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<br />~ <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br />EN HILLS <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />March 17, 2008 <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Mayor and City Council <br />Jim Willis, Interim City Administrat~ <br /> <br />Greg Hoag, Public Works Director <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />SUBJECT: <br /> <br />Lake Johanna Fire Department, Needs Assessment Study <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />In July 2007 the Lake Johanna Fire Department Board of Directors reviewed the Fire <br />Departments 2008 budget requests. Included in the budget was a request to add a full time <br />Deputy Fire Chief position. The Cities of Arden Hills and North Oaks expressed concern about <br />the increases in the proposed budget. Board member McClung suggested looking at this new <br />position as part of a longer range staffing and service plan for the department. <br /> <br />At the August 2007 Board of Directors meeting Chief Boehlke presented a revised budget with <br />the Full Time Deputy Chief position eliminated. The Board adopted this revised budget. Also at <br />the August Board meeting the Chief presented the Board with the first draft of the departments <br />Long Range Plan document. (Attached) This document was prepared at the Board of Directors <br />request to put future budget requests into a framework and long range plan for the Department. <br />A Department wide Needs Assessment is one of the top priorities in the Long Range Plan. <br /> <br />Board Member McClung suggested that the Needs Assessment become the first priority. Other <br />Board members concurred. It was the consensus of the Board to begin the process of developing <br />a request for proposals (RFP) for this study. A draft RFP was discussed by the Board at their <br />November 2007 and January 2008 meetings. (Draft RFP Attached) In early February 2008 the <br />draft RFP was circulated to the Board of Directors with the intention of finalizing and sending it <br />out for proposals. Board Member McClung requested time to present the draft to the Arden <br />Hills City Council for review prior to being sent out for proposals. <br /> <br />Studies of this type are becoming very useful for Fire Departments throughout the United States <br />as the number of calls for service increase and it becomes harder to find available firefighters. <br />These studies typically review station locations as they relate to where firefighters live, overall <br />response protocols from existing fire stations, review and make recommendations on alternative <br />