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Home My WebLink AboutFIN 2019-08-26 Item 2A - Budget - Fire DepartmentCity of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor TO: INFOR ATIONAL E ORANDU Finance Council Committee FROM: Vicky Carlsen, Finance Director Jay Wittwer, Fire Chief CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: May 22, 2019 Updated afterJwie4GJuly 8, 2019 Finance Committee meeting (New information begins on page 17 of this memo) SUBJECT: Fire Budget Discussion 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 1 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 1 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 2 There has not been a change in the number of Budgeted FTE's since 2013. Minimum Staffi[qLevels -Suppression As noted in the chart above, there are several G{tiV|tieo, such as Fire Marshall, Training, and Emergency management which have staff andbudgets allocated bothese services. The majority of staffing (54 FTE?s) and budget is dedicated to suppression with 24/7 coverage for oo||a for service within the Tukwila community. This memo isfocused Dn the Suppression services within the Fire Department. Shift CoveraQe-48/SR In 2009. per the noYv|y adopted labor agreement, the Tukwila Fire Department began operating on a 48-hour, 3oh|ft model, with 18 personnel assigned to each Shift. This translates into a shift being on for4R hours, then off for 96 houra, also referred to as e ^48/96" model. This was a change from what ioknown aothe Modified Detroit schedule of824-hourschedule. The chart below shows the shift schedule for both the 48/96 andthe Modified Detroit: 48/98<Cunren Schedule) On :On :Off :Off :Off :Off Then repeats | | | | | | | Modified Detroit On :O� :�n k]� :8n :�� k]ff Then repeats . . . . . . . Minimum8taffinO Per current policy, the minimum staffing level isfor 13]]FTE. Each station has three firefighters (one Captain and two firefighters) who respond to oaUa with engines Or the ladder, with the/ battalion chief stationed otStation 51. When staffing level for the shift is at least 15, the aid car can be placed in oervice, 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 ofFTE's available. Station Apparatus KNinhnun1 Staffing 13.0FTE Additional Staffing 14.0FTE Aid Car Staffing 15.0FTE F851 Battalion Chief 1 1 1 F851 Engine 3 3 3 F852 Engine 3 3 3 F853 Engine 3 3 3 F854 Ladder 3 4 3 FS54 Aid Car O O 2 Total Staffing 13 14 15 When the City added pipeline positions in 2014 (discussed below), on additional to 5 (unbudgeted) FTE were added. Currently, the policy istofill up to 3 pipeline positions, which effectively increases the staffing to1Spersonnel per shift. For each shift of 19 FTE there are two slots set aside for vacation and two slots set aside for INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 3 or sick leave before staffing falls to rnininnunn staffing of 13. When additional sick kaave. Ka|k/ days, training days, 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 ofCurrent Shift W'Shit"U2,Sahin\�:t�lm�. Total Staff per Shift 19 19 19 Less: Vacation Slots -2 -2 -2 Less: Ka|b Day Slots -2 -2 -2 Staffing Level Prior tuUnexpected Leaves 15 15 15 Minimum Staffing 13 13 13 Slots Available for Unplanned Leave 2 2 3 Kelly Day A Ne|k/ Day ieon additional day provided to meet FL8Aand contractual requirements. Due to FL8/\ Fu|eo. each personnel are provided a certain number of"Kelly Daya^, which is a day off during GnFLSAperiod, and are scheduled ahead oftime similar tVaplanned vacation day. Each FL8Acycle iS24days and only one Kelly Day may be scheduled each FLGAperiod. Kelly Days do not carry over into a new year. Starting in 3008. the total number ofKelly Days per each position is 14 days. This was an increase from 13 per the prior labor agreement, which was provided inlieu ofe196pay increase. Pipeline Positions |nMarch 2O14.the Council approved the use mf3pipeline 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 recruit enters the academy, it can take between six and nine months before o recruit i8fully trained. These pipeline positions were approved by Council at the March 3, 2014 meeting. In July 2018. in expectation of additional retirements and in an effort to reduce overtime Vsage, the Council increased this toauthorize anadditional 2Vpto5pipeline positions. |naJune 2O18 memo, it was stated that through the middle of the year, the department had filled 55 24-hour overtime shifts due tOminimum staffing requirements. Ifthe three pipeline positions had not been in eXiGteDce, the department would have filled 132 24-hourDV8rtirD8 shifts due to 0iDiOOUOl staffing issues. The rD80o also stated that because of the pipeline posidDOS, the aid car was in service more frequently, increasing service levels to the 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 of excessive overtime. The chart below shows total authorized positions and pipeline positions. The additional pipeline positions add to the number of firefighters available per shift. 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 contract, each personnel are guaranteed a certain level of vacation leave. The table below shows 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 agreement, personnel may accumulate up to two years of accrued vacation. For example, if a firefighter accrues two weeks per year, they can accumulate up to four weeks of accrued 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 to take such vacation due to serious illness/injury, the employee may exceed the two-year maximum by that amount with the understanding that (1) the employee will bring their vacation balance within the two-year maximum within an agreed upon period of time of return to work. The City does have a policy regarding vacation accrual, but it is specific to non -union employees. The policy states that an employee may accumulate up to a maximum of 384 hours (48 days) of accrued vacation leave. Vacation time earned in excess of said maximum limit shall be used or forfeited. The policy goes contain a statement that reads: "union employees shall accrue vacation per their labor contract in instances where it may differ from these provisions". 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 2010 2011 Vacation Hours Taken Suppression Only 2012 2013 2014 14 2015 2016 2017 2018 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Vacation Hours 11,345 11,834 12,802 12,914 13,215 14,069 14,514 14,580 14,191 Kelly Day Per the contract and FLSA guidelines, as described earlier, the number of Kelly Days per personnel has remained constant at 14 since 2009. 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 16 thousand per year. Kelly Day usage increased in 2016 and 2017 along with the increase in pipeline positions. Further analysis is needed to determine why Kelly Day usage decreased in 2018. 4 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 2011 2012 2013 Training OT Hours Suppression Only 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Training Hours n/a 296 323 973 510 912 676 1,119 586 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 5 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 2010 2011 2012 Sick Hours Taken Suppression Only 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 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. 6 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 7 One factor contributing to the budget situation this year iethe number of firefighters out onlong- term dioabi|ib/, which we have defined as at least one consecutive month of sink leave, Below is ochmrt that shows how many firefighters are out on long-term disability each month. The chart io an estimate through June and only reflects those currently out on extended leave. Names have been removed for privacy. Data onlong-term disability for prior years will bapresented etelater 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 Employeedisability,�v�`'�� ' January .� February ' Marth ��^��Apra��-' 4U/18-? FF1 1/7/18-6U/19 FF2 3/2 1g'7Y1/19 FF3 3/1018'?<intermiftenV FF4 1/21/13 4/2019 FF5 2/5/19 4/1018 FF0 3/18/19'5/5/19 FF7 1/1019 2U9/18 FF8 � mmY I June ! Retirements/Leaves VfService and New Hires for Suppression Each year, individuals leave the department due to Fatmamant, another opportunity or uRfortun8ta|y, due to G death but the Department also |nokeo new hires. On average, the Department loses one to three firefighters per year and seeks to maintain consistent staffing levels byhiring new employees. When the Department hires anew firefighter, they first have toundergo approximately four months of training before they are deemed qualified as available for service. VVhi|8 the new firefighter is not able to fill 8 roster spot OD @ shift during these iOiU@| four months, they are paid salary and benefits. The chart below compares the Department's departures and hires for the time period 2010 thRlugh2O19. DeporturesQ Hires All pnSince zmn uuo uuz 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 uur ,mm 2019 19 Departures a Hires umo 2011 2012 ano nnw mno ums omr ume zms Departures u n o n o n x n y x mem 2 1 4 4 3 9 6 3 6 2 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 8 Deployments Another factor that affects staffing |6me|s is deployments. \80lan a natural disaster occurs somewhere e|se, often vvewill send firefighters b} 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 nocovery, they are typically gone for several days which affects staffing levels. Most often, the City i8reimbursed for the costs associated with these deployments but occasionally, the City is not reimbursed for all costs. Additional information OD deployments will be provided at e later date. Summary OfStaffinq Considerations OvertimeUea.qe Overtime is used to ensure that nnininnunn staffing is met due to any neaaon, from vacation, Kelly [)myo. sick leave, long-term disabilities, retirements, or other issues. For examp|e, 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 oorne shift is on long-term diaabi|ity, any firefighter calling in sick automatically results in minimum staffing overtime. The overtime usage has fluctuated over time. The table bek]VV ShOVVS the number Ofminimum staffing overtime hours Used 2011 through 2018 (overtime hours were not tracked per project code uOti|2O11). 9,000 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 o AVIP'40 0��: �� Minimum Staffing {lTHours Suppression Only 2010 Z011 2012 208 2014 2015 016 017 2018 The following chart shows total overtime bvcategory. Minimum staffing overtime can range from INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 9 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Overtime Categories of Whole, by Hours 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ■ Minimum Staffing Training a Meetings Disaster Response Y Misc • No PA Code ■ Other ■ Reimbursable • Equipment City Events • Fire Investigation • Shift Extension Overtime 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Grand Total Minimum Staffing 5,167 5,648 9,325 7,359 6,968 3,972 3,024 6,678 48,140 Training 599 595 1,333 926 1,855 955 1,453 1,066 8,781 Meetings 1,210 1,205 1,372 803 695 793 907 600 7,584 Disaster Response 239 30 4,031 89 26 1,439 416 6,268 Misc 503 235 777 1,469 1,024 1,165 711 318 6,201 No PA Code 398 188 778 21 432 639 211 80 2,746 Other 198 32 45 127 283 406 940 2,031 Reimbursable 161 142 163 197 221 250 214 488 1,835 Equipment 87 123 284 573 180 131 147 112 1,635 City Events 174 232 260 226 175 125 209 55 1,455 Fire Investigation 164 126 73 307 175 206 237 161 1,447 Shift Extension 247 67 155 218 126 174 81 132 1,201 2016 2017 2018 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 shows, the cost per hour has consistently increased over the past several years. 9 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 10 $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 $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 2010 2011 Overtime $ $407,964 $446,557 Overtime Hours 8,221 8,907 $jHr $ 49.63 $ 50.13 A key administrative and policy and costs going forward. Overtime $ $/H r 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 $440,553 $754,079 $857,927 $658,738 $495,855 $514,312 $647,876 8,831 14,592 16,127 12,065 8,717 9,038 11,046 $ 49.89 $ 51.68 $ 53.20 $ 54.60 $ 56.89 $ 56.90 $ 58.65 question is what can be done to reduce the overtime usage 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. 10 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. 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. e Budget Amendment Details New Contract Adopted (Signing Increase Qi Budget Benue) Overtime Adjusttnen ieployments -Deployments ,.:, Final Pipeline (Not Revenue - (Revenue Totalot Amended 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 11 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 12 2019 Projected Year -End Staff is preparing a projected year-end model along with a discussion on the assumptions that will be included in the model. The model will be completed and presented at a future meeting. New information for July 8, 2019 Mutual Aid In addition to the City's firefighters responding to emergency incidents within the boundaries of the City, the crews also respond to, and receive, mutual aid. Mutual aid provided is when the City's firefighters respond to an emergency incident in another jurisdiction's boundaries. Mutual aid received is when firefighters from other jurisdictions respond into the City's area to respond to an incident. The charts below graphically display mutual aid given and received on a City -Wide basis, by jurisdiction, and by station. Data provided is from 2014 through 2018. The first chart demonstrates that, in total, the City provides more mutual that what is received. For the period shown, the City responded to a total of 3,394 mutual aid calls and received a total of 2,822 received, a net difference of 572. 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 2014 2014-2018 Mutual Aid 2015 • Mutual Aid Given 2016 u ua 2017 Aid Received 2018 Another way to look at mutual aid is to analyze mutual aid given and received, but by jurisdiction. As the chart below indicates, the City responds into King County Fire District #20 (Skyway) and the Renton RFA more than the City receives aid. Conversely, Puget Sound RFA provides the City more mutual aid than the City provides the RFA. 12 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 13 Entities included in the "Other" category include the following: Black Diamond FO#17. Boeing Fire, Enumclaw FC\King County Medic One, KCFO#43.Port of Seattle, Seattle Fire, South King Fire, Valley RF/\ \/aehon |o|mnd Five & Rescue, and Woodinville. While the number of calls in many of these areas are minimal, it does demonstrate that the City of Tukwila fire department can respond to calls in areas that do not border the City. 610 156 Mutual Aid bVJurisdiction 1,806 1,5720 KCpo#20 (Skyway) North Highlinm Puget Sound nFA RentonFo U Given I Received Other The final mutual aid chart looks at the GGn1e data as the chart above but displays the data by station. While, intotal, the City gives more mutual aid than iereceived, both Station 52 and Station 54 receive more mutual aid than provide nlutU8| aid. however, Stations 51 and53 respond to more mutual aid calls that receive. |tiaalso worth noting that Station 52gives and receives the least amount of mutual aid than any other station. This could be relevant information since one of the policy choices presented includes reducing staffing |ave|o at this station. 13 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 14 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 - Mutual Aid 51- Mutual Aid Given Received 340 122 410 122 286 259 273 MUTUAL AID BY STATION GIVEN AND RECEIVED 52 - Mutual Aid 52 - Mutual Aid Given Received 28 12 110 24 115 22 137 29 55 33 37 45 51 53- Mutual Aid Given 105 142 153 169 118 53 - Mutual Aid Received 102 79 91 95 89 54- Mutual Aid 54- Mutual Aid Given Received 133 287 153 279 203 338 209 284 223 302 Schedule for Future Meetings Additional topics related to the fire department that will be presented at future meetings. Below is a tentative schedule with meeting dates and topics: July 22, 2019: Existing service levels for Tukwila fire department August 12, 2019: Cost and service level comparison to other fire/EMS service providers August 28, 2019: Options for service levels and how to fund the different service level options A memo on the fire marshal's office will also be presented as a topic for discussion at the July 22, 2019 meeting. DISCUSSION To begin the discussion on next steps to address the fire department's projected overbudget situation, two options regarding policy are being presented below as possible ways to keep the fire department within budget. Additional options could be presented at a later 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 an entry level firefighter is approximately $98 thousand. • Known retirements — based on current information, payouts in June are expected to be approximately $72 thousand total for three firefighters. Additionally, the current policy sets minimum staffing levels at 13 per shift. If staffing falls below 13, minimum staffing overtime is triggered. 14 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 15 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 to increase the fire department's budget to include funding for the pipeline positions and add budget for retirements that have already occurred in 2019 as well as those that are planned for later in the year. Funds could either come from increasing existing revenue sources, adding new revenue sources, decreasing budgets in other departments, or a combination of all the above. 2) Decrease minimum staffing level to 12 on days when minimum staffing is not met A policy option for the Fire Department would be to change the level of service to 12 rather than 13. When minimum 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 in service would come into play when a fire call comes from Station 52's area. 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 calls in the City. If this 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 "two in - two out" rule by the State OSHA / L& I, is required for entry into a hazardous environment, such as a fire. Each of Tukwila's fire units are staffed at 3, a second staffed fire unit is needed. Fireground staffing levels (NFPA 1710) will also be affected, which will require an increase of aid from our neighboring fire agencies. From January 1, 2019 through April 30, 2019, there were 60 days when minimum staffing was below 13, resulting in minimum staffing overtime. Each shift of overtime costs approximately $1,400. If, on those 60 days, minimum staffing was reduced to 12 and the aid car placed in service, total savings in overtime costs would have been $84 thousand. 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. 15 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 16 2 00 180 160 mo 120 uo 80 w 40 20 o zz 9 8 Station 52 Fire Responses by Type 10 8B ScmCtore Vehicle &moWUe [aoNrg pmpc«v uo zm um zm 53 2 5 5 � mvmm| nvhhis`& Vegetation DUnipsters Fire Calls 6yStation 8yYear with Average Response Times e � � � w �m o 57 11 o Othertypes uo uu � rs � 0:07:12 mnAv o.o5:m m 86 mm:36 ' oo2:o m02:10 0:01:2 51 51 sz s, 51 52 52 s, sz n o o o sa 53 o* so s; m 54 201" 2015 ons uxr zmv mm 2015 2016 uo/ zmo xn^ zm` 2016 mo uuo 2014 zms 2016 uor mm =MW Fire Calls - Response Time New Clobon: Fu{lv Fund Current Service Levels Another option available would be tofully fund the current service keVe|S iDthe following O\anO8[ 1) As previously nlortionad, the current staffing nnoda| includes 19 24-hour personnel per shift. Between 2O13and 2O1O.the average number ofovertime hours worked was 12.0DOacross all divisions within the fire department. Assuming an hourly rate of$0O per hour, to fully fund overtime at the average number of overtime hours worked annually, the total overtime budget would be $720 thousand. The current overtime budget for 2019 is $531 thousand. If the budget were trued up to reflect the average number ofovertime hours worked, the budget should beincreased anadditional $1O9 thousand. Adjusting benefits would add anadditional $24thousand for atotal increase inbudget Pf$213thousand. 16 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 17 ire Overtime Costs Compared to NumberofOvertime Hours (Excludes benefits) 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 Cost per Hour 49.63 50.13 49.89 51.68 53.20 54.60 56.89 56.90 58.65 Estimate Based on 2010-2018 2019 720,000 12,000 60.00 2) Fund the cost associated with the academy. The length of the academy is approximately 18 weeks and during those weeks, the fire department carries the full cost of the recruit (salary and benefits of approximately $40 thousand in total) but does not receive a level of service in return. Budget could be provided to cover the costs of the academy. Budget for four recruits would add $160 thousand to the existing budget. 3) Fund the cost of separations of service (retirements, etc.). Because current policy requires minimum staffing of 13, the fire department must absorb the costs of separations without reducing service levels. To date, the department is aware of three upcoming retirements with estimated payouts totaling $72 thousand. Adding budget of $100 thousand 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 2019 budget. Future budget years would include these same increases with COLA adjustments factored in. True up overtime $213,000 Fund academy 160,000 Fund service separations 100,000 Total increase in budget $473,000 New Information for August 26, 2019 Fire Expenditure Budget The proposal for the items listed above, true up of overtime, academy, and service separations, are needed to fund existing service levels and would be proposed for both 2019 and 2020. If the same levels of service are maintained, these adjustments would be rolled into future budgets. The final proposed budget amendment would include an estimated COLA adjustment for 2020 for all three items. In addition to these ongoing amendments, staff will be recommending one-time amendments, specific to 2019. Two revenue -backed items and one unbudgeted significant event (not revenue - backed) occurred this year. For the propane tank incident, the Fire Department incurred approximately $11,500 in costs that will be reimbursed by the responsible party. The fire department also incurred approximately $7,800 in costs associated with an unexpected structural code compliance issue that will be reimbursed by the local business. The snowstorm event resulted in $30,600 in unbudgeted expenditures for the Fire Department that will not be reimbursed to the City. 17 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 18 Total recommended budget amendments are as follows: Proposed Budget Amendments 2019 2020 Ongoing $473,000 $496,650 Propane Incident 11,500 Code Compliance Issue 7,800 Snowstorrn 30 600 - 'Total Proposed Amendrnent $522,900 496,650 Revenue Budget In addition to increasing the expenditure budget for the fire department, staff recommends that that the Fire Department begin billing for revenues previously authorized by Council. • False Alarms • Recovery of hazardous incident response costs Another revenue source available to the City is be an ambulance transport fee similar to what other cities in Zone 3 currently collect. Staff will work with the Fire Department to write a contract with the private ambulance companies to collect the fee. The addition of these revenues could partially offset the additional expenditures being requested by the fire department, thereby lessening the impact to the general fund. Service Levels Another policy decision is related to service levels. Staff will be bringing forward information on existing service levels to the Public Safety committee in the near future. This information will be beneficial in discussing the Fire department budget. To enhance the discussion on service 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, electrical, 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 of fire suppression operations, emergency medical operations, and special operations by career (paid) fire departments. Standards recommended by NFPA 1710 are summarized below and represent the resources necessary to provide the highest probability of a successful and safe outcome. • Single-family dwellings: minimum 14 members, 15 if aerial is used • Open strip malls and garden -style apartments: minimum 27 members, 28 if aerial is used • High-rise with highest floor greater than 75 ft above lowest level of fire apparatus access: minimum 42 members, 43 if building is equipped with a fire pump. In addition to reviewing NFPA standards on staffing levels, 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 of incidents decreased. It is too early to know if 2018 was an anomaly or the start of a new trend. 18 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 19 Along with the increase in incidents, response times also increased in apparent correlation with the increase in incidents except for 2017. In 2017 average response time actually decreased. 6000 5800 5600 5400 5200 0 4800 2014 00' 0:06:12 .0% 0:06:22 5752 2015 2016 Total Incidents 5 40 006'1 00612 2017 2018 Avg Resp Time 0:06:29 0:06:20 0:06:12 0:06:03 0:05:54 0:05:46 0:05:37 0:05:28 Another trend in service levels worth noting is that the average duration of an incident has been declining over time. The shorter duration on calls helps to mitigate the impacts of increased call volume on average response times. 19 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 20 6000 5800 5600 5400 5200 5000 4800 5156 2014 RECOMMENDATION For information only 2015 5752 2016 5840 2017 Total Incidents -0Avg Duration 5734 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 20