data set to
5,504 responses as being the most accurate and reflective of emergency performance. Incidents
outside of City station areas and those exceeding 20 minutes response time were also eliminated.
For fire and EMS incidents, the following fractile results:
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:05:00 34.3%
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:06:00 54.7% – Current probable City goal
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:07:00 71.6% – Recommended Citygate goal
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:08:00 83.2%
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:09:00 90.6% – Actual 90% Compliance Point
The graph below displays response time performance by minute of the day:
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 42
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Here is the breakdown of Travel Time compliance by hour of day by year. Notice compliance
averages a fairly flat 80 percent during the day. This perspective also correlates to the mapping
model findings.
Here is a breakdown of the above incidents when incidents are narrowed down to structure
fires:
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:05:00 51.5%
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:06:00 69.7% – Current probable City goal
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:07:00 75.8% – Recommended Citygate goal
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:08:00 87.9%
1st Apparatus On Scene <= 00:08:30 90.9% – Actual 90% Compliance Point
2.7.3 Response Time Component Measurements
The next step is to evaluate all response time components by breaking down “Total Reflex
Time” into its three component parts of:
1. Call-handling time – time of call until time of dispatch. Only dispatch records
showing a call-handling time greater than 0 seconds and less than 3 minutes were
used in this analysis.
2. Turnout time – time of dispatch until time unit is responding. Only dispatch
records showing a turnout time greater than 0 seconds and less than 4 minutes
were used in this analysis.
3. Travel time – time unit is responding until time the unit arrives on the scene.
Only dispatch records showing a travel time greater than 0 seconds and less than
10 minutes were used in this analysis.
Call-handling time – the national recommendations are that 90 percent of the calls should be
processed to dispatch within 1 minute, 90 percent of the time.
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Call Processing <= 01:00 25.7% – Desired Goal Point
Call Processing <= 2:30 90.5% – Actual Performance
Company turnout time – the time from company notification to donning protective clothing to
getting underway.
Turnout <= 01:00 25.6% – NFPA 1710 Recommended Goal Point
Turnout <= 02:00 79.0% – Citygate Recommended Goal Point
Turnout <= 02:30 89.9% – Actual Performance
Older national recommendations were for turnout time to take 1 minute. Over the last five years
of increasing protective clothing regulations by OSHA and the NFPA, complete data studies
have shown this to be a near impossible goal to safely accomplish. Citygate finds a more
realistic goal is to complete the company notification and turnout process in 2 minutes or less, 90
percent of the time. Attention to this critical time element can help reduce the time.
Travel time – here are the citywide travel time measures for the three years of data to fire and
EMS incidents:
Travel <= 04:00 76.7% – Desired Goal Point in NFPA 1710 and Department Goal
Travel <= 05:15 90.3% – Actual Performance
This travel time correlates to the map measures at 4 minutes of travel. The City is a little too
large, with a non-grid street network in some areas, to cover in 4 minutes travel from only four
fire stations. Non-grid street networks sometimes referred to as dendrite type networks actually
slow emergency response.
2.7.4 Simultaneous Call Measurements
Obviously, incidents that occur at the same time tax fire department resources more than those
occurring when there is no other fire department response activity. Examining incident data for
the 48-month period shows only 37.38 percent of incidents occurred when the Fire Department
was already engaged in other response activity.
Here is the breakdown by number of incidents:
At least 2 Incidents occurring at the same time 18.36%
At least 3 Incidents occurring at the same time 1.86%
At least 4 Incidents occurring at the same time .13%
The graph below illustrates the hourly distribution of 2 or more simultaneous incidents for the
analysis period by hour of the day. This graph shows an increase in the number of simultaneous
alarms during the hours of peak human activity hours, which is typical for most fire departments.
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 44
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This amount of simultaneous incident activity is not a significant issue given the close-by mutual
aid stations that the City can draw upon.
2.7.5 Response Time Statistics Discussion
Given the above summary of Citygate’s response statistics analysis, the detailed data in the
comprehensive statistics analysis, and the findings based on the geographic mapping section, we
offer the following findings:
Finding #7: With a City fire/EMS incident first-due unit performance of 07:00
(minutes/seconds) at 71.6 percent, and a travel time of 05:15 at 90
percent, as the mapping analysis predicted, the City does not have
enough primary neighborhood fire stations in the City to deliver
suburban response times to all outer areas.
Finding #8: The City dispatch and fire crew turnout times need focus by both
agencies (Police Dispatch and Fire Department) to lower times to
best practice recommendations. If a combined 01:30
(minutes/seconds) from dispatch and turnout time is saved,
citywide emergency response time would lower to the
recommended 07:00 at 90 percent.
Finding #9: The simultaneous emergency call for service rate of 18 percent for
two incidents at once is not a significant issue in the near term
given the mutual aid support from the County fire stations.
Finding #10: The City benefits from the mutual aid regional response system.
While this system cannot replace existing City stations or units, the
City should continue to participate in this valuable support system
for simultaneous calls for service and multiple-unit serious
emergencies.
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 45
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2.7.6 Integrated Fire Station Deployment Recommendations
The City of San Luis Obispo has good fire crew coverage, but it is co-dependant on its
neighboring fire department for two reasons: (1) primary coverage into the some City areas and
(2) providing the balance of the staffing needed for an effective response force (first alarm) to
serious fires and other serious or simultaneous emergencies.
The issue with this approach is that the resources of the County are not dedicated to the City,
especially in times of their own simultaneous calls for service, or during time of region-wide
firestorms or disasters.
While no one city (even a metropolitan one) can stand by itself and handle everything and any
possibility without help, a desirable goal is to field enough of a response force to handle a
community’s day-to-day responses for primary single-unit response needs equitably to all
neighborhoods, as well as be able to provide an effective initial response force (first alarm) to
moderately serious building fires.
Due to the local economy, the City has struggled over the decades to increase the daily
firefighter staffing as the population and calls for service have significantly increased. As the
following table shows, the daily firefighter (not counting the Battalion Chief) count of 13 is only
two more than was provided in 1978:
Historical Daily Firefighter Staffing in the City
Year Population
Minimum
Staffing
Calls for
Service
1978 34,050 11 1,095
2002 44,399 12 3,952
2004 44,163 13 4,263
2008 44,489 13 4,154
The City is close to a desirable goal of being self-sufficient for usual and customary emergencies
by fielding four fire companies per day. However, there are two gaps that over time that could be
improved as fiscal resources allow:
1. The lack of 4-minute primary unit coverage by a City unit in the southern
annexation areas;
2. Not enough total firefighters on duty to field an effective initial force to serious
fires without help from the County Fire Department.
While the City could staff each of the three existing fire engines with 4 firefighters per day
minimum, up from three, replacing the staffing reliance on the County for one additional 3-
firefighter engine on a first alarm fire, it does not address response times in the southern
annexation area or allow simultaneous calls to be covered by a 5th unit in the event a County unit
is not available.
Over time, as fiscal resources further allow, if the City added a 5th fire station and crew in the
southern annexation area and staffed the engine with a minimum of three personnel, then the
daily staffing increases to 16 per day (plus the Battalion Chief) would not only improve the
Section 2—Standards of Response Cover (Station/Staffing) Analysis page 46
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response times in the southern City, but also improve City-based staffing to serious multiple-unit
emergencies in alignment with national best practice recommendations. Thus, adding a 5th fire
station and crew improves all the response system deficits identified in this study.
Recommendation #1: The City should adopt revised performance measures to
direct fire station location planning and to monitor the
operation of the Department. The measures should take
into account a realistic company turnout time of 2
minutes and be designed to deliver outcomes that will
save patients medically salvageable upon arrival; and to
keep small, but serious fires from becoming greater
alarm fires. Citygate recommends these measures be:
1.1 Distribution of Fire Stations: To treat medical patients
and control small fires, the first-due unit should arrive
within 7 minutes, 90 percent of the time from the receipt
of the 911 call. This equates to 1 minute dispatch time,
2 minutes company turnout time and 4 minutes drive
time spacing for single stations.
1.2 Multiple-Unit Effective Response Force for Serious
Emergencies: To confine fires near the room of origin,
to stop wildland fires to under 3 acres when noticed
promptly and to treat up to 5 medical patients at once, a
multiple-unit response of at least 14 personnel should
arrive within 11 minutes from the time of 911 call
receipt, 90 percent of the time. This equates to 1 minute
dispatch time, 2 minutes company turnout time and 8
minutes drive time spacing for multiple units.
Recommendation #2: As fiscal resources allow, the most beneficial next
improvement in fire services the City could make would
be to add a fire station in the southern City area
equipped with one fire engine and a 3-person crew.
Recommendation #3: The City should adopt fire deployment measures for the
emerging southern annexation areas, ranging from rural
to emerging suburban to suburban based on population,
along the lines of this table modeled after the
recommendations in NFPA 1720 on combination
(volunteer) fire services. These measures would allow
the City to define the services that can be cost
effectively delivered in the early annexation period and
then set the trigger point for adding fire services.
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Proposed Deployment Measures Based on Population Densities
Suburban
Emerging
Suburban Rural
>1,000 people/sq.
mi.
250-1,000
people/sq. mi. <250 people/sq. mi.
1st Due Travel Time 4 8 12
Total Reflex Time 7 11 15
1st Alarm Travel Time 8 12 16
1st Alarm Total Reflex 11 15 19
Recommendation #4: The City needs to fund a fire records system that is
National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)
version 5 compliant.
Recommendation #5: If, prior to the funding being available to operate a 5th
fire station, the City had partial funding to increase the
number of daily firefighters, it could do so by increasing
Station 1 from 4 firefighters to 5 firefighters per day.
This would allow either:
A 3-person engine company to respond to medical
emergencies and small fires, while the other two
personnel would still cover a dedicated ladder truck
and be able to respond to structure fires and
technical rescue calls citywide where the crew
could combine with an engine crew(s).
Or, three personnel would staff an engine/ladder
“quint” apparatus and two personnel would respond
in a squad to downtown area medical emergencies.
Both of these staffing options require additional
discussion with the firefighters’ representatives and
making the decision on if the current “quint” should be
replaced with a dedicated ladder truck.
When the City can add a 6th firefighter per day to Station
1, then split the crews into two 3-firefighter crews and
open the 5th station.
In a last phase, as funding allows at the build-out of the
City, the City can increase the staffing at Station 1 on
the pumper/ladder unit to 4 firefighters per day, which is
a much more effective team to operate a ladder truck at a
serious building fire.
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Recommendation #5 - Staffing Discussion:
Station #1 is the busiest in the City, and in addition to the medical call for service volume, the
need for an aerial ladder truck is greatest in the core of the City, plus the university contract area.
The Department currently operates a “quint” apparatus that provides five functions:
1. Pump
2. Fire Hose
3. Water Tank
4. Ground ladders
5. Aerial Ladder.
A typical fire department “pumper” only provides the first three items for firefighting. A quint
unit is far heavier, longer and more expensive to operate and maintain. Suburban cities, due to
limited staffing, often deploy quints. Larger departments deploy separately staffed pumpers and
ladder trucks.
Small departments have then only four choices to deploy an aerial ladder unit:
1. Operate a quint.
2. Have a separate pumper and ladder, but “cross staffed” by one crew, so for large
fires, the crew has to be in quarters to respond the aerial ladder truck, which is
problematic given the high call for service volume in San Luis Obispo.
3. Staff two separate units.
4. Operate a quint with a five-person crew and have two of the five go to medical
calls in a squad.
All of these choices are valid, but need extensive local study as to the Department’s needs for the
aerial unit, which is affected by street designs for maneuverability and building access set backs
for aerial ladder deployment. Consideration also is needed for how many specialty tools for other
rescues the Department needs to carry and if all of these can fit in a quint.
Finally, the firefighters need to be involved in the discussion of “splitting” the crew across two
units as in a quint and squad. Each of the four choices above thus have many variables; there is
no one singular best fit.
Therefore, Recommendation #5 above lays out several choices for staff to pursue with the local
variables they best understand in determining how to serve the needs of San Luis Obispo.
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SECTION 3—FIRE DEPARTMENT REVIEW OF
HEADQUARTERS PROGRAM FUNCTIONS
Section Intent: This section serves as an analysis of the Department’s headquarters and support
service programs.
The “headquarters” system of a fire department covers a multitude of activities. For the purposes
of this plan, Citygate interviewed staff, inspected the apparatus, equipment, and facilities and
examined documents. We reviewed the daily reports of activities and fire reports, examined the
readiness of fire apparatus and equipment, evaluated the standard response plan and pre-fire
planning program, and appraised the training program and prevention programs. All of these are
important components of a fire department operation and critical to ensuring that needed
resources can respond quickly and effectively.
3.1 OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
The San Luis Obispo City Fire Department is a well-run, smooth-functioning fire department.
Since San Luis Obispo is a moderate-sized but growing community with the San Luis Obispo
County Fire Department (a CAL FIRE contract) as the adjacent fire department and little further
assistance nearby, it has developed a something “stand-alone” character. The San Luis Obispo
City Fire Department has an internal culture characterized by a sense of values and principles
best described as a cross between traditional and progressive.
The City has recognized the value of fire prevention and the need to prevent or limit the severity
of fires given the type of housing stock, commercial buildings, younger or elderly residents and
the threat of wildland fires on the City’s edges. To meet these challenges, the City has adopted
safety codes and inspection programs more strenuous than those mandated by state minimums.
Examples include the automatic fire sprinkler ordinance, hazardous materials code enforcement,
and the newer multi-dwelling property inspection program.
For the risks present in San Luis Obispo, which are more often found in much larger
communities, and given the modest quantity of on-duty firefighters, the City’s commitment to
fire prevention programs must be continued and not seen as “nice-to-have” in tough economic
times.
As much as San Luis Obispo Fire Department as a “full service agency” wants to do all of the
programs that an “all risk” fire department does, it does not have the resources in terms of funds,
time and personnel to fulfill this varied mission effectively in every area. This is not a unique
circumstance. Many moderate-sized departments, one to four stations in size, have this
difficulty. They cannot maintain the required training to do confined space rescue, hazardous
materials response, wildland fire response, fire prevention, high angle rescue, and swift water
response, for example, and still be effective in their two main areas of response: structural fires
and medical emergencies. As in a mass casualty incident, the Department needs to do a triage
and focus its efforts on those areas where there is likely to be calls for services.
Citygate Associates evaluated all aspects of the San Luis Obispo City Fire Department by
interviewing key personnel, by examining facilities and equipment and by a thorough fire
Section 3—Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions page 51
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department document review, including 42 SWOT 2 analysis questionnaires on every aspect of
department operations. A number of main themes emerged, some of which deserve particular
consideration while others only require the regular attention they currently receive.
3.1.1 Management Team Organization and Duties
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Recommended Standard 1201 - Standard for
Providing Emergency Services to the Public states in part, “the [department] shall have a leader
and organizational structure that facilitates efficient and effective management of its resources to
carry out its mandate as required [in its mission statement].
A fire department San Luis Obispo’s size needs to have a management team that is the proper
size, and adequately trained and supported. There are increasing regulations to be dealt with in
operating fire services, and the proper hiring, training and supervision of line employees requires
an equally serious commitment to leadership and general management functions.
The organization chart shows an organization that should generally meet the needs of a
department the size of San Luis Obispo’s. However, due to the fiscal pressures on the City, there
has been greater emphasis on staffing fire companies to provide emergency response than on the
needs of the management team to coordinate and lead the organization. As the City struggled
with its shrinking finances, it could not expand some staff positions in some of the essential fire
headquarters support positions. This situation developed as an interim solution in the hopes that
the budget situation would improve.
Issues:
Are there an adequate number of management and support staff members?
Is there an effective distribution and assignment of duties to accomplish the
management needs of the Department?
Are the proper administrative procedures in place to operate the Department?
Does the Department have enough managers to maintain an emergency
management span of control ratio of one supervisor for every three to seven
subordinates as suggested by the National Incident Management System (NIMS)
and NFPA 1006 Standard for Rescue Technical Professional Qualifications?
Do the managers have rank level consistent with the International Association of
Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Officer Development Handbook to carry out their duties? The
IAFC recommends four levels of officer development: Supervising Fire Officer
(Company Officer, Captain); Managing Fire Officer (Battalion Chief);
Administrative Fire Officer (Division or Deputy Chief); and Executive Fire
Officer (Fire Chief).
As the Department continues to expand to meet the demands of the growing
population, using the above mentioned guidelines to expand the managerial
support system would serve the Department well and ensure that it meets best
practices in this regard.
2 SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats Analysis.
Section 3—Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions page 52
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Observations:
Organizationally, the Fire Chief supervises the three 24-hour shift based Battalion
Chiefs. A retired annuitant chief officer, Tom Zeulner, currently works on some
special projects on a limited funding basis.
There is no second in command, commonly found as an Operations Deputy Chief
or Assistant Chief, to coordinate the three Battalion Chiefs to ensure one
administrative culture is present, not three. Not having this position also means
there is no dedicated second in command when the Fire Chief is out-of-town or
unavailable. Given the nature of the 3-shift rotation cycle for the Battalion Chief,
it frequently means the Fire Chief has to wait a week to see one in person, unless
he comes in on a weekend, or the Battalion Chief works overtime on a weekday.
Disaster Management – the Fire Chief and staff on a limited time basis manage
the City disaster preparedness plan. Staff is working on a plan update due by June
2009. The last citywide disaster plan drill was conducted in October 2008.
The Department uses an Administrative Analyst II position that coordinates
budgeting and other duties with the support service departments in City Hall such
as finance and personnel. The Department budget, contracts and expense systems
are well designed and followed.
While the Department coordinates minor personnel functions, major ones are
supported from City Hall departments such as personnel, risk management and
legal.
The Department office support staffing of three is on the light side for seven
managers, four fire prevention inspectors, one fleet mechanic and 39 line staff.
This means that headquarters staff performs more of their own clerical work or
wait in turn for support. Neither of these results is cost-effective per hour for a
management position.
San Luis Obispo Fire Department uses FIRESCOPE Incident Command System
ICS) and has adopted the states Standardized Emergency Management System
(SEMS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
The Department conducts periodic appraisals of its emergency response program
on an unscheduled basis. The on-duty chief officer does the appraisal at the drill
tower.
In addition to responding to fires and medical emergencies, fire departments are
normally first responders to other types of emergencies that require immediate
response, technical training and specialized equipment. There are a number of
requirements for training and certification governing departments that engage in
these activities. Among them are the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); NFPA
1006 Standard for Rescue Professional Qualifications; NFPA 1670 Standard on
Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents; NFPA 471
Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents; and
NFPA 472 Standard for Professional Competencies of Responders to Hazardous
Materials Incidents.
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The Department responds to the following types of emergencies in addition to
fires and medical emergencies:
As part of a countywide regional technical rescue team, the Department
responds to high angle and low angle technical rescue and confined space
rescue.
The Department is also a member of a regional Hazardous Materials
response team and has two specialists per shift.
The Department uses Performance Standards/Measurements. The Training
Battalion Chief and each Duty Battalion Chief are tasked with training for each
shift, and conduct the testing.
The Duty Battalion Chief performs oversight on daily operations.
Oversight of “2 In/2 Out” Rapid Intervention Crew adherence/compliance is done
by the on duty Battalion Chief in his role as Incident Commander (IC). The IC
can appoint a Safety Officer. The Training Battalion Chief is also the Department
Safety Officer and can take that role.
Finding #11: The Department’s administrative functions are in place and
appropriately designed for a department this size. There is not
enough clerical support staffing for the variety of programs the
Department handles, but this is due to fiscal limitations, not a lack
of management.
Finding #12: Given the scope of programs in the Department, the need for
executive oversight of these programs, and the need for a trained,
certified Fire Chief level position to back-up the on-duty Battalion
Chief, the Department needs a second in command chief (Deputy
Chief). The Department is not top heavy with only the Fire Chief
and four Battalion Chiefs. The Fire Chief also has to manage
citywide disaster preparedness, which has no staff assigned in the
Department. Given all these issues, the Department is clearly large
enough for a second in command to the Fire Chief, at a Deputy
Chief level position.
3.1.2 Management Reports
Fire service daily activity and other periodic reports form the basis for management oversight
and the necessary historical records. They consist of the activity log, drill rosters, equipment
status reports and similar documents.
Issue:
Are the daily reports adequate, available and timely enough to provide
management oversight and historical record?
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Observations:
The station captain completes daily reports in logbooks that are archived for
future reference.
There are daily apparatus checks performed by the engineers. (This is discussed
more fully in the section on Fleet Management.
Drug inventory is maintained daily and passed from medic to medic. The
paramedic coordinator performs oversight on the daily reports.
One captain suggested that the perhaps the reports may be lacking in technology
and could be computerized.
The Department does not use a National Fire Incident Reporting (NFIRS)
compliant reporting system, nor is it integrated with dispatch and fire prevention
systems.
Commendations:
The Department staff is aware of their responsibilities, and within the time and disparate
systems, do the best they can. The current system is built from different paper and separate
software systems.
Recommendation #6: San Luis Obispo Fire Department should switch to full-
featured fire department NFIRS 5 compliant incident
reporting and management records system (RMS) that
will allow better management oversight of activities.
Recommendation #7: The Department needs to add an Operations Chief
(Deputy Chief position) as soon as fiscally possible.
There are too many large programs without enough
supervision and coordination for the Fire Chief alone to
handle, much less have the time to plan and be an
overall effective City Department Head.
Recommendation #7 Discussion
Another way to staff the unmet chief officer level functions would be to add another (the 5th)
Battalion Chief position. While this is slightly less expensive annually, it has a significant
drawback in Citygate’s opinion. While another Battalion Chief position would allow for rotation
of assignments between the Battalion Chiefs, all the positions would be equal and with the Fire
Marshal and Administrative Officer positions, the Fire Chief is supervising seven direct reports,
which is too many. Having all Battalion Chiefs means that in the absence of the Fire Chief, there
is no permanent “the buck stops here” second in command person. Further, an Administrative
Battalion Chief as a peer cannot tell the other three Battalion Chiefs to “get on the same page.”
Given these issues, the cost difference between a Deputy Chief and Battalion Chief is so small,
the benefits of a permanent second in command far outweigh the slight additional cost above that
of Battalion Chief.
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3.1.3 Fire Prevention and Fire Investigation
Fire prevention includes any activity that decreases the incidence and severity of uncontrolled
fire. Usually the methods used by the fire service focus on inspection, which includes
engineering, code enforcement, public information, public education, and fire investigation.
Preliminary and subsequent fire investigations of all fires are essential to understand the sources
of the community’s fire problems. Accidental fires may reveal weaknesses in the codes, in the
building inspection process, or in other aspects of processes. Suspicious fires may reveal an
arson problem.
Issues:
Is there an adopted fire code and staffing plan to meet the needs of new
construction, existing commercial occupancy inspection and public education?
Do engine companies perform inspections? If so, of what?
Are inspectors trained?
Are fires investigated?
Does the fire investigation system coordinate with law enforcement to bring about
the appropriate arrests and convictions in arson cases?
Observations:
The Department and City have adopted and continue to update the appropriate
Model Building and Fire Codes. The City has adopted a very complete automatic
fire sprinkler requirement for commercial buildings larger than 1,000 square feet
and for multi-family residential housing.
The Department has a fire prevention program managed by a fire marshal and
staffed with three fire inspectors, one hazardous materials coordinator, and 1.5
administrative assistants.
Fire Company crews handle some inspection types.
Annually fire prevention has been responsible for:
Annual inspections of all apartment houses, hotels, fraternities and
industrial occupancies utilizing hazardous materials;
Building and fire protection system plans review, development review,
construction related inspections, Hazardous Materials business plan
program reviews as a CUPA Participating Agency;
Fire Investigations;
Child safety seat program;
Vegetation management program and code enforcement.
Fire Prevention workload – new construction and ongoing inspections totals per
year include over 970 annual fire safety inspections, 100-150 construction-related
plan reviews, 60 – 70 development reviews, and approximately 300 construction-
related inspections per year. In total, each inspector handles at least 300
Section 3—Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions page 56
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inspections per year, plus plan reviews and other duties. The staffing workload is
at maximum for a bureau of this size, and there is no “surge” capacity if an
inspector is off work long due to illness, or if a large new business comes in that
requires extra fire code or hazardous materials oversight.
The Rental Housing Inspection program is new and designed to enforce the fire
codes in these housing units. A new fee for service program supports it. The
program appears very promising, but it is too new to determine if the staffing to
workload and fees received are in balance.
The Fire Prevention Division also handles Hazardous Materials code enforcement
programs for the City, county and state. This “unified” program was adopted to
provide permit and regulatory streamlining for businesses using hazardous
materials. The program is staffed with one full-time position, supported by others
in fire prevention. This program is fee supported and given significant oversight
and audits by the state. The single Hazardous Materials Coordinator has to handle
300-plus site inspections per year, along with plan reviews. The businesses added
in the new southern annexation areas will also increase this workload.
Given commercial building growth in the City, along with the new rental
inspection program, the staff is increasingly unable to keep up with all its desired
inspection frequencies. In 2007, the bureau and engine companies conducted just
over 1,800 inspections.
The Fire Prevention Division also handles an effective weed abatement program
as well as vegetation management and/or clearing in the urban-wildland interface
area on the edges of the City where buildings are exposed to heavier fuel types
and steep terrain, both of which increase wildfire danger. Some of the fuel
reduction work is done via contracts, grants or firebreak funding by the California
Department of Correction Conservation Camp crews.
Commendations:
The Division accomplishes a lot with a small staff for the size of the City and
assigned duties.
The commitment to proper staffing, code adoption, training and quality service is
excellent, but must continue to be funded.
The City has shown leadership and commitment in its adoption of automatic fire
sprinkler codes and a rental housing inspection program.
The commitment to pursue arson fires to closure is excellent.
Finding #13: The size, scope and advanced programs in the Fire Prevention
programs for a City the size of San Luis Obispo are exceptional in
breadth and quality. The City is making a real effort to prevent
fires, which allows it to limit loss and the overall quantity of
needed firefighters.
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Recommendation #8: Given the economic constraints on adding more staff to
fire prevention over the foreseeable life of this fire
master plan, the Department may have to begin to triage
its fire inspection services to the most critical
occupancies if workload exceeds available staffing.
Those with smaller fire code requirements and risk for
fire are going to have to be inspected on a longer cycle
or even be moved to a self-inspection program.
As the City grows and has increased economic
resources, a workload analysis should be done on fire
prevention, and as needed, additional inspection and
clerical resources will probably need to be added.
Recommendation #9: Given the City’s strong commitment to prevention as
evidenced by its fire sprinkler requirements, the City
should continue to invest more in the wildland fuel
reduction program. The City will never have enough
firefighters on duty to prevent a wildland conflagration.
Individual properties have to be educated on defensible
space issues and the need for fuel reduction.
3.1.4 Public Education and Public Information
On the level of human behavior, including the basic ignorance that often causes unwanted fires,
there is a need for more public education. Now that the fire service is in a lead role in the
emergency medical arena, the role of public education has expanded to a much broader area of
accident prevention. Simultaneously, the Fire Department’s message plays against an
increasingly noisy backdrop of media messages.
Public information for the fire service serves two purposes: information about emergencies and
other Fire Department activities as well as providing the public with information that they can
use to prevent fires and injuries and prepare for emergencies.
Issues:
Does the Department have an effective public education program that takes
advantage of opportunities for exposure?
Does the public education program recognize the changing role of the fire service
by broadening its scope?
Is the public information system effective in providing information about the Fire
Department and providing information about fire prevention?
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Observations:
These programs are assigned to the Administrative Analyst II for supervision and
include:
Station Tours: of all our Fire Stations for any interested parties;
Community Events: for example, Children’s Day at the Plaza, Home
Depot Fire Safety Day, “Day of the Child,” Chili Cook-offs, Parades, etc;
Senior Safety Programs: 6 different classes are offered, ranging from
Disaster Preparedness to Fall Prevention for seniors in care facilities and
also for those living on their own;
Career Information: career information is provided to our schools within
San Luis Coastal School District, Hancock College, Cal Poly University,
and Cuesta College;
Fire Extinguisher Training: extinguisher training is provided to businesses
within the San Luis Obispo City limits;
Preschool and Elementary School Fire Safety Programs;
Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness workshops for several SLO city
neighborhoods and Cal Poly residents on disaster preparedness in
coordination with the SLO City Police Dept;
CERT: Community Emergency Response Training for citizens in San Luis
Obispo to be better prepared in times of a disaster;
Charity Auction Donations: birthday parties and station dinners for a
variety of organizations in San Luis Obispo;
Open House: open the station and provide the public with tours and
information regarding fire safety;
Chamber and Rotary Socials held at the Fire Department;
Training Cal Trans Workers: helping them be better prepared out in the
field in emergency procedures;
Cal Poly: provide informative fire safety information during WOW Week
and during their housing fairs;
Everyone in the Department is involved in public education: fire suppression, prevention and
administration personnel. The Public Education Coordinator keeps track of who conducts the
events and the number of hours.
There is not a dedicated budget for public education; it is done by both on-duty fire crews and
fire inspectors, or by personnel on overtime.
The number of qualified CERT instructors is small and some are nearing retirement. The
program will need new and additional instructors to be able to grow the number of classes.
Section 3—Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions page 59
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Finding #14: As with fire prevention, the public education program scope is
very commendable for a department this size. There is not a clear
accounting of what it costs, or what an ongoing dedicated budget
appropriation should be.
Recommendation #10: The public education program needs greater tracking of
what programs educate the most individuals and a
separate budget line item so that the appropriate
resource decisions can be made.
3.1.5 Fire Stations – Facilities
While the personnel in any fire department are the ones who provide the customer services, they
need to operate from safe, effective facilities across the community. The firefighters live in these
buildings 24 hours or more at a time and they need to also be accommodating to personal and
business needs. Additionally, the stations are special facilities that have to withstand disasters
and continue to shelter the crews and apparatus in the event of a local disaster. The State
Essential Facilities Act regulates these special construction requirements.
Observations:
Fire Station 1 and Headquarters, 2160 Santa Barbara Street, new in 1996. Meets
all state essential facility act requirements. The headquarters spaces are already
crowded and will not easily accommodate, if at all, more desk positions over any
future timeframe.
Fire Station 2, 132 North Chorro. Built in 1953, 55 years old with 2,900 square
feet and a separate fitness room at 450 square feet on .39 acres. The station and
land for parking and fire apparatus daily checks is very tight on space for its
current daily crew of three. There is only one restroom at this station with no
dedicated female restroom or separate female dorm. One dorm was created out of
a closet about 10 years ago. There would need to be more living and dorm space
added to the station if and when the daily staffing is increased above three or if a
female firefighter was assigned to Station 2. Station 2 was seismically retrofitted
in 1993.
Fire Station 3, 1280 Laurel. Built in 1959, 49 years old with 3,563 square feet
and a separate fitness room of 346 square feet on .55 acres. The station and land
for parking and fire apparatus daily checks is very tight on space for its current
daily crew of three. Station 3 was seismically retrofitted in 1993.
Fire Station 4, 1395 Madonna. Built in 1978, 30 years old with 3,522 square feet,
on .80 acres. While the interior is just large enough for a crew of three, there is
no expansion room. The outside grounds are sufficient for parking and apparatus
check uses. Enough space for dedicated fitness room and station storage has been
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an issue at Station 4 for many years. The Department has requested CIP funds to
build a detached fitness room and storage building 2 times in the last 10 years
without success. An 8 foot by 12 foot temporary storage shed was located at
Station 4 about four years ago to help with station storage needs.
Fire Fleet Repair, Training and Storage – At the rear of the Fire Station 1 site, the
fire apparatus repair building is located. It has 1,536 square feet and is sufficient
for the needs of the current fleet and one mechanic position. There is a small
training tower with props with some concrete pad room for training evolutions.
There is a new 2,900 square feet storage building and a new 4,376 police/fire
communications center to be built this year. The entire site is 2.43 acres. With
the new communications center and storage buildings, the open training area is
going to be constrained when it and the tower were small to begin with. While
the City is making good use of this site, any further headquarters expansion will
effectively mean the training area has to re-locate off this property.
All routine maintenance and repair of the Fire Department buildings is handled by
the City Building Maintenance Division.
Finding #15: While the City has been able to invest in a new central station and
headquarters, the other three stations are 30-55 years old, and when
built, were not constructed to be 50-100 year facilities. They have
been given some upgrades, but more will be necessary. In other
cities today, the more common size for a single fire company
neighborhood station with space for reserve apparatus, separate
gender areas and on-site outdoor activity space is an approximately
5,000 square foot and larger building on at least a 1+ acre site.
The City will soon be facing significant repair and upgrade needs
at the three neighborhood fire stations. The fire training area is
crowded and produces noise and smoke at times better suited to a
more outer city or industrial zone area.
Recommendation #11: The City should program for an extensive evaluation of
its fire station and fire training building needs, and then
make long-term, cost-effective Capital Improvement
Project decisions to either continue to repair the three
older stations, or given the small parcel sizes and ages,
re-build them completely nearby.
Additionally, the City should investigate other fire
training areas and partnerships with County Fire, police
agencies and the colleges.
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3.1.6 Apparatus and Equipment Readiness
The fire service generally groups fire apparatus into two categories: (1) engine companies, whose
primary functions are to pump and deliver water and perform basic firefighting functions,
including search and rescue; and (2) truck companies whose primary functions are forcible entry,
ventilation, search and rescue, aerial operations for water delivery and rescue, utility control,
illumination, overhaul and salvage work. Other types of apparatus include water tenders, whose
main function is to carry large quantities of water, squads or rescue companies that carry a
variety of rescue and emergency medical equipment, and other auxiliary apparatus.
There are two basic standards that the National Fire Protection Association has disseminated that
apply to fire apparatus: NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, and NFPA 1906,
Standard for Wildland Fire Apparatus. In addition to these standards having application for the
development of purchase specifications, they have performance standards that are useful for
evaluating in-service apparatus. The federal government has issued motor vehicle safety
standards that are applicable to fire apparatus. The Federal Department of Transportation
enforces these standards.
To be effective, fire apparatus must be of proper design, well equipped with the proper hose,
appliances, tools, ladders, and paraphernalia necessary to perform the complex work of
firefighting, rescue, emergency medical, and public service type assignments.
There should also be a system of testing, maintenance, and repair, which ensures a high state of
readiness of apparatus and critical equipment. In 2000, NFPA issued NFPA 1915, Standard for
Fire Apparatus Preventative Maintenance Program, which defines the minimum requirements
for a fire department preventative maintenance program. Under this standard, the personnel who
conduct the preventative maintenance program should meet NFPA 1071, Standard for
Emergency Vehicle Technician Professional Qualifications. This standard defines the minimum
job requirements an emergency vehicle technician should possess. These include the ability to
diagnose, maintain, repair, and test the functions of the apparatus.
Issues:
To be effective apparatus must be of proper design, well equipped with the proper
hose, appliances, tools, ladders and paraphernalia necessary to do the complex
work of firefighting, rescue, emergency medical and public service type
assignments.
There should also be a system of testing, maintenance and repair, which ensures a
high state of readiness of apparatus, and critical equipment.
Does the San Luis Obispo City Fire Department have the proper apparatus and
equipment in a first-class state of readiness?
Observations:
Bill Dugger, the Fleet Manager, has been maintaining the Fire Department fleet
for over 30 years. He is nearing the end of his career and would like to make a
smooth transition to his replacement. For this reason, he has asked for assistance.
In reality, he is quite capable of keeping up with the maintenance of the fleet.
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Dugger is a competent Fleet Manager with an intimate understanding of the
apparatus that are his responsibility. He has been a participant in the Fire
Mechanics Section training but has allowed that to lapse over the last three years.
He also attended that National Fire Academy course on Apparatus Specifications
and Purchasing and is responsible for developing the purchasing specifications for
the Department.
The Department has an apparatus maintenance policy, which it follows. The
policy follows current law and best practices.
Staff vehicles are maintained by the City’s mechanics at the City corporation
yard. This has been an area of contention between the Fire Department and the
Public Works Department. The Fire Department is the only City department that
has its own shop and maintenance program. Because fire apparatus is so
specialized, this system ensures that Fire Department apparatus receives
appropriate maintenance. This should be continued, if possible.
The Fleet manager has a total inventory of 24 vehicles. Of those vehicles, seven
are fire apparatus and the rest a mixture of light vehicles and specialized
equipment.
Of those seven vehicles, 3 are reserve, enough according to the fleet manager, to
handle out of service mechanical needs. If two frontline engines are out of
service for mechanical, one for annual maintenance and one for 90 day inspection,
that leaves little depth for a second alarm fire and call-back of personnel to staff
reserves. Since San Luis Obispo Fire Department has only adjacent county
resources to call on for a major fire, it appears that it would be prudent to have
more reserves that could be staffed in an emergency.
San Luis Obispo City Apparatus
Fire
Department
Identification License
Vehicle
Description
Acquisition
Year/
Replacement
Year
Assigned
Program
F-108
E-5 Reserve
E-347579 1991 Pierce
Javelin Pumper
Type 1
1991
2013 When F-
109 is replaced
Emergency
Response
F-109
E-4 Frontline
E-021647 1997 Pierce
Lance Pumper
Type 1
1997
2012 Replace
and move to
reserve
Surplus F-108
Emergency
Response
F-110
E-2 Frontline
E-1050593 2000 Pierce
Lance
Pumper Type 1
2000
2015 Replace
and move to
reserve
Surplus F-109
Emergency
Response
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Acquisition
Fire Year/
Department Vehicle Assigned Replacement
Identification License Description Year Program
F-111
OES-271
Reserve
E-959477 2000 OES –
HME Weststates
USAR Pumper
Type 3
2000
State will replace
Emergency
Response
F-112
E-3 Frontline
E-1148762 2003 Pierce
Lance
Custom Pumper
Job # 14170
2003
2018 Replace
and move to
reserve. Surplus
F-110
Emergency
Response
F-114
E-6 Reserve
E-1137087 2007 West Mark
Type 2
2007
2012 Replace
and keep unit as
a Type 3 reserve
Emergency
Response
F-203
T-1 Frontline
E-375646 1993 Pierce
Lance Quint
1993
2010 Replace
and move to
reserve
Emergency
Response
F-304 E-950356 1986 1-Ton
Trailer
Not on
replacement
schedule
Emergency
Response
F-314
B/C Command
Frontline
E-1050582 2000 Chevy
Tahoe 4x4 B/C-
C/P
2000
Replace in next
C.I.P. 2010-2015
ASAP
Emergency
Response
F-315 E-1050822 2001 F-550 4 Dr.
4x4 Hook Lift
Surplus as soon
as means to
move heavy
rescue equip.
exists
Emergency
Response
F-316 E-950359 1998 Pace
Trailer
Not on
replacement
schedule
HAZ-Mat
F-317 E-1124080 2002 Ford 4
Door F-150 4x4
2002
Recommend
replacement
2012
Training
F-318 Special
Call
E-1014940 1998 E-350
Squad
2000 Purchased
used
Recommend
replacement
2010
Emergency
Response
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Acquisition
Fire Year/
Department Vehicle Assigned Replacement
Identification License Description Year Program
F-319
E-1264827 2008 F-550
Shop Utility
2008
Recommend
replacement
2020
Emergency
Response
F-320
Special Call
E-1264778 2008 F-550
Type-4 Brush
Patrol
2008
Recommend
replacement
2020
Emergency
Response
F-419 E-1124065 1999 Ford
Explorer XLT
Purchased used
Recommend
replacement
2010
Prevention
F-420 E-1124063 2000 Ford
Explorer XLS
Purchased used
Recommend
replacement
2010
Prevention
F-421 E-1124064 2000 Ford
Explorer
Purchased used
Recommend
replacement
2010
Prevention
F-422 E-1219136 2007 Silverado
Classic
Purchased used
Recommend
replacement
2019
Prevention
Arson
F-424 E-1205958 2005 Ford
Ranger
Purchased used
Recommend
replacement
2018
Prevention
F-425 E-1219105 2006 Crown
Victoria
Purchased used
Recommend
replacement
2016
Emergency
Response/
Administration
F-426 1262230 2007 Chevy
Silverado
½ Ton P/Up
2007
Recommend
replacement
2019
HAZ Mat
F-427
1264700 2008 F-150 4 X
4
2008
Recommend
replacement
2020
Emergency
Response
Section 3—Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions page 65
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Acquisition
Fire Year/
Department Vehicle Assigned Replacement
Identification License Description Year Program
F-501 None Clark Fork Lift Purchased used
Recommend
replacement
2010–2015
Emergency
Response
Commendations:
The fleet appears to be well maintained. The daily, weekly and other inspections
required by policy or by law are observed and followed. There are a number of
laws and policies that govern these vehicles; this can be an area where
departments might take a short cut, but San Luis Obispo Fire Department appears
to follow the rules diligently.
The San Luis Obispo Fire Department Training Manual has complete
specifications of each frontline apparatus. Having this available for engineers to
familiarize themselves with each individual unit is very helpful.
Recommendation #12: As apparatus becomes available, San Luis Obispo Fire
Department should consider extending the time
apparatus is in reserve status in order to build up its
second alarm capability. Not including the OES engine,
a duplicate of each type would seem prudent. This
could be achieved by keeping F-109 about 3 more years
When Fleet Manager Dugger is due to retire, consider
keeping him on as a retired annuitant for six months to
work with his replacement as a good transition process.
3.1.7 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, specifies
which types of PPE are to be used for various types of operations and that the PPE must be
certified as compliant with the appropriate product standard for that use.
NFPA 1851, Standard on Selection Care and Maintenance of Structural Fire Fighting
Ensembles (turnouts), and NFPA 1852 Standard on Selection Care and Maintenance of Open-
Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA’s), provide fire departments with guidance
on specific aspects of a fire departments PPE program.
Turnouts
Turnouts are considered contaminated any time they are worn at a fire or other emergency
operation. Therefore, they have to be decontaminated (laundered) after each use. While they are
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being laundered, firefighters need to have another set of turnouts to wear in the event there is a
fire or other emergency.
San Luis Obispo Fire Department Turnout Condition
Turnouts Number Average Age
Front line sets 42 6-9 years
Reserve sets 42 10 or more
Total sets 84
The replacement cost of turnouts is estimated at about $2,000 per set. Most manufacturers give a
warranty life of 5 to 7 years. At 42 employees needing turnouts, the Department should have 84
sets. (No replacement sets should be maintained in the Department; most manufacturers carry a
full range of turnouts for “just in time delivery” so that a department the size of San Luis Obispo
Fire Department does not need to keep new sets in stock.)
Finding #16: With a life expectancy of five years, the Department should be
budgeting annually for turnout replacement. This can be adjusted,
and in all probability, an alternate year purchase of enough sets to
maintain an overall 5-year life cycle would obtain a better price.
Recommendation #13: The Department needs to develop a program for on-
going replacement of protective clothing (turnouts) on a
life cycle of 5-7 years for 84 sets of gear. This means an
annual budget commitment of approximately $35,000.
3.1.8 Hose, Tools and Appliances
NFPA 1961, Standard on Fire Hose, and NFPA 1962, Standard for the Care, Use, and Service
Testing of Fire Hose Including Couplings and Nozzles provide guidance for the fire service on
their hose programs. Testing of fire hose is an important fire department function. Fire hose
carries water at pressures much higher than experienced with a garden hose. For this reason,
burst hose on the fireground can injure firefighters and bystanders as well as slow the progress
towards bringing a fire under control. Fire hose should be tested annually, after repairs and after
hard usage or if damage is suspected. There are many different types and manufacturers of hose
and no single standard replacement schedule, although traditionally with cotton jacket hose,
replacement of one and one half inch hose was five to seven years and two and one half inch was
ten years. Manufacturers warranty hose for certain lengths of time, but these are not necessarily
the service life of hose. In addition to the hose carried on fire apparatus, there is a need for back-
up hose in case hose gets dirty, damaged or destroyed. Traditional cotton jacket hose must be
cleaned and dried after each use and requires a 100 percent back-up supply stored in the fire
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stations; modern synthetic or rubber covered hose can be reloaded dirty and only requires a 20
percent back-up.
Observations:
San Luis Obispo Fire Department has a computer hose record keeping system and
an active annual hose-testing program. This tracking system tracks inventory,
required hose testing and service life trends and purchasing needs.
In 2007, a hose liner delaminating problem was discovered in more than 50
percent of the 4” hoses. This type of problem can cause catastrophic water
delivery failures. The problem required aggressive attention and took those hoses
out of service. This placed the Department below the required number of supply
hoses on front line fire engines. Most of the affected hoses have been repaired.
Staff believes that in a short period of time the remaining 4” hoses will become
unserviceable due to liner delaminating; a manufacturing defect is considered the
cause.
All of 4” hose was purchased at one time in the 1990s. Consequently, when the
hose delaminating started, it had an impact on a lot of hose. Simultaneously, the
reserve inventory of all sizes and lengths has been slashed due to lack of budgeted
money. Only $3000 is budgeted this year for hose. Hose testing failures and
needed replacements costs exceed the amount funded. Each year the solution is to
change and reduce the reserve hose inventory.
Finding #17: The hose program appears to be relegated to a budget status where
inventory levels are too low and replacing the prematurely failing
hose is problematic.
Recommendation #14: The Department should develop a standard complement,
specification, and hose replacement program. As soon
as the City can find the funding it should start improving
its hose inventory.
3.1.9 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
Observations:
The SCBA program has specific requirements. NFPA 1981, Standard on Open Circuit Self-
Contained Breathing Apparatus, establishes the minimum respiratory protection used by
emergency personnel in an IDLH3 atmosphere during fire fighting, rescue, hazardous materials,
3 IDLH Immediate Danger to Life and Health.
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or similar operations. Additionally, the CAL OSHA and NIOSH (National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health) standards also apply.
There is only one SCBA technician in the Department. He handles program
administration as well as the technical processes. Two other firefighters assist
with the annual testing. The equipment does not belong to the Department; it is
borrowed from Allan Hancock College.
The current inventory of the Department does not meet the requirements for
chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) environments. They do
not have the universal RIC connection, important for “buddy-breathing” in crisis
situations on any pack and no communication/voice amplification systems. All of
these are now required by NFPA 1981.
The Department performs mutual aid with other fire departments in the County; at
times either they or the Department might perform RIC. San Luis Obispo Fire
Department SCBA’s are without a connection to mutual aid packs either with a
RIC connection or buddy breather line.
The Department has a total of ninety bottles; thirty are in service as SCBA packs,
thirty more are carried on apparatus as backup and thirty more are further backup
in storage at Station 1. Once the initial thirty bottles are used, an off-duty
firefighter is called in to transport the thirty bottles in storage to the scene and
return the empties for refill.
The Department has a Bauer three-station fill unit stationery air supply.
The Department currently uses Interspiro SCBA’s. The SCBA technician reports
that Interspiro used to work well through their local jobber Bauer; now they do
not and communication suffers.
Of the 90 bottles, 17 had to be pulled from service due to service life. There is no
funding in the current budget to replace these bottles.
Interspiro is a minority supplier of SCBA’s. The adjacent County Department
does not use Interspiros.
The technician does not have repair tools, a test stand or test equipment. SCBA’s
do receive annual testing. SCBA testing and repair is done by a vendor.
Finding #18: The breathing apparatus program, like many of the Department’s
support programs is impacted by a lack of administration time.
The Department needs to have its own fit face mask testing
capability as well as its own test equipment to verify vendor
repairs. It could save money by doing SCBA repairs in house if it
had the bench space and tools. If the current technician is unable
to fulfill his role, there is no back-up.
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Recommendation #15: The Department needs to develop a complete breathing
apparatus capital replacement plan and then identify
funding for the plan.
The new SCBA system would have the following
characteristics: yearly testing, for SCBA’s, integrated
enhanced voice communication, CBRN compliant
universal RIC/RIT connection, portable air unit and
heads up display.
In the interim, the Department needs to acquire
additional spare cylinders, fit-testing equipment and a
test stand. It should consider getting a cascade and or
portable compressor system to do refills on large-scale
incidents.
Consider developing greater program technician depth
and have a certified technician on each shift.
3.1.10 Mutual Aid/Automatic Aid
Since only the very largest cities have sufficient resources to handle almost every call, fire
departments developed mutual aid systems to assist each other when their needs exceeded their
capabilities. Departments build their mutual aid agreements upon the concept of reciprocity,
“We will take care of you this time if you will take care of us next time.” As long as the give
and take of the agreement stays fairly even it works very well. In California, virtually all fire
departments are signatory on the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement, which creates a
tremendous depth of capability for any jurisdiction that suffers a calamitous fire.
A special case of mutual aid is automatic aid, whereby adjoining jurisdictions assist each other
with their closest resources, which may be closer to the emergency than the jurisdiction’s own
resources.
Issue:
Does the San Luis Obispo Fire Department maintain a sufficient mutual aid and
automatic aid system with other jurisdictions?
Are the agreements written and current?
Observation:
Except in the cases of wildland fires or major disasters such as an earthquake,
much of the Statewide Master Mutual Aid resource is beyond the reach of fire
departments that are somewhat isolated as is the case of San Luis Obispo City.
This creates a need to ensure that the Department internally has greater depth to
handle major fires (concentration) and rock solid agreements with its nearby
neighbors to provide assistance.
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San Luis Obispo Fire Department enjoys a strong working relationship with the
surrounding communities and fire departments. About once a year, the San Luis
Obispo Fire Department assists other departments in the County, except for the
County Fire Department, which receives about 110 assists per year.
The County Chiefs Association, which coordinates mutual aid system, updates the
County’s mutual aid plan once a year. Annual wildland deployment drills are
held in the spring in rotating areas of the County.
If the City sends its ladder truck out on mutual or auto aid for any length of time,
the City truck service is not covered, because it does not have a reserve truck.
The San Luis Obispo Fire Department maintains mutual aid agreements with
some of the surrounding jurisdictions.
On those rare occasions that the Department needs assistance or move-up and
cover due to a major incident, that is accomplished through the operational area
(CAL FIRE) Command Center utilizing the Master Mutual Aid Agreement. CAL
FIRE dispatches, assigns and tracks all mutual aid resources in the County.
The San Luis Obispo Fire Department also maintains an Emergency Services
Contract with California Polytechnic State University. Under the conditions of
this agreement, San Luis Obispo Fire Department provides fire and other
emergency services to the university in return for a set annual fee. Also, a
condition of this agreement is participation in the purchase of an aerial apparatus.
The San Luis Obispo Fire Department also maintains an agreement with the Los
Padres National Forest for wildland response in adjacent areas. Additionally, this
agreement allows members of the San Luis Obispo Fire Department to participate
in Forest Service incident management teams. It bars the Forest Service from
responding to non-wildland incidents unless they threaten the adjacent forest with
fire.
Commendations:
The Department does have extensive interagency plans and partnerships.
3.1.11 Radio Communications
Modern fire departments rely heavily on radio communications for dispatching, fireground
coordination and safety, and administrative communication. It is most desirable to have a radio
communications system that is reliable and interoperable with adjoining jurisdictions.
Issue:
Is the current radio communications system adequate for the needs of the San
Luis Obispo Fire Department?
Observations:
San Luis Obispo is in the middle of developing a new police/fire dispatch center;
simultaneously, a new citywide trunked radio system will be put in place during
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2009. While this new system is digital, it incorporates complete analog back-up
allowing the Fire Department’s tactical channels to remain analog.
There is good radio coverage throughout the City; the mobile radios in the
apparatus are fairly reliable, while the portable radios are of different types and
generations. The station radios are also older and the alerting system has lost
some reliability. The new system should take care of these issues.
The new system will be compatible with mutual aid resources.
The new digital trunk system will create a reliable radio system with distress
signal ID, simplicity/uniformity of operation and improved clarity in all locations
at all times for personnel. It will improve station alerting and will allow for
specific personnel-alerting capability.
Commendations:
Moving to a digital trunk radio system will ensure the reliability of dispatch and
fireground communications.
3.1.12 Pre-Incident Planning
A pre-incident plan is one of the most effective tools for aiding the fire department in effectively
controlling a fire or other emergency incident. This is particularly true in major commercial and
industrial facilities that have complex construction and fire protection systems. They also pose a
safety threat to firefighters and occupants alike.
Issue:
Pre-incident planning ensures that firefighters know as much as they can about a
facility’s construction, occupancy, and fire protection systems before an incident
occurs.
Does the San Luis Obispo Fire Department have a program that provides pre-
incident plans of the major commercial and industrial facilities?
Finding #19: The San Luis Obispo Fire Department does not have a pre-fire plan
program. They have been giving consideration to developing a
system incorporating Google Earth maps but have made no
progress on the project.
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Recommendation #16: The Department should develop preplans for target
buildings. While a process using Google Earth or other
similar process might eventually work well, a much
simpler program, using the stock National Fire Academy
format, could be started immediately. As part of its risk
analysis, the Department self identified about 45 target
hazard buildings; this divides into about twelve per
station or four per shift, a very reasonable number of
preplans to develop and maintain. This would provide
responding companies with vital information about the
target hazards before they arrive. Later on, when the
Department acquires the technology, it could
computerize the information in one of many available
formats.
3.1.13 EMS Response
Nationally fire department emergency medical response outnumbers fire response by about six to
one. Although many fire departments provided ambulance service and emergency first aid, the
major growth in this area has been since the early 1970’s when advanced life support
(paramedics) became part of the emergency medical system.
Issues:
Does the San Luis Obispo Fire Department provide adequate training for the level
of emergency medical services it provides?
What level of emergency medical service does the Department provide? What
level does the community desire? Is it the same as the service provided?
Does the Department provide pre-arrival instructions through a recognized EMD
program?
What is the EMS reporting system?
Observations:
The Department has provided engine-based Advanced Life Support (ALS or
paramedics) since 1995. This decision was based on community input through
studies and City Council input. The Department does not provide patient
transport. All response personnel that are not paramedics are trained to the
EMT-I level and provide basic life support.
The City provides emergency medical dispatching, pre-arrival instructions. The
system is one that the County developed.
They use a two-tier (code 2—code 3) response system.
The City receives a $100,000 reimbursement from the ambulance providers for
assisting them in meeting the time factors of their contracts. The City also
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receives about 20 percent cost recovery for supplies from the hospitals through
the ambulances billed to the patient. The ambulance company will exchange
drugs that are close to expiration for ones with longer expiration dates.
The Department responds to an increasing number of medical “emergencies” in
elder care residential facilities that are being built new, as well as in converted
college dormitory buildings. In many cases, the care unit’s on-duty person does
not have enough medical training, equipment or scope of practice to handle even a
minor medical emergency. The result is a call to a 911 system, where in many
cases, if the same issue happened in a home, a relative would likely handle the
problem by calling their medical provider for advice and/or take the elder in a
private vehicle to an appropriate treatment facility.
This is an increasing issue in the elder care industry and for all local government
911 systems. There are no easy answers given the need for such care units, the
current regulatory system on the facilities and the convoluted medical insurance
system. Ideally, this industry would staff in a way to lower the need for 911
paramedic calls. If the City were to charge a “response fee” to both cost recover
and deter calls, the fee might not work. Someone would have to agree to pay the
fee, not all insurance plans would, and the family and facility operator could
argue over fee responsibility, with the result being the fee is not paid at all. Or, the
fee does stop 911 calls to the point where true emergencies are not called in to
avoid the fee.
Citygate believes that a group of representative stakeholders needs to meet on this
issue to study all the issues and potential solutions before the City attempts a
usage fee. The interested parties also should include County EMS, the hospital
and paramedic ambulance provider.
There is no County medical oversight or standards for the purchase of medical
supplies and medications. The de facto standard is what the local ambulance
company chooses to buy. First responders in the County are restocked with
supplies the ambulance company purchases. There are many products, which the
ambulance company chooses not to use because of cost. However, out of
consideration for patient care, the Department uses more costly products in some
cases. This forces the Department to either absorb the difference in cost of the
medication or to always use the ambulance standard.
The program operates out of two hospitals, Sierra Vista and French; both are base
stations, and the medics utilize the hospital that is geographically the closest to the
incident.
The Department hires medics who already have completed their paramedic
training. The Department provides 18 of the 40 hours required every two year of
the continuing education requirement. This consists of advanced protocol review
and medic updates. Quality assurance is accomplished through the emergency
room, to the paramedic coordinator (fire captain), then to the shift medic
coordinator. The San Luis Obispo County, EMSA provides oversight through
two committees, operational and clinical. The operational committee handles
medical matters and clinical committee handles administrative matters. The
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County Fire Chief Association has a representative on each committee. The
EMSA interfaces well with the Fire Department.
The Fire Department does not support an EMS public education program.
The newer, stand-alone, computer-based EMS reporting suffices for the Fire
Department’s reporting needs.
The Fire Department currently has three dedicated Captain/Paramedic
coordinators, one for each shift. The three Paramedic Coordinators, who are also
shift Fire Captains, currently manage the program. These three Captains still have
all of the work and responsibilities of an Engine Company Captain with the added
responsibility of the Medical Program. Among their collateral duties, the
coordinators work on the computerized medical report writing system for
documentation of calls and quality assurance program; develop the line item
dedicated yearly medical budget for purchase of necessary medical supplies and
equipment; and administer the dedicated training budget money for Paramedic
continuing education and required certification programs.
The standard is for there to be a paramedic assigned to the same engine as the
coordinator so that he can be free to administer the program on his shift; this is
not always possible as the Department is not at its full paramedic strength, plus
the impact of vacations and sick leave in a small agency.
The Paramedic Coordinators were unanimous in their assertion that the medical
program has more then enough work to justify a 40-hour per week administrative
position. They estimate that, as it is currently structured, they are fortunate if the
can spend 10 hours per week managing the paramedic program. Because of these
time limitations, only the absolute critical functions get completed.
In addition to these three mid-management positions, the Department has the
following resources to help complete the Emergency Medical Program mission:
Paramedics
Position Number Remarks
Paramedics 20 Funded for 24
Certified EMT-1’s 21
Certified field training officers 4 From the pool of 21
Fire Captain Paramedics 3 From the pool of 21
First responding ALS Units 4
Reserve or unstaffed ALS 2
The current plan is to fill the four Paramedic vacancies into the pool of 24
positions through hiring. Currently, the plan is just keeping up with attrition since
the Department hires both EMT-1’s and Paramedics.
According to the NFPA, only fifteen percent of the communities in the U.S.
provide Advanced Life Support (paramedic) service.
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San Luis Obispo Fire Department’s emergency medical program meets best
practices.
The Paramedic Coordinators all expressed concern over the coordinated
management of the paramedic program. They felt that the program needs a
unified approach through a program-wide Emergency Medical System (EMS)
Chief Officer.
An EMS public education program could result in reduced call volume if it targets
those users of the EMS system who access all of their medical care through EMS.
The Fire Department assists the Police Department SWAT by providing SWAT
medics. Not all paramedics are trained to this level.
Commendations:
The Fire Department’s Emergency Medical program provides quality service to
the citizens of San Luis Obispo.
Recommendation #17: When funding is available, perhaps at the next
renegotiation of the ambulance contract, the Department
should consider adding an EMS Manager as a forty-hour
per week position.
In conjunction with the County, the Fire Department and
ambulance service should investigate successful public
education programs and consider how they might
provide that education with a target of reducing abuse to
the system.
3.1.14 Hydrant Maintenance
A reliable water delivery system is a cornerstone of a successful municipal fire protection
system. Properly functioning hydrants are a key to making that system work. In most cities, the
fire department is responsible for the routine testing and maintenance of fire hydrants. The
testing occurs annually.
Issue:
Does the Department have an inspection and routine maintenance system that
ensures a reliable delivery of water from hydrants at their rate fire flow?
The Fire Department uses fire interns to do the hydrant testing. This job gives
future firefighters a chance to learn some things about the fire service and
especially water supplies.
Commendations:
This program means that expensive firefighters are not engaged in a task that can
be “farmed out” to lower cost labor.
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The interns also assist the training division.
Recommendation #18: Continue the hydrant-testing program. Consider
working with the water system enterprise fund to have
the water utility rate structure cover the full annual
testing and repair of fire hydrants. This program should
not be a General Fund program.
3.1.15 Training and Education
The job of a firefighter is extremely complex and the services they provide must be delivered
correctly every time. This is particularly critical for those tasks that are very hazardous, do not
occur very often and for which there is no decision time. Training in the fire service has two
parts: Vocational training, which teaches the skill sets necessary to do the “hands-on” type work
that firefighters do, and education, which teaches the knowledge necessary to do the “mental”
work that firefighters do.
Issues:
Is there an effective training program in the Department?
Is there an effective education program in the Department?
What percent of employees are in a certification process? What percent certified
at their level?
Training is the keystone to effective emergency response. During emergency
operations, time is always of essence and an effective training program can mean
the difference between a fire contained to the area of origin and one that causes
great damage or difference between effective CPR that starts on time and a patient
that dies.
Training (Training Officer)
The NFPA has several recommended standards that cover the training arena; among the ones that
apply to San Luis Obispo Fire Department are:
California State Fire Training Certifications and educational programs.
NFPA 1001 Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications—this standard
establishes the basic qualifications for Firefighter I and II.
San Luis Obispo hires both paramedic and non-paramedic firefighters. All
new firefighters, including lateral hires from other departments, receive an
8-week academy, one year of probation and 3 to 3-1/2 years in the Joint
Apprenticeship Program. There is also a Probationary Check Off List that
all must complete. The list consists of all the standard aspects of a
firefighter’s job; firefighters need to get the list complete during probation.
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NFPA 1002 Standard for Fire Apparatus Driver Operator/ professional
Qualifications—the standard sets forth the performance objectives for
driver/operators of all types of fire apparatus and emergency vehicles.
San Luis Obispo has an in-house “Relief Engineer” program whereby
firefighters wishing to become engineers work under direction. Promotion
also requires a battery of tests and completion of a Relief Engineer Task
Book. The task book appears to be well thought out and well designed;
firefighters wishing to take assignments as relief engineers must complete
the task book.
NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications—this standard
covers the four levels of fire officer progression: Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II,
Fire Officer III, and Fire Officer IV. The International Association of Fire Chiefs
developed the Officer Development Handbook, which coordinates Fire Officer I
with Supervising Fire Officer; Fire Officer II with Managing Fire Officer; Fire
Officer III with Administrative Fire Officer; and Fire Officer IV with Executive
Fire Officer. Each of these four levels of Officer development has a complete
training, education, experience, and self-development component. This handbook
endorses Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education, the national model of
training and education development.
Finding #20: San Luis Obispo does not require certification for fire officers or
chief officers. For Company Officer, the Department has an acting
captain certification, which includes an Acting Captain Task Book;
it is also highly recommended that company officers have the
California Office of State Fire Training Company Officer
Certification. The task book appears to be well thought out and
designed; engineers wishing to take assignments as acting captains
must complete the task book. In San Luis Obispo, promotion to
chief officer is either by a four-year degree or Chief Officer
Certification.
NFPA 1031 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Inspector and Plan
Examiner—This standard describes the professional performances of the fire
inspector and plan examiner.
NFPA 1041 Standard for Fire Service Instructor Professional Qualifications—
This standard guides the development of the fire-service training instructor
through the three levels of advancement: Instructor I, II and III. It is critical for
proper delivery of training that all instructors meet the appropriate level of
instructor development, which also includes delivery of instruction, evaluation,
and testing processes, and management of training programs.
NFPA 1401 Recommended Practice for Fire Service Training Reports and
Records—This standard is of particular importance to San Luis Obispo since it
includes all aspects of training documentation such as training schedules, reports,
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records, legal characteristics of training records, record management systems
(RMS), and means to evaluate the RMS.
Management does not receive training management reports via the Department
RMS.
NFPA 1403 Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions—Since San Luis Obispo
performs live fire training at the training center, this standard is also critical as it
outlines the procedures required for safe live fire training. Sadly, live fire training
has been the source of many injuries and fatalities to firefighters. In the present
day, failure to adhere to this standard would be negligent.
NFPA 1404 Standard for Fire Service Respiratory Protection Training—This
standard covers the proper use, inspection, maintenance, and program
administration of SCBAs. The Department is 29 Code of Federal Regulation and
OSHA compliant.
NFPA 1451 Standard for a Fire Service Vehicle Operations Training Program—
This standard covers the minimum requirements of a vehicle operations training
program.
San Luis Obispo does not reference this standard specifically or indirectly.
In addition to responding to fires and medical emergencies, fire departments are
normally first responders to other types of emergencies that require immediate
response, technical training and specialized equipment. There are a number of
requirements for training and certification governing departments that engage in
these activities. Among them are the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); NFPA
1006 Standard for Rescue Professional Qualifications; NFPA 1670 Standard on
Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents; NFPA 471
Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents; and
NFPA 472 Standard for Professional Competencies of Responders to Hazardous
Materials Incidents.
While San Luis Obispo does not support full Technical Rescue and
Hazardous Materials Response programs, it participates, through the
automatic aid program, in a regional technical rescue program.
All members must attend Rescue Systems 1 the standard basic technical
rescue training in California. Some members attend Rescue Systems 2
training as well; this is the more advanced technical rescue-training
program. Given the resources countywide, it would be possible to
assemble a countywide type 2 technical rescue team.
All members are trained as Hazardous Materials First Responders—
Operational and at least two members per shift are trained Hazardous
Materials Specialists. (Specialists would be the City’s contribution to an
activation of the County’s Hazardous Materials Team.) The City’s
Hazardous Materials Inspector is also a Specialist and a member of the
countywide Hazardous Materials Response Team.
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All personnel are trained in Confined Space Awareness and the CAL
OSHA permit process. Additionally, six members are trained in Confined
Space Operations, but only receive refresher every other year. The Code
of Federal Regulations specifically requires annual training for Confined
Space Operations personnel.4
San Luis Obispo Fire maintains a shore-based swift water rescue
capability. All members receive annual refresher training on shore-based
swift water rescue. The City has one significant swift water hazard, San
Luis Creek in the wintertime.
Observations:
FY 2006-07 budget reinstated the 40-hour Training Battalion Chief position. This
position provides the needed management and leadership to the training program.
This resulted in an overhaul of the training program.
The Training Chief has developed a number of initiatives to bring the training
program up to speed such as:
San Luis Obispo Fire Department training manual, a very well designed
manual that uses hyperlinks to cross-reference the various sections of the
manual to each other.
Emergency Operations Guidelines, which appear to have been drawn in
some cases from best practices, such as IFSTA and FIRESCOPE.
Dedicated time allotments each week established for training.
Company Refresher program outlines 24 training blocks, which Captains
are responsible to oversee with their crews.
Simple-to-use Training Database that tracks Department training.
There is significant mentoring that goes on between the company officer/chief
officers and members at the company level.
Because the Department participates in California Joint Apprenticeship
Committee sanctioned training, they recapture funds from that source to offset
some costs of training.
The aforementioned mutual aid agreement with the Los Padres National Forest
assists the Department in achieving California Incident Command System
(CICCS) training and qualification.
While the Training Chief devotes significant effort to the program, there appears
to be a lack of support from the other chief officers. This includes participation at
4 29 CFR 1910.146, Dec. 16th, 1997: 1910.146(k)(2)(iv) Ensure that affected employees practice making permit
space rescues at least once every 12 months, by means of simulated rescue operations in which they remove
dummies, mannequins, or actual persons from the actual permit spaces or from representative permit spaces.
Representative permit spaces shall, with respect to opening size, configuration, and accessibility, simulate the types
of permit spaces from which rescue is to be performed.
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multi-company drills, the one place chief officers should be participating in the
drill evolutions. This results in a company level workforce that is slow to actively
take on training as a “personal” responsibility.
The General Operations Section 501.01, Training Program Overview, which lays
out the foundation for Departmental training, is still not approved after almost two
years since it was first written.
The Department training facility consists of a small training area and a three-story
training tower; a new dispatch center is scheduled to take up some of the drill
space.
It appears that there are no countywide or regional training standards even though
the City and the County routinely, almost daily, assist each other through
automatic aid.
The Department culture appears not to be one that is sparked by either a strong
desire to train or value following current best practices.
Few of the engineers are certified driver/operators.
About half of the company officers and chief officers are certified by the OSFM.
There is no participation in the National Fire Academy programs.
The Training Officer has the following goals:
Establish a training committee that meets quarterly.
Hire a full-time drill master to assist with new hire and on-going training.
For each shift, appoint a trainer, similar to the Paramedic Captain, who
would be assigned to Station 3; designated as a training station.
Assign, from the regular work force, 10 people who would be specialist
trainers (train the trainers).
There is a complete annual training schedule. This schedule lists training for
about 14 hours per month or an annual total of approximately 170 hours. That is
a number of hours that is fairly consistent with fire service practice for required
training.
The stand-alone training record system has the capability of developing exception
reports to indicate that individuals have or have not completed required training.
While these reports are valuable for the training officer, they should be shared
with the entire management staff, especially for training that follows a legal
mandate or internal policy for completion.
Of the required 170 hours of training, one individual sample showed a captain
completing 230 hours of training in the first nine months of 2008.
The training program is an internally driven program, and except for the
participation in the Joint Apprenticeship Committee, which is a fund generator,
there appears to be little connection with current fire training best practices of the
fire service. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), International
Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and
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the National Fire Academy (NFA) have a consistent vision of what the training
programs of the fire service should look like. Referencing these sources and
using their guidance would assist the program.
There are complete policies in draft format covering most elements of a best
practice fire department training program. The policies do not reference best
practice sources such as NFPA, IFSTA and FIRESCOPE.
Commendations:
There are some elements of an effective training program present in San Luis
Obispo Fire Department, participation in the Joint Apprenticeship program (JAC)
being the most notable one.
Recommendation #19: The training program needs on-going executive
attention. The current training officer is off to a good
start, but will probably be going to shift work by the
time this report is complete. The executive attention
needs to be focused on four essential areas:
19.1 A training records management system that provides
exception reports on a shift basis so that the Fire Chief
and shift Battalion Chiefs know who is training and,
more importantly, who is not training.
19.2 A Department-wide commitment to certification at all
levels from Firefighter I through Fire Chief. With the
chiefs modeling the behavior expected of the rest of the
Department, it would not take long before everyone was
certified. This is particularly important at the
Driver/Operator level.
19.3 An increased focus on and participation in the essentials
of firefighting, including multi-company drills, preplans
followed by chalk talks on all target hazards, and in
house drills focused on the basics.
19.4 Referencing the source documents for training policy to
current best practices. Doing this will ensure that the
program and, more importantly, the Department is doing
its best to ensure that the training received by
firefighters meets or exceeds industry standards.
Conceptual Idea: The City and the County could jointly develop a regional training facility.
Citygate did not investigate this; however, with the University or a community college, perhaps
the departments could build it on a college campus with some college funding.
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3.1.16 Risk Management
While NFPA has a number of Standards that focus to one degree or another on safety issues,
NFPA 1500 Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program and NFPA
1501 Standard for Fire Department Safety Officer are the umbrella standards for the
occupational safety and health program for the fire service. NFPA 1500 outlines the required
components of a model program, including an organizational statement, organizational structure
and a safety and health committee. It also spells out the need for a scene safety officer,
department safety and health officer, and training and education programs. It also has chapters
on fire apparatus, tools and equipment, protective clothing, and equipment, emergency scene
operations, facility safety, medical requirements for firefighters, a member assistance program
and critical incident stress management. Among the elements is a safety orientation for new
employees, a hazard communications system for employees to communicate hazards to
supervisors, the Cal-OSHA process for post injury reviews, the required annual report of injuries,
and a standard for safety work plans.
NFPA 1500’s Component Analysis Chart recommends the fire department’s risk management
plan contain the following elements:
Fire department organizational statement
Risk management plan
Safety and health policy
Roles and responsibilities
Occupational safety and health committee
Record keeping
Incident safety and health officer
Laws, codes and standards
Training and education
Accident prevention
Accident investigation, procedures and review
Record management and data analysis
Apparatus and equipment
Facility inspection
Health maintenance
Liaison
Occupational safety and health officer
Infection control
Critical incident stress management
Post-incident analysis.
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Issue:
Is there an effective risk management program in the Department?
Observations:
Firefighters are in a high-risk occupation. Experts who have examined mortality
and morbidity statistics of the fire service agree that during emergency operations
it is the most hazardous occupation in the country. An effective risk management
program is an essential component of a fire department that adheres to best
practices.
The program for the Fire Department is based, in part, on NFPA 1500. However,
the program itself is part of the larger City safety program.
There is a Health and Safety Council for the City as a whole that meets monthly.
Among other things, it investigates and reviews all accidents, injuries and
exposures. Due to HIPPA requirements, these investigations are limited to the
circumstances surrounding the injury, not the details or treatment.
There is a physical fitness program; each employee is permitted 1 hour per day
during shift time to complete physical fitness.
The Personnel Accident/Injury Reports/Procedure is to complete the Workers
Compensation forms. Treatment is normally done at Sierra Vista Hospital.
The Vehicle Accident/Injury Reports/Procedure is to have the Police Department
conduct the investigation and to notify the employee’s supervisor.
New employees receive a firefighter Safety Orientation and an additional safety
orientation from Human Resources.
The Hazardous Condition Communication System that consists of a quarterly
inspection program where conditions are spotted. In addition, employees can
communicate confidentially with the Department Safety Officer.
The MSDS Sheets in each facility have not been verified for currency,
completeness or accuracy. While this is a small item, it is the kind of thing that
can cost a department a serious CAL OSHA citation in the event of an accident
involving the use of a listed hazardous material.
Human Resources maintains the Cal/OSHA Form 300; called the Log of Work-
Related Injuries and Illnesses. There is one in Department Headquarters.
Company officers conduct Tailgate Safety Sessions twice monthly. They are in
the training schedule. The company officers choose the topics.
The Department, in conjunction with the City, has a Health and Safety program.
The fire department component of the City’s program is based on NFPA 1500.
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Finding #21: The Department training officer has the safety officer
responsibility as a collateral duty. The Fire Department has a risk
management program that appears proportionate with the size of
the Department. The safety programs reference the needed source
documents for training policy to current best practices.
Recommendation #20: It would be valuable for the Department to complete the
NFPA 1500 Fire Department Occupational Safety and
Health Program Worksheet in NFPA 1500 Annex B.
This program review will identify weaknesses in the
current program and provide guidance for the
Department to improve the risk management program.
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SECTION 4—FISCAL ANALYSIS
Section Intent: This chapter first sets out order of magnitude costs identified for the
recommendations contained in this study. These are sufficient to permit the understanding of
costs in current dollars so future long-range fiscal planning for fire and other City needs can
occur when the economy recovers. Then illustrative general timelines for implementing
improvements are demonstrated.
Detailed costing is not possible until City leadership approves fire service deployment measures,
new station trigger point formulas and sees enough of an economic recovery to plan for fire
service enhancements. Even when the economy recovers, the City will likely have sustained
damage to its existing service levels and fiscal reserves. As such, Fire Department needs may or
may not be of sufficient priority to receive funding early in a recovery. The Council will have to
understand all of the City’s under met needs and make the appropriate fiscal allocation decisions.
Additionally, the facility needs mentioned above need more detailed planning and cost
estimation based on City fire station standards and specific site costs.
4.1 COMPONENT COSTS
Personnel Cost to bring a 5th station on-line
with a 3-firefighter crew per day with salaries
benefits, overtime and supply costs:
$ 1,735,036
Personnel (salary/benefits) Cost for one (1)
Deputy Fire Chief $ 225,587
Personnel (salary/benefits) Cost for one (1)
Fire Inspector III $ 132,276
Personnel (salary/benefits) Cost for one (1)
Administrative Analyst II $ 106,652
Office remodel to accommodate Deputy Chief $ 45,000
Deputy Chief Command Vehicle $ 32,000
Cost for one (1) additional fire station @
$550/sq. ft. X 5,000 sq. ft.: $ 2.75M
Cost for one (1) additional structure fire
pumper @ $450K each: $ 450,000
Cost for replacement of one (1) older fire
station, without land costs@ $550/sq. ft. X
5,000 sq. ft.:
$ 2.75M
If the City decides to add these enhancements as recommended by Citygate, the table below
provides an illustration or sample of how this might be phased in over several years and the
associated annual estimated cost in FY 08-09 dollars.
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Sample Phasing and Additional Cost Plan
Phase Item Operating Cost Capital Cost
One Detailed study and costing of the fire plan
Recommendations Staff Time
Two
Add a Deputy Fire Chief position
Dep. Chief vehicle and office space
Conduct a repair/replacement study for the older fire
stations
$ 225,587
$ 75,000
$ 77,000
Three
Staff a 5th fire station with a 3-person crew
Construct a 5th fire station without land costs
5th Station Fire Pumper
$1,735,036
$2,750,000
$ 450,000
Four Add one fire inspector and one clerical support position $ 238,928
Outer Year Totals: $2,274,551 $3,277,000
Long
Term Total Replacement of Fire Stations 2 and 3 $5.5M
4.2 OPERATING AND CAPITAL FINANCING ALTERNATIVES
These Fire Department planning recommendations include both service and facility needs driven
by new development as well as replacement/improvement of current facilities that are either
already inadequate or expected to be inadequate within the next 10-20 years.
If the City were to construct one new fire station and replace two existing stations based on
information in this Fire Plan, the total cost in current dollars could approach $8.7M including
one additional fire pumper. Annual operating costs to staff a 5th fire station with 3 full-time
career staff on each shift plus adding three headquarters positions would cost $464,515.
The current local government revenue structure in California makes it highly unlikely that the
City can fund these Fire Plan service improvements and facility replacements without some
additional sources of revenue. New residential development, particularly if not accompanied by
new high sales tax generating commercial business, will not generate sufficient new General
Fund revenue to pay their share of both current City services and at least new, minimally
adequate fire and medical emergency response services to serve the annexation areas.
Cities throughout California use a variety of fiscal approaches to both ensure that new
development pays the incremental added cost of providing fire service to the development and
also pays for upgrading the level of fire service to current development. Below is a brief outline
of the approaches that have been most successful for other agencies.
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4.2.1 Facility Financing
Development Agreements
When it can be established that a development will not receive fire services that meet standards
adopted by the local agency unless a facility is replaced or a new one constructed, it is reasonable
to require a developer to construct the facility. A Development Agreement is often used to
accomplish this. If there is ancillary benefit to property outside of the boundaries of the
development, and if this benefit is significant in scope, then the agency may want to consider
including provisions for at least partial reimbursement of the developer from a source of revenue
associated with benefiting properties that are outside the development boundaries. By using a
Development Agreement, there is no requirement for these reimbursement provisions nor is there
a requirement that the amount of reimbursement be related to any measure of benefit received by
the outside properties.
The source of reimbursement revenue may be a Fire Facility Impact Fee (adopted pursuant to the
provisions of AB1600). It is not uncommon to give the developer “credits” for the buildings
within the development as part of the reimbursement and to use some portion of the impact fee
paid by other benefiting properties to also provide the reimbursement funds. Since a
Development Agreement is used as the vehicle to require construction of the fire station, the
local agency can limit the reimbursement in any fashion agreeable to the parties. For example,
reimbursement may be limited to funds collected only over a ten-year period, even if this is not
the total amount the developer incurred in building and equipping the fire station.
Fire Facility Impact Fee
The current framework for local government’s ability to charge new development an “impact”
fee to fund their fair share of public facilities that will serve the development originated in
Assembly Bill 1600 and took effect in January, 1989. AB 1600 added several sections to the
Government Code, beginning with Section 66000, which have since been amended from time to
time. The relevant code sections are now known as the “Mitigation Fee Act.”
The Mitigation Fee Act does not limit the types of capital improvements for which impact fees
may be charged, and defines public facilities broadly to include "public improvements, public
services and community amenities." Impact fees, however, may not be used for maintenance or
operating costs.
Using a Fire Master Plan as the basis for calculating the impact fee amount to be charged to new
development, typically an impact fee calculation would determine the depreciated value of all
existing and the cost of all future fire service assets and allocate these costs and depreciated
value to both current and planned development. The fee to be paid by new development then
would represent their proportionate share of the value of the current and planned fire capital
assets. This proportionate share may be determined by projecting the number of incidents that
are expected to be generated by various land uses as compared to the total number of incidents
being generated by current development.
An important caution is that development rates are problematic, and bonds will need to be
backed by a secure revenue source rather than impact fee revenues that are subject to annual
market conditions.
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Community Facility Districts
Since 1982, local agencies have been able to form Community Facility Districts, formerly
referred to as Mello Roos Districts. Residents are able to approve a tax based on a two-thirds
vote requirement. Funds can be used for both capital and operating expenses. Typically, these
financing districts are formed to provide capital and operating funding for services to be
provided to land proposed for development. If there are fewer than 12 residents, then the
election is held among property owners. Since the district is usually formed as a condition of
development approval by the local agency, the property owner/developers vote in favor of the
district.
If the City were to use this source of funding to meet fire service needs, the funding could be
used to pay debt service on bonds used to finance the construction of fire facilities serving the
district area and the associated annual operating costs. If there is ancillary benefit to areas
outside of the boundaries of the Community Facility District, the local agency may choose to
find some other revenue source to pay a share of the fire facility and operating costs, so that the
Community Facility District properties pay only some perceived fair share based on the benefit
they receive.
Benefit Assessment Districts
The City can form a Benefit Assessment District to provide the revenue needed to pay the debt
service on bonds issued to finance the construction of fire facilities. This type of district is called
a “benefit” assessment district because the local agency establishes that the properties within the
boundaries derive a special benefit from the facilities that is over and above the general benefits
received by the properties or the public at large, and the amount of assessment charged to each
property varies depending on the relative benefit to be received by each. Formation of the
district is approved by the local elected body, following a protest election. The district can only
be formed if there is not a protest by a majority of property owners with votes weighted
according to the proportional financial obligation of affected properties.
Unlike an Impact Fee, it would be hard to argue that a Benefit Assessment District Fee should be
used to fund replacement of fire stations located far from the development in the district, because
this does not appear to be a special benefit distinct from the benefit received by the public at
large. To overcome this problem, it is common for local agencies to establish the benefit
boundaries to be the same as the boundaries of the local agency so that all properties benefit.
The City could form a Benefit Assessment District that includes all undeveloped or annexed
property within the City. The City could then use the Fire Master Plan to define the needed
facilities and their cost and determine a fee for each property that will pay the debt service on the
bonds necessary to build the new and replacement facilities. A protest election would be held. In
simple terms, this represents a 50 percent protest as opposed to the two-thirds positive vote
required for the formation of a Community Facilities District.
4.2.2 Operating Expense Financing
General and Special Taxes
There are no provisions for using “fees” to pay for operating expenses except for special services
such as permits and inspections where the individual or the property is receiving a clearly
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recognized separate service or benefit. Fees are intended to recover the direct cost of providing a
service that is not generally available to all or most properties and residents.
Instead, general operating expenses of services such as fire and medical emergency response is
funded through taxes. The principal restrictions faced by local government in increasing tax
rates to generate more taxes are twofold. First, Proposition 13 effectively restrained local
government from raising the property tax rate for operation expenses because it limited the “ad
valorem” rate that could be charged on property. Second, local governments are required to
obtain voter approval in order to raise other taxes.
There are a variety of taxes that are not “ad valorem” (based on the value of property). Some
examples are utility user taxes, sales taxes, parcel taxes and transient occupancy taxes. In order
to raise these taxes, there are two voter requirements, based on the intended use of the tax.
If the tax is a “general tax” with its intended use not earmarked and the tax revenue going into
the General Fund where the elected officials decide each year how to use the money, then a
majority vote approval is required to levy or increase a non-ad valorem tax. If the tax revenue is
to be earmarked for a specific use, such as a sales tax increase specifically to fund fire services,
then a two-thirds voter approval is required.
Most agencies use a special parcel or sales tax, with a two-thirds vote requirement, if they seek
additional funding for public safety services that benefit the broad general public.
Community Facility Districts
As noted earlier, Community Facility Districts can be used to help finance the cost of providing
services within an area. Most often these districts are formed as part of the local agency
approval of a development plan in order to ensure that the development generates sufficient
revenue to fund the services being provided to the property and residents. Often the tax and fee
revenue coming from new development under the normal local agency tax structure is not
sufficient to fund the services that new development will require. Ultimately this results in lower
service levels for all residents of the local agency, as tax resources are stretched thinner and
thinner with the coming of new development that does not “pay its way.”
While formation of Community Facility Districts require a two-thirds approval of the voters for
occupied properties, if there are fewer than 12 residents, then the election approving the district
can be held among property owners. Typically there are only a few property owners who are
also the developers, and they approve the formation of the district prior to any building.
Residents and business owners, who then purchase property within the district, know in advance
that there is a special tax levied on their property to help fund the provision of services.
Many local agencies now routinely require new development to be accompanied by the
formation of a Community Facility District.
Benefit Assessment Districts
The City can form a Benefit Assessment District to provide the revenue needed to pay all or a
portion of the operating expense of fire facilities. This type of district is called a “benefit”
assessment district because the local agency establishes that the properties within the boundaries
derive a special benefit from the fire services that are over and above the general benefits
received by the properties or the public at large, and the amount of assessment charged to each
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property varies depending on the relative benefit to be received by each. Formation of the
district is approved by the local elected body, following a protest election. The district can only
be formed if there is not a protest by a majority of property owners with votes weighted
according to the proportional financial obligation of affected properties.
As with Benefit Assessment Districts used to fund capital assets that benefit an area, districts
used to fund operating expenses need to include a careful analysis establishing that contributions
to operating costs of facilities located outside of the district boundaries do in fact provide benefit
to the assessed properties. To deal with this issue, the City could form a Benefit Assessment
District that includes all undeveloped property in the City. The City could then use the fire
deployment plan adopted standards to define the needed facilities and their operating cost and
determine a fee each property will pay for the portion of operating expense that the City decides
is appropriate. A protest election would be held. In simple terms, this represents a 50 percent
protest as opposed to the two-thirds positive vote required for the formation of a Community
Facilities District.
Policy Considerations
The City has a two-part fire service planning and funding solutions need: existing areas and
future development, either in-fill or whole new areas. Improvements in fire service are outlined
in this study for existing development/residents and known annexations. This study also
demonstrates that new southern area development will put a strain on the fire resources if new
development is not required to fund a 5th station and staff. While the City can choose to take a
global approach to solving the fiscal problem through a citywide tax measure or a Benefit
Assessment District, it instead can also apply the available fiscal approaches discussed in this
report to only new development.
In developing a financing strategy for new or improved fire services, the City Council needs to
consider whether the long-term approach is to secure funding from “all” property within the
undeveloped City areas or if it intends, at least for the foreseeable future, to only seek funding
from new development for the proportionate cost of providing service to them. If the City
chooses to pursue the citywide funding approach, then adopting fire service deployment policies
and developing an educational program to explain the funding need for them are important first
steps to placing a measure on the ballot for a special tax election or holding a protest election for
the formation of a citywide Benefit Assessment District.
If the City is not sure at this time whether a citywide election approach is either the best
approach or concerned that it would not pass, then an appropriate step would be to require “all
new development” to either form a Community Facilities District or a Benefit Assessment
District to pay their fair share of fire service costs. This could be accompanied by a Fire Impact
Fee on new development as part of that overall financing package. If the City later decides that
revenue from the already developed portion of the City is necessary to upgrade the services to
those residents and property, a special tax measure or the formation of a Benefit Assessment
District can be crafted to avoid double taxation of the “new development” that is already paying
a fire service tax or assessment.
Section 4—Fiscal Analysis page 92
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SECTION 5—RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS AND PHASING PLAN
5.1 DEPLOYMENT PLAN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
As this study has identified and measured, the City of San Luis Obispo has good fire crew
coverage in much of the existing city but not in all of the annexation areas. Additionally, the
Department is co-dependant on the neighboring County Fire Department for two reasons: (1)
primary coverage into some City areas, and (2) providing the balance of the staffing needed for
an effective response force (First Alarm) to serious fires and other serious or simultaneous
emergencies.
The City is close to a desirable goal of being self-sufficient for usual and customary emergencies
by fielding four fire companies per day. However, there are two gaps that over time that could be
improved as fiscal resources allow:
1. The lack of 4-minute primary unit coverage by a City unit in the southern
annexation areas;
2. Not enough total firefighters on duty to field an effective initial force to serious
fires without help from the County Fire Department.
While the City could staff each of the three existing fire engines with 4 firefighters per day
minimum, up from three, replacing the staffing reliance on the County for one additional 3-
firefighter engine on a First Alarm fire, it does not address response times in the southern
annexation area or allow simultaneous calls to be covered by a 5th unit in the event a County unit
is not available.
Over time, as fiscal resources further allow if the City added a 5th fire station and crew in the
southern annexation area and staffed the engine with a minimum of three personnel, then the
daily staffing increases to 16 per day (plus the Battalion Chief) and not only improves the
response times in the southern City, but also improves City-based staffing to serious multiple-
unit emergencies in alignment with national best practice recommendations. Thus adding a 5th
fire station and crew improves all the response system deficits identified in this study.
Citygate’s deployment findings for San Luis Obispo as noted in Section 2 are:
Finding #1: The City does not have a fire deployment measure adopted by the City Council
that includes a beginning time measure starting from the point of dispatch
receiving the 911-phone call, and a goal statement tied to risks and outcome
expectations. The deployment measure should have a second measurement
statement to define multiple-unit response coverage for serious emergencies.
Making these deployment goal changes will meet the best practice
recommendations of the Center for Public Safety Excellence (formerly the
Commission on Fire Accreditation International).
Finding #2: The diversity, age and size of the City and Cal Poly building stock and the
increasing numbers of younger and older populations means that there is a greater
chance of more serious fires where rescues will be necessary, and if so, the
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current quantity of firefighter staffing will be quickly overwhelmed with too
many critical tasks to accomplish.
Finding #3: Given the travel distances in the existing southwest and southern annexation
areas, a 5th fire station is desirable, when the annexation areas fully develop.
Finding #4: If an additional fire company location could be funded, effective first-due unit
coverage can be obtained at the build-out of the City from five (5) fire station
sites, at 4 minutes travel time.
Finding #5: While multiple-unit coverage is currently adequate in the core of the City, it
depends on successful, timely, mutual aid from either of the two County stations,
which are not always available. A future 5th City fire station will increase
multiple-unit coverage in the southwest and southern areas, as well as lessen
dependence on the two County fire stations.
Finding #6: Federal and state incident reporting mandates have established NFIRS 5 (National
Fire Incident Reporting System Version 5) as the definitive reporting standard for
fire departments. While NFIRS 5’s “Basic” module is mandatory, best practices
dictate use of the optional “Apparatus” module to document vehicle responses.
The Department needs to adopt this reporting standard.
Finding #7: With a City fire/EMS incident first-due unit performance of 07:00
(minutes/seconds) at 71.6 percent, and a travel time of 05:15 at 90 percent, as the
mapping analysis predicted, the City does not have enough primary neighborhood
fire stations in the City to deliver suburban response times to all outer areas.
Finding #8: The City dispatch and fire crew turnout times need focus by both agencies (Police
Dispatch and Fire Department) to lower times to best practice recommendations.
If a combined 01:30 (minutes/seconds) from dispatch and turnout time is saved,
citywide emergency response time would lower to the recommended 07:00 at 90
percent.
Finding #9: The simultaneous emergency call for service rate of 18 percent for two incidents
at once is not a significant issue in the near term given the mutual aid support
from the County fire stations.
Finding #10: The City benefits from the mutual aid regional response system. While this
system cannot replace existing City stations or units, the City should continue to
participate in this valuable support system for simultaneous calls for service and
multiple-unit serious emergencies.
Citygate’s recommendations are designed to improve these issues as fiscal resources allow.
Based on Citygate’s above findings and the national best practices outlined in this study,
Citygate makes the following recommendations regarding fire station and crew deployment:
Recommendation #1: The City should adopt revised performance measures to direct fire
station location planning and to monitor the operation of the
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Department. The measures should take into account a realistic
company turnout time of 2 minutes and be designed to deliver
outcomes that will save patients medically salvageable upon arrival;
and to keep small, but serious fires from becoming greater alarm fires.
Citygate recommends these measures be:
1.1 Distribution of Fire Stations: To treat medical patients and
control small fires, the first-due unit should arrive within 7
minutes, 90 percent of the time from the receipt of the 911 call.
This equates to 1 minute dispatch time, 2 minutes company
turnout time and 4 minutes drive time spacing for single
stations.
1.2 Multiple-Unit Effective Response Force for Serious
Emergencies: To confine fires near the room of origin, to stop
wildland fires to under 3 acres when noticed promptly and to
treat up to 5 medical patients at once, a multiple-unit response
of at least 14 personnel should arrive within 11 minutes from
the time of 911 call receipt, 90 percent of the time. This
equates to 1 minute dispatch time, 2 minutes company turnout
time and 8 minutes drive time spacing for multiple units.
Recommendation #2: As fiscal resources allow, the most beneficial next improvement in
fire services the City could make would be to add a fire station in the
southern City area equipped with one fire engine and a 3-person crew.
Recommendation #3: The City should adopt fire deployment measures for the emerging
southern annexation areas, ranging from rural to emerging suburban
to suburban based on population, along the lines of this table modeled
after the recommendations in NFPA 1720 on combination (volunteer)
fire services. These measures would allow the City to define the
services that can be cost effectively delivered in the early annexation
period and then set the trigger point for adding fire services.
Proposed Deployment Measures Based on Population Densities
Suburban
Emerging
Suburban Rural
>1,000 people/sq.
mi.
250-1,000
people/sq. mi. <250 people/sq. mi.
1st Due Travel Time 4 8 12
Total Reflex Time 7 11 15
1st Alarm Travel Time 8 12 16
1st Alarm Total Reflex 11 15 19
Section 5—Recommended Solutions and Phasing Plan page 95
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Recommendation #4: The City needs to fund a fire records system that is National Fire
Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) version 5 compliant.
Recommendation #5: If, prior to the funding being available to operate a 5th fire station, the
City had partial funding to increase the number of daily firefighters, it
could do so by increasing Station 1 from 4 firefighters to 5 firefighters
per day. This would allow either:
A 3-person engine company to respond to medical emergencies
and small fires, while the other two personnel would still cover
a dedicated ladder truck and be able to respond to structure fires
and technical rescue calls citywide where the crew could
combine with an engine crew(s).
Or, three personnel would staff an engine/ladder “quint”
apparatus and two personnel would respond in a squad to
downtown area medical emergencies.
Both of these staffing options require additional discussion with the
firefighters’ representatives and making the decision on if the current
“quint” should be replaced with a dedicated ladder truck.
When the City can add a 6th firefighter per day to Station 1, then split
the crews into two 3-firefighter crews and open the 5th station.
In a last phase, as funding allows at the build-out of the City, the City
can increase the staffing at Station 1 on the pumper/ladder unit to 4
firefighters per day, which is a much more effective team to operate a
ladder truck at a serious building fire.
5.2 NON-DEPLOYMENT HEADQUARTERS FUNCTIONS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A fire department San Luis Obispo’s size needs to have a management team that is the proper
size, and adequately trained and supported. There are increasing regulations to be dealt with in
operating fire services, and the proper hiring, training and supervision of line employees requires
an equally serious commitment to leadership and general management functions.
The organization chart shows an organization that should generally meet the needs of a
department the size of San Luis Obispo’s. However, due to the fiscal pressures on the City, there
has been greater emphasis on staffing fire companies to provide emergency response than on the
needs of the management team to coordinate and lead the organization. As the City struggled
with its shrinking finances, it froze some staff positions in some of the essential fire headquarters
support positions. This situation developed as an interim solution until the budget situation
would improve.
Citygate understands the City’s severe fiscal situation and does not find the headquarters
functions significantly insufficient. However, the following findings and recommendations do
point the way for the Fire Chief and staff to first prioritize the current resources to the highest
priority needs and secondly, provide a road map from which to request additional resources as
the City finds the ability to provide them.
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Finding #11: The Department’s administrative functions are in place and appropriately
designed for a department this size. There is not enough clerical support staffing
for the variety of programs the Department handles, but this is due to fiscal
limitations, not a lack of management.
Finding #12: Given the scope of programs in the Department, the need for executive oversight
of these programs, and the need for a trained, certified Fire Chief level position to
back-up the on-duty Battalion Chief, the Department needs a second in command
chief (Deputy Chief). The Department is not top heavy with only the Fire Chief
and four Battalion Chiefs. The Fire Chief also has to manage citywide disaster
preparedness, which has no staff assigned in the Department. Given all these
issues, the Department is clearly large enough for a second in command to the
Fire Chief, at a Deputy Chief level position.
Finding #13: The size, scope and advanced programs in the Fire Prevention programs for a City
the size of San Luis Obispo are exceptional in breadth and quality. The City is
making a real effort to prevent fires, which allows it to limit loss and the overall
quantity of needed firefighters.
Finding #14: As with fire prevention, the public education program scope is very commendable
for a department this size. There is not a clear accounting of what it costs, or
what an ongoing dedicated budget appropriation should be.
Finding #15: While the City has been able to invest in a new central station and headquarters,
the other three stations are 30-55 years old, and when built, were not constructed
to be 50-100 year facilities. They have been given some upgrades, but more will
be necessary. In other cities today, the more common size for a single fire
company neighborhood station with space for reserve apparatus, separate gender
areas and on-site outdoor activity space is an approximately 5,000 square foot and
larger building on at least a 1+ acre site. The City will soon be facing significant
repair and upgrade needs at the three neighborhood fire stations. The fire training
area is crowded and produces noise and smoke at times better suited to a more
outer city or industrial zone area.
Finding #16: With a life expectancy of five years, the Department should be budgeting
annually for turnout replacement. This can be adjusted, and in all probability, an
alternate year purchase of enough sets to maintain an overall 5-year life cycle
would obtain a better price.
Finding #17: The hose program appears to be relegated to a budget status where inventory
levels are too low and replacing the prematurely failing hose is problematic.
Finding #18: The breathing apparatus program, like many of the Department’s support
programs is impacted by a lack of administration time.
The Department needs to have its own fit face mask testing capability as well as
its own test equipment to verify vendor repairs. It could save money by doing
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SCBA repairs in house if it had the bench space and tools. If the current
technician is unable to fulfill his role, there is no back-up.
Finding #19: The San Luis Obispo Fire Department does not have a pre-fire plan program.
They have been giving consideration to developing a system incorporating
Google Earth maps but have made no progress on the project.
Finding #20: San Luis Obispo does not require certification for fire officers or chief officers.
For Company Officer, the Department has an acting captain certification, which
includes an Acting Captain Task Book; it is also highly recommended that
company officers have the California Office of State Fire Training Company
Officer Certification. The task book appears to be well thought out and designed;
engineers wishing to take assignments as acting captains must complete the task
book. In San Luis Obispo, promotion to chief officer is either by a four-year
degree or Chief Officer Certification.
Finding #21: The Department training officer has the safety officer responsibility as a collateral
duty. The Fire Department has a risk management program that appears
proportionate with the size of the Department. The safety programs reference the
needed source documents for training policy to current best practices.
The following recommendations for the headquarters and support functions for the San Luis
Obispo Fire Department can be accomplished over time as City fiscal resources allow. These
recommendations also provide the command staff the information from which to prioritize the
resources, both in staff and funding that they do have.
Recommendation #6: San Luis Obispo Fire Department should switch to full-featured fire
department NFIRS 5 compliant incident reporting and management
records system (RMS) that will allow better management oversight of
activities.
Recommendation #7: The Department needs to add an Operations Chief (Deputy Chief
position) as soon as fiscally possible. There are too many large
programs without enough supervision and coordination for the Fire
Chief alone to handle, much less have the time to plan and be an
overall effective City Department Head.
Recommendation #8: Given the economic constraints on adding more staff to fire
prevention over the foreseeable life of this fire master plan, the
Department may have to begin to triage its fire inspection services to
the most critical occupancies if workload exceeds available staffing.
Those with smaller fire code requirements and risk for fire are going
to have to be inspected on a longer cycle or even be moved to a self-
inspection program.
As the City grows and has increased economic resources, a workload
analysis should be done on fire prevention, and as needed, additional
inspection and clerical resources will probably need to be added.
Section 5—Recommended Solutions and Phasing Plan page 98
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Recommendation #9: Given the City’s strong commitment to prevention as evidenced by its
fire sprinkler requirements, the City should continue to invest more in
the wildland fuel reduction program. The City will never have
enough firefighters on duty to prevent a wildland conflagration.
Individual properties have to be educated on defensible space issues
and the need for fuel reduction.
Recommendation #10: The public education program needs greater tracking of what
programs educate the most individuals and a separate budget line item
so that the appropriate resource decisions can be made.
Recommendation #11: The City should program for an extensive evaluation of its fire station
and fire training building needs, and then make long-term, cost-
effective Capital Improvement Project decisions to either continue to
repair the three older stations, or given the small parcel sizes and
ages, re-build them completely nearby.
Additionally, the City should investigate other fire training areas and
partnerships with County Fire, police agencies and the colleges.
Recommendation #12: As apparatus becomes available, San Luis Obispo Fire Department
should consider extending the time apparatus is in reserve status in
order to build up its second alarm capability. Not including the OES
engine, a duplicate of each type would seem prudent. This could be
achieved by keeping F-109 about 3 more years
When Fleet Manager Dugger is due to retire, consider keeping him on
as a retired annuitant for six months to work with his replacement as a
good transition process.
Recommendation #13: The Department needs to develop a program for on-going
replacement of protective clothing (turnouts) on a life cycle of 5-7
years for 84 sets of gear. This means an annual budget commitment
of approximately $35,000.
Recommendation #14: The Department should develop a standard complement,
specification, and hose replacement program. As soon as the City can
find the funding it should start improving its hose inventory.
Recommendation #15: The Department needs to develop a complete breathing apparatus
capital replacement plan and then identify funding for the plan.
The new SCBA system would have the following characteristics:
yearly testing, for SCBA’s, integrated enhanced voice
communication, CBRN compliant universal RIC/RIT connection,
portable air unit and heads up display.
In the interim, the Department needs to acquire additional spare
cylinders, fit-testing equipment and a test stand. It should consider
Section 5—Recommended Solutions and Phasing Plan page 99
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getting a cascade and or portable compressor system to do refills on
large-scale incidents.
Consider developing greater program technician depth and have a
certified technician on each shift.
Recommendation #16: The Department should develop preplans for target buildings. While
a process using Google Earth or other similar process might
eventually work well, a much simpler program, using the stock
National Fire Academy format, could be started immediately. As part
of its risk analysis, the Department self identified about 45 target
hazard buildings; this divides into about twelve per station or four per
shift, a very reasonable number of preplans to develop and maintain.
This would provide responding companies with vital information
about the target hazards before they arrive. Later on, when the
Department acquires the technology, it could computerize the
information in one of many available formats.
Recommendation #17: When funding is available, perhaps at the next renegotiation of the
ambulance contract, the Department should consider adding an EMS
Manager as a forty-hour per week position.
In conjunction with the County, the Fire Department and ambulance
service should investigate successful public education programs and
consider how they might provide that education with a target of
reducing abuse to the system.
Recommendation #18: Continue the hydrant-testing program. Consider working with the
water system enterprise fund to have the water utility rate structure
cover the full annual testing and repair of fire hydrants. This program
should not be a General Fund program.
Recommendation #19: The training program needs on-going executive attention. The current
training officer is off to a good start, but will probably be going to
shift work by the time this report is complete. The executive attention
needs to be focused on four essential areas:
19.1 A training records management system that provides exception
reports on a shift basis so that the Fire Chief and shift Battalion
Chiefs know who is training and, more importantly, who is not
training.
19.2 A Department-wide commitment to certification at all levels
from Firefighter I through Fire Chief. With the chiefs modeling
the behavior expected of the rest of the Department, it would
not take long before everyone was certified. This is particularly
important at the Driver/Operator level.
19.3 An increased focus on and participation in the essentials of
firefighting, including multi-company drills, preplans followed
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by chalk talks on all target hazards, and in house drills focused
on the basics.
19.4 Referencing the source documents for training policy to current
best practices. Doing this will ensure that the program and,
more importantly, the Department is doing its best to ensure
that the training received by firefighters meets or exceeds
industry standards.
Recommendation #20: It would be valuable for the Department to complete the NFPA 1500
Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program Worksheet
in NFPA 1500 Annex B. This program review will identify
weaknesses in the current program and provide guidance for the
Department to improve the risk management program.
5.3 PRIORITIES AND TIMING
Some of the recommendations in this planning effort requiring minimal additional resources can
be worked on in parallel. Others will take several fiscal years both in time and funding. Given
these two realities, Citygate recommends the following short-term priorities:
5.3.1 Priority One
Absorb the policy recommendations of this fire services study and adopt revised
fire department performance measures to drive the location and timing of fire
stations.
If one-time funding can be identified, purchase an NFIRS 5 compliant fire
department integrated records system.
When on-going funding becomes available, add an Operations Chief (Deputy
Chief position).
5.3.2 Priority Two
If one-time funding can be identified, study in-depth the older fire facilities and
make long-term repair or replacement decisions.
Begin to identify and conduct the appropriate due-diligence steps to identify and
eventually secure or purchase a 5th fire station site in the southern annexation
area.
Using one-time funding or federal grants, plan for and replace the older fire hose
inventory and structure fire breathing apparatus units.
5.3.3 On-Going
Continue to support fire prevention programs, especially in the areas of wildfire
and fuel reduction programs.
Section 5—Recommended Solutions and Phasing Plan page 101
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As the economy recovers, look in-depth at the increased commercial construction
and the need for fire code inspection services over the long term. Identify the staff
impacts and plan as necessary for additional fire inspection and clerical support
positions.
When the ambulance agreement comes up for re-consideration, discuss the need
for the Department to have fiscal support towards establishing a paramedic
program supervisor, as a sworn or unsworn position.
Section 5—Recommended Solutions and Phasing Plan page 102
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Proposal to
Perform a Fire
Services Master
Plan Update for the
February 2, 2015
2250 East Bidwell St., Ste #100 Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 458-5100 Fax: (916) 983-2090
City of
San Luis Obispo, CA
Management Consultants Folsom (Sacramento), CA
ATTACHMENT 2
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CITYGATE ASSOCIATES, LLC IS PROUD TO BE A CORPORATE SPONSOR OF THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES.
February 2, 2015
Garrett Olson
Fire Chief
City of San Luis Obispo
2160 Santa Barbara Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
golson@slocity.org
RE: PROPOSAL TO PERFORM A FIRE SERVICES MASTER PLAN UPDATE FOR THE CITY OF
SAN LUIS OBISPO
Dear Chief Olson:
Citygate Associates, LLC is pleased to present our proposal to the City of San Luis Obispo to
update the Standards of Response Cover (deployment) plan that we prepared for the City in 2009
as part of our Fire Services Master Plan. Given the upcoming growth plans for the City, Citygate
will use our baseline understanding of the City’s fire deployment system and compare it to
projected growth, particularly in the southern part of the City. This introductory letter explains
why Citygate is the most experienced fire deployment consultancy in the Western U.S.
Citygate believes that our qualifications to perform your study are exceptional. We have an
extensive background in fire and emergency services consulting, specifically in fire department
deployment, master plans, and financial analysis/strategies.
We have completed fire master plans for many agencies throughout California, some of which
include the Cities of Atwater, Beverly Hills, Carlsbad, Dixon, Oakdale, Napa, Newark, Soledad,
and Windsor; and the Counties of Butte, Fresno, Madera, Napa, and County of Santa Barbara.
All of these master plan reports were well received by the departments and respective policy
boards.
Citygate also has an outstanding track record with our clients. We strongly encourage the City to
call our key project references—they are golden. As the County of San Diego former CAO
stated: “We work with consultants, obviously, all the time, but the work that Citygate did on this
report is some of the best I’ve seen in my tenure here.” (Watch the video clip at this link:
www.citygateassociates.com/sdcountyvideo)
ATTACHMENT 2
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Chief Olson
February 2, 2015
Page 2
This is not an isolated comment by one client, rather it is the rule. Time after time our clients say
at the end of public presentations, “this was the best report/study on fire services we have ever
received and now we finally understand the issues and choices…”
CITYGATE ASSOCIATES KEY STRENGTHS
At Citygate, we believe that you are not hiring a “firm,” but rather professional individuals who
have the qualifications that match your unique needs. Our team members are the practice
specialists in their fields, and San Luis Obispo will not work with less skilled, entry-, or mid-
level consultants.
Citygate’s Fire Practice Principal and Project Director, Stewart Gary, is the lead author of the 2nd
through 4th Editions manual for Standards of Response Cover systems approach to deployment
for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. Chief Gary has developed this material,
taught it, and used it in consulting across the United States and Canada for fourteen years. Over
the last 14 years, he has performed over 200 fire services studies. Citygate and Chief Gary have
developed a fire services analysis team that consists of the best, most experienced GIS and
statistical analysts on Standards of Response Cover methods to be found in the United States
today. In just California, for example, Chief Gary and his analytics team have performed
deployment studies for over 120 cities; his studies have covered over 14.5 million residents,
which is 39 percent of California’s population.
Chief Gary conducted your Fire Master Plan project in 2009 and will perform this requested
update in 2015.
Why is this experience critical in consideration of the Citygate team? The City is hiring outside
help not just to complete the study more quickly than staff time permits, but to have experienced
consultants that know not only how to listen and uncover the tough issues, but also how to work
them to successful closure. All of Citygate’s principals and key consultants have had very
successful careers in senior management positions, first in local government, and then in
consulting. We will not present lofty ideas that have no practical chance of implementation or
acceptance. What sets us apart is our ability to weave our experience with the City’s facts and
needs into recommendations that can positively move the City’s fire service decisions ahead. We
know the approaches needed and, equally as important, how to effectively communicate the
results to the stakeholders.
Citygate is also an independent company and is not co-owned or under the control of any
professional or standards-setting organization in fire services or government management.
* * *
Citygate believes that, upon the City of San Luis Obispo’s review of our proposal and unique
qualifications, you will find that Citygate’s team of multi-disciplinary consultants, who have a
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Chief Olson
February 2, 2015
Page 3
history of working together, will exceed the City’s expectations! On this basis, we
enthusiastically look forward to working with San Luis Obispo to address the needs of the
challenging project.
As President of the firm, I am authorized to execute a binding contract on behalf of Citygate
Associates, LLC. Please feel free to contact me at (916) 458-5100, extension 101 or via e-mail at
dderoos@citygateassociates.com if you wish further information.
Sincerely,
David C. DeRoos, MPA, CMC, President
cc: Stewart Gary
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Table of Contents page i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
Cover Letter ............................................................... Immediately Precedes Table of Contents
Section 1—Work Plan and Scope of Work .................................................................................1
1.1 Overview of Work Plan ...................................................................................... 1
1.2 Fire Services Review Scope of Work ................................................................. 2
1.2.1 Deployment Study Components .............................................................. 2
1.3 Work Plan Task Sequence .................................................................................. 4
1.4 Final Report Components ................................................................................... 7
1.5 Study Components With Which the City Must Assist ....................................... 8
1.6 Project/Site Visit Schedule ................................................................................. 8
1.7 Project Schedule ................................................................................................. 8
Section 2—Citygate Organization and Project Team ..............................................................10
2.1 Citygate’s Project Team ................................................................................... 10
2.2 Necessary Project Team Skills ......................................................................... 10
2.3 Project Team / Project Roles ............................................................................ 11
2.4 Project Team Organization Chart ..................................................................... 12
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience .............................................................................14
3.1 Citygate Associates Project Experience ........................................................... 14
3.2 Similar Completed Engagements ..................................................................... 14
3.2.1 Fire Deployment and Master Plan Projects ........................................... 14
3.3 Citygate Client Summary ................................................................................. 18
3.3.1 Master/Strategic Plans ........................................................................... 18
3.3.2 Fire Standards of Coverage/Deployment Studies .................................. 19
3.3.3 Consolidations and Contract-for-Service Analyses ............................... 20
3.3.4 General Studies ...................................................................................... 21
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3.4 Client References ............................................................................................. 22
3.5 Citygate’s Depth in Fire Service Work ............................................................ 23
3.5.1 Citygate’s Distinguishing Characteristics in the Marketplace ............... 24
Section 4—Pricing Proposal........................................................................................................25
4.1 Project Cost/Billing .......................................................................................... 25
4.2 Citygate Cost and Billing Terms ...................................................................... 25
4.3 Standard Hourly Billing Rates ......................................................................... 26
Appendices
Appendix A Code of Ethics
Appendix B Project Team Resumes
Chief Stewart W. Gary, MPA ..................................................................................1
Dave Freudenberger, MBA ......................................................................................5
Michael D. Fay.........................................................................................................6
David C. DeRoos, MPA, CMC ................................................................................7
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 1—Work Plan and Scope of Work page 1
Chief Gary and his team of
subject matter experts have
performed fire deployment and
station location studies for over
120 agencies; his deployment
studies have served over 14.5
million residents.
SECTION 1—WORK PLAN AND SCOPE OF WORK
1.1 OVERVIEW OF WORK PLAN
Citygate is proposing to conduct an update to
the City’s prior Fire Services Master Plan with
an emphasis on the addition of a fifth fire
station, or redistribution of the existing four
stations, to serve new development in the
planned growth areas of the City, including the
Orcutt Area Specific Plan, Margarita Area
Specific Plan, and Airport Area Specific Plan.
Developers in these new growth areas will
likely be required to: (1) fund the upfront costs
associated with a new station or the redistribution of existing stations; (2) fund ongoing operating
costs the City will incur to provide the additional services once the new growth areas are
completely built out; and (3) provide potential interim/gap funding to cover revenue shortfalls
that may occur as development proceeds before buildout is achieved.
Citygate’s Project Team will review projected growth in the City’s current General Plan and then
assist the City with the ultimate implementation of selected fire service funding sources. For the
fee analysis work, Citygate has partnered with Goodwin Consulting, a firm with in-depth and
current knowledge of the City’s fee structures.
Citygate’s Work Plan has been developed consistent with our Project Team members’
experience in public fire administration. We utilize various National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) publications as best practice guidelines, along with the self-assessment criteria of the
Commission on Fire Accreditation International and the Insurance Services Office (ISO). We do
not use simple, nor one-size-fits-all measures.
The findings and recommendations of an analysis of this breadth and depth are only as good as
the professionals generating them. This is what sets the Citygate team apart. As we are recent
practicing professionals in fire administration, the City is getting the expertise of a seasoned
“department head team,” not the opinions of junior staff members or consultants that have spent
little time on the leadership front lines.
A significant strength of the Citygate team is that we are able to develop reports with specific
recommendations tailored to the local situation that are implementable within the revenues
available. Our reports identify specific areas that are working well and where improvements are
needed.
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1.2 FIRE SERVICES REVIEW SCOPE OF WORK
The following is an overview of how we will address the scope of work. Following this
overview, we will provide a detailed explanation of our work program tasks:
Using Commission for Fire Accreditation International (CFAI-CPSE), conduct a
resource deployment Standard of Cover analysis with incident response statistics
for all types of emergency response services from computer aided dispatch (CAD)
and records management system (RMS) National Fire Incident Reporting System
(NFIRS) data.
Model the fire service impacts created by various growth proposals.
To control consultant costs and increase City staff skills, Citygate will coach City
geographic information system (GIS) staff to prepare updated deployment
coverage maps.
Provide recommendations and various operational models for emergency services
including cost effectiveness and operational effectiveness.
Once the City accepts a next-generation fire deployment plan, Citygate and
Goodwin will provide assistance to estimate the annual special tax or assessment
that may need to be levied to cover additional ongoing services costs. These
estimates will be developed for each primary land use designation expected to be
developed. Goodwin will also assist Citygate with drafting a chapter of the Master
Plan to address these fiscal issues.
1.2.1 Deployment Study Components
The scope of the envisioned deployment study will include the following elements:
While this is not a study of fire departments adjacent to the City, the study will
consider the impacts of the City’s existing or potential mutual aid agreements on
its needs.
The performance goals will be consistent with national guidelines from the
Insurance Service Organization (ISO), the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA), and the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI).
Citygate will use an incident response time analysis program called StatsFD™,
formerly NFIRS 5 Alive™, to review the statistics of prior actual historical
performance. The results will be plotted not only on graphs and charts, but “live”
using 3D tools over Google Earth images.
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The core methodology used by Citygate in the scope of its deployment analysis work will be that
of the “Standards of Response Coverage” systems approach to fire department deployment as
published by the CFAI. This is a systems-based approach using local risk and demographics to
determine the level of protection best fitting the City’s needs.
SOC Components
The study will use the following components in the Standards of Response Coverage process:
1. Existing deployment – each agency has something in place today.
The Citygate team will review the existing deployment strategies and
performance measures.
2. Community outcome expectations – what is expected of the response agency?
3. Special hazard response – Citygate will determine the City’s and community’s
expectations for fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and special hazard
responses.
4. Community risk assessment – what assets are at risk in the community?
Citygate will determine the existing risk in the community, at a zone level,
using community zoning information, ISO building risk information,
population demographics, and growth plans.
Citygate will review the Department’s current staffing and critical task
crew measures.
5. Distribution Study – the locating of first-due resources (typically engines).
Citygate will use GIS mapping and existing response data from the CAD
and the Department RMS data to understand the existing deployment
system performance and test proposed service measures by risk types in
different zones for first-due, all-risk units.
6. Concentration Study – first alarm assignment or effective response force studies.
7. Historical reliability – is there a multiple call frequency issue (call stacking)
problem?
Citygate will analyze incident data to determine if multiple calls are
affecting performance.
8. Historical response effectiveness studies – what percent of compliance does the
existing system deliver?
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9. Overall evaluation with Standard of Cover statements by risk type, as needed.
Citygate will advise on citywide Standard of Cover benchmark statements
and policies based on population densities.
Changes in deployment, if desirable, will be identified along with likely
timing.
1.3 WORK PLAN TASK SEQUENCE
Our Work Plan is integrated and comprised of six tasks across two phases and includes all items
requested by City staff. Phase I (Tasks 1-5) includes all work necessary to deliver the Fire
Services Master Plan Update report. Phase II (Task 6) includes final research and development
of the new fire services fee program. The presentation of our Work Plan describes each of the
tasks in more detail.
We intend to review our Work Plan and schedule with the City’s project team prior to beginning
work. After obtaining additional input, we will finalize our Work Plan and the accompanying
schedule.
Phase I—Task 1: Initiate and Manage the Project
Subtasks:
We will develop a detailed work schedule and final project schedule for the
project. These tools will assist both the consultants and City staff to monitor the
progress of the study.
Before we meet with Fire Department personnel on the ground we will develop
and submit a list of all documents relevant to this project, including the City’s
General Plan, growth forecasts, any appropriate prior studies, Fire Department
documentation including (as available) dispatch data, fleet inventory, facility
condition assessments, current personnel, equipment and other operating costs,
and a myriad of other information. Once we receive the requested documentation
from the City, we will review it prior to conducting our interviews in the
following subtask. We have found that reviewing this information prior to our
interviews improves the effectiveness and value of the interviews we conduct,
since it results in more specific questions and more definitive information.
Chief Stewart Gary will meet with the City representatives to correlate our
understandings of the study’s scope, and ensure that our Work Plan and project
schedule are mutually agreeable. In our experience, this early effort to clearly
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define expectations, roles, and lines of communication results in a better focus on
substantive issues as the engagement progresses.
To enhance our understanding of the issues at stake in this project, we will meet
with, as appropriate and directed, City Hall staff and the Fire Chief.
Throughout the entire project duration, we will monitor engagement progress and
completion of tasks, including providing monthly written status reports and oral
communications, as needed.
Phase I—Task 2: Deployment Review of the Fire and Emergency Medical
Services Delivery System
Subtasks:
Develop a Standards of Response Cover (SOC) study. This review will consider
all options to address the Department’s deployment needs, including the addition
of a fifth fire station, or redistribution of the existing four stations, to serve new
development in the planned growth areas of the City, including the Orcutt Area
Specific Plan, Margarita Area Specific Plan, and Airport Area Specific Plan. City
staff GIS mapping and Citygate analysis of prior incident response statistics will
be used to measure the effectiveness of the current deployment plan compared to
desired goals.
Chief Stewart Gary will conduct the deployment review with the
assistance of Michael Fay (statistical specialist) and the City’s GIS
technician.
When this step is complete, the findings and recommendations will be
integrated into the Draft Report, which is presented in Task 4.
Phase I—Task 3: Preliminary Findings Briefings
Subtasks:
We will schedule three Draft Findings and Recommendations PowerPoint study
sessions to present our draft findings, answer any questions, and agree on
elements for the full written report. The three sessions will be held with: (1)
Department and City Executive Management; (2) the Planning Commission; and
(3) the City Council.
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Phase I—Task 4: Forecast Resource Needs, Conduct Final Service Delivery
Models, and Prepare Integrated Review Report
Subtasks:
Following the briefings in Task #3, the entire Citygate Project Team will prepare
any additionally requested service models.
Goodwin will conduct preliminary analyses to estimate the amount of
development impact fees that may need to be levied to cover up-front capital
costs.
Goodwin will also estimate the annual special tax or assessment that may need to
be levied to cover additional ongoing services costs. These estimates will be
developed for each primary land use designation expected to be developed.
Goodwin will also assist Citygate with drafting a section of the Master Plan report
to address these fiscal issues.
Citygate and Goodwin will then draft a comprehensive long-range Citywide Fire
Services Deployment Master Plan Draft, including statistical and geographic
mapping exhibits. Our report will describe how our review was conducted, what
issues were identified, why our recommendations were made, and how
implementation should be accomplished.
Upon completion of the Draft Report, an electronic version in MS-Word will be
sent to the City project manager for comments using the “track changes” and
“insert comments” tools in Word. Our normal practice is to review a draft of our
report with management personnel in a tele-conference to ensure that the factual
basis for our recommendations is correct and to allow time for a thorough review.
In addition, we take time to discuss any areas that require further clarification or
amplification.
Phase I—Task 5: Prepare and Deliver the Final Report, Recommendations, and
Costs
Subtasks:
Based on the results of our Draft Report review process, we will then prepare a
Final Report to Department and City leadership.
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We also will make oral presentations to the Planning Commission and City
Council using a PowerPoint.
Phase II—Task 6: Implement New Fire Services Fee Program
Subtasks:
Goodwin will work with Citygate and/or City staff to implement a new fire
services impact fee program or to supplement an existing fire services impact
program. Goodwin will conduct the necessary detailed analyses, prepare an AB
1600 fee justification study, and implement the development impact fee program
for the City.
Goodwin will also work with Citygate and/or City staff to implement funding
mechanisms to offset the additional ongoing fire services costs. Again, more
refined analyses will be prepared during this second phase. It may be possible to
use one financing tool to address the mitigation requirements associated with both
the buildout condition and conditions during the interim years leading up to
buildout, or separate tools may be required/preferred. For example, the City may
elect to establish a Community Facilities District (CFD) to cover both types of
mitigation. In that scenario, Goodwin would serve as the City’s special tax
consultant to prepare the rate and method of apportionment of special tax, the list
of authorized services, and the initial boundary map required to form the CFD.
1.4 FINAL REPORT COMPONENTS
Our final work product will include:
1. An analysis of the efficiency of the current deployment scheme of resources
within the Department’s fire stations;
2. An evaluation of community growth projections and their impact on emergency
services planning and service delivery;
3. Various operational models for providing emergency services, including future
strategies for service delivery and their impacts;
4. If required, recommendations for changes in fire deployment methods (including
adding a station or redistributing current stations) to meet the current needs of the
Department and to optimize service delivery;
5. A detailed estimate of the annual special tax or assessment that may need to be
levied to cover additional ongoing services costs;
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6. The provision of supporting data and rationale for all recommendations;
7. The provision of supporting statistics and other visual data to fully illustrate the
current situation and consultant recommendations. This information shall be
provided in both hard copy format and computerized format with accompanying
Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
1.5 STUDY COMPONENTS WITH WHICH THE CITY MUST ASSIST
Both Citygate and the City understand the economic constraints on a study. The City is in the
best position to collect some internal data that can assist the Citygate study. Therefore, the City
will assist Citygate with:
Providing electronic incident response data in a format requested by Citygate.
Providing updated fire station coverage travel time maps.
Via a document request questionnaire issued by Citygate, submitting existing
Department documents describing its organization, services, budgets, expenses,
and performance measures, if any.
Providing other Department data as requested by Citygate.
1.6 PROJECT/SITE VISIT SCHEDULE
The following is our schedule of on-site meetings to facilitate the gathering of information and
understanding for the project to explain/present the project’s findings. Chief Gary will make five
trips to the client site, as outlined below:
Task 1 – One trip lasting two days for Chief Gary to start the project and begin
information gathering by conducting on-site interviews and construction of a final
project schedule of events.
Task 3 – Two separate trips for Chief Gary to conduct draft findings briefings.
Task 5 – Two separate trips for Chief Gary to present the Final Report to the
Planning Commission and City Council.
1.7 PROJECT SCHEDULE
Citygate anticipates that the duration of Phase I of this project will be five months, and is
available to start the project immediately upon the award of a contract. Phase II may last up to
three months after the Final Report has been accepted. A detailed Work Plan schedule is
presented on the following page:
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Section 1—Work Plan and Scope of Work page 9
Phase I Work Plan Timeline
Task Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5
Task 1: Initiate and Manage the
Project
Task 2: Deployment Review of Fire
& EMS Delivery System
Task 3: Preliminary Findings
Briefings
Task 4: Forecast Needs, Delivery
Models, & Review Report
Task 5: Prepare & Deliver the Final
Report
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 2—Citygate Organization and Project Team page 10
In the last 13 years, Chief Gary
has led over 200 fire services
studies.
SECTION 2—CITYGATE ORGANIZATION AND PROJECT TEAM
2.1 CITYGATE’S PROJECT TEAM
Citygate’s capabilities for this service can be
simply stated: the experience and talents of our
Project Team members! We know that successful
results come from the outside consultants being
able to handle, as necessary, six critical roles in
cooperation with the internal City Fire project team: (1) champion; (2) stakeholder listener; (3)
subject matter trainer/expert; (4) meeting facilitator; (5) coach and content expert; and (6) final
strategist/advisor.
Citygate’s team members, in their agency and consulting careers, have successfully walked the
talk on fire department review efforts by focusing on the inclusion of culture and
communications, with rigorous analytic methods to build a business case that elected officials
and agency employees can both understand.
The Citygate team has a multi-disciplinary approach that includes the full range of skills required
to execute this challenging project. The diverse group of specialists comprising Citygate’s
proposed Project Team (described below) has worked on prior projects to integrate their
respective expertise into comprehensive, compelling, and creative strategies to accomplish a
municipality’s objectives.
2.2 NECESSARY PROJECT TEAM SKILLS
Citygate’s team members possess the skills necessary to successfully complete this project,
including:
Fire department deployment principles and practices
Fire department staffing
Fire services command and organizational structure
Fire department performance measurement
Field operations for fire and emergency medical services
Operating and capital budgeting
Development impact fees
City management and cost of services analysis
Land use planning
Strategic, master, and business planning.
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2.3 PROJECT TEAM / PROJECT ROLES
The qualifications of the Project Team are critical, as it is the expertise and the capabilities of the
consultants involved in the project that ultimately determine the success of the project. We have
carefully assembled the team members to provide the knowledge, depth, judgment, and
sensitivity required to perform this engagement. Please note that the role of each team member is
described in italics at the end of his biographical paragraph. Full resumes for each consultant are
presented in Appendix B. Primary members of our Project Team include the following
experienced consultants:
Chief Stewart W. Gary, MPA, Fire Practice Principal and Project Director
Chief Gary is the Fire Practice Principal for Citygate Associates. Chief
Gary is the retired Fire Chief of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire
Department in Alameda County, California. For the past fourteen
years, he has been a lead instructor, program content developer and
consultant for the Standards of Response Coverage process. For many
years he annually taught a 40-hour course on this systems approach for
fire deployment at the California Fire Academy and he teaches and
consults across the United States and Canada on the Standards of
Response Coverage process. Over the last thirteen years, he has performed over 200 master plan,
organizational, and deployment studies on departments ranging in size from Minneapolis,
Minnesota to San Diego, California, San Diego County, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire
District and the Santa Clarity Valley region in Los Angeles County.
Significant to this fire department review effort, he successfully used planning, team building,
culture development and process re-design tools to successfully design, lead and manage the
award winning Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Consolidation. Chief Gary also conducts
team building and team coaching workshops for executive fire management teams.
Chief Gary will manage the Citygate team, attend all on-site meetings and presentations, and
draft the report.
Dave Freudenberger, MBA, Fee Specialist
Dave Freudenberger is the Senior Principal and Founding Partner of
Goodwin Consulting Group, Inc. Dave offers comprehensive experience
in public finance, fiscal impact analysis, and economic and market
feasibility. He has managed numerous studies prepared for small, single-
use developments as well as large, master-planned communities, and
these projects have ranged from dense urban spaces to expansive
undeveloped areas. Dave brings two decades of preparing public
infrastructure funding strategies, fiscal and economic impact studies,
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market absorption studies, pro forma cash flow analyses, tax increment projections and
redevelopment feasibility studies, and jobs/housing and affordable housing programs. He also
has expertise in valuing real estate portfolios, restructuring the financial elements of real estate
deals, and assessing ground lease and related development proposals for residential, non-
residential, and institutional land uses. Dave has personally directed the evaluation, preparation,
and implementation of numerous land-secured financing districts, tax increment financing
programs, and public facilities financing plans throughout California, Hawaii, and Nevada.
Mr. Freudenberger will perform the fee analysis.
Michael D. Fay, Statistical Specialist
Mr. Fay has assisted Citygate with deployment studies for over 10
years. He has over 30 years experience and has served as a firefighter,
EMS director, educator, consultant and publisher. As President of
Animated Data, Inc., he is the designer and publisher of Stats FD,
formerly NFIRS 5 Alive. Using standard NFIRS 5 datasets, Stats FD
quickly performs diagnostic analysis of fire department operations.
Mr. Fay will conduct statistical analysis for the deployment portion of the project.
David C. DeRoos, MPA, CMC, Citygate President
Mr. DeRoos has nearly 30 years experience as a consultant to local
government, preceded by 5 years as an assistant to the City
Administrator. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political
Science/Public Service (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of
California, Davis and holds a Master of Public Administration degree
from the University of Southern California. Prior to becoming a Principal
in Citygate in 1991, he was a Senior Manager in the local government
consulting division of Ernst & Young.
Mr. DeRoos is responsible for ensuring the project is conducted smoothly and efficiently within
the schedule and budget allocated, and that project deliverables meet Citygate’s and the client’s
quality standards.
2.4 PROJECT TEAM ORGANIZATION CHART
The following is Citygate’s Project Team organization chart. Citygate’s consultants adhere to the
Code of Ethics found in Appendix A.
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Citygate Associates
Project Team Organization Chart
San Luis Obispo
Fire Department
Stewart Gary, MPA
Fire Practice Principal and
Project Director
David C. DeRoos, MPA, CMC
Citygate President
Dave Freudenberger, MBA
Fee Specialist
Michael Fay
Statistical Specialist
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Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 14
“We work with consultants,
obviously, all the time, but the
work that Citygate did on this
report is some of the best I’ve
seen in my tenure here.”
-Former San Diego County CAO
SECTION 3—SUMMARY OF RELATED EXPERIENCE
3.1 CITYGATE ASSOCIATES PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Citygate Associates, LLC, founded in 1990, is
dedicated to assisting public sector agencies to
improve services. Citygate’s Fire Protection and
Emergency Medical Services practice area conducts
deployment and station location analyses, master and
strategic plans, consolidation feasibility analyses,
organizational efficiency studies, risk assessment
studies, performance audits, staffing studies, and GIS
for cities, counties, and districts throughout the United States.
Citygate has completed many recent projects that are very similar to the deployment and
operational work requested in this study. Below Citygate provides a description of our previous
related fire services engagements. Following the description of our related studies, we provide a
summary listing of other related completed fire services engagements, and finally, a list of
references. For a more detailed list of Citygate’s Fire Services projects, please visit our website
at www.citygateassociates.com and then select “Fire Protection and Emergency Medical
Services Consulting.”
3.2 SIMILAR COMPLETED ENGAGEMENTS
3.2.1 Fire Deployment and Master Plan Projects
City of San Luis Obispo, CA – Fire Department Deployment Study and Master Plan
Citygate performed a fire department planning study which included a Standards of Response
Coverage planning analysis to examine the levels of fire department services by occupancy type
and land use classifications. The study also included fire station and staffing infrastructure
triggers for additional resources, an analysis of headquarters and prevention systems, as well as
order of magnitude costs and possible financing strategies.
San Diego County Office of Emergency Services (CA OES) – Countywide Deployment Study
for Regional Fire, Rescue, and EMS Services (57 Total Fire Agencies)
Citygate completed a project to implement a phased process designed to establish a blueprint for
improving San Diego County’s regional fire protection and First Responder Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) system. The study assessed current levels of service, identified future needs,
provided options for a regional governance structure and developed cost feasible proposals to
improve the region’s ability to respond to natural or manmade disasters including wildfires,
earthquakes, terrorism, and other multi-hazard events. It also provided ways to bolster day-to-
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day operations and enhance the delivery of fire and emergency medical services in San Diego
County.
The study exceeded the County’s expectations and was very well received by the elected
officials and stakeholders in May 2010. The County has since retained Citygate to provide ad
hoc assistance with implementation of the study’s recommendations.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District – Standards of Response Coverage study and a
Services Reduction (Brownout) Study
The Standards of Response Coverage study was commissioned to: analyze the effectiveness of
the current deployment system; evaluate the need for additional fire stations; recommend criteria
for the placement and timing of these stations; and develop the criteria for deployment reductions
of 3-5 fire stations to meet the fiscal needs of the District’s declining revenues.
The study exceeded all of the District’s expectations and was very well received by the elected
officials and stakeholders in May 2009. The District adopted and implemented Citygate’s
brownout service reduction plan. Citygate was retained by the District to perform an update to
the Standards of Response Coverage study in 2011/2012.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District and City of Sacramento, CA – Fire Deployment
Growth Analysis
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District commissioned Citygate Associates to update the
District’s fire station, apparatus, and crew needs to account for expected growth proposals post-
recession being processed by the Sacramento County Department of Community Development
and the City of Rancho Cordova Planning Department.
City of Roseville, CA – Organizational and Operational Review
Citygate conducted an organizational and operational review of Roseville’s municipal fire
service to include all aspects of its fire services operations. The study included a Standards of
Response Coverage analysis supported by maps and response statistics and also included an
assessment of non-deployment functions.
City of Atwater, CA – Fire Department Master Plan
Citygate completed a high-level Master Plan for the Atwater Fire Department. This project
included a Standards of Response Coverage (Deployment) analysis, a review of the Fire
Department’s headquarters positions and programs and the capability to support the
Department’s needs, an evaluation of the option of contracting fire services with CAL FIRE, and
concluded with a summary of phasing priorities and costs.
ATTACHMENT 2
C4-132
City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 16
The City of Atwater agreed with Citygate’s recommendations to contract with CAL FIRE which
was successfully done in the year following the study.
City of Corona, CA – Fire Department Strategic Plan/Standards of Response Coverage Study
Citygate performed a Fire Department Strategic Plan and Standards of Response Coverage study
for the City of Corona, CA that included all facets of fire and non-fire operations including, but
not limited to, fire prevention, fire administration, emergency medical services, fire
investigation, fire training, disaster preparedness, hazardous materials, administrative support
positions, information systems, capital facilities and apparatus, fire department fees, regional
issues, and fire public education.
City of Rio Rancho, NM – Fire Department Operations and Staffing Study
This study included a review of the organizational structure, a gap analysis, a review of shift
structure impacts, and a review of alternative service delivery methods. To achieve the necessary
informational certainty to make staffing decisions, a rigorous data analysis was a chief
component of this study. After completing the analysis Citygate recommended an adaptive
deployment model alternative staffing for ambulance response by the City. This report then
formed the basis for staffing and deployment decisions affecting the fire department going
forward. The Report was well received by the City Council, city staff, and fire labor. Since the
report, the major recommendation of the report has been budgeted and implemented by the city.
City of Napa, CA –Fire Master Plan and Standards of Response Coverage Study
Citygate conducted a Standard of Response Cover study and a Master Plan for the City of Napa
Fire Department. Designing this plan involved two stages: (1) a short-range plan that addresses
current service delivery needs in light of the City’s economic situation; and (2) a longer -range
plan that addresses fire services delivery at the current General Plan build-out of the community.
Yuba County, CA – Shared Fire Services Analysis
Citygate recently assessed the feasibility for shared fire services amongst the fire agencies of the
valley floor of Yuba County. This multi-phased review assessed the possibility for operational
and administrative consolidations, cooperative agreements, Joint Powers Authorities, contracts-
for-service, or other viable options for consolidation.
Snohomish County Fire District 1, WA – Standards of Response Cover Study
Citygate conducted a Standards of Response Cover Study for the Snohomish County Fire
District 1, with a performance review of the current delivery of all fire department emergency
response services and provision of options or alternatives for those items needed to meet best
practices. Citygate will provide guidance for any identified location/relocation of fire station
locations to provide long-range service delivery; an evaluation of current mutual/auto-aid
ATTACHMENT 2
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 17
agreements and their effectiveness; and an analysis of alternative deployment plans where they
fit the District’s needs.
Santa Barbara County, CA – Fire Services Deployment and Departmental Performance Audit
Study
Citygate completed a Standards of Response Coverage deployment analysis and departmental
performance audit assessment of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The study
identified both the current service level and services desired, and then assessed the Department’s
ability to provide them. After understanding gaps—if any—in operations and resources, Citygate
provided recommendations to maximize and improve Department operations and resources over
time. The study was well received by the Department, County Chief Executive, and the Board of
Supervisors, who, after receiving the study, adopted a revised funding plan for the dependent fire
district.
El Dorado LAFCO (CA) – Countywide Fire and Emergency Services Study
Citygate performed a fire and emergency services study to evaluate fire services countywide and
to provide actionable recommendations on how to ensure sustainable, adequate and cost-
effective coverage. This study was undertaken because eight of the fourteen agencies providing
fire and emergency services to El Dorado County had insufficient revenue streams and had been
relying on supplemental funding from the County; without these funds, some agencies would not
be able to meet service demands. The study exceeded LAFCO’s and the stakeholders’
expectations. The Board of Supervisors is still working with the fire districts on a sustainable
funding solution.
City of San Diego, CA – Standards of Response Coverage Study
Citygate conducted a fire service Standards of Response Coverage deployment study for the San
Diego Fire Rescue Department (population over 1.25 million). The study broke new ground by
determining the appropriate number of additional fire stations critically needed and then
recommended 2-firefighter/paramedic staffed Fast Response Squads for adaptive peak hour
deployment. The study independently reviewed in depth the existing fire and emergency medical
risks to be protected, the current and desirable response system to these needs, and recommended
a best-fit solution to most effectively leverage the existing situation while allowing the
development of an even-stronger regional response system to benefit everyone.
City of Oakland, CA – Comprehensive Multi-Hazard, All Risk Fire Service Deployment Study
Citygate conducted a comprehensive multi-hazard, all-risk fire service deployment study of the
Oakland Fire Department’s ability to respond to and mitigate emergencies in routine and
strategic risk scenarios. The study combined Oakland’s capabilities with those of its neighbors to
form a picture of what the sub-regional response system’s capabilities are to protect the strategic
ATTACHMENT 2
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 18
risks in the Oakland Metropolitan Area. From these assessments and the resultant gap analysis,
recommendations for changes were made to improve the response system.
Beverly Hills Fire Department, CA – Performance Audit and Strategic Plan
Citygate conducted a general organizational Fire/EMS analysis of the City of Beverly Hills Fire
Department and developed a strategic plan. The goal of the study was to assess the current
emergency response services/operations of the Department, identify gaps in operations and
resources, develop recommendations to maximize current Department operations and resources,
and identify “best practices” that may be applicable for Beverly Hills. The study results were
warmly accepted by the Department, City Manager, and Council, who used the study for revised
budget discussions.
3.3 CITYGATE CLIENT SUMMARY
In additional to the related studies above, Citygate presents a listing of additional
Master/Strategic Plans, SOC/deployment studies, consolidation projects, and general projects
that we have completed.
3.3.1 Master/Strategic Plans
City of Atwater, CA
Anacortes, WA
City of Belmont, CA
City of Beverly Hills, CA
Butte County, CA
City of Carlsbad, CA
City of Corona, CA
City of Dixon, CA
City of DuPont, WA
East Contra Costa County FPD, CA
Fresno County, CA
Lakeside Fire Protection District
Los Angeles County, CA
Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association,
CA
Madera County, CA
Mountain House CSD, CA
Napa County, CA
City of Napa, CA
City of Newark, CA
City of Oakdale / Oakdale Rural FPD, CA
City of Oceanside, CA
City of Peoria, AZ
Presidio Trust, CA
Port of Long Beach, CA
Port of Los Angeles, CA
Rock Creek Rural FPD, ID
Salida FPD, CA
Salton Community Services District, CA
City of San Luis Obispo, CA
City of Soledad, CA
City of Surprise, AZ
Travis County ESD #6, TX
Town of Windsor, CA
University of California, Davis
University of California, Merced
ATTACHMENT 2
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 19
3.3.2 Fire Standards of Coverage/Deployment Studies
City of Alameda, CA
City of Bakersfield, CA
City of Brentwood, CA
City of Cleveland, OH
Coastside FPD, CA
City of Costa Mesa, CA
Cosumnes CSD
City of Emeryville, CA
City of Enid, OK
City of Eureka, CA
City of Folsom, CA
City of Georgetown, TX
Lakeside Fire Protection District, CA
Los Angeles County EMS, CA
Marin County, CA
Menlo Park FPD, CA
City of Minneapolis, MN
City of Monterey Park, CA
Montecito FPD, CA
City of National City, CA
North County FPD, CA
North Lake Tahoe FPD, NV
City of Oakland, CA
Ogden City, UT
City of Orange, CA
City of Palm Springs, CA
City of Pasadena, CA
City of Redlands, CA
City of Roseville, CA
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, CA
City of Sacramento, CA
San Bernardino, CA
City of San Diego, CA
City of San Mateo, CA
San Mateo County, CA
San Ramon Valley FPD, CA
Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Clara County, CA
City of Seaside, CA
Snohomish County Fire District 1, WA
South Placer FPD, CA
City of South San Francisco
South San Mateo County, CA
South Santa Clara FPD, CA
Stanislaus Consolidated FPD, CA
City of Stockton, CA
City of Suisun City, CA
Templeton CSD, CA
Travis County ESD No. 6, TX
City of Vacaville, CA
City of Vallejo, CA
Vancouver, WA
City of Vista, CA
City of West Sacramento, CA
City of Yuba City, CA
ATTACHMENT 2
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 20
3.3.3 Consolidations and Contract-for-Service Analyses
City of Ukiah and Ukiah Valley Fire
District – Feasibility of Establishing a
“District Overlay”
Cities of Manhattan Beach and Hermosa
Beach – Operational Assessment
Cities of Hesperia, Adelanto, Victorville,
Town of Apple Valley, CA – Public Safety
JPA Feasibility Study
San Diego County Office of Emergency
Services (CA) – Countywide Deployment
and Fiscal Study for Regional Fire,
Rescue, and EMS Services (57 Total Fire
Agencies)
UC Davis, Cities of Davis, West
Sacramento, and Woodland –
Consolidation Feasibility Analysis
UC Santa Cruz and City of Santa Cruz –
Consolidation Feasibility Analysis
City of Emeryville, CA – Assessment of
Fire Service Provision Options
City of Arcata, CA – Fire Services
Feasibility Analysis
City of Pinole, CA – Regional Fire Service
Delivery Study
City of Sausalito and Southern Marin FPD
– Fire Consolidation Implementation
Analysis
Cities of Burlingame, Millbrae, San
Bruno, and Town of Hillsborough – Fire
Services Merger Technical
Implementation
Cities of Orange, Fullerton, and Anaheim
– Consolidation Feasibility Analysis
El Dorado LAFCO (CA) – Countywide
Fire and Emergency Services Study
City of Lodi, CA – Contract for Services
Feasibility Analysis
Presidio Trust and National Park Service –
Fire Services Reorganization
City of Eureka and Humboldt No. 1
Fire Protection District – Consolidation
or Contract Fire Services Feasibility
Analysis
Seaside and Marina Fire Services, CA –
Consolidation Implementation
Assistance
Cities of Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande,
Grover Beach, and Oceano CSD –
High-Level Consolidation Feasibility
Analysis
Cities of Patterson, Newman and West
Stanislaus County FPD, CA – Joint Fire
Protection Study
Cities of Monterey, Pacific Grove, and
Carmel, CA – High-Level
Consolidation Feasibility Analysis
South Santa Clara County Area Fire
Departments – Reorganization
Feasibility Study
City of South Lake Tahoe, CA – Fire
Department Consolidation Feasibility
Analysis
City of Santa Rosa and Rincon FPD,
CA – Fire Consolidation Analysis
City of Sonoma and Valley of the Moon
FPD – Fire Services Reorganization
Study
City of Covina, CA – Contract-for-
Service Analysis
Cities of Newark and Union City –
Consolidation or ALCO Contract for
Services Study
Snohomish County Fire District 1, WA
– Review of Regional Fire Authority
Financial and Level-of-Service Plan
Yuba County Valley Floor Agencies –
Fire Services Merger Study
ATTACHMENT 2
C4-137
City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 21
3.3.4 General Studies
County of Alameda, CA – Incident
Management Teams
City of Albany, NY – Management Audit
Alpine Springs, CA – Services Cost
Sharing
City of Atascadero, CA – Project Impact
and Mitigation Assessment
Bay Area UASI – Incident Management
Training
City of Brentwood, CA – Service Costs
and Options
Cities of Brea and Fullerton – Fire
Resource and Ambulance Plan
City of Calistoga, CA – Fire Safety Review
City of Chula Vista, CA – Analysis of
Overtime Use; Fiscal and Operational
Police Assistance for ALS Plan
City of Cloverdale, CA – Impact Fees
City of Copperopolis, CA – Prevention
City of Corona, CA – Fire Prevention
City of Davis, CA – Operations /
Management
Donnelly Rural FPD, ID – Mitigation
El Dorado Hills – Peer Review
EMSA – Training Program Development
City of Fairfield, CA – Review of the Fire
Station Needs for the Fairfield Train
Station Specific Plan
City of Fremont, CA – Response Statistics;
Comprehensive Multi-discipline Type 3
IMT Training Program
City of Goodyear, AZ – Fire Department
Management Audit
Hamilton City FPD, CA – Preliminary
Diagnostic Assessment
City of Hemet, CA – Costing and Peer
Review for Fire Service Alternatives
City of Hesperia, CA – Cost Estimate for
Hesperia Provided Fire Services
Kelseyville FPD, CA – Executive Search
Kitsap Public Health District – Emergency
Response Plan Review Services
City of Loma Linda, CA – Cost of Services
City of North Lake Tahoe, CA –
Management Team Workshop
City of Patterson, CA – Advance Planning
PG&E – Mitigation
City of Piedmont, CA – EOC
Placer County – Fire Services and Revenue
Assessment
Port of Long Beach, CA – Mitigation
Port of Los Angeles, CA – Performance
Audit
Port of Oakland/City of Oakland – Domain
Awareness Center Staffing Plan
Development
City of Portland, CA – Public Information
Officer Training
City of Poway, CA – Overtime Audit
City of Roseville, CA – EMS Transport
Rancho Cucamonga Fire District, CA –
Fire Services Feasibility Review
Rancho Santa Fe FPD, CA – EMS
Operational and Fiscal Feasibility Review
Sacramento Metropolitan Airport, CA –
ARFF Study
Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS
Communications Center – EMS Data
Assessment
City of Sacramento, CA – Fire Prevention
Best Practices
Salton CSD, CA – Fire Services Impacts
Review
City and County of San Francisco –
Incident Management Training
County of San Mateo – Countywide Fire
Service Deployment Measurement System
City of Santa Barbara, CA (Airport) –
ARFF Study
Santa Clara County – Incident
Management Training
Santa Cruz County – Incident Management
Training
Town of Scotia Company, LLC – Board
Training Workshop
Sonoma LAFCO – Municipal Services
Review
ATTACHMENT 2
C4-138
City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 22
City of Milpitas, CA – Fire Services
Planning Assistance
County of Monterey – EMS Agency
Ambulance Systems Issues Review and
Analysis
County of Monterey – EMS
Communications Plan
City of Napa, CA – Mitigation
Newark-Union City – Fire Services
Alternatives
Northstar – Fire Impacts and Growth
Review
South Monterey County Fire Protection
District – Needs Assessment
Squaw Valley – Assessment of Project
Impacts
Stanford University, CA – Fire Services
System Review Consulting Services
Wheatland Fire Authority, CA –
Operational Feasibility Review
City of Yorba Linda, CA – EOC
3.4 CLIENT REFERENCES
Below, Citygate provides a list of references for related engagements. We strongly encourage the
City to contact these references to see why agencies continue to call on Citygate for their fire and
emergency services consulting needs.
City of Corona, CA
Project: Fire Department Strategic
Plan/Standards of Response Coverage Study
Mr. John Medina, Fire Chief
(951) 736-2220
john.medina@ci.corona.ca.us
Snohomish County Fire District No. 1, WA
Projects: Standards of Response Cover
Studies; Review of Draft Proposed
Regional Fire Authority Plan
Robert Eastman, Planning Fire Captain
(425) 551-1227
reastman@firedistrict1.org
San Diego County, CA
Project: Countywide Deployment Study for
Regional Fire, Rescue, and EMS Services (57
Total Fire Agencies)
Mr. Walt Ekard, Former Chief Administrative
Officer
(619) 760-7444
Walt@waltekard.com
City of San Diego, CA
Project: Standards of Response Coverage
Study
Mr. Javier Mainar, Fire Chief
(619) 533-4300
jmainar@sandiego.gov
County of Santa Barbara, CA
Project: Fire Services Deployment and
Departmental Performance Audit
Mr. Michael Dyer, Fire Chief
(805) 681-5507
michael.dyer@sbcfire.com
ATTACHMENT 2
C4-139
City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 23
3.5 CITYGATE’S DEPTH IN FIRE SERVICE WORK
This section further describes the depth of Citygate Associates’ experience in providing
deployment consulting services.
Directly stated, the Citygate team led by Chief Gary is the most experienced with completing
deployment studies and related fire services assessments in the United States. Why?
Stewart Gary, Citygate’s Fire Practice Principal and retired Fire Chief, has for over 14 years
helped develop the Standards of Response Cover methodologies and teaches these to fire service
leaders across the U.S and Canada. Chief Gary partnered with the leading software firms to
develop the tools necessary for advanced fire services deployment planning. To our knowledge,
there is no other fire services deployment analyst with Chief Gary’s depth and breadth of
experience summarized here:
In 1995 Chief Gary was asked to take the Commission on Fire Accreditation
Standards of Response Cover (SOC) Manual edition #1 and develop the material
into a 40-hour course for the California Fire Academy;
In the years to follow, Chief Gary co-authored and edited SOC Manual versions
#2 through #4;
Chief Gary taught the highly successful SOC class at the California Fire Academy
for years and delivered seminars nationally for the Commission on Accreditation
to fire service groups including International Fire Chiefs Association
Conventions, accreditation applicant agencies, Navy, and Air Force Fire Chiefs;
Chief Gary, as a consultant since 2001, has worked on over 200 fire service
projects. Many of these involved complicated and politically sensitive situations.
Most involved some form of partial or total deployment analysis skills;
To our knowledge, no other single consultant with his key software partner has
done SOC studies on so many large agencies and been a practicing Fire Chief.
Where Chief Gary’s SOC studies have been presented to elected officials in
public agency hearings, they have always been universally well received, with the
findings and recommendations never being contested or disagreed with by elected
officials, fire managers, city managers or labor leaders. This record of positive
consultancy results across diverse stakeholder groups is unparalleled. In fact, at
the final presentation of our countywide deployment study (led by Chief Gary) for
San Diego County to the elected officials, we received these comments:
ATTACHMENT 2
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 3—Summary of Related Experience page 24
“Never before has a study been done that looks across the wide range of
jurisdictional lines and at a level of analysis so deep.” – Second District
Supervisor, Dianne Jacob
“…I think this is an extraordinary report; …it’s professionally done and
this is probably one of the best presentations that I personally have ever
sat through…” – Supervisor Fourth District, Ron Roberts
Since 2002, Michael Fay of Animated Data, Inc. has worked exclusively on SOC consultancy
studies with Chief Gary. Together they have a vast experience set across over 120 clients that
gives them an unparalleled knowledge of fire service incident response data issues.
3.5.1 Citygate’s Distinguishing Characteristics in the Marketplace
In one word – trust – founded on these core values:
Ethics: We will use rational information to help elected officials make informed policy
choices. Our opinions are not for “sale” to those that might want to slant a
recommendation because they are paying for the advice.
Quality: We deliver a complete work product that meets the client’s local needs. We do
not use one-size-fits-all reports. Our reports clearly use facts to frame
appropriate recommendations that the civilian reader can understand. We do not
use industry jargon or jump to conclusions that only a fire service individual
would understand.
Timeliness: We will offer our clients a realistic timeline and always complete our work
within that timeline. Where we have not, it is due to the client needing more
time to schedule events or to produce background information.
Sensitivity: We will understand at the project kick-off what the stakeholder issues are and
what information will be needed to completely address them. We are careful to
respect local issues. We do not take sides. We rationally analyze information
and present policy choices. We are quiet, “backstage” experts who let the local
officials set and explain public policy.
Independence: Citygate provides a dependable independent voice (perspective, viewpoint,
evaluation, assessment). Citygate is not aligned with any special interest group
or association.
ATTACHMENT 2
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City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 4—Pricing Proposal page 25
SECTION 4—PRICING PROPOSAL
4.1 PROJECT COST/BILLING
Our charges are based on actual time spent by our consultants at their established billing rates,
plus reimbursable expenses incurred in conjunction with travel, printing, clerical, and support
services related to the engagement. We will undertake this study for a “not-to-exceed” total cost
identified below based on our Phase I, pre-implementation Work Plan in Tasks 1-5.
Since the depth and/or complexity of the fee analysis is not yet known, the Phase II work for
implementation after the services plan is accepted will be billed at our time and materials rates,
under close direction from the City and with its approval for any tasks.
Citygate Hourly
Fees
Goodwin
Hourly Fees
Reimbursable
Expenses
Total Phase I Project
Amount
$43,103 $12,474 $2,615 $58,192
4.2 CITYGATE COST AND BILLING TERMS
The price quoted above is effective for 30 days from the date of receipt for this proposal and
includes one (1) draft cycle as described in Task 4 of our Work Plan to be completed by Citygate
and the City within 30 calendar days. Additional Draft Report cycles or processing delays
requested by the City would be billed in addition to the contracted amount at our time and
materials rates. When changes are agreed upon, Citygate will provide up to five (5) bound color
copies of the Final Report document and one (1) reproducible master copy on CD-ROM. The
Draft Report will be considered to be the Final Report if there are no suggested changes within
thirty (30) days of the delivery of the Draft Report.
If the City decides to delay our final presentation in Task 5 after acceptance of the final work
product, Citygate will accommodate such a request, but will charge two administrative hours per
month to keep the project in suspense until the presentation is delivered. If this causes the billing
to exceed the contracted amount, the City will be billed for the additional hours above the
contracted amount.
Our policy is to bill monthly for professional fees. Our charges are based on actual time spent by
our consultants at their established billing rates, plus a five percent (5%) administration charge in
lieu of individual charges for copies, phone, etc., which is included in our project costs above.
We also bill for travel expenses (at cost) incurred in the prior month’s work. Our invoices are
payable within thirty (30) days. Citygate’s billing terms are net thirty (30) days plus two percent
(2%) for day thirty-one (31) and two percent (2%) per month thereafter.
ATTACHMENT 2
C4-142
City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department
Proposal to Perform a Fire Services Master Plan Update
Section 4—Pricing Proposal page 26
We request that ten percent (10%) of the project cost be advanced at the execution of the
contract, to be used to offset our start-up costs. This advance would be credited to our last
invoice.
4.3 STANDARD HOURLY BILLING RATES
Citygate’s hourly billing rates are shown below:
Citygate Hourly Rates
Classification Rate Consultant
Citygate President $225 per hour David DeRoos
Fire Practice Principal and Project
Director $250 per hour Stewart Gary
Statistical Specialist $160 per hour Michael Fay
Report Project Administrator $125 per hour Chad Jackson
Administrative $ 95 per hour Various
Goodwin’s hourly rates are shown below. Citygate and Goodwin have estimated up to 40 hours
of Goodwin’s time in Phase I as needed. Citygate’s Phase I project cost includes a ten percent
(10%) markup on all Goodwin hourly rates for project management, quality assurance, and
billing purposes. This markup would also apply to any Phase II work performed.
Goodwin Hourly Rates*
Position Rate
Senior Principal $270 per hour
Principal $235 per hour
Vice President $205 per hour
Senior Associate $185 per hour
Associate $175 per hour
Analyst $165 per hour
Research Assistant $ 90 per hour
* The rates reflected above are valid through December 31,
2015, and may be adjusted thereafter.
ATTACHMENT 2
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APPENDIX A
CODE OF ETHICS
ATTACHMENT 2
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CODE OF ETHICS
CLIENTS
1. We will serve our clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity.
2. We will keep client information and records of client engagements confidential and will
use proprietary client information only with the client’s permission.
3. We will not take advantage of confidential client information for ourselves or our firms.
4. We will not allow conflicts of interest which provide a competitive advantage to one client through our use of confidential information from another client who is a direct competitor without that competitor’s permission.
ENGAGEMENTS
5. We will accept only engagements for which we are qualified by our experience and competence.
6. We will assign staff to client engagements in accord with their experience, knowledge, and expertise.
7. We will immediately acknowledge any influences on our objectivity to our clients and will offer to withdraw from a consulting engagement when our objectivity or integrity may be impaired.
FEES
8. We will agree independently and in advance on the basis for our fees and expenses and will charge fees and expenses that are reasonable, legitimate, and commensurate with the services we deliver and the responsibility we accept.
9. We will disclose to our clients in advance any fees or commissions that we will receive for equipment, supplies or services we recommend to our clients.
PROFESSION
10. We will respect the intellectual property rights of our clients, other consulting firms, and sole practitioners and will not use proprietary information or methodologies without permission.
11. We will not advertise our services in a deceptive manner and will not misrepresent the consulting profession, consulting firms, or sole practitioners.
12. We will report violations of this Code of Ethics.
The Council of Consulting Organizations, Inc. Board of Directors approved this Code of Ethics on January 8, 1991. The Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) is a division of the Council of Consulting Organizations, Inc.
Appendix A—Code of Ethics page 1
ATTACHMENT 2
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APPENDIX B
PROJECT TEAM RESUMES
ATTACHMENT 2
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Appendix B—Project Team Resumes page 1
CITYGATE ASSOCIATES, LLC STEWART W. GARY, MPA
Mr. Gary was, until his retirement, the Fire Chief of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.
Now in his 42nd year in the Fire Service, Mr. Gary began as a volunteer and worked his way up
through the ranks, including his service as a Paramedic for five years.
Mr. Gary started his career with the City of Poway in San Diego County, attaining the rank of
Battalion Chief/Fire Marshal. He subsequently served as the Administrative Battalion Chief for
the Carlsbad Fire Department in San Diego County. He was appointed Fire Chief for the City of
Livermore, CA in January 1994, and two years later, he successfully facilitated the peer-to-peer
merger of the Livermore and Pleasanton Fire Departments into one seamless ten-company
department from which he retired as Chief. This successful consolidation was awarded the
esteemed Helen Putnam award for excellence and innovation by the California League of Cities
in 1999.
Mr. Gary has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Public Administration from San Diego
State University. He holds an Associate in Fire Science Degree from Miramar Community
College in San Diego, a Certificate in Fire Protection Administration from San Diego State, and
he has attended hundreds of hours of seminar course work in fire protection.
Mr. Gary has served in elected professional positions, including: President, California League of
Cities, Fire Chiefs Department and Chairperson, San Diego County Paramedic Agencies. He has
been involved in progressive responsibility for creating or implementing fire protection policy on
the local, state, and national levels. He has served as a Board Member representing cities on the
California Office of Emergency Services-Firescope Board, and served two terms as the Fire
Chief representative on the California League of Cities Board of Directors.
Memberships Held Include:
International Association of Fire Chiefs, Fairfax, VA
California Fire Chiefs Association, Rio Linda, CA
National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
Selected Consulting Experience Includes:
Since starting his consulting career with Citygate Associates in 2001, Chief Gary has
successfully worked on, managed, or directed over 200 consulting projects. Some of the
highlights and recent projects are:
Served as Project Manager for a Fire Master Plan and Standards of Response
Cover Deployment analysis for the City of San Luis Obispo, CA.
Served as Project Director for Citygate’s Standards of Response Coverage study
for the City of San Diego, CA.
Served as Project Manager and SOC Specialist for a Fire Services Deployment
and Departmental Performance Audit for the Santa Barbara County Fire
Department.
Served as Project Director and SOC Specialist for Citygate’s Regional Fire
Services Deployment Study for San Diego County, including 57 fire agencies in
the County region. Citygate outlined a process designed to establish a blueprint
ATTACHMENT 2
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Appendix B—Project Team Resumes page 2
for improving San Diego County’s regional fire protection and emergency
medical system.
Served as Project Director and SOC Specialist for a Standards of Response Cover
deployment analysis and geo-mapping software implementation for the
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
Served as Fire Practice Principal and Project Director for a Standards of Response
Cover (deployment) analysis for Lake Travis Fire and Rescue to update the
Department’s performance since Citygate’s completion of a Master Plan in 2007.
Served as Project Manager for a Master Plan and Standards of Response Cover
Deployment study for the City of Surprise, AZ. This project included developing
macro cost impacts and a growth strategy for a city.
Served as Fire Services Specialist for a Comprehensive Management Audit of the
Goodyear, AZ Fire Department to evaluate: (1) effectiveness and management
processes of the leadership team; (2) design and direction of the organization; and
(3) organizational climate.
Served as Project Director and SOC Specialist for a fire and emergency services
study for the El Dorado Local Agency Formation Commission to evaluate fire
services countywide and to provide actionable recommendations on how to ensure
sustainable, adequate, and cost effective coverage.
Served as Project Director and SOC Specialist for a project for the City of
Oakland to conduct a comprehensive multi-hazard, all-risk fire service
deployment study to analyze the City’s fire services emergency response systems .
Citygate also made recommendations for improvement of adding traditional
resources and alternative and adaptive deployment models.
Served as Fire Practice Principal for a review of the draft proposed South
Snohomish, WA Regional Fire Authority Financial and Level-of-Service Plan to
evaluate the plan for any missing elements, review assumptions of the proposed
fiscal model, and offer insight.
Served as Project Manager for a study in which Citygate completed a Standards
of Response Cover Deployment Analysis for the Snohomish County Fire District
1, WA.
Chief Gary has been involved with all of the other fire service projects starting in 2001 listed on
our reference list.
Other non-Citygate Relevant Experience Includes:
In 2002, Mr. Gary led a seminar that taught the Standards of Response Cover
(SOC) methodology to members of the Clark County Fire Department.
In 2005 and into 2006, Mr. Gary coached, assisted and initially drafted the Clark
County Fire Department Rural SOC documents. He advised County GIS on how
to prepare the necessary mapping and response statistics analysis. He then
coached the project manager on collecting risk assessment information on each
ATTACHMENT 2
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rural area, which he then wove into an integrated draft set of risk statements and
proposed response policies for each rural area.
In 2000, Mr. Gary was the lead deployment consultant on a team that developed a
new strategic plan for the San Jose Fire Department. The final plan, which used
the accreditation system methods and Standards of Response Coverage tools, was
well received by the Department and City Council, which accepted the new
strategic plan on a 9-0 vote.
In 1996, Mr. Gary successfully studied and then facilitated the peer-to-peer
merger of the Livermore and Pleasanton Fire Departments into one seamless ten-
company department for which he served as Chief. The LPFD represents one of
the few successful city-to-city fire mergers in California. The LPFD consisted of
128 total personnel with an operating budget for FY 00/01 of $18M. Service was
provided from eight stations and a training facility, and two additional stations
were under construction.
In 1995, Mr. Gary began working with the International Association of Fire
Chiefs and International City Management Association Accreditation project on
the Standards of Cover system for fire service deployment. He re-worked the
material into a California manual and annually taught a 40-hour course for the
California Fire Academy for many years. He conducts seminars on this
deployment methodology for the International Fire Chiefs across the United
States and Canada.
In 1994, Mr. Gary effectively led the Fire Department’s adding of paramedic
firefighters on all engines to increase service. Previously the Alameda County
regional system was under-serving Livermore, and the local hospital emergency
room was closing. Residents and the City Council approved a local EMS
supplemental property tax assessment (successfully re-voted after Proposition
218) to help pay for this increased service. In 1995, Mr. Gary assisted the City
Council and the firefighters union in reaching a new understanding on staffing,
and a fifth Fire Company was added to better serve the Northwest area of
Livermore.
During his tenure in Carlsbad, he successfully master planned and opened two
additional fire stations and developed the necessary agreements between the
development community and the City Council.
Mr. Gary has developed fire apparatus replacement plans; procured fire apparatus;
supervised the development of community disaster preparedness and public
education programs; facilitated permit streamlining programs in the Fire
Prevention and Building Departments; improved diversity in the Livermore fire
department by hiring the first three female firefighters in the City; supervised the
Livermore City Building Department including plan check and inspection
services for two years; master planned future growth in the North Livermore area
for an additional 30,000 people in a “new town” area.
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Mr. Gary facilitated a successful regional dispatch consolidation between Poway
and the City of San Diego Fire Department. He developed and implemented fire
department computer records systems for Carlsbad and Livermore.
Mr. Gary has been a speaker on the proper design of information systems at
several seminars for Fire Chiefs, the California League of Cities and the Fortune
100. He has authored articles on technology and deployment for national fire
service publications.
Mr. Gary is experienced as an educator in teaching firefighting, paramedicine and
citizen CPR programs. As a community college instructor, he taught management
and fire prevention. He has been an instructor for State Fire Training and the San
Diego Paramedic program.
Instructor and Lecturer:
Instructor and lecturer on Fire Service Deployment for the Commission on Fire
Accreditation Standards of Cover Methodology. Over the last five years, Mr.
Gary has presented one-day workshops across the U.S. and Canada to fire chiefs.
Presentations have included:
The International Association of Fire Chiefs Convention;
U.S. Navy Fire Chiefs in Norfolk, Virginia;
U.S. Air Force Fire Chiefs at the USAF Academy, Colorado Springs,
Colorado;
Seattle area Fire Chiefs;
Vancouver British Columbia Fire Chiefs Association;
The Michigan/Indiana Fire Chiefs Association School at Notre Dame
University;
The California Fire training Officers annual workshop.
Developed and taught the 40-hour course in fire deployment methods for the
California Fire Academy for seven years. Over 250 fire officers have been
trained in this course.
Presentations:
“Mapping the Future of Fire.” First ever fire service technology conference,
October 2000, Dallas, Texas. Outlined fire service needs, especially for GIS
mapping and mobile data technologies in the fire service.
Publications:
Edited, partially wrote and co-developed the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Editions of the
Commission on Fire Accreditation Standards of Response Cover Manual.
Fire Chief Magazine article. February 2001, “System of Cover.” Using the
Accreditation Commission’s Standards of Response Cover systems approach for
deployment.
Fire Chief Magazine article. December 2000, “Data to Go.” Designing and
implementing wireless data technologies for the fire service.
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SUBCONTRACTOR DAVE FREUDENBERGER, MBA
Dave Freudenberger offers comprehensive experience in public finance, fiscal impact analysis,
and economic and market feasibility. He has managed numerous studies prepared for small,
single-use developments as well as large, master-planned communities, and these projects have
ranged from dense urban spaces to expansive undeveloped areas. Dave brings two decades of
preparing public infrastructure funding strategies, fiscal and economic impact studies, market
absorption studies, pro forma cash flow analyses, tax increment projections and redevelopment
feasibility studies, and jobs/housing and affordable housing programs. He also has expertise in
valuing real estate portfolios, restructuring the financial elements of real estate deals, and
assessing ground lease and related development proposals for residential, non-residential, and
institutional land uses.
Dave has personally directed the evaluation, preparation, and implementation of numerous land-
secured financing districts, tax increment financing programs, and public facilities financing
plans throughout California, Hawaii, and Nevada. In a hands-on fashion, he has supervised the
formation of hundreds of CFDs, having developed complex cash flow models and special tax
formulas that determine the capacity, structure, and timing of land-secured debt financing
programs and ongoing municipal services programs.
Dave has been a conference panelist, moderator, and speaker on public financing topics for the
League of California Cities, multiple California chapters of the American Public Works
Association, the California Redevelopment Association, the Hawaii Municipal Attorneys
Conference, the Hawaii Congress of Planning Officials, the Land Use Research Foundation of
Hawaii, and the Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference, as well as a guest lecturer at both UC
Berkeley and UC Davis.
Dave earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the
University of California at Los Angeles.
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SUBCONTRACTOR MICHAEL D. FAY
Michael D. Fay has over 30 years of experience and has served as a firefighter, EMS director,
educator, consultant, and publisher.
Relevant Experience:
President of Animated Data, Inc., the designer and publisher of Stats FD, formerly
NFIRS 5 Alive. Using standard Stats FD and raw CAD datasets, Stats FD quickly
performs diagnostic analysis of fire department operations. Outputs are designed
for both live and printed presentations.
Director of End2End, Inc., publisher of FirePoint RMS Systems for fire
departments. Products of the firm include 40 single-user and multi-user client
server modules. (Formerly Advanced Command Systems, Inc. Maynard, MA).
Mr. Fay is responsible for RMS product development.
Senior Associate of Firepro Inc., a fire consulting firm specializing in fire safe
building design, forensic reconstruction, and fire department consulting services.
Mr. Fay directed fire scene documentation and reconstruction of dozens of large
loss fires and co-authored management studies for several city fire departments.
Assistant Superintendent and Program Chair for Management Technology at the
National Fire Academy, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The
mission of the National Fire Academy is to enhance the nation's fire protection
services through the development and delivery of specialized programs for fire
service managers, trainers and technicians. Mr. Fay directed delivery of
management training courses in the Resident Programs Division, and he
developed and delivered executive development training courses for chief officers
of larger departments. He also established the National Fire Academy’s
microcomputer laboratory. Mr. Fay authored two college-level courses on the use
of computer technology in the fire service and was responsible for the
development and delivery of a national teleconference on management
applications for fire service computers.
Field Coordinator, International Association of Fire Chiefs Apprenticeship
Program. The IAFC/IAFF Apprenticeship Program developed personnel
resources through the establishment of performance standards and local programs
of training. Mr. Fay traveled to fire departments nationally to help resolve
obstacles to the implementation of enhanced fire fighter, EMT and paramedic
training programs and contributed to the development and adoption of national
standards for Firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).
Director, Emergency Medical Services and Firefighter for the Amherst, MA Fire
Department, was responsible for EMS operations, supervision of EMS personnel,
budget preparation and public information programming. He also served as a line
firefighter.
Education:
BA, University of Massachusetts
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CITYGATE ASSOCIATES, LLC DAVID C. DEROOS, MPA, CMC
Mr. DeRoos is the President of Citygate Associates, LLC and former Deputy Director of the
California Redevelopment Association. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political
Science/Public Service (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of California, Davis and holds a
Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California. Mr. DeRoos
has over five years of operational experience as a local government administrator in land use
planning, budgeting, and personnel, and nearly thirty years of consulting experience performing
operations and management reviews of local government functions. Prior to joining Citygate in
1991, he was a Senior Manager in the State and Local government consulting division of Ernst &
Young.
Selected Relevant Experience Includes:
For all Citygate projects, Mr. DeRoos reviews work products and is responsible
for ensuring that each project is conducted smoothly and efficiently within the
schedule and budget allocated, and that the project deliverables are in
conformance to Citygate’s quality standards.
Served in an oversight capacity for a Fire Master Plan and Standards of Response
Cover Deployment analysis for the City of San Luis Obispo, CA.
Served in an oversight capacity for a Fire Services Deployment and Departmental
Performance Audit for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Served in an oversight capacity for Citygate’s Regional Fire Services Deployment
Study for San Diego County, including 57 fire agencies in the County region.
Citygate will implement a phased process designed to establish a blueprint for
improving San Diego County’s regional fire protection and emergency medical
system.
Served in an oversight capacity for a Master Plan and Standards of Response
Cover Deployment study for the City of Surprise, AZ. This project included
developing macro cost impacts and a growth strategy for a city.
Served in an oversight capacity for a Comprehensive Management Audit of the
Goodyear, AZ Fire Department to evaluate: (1) effectiveness and management
processes of the leadership team; (2) design and direction of the organization; and
(3) organizational climate.
Served in an oversight capacity for a Standards of Response Cover deployment
analysis and geo-mapping software implementation for the Sacramento
Metropolitan Fire District.
Served in an oversight capacity for a fire and emergency services study for the El
Dorado Local Agency Formation Commission to evaluate fire services
countywide and to provide actionable recommendations on how to ensure
sustainable, adequate, and cost effective coverage.
Served in an oversight capacity for Citygate’s Standards of Response and Master
Operations Plan for Travis County Emergency Service District #6. This analysis
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Appendix B—Project Team Resumes page 8
included a review of distribution of fire stations, deployment times, and firefighter
staffing.
Recently served in an oversight capacity for a Fire Department Strategic Plan and
Standards of Response Coverage study for the City of Corona to include all facets
of fire and non-fire operations including but not limited to fire prevention, fire
administration, emergency medical services, fire investigation, fire training,
disaster preparedness, hazardous materials, administrative support positions,
information systems, capital facilities and apparatus, fire department fees,
regional issues, and fire public education.
Served in an oversight capacity to conduct an emergency service
consolidation/merger support study for the University of California, Davis and the
cities of Davis, West Sacramento, and Woodland.
Served in an oversight capacity for a project for the City of Oakland to conduct a
comprehensive multi-hazard, all-risk fire service deployment study to analyze the
City’s fire services emergency response systems, and make recommendations for
improvement of adding traditional resources and alternative and adaptive
deployment models.
Served in an oversight capacity for a review of the draft proposed South
Snohomish, WA Regional Fire Authority Financial and Level-of-Service Plan to
evaluate the plan for any missing elements, review assumptions of the proposed
fiscal model, and offer insight.
Served in an oversight capacity for a study in which Citygate completed a
Standards of Response Cover Deployment Analysis for the Snohomish County
Fire District 1, WA.
Served in an oversight capacity for a high-level review of existing firefighting and
multi-hazard risk analysis data, response capabilities and future needs in the Port
of Long Beach operational area for City of Long Beach Fire Department managed
Port assets, including locations of ground base fire stations and waterborne
fireboats.
Mr. DeRoos is a member of several professional and civic associations. He has taught for the
U.C. Davis Extension College and for graduate classes in Public Administration, Administrative
Theory and Labor Relations for Golden Gate University, and Non Profit and Association
Management for the University of Southern California. He has been a speaker for the American
Planning Association (APA), written for the California APA Newsletter and the California
Redevelopment Journal, and has been a speaker on redevelopment, Base Closures, and related
issues across the US. Mr. DeRoos holds a certificate in Public Sector Labor Management
Relations from U.C. Davis, and is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC).
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ATTACHMENT 3
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into in the City of San Luis Obispo on April 2, 2015,
by and between the CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, a municipal corporation, hereinafter referred to as
City, and CITYGATE ASSOCIATES, LLC, hereinafter referred to as Contractor.
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, on March 31, 2015, City Council approved the completion of an analysis of fire-
based emergency response services and funding options report.
WHEREAS, Contractor submitted a proposal on February 2, 2015 to perform a fire services
master plan update for the City of San Luis Obispo, CA which was accepted by City Council on March
31, 2015.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of their mutual promises, obligations, and covenants
hereinafter contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. TERM. The term of this Agreement shall be from the date this Agreement is made and
entered, as first written above, until completion of said analysis of fire-based emergency response
services and funding options formal report and presentation to the City Council.
2. INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE. Contractor agrees to perform the services set
forth in its Fire Services Master Plan Update dated February 2, 2015 which is incorporated herein by this
reference. Contractor further agrees to comply with the City’s standard terms and conditions and
insurance requirements which are attached hereto as Exhibits A and B, respectively, and incorporated
herein by this reference. Should there be any conflict between Contractor’s proposal and the City’s
standard terms or conditions, the City’s standard terms and conditions shall control.
3. CITY'S OBLIGATIONS. For providing analysis of fire-based emergency response
services and funding options report as specified in this Agreement, City will pay and Contractor shall
receive therefor compensation in a total sum not to exceed $58,200.
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ATTACHMENT 3
4. CONTRACTOR'S OBLIGATIONS. For and in consideration of the payments and
agreements hereinbefore mentioned to be made and performed by City, Contractor agrees with City to do
everything required by this Agreement and the said specification.
5. AMENDMENTS. Any amendment, modification, or variation from the terms of this
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be effective only upon approval by the Council or City Manager
of the City.
6. COMPLETE AGREEMENT. This written Agreement, including all writings
specifically incorporated herein by reference, shall constitute the complete agreement between the parties
hereto. No oral agreement, understanding, or representation not reduced to writing and specifically
incorporated herein shall be of any force or effect, nor shall any such oral agreement, understanding, or
representation be binding upon the parties hereto.
7. NOTICE. All written notices to the parties hereto shall be sent by United States mail,
postage prepaid by registered or certified mail addressed as follows:
City City Clerk
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Contractor Citygate Associates, LLC
Chief Stewart Gary
2250 East Bidwell St., Ste #100
Folsom, CA 95630
8. AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE AGREEMENT. Both City and Contractor do covenant
that each individual executing this agreement on behalf of each party is a person duly authorized and
empowered to execute Agreements for such party.
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ATTACHMENT 3
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed the day
and year first above written.
ATTEST: CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
____________________________________ By:____________________________________
City Clerk City Administrative Officer
APPROVED AS TO FORM: CONTRACTOR
_____________________________________ By: ___________________________________
City Attorney David DeRoos, Citygate Associates President
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ATTACHMENT 3
Exhibit A
GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
REQUIREMENTS
1. Insurance Requirements. The Contractor shall provide proof of insurance in the form,
coverages and amounts specified in Exhibit B within 10 (ten) calendar days as a precondition to
contract execution.
2. Business Tax. The Contractor must have a valid City of San Luis Obispo business tax certificate
before execution of the contract. Additional information regarding the City's business tax
program may be obtained by calling (805) 781-7134.
CONTRACT PERFORMANCE
3. Ability to Perform. The Contractor warrants that it possesses, or has arranged through
subcontracts, all capital and other equipment, labor, materials, and licenses necessary to carry out
and complete the work hereunder in compliance with any and all federal, state, county, city, and
special district laws, ordinances, and regulations.
4. Laws to be Observed. The Contractor shall keep itself fully informed of and shall observe and
comply with all applicable state and federal laws and county and City of San Luis Obispo
ordinances, regulations and adopted codes during its performance of the work.
5. Payment of Taxes. The contract prices shall include full compensation for all taxes that the
Contractor is required to pay.
6. Permits and Licenses. The Contractor shall procure all permits and licenses, pay all charges
and fees, and give all notices necessary.
7. Safety Provisions. The Contractor shall conform to the rules and regulations pertaining to
safety established by OSHA and the California Division of Industrial Safety.
8. Public and Employee Safety. Whenever the Contractor's operations create a condition
hazardous to the public or City employees, it shall, at its expense and without cost to the City,
furnish, erect and maintain such fences, temporary railings, barricades, lights, signs and other
devices and take such other protective measures as are necessary to prevent accidents or damage
or injury to the public and employees.
9. Preservation of City Property. The Contractor shall provide and install suitable safeguards,
approved by the City, to protect City property from injury or damage. If City property is injured
or damaged resulting from the Contractor's operations, it shall be replaced or restored at the
Contractor's expense. The facilities shall be replaced or restored to a condition as good as when
the Contractor began work.
10. Immigration Act of 1986. The Contractor warrants on behalf of itself and all subcontractors
engaged for the performance of this work that only persons authorized to work in the United
States pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and other applicable laws
shall be employed in the performance of the work hereunder.
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ATTACHMENT 3
11. Contractor Non-Discrimination. In the performance of this work, the Contractor agrees that it
will not engage in, nor permit such subcontractors as it may employ, to engage in discrimination
in employment of persons because of age, race, color, sex, national origin or ancestry, sexual
orientation, or religion of such persons.
12. Work Delays. Should the Contractor be obstructed or delayed in the work required to be done
hereunder by changes in the work or by any default, act, or omission of the City, or by strikes,
fire, earthquake, or any other Act of God, or by the inability to obtain materials, equipment, or
labor due to federal government restrictions arising out of defense or war programs, then the time
of completion may, at the City's sole option, be extended for such periods as may be agreed upon
by the City and the Contractor. In the event that there is insufficient time to grant such
extensions prior to the completion date of the contract, the City may, at the time of acceptance of
the work, waive liquidated damages that may have accrued for failure to complete on time, due to
any of the above, after hearing evidence as to the reasons for such delay, and making a finding as
to the causes of same.
13. Payment Terms. The City's payment terms are 30 days from the receipt of an original invoice
and acceptance by the City of the materials, supplies, equipment or services provided by the
Contractor (Net 30).
14. Inspection. The Contractor shall furnish City with every reasonable opportunity for City to
ascertain that the services of the Contractor are being performed in accordance with the
requirements and intentions of this contract. All work done and all materials furnished, if any,
shall be subject to the City's inspection and approval. The inspection of such work shall not
relieve Contractor of any of its obligations to fulfill its contract requirements.
15. Audit. The City shall have the option of inspecting and/or auditing all records and other written
materials used by Contractor in preparing its invoices to City as a condition precedent to any
payment to Contractor.
16. Interests of Contractor. The Contractor covenants that it presently has no interest, and shall
not acquire any interest—direct, indirect or otherwise—that would conflict in any manner or
degree with the performance of the work hereunder. The Contractor further covenants that, in
the performance of this work, no subcontractor or person having such an interest shall be
employed. The Contractor certifies that no one who has or will have any financial interest in
performing this work is an officer or employee of the City. It is hereby expressly agreed that, in
the performance of the work hereunder, the Contractor shall at all times be deemed an
independent contractor and not an agent or employee of the City.
17. Hold Harmless and Indemnification. The Contractor agrees to defend, indemnify, protect
and hold the City and its agents, officers and employees harmless from and against any and
all claims asserted or liability established for damages or injuries to any person or property,
including injury to the Contractor's employees, agents or officers that arise from or are
connected with or are caused or claimed to be caused by the acts or omissions of the
Contractor, and its agents, officers or employees, in performing the work or services herein,
and all expenses of investigating and defending against same; provided, however, that the
Contractor's duty to indemnify and hold harmless shall not include any claims or liability
arising from the established sole negligence or willful misconduct of the City, its agents,
officers or employees.
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ATTACHMENT 3
18. Contract Assignment. The Contractor shall not assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of
the contract, or its right, title or interest, or its power to execute such a contract to any individual
or business entity of any kind without the previous written consent of the City.
19. Termination. If, during the term of the contract, the City determines that the Contractor is not
faithfully abiding by any term or condition contained herein, the City may notify the Contractor
in writing of such defect or failure to perform. This notice must give the Contractor a 10 (ten)
calendar day notice of time thereafter in which to perform said work or cure the deficiency.
If the Contractor has not performed the work or cured the deficiency within the ten days
specified in the notice, such shall constitute a breach of the contract and the City may terminate
the contract immediately by written notice to the Contractor to said effect. Thereafter, neither
party shall have any further duties, obligations, responsibilities, or rights under the contract
except, however, any and all obligations of the Contractor's surety shall remain in full force and
effect, and shall not be extinguished, reduced, or in any manner waived by the termination
thereof.
In said event, the Contractor shall be entitled to the reasonable value of its services performed
from the beginning date in which the breach occurs up to the day it received the City's Notice of
Termination, minus any offset from such payment representing the City's damages from such
breach. "Reasonable value" includes fees or charges for goods or services as of the last
milestone or task satisfactorily delivered or completed by the Contractor as may be set forth in
the Agreement payment schedule; compensation for any other work, services or goods performed
or provided by the Contractor shall be based solely on the City's assessment of the value of the
work-in-progress in completing the overall workscope.
The City reserves the right to delay any such payment until completion or confirmed
abandonment of the project, as may be determined in the City's sole discretion, so as to permit a
full and complete accounting of costs. In no event, however, shall the Contractor be entitled to
receive in excess of the compensation quoted in its proposal.
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ATTACHMENT 3
Exhibit B
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
Consultant Services
The Contractor shall procure and maintain for the duration of the contract insurance against claims for
injuries to persons or damages to property which may arise from or in connection with the performance
of the work hereunder by the Contractor, its agents, representatives, employees or subcontractors.
Minimum Scope of Insurance. Coverage shall be at least as broad as:
1. Insurance Services Office Commercial General Liability coverage (occurrence form CG 0001).
2. Insurance Services Office form number CA 0001 (Ed. 1/87) covering Automobile Liability, code
1 (any auto).
3. Workers' Compensation insurance as required by the State of California and Employer's Liability
Insurance.
4. Errors and Omissions Liability insurance as appropriate to the consultant's profession.
Minimum Limits of Insurance. Contractor shall maintain limits no less than:
1. General Liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, personal injury and property
damage. If Commercial General Liability or other form with a general aggregate limit is used,
either the general aggregate limit shall apply separately to this project/location or the general
aggregate limit shall be twice the required occurrence limit.
2. Automobile Liability: $1,000,000 per accident for bodily injury and property damage.
3. Employer's Liability: $1,000,000 per accident for bodily injury or disease.
4. Errors and Omissions Liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence.
Deductibles and Self-Insured Retentions. Any deductibles or self-insured retentions must be declared
to and approved by the City. At the option of the City, either: the insurer shall reduce or eliminate such
deductibles or self-insured retentions as respects the City, its officers, officials, employees and
volunteers; or the Contractor shall procure a bond guaranteeing payment of losses and related
investigations, claim administration and defense expenses.
Other Insurance Provisions. The general liability and automobile liability policies are to contain, or be
endorsed to contain, the following provisions:
1. The City, its officers, officials, employees, agents and volunteers are to be covered as insureds as
respects: liability arising out of activities performed by or on behalf of the Contractor; products
and completed operations of the Contractor; premises owned, occupied or used by the
Contractor; or automobiles owned, leased, hired or borrowed by the Contractor. The coverage
shall contain no special limitations on the scope of protection afforded to the City, its officers,
official, employees, agents or volunteers.
2. For any claims related to this project, the Contractor's insurance coverage shall be primary
insurance as respects the City, its officers, officials, employees, agents and volunteers. Any
insurance or self-insurance maintained by the City, its officers, officials, employees, agents or
volunteers shall be excess of the Contractor's insurance and shall not contribute with it.
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ATTACHMENT 3
3. The Contractor's insurance shall apply separately to each insured against whom claim is made or
suit is brought, except with respect to the limits of the insurer's liability.
4. Each insurance policy required by this clause shall be endorsed to state that coverage shall not be
suspended, voided, canceled by either party, reduced in coverage or in limits except after thirty
(30) days' prior written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, has been given to the
City.
Acceptability of Insurers. Insurance is to be placed with insurers with a current A.M. Best's rating of
no less than A:VII.
Verification of Coverage. Contractor shall furnish the City with a certificate of insurance showing
maintenance of the required insurance coverage. Original endorsements effecting general liability and
automobile liability coverage required by this clause must also be provided. The endorsements are to be
signed by a person authorized by that insurer to bind coverage on its behalf. All endorsements are to be
received and approved by the City before work commences.
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