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Gifford Neighborhood Plan Analysis <br /> Fire service standards are based on criteria established by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). ISO also provides ratings for local <br /> areas based on compliance with its standards. For planning purposes, the standards include a 5 mile distance to a manned Fire/EMS <br /> station and the availability of a fire hydrant within 500 feet of commercial development and 1,000 feet of residential development. <br /> Ratings are on a scale of 1 to 10, with a rating of 1 being the highest. <br /> Being within 5 miles of a Fire/EMS station, most developed areas of the county (including all of Gifford) are rated a 4 by ISO. <br /> Response times for an area with a rating of 4 are usually less than 8 minutes. In contrast, most areas outside the urban service area are <br /> rated 9 or 10 by ISO. Policy 2.8 of the Future Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan states that Fire and EMS stations shall be <br /> located to enable a 4 to 6 minute response time within the urban service area. <br /> County Fire Department and EMS Department records indicate that typical response times for calls in East and Central Gifford fall <br /> within a 4 to 8 minute range. The response time for west Gifford area is between 4-10 minutes. Records also indicate that most <br /> development in Gifford meets the ISO standard regarding distance from fire hydrants. <br /> For these reasons, Fire and EMS service in Gifford is sufficient to serve both the existing population and the projected population of <br /> Gifford. In the near future fire protection within Gifford will be enhanced because the station at 6568 U.S. 1 is programmed for <br /> relocation to Indian River Boulevard, south of 53rd Street. This will bring that station closer to Gifford. <br /> ➢ Recreation <br /> The county's comprehensive plan calls for 4 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. At that rate, Gifford (with a population of just over <br /> 5,000 residents) should have approximately 20 acres of community parks. <br /> The Gifford Park Campus, at over 40 acres in size, is a countywide resource located in Gifford. While it serves the entire county, its <br /> location within Gifford ensures that the majority of its users are from Gifford. This park and its facilities exceed county standards for <br /> Community Parks. To maintain that high level of service, minor improvements and continued maintenance of specific facilities are <br /> needed. <br /> Neighborhood parks are defined as parks which are 2 to 5 acres in size, containing improvements such as swings, benches, tot lots, <br /> fitness trails, and picnic areas. Like most areas in the unincorporated county, park development in Gifford has focused on Community <br /> Parks, rather than Neighborhood Parks. Gifford has two 2-acre Neighborhood Parks (Hosie-Schumann Park and Martin Luther King, <br /> Jr. Park). Hosie-Schumann park is located next to the W.E. Geoffreys Subdivision, which is separated from the rest of Gifford by US <br /> N <br /> Community Development Department Indian River County 52 <br /> w <br />