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Isn't high overtime cost an indicator of understaffing? <br />- The staffing model is 18 per shift, allowing 4 off per shift - 2 vacation, 2 "Kelly" <br />days, leaving a minimum of 14. The Fire Department strives to find the right <br />balance and anticipate departures. <br />Information Requests: <br />• What cost saving recommendations in the CPSM study have been implemented or are being <br />considered? <br />• Can we charge other fire agencies for responding to calls in their territory? Could this offset <br />our costs? <br />5. Committee Roundtable <br />Committee members each shared responses to "What are your thoughts about enhanced services?" <br />and "Should all orsome be a priority to fund/provide in Tukwila, why or why not?" Responses and Q&A <br />included: <br />• Not clear which of the enhanced service options is more important. They seem equally <br />important. We need to share resources with other agencies to fund this. <br />• Q: Can we do the public education officer in some other way, with existing resource, for <br />example through the police department? A: Not likely; it is a requirement to become an <br />accredited department. <br />• Q: Why were fire inspections discontinued? A: Staff were shifted to handling permits and <br />duties with the south county training consortium <br />• CARES units seems to be the biggest bang for the buck. <br />• Q: What are the non- financial benefits of a CARES unit? A: It frees up firefighters to do more <br />serious calls <br />• Q: Is there a capacity issue in addressing CARES type calls today? A: Yes. A CARES unit would <br />help keep our vehicles on priority calls. <br />• We need these enhancements if we can afford them. We need to prioritize. I like the CARES <br />unit, less interested in sharing it with other agencies. I liked having fire inspections done— <br />would welcome restoring that. <br />• CARES unit is a priority for me. It eliminates work for firefighters. The Public education officer <br />is very important but could we share this with another department, including the police <br />department perhaps? I don't know how important the fire marshal office staffing is. <br />• All three are important. Q: Could we fund fewer additional staff for the fire marshal than the <br />maximum 3 FTE? A: We could add incrementally to the fire marshal's office. <br />• All three are important. Fire inspections are needed in our multi -family housing stock. Is <br />there some opportunity for creative financing here? <br />• CARES and Fire Marshal office staffing are my priorities—these have greatest public safety <br />impacts. <br />Committee members each shared responses to "How do you define financial sustainability?" <br />Responses included: <br />The Fire Department is over budget every year. How can we support all our services? There <br />are many paths, but financial sustainability means sustaining what we have now—or better. <br />We're in an economically active area. Can we handle what we have now? What will happen in <br />the next 4-10 years? Demand will continue to increase because growth will continue. The <br />level of service is high, and we should be able to sustain it. There will be fights over <br />resources—you need to balance between what you have and what you can afford. <br />2 <br />