[00:00:25]
THE PROBLEM IS CLASSIFICATION.THEY'RE ASKING LOTS OF QUESTIONS TO THE HOSPITAL STAFF, SO THE REASON IT'S CLASSIFIED AS AN TRANSFER BECAUSE THAT SHORT CIRCUIT PROCESS.
[I. Call to Order]
HI, UM, GOOD AFTERNOON.I'M GONNA OPEN THIS WORK SESSION OF THE GLAND COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT IS FOCUSING ON THE FIRE RESCUE STRATEGIC PLAN AS A WORK SESSION.
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL MEETING IN THE BOARD.
NO BE NO VOTES WILL BE TAKEN, NOR WILL PUBLIC COMMENTS BE HEARD.
BOARD MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ASK QUESTIONS AND ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION AS NEEDED.
I'LL NOW TURN OVER TO CHIEF EDDIE FERGUSON TO INTRODUCE THE TEAM THAT WILL BE BE PRESENTING.
[II. New Business - Presentation of Proposed Fire-Rescue Master Plan]
GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD CHIEF, IT'S A GREAT PLEASURE TODAY THAT WE COME BEFORE YOU IN A WORKSHOP SESSION TO, UH, DISCUSS, UH, AND HEAR A PRESENTATION ON THE FIRE RESCUE MASTER PLAN.WE HAVE MR. STEWART MCCUTCHEN WITH US FROM, UH, DYNAMICS CONSULTING GROUP, WHO COMPLETED A MASTER PLAN FOR GLAND COUNTY FIRE RESCUE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES.
THIS IS A LONG RANGE 10 YEAR PLAN THAT ANSWERS THREE BASIC QUESTIONS, WHERE THE ORGANIZATION IS NOW, WHERE DOES THE ORGANIZATION NEED TO GO, AND HOW DO WE GET THERE? THE PLAN EVALUATES THE MAJOR ASPECTS OF THE AGENCY, BENCHMARK STEM TO NATIONAL STANDARDS, AND THEN OVERLAYS PRIORITIES OF THE COMMUNITY TO CREATE A PLAN THAT IS BOTH OPERATIONALLY AND POLITICALLY ACCEPTABLE.
THIS YEAR LONG PROCESS ENGAGED THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS AND THEIR CITIZENS.
THE FIRE RESCUE MASTER PLAN BUILT UPON THE 2022 ISO EVALUATION THAT RESULTED IN AN AWARD OF AN IMPROVED ISO PROTECTION CLASS FOR GLAND COUNTY THAT WAS IMPLEMENTED IN MAY OF 2023.
MR. UH, STEWART MCCUTCHEN IS A PRINCIPAL WITH DYNAMICS CONSULTING GROUP.
HE BEGAN HIS FIRE SERVICE CAREER IN 2005 AND HAS ALMOST 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
HE SERVED IN SIX FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN FLORIDA AND HELD THE RANKS OF FIREFIGHTER LIEUTENANT, ASSISTANT CHIEF FIRE MARSHAL EMERGENCY MANAGER IN FIRE.
CHIEF STEWART SERVED AS THE FIRE CHIEF IN THE CITIES OF DAVENPORT OR ABERDALE, AS WELL AS HANE CITY.
IN ADDITION TO HIS FIRE SERVICE CAREER, STEWART SERVED FOUR YEARS IN THE US AIR FORCE AS PART OF NORAD AND AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND.
STEWART BRINGS UNIQUE COMBINATION OF EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO DYNAMICS CONSULTING GROUP.
HAVING WORKED IN BOTH COMBINATION AND CAREER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, HE POSSESSES A DEMONSTRATED RECORD OF PROFESSIONALISM AND A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE.
IN ADDITION TO FIRE ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS, STEWART HAS SUBSTANTIALLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE INSTITUTION OF FIRE ENGINEERS AS THE CHAIR OF THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE FOR THE UNITED STATES BRANCH AND FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE BY DEVELOPING GIS ANALYTIC TOOLS AND MAPS TO SUPPORT THE MISSIONS OF BOTH THE ORGANIZATION.
HE IS A CONTRIBUTING WRITER TO RECENTLY RELEASE SECOND EDITION OF ISTA PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE OFFICER.
AND AS A RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, HE HAS BEEN APPOINTED THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR, THE INSTITUTION OF FIRE ENGINEERS FOR THE USA BRANCH.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'D LIKE TO, UH, INTRODUCE TO YOU MR. STEWART MCCUTCHEN, AND HE WILL, UH, BEGIN THE PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION AND, UH, WE'LL GO THROUGH IT AND THEN CERTAINLY, UH, ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AS WELL AS THOSE WHO'VE, UH, ARE JOINING US IN PERSON AS WELL AS ONLINE.
LET'S SEE IF I CAN GET YOU BACK UP, UH, THERE.
[00:05:02]
WELL, WHILE HE IS DOING THAT, MR. CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME.DO ALLOW ME TO GIVE THIS PRESENTATION TODAY, UH, COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
UH, THIS IS REALLY THE POINT IN THESE PROJECTS WHEN WE GET TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS AND TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS.
AND I THINK REALLY, YOU ALL ASKING QUESTIONS IS THE PART WHERE WE HELP CLARIFY SOME DIFFERENT ITEMS, UH, AND, AND REALLY GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING.
UH, WITH THAT SAID, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS SECTION OR TO THE SECTION, THERE'S GONNA BE AN OVERVIEW AND THERE'S SOME MAJOR COMPONENTS, BUT THERE'S SEVERAL MINOR COMPONENTS THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION.
AND SO EACH MINOR COMPONENT PROBABLY BE BETWEEN THREE AND FIVE SLIDES.
SO I JUST ASK THAT, UH, WE HOLD QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF THE SECTION, AND EACH TIME WE'RE ABOUT TO SHIFT GEARS INTO A DIFFERENT SECTION, I'LL PAUSE AND ASK IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THAT SECTION SO WE CAN KEEP OUR FLOW GOING.
BUT THERE WON'T BE MORE THAN ABOUT THREE OR FIVE SLIDES BEFORE WE HIT THAT PAUSING POINT.
AND SO IF THAT'S ACCEPTABLE TO YOU ALL, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
THIS IS THE GLAND COUNTY MASTER PLAN.
UH, AND AS CHIEF FERGUSON SAID, WE WERE HERE A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND DID THE ISO BENCHMARK STUDY.
UH, I HAD WORKED FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH ISO, AND SO WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN INCREASING YOUR CLASS RATING WITHOUT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING COST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THING ABOUT FIRES IS JUST LIKE HAVING INSURANCE ON ANYTHING, IT'S ALL ABOUT YOUR RISK TOLERANCE AND HOW MUCH YOU'RE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT.
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD HAVE THE CADILLAC PLAN, BUT IT'S GONNA COST A CADILLAC PRICE.
YOU HAVE A BARE MINIMUM PLAN, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA HAVE ANY COVERAGE OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN.
AND SO REALLY THE INTENT OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO SHOW YOU ALL WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE AT, IT'S TOUGH TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE GOING, WHAT THE NATIONAL STANDARDS ARE, AND THE GAP ANALYSIS BETWEEN THE TWO.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S OKAY TO WORK TOWARDS THESE STANDARDS.
IT MAY TAKE 30 OR 40 YEARS TO ACHIEVE THESE STANDARDS, BUT IF WE KNOW WE'RE ULTIMATELY HEADING TOWARDS, WE CAN COME UP WITH AN INCREMENTAL PLAN THAT DOESN'T BREAK THE BANK THAT MAKES SENSE FINANCIALLY AND FISCALLY, AND GIVES US BASICALLY THE COVERAGE THAT WE DESIRE FOR THE PRICE THAT WE CAN AFFORD.
AND SO THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS IN BETWEEN THERE.
UH, JUST BRIEFLY, UH, CHIEF FERGUSON MENTIONED THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO THE STRATEGIC PLAN, WHEN WE GET TO THE END OF THIS, I KIND OF HIT HIGHLIGHTS OF RECOMMENDATIONS AT THE VERY END.
UH, SO IT'S NOT ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT THERE'S, I WANNA SAY, ON THE ORDER OF MID FORTIES, UH, NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS, WE CAN'T DO ALL THOSE TODAY OR TOMORROW FOR THAT MATTER.
IT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO 'EM IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
THAT STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS IS WHERE WE BRING IN STAKEHOLDERS FROM ALL GROUPS, EACH SEGMENT OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FROM ENTRY LEVEL, FIREFIGHTER TO CHIEF AREAS IN BETWEEN, UH, IDEALLY WE HAVE, UH, UH, COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, FINANCE, COUNTY MANAGER, DEPUTY COUNTY MANAGER, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO WE CAN BALANCE SOME OF THESE ASK AND REQUESTS.
WHAT'S A PRIORITY TO ONE MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TODAY, BUT BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND UNDERSTANDING THE, THE GIVE AND TAKE HELPS PROVIDE AN UNDERSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION.
AND THEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UH, SOME OF OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIC PLANS HAVE BEEN ABOUT 50% COMMUNITY MEMBERS, SCHOOL BOARD, UH, YOU KNOW, ROTARY, JUST THINGS OF THAT NATURE BECAUSE DIFFERENT GROUPS HAVE DIFFERENT WANTS AND DESIRES, AND IT JUST HELPS PRODUCE AN UNDERSTANDING REALLY ACROSS THE FIELD, INCREASES TRANSPARENCY AND UNDERSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY WHY WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO THE GENERAL OVERVIEW IS WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT OUR SERVICE DELIVERY.
NOW WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT RECOMMENDATIONS.
WHERE COULD WE POTENTIALLY WANT TO BE? WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT SOME NEXT STEPS.
THESE WOULD BE SOME INTERMEDIATE ITEMS WHERE WE JUST, WE HAVE SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
SO IF WE WANTED TO MAKE A DECISION, WE HAVE SOME INFORMATION TO MAKE A DATA-DRIVEN DECISION, UH, IN ADDITION TO OUR INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE.
AND SO, EVEN THOUGH QUESTIONS ARE AT THE END, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE GONNA GO ABOUT THREE TO FIVE SLIDES AND WE'LL SHIFT INTO A DIFFERENT COMPONENT.
AND AT THE END OF EACH OF THOSE SECTIONS, I'LL PAUSE AND ASK IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT SECTION.
SO OUR CURRENT FIRE SERVICE DELIVERY, SO WE HAVE OUR ANNUAL SERVICE DEMAND.
AND SO IF WE LOOK AT 2020 TO 2021, OH, LET'S SEE, WHAT IS THAT? THAT'S PROBABLY JUST OVER A 20% INCREASE.
AND THEN 2021 TO 2022, WE USE A QUICK MATH, I'M GUESSING JUST SHY OF 15% INCREASE.
SO WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR.
NOW, IN SPEAKING WITH CHIEF FERGUSON, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WERE SOME EVENTS THAT OCCURRED, UH, ICE STORMS, UH, UH, TORNADO, CORRECT.
A FEW OTHER THINGS THAT WOULD'VE DRIVEN THAT DEMAND UP, UH, NOT TO SAY ARTIFICIALLY BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, BUT IT WOULD BE OUTSIDE THE NORMAL SCOPE OF OPERATIONS.
HOWEVER, WITH THAT BEING SAID, MY UNDERSTANDING IS ALSO THAT FOR 2023, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY GREAT EVENTS.
HOWEVER, OUR SERVICE DEMAND IS NEARLY IDENTICAL TO 2020 TWOS.
SO WHAT THAT'S TELLING US IS, IS THAT EVEN WITHOUT SOME OF THESE MAJOR INCIDENTS THAT WOULD'VE DRIVEN THINGS UP AND YOU, THEY MAYBE THEY'RE ONCE IN A LIFETIME OR ONCE EVERY 10 YEARS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, OUR DEMAND IS STILL CATCHING UP TO THIS LEVEL.
[00:10:01]
ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T SEE A BIG JUMP FOR 23, OUR OUR RATES ARE STILL CLIMBING.AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS FOR US, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NEXT, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR INCIDENT OR OUR FREQUENCY TYPE, OOPS, WE'RE ABOUT 75% EMS. AND SO IF WE'RE RUNNING 4,000 CALLS, I GOT THE NUMBER FROM, UH, UH, CHIEF WATKINS HERE.
SO I MEAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT OVER HALF OF OUR SERVICE DEMAND TRANSPORTING, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY IN, IN, IN MANY CASES.
SO AS WE'RE DOING THIS MORE AND MORE, WE HAVE FEWER RESOURCES INTERNALLY TO ANSWER OUR GROWING SERVICE DEMAND.
AND REALLY IN FIRE RESCUE, THERE'S ONLY EVER TWO PROBLEMS. THE FIRST PROBLEM IS YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE.
THERE'S SIMPLY NO STATION AROUND.
THE SECOND IS YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH UNITS IN SERVICE TO SERVICE THE DEMAND.
YOU MAY HAVE A STATION IN THE PERFECT LOCATION, BUT IF THERE'S ONLY ONE UNIT, AND AS SOON AS THEY GET ON SHIFT, THEY POP A CALL AND THEY DRIVE OUTTA COUNTY, NEXT TIME THEY POP A CALL, WE HAVE UNITS COMING IN FROM OTHER STATIONS, AND NOW THEY'RE AT A ZONE AND OUTTA PLACE.
THEY'RE TAKING A CALL, PROBABLY TAKING A TRANSPORT, AND JUST SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AND SO, AS YOU START LOOKING AT YOUR SYSTEM, UH, WHEN IT GETS REALLY BAD, IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE KICKED AN ANT MOUND, IT HITS EIGHT O'CLOCK AT SHIFT CHANGE, AND EVERYBODY GOES EVERYWHERE.
NOBODY'S IN ZONE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.
AND THAT'S INDICATIVE OF NOT HAVING ENOUGH UNITS TO SERVICE THE DEMAND.
UH, OTHER INCIDENT TYPES, WE HAVE FIRES.
UH, THAT'S A LITTLE HIGHER THAN IT IS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABOUT 2%, ONE AND A HALF.
MOST OF THE TIME WE'RE A LITTLE HIGHER ON EMS. UH, BUT SOME OF THE THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF ARE FALSE ALARMS OR GOOD INTENT.
SO WE HAVE SIX AND SEVEN AND SIX.
SO ABOUT ONE IN FIVE CALLS ARE BASICALLY NON-EMERGENCY CALLS.
AND SO WHAT ONE OF THE THINGS THIS TELLS US IS, IS THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK AT SOME INVESTMENTS IN COMMUNITY RISK REDUCTION, PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND IN OUR FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE FOR INSPECTIONS, A 6% FALSE ALARM RATE ISN'T S BUT IS KIND OF HIGH.
UH, OUR GOOD INTENT AND SERVICE CALL RATES, THEY'RE NOT HORRENDOUS, BUT THEY'RE KIND OF HIGH.
AND SO REALLY, IF YOU JUST DO THE QUICK MATH AND YOU, I HAVE THREE FOLKS MAKING, LET'S SAY $20 AN HOUR FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT RIDING ON A THREE QUARTER MILLION DOLLAR PIECE OF APPARATUS THAT WE'RE DOING THE WEAR AND TEAR BACK AND FORTH ON FOR 500 CALLS A YEAR.
IF WE COULD PUT SOMEBODY IN THAT PLACE THAT COULD HELP EDUCATE OUR PUBLIC, WOULD THAT COST OFFSET? UH, WE DIDN'T DO THE MATH IN THIS TO, TO DO THAT, BUT THERE, UH, AND IT MAY BE THAT YOU'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET, BUT THOSE ARE JUST SOME IDEAS TO THINK ABOUT THAT THERE ARE SOME OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAT JUST PUTTING BODIES ON TRUCKS AND SENDING THEM OUT AND HOPING FOR THE BEST BECAUSE THIS, THESE FOLKS GOTTA GET BACK IN SERVICE.
AND SO THEY DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE TIME TO STAY ON SCENE FOR THE EXTRA 30 MINUTES TO EDUCATE AND, AND, AND TALK TO FOLKS THE WAY A PUBLIC EDUCATOR OR AN INSPECTOR WOULD.
WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR DEMAND BY STATION, UH, OUR, UH, STATION FIVE AND OUR STATION THREE, OUR, OUR HIGHEST, UH, DEMAND.
AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK, THESE ARE OVER THE, THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD FROM 2018 TO 2022.
SO DON'T LET IT CONFUSE YOU ON OUR ANNUAL NUMBERS 'CAUSE THIS IS THAT NUMBER TIMES FIVE.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S A SPIKE IN THOSE TWO STATIONS.
AND IT MAY BE WELL BE THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE WAY OUR, UH, CALLS ARE GOING GEOGRAPHICALLY, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR SERVICE TIMES, WE LOOK AT OUR ESTIMATED ESTIMATED TRAVEL TIMES AND OUR ACTUAL TRAVEL TIMES THAT WE START SEEING SOME DISCREPANCIES THERE WHERE THEY'RE PULLING APART, THAT'S GONNA BE INDICATIVE OF WE'VE GOT A DEPLOYMENT ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
YOU KNOW, WE WROTE THIS REPORT AND IT WAS KIND OF A, A PICTURE IN TIME.
THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THAT POINT.
AND SO, UH, CHIEF FERGUSON HAS A POWERPOINT WHERE HE CAN GO OVER THAT IF IT'S ALL'S PLEASURE AT, AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION IF YOU SO WISH.
BUT THINGS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED IN, IN SOME OF THE LOW HANGING FRUIT, UH, UH, PUT INTO PLACE SINCE THIS REPORT.
UH, BUT THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT IN TIME.
SO, YOU KNOW, LET JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL.
AS WE LOOK THROUGH SOME OF THESE, THIS IS TEMPORAL VARIATION.
THE REASON WE WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS IS WE WANT TO KNOW WHEN ARE CALLS HAPPENING.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE'D SEE THAT BIG SPIKE IN OUR HOURS IN THE LITTLE BOTTOM CHART THERE, AND THEN WE CAN SEE THAT MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WE'RE A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THE REST OF THEM.
AND THEN MAYBE IN OCTOBER, IT LOOKS LIKE ABOUT OUR HIGHEST MONTH.
SO IF WE'RE TRYING TO DO TRAINING OR HOST TESTING OR EVOLUTIONS ON A FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, AND WE CAN'T GET ANYTHING DONE BECAUSE WE CAN'T STOP RUNNING CALLS, THIS IS THE TYPE OF INFORMATION WE USE TO HELP SAY, OKAY, WHEN'S OUR LIGHTER PERIODS THAT WE COULD SCHEDULE THINGS? AND IT HELPS OUT FOR SOME OF THESE THINGS LIKE A TRAINING, UH, UH, ONGOING TRAINING, MAYBE EMS RESEARCH, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
OR ANOTHER OPTION IS AS YOU BEGIN TO BECOME BUSIER, 24 7
[00:15:02]
UNITS AREN'T ALWAYS NECESSARILY THE ANSWER YOU HAVE TO GO TO.UH, SO I'M FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA.
WE HAVE THIS CRAZY SPIKE IN, UH, SERVICE DEMAND FROM ABOUT OCTOBER TO MARCH, ABOUT THE TIME THE LOVE BUGS COME, LOVE BUGS SHOW UP, THE DEMAND GOES UP, THE LOVE BUGS COME BACK AND THE DEMAND GOES DOWN.
SO WE USE THINGS CALLED PEAK DEMAND UNITS.
SO WE CAN LOOK AT OUR CHART AND GO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BUSIEST FROM 8:00 AM TO SEVEN P AND WE KNOW WHERE OUR CALLS ARE HAPPENING.
IF WE KNOW WHEN OUR CALLS ARE HAPPENING, WHERE THEY'RE HAPPENING AND WHAT TYPES OF INCIDENCES ARE WE COULD STICK SOME FOLKS ON, SAY AN ADDITIONAL RESCUE OR TWO, THEY RUN THE CALLS DURING A BUSY PERIODS, MAYBE WE RUN 'EM ON OVERTIME, OR MAYBE WE USE OUR, SOME OF OUR NEW FOLKS WHEN WE HAVE OVERFLOW ON STAFFING, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND WE CAN STRATEGICALLY STAFF AS OPPOSED TO JUST THROWING BODIES AT THE PROBLEM AND HOPING FOR THE BEST.
UH, WITH THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, IT IS, I THINK AT THIS POINT, AND I KNOW YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT INCREASING STAFFING IN SOME WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, YOU'RE PRETTY CRITICALLY STAFFED AT THIS POINT.
SO I THINK YOU DO NEED SOME ADDITIONAL STAFFING, BUT THERE ARE ALSO OPTIONS.
NOT EVERY PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE SOLVED BY A 24 7 TYPE OPERATION.
HERE'S YOUR POPULATION DENSITY.
YOUR RURAL COUNTY, YOU'RE SET UP TO BE.
SO I BELIEVE IT'S 85% RURAL, 15% DEVELOPED IS THE, IS THE, THE COMP PLAN CURRENTLY.
AND SO THE ISSUE WITH THAT IS IT'S KIND OF A COMBINATION OF YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE AND WHERE IS IT? AND THE DEMAND IS GONNA BE SPREAD OUT ACROSS A WIDE GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE AT, SAY, THE COURTHOUSE VILLAGE AND THAT WAS A MUNICIPALITY, EVEN WITH THE TOTAL COUNTY SERVICE DEMAND, WE COULD PROBABLY GET AWAY WITH ONE STATION, WITH MAYBE TWO AMBULANCES AND THE ENGINE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IF WE WERE FULLY STAFFED, WE COULD GET AWAY WITH STAFFING THAT WAY WITH THAT DEMAND, BECAUSE WE'RE IN A VERY COMPACT AREA, WE'RE COMING ACROSS A COUNTY THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A PRETTY OF PRETTY GOOD SIZE.
AND SO WE HAVE TO HAVE RESOURCES OUT THERE TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT DEMAND.
SO WE HAVE AT LEAST SOME SEMBLANCE OF, UH, OF, OF, UH, SOME EQUALITY IN OUR LEVEL OF SERVICE COUNTYWIDE.
AND SO IN THE REPORT, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE IT IN THE PRESENTATION, YOU'LL SEE TRAVEL TIMES.
AND SO BASICALLY GREEN IS GOOD AND RED IS BAD.
UH, SO WHEN WE LOOK AT TRAVEL TIMES, WE WANNA ALSO COMPARE ACCOUNT OF INCIDENTS.
AND THIS WAS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
SO FOR ALL INTENT AND PURPOSE, 10 CALLS OR LESS OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD ON ALL THESE AREAS, WE DON'T HAVE THIS OF, EXCEPT FOR AROUND STATION FIVE AND THREE, WE DON'T HAVE A REAL CONCENTRATED D AREA OF CALL VOLUME.
IT'S JUST EVERYWHERE AND IT'S INTERSPERSED THROUGHOUT.
AND SO, UH, MANY COUNTIES STRUGGLE WITH THIS, AND IT'S USUALLY THE SAME PROBLEM AS PEOPLE ARE SPREAD OUT.
WE'RE IN A RURAL TYPE AREA, WE CAN'T NOT PROVIDE SERVICES, BUT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN GET SOME FOLKS OUT TO 'EM WHEN THEY NEED HELP.
AND ALSO WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS IS THERE ARE SOME RED AREAS, UH, ORANGE AREAS AND WHAT HAVE YOU FOR FIRE RESCUE.
BEGIN TO LOOK AT THAT AND GO, WHAT IS DRIVING 500 CALLS OR A HUNDRED CALLS A YEAR, BASICALLY IN THESE AREAS, THIS IS DOWN TO TWO AND A HALF ACRES.
SO THERE'S A SITE WITHIN THIS TWO AND A HALF ACRES THAT'S DRIVING A LOT OF SERVICE DEMAND.
CAN WE SEND OUT A PUBLIC EDUCATOR? CAN WE SEND OUT A FIRE INSPECTOR TO MITIGATE WHATEVER THIS ISSUE IS AND REDUCE OUR DEMAND? IT IS SORT OF LIKE FIRE PROTECTION.
YOU KNOW, IF WE PUT IN SPRINKLERS, WE DON'T NEED, OH, I'M SORRY IF WE PUT IN SPRINKLERS, WE DON'T NEED SOMEONE TO DO A FIRE WATCH.
SORT OF THAT IDEA, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE DO ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF REDUCING OUR NON-EMERGENCY EMERGENT DEMAND WHILE AT THE SAME TIME HAVING OUR RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THE ACTUAL EMERGENCIES? AND THEN THIS IS OUR INCIDENT DENSITY.
NOW, THIS ISN'T HOW MANY INCIDENTS ACTUALLY HAPPEN.
THIS IS WE'RE LOOKING AT A SCALE.
SO BASED ON THE CLOSENESS OF EACH, IF THEY WERE TO OCCUR OVER A SQUARE MILE, THEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE AMOUNT OF CALLS THAT WOULD HAPPEN.
AND SO THE UPPER END OF THE SCALE IS 160 TO 170, UH, WITHIN THOSE WHITE CIRCLES, THE, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT USES THIS A LOT WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO LOOK AND LOCATE WHERE CRIMES OCCUR.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT CLOSENESS OF THE INCIDENT.
SO IF I HAVE A BREAK IN AT 1 2, 1, 1 2, 3 AND 1 2, 5 MAIN STREET IN THE LAST WEEK, I'M GONNA THROW A HOTSPOT THERE.
I'VE GOT A LOT OF ACTIVITY IN A VERY SMALL AREA, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS SHOWING US.
AND SO THE OTHER THINGS WE CAN DO WITH THIS IS JUST ON A QUICK LOOK, LOOK TO SEE ARE OUR STATIONS IN THE RIGHT PLACE? DO THEY LOOK APPROPRIATELY LOCATED? WELL, IF WE LOOK FIVE AND THREE ARE ALMOST RIGHT ON TOP OF OUR HOTSPOTS, TWO SITTING ON, SITTING ON TOP OF A SPOT, WE CAN SEE THE DEMAND DRIFTING DOWN WHERE ONE IS SIX IS SITTING ON TOP OF ONE.
I THINK OUR STATIONS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD LOCATIONS.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT LATER, UH, SOME STATION LOCATION STUFF WE IN WITHIN THE REPORT, THERE'S BASELINES AND THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT ARE NOT IN THE PRESENTATION.
UH, BUT YOU KNOW, KEEPING IN MIND THAT WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT METRICS AND WE DON'T WANT TO HANG OUR HAT ON ANY ONE OF THESE THINGS.
[00:20:01]
WHAT WE WANNA DO IS LOOK AT THESE THINGS IN THEIR TOTALITY AND THEN TAKE A GLOBAL APPROACH TO, YOU KNOW, I HAVE, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY FIVE OR SIX DIFFERENT ANALYSES TELLING ME I HAVE THIS PROBLEM, MY CONFIDENCE THAT THESE ANSWERS ARE CORRECT, IS GONNA GO UP WITH THE MORE TESTS I DO.AND THE VALIDITY OF THOSE RESULTS WILL GO UP AS WELL.
AND SO BETWEEN THAT AND INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE AND POLITICAL FACTORS AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT GOES INTO IT, UH, YOU KNOW, I HOPE TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO AT LEAST PROVIDE THE DATA PART FOR THIS TO HELP MAKE SOME DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS AND HELP Y'ALL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS, UH, THAT ARE THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE FOR YOUR COMMUNITIES.
I THINK I GOT MY FOUR AT EIGHT.
SO HERE ARE OUR PROJECTED TIMES.
AND SO THIS, YOU KNOW, KEEP IN MIND THIS, WE LOOK AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT ALMOST EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTY WITHIN EIGHT MINUTES.
I THINK LATER, WE'LL SEE THAT'S NOT EXACTLY THE CASE, BUT THIS WAS GENERATED THE SAME WAY, LIKE GOOGLE MAPS OR WAVES.
THIS IS THROUGH A COMPANY CALLED ESRI THAT DOES, UH, THE GIS STUFF.
AND SO THEY'RE ESTIMATING HOW FAR WE CAN TRAVEL BASED ON THE SPEED LIMITS IN THE ROAD CONDITIONS AT 8:00 AM ON A MONDAY MORNING.
AND SO LET ME PAUSE REAL QUICK 'CAUSE I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA HAVE A BREAKING POINT A LITTLE SOONER THIS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE I KEEP GOING IN THIS SECTION? UM, YES SIR.
WERE YOU SUGGEST, OH, EXCUSE ME.
WERE YOU SUGGESTING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS TRANSPORTATION ISSUE WITH THE VOLUME AND SO FORTH THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT LIKE OUTSIDE CONTRACTORS TO FOR, UH, FOR TRANSPORT, YOU MEAN? YEAH, I MEAN, AT WHAT POINT, YOU KNOW, WOULD WE NEED TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE? WHAT I WOULD TELL YOU IS GOVERNMENT IS NOT IN BUSINESS TO MAKE MONEY GOVERNMENT'S IN BUSINESS TO PROVIDE A SERVICE.
SO WITH THAT IN MIND, WE'RE PROVIDING THE SERVICES AND WE'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE, AND WE'RE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING MONEY.
SO JUST WAS PUT THAT BUCKET OVER THERE.
WHEN WE GO TO A THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR, AND I'LL NOT NAME ANY NAMES, BUT I'VE GOT A THIRD PARTY AMBULANCE COMPANY, UH, IF YOU WOULD LIKE, CALL ALMOST ANY CITY IN NEW ENGLAND, MOST OF THEM CONTRACT FOR SERVICES.
AND I THINK YOU'LL HEAR THE SAME STORY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
THEY'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING MONEY.
THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN DOING GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY, THEY'RE INTERESTED IN MAKING MONEY.
AND SO WHAT WILL TEND TO HAPPEN IS YOUR LOW ACUITY CALLS TO AREAS THAT TRADITIONALLY DON'T HAVE INSURANCE OR CALL TYPES THAT ARE NOT GONNA BE MONEY MAKERS.
YOU'RE GONNA FIND THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE.
AND IF THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF CALLS YOU'RE DIGGING OUT OF YOUR RURAL AREAS, YOU'VE NOT REALLY DONE ANYTHING FOR YOURSELF EXCEPT FOR PAID AGAINST CONTRACT FOR FOLKS TO TAKE YOUR HIGH DOLLAR CALLS THAT YOU WOULD'VE BEEN MAKING THE SAME MONEY OFF OF ANYWAY.
AND SO I THINK I WOULD DEFINITELY RESEARCH THAT FIRST.
UH, LIKE I SAID, YOU COULD CALL ALMOST ANY DEPARTMENT REALLY IN RHODE ISLAND, CONNECTICUT, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND JUST ASK THAT FIRE CHIEF HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT A THIRD PARTY AMBULANCE.
AND YOU PROBABLY GET ALL THE ANSWERS THAT YOU NEED.
UH, BUT WITH THAT IDEA IN MIND, THEY'RE THERE TO MAKE MONEY.
THEY WANT TO DO INTERFACILITY TRANSPORTS, THEY WANT TO GO TO OUR HIGHER END AREAS THAT WE KNOW THEY HAVE INSURANCE, THEY WANT THE HIGH ACUITY CALLS WHERE THEY CAN, UH, TAG IT AS AN A LS CALL BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA GET ABOUT A DOUBLE ABOUT OF, OF MONEY FOR THAT TRANSPORT.
THEY'RE PAYING THEIR FOLKS BARE MINIMUM RUNNING THEM ON EIGHT HOUR SHIFTS.
AND THEIR OBJECTIVE IS TO KEEP THESE FOLKS AS BUSY AS THEY CAN FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME.
AND THAT'S NOT REALLY THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT.
YOU KNOW, THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO PROVIDE A SERVICE AND OUR CITIZENS FEEL HAPPY WITH IT, AND WE'RE PROVIDING A GOOD LEVEL OF SERVICE BECAUSE OUR PEOPLE CARE.
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF THE YIN AND YANG TO CONTRACTING.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE EVER CONTRACTED TRASH SERVICES OR, YOU KNOW, WASTE SERVICES OR ANY OF THOSE OTHER THINGS, OR SEEN COUNTIES THAT HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS KIND OF EVOLVE WHERE YOU ARE WE HERE TO MAKE MONEY? ARE WE HERE TO PROVIDE A SERVICE? SO DID I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES, THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE I PRESS ON MR. CHAIRMAN? UM, JUST, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, YOU, YOU SAID THAT, UH, YOU THOUGHT OUR 3% FIRE WAS A LITTLE HIGHER THAN SOME OF YOUR EXPERIENCES IN FLORIDA.
UM, I JUST DID SOME, YOU KNOW, ENVELOPE MATH THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 220 CALLS A YEAR FOR FIRE.
IF, IF I WENT BACK TO THAT NUMBER OF WHATEVER IT WAS, 4,800 OR SO.
SO, UM, THE, THE, THE PREPONDERANCE OF CALLS ARE MEDICAL.
AND, AND THAT IS SAVING LIVES.
AND, AND I, I HAVE A HOME I HOPE, AND, AND THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN OUT TO SEE IT ONCE THIS WEEK,
UM, BUT I, I'M REALLY FOCUSED ON SAVING LIVES AND SAVING PROPERTY'S GREAT, BUT I'M, I'M INTERESTED IN THE DYNAMICS, HOW WE REALLY PUT A FOCUS ON MAKING SURE LIVES ARE BEING SAVED FROM OUR GOVERNMENT SERVICES
[00:25:01]
AND, AND CERTAINLY SAVING PROPERTY ALSO.BUT I DON'T KNOW IF FURTHER ON YOU GET INTO THAT METRIC OF WHERE THE EMPHASIS NEEDS TO BE ON SAVING LIVES AND, AND WHERE THE, THE COSTS AND EXPENSES.
AND I DON'T KNOW, I BELIEVE AMBULANCES DON'T COST AS MUCH AS SOME OF THE ENGINES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
UM, AND SO IF YOU'VE GOT THAT, UH, I'LL BE TAKING NOTES ON THAT TOO.
WE'RE GONNA TOUCH ON THAT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
PROBABLY NOT QUITE THAT DIRECTLY, BUT INDIRECTLY WE'LL HAVE METRICS THAT ARE DANCING AROUND THAT ULTIMATELY THAT'S A COMMUNITY DECISION.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T PAY THE TAXES, I DON'T LIVE HERE, SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT'S MY ROLE TO TELL YOU ALL WHAT TO DO, SO MUCH AS TO SAY, HERE'S THE DATA, HERE'S THE NATIONAL STANDARD, HERE'S SOME DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WOULD BE INCREMENTAL STEPS TOWARDS THIS.
AND THEN YOU ALL CAN DEBATE AND DISCUSS AND DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO DO IT.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS, UH, OUR FOLKS ON RUNNING, UH, WHAT YOU CALL 'EM, RESCUES UP HERE, YOUR, UH, AMBULANCES, MY INTERNAL, MY UH, HOME LINGOS CREEPING IN ON ME A LITTLE BIT.
UH, SO OUR AMBULANCE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE FIREFIGHTERS AND EMTS OR PARAMEDICS.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER IF WE PUT ONE PERSON ON THE ENGINE AND 15 FOLKS ON A GREYHOUND BUS TO GET 'EM THERE.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET FIREFIGHTERS TO THE SCENES.
SO IF A LOT OF TIME NOW WE HAVE A RURAL WATER SUPPLY, WHICH IS GONNA BE A DIFFERENT ISSUE WE'LL TOUCH ON A LITTLE LATER.
UH, BUT IN OUR AREAS WITH HYDRANTS IN PARTICULAR, REALLY ONE ENGINE WILL PRETTY MUCH DO IT.
FOR MOST THINGS THAT WE COVER, WE NEED BODIES ON SCENE SO THEY CAN COME IN.
AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE SYSTEMS, WE'RE CLOSER TO 80% EMS. AND SO YOU'LL SEE SYSTEMS WHERE THE STATIONS HAVE ONE ENGINE AND TWO OR THREE AMBULANCES, AND THAT'S A PRETTY COMMON, EVERYWHERE YOU GO, ONE ENGINE, TWO OR THREE AMBULANCES, WE'RE ALL FIREFIGHTERS.
BUT OUR BREAD AND BUTTERS EMS, WE HAVE OUR DEPLOYMENT, UH, UH, SCHEDULE THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THAT.
BUT WHEN WE NEED PEOPLE TO COME IN, WE'VE GOT THE BODIES THAT WE CAN PULL IN FROM THE DIFFERENT AREAS BECAUSE AGAIN, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER THE RIG THEY'RE RIDING ON, AS LONG AS WE CAN GET AN ENGINE THERE OR TWO AND WE CAN GET THE FIREFIGHTERS ON SCENE, THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
SO, UH, DID I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION,
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, SO KIND OF LEADING INTO THAT, WE'RE LOOKING AT EFFECTIVE RESPONSE FORCE NOW.
AND SO WE'RE STAFFING CURRENTLY, AND I KNOW THERE'S, UH, POTENTIALLY SOME CHANGES IN THE WORK, BUT CURRENTLY WE ARE CROSS STAFFING ENGINES AND AMBULANCES WITH TWO FOLKS.
AND SO THE REASON THE TWO FOLKS ARE IN KIND OF THAT ORANGE-ISH RED COLOR IS BECAUSE, UH, WHETHER YOU'RE IN OSHA STATE OR NOT, IT'S PRETTY WELL THE GENERAL RULE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THERE'S A THING CALLED TWO IN AND TWO OUT.
IF YOU WANT TO ENTER A STRUCTURE, YOU HAVE TO SEND TWO PEOPLE IN, AND THERE HAVE TO BE TWO PEOPLE OUTSIDE READY TO ROCK AND ROLL IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS.
ALL THOSE AREAS IN RED, THERE IS NO INTERIOR STRUCTURE, FIREFIGHTING GONNA HAPPEN.
UH, BY THE TIME THE NEXT UNIT ARRIVES, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE A DEFENSIVE FIRE, WHICH MEANS IT'S, WE'RE BACKING UP LOBBING WATER AT IT FROM, YOU KNOW, 80, A HUNDRED FEET AWAY.
AND YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF ONE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S A, A SUPER EXPENSIVE HOUSE OR A, YOU KNOW, A SHOTGUN SHACK, ONCE YOU'VE BURNED OUT 40, 50, 60% OF A STRUCTURE, IT'S COMING TO THE GROUND.
IF YOU'VE GOT INSURANCE, THEY'RE GONNA REBUILD IT.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE INSURANCE, IT'S A LOSS.
YOU KNOW, IF WITH NOT EVEN COUNTING THE HUMAN LIFE COMPONENT, I'VE GOT A THREE QUARTER MILLION DOLLAR APPARATUS WITH A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS OF TOOLS ON IT, FIVE, SIX, $7,000 WORTH OF EQUIPMENT ON EVERY FIREFIGHTER THAT'S RUNNING IN AND OUT OF THE PLACE.
IF THE BUILDING'S ONLY WORTH 80 GRAND, HOW MUCH DO WE RISK TO SAVE IT AND AND TO SAVE IT SAFELY? AND SO THE OTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND TOO IS THAT WITH OUR CALL VOLUME AND OVER HALF OF THE CALLS THAT WE'RE TAKING ARE TAKING TRANSPORTS, THOSE UNITS MAY NOT EVEN BE THERE.
SO, AND I'M CERTAIN THERE ARE TIMES, 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN HERE AT TIMES WHEN WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF, OF UNITS, THERE ARE NO MORE UNITS AND CHIEF FERGUSON'S JUMPING IN HIS CAR AND RUNNING OUT THERE TO GRAB A CALL.
THERE'S NO, WE DON'T HAVE ANY UNITS LEFT TO SERVICE THE DEMAND.
AND SO EVEN THOUGH ON THE MAP, AND THIS IS THE BEST CASE SCENARIO, EVERYBODY'S IN QUARTERS AND READY TO GO, WE'RE ROCKING AND ROLLING DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY WHEN YOU SEE THAT SPIKE, I MEAN, THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE NOBODY OUT THERE.
SO NOW WE'RE NOT TALKING EIGHT MINUTES TO GET OUT THERE.
AND WHEN WE GET TO OUR PERFORMANCE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT, UH, IN OUR AREAS OVER BY A SHORT PUMP.
WE GOT A MUCH BETTER, WE HAVE A MUCH BETTER RESPONSE AROUND STATION ONE.
WE HAVE AN AREA WHERE WE GET SIX FOLKS THERE WITHIN A EIGHT MINUTE PREDICTED TRAVEL TIME, BUT THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF OUR COMMERCIAL GROWTH IS OCCURRING AS WELL.
UH, LATER WE'LL ALSO LOOK AT SOME STATION
[00:30:01]
LOCATION ITEMS BECAUSE WE CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, AREAS WHERE WE STILL CAN ONLY GET TWO FOLKS INTO COMMERCIAL TYPE PROPERTIES.AND IF WE WANNA ATTRACT BUSINESS AND DO SOME OF THOSE THINGS, WE PROBABLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN AT LEAST PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF PROTECTION SHOULD SOMETHING OCCUR.
ALL RIGHT, I GUESS I JUMPED THE GUN.
UH, WE'RE GONNA GET NOW GO INTO RESPONSE CONTINUUM.
I'LL JUST PAUSE ONE MORE TIME AND ASK IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE I GO INTO PERFORMANCE.
OKAY, SO WHEN WE, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PERFORMANCE IN TOTAL, WE HAVE A TOTAL RESPONSE TIME.
THIS IS WHAT OUR FOLKS DIALING 9 1 1 EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS FROM THE TIME YOU HIT 9 1 1 SENDS TO THE UNIT, SHOWS UP ON SCENE AND A LOT OF THINGS HAPPEN IN BETWEEN THEM.
WHEN YOU CALL 9 1 1, IT GOES TO OUR DISPATCH CENTER.
OUR DISPATCH RUN THROUGH THEIR ME OR EITHER EMERGENCY MEDICAL OR EMERGENCY FIRE, UH, PROCESS TO GET TO THEIR DETERMINANT.
SO THROUGH THE TIME THEY GET RECEIVE THE CALL TO THE TIME THEY DISPATCH THE UNIT, IT'S CALLED CALL PROCESSING UP AT THE TOP FROM THE TIME IT'S DISPATCHED UNTIL THAT RIG BEGINS TO ROLL OUT THE DOOR.
AND FROM THE TIME THE RIG ROLLS OUT THE DOOR UNTIL IT ARRIVES ON SCENE AS TRAVEL TIME, THERE'S ALSO A THING CALLED RESPONSE TIME.
AND IN VOLUNTEER SYSTEMS, THE NATIONAL STANDARD THAT DEALS WITH THAT DEALS WITH RESPONSE TIMES, NOT TURNOUT OR TRAVEL.
AND SO THAT'S WHY THIS IS UP THERE, BUT IF YOU HEAR THE TERM RESPONSE TIME, THAT'S THE TIME FROM WHEN THEY WERE DISPATCHED TO, THEY ARRIVE ON SCENE.
AND SO IT'S MADE UP OF TURNOUT AND TRAVEL TIME.
AND THEN ALTOGETHER WE'RE AT THE TOTAL RESPONSE TIME.
THE REASON THIS IS IMPORTANT IS THAT INTERNALLY WITHIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, A LOT OF TIMES WE'LL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU OUR TURNOUT TIMES AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU OUR TRAVEL TIMES.
BUT WHAT WE'RE PROBABLY NOT SO FAMILIAR WITH IS OUR CALL PROCESSING TIMES.
AND I'LL JUST TELL YOU A A A BRIEF STORY OF WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT.
UH, SO THE LAST DEPARTMENT I WAS CHIEF AT, WE HAD TWO OR THREE CALLS IN A ROW.
THEY'RE FAIRLY CRITICAL CALLS.
THE CALL CAME IN, WE WERE STANDING IN THE BAY, WE JUMPED DIRECTLY IN THE TRUCK, IT WAS A HALF MILE DOWN THE ROAD.
WE WERE THERE AND ON SCENE IN NOTHING FLAT.
BUT WHEN WE GOT ON SCENE, THE PEOPLE WERE AS MAD AS THEY COULD BE BECAUSE THEY SAID, WE'VE BEEN WAITING 12, 15 MINUTES FOR YOU TO GET HERE.
WHERE HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN? WE WERE ON THE PHONE FOREVER.
YOU NEVER CAME, YOU NEVER CAME.
AND THEN YOU FINALLY CAME AT THE END.
AND WHAT WE DISCOVERED WAS OUR CALL PROCESSING COMPONENT, THE MORE COMPLICATED IT WAS AS A DECISION TREE, THE MORE COMPLICATED IT WAS, THE MORE QUESTIONS THEY HAD TO ASK.
THE MORE QUESTIONS THEY ASKED, THE LONGER IT TOOK.
SO FOR THINGS LIKE, UH, SLIP AND FALL IN FRONT OF THE GROCERY STORE, IT MIGHT TAKE 30 SECONDS.
IF YOU ARE A, UH, NON-ENGLISH SPEAKER IN CARDIAC ARREST AND THERE WAS A FIRE ANYWHERE NEAR YOU, IT MAY BE 10 MINUTES BEFORE THAT FIRST UNIT IS EVEN NOTIFIED OF AN EMERGENCY.
AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL THESE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, UH, FOR TURNOUT TIME AS WELL.
TURNOUT TIME IS RARELY A COMPLIANCE ISSUE WITH COMP EMPLOYEES.
SOMETIMES IT'S, BUT MOST OF THE TIME, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A, A FIRE, I DON'T KNOW TOO MANY FIREFIGHTERS THAT THAT TONE GOES OFF FOR FIRE.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT WE LIVE FOR.
WE'RE AS QUICK AS WE CAN GET OUT THE DOOR.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS, STATION DESIGN, CROSS STAFFING UNITS, UH, UH, JUST SET UP UP THE FIRE STATION OR THEY ALL THE WAY IN THE BACK AND UPSTAIRS AND HAVE TO TRANSVERSE AND IT TAKES 'EM 60 SECONDS JUST TO GET DOWN TO THE BAY FLOOR.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GO INTO THAT.
AND SO, UH, AS MUCH AS ANYTHING TELLING YOU THAT TELL YOU THIS, WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT STATION LOCATION LATER, THAT STATION DESIGN PLAYS A CRITICAL PART IN TURNOUT TIME.
AND WE HAVE CONTROL OF THINGS LIKE STATION DESIGN.
AND SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO BE COGNIZANT OF AS WE'RE DOING THOSE ITEMS. UH, SHOULD THAT COME UP? NOW, AS WE GET INTO THIS AS WELL, THESE TIMES ARE GONNA BE MEASURED AT THE 90TH PERCENTILE.
AND SO WHAT I WANNA DO REAL QUICK IS JUST HIT A BRIEF STATISTICS LESSON FOR ANYBODY THAT, UH, ISN'T FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
SO WE HAVE AVERAGE VERSUS 90 PERCENTILE FOR EVER.
EVERYONE'S USED AVERAGE IN FIRE AND IT SEEMS LIKE AVERAGE WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE THING TO USE.
HOWEVER, AVERAGES ARE VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO OUTLIERS.
I HAVE 10 CALL OR 10 TURNOUT TIMES.
THE FIRST NINE I TURN OUT IN ONE MINUTE.
THE LAST ONE, WE WERE FLOWING WATER UP IN THE AERIAL AND DOING A TANKER SHUTTLE OPERATION.
WE HAD THE WHOLE TRAINING THING GOING ON AND IT TOOK US 11 MINUTES TO BREAK EVERYTHING DOWN TO THE POINT WHERE THAT FIRST UNIT COULD BREAK LOOSE AND GO, WELL, MY MEDIAN OR 50TH PERCENTILE WOULD BE ONE MINUTE MY MODE, OR THE NUMBER THAT APPEARS THE MOST WOULD BE ONE MINUTE.
EVEN MY 90TH PERCENTILE WOULD BE ONE MINUTE, BUT MY AVERAGE WOULD BE TWO MINUTES.
THAT ONE NUMBER SWINGS IT WAY OUT.
AND SO THE WAY YOU TELL IS, IF WE HAVE WHAT WE HAVE HERE, WE HAVE A NORMAL, A NORMAL DISTRIBUTION OF A DATA SET, AND WE HAVE THE SYMMETRY ON BOTH SIDES, AVERAGE IS THE APPROPRIATE METRIC.
BUT IN FIRE RESCUE, WE HAVE A POSITIVELY SKEWED SKEWED DISTRIBUTION.
[00:35:01]
TO THE LIFT UP NEAR THAT, UH, AXIS.AND SO THE REASON FOR THIS IS, IS WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUT THE DOOR AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, OR WE'RE TRYING TO GET THERE AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, AND WE'LL KIND OF HIT THAT PEAK AT THE MODE WHERE WE HAVE OUR MOST ANSWERS, AND THEN WE START TAPERING DOWN TO OUR AVERAGE OR, UH, OUR FIF OR I'M SORRY, OUR MEDIAN OR 50TH PERCENTILE.
AND THEN AS WE START TAILING OUT TOWARDS THE END, WE FINALLY HAVE HIT OUR AVERAGE.
AND YOU CAN SEE JUST FROM THAT EXAMPLE THERE, HOW THE AVERAGE WILL SPREAD OUT ON YOU USING THAT.
WE DON'T HAVE SYMMETRY WITHIN OUR DISTRIBUTION.
AND SO THAT'S WHY, UH, NFPA 17, 10 AND 20 AND UH, CPSE, WHO DOES ACCREDITATION AND ISO AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS USE THE 90TH PERCENTILE BECAUSE THAT'S A MORE APPROPRIATE METRIC TO USE TO DESCRIBE THE PERFORMANCE.
AND SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT ONE IN TWO WAYS.
EITHER 90% OF THE TIME WE'RE GONNA DO THIS GOOD OR BETTER, OR WE'RE GONNA ACCEPT THAT 10% OF OUR CALLS THAT WE RAN WERE OUTLIERS, SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED AND WE SHOULDN'T COUNT THOSE IN THE DATA SET.
SO HERE'S WHAT WE CAN DO OR BETTER.
AND SO EITHER WAY YOU WANNA THINK ABOUT IT OR THINK IS CORRECT, BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE, THESE ARE 90TH PERCENTILE.
SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS AS WELL, IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN THE AVERAGES OR THEIR AVERAGES HAVE BEEN REPORTED, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND IS IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE ABOUT 40% HIGHER WHEN WE GET TO THE 90TH PERCENTILE, WHICH KIND OF MAKES SENSE, RIGHT? IF WE HAVE A NORMAL DISTRIBUTION ON OUR DATASET AND THE MEDIAN, THE BOAT AND THE AVERAGE OR ALL THE SAME NUMBER, IF I GO OUT TO THE, AND THAT'S THE 50TH PERCENTILE, IF I GO OUT TO THE 90TH, IT'S ABOUT 40%.
AND SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT REFLECTIVE IN THESE NUMBERS.
SO I JUST WANNA WARN YOU, SO NOBODY GOES INTO HEART PALPITATIONS AS WE GO INTO THIS NEXT SECTION
BUT WITH THAT, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE, INTO THE PERFORMANCE? DO IT IF YOU COULD, YES, SIR.
WHEN YOU ARE TALKING, AND SOMETIMES YOU'LL THROW OUT A TERM THAT, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S KIND OF INSIDE BASEBALL TO YOU BOARD MEMBERS AND OUR CITIZENS MAY NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND IT.
SO IF YOU COULD TRY TO KIND OF EXPLAIN MAYBE N-A-F-T-A AND THINGS LIKE THAT OCCASIONALLY, THAT WOULD PROBABLY HELP PEOPLE.
OKAY, SO THE NFPA IS THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION WORK ASSOCIATION, AND THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY INSTITUTION IN THE COUNTRY THAT PRODUCE FIRE RESCUE STANDARDS.
THEY'RE WRITTEN BY MOSTLY FIRE CHIEFS THAT ARE ELECTED TO A, A, A COMMITTEE OR A BOARD.
UH, SO FOR EXAMPLE, FOR 1710, THAT COVERS CAREER DEPARTMENTS.
UH, BUDDY DAVE DOWNEY FROM MIAMI-DADE, HE RETIRED AS THE CHIEF THERE.
WE HAVE SOME FOLKS FROM, UH, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF HE'S STILL IN THERE OR NOT.
I KNOW THERE'S SOME FOLKS FROM FAIRFAX, BUT WE HAVE FOLKS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND THEY GET TOGETHER TO TRY TO DEVELOP THESE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
AND THEY'RE BASED ON THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW QUICKLY SHOULD AN AMBULANCE GET ON SCENE? WELL, AFTER FOUR MINUTES WE LOOK AT THAT CARDIAC SURVIVAL RATE AND IT DROPS LIKE A ROCK.
SO THAT'S WHERE THAT FOUR AND EIGHT MINUTES COME FROM ON THE CARDIAC.
AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, WITH FIRE IS PRETTY CLOSE.
SO THEY WENT AHEAD AND MADE 'EM THE SAME AS WELL.
AND SO 1710 IS THE ONE THAT COVERS THE CAREER DEPARTMENT.
AS YOU GO THROUGH THE REPORT, WE HAVE A WHOLE EXPLANATION OF ALL THAT AND WHERE WE'RE PULLING EVERYTHING FROM, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE BASING THIS ON.
AND AGAIN, UH, WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE NFPA OR YOU'RE LOOKING AT ISO OR CPSE FOR ACCREDITATION, THEY'RE ALL USING THE SAME STANDARD.
THERE ARE OTHER ACCREDITATION MODELS OUT THERE FOR SAY, EMS FOR, UH, EMERGENCY DISPATCHING AND, AND A FEW OTHER THINGS, UH, RELATED TO THAT.
BUT THEY'RE VERY PROCESS ORIENTED.
THERE'S NO STANDARD SAFE, THERE'S NO PERFORMANCE STANDARDS ASSOCIATED.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT POLICIES, PROCEDURES, ADMINISTRATIVE HR, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO ADMINISTRATIVELY YOU'RE GOOD TO GO, BUT THEY DON'T PROVIDE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
AND THE P IS REALLY THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES PROVIDE THE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS TO SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S A NATIONAL BENCHMARK.
AND, AND IT'S, AND IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT, IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO SHOOT FOR ULTIMATELY.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THE THING TO DO IS LOOK AT YOUR TIMES AND LOOK AT YOUR PERFORMANCE AND DETERMINE IS THIS ACCEPTABLE FOR MYSELF AND MY COMMUNITY? IF IT'S NOT, LET'S TALK TO OUR FIRE CHIEF AND SAY, HOW DO WE GET IT DOWN TO WHATEVER IS ACCEPTABLE? WE EVALUATE THE COST AND THEN DETERMINE, ARE WE GONNA DO IT TODAY? WE DO IT DOWN THE ROAD OR WE NOT DO IT AT ALL.
AND I THINK REALLY THAT'S THE BEST APPROACH TO GO, UH, THAT 1710 IS REALLY JUST GIVING US AN IDEA OF WHAT WOULD BE IDEAL, BUT NOT EVERYTHING'S IDEAL IN THE WORLD.
SO OUR CALL PROCESSING, SO REMEMBER THIS IS AT THE 90TH PERCENTILE.
SO FOR FI AND EMS MAKES UP ABOUT 75% OF OUR CALL VOLUME.
SO IF WE'RE JUST THINKING 75% IS EMS, OUR EMS TOTAL AND OUR TOTAL TOTAL ARE GONNA BE REALLY CLOSE BECAUSE
[00:40:01]
EMS IS SUCH A LARGE VOLUME OF OUR TOTAL CALLS.SO FOR FIRE CALL PROCESSING TIMES A LITTLE UNDER FOUR MINUTES, SAME WITH EMS. HAZARDS, CONDITIONS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER.
IT ALMOST ALWAYS IS BECAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY KIND OF COMPLICATED AND COMPLEX TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON INITIALLY ARE FALSE ALARMS A LITTLE FASTER? MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO A CENTRAL STATION, WHICH WOULD BE THE LITTLE HUB THAT ANSWERS YOUR ALARM CALL AND CALLS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN, UH, WE HAVE OUR TOTAL, WHICH IS PRETTY CLOSE TO OUR EMS TIME.
NOW IS THERE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT? CERTAINLY, BUT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF LIFE, AS WE BOUNCE ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THESE AREN'T BAD TIMES.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THEY COULD BE BETTER, BUT I WOULDN'T CALL THIS BAD BY ANY, ANY STRETCH.
AND SO, UH, THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES CHIEF, YOU DO PRE ALERTING, WE DO.
SO THIS IS TO THE FINAL DETERMINANT.
WHEN THEY ACTUALLY DISPATCH DOING THE PRE-ALERT, THEY'RE CUTTING THIS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS, LET'S SAY I CALL 9 1 1 AND I SAY THERE'S A FIRE AT 1 2 3 MAIN STREET, THERE'S GONNA BE THIS DECISION TREE THAT I SPOKE OF TO GET TO A THING CALLED THE FINAL DETERMINANT, WHICH TELLS ME HOW MANY UNITS DO I NEED, HOW MANY RESOURCES DO I NEED? DO WE NEED TO CALL MUTUAL AID? DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT FOLKS GOING ON THE INITIAL ALARM? THEY HAVE THESE THINGS CALLED BOXES AND DIFFERENT UNITS AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE COME IN THE DIFFERENT BOXES DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY ARE, UH, ON THE MAP.
THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE ALL THAT OUT, WHETHER THE PRE-ALERT YOU GO, THERE'S A FIRE AT 1 2 3 MAIN STREET, THEY PRE-ALERT FIRE 1, 2, 3 MAIN STREET.
AND THEN AS THESE FOLKS ARE EN ROUTE, THEY'LL GIVE 'EM THE FINAL DETERMINANT LATER.
SO AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH THIS LOOKS LIKE A SCARY, SCARY NUMBER, IT'S NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS IT LOOKS.
AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I GET THAT OUT THERE.
SO OUR UH, COMP CENTER GUYS AND THE SHERIFF DON'T HUNT ME DOWN LATER, UM,
OH, AND NFPA FOR THAT IS, UH, 60 SECONDS TURNOUT TIME IS ALSO 60 SECONDS FOR EMS. IT'S 80 SECONDS FOR FIRE AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS CALLS.
AND SO THIS IS THE ONE THAT REALLY STANDS OUT AT ME.
FOUR MINUTES AND 48 SECONDS AT THE 90TH PERCENTILE TO RESPOND TO A FIRE.
I DON'T KNOW TOO MANY FOLKS THAT AREN'T MOVING AS QUICKLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO GO TO A WORKING FIRE OR A BRUSH FIRE OR ANY, ANY FIRE FOR THAT MATTER.
I THINK THIS IS GONNA BE INDICATIVE OF CROSS STAFFING.
OOPS, CROSS STAFFING UNITS, YET THE CALL GOES OUT.
I HAVE TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE BAY, MAKE MY WAY TO THE APPARATUS, GRAB MY BUNKER GEAR, WALKING ACROSS THE BAY, PUT IT ON THE TRUCK, I WALK BACK OVER HERE, GRAB OUR MED GEAR BECAUSE ESPECIALLY WE HAVE A LS WE CAN'T LEAVE THAT STUFF LAYING AROUND, WALKING BACK OVER TO THE TRUCK.
I WALK BACK OVER, GRAB MY MDT, WALK IT BACK TO THE TRUCK, WALK OVER AND MAKE SURE I GOT THE STUFF WE NEED.
WALK IT BACK TO THE TRUCK, WALK AROUND THE TRUCK, MAKE SURE IT'S READY TO GO.
IT IS JUST, IT'S A TIME CONSUMING PROCESS.
IT'S CHEAPER TO STAFF TWO FOLKS, BUT YOUR PERFORMANCE IS GOING TO SUFFER BY DOING SO, AND BY THE PERFORMANCE SUFFERING OR OUTCOMES ARE GONNA SUFFER.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONALLY, WE BASICALLY CLEARED OUT THAT, UH, THAT WHOLE ZONE.
SO AS SOON AS THAT, SAY STATION SIX OR STATION FOUR RESPOND TO THAT FIRE, THERE'S NOBODY LEFT.
THERE'S NOBODY LEFT TO COME IN TO COVER EM.
IT'S EITHER MUTUAL LATER, WE'RE COMING FROM SHORT PUMP TO GET OVER THERE, WHICH IS GONNA BE WHAT, 20, 25 MINUTE DRIVE IN SOME CASES.
SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE AND I THINK CHIEF FERGUSON CAN SPEAK TO THAT, UH, MUCH MORE SUCCINCTLY AND, AND CLEARLY THAN I CAN, UH, ABOUT THE CURRENT PROGRESS.
BUT THIS TURNOUT TIME, UH, SORT OF YOUR POINT ABOUT DO WE NEED ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES, WE CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR PERFORMANCE BASED ON THE WAY WE'VE CHOSEN TO DEPLOY.
NOW EMS IS FASTER, IS THREE AND A HALF MINUTES.
THE OTHER THING THAT'S GOING TO OCCUR, 'CAUSE I'VE SEEN IT MYSELF A COUPLE OF TIMES HERE, THESE, THESE, UH, UH, MEN AND WOMEN ARE IN A AMBULANCE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD TO GO GET FUEL OR WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE GOING TO DO, AND THEY GET A FIRE CALL.
SO THEY HAVE TO TURN AROUND, DRIVE TWO OR THREE MILES BACK TO THEIR STATION TO GET TO THE ENGINE TO DO THE THING I'VE ALREADY DESCRIBED TO JUMP IN THE ENGINE TO DRIVE RIGHT BACK.
SO JUST LIKE INSURANCE, WE HAVE TO DECIDE, YOU KNOW, WAS THIS, IS THIS LEVEL OF SERVICE ACCEPTABLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR CITIZENS? TRAVEL TIME PERFORMANCE.
NOW REMEMBER BEFORE WE LOOKED AND WE HAD PRETTY GOOD PREDICTIVE COVERAGE, AT EIGHT MINUTES WE LOOKED AND WE SAID WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTY IN EIGHT MINUTES.
BUT WHEN WE LOOK AND, AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, WHEN WE DO HAVE GOOD COVERAGE, OUR PERFORMANCE WILL MATCH VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR PREDICTED, BUT WE'RE UP AT AROUND 14 MINUTES FOR FIRES, 12 AND A HALF MINUTES FOR EMS FOR TRAVEL TIME.
SO THIS IS THE TIME THEY LEAVE THE STATION UNTIL THEY ARRIVE ON SCENE.
WHAT THIS IS TELLING US IS THERE ARE PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH UNITS TO SERVICE THE DEMANDS.
WE'RE DUMPING A AREA AND BECAUSE OF THE, THE REMOTENESS AND RURALNESS SAY STATION FOUR GOES OUT, THEN EITHER SIX OR THREE OR SOMEBODY ELSE HAS TO COME FROM A A, A DISTANCE AWAY IS DRIVING THOSE TRAVEL TIMES UP.
AND SO WHEN WE LOOK ACROSS THE BOARD, YOU
[00:45:01]
KNOW, EMSA LITTLE BETTER, 12 AND A HALF MINUTES, BUT THE REST OF THEM, YOU KNOW, I, AND THEN TOTAL WE'RE AT 1245.SO PRETTY MUCH WE CAN SAY, YOU KNOW, NOW GRANTED WE COULD GET THERE FASTER IF WE'RE IN TOWN, BUT AT OUR 90TH PERCENTILE WE'RE ABOUT FOUR TIMES THE NATIONAL STANDARD.
SO THE NATIONAL STANDARD'S FOUR MINUTES PROBABLY NOT ACHIEVABLE FOR A COUNTY OF YOUR SIZE, NATURE AND MAKEUP.
BUT I THINK THE THING TO DO IS TO SAY WHAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE AND HOW DO WE GET THERE FROM HERE? AND IF WE, YOU KNOW, AS A FIRE CHIEF, IF I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SHOOTING FOR, I CAN COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS OF HOW TO GET YOU THERE AND ESTIMATE SOME COST AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO THAT WAY WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH OUR RESOURCES AND WE'RE IMPROVING OUR PERFORMANCE AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE IN CARDIAC ARREST, STROKE ALERT, MAJOR TRAUMA HOUSES ON FIRE, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO FOR YOU.
IF IT TOOK US 14 MINUTES TO GET THERE, UH, RESPONSE TIME TO THIS IS FROM THE TIME WE WERE DISPATCHED TO THE TIME WE ARRIVED ON SCENE, UH, ABOUT 15 AND CHANGE ACROSS THE BOARD WITH FIRES A LITTLE MORE, IT'S 17 MINUTES.
AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE AT ALL CONCERNED ABOUT OUTCOMES, I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA, YOU WERE EITHER GONNA MAKE IT OR YOU WON'T OR YOU WEREN'T PROBABLY, UH, BY THE TIME WE GET THERE, IF IT TAKES US THAT LONG, AND AGAIN, WE COULD GET THERE FASTER AND YOU KNOW, 89% OF THE TIME WE ARE GETTING THERE FASTER.
BUT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE STANDARD, YOU KNOW, THIS RESPONSE TIME SHOULD BE CLOSER TO FIVE MINUTES.
AND THEN FINALLY TOTAL RESPONSE TIME IS, SO THIS IS THE TIME FOR YOU CALL 9 1 1 UNTIL THAT FIRST UNIT ARRIVES ON SCENE.
AND IT KIND OF SPEAKS TO THE STORY I TOLD EARLIER ABOUT WHERE HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN? YOU KNOW, WE'RE BETWEEN 17 TO 20 MINUTES.
THAT'S A LONG TIME WAITING ON HELP TO ARRIVE.
EVEN IF WE CUT THAT IN HALF AT 10 MINUTES, THAT'S STILL A LONG TIME WAITING ON HELP TO ARRIVE.
AND YOU KNOW, IN LOOKING AT YOUR DATA, AND THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS WE'LL HIT, UH, A LITTLE, UH, LATER, I THINK THERE'S JUST ONLY HAVING ONE UNIT PER STATION WITH TWO FOLKS IS, IS WHAT'S DOING IT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE WERE ABLE TO STAFF AN ENGINE AND STAFF AT LEAST ONE AMBULANCE AT EACH OF THE STATIONS.
WE'RE GONNA IMPROVE THAT PERFORMANCE SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE THAT UNIT THERE.
IF THE AMBULANCE GOES, AT LEAST THE ENGINE CAN GET ON SCENE AND INITIATE CARE.
IF THE ENGINE GOES, AT LEAST THE AMBULANCE CAN SHOW UP ON SCENE AND START INITIATING INCIDENT COMMAND AND CALLING RESOURCES AND STAGING.
UH, THE OTHER MAJOR THING THAT WE HAVE HERE IN GLAND IS RURAL WATER SUPPLY.
AND SO WHEN WE DID ISOI CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT WE WERE SHOOTING FOR 600 GALLONS A MINUTE OR SOMETHING.
I THINK SO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN WE ENDED UP FLOWING ABOUT WHAT, 14 OR 1500 GALLONS A MINUTE.
SO BY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I DID A LOT OF RURAL FIREFIGHTING TOO IN MY BACKGROUND, SO WE KIND OF PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND CAME UP WITH A GAME PLAN ON HOW TO DO THIS AND WE REALLY COULD FLOW A LOT OF WATER, BUT IT'S VERY LABOR INTENSIVE.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE RUNNING FOUR TANKERS, THERE'S FOUR FOLKS RIGHT THERE, SO THAT'S TWO OF YOUR STATIONS, AND THEN WE NEED TWO IN AND TWO OUT, THERE'S ANOTHER TWO STATIONS, AND THEN WE PROBABLY NEED AN INCIDENT COMMANDER AND MAYBE SOMEBODY OPERATING THE PUMP.
THAT'S EVERYBODY YOU GOT IN THE COUNTY.
WE'VE JUST USED EVERY PERSON THAT WE HAVE AND WE REALLY ONLY HAVE TWO PEOPLE INSIDE FIGHTING A FIRE OR DOING WHATEVER.
SO, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE PRETTY CRITICALLY STAFFED.
WE CAN GET THE JOB DONE, THESE FOLKS ARE DOING A GOOD JOB, BUT IS THAT THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR OUR COMMUNITY TODAY AND MOVING INTO THE FUTURE? AND THAT'S A DECISION FOR Y'ALL AND, AND YOUR, UH, CONSTITUENCY BASE.
AND SO WITH THAT, UH, I'LL GO AHEAD AND PAUSE AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
GO BACK AND COVER ANY SLIDES THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE.
UM, I I I SO APPRECIATE THE, THE STATISTICAL APPROACH.
UM, DO THEY HAVE STANDARDS FOR RURAL BASED COUNTIES VERSUS NATIONAL AVERAGES? I, I'M THINKING, UH, I, I'VE SPENT SOME TIME IN KANSAS AND YOU, YOU CAN GO A FUR PIECE,
YEAH, WICHITA, I TO UH, UH, THE, THE MCCUTCHEN FARM IS, IS GOING TO BE A PIECE.
AND I'VE BEEN TOLD PEOPLE WHEN THEY MOVED TO GUC AND REALIZE WE'RE MUCH MORE OF A RURAL COUNTY IN, IN THE DRAFT BACK ON PAGE 1 75, 70 2% OF THE RESPONDENTS, UH, WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME FROM A PERSON CALLING 9 1 1 UNTIL FIREFIGHTERS AND E AND FS AND THEY SAID FIVE TO LEMME MAKE THIS RIGHT, FIVE TO 15 MINUTES.
SO 72% OF THE RESPONDENTS ARE SAYING THEY MAY BE OKAY WITH THIS.
I'M STILL COMING BACK TO, I WANNA SAVE LIVES AND I CAN REFER TO A DOCTOR IN THE AUDIENCE AS TO HOW LONG IT TAKES A HEART DOCTOR ACTUALLY AS TO HOW THAT FOUR MINUTES IS PRETTY CRITICAL.
SO HOW DO WE GET MORE EMS ON SITE SAVE LIVES? AND IN YOUR COMMENT THAT AFTER SO MANY MINUTES, WE'RE GONNA SAVE A FOUNDATION, WE'RE NOT GONNA SAVE
[00:50:01]
A HOUSE.UM, SO, SO YEAH, THE COMMUNITY STANDARDS, HOW DO WE GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING BASED ON THE INFORMATION IN THIS REPORT THAT WE GOT 72% OF THE PEOPLE SAYING IF YOU CAN GET THERE BETWEEN FIVE AND 15 MINUTES, WE'RE OKAY WITH THAT.
WELL, I THINK IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON YOUR DYNAMIC AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT LIVE IN THE MORE URBANIZED PART, YOU KNOW, IF I LIVE IN TOWN, I KIND OF EXPECT MUNICIPAL SERVICES, WHETHER I'M A COUNTY RESIDENT OR A CITY RESIDENT OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
YOU KNOW, IT IS JUST KIND OF THE WAY IT GOES.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE LIVING IN A MORE URBANIZED AREA, YOU PROBABLY EXPECT A HIGHER LEVEL OF SERVICE THAN IF I'M LIVING 15 MILES FROM THE NEAREST STOP SIGN.
SO I THINK THAT'S A BALANCE AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT JUST TALKING TO YOUR FOLKS AND YOUR COMMUNITY AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE AREAS YOU REPRESENT TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, IF FOLKS OUT ON THE WEST END ARE HAPPY, THEN YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
IF FOLKS ON THE EAST SIDE ARE UNHAPPY, THAT'S SOMETHING TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION TOO, UH, MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH THAT.
UH, MR. LYLES, UM, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS AGO WE DEVELOPED, UH, EMS RESPONSE TIME STANDARDS AND WE PROBABLY ARE DUE FOR A REVISION OF THE EMS RESPONSE TIME STANDARDS BECAUSE WE'RE DOING MUCH BETTER THAN, THAN WHAT THEIR STANDARDS WERE SET FOR.
BUT WE TOOK THE COUNTY, WE LOOKED AT IT, WE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT THAT THE FACT THAT YOU HAD A, UM, YOU KNOW, THE RURAL AREA, THE LARGE GEOGRAPHIC AREA FROM BASICALLY, UM, JACKSON SHOP ROAD 5 22 TO THE WEST IS ONE ZONE.
AND THEN WE HAVE FROM THAT TO THE EAST AND OUR EMS RESPONSE TIME STANDARDS, UH, WAS 20 MINUTES FOR THE WESTERN END OF THE COUNTY AND THEN WAS 15 MINUTES FOR EVERYTHING EAST.
AND THAT'S KIND OF IN A POLICY, WE DO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT TO TODAY.
UM, AND WE DEVELOPED THAT, UH, OVER 10 YEARS AGO AS A, UM, A MANDATE FROM THE VIRGINIA OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
WE HAD TO DEVELOP RESPONSE TIME STANDARDS.
AND AT THE TIME, THAT'S WHAT WE CAME UP WITH.
BUT WHILE WE DO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT, UH, CERTAINLY THAT'S A, THAT GIVES YOU THE IDEA THAT IN THE RULE AREA OF THE COUNTY, UH, RESPONSE TIMES ARE GONNA BE, UM, LENGTHIER THAN THEY ARE IN THE OTHER MORE DENSELY AREA OF THE COUNTY.
AND OF COURSE, OUR RESOURCES ON DUTY RESOURCES WILL IMPACT THAT AS WELL AS FAR AS RESOURCE AVAILABILITY GOES.
SO THAT MIGHT, UH, BE, BE HELPFUL WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS HERE IN THE COUNTY THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT IN PARTICULAR TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
IF I COULD JUST INTERJECT REAL FAST, SIR, WE'RE, WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH, SO MM-HMM.
SO JUST PLEASE KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME.
SO, UH, OUR FUTURE DEMAND PROJECTIONS THAT SOME OF YOUR KEY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS ARE CONSTRUCTION, CORPORATE SERVICES, FINANCE AND INSURANCE, FOOD AND BEVERAGE, HEALTHCARE, LIFE SCIENCES, AND LOGISTICS.
AND THOSE ARE YOUR TYPES OF INDUSTRIES MOVING IN THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT.
HERE'S ONE OF THE MAPS FROM, I BELIEVE, YOUR COMP PLAN, JUST SHOWING GENERALLY WHERE SOME DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENTS ARE GOING TO OCCUR.
UH, RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, UH, COURTHOUSE VILLAGE IS GOING TO PROBABLY CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IT OR TO, TO DEVELOP AS ONE OF YOUR, UH, CITY CENTERS AS WELL AS CENTERVILLE VILLAGE.
UH, IT WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE THE TWO DEVELOP IN SOME WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, UH, POPULATION PROJECTIONS.
SO USE THREE OF 'EM BECAUSE THESE ARE KIND OF CRYSTAL BALL TYPE OF STUFF, BUT WE USE THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, UH, UH, LINEAR ONE FROM US CENSUS.
AND THEN ESRI, WHO'S THE GIS WHO I USED TO BUILD ALL THESE THINGS WITH, UH, THEIR PROJECTIONS.
AND SO FEBRUARY 28TH, 2024 AT ABOUT 26 AND A HALF THOUSAND FOLKS.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF TRACKING IN THAT DIRECTION.
AND THE REASON THIS IS IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO ESTIMATE DEMAND, WE USED A PER CAPITA APPROACH TO SAY, FOR EVERY A HUNDRED PEOPLE OR EVERY THOUSAND PEOPLE, WE CAN EXPECT THIS MANY CALLS FOR SERVICE.
AND SO WITH THAT, WE CAN LOOK AND AS WE STRETCH OUT THE 2050, WE NEARLY OR UH, YEAH, NEARLY DOUBLED WHAT WE WERE AT IN 2020.
AND SO THE RESOURCES WE HAVE TODAY ARE LIKELY NOT GONNA BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE DEMAND WE'RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE TOMORROW.
NOT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TOMORROW, BUT WE SHOULD AT LEAST BE COGNIZANT OF IT AND BEGIN PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SERVICES ARE GROWING WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS REAL QUICK BEFORE I GO INTO SOME DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION? YEAH.
UM, I WAS HITTING ON YOUR REMARKS PREVIOUSLY WHEN YOU TALKED, IT SEEMED TO ME YOU PUT, WE WERE PUTTING A FAIR AMOUNT OF STRESS ON OUR PEOPLE WITH TWO IN A STATION.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I PICKED UP IN GOING THROUGH THIS THING IS ONE OUGHT TO BE PRIORITY WOULD BE THE HEALTH OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU LATER ON YOU'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT CANCER CAUSING THINGS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, AND WHAT WE COULD DO TO REDUCE THAT THREAT.
BUT HOW ABOUT THE STRESS ON THE EMPLOYEES HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, BE TORN BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THE FIRE CALLS AND THE RESCUE CALLS, YOU KNOW, THE EMS CALLS AND, AND AND, AND HAVING TO, TO WHAT, YOU KNOW, TAKE ADDITIONAL TIME TO, TO GET GEARED UP TO GET THAT, THAT ENGINE ROLLING AT, AT
[00:55:01]
PIECE ROLLING.I THINK WHERE YOU CAN SEE THAT AS YOUR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, JUST LOOK AT YOUR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION NUMBERS.
UH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T LEAVE ORGANIZATIONS BECAUSE OF MONEY TYPICALLY, OTHERWISE, NOBODY BE IN THE MILITARY.
NOBODY BEING LAW ENFORCEMENT, NOBODY WOULD BE A COUNTY MANAGER,
YOU DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE IT, NOT BECAUSE OF THE BENEFITS YOU GET FROM IT, BUT IF PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF OR THEY'RE JUST STRESSED, THEN IT'S AFFECTING THEIR LIVES, THEN YEAH, YOU'RE GONNA SEE 'EM START TO HOP.
SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD DEFER THE FIRE CHIEF ON SOME OF THOSE STATISTICS ON THAT, BUT I'D SAY THAT'D BE THE PLACE TO START RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
IF WE CAN'T GET FOLKS TO APPLY AND WE CAN'T KEEP THE FOLKS WE GOT, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM IN THERE SOMEWHERE.
AND THAT PROBABLY THAT'S GONNA BE A COMPONENT OF IT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, SIR.
UM, ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES I SEE WITH THE MAPS IS HIGHER POPULATION DENSITY AND MUCH LOWER POPULATION DENSITY AND TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, FIND A SOLUTION WITHOUT THE OBVIOUS ANSWER, WHICH IS EVERYBODY EXPECTS A CALL IN THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.
I DON'T CARE IF YOU LIVE IN THE FURTHEST POINT, UH, WEST OF THE COUNTY OR THE, YOU KNOW, MORE HIGHLY, UH, UH, POPULATED AREA.
SO JUST, UM, HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT AS A RURAL COUNTY THAT HAS POPULATION COMING IN ON THE EASTERN SIDE? LOOK, UH, KINDA LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, I THINK YOU TALKED TO YOUR FOLKS IN THE AREAS, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BASICALLY TWO DIFFERENT LINES OF THOUGHT EVERYBODY SAYS, PAYS THE SAME AMOUNT.
EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE THE SAME SERVICE THAT'S GONNA COST A SMALL FORTUNE, OR WE TAKE THE LIMITED RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AND WE DO THE MOST GOOD FOR THE MOST PEOPLE.
AND SO THAT'S MORE THE CAMP I'M IN, YOU KNOW, NOT DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT THEY RIGHT, WRONG, OR INDIFFERENT, BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S PROBABLY THE ANSWER OUR FOLKS IN RURAL AREAS, YOU KNOW, IF I'VE GOT A PLACE OUT 20 MINUTES FROM THE CLOSEST STOP SIGN, I'M GOING TO EXPECT IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE TO GET THERE.
WHEREAS IF I'M LIVING IN A CONDO AND THERE'S SHOPPING CENTERS ALL AROUND ME, I'M EXPECTING SERVICES, YOU KNOW, PRETTY REGULARLY.
SO I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE BALANCE.
YOU CAN'T HAVE THE, YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE, PROBLEM GOING ON.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
YOU COULD HAVE MAYBE A SU YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THINK IT'S CALLED SUPER STATIONS, WHERE JUST ONE OF THE RURAL STATIONS KIND OF CENTRALLY LOCATED MIGHT HAVE THREE OR FOUR UNITS AT IT.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S BACK FILLING EVERYTHING ELSE AROUND IT.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO BUILD MULTIPLE BUILDINGS.
UH, OPENING ADDITIONS, ADDITIONAL STATIONS WOULD HELP WITH THAT.
UH, HAVING, UH, DEDICATED CREWS ON AN ENGINE AND AN AMBULANCE, SO WE HAVE TWO UNITS RUNNING OUT OF THE STATION WOULD HELP SIGNIFICANTLY.
THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD PLACE TO START.
UH, SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT, THERE'S A HUNDRED DIFFERENT RIGHT WAYS TO DO IT.
IT'S JUST LANDING ON WHAT'S THE RIGHT WAY FOR YOU ALL.
I TEND TO OBJECT THAT THERE'S A HUNDRED DIFFERENT RIGHT WAYS TO DO IT.
I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S ONE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT.
UH, MY QUESTION WOULD BE WHO HAS BROKEN THE MOLD TO DATE AND IS ANY SOLUTION THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT BREAKING THE MOLD SO THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING THAT, I MEAN, HONESTLY, WE'RE DEALING WITH INSURANCE ISSUES, WE'RE DEALING WITH, UH, MORTALITY ISSUES, ALL THESE THINGS, BUT I WANNA DO IT IN THE MOST CLEVER WAY AND CREATIVE WAY INSTEAD OF THE BUREAUCRATIC WAY.
SO I, ARE WE DOING THAT AND LOOKING AT IT IN THAT WAY? I THINK THAT TO SOME EXTENT, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE MASTER PLAN TO PROVIDE SOME, SOME INFORMATION SO Y'ALL CAN HELP SELECT THAT ANGLE.
SO, UH, TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, NOW I WAS IN A CITY AND THE CITY IS NOT A COUNTY AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS NECESSARILY WORK FOR A COUNTY BECAUSE IF WE EVER RAN INTO A TRANSPORT ISSUE WITH THIS, WE'D BE DEAD IN THE WATER.
BUT I TOOK, UH, EIGHT FOLKS, SO TWO OF A VEHICLE AND STUCK 'EM IN PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE CAP ON THE BACK SLIDE OUT FOR THEIR BUNK OF GEAR, WATER CAN AND THAT SORT OF THING.
I COULD BUY THE TRUCK FOR 50 GRAND, GET THE SLIDE OUT IN THE CAP FOR ANOTHER TWO.
SO FOR JUST OVER 50 GRAND, I GOT A TRUCK THAT'S GONNA RUN SEVEN TO 10 YEARS, GETS REAL GOOD GAS MILEAGE, CAN ZIP AROUND GO FASTER.
AND THEY WENT, WE WENT THROUGH AND IDENTIFIED ALL OF OUR CALLS WITH A 75% OR LESS CHANCE OF TRANSPORT RATE, AND THEY WENT TO ALL OF THOSE.
SO OUR AMBULANCE ONLY WENT TO THE, UH, CALLS THAT WE FELT LIKE WERE GOING TO BE TRANSPORTED BY THE NATURE OF THE CALL AND STATISTICALLY PROVED THAT, UH, OUR ENGINES ONLY WENT TO CALLS THAT THEY WERE EITHER NEEDED OR, UH, YOU KNOW, AS A FIRE CALL OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT.
AND OUR FOLKS IN THE PICKUP TRUCKS RAN EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO, I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF, OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT.
AND YOU KNOW, I SAY THERE'S A HUNDRED DIFFERENT WAYS
[01:00:01]
TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE COUNTRY THERE'S ALL KINDS OF, KANSAS IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL THAN MIAMI-DADE, UH, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL THAN WHERE I'M FROM AND, AND, AND HERE AS WELL.SO JUST DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU'RE AT, YOU, THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THINGS AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT INVENTIVE WAYS.
IT'S JUST WHAT'S THE WAY THAT'S GONNA WORK BEST FOR YOU ALL.
AND I WOULD LEAN ON MY FIRE CHIEF FOR THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, SO SOME OPTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION.
SO WE WENT THROUGH AND THERE'S, THERE'S MORE MODELING WITHIN THE REPORT, BUT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF, OF PRESENTATION TO KIND OF GIVE YOU THE, THE BACKGROUND, WHAT WE DID.
SO THIS WOULD BE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING, I WOULDN'T HANG MY HAT ON THIS ONE ITEM, BUT IT DOES PROVIDE US SOME GOOD INFORMATION ON IMPACT BASED ON HISTORICAL DATA.
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE IS TAKEN OUR EXISTING SIX STATIONS, AND THEN WE HAVE THAT STATION SEVEN, UH, THAT'S PROPOSED AND I, I BELIEVE UNDERWAY, AND WE'RE GONNA USE THIS AS A BASELINE.
SO WE'RE JUST UNDER 78% FOR OUR 2022 INCIDENTS.
SO FOR A EIGHT MINUTE TRAVEL TIME, THE REASON WE USE EIGHT MINUTES, THERE'S A LOT OF STUDIES OUT THERE THAT SAY IN RURAL TRANSPORT SYSTEMS, THAT EIGHT MINUTES OR FOUR MINUTES, THERE'S REALLY NO DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOMES.
AND SO, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A DIFFERENCE IN PATIENT OUTCOMES, THEY ALL KIND OF CONCLUDE THE EIGHT MINUTES TRAVEL TIME IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO USE WHEN TRYING TO LOCATE STATIONS.
AND SO WE USED EIGHT MINUTE TRAVEL TIME, SO WE'RE AT ABOUT THAT AGAIN, 78%, WE MOVED TO EIGHT STATIONS.
SO WE'RE OPENING UP THERE IN, UM, SANDY HOOK.
WE'RE INCREASING ABOUT 6% PERFORMANCE.
SO NOW WE'VE ADDED A UNIT TO THE CENTER THAT CAN MOVE WEST, THEY CAN MOVE EAST, THEY CAN COVER THE CENTER.
AND SO IT KIND OF MAKES SENSE IN THAT CENTRAL WHY A STATION WOULD APPEAR THERE.
AND SO NOW WE'VE IN IMPROVED OUR PERFORMANCE THAT MUCH MORE, UH, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, WE'RE KIND OF GETTING OUT TO THE CRYSTAL BALL RANGE AT THIS POINT.
BUT, UH, BASED ON THE DATA WE ADD AN ADDITIONAL ONE.
WE ONLY PICKED UP ABOUT 3% WITH THIS.
AND SO WITH THIS MODELING TOO, WE WANNA LOOK AT, WE WE'RE GONNA START HAVING DIMINISHING RETURNS.
IT'S WAY TOO EARLY TO START PLANNING NINE STATIONS TODAY, BUT YOU KNOW, IF WE LOOK AT THIS AND WE HAVE THIS STUDY, AND THEN MAYBE IN A FEW YEARS YOU DO ANOTHER ONE AND YOU DO ANOTHER ONE, WE KEEP SEEING THE SAME PATTERNS, OUR CONFIDENCE IN THE ANSWER AND OUR VALIDITY WILL INCREASE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S GOOD TO HAVE THESE.
SO YOU CAN LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND SAY, HEY, WE KEEP SEEING THIS LOCATION POP OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
PROBABLY A PRETTY GOOD LOCATION FOR A FIRE STATION.
SO, RECOMMENDATIONS, OVERVIEW.
THIS IS JUST KIND OF HIGH LEVEL STUFF AS WE'RE TRANSITIONING FROM A VOLUNTEER TO A COMBINATION TO REALLY MORE OF A CAREER DEPARTMENT.
BECAUSE IF WE JUST LOOK AT VOLUNTEER AS A NATIONWIDE, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING FIREFIGHTERS, ROTARY BOY, SCOUTS, WHAT HAVE YOU, IT'S DOWN ACROSS THE BOARD.
PROBABLY NEED TO LOOK AT ROLLING OUR VOLUNTEER POSITIONS THAT ARE DOING ADMINISTRATIVE AND WORK AND THINGS LIKE THAT NATURE TO A, A FULL-TIME POSITION AT SOME POINT.
UH, EACH STATION SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE AN OFFICER AT IT, SOME TYPE OF SUPERVISOR IN A ROLE TO MAKE SURE, ESPECIALLY AS YOU START GETTING MORE FOLKS INTO THESE STATIONS, MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S FUNCTIONING THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO.
YOU KNOW, BAD THINGS HAPPEN AT STATIONS WHERE THERE'S NO SUPERVISION.
UH, THERE'S SOME COUNTIES IN CENTRAL FLORIDA WHERE YOU CAN GOOGLE SEARCH 'EM AND FIND OUT SOME MORE STORIES.
UH, CROSS STAFFING, ELIMINATE CROSS STAFFING.
OUR PERFORMANCE SHOULD IMPROVE, UH, NATIONAL STANDARDS, FOUR FIREFIGHTERS ON ENGINE AND, UH, ANY KIND OF AERIAL, SO LIKE A LADDER, UH, TWO OR THREE ON AN AMBULANCE DEPENDING ON WHICH THING YOU'RE KINDA LOOKING AT AT THE MOMENT.
BUT WE MAY NOT GET THERE TODAY.
WE MAY NOT GET THERE IN 10 YEARS, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE NATIONAL STANDARD.
INCREASE OUR NUMBER OF INSPECTORS TO INCREASE OUR, THE, THE INSPECTIONS THAT WE'RE DOING, REDUCE OUR FALSE ALARM CALLS AND HELP OUT WITH SOME, UH, EDUCATION TO THE COMMUNITY AND INTO OUR BUSINESSES.
THIS COUNTY IS WAY TOO BIG AND WAY TOO SPREAD OUT AND WAY TOO LEAN TO HAVE SOMEONE TRYING TO DRIFT AROUND BECAUSE WE CAN'T TAKE A UNIT OUTTA SERVICE.
SO I SHOW UP TO STATION SIX AND THEY POP A CALL AS SOON AS I GET THERE.
SO I DRIVE 15 MINUTES OVER TO STATION FOUR AND THEY POP A CALL.
SO I DRIVE 15 MINUTES OVER TO STATION FIVE AND THEY POP A CALL.
YOU SPEND ALL YOUR TIME DRIVING AROUND BECAUSE WE CAN'T TAKE ANYBODY OUTTA SERVICE.
WE CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE UNITS OUTTA SERVICE FOR TRAINING.
AND SO AS WE BEGIN TO ADVANCE INTO THE FUTURE, THAT'S SOMETHING PROBABLY TO BE ON THE RADAR THAT WE PROBABLY NEED SOMEBODY IN TRAINING AND SAFETY.
SO WE CAN LOOK AT THINGS LIKE, ARE WE DOING THINGS CORRECTLY? ARE THERE THINGS WE COULD BE DOING BETTER? WE HAVE MAJOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS OCCURRING.
UM, THERE'S SOME DEPARTMENTS IN THE NORTHEAST, THEY HAVE FOUR AND FIVE FOLKS IN TRAINING AND SAFETY NOW, WHO TRADITIONALLY HAD NONE UNTIL THEY STARTED KILLING PEOPLE.
AND IT'S JUST THEY NEVER REALIZED THEY WERE DOING THINGS UNSAFE UNTIL THEY GOT SOME OUTSIDE EYES IN, UH, PUBLIC EDUCATOR POSITION.
THIS WILL HELP YOU OUT ON YOUR ISO.
IT'LL HELP YOU OUT ON YOUR RISK REDUCTION.
IT'LL HELP YOU OUT ON YOUR EDUCATION.
IT HELPS IN ALL KINDS OF AREAS.
THEY EDUCATE YOUR SENIOR FOLKS.
[01:05:01]
THEY GO MEET WITH YOUR BUSINESSES, THEY GO TO YOUR SCHOOLS.THEY DO ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
EDUCATOR POSITION IS, IS REALLY IMPORTANT WITHIN A FIRE DEPARTMENT, JUST LIKE WITH PREVENTION.
THEY'RE NOT THE ONES OUT IN FRONT GETTING ALL THE GLORY, BUT THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK IN THE BACKGROUND BECAUSE NOT FOR NOTHING.
3% WAS NOT THE NUMBER YOU WOULD'VE SEEN 30 YEARS AGO ON THE NUMBER OF FIRES IN THE COUNTY OF THIS SIZE.
THE NUMBERS GOING DOWN BECAUSE OF FIRE PREVENTION AND OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
AND THEN CONTINUE TO WORK ON RECRUITING AND RETAINING NEW VOLUNTEERS.
THE ONLY CAVEAT OF THAT IS WE HAVE JUST LIKE SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE POINT OF DIMINISHING RETURNS AND WE'RE TRYING TO STAFF A CLASS OF 20 AND WE END UP WITH ONE AND WE LOOK AT $4,000 IN BUNKER GEAR AND $3,500 FOR A CLASS AND 2,500 IN OVERTIME AND ALL THE STAFF TIME TRAINING THEM, AND THEY GO WORK FOR ENRICO SIX MONTHS LATER, OR ENRICO, I'M SORRY, SIX MONTHS LATER WE GOT KIND OF WEIGH OUT THE JUICE WITH THE SQUEEZE ON THAT, UH, SINGLE LOGISTICS FACILITY.
THERE IS ZERO STORAGE SPACE IN YOUR FIRE STATIONS AND THERE'S NOWHERE TO PUT ANYTHING ELSE.
AND THIS STUFF IS JAMMED INTO EVERY CUBBY HOLE AND CABINET AND CRAWL SPACE THAT THEY HAVE.
AND IT'S SPREAD ACROSS THE, OH, I'M SORRY, IT'S SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTY.
AND SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO ONLY BE FIRE RESCUE, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO COMBINE IT WITH SOME OTHER THINGS, BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE A FACILITY WHERE SOMEONE CAN GO TO GET THE THINGS THEY NEED AND STORE ITEMS AND WE CAN KNOW WHERE EVERYTHING'S AT AND HAVE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY SO WE CAN ACCESS ITEMS QUICKLY AND NOT GO FROM STATION TO STATION.
TRYING TO REMEMBER WHERE THAT SIZE 44 LONG BUNKER COAT WENT.
UH, TRAINING FACILITIES KIND OF IN THE SAME NATURE.
IT NEEDS SOME TLC, UH, WORK ON A PLAN FOR THE NUMBER AND LOCATION OF FIRE STATIONS.
WE'VE ALREADY ADDRESSED THAT A LITTLE BIT.
LOOK AT INCREASING THE SIZE OF APPARATUS FLEET.
NOW THAT MAY BE AMBULANCES, IT COULD BE THE PICKUP TRUCK EXAMPLE.
IT COULD BE ANY NUMBER OF THINGS.
BUT LANDING ON A PLAN OF HOW DO WE PROCEED FORWARD AND MOVING FORWARD.
AND AGAIN, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN TOMORROW.
IT MAY BE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, BUT AT LEAST BEGINNING TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AND CONVERSATION OF HOW DO WE GET WHERE WE WANT TO BE.
AND THEN FINALLY A VEHICLE REPLACEMENT PLAN.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE RUNNING APPARATUS 20, 30 YEARS AND THEY'RE RUNNING INTO THE GROUND.
IT SEEMS LIKE A BIG TICKET ITEM WHEN YOU GO, WOW, YOU KNOW, HALF A MILLION, THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR AN ENGINE, BUT THE ENGINES ARE RUNNING 20, 25 YEARS.
WE LOOK AT A DEPUTY'S CAR OR YEAH, A DEPUTY'S CAR.
UH, WHAT THOSE CHARGERS RUNNING 25, 30 GRAND A PIECE BY SEVEN A YEAR, EVERY SEVEN YEARS WE'RE REPLACING 'EM.
IF YOU DO THE MATH, IT WORKS OUT JUST THE SAME FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF PEOPLE FOR AN ENGINE VERSUS DEPUTY CRUISERS OVER THE SAME TIME PERIOD OR JUST NOT EXACTLY THE SAME.
UH, IT'S JUST A BIG SCARY NUMBER, BUT ALL IT'S GONNA TAKE IS ONE CRASH WHERE WE HAVE AN UNDER MAINTAINED APPARATUS THAT PLOWS THROUGH AND TAKES OUT A MINIVAN.
AND PRETTY MUCH ANY SAVINGS WE WOULD'VE HAD ARE GOING TO DISAPPEAR WITH THAT.
AND THEN JUST A COUPLE OF MORE, UH, PERFORMANCE STANDARDS CHIEFS SPOKE TO, UH, JUST, UH, REVIEWING THOSE, UPDATING THEM, SETTING SOME GOALS OF WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE, HOW DO WE GET THERE AND WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS TO DO IT.
AND THEN AN ANNUAL REPORT JUST SO WE THE, YOU ALL AND THE COMMUNITY CAN STAY ABREAST OF WHAT IS OUR PERFORMANCE? ARE WE GETTING BETTER, ARE WE GETTING WORSE OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR SYSTEM.
AND THEN, UH, I'LL JUST PAUSE BRIEFLY REAL QUICK.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE I JUMP INTO THIS LAST BIT? UH, YES SIR.
UM, YOU, YOU'VE TOUCHED ON A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT CERTAINLY GOT MY ATTENTION WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT DEDICATED UNITS AND ALSO YOU, YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT ELIMINATING CROSS STAFFING AND, AND I BELIEVE CHIEF COULD CONFIRM THIS OR ANY OF 'EM, THAT OUR FOLKS ARE FULLY CROSS TRAINED RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE EMS AND FIREFIGHTERS, THEY CAN DO BOTH.
UM, ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT WE COULD NOT SHOULD, BUT COULD LOOK AT SIMPLY HAVING EMS, UH, AND JUST HAVE FIREFIGHTERS AND AND IS THAT WHAT YOU MEANT BY ELIMINATING CROSS STAFFING? UH, UH NO, SIR.
I MEAN, UH, SO IF, IF YOU AND I ARE AT A STATION, IF AN AMBULANCE CALL COMES IN, WE MOVE ALL OUR STUFF OFF THE ENGINE ONTO THE AMBULANCE, YES.
AND WE TAKE OFF AND WE COME BACK TO THE STATION, WE GET A FIRE CALL, WE MOVE ALL OUR STUFF OFF THE AMBULANCE BACK ONTO THE ENGINE, AND WE GO ON THE FIRE CALL AND THEN WE COME BACK AND THEN MAYBE WE HAVE TWO OR THREE EMS CALLS, AND THEN WE MOVE BACK TO THE ENGINE.
THAT HOPPING BACK AND FORTH IS WHAT'S DRIVING OUR TURNOUT TIMES UP OR ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
OR IF WE'RE IN THE AMBULANCE AND WE'RE DRIVING BACK TO THE STATION OR WE'RE OUT GETTING FUEL OR SUPPLIES OR WHAT HAVE YOU, AND WE GET A FIRE CALL, WE'RE HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND DRIVE BACK TO THE STATION TO MOVE ALL OUR STUFF OVER TO TAKE OFF IN THE ENGINE.
AND SO THAT'S HURTING OUR PERFORMANCE.
I'LL GIVE YOU, UH, GET A LITTLE BIT OF HELP ON THAT.
UH, SURE STEWART, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UM, OUR PERSONNEL ON DUTY, UH, DUAL ROLE EMPLOYEES, THEY CAN HANDLE, UH, FIRE OR EMS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE CALL BREAKDOWN ABOUT 75 OR SO PERCENT BUMPING 80% CMS AND ABOUT IN THE TWENTIES ARE ARE FIRE.
[01:10:01]
WHETHER THERE'S A VOLUNTEER OR A CAREER MEMBER, IF THEY'RE TRAINED IN BOTH DISCIPLINES, THEN IF EITHER CALL THEY CAN HANDLE THE CROSS STAFFING PIECE IS WHEN WE HAVE TWO OR THREE PEOPLE ON DUTY AND WE DO NOT HAVE INDEPENDENT STAFFING ON EACH UNIT, AND PERSONNEL HAVE TO SWITCH BETWEEN VEHICLES.SO I HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION MAKING CHOICE OF DO I TAKE THE FIRE ENGINE OR DO I TAKE THE AMBULANCE ON, ON THE CALL? THAT COULD REQUIRE BOTH RESOURCES FOR THE SAME CALL.
UH, VEHICLE ACCIDENT, UH, IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT OR A HOUSE FIRE WITH, WITH A PERSON TRAPPED OR PERSON INJURED? UH, WHAT WOULD REQUIRE BOTH? SO I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DUAL ROW EMPLOYEE OR VOLUNTEER THAT IS CROSSED TRAINED IN BOTH FIRE AND EMS IS A DIFFERENT SITUATION THAN THE CROSS STAFFING.
THE CROSS STAFFING DEFINITION IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS FIRST POLL, WHERE BASICALLY WE HANDLE WHATEVER OUR CALL COMES IN FIRST.
AND WHAT I HAVE, UH, TALKED TO YOU ALL ABOUT AND CONVEYED IN THE BUDGET PRESENTATION IS, IS MY CONCERN IS THAT MOST OFTEN IT'S AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES CALL.
AND SO THAT AMBULANCE WILL LEAVE THE JURISDICTION AND DO SOME OF THOSE 2,400 TRANSPORTS THAT WE DID IN 20, UH, 23 THAT CHIEF WATKINS ALLUDED TO.
AND NOW WE DON'T HAVE PERSONNEL LEFT BEHIND TO HANDLE THE NEXT EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE CALL OR THE FIRE CALL.
AND SO THAT'S THE THING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE AMBULANCES GO OUT OF THE JURISDICTION.
WE HAVE A FIRE CALL BECAUSE WE HAVE THE SAME WORKFORCE, VOLUNTEER AND CAREER DOING BOTH, UH, JOBS.
WE ARE A FIRE RESCUE ORGANIZATION.
WE DO EMERGENCY, UH, SERVICES.
AND IN MY OPINION, UM, THAT IS WHAT'S CARRIED US THE FURTHEST ALL THESE YEARS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN RESOURCEFUL.
IT WAS SET UP THAT WAY BACK IN THE 1960S WHEN EMS OR RESCUE SQUADS OR FIRST AID STARTED INTEGRATING INTO THE FIRE SERVICE, THE DECISION WAS MADE THAT WE WOULD DO, UH, WE WOULD BE FIRE AND RESCUE.
AND THAT HAS GIVEN US THE MOST RESOURCES AT THE BEST VALUE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DO BOTH JOBS IN ONE BUILDING.
AND IN SOME LOCALITIES YOU GO TO, YOU SEE, UH, FIRE STATION ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR A RESCUE SCORED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, THAT'S NOT US.
THAT'S NOT WHO WE WANT BE, AND THAT'S NOT WHAT'S GOOD FOR BUSINESS AND FOR OUR MEMBERS THAT WE'RE SERVING.
SO, HOPE THAT ANSWERED THE QUESTION.
THE CROSS STAFFING THING IS REALLY, REALLY MOVING BETWEEN UNITS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TOO FEW PEOPLE ON DUTY TO HANDLE, UH, INDEPENDENT STAFFING.
I THINK I HAD MENTIONED THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY I DID THAT OUR GOAL, AND WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE, IS THAT WE WOULD GET TO, WE WOULD HAVE A MINIMUM OF FIVE PEOPLE ON DUTY IN A STATION THREE ASSIGNED TO THE FIRE ENGINE, AND WE WOULD'VE TWO ASSIGNED TO THE AMBULANCE, AND THEN WE COULD HANDLE, UM, BOTH UNITS TO THE SAME CALL IF THAT'S WHAT WAS REQUIRED.
OR POTENTIALLY WE COULD HANDLE MORE THAN ONE CALL AT A TIME.
UM, I I APPRECIATE THAT CHIEF.
AND, AND STUART, UM, YOU HAD ALSO MENTIONED SUPER STATIONS AND UM, IT'S ALMOST SERENDIPITOUS OR, OR BY ACCIDENT THAT RIGHT NOW IS SANDY HOOK.
ALL WE HAVE IS AN EMS STATION AND EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION I HAVE SAYS IT'S DOING ITS JOB AND SAVING LIVES.
UH, SO WE'RE STILL RUNNING, I'M, I'M GONNA SAY OUT OF FIVE OR MAYBE SIX, IF THERE'S A FIRE INCIDENT, THOSE TWO STATIONS ARE MOST LIKELY GONNA RESPOND TO THAT.
SO, UH, I JUST HEARD CHIEF SAY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO BE A SCENARIO WHERE WE WOULD ONLY HAVE EMS, THAT WE WOULD ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE FIRE AND RESCUE IN THE SAME BUILDING.
BUT I'M SORT OF SEEING AN INCIDENT OR A SCENARIO WHERE HAVING ONLY EMS IS DOING SOME PRETTY GOOD STUFF.
AND, AND SO I KNOW THE PLAN IS TO MAKE SANDY HOOK, UH, BOTH FIRE AND RESCUE, BUT IN THE INTERIM, AND, AND AGAIN, UNAPOLOGETICALLY FOCUSED ON SAVING LIVES, UH, OVER PROPERTY, IS THERE A BENEFIT THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT SATELLITE EMS STATIONS WITH THE SUPER STATION BEING EQUIPPED TO VOTE TO DO BOTH? AND THAT'S, THAT'S A QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, THE, THE WAY WE GOT STARTED IN SANDY HOOK WAS WE HAD THE ROUNDABOUT CONSTRUCTION AND THERE WERE DELAYED RESPONSE TIMES IN THE SANDY HOOK AREA OF THE COUNTY.
AND SO PUTTING AN AMBULANCE THERE, WE ONLY ADDRESSED, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE SERVICE THAT WE OFFER.
BUT WHAT I WILL TELL YOU IS, UH, THE FOLKS WHO RIDE THAT AMBULANCE ARE ALSO FIREFIGHTERS AND THEY ALSO RESPOND TO FIRE CALLS.
AND CERTAINLY THAT AMBULANCE HAS ARRIVED, UH, FIRST ON, OR A COUPLE OF HOUSE FIRES IN THAT AREA.
AND AS YOU ALLUDED TO, WE DO HAVE PLANS TO EXPAND THE SERVICE IN SANDY HOOK SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE BOTH, BOTH SERVICES.
UM, THAT AMBULANCE IS MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE IN SANDY HOOK.
IT'S MAKING A, A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN SANDY HOOK, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO GET THAT FIRE RESOURCE THERE IN SANDY HOOK ALSO SO THAT WE CAN GO BACK TO OUR MODEL WHERE WE HAVE FIRE AND RESCUE.
[01:15:01]
UM, YOU KNOW, IF THERE WAS ONLY A FIRE ENGINE THERE, IT WOULD BE USED LESS FREQUENTLY THAN AN AMBULANCE.BUT I COULD STAND HERE AND TELL YOU THAT IT ARRIVED FIRST ON SEVERAL HOUSE FIRES THAT IT WAS CLOSER TO.
BUT THAT'S, THAT'S NOT AVAILABLE TODAY.
UH, AND I'M HOPING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, AS WE TAKE STEPS, WHICH WE, WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO GET, UM, EVEN IN A TEMPORARY FA TEMPORARY QUARTER FASHION WHERE WE WOULD HAVE A FIRE ENGINE, UH, IN SANDY HOOK AS WELL AS, UH, AN AMBULANCE.
AND THEN THE NEW FIRE STATION, UH, IS IN OUR CIP AND THE AND THE HOUR YEARS OF OUR CIP TO BILL FOR SANDY HOOK.
BUT BOTH NEEDS EXIST IN THAT SAME COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I CERTAINLY, UM, CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR EMS FOCUS AND CERTAINLY THAT IS ABOUT, UH, 75, 80% OF THE BUSINESS, BUT THERE IS A FIRE NEED IN SANDY HOOK ALSO.
AND, AND AGAIN, MY LAST QUESTION IS, IS YOU'VE MENTIONED AT LEAST TWICE MOVING EQUIPMENT FROM ONE, FROM THE AMBULANCE TO THE FIRE TRUCK AND FROM THE FIRE TRUCK TO THE AMBULANCE.
I, I'M NOT ONE TO GO OUT AND INCREASE MATERIAL OR EQUIPMENT COSTS, BUT WOULD THERE BE A BENEFIT IN HAVING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT INDIVIDUAL, THAT EMS FIREFIGHTER HAVING EQUIPMENT ON BOTH VEHICLES AND THEN THEY DON'T HAVE TO MOVE IT BACK AND FORTH? UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE EXPENSE ON THAT WOULD BE.
UH, YOU JUST OPENED YOUR EYES REALLY WIDE
WELL, PART OF THE, THE PART OF THE MAJOR ISSUE THAT IS WE HAVE DRUGS ON THE TRUCKS 'CAUSE WE'RE RUNNING ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT.
AND SO THERE'S A CHECKOUT IN THE CHAIN OF CUSTODY AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
SO THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING.
MOVING OUR MDTS WOULD BE THE NEXT BIG ISSUE.
BUNKER GEAR'S GONNA BE FOUR GRAND A PIECE, GIVE OR TAKE.
UH, THE AIR PACK SHOULD ALREADY BE ON THE TRUCK.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, I WOULD SAY IT SORT OF FITS IN THE SAME WAY WITH YOUR QUESTION ABOUT SHOULD WE GO LIKE A SINGLE CERT EMS VERSUS A FIREFIGHTER EMT OR A FIRE MEDIC? YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PAY SCALES ARE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD IN THIS AREA.
I KNOW IN MY AREA, A SINGLE CERT MEDIC IS PROBABLY GONNA MAKE ABOUT 45 STARTING OUT.
UH, DUAL CERT FIREFIGHTER EMT IS PROBABLY GONNA MAKE ABOUT 52.
SO ARE WE REALLY SAVING, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SIX TO EIGHT GRAND, ARE WE REALLY SAVING ALL THAT MUCH? I THINK, I THINK THE, UH, THE QUESTION THOUGH IS MORE CONCERNED WHAT'S BEING MOVED BETWEEN VEHICLES AND WHAT'S BEING MOVED BETWEEN VEHICLES OR PERSONNEL.
AND THEY TAKE THEIR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT BETWEEN VEHICLES, WHICH IS INCREASING THAT RESPONSE TIME IN SOME SITUATIONS.
AND SO A SET OF AS, UH, MR. MCCUTCHEN SAID A SET OF BUNKER GEAR IS, UM, BY THE TIME YOU BUY THE IN COMPLETE SET IS, IS BETWEEN FIVE AND $6,000 A PERSON, WHETHER YOU BE A VOLUNTEER OR A CAREER MEMBER.
AND SO WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE TO MOVE YOUR EQUIPMENT BETWEEN UNITS, WE'RE NOT MOVING, UM, TOOLS, OKAY, WE'RE MOVING, UH, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL IS SWITCHING TO THE OTHER VEHICLE.
BUT THE BIGGER PROBLEM THERE IS THE OTHER VEHICLE MAY ALSO BE NEEDED ON THE SAME EMERGENCY, BUT WE CAN'T TAKE IT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PERSONNEL.
SO WE ARE VERY, UH, VERY FORTUNATE IN THIS COUNTY.
AND I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT IN PREVIOUS BOARDS THAT IF YOU HAVE GIVEN US THE, UH, THE TOOLS AND THE EQUIPMENT AND THE APPARATUS TO WORK WITH.
AND WHILE SOME OF OUR VEHICLES, UH, DO FIT THE MOLD OF BEING, UH, OLDER IN AGE, I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UM, MOST ALL OF THOSE HAVE A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE ON ORDER THAT WE JUST CERTAINLY CAN'T RECEIVE, UH, IN THE TIME THAT WE'D LIKE TO RECEIVE IT BECAUSE OF SUPPLY VERSUS DEMAND ISSUES IN THE INDUSTRY.
UH, SO THAT'S MORE OF WHAT, UM, WHAT THAT CROSS STAFFING IS.
WE'RE NOT MOVING TOOLS AND SUPPLIES, WE'RE MOVING PERSONNEL AND WE'RE MOVING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
IT, IT ADDS A, IT ADDS A MINUTE OR SO, OR TWO IN SOME CASES, PARTICULARLY WHEN A PERSON HAS TO MOVE THAT EQUIPMENT THROUGHOUT THE FIRE STATION.
SO, UM, AND THIS IS PROBABLY BOTH OF YOU.
CAN WE SPEAK TO, EXCUSE ME? CAN WE SPEAK TO THE, UM, DAMN, SORRY, I LOST MY THOUGHT.
WOULD IT BE, WOULD IT BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE, UH, SINCE WE ARE SPREAD OUT, AT LEAST ON THE WESTERN END, MAYBE LESS EXPENSIVE RESUPPLY POINTS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE MOBILE TANKERS THAT ARE READY TO GO TRUCK CAN PULL UP HAUL 'EM AND ALSO, UH, ON THE EMS SIDE, LIKE MAYBE A LESS EXPENSIVE, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TERM WOULD BE, LESS CRITICAL, LIKE HOSPITAL TRANSPORT VEHICLES THAT LIKE A SAY AN AMBULANCE HEADS OUT TO A EMS CALL, IT'S NOT AS, UH, URGENT AND ANOTHER VAN COULD TAKE THAT PATIENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND FREE UP THE AMBULANCE.
[01:20:01]
WELL, I MEAN THAT, IT CERTAINLY, UH, WE'LL START WITH THE, UH, THE, THE FIRE, FIRE QUESTION FIRST, AND I'LL GO INTO THE, UH, AMBULANCE I MAY HAVE, CHIEF WATKINS CAN COME UP AND TALK WITH US MORE ABOUT THAT AS WELL.'CAUSE HE OVERSEES EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES IN THE COUNTY.
UM, THE TANKERS, THE TANKER CONCEPT, UH, WE ARE PUTTING, UH, TANKERS IN THE WEST IN THE COUNTY THAT HAVE, UH, THEY CARRY MORE WATER BECAUSE IT IS IN THE MORE RURAL AREA OF THE COUNTY.
AND WHERE THERE ARE NO FIRE HYDRANTS, UH, BOTH COMPANY FOUR AND COMPANY SIX HAVE A NEW TANKER ON ORDER, UH, EACH OF THOSE TANKERS, ONE WILL, WILL, WILL HAUL 2,500 GALLONS OF WATER.
AND THE OTHER ONE IS, UH, IS BEING BUILT TO HAUL 3000 GALLONS OF WATER.
SO, TO YOUR POINT, THOSE, THOSE VEHICLES ALSO HAVE, UM, PUMPS AND THEY'RE VERY CAPABLE UNITS.
UH, OF COURSE WHEN YOU START, UM, SPECKING OUT A VEHICLE OF THAT TYPE, IT ADDS A LOT TO THE SIZE AND THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE.
SO WE CERTAINLY NEED THE ENGINES TO GET INTO THE DRIVEWAYS AND WE'LL NEED THE TANKERS TO COME IN AND SUPPORT THE ENGINES WITH MORE WATER ENGINES ALSO CARRY WATER, BUT MORE CLOSER TO 750,000 GALLONS.
WELL, WELL, NOT JUST TANKERS, I MEAN JUST TANKS IN GENERAL, LIKE JUST, UH, OH, A TANKER DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE FIRE STATION.
SO WE HAVE, UM, SO IN THE COUNTY, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, MR. CHRISTIE.
UH, IN THE COUNTY WE HAVE, UH, OVER 6,505 DRY HYDRANTS IN THE COUNTY.
SOME OF THOSE ARE IN THE EAST END, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE IN THE CENTRAL AND THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY AND THE DRY HYDRANTS ARE IN THE PONDS.
AND SO IT JUST TAKES A, A, A FIRE ENGINE TO GO TO THE POND AND DRAFT AND VACUUM THE WATER OUT OF THE POND TO BE ABLE TO FILL THE OTHER FIRE ENGINE SO THEY CAN BE CLOSER TO THE FIRE SCENE TO TAKE THE WATER BACK AND FORTH.
UH, WE HAVE A SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE WHERE A, WHEN A SUBDIVISION IS BUILT AND THERE'S MORE THAN 11 HOMES IN IT, THEN AT THAT POINT THEY HAVE TO HAVE A, UH, A WATER SUPPLY ON SITE.
OCCASIONALLY THERE'S A POND, UH, PART OF THAT SUBDIVISION WHERE IT COULD MEET THAT NEED WHERE WE COULD PUT A DRY HYDRANT IN THE PONDS OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ACRES.
BUT IF THERE IS NO POND, THEN WHAT WE DO IS WE REQUIRE AN UNDERGROUND WATER TANK OR A CISTERN.
AND RIGHT NOW THAT'S A 10,000 GALLON, UM, CISTERN.
UH, BUT YOU SEE THOSE CONSTRUCTED ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 30,000 THOUSAND GALLONS.
UH, SO THAT'S, UH, ALREADY IN OUR SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE AND THE DRY HYDRANTS, UH, JUST SO HAPPENS THAT EVERY YEAR, THIS, ABOUT THIS TIME, UH, WE HAVE A, UH, VENDOR THAT COMES IN THAT GOES INTO THE PONDS WITH A DIVER.
THEY INSPECT THE DRY HYDRANTS TO MAKE SURE THE SEDIMENT HASN'T CAUSED ANY PROBLEM, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DRY HYDRANTS ARE IN GOOD CONDITION.
UH, AND SO WE USE THOSE, UM, RELY ON THOSE ALL THE TIME IS A GOOD QUESTION.
AS FAR AS EMS GOES, UM, YOU KNOW, THE VEHICLES, I'LL SPEAK TO THE VEHICLES, UH, WE ARE IN A VERY, UH, DANGEROUS PROFESSION.
UM, WE BUY QUALITY VEHICLES THAT HAVE, UH, THE LATEST SAFETY FEATURES ON 'EM, SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT, AIRBAGS, UH, HARNESSES SEAT BELT SYSTEMS. UM, THE, THE TYPE OF AMBULANCE THAT WE, WE PURCHASE IS, IS, UH, THE LEADER IN THE INDUSTRY.
THEY HAVE A PROPRIETARY SYSTEM OF THOSE, UH, TYPES OF DEVICES.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, OUR PERSONNEL ARE PROTECTED AS BEST, BEST THEY CAN BE.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME INCIDENTS, UH, ON THE INTERSTATE WHERE AMBULANCES HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS.
AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN REAL FORTUNATE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME INJURIES, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE SERIOUS INJURIES, UH, AS FAR AS, UH, PRIORITIZING CALLS, UH, TO GO, TO SEND, UH, POSSIBLY A, UM, A RESOURCE OUT TO, TO HANDLE A, MAYBE A PUBLIC SERVICE CALL THAT ISN'T TYING UP AN AMBULANCE THAT COULD ALSO BE LOOKED AT.
AND I'M JUST GONNA ASK CHIEF WATKINS JUST TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PRIORITIZING OF, OF EMS CALLS AND, AND WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE.
UH, BUT, BUT AGAIN, WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO OR WHAT WE'RE GONNA FIND ON THE SCENE.
SO UNTIL WE CAN BE SURE THAT IT'S THAT TYPE OF SITUATION.
CHIEF, YOU WANNA MENTION A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? YEAH.
AND ON THAT, WHAT I MEANT WAS, UM, MAYBE TRANSFERRING A PATIENT, LIKE IF IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE A BROKEN ARM WHERE THEY'RE, NOBODY'S GOING, YES, SIR, THAT BROKEN ARM WOULD CLASSIFY AS A 9 1 1 EMERGENCY, OR WE WERE, EXCUSE ME, WE WERE ONLY DISPATCHED THROUGH 9 1 1.
SO WE REALLY DON'T GET INTO SORTING THROUGH, UM, LIKE, UH, WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS SOME HOME HEALTH TYPE THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE OCCASIONALLY GET CALLED INTO STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND WHAT WE DO IS ACT, ACT AS OUR PATIENT'S ADVOCATE.
IF THE PERSON NEEDS TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, WE, WE TRANSPORT THEM TO THE HOSPITAL.
BUT MOST, THE ONLY TIME WE'RE SUMMITED IS THROUGH 9 1 1.
UM, THE CHALLENGE WOULD BE FINDING SOMEBODY TO COME TRANSFER THAT THAT PATIENT TO, PARTICULARLY IN THE RURAL AREAS, UM, WE ARE OFTENTIMES CALLED BY PRIVATE ANIMAL SERVICES TO ASSIST THEM IN GETTING PATIENTS INTO THE HOME WHEN THEY BRING SOMEBODY HOME, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR LARGER, UH, CALL GENERATORS, UM, THEY'RE CALLING US SOMETIMES BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET ANYONE ELSE TO COME OUT.
UM, THE EMD, THE PRIORITY ONE CALL IS OUR HIGHEST ACUITY.
UM, WE GET THE INFORMATION FROM DISPATCH AND WE MODIFY OUR RESPONSE ACCORDINGLY.
[01:25:01]
PRIORITY ONE CALL NEEDS AN AN AMBULANCE.AND THE FIRST TWO FIRE COMPANY, A PRIORITY TWO CALL NEEDS AN ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT PROVIDER AND THE TRANSPORT UNIT, UM, OCCASIONALLY WE DO WHAT'S CALLED A PRIORITY FOUR CALL, WHICH IS NON-EMERGENCY.
UM, AND SOMETIMES THOSE ARE JUST LIFT ASSIST.
WE GO THERE, WE PICK THE PATIENT UP, AND WE DON'T NECESSARILY TRANSPORT THEM TO THE HOSPITAL.
UM, WE DON'T TRY TO DO UNNECESSARY TRANSPORTS.
AND WE DO ADDRESS THINGS LIKE WITH OUR, OUR SIGNIFICANT CALL GENERATORS.
AND, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES EMS IS THE, IS THE FIRST GATEWAY INTO HEALTHCARE.
AND, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO CAN'T GET TO, UH, THE HEALTHCARE THEY NEED, THEY'LL CALL 9 1 1.
AND WE, WE SEE AS A INDUSTRY AND AS A PROFESSION THAT WE ARE DOING, UH, EVERY DAY, WE'RE DOING MORE THINGS THAT RESEMBLED HOME HEALTHCARE.
UH, AND THAT'S JUST, THAT'S THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS.
AND THE WAY, WAY THINGS ARE, ARE CHANGING, UH, THE INDUSTRY, UH, MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE.
SOME FOLKS HAVE COINED THAT AS PARAMEDICINE, UH, OR SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE, UH, PERSONNEL WHO, WHO DO, UH, THOSE DUTIES.
THEY MAY DO, THEY MAY GO OUT AND DO WELLNESS CHECKS.
THEY MAY HELP ASSIST, UH, CITIZENS WITH THEIR, UM, MEDICATIONS OR MAKING DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS OR CALL ON A CITIZEN WHO, UH, WHO WE'VE DETERMINED NEEDS MORE ASSISTANCE THAN, THAN PROBABLY IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
WE DO PIECES OF THAT BECAUSE, UH, WE DO WHAT'S REQUIRED FOR OUR CITIZENS.
WE TRY TO DELIVER THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE, BUT UNTIL WE CAN GET ALL OF THEIR FUNDAMENTAL BASIS COVERED, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE, UH, WISE TO EXPAND INTO MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE, UH, AS AN ORGANIZATION.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE CONTINUE TO DO ALL WE CAN DO TO WORK IN CONCERT WITH DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, OSELAND CARES, UM, AND FOLKS THAT WORK WITH THEM SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THE SERVICES THEIR CITIZENS NEED.
MANY TIMES IT MAY NOT BE AN EMERGENCY.
I, IF I MISSED IT, I APOLOGIZE IF, IF I MAY VERY QUICKLY.
UM, OUR, OUR CREWS ARE OFTENTIMES OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND OUR, OUR BASIC UNIT IS THAT AMBULANCE.
SO WHEN WE GO ON A SMOKE DETECTOR INSTALL, OFTENTIMES IT'S THE AMBULANCE THAT GOES AND DOES THAT.
WHEN SOMEBODY NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP, IT'S THE AMBULANCE, BECAUSE MOST LIKELY, BASED ON THAT 80% OR 70%, THEY'RE GONNA NEED TO BE ON THAT AMBULANCE.
SO THE CHALLENGE BECOMES WHEN YOU'RE OUT ON THE AMBULANCE AND THEN THE FIRE CALL COMES IN, PARTICULARLY IN THE RURAL AREAS WHERE YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE JUDGMENT, IS IT BETTER TO TAKE THE AMBULANCE STRAIGHT TO THE SCENE, OR DO YOU NEED TO GO BACK AND GET THEIR PROPER FIRE EQUIPMENT? AND THAT'S WHERE THE BALANCING ACT AND THE DECISION TREE CAN BE VERY COMPLICATED.
UH, IT'S IRONIC THAT I TOTALLY LOST MY, UH, THOUGHT AND IT WAS RELATED TO COMMUNICATIONS.
UM, SO COULD COULD WE SPEAK TO COMMUNICATIONS A LITTLE BIT? AND, AND MY THOUGHT IS A LOT OF THIS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUDGET WISE SEEMS TO BE FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, TRIAGE.
BUT LET'S GET THE ISSUE ADDRESSED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION.
AND I KNOW COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVEMENTS ARE PART OF THE BUDGET.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I THINK THAT THAT FIRST RESPONSE, I MEAN IT IS FIRST RESPONSE OF, OF ALL THINGS WOULD BE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY STREAMLINE A LOT OF OTHER PROCESSES DOWN THE ROAD.
UH, SO, UH, IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO THAT.
UH, ARE YOU, JUST TO BE SURE, ARE YOU, ARE YOU SPEAKING TO THE, UH, THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER OR ARE YOU SPEAKING TO JUST FIRE DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATIONS IN GENERAL? I'M SPEAKING TO EVERY FIRST CALL WE GET IN THE FIREARMS AND RESCUE AREA.
WELL, I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THE, UH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER THAT WORKS UNDER THE SHERIFF DOES A, A SUPERB JOB, AN EXCELLENT JOB.
UM, THE SHERIFF, UH, IN THE CHIEF AND THE MAJOR DO A GREAT JOB IN MANAGING THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.
UH, WE INSTITUTED EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH, UH, IN 2019, AND THAT WAS A HUGE HELP TO, UH, TO THE TYPES OF CALLS THAT, THAT WE, UH, RESPOND TO.
WE GET MORE INFORMATION, UH, BETTER INFORMATION, AND WE ARE ABLE TO HELP TRIAGE THOSE, OR AT LEAST PLACE THOSE CALLS INTO A CERTAIN PRIORITY SO THAT WE KNOW, UH, HOW TO BEST RESPOND, WHICH VEHICLES NEED TO GO, WHETHER WE GO LIGHTS AND SIRENS AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
I'LL TELL YOU THAT, UM, THE SHERIFF HAS, HAS WORKED HARD TO BUILD THAT INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT NUMBER OF, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO, UH, TOWER SITES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, UH, AS WELL AS THE, UH, EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL THAT HE NEEDS IN THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER TO CONTINUE THAT FORWARD PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.
UM, I'LL TELL YOU THAT, UM, THE DATA THAT WE LOOKED AT IN THE REPORT, UH, WAS, UH, PRODUCED BETWEEN 2018 AND 2022, THAT FIVE YEAR PERIOD.
AND WE HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES OF PROGRESS, UH, SINCE THEN TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE CALLS PRO PROCESSING TIMES BACK DOWN, UH, FIRE CALLS JUST UNDER
[01:30:01]
A MINUTE OR RIGHT AT A MINUTE.AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALLS THE SAME WAY, UH, MR. MCCUTCHEN ASK ABOUT PRE-ALERT.
AND, UH, I WANT TO TELL YOU HOW WE OPERATE WITH SOME OF THE PRE-ALERT THAT WE DO.
IF AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALL COMES IN, UH, THEY IMMEDIATELY DISPATCH THAT CALL.
SO THE WHEELS ARE TURNING, AND THEN THEY CONTINUE TO KEEP THE CALLER ONLINE AND THEY ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY NEED TO KNOW TO BE ABLE TO PUT THAT CALL IN THE RIGHT ORDER, THE RIGHT PRIORITY.
AND WE MAY EITHER ADD TO THOSE RESOURCES BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, OR WE MAY TAKE AWAY OR DECREASE THE RESOURCES IF WE DECIDE IT'S A LOW ACUITY, LOW PRIORITY CALL.
AND SO, LIKE MANY THINGS, THE MASTER PLAN WAS STARTED IN JANUARY OF, UH, OF 20, YOU KNOW, 23.
AND HONESTLY, UH, SOME OF THE DATA IN THE MASTER PLAN, UH, WAS FED BY OUR EXISTING CAD SYSTEM.
UH, I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE NEED A NEW CAD SYSTEM, AND IT WOULD, IT MADE IT A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH SOME OF THE DATA.
SOME OF THE DATA WE WERE LOOKING FOR, WE COULDN'T USE BECAUSE IT, WE, WE WEREN'T SURE.
AND IN OTHER CASES, UM, YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT IT CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THE RIGHT VIEW ON THE DATA.
SO LIKE THE COMMUNICATIONS, UH, PIECE, THE CALL PROCESSING PIECE, WE'VE MADE GREAT STRIDES WITH THAT.
AND THOSE TIMES ARE DOWN TO ABOUT A MINUTE OR LESS.
AND I, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE SEE THAT, UH, WITH OUR CALLS AND WE LOOK AT THOSE AND, AND THEN WE GET INTO TURNOUT TIME.
AND THAT'S ON US, YOU KNOW, THE TIME THAT WE HAVE TO REACT TO GET THE WHEELS TURNING.
AND SO THAT GOES BACK TO THE, THE CROSS STAFFING AND BEING ABLE TO BE READY TO GO ON THAT CALL.
UH, HAVE THE, HAVE THE FIRE STATIONS, UH, IN POSITION, UH, WAYS TO GET TO THE APPARATUS BASE.
UH, CERTAINLY WE DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDESIGN EVERY FIRE STATION, BUT ANYONE THAT WE BILL GOING FORWARD, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THOSE FLOOR PLANS.
AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE CLEAR ROUTES OF TRAVEL FROM THE, THE LIVING AREA STRAIGHT OUT TO THE APPARATUS SPACE SO THAT WE CAN MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION, UH, QUICKLY.
UH, IT SEEMS TO ME, I READ IN HERE THAT PERHAPS YOU WERE RECOMMENDING THAT WE SPLIT OFF THE COMMUNICATIONS AND HAVE SEPARATE, IS THAT, WAS THAT IN HERE OR NOT? I DON'T THINK THAT WAS IN THERE ANYWAY.
I'M HEARING YOU SAY THAT WITH ENHANCEMENTS YEAH.
UNDER THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, THAT THAT'S MUCH BETTER NOW THAN IT WAS WHEN THIS DATA WAS ACCUMULATED OR WHATEVER, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY.
UH, LOT, LOTS OF PROGRESS HAVE BEEN MADE IN THAT AREA AS WELL AS OTHER AREAS IN THE MASTER PLAN.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MASTER PLAN, AND IT'S, WE CAN'T SHOW THE WHOLE DOCUMENT HERE TODAY 'CAUSE IT'S OVER 200 PAGES.
THERE'S A, UM, THERE'S A PARAGRAPH THAT FOLLOWS MOST SECTIONS.
AND IT STARTS OFF BY SAYING, SUBSEQUENT TO THE VISIT BY DYMEX CONSULTING, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS OCCURRED OR THIS IS HAPPENING.
AND THAT LEADS ME TO THE NEXT, UH, UH, PART HERE IS THE NEXT STEPS OF THE 44 RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED, UH, WORKING OR MAYBE THEY WERE ALREADY STARTED WORKING ON EVEN BEFORE THE MASTER PLAN TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE.
AND WHAT I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU TODAY IN A WRITTEN FORMAT, I KNOW TIME IS GONNA BE, UH, TOO TIGHT TO GO INTO IT ON THE SCREEN, BUT IT GIVES YOU SOME IDEA OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT.
AND THAT'S A VERY, UH, VERY ROUGH RAW, UM, QUICKLY PUT TOGETHER DOCUMENT BECAUSE IT'S ALL A WORK IN PROGRESS AND MANY OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED.
ONE IS, UH, THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PIECE FOR VOLUNTEERS.
MR. MCCUTCHEN SAYS VOLUNTEERISM IS DOWN NATIONWIDE.
UM, SINCE THE MASTER PLAN, UH, STARTED, WE, UH, RECEIVED A FEMA SAFER GRANT, UH, FOR VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
IT GIVES US OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND A YEAR TO WORK ON VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
AND WE HIRED A VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION COORDINATOR WHO WORKS FOR US PART-TIME BEING PAID FOR BY THE GRANT FUNDING FROM THE, FROM FEMA.
SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, OF ONE OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN THEY FIRST VISITED.
I'M GLAD HE PUT IT IN THERE BECAUSE IT ALSO LETS ME KNOW THAT WE'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH.
UM, AND MANY OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, OR SEVERAL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE'VE ADDRESSED IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, UH, SOME OF THE, THE FULL-TIME POSITIONS, THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FULL-TIME POSITIONS, YOU KNOW WHAT, UM, OUR TAX, WE ENJOY A LOW TAX RATE HERE AND WE DO A LOT WITH OUR MONEY.
AND I LIVE HERE TOO AND RESPECTFUL OF THAT.
AND SO INSTEAD OF ASKING FOR A FULL-TIME POSITION, UH, WE EASED OUR WAY INTO IT AND WE'VE REQUESTED A PART-TIME POSITION TO COVER SOME OF THOSE AREAS.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE PART-TIME, DEPUTY FIRE RESCUE CHIEF, THE PART-TIME, FIRE LIFE SAFETY EDUCATOR, AND AN AN ASSISTANT OR A PART-TIME PERSON TO ASSIST WITH LOGISTICS OPERATIONS.
AND SO THESE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF, UH, OF THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE.
AND YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT CROSSWALK TABLE, UH, THAT WE PRODUCED THAT I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANNA TAKE AND DIGEST AS TO, UM, MR. LAW,
[01:35:01]
YOU ASKED FOR THAT THE DAY, FIRST DAY YOU SAW THE MASTER PLAN.CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY DONE OR WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON AND HOW IT ALIGNS WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS? SO, AND WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT TABLE, BY THE WAY, SO IT, IF YOU SEE, BECAUSE IT CHANGES BY THE DAY BECAUSE OF THE FORWARD PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING.
SO ARE WE, YOU KNOW, STILL IN A QUESTION MODE AND ARE WE SORT OF WRAPPING UP OR WHAT? I THINK THERE'S ONE SLIDE WITH, OKAY.
WELL, I, I'LL TELL YOU, LOOKING AT THIS, I MEAN, IT'S LIKE GETTING A, TAKING A MASTER'S DEGREE IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
IT'S VERY EDUCATIONAL AND I APPRECIATE IT.
UM, AND I, BEING NEW, I SORT OF ALMOST PANICKED OR, OR GOT OVERWHELMED I THAT WORK.
AND WE DO ALL THIS WITH THE RESOURCES WE'VE GOT.
AND THEN I REALIZED, UH, WE ARE GONNA PHASE THIS IN, RIGHT? WE ARE GONNA, WE ARE NOT GONNA GO OUT HERE AND CREATE THREE NEW FIRE DEPART, FIRE STATIONS IN THE NEXT BUDGET OR STAFF UP THE FIVE IN THE NEXT BUDGET AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
SO IF YOU, I MEAN, I'M SURE YOU'RE ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES, IS THIS IN A PRIORITY LIST OR FASHION OR JUST A LIST? AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY.
I KNOW YOU'VE PROBABLY WORKED ON IT.
SO I'M, I DON'T MEAN TO IMPLY THAT YOU DON'T, I I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND, AND MR. KUSON CAN ANSWER AND THE NEXT, WE CAN JUST FLIP TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
IF YOU WANT TO GO OVER THERE, STUART PROBABLY BE THE THING TO DO.
UM, BUT I THINK THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS KIND OF APPEAR IN THE ORDER.
THEY, THEY APPEAR IN THE PLAN ITSELF AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I COULD GO THROUGH THERE AND WE COULD PRIORITIZE SOME, BUT, BUT I CAN ALSO TELL YOU THAT WE ARE A, UM, PROGRESS MOTIVATED ORGANIZATION AND WE'RE WORKING ON MANY OF THOSE BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY'RE NEEDED.
WE'RE YOUR FIRE RESCUE LEADERSHIP AND WE KNOW THAT, THAT THEY'RE ALSO NEEDED AND WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON THAT AND BRINGING IN, UM, YOU KNOW, MR. MCCUTCHEN AND HIS TEAM TO TAKE A LOOK AT THINGS FOR US, GIVES US ANOTHER, ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE JUST TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND, UH, WHERE WE THINK WE ARE.
AND CERTAINLY, UM, CERTAINLY I'LL LET HIM TALK ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND, AND BEFORE I FORGET, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A RECOMMENDATION IN THERE ABOUT VOLUNTEERS AND WE KIND OF DANCED OFF OF IT.
THE, YOU KNOW, THE VOLUNTEERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO GLAND AND EVEN OUR SINGLE CERT FOLKS, NOT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE AN INTERIOR FIREFIGHTER.
UH, THE ASSOCIATION OWNS FIVE OF THE SIX FIRE STATIONS, THEY'RE THE CHARITABLE ARM OF THE DEPARTMENT SO THEY CAN RECEIVE DONATIONS.
THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT VOLUNTEERS CAN DO WITHIN THE FIRE RESCUE THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY INCLUDE THROWING AN AIR PACK ON AND GOING INTO A BURNING BUILDING.
SO, UH, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I MENTIONED THAT BEFORE WE GOT TOO FAR OFF TRACK BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE, I CAME MYSELF OUTTA COMBINATION DEPARTMENTS.
THEY ARE A, A VITAL PART OF THE ORGANIZATION.
BUT WITH THAT SAID THAT, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I, AND I STARTED WITH THIS AND I'M, AND I'M CLOSING WITH IT.
SO A STRATEGIC PLAN, AND THIS IS WHERE WE LAY OUT, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN THESE PROCESSES WHERE THEY GO, WE WANNA HIRE A HUNDRED PEOPLE TOMORROW, SO THAT'S GREAT, BUT WHO'S GONNA TRAIN 'EM? WHERE ARE WE GONNA PUT 'EM? WHO'S GONNA SUPERVISE 'EM? WHERE ARE WE GONNA GET THE PEOPLE AT TO PROMOTE TO GO TO THESE PLACES? AND HOW DO WE FILL THE HOLES TO GET THOSE PEOPLE THERE? AND WE END UP PLANNING ON IS WE'VE GOTTA GET A PLAN IN PLACE.
THERE'S GOT TO BE MOTION ON THE FRONT END TO PULL THE WEIGHT INTO THE BACK END, AND SOMEBODY HAS TO THINK THROUGH THESE THINGS.
AND THAT'S THAT STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS, WHETHER YOU DO IT INTERNALLY OR YOU BRING SOMEBODY IN TO FACILITATE IT, BUT YOU, YOU HAVE DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIVES FROM COUNTY ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, FIRE, RESCUE, COMMUNITY, UH, SUPERVISORS.
SO THAT WAY EVERYBODY'S MORE OR LESS ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND WE CAN DISCUSS SOME OF THOSE ITEMS AND THEN GET THAT PLAN IN PLACE.
SO THEN WE KNOW, SO MAYBE WE DO WANNA WORK TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, HAVING INDIVIDUAL STAFFING ON THE UNIT KNOW AN ENGINE AND AN AMBULANCE STAFFED AT EACH STATION.
WELL, WE PROBABLY CAN'T WAVE A MAGIC WAND TO MAKE IT HAPPEN TOMORROW.
IT MAY TAKE THREE TO FIVE YEARS TO GET THERE, BUT AS PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS, WE CAN IDENTIFY THAT.
AND THEN IT'S CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT FOR, FOR EVERYONE TO SEE WHAT THE GAME PLAN IS.
SOMETHING MAY HAPPEN, IT MAY PUSH IT OFF, SOMETHING MAY HAPPEN, IT MAY SPEED IT UP, BUT WE'VE GOT A PLAN IN PLACE IN IN GENERAL TIMELINES.
AND SO WITH THAT, UH, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
I, SORRY WE WENT A LITTLE BIT LONG WITH IT.
UH, BUT I THINK THE QUESTIONS ARE WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS IN THESE PROCESSES AND, AND ANSWERING Y'ALL'S QUESTIONS AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU LEAVE WITH A LEVEL OF COMFORT THAT, UH, YOU HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE AND WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY AND WHY WE'RE SUGGESTING SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE SUGGESTING.
AND SO WITH THAT, I'LL, UH, STAND FOR ANY FINAL QUESTIONS.
I HAVE SOME, UM, MR. MCCUTCHEN, THE BIGGEST THING THAT I TAKE FROM ANY SURVEY IS WHAT, WHERE'S THE MODEL? AND SO, I MEAN, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO'VE DONE THIS BEFORE.
WE DON'T NEED TO RECREATE THE WHEEL.
WHO HAS DONE THIS EXCEPTIONALLY WELL? AND WHY ARE WE NOT? I
[01:40:01]
MEAN, I JUST, I THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO BE FOLLOWING AND SAYING, OKAY, WHO'S A RURAL ENVIRONMENT? WHO'S GOT SOME GROWING SUBURBAN AREA? WHO'S GOT THIS, THIS, THIS? SO IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO RESTART THINGS, BUT WE'RE GOING AND VISITING THAT PLACE AND SAYING, OKAY, THESE ARE THE 10 THINGS WE LOVE AND THESE ARE THE, YOU KNOW, THREE THINGS WE COULD DO WITHOUT, AND IT'S CONSISTENTLY GETTING BETTER.UM, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'M CHALLENGED AND SEEING.
I MEAN, I, I WOULD JUST LOVE YOU TO SAY TOBIAH KANSAS HAS THE BEST DARN RURAL FIRE DEPARTMENT THERE IS.
AND, UM, I, I HOPE THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN GET.
SO I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS EVERY COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT.
I MEAN, WE COULD TAKE TOWN A, WHICH IS IDENTICAL IN SIZE AND SCOPE AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO TOWN B, AND THEY COULD BE DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT IN CITY SERVICES.
THEY COULD HAVE SOME DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES THAT DRIVE SOME DIFFERENT THINGS.
I THINK IT'S REALLY, IT'S A LOCAL, IT'S A LOCAL THING.
I MEAN, WE COULD LOOK AT LOUDOUN COUNTY AND GO, HEY, YOU KNOW, LOUDOUN COUNTY VOLUNTEERS ON MOST STATIONS YOU HIT WAS THAT ROUTE.
I DON'T REALLY WANNA USE THAT REFERENCE IN THIS BUILDING ROUTE 15.
WELL, HOW ABOUT, UH, NEW CAN COUNTY
UH, AND THEY WENT TO, TO FULL STAFFING ON THEIR ENGINES AND AMBULANCES, UH, UH, MAYBE TWO, THREE YEARS AGO.
UH, SAME ISSUE, SAME ISSUE Y'ALL WERE HAVING.
UH, THEY DETERMINED THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST THEIR, THEY COULD IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE AND THEIR OUTCOMES BY STAFFING AN ENGINE IN AN AMBULANCE AT EACH STATION.
AND IT TOOK 'EM A COUPLE OF YEARS TO GET THERE, BUT THEY GOT THERE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF RICHMOND.
UM, BUT I THINK, AGAIN, YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE THIS A LOCAL ISSUE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, WE CAN LOOK AT OTHER FOLKS, BUT JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY THAT'S SIMILAR TO US DID IT ONE WAY, DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT'S THE RIGHT WAY FOR US.
WE CAN PROBABLY TAKE SOME IDEAS, BUT I REALLY THINK LISTENING TO OUR FOLKS AND, UH, TAKING THEIR INPUTS, THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.
SO THIS, THIS MAY TOUCH ON A COUPLE POINTS, BUT HOW FAR OFF ARE WE FROM BEING LIKE A TRAINING DESTINATION FOR FIREFIGHTERS? YOU MEAN LIKE FOLKS CAN AND GET A JOB AND GO HOP SOMEWHERE ELSE? WELL, SO IN THE, IN THE MILITARY WE HAD SPECIALIZED TRAINING WHERE EACH UNIT WOULD SEND ONE OR TWO INDIVIDUALS RECEIVE THAT SPECIALIZED IN TRAINING AND THEY WOULD BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR.
SO, YOU KNOW, FOR FIRE, FIRE STATION ARE, ARE THERE COUNTIES OR LOCALITIES THAT DO THAT? AND YEAH, IF, IF THERE'S NOT MANY, CONSIDERING WE HAVE A RIVER, WE HAVE TWO HIGHWAYS, WE HAVE RURAL AND WE HAVE RESIDENTIAL, HOW FAR OFF WOULD WE BE FROM BECOMING ONE OF THOSE? I THINK I DEFER TO ONE OF THE CHIEFS.
WHAT I WILL SAY IS THIS, UH, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS A LOT OF TIMES WILL BE THE BARRIER THERE.
UH, I, I DON'T, THAT'S NOT Y'ALL'S PROBLEM HERE.
YOU'RE LOOKING, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING OUTSIDE THAT CBA IS GONNA BE THE BARRIER THERE FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
SO I, I THINK I, WHAT I HEAR SAYING MR. CHRISTIE IS UH, IS MAYBE, UM, CAN WE DELIVER OUR OWN TRAINING? DO WE HAVE INSTRUCTORS? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? NO, I MEANT FOR OTHER LOCALITIES.
LIKE TO, TO, TO BASICALLY INCREASE RECRUITMENT, BUT US BE THE STANDARD, LIKE BEING A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE THAT OTHERS WOULD LOOK TO US IN CERTAIN AREAS WHERE WE EXCEL COMPARED TO, TO OTHERS.
WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU BRING UP A A GOOD POINT.
AND WHILE WE ALWAYS TRY TO, WE STRIVE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN MANY CASES.
UM, GLAND COUNTY FIRE RESCUE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE LED THAT EFFORT AMONG OTHER JURISDICTIONS LIKE US IN, IN A LOT OF WAYS.
UH, WE, WE HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF.
WE HAVE A, A GOOD ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND PEOPLE DO COME HERE TO RECEIVE THEIR TRAINING.
WE DO HAVE A FIRE TRAINING CENTER.
WE ARE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FIRE TRAINING CENTER.
WE HAVE THIS, WE HAVE, WE, WE KNOW WE NEED A LARGER FIRE TRAINING CENTER IN THE FUTURE, BUT I'LL GIVE YOU THE, THE MOST RECENT EXAMPLE I CAN TELL YOU IS, IS THAT WE ARE THE LEAD AGENCY IN A REGIONAL FIRE ACADEMY THAT CONTAINS, UH, STUDENTS FROM BOTH, UH, LOUISA AND ALSO HANOVER VOLUNTEERS.
AND THERE ARE 23, UH, STUDENTS IN THAT REGIONAL FIRE TRAINING CENTER THAT WE ARE, WE ARE, UM, HOSTING HERE IN GLAND.
AND THEY ALSO TRAVEL TO THOSE OTHER JURISDICTION FOR SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE, UH, PHYSICAL TRAINING THAT THAT'S DONE.
BUT WE HAVE FOLKS WHO COME HERE AND TAKE CLASSES.
UM, WE WORK WITH THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF FIRE PROGRAMS TO HOST CLASSES, AND THEN WE DELIVER CLASSES OF OUR OWN.
WE JUST FINISHED A AN EMT CLASS.
AND HOW MANY WERE, UM, FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE EMT CLASS? FOUR.
[01:45:01]
ARE AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN, UM, AN ORGANIZATION THAT FOLKS WOULD, COULD COME HERE FOR TRAINING.NOW WE GO TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS FOR TRAINING TOO, BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE WITH THAT SO THAT YOU CAN SEE WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING AND KEEP ALL THAT TRAINING FRESH.
AND CHIEF WATKINS, UH, RUNS THE, THE TRAINING DIVISION IN CONJUNCTION WITH CAPTAIN PROFIT.
AND I WOULD, UH, JUST ASK HIM TO MAYBE EXPAND ON THAT.
I THINK THE, THE THING THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS YOU HAVE TO CREATE A CULTURE WHERE PEOPLE WANNA COME TO WORK, WANNA WORK HERE, WANNA WORK FOR GLAND, AND SOME OF THAT IS BEING INSPIRATIONAL.
UM, PROVIDING THE GOOD TRAINING, PROVIDING MOTIVATION.
UM, PEOPLE WHO WANNA BE BUSY WITHOUT BEING RIDICULOUSLY BUSY, THEY WANT TO BE, UH, USE THEIR SKILLS.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT, UH, IMPORTANT THING WHEN YOU LOOK AT RETAINING PEOPLE.
UM, IT'S YOUR CULTURE AND HOW YOU TREAT PEOPLE AND HOW, UM, HOW THEY COME TO WORK AND FEEL LIKE THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING, THEY COME TO THE STATION AS A VOLUNTEER.
AND I, I WAS ALWAYS, WHEN I WAS A VOLUNTEER, I WAS ALWAYS KIND OF DISAPPOINTED WHEN I DIDN'T GET TO DO A CALL OR TWO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THAT'S PART OF WHAT MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO DO THIS LINE OF WORK, UM, AND IT'S SERVICE.
SO CHIEF, I'LL JUST, UH, MENTION AND GIVE YOU A COMPLIMENT.
I KNOW YOU'RE RUNNING A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE AG COMMUNITY HERE, UH, NEXT MONTH, I GUESS IT IS.
AND, UH, I SO APPRECIATE YOU KEEPING THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY AND SAFETY IN THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE HIGHEST, UH, DANGER, UH, INDUSTRIES OUT THERE.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS ON THAT.
AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT GLAND, UH, STILL AGRICULTURE NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY, RIGHT? IN THE COUNTY.
UH, AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT IN THE COUNTY.
AND SO, UM, HAVING, UH, FARM SAFETY CLASSES AND HAVING CLASSES THAT TEACH US HOW TO HANDLE THE FARM MACHINERY IF A PERSON IS, UH, CAUGHT IN IT OR TRAPPED, UM, OR KNOWING HOW TO WHAT THE HAZARDS ARE ON THE FARM IS IMPORTANT.
AND IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA BRING BACK.
WE USED TO CONDUCT THOSE CLASSES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE, UH, VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF VOLUNTEER RESCUE SQUADS, WE HOPE TO HAVE A PROGRAM, A WEEKEND PROGRAM LIKE THAT, UH, IN APRIL, MID-APRIL, AND I THINK IT'LL BE WELL ATTENDED.
WE HAD FOLKS WHO WENT TO BLACKSBURG LAST YEAR TO VIRGINIA TECH, TO ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS. AND WE'VE GOT SOME WHO WANNA GO BACK THIS YEAR TO THE ADVANCED PROGRAM, UH, AND CERTAINLY OUR OWN PROGRAM, BUT WE COULDN'T DO THAT WITHOUT THE VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU.
AND, UH, THE FARMERS WHO ARE WILLING TO MAKE THEIR PEOPLE AND EQUIPMENT AND PROPERTY AVAILABLE FOR US TO COME OUT AND TRAIN ON SILOS, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
UM, SOME, SOME, YOU KNOW, ARE OXYGEN AND LIMITING SILOS THAT YOU SEE THE BLUE HARVESTER SILOS, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT TYPE OF THING.
IS THIS, THIS DOCUMENT PUBLIC IS A PUBLIC DOCUMENT? IS THAT ON? IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT.
UM, IT, IT'S NOT OUT ON ONLINE YET.
UM, HONESTLY, ONE OF THE, UM, ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WAS THAT THE BOARD SHOULD CONSIDER IT FIRST, AND YOU ALL SHOULD BE ABLE TO, UM, DECIDE IF THAT, IF THAT'S WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
WE HAVE PROVIDED IT TO ALL OF OUR FIRE RESCUE MEMBERS.
UH, ALL OF OUR, UH, BOARD MEMBERS OF COURSE HAVE IT.
AND AT THIS POINT, I THINK THAT'S THE NEXT STEP, IS TO BE ABLE TO, UH, FOR YOU ALL TO DECIDE, UH, WHAT YOU THINK OF THE DOCUMENT AND WHETHER YOU WANT TO, UH, ADOPT SOME OF IT OR ALL OF IT.
AND THEN AT THAT POINT WE COULD, UH, MAKE IT AVAILABLE, UH, YOU KNOW, TO THE, TO THE PUBLIC.
IT'S A VERY, UH, INFORMATIVE EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENT.
SO I, I THINK IT'S, UH, IT IS VERY INFORMATIVE AND ALTHOUGH IT HAS RECOMMENDATIONS, I THINK YOU READ THIS, YOU REALIZE THAT WE'VE GOT A GREAT FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT OPERATION HERE THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE PROUD OF AND, UH, CERTAINLY IT CAN BE IMPROVED UPON.
AND I JUST, UH, I'M VERY THANKFUL THAT Y'ALL WERE ABLE TO PUT THAT FIRE OUT
WELL, I THINK THAT'S REALLY, AND MR. CARPENTER CAN SPEAK TO IT.
I THINK, UH, I'LL LET HIM SPEAK TO WHERE HE GOES FROM HERE.
SO, AND MR. WINFREY, UM, THERE, THERE'S NO PROBLEMS WITH IT GOING ONLINE, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEE, IT'D BE IMPORTANT THAT IT BE STRESSED, THAT THIS IS A PLAN, THAT THIS IS NOT A, UM, AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT, THE NEXT STEPS, UH, WOULD BE TO, UH, DETERMINE WHERE WE GO WITH IT.
SO WE WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE DON'T, UH, SEE IT AND, AND BELIEVE THAT IT IS SOMETHING THE BOARD HAS ADOPTED.
UH, THE BOARD HAS RECEIVED IT AS OF TODAY, SO IT'S A PUBLIC DOCUMENT, SO THERE'S NO REASON THAT IT CAN'T BE AND SHOULDN'T BE AVAILABLE.
WE JUST NEED TO MAKE CLEAR TO OUR PUBLIC THAT, THAT THE BOARD HAS RECEIVED THIS AND IT'S, IT'S A DOCUMENT FOR THEM TO USE AND CONSIDER JUST LIKE Y'ALL WILL BE DOING.
AND THAT WOULD BE MY, UH, I GUESS ASK OR RECOMMEND OR SUGGESTION THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THE DOCUMENT.
SO WE'RE NOT ADOPTING IT SAYING THIS IS WHAT'S
[01:50:01]
GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT ACCEPT THE DOCUMENT.IT'S, IT'S HAPPENED AND WE HAVE IT, THE INFORMATION'S THERE AND AVAILABLE, UH, AND THEN USE THAT INFORMATION TO, FOR DECISION MAKING IN THE FUTURE.
AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S ALSO A, A GREAT REFERENCE DOCUMENT THAT HAS, UH, EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATIONS IN IT.
UH, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S ANOTHER OUTSIDE SOURCE, ANOTHER OPINION, SO TO SPEAK, OF, UH, OF GLAND COUNTY FIRE RESCUE.
AND I THINK IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO US IF WE'RE GOING TO EMBARK ON A STRATEGIC PLAN TO KNOW THAT, UH, THE BOARD SEES VALIDITY IN THE DOCUMENT SO THAT WE CAN, UM, BUILD THAT STRATEGIC PLAN TO SPRING OFF OF THE, THE FIRE RESCUE MASTER PLAN.
UH, AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT THOSE PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND TRIP WIRES AND WHEN WE START TO NEED TO ADD ADDITIONAL RESOURCES GOING FORWARD IN A STRATEGIC, MORE STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WILL DRILL DOWN DEEPER INTO SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SO FORTH.
BUT AGAIN, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR FIRE RESCUE LEADERSHIP TEAM HERE IN GLAND IS KNOWLEDGEABLE AND WE CERTAINLY, UM, HAVE A GOOD, UM, SENSE OF DIRECTION ABOUT US AND WE ARE, ARE GOING TO MOVE THIS ORGANIZATION FORWARD AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS DOCUMENT INTO CONSIDERATION AS A REFERENCE DOCUMENT.
AND I THINK THIS BOARD AND PREVIOUS BOARDS, UH, HAVE BEEN PRO-PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE GOING FOR US HERE IN GLAND, IN ADDITION TO THE, THE GREAT MEN AND WOMEN THAT WE HAVE VOLUNTEERING AND WORKING FOR US IN, IN THE COUNTY THAT CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
UH, AND SO WE'LL TAKE ALL OF THAT AND WE'LL KEEP MOVING THE ORGANIZATION FORWARD AND WE'LL BRING FORTH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AS WE SEE IT.
WE KNOW THE ORGANIZATION, UH, POSSIBLY BETTER, UM, BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE, WE ARE HERE EVERY DAY AND WE CERTAINLY ARE ALSO HAVE OUTSIDE EXPERIENCE AS WELL THAN JUST HERE IN GLAND.
THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.
UH, CHIEF FERGUSON, HOW LONG HAVE THE STAFF HAD THIS DOCUMENT? YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU MENTIONED YOU SHARED IT, RIGHT? SO, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A LONG PROCESS.
I DIDN'T, I I LEARNED A LOT IN THE PROCESS BECAUSE IT TOOK A LONG TIME AND IT WAS SITE VISITS AND MEETINGS AND SURVEYS AND, AND ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
SO WE RESTARTED, WE STARTED, UH, DOING TECHNICAL EDITS, I GUESS YOU WOULD SAY FORMATTING IN THE DOCUMENT IN THE LATE FALL.
AND THEN, UM, WE WRAPPED IT UP IN DECEMBER AND IT WENT TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, UH, FROM THERE.
AND I BELIEVE WE PUT IT OUT TO OUR FIRE RESCUE MEMBERS, UM, IN, IN MID-JANUARY.
UH, MAYBE IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY, BUT THERE'S CERTAINLY NO LATER THAN MID-JANUARY.
AND WE SENT IT OUT TO ALL OF OUR MEMBERS, WHICH IS OVER, OVER 300 PEOPLE.
UM, AND SO THEY HAVE THE PDF, THEY HAVE A LINK TO THE PDF VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT THAT'S ON THE MEMBER SECTION OF THE FIRE RESCUE WEBSITE.
UH, SO, UH, THAT'S, SO WE'VE ALL HAD IT, UM, OPEN WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 30, 30 DAYS.
I MEAN THE, THE KEY POINT I WANTED TO MAKE IS, AND YOU STRESSED IT, IS YOU ALL ARE THE FRONTLINE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH.
UM, I JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT TYPE OF FEEDBACK TO ME IS INVALUABLE.
RIGHT? I, I'LL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS WE'VE HAD, UH, DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT ASSESSMENTS DONE IN THE ORGANIZATION.
UH, NOT VERY, NOT VERY REGULAR, BUT OVER THE YEARS WE DID.
AND CERTAINLY, UH, WE'VE LEARNED SOMETHING FROM, FROM EACH OF THOSE.
AND BY FAR THIS IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND THE MOST ELABORATE.
AND THAT DOCUMENT WILL CERTAINLY, UM, GIVE YOU, IF YOU PICK THAT DOCUMENT UP AND YOU START TO READ IT, YOU'LL LEARN NOT ONLY ABOUT WHERE WE ARE TODAY, BUT THERE'S A SECTION IN THERE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION, WHERE WE CAME FROM, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT AS WELL AS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GO TO.
ANYTHING ELSE WITH, YEAH, WITH THAT? UM, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, WE'LL ADJOURN TO OUR 3:00 PM UH, REGULAR BOARD MEETING.
MR. CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, MR. ADMINISTRATIVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU TO DYNAMICS AND ALSO TO OUR UH, FIRE AND RESCUE TEAM, UH, WHO ARE INVALUABLE, THE COUNTY TAKE CARE.
[III. Adjournment]
[02:16:41]
I[02:16:41]
THINK[02:16:41]
PATRICK[02:16:42]
PANIC[02:16:42]
ALWAYS BEEN ORGANIZED, RIGHT? YOU WITH BRIAN? OH, OKAY.I JUST WANTED, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THE ONLY REASON I SEND INFORMATION, LET KNOW WHAT THE PARAMETERS ARE.
WHEN IS IT? NO, WELL WE CAN'T DO THE FIRST TIME SEND, I DIDN'T BRING THIS UP.
JUST SEND ME STUFF AND I'LL GO CHECK THE CALENDAR.
HIS TEAM COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY.
THINK ABOUT WHEN ALL THIS IS GOING ON.
I WAS THINKING OF THAT PICTURE THAT SOMEBODY DID THAT LITTLE REALIZE HE WAS GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH ALL THIS OTHER STUFF.
[02:20:06]
THANK YOU.[02:25:23]
GOOD AFTERNOON.CAN YOU HEAR US? YES, I CAN HEAR YOU.