Folsom (Sacramento), CA Management Consultants Fire Service Deployment and Departmental Performance Audit for the County of Santa Barbara Volume 1 of 2–Main Report February 2, 2012 2250 East Bidwell St., Ste #100 Folsom, CA 95630 (916) 458-5100 Fax: (916) 983-2090 This page was intentionally left blank TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page VOLUME 1 of 2 – (this volume) Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 1 Policy Choices Framework .......................................................................................... 1 Overall Citygate Perspective on the State of County Fire Services ............................ 1 Main Challenges .......................................................................................................... 3 Challenge 1: Field Operations Deployment (Fire Stations and Staffing) .......... 3 Challenge 2: Headquarters Program Functions .................................................. 3 Challenge 3: Funding for Annual Operations and Capital Replacement ........... 4 Fire Plan Phasing and Costs ........................................................................................ 5 Step One ............................................................................................................. 6 Step Two............................................................................................................. 6 Step Three........................................................................................................... 6 Section 1—Introduction and Background .................................................................................. 7 1.1 Report Organization ........................................................................................... 7 1.1.1 Goals of Report ...................................................................................... 7 1.1.2 Limitations of Report ............................................................................. 8 1.1.3 General Observations and Project Approach ......................................... 8 1.2 County and Fire Department Background.......................................................... 9 1.3 Project Approach and Research Methods ........................................................ 12 1.4 Fire Department Background Information ....................................................... 12 1.5 Regulation Affecting the Fire Service .............................................................. 13 1.6 Negative Pressures on Volunteer-based Fire Services ..................................... 14 Section 2—Standards of Response Coverage (Station/Staffing) Analysis ............................. 17 2.1 General Fire Deployment Background Information ........................................ 17 2.2 Community Outcome Expectations – What is Expected of the Fire Department? ..................................................................................................... 19 Table of Contents page i 2.2.1 Existing Santa Barbara County Policy ................................................. 21 2.3 Santa Barbara County Fire Department Risk Assessment ............................... 24 2.3.1 Building Fire Risk ................................................................................ 25 2.3.2 Special Hazard Risks ............................................................................ 27 2.3.3 Wildland Fire Risk ............................................................................... 28 2.3.4 Flooding Risk ....................................................................................... 30 2.3.5 Desired Outcomes ................................................................................ 30 2.4 Staffing – What Must Be Done Over What Timeframe to Achieve the Stated Outcome Expectation? ..................................................................................... 31 2.4.1 Offensive vs. Defensive Strategies in Structure Fires Based on Risk Presented .............................................................................................. 31 2.4.2 Daily Unit Staffing in the County ........................................................ 33 2.4.3 Specialty Responses ............................................................................. 34 2.4.4 Staffing Discussion ............................................................................... 36 2.4.5 Company Critical Task Time Measures ............................................... 37 2.4.6 Critical Task Measures Evaluation ....................................................... 39 2.5 Current Station Location Configurations ......................................................... 41 2.6 Mapping Measures Evaluation ......................................................................... 47 2.7 Current Workload Statistics Summary ............................................................. 48 2.7.1 Incident Types and Distribution Over Time ......................................... 50 2.7.2 Santa Barbara County Response Times ............................................... 56 2.7.3 Response Time Component Measurements ......................................... 56 2.7.4 First Alarm Compliance ....................................................................... 62 2.7.5 Battalion Chief Coverage ..................................................................... 64 2.7.6 Interdepartmental Aid ........................................................................... 65 2.7.7 Integrated Fire Station Deployment Recommendations ...................... 65 2.7.8 Deployment Reduction Strategies ........................................................ 66 2.7.9 Integrated Deployment Recommendations .......................................... 67 Section 3—Fire Department Review of Headquarters Program Functions......................... 71 3.1 Overall Impressions .......................................................................................... 71 Table of Contents page ii 3.1.1 Management Team Organization and Duties ....................................... 72 3.2 Training and Safety Administration ................................................................. 75 3.3 Fiscal and Administrative Support Organization and Positions ....................... 83 3.3.1 Technology ........................................................................................... 86 3.3.2 Public Education ................................................................................... 88 3.3.3 Logistics ............................................................................................... 89 3.4 Fire Prevention – Fire Investigation – Wildland Fuel Management Programs ..................................................................................... 90 3.5 Field Operations Systems ................................................................................. 94 3.5.1 Apparatus and Equipment Readiness ................................................... 94 3.5.2 Safety and Risk Management Programs ............................................ 102 3.5.3 Technical – Special Responses ........................................................... 104 3.5.4 Advanced Life Support Services ........................................................ 111 3.6 Communications and Dispatch ....................................................................... 112 Section 4—Fiscal Impacts ........................................................................................................ 115 4.1 Financing Sources and Current and Historic Expenditures and Staffing ....... 115 4.2 Forecast of Future Costs ................................................................................. 117 4.3 Projected Cost to Improve Current Service Levels ........................................ 119 4.4 Capital Program Costs .................................................................................... 122 4.5 Financing Fire Service Improvements ........................................................... 124 4.5.1 Oil Production Tax ............................................................................. 124 4.5.2 Property Tax Exchange ...................................................................... 125 4.5.3 Other Revenue Sources ...................................................................... 125 4.5.4 Wildland Fire Protection Contract with CAL FIRE ........................... 126 Section 5—Recommended Solutions and Phasing Plan ........................................................ 127 5.1 Deployment Plan Findings and Recommendations........................................ 127 5.2 Non-Deployment Headquarters Functions Findings and Recommendations .......................................................................................... 132 5.3 Priorities and Timing ...................................................................................... 141 Table of Contents page iii 5.3.1 Step One ............................................................................................. 141 5.3.2 Step Two ............................................................................................. 141 5.3.3 Step Three ........................................................................................... 141 Table of Tables: Table 1—Highest Fire Flow Buildings in Santa Barbara County with Required Staffing and Pumpers to Meet Fire Flow Demand ........................................................................... 26 Table