To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Craig R. Rollins, Assistant Chief, Fire and Rescue Department
Through: Art Morales, Fire Chief
Title
Resolution Approving the Town of Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
As part of the accreditation process through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), the Fire and Rescue Department used the Center for Public Excellence (CPSE) Community Risk Assessment: Standards of Cover 6th edition as a guide in the research and development of the 2016 Risk Assessment and 2017 Standards of Cover. These two documents combine to form the Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover (CRA/SOC).
The 2016 Risk Assessment defines, identifies, and where possible, quantifies fire, EMS, hazardous materials, technical rescue and wildland fire risks within the community. The 2017 Standards of Cover is an in depth analysis of our historical performance in terms of call volume, call types and level of risk for the jurisdiction as a whole, by station areas (4), and planning zones (9). Together, these two documents identify the risks within the community, define the level of service the Fire and Rescue Department can provide, establish historical performance baselines, set realistic performance goals (benchmarks), and identify performance gaps. Where performance gaps are identified, the SOC includes a recommended course of action to either close the gap or continue to monitor the area of concern.
The Standards of Cover establishes performance benchmarks (goals) for the 1st arriving apparatus of 8 minutes 10 seconds 90% of the time in urban population areas (greater than 1,000 residents per square mile) like the Meadows, 9 minutes 10 seconds in rural population areas (less than 1,000 residents per square mile) like Bell Mountain Ranch, and 10 minutes 50 seconds 90% of the time on the interstate. The Standards of Cover also includes baselines and benchmarks for the arrival of the effective response force (all units needed to mitigate an incident) for each service type (fire, EMS, hazardous materials, technical rescue, and wildland fire) and risk level (low, moderate, and high).
Though recommendations are included and based on historical data, they are not intended to project future performance.
These documents met the intense scrutiny of the CFAI Accreditation Peer Team, and received the complete support of the Public Safety Commission.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
No notification or other form of public outreach has been done. The Standards of Cover has been reviewed by members of the Rocky Mountain Accreditation and Professional Credentialing Consortium in preparation for a CPSE Peer Team site visit, and by the CPSE Peer Team as part of the CFAI accreditation process. Upon adoption of this document, it will be made available to the general public via the Department’s website as well as printed copies at Fire Headquarters for anyone who request it.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
Town Council approved the 2011 Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover in 2012 (resolution 2012-38)
Discussion
For the evaluation period, the Department’s performance for the 1st arriving unit has improved in both the rural and urban areas while maintaining a relatively high compliance to adopted performance standards (baseline). In rural population areas, the total response time has decreased from 9:50 in 2011 to 9:30 (2012 - 2016). In urban population areas the response time has decreased from 8:40 in 2011 to 8:10 (2012 - 2016).
Evaluating the effective response force poses more of a challenge in that, with the exception of EMS, there are too few incidents to perform meaningful statistical analysis or trending. Even so, the Department annually tracks and reports all effective response force incidents for EMS, fire, hazardous materials, wildland fire suppression, and technical rescue at all risk levels (low, moderate and high/special).
Considering that EMS represents 64% of the total call volume, the Department closely monitors its performance for this service category. For moderate risk EMS incidents in rural population areas, the total response time has decreased from 11:00 in 2011 to 10:50 (2012 - 2016). For moderate risk EMS incidents in urban population areas the total response time has decreased from 10:30 in 2011 to 10:00 (2012 - 2016).
Consistent with its commitment to continuous improvement, the Department has defined a compliance methodology and continuous improvement strategy that includes monthly annual reporting requirements. Monthly, the Department shall report on performance (call processing, turnout, 1st arrival, and moderate risk EMS effective response force) against adopted standards. This information can be found in the Department Monthly Report. Annually, the Department shall report on performance for all service and risk levels against adopted standards, trends, any service gaps to include recommendations, and performance standards for the following year.
In reviewing the data in its entirety, the Department’s performance has improved since 2011. However, there are specific planning zones that cannot be reached within the adopted performance standards. These are; planning zone 6 (Castle Oaks, Terrain, Cobblestone Ranch, and Liberty Village), planning zone 7 (Crystal Valley Ranch, Heckendorf Ranch, Bell Mountain Ranch, Ditmars Ranch, Sellars Creek, and Lost Canyon Ranch), and planning zone 8 (Yucca Hills and Keene Ranch). Planning zone 6 has experienced an increase in residential growth for the last few years. However, annual call volume, while increasing, remains low (less than 100/year). Planning zone 7 has been growing for several years. The Department recognized the increased call volume and performance gap in the area. Beginning in 2015, the Department secured funding for a new fire station (Station 152) to open in the fall of 2018. Planning zone 8 is a remote and sparsely populated area that experiences an extremely low call volume (less than 10/year). The Department has no plans to modify its deployment to improve response times in planning zone 8.
The Department’s vision is “To be the best at providing emergency and prevention services”. While striving “to be the best”, the Department must make changes, based on sound statistical data, that would allow for maintenance of the delivery of services and consistent safety to the community as well as emergency responders. Understanding the current financial and political climate, as well as the costs associated with any recommendation, the Department reviewed each of the following recommendations to ensure they are consistent with community expectations, within the scope and reach of the Department, and achievable with existing resources or plans. Therefore, the following recommendations are made based the on results of the standards of cover process:
• Continue with the planning, construction and staffing for Station 152 in the southern portion of the jurisdiction, and consider redefining Station 151 & 154 boundaries to balance call distribution and ensure the best practical response times.
• Closely monitor PZ6 for growth, increasing calls for service and performance.
• Closely monitor PZ9 for growth, increasing calls for service and performance.
• Implement the Critical Task Analysis team’s recommended changes.
Finally, the Department should provide an annual report to the Public Safety Commission, Town Manager and Town Council that details; call volumes and trends, updated baselines and benchmarks, and any service gaps and recommended action (if any).
Budget Impact
While the adoption of the Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover has no impact on the budget, there are a number of recommendations within the CRA/SOC that have potential to budget impacts. The planned Station 152 (Crystal Valley) is an example of a planned impact. If there are any budgetary impacts as a result of the CRA/SOC recommendations, they will be addressed through the normal budget process.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends adopting the Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the Resolution as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution
Exhibit 1: 2016 Community Risk Assessment
Exhibit 2: 2017 Standards of Cover