League of Women Voters Roseville Fire Department 2003 and Beyond

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Staffing ment showing up with 20-35 Staffing is a very important issue. firefighters. The incident man As of April 2003, the Roseville Fire agement system is used to coor Department had 63 available fire- dinate all personnel and equip fighters. The number is always ment.) changing. The city has budgeted for 4. Medical first responder 84 volunteer firefighters.All sta- 5. Emergency response to terror- tions are not staffed equally. Gear ism, basic concepts for a firefighter is located at a spe- cific station.Available means the The only certification that requires a firefighter is in the area but not nec- refresher course is the medical first essarily at the station. responder. The cost to the fire department to hire and train a new The following chart is dated volunteer firefighter is approximate- 3/31/03. ly $7,500. Station Firefighters Shortage Firefighters Shortage Available days Available nights 1.Lexington 11 1 13 0 2.Fairview 4 8 8 4 3.Dale 9 3 12 p The department is experiencing a Response Times shortage of volunteers especially for Response time improves when a the day shift.Also note that the station is staffed. When a station is Fairview station is seriously under- not staffed, the firefighter will trav- staffed. el from home or work. Training Currently the Fire Department only tracks response time for the first New firefighters receive the follow ing training paid for by the Fire wing Fire Department vehicle. In Department at a rate of$10.15 per most cases, this will be a chief offi- hour. cer in a car. The Roseville Police Department is the first responder in 1. Emergency vehicle driving this analysis. The fire engine will 2. Hazardous materials awareness usually arrive one to three minutes and operations after the first Fire Department 3. Incident management system responder. (This is a nationally recognized system that encompasses the Response Times for Fire Calls methods used to supervise emergency calls. It guides how 2002 2001 resources, such as personnel, Overall average 8:27 vehicles and equipment are 8:27 used and how to track and Critical calls for services 5:27 5:41 account for their safety. For tCritical calls for service are those that threaten life,property and the environment. example, at the scene of a house Note:The Roseville Police Department is the first responder because they are already fire, the person in charge is on patrol.Response times listed above are for Fire Department arrival. known as the Incident Commander. There will be five to seven pieces of fire equip- League of Women Voter RoMaFH 9 Roseville Fire Department 2003&Beyond