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September 11 2018 Work Session FireAndRescue Study Presentation MinutesMINUTES WORK SESSION - FIRE AND RESCUE STUDY PRESENTATION FREDERICK COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018 5:30 P.M. BOARD ROOM, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 107 NORTH KENT STREET, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA ATTENDEES Board of Supervisors: Charles S. DeHaven, Jr., Chairman; Gary A. Lofton, Vice Chairman; Blaine P. Dunn; J. Douglas McCarthy; Judith McCann -Slaughter; and Shannon G. Trout were present. Robert W. Wells was absent. Staff present: Kris C. Tierney, County Administrator; Roderick B. Williams, County Attorney; Karen Vacchio, Public Information Officer; Dennis Linaburg, Fire and Rescue Chief; Larry Oliver, Fire & Rescue Operations Deputy Chief; Missi Neal, Assistant TO THE Fire Chief; and Ann W. Phillips, Deputy Clerk to the Board of Supervisors. Others: Steven Knight and Robert Polk of Fitch and Associates, LLC CALL TO ORDER Chairman DeHaven called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. A moment of silence in observance of September I I was held. ADOPTION OF AGENDA On motion of Vice Chairman Lofton, seconded by Supervisor Dunn, the agenda was adopted unanimously on a voice vote. PRESENTATION BY FITCH & ASSOCIATES Chief Linaburg provided background on the fire and rescue study and acknowledged the time and effort of the Steering Committee. Mr. Knight referenced the documents previously sent to the Board members which included: the Data Report, the GIS Report, the Standards of Coverage Report, and the Executive Summary Report. He provided an overview of the process used in the study, and reviewed the data that was collected and evaluated and stated the following observations and recommendations for consideration by the Board: • The continued success of FCFRD, and the effective planning for the future, is best served by the appointment of a single Fire Chief who has the ultimate authority and is directly responsible for all activities and decisions of the FCFRD. This transition should be a collaborative effort of all the stakeholders and does not signal the demise of the individual company's leadership. • It is recommended that FCFRD begin dispatching at the unit level rather than at the station level. In this manner, performance between career or staffed models and volunteer or unstaffed models could be evaluated within the context of the service delivery model. This would also provide a definitive data point to measure dispatch or call processing time. Minute Book 44 Board of Supervisors Meeting of 09/11/18 County of Frederick, Virginia 05 • Once the dispatch center is able to dispatch at the unit level and separate out dispatch time from turnout time, the department is encouraged to monitor turnout time to ensure the performance is best practice at 60 seconds for an EMS incident and up to 90 seconds for a fire related incident. • Turnout time performance is typically within personnel and management control. Improvement of turnout times is generally a no -cost option. • If the desired service level is to improve to an 8-minute travel time, it is recommended that the County consider a long-term strategy to relocate fire stations when they are due for a major refurbishment or replacement. Once fully implemented the county would have the same number of fire stations as today (11). • If the desired service level is to maintain the current 10-minute travel time, it is recommended that the County adopt a long-term strategy to relocate fire stations when they are due for a major refurbishment or replacement. Once fully implemented the county would have reduced capital liabilities by four stations and offset personnel requirement by redistributing existing personnel as desired. This is estimated as a long- term capital savings of approximately $16,000,000 dollars while maintaining current performance. • It is recommended that a dedicated Medic unit be added at the Greenwood station, and an additional Medic resource should be considered for the Stephens City station in the near future. • It is recommended that the workload, reliability, and call concurrency is evaluated in all stations, but specifically in Greenwood, Stephens City, Round Hill Community, Millwood, Gainesboro, and Middletown due to their relatively higher workloads. Mr. Knight concluded saying six alternatives had been developed which are based on the following criteria: • Desired staffing 2 person vs. 3 person • Risk rating of the fire station area • Travel time 8, 10, and 12 • Peak load (12-hour) ambulances Vice Chairman Lofton and Mr. Knight discussed the value of separating fire and EMS services, privatizing EMS, and the impact of 24-hour shifts versus 12-hour shifts. Supervisor Dunn and Mr. Knight discussed which stations should be considered for relocation, the use of reserve EMS units, staffing concerns, potential problems in integrating volunteer and paid staffs, and the impact of integration on continued volunteerism. Supervisor McCarthy and Mr. Knight discussed the costs of overtime versus additional staffing, the possible impact of integration on local volunteer company fundraising, and the stated need for 14 additional employee positions. Supervisor Slaughter noted the 14 positions have already been approved this year and that adding staff also adds to the fringe benefits cost. Chairman DeHaven and Mr. Polk discussed the costs of additional staffing versus overtime. Mr. Tierney noted the amount of work completed by the Steering Committee and said the hope is the Board will formally accept the study at the next Board meeting. Minute Book 44 Board of Supervisors Meeting of 09/11l18 County of Frederick, Virginia 055 It was agreed by consensus that Staff will build an action plan for the Board's use in making policy decisions. Chairman DeHaven thanked the consultants for their work on the study. ADJOURN On motion of Vice Chairman Lofton, seconded by Supervisor Dunn, the meeting was adjourned unanimously on a voice vote at 6:43 p.m. rc) 2jLL&-!:=z 'r—haS. DeHaven, Jr. Chairman, Board of Supervisors ri C. Clerk, Boa of ervisors Minutes Prepared By: AA��� An .`Phillips Deputy Clerk, Board of Supervisors Minute Book44 Board of Supervisors Meeting of 09111/1 S County of Frederick, Virginia