Appendix C: Example Station-Based CRR Plan

XYZ Fire Department

Station 10
Pacific Park Firehouse
1501 NE 15th Street

Station-Based Community Risk Management Plan

Overview

As the newest fire station in the X Fire Department, Station 10 is yet to produce a tradition or reputation that we are known by to the rest of the fire department or the citizens who reside within the stations boundaries. I feel this reputation is important on many different levels. First of all, the station must be viewed in a positive manner by the rest of the organization. This fire station must not be viewed in a negative manner by people who choose to work here by station bidding or by skating crews who must work here on an occasional shift. This will be an energetic station that is involved in training and involved in the community we serve. The order of priorities for this station are as follows:

Emergency Response—it is the responsibility of all officers to ensure that the firefighters and apparatus are trained and maintained for effective emergency response. This station will have a reputation as an effective emergency response company.

Community Risk Management—This station will involve the community that it serves in the development of proactive risk management strategies that are designed to improve the overall fire protection for the citizens we serve. All station members will be involved in these activities and may be assigned projects to assist in the development of or management and implementation of strategies set forth by the fire chief, the Battalion Chief and the Station Captain of the X Fire Department.

Training—Training will be a major focus of this station. Officers will ensure that all firefighters assigned to this station will be trained in all fire and EMS requirements set by the training division. This station will have a reputation as a company that trains on a daily basis for top performance at emergency incidents.

Station Maintenance—All crews will take an active part in the maintenance of the station and keep it in a clean and presentable condition. This station will have a reputation as a clean and well cared for firehouse.

These four goals will guide the crews working at this firehouse. This station will not have a reputation as a “retirement” facility. It will be known as an active and effective company that is involved in the community.

Align Your Organization

X Fire Department Vision
“From each fire station, the X Fire Department is actively engaged with our community to solve problems, reduce emergency demand, and mitigate risk in a fiscally responsible manner.”

Service Area Description
Geographic Boundaries: Pacific Park Firehouse is located in the Eastern section of X.
The station boundaries for fire station 10 are 138th Avenue to the West. This boundary is shared with Burton/Orchards Firehouse #6.

  • The Northern boundary is Poplar Street, which is shared with Sifton Firehouse #4.
  • The Southern boundary is SE 1st Street, which is shared with Fisher’s Landing Firehouse #9.
  • The Eastern boundary is Ingle/Goodwin Road, which is the boundary of the City of Camas.

Demographics: The following was found in the 2000 Census: According to the X County Assessor’s office, the Station 10 service area includes 24,903 residents in 2009. By reviewing several Year 2000 census-block groups that are wholly contained in the Station 10 area, we can hypothesize the following:

  1. A Caucasian population of 90.6%, with the largest minority groups self-selected as “Asian alone” and “two or more races.”
  2. Children (under age 18) comprise 33 percent of the total population. (Includes natural born, adopted and step children)
  3. Population age 65 years and older is 9.6 percent.
  4. Family type (by presence of children under 18 years) shows and average of 80% living in married-couple families. Of the remainder, 16% live in “female householder, no husband present” family homes, with 1.6% in “male householder, no wife present” homes.
  5. Household income (in 1999): Under $30K, 21%; $30-$50K, 26%; $50-$100K, 46%.
  6. Household income (in 1999) below poverty level, 9.5%.
  7. While large tracts of housing have been built in various decades, the median year structures were built is 1985.

Community Character: (ratio of residential to business buildings, average age of buildings, condition of critical infrastructure, declining/stable/gentrifying, percent in urban/suburban/rural zones, number of organized neighborhood/business associations)

Fire station 10 is largely a residential area. The residential units in the west end of the station area are older homes built in the 60’s, and 70’s around Evergreen High School. This is a suburban area with areas of open land sprinkled throughout.

The north end of the station area consists of newer homes of various sizes, from small single-family to very large single-family homes in excess of 3,000 to 4,000 square feet. This is a suburban area with a rural mix.

The east end of the station area has mostly new construction of moderate sized homes. Many homes in this area are in heavily forested areas that may pose an urban interface problem to the fire department. Large areas of rural property are found here.

The south end of the station area is again mostly newer construction. Small to moderately sized homes are found here. A large trailer park is also located in this area. This area is also somewhat commercial with a mixture of urban and suburban densities.

Overall, infrastructure is good in the area. Some roads are still country type with a lack of hydrants. Multiple addresses off 192 Avenue, north of SE First Street are some distance from the nearest hydrant. This is also a problem north of 18th Street east of 172nd Ave.

Organized neighborhood associations in the area are as follows:

  • First Place Neighborhood
  • Country Side Woods Neighborhood
  • Burton/Evergreen Neighborhood
  • Parkside Neighborhood
  • Parkway East Neighborhood
  • Burnt Bridge Creek Neighborhood
  • Cimarron Neighborhood
Pacific Park Firehouse

Pacific Park Firehouse opened on January 19, 2010.

Service Delivery Factors

Current Service Delivery Model: Pacific Park Firehouse is deployed in a similar manner as other firehouses in the X Fire Department:

The firehouse is staffed by an engine company with a Captain, Paramedic, and a Firefighter. These firefighters rotate on a three shift system where each crew works a shift every third day. Nine total firefighters are assigned to the firehouse. The firehouse also is assigned a brush unit, which is not staffed. This apparatus responds with the engine company on grass and brush fires.

The firehouse is located in a residential neighborhood with Pacific Park nearby. This area has a lot of foot traffic and the firehouse has been well received by citizens in the area. The small museum housing an antique fire engine has been a popular feature with walkers in the park. The firefighters strive to be good neighbors in the area.

Current Demand/Trend: (call distribution/concentration, call volume by type, percentage of total station calls, percent of total VFD calls, calls per FF, FF per 1,000 population, calls per 1,000 population, 3 year trend)

Engine 10 has been open for 18 shifts to this point. The average daily call load has been 5 per shift. A rough estimate of alarms for the year at this time is 1,825. This would put Station 10 at an estimate of 8% of the overall total alarms for the department based on 2009 response numbers. The vast majority of the alarms to this point have been medical in nature. Fire responses have been hindered due to the inability to tap out E10 on the CRESA response cards for fire alarms outside of the stations first due area.

CERT Team: (distribution, concentration, activity level, coordinators, etc.)
Fire Station 10 will actively seek out CERT members in our area to form a team of individuals who can assist the X Fire Department in an emergency incident, including non-emergent programs within Station 10’s area.

Community Identified Concerns: (feedback from interest groups, focus groups, citizen steering committees, neighborhood/business associations or partnerships with schools due to no active neighborhood associations, whether fire-service related or not)

  1. Traffic safety
  2. Safety in Pacific Park
  3. Known drug activity

Community Risk Priorities

(Top five risks, numbered in rank order – should be a descriptive paragraph of the risk accompanying each risk)

  1. Response Guides—Currently, 25 commercial properties are without a Response Guide in Station 10’s area. Another group of schools have RG’s but are very outdated. Engine 10 must have reliable Response Guides to protect lives and property in our area.
  2. Area smoke alarm program—Once opened, Station 10 crews must identify high risk areas and target them with a station smoke detector program. No home in Station 10’s area will be without a working smoke detector. Updated information: The Great Western Mobile Home Park at 16812 SE 1st Street has been targeted for a smoke detector focus program. The managers of the park have been contacted and have approved Station 10 personnel to contact residents in the park to see if they have a working smoke detector. If they do not, we will install one for them. This program will begin in the Fall.
  3. Relationship with area schools—Working with the Evergreen School District with a focus of making safe schools through relationship building and planning for safe schools in Station 10’s area. A close relationship with each schools administration will assist in planning for drills and training for administration staff.
  4. Wild-land Urban Interface—Station 10 crews will identify areas in danger of the wild-land urban interface and notify homeowners in the area of ways to improve their properties from wildfire.
  5. Develop a response plan for injuries in the skate park next door to Fire Station 10—station crews must have a working plan for treating and extricating individuals injured in the skate park. An earlier injury that resulted in a fatality was viewed critically by some in the community. A plan will increase the capabilities of crews at Station 10 and result in a professional response to the park.

Critical Partners/Stakeholders

(External people connected to your community; i.e. community liaisons, neighborhood association liaisons, CERT team coordinators, business association liaisons, community activists, etc. who you could work with to identify and resolve problems)

Unknown at this time

Personnel Resource skills

(Internal personnel who have skills that may be applied to boost your effort. For example, IT skills, organizational skills, leadership skills, public speaking skills, writing skills, etc.)

Personnel List
Position/Name Contact Number Task
Fire Medics: 487-7310 Station 10 Web page development & maintenance, including station Facebook page
Fire Medics: 487-7310 Station 10 EMS equipment ordering and maintenance
Firefighter: 487-7310 Station 10 Cleaning supplies ordering and maintenance
Station Captain: 487-7270 Engine 10 Maintenance of equipment and appearance of apparatus
Station Captain: 487-7270 Station 10 Maintenance of fire station and appearance
Station Captain: & Fire Medics: 487-7310 Station 10 Response guide manager for area businesses
Fire Medics: 487-7310 Station 10 grounds maintenance
Station Captain: 487-7270 Station 10 Smoke Alarm program manager
Captain: 487-7270 Building Maintenance schedule
Captain: 487-7270 Station LEED coordinator
Firefighter: 487-7310 Rig Check sheets, Gas Power tools, Chainsaw chain, Map Page updates
Firefighter: 487-7310 Station tool room, Rig maintenance
Captain: 487-7270 Station Disaster Plan organizer
Fire Medics: 487-7310 School Liaison

Problem Mitigation Strategies

(List detailed strategies to address risks and concerns identified in “Community Risk” and “Community Identified Concerns” sections above)

  1. Response Guides—The second quarter of 2010 will be focused on the identification of buildings in station 10’s area that do not have response guides completed. Once identified, the RG coordinator will assign response guides to be completed on a monthly basis until completed.
    Resources Needed: The resource needed to complete this task is time. E10 crews will focus the afternoon scheduling around response guide completion. The amount of time spent on response guide activity will be based on call load and outside factors including training.
  2. Relationships with area schools—Station 10 crews will foster a relationship with area school administrations to enhance emergency response to these schools to protect our largest exposure target hazards.
    Resources Needed: This process has already begun with the teaching and training of area schools in triage and incident command basics by Captain xxxxxx. The next step is time spent by the remaining crews with these same administrations to build a relationship between all the crews and the schools we serve.
  3. Wildland Urban Interface—Station 10 crews must identify areas within the station boundaries that are threatened by wildland fires.
    Resources Needed: We will not re-invent the wheel here. The work of Captain xxxxxxx at Westside Firehouse will be used to face the same problem he experienced in Station 2’s area. Wildland fliers will be used within Station 10’s area to inform the public on wildland safety for their homes.
  4. Emergency Response Plan for Pacific Park Skate Park—Station 10 will partner with Station 6 to formulate a plan to handle injured persons at the skate park.
    Resources Needed: Time spent with Truck 6 to formulate the plan. The use of the gator apparatus for these rescues will be looked at.
  5. Smoke detector program—Station 10 will work with prevention on the implementation of a smoke detector program for Great Western Mobile Home Park.
    Resources Needed: This program will be handled by on duty crews, Deputy Fire Marshals, Community Emergency Response Team member and Combat Volunteers.

Move from Strategy to Implementation

Results (after implementation, what worked and what did not)

Process What Works What Doesn’t Work

Station Goals: (set by Station Captain and clearly articulated to crews an all 3 shifts, aligned with vision)

  1. Communicate with the public in an effective manner. Through personal, technical, and written applications.
  2. Maintain the fire station through daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning of all areas.
  3. Maintain the fire engine through daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning of the apparatus.
  4. Develop and implement response guides, wildland urban interface, skate park emergency plans.
  5. Develop relationships with area schools.

Shift Goals: (set by Shift Captain, aligned with station goals)

A-Shift Goals

  1. Draft a station disaster plan including a windshield survey for the area.
  2. Participate in smoke detector installations at Great Western Mobile, RG development

B-Shift Goals

  1. Participate in smoke alarm installations at Great Western Mobile, RG development
  2. Determine outside grounds maintenance needs and implement plan for grounds care.

C-Shift Goals

  1. Design and implement smoke alarm program for Great Western Mobile.
  2. Coordinate station RG program.

Fiscal Management

Include station budget here