annual report - city of rockledge
TRANSCRIPT
ANNUAL REPORT
ORT
2016
ROCKLEDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Annual Report 2016
1
CONTENTS
LETTER FROM THE CHIEF ……………………………………………………………………………………. 2
CITY OF ROCKLEDGE …………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
ROCKLEDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT HISTORY ………………………………………………………………. 3
MISSION STATEMENT ...………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
ISO PUBLIC CLASSIFICATION SURVEY ……………………………………………………………………. 4
BUDGET ...………………………………………………………………………………………………….……. 5
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART …………………………………………………………………………………. 11
FIRE STATIONS .………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12
INCIDENTS AND RESPONSE TIMES ……………………………………………………………………… 13
RESPONSE TYPES AND TOTALS ………………………….…………………………………….………… 15
APPARATUS AND VEHICLE MAINTENANCE …………………………………………………….…….. 18
INSPECTIONS AND PLAN REVIEWS .……………………………………………………………….……. 19
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS ………………………………………………………. 20
DEPARTMENTAL TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT …….. ..………..…..……….. 20
FIRE PREVENTION / PUBLIC EDUCATION ..………………….………………………………………… 21
ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS ………………………………………………………….…. 21
COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS …………………………………………………………………. 22
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LETTER FROM THE CHIEF
Greetings,
On behalf of the men and women of the Rockledge Fire Department, I wish to thank you for
viewing our annual report. The Rockledge Fire Department currently consists of a team of 38
sworn firefighters and 1 civilian employee. Our department is an all hazard emergency response
organization, providing ALS non-transport EMS service, Fire and Haz-Mat response. We strive to
provide superior fire, rescue, and emergency services to the citizens and visitors of the City of
Rockledge in a proficient, professional, and compassionate manner and we want to continuously
promote life safety within the City by practicing prevention, planning, education, and training.
We place tremendous value on the relationships our personnel build in the community they serve.
The success of the department is due to both the strong commitment of our employees and the
support they receive from the entire community. We believe the hard work and professionalism of
our firefighters, EMT’s and paramedics, inspectors, educators, and civilian staff contribute to the
safe environment enjoyed by those who live, work, and visit our great City.
Please take a few minutes to learn more about the Rockledge Fire Department at our website at
www.cityofrockledge.org/153/Fire-Department. You will find that our employees are dedicated,
well-trained, and enthusiastic professionals who take pride in their work. They are ready to work
with you to make your home, your workplace, and your community an even better place to live.
Sincerely,
Tim Matson
Fire Chief
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CITY OF ROCKLEDGE
The City of Rockledge was officially incorporated in August 1887, making it the oldest
incorporated municipality in Brevard County. Early industry in the area was based on the citrus
trade and accommodation for tourists traveling to South Florida via the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway of the Indian River. The name Rockledge comes from the many ledges of coquina rock
that line the Indian River Lagoon. Today the City encompasses and area of approximately 13.5
square miles with a population of over 25,000 residents.
ROCKLEDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT HISTORY
The Rockledge Volunteer Fire Department was officially Organized by State Charter in May
1924, although records indicate that as early as the year 1870 there was in existence in Rockledge
an organization of dedicated individuals who volunteered their time and services to protect the
lives and property of the people of Rockledge.
After the organization of the official Rockledge Municipal Fire Department in or about 1964, the
Rockledge Volunteer Fire Department continued to function in aid and support of the Municipal
Fire Department until December of 1977 when at that time the organization was disbanded.
MISSION STATEMENT
“To provide comprehensive Fire and Emergency Services to the community for the preservation
of life, property and the environment.”
1924 Volunteer Fire Department
1928 Volunteer Fire Department
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2016 ISO PUBLIC PROTECTION CLASSIFICATION SURVEY
Background Information – Insurances Service Office (ISO) collects and evaluates information
from communities in the United States on their structure fire suppression capabilities. This data is
analyzed using a Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) and then a Public Protection
Classification (PPC) grade is assigned to the community ranging on a scale from 10 to 1 with 1
being the best score possible. These surveys are conducted whenever it appears that there is a
possibility of a PPC change. As such, the PPC program provides important, up-to-date information
about fire protection services throughout the country.
PPC Program – The program evaluates communities according to a uniform set of criteria,
incorporating nationally recognized standards developed by the National Fire Protection
Association and the American Water Works Association. A communities PPC grade depends on
the following criteria:
Needed Fire Flows, which are representative building locations used to determine the
theoretical amount of water necessary for fire suppression purposes.
Emergency Communications, including emergency reporting, telecommunicatiors, and
dispatch systems.
Fire Department, including equipment, staffing, training, geographic distribution of fire
companies, operational considerations, and community risk reduction.
Water Supply, including inspection and flow testing of hydrants, alternative water supply
operations, and a careful evaluation of the amount of available water compared with the
amount needed to suppress fires up to 3,500 gpm.
Community Risk Reduction, community efforts to reduce the risk of fire, including fire
prevention codes and enforcement, public fire safety education, and fire investigation
programs.
In June of 2016, the department was notified by the ISO that a PPC survey was going to be
conducted in the City. The department worked diligently for over two months to compile all of the
required data that was relevant to the survey. This data was presented to the site survey evaluator
in August of 2016. After an analysis of the departments structural fire suppression delivery system
a determination was made by the ISO to rate the Rockledge Fire Department with a Classification
of 3, with a score of 73.18 out of a possible 100 points. This classification is utilized by insurance
companies to establish premium costs for personal or commercial property insurance within the
City.
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BUDGET
31.42 %
8.68 %
17.1 % 4.81 %
0.27 %
14.56 %
0.68 %
22.49 %
Percentage Breakdown Total City Budget
Police Department
Administrative
General Government
Capital Improvement
Mayor & City Council
Public Works
City Attorney
Fire Department
$ 3,570,700.00 83%
$ 110,700.00, 3%
$ 213,750.00, 14% Fire Department Budget
Personnel Services
Capital Outlay
Operational
$ 3,895,150.00
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CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET
The Rockledge Fire Department FY2016 adopted budget was $3,895,750 including $110,700 in
capital outlay.
Capital equipment purchased in 2016:
Completion of the two year purchase plan 40 Scott AV 3000 SCBA
for replacement of 23 SCBA Bottles. masks.
Two MSA Altair 4 gas Three FLIR K-55 Thermal detector - monitors.
Imaging Cameras.
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14 mattresses to replace 38 replacement gear bags.
existing ones for each fire station.
Three replacement CAD laptop computers and four in vehicle mounting systems.
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Six replacement desktop New phones for station
computer monitors. phone system at all fire stations.
20 sets of structural firefighting Four sets of replacement
ensembles pants and coats. EMS equipment bags and med boxes.
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Facilities Capital Improvement – Repainting apparatus bays and bay doors at all three fire
stations as well as repainting training center buildings and props.
Fire Station 1
Fire Station 2
Fire Station 3
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The three story training tower is
utilized for a variety of activities
including ladder skills, advancing
hose lines up stairs, rappelling and
other rope rescue scenarios.
The training classroom is utilized for classroom
activities that can be used in conjunction with
skills enhancement activities out on the training
grounds.
Training Classroom
Training Tower
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ROCKLEDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
Fire Chief
Department Head
Battalion Chief
A-Shift
Lieutenant Station 1
Firefighters
Lieutenant Station 2
Firefighters
Lieutenant Station 3
Firefighters
Battalion Chief
B-Shift
Lieutenant Station 1
Firefighters
Lieutenant Station 2
Firefighters
Lieutenant Station 3
Firefighters
Battalion Chief
C-Shift
Lieutenant Station 1
Firefighters
Lieutenant Station 2
Firefighters
Lieutenant Station 3
Firefighters
Staff Assistant
Inspections/PIO Battalion
Chief EMS-Logistics
Assistant Chief
Operations
PROPOSED
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The City of Rockledge has three strategically located fire stations providing services covering an
area of approximately 13.4 square miles. The fire department also provides service coverage
through an automatic aid agreement with Brevard County Fire Rescue to certain areas of Viera
and Suntree.
Fire Station 1
Fire Station 2
Fire Station 3
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INCIDENTS AND RESPONSE TIMES
Response times are obviously important in fire and EMS response. As response times increase,
fires can increase in size and intensity. In 2016, the Rockledge Fire Department was able to
contain fire to the object, room or structure of origin 100% of the time. This number reflects the
department’s ability to contain structure fires and stop the spread to additional floors, rooms, and
other buildings. With emergency medical calls, increased response times translate to increased
death rates. This is due to the importance of the “golden hour” (the survival rate drops when
patients with serious illness or injury do not receive adequate medical intervention).
While the Rockledge Fire Department cannot totally alleviate traffic volume and flow in their
emergency response, we have improved our overall response times by utilizing the Opticom
Traffic Pre-emption System. The Opticom GPS System uses Global Positioning Satellite
technology along with secure radio communications to gain preemption or priority at equipped
intersections. The result is safer, more efficient traffic flow for both emergency service and transit
vehicles. The Rockledge Fire Department also constantly strives to decrease our turnout times.
This time represents the amount of time it takes a crew to confirm the call location and get dressed
into their personal protective gear and leave the station after the call is received at the station.
Below are the average response times in the City of Rockledge for 2016. The times are broken
down into average response times for the following three categories - turnout, travel and total
response time. This allows the department a more accurate evaluation of our performance
measures.
Response Times - All Calls - Emergency Response
Turnout Travel Total Response Time
Average* 01:37 05:04 06:41
Response Times – Structure Fires - Emergency Response
Turnout Travel Total Response Time
Average* 02:25 06:01 08:26
* Average - A number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data.
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In 2016 there were 3,757 calls for service in the City of Rockledge by the fire department. There
were 2,777 calls for emergency medical services which constituted approximately 74% of the
departments call volume. Of the 2,777 EMS calls, 764 were for Advanced Life Support, and 1,453
were for Basic Life Support with the remainder of the calls being patient refusals, no patient found
or cancellations.
There were 99 working fire calls that encompassed structures, vehicles and wildland/urban
interface type fires, which constituted approximately 2.6% of the departments call volume. The
following chart illustrates a breakdown of the property dollar value and loss related to these fire
incidents.
Property Dollar Value Saved and Fire Loss Analysis
Calendar Year 2016
Total Property
Value
Total
Property
Loss
Total
Property
Saved
Percent
Loss
Percent
Saved
$ 2,498,500 $ 963,850 $ 1,534,650 38.57% 61.43%
The remainder of the calls for service encompassed a wide range of requests such as Haz Mat,
weather events, vehicle extrications, citizen assists, fire alarms and investigations. These calls
constituted approximately 23.4% of the departments call volume.
The department responded to 230 automatic aid and mutual aid calls for service both fire and
EMS. The majority of these calls involved Brevard County Fire Rescue and Cocoa Fire Rescue.
The department requested and received 82 automatic aid or mutual aid calls for service
encompassing both fire and EMS with the majority of these calls also involving Brevard County
Fire Rescue and Cocoa Fire Rescue.
Brevard County Fire Rescue continues to provide E911 dispatch services for the department and
the department continues to share station space to allow for a fully staffed ALS transport unit to
remain in the City. This is a direct result of the automatic aid agreement entered into between the
City of Rockledge and Brevard County back in October of 2014 and serves as an excellent
example of cost and resource sharing to the benefit of the end users of the Fire and EMS systems,
the taxpayer.
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RESPONSE TYPES AND TOTALS
FIRE 99
RESCUE AND EMRGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 2,777
HAZARDOUS CONDITION (NO FIRE) 95
SERVICE CALLS 340
GOOD INTENT CALLS 260
FALSE ALARM AND FALSE CALLS 177
SEVERE WEATHER AND NATURAL DISASTERS 1
SPECIAL INCIDENT TYPE 8
TOTAL 3,757
2.63%
73.91%
2.52%
9.04%
6.92%
4.71%
2.00% 21.00% FIRE
EMS/RESCUE
HAZARD CONDITION
SERVICE CALL
GOOD INTENT
FALSE ALARM
WEATHER
SPECIAL
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APPARATUS AND VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
The department currently has a fleet of five Class A pumpers utilized for service delivery. Three
of these apparatus are utilized as primary response vehicles and two are utilized in a reserve
capacity. The department also has a Type 4 heavy brush vehicle and a Type 6 light brush vehicle
utilized primarily for fighting fires in the urban/wildland interface. In addition, the department
utilizes five staff-type vehicles with one of these being dedicated to the on-duty Battalion Chief as
an Incident Command vehicle. The department also utilizes a utility trailer for multi-use purposes.
The breakdown of the fleet is as follows:
PRIMARY ENGINES RESERVE ENGINES
2008 Pierce-Saber 1997 Spartan-Southern Coach
2013 Freightliner-Ferrara 2002 Pierce-Saber
2015 Sutphen-Custom
BRUSH TRUCKS STAFF VEHICLES 1985 JEEP 2 ½ Ton - (Type 4) 2004 Chevrolet Suburban
2000 Dodge 3500 - (Type 6) 2006 Ford F250 Utility Truck
2007 Chevrolet Impala
TRAILER 2010 Ford Escape
2015 Ford F250 Command Vehicle
2007 A-OK Utility Trailer
Maintenance Programs:
Two specific types of preventative maintenance sessions are scheduled for each vehicle.
A department conducted “Extended Weekly Vehicle Check” is performed every Monday
on all vehicles and apparatus.
A “GO” service as defined by the City Fleet Maintenance Department is performed every
350 hours or as outlined in the PM schedule in the specific user manual for fire engine
apparatus.
A “GO” service as defined by the City Fleet Maintenance Department is performed every
3000 miles or as outlined in the PM schedule in the specific user manual for
administrative/utility vehicles.
All primary and reserve engines also undergo an annual NFPA fire pump servicing and an
apparatus ground ladder certification testing process.
Department apparatus/vehicles are typically replaced on an average schedule of every 10 years
depending on the vehicle type and use, as well as mileage and condition.
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FIRE INSPECTIONS AND PLANS REVIEWS
The Rockledge Fire Department is charged with enforcing the "Rules and Regulations for the
State Minimum Fire Safety Standards" as adopted by the State of Florida Fire Marshal’s office at
three-year intervals as required by Chapter 633.202, Florida Statutes. The department is the
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) in these matters for all of the incorporated areas of the City
of Rockledge. The major functions of the department fire prevention personnel include:
Conducting fire and life safety inspections of existing buildings and structures;
Reviewing plans and specifications for proposed buildings and structures; and
Issuing joint Certificates of Occupancy with the Building Department of the City of
Rockledge Building Department when all appropriate inspections have been approved.
Plan Reviews by Type 2015 Totals 2016 Totals % Change General 2 3 50%
Site Plans 2 1 -50%
Fire Protection 2 3 50%
Sprinkler System 8 8 0%
Fire Alarm 12 7 -41.6%
Building/Structural 26 23 -11.5%
Emergency Management Plan 0 4 N/A
Inspections by Type 2015 Totals 2016 Totals % Change General 37 50 35.1%
Group Home 3 3 0%
Day Care 4 7 75%
Business/Occupational 77 61 -20.8%
Ambulatory Health Care 4 2 -50%
Industrial 0 1 N/A
Fire Protection 2 6 200%
Fire Alarm 11 8 -36.4%
Sprinkler System 12 9 -25%
Building 4 6 50%
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EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS
All members of the Rockledge Fire Department are certified as Emergency Medical Technicians
or Paramedics and all three fire stations respond to 911 calls providing Advanced Life Support
(ALS) care under the medical direction of Dr. David Williams, D.O. Our staffing provides for a
minimum of at least one paramedic and two EMT’s on each engine providing coverage in all
aspects of pre-hospital care, including; BTLS (Basic Trauma Life Support), ATLS (Advanced
Trauma Life Support), Intravenous (IV) therapy, administration of medications, cardiac care
(Following current ACLS and American Heart Association guidelines), electrocardiograms, (12
lead EKG), pacing, advanced airway management with end tidal capnography, and controlled
substances for treatment of seizures, sedation and pain management. The following are some of
the more notable highlights of 2016:
Instituted an Emergency Response Team (ERT) paramedic program to work in conjunction
with the Rockledge Police Department ERT.
Issued specialty trauma hemorrhage control equipment to all responding units to address
the priority issues that occur during an active shooter situation.
Instituted a new active shooter response policy and training designed to work in
conjunction with the law enforcement response to such events.
Graduation of five Firefighter/EMT’s from a year-long paramedic certification course.
Certification of three AHA BLS CPR instructors.
Instituted a bi-monthly community CPR course offering.
Purchase of Multi-Tech 3G Modems for the departments cardiac monitors used in patient
ECG telemetry to local hospitals.
Provided dedicated event medical coverage for the annual Space Coast Marathon.
Completion of AHA BLS recertification for all department members.
Completion of State mandated 30-hour EMT/Paramedic licensure renewal process for all
department members.
DEPARTMENTAL TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The nature of the fire and emergency services work requires personnel to constantly train for the
various events that we may be called to respond to. Some of the training is very basic in nature,
while much of it is more complex and skilled. The fire and emergency services are the first
responders to incidents of all types, natural or manufactured, and have an ever-increasing role as
the nation’s first line of defense as its first responders. The department places a high value on
education and training of our personnel. The majority of our operational type training takes place
within the department itself. However, the department strongly encourages our employees to
further their careers and professional development by attending institutions of higher learning, as
well as conferences and seminars.
The Rockledge Fire Department utilizes a web-based training platform for departmental training
course delivery and tracking. An annual training schedule is developed and integrated into this
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system. The training schedule encompasses both didactic and activity based learning skills tied
specifically to requirements linked to ISO, NFPA and EMS certification requirements. All
department personnel participate in this training. For the calendar year of 2016 the department
logged the following aggregated training hours for ISO and NFPA training categories:
Driver/Operator Facilities Training Officer Training Company Level Training
161.5 Hours 447 Hours 153.5 Hours 1865.5 Hours
The following is a brief summary of the more notable accomplishments of some our department
personnel as it relates to career and professional development in 2016:
Attendance of the Emergency Services Leadership Institute sponsored by the Florida Fire
Chiefs Association
Attendance of the Orlando Fire Conference sponsored by the Orlando Fire Department
Completion of State Fire Officer One Certifications
Completion of State Live Fire Training Instructor Certifications
Completion of State Rope Rescue Operational Level Certifications
Completion of State Rope Rescue Technician Level Certifications
Completion of State Vehicle & Machinery Rescue Operations Certification
Additionally we have two personnel who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees and five personnel who
are pursuing associates degrees programs from State accredited higher learning institutions.
FIRE PREVENTION/PUBLIC EDUCATION
The Rockledge Fire Department offers a wide variety of fire prevention programs and events
annually, especially during the month of October which is Fire Prevention Month. Station tours
and local school visits by the firefighters are always a fun and popular event during this time of
the year. The department documented over 2600 public fire and life safety contacts during the
2016 calendar year.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS
The Rockledge Fire Department offers and participates in a number of ancillary services and
programs to the Rockledge Community. The following is a listing of some of these services and
programs:
Blood Pressure Check Program
Used Household Sharps Collection Program
Smoke Detector Program
Annual Flu Vaccination Program
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Ride Along Program
Home Safety Inspection Program
COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
The Rockledge Fire Department is community-oriented and encourages personnel to be involved
in community activities whenever the opportunity presents itself. The department also participates
regularly in local neighborhood block parties and other community events. Below is a short list of
some of the events and activities the department participated in during the 2016 calendar year:
Annual Arts and Crafts Show
KBB Trash Bash Event
Memorial Day Event
United Way Feed and Read Program
Weather Ready Expo
Independence Day Picnic
September 11th
Tribute Ceremony
September 11th
Recognition Events
RPD National Night Out Event
Annual Halloween Candy Handout Event
Team Grace Event
Annual Cocoa-Rockledge Christmas Parade
Annual Fire Department Christmas Toy Drive
“Preserving the Past, Planning the Future”
This is an official publication of the City of Rockledge
Thomas J. Price, Mayor
Dr. Joe Lee Smith, Council Seat # 1
Dr. R. Shaun Ferguson, Council Seat # 2
T. Patrick O’Neill, Council Seat # 3
Frank T. Forester, Council Seat # 4
Duane Daski, Council Seat # 5
Ted J. Hartselle, Council Seat # 6
Dr. Brenda Fettrow, City Manager