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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-11-18 City Commission Packet Materials - SP1. Fire Department 2017 Annual ReportFIRE STATION 134 N. Rouse Ave. FIRE STATION 2410 S. 19th Ave. FIRE STATION 31705 Vaquero Pkwy. 34 N. Rouse Ave. | Bozeman, MT 59715(406) 582-2350 Total Training HoursThe Bozeman Fire Department strives to ensure that its members are trained to meet or exceed consensus national standards and best practices. In 2017 the department logged 13,715 hours of training, a 63% increase in training hours as compared to 2016 and a 171% increase over 2015. The 13,715 hours exceed the required minimums set by the Insurance Service Office and the National Fire Protection Association by over 4,000 hours. A major factor in the increase in the training numbers for 2017 is directly related to the implementation of an on-line cloud based training system that assists with both training assign-ment and documentation. The department will continue the use of on-line training in 2018 as the department has begun the Blue Card Hazard Zone Incident Management System. The Blue Card program combines on-line training with field training and is endorsed by the International Fire Chiefs Association, the Center for Public Safety Excellence, and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors. The department continues to pursue professional certifications and saw its number of certified Fire Instructor I members increase by 91% in 2017. The department will be starting the process of members ob-taining Fire Officer I certification in 2018 and increasing its number of certified members which currently sits at 9% of the department. BOZEMAN FIRE DEPARTMENT 2017ANNUAL REPORT FACILITIESMISSION Problem Solving Through Professionalism and Compassionate Service since 1884 VISIONWe will provide exceptional service as a unified team to promote a professional depart-ment that grows with the community 3000 6000 9000 12000 15000 2015 2016 2017National Standard Total Training Hours Professional CertificationsFirefighter I – 100%Firefighter II – 100%Fire Instructor I – 100%Fire Officer I – 9%Fire Officer II – 9% 272 Center for Public Safety Excellence Commission on Professional CredentialingThe Bozeman Fire Department continues to use professional credentialing as a tool for professional development and growth of its members. Today the department has 11 credentialed members with several others currently in the process. This internationally-accepted model recognizes professional accomplishments and competence in fire and emergency services and offers fire and emergency service personnel career guidance and planning. The Commission on Professional Credentialing developed professional credentialing using a model that looks at the “whole” officer. Achieving the designation requires a strong educational background, diverse participation in emergency services at the local, state, and national level; and demonstrated involvement in the broader community, all validated by emergency services peers. Center for Public Safety Excellence Fire Department AccreditationThe next major milestone for the department is the pursuit of Accreditation via the Center for Public Safety Excellence Commission on Fire Accreditation. The department has started this process which will take 3 to 4 years to complete and requires that the department complete a strategic plan, community risk analysis, and standards of coverage. This process will challenge the department to evaluate all areas of the department for efficiencies and effective outcomes.Accreditation is a comprehensive self-assessment and quality improvement model that enables organizations to examine past, current, and future service levels and internal performance and compare them to current research and industry best practices. This process leads to a more efficient and effective emergency service organization.CPSE’s Accreditation Program, administered by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) allows fire and emergency service agencies to compare their performance to:• Determine community risk and safety needs and develop community-specific Standards of Cover. • Evaluate the performance of the department. • Establish a method for achieving continuous organizational improvement. Local government executives face increasing pressure to “do more with less” and justify their expenditures by demonstrating a direct link to improved or expanded services. Particularly for emergency services, local officials need criteria to assess professional performance and efficiency. The CFAI accreditation process provides a well-defined, internationally-recognized benchmark system to measure the quality of fire and emergency services. Community Risk ReductionCommunity Risk Reduction, often referred to as fire prevention, is an important piece of the fire department’s efforts to keep our citizens educated in emergency preparedness and safe in the event of an emergency. In 2017 the BFD provided community education programs at events such as Music on Main, The Bogert Farmer’s Market, and Trick or Treating on Main. In addition to these special events the fire department provided educational programs during national Fire Prevention Month in October to all of the elementary schools in Bozeman, both public and private. The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and is a primary resource for the fire and emergency profession to continuously improve services, resulting in a higher quality of life for communities. CPSE has successfully helped public safety agencies around the world streamline and improve the services they provide their communities through its numerous programs and services.  CPSE provides the only accreditation program for fire service organizations in the world, and offers nationally-recognized designations for fire and emergency services officers. CPSE has over 230 accredited agencies and over 2000 designated officers throughout the world. THE FIRE CHIEF’S MESSAGEI am pleased to present the 2017 Bozeman Fire Department Annual Report. In providing this report, I hope to show the citizens and customers of the Bozeman Fire Department the progress and improvement that the department continues to make in our pursuit of excellence. The 2017 report highlights some significant projects accomplished by the fire department over the last twelve months while showing the direction for the next year and beyond. The department saw several milestones in 2017 with the updating of the Fire Master Plan and the achievement of an improved ISO rating. These accomplishments, coupled with the passion and commitment of our members, keep me excited about the future of the department. The department continues to focus on emergency preparedness, training, education, and most importantly customer service. The support from our community is an important piece of our success and we thank all of you for continuing to allow us to serve this wonderful community. 2018 promises to be another busy year for the Bozeman Fire Department, but I know we have the professional staff and dedication to ensure that we continue to raise the level of expectations of your fire department.Yours in service, Joshua L. Waldo, EFO, CFOFire Chief 273 Fire (2%)Fire (2%)Fire (2%) Vehicle Accidents (7%)Vehicle Accidents (5%)Vehicle Accidents (9%) Good Intent Calls (17%)Good Intent Calls (14%)Good Intent Calls (9%) EMS (52%)EMS (55%)EMS (53%) Service Calls (6%)Service Calls (6%)Service Calls (7%) Hazardous Condition (7%)Hazardous Condition (6%)Hazardous Condition (7%) False Calls (9%)False Calls (11%)False Calls (11%) 2015 2016 2017 RESPONSE OVERVIEWFIRE PREVENTION Overlapping Incidents 2017 — 1,682 (36%) 2016 — 806 (19%) Overlapping incidents occur when the department has more than one incident response going at the same time. This is an important data point to track as some incidents require more than one fire department unit to respond and having two or more calls overlapping could result in a situation where not enough units are available for response. The Bozeman Fire Department has a full service fire prevention and community risk reduction division that provides services such as plans review, inspections, fire investigation, public fire education, car seat installation, and many other public programs. The fire department prevention and risk reduction programs are run under the supervision of the Deputy Chief – Fire Marshal who is assisted by two full-time fire inspectors and support from firefighters assigned to emergency response. The department conducts plans review of all new commercial buildings constructed in the city and completes onsite inspections of these buildings to ensure code compliance during construction. Number of plans reviewed 2016: 4152017: 383 Number of inspections completed:2016: 1,7342017: 2,678In addition to review and inspecting new buildings, the department continues to ensure that existing buildings remain in compliance with the fire code. In 2017 the department began utilizing a third party service for the reporting and tracking of inspections of sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and commercial cooking systems. These inspections are completed by third party vendors. In the past the vendors would submit paper reports that required review of every report by fire department staff before the reports could be entered into the department’s records management system. The new system allows for electronic submission of these inspection reports and allows for faster review and correction of the identified problems. This system was only in use for 9 months in 2017 but helped capture 701 third party inspections during that time frame identifying nearly 48% of those inspections needing follow up by fire department staff. RESPONSE OVERVIEW 2000 3000 4000 5000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2936 3238 3563 3574 3919 4316 4696 TOTAL INCIDENT RESPONSES Totals Runs 2017 — 6,264 2016 — 5,567 When a request for fire department response is made, an incident is created in the records management system. Depending on the type of incident, the number of fire department apparatus / units that run the call will vary. Incidents are different from runs, as each incident can create a number of different run totals. For most EMS type events, a single apparatus would run the incident, whereas a fire alarm at a nursing home would trigger three fire apparatus to run on the incident. It is important to track the total number of runs that a department makes as it is a more accurate reflection of the workload on the emergency response system. 274 NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Implemented an on-line training system for assigning, tracking, and recording of fire and EMS training. The Fire Department has implemented an on-line training system that allows for some trainings to be completed on-line by members at any time without having to report to a central location. This system has improved the record keeping functions of the training activities and is key in improving our professional certifications and credentials. Placed in service a new 800 MHz radio system that replaced our outdated VHF radio system, improving radio communications between first responders.As part of a joint project with the Bozeman Police Department, a new 800 MHz radio system was put in place during 2017. The new system improves radio communications across the city, specifically for fire department op-erations. It improves communications inside of buildings which had been difficult in the past. The new radio system provides improved radio commu-nications and safety for first responders and allows for additional technolog-ical advances in the future. Placed in service new self-contained breathing apparatus and thermal imaging cameras. A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), sometimes called an airpack, is the equipment that a firefighter wears in immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) atmospheres that allows them to breathe clean air. The new SCBA replace older units that had reached the end of their service life. Additionally, the new SCBA have technology in them that allow for Bluetooth communication with the department’s new radios, providing much im-proved communications between firefighters. Thermal imaging cameras were purchased in conjunction with the SCBA as well. Thermal imaging cameras are used to help see in dark, smoke filled environments. These cameras assist firefighters in finding victims in fires but can also be used on hazardous materials events, investigation of electri-cal problems, and can be used in searches for missing people. Secured a $58,000 FEMA grant to purchase wildland firefighting personal protective equipment for all personnel. The department secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that will provide every member of the department with personal protective equipment (PPE) for wildland firefighting. While the City of Bozeman has not had a significant wildland event in recent years, the potential always exists and numerous smaller fires occur every year. In the past, firefighters would use the same PPE that they would wear on building fires, which is extremely heavy and not approved for wildland use. This new gear will provide firefighters with the appropriate safety equipment they need to mitigate emergencies in the city. 2017 Fire Master PlanIn 2017 the Bozeman Fire Department worked with the Center for Public Safety Management to update the Fire Master Plan which had last been updated in 2006. The Fire Master Plan evaluates fire department response, training, equipment, apparatus, station locations, inspection programs, operational procedures, and various other items to make recommendations on how to make response and operations more efficient and effective. The Fire Master Plan resulted in 42 recommendations for the Bozeman Fire Department that have been broken down into three phases of implementation. Fire Department administration has already begun working on implementing the recommendations from the Fire Master Plan and will be incorporating future recommendations into the departmental strategic plan. A full copy of the Fire Master Plan can be viewed by accessing the City of Bozeman website at www.bozeman.net and clicking the Government tab and looking under Fire. Improved ISO ratingIn April 2017 the Insurance Service Office (ISO) conducted a site visit to re-evaluate the Bozeman Fire Department Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating. During the site visit ISO officials evaluated fire department staffing, response capabilities, training, and community risk reduction efforts. During this same visit the ISO officials evaluated the City of Bozeman Water Department and the Gallatin County 911 Center to review the available water for fire suppression and communications systems for notifying responders of an emergency. The grading system assigns 50% of the grade to the fire department, 40% to the water department, and 10% to the 911 center. From the April site visit, the ISO determined that the PPC rating for the City of Bozeman had improved from a class 3 to a class 2. The new class 2 rating puts the City of Bozeman in the top 3% in the nation in terms of PPC ratings. The improved PPC rating went into effect on December 1, 2017 and offers some potential relief in insurance premiums for residents and business owners in the city, while also serving as a valuable recruitment tool for future businesses and developments. The class 2 rating will remain in effect until the next re-evaluation process which is slated to be in 2022. 275