06/25/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2:14 B. Commissioners' Discussion on Future Fire Station Location Planning p.m. Commissioner Zorc reviewed the information contained in his PowerPoint Presentation called "Fire Station Location Planning". This meeting was to discuss future fire station locations, and to address fire and medical calls in an area that could improve both the response time and the ISO insurance benefit. He indicated that in 2014, the County hosted the State Fire Marshall and representatives from ISO on how to use ISO as a guidepost. Since then, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 Codes and Standards was published and was the game changer on how ISO audits the County on actual fire calls. They look at how long the call took to process, the time to be dispatched, the time out-the-door, and the real time to drive to the scene. He said the NFPA 1710 Codes and Standards would drive up the cost of every district and fire department in the country. He explained if you took a 20- year life cycle, for every fire station in the County, the cost would be approximately $45 to $50 million for a 20-year service period for a fire station, and that cost does not include rotating new equipment. Director King advised that ISO will be here on August 25, 2015 before Fire Station 13 opens; however, ISO was committed to incorporating the additional information and amend their findings after Fire Station 13 opens in October of this year. Commissioner Zorc wanted the County to stay ahead of the curve when the County decides to build a new fire station, and referred to the ISO Public Protection Classification program, which evaluates communities according to a uniform set of criteria, incorporating nationally recognized standards developed by the NFPA, the American Water Works Association, and proposed fire station locations in a community in order to maximize public protection. A general discussion ensued regarding the ISO scoring sheet that determined the County's ISO rating and the ISO evaluation of the County's fire stations on the response time to actual fires. Commissioner Zorc detailed a thorough study of the District's Call-For- Services that revealed the County's greatest impediment to improving the timely delivery of emergency services was the geographic distances between fire stations. He expressed the need for two additional Fire Rescue Stations, additional ambulances due to turn around time, and funding. Director King said Emergency Management Services was trying to create a system with good response time, and the consolidation of the Fire and EMS Divisions has saved the community a lot of money. Fire Station Locations Workshop Page 2 June 25,2015