MESA FIRE and MEDICAL DEPARTMENT

MESA FIRE and MEDICAL DEPARTMENT COUNTY ISLAND FIRE PROTECTION ANALYSIS 1 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The County Island Fire Protection Analysis has been compiled as an adjunct to the Mesa Fire and Medical Department Standards of Cover and provides an overview of the fire protection risks and emergency medical services demand in the unincorporated county lands that lay within City of Mesa boundaries. Although the Mesa Fire and Medical Department is not primarily responsible for providing emergency services in these areas, it is our responsibility to be familiar with the needs of those communities and plan for any contingency that could have a future impact on Fire and Medical Department operations as a whole. Therefore the major elements detailed in this analysis are Risk Assessment and Service Demand as well as a brief description of methodology, data bases and Geographic Information Systems used during compilation. The Risk Assessment element includes an evaluation of the transportation network, water delivery infrastructure, land use, population density and the associated risk classifications that were compared in a consistent manner with the rest of the city. The most significant deviation in risk from the rest of the city is: The lack of hydrants and older water delivery infrastructure in most of the county islands. As far as land use and population density these islands mimic closely the adjacent incorporated parcels and there are no significant industrial risks currently serviced by Rural/Metro in these areas. The geographical areas projected to have the highest service demand are the retirement communities of Leisure World and Velda Rose along with the proximal long term care facilities, and the Main Street corridor east of Power Road extending to the Pinal County line. The most significant Service Demand elements include: Projected call volumes will have a negative impact on current Mesa Fire and Medical Department assets and response capacity. Unit availability will decrease and response times will increase from the additional pressures of responding to county islands. It is estimated that the unincorporated county islands will produce approximately 4,800 -5,200 calls annually that, with no additional MFMD response assets or infrastructure, would place a considerable strain upon ongoing operations to those stations that adjoin those areas. In addition, most of the unincorporated lands will fall outside current four minute (first arriving) and eight minute (Effective Response Force) travel time response areas indicating longer response times in the county islands could reasonably be expected. 2 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research INTRODUCTION The following document is the Mesa Fire and Medical Department’s risk assessment and service demand analysis for fire and emergency medical response into the unincorporated areas of Maricopa County within the City of Mesa boundaries should the situation arise where MFMD becomes the primary provider in those areas. The county islands encompass about 50 square miles of land area, 17,668 parcels of property and a year round population of approximately 25,000 people. Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Services and other rescue activities are currently provided by Rural/Metro Corporation and its subsidiaries. Mesa Fire and Medical Department maintains a mutual aid agreement with Rural/Metro Fire Department and responds into the unincorporated areas when requested to do so. Rural/Metro currently has two engine companies staffed with 3 person crews covering the noted area. The Mesa Fire and Medical Department is a full service ‘All Hazards’ organization that is mandated by the citizens of Mesa, through their elected officials, to provide the highest level of pre-hospital emergency medical care, fire suppression, community health and rescue services. The Mesa Fire and Medical Department has adopted the standards set forth in NFPA 1710 as industry best practice and uses those standards to set necessary benchmarks and guidelines. That said, the citizens of Mesa also expect department planners to be innovative and progressive in finding ways to provide the highest level of service in the most cost effective way possible recognizing there is no “one size fits all solution”. The following report will include an overview of the projected service demand of the unincorporated areas and its possible effect on the distribution and concentration of the fixed and mobile resources of the Mesa Fire and Medical Department. In addition, the topics of risk analysis, critical task analysis and service level objectives will be discussed. Methodology The information contained in this report came from multiple databases and was verified using more than one source wherever possible. City of Mesa GIS was instrumental in providing the infrastructure overlays and the underlying information contained in those maps. Mesa Fire and Medical Department Technical Services provided the incident response maps and assisted in some of the database queries. Every attempt was made to examine the current service demand in the county islands experienced by Rural/Metro Fire Department and its subsidiaries, however to this point we have been unable to acquire that information from them. In addition, some aspects of the infrastructure, such as unimproved roads and their characteristics are difficult to assess with any accuracy and have not been included here to prevent the possibility of decisions being made based on unreliable information. 3 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research MESA FIRE AND MEDICAL DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT We will provide our customers (the residents, businesses, and visitors of Mesa) with the highest level of protection against the loss of life and property. We recognize that we are an integral part of the community and are sensitive and responsive to neighborhood needs and priorities. We are dedicated to service as highly trained professionals in all aspects of rescue, emergency medical services, fire prevention and suppression, and the control of hazardous situations. We uphold this commitment through quality emergency services and proactive emphasis on public education, code enforcement, hazard investigation, innovative fire and life safety awareness, and community service. This quality is supported through our commitment to maintain a positive, productive, and healthy work force through which these services are delivered. 4 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research Risk Assessment Area Familiarization The unincorporated Maricopa County islands within the City of Mesa boundaries cover an area of roughly 50 square miles with a year round population of approximately 25,000+ residents (2010 census). The majority of the population and land area of the county islands occurs east of Power Road and much of it borders Pinal County on the eastern edge of the city. Topography is similar to the rest of the city with much of the area in the far south and northeast being sparsely populated natural desert or farm land. Transportation Network The arterial roadways that exist within the city generally remain intact through the county islands providing unhindered travel through those areas. The notable exception is Recker Road between Broadway and Southern that does not go through in the Leisure World community. This limits access to that area and its 2,664 parcels to two entry points. Most of the feeder roads also remain consistent with city streets except for some of the more under-developed areas that have dirt or poorly maintained private roads. There are no airports, major freight/passenger rail lines or navigable water ways. 5 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research 6 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research The Loop 202 is currently the only major highway that cuts through the county land and it runs between University Drive and Southern Avenue at about the Ellsworth Road alignment. Risk Classification Risk hazards have been identified for all occupancies within the City of Mesa. This assessment follows the guidelines of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International Self-Assessment Manual 3.0. These classifications are based on building occupancy and are divided into the following four categories: - Low - Moderate - High - Maximum These same categories can be applied to the land usage in the county lands, with occupancies shown in the map below. The following page contains the Mesa Fire and Medical Department Risk Classification matrix that provides examples of occupancies in each risk classification. 7 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research 8 Mesa Fire and Medical Department Planning & Research Hydrant and Water Infrastructure Another important consideration in the risk analysis is the state of the water main and hydrant infrastructure. Many of these mains were placed by City of Mesa and some of these water lines have been placed and operated by Arizona Water Company, a private provider. In 2006 the minimum fire flow requirement changed and these are also illustrated on the following maps. In the areas with little or no hydrant coverage a Water Tender is included in structure assignments dispatched and that would be pre-mapped in the CAD system. We have one Water Tender available at Mesa Fire Station 213 and one available via Automatic Aid from Apache Junction Fire District (261). Currently Water Tender 213 is not constant manned and is not always available for response

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