HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFA 2015-05-13 COMPLETE AGENDA PACKETDate
Place:
Time
oCity f Tukwila
AGENDA
Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tukwila Fire Station 51 Training Room
444 Andover Park E, Tukwila, WA 98188
(206) 575 -4404
5:00 — 5:30 p.m. Refreshments
5:30 — 7:30 p.m. Steering Committee Meeting
I. General Discussion /Questions /Follow -up Seal and Wilson, Co- Chairs
Emergency Mgmt. and Fire Prevention
Services
II. Tukwila Standard of Coverage Chris Flores, Interim Chief
III. Kent RFA Standard of Coverage Larry Rabel, Captain
IV. FD Cares Mitch Snyder, Division Chief
V. Governance Work Group Moira Bradshaw
VI. Adjourn
Attachments: Committee Minutes - 4/8/15
Memo and Scenario Questions — Fire Prevention and EM
FD Cares Executive Summary
FD Cares Powerpoint Presentation
Phone: 206u433µ/800. City Hal/ 4x 206.43 ,/ 3. e sftc -, mvW.'rukWil 11l .
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Minutes
Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee
April 8, 2015
Call to Order
Co -Chair Kathleen Wilson called the meeting to order at 1730 hours..
Committee Members
David Cline, City Administrator; Moira Bradshaw, Senior Planner; Chris Flores, Tukwila Interim Fire
Chief; Jim Schneider, Kent RFA Chief; Joe Duffie, Tukwila Councilmember; Merle Brooks, Tukwila
firefighter, Alan Codenys, Tukwila firefighter; Dawn Judkins, Union President of Tukwila firefighters;
Mike Denbo, KCFPD 37 Commissioner, board member of Kent RFA; Ray Shjerven, Captain Kent
RFA, Union President; Brian Snure, Attorney for Kent RFA board; Genevieve Christensen, Assistant
General Manager for the Westfield Mall; Roxanne Knowle, Senior Real Estate Manager for CBRE;
Jessica Jerwa, Tukwila citizen representative; Jerry Thornton, Tukwila citizen representative;
Kathleen Wilson, Tukwila citizen representative.
Also present: Vicky Carlsen, Deputy Finance Director; Norita Deckard, Admin. Support Tech.
UN INOTPTt •1 •IJ,I
It was moved and seconded that the minutes for the meeting on 3/11/15 be approved with a
correction to the spelling of Mike Denbo's name. The motion was approved.
Review of Draft Revised Procedures
There was discussion about the procedures to follow for citizens that wish to speak at the meetings.
Should the public submit their statements in writing before the meeting, and if they don't, will they still
be able to speak to the committee? Councilmember Duffie felt that no one should have to submit
statements or questions in writing first. Ms. Wilson said that it was helpful when she was on the Tree
and Environment Advisory Committee when written comments were received. Ultimately, there was
Committee agreement that it is important to make sure the public knows that they are invited to attend
the meetings, but that it is the committee's meeting and that the Co- chairs may need to use their
discretion with each Agenda. Councilmember Duffie recommended that the Committee decide on a
time limit for citizen comments. There was unanimous agreement to limit each citizen to 2 minutes.
Revision to the Draft Procedures to reflect a 2 minute citizen comment was seconded and the
Procedures were approved.
Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee Minutes Page 2 of 5
April 8, 2015
2014 Fire Exploratory Committee Recommendation
City Administrator David Cline summarized the findings of the 2014 Fire Exploratory Committee. That
committee recommended the formation of a steering committee with a broader representation of the
community to continue exploring the feasibility of a possible annexation to the Kent Regional Fire
Authority. The Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee's purpose is to make a
recommendation to the City Council on whether to proceed with the annexation process.
General Business
Jerry Thornton volunteered to compile a list of fire depa
Interim Chief Flores presented an organizational chart
• Administration
• Operations
• Emergency Management
• Fire Prevention
nyms and their definitions.
isions in the fire department:
The Administrative division provides policy and direction to the rest of the fire department and
interacts with other City departments. The Administrative Division consists of a fire chief, assistant
chief of operations, an assistant to the chief, and an administrative support technician. There are 70
full -time employees, which includes 54 full -time firefighters in fire suppression positions.
The Tukwila Fire Department supplies two full -time captains to the South King County Regional
Training Consortium. The two training captains still report to the Tukwila Assistant Chief. The
department's participation in the training consortium has resulted in improved training opportunities
and better training documentation thru the Training Tracker program.
The Fire Department not only provides fire suppression and emergency medical services, but also
deals with rescue, marine response, and hazardous materials incidents. Fire prevention provides
code enforcement, conducts inspections and issues permits. Other services are public education and
outreach, and emergency management. The Tukwila Fire Department Explorer Scout Group has
joined with the Zone 3 Explorers Group which encompasses all of south King County. Tukwila Fire
also has a chaplaincy program. All of these other categories support the fire suppression and
emergency medical responses. Some logistics (maintenance of vehicles), financial, legal and IT
support services are important services that are external to the department and provided through
other City departments.
Currently, in the Tukwila Fire Department firefighters have a greater degree of responsibly and may
be tasked with different jobs such as maintaining the inventory, repairs of personal protective gear or
other small tools. The advantages to being part of a regional fire authority would be that more staff
2
Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee Minutes
April 8, 2015
Page 3 of 5
allows diversification and specialization. With more resources, maintaining firefighting equipment and
supplies could be more efficient.
City Administrator Cline pointed out that the reason the committee is learning about emergency
management and fire prevention is because the City will have the option of either keeping these
services or contracting with the Kent Regional Fire Authority to provide these services.
Emergency Management
Battalion Chief Marty Grisham presented an overview of the Emergency Management Division. In
1980 the responsibility for emergency management was assigned to the Fire Department. In the mid -
1990's it was administered by Public Works. In 2009, following the Howard Hanson Dam threat,
emergency management was transferred back to the Fire Department and administered through the
Fire Department budget.
The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) state requires and governs the establishment of an
emergency management division. The mayor has authority to assign a director from any city
department. In 2010 the powers and duties of emergency management were updated in with a
significant rewrite of the Emergency Management section of the Administration and Personnel
Chapter of the Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC 2.57.)
One of the primary purposes of the emergency management division is planning and preparation for
emergencies. The Fire Chief is the "Director of Emergency Management "; the division is staffed by
an Emergency Manager, and an Emergency Management Specialist. Funding comes primarily from
the City budget, but also from state and federal grants.
Emergency management provides public outreach thru' education and public training programs such
as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. It also provides logistical and planning
support for other City departments during real life incidents such as the "Take Back the Boulevard."
Emergency management is responsible for generating and maintaining a Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan and participating in county and state wide emergency drills such as the Cascadia
Subduction Zone Rising Drill. Emergency' management also manages all of the emergency radios in
the City.
Tukwila Fire Marsha
Battalion Chief Don Tomaso presented an overview of the Fire Marshal's Office. Staff includes a fire
marshal, two deputy fire marshals, a fire project manager, who is a certified plans examiner, and an
administrative support technician.
The Fire Marshal duties include: business license review; assigning addresses; backup plan review —
building, mechanical, fire alarm, and sprinkler; code enforcement; fire investigations with limited
criminal follow -up; public record requests; public works project reviews; impact fee administration;
assists with economic development; construction inspections back -up; hotspots committee; city land
use and street design review; code questions; state association memberships.
3
Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee Minutes
April 8, 2015
Page 4 of 5
The Deputy Fire Marshal duties include: construction, sprinkler and fire alarm inspections;
suppression responses; investigating alarm problems; hazardous materials inspections; following -up
on confidence test reports with problems; fire investigation; B occupancy inspections, which include
offices and commercial services; and some public education.
The Fire Project Manager duties include: review of building, mechanical, fire alarm, sprinkler, public
works and tank installation plans; main project oversight; review of operational permits, temporary
tent permits, and tank removals; code questions.
The Fire Marshal's Office also processes 18 -month fire and life safety business inspections and
sends inspection letters; processes operational and construction permits; maintains business files,
and fire alarm and sprinkler plans; verifies addresses; and processes public records requests.
For 2014 the total number of construction and 18 -month inspections totaled 3,850 of which 1,400
where firefighter crew inspections. The Fire Marshal's Office had 3,495 calls for service and attended
381 fires which resulted in 161 fire investigations.
management
Chief Schneider explained that the cities of Kent a
prevention, fire investigation and emergency manE
administer and manage those programs. We hau
the KRFA meets or exceeds the permit turnarounc
department review of construction applications is t
As an example of how we've been able to ensure
cities, the Kent RFA hired a civilian inspector who
Department, and he now provides fire prevention
The City of Covington
performs its emergency
id SeaTac, who are statutorily responsible for fire
gement, chase to contract with the Kent RFA to
good working relationship with our cities and
pectations. The advantage of having the fire
one of our primary concerns is firefighter safety.
d working knowledge and relationships with the
✓ously worked for the City of SeaTac Fire
ices for the City of SeaTac through the KRFA.
e KRFA for fire prevention and investigative services but
Duties in- house.
With regard to fire investigation, the KRFA fire investigative division has three investigators and a
supervisor who work shift assignments. Each fire investigator is a certified police officer, who can
carry a weapon and make arrests' in the field. Each investigator can also follow his cases all the way
thru to completion. The KRFA has high closure and conviction rates.
General Business
The topic of the next meeting will be standard of coverage: how to define the level of service, and
whether joining with the KRFA would result in a different or better level of service. Chief Schneider
will also include a discussion of the KRFA's FD cares program because of the impact that program
has on their service level.
The ultimate goal of this steering committee is to make recommendations to the Tukwila City Council
on whether to proceed with the annexation process. The services discussed tonight will be affected
because an annexation of the Tukwila Fire Department to the KRFA will change the current model of
El
Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee Minutes
April 8, 2015
Page 5 of 5
service delivery and program administration. If the Committee's recommendation is to proceed and
the City Council agrees, then the KRFA Plan will need to be amended to indicate whether some or all
of the services discussed tonight will be part of a contractual agreement. If they are provided by the
KRFA, then the details on contracting for services, such as costs, will be negotiated through an
Interlocal agreement between the City of Tukwila and the KRFA.
Adjournment
At 1921 hours Co -chair Wilson declared the regional fire authority steering committee meeting
adjourned.
Minutes taken ands
5
A
City of Tukwila
Jim Haggerton, Mayor
MEMORANDUM
To: Regional Fire Authority Annexation Steering Committee
From: Moira Bradshaw
Date: 6 May 2015
Subject: Fire Prevention /Investigation /Public Education /Emergency Management
ISSUE
The first agenda item for May's meeting is a discussion on the pros and cons of contracting with
the Kent RFA for the above services should a fire service annexation vote be positive.
BACKGROUND
At the April Steering Committee Meeting, Tukwila's Interim Fire Chief Chris Flores and Battalion
Chiefs Marty Grisham and Don Tomaso made presentations on the general functions of the
Tukwila Fire Department with a focus on the above four services.
The attachment to this memo contains scenarios that typically occur for Fire Prevention or that
Emergency Management plans for in their training.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Finance Committee is developing a conceptual budget for a Kent RFA that includes
Tukwila. An indication of how the City would like these specific services provided is requested.
RECOMMENDATION
Review the attached questions, consider some of your own concerns, and bring your thoughts
to the Committee meeting on May 13 for discussion.
ATTACHMENT
Scenario Questions
VA
Scenario Questions for Pros /Cons Discussion
Fire Prevention
Attachment
1) You are doing a short plat or lot line adjustment and you have fire hydrant and
fire turnaround questions and issues. What are the steps involved in getting
answers? How do you resolve the issues and get an exception granted? How
long is the process?
2) Your business is adding high piled storage racks and you have fire sprinkler
questions. How do you get copies of the existing sprinkler locations within the
building? Where does the business or contractor go with questions?
3) My neighbor is parking in the driveway that is a fire lane, I want you to tow his
car! The Police Dept says they can't do anything, because it is private property.
Who comes out and does this? Who do you go to with questions, complaints?
Emergency Management
4) A severe winter storm is forecasted for our area. Who will coordinate efforts
between: Fire Department and Police Department, the emergency responders,
and the Public Works Department, who will be sanding and plowing streets?
5) There is a large hazardous materials release in the Southcenter district, creating
a need to evacuate and shut down streets. How would the RFA respond and
what kind of Incident Command structure would be set up to manage this
incident?
6) An active shooter is at the mall. What resources would the RFA send and how
would Tukwila response efforts be coordinated with the RFA response
resources?
Do you think the services provided by the Kent RFA for the above scenarios would be
different than the services that Tukwila currently provides? Do you think they would be
better, worse, or just different? Would it matter?
Rl
Executive Summary —
Over the last 30 years, the fire service has expanded the number of stations and personnel in order to
meet a 400 percent increase in the number of requests for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The
expansion of fire -based emergency medical response has inextricably linked the fire service and the U.S.
health care system.
The U.S. healthcare system is currently under enormous public and congressional pressure to
reform due to the lack of access to services, the poor quality of care, and the high costs of care. Critics of
the US healthcare system cite fire -based EMS as an example of a public service that contributes to
America's over utilization of EMS and increasing national healthcare expenditures amounting to 18
percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Is this criticism of fire -based EMS valid?
Fire departments respond to a wide array of requests for medical service. The fire service is well
recognized for their capacity to respond rapidly to emergencies with quality care as demonstrated by
recent increases in cardiac arrest survival rates nationwide. However, a large proportion (estimated up to
40 %) of medical service requests are for non - emergent medical problems and a majority of these
requests are attributed to a subset of frequent users of EMS. Despite these facts, fire -based EMS
personnel, response times, and medical interventions are standardized for medical emergencies.
Consequently, 911 callers with non - emergent issues typically receive emergency- oriented care, which
often times results in the unnecessary transport of patients to an Emergency Department (ED) for more
definitive care. The National Quality Forum (NQF) estimates that this response model contributes to an
estimated $38 billion in wasted health care expenditures each year. Moreover, because fire -based EMS
and EDs are designed for the episodic treatment of emergent medical problems, clients with non -
emergent medical problems, who often have multiple chronic diseases and psychosocial issues,
experience poor quality outcomes, poor follow up care, and poor continuity of care. The result is
subsequent and repeated use of the EMS system. Why now should the fire service change their medical
response model?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is changing the landscape of the U.S.
health care system. Provisions in the PPACA are making insurance payers and hospitals accountable for
the quality and costs of EMS care, driving the adoption of healthcare delivery organizations and
innovative solutions that improve the value of EMS. The PPACA directly challenges the inefficiencies
of the fire service's "one -size -fits -all" response model. How can fire departments improve the value of
fire -based EMS?
Fire departments should adopt a new tier within their current response model that responds
directly to non - emergent medical and psychosocial problems and proactively contacts frequent callers of
911, frequent users of the ED, and patients at high -risk of hospital readmission. This Non - Emergency
Medical Service (NEMS) division should be fully integrated into the operations of fire departments.
The Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority (KFD /RFA) in Washington State has
developed a NEMS division, called FDCARES (Fire Department Community Assistance, Referral, and
Education Services). FDCARES is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year with an Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT) and a Registered Nurse (RN), who are available to respond directly to 911
callers with non - emergent medical and psychosocial requests for service. Using a non - emergency
response vehicle, FDCARES staff responds to non - emergent callers within 20 minutes. FDCARES staff
delivers a wide range of services aimed at addressing clients' immediate and long -term medical and
psychosocial needs. These services include medical stabilization, care navigation and coordination,
transport to alternative care settings (e.g., urgent care, primary care, etc.), medication reconciliation,
patient education, referrals to social services, and injury and illness prevention. When not responding to
non - emergent 911 callers, FDCARES staff proactively contacts and delivers services to frequent 911
callers, frequent users of the ED, and individuals at high risk of hospital readmission.
Adopting and integrating FDCARES into a fire department's existing response model, improves
emergency unit reliability and response times, reduces over - utilization of EMS and the associated costs,
increases access to quality care, and improves outcomes for residents by ensuring that they receive the
right service, at the right time, in the right place, and in the right way.
10
Professionally and
Compassionately 14eIping People
Fire Department Community Assistance
Referral. and Education Services
DEFINING THE FUTURE
Em r
ed• ry a
Vision Statement
FDCARES has fully integrated EMS into the broader
healthcare system to improve the health outcomes of
individuals in need of non - emergency services. We
provide the proper level of response, education,
advocacy, and medical systems navigation. Utilizing a
combination of public and private resources, FDCARES
has increased access to the appropriate level of
healthcare and social services in a timely and cost
effective manner.
t e 'vision
FDCARES staff is addressing:
➢ Low acuity /non - emergent 911 incident response
➢ Navigation of patients to lower cost, appropriate care facilities
➢ Proactively addressing High Utilizers of the 911 system
➢ Proactively addressing High Utilizers of the local Emergency Departments
)%- Emergency Department and Hospital admission and readmission prevention
➢ Improved Continuity of patient care
CARE COORDINATORS
tors
Establishing what level of training is needed for this type
of work and who is best suited to perform these duties.
The Kent Fire Department will be using Firefighter EMT's
and Registered Nurses.
NEM R
Non - Emergency Medical Services
➢ Smaller response vehicles
➢ Appropriate response times
➢ Addressing chronic and incident causation
� Advocating for patients (not case management)
are Coordinators take the time to determine the underlying cause of the 911 request.
Determine the most appropriate solution to the problem.
Stabilize patients in their home when appropriate.
Navigate patients to appropriate care provider.
Primary Care
Walk in clinics
Urgent Care
Crisis Clinic's
Sobering Clinic's
Establish the most appropriate transportation method.
= = =
Developing long term solutions and providing non-emergent resource for patients.
253-856-CARE (2273)
Patient needs assessment Proactive services
No n E
Q •
e
cene
Partnering
h Hospitals
Avoidable readmissions
Pneumonia
>CHF
>Acute MI
>COPD
>Geriatric Fall Patients
a ad sion
Pr v n on,
Definitions:
911 high utilizer - Any patient who utilizes the 911 system 3
or more times in a 12 month period.
ED high utilizers - Any patient who is admitted to an
emergency department 4 or more time in a 12 month period.
System abuser - Any patient who utilizes a combination of the
911 system and admits to an emergency department 25 or
more times in a 12 month period for tow acuity events.
t
11/ED
f P
•
FDCARES DATABASE: Data is a critical
component for the day to day operations of
NEMS.
➢ General Patient Information
➢ Clean data for optimizing patient
Identification
➢ Proactive workload prioritization
rit"4 i
T pRfoRliyAtc,0 F[T _-`
tier
Enter cc t ct to tae FDC::RES Database then follow this
algorit! - :m to r_ sta5i. sh the correct Tier— Pr'or;ty level.
Has the F called S11
THREE OR MORE times
in the past 12 months
Has the F utilized an ED
FOUR OR MORE times in
the past 12 months
has the rt utilized an ED
FOUR OR MORE times in
the pas= _2 months'
Dees :he .: ha-.,e a his:cry
c= S'_bs :ari_eA.buse cr
Mental -eal-h 1Ilness?
AGE 4
1
I=ces the Pt. E:aye a history
c= Substance Abuse or
:Mental Health Illness?
Does the Pt have a histor.,.
of Substance Abuse or
.Mental Health Issues?
T=
Gi._ To. = .G=
TIER 6
GO TO PAGE 7
TIER 2
GO TO- G E
NO
TIER 5
GO TO PAGE 6
Was the Pt
Referred?
YES
hlN0
TIER 1 PATIENT
Is the Pt a
diabetic
Is this a fall Pt?
YES rE.S
HIGH PRIORITY
1.1.1 YR,I.10
FIIGH PRIORITY
1, 1, 2,YR.M0
HIGH PRIORITY
1,1.3 YR.M0
NO
HIGH PRIORITY
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More cost effective low acuity medical response
>Reduced repetitive use of the 911 system
>Improved costs associated with unit reliability
versus staffing additional emergency units
>Improved emergency response times
16.00%
14.00%
12.00%
10.00%
8.00%
6.00%
4.00%
2.00%
0.00%
of Time Devoted to Y -Code Incidents
A70
A71
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E72
E73
E74
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E75
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m 2012
2011
2010
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Better Defining Medical
Call Types
EMS = Advanced Life
Support
BLS = Basic Life Support
NEMS = Non Emergency
PAVS = Pro - Active Visit
Services
Downgraded
Re o
Annual Fire Department Response Numbers
and Percentages
FIRE -624 3.01%
▪ Service -639 3.07%
▪ Haz Mat -284 1.36%
Other -1698 8.17%
• EMS /ALS -1302 6.28%
BLS -6914 33.3%
NEMS -2000 9.64%
PHV's -5000 24.07%
Downgrade -2304 11.10%
Hospital /Emergency Departments
Reduced low acuity admissions and readmissions
➢ Reduced number of uninsured /underinsured patients
➢ Reduced overcrowding
➢ Reduced admissions and readmissions (30 day)
� Improved patient outcomes and patient satisfaction.
>Healthcare Partnerships
>Payer Partnerships
>Employer Insurance provider Partnerships
Mitch Snyder
www.FDCARES.com
helms
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