The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutAgenda - 03-19-2013 - 5jORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 19, 2013 Action Agenda Item No. 5-j SUBJECT: White Cross Fire Department Proposal To Construct Station #2, Purchase Tanker, and Increase Station Staffing DEPARTMENT: Emergency Services PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No ATTACHMENT(S): 1. White Cross Fire Department Proposal 2. Station Location Map INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Groves; 245 -6140 Michael Talbert; 245 -2153 Chief Phillip Nasseri, 919 - 942 -1194 1 PURPOSE: To approve the proposal from White Cross Fire Department to construct a second station to be located at 2521 Neville Road, purchase a tanker, and increase staffing. BACKGROUND: This initiative was previously discussed with the BOCC in 2010. Currently the eastern part of the White Cross Fire District is rated as an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 10 area, considered unprotected property by insurance companies. By constructing Station #2 on Neville Road and placing the new tanker into service, White Cross will be able to cover all the homes that are currently unprotected in the eastern part of the district within five (5) road miles of this new fire station. This new station will improve 323 homes from an ISO Grade of 9E to an ISO Grade Seven (7), and it would improve 197 homes from an ISO Grade 10 to an ISO Grade Seven (7). This would leave 38 homes west of White Cross Road outside six (6) road miles of a fire station. White Cross suggests working with the Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Company to address these homes in the future, developing an agreement similar to the framework Eno Fire Department and Caldwell Fire department have recently implemented. An agreement to use Orange Grove Station #3 places these homes within six (6) road miles of that station. A new station will make it possible in the future for White Cross Fire to lower the current ISO Class Seven (7) rating for these homes to a Class Six (6) ISO rating, saving the residents additional money on their fire insurance premiums. It will also improve overall customer service, improve fire ground service capabilities and firefighter safety, and reduce response time for the first and second arriving units to the incident in the eastern half of the district. In addition, the new tanker will improve the availability of on -scene water supply during incidents. It will also place an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) closer to this area of the district for medical emergencies. These improvements will allow White Cross to adhere more closely to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1720 standards for rural fire protection that addresses response times, on scene staffing, and available water supply. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The incurred costs are: 1) $250,000 for purchasing and construction of the substation financed for 30 years through the Local Government Federal Employees Credit Union @ 3.45% interest rate ($14,000 annual payment); and 2) $250,000 for purchasing and equipping one (1) tanker financed for 10 years through the Local Government Federal Employees Credit Union @ 2.99% interest rate ($28,000 annual payment). The ongoing operating costs are: Salary $11,000, Utilities $3,000, Fuel $4,500, Building and grounds maintenance $2,000, and insurance $4,000. The total needed revenue to complete these improvements is $66,500. If these improvements are approved by the BOCC, White Cross will be requesting a fire tax rate increase from .07 cents to .088 cents (1.8 cents), effective July 1, 2013. As a reference, the White Cross tax rate rose from five (.05) cents in FY 2007 -08 to six (.06) cents in FY 2008 -09. The rate rose to its current level of seven (.07) cents in FY 2011 -12. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the proposal from the White Cross Fire Department for the construction of Station #2, purchase of one (1) tanker, and staffing two (2) firefighters per day in the White Cross Fire District. Attachment 1 WHITE CROSS FIRE DEPARTMENT Mr. Talbert, Mr. Groves, and County Commissioners, White Cross Fire Department 5722 Old Greensboro Hwy Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Phone: 919-942-1194 Fax: 919- 942 -9733 E -mail: Oerations@whitecrossfire.com March 1 st, 2013 White Cross Volunteer Fire Department has been working very diligently on a plan to improve our customer service, by increasing our response capabilities and improving our insurance rating. In doing so, we identified several keys areas that need to be addressed and components that need to be put in place to achieve this. The main objectives we would like to complete for this coming budget year are as follows. Construct a substation on Neville Road. Purchase an additional tanker to certify the new station. Increase daytime staffing from an average of 1.2 Firefighters a day on duty to 2 firefighters a day. We believe the cost for completing the objectives above are relatively small, compared to the benefits the citizens would receive for these improvements. The construction of the substation will allow us to provide the entire eastern part of our district with rated fire protection of ISO class 7. Currently this area is rated ISO Class 10 or considered unprotected by the insurance company. By con- structing this station and placing the newly purchased tanker into service, it will allow us to cover all the homes that are currently unprotected in the eastern part of our district. This would place 96% of the homes in our district within 5 road miles of a fire station. This would provide them the best possible rating that we hold at this time (currently a ISO 7), with 3% of the district covered within the 5 to 6 road mile range allowing them access to rated fire protection. Furthermore, the construction of the substation, purchase of the tanker and added daytime staff also allows us the possibility to lower our future ISO rating to a class 6 for our entire district, saving all our citizens additional money on their fire insurance premiums. The biggest advantage to completing the objectives above will be improved overall customer service, improved fire ground service capabilities and firefighter safety; it will reduce response time for the first and second arriving units to the incident in the eastern half of our district. Improve the availability of on scene water supply during incidents. It also places AEDs closer to this area of our dis- trict for medical emergencies, while providing safer levels of staffing for emergency incidents. These improvements will allow us to adhere more closely to National Fire Protection Association 1720 standards for rural fire pro- tection that addresses response times, on scene staffing, and available water supply. The incurred costs for achieving these objectives are as follows; $250,000 for purchasing and construction of the substation financed for 30 years through the Local Government Federal Employe es credit union @ 3.45% interest rate ($14,000.00 annual payment). $250,000.00 for purchasing and equipping tanker financed for 10 years through the Local Government Federal Employees credit union @ 2.99% interest rate ($28,000.00 annual payment). The operating costs to achieve these objectives are follows; Salary 11,000, Utilities $3,000, Fuel $4,500.00, Building and grounds maintenance $2,000, insurance $4,000.00. The total needed revenue to complete these objectives would be $66,500, requiring a 1.8 cent tax increase July first 2013. We come before you asking for approval /preapproval prior to the normal budgetary meeting, in an effort to be able to guarantee revenue, so we may purchase the land for the substation before it becomes unavailable. E Below is a breakdown on how far properties are from our currently fire station and a breakdown of how far they would be with the proposed Neville Road fire station. Kindest Regards, Jamal Phillip Nasseri Fire Chief White Cross Volunteer Fire Department Road Miles to Current Fire Station 3.28 2.21 11.4 j M Properties within 5 miles M Properties between 5 & 6 miles east Properties greater than 6 miles east M Properties between 5 & 6 miles west M Properties greater than 6 miles west Road Miles to Closest Fire Station with Proposed Neville Road Fire Station 3 o Properties with in 5 road miles of 0.5 2% a station (94.5 %) Properties between 5 & 6 road miles east of we road (.5 %) Properties greater than 6 road 94.5% miles east of we road.(0 %) Properties with 5 & 6 road miles from a station west of we road(3 %) Properties greater than 6 road miles from a station west of we road (2 %) u1 �•�� .� �� f! �l /f!r v'�•O��J�� / ��wlJ.a�1 G7 PAP r \I _ ' , �� '��ar+ 1°JIlII - .MrOs��`o•, r° . s'` ,.mss= . NOW SOMPAK 12E // �',I�� t•r7� ■� n a �i �■�r � �A �� ,.: ��. T,i '� -mow ��'�i��':l uus�;��.�� ''��A� 14, wo W_ �� 10.0 �r 93 � LEGEND ■�_�/ - 1 NINE= -- ,,�_:�; - _ .r. ��.�fr _ ►il.f ■�� . ,�� ■� ,. � �� - Road proposed _.,� ra fire station Ion '/ �i1:'_ �� 1r�• Eo fi�'�1� 'IF \\1 •. miles 4 �•`-e�y}� ., .� r, Parcel boundary z �f1`� 'rSY'��C'�.,a ��y'yl', ,1 �'34Own'li �_'� ■uitiF LJ � -- �W.•, Fire Insurance Districts y► ..�� •.� Ott. ., •. , CANE CREEK NORTH CHATHAM VA I .. M • ORANGE WHITE CROSS ' `• �[� �� • � r�� • ' •�J�S�s =••• ��+ `fit:. `3p117 A pniyaJ�L`C8 �[�' ,� i �� I `�� J � G ' ��{�rF wJ r�� vy.F-�i.�' �r �� r cif 1ff� �■9■I�E';Y jl 'w ■ 'i � -.� 1 inch 3',010 feet ��,IJ �� i, �— •nsj 'A+ -�: 'i ■° lir' 'V'�� r'■,1��r1�f ?�sy "sZr.>•� � I � \iii I � � ., � +�If Z� y� a�i` Pull� rrrIlI] ►,J_, 12"j, � /� Ilf 1�� `r.:Ei�t �,••:t'�1'1 �' il: %�' v uu — �� ►�• .,rte w•;� �� rZy - �. ■��r ra -grog