Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout0170.091,. ~'. ~o .' 0..': ,,- March 21, 1991 THE HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL Palo Al t,o, California , .. Attention: Finance and Public Works committee Fire statiop Location study Mernb~rs of the Council: Report in Brief \ . This report responds to councills assignment to conduct a comprehensive study of the number and location of Palo Al~o fire stations (CMR 437:7). The cbjective of the study is to determine if the .=urrent level of servic1!s can be maintained 0['" improved, 'While reducing long-range expenditures by closing or consolidating one or more fire stations. The study found that service levels can be maintained while reducing ongoing expenditures by a combination of relocating and consolidating fire stations with Los Altos and Mountain view. staff recommends that Alternative No. " of the attached ·Palo Alto Fire Department Fire station Location studyilll he fl!rther .:xplored -with representatives from the Cities of ~ountain view, Los Altos and the To~n of Les Altos Hills. DiscussiJID It was found that the Palo Alto Fire Department currently operates at a high emergency response level. Departmental performances have impr'oved durinq the past 15 years through a consolidation of Palo Alto and Stanford fire departments r developing automatic response agreements -with neighboring fire departments., implementing a Foothills !:ire l-1anagement Plan and operating a fire department paramedic program. This study analyzed: 1) The 1976 Master-Fire Protection Plan conducted by palo Alto, Stanford University., Mcuntain View and Los Altos: 2J 100-0 Palo Alto Fire Department emergency responses; CMR no:,] ,/ • " • 3J Existing and alternate .fire station locations usL'1g il n''ltion.-d1'l validated computer program; 4} Changes in the demand for services provided by the Palo Alto fire Department: and 5) Econo:iJlic savinqs and service level impacts of alternative fire etation location plans. The stud:," developed and compared four alter:lative fire station l.:>cation plans to the City's existing fire station locations~ Two alternatives indicate that through combining operations vith neighboring tIre departments, ongoing expenditures can be reduced and sen ice lcve 1 s mal nt ained ~ Finally, the study identifies Alternative No.4 as the most beneficial and prc-poses the relocation of tW'o Palo Alto stations, one Mountain Vie ... station and the construction of two new s'tations. one in the lO""cr Palo Alto/Los Altos foothills and the second on the Palo Alto/Mountain Vie~ border in the area of San Antonio and Middlefield roads. This alternative suggests a net reduction of one fire station for Palo Alto, one-half of a station for Mountain View and one-h51f of a future sta~ion for Los Altos/LoS Altos Hills. Staff has held conceptual preliDinary discussions with the and City Managers from Mountain View and Los Altos~ Thes~ indicate a mutual interest in further exploration recommendation contained in this report~ RecO'mmenda t i on Fire Chiefs discussions of 5t~ff 's Statf reco3mends that Council direct staff to meet with the officials of Mountain View, Los Altos aNi I,os Altos Hills to de.velop a rnulti­ jurisdictional Fire station Consolidation Plan l based upon the concept outlined in Alternative No . .( of the attached Palo J..lto Fire Depart:nent Fire Station Location study~ Respectfully i tted, Attachment~ Fire Station Location study I Januaryr 1991 eMIl 170'91 , I • "-I • I. \ , -, • .~. ASSUMPTIONS AND lIMITATIONS THIS REPORT WAS PRODUCED USING THE FIRE STATIONlQCATION P4CKAGE DEVELOPED BY PUBLIC TECHNOlOGY INCORPORATED WHICH ASSUMES THE DATA ANALYZED IS LIMITED TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAVEL TIME FROM VARIOUS FIRE STATION LOCATIONS. THIS REPORT ALSO ASSUMES NO ANALYSIS OF ISSUES OF A POLITICAL NATURE RELATED TO THE CLOSURE, RETENTION, OR RELOCATION OF A STATION(S) OR ASSOCIATED CAPITAL COST ESTIMATES IN REMODELING, BUYING, SELLING OR NEW CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE STATIONS • ·.~ TABLE OF CONTENTS flle Asumptions and limitations I Exec~tive Summary 1 CHAPTER t. Background and O.H',lew 3 CHAPTER II. The Study Approach 6 Map #1 1976 Fire Station location Study 13a Map #Z 1989 Fire Demand Zone Hap (E~isting) 13b Hap #3 fire Demand Zone locations 13c Figure II Annual Emergency Medical Activity 13d Figure #2 Emergency Acti~ity by Time of Day 13e figure #3 Emergency Responses by Day of ~eek l3e CHAPTER III. The Current Situation 14 Fi~~re #4 Annual Inspection by Station 19a Figure #5 Hydrant Haintenance 19a CHAPTER IV. The AlternatiY2s 20 • ALTERNATIV£ #l 20 Map 14 1989 Fire Demand Zone Hap, Alternative #1 24a Figure #6 Fire Demand Zone Changes for Alternative II 24b Ff gure 17 Figure '8 ALTERNATIVE 12 Map '5 figure fg Figure #9a Figure 19b AL TEitNAT1VE n :'lap 16 Figure '10 ALTERNATIVE 14 Hap #7 Figure 111 RECOKIIENOATION ACICHOWlEllGEHENTS Inspection Workload Cnanges for Alternative II Hydrant Maintenance Changes for AlternatiYe II 1989 Fire Demand Zone Map, Altern"tive 12 Fire Department Zone Changes for Alternative #Z Annual Inspection Changes for A I terr.a t ive 12 Hydrant Maintenance Cnanges for AlternatiYe 12 1989 Fire Department Zone Hap Alternative 13 Fire Demand Zone Changes for Alternative 13 1989 Fire Demand Zone Map Alternative 14 Fire Demand Zone Changes for Alternative #4 SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURE BENEFITS DEFINITIONS 24c 24c 25 27a 27b 27c Z7c 28 30a 30b 31 33a 33b 34 35 36 37 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this study is to analyze the number and locations of Palo Alte! Fire Stations. The objective of the study is to determine if the current level of service can be maintained or improved while reducing long rar,ge expendit~res by closing or consolidating one or more fire stations wit~ los Altos and/or Hountai n View. The study findings indicate that the Palo Alto Fire Department cur~ently operates at a very high emergency response performance level. The current performance level s have been improved 4nd influenced by the implementation of: 1) Consolidation of fi re services with Stanford University; 2) Development of automatic response and mutual aid plans with neighboring fire agenciEs; 3) The implementation of a Foothills Fire Management Plan and staffing of a summer season fire station in Foothills Park; and 4} A locally provided fire fighter paramedic program. The study identified significant growth in the local demand for emergency medical (paramedic) services. A separate study is now underway to develop a Paramedic Master Plan to meet the growing need for medical services. The study identified and compared four alternative fi re station location plans to where fire stations are currently placed. ho alternatives indicated that consolidating fire station operations with los Altos and/or Mountain View can reduce on-gOing expenditures and maintain high service levels. 1 "" . -, /;> ,'<~~~. ,c~v The fire Station location Study vall dates that the highest levei of fire and life safety services are currently ~rovided from existing fire station locations. However, given the scope of the study and the four alternativES prEsented, the study recommends Alternative No.4 as the best oppcrtunlty for mainta;nin~ fire service levels and reducing on-gOing expenditures for Palo Alto, los Altos, and Mountain View. The recommendation proposes the relocation of two Palo Alto stations, one Howntain View station and the construction of two new statjo~s. One to serve the Palo Alto/los Altos Hills area and the second On the Palo Alto/Mountain View border In the arEa of San Antonio ind Middlefield roads. future operatlona1 expenses of the two relocated stations be shared with Palo Alto, Mountain 1iew and los Altos. This alternatiYe could result in a net reduction of one fire station for Palo Alto, one half of a fire station for Mountain View and a reduction of one half of a future fire station for los Altos. 2 • CHAPTER I BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW This study is in response to Item No. 1 of the assignment by the finance and Public Works Committee. CMR:437:7, to: 1) ~~41jyze tlieniii1lll~rall(tlocatioriof fire ShU ons i n Palo ~l~o; 2) Analyze the long-term consequences of the overall salary and benefit mix to see if this is an economically prudent mix. This was initially addressed as part of the meet and confer process re~lting in the Memorandum cQf Agreement between the City of Palo Alto and tocal 131~. IntteDational Association of Fire Fighte~s for the term ~July 1. 1990 until Jyne 30. 1992. 3) Explore incentives to reduce the number of responses to false alarm calls made by the Fire Department. The fire Department staff met .it~.nford Uni.ersity staff and ~~ational chanaes to the~alarm systems which has reduced the number of false .1 arms. I'.onitori n9 of future false alarms witl continue. 4) Re-examine minimum staffing requlr~~ents andlor explore alternative work s~ift arrangements, and to report back to the finance & Public Works CommIttee (F&PII). I.Il.ll Item was 11$0 incQtvorated into item 2 above. 3 • The City of Pal~ Alto's fire station locations were last reviewed sixteen years ago. A brief overview of that study is included in this report to provide a historical perspective for this study and to identify the effects of changes in service delivery and evolving demands for Fire Department services. In 1974 three neighboring fire departments; Stanfo\'d, Mountain View and Los Altos joined Palo Alto to review fire station location and two years later produced a report entitled, "FIR. PROTECTION MASTER PLAN". The objective of the plan was to explore areas of mutual concern including fire and life safety response, training, communications and paramedic services, The Fire Protection Master Plan indicated the upper f~thills of los Altos. Palo Alto and Stanford were not adequately served by the fire stations existing at that time. To add~ess this finding, Palo Alto developed and implemented a comprehensive Foothills fire Management Plan in 1983, which included the construction and staffin9 of a seasonal fire st3tion in Focthills Park. Joint response and mutual aid agreements were also recommended and subseq~ently impl emented and the results have improved response times in the COninon border areas. The Palo Alto Fire Department has developed one of the most aggressive automatic respcnse and mutual aid programs in the County. The Fire Protection Master Plan promoted the concept of regional fire services consolidation which led to the 1976 Palo Alto\Stanford Unhersity fire services consolidation agreement. Considerable economic savings were realized by both communities, and service levels improved .. The balance of thIs report reviews the study approach, current fire station locations then identifies and evaluates four fire station location alternatives. All four alternatives feature the relocatIon of at least one Palo Alto fire station. two alternatives Include the closure of one or more fire stations, and two alternatives propose the relocation of one or more fire stations involving operatio"al consol idation with Los Altos and 1>!ounUin View Fire Departments. 5 CllAPTER II IKE STUDY APPROACH The pivotal question for the Fire Station location Study ~as: "CAN THE CITY OF PALO ALTO FIRE DEPARTMENT MAtNTAIN, OR I~~ROVE, THE CURRENT LEVEL OF SERVIC~ AHD REDUCE LONG­ RANGE EXPENDITURES BY RELOCATING EXISTING FIRE STATIONS, CLOSING A FIRE STATION(S) OR CONSOLIDATING ONE OR MORE STATIONS WITH los ALTOS ANDloR MoUNTAIH VtEw1" This study has reyie~ed the current fire stations, their emergency response effectiveness and identified four alternatives that provide optiClns which will maintain or improve fire Department service levels and/or reduce expenditures. The process of identifying alternatives to answer the question includes the expanded concept of regionalization of fire services. To seek regionalization of fire services is consistent with problem solving of service issues common to Palo Alto and its neighbors such as transportation, air quality, ozone protection, hazardous materials waste reduction, open space preserves, water quality and solid waste management. The current Palo Alto fire station emergency response effectiveness was measured by analyzing 1000 actual emergency service calls. 6 -. This segment of the analysis was based upon the following criteria: 1) total time required to report the incident by phone; 2) total time to dispatch fire unit(s); 3) actual travel time for fire units(s); !nd 4) total response time. The emergency response analysis served to verify the current Palo Alto fire station locations provide excellent emergency response performance levels. The result was then compared to the performance levels indicated in the 1976 study to evaluate the effect of changes made .. hich include consolidati~n, auto aid, and operational procedures. A computer analysis was then conducted utilizing a validated software program, Th~ Fire Station location Package, developed by PubliC Technology, Inc. This is a management and planning tool that enables cities and countfes to determine how many fire stations they need and where the stations should be located to provide an effective level of service based upon respon$e times of fire engines from each fire station location. The total area served by the Palo Alto Fire Departm~nt was divided into 210 specific geographic areas hereafter referred to as Fire Demand Zones. A fire demand zone is further defined as a area of the community were a specific level of service has been defined. The computer program was used to analyze current service levels from existing fire station locations. compare this levei of service to the findings of the 1976 study and four alternative Palo Alto fire station locations. 7 • In 1976. 38 specific Fire Deman1 Zones were not ser~ed in t~e desired tra~el time by the fire station locations of the cities of Palo Alto. Los Altos. Mountain View and Stanford {see Map #1). Three changes were made by the Palo Alto Fire Department as result of the findings I}f that study. first. Palo Alto and Stanford University consolidated fire protection ser~ices improving response times and reducing the cost to provide fire ser~ices. Second. automatic aid agreements were improved with all Palo Alto's surrounding neighbors, thereby improving emergency response service to the communities, Third, the Foothills Fire Station was built and staffed to provide summer wildland protection. The analysis of the 1000 random emergency responses indicated these changes have reduced all the travel time deficiencies of the Palo Alto/Stanford community and to the mid and upper foothills area. This finding assumes the summer time operational level which includes staffing of the Foothills Fire Stotlon. The study does r.Gt analyze the impact of traffic barriers on the Fire Department's ability to deliver emergency servic~s to Stanford Campus and in various neighborhoods, howe~er. this Issue remains as a handicap to effective Department performance. The current performance analysis indicated 98.6 percent of all 210 fire demand zones in the Palo Alto service area are currently covered in the desi red target travel times (see Map 12); a significant impro~ement o~er the 88,7 percent level identified in the 1976 study. It should be noted that target travel time is the time necessary to respond from the front ramp of the fire station and arrive at the s , :.' emergency scene. Travel tIme is calculated at the posted speed limit for the route of travel, not cor.siderlng traffi[ signals, adverse traffic congestion or traffic barriers. Travel time does not include the time necessary to receive and process a call through the dispatch center or the time for the fire fighters to move the fire engine out of the station and onto the front ramp. The dispatch factors were analyzed as part of the study and it was found that the current average dispatch time is oyer 1.S minutes. This service level can be significantly improved through implementation of computer assisted dispatching equipment and related operational procedures. The Pollee Department, responsible for Fire Department dispatch services, is currently conducting computer needs assessment studies which should address this area of concern. Each Fire Demand Zone was given a respons~ target travel time value which corresponded to the potential for life and/or property loss described in the following text and illustrated by Hap #3, "Fire Demand Zone locations". In review of the 1976 study the criteria used for establishing fire demand zone response times were not clearly documented. Therefore, the current study researched criteria used in similar fire station location studies, nationally recognized response time standards, and local conditions to establish the four Palo Alto fire demand zone standards described in this chapter. Fire Demand Zone-A, was identified the STANFORD HOSPITAL/SHOPPING 9 as the Palo Alto DOWNTOWN area, CENTER area, the STANFORD • R£SIO£NTrAL IlIIiHRIS£ AIID PUBtlC ASSEMBLY areas, and the various HIGHRISf APARTMENT AND OFFIC~ buildings In the City. ~et: less thin fpyr minutes frpm the c~t fjre statlpn. Zone-A presents the highest probability for life loss due to the congested nature of the occupancies, ~cce5S difficulty to the buildings, the likelihood of fire e~tension from building to building, and highly valued properties within the service area. fire Demand Zone-B, was identified as the RESIDENTIAL and COMMERCIAL areas of Palo Alto and Stanford that make up the majority of the cO:llTlunity. Target: less than five minutes from the closest fire station. These areas represent a slightly lower probabi lity of 1ffe loss, reduced congpstion, firefighters have better access to occupancies, buildings are separated thereby reducing the incidence of fire spread, and fire losses are often contained to the room or building where the fire originates. Zone­ B is mostly single family residential occupancies, and industrial/commercial areas with built-in fire protection systems providing the firefighters ~ith early detection of smoke or fire and the automatic application of water or chemicals for fire extinguishment prior to the arrival of fire cre~s. fire Demand Zone-C was identified as the sparsely developed area of the lDliiER fOOTHILLS, and the less accessible BAYLANDS. llm~ Itss than eight minut"5 from the closest fire station. TIlls represents that port I on of the fi re servl ce aTea typffi ed by residences on large lots of 1 to IG acres, an~ a history of fe~ daily demands for fire and emergency medical calls. Howe,er, the fire of July I, 1985 illustrates how fast moving fires can extend 10 • · .; ,- cO from the grass and brush area to residential buildings in such sparsely developed areas. Fire Demand Zone-O was identified as the open space or minimally­ developed areas of the MW to UPPER FOOTHillS. Target; travel ti!l!f!. less than 15 minutes frQ!!) the nearest fire station. This area represents special challenges for the delivery of fire services. The Foothills Fire Management Plan referred to earlier jn this report is unIque to the Palo Alto community and addresses the construction and maintenance of fire breaks in heavy brush. property owner maintained llreenbelt landscaping, fire resistive roofing, low-cost residential fire sprinkler systems, emergency response agreements with neighboring fire agencies. and the staffing of a seasonal fire station in the CIty's Foothills Park. After the fire demand zones were identified and the performance standards established, the historical information related to the Palo Alta/Stanford community demands for fire department services was re~iewed. Significant increased ~emands in emergency medical, fire prevention and hazardous materials services have been documented. first, the demand for emergency medical {paramedic} services in Palo A1to have increased more dramatically than any other single emergency service provlded by the fire Department. In 1916 there were less than 400 annual responses to medical incidents, in the past year there were over 2950. Figure 11 sho~n at the end of this chapter, further illustrates that current demand for emergency medical .ervices ;s greater than the current capaCity of the single fire Department Paramedic Unit, Medic 11. II / It shou1d also be understood how the location of each fire station is critical tc. effective emergency medical ser_ices. The Fire Department responds the closest fire engine a~d a paramedic unit to each patient. It Is the goal for each ffre engine to arrive at the patl!!nt's side in less than five minutes to ~egln life saving actions. This response time goal is designed to prevent brain damage to Individuals not breathing. This can re.ult from, but is not limited to, heart attack, drowning, drug overdose, suffocation, and electrocution. The fire engine crew responds from the nearest fi re suti on 3nd quickly a6mi ni sters oxygen, perfonns cardio­ pulmonary resuscitation {CPR), and other vital tasks for the patient. Secondly, the Palo Alto fire paramedic unit arrives within six minutes to continue ad_anced life saving treatment using a higher level of skill under the direction of a PhYSician via medical radio equipment at a hospital emergency room. The initial findings of this study shows significant growth in service demands of the emergency medical services program. This finding has led the fire Chief to authorize the development of a comprehensive Paramedic Master Plan. This plan will be completed this fiscal year and will provide the fire Chief with a detailed analysis of service levels, alternative service delivery methods and program financing options. Second, aggressive fire prevention inspections and the enforcement of a comprehensive fire code In Palo Alto has reduced the frequency and severity of major building fires. fire Oepartment crews at each fire station are responsible for over a 1000 occupancy fire code inspection a year. The fire defenses have been recently evaluated resulting in the Department's Class II rating as 12 -', .:; ,~ .,,;'" ·r ." establis~ed by the Insurance Services OrQanlzation (ISO). This is a significant improvement for PAlo Alto And Stanford And has resulted In reduced fire insurance premium rates for industrial and commercial buildings. Residential property insurance rates are not effected as favorably as are industrial or commercial occupancies. Third, the Federal G<lvernment. State of California, Santa Clara County, and the Palo Alto community require greater efforts in hazardous materials management. Palo Alto Fire Department has taken the lead in the de\'elopment and implementation of model programs recognized at the State and local levels. The fire Department staff served on the hsk force to ... ri te the Hazardous Materials Storage Ordinance; manages the City's permit program; has led the process to develop and Implement the Toxic Gas Model Ordinance; and developed the first review process that meets the California [nvironmental Quality Act requirements for hazardous materials permit applicants, Fourth, Figures #2 and 13. at the end of this chapter, illustrate Palo Alto Fire Department services depend upon the changes in population by time and day. fire Department data indicates the greatest service demand occurs 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m .• Monday through Friday. This ... ell documented increase in the day time population who work, shop. commute through. play and study in the Faio Alto/Stanford community. The~e are also observable shifts in service demands by day of the ... eek. the seasons of the year, and chanGes i~ the local ... eather. This information .... ill assist the Fire Chief in future analysis of fire shtiorr location alternatives, revie~ of staffing and organizational structures of the Fire Department. 13 \.. " , . • ~-, i " .. :":;r­ :' "J -. ---- !MAP # 11 STA"I1!ON LOCA"I1!ON ST1JDY CFSl.S) 130 Public TechnolDgy [ne. Study_ Pale Alto, Los AHos1 Moanlain V'..ew. S~ord UnJvtTSily~ and sue • Dt'mUld Zone$ not I «"""rod. (14 sL1:tions) • • . ;)j . ... \.-; -",," •. ",_c I t , 1 ~'':"~'-';" ~ '-~-~. " , 13b "L - EXISTING STADON l.OCAIJQNS LJtjon '1·301 Alm. t1ticm 12·16'5 Hanovu uticm 1)·799 EOlb.uadmJ tation t.f..l6OO Middldici tllion '.5-600 AritSW:lero bltioll '6--711 SarI. tatJon '7-2575 Sand Hill tation 'S-FoolhlJl Puk ~ .. t I I .' . "I , ~ .I , v. ,- ,.,:~;. 13e L - FIGURE #1 fiJln. 1, Shows .... "v .. 1 ~ I7ll1tSpon Get;,,;ty. This figure illustrates the demand for emergency medical service cannot be me! by the Fln! Departments one u.~.i! (Medic· fl). 0-:". 1,000 patients are currenUy transported by other than Medlc '1. IJd - p. --.-- FIGUREt2 Figor~ 2, musfNtes Iww emerg~ nspcnus vary I7y Ii_ of day. The greatest demand for service is during the daytime 8;()(J a.m. 10 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The community population grows during the daytime 10 weD over 100,000 due 10 the influx ot. significanl employ:nenl force. FIGURE 13 Figon 3, bldiCAtn t~ tl""tUJd for uroia by day 0' week. The demand for eMergency services tails off al the end 0( the work-week and through the weekend. This trend suggests staffing could be reduced 10 coincide with the changes in fequency 0( emergencies. 13e , , , j .• ~ CHAJ>TER III THE CURRENT SITUATION This chapter provides an overview of the existing number and location of fire stations, the service area of each station's district, the equipment deployed from each location, and two examples of each station's workload shown as figures 4 & 5 at the conclusion of the c~apter, Annual Inspections by Station and Hydrant Maintenance. STATION No.1, 301 ALMA ThiS station is located near the high property value and high potential for life loss areas of downtowr. Palo Alto, the Stanford Shopping Center, retirement homes, convalescent and medical occupancies. Station Ho. 1 houses one £n9ine company, one ~escup. company, and the Battalion Chief. Station No. 1 is located three blocks from the Palo Alto/Menlo Park boundary physica11y identified by San Francisquito Creek. Travel time for fire units respo~ding from this station effectively reach all Fire Demand Zones within the established target times. However, the response route to the City is almost entirely southerly from this statio" and therefore is limited, and relocation of this station could provide increased service delivery effectiveness. 14 • .'."'" .C'...;"-.. "~/,:/.~ . #"..,.;.. . ,.-" STATION No.2, 2675 HANOVER STRlET Station No.2 Is loc!ted in the heart of the Stanford Research Park. Its district includes II high-risk area. comprised of the offi ce towers at Page Hi 11 and El Callli no ReaL The remai n I n9 portion of the district is industrial and residential. This station has low average response times and is flanked by other fire stations in all directions except for the lower foothills to the west. This station staffs two units. Engine #2 and the Departments paramedic unit. Medic-l. The service area of Station No.2 is centralized in the City and surrounded on three sides by existing fire stations "hich could serve this area within the targeted travel time criteria. The Stanford Research Park is aggressively protected with built-in fire sprinklers. smoke and heat detection. and often private security service is provided continuously. The response area to the lo"er foothills to the west, includes los Altos Hills property and is currently the re~ponsibi1ity of los Altos Fire Department. Palo Alto responds automatically to these areas and frequently has shorter travel times. The lower foothills includes other random boundaries of Pa10 Alto, Stanford and Portola Valley, .~,.~~: ,,' ,-. -- Fire Station No. l Is located in Rlnconada Park at the corner of Embarcadero and Newell Roads. The response district is largely residential with some Industrial occupancies on East and West Bayshore roads and on East Embarcadero Road. Station No. 3 is responsible for the 8ayshore Freeway, Palo Alto Airport, the Baylands and the Palo Alto Water Quality Control Treatment Plant. One engine, No.3, responds from this station. STATION No .• , 3600 MIDDLEFIELD ROAD Station No.4 Is located In Mitchell Park at the corner of East Meadow and Middlefield Road. lile Station No.3, this district is primarily residential with industrial occupancies centralized in the area of San Antonio Road and Bayshore Freeway. Station No. 4 shares r~sponsibility with Station No.3 for freeway responses and is actively in.ol.ed in automatic aid responses with the MOuntain View Fire Department. Engine No. 4 responds from this station. STATION No.5, 600 ARASTRADEAO ROAD Fire Station ~~_ 5 is located on City Park property at the corner of Arastradero Road and Clemo Street. The district served by this station is typically residential, with some high rise hotel/motels, one hospital, significant industrial occupancies, and Tower foothills of brush and grasslands. A single engine, No.5, responds from this station. 16 STATION No.5, 711 SERRA STREET Fire Station No.6 is located on the Stanford University campus at the corner of Serra Street and Campus Drive. The building and grounds are property of the University and it has been staffed by the Palo Alto Fire Department since 1976. This district is largely university campus buildings and grounds. Access is limited due to the traffic restrictions and the high occupancy levels of educational and public assembly activities. The University has numerous chemical laboratories which increase the potential for hazardous materials spills and fires. A major university presents ~nique cna1lenges for the delivery of fire services. Two emergency fire units respond from this station, Engine No.6 and Truck No.1. STATION No.7, 2515 SAND HILL ROAD Fire Station !\e, 7 is located at the Starlford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). The fire service demands of this district are unlike any of the other stations in the Department, SlAC is a high energy phySics laboratory operated by Stanford University under the requirements set by the United States Department of Energy. The fire service problems include very high electrical energy. hazardous materials, radiation. limited access to miles of underground facilities, open space grass/brush lands and freeway incidents. The Engine No.7 staff is also involved in aut~atic aid to Menlo Park and Woodside Fire Districts. The limited emergency access to the facilities at SLAC. as Identified, require Engine No, 7 to be on-site as much as possible. 17 .... _-r , ", Theref~re, Station No.6 is responsible for on-site coverage when the Station No.7 engine must respond off the SLAC premises. This occurs most often for medical and vehicular incidents on Sand Hill Road and Interstate 280. STATION No.8, FOOTHILLS PARK Fire Station No.8 is located in Foothills Park off Vista Hill Road adjacent to the City wat~r reserVOir, Soronda Tank. This station Is responsible for the "ildland grass and brush areas west of Interstate 280. The station is staffed only during the summer months that coincide "Hh the fire season as estabHshed by the Calffornia State Department of Forestry. The two persons assigned to this station are maintained by overtime funding in an effort to minimize operational expenditures. Station No.8 staff responds to medical, vehicular rescue, building and all wildland fire Incidents. Reductions in the FY 1987-1988 overtime funds allocated to the Fire Department necessitated a red"ced staffing period at the station from the previous 24 hours per day to 12 hours, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and for 24 hours only "~~n the fire conditions in the foothills reach critical level. Station No. 8 staff is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Palo Alto Foothills Fire Management Plan. Since the beginning of the plan extensive progress has been made to construct fuel breaks, burning of dead brush and grass, clearing of brush and overhanging tree branches along Page Mill Road and inspection of all Palo Alto homes in the district for compliance to applitable fire codes. Station No.8 staff also responds into Los Altos Hills, Portola Yalley, and unincorporated County lands 18 • providing automatic and mutual aid ~eryices. S_RY T~e review of actual emergency responses and the computer program analysis validated that the current fire stations are located such that the target travel times meet the c011ll1unity demands for emergency fire services at a ~igh level. However, the dispatching procedure and antiquated communications equipment results in lengthy fire station notifications as referenced earlier in this study. The study also indicates the target travel times have im~roved since the 1976 study through consoHdation and implementation of aut~~atic aid agreements. Figures '4, and '5, shown at the conc1usion of this chapter, Illustrate examples of current fire statiGn workloads for fire prevention inspections and hydrant maintenance. These examples are included in the Current Situation, Alternatives 1 and 2 to show that additional impacts can occur In ncn-emergency service areas ~hen fire station locations are altered. 19 • 500 4S(! 400 lSO 300 2.50 200 150 100 SO a FIGURE 14 ANNUAL INSPEcnCNS BY STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION ST A noN STATION STATION ~ n ~ « ~ ~ ~ ~ FiFe 4,. nIltStrlltes th. on •... r il<spt!ctjD1lS by fin sr.;.", •. FIre stations conduct the indicated annual me safety inspections on every commercial, industrial, medical, educa.tional, and residel'tial occupancy of few (4) or more u"ils. FIGURE'S HYDRANT MAINTENANCE STATION STATION STATION STATION STAllON STATION STATION STATION ~ n ~ N ~ ~ n ~ fjpn 5, llUliClf~' the ... mber of ~y",,,,,tJ "",j"t.bud by st"tit> •• Every me station is respoosiole for mainwrung Ii .. hydrants by clearing weeds a,-ound the hydrull, lubricating the tJu-eads. flow testing and recording each hydrant to ensure adequate wale< supply. 19. ! ! </' CHAPTER IV. TKE ALTERNATIVES Tnis chapter identifies four alternatives to the current fire station locations. The study's objective is to identify alternatives to maintain service levels while reducing on-going expenditures. A by-product of taking a critical look at the number and locations of City fire stations was the significant change in the demand for the traditional services provided by the fire Department. There ar~ fewer building fires. There are more medical incidents, traffic aCCidents, hazardous materials spills, inspections of remodeling and expansion of businesses and more people using the Palo Alto/Stanford community each day during the work week. The changing demands for fire services suggests 3 shift of departmental resources from fire suppression to growing service areas such as paramedic, fire prevention andlor hazardous materials programs. Ther~fore, it is recognized hy the fire Chief that each alternative presents a unique opportunity to address economic, service level and organizational considerations. ALTEIUlATlvE 11 DESCRIPTION: This alternative proposes the closure of Fire Station No. 2 located at 2675 Hanover Street, reducing the City's fire engines from seven to six and relocating the current paramedic unit to one of the remaining fire stations. It is proposed to relocate Station No. I from lOt Alma, to a site near the Civic Center site to improve emergency response travel time. Z() <-. '-<." . "/~ / '. EMERGENCY SERVIc:E IMPACTS: The closure of Station No.2 will result In the Departmental reduction In response time targets for fhe Fire Demand Zones, or 2.4 percent of the Fire Department $ervlce arel. This represents a minimal reduction in the delivery of emergency fire services. Station No.2 is centralized in the City and surrounded on three sides by Existing fire statior. locations which serve this area within the targeted travel time criteria. Two identifiable areas will be negatively affected by this alternative. The first includes V'e residential area in the vicinity of free .. ay 1-280 and Alpine Road. The second is the industrial area bordered by Page Hill Road, foothill Expressway, Hillvie~ Avenue, and Arastradero Road. The remaining three of the fiye fire demand zones are served at the same level .. ith the existing station locations (see Hap 12). This alternathe proposes to mitigate the reduced service levels by expanding the area of responding fire engines frorn the adjacent Fire Stations No.3, S, and 6. The computer mQdel predict~d these engines to arrive at any incident, where the current Station No. Z now responds, in less than five minutes from the time dispatched to all but the two zones discussed in the paragraph above. In these two cases the time is exceeded by less than one minute. See Hap #4 "Fire Demand Zones-Ali 11". However, if Engines S or 6 are unable to respond to the vacant District Ho. 2 due to a previous emergency assignment, the next responding unit extended by two to three mi nutes. trave1 time targets will be It should be noted, this situation currently occurs on very busy periods with existing station placements. Coverage is regularly dra .. n from the remaining engines and in some cases by requesting mutual assistance from 21 • . -/~ neighboring fire jurisdictions. To further illustrate the impacts of Alternative II upon emergency services, the remainIng stations will be required to respond ta slightly larger portIons af the cOlll11unlty when compared to the current situation. Station 12 is currently the primary responder for 40 fire demand zones; those areas would be distributed to the stations best able to meet the performance standards. Therefore, Statfon No.3 picks up one additional zone, Station NI). 5 must respond to an additional seven zones, and Station No.6 Increases coverage by 32. See Figure #6, "FOZ Changes for Alternative f1," at the concl~sion of this chapter. The alternative proposes to improve the response effectiveness f.-;, Station No. 1 by relocation of this station. The study does not, however, i dent i fy an exact a Hernate site. The computer program utilized a point adjacent to the Civic Center at Bryant Street and forest Avenue. The prospect of a centralized downtown location would solve • current lack of office space for Fire Administration, Fire Prevention, Hazardous Materials. and improve public access to these service functions. NON-EMERGENCY SERVICE IMPACTS: This alternative contains significant non-emergency impacts in the area of Hazardous Materials Program inspections, Fire Prevention rnspections, and Public Education. Station No. l district contains the largest number of hazardous materfals faclllties in the City. The analysis of actual data 22 ;; .;;;: .. f • I. indicates Stations 3 & 6 have higher frequencies of hazardous material Incidents. The current staffing provides three crews to make necessary inspections. fire prevention presentations and publiC education training to employees of the Stanford Research Park. Currently. 467 inspections are assigned to this Station. The reassignment of these inspections can be made as follows: 1) Accept I lower leve1 of service In fire prevention and hazardous materials inspections by having Stations No. Sand 6 assume additional work loads (See Figures #7 and #8); or 2) Reassign personne1 from Engine-2 to the Fire Prevention and Hazardous materials programs. PERSONNEL REDUCTIONS ANO COST SAViN~S: The proposed closure of Station No.2 would impact nine positions. Engine-2 staffing is t~ree fire Captains, three fi re Apparatus Operators. and three Firefighters. representing a three person crew on eac~ of three shi fts. Additional expenditure reductions would also be realized due to the maintaining and periodic replacement of one less fire engine and fire station. Personnei Reductions (9) Engine Cost Reductions Building Cost Reductions Revenue 105S from Stanford (30.31) ON-GoING REDUCTIONS 23 $640.400 20.000 25.000 S(Z07.676} S 477,724 · .", This alternative does not complete1y maintain current service level s of emergency and non-emergenc} servi ces. The emergency response impact appears to be mi nima 1. gi ven the capacity of Stations No.5 and 6 and their ability to cover the closed Station No.2 district within the targeted response times in 98.6 percent of the service area. Hon-emergency services are impacted by the 17 percent reduction in the Department's capacity to provide adequate fire prevention and hazardous materials inspections unless personnel are redep10yed to inspection activities. The alternative "EDUCES ON-GOING FIRf ilEPARTMENT EXPENOJTUOES, mainly through per50nnel position reductions. The cost of relocating the 301 Alma fire station was not included in this report. however, it is probable that the costs would be off-set by the sale of the current fire station property. 24 .. , ZONE 24> ;t~~~Il~ -~' -~,,::;;-~,,-, 5 Demand Zones not rovered Al.TFllNAU '1 St.atio~ • FJldoc.ated Station' 2-cJose-c! Station' J..'Existing Loe.. Station' .... Existins. Loc SUidon , S-r:'d.ting Loc:. St.tticm , 6-Exlstin& Loe. Station' 7-E.dsting Lac. Sutioa. • ~Existin& Lac.. .. --~- i ! i ! I • I :~ I I I I I I ! 1 " I I ~' """""" . "" i .~ "I \ " , 1 :,1 i • 0 F D E M A N D Z 0 N !: S 60 50 40 Xl ~ 10 0 FIGURE'6 FDZ CHANGES FOR ALTERNATE 111 60 STATION STATIOI'\ STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION ST .... TION ~ ~ ~ « ~ u ~ ~ I_ EXiSTiNG -ALTER'lATE'l FigInr 6, nlwstnztes flu shift of Fir< lIeman4 z" ... """ .... go with fire .t. fum f2 closed, Emergency service workload will change significantly foe staticn #6, The Fire Demand Zones station .6 will be responsible foe will more than double due to this alternative', proposal to close station 412. However, the location of station .6 allows the roverage of the 32 additional zones within tJo.e performance targets, 240 • ,>t '--." \, \ \ -"~-",......,..-, .. -. - FIGURE #7 INSPECTION WORKLOAD CHANGES FO~ AlTERNA TI\'E 11 r----------------------------,~----------- ST ATICN STA TKJN ST A T!ON ST A TJON STATION STATION STA T!ON STATION ~ ~ ~ " ~ ~ V ~ I_ EXlSTING INSPECTIONS -At 1CRNATIVE n Figu .. 7, Compans tlu inspectio" w",ilo.4 cha,,~ fOT Altern.t; •• 11. The fire safety inspection worklcad would be increased for two stations, #5 and 116. This change is due to the closure, as proposed, of station 112 FIGURE#S HYDRANT MAINTENANCE CHANGES FOR ALTERNATIVE 11 STATION ST ATlON STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION STA TlON .1 .2 '3 " .5 ~ '7 '8 I-IXlSTINC HYDRANT MAINTENANCE • ALTERNATIVE'1 ] figIrr. 8, m".tratn tlu 11""",,,11 ",.i"teolllJa ch .... ~ JOT AltematW. fl. This illustration further indkales the increased non~ergency work load cit.'lI1ges from station '2 to stations '5 and '6. Z4c .--.-..-.- ,.;" ~ ,: <' , \ .~. • I - I • , , . I .. I .. ALTERNATIVE #2 OES~RIPTION: This alternative evaluates the closure of Station No. 2 located at 2575 Hanover Street. the relocation of the paramedic unit to a remaining station. and the relocation of Station No.1 to I Downtown site. This alternative also consolidates Stations No. 3 and 4 into a single engine station to the Greer Park or a location near the Colorado Substation. The number of fire stations is reduced from seven to five and tctal personnel positions affected is 18. EMERGENCY SERVICE INPACTS: reduction of targeted travel This alternative will result in the times for 16 of the 210 fire Demand Zones. or 7.6 percent of the service area. The emergency service workloads of two less fire station will require redistribution among the remaining stations. Statfon No.1 staff would cover an additional 22 zones. Station No.3 one additional zone. Station No. S an additional seven zones. and Station No. 6 an additional 35 zones. as illustrated by Figure 19. The fmpacts of this alternative will be evidenced by the extended travel times to reSidential neighborhoods in northeast Palo Alto. the Jordan School area. the los Trancos/Felt lake area. the Palo Alto airport and baylands. and industrial areas of East Embarcadero Road. Travel times will be increased from the current level of less than four mInutes to In excess of six minutes for residential and the airport areas. Overall. this alternative reduces emergency service levels when compared to existing fire station locations. See Map '5 at the end of this chapter. 25 / NoN-EMERGENCY SERVICE IMPACTS: This alternative will have t~e same Impacts as identified in Alternative No.1; fire pre,ention i~spection work1oad for the combined Station No. 3 will be increased by 226 percent from 184 to 416. Although this is an example of a significant increase in workload, it is similar to the current levels of performance attained by Station. I, 2, and 6. See figures 19a and 19b. The reassignment of these inspections can be made as follows: 1) Accept a lower level of service in fire prevention and hazardous materials inspections by having remaining sUtions assume additional work loads; or 2) Reassign personnel from Engine-2 to the Fire Prevention and Hazardous materials programs. The other increase in non-emergency service demands is the increase of fire hydrant maintenance from 576 to almost 1000. PERSONNEL REDUCTIONS AND COST SAVINGS: In addition to the reduction of nine posftions, as indicated in Alternati~e No. I, the consolidatio~ of Stations No. land 4 would eliminate an additional engine company of nine pcsitions; three fire Captains, three Fire Apparatus Operators, and three Firefighters, a total of 18 pcsitlons. In addition to savings due to reductions in personnel costs, Station No.1 could be sold or leased, Stations No.3 and 4 could be used for park related activities, or leased for compatible uses, Ind expenditure reductions would be realized due to the maintaining and replacing of two less fire engines and fire stations. There would be additional costs, not identified in this report, to 26 • relO1:ate Station No.1, and to build a ne .. combined Station No. 3 (4). Personnel Reductions Engine Cost Reduction Building Cost Reduction ~evenue loss Stanford ON-GOING REDUCTIONS $1.280,800 40,000 50.000 (415.352) 5955.477 The aHernative REDUCES ON-GOING FUE DEPARTMENT EXPENOITUO.£S, through severe personnel poSition reductions. This alternatiye DOU NOT M,UNTAIN CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS of emergency and non-emergency se,"yices. The emergency response impact Is significant. The closure of Stations 2 and 4 rely upon the capacity of Stations 3, 5, and 6 to coyer the closed Station No. 2 and 4 di sUi cts withi n the targated response times. Non­ emergency services are impacted by the 33 percent reduction in the Department's capa~it)' to provide adequate fire prevention and hazardous materials inspections unless redeployment of some or a11 of the eighteen personnel ere made. 21 ; -';, ' "o __ ,!,_ : • .' , 1991 FlU DEMAND .. .. 27. - Existing Stations Stations Closed Rdocaled Sutions 16 Demand ZoOlCS not .:overed At,TERNAIE , 2 StatiDD t l-Rl!'loc-~ft SLlltial1. , 2<!oscd Station' 3-Rdocate Stiltion • 4-Jtelocate Slition , 5-Eristittg Loc.. Station' 6-Existing Lot. Station' ' .. Existing Lac.. Sudon • &-Existing Lot. I , , I I f ! I , FIGUREf9 , FDZ CHANGES FOR ALTERNATE'2 0 F 10 63 6() D E SO M40 A N 30 D 20 Z 10 0 0 N E 5 STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION .1 n 6 H ~ ~ V ~ I_ EXIST!NG • ALTERNATE·2 F~ 6, nt_In tlrt shift of Fin D.""",4 Zou c;;~tNge with tM dos""" of fin stQtio .. '2. This alternative inaeases the emergency service workload of Wee stations; '1, #5, and 1/6. This altemative would have. oignifkanl negative emergency service impact by leaving 16 Fir. Demand Zones not met within the targeted response time. 27b , • , -.. FIGURE '9a ANNUAL INSPEcnON CHANGES FOR ALTERNATIVE .2 6OO,.-___________________________ roo __________ _ a STAnoN t1 STAnoN STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION STATl()N fl ~ " fj ~ n n I_ EXlSTING INSPECTIONS • AL TERNA T1VE '2 Fil!'".lO", Comp"'" tM .... ".,,1 ;"sp.m"" dta"gts for Alt"",,,tiw '1. This figu.re indicates significant changes in liJe safely inpection work loads for stations 1/3, '5, and '6. FIGURE#9b HYDRANT MAINTENANCE CHANGES FOR ALTERNATIVE '2 STATION STATION STATION STATION STATION STAllON ST A'J1ON STATION fl ~ ~. N fj ~ n ~ !. EXISTING HYDRANT MAINT£NANCE • AllCRNA TIVE '2 FiIfllT.1Ob, Compares tM hydrant ",,,iltrmanu dtarrg •• for AllDJlamn '2. This figure indicates. significant change in hydrant moinlenance work load for .l.tion 113, 02% inaea>e). Z7c • ALTERIIATIVE: 13 DESCRJPTION: This alternative analyzes the relocation of Fire Station No.2 currently located at 2675 Hanover Street to the lower foothills at Page Mill Road and Arastradero Road, the relocation of the paramedic unit to a remaining station, and the relocation of Station No. 1 to a downtown site. The relocated Stat ion No. 2 construction, staffing, and operational costs would be shared jointly between Los Altos and Palo Alto. The addition of a fire station in Los Altos Hills has been discussed and the los Altos Hills Fire District owns I future station site in the area of Arastradero and Purissima Roads. The staffing for Palo Alto will be reduced by 4.5 persons, one-half of the nine personnel currently required to sUff Station No.2. The staffing costs of the remaining 4.5 persons would be shared with the Los Altos Hills fire District, through the los Altos Fire Department. Other funding options could be explored by the principals. EMERGENCY SERVICE IMPACTS: emergency service levels to This alternative provides IMPROVED the lower foothills residential area involved in the fire of July 1985, when 13 homes were destroyed. The relocation of Station No. 2 and the response coverage from Stations No.5 and 6, will MAINTAIN the overall service area travel time performance levels at 98.6 percent as provided by the existing fire station locations. There will be redistribution of ~~ergency response areas as follows: Station No.1 will increase response coverage by three FDZs, Statfon Ho. 2 staff will reduce response by ten lones, 28 , ' • .-.. - -.---" .. Station No.3 will reduce by two, Statlcn No.4 will be unchanged, Station No.5 will increase by seven, Station No.6 will Increase by nine, Station No.7 will be unchanged and Station No. a will be reduced by seven zones. See Map 16 and Figure #10. ND~-EMERGENCY SERVICE IMPACTS: Non-emergency services "ill be MAINTAINED and in one case IIo!J'ROVEO over current levels with the selection of this alternative. The 467 annual fire district Inspections assigned to Station No.2 will be maintained, and the lower foothills residential safety inspections in t~e lower foothi 11 s will be improved through the Los A Hos/Pa loA lto fi re stltion. ThIS alternative is a non-traditional solution to fire service efficiency and will require cooperative agreement by Fire Chiefs, City Managers and local elected officials. PERSONNEL REDUCTIONS AND COST SAVINGS: The relocation of Station Mo. 2, and the joint staffing concept would reduce the Palo Alto fire Department by 4.5 persons. In addition to saviogs realized by Palo Alto by sharing staffing and station operational costs with los Altos, and maintaining/replacing fewer fire engines. There would be an initial ccst to relocate/build a new consolidated Station No.2. This alternative is a significant step toward 'Operational Consolidation' of fire services in the Palo Alto/los Altos community, as promoted in the 1976 Study. Full consolidation could 29 • -> ... <~~ ., . . ~ -;..- extend savings in t~e areas of reduced management positions, unified dispatc~lng, cooperative equipment purchase and maintenance, improved training, standardized fire prevention and reduction in the cost of hazardous materials response. Personnel Reductions Palo Alto (4.5 positions) Personnel Increases to los Altos not included Engine Cost Reduction Palo Alto Building Reduction Palo Alto Revenue loss Stanford ON-GoING REDUCTIONS $320,204 10,000 12,500 003,77Q) $238.730 T~is alternative MAII/TAINS CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS of emergency and non-emergency servi.es. The emergency response impact appears to be absorbed within the capacity of Stations No. 5 and 6 and their ability to cover the relocated Station No.2 district within the targeted travel times in 98.6 percent of the service area. Non­ emergency services are retained through shared resources with los Altos to provide adequate fire prevention and hazardous materials inspections. This alternative REDUCES ON-GOING faE DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES, mainly through personnel reductions, and advances tile concept of regionalizing fire services. 30 • " , - ZONE MAP. ALTERNA11VE , 30. ALUBlSAll '$ tatiDn • 2~.Rtloc..atr taticm , 2·Rrloca~ onsolid"lr with L-U'D. t.mon , 3-Edsting Loc. tation • 4-Existing toe. tanon • 5-&istin, 1.oc. tmon , 6-&istIn, toe. talion , 7·Existin& Loe. tmon • &--Distil'S Loc. • --'.-"I'Il i I i I I ! J I .-'1. , " • :" .. FIGURE'lO , FDZ CHANGES FOR ALTERNATE'3 0 F 40 40 35 0 30 E 2S M A 20 N 15 0 10 Z 5 0 0 N E 5 STATION STATION STATION STATION STAOON STAOON STATION STATION ~ n ~ « ~ u V ~ I_ EXISTiNG -ALTERNATE-3 Figun '10, IlIustrQtes !h. shift of Fi .. v ..... "nd Zo ... CDrJertJgt. 'This figure indicafes orJy minor Increases in emergency servke work loads. 300 :-' .-. ",' -- '/ ALTlRNATln 14 DESCRJPTlO": This alternative combines the benefits of Alternathe 13 relocation of fire Station No.2 with the advantages of a joint consolidation of P~lo Alto Station No.4. currer.tly l~cated at 3600 Middlefield Road and Mountain View Station No.3, located at Rengstorff and Montecito Streets. It is proposed that the City of Palo Alto and Mountain View build a ne~ station in the general area of San Antonio and Middlefield Roads. The station would be staffed with personnel from both fire departments and serve districts in each City. It is also proposed to relocate Station No. 1 from 301 Alma to a downtown building site. selling or leasing the 301 Alma building. EMERGENCY SERVICE IMPACTS: This alternative retains the improved emergency service levels realized in ALTERNATIVE 13 and duplicates those advantages for both Palo Alto and Mountain View. while maintaining excellent Fire Demand Zone coverage with one less fire station. See Map 17 provided at the end of the chapter. There will be some redistribution of emergency response responsibilities as follows: Station No.1 will increase response coverage by two zones. Station No.2 will reduce response by ten zones. Statfon No.3 will increase by ten. Station No.4 win increase by 25. SUtion No.5 w"ill increase by 14. Station No.6 will increase by nine. Station No.7 will be unchanged. and Station No.8 will be reduced by seven zones. See Figure Ill. Noll-EMERGENCY 5ERVZt£ IMPACTS: His alternative would provide a 31 • .. ~->,,; ;/" "J"" challenge in maintaining the 508 annual fire prevention inspections of Palo Alto Station No.4 and those of Mountain ~iew Station No. 3. However, current Stations No.1 and 2 have similar inspection perfonnance requirements. The reassignment of these inspections can be made by the reassigning personnel from Engine-Z andlor Engine-4 to the Fire Prevention and Hazardous materials programs. PERSONNfL REDUCTIONS AND COST SAVINGS: The relocation of Palo Alto Stations No.2 and 4 with the joint staffing concept would save the City of Palo Alto 9 positions. Los Altos would have to increase staffing by 4.5 persons and Mountain View couTd reduce their staffing by 4.5 persons. In addition to on-going personnel savings, the snaring of facility and equipment costs will prove to be a cost reduction for the participating cities. This alternative is an aggressive step toward "Operational Consolidation." As indicated earlier, additional savings could be realized in the areas of management positions, dispatching, equipment purchase and maintenance, training, and fire prevention service costs where consolid~tion is pursued. Personnel Reductions Palo Alto (9 positions) Personnel Costs to Los Altas not included Personne1 Reductions Mt. View not included Engine Cost Reductions Building Cost Reductions 32 $640,41}() 20,000 25,000 Rev!nue lass Stanford ON-GOING KEDUCTION5 (207 676; $417.124 This al ternati ve MAINTAINS CURENT SZRnCE LEVUS (If emergency and non-~rgency services. The emergency response impact appears to be absorbed within the capacity of Stations No.5, 6 and 3 and their ability to cover the relocated SUtions 2 and 4. Non­ emergency services are retained through shared resources with los Altos and Mountain Y1ew to provide adequate fire prevention and hazardous materials inspections. T~ls aHernative REDUCES ON-GOING FIRE DEPARTMENT EXPEIIDrTURES. mainly through personnel reductions, and advances the concept of regionaliting fire services. 33 -I ~ ... MAP. I MAP # 71 334 _·····"'L· .. '--"'-' --_ ..... -;-' - • ~a: Sr.ations StldicwC!osed Reloc.at«i Stations CoasoIido:<d I 3 Dem.andZoTlf'S ""I covered AI TE&'SATE , • ~tion , l·Rltloulr: LtiitiOD' l-JtrlOC:lte E=onsoUdlk with lAFD. Lltion , .}..&is.tina Loc. tation .... Kd.gah! t:ol'l!soIidm with MVlD. lati~ , ,s..£xlstin&: toe. .. 6 ... , 6-Edotln& I.G<. I£tloa • ,.EQUna: toe:. UQOIl • J..E.dstin& Loc... . -.\ .' , : ~~ . . ".' ':«-~>-, .- • ,--, \" -' FIGUREfll , FDZ CHANGES FOR ALTERNATE.4 0 F 50 50 (5 0 40 E 35 M 30 A ZS N 20 0 15 10 Z 5 0 0 N E 5 STATlON STATION STATION STATION STATlON STATION STATION STATlON fl n ~ ~ ~ ~ V ~ ,_ EXISTING _ AlTERNATE ~4 Fipn ll, nrMSi'no~. tM ."ift of FiIT Dmuon4 Zorte cuo .... gt. 'This figures shows an rna ..... in err.ergency serv;", ""Olk load for Engine n. However, the capacity foe this reiocated station to serve double the FIre Demand Zone. Is a benefit 10 boLl, Cities of Palo Alto and Mountain View. 33b .. '. -!:......--~---.~ . RECOIo!MENDATION The Fire Station location Study indicates the highes~ level of fire a~d life safety services are currently provided from existing fire station locatillns (see p.8 para 3), HO"lever, the study finds alternatfve No. 4 ;s a ~niQue opportunity for improving fire services and reducing on-going expenditures for Palo Alto, los Altos Hills, and Mountain View (see 1'.31). In addition, the recent trends experienced by local economies compels the Palo Alto fire Department to consider a reach beyond historical jurisdictional boundaries to serve and be served by the greater strength and efficiency of multi-community resources. Therefore, Palo Alto fire service levels can be maintained. ana in some cases, improved through the pursuit of operational consolidation. The findings of this study indicates a strong petential for significant on-going expenditure savings, regional service level improvements, and a critical need to shift resources to meet new and growing service areas for Palo Alto and n~ighboring jurisdictions. The study did not include alternatives which would involve ~nlo Park Fire District ~erving Menlo Park, Atherton and fast Palo Alto, However, the same principles and benefits of operational consolidation apply to this area and are to be given future consideration. Respectfully submitted, Robert R. Wall FJRE CHIEF 34 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Pt'Oject Team: • • • • Fire Chief I/all, FOl"lTler Assistant Chief Van Der Maaten, Assistant Chief Grijalva, Fire Apparatus Operator Farnham, Fire Apparatus Operator Cutting, Fire Captain lindsey. and Firefighter Sell served as data collection team members, and the Chief officers of the fire Department served as the technical revie~ committee. Jim Steele of the finance Department also provided assistance assessing potential economical impacts and verifying on-going expenditure reduction estimates. Peter Jong of the rnfomati on Resources Department (IRD). was a valuable resource in providing technical support in handling the PTr software. The City of Mountain View Fire Chief Hugh Holden for his cooperation. The City of los Altos, Former Fire Chief John Sanders and Sta ff. 35 S!J!1MARY OPERATIONAL SAVINGS lTHOUs.NDS) Alt. 1 Al.i--Z All......l ~Jt. 4 PERSONNEL PALO ALTO 640 1.280 32() 640 • lOS ALTOS 0 0 320 320 MT. VIEW 0 0 0 320 APPARATUS PALO ALTO 20 40 10 20 LOS ALTOS 0 0 10 10 MT. VIEW 0 0 0 10 BUILDING OPERATION PALO ALTO 25 50 12.5 25 lOS ALTOS 0 0 12.5 12.5 MT. VIEW 0 0 0 12.5 REVENUE lOSS FROM ST4NFORD UNIVERSITY PALO ALTO 207 415 104 207 ON-GOING REDUCTIONS PALO ALTO 477 955 238 478 lOS ALTOS 0 0 342 342 HI. YlEW ....J! ~ -.0 ill TOTAL ON-GOING 477 955 580 1.152 * Note: SaYings for Mt. View and Los Altos are assumed to be as for Palo A Ito. , PEfINITIONS 1. ADVANCE LirE SUPPORT CALSI: A state standard of emergency medical service synOn)~OU5 with paramedic. 2. AIITClMATlt All): When two fi re agencies a~ree to respond to Incidents which occur in areas along common jurisdictional lines or boundaries. 3. BASIC LIFE SUPPORT (BLS): A state standard of emergency medical service provided by all fire fighters in Palo Alto and one level below paramedic. 4. CITV MANAGER REPORT ((MR): The acronym for all reports officially submitted to the Palo Alto Cfty Council. 5. EMERGENCY ME~ICAL TECHNICIAN lENT}: The level of training all Palo Alto Firefighters have attained and maintain. An EMT is trained to a lesser level than are paramedics. This is synonymous with definition item No.3, Basic life Support. 6. FUE DEMAND ZONE (FDII: A geographic area within a fi re department·s service area with vehicle access for predicting response times. A demand zone also has a defined, and expected, level of service based upon fire and life haurd and the value of the property to be protected. 7. JOINT RESPONSE: EQual In meaning to automatic aid. 37 • 8. MEDlc-l AND HEDIC-Z (M-l. "-21: The unit identifiers for the Palo Alto fire paramedic ambulance units. M-l is the primary uftit and M-2 is the reserve or back-up unit. 9. MuTUAL AZD: Agreed assistance given from one fire igency to another with the understanding that reclpr~al assistance is a.~ilable upon request. Mutual Aid agreements are currently in place between the Palo Alto fire Departm~nt lnd all bordering fire jurisdictions. Santa Chra and San Mateo Counties, and State-wide master mutual aid. 10. RESPONSE TIME: The time required for a emergency tire unit to be dispatched and respond trom it's assigned station, using red lights and siren, to a specific location or Fire Demand Zone. 11. SANTA CLARA VALLEY AMBULANCE ISCVAI: A paramedic provider on contract with the County of Santa Clara. 12. ST. CLAIR: The name of a basic life support (non-paramedic) ambulance service provider. 13. TRAVEL TINE: The time necessary for a fire engine to respond from the front ramp of Its assigned fire station, using red lights and siren, to a specific location or Fire Oemand Zone. 38