Loading...
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)