2019-12-17 Ex 04e2if
Okeechobee
FLORIDA • Founded 1915
Memo
To: Mayor Dowling R. Watford Jr.
City Council:
Wes Abney
Monica Clark
Bob Jarriel
Bobby Keefe
From: City Administrator Marcos Montes De Oca, P.E.
December 5, 2019
Exhibit 4
Dec 17, 2019
RE: City Fire Service Option Update - to be Placed on December 17, 2019 Council Meeting
Based upon the County Commission meeting held November 26t1i and subsequent City Council meeting held December
3`d, please find the required outstanding items below. It is understood the level of service requirements for the County
would be to maintain and continue an ISO rating of 3 as well as the related fire protection and support services. In
addition, the County would like to limit additional staff time usage as they have developed a cost associated with the
request until further information can be supplied. A copy of the report presented at the County Commission meeting is
attached.
1. Contract or Assessment - Will the services be paid via a stand-alone fire services contract with the County, or
would the cost be obtained via County's fire assessment, the same as with the unincorporated portions of the
County.
2. Storage - Would City's firehouse be available for storage of back-up/secondary equipment for the Okeechobee
County Fire Rescue? Would a cost to the County be levied and if so, what would be the associated cost?
3. Equipment - Currently limited to the fire pumper truck, ladder truck and other trucks only. Would the trucks be
conveyed or sold to the County or would the City dispose of them via Govdeals? If sold to the county, at what
cost? (a list of current valuations on our fixed assets is attached)
4. Timeline - State date for services; although not an item of request, a proposed timeline would need to be
established to allow both County and City adequate time to prepare for the change as well as calculate pensions.
As noted, the employment of our firefighters and administrative staff at the Fire department would only have the
opportunity to apply for the county openings; at most, 6 would be available. The county also requires paramedics to
apply, of which the city only has one. No mention of additional administrative support was noted.
Internally, we are working on pension, severance, etc. and other related costs once the above is calculated and
determined.
The City's Fire Protection and Prevention Ordinance is also attached as additional information.
Page 1
12/5/2019 Okeechobee, FL Code of Ordinances
Chapter 34 - FIRE PROTECTION AND PREVENTION
ARTICLE I. - IN GENERAL
Sec. 34-1. - Fire district.
(a) It is hereby affirmed that one of the primary responsibilities of the government of the city is
to provide for the protection of life and property.
(b) For the purposes stated in subsection (a) of this section, the city affirms a fire district exists
which encompasses the entire incorporated limits of the city and within this fire district, the
city accepts its responsibility for the protection of life and property from fires or other such
conflagrations.
(c) The city's fire department, which has been organized and operating for over seven decades is
recognized as the firefighting arm of the city and as the sole lawful department authorized to
attack and fight fires and other such conflagrations within the fire district recognized in this
section, subject to such written mutual aid agreements as may be authorized by the city
council.
(Code 1982, § 7-1)
Sec. 34-2. - Fire hydrants.
Fire hydrants shall be provided in all water mains, transmission and distribution systems. Fire hydrants
shall be spaced such that the maximum distance for protection will not be more than 500 feet as the fire
hose lays. The appropriate fire marshal has final jurisdiction on all hydrant and fire sprinkler line locations
during plan review. A fire marshal -approved plan is required with all preliminary plan submissions. Each
hydrant shall be capable of delivering a flow of at least 500 gallons per minute with a residual design
pressure of not less than 20 psi. Fire hydrants shall be of the dry barrel breakaway type conforming to
AWWA C502, with two 2Y2 -inch threaded hose nozzles and one 4Y2 -inch threaded pumpler nozzle. Hydrants
shall have a 54 -inch interior valve opening and be restrained from the hydrant to the tee at the main.
Restraint by use of "all -thread" rods shall not be allowed. At the discretion of the city administrator,
additional protection for fire hydrants shall be provided including, but not limited to, concrete filled ductile
iron traffic posts. Fire hydrant branches (from main to hydrant) shall be a minimum of six inches inside
diameter. Each branch shall be provided with a resilient seat gate valve located as close as possible to the
main. Hydrants shall be located near road lines with the pumper discharge nozzle facing as directed by the
fire marshal. Hydrants shall be laid to minimize their vulnerability to traffic.
(Ord. No. 668, § 2(3.8), 5-3-1994)
Cross reference— Connections to fire hydrant for purposes other than fighting fires, § 58-31 et seq.
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12/5/2019 Okeechobee, FL Code of Ordinances
Secs. 34-3-34-30. - Reserved.
ARTICLE II. - FIRE PREVENTION
Sec. 34-31. - Codes adopted.
There is hereby adopted for enforcement by the city, for the purpose of prescribing regulations to
improve public safety by promoting the control of fire hazards regulating the installation, use and
maintenance of equipment, regulating the use of structures, premises and open areas in the city, in the
interest of the public health, safety, convenience and welfare, that certain code known as the Florida Fire
Prevention Code.
(Code 1982, § 7-11)
Sec. 34-32. - Chief designated fire official; duties; police powers.
The fire chief of the city is hereby designated as the fire official. The fire official shall enforce the
provisions of this article and all state laws under his jurisdiction, pertaining to the prevention, suppression
or extinguishing of fires. The fire official has the powers of a police officer in performing his duties under
this article.
(Code 1982, § 7-12)
Cross reference— Departments, officers and employees, § 2-71 et seq.
Sec. 34-33. - Appeals.
Any person whose application for any permit, under the state fire prevention code or this article, has
been refused, or who feels aggravated by any decision or action of the fire official in the enforcement of the
fire prevention code or this article may appeal to the code enforcement board as provided by section 18-33
of this Code.
(Code 1982, § 7-13)
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Fire Department Equipment (larger items)
Depreciation applied through 09/30/2019
City of Okeechobee
Provided by Finance
Date provided: 12/12/2019
Asset #
Description
Date
Acquired
Life
Expectancy
Cost Basis
Total
Accumulated
Depreciation
Remaining
Booked Value
404
1983 Ladder Truck
2/26/2007
25
$ 75,000.00
$ 37,783.56
$ 37,216.44
57
1997 Fire Truck (Engine #6)
10/1/1997
10
$ 226,000.00
$ 226,000.00
$ -
58
2000 Fire Pumper Truck (Engine #7)
10/1/2002
10
$ 110,428.00
$ 110,428.00
$ -
507
2009 Ford Brush Truck
11/30/2009
10
$ 74,703.30
$ 73,475.30
$ 1,228.00
510
2010 Ford F-150 P/U
2/28/2010
10
$ 25,838.10
$ 24,776.26
$ 1,061.84
1034
2018 Dodge RAM 1500 P/U
6/30/2018
10
$ 30,728.55
$ 3,855.80
$ 26,872.75
1064
2017 Pumper Fire Truck (Engine #9)
10/31/2017
10
$ 435,023.41
$ 83,429.15
$ 351,594.26
Questions from Joint Workshop on
Fire Service
Presentation Highlights
• Will be focusing on the operational needs to provide
the service.
• Affect on the Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating
• Minimum Staffing requirements:
• Incident Response
• Providing of Fire Inspections and Plan review
• Additional Data needed for finalization of formal plan.
• Summary of needs and considerations.
The information presented is
preliminary and subject to change
as some items still need to be
determined, such as:
Acquisition of Capital Items and
equipment.
Storage of reserve equipment..
Operational Information
Data Resources
• County: Internal software program analytics
• City: From the supplied NFIRS report summary
and Data sheet presented at Workshop
• Pay Compensation:
• Current County Union Contract (CBA)
• County approved pay plan
• NIFIRS= National Fire Incident Reporting System
How many calls has the County
Responded to within the City
2017 2018
County 1,290 County 1,220
City Responded 1,519 City Responded 1,518
Fire related Calls 46 Fire related calls 38
The County response
numbers are mostly EMS
Summary of Fire calls responded
to in the City by the County
2017 2018
Structure Fires 12 4
Vehicle Fires o 4
Brush Fires 3 2
Silo Fire o 1
Fire Alarms 8 8
Traffic Crashes 5 1
Propane Leak o 1
Storm Damage 1 o
ALS Engine to medical 17 17
Totals 46 38
County Incident Response
Standards
Current Daily Staffing
• Maximum of i6 per shift
• Required minimum on duty is 14
• Four ambulances staffed with two people. One of
which must be a paramedic.
• Three engines staffed with two people. Since these
engines are Paramedic Engines, at least one person
must be a paramedic.
Dispatch Protocol
Incident type
• Traffic Accident
• Car Fire
• Medical Call
• Non -Critical
• Example ground level fall,
feeling ill, back pain
• Critical
• Example, chest pain, child
birth, shortness of breath
Units Dispatched
• One engine & one ambulance
• One engine & one ambulance
• One ambulance
• One ambulance & One
engine
Dispatch Protocol, cont.,
Incident Type
• Residential Building Fire
• Commercial Building Fire
Units Dispatched
• Two County Engines, One
City engine, two ambulances,
and at least one County
command staff officer. Water
tanker if no hydrants
• Two County Engines, Two
ambulances, One City aerial,
and at least one County Staff
officer
How many calls has the City
responded to in the County
Data Supplied by the City for the period from October
31, 2018 until October 31, 2019.
Aid Given to County
31
**Note** With merger the aid would go away, but the
response staffing would stay the same.
Insurance Services Office (ISO)
Impacts
Explanation of New Auto -Aid
Agreement
• Without Auto -Aid, ISO does not give credit for
responding staff or apparatus.
• Auto -Aid must be jurisdiction wide for credit.
• Cannot be limited areas
• Previous agreement was only for z -miles outside the city
limits.
• Previous agreement did not benefit all citizens
• Statistically, the agencies responded to each other on
about an equal basis for assistance.
Explanation of New Auto -Aid
Agreement, cont.
For structure fires within the City, the County sends a
minimum of eight personnel and one command
officer.
For structure fires within the County, the City sends
two firefighters.
When this occurs, the County moves an Engine into
the City to provide coverage during the incident.
Every effort is made to release the City from County
incidents ASAP.
ISO Evaluation Areas
Category
• Emergency Communications
• Fire Department
• Water Supply
• Community Risk Reduction
Activities. Treated as bonus
points
Maximum Points
• 10 points
• 5o points
• 4o points
• 5.5o points
Current Department ISO Ratings
Rating
County
3
Rating
City
3
Points Earned77.17 Points Earned 74.28
ISO Requirements to maintain
current rating
• Reserve apparatus must be stored out of the weather
• Additional apparatus at Station One displaces some
current reserve equipment.
• Must complete inspections or preplan on 50 % of all
businesses at minimum.
• Training: (on a yearly basis per employee)
• Must have 192 hours of training, with 4 -hours of driving.
• Must have 18 -hours at a certified training facility
• Must have 6 -hours of Hazardous Material.
Maintain rating, cont.
• Response standards:
• Must have a minimum of 3 -engines in service for fire
flow requirements.
• Must supply 200 gpm for 20 minutes (400o gallons)
• County engines carry 1500 gallons on average
• This created the need for the Auto Aid and tanker
response policy.
• Must have a minimum of 14.25 people on duty after
factoring in vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
• Current Auto -Aid policy would expire upon merger.
Maintain rating, cont.
Keep current dispatch standards
Keep hydrant inspection and flow testing
Other items needed:
Annual pump testing
Annual ladder testing **
Annual hose testing **
** County has a contractor that performs these.
Strong potential of ISO
improvement due to:
Additional prevention staffing to conduct inspections
Additional numbers of firefighters available to
respond to a fire scene.
ISO has several places within their grading system that
overall personnel, those on scene, training hours, and
inspections can affect point totals.
Note***
Although the ISO is likely to improve with the merger,
the impact on insurance rates would be minimal, if any.
Staffing Related
Current Standards for
employment by the County
Certified Firefighter and EMT ( Paramedic Preferred)
Bonus points given for local resident
Pass Fire Team written aptitude test
Pass a physical abilities test from one of two vendors
Background, reference, and Drivers License check
Pass a NFPA compliant medical examination
Approval of the County Administrator
Staffing Questions
How many people does the city have in the fire
unit?
Thirteen Total
One Fire Chief
One Administrative Assistance
Eleven field firefighters
Ten are Firefighter/EMT
One is a Firefighter/Paramedic
Staffing Questions, cont.
• How many meet the current minimum County
hiring requirements?
• All current employees met the standard of being State
Certified as a Firefighter and EMT or Paramedic.
• It is unknown at this time how many will meet the
standards of:
• Passing of Written and physical ability testing
• Drivers License check, criminal background check,
reference checks, and passing of NFPA compliant
medical examinations standards.
Minimum Staffing Needs
• Six people to staff a second engine at Station 1
• This will be a Paramedic Engine
• One additional Fire Prevention staff
• Performing inspections
• Conducting Public Education Programs
• Assisting with plan reviews
• These are the minimum staffing needs to provide the
service inside the City and to keep the County
response staffing at the appropriate level.
Staffing Questions
What is the cost to bring a single City firefighter
up to the standards to be a County Fire/EMS staff?
Will be answered in following slides
** Note** County Fire Rescue as the ALS provider,
is at its maximum number of Firefighter/EMT's to
provide our coverage standards.
Assumptions Concerning Personnel
Cost
• Assumes no personal equipment transfers over
• Assumes 3 % increase in personnel cost per year
• Salary includes base pay, FLSA required OT, Holiday
Pay.
• Based on current benefit calculation rates.
• Based on starting salary in current CBA
• Unknown as to what current CBA incentives City
Employees would qualify for
• Degree, Inspector, and Technical Rescue
ree Year Projected Personnel
Cost of Six People
( 3 -EMT, 3 -paramedic)
Item Year i Year a Year;
Salary g262,266 $270,134 $278,5o5
Benefits $ 168,896 $173,963 $179,i81
Equipment $38,22o $37,440 $13,440
Total Cost $ 469,382 $481,537 $470,859
-- -- --- ---
Assumptions of Paramedic School
Cost
Based on current posted tuition rates
Salary cost based on the minimum Firefighter/EMT:
Hourly rate of $ 12.1363
Overtime rate of $ 18.2044
Time off needed and overtime cost are projected at the
potential maximum hours needed.
**Note** Current County Tuition Reimbursement policy
does not cover fees or books .
Projected Cost of Paramedic School
IRSC (August zoao) HCI (January 2020)
• Tuition
• Fees
• School Cost
$4,465
$4,663
$9,128
• Time off (768 hrs) $9,320
• Tuition $6,125
• Fees $1,800
• School Cost $7,925
• Time off (768 hrs) $9,320
• OT Coverage (768) $13,98o • OT Coverage (768) $13,98o
• Projected total Cost $32,428 • Projected total cost $31,225
Assumptions Inspector Cost
• Position is civilian and not a firefighter
• Assume 3 % per year personnel cost increase
• Does not include a vehicle (one will be needed)
• Equipment cost are estimated
• 4o -hour week person, therefore no additional FLSA
OT or Holiday pay. Time -off would not generate
overtime normally.
• Used County Pay Grade # 15 for equivalency to Code
Enforcement Officer III. Non -Exempt position.
3 -year Projected Cost of an
Inspector
Item Year i Year z Year;
Salary $38,1oo $39,243 $40,420
Benefits $19,461 $20,044 $2o,646
Equipment $11,87o $1,87o $1,62o
Total Cost $69,431 $61,157 $62,686
**Note** Equipment is computer, portable radio, and
tools needed to perform inspections
Summary
Personnel Related
• County is currently at the maximum amount of
Firefighter/EMT'S that we can have on staff.
• Consideration of all future new hires required to become
paramedics within a defined time period is being
researched at this time for cost and impacts.
• Merger would not create any impact on the County's
current CBA as long as we do not alter established
terms.
• Current CBA allows the administrator to authorize a
starting salary at the maximum of pay step three.
Personnel Related, cont.
• Job description for inspector would need to be created and
approved by the BOCC
• Average cost of $78,23o per person for the number hired as
a result of the merger.
• Staffing planned as identified would create promotions of
some of the current OCFR staff.
• Possible MOU with union might be needed to assure
maximum participation in the promotional testing process
• Important to let the current city employees know the
importance of attending paramedic school
Equipment Related
• Total cost will be affected based on what is decided on
concerning how the purchase or transfer of equipment
and vehicles will be handled.
• All equipment needs will need to be examined to
assure that no unnecessary equipment is transferred.
• Any equipment obtained will affect the long-term
County replacement program.
• Obtained vehicles should have minimum affect on
Fleet Services.
ISO Related
• The minimum standards required to maintain the
current rating must be completed by both agencies
each year during these talks.
• The ISO will evaluate OCFR soon after the merger
takes place.
• Therefore it must be emphasized that the previous
years items must be completed to obtain the
maximum points rating.
ems the City should consider to
maximize the number of
employees to be considered
One Paramedic program has said they would give
priority admission to the City Employees for the
January 2020 class.
Class is one year in length.
Class is on a shift friendly schedule.
Written and physical ability testing is done at regular
intervals and can be competed at:
IRSC
National Testing Network Centers.
This presentation was designed
to address some of the items
that were discussed in the
Workshop and other questions
that the BOCC had. Fire Rescue
Administration is prepared to
address and to research any
new questions.
Questions