CONSENT CALENDAR AGENDA ITEM NO. 7 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING February 25, 2010 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Executive Committee, Orange County Fire Authority Jorge Camargo, Assistant Chief Operations Department Monthly Reserve Firefighter Program Status Update Summary: This item is submitted to provide an update on the status of the implementation of recommended changes, as adopted by the Board of Directors on May 28, 2009. Recommended Action: Receive and file the report. Background: During the May 28, 2009, Board of Directors meeting, staff was directed to implement procedures to measure Reserve Firefighter response, improve training and enhance accountability within the Reserve Firefighter Program. This report represents Reserve Firefighter Program activities, relative to implementation, that have occurred or are planned to occur within the next 30 days. Current Reserve Program Status The monthly Reserve Officer conference call was held on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, with 7 of 19 (37%) Reserve Stations and 0 of 2 (0%) independent Reserve Crew programs participating. Reserve Academy #11 Graduation was held at the Salvation Army Church on Saturday, January 23, 2010, for the 28 recruits who completed the training and passed all requirements. Director Seymore provided the keynote speech for the ceremony. The Reserve Driver Operator Academy and Water Tender Academy began on January 19, 2010, and is currently underway. The Water Tender Academy consists of 5 weeks of training. The Driver-Operator Academy consists of 10 weeks of training. There are five candidates participating. Planning for Reserve Recruit Academy #12 is underway. Interviews of prospective applicants have been completed and the Community Volunteer Services Office and the Human Resources Section are currently in the process of scheduling pre-academy testing and background investigations. Academy #12 is scheduled to begin on March 15, 2010, with 50 qualified recruits enrolled. Additionally, planning is underway to potentially start Academy #13 in 2-3 months, with an additional 50 qualified recruits. This overlapping method will hire, train, and graduate up to 100 new Reserve Firefighters by the fall of 2010. Research is being conducted to determine the feasibility of adding a third Reserve Academy, which would begin by the end of 2010.
February 25, 2010 Page 2 As directed at the May 28, 2009, Board of Directors meeting, the following progress has been made or is in process: Roster Size: The roster size of each station and crew has been increased by five positions and has been utilized to make selections for Reserve Academy #12 (see Attachment). Accountability measures are continuing to be studied and developed to improve and track participation for drills and emergency responses. This will require improvements in OCFA technology to better track and capture stipend information, and compare it with dispatching data from the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Programming has commenced by the Information Technology Section to automate the stipend process and implement software on the OCFA s staffing server. The first phase is now approximately 80% complete, and beta testing is being performed. Several options were researched and analyzed prior to implementation to consider the programming and hardware needs for the project. Due to budget constraints, the software-only option was chosen for development and implementation. At this time, there are no additional expenditures by the OCFA, due to an existing contract with the Staffing System contract programmer. It is anticipated that this system will be implemented in the near future. Planning is underway to input the data retroactive to January 1, 2010, and collect stipend data for 6 months. At that time, the data and program effectiveness will be studied and presented to the Board for review at its July 22, 1010, meeting. Following the review, one or more of the hardware options will be evaluated and considered for possible further development and implementation. Recruitment/Hiring: The Recruitment/Hiring Working Group is meeting on a monthly basis and has identified five Reserve Stations targeted for recruitment efforts. These efforts will be implemented to improve the recruiting and hiring Reserve Firefighters at the following stations: Station 14 Station 18 Station 40 Station 44 Crew 18 Silverado Canyon Trabuco Canyon Coto de Caza Seal Beach Trabuco These five stations were chosen based on low roster totals, combined with a low number of current applications. Recruiting efforts are being coordinated with the Corporate Communications office to gain local media exposure. Discussions are continuing with the OCFA Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Section on steps needed for requiring Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training for Reserve Firefighters as a minimum qualification. The EMS Section staff has facilitated the scheduling of a Spring EMT course through Santa Ana Community College. A potential second class will be offered in the Summer or Fall of 2010.
February 25, 2010 Page 3 Training: The Reserve Training Working Group is meeting on a monthly basis and is currently reviewing the training methodologies for Reserve Firefighters. The Training and Safety Section recently developed the Reserve Training Activities Plan (RTAP), to guide and facilitate weekly and monthly training at the Reserve Stations. The RTAP is accessible through the OCFA s SharePoint intranet site. The working group is also exploring the possibility of establishing a Reserve Training Officer position within each Battalion or Station to help facilitate localized training and assist the Reserve Academies. Residency Requirements: The Recruitment/Hiring Working Group is tasked with researching the information necessary for implementation, and is scheduled to begin in March 2010. Performance Measures/Threshold: Battalion Chief Kirk Wells is researching information on acceptable levels of participation and the measurement standards for tracking participation. An analysis will be presented to the Board for review when completed. Discussions are continuing with OCFA Information Technology, Financial Services and Emergency Command Center staff on the need to develop systems to more accurately capture the data required to measure the Reserve station/unit performance against the standards adopted by the Board at its May 28, 2009, Board meeting. The Board of Directors adopted the following performance standards for units staffed by Reserve Personnel: Engines, Squads, Patrols The appropriate number of properly trained personnel needed for the most resource dependent unit to arrive at the station within 10 minutes 80% of the time Water Tenders and Air Utility Units The appropriate number of properly trained personnel to arrive at the station within 20 minutes 80% of the time Response Safety Net : Pursuant to the Side Letter Agreement between the OCFA and IAFF Local 3631, train-the-trainer programs have been completed for OCFA career firefighters to train additional qualified drivers for the Water Tenders. Training of career personnel has begun with 18 career Engineers commencing the classes in January. Resources: Water Tender 18 has been assigned to the Reserves at Station 18. However, due to the lack of qualified drivers, Water Tender 18 has been temporarily assigned to Station 7 in San Juan Capistrano. It is anticipated that Station 18 will have enough qualified drivers by June 2010. Impact to Cities/County: Not Applicable. Fiscal Impact: Not Applicable.
February 25, 2010 Page 4 Staff Contact for Further Information: Kirk Wells, Battalion Chief, Community Volunteer Services kirkwells@ocfa.org (714) 573-6055 Attachment: Reserve Program Staffing Levels
Attachment Reserve Firefighter Program STAFFING LEVELS Reserve Program staffing levels, vacancies, applications, and new recruits, as of February 16, 2010: STATION EQUIPMENT ROSTER QUALIFIED CURRENTLY IN TRNG APPLICATIONS ON FILE COMPLETED PACK/BIDDLE IN ACADEMY MARCH 2010 VACANCIES NET ROSTER JULY 2010 % OF TOTAL ROSTER 2 Los Alamitos Squad, Air Unit 25 11 0 10 9 4 10 15 60% 3 Sunset Beach Engine, Squad 25 8 0 9 3 3 14 11 44% 7 San Juan Capo Patrol, WT 25 20 0 19 12 1 4 21 84% 10 Yorba Linda Patrol, WT 25 12 0 13 9 3 10 15 60% 11 Emerald Bay Engine, Patrol 25 16 0 2 3 2 7 18 72% 13 La Palma Squad 20 9 0 5 6 2 9 11 55% 14 Silverado Cyn Engine, Patrol 25 9 0 1 2 2 14 11 44% 16 Modjeska Cyn Engine, Patrol, WT 25 19 0 1 2 2 4 21 84% 18 Trabuco Cyn Patrol, WT 20 10 0 4 3 2 8 12 60% 19 Lake Forest Squad 20 12 0 18 10 3 5 15 75% 21 - Tustin Patrol 20 8 0 15 14 4 8 12 60% 23 Villa Park Engine, Patrol 25 14 0 20 2 2 9 16 64% 24 Mission Viejo Squad 20 15 0 17 14 2 3 17 85% 25 Midway City Squad 20 12 0 14 13 2 6 14 70% 26 - Irvine Patrol 20 13 0 26 21 3 4 16 80% 30 Dana Point Patrol, Air Unit 25 18 0 16 9 2 5 20 80% 32 Yorba Linda Patrol 20 9 0 14 13 3 8 12 60% 40 Coto de Caza Patrol, WT 25 14 0 2 1 1 10 15 60% 44 Seal Beach Squad 20 10 0 4 14 1 9 11 55% Crew 41-Fullerton Airport Helicopter Support 30 21 0 24 3 2 7 23 77% Crew 18 - Trabuco Hand Crew 35 19 0 14 14 4 12 23 66% 495 279 0 248 177 50 166 329 67%