At
the request of the City of Rainbow City, Condrey and Associates, Inc. entered
into a contract with the city to conduct an organizational and management
assessment of the Rainbow City Fire Department. The objectives of the study
included:
1. Reviewing
the organizational structure and overall management of the Rainbow City Fire Department;
2.
Conducting an FLSA and overtime
application review and assessment;
3.
Providing
on-site subject matter experts to achieve 1 and 2 above;
4. Conducting
a benchmarking analysis of the department’s operations; and
5.
Providing
a written report outlining findings and recommendations.
In
April 2005, representatives of Condrey and Associates met with Rainbow City officials for information exchange,
delivery of employee position questionnaires, and preparation of a tentative
work schedule. In May 2005, Condrey and
Associates conducted on-site interviews with fire personnel, city officials,
and city staff members including the City Clerk and Payroll Clerk. Additionally, Condrey and Associates
collected and analyzed information concerning
the operation of comparable fire
departments on a state and national basis.
It should be noted that all Rainbow
City personnel conducted
themselves in a professional and courteous manner, and were helpful in the
information gathering process for this study.
The current
organizational structure of the Fire Department includes a Fire Chief, Fire
Marshal (at the time of report preparation, the Acting Fire Chief), three
Assistant Chiefs, six Station Captains, three Lieutenants, and nine
Firefighters. The current structure appears appropriate at present; however,
the City may wish to consider phasing out the position of Lieutenant through
attrition and replacing it with the position of Firefighter II. Additionally, the City may wish to consider
adopting National Firefighter Professional Qualifications (NFPQ) guidelines
allowing for a career ladder (rank in person rather than in position) for
entry-level firefighters to move to the position of Firefighter II based on
individual development objectives. Phasing out the position of Lieutenant and
replacing it with the career ladder position of Firefighter II will flatten the
department’s organizational structure, reducing the fire officer supervision
ratio from 14:9 to 11:12 and bringing the Department closer to state and
national norms concerning rank structure (see Table I).
Staffing
and Overtime Expense
The
fire department currently maintains a minimum staffing of seven (7) personnel
per shift for a total of twenty-one (21) positions. In order to maintain this staffing level,
off-duty personnel are required to work in place of any on-duty absences
resulting from time off for sick leave, vacation leave and other reasons. For the past fiscal year, the Fire Department
experienced $258,683 in overtime pay with a total of 22 employees in the
department. This expense is 23% of all
personnel expenditures for the department and represents a department average
overtime expenditure of $12,318 per eligible employee. For the same period, the Rainbow City Police
Department experienced $247,760 in overtime pay; 18% of payroll with a total of
33 department employees ($7,742 average per eligible employee). It is interesting to note, that after
overtime expense is added to base pay, the Acting Fire Chief was the fifth
lowest paid employee of the Rainbow City Fire Department for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2004.
Under
the current staffing arrangement, if an Assistant Fire Chief is off duty for an
assigned shift, another Assistant Fire Chief is called in to work that shift at
an overtime rate. In such instances,
Condrey and Associates recommends having one Captain function as the Officer in
charge for that shift and calling back a firefighter in order to maintain the
minimum staffing level in the department. Condrey and Associates also
recommends that the Department retain certified fire personnel from other
departments that will be willing to work vacant shifts as necessary. These part-time personnel would only be
compensated for the time they work with the City; this compensation would be at
a regular rather than an overtime rate. An alternative to employing part-time
personnel and regular employees on an overtime basis is to place all fire
personnel on a rotating, paid on-call basis, and only call these personnel in
to work if necessitated by a significant incident (assuring the City will meet
OSHA safety standards). Any combination
of these three staffing alternatives should significantly reduce department overtime
expense.
Rainbow City
currently compensates all employees of the Fire Department, except for the
acting Fire Chief, with overtime pay on a weekly basis. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act,
certified fire personnel qualify for the 207k partial exemption. Under this provision, the work period may be
extended up to a maximum of 28 days for the entire work cycle. Our recommendation is to pay any overtime
worked by certified fire department personnel, who are non-exempt under FLSA,
on a 28-day work cycle. Rainbow City
would continue to pay the normal hourly rate of pay each weekly pay period and
would only pay overtime every 4th pay period (at the end of the
28-day work cycle). The maximum number
of hours worked before being paid overtime is 212 hours in a 28-day work
cycle. Under the current work schedule
of 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off duty,
fire personnel will work either 216 hours (with four hours overtime)
during the 28-day work cycle, or 240 hours (with 28 hours overtime) during the
28-day work cycle. There will be two
shifts on the 216-hour schedule, and one shift on the 240-hour work schedule in
each 28-day cycle.
All employees of the
Fire Department currently receive 156 hours per year of overtime pay in their
“regular” work schedule. By changing
fire personnel to the 28-day pay cycle, the maximum overtime hours to be paid
for their “regular” work schedule is 148 hours.
If fire personnel take leave (vacation or sick) during the 28-day work
cycle, the law allows the employee to be paid at straight time rate instead of
at the overtime hourly rate, thereby reducing the threshold of the overtime
rate.
Changing to a 28-day pay cycle should allow for a departmental overtime
savings of over $25,000 per year.
After
reviewing the City’s current FLSA designations for the Fire Department, it
appears that the position of Assistant Fire Chief may be exempt under overtime
provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The City Attorney (in conjunction with a
labor attorney specializing in Fair Labor Standards Act compliance)
should review this position for a final determination of
exemption status. The current job description for the position
of Assistant Chief includes the following functions that fall into the Executive
Exempt category:
· Commands one of the three (3)
platoons of fire suppression personnel and the two (2) fire stations.
·
Responds
to emergencies and assumes command, coordinates and supervises the emergency
operations of all companies involved in fire suppression, rescue, and other
emergencies.
·
Coordinates
the activities of a platoon in order to maintain and support the operation of
department equipment, apparatus, and plant facilities so as to insure
operational readiness and longevity.
·
Plans
and coordinates the effective use of human resources in an effort to help meet
departmental objectives and goals.
·
Insures
that departmental policies, procedures, rules and regulations are implemented
and maintained.
·
Participates
in selection, disciplinary action, and other conclusive personnel actions.
·
Participates
in planning, organizing, training, fiscal management and the administration of
employee relations and the Equal Employment Opportunity policies of the
department.
·
Plans,
organizes, and prepares special reports or projects as required by the Fire
Chief.
·
Coordinates
and approves leave of assigned personnel in order to insure that adequate
minimum staffing levels are maintained.
·
Performs
other management functions as directed by the Fire Chief.
Based
on information provided by the Acting Fire Chief and interviews with Department
personnel (conducted by a subject matter expert with significant experience in
fire operations and management), the following duties were confirmed as being
performed by the position of Assistant Fire Chief:
·
Commands a shift (includes both stations)
·
Frequently exercises discretion and independent
judgment
·
Supervises six (6) employees on each shift
·
Regularly utilizes supervisory authority
·
Makes hiring recommendations (discusses with
Fire Chief)
·
Makes termination recommendations (discusses
with Fire Chief)
·
Makes promotional recommendations (discusses
with Fire Chief)
·
Reviews
disciplinary actions taken by the Captain; recommends resolution to the Fire
Chief
·
Trains
subordinate employees
·
Responds
to employee grievances
·
Allocates
work among employees
·
Works
under the very general supervision of the Fire Chief
If
the City Attorney, in consultation with a labor attorney specializing in FLSA compliance, concur that the position
of Assistant Fire Chief is exempt from overtime provisions of the Fair Labor
Standards Act, the potential direct savings in overtime compensation based
on the previous year’s experience is approximately $50,000. This amount would be offset by the cost to
hire part-time personnel, call back other lower-ranked personnel, or to require
personnel to be placed on call and only called back to duty as needed.
As part of our review of the Rainbow
City Fire Department, we conducted a performance and benchmarking analysis of
Fire Department services. The benefits
of performance measures are widely recognized in the management literature. Performance measures provide a means of
defining program service levels both at the operating level and the strategic
level. Additionally, performance
measures can clarify expectations and provide a rational methodology to report
and track program accomplishments to managers, citizens, and policymakers.
Benchmarking is a management tool to
compare performance measures.
Benchmarking allows management and employees the opportunity to see the
results of their efforts. Managers can
identify service areas where they are performing well, can improve performance
in service areas where their performance is below that of comparable
jurisdictions, and have data to assist in decision making.
The benchmarking analysis for the
City of Rainbow City
utilizes three peer groups. Peer Group
1 provides a statewide comparison that includes all Alabama municipalities
participating in the Auburn University’s Center for Governmental Services
Alabama League of Municipalities 2004
Alabama Municipal Salary and Benefits Survey for Municipalities over 2000
Population (July 2004). Participants are shown in Appendix A. Peer Group 2 provides a local comparison
by utilizing municipal fire districts selected by the City of Rainbow City Acting Fire
Chief. Peer Group 2 includes
the cities of Attalla, Boaz, Gardendale, Guntersville, and Mountain Brook. Peer Group 3 provides a national
comparison by including participants in the International City County Manager’s
Association’s Center for Performance Measurement’s Eighth Annual Report (November 2004).
The benchmark comparison includes
measures at the organization level that demonstrate results (efficiency,
effectiveness, and equity); are limited; responds to multiple priorities; and
link to responsible programs. Data was
collected internally and externally.
Appendix B defines specific terminology used in the discussion.
Staffing
Comparison
The purpose of the City of Rainbow City Fire Department is to provide the best
combined fire and rescue services to the citizens and visitors of Rainbow City, Alabama,
at the most economical rate to the taxpayers.
To accomplish this purpose, the department has twenty-two (22) active
full-time positions. The total combined
budget for the Fire Department and the Fire Protection Fund for the 2005 Fiscal
Year is $1,508,894. The capital
expenditure budget for the department for the 2005 Fiscal Year is $368,052.
In order to
comparatively assess the city’s fire department staffing with other municipalities,
we measured the full-time equivalents (FTEs) as a factor of population. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor
uses a comparison of FTEs per 10,000 population. Thus, 22 employees for Rainbow City’s population of 8,428 equals 26.10
employees per 10,000 residents. This
rate compares to the U.S.
Department of Labor mean of 10.98 employees and the 23.68 select
comparison of local Alabama
city average of employees.
Specifically, the City of Rainbow City’s
26.10 rate compares with Attalla’s 27.3, Boaz’s 18.9, Gardendale’s 23.7,
Guntersville’s 31.1, Mountain Brook’s
30.1.
Table 1: Rainbow City Staffing Comparison to Multiple Peer Groups
|
|
Rainbow City
|
Mean
|
Median
|
|
FTEs per
10,000 population – U.S. Department of Labor
|
|
|
All Fire -
All Alabama
jurisdictions
|
26.10
|
10.98
|
NA
|
|
FTEs per
10,000 population – Alabama Comparison Peer Group
|
|
|
Assistant
Fire Chief (n=28)
|
3.55
|
2.34
|
1.27
|
|
|
Fire
Captain (n=51)
|
7.12
|
2.84
|
2.52
|
|
|
Fire
Lieutenant
|
3.56
|
3.49
|
3.98
|
|
|
Firefighter
/ Paramedic
|
8.30
|
5.94
|
5.73
|
|
FTEs per
10,000 population – Alabama Comparison Peer Group 2
|
|
|
Assistant
Fire Chief
|
3.55
|
2.52
|
2.52
|
|
|
Fire
Captain
|
7.12
|
4.30
|
4.05
|
|
|
Fire
Lieutenant
|
3.56
|
3.78
|
3.78
|
|
|
All Fire
Personnel
|
26.10
|
23.68
|
26.70
|
|
FTEs per
1,000 population (ICMA Survey FY 2003)
|
|
|
Under
100,000 population – Fire Only
|
2.61
|
1.04
|
1.30
|
|
|
Under
100,000 population – Fire & EMS
|
2.61
|
1.48
|
1.49
|
|
|
All
population – Fire & EMS
|
2.61
|
1.61
|
1.50
|
Nationally, the comparative ICMA measure for Rainbow City’s 2.61 employees per 1,000
population (a different ratio) compares to a national average of 1.61 employees
per 1,000 population.
We also compared the
number of position classifications between departments. The City of Rainbow City has more
positions per 10,000 population than the average for the classifications of
Assistant Fire Chief, Fire Captain, Fire Lieutenant, and Firefighter /
Paramedic as compared to Peer Group 1 (all Alabama municipalities). Table 1 shows the comparison.
We also
measured minimum staffing for in-service equipment as compared to national averages.
The City of Rainbow City
appears in line or slightly below the national mean and median. Comparatively, the City of Rainbow City staffs in-service equipment for ladder
trucks at 3.0 employees to the national mean of 3.2
employees per truck. The city maintains
a staffing level of two employees for pumpers / engines compared to the national mean of
2.8 employees.
In order to access the cost of providing
fire and rescue services, we measured audited fire department
expenditures per capita. For
example, the city’s audited operating
and capital expenditures for fiscal year 2003 of $2,041,757 equals $242.25 per capita. The audited operating expenditures for fiscal year 2003 of $1,574,301 equal $186.79 per
capita. Comparatively, the
audited 2003 fiscal year totals for the select group of Alabama municipalities
were Boaz’s $106.35, Gardendale’s $42.30 (mostly volunteer), Guntersville’s
$145.75, and Mountain Brook’s $225.85.
Nationally, expenditures for personnel and operations per capita for
fire departments with no volunteers is $114.85 per capita. Rainbow
City’s per capita
expenditures were higher across the comparison peer groups during the audited
period analyzed.
The service comparison incorporates
standard measurements that are used nationally.
We also surveyed the select local group of Alabama cities to gather the same
indicators. The City of Rainbow City appears to be in line with national and
local comparisons and services. Appendix
D shows the local comparison and Appendix E shows the national comparison.
The city records superior performance means in the following:
·
Total
residential structure fire incidents
·
Total
residential structure fire incidents (confined to structure of origin)
·
Total
non-fire incidents per 1,000 population
·
Arson
and arson clearance rate
·
Fire
performance injuries with time lost per 1,000 incidents
·
Rescues
and recovers performed per 10,000 population (technical incidents); and
·
Percentage
of fire response times under five minutes from dispatch to arrival (all calls)
The city records performance measures less than the national means in the
following:
·
Fire
personnel and operating expenditures per capita (total)
·
Fire
personnel and operating expenditures per capita for departments with no volunteers; and
·
Total
fire incidents per 1,000 population served
The city’s capital assets are in line with national means for municipal
fire departments.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In summary, the city exceeds
national, regional, and local performance measures in service delivery. However, the department’s per capita
expenditures are high when compared to these same groups (see Appendices D and
E). This high cost can be primarily
attributed to excessive overtime expenditures, not a higher departmental
staffing level. Therefore, the
recommendations in this report should reduce departmental overtime expenditures
while allowing the department to maintain the same high level of service to the
citizens of Rainbow
City. In summary Condrey and Associates recommends:
1. Phase out the position of Lieutenant
through attrition to bring the department closer to state and national staffing
ratios related to supervision.
2. Adopt a career ladder policy allowing
firefighters to move from the position of Firefighter I to Firefighter II based
on professional development criteria.
3. Recruit certified fire personnel to
serve on an as-needed, part-time basis.
This policy will reduce overtime costs associated with shift absences.
4. Allow the Department to fill shift
absences with positions of lower rank.
For example, a Fire Captain would act as Assistant Chief on an assigned
shift instead of calling in another Assistant Chief to fill the shift
vacancy. Such a policy will allow for
the further professional development of Department personnel while reducing
overtime expenditures.
5. Consider a paid on-call status as a
means of covering shift absences.
6. Switch to a 28-day pay cycle as
allowed by the Fair Labor Standards Act.
7. The City Attorney, in consultation
with a labor attorney specializing in FLSA
compliance, should consider whether or not the position of Assistant Fire Chief
is exempt from overtime compensation as outlined in the Fair Labor Standards Act guidelines issued August 2004.
Implementing the above recommendations will allow the department to
continue to provide a high level of service to the citizens of Rainbow City, but at a cost level that is more
in keeping with state and national standards.
Peer Group 1:
Alabama Municipalities Participating in Annual Salary Survey
|
CITY
NAME
|
POPULATION
|
|
CITY
NAME
|
POPULATION
|
|
Alabaster
|
22,619
|
|
Jacksonville
|
8,404
|
|
Albertville
|
17,247
|
|
Jasper
|
14,052
|
|
Alexander City
|
15,008
|
|
Lafayette
|
3,234
|
|
Andaulsia
|
8,794
|
|
Leeds
|
10,455
|
|
Anniston
|
24,276
|
|
Madison
|
29,329
|
|
Ashville
|
2,260
|
|
Midfield
|
5,626
|
|
Atmore
|
7,676
|
|
Millbrook
|
10,386
|
|
Bay
Minette
|
7,820
|
|
Mobile
|
198,915
|
|
Bessemer
|
29,672
|
|
Montgomery
|
201,568
|
|
Boaz
|
7,411
|
|
Muscle
Shoals
|
11,924
|
|
Brewton
|
5,498
|
|
Northport
|
19,435
|
|
Childersburg
|
4,297
|
|
Opelika
|
23,498
|
|
Cullman
|
13,995
|
|
Ozark
|
15,119
|
|
Dadeville
|
3,212
|
|
Pelham
|
14,369
|
|
Daphne
|
16,581
|
|
Pell City
|
9,565
|
|
Decatur
|
53,929
|
|
Phenix City
|
28,265
|
|
Demopolis
|
7,540
|
|
Piedmont
|
5,120
|
|
Dothan
|
57,737
|
|
Prichard
|
28,633
|
|
East Brewton
|
2,496
|
|
Rainbow City
|
8,428
|
|
Enterprise
|
21,178
|
|
Rainsville
|
4,499
|
|
Eufaula
|
13,908
|
|
Russellville
|
8,971
|
|
Foley
|
7,590
|
|
Samson
|
2,071
|
|
Fort Payne
|
12,938
|
|
Saraland
|
12,288
|
|
Gadsden
|
38,978
|
|
Satsmusa
|
5,687
|
|
Gardendale
|
11,626
|
|
Sheffield
|
9,652
|
|
Graysville
|
2,344
|
|
Sumilton
|
2,665
|
|
Greenville
|
7,228
|
|
Sylacauga
|
12,616
|
|
Gulf Shores
|
5,044
|
|
Talladega
|
15,143
|
|
Guntersville
|
7,395
|
|
Tarrant
|
7,022
|
|
Harselle
|
12,019
|
|
Troy
|
13,935
|
|
Hoover
|
62,742
|
|
Trussville
|
12,924
|
|
Hueytown
|
15,364
|
|
Tuscaloosa
|
77,906
|
|
Huntsville
|
158,216
|
|
Vestavia Hills
|
24,476
|
|
Irondale
|
9,813
|
|
Winfield
|
4,540
|
SOURCE: Center for
Governmental Services, Auburn University and Alabama
League of Municipalities. 2004 Alabama
Municipal Salary and Benefits Survey for Municipalities over 2000 Population. July 2004.
Performance Measurement Terminology
|
Terminology
|
Definition
|
Examples
|
|
Input
|
Value of resources used to
produce an output
|
·
Dollars
budgeted/spent
·
Staff hours used
|
|
Output
|
Quantity or number of units
produced
Outputs are activity-oriented,
measurable, and usually under managerial control
Workload indicators, which are
external drivers of the city’s effort, are a subset of output indicators
|
Output:
·
Eligibility
interviews conducted
·
Library books
checked out
·
Children immunized
·
Prisoners boarded
·
Purchase orders
issued
Workload:
·
Number of clients
requesting service
|
|
Efficiency
|
Inputs used per unit of output
|
·
Plans reviewed per
reviewer
·
Cost per appraisal
|
|
Service Quality
|
Degree to which customers are
satisfied with a program, or how accurately or timely a service is provided
|
·
Percent of
respondents satisfied with service
·
Error rate per data
entry operator
·
Frequency of repeat
repairs
·
Average days to
address a facility work order
|
|
Outcome
|
Qualitative consequences
associated with a program or service. External forces can sometimes limit
managerial control. Outcome focuses on the ultimate “why” of providing a
service
|
·
Reduction in fire
deaths/injuries
·
Percent of job
trainees who hold a job for more than six months
·
Percent of juveniles
not reconvicted within 12 months
·
Adoption/redemption
rate of impounded animals
|
|
Median
|
Denoting the
middle term of a series arranged in order of magnitude, or (if there is no
middle term) the average of the middle two terms
|
For example, the
median number of the series 55, 62, 76, 85, 93 is 76.
|
|
Mean
|
the quotient of
the sum of several quantities and their number; an average
|
Mathematical Average
|
Fire
Department Characteristics
– Fiscal Years 2003 - 2005
|
CHARACTERISTICS
|
|
Fiscal Year
|
FY 2003
|
FY 2004
|
FY 2005
|
|
Residential Population
|
8,428
|
8,428
|
8,428
|
|
Total Full Time Employees
|
22
|
22
|
22
|
|
Total operating budget
|
2,041,757
|
1,501,694
|
1,508,894
|
|
ISO Rating
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
|
Square miles served
|
26
|
26
|
26
|
|
Population density per square mile
|
324
|
324
|
325
|
|
Land use of square miles served
|
|
|
Agricultural / open space
|
10
|
10
|
10
|
|
|
Residential
|
9
|
9
|
9
|
|
|
Commercial / Industrial
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
Services provided to area
|
|
|
Fire suppression services
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
EMS
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
Technical rescue services
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
Hazardous materials response
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
Automatic aid
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
|
Fire vehicle maintenance
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
|
Dispatch center management
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
|
Building permit issuance
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
Number of Stations
|
|
|
Fire suppression stations
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
Equipment
|
|
|
Number of ladder trucks
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
Reserve
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
Number of pumpers/engines
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
|
Reserve
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
Number of quints / comb
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
Reserve
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
Number of ambulances
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
Reserve
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Minimum Staffing for in-service equipment
|
|
|
Ladder trucks
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
Pumpers / engines
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
|
|
Quints / comb
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medic truck
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
Total Residential Structures
|
5000
|
5000
|
5000
|
|
Total Residential Structure Fire Incidents
|
12
|
24
|
|
|
Total Commercial and Industrial Structures
|
474
|
474
|
474
|
|
Total Arson Incidents
|
0
|
0
|
NA
|
|
Total Responses
|
1003
|
1287
|
NA
|
|
Total number of responses where response times under five
minutes from dispatch to arrival
|
1000
|
1280
|
NA
|
|
Total false alarms
|
63
|
41
|
NA
|
|
Total fire incidents
|
66
|
90
|
NA
|
|
Total fire incidents involving non-structures
|
51
|
64
|
NA
|
|
Total non-fire incidents
|
184
|
110
|
NA
|
|
Total rescues / technical
|
13
|
11
|
NA
|
|
Fire personnel injuries with time lost
|
0
|
0
|
NA
|
|
Fire personnel injuries hours lost
|
0
|
0
|
NA
|
|
Total residential structure fire incidents confined to
room of origin
|
6
|
|
NA
|
|
Total residential structure fire incidents confined to
structure of origin
|
12
|
24
|
NA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peer Group 2 Comparison for Fiscal Year 2004
|
CITIES
|
Boaz
|
Mountain Brook
|
Guntersville
|
Rainbow City
|
|
|
Residential
Population
|
7,411
|
20,604
|
7,395
|
8,428
|
|
|
Total Full-Time
Employees
|
14
|
62
|
23
|
22
|
|
|
Total operating
budget
|
750,000
|
4,000,000
|
1,213,500
|
1,501,694
|
|
|
ISO Rating
|
5
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
|
|
Square miles
served
|
15
|
14
|
146
|
26
|
|
|
Population
density per square mile
|
494
|
1,471
|
51
|
324
|
|
|
Land use of
square miles served
|
|
|
Agricultural /
open space
|
3
|
0
|
NA
|
19
|
|
|
|
Residential
|
8
|
13.5
|
NA
|
9
|
|
|
|
Commercial /
Industrial
|
4
|
.5
|
NA
|
7
|
|
|
Services provided
to area
|
|
|
Fire suppression
services
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
|
EMS
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
|
Technical rescue
services
|
Ö
|
No
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
|
Hazardous
materials response
|
Ö
|
No
|
Ö
|
Ö
|
|
|
Number of
Stations
|
|
|
Fire suppression
stations
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
Number of ladder
trucks
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
Reserve
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
Number of
pumpers/engines
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
2
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
|
|
|
Reserve
|
2
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
Total Residential
Structures
|
3000
|
7998
|
NA
|
5000
|
|
|
Total Residential
Structure Fire Incidents
|
18
|
15
|
72
|
24
|
|
|
Total Arson
Incidents
|
6
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
|
|
Total Responses
|
1320
|
3073
|
1700
|
1287
|
|
|
Total number of
responses where response times under five minutes from dispatch to arrival
|
1320
|
NA
|
700
|
1280
|
|
|
Total false
alarms
|
71
|
50
|
80
|
41
|
|
|
Total fire
incidents
|
86
|
59
|
350
|
90
|
|
|
Total fire
incidents involving non-structures
|
62
|
44
|
275
|
64
|
|
|
Total non-fire
incidents
|
1234
|
3000
|
1350
|
110
|
|
|
Total rescues /
technical
|
46
|
0
|
23
|
11
|
|
|
Fire personnel
injuries with time lost
|
0
|
NA
|
NA
|
0
|
|
|
Fire personnel
injuries hours lost
|
0
|
1500
|
NA
|
0
|
|
|
Total residential
structure fire incidents confined to room of origin
|
13
|
NA
|
NA
|
24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
National
Comparison using ICMA Survey Results
|
Benchmark Measurement
|
Rainbow City
(FY 2003 Audit)
|
Mean
|
Median
|
|
Equipment
|
|
|
Number of ladder trucks
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
Reserve
|
1.0
|
0.4
|
0.0
|
|
|
Number of pumpers/engines
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
3.0
|
4.2
|
4.5
|
|
|
|
Reserve
|
2.0
|
1.6
|
2.0
|
|
|
Number of quints / comb
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
0.0
|
0.7
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
Reserve
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
|
|
Number of ambulances
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-service
|
0.0
|
1.9
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
Reserve
|
0.0
|
0.8
|
0.0
|
|
Minimum Staffing for in-service equipment
|
|
|
Ladder trucks
|
3.0
|
3.2
|
3.0
|
