Northern Virginia Fire and EMS Assessment GAP ANALYSIS REPORT SUBMITTED MAY 2016 TO: NORTHERN VIRGINIA FIRE CHIEFS COMMITTEE Supported by a grant from DHS/FEMA and managed by the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System (NVERS)
TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 1 STAFFING LEVELS... 1 DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITIES... 2 SPECIAL OPERATIONS... 2 TURNOUT TIME AND TRAVEL TIME PERFORMANCE... 3 BACKGROUND... 7 APPROACH... 8 STAFFING LEVELS... 10 STAFFING LEVEL COMBINATION (CAREER/VOLUNTEER)... 14 DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITIES... 23 SPECIAL OPERATIONS... 26 TURNOUT TIME AND TRAVEL TIME PERFORMANCE... 28 CONCLUSION... 33 Mission Critical Partners i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2016 Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Assessment was conducted to help the 11 Northern Virginia (NoVA) fire and EMS departments identify how they performed against the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 standard for calendar year 2015. NFPA 1710 specifies requirements for effective and efficient organization and deployment of fire-suppression, emergency medical, and special performed by career fire departments to protect citizens and the occupational safety and health of fire and EMS department employees. 1 It should be noted that several NoVA fire and rescue agencies operate by policy as combination career and volunteer agencies. This situation often results in variances with respect to staffing levels among the agencies as well as the availability of certain services for any given 24-hour period. The assessment is not an official audit or inspection, but is designed to help chief officers better understand their operational service delivery and identify gaps or variations in capabilities both between and within the jurisdiction and the NFPA standard in order to drive consistency and continuous improvement within the fire and rescue service. STAFFING LEVELS NFPA 1710 states that fire and EMS departments staff a minimum of four personnel on both engine and ladder/truck companies. In the Northern Virginia region: Four jurisdictions report that they staff engine companies with four personnel at all times: o Arlington County, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Two jurisdictions report that they staff ladder/truck companies with four personnel at all times: o Arlington County and MWAA Four jurisdictions report that they staff rescue companies with four personnel at all times: o Arlington County, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, and Fairfax County Five jurisdictions report staffing engine, truck and rescue companies with all personnel trained to a minimum of emergency medical technician (EMT): o Arlington County, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, MWAA All jurisdictions have operational battalion chiefs for fire/ems response who are available to respond in each jurisdiction, regardless of shift. Only Arlington County indicates that staff aides 2 are included as a part of its minimum staffing positions. 1 Standard 1710. National Fire Protection Association. nfpa.org. 2 Staff aides may also be referred to as Battalion Aides, Incident Management Office, and Battalion Support. Mission Critical Partners 1
In five other jurisdictions, all or a percentage of battalion chiefs have a staff aide deployed to them all or part of the time for the purpose of incident management and accountability at emergency incidents: o City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, Loudoun County, MWAA, and Prince William County Loudoun County staffs three battalion chiefs for every 24-hour period, however only one battalion chief is assigned a staff aide. This aide also functions as the staffing officer. The City of Alexandria reports that both battalion chiefs share one staff aide. The City of Fairfax deploys staff aides when staffing levels permit. MWAA has staff aides at Dulles Airport only. Prince William County has staff aides on day shift only. DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITIES Seven of 11 jurisdictions are able to deploy and arrive on scene to an Advanced Life Support (ALS) call in under 480 seconds. Five jurisdictions report staffing engine, truck and rescue companies with all personnel trained to a minimum of EMT-B o Arlington County, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, and MWAA Seven jurisdictions meet the NFPA 1710 standard of deploying four EMS providers, two of which are ALS certified, to ALS 3 calls during day or night shifts. o Fauquier and Loudoun counties do not meet the standard. o Loudoun County meets the requirement by sending four certified (FR and/or EMT) providers, however they may not all be ALS certified. o Stafford County only meets this standard with career personnel on engine companies. In addition to Fauquier and Loudoun counties, the City of Manassas and Prince William County do not meet the NFPA 1710 standard of deploying four EMS providers to ALS calls during the night shift. The other seven jurisdictions meet the standard. NFPA 1710 states that fire and EMS departments should be able to deploy 15-17 properly trained, certified, and equipped personnel to an initial full-alarm structure fire (2,000 square foot, two-story, single-family dwelling without basement and with no exposures). All jurisdictions are able to deploy 15-17 personnel on scene for day and night shift, but only one jurisdiction (City of Manassas Park) can do so on a 24-hour basis within the recommended 480-second travel time recommended in NFPA 1710. 4 Arlington County comes close to meeting the standard 24 hours a day. SPECIAL OPERATIONS 3 NFPA 1710 Standard, 3.3.36 Life Support. 3.3.36.1 Advanced Life Support (ALS). Emergency medical treatment beyond basic life support that provides for advanced airway management including intubation, advanced cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, establishment and maintenance of intravenous access, and drug therapy. 4 Note: MWAA does not respond to residential dwellings, so their response was not included in the total. Mission Critical Partners 2
While all of the reporting jurisdictions can respond to vehicular-entrapment calls, only four jurisdictions City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Prince William County can provide technical, high-angle, collapse, trench, and confined-space rescue capabilities on a 24-hour basis. The jurisdictions bordering the region s waterways report having adequate resources to support water rescues and maritime firefighting. Six jurisdictions have assets such as Mass Casualty Support Units (MCSUs), mobile ambulance buses (MABs) to transport the less seriously injured offsite, or trailers capable of delivering mass quantities of medical supplies to assist in mass-casualty events: Arlington County, Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, and Stafford County. TURNOUT TIME AND TRAVEL TIME PERFORMANCE Per NFPA 1710 5 all jurisdictions should seek to meet the following minimum turnout and travel time levels at least 90 percent of the time: 80 seconds turnout time for fire and special response 60 seconds turnout time for EMS response 240 seconds or less travel time for arrival of an engine company at a fire-suppression incident 480 seconds or less travel time for the deployment of an initial full-alarm assignment at a fire-suppression incident 240 seconds or less travel time for the arrival of a unit with an automated external defibrillator (AED) for an emergency medical incident 480 seconds or less for the arrival of an ALS unit at an emergency medical incident Per NFPA 1710, Total Response Time is defined as: The time interval from the receipt of the alarm at the primary public safety answering point (PSAP) to when the first emergency response unit is initiating action or intervening to control the incident. For the purpose of this report, only turnout time and travel time are being examined not the total response time. The 11 NoVA fire and EMS departments report the following turnout time and travel time performance in alignment with the standard: The City of Manassas Park is the only jurisdiction able to meet the NFPA 1710-recommended 80-second turnout time for fire/special response more than 90 percent of the time (97 percent). Fairfax County meets the 80-second turnout time 77.5 percent of the time. The City of Manassas Park is the only jurisdiction able to meet the 60-second turnout time for EMS calls, meeting the standard 94 percent of the time. Arlington County meets the standard 60 percent of the time. 5 NFPA 1710 Standard, 4.1.2.1, 4.1.2.4 Mission Critical Partners 3
The City of Manassas Park meets the standard travel time of 240 seconds or less for the firstdue engine company at a fire-suppression incident. Loudoun County meets the standard travel time of 240 seconds or less for the first-due engine company at a fire-suppression incident approximately 50 percent of the time, based on geographical location. The county is more able to meet the standard in suburban areas, and less able to meet the standard in rural areas. The City of Manassas Park is the only jurisdiction able to arrive on scene (travel time) for a full first-alarm assignment at a fire-suppression incident within the 480 seconds prescribed in the NFPA 1710 standard. The City of Manassas Park is the only jurisdiction able to meet the NFPA 1710 standard of having a unit on scene (travel time) with an AED within the recommended 240 seconds. Arlington County as well as the Cities of Alexandria and Manassas Park are able to meet the standard of having ALS on scene within 480 seconds (travel time) with Basic Life Support (BLS) responders on scene within 240 seconds. While Northern Virginia s fire and EMS departments are recognized leaders in public safety best practices, the region is still challenged in meeting all of the standards set forth in NFPA 1710. Mission Critical Partners 4
NFPA 1710 Standard City of Alex Arlington County City of Fairfax Fairfax County Fauquier County STAFFING LEVELS Loudoun County City of Manassas City of Manassas Park Staff engine companies with 4 personnel at all times (min 90%) x x x x Staff ladder/truck companies with 4 personnel at all times x x (min 90%) Staff rescue companies with 4 personnel at all times (min 90%) x x x x Able to staff 15-17 properly trained, certified and equipped personnel to an initial fullalarm structure fire MWAA PW County x x x x x x x x x x x Battalion Chiefs deployed with staff aides x x x x x Able to assemble on scene of full alarm single family structure fire within 480 seconds during the day (min 90%) Able to assemble on scene of full alarm single family structure fire within 480 seconds during the night (min 90%) x DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITIES Able to assemble a full ALS compliment on scene within 480 seconds (min 90%) x x x x x x x x Stafford County Mission Critical Partners 5
NFPA 1710 Standard City of Alex Arlington County City of Fairfax Fairfax County Fauquier County Loudoun County City of Manassas City of Manassas Park MWAA PW County Stafford County Less than 480-second travel time for structures other than a high-rise for the deployment of initial full-alarm assignment Less than 240-second travel time for the arrival of at least one trained first responder and AED Less than 480-second travel time for the arrival of ALS response Less than 480-second travel time for arrival of an ALS unit at an EMS incident with a first responder with AED or BLS units arrived in 240 seconds or less travel time Less than 240-second arrival of first engine company at a fire suppression incident 60-second turnout time for EMS response 80-second turnout time for fire/special response RESPONSE TIME PERFORMANCE x x x x x x x x x x x 6 x x x x x 6 Loudoun County is able to meet this standard 50percent of the time; more often in the suburban areas of the county than in the rural areas of the county. Mission Critical Partners 6
BACKGROUND Since 2012, the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System (NVERS) has undertaken several projects to review and assess operational effectiveness and identify potential issues that might prevent jurisdictions from being able to operationalize their emergency response system (ERS) plans. In January 2016, the NoVA Fire Chiefs Committee selected Mission Critical Partners, Inc. (MCP) to conduct a Fire and EMS Assessment to identify how NoVA fire and EMS departments operationalize against the NFPA 1710 standard, and to report on any operational gaps that exist between or within jurisdictions. NFPA 1710 provides the standard that fire departments with career personnel use to organize and deploy fire-suppression, EMS, and special in response to emergencies. NoVA jurisdictions recognize that, by policy, several fire and rescue departments operate as combination career and volunteer agencies. Complementing the standards set forth in NFPA 1710 are two landmark studies conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2010 and 2013. The studies defined clear expectations for safe and efficient staffing levels and response times for fire-suppression, EMS and special. They help departments justify the need for sufficient personnel and provide a recommended standard of time it should take a department to respond to an emergency. The 2010 NIST study, Report on Residential Fireground Field Experiments (NIST Technical Note 1661 7 ), described how the size of firefighting crews has a substantial effect on the fire service's ability to protect lives and property in residential fires. The study found that four-person firefighting crews were able to complete 22 essential firefighting and rescue tasks in a typical residential structure 30 percent faster than two-person crews, and 25 percent faster than three-person crews. Additionally, the four-person crews were able to deliver water to a similar-sized fire 15 percent faster than the two-person crews, and six percent faster than three-person crews, reducing property damage and risk to firefighters. The 2013 NIST study, Report on High-Rise Fireground Field Experiment, (NIST Technical Note 1797, April 2013 8 ), also addressed how firefighting crews of five or six members instead of three or four are significantly faster in putting out fires and completing search-and-rescue in high-rise structures. In fire and EMS response, increased response times have a negative impact on patient and property outcomes. The fewer personnel available to provide lifesaving care, the greater the risk to the victim. A reduced number of personnel may result in longer response times, increased time to operate necessary tools, and a lengthened time to complete the mission safely. 7 http://www.nist.gov/el/fire_research/upload/report-on-residential-fireground-field-experiments.pdf 8 http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/technicalnotes/nist.tn.1797.pdf Mission Critical Partners 7
The NFPA 1710 standard is extremely important and recognized by fire and EMS departments nationwide. 9 NFPA standards are promulgated through an extensive national consensus-making process approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This process brings together varying viewpoints and interests from the fire and rescue community. Still, there are some misconceptions that should be clarified, as follows: NFPA 1710 is not a law or a federally mandated regulation NFPA 1710 recommends four firefighters on engine and truck companies Decisions about how to implement NFPA 1710 rests with local officials APPROACH The NoVA region is comprised of 25 towns, cities, and counties with approximately 2.5 million residents, and covers 2,219 square miles. Due to its size, the fire and EMS departments of Northern Virginia responded to more than 246,000 calls for service in 2015. Because some NoVA jurisdictions operate with a combination of career and volunteer staff with shared computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and response capabilities with larger jurisdictions, data was only collected and assessed for jurisdictions or entities with independent fire and rescue departments, to include: City of Alexandria Arlington County City of Fairfax Fairfax County Fauquier County Loudoun County Prince William County City of Manassas City of Manassas Park Stafford County Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Using one year of data from each NoVA jurisdiction s National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) reports, MCP assessed each jurisdiction s fire and EMS operational responses related to staffing levels and minimum turnout and travel times, in order to determine their alignment with the NFPA 1710 recommendations. NFPA 1710 recommends that fire and EMS departments staff and respond to incidents in the following ways: Staff four personnel per engine company Staff four personnel per ladder/truck company Staff 15-17 properly trained, certified and equipped personnel to an initial full-alarm structure fire (2,000 square foot, two-story, single-family dwelling without basement and with no exposures) Deploy additional resources on the initial alarm for fires in occupancies other than those described above 9 http://www.nfpa.org/about-nfpa/nfpa-overview Mission Critical Partners 8
Staff four properly trained, certified, and equipped personnel to an initial ALS alarm NFPA 1710 also recommends, that at a minimum of 90 percent of the time, 10 fire and EMS departments are able to: Achieve 80 seconds turnout time for fire and special response Achieve 60 seconds turnout time for EMS response Achieve 240 seconds or less travel time for arrival of a first-due engine company at a fire-suppression incident Achieve 480 seconds or less travel time for the deployment of an initial full-alarm assignment at a fire-suppression incident Achieve 240 seconds or less travel time for the arrival of a unit with an AED for an emergency medical incident Arrive with an ALS 11 unit in 480 seconds or less at an emergency medical incident This report also documents each department s mix of career and volunteer staff available for deployment and special equipment. Working collaboratively with the NoVA Fire Chiefs, the MCP team developed an assessment tool 12 that was distributed to each of the participating agencies. The Fire Chief of each participating agency appointed a point of contact to respond to MCP with the requested information for review and analysis. The assessment tool, which was distributed electronically, included five sections: Background, Staffing, Deployment Capabilities, Response Time Performance, and Supplemental Information. The Background section of the tool requested basic information about the number of incidents and types of calls to which a jurisdiction responds, and how it defines work shifts. The Staffing section asked for input on operational command staff, company types, and staffing levels. The Deployment Capabilities section requested information about a jurisdiction s deployment capabilities in specific scenarios. The Response Time Performance section requested information about the jurisdiction s turnout and travel time performance based on recommendations in chapter four of the NFPA 1710 standard. The Supplemental Information section asked respondents for any additional information that would prove useful in assessing response and performance capabilities. The full text of the assessment tool can be found in Appendix A. 10 NFPA 1710 Standard, 4.1.2.4 The fire department shall establish a performance objective of not less than 90 percent for the achievement of each turnout time and travel time objective specified in 4.1.2.1 11 NFPA 1710 Standard, 3.3.36 Life Support. 3.3.36.1 Advanced Life Support (ALS). Emergency medical treatment beyond basic life support that provides for advanced airway management including intubation, advanced cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, establishment and maintenance of intravenous access, and drug therapy. 12 Northern Virginia Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Assessment (see Appendix) Mission Critical Partners 9
STAFFING LEVELS Overall, each of Northern Virginia s fire and EMS departments utilizes a different approach to the number of personnel and the combination of specializations assigned to various apparatus. The differences depend on the jurisdictional population and area, and whether the jurisdiction operates a fully career or a combination career/volunteer department. Each department relies on career and volunteer personnel to varying degrees. Some agencies do not have any volunteer personnel. Some agencies have volunteer personnel but their minimum staffing level requirements are met exclusively with career personnel. In those cases, volunteer personnel supplement staffing levels by up staffing existing units or staffing additional units. Some agencies rely on a collective mix of career and volunteer personnel to meet their jurisdictional minimum staffing levels. The following jurisdictions report using no volunteer personnel: Arlington County, City of Alexandria, City of Manassas Park, and MWAA. The following jurisdictions report meeting minimum staffing requirements with career personnel, and supplementing staffing with volunteers: Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. The following jurisdictions report using both career and volunteer personnel for minimum jurisdictional staffing: Fauquier County, Loudoun County, City of Manassas, Prince William County, and Stafford County. Highlights Four jurisdictions report that they staff engine companies with four personnel at all times. Two jurisdictions report that they staff ladder/truck companies with four personnel at all times. Four jurisdictions report that they staff rescue companies with four personnel at all times. All jurisdictions have operational chief officers for fire and EMS response. Six jurisdictions deploy a staff aide to assist with incident management. All departments are working toward meeting the staffing requirements on apparatus 90 percent of the time. The distribution of on-duty career and volunteer fire department personnel varies widely between jurisdictions. Mission Critical Partners 10
Requirements NFPA 1710 Section 5.2.3, Operating Units, states: Fire companies staffing requirements shall be based on minimum levels necessary for safe, effective, and efficient emergency. Engine companies whose primary functions are basic firefighting should be staffed with a minimum of four on-duty members. 13 Ladder/truck companies should be staffed with a minimum of four on-duty members. 14 Other companies, equipped with specialized equipment and apparatus should be staffed with a minimum number of on-duty members to support the efforts in accordance with each individual department s standard operating procedures (SOPs). 15 Supervisory chiefs should be dispatched or notified of all full-alarm assignments. 16 Supervisory chief officers should have staff aides deployed to them for incident management and accountability responsibilities. 17 Findings Four jurisdictions report that they staff engine companies with four personnel at all times: o Arlington County, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, MWAA Two jurisdictions report that they staff ladder/truck companies with four personnel at all times: o Arlington County and MWAA All jurisdictions have operational battalion chiefs for fire/ems response. Battalion chiefs are available to respond in each jurisdiction, regardless of day or night shift. In six jurisdictions battalion chiefs have a staff aide deployed to them for the purpose of incident management and accountability at emergency incidents: o Arlington County, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, Loudoun County, MWAA, and Prince William County The City of Alexandria reports sharing one staff aide between two battalion chiefs. The City of Fairfax reports only filling the position when staffing allows. Loudoun County uses one staff aide for each 24-hour period. MWAA only provides staff aides at Dulles International Airport. Prince William County reports only filling the position during day shifts. 13 NFPA 1710 5.2.3.1-5.2.3.1.1 14 NFPA 1710 5.2.3.2-5.2.3.2.1 15 NFPA 1710 5.2.3.3 16 NFPA 1710 5.2.2.2.3 17 NFPA 1710 5.2.2.2.5 Mission Critical Partners 11
Figure 1 below shows the percentage of time each jurisdiction staffed an engine with at least four trained personnel during 2015. Four jurisdictions exceed the goal of 90 percent. 18 120.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%100.0% 100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 66.3% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% NDA NDA 11.6% 7.3% 5.0% 5.0% Figure 1: Four-Person Engine Staffing 18 Loudoun County was unable to provide the requested data due to the fact that three trained personnel constitute a fully staffed engine company in their jurisdiction. Mission Critical Partners 12
Figure 2 below shows the percentage of time each jurisdiction staffed a ladder/truck company with at least four on-duty trained personnel. Two jurisdictions exceed the standard s recommendation to staff four personnel on a ladder/truck at least 90 percent of the time. 120.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 41.0% 60.0% 50.0% 55.0% 58.0% 62.3% NDA 24.0% 5.0% Figure 2: Four-Person Ladder/Truck Staffing Figure 3 below shows the approximate percentage of time rescue companies are staffed with four on-duty personnel. Four jurisdictions meet or exceed the standard s 90-percent threshold. 120.0% 100.0% 100.0% 97.3% 100.0%100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 25.0% 46.6% 37.0% 20.0% 0.0% NDA 0.0% NDA 0.0% Figure 3: Four-Person Company Staffing Mission Critical Partners 13
STAFFING LEVEL COMBINATION (CAREER/VOLUNTEER) Career and volunteer firefighters each play important roles in supporting jurisdictional fire. A portion of this assessment was devoted to determining how each jurisdiction is able to deploy career or volunteer staff in order to understand how the staffing mix impacts fire department response capabilities for both fire and EMS incidents. In such a large and diverse metropolitan area, it s not surprising that fire and rescue departments are each staffed differently with varying degrees of career and volunteer personnel. Prince William County is a combination department that relies heavily on volunteer companies while Arlington County staffs only career personnel. Regardless of how departments are staffed, each department should seek to the meet the staffing standards identified in NFPA 1710. Table 1 below denotes on-duty career staff assigned to engine companies in their respective departments. All jurisdictions identified that they have a career driver and an officer assigned to engine companies, with all but two jurisdictions also assigning an emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B). Jurisdictions like Fairfax County, Arlington County, Stafford County, Loudoun County and cities of Fairfax and Manassas Park are able to staff engine companies with an ALS provider, and all remaining jurisdictions are striving to do the same. When jurisdictions responded by selecting Other, and comments were provided, they are listed below the table. Note: For all tables throughout the document, FR stands for First Responder; EMT-B stands for Emergency Medical Technician-Basic; ALS stands for Advanced Life Support. Table 1: Career Staff Assigned to Engine Companies Jurisdiction Driver Officer FR EMT-B ALS Other Arlington County X X X X City of Alexandria X X X X City of Fairfax X X X X Fairfax County X X X X Fauquier County X X X Loudoun County X X X City of Manassas X X X X City of Manassas Park X X X MWAA X X X X Prince William County X X X X Stafford County X X X X Fauquier County Staffing model is two career personnel with volunteers assigned when available. City of Manassas At times, ALS provider is assigned; medics rotate for cross training. MWAA ALS responder only when staffing allows. Mission Critical Partners 14
Prince William County Only four of the 20 dayshift engines are staffed with four personnel. At all other times (16 of 20 day shift and 19 out of 20 night shift ) minimum staffing is three personnel qualified to a minimum standard of EMT. Table 2 below denotes volunteer on-duty staff assigned to engine companies in their respective departments. Of the 11 jurisdictions surveyed, five report not having volunteer-staffed engines: Arlington County, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, City of Manassas Park, and MWAA. Generally, volunteer staff assigned to engine companies included a driver, officer, and EMT-B; only Loudoun County staffed its engine companies with a volunteer first responder instead of an EMT-B. When jurisdictions responded by selecting Other, and comments were provided, they are listed below the table. Table 2: Volunteer Staff Assigned to Engine Companies Jurisdiction Driver Officer FR EMT-B ALS Other Arlington County City of Alexandria City of Fairfax Fairfax County X X X X Fauquier County Loudoun County X X X City of Manassas X X X City of Manassas Park MWAA Prince William County X X X Stafford County X X X X X X City of Fairfax Engines are staffed with career personnel; if volunteers have met staffing requirements, they can be used in the EMT-B positions. Fairfax County Must have four personnel at a minimum. Fauquier County No minimum but if under three, SOPs dictate adding another unit. Stafford County Effective July 1, 2016, minimum staffing will include one EMT. Loudoun County Often EMT-certified personnel are present; however, FR is the current minimum training level. Prince William Minimum staffing of three, with one also having EMT certification in addition to firefighting certification. Mission Critical Partners 15
Table 3 below denotes career staff assigned to ladder/truck companies in their respective departments. Nearly all jurisdictions with career personnel assigned to such companies staffed with a driver, officer, and EMT-B. Only the City of Fairfax and MWAA report also including an ALS provider on their truck companies when personnel were available. When jurisdictions responded by selecting Other, and comments were provided, they are listed below the table. Table 3: Career Staff Assigned to Ladder/Truck Companies Jurisdiction Driver Officer FR EMT-B ALS Other Arlington County X X X City of Alexandria X X X City of Fairfax X X X X X Fairfax County X X X X Fauquier County X X Loudoun County X X X City of Manassas X X X X City of Manassas Park MWAA X X X X Prince William County X X X X Stafford County X X X X City of Fairfax At times may operate with three personnel depending upon staffing. Fairfax County Sometimes run with three personnel; however, plan on having four at all times once a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant is awarded. Fauquier County No career staffing except for Warrenton Fire, which is staffed with two personnel. City of Manassas At times ALS personnel on the truck for cross training. MWAA ALS responder only when staffing levels allow; not a mandatory position. Prince William County Staffed with four personnel at all times. Mission Critical Partners 16
Table 4 below denotes volunteer staff assigned to ladder/truck companies in their respective departments. Prince William County reports that volunteers assigned to ladder/truck companies included a driver, an officer and an EMT-B. Loudoun County did not staff an EMT-B, but did include a first responder. When jurisdictions responded by selecting Other, and comments were provided, they are listed below the table. Table 4: Volunteer Staff Assigned to Ladder/Truck Companies Jurisdiction Driver Officer FR EMT-B ALS Other Arlington County City of Alexandria City of Fairfax X Fairfax County Fauquier County X Loudoun County X X X City of Manassas X City of Manassas Park MWAA Prince William County X X X Stafford County X X X X City of Fairfax Trucks are staffed by career personnel; however, if volunteers meet minimum staffing requirements, they can be used in the EMT-B position. Fauquier County No minimum staffing, per station SOP. City of Manassas Trucks are staffed by career personnel; however, if volunteers meet minimum staffing requirements, they can be used in the EMT-B position. Stafford County Effective July 1, 2016, minimum staffing will include one EMT. Loudoun County Often EMT-certified personnel are present; however, FR is the current minimum training level. Prince William Minimum staffing of three, with one also having EMT certification in addition to firefighting certification. Mission Critical Partners 17
Table 5 below denotes career staff assigned to rescue companies in their respective departments. Nearly all responding jurisdictions report staffing the same resources on rescue companies, i.e., a driver, an officer and an EMT-B. However, Arlington County and City of Fairfax also staffed an ALS provider on their rescue companies. The City of Manassas reports that it occasionally staffs ALS personnel for cross-training purposes. Fairfax County provides four-person staffing on all rescue companies, but only two of its rescue companies currently operate with an ALS provider on the apparatus. When jurisdictions responded by selecting Other, and comments were provided, they are listed below the table. Table 5: Career Staff Assigned to Companies Jurisdiction Driver Officer FR EMT-B ALS Other Arlington County X X X X City of Alexandria X X X City of Fairfax X X X X Fairfax County X X X X Fauquier County X X Loudoun County X X X City of Manassas X X X X City of Manassas Park MWAA Prince William County X X X X Stafford County Fairfax County Four-person staffing with two rescue companies having ALS providers; plan to add two additional rescue companies in the next few months. City of Manassas At times, ALS personnel on the rescue companies for cross training. Prince William County Staffed with four at all times. Loudoun County There is one rescue company with four personnel assigned on a 24 x 7 basis. This is known as a Fire Squad, meaning it is deployable as a rapid intervention team (RIT) company pursuant to NoVA procedures. There are two rescue companies that cross staff three personnel, with the engine assigned to the respective stations. These are not fire squads, but are deployed only as extrication squads. Mission Critical Partners 18
Table 6 below denotes volunteer staff assigned to rescue companies in their respective departments. Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties are the only jurisdictions to assign volunteer staff to rescue companies. All three jurisdictions staff a driver and an officer, but Loudoun County provides a first responder, whereas Prince William and Stafford counties include an EMT-B on their rescue companies. When jurisdictions responded by selecting Other, and comments were provided, they are listed below the table. Table 6: Volunteer Staff Assigned to Companies Jurisdiction Driver Officer FR EMT-B ALS Other Arlington County City of Alexandria City of Fairfax X Fairfax County Fauquier County X Loudoun County X X X City of Manassas City of Manassas Park MWAA Prince William County X X X Stafford County X X X X City of Fairfax Utilize a rescue/engine; if volunteers have met minimum staffing requirements, they can be used in the EMT-B position. Fauquier County Per SOP, another unit must be added if minimum is not met. City of Manassas companies are staffed by career personnel; however, if volunteers meet minimum staffing requirements, they can be used in the EMT-B position. Stafford County Some volunteer rescue companies allow staffing that are not certified EMS providers in Virginia. EMT will be required effective July 1, 2016. Loudoun County Where trained volunteer personnel are available, four rescue companies are deployable as either a fire squad (four personnel) or extrication squad (three personnel). The uneven availability of trained personnel does not allow reliable tracking of this staffing data. Prince William Minimum staffing of three, with one also having EMT certification in addition to firefighting certification. Staff aides are important to successfully supporting command and accountability at incident scenes, especially at scenes with a large convergence of personnel and apparatus. 19 They serve as a valuable asset while responding to and operating at the emergency scene. Whether assessing an incident, or listening to a secondary talkgroup or radio frequency, a staff aide serves as an assistant to the chief in a fast-paced, evolving situation. 19 http://documents.latimes.com/city-report-calls-sweeping-change-lafd/ Mission Critical Partners 19
Only Arlington County indicates that staff aides are included as a part of its minimum staffing positions. In five other jurisdictions, all (or a percentage of) battalion chiefs have a staff aide 20 deployed to them some portion of the time for the purpose of incident management and accountability at emergency incidents: City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, Loudoun County, MWAA, and Prince William County o Loudoun County staffs three battalion chiefs for every 24-hour period, however only one battalion chief is assigned a staff aide. This aide also functions as the staffing officer. o The City of Alexandria reports that both battalion chiefs share one staff aide o City of Fairfax deploys staff aides when staffing levels permit. o Prince William County has staff aides on day shift only. Fairfax County, Fauquier, and Stafford counties, as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park report that they do not have staff aides. Battalion chiefs are critical to fireground. They ensure that on-scene are safely conducted, may serve as the incident commander, or bring any potential hazards to the higher-ranking officer serving as the incident commander. Figure 4 compares the total number of operational battalion chiefs in each jurisdiction. City of Fairfax, City of Manassas, and the City of Manassas Park have the fewest number of operational battalion chiefs, while Fairfax County has the most. 25 20 21 15 10 5 10 7 3 5 12 3 3 9 10 6 0 Figure 4: Operational Battalion Chiefs per Jurisdiction 20 Staff aides may also be referred to as Battalion Aides, Incident Management Office, and Battalion Support. Mission Critical Partners 20
Figure 5 below demonstrates a slight difference in operational staffing between day and night shifts across all jurisdictions. For instance, nine of 11 jurisdictions staff the same number of battalion chiefs for both day and night shifts. They include: Arlington County (2), City of Alexandria (2), City of Fairfax (1), Fairfax County (7), Loudoun County (3), City of Manassas (1), City of Manassas Park (1), MWAA (2) and Stafford County (2). Fauquier County reduces command staffing during the night shift from two battalion chiefs to one, and Prince William County supplements its command staff with volunteer assets overnight, increasing staff from four to six during the night shift. 8 7 6 5 7 7 6 4 3 2 1 0 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 2 2 4 2 2 Day Evening Figure 5: Operational Battalion Chiefs per Shift Strengths Although the entirety of the region is not able to staff engine companies with four personnel 100 percent of the time, four of the 11 jurisdictions report that they meet this NFPA-recommended standard. This is fewer than half of the region s departments; however, respondents expressed their desire to transition regionally to meet the standard. Jurisdictions such as Prince William County, for example, are working toward this, reporting that one quarter of their engine companies are staffed with a minimum of four personnel on day shifts. The transition from day shift to night shift does not significantly affect staffing levels on apparatus that are available for response. In most cases, the availability of apparatus (engine, ladder/truck or rescue) is reduced by one company at night. All jurisdictions report having a level of operational supervision available at all times, though the number of operational battalion chiefs varies based on department size. Mission Critical Partners 21
Recommendations Fairfax County provides four-person staffing on all rescue companies but only two of its rescue companies are staffed with an ALS provider. By spring 2016, the addition of two supplemental rescue companies, with an ALS provider, will improve their alignment to the NFPA standard. Stafford County reports having no career staff on rescue companies during the day or night shift. Fauquier County reports having no career staff on rescue companies during the night shift. Each should evaluate the impact of having career staff on rescue companies and assess whether the addition would be beneficial to their department s success. The lack of a four-person crew is a dangerous precedent, 21 especially when units providing mutual aid might have a longer distance to travel to provide assistance. Without four personnel on all companies at all times, additional workload must be shared between each member, increasing the risk for accidental missteps, oversights, or injuries as a result of overexertion. Further, the more firefighters available on the fireground, the less time it takes to complete lifesaving tasks. NoVA fire and EMS departments should ensure local support in order to meet the NFPA standard and staff a minimum of four personnel on engine companies, ladder/truck companies, and rescue companies. In addition to optimally staffing apparatus, NoVA fire and EMS departments should consider requiring staff aides as minimum staffing positions. Command officers on the fireground are expected to observe, process, and react to the emergency while also communicating with the dispatcher and personnel on scene. Staff aides can operate the command vehicle, track resources and help observe the progress of an incident. This extra staff support allows the command officer to closely monitor radio traffic, review pre-plan information, evaluate the adequacy of responding units, and analyze the on-scene report and initial action plan. 21 http://www.nist.gov/el/fire_research/upload/report-on-residential-fireground-field-experiments.pdf Mission Critical Partners 22
DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITIES This section of the report studies each jurisdiction s ability to assemble personnel in a timely manner in order to respond to residential structure fires and EMS calls that require ALS. This section also addresses whether deployment capabilities were impacted based on the timing of the event (i.e., day or night shift). Highlights When the 480-second NFPA-recommended timeframe for travel is removed, all jurisdictions are able to deploy 15-17 personnel on scene during day and night shifts. 22 Only the City of Manassas Park and Arlington County meet the NFPA 1710 standard and are able to arrive with a full first alarm assignment on scene at a residential structure fire within 480 seconds at least 90 percent of the time during the day shift. The City of Manassas Park is the only jurisdiction able to arrive on scene at a residential structure fire within 480 seconds at least 90 percent of the time during the night shift. Loudoun County meets the standard travel time of 240 seconds or less for the first-due engine company at a fire-suppression incident approximately 50 percent of the time, based on geographical location. The County is able to meet the standard more frequently in the suburban areas of the county and less able to meet the standard in more rural areas of the county. Fauquier County does not meet the NFPA 1710 standard of deploying four EMS providers to ALS calls during day or night shifts. The City of Manassas and Prince William County do not meet the NFPA 1710 standard of deploying four EMS providers to ALS calls during the night shift. Stafford County cannot meet the standard when staffing engine companies with volunteers during day or night shifts. Requirements 23 Less than 480-second travel time for structures other than a high-rise for the deployment of initial full-alarm assignment. Less than 240-second travel time for the arrival of at least one trained first responder and AED. Less than 480-second travel time for the arrival of ALS. NFPA defines turnout time and travel time as such: 22 Note: MWAA does not respond to residential dwellings, so their response was not included in the total. 23 NFPA 1710 Standard, 4.1.2.1 (1-7) (2016 Edition) Mission Critical Partners 23
1. Turnout time 24 The time interval that begins when the emergency response facilities (ERFs) and emergency response units (ERUs) notification process begins by either an audible alarm or visual annunciation, or both, and ends at the beginning point of travel time. 2. Travel time 25 The time interval that begins when a unit is en route to the emergency incident and ends when the unit arrives at the scene. Findings All jurisdictions stated that they are able to assemble 15-17 qualified and trained personnel for an initial first-alarm assignment on residential structure fires. The shift and time of day did not affect their ability to meet the standard. However, the NFPA-recommended timeframe of 480 seconds, at a rate of 90 percent of the time, greatly impacted the number of jurisdictions meeting the standard. All jurisdictions, except Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Stafford counties, are able to deploy and arrive to ALS calls, according to NFPA 1710 standards, with two personnel (2 BLS and 2 ALS), in under 480 seconds at least 90 percent of the time. Figure 6 below shows each jurisdiction s ability to arrive on scene of an ALS call within 480 seconds. 120.0% 100.0% 98.0% 92.0% 93.0% 90.0% 98.6% 95.0% 98.5% 80.0% 82.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% Figure 6: ALS Travel Times within 480 Seconds 24 NFPA 1710 Standard, 3.3.53.8: Turnout Time 25 NFPA 1710 Standard, 3.3.53.7 Travel Time Mission Critical Partners 24
Figure 7 below shows the percentage of time each jurisdiction is able to meet the NFPA 1710 standard recommendation for assembling within 480 seconds on the scene of a full-alarm single-family structure fire during both day and night shifts. Only the City of Manassas Park is able to meet the NFPA 1710 standard 90 percent of the time regardless of the shift. Arlington County can meet the prescribed standard during the day shift, but reports being unable to during the night shift. Most jurisdictions, if necessary, used some level of local, mutual, or regional automatic aid to meet the required deployment capability. 120.0% 100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% NDA NDA Figure 7: Single-Family Structure Fire Travel Time within 480 Seconds During Day & Night Shifts The data for Figure 7, detailing each jurisdiction s ability to travel to a single-family structure fire within 480 seconds during day and night shifts, is listed in greater detail below. Jurisdiction Day Shift Night Shift Arlington County 97.0% 84.0% City of Alexandria 67.0% 61.8% City of Fairfax 87.0% 87.0% Fairfax County 51.8% 55.3% Fauquier County NDA NDA Loudoun County 68.0% 74.0% City of Manassas 40.0% 40.0% City of Manassas Park 100.0% 100.0% MWAA NDA NDA Prince William County 20.0% 20.0% Stafford County 65.0% 65.0% Mission Critical Partners 25
Strengths Seven of 11 jurisdictions are able to deploy and arrive on scene to an ALS call in under 480 seconds. Recommendations Because alarm response assignments (or run cards) were not collected as part of this study, it is unclear as to whether each jurisdiction was dispatching the same assignment to a singlefamily dwelling fire. This might have led to an unequal comparison between jurisdictions. For future assessments, NoVA fire and EMS departments should agree to compare response assignments and calculate the arrival of 15-17 personnel versus the arrival of apparatus to ensure standard response assignments. All jurisdictions used some degree of local, regional, or mutual-aid support, but this assessment did not analyze how jurisdictions that do not fall within the boundaries of Northern Virginia could help provide support. Future studies should include how mutual aid is provided in locations where Northern Virginia counties border other jurisdictions not traditionally included in the National Capital Region (NCR). For example, Spotsylvania County (non-nova) borders Stafford County (NoVA); Warren, and Clark Counties (non-nova) border Fauquier County (NoVA); and both Clarke County in Virginia and Jefferson County in West Virginia (non-nova) border Loudoun County (NoVA). Mutual aid support from these jurisdictions outside of Northern Virginia would be important for assessing additional stations and companies that might be considered for first-due response in a given situation. SPECIAL OPERATIONS The NoVA fire and EMS departments have a wide variety of special resources and teams. Below is a synopsis of the region s special capabilities; a complete list can be found in Appendix B, which outlines each jurisdiction s capabilities in greater detail. While all of the reporting jurisdictions can respond to vehicular-entrapment calls, only four jurisdictions City of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties can provide technical, high-angle, collapse, trench, and confined-space rescue capabilities. With the numerous lakes and rivers in the Northern Virginia region, including the Potomac River, it is essential that the jurisdictions that border waterways have assets available to respond to water incidents. Six of the reporting jurisdictions that border waterways acknowledge having maritime support units, ranging from inflatable boats to swift-water rescue teams. Arlington County plans to deploy an additional swift-water rescue team in summer 2016. In addition, the City of Alexandria, as well as Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford counties have marine firefighting assets. Mission Critical Partners 26
In August 2015, Fortune magazine reported that the Washington, D.C., area tops all U.S. cities as the worst place for traffic congestion. 26 This large volume of traffic in the NCR adds to the call volume for vehicular accidents. Some of these accidents involve multiple vehicles or can involve mass transit, increasing the risk of a mass-casualty event. Five jurisdictions have assets like Medical Care Support Units (MCSUs), mobile ambulance buses to transport the less severely injured offsite, or trailers capable of delivering mass quantities of medical supplies to assist in mass-casualty events: Arlington County, Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Stafford County. While most communities can handle hydrocarbons from fuel spills during traffic accidents, only the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, and Loudoun County are equipped to handle more-complex hazardous-material (hazmat) incidents. The City of Alexandria and Arlington County are both equipped to respond jointly as a full (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives) CBRNE Level III Statewide Response Team. Loudoun County has a specialist-level team with 24 x 7 availability, and station 19 has a fully staffed (cross-staffed) hazmat company with 24 x 7 availability that includes nine personnel and is able to deploy a hazmat truck, medic unit and support unit. Fauquier County has hazmat level II response capabilities Arlington County fire and EMS has a bomb team as a part of its fire department and Loudoun County has a bomb squad with shared resources from the Loudoun County Sheriff s Office. 26 http://fortune.com/2015/08/26/worst-traffic/ Mission Critical Partners 27