Fire Department Station Location Study

Fire Department Station Location Study

Presented on March 26, 2012

City of Pasadena

Calvin E. Wells, Fire Chief

Kevin Costa, Deputy Fire Chief

Citygate Associates, LLC

Citygate Associates – Fire Services2

Project Deliverables

• Comprehensive review of the deployment system

• Determination of the most efficient number and location of fire stations


Today’s Briefing

• Outlines Citygate’s findings, opinions and recommendations for next steps

• In summary form this briefing will:– Identify what the current system provides– What changes, if any, could occur in fire

station locations


Performance Review Components

• Existing deployment• Risks and expectations• Measure fire unit travel times • Response statistics • Gap analysis


Field Deployment Strategy

• Deployment is about the speed and weight of the attack

• Speed is delivered with neighborhood based units

• Weight is the massing of multiple units quickly enough to provide enough firefighters to stop the escalation of the emergency


Multiple-Unit Response

• Multiple units are needed to deliver enough firefighters in a reasonable time to serious emergencies to simultaneously and effectively perform the tasks needed for the outcome

• 15 firefighters minimum are needed within an 11-minute total response time for positive urban outcome expectations

• This is known as concentration of companies


Significant Incident Types

• In 2010 the Department responded to 14,941 incidents for an average of 41 incidents per day

• 73% of incident responses were to EMS

• 2.18% to fires of all types

• 76 building fires or 6.3/month

• 40% of incidents at dwellings

• 17% on streets and freeways

• 15% at commercial / business

2 or more 38.11%3 or more 16.71%4 or more 6.20%Minimal Mutual Aid


• 1st Apparatus On Scene <= 5:52 @ 91.1%

• Exceeds Citygate recommendations for 7:00 @ 90% and is consistent with published best practices

• Travel time is 4:41 min/sec @ 90%

• Ambulance travel time is 6:19 min/sec @ 90%

• First Alarm arrival by 10:40 min/sec @ 89.8%

• No City adopted response time goal or measure

• Dispatch is 1:30 min/sec @ 90%

• Turnout time is 1:58 min/sec @ 90%

EMS & Fire Response Times


Travel Time By Station Area

Station4-Min Percent &

Quantity Min/Secs. @90%

31 87.95% (2,449) 04:10

36 88.00% (2,367) 04:10

33 83.17% (2,122) 04:30

32 73.09% (1,208) 05:00

34 86.54% (1,085) 04:15

37 69.33% (988) 05:15

38 57.05% (333) 05:50

39 59.15% (284) 05:55


Geographic Findings


Findings and Recommendations


GIS Finding

Finding #6: If the City wants to maintain 4-minute travel time coverage for the first-due fire unit to all neighborhoods, eight (8) fire station locations are necessary.


Recommendation #1 – Deployment Measures

Distribution of Fire Stations: To treat medical patients and control small fires, the first-due unit should arrive within 7 minutes, 90% of the time from the receipt of the 9-1-1 call in the Verdugo regional fire dispatch center.

This equates to 1 minute dispatch time, 2 minutes company turnout time and 4 minutes drive time in the most populated areas.


Multiple Unit Deployment Measure

Multiple-Unit Effective Response Force for Serious Emergencies: To confine fires near the room of origin, to stop wildland fires to under three acres when noticed promptly and to treat up to five medical patients at once, a multiple-unit response of at least 15 personnel should arrive within 11 minutes from the time of 9-1-1 call receipt in fire dispatch, 90% of the time.

This equates to 1 minute dispatch time, 2 minutes company turnout time, and 8 minutes drive time spacing for multiple units.


Discussion and Questions

Documents

Fire Department Station Location Study