HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-27 City Council Workshop PacketAGENDA
MAPLEWOOD CITY COUNCIL
MANAGER WORKSHOP
6:15 P.M. Monday, February 27, 2023
City Hall, Council Chambers
A. CALL TO ORDER
B. ROLL CALL
C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
E. NEW BUSINESS
Fire/EMS Study and Staffing Plan Update
F. ADJOURNMENT
RULES OF CIVILITY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND OUR COMMUNITY
Following are rules of civility the City of Maplewood expects of everyone appearing at Council Meetings - elected
officials, staff and citizens. It is hoped that by following these simple rules, everyone's opinions can be heard
and understood in a reasonable manner. We appreciate the fact that when appearing at Council meetings, it is
understood that everyone will follow these principles:
Speak only for yourself, not for other council members or citizens - unless specifically tasked by your colleagues
to speak for the group or for citizens in the form of a petition.
Show respect during comments and/or discussions, listen actively and do not interrupt or talk amongst each
other.
Be respectful of the process, keeping order and decorum. Do not be critical of council members, staff or others
in public.
Be respectful of each other's time keeping remarks brief, to the point and non -repetitive.
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CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date February 27, 2023
REPORT TO: Melinda Coleman
REPORT FROM: Michael Mondor, Fire and EMS Chief
PRESENTER: Michael Mondor, Fire and EMS Chief
AGENDA ITEM: Fire/EMS Study and Staffing Plan Update
Action Requested: ❑ Motion ✓ Discussion ❑ Public Hearing
Form of Action: ❑ Resolution ❑ Ordinance ❑ Contract/Agreement ❑ Proclamation
Policy Issue:
The fire department is experiencing increasing call volumes and demand for services. The
department's existing staffing levels should be reviewed given current system demands and future
considerations should be discussed to prepare the department to respond to the community's
current and future Fire/EMS needs.
Recommended Action:
No action is required at the Workshop. Council will consider the recommendations and future
considerations for the fire department staffing plan.
Fiscal Impact:
Is There a Fiscal Impact? ✓ No ❑ Yes, the true or estimated cost is $0.00
Financing source(s): ❑ Adopted Budget ❑ Budget Modification ❑ New Revenue Source
❑ Use of Reserves ❑ Other: N/A
Strategic Plan Relevance:
❑ Community Inclusiveness ❑ Financial & Asset Mgmt. ❑ Environmental Stewardship
❑ Integrated Communication ✓ Operational Effectiveness ❑ Targeted Redevelopment
The fire department has worked to support the city's culture that is built on trust and conveys clearly
identified goals and expectations. This presentation will focus on adopted performance
measurement strategies, data analysis and industry best practices. The considerations provided
would enhance overall department operational effectiveness and achieve established performance
measurement standards.
Background
The fire department has experienced several milestones over the past 11 years. In 2011, the
department transitioned from a combination of paid -on -call and full-time employee's to a
combination of full-time and part-time employees who staffed 3 fire stations 24 hours a day. As call
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volumes grew, staff began having internal staffing discussions. These conversations led to the
creation of the Fire/EMS Workgroup in 2016.
The Fire/EMS Workgroup was comprised of 5 residents, fire department staff, labor, administration
and senior management. The group invested more than 450 hours in studying department
operations and created a framework in which to guide the future of Fire/EMS Operations. The
framework included:
1. The desire to ensure Excellence in Service Delivery, and
2. The need to provide Responsible Stewardship of Public Resources and,
3. That the standard of fairness applied to those delivering Fire/EMS Service and those
receiving Fire/EMS Services.
The entire report was delivered to City Council on May 41", 2016. One result from the Fire/EMS
Workgroup was the completion of the Fire Station Location and Operational Review. In 2017, the
City hired Fitch and Associates to conduct a third party assessment of fire station locations and an
overall operational review. The Fitch study reviewed community response history, community
demand, historical fire department performance, response times, staff schedules, station reliability,
station locations, resource deployment and the viability of public/private partnerships.
Ultimately, a series of recommendations were presented to City Council on January 251", 2018.
• Transition from part-time employee group to full-time employees
• Adopt alternative 3 or 2 to provide the most efficient performance and coverage
• Reallocate resources from the Central Station to the North Station
• Deploy a peak -load ambulance 7 days a week
• Deploy a battalion chief for command and control on at least nights
• Reorganize the department's administrative structure as the chief officers attrition
• Consider upgrading the administrative assistant position to a full-time position
• Delay consideration for public -private partnerships for EMS at this time
Staff have implemented a majority of the recommendations over the past 4 years and continue to
work on operationalizing all recommendations included in the plan.
• 2018-Transitioned to a full-time staffing model, adopting alternative 3 of the Fitch
Recommendations which allows the department to staff 27 line staff.
• 2021-Reorganized the department's administrative structure as the chief officers attrition
• 2021-2022-Reallocated resources from the Central Station to the North Station
• 2022-Upgraded the department's administrative assistant position to a full-time position
At the January 25t", 2018 City Council Meeting, City Council also adopted a system performance
measurement of 8 minutes travel time to emergency (lights and siren) incidents for 90% of all
incidents. This means that the department should respond to 90% of emergency incidents in 8
minutes or less.
The department's current performance has ranged from 81.59%-90.66% since 2019. This
measurement is communicated quarterly as part of the City's strategic planning platform, Envisio.
With increased call volumes the department has experienced a decreased ability to meet this
standard, in 2022 the department's performance ranged from 81.59% to 84.67%.
The fire department is currently facing challenges relating overall staffing in the face of increasing
call volume. At the June 27, 2022 City Council Workshop, staff presented the City Council with a
staffing update that overviewed the history, current state and future considerations. The future
considerations included 3 steps:
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Step 1: Address Shift Relief Factor:
• Relief Factor: The department's margin between minimum and maximum staffing levels did
not have the capacity to absorb short or long term absences due to employee vacancies,
vacation, sick, Family Medical Leave Act time, injuries, etc.
• Mandations: The department had experienced an increase in the times that employees
were placed on mandatory overtime to cover shift vacancies. The fire department assigned
104 mandatory shifts in 2022.
At the June 27, 2022 City Council Workshop, staff also presented the following as future
considerations.
Step 2: Add an additional response unit:
Step 3: Discuss Baseline Readiness Levels
In the 2023 budget, the City Council approved the addition of 3 personnel (Step 1) to address the
fire department's relief factor which will reduce mandations and increase the department's capacity
to absorb short and long term absences while maintaining minimum staffing levels.
At the February 27, 2023 City Council Workshop, staff will present an update including the history,
current state and future considerations. Future considerations include:
Step 2: Add an additional response unit:
• The addition of an additional response unit will increase the department's ability to meet the
adopted response time performance measurement and to ensure that there are an
adequate number of resources to respond to increasing call volumes. The department has
experienced a 32% call increase since the completion of the Fitch Study, responding to
7,570 emergency incidents in 2022. Fitch (2017) projected that the fire department will
respond to 9,000 calls for service by 2025, which aligns with updated projections based on
staff analysis and call forecasting.
• Additionally, the fire department is not currently able to meet response time performance
standards as previously discussed in this report. An added response unit will add capacity
to address the response time performance.
Step 3: Discuss Baseline Readiness Levels
• Consider 3 person staffing at each station (North and South). Fitch (2017) recommended
that the city consider 3 person staffing at each station.
o Added ability to assemble an initial action crew when responding to emergency
incidents such as fire incidents, vehicle extrication and other complex incidents.
o Ability to send single (3-person unit) to added incidents, thus creating added
response capacity for the Fire/EMS response system.
o Ability to handle complex EMS calls without needing to take a unit out of service.
o Increased ability to meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules and
National Fire Protection Association standards.
Staff have considered the financial impacts of implementing any of the future considerations.
Current programs exist to assist municipalities with fire department staffing. The Federal
Government established the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER)
to provide funding directly to fire departments to help them increase or maintain the number of
trained, "front line" firefighter/EMS providers available in their communities.
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The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire departments' abilities to comply with staffing,
response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA).
It was announced this month, that the Fiscal Year 2022 SAFER grant process would open on
February 13, 2023 and close on March 17, 2023. Staff believe that applying for the SAFER grant
should be considered as part of the future staffing considerations discussion. The SAFER grant
funds 100% of the costs associated with new positions for 3 years, upon completion of the 3 years
grant performance period, the city would be responsible for maintaining those positions.
While the SAFER grant is one funding option, the grant is not guaranteed and staff recommend
considering additional staffing regardless of grant funding. Staff will present good, better, best
considerations for the city council to consider as the department determines next steps regarding
fire department staffing.
Attachments
1. Presentation
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