Columbia, Tennessee, Fire Station Location Study
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COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE Fire Station Location Study April 2012 Dennis Wolf, Fire Management Consultant The University of Tennessee, Institute for Public Service Municipal Technical Advisory Service Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... 1 List of Tables ................................................................................................................. 1 List of Figures ................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction and Scope of Work ..................................................................................... 2 Background.................................................................................................................... 2 Community Risk – General Overview ............................................................................ 5 Future Needs ................................................................................................................. 6 How Many Fire Stations Does Columbia Need? ............................................................ 7 How Many Ladder Companies Does Columbia Need? ................................................ 11 Plan Implementation .................................................................................................... 13 EMS Drive-time Zones for Each Fire Station ................................................................ 14 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 20 Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 21 Appendix A – Estimated Travel Times and Total Response Time in Minutes ............... 23 References .................................................................................................................. 24 List of Tables Table 1 - Columbia Fire Department Stations and Apparatus ........................................ 2 Table 2 – Columbia Fire Department Apparatus and Staffing ........................................ 3 List of Figures Figure 1 – Public Protection Classification (ISO Rating) in the US ................................. 4 Figure 2 – Public Protection Classification (ISO Rating) in Tennessee .......................... 4 Figure 3 – Bear Creek Pike Land Use Plan .................................................................... 7 Figure 4 – Time versus Products of Combustion .......................................................... 10 Figure 5 – Columbia Fire Stations with 1½ Mile Response Areas ................................ 11 Figure 6 – 3-Story Buildings and Ladder Company Coverage ...................................... 12 Figure 7 – Locations of Existing and Proposed Fire Stations ....................................... 14 Figure 8 – Estimated EMS Travel Times for Station 1 .................................................. 15 Figure 9 – Estimated EMS Travel Times for Station 2 .................................................. 16 Figure 10 – Estimated EMS Travel Times for Station 3 ................................................ 17 Figure 11 – Estimated EMS Travel Times for Station 4 ................................................ 18 Figure 12 – Estimated EMS Travel Times for Station 5 ................................................ 19 The University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service 1 Introduction and Scope of Work MTAS conducted this study at the request of Mr. Lee Bergeron, Fire Chief for the City of Columbia. The study’s purpose is to answer three questions: 1. Station 3 is obsolete: Where should Columbia relocate Station 3? 2. Where should Columbia place its next fire station(s)? 3. What are the EMS drive time zones for each fire station? A written request from Chief Bergeron authorized MTAS to conduct an official study. Background The City of Columbia is located in, and is the county seat of, Maury County in Middle Tennessee, near the cities of Spring Hill and Mount Pleasant. Columbia is approximately 25 miles from Franklin and 45 miles from Nashville. A Council-Manager form of government governs the city. The seven-member council, which includes the mayor and vice mayor, sets policy and evaluates the management of the city. The council appoints the city manager who oversees all operational activities. Fire protection and staffing is a local policy issue, and a community must balance local resources against acceptable risk. The City of Columbia provides fire services to 34,681 residents through a municipal fire department organized under Article XVIII of the city charter. The Columbia Fire Department is a career fire department recognized by the State of Tennessee and funded by the City of Columbia. The fire department operates five engine companies and one truck company from five fire stations, located throughout 32 square miles (Table 1). All Columbia engines have a minimum staffing level of three personnel: a lieutenant, a driver, and a firefighter, but sometimes may have four personnel (Table 2). Columbia’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (ISO rating) is a split classification of Class 3/9. The Class 3 ISO rating places Columbia in the top 6% of communities nationwide (Figure 1) and in the top 5% in Tennessee (Figure 2) in terms of fire protection and indicates that Columbia has made excellent decisions in planning for community fire protection. Columbia Fire Department Stations District Equipment Address Engine 1 , Truck 1 Rescue 1, 1 Shift Commander 1000 S. Garden Street 2 Truck 2 4711 Lion Parkway 3 Truck 3 1306 Nashville Highway 4 Engine 4 5040 Trotwood Avenue 5 Engine 5 2633 Nashville Highway Table 1 - Columbia Fire Department Stations and Apparatus The University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service 2 Station Apparatus Type Pump Aerial Maximum Minimum Capacity Ladder Daily Daily Length Staffing Staffing 1 Engine 1 Engine 1,500 n/a 4 3 1 Truck 1 Quint 1,500 100 3 3 1 Rescue 1 Rescue n/a n/a 2 2 1 Shift SUV n/a n/a 1 1 Commander 2 Truck 2 Quint 1,500 75 5 4 3 Truck 3 Quint 1,500 75 5 3 4 Engine 4 Engine 1,500 n/a 4 3 5 Engine 5 Engine 1,250 n/a 4 3 TOTAL 28 22 Reserve at Engine 1,250 n/a n/a n/a Station 4 Reserve at Engine 1,250 n/a n/a n/a Station 1 Notes: Truck 1 has 7 personnel assigned, and at least one of those personnel usually staff Rescue 1. Rescue 1 reports to the officer of Truck 1 during fires, extrications, and rescues unless they are active on an EMS call or requested as extra personnel at a another scene. If there is a fire call, Rescue 1 and Truck 1 respond as a two-piece company and the truck operates with a minimum of 5 personnel on the scene. If there is a medical call, Rescue 1 responds and the truck then responds with 3 people until Rescue 1 returns to service. Some of the time, Truck 1 will have a maximum of 4 personnel in addition to personnel on Rescue 1. There are 28 personnel assigned to each shift. Policy allows up to 4 personnel to be off on vacation, for 1 person to be off sick (if appropriate), and for 1 person to be off for training, which is a minimum staffing level of 22 personnel on-duty each day. When needed, the department uses overtime to maintain a minimum staffing level of 22 personnel on-duty. The fire department operates a regional Hazmat team and, upon response, staffs the team with on-duty personnel, which takes companies out of service for fire and EMS calls. A quint is a fire apparatus that has a fire pump, water tank, hose bed, full set of ground (extension) ladders, and an aerial ladder mounted to the truck frame. For quint apparatus, ISO will award up to full engine credit and half ladder credit depending upon the size of the aerial ladder and the tools and equipment carried. Table 2 – Columbia Fire Department Apparatus and Staffing The University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service 3 Public Protection Classification in US 14,000 13,409 12,000 10,000 8,890 8,089 8,000 5,986 6,000 4,613 4,000 3,038 Number of Communities Number 2,015 1,637 2,000 585 62 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Public Protection Classification Figure 1 – Public Protection Classification (ISO Rating) in the US Public Protection Classification in TN 350 319 300 250 199 200 178 141 150 100 85 Number of Communities Number 49 50 38 0 5 1 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8B 9 10 Public Protection Classification Figure 2 – Public Protection Classification (ISO Rating) in Tennessee The Columbia Fire Department dispatch office receives calls for emergency fire and medical services for locations inside Columbia’s corporate limits and dispatches the appropriate emergency resources. The University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service 4 Columbia Power and Water Systems provides water for public consumption and fire suppression. The water pressure and the gallons-per-minute fire flows needed for fire suppression operations are adequate to protect the properties at risk. Community Risk – General Overview Columbia covers 32 square miles and has a population of 34,681. The city’s urban growth boundary is large, so additional major growth is likely once the economy improves. The greatest growth has occurred in Ward One in the central northwest portion of the city, which is covered primarily by Fire Stations 1, 2 and 3. Annexation and new development provided the growth in Ward One. The second greatest growth has occurred in Ward Five, the northeast and east