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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFIN 2019-06-10 Item 2C - Budget - Fire Department Financial UpdateTO: City of Tukwila INFOR ATIONAL E ORANDU Finance Council Committee FROM: Vicky Carlsen, Finance Director Jay Wittwer, Fire Chief CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: May 22, 2019 Updated after av 28, 2019 Finance Cor SUBJECT: Fire Budget Discussion tee meeting Allan Ekberg, Mayor ISSUE Review current and historical Fire Department budget, staffing, and service levels to determine a sustainable model which meets the City's financial and policy goals. BACKGROUND This section provides historical information on the Fire department as well as narrative discussing several aspects of the budget development process. The final section provides the current budget projection. Current Staffing Levels Total Fire Department Staffing The 2019-2020 Budget authorizes a total of 67.0 Full -Time Equivalents (FTE's) in the Fire Department. The table below summarizes these Budgeted FTE's. Position FTE's Notes Fire Chief 1 Assistant Fire Chief Battalion Chief — EOC & Fire Marshall 2 Captains (Inspectors) — Fire Marshall's Office 2 Captains — Training Consortium 2 Work with the South King County Fire Training Consortium as part of City's financial commitment Senior Project Coordinator — Fire Marshall's Office I Plans reviewer Assistant to the Chief 1 Administrative Support Technician 2 1 supports the Fire Chief, 1 supports the Fire Marshall's office Emergency Management Specialist 1 Battalion Chiefs — Suppression 3 One per shift Captains — Suppression 12 4 per shift, 1 per Fire Station Firefighters — Suppression 39 13 per shift Total FTE's 67 9 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 2 There has not been a change in the number of Budgeted FTE's since 2013. Minimum Staffing Levels - Suppression As noted in the chart above, there are several activities, such as Fire Marshall, Training, and Emergency management which have staff and budgets allocated to these services. The majority of staffing (54 FTE's) and budget is dedicated to suppression with 24/7 coverage for calls for service within the Tukwila community. This memo is focused on the Suppression services within the Fire Department. Shift Coverage - 48/96 In 2009, per the newly adopted labor agreement, the Tukwila Fire Department began operating on a 48-hour, 3 shift model, with 18 personnel assigned to each shift. This translates into a shift being on for 48 hours, then off for 96 hours, also referred to as a "48/96" model. This was a change from what is known as the Modified Detroit schedule of a 24-hour schedule. The chart below shows the shift schedule for both the 48/96 and the Modified Detroit: Exarnple of Modified Detroit and 48/96 Schedule 1 I Day 1 Day 2 1 Day 3 I Day 4 : Day 5 : Day 6 : Day 7 : Day 48/96 (Current Schedule) On :On :Off :Off :Off :Off I I I I I I Modified Detroit On 1Off :iOn i Off iOn i Off iOff ;Off Then repeats Then repeats Minimum Staffing Per current policy, the minimum staffing level is for 13.0 FTE. Each station has three firefighters (one Captain and two firefighters) who respond to calls with engines or the ladder, with the battalion chief stationed at Station 51. When staffing level for the shift is at least 15, the aid car can be placed in service, which increases the level of service and can reduce response time by having an additional unit in service. The chart below summarizes daily staffing levels based on the number of FTE's available. Station Apparatus Minimum Staffing 13.0 FTE Additional Staffing 14.0 FTE Aid Car Staffing 15.0 FTE FS 51 Battalion Chief 1 1 FS 51 Engine 3 3 3 FS 52 Engine 3 3 3 FS 53 Engine 3 3 FS 54 Ladder 3 4 3 FS 54 Aid Car 0 0 2 Total Staffing 13 14 15 When the City added pipeline positions in 2014 (discussed below), an additional 3 to 5 (unbudgeted) FTE were added. Currently, the policy is to fill up to 3 pipeline positions, which effectively increases the staffing to 19 personnel per shift. For each shift of 19 FTE, there are two slots set aside for vacation and two slots set aside for Kelly Days (explained below). That leaves an additional two slots available for education leave or sick leave before staffing falls to minimum staffing of 13. When additional sick leave, Kelly 10 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 3 daye, training dmys, or other activities occur that reduce staffing below 13, the current policy is that other staff are called in on overtime to maintain the minimum staffing level. Summary of Current Shift Coverage: ` "A"Shhf "B"Shift "C^8hift� Total Staff per Shift 19 19 19 Less: Vacation Slots `2 -2 -2 Less: Kelly Day Slots -2 -2 -2 Staffing Level Prior toUnexpected Leaves 15 15 15 Minimum Staffing 13 13 13 Slots Available for Unplanned Leave 2 2 2 Kelly Day A Kelly []ay is an additional day provided to meet FLSAond contractual requirements. Due to FLSA ru|ao, each personnel are provided a certain number of"Kelly Oayo'', which is aday off during an FLSA period, and are scheduled ahead of time similar to a planned vacation day. Each FL8Acycle is24days and only one Kelly Day may bescheduled each FL8Aperiod. Kelly [Jays do not carry over into a new year, Starting in 2009. the total number of Kelly Days per each position is 14 days. This was an increase from 13 per the prior labor agreement, which was provided in lieu of e 196 pay increase. Pipeline Positions |nMarch 2O14.the Council approved the use of3pipeline positions. The pipeline positions were intended to create potential cost savings and increase operational effectiveness. When a firefighter retires, the individual in the pipeline can step into the vacated position. When arecruit enters the ocadenmy, it can take between six and nine months before a recruit is fully trained. These pipeline positions were approved byCouncil at the March 3.2O14meeting. In July 2016. in expectation of additional retirements and in an effort to reduce overtime usage, the Council increased this to authorize an additional 2 up to 5 pipeline positions. |naJune 3O16 nnenno, it was stated that through the middle of the year, the department had filled 55 24-hour overtime shifts due tominimum staffing requirements. |fthe three pipeline positions had not been in axietenoe, the department would have filled 132 24-hour overtime shifts due to minimum staffing issues. The memo also stated that because of the pipeline positions, the aid car was in service more frequently, increasing service levels tothe communities. The additional pipeline positions would enhance the department's capability to keep up with pending retirements and is more efficient and cost effective than the utilization ofexcessive overtime. The chart below shows total authorized positions and pipeline positions. Authorized`'and Pipeline Positions m .'-. ` W " 1| ��' ' '���' J���� '� ` ' ' � �� �� � '�' '~~" �~^ ' �~^~~ -' -' —"- --'-i --��| -i ` —'8 ! | FTEg 65GG 67 8767 67 G7! 87 G7 The additional pipeline positions add to the number of firefighters available per shift. 11 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 4 Staffing level considerations There are several factors which come into play when balancing current staffing levels for suppression. Vacation leave Per contnact, each personnel are guaranteed a certain level of vacation leave. The table below ehoxvo the average usage of total vacation leave per year, by hours. As you can see vacation hours use has slowly increased over the years with a slight reduction in 2018. Per the labor union aqreernent, personnel may accumulate uptotwo years of accrued vacation. For example, if firefighteraccrues two weeks per year, they can accumulate uptVfour weeks ofaccrued vacation. The exception to this rule is if an employee had scheduled as many as two work cycles or less vacation and then was unable totake such vacation due to serious i||nens/iniury, the employee may exceed the two-year maximum by that amount with the understandinq that (1) the employee will b[iOO their vacation balance within the two-year nnaxinnunn within an gQreed upon period of time of return to work. 4000 14,000 12,000 10,000 3,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 o Vacation Hours Taken Suppression Only zOzO DDz 012 2013 2014 015 2016 ZOD 2018 Kelly Day Per the contract and FLSA guidelines, as described earlier, the number Of Kelly Days per personnel has remained constant et14since 2OO9. The table below shows the average usage of total Kelly Days per year as expressed in hours. As you can see this has remained fairly consistent at about 10 thousand per year. Kelly Day usage increased in 2018 and 2017 along with the increase in pipeline positions. Further analysis is needed to determine why Kelly Day usage decreased in2O18. 12 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 5 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 2010 2011 2012 Kelly Hours Taken Suppression Only 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Kelly Hours 16,056 16,128 16,296 15,408 16,713 17,376 18,864 19,416 18,504 Training/Other Usage There is required training and other education which firefighters complete each year. Some of this is done during normal scheduled work hours, while others impact daily staffing levels. The number of hours for training and education outside of the normal work schedule is shown below. As the chart demonstrates, overtime training hours is not consistent from year to year with it ranging from a low of approximately 296 to a high of over 1,100 in 2017. 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 Training OT Hours Suppression Only 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Training Hours n/a 296 323 973 510 912 676 1,119 586 2018 Sick Leave and Long -Term Disability Sick leave can change by day and by shift. Below are two charts depicting sick leave hours from 2010 through 2019. The first chart compares January through April in all years and the second one compares January through December from 2010 through 2018 and January through April for 2019. Both charts combine regular sick leave with long-term disability as our financial system 13 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 6 does not segregate long-term disability from sick leave. Along with long-term disability, sick leave usage appears to be trending upward with the trend beginning in 2015. As the table below shows, the number of hours of sick leave has increased from just over 10,000 hours in 2010 to a peak of 14,000 hours in 2018. Sick leave usage can have a significant staffing and budget impact, especially if covered through overtime staffing. 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 Sick Hours Taken Suppression Only 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Sick Hours 8,549 9,668 9,506 9,614 11,356 11,085 12,091 13,141 13,699 Using sick leave usage through April 2019, the projection is for a similar usage of sick leave in 2019 as was experienced in 2018. 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2010 2011 2012 Sick Hours Taken Jan -April Suppression Only 2013 2014 2015 0 2016 2017 2018 2019 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Sick Hours 2,601 3,551 2,739 3,608 4,125 3,616 4,968 4,887 5,997 5,828 Long -Term Disability Whereas sick leave is intended for a short period of time, there is also the case when a firefighter is out for a longer period of time due to an injury, health issue, or other issue. 14 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 7 One factor contributing to the budget situation this year is the number of firefighters out on long- term disability, which we have defined as at least one consecutive month of sick leave. Below is a chart that shows how many firefighters are out on long-term disability each month. The chart is an estimate through June and only reflects those currently out on extended leave. Names have been removed for privacy. Data on long-term disability for prior years will be presented at a later date one the research has been completed. As the table shows, in January there is one firefighter at on long-term disability, whereas in March and April there were four to seven firefighters out on long-term disability. Dates on long-term disability Employee January February March April May June 4/1/18 - FF 1 1/7/19 - 6/1/19 FF 2 3/2/19 - 7/1/19 FF 3 3/10/19 - ? (intermittent) FF 4 1/21/19 - 4/28/19 2/5/19 - 4/18/19 3/19/19 - 5/5/19 1/16/19 - 2/19/19 5/15/19 - 7/1/19 FF 5 FF 6 FF 7 FF 8 FF 9 Retirements/Leaves of Service and New Hires for Suppression Each year, individuals leave the department due to retirement, another opportunity or unfortunately, due to a death but the Department also makes new hires. On average, the Department loses one to three firefighters per year and seeks to maintain consistent staffing levels by hiring new employees. When the Department hires a new firefighter, they first have to undergo approximately four months of training before they are deemed qualified as available for service. While the new firefighter is not able to fill a roster spot on a shift during these initial four months, they are paid salary and benefits. The chart below compares the Department's departures and hires for the time period 2010 through 2019. Departures & Hires All FD Since 2001 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 201 N Departures e Hires 2016 2017 2016 2019 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Departures 0 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 9 3 Hires 2 1 4 4 3 9 6 3 6 2 15 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 8 Deployments Another factor that affects staffing levels is deployments. When a natural disaster occurs somewhere else, often we will send firefighters to assist with recovery. Some recent examples include responding to the Oso disaster in our own state and the hurricanes that occurred on the east coast last year. When firefighters are deployed to assist with recovery, they are typically gone for several days which affects staffing levels. Most often, the City is reimbursed for the costs associated with these deployments but occasionally, the City is not reimbursed for all costs. Additional information on deployments will be provided at a later date. Summary of Staffing Considerations Overtime Usage Overtime is used to ensure that minimum staffing is met due to any reason, from vacation, Kelly Days, sick leave, long-term disabilities, retirements, or other issues. For example, when a firefighter goes out on long-term disability for an extended length of time (at least one month), the usual two slots available for education and sick leave drops to one. When more than one firefighter on the same shift is on long-term disability, any firefighter calling in sick automatically results in minimum staffing overtime. The overtime usage has fluctuated over time. The table below shows the number of minimum staffing overtime hours used 2011 through 2018 (overtime hours were not tracked per project code until 2011). 9,000 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2011 2012 Minimum Staffing OT Hours Suppression Only 2013 2014 IL 2015 2016 2017 2018 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Min Staff OT hours n/a 4,735 5,102 8,337 7,040 6,680 3,709 2,876 6,458 The following chart shows total overtime by category. Minimum staffing overtime can range from around 30% of total overtime to over 60% of total overtime. 16 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 9 Overtime Categories Y6ofWhole, byHours LIU N Minimum Staffing 0 Training 11 Meetings P� M isc 0svvipnent Overtime 2011 Minimum Staffing 5,167 Training 599 Meetings 1,210 Disaster Response K4bc 503 NoPACode 398 Other 198 Reimbursable 161 Equipment 87 City Events 174 Fire Investigation 164 Shift Extension 247 K No PA Code N Other City Events I Disaster Response M Reimbursable 0Fire Investigation 0 Shift Extension zom 2012 2013 2814 2015 2016 2017 2018 Grand Total 5,648 9,325 7'359 6,968 3,972 3,024 5,678 48,140 595 1,333 926 I'OSS 955 1'453 1,066 8,781 1,205 1,372 803 695 733 907 608 7,584 239 30 4,031 89 26 1'439 416 6,268 235 777 1,469 1'024 1,155 711 318 6,201 188 778 21 432 630 ZIl 80 2,746 32 45 127 283 406 940 2,031 142 163 197 221 250 214 488 1,835 123 284 573 180 131 147 112 1,635 232 250 226 175 125 209 55 1,455 126 73 307 175 286 237 161 1,447 67 155 218 126 174 DI 132 1,201 The cost of overtime has increased due to the change in usage and also the increase in average compensation over the past few years. As the table ahoxVs, the ooa[ per hour has consistently 17 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 1 0 $1,000,000 $900,000 $800,000 $700,000 $600,000 $500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000 $0 Total Overtime $ Paid . ...„... „ „....„„ •"" 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Overtime $ r $60.00 $58.00 $56.00 $54.00 $52.00 $50.00 $48.00 $46.00 $44.00 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Overtime $ $407,964 $446,557 $440,553 $754,079 $857,927 $658,738 $495,855 $514,312 $647,876 Overtime Hours 8,221 8,907 8,831 14,592 16,127 12,065 8,717 9,038 11,046 $/Hr $ 49.63 $ 50.13 $ 49.89 $ 51.68 $ 53.20 $ 54.60 $ 56.89 $ 56.90 $ 58.65 A key administrative and policy question is what can be done to reduce the overtime usage and costs going forward. Budget Process The Finance staff budgets for personnel costs as well as liability insurance and fleet costs. Fire staff budget supplies and services. All departments develop their budgets within the parameters set by Administration and Council. When Finance drafts the budget for personnel, all approved positions are fully funded at the existing labor agreement rate schedules plus an estimate for COLA increases. Benefits are adjusted based on known or estimated rate increases. Positions that are not at the top step include an increase in both salary and benefits to account for any step increases due during the biennium. Any vacant position is budgeted at the lowest step plus benefits and medical at the full family rate. Overtime is typically budgeted at previous year levels unless a department can prove the need for additional budget. One change in how overtime was budgeted occurred with the 2017-2018 biennium. Prior to 2017, the overtime budget line item included both overtime and associated benefits. Beginning with the 2017 budget, the overtime line item is strictly overtime pay. Benefits associated with overtime are budgeted in the correct benefit line. There are a few items that are not budgeted and which the City departments are expected to absorb the difference within their original adopted budget. • Pipeline positions are not budgeted. It is expected that these costs will be offset by a reduction in overtime costs and usage. • As a policy, the City also does not budget for pending or possible retirements, specifically the vacation and sick leave payouts. 18 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 11 • The budget does not include funds for possible deployments. Typically, the budget will be amended once costs and reimbursement information can be estimated. Often, reimbursement funds are not received until the following year. The City does not usually amend the adopted budget to account for any labor agreements that settle wages higher than what is included in the adopted budget. Departments are expected to absorb the difference. New information for June 11, 2019: Budget Amendments The fire department budget has been amended every year since 2012. The amendments range in amounts from a low of $85 thousand in 2010 to a high of $1 million in 2014. The average budget amendment for the department is about $500 thousand. The chart below shows the total original adopted budget followed by a breakdown of amendments by year. One item to note on budget amendments is that in the first year of the biennial budget, the budget amendment will often be carried forward into the second year of the budget cycle. This can be seen in 2015 and 2016 when overtime was increased both years and again in 2017 and 2018 when budget was provided for pipeline positions. Fire Budget Amendment Details New Contract Revenue Deployments Deployments Final Adopted (Signing Increase Other Backed - Pipeline (Not Revenue (Revenue Total of Amended Budget Bonus) Overtime Adjustments Other Positions Backed) Backed) Amendments Budget 2010 10,212,773 - - 85,000 - - - 85,000 10,297,773 2011 9,948,846 - - - - - - - - 9,948,846 2012 10,226,000 234,768 _-_ 21,693 60,500 316,961 10,542,961 2013 10,247,976 - 200,000 - - - - - 200,000 10,447,976 2014 10,472,254 - - 390,000 355,000 - 89,600 170,000 1,004,600 11,476,854 2015 11,056,925 - 300,000 440,000 - - - - 740,000 11,796,925 2016 10,959,499 - 310,000 403,000 37,805 - - - 750,805 11,710,304 2017 11,862,568 - 35,000 240,000 - 125,000 400,000 12,262,568 2018 12,192,595 - - 69,045 - 240,000 - 40,000 349,045 12,541,640 2019 12,473,387 - - - 12,473,387 Additional details on the "Other Adjustments" column is as follows: • 2010: Increase of $85K for fleet O&M • 2012: $21,693 for reinstating .25 FTE • 2014: $340K to fund LEOFF retiree medical and $40K to add fire permits to TRAKiT, • 2015: 80K for vacation payouts (not related to service separations), $210K for payouts due to service separation, and 90K for associated benefits. Also includes $60K for radio purchases • 2016: $90K for vacation payouts (not related to service separations), 220K for payouts due to service separation, and 93K for associated benefits. • 2018: $69k to budget for transfer to firemen's pension fund 2019 Projected Year -End 19 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 12 Staff is preparing a projected year-end model along with a discussion on the assumptions that will b8included inthe model. The model will becompleted and presented sda future meeting. DISCUSSION To begin the discussion on next steps to address the fire department's projected overbudoet aihJsdion, two options regarding policy are being presented below ao possible Vvoye to keep the fire department within budget. Additional options could bepresented atalater date. Policy Discussion There are some policy choices that relate to both the fire department budget as well as levels of service. As discussed above, there are a few items that, as a policy, the City does not budget for when drafting the biennial budget: ° Pipeline positions — salary and benefits for onentry level firefighter is approximately $98thousand. w Known retirements — based on current information, payouts in June are expected to be approximately $72thousand total for three firefighters. Additionally, the current policy sets minimum staffing levels ad13per shift. Ifstaffing falls below 13, minimum staffing overtime is triggered. Two suggestions that could keep the Fire department within budget follow. 1) Increase budget/revenues to support current level of service and staffing The first method would be toincrease the fire department's budget to include funding for the pipeline positions and add budget for retirements that have already occurred in2O1Baowell on those that are planned for later jnthe year. Funds could either come from increasing existing revenue eourceo, adding new revenue ooun:ee, decreasing budgets in other departments, or $ combination ofall the above. 2) Decrease nnininlurn staffing level to 12 on days when minimum staffing is not nnot A policy option for the Fire Department would batochange the level ofservice ho12 rather than 13. When n1ininlunl staffing is below 13, rather than calling in one shift of overtime, the Fire Station 52 aid car could be placed in service rather than an engine. The aid car can respond to most calls but the reduction inservice would come into play when o fire oa/} comes from Station 52`earea. An engine from another station would become the first due in unit, lengthening the response time. Engine 52 is also the second in engine for most fire cm|)o in the City. |fthis engine is swapped out for the aid car, this will cause a delay in a second engine arriving on scene, putting the first -in unit at risk. The '`tvvo in -tvvo out" rule by the State OSHA /L& |, is required for entry into hazardous environment, such as e fire. Each ofTuhvvi|a'e fire units are staffed at 3, a second staffed fire unit ianeeded. Fi[e0roundstaffing levels (NFP/\171O)will also beaffected, which will require an increase of aid from our neighboring fire agencies. From January 1, 2O1Qthrough April 30.2019. there were 8Odays when nlinirnunl staffing was below 13. resulting in minimum staffing overtime. Each shift of overtime costs approximately $1.400. If, onthose 0Odays, minimum staffing was reduced to 12 and the aid car placed in service, total savings iMovertime costs would have been $84thousand. 20 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 13 Below is a chart showing fire calls by type that Station 52 engine responded to from 2014 through 2018. The chart represents first -in calls only and does not include fire calls were Station 52 was the second in engine. As demonstrated by the second chart, Station 52 responds to the fewest fire calls of all four stations. On average, this station responds as first in on 48 fire calls a year. 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 12 12 12 Station 52 Fire Responses by Type 10 10 8 8 Structure Vehicle & mobile Cooking property 25 10 Natural Rubbish & Vegetation Dumpsters ■ 2014 a 2015 i3 2016 2017 0112018 Other types 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 185 126 114 100 53 56 Fire Calls by Station By Year with Average Response Times 38 42 44 62 62 63 72 57 101 76 102 85 0:07:12 0:06:29 0:05:46 0:05:02 0:04:19 86 0:03:36 0:02:53 0:02:10 Srt![ 0:01:26 0:00:43 0:00:00 51 51 51 51 51 52 52 52 52 52 53 53 53 53 53 54 54 54 54 54 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 m Fire Calls Response Time New Option: Fully Fund Current Service Levels Another option available would be to fully fund the current service levels in the following manner: 1) As previously mentioned, the current staffing model includes 19 24-hour personnel per shift. Between 2013 and 2018, the average number of overtime hours worked was 12,000 across all divisions within the fire department. Assuming an hourly rate of $60 per hour, to fully fund overtime at the average number of overtime hours worked annually, the total overtime budget 21 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 14 would be $720 thousand. The Cumart overtime budget for 2019 is $531 thousand, If the budget were trued up to reflect the average number Cfovertime hours worked, the budget should beincreased onadditional $189thousand. Adjusting benefits would add anadditional $24thousand for atotal increase inbudget nf$213thousand. Overtime Hours Cost per Hour Fire Overtime Costs Compared to Number Hours benefits)� gno 2011 2012 2013 201* 2015 2016/ ` 2017�umu 8,221 49.63 *46,s57 8,907 50.13 440,553 8,831 49.89 754,079 14,em 51.68 857,927 16,127 53.20 658,738 12,065 54.60 495,855 8,717 56.89 s/4,mu 9,03m 56.90 647,876 11.046 58.65 720,000 12,000 60.00 2) Fund the orSt associated with the academy. The length of the academy in approximately 18 vvoehS and durinq those xveeks, the fire department carries the full cost of the recruit (salary and benefits of approximately S40 thousand in total) but does not receive a level of service in return. Budget could beprovided tocover the costs ofthe academy. Budget for four recruits would add $100thousand tothe existing budget. 3) Fund the cost of separations of service (retirements, etc]. Because current policy requires rnininnurn staffing of 13, the fine department must absorb the costs ofseparations without reducing service levels, To dnte, the department is ovvana of three upcoming retirements with estimated payouts totaling $72thousand. Adding budget Df$1OOthousand would cover not only known separations but provide some funding for possible future separations. To summarize. to fully fund current service levels, total budget of $473 thousand would be added to the 2018 budget. Future budget years would include these same increases with COLA adjustments factored in. True upovertime Fund academy Fund service separations Total increase in budget Service Levels Another policy decision is related boservice levels. Staff will be bringing forward information on existing service levels to the Public Safety corn[niUBB in the near future. This information will be beneficial indiscussing the Fire department budget. To enhance the discussion nnservice levels, staff is gathering data on call statistics. Some of the information being gathered is call types by year and calls by station. Detailed call statistics will help guide future discussions on how best to address the budget situation with the fire department. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) The NFPA is a non-profit organization that convenes committees comprised of fire service -related professionals for the purpose of developing fire, e|eotrica|, and other life -safety standards. These standards are often utilized to make policy decisions regarding staffing and service levels. NFPA 1710 provides minimum standards related to the organization and deployment offire suppression operatiDn3, emergency medical op8n3tiOns, and special operations by career (paid) 22 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 15 fire departments, Standards recommended by NFPA 1710 are summarized below and represent the resources necessary tOprovide the highest probability of8successful and safe outcome, • Single-family dwellings: rniOinnurn 14 members, 15 if aerial is used • {}pen strip nnaUS and garden -style apartments: rninirnunn 27 rnenlber8. 28 if aerial is used • High-rise with highest floor greater than 75 ft above lowest level of fire apparatus access: nnininnunn 42 nlernberS. 48 if building is equipped with G fire pump. In addition to reviewing NFPA standards on staffing |eve|s, it is important to review incidents and response times. As the chart below indicates, from 2014 through 2017, the number of incidents each year increased, However, in 2018 the total number Vfincidents decreased. It is too early toknow ifZO18was ananomaly orthe start of anew trend. Along with the inC[cmoe in incidentS, response times also increased in apparent correlation with the increase inincidents except for 2O17. |n2O17avenaOeresponse time actually decreased. O 5400 ' Emm � 5840 Total Incidents — —AvgRespTime Another trend inservice levels worth noting iathat the average duration ofanincident has been declining over time. The shorter duration on calls helps to mitigate the impacts of increased call volume onovenaqeresponse times. 23 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 16 2014 2015 5752 2016 5840 ' 0:33:05 2017 Total Incidents — --Avg Duration 5734 C1'31'57 2018 0:38:53 0:37:26 0:36:00 0:34:34 0:33:07 0:31:41 0:30:14 0:28:48 RECOMMENDATION For information only ATTACHMENTS 24