NFPA Standard 1710: Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, EMS and Special Ops The Right Description

Economic Pressures Bring Tough Questions Decision makers expect efficient and effective operations – Hold Fire Chief accountable for department performance even with cuts in budget – Generally have no problem asking leaders to do more with less – Specific Data often necessary to answer their questions

Economic Pressures Bring Tough Questions Reporters ask questions in their words and in their frame of understanding – Hold leaders accountable to their positions (eg. Chief) – Expect leaders to answer their questions quickly and succinctly in words they understand They report the words you say regardless of whether they really understand their meaning Many times they don’t even write or say them the way you did

Answering the Tough Questions Typically say what comes natural based on frame of reference and industry vernacular – Compliance with the 1710 standard – Staffing – Cuts – Brownouts – Company Closure – Station Closures

Answering the Tough Questions  Think about the message you want to communicate – What are you trying to say?– – What do you WANT to say?  Compliance with the 1710 standard What does that mean?

Answering the Tough Questions  Compliance with the 1710 standard What does that mean? Can you answer YES or NO? If you say YES--- what does that mean? If you say NO--- what does that mean?

Purpose of 1710? The purpose of this standard is to specify the minimum criteria addressing the effectiveness and efficiency of the career public fire suppression operations, emergency medical service, and special operations delivery in protecting the citizens of the jurisdiction and the occupational safety and health of fire department employees.

Scope of 1710? The requirements address functions and objectives of fire department emergency service delivery, response capabilities, and resources [capacity].

Compliance with 1710?  Redirect question to your message  Within the standard there are performance objectives  Crew size by company  Assembly of ‘Full Alarm’  Response performance

Compliance with 1710?  Redirect question to your message  Within the standard there are performance objectives  Crew size by company  ENGINES – Minimum 4  TRUCKS – Minimum 4  AMBULANCES- minimum relative to service provided

Compliance with 1710?  Redirect question to your message  Within the standard there are performance objectives  Assembly of ‘Full Alarm’  EFFECTIVE FIREFIGHTING FORCE  Firefighters for LOW HAZARD

Compliance with 1710?  Redirect question to your message  Within the standard there are performance objectives  Response performance  Call Processing – NFPA sec 90%  (90 sec 99%)  Turnout – 80 Seconds Fire and Special Ops  60 Seconds EMS  Travel Time – 240 sec. first engine  480 sec. for full alarm

Compliance with 1710?  Redirect question to your message  The standard applies to LOW HAZARD not all hazard levels.  Clarify LOW HAZARD – residential structure, no more than 2000 sq ft, two story single family, no basement, no exposures  Does not include schools, hospitals, malls, manufacturing, high rise commercial /residential, etc…  What structures are in your community?

Compliance with 1710?  Redirect question to your message  Industry Standard (National Standard) – sets the FLOOR not the ceiling.  The objectives are the MINIMUM necessary for SAFE, EFFICIENT, and EFFECTIVE response.

Comparables  Reporters always ask for Comparables “What other cities meet NFPA 1710?”  See List of Top Metropolitan Cities by population

Fire Service Deployment: Assessing Community Vulnerability White Paper … used to inform policy.

Fire Department Core Values Protect lives, property, and the environment through preparedness, prevention, public education, and emergency response with an emphasis on quality services, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety.

Matching Resources to Risk If fire department resources (both mobile and personnel) are deployed to match the risk levels inherent to hazards in the community, it has been scientifically demonstrated that the community will be far less vulnerable to negative outcomes in… firefighter injury and death civilian injury and death property loss

The Need for Hazard Risk Assessment What’s in your Community? When deciding the resources (personnel and equipment) needed to respond to emergency events must consider the outcomes – Firefighter injury and death – Civilian injury and death – Property loss (and the environment)

Explain to Reporters that Fire Service Leaders are Faced with Decisions Decisions must be based on understanding of – relationship between community hazards and associated risk, – basic emergency response infrastructure, including fire department response capability – outcomes of emergency incidents

Final Comments to Decision-Makers and Reporters  Economic Challenges are Driving Dangerous Decisions  Forcing decisions to cut fire department resources faster than we can evaluate their impact  Cuts can leave a community without sufficient resources to respond safely and effectively