Fire Department Feasibility Study

Fire Department Feasibility Study HIGHLAND BEACH, FLORIDA DRAFT March 1, 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary 1

Organization and Overview 8

Background and Overview 8

Fire Services 11

Physical Resources 13

Historical Workload 16

Financial Resources 27

Emergency Operations 33

Emergency Service System Dynamics 33

National Emergency Service Standards 36

Response Time 38

Call Processing 40

Turnout Time 42

Distribution of Resources 43

Concentration of Resources 47

System Reliability 57

Emergency Services Alternatives – Status Quo 60

Revenues 60

Expenditures 62

Contractual Obligations 62

Continuing the Contract 70

Emergency Services Alternatives - Municipal 72

Assumptions 72

Organization Overview 73

Human Resources 74


Operations 78

Other Provisions 80


Administrative Support Cost 82

Termination of Agreement 84

Financial Projection 85

Implementation Plan 87

Emergency Services Alternatives - Hybrid 89

Contracting for Services 89

Municipal Fire Suppression and Contracted EMS 91


Human Resources 92


Operations 96

Other Provisions 98






Emergency Services Alternatives – Public Safety 107

Assumptions 107


Human Resources 111


Operations 116

Emergency Medical Services 118

Other Provisions 118






Draft Fire Department Feasibility Study Highland Beach, FL

Matrix Consulting Group 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the Town of Highland Beach to review the current fire and emergency medical service delivery system and to examine the feasibility of alternative delivery systems. This document is the result of this development and collaboration of the plan.

Scope of Work

The scope of this study included the assessment of the current fire protection system operations, response capabilities, staffing, and other resources necessary for the delivery of services to the Town. This included financial resources, contracts, and alternatives to the emergency services delivery system. This project focused on the emergency services system delivery that included:

• Response capabilities;

• Response time analysis;

• Resource locations;

• Available resources to serve the Town;

• Staffing and manpower;

• Financial resources.

The approaches used in this study were comprehensive as described below.

Approaches Utilized in the Study

To understand and evaluate service level issues facing the City, the project team undertook an assessment of the Fire Department. The principal approaches utilized by the project team in this study included, but were not limited to, the following:

Internal Interviews – members of the project team individually interviewed numerous executives, management, and supervisory staff of the Town of Highland Beach and Delray Beach Fire Rescue leadership. Data Collection – the project team collected a wide variety of external and internal data documenting the structure, operations and organization, including:



• Department staffing and scheduling. • Documentation reflecting operations management. • Numerous output data reflecting services provided. • Various other performance information. This data was summarized in a ‘descriptive profile’ of the Delray Beach Fire Rescue and the Town of Highland Beach, which was reviewed by the staff of each organization to ensure we had a factual foundation for the study. This approach ensured that the project team had an appropriate understanding of the fire protection system.

Summary of Emergency Services Alternatives

Throughout the discussions and interviews with officials from the Town expressed a desire to have several alternatives for the delivery of fire suppression and emergency medical services for the residents. The following sections provide an overview of the findings and alternative methods available to the Town. Detailed information and descriptions are contained in the body of the report.

The establishment of an effective response force is an issue in all the alternatives presented in this report. The building inventory in Highland Beach contains a considerable amount of high-rise style buildings, those that are ten (10) stories and higher. Even those buildings that are three (3) to five (5) stories in height can strain the resources of a fire department. One advantage with the DBFR agreement is the resources that are available to the Town from Delray Beach that may not be wholly available in a mutual aid situation. Mutual aid agreements do provide additional resources, but the neighboring communities are not under any obligation to send resources or deplete their emergency services system.

Status Quo

Currently Highland Beach is contracting for services from Delray Beach, a city to the north of the Town. The most recent interlocal service agreement is dated July 7, 2016 with the term of the agreement to begin on October 1, 2016 and extend through September 30, 2026. Options to renew for ten-year periods are also provided. The latest request from Delray Beach Fire-Rescue (DBFR) is to increase the staffing on the Rescue from a minimum of two personnel to three personnel. The basis for this request is to match the staffing in Delray Beach and Palm Beach County.



There are some issues with the current contractual arrangement. The contract stipulates the personnel costs are to be calculated using an in rank average of the individuals employed by Delray beach. These costs include salaries, overtime, and fringe benefits. The reconciliation (true-up) documents examined; Delray Beach has charged Highland Beach with the actual costs incurred as opposed to the calculated in-rank average. The agreement authorizes Delray Beach to invoice the residents of Highland Beach for appropriate, emergency medical service transport fees. The fees collected and reimbursed to the Town are for EMS transports performed in the Town of Highland Beach by personnel assigned to the Town of Highland Beach Fire Station. Based on the language in the agreement, calls for emergency medical service made by the Highland Beach apparatus and personnel to areas outside the Town are not included and not reimbursed to the Town of Highland Beach. Likewise, any emergency medical calls made in the Town of Highland Beach by a DBFR Rescue Unit are not reimbursed to the Town of Highland Beach. It appears that DBFR is collecting emergency medical transportation fees for calls for service in Delray Beach using Highland Beach assigned resources. In essence, DBFR is collecting the transport fees and Highland Beach is bearing the cost of providing the service.

The Town of Highland Beach can continue the agreement as written. However, the terms of the agreement need to be adhered to moving forward. Provisions in the agreement are not being followed and may have financial implications to the Town of Highland Beach and the City of Delray Beach.

• Delray Beach should charge Highland Beach the appropriate service fee consistent with the terms and conditions of the contract as reflected in Sections 4.3 (A-H). Alternately, on a move forward basis, revise the contract terms and conditions to reflect “actual costs” charged associated with the Highland Beach Fire Station.

• Engage a firm to conduct a forensic audit of contract charges levied to Highland Beach over the past five fiscal years, and based on the results of that audit, seek reimbursement from, or provide recompense to, Delray Beach based on the financial outcome of that audit.

• Include appropriate performance benchmarks in a future interlocal service agreement language such that fire and emergency medical service delivery can be objectively measured against accepted Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

It appears that Highland Beach should be credited with all emergency medical transport fees for all emergency medical transport calls for service that are performed by medical units assigned to the Highland Beach Fire Station. To change the language on the



collection of emergency medical transport fees may require a renegotiation of the agreement. Opening the agreement for negotiations may also open the increase of staffing issue for the Rescue Unit. At the very least, the reconciliation process should include a more detailed accounting of the revenues and expenditures for the services provided.

Emergency Services Alternatives - Municipal

The first alternative would be to establish a municipal fire department within the Town of Highland Beach. The formation of a municipal fire department would require a new chapter in the Town Code of Ordinances similar to Chapter 21 of the Town Code of Ordinances that establishes the police department. Similar duties and requirements should be established for the fire department as outlined in the police department section.

In order to provide the same level of service will require the addition of 22 employees to the Town that includes a Fire Chief, administrative support, and operational personnel. This will provide a minimum staffing of three (3) personnel on the ladder truck and two (2) personnel on the rescue. It will also provide the support for fire prevention, training, and other support functions for the fire department. The total first year cost for fire department personnel is $2,602,151 which $252,000 is a one-time cost for turnout gear and uniforms. Operating expenses for the fire department amount to approximately $152,595 that includes utilities, maintenance, supplies, and fuel. The total first year cost for the operations of a municipal fire department is $2,754,746.

Indirect costs to the establishment of a municipal fire department include a Human Resources Director and a part-time financial specialist. The 22 additional personnel will likely trigger other federal requirements for tracking the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provisions and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions. The additional personnel will also increase the workload for payroll services and account receivable and payable. The cost to add a Human Resources Director and a part-time financial specialist for the first year is approximately $174,355.

The final piece of establishing a municipal fire department is the cancellation of the current agreement with Delray Beach. The agreement allows for the cancellation of the agreement for good cause or any cause. Good cause is termed as a breach of the terms of contract or the inability of DBFR to provide services. Terminating the agreement for any cause requires a thirty-six (36) month notice. If the termination is less than thirty-six (36) months’ notice, then the Town of Highland Beach will be required to pay the surplus personnel costs for up to thirty-six (36) months. Based on the financial projections, the surplus personnel cost in FY2022 will be approximately $4,145,364. A lump sum payment



of $540,000 to satisfy the terms of the leases is a potential depending on the disposition of the lessor.

In sum, terminating the agreement with DBFR, establishing a municipal fire department, and acquiring the apparatus and equipment, the total cost for the first year is approximately $7,409,452. The current agreement is set to expire in 2026 meaning if the Town terminates the agreement now and pays the surplus personnel cost to Delray Beach for thirty-six (36) months, there would only one to two years left in the agreement.

For this alternative it would seem the best course of action would be allowing the contract to expire and start a municipal fire department following the end of the agreement. This would also allow time for the Town to prepare for the establishment of a municipal fire department.

Emergency Services Alternatives - Hybrid

There are two potential alternatives in this model. The first is to contract with a private service provider to provide the fire suppression and emergency medical services for the Town. The costs range from $1,020,000 for emergency medical services only to $4,200,000 for fire suppression and emergency medical services. These costs include apparatus and equipment to operate the department. Within these costs, the occupancy expenses are not included and there is an expectation the Town would also provide the fire station. As with any type of contract, all elements are negotiable and the services received and cost for those services will depend largely on the scope within the request for proposals and the eventual contract. The same termination costs, $4,145,364 in the first year, will apply should the Town elect to terminate the current agreement early. Should the Town elect to have the emergency services provided by a private service provider, the first year cost would be approximately $8,390,887 plus the final disposition of the leases.

The second part of this alternative is to establish a municipal fire department and provide emergency medical services through a contract with a private service provider. The largest difference between this alternative and a full municipal fire department is the number of operational personnel. The operational personnel in this alternative are twelve (12) personnel versus the eighteen (18) for the previous model.

Considering the costs for the municipal fire department, the emergency medical services contract, and the early termination of the current agreement, the first year cost for this alternative is approximately $7,685,478. Again, given the time frame of the current agreement and the termination provisions, the best course of action would be allowing the contract to expire and start a municipal fire department and contract for emergency medical services following the end of the agreement.



Emergency Services Alternatives – Public Safety

This alternative uses a private service provider for emergency medical services and melds the fire department and police department into a public safety department. This model uses the same operational personnel for the fire division and combines the police and fire administration functions. Within this structure there are some key points.

• The Police Chief becomes the Public Safety Director and has a $20,000 increase in salary.

• The Police Lieutenant becomes the Assistant Public Safety Director to oversee operations and has a $15,000 increase in salary.

• The Police Officers are trained as firefighters and receive an additional $10,000 in salary. This provides additional personnel in the event of a larger fire incident and the effective response force.

• The Police Accreditation and Training position adds the coordination of fire training to the responsibilities of the position.

The costs associated with this alternative are similar in nature to the previous alternatives. Th difference in this model is the combining of administrative functions with the police department. The costs for the municipal fire division, the emergency medical services contract, and the early termination of the current agreement, the first year cost for this alternative is approximately $7,619,216. Within the time frame of the current agreement and the termination provisions, the best course of action would be allowing the contract to expire and establish a public safety department and contract for emergency medical services following the end of the agreement.

Emergency Services Alternative Cost Comparison

The following table illustrates the total cost for each alternative and includes the projections for the next five years.

Highland Beach Service Alternatives Cost Projection

Service Alternative

FY2022 Start

FY2023 Projection

FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Status Quo $5,142,377 $5,399,496 $5,669,471 $5,952,944 $6,250,592 $6,563,121 Municipal $3,264,088 $3,054,171 $3,184,861 $3,321,980 $3,465,847 $3,616,798 Private Service Provider $4,245,523 $4,456,433 $4,677,862 $4,910,334 $5,154,402 $5,410,644

Hybrid - Private EMS $3,540,115 $3,451,208 $3,607,159 $3,770,801 $3,942,518 $4,122,712

Public Safety $3,473,852 $3,186,924 $3,329,660 $3,479,427 $3,636,576 $3,801,472



As shown the status quo uses the FY2021 bill recently submitted by Delray Beach with an additional 5% added per year for the projection. This coincides with the current collective bargaining agreement.

It is important to note that the current contract has language requiring the Town of Highland Beach to pay the salary costs of the surplus personnel for up to three (3) years if the contract is terminated early. Based on the 5% annual increase projected, the Delray Beach Surplus Personnel cost would be $4,145,364 in year one , $4,766,226 in year 2 and $5,507,296 in year three. These costs would be in addition to any implementation and start-up costs associated with transitioning to a different service model.



ORGANIZATION AND OVERVIEW

This chapter provides an overview of the general characteristics of Highland Beach.

Background and Overview

Highland Beach is a part of the barrier island along the east coast in Palm Beach County, Florida. It is separated from the mainland by an intracoastal waterway and is accessible by two bridges at either end of the Town. The Town was incorporated in 1949 and consists primarily of significant residential and high-rise residential properties.

The Town covers approximately 1.1 square miles of which 0.5 square miles is land and 0.6 square miles is water. Florida Route A1A transverses the Town from north to south. The 2018 estimated population of 3,858 residents creates a population density of approximately 3,507 people per square mile. However, during the winter months the population increases to approximately 8,500 residents increasing the population density to approximately 7,727 people per square mile.

The Town of Highland Beach contracts with the City of Delray Beach to provide fire suppression and emergency medical services for its residents.

The Town is governed by a five member Town Commission elected at-large on staggered three-year terms. The day-to-day operations are managed by the Town Manager appointed by the Town Commission.

Demographic Profile

The following table illustrates the demographic profile of Highland Beach and the estimated changes that have occurred since the 2010 United States Census.



Highland Beach Demographics

U.S. Census Data 2010 2015 2018

Estimated Highland Beach Population 3,627 3,654 3,858 Median Age 64.7 65.2 65.7 Children Under Age 5 1.6% 0.6% 0.3% Children Ages 5 to 19 years 3.8% 6.2% 8.0% Persons Age 20 to 59 years 36.5% 26.5% 28.2% Persons Age 60 and Over 58.1% 66.7% 63.6% Families in Poverty 1.1% 3.4% 5.1% Civilian Labor Force Unemployed 4.0% 1.7% 4.4% Median Household Income $89,545 $96,875 $105,929 Employment Sectors:

Education, Health Care, Soc. Svc. 14.1% 22.5% 21.0% Retail Trade 6.5% 9.3% 8.2% Professional, Scientific, Mgmt. 22.3% 14.0% 16.8% Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 19.0% 10.5% 11.4% Entertainment, Recreation, Food 14.0% 15.9% 9.5% Construction 1.7% 1.3% 1.3% Manufacturing 4.8% 4.3% 9.3% Transportation, Warehousing, Util. 3.6% 1.5% 2.7% Public Administration 1.4% 7.3% 6.9% Other Services 1.6% 3.2% 4.9% Wholesale 7.9% 7.1% 4.9% Information 3.1% 1.4% 3.1% Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing 0.0% 1.8% 0.0%

The population of Highland Beach has increased approximately 6.4% since 2010 adding an estimated 231 residents. There has been an 8% decrease in the 20 to 59 age group while the age group over 60 has increased by approximately 5.5%. The median age of the Town has remained at 65 years old for the past eighteen years. It is also important to note that there are several properties in the Town that are used as winter retreats which results in higher populations in the winter months than are accounted for in the Census data.

The following map provides a view of population density by census tract.



The area of Delray Beach was shown as reference to the overall population densities. The northern section of Highland Beach has a higher population density than in the southern sections.



Fire Services

This section provides an overview of the fire protection system including the resources available to the Town and a historical review of the workload for the Fire Department.

Organization

In 1917, Delray Beach Fire-Rescue (DBFR) was formed as a fire department in the City of Delray Beach. The organization was initially formed as a volunteer fire department with the first piece of firefighting equipment, a hand drawn hose cart, being acquired in 1919. Today the Fire-Rescue Department provides services to the City of Delray Beach and, through contracts, provides services to the Town of Highland Beach and the Town of Gulf Stream. Services are delivered using six fire stations with one of those stations located in the Town of Highland Beach.

The mission of the Delray Beach Fire Rescue is to put community first, responds professionally, and provides service above all.

The organizational chart that follows illustrates the current Fire Department organization.



Delray Beach Fire Rescue Organizational Chart

Fire Chief

Assistant Chief Operations

Division Chief Fire/EMS/Special

Operations/Training

Fire Training Captain

EMS Training Captain

Special Operations

Training Captain

Division Chief Ocean Rescue

Captain

Lieutenant (4)

Life Guard FT (13)

Life Guard PT (22)

Administrative Assistant Ocean

Rescue

Battalion Chief (3)

EMS Captain (3) Captain (27)

Driver/Engineer EMT/Paramedic

(27)

Firefighte/ Paramedic (93)

Emergency Manager

Administrative Assistant

Operations

Budget Coordinator

Assistant Chief Administration

Division Chief Logistics/Support

Services

Logistics Support Services

Coordinator

Technical Services Manager

Division Chief Fire Marshal

Captain Inspector (5)

Inspector (Civilian )

Plan Reviewr (Civilian)

Public Education Specialist

Administrative Assistant Fire &

Life Safety


Administration

Executuve Assistant to the

Fire Chief

Public Information

Officer



Physical Resources

Service to the Town of Highland Beach is provided from the single fire station, Station 116, located in the Town. Five additional stations in Delray Beach provide support to calls for service in the Town, most notably Station 113 is the closest resource responding from Delray Beach. The following map illustrates the locations of the fire stations.



Delray Beach operates on a three (3) platoon system, working 24 hours on and 48 hours off. The daily minimum staffing is 38 personnel.

The tables below outline the apparatus and staffing for each of the six (6) stations.

Delray Beach Fire-Rescue

Station 111 501 West Atlantic Avenue

Description of

Use

Provides service to the north central area of Delray Beach which includes the downtown area. Also provides service to Interstate 95. Serves as the Fire Administration Headquarters.

Apparatus Space Five drive through bays

Assigned

Apparatus

Unit ID Year Description Type Minimum Staffing

Ladder 111 2017 Pierce Aerial Aerial Ladder 3 Rescue 111 2017 Horton Ambulance 3 Battalion 111 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Command 1 EMS 111 2012 Ford F350 Command 1 Boat 111 2004 Carolina Skiff Water Rescue


Station 112 35 Andrews Avenue

Description of

Use

Located on the barrier island, provides service to the eastern coastal area including areas on mainland and the eastern sections of downtown. This station provides contracted services to the Town of Gulfstream.

Apparatus Space Two Bays

Assigned

Apparatus


Engine 112 2017 Pierce Type 1 Engine 3 Rescue 112 2014 Horton Ambulance 3


Station 113 651 West Linton Blvd. Description of

Use Serves the south-central area of the City.

Apparatus Space Three bays with two of them drive through bays

Assigned

Apparatus


Engine 113 2017 Pierce Type 1 Engine 3 Rescue 113 2017 Horton Ambulance 3




Station 114 4321 Lake Ida Road Description of

Use

Located in the far northwest section of the City providing service to this northwest area.

Apparatus Space Three drive through bays

Assigned

Apparatus


Engine 114 2017 Pierce Type 1 Engine 3 Rescue 114 2015 Horton Ambulance 3 Brush 114 1991 Southern Brush


Station 115 4000 Old Germantown Road Description of

Use Provides service to the southwest area of Delray Beach

Apparatus Space Three drive through bays

Assigned

Apparatus


Ladder 115 2009 Pierce Aerial Aerial Platform 3 Rescue 115 2016 Horton Ambulance 3 Special Ops 115 2006 Pierce Special Ops 1 HM 115 2006 Ford F550 State Owned

HM 115 2003 Wells Cargo Trailer State Owned

Delray Beach Fire-Rescue - Highland Beach

Station 116 3614 South Ocean Blvd. Description of

Use

Located on the barrier island in the Town of Highland Beach. Provides service to the Town of Highland Beach and a small area of Delray Beach.

Apparatus Space Two Bays

Assigned

Apparatus


Ladder 116 2017 Pierce Aerial Aerial Ladder 3 Rescue 116 2017 Horton Ambulance 2

The station is owned by Highland Beach with the apparatus at the Highland Beach station owned by Delray Beach, with annual lease payments paid by Highland Beach to Delray Beach for the apparatus. Delray Beach provides, by contract, the personnel to operate the station.



Historical Workload

The Fire Department responds to emergency and non-emergency calls for service. The following table illustrates the activities of the Department grouped by the type of call with responses in the Town of Highland Beach.

Town of Highland Beach

Calls for Service by Type

2017 2018 2019 Total Pct.

Auto Accidents 6 11 11 28 1.4% Medical Calls 413 429 441 1,283 63.7%

Total Medical and Auto Accidents 419 440 452 1,311 65.1% Alarm – Activation 82 60 81 223 11.1% Alarm - False 0 1 1 2 0.1% Alarm – Malfunction 26 33 19 78 3.9% Mutual Aid 0 0 0 0 0.0% Other Type Fire 0 2 3 5 0.2% Smoke Scare 0 1 1 2 0.1% Structure Fire 1 0 1 2 0.1% Vegetation/Brush/Debris Fires 2 5 0 7 0.3% Vehicle Fire 0 0 0 0 0.0%

All Fire Calls 111 102 106 319 15.8% Rescue Calls - Extrication 10 27 29 66 3.3% Rescue Calls - Other 1 4 0 5 0.2% Rescue Calls - Search 0 0 0 0 0.0% Rescue Calls - Water 0 2 1 3 0.1%

All Rescue Calls 11 33 30 74 3.7% Dispatched/Canceled 26 34 29 89 4.4% Good Intent Calls 18 13 6 37 1.8% Hazardous Condition 14 7 11 32 1.6% Hazardous Materials 0 2 0 2 0.1% Overpressure Rupture 0 0 0 0 0.0% Severe Weather Alerts 0 0 0 0 0.0% Service Calls 41 51 59 151 7.5% Unclassified 0 7 11 18 0.9%

Other Type of Calls 99 114 116 329 15.4%

Total Calls for Service 640 689 704 2,033 In the Town, the medical calls represent 65% of the call volume. Fire alarms, extrication (elevator emergencies), and service calls account for 25% of the calls for service.



The Highland Beach station is part of the overall Delray Beach Fire-Rescue response system and will respond to calls in Delray Beach if they are the closest resource. The next table illustrates the calls for service the Highland Beach station responded to outside the Town of Highland Beach.

Highland Beach Station Responses Outside of the Town


2017 2018 2019 Total Pct.

Auto Accidents 48 46 38 132 6.6% Medical Calls 446 446 403 1,295 64.3% Total Medical and Auto Accidents 494 492 441 1,427 70.8% Alarm – Activation 34 36 32 102 5.1% Alarm - False 2 3 5 10 0.5% Alarm – Malfunction 9 13 10 32 1.6% Mutual Aid 0 0 0 0 0.0% Other Type Fire 10 7 2 19 0.9% Smoke Scare 2 4 8 14 0.7% Structure Fire 11 15 15 41 2.0% Vegetation/Brush/Debris Fires 8 8 3 19 0.9% Vehicle Fire 2 3 4 9 0.4% All Fire Calls 78 89 79 246 12.2% Rescue Calls - Extrication 8 12 5 25 1.2% Rescue Calls - Other 1 6 2 9 0.4% Rescue Calls - Search 0 0 1 1 0.0% Rescue Calls - Water 2 1 1 4 0.2% All Rescue Calls 11 19 9 39 1.9% Dispatched/Canceled 33 32 39 104 5.2% Good Intent Calls 19 16 7 42 2.1% Hazardous Condition 26 14 24 64 3.2% Hazardous Materials 1 0 0 1 0.0% Overpressure Rupture 0 2 0 2 0.1% Severe Weather Alerts 0 0 0 0 0.0% Service Calls 24 22 34 80 4.0% Unclassified 0 8 17 25 1.2% Other Type of Calls 103 94 121 318 14.5%

Total Calls for Service 686 694 650 2,030 Approximately 70% of calls for service outside the Town of Highland Beach are medical calls. As a part of the Delray Beach Fire-Recue system, the Delray Beach stations also respond into Highland Beach. The following table illustrates the calls for service Delray Beach stations responded into Highland Beach.



Delray Beach to Highland Beach


2017 2018 2019 Total Pct.

Auto Accidents 6 10 11 27 1.3% Medical Calls 84 103 81 268 13.3%

Total Medical and Auto Accidents 90 113 92 295 14.6% Alarm – Activation 11 7 5 23 1.1% Alarm - False 0 1 0 1 0.0% Alarm – Malfunction 7 5 2 14 0.7% Mutual Aid 0 0 0 0 0.0% Other Type Fire 0 1 2 3 0.1% Smoke Scare 0 1 0 1 0.0% Structure Fire 1 0 1 2 0.1% Vegetation/Brush/Debris Fires 1 3 0 4 0.2% Vehicle Fire 0 0 0 0 0.0%

All Fire Calls 20 18 10 48 2.4% Rescue Calls - Extrication 1 2 4 7 0.3% Rescue Calls - Other 1 2 0 3 0.1% Rescue Calls - Search 0 0 0 0 0.0% Rescue Calls - Water 0 2 1 3 0.1%

All Rescue Calls 2 6 5 13 0.6% Dispatched/Canceled 11 10 5 26 1.3% Good Intent Calls 3 2 1 6 0.3% Hazardous Condition 6 3 6 15 0.7% Hazardous Materials 0 1 0 1 0.0% Overpressure Rupture 0 0 0 0 0.0% Severe Weather Alerts 0 0 0 0 0.0% Service Calls 3 9 2 14 0.7% Unclassified 0 0 1 1 0.0%

Other Type of Calls 23 25 15 62 3.1%

Total Calls for Service 135 162 122 418 As previously illustrated, it is more frequent for the Highland Beach station to respond to incidents outside Highland Beach then for Delray Beach to respond to incidents in Highland Beach.

The following table displays the total number of calls for service handled by the Highland Beach station by each hour and day of the week for the past three years. Both emergency and non-emergency calls were included to provide an overall view of the call demand on the fire protection system.



2017 – 2019 Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total

12 am 9 11 11 3 8 9 15 66 1 am 16 9 8 8 10 9 10 70 2 am 6 7 9 5 13 10 7 57 3 am 9 7 9 3 5 7 6 46 4 am 2 6 7 6 9 10 4 44 5 am 4 9 10 15 13 11 9 71 6 am 12 13 15 15 7 3 13 78 7 am 19 21 16 16 19 10 10 111 8 am 14 22 20 26 39 29 19 169 9 am 29 55 49 41 51 57 19 301 10 am 28 56 42 59 65 57 39 346 11 am 28 43 48 40 47 54 40 300 12 pm 33 37 39 62 62 46 34 313 1 pm 28 47 55 49 41 51 34 305 2 pm 22 45 46 50 34 55 33 285 3 pm 24 32 36 44 35 50 21 242 4 pm 27 32 41 33 32 30 21 216 5 pm 35 27 32 28 28 28 28 206 6 pm 32 24 33 22 17 27 21 176 7 pm 28 26 23 40 31 27 21 196 8 pm 16 9 24 23 18 26 25 141 9 pm 17 19 18 16 13 12 22 117 10 pm 24 14 13 9 22 18 15 115 11 pm 11 13 8 15 7 17 21 92

Total 473 584 612 628 626 653 487 4,063 The call volume is heaviest during the middle part of the day from late morning to the early afternoon and generally through the normal workweek of Monday through Friday. The calls for service varied by time of day and day of the week. The busiest hour of the day is 10 am with the slowest hour being 4 am.



The following chart further illustrates the calls for service by hour of the day.

As illustrated above, calls increase sharply at the 9 am hour peaking at 10 am and remain steady throughout the day. The calls begin to decline at the 5 pm hour and sharply decline at the 8 pm hour with 4 am being the slowest hour of the day. This call demand cycle is expected due to the older demographic within the community.

To further define the calls for service as it relates to the time of day and day of week, the following table displays the calls responded to from the Highland Beach Station in the Town of Highland Beach.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

12a 3a 6a 9a 12p 3p 6p 9p

2017 - 2019 Calls by Time of Day



2017 – 2019 Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday in Highland Beach

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total 12 am 6 7 8 2 5 9 10 47 1 am 10 8 8 6 7 7 8 54 2 am 4 4 7 3 11 4 5 38 3 am 8 5 6 1 3 6 5 34 4 am 2 5 6 5 7 9 4 38 5 am 3 7 9 12 10 9 5 55 6 am 11 9 12 12 4 3 11 62 7 am 15 13 14 12 13 10 10 87 8 am 10 10 12 12 20 16 16 96 9 am 20 27 26 16 29 15 8 141 10 am 13 19 19 28 22 12 16 129 11 am 16 17 23 16 25 21 20 138 12 pm 20 12 17 19 22 18 19 127 1 pm 15 18 22 17 14 19 17 122 2 pm 13 15 10 17 13 19 12 99 3 pm 15 12 8 18 10 13 9 85 4 pm 15 14 15 18 20 10 10 102 5 pm 25 15 15 13 13 13 16 110 6 pm 18 5 16 17 12 12 10 90 7 pm 18 16 13 19 16 15 9 106 8 pm 8 7 19 13 9 15 10 81 9 pm 12 12 9 9 4 5 8 59 10 pm 14 10 10 6 14 8 7 69 11 pm 11 11 4 8 7 11 12 64 Total 302 278 308 299 310 279 257 2,033

The call volume is heaviest during the middle part of the day from mid-morning to the early afternoon and generally through the normal workweek of Monday through Friday. The calls for service varied by time of day and day of the week. The busiest hour of the day is 9 am with the slowest hour being 3 am.




As illustrated above, calls increase sharply and peak at the 9 am hour remaining steady throughout the day. There is a slight reduction in calls in mid-afternoon picking up again at the 4 pm hour before declining at the 7 pm hour. The 3 am hour represents the slowest hour of the day.

The next table illustrates the calls for service by time of day and day of the week for those calls the Highland Beach Station responds into Delray Beach.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

12a 3a 6a 9a 12p 3p 6p 9p

2017 - 2019 Calls by Time of Day in Highland Beach



2017 – 2019 Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday into Delray Beach

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total 12 am 3 4 3 1 3 0 5 19 1 am 6 1 0 2 3 2 2 16 2 am 2 3 2 2 2 6 2 19 3 am 1 2 3 2 2 1 1 12 4 am 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 6 5 am 1 2 1 3 3 2 4 16 6 am 1 4 3 3 3 0 2 16 7 am 4 8 2 4 6 0 0 24 8 am 4 12 8 14 19 13 3 73 9 am 9 28 23 25 22 42 11 160 10 am 15 37 23 31 43 45 23 217 11 am 12 26 25 24 22 33 20 162 12 pm 13 25 22 43 40 28 15 186 1 pm 13 29 33 32 27 32 17 183 2 pm 9 30 36 33 21 36 21 186 3 pm 9 20 28 26 25 37 12 157 4 pm 12 18 26 15 12 20 11 114 5 pm 10 12 17 15 15 15 12 96 6 pm 14 19 17 5 5 15 11 86 7 pm 10 10 10 21 15 12 12 90 8 pm 8 2 5 10 9 11 15 60 9 pm 5 7 9 7 9 7 14 58 10 pm 10 4 3 3 8 10 8 46 11 pm 0 2 4 7 0 6 9 28 Total 171 306 304 329 316 374 230 2,030

For calls into Delray Beach, the call volume is heaviest during the middle part of the day from mid-morning to the late afternoon and generally through the normal workweek of Monday through Friday. The calls for service varied by time of day and day of the week. The busiest hour of the day is 10 am with the slowest hour being 4 am.




As illustrated above, calls increase sharply at the 9 am hour peaking at 10 am and remain steady throughout the day. The calls begin to decline at the 3 pm hour and sharply decline at the 4 pm hour with 4 am being the slowest hour of the day.

The following map illustrates the call demand using GIS technology to outline where the majority of the calls are occurring. As illustrated, the highest volume of calls is in the central and northern end of the Town. There is also an area in the southern portion of the Town with higher call density.

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12a 3a 6a 9a 12p 3p 6p 9p

2017 - 2019 Calls by Time of Day into Delray Beach



There is a clustering of calls for service in the far southern sections of the Town. This area has a few high-rise residential occupancies that are increasing this area’s population density and call volume.



The following map illustrates the calls for service the Highland Beach station responded to in Delray Beach.

Most of the calls are in the south east section of Delray Beach and along the A1A Highway corridor.



Financial Resources

The Town of Highland Beach operates on a fiscal year ending on September 30. Budget preparation is the responsibility of the Town Manager with assistance from the Finance Director and various department heads throughout the Town.

Revenue

The Town receives revenues from a variety of sources including taxes, licenses, permits, and charges for services. The largest contributor to the revenues for the Town is property taxes which represents approximately 78% of the revenue.

Expenditures

Highland Beach contracts with the City of Delray Beach to provide fire and emergency medical services. Within the Delray Beach Fire Rescue budget is a specific division for Highland Beach fire and EMS operations.

The table that follows provides the actual costs from FY2018 – FY2020 and the adopted budget for FY2021.



Delray Beach Fire-Rescue - Highland Beach Operations

Line Item 2014 Actual 2015 Actual 2016 Actual 2017 Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 actual 2021 Adopted Personnel Services Regular Salaries/Wages $1,627,847 $1,595,522 $1,748,275 $1,723,887 $1,848,331 $1,831,348 $1,867,097 $2,086,945

Holiday Pay $55,966 $73,453 $66,774 $61,961 $67,156 $63,715 $71,178 $93,505 Term. Pay Sick & Vacation $4,485 $26,320 $30,101 $52,961 $44,547 $45,825 $32,303 $37,663

Overtime /Call-Out Pay $224,442 $153,391 $211,635 $320,161 $218,917 $245,464 $175,732 $160,426 Special Pay Educational $27,200 $23,368 $29,840 $29,441 $28,700 $25,100 $33,410 $28,200

Other Taxable Pay $1,724 $789 $0 $0 $106 $0 $0 $0 FICA Taxes Employer $142,492 $137,499 $154,228 $161,936 $159,965 $162,978 $161,752 $161,151 Police & Fire Retirement $692,061 $685,690 $649,450 $591,265 $540,609 $684,333 $649,112 $530,808

Retiree Health Trust $42,290 $52,398 $35,864 $46,440 $85,667 $69,698 $62,205 $72,053 Health Insurance $184,275 $214,576 $208,041 $181,276 $165,252 $188,163 $203,231 $201,402 Life Insurance $2,464 $3,430 $3,418 $3,432 $2,902 $2,912 $2,901 $2,376 Disability Insurance $4,824 $3,642 $3,628 $2,443 $3,849 $4,273 $4,228 $3,917 Workers Compensation $46,510 $48,800 $45,700 $54,930 $58,720 $57,566 $56,237 $53,973 Unemployment Compensation $2,174 $2,125 $700 $686 $739 $747 $723 $631

Employee Assistance Program $689 $719 $673 $517 $509 $657 $644 $526

Total Personnel Services $3,059,443 $3,021,722 $3,188,327 $3,231,338 $3,225,968 $3,382,780 $3,320,750 $3,433,576

* Source = City of Delray Beach



Delray Beach Fire-Rescue - Highland Beach Operations

Line Item 2014 Actual 2015 Actual 2016 Actual 2017 Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 actual 2021 Adopted Operating Expenditures Pest Control Services $0 $56 $96 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Other Contractual Services $1,557 $1,557 $1,137 $1,842 $1,922 $1,829 $924 $1,560

Travel & Training $0 $315 $0 $209 $459 $1,911 $0 $0 Comm. Svs. Portable Phones / MDD $1,338 $1,608 $1,612 $1,748 $130 $0 $0 $0

Portable Phone / MDD $5 $4 $423 $592 $0 $0 $0 $0 Utility Services Gas $1,466 $1,326 $1,433 $1,584 $1,527 $1,557 $1,401 $1,330 Vehicle Maintenance / Garage $44,157 $20,582 $7,526 $2,014 $5,228 $3,991 $8,227 $12,000

Equipment Maintenance $4,139 $6,958 $6,330 $7,285 $9,133 $6,300 $0 $19,170

Building Maintenance $6,355 $4,572 $2,392 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Other Current Charges $0 $990 $0 $800 $0 $0 $0 $1,320 Office Equipment <$5,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $560

Fuel & Lube $11,841 $7,750 $1,535 $1,663 $4,304 $4,816 $4,110 $10,190 EMS Supplies $30,156 $30,175 $35,700 $45,255 $14,705 $1,863 $4,674 $47,375 General Operating Supplies $1,029 $542 $274 $0 $0 $1,716 $1,177 $3,528

Equipment < $5,000 $905 $3,616 $2,716 $0 $0 $1,000 $0 $16,055 Protective Gear $11,318 $11,609 $2,304 $4,849 $2,791 $25,870 $0 $25,950 Uniform / Linen Service $7,921 $8,809 $10,860 $9,358 $14,019 $0 -$342 $20,047 Janitorial Supplies $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,145 $1,500 $1,533 $1,500 Training & Education $0 $0 $0 $0 $464 $5,829 $4,685 $9,960 Training Costs $1,935 $4,442 $6,014 $1,203 $0 $0 $0 $0 Tuition Reimbursement $305 $0 $2,189 $6,913 -$6,820 $0 $0 $5,500 Total Operating Expenditures $125,927 $106,411 $84,041 $86,814 $49,007 $58,183 $26,390 $176,045

* Source = City of Delray Beach



Contract

The current contract is dated July 7, 2016 with a commencement date of October 1, 2016 for a term of ten (10) years ending on September 30, 2026. Options to renew for an additional ten (10) years is also a part of the agreement. Termination of the agreement requires a twelve (12) month notice for good cause and a thirty-six (36) month notice for any reason.

Financial considerations in the agreement include revenues and expenditures for the services provided. The process for the financial resources is for the City of Delray Beach to provide a projection for costs for fire and EMS services to the Town by June 1 of each year for the upcoming fiscal year. Payments for the service are then made based on the projection, typically the budget, with a reconciliation (true-up) process at the end of the fiscal year. The reconciliation process occurs in December for the prior year with a comparison of the projected costs versus the actual costs. A refund or balance due is determined through this process and both agencies financially settle the account.

The practice by DBFR prior to 2016 was to bill Highland Beach for the costs that had been projected for that fiscal year. The tables that follow illustrate the reconciliation for FY 2015 and FY 2016.

Highland Beach Fire Services FY 2015 Reconciliation

Line Item Projected Costs Total Final Invoice Balance

Salaries $1,682,318 $1,682,319 $1 Overtime $67,105 $67,105 $0 Fringe Benefits $1,129,435 $1,129,434 $1 Overhead / Operating Costs $222,888 $222,888 $0 Capital $3,319 $3,319 $0 Total Fire Services Cost $3,105,065 $3,105,065 $0


Line Item FY 2016 Projected Costs

Total Final Invoice Balance

Salaries $1,755,551 $1,755,551 $0 Overtime $69,789 $69,789 $0 Fringe Benefits $1,171,061 $1,171,061 $0 Overhead / Operating Costs $222,442 $222,442 $0 Capital $3,312 $3,312 $0 Total Fire Services Cost $3,222,155 $3,222,155 $0

In 2016, a new agreement was negotiated and signed. This agreement provided for a reconciliation between the projected costs and the actual costs. Beginning with the



FY2017 reconciliation the financial data provided contained a little more detail within the line items. The tables that follow illustrate the reconciliation for FY2017 through FY2020 with the increased detail of the expenditures.



Salaries $1,849,870 $1,920,173 $70,303 Overtime $205,060 $327,923 $122,863 Fringe Benefits $1,083,078 $991,907 $91,171 Operational Expenditures $104,010 $82,742 $21,268 Apparatus Expenditures $12,300 $7,285 $5,015 Administrative Allocation $214,801 $214,801 $0 Annual Administrative Fee $173,456 $177,242 $3,786 Capital $0 $0 $0 Total Fire Services Cost $3,642,575 $3,722,073 $79,498


Line Item Projected Costs Total Final Invoice Balance Paid/(Received)

Salaries $1,840,311 $2,042,646 $202,335 Overtime $236,152 $227,674 $8,478 Fringe Benefits $1,094,115 $1,034,823 $59,292 Operational Expenditures $142,850 $43,780 $99,070 Apparatus Expenditures $248,336 $231,907 $16,429 Administrative Allocation $137,659 $137,659 $0 Indirect Cost Allocation $185,246 $186,218 $972 Capital $5,500 $5,864 $364 Total Fire Services Cost $3,890,169 $3,910,571 $20,402



Salaries $1,986,996 $2,005,633 $18,637 Overtime $365,847 $250,031 ($115,816) Fringe Benefits $1,115,522 $1,218,274 $102,752 Operational Expenditures $155,994 $54,191 ($101,803) Apparatus Expenditures $220,540 $212,231 ($8,309) Administrative Allocation $177,763 $177,763 $0 Annual Administrative Fee $201,133 $195,906 ($5,227) Capital $0 $0 $0 Total Fire Services Cost $4,223,795 $4,114,030 ($109,765)



Highland Beach Fire Services FY2020 Reconciliation


Salaries $2,141,260 $2,176,683 $35,423 Overtime $195,276 $180,948 ($14,328) Fringe Benefits $1,371,301 $1,388,985 $17,684 Operational Expenditures $146,827 $144,404 ($2,423) Apparatus Expenditures $222,040 $216,467 ($5,573) Administrative Allocation $151,565 $151,565 $0 Annual Administrative Fee $211,413 $212,953 $1,540 Capital $0 $0 $0 Total Fire Services Cost $4,439,682 $4,472,005 $32,323

The current agreement indicates the Town of Highland Beach is required pay for 22.5 positions within the DBFR to include 4.5 Captain positions, 4.5 Driver/Engineer positions, 13.0 Firefighter/Paramedic positions, and 0.5 Fire Captain/Inspector positions. The agreement further states the salary will be computed annually using the then “in rank” average of individuals employed by the DBFR. The 0.5 Fire Captain/Inspector position is presumed to be included in the above figures, there was no detail data provided to confirm the salary and education funding differences are attributable to this position.

In Section 4.3 the annual service fee is defined as the total of personnel salaries, overtime, fringe benefits, operating/overhead expenses, vehicle apparatus cost and such other costs and expenses as provided in the subsections in this agreement. The subsections of Section 4.3 outline in detail the various expenditures to be included in the annual service fee.

Section 4.4 of the agreement stipulates the annual administrative fee is 5% of the total amount of all contract payments as required by the agreement. The FY2017 and FY2019 Annual Administrative Fee and the FY2018 Indirect Cost Allocation are presumed to be this administrative fee. There is no provision in the agreement for an Administrative Allocation as identified in the last three fiscal years reconciliation.



EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

In this chapter the background and analysis are provided for those strategic initiatives and goals for the emergency operations of the Fire Department.

Emergency Service System Dynamics

In making decisions about the emergency services system, it is important for the leadership of Highland Beach to understand the science behind the location of resources, the deployment strategies of those resources, and other parts necessary to form an effective emergency services system. For many years, the Insurance Services Office (ISO) had set the standard for deployment through their Public Protection Classification system. This system was designed to provide insurers a basis for setting insurance rates and to limit their exposure to large losses and catastrophic events. While these efforts provided a good starting point, there is much more for the leadership to know while making decisions about the emergency services in Highland Beach.

Nationally, a great deal of effort and research has been put into developing performance objectives for the delivery of fire and emergency medical services. This effort is critical for local governments making decisions about deployment and location of emergency resources. The objectives promoted for Fire/Rescue and EMS providers have their basis derived from research that has been conducted in these two critical issues:

• What is the impact of the passage of time on survivability for victims of cardiac arrest?

• What is the key point in a fire’s “life” for gaining control of the blaze while

minimizing the impact on the structure of origin and on those structures around it?

Emergency Medical Services

Emergency medical services are and have become a significant part of the emergency services response system. Not only are these types of calls rising but they are also wide ranging in terms of the types of calls that emergency service agencies are receiving. As a part of the overall healthcare system, the design of emergency medical response systems must incorporate appropriate care in a time sensitive manner.

From a scientific position, the American Heart Association states that brain and permanent death starts to occur in 4 to 6 minutes following cardiac arrest. Trauma events are also at the forefront of time sensitive response. In 2015, a national awareness



program was launched called “Stop the Bleed”. This program is based on a person that is bleeding profusely could die within five minutes without intervention.

For perspective, the following graph illustrates the survivability of cardiac arrest patients related to the time onset:

The graph illustrates the chances of survival of sudden cardiac arrest diminish approximately 10% for each minute that passes before the initiation of CPR and/or defibrillation. These dynamics are the result of extensive studies of the survivability of patients suffering from cardiac arrest.

While the demand for services in EMS is wide ranging, the survival rates for full arrests are often utilized as benchmarks for response time standards as they are more readily evaluated because of the ease in defining patient outcomes (a patient either survives or does not). This research results in the recommended objective of provision of basic life support within 4-minutes of notification and the provision of advanced life support within 8 minutes of notification.

Considering the response time continuum, the response time goal for emergency services is to provide BLS within 6 minutes of the onset of the incident (including detection, dispatch, and travel time) and ALS within 10 minutes. This is often used as the foundation for a two-tier system where fire or other resources function as first responders, or basic life support (BLS), with additional advanced life support (ALS) assistance provided by responding medical units and personnel.

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Survival Rate after Sudden Cardiac Arrest



Fire Suppression Services

The chart that follows, shows a typical “flashover” curve for interior structure fires. The point in time represented by the occurrence of “flashover” is critical because it defines when all the contents of a room become involved in the fire. This is also the point at which a fire typically shifts from “room and contents” to a “structure” fire – involving a wider area of the building and posing a potential risk to the structures surrounding the original location of the fire.

Note that this illustration depicts a fire from the moment of inception – not from the moment that a fire is detected or reported. This demonstrates the importance of early detection and fast reporting as well as rapid dispatch of responding units. This also shows the critical need for a rapid (and sufficiently staffed) initial response – by quickly initiating the attack on a fire, “flashover” can be averted. The points below describe the major changes that occur at a fire when “flashover” occurs:

• It is the end of time for effective search and rescue in a room involved in the fire. It means the likely death of any person trapped in the room – either civilian or firefighter.



• After this point in a fire is reached, portable extinguishers can no longer have a successful impact on controlling the blaze. Only larger hand-lines will have enough water supply to affect a fire after this point.

• The fire has reached the end of the “growth” phase and has entered the fully developed phase. During this phase, every combustible object is subject to the full impact of the fire. This also signals the changeover from “contents” to “structure” fire. This is also the beginning of collapse danger for the structure. Structural collapse begins to become a major risk at this point and reaches the highest point during the decay stage of the fire (after the fire has been extinguished).

It should be noted that not every fire will reach flashover – and that not every fire will “wait” for the 8-minute mark to reach flashover. A quickly responding fire crew can do things to prevent or delay the occurrence of flashover. These options include:

• Application of portable extinguisher or other “fast attack” methodology.

• Venting the room to allow hot gases to escape before they can cause the ignition of other materials in the room.

• Not venting a room – under some circumstances this will stifle a fire and prevent flashover from occurring.

Each of these techniques requires the rapid response of appropriately trained fire suppression resources that can safely initiate these actions. In the absence of automatic fire suppression systems, access to interior fires can again be limited by a safety requirement related to staffing levels. OSHA and related industry standards require the presence of at least 2-firefighters on the exterior of a building before entry can be made to a structure in which the environment has been contaminated by a fire. In the absence of a threat to life demanding immediate rescue, interior fire suppression operations are limited to the extent a fire service delivery system can staff, to assuring a minimum of 4-people actively involved in firefighting operations.

National Emergency Service Standards

There are several recognized national organizations that promulgate standards or criterions which are used to measure performance of the emergency services system for emergency services. Each of these organizations have their own set of performance measurements based on different aspects of the community served.



• NFPA 1710 Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments last published in 2020.

• Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Fire and Emergency Service Self-Assessment Manual last published in 2015 and Community Risk Assessment and Standard of Cover last published in 2016.

• Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) last published in 2009.

• Insurance Services Office (ISO) updated their Fire Suppression Rating Schedule in 2012 to allow the systematic performance evaluation of responses for their distribution and concentration ratings.

To further define response time components there are benchmark performance and baseline performance. Benchmark performance are those values or standards that represent superior performance or best practice. These are also defined as goals to which an organization strives to meet. Baseline performance are those values or standards that represent actual performance based on past data and history. In terms of response time, the baseline performance is generally based on three to five years of data.

The applicability for the NFPA models is based on the definitions of the fire department servicing the community.

NFPA 1710 Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments was last published in 2020. It defines a career fire department as one that utilizes full-time or full-time equivalent (FTE) station-based personnel immediately available to comprise at least 50 percent of an initial full alarm assignment. The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) had previously defined benchmark and baseline response times for each of the three response time components (call processing time, turnout time and travel time). They have since determined they are not a standard making organization and decided to leave the establishment of benchmark performance standards to others, but allows communities to establish local baseline standards. The body of work of CPSE is significant and has been and continues to be used by numerous communities across the country when establishing community standards for fire department performance. Their performance objectives were based on population density demographics. Currently the use of the previous three (3) years of performance data is accepted by CPSE to illustrate the baseline performance capabilities of the fire department.



The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) requires a comprehensive response plan to be in place by the emergency medical service. In the response plan CAAS requires response times to be established. The response time intervals are to be defined for emergency and non-emergency service requests. According to the CAAS standards for life-threatening service requests, the total response time will be 8 minutes and 59 seconds for 90% of the time unless the Medical Director has established a different system. The total response time is defined as from the time the units are notified until the time the units are at the scene.

ISO continues to use their standard 1.5-mile and 2.5-mile criteria for engine company and ladder company placement. Although they now accept a systematic performance evaluation that demonstrates the department can meet the time constraints outlined in NFPA 1710.

Appendix A contained in the NFPA 1710 document provides additional information and background as it pertains to service delivery objectives for the jurisdiction as follows:

“There can be incidents or areas where the response criteria are affected by circumstances such as response personnel who are not on duty, unstaffed fire station facilities, natural barriers, traffic congestion, insufficient water supply, and density of population or property. The reduced level of service should be documented in the written organizational statement by the percentage of incidents and geographical areas for which the total response time criteria are achieved.

Additional service delivery performance objectives should be established by the area having jurisdiction (AHJ) for occupancies other than those identified within the standard for benchmark single-family dwellings. Factors to be considered include specific response areas (i.e., suburban, rural, and wilderness) and occupancy hazards.”

This passage acknowledges the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), in this case the Town of Highland Beach, is responsible for determining the level of service to be provided by its fire department. Considerations for the level of service include, but not limited to, the manner in which the fire department responds, travel time, staffing, emergency calls versus non-emergency calls, roadways, financial resources, and those calls involving different occupancies. Delray Beach has a well-established set of performance benchmarks and baselines. The Town of Highland Beach, by contract, accepts those performance objectives as their level of service objectives.

Response Time

Response time to an emergency or call for assistance has been broken down into measurable and non-measurable segments. The response time continuum begins when



the state of normalcy changes to a recognizable emergency. The following chart outlines the cascade of events that occurs once an emergency starts or is recognized. Those highlighted points represent hard data or that which is quantitative versus soft data or that which is subjective and unknown.

Response Time Continuum

State of Normalcy Discovery of Emergency Reaction to Emergency Call Received by PSAP Call Processing Response Units Notified Turnout Time Units Responding Travel Time

Units Arriving Mitigation Begins Mitigation Completed State of Normalcy Returns

The highlighted points in the chart above represent three segments that can be used for evaluation; call processing, turnout time, and travel time. Each of these components represent a different point in the response time continuum and through their measurement and evaluation areas for improvement can be identified. Below are the definitions for the three components:

• Call Processing is the defined as beginning when the call taker answers the call and ends with the dispatching of appropriate emergency services.

• Turnout Time is defined as beginning when the emergency service receives the call and is on the apparatus responding (wheels rolling) to the call.

• Travel Time is defined as beginning when the apparatus and personnel begin the response (wheels rolling) and ends once on location of the emergency (wheels stopped).



Delray Beach Fire-Rescue has established performance objectives. The following table illustrates the performance objectives for each of the response time components.

Delray Beach Fire-Rescue Performance Objectives

Component Activity Performance Time Performance Compliance

Call Processing All Calls 60 seconds 90%

Turnout Time EMS 60 seconds 90% Suppression 80 seconds 90%

Total Response Time

EMS 6:00 minutes 90%

Suppression 6:00 minutes and 20 seconds 90%

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) data for 2017, 2018, and 2019 was examined and evaluated for the analysis of fire suppression services. CAD data is not without issues such as coding problems, transcription errors, and equipment failures.1

After filtering the data, the remaining incidents represent the response time for calls for service handled by the Fire Department.

Call Processing

Performance Standards

NFPA 1221 Standard for the Installation, Maintenance and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems (2019 edition) establishes the call processing benchmark performance objectives as outlined in the following chart.

1 Only qualified data is used to calculate response time and related components. To be considered for analysis the data must meet the following criteria:

• The incident must have been unique. • The incident must have involved at least one fire department unit being dispatched to the

call. • Calls that are missing data are not used in the computations for call processing, turnout

time, travel time, or call duration. • Any call with usually long times or times sorted incorrectly (arrived before dispatch time)

are removed. • Non-emergency responses are not used for response time performance evaluation, only

emergency responses are included.



NFPA 1221 Time Requirements

Component Target Performance

Calls Answered Within 15 seconds 90% Within 20 seconds 95%

Call Processing Within 60 seconds 90% Call Processing for:

Exempt from the call processing time requirements.

* EMD * Language Translation * TTY/TDD Device Services * Hazardous Materials * Technical Rescue * Text Message * Unable to Determine Location

NFPA 1710 provides the following for call processing benchmark performance objectives which are slightly different than NFPA 1221.

NFPA 1710 Alarm Handling Time Requirements

Component Target Performance

Calls Answered Within 15 seconds 95% Within 40 seconds 99%

Call Processing Within 64 seconds 90% Within 106 seconds 95%

Call Processing for:

Within 90 seconds (90% of the time and within 120 seconds 99% of the time.

* EMD * Language Translation * TTY/TDD Device Services * Hazardous Materials * Technical Rescue * Text Message * Unable to Determine Location

CPSE uses the 60 second call processing time benchmark performance objective as outlined in NFPA 1221 for their requirements.

System Performance

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue provides the dispatch services for Delray Beach Fire-Rescue and the Town of Highland Beach. This is a collaboration between multiple municipalities in the county that reduces the duplication of services. DBFR and the Town of Highland Beach do not have direct control of the performance of the dispatch center however, the dispatch center does have an impact on the response time continuum and



is shown here for purposes of evaluation and performance measurement. The following table illustrates the baseline performance for the past three years as compared to the benchmark performance objective of sixty seconds.

Delray Beach Fire Department - Highland Beach Station

All Emergency Calls - 90th Percentile Times

2017 - 2019 2017 2018 2019 Benchmark

Call Processing Pick-up to Dispatch 0:57 0:56 0:57 0:57 1:00 The calls evaluated are only those calls in Highland Beach. The baseline time over the past three years is 57 seconds which is 3 seconds under the benchmark performance objective as described in NFPA 1221.

Turnout Time


Turnout time is a measurable time segment that begins when the emergency service receives the call and ends with the apparatus responding (wheels rolling) to the call. The following table provides a comparison between NFPA 1710 and DBFR performance objectives.

Turnout Time – Performance Objectives

Benchmark Baseline Call Type NFPA 1710 DBFR Emergency Medical Calls

60 seconds or less 90% of the time


Fire or Special Operations Calls



By definition NFPA 1710 is applicable to those departments that rely on career personnel for providing fire services.

System Performance

The following table illustrates the performance of turnout times for the past three years as compared to the benchmark and baseline performance objectives of sixty seconds for medical calls and the benchmark performance objective of eighty seconds and baseline performance objective for fire or special operations calls.





2017 - 2019 2017 2018 2019 Benchmark

Turnout Time 1st Unit

Medical Calls 1:51 1:54 1:44 1:54 1:00 Fire Calls 1:57 1:52 2:02 1:57 1:20

The baseline time shown is the 90th fractal time for all emergency calls. As shown, for medical calls the performance over the past three years is 51 seconds over the benchmark and DBFR performance objectives. For the fire related calls, the performance is 37 seconds over the benchmark performance objective and DBFR performance objectives.

The table that follows illustrates the baseline performance for each of the emergency apparatus deployed in Highland Beach, using the same benchmark performance objectives and the DBFR performance objectives.



2017 - 2019 2017 2018 2019 Benchmark

Turnout Time

Ladder 116 Medical Calls 2:05 2:05 2:01 2:16 1:00 Fire Calls 1:58 1:54 1:57 2:00 1:20

Rescue 116 Medical Calls 1:59 2:06 1:50 1:59 1:00 Fire Calls 2:03 1:47 2:06 1:58 1:20

As illustrated above, Ladder 116 for the three year period is 1 minute and 5 seconds over the benchmark performance objective for medical calls while Rescue 116 is 59 seconds over the same performance objective. The calls evaluated are those calls that occurred in Highland Beach.

Distribution of Resources

Distribution of resources is the measure of getting initial resources to an emergency to begin mitigation efforts. It has also been described as the speed at which the first unit arrives at the emergency. The models measure this in a variety of ways including percentage of square miles, percentage of road miles and travel time. With the advent of GIS technology and improved computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems, the use of actual travel time is another more accurate measure for the distribution of resources.




Travel time is a measurable time segment that begins when the apparatus and personnel begin the response (wheels rolling) and ends once on location of the emergency (wheels stopped). It is the most appropriate measurement available for the distribution of resources and has a proven record of developing successful deployment of resources.

The following table provides a comparison between the two models for benchmark performance objectives, the baseline performance objective established by DBFR.

First Arriving Unit – Travel Time Benchmark Performance Objectives

Demand Zone Demographics NFPA 1710 CPSE DBFR

Urban Greater than 1,000 per sq.

mile

4 minutes or less 90% of

the time


the time


the time

Suburban 500 - 1,000 per sq. mile


the time


the time NR

Rural Area Less than 500 per sq. mile


the time

10 minutes or less 90% of the time

NR

DBFR does not specifically identify a travel time component. The components for their performance objectives include call processing, turnout time, and total response time. Total response time includes call processing, turnout time, and travel time. DBFR identifies the total response time as 6 minutes for medical calls and 6 minutes and 20 seconds for fire related calls. This leaves 4 minutes as their travel time component performance objective and is shown here for comparison purposes. The DBFR response area, including Highland Beach, is in the urban demand zone so they have not identified any other travel time objective.

Department Performance

Highland Beach has a population density of 7,716 people per square mile that increases to 17,000 during the winter months. As noted, Highland Beach fits the urban demographic and the 4 minute travel time benchmark performance objective. The following table illustrates the baseline performance for the past three years for travel time as compared to the benchmark performance objectives.



2017 - 2019 2017 2018 2019 Benchmark

Travel Time 1st Unit Distribution Urban 4:57 5:02 4:56 4:49 4:00



The baseline is the 90th fractal time for emergency calls. In this illustration the Fire Department is over the urban benchmark performance objective by 57 seconds over the past three years according to NFPA 1710 standards.

The following table illustrates the travel time for each company.



2017 - 2019 2017 2018 2019 Benchmark

Travel Time Ladder 116 Urban 5:08 5:10 5:01 5:25 4:00 Rescue 116 Urban 6:24 6:41 5:53 6:49 4:00

The baseline illustrated for each unit is the 90th fractal time for emergency calls. The calls evaluated are those only in Highland Beach.

The following map provides a spatial view of the travel time performance using the Highland Beach and Delray Beach fire station locations as a starting point. Any mutual aid from Palm Beach County or Boca Raton is not illustrated to provide an evaluation of the Highland Beach and Delray Beach resources. The drive time isochrones are generated using a digital road network with existing speed limits, traffic laws, and a general pattern of traffic flow factored into the equation.



From the fire station most of the of the Town of Highland Beach is within the 4 minute travel time performance benchmark. The stations in Delray Beach were included to provide context to the travel time component and any responses into Highland Beach.



Total Response Time

DBFR has established a performance objective for the total response time. This incorporates all three response time components into a single objective. The performance objective for medical calls is 6 minutes total response time with a 90% performance compliance. Likewise, the fire suppression performance objective is 6 minutes and 20 seconds with a 90% performance compliance.



2017 - 2019 2017 2018 2019 Benchmark

Total Response

1st Unit Distribution

Medical Calls 7:18 7:30 6:59 7:21 6:00 Fire Calls 7:00 7:16 7:05 6:52 6:20

The calls evaluated are only those in Highland Beach. As shown, for medical calls the performance over the past three years is 1 minute and 18 seconds over the benchmark and DBFR performance objectives. For fire related calls the total response time performance is 40 seconds over the performance objectives. It is important to note the total response time allows for some divergence between the travel time and turnout time. In many instances the units may be enroute to the call before the enroute time is physically captured. This would extend the turnout time and shorten the travel time. In this manner the total time is captured and provides a clearer view of the response time continuum and a view of what the caller experiences.

Concentration of Resources

Concentration is generally described as the ability of the fire protection system to get the appropriate number of personnel and resources to the scene of an emergency within a prescribed time to effectively mitigate the incident. As such there are several parts to this component; the arrival of the second fire suppression unit; defining and establishing an effective response force; and the travel time for the first alarm assignment to arrive at the incident.

Performance standards

As noted, there are three segments to concentration, the first segment is the arrival of the second fire suppression unit, the second segment involves the travel time and number of personnel. Again, these three segments represent the most appropriate measurement available for the concentration of resources.

There are two travel time components included in the concentration segment. The first is the travel time for the second arriving apparatus and the second is the balance of the first



alarm assignment. The table that follows illustrates the differing viewpoints for the travel time of the second arriving unit.

Second Arriving Unit – Travel Time Benchmark Performance Objectives

Demand Zone Demographics NFPA 1710 CPSE

Urban Greater than 1,000 per sq. mile



Suburban 500 - 1,000 per sq. mile 6 minutes or less 90% of the time





NFPA 1710 and CPSE have time standards for the second arriving apparatus, DBFR does not have a performance objective established for the second arriving unit. The next table illustrates the travel time objectives for the first alarm assignment.

First Alarm Assignment – Travel Time Benchmark Performance Objectives

Demand Zone Demographics NFPA 1710 CPSE

Urban Greater than 1,000 per sq.

mile 8 minutes or less

90% of the time 8 minutes or less

90% of the time

Suburban 500 - 1,000 per sq. mile






In this table there are a couple of notable items. NFPA 1710 applies the same travel time for all demographics. CPSE addresses the first alarm assignment by demographic and the stated time is measured from the time the unit goes enroute until arrival at the scene.

DBFR uses a risk based travel time performance as illustrated in the following table.

First Alarm Assignment – Travel Time Benchmark Performance Objectives

Risk Description DBFR

Low Risk Fuel leaks, powerlines down,

investigations, vehicle fires, dumpster and brush fires


Medium Risk Vehicle accidents with fire,

flammable liquid fires, and electrical danger accidents


High Risk Residential structure fires,

commercial structure fires, and apartment structure fires


Maximum Risk High rise structure fires and multi-agency responses




Effective Response Force

The third part of the concentration section concerns the number of personnel arriving with the first alarm assignment. There are several tasks, which must occur simultaneously to adequately combat different types of fires. The absence of adequate personnel to perform these tasks requires each task to be prioritized and completed in chronological order. These fire ground tasks include command, scene safety, search and rescue, water supply, fire attack, pump operations, ventilation, back up, and rapid intervention.

An initial full alarm assignment should be able to provide personnel to accomplish the following tasks:

• Establish incident command outside of the hazard area. This will allow coordination and direction of the incoming emergency response personnel and apparatus. A minimum of one person should be dedicated to this task.

• Establish an uninterrupted water supply of at least 400 gallons per minute for 30 minutes. Once established the supply line can be maintained by the pump operator to ensure uninterrupted water supply. A minimum of one person is assigned to this task that can then assume support role.

• Establish an effective water flow rate of 300 gallons per minute. This will be supplied to a minimum of two hand lines each operating at a minimum flow of 100 gallons per minute. Each hand line must have two individuals assigned with one serving as the attack line and the other as a back-up line.

• Provision of one support person to handle the hydrant hookup, utility control, forcible entry, and assist in deploying fire hose lines.

• Establish a search and rescue team. Each team will consist of a minimum of two.

• Establish a ventilation team. Each team will consist of a minimum of two personnel.

• Establish an initial rapid intervention team (RIT). Each RIT team shall consist of a minimum of two properly trained and equipped personnel.

Critical tasking will vary depending on the size, complexity and nature of the incident. The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) provides a suggestive list of tasks that need to be completed at a fire situation based on the risk. A similar list is provided within the NFPA 1710 document. The CPSE analysis, from the 8th edition, is summarized in the table



below showing the minimum required personnel to mitigate the initial emergency response requirements by occupancy risk:

Critical Tasks for the Effective and Efficient Control of Structural Fires

Critical Task Maximum Risk High Risk Moderate Risk Low Risk

Attack Line 4 4 4 2 Search and Rescue 4 2 2 0 Ventilation 4 2 2 0 Backup Line 2 2 2 2 Rapid Intervention 2 2 2 0 Pump Operator 1 1 1 1 Water Supply 1* 1* 1* 1* Support (Utilities) 1* 1* 1* 1* Command 1 1 1 1 Safety Officer 1 1 1 1 Salvage/Overhaul 2 0 0** 0 Command Aid 1 1 0 0 Operations Chief 1 1 0 0 Logistics 1 0 0 0 Planning 1 0 0 0 Staging Officer 1 1 0 0 Rehabilitation 1 1 0 0 Division Supervisors 2 1 0 0 High-rise Evacuation 10 0 0 0 Stairwell Support 10 0 0 0 Total Personnel 50-51 21-22 16 – 17 8-9 *Tasks can be performed by the same individual **Task can be performed by the attack crew

It is incumbent upon the fire department to have a response plan in place to ensure enough personnel are on scene to accomplish the stated critical tasks in a timely fashion. Structure fires are very labor-intensive incidents with any number of factors, such as weather, making the task that much more difficult.

The DBFR developed their own critical tasks largely based on NFPA 1710 and the CPSE suggestive list. DBFR utilized a department-wide survey to determine the number of personnel needed for the tasks to be completed. The second component of the effective response force critical tasks included a timed and scripted task to determine the appropriate number of personnel to complete the task in a specified amount of time. Based on the DBFR definitions, a maximum risk incident includes a fire in a high rise building and the high risk incidents include residential structure fires.

The following table illustrates their critical tasks based on this evaluation.



Firefighting Critical Tasks

Maximum High Medium Low

Command 1 1 1 1 Safety 1 1 1 0 Utilities ** ** ** ** 360 ** ** ** ** Scene Size Up ** ** ** ** Fire Attack 8 3 2 1 Water Supply 2 2 1 1 Search and Rescue 5 3 0 0 RIT 3 3 0 0 Medical 3 3 2 0 Rehab 2 2 0 0 Ventilation 2 2 0 0 Back-up Line 5 2 2 0 Aerial Operations 2 2 0 0 Lobby Control 1 0 0 0 Elevator Control 1 0 0 0 Division Supervisor 1 0 0 0 Chief's Aid 1 ** 0 0 Alarm Control 1 0 0 0 Accountability ** 1 0 0 Total Personnel 39 25 9 3

Adding to the critical tasks and staffing issues is the OSHA requirement of two in – two out in 1910.134(g)(4). These regulations state that if entry into an Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) atmosphere is necessary, two firefighters must enter together and remain in contact with each other. In addition, there must be two firefighters located outside the IDLH atmosphere for potential rescue if needed. This is a mandatory requirement.

The concept of an effective response force carries through for other responses by the fire department. The tables below outline the critical tasks for an effective response force for those responses.



Critical Tasks for Hazardous Materials

Critical Task High Risk Low Risk

Command/Safety 2 1 Liaison 1 1 Decontamination 4 4 Research Support 2 1 Team Leader, Entry Team, Backup Team 6 6 Total Personnel 15 13

Critical Tasks for Technical Rescue Incidents

Critical Task Swift Water High/Low

Angle Confined

Space Trench

Command/Safety 1 1 2 2 Rescue Team 3 2 2 2 Backup Team 2 2 2 2 Patient Care 2 2 2 3 Rope Tender 2 0 0 0 Upstream Spotter 2 0 0 0 Downstream Safety 2 0 0 0 Rigger 0 1 1 0 Attendant 0 1 1 0 Ground Support 0 4 4 0 Edge Person 0 1 0 0 Shoring 0 0 0 5 Total Personnel 14 14 14 14

The previous tables illustrate the needs for a sampling of hazardous materials and technical rescue incidents as there are numerous others. Each of the technical rescue incidents will require similar numbers of personnel or more depending on the complexity of the incident. Further, many of the positions require personnel to be certified in those positions or that particular discipline. DBFR in their evaluation had similar results.

As with the fire protection system, an effective response force is needed for the effective and efficient delivery of emergency medical services. A task analysis for emergency medical calls analyzes three different types of calls or patient conditions. These three types of calls usually require the most effort on the part of the response team. Other calls or patient types can generally be handled with two or three personnel. Many times, especially in trauma calls, there are multiple patients. The table below outlines the tasks for handling these critical patients and the number of responders it may require for a successful outcome. It is important to note that some tasks are accomplished by the same personnel, so the total is not simple addition of the positions noted.



Critical Tasks for Effective Patient Care

Critical Task Cardiac Arrest Stroke Multi-System

Trauma

Patient Assessment 2 per patient 2 per patient 2 per patient Airway Management/Intubation 2 per patient 2 per patient 2 per patient Cardiac Defibrillation 1 N/A N/A CPR 1 N/A N/A EKG Monitoring 1 1 1 IV/Pharmacology 1 1 1 Splint/Bandage/Immobilization N/A N/A 1 Patient Lifting/Packaging 2 – 4 2 – 4 2 – 4 Medical Information Collection 1 1 1 Total per Patient 6 - 8 5 - 7 6 - 8

Based on the staffing model in Highland Beach, the current system provides two personnel on basic life support calls and five personnel on advanced life support calls. This generally provides the number of personnel to those critical calls as outlined in the previous table. Multi-system trauma calls are typically auto accidents or other type of calls that would also receive an engine company with three additional personnel. DBFR had similar results, however, they included a mass casualty incident that would require 27 personnel to effectively mitigate the incident.

Department Performance

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) data was used for the evaluation of resource concentration. To be considered for inclusion the following conditions were required to be met:

• Incidents in the CAD data that were denoted as a structure fire and had a minimum of 15 suppression personnel arriving on the scene.

• All the units dispatched must have an arrival time recorded. It was assumed if the unit did not arrive on scene that it was cancelled while enroute.

• Calls were also limited to $1,000 in damage to eliminate those calls dispatched as structure fires but resulted in another type of call for service.

The data used was from 2017, 2018, and 2019. To be considered as meeting the concentration the apparatus had to have both an arrival time recorded, and the minimum number of personnel had the arrive on the scene. The minimum staffing for the units was used as the number of personnel arriving on the apparatus as illustrated in the following table. This also extended to the response partners such as Bellevue and Kirkland.



Apparatus Staffing

Apparatus Staffing

Engine Company 3 Truck/Ladder Company 3 Medic Unit 2 Medical Officer 1 Battalion Chief 1

NFPA 1710 and CPSE have benchmark travel time performance objectives established for the second arriving suppression unit. NFPA 1710 uses 6 minutes and CPSE uses 8 minutes for the urban setting. Remember this objective is only for the arrival of the apparatus and does not consider the number of personnel. The calls used an effective response force of 15 personnel that represents a typical single-family residence. Larger structures will require additional personnel as outlined previously.

In Highland Beach there were two structure fire calls that met the criteria previously described. Data from 2020 was also reviewed and one incident was found to meet the criteria. These three calls are shown in the following table.

Delray Beach Fire-Rescue – Highland Beach

Structure Fires - 90th Percentile Times 2017 2019 2020 Benchmark

Travel Time

1st Unit Distribution 2:23 3:38 2:15 4:00 2nd Unit Concentration 6:52 7:59 5:28 6:00

ERF Concentration 10:14 11:43 12:07 8:00 n = 1 n = 1 n = 1

Total Response

1st Unit Distribution 4:05 8:15 5:48 6:20

n = 1 n = 1 n = 1

ERF Concentration 12:21 13:45 12:35 10:20 n = 1 n = 1 n = 1

The map that follows illustrates the concentration of resources with an 8-minute urban benchmark travel time based on the Highland Beach and Delray Beach fire station locations.



This assumes the resources are responding from their respective stations. The northern sections of Highland Beach have a range of 14 to 25 personnel and moving south that drops to the range of 10 to 13 personnel. However, much of the Town is in the 5 to 7 personnel range within the 8-minute travel time component.



The following map illustrates the concentration of resources using a 12 minute travel time that mirrors the travel time for the three incidents previously identified.



Two access points from the mainland limit the resources responding into the Town. However, Delray Beach station 112 is located on a barrier island to the north of Highland Beach.

System Reliability

The concept of distribution and concentration of resources can be influenced by other contributing factors including unit hour utilization and concurrent calls for service.

Unit Hour Utilization

There are different ways to calculate unit hour utilization. In the private sector the number of transports is used to provide this utilization rate as their focus is profit. For purposes of this report, unit hour utilization is calculated by taking the total hours the unit is committed to an incident divided by the total available hours as the focus is more on the delivery of service and availability for the call volume. Expressed as a percentage, it identifies the amount of time the unit is committed but more importantly the amount of time the unit is available. There is no standard that addresses the unit hour utilization rates for emergency services. There has been some national discussions and data to support a 30% unit hour utilization rate and several departments use the 30% as their upper limit for utilization. Using a 24-hour shift as a base, a 30% unit hour utilization rates means the unit is committed approximately 8 hours of the shift. However, within the framework of the 90th percentile performance standards for response time, the amount of available time can have an impact in meeting the response time standard. If utilization rates are too high the units are often unavailable for immediate response and units from another station must respond to service the call. A one size fits all approach does not work well as there are numerous variables in the community. Using 20% unit hour utilization as a point to begin further evaluation of the response system provides the community with the opportunity to address the issue before it becomes critical.

The following tables illustrate the unit hour utilization for the past three years.



Unit Hour Utilization – All Calls

Unit 2017 2018 2019

Duration Pct. of Time Avg. Duration Pct. of

Time Avg. Duration Pct. of Time Avg.

Ladder 116 258:09:32 2.9% 20:29 253:34:37 2.9% 20:22 245:52:21 2.8% 19:53 Rescue 116 599:08:55 6.8% 41:22 593:48:47 6.8% 40:43 593:29:19 6.8% 40:31

Neither of the two units are over utilized. The Rescue unit has the highest utilization at 6.8% and for the past three years has been relatively steady in terms of hours committed. For a different perspective, the following table reviews only those calls in the Highland Beach response area.

Unit Hour Utilization – Highland Beach Calls Only

Unit 2017 2018 2019

Duration Pct. of Time Avg. Duration Pct. of

Time Avg. Duration Pct. of Time Avg.

Ladder 116 169:13:56 1.9% 22:28 157:25:32 1.8% 20:59 161:50:18 1.8% 20:42 Rescue 116 297:25:00 3.4% 45:18 305:23:45 3.5% 45:55 323:08:33 3.7% 45:05

For the calls in Highland Beach the utilization rates are approximately half of the utilization rates as compared to all the calls the units handle.



Concurrent Calls

It is not uncommon for a fire protection system to have multiple requests for service occurring simultaneously. The larger the system the more frequently this will occur. With the appropriate resources this can be handled efficiently. The table that follows illustrates the concurrent calls for Highland Beach Station 116 for the past three years, including both fire and emergency medical calls.

Concurrent Calls for Service – All Station 116 Calls

Calls 2017 2018 2019 Total %

1 1,030 1,076 1,096 3,202 78.8% 2 263 268 222 753 18.5% 3 25 30 34 89 2.2% 4 3 6 2 11 0.3% 5 2 1 0 3 0.1% 6+ 3 2 0 5 0.1% Total 1,326 1,383 1,354 4,063 100%

For Highland Beach Station 116 approximately 78% of the calls were single calls and approximately 18% of the time there were two calls occurring. The following table illustrates those calls in Highland Beach.

Concurrent Calls for Service – Highland Beach Only

Calls 2017 2018 2019 Total % 1 506 555 575 1,636 80.5% 2 123 115 110 348 17.1% 3 9 14 18 41 2.0% 4 1 2 1 4 0.2% 5 0 1 0 1 0.0% 6+ 1 2 0 3 0.1% Total 640 689 704 2,033 100%

The volume of calls is the biggest different between the two tables as approximately 80% of the time there is a single call occurring. Call concurrence in Highland Beach is not a significant factor in the delivery of service.



EMERGENCY SERVICES ALTERNATIVES – STATUS QUO

Currently Highland Beach is contracting for emergency services from Delray Beach, a city to the north of the Town. The most recent interlocal service agreement (ILA) is dated July 7, 2016 with the term of the agreement to begin on October 1, 2016 and extend through September 30, 2026. Options to renew for ten-year periods are also provided.

Delray Beach requested to increase the staffing on the Rescue from a minimum of two personnel to three personnel. The basis for this request is to match the staffing in Delray Beach and Palm Beach County. The intent is to reduce the number of responses by fire apparatus to assist the medical units, to improve the effective response force, and to improve the medical care. With the multi-story buildings in the region, a third person on the Rescue will provide the additional support needed to mitigate the incident without the need for a second apparatus to respond, except on high priority critical care calls such as cardiac arrest or strokes.

An amendment was provided to Highland Beach to change the ILA increasing the staffing for the Highland Beach Fire Station. The increase in staffing also included an increase in cost of $457,817 for FY 2021. As well, in the transmittal letter of June 5, 2020 it was noted the current labor contract expires on September 30, 2020 and that any changes in the labor agreement will likely have an effect on the cost estimates. The following table illustrates the projected costs for services in Highland Beach.

FY2021 Projected Costs

FY 2021 – No Changes $4,657,148 FY 2021 – Additional Personnel with SAFER Grant $4,897,502 FY 2021 – Additional Personnel $5,246,351

Delray Beach applied for a SAFER grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offset the costs of additional personnel. These competitive grants provide funding for additional personnel for a five year period with the funding reduced each year during the grant cycle.

A review of the current ILA has noted some anomalies in the application of the various components in the agreement. The following sections highlight those issues.

Revenues

According to Section 4.2 of the Interlocal Agreement (ILA), DBFR is authorized to invoice residents of Highland Beach for appropriate, emergency medical service transport fees. DBFR will remit, no later than sixty (60) days after the end of each fiscal year, an amount



equal to all sums collected by the City of Delray Beach in the preceding year for EMS transports performed in the Town of Highland Beach by personnel assigned to the Town of Highland Beach Fire Station. The table that follows illustrates the fees collected and reimbursed to the Town of Highland Beach based on the 2019 reconciliation (true-up) worksheet.

Highland Beach EMS Transport Fees

Line Item 2017 2018 2019 Initial Reimbursements $ 34,783 $ 88,725 $ 39,461 Revisions $ 28,633 $ 71,290 $ - Difference $ 6,150 $ 17,435 $ 39,461

The note attached to the reimbursement summary indicates the revisions are for overpayments that occurred when the invoicing began in FY2017. Based on the language in the ILA, calls for emergency medical service made by the Highland Beach apparatus and personnel to areas outside the Town are not included and not reimbursed to the Town of Highland Beach. Likewise, any emergency medical calls made in the Town of Highland Beach by a DBFR Rescue Unit are not reimbursed to the Town of Highland Beach.

It appears that DBFR is collecting emergency medical transportation fees for calls for service in Delray Beach using Highland Beach assigned resources. In essence, DBFR is collecting the transport fees and Highland Beach is bearing the cost of providing the service.

Medical Calls for Service Comparison

2017 2018 2019 Total Highland Beach to Highland Beach

Auto Accidents 6 11 11 28 Medical Calls 413 429 441 1,283 HB to HB Medical Calls 419 440 452 1,311

Highland Beach to Delray Beach

Auto Accidents 48 46 38 132 Medical Calls 446 446 403 1,295 HB to DB Medical Calls 494 492 441 1,427

Delray Beach to Highland Beach

Auto Accidents 6 10 11 27 Medical Calls 84 103 81 268 DB to HB Medical Calls 90 113 92 295



According to the Delray Beach FY 2020/2021 Preliminary Budget, approximately $2,780,756 was collected in 2019 for Public Safety EMS Transport Fees. In the same document the Fire-Rescue Department reported 9,075 EMS Patient Transports in 2019. This suggests the average collection per transport is approximately $306 per transport. Within the Highland Beach section of the budget document the Highland Beach program is credited with 641 EMS patient transports in 2019.

Assuming an average fee of $306 per transport and Highland Beach units credited with 641 transports, the Highland Beach unit generated approximately $196,146 in revenue in 2019 of which $39,461 was credited to the Town of Highland Beach.

Expenditures

At the end of each contract year, Delray Beach submits a reconciliation report (true-up) to Highland Beach. This report outlines the difference between the projected costs and payments Highland Beach has made over the course of the year to the actual costs for the service. The difference is either a refund the Highland Bench or payment due to Delray Beach. The following table illustrates the expenditures highlighted in the past five reconciliation reports.

Highland Beach Reconciliation Summary

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Salaries $1,755,551 $1,920,173 $2,042,646 $2,005,633 $2,176,683 Overtime $69,789 $327,923 $227,674 $250,031 $180,948 Fringe Benefits $1,171,061 $991,907 $1,034,823 $1,218,274 $1,388,985 Operational Expenditures $222,442 $82,742 $43,780 $54,191 $144,404 Apparatus Expenditures $0 $7,285 $231,907 $212,231 $216,467 Administrative Allocation $0 $214,801 $137,659 $177,763 $151,565 Annual Administrative Fee $0 $177,242 $186,218 $195,906 $212,953 Capital $3,312 $0 $5,864 $0 $0 Total Fire Services Cost $3,222,155 $3,722,073 $3,910,570 $4,114,030 $4,472,005

Contractual Obligations

The interlocal service agreement (contract) has various terms and conditions critical to appropriately executing the delivery of fire and emergency medical services to Highland Beach. The stipulations result in service delivery and financial obligations which have been reviewed to determine if they are consistent with prevailing or best practice, are auditable, and meet the intentions of the contract language. Key contractual areas reviewed are discussed in the following sub-sections.



Contract Management and Administration Overview

A review of a contract can be placed in context of several contract management activities that can be summarized by the following graphic:

In brief, an effective contract contains six elements to allow for best-practice contract administration and management. These six elements are inter-related and often overlapping but provide a context in which the efficacy of a contract can be examined. With respect to this engagement, those three items under contract administration are reviewed.

While the assessment of contractual obligations is not intended to offer a legal perspective, our review of the existing contract does allow for the identification of potential areas in which contract enhancements, deletions, or other edits could occur



consistent with best practices in contract management, operations, etc. The observations noted are intended to provide feedback which should help strengthen future contracts for Highland Beach with respect to fire and emergency medical service delivery.

Compliance Monitoring

Compliance monitoring entails three key aspects related to this contract administration area:

• The contract is written such that methods are clearly available to ensure the terms and conditions of the contract are appropriately executed.

• That contract compliance monitoring is regularly performed.

• That upon completing compliance monitoring, it can be determined that the execution of the contract conforms to its intent.

The current contract language has created some level of confusion among different parties as it relates to a key element of its execution. The relevant contact language that leads to misinterpretation is abstracted below:

Section 4.3 – The Town of Highland Beach agrees to pay the City of Delray Beach, during the term of this Agreement, an annual service fee (“service fee”) for the emergency and administrative services enumerated in this Agreement. Cost projections pertaining to the annual service fee shall be provided to the Town of Highland Beach by the City of Delray Beach on or before June 1st of each year and are proportionate to the City of Delray Beach’s proposed total annual Fire-Rescue budget. Upon final approval by the City of Delray Beach City Commission of its annual budget, the projected annual service fee shall be adjusted as needed to reflect the actual, approved Fire-rescue budget. The service fee shall be the total of personnel salaries, overtime, fringe benefits, operating / overhead expenses, vehicle apparatus costs, and such other costs and expenses as provided for below. (emphasis added).

Section 4.3.A – Salaries: Personnel consists of 22.5 positions within the Delray Beach Fire-Rescue Department (“Department”) to include 4.5 Captain positions, 4.5 Driver/Engineer position, 13.0 Fire Fighter / Paramedic positions and .5 Fire Captain / Inspector positions. Salary will be computed annually using the then “in rank” average of individuals employed by the Department (emphasis added).

Section 4.3.B – Overtime (including Sick-Leave Incentive): Shall be computed annually using the then “in rank” average of individuals employed by the Department (emphasis added).



Section 4.3.C – Fringe benefits (defined as non-wage compensation provided to employees): Shall be computed annually using the then “in rank” average of individuals employed by the Department (emphasis added).

The repeating theme in the contact language above that is being misinterpreted is ensuring compliance with the use of the “in rank” average of individuals employed by the Delray Beach Fire-Rescue Department.

As part of the compliance effort and consistent with the contract language intent, Delray Beach provides Highland Beach with various documentation reflective of the annual charges incurred for this contract. The various documentation provided and available for compliance review has changed somewhat over the years but does consistently demonstrate the types of charges levied to Highland Beach. The City of Delray Beach has recently devised a relatively comprehensive Excel Worksheet designed to provide the baseline information to reconcile (i.e., “True-up”) the estimated annual charges to Highland Beach with the actual costs. This information is then developed into a product that is made available to Delray Beach.

By illustration, the project team examined the FY 2018-2019 “True-up” Excel Workbook and compared the results to the documentation provided to Highland Beach. These two products did reconcile and the results of the FY 2018-2019 “True-up” documentation are shown in the following example.





Whereas the documentation indicates that contract compliance efforts are being performed, the actual results shown indicate that the contract is not being executed in conformance with its intent, likely as a result of the misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the contract language.

As previously noted, Sections 4.3 sub-sections A-C of the interlocal service agreement describes charges will be levied using the then “in rank” average of individuals employed by the Department. This methodology for charging is not occurring. Rather:

• The actual salary of the 22.5 personnel assigned to Delray Beach is expensed as reflected in Highland Beach’s Budget Performance Report and Payroll History Report.

• The actual fringe benefits are calculated similarly.

• The actual overtime is calculated similarly.

The conclusion is substantiated by email correspondence dated December 30, 2019 between the Highland Beach Town Manager and the Delray Beach Chief Accounting Officer stating, “As per your request I am attaching the following supporting documents we used for the final numbers:

• True Up Workbook: this is the file used for the True Up calculations. We feed it from the Budget Performance Report actual figures and the Payroll History Report for the Fire Inspector.

• Budget Performance Report: these are the actuals for Highland Beach, the figures are already fed into the True Up Workbook but they are easier to glance at, in this format.

• GARITO, Timothy – Payroll History Report: this is the Payroll Report used to charge Highland Beach 50% of the Fire Inspector salaries and benefits. Again, it is fed into the True Up workbook but it is easier to see in this format.”

The conclusion is further substantiated by a recent December 4th, 2020 letter between the Finance Directors of the two communities where Delray Beach specifically states therein, “As per the agreement, the Bill projection submitted in June of each year is computed annually using the then “in rank” average of individuals employed by the Department. However, the attached True Up Schedule compiles actual expenses and costs incurred in providing service to the Town of Highland Beach.” (emphasis added).

In sum, the City of Delray Beach has charged the Town of Highland Beach, actual expenses and costs incurred for several years — at least based on records made available



back to FY 2016-2017 — as opposed to the calculated “in rank” average as stipulated, and in compliance with the intent of the contract. This oversight could have a notable fiscal impact on either party in the long-term as further discussed in the next section.

Financial Monitoring

Financial monitoring is another important aspect of contract administration. This entails consistent performance related to the monitoring of revenues, expenditures and the associated formulas used to derive any cost allocation. Ultimately, documentation should be available to any contractual party such that a forensic audit can be conducted consistent with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS).

As noted, the existing fire and emergency medical services contract between Delray Beach and Highland Beach is not in compliance in one very important area critical to this study: the calculation of annual costs to Highland Beach. Moreover, data was not made readily available to the project team (and may in some instances not exist in an easily accessible format) to perform any cursory financial audit as to what the appropriate charges should be based on “in rank” averages. This would require such data as:

• The average annual salary for all position types in a fiscal year (e.g., Driver / Engineer).

• The average annual fringe benefits for all position types in a fiscal year.

• The annual overtime expenditure for all positions, by type, in a fiscal year such that overtime could be allocated proportionally to the staff positions assigned to Highland Beach (e.g., 4.5 Driver / Engineers).

It is important to note that the financial benefit or disadvantage to either party in this interlocal service agreement is presently unknown. Re-calculating charges based on the formulaic approach stipulated in the contract would require a forensic audit to capture information such as that bulleted above. Anecdotally, it was noted that senior Fire Department staff are often assigned to the Highland Beach station. As such, these salaries and benefits would likely exceed the average of all staffing by position type.

Performance Monitoring

Performance monitoring provides the basis for ensuring that services contracted for are appropriately delivered. In effect, best-practice service contracts should stipulate various standards of performance such that the contract recipient can ensure services are delivered within expected benchmarks.



A review of the existing interlocal service agreement indicates there are minimal performance standards within the contract. By example, an annual report is to be made available of Fire-Rescue activities to Highland Beach and hydrant inspection reports are to be made to Delray Beach within 15 days (Sections 3.15-3.16); however, there are no written expectations on what this annual report should contain or what is the expectation related to hydrant inspection report. Important Key Performance Indicators such as minimum requirements for response time to medical calls, fire calls, transport fee collection rate, IPO rating changes, station vacancy rates, apparatus downtime, etc. are not identified in the contract as performance expectations. As such, it is difficult for the contract recipient to determine if the services received conform to NFPA or other devised standards of service.

In sum, the current interlocal service agreement has opportunity for improvement as it relates to incorporating important service delivery performance expectations that should be regularly monitored and, if not accomplished, ultimately addressed.

Termination

Within the agreement there is a termination clause and procedure outlined in Section 5.3. The following table outlines the various termination methods.

Interlocal Agreement Termination Provisions

Section Provisions

5.3 A Termination for good cause

• Can be terminated only in the event of breach of its terms or the inability of Delray Beach to provide services.

• Written notice of intent to terminate is required at the end of the contract year.

• Written notice to be given 12 months prior to the end of any contract year.

5.3 B Termination for any cause

• Agreement can be terminated for any cause with 36 months written notice.

• Highland Beach can terminate with less than 36 months’ notice but will be required to pay for all of the Delray Beach surplus personnel costs for up to 36 months.

5.3 C Assignment of Lease

• If the agreement is terminated for any reason, the Town of Highland Beach is required to accept assignment of the lease and make all remaining payments.

• If the Lessor refuses to assign the lease to Highland Beach, Highland Beach is obligated to pay Delray Beach a lump sum payment to satisfy the terms of the lease.

5.4 Ownership of Apparatus – Post Agreement

• At the expiration of the term of the agreement and all lease obligations are satisfied, Highland Beach may purchase the apparatus from Delray Beach for $10.00.

• At the end of the term, any remaining financial obligations for apparatus are the responsibility of Highland Beach.



• This section does not apply if the agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 5.3 of the agreement.

To terminate for any cause requires a 36 month notice to Delray Beach. The Town can terminate with less than 36 months’ notice but will be required to pay for the excess personnel for up to 36 months. As noted, an early termination requires Highland Beach to reimburse Delray Beach for surplus personnel costs for up to three years. The following table illustrates a projection of those costs beginning in FY 2022.

Delray Beach Personnel Costs FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 Salaries $2,144,514 $2,294,630 $2,471,316 $2,661,608 Benefits $1,542,278 $1,850,734 $2,294,910 $2,845,688 Total Costs $3,686,792 $4,145,364 $4,766,226 $5,507,296

The FY 2021 costs are from the Delray Projection with the personnel remaining at current levels. Assumptions for the projection are personnel salaries increasing at a 5% rate per year and benefits increasing at a rate of approximately 20% per year.

There is a potential additional cost based on Section 5.3C and the assignment of the lease agreements. If Highland Beach terminates the agreement, then Highland Beach is required to accept assignment of the leases and make all the remaining payments. However, if the lessor refuses to assign the lease to Highland Beach, then Highland Beach is required to reimburse Delray Beach a lump sum to satisfy the terms of the lease which is approximately $540,000 based on the current schedules. Ownership of the apparatus is clearly defined if the ILA is fully completed however, is ambiguous if the agreement is terminated early.

Continuing the Contract

The Town of Highland Beach can continue the agreement as written. However, the terms of the agreement need to be adhered to moving forward. Provisions in the agreement are not being followed and may have financial implications to the Town of Highland Beach and the City of Delray Beach.

• Delray Beach should charge Highland Beach the appropriate service fee consistent with the terms and conditions of the contract as reflected in Sections 4.3 (A-H). Alternately, on a move forward basis, revise the contract terms and conditions to reflect “actual costs” charged associated with the Highland Beach Fire Station.

• Engage a firm to conduct a forensic audit of contract charges levied to Highland Beach over the past five fiscal years, and based on the results of that audit, seek



reimbursement from, or provide recompense to, Delray Beach based on the financial outcome of that audit.

• Include appropriate performance benchmarks in a future interlocal service agreement language such that fire and emergency medical service delivery can be objectively measured against accepted Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

It appears that Highland Beach should be credited with all emergency medical transport fees for all emergency medical transport calls for service that are performed by medical units assigned to the Highland Beach Fire Station. To change the language on the collection of emergency medical transport fees may require a renegotiation of the agreement. Opening the agreement for negotiations may also open the increase of staffing issue for the Rescue Unit. At the very least, the reconciliation process should include a more detailed accounting of the revenues and expenditures for the services provided.

Recommendations: If the contract with Delray Beach is renegotiated ensure any service fees are clearly defined. Revise the contract language to reflect “actual costs” as compared to “in rank average cost” if that is how charges will be determined. Add a provision to ensure Highland Beach is compensated for all transport fees collected from patients transported by the ambulance assigned to Highland Beach. Retain a firm to conduct a forensic audit of the previous five-year financials compared to the contract to determine the appropriate charges. Develop key performance indicators to allow objective measurement of emergency service delivery.



EMERGENCY SERVICES ALTERNATIVES – MUNICIPAL

This section includes the feasibility and cost analysis of forming a Fire Department within the Town of Highland Beach.

Assumptions

A significant assumption in this section is the complete separation of Highland Beach from the current Interlocal Services Agreement with Delray Beach. The following table outlines additional key planning assumptions used to structure the Fire Department within the Town.

Planning Elements and Assumptions

Element Assumption

Management/Administration

The Chief of the Fire Department would report directly to the Highland Beach Town Manager under the overall policy direction of the Highland Town Council

Current Contract

The contract has different mechanisms for the cancellation of the agreement. Depending on the manner in which the agreement is terminated, the financial results will be different.

Staffing and Compensation

The Fire Department would be staffed by career personnel with salary and benefits in accordance with a new compensation plan. For purposes of this study, the current IAFF contract in Delray Beach will be used.

Operating Expenses

Using previous actual and budgeted amounts from the Delray Beach operations and normally expected increases.

Physical Facilities

Highland Beach currently owns a fire station located at the Municipal Complex.

Apparatus and Major Equipment The Town does not currently own any apparatus or equipment.

Impact on Support Services in other Town Departments

There will be an increased workload impact on City support departments, including human resources, legal and risk management, finance, fleet, etc. requiring support personnel to handle these duties or added personnel to the City departments to support the fire department.



Service Delivery The current levels of service delivery are satisfactory to the residents of the Town and this new Fire Department is to provide similar levels of service.

Organization Overview

A first step to the formation of a municipal fire department is to establish the department as a part of the town similar to Chapter 21 of the Town Code of Ordinances that establishes the police department. Similar duties and requirements should be established for the fire department as outlined in the police department section.

The following organizational chart illustrates the recommended organization for the municipal fire department. Changes to meet the needs of the department can be made depending on the direction and authority the department is permitted.

Highland Beach Fire Department

The department would have all career personnel but with a smaller footprint in comparison to the Delray Beach system.

Town Manager

Fire Chief

Captain

Driver/Engineer

Firefighter / Paramedic

Captain

Driver/Engineer


Captain

Driver/Engineer


Captain/Fire Marshal


Captain/Training and Supprt



Human Resources

There are several items the Town will need to address before any personnel for the Fire Department should or could be hired.

• Position descriptions and qualifications will need to be developed for each position in the Fire Department.

• A hiring process will need to be developed and implemented.

• Promotional procedures will need to be developed and implemented.

• A compensation plan for all levels of the Fire Department will need to be developed and implemented.

For purposes of evaluation and analysis, the work schedule and staffing model for Delray Beach will be used. This will provide a level comparison to the existing system. The current work schedule for shift personnel is twenty-four (24) continuous hours on duty and forty-eights (48) continuous hours off duty, otherwise referred to as a 24/48 schedule. In order to reduce the overtime and to keep the personnel to an average 48 hour workweek, there is a Kelly Day inserted generally every seven shifts to keep the number of hours at or below one hundred forty-four (144) hours in a 21 day work cycle. The following table illustrates a typical staffing needed to provide coverage for a single position.

24/48 Schedule

Single Position

122 Shifts for one Firefighter 18 Kelly Days 4 Sick Days 4 Vacation days

96 Shifts Available to work 1.27 People to cover 122 shifts 3.81 People to cover 24 / 7 / 365

The current service delivery model utilizes a minimum staffing of three personnel on the aerial ladder and two personnel on the rescue unit. This creates a minimum staffing level of 5 personnel per shift. The following table illustrates the number of personnel required to staff the Highland station.



24/48 Schedule – Fire Department

Single Shift

5 Minimum Manning per Shift 6.35 Number Assigned per Shift

6 Number Needed per Shift

Department

3 Number of Shifts to Cover 5 Minimum Manning per Shift

18 Department Staffing for Operations As illustrated the Fire Department will need at least eighteen (18) personnel for the operations of the department. With the number of assigned per shift at 6.35 personnel, there will likely be a need for occasional overtime to provide the coverage. This is also based on the low end of the time off benefits. As the seniority builds, the more senior personnel will accumulate additional time off that may translate to the need for more overtime to provide coverage or the addition of personnel to cover the time off.

For purposes of analysis, the salary ranges used the calculations that follow are from the collective bargaining agreement in Delray Beach.

Salary Ranges

Position Beginning Annual Salary Ending Annual Salary Notes

Firefighter / Paramedic $56,200 $62,314

Plan indicates a 5% step increase annually on the anniversary date of hire.

Driver / Engineer $68,311 $71,727


Captain $79,077 $87,183

Plan indicates the promotion is after 5 years of service. Only Driver/Engineers are eligible for the promotion.

Promotions in the pay classification plan have several variables including the time in rank before there is an opportunity to promote and once promoted the pay adjustment is based on the current step of the person being promoted. For example, a Firefighter/Paramedic at step 5 gets promoted the Driver/Engineer position at Step 5 as well.

The following table illustrates the operational personnel costs for the Highland Beach Fire Department. These costs are for the first year of operations.



Operations Personnel Cost - First Year

Salary Benefits Turnout Gear /

Uniforms Overtime Total Cost Number of

Personnel Total First Year Cost

Firefighter / Paramedic $56,200 $33,102 $12,000 $4,665 $105,966 12 $1,271,597

Driver / Engineer $68,311 $40,235 $12,000 $5,670 $126,216 3 $378,648

Captain $79,077 $46,576 $12,000 $6,563 $144,217 3 $432,650 Total Personnel Cost

$2,082,895

For purposes of this calculation, the benefits and overtime are expressed as a percentage of salaries and wages. A letter dated December 4, 2020 from Delray Beach illustrates the actual costs billed to Highland Beach for FY2020. The percentage for benefits is 58.9% and 8.3% for overtime. These percentages are used to project the benefits and overtime for the fire department. The cost for turnout gear and uniforms is a one-time cost at the time of hire, however replacements will be needed in the future.

Additional staffing includes administrative staff. Included in this section is the Fire Chief and Administrative Assistant. A Captain to handle the fire prevention activities, plan review, and inspections. A second Captain to handle the training and other support functions such vehicle and equipment maintenance. The benefits are 58.9% of the salaries, based on the December 4, 2020 letter from Delray Beach. The table that follows illustrates these first-year costs.

Administrative Personnel Cost - First Year


Uniforms Total Cost Number of


Fire Chief $108,972 $64,185 $12,000 $185,157 1 $185,157 Captain $79,077 $46,576 $12,000 $137,653 2 $275,307 Administrative Asst. $37,000 $21,793 $0 $58,793 1 $58,793 Total Personnel Cost 4 $519,256

The total first year cost for fire department personnel is $2,602,151 which $252,000 is a one-time cost for turnout gear and uniforms.

The addition of Fire Department personnel may have other ramifications for the Town. The Town currently does not have a dedicated Human Resources position. The addition of 22 employees to the 37 full-time and 12 part-time employees, may require the Town to have a dedicated Human Resources position.



Additional considerations that will impact the Town of Highland Beach include the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For the ACA, once the Town has 50 employees the ACA requires the employer to begin tracking hours and conducting look back periods.

The additional employees could trigger the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Town of Highland Beach would be required to offer this additional benefit. For FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), employees are eligible to take FMLA if the following criteria is met:

• If the employee is employed for at least 12 months by the town. If the employee is employed for at least 1,250 hours of services with town during the previous 12-month period.

• If the employee is employed at a site where the employer employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles of the employee’s worksite at the time of the leave request.

Much like the ACA, there are requirements for tracking and evaluating the eligibility, leave that is used and the reporting requirements. As well, this will add to the workload of the human resources function.

With other potential regulations impacting the town, a dedicated Human Resources position will likely be required. The salary for this position is in the range of $95,000 to $120,000 based on the compensation plan for Delray Beach. Using the same rate for benefits as in the Fire Department of 58.9% of salaries, the benefit costs could range from $49,875 to $63,000 for this position.

Highland Beach – Indirect Expenditures – First Year

Line Item 2022 Start Personnel Services

Human Resources Salaries/Wages $95,000 Financial Support Salaries/Wages $23,400 Human Resources Benefits $55,955 Total Personnel Services $174,355

As shown, the first year cost for additional personnel in other departments is $174,355.

Physical Resources

The Town of Highland Beach owns the fire station on South Ocean Blvd. It is a two-bay station that currently houses a rescue unit and an aerial ladder. The station is a part of



the municipal complex for the Town. Expansion of the station is limited and does not have the capability of housing any additional apparatus. As previously illustrated, apparatus from this station can reach most of the Town within the 4-minute travel time benchmark.

Highland Beach does not own any apparatus to provide service. The Town will need to acquire similar apparatus as the current delivery system is using and the equipment for that apparatus. As well, there will need to be reserve apparatus in the event the primary units are down for maintenance and repairs. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) requires one reserve unit for every eight needed companies to receive full credit in their evaluation. The following table illustrates the apparatus need and the associated cost.

Highland Beach

Estimated Apparatus and Equipment Cost

Aerial Ladder $832,251 Aerial Ladder Equipment $84,382 Engine Company $421,000 Engine Company Equipment $105,250 Rescue Unit (2) $676,866 Rescue Unit Equipment $213,902 Administrative Vehicles (2) $84,000 Total Cost $2,333,651

The apparatus cost estimates are based on the lease documentation for the units purchased in 2017 and from the Florida Sheriffs Association cooperative purchasing program. The lease agreements have a line item indicating equipment and supplies and appears to be the equipment necessary for the apparatus to function properly. There could be other items that would be needed for the apparatus to be fully equipped and would have an additional cost. For the engine company the cost is based on the lowest base price. Upgrades and changes will cost extra depending on the needs of the department. Equipment for the engine company was calculated at 25% of the cost of the apparatus. This may fluctuate as the type and amount of equipment for the unit is determined.

Operations

The operations of the Fire Department will largely remain the same in terms of volume of calls and the response. In 2019 there were 704 calls for service for an average of 1.9 calls per day. The change in population during the winter months does have an effect on the calls for service as illustrated in the following chart.



As previously noted, approximately 65% of the calls are medical in nature which is expected given the population is largely over the age 60. With 65% of the calls being medical in nature, the other 35% of the calls are something other than medical. In fact, approximately 15% of the calls are fire alarm activations with other types of calls comprising the other 20% of the volume.

Currently the Town relies on Delray Beach Fire Rescue to provide additional resources to create the effective response force needs for these types of calls. The creation of a Fire Department in the Town and staffing the department with a five (5) personnel minimum staffing, the Town will need to rely on mutual aid to provide additional resources when needed to create an effective response force for the call type. If the Town were to add an additional position to bring the Medic staffing to 3 personnel, it would add approximately $281,898 annually in salary and benefit costs. Mutual aid resources are available from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, Delray Beach Fire Rescue, Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, and Boca Raton Fire Rescue. Mutual Aid agreements are commonplace throughout the fire service industry and the same holds true in Palm Beach County. However, there is a clause in Mutual Aid agreements regarding the ability to respond. Within the current Mutual Aid agreement between Palm Beach County and Delray Beach to passage reads:

Each party may refuse to respond to a request for aid/assistance in the event it does not have the required equipment or manpower available or if, in its sole judgement, compliance with the request would jeopardize the protection of its own jurisdiction or personnel. Notwithstanding anything herein that may be construed to the contrary, the parties understand and agree that is not the intention of the parties to subsidize the normal day-to-day operations or shortages in staffing or equipment of the other party and that the mutual assistance/automatic aid provided hereunder is intended to be mutual in nature.

0

50

100

150

200

250

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2017 - 2019 Calls for Service



Automatic Aid agreements are another mechanism to provide additional resources to a community. These agreements are used to provide services to adjacent areas of a City or Town. In these instances, the borders are generally dropped, and the closest resource responds to the call for service. Additionally, resources are automatically sent to each other for certain types of calls such as auto accidents, structure fires, or other incident that requires additional resources.

Other Provisions

Chapter 13, Article II within the Palm Beach County Code of Laws and Ordinances identifies the need for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) for any advanced life support provider to operate in Palm Beach County. The Town of Highland Beach would need to apply for the COPCN through the EMS/Health and Medical Section of Emergency Management in Palm Beach County. This would need to be received prior to initiating any emergency medical services in the Town. Additionally, a medical director will be needed, and medical protocols adopted.

The Town of Highland Beach currently utilizes Delray Beach for 911 call receiving and dispatching for the police and fire departments. Agreements with Delray Beach and the Highland Beach Police Department would need to be realigned to include the Fire Department. There is a possibility of additional cost to the Town for this service.

Financial Resources

Creating a municipal fire department will require a significant financial investment by the Town. The table that follows illustrates the potential costs for the first year of operations of a fire department and the projection for the next five years. This table assumes a FY2022 start of operations.



Highland Beach Fire Department - Expenditures Projection

Line Item FY2022 Start FY2023 Projection

FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Personnel Services Administrative Salaries/Wages $304,126 $319,332 $335,299 $352,064 $369,667 $388,150 Operations Salaries/Wages $1,116,564 $1,172,392 $1,231,012 $1,292,562 $1,357,191 $1,425,050 Operations Overtime $92,675 $85,585 $89,864 $94,357 $99,075 $104,029 Administrative Benefits $179,130 $167,649 $176,032 $184,834 $194,075 $203,779 Operations Benefits $657,656 $615,506 $646,281 $678,595 $712,525 $748,151 Total Personnel Services $2,350,151 $2,360,464 $2,478,488 $2,602,412 $2,732,533 $2,869,159 Operating Expenditures Pest Control Services $500 $510 $520 $531 $541 $552 Other Contractual Services $1,560 $1,591 $1,623 $1,655 $1,689 $1,722 Travel & Per Diem Travel & Training $2,000 $2,040 $2,081 $2,122 $2,165 $2,208 Utility Services Gas $1,330 $1,357 $1,384 $1,411 $1,440 $1,468 Vehicle Maintenance / Garage $12,000 $12,240 $12,485 $12,734 $12,989 $13,249 Service Equipment Maintenance $19,170 $19,553 $19,944 $20,343 $20,750 $21,165 Other Current Charges $1,320 $1,346 $1,373 $1,401 $1,429 $1,457 Office Equipment < $5,000 $560 $571 $583 $594 $606 $618 Fuel & Lube $10,190 $10,394 $10,602 $10,814 $11,030 $11,251 EMS Supplies $47,375 $48,323 $49,289 $50,275 $51,280 $52,306 General Operating Supplies $3,528 $3,599 $3,671 $3,744 $3,819 $3,895 Equipment < $5,000 $16,055 $16,376 $16,704 $17,038 $17,378 $17,726 Protective Gear $252,000 $20,000 $20,400 $20,808 $21,224 $21,649 Uniform / Linen Service $20,047 $20,448 $20,857 $21,274 $21,700 $22,134 Janitorial Supplies $1,500 $1,530 $1,561 $1,592 $1,624 $1,656 Training & Education Costs $9,960 $10,159 $10,362 $10,570 $10,781 $10,997 Tuition Reimbursement $5,500 $5,610 $5,722 $5,837 $5,953 $6,072 Total Operating Expenditures $404,595 $175,647 $179,160 $182,743 $186,398 $190,126 Capital Improvements Rescue Lease Payments $108,175 $108,175 $108,175 $108,175 $108,175 $108,175 Reserve Engine $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 Ladder Lease Payments $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 Total Expenditures $3,089,733 $2,871,098 $2,992,635 $3,120,142 $3,253,918 $3,394,272



Within the projections in the previous tables there are several assumptions as listed below.

• A rate of 5% was used for salary increases for the personnel costs. This is based on the IAFF contract with Delray Beach and Palm Beach County.

• Benefits and overtime use a 58.9% and 8.3%, respectively, of salaries for the calculation.

• The operational costs are based on the 2021 budget from Delray Beach for the Highland Beach operations and increase each year by 2%.

The capital improvement payments are based on the existing lease agreements. There are two Rescue Units, a Ladder Truck, and a Reserve Engine. The cost of the Reserve Engine is based on the lowest base price from the Florida Sheriffs Association cooperative purchasing program and the equipment for the truck is based on 25% of the cost of the truck. Upgrades to the base unit will result in additional cost and increased annual payments. It is also possible to purchase a used or refurbished truck that will reduce the cost.

Administrative Support Cost

As noted previously with the addition of 22 employees in the fire department there will likely be a need for a dedicated Human Resources position. In addition, there may be a need for an additional part-time accounting clerk or specialist due to increased payroll services, invoice payment needs, and other accounting functions connected to the fire department. The following table illustrates these costs.



Highland Beach - Indirect Expenditures Projection


FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Personnel Services

Human Resources Salaries/Wages $95,000 $99,750 $104,738 $109,974 $115,473 $121,247 Financial Support Salaries/Wages $23,400 $24,570 $25,799 $27,088 $28,443 $29,865 Human Resources Benefits $55,955 $58,753 $61,690 $64,775 $68,014 $71,414 Total Personnel Services $174,355 $183,073 $192,226 $201,838 $211,930 $222,526

For the Human Resources position the lower salary was used and the benefit percentage of 58.9% was used to provide the projection. For the Financial Support position, the hourly rate was derived from an average of an accounting clerk and accounting specialist based on the Delray Beach compensation plan. This position is a part-time position and is based on 25 hours per week with no benefits.



Termination of Agreement



Section Provisions 5.3 A Termination for good cause















Delray Beach Personnel Costs FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 Salaries $2,144,514 $2,294,630 $2,471,316 $2,661,608 Benefits $1,542,278 $1,850,734 $2,294,910 $2,845,688 Total Costs $3,686,792 $4,145,364 $4,766,226 $5,507,296




Financial Projection

The assumption in this alternative is the complete separation of Highland Beach from the current Interlocal Services Agreement with Delray Beach. As illustrated in the previous section, the early termination of the ILA will result in additional charges to Highland Beach for the surplus personnel costs.



The table that follows illustrates the projected costs of operating a municipal fire department.

Highland Beach Cost Projection for a Municipal Fire Department

FY2022 Start FY2023 Projection

FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Fire Department $3,089,733 $2,871,098 $2,992,635 $3,120,142 $3,253,918 $3,394,272 Indirect Expenditures $174,355 $183,073 $192,226 $201,838 $211,930 $222,526 Highland Beach Total Costs $3,264,088 $3,054,171 $3,184,861 $3,321,980 $3,465,847 $3,616,798

There is a potential additional cost based on Section 5.3C and the assignment of the lease agreements. If Highland Beach terminates the agreement, then Highland Beach is required to accept assignment of the leases and make all the remaining payments. However, if the lessor refuses to assign the lease to Highland Beach, then Highland Beach is required to reimburse Delray Beach a lump sum to satisfy the terms of the lease which is approximately $540,000 based on the current schedules. Ownership of the apparatus is clearly defined if the ILA is fully completed however, is ambiguous if the agreement is terminated early. With the ambiguity of ownership and the lessor assignment issue, the cost for the leases is not shown in the previous tables. It is also important to note that if the contract with Delray Beach is terminated early, the Town would incur additional costs for surplus Delray Beach personnel for three (3) years. This equates to $4.15 million in FY 22, $4.77 million in FY 23 and $5.51 million in FY 24.



Implementation Plan

To form a municipal fire department in Highland Beach it will require approximately 2.5 years to implement. This will require a phased approach where staff is hired to develop policies, procedures, protocols. New personnel are recruited and hired, and field training is provided to ensure a smooth transition for operating as a municipal department. The phased approach will gradually increase staffing and services over the implementation plan with the department being fully operational in month seven of the third fiscal year. If the Town were to hire personnel that required to be trained at an academy and were not currently certified in the State of Florida, these timelines would increase.

The first half of year one would be spent recruiting and hiring the Fire Chief position. The Chief would then develop job descriptions and recruit and hire the Fire Marshal, Administrative Assistant and Training Officer in year 2. The remainder of year 2 will be developing the remaining job descriptions, recruiting and hiring the line fire personnel and acquiring the remaining apparatus and equipment, with the department becoming operational in year 3.

The following table summarizes the number of positions hired each year by employee classification and rank as discussed previously.

Employee Hiring by Implementation Year

Position Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Chief 1 1 Captain / Fire Marshal 1 1 Administrative Assistant 1 1 Captain Training Officer 1 1 Captain 3 3 Driver / Engineer 3 3 Firefighter / Paramedic 12 12 Total 4 3 18 22

The following are the salary, benefit and one-time equipment and vehicle costs associated with funding each year of the implementation plan. Salary and benefit costs are continued each year and one-time costs removed from the ongoing cost estimates:



Start-up and Transition Costs

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Salaries and Benefits 86,579 483,436 2,350,331 Equipment 12,000 24,000 216,000 Vehicles/Apparatus 42,000 42,000 334,987 Total $140,579 $549,436 $2,901,318

Staff vehicles should be purchased for the Chief and Fire Marshal prior to them beginning employment and apparatus ordered in year 2 to ensure delivery prior to operations beginning in year 3. Vehicle costs assume leasing fire and EMS apparatus and purchasing staff vehicles. Required Town support personnel should be added to the Town staff in year 2.



EMERGENCY SERVICES ALTERNATIVES – HYBRID

In addition to establishing a municipal fire department, alternatives to the current Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with Delray Beach include contracting for the services from other municipalities or private companies that provide these services. In 2016 the Town examined several options that included other municipalities and local governments. The end result was the current ILA with Delray Beach as the other alternatives were either too expensive or not feasible due to distance between resources. In this alternative, a private service provider is considered for a full service alternative and a partial service provider alternative.

Contracting for Fire and EMS Services

Another alternative is to provide service through a contract with a private company. There are a number of private companies that provide emergency services in the Town that are located in Palm Beach County. Some of these providers will only provide emergency medical services while others can provide both. The table that follows provides a range of costs associated with these services.

Private Service Providers

Low Mid-Point High

Emergency Medical Services Only $850,000 $935,000 $1,020,000 Fire Suppression Services Only $2,650,000 $2,915,000 $3,180,000 Fire Suppression and EMS $3,500,000 $3,850,000 $4,200,000

These costs include the staffing, apparatus, and equipment to operate the department. Within these costs, the occupancy expenses are not included and there is an expectation the Town would also provide the fire station and related equipment. As with any type of contract, service levels are negotiable, and the services received and cost for those services will depend largely on the scope within the request for proposals and the eventual contract. It is also important to note that a private emergency medical services provider will retain all income related to EMS transport fees, but also incur the costs of supplies and equipment for providing the service. Another assumption for this model is the service levels in terms of staffing and response will remain the same as the current system.



The cost for the operation of the Fire Station is illustrated in the following table.

Highland Beach Fire Service - Private Service Providers


FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Pest Control Services $500 $510 $520 $531 $541 $552 Other Contractual Services $1,560 $1,591 $1,623 $1,655 $1,689 $1,722 Utility Services Gas $1,330 $1,357 $1,384 $1,411 $1,440 $1,468 Service Equipment Maintenance $19,170 $19,553 $19,944 $20,343 $20,750 $21,165 Other Current Charges $1,320 $1,346 $1,373 $1,401 $1,429 $1,457 Office Equipment < $5,000 $560 $571 $583 $594 $606 $618 General Operating Supplies $3,528 $3,599 $3,671 $3,744 $3,819 $3,895 Equipment < $5,000 $16,055 $16,376 $16,704 $17,038 $17,378 $17,726 Janitorial Supplies $1,500 $1,530 $1,561 $1,592 $1,624 $1,656 Total Operating Expenditures $45,523 $46,433 $47,362 $48,309 $49,276 $50,261 Fire Suppression and EMS $4,200,000 $4,410,000 $4,630,500 $4,862,025 $5,105,126 $5,360,383 Total Highland Beach Budget $4,245,523 $4,456,433 $4,677,862 $4,910,334 $5,154,402 $5,410,644

The private service provider cost in FY2022 is based on the high side of the range of costs with a 5% annual increase for the next five years. The same termination costs, $4,145,364 in the first year, will apply should the Town elect to terminate the current agreement early. Should the Town elect to have the emergency services provided by a private service provider, the first year cost would be approximately $8,345,364 plus the final disposition of the leases as noted previously.



Municipal Fire Suppression and Contracted EMS

Contracting for emergency medical services with a private contractor would eliminate the need for staffing for the emergency medical services in a municipal fire department. It also eliminates the cost of capital items such as apparatus and related equipment.


A first step to the formation of a municipal fire department is to establish the department as a part of the town similar to Chapter 21 of the Town Code of Ordinances that establishes the police department. Similar duties and requirements should be established for the fire department as outlined in the police department section.

The following organizational chart illustrates the recommended organization for the municipal fire department. Changes to meet the needs of the department can be made depending on the direction and authority the department is permitted.

Highland Beach Fire Department

The smaller footprint results from only having only a ladder company to staff the operations as the medical unit would be staffed by the provide service provider.

Town Manager

Fire Chief

Captain

Driver/Engineer


Captain

Driver/Engineer


Captain

Driver/Engineer


Captain/Fire Marshal


Captain/Training and Supprt



Human Resources

There are several items the Town will need to address before any personnel for the Fire Department should or could be hired.

• Position descriptions and qualifications will need to be developed for each position in the Fire Department.

• A hiring process will need to be developed and implemented.

• Promotional procedures will need to be developed and implemented.

• A compensation plan for all levels of the Fire Department will need to be developed and implemented.

For purposes of evaluation and analysis, the work schedule and staffing model for Delray Beach will be used. This will provide a level comparison to the existing system. The current work schedule for shift personnel is twenty-four (24) continuous hours on duty and forty-eights (48) continuous hours off duty, otherwise referred to as a 24/48 schedule. In order to reduce the overtime and to keep the personnel to an average 48 hour workweek, there is a Kelly Day inserted generally every seven shifts to keep the number of hours at or below one hundred forty-four (144) hours in a 21 day work cycle. The following table illustrates a typical staffing needed to provide coverage for a single position.

The table that follows uses the same methodology as previously described to determine the number of staff needed for the response operations.



24/48 Schedule

Single Position



Single Shift 3 Minimum Manning per Shift

3.81 Number Assigned per Shift 4 Number Needed per Shift

Department 3 Number of Shifts to Cover 3 Minimum Manning per Shift

12 Department Staffing for Operations As shown, there would be a need for 12 personnel to staff the operational shifts in the municipal fire department. Operating both fire suppression and EMS would require 18 personnel.

For purposes of analysis, the salary ranges used the calculations that follow are from the collective bargaining agreement in Delray Beach.

Salary Ranges






Captain $79,077 $87,183


Promotions in the pay classification plan have several variables including the time in rank before there is an opportunity to promote and once promoted the pay adjustment is based on the current step of the person being promoted. For example, a Firefighter/Paramedic at step 5 gets promoted the Driver/Engineer position at Step 5 as well.



The following table illustrates the operational personnel costs for the Highland Beach Fire Department. These costs are for the first year of operations and use the operational staffing of twelve (12) personnel.





Firefighter / Paramedic $56,200 $33,102 $12,000 $4,665 $105,966 6 $635,798

Driver / Engineer $68,311 $40,235 $12,000 $5,670 $126,216 3 $378,648


$1,447,097

For purposes of this calculation, the benefits and overtime are expressed as a percentage of salaries and wages. A letter dated December 4, 2020 from Delray Beach illustrates the actual costs billed to Highland Beach for FY2020. The percentage for benefits is 58.9% and 8.3% for overtime. These percentages are used to project the benefits and overtime for the fire department. The cost for turnout gear and uniforms is a one-time cost at the time of hire, however replacements will be needed in the future. Reducing the personnel from eighteen (18) to twelve (12) reduces the first-year cost by $635,798.

Additional staffing includes administrative staff. Included in this section is the Fire Chief and Administrative Assistant. A Captain to handle the fire prevention activities, plan review, and inspections. A second Captain to handle the training and other support functions such vehicle and equipment maintenance. The benefits are 58.9% of the salaries, based on the December 4, 2020 letter from Delray Beach. The table that follows illustrates these first-year costs.


Salary Benefits Turnout

Gear / Uniforms

Total Cost Number of Personnel

Total First Year Cost

Fire Chief $108,972 $64,185 $12,000 $185,157 1 $185,157 Captain $79,077 $46,576 $12,000 $137,653 2 $275,307 Administrative Asst. $37,000 $21,793 $0 $58,793 1 $58,793 Total Personnel Cost 4 $519,256

The total first year cost for fire department personnel is $1,966,353 which $180,000 is a one-time cost for turnout gear and uniforms.



The addition of Fire Department personnel may have other ramifications for the Town. The Town currently does not have a dedicated Human Resources position. The addition of 16 employees to the 37 full-time and 12 part-time employees, may require the Town to have a dedicated Human Resources position.

Additional considerations that will impact the Town of Highland Beach include the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For the ACA, once the Town has 50 employees the ACA requires the employer to begin tracking hours and conducting look back periods.


• If the employee is employed for at least 12 months by the town.

• If the employee is employed for at least 1,250 hours of services with town during the previous 12-month period.

• If the employee is employed at a site where the employer employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles of the employee’s worksite at the time of the leave request.

Much like the ACA, there are requirements for tracking and evaluating the eligibility, leave that is used and the reporting requirements. As well, this will add to the workload of the human resources function.

With other potential regulations impacting the town, a dedicated Human Resources position will likely be required. The salary for this position is in the range of $95,000 to $120,000 based on the compensation plan for Delray Beach. Using the same rate for benefits as in the Fire Department of 58.9% of salaries, the cost benefits could range from $49,875 to $63,000 for this position.

Highland Beach – Indirect Expenditures – First Year Line Item 2022 Start Personnel Services

Human Resources Salaries/Wages $95,000 Financial Support Salaries/Wages $23,400 Human Resources Benefits $55,955 Total Personnel Services $174,355

As shown, the first year cost for additional personnel in other departments is $174,355.



Physical Resources

The Town of Highland Beach owns the fire station on South Ocean Blvd. It is a two-bay station that currently houses a rescue unit and an aerial ladder. The station is a part of the municipal complex for the Town. Expansion of the station is limited and does not have the capability of housing any additional apparatus. As previously illustrated, apparatus from this station can reach most of the Town within the 4-minute travel time benchmark.

Highland Beach does not own any apparatus to provide service. The Town will need to acquire similar apparatus as the current delivery system is using and the equipment for that apparatus. As well, there will need to be reserve apparatus in the event the primary units are down for maintenance and repairs. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) requires one reserve unit for every eight needed companies to receive full credit in their evaluation. The following table illustrates the apparatus need and the associated cost.

Highland Beach


Aerial Ladder $832,251 Aerial Ladder Equipment $84,382 Engine Company $421,000 Engine Company Equipment $105,250 Total Cost $1,442,883

The apparatus cost estimates are based on the lease documentation for the units purchased in 2017 and from the Florida Sheriffs Association cooperative purchasing program. The lease agreements have a line item indicating equipment and supplies and appears to be the equipment necessary for the apparatus to function properly. There could be other items that would be needed for the apparatus to be fully equipped and would have an additional cost. For the engine company the cost is based on the lowest base price. Upgrades and changes will cost extra depending on the needs of the department. Equipment for the engine company was calculated at 25% of the cost of the apparatus. This may fluctuate as the type and amount of equipment for the unit is determined. In this alternative, the total cost of apparatus and equipment is reduced by $890,768 as the two rescue units will not be required as the private service provider will provide those items.

Operations

The operations of the Fire Department will largely remain the same in terms of volume of calls and the response. In 2019 there were 704 calls for service for an average of 1.9 calls



per day. The change in population during the winter months does have an effect on the calls for service as illustrated in the following chart.

As previously noted, approximately 65% of the calls are medical in nature which is expected given the population is largely over the age 60. With 65% of the calls being medical in nature, the other 35% of the calls are something other than medical. In fact, approximately 15% of the calls are fire alarm activations with other types of calls comprising the other 20% of the volume.

Currently the Town relies on Delray Beach Fire Rescue to provide additional resources to create the effective response force needs for these types of calls. The creation of a Fire Department in the Town and staffing the department with a three (3) personnel minimum staffing, the Town will need to rely heavily on mutual aid to provide additional resources when needed to create an effective response force for the call type. Mutual aid resources are available from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, Delray Beach Fire Rescue, Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, and Boca Raton Fire Rescue. Mutual Aid agreements are commonplace throughout the fire service industry and the same holds true in Palm Beach County. However, there is a clause in Mutual Aid agreements regarding the ability to respond. Within the current Mutual Aid agreement between Palm Beach County and Delray Beach to passage reads:

Each party may refuse to respond to a request for aid/assistance in the event it does not have the required equipment or manpower available or if, in its sole judgement, compliance with the request would jeopardize the protection of its own jurisdiction or personnel. Notwithstanding anything herein that may be construed to the contrary, the parties understand and agree that is not the intention of the parties to subsidize the normal day-

0

50

100

150

200

250





to-day operations or shortages in staffing or equipment of the other party and that the mutual assistance/automatic aid provided hereunder is intended to be mutual in nature.

This could be problematic as the neighboring communities may not be able to provide all the resources needed at the time of an incident. Those communities have their own protection issues that may preclude them from sending as much as may be required.

Automatic Aid agreements are another mechanism to provide additional resources to a community. These agreements are used to provide services to adjacent areas of a City or Town. In these instances, the borders are generally dropped, and the closest resource responds to the call for service. Additionally, resources are automatically sent to each other for certain types of calls such as auto accidents, structure fires, or other incident that requires additional resources.

Other Provisions

The Town of Highland Beach currently utilizes Delray Beach for 911 call receiving and dispatching for the police and fire departments. Agreements with Delray Beach and the Highland Beach Police Department would need to be realigned to include the Fire Department. There is a possibility of additional cost to the Town for this service. Based on the Police Department budget this service should be under $10,000 per year for the inclusion of fire dispatch.

Financial Resources

Creating a municipal fire suppression system will require a significant financial investment by the Town. The table that follows illustrates the potential costs for the first year of operations of a fire department and the projection for the next five years. This table assumes a FY2022 start of operations



Highland Beach Fire Department - Expenditures Projection - Hybrid


FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Personnel Services Administrative Salaries/Wages $304,126 $319,332 $335,299 $352,064 $369,667 $388,150 Operations Salaries/Wages $779,364 $818,332 $859,249 $902,211 $947,322 $994,688 Operations Overtime $64,687 $59,738 $62,725 $65,861 $69,154 $72,612 Administrative Benefits $179,130 $167,649 $176,032 $184,834 $194,075 $203,779 Operations Benefits $459,045 $429,624 $451,106 $473,661 $497,344 $522,211 Total Personnel Services $1,786,353 $1,794,677 $1,884,410 $1,978,631 $2,077,563 $2,181,441 Operating Expenditures Pest Control Services $500 $510 $520 $531 $541 $552 Other Contractual Services $1,560 $1,591 $1,623 $1,655 $1,689 $1,722 Travel & Per Diem Travel & Training $2,000 $2,040 $2,081 $2,122 $2,165 $2,208 Utility Services Gas $1,330 $1,357 $1,384 $1,411 $1,440 $1,468 Vehicle Maintenance / Garage $12,000 $12,240 $12,485 $12,734 $12,989 $13,249 Service Equipment Maintenance $19,170 $19,553 $19,944 $20,343 $20,750 $21,165 Other Current Charges $1,320 $1,346 $1,373 $1,401 $1,429 $1,457 Office Equipment < $5,000 $560 $571 $583 $594 $606 $618 Fuel & Lube $10,190 $10,394 $10,602 $10,814 $11,030 $11,251 EMS Supplies $47,375 $48,323 $49,289 $50,275 $51,280 $52,306 General Operating Supplies $3,528 $3,599 $3,671 $3,744 $3,819 $3,895 Equipment < $5,000 $16,055 $16,376 $16,704 $17,038 $17,378 $17,726 Protective Gear $180,000 $20,000 $20,400 $20,808 $21,224 $21,649 Uniform / Linen Service $20,047 $20,448 $20,857 $21,274 $21,700 $22,134 Janitorial Supplies $1,500 $1,530 $1,561 $1,592 $1,624 $1,656 Training & Education Costs $9,960 $10,159 $10,362 $10,570 $10,781 $10,997 Tuition Reimbursement $5,500 $5,610 $5,722 $5,837 $5,953 $6,072 Total Operating Expenditures $332,595 $175,647 $179,160 $182,743 $186,398 $190,126 Capital Improvements Reserve Engine $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 Ladder Lease Payments $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 Total Expenditures $2,345,760 $2,197,136 $2,290,382 $2,388,186 $2,490,772 $2,598,378







The capital improvement payments are based on the existing lease agreements. There is a Ladder Truck and a Reserve Engine. The cost of the Reserve Engine is based on the lowest base price from the Florida Sheriffs Association cooperative purchasing program and the equipment for the truck is based on 25% of the cost of the truck. Upgrades to the base unit will result in additional cost and increased annual payments. It is also possible to purchase a used or refurbished truck that will reduce the cost.


In this scenario there is an addition of 16 employees in the fire department. The need for a dedicated Human Resources position and an additional part-time accounting clerk or specialist continues for the same reasons as noted previously. The following table illustrates these costs.





FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Personnel Services


As noted previously noted the lower salaries are used in the projection. The accounting clerk is a part-time position and no benefits.






Section Provisions

5.3 A Termination for good cause















Delray Beach Personnel Costs FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024

Salaries $2,144,514 $2,294,630 $2,471,316 $2,661,608 Benefits $1,542,278 $1,850,734 $2,294,910 $2,845,688 Total Costs $3,686,792 $4,145,364 $4,766,226 $5,507,296








The table that follows illustrates the projected costs of operating a municipal fire department.

Highland Beach Cost Projection - Hybrid

FY 2022 Start FY 2023 Projection

FY 2024 Projection

FY 2025 Projection

FY 2026 Projection

FY 2027 Projection

Fire Department $2,345,760 $2,197,136 $2,290,382 $2,388,186 $2,490,772 $2,598,378 Indirect Expenditures $174,355 $183,073 $192,226 $201,838 $211,930 $222,526 Highland Beach Total Costs $2,520,115 $2,380,208 $2,482,609 $2,590,024 $2,702,702 $2,820,905 EMS Contract 5% annual Increase $1,020,000 $1,071,000 $1,124,550 $1,180,778 $1,239,816 $1,301,807 Total Fire and EMS $3,540,115 $3,451,208 $3,607,159 $3,770,801 $3,942,518 $4,122,712

There is a potential additional cost based on Section 5.3C and the assignment of the lease agreements. If Highland Beach terminates the agreement, then Highland Beach is required to accept assignment of the leases and make all the remaining payments. However, if the lessor refuses to assign the lease to Highland Beach, then Highland Beach is required to reimburse Delray Beach a lump sum to satisfy the terms of the lease which is approximately $540,000 based on the current schedules. Ownership of the apparatus is clearly defined if the ILA is fully completed however, is ambiguous if the agreement is terminated early. With the ambiguity of ownership and the lessor assignment issue, the cost for the leases is not shown in the previous tables. It is also important to note that if the contract with Delray Beach is terminated early, the Town would incur additional costs for surplus Delray Beach personnel for three (3) years. This equates to $4.15 million in FY 22, $4.77 million in FY 23 and $5.51 million in FY 24.



Implementation Plan

To form the hybrid version of staffing a fire department in Highland Beach it will require approximately 2.5 years to implement. This will require a phased approach where staff is hired to develop policies, procedures, protocols. New personnel are recruited and hired, and field training is provided to ensure a smooth transition for operating as a municipal department. The phased approach will gradually increase staffing and services over the implementation plan with the department being fully operational in month seven of the third fiscal year. If the Town were to hire personnel that required to be trained at an academy and were not currently certified in the State of Florida, these timelines would increase.



Position Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Chief 1 1

Captain / Fire Marshal 1 1

Administrative Assistant 1 1

Captain Training Officer 1 1

Captain 3 3

Driver / Engineer 3 3

Firefighter / Paramedic 6 6

Total 4 0 12 16

The following are the salary, benefit and one-time equipment and vehicle costs associated with funding each year of the implementation plan. Salary and benefit costs are continued each year and one-time costs removed from ongoing cost estimates:


Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Salaries and Benefits 86,579 483,436 1,786,533 Equipment 12,000 24,000 144,000 Vehicles/Apparatus 42,000 42,000 226,812 Total $140,579 $549,436 $2,157,345

Staff vehicles should be purchased for the Chief and Fire Marshal prior to them beginning employment and apparatus ordered in year 2 to ensure delivery prior to operations beginning in year 3. Town support staff should be hired in year 2 and begin contract negotiations with the EMS provider in year 2 to ensure services begin in year 3. For



costing, it is assumed that staff vehicles would be purchased and fire and EMS apparatus leased.

Recommendation

The Town should consider providing services through hiring municipal firefighters and using a contract EMS provider.



EMERGENCY SERVICE ALTERNATIVE – PUBLIC SAFETY CONCEPT

This alternative creates a public safety department to handle law enforcement and fire suppression activities while contracting for emergency medical services.

Assumptions

As with the establishment of a municipal fire department, a significant assumption in this section is the complete separation of Highland Beach from the current Interlocal Services Agreement with Delray Beach. The following table outlines additional key planning assumptions used to structure a Public Safety Department within the Town some of which are identical to the municipal fire department assumptions.



Planning Elements and Assumptions

Element Assumption

Management/Administration

The Police Chief would become the Director of Public Safety

reporting directly to the Highland Beach Town Manager under the

overall policy direction of the Highland Town Council and would be

responsible for the Police and Fire Divisions.

The Police Lieutenant would become the Assistant Public Safety

Director to manage the operations of the Police and Fire Division

operations.

Current Contract

The contract has different mechanisms for the cancellation of the

agreement. Depending on the manner in which the agreement is

terminated, the financial results will be different.

Staffing and Compensation

The new Public Safety Department would essentially leave the

existing Police Department intact. The Fire Division would be

staffed by career personnel with salary and benefits in accordance

with a new compensation plan. For purposes of this study, the

current IAFF contract in Delray Beach will be used.

Operating Expenses

Using previous actual and budgeted amounts from the Delray

Beach operations and normally expected increases. This would

only affect the Fire Division as the Highland Beach Police

Department is already established.

Physical Facilities

Highland Beach currently owns a fire station located at the

Municipal Complex.

Apparatus and Major Equipment

The Town does not currently own any apparatus or equipment.

Impact on Support Services in other Town Departments

There will be an increased workload impact on City support

departments, including human resources, legal and risk

management, finance, fleet, etc. requiring support personnel to

handle these duties or added personnel to the City departments to

support the fire department.

Service Delivery

The current levels of service delivery will be maintained to include a

contract with an external vendor to provide emergency medical

services.




The creation of a public safety department would require changes to the Town Code of Ordinances. This would likely entail the repeal of Chapter 21 for the police department with a new Chapter 21 to address the new Public Safety Department. The Public Safety Department would have two divisions, the Police Division and the Fire Division. The current Police Department would be melded into the Public Safety Department with minimal changes.

The following organizational chart illustrates a recommended organization for the Public Safety Department. Changes to meet the needs of the department can be made depending on the direction and authority the department is permitted.



Highland Beach Public Safety

Director of Public Safety

Assistant Public Safety Director

Captain (3)

Driver/Engineer (3)

Firefighter/Paramedic (6)

Sergeant (4)

Police Officer (8)

Reserve Police Officer (3)

Accreditation/Training/Professional Standards

Captain -Fire Prevention




In this organization, the current Police Chief becomes the Public Safety Director and the

current Police Lieutenant becomes the Assistant Director. The existing Accreditation and

Training Manager would keep the same duties and add the coordination of fire

department training.

Human Resources

Similar to the Municipal Fire Department alternative, there are several items the Town will

need to address before any personnel for the Fire Division should or could be hired.

• Position descriptions and qualifications for the new Public Safety Director and

Assistant Public Safety Director.

• Position descriptions and qualifications will need to be developed for each

position in the Fire Division.

• A hiring process will need to be developed and implemented. Promotional

procedures will need to be developed and implemented.

• A compensation plan for all levels of the Fire Division will need to be developed

and implemented.

For purposes of evaluation and analysis, the work schedule and staffing model for Delray

Beach will be used. This will provide a level comparison to the existing system. The

current work schedule for shift personnel is twenty-four (24) continuous hours on duty

and forty-eights (48) continuous hours off duty, otherwise referred to as a 24/48

schedule. In order to reduce the overtime and to keep the personnel to an average 48 hour

workweek, there is a Kelly Day inserted generally every seven shifts to keep the number

of hours at or below one hundred forty-four (144) hours in a 21 day work cycle.

The current service delivery model utilizes a minimum staffing of three personnel on the

aerial ladder and two personnel on the rescue unit. This creates a minimum staffing level

of 5 personnel per shift.

However, the service delivery model for the Highland Beach Public Safety Department will

incorporate a single fire suppression unit with the emergency medical services being

handled by an external contractor. This new model would have a minimum of three (3)

personnel per shift. The following table illustrates the number of personnel required to

staff the Highland Beach Fire Station.



24/48 Schedule

Single Position



Single Shift 3 Minimum Manning per Shift

3.81 Number Assigned per Shift 4 Number Needed per Shift

Department 3 Number of Shifts to Cover 3 Minimum Manning per Shift

12 Department Staffing for Operations As illustrated the Fire Division will need at least twelve (12) personnel for the operations

of the division. The paid time off benefit is low at the beginning of the new division

meaning the overtime to ensure staffing coverage may not be as high. As the seniority

builds, the more senior personnel will accumulate additional time off that may translate

to the need for more overtime to provide coverage or the addition of personnel to cover

the time off.

For purposes of analysis, the salary ranges used the calculations that follow are from the

collective bargaining agreement in Delray Beach.

Salary Ranges






Captain $79,077 $87,183


Promotions in the pay classification plan have several variables including the time in rank

before there is an opportunity to promote and once promoted the pay adjustment is



based on the current step of the person being promoted. For example, a

Firefighter/Paramedic at step 5 gets promoted the Driver/Engineer position at Step 5 as

well.

The following table illustrates the operational personnel costs for the Highland Beach Fire

Department. These costs are for the first year of operations.





Firefighter / Paramedic $56,200 $33,102 $12,000 $4,665 $105,966 6 $635,798

Driver / Engineer $68,311 $40,235 $12,000 $5,670 $126,216 3 $378,648


$1,447,097

For purposes of this calculation, the benefits and overtime are expressed as a percentage

of salaries and wages. A letter dated December 4, 2020 from Delray Beach illustrates the

actual costs billed to Highland Beach for FY2020. The percentage for benefits is 58.9%

and 8.3% for overtime. These percentages are used to project the benefits and overtime

for the fire department. The cost for turnout gear and uniforms is a one-time cost at the

time of hire, however replacements will be needed in the future.

The administrative staff for the Fire Division actually comes from the existing Police

Department. The Police Chief becomes the Public Safety Director and the Police

Lieutenant becomes the Assistant Public Safety Director. These positions would receive

an additional $20,000 and $15,000 respectfully in annual salary increases for the

additional responsibilities.

In order to assist with the effective response force needs of a larger incident, Police

Officers would be trained as firefighters. The cost for training is approximately $2,000 per

officer based on the tuition costs at the Palm Beach State Fire Training Center in Lake

Worth. To provide the additional staffing for the Fire Division, each officer would receive

an additional $10,000 per year in assignment pay for serving as a public safety officer.

A Captain to handle the fire prevention activities, plan review, and inspections. The

benefits are 58.9% of the salaries, based on the December 4, 2020 letter from Delray

Beach. The table that follows illustrates these first-year costs.




Salary Benefits Training Turnout Gear /

Uniforms

Total Cost

Number of

Personnel

Total First Year Cost

Public Safety Director $20,000 $0 $0 $0 $20,000 1 $20,000

Assistant Public Safety Director $15,000 $0 $0 $0 $15,000 1 $15,000

Police Officer FF Bonus $10,000 $0 $2,000 $12,000 $24,000 8 $192,000

Captain - Fire Prevention $79,077 $46,576 $0 $12,000 $137,653 1 $137,653

Total Personnel Cost

11 $364,653

The total first year cost for fire division personnel is $1,811,750 of which $360,000 is a

one-time cost for turnout gear and uniforms and $16,000 for initial firefighter training.

The addition of Fire Division personnel may have other ramifications for the Town. The

Town currently does not have a dedicated Human Resources position. The addition of 13

Fire Division employees to the 37 full-time and 12 part-time employees, may require the

Town to have a dedicated Human Resources position.

Additional considerations that will impact the Town of Highland Beach include the

provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

For the ACA, once the Town has 50 employees the ACA requires the employer to begin

tracking hours and conducting look back periods.


• If the employee is employed for at least 12 months by the town. If the employee is

employed for at least 1,250 hours of services with town during the previous 12-

month period.

• If the employee is employed at a site where the employer employs 50 or more

employees within 75 miles of the employee’s worksite at the time of the leave

request.

Much like the ACA, there are requirements for tracking and evaluating the eligibility, leave

that is used and the reporting requirements. As well, this will add to the workload of the

human resources function.



With other potential regulations impacting the town, a dedicated Human Resources

position will likely be required. The salary for this position is in the range of $95,000 to

$120,000 based on the compensation plan for Delray Beach. Using the same rate for

benefits as in the Fire Department of 52.5% of salaries, the cost benefits could range from

$49,875 to $63,000 for this position. Total cost to the Town for this position could range

from $144,875 to $183,000 annually.

Physical Resources

As previously noted, the Town of Highland Beach owns the fire station on South Ocean

Blvd. It is a two-bay station that currently houses a rescue unit and an aerial ladder. The

station is a part of the municipal complex for the Town. Expansion of the station is limited

and does not have the capability of housing any additional apparatus. As previously

illustrated, apparatus from this station can reach most of the Town within the 4-minute

travel time benchmark.

Highland Beach does not own any apparatus to provide service. The Town will need to

acquire similar apparatus as the current delivery system is using and the equipment for

that apparatus. As well, there will need to be reserve apparatus in the event the primary

units are down for maintenance and repairs. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) requires

one reserve unit for every eight needed companies to receive full credit in their evaluation.

The difference between the municipal fire department alternative and the public safety

alternative is the cost of two rescue units as those are typically supplied by the contractor.

The following table illustrates the apparatus need and the associated cost.

Highland Beach


Aerial Ladder $832,251 Aerial Ladder Equipment $84,382 Engine Company $421,000 Engine Company Equipment $105,250 Total Cost $1,442,883

The apparatus cost estimates are based on the lease documentation for the units

purchased in 2017 and from the Florida Sheriffs Association cooperative purchasing

program. The lease agreements have a line item indicating equipment and supplies and

appears to be the equipment necessary for the apparatus to function properly. There

could be other items that would be needed for the apparatus to be fully equipped and

would have an additional cost. For the engine company the cost is based on the lowest

base price. Upgrades and changes will cost extra depending on the needs of the



department. Equipment for the engine company was calculated at 25% of the cost of the

apparatus. This may fluctuate as the type and amount of equipment for the unit is

determined.

Operations

The operations of the Fire Division will largely remain the same in terms of volume of calls

and the response. In 2019 there were 704 calls for service for an average of 1.9 calls per

day. The change in population during the winter months does have an effect on the calls

for service as illustrated in the following chart.

As previously noted, approximately 65% of the calls are medical in nature which is

expected given the population is largely over the age 60. With 65% of the calls being

medical in nature, the other 35% of the calls are something other than medical. In fact,

approximately 15% of the calls are fire alarm activations with other types of calls

comprising the other 20% of the volume.

The Public Safety Model would utilize on-duty police officers to respond to calls for

service that would require additional personnel. The concern is the calls for service in the

Fire Division would impact the Police Division activity. The following table illustrates the

past three years of fire and emergency medical calls in Highland Beach.

0

50

100

150

200

250





Highland Beach Average Calls per Day

2017 2018 2019 Total

Medical and Auto Accidents 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 All Fire Calls 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 All Rescue Calls 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 Other Type of Calls 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 Total Calls for Service 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.8

As shown, the average number of calls per day is 1.8 calls over the three year period.

Additional personnel would be needed for fire calls and some of the rescue calls.

The staffing model for the Public Safety Department would include a minimum of three

(3) fire personnel and one or two police officers trained as firefighters to create an initial

response to a structure fire. The remaining personnel needed to create an effective

response force would need to come from mutual aid partners. Mutual aid resources are

available from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, Delray Beach Fire Rescue, Boynton Beach

Fire Rescue, and Boca Raton Fire Rescue. Mutual Aid agreements are commonplace

throughout the fire service industry and the same holds true in Palm Beach County.

However, there is a clause in Mutual Aid agreements regarding the ability to respond.

Within the current Mutual Aid agreement between Palm Beach County and Delray Beach

the passage reads:

Each party may refuse to respond to a request for aid/assistance in the event it does not have the required equipment or manpower available or if, in its sole judgement, compliance with the request would jeopardize the protection of its own jurisdiction or personnel. Notwithstanding anything herein that may be construed to the contrary, the parties understand and agree that is not the intention of the parties to subsidize the normal day-to-day operations or shortages in staffing or equipment of the other party and that the mutual assistance/automatic aid provided hereunder is intended to be mutual in nature.

This could be problematic as the neighboring communities may not be able to provide all

the resources needed at the time of an incident. Those communities have their own

protection issues that may preclude them from sending as much as may be required.

Automatic Aid agreements are another mechanism to provide additional resources to a

community. These agreements are used to provide services to adjacent areas of a City

or Town. In these instances, the borders are generally dropped, and the closest resource

responds to the call for service. Additionally, resources are automatically sent to each

other for certain types of calls such as auto accidents, structure fires, or other incident

that requires additional resources.



Emergency Medical Services

In this Public Safety alternative, the emergency medical services would be provided by a

private contractor. The contractor would provide the staffing, apparatus, and equipment

to provide the level of service the Town desires. The Town would need to secure the

service through a Request for Services approach and negotiate a contract to have the

appropriate service in place. In the previous section it was assumed the Fire Division

would respond to emergency medical calls to provide assistance and act as a first

responder type resource. The table that follows provides a range of costs for the

emergency medical providers.

Private Service Providers

Low Mid-Point High Emergency Medical Services Only $850,000 $935,000 $1,020,000

Chapter 13, Article II within the Palm Beach County Code of Laws and Ordinances

identifies the need for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) for any

advanced life support provider to operate in Palm Beach County. The contract for the

provision of services by a private contractor should include the COPCN and the

maintenance of that certificate by the provider.

Other Provisions

The Town of Highland Beach currently utilizes Delray Beach for 911 call receiving and

dispatching for the police and fire departments. Agreements with Delray Beach and the

Highland Beach Police Department would need to be realigned to include the Fire

Department. There is a possibility of additional cost to the Town for this service.

Financial Resources

Creating a public safety department will require a financial investment by the Town. The

table that follows illustrates the potential costs for the first year of operations of a fire

department and the projection for the next five years. This table assumes a FY2022 start

of operations.



Highland Beach Fire Department - Expenditures Projection

Line Item FY2022 Start

FY2023 Projection

FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Personnel Services Administrative Salaries/Wages $139,077 $146,031 $153,332 $160,999 $169,049 $177,501

Operations Salaries/Wages $779,364 $818,332 $859,249 $902,211 $947,322 $994,688 Operations Overtime $64,687 $59,738 $62,725 $65,861 $69,154 $72,612 Administrative Benefits $81,916 $76,666 $80,500 $84,524 $88,751 $93,188 Operations Benefits $459,045 $429,624 $451,106 $473,661 $497,344 $522,211 Total Personnel Services $1,524,090 $1,530,392 $1,606,911 $1,687,257 $1,771,620 $1,860,201 Operating Expenditures

Pest Control Services $500 $510 $520 $531 $541 $552 Other Contractual Services $1,560 $1,591 $1,623 $1,655 $1,689 $1,722 Travel & Training $2,000 $2,040 $2,081 $2,122 $2,165 $2,208 Utility Services Gas $1,330 $1,357 $1,384 $1,411 $1,440 $1,468 Vehicle Maintenance / Garage $12,000 $12,240 $12,485 $12,734 $12,989 $13,249

Service Equipment Maintenance $19,170 $19,553 $19,944 $20,343 $20,750 $21,165

Other Current Charges $1,320 $1,346 $1,373 $1,401 $1,429 $1,457 Office Equipment < $5,000 $560 $571 $583 $594 $606 $618 Fuel & Lube $10,190 $10,394 $10,602 $10,814 $11,030 $11,251 EMS Supplies $47,375 $48,323 $49,289 $50,275 $51,280 $52,306 General Operating Supplies $3,528 $3,599 $3,671 $3,744 $3,819 $3,895 Equipment < $5,000 $16,055 $16,376 $16,704 $17,038 $17,378 $17,726 Protective Gear $360,000 $20,000 $20,400 $20,808 $21,224 $21,649 Uniform / Linen Service $20,047 $20,448 $20,857 $21,274 $21,700 $22,134 Janitorial Supplies $1,500 $1,530 $1,561 $1,592 $1,624 $1,656 Training & Education Costs $25,960 $10,159 $10,362 $10,570 $10,781 $10,997 Tuition Reimbursement $5,500 $5,610 $5,722 $5,837 $5,953 $6,072 Total Operating Expenditures $528,595 $175,647 $179,160 $182,743 $186,398 $190,126

Capital Improvements

Reserve Engine $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000 $69,000



Ladder Lease Payments $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 $157,812 Total Expenditures $2,279,497 $1,932,851 $2,012,883 $2,096,812 $2,184,830 $2,277,139







The capital improvement payments are based on the existing lease agreements. There is a Ladder Truck and a Reserve Engine. The cost of the Reserve Engine is based on the lowest base price from the Florida Sheriffs Association cooperative purchasing program and the equipment for the truck is based on 25% of the cost of the truck. Upgrades to the base unit will result in additional cost and increased annual payments. It is also possible to purchase a used or refurbished truck that will reduce the cost.


As noted previously with the addition of 13 employees in the fire department there will likely be a need for a dedicated Human Resources position. In addition, there may be a need for an additional part-time accounting clerk or specialist due to increased payroll services, invoice payment needs, and other accounting functions connected to the fire department. The following table illustrates these costs.





FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Personnel Services


For the Human Resources position the lower salary was used and the benefit percentage of 58.9% was used to provide the projection. For the Financial Support position, the hourly rate was derived from an average of an accounting clerk and accounting specialist based on the Delray Beach compensation plan. This position is a part-time position and is based on 25 hours per week with no benefits.






Section Provisions 5.3 A Termination for good cause















Delray Beach Personnel Costs FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024

Salaries $2,144,514 $2,294,630 $2,471,316 $2,661,608 Benefits $1,542,278 $1,850,734 $2,294,910 $2,845,688 Total Costs $3,686,792 $4,145,364 $4,766,226 $5,507,296








The table that follows illustrates the projected costs of operating a public safety fire division.

Highland Beach Cost Projection – Public Safety

FY2022 Start FY2023 Projection

FY2024 Projection

FY2025 Projection

FY2026 Projection

FY2027 Projection

Fire Department $2,279,497 $1,932,851 $2,012,883 $2,096,812 $2,184,830 $2,277,139 Indirect Expenditures $174,355 $183,073 $192,226 $201,838 $211,930 $222,526 Highland Beach Total Costs $2,453,852 $2,115,924 $2,205,110 $2,298,650 $2,396,759 $2,499,665

EMS Contract 5% annual Increase $1,020,000 $1,071,000 $1,124,550 $1,180,778 $1,239,816 $1,301,807

Total Fire and EMS $3,473,852 $3,186,924 $3,329,660 $3,479,427 $3,636,576 $3,801,472 There is a potential additional cost based on Section 5.3C and the assignment of the lease agreements. If Highland Beach terminates the agreement, then Highland Beach is required to accept assignment of the leases and make all the remaining payments. However, if the lessor refuses to assign the lease to Highland Beach, then Highland Beach is required to reimburse Delray Beach a lump sum to satisfy the terms of the lease which is approximately $540,000 based on the current schedules. Ownership of the apparatus is clearly defined if the ILA is fully completed however, is ambiguous if the agreement is terminated early. With the ambiguity of ownership and the lessor assignment issue, the cost for the leases is not shown in the previous tables. It is also important to note that if the contract with Delray Beach is terminated early, the Town would incur additional costs for surplus Delray Beach personnel for three (3) years. This equates to $4.15 million in FY 22, $4.77 million in FY 23 and $5.51 million in FY 24.



Implementation Plan

To form the public safety version of staffing a fire department in Highland Beach it will require approximately 2.5 years to implement. This will require a phased approach where staff is hired to develop policies, procedures, protocols. New personnel are recruited and hired, and field training is provided to ensure a smooth transition for operating as a municipal department. The phased approach will gradually increase staffing and services over the implementation plan with the department being fully operational in month seven of the third fiscal year. This approach would also require police officers attending fire academy training prior to full operations.



Position Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Captain / Fire Marshal 1 1 Captain 3 3 Driver / Engineer 3 3 Firefighter / Paramedic 6 6 Total 1 0 12 13

The following are the salary, benefit and one-time equipment costs associated with funding each year of the implementation plan. Assignment pay for the Public Safety Director and Assistant Public Safety Director begins in year one and for police officers trained to work as firefighters in year 3. Salary, benefit and assignment pay costs are continued each year and one-time costs removed from ongoing cost estimates.


Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Salaries and Benefits 35,000 160,653 1,543,750 Equipment 0 12,000 312,000 Vehicles/Apparatus 0 42,000 226,812 Total $35,000 $214,653 $2,082,562

Staff vehicles should be purchased for the Fire Marshal prior to beginning employment and apparatus ordered in year 2 to ensure delivery prior to operations beginning in year 3. Town support staff should be hired in year 2 and begin contract negotiations with the EMS provider in year 2 to ensure services begin in year 3. For costing purposes, it is assumed that staff vehicles are purchased and fire and EMS apparatus leased.

Documents

Fire Department Feasibility Study