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Item 21 cirv COUNCIl MeetinREPORg Date: SeptemberT 10, 2013 General Plan Element: Public Services & Facilities General Plan Goal: Provide services to improve neighborhoods and the lives of Scottsdale residents ACTION OPTION A: Adopt Resolution No. 9526 authorizing the creation of 13.00 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Firefighter positions during FY 20103/14 to fully staff Fire Station 602. Additionally, authorizing a budget transfer of $918,696 from the FY 2013/14 General Fund operating contingency to the Fire Department's General Fund operating budget for overtime to cover the current gap, partial year cost of the new Firefighter positions and training academy costs. (Annualized amount of $814,315 beginning in FY 2014/15.) OR OPTION B: Adopt Resolution No. 9526 authorizing a budget transfer of $770,477 from the General Fund operating contingency to the Fire Department's General Fund operating budget to fully staff Fire Station 602 with overtime dollars (With an ongoing increase to the Fire Department overtime budget beginning in FY 2014/15 of $1,195,447 for a total of $1,687,755 in constant staffing overtime.) BACKGROUND Fire Station 602 was opened in 2006 following the adoption ofthe Standards of Coverage document by the Scottsdale City Council. That document recommended the construction of a multi-company station at Miller and Indian School to support the increasing occupant density and call volume in the downtown corridor. Fire Station 602 was opened with a Ladder and Engine and also houses Battalion 601. The station has supported two companies and a Battalion since that time. During the downturn in the economy (2008 - 2012) a number of contributing factors have made continual staffing at Fire Station 602 (optimal daily staffing of 10) challenging. Budget reductions in FY 2008/09 thru FY 2011/12 limited the available overtime required to support full staffing (full staffing Action Taton. aty Council Report | Fire Station 602 is four personnel on every ladder or engine and two personnel on each Battalion vehicle). Additionally, Fire Station 608 was opened without the addition of new full time employees in 2010. A key factor impacting staffing was the obligation to achieve full staffing in accordance with the Intergovernmental Agreement. Recently, staffing was accomplished by assigning supplemental staff known as "rovers" and by down staffing Fire Station 601 through the elimination of Engine 6012. Administrative sworn personnel from the Training and Emergency Medical divisions were re deployed back to the field. These reassignments provided most but not all staffing resources required to reliably staff Fire Engine 602 with four persons daily. The practice of "browning out" or reassigning Engine 602 staff to other fire equipment became necessary to meet daily staffing needs department wide. In FY 2011/12 Fire Station 602 began seeing a predictable decline in the ability to staff Engine 602. In 2012/13 Engine 602 was browned-out 90% of the time to meet daily staffing needs, at other stations. In June 2013, the City Council authorized the addition of $425,000 of one-time General Funds to supplement existing Fire Department overtime and to identify ongoing savings to firefighter positions so the Fire Department could enhance staffing at Fire Station 602. The recommendation of the addition of 8.00 FTEs was based on the intent to increase the in-service reliability of Engine 602 as much as possible. Calculations used to make the request included compensation, employee reliability and analysis of past staffing history department wide. The recommendation was intended to enhance the ability to staff Engine 602 daily. It was not intended to provide for daily staffing of Engine 602 365 days a year. Recent trending in the availability of sworn staff to meet daily staffing indicates the approved one-time funds will not be sufficient to meet continual daily staffing of Engine 602 beyond December 2013. ANALYSIS & ASSESSMENT Recent Staff Action The Fire Chief informed the City Manager shortly into the beginning of the fiscal year that overtime is trending unfavorably. Engine 602 has been staffed daily since May 15^\ 2013. Overtime usage will result in an accelerated use of operations overtime allocated for FY 2013/14. Fire Department staff has met with the City Manager and Budget Office several times to define the scope of the staffing challenge and offer potential solutions. Policy Implications The continual staffing of Engine 602 at the current rate of overtime usage is not sustainable and will not support continued staffing of Engine 602. Achieving full staffing of Engine 602 will require the authorization of additional funds or the addition of full time Firefighter positions to reliably staff daily operations. Significant Issues to be addressed Achieving full staffing ofthe Fire Department will support the continual daily staffing of Fire Station 602 with two fully staffed companies (1 Engine and 1 Ladder) to meet the recommendations of the Page2of6 aty Council Report | Fire Station 602 adopted 2006 Standards of Coverage document and match the incident volume for that running area. Additionally, the requested FTE's will allow for the return of (2) Training Captains who had been temporarily deployed to support daily staffing of firefighters in operations and the continual staffing of Captains for the departments two Battalion Command vehicles who had never been constantly staffed. RESOURCE IMPACTS Available funding Current funds are insufficient. Based on the overtime expenses during the first three pay periods of FY 2013/14, the dollars identified to 'constant staff combat positions on fire trucks, including the $425,000, will be exhausted by December 2013. Staffing, Workload Impact The addition of 13.00 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) will require the completion of a 12 week academy in addition to the recruitment and hiring process by the Training and Public Safety Personnel divisions. Maintenance Requirements None Budget Implications FY 2013/14 • $770,477 General Fund operating contingency to fully staff Engine 602 with overtime. OR • $829,959 General Fund operating contingency to add 13.00 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Firefighter positions and additional overtime to fully staff Fire Station 602. • Associated costs to train 16 (3 existing vacancies and additional 13) firefighters are $88,737 FY 2014/15 • $1,195,477 ongoing increase to the Fire Department overtime budget to fully staff Fire Station 602. OR • $814,315 ongoing increase to the Fire Department budget to fund the additional 13.00 FTE Firefighter positions. Cost Recovery Options A 2013/2014 SAFER Grant option exists through the U. S. Department of Homeland Security for full- time employees that would support the hiring, training and salary and benefits for two years if Page 3 of 6 City Council Report | Fire Station 602 awarded. The City of Scottsdale has applied for this annual grant previously and has been unsuccessful each year. This option has minimal likelihood of success due to the number of FTE's being requested when balanced against the significant FTE requests of larger urban area Fire Departments. OPTIONS & STAFF RECOMMENDATION Recommended Approach - Description of Option A Approve Resolution #9526 authorizing a FY 2013/14 General Fund operating contingency transfer to add 13.00 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Firefighter positions, including training academy costs, and cover the overtime gap during FY 2013/14 at a cost of $918,696 with an ongoing increase to the Fire Department General Fund budget in the amount of $814,315 beginning in FY 2014/15. Description of Option B Approve Resolution #9526 authorizing a FY 2013/14 General Fund operating contingency transfer during FY 2013/14 to fully staff Engine 602 with overtime dollars at $770,477 with an ongoing increase to the Fire Department General Fund overtime budget beginning in FY 2014/15 of $1,195,477 for a total of $1,687,755 in constant staffing overtime. Description of Option C Authorize the down staffing of Engine 602 to meet daily staffing needs until ongoing funds are identified to achieve daily full staffing department-wide. Proposed Next Steps 1. The Fire Department will continue to provide budget status reports to the City Manager and will respond to any additional requests for information, if required. 2. The Fire Department is prepared to process, hire and train new Firefighters if additional FTE's are authorized. 3. The Fire Department will continue to dynamically staff with utilization of existing Rover pool staff and available overtime. Page 4 of 6 City Council Report | Fire Station 602 RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT(S) City Managers Office, Fire Department, City Finance and Budget Offices. STAFF CONTACT(S) Fritz Behring, City Manager, [email protected] Tom Shannon, Fire Chief, tshannon(5)scottsdaleaz.gov Judy Mcllroy, Budget Director, [email protected] APPROVED BY •hi• I Tom Shannon, Fire Chief Date 480.312.laai, [email protected] Alan Rodbell, Public Safety Executive Director Date 480.312.1900, [email protected] Fritz Behrirlfle, City MTanage i 480.312.2800, [email protected] Lee Guillory, ActingActing^it,£ity Treasurer Date 480.312.7084, [email protected] Page 5 of 6 City Council Report j Fire Station 602 ATTACHMENTS 1. Resolution 9526: Option A 2. Resolution 9526: Option B 3. FY 2013/14 Overtime Projections 4. Academy costs 5. Standards of Coverage document http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Assets/Public+Website/fire/Operations/StandardsofCoverage.pdf Page 6 of 6 RESOLUTION