Webinar Third Fire Service Needs Assessment Dr. John R. Hall, Jr.

1. Webinar Third Fire Service Needs Assessment Dr. John R. Hall, Jr. National Fire Protection Association August 2011

2. How Do We Define Need? • We don’t ask fire chiefs to tell us what they consider their needs. • We ask what resources they have and then compare those resources to what existing standards or other national guidance says they ought to have. • That tells us whether an individual fire department has a need for a particular resource, whether it be training or equipment or programs or apparatus or stations.

3. How Do We Define Need? • For need statistics, we calculate what percentage of departments have a specific need. • We don’t weight departments by the number of firefighters having the need or the number of protected people affected by the department’s need. • That means the many small rural departments tend to dominate the statistics on all departments combined. • Note how needs vary by size of population protected

4. Background • Fire service needs assessment surveys have been conducted by NFPA in 2001, 2005, and 2010. • First two studies were sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration, as directed by U.S. Congress. • First study was authorized by the same legislation that created the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

5. Background • Latest study had about 4,700 fire department responses (about 1/6 of all local U.S. departments). • That response rate is good for national results and okay for results by size of community (population protected). • The response rate is marginal for most states.

6. Background • First study took place around the time of the 9/11 attacks. • Council on Foreign Relations used results in first study as primary data source in estimating costs of improving preparedness.

7. Would you like to know more? • Go to www.nfpa.org/needsassessment for free access to: • The 200+ page full report, including extensive results by size of community. • National and state reports from the two earlier studies. • State reports for the latest needs assessment study will be released in October. • General and topic-specific fact sheets derived from the main studies, as they become available. • A copy of this presentation.

8. Training – Structural Firefighting • 46% of all departments responsible for structural firefighting have not formally trained all involved personnel. • This is down from 55% in 2001 and 53% in 2005. • The need is decreasing but still substantial.

9. Training – Structural Firefighting • Only 3-8% of all departments protecting 25,000 or more population have not formally trained all involved personnel.

10. Training – Structural Firefighting • The percent of departments that have not formally trained all involved personnel rises rapidly for smaller communities.

11. Training – Emergency Medical Service • 48% of all departments responsible for emergency medical service have not formally trained all involved personnel. • This is down from 54% in 2001 and 53% in 2005. • The need is decreasing but still substantial.

12. Training – Hazardous Material Response • 65% of all departments responsible for hazardous material response have not formally trained all involved personnel. • This is down from 73% in 2001 and 71% in 2005. • The need is decreasing but still substantial.

13. Training – Wildland Firefighting • 68% of all departments responsible for wildland firefighting have not formally trained all involved personnel. • This is down from 75% in 2001 and 74% in 2005. • The need is decreasing but still substantial.

14. Training – Technical Rescue • 85% of all departments responsible for technical rescue have not formally trained all involved personnel. • This is down from 88% in 2001 and 88% in 2005. • The need is slightly decreasing but nearly unchanged.

15. Program to Maintain BasicFirefighter Fitness and Health • 70% of all departments do not have a program to maintain basic firefighter fitness and health. • This is down from 80% in 2001 and 76% in 2005.

16. Adequacy of Personnel • You need enough staffed stations to provide adequate speed of response. • We evaluate this against the response speed and distance guidance provided by the Insurance Service Office. • You need enough people at a structure fire to provide a safe and effective interior attack. • We evaluate this against NFPA 1710 and NFPA 1720. • Some departments need enough people to handle two or more simultaneous calls. • We do not evaluate this need.

17. Adequacy of Staffed Stations • Most departments do not have enough staffed stations, regardless of size of community. Percent without enough staffed stations: • 76% for under 5,000 population; • 63% for 5,000 to 10,000 population; • 76% for 10,000 to 25,000 population; • 70% for 25,000 to 50,000 population; • 63% for 50,000 to 100,000 population; • 72% for 100,000 to 250,000 population; • 82% for 250,000 to 500,000 population; and • 77% for at least 500,000 population.

18. Adequacy of Staffing on Apparatus • We focused on population-size intervals where most firefighters are career firefighters. • We see progress in reducing need for departments protecting at least 250,000 population: • 23% of departments did not assign at least four career firefighters to an engine or pumper. Down from 36% in 2001 and 33% in 2005. • We see little change and much higher need for departments protecting 50,000 to 250,000 population: • 67% of departments did not assign at least four career firefighters to an engine or pumper. Largely unchanged from 70% in 2001 and 67% in 2005.

19. Personal Protective or Firefighting Equipment • Here is where we saw the largest reductions in need … and the largest shares of grants and grant funds under the AFG program. • We looked at four types of equipment: • Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) • Personal alert safety system (PASS) devices • Personal protective clothing • Portable radios

20. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) • 52% of departments do not have enough self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to equip all firefighters. • This is down from 70% in 2001 and 60% in 2005. • 55% of departments have some SCBA that is at least 10 years old.

21. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) • 0-8% of departments protecting 25,000 or more population do not have enough SCBA to equip all firefighters.

22. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) • The percent of departments that do not have sufficient SCBA rises rapidly for smaller communities.

23. Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) Devices • 39% of departments do not have enough PASS devices to equip all emergency responders. • This is down from 62% in 2001 and 48% in 2005. • The need is decreasing.

24. Personal Protective Clothing • 9% of departments do not have enough personal protective clothing to equip all emergency responders. • This is down from 15% in 2001 and 11% in 2005. • 63% of departments have some personal protective equipment that is at least 10 years old.

25. Portable Radios • 51% of departments do not have enough portable radios to equip all emergency responders. • For 63% not all radios are intrinsically safe in an explosive atmosphere. • For 59% not all radios are equipped with water resistance.

26. Fire Stations • 44% of departments do not have backup power for their stations • 66% of departments do not have exhaust emission control for their stations • As noted earlier, there is no sign of extensive building of additional stations to add companies • There also is no sign of extensive building of replacement stations. • 38% of stations were at least 40 years old in 2010, up from 32% in 2001 and 36% in 2005. We are not holding the line on aging stations.

27. Fire Apparatus(Engines and Pumpers) • 46% of engines and pumpers are at least 15 years old. We are holding the line on aging fire apparatus. • 11% of engines are at least 30 years old. 66% of older engines are in communities with under 2,500 population.

28. Fire Apparatus(Engines and Pumpers) • The percentage of AFG grant funds used to purchase apparatus has been highest for the smallest communities. • These purchases have also helped communities under 2,500 population to reduce their reliance on converted vehicles.

29. Planning for Unusually Challenging Incidents • Most departments have responsibility for one or more of the following types of unusually challenging incidents: • Structural collapse of building w/ 50 occupants (62% of departments said they were responsible) • Chemical/biological agent incident w/ 10 injuries (64%) • Wildland/urban interface fire affecting 500 acres (53%) • Mitigation of a developing major flood (28%) • Very few departments can handle any of these incidents using only local specially trained personnel and local specialized equipment.

30. Planning for Unusually Challenging Incidents • Increasing percentages of departments now have written agreements for working with others on such incidents. • Especially true for wildland/urban interface incidents. • National authorities have long taken the lead in facilitating the creation and maintenance of such written agreements. • The survey did not ask: • How prepared is department to perform its role in such an agreement ? • Does department perform any simulations or exercises to test readiness to execute such agreements?

31. Planning for Unusually Challenging Incidents • 55% of departments responsible for technical rescue and EMS at a structural collapse incident with 50 occupants do not have a written agreement for working with others.

32. Planning for Unusually Challenging Incidents • 51% of departments responsible for hazardous material response and EMS at a chemical/biological agent incident with 10 injuries do not have a written agreement for working with others.

33. Planning for Unusually Challenging Incidents • 39% of departments responsible for a wildland/urban interface fire affecting 500 acres do not have a written agreement for working with others.

34. Planning for Unusually Challenging Incidents • 50% of departments responsible for mitigating a developing major flood do not have a written agreement for working with others.

35. Fire Prevention Programs • 52% of departments have no program for free distribution of home smoke alarms.

36. Fire Prevention Programs • 49% of departments have no involvement in plans review.

37. Fire Prevention Programs • 35% of departments report that they have no school fire safety education program based on a national model curriculum.

38. Fire Prevention Programs • Caution: Other information available to us suggests that the real percent of departments without a national fire safety curriculum in place is much higher. • We think that many fire departments reported having a school program without closely checking on the specific wording of the question. • This could mean that fire departments counted school programs that don’t do much more than provide a couple safety messages and introduce children to firefighters.

39. Fire Prevention Programs • 24% of departments report no one conducts fire-code inspections in the community.

40. Summary of Main Findings • Great deal of progress in reducing needs • Remaining needs are still large. • Largest need reductions are for resources with largest shares of grants and grant funds under AFG and SAFER grant programs. • These grant programs have been • Effective and cost-effective • Essential for the fire service to safely and effectively address responsibilities and challenges of the 21st century.

41. Summary of Main Findings • Needs are greater in smaller communities • That is, a larger percentage of those departments did not have needed resources, for nearly every type of resource we asked about. • Especially the all-volunteer departments protecting communities with less than 2,500 population. • Progress in reducing needs across the board • From the largest city departments to the smallest rural departments. • Note the extent of the progress • But also note the magnitude of the job still ahead.

42. Summary of Main Findings • We have not only come a long way. • We have found a way forward that can take us to the goal we all support: • A national fire service fully capable of protecting the lives, health and property of our communities against all the threats and hazards our communities have asked us to address. • But success requires continued momentum and commitment • From local budgets to national grants. • In our lifetimes, we have never faced a more difficult economic climate to pursue this goal.

43. Summary of Main Findings • Success requires more than our energy and commitment. • It requires us to persuade others to play their parts. • Local and state officials • Private-sector partners and allies • Our fellow citizens • Making that case begins with a solid and compelling set of facts. • That is what the Fire Service Needs Assessment reports provide.

44. Summary of Main Findings • Making your case may require more than a 200+ page comprehensive national report on fire service needs. • You may need materials focused on: • Your size of community; • Your type of department; • Your part of the country; • Specific types of resources to meet specific needs. • NFPA is committed to translating national results into persuasive, customized facts and arguments.

45. Summary of Main Findings • You have many allies, partners and advocates at the national level: • NFPA • CFSI • IAFC • IAFF • NVFC • Forgive me for not listing everyone • With the fire service needs assessments, we have uniquely powerful tools. Let us help you make your case.