Fairview Fire District (Dutchess County) Consolidation and Efficiency Study This study was funded by New York State Department of State Local Government Efficiency Grant, Contract No. T-098804 Pace University Edwin G. Michaelian Institute for Public Policy and Management July 18, 2012 Fairview Fire District (Dutchess County) Consolidation and Efficiency Study Commissioned by Fairview Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners Conducted by Pace University Edwin G. Michaelian Institute for Public Policy & Management Funded by New York State Department of State Local Government Efficiency Grant, Contract No. T-098804 July 18, 2012 Pace University Edwin G. Michaelian Institute for Public Policy and Management Fairview Fire District Consolidation and Efficiency Study Team Michael A. Genito Principal Investigator Capt. Barry Nechis Operational Review and Analysis Ayeshah Parker Survey Deployment and Analysis Michael Amodio, Esq. Legal Review and Analysis Lorraine Monaco Administrative Support Matthew McClanahan and Nolan Pickens General Support Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 Due Process ....................................................................................................................... 2 Fire Protection Areas Studied ........................................................................................ 3 Arlington Fire District ................................................................................................. 4 Hyde Park Fire District ................................................................................................ 4 City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department ..................................................................... 5 Roosevelt Fire District .................................................................................................. 5 Staatsburg Fire District ................................................................................................ 6 Budgets and Financial Information ............................................................................... 6 Real Property Assessed Valuations ............................................................................... 7 Tax Exempt Properties .................................................................................................... 7 Response Time Mapping ................................................................................................ 8 Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) ................ 10 History ......................................................................................................................... 10 ISO Public Protection Classification (PPC) ............................................................. 11 ISO Rating Criterion 1997 vs. 2012........................................................................... 15 Impact of PPC Rating on Fire Insurance Premiums .............................................. 17 Fire Service Staffing ....................................................................................................... 18 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ............................................................................ 24 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ...................................... 33 NIST Report on Residential Fireground Field Experiments .................................... 33 Mandated Fire Service Training .................................................................................. 37 Volunteerism .................................................................................................................. 38 Mutual Aid Analysis ..................................................................................................... 39 Past Studies ..................................................................................................................... 41 Town of Hyde Park (August 2003) .......................................................................... 41 International Association of Firefighters (2004) ..................................................... 44 Description of the Fire Service Areas .......................................................................... 46 Fairview Fire District ................................................................................................. 46 City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department ................................................................... 58 Arlington Fire District ............................................................................................... 66 Hyde Park Fire District .............................................................................................. 75 Roosevelt Fire District ................................................................................................ 80 Staatsburg Fire District .............................................................................................. 88 Potential Consolidation Scenarios ............................................................................... 94 Fairview and Arlington ............................................................................................. 94 Fairview and City of Poughkeepsie ....................................................................... 100 Fairview, Arlington and City of Poughkeepsie ................................................... 106 Fairview and Hyde Park ......................................................................................... 113 Fairview, Hyde Park and Staatsburg .................................................................... 117 Fairview, Hyde Park, Roosevelt and Staatsburg ................................................. 121 All Fire Service Areas .............................................................................................. 128 Legal Issues ................................................................................................................... 139 Real Property Tax Levy Cap ...................................................................................... 143 Governmental Accounting Standards ...................................................................... 143 Membership and Citizen Surveys ............................................................................. 146 Survey Objectives ..................................................................................................... 146 Career and Volunteer Staff Survey ........................................................................ 147 Fire Chief Survey ...................................................................................................... 148 Fire District Administrative Staff Survey ............................................................. 148 Citizen Survey ........................................................................................................... 149 What If There Is No Consolidation? .......................................................................... 166 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 168 Appendix A – Map of Relevant Fire Districts and Departments Appendix B – Fairview Fire Department Personnel Survey Appendix C – Fairview Fire District Chief Survey Appendix D – Fairview Fire District Administration Survey Appendix E – Citizen Survey Appendix F – Comments of June 21, 2012 Public Meeting Introduction This study was funded by a Local Government Efficiency Grant awarded by the New York State Department of State, Contract No. T-098804. The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of enhancing cooperation or of consolidating the services provided by the Fairview Fire District in Dutchess County with one or more of the following: the Arlington Fire District, the Hyde Park Fire District, the City of Poughkeepsie (Fire Department), the Roosevelt Fire District and the Staatsburg Fire District. It is important to note that this study is a feasibility study, not a planning or implementation study. This study provides the Board of Fire Commissioners and the public an opportunity to evaluate the Fairview Fire District’s property, services and obligations to determine if a consolidation with one or more contiguous and non- contiguous fire districts (and/or the City of Poughkeepsie) is feasible and in the best interest of the District and its residents and taxpayers. This feasibility study provides the Board of Fire Commissioners and the public with a comprehensive understanding of the current services and responsibilities of the District. Should the Board of Fire Commissioners and the public decide that a consolidation is feasible; the next step in the process would be an implementation study, which would include the necessary information and plan for consolidation or functional consolidation. A consolidation involves the re-organization of one or more local government entities, in this case the fire districts and/or the City of Poughkeepsie. The complexity of a re-organization implementation is often dependent on the complexity of the entities and the consolidation agreement and/or dissolution plan. A functional consolidation is when a local government entity completely provides a service or function for one or more other local government entities that will no longer engage in Pace University Edwin G. 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