(13)AR 031511 Fire Resource Deployment Analysis

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Staff Report to the Mayor and City Council Fire Resource Deployment Analysis March 15, 2011 Page 2 fire response, but all types of emergencies to which fire departments respond, including medical emergencies and rescues. Analysis for the closure of fire stations should include response time, call load, incident concentration, geographic differences and logistical issues. It must be recognized that fire stations do not operate independently; they are all mutually supporting, and closing a station in any area of the City will necessarily affect both the speed and weight of attack in all areas of the City. MAPS AND STATISTISTICAL DATA Map Analysis An analysis of drive time mapping shows that with existing fire stations, the majority of the City is within a four minute drive time of a fire station and the entire City is within an eight minute drive time of at least one fire station. (4, 6, and 8 Minute Drive time Map). Drive time mapping for individual stations shows that Fire Stations 211 and 213 cover most of the City within a six to eight minute drive time, with the exception of Reche Canyon. Fire Station 212 covers much of the City within a six to eight minute drive time, with the exception of the entire southeast portion of the City, which is beyond eight minutes. Fire Station 214 also covers most of the City within six to eight minutes, with the exception of the northwest portion of the City, which is beyond eight minutes. Fire Station Call Load Over a four year period, Fire Station 213 has had a substantially lower call load for all types of incidents combined. This station also has a lower number of fire incidents than the other stations but the difference is not as great. The number of calls for each station as compared to other stations is consistent in all call types. Response Times Comparing response times over a four year period shows that Fire Station 213 has the longest average response times. The response times for each station as compared to other stations are consistent in all call types. RESOURCE DEPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS The need for adequate weight of attack (sufficient firefighters) and simultaneous calls (multiple incidents at the same time) will have a significant affect on response times. Serious emergencies, both fires and EMS\Rescues, require more firefighters than are assigned to one unit; thus for many emergencies more than one unit is dispatched. This means that both of those areas must be covered by a fire station that is located farther away. Additionally, simultaneous calls, which occur on approximately 30% of our incidents, also result in areas covered by fire stations that are farther away. Fire Stations 212 and 214 have extended drive times to the southeast portion of the City and northwest portion of the City respectively, which will increase response times to those