SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 2 P&E COMMITTEE AGENDA APRIL 25, 1996 ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT Date: April 11, 1996 TO: Standing Committee on Planning & Environment FROM: General Manager of Fire and Rescue Services SUBJECT: Better City Government Initiative - Review of the Deployment of Fire and Rescue Services Emergency Apparatus and Staff RECOMMENDATIONS A. THAT Council endorse, in principle, the Fire and Rescue Services apparatus and staff re-deployment proposal as outlined in the TriData Study (attached as Appendix A*), Option 6, and this report. B. THAT the General Manager of Fire and Rescue Services report back with a detailed implementation plan for the proposed re-deployment of fire apparatus and staff. GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS The proposed re-deployment of apparatus and staff summarized in this Council Report, and detailed in the attached consultant report, emphasizes multi-purpose fire apparatus. The resulting increases in effectiveness of current personnel will enable Fire and Rescue Services to provide an adaptive multi-risk response force as we move forward into the twenty-first century. According to the fire apparatus manufacturing industry, the number-two type of fire apparatus purchased today by North American fire departments is the quint (combination apparatus) with a 75-foot ladder. More of these units are sold than all other aerial apparatus combined. This proposal calls for the eventual purchase of 19 quints. Five or six of these will be the 105 or 110-foot variety that the City has already obtained as part of Vancouver's Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Program. The remainder of the quints will carry 75-foot aerial ladders that are ideal for many areas in Vancouver. * Limited Distribution - On file in City Clerk's Office In addition to increased overall effectiveness, there is a potential for significant cost savings. The more effective use of existing staff will enable us to fund several critical staff positions previously identified by the Department. I commend our joint Union/Citizen/Management Steering Team for their participation and valuable input during this project. CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS The City Manager's comments are contained in his accompanying memorandum dated April 17, 1996. VANCOUVER FIREFIGHTERS' UNION LOCAL 18 COMMENTS Local 18 has participated as part of a Steering Committee for the TriData Study. From May 1995 to April 9, 1996, there were a number of meetings requiring our attendance. These sessions were attended in good faith in order to facilitate the development of a document borne out of consensus. Vancouver Fire Fighters' Union Local 18 Committee Members, President Rod MacDonald and Secretary/Treasurer Robert Hall, have after thorough analysis, rejected the proposal going forward to the City Services and Budgets Standing Committee. This action was taken after gaining unanimous approval from the Union Floor. It is the intent of Local 18 to present their opinion to the Committee on the scheduled date, April 25, 1996. We believe that the Committee after hearing our presentation will understand and come to embrace our viewpoint. CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMMENTS The Citizens Advisory Committee highly commends Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and the City of Vancouver for their efforts in reducing the number and risk of fires in the City. The committee also recognizes that the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services has accepted new responsibilities in the last decade in an effort to improve public safety. In addition to their traditional role of fire suppression, new responsibilities include emergency medical services, technical rescues and threats from hazardous materials. The TriData study outlines new directions for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services consistent with their changing role over the last several years. The new personnel deployment strategy combined with the acquisition of more flexible apparatus should allow Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services to meet both its traditional and newer roles in an effective manner. Of particular interest to the Committee are the recommendations related to emergency medical services and rescue. These are new responsibilities for the front line firefighter, but responsibilities which currently represent a significant workload. The Citizens Advisory Committee recommends that the report be accepted. The Citizens Advisory Committee would like to recognize the significant contribution of the steering committee in seeing the review process to completion. COUNCIL POLICY On April 14, 1994, Council approved a package of Fire and Rescue Services budget reductions to meet the requirements of the 1994-96 Budget Management Program. The Fire Chief was directed to report back in one year on whether to implement a proposed reduction of one piece of fire apparatus (replace a ladder and pumper truck at #21 Fire Hall with a combination piece of equipment), or to achieve the same or greater savings through a comprehensive re-deployment of firefighters and equipment. On July 5, 1995, Council approved the award of a consulting contract to TriData Corporation for a comprehensive review of fire hall locations, the deployment of emergency apparatus and staff, and the City's insurance rating for commercial fire protection. Fire and Rescue Services also identified this initiative under the Better City Government Program. SUMMARY This report summarizes the findings of a major review of the deployment of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service's (VF/RS) fire halls, apparatus, and staff carried out by a fire service management consultant, TriData Corporation. The study was one of the priority areas identified under the Better City Government Program and was originally initiated to provide a basis for meeting outstanding Budget Management Program objectives. Approximately $480,000 of additional Fire and Rescue Services budget reductions are still required under the Budget Management Program. The consultant recommends a major shift in the types of apparatus currently deployed to support the wide range of protection services provided by Vancouver Fire and Rescue. The proposed deployment will result in a gradual transformation of the apparatus fleet. Ultimately, the fleet will contain a higher component of flexible multi-purpose "quints" and "rescue engines", with secondary emphasis on single purpose apparatus such as engines and aerial ladders. The recommendations also include Life Support Units (light duty rescue units), which will primarily respond to emergency "first-responder" medical incidents. This change will result in a more effective, efficient, and flexible multi-hazard fire protection force to serve Vancouver's growing population. This should not require additional staff or funding, and will likely result in annual savings of approximately $420,000 to $650,000 which could be used elsewhere. Given the flexibility of the new deployment, any necessary savings required to meet Budget Management Program objectives can be determined on a more rational basis. As much as possible, expenditures for new apparatus will be programmed to coincide with planned expenses for replacement of current equipment as it reaches the end of its economic life. The recommendations will result in a reduction in minimum on-duty suppression staffing of two positions. If the Province will fund an additional position at U.B.C., the reduction would only be one position. Since 4 to 5 staff are required to fill one suppression position due to the four shift system, a portion of the staff savings will be transferred to several key support positions in fire prevention, training, recruitment, and public education. A second component of this Better City Government Initiative was a review of the Commercial Fire Insurance Rating of the City of Vancouver. Approximately 90% of the insurance companies in Canada use this grading system to evaluate their risk in fire insurance underwriting. Vancouver was last officially surveyed between 1978 and 1980. Since the start of this project, we have received notice from the Fire Underwriters Survey that they wish to schedule another survey of Vancouver's municipal fire protection during 1996 or 1997. The consultant concluded that a current Fire Underwriters Survey would likely result in a downgrade of Vancouver's current Class 1 rating (the highest rating achievable) to a Class 2 rating for commercial fire insurance. Although the economic results of such a downgrade may be negligible, the report contains a number of recommendations that may help us retain the Class 1 rating. PURPOSE This report recommends approval, in principle, of a resource deployment strategy that will provide a flexible, efficient and effective system to satisfy present and future fire protection, first-responder medical, disaster, hazardous materials, and rescue needs. The main premise of this proposal is the expanded use of multi-purpose fire apparatus. Under the proposed new deployment, personnel that are currently less than optimally utilized on aerial ladder trucks will be used to provide 4-person crews on all primary fire suppression vehicles and 2-person Life Support Units for many medical responses. This report requests approval in principle of this change in deployment since significant existing staff resources will be required over the next six months to develop a detailed implementation plan. BACKGROUND On February 3, 1994, Council approved a 1994 to 1996 Budget Management Program. As part of the Budget Management Program, Vancouver Fire and rescue Services committed to providing target annual savings of $1,388,000 through a number of initiatives. It was expected that several of these initiatives could involve changes to apparatus specifications, apparatus mix, and apparatus staffing. Approximately $480,000 of Fire and Rescue Services target budget reductions are currently outstanding and will be addressed by this and other initiatives. One of the budget adjustments initially proposed to meet VF/RS's budget reduction objective was to combine a ladder and pumper truck at Fire Hall #21. These two pieces of equipment could be replaced by a "Quint" which is a combination type of fire apparatus. The General Manager, VF/RS, expressed reservations about whether this was the best method of meeting the target reductions while minimizing the system-wide impacts on the level of risk. The General Manager was directed to report back in one year on whether to implement this proposal or to achieve the same or greater savings through a comprehensive re-deployment of firefighters and equipment. After staff discussion and subsequent consultation with the City Manager and the Corporate Management Team, a detailed independent review of the current capabilities of the Service was suggested. Such a broad review was required before rational decisions could be made on how to most effectively achieve required budget reductions with the fewest negative impacts on the current level of service, safety, or risk. On August 31, 1994, Council approved the distribution of a Request for Proposals for a comprehensive review of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services deployment of emergency staff and equipment. A Project Steering Team was formed which included the Deputy City Manager, two Firefighters' Union Table Officers, the Chair of VF/RS Citizens Advisory Committee, and four members of senior staff. The Steering Team analyzed the responses to the Request for Proposal and recommended TriData Corporation, an internationally recognized fire service management consultant, for this study. On July 5, 1995, Council authorized a contract with TriData for consulting services for a comprehensive review of fire hall locations, the deployment of emergency apparatus and staff, and the City's insurance rating for commercial fire protection. The Steering Team has met regularly during the course of the project to provide guidance and information to the consultant. DISCUSSION The time frame for this review covers the projected demands for emergency fire and rescue services and the resulting resource requirements over a ten year period from 1995 to the year 2005. This review of VF/RS addressed a wide range of operational issues covering the total scope of emergency services provided. The project was divided into three phases. The first phase was an evaluation of VF/RS today, to determine how well it is deployed and organized to meet the City's current needs. Phase Two was the development of a deployment and staffing plan that will meet the City's needs for at least the next ten years. The third phase was an analysis of the Fire Underwriter's Survey classification as it would apply to Vancouver today and with changes implemented as a result of this study. In particular, the review includes a detailed discussion of the requirements of maintaining a Class 1 insurance rating. The consultant worked closely with a project Steering Committee to plan, implement, analyze and evaluate each step of the study. Major Findings of the Report: The following are the major findings, observations, and conclusions contained in the consultant report: - Over time, Fire and Rescue Services has gradually evolved from providing fire suppression and basic emergency medical services only, to protecting residents, visitors, property and the environment from a variety of risks and hazards that threaten public safety. This includes emergency medical care, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, code enforcement, and other protective services. Fire and Rescue Services is now a "multi-risk response force", however, it is still organized around the original mission of fighting fires. Approximately 3.5% of incidents are fires involving property loss, while approximately 70% of the incident responses are medical in nature. - Vancouver has a lean (based on comparable cities) but very capable fire suppression force, however, our current varied mission could be more efficiently carried out by a reconfigured organization with different vehicles, equipment, staffing, and training. These resources can be reconfigured to maintain a very adequate fire suppression system while building a more efficient and effective force for protecting the community from the wide variety of risks present in our complex urban environment. - Fortunately, the City had the foresight to adopt various codes, policies, and target hazard reduction programs that will effectively limit the level of fire risk in all new developments (for example, all new buildings require automatic sprinklers). These strategies were adopted with the deliberate objective of accommodating significant growth without requiring additional fire suppression resources. However, a priority must be to maintain and continue the process of risk reduction through public education and fire prevention inspections. Therefore, overall staff levels may not change. - Although the level of fire risk is decreasing, the role of Fire and - 2 - Rescue Services has expanded to include primary responsibility for response to hazardous materials releases, technical rescues (high angle, confined space, trench, heavy urban search and rescue), emergency preparedness, and a variety of other emergency situations. VF/RS also responds to medical emergencies as a "first-responder" and provides automatic external defibrillation to cardiac arrest victims. Currently, calls for medical assistance are routed from 911 to BC Ambulance, adding an average of at least one minute to the dispatch time for emergency medical incidents. With better coordination with BC Ambulance or through a new combined dispatch and communication system, Fire and Rescue Services could intervene more quickly at most medical incidents, particularly if the delay in call processing is eliminated. This is particularly important in cases when breathing has stopped, such as in a cardiac arrest. In addition, a comprehensive public education program is needed to teach more citizens how to perform CPR. - The City's fire insurance rating, assigned more than 15 years ago, rated Vancouver as a "Class One" city, the highest rating achievable. The current evaluation concluded that Vancouver would likely be graded as a "Class Two" city. The evaluation identified several areas where improvements could be made to possibly retain the Class one rating. - Vancouver has 20 existing fire halls (including U.B.C.) that are well distributed across the City to provide adequate response to most areas. Response times in some areas are longer than desirable (please see response maps in the attached report), and closing any of the current fire halls would simply create larger gaps in coverage. It was determined that slightly better coverage could be achieved by relocating halls 3, 13 and 18. These halls would have been the next three halls to be scheduled for replacement in future Capital Plans. The addition of three new single apparatus fire halls would result in marginally better coverage, but due to the high capital and operating costs, this has not been recommended. Some of the opportunities to improve our response time, without building any new fire halls are: a city-wide traffic signal preemption system, joint location projects with other City Services, and automatic mutual aid with adjacent fire departments. - The number of ladder companies can be reduced if the supporting changes in deployment are implemented. It is cost effective to shift some of the less utilized human resources that are currently assigned to ladder companies to perform more rescue, emergency medical, support, and technical functions (cross-training). Remaining ladder companies can be staffed with 4 personnel and provided with quint apparatus and function as either engine or ladder companies depending on needs. Description of Quint Apparatus: Quints are multi-function fire apparatus that essentially combine many of the features of current engine trucks and aerial ladder trucks. They provide space for personnel to ride safely on the unit along with all of their protective equipment, carry all the engine/pumper equipment needed (such as pump, hose, nozzles and fittings), all the aerial ladder truck equipment (for ventilation, forced entry, salvage and overhaul), ground ladders and aerial ladders, rescue equipment, and emergency medical equipment. Since the majority of these quint units will only require a 75' aerial ladder, as opposed to the current standard 105' ladder, they can be smaller, lighter, and less expensive. The overall wheel-base, weight, turning radius and acceleration of these vehicles falls between our current engine trucks and 105' quints, making them almost as fast and maneuverable as an engine. A major advantage of these apparatus is in their flexible, multi-purpose response. If personnel are trained to perform proficiently in all the basic fireground emergency operations, each quint apparatus can be operated as an engine or an aerial ladder (or even sometimes both simultaneously), depending on the operations required at each specific emergency scene. Description of Life Support Units The consultant also recommends a number of Life Support Units (LSUs), which will be staffed with two member crews, and which will primarily respond to medical incidents. An LSU would be somewhat similar in appearance to a modular ambulance and could carry a limited amount of equipment and should be designed primarily for medical responses. Staff will be cross-trained so that Life Support Crews can be used to supplement crews on fire suppression companies as necessary. Rather than using large, slower, expensive and less maneuverable apparatus to respond to medical incidents (approx. 70% of the current call volume) with 3 or 4 person crews, two member crews on small, relatively inexpensive trucks will be used for many medical incidents. Deployment Options A number of alternative deployment options were analyzed in detail. Each of the alternative plans were based on a different deployment strategy, using 20 fire hall locations, with the proposed re-locations of fire halls 3, 13 and 18 in effect, and approximately 130 personnel on duty. Each plan has advantages and disadvantages and the option chosen for implementation was developed through analysis of the other options examined. This option provides the most flexibility with the fewest numbers of fire suppression companies. The Life Support Units can accommodate a significant number of medical calls without impacting on fire suppression capabilities and can also be integrated with fire suppression companies on fire calls. However, this option also requires the most upgrading of the current fleet. The two tables contained in Appendix B summarize the current deployment and the proposed deployment. Please note that the consultant recommended 8 staff at Fire Hall #10 (U.B.C.). However, the current contract with the Province specifies that we will provide 7 personnel. We would approach the Province to negotiate funding of an additional position to maintain conformity with the City standard. The consultant option also lists one member on Tower 4. We will cross staff Tower 4 with personnel from the LSU. The following table provides an interesting comparison of the additional capabilities of the new deployment due to the use of multi-purpose vehicles. Comparison of Current Deployment versus Recommended Deployment Capability 1996 End of % Implementation Change Pumping Capacity 37,475 igpm 43,500 igpm + 16% Aerial capability (high risk) 3 6 +100% on first alarm (low risk area) 2 4 +100% Pumper capability (high risk) 3 6 +100% on first alarm (low risk) 2 4 +100% Companies capable of engine 20 29 + 45% (pump) work Companies Capable of aerial 14 20 + 43% ladder work Companies Capable of Rescue 2 6 +300% squad work Companies Capable of 36 37 + 3% First-Responder Medical operations Minimum On-Duty Firefighters 131 129 1. - 1.5% Approx. Replacement Value of $22,650,000 $21,400,000 - 5.5% apparatus 2 1. It will be recommended that the Province fund one additional staff member, bringing minimum on-duty strength to 130. 2. Not including non-emergency response vehicles and vehicles which would be maintained under both scenarios. If it is necessary to reduce the budget, this can be accomplished by reducing staffing or units from the least essential end of the deployment, recognizing that some capability will be sacrificed. Analysis of Costs and Benefits There are (at least) two possible scenarios regarding the numbers of officers required under Option 6 (Appendix B) as compared to the present situation. The current costs of 22 Captains and 14 lieutenants is approximately $11,186,000. If Captains are assigned to all first-line quints, rescue engines and engines, the costs of these officers would be approximately $11,149,000. If one Captain is assigned per fire hall, and Lieutenants are assigned to the second fire suppression apparatus in the fire hall (non LSU), the costs would be approximately $10,913,000. The potential savings therefore range from approximately $37,000 per year to approximately $273,000 per year. Since the four shift system requires four paid staff per position, the reduction in minimum staffing levels from 131 to 129 would result in approximate savings of $500,000 per year. However, some of these savings would be applied to the additional support positions identified and would likely result in approximate annual savings of $300,000. The Province will be asked to fund one additional position at U.B.C. ultimately bringing on-duty minimum strength to 130. There may be a reduction in apparatus maintenance costs since large apparatus will be used much less frequently for medical responses which form the bulk of our responses. At this time, possible savings cannot be quantified. Annual replacement costs of apparatus will be reduced on average by approximately $80,000 per year. Therefore, the total annual savings possible to be used on this and previously identified initiatives are approximately $420,000 to $650,000. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS The full implementation of the recommended re-deployment plan, including the use of multi-purpose vehicles, more effective vehicles for medical responses, and increased number of rescue vehicles and technical rescue support, will provide a much more effective "multi-hazard" emergency response force. Vancouver Fire and Rescue's increased capability to respond effectively to the wide variety of potential risks present in Vancouver today, including major disasters such as an earthquake, will reduce the severity of the impacts on Vancouver's residents. IMPLEMENTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS PLAN If Council endorses this vision of the deployment of VF/RS staff and equipment, with the emphasis on multi-purpose quints, rescue engines, and Life Support Units, a detailed implementation plan will be developed for report back to Council during the last quarter of 1996. A great deal of preparation is required to develop appropriate training plans, writing operating guidelines, writing equipment specifications, and so on. A wide cross-section of department staff from all levels will be assigned to teams to work on specific aspects of the implementation plan. The Corporate Management Team will be briefed regularly on progress. PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS This is a significant change in the deployment of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and how fire protection and first-responder medical services are delivered in Vancouver. A limited number of quint apparatus are already being used in the Department as a result of an ongoing initiative to provide increased pumping capacity to provide water supply during an earthquake or other major water supply disruption. Even under the present deployment, eventually all current aerial ladder trucks would be converted to quints when they are replaced under the earthquake preparedness plan. However, under the present deployment, these quints would only be staffed with three members, a crew size which is ineffective for interior fire attack. Therefore they could not safely function as an engine company. Increasing the crew size to four and using the quints as multi-purpose apparatus is an important change in philosophy. Another important new concept for Vancouver is the use of two person life support units. These changes may be a source of concern to some staff who have become accustomed to the Department's current traditional deployment. Concerns of staff will be dealt with fully and carefully during the detailed implementation planning phase. Staff at all levels will be asked for input and participation. Also, any lessons learned by other jurisdictions that have already implemented variations of this concept will be considered. The safety of staff and the public will be the foremost consideration before any changes are implemented. The use of multi-function emergency response apparatus has minor implications on the level of training required, since most personnel are already proficient in all fireground operations. New Standard Operating Guidelines must be developed that do not lay out fireground assignments based on the type of apparatus that arrives. Rather, assignments must be based on what operations must be performed at the fire in order to bring it under control as quickly as possible. This re-deployment would result in a reduction in the number of promotable officer positions. This deployment will also result in a reduction in minimum staffing from 131 to 129 (possibly only to 130 if the Province will fund an additional contract position for the U.B.C. firehall). Since approximately 4 staff are required to cover each position due to the four shifts, there will be a reduction of 8 suppression staff. Three or four support position previously identified will be created. Any staff reductions would be achieved through attrition. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS Approval of the recommendations in this report does not commit Council to any additional expenditures for fire apparatus beyond those now required for normal replacement. Given the increased level of flexibility of the recommended deployment option due to multi-purpose equipment, there are opportunities to reduce both apparatus costs (within the Plant Account) and to reduce the operating budget through minimal staff savings. Maintenance costs should also be reduced since large, expensive and ill-suited apparatus will not respond as frequently to medical incidents which form the bulk of our calls. The study identifies several areas where performance and productivity could be improved. Existing resources can be used to provide a higher level of service or expenditures can be trimmed to provide the existing level of service at a lower cost. This approach provides the opportunity to decide if each marginal cost dollar could be better spent to produce improved service or if it should be used for other purposes or cut from the budget. VF/RS has identified and justified several new positions over the past several years that have been dependent on providing funding from within our current Operating Budget. It is expected that these positions can be funded from savings which will be identified. A detailed implementation plan, including phase-in of Quints, Rescue Engines and Life support Units will be developed over the next several months in cooperation with Financial Services. CONCLUSION While there is no "one best system" to protect Vancouver, particularly since one of the variables is the acceptable level of risk, this new deployment strategy will substantially improve our current ability to respond to multiple hazards. The recommended deployment also rationalizes apparatus use so that more suitable equipment will be used for medical calls. Most medical incidents will be responded to by smaller, faster, and less expensive equipment with 2-person crews. The potential savings available through this re-deployment are approximately $420,000 to $650,000 per year. These savings may be used to meet previously identified initiatives. - 3 - * * * * * APPENDIX B PAGE 1 OF 2 CURRENT DEPLOYMENT FIRE Engine Personnel Ladder Personnel Rescue Personnel TOTAL HALL Personnel 1 E1 4 L1 3 7 2 E2 4 R2 3 7 3 E3 4 L3 3 R3 3 10 4 E4 4 Tw4 3 7 5 E5 4 L5 3 7 6 E6 5 L6 4 9 7 E7 4 L7 4 8 8 E8 4 4 9 E9 4 L9 3 7 10 E10 4 L10 3 7 12 E12 4 L12 3 7 13 E13 4 4 14 E14 4 4 15 E15 4 L15 3 7 17 E17 4 L17 3 7 18 E18 4 L18 3 7 19 E19 4 4 20 E20 4 4 21 E21 4 L21 3 7 22 E22 4 L22 3 7 TOTAL 20 81 14 44 2 6 131 APPENDIX B PAGE 2 OF 2 RECOMMENDED DEPLOYMENT (OPTION 6 - TRIDATA REPORT) 19 Quints (Q), 6 Rescue Engines (R/E), 4 Engines (E), 8 Life Support Units (LS), 1 Tower (Tw) FIRE 1st Personnel 2nd Personnel 3rd Personnel TOTAL HALL (Quint) Personnel 1 Q1 4 4 2 Q2 4 LS2 2 6 3 Q3 4 E3 4 LS3 2 10 4 E4 4 Tw4 -* LS4 2 6* 5 Q5 4 LS5 2 6 6 Q6 4 E6 4 8 7 Q7 4 R/E7 4 8 8 Q8 4 LS8 2 6 9 Q9 4 R/E9 4 8 10 E10 4 Q10 3* LS10 21 7* 12 Q12 4 R/E12 4 8 13 Q13 4 4 14 Q14 4 LS14 2 6 15 Q15 4 R/E15 4 8 17 Q17 4 R/E17 4 8 18 Q18 4 4 19 Q19 4 4 20 Q20 4 4 21 Q21 4 R/E21 4 8 22 Q22 4 LS22 2 6 TOTAL 20 80 10 37 8 14 129 1. Cross-manned from quint