ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS FIRE AND POLICE STATION SPACE NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND LOCATION STUDY APRIL 2008 MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 41 WEST STREET BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02111 ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 II. GENERAL BACKGROUND AND CONDITION OF CURRENT FACILITIES 7 LOCAL CHARACTERISTICS AFFECTING PUBLIC Safety 7 CONDITION OF THE EXISTING FIRE STATIONS AND THE POLICE STATION 7 FIRE STATION 1, CENTRAL FIRE STATION (151 MAIN STREET)8 FIRE STATION 2, HEADQUARTERS STATION (70 CEDAR STREET)9 POLICE STATION (137 MAIN STREET)11 III. FIRE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION AND SERVICES 14 DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT ORGANIZATION 14 CALLS FOR SERVICE 15 OPERATIONAL PRACTICES 16 IV. POLICE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION AND SERVICES 20 DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT ORGANIZATION 20 PATROL STAFFING 21 V. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION 32 ORGANIZING EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION IN ASHLAND 32 STAFFING THE COMMUNICATION CENTER 35 VI. RESPONSE EVALUATION, RESPONSE CAPABILITY, COMPUTER MAPPING AND DEPLOYMENT 38 FIRE STATION LOCATION CONSIDERATIONS 39 MAPPING METHODOLOGY 40 COMPUTER-GENERATED MAPS 41 TRAVEL TIME MAPS 42 MAPPING DATA 43 VII. ESTIMATING THE SIZE OF A CONSOLIDATED PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY 57 VIII. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS 60 PLAN OF ACTION 60 COSTS RELATED TO RECOMMENDATIONS 60 PRIORITY OF RECOMMENDATIONS 63 APPENDIX: STANDARDS, BENCHMARKS AND RESPONSE PARAMETERS 66 MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Fire and Police Station Space Needs Assessment and Location Study was conducted by MMA Consulting Group, Inc. The primary purpose of the study was to assess the future needs and location of public safety facilities. To conduct this analysis it was necessary to assess the general operations of the Ashland Fire Department and the Ashland Police Department and develop an estimate of the possible growth of each department and the constraints on service delivery in the future. The primary focus of this report is to identify a future site for police and fire facilities and to estimate the scope of the need for these facilities over the next five to ten years and beyond. This study required several consultants to conduct field work, interview personnel, tour the Town, review data and conduct computer mapping. Based on our analysis, a number of primary findings were made. & The current public safety facilities are inadequate and obsolete. & The Town has made a significant effort to maintain and replace building systems in the current fire stations and the police station. & The location of fire and police facilities, assuming a new joint facility, will be influenced by the fire and emergency medical response needs of the Town. & The two fire station configuration is not the most appropriate deployment framework for a smaller community, such as Ashland. & The sites of the Central Fire Station at 151 Main Street and the Police station at 137 Main Street are too small to allow expansion. In addition, the railroad crossing and the increasing rail traffic make the sites less than desirable. & The Town’s road network, the number of railroad crossings, the low lying land area of the Town, and the limited availability of land for new facilities constrain the options available to the Town. MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 1 ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS & The Police Departments generally has enough personnel resources to manage the current workload and absorb some increase in the workload. & The Fire Department has limited resources available for a major incident and relies on the call-back of personnel and mutual to respond to major incidents. & The Police Department and the Fire Department have separate communication operations which would benefit from consolidation. The recommendations focus on issues or topics which will affect the scope of public safety facilities. The primary recommendations resulting from this analysis are summarized below. & The Town should develop a long-term public safety facilities replacement strategy. & The long-term plan should consolidate public safety facilities, including both fire stations at one location. & The public safety facilities strategy should consider a planning horizon of 25 to 30 years. & The Town should make the acquisition of a site for public safety facilities a priority of the Town. & The site selected for the facility should consider the geography of the Town, the multiple railroad crossings, and the site size required to house fire and police operations. The security of the site in the event of a natural disaster should also be considered. & A site for police and fire facilities should be a minimum of three to five acres. A larger site may be desirable to allow for future expansion and/or other facility development. MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 2 ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS & The consolidated public safety facility should range in size from approximately 40,000 to 55,000 square feet. & The Fire Department space needs include garage, office, living , kitchen, meeting/training, and storage spaces. The Fire Department will require approximately 20,000 to 25,000 square feet of space. Approximately 10,000 to 14,000 square feet will be devoted to apparatus bays. & The Police Department space needs include office space, a garage space for four vehicles, interview rooms, meeting/training room, lunchroom facilities, locker rooms, a secure evidence area, a secure booking area, and a lock-up. Additional security should be built into the police facility. The police facility will require approximately 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of space. & The consolidated public safety facility should include an emergency communication center with space for several dispatch consoles. Approximately 1,200 to 1,500 square feet of space will be required for the communication center. & The consolidated public safety facility should be designed to allow the departments to share some facilities, such as training rooms, records room, some storage areas, and other facilities. & The Town may wish to include a community room within the facility. & The emergency communication functions of the Fire and Police Departments should be consolidated in the new facility. & The Town should employ civilian communication personnel. & The Fire Department should increase each shift by one firefighter. Over the next several years, the Department should consider the employment of one additional fire officer to perform a staff role. MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 3 ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS & The Police Department should consider the employment of one additional Sergeant. The Police Department should plan for the addition of two to three police officers. Exhibit 1 lists the major recommendations in the order they are presented in this report, along with assigned priorities. The recommendations have been categorized as follows: Priority 1: Recommendations which should be implemented without delay and which bear directly on the ability of the public safety agencies to provide an acceptable level of service and operate in an efficient manner. Priority 2: Recommendations which are important to the effective and efficient operation of the public safety agencies and should be implemented as soon as reasonable and practical. Priority 3: Recommendations which can contribute to the continued improvement of the public safety agencies and should be implemented as soon as resources and operating conditions permit. EXHIBIT 1 LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDATION PRIORITY 1 The Police Station and Fire Stations should be replaced and relocated. 1 2 The Police Station and the Fire Stations should be consolidated into one 1 public safety building. 3 The Town should increase the staffing of the Fire Department by two 1 Firefighters/EMT-Bs or EMT-Ps on each shift. 4 The Town should employ one additional staff officer to serve as 3 second-in-command of the Fire Department. 5 The Fire Department should maintain an equipment complement of an Continue aerial apparatus (quint), two front-line pumpers (one with a smaller current wheel base), two ambulances, a rescue truck, and a brush truck. The practice. Department should maintain a reserve pumper. 6 The Police Department should continue to employ the current 1 complement of patrol personnel. MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 4 ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS RECOMMENDATION PRIORITY 7 The Police Department should employ one additional Sergeant. 2 8 The Police Department should plan to employ two to three additional 3 police officers in the next five to 10 years. 9 The Police Department should enhance its data analysis capability. 2 10 The Town should consolidate police and fire emergency 2/3 communication when a new police or fire facility is available. Planning for any new facility should consider the space and system needs of a consolidated emergency communication operation. 11 The Town should explore alternatives for management of the 3 consolidated communication center: < consolidation of the Police Department and Fire Department communication functions into a new department reporting to the Town Manager; < consolidation of the Police Department and Fire Department communication functions under the direction of the Police Department or the Fire Department. 12 The Town should staff the communication center with trained civilian 3 personnel. 13 The Town should operate with one fire station. 1 14 The Town should construct a fire and police facility in the general area 1 of Location X. 15 The Town should consider constructing a public safety facility which 1 incorporates police, fire and emergency communication functions. The