AGENDA DATE: 7/5/2018
TITLE:
Title
Albemarle County Fire Rescue Standards of Response Coverage
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Albemarle County Fire Rescue Standards of Response Coverage
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Walker; Kamptner, Farley, Eggleston; Puckett
PRESENTER (S): Dan Eggleston
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Doug Walker
BACKGROUND: In 2016, Albemarle County Fire Rescue (ACFR) contracted with Fitch & Associates (Fitch) to evaluate the fire department's operations, deployment, and staffing and develop a comprehensive deployment and staffing plan referred to as a Standards of Response Coverage (SOC). Fitch followed the standards set out by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) Standards of Cover process, which uses a systems approach for deployment rather than a "one-size-fits-all" prescriptive formula. This comprehensive approach allows agencies to match local community needs (risks and expectations) with the appropriate level of service to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner. Utilizing that information, ACFR should be in a good position to assist the Board of Supervisors in adopting appropriate and affordable service levels.
Using national, state, and local standards, as well as information guidelines set forth by organizations such as the CFAI, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the Insurance Services Organization (ISO), Fitch evaluated the current response model, as well as the risk profile of Albemarle County to develop a risk-based, data-driven staffing and deployment plan for ACFR. Fitch used comprehensive data- based quantitative and geospatial analyses to objectively evaluate the historical demand for services by type and severity. Fitch also obtained occupancy level data from the ISO and the County's databases and used this data to assess occupancy level risk within the community. The report from this data is provided in Attachment A. Ultimately, over 60...
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