Report to City Council

1. Report to City Council Friday, March 7th, 11:30 a.m. City Council Chambers By 2008 Citizen Review Committee Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

2. Contents • INTRODUCTION • CONCLUSIONS • DISCUSSIONS • RECOMMENDATIONS • FINDINGS/DISCOVERIES/QUESTIONS • FFD CITIZENS REVIEW COMMITTEE • ATTACHMENTS Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

3. INTRODUCTION For the purposes of this report resident and/or tax payer is considered to be the City of Fairbanks residents and/or tax payers. Sources included city budgets, personal communications, annual reports, incident reports, internet searches, industry publications, news articles, union contracts, job vacancy announcements and personal interviews. Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

4. CONCLUSIONS • Yes, Property owners shoulder more than their share • Current fees do not cover full cost of service provided • Current fees are substantially under-recovered • FFD is currently operating efficiently, costs are within Industry Norms • FFD personnel costs are within industry norms. • FFD staffing is not excessive • Gifts (grants) funded new Fire Station & Equipment • The City experiences a daytime population surge • Non-emergency needs are met by ambulance calls • Volunteer or partial Volunteer FD is not sustainable • Cost Causer should be the Cost Payer • Fire Training Center is not a cash drain • EMS demand has increased, 3% per year for the last 5 years • Life Saving versus Fire Suppression • Cost Shifting is forcing bigger burden on FFD • Further analysis required Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

5. DISCUSSIONS • Yes, Property owners shoulder more than their share • Current fees do not cover full cost of service provided Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

6. Fire Service Comparison By Community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept A

7. DISCUSSIONS • Yes, Property owners shoulder more than their share • Current fees do not cover full cost of service provided • Current fees are substantially under-recovered Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

8. Calls by Incident Type Seventy-Five (75%) percent of calls were EMS/Ambulance calls. This number excludes all Rescue & Motor Vehicle Accidents, which may have also involved injuries requiring EMS services. Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept B

9. DISCUSSIONS • Yes, Property owners shoulder more than their share • Current fees do not cover full cost of service provided • Current fees are substantially under-recovered • FFD is currently efficient, costs are within Industry Norms Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

10. Fire Service Comparison By Community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept A

11. DISCUSSIONS • FFD personnel costs are within industry norms. Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

12. The 56 Hour Work Week Explained Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept C

13. Wages & Benefit Comparison by Community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept D

14. DISCUSSIONS • FFD personnel costs are within industry norms. • FFD staffing is not excessive Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

15. DISCUSSIONS • FFD personnel costs are within industry norms. • FFD staffing is not excessive • Gifts (grants) funded new Fire Station & Equipment Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

16. FFD Grant Summary 2003-2007 Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept F

17. DISCUSSIONS • FFD personnel costs are within industry norms. • FFD staffing is not excessive • Gifts (grants) funded new Fire Station & Equipment • The City experiences a daytime population surge Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

18. Calls by Time of Day Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept G

19. Patients by Residence Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept H

20. DISCUSSIONS • Non-emergency needs are met by ambulance calls • Volunteer or partial Volunteer FD is not sustainable • Cost Causer should be the Cost Payer • Fire Training Center is not a cash drain • EMS demand has increased, 3% per year Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

21. DISCUSSIONS • Life Saving versus Fire Suppression • Cost Shifting is forcing bigger burden on FFD • Further analysis required Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

22. RECOMMENDATIONS • SHORT TERM • Raise Ambulance fees to increase cost recovery • Create Ambulance fee discount for City Taxpayers • Add fee for multiple vehicles responding to accident or residential fire • Raise Ambulance mileage fee, to cover costs Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

23. RECOMMENDATIONS • MID-TERM • Staff succession planning • Recurring monitoring of industry cost recovery practices • Evaluate other fees to recover cost of services • Non-emergency service providers can reduce call volume • Explore collaborations with churches, nonprofits & agencies for welfare checks and other non-emergency calls • Create staffing plan to address increased demands of growing community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

24. RECOMMENDATIONS • LONG-TERM • Shop Rate charged by Public Works is too low • Encourage private industry to develop service alternatives • Conduct extensive cost-of-service analysis Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

25. FINDINGS-DISCOVERIES- QUESTIONS This section of the report is dedicated to things learned during the many hundreds of volunteer hours by the FFD Citizen Review Committee. These items were of interest to individual committee members and/or could be of interest to the general public. These topics might be worthy of further consideration, but deemed to be off-topic to our immediate objectives. • Potential of delayed response • Industry cost shifting has resulted increases in the non-recoverable costs • Why do we pay them to sleep? Payment is for the instant availability, to be on-scene fully equipped within four minutes. Payment for that standby time is required by federal law. • Nationally sold Life-Alert mechanism calls arrive @ dispatch on a non-911 line. This can cause delayed response time, since calls incoming to 911 are served prior to those arriving on the non-emergency line. • Of 41 FFD staff, 4 are city residents and taxpayers. • Firefighting industry often involve paid “volunteer” positions • Firefighting industry hires only the best of the best. • Many outlying Volunteer Fire Departments benefit from FFD training • FNSB gives a $10,000 tax deduction for volunteer firefighters’ home property tax • FNSB EMS ‘members’ get discount on ambulance (non-resident rate) Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

26. FFD CITIZENS REVIEW COMMITTEE The committee coming together from diverse perspectives, studied many varied sources, to resolve disputes, clarify rumors and come to a consensus to benefit the citizens of Fairbanks. The volumes of documents collected and studied are not all presented here. • Vivian Stiver local business owner and serves on Fairbanks City Council Phone: 347-2102, arcticbnb@mosquitonet.com • Michael Supkis is Chief of Police & Fire at FAI and been in firefighting for 30+ years. Phone: 474-2539, mike.supkis@alaska.gov • Michael Dukes local Radio/TV talk show host & political commentator. Phone: 378-8499, michael.dukes@nnbradio.com • Cathy Persinger has a background in cost accounting and currently works for United Way. Phone: 322-8516, cathyp@alaska.net • John Brown Retired Business Agent for Operators local 302 Phone: 590-0614, jbrown302@hotmail.com • Lee DeSpain former City Firefighter and business owner Phone: 388-5182 • Advisors: Chief Warren Cummings, Ernie Misewicz, Firefighters & Union Reps Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

27. ATTACHMENTS • Cost per Transport, from p.2 FFD Ambulance Service Cost Study July 2005 • 2007 Calls by Incident Type • Fire service comparisons by community • Explain 56 hour week • Wages Benefit comparisons by community • Firefighting, Crtical timeline: Cascade of Events • FFD Grant Summary, 2003-2007 • 2007 Runs by Time of Day • 2007 Patients by Residence • Comparative Ambulance costs by Community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept

28. Fire Service Comparison By Community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept A

29. Calls by Incident Type Seventy-Five (75%) percent of calls were EMS/Ambulance calls. This number excludes all Rescue & Motor Vehicle Accidents, which may have also involved injuries requiring EMS services. Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept B

30. The 56 Hour Work Week Explained Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept C

31. Wages & Benefit Comparison by Community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept D

32. Cascade of Events What happens when a 911 call occurs? Emergency Occurs 911 call received at PD Dispatch 911 transfer from police to fire 911 call received at Fire Dispatch Objective: Dispatch call within 90 seconds, 90% of the time Result: 78% (structure fires and cardiac arrest calls only) Objective: Arrive in 4 minutes or less, 90% of the time Result: 70% Firefighters arrive on scene and mitigate incident Emergency units assigned & dispatched Firefighters “turnout” and prepare to respond Objective: Respond within 90 seconds, 90% of the time Result: 72% If a medical emergency: Did an Advanced Life Support Paramedic arrive on scene within 8 minutes?Result: 90% If a fire emergency: Did 15 fire fighters arrive on scene within 8 minutes? Result: 47% End Outcome: Reduce human & property Loss from Fire End Outcome: Improve outcome for sick, injured, trapped and endangered victims Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept E

33. FFD Grant Summary 2003-2007 Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept F

34. Calls by Time of Day Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept G

35. Patients by Residence Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept H

36. Comparative Ambulance Costs by Community Citizens Review Committee for the Fairbanks Fire Dept I