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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE NUMBER
INTRODUCTION Z
DEPARTMENT PROFILES
1. Caldwell 10
2. Cedaz Grove 15
3. Efland ~
4. Eno 33
5. New Hope 41
6. Orange Grove 50
7. Orange Rural (Hillsborough) 56
8. White Cross ~
9. North Orange County Rescue Squad 71
10. South Orange County Rescue Squad 79
11. Orange County EMS 86
12. Orange County Fire Marshall 92
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COUNTY LONG RANGE PLAN 96
COUNTYN~IDE RECOMMENDATIONS g~
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management consulting practice, copyrights this document It has been prepared for the
exclusive use of Orange County, North Carolina. Any citation, reproduction, distribution
or other use of this document or its contents without the expressed written consent of The
Sag~C~aaip and Orange County, North Carolina is prohibited under the Copyright laws of
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OftANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
1 This seckion of our report provides the background and methodology relative to
2 this study.
3
4
5 Background
6
7 Orange County, North Carolina is located in Central North Carolina in what is
8 called the Triangle Area. It is a demographically diverse county running from
9 urban characteristics with a high socio-econonuc population in the Chapel Hill-
10 Carrboro area to rural agricultural dominated areas in the northem portion of the
11 county. It also has a growing suburban segment, particularly adjacent to the
12 Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities.
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14 With the exception of the Town of Chapel Hill, the County has been served by
15 volunteer emergency services providers up until the 1990s. In the early part of that
16 decade, the Town of Canboro transitioned from a volunteer fire department
17 supplemented by paid personnel to a full paid staffed department. Chapel Hill and
18 Carrboro remain the two only full paid fire departments, with volunteer
19 departments providing fire and emergency services throughout the rest of the
20 County.
21
22 The County's emergency medical service was also provided by volunteer rescue
23 squads into the 1990s. These squads added paid personnel to staff EMS apparatus
24 and then merged in an effort to provide a more efficient approach to serving the
25 County. When it became evident that the rescue squad could not provide EMS
26 response and transport in a cost effective way, Emergency Management assumed
27 responsibility for delivering EMS paramedic response and transport and now
28 provides those functions through the Division of Emergency Medical Services.
29 Special technical rescue functions remain the responsibility of the rescue squads,
30 who d.i.ssolved the merged entity to revert back to the original structure of two
31 organizations.
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33 The County Convnission and administration recognized the disjointed nature of
34 emergency service delivery and needed an independent third party to help
35 deternune:
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
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2 - How should emergency services be delivered, in particular what should the
3 organizational configuration look like?
4 - How should emergency service be funded and at what level?
5 - What organization(s) should deliver which services?
6 - What will emergency service delivery look like in the next 5-7 years and the
7 next 15 to 20 years?
8 T'he Commission asked that the recommendations be divided into 2 levels: short-term - those
9 that should be addressed in the next 1 to 3 years; long-term - those that should be addressed
10 over the next 5 to 15 years.
11
12
13 General Methodology
14
15 Our methodology for this project was to work closely with the stakeholders. This
16 was best achieved by visiting, meeting with, and interviewing those with specific
17 interests in the outcome of the study. Some of the activities that we undertook to
18 achieve this objective included:
19
20 - Attending a Chief's meeting at which the chief or the chief's representation
21 were present from every departmen~ fire, rescue, and County EMS.
22 - Attending an EMS staff ineeting facilitated by the Couniy's Medical Director.
23 - Meeting with every volunteer fire department in Orange County at their
24 station(s). Our interviews were with the chief and most often other chief
25 officers, line officers, and board members.
26 - Traveling the fire districts to understand the transportation arteries and
27 limitations/constraints.
28 - Meeting with, and interviewing the chief of Chapel Hill Fire Department,
29 even though this deparhnent is not part of the primary focus of this study.
30 - Meeting with, and interviewing the chief of Carrboro Fire Department, even
31 though this department is not part of the primary focus of this study.
32 - Meeting with, and interviewing most of the County Commissioners.
33 - Meeting with, and interviewing the County Medical Director.
34 - Meeting with, and interviewing the EMS Shift Commanders.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
1 - Meeting with, and interviewing the chief, assistant chiefs, and several other
2 officers from the Orange County Rescue Squad (North) at their station.
3 - Attending a board meeting of the Orange County Rescue Squad (North) at
4 their station and discussing issue with the boazd.
5 - Meeting with, and interviewing the chief, and other officers from the South
6 Orange County Rescue Squad at their station.
7
8 Our interviews and travel throughout the County spanned over 75 hours. In
9 addition, we gathered information regarding apparatus, membership, budgets,
10 financing, district demographics, ISO ratings, call volume, response times, water
11 supply, and call nature.
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13
14 Specific Methodology
15
16 We combined our economic and financial analysis expertise and our strategic
17 plaruliilg expertise in working with emergency service organizations. In
18 developing recommendations, we performed an alternative analysis: impacts on the
19 county with regazds to NFPA standards and guidelines, ISO grading criteria, OSHA
20 regulations, and ADA requirements. We also took into consideration State of North
21 Carolina Emergency Medical Services standards and expectations as well as the
22 Count~s own expectations regarding the delivery of emergency services.
23
24
25 Scope of Sfiudy
26
27 Our overall scope was to assess the current level of fire/rescue services of Orange
28 County and recommend a station location plan to meet the needs of the County and
29 its citizens giving consideration to overall costs benefits and best practices. This
30 was later expanded to include the EMS Division of the County's Emergency
31 Management organization.
32
33 In completing this engagement, we performed the following:
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35 1. We documented Fire, Rescue, and EMS demographics within the County
36 including:
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
. INTRODUCTION
1 a. Population served and population characteristics witlvn the
2 uninrnrporated areas of the County;
3 b. Transportation issues such as clistance, intersections, traffic lights,
4 railroad crossings, traffic pattems;
5 c. Water sources, supply, and distribution;
6 d. Historical response times for various emergency types;
7 e. Historical incidents, particularly working fires, mutual aid
8 agreements, hazardous materials incidents;
9 f. Total incident out times by incident type;
10 g. Statistical assessment of potential future inczdents based on historical;
11 h. Staffing;
12 i. Apparatus;
13 2. We analyzed and evaluated planning projections for growth in the various
14 communities within the county looking to establish the future demands for
15 services as the County continues to grow.
16 3. We evaluated the location of existing and planned fire stations, EMS
17 facilities, and rescue squads with regard to effectiveness, appropriateness,
18 service demand and response capability.
19 4. We assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the current and planned
20 configuration and operations.
21 a. Multi-use stations (fire, rescue, and EMS);
22 b. Planned Stations vis-a-vis planning projections for growth;
23 c. Existing staffing for current stations (paid and volunteer);
24 d. Value of current stations and the potential costs to update, renovate,
25 or relocate those stations.
26 5. We deternuned and have made recommendations for the optimum number
27 of fire stations required to meet the response demands of the County for
28 emergency incidents and bring the appropriate resources to that emergency.
29 6. We assessed the level of service to be delivered by the County (response
30 times, resources, etc.).
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
1 7. We evaluated the most appropriate location(s) for deploying personnel and
2 appazatus and have made recommendations to the County
3 8. We evaluated the various departments and their current human resources,
4 how those resources aze deployed (within the context of apparatus,
5 residence, and station assignment), and their adequacy to meet the
6 situational demands of emergency service.
7 9. We evaluated the current status and use of apparatus. In particular we were
8 concemed with maintenance and lifespan, capital replacement schedule,
9 funding and alternative funding sources to be considered.
10 10. We evaluated those aspects of County Administration where the
11 involvement of fire and rescue departments can be of assistance to plans and
12 programs and will help in the delivery of fire and rescue services. In
13 parti.cular, looked at:
14 a. Subdivision Planning;
15 b. Water lines;
16 c. Transportation arteries;
17 d. Street design (cul-de-sacs, gated communities, etc.)
18 11. We reviewed current departments' ISO ratings. We verbally made
19 recommendations to each of the departments on how they might improve
20 their ratings. We discussed how the county might assist fire departments
21 with improvement.
22 12. We reviewed current training practices and facilities, including the role of
23 azea community college support. We aLso:
24 a. Identified countywide training facility needs;
25 b. Identified specific training standazds such as mass casualty response
26 and standard equipment; and,
27 c. Reviewed training programs in light of how they relate to the
28 implementadon of mutual aid agreements.
29 13. We performed a financial analysis of the costs for operating departments
30 within the framework of that which we have outlined. That analysis has
31 been translated into tax rate funding for each of the departments.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
1 14. We developed and have provided criteria for identifying the future need for
2 services, including the data needed to address anticipated service demands;
3 15. We evaluated the current countywide public education programs on public
4 safety and have made reconvnendations for adding to those programs to add
5 to the self-sufficiency of the public in disasters.
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7 Timing
8
9 The engagement has extended beyond the expected 90 days from the date of
10 execution of the contract. This is primarily due to interview timing, requests for
11 additional interviews, expansion of information gathering relative to EMS, and the
12 difficulty in obtaining data from many of the departments.
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14 Difficulty in obtaining the data probably related to some skepticism by the
15 departments as to the "real reason" for the study. The County clearly lacks
16 credibility in the eyes of many of the volunteer departments, including rescue
17 squads. Many continued, in spite of protestations to the contrary, to believe the
18 engagement was initiated in order to "drive the volunteers out of business". This
19 trust divide is something the County must overcome because of its i.mplications
20 on the longer term recommendations as well as the atmosphere in which
21 emergency services is delivered.
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24 Defcnitions
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26 This portion is intended to ensure that all who read this report understand the
27 terminology that is used. While those involved in emergency services understand
28 the terms, not all in County Administration or those in policy roles may.
29
30 EMT - Emergency Medical TecYinician. This is the level between medical first
31 responder and paramedic. In Orange County, EMTs staff the County's transport
32 ambulances. They may be paid staff or volunteers.
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34 Gpm - Gallons per minute. This refers to the capacity of a pumper (or tanker)
35 engine to distribute water. This is important in terms of extinguishing a fire but
36 also in terms of the measure used by ISO in rating a depariment. Based on the
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
1 judged average fire potential, a department must be able to pwnp a certain gpm
2 and volume of water at a scene.
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4 IRV - Independent Rescue Vehicle: the program used by Orange County EMS that
5 assigns a paramedic to a vehicle and dispatches one or more of these units to a
6 medical call. The objective is for the paramedic to perform a more detailed
7 analysis/diagnosis and determine the level of transport required, or if any transport
8 is even necessary. This program is unique within the State of North Carolina and
9 allows the County to operate with EMS fewer transport units and a resulting lower
10 level of EMS staffing. The program requires rigorous quality control oversight and
11 analysis.
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13 Medical First Responder - Usually a fire department member trained in basic
14 emergency medical care and certified to conduct patient assessment, take and
15 record vital signs, gather initial impressions to provide to higher level certified EMS
16 personnel upon their arrival at the scene. First responders are usually the first to
17 arrive at a scene and may have to provide caze at their level of training for as much
18 as 20 minutes prior to the arrival of higher level certified personnel. First
19 responders are critical to the EMS system as they are closer in proximity (especially
20 in the volunteer system) to most incidents/patients and their trainuig can enable
21 them to help stabilize a patient, saving lives.
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23 Paramedic - Also known as a medic. This is the highest level of certification for EMS
24 providers. Paramedics are authorized to make a diagnosis, determine the need for
25 emergency transport, and administer drugs in accordance with medical protocols
26 and physician instruction.
27
28 POV - Indicates response to an incident in one's personally owned vehicle rather
29 than in the department's apparatus. Many departments allow POV in order to get
30 personnel to the scene most effectively, with a policy that requires responding to
31 the station if it is between the member and the incident.
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33 Pumper or Engine - A fire apparatus used for initial attacks on a fire. These usually
34 carry less water on boazd than tankers, and are configured with attack hose lines for
35 interior fire attack on a structure fire. These are usually the first units to respond
36 and the first to arrive at a scene.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
1 Tanker - A fire apparatus that is used primarily to haul water for supplying
2 pumpers at a fire scene. These units are critical in districts without hydrants. When
3 a district has no hydrants, the fire department must supply the water to be used at
4 the scene. Tankers are used to shuttle water from designated water points to
5 supply the necessary volume of water to suppress the fire.
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7 Water Points - Natural or manmade sources of water of sufficient size as to allow fire
8 departments to draw water from the sources for fire suppression purposes. These
9 serve districts that do not have hydrant systems.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CALDWELL
1 Overview
2
3 The Little River Fire Tax I}istrict is located in the northeast corner of Orange
4 County. The Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department is the only department that
5 serves as a primary responder and provider of fire protection to the Distric~t. The
6 Deparkment has one station approximately located in the point shown on the map
7 on the following page.
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9 The department operates out of one station centrally located witivn the district at
10 7020 Guess Road. The station offers immediate access to roads leading to the four
11 corners of the di.strict. Most areas in the district are within 6 road nvles from the
12 station. Areas on the very southern edge of the district can be up to eight road miles
13 from the station.
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15 The station has been constructed in stages. It is primarily a steel arch steel dad
16 building. Facilities include rooms for public meetings, and offices that aze designed
17 to serve as dorm rooms in the future. The station is well maintained and should
18 provide a long service life.
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ORANGE COUNTY _ FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CALDWELL
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2 The District is very rural in nature and is highly agricultural. The District has no
3 pressure hydrants for water supply, but has been aggressive in developing a
4 network of 14 dry hydrants and has plans to increase this number.
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As can be seen, the Department borders the neighboring fire districts of Cedar
Grove, Orange Rural (Hillsborough), and Eno. The Department provides mutual
aid to each of these departments on any signi.ficant incidents, and responds under
the new multi-department response protocol with these departments as well. The
District also borders two other counties: Pearson and Durham. This means
providing mutual aid as requested to Hurdle Mills and Durham County
departments.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CALDWELL
i Organization
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3 A seven-member board of cii.rectors oversees the department; a majority of board
4 members are not firefighters. The Department has enjoyed stable leadership and in
5 the last six years is currently served by only the third Chief since establishment of
6 the Department. The Depaztment meets every Thursday evening with one
7 Thursday each month being reserved for a business meeting, the remaining
8 Thursdays aze for trairung.
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11 Demographics
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13 The District is very rural and dominated by agriculture. The Department enjoys
14 strong community and auxiliary membership support. The Department sponsors
15 programs for the community at its station.
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18 Deparhnent Membership
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20 Membership consists of 27 adult firefighters and 2 junior (16 yeaz olds) firefighters.
21 The Deparhnent has no paid staff providing coverage during the week. Typically, 5
22 to 7 personnel respond to daytime inci.dents and usually 13 respond to major
23 incidents. The Department has been dispatched to 235 calls in the last 37 months
24 with call volume stable across time. Of these,
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26 - 74 incidents involved vehicles,
27 - 66 incidents involved automatic alarms or investigations, and
28 - 36 incidents involved wildland fires.
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30 Nearly all members are First Responder certified and about a one-third are EMT
31 certified. Some members are equipped with oxygen and bag valve masks for direct
32 response to a medical call. All have radios for communication with responding
33 medical units. This fits well into the County's IRV program.
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35 The Department relies upon one-on-one for recruiting new members. New
36 members join usually because they know someone on the Department.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CALDWELL
1 The map below illustrates the geographic cli.stribution of inembers and their
2 proximity to the station. Distribution is particularly important for medical first
3 responder calls as this m;n;m;~es the amount of time required for a qualified person
4 to arrive on the scene.
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Primary Risks
There are no interstate highways and no railroads that transverse the District. State
Highways 157 and 57 both go through the District and are significant transportation
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CALDWELL
arteries. These pose potential vehicle accident and hazardous material incident
exposures. Other risks aze primarily related to the agricultural nature of the
community: barn fires, wildland fires, farm machinery accidents, and other
structure 5res.
Current Apparatus
Type Age GPM Tank Passenger Special Equipment
Ca aci Ca aci
Pwnper New 1250 1000 Gal. 1 Thermal Imager
Smoke E'ector
Pumper/Tanker New 1250 1500 Gal. 4 Foam Pro System
Hydraulic Generator
Smoke Ejector
(Electric)
2500 Gal. Dro Tank
Mini Pumper Old 750 500 Gal. 1 Hurst Tools
EMS E ui ment
Tanker 1979 450 1000 Gal. 1
Brush Truck Old 150 300 Gal. 1 Brush Fire Hand
Tools
Back Pack Blower
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With this complement of apparatus the Department has the capacity to provide
4,000 gallons of water at the scene of a struch~re fire, well within the standards of
rural water supply, especially given the additional water shuttle capacity with
mutual aid departments.
Financial Capacity of the Department
Tax Rate and Revenues
In FY 2005-06, the department was funded by a tax rate of $0.046 per hundred
(the same as the prior yeaz), which generates about $148,012 in revenue.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CALDWELL
1 Projected capital needs
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3 The department has about $163,000 in capital reserves and expects to use up to
4 $93,000 of this amount to fund the purchase of 800MHz radios beyond the
5 County's allocation. In addition to 800 MF-iz radios beyond the County
6 allocation, the Department needs to upgrade its brush truck. While not a
7 capital need, the Department is also preparing for the addition of paid staff
8 coverage.
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11 Obseraations and Issues
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13 The Department's board appeazs to have exercised sound fiscal principaLs in
14 managing the affairs of the Department as evidenced by the facility, apparatus and
15 financial position of the department especially in light of the modest tax base and
16 current fiscal position.
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18 EMS coverage is insufficient for the District. Most EMS units are positioned in the
19 southern end of the County. As a result, EMS responders are not familiar with the
20 District and responses are often delayed. First Responders are responsible for care
21 for a longer period of time than is usually expected.
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23 The County has no fire training facility available for departments located in the
24 northern portion of the County. While the Chapel Hill training facility is
25 theoretically available, it is not practical for a department to strip its district to
26 travel to the other end of the County for training. Travel alone will significantly
27 limit use of thi.s faality for volunteers.
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29 The Department has no complaint about the location of the proposed Eno Fire
30 Department Station #2. However, it is unwilling to cede any of its tax district to
31 Eno.
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34 Recommendations
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36 We recommend Eno seriously reconsider the location of their proposed Station #2.
37 The proxinnity of this station to Caldwell's District and location at the end of its own
38 district is not supported strategically or tactically.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
1 Overview
2
3 The Cedar Grove Fire District is located in the northern portion of Orange County.
4 The district is served by the Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department. The District
5 has a population of approximately 2,500 with assessed property value of
6 $220,442,908. This is the largest District in Orange County at 62 square miles.
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As can be seen, the Deparhnent borders the neighboring fire districts of Caldwell,
Orange Rural (Hillsborough), and Efland. The Department provides mutual aid to
each of these departments on any significant incidents, and responds under the new
multi-department response protocol with these departments as well.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
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The District also borders three other counties: Alamance, Caswell, and Pearson.
This means providing mutual aid as requested to Mebane, Prospect Hill, and
Hurdle Mills.
The Department has two stations from which it responds to calls, the approximate
location of which are shown on the map.
Station #1- located on Penecost Road
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
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Station #2 - located on Hawkins Road.
5 By road nvleage, the two stations are approximately 7 miles apart. With the two
6 station configuration, the Department can adequately serve its district with the
7 Department of Insurance accepted 5 mile range.
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10 Organization
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12 The District is governed by a 7 member board of directors, the membership of
13 which is open to all members of the community. The Chief reports to the Board.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
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Demog~raphics
5 The Cedar Grove District is largely agricultural and rural in nature. Very recently,
6 there have been some residents that have moved to the District to escape the hectic
7 pace of suburban or urban life and commute to their jobs. However, the District
8 remains fundamentally rural in character. Tl~is means the District has a very small
9 density, resulting from large parceLs of land zoned agricultural.
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11 The community is tight knit and residents know their neighbors as well as their
12 extended neighbors. There is a community center that hosts various community
13 events, usually well attended by members of the Cedar Grove community.
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16 Department Memberskip
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18 The Department has 36 members, all of whom are categorized as "active". Their
19 members tend to stay on the Department; the average tenure is 14 years. There aze
20 six members that aze under 18 and would be classified as ' junior" members. It is
21 not unusual for members to have "grown up" in the Department. The Chief has
22 been in the Department for 27 years and the Deputy Chief for 19.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
1 Ten of the members are trained and certified as medical first responders. This is
2 important as 60% of the Department's calls are medical in nature.
3
4 The Department has 7 women who are active members.
6 The map on the following page is an illustration of the location of the Depaztment's
7 members. This distribution is helpful in understanding the staffing and response of
8 personnel, which is very well balanced.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
1 Primary Risks
2
3 There are no interstate highways and no railroads that transverse the District.
4 However, State Highway 86 and State Highway 49 both go through the District and
5 aze significant transportation arteries. These pose potential vehicle accident and
6 hazardous material incident exposures. Other risks are primarily related to the
7 agricultural nature of the community: bam fires, wildland fires, farm machinery
8 accidents, and other structure fires.
9
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11 Current Apparatus
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Station 1
- 2002 Intemational KME Pwnper- -
Tanker with 1,000 gallon tank;
1,250 gpm pump
- 1979 Ford F700 FMC Tanker with
1,250 gallon tank with 450 gpm
dischazge; 2,500 gallon drop tank
- 1986 Ford 350 4 wheel drive
Brush Truck with 200 gpm pump
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Station 2
2002 International KME Pumper-
Tanker with 1,000 gallon tank;
1,250 gpm pump
1979 Ford F700 FMC Tanker with
1,250 gallon tank with 450 gpm
discharge; 2,500 gallon drop tank
- 1979 Ford 350 4 wheel drive
Brush Truck with 200 gpm pump
- 1985 Chevrolet Van (First
Responder Vehicle with EMS
equipment, cascade air system,
and extrication hand tools
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14 With this complement of apparatus the Department has the capacity to provide
15 4,500 gallons of water at the scene of a structure fire, well witlvn the standazds of
16 rural water supply, especially given the additional water shuttle capacity with
17 mutual aid departments.
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
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Financial Capacity of the Deparhnent
Cedar Grove is funded through a combination of tax revenues, fund raising and
donations from the community. The Department also borrows money as needed
for large dollar purchases such as apparatus and buildings. The Department
budget is based on $150,000 in annual revenues with plans to add $10,000 to its
reserve account, which is used for capital expenditures.
Tax Rate and Revenues
The District tax rate is $0.073. 'I11is translates into projected revenues of
approximately $150,000. Additionally, the Department mails 1,400 fund
raising solicitations that generate $10,000 annually. Each year the Department
receives donations but the amount is uncertain and varies.
Debt
The Department currenfly owes $265,000 for apparatus and buildings. Annual
loan payments are approximately $40,000.
Projected capital needs
The Department will need to replace app~ratus in the near future. Costs will
be approximately $350,000.
Observations and Issues
The Department's two stations adequately serve its needs but in the long term (10-
15 years) will need renovation. The stations do not have dormitory facilities, but
with the exception of severe weather or natural disaster, there is no eminent need
for such space. New apparatus may move up the need to renovate as today's
apparatus is lazger that the apparatus that would be replaced (1970s/1980s vintage).
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
1
2 Based on call pattems and projected growth according to the County's
3 Comprehensive Plan, there should be no need for additional stations or revision of
4 current locations over the planning horizon
5
6 The distribution of inembers throughout the District is balanced in terms of
7 response to both stations and POV response within the District. The Department
8 could benefit from some additional members, but current members aze said to be
9 active and it is rare that the Deparhnent does not have sufficient response.
10
11 The Department currently has an LSO rating of 9S. Given the number of active
12 members, available pumping capacity, and water points in the District, the
13 Depaztment should be able to reduce this rate and save its residents in insurance
14 premiums. One critical component for this reduction is certification and
15 documentation of water supply sources.
16
17 The Departmen~s ttivo tankers are 27 yeazs old. NFPA recommends replacement of
18 pumping apparatus after 24 years. Passing pump tests can extend apparatus life
19 but the new apparatus has features based on new technology and design that far
20 surpass older equipment.
21
22 Cedar Grove, as with most of the department's in the Couniy, needs assistance with
23 administrative issues such as grant identification and writing, preparation for ISO
24 examinations, budgeting, and financing.
25
26 Daytime response coverage is becoming an issue for Cedar Grove, although the
27 Department is cunently able to respond to calls during weekday "work hours"
28 albeit with a minimum number of personnel.
29
30 The Deparhnent conducts training weekly. However, the County uses the Chapel
31 Hill Training Center for prop/scenario training. T'his is not a convenient situation
32 for Cedar Grove, especially if it wants to conduct departmental training. We'll
33 address this issue in our countywide recommendations as this applies to all of the
34 Northern deparhnents.
35
23
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
CEDAR GROVE
1 Cedar Grove, as with other departments, conducts "live burn training" when
2 structures are available for demolition by burning. However, current regulations
3 require an asbestos inspection that can cost in excess of $300.00. This is a limiting
4 factor, as Orange County apparently does not have a licensed asbestos inspector.
5
6 Cedar Grove currently has 2 base station radios, 7 mobile unit radios, and 22
7 portable radios. With the Count~s nugration to 800 MHz., Cedaz Grove has been
8 allotted 3 portable radios. This is clearly insufficient and Cedar Grove is hardly in a
9 financial position to be able to afford the additional radios necessary for it to be on
10 the current communications level. The Department has submitted a Fire Act Grant
11 application to supplement the County allocation. However, there has been a
12 significant cutback Fire Act Grant funding and competition for the award of these grants
13 will be fierce.
14
15
16 Recommendations
17
18 We recommend that the Department begin the process of planning what is
19 desirable in its renovated stations. This should include additional apparatus bay
20 azea as well as dornv.tory space, office space and meeting space for training and
21 general department meetings.
22
23 We recommend that the Deparhnent certify and document its water sources in
24 preparation for its ISO rating exam. ('This is also a countywide recommendation: all
25 departments need to formalize their water supply if they are to improve LSO
26 ratings.)
27
28 We recommend that the District increase its tax rate from $0.73 to $0.78. This
29 should generate another $10,500. This amount could be put toward covering
30 weekday daytime hours.
31
32 We recommend that the department identify and formally document volunteers available for
33 weekday daytime response. Following this process, the Departlnent should hire 2 part-time
34 personnel to cover those periods when volunteers are not available.
24
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Overview
The Efland Fire District is located in the northem portion of Orange County. The district is
served by the Efland Volunteer Fire Departmen~ The District has an assessed property
value of approximately $642,973,000.
25
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
1 As can be seen, the Department borders the neighboring fire districts of Cedar
2 Grove, Orange Rural (Hillsborough), and Orange Grove. The Department provides
3 mutual aid to each of these departments on any significant incidents, and responds
4 under the new multi-department response protocol with these departments as well.
5
6 The District also borders Alamance County and the Town of Mebane. This means
7 providing mutual aid as requested to Mebane, both in the city limits and within the
8 East Alamance Fire District that falls within Orange County. The District is unique
9 in that the Town of Mebane, primarily an Alamance County town, extends into
10 Orange County. Its fire department also is responsible as the prunary responder to
11 incidents in this portion of the Town.
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
The Departrnent has one station from which it responds to calls, the approximate
location of which is shown on the map above. The station is located on State
Highway 70 west of Efland-Cedaz Grove Church Road. The Department can
adequately serve its district with the Department of Insurance accepted 5 mile
range from its centrally located station.
26
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
1 Organization
2
3 The District is governed by a 6 member board of directors. Directors serve until
4 their successors are appointed by the remaining directors. The President, Vice-
5 President, Secretary, Treasurer and the Fire Chief serve as the Executive Committee.
6 The Committee has the full authority to act for the board between meetings of the
7 board. The Chief reports and is accountable to the Board.
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Demographics
The Efland District is primarily agricultural and rural in nature. The population is
over 3,000. There aze some commerci.al properties in the District.
The community is tight knit and most residents know their neighbors as well as
their extended neighbors.
Deparhnent Membership
21
22 The Department has 38 members, all of whom are categorized as "active". Their
23 members tend to stay on the Department; the average tenure is 10.13 years. There
24 are four members that are under 18 and would be classified as "junior" members.
27
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
1 The Chief has been in the Department for 18 years, the Assistant QZiefs for 20 and
2 14 and the Safety Officer for 22.
3
4 The maps below illustrate the location of the Department's members. The first map
5 shows member locations north of Highway 70. The second map shows the location
6 of inembers south of Highway 70. This clistribution is helpful in understanding the
7 staffing and response of personnel.
8
9
10
28
ORANGE COUNTY _ FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
1
2
3
4
Primary Risks
6 Efland is in close proximity to Interstate 85/40, State Highway 70, and has a rail line
7 that transverses the District. These are significant transportation arteries and pose
8 potential vehicle accident and hazardous material incident exposures. Other risks
9 include some of the commercial operations in the District as well as those related to
10 the agricultural nature of the community: barn fires, wildland fires, farm machinery
11 accidents, and other structure fires.
12
29
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
1
2
Current Apparatus
T e Yeaz Pum Ca aci Tank Ca aci
~• e 1988 1,000 gpm 1,000 Gallons
~• e 2001 1,250 gpm 1,000 Gallons
Tanker 1990 750 gpm 500 Gallons
Tanker 2004 450 gpm 3,000 Gallons
Brush Truck 2000 150 gpm 300 Gallons
3
4 With this complement of appazatus the Department has the capacity to provide
5 3,500 gallons of water at the scene of a structure fire, within the standards of rural
6 water supply, especially given the additional water shuttle capaci.ty with mutual
7 aid departments.
8
9 Financial Capacity of the Department
10
11 Efland is funded through a combination of tax revenues, interest on eamings and
12 some minimal donations from the community. The Department also borrows
13 money as needed for lazge dollar purchases such as apparatus and buildings. The
14 Deparunent budget is based on approximately $178,000 in annual tax revenues.
15
16 Tax Rate and Revenues
17
18 The Di.strict tax rate is $0.03475. This translates into projected revenues of
19 approxi.mately $223,433. Each year the Department receives some donations
20 but the amount is usually minimal.
21
22
23 Debt
24
25 The Department currently awes $228,400 for apparatus and buildings. Annual
26 loan payments are approximately $27,000.
27
30
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
~
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Projected capital needs
The Department will need to replace apparatus in the near future. Costs will
be approximately $350,000.
Observations and Issues
Efland is unique among the Orange County volunteer departments in that a portion
of what should be its fire response and tax district is in the Town of Mebane.
Response to this area is made under mutual aid agreement but revenues go to
Mebane.
Efland undertook significant efforts to lower its fire insurance rating from 9S to 7.
This is commendable.
18 With some additional attention to training and training record keeping, recruitment
19 of additional members, the addition of paid staff for daytime coverage, and
20 retention of at least one of the Departrnent's older pumpers when replaced, Efland
21 could easily achieve a rating of 6, which is the most cost effective rating for a
22 department serving a community like Efland (primarily residential/agricultural).
23 Improvement in water supply would also be very helpful, as is the case with all of
24 the non-municipal departments.
25
26
27 Recommendations
28
29 We recommend that the Efland Tax District increase its tax rate from the current
30 $0.03457 to $0.04975. This would result in approximately $96,000 and allow the
31 Department to more easily fund paid staffing. It would also serve as reserve for
32 future capital purchases, including the purchase of addition 800 MHz radios.
33
34 We recommend the Department develop and implement a recruiting program for
35 volunteers to increase the level of inembership.
36
37
31
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
EFLAND
1 We recommend the Department increase its use of Chapel Hill Fire-Rescue training
2 facilities and document this use to aid in its future LSO rating survey. Even a
3 quarterly exercise will make a difference. The Department also needs to ensure that
4 trainulg is conducted at least quarterly with each mutual aid department, especially
5 in conducting water shuttle operations. This is also a significant factor in ISO rating
6 points.
7
8
9
32
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ENO
1 Overview
2
3 The Eno Fire Tax District is located in the middle portion of the eastem region of
4 Orange County and a portion of the western region of Durham County. The Eno
5 Volunteer Fire Department serves the District. The District has an assessed
6 properiy value of approxi.mately $561,296,000.00
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
As can be seen, the Department borders the neighboring fire districts of New Hope,
Orange Rural (Hillsborough), and Caldwell. The Department provides mutual aid
to each of these departments on any significant incidents, and responds under the
new multi-department response protocol with these departmen~.s as well.
33
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ENO
1 The District also borders Durham County and in fact has a fire tax and protection
2 district in that County.
3
4
5
6 The Eno Fire Department operates out of a 4bay, two-story station located neaz the
7 intersections of U570 and I-85 and was erected in 1962, the approximate location of
8 which is shown on the map above.
9
10
11
12 Organization
13
14 A board oversees the Department The Department is commanded by three chief
15 officers (Chief, Deputy and Assistant); five Captains (one coordinates their EMS
16 activity); and ttivo lieutenants.
17
34
ENO
~
2
Demographics
3
4 The northern portion of the District is generally rural in nature and includes the
5 Eno River State Park. The southern portion tends to be more suburban in nature.
6
7
g Deparhnent Membership
9
10 Membership consists of 26 volunteer firefighters and 6 cazeer firefighters. The six
11 career and two volunteers provide daytime staffing, which consists of two
12 firefighters Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM. (The two volunteers work
13 a schedule that is limited to 32 hours per month.)
35
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ENO
~
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
The station is also staffed on Saturday and Sunday during the vacation months of
June to September. Typically, 8 to 10 personnel respond to daytime incidents and
usually 12 to 16 respond to structure fires. Every member is reported to have
responded to at least 25% of the calls. The Department states that a large
percentage of their members are Firefighter II certified. The Department dces not
pernut response to the scene in personal vehicles, which is different from most of
the other deparkments.
The Department responds as medical first responders, also from the station.
The map below illustrates the residence of inembers in relationship to the station.
Relative to the new proposed station, there are no current members in proximity to
the station.
The Department has been dispatched to 828 calls in the last 37 months. Call volume
seems to be stable.
36
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ENO
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
- 198 incidents involved vehicles
- 326 incidents involved automatic alarms or investigations
- 75 incidents involved wildland fires
Primary Risks
Approximately six miles of heavily traveled Interstate 85 passes through the center
of the District and introduces all the associated hazards that come with serving an
Interstate highway. The Department has one interchange for I-85 highway access
within the District. The District has minimal water resources for fire fighting. As
with most of the other departments, all water must be carried to the scene of an
incident. At this time, the Department has no plan for developing static water
sources and hydrants are not an available option.
Current Apparatus
Type Age GPM Tank
Ca aci Passenger
Ca aci
Pumper/Tanker 2001 1250 1000 Gal. 5
Pum er/Tanker 2001 1250 1000 Gal. 5
Pum er/Tanker 1996 1250 1250 Gal. 5
Brush Truck 1992 250 250 Gal. 1
g~7 1999
At a water volume capacity of 3,250, the Department is at the lower end of
acceptable for volume needed at a structure fire according to most industry
standards, 'This has an impact on the ISU rating that they can attain.
37
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ENO
1 Financial Capacity of the Department
2
3 Tax Rate and Revenues
4
5 In FY 2005-06, the Department was funded by a tax rate of $0.057 per hundred
6 (the same as the prior year), which generates about $313,000 in tax revenue.
7 In addition, the Department receives approximately $16,000 from Durham
8 County.
9
10 Debt
11
12 The Department is indebted for the two Pumperfl'ankers purchased in 2001.
13 The debt is being retired at the rate of $46,103.04 annually and will be fully
14 paid on May 19, 2010.
15
16 Projected capital needs
17
18 The Department has been setting aside a portion of the tax funding for capital
19 reserve accumulation to fund construction of a second station and 800 MHz
20 radios as necessary.
21
22 The funds for the proposed Station 2 as of June 30, 2005 represented the largest
23 share and totaled $159,540.82. Total reserves on that date were $198,149.27.
24 The Deparhnent will incur substantially more debt than its reserves.
25
26
27 Observations and Issues
28
29 Although the current station is ideally located within the District, the physical plant
30 is inadequate for current needs and should be replaced soon. It has a wood frame
31 upstairs with no dorntitory accommodations feasible. The pumper/tankers are very
32 cramped in the station and compromise training opportunities and safety. The
33 property offers ample room for future replacement and expansion. However, the
34 Department's access to a public road is over a long narrow drive that also crosses
35 private property.
36
38
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ENO
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
The Department also owns land at the northem edge of the fire District and plans to
erect a station at this location in the near future.
The Department relies upon one-on-one for recruiting new members. New
members aze usually identified through word of mouth.
12 The Department has a positive view of the move to 800 MHz (due to working
13 relationship with Durham County deparhnents). They have submitted a grant
14 request to fund radio purchase, but have not heard of its disposition. They do
39
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ENO
1 perceive a lack of coordination in the Orange Count~s efforts to transition to 800
2 MHz.
3
4 The Department wishes it had a few more certified instructors for in-house training.
5
6 At this time, the Department has no plan for developing static water sources.
7
8
9 Recommendations
10
11 Given the good location of the current station, the Department should begin
12 planning for the replacement or substantial renovation of the current station.
13
14 Construction of a station on fihe northern property should not be considered before
15 the existing station is replaced. There aze no volunteers residing near the vacant
16 property. It aLso should be noted that a station in the proposed location would
17 benefit the residents in the southem portion of the Little River Fire District, which is
18 in Caldwell's response area, but beyond six miles from Caldwell's station on Guess
19 Road. A decision by Caldwell to erect a second station to enhance its District
20 coverage would render the tactical positioning of Eno's proposed station very
21 ineffecti.ve.
22
23 The Department needs to develop a recruitment program that will allow it to add to
24 its volunteer members.
25
26 The Department should identi.fy members who show an inclination for training and
27 develop a plan for them to become certified instructors.
40
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEW HOPE
Overview
2
3 The New Hope Fire District is located in the eastern portion of Orange County. The
4 New Hope Volunteer Fire Department serves the District. The District has assessed
5 property value of approximately $550,000,000.
6
7
8
9
10
~
41
~
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEW HOPE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
As can be seen, the Department borders the neighboring fire d.istricts of Eno,
Orange Rural (Hillsborough), Orange Grove, and the Towns of Chapel Hill and
Carrboro. The Department provides mutual aid to each of these departments on
any significant incidents, and responds under the new multi-department response
protocol with these departments as well. The District also borders Durham County
and in fact has a Fire Tax District and protection responsibilities for that district as
well. This means providing mutual aid as requested to the City of Durham and
Durham County depariments.
The Department perceives good working relationships with its neighboring
departments.
The Department has two stations from which it responds to ca1Ls, the approximate
location of ~ ' ' ' ' "'
42
Station #1 is located on Whitfield Road
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEW HOPE
~
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Station #2 is located on North Cazolina Highway 86 South (south of New Hope
Church Road).
By road mileage, the two stations are approximately 4.5 miles apart. With the two
station configuration, the Department can adequately serve its district within the
Department of Insurance accepted 5 mile range.
Organization
'I'he District is governed by a 9 member boazd of directors. Board members are
elected by the members of the Department for a term of three years, staggered over
three years. Board elects a Chair who is the official signatory for the District and
the Department on all business matters. The Chief reports to the Board. The
organization chart below illustrates the chain of command.
43
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY ~
NEW HOPE
~
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Demographics
The New Hope District is classified as rural residential. Residents enjoy lazger than
normal lots, often in wooded environment. There are an increasing number of high
end subdivisions that have been developed in recent years. There are some
commercial structures but the clistrict is predominantly residential.
11 The District has a fairly high socio-economic population and though smaller in size
12 than many of the other fire districts, has a moderately high tax assessment value to
13 protect due to a relatively higher level of density.
14
15
16
17
44
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEW HOPE
1 Deparhnent Membership
2
3 The Department typically has 5U to 60 members on it~s roster, not all of whom aze
4 categorized as "active". Approximately 50% are active and can be relied upon to
5 respond to calls. There is a perception that it is difficult to find volunteers. As such
6 the Department has done a good job of attracting students as members, of which
7 there are currently 11.
8
9 The Department responds as medical first responders.
10
11 The map below provides an illuslxation of the location of the Department's
12 members. This distribution is helpfixl in understanding the staffing and response of
13 personneL
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29 Primary Risks
30
31 The District is in close proximity to Interstate 40. State Highway 86 also goes
32 through the Distric~t. There is also a rail line that goes through the District although
33 there aze several viaducts allowing apparatus to travel even when trains are on the
34 tracks. These all pose potential vehicle accident and hazardous material incident
35 exposures. Other risks within the District are a number of schools (public and
36 private) woods fires, and residential structure fires. A significant factor in
45
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEtiV HOPE
1 addressing the fire related risks is the lack of a hydrant system requiring the shuttle
2 of water.
3
4
5
6 Current Apparatus
7
Station 1 Station 2
- 2005 Ferraza Intruder 2 Pumper- - 1990 E-One Pumper-Tanker with
Tanker with 1,000 gallon tank and 1,000 gallon tank and 1,250 gpm
1,500 gpm pump pump
- 1998 American LaFrance Eagle - 1999 3D FL70 Freightliner used as
Pumper-Tanker with 1,000 gallon U~tY Vehicle
tank and 1,500 gpm pump
- 1990 E-One Pumper-Tanker with - 2000 Ford Expedition XLT Used
1,000 gallon tank and 1,250 gpm ~ Utility and First Responder
P~P Vehicle
- 1997 E-One Superduty Brush
Truck with 200 gallon tank and
150 gpm pump
- 2001 Ford F-150XL Pickup used
as Utility and First Responder
Vehicle
8
9 With this complement of apparatus from both stations, the Department has 4,000
10 gallons of water capacity for structure fires, well within the standards of rural water
11 supply, especially given the add.itional water shuttle capacity with mutual aid
12 departments.
13
14
15 Financial Capacity of the Department
16
17 New Hope is funded through a combination of tax revenues, fund raising and donations
18 from the community. The Department also borrows money as needed for lazge dollar
19 purchases such as apparatus and buildings. The Department budget is based on $317,619 in
20 annual tax revenues.
46
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEW HOPE
i
2 Tax Rate and Revenues
3
4 The District tax rate is $0.0625. This translates into projected revenues of
5 approximately $318,000. The Department also receives appro~mately $100,000 from
6 Durham County.
7
8 Debt
9
10 The Department owes approximately $440,000. The loans represented by this debt are
11 for building construction and improvement and apparatus acquisition. Quarterly debt
12 reduction payments are approximately $20,500.
13
14
15 Projected capital needs
16
17 The Department's capital needs over the coming years, in the ne~ct couple of years in
18 particular, relate to the need to renovate Station #2. The Department also plans to
19 replace apparatus in the five to seven year time frame. No estimate of costs was
20 provided but we estimate approximately $1,300,000. ~
21
22
23 Observations and Issues
24
25 New Hope is in the unusual position of having an increase in call volume while a decrease in
26 its tax district. New Hope has had portions of its District annexed by both Chapel Hill and
27 Carrboro, and there is no reason to expect that will not continue. This year alone, the
28 District will loose $80,000 in tax revenues. The Department does have a contract with
29 Carrboro to cover the area annexed but that may end in five years. Eventually this will
30 erode the response area, reduce the number of calls and affect membership morale and level
31 of participation.
32
33 The Department's two stations adequately serve its needs but Station #2 need's renovation.
34 It does not have dormitory facilities, and the office space, exercise area and apparatus bay
35 are in serious need of expansion and renovation.
36
37 The Department currently has an ISO rating of 9S. Given the number of inembers, available
38 pumping capacity, and water points in the District, the Department should be able to reduce
39 this rate and save its residents in insurance premiums. One critical component for this
40 reduction is certification and documentation of water supply sources. Another is the ability
41 to ensure sufficient resources respond to week daytime calls.
42
47
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEW HOPE
1 New Hope, as with most of the department's in the County, needs assistance with
2 administrative issues such as grant identification and writing, preparation for ISO
3 examinations, budgeting, and fmancing.
4
5 New Hope currently funds paid staff. Two and sometimes 3 personnel aze on duty from
6 8:00 AM unti16:00 PM and one paid staff on duty from 6:00 PM unti18:00 AM. This helps
7 with response as New Hope has members who work outside the District making daytime
8 response coverage an issue.
9
10 New Hope currently has 2 base station radios, 10 mobile unit radios, and more than 10
11 portable radios. With the County's migration to 800 MHz., New Hope has been allotted 3
12 portable radios. This is clearly insufficient and even New Hope, a Department reasonably
13 fmancially sound, is not in a fmancial position to be able to afford the additional radios
14 necessary for it to be on the current communications level.
15
16
17 Recommendations
18
19 We recommend that New Hope enter into discussions with Carrboro about a long term
20 agreement to provide service to the newly annexed a.rea. This can benefit the taxpayers of
21 Carrboro by reducing the need for a new station and apparatus (capital expense) and hiring
22 personnel to staff the new station (operating expense). Given the size of the Carrboro
23 Department, New Hope would be necessary for mutual aid support. In any case it is in
24 Carrboro's interest to retain a New Hope capability. The cost to Carrboro will be
25 substantially less than what would be involved with a new station. Providing funds for
26 staffing an engine company with supplement by volunteers is a very cost effective approach
27 to serving the public.
28
29 We recommend that the Department certify and document its water sources in preparation
30 for its ISO rating exam.
31
32 We recommend that the District increase its tax rate from $0.625 to $0.675. This should
33 generate another $27,500.
34
35 We recommend that the department identify and formally document volunteers available for
36 weekday daytime response. In addition, the Department should document and formalize its
37 student member program, including identifying funding to support the program and provide
38 stipends to the students.
48
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NEW HOPE
~
3
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
The Department should develop a recruitment and retention program. The Department
needs to recognize that more of its members will come from "white collar" professionals
rather than the traditional volunteer who works in the community in farming or a trade. The
recruitment program should reflect this.
New Hope is perceived by many of its members as a department where training and learning
are valued. A retention program should build upon this and expand the opportunities for
rewarding volunteers for their achievements. One approach is to increase the number of
company officers in the Department (Captain and Lieutenant). Allowing volunteers to work
toward a goal of achievement without having to displace others who have the same
accomplishment is an excellent retention tool and motivator for active participation. From a
personnel perspective and a human resource perspective, there is no such thing as too many
company ofFicers: someone will always drive and someone will always want to fight fire.
T'his approach also allows for a more structured approach to leadership development and
succession planning for the future of the Department.
49
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE GROVE
1 Overview
2
3 The Orange Grove Fire Tax District is located in the ntiddle section of the western
4 region of Orange County. The Orange Grove Fire Department serves the District.
5 The District is very rural in nature. The District has an assessed properly value of
6 $659,309,000.00.
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
As can be seen, the Department borders the neighboring fire districts of White
Cross, EIIand, New Hope, Orange Rural (Hillsborough), and Carrboro. The
Department provides mutual aid to each of these departments on any significant
incidents, and responds under the new multi-department response protocol with
these departments as well. The District also borders Alamance County. This means
providing mutual aid as requested to Mebane.
50
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE GROVE
~
2
3 The department operates out of one station centrally located within the district at
4 6800 Orange Grove Road. The station offers immediate access to roads leading to
5 the corners of the district. Most areas in the district are within 6 road miles from
6 the statian. However, there aze some areas that approach 9 nules from the station.
7 Stations of some neighboring departments in some cases are closer to azeas in the
8 response district than the Orange Grove station.
9
10 The station has been constructed in stages. It offers clean and modem
11 acrnmmodation for the department including dormitory space for ovemight
12 coverage. Facilities include a room for public meetings. The station is well
13 maintained and should provide for a long service life.
14 '
15
16 Organization
17
18 The District is governed by a 10 member board of directors. The Chief, who has
19 served the department in that capacity for 22 years, reports to the Boazd. The
20 department is commanded by an officer corps of four chief officers, five Captains,
21 and four Lieutenants. The department meets every first and third Monday for
22 training and business meetings.
23
51
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE GROVE
1
2 Demog~raphics
3
4 The district is very rural in nature. However, there is some increase in
5 development from commuter oriented residents seeking to escape the hectic pace of
6 more urbanized areas. Some of the district will remain undeveloped because
7 OWASA has been acquiring land for watershed preservation, which will keep some
8 of the district from being developed when large farming operations are abandoned.
9 The clistrict has no pressure hydrants and there is no active plan to develop water
10 sources. The district does have farm ponds that can provide water for fire
11 protection and could serve to improve their insurance rating if documented
12 properly. OWASA has a lazge main that runs along North Carolina Highway 54
13 that could provide hydrants, if installed.
14
15
16 Deparhnent Membership
17
18 Membership consists of 31 volunteer firefighters representing a good cross section
19 of the community and includes some women (one woman is a Captain). Ten
20 members have over twenty years of service to the Department. The Department
21 also has two full time career firefighters who provide staggered coverage during
22 the week from 0600 to 1800 hours Monday through Friday. The Department also
23 employs the QZief on a part time basis. The Department membership is somewhat
24 linuted by the Department's ability to financially afford the outfitting of personnel
25 with the necessary equipment for safe participation.
26
27 The Department has been dispatched to 417 fire calls in the last 37 months. Call
28 volume seems to climbing at the rate of 10% per year as the District is converting
29 from rural agriculture to more suburban in certain areas.
30
31 The map below provides an illustration of the location of the Department's
32 members. This distribution is helpful in understanding the staffing and response of
33 personnel.
34
52
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
~ ORANGE GROVE
1
2
3 Primary Risks
4
5 There are no interstate highways and no railroads that transverse the District. State
6 Highway 54 runs the length of the District's southern boundary with White Cross.
7 This poses potential vehicle accident and hazardous material incident exposures.
8 Other risks are primarily related to the agricultural nature of the community: ban-
9 fires, wildland fires, farm machinery accidents, and other structure fires.
10
11
12
13
14
15
Current Apparatus
Twe A~e GPM Tank
Ca aci PassenSer
Ca aci
Pumper 2004 1,250 1,000 Gal. 5
Pumper 2001 750 500 Gal. 5
Tanker 1988 1,000 1,000 Gal. 1
Tanker 1983 1,000 1,200 Gal. 1
Brush Truck 2003 150 300 Gal. 1
53
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE GROVE
1 With this complement of apparatus, the Department has 3,700 gallons of water
2 capacity for struchare fires, within the standards of rural water supply, especially
3 given the additional water shuttle capacity with mutual aid deparhnents.
4
5
6 Financial Capacity of the Department
7
8 Tax Rate and Revenues
9
10 In FY 2005-06, the Department was funded by a tax rate of $0.034 per hundred
11 (the same as the prior yeaz), which generates about $190,000 in revenue. Cash
12 assets at the end of Mazch 2006 totaled over $43,000.
13
14 Debt
15
16 The Department has a debt of about $200,000 and can retire the debt in
17 approximately five years ($41,000 was budgeted for FY 2005-06.)
18
19
20 Projected capital needs
21
22 The Department has applied for a grant for the 800 MHz radio system. It
23 needs substantially more 800MHz radios than has been allocated by the
24 County.
25
26 The Department plans to replace the 1983 tanker in FY 2008-09.
27
28
29
30 Issues
31
32 The Department does not have the tax base to afford the 800 MHz radios when
33 implemented. They will need assistance.
34
35 A challenge for Orange Grove is that new residents may be expecting urban
36 services in a rural community.
37
54
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE GROVE
1 The department has had a history of difficuliy i~ receiving calls and communicating
2 with the county. Radio and pager reception is poor and coverage is spotty.
3
4 The Deparhnent is disappointed by the lack of good leadership from the county.
5
6
7 The Department has a boazd that appears to have exercised sound fiscal principles
8 in managing the affairs of the Department as evidenced by the facility, apparatus
9 and financial position of the Deparhnent given the modest tax base and current
10 fiscal position.
11
12 The Department relies upon one-on-one for recruiting new members. New
13 members are usually because somebody knows somebody.
14
15
16 Recommendations
17
18 OWASA should be encouraged to support the installation of pressure hydrants at
19 major intersections approximately every mile along NC HWY 54. These hydrants
20 would serve equally serve the White Cross and Orange Grove fire departments
21 since NC HWY 54 serves for the most part as the prunary boundary between the
22 two response districts.
23
24 We recommend the Department develop a recruitment and retention plan to ensure
25 sufficient volunteers are available to serve the community.
26
55
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
1 Overview
2
3 The Orange Rural Fire District is located in the southwestern portion of Orange
4 County. The District is served by the Orange Rural Volunteer Fire Department,
5 sometimes referred to as the Hillsborough Fire Department. The District has an
6 assessed property value of approximately $946,502,000 and covers approximately
7 64 square miles in central Orange County.
8
9
10
11
56
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
1
2 As can be see~ the Department borders more neighboring departments than any
3 other in the County. This is particularly imPortant as the Department provides
4 mutual aid to each of these departments on any significant incidents, and responds
5 under the new multi-department response protocol with these departments as well.
6 Those neighboring fire districts are Caldwell, Cedaz Grove, Efland, Eno, New Hope,
7 and Orange Grove.
8
9 The Department perceives good working relationships with its neighboring
10 departments, although acknowledges that, at times, there have been strained
11 relations with the Orange County Rescue Squad (North).
12
13 The Department has two stations from which it responds to calls, the approximate
14 location of which aze shown on the map. The second station is more of a substation
15 where apparatus is housed.
16
17
18
19
Station One is located in downtown Hillsborough at 206 South Churton Street.
57
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
i
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Station Two is located north of town in the rural district at 835 Phelps Road.
Organization
10 The Department is governed by a Board of Directors. The operations of the
11 Department are overseen by a volunteer chief. The Department has a compliment
12 of paid staff for 24 hour coverage. The paid staff is managed by a paid assistant
13 chief.
14
15 The organization chart below illustrates the operations leadership team for the
16 Department.
17
58
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Demographics
The Town of Hillsborough encompasses approximately 4.Ssquaxe miles of the 64 square
miles of the Fire District. Within the town is the largest concentration of population:
approximately 6,000. The Town's economy is marked by a stable labor market, low
unemployment and a diversified industry and services economic base, including the majority
of the County's government offices.
The remainder of the district is largely nual in nature with some agricultural elements added
to the residents who commute to Chapel Hill.
59
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
Department Membership
2
3 The Deparkment has 30 volunteers and 13 paid staff inembers. The paid staff is on
4 duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
5
6
7
8 The above map provides the distribution of volunteer members within the District.
9
10
11
60
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Primary Risks
Orange Rural's response district includes portions of Interstate 40 and Interstate 85.
Both of these major highways present risks relating to serious vehicle accidents and
hazazdous materials incidents.
Apparatus
Type Age Pump Tank Passenger Special
Ca aci Ca aci Ca aci E ui ment
Aerial 1989 1,500 gpm 400 gallons 4 75 Foot LTI
Sunon-Duplex Ladder
Cab/Chassis
~' e 1996 1,500 m 750 allons 6
Pum r/Tanker KME 2000 1,500 m 1,000 gallons 6
Tanker - EEI 1991 1,500 m 2,500 gallons 2
Pumper/Tanker 2002 1,250 gpm 1,000 gallons 2
KME/International
Chassis
Squad International 1983 2 Extrication Tools,
Cascade System,
Tarps, Various
Other Multi-
ose Tools
Brush Truck 1996 300 gpm 3 Ground Sweep
F-350 Cab/Chassis Nozzles;
Pierce Body Plumbed Booster
Reel.
10
11 .
12 With this complement of apparatus from both stations, the Department has 5,650
13 gallons of water capacity for structure fires, well within the standards of rural water
14 supply, especially given the additional water shuttle capacity with mutual aid
15 departments. In addition, there aze some hydrants located within Hillsborough
16 itself, aiding water supply.
61
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
1 Financial Capacity of the Department
2
3 Tax Rate and Revenues
4
5 Each year the Orange Rural Fire Department subnlits requests to the Town
6 Board to cover the cost of 1) Providing fire protection within the Town limits,
7 and 2) Costs for maintenance and necessary upgrades to the station that is
8 owned by the Town [Station 1].1 In FY 06 that amount was $612,210. In FY 07
9 the amount is increased to $656,000. This includes an injection of capital of
10 $80,000.
11
12 The District tax rate is $0.034. This translates into projected revenues of
13 approximately $224,165.00. The total budget for Orange Rural is
14 approximately $837,000.
15
16 Debt
17
18 We did not obtain any financial data from the Department and thus are unable
19 to comment on debt or debt structure.
20
21 Projected capital needs
22
23 The Department will need to consider replacing its EEI Tanker and Aerial in the
24 next three to six years. The Aerial unit will cost approxi.mately $700,000. The
25 Tanker replacement will cost approximately $200,000 to $250,000. The
26 Department also needs to develop plans regazding renovation or relocation for
27 Station 1. We estimate the costs associated with that project could run from a
28 low of $750,000 to in excess of $5,000,000 depending on land acquisition issues
29 and station design.
30
31 Obsernations and Issues
32
33 The downtown station is an attractive facility but response can be difficult due to
34 downtown traffic congestion. The Fire Chief has told the Town of Hillsborough
' Town of Hillsborough FY 07 Budget
62
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE RURAL
1 that the Station will probably no longer meet the needs of the Department sometime
2 at or following 2011.
3
4 Currently, the Orange Rural Fire Department employs 5 full-time firefighters who
5 provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
6
7 The current arrangement between the Department and the Town is not guaranteed.
8 The Town is exam;n;ng options and the potential for a long term arrangement and
9 the financial implications of such an arrangement.
10
11
12 Recommendations
13
14 We recommend that the Department continue its plannulg process with the Town
15 to determine its role in providing fire protection within the Town limits and
16 develop intemally ttivo plans: one if a long term agreement is reached and the
17 Deparhnent is the provider of service over a long term; another plan should be
18 developed based on the scenario that the Department does not provide fire
19 protection to the Town. These plans should include the financial implications of
20 each, the role volunteers will play, and projections of paid staffing.
21
22 The Department should identify the availability of volunteers for daytime response,
23 evening response, and weekend response. As a part of this process the Department
24 should consider implementing a volunteer duty system for covering week nights
25 and weekends, allowing for a re allocation of paid personnel for maximum
26 deployment.
27
63
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
WHITE CROSS
1 Overview
2 '
3 The White Cross Fire District is located in the southwestern portion of Orange
4 County. The District is served by the White Cross Volunteer Fire Department. The
5 District has an assessed property value of approximately $286,936,000.
6 .
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
As can be seen, the Department borders the neighboring fire districts of Orange
Grove, South Orange (Carrboro), and Damascus (North Chatham). The
Departrnent provides mutual aid to each of these departments on any significant
incidents, and responds under the new multi-department response protocol with
these departments as well. The District also borders Alamance and Chatham
Counties and provides mutual aid on request to Eli Whitney.
64
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
WHIT'E CROSS
i
a
3 The Department has one station located on Old Greensboro Road from which it
4 responds to calls, the approximate location of which is shown on the map above.
5 The station is very close to being located in the middle of the District and as such
6 the Department can adequately serve its district within the Department of
7 Insurance accepted 5 mile range. There is one very small azea outside the 5 mile
8 azea at Dairyland Road and Highway 54.
9
10
11 Organization
12
13 We did not receive data regazding the Department's organizational or governance
14 structure. ~
15
16
17 Demographics
18
19 The White Cross District is largely rural residential and agricultural in nature.
20 Being on the Highway 54 corridor between Carrboro/Chapel Hill and
21 Chatham/Alamance there is the expectation that there will be residents move to the
22 District to escape the hectic pace of suburban or urban life and commute to their
23 jobs. However, the District remains fundamentally rural in chazacter.
24
65
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
WHITE CROSS
1 The convnunity is tight knit and residents lrnow their neighbors as well as their
2 extended neighbors. There is a community recreation center that hosts various
3 community events, usually well attended by members of the White Cross
4 community and members of the fire department. It is located northeast of the
5 station, a little over a mile.
6
7
8 Department Membership
9
10 The Department has 28 members, some of whom are begirming to "age ouY'. Their
11 members tend to stay on the Department; the average tenure is 14 years. There are
12 a few members that aze younger but additional youth would be helpful would be
13 classified as "junior" members. The Department does have women who are active
14 members.
15
16 Many of the members aze trained and certified as medical first responders. This is
17 important as about 50% of the Depaztment's calls are medical in nature. All first
18 responders have radios to enable them to contact responding medical units. The
19 Department leadership perceives this program to be the most vi.sible and extremely
20 effective.
21
22 The map on the following page provides an illustration of the location of the
23 Department's members. This cli.stribution is helpful in understanding the staffing
24 and response of personnel.
25
66
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
WHITE CROSS
67
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
WHITE CROSS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Primary Risks
There aze no interstate highways and no railroads that transverse the District. State
Highway 54 runs the length of the District's northern boundary with Orange Grove.
This poses potential vehicle accident and hazardous material incident exposures.
Other risks are primarily related to the agricultural nature of the community: bam
fires, wildland fires, farm machinery accidents, and other structure fires.
Current Apparatus
We did not receive data regarding the Department's apparatus.
Financial Capacit~y of the Department
White Cross is funded through a combination of tax revenues, fund rai.sing and
donations from the community. The Department budget is based on $120,513.00 in
annual revenues.
Tax Rate and Revenues
The District tax rate is $0.042. This translates into projected revenues of
approximately $120,000.
Debt
We did not receive data regarding the Department's financial budget or its
debt service requirements.
68
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
WHITE CROSS
1 Projected capital needs
2
3 The Department will need to replace its tanker in the future. The Department
4 also has plans to expand the station. We estimate the costs will be
5 approximately $750,000.
6
7
8 Observations and Issues
9
10 The Department's station needs expansion and renovation. The station does not
11 have dormitory facilities, but with the exception of severe weather or natural
12 disaster, there is no eminent need for such space. Because new apparatus is larger
13 that the apparatus that is to be replaced, the Bays need to be enlarged.
14
15 The Department currenfly has an ISO rating of 9S. One criti.cal component for this
16 reduction is certification and documentation of water supply sources. Other issues
17 may need to be addressed in order to improve the rating for this department.
18
19 White Cross, as with most of the department's in the County, needs assistance with
20 administrative issues such as grant identification and writing, preparation for ISO
21 examinations, budgeting, and financing.
22 ~
23 Daytime response coverage is an issue for White Cross, although the Department is
24 currently able to respond to call.s during weekday "work hours" albeit with a
25 ~n;mum nwnber of personnel.
26
27 White Cross currently has 1 base station radios, 4 mobile unit radios, and 20
28 portable radios. With the County's migration to 800 MHz., White Cross has been
29 allotted 3 portable radios. This is cleazly insufficient and White Cross is hazdly in a
30 financial position to be able to afford the additional radios necessary for it to be on
31 the current convnunications level.
32
33 The Department has trouble receiving dispatches from Emergency
34 Communications. The repeater that serves the Department is subject to frequent
35 lightning strikes and is often off Iine. The Department has missed dispatches. Even
69
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
WHITE CROSS
1 with the implementation of 800 MHz, the Department will be subject to the same
2 situation as dispatching will not occur over the 800 MHz system.
3
4
5 Recommendafiions
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
We recommend that the department identify and formally document volunteers
available for weekday daytime response. Following this process, the Department
should evaluate the feasibility of hiring 1 person to serve 8 to 10 hour days on
weekdays.
We recommend that the District raise its tax rate from $0.042 to $0.057. This will
add $43,000 to the Department's revenues and put it more into line with other
districts. This addiiional revenue is essential to hiring paid personnel.
We recommend that the County reconfigure the District line with Orange Grove
where the Orange Grove District dips twice into the White Cross District. From a
strategic and tactical perspective, this azea belongs in White Cross, especially in
light of the distribution of inembers who live in or in close proximiiy to these areas.
70
,
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Overview
This section will be organized a little differently given the nature of the rescue
squads. The North Orange County Rescue Squad is responsible for responding to
call throughout Orange Couniy. Their response is functionally determined. The
functions the Squad provides are:
- Extrication;
- Dive Team;
~
71
- Search and Rescue;
- EMS Transport.
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3
4
5 The Department has one station from which it responds to calls, the approximate
6 location of which is shown on the map on the preceding page. It is located on
7 Highway 86 in south Hillsborough.
8
9
10 Organizafiion
11
12 The Squad is govemed by a board of directors, the membership of which is open to
13 all members of the community. Members of the Squad also serve on the Board. The
14 Chief reports to the Board.
15
72
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3
4 Captains and Lieutenants assist the Assistant Chiefs with equipment, apparatus and
5 stati.on maintenance, as well as other duties that may be assigned.
6 Squad History
7
8 Founded in 1968, the Squad was the first emergency medical response organization in
9 Orange County. Originally, the squad provided basic life support and transport.
10 Within increasing, call volwne, the Squad hired paid personnel to cover during the
11 hours when volunteers were not typically available.
12
13 As demand increased and EMS levels of service advanced, the North Orange County
14 Rescue Squad and the South Orange Covnty Rescue Squad merged into a single
15 entity (Orange EMS & Rescue Squad) to provide EMS response and transport to the
16 County. The organization struggled £inanci.ally and in managing its personnel and
17 services. Orange County assumed responsibility for EMS pazamedic level service
~ 73
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
and patient transport in 2003 and the Squad provided technical rescue services and
volunteer support for staffuig transport units.
In 2004, the Squad clissolved back into two separate rescue squads along functional
lines.
Department Membership
The Department has 46 members. Nine aze members of the Dive Team, 15 are
involved in Seazch and Rescue, 15 are involved in EMS care and transport, and 25
members specialize in Extrication.
The map below provides an illustration of the location of the Department's members.
This distribution is helpful in understanding the staffing and response of personnel.
74
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Current Apparat~us
- 1989 Ford F-350 EMS Box Unit
Ambulance
- 1983 Ford Van - Dive Unit
- 2003 John Deere "Gatoi'' ATV -
used for special events and off-
road rescue
- 1986 Ford F-350 Extrication
Vehicle (Stationed at Carrboro
Fire Department)
- 1993 Freightliner Heavy Rescue
Vehicle - Full extrication capacity
- 1993 Chevy Suburban Utility
Vehicle
The Squad has ordered a new 2006 EVI Heavy Rescue Vehicle for delivery in
September 2006.
Financial Capacity of the Department
North Orange Rescue Squad receives no tax funding. Its budget is funded through
fund raising and donations from the community. A monthly lease payment from
Orange County EMS is also part of the Squad's revenue. The Squad also borrows
money as needed for apparatus purchases and has had to rely on lines of credit for
operations.
Revenues
The Squad mails fund raising solicitations annually.
Debt
The Squad currently owes over $91,0~ for apparatus and its operating line of
credit. It will assume another $358,000 upon delivery of its new heavy squad
truck. The Squad does not appear to have the financial capacity to service its
debt
75
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3 Projected capital needs
4
5 The Squad will need to replace other apparatus in the next five years.
6
7
8 Issues
9
10 The Squad's station somewhat adequately serves its needs but is in need of
11 maintenance and renovation. The station s dormitory facilities need renovation and
12 updaiing and the offices and dayroom are much wom and need renovation.
13
14 The Squad has a fairly young leadership team that lacks strong management and
15 financzal skills. They have difficulty seeing the big picture and tend to focus on those
16 things that they understand. From a financial perspective the Squad is technically,
17 and practically, insolvent with little likelihood of recovering. The leadership has
18 talked about a number of schemes to change their status but those are aLso unlikely.
19
20 The Squad would like to have paid staff to cover during those hours when volunteers
21 are minimallq available. However, financial constraints make this unlikely.
22 Currently, members are paid $9 per hour for providing daytime coverage. The Squad
23 also has an administrative person in a part time position.
24 '
25 The Squad provides its services countywide. This has become a problem in terms of
26 response time for extrication incidents, particularly in the northern area of the
27 County. Many of the fire departments now have basic extrication capability and the
28 Squad is not being requested for all calls or is being canceled in route tot the incident.
29 Additionally, most of the fire departments now have the capability to perform basic
30 extrication and Hillsborough has a"Heavy Rescue" with full extrication capability.
31 This is a morale issue for the Rescue Squad as they feel that they aze being pushed out
32 of their niche..
33
34 The Squad's relations with the South Orange County Rescue Squad and with the fire
35 departments in the County are, at best, strained.
36
76
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
. RESCUE SQUAD
1 North Orange Rescue Squad currently has 1 base station radio,l0 mobile unit radios,
2 and 10 portable radios. With the County's migration to 800 MHz., it is uncertain as to
3 how many radios have been allotted. The Squad is hardly in a financial position to
4 be able to afford the additional radios necessary for it to be on its current
5 communications level.
6
7 Recommendations ~
8
9
10 We recommend that the Squad be dissolved as a separate organization and its assets
11 and liabilities be assumed by Orange County Emergency Management. Members
12 will become a part of the EMS organization structure under its Volunteer
13 Coordinator. They will continue to operate as currenfly with the current command
14 structure. However, the members will not be burdened with the management and
15 financial aspects of the organization.
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
EMS members will be assigned as available to EMS Transport crews, allowing them
more opportunity than present to apply their skills. Extrication personnel would still
respond as they currently do. Those who live in dose proximity to fire departments
77
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
NORTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
will be encouraged to actively participate with those depariments in their extrication
training and response.
This will be a difficult recommendation to accept by the Squad. However, it was
clear that there is a strong dedication to serve the County and that should outweigh
any parochial feelings. Hopefully, the members will see the wisdom of removing
management and financial concerns that have overwhelmed the organization in
recent years.
78
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1 Overaiew
2
3 This section will be organized a little differently given the nature of the rescue
4 squads. The Squad has two stations from which it responds to calls. The Squad
5 does not serve a defined response area, and for the most part, the Squad is not a
6 first responder organization However, the Squad does provide emergency
7 ambulance service to the University of North Cazolina - Chapel Hill (LTniversiiy)
8 campus and environs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 1800 hours in
9 the evening unti10600 hours the following morning. When on duty, this crew also
10 provides service to the greater Orange County community when it is either the
11 closest unit or the only unit available because Orange County EMS is busy on other
12 calls. In essence, the duty crew provides Orange County EMS with reserve capacity.
13
14 The Squad provides the University and the greater Orange County community with
15 EMS planning, coordination, and response coverage during special events, such as
16 game day, High School football games, and Franklin Street parties (Halloween,
17 etc.).
18
19 The Squad experiences about 600 patient contacts and 360 transports per year.
20
21 The Squad's Technical Rescue division provides services statewide when called
22 upon. Recently, the State of North Carolina called upon the Squad to provide Swift
23 Water Rescue services to the westem counties of North Carolina when hurricanes
24 were ravaging the region. The Technical Rescue division sees action less than ten
25 times a year, which emphasizes the considerable dedication from its personnel
26 given the extensive continuing education and training these disciplines require.
27
28 The Squad operates out of two stations: 202 Roberson Street, Canboro, and 261 S.
29 Churton Street, Hillsborough. The Squad also uses an apartment, provided by
30 UNGCH, for use by the ambulance duty crew when they are on duty.
31
79
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1
2
3
4
5
6
Organization
The Squad is organized into two main divisions: the EMS division and the
Technical Rescue division. The EMS division is further organized into four crews.
The Squad meets monthly on the second Thursday of the month.
~~~
~^~~
Ia•
s.R.
~
WYY 1~~Y{IO a~~ ~n{[~fR~f 1~1 ~If ICI l~~ LinA :..
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Department Membership
Membership consists of approximately 75 students, adults from the community,
and other professionals from the university. About 41 aze provisional members in
80
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1 various stages of training and will probably, through attrition, result in about 15 to
2 20 remaining more than a year with about 10 of those developing into full
3 contributors to the organization The Squad has about 20 people trained in the
4 Technical Rescue division. About 12 are also skilled EMS personnel.
5
6 The EMS division requires members to volunteer for tvventy-four, twelve-hour duty
7 shifts. Members also volunteer considerable time for speci.al events, such as UNC-
8 CH football games that require about 10 hours of coverage each. A basketball
9 game requires about 4 to 5 hours of coverage.
10
11 Required EMS training includes monthly 3-hour training sessions repeated twice
12 each month.
13
14 Technical Rescue personnel train one full Saturday each month. They are expected
15 to attend four 3-day classes each year in the various rescue disciplines: SWRT- I,
16 SWRT-ADV, Ropes, Confined Space, SCBA, etc., and meet annual recertification
17 requirements.
18
19 The map below provides an illustration of the location o£ the Department's
20 members. This distribution is helpful in understanding the staffing. Current
21 members reside in a five county area.
22
23
81
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
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Current Apparatus
Type Age Special Equipment
F350 Pickup 2006
Ambulance 2005
Gator 2004
12' Trailer 2004 Confined space, Trench Rescue equipment
20' Trailer 2004 Gator, EMS Special Event equipment
Gn~mman Van 1999
F350 Rack Pickup 1993
4
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6 The 20' trailer is stored outside.
7
82
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
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Financial Capacity of the Department
South Orange Rescue Squad receives no tax funcling.
Revenues
In 2005, the Squad generated over $278,000 of income. The major sources of
this income came from Tazgeted Benefactors, over $79,000; Mail solici.tation
fund drives, over $77,000; Special Event Fees, neazly $65,000; and Orange
County in the form of rent for housing ambulances, over $27,000.
Although the spring and fall mail solicitation fund drives produced over
$77,000 of income, nearly half of it, $35,000, is consumed in the expense of the
effort.
As of June 7, 2006, income is only $84,000 with most of this, $49,000, coming
from Event fees.
Expenditures
Squad expenses for the year 2~5 totaled $233,000. About $100,000 was spent
on vehicles and communication expenses.
As of June 7, 2006, expenses have totaled over $110,000. On this same date,
the Squad had cash assets of $52,000; most of tlv.s, nearly $35,000, is
categorized as operating reserve.
Projected capital needs
For implementation of the 800MHz system, the Squad estimates it will need
50 radios to replace its current rnmmunication complement. That is
probably a $250,000 expenditure.
83
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1 A new ambulance is in the plans for the future.
2
3
4 Issues
5
6 The Roberson Street station is very cramped and offers limited space for housing
7 vehicles, offices, meeting and training rooms. The trainulg room is in frequent use
8 by various public safety and law enforcement groups free of charge.
9
10 A positive issue is that the Squad has ten certified instructors in the organizadon
11 that can cover the following disciplines: ERT, Ropes, CPI~ RT, and EMS.
12
13 The Squad is very experienced in providing EMS services to large crowds in non-
14 traditional special event situations and has served as the proving ground for many
15 professionals in related cazeer fields.
16
17 The Squad would like to improve in its records and data management.
18
19 Although it is not a primary first responder organization, the Squad has the ability
20 to mobilize quickly when called upon.
21
22 The Squad is very successful in recruitang UNGGH students as new members who
23 provide a continuous source of fresh volunteers. Most of these volunteers first get
24 involved through attendance in the EMT classes the Squad conducts on the
25 university campus. Although this generates a lazge pool of candidates, many do not
26 remain active long enough to develop into mature contributing members. The
27 Squad is txying to expand its recruiting efforts to include more members from the
28 community that may remain longer and provide better continuity from year to yeaz.
29
30 The Squad would like to be in a better financial position to provide members with
31 some of the personal equipment and clothing need to perform Squad tasks. As it
32 stands currently, members must provide most of their own personal gear and
33 clothing. The Squad does provide a uniform shirt.
34
84
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
RESCUE SQUAD
1 The Squad believes it has an excellent working relationship with Orange County
2 EMS. The organizations are coordinating tr'aining and OC EMS relies upon Squad
3 members to back fill duty shifts when EMS is short of personnel due to illness or
4 other causes.
5
6
7 Recommendations
8
9
10 We recommend that the Squad begin the planning process for the relocation or
11 renovation of its Roberson Street Station.
12
13 We recommend a long term financial plan and three year running budget be
14 developed to ensure continued financial stability of the Squad. South Orange
15 Rescue could very easily find itself in a financial situation comparable to North
16 Orange Rescue if proper planning is not put in place.
85
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY EMS
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Overview
The Orange County Division of EMS is a division of Orange County Emergency
Management and is responsible for responding to emergency medical calls
throughout Orange Courtty. The primary functions are patient assessment,
diagnosis, preliminary treatment, and transport.
The Division responds to calls from four locations: South Orange Rescue Squad
(Roberson Street, Carrboro); Emergency Management Headquarters (New Hope
Church Road, Hillsborough); North Orange Rescue Squad (Highway 86 north of I-
85); and, EIland (Mount Willing Road, Efland; weekday peak hours only).
Organization
The EMS Division is an organizational unit of the County's Emergency
Management Department.
86
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY EMS
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The Emergency Management Director reports to the County Manager. A
Department deputy director is the Division Director.
Operations
Emergency medical service is provided through a tiered responder delivery system.
The first tier is the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) program, operated by
telecommunicators in the Count~s consolidated 9-1-1 Comnlunications Center.
These telecommunicators are trained in obtaining information necessaxy to initially
determule the nature of the incident, the severity of need, and, if necessary, provide
instructions for basic care. They are supported by technology: a computer aid
providing screens with emergency medical information.
87
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY EMS
1 The next tier is the Fire Department First Responders. They are ciispatched with
2 other EMS units in urgent situations. These First Responders have medical
3 trainuig, equipment and frequently arrive on scene before other EMS responders.
4 They can communicate with EMS responders about patient condition and status.
5 The next tier of service is the Initial Response Vehicle Paramedic. IRV Paramedics
6 respond to all EMS Calls. Under this approach; it is the County's philosophy that
7 every ci.tizen be provided equal access to high-quality outcome-based medical
8 assessment and treatment. It also prevents many unnecessary transports allowing
9 the Division to operate with fewer resources at a lower cost to the taxpayer.
10 The theory behind using IRV Medics is to treat the patient's medical condition,
11 rather than simply providing a ride to the hospital. IRV Pazamedics provide
12 advanced assessment and treatment as needed. The Orange County model is "out-
13 of-hospital" medicine rather than "pre-hospital" medicine. Orange Count~s
14 program is unique among North Carolina EMS systems.
15 Following the IRV Medic assessment, transportation may be provided by a County-
16 operated emergency ambulance staffed by Emergency Medical Technicians, or the
17 patient may be referred to another more appropriate form of transportation.
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
EMS demand has increased countywide. Graphs are provided in the Appendix of
the report demonstrating the increase in call volume.
Staf~'tng
Under the 2007 budget, the Division is authorized for 24 paramedics (including
supervisors) and 24 EMTs. The management team consists of an Emergency
Medical Director who is on staff at UNC Hospitals and under whose medical
license the system operates, a Division Director, and an Operations Officer.
88
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24
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY EMS
Current Apparatus
While we have not obtained a list of the apparatus used by the Division, the
vehicles are primarily ambulances used for transport and sport utility vehicles used
by paramedics and officers.
Financial Capacity of the Division
As an organizational unit of the County, we present the budget information for the
Division below.
2003-04 ~ 2004-05 2005-06 2005-06
Actual Actual Original 12-Month
Ex~enditures ~enditures Bud e Estimate
Personnel $2,194,612 $2,525,566 $2,612,633 $2,905,379
Operations $4.34,616 $459,994 $468,328 $530,337
Capital 7 068 ~ 17 2 1~ 7,263
Total $2.636.296 2 9 098 4 452 97
Revenue $1,139,826 $1,364,250 $1,450,000 $1,530,000
Net Costs $1,496,470 $1,621,310 $1,648,224 $1,922,979
2006-07 2006-07
Department Manager
R~uested Recommended
$3,088,504 $3,088,504
$808,060 $514,258
~ ~
$3.896,564 $3,602,762
$1,555,000 $1,555,000
$2,341,564 $2,047,762
By comparisory Wake County EMS will spend $14,748,054 (versus $3,602,762) offset
by $7,451,967 (versus $1,555,000) in revenues. While some of the difference may be
explained by size and call volume, some of the clifference is also accounted for by
the County's IRV Paramedic program.
Observations and Issues
The Division is headquartered with the rest of the Emergency Management
Department. Space is a premium and congestion normal.
89
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY EMS
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2 The EMS delivery organization is over-burdened and human resources over-
3 worked. Paramedics and EMTs currently work a 24 hour shift. It is not unusual for
4 a paramedic to work more than 80 hours in a work week and more than 320 hours
5 in a 28 day cycle. The staff is exhausted. This shift configuration is a dangerous
6 one for medical personnel as they require their best mental acuity under the County's
7 program. This is well above the FLSA maximum prior to overtime of 56 hours per week
8 and 216 hours during a 28 day cycle.
9
10 Because of the current staffing levels, management has less time to manage and
11 thus many of the quality assurance activities are left undone. ~
12
13 The Division does not make full use of technology and still operates on a paper-
14 based approach to documentation.
15
16 There is no unit north of Hilisborough at the North Orange Rescue Squad station.
17 This dramatically affects response times and patient care. It aLso places a burden on
18 fire department first responders as they are required to provide care over a longer
19 period of time.
20
21 While it is expected that the Medical Director would be involved in training,
22 Orange County's Medical Director is overly involved in the base details of training
23 as there is no full time training coordinator/instructor.
24
25 The Division does not have a sufficient number of ambulance units.
26
27
28 Recommendations
29
30 Should the County adopt our recommendation to merge the North Orange County
31 Rescue Squad into the EMS Divisio~ it should consider renovating the Rescue
32 Squad's faaliiy for use as EMS headquarters, providing room for training,
33 deployment, offices for EMS and volunteer rescue squad members as well.
34
35 We recommend the Division change the work shift schedule from a four shift to a
36 three shift rotation and change the 24 hour shift to a split shift arrangement of no
37 more than 14 hours.
90
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY EMS
1
2 We recommend the Division increase the number of "IRV" Medics from the current
3 5 per shift to 8 per shift, including a shift supervisor.
4
5 We recommend the Division increase the nwnber of EMTs per shift from 6 per shift
6 to 10 per shift and the number of active on duty ambulances from 3 to 5.
7
8 The above three recommendations are based on an ever growing amount of
9 research that is confirnting when emergency services workers are on duty
10 consistently more than the above standard, their mental acuity and skill functioning
11 aze compromised. Orange County has been fortunate to have dedicated personnel
12 who have been willing to work these hours. But the strain is evident and it is a
13 matter of time before a serious lapse of judgment or less than acceptable standard of
14 care results in a tragic outcome.
15
16 The Division needs to improve its relationship with the fire departments. First
17 Responders aze a key to the success of the program. They perceive that they aze a
18 step child of the program and they do not receive the support in terms of training
19 they need and recognition they deserve. We recommend the Division establish the
20 position of Training Officer and the responsibilities of this position include ensuring
21 that fire departments receive the training they perceive necessary with the
22 rerngnition that they are not employees with a static work schedule.
23
24 We recommend that the Division deploy a medic unit and transport unit at the
25 Orange Rural Station 2location on Phelps Road. This provides excellent access to
26 both the Caldwell District and Cedar Grove. It also provides excellent response to
27 incidents in the northern area of Hillsborough and Orange Rural's response district.
28
29 We recommend that the Division make permanent its IIZV unit in Efland. Besides
30 serving Efland, this unit can also serve Cedar Grove, and Orange Grove.
31
32 Given the Count~s land use plan, we do not believe that it will be necessary to
33 deploy a unit in either Caldwell or Cedar Grove in the planning horizon.
34
35
91
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL
1 Overview
2
3 The County Fire Marshal's Office is located within the Count~s Emergency
4 Management Department. According to the Count~s budget document, it is
5 responsible for.
6
7 - Administering the provisions of the North Carolina Fire Prevention Code.
8 - Reviewing all building and subdivision plans submitted to the County
9 Planning Department for fire code/li.fe safety compliance and disaster
10 planning.
11 - Providing fire education, life safety/disaster preparedness prograzns to day
12 care providers, healthcare providers, civic organizations and public events
13 for community outreach.
14 - Investigating fires to determule cause and origin of suspicious or
15 undetermined fires.
16 - Assisting with the organization of the Special Operations Team to support
17 hazardous materials and terrorism incidents, disasters, special events and
18 other major incidents.
19 - Providing fire education classes to elementary scllools and Learn Not to
20 Burn fire education programs.
21 - Providing OSHA training programs to county employees.
22 - Assisting fire departments with county fire admuustration issues.
23 - Supporting fire and emergency response agencies at emergency incidents
24 in the County.
25 The OHice is not responsible for any activities for the Towns of Chapel Hill,
26 Carrboro, or Hillsborough.
92
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL
Organization
2
3
4
6
7 Staffing
8
9 There are currently three employees in the Fire Marshal's Office plus the Fire
10 Marshal.
93
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL
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2 Recommendations
3
4 We recommend an additional Fire Inspector be added to the office over the next
5 two years to assist in the various tasks assigned to the office.
6
7 We recommend the County hire, within the Fire Marshal's office, a County Fire
8 Coordinator to assist volunteer departments with:
9
10 - ISO improvement planning and implementation.
11 - Recruitment and retention plans.
12 - Grant identification and applications.
13 - Automatic aid protocols and the implementation of other mutual aid
14 agreements.
15 - Budgeting and reporting requirements.
16 - Coordinating purchasing to help obtain better pricing by grouping
17 purchasing for departments.
18
19 There is a perception among the various volunteer departments that the County
20 staff, particularly administration and budget staff, does not appreciate the volunteer
21 nature of these departments. "Information is frequently requested in time frames
22 that wou~d make sense if everyone didn't have other jobs and their volunteer
23 training and response commitment."
24
25 The County Fire Training Coordinator should include a rotation system for
26 departments using the Chapel Hill Training facility. Under this system, each
27 department would be able to schedule time at the facility while neighboring
28 departments cover their district.
29
30 The County Fire Trainulg Coordinator needs to work closely with the Fire
31 Extension Program Coordinator at Durham Technical Community College to
32 provide more diverse, Community College supported training for the County`s
33 Departments. This training needs to be held in a manner convenient to the
34 departments, i.e. within individual departments or no more than two neighboring
35 departments. This allows departments to provide coverage for their districts while
36 obtaining training at a higher level.
94
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL
2 The County Fire Marshal's office should develop a plan to enable Departments to
3 exercise their collective power to negotiate better prices for equipment by setting up
4 group purchase agreements with suppliers and by Departments plaruli.ng their
5 purchase needs with sufficient notice to make group purchases.
6
7 The County planning and zoning boards should keep the County fire depamnents
8 informed of all requests and approvals for new development in department
9 response areas. This would help ensure fire protection considerations are induded
10 as contingencies in any approvals and the department can generate plans to
11 provide the appropriate and expected protection.
12 The best way to ensure this is to require all plans to not only be forwazded to the
13 Fire Marshall's Office but to require sign off by the Office and the affected
14 department(s).
95
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
ORANGE COUNTY PLAN
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10
11
In looking at the long range implications of our observations, we reviewed the
Count~s Long Range Comprehensive Plan. With the exception of a small area in
the Efland Di.strict, and some significant areas in the New Hope and Hillsborough
Districts, the demographics of the various districts will remain the same over a 20
year horizon, with the exception of normal marginal growth expected for rural and
agricultural land use.
Based on these projections, we believe that the current number of fire stations for
each of the di.stricts will remain suffici.ent for the 20 year planning horizon. It will
be appropriate to review the location of stations periodically.
96
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
COUNTYWIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
1 Overaiew
2
3 This section provides recommendations that apply to multiple departments or are
4 Countywide. The rationale/support for these recommendations is found witlvn the
5 depart-ment profiles.
6
7
8 Observations and Recommendations
9
10 Overall
ll
12 As a result of our study, without a significant investrnent in infrastructure, we are
13 convinced that the County will need to remain committed to its cunent system for
14 delivering both EMS and fire-rescue services.
15
16 The County's current approach of relying on the services of volunteer departrnents
17 that have fire apparatus capable of hauling water to the scene is necessary unless
18 the County commits to a massive capital infrastructure program for installing water
19 lines and hydrants Countywide. While it may appeaz expensive to support the
20 purchase of apparatus ranging from $175,000 to $350,000 in price, the cost is
21 substantially less than such a program. In addition to the capital investment,
22 moving from a volunteer based system where human resource expenditures aze
23 nLnimal reflecting the need for week day daytime coverage and volunteer
24 reimbursement/incentives, the personnel cost to migrate to an all paid or even
25 mostly paid supplemented by volunteers (a system that often does not work) are
26 also very high and would result in a large tax rate increase.
27
28 The same principle holds true for EMS but in a different way. Orange County EMS
29 relies on the IRV program to meet the County's emergency medical response needs.
30 This program allows the EMS Division to work with a lower level of staffing and
31 fewer transport vehicles. To migrate to the traditional urban/suburban approach
32 adopted by many neighboring counties, the County would have to invest in many
33 more personnel (both at the pazamedic and EMT level) and signi.ficantly more
34 transport ambulances.
35
36
97
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
COUNTYVVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
1 Fundins
2
3 We have evaluated the current and short term needs of the fire districts and
4 recommend the following modifications to the tax rates of the respective districts.
5
2005-06 Recommended
Fire District or Department Tax Rate 2006-2007 Rate
Cedar Grove 7.3 7.8
Efland 3.475 4.975
Eno 5.7 No Change
Little River (Caldwell) 4.6 5.1
New Hope 6.25 6.75
Orange Grove 3.4 4.9
Orange Rural 5.6 No Change
South Orange (Carrbom) 9.2 No Change
White Cross 4.2 5.7
6
7 We believe a policy change needs to be implemented for future financial stability of
8 the departments. It is our understanding that the County has traditionally lowered
9 the tax rate following property reassessment to realize a tax neutral situation. We
10 recommend that the County not drop the rates for the fire tax districts following
11 property reassessment. This will help avoid an increase in rates while generating
12 additional revenues for the departments.
13
14
15 County Staff Su~port
16
17 We recommend that the County assist in the certification and documentation of
18 water sources for all departments. This will help departments in obtaining lower
19 ISO ratings and since the County has no hydrant system, each department has this
20 need. The County is in a better position to engage the services of engineers
21 quali.fied to perform the work and can obtain a better price by having the work
22 performed for all departments. Fire Departments can identify the location of water
23 sources that can be used for water supply. Water engineers will be required to
98
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
COUNTYWIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
1 survey the chosen sites, review topography for runoff, and certify the availability of
2 water over a 50 yeaz time frame.
3
4
5 We recommend that the County arrange asbestos inspector training and licensing
6 for one or more of its building inspectors. This inspector should perform asbestos
7 inspection at no cost for volunteer departments in need of such inspection for live
8 burn training.
9
10
11 Water Su~plv
12
13 Water supply is a major issue in the fire service. Water continues to be the most
14 portable, cost effective tool for suppressing and extinguishing most fires. Many
15 municipal jurisdictions have hydrant systems (such as Chapel Hill and Carrboro)
16 and the cost of these systems is not factored into the cost of fire protection.
17 However, volunteer departments for the most part have to carry their water with
18 them, necessitating the need for larger (and more expensive) apparatus with large
19 water tanks. Water points are identified and established from which fire apparatus
20 can draw water, fill their tanks and retum to the scene to drop their water into
21 portable hydrants or drop tanks. We have made recommendations regarding the
22 need to document and certify water supply sources for individual departments.
23
24 The county should hire a professional engineer to conduct 50 year drought studies
25 on farm ponds and other bodies of water that could be reasonably expected to
26 provide yeaz round water sources for fire protection in the rural regions of the
27 county. These studies could then provide the necessary documentation to meet
28 DOI/ISO rating requirements for unproved fire protection ratings. These studies
29 would also justify expenditures to install dry hydrants to make the sources even
30 moie practical and efficient for fire protection.
31
32 There is an opportunity for the County to assist two departments in their need for
33 water supply points. A hydrant can be a very effective water point. There is a large
34 water line that follows Highway 54 from Chatham County through Orange County.
35 We recommend that several hydrants be located along this line to be used by White
36 Cross and Orange Grove (including when they may have to assist Carrboro Fire
99
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
COUN'~I'YVVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
1 Department in the South Orange Fire District). The map below illustrates the
2 locations we believe would afford the best support for the departments. These
3 locations aze base on proximity to major transportation arteries relative to the
4 districts.
5
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22
We believe the County should adopt a$.01 rate for a period of two years
specifically allocated to the unplementation of the 800MHz. system. This should
generate an additional $1,000,000 each of the two years allowing Emergency
Management to supply the County volunteer departments the necessary radios for
successful implementation. At the end of the two years this $.Ol would be
eliminated.
The implementation of the 800MHz. system appears to be seriously under-funded.
Many of the fire departments and the rescue squads do not have sufficient reserves
100
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Suggested Fire Hydrant Locations in Southwest Orange County
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
COUNTYWIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
1 to acquire the needed radios for the conversion. Also, the County has not set aside
2 funds to acquire the radios that will be required to make the system work. Our
3 department specific recommendations provide a listing of the radios needed by
4 each of the organizational units for proper implementation.
5
6 Emergency services delivery requires a comprehensive communications system
7 through which all the providers can communicate. The reality is that the system
8 will be an abysmal failure if there are components of the system (i.e., emergency
9 service providers) that are unable to communicate over the system.
10
11 As the 800 MHz. system is unplemented, we believe that in the first year 2
12 additional communications specialists aze required and another 2 in the second
13 year. We estimate the cost of this to be approximately $100,000 this year and
14 another $100,000 additional next year.
15
16 The communications center will need additional communicators/dispatchers as the
17 800 MHz. system is implemented. The use of computer truncated tackical channels
18 and "talk groups" necessitates that channels being used by significant incidents
19 (working fires, mass casualty EMS calls, and natural disasters) are monitored and
20 are part of the incident management process. While the EOC will ultimately be
21 activated for some of these incidents, even in those cases telecommunicators are
22 required to provide logistical and communication support to the incident as well as
23 handle other "normal" emergency traffic.
24
25 Communication and call response protocols should be an integrated part of the
26 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. While the Emergency Communications
27 Center is technologically sound, some of the procedures relating to fire department
28 support are comparable to those used in the 1960s. The cazd/notebook system for
29 response protocols is antiquated and should be replaced. Deparhnents have limped
30 along using this process for many years now and the project could begin with
31 existing resources as available and be completed with additional project funds,
32 possibly funded by a grant, in the second year of our planning horizon.
33 Implementation might also include the use of students who could be paid on an
34 hourly basi.s to aid in the data input.
35
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ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE STUDY
COUNTYWIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
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During our data collection phase, we obtained data from the CAD system relative
to response times for fire and rescue incidents and EMS incidents. We noticed that
there was a significant lack of data regarding the response of fire department first
responders. We believe that tracking this data is just as critical for planning and
analysis as a part of the approach that Orange County uses for providing
emergency medical services. First responders are most likely to be first on the scene
followed by IRV Medics, followed by transport personnel. However, it is difficult
to determine how well this works apart from anecdotal information.
Therefore, we recommend that more emphasis be placed on accuracy in obtaining
and documenting response data within the CAD system. This will allow EMS
policy makers to obtain the data that they need to make ongoing decisions
regarding resource deployment.
We recommend that a Couniy commissioner be assigned to serve as a
representative to the chief's council. One has bee designated in the past but has not
consistently attended the meetings. Departments would like to see participation
and interaction at these meetings by the commissioner.
As we noted in our introduction, there is a trust gap between the County
government and the volunteer fire departments and rescue squads. One way to
narrow this gap is for a commissioner to attend and participate in chieYs council
meetings.
102
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The Sage Group
CX~SULTANTS TO MANAGEMENT
MEMORANDUM
DATE: June 7, 2006
10409 LESLIE DRIVE
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROUNA 27601
(919) 844-9783
E-maiL• steve(c~sagegroupconsuwng.can
TO: Orange County Fire-Rescue Study Oversight Committee
FROM: Steven A. Savia, MA, CMC
Managing Principal
RE: Preliminary Recommendations
CC: Colonel Jack Ball
Orange County Commissioners
We have completed about 90% of our data gathering. During this process, we have been
working on analysis and developing potential models so that we could provide at least
preliminary recommendations during the budgetary process. Those recommendations appear
below. We offer them with the caveat that we may alter the recommendations based on
additional information. In particular, many of our longer range recommendations do not appear
below because we are still awaiting information. Additionally, we have held off on
recommendations relative to the most appropriate model for rescue squad functions to be
performed as we are waiting on interviews with one of the squads.
Fire Departments
Overall, our short-term fmancial recommendations relative to the fire departments have to do
with the addition of paid personnel to cover during those hours when volunteers are most likely
not available and the more significant capital reserves for station improvements, additional
stations, replacement apparatus, and other equipment.. There are some departments that would
like to add paid staff but are unable to do so due to financial constraints. For the most part,
County residents are the recipients of quality fire, rescue and emergency medical services at a
very modest cost. The volunteer system has allowed the County to provide these emergency
services without incurring the costs associated with a full paid department.
For example, T'he following Chart illustrates the 2005-2006 tax rates for the fire districts in the
County, including the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill.
Orange County Fire-Rescue Study Oversight Committee
Preliminary Recommendations
June 7, 2006
Page 2 of 5 •
20Q5-06
Fire District or De~artment Tax Rate
Cedaz Grove 7.3
Efland 3.475
Eno 5.7
Little River (Caldwell) 4.6
New Hope 6.25
Orange Grove 3.4
Orange Rural 5.6
South Orange (Carrboro) 9.2
White Cross 4.2
Town of Carrboro 15.16
Town of Chapel Hill 11.25
Alamance County -(12 Districts.) 6.5 to 10.5
As one can see there is a wide range of tax rates: within the County volunteer tax districts a high
of $.073 to a low of $.042; the towns have rates of over $.10.
Realistically, some of the volunteer fire tax districts need to, in the short term, increase their tax
rates to provide a higher level of funding.
Financially, our recommendations will result in an addition to most of the fire districts increasing
their tax rate in a range from $0.005 to $0.015. Specific recommendations by department aze
shown below.
Fire District or De~artment
Cedar Gmve
Efland
Eno
Little River (Caldwell)
New Hope
Orange Grove
Orange Rural
South Orange (Carrboro)
White Cross
2005-06 Recommended
Tax Rate 2006-2007 Rate
7.3 7.8
3.475 4.975
5.7 No Change
4.6 5.1
6.25 6.75
3.4 4.9
5.6 No Change
9.2 No Change
4.2 5.7
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~ Orange County Fire-Rescue Study Oversight Committee
Preliminary Recommendations
June 7, 2006
Page 3 of 5
Emergency Communications
There are three primary recommendations in this azea, each having fmancial implications.
First, the implementation of the 800MHz. system appears to be seriously under-funded. Many of
the fire departments and the rescue squads do not have sufficient reserves to acquire the needed
radios for the conversion. Also, the County has not set aside funds to acquire the radios that will
be required to make the system work. Our fmal recommendations provide a listing of the radios
needed by each of the organizational units for proper implementation.
However, we believe the County should adopt a$.Ol rate for a period of two years
specifically allocated to the implementation of the 800MHz. system. This should generate
an additional $1,000,000 each of the two years allowing Emergency Management to supply
the County volunteer departments the necessary radios for successful implementation. At the
end of the two years this $.Ol would be eliminated.
There is no point in arguing over whether the departrnents that did not put sufficient reserves
away should have or were not financially able to do so. Emergency services delivery requires a
comprehensive communications system through which all the providers can communicate. The
reality is that the system will be an abysmal failure if there are components of the system (i.e.,
emergency service providers) that are unable to communicate over the system.
Second, the communications center will need additional communicators/dispatchers as the 800
MHz. system is implemented. The use of computer truncated ta.ctical channels and "talk groups"
necessitates that channels being used by significant incidents (working fires, mass casualty EMS
calls, and natural disasters) are monitored and are part of the incident management process.
While the EOC will ultimately be activated for some of these incidents, even in those cases tele-
communicators are required to provide logistical and communication support to the incident as
well as handle other "normal" emergency traffic. As the 800 MHz. system is implemented, we
believe that in the first year 2 additional communications specialists are required and
another 2 in the second year. We estimate the cost of this to be approximately $100,000 this
year and another $100,000 additional ne~ct yeaz.
Third, while the Emergency Communications Center is technologically sound, some of the
procedures relating to support of the fire department are comparable to those used in the 1960s.
The card /notebook system for response protocols is antiquated and should be replaced.
Protocols should be an integrated part of the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. We do
not yet have an estimate of the cost of this project. Departments have limped along using this
process for many years now and the project could begin with existing resources as available and
be completed with additional project funds, possibly funded by a grant, in the second year of our
planning horizon.
Orange County Fire-Rescue Study Oversight Committee
Preliminary Recommendations
June 7, 2006
Page 4 of 5
Emergency Medical Services
The EMS delivery organization is over-burdened and human resources over-worked. It is not
unusual for a paramedic to work more than 80 hours in a work week and more than 320 hours in
a 28 day cycle. This is well above the FLSA maximum prior to overtime of 56 hours per week
and 216 hours during a 28 day cycle.
Research has shown, and continuing research is confirming, that when emergency services
workers are on duty consistently more than the above standard, their mental acuity and skill
functioning are compromised. Orange County has~been fortunate to have dedicated personnel
who have been willing to work these hours. But the strain is evident and it is a matter of time
before a serious lapse of judgment or less than acceptable standard of care results in a tragic
outcome.
We recommend several short-term actions be taken to rectify this situation. They are:
- Change the work shift schedule from a four shift to a three shift rotation.
- Change the 24 hour shift to a split shift arrangement of no more than 14 hours.
- Increase the number of "IRV" Medics from the current 5 per shift to 8 per shift, including
a shift supervisor.
- Increase the number of EMTs per shift from 6 per shift to 10 per shift and the number of
active on duty ambulances from 3 to 5.
T'he operational aspects of these recommendations will be explained in detail in out final report.
Note however that the change from four shifts to three will make five medics and six EMTs
available for reassignment to the new shift rotation. However, this still leaves a need for four
additional paramedics and six additional EMTs. This will require approgimately $195,000
for paramedic compensation and approzimately $252,000 for EMTs (including benefits).
Our fmal report will note the additional personnel needed in subsequent years to meet the service
delivery required throughout the planning horizon.
Fire Prevention/Fire Department Support
As we look at the planning projections for the growth of the County, it appears that the current
OfFice of the Fire Marshal is understaffed to handle plan review, inspections, fire investigations,
and support to the County volunteer departments. We believe 2 additional personnel are
required to fulfill these functions at an adequate level for the next year and subsequent years.
One position is to be allocated to plan review and inspections. The second position is to be
allocated to support and coordinate the County volunteer departments. Functions include:
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Orange County Fire-Rescue Study Oversight Committee
Preliminary Recommendations
June 7, 2006
Page 5 of 5
- Assist with ISO improvement planning and implementa.tion.
- Assist with recruitment and retention plans.
- Assist with grant identification and applications.
- Assist with automatic aid protocols and the implementation of other mutual aid
agreements.
- Assist with budgeting and reporting requirements.
- Coordinatepurchasing to help obtain better pricing by grouping purchasing for
departments.
These two positions will cost approximately $120,000 plus the cost of vehicles.
Finally, we remind the Committee that these recommendations are short-term, primarily the
coming year, related and do not reflect our recommendations for subsequent years in the
planning horizon.
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