Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.25.11 Work Session Minutes Council Workshop Minutes Fire Department Budget May 25, 2011 Mayor Larson called the workshop to order at 3:08 p.m. Present: Larson, Bartholomay, Donnelly, Fogarty, May Also Present: Tim Pietsch, Fire Chief; Kevin Schorzman, City Engineer; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant MOTION by Fogarty, second by Donnelly to approve the agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. The Fire Department recently completed an ISO audit and the results will be available in four weeks. Fire Chief Tim Pietsch noted we do have some deficiencies. One is the pumper engine. We have two stations and two engines. If an engine goes down, the station is down. This hinders the frrefighting capabilities. It makes it difficult to do inside frrefighting or rescue operations. The other item is a ladder truck. There are nine buildings in the community that are three stories or more that present some issues. They called Lakeville for a structure frre this week. These are big ticket items. A pumper engine is $400,000 - $500,000 and a ladder truck is $750,000. Everyone's insurance is based on the ISO rating. The City is currently at a 5. Farmington is receiving the maximum credit for the City's water system and the Dakota Communications Center. There is not enough pumping capacity to contain a fire at City Hall because of the pumper engines. The engine at station 2 is scheduled to be replaced in one or two years. At that time it will be 20 years old. There is no funding set aside to do that. It would be nice if there was an equipment apparatus fund. The City collects money from the townships for frre services and that goes into the general fund. Approximately 20% ofthe frre budget is covered by the townships. Engine 2 at station 2 is a top priority. The City has recently entered into an agreement with Castle Rock for a set fee for frre services. A new pumper engine would be at station 2. They would combine the rescue truck and the pumper engine into one and keep the current engine as a backup. The City could purchase a used truck and save 25%. A new truck would have to be equipped as the backup truck would also have to be equipped. Staffhas tried to obtain grants, but some outstate cities have equipment 40 years old so they have a greater need. We have a very good ISO rating. The best is 1 and 9 is the worst. The average homeowner would save $20/year on their insurance if the City went from a 5 to a 4 rating. Ifwe could get $10 from every household, it could go towards a new engine or ladder truck. Staff has talked about becoming a Fire District. The Fire Department would be governed by a board and become their own taxing district. This would eliminate the Council having to worry about the Fire Department budget and pensions. If the pension is not covered, since the Fire Department is a taxing district, the taxes would go up. West S1. Paul and South St. Paul merged and became South Metro Fire and became a Fire District. The board is comprised of people from West S1. Paul and South St. Paul. South Metro is a full time Fire Department. One chief retired and they eliminated that position. The Fire Chief stated it would be nice to have a county-wide department as we already have mutual aid with all departments in Dakota County. Council noted a Fire District is just a shift. Ifwe merged with Lakeville it would help the rating because they have a ladder truck. 22 Council Workshop Minutes May 25, 2011 Page 2 The Fire Department is looking at going to a duty crew set-up. A duty crew is four members on in the prime time or daytime as those are the hours we struggle with for coverage. With four members you can get an initial fIre attack and cover medical needs. It would make the response time less. These would be 20 hours/week paid positions. A duty crew of four members for fIve days would amount to $76,000/year. This would double the part time salaries. The Fire Chief felt we could get four members from the current staff. The Fire Department would like to add an additional Monday night training drill per month. Currently they train on the 2nd and 4th Monday and they would like to add a training session on the 3rd Monday. The required training could consume their schedule. This would cost an additional $ 12,000/year. When a truck was purchased in the past the City bonded for it. Council suggested setting aside a percent ofthe township money for vehicles. With townships and state aid the City received approximately $233,000 in 2010. The air packs will be coming up for replacement in a few years. There is a one year offset between them. Halfwould be replaced one year and half the next year. This would be approximately $100,000/year. There are 38 air packs. Council asked about having a rotating schedule to keep the cost down each year. Fire Chief Pietsch explained the bottles have to be tested and it is better to have them done all at once. Testing takes about two days. Council felt it would be easier budgeting to have the same amount in the budget each year. Staff explained we would have to start early to get on a fIve year schedule. The tanks last 10-15 years. Council asked about the cost of the Explorer program. Fire Chief Pietsch explained the explorers have to pay to join and the Relief Association has covered the startup expenses. Those running the program are volunteers. There is a Post Advisor and he needs two other advisors to assist him with the training. Eventually the Explorers will be self-sustaining. The Explorer program is a recruiting program for the department. The department will need to purchase fIve pagers over the next two years because of the narrow banding with the DCC. Staffwas not sure about the cost of the pagers, but hand held radios are $1500 - $2500. Membership is at capacity at 50 members. The need for training will go down $5,000 next year. That will help with the cost of the 3rd Monday training. This extra training would start in 2012. The priorities are: - The training is doable. Mandated training is six courses over three years. There is grant money available for training. - The uniforms are in good shape. - The pumper engine is a big ticket item, but the highest priority. A committee looks at trucks and develops specs. The last pumper engine was purchased 10 years ago at $325,000. The new diesel added $30,000 - $40,000. One option is to purchase a Freightliner with a 4-door cab to save money. The other option is to get a manufacturer to build to a spec truck. They take it to shows for six months and work out any issues. Council asked if we consider an equipment certificate for next year, what does it do budget wise to make the payments because that does affect the insurance. They would like this information from the Finance Director. The last ISO audit was 10 years ago. Ifa significant change is made they can come back for an audit. Getting 23 Council Workshop Minutes May 25,2011 Page 3 an engine alone would not move us from a 5 to a 4 rating. But an engine and a ladder truck would change the rating. Mayor Larson noted every City does not need a ladder truck because we have mutual aid agreements. Fire Chief Pietsch noted ifwe have a fIre at Spruce Place and people are trapped on the second floor, we have to wait for Lakeville to come with a ladder truck to rescue someone. Council asked about a fIre district and then some of these issues would go away. Council would like more information on a Fire District and how to establish one. The engine and training are top priorities. A ladder truck could be both a ladder and a pumper and keep the old pumper for a spare. Currently the City receives no points for a ladder truck. The department had tarps that were too small, so purchased larger ones. By doing this we gained points on the ISO system. We received the maximum points for the equipment, water system, water tower and the DCC. We lost points because of the age of the truck, we don't have a spare, and we don't have a ladder. The department has two brush trucks; one is 1991 and one is 1993. They only have 5,000- 6,000 miles on them. Municipal Services would like to have these trucks for park and rec or use for plowing. The Fire Chief will be asking for more in equipment and supplies. The training budget was cut, so the additional training would show up in part-time salaries of$12,000. Councilmember May asked that the Fire Chief talk with the Finance Director regarding an equipment certificate for a pumper or a ladder truck. The Fire Department will research options for a ladder truck with pumping capabilities and used trucks. Councilmember May felt Council needs to look at setting aside some of the township money. Council liked that we were setting up dedicated funds for specific purposes and obtaining honest numbers. Fire Chief Pietsch suggested ifwe are on a 20-year replacement schedule, perhaps a seven or ten year schedule would be better so we get something for the truck. It would be good to set up a program for replacement. The Fire Chief stated if the Police replace any squad cars, he asked if the Fire Department could have a spare for the Assistant Fire Chief. The only cost would be to change the striping for $500. Council did not see a problem with this. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Bartholomay to adjourn at 4:40 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, Cynthia Muller Executive Assistant 24