To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
From: Norris W. Croom III, Fire Chief
Craig R. Rollins, Assistant Chief, Fire and Rescue Department
Title
Resolution Approving the Town of Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department Standards of Cover, 2020 Edition
Body
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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 2020 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 2020 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, five station areas, and ten planning zones. 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 call processing of 1 minute and 0 seconds, turnout time of 1 minute and 38 seconds, the total response time for the 1st arriving apparatus of 7 minutes 10 seconds 90% of the time in urban population areas (greater than 1,000 residents per square mile) like the Meadows, 8 minutes 10 seconds in rural population areas (less than 1,000 residents per square mile) like Bell Mountain Ranch, and 10 minutes 10 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 and a 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 requests it.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
Town Council approved the 2019 Standards of Cover on September 15th, 2020 (Resolution Number 2020-093).
Discussion
For the evaluation period (2016 - 2020), Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department (CRFD) has sufficient call volume to adequately evaluate the 1st arriving apparatus in most planning zones. The notable exception is Planning Zone 8 (PZ8), with a maximum annual call volume of 9 calls per year and a total call volume of 29 calls for service since 2016. In recent years, the general trend for the annual calls for service has been increasing. However, the department experienced a decrease of roughly 8% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to monitoring the total number of calls for service, CRFD monitors simultaneous incidents (an incident that occurs at the same time as another incident within the same station area or planning zone). When simultaneous incidents occur, they require resources to respond from further away resulting in longer response times.
CRFD’s compliance with adopted first due arrival benchmarks fluctuates, primarily based on incident location and proximity of the primary apparatus. There are known service gaps within the jurisdiction, specifically portions of planning zone 6 (PZ6), portions of planning zone 7 (PZ7), and planning zone 8 (PZ8).
The area of concern in PZ6 is that it is a considerable distance from Stations 153 and 155, and the primary route for Station 155 includes a long hill and winding neighborhood streets. The primary route for Station 153 includes a soft surface (gravel) road that further slows apparatus responses. In 2019, due to road and bridge improvements, response plans were updated to have Station 155 respond to fire management zones (FMZs) 15603 and 15617 in place of Station 153. Additionally, to help ensure the quickest response possible, CRFD maintains an automatic aid agreement with Franktown Fire Protection District who co-responds on any call for service in FMZ 15603. In 2020, the whole of PZ6 generated 176 calls for service, 70 of which were in FMZ 15603. The department has secured property for a future fire station, Station 156, and is anticipated for completion between 2025 and 2026.
Within PZ7, CRFD opened a new fire station (Station 152), which have improved responses throughout the majority of that planning zone. However, the far southern and eastern portions will still have an extended response time. These areas are primarily pasture lands with a small residential population and generates an average of 10 calls per year.
Historically, PZ8 has generated a maximum of 9 calls and is sparsely populated (total population 353) with large tracts of open land used for livestock.
Another planning zone that requires discussion is Planning Zone 9 (PZ9). Annually, PZ9 generates 385 calls for service (average), which exceeds the 2021 Master Plan’s call volume threshold for consideration of a new fire station. However, the response performance within PZ9 is consistent with that throughout the rest of the jurisdiction, which in 2020, the urban total response time in PZ9 was 8:00 compared to 8:20 for the jurisdiction. There were too few calls in the rural population areas (18 calls in five years) to draw a conclusive comparison to the rest on the jurisdiction.
The Town of Castle Rock has experienced considerable growth over the last several years in both the commercial and residential sectors. This growth has translated into an increased call volume in all service categories and a 13% increase in total call volume since 2015. The increase in call volume is also seen in the increasing unit hour utilization (UHU) of all apparatus since 2015.
Given the current and expected growth in the area, CRFD anticipates call volume to increase over the next several years.
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 an improvement in the delivery of services and increased 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 on the results of the Standards of Cover process:
• Review, research and attempt to determine the root cause for the increased 1st arrival response times in Planning Zone 2 (PZ2).
o Accreditation Manager
• Closely monitor PZ6 for growth, increasing calls for service and performance.
o Accreditation Manager: Ongoing at least annually
• Closely monitor PZ9 for growth, increasing calls for service and performance.
o Accreditation Manager: Ongoing at least annually
• Monitor the potential growth in PZ8 to anticipate changes that may drive the need for additional resources.
o Accreditation Manager & Fire Chief: Ongoing
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
The adoption of the updated Standards of Cover has no impact on the budget.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends adopting the updated 2020 Standards of Cover.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the Resolution as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution
Attachment B: Presentation
Exhibit 1: 2020 Standards of Cover