AGENDA DATE: 6/5/2019
TITLE:
Title
Albemarle County Fire Rescue Standards of Response Coverage
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Albemarle County Fire Rescue Standards of Response Coverage
ITEM TYPE: Consent Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Walker, Kamptner; Eggleston, Farley, Puckett, Mezzoni
PRESENTER (S): Dan Eggleston
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
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.
During the study, Fitch met with a variety of ACFR career and volunteer leadership to gather information about the system and our existing response model. 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.
At the July 5, 2018 Board meeting, ACFR staff and members of Fitch presented the results of the Standard of Cover Analysis and recommended performance measures. At that time, the Board raised concerns about Fire and EMS (FEMS) Board support for the service objectives in the SOC. Since that meeting, ACFR leadership has worked closely with FEMS Board leadership, as well as other key volunteer personnel, on the data and service objectives that are included in the SOC. The objectives recommended to the Board of Supervisors today were approved unanimously by the FEMS Board at its April 24, 2019 meeting.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Quality Government Operations: Ensure County government’s capacity to provide high quality service that achieves community priorities
DISCUSSION: The SOC is a set of adopted, written policies and procedures that determines the distribution, concentration and reliability of fixed and mobile response forces for fire, emergency medical services, hazardous materials and other forces of technical response. It is a tool that:
• evaluates and defines an agency’s baseline of operations;
• identifies benchmarks for achieving an agency’s goals and objectives;
• determines levels of service; and
• measures an agency’s performance over different budget or operational years.
This SOC was developed through a collaborative process that included internal and external stakeholders, as well as industry experts. It includes a thorough risk assessment of the community, an evaluation of the current capabilities of ACFR, and a specific set of service level objectives to measure performance. Adopting the service level objectives included in the SOC ensures that ACFR provides a safe and effective response force for emergency medical services, fire suppression, and specialty response situations.
BUDGET IMPACT: This request will have no impact on the FY 20 operating budget. Additionally, this request does not obligate the Board of Supervisors to appropriate funds. Instead, this will allow the Board of Supervisors to consider objective performance measures, community risk, and appropriate service levels.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board adopt the following service objectives:
* Non-emergent incidents are excluded from the performance analysis.
ATTACHMENTS:
A - Standard of Cover Report
B - Standard of Cover Data Report