HomeMy WebLinkAboutPower Point Presentation to BOS 111914_201411200851232138Conclusions and
Recommendations
New Fire Station Work Group
Presentation to Nantucket Board of Selectmen
November 19, 2014
Work Group’s Charge
•Advise on plans for new fire station at 4 FG
•Explore feasibility of other potential sites
•Submit recommendations to BOS
•Assist with public outreach and education
Presentation Outline
•Our unanimous conclusions
•Why a new fire station is needed
•Rationale for locating it at 4 Fairgrounds
•Long-range opportunities we identified
Conclusions
•Present fire station is functionally obsolete
and so must be replaced
•New facility can be based on update of the
2008 design
•Most cost-effective location: 4 Fairgrounds
•Estimated cost: $14.74 m (rising +4%/yr.)
•Cost saving possible through cost engineering,
eventual Pleasant St. property sale
The Need for a New Fire Station
•Safety: Staff safety within building; pedestrian
safety on Pleasant St. and Sparks Ave.
•Mission: Growing service volumes and evolving
position skills make current facility unworkable.
•Employee requirements: NFD cannot conduct
mandatory training, house present and future
staff, accommodate female employees.
•Traffic congestion: Impairs response times.
Rationale for 4 FG Location
•Economic: The infrastructure in place as
originally intended (“plug & play”)
•Functional: More space, configured to
meet present & future needs
•Locational: Well situated to respond to
foreseeable calls over next 20 years
Four Ongoing Challenges
•Fire Prevention:
Maintain rigorous ongoing inspections
Respond quickly to alarm & hazard calls
•Medical Emergencies:
Field specialized EMT personnel
Maintain ongoing quick-response availability
•Response-time Metrics: Strive to improve
•Resilience: Meet concurrent emergencies
Immediate Recommendations
•Have Town Counsel craft 2015 ATM article seeking
approval to fund $15m design & construction costs
•Fund necessary architectural & engineering studies
to update 2008 plans, seeking cost savings
•Charge Work Group to assist in necessary public
education & outreach
•Form an inclusive committee to advise on space
needs
Long-Range Recommendations
Partner with Worcester Polytech’s
Nantucket Project Center to:
Discover hypothetical satellite locations that
could improve summer response times
Explore potential operational changes
Retain Pleasant St. land for now
Use proceeds of any future sale to retire
debt incurred to build new facility
BACKUP SLIDES FOLLOW
NFD’s Expanded Responsibilities
•Core mission: To protect the lives and
property of our residents and visitors
•Services have expanded to cover:
Preventing fires through rigorous inspections
Responding to alarm calls
Seasonal EMT volumes
•EMT staff require multiple certifications
Response Time Metrics Matter
Source: NFD annual run statistics.
NFD Prevention Efforts Have Paid Off
Source: NFD call data.
Instead . . . More Fire Alarm & Hazard Calls
Source: NFD call data.
And a Further 1,200+ EMS Calls Annually
Source: NFD call data.
Strengthening Resilience
•Nantucket faces distinctive challenges:
Fewer available “call” personnel than in past
Cannot “borrow” size from neighboring FDs
•Summer traffic congestion
•Multiple concurrent emergency calls
strain resources
Concurrent Emergency Calls
Strain NFD’s Resources
Concurrent Call Episodes Strain Resources
Source: NFD call data.
Summer Traffic Congestion
Degrades Response Times
Emergency response times >10 min.
(170 non-concurrent calls June-August 2013)
56%
Distance
44%
Summer
traffic
congestion
FURTHER DETAIL
Concurrent Emergency Calls
Response time exceeded 10 min. for 29%
of ALL 2,718 Emergency Calls in 2013
. . . For 37% of all 731 CONCURRENT (2+) Calls
. . . For 44% of the 133 3+ CONCURRENT Calls
. . . And Half of the 35 4+ CONCURRENT Calls
(Averaging an episode every 21 days)