Issue

To Provide the City Manager with Capital Improvement Needs for the Fire Department.

Summary of Capital Improvement Needs of the Fire Department

Previous City Councils, Fire Service Subcommittees, Capital Improvement Plans and StaffReports haveidentifiedtheneedforadditionalneighborhoodFireStations,as well as upgrades to, or replacement of, existing Fire Stations in order to meet the needs of a growing community and im prove emergency response times. In addition to these infrastructure needs, there are needs for the replacement of fire apparatus.

Below is a summary of identified infrastructure and capital improvement needs:

• #  Construction of an Additional Fire Station (Station 10)

• #  Replacing the West Salem Fire Station (Station 5)

• #  Replacement/Relocation of Fire Station 7 (4730 Liberty Road. S)

• #  Upgrades to the Downtown Fire Station (Station 1)

• #  Replacement of Fire Station 3 (1884 Lansing NE)

• #  Upgrades to Station 6 (Airport Fire Station, 2740 25th Street SE)

• #  Seismic Upgrades to Fire Stations 2, 4, 9

• #  Purchase of property in West Salem for a future Fire Station (Station 11)

• #  Purchaseof13pumpers,2AerialLadderTrucks,1Rescuevehicle,4Grassrigs,

  2 Water Tenders, 1 Air/Light Vehicle to replace our existing fleet.

  Necessity

  The need for emergencyservices providedbytheFireDepartmentcontinuetoincrease, while the ability to meet the Council-adopted response time standard continue to decrease. Additional resources are necessary to meet the needs of a growing community. The need for additional Fire Stations, upgrade and replacement of existing Fire Stations, and replacement of an aging fire apparatus fleet have been identified as follows.

  Construction of an Additional Fire Station (Station 10)

• <  Adding an additional fire station and accompanied Engine Companywill improve response times in East Salem and to our entire emergency service delivery system throughoutSalem. This willallowus toreconfigureourfirstdueresponse areas thereby reducing the overall response times to the entire City.

• <  Additional bay space for the placement of reserve ambulances and other apparatus indoors will increase security and protect these assets from the elements.

• <  Will require the purchase of one additional Fire Engine. Replacing the West Salem Fire Station (Station 5)

• <  ThecurrentFireStationhassignificantstructuralconcernsandlackssufficientbay space.

• <  High maintenance costs are an issue, especially at this station (e.g., past mold problemshavemadethisFireStationuninhabitableduringmolderadication,etc.).

  Replacement/Relocation of Fire Station 7 (4730 Liberty Road S)

• <  Additional bay space for the placement of a grass rig and reserve ambulance indoors will increase security and protect these assets from the elements.

• <  Relocation to existing City-owned land to the south will save on land acquisition costs and may help improve response time within this district.

• <  The existing Fire Station has very significant seismic structural issues which will be corrected in the replacement of this Fire Station.

  Upgrades to the Downtown Fire Station (Station 1)

• <  Expansion of this Fire Station will provide adequate space for administrative, fire prevention and emergency operations personnel assigned to this location. Havingsufficientmeetingroom spaceinageographicallycentrallocationwillalso help in addressing response time concerns.

• <  Additional space for Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) maintenance, and protective clothing and equipment storage, will eliminate reliance on renting storage space offsite for these items.

  Replacement of Fire Station 3 (1884 Lansing NE)

• <  Additional bay space is needed to place a reserve ambulance and other equipment at our busiest fire station. Additional space is also needed to accommodate personnel and equipment assigned to this location.

• <  The existing Fire Station has significant seismic structural issues which will be corrected in the replacement of this Fire Station.

  Upgrades to Station 6 (Airport Fire Station 2740 25th SE)

  • <  Additional bay space for the placement of reserve ambulances and other apparatus indoors will increase security and protect these assets from the elements.

  • <  The existing Fire Station has significant seismic structural issues which will be corrected in the upgrade of this Fire Station.

Stations 2, 4, & 9 Seismic Upgrades

• <  Providing structural improvements to these existing Fire Stations will improve the reliabilityofthesestructures inwithstandingservicedisruptions,andprotectFire Department assets, including personnel, in the event of significant and severe seismic activity.

• <  Mostoftheseupgradescanbecompletedwithoutanysignificantservicedelivery issues, or vacating of personnel from their current locations during upgrades.

• <  Providing these seismic upgrades will “......protect the fire fighters from serious injury, protect the fire apparatuses and equipment from damage and provide a structure that would likely be safe for continued occupancy following an earthquake” (Dames & Moore analysis, 1996, p.5).

  Purchase of Property in West Salem for a Future Fire Station (Station 11)

  • <  Withcontinuedgrowth,asecondFireStationinWestSalemwillbewarrantedin the near future. It is prudent to acquire land now to secure a location that will provide optimal siting of this future Fire Station.

  • <  Previous reviews and analysis have recognized the need for an additional fire s tation in Wes t Salem . It is es tim ated that within the next three to s even years we will need a second station in West Salem.

    Anticipated Purchase of Fire Apparatus

• <  FleetReplacement-Replacementofthecurrentfleetneedstobeconsideredin thenearfuture. Replacementoffireapparatusshouldbeanticipatedat15years of service, with a maximum reliable life expectancy of 17 years. These recommendations arebasedonmanyfactorsincludingindustrystandards,NFPA 1901, and other variables which identify the reliable life span of emergency fire apparatus.

• <  Planning & Preparation - Utilizing a general obligation bond to replace fire apparatus has been highly successful. The ability to plan and prepare for the replacement of fire apparatus in order to maintain a safe and reliable emergency response capability, as well as providing economies of scale and quantity discounts, are attractive features of this type of funding mechanism.

• <  Standardization of Apparatus - Replacing fire apparatus at the same time allows for a uniformed and standardized fleet. This not onlyprovides for consistency in performance and reliability, but it also provides for standardized training of personnel utilizing the apparatus, standardized fleet maintenance, and predictability.

Potential Funding Sources