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LTC 109-2020 Fire DepartmentM IAMI BEACH OFFICE OF THE CITY MA NAGER NO. LTC# LETTER TO COMMISSION TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: 109-2020 Mayor Dan Gelber and Members tf the Cit Jimmy L. Morales, City Manage}, February 25, 2020 Fire Department This Letter to Commission (LTC) is to inform thbe Mayor and the City Commission of the Fire Department's most recent performance oriented studies and surveys dating from 2014 to 2020. The City Commission has asked staff to assess the performance of each department and this L TC describes the extensive analysis that our Fire Department received and the positive results of such efforts. BACKGROUND In the past five (5) years, the Fire Department has participated in studies conducted by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in 2015, Insurance Services Office (ISO) in 2017 and the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) in 2014 and 2019 for reaccreditation. Further, the Fire Department has partaken in the Community and Resident Satisfaction Surveys conducted by the ETC Institute for the City of Miami Beach in 2016 and 2019. ICMA- Since its inception in 1914, ICMA has been dedicated to assisting local governments in providing services to their citizens in an efficient and effective manner. The ICMA Center for Public Safety Management team follows a standardized approach to conducting analyses of fire, police, and other departments involved in providing services to the public. They developed this approach by combining the experience sets of dozens of subject matter experts in the areas of police, fire, and EMS. Their collective team has several hundred years of experience leading and managing public safety agencies, and conducting research in these areas for cities in and beyond the United States. The reports generated by the operations and data analysis team are based upon key performance indicators that have been identified in standards and safety regulations and by special interest groups such as the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and the Association of Public-Safety Communication Officials International, and through ICMA's Center for Performance Measurement. The information collected during the site visits and through data analysis results in a set of observations and recommendations that highlight the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of-and threats to-the organizations and operations under review. The ICMA Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM), was retained by the city of Miami Beach to complete a comprehensive analysis of the city's fire department. This analysis is designed to provide the city with a thorough and unbiased review of services provided by the Miami Beach Fire Department (MBFD). The report further provides a benchmark of the MBFD's existing service delivery performance as analyzed in the accompanying comprehensive data analysis, which was performed utilizing information provided by the MBFD. This data analysis in itself provides significant value to the city as it now has a workload analysis from which to move forward with future planning efforts. Also included in this report is the use of geographic information systems (GIS) data mapping to support the operational discussion and recommendations. C P S M recognizes the com prehensive and dedicated appro ach the departm ent has com m itted to this p r o c e s s . In fa c t, th e MB F D's S tan d ar d s o f R e s p o n s e C o v e r d o c u m e nt is the m ost all-encom passing d o c u m e n t C P S M h a s re v ie w e d to d a te . T h is docum e nt can serv e as a m odel fo r other agenci es to em ulate. The pro ject staff conducted a site visit on Novem ber 12 and 13, 2014 . M B FD staff w as also pro vided an e le c tro nic shared info rm ation fo lder to upload info rm ation fo r analysis and use by the C P S M pro ject m a n a g e m e n t s ta ff . T h e re c o m m e n d a tio n s w e r e b a s e d o n b e s t p r a c tic e s d e r iv e d fr o m th e N a tio n a l F ir e P ro te c tio n A s s o c ia tio n (N F P A ), C e n t e r fo r P u b lic S a f e ty E x c e ll e n c e (C P S E ), C P S M , U .S . F ir e A d m in is tr a ti o n , In te rn a tio n a l A s s o ci a tio n o f E m e r g e n c y M a n a g e r s , a n d F E M A , to n a m e a fe w , a s w e ll a s th e k n o w le d g e o f C P S M re v ie w e r s . S u p p o rt in g in fo r m a tio n fo r th e s e r e c o m m e n d a tio n s is d e ta ile d w it h in th e re p o rt (f u ll re p o rt a v a ila b le ). IS O - T h e In s u r a n c e S e rv ic e s O ff ic e (IS O ) is a fo r -p ro fit s u b s id ia r y o f V e r is k A n a lyt ic s C o m p a n y . IS O p ro v id e s s e rv ic e s re la tin g to r is k a n a ly s is b y g a th e r in g in fo r m a tio n th r o u g h c o m m u n ity a s s e s s m e n ts a n d p ro v id in g th e in fo r m a tio n to th e in s u r a n c e in d u s try . T h e d a ta h a v e h is to r ic a ll y b e e n u s e d to d e v e lo p in s u r a n c e p r e m iu m s fo r b o th re s id e n t ia l a n d c o m m e r ci a l p o lic ie s . T h e IS O 's F ir e S u p p r e s s io n R a t in g S c h e d u le (F S R S ) is a n a ly z e d to a s s ig n a lo c a lity 's P u b li c P ro te c tio n C la s s ifi c a tio n (P P C ). T h e F S R S is a m a n u a l o f th e c r ite r ia th a t m e a s u r e th e to o ls (a s s e ts a n d p r a c tic e s ) in a c o m m u n ity 's a r s e n a l to fi g h t fi r e s . T h e g r a d e is p r e s e n te d a s a c la s s fr o m 1 to 1 O: Class 1 is the highest class; a rating of Class 9 is considered the "lowest recognized protection." A Class 10 does not meet the minimum criteria established by the ISO. The city of Miami Beach has a Public Protection Classification of 1. It is notable that of the approximately 30,125 fire departments in the nation, only 2,891 were able to achieve a PPC rating of 3 or higher. In addition, the Miami Beach Fire Department is one of the few departments worldwide that is both accredited and ISO Class 1 rated. During the ISO's last site visit in 2017, the Fire Department earned a rating on the final reporting of 105 out of 105.50 (full report available). CFAI/CPSE- The Fire Department first gained full accreditation status in 2004 and has embarked with the CFAI on an annual compliance report submission adding up to the five-year reaccreditation and peer assessor and document verification site visit. The last two reaccreditation cycles were 2014 and 2019. This program provides an analytical assessment process to evaluate ten (10) categories of an agency's performance including community service levels and innovative practices. During this process, peer assessors examine more than 240 separate performance indicators, 98 of which are considered core competencies. There are currently 266 accredited fire departments worldwide by the CFAI of which 74, like the Miami Beach Fire Department, have also achieved both accreditation status and a Class 1 rating from the ISO. FINDINGS In 2014, during the site visit and document verification process, the CFAI completed a comprehensive review and appraisal of the Fire Department, where the goal was to validate the department's performance and to identify and make recommendations for improvement by providing a Statement of Findings, which included strategic and specific recommendations. Below are a few examples of such findings and recommendations (full report available}. In March 2015, after the Fire Department went through an extensive reaccreditation process, the ICMA simultaneously completed a comprehensive analysis of the Fire Department and similar recommendations were made by the ICMA and the CFAI: CFAl's Recommendation ICMA/CPSM's Recommendation Continue to monitor the recently implemented practice to Fire Department in conjunction with the emergency communications center, measure the elements of alarm handling, turn-out, travel, continue with its comprehensive performance-based management strategy and total response times and the recent improvements in for all elements of response time, and focus on continuous improvement in alarm handling practices to identify additional positive dispatch and turnout times, as these are most controllable from a human outcomes and opportunities for further improvements and perspective. t a k e a c ti o n o n a n y a d d it io n a l o p t io n s id e n t ifi e d th ro u g h t h is m o n it o r in g p ro c e s s to re d u c e t u rn -o u t ti m e s . R e c o m m e n d e d th a t th e d e p a rtm e n t r e v ie w t h e S t r a t e g ic P la n IC M A/C P S M fo u n d th e M B F D in te rn a l p la n n in g e le m e n ts s u c h a s s tra te g ic fo r ti m e lin e s s a n d c u r r e n c y a n d in c lu d e a t r a c k in g d o c u m e n t a n d s u c c e s s io n p la n n in g to b e a p p ro p r ia te a n d w e ll d o n e . In fa c t, th e wi t h in t h e S t r a t e g ic P la n to s u m m a ri z e p r o g r e s s o n g o a ls a n d S ta n d a r d s o f R e s p o n s e C o v e r d o c u m e n t d e v e lo p e d b y th e M B F D is th e ob j e ct i v es . m o s t co m p r e h e n s iv e re v ie w e d to d a te b y IC M A/C P S M . R e co m m e n d e d th e a g e n c y co n t in u e to e x p lo r e re g io n a l S e e b e lo w . c o ll a b o r a ti o n o p p o rt u n iti e s fo r wa t e r-b a s e d fi r e fi g h ti n g a n d r e s c u e e q u ip m e n t (fi r e b o a t ) a n d c o n d u c t a f e a s ib ility s t u d y t o a cq u ir e a c ity o wn e d a n d o p e r a t e d fi r e fi g h t in g , re s c u e , a n d /o r c o m b in e d p u b lic s a fe ty v e s s e l, p a rt n e ri n g wi t h th e p o li c e d e p a rtm e n t. C o n t in u e t o e x p lo r e r e g io n a l c o ll a b o r a ti o n o p p o rt u n it ie s fo r W h ile th e r e a r e re g io n a l n a u t ica l v e s s e l e m e r g e n c y re s p o n s e a s s e ts m a r in e fi r e fi g h t in g a n d r e s c u e e q u ip m e n t a n d co n d u c t a a v a ila b le f ro m th e c ity o f M ia m i a n d M ia m i-D a d e C o u n ty , d u e to its e xt e n s iv e f e a s ib ility s t u d y to a cq u ir e a c ity o wn e d a n d o p e r a t e d a n d b u ilt -u p o n co a s t lin e , th e c ity o f M ia m i B e a c h s h o u ld b e g in n o w to p la n fi r e fi g h ti n g , r e s c u e a n d /o r c o m b in e d p u b lic s a f e ty v e s s e l, fo r a n a d e q u a te E M S a n d fi r e s e rv ic e s n a u ti ca l re s p o n s e v e s s e l. T h is v e s s e l p a rt n e ri n g wi t h t h e p o lic e d e p a rt m e n t. s h o u ld b e ca p a b le o f d e liv e ri n g s u ffi c ie n t c re w m e m b e rs a n d fi r e fi g h tin g ca p a b ility a s a n in itia l re s p o n s e u n it. IC M A/C P S M d o e s n o t re co m m e n d s ta ffi n g th is u n it 2 4 /7 , b u t ra th e r re co m m e n d s th e M B F D c ro s s -s ta ff th is u n it wi t h a re s c u e c re w f ro m s ta ti o n 4 , lin k in g th is n a u ti ca l a s s e t s ta ffi n g wi t h th e a d d it io n a l re s c u e u n it s ta ffi n g d is c u s s e d h e r e in . W ith th e a d d itio n o f a n a d d it io n a l re s c u e u n it a t s ta t io n 4 , if n e e d e d th e n a u tica l E M S a n d fi r e s e rv ic e s u n it ca n b e d e p lo y e d b y o n e o f th e tw o re s c u e c re ws a t s ta ti o n 4 , le a v in g tw o c r e ws (e n g in e a n d re s c u e ) fo r la n d d e p lo y m e n t o f re s o u r c e s . R e co m m e n d e d t h e d e p a rtm e n t e x p lo r e o p t io n s fo r a re co r d s It is re co m m e n d e d th a t th e M B F D , in co n ju n c ti o n wi t h th e e m e rg e n c y m a n a g e m e n t s y s t e m o r a n a d d iti o n a l a n a lyt ica l to o l th a t c o m m u n ica t io n s c e n te r , co n t in u e wi t h it s co m p r e h e n s iv e p e rf or m a n c e - a ll o ws fo r t h e ti m e ly a n d d e t a il e d a n a ly s is o f t h e to t a l b a s e d m a n a g e m e n t s t r a te g y fo r a ll e le m e n ts o f re s p o n s e tim e , a n d fo c u s r e s p o n s e ti m e c o n ti n u u m . T h is r e co m m e n d a ti o n is a p p lica b le o n co n t in u o u s im p ro v e m e n t in d is p a tc h a n d tu rn o u t tim e s , a s th e s e a r e m o s t t o a ll r e s p o n s e p ro g r a m a r e a s . co n tro ll a b le fr o m a h u m a n p e r s p e c tiv e . T h e d e p a rtm e n t s h o u ld co n t in u e to s e e k th e r e p la c e m e n t o r S t a ti o n 1 : r e n o v a ti o n o f st a ti o n s 1 an d 3 to e n s u r e a d e q u a t e s p a c e fo r C P S M fu rt h e r re co m m e n d s th e C ity co n s id e r th e m o s t e ffi c ie n t a n d e ff e c tiv e e q u ip m e n t. o p t io n (co m p le te re n o v a ti o n o r re p la c e m e n t ) a s d e te rm in e d th ro u g h in te rn a l a n d e xt e rn a l e n g in e e r in g a n d a r c h it e c tu r a l a n a ly s is , a n d a s fu n d in g m a y a ll o w . S ta tio n 4 : H a s a h e a vy co n c e n tr a t io n o f E M S d e m a n d , b u t d e p lo y s o n ly o n e a m b u la n c e , a s it u a ti o n th a t is a d d r e s s e d la te r in th is re p o rt . The Department has been working hard to implement these recommendations. For example, in their reports, the IC M A and CFA! made similar findings and recommendations with respect to nautical response issues. This resulted in the Fire Department placing into service Fire Rescue Boat 4 on March 27, 2017. The boat was purchased in part with a UASI grant and remainder was approved via budget process. The boat serves out of Fire Station 4 and a staffing process placed 11 certified Commercial Boat Captain Firefighters at the station. Fire Boat 4 is a shared unit along with Engine 4, Rescues 4 and 44. Response models have been set up where the boat will always respond with a minimum of 4 members (one pilot, one Captain, two deckhands). Fire Boat 4 is dispatched to water related fire and rescue incidents such as drownings, personal water craft (kayaks, wave runners, jet skis, and other vessels), sinking cars, marina fires, boat fires and missing victims. In addition, Fire Boat 4 responds to house fires (within the outer skirts of the barrier islands for additional water supply). The department's marine firefighting services are within city limits unless requested by mutual aid and provide additional protection to the City's waterways (Biscayne Bay, Government Cut, and Coastal Atlantic Ocean) and acts as a secondary water source as per ISO guidelines. In addition, the ICMA and CFA! made similar findings and recommendations with respect to adequate space issues at certain stations. This resulted in the Fire Department seeking a GO BOND to rebuild Fire Stations 1 and 3. Via referendum in 2018, a GO Bond was approved to rebuild both stations. Fire Station 1 will include a new 911 Call Center Dispatch and serve as the City's back-up center. In their final report, the CPSM recommended the MBFD continue as an accredited fire department utilizing the five-year self-analysis reaccreditation process for continuous improvement. T he M B F D , through its S tandards of R esponse C over (w hich incl udes a risk assessm ent and critical tasking com ponents), com bined w ith its historical assessm e nt of dem and in neighborhoods and ci ty com m ercial and industry locations, places predeterm ined am ounts of personnel, equipm ent, and apparatus at the scene of any em ergency to ensure life safe ty, pro perty conserv ation, and incid ent stabilization. T o accom plish this response to calls fo r serv ice, the M B FD staff s pum pers (eng ine s) and ladders (aerial apparatus) w ith a m inim um staff of fo ur on each. A nalysis in this report and a review of the S tandards of R esponse C over docum ent suggests that fo ur-person staff ing is appro priate fo r the critica l tasks required to m itigate the associated risks in the city and C P S M does not recom m end a change to this m odel. T his m odel allow s fo r the required surge capacity an urban depart m ent such as M ia m i Beach's needs to effectively m itigate fire and other calls fo r serv ice. C P S M fo und the serv ice pro vided by the M B F D to be professional and respected in the com m u nity and w ithin the region. T he M B F D is an accredited agency through the C enter fo r P ublic S afety Excelle nce , w hich is a national best practice. A s such, C P S M fo und the M B F D intern al planning elem ents such as strategic and succession planning to be appro priate and w ell done. In fact, the Standards of Response Cover document developed by the MBFD is the most comprehensive reviewed to date by CPSM. CPSM found that staffing and deploying of resources is consistent with an urban, densely populated, and vertical city such as Miami Beach. Public Safety Communications Division (PSCD) Accreditation Efforts The Miami Beach 911 Center has been utilizing the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) call taking protocols and pre-arrival instructions for more than twenty-five (25) years or since 1992. This system is currently being utilized in thirty-five hundred (3,500) agencies in forty-six (46) countries and twenty-four (24) languages worldwide. On October 24, 2018, the recently formed Miami Beach Public Safety Communications Division was recognized as an Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch (IAED). This recognition was awarded to Miami Beach for using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) call taking protocols and pre-arrival instructions in a manner that meets the standards set by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) twenty (20) points of accreditation. This accreditation, in the use of the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), is currently vested to one-hundred and ninety-five (195) emergency communications centers out of thousands of worldwide agencies. On Monday, July 08, 2019, the Public Safety Communications Division deployed the Police Priority Dispatch System (PPDS) and Fire Priority Dispatch System (FPDS) call taking protocols. At the same time personnel was assigned to conduct daily Quality Assurance reviews and provide feedback to communications personnel for police and fire calls for the first time in the City of Miami Beach. The PSCD is on target to submit two twenty (20) point accreditation applications to the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) in February 2020 as a direct result of a successful police and fire quality assurance program. One of the two applications will be for the Emergency Police Dispatch (EPD) discipline and the second one for the Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) discipline. PSCD anticipates a successful application review process to be completed by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) for both applications during the month of March 2020. If the review of both applications are favorable, the PSCD will become the twelfth emergency communications center worldwide to be accredited in all three disciplines, (medical, fire, and police) and the third in the State of Florida. Cost Savings Initiatives In October 1, 2017, the Public Safety Communications Division (PSCD) was transferred from the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) to the Fire Department. Within four (4) months of transitioning to the Fire Department, the Division reduced its monthly overtime cost by 53.92%, representing a savings of $273,018. The below chart illustrates the number of hours worked, the o v e rt im e c o s t p e r h o u r , a n d th e a c tu a l o v e rt im e c o s t fo r e a c h o f th e la s t fo u r m o n th s . M O N T H O V E R T IM E O V E R T IM E C O S T O V E R T IM E H O U R S W O R K E D P E R H O U R C O S T O ctober, 2017 2,356.00 $35.60 $83,884.37 Novem ber, 2017 2,248.78 $37.53 $84,403.98 Decem ber, 2017 2,018.4 3 $32.73 $66,081.81 January , 2018 1,4 23.99 $27.14 $38,647.96 In addition, further cost reduction initiatives included the elimination of the previous third party contractor, which was utilized to staff the 911 center. This elimination yielded a reduction in the General Fund budget of $1.0M in FY2018. Also, thirteen (13) experienced and certified personnel were hired (911 Call-Taker, Police/Fire Dispatcher, or FCIC/NCIC Operator), which helped reduce the overtime costs. As a result, the continuous need to force personnel to work was reduced to almost non-existing levels. In FY2019, the PSCD eliminated four (4) dispatcher positions to better reflect the division's operational needs. This resulted in a cost savings of $218,000 to the general fund. In October 1, 2018, the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) was transitioned to the Fire Department. With the transition there were several staff changes, one of which included the elimination of the Emergency Management Director (savings of $168,000). During the transition, several positions were re-analyzed and reclassified or eliminated. The table below illustrates the number of positions eliminated from the DEM budget in a period of three (3) fiscal years. POSITION SUMMARY & DETAIL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FY 16/17 FY 17/18 FY 18/19 Emergency Management Revised Revised Proposed Em ergency Management Director 1.00 1.00 Em ergency Managem ent Division Adm inistator 1.00 Emergency Management Coordinator 2.00 2.00 2.00 Radio System s Administrator 1.00 - - Comm unications Manager - 1.00 - Adm inistrative Manager - - - Financial An alyst Ill 1.00 1.00 1.00 Adm inistrative As sistant I - - - Em ergency Mgmt Specialist 3.00 3.00 1.00 Em ergency Management Technician 2.00 1.00 2.00 Ex ecut ive Offi ce As sociate I 1.00 1.00 - Offi ce As sociate IV - - 1.00 Divi sion To tal 11.00 10.00 8.00 Additionally, the DEM eliminated the Office Associate IV position in FY19-20. This represented a savings of $46,000 in the general fund. The total position count for the DEM in FY2020 is now seven (7). Additional DEM Savings Prior to OEM's transition to the Fire Department, DEM contracted with Tidal Basin for Hurricane Irma reimbursement of expenses for $1,000,000. Subcontractors under that are REPS, ACT, Staff Squad and The Olsen Group. All those tasks are now handled in-house and DEM staff continues to train and take a more active role. DEM continually works directly with our own departments as well as FEMA to better track expenses and prepare future FEMA public assistance requests. DEM also significantly reduced its budget fo r the future using a no-cost em ergency alert ing serv ice nam ed Everbridge provided and pa id fo r by the S tate of Florida D epart m ent of E m ergency M anagem ent. REVENUE ENHANCEMENTS False Alarm Reduction Program Fees Beginning in September 1, 2019, the Fire Prevention Division implemented the false alarm reduction program to all city businesses. Alarm users are responsible for paying service fees for every false alarm responded to by the Fire Department. The first two (2) false alarms are a courtesy and serve as a warning. The table below illustrates the false alarm fee schedule: False Alarm Occurrence Fee 1st false alarm No Fee 2nd false alarm No Fee 3d false alarm $250 4h false alarm $250 5-12h false alarm $500 13/ and more false alarms $1000 The collection of false alarm fees did not commence until FY2020. During the program's first quarter of the fiscal year the fees collection generated approximately $32,000 in revenue to the City's general fund. Transport Fees The Fire Department's Rescue Division in partnership with lntermedix/R1 invoices and collects from insurance companies for services rendered by the Fire Rescue personnel for medical treatment and transport. On an average, the Rescue Division responds to 26,000 calls for service per year. This results in an average of 6,400 transports, which generated $2.01 M in revenues during FY2019. Public Emergency Medical Transportation (PEMT) Program The PEMT program allows public entities such as the City of Miami Beach, to obtain a federal match up to their costs for providing services. The supplemental payments provided by this program are available only for allowable costs that are in excess of other Medicaid revenue that the eligible PEMT entities receive for Emergency Medical Transportation (EMT) services to Medicaid recipients. The Fire Department's Rescue Division began PEMT supplemental revenue collection in FY 2018. Since its inception, the Rescue Division has collected the following revenues towards the general fund: PEMT Program Fiscal Year $368,668 2018 $212,488 2019 $459,786 (projected) 2020 Managed Care Organization (MCO) Program The MCO program allows for eligible fire departments participating in PEMT programs to recapture additional funding for transports of Medicaid recipients. The MCO gathers funds from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and distributes payments to the providers such as the City's Fire Department. In fiscal year 2020, the Fire Department is projected to obtain a revenue impact of $86,000 in addition to the projected $459,786 aforementioned on the table above. E-911 As a result of the PSCD's transition to the Fire Department, it was identified by the newly implemented quality assurance program that the primary public safety access point (PSAP) was able to quantify the number of calls received. These additional revenues allowed for an offset to the general fund of costs for call taker expenses. The graph below illustrates a trending increase of revenues beginning in FY2016: $279,10 0; FY 2017 : $266,536; FY 2018 : $4 82 ,8 55 ; and FY 20 19 : $6 12 ,4 69 . E-911 Revenue by Fiscal Year $700,000 $600,000 $500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 I I $100,000 $0 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 FY2019 CONCLUSION During the last 5 years, the Fire Department has continued to work diligently with the Budget and Finance Departments to ensure that money allocated to the department is being maximized and properly expended. The reports of the outside agencies that have assessed the Fire Department found that it is being operated at an efficient and high level. The department will continue to follow best practices in the fire service, communications, emergency management and ocean rescue. The City and the MBFD have much to be proud of with the previous results of the ICMA study, the CF Al's reaccreditation and the ISO's rating of 1. Not only is the MBFD one of the few departments worldwide to be both accredited and ISO Class 1 rated, but it also shows the Department's commitment to our citywide Service Excellence Program.