R2017-120 2017-06-12RESOLUTION NO. R2017-120
A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Pearland, Texas, accepting the
findings of the Citygate Final Report for Fire Department Standards of Cover
and Staffing.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS:
Section 1. That certain Citygate Final Report, a copy of which is attached hereto as
Exhibit "A" and made a part hereof for all purposes, is hereby authorized and approved.
Section 2. That the City Council accepts the findings of the Citygate Final Report.
PASSED. APPROVED and ADOPTED this the 12"' day of June, A.D.. 2017.
ATTEST:
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
L
DARRIN M. COKER
CITY ATTORNEY
c4c0
TOM REID
MAYOR
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Exhibit A - Citygate Final Report
(ITTZIfiTt flSSCIflTeS, LLC
I I r R EMERGENCY SERVICE S
Resolution No. R2017-120
Exhibit "A"
CIN OF PEARLAND, TX
VOLUME 1 OF 3 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARDS OF COVER AND
STAFFING UTILIZATION STUDY
APRIL 4, 2011
11.1 CITYflTf fiSS(IflTtS, SLC
WWW.CITYGATEASSOCIAiES.COM
2250 EAST BIDWELL ST.. STE. 100 PHONE: (916) 458-5100
FOLSOM. CA 95630 FAX: (916) 983-2090
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 1—Executive Summary
Section
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
VOLUME 1 of 3 — Executive Summary (this volume)
1.1 Policy Choices Framework 1
1.2 Citygate's Overall Opinions on the State of the City's Fire Services 2
1.3 Challenge — Field Operations Deployment (Fire Stations) 2
1.4 Overall Deployment Evaluation and Summary Recommendations 4
1.5 Overall Headquarters Services Evaluation and Summary Recommendations 5
1.6 Next Steps 6
Table of Tables
Table 1—Call to Arrival — 90 Percent Performance (Taken from Table 23 in Volume 2) 3
Table 2—Travel Time — 90 Percent Performance (Taken from Table 26 in Volume 2) 4
VOLUME 2 of 3 — Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffint Utilization Study
Technical Report (separately bound)
VOLUME 3 of 3 — Map Atlas (separately bound)
Table of Contents
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 1—Executive Summary
VOLUME 1—EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Pearland (City) retained Citygate Associates, LLC to perform a Standards of Cover
and Staffing Utilization Study for the Fire Department (Department). This study included
reviewing the adequacy of the existing deployment system from the current fire station locations.
This report is presented in three volumes, including this Executive Summary (Volume 1)
summarizing our findings and recommendations, a Technical Report (Volume 2) that includes a
Standards of Coverage (deployment) assessment and a headquarters staffing review, and a map
atlas of deployment coverage measures (Volume 3).
Throughout this report, Citygate makes key findings, and, where appropriate, specific action item
recommendations. Overall, there are 37 key findings and 25 specific action item
recommendations in Volume 2. These findings and recommendations are presented throughout
Sections 3 through 8 of Volume 2 and summarized in Section 10 of Volume 2 as a continuous
list for ease of reference.
1.1 POLICY CHOICES FRAMEWORK
First, as the City Council understands, there are no mandatory federal or state regulations
directing the level of fire service response times and outcomes. The level of service and resultant
costs are a local community choice in the United States. The body of regulations on the fire
service provides that [fire services are provided, they must be done so with the safety of the
firefighters and citizens in mind. There is a constructive tension between a desired level of fire
services and the level that can actually be funded. Thus, many communities do not have the level
of fire services they may desire.
In rapidly growing communities like Pearland, it is an even harder challenge to keep fire service
levels consummate with growth along with all the other competing needs as General Fund
revenues grow. Over the past decade, Pearland has made significant investments in its fire
services by adding career firefighters and fire stations, and combining the paramedic ambulance
operation into a unified department providing fire and emergency medical services. Much of this
fire service investment occurred even as the last recession was ending.
This study will identify that, in the near term, additional investment in fire services is still
necessary as Pearland continues to evolve and consider the service level choices for its fire
services. The fundamental policy choices are derived from two key questions:
1. What outcome is desired for an emergency? Is the desire to restrict a building fire
to the room, building, or block of origin, or is it to provide paramedic care in time
to lessen the possibility of preventable death and severe disability?
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2. Should equitable response time coverage be provided to all similar risk
neighborhoods? Once the desired outcomes are stated, the fire and emergency
medical services (EMS) deployment system must be designed to cover the most
geography in the fewest minutes to meet the stated outcome goals. In a large
community such as Pearland, with multiple neighborhoods, it must be considered
whether similarly developed areas, paying the same taxes, should all receive the
same response time from a fire services unit.
1.2 CITYGATE'S OVERALL OPINIONS ON THE STATE OF THE CITY'S FIRE SERVICES
The City's fire and emergency medical services have not kept pace with growth and are still
unable still to meet best -practice -outcome response times to all neighborhoods. To its credit, the
City has staffed its fire crews at the best -practice level of four personnel, but does not have
enough crews to cover a city the size of Pearland. Many emerging western -state cities allow non-
contiguous neighborhoods to develop somewhat quickly over a few years. Stated this way, new
urbanizing communities do not tend to grow outward from a solid core, with a grid or "right-
angle" classic street system. Communities build in clusters and connect meandering subdivision
streets with longer main boulevards. For quality of life and land owners, this can be a beneficial
pattern. For fire services agencies trying to maintain response times from the most efficient
(fewest) number of fire stations, it is not a cost-effective community design plan as most urban
communities want best outcome response times to keep small fires small and to save people with
potentially fatal medical emergencies.
If best outcome response times to all similar risk and population density neighborhoods are
desired, then, in the near term, Pearland should consider at least three more fire stations for a
total of eight. It might be necessary, by build -out and depending on the final City limits, to need
nine to eleven fire stations with appropriate apparatus and personnel.
1.3 CHALLENGE — FIELD OPERATIONS DEPLOYMENT (FIRE STATIONS)
Fire department deployment, simply stated, is about the speed and weight of the attack. Speed
calls for first -due, all-risk intervention units (engines, ladder trucks, and/or ambulances)
strategically located across a department responding in an effective travel time. These units are
tasked with controlling moderate emergencies, preventing the incident from escalating to a
second alarm or greater size, which unnecessarily depletes department resources as multiple
requests for service occur. Weight is about multiple -unit response for serious emergencies, such
as a room -and -contents structure fire, a multiple -patient incident, a vehicle accident with
extrication required, or a heavy rescue incident. In these situations, enough firefighters must be
assembled within a reasonable time frame to safely control the emergency, thereby preventing it
from escalating to greater alarms.
" Volume 1—Executive Summary page 2
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 1—Executive Summary
In Volume 2 of this study, the Technical Report, Citygate's analysis of prior response statistics
and use of geographic mapping tools reveals that the City currently does not have adequate fire
station coverage. The deployment system largely does not meet the City's geographic coverage
and incident demands. The maps provided in Volume 3 and the corresponding text explanation
beginning in Volume 2 describe, in detail, the City's current deployment system performance.
For effective outcomes on serious medical emergencies and to keep serious, but still -emerging
fires small, best practices recommend that the first -due fire unit should arrive within 7:30
minutes of fire dispatch being alerted of an incident, 90 percent of the time. In the City, the
current fire station system provides the following unit response time performance, across a
variety of population density/risk areas for emergency medical and fire incident types. As the
table shows, no measure is close to a 7:30 -minute, best -practice goal for an urban area.
Table 1—Call to First -Unit Arrival – 90 Percent Performance
(Taken from Table 23 in Volume 21
Station RY 15/16
Department -Wide
Station 1
Station 2
Station 3
Station 4
Station 5
13:03
13:30
13:41
12:31
12:12
13:22
As Volume 2 of this report will detail, the dispatch, crew turnout, and travel times are all higher
than recommended best practices. However, the travel times are very long, resulting in the bulk
of the slow responses in Table 1. Travel times for Pearland were not reviewed based on fire
station, but by response district, due to Pearland's use of closest -unit dispatch and not the closest
fire station location. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1710 recommends a
4:00 -minute travel time goal in urban and suburban areas. As seen in Table 2, none of the travel
times meet this goal. There are several reasons for slower travel time, not all of which can be
cost-effectively improved.
Volume 1—Executive Summary
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Volume 1—Executive Summary
Table 2—First-Unit Travel Time – 90 Percent Performance
(Taken from Table 26 in Volume 2)
Station RY 15/16
Department -Wide
Station 1
09:44
10:29
Station 2
Station 3
Station 4
Station 5
09:00
08:58
09:01
10:04
As a starting point, 37 percent of the City's public streets are within 4:00 minutes travel time of a
fire station, which is well below Citygate expectations of 70 to 90 percent. The fire stations'
travel coverage of the City at commute hours is negatively impacted down to 21 percent. The
initial, multiple -unit coverage of five units at commute hours is impacted down to only five
percent as units must travel across large sections of the City.
Pearland's travel times are reflective of the reality that, in congested urban areas, given the lack
of an adequate number of fire stations, exacerbated by traffic congestion, achieving 4:00 -minute
travel coverage to substantially all the urban density neighborhoods will not be possible to 90
percent of the serious incidents from only five fire stations.
If at least an eight -station, three -ladder -truck deployment plan can be achieved, as modeled in
this study, first -due unit coverage improves by 10 percent during normal traffic, and multiple -
unit coverage improves 56 percent during normal traffic. During congested traffic, first -due unit
coverage improves by 6 percent, and multiple -unit coverage improves by 58 percent.
1.4 OVERALL DEPLOYMENT EVALUATION AND SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS
If the risk of fire is to be limited to only part of the inside of an affected building, for the
foreseeable future, the City will need both a first -due firefighting unit and Effective Response
Force (multiple -unit, also known as First Alarm) coverage in all parts of the City and possibly
the most populated areas of the Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs), consistent with current
best -practice recommendations.
While the volume of, and response times to, EMS incidents consume much of the City's
attention, all communities need a "stand-by and readily available" firefighting force to respond to
fires that break out. The Fire Department provides ambulance care but, in addition, the threat of
fire, even if low, still requires resources in addition to EMS hourly demand for an effective
response to emereine fires.
Volume 1—Executive Summary page 4
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 1—Executive Summary
If the City can continue to add fire stations over time, it will be able to provide:
• Equitable response times to all similar risk neighborhoods.
• Depth of response when multiple incidents occur.
• A concentration of response forces for high-risk properties.
The first deployment step for the City Council, in the near term, is to adopt updated and
complete performance measures from which to set forth fire service outcome expectations and,
on an annual budget basis, monitor and fund Fire Department performance.
Based on the deployment analysis contained in this study, Citygate's multiple recommendations
in Volume 2 of our Technical Report will strengthen deployment performance and ensure
quality paramedic coverage as incidents increase year to year. The broad themes of our
recommendations are:
• Adopt updated, outcome -driven response time goals.
• Consider the equity of coverage issue to similar neighborhoods.
• If continued incremental growth in fire services is desired, build a multi-year plan
for additional fire services balanced to revenue growth projections.
1.5 OVERALL HEADQUARTERS SERVICES EVALUATION AND SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS
The findings and recommendations for headquarters services, programs, and staffing should be
taken in the context of a best -practice review. The Pearland Fire Department has made
significant progress in the last 10 years. The current leadership is in the process of meeting best
practices. The community's expectations, and the Department's personnel and qualifications, are
outstanding.
However, the Department's organization of positions will likely continue to grow over at least
the next 10 years. Therefore, headquarters services need to be scalable to manage current
programs and to prepare the personnel and capital assets for the future. This is difficult for a
smaller agency.
Citygate cautions the City's leadership that adding fire stations and personnel is not enough. The
line personnel also must be led, equipped, trained, and given quality oversight to comply with
state and federal requirements. This requires the same serious commitment as providing
additional fire stations. Citygate advises the City that, if it cannot fund both line and headquarters
positions in the safe manner required, then it first focus on headauarters nositions. While this
seems counterintuitive, line firefighters that are not properly led, equipped, trained, and given
quality oversight are a danger to themselves and the community they serve. They can also
become a costly liability for accidents, injury, and apparatus loss time and claims.
Volume 1—Executive Summary
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 1—Executive Summary
Citygate does not recommend that Pearland stop adding fire stations, but Citygate recommends
that, as revenues increase with growth, if the City plans to add fire stations, then it should add the
appropriate balance of headquarters personnel to support line firefighters.
Citygate finds that, at present, the headquarters unit is at capacity and recommends Pearland
consider headquarters additions before it hires additional personnel to staff another fire station.
While Citygate does not recommend adding a Planning Officer position to specifically manage
new fire station and personnel growth at this time, such a position will become necessary if the
revenue projections are such that the City will continue opening new fire stations every two
years until the City's desired response time goals are achieved.
The broad themes of Citygate's headquarters recommendations are:
• As soon as possible, the City should fill the vacant Operations Chief position.
• Evolve the use of the Fire Captain—EMS positions to that of Fire Captain
Safety/Training Officers to support overall platoon training, EMS oversight, and
incident command safety functions.
• The Department, in the near term, needs to add one Business Manager position to
the Administration Division and two Administrative Assistant positions in the
Administration and Training/Clinical Oversight Divisions.
• Continue to broaden the Department's Standard Operating Procedures.
• Provide a second set of Personal Protective Equipment to all personnel to allow
for decontamination of the primary set when needed.
• Develop a written Career Development Guide to assist employees in preparing for
promotions and ensure the requirements are stipulated in the plan and policies.
1.6 NEXT STEPS
The City can continue to build on what it has accomplished to date in growing best -practices -
based, urban fire and paramedic services. The purpose of this deployment and headquarters
assessment is to compare the City's current firefighting, emergency medical, and code
enforcement abilities against the local risks to be protected, as well as to compare against
nationally recognized best practices. This analysis of performance forms the basis from which to
make recommendations for changes, if any, in fire station locations, equipment types, staffing,
and headquarters programs.
As one step, the City Council should adopt updated and best -practices -based response time goals
for the Department and provide accountability for the Department personnel to meet those
standards. The goals identified in Recommendation #2 meet national best practices. As the City
Volume 1—Executive Summary page 6
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 1—Executive Summary
continues to evolve, measurement and planning will be necessary for the City to meet these
goals. Citygate recommends that the City's next steps be to work through the issues identified in
this study:
• Absorb the policy recommendations of this fire services study and adopt revised
Fire Department performance measures to drive the deployment of firefighting
and emergency medical resources.
• Develop a growth -to -revenues forecast for five years, and program dates for
adding fire crews and headquarters positions.
• Implement the low- to no -cost recommendations in this study over the course of
the next year.
• If the fire station growth curve is aggressive, add a Planning Officer to the Fire
Department to focus only on the projects needed to accomplish the necessary
growth.
Volume 1—Executive Summary
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VOLUME 2 OF 3 - TECHNICAL REPORT
FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARDS OF COVER AND
STAFFING UTILIZATION STUDY
APRIL 4, 2011
n CITYGflif fiSS(IfiTtS, �lC
WWW.CITYGATEASSOCIATES.COM
2250 EAST BIDWELL ST.. STE. 100 PHONE: (916) 458-5100
FOLSOM. CA 95630 FAX: (916) 983-2090
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
VOLUME 1 of 3 - Executive Summary (separately bound)
VOLUME 2 of 3 - Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Technical Report (this volume)
Section 1—Introduction and Background 1
1.1 Report Organization 1
1.2 Project Scope of Work 2
1.3 City Overview
Section 2—Standards of Response Coverage Introduction
2.1 Standards of Coverage Study Processes
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment 9
3.1 Why Does the City's Fire Department Exist and How Docs it 1)cl i ver
the Existing Fire Crew Deployment Services? 9
3.2 Community Risk Assessment 13
3.3 Existing City Deployment 45
Section 4 -Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis 47
4.1 Critical Task -Time Measures—What Must be Done Over What Time
Frame to Achieve the Stated Outcome Expectation? 47
4.2 Distribution and Concentration Studies—How the Location of First -
Due and First Alarm Resources Affects the Outcome 51
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis 6 I
5.1 Historical Effectiveness and Reliability of Response—What Statistics
Say About Existing System Performance 61
5.2 Service Demand 61
5.3 Response Time Analysis 67
5.4 Station Demand Percentage and Unit -Hour Utilization 75
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Section 6—SOC Evaluation and Deployment Recommendation 79
6.1 Overall Evaluation 79
Section 7—Headquarters and Support Functions Staffing Utilization Review 83
7.1 Introduction 83
7.2 Management Organization 83
7.3 Operations Division 85
7.4 Community Risk Reduction Division 91
7.5 Administration Division 93
7.6 Training Division 94
7.7 Emergency Medical Services Program 101
7.8 Fleet Management 102
7.9 Office Support Professional Positions 103
Section 8—Headquarters Review Recommendations 105
8.1 Overall Evaluation 105
Section 9—Next Steps 109
9.1 Next Steps 109
Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary 111
10.1 Deployment Findings 111
10.2 Deployment Recommendations 112
10.3 Headquarter Programs Findings 114
10.4 Headquarter Programs Recommendations 117
Table of Tables
Table 1—Standards of Response Coverage Methodology Elements 6
Table 2—Fire Department Deployment Simplified 7
Table 3—Pearland Demographics 14
Table 4—Projected Growth 16
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 5—Risk Category Matrix 21
Table 6—Occupancy Use Classification and Risk Category 24
Table 7—Critical Facilities and Schools by Risk Zone 25
Table 8—Building Fire Risk Service Demand by Year 27
Table 9—Number of Residential Care Facilities by Risk Zone 28
Table 10—EMS Service Demand by Year 30
Table 11—Hazardous Material Risk Service Demand 32
Table 12—Technical Rescue Service Demand by Ycar 33
Table 13—Transportation Risk Service Demand by Year 35
Table 14 Overall Citywide Risk Assessment 44
Table 15—Current Daily Minimum Staffing per Unit for the City 45
Table 16—Resources Sent to Common Risk Types 46
Table 17—First Alarm Working Structure Fire – 16 Personnel 48
Table 18—Cardiac Arrest – Four Firefighters plus a Two -Person Ambulance 49
Table 19—City Road Mile Coverage for First -Due and First Alarm Units 53
Table 20—City Road Mile Coverage Comparison for First -Due and First Alarm Units 59
Table 21—Incident Quantity by Incident Type by Year 66
Table 22—Incident Quantity by Property Use by Year 67
Table 23—Call to Arrival – 90 Percent Performance 68
Table 24 Call Processing – 90 Percent Performance 69
Table 25—Turnout Time – 90 Percent Performance 70
Table 26—Travel Time – 90 Percent Performance 71
Table 27—Medic Unit Travel Time – 90 Percent Performance 71
Table 28—Medic Unit Out of Service Time per Transport – 90 Percent Performance 72
Table 29—Battalion Chief Travel Time – 90 Percent Performance 72
Table 30—Fire Captain—EMS Travel Time – 90 Percent Performance 73
Table of Contents
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 31—Travel for ERF by Response Group 74
Table 32—Simultaneous Incident Proportions 75
Table 33—Station Unit -Hour Utilization — RY 15/16 76
Table 34—Training Hours for All Shifts 99
Table of Figures
Figure 1—Fractile versus Average Response Time Measurements 11
Figure 2—City of Pearland Zoning Plan Map 16
Figure 3—Risk Types 18
Figure 4—Building Fire Progression Timeline 23
Figure 5—Survival Rate vs. Time of Defibrillation 29
Figure 6—Flooding Hazard Areas in Pearland 42
Figure 7—Number of Incidents by Year 62
Figure 8—Number of Incidents by Incident Type by Year 62
Figure 9—Number of Incidents by Month by Year 63
Figure 10—Number of Incidents by Day of Week by Year 63
Figure 11—Number of Incidents by Hour of Day by Year 64
Figure 12—Number of Incidents by Station by Year 65
Figure 13—Number of Simultaneous Incidents by Year 75
Figure 14—Pearland Fire Department Management Organization 84
Appendices
Appendix A Department Apparatus
VOLUME 3 of 3 — Map Atlas (separately bound)
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 1—INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Citygate Associates, LLC's detailed work product for a Standards of Cover and Staffing
Utilization Study for the City of Pearland (City) Fire Department (Department) is presented in
this volume. Citygate's scope of work and corresponding Work Plan was developed consistent
with Citygate's Project Team members' experience in fire administration. Citygate utilizes
various National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publications as best -practice guidelines,
along with best practices from the criteria of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International
(CFAI).
1.1 REPORT ORGANIZATION
This report volume is structured into the following sections. Volumes 1 (Executive Summary)
and 3 (Map Atlas) are separately bound.
Section 1 Introduction and Background: An introduction to the study and background facts
about the City.
Section 2 Standards of Resnonse Coverage Introduction: An introduction to the Standards of
Coverage (SOC) process and methodology used by Citygate in this review.
Section 3 Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment: An in-depth examination of the
City's deployment ability to meet the community's risks, expectations, and
emergency needs through deployment of firefighters and apparatus.
Section 4 Staffing and Geo -Manning Analysis: A review of: (1) the critical tasks that must be
performed to achieve the City's desired outcome; and (2) the City's existing fire
station locations and future locations.
Section 5 Response Statistical Analysis: A statistical data analysis of the City's incident
responses.
Section 6 SOC Evaluation and Deployment Recommendation: A summary of deployment
priorities and an overall deployment recommendation.
Section 7 Headauarters and Sunnort Functions Staffing Utilization Review: An analysis of the
headquarters functions.
Section 8 Headauarters Review Recommendations: A summary of headquarters priorities and
recommendations.
Section 9 Next Stens: A summary of recommended next steps.
Section 10 Findings and Recommendations Summary: A comprehensive list of all findings and
recommendations.
Section 1—Introduction and Background
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
1.1.1 Goals of Report
This report will cite findings and make recommendations, if appropriate, that relate to each
finding. Findings and recommendations are numbered sequentially throughout Sections 3
through 8 of this report. To provide a comprehensive summary, a complete list of all these same
findings and recommendations, in order, is found in Section 10. Section 9 of this report brings
attention to the highest priority needs and recommended next steps.
This document provides technical information about how fire services are provided, legally
regulated, and how the City currently operates. This information is presented in the form of
recommendations and policy choices for the City leadership to discuss.
1.2 PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK
1.2.1 Standards of Response Coverage Review
The scope of this Standards of Response Coverage review includes the following elements:
• Modeling the response time ability of the current fire station locations. Although
this is not a study of fire departments adjacent to the City, the study does consider
the impacts of the City's mutual aid agreements common throughout the area.
• Establishing performance goals for the City consistent with best practices and
national guidelines from the NFPA and the CFAI.
• Using an incident response time analysis program called StatsFDTM to review the
statistics of prior historical performance.
• Using a geographic mapping response time measurement tool called FireViewTM
to measure fire unit driving coverages from the City's current fire stations.
SOC Study Questions
Our study addresses the following questions:
1. Is the type and quantity of apparatus and personnel adequate for the City's
deployment to emergencies?
2. What is the deployment recommended to maintain adequate emergency response
times as growth continues to occur?
1.3 CITY OVERVIEW
The City of Pearland is bordered by the City of Houston on the north, unincorporated areas of
Fort Bend County to the west, and the City of Manvel and unincorporated areas of Brazoria and
Section 1—Introduction and Background page 2
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Fort Bend Counties to the south. The City of Pearland is bordered by the City of Friendswood
and unincorporated areas of Brazoria County to the east. Pearland is located within three
counties: Harris County, Fort Bend County, and, predominantly, Brazoria County.
The City is served by State Highway (SH) 288 on the west, a major commuter route to Houston,
and the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) on the northern boundary of the City. The major
arterial highways through Pearland are Main Street (SH 35), which runs north and south, and
Broadway (FM 518), which is an east -west major transportation and commuter highway.
The terrain of Pearland is relatively flat. Elevations in the City range from 31 to 65 feet above
mean sea level, with minimally perceptible grade changes.
The City's Police Department is the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for 9-1-1
calls within the City limits. For the Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs), the Brazoria County
Sheriff's Office is the primary PSAP. Fire dispatch services are currently provided by Cypress
Creek EMS, effective in December 2016. Prior to that date, the Harris County Emergency Corps
was the dispatch center.
Section 1—Introduction and Background
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Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 2 -STANDARDS OF RESPONSE COVERAGE INTRODUCTION
2.1 STANDARDS OF COVERAGE STUDY PROCESSES
The core methodology used by Citygate in the scope of its deployment analysis work is outlined
in the "Standards of Cover" (SOC) 5th Edition, which is a systems -based methodology to fire
department deployment as published by the CFAI. The SOC is a systems -based approach
assuring that local factors, such as local risk and demographics, help determine the level of
protection best fitting the City's needs. Citygate has adopted this methodology as a
comprehensive tool to evaluate fire station locations.
In the United States, there are no federal or state government requirements for a minimum level
of fire services. Service levels are a local choice issue for each community to consider and fund
as it deems necessary. The systems approach to deployment, rather than a one -size -fits -all
prescriptive formula, allows for local determination. In this methodical approach, each agency
can match local needs (risks and expectations) with the costs of various levels of service. In an
informed public policy debate, a governing board "purchases" the fire and emergency medical
service levels the community needs and can afford.
While working with multiple components to conduct a deployment analysis is admittedly more
work, it yields a much better result than using only a singular component. For instance, if only
travel time is considered, and frequency of multiple calls is not considered, the analysis could
miss over-worked companies. If a risk assessment for deployment is not considered, and
deployment is based only on travel time, a community could under -deploy to incidents.
Section 2—Standards of Response Coverage Introduction
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
The Standards of Response Coverage methodology process consists of the following eight parts:
Table 1—Standards of Response Coverage Methodology Elements
Element
Existing Deployment Policies
Community Outcome Expectations
Community Risk Assessment
Critical Task Study
Distribution Study
Concentration Study
Reliability and Historical Response
Effectiveness Studies
Overall Evaluation
Meaning
Reviewing the deployment goals the agency
has in place today.
Reviewing the expectations of the community
for response to emergencies.
Reviewing the assets at risk in the community.
(In this Citygate study, see Section 3.2
Community Risk Assessment.)
Reviewing the tasks that must be performed
and the personnel required to deliver the stated
outcome expectation for the Effective
Response Force.
Reviewing the spacing of first -due resources
(typically engines) to control routine
emergencies.
Reviewing the spacing of fire stations so that
building fires can receive sufficient resources in
a timely manner (First Alarm Assignment or the
Effective Response Force).
Using prior response statistics to determine the
percent of compliance the existing system
delivers.
Proposing Standard of Cover statements by
risk type as necessary.
Fire department deployment, simply stated, is about the speed and weight of the attack. Speed
calls for first -due, all-risk intervention units (engines, ladder trucks, and/or ambulances)
strategically located across a department responding in an effective travel time. These units are
tasked with controlling moderate emergencies, preventing the incident from escalating to a
second alarm or greater size, which unnecessarily depletes department resources as multiple
requests for service occur. Weight is about multiple -unit response for serious emergencies, such
as a room -and -contents structure fire, a multiple -patient incident, a vehicle accident with
extrication required, or a heavy rescue incident. In these situations, enough firefighters must be
assembled within a reasonable time frame to safely control the emergency, thereby preventing it
from escalating to greater alarms.
Section 2—Standards of Response Coverage Introduction page 6
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
This deployment design paradigm is reiterated in the following table.
Table 2—Fire Department Deployment Simplified
Meaning
Speed of Attack
Weight of Attack
Travel time of first -due, all-risk
intervention units strategically located
across a department.
Number of firefighters in a multiple -unit
response for serious emergencies.
Purpose
Controlling moderate emergencies
without the incident escalating to
second alarm or greater size.
Assembling enough firefighters within
a reasonable time frame to safely
control the emergency.
Thus, small fires and medical emergencies require a single- or two -unit response (engine and
specialty unit) with a quick response time. Larger incidents require more crews. In either case, if
the crews arrive too late, or the total personnel sent to the emergency are too few for the
emergency type, responders are drawn into a losing and more dangerous battle. The science of
fire crew deployment is to spread crews out across a community for quick response to keep
emergencies small with positive outcomes without spreading the crews so far apart that they
cannot amass together quickly enough to be effective in major emergencies.
Section 2—Standards of Response Coverage Introduction
page 7 011,111 ISS`tiCiAIG W
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 3 -DEPLOYMENT GOALS/MEASURES AND RISK
ASSESSMENT
3.1 WHY DOES THE CITY'S FIRE DEPARTMENT EXIST AND How DOES IT DELIVER THE
EXISTING FIRE CREW DEPLOYMENT SERVICES?
3.1.1 Existing Response Time Policies or Goals—Why Does the Fire Department
Exist?
SOC ELEMENT 1 OF 8*
EXISTING DEPLOYMENT
POLICIES
'Note: This is an overview of Element 1.
The detail is provided on page 45.
The Pearland City Council has not adopted a formal policy
for response times for the Department; however, the
annual budget document has performance measures.
Additionally, Pearland does not dispatch its fire and
emergency medical services (EMS) units. Dispatch is
currently provided through Cypress Creek EMS, and
previously by the Harris County Emergency Corps
Communications Center. The City of Pearland Police Department is the primary PSAP for all
9-1-1 calls in the City limits. The Fire Department, for many years, was a volunteer organization,
with several fire stations located throughout the area. Emergency medical services were also
provided by a separate organization. The City consolidated both departments in 2013 and
continues to blend the two as a cohesive emergency services delivery organization.
The lack of specific response time goals, including definitions of the start and stop times by type
of risk, is not congruent with best practices for emergency response time tracking. Nationally
recognized standards for fire/EMS response times, and best practices, call for a timeline with
several important time measurements.
Using the data from this, best practices, and our experience, Citygate will recommend response -
time goals to include all risks, including fire, EMS, hazardous materials, and technical rescue
responses. The goals will be consistent with nationally recognized best practices.
3.1.2 Existing Outcome Expectations
SOC ELEMENT 2 OF 8
COMMUNITY OUTCOME
EXPECTATIONS
The Standards of Response Cover process begins by
reviewing existing emergency services outcome
expectations. This includes determining for what purpose
the response system exists and whether the governing
body has adopted any response performance measures. If
so, the time measures used must be understood and good data must be collected.
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 9 umit rismints uc
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Current national best practice is to measure percent completion of a goal (e.g., 90 percent of
responses) instead of an average measure. Mathematically this is called a "fractile" measure.
This is because the measure of average only identifies the central or middle point of response
time performance for all calls for service in the data set. Using an average makes it impossible to
know how many incidents had response times that were way over the average, or just over. The
Department's current budget performance measures appropriately use fractile measures.
For example, Figure 1 shows response times for a fictitious city fire department in the United
States. This city is small and receives 20 legitimate calls for service each month. Each response
time for the calls for service has been plotted on the graph. The call response times have been
plotted in order from shortest response time to longest response time.
The figure shows that the average response time is 8.7 minutes. However, the average response
time fails to properly account for four calls for service with response times far exceeding a
threshold in which positive outcomes could be expected. In fact, it is evident in Figure 1 that, in
this fictitious U.S. city, 20 percent of responses are far too slow and this city has a potential life-
threatening service delivery problem. Average response time as a measurement tool for fire
departments is simply not sufficient. This is a significant issue in larger cities, if hundreds or
thousands of calls are answered far beyond the average point.
By using the fractile measurement with 90 percent of responses in mind, this small city has a
response time of 18:00 minutes, 90 percent of the time. This fractile measurement is far more
accurate at reflecting the service delivery situation in this small city.
AJraclile is that point below which a stated fraction of the values lie. The fraction is often given in percent; the
term percentile may then be used.
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 10
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Figure 1—Fractile versus Average Response Time Measurements
tractile: 18 Minutes. 90% of the Timei
30
25
N I°' 20
1
E 15
i=
N
a 10
N
G.'
• • I
•
•
• • I
0
•
Average: 8.7 `,linutes,
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 11 18 19 20
Individual Incidents
More importantly, within the Standards of Response Coverage process, positive outcomes are the
goal, and from that crew size and response time can be calculated to allow efficient fire station
spacing (distribution and concentrations). Emergency medical incidents have situations with the
most severe time constraints. The brain can only survive 6:00 to 8:00 minutes without oxygen.
Heart attacks and other events can cause oxygen deprivation to the brain. Heart attacks make up
a small percentage; drowning, choking, trauma constrictions, or other similar events have the
same effect. In a building fire, a small incipient fire can grow to involve the entire room in a
6:00- to 8:00 -minute timeframe. If fire service response is to achieve positive outcomes in severe
emergency medical situations and incipient fire situations, all responding crews must arrive,
assess the situation, and deploy effective measures before brain death occurs or the fire leaves
the room of origin.
Thus, from the time of 9-1-1 receiving the call, an effective deployment system is beginning to
manage the problem within a 7:00- to 8:00 -minute total response time. This is right at the point
that brain death is becoming irreversible and the fire has grown to the point of leaving the room
of origin, becoming very serious. Thus, the City needs a first -due response goal that is within a
range to give the situation hope for a positive outcome. It is important to note the fire or medical
emergency continues to deteriorate from the time of inception, not the time the fire engine starts
to drive the response route. Ideally, the emergency is noticed immediately and the 9-1-1 system
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
is activated promptly. This step of awareness—calling 9-1-1 and giving the dispatcher accurate
information—takes, in the best of circumstances, 1:00 minute. Crew notification and travel time
take additional minutes. Once arrived, the crew must walk to the patient or emergency, assess the
situation, and deploy its skills and tools. Even in easy -to -access situations, this step can take 2:00
or more minutes. This time frame may be increased considerably due to long driveways,
apartment buildings with limited access, multi -storied apartments or office complexes, or
shopping center buildings, all of which are found in parts of the City.
Unfortunately, there are times that the emergency has become too severe, even before the 9-1-1
notification and/or fire department response, for the responding crew to reverse; however, when
an appropriate response time policy is combined with a well-designed system, then only issues
like bad weather, poor traffic conditions, or multiple emergencies will slow the response system
down. Consequently, a properly designed system will give citizens the hope of a positive
outcome for their tax dollar expenditure.
For this report, "total" response time is the sum of the alarm processing, dispatch, crew turnout,
and road travel time steps. This is consistent with the recommendations of national best
practices.
Finding #1: The City Council has not adopted a complete and best -practices -
based deployment measure, a set of specialty response measures
for all-risk emergency responses that includes the beginning time
measure from the point of the Pearland Police Department Public
Safety Answering Point (PSAP) receiving the 9-1-1 phone call, nor
a goal statement tied to risks and outcome expectations. The
deployment measure should have a second measurement statement
to define multiple -unit response coverage for serious emergencies.
n..
•. Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
anus ISSIOIRS. w
11 1 41141.",•I5.(:,
page 12
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
3.2 COMMUNITY RISK ASSESSMENT
The third element of the SOC process is a community risk
assessment. The broad objectives of a community risk
assessment are to:
1. Identify specific hazards with potential to
adversely impact the community or
jurisdiction.
SOC ELEMENT 3 OF 8
COMMUNITY RISK
ASSESSMENT
2. Quantify the risk for each hazard based on probability of occurrence and likely
severity of resultant occurrence impacts.
3. Establish a foundation for current or future risk -reduction / hazard mitigation
planning and evaluation.
Hazard is broadly defined as a situation or condition that can cause or contribute to harm.
Hazard examples include fire, medical emergency, vehicle collision, earthquake, flood, etc. Risk
is broadly defined as the probability of hazard occurrence in combination with the likely severity
of resultant impacts to people, property, and the community.
3.2.1 Risk Assessment Methodology
The methodology employed by Citygate to assess community risks as an integral element of an
SOC study incorporates the following components:
1. Identification of geographic risk assessment sub -zones (risk zones) as appropriate
or desired for the community or jurisdiction.
2. Identification of the fire and non -fire hazards (risks) to be evaluated.
3. Identification and evaluation of relevant risk factors for each hazard by risk zone.
4. Determination of the probability of an occurrence. Probability includes the
hazards at a location that could create an incident, and the likelihood that those
hazards can or will create an incident. Probability is required to categorize risk
and determine workload required to control and mitigate the hazard.
5. Determination of the severity of that occurrence. Severity is the magnitude of
loss, such as life loss and economic loss (e.g., taxes and employment, property
value).
Citygate used multiple data sources for this study to understand the risks to be protected in the
City of Pearland, as follows:
• U.S. Census Bureau population data and demographics
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 13
CfFJ01[ �S`Ki1Ri. il(
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
• Insurance Services Office (ISO) building fire flow and construction data
• Pearland City Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data
• 2015 Pearland Comprehensive Plan and zoning information
• 2012 Pearland Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
3.2.2 Community Demographics
Table 3 summarizes key demographic data for the City of Pearland.
Table 3—Pearland Demographics
Demographic
2010 2015
Population 92,252 101,725
Under 5 years 8,287 8,443
5-19 years
20-64 years
Over 65 years
Median age
20,546 21,362
55,382 56,152
7,037 9,086
34.1 34.8
Housing Units
Owner -Occupied 79.6% 78.4%
Renter -Occupied 20.4% 21.6%
Employment
Employment N/A 53,014
Ethnicity
White 56,553 63,328
Hispanic/Latino 18,694 21,827
Black/African American 14,462 18,150
Asian 11,302 14,914
Education (age 25 and over)
High School Graduate N/A 11,467
Undergraduate Degree N/A 24,032
Graduate Degree N/A 11,546
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
nSection 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 14
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
3.2.3 Community Growth and Development
Overview2
The Comprehensive Plan is the fundamental policy document of the City of Pearland. It provides
the framework for management and utilization of the City's physical, economic, and human
resources. By providing a basis for rational decision-making, the Comprehensive Plan (Plan)
guides civic decisions regarding land use, the design and/or character of buildings and open
spaces, the conservation of existing housing and the provision of new dwelling units, the
provision of supporting infrastructure and public services, the protection of environmental
resources, the allocation of fiscal resources, and the protection of residents- from natural and
human -caused hazards.
The Plan acts to clarify and articulate the City's intentions, with respect to the rights and
expectations of the public, property owners, and prospective investors and business interests.
Through the Plan, the City informs these groups of the community's goals, objectives, and
policies, thereby communicating the expectations and responsibilities of all sectors in fulfilling
the Comprehensive Plan. In addition to the written goals, objectives, and policies, the Plan
contains a Land Use Plan that is the prevailing determinant of land use in the City. The Zoning
Maps and development standards are secondary to the Comprehensive Plan.
Land use within the City, excluding roads and other rights of way, is approximately 62 percent
residential, 5.3 percent airport/light/heavy industrial, 6.2 percent retail commercial, 4 percent
public/quasi-public/institutional, and 6.5 percent parks / open space / vacant / other uses.
The Plan envisions the preservation of valued resources and maintaining the current quality of
life while pursuing new economic and development opportunities. Its strategic vision includes:
• To provide a balance of land uses and services throughout the community to meet
the needs and desires of the City's population.
• To ensure adequate public facilities to meet the demands of future development,
and redevelopment.
• To achieve and maintain a development pattern that reflects the values of the
community, and which ensures a balanced tax base between residential, and
nonresidential development.
• To ensure the long-term protection and enhancement of the image, and visual
appearance of the community.
2 2015 City of Pearland Comprehensive Plan
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
• .
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
• To involve local citizens in the decision-making process, and reach consensus on
the future vision for Pearland, and its ongoing development.
• To guide annual work programs, and prioritize improvements consistent with the
comprehensive plan.
• To enhance the quality of life of residents.
Figure 2—Citv of Pearland Zoning Plan Man
.I , ,IIi,h ,.i.a �,a el 14.AIN
HOUSTON
i i 7
Future Land Use Plan
2015 Comprehensive Plan
Source. 2015 City of Pearland Comprehensive Plan
n
••••
Bwr.aa.r«to. 0.• • www.. .
.'m...."
Projected Growth
Table 4 summarizes the population growth projection for the City.
Table 4—Proiected Growth3
i
0
O
Growth Factor
Projected
Growth
2014 2030 (Percentage)
Population 106,500 190,000 56%
G 1Gllt as cnt;. Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Future Development
Pearland's existing boundaries are coterminous with the boundaries of the cities of Houston,
Friendswood, and Manvel, and unincorporated areas Fort Bend, Harris, and Brazoria Counties.
Pearland has Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs) outside and within the limits of its existing
boundaries, and opportunity for expansion/growth of its area.
12.4 Hazard Identification
Citygate utilizes fire and non -fire hazards (risks), as identified by the agency/jurisdiction-specific
data and information, to identify the risks evaluated for this study.
The primary risks identified in the 2012 Pearland Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), as they
relate to services provided by the Fire Department, include natural hazards such as
thunderstorms, hurricanes, winter storms, earthquake/seismic-related hazards, disruption of
critical lifeline infrastructure systems, and flooding.
Figure 3 illustrates the fire and non -fire risks used by Citygate in our risk analyses. Identification
and quantification of the various fire and non -fire risks are important factors in evaluating how
fire department resources are, or can be, deployed to mitigate those community risks.
3 2015 City of Pearland Comprehensive Plan
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 17
INI / ININI!! .
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
One and Two Family
Residential
Structures
Multi -Family
Structures
Figure 3—Risk Tvnes
EMS
Medical
Emergencies
Commercial Motor Vehicle
Structures Accidents
Mobile Property
Other
Wildland
source: Commission on Fire Accreditation Intemation tl
3.2.5 Probability of Occurrence4
azardous Materials
Transportation
Fixed Facilities
Technical Rescue
Confined Space
Water Rescue
High and Low Angle
Structural Collapse
and Trench Rescue
Disasters
Natural
Man Made
Probability of occurrence refers to the likelihood of an incident occurring at the location of a
risk, and at what frequency. In essence, this is a determination of the hazards at the location
(there could be more than one) and the likelihood that the hazard(s) can or will create an
incident. Without determining probability, the risks cannot be categorized to help determine
workload and effective response forces for mitigation.
In evaluating probability of occurrence, there are five factors to consider:
• Define the hazard(s).
• Assess the likelihood the hazard can/will create an incident.
4 CFAI 5th Edition Standards of Cover
..n.. UTGtIt nsssallrts uc
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
• Define mitigating factors.
➢ Positive factors include fire suppression/detection systems present,
building construction, and demography of the occupants.
➢ Negative factors include poor building or system maintenance or worker
or resident training to respond to that emergency.
• Know and understand the infrastructure that may influence responses.
• Remote area risks may exist and an expectation of service delivery may drive the
responses depending on the severity of those risks.
3.2.6 Severity
Severity refers to the magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by the
response area, community, and the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
There are six factors that help determine the severity:
• Severity determination can be a relative consideration to the significance of loss
based on the worst-case potential of an incident to occur.
• In many cases, the evaluation is a matter of establishing relative and available loss
data such as employment loss, property tax revenue loss, and historical values to
the community.
• A comparative analysis to other similar risk groups and levels of loss to the
community.
• Mitigating factors can modify the severity:
➢ Positive factors include fire protection and detection systems present or
good evacuation training of occupants.
➢ Negative factors include unaccounted for hazardous materials on site, or
incorrect or poor building construction.
• Infrastructure impacts that may affect the control and termination of the incident
such as road networks and topography.
• Agency impacts should be considered. Agency impacts can be limited resources
and personnel, demand on the current response system, and the ability for the
agency to handle simultaneous calls for service. Does the agency have the correct
response teams and personnel to mitigate the incident, or is mutual/automatic aid
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 19 ..�,•
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
required? Does the agency have the funding to prepare for the incident response
with training, equipment, and staffing?
3.2.7 Risk Factors
Elements to be evaluated in a community risk assessment include factors that influence the
potential outcome severity of a hazard occurrence. Outcome severity refers to the potential
negative impacts a hazard occurrence may have on a community relative to people, property, the
environment, economic stability, and overall community resilience. It is important to note that
while some risk factors contribute to more severe outcome impacts, other risk factors, such as
response capacity and effective mitigation measures, can also contribute to reducing the potential
severity of outcome impacts.
hi conducting a community risk assessment, Citygate examines prior risk studies, community
demographics including, current and projected population, land use, future development
potential, employment, and building occupancy data as available, as well as, prior risk -specific
service demand data and service capacity. Additionally, Citygate extensively tours the City to
assure accuracy in the assessment.
3.2.8 Risk Zones
To develop a comprehensive risk assessment for the Pearland Fire Department, the CFAI
suggests the jurisdiction be broken down into geographical zones for the analysis of the risk.
Citygate used 11 zones, corresponding with the fire response districts.
3.2.9 Probability and Severity Risk Matrix
Probability and severity determine the magnitude of the risk.
otrrgis , Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
'Fable 5—Risk Cate2ory Matrix
Low Severity High Severity
Moderate Risk
(High Probability)
(Low Severity)
Low/Isolated Risk
(Low Probability)
(Low Seventy)
Maximum Risk
(High Probability)
(High Severity)
J
High/Special Risk
(Low Probability)
(High Severity)
Source. CFAI Standards of Cover (51' Edit on)
3.2.10 Building Fire Risk
One of the primary hazards in any community is a building fire. Citygate used available data
from the City of Pearland, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to
assist in identifying the City's building fire risk. Resource deployment
(distribution/concentration), staffing, and response time are three critical factors influencing
severity for building fire risk.
Type of Building Occupancy — Risk Categories Defined
Occupancy risk categories, based on potential severity, are here listed:
Low Risk Occupancies — includes detached garages, storage sheds, outbuildings, and similar
buildings that pose a relatively low risk of harm to humans or the community if damaged or
destroyed by fire.
Moderate Risk Occupancies — includes detached single-family or two-family dwellings, mobile
homes, commercial and industrial buildings less than 10,000 square feet without a high hazard
fire load, aircraft, railroad facilities, and similar buildings where loss of life or property damage
is limited to the single building.
High Risk Occupancies — includes apartment/condominium buildings, commercial and
industrial buildings more than 10,000 square feet without a high hazard fire load, low -occupant
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
..n..
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
load buildings with high fuel loading or hazardous materials, and similar occupancies with
potential for substantial loss of life or unusual property damage or financial impact.
Special Risk Occupancies — includes single or multiple buildings that require an Effective
Response Force (ERF) greater than what is appropriate for the risk which predominates the
surrounding area such as apartment/condominium complexes more than 25,000 square feet,
Critical Infrastructure/Key Resource (CIKR) facilities, commercial/industrial occupancies with
fire flows greater than 3,500 gallons per minute (GPM), vacant/abandoned buildings, buildings
with required fire flow exceeding available water supply, and similar occupancies with high -life
hazard or large fire loss potential.
Maximum Risk Occupancies — includes buildings or facilities with unusually high risk
requiring an ERF involving a significant augmentation of resources and personnel, and where a
fire would pose the potential for a catastrophic event involving large loss of life and/or
significant economic impact to the community.
Building Fire Risk Factors
Building fire risk determination is made using several factors including type of construction;
occupancy classification (who and what is in the building); how the building is constructed; and
fire and life safety features installed such as automatic fire sprinklers, fire detection alarms,
emergency exit lightening, and enclosed exit corridors.
Figure 4 illustrates the fire progression timeline for a building fire and the way automatic fire
sprinklers impact fire progression and spread. The graphic also shows that a total response times
of 7:30 minutes or less is necessary to stop a building fire before it reaches flashover, which is
the point at which the entire room erupts into fire after all the combustible objects in that room
reach their ignition temperature. Human survival in a room after flashover is extremely unlikely.
'Time interval from time of receipt of 9-1-1 call to initiation of suppression actions
r.■• • Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 22
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Figure 4—Buildin2 Fire Progression Timeline
HOME FIRE TIMELINE
S'h Tint„
or test
Flamestmolie
are Controlied
Smoke
Alarm
Activates
witoout 'iprrnb irrs FrehdOtof..
i ins Growth to Unrrstnrtr..d )pc' Hos, No; z•t,t,
rine
Sprinkles
tivates
ESPQNSE TO FIRE
FIGHTING
FIRE
TIME IN MINUTES eased upon mations! aver
i0
ice! Home Fire Sprinkler
omeriraSprfekler-orj
Source: http://www.homefiresprinkler.org
Pearland has benefited from newer building and fire codes requiring fire sprinklers in
commercial buildings. However, Texas is one of the few states in the nation preventing local
agencies from also requiring fire sprinklers in new home construction. Given this, and that
Pearland's oldest commercial buildings do not have fire sprinklers, the City will always have to
maintain an effective multiple -unit response force in all neighborhoods for the suppression of
non-sprinklered building fires.
High Risk Building Inventory
An evaluation of Pearland's building inventory reveals high-risk building uses as they relate to
the CFAI building fire risk categories as shown in Table 6 and Table 7. The predominant risk
category, based on the number of occupancies, is Moderate.
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment page 23
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 6—Occunancv Use Classification and Risk CateEory
Building Occupancy Classification2 Number3 Risk Category'
Assembly
Educational
521
138
HealthCare, Detention, and Correction Facilities 278
Industrial, Utility, Defense, Agriculture, Mining 56
278
2,428
Residential: Multi Family, Hotels/Motels 1,687
Residential Board and Care Facilities 12 High
Storage and Utility 185
Total 5,595
1 CFAI Standards of Cover (5'" Edition)
2 NFIRS Property Use Code Definitions; no Single Family Residential property numbers were available.
3 Data Source: City of Pearland Fire Department Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Division Occupancy
Records; City & ETJ combined
Institutional (1-1.1, 1.2, 3, 4)
Mercantile, Business
High
High
Special
Special
Special
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
High -Rise Buildings
High-rise buildings present unique fire risks, particularly as they relate to the number of potential
building occupants, the time required to evacuate those occupants in the event of an emergency,
and the time required to get firefighters and fire suppression equipment to the floor(s) involved
in fire. A high-rise building is defined by the International Building Code as any building having
floors, used for human occupancy, more than 75 feet above the lowest floor having building
access, except hospitals.
However, even a "mid -rise" building of between 30 and 75 feet is a high -hazard risk for life
safety as both firefighting and occupant evacuations are much more difficult for every floor
above the third. Another way to understand the risks to firefighters and occupants from a mid -
rise building is to consider it as a very large warehouse building on its side. Both types of
buildings are so large that the distance to an exit, and thus fresh air, is equally large. Both types
of large buildings are hazardous to firefighters and thus both have stringent fire suppression and
occupant evacuation systems.
Pearland has no high-rise buildings. However, four buildings in Pearland exceed four stories in
height, which exceeds the reach of the Department's aerial ladder trucks.
arx�it n5rxm;� Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Critical Facilities
The City of Pearland has identified 145 critical facilities6 within the City limits. Additionally,
there are 100 sewer lift stations and pump stations providing essential public or community
services. There are 29 schools that could be used for sheltering residents, if needed. A fire or
other disaster occurrence with significant severity, in one or more of these facilities, would
adversely impact essential public or community services.
Table 7—Critical Facilities and Schools by Risk Zone
Risk Zone Critical Facilities
1
2
89
10
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Total
Schools
3
1
11 4
17 3
8 3
1 2
4 2
2 3
3 3
0 3
0 2
145 29
Risk zones are defined as the current fire response districts.
Water Supply'
The City's water customers enjoy an abundant water supply from three sources. The City draws
water from 10 City -owned wells, which tap the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers. The City's
second source is water purchased from the City of Houston, which Pearland receives from two
surface water connections. The third source is raw water from the Gulf Coast Water Authority's
American and Briscoe Canal System.
Ground Water
The 10 City -owned wells have a combined pumping capacity of 13,360 gallons per minute.
6 Critical Facilities as defined in the 2012 Pearland LHMP
7 2015 City of Pearland Comprehensive Plan
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Surface Water
The current surface water contract with the Alice Water Plant is a pay-as-you-go contract for up
to 10 million gallons per day. The current surface water contract for the Shadow Creek Water
Plant is a take -or -pay contract of 40 million gallons per month (1,333,333 gallons per day) with a
maximum day capacity of 6 million gallons per day.
Raw Water
The City recently entered into a long-term raw water supply contract with the Gulf Coast Water
Authority (GCWA) to purchase up to 10 million gallons per day (MGD). This contract
arrangement is coupled with the City's purchase of the former Chocolate Bayou Water Company
through the GCWA for an additional 10 MGD.
The Pearland Water Department supplies approximately 33 MGD to 37,000 water meters.
Typically, three-fourths of the City's water is supplied by groundwater wells, while one-fourth is
from imported sources; however, at present, the City is receiving 80 percent of its water from
groundwater wells. There are approximately 5,800 City -owned fire hydrants.
• Combined, the City's water treatment facilities provide roughly three billion
gallons of clean drinking water every year.
• The City provides continuous production of water to residential and commercial
customers with no current wholesale customers for City water.
• The total available Citywide storage capacity is 19.1 million gallons. This
combines the 14.6 million gallons in ground storage, and the 4.5 million gallons
of available elevated storage.
High Fire Flow Requirements
One of the factors evaluated by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) is "Needed Fire Flow"
(NFF), which is the amount of water that would be required, in gallons per minute (GPM), if a
building were seriously involved in fire. For Pearland, the ISO databases identifies 1,237
buildings evaluated, of which 234 have a NFF of 1,500-3,000 GPM, 73 have a NFF of 3,000-
5,000 GPM, and 18 buildings have a NFF of 5,000 GPM or more.
This is a significant amount of firefighting water to deploy, and a major fire at any one of these
buildings would require a significant commitment of the Department's on -duty force. Using a
generally accepted figure of 50 GPM per firefighter on large building fires, a fire in a building
requiring 2,000 GPM would require 40 firefighters. A significant fire in any of these buildings
would likely have high severity.
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Building Fire Service Capacity
Pearland's service capacity for building fire risk consists of a minimum, daily on -duty response
force of 32 personnel staffing three engines, two 75' ladder (quint) trucks, five medic
ambulances, one Fire Captain—EMS, and one Battalion Chief from five fire stations. In
addition, the Department has mutual aid agreements with adjacent fire agencies within a 15:00 -
minute travel time.
Building Fire Service Demand
Over the past three years, there were 191 building fire responses in the City. The Effective
Response Force to emerging serious fire has been defined as two engines, one ladder, and one
EMS apparatus. During the three years of this study, there were 113 incidents that had this
deployment on the scene. Of those incidents, 55 were in -City building fires. Table 8 summarizes
building fire risk service demand for the City of Pearland.
Table 8—Building Fire Risk Service Demand by Year
RY 13/14* RY 14/15 RY 15/16 Total
RY = Report Year (August 1 to July 31 of following year)
Probability of Occurrence
Based on evaluation of the building fire risk, utilizing data such as building age, construction
type, roofing material, available fire detection and suppression devices, occupancy type/use,
occupant load and occupant mental capacity, the likelihood that the identified hazard(s) can or
will create an incident, that the City has robust building and fire codes, an occupancy fire
inspection program based on risk, and a high historical building fire service demand, the City of
Pearland's probability of a serious building fire occurring over the next 12 months has been
determined to be High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
Therefore, the impact to the community for a structure fire has been determined to be Low.
Risk Category Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for structure fires, the overall risk
determination is MODERATE.
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3.2.11 Emergency Medical Services Risk
EMS Risk Factors
Emergency medical services (EMS) risk in most communities is predominantly attributed to
population density and demography, violence, and vehicle traffic. Relative to population
demography, EMS risk tends to be higher among poorer, older, less educated, and uninsured
populations. As would be expected, EMS risk is higher in those areas of a community with high
daily vehicle traffic volume, particularly those travelling at higher speeds. The two heavily
travelled vehicle routes in the City are Highway 288, which transects all or parts of the City from
North to South, and Broadway Road, which transects the City East to West. Additionally, there
are several major three -lane roadways, leading to the City of Houston, and to the recreational
areas, with heavy traffic all year.
The City has 12 Residential Care Facilities. These facilities typically increase EMS call volume
due to the health issues that senior citizens experience.
Table 9—Number of Residential Care Facilities by Risk Zone
Risk Zone
Number of
Residential Care
Facilities
1
2
3
4
5
0
1
2
1
5
6 0
7 1
8 1
9 1
10 0
11 0
Total 12
EMS risk can also be categorized as either a medical emergency resulting from a health-related
condition or event, or a traumatic injury. One example of a serious medical emergency is cardiac
arrest or some other emergency where there is an interruption or blockage of oxygen to the brain.
rya
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Figure 5 illustrates the reduced survivability of a cardiac arrest victim, as time to defibrillation
increases. While early defibrillation is one factor in cardiac arrest survivability, other factors can
influence survivability as well, such as early CPR, and pre -hospital advanced life support (ALS)
interventions (Paramedic services).
Survival Rate
Fimure 5—Survival Rate vs. Time of Defibrillation
Source: www.suddencardiacarrest.com
SURVIVAL REDUCED BY
ft•7-14% EACH MINUTE
DEFIBRILLATION DELAYED
1 1 I
10 15 20 25
Time to Defibrillation
(minutes)
According to the 2015 U.S. Census, 8.9 percent of Pearland's population is 65 and older. There
is 4.5 percent of the population at or below poverty level.$
EMS Service Capacity
Pearland's EMS service capacity consists of a minimum, daily on -duty response force of 32
personnel staffing three engines, two quint trucks, five paramedic transport units, one Fire
Captain—EMS, and one Battalion Chief from five fire stations. All calls for medical assistance
8 U.S. Census Bureau (2015)
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are triaged in the dispatch center and receive the appropriate closest Fire Department unit based
on Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and the seriousness of the incident. If a paramedic
transport unit is within an 8:00 -minute response time, only that unit is sent; if the incident is
deemed more serious, then a Fire Department apparatus is also sent. All Department response
personnel are trained to either the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) level, capable of
providing Basic Life Support (BLS) pre -hospital emergency medical care, or Paramedic level,
capable of providing ALS pre -hospital emergency medical services.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a minimum of two emergency medical
technicians and two certified paramedics to adequately operate at an emergency cardiac arrest
incident. A 2010 EMS study conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) clearly demonstrates a crew of four first responders on -scene, including two paramedics,
is the most expedient and efficient means of delivering advanced emergency medical services
care.
There are three hospitals with emergency room facilities within 10 miles of central Pearland.
These are Pearland Medical Center, Memorial Hermann-Pearland, and Memorial Hermann -
Southeast.
EMS Service Demand
Table 10 shows EMS service demand for the City of Pearland over the previous three years,
which is 60.55 percent of total service demand over the same period.
Table 10—EMS Service Demand by Year
RY 13/14 RY 14/15 RY 15/16 Total
Does not include five months of ambulance incidents before EMS
was merged into the Fire Department.
Overall, the City of Pearland has EMS service demand typical of other suburban communities.
Probability of Occurrence
Based on evaluation of the EMS risk factors, including community demographics, high vehicle
traffic volume, and historic high EMS service demand, the City of Pearland's probability of a
serious EMS event occurring over the next 12 months has been determined to be High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, and the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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loss is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be
required. The impact for an EMS risk has been determined to be Low.
EMS Risk Determination
The overall risk determination for EMS based on probability and severity has been determined to
be MODERATE.
3.2.12 Hazardous Materials Risk
Hazardous Materials Risk Factors
Hazardous materials are chemical substances that, if released or misused, can pose a threat to
health or the environment. Hazardous materials incidents are most often caused by transportation
accidents or industrial chemical accidents. A natural disaster, such as flooding, might also result
in spills and pipeline ruptures.
Hazardous materials come in many forms, such as explosives, flammable and combustible
substances, poisons, and radioactive materials. Since their chemical properties vary significantly,
an incident could be obvious (e.g., airborne plume, spill on the ground, bad smell) or not readily
apparent (e.g., beneath the surface of the ground, no odor or color).
Hazardous material incidents are one of the most common technological threats to public health
and the environment. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the State's
lead agency in the response to most hazardous substance spills and spills of other substances that
cause pollution or damage to the environment.
An analysis of TCEQ data indicates that the number of incidents reported is declining, probably
because manufacturers, users, and transporters of hazardous materials are becoming more aware
of the financial and political costs of hazardous materials incidents. Roughly 65 percent of all
incidents occur at fixed facilities, and some 25 percent involve highway, rail, water, or pipeline
transportation. The remaining 10 percent involve other situations or undetermined causes.
The City has a large number of underground pipelines transecting the City, as well as local lines
for oil and natural gas production. The pipelines are under pressure and include diameters of the
ranging from 2" to 36." The pipelines carry a variety of types of liquids, including crude oil,
natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, and high volatility liquids (HVL), such as propylene.
There is a concentration of pipelines in the Southeast corner of the City, and on the northern
portion of the City running east to west.
In Pearland, the Fire Department coordinates planning and response for hazardous materials
incidents with the Brazoria County Local Emergency Planning Council (LEPC), Houston Fire
Department, and Harris County Fire Marshal's Office Hazardous Materials Response Team.
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Transportation of hazardous materials through Pearland poses a daily threat, given that the
Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad, Union Pacific, State Highway 288, and State Highway
35 run through the City. All arc major transportation routes of hazardous materials.
Hazardous Materials Service Capacity
The Department does not have a Hazardous Material Response Team. Those services are
primarily provided by the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office Hazardous Materials Response
Team. The City of Houston Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team is also a
provider of this service when required. All Department response personnel are trained to the
Hazardous Material First Responder operational level to provide initial hazardous material
incident assessment, hazard isolation, and support for the Hazardous Material Response Team.
This service capacity is appropriate to minimize severity for Pearland's current and anticipated
hazardous material risk.
The following hazardous material service demand table summarizes hazardous material service
demand for Pearland over the previous three years, which is 0.7 percent of total service demand
over the same period.
Table 11—Hazardous Material Risk Service Demand
RY 13/14 RY 14/15 RY 15/16 Total
Probability of Occurrence
The City has 56 facilities that store, use, or produce hazardous materials; underground pipelines
carrying hazardous materials; 12 miles of rail line; and rail and vehicle transportation of
hazardous materials. Large, at -risk populations exist throughout the community. Thus, based on
these factors, Citygate concludes that the City of Pearland's probability of a serious hazardous
materials event occurring over the next 12 months is High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. Based on the potential
impacts to the community, life, property, and the environment, the overall impact from a
hazardous materials incident is deemed High.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for hazardous materials risk, the overall
risk determination is deemed HIGH.
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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3.2.13 Technical Rescue Risk
Technical Rescue Risk Factors
Technical rescue risk factors include active construction projects, structural collapse, confined
spaces such as tanks and underground vaults, bodies of water and rivers or streams, machinery,
transportation accidents, and storm water runoff flood potential.
Technical Rescue Risk Service Capacity
Pearland has access to a Type -1 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) company capable of
conducting low -angle and high -angle rope rescue, structural collapse, confined space, and trench
rescue operations. This resource responds from the City of Houston Fire Department or the Fort
Bend County Technical Rescue Team. On -duty staffing for Pearland is at the operational level
for all firefighters. This service capacity is appropriate to mitigate Pearland's current and
anticipated near -future technical rescue risk.
Technical Rescue Service Demand
Over the most recent three-year period evaluated for this study, there were six technical rescue
incidents in Pearland. These consisted of a confined space rescue, a below -grade rescue, and
entrapments requiring extrication.
Table 12—Technical Rescue Service Demand by Year
RY 13/14 RY 14/15 RY 15/16 Total
Probability of Occurrence
Based on our evaluation of the technical rescue risk factors, including the number of active
construction projects, number of confined spaces, bodies of water, serious transportation
collision potential, and flood potential, Citygate concludes that the City of Pearland's probability
of a significant technical rescue event occurring over the next 12 months is High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. Based on the potential
impacts to the community, life, and property, the overall impact from a technical rescue incident
is deemed Low.
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Overall Risk Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for technical rescue risk, the overall risk
determination is deemed MODERATE.
3.2.14 Transportation Risk
Transportation Risk Factors
Transportation risk factors include motor vehicle, railway, pipelines containing hazardous
materials, and aircraft traffic in and through Pearland.
Vehicle Transportation Routes
Several highways transect all or parts of Pearland:
• State Highway 288 – north -south
• Broadway (FM 518) – east -west
• Main Street (State Highway 35) – north -south.
Rail Services
Rail service in Pearland consists of approximately 12 miles of track owned by Burlington
Northern Santa Fe Railroad traversing from north to south in the Eastern portion of the City. On
the Western City boundary, approximately six miles of track owned by Union Pacific Railroad
also transports hazardous materials through the City.
Pipelines
In Pearland, numerous pipelines (above and below grade) cross the City, transporting crude oil,
natural gas, and various other petrochemical products. The heaviest concentration is in the
southeastern part of the City, especially near Dixie Farm Road. This area is predominantly
outside of the 100 -year Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain. Pipelines
and the potential environmental impacts of a break, leak, or explosion are a real concern to City
officials and residents of Pearland. Although there have been no pipeline incidents in Pearland
for nearly 30 years, there is still a significant potential. Since the entire City is only 46.5 square
miles in size, it is estimated that all people and property within the City have the same degree of
risk from pipelines. In the Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs) in the southeast corner of the
City, there are a considerable number of oil wells and pipelines supporting oil fields.
Transportation Risk Service Capacity
Pearland's service capacity for transportation risk consists of a minimum, daily on -duty response
force of 32 personnel staffing three engines, two quints, five medic units, one Fire Captain—
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment page 34
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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EMS, and one Battalion Chief from five fire stations. The Department also has mutual aid
agreements with adjacent fire agencies.
Transportation Risk Service Demand
Over the most recent three-year period evaluated for this study, there were 1,976 transportation -
related incidents in Pearland, as shown in Table 13. The predominant response types are vehicle
accidents.
Table 13—Transportation Risk Service Demand by Year
RY 13/14 RY 14/15 RY 15/16 Total
593 689 694 1,976
Probability of Occurrence
Based on evaluation of the transportation risk factors including daily vehicle, railway, and truck
traffic, and relatively low historic service demand, Citygate concludes that the City of Pearland's
probability of a serious transportation event occurring over the next 12 months is Moderate.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
The overall impact is deemed Moderate.
Overall Risk Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for transportation risk, the overall risk
determination is deemed MODERATE.
3.2.15 Natural Hazard Risks9
Tornadoes
Tornadoes pose a significant threat to life and safety in Pearland. The National Weather Service
(NWS) defines a tornado as a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm. Tornadoes can form any time of the year, and the
season of greatest activity runs from March to August.
9 2012 Pearland Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
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Probability of Occurrence
Based on an evaluation of historical event factors, including recent regional and state events,
Citygate concludes that the City of Pearland's probability of a significant tornado event
occurring over the next 12 months is High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
The overall impact is deemed Low.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and severity of an occurrence of a tornado, the risk is MODERATE.
Thunderstorms and High Winds
Several meteorological conditions can result in winds severe enough to cause property damage.
High winds have been associated with extreme hurricanes traveling inland, tornadoes, and local
strong thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are the byproducts of atmospheric instability, which
promotes vigorous rising of air particles. A typical thunderstorm may cover an area three miles
wide. The NWS considers a thunderstorm "severe" if it produces tornadoes, hail of 0.75 inches
or more in diameter, or winds of 58 miles per hour or more. Structural wind damage may imply
the occurrence of a severe thunderstorm. Thunderstorms and high winds impact the entire City.
Probability of Occurrence
Based on an evaluation of the storm risks factors including historical storms, Citygate concludes
that the City of Pearland's probability of a thunderstorm and high wind event occurring over the
next 12 months is High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
The impact is deemed Low.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and severity of thunderstorms and high winds, the overall risk
determination is MODERATE.
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Extreme Heat
Temperatures that hover 10 degrees or more above the average high temperature for the region,
and last for several weeks, are defined as extreme heat. Humid or muggy conditions, which add
to the discomfort of high temperatures, occur when a "dome" of high atmospheric pressure traps
hazy, damp air near the ground. Excessively dry and hot conditions can provoke dust storms.
Most heat disorders occur because the victim has been overexposed to heat or has over -exercised
for his or her age and physical condition. Other conditions that can induce heat -related illnesses
include stagnant atmospheric conditions and poor air quality.
In Pearland and the surrounding area, numerous heat -related deaths have occurred. The climate
is humid subtropical, with hot summers and frequent, prolonged heat waves. The extreme heat
hazard impacts the entire planning area. Many of these deaths are likely to have occurred in more
rural areas of Brazoria County (and thus outside the City of Pearland) where there are a greater
number of homes without air conditioning. Within the City of Pearland, extreme heat risks to
people and property cannot be distinguished by area; the hazard is reasonably predicted to have
uniform probability of occurrence across the entire City. All people and assets are considered to
have the same degree of exposure.
Probability of Occurrence
Based on an evaluation of extreme heat risk factors including climate projection, population
densities and age, Citygate concludes that the City of Pearland's probability of an extreme heat
event occurring over the next 12 months is High.
Seventy
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
The impact is deemed Low.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for extreme heat, the overall risk
determination is deemed MODERATE.
Drought
Drought is generally defined as a condition of climatic dryness severe enough to reduce soil
moisture and water supplies below the requirements necessary to sustain normal plant, animal,
and human life. In Texas, drought is often defined in terms of agricultural and hydrologic
drought:
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• Agricultural drought is considered a dry period of sufficient duration and intensity
that crop and animal agriculture are markedly affected.
• Hydrologic drought is considered a long-term condition of abnormally dry
weather that ultimately leads to the depletion of surface and ground water
supplies. During hydrologic drought, a significant reduction in flow of rivers,
streams, and springs is notable.
In Pearland, drought periods were experienced in 1996, 1998, and 2000. The drought hazard
affects the entire planning area. The 1996 drought affected the entire state. Its impacts were
greatest on major population centers, prompting water conservation and reduction measures over
an extended period. Within the City of Pearland, drought risks to people and property cannot be
distinguished by area; the hazard is reasonably predicted to have uniform probability of
occurrence across the entire City. All people and assets are considered to have the same degree
of exposure
Probability of Occurrence
Based on an evaluation of drought factors in all areas, Citygate concludes that the City of
Pearland's probability of a drought event occurring over the next 12 months is Hirth.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
The severity is deemed Low.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and severity of drought occurrence, the overall risk determination is
MODERATE.
Winter Storms
Winter storms bring various forms of precipitation that occur only at cold temperatures. These
kinds of precipitation include snow, sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are cold
enough to allow icy conditions. These cold weather storms can also take the form of freezing
rain or a wintry mix.
In Pearland, where the climate is subtropical, winter storms resulting in property damage
occasionally occur and should be expected. The Texas Department of Transportation has posted
signs on a number of bridges to warn drivers that icy conditions may occur.
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Probability of Occurrence
Within the City of Pearland, winter storm risks to people and property cannot be distinguished by
area; the hazard is reasonably predicted to have uniform probability of occurrence across the
entire City. All people and assets are considered to have the same degree of exposure. The
probability for an event is Low.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, and the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the
loss is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response that will be
required. The impact is deemed Low.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for winter storms, the overall risk
determination is deemed LOW.
Hurricanes and Tropical Storms
A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of 74 miles per
hour or more. Hurricane winds blow in a large spiral around a relative calm center known as the
"eye." The "eye" is generally 20 to 30 miles wide, and the storm may extend outward 400 miles.
As a hurricane approaches land, the skies will begin to darken and winds will grow in strength,
often accompanied by torrential rains, high winds, and storm surges. A single hurricane can last
for more than two weeks over open waters and can run a path across the entire length of the
Eastern seaboard. While coastal counties are exposed to storm surge flooding, inland area
experience flooding due to intense and prolonged rainfall.
In Pearland, located within proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, the City is exposed to risk from
hurricanes. The hurricane and tropical storm hazard affects the entire community. Between 1995
and 2005, there were ten hurricanes (including Ike) or tropical storms that impacted Brazoria
County.
Probability of Occurrence
Based on an evaluation of storm risk factors including regional historical storm events, Citygate
concludes that the City of Pearland's probability of a significant hurricane or tropical storm event
occurring over the next 12 months is High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude, or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, or the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the loss
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be required.
The impact is deemed Moderate.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for hurricanes and tropical storms, the
overall risk determination is deemed MODERATE.
Flooding Hazards
When rainfall runoff collects in rivers, creeks, and streams, and exceeds the capacity of channels,
floodwaters overflow onto adjacent lands. Floods result from rain events, whether short and
intense or long and gentle. Flood hazards are categorized as follows:
• Flash floods not only occur suddenly, but also involve forceful flows that can
destroy buildings and bridges, uproot trees, and scour out new channels. Most
flash flooding is caused by slow-moving thunderstorms, repeated thunderstorms
in a local area, or heavy rains from hurricanes and tropical storms. Although flash
flooding occurs often along mountain streams, it is also common in urban areas,
where much of the ground is covered by impervious surfaces and drainageways
are designed for smaller flows. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) typically
show a one -percent -annual -chance (100 -year) floodplain for waterways with at
least one square mile of drainage area. The flood hazard areas for waterways with
less than one square mile of drainage area typically are not shown.
• Riverine floods are a function of precipitation levels and water runoff volumes,
and occur when water rises out of the banks of the waterway. Flooding along
waterways that drain larger watersheds often can be predicted in advance,
especially where it takes 24 hours or more for the flood crest (maximum depth of
flooding) to pass. In Pearland, riverine flooding is caused by large rainfall systems
and thunderstorm activity associated with seasonal cold fronts. These systems can
take as long as a day to pass, giving ample opportunity for large amounts of rain
to fall over large areas. The FIRMs show the one -percent -annual -chance
floodplain.
• Urban drainage flooding occurs where development has altered hydrology
through changes in the ground surface and modification of natural drainageways.
Urbanization increases the magnitude and frequency of floods by increasing
impervious surfaces, increasing the speed of drainage collection, reducing the
carrying capacity of the land, and, occasionally, overwhelming sewer systems.
The City of Pearland is partially located in three counties (Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Harris), and
therefore portions of the City are included in two separate Flood Insurance Studies (FIS) for
..n..
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
GIKAtt AiSA00tt1. U s
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Brazoria and Harris County. The FIS dated September 22, 1999, covers Brazoria County and its
incorporated municipalities, including the majority of the City of Pearland. FIRMs for the
portion of the City that is in Brazoria County are dated 1999, while maps for the portion of the
City in Harris County are dated 2007. The area of the City near Clear Creek, along the City's
northern boundary, was recently studied and new flood maps were produced by FEMA in June
of 2007. Both FISs compile all previous flood information into the countywide format and
includes data collected on numerous waterways. The FISs indicate that riverine flooding results
primarily from overflow of the streams and drainage ditches caused by rainfall runoff, ponding,
and sheet flow. Storms occurring during the summer months are often associated with tropical
storms moving inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
Thunderstorms are common throughout the spring, summer, and fall months. The frequent
hurricanes and tropical storms interrupt the summer with high winds, heavy rainfalls, and high
storm surges.
Flooding Locations and Extent
The City of Pearland joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood
insurance program on September 5, 1983 by adoption of Floodplain Regulations, Title 44 of the
Code of Federal Regulations Section 60.3. Following City Council direction in 1994, the
Planning Department submitted an application to FEMA for participation in the Community
Rating System (CRS), a special program that rewards communities that implement more
activities than the minimum requirements for participation in the flood insurance program. CRS
works by awarding points for implementing certain activities. In 1995, FEMA's consultant
verified the activities, which resulted in 1,112 points. The points were then related to a class
rating which allows a reduction in flood insurance premiums. As of September 21, 2011, the
City's current CRS rating of Class 7 was reviewed and recertified for an additional year. The
City's continued participation in the CRS allows property owners in the 100 -year flood zones a
15 percent reduction in flood insurance premium. A five percent reduction is the maximum
available to property owners outside the 500 -year flood zone.
Several areas of Pearland lie within a 100 -year flood zone as designated by FEMA, as shown in
Figure 6.
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
page 41 ..n..
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Figure 6—Floodin2 Hazard Areas in Pearland
CITY OF PEARLAND
casSTRUCT.AES> woman
-len
Ca rt nnw
aew•
-Awa
Source 2012 Pearland Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Probability of Occurrence
E'J FEMA
Cry Lina
6
Based on an evaluation of flood risk factors including known designated flood -prone areas and
multiple recent local/regional flood events, Citygate concludes that the City of Pearland's
probability of a significant flood event occurring over the next 12 months is High.
Severity
Severity refers to the impact, magnitude or reasonably expected loss that will be experienced by
the response area, community, and the citizens should an incident occur. The magnitude of the
loss is relative to risk, the relevance of the affected area, and what level of response will be
required. The impact is deemed Low.
Risk Determination
Based on the probability and the severity determined for flood events, the overall risk
determination is deemed MODERATE.
n..
. •„, Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
I1 1 IAGI Ift 1f IV•f'
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
3.2.16 Risk Assessment Summary
Citygate's evaluation of the various risks likely to adversely impact
following conclusions:
1. Pearland has a diverse urban population density with
population densities in the outlying areas.
2. Pearland's population is projected to grow by 56 percent over the next 15 years.
3. The City has a mix of residential, commercial, office, and industrial buildings
typical of other medium-sized cities.
4. Pearland has a transportation network including highways and other primary
vehicle transportation routes, mass transportation modes, and truck traffic along
major arterials and Highway 288.
5. Pearland has varying probabilities of occurrence
known hazards:
a. Building Fire Risk
b. Emergency Medical Services Risk
c. Hazardous Materials Risk
d. Technical Rescue Risk
e. Transportation Risk
f. Natural Hazard Risks
Table 5, the risk/severity matrix, is repeated here and was
categories.
Pearland yields the
suburban and rural
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
and severity relative to six
used to determine overall risk
page 43 • • r • .
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 5—Risk Category Matrix
Low Severity
High Severity
Moderate Risk
(High Probability)
(Low Severity)
Low/Isolated Risk
(Low Probability)
im(Low Severity)
Maximum Risk
High Probability)
(High Severity)
High/Special Risk
(Low Probability)
(High Severity)
Source: CFAI Standards of Cover (5th Edit on)
Table 14 indicates the summary for each risk type. The determination for each risk is based on
the probability of occurrence of that type of incident, and the severity to life and property should
that risk type occurs.
Table 14—Overall Citywide Risk Assessment
Risk Type
Risk Determination
Building Fire
EMS
Hazardous Material
Technical Rescue
Transportation
Natural Hazards Risk10
MODERATE
MODERATE
HIGH
MODERATE
MODERATE
MODERATE
10 Natural Hazard Risks are an overall MODERATE risk. Several types of Natural Hazard Risks are individually
rated differently, based on impacts to the community.
at>Gitt �slerts r�r Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
3.3 EXISTING CITY DEPLOYMENT
3.3.1 Existing Deployment Situation—What the City Has in Place Currently
SOC ELEMENT 9 OF 8*
EXISTING DEPLOYMENT
POLICIES
`Note: Continued from page 9.
As the City Council has not adopted a best -practices -
based response time policy, this study will benchmark the
City against the response time recommendations of
NFPA 1710 for career fire service deployment. These
are:
• Four (4) minutes travel time for the first -due unit to all types of emergencies
• Eight (8) minutes travel time for multiple units needed at serious emergencies
(First Alarm).
The City's current daily staffing plan is summarized in Table 15.
Table 15—Current Daily Minimum Staffing Der Unit for the City
Units
3 Engines
2 Quints (Pumper / Ladder Trucks)
1 Fire Captain—EMS
1 Battalion Chief (BC)
Subtotal Firefighters and BC
5 EMS Ambulance Units
Total Staffing
Minimum
Staffing
4
1
1
Staff
Firefighters per day
Firefighters per day
Fire Captain—EMS per day
Per day for command
2 Personnel per day
(1 paramedic per day, minimum)
Extended
Minimum
12
8
1
1
22
10
32
This total daily staffing is adequate for the immediate response needs presented in the built-up,
urban areas of the City—if the needed staff all can reach the emergency in time which, as the
mapping section of this study will show, is not always possible. For an adequate staffing
statement to be accurate for a building fire, the assumption is that the closest crews are available
and not already operating on another emergency medical or fire call, which does occur. For
example, if one engine or quint is committed to an emergency medical services call, then an
adjacent engine company or quint company must respond, sometimes from another fire
department via the mutual aid system.
The daily staffing for EMS is five medic transport units (ambulances), each with a minimum of
one paramedic, and one EMT along with one Citywide Fire Captain—EMS/Supervisor.
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment page 45 n
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Additionally, each engine and quint company is staffed with four personnel (minimum EMT
level).
Services Provided
The City provides an "all-risk" fire department providing the people it protects with services that
include structure fire, first responder technical rescue, and first responder hazardous materials
response, as well as other services.
Given these risks, the City uses a tiered approach of dispatching different types of apparatus to
each incident category. The Communications Center' selects the closest and most appropriate
resource type. As an example, the following table shows the resources dispatched to common
risk types.
Table 16—Resources Sent to Common Risk Tvpes
Risk Type
Total City
Minimum Type of Resources Sent Firefighters Sent
ur
1 -Patient EMS
Auto Fire
Building Fire
Technical Rescue
Hazardous
Materials
Technical Rescue
1 Medic Unit and possibly 1 Engine or Quint based on severity
1 Engine or Quint
2 Engines, 1 Quint, 1 Medic Unit, 1 Fire Captain—EMS, and 1
Battalion Chief
1 Engine, 1 Quint, 1 Medic Unit, 1 Fire Captain—EMS, 1
Battalion Chief, and mutual aid for additional/specialty
resources
2 Engines, 1 Quint, 1 Medic Unit, 1 Fire Captain—EMS, and 1
Battalion Chief
2-6 EMS & FF
4 FF
16 FF
12 FF
16 FF
The City uses mutual aid responses for technical rescue incidents. Pearland personnel are trained
to the technical rescue operations level only.
Hazardous Materials
The City uses the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office Hazardous Materials Response Team for
hazardous materials response resources. Pearland personnel are trained to the hazardous
materials operations level only. Some Pearland firefighters are trained at the Technician level.
" Harris County Emergency Corps was the communications center which provided the data when this report was
drafted. Effective December 15, 2016, the Department is dispatched by Cypress Creek EMS Communications
Center.
Section 3—Deployment Goals/Measures and Risk Assessment page 46
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 4 -STAFFING AND GEO-MAPPING ANALYSIS
4.1 CRITICAL TASK -TIME MEASURES—WHAT MUST BE DONE OVER WHAT TIME FRAME TO
ACHIEVE THE STATED OUTCOME EXPECTATION?
SOC ELEMENT 4 OF 8
CRITICAL TASK -TIME
_ - STUDY
Standards of Response Coverage (SOC) studies use task -
time information to determine the number of firefighters
needed within a timeframe to accomplish the desired fire
control objective on moderate residential fires and modest
emergency medical incidents.
4.1.1 Firefighting Critical Tasks
Pearland's Effective Response Force (ERF, also known as a First Alarm) to structure fires in
built-up, suburban areas includes two engines, one quint, one medic unit, one Fire Captain—
EMS, and one Battalion Chief, for a minimum ERF total of 16 personnel.
The following table shows what a minimum force of 16 can accomplish. The larger the force
(weight of attack), the faster the tasks are completed.
Scenario: The following is a simulated one-story residential working structure fire with no
rescue situation. Responding companies received dispatch information as typical for a witnessed
fire. Upon arrival, they were told approximately 1,000 square feet of the home was involved in
fire.
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 17—First Alarm Working Structure Fire —16 Personnel
Company Level Tasks
1St -Due Engine
1. Lay in a hydrant supply line.
2. Stretch the 150 -foot, 1% -inch hose line to the point of access for search and rescue.
3. Operate the pump to supply water and attach hydrant supply line.
4. Assume command of initial operations.
5. Conduct search and rescue.
2"d -Due Engine
1. If necessary, lay in a hydrant supply line.
2. Stretch a second 200 -foot hose line as a back-up line and for fire attack.
3. Establish 2 in 2 out.
1St -Due Quint
1. Provide search and rescue for trapped persons.
2. Perform positive pressure and/or vertical ventilation for fire attack.
1s -Due Medic Unit
1. Secure utilities.
2. Raise additional ladders, open concealed spaces.
3. Establish treatment section as needed.
1sl-Due Battalion Chief and Fire Captain—EMS
1. Establish exterior command and scene safety.
The duties in Table 17, grouped together, form an Effective Response Force or First Alarm
Assignment. These tasks must be performed simultaneously and effectively to achieve the
desired outcome; arriving on -scene does not stop the escalation of the emergency. While
firefighters accomplish these tasks, the incident progression clock keeps running.
Fire spread in a structure can double in size during its free -burn period before firefighting starts.
Many studies have shown that a small fire can spread to engulf an entire room in less than six to
eight minutes after free burning has started. Once the room is completely superheated and
involved in fire (known as flashover), the fire will spread quickly throughout the structure and
into the attic and walls. For this reason, it is imperative that fire attack and search commence
before the flashover point occurs if the outcome goal is to keep the fire damage in or near the
room of origin. In addition, flashover presents a serious danger to both firefighters and any
occupants of the building.
atr,att Isspits tic
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
4.1.2 Emergency Medical Services Critical Tasks
The Pearland Fire Department responds to over 6,500 EMS incidents per year. These incidents
include car accidents, childbirths, strokes, heart attacks, difficulty breathing, falls, and many
other medical emergencies.
The Department routinely responds to EMS calls that require treatment for more than one
patient. These calls include vehicle accidents, chemical exposures, construction or industrial
accidents, and any other event that occurs with several people in close proximity. Patient
conditions can range from minor cuts and bruises to life-threatening injuries.
Dispatchers are responsible for screening calls to establish the correct initial response. The first
Fire Department officer on scene amends the response once conditions have been assessed.
Standard operating procedures are used to request adequate personnel and resources.
For comparison purposes, the following critical task table reviews the tasks required on a critical
response to a cardiac arrest.
Table 18—Cardiac Arrest – Four Firefighters plus a Two -Person Ambulance'
Task
Compressions
Ventilate/oxygenate
Airway control
Defibrillate
Establish I.V.
Interpret ECG
Administer drugs
Patient charting
Hosp. communication
Treat en route
Total
Personnel
Required
Type of Treatment Administered
1-2 Compression of chest to circulate blood
1-2 Mouth-to-mouth, bag -valve -mask, apply 02
1-2 Manual techniques/intubation/cricothyrotomy
1-2 Electrical defibrillation of dysrhythmia
1-2 Peripheral or central intravenous access
2 Identify type and treat dysrhythmia
1 Administer appropriate pharmacological agents
1-2 Record vitals, treatments administered, etc.
1-2 Receive treatment orders from physician
2-4 Continue to treat/monitor/transport patient
6 Personnel required per patient
4.1.3 Critical Task Analysis and Effective Response Force Size
What does a deployment study derive from a critical task analysis? The total task needs (as
displayed in Table 17 and Table 18) to stop the escalation of an emergency must be compared to
12 Minimum of one paramedic.
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
page 49 ri
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
outcomes. Nationally published fire service "time vs. temperature" tables that, after about four to
five minutes of free burning, a room fire will grow to the point of flashover. At this point, the
entire room is engulfed, the structure becomes threatened, and human survival near or in the fire
room becomes impossible. Additionally, brain death begins to occur within six to eight minutes
of the heart having stopped. Thus, the Effective Response Force must arrive in time to stop these
catastrophic events from becoming worse.
The City is staffed with enough firefighters to deliver one Effective Response Force of 16
firefighters to a building fire per day—if they can arrive in time, which the mapping and
statistics sections of this study will show is not always possible. Mitigating an emergency event
is a team effort once the units have arrived. This refers to the "weight" of response analogy; if
too few personnel arrive too slowly, then the emergency will worsen instead of improve. The
outcome times, of course, will be longer, with less desirable results, if the arriving force is later
or smaller.
The quantity of staffing and the arrival time frame can be critical in a serious fire. Fires in older
and/or multi -story buildings could well require the initial firefighters needing to rescue trapped
or immobile occupants. If a lightly staffed force arrives, it cannot simultaneously conduct rescue
and firefighting operations.
Fires and complex medical incidents require that the other units arrive in time to complete an
effective intervention. Time is one factor that comes from proper station placement. Good
performance also comes from adequate staffing and training. In the critical tasks identified
previously, the Pearland Fire Department can perform well in terms of staffing. But where fire
stations are spaced too far apart, then when one unit must cover another unit's area, or multiple
units are needed, these units can be too far away and the emergency will worsen.
Previous critical task studies conducted by Citygate and NFPA Standard 1710 find that all units
need to arrive with 15+ firefighters within 11:30 minutes (from the time of call) at a room and
contents structure fire to be able to simultaneously and effectively perform the tasks of rescue,
fire attack, and ventilation.
A question one might ask is, "If fewer firefighters arrive, what from the list of tasks mentioned
would not be completed?" Most likely, the search team would be delayed, as would ventilation.
The attack lines would only consist of two firefighters, which does not allow for rapid movement
above the first -floor deployment. Rescue is conducted with only two -person teams; thus, when
rescue is essential, other tasks are not completed in a simultaneous, timely manner. Effective
deployment is about the speed (travel time) and the weight (firefighters) of the attack.
Sixteen initial firefighters could handle a moderate -risk, confined house fire; however, even an
Effective Response Force (ERF) of 16 will be seriously slowed if the fire is above the first floor,
omitIII
s�111 its u Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
in a low-rise apartment building, or commercial/industrial building. This is where the capability
to add alarms to the standard response becomes important.
Given the fact that Pearland's First Alarm plan (ERF) delivers 16 personnel to a moderate risk
building fire, it reflects the City's goal to confine serious building fires to, or near the room of
origin, and to prevent the spread of fire to adjoining buildings. This is a typical desired outcome
in built -out areas, and requires more firefighters, more quickly than the typical rural outcome of
keeping the fire contained to the building, not room, of origin.
Given that there is not a current Pearland City Council response time policy, the City's current
physical response to building fires is, in effect, the City's de -facto deployment measure to built-
up urban/suburban areas—if those areas are within reach of a fire station. Thus, this becomes
the baseline policy for the deployment of firefighters.
4.2 DISTRIBUTION AND CONCENTRATION STUDIES—HOW THE LOCATION OF FIRST -DUE
AND FIRST ALARM RESOURCES AFFECTS THE OUTCOME
SOC ELEMENT 5 OF 8
DISTRIBUTION STUDY
SOC ELEMENT 6 OF 8
CONCENTRATION STUDY
The City is served today by five fire stations fielding
three engine companies, two quint companies, and five
transport paramedic ambulances. It is appropriate to
understand what the existing stations do and do not
cover, if there are any coverage gaps needing one or
more stations, and what, if anything, to do about them.
In brief, there are two geographic perspectives to fire
station deployment:
• Distribution – the spacing of first -due fire units to stop routine emergencies.
• Concentration – the clustering of fire stations close enough together so that
building fires can receive sufficient resources from multiple fire stations quickly.
As indicated, this is known as the Effective Response Force, or, more
commonly, the "First Alarm Assignment"—the collection of a sufficient number
of firefighters on scene, delivered within the concentration time goal to stop the
escalation of the problem.
To analyze first -due fire unit travel time coverage, Citygate used a geographic mapping tool
called FireViewTM that can measure theoretical travel time over the street network. For this time
calculation, Citygate staff uses the base public roads map and the current posted City speed
limits, which are then calibrated to actual fire company travel times from previous responses to
simulate real-world coverage. Because the speed limits are both slowed or exceeded by actual
fire truck travel across the road network, the positive effect of red light traffic signal preemption
is considered. Using these tools, Citygate runs several deployment tests and measures their
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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impact on various parts of the City. The travel time measure used was 4:00 minutes over the road
network, which is consistent with the "benchmark" recommendation in NFPA 1710 and
desirable outcomes in critical emergencies. When up to a total of 3:30 minutes is added for
dispatch processing and crew turnout times, then the maps effectively show the area covered
within 7:30 minutes of the Pearland Police Communications Center receiving the request for the
first -due unit, and 11:30 minutes (8:00 minutes travel) for a First Alarm Assignment.
In all the GIS models to follow, great care was taken to add into the model as many of the newest
and future streets as possible. This work included movine Station 1 to its new location. and
extendine McHard Road west to Cullen Boulevard.
4.2.1 Traffic Congestion Impacts
Citygate's team members personally observed the current rush-hour traffic congestion in the
City. The legacy approach to predict fire apparatus travel times over a street network
insufficiently accounts for rush-hour traffic. The study data does not contain sufficient fire unit
travel time occurrences at peak commute hours to be statistically significant enough to slow
down the GIS travel time model during morning and evening commute hours.
Citygate thus used traffic throughput travel speed data from the company that provides real-time
traffic data to internet-based traffic map applications. This is the same data used to show traffic
congestion with red, yellow, and green road segments to indicate flow impedance and thus
sluggish travel times at peak congestion hours. The data is obtained from traffic speed samples
from a variety of public and private sources and measures traffic speeds in 15:00 -minute time
blocks between intersections (segments) on a 24/7/365 basis for a rolling 36 -month period.
For the traffic congestion time -over -distance maps to follow, the model first uses actual fire
apparatus travel times averaged over a 24-hour period for one year. Then the traffic data is used
to build a congested traffic model. Overall, the congestion impacts can be measured in the
quantity of streets in the City (not including the Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs) covered at
peak and off-peak hours, as shown in the following table:
,�� KS,, , {, Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
(Tr
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
'fable 19—Citv Road Mile Coveraffe for First -Due and First Alarm Units
Measure
Non -Congested
Total Public Miles Reached by Congested Road Difference
Road Miles Current Fire Stations Miles (Miles)
4:00 -minute travel,
current fire stations
Initial First Alarm,
2 engines, 1 quint
truck, 1 medic, 1 Chief,
8:00 -minute travel
535.9
535.9
198
(37% of total public miles)
170.2
(32% of total public miles)
112.7
(21% of total public miles)
25.9
(5% of total public miles)
337.9
423.2
365.7
510.0
As a starting point, only 37 percent of the City's public streets are within 4:00 minutes travel
time of a fire station, which is well below Citygate expectations of 70 to 90 percent. The fire
stations' travel coverage of the City at commute hours is negatively impacted down to 21
percent. The initial multiple -unit coverage of five units at commute hours is impacted down to
only 5 percent, as units must travel across large sections of the City. The following maps will
show where this normal and reduced coverage occurs. Then after this baseline coverage is
visualized, new fire stations will be added to the model and the road mile coverage
improvements measured.
Map #1 — General Geography and Station Locations
Map #1 shows the existing City fire station locations along with the City boundaries. This is a
reference map for the other map displays that follow. As replacement Station 1 is under
construction, all of the models to follow in this study place the station at its new, more northern
location.
Map #la — General Geography and Station Locations — City Only
Map #la is the same map as Map #1, but features the City of Pearland limits only. Nearby ETJ
and non -City areas have been masked out of the map for focus on the City.
Map #2a — Risk Assessment: High -Risk Occupancies and Critical Facilities
Risk assessment is an effort by the Department to classify properties by potential impact on
service demand levels. The higher risk business sites and critical infrastructure building locations
are shown, and require more firefighters in fewer minutes should a serious fire emerge due to the
presence of hazardous materials or at -risk populations, such as those found in hospitals.
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
page 53 �.�. r ..
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Most of these buildings are along the major road corridors where zoning has placed the City's
commercial buildings. The important finding from this map is that these risks are spread
throughout the City and, as such, the City needs a strong, multiple -unit response capacity for
serious emergencies in all parts of the City.
Map #2b — Risk Assessment: High Needed Fire Flow Buildings
The Insurance Service Office (ISO) surveys buildings for fire risk underwriters upon which to
base premiums. One measure of a building's risk is the calculated amount of firefighting water
needed should a major fire take hold of a building. This "Needed Fire Flow" calculation is based
on many factors, such as type of construction and spacing from other buildings. This map
displays the locations of buildings in the City with needed fire flows equal to or in excess of
2,500 gallons per minute and, while most of these are clustered in the commercial areas of the
City, they are also found in every fire station district.
Map #2c — Risk Assessment: Hazardous Materials Risks
Some commercial buildings use or store a significant amount of hazardous materials. Such sites
are highly regulated by the Building and Fire Codes, and enforcement of the codes is conducted
by the Fire Department. The location of these sites is mostly in the commercial and industrial
zones of the City.
Map #2d — Risk Assessment: Population Density
Map #2d shows the population density of people per square mile in each of the Fire Department
response districts in and around the City. This map was prepared by City of Pearland GIS from
their best available data sources.
Map #3a — First Due Unit Distribution: 4:00 -Minute Engine Travel
Map #3a shows, using green street segments, the distribution of City stations per a best -practice -
recommended response goal of 4:00 minutes travel time. Therefore, green indicates the locations
an engine could reach within this time, assuming it is in its station and encounters no unusual
traffic delays. In addition, the computer mapping tool uses actual fire company speed limits per
roadway type. Thus, the green projection is realistic for engines with normal traffic present.
The purpose of computer response mapping is to determine response time coverage across a
community's geography and balance station locations. This geo-mapping design is then checked
in the study against actual dispatch time data, which reflects real response times. There should be
some overlap between station areas so that a second -due unit can have a chance of an adequate
response time when it covers a call in another fire company's first -due area.
orxnc nSsmns uc Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
As Section 5 will detail, the Citywide travel time to 90 percent of the fire and EMS incidents is
9:44 minutes Department -wide. This is supported by the GIS model that shows 4:00 -minute
coverage does not extend out beyond the core fire stations.
Map #3b – First -Due Ambulance Unit Distribution: 8:00 -Minute Travel
Maps #3b shows, in green, the streets covered in 8:00 minutes travel, which is considered in
most EMS systems as adequate ambulance drive time coverage. Most all the City, but not the
ETJ areas, is covered by an ambulance in 8:00 minutes travel time.
Map #3c/d – First -Due Coverage – Traffic Congestion
Maps #3c and #3d show the effect of traffic congestion on travel time. Maintaining a 4:00 -
minute travel time for engines is more difficult with traffic than maintaining an 8:00 -minute
travel time for an ambulance with traffic.
Map #4 – ISO Coverage Areas
Map #4 displays the Insurance Service Office (ISO) requirement that stations cover a 1.5 -mile
distance response area. Depending on the road network in a department, the 1.5 -mile measure
usually equates to a 3.5- to 4.5 -minute travel time. However, a 1.5 -mile measure is a reasonable
indicator of station spacing and overlap. As can be seen, the conservative ISO coverage is very
weak and only connects between station areas in one location.
Map #5 – Effective Response Force (ERF) 8:00 -Minute Travel Time Concentration (First
Alarm)
Map #5 shows the concentration or massing of fire crews for serious fire or rescue calls.
Building fires, in particular, require 15+ firefighters (per NFPA 1710) arriving within a
reasonable time frame to work together and effectively to stop the escalation of an emergency.
Otherwise, if too few firefighters arrive, or arrive too late in the fire's progress, the result is a
greater -alarm fire, which is more dangerous to the public and the firefighters.
The concentration map exhibits look at the City's ability to send, initially, a minimum of two
engines, one quint truck, one medic unit, and one Battalion Chief to serious building fires within
8:00 minutes travel time (11:30 minutes from fire dispatch receipt). This measure ensures that a
minimum of 15 firefighters (four firefighters per engine and ladder truck, plus ambulance and
command chief) can arrive on -scene to work simultaneously and effectively to stop the spread of
a serious building fire.
This map shows in green where the City's current fire station system should deliver the initial
Effective Response Force.
As can be seen, only the eastern core of the City is covered. There are several limiting factors to
this finding—there are not enough stations, ladder companies, and Battalion Chiefs.
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis page 55
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Map #5a — Effective Response Force (ERF) 8:00 -Minute Travel Time — Traffic Congestion
Map #5a shows the effect of traffic congestion on the multiple -unit response. The limiting factor,
when traffic congestion is applied, is the need to provide one ladder company (quint) to the
incident within 8:00 minutes. Given the location of the two quints, it makes sense that the
coverage is limited to between their two locations. In addition, the road network and traffic
congestion makes the 8:00 -minute coverage very small.
Map #Sb — Effective Response Force (ERF) 8:00 Minute Travel Time — Traffic Congestion —
City Only
Map #5b is the same map as Map #5a, but features the City of Pearland City limits only. Nearby
ETJ and non -City areas have been masked out of the map for clarity to City coverage areas.
Map #6 — Two Engines Only at 8:00 Minutes Travel
Map #6 shows a different view of concentration by only showing the 8:00 -minute coverage of
two engine companies. Here, the green color shows the areas receiving two engines in 8:00
minutes travel time, which, with only five fire station locations, is not the entire City or ETJ
areas.
Map #6a — Two Engines Only at 8:00 Minutes Travel — Traffic Congestion
When traffic congestion is applied, the coverage for two engines at 8:00 minutes travel time does
shrink away from the edges of the City to the areas close to and in between the fire stations.
Map #7 — One Battalion Chief at 8:00 Minutes Travel
Map #7 displays the coverage for one Battalion Chief at 8:00 minutes travel time. While the
chief officer is centrally located, even a smaller, faster unit cannot reach the western area at all,
nor other east and southeast edges of the City, within 8:00 minutes travel time.
Map #7a — One Battalion Chief at 8:00 Minutes Travel — Traffic Congestion
Traffic congestion also reduces the one Battalion Chief coverage to the areas closest to Station 2.
As Pearland absorbs more infill and edge area growth, the City will be large enough in stations,
crews, and incident demands to need two Battalion Chiefs for effective coverage.
Map #8 — One Ladder Truck (Quint) Coverage at 8:00 Minutes Travel
Map #8 shows the coverage for one ladder truck (quint) at 8:00 minutes travel time. Given the
location of the two staffed quints in the City, the coverage is not complete at 8:00 minutes out to
the edge and ETJ areas. There is overlap between the two quints, which shows as a purple area
between the two stations.
.•n..
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
page 56
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Map #8a — One Ladder Truck Coverage at 8:00 -Minute Travel — Traffic Congestion
Map #8a shows only the reach of the two quints during traffic congestion hours. Due to the road
network design, Station 4 actually covers a larger area onto the Station 1's area. In other words,
the two coverage zones do not meet in a geographic middle. Therefore, the Station 1 quint,
during traffic congestion, has the most impacted coverage.
Map #9 — All Incident Locations
Maps #9 shows, across a three-year period, the exact location for all fire and EMS incident types.
It is apparent that there is a need for fire services on almost every street segment of the City.
These plots do not include five months of EMS incidents in the first year when EMS was
separate from fire.
Map #10 — Emergency Medical Services and Rescue Incident Locations
Map #10 further breaks out only the emergency medical and rescue call locations. With the
majority of the calls for service being emergency medical, virtually all areas of the City and the
ETJs need emergency medical services. These plots do not include five months of EMS incidents
in the first year when EMS was separate from fire.
Map #11 — All Fire Type Locations
Map #11 identifies the location of all fires in the City for three years. All fires include any type
of fire call, from auto to dumpster to building. There are obviously fewer fires than medical or
rescue calls. Even given this, it is evident that all first -due engines in the City experience fires;
the fires are more concentrated where the buildings are older and/or more densely spaced due to
zoning and historic growth over the decades.
Map #12 — Structure Fire Locations
Displayed in this map are the structure fire locations. While the structure fire quantity is a
smaller subset of the total fire quantity, there are two meaningful findings from this map. First,
there are still structure fires in every first -due fire company district in the City. The location of
many of the building fires parallels the older and higher risk building types in the City in which
more significant risk, and the ISO -evaluated buildings, are more common. These areas and
buildings pose a significant fire and life loss risk to the City. Second, fires in the more
complicated building types must be controlled quickly or the losses could be very large.
Fortunately, in the commercial and industrial zones, where commercial buildings tend to have
automatic fire sprinklers and fire prevention practices, there are fewer building fires in the three-
year period.
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
rill
page 57"'.
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Map #13 — Emergency Medical Services and Rescue Incident Location Densities
Map #13 examines, by mathematical density, where clusters of emergency medical services
incident activity occurred. In this set, the darker density color plots the highest concentration of
all incidents. This type of map makes the location of frequent workload more meaningful than
just mapping the locations of all EMS incidents, as was done for Map #10.
This perspective is important because the deployment system needs an overlap of units to ensure
the delivery of multiple units when needed for serious incidents, or to handle simultaneous calls
for service. For the City, this is true in several areas where the incident demand has been the
highest.
Map #14 — All Fire Location Densities
Map #14 is similar to Map #13, but shows the hot spots of activity for all types of fires. Structure
fire density is fairly evenly distributed amidst the populated areas of the City.
Map #15 — Structure Fire Densities
Map #15 shows only the building fire workload by density. The density is more focused in the
southern half of the City.
Map #16 — Added Fire Station Scenarios
Given the growth in the City and the limited coverage of the existing five fire stations, Citygate
and Fire Department staff tested the effects of the already planned fire station locations. In this
map, the coverage model staffs Station 6 and adds new Fire Stations 7 and 8. A fire engine is
placed at each of these three fire stations. As can be seen, there is a significant, but not complete,
improvement in neighborhood -based unit coverage.
Map #17 — Added Ladder Truck Scenario
To improve First Alarm or ERF coverage, instead of adding a third quint, which is large and
heavy for everyday EMS responses, Citygate and the Department tested a more typical, larger
City model of separately staffed aerial ladder trucks "close to City build -out."
As can be seen, with three aerial ladder trucks at Stations 2, 3, and 8. The Citywide 8:00 -minute
travel time coverage is very good during normal traffic, and acceptable during traffic congestion.
This suggests that, at the City's build -out, Pearland will only need three ladder trucks.
Map #18 — Effective Response Force (ERF) 8:00 -Minute Travel Time — Eight Stations and
Three Separately Staffed Ladder Trucks
This map combines the added three fire stations with the three dedicated ladder trucks, and
remodels the multiple -unit coverage for serious fires. As can be seen, the increased coverage is
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
MIt ASSSCAit II(
page 58
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
substantial as much of the City, even during traffic congestion, can be reached by the Effective
Response Force.
The following table shows the road miles coverage from Table 19, and compares that with the
impact of three fire stations and three ladder trucks from the map scenarios.
Table 20—Citv Road Mile Coverage Comparison for First -Due and First Alarm Units
Measure
Non -Congested
Total Public Miles Reached by Congested Road Difference
Road Miles Fire Stations Miles (Miles)
Current Road Mile Coverage
4:00 -minute travel,
current fire stations
Initial First Alarm,
2 engines, 1 quint truck,
1 Chief, 1 medic, 8:00 -
minute travel
4:00 -minute travel,
eight fire stations
Initial First Alarm,
2 engines, 1 quint truck,
1 Chief, 1 medic, 8:00 -
minute travel
535.9
198
(37% of total public miles)
535.9
170.2
(32% of total public miles)
112.7
(21% of total public miles)
25.9
(5% of total public miles)
Road Mile Coverage with 8 Stations and 3 Ladders
535.9
535.9
252.6
(47% of total public miles)
472.3
(88% of total public miles)
147.0
(27% of total public miles)
337.8
(63% of total public miles)
337.9
423.2
365.7
510.0
283.3
388.9
63.6
198.1
In summary, the eight -station, three -ladder model improves first -due unit coverage by 10 percent
during normal traffic, and multiple -unit coverage improves 56 percent during normal traffic.
During congested traffic, first -due unit coverage improves by 6 percent, and multiple -unit
coverage improves by 58 percent.
Finding #2: Five fire stations, along with using quints (pumper/ladders), does
not provide sufficient first -due nor multiple -unit coverage to the
City.
Section 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
. •
page 59 .
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Finding #3: Traffic congestion severely limits the fire unit travel coverage and,
at peak traffic hours, only 37 percent of the City's public street
miles are within reach of a single fire station, and only 21 percent
are covered by an effective multiple -unit force to serious
emergencies.
Finding #4: At the City's current size plus the southwest Extra Territorial
Jurisdictions (ETJs), a minimum of an eight -fire -station model,
using eight engines and three aerial ladders, will be necessary.
Finding #5: If the City desires a best -practice recommendation of 4:00 -minute
travel time coverage to the urban developed neighborhoods, the
City plus ETJ areas could well need 9 to 11 fire stations at final
build -out.
onrnrmSection 4—Staffing and Geo -Mapping Analysis
page 60
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 5 -RESPONSE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
5.1 HISTORICAL EFFECTIVENESS AND RELIABILITY OF RESPONSE—WHAT STATISTICS SAY
ABOUT EXISTING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
SOC ELEMENT 7 OF 8
RELIABILITY & HISTORICAL
RESPONSE EFFECTIVENESS
STUDIES
Mir
The maps described in Section 4 show the GIS -projected
response times given perfect conditions with no
competing calls, with and without traffic congestion, and
units all in place. Examination of the actual response
time data provides a picture of how response times are in
the "real" world of simultaneous calls, rush hour traffic
conditions, units out of position, and delayed travel time for events such as periods of severe
weather.
5.1.1 Data Set Identification
The Pearland Fire Department provided continuous National Fire Incident Reporting System
(NFIRS 5) incident and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) apparatus response data for the period
8/1/2013-7/31/2016. NFIRS 5 data showed 25,876 incidents and 40,508 apparatus response
records.
5.2 SERVICE DEMAND
In Report Year (RY) 2015/2016, the Department responded to 9,778 incidents. During this time,
the Department had a daily demand of more than 26.79 incidents, of which 2.45 percent were to
fire incidents, 69.51 percent were to EMS incidents, and 28.04 percent were to "Other" incident
types. The percentage of fires is relatively high when compared to other fire departments.
During this same time, there were 15,850 individual fire apparatus unit responses. This indicates
there was an average of 1.62 apparatus responses per incident.
The Department experienced steady growth in the number of incidents from RY 13/14 through
RY 2015/2016. This plot does not include five months of EMS incidents in the first year when
EMS was separate from the Fire Department.
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
page 61 .. „
tnUI(s ats. uc
100(.
9000
8500
7500
7000
6500
6000
5500
• 5000
c 4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Figure 7—Number of Incidents by Year
RY 13/14
Number of Incidents by Year
RY 14/15
RY 15/16
The following graph shows the number of incidents by incident type. The number of each
general incident type is increasing. This plot does not include five months of EMS incidents in
the first year when EMS was separate from the Fire Department.
7000
600'
5500
5000
4500
4000
0 3500
73
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Figure 8—Number of Incidents by Incident Tyne by Year
RY 13/14
Number of Incidents by Year by Incident Type
RY 14/15 RY 15/16
• Fires
• EMS
El oilier
..n..
of Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis page 62
1111 1 UOi11(1511/Z1
•
•
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
5.2.1 Breakdown of Incident Demand Over Time
The following graph shows the number of incidents by month by year. Note: For the following
two graphs, incidents in months 8 through 12 in RY 13/14 and RY 14/15 are low due the pre-
merger EMS data. Therefore, the increase in demand in 2015/2016 is not necessarily due to new
incidents.
c
m
c
950
900
850
800
750
700
650
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
Figure 9—Number of Incidents by Month by Year
Number of Incidents by Month by Year
Month
The following graph shows the number of incidents by day of week by year.
Figure 10—Number of Incidents by Day of Week by Year
Number of Incidents by Day of Week by Year
1c ..
15[ .
1400
1300
1200
1100
1000
900
800
73
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
•
N \
1 Mon 2Tue 3Wed 4Thu 5F 6 Sat 7Sun
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
1'
▪ RY 15/16
❑ RY 14115
▪ RY 13/14
• RY 15/16
0 RY 14115
▪ RY 13/14
page 63 a •
1;ruat IsxU %IIYI1b uc
U1HIIII%
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
The following graph shows the breakdown of incidents by hour of the day by year. The graph
shows an increase in RY 2015/2016 from 10:00am to 03:OOpm, and from 05:OOpm to 08:OOpm.
Figure 11—Number of Incidents by Hour of Day by Year
Number of Incidents by Hour of Day by Year
650
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
,f4/ (73
1•r.
L,
o `� : o Ir
n
u
0
00 01 02 03 04 05 08 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Hour of Day
1 RY 15/16
❑ RY 14/15
I • RY 13/14
5.2.2 Breakdown of Incident Demand by Station Area
The following graph shows the breakdown of the number of incidents by station of the first -
arriving apparatus by year. Incident activity increased in the last reporting year. It should be
noted that Station 3 was not staffed until August 2015, and Station 2 was a volunteer fire station
until June 2016 when new Fire Station 2 was staffed around the clock with one fire engine
pumper and one ambulance.
amt �s: mts )1(Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
page 64
c
m
0
c
13
c
300
280.
2600
2400
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Figure 12—Number of Incidents by Station by Year
Number of Incidents by Station by Year
tt
2 3 4 5
Station
▪ RY 15116
❑ RY 14115
▪ RY 13114
Finding #6: The City's day -of -week and month -of -year calls for service
demands are fairly consistent. This means the City needs to operate
a fairly consistent 24/7/365 response system.
5.2.3 Breakdown of Incident Demand by Type
The following table shows activity rankings of incidents by incident quantity by year. Notice the
strong ranking for EMS incidents. Cancelled -en -route incidents also rank high on the list.
Building fires rank in 13th place by volume. Only those incident types with 35 or more
occurrences in RY 2015/2016 are shown.
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
.. n .
page 65
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 21—Incident Ouantitv by Incident TVDe by Year
NFIRS Incident Type
321 EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury
611 Dispatched & canceled en route
322 Vehicle accident with injuries
554 Assist invalid
745 Alarm system sounded, no fire - unintentional
735 Alarm system sounded due to malfunction
324 Motor vehicle accident no injuries
622 No incident found on arrival of incident address
412 Gas leak (natural gas or LPG)
733 Smoke detector activation due to malfunction
743 Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional
445 Arcing, shorted electrical equipment
111 Building fire
671 Hazmat release investigation w/ no hazmat
151 Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire
744 Detector activation, no fire - unintentional
131 Passenger vehicle fire
113 Cooking fire, confined to container
RY 15/16
6,118
881
387
314
310
297
240
135
100
99
85
57
55
51
41
35
35
35
The following table shows the ranking of incidents by property use by year. In a broad sense, all
residential property types are in the 400 series. Only the 20 most frequent property use categories
are shown.
crGnt msn�ns 1KSection 5—Response Statistical Analysis
page 66
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 22—Incident Ouantitv by Property Use by Year
Property Use
RY 15/16
419 1 or 2 family dwelling 4,585
311 24-hour care Nursing homes, 4 or more persons 609
556
345
161 Restaurant or cafeteria 208
962 Residential street, road or residential driveway 193
599 Business office 165
340 Clinics, Doctors offices, hemodialysis centers 165
519 Food and beverage sales, grocery store 156
961 Highway or divided highway 155
365 Police station 154
215 High school/junior high school/middle school 123
449 Hotel/motel, commercial 120
581 Department or discount store 114
500 Mercantile, business, other 99
965 Vehicle parking area 91
254 Day care, in commercial property 90
960 Street, other 71
559 Recreational, hobby, home repair sales, pet
store
429 Multifamily dwellings
963 Street or road in commercial area
5.3 RESPONSE TIME ANALYSIS
64
Once the types of incidents are quantified, incident analysis shifts to the time required to respond
to those incidents. Fractile breakdowns track the percentage (and count the number) of incidents
meeting defined criteria, such as the first apparatus to reach the scene within progressive time
segments.
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
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page 67
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
5.3.1 Citywide Response Time Performance
A resident or visitor of a city measures the speed of fire department response from the time
assistance is requested until the assistance arrives. This measurement is called "Call to First
Apparatus Arrival" (or "Call to Arrival"). Police and sheriff's departments act as PSAP for 9-1-1
calls. All 9-1-1 calls for fire service in the City are received at the Pearland Police Department
and dispatched from the Harris County Communications Center.13
Based on national recommendations, Citygatc's response time test goal is for 90 percent call to
arrival to be 7:30 minutes. This is comprised of three component parts:
Call Processing: 1:30 minutes (receive, determine need, and alert crew)
Turnout: 2 minutes (notify, don required protective gear, and begin traveling)
Travel: 4 minutes (travel time)
The following is the breakdown of 9-1-1 call received to first apparatus arrival for the overall
City and by station area by year for fire and emergency medical incidents.
Table 23—Call to First -Unit Arrival – 90 Percent Performance
Station RY 13/14 RY 14/15 RY 15/16
Department -Wide 13:23 13:19 13:03
Station 1 14:08 13:41 13:30
Station 2 12:35 14:03 13:41
Station 3 13:25 13:39 12:31
Station 4 13:07 12:17 12:12
Station 5 13:09 13:26 13:22
All the 9-1-1 call to arrival times to 90 percent of emergent incidents in the Table 23 are well
past the Citygate-recommended 7:30 minutes. To determine the cause, the next set of tables will
present the individual segments of total response time—dispatch, crew turnout, and travel—to
understand which measure(s) are responsible for the total time being longer than 7:30 minutes.
Finding #7: The call to arrival times, in all fire station areas, are significantly
longer than best -practice and Citygate recommendations to deliver
desirable urban area outcomes to serious fires and medical events.
13 Harris County Emergency Corps was the Communications Center at the time of this data analysis.
T:nmsvc,ettSection 5—Response Statistical Analysis
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
5.3.2 Dispatch Processing Time
Dispatch Drocessine time is the time it takes to answer the 9-1-1 call, determine the emergency,
enter information into the computer-aided dispatch system, and alert the closet crew. Best -
practice advice is for 90 percent of the calls to be dispatched in 90 seconds. Where language
barriers exist, or medical self-help instructions are needed, these calls should be dispatched
within 120 seconds. The performance of the Harris County Communications Center is shown in
Table 24. These times do not include the PSAP transfer times from Pearland Police
Communications or Brazoria County Sheriff's Office to Harris County Emergency Corps
Communications, which include an additional 15 seconds.
Table 24—Call Processin!? – 90 Percent Performance
Station
Department -Wide
Station 1
Station 2
Station 3
Station 4
Station 5
RY 13/14 RY 14/15
02:24
02:31
02:28
01:43
02:24
02:37
02:18
02:18
02:48
02:03
02:14
02:33
RY 15/16
02:43
02:26
02:08
02:16
02:25
03:14
Finding #8: The performance of the previous Communications Center, at 2:43
minutes to 90 percent of the EMS and fire emergencies, was longer
than published best -practice recommendations of 1:30.
Recommendation #1: With the recent change in dispatch centers, the City
should monitor, on a monthly basis, the dispatch
processing times, including the PSAP transfer times
from the Pearland Police Communications Center.
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis page 69 n
F11t ros:! tts to
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
5.3.3 Turnout Time
Turnout time is the time it takes for all crews to hear the dispatch message, don safety clothing,
and begin moving the assigned apparatus.
Table 25—Turnout Time – 90 Percent Performance
Station RY 13/14 RY 14/15 RY 15/16
Department -Wide 02:14 02:15 02:15
Station 1 02:12 02:14 02:14
Station 2 01:59 01:36 02:20
Station 3 02:20 02:24 02:04
Station 4 02:16 02:10 02:13
Station 5 02:15 02:19 02:23
While the NFPA recommends 60-80 seconds for turnout time, it has long been recognized as a
standard rarely met in practical experience. Crews must not just hear the dispatch message; they
must also don the mandated personal protective clothing for the type of emergency. Citygate has
long recommended that, due to this and the floor plan design of some stations, agencies can
reasonably achieve a 2:00 -minute crew turnout time to 90 percent of the emergency incidents.
Finding #9: The City's overall turnout times are slightly longer then the
Citygate recommendation of 2:00 minutes. With focus, these can
be reduced.
5.3.4 Travel Time
Travel time is defined as the time element between when the dispatch center is notified, either
verbally or electronically, that the unit is en route to the call, and when the first unit arrives at the
address or location street front (not the patient's side). The travel times listed are for fire and
EMS responses to each individual fire station area.
..n.. Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
META tIllill!1 5f19.1!1
page 70
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Table 26—First-Unit Travel Time — 90 Percent Performance
Station
Department -Wide
Station 1
Station 2
Station 3
Station 4
Station 5
RY 13/14
10:08
10:28
09:24
09:39
09:49
10:09
RY 14/15 RY 15/16
10:16
10:44
10:01
10:30 08:58
09:29 09:01
10:28 10:04
09:44
10:29
09:00
NFPA Standard 1710 recommends a 4:00 -minute travel time goal in urban and suburban areas
for the first -arriving unit. As seen in Table 26, none of the travel times meet this goal. There are
several reasons for slower travel time, not all of which can be cost-effectively improved. Not
enough fire stations, traffic congestion variation, non -grid road network designs in newer
subdivisions, open spaces, and limited cross -access highways impact travel time.
Finding #10: The first -due unit travel times in the City are significantly longer
than a positive -outcomes -based, best -practice goal of 4:00 minutes.
As the geographical information systems modeling in this study
also indicated, the only way to appreciably lower response times is
to add more fire stations as revenues permit.
Pearland also has five paramedic transport ambulances, fully staffed with two personnel, with at
least one being a paramedic. Best practices for ambulance travel time is 8:00 minutes, 90 percent
of the time.
Table 27—First-Arrival Medic Unit Travel Time — 90 Percent Performance
Medic Unit
Medic 1
Medic 2
Medic 3
Medic 4
Medic 5
Time
11:45
11:35
10:00
11:35
12:00
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis page 71
rM ETi ItC
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Finding #11: All Pearland ambulance travel times are slower than a desirable
goal of 8:00 minutes, 90 percent of the time.
Table 28 indicates the time each medic unit is out of service for 90 percent of its incidents.
During this period, another ambulance must respond to the calls for that home unit. This further
delays paramedic transport for some patients.
Table 28—Medic Unit Out of Service Time ner Transnort — 90 Percent Performance
Medic Unit Minutes
Medic 1 91:00
Medic 2 90:00
Medic 3 88:00
Medic 4 91:00
Medic 5 90:00
Finding #12: All Pearland ambulance units are out of service approximately 90
minutes for each response.
In addition to the normal engines, quints, and medic units, Pearland also staffs an on -duty
Battalion Chief (BC) daily. The Battalion Chief is responsible for the daily operations of the
shift, and for emergency responses, and is the on -scene Incident Commander.
The following table shows the travel time for the on -shift Battalion Chief.
Table 29—First-Arrival Battalion Chief Travel Time — 90 Percent Performance
Battalion Chief
Battalion 1
Minutes
10:45
Finding #13: The City is too large for a single Battalion Chief / Incident
Commander from one central location to reach incidents in 8:00
minutes travel time.
The Department staffs a Fire Captain—EMS for each shift. The Fire Captain—EMS is
responsible for the daily functions of each medic unit and responding to incidents. Data reveals
the Fire Captain—EMSs, for RY 2015/2016, responded to only 838 incidents, which is a little
omit tan Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
page 72
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
less than 2.25 incidents per day. The Fire Captain—EMS is stationed at Fire Station 4. The
following table shows the Fire Captain—EMS's travel time at 90 percent compliance by district.
Table 30—Fire Captain—EMS Travel Time — 90 Percent Performance
District Travel Time
1 11:16
2 09:26
3 13:33
4 07:49
5 11:23
6 14:45
7 10:40
8 12:52
9 10:04
10 14:29
11 10:23
OOJ 14:06
Finding #14: The Fire Captain—EMS response numbers are reflective of only
one unit covering and backing up the paramedics across the City.
However, this unit is not the initial patient care unit; its purpose is
to assist and provide Quality Assurance on the most serious
incidents. As such, at the current incident volumes, the Fire
Captain—EMS travel times are acceptable.
5.3.5 First Alarm (Effective Response Force) Performance to Building Fires
First Alarm or Effective Response Force Performance to Building Fires: The Department
responds to building fires initially with a minimum of two engines, one quint, one medic unit,
and one Battalion Chief.
This response force is large to provide enough units when fires are very serious at the time of the
9-1-1 call. However, in a given year, there are few building fires in every station area where the
entire force is needed at the incident location. Therefore, the following response time sample size
is very small.
The best representation for the First Alarm or Effective Response Force units is travel time
across the City's street network. The NFPA 1710 recommendation is for all units to arrive within
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis page 73
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
8:00 minutes travel time. The reader is cautioned that some of these sample sizes are very small
and can readily change year-to-year depending on the exact locations of serious fires and the
various units' availability.
A "no occurrence" (designated by a blank cell) simply means that there were no building fires in
the station areas listed where all of the units were needed at the emergency. Station 2 was not
fully staffed until June 2016, so the calculations are not as accurate.
Table 31—Travel for ERF by Response Group"
Station
Department -Wide
Station 1
Station 2
Overall
16:54
RY 13/14
19:12
16:54 16:31
Station 3 12:29
Station 4 12:01 12:01
Station 5 19:12 19:12
RY 14/15
16:54
16:54
11:04
18:04
RY 15/16
12:29
10:21
12:29
14:51
Finding #15: The First Alarm travel times are significantly longer than a
positive -outcome, best -practice -based recommendation of 8:00
minutes. The only solution to improve these times in all
neighborhoods is to add more fire stations.
5.3.6 Simultaneous Incidents
Simultaneous incidents occur when other incidents are already underway at the time a new
incident begins. During RY 2015/2016, 59.58 percent of incidents occurred while one or more
other incidents were underway.
'" Blank fields in the table indicate no ERF responses were recorded for that period in that station.
ceif msptr� ..r Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
The following table shows the percentage of simultaneous incidents broken down by number of
simultaneous incidents.
Table 32—Simultaneous Incident Proportions
Number of Incidents Underway Proportion of Occurrence
1 or more simultaneous incidents
2 or more simultaneous incidents
I3 or more simultaneous incidents
59.58
25.05
08.26
The following graph shows the number of simultaneous incidents by year.
Figure 13—Number of Simultaneous Incidents by Year
Number of Simultaneous Incidents by Year
60 .
5500
5000
4° .
3500
3000 -
2500 -
2000 -
1500 -
1000
500 -
0
RY 13!14
RY 14/15
5.4 STATION DEMAND PERCENTAGE AND UNIT -HOUR UTILIZATION
RY 15116
Due to the simultaneous incident rates measured in the previous table, this section presents the
impact on individual fire station areas. This information is presented by the hour of day it occurs,
which allows a determination to be made if the peak -hour demand is so high that response times
suffer because units must cross the City to cover for overly busy units.
In the tables to follow, the different colors illustrate the variation in demand; the lowest rates of
activity are green, progressing up to yellow, and finally red which indicates the greatest quantity
of incidents or rate of activity.
Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis page 75
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City of Pearland, TX -Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2 -Technical Report
The utilization percentage is calculated by two primary factors: the number of responses and
duration of responses. The busiest stations are listed first. Stations 2 and 3 are newly staffed
stations.
Table 33 -Station Unit -Hour Utilization - RY 15/16
Hour
5 4 1 3
2
00:00
13.71% 13.90% 17.84%
7.09%
0.84%
01:00
12.32%
13.02%
12.43%
9.13%
0.47%
02:00
9.89%
9.23%
8.49%
7.01%
0.56%
03:00
9.98%
11.59%
8.33%
7.48%
1.06%
04:00
8.85%
12.90%
5.58%
7.50%
0.43%
05:00
9.91%
12.01%
10.00%
7.53%
0.43%
06:00
20.55%
15.20%
14.47%
12.38%
0.49%
07:00
14.86%
16.12%
17.34%
16.10%
1.79%
08:00
21.45%
21.49%
20.62%
16.85%
2.90%
09:00
27.56%
25.48%
22.94%
21.16%
1.62%
10:00
6.64%
27.44%
21.40%
18.60%
3 37%
11:00
5.42%
30.71%
22.79%
26.55%
1.10%
12:00
28.44%
28.25%
26.94%
22.82%
2.02%
13:00
.40%
28.30%
24.12%
21.42%
3.36%
14:00
32.64%
31.16%
24.15%
21.11%
4.50%
15:00
3.84%
21.48%
21.46%
19.22%
f 3.63%
16:00
9.60%
25.93%
23.95%
23.19%
2.04%
17:00
2.39%
23.49%
29.00%
25.04%
4.33%
18:00
27 35%
26.14%
22.07%
25.15%
4.86%
19:00
29.04%
24.85%
20.16%
21.21%
2.46%
20:00
25.77%
22.64%
23.77%
18.96%
2.67%
21:00
24.37%
17.62% 17.53%
16.08%
2.94%
22:00
16.94%
14.96% 13.58%
20.99%
2.48%
23:00 24.41%
16.94% 14.26%
11.64%
1.39%
Overall 23.35%
20.45% 18.47%
16.84%
2.15%
Runs 2,940
2,509 2,123
1,928
245
nSection 5 -Response Statistical Analysis
I
Gf1CItt SS:YifI1tS "
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City of Pearland, TX -Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2 -Technical Report
The following table shows unit -hour utilization for the Department's EMS vehicles.
Table 33 -EMS Vehicle Unit -Hour Utilization
Hour
M4
MI
M3
M5
M2
00:00
12.51%
16.15%
7.46%
9.03%
6.32%
01:00
14.17%
10.63%
11.06%
8.84%
4.83%
02:00
8.18%
7.98%
6.67%
8.92%
3.65%
03:00
11.12%
7.63%
8.23%
6.48%
3 70%
04:00
11.04%
5.40%
6.31%
6.70%
4.64%
05:00
11.68%
8.95%
6.96%
5.91%
4.44%
06:00
14.52%
13.81%
13.81%
15.15%
5.28%
07:00
13.69%
15.30%
12.64%
9.84%
6.58%
08:00
19.39%
21.12%
18.21%
14.36%
10.38%
09:00
23.47%
22.89%
19.82%
15.97%
12.79%
10:00
28 28%
25.07%
17.16%
25.22% 1
15.74%
11:00
28.82%
24.88%
15.17%
12:00
27.97%
27.29%
24.46%
19.10%
15.11%
13:00
28.16%
25.43%
20.06%
23.90%
17.25%
14:00
30.22%
25.35%
19.34%
23.26%
17.15%
15:00
23.09%
21.01%
20.88%
18.72%
16.59%
16:00
24.60%
26.13%
23.21%
19.17%
15.21%
17:00
21.92%
26 31%
22.59%
22.26%
16.41%
18:00 117.65%
24 29%
25.32%
20.27%
11.20%
19:00 • 23.76%
20.91%
19.32%
18.87%
14.29%
20:00 20.71%
22.54%
18.68%
16.93%
14.04%
21:00 17.04%
17.52%
16.15%
16.26%
8.92%
22:00 14.40%
12.63%
18.66%
12.03%
8.88%
23:00 16.87%
Overall 19.72%
Runs 2,023
14.54%
12.39%
12.03%
10.37%
18.49%
1,807
16.52%
1,659
15.65%
1,801
10.79%
1,310
What should be the maximum utilization percentage on a firefighting unit? During the nine -hour
daytime work period, when crews on a 24-hour shift need to also pay attention to apparatus
checkout, station duties, training, public education, and paperwork, plus required physical
training and meal breaks, Citygate believes the maximum commitment UHU per hour for an
..fl..
Section 5 -Response Statistical Analysis page 77
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
engine, quint, ladder or 24-hour ambulance unit should not exceed 30 percent. Beyond that, the
most important element to suffer will be training hours.
For a dedicated unit, such as an ambulance or low -acuity squad working less than a 24-hour
shift, such as an 8- to 12 -hour shift, then UHU can rise to 40-50 percent at a maximum. At that
UHU level, peak -hour squad crews must then have additional duty days for training only, and
not responding to incidents, to meet their annual continuing education and training hours
requirements.
Finding #16: The City's firefighting station areas are not yet close to a
recommended maximum hourly saturation for incident demand.
However, four of the five ambulances have reached, or are near,
hourly saturation from mid-morning to early evening. At some
point in the future, if the unit -hour utilization percentages stay at
30 percent for several hours in a row, an additional daytime
ambulance may be necessary.
II II
;4. Section 5—Response Statistical Analysis
r 1. 1 7/11179. • ,If. 1
page 78
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 6 -SOC EVALUATION AND DEPLOYMENT
RECOMMENDATION
6.1 OVERALL EVALUATION
SOC ELEMENT 8 OF 8
OVERALL EVALUATION J
The Pearland Fire Department serves a diverse land use
pattern that, in some locations, is geographically
challenged with open spaces, and limited cross access
streets, which limits quick response times. Population
drives service demand, and development brings population. For a City of Pearland's size and
population, the current five -fire -station plan is inadequate. The City is aware of the need for
additional fire stations and infrastructure changes in the roadway system.
If the risk of fire is to be limited to only part of the inside of an affected building, for the
foreseeable future, the City will need both a first -due firefighting unit and Effective Response
Force (multiple -unit, also known as First Alarm) coverage in all parts of the City and possibly
the most populated areas of the Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs), consistent with current
best -practice recommendations.
While the volume of, and response times to, EMS incidents consume much of the City's
attention, all communities need a "stand-by and readily available" firefighting force to respond to
fires that break out. The Fire Department provides ambulance care but, in addition, the threat of
fire, even if low, still requires resources in addition to EMS hourly demand for an effective
resnonse to emereine fires.
Stated simply, Pearland is already too large for five fire stations to provide desirable urban -area
response times. Both the historical incident response times, and the geographic map models,
clearly show this. Traffic congestion in a recovering economy also has a significant negative
impact on response times. The only way to lower response times will be to add stations as
economic growth permits.
The first deployment step for the City Council, in the near term, is to adopt updated and
complete performance measures from which to set forth fire service outcome expectations and,
on an annual budget basis, monitor and fund Fire Department performance.
Section 6—SOC Evaluation and Deployment Recommendation
page 79
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
6.1.1 Deployment Recommendations
Recommendation #2: Adopt City Council Denlovment Measures Policies:
The City's elected officials should adopt updated,
complete performance measures to direct fire crew
planning and to monitor the operation of the
Department. The measures of time should be designed to
save patients where medically possible and to keep
small but serious fires from becoming greater -alarm
fires. With this is mind, Citygate recommends the
following measures:
2.1 Distribution of Fire Stations: To treat medical patients
and control small fires, the first -due unit should arrive
within 7:30 minutes, 90 percent of the time, from the
receipt of the 9-1-1 call in the fire dispatch center. This
equates to a 1:30 -minute dispatch time, a 2:00 -minute
company turnout time, and a 4:00 -minute drive time in
the most populated areas.
2.2 Multinle-Unit Effective Response Force for Serious
Emergencies: To confine fires near the room of origin,
and to treat up to five medical patients at once, a
multiple -unit response of a minimum of two engines,
one quint, one medic unit, one Fire Captain—EMS, and
one Battalion Chief, totaling 16 personnel, should arrive
within 11:30 minutes from the time of 9-1-1 call receipt
in fire dispatch, 90 percent of the time. This equates to a
1:30 -minute fire dispatch time, a 2:00 -minute company
turnout time, and an 8:00 -minute drive time spacing for
multiple units in the most populated areas.
Section 6—SOC Evaluation and Deployment Recommendation
page 80
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
2.3 Hazardous Materials Response: Provide initial
hazardous materials response designed to protect the
community from the hazards associated with
uncontrolled release of hazardous and toxic materials.
The fundamental mission of the City response is to
protect the public by isolating them from the event and
waiting for additional trained personnel for mitigation. It
can achieve this with a first company capable of
investigating a hazmat release at the operations level
within 11:30 minutes total response time, 90 percent of
the time. After assessment and scene evaluation is
completed, a determination will be made whether to
request additional resources from the City's multiple -
agency hazardous materials response partnership.
2.4 Technical Rescue: Respond to technical rescue
emergencies as efficiently and effectively as possible
with enough trained personnel to facilitate scene security
and community safety until a trained Technical Rescue
team from mutual aid companies can arrive. Deliver a
first -due company for assessment of the rescue within
7:30 total response time minutes, 90 percent of the time.
Assemble additional resources for technical rescue
capable of initiating a rescue within a total response time
of 11:30 minutes, 90 percent of the time. Safely
complete rescue/extrication to ensure delivery of patient
to a definitive care facility.
2.5 ALS Medical Services: The City should provide ALS
services in all neighborhoods within 8 minutes travel
time and thus 11:30 minutes total response time, 90
percent of the time.
Recommendation #3: Pearland needs three additional fire stations, with
engines, as soon as funding permits in the northwest,
southwest, and southeast areas of the City to better meet
best outcome -based travel and response times.
Section 6—SOC Evaluation and Deployment Recommendation
page 81 = 1.1
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Recommendation #4: To improve aerial ladder unit coverage, Pearland should
convert to staffing three dedicated aerial ladder trucks
over time as the City continues to grow.
Recommendation #5: To improve Battalion Chief coverage, Pearland could
consider a second supervising chief unit in the western
City.
Recommendation #6: As the four busiest ambulances maintain 30 percent unit -
hour utilization for multiple hours during the day, the
City will need a sixth ambulance on a peak -hour
schedule from 10:OOam to 7:OOpm at least Monday
through Saturday.
Recommendation #7: As the Department adds full-time firefighters, the goal
should be to increase the number of paramedics to the
point that every fire engine has one paramedic with
equipment at all times to provide first responder
paramedic care if the ambulance is not immediately
available.
..n.. Section 6—SOC Evaluation and Deployment Recommendation
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 7 -HEADQUARTERS AND SUPPORT FUNCTIONS STAFFING
UTILIZATION REVIEW
7.1 INTRODUCTION
Citygate's study includes a review of the Department's headquarters and support functions to
ensure that the personnel are well trained, properly supported, and that enough prevention
activities have been performed to reduce calls for service.
Citygate's methodology consisted of three steps:
• A review of the Department headquarters and support sections supporting
documents
• Interviews with the lead personnel in each section
• Interviews with participants to corroborate the interview findings.
7.2 MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION
NFPA 120115 states, in part, "the [department] shall have a leader and organizational structure
that facilitates efficient and effective management of its resources to carry out its mandate as
required [in its mission statement]."
A fire department needs a committed management organization that is properly sized, adequately
trained, and appropriately supported. Compliance regulations for fire services operation are
increasing, so the proper hiring, training, and supervision of response employees requires a
serious leadership and general management commitment.
15 NFPA 1201 - Standard for Providing Emergency Services to the Public (2015 Edition)
Section 7—Headquarters and Support Functions Staffing Utilization Review
page 83
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Asst. Chief
Operations
Unfunded
Battalion Chief
(3)
Fire Captain—
EMS (3)
Lieutenant (15)
2"4 LT—EMS (2)
Driver/Operator
(15)
PT Fire Fighter
(30)
Figure 14—Pearland Fire Department Management Organization
Battalion Chief
Volunteer (2)
L
Vol. FF (20)
Fire
Fighter/Paramedic/
EMT (46)
Paramedic/EMT
(3)
Fire Chief
Office Supervisor
PT Receptionist
(2)
Fire Marshal (1)
Deputy Fire
Marshal (1)
Insp./Inv. (2)
PTInsp/Inv. (1)
J
•
Medical Director
(contract)
Asst. Chief
Community Risk
Reduction
Code
Enforcement
Supervisor (1)
L
Code
Enforcement
Officer (7)
K9 Insp/Inv. (1)
•
Community
Outreach
Coordinator (1)
. • n. Section 7—Headquarters and Support Functions Staffing Utilization Review
Emergency
Management
Coordinator (1)
Emergency
Management
Planner (1)
J
Asst. Chief
Administration
Battalion Chief—
Logistics (1)
L
Quartermaster
(2)
PT Vol. Recruiter
Coordinator (1)
Asst. Chief
Training
Captain—Training
(1)
Captain—Clinical
Manager (1)
page 84
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Figure 14 depicts the Department's current organizational structure as an effective chain of
command and manageable span of control. However, since the Assistant Chief of Operations
position is not funded, this shortage negatively impacts the Fire Chief's leadership time.
Citygate has determined that the management consisting of the Fire Chief and four Assistant
Chiefs is currently, and will continue to be, appropriate to meet mandated responsibilities when
all members gain additional knowledge and skills in their positions, and all positions are filled
and staffed. An appropriate organizational chart and structure was developed with the merger
between the previous EMS Department and the Fire Department; however, the experience,
breadth, and depth of the personnel in the Fire Department are not at the optimal level. The City
and Fire Chief recognize this, and are developing the knowledge and skills of the Department's
personnel.
There is sufficient structural capacity and depth to conduct organizational performance
benchmarking / ongoing evaluation, long-term strategic planning, risk analysis, and related
effective community risk reduction measures, along with more effective community engagement.
Qualifications for chief officers are consistent with recognized best practices, including a
combination of undergraduate, college -level education; organizational experience; and
professional training and certifications.
7.3 OPERATIONS DIVISION
The Operations Division is the largest division in the Department. It consists of three Battalion
Chiefs (one for each shift), two Volunteer Battalion Chiefs, three Fire Captain—EMSs (one per
shift), 15 Lieutenants (Company Officers), one Second Lieutenant (Field Training Officer for
Paramedics), 15 Driver/Operators, 46 Firefighter/Paramedics, 30 Part-time Firefighters, 20
Volunteer Firefighters, and three Paramedic/EMTs. The part-time and volunteer Firefighter
positions are trained and certified firefighters that assume roles on each shift to augment station
staffing as needed.
The Division's responsibilities include responding to emergent and non -emergent incidents, and
assisting the community in mitigating the incidents. During fire station tours and community
events, the Division has limited opportunity to meet with the public.
The Fire Captain—EMS assigned to each shift performs a variety of duties including narcotics
delivery, a limited number of incident responses, report reviews and Quality Assurance, and
conducts limited EMS training of personnel as needed. Some Fire Captain—EMS position
requirements are duplicative with the Clinical Manager position in the Training Division,
especially the Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Improvement of all personnel.
Section 7—Headquarters and Support Functions Staffing Utilization Review
page 85 .. n . .
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
The Fire Chief currently assumes the unfunded Operations Chief position role. Operations Chiefs
are typically very busy, assuring continuity between shifts, performing shift training, leadership
training for Battalion Chiefs, and with the overall, daily leadership and direction of the
Department. This detail and coordination work currently falls to the Fire Chief, leaving him far
too little time to work on planning, future growth, budgeting, and multiple -agency working
relationships.
Three Shift Battalion Chiefs lead and manage their individual shifts and assure shift
cohesiveness and operations. The Shift Battalion Chiefs are responsible for incident command,
safety and training on each of their shifts, as well as daily operations and scheduling. The
Battalion Chiefs provided Citygate with a daily timetable of their tasks. It appears that the
Battalion Chiefs are so busy with administrative requirements that they only have time to
minimally assure that the needed shift training and supervision of their shifts are completed.
During emergency incidents, the Battalion Chief assumes incident command and is responsible
for firefighter and scene safety. These two tasks are not completed well by one individual. The
Department does not have a dedicated Safety Officer for incident responses or for the overall
Department Health and Safety Program. At present, a Fire Captain—EMS or a chief officer from
headquarters will respond to partially fill the safety role.
The Operations Division, like all other divisions, has numerous data to monitor its performance.
Important data include incident locations, type of incident, alarm processing time, unit response
times, turnout times, and travel times for all units. The Division has access to this data through
their Records Management System (RMS), the Dispatch Center, and the PSAP.
Finding #17: The Department's Operations Chief position is unfunded and its
role is currently assigned to the Fire Chief. With the leadership
responsibilities of the Fire Chief, the continued effort to blend the
Fire and EMS organizations into one cohesive department, and to
implement the Strategic Plan, the added responsibility of the
Operations Chief is an impediment to accomplishing the
Department's goals.
7.3.1 Part-time and Volunteer Staffing Costs
The Department's daily staffing is accomplished by using a combination of full-time and part-
time personnel and volunteers. Part-time personnel and volunteers are required to work a certain
number of shifts per year. Managing the scheduling of these personnel and assuring proper shift
staffing is a large undertaking.
PIN _, .. Section 7—Headquarters and Support Functions Staffing Utilization Review page 86
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
The Department uses part-time employees to augment on -duty daily staffing by using these
employees to serve as the fourth person on each fire engine. Additionally, part-time employees
are used when daily staff are on vacation, sick, or other types of leave. These part-time
employees typically come from other local fire departments (volunteer and career) that have the
requisite Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) Certifications. Although this program is
important to daily staffing, it also creates additional burdens and costs for the City and the
Department.
Each part-time and volunteer employee is required to have a complete set of uniforms and the
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for fire combat and other emergency situations.
Even though Pearland's part-time employees come from other local career and volunteer fire
agencies, they cannot use their home department's PPE for Pearland. Instead, they must use
Pearland's PPE, as their home departments do not want their expensive and annually inspected
PPE used elsewhere.
The requirements of the NFPA and the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) require that all personnel have PPE sized to fit each individual. The cost for one
complete set of PPE is approximately $3,000 per set plus an additional $500 for the individually
sized Self Contained Breathing Apparatus masks. The additional PPE for technical rescues,
hazardous materials responses, etc., required for Pearland, costs an additional $1,000 per set.
Total PPE cost per employee is approximately $4,500. There also must be spare PPE that can be
worn when a contaminated PPE is out of service for cleaning or inspection. The total cost for two
sets of PPE is approximately $9,000. When a part-time employee leaves Pearland, his/her PPE is
taken out of service. When a new staff member is hired, he/she must be correctly fitted for PPE,
which creates another new expense. For senior, part-time firefighters, the PPE also must be
continually inspected and repaired as needed. Currently, Pearland has approximately 27 active,
part-time firefighters and another 27 volunteers. For just one new set of issued PPE per part-time
firefighter, the total new equipment cost would be $243,000 not including repair costs.
PPE costs are not the only costs to the City for part-time and volunteer personnel. The Battalion
Chief must create the shift schedule utilizing the various part-time and volunteer firefighters.
Because scheduling these "variable" staff positions is logistically more difficult than scheduling
traditional full-time positions, the Battalion Chief may sometimes spend several hours per shift
just to schedule personnel. The 54 supplemental employees serve the City of Pearland as their
second job, and thus it can be presumed that Pearland is not their primary work commitment. If
other issues arise for them, they may choose to miss a Pearland shift, which will require more
time and energy resources from the Battalion Chief to amend.
In addition to scheduling complications caused by part-time personnel, as illustrated in Section
7.6.3 to follow in this report, the number of hours for training part-time and volunteer employees
are extremely low and non-compliant with Texas and ISO requirements. This has much to do
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with the part-time and volunteer employees' other work schedules. For example, they work
Pearland shifts when they are available, and not working their normal shift at another Fire
Department. As a result, they are missing the required training for Pearland and the ISO.
In a rapidly growing community and Fire Department, it is a challenge to prepare qualified staff
for a new fire station. The time it takes to recruit, train, and educate employees specifically for
Pearland is significant. Because of this, the Department must begin recruiting staff well before
the station is ready to open.
To assist in the rapid opening of newly authorized fire stations, the City should consider hiring
full-time firefighters a year before a new station opens. Doing so would lessen the burden of
scheduling part-time employees, and allow firefighters to be trained and pass probation before
the new station opens.
Finding #18: To assure minimum daily shift staffmg, the Department uses
several part-time and volunteer positions on each shift. The
Department needs to prepare a detailed cost analysis to compare all
of the part-time program costs including equipment, training, and
scheduling time against slowly increasing the number of full-time
employees.
7.3.2 Firefighter Health, Safety, and Risk Management
A formal Health, Safety, and Risk Management Program that ensures the safety and health of
personnel is imperative. A complete set of Administrative Policies/Procedures and Standard
Operating Guidelines for Firefighter safety, both in -station and on -scene of an emergency, is
required to assure firefighter health and wellness, cohesive operations between shifts, and safety
of all personnel. In the document review process for this study, Citygate found no formal Health
and Safety Program, Department Risk Management Program, or complete set of Standard
Operating Procedures/Guidelines (SOP/SOG) for emergency incidents or daily routines.
The fire service has improved firefighter safety and continues to do so. A Fire Department is
required to have a complete Health and Safety Program to assure firefighter health and safety not
only on the incident scene but also in daily activities. The program is also impacts fire station
design, apparatus design and construction. Healthy living, exercise, medical exams, and proper
use of protective equipment limit the exposure to injury and illness during firefighting and EMS
calls.
The Department has contracted with a physician to perform annual employee physicals. The
physical is based on NFPA 1582 requirements. In addition to being medically fit, firefighters
must also be physically fit to perform their duties on emergency incidents, which are very
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strenuous on their bodies and minds. To ensure physical stamina and well-being, the Department
permits each firefighter to exercise every shift in the station to maintain their fitness for
firefighting duties.
Integral to any Health and Safety program are the written employee directives, policies,
procedures, and guidelines that detail how each should operate during an emergency incident and
in performing daily routines. With three daily duty shifts totaling 32 daily personnel, consistent
Department safety and service are imperative. Proper and detailed policies, procedures, and
guidelines, together with their enforcement, provide this consistency. Citygate's documentation
review showed a small number of existing Department personnel safety and health policies.
On an incident scene, safety of personnel and accountability for their locations and tasks is a
primary concern and task for the Incident Commander. Citygate's review of the organizational
chart and the on -scene organizational structure for fire ground operations showed that there is no
dedicated Safety Officer assigned to responses.
Part of a progressive Health and Safety program is assuring that personnel have the correct PPE
for fire, EMS, and specialized responses as well as daily station wear (uniforms). The firefighter
PPE ensemble for fire suppression incidents includes station wear, protective coats, pants,
helmets, gloves, and protective hoods as well as Self -Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).
OSHA for the federal government mandates employee safety with regard to SCBA use and
testing for chemical exposures, technical rescue responses, and hazardous material responses.
Other standard -making organizations such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI),
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), National Institute of Standards
and Testing (NIST), the NFPA, and the TCFP also have an impact on firefighter safety and
health.
The PPE that firefighters wear for both normal station wear and on emergency incidents are
valuable safety equipment. Each firefighter PPE is sized and fitted to the individual, assuring the
best protection from contaminants, heat, and smoke. During fire combat, firefighters are exposed
to numerous chemicals and toxic smoke from the off -gassing of the materials on fire. Many of
these gases are extremely harmful to personal health.
TCFP requires all PPE to be inspected annually, and cleaned and decontaminated after each use.
All PPE must be inspected annually, and cleaned and decontaminated after each use to comply
with NFPA and NIOSH standards. The typical life for PPE gear in Pearland is 5 years.
To preclude firefighters' continuous exposure to the harmful contaminants, NFPA and NIOSH
require that, until cleaning/decontamination after the exposure is complete, personnel should not
use that PPE. This mandate significantly precludes the chances of continuous exposure to
contaminants. To accomplish this, firefighters perform what is referred to as "Gross Decon"
while still on the emergency scene. Gross decon is the process of removing contaminants
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resulting from fire and smoke from the firefighters' PPE while still on the incident scene.
Following gross decon, the PPE is then bagged and thoroughly cleaned at a fire station before its
next use. In the City, this cleaning is conducted in several, but not all fire stations. PPE is washed
using a special extraction -type washing machine, and then the ensemble is air dried. This process
usually takes 24 hours. Annual PPE inspections and repairs are conducted off site and by a
private vendor.
While the PPE is either being cleaned after an incident, or off site with the inspection vendor, on -
duty employees will still require correct fitting PPE to continue their duties.
Department staff states that there are spare sets of PPE available for approximately three to five
crews (12-20 personnel). On -duty staffing for each shift is 32 personnel. The spare sets of
turnout gear are older pieces of gear that were replaced by newer firefighter PPE. Staff also
states that the spare PPE is reaching the end of its useful life and code requirements for disposal.
As the gear continues to age, the number of available spare sets in inventory will decrease.
Finding #19: The Department does not have a dedicated Health and Safety
Officer to immediately respond to all emergency incidents and
monitor the Department's Health and Safety Program on scene and
during normal daily operations.
Finding #20: Citygate commends the Department for having a required
Employee Medical Exam program, and for facilitating the ability
of staff to exercise on shift.
Finding #21: The Department does not have a fully completed set of policies,
procedures, or standard operating guidelines for daily routines or
emergency incidents. Given the time since the EMS merger, and
the hiring of new firefighters, this is understandable.
Finding #22: There is an overlap in job duties between the Clinical Manager and
the on -shift Fire Captain—EMS for Quality Assurance and
Continuous Quality Improvement, training, and performance
monitoring. Typically, in a department this size, the Clinical
Manager would perform all EMS Quality Assurance and
Continuous Quality Improvement.
Finding #23: The Department does not have an adequate number of spare
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) sets for all employees during
the required PPE cleaning after fire combat, nor when the gear is
unavailable due to annual inspections.
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7.4 COMMUNITY RISK REDUCTION DIVISION
The Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Division staff consists of:
• 1 Assistant Chief
• 1 Fire Marshal
• 1 Deputy Fire Marshal
• 1 K9 Handler Fire Inspector/Investigator
• 2 Fire Inspectors/Investigators
• 1 part-time Fire Inspector/Investigator
• 1 Code Enforcement Supervisor
• 7 Code Enforcement Officers
These personnel are responsible for health code and municipal code compliance. In addition, the
Division also has an Emergency Management Planner responsible for the City's Emergency
Management Plan and Procedures. As of 2017, the Division also includes an Emergency
Management Coordinator to assist in emergency planning. In addition to normal fire prevention
duties, the Division is also tasked with health and safety code inspections for foster homes and
restaurants, as well as other municipal code enforcement actions.
The CRR Division provides a variety of services; some are atypical of an urban Fire Department.
The programs normally associated fire prevention duties include development/building plan
review; construction/occupancy inspections, fire protection systems plan review, and related
inspections; and fire and life safety inspections in non-residential occupancies. In addition, the
Division is also responsible for all inspections required by the state of Texas for food preparation
facilities. This includes all kitchens in foster homes, restaurants, and food trucks, as well as fairs
and community events where food is available for consumption.
The Division is tasked with municipal code enforcement including weed abatement, property
line encroachment issues, illegal dumping, and storm water runoff. The Division issues all
citations for any violation of the municipal code that were witnessed by any City employee.
The Division recently conducted an analysis to determine fire inspection frequency for specific
occupancies in the community. The assessment reviewed risk severity, probability of an
occurrence in the specific type of occupancy, and demographics. The analysis determined that
certain occupancy types and inspection frequencies should be adjusted. This has already begun.
There are approximately 4,200 businesses within the City. In FY 2015/2016, the Division
accomplished inspections for 50 percent of those businesses. Additionally, Division personnel
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inspected 832 buildings for a Certificate of Occupancy, 344 fire suppression and detection
systems, and 126 hazard complaints. The Department Operations personnel (line firefighters)
conducted 286 annual occupancy inspections for primarily low -hazard businesses. Between the
Division and the Fire Operations personnel, they noted and corrected inspections 3,393
violations.
The Division's inspection staff is assigned specific geographical areas for their duties. These
geographical areas consist of a myriad of occupancy types and classifications. The staff does not
currently rotate geographic areas to improve their knowledge and abilities, or to reduce burnout
and complacency.
The Division performs all new construction plan and tenant improvement plan reviews for the
City's buildings and occupancies. New construction/development and plan review is the
responsibility of the three Fire Inspector/Investigators that are each assigned to a separate
geographical area. Based on Citygate's review, the Division performed 648 plan checks for FY
2015/2016.
The Department does not collect fees or issue operating permits for occupancies that create a
significant hazard to the citizens and occupants, as permitted by the Fire Code. The permit would
include an annual fire safety inspection by either the Division or the on -shift engine companies.
The permits would allow the CRR Division to more effectively manage the facilities and assure
compliance with codes while improving citizen and firefighter safety.
Public education is a required and necessary tool to help reduce death and injury to the City's
citizens. Pearland has the potential to suffer serious damage and life loss from natural disasters
such as hurricanes and flooding. The Division has, for many years, spent the entire month of
October visiting public and private schools. Annually, the Division typically educates over 5,000
adults and over 11,000 children, including car seat installation days, impaired and distracted
driving events, CPR classes, smoke alarm installations, Knapp Senior Center events, local
hurricane preparedness presentations, and a Countywide hurricane preparedness event. In FY
2015/2016, the Division accomplished 83 public education outreaches reaching 7,611 children
and 8,757 adults.t6
Fire investigation also falls under the purview of the Division. The initial investigation for fire
cause and origin is conducted by the on -scene apparatus company officer. If additional assistance
is required, the company .officer requests the Fire Investigator's involvement. In FY 2015/2016,
the CRR Division conducted 26 fire investigations and, in all cases, the cause was determined.
There were also six arson cases; four of which were determined, and two are still undetermined.
1(, Data derived from Pearland Fire Department Records Management System
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The City's environmental and health inspections, and municipal code compliance inspections,
fall under the responsibility of the CRR Division. Included are all health and safety inspections
for foster homes for children, restaurant inspections for health code compliance, and restaurant
kitchen inspections for health code compliance.
In FY 2015/2016, the Division completed 4,596 facility inspections for health and environmental
codes. The Division found 4,603 violations; 3,983 were brought into voluntary compliance. The
Inspectors also responded to seven environmental crimes, five of which the staff cleared.
Finding #24:
Finding #25:
Finding #26:
The CRR Division has excellent data collection system to track
and review all performance measures for the Division.
The CRR Division does not issue permits or collect fees for
occupancy use or inspections. Doing so would help recover some
of the expense for those services.
The CRR Division does not rotate plan check or inspection
geographical areas between the three Fire Inspectors, which would
allow for professional growth and area cross -training for the
employees.
Finding #27: The CRR Division could develop a more formalized Fire and Life
Safety Education program for the community, using emergency
incident data and known risks, to set measurable goals and design
education programs to reduce fire Toss and life loss, and prevent
injuries to the residents.
7.5 ADMINISTRATION DIVISION
The Administration Division is responsible for all Department budgeting and finance; logistics;
volunteer, part-time, and full-time recruitment; information technology; communications repair;
vehicle, equipment, and station maintenance; facility maintenance; and administrative offices
cleaning.
The Division is staffed with an Assistant Chief, Battalion Chief of Logistics, two Quartermasters,
and a part-time Recruit Coordinator. The Assistant Chief of Administration is responsible for
managing the day-to-day operations and activities of the Division, as well as the sections,
programs, resources, and personnel.
The Administration Battalion Chief functions as the Manager of Logistics in addition to other
duties assigned by the Fire Chief or Assistant Chief.
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The two Quartermasters perform a variety of tasks associated with the maintenance of Fire
Department facilities, equipment, office furniture, and uniforms, in addition to delivering
supplies and vehicles for maintenance to the contracted locations and assuring the firefighters'
PPE is cleaned and inspected as needed.
The Recruit Coordinator performs administrative and technical work in the Pearland Fire
Department. It is the Recruit Coordinator's responsibility to coordinate the overall volunteer
firefighter recruitment program for the Department, and to facilitate the recruitment and retention
of volunteer firefighters. The position also assists with other administrative tasks.
The Division has no performance measures that track productivity or help determine the validity
of the programs within the Division. In order for any fire department to operate efficiently, it is
crucial for all divisions to enact performance measures and perform effective data collection and
analysis.
Finding #28: The City Information Technology Department, in conjunction with
the Department, has recently located a Technology Specialist in
Fire Administration to assist with information technology and
computers in the Department.
Finding #29: The current Battalion Chief in the Administration Division
functions as the Manager of Logistics. The majority of work for
the Division is related to purchasing, contract administration, and
personnel functions. As the Department grows, a non -sworn
Business Manager should be added to perform routine processing
functions.
7.6 TRAINING DIVISION
The Training Division is responsible for all Department training and is staffed by an Assistant
Chief and two Training Captains, one of whom serves as the Clinical Manager. The Division
relies very heavily on the on -shift Battalion Chiefs and Lieutenants to conduct all of the
necessary training of its personnel, and to ensure compliance. The Assistant Chief provides
program design and overall management and Quality Assurance.
The Training Captain is responsible for analyzing individual and organizational training needs
and for ensuring compliance and certification by the TCFP, Texas Department of State Health
Services Emergency Medical Services, the Texas State Fireman and Fire Marshal's Association,
and the limited number of Department Standard Operating Guidelines and Standard Operating
Procedures. The Captain conducts a limited amount of on -shift training for personnel due to
other tasks assigned to that individual.
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The Clinical Manager is responsible for reviewing all EMS run reports for accuracy of
documentation, appropriate clinical care, and appropriate patient disposition/transport decisions.
The Clinical Manager also identifies training and community needs based on trend analysis on
the types of calls and interventions performed in the field, in addition to being responsible for
researching and making recommendations regarding medical protocols and types of
equipment/medications used by the Department. The Clinical Manager also serves as the EMS
training officer.
The Fire Captain—EMS shift positions transferred over with the merger of the EMS Department
into the Fire Department. As such, they are still primarily handling oversight of patient care and
assurance of paramedic training. Some of these duties are handled by the office -based Clinical
Manager. In Citygate's experience, the 40 -hour position is best used for overall chart review and
quality of care assurance programs. The roles of the shift positions can be expanded to function
as both EMS and fire suppression support and oversight.
The Clinical Manager should be reviewing all the serious cases, trending care data, and
constructing continuing education offerings for skill retention. This position will also be the
liaison to medical direction and hospital partners. The Clinical Manager would only respond to
very serious events and occasionally ride with newer paramedics for field checks when
requested/needed.
The 24 -hour -based Captain—EMS positions, once certified in fire suppression, will provide
quality control for both suppression and EMS. That said, they would oversee the provision and
quality of training and the maintenance of certifications for all their personnel. They will observe
field personnel in action, especially the very new and others with issues identified by their
company officer, Clinical Manager, or the Training Division. They will provide broad assistance
to the Battalion Chiefs in managing day-to-day, routine activities of the Division. They will
respond to all Battalion -Chief -level incidents as the Safety/Communications aid.
The field EMS Captain—EMS positions, time permitting, could perform low -acuity patient chart
reviews to check for completion and adherence to standards, or the Department can consider a
Quality Improvement Committee of line personnel who perform low -acuity peer reviews of
patient charts on a periodic basis.
Finding #30: The Clinical Manager currently only reviews high acuity and
random EMS reports for Quality Assurance and Continuous
Quality Improvement for all personnel. According to their position
description and tracked hours, the on -shift Fire Captain—EMSs
also perform the same function on all incidents.
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Finding #31: Neither the Training Captain nor the Clinical Manager have
adequate time to aid and deliver on -shift training for personnel due
to collateral duties.
7.6.1 Training Best Practices
In general, the Training Division has established best practices for fire service education and
training, including the ISO and the TCFP. The Division's goal is for all personnel to accomplish
two hours of training per shift per firefighter. This goal meets best practices and equates to
approximately 240 hours per year of training for each firefighter.
Each of the following NFPA standards has been reviewed by the Department and either been
formally adopted, partially adopted, or not adopted. If the Department has not adopted a
standard, it is because the Department uses a different standard.
• NFPA 1001 Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications—This
standard establishes the basic qualifications for Firefighter I and II. Partially
Adopted
• NFPA 1002 Standard for Fire Apparatus Driver Operator Professional
Qualifications—The standard sets forth the performance objectives for
driver/operators of all types of fire apparatus and emergency vehicles. Partially
Adopted.
• NFPA 1006 Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional
Qualifications—This standard delineates the performance objectives for
firefighters who perform technical rescue. Partially Adopted.
• NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications—This standard
covers the four levels of fire officer progression: Fire Officer I, II, III, and IV.
Partially Adopted.
• NFPA 1031 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Inspector and Plan
Examiner—This standard describes the professional performances of the fire
inspector and plan examiner. Partially Adopted.
• NFPA 1041 Standard for Fire Service Instructor Professional Qualifications—
This standard guides the development of the fire -service training instructor
through the three levels of advancement: Instructor I, II, and III. Partially
Adopted.
• NFPA 1401 Recommended Practice for Fire Service Training Reports and
Records—This standard includes all aspects of training documentation, such as
training schedules, reports, records, legal characteristics of training records,
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record management systems (RMS), and means to evaluate the RMS. Partially
Adopted.
• NFPA 1403 Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions—This standard outlines
the procedures required for safe live fire training. Formally Adopted
• NFPA 1404 Standard for Fire Service Respiratory Protection Training—This
standard covers the proper use, inspection, maintenance, and program
administration of self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs). Partially
Adopted.
• NFPA 1451 Standard for a Fire and Emergency Service Vehicle Operations
Training Program—This standard covers the minimum requirements of a vehicle
operations training program. Partially Adopted.
7.6.2 Department Training Program Review
For fire departments to perform required tasks safely and correctly, a formal training program
based on best practices should be in place. A program for the development of personnel in
specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) is required by every fire department to ensure
firefighter safety and the capability to perform all firefighter tasks.
A specific master training program for firefighters is necessary to identify and ensure personnel
are maintaining and training all of the KSAs required for their positions. In documentation
review, Citygate did not find a dedicated and specific Department training program for
personnel.
The Department participates with and uses the guidance of the TCFP requirements, ISO
guidelines, and NFPA requirements for career and volunteer personnel training. The TCFP
focuses on the education and mental preparation of firefighters, company officers, and chief
officers, with emphasis on the skills and abilities that can be applied directly to job performance.
Both the ISO and the TCFP have identified minimum training hours and skills for annual
firefighter training needs. Typically, this is two hours per shift per employee. Specialty classes
for specialists, such as prevention, fire investigation, fire code enforcement, health code, and
municipal code enforcement, are assigned on a case-by-case basis depending on funding and
need.
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Finding #32: The Department does not have a Career Development Guide
specific to Pearland for employees to direct them regarding
training needs and requirements for promotions and career
advancement. The Department does use the Second Edition of the
International Association of Fire Chiefs Officer Development
Handbook as a guide.
7.6.3 Training Records Review
The Department uses FIREHOUSE Records Management System (RMS) to record personnel
training. Pearland's RMS tracks the number of training hours and subject matter for each
member. It is critical the Department have a system for tracking personnel training and subject
matter, as well as hours devoted to that training. For management purposes, it is more important
that the Division be able to track those members who are required to have training and have not
yet completed it. In addition to the full-time staff, Pearland uses a combination of part-time
employees and volunteers for their daily staffing requirements, while also require training and
certifications.
Citygate's review of volunteers' and part-time employees' training hours found large
deficiencies in the hours completed per individual. Even though most of the Department's part-
time employees work as firefighters full-time in other area departments, there is no assurance
that the training they have received in their home department is consistent with Pearland's
requirements.
The Department's training for career members is based on compliance with the ISO, TCFP, the
Texas State Fireman and Fire Marshal's Association (paid volunteers only), and Department
Standard Operating Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures. Those best practices require
two hours per employee per shift, or 240 hours annually.
Citygate reviewed all full-time firefighters' training records to determine the total number of
hours of annual training they received from September 1, 2015 to September 1, 2016. The results
are summarized in Table 34.
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Table 34—Trainin2 Hours for All Shifts
Shift
A
B
C
Part -Time Employees
Volunteers
Total Annual
Hours
Average Annual Hours
per Employee
2,043 72.75
1,78717 49.59
2,379 87.25
600.42 24
245 13.6
According to training staff, the on -shift Lieutenants are required to provide and monitor their
shift training hours, and the Battalion Chiefs monitor the Lieutenants through training reports
submitted by the company.
Finding #33: The Department is not meeting its goal of 240 hours of annual
training for each full-time employee. According to staff, there are
multiple reasons for the non-compliance.
Finding #34: Despite the requirement to complete 240 hours of training
annually, total training hours for volunteer firefighters and part-
time employees is extremely low.
7.6.4 Training Center
The Training Center has been in existence for several years. The center has a training tower and
drafting pit for pump operations. The Department has a master plan for the development of the
property over a period of time to include needed props and a safe, live fire burn building.
Finding #35: The current Training Center is a good start for future development
and enhancements for future training needs for new and veteran
employees.
" These hours include 200 hours for one employee at the National Fire Academy and are not used in the annual
hours per employee
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7.6.5 Succession Planning and Training Impact of New Employees
The City of Pearland Fire Department line staff is very young in service years, both in the fire
service and in Pearland. Pearland Fire Department was formed as an all -volunteer fire
department in 1946. The City of Pearland hired paid staff in 2007 and then merged its
organizations into one cohesive fire service delivery system. Because Pearland was the second
fastest growing City in Texas, it had to change rapidly to meet the needs of the community. The
Fire Department is a combination type department, using full-time, part-time, and volunteer
employees to staff daily for emergencies.
The average tenure of full- and part-time firefighters in Pearland is just over four years, and the
average fire service tenure is 7.4 years. All of the members are certified and trained firefighters
under Texas regulations. However, firefighters with only four to seven years of experience are
hardly veterans. In addition, in a suburban department, firefighters are not exposed to high
volumes of critical incidents. As such, training, supervision, and quality control must be nothing
short of excellent.
There is also a need to promote line supervisors and Battalion Chiefs as stations are added,
which sometimes means promoting an employee that has passed a test, but may not be seasoned
enough in the career to train and mentor others.
As the Department grows, it will be necessary to identify which KSAs the City of Pearland
requires for its Fire Department leaders for promotions, new fire stations opening, and senior
employees retiring.
Succession planning is the Department's way to identify and develop Department members to
fill those newly created positions and be able to perform the job correctly on the first day they
are promoted. Planning for the future allows members who desire to be promoted the opportunity
to prepare for that time, and it gives the City a means to help and prepare employees.
Citygate has recommended a Career Development Guide and Program, allowing all employees
to know what KSAs are required for each position within the Department. The Guide is a
beginning basis for succession planning.
Such training takes a robust training staff, which should be enhanced. It also takes "time in
grade" to hone and practice new skills with oversight. For these reasons, Citygate has also
suggested the Department overstaff and hire personnel needed for new fire stations well in
advance of the need. In addition to succession training and experience, the overstaff positions
will also decrease the need for part-time firefighters and their costs.
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7.7 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROGRAM
The Department operates its EMS program via its fire apparatus and five medic transport
(ambulance) units across the City, the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) areas, and the City of
Brookside Village via annual contract.
The ambulances are staffed with two firefighters, and at least one must be a paramedic.
Emergency medical training and responses has a full-time Fire Captain—EMS on each shift to
assist with tracking patient care, Quality Assurance, and certification records. These positions
also conduct very limited in-service training for the paramedics. In addition, there is also the
Clinical Manager in the Training Division.
Each of the three engine companies and two quint companies is staffed with a minimum of four
personnel per day. There is no minimum staffing for paramedics on these companies. However,
the Department has eleven total paramedics per shift; potentially, there might be several
additional medics on duty daily if needed. The only Department requirement is a minimum of
one paramedic per ambulance on each shift. The American Heart Association recommends two
paramedics operating in case of the most serious EMS emergencies.
Data analysis for the five Medic Ambulances for FY 2015/2016 indicates travel times at
approximately 11:30 minutes, 90 percent of the time. Analysis also indicates that each medic unit
is out of service for approximately one and a half hours per incident to which they respond. This
time includes transport time to the hospital, restocking and cleaning of the unit, and wait time for
patient transfer at the receiving hospital. This delay, due to travel time back and forth to the
receiving hospital and wait time for patient transfer, means another unit must take any additional
calls in place of the unit at the hospital.
While the goal is always to deliver the best patient care, in many instances it is not up to the
Department to determine that method for providing care. Unlike other aspects of firefighting,
EMS care is heavily regulated and burdened with mandated oversight requirements. All of these
requirements, while medically necessary, add to the Department's overhead cost to provide EMS
care. The Department has no choice but to follow laws and regulations related to training,
clinical oversight, data for tracking trends in care and paramedic skills, shelf -life of medical
supplies, biomedical equipment certification, controlled drug tracking, and other regulated
responsibilities.
The concept of providing emphasis on Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in patient care
delivery became a top priority in EMS in the early 1990s. EMS providers and EMS oversight
agencies across the United States developed systems that guaranteed objective feedback about
performance, both internally (to support CQI efforts) and externally (to demonstrate
accountability to partners and oversight agencies).
Section 7—Headquarters and Support Functions Staffing Utilization Review
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An effective CQI program must be consistent and systematic, must be based on evidence, and
must be free of any perceived or real punitive involvement. It will include a fact -based decision-
making process that involves industry -accepted performance measures and comparison of
treatment to standard protocols for patient conditions. It will foster learning and knowledge
sharing, and will motivate care providers to be the best possible clinicians with every patient
contact. CQI programs involve reviewing each patient care report for the agency to ensure
accuracy, and coaching peers on learning points.
Clinical training, oversight, and command staff in the EMS program support the field personnel.
7.8 FLEET MANAGEMENT
The Pearland Fire Department utilizes contracted repair facilities for all vehicle maintenance.
This service is scheduled and tracked in the Administration Division.
7.8.1 Fleet Maintenance and Repairs
Driver/engineers (commonly referred to as driver/operators) perform daily apparatus checks,
wash and wax apparatus, clean and lube ladders, and perform limited preventive maintenance.
All apparatus maintenance is conducted by outside vendors. Ladder trucks, pumps, and ground
ladders are all tested and certified by Underwriters Laboratory (UL). Fire hoses are tested by the
Department on an annual basis as required by the NFPA.
7.8.2 Fire Response Apparatus
The Department's fire apparatus are listed in the table found in Appendix A.
The average front-line service of a fire engine (pumper) is thirteen years, with another five years
in reserve service. Often, the mileage on fire apparatus will not be as high as might be expected
from a similar commercial vehicle. However, after fifteen years, replacement parts become
scarce and the wear and tear from fast starts and stops over the years is significant. None of the
ten engines in Pearland's frontline fleet are over fifteen years old. Another way to evaluate the
Department's apparatus is to consider the average age of the fleet. If fleet replacement has kept
pace, the average age of the frontline fleet would be about seven to eight years.
Quint trucks, which are not used as frequently as fire engines (pumpers), have a life expectancy
of twenty years, with five additional years of reserve service. The average age of the quint trucks
should be about ten years. The average age of the two trucks is eleven years, well under the
average age for replacement.
Finding #36: The average age of both the frontline and reserve engines is within
the best -practice normal life expectancy of fire apparatus.
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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7.8.3 Emergency Medical Transport Vehicles
The Department's medic transport vehicles are listed in the table found in Appendix A.
The EMS response vehicles are used heavily in frontline service, much of which is start/stop.
There is no best -practice recommendation on EMS response vehicle replacement; however, there
are factors to consider:
• Proper preventative maintenance is the cornerstone for all vehicle reliability.
• While the City shop can perform necessary repairs, repairing an aging EMS
vehicle that drives 24/7 through urban areas can become costly.
• Replacing vehicles is also an expensive option. Buying a new medic unit (chassis
and patient compartment) costs $175,000 or more.
• Determining the time to replace a medic unit requires a constant review of the
vehicle's repair history for costs incurred and repeat problems. Once a significant
amount of money is spent, or there has been extended vehicle downtime, it is time
to replace the unit. The most important consideration is the vehicle's reliability.
• The collected data of some EMS operations suggests that EMS vehicles should be
replaced every three years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, since this is
when reliability begins to suffer. Large rescue trucks, because of the heavier duty
suspension and transmission, can easily reach 200,000 miles in service as long as
the correct maintenance is performed.
• The three-year/100,000-mile mark is not an absolute. Monitoring the cost of
repairing a vehicle should indicate when it is time for replacement.
7.9 OFFICE SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
The Department only has three office support positions—an office supervisor and two part-time
receptionist positions. For a growing highly regulated public safety agency, this is an insufficient
number by any measure. Almost all mid -managers and technical staff are performing their own
office support work for record keeping and processing routine information. In Citygate's
experience, the Department now needs at least four full-time support professionals:
• 1 Office Supervisor
• 1 Reception, general support
• 2 Administrative Assistant positions, one in Training and one in Administration
As the Department grows, five such positions are not unreasonable. All of the office support staff
should report to the Assistant Chief of Administration.
Section 7—Headquarters and Support Functions Staffing Utilization Review
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Finding #37: The Department at present has an insufficient number of office
support professionals, which causes costlier mid -managers to
perform their own support work, not the technical work they need
to perform.
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SECTION 8 -HEADQUARTERS REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS
8.1 OVERALL EVALUATION
SOC ELEMENT 8 OF 9
HEADQUARTERS
RECOMMENDATIONS
Citygate's findings and recommendations for
headquarters services, programs, and staffmg should be
taken in the context of a best -practice review. The
Pearland Fire Department has made significant progress
in the last 10 years. The current leadership is in the
process of meeting best practices, and the community's expectations, and the Department's
personnel and qualifications are outstanding.
However, the Department's organization of positions will likely continue to grow over at least
the next 10 years. Therefore, headquarters services need to be scalable to manage current
programs and to prepare the personnel and capital assets for the future. This is difficult for a
smaller agency.
Citygate cautions the City's leadership that adding fire stations and personnel is not enough. The
line personnel also have to be led, equipped, trained, and given quality oversight to comply with
state and Federal requirements. This requires the same serious commitment as providing
additional fire stations. Citygate advises the City that if it cannot fund both line and headquarters
positions in the safe manner required, then it first focus on headquarters positions. While this
seems counterintuitive, line firefighters that are not properly led, equipped, trained, and given
quality oversight are a danger to themselves and the community they serve. They can also
become a costly liability for accidents, injury, and apparatus loss time and claims.
Citygate does not recommend that Pearland stop adding fire stations, but Citygate recommends
that, as revenues increase with growth, if the City plans to add fire stations, then it should add the
appropriate balance of headquarters personnel to support line firefighters.
Citygate finds that at present the headquarters unit is at capacity and recommends Pearland
consider headquarters additions before it hires additional personnel to staff another fire station.
While at this time Citygate does not recommend adding a Planning Officer position to
specifically manage new fire station and personnel growth, such a position will become
necessary if the revenue projections are such that the City will continue opening new fire stations
every two years until the City's desired response time goals are achieved.
Within this overall advice, Citygate offers the following specific headquarters staffing
recommendations:
Section 8—Headquarters Review Recommendations page 105
City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Recommendation #8: As soon as possible, the City should fill the vacant
Operations Chief position, allowing the Fire Chief to
concentrate his time on implementing strategic
initiatives from the Department Strategic Plan.
Recommendation #9: The Department should dispatch the on -shift Fire
Captain—EMS(s) on all Battalion Chief responses for
incident safety and communication roles.
Recommendation #10: The Department should review both the Clinical
Manager and Fire Captain—EMS position descriptions
to reduce redundancy for clinical oversight tasks and
improve training and safety oversight on shift.
Recommendation #11: As attrition allows, the Fire Captain—EMS position
should change to that of a fire -suppression qualified Fire
Captain, then the three Captain—EMS positions become
overall shift training and Quality Assurance officers for
both suppression and clinical programs. They will be
shift training officers during the day and Battalion Chief
aids for safety whenever needed.
Recommendation #12: The Department should complete a cost analysis of the
training, safety equipment, and overhead burden for a
large number of part-time employees against slowly
replacing these positions with permanent, full-time
employees.
Recommendation #13: The Department should begin overstaffing the personnel
needed for an additional fire station at least a year before
the station opens. Doing so will accommodate new
recruit training and probation, staff retirements or
separations, and will lessen the daily burden of
scheduling so many part-time employees.
Recommendation #14: The Department should develop and adopt a formalized
Risk Management Health and Safety Program for its
members.
Recommendation #15: The Department should appoint a dedicated Health and
Safety Officer for the organization.
= Section 8—Headquarters Review Recommendations
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Recommendation #16: The Department should develop or purchase a formal set
of policies and procedures that are tailored to Pearland's
needs and organizational structure.
Recommendation #17:
Recommendation #18:
Recommendation #19:
Recommendation #20:
Recommendation #21:
Recommendation #22:
Recommendation #23:
Recommendation #24:
The Department should acquire a spare set of PPE for
each employee, and assure proper fit.
On an annual basis, the Community Risk Reduction
(CRR) Division should monitor the workload and work
hours of all fire inspection personnel to assure that all
inspections are being accomplished.
The CRR Division should develop a permit and fee
schedule for occupancy use to help recover cost for
operating the Division.
Every two years, the CRR Division should rotate the
Fire Inspectors/Investigators between areas to improve
cross -training and depth in the Division.
The Department should consider adding one Business
Manager position to the Administration Division.
The Department should add, as soon as practical, two
Administrative Assistant positions, one in
Administration and one in the Training/Clinical
Oversight Division.
The Department should assign EMS patient care Quality
Assurance to the Clinical Manager, relieving the on -shift
Fire Captain—EMS of this responsibility unless specific
training of personnel is required. Time permitting, the
Fire Captain—EMS could still conduct quality
assurance for low -acuity patient incident reports and to
determine that all types of incident reports are
completed appropriately and on time per policy.
The Department should complete the development of a
Pearland specific Career Development Guide to assist
employees in preparing for promotions and ensure the
requirements are stipulated in the plan and policies.
Section 8—Headquarters Review Recommendations page 107 ri
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
Recommendation #25: The Department should develop a plan to deliver,
enforce, and track its training requirements to ensure all
personnel fully comply with the training goals and
objectives of the Department.
Section 8—Headquarters Review Recommendations
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 9 -NEXT STEPS
9.1 NEXT STEPS
The City can continue to build on what it has accomplished to date in growing best -practices -
based urban fire and paramedic services. The purpose of this deployment and headquarters
assessment is to compare the City's current firefighting, emergency medical, and code
enforcement abilities against the local risks to be protected, as well as to compare against
nationally recognized best practices. This analysis of performance forms the basis from which to
make recommendations for changes, if any, in fire station locations, equipment types, staffing,
and headquarters programs.
As one step, the City Council should adopt updated and best -practices -based response time goals
for the Department and provide accountability for the Department personnel to meet those
standards. The goals identified in Recommendation #2 meet national best practices. As the City
continues to evolve, measurement and planning will be necessary for the City to meet these
goals. Citygate recommends that the City's next steps be to work through the issues identified in
this study:
• Absorb the policy recommendations of this fire services study and adopt revised
Fire Department performance measures to drive the deployment of firefighting
and emergency medical resources.
• Develop a growth -to -revenues forecast for five years, and program dates for
adding fire crews and headquarters positions.
• Implement the low- to no -cost recommendations in this study over the course of
the next year.
• If the fire station growth curve is aggressive, add a Planning Officer to the Fire
Department to focus just on the projects needed to accomplish the necessary
growth.
Section 9—Next Steps
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
Volume 2—Technical Report
SECTION 10—FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY
This section presents a list of Citygate's deployment fmdings and recommendations, followed by
a list of our headquarter programs findings and recommendations.
10.1 DEPLOYMENT FINDINGS
Finding #1: The City Council has not adopted a complete and best -practices -based
deployment measure, a set of specialty response measures for all-risk emergency
responses that includes the beginning time measure from the point of the Pearland
Police Department Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) receiving the 9-1-1
phone call, nor a goal statement tied to risks and outcome expectations. The
deployment measure should have a second measurement statement to define
multiple -unit response coverage for serious emergencies.
Finding #2:
Finding #3:
Finding #4:
Finding #5:
Finding #6:
Finding #7:
Five fire stations, along with using quints (pumper/ladders), does not provide
sufficient first -due nor multiple -unit coverage to the City.
Traffic congestion severely limits the fire unit travel coverage and, at peak traffic
hours, only 37 percent of the City's public street miles are within reach of a single
fire station, and only 21 percent are covered by an effective multiple -unit force to
serious emergencies.
At the City's current size plus the southwest Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs),
a minimum of an eight -fire -station model, using eight engines and three aerial
ladders, will be necessary.
If the City desires a best -practice recommendation of 4:00 -minute travel time
coverage to the urban developed neighborhoods, the City plus ETJ areas could
well need 9 to 11 fire stations at fmal build -out.
The City's day -of -week and month -of -year calls for service demands are fairly
consistent. This means the City needs to operate a fairly consistent 24/7/365
response system.
The call to arrival times, in all fire station areas, are significantly longer than best -
practice and Citygate recommendations to deliver desirable urban area outcomes
to serious fires and medical events.
Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Finding #8: The performance of the previous Communications Center, at 2:43 minutes to 90
percent of the EMS and fire emergencies, was longer than published best -practice
recommendations of 1:30.
Finding #9:
Finding #10:
Finding #11:
Finding #12:
Finding #13:
Finding #14:
Finding #15:
Finding #16:
The City's overall turnout times are slightly longer then the Citygate
recommendation of 2:00 minutes. With focus, these can be reduced.
The first -due unit travel times in the City are significantly longer than a positive -
outcomes -based, best -practice goal of 4:00 minutes. As the geographical
information systems modeling in this study also indicated, the only way to
appreciably lower response times is to add more fire stations as revenues permit.
All Pearland ambulance travel times are slower than a desirable goal of 8:00
minutes, 90 percent of the time.
All Pearland ambulance units are out of service approximately 90 minutes for
each response.
The City is too large for a single Battalion Chief / Incident Commander from one
central location to reach incidents in 8:00 minutes travel time.
The Fire Captain—EMS response numbers are reflective of only one unit
covering and backing up the paramedics across the City. However, this unit is not
the initial patient care unit; its purpose is to assist and provide Quality Assurance
on the most serious incidents. As such, at the current incident volumes, the Fire
Captain—EMS travel times are acceptable.
The First Alarm travel times are significantly longer than a positive -outcome,
best -practice -based recommendation of 8:00 minutes. The only solution to
improve these times in all neighborhoods is to add more fire stations.
The City's firefighting station areas are not yet close to a recommended maximum
hourly saturation for incident demand. However, four of the five ambulances have
reached, or are near, hourly saturation from mid-morning to early evening. At
some point in the future, if the unit -hour utilization percentages stay at 30 percent
for several hours in a row, an additional daytime ambulance may be necessary.
10.2 DEPLOYMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation #1:
With the recent change in dispatch centers, the City should monitor,
on a monthly basis, the dispatch processing times, including the PSAP
transfer times from the Pearland Police Communications Center.
cram ros�cens El(Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Recommendation #2: Adopt City Council Deployment Measures Policies: The City's
elected officials should adopt updated, complete performance
measures to direct fire crew planning and to monitor the operation of
the Department. The measures of time should be designed to save
patients where medically possible and to keep small but serious fires
from becoming greater -alarm fires. With this is mind, Citygate
recommends the following measures:
2.1 Distribution of Fire Stations: To treat medical patients and
control small fires, the first -due unit should arrive within 7:30
minutes, 90 percent of the time, from the receipt of the 9-1-1
call in the fire dispatch center. This equates to a 1:30 -minute
dispatch time, a 2:00 -minute company turnout time, and a 4:00 -
minute drive time in the most populated areas.
2.2 Multiple -Unit Effective Response Force for Serious
Emergencies: To confine fires near the room of origin, and to
treat up to five medical patients at once, a multiple -unit
response of a minimum of two engines, one quint, one medic
unit, one Fire Captain—EMS, and one Battalion Chief, totaling
16 personnel, should arrive within 11:30 minutes from the time
of 9-1-1 call receipt in fire dispatch, 90 percent of the time. This
equates to a 1:30 -minute fire dispatch time, a 2:00 -minute
company turnout time, and an 8:00 -minute drive time spacing
for multiple units in the most populated areas.
2.3 Hazardous Materials Response: Provide initial hazardous
materials response designed to protect the community from the
hazards associated with uncontrolled release of hazardous and
toxic materials. The fundamental mission of the City response is
to protect the public by isolating them from the event and
waiting for additional trained personnel for mitigation. It can
achieve this with a first company capable of investigating a
hazmat release at the operations level within 11:30 minutes total
response time, 90 percent of the time. After assessment and
scene evaluation is completed, a determination will be made
whether to request additional resources from the City's
multiple -agency hazardous materials response partnership.
2.4 Technical Rescue: Respond to technical rescue emergencies as
efficiently and effectively as possible with enough trained
Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary
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personnel to facilitate scene security and community safety until
a trained Technical Rescue team from mutual aid companies
can arrive. Deliver a first -due company for assessment of the
rescue within 7:30 total response time minutes, 90 percent of
the time. Assemble additional resources for technical rescue
capable of initiating a rescue within a total response time of
11:30 minutes, 90 percent of the time. Safely complete
rescue/extrication to ensure delivery of patient to a definitive
care facility.
2.5 ALS Medical Services: The City should provide ALS services
in all neighborhoods within 8 minutes travel time and thus
11:30 minutes total response time, 90 percent of the time.
Recommendation #3: Pearland needs three additional fire stations, with engines, as soon as
funding permits in the northwest, southwest, and southeast areas of
the City to better meet best outcome -based travel and response times.
Recommendation #4: To improve aerial ladder unit coverage, Pearland should convert to
staffing three dedicated aerial ladder trucks over time as the City
continues to grow.
Recommendation #5: To improve Battalion Chief coverage, Pearland could consider a
second supervising chief unit in the western City.
Recommendation #6: As the four busiest ambulances maintain 30 percent unit -hour
utilization for multiple hours during the day, the City will need a sixth
ambulance on a peak -hour schedule from 10:00am to 7:OOpm at least
Monday through Saturday.
Recommendation #7:
As the Department adds full-time firefighters, the goal should be to
increase the number of paramedics to the point that every fire engine
has one paramedic with equipment at all times to provide first
responder paramedic care if the ambulance is not immediately
avai lable.
10.3 HEADQUARTER PROGRAMS FINDINGS
Finding #17: The Department's Operations Chief position is unfunded and its role is currently
assigned to the Fire Chief. With the leadership responsibilities of the Fire Chief,
the continued effort to blend the Fire and EMS organizations into one cohesive
Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Finding #18:
Finding #19:
Finding #20:
Finding #21:
Finding #22:
Finding #23:
Finding #24:
Finding #25:
Finding #26:
department, and to implement the Strategic Plan, the added responsibility of the
Operations Chief is an impediment to accomplishing the Department's goals.
To assure minimum daily shift staffing, the Department uses several part-time and
volunteer positions on each shift. The Department needs to prepare a detailed cost
analysis to compare all of the part-time program costs including equipment,
training, and scheduling time against slowly increasing the number of full-time
employees.
The Department does not have a dedicated Health and Safety Officer to
immediately respond to all emergency incidents and monitor the Department's
Health and Safety Program on scene and during normal daily operations.
Citygate commends the Department for having a required Employee Medical
Exam program, and for facilitating the ability of staff to exercise on shift.
The Department does not have a fully completed set of policies, procedures, or
standard operating guidelines for daily routines or emergency incidents. Given the
time since the EMS merger, and the hiring of new firefighters, this is
understandable.
There is an overlap in job duties between the Clinical Manager and the on -shift
Fire Captain—EMS for Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Improvement,
training, and performance monitoring. Typically, in a department this size, the
Clinical Manager would perform all EMS Quality Assurance and Continuous
Quality Improvement.
The Department does not have an adequate number of spare Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) sets for all employees during the required PPE cleaning after
fire combat, nor when the gear is unavailable due to annual inspections.
The Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Division has excellent data collection
system to track and review all performance measures for the Division.
The CRR Division does not issue permits or collect fees for occupancy use or
inspections. Doing so would help recover some of the expense for those services.
The CRR Division does not rotate plan check or inspection geographical areas
between the three Fire Inspectors, which would allow for professional growth and
area cross -training for the employees.
Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary
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Volume 2—Technical Report
Finding #27:
Finding #28:
Finding #29:
Finding #30:
Finding #31:
Finding #32:
Finding #33:
Finding #34:
Finding #35:
Finding #36:
-
- Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary
out MRS, IK
The CRR Division could develop a more formalized Fire and Life Safety
Education program for the community, using emergency incident data and known
risks, to set measurable goals and design education programs to reduce fire loss
and life loss, and prevent injuries to the residents.
The City Information Technology Department, in conjunction with the
Department, has recently located a Technology Specialist in Fire Administration
to assist with information technology and computers in the Department.
The current Battalion Chief in the Administration Division functions as the
Manager of Logistics. The majority of work for the Division is related to
purchasing, contract administration, and personnel functions. As the Department
grows, a non -sworn Business Manager should be added to perform routine
processing functions.
The Clinical Manager currently only reviews high acuity and random EMS
reports for Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Improvement for all
personnel. According to their position description and tracked hours, the on -shift
Fire Captain—EMSs also perform the same function on all incidents.
Neither the Training Captain nor the Clinical Manager have adequate time to aid
and deliver on -shift training for personnel due to collateral duties.
The Department does not have a Career Development Guide specific to Pearland
for employees to direct them regarding training needs and requirements for
promotions and career advancement. The Department does use the Second
Edition of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Officer Development
Handbook as a guide.
The Department is not meeting its goal of 240 hours of annual training for each
full-time employee. According to staff, there are multiple reasons for the non-
compliance.
Despite the requirement to complete 240 hours of training annually, total training
hours for volunteer firefighters and part-time employees is extremely low.
The current Training Center is a good start for future development and
enhancements for future training needs for new and veteran employees.
The average age of both the frontline and reserve engines is within the best -
practice normal life expectancy of fire apparatus.
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Finding #37: The Department at present has an insufficient number of office support
professionals, which causes costlier mid -managers to perform their own support
work, not the technical work they need to perform.
10.4 HEADQUARTER PROGRAMS RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation #8:
Recommendation #9:
Recommendation #10:
Recommendation #11:
Recommendation #12:
Recommendation #13:
Recommendation #14:
Recommendation #15:
As soon as possible, the City should fill the vacant Operations Chief
position, allowing the Fire Chief to concentrate his time on
implementing strategic initiatives from the Department Strategic Plan.
The Department should dispatch the on -shift Fire Captain—EMS(s)
on all Battalion Chief responses for incident safety and
communication roles.
The Department should review both the Clinical Manager and Fire
Captain—EMS position descriptions to reduce redundancy for clinical
oversight tasks and improve training and safety oversight on shift.
As attrition allows, the Fire Captain—EMS position should change to
that of a fire -suppression qualified Fire Captain, then the three
Captain—EMS positions become overall shift training and Quality
Assurance officers for both suppression and clinical programs. They
will be shift training officers during the day and Battalion Chief aids
for safety whenever needed.
The Department should complete a cost analysis of the training, safety
equipment, and overhead burden for a large number of part-time
employees against slowly replacing these positions with permanent,
full-time employees.
The Department should begin overstaffing the personnel needed for
an additional fire station at least a year before the station opens.
Doing so will accommodate new recruit training and probation, staff
retirements or separations, and will lessen the daily burden of
scheduling so many part-time employees.
The Department should develop and adopt a formalized Risk
Management Health and Safety Program for its members.
The Department should appoint a dedicated Health and Safety Officer
for the organization.
Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary page 117
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City of Pearland, TX—Fire Department Standards of Cover and Staffing Utilization Study
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Recommendation #16:
The Department should develop or purchase a formal set of policies
and procedures that are tailored to Pearland's needs and
organizational structure.
Recommendation #17: The Department should acquire a spare set of PPE for each employee,
and assure proper fit.
Recommendation #18:
On an annual basis, the Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Division
should monitor the workload and work hours of all fire inspection
personnel to assure that all inspections are being accomplished.
Recommendation #19: The CRR Division should develop a permit and fee schedule for
occupancy use to help recover cost for operating the Division.
Recommendation #20: Every two years, the CRR Division should rotate the Fire
Inspectors/Investigators between areas to improve cross -training and
depth in the Division.
Recommendation #21: The Department should consider adding one Business Manager
position to the Administration Division.
Recommendation #22:
Recommendation #23:
The Department should add, as soon as practical, two Administrative
Assistant positions, one in Administration and one in the
Training/Clinical Oversight Division.
The Department should assign EMS patient care Quality Assurance to
the Clinical Manager, relieving the on -shift Fire Captain—EMS of
this responsibility unless specific training of personnel is required.
Time permitting, the Fire Captain—EMS could still conduct quality
assurance for low -acuity patient incident reports and to determine that
all types of incident reports are completed appropriately and on time
per policy.
Recommendation #24: The Department should complete the development of a Pearland
specific Career Development Guide to assist employees in preparing
for promotions and ensure the requirements are stipulated in the plan
and policies.
Recommendation #25:
The Department should develop a plan to deliver, enforce, and track
its training requirements to ensure all personnel fully comply with the
training goals and objectives of the Department.
Section 10—Findings and Recommendations Summary page 118
APPENDIX A
DEPARTMENT APPARATUS
This page was intentionally left blank
Radio
Number
300
301
303
305
311
329
Battalion 1
Squad 1
Engine 1
Engine 2
Engine 22
Engine 3
Engine 32
Engine 5
Engine 52
Engine 6
Fire Unit
Equipment
Number
U-195
U-155
U-146
C-315
U-226
U-144
U-178
U-168
TH-140
TH-142
TH-133
TH-145
TH-138
TH-141
TH-137
TH-122
Table 1 -Fire Response Apparatus and Staff Vehicles
Chassis
Make
Chevy
Tahoe
Chevy
Tahoe
Ford
Expedition
Ford Focus
Ford
Interceptor
Ford
Expedition
Chevy
Tahoe
Chevy
Tahoe
Spartan
Pierce
Spartan
Pierce
Spartan
Spartan
Spartan
American
LaFrance
Appendix A -Department Apparatus
Build-up
Make
Crimson
Pierce
Crimson
Pierce
Crimson
Spartan
Crimson
ALF
In -Service
Year
2015
2012
2008
2008
2016
2008
2014
2013
Capacity
2011 1500 gpm
2014 1500 gpm
2006 1500 gpm
2015 1500 gpm
2010 1500 gpm
2013 1500 gpm
2008 1500 gpm
2002 1500 gpm
NIMS Type
Mileage
7,700
34,000
41,000
25,000
3,300
54,900
28,000
42,000
33,000
36,000
44,000
12,000
47,000
33,000
44,000
Status
Current
Replacement
Cost
Staff car
Staff car
Staff car
Staff car
Staff car
Staff car
Staff car
Staff car
Reserve pumper
Front line pumper
Reserve pumper
Front line pumper
Reserve pumper
Front line pumper
Reserve pumper
32,000 Front line pumper
$55,000
$55,000
$55,000
$22,000
$46,000
$55,000
$55,000
$55,000
$750,000
$750,000
$750,000
$750,000
$750,000
$750,000
$750,000
$750,000
page 1
..fl..
anal11"16 nc
Radio
Number
Fire Unit
Equipment
Number
Chassis
Make
Build-up In -Service
Make Year
Capacity NIMS Type Mileage Status
Current
Replacement
Cost
Ladder 1 TH-143
Ladder 4 TH-149
Rescue 4 TM -114
Tanker 4 TH-131
Brush 2 TL -174
Brush 3 P-257
FMO P-377
FMO P-378
FMO P-290
FMO P-336
FMO P-337
FMO P-266
Support 1 TL -156
Code P-280
Code P-268
Code P-233
Code P-331
Pierce Pierce
Pierce Quantum
Ford
Spartan
Ford
Ford
Ford F-150
Ford F-150
Ford F-250
Ford F-150
Ford F-150
Ford Ranger
Ford F-250
Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger
Ford F-150
Ford F-150
arras mat n< Appendix A -Department Apparatus
EVI
US
Tanker
2014
2016
1500 gpm
75 ft. aerial
1500 gpm
75 ft. aerial
2009 450 gpm
1500 gpm
3000 gal
2004
Metro 2015 125 gpm
2007 125 gpm
2016
2016
2008
2013
2013
2007
2012
2008
2008
2005
2013
1
1
1
33,000 Front line ladder
500
7,000
21,000
2,000
13,000
7,593
5,900
118,000
32,000
52,000
75,000
25,000
35,000
52,000
74,000
32,000
Front line ladder
Light rescue
Front line tanker
Front line brush
truck
Front line brush
truck
FMO vehicle
FMO vehicle
FMO vehicle
FMO vehicle
FMO vehicle
FMO vehicle
Support vehicle
Code
Enforcement
Code
Enforcement
Code
Enforcement
Code
Enforcement
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
$250,000
$350,000
$160,000
$160,000
$35,000
$35,000
$40,000
$35,000
$35,000
$35,000
$40,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
page 2
Radio
Number
Code
Fire Unit
Equipment
Number
Chassis
Make
P-244 Ford F-150
Code P-332 Ford F-150
Code P-367 Ford F-150
Radio
Number
Fire Unit
Equipment
Number
Build-up
Make
In -Service
Year
2006
2013
2016
Capacity NIMS Type
Mileage
Table 2—Emergencv Medical Transport Vehicles
Chassis Build-up In- Service NIMS
Make Make Year Type
70,000
12,000
1,000
Status
Code
Enforcement
Code
Enforcement
Code
Enforcement
Mileage Status
Current
Replacement
Cost
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
Current
Replacement Cost
Medic 1 TL -167 Ford Frazer 2013 2 67,000 Front-line medic $175,000
Medic 2 TL -166 Ford Frazer 2013 2 33,000 Front-line medic $175,000
Medic 3 TL -175 Chevy Frazer 2016 2 2,000 Front-line medic $175,000
Medic 4 TL -165 Ford Frazer 2013 2 61,000 Front-line medic $175,000
Medic 5 TL -168 Chevy Frazer 2015 2 28,000 Front-line medic $175,000
Medic 6 TL -160 Ford Frazer 2012 2 96,000 Reserve medic $175,000
Medic 7 TL -161 Ford Frazer 2012 2 84,000 Reserve medic $175,000
Appendix A—Department Apparatus
page 3 atitrilowit.a(
VOLUME3OF3-MAPATLAS
FIRE DEPARIM [NT STANDARDS OF COVER AND
STAFFING UTILIZATION STUDY
APRIL 4, 2011
:1GTTcifiTt flLLC
WWW.CITYGATEASSOCIATES.COM
2250 EAST BIDWELL ST.. STE. 100 PHONE: (916) 458-5100
FOLSOM. CA 95630 FAX: (916) 983-2090
This page was intentionally left blank
Pearland FD, TX
Map 1
General Geography
IWO
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
O Quint, Medic
NI Engine, Medic, BC
O Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
A MI
(VICAR,
fluYC101f
•' t'M1$f11/11f1,t,
Pearland FD, TX
Map la
General Geography - City Only
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A, Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland FD, TX
Map 2a
High -Risk Occupancies / Critical Facilities
•
was
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
▪ Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
1111 Pearland ETJ
a High Risk Occupancies
o Critical Facilities
Pearland FD, TX
Map 2b
High NFF Sites >= 2,500 GPM
4
.x.
imp"
11
uma, im
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41
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FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
NI Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Pearland FD, TX
Map 2c
Hazardous Materials Risk - H Occupancies
4
yak
Ma111111111111110 1111 si r
IN
��--.
Legend
FireStations
all Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
R 0
1 0
0
0
tY
LL
CITY OF PEARLAND
Population Density with
PFD Districts
Q Census Block Group
�.. j _. City Limits
Fire Districts ETJ
Future Roads
Source: U S. Census Amexen Commune • S,'. c n • • 2011-2015
People per Sq Mite
133 - 2074
2075 - 4015
Ml 4016 - 5956
— 5957 - 7897
MI 7898 - 9838
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MAP Ki11LLD M.LCM POIT
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Pearland FD, TX
Map 3a
4 Minute Travel - 1 Engine t-
4 d
it
ar-mu
7
•
4
rat
e: •
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
o
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
4 Minute Travel
•
PFD1 & PFD4: Quints are
responding as Engines
VEY 1
13W<IPTB 1"
L
Pearland FD, TX
Map 3b
8 Minute Travel - 1 Ambulance
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
® Quint, Medic
NI Engine, Medic, BC
• Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
8 Minute Travel
" X39 fSS2(rn1E,. !I:
l ,Il flt'iil'.flS i.
01 1
-••••.
Pearland FD, TX
Map 3c
4 Minute Travel - 1 Engine
with Traffic Congestion
4
1
•
1
m
w
'
.... 1.1� _, 1I T =7 ri ' fes` ���eblg.ir44.•/
c 91"10
slorth‘vir
•
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
ININN Congested 4 Minute Travel
Uncongested 4 Minute Travel
tiby
1 i 1
PFD1 & PFD4: Quints are
responding as Engines r� Cf;vii! tiu5ril8tt:. at
•
Pearland FD, TX
Map 3d
8 Minute Travel - 1 Ambulance
with Traffic Congestion
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Congested 8 Minute Travel
Uncongested 8 Minute Travel
i i 1 f.l-_t_._ �w,e
l _. =1— .
*V17'.'. I:
Pearland FD, TX
Map 4
ISO 1.5 Mile Travel Distance
Legend
FireStations
® Engine, Medic
® Quint, Medic
® Engine, Medic, BC
• Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
1.5 Mile Travel
Pearland FD, TX
Map 5
8 Minute ERF Travel:
IBC, 2 Engines, 1 Quint, 1 Medic
.k 4b1!1101
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a
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Legend
FireStations
•
A
•
0
Engine, Medic
Quint, Medic
Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
I
goo
3 �!
.1*
1
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
8 Minute Travel
1
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it
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11
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ink
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511,
510
r��
Pearland FD, TX
Map 5a
8 Minute ERF Travel: 1 BC, 2 Engines,
1 Quint, 1 Medic with Traffic Congestion
IN
of
us
.01
*
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A. Quint, Medic
III Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Congested 8 Minute Travel
Uncongested 8 Minute Travel
PFD1 & PFD4: Quints are
responding as Engines
0:T'ker! flSi:(I ltS I�
•.,<<.,:,
r
Pearland FD, TX
Map 5b
8 Minute ERF Travel: IBC, 2 Engines,
1 Quint, 1 Medic with Traffic Congestion
City Only
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
II Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Congested 8 Minute Travel
Uncongested 8 Minute Travel
PFD1 & PFD4: Quints are
responding as Engines
N
Pearland FD, TX
Map 6
8 Minute 2 Engine Travel
1
1
...a_ am lb: r .41r.: , 4 Fl 1 sliti 1
___. . ..,
, . ..,,... mi:,..1. ,
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f
Legend
FireStations Pearland City Limits
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
▪ Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland ETJ
immmia 8 Minute Travel
PFD1 & PFD4: Quints are
responding as Engines
okfr thsi(l@i(`. IC
Pearland FD, TX
Map 6a
8 Minute 2 Engine Travel
with Traffic Congestion
tpt
1
rgt
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
o
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
gailsomoni, Congested 8 Minute Travel
Uncongested 8 Minute Travel
PFD1 & PFD4: Quints are
responding as Engines
. qi"..;i<111Tr,
1
Pearland FD, TX
Map 7
8 Minute Travel - 1 BC
4
Lei
4
111
1
t
•
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A. Quint, Medic
▪ Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
8 Minute Travel
A 1
Pearland FD, TX
Map 7a
8 Minute Travel - 1 BC
with Traffic Congestion
AL
4
mar
S II11�. PFD1 `
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
▪ Engine, Medic, BC
Q Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Congested 8 Minute Travel
Uncongested 8 Minute Travel
. ,_
Pearland FD, TX
Map 8
8 Minute Travel - 1 Quint
i
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
PFD1 8 Minute Quint Coverage
PFD4 8 Minute Quint Coverage
PFD1 & PFD4 8 Minute Quint Coverage Overlap
Pearland FD, TX
Map 8a
8 Minute Traffic Congestion
1 Quint
Legend
FireStations
a Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
01 Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
PFD1 8 Minute Quint Coverage (Traffic Congestion)
PFD4 8 Minute Quint Coverage (Traffic Congestion)
PFD1 & PFD4 8 Minute Quint Coverage Overlap (Traffic Congestion)
Pearland FD, TX
Map 9
All Incidents - Emergency Incidents
8/1/2013 - 7/31/2016
•
fto
1•
:• '••
' •
• • •f - - • .i • _ I.. .. ' •''• _ .g
•• •' ••
1•.s=•
•
•
•
•
• • • ▪ ••
•
•
•
•
••
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
▪ Engine, Medic, BC
• Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
T "C
(L11i rt
•
•
M On
Pearland FD, TX
Map 10
All EMS & Rescue Incidents - Emergency Incidents
8/1/2013 - 7/31/2016
O • o o ° ° a
0 08 0
0 0 ® $coo
, .1.•: •
E
s„,-' O
®8 O
0
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p
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0
cP
O
•
4
•
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
IP •
Pearland ETJ 00
000
•
Pearland FD, TX
Map 11
All Fires - Emergency Incidents
8/1/2013 - 7/31/2016
0
•
•
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
O Quint, Medic
▪ Engine, Medic, BC
Q Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Pearland FD, TX
Map 12
All Structure Fires
8/1/2013 - 7/31/2016 !`i
•
0
0
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
0 Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Pearland FD, TX
Map 13
EMS & Rescue Hot Spots
8/1/2013 - 7/31/2016
K
•
IM
tri
Ls r.
Ls
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A. Quint, Medic
▪ Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
0.
Pearland FD, TX
Map 14
All Fires Hot Spots
8/1/2013 - 7/31/2016
L
•
J
Ir 1
Legend
FireStations Pearland City Limits
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
• Engine, Medic, BC
Unstaffed
Pearland ETJ
s i t f -.PFD1
A
.._
_i ,� I �
41� 9 — 1 D :;
-i- = a9_. •i kik,`,
PFD4
•
'.f
■
s:.
t4)..•
%or
2S41
Iu
F
EII
d
i
•
•
4.
'
■•1
Pearland FD, TX
Map 15
Structure Fires Hot Spots
8/1/2013 - 7/31/2016
Legend
FireStations
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
Ill Engine, Medic, BC
0 Unstaffed
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Pearland FD, TX
Map 16
4 Minute Travel - 1 Engine with Traffic Congestion
(Added Station Responses: PFD6, PFD7, PFD8)
•
41.
49;NJ
;44411
r
Legend
FireStations
• Engine
• Engine, Medic
A Quint, Medic
Engine, Medic, BC
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Congested 4 Minute Travel
Uncongested 4 Minute Travel
•
r
Pearland
Map 17
8 Minute
(Ladders
FD, TX
Travel - 1 Ladder with Traffic Congestion
Responding from: PFD2, PFD3, PFD8)
N.
•
•
•
Legend
FireStations
A Ladder
0 PFD Station
Pearland City Limits
Pearland ETJ
Congested 8 Minute Travel
Uncongested 8 Minute Travel
OM
iJ li;
1 1
Pearland FD, TX
Map 18
8 Minute ERF Travel: 1 BC, 2 Engines, 1 Quint, 1 Medic with Traffic Congestion
(Added Station Responses: PFD6, PFD7, PFD8)
Legend
FireStations Pearland City Limits
• Engine
A Engine, Ladder Congested 8 Minute Travel
Uncongested 8 Minute Travel
Pearland ETJ
� a i
'�y� �9it flSs <I llfi. !lC