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Page 17 <br />resources and protocols, response unit staffing, firefighter training, response <br />capacity and coverage, and other factors. A key element of coverage evaluation <br />is the location of engine and ladder apparatus in relation to the development <br />within the jurisdiction. The PPC was developed by the insurance industry and is <br />used to set fire insurance premiums. It does not evaluate EMS capabilities or <br />other emergency services a modern American fire department routinely provides. <br />For full credit in the PPC program, a fire department must provide an engine <br />within 1.5 miles and a ladder within 2.5 miles of each property in the jurisdiction. <br />Staffing for this level of service delivery is prohibitively expensive and, outside <br />dense urban cores of large cities, probably unnecessary. An astute fire chief will <br />not base performance standards on ISO alone but will use more direct methods <br />of evaluating community risks and resources. <br />• The Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) provides a self- <br />assessment and evaluation model that enables a fire department to evaluate <br />past, current, and potential future service levels and performance and compare <br />them to fire industry best practices so that a department may: <br />o Determine community risk and safety needs and develop community - <br />specific standards of cover. <br />o Evaluate the performance of the department in relation to the standard of <br />cover. <br />o Establish a methodology for achieving continuous organizational <br />improvement in relation to the standard of cover. <br />CFAI provides the tools for a fire department to assess its performance against national <br />standards or locally adopted performance goals. The program is voluntary and does not <br />set standards. A successful process leads to accreditation; compliance reports must be <br />made annually and the assessment process is repeated every five years. <br />A progressive fire department will be familiar with these and use them to establish <br />response goals and performance measures appropriate for the community and the fire <br />department in a standards of cover document. <br />City Background Information <br />With an area of 9.8 square miles and a resident population of approximately 19,000, <br />Tukwila would initially appear to be a small community with few fire and emergency <br />needs. That first glance is misleading. Tukwila is a thriving small city faced with several <br />complicating challenges that significantly increase its fire and life safety protection <br />needs. <br />Tukwila Fire Department — Station Location Study <br />June 2017 <br />34 <br />