Novak Study (Troy Fire Dept. Study, 5/2015)

City of Troy

Part-Time Firefighter Staffing Analysis

Project Report

May, 2015

The Novak Consulting Group Strengthening organizations from the inside out.

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May 13, 2015 Mr. Patrick Titterington Public Service and Safety Director City of Troy 100 S. Market St. Troy, OH 45373 Dear Mr. Titterington: The results of our assessment of the City of Troys Fire Department staffing levels are presented in the enclosed report. The analysis and recommendations offered therein build upon the work already completed by the Department to offer cost effective alternatives to enhance fire response and suppression capacity in the City of Troy. Thank you for the opportunity to work with the City of Troy. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance as the City works to implement these recommended improvements.

Sincerely,

Julia D. Novak President


TableofContents Introduction.........................................................................................................................................1DepartmentSummary..............................................................................................................................2

AnalysisandRecommendations...........................................................................................................5FrontlineFirefighterStaffingAnalysis.....................................................................................................6EMSUnitUtilization..............................................................................................................................7ShiftStaffingCoverageRequirements..................................................................................................8CurrentDeploymentModel..................................................................................................................9StaffingAlternativeA............................................................................................................................9StaffingAlternativeB..........................................................................................................................10FrontlineFirefighterStaffingConclusions.........................................................................................12

CommandandStaffing...........................................................................................................................13ShiftScheduleAlternatives.....................................................................................................................19ISOStandards..........................................................................................................................................20DiversityRecruitment.............................................................................................................................21

Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................22

City of Troy Page 1 Part-Time Firefighter Staffing Analysis


Introduction In April 2014, the City of Troy Fire Department issued an Internal Staffing Analysis at the request of the Troy City Council. The goal of this analysis was to provide an overview of the Fire Departments current service standards, the appropriateness of its current staffing level, and how its staffing level might be enhanced through the integration of part-time firefighters into the Fire Department. In February 2015, the City of Troy engaged The Novak Consulting Group (TNCG) to review and assess the results of the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis and conduct the analysis again using more recent data from calendar year 2014. The scope of work for this project was limited to an examination of the methodology and results of the 2014 internal analysis with consideration of more recent workload data In addition to assessing the staffing requirements and associated cost implications of implementing a part-time supplemental staffing plan, TNCG made additional observations pertaining to the Fire Departments command and supervisory structure, shift staffing structure, and related training and professional development needs. As part of the data collection process, interviews were conducted with City leaders, including the Mayor, Director of Public Service & Safety, and Assistant Director of Public Service & Safety. TNCG also interviewed the Fire Chief, the Assistant Chiefs, and representatives from the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Troy Firefighters Local #1638. TNCG also toured the Citys fire stations and the Fire Departments service area. The Fire Departments 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis provides a solid foundation for additional review and assessment, and is generally consistent with the independent analysis performed by TNCG. The 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis appropriately examines the Fire Departments call volumes and response times and accounts for both National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Insurance Services Office (ISO) standards. One limitation with the Departments internal analysis was that it did not account for span of control considerations associated with increasing the Fire Departments shift staffing, as well as the additional administrative and training requirements associated with adding a part-time employee pool. The following analysis and recommendations provide an update to the Departments internal analysis using more recent data, and makes recommendations that address the impact of implementing a part-time firefighter supplemental staffing plan.

City of Troy Part-time Firefighter Staffing Analysis


DepartmentSummary The Troy Fire Department operates on a 24/48 hour schedule using three shifts, or platoons. Each platoon works one 24-hour period and then goes off-duty for the following 48 hours. The Fire Department currently maintains a minimum staff of eight firefighters per platoon, including a Platoon Commander. To ensure this eight-person minimum threshold is met, the Department staffs each platoon with 11 full-time firefighters (including the Platoon Commander) to provide coverage for leave and training events. All firefighters are certified paramedics. The Fire Department operates three fire stations in the City:

Station 1 is located at 19 E. Race St. and was opened in 1966. This station houses most of the Fire Departments apparatus and staff, fields proportionally more calls, and contains administrative offices for Command Staff. This station houses an engine, the Departments aerial tower vehicle, a tanker, a medic, and a grass truck. A reserve medic, an air trailer, and two rescue boats are also housed at this station.

Station 2 is located at 1528 N. Market St. and contains an engine, a medic, and

a rescue boat. This station also contains administrative offices for the Fire Chief.

Station 3 is located at Interstate 75 and 40 S. Stanfield Rd. The station houses an engine and a medic along with a Special Rescue trailer and Miami Countys Hazardous Materials Response Team (HAZMAT) response vehicle.

Stations 2 and 3 are always staffed with two firefighters per shift. Staffing fluctuates at Station 1 from four to seven firefighters (including the Platoon Commander) depending on staff coverage and scheduling. Table1:CurrentDeployment,2015

Troy Fire Staffing Minimum per Shift Maximum per Shift Platoon Commander 1 1 Station 1 Firefighter/Paramedic 3 6 Station 2 Firefighter/Paramedic 2 2 Station 3 Firefighter/Paramedic 2 2 Total Firefighters 8 11

Total Department staffing consists of 33 firefighters on shift. The Department also employs two Assistant Chiefs and a secretary, and two administrative fire inspectors working four 10-hour shifts. The Fire Chief position is currently vacant, with the Assistant Chiefs fulfilling the Fire Chiefs duties on an interim basis. Overall, the Department currently employs 38 personnel. The following chart depicts the Departments current organizational structure:

City of Troy Page 3 Part-Time Staffing Analysis


Fire Chief

Assistant Fire ChiefPrevention/Inspection

Assistant Fire ChiefSuppression/EMS

Firefighter/EMT-PPrevention

Firefighter/EMT-PInspection

Secretary

Platoon CommanderShift 1



Firefighter/EMT-P10 Positions



Figure1:CurrentOrganizationalStructure

The Departments budget in FY 2014 was just over $5.1 million, an increase of 17% over FY 2010 expenditures. Personnel Services accounted for 87.6% of overall expenditures in FY 2014, down slightly from 90.2% in FY 2010. The following chart depicts the Departments expenditures over the past five fiscal periods.

FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 FY2014TotalCapitalOutlay 0.3% 0.1% 0.2% 7.6% 2.9%TotalOtherDisbursements 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%TotalServices 6.2% 6.1% 6.2% 7.5% 6.5%TotalMaterials&Supplies 3.3% 3.6% 3.5% 2.8% 2.9%TotalPersonnelServices 90.2% 90.2% 90.0% 82.1% 87.6%TotalFireDept $4,415,750 $4,607,685 $4,523,861 $5,437,970 $5,158,734

$0

$1,000,000

$2,000,000

$3,000,000

$4,000,000

$5,000,000

$6,000,000

10%10%

30%

50%

70%

90%

110%

130%

150%



Figure2:TroyFireDepartment,ExpendituresFY2010FY2014 The Fire Department is funded primarily through the Citys General Fund and revenues specifically generated by the Fire Department (including service contracts with the surrounding Townships) are also deposited there. The Citys Safety-Income Tax Fund also provides 0.25% of income tax revenues for public safety purposes (including police and fire); these revenues are transferred to the General Fund prior to being spent by operating departments. The following sections detail the methodology and analytical approach used by the Novak Consulting Group to evaluate the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis, along with other recommendations to improve the Fire Departments command structure and recruitment operations.



AnalysisandRecommendations The 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis determined that the Departments current full-time staffing level was sufficient based on existing service standards, current and anticipated call volumes, and overall response times. However, the Department recommended increasing staffing to a minimum of 12 firefighters per shift in order to more closely align staffing with NFPA Guideline 1710 and improve the Citys ISO rating. To achieve this staffing increase, the 2014 Internal Analysis recommended hiring an additional 24 part-time firefighters, allocating eight part-time firefighters per shift. It is important to note that the Departments internal analysis, and as a result, TNCGs staffing analysis, focused on determining the number of part-time firefighters that would need to be hired to increase average shift staffing from 8 firefighters per shift to 12 per shift. It was assumed in both analytical approaches that the Department would continue to exclusively utilize full-time firefighters to reach its minimum staffing of level of 8 fire suppression personnel per 24 hour shift, including the platoon commander. The Novak Consulting Group utilized incident and staffing data from FY 2014 in an independent methodology to evaluate the 2014 Internal Analysis. Salary and benefits information was also considered and compared to the estimates discussed in the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis. By weighing these factors against the Departments goals and assumptions, TNCG arrived at the following conclusions:

The Departments existing staffing level is appropriate given its service standards and historical leave usage.

Adding part-time firefighters is the most cost-effective approach to increased staffing.

Increasing minimum shift staffing will likely have a negligible impact on the Citys ISO rating. Additional training must also be conducted to positively impact the Citys ISO rating, and the ISO rating is not a ubiquitous standard across all insurance agencies.

Increasing minimum shift staffing to 12 persons per shift will positively impact service times, but will not result in full compliance with NFPA 1710. The Department will still need to rely on overtime support or mutual aid to meet the NFPA 1710 standard of 15 firefighters on-scene at a structure fire.

Hiring part-time firefighters, however, has a practical impact on the Department that must be addressed as part of the overall plan for increased staffing.

While the command structure is adequate to provide appropriate supervision of current personnel, it is inadequate to allow for appropriate supervision of additional personnel. The Department should restructure its command staff to provide for one Fire Chief and one Deputy Chief, two administrative Lieutenants, three shift Lieutenants while eliminating the two existing Assistant Chiefs. These positions will provide for improved span of control and administrative capacity prior to adding any new staff.



Hiring, training, apparatus, fleet maintenance management, and administrative coordination and management all require further attention.

Additional part-time hires should be phased in, beginning with six part-time positions. This approach will further soften cost impacts and provide ample opportunity to evaluate the cultural and workload implications of adding part-time staff.

Although not a part of the original scope of this study, the Department would benefit from improved training standards and increasing diversity among its staff.

The following table compares the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis staffing alternative options to those recommended by TNCG in this report. Table2:StaffingCostComparisons

Staffing Alternative Department Internal Analysis TNCG Analysis

Staffing Alternative A: 12-Person Target Staffing with Full-Time Firefighters Only

Requires 16 additional full-time firefighters at a cost of $1.5 million per year.


Staffing Alternative B: 12-Person Target Staffing with

Full-Time and Part-time Firefighters

Requires 24 part-time firefighters at a cost of $532,500 per year.


Recommended Approach: Restructure Command and

add 12 Part-time Firefighters

Not Applicable

Requires eliminating Assistant Chief positions and a 40-hr Fire Inspector position, and adding a Deputy Chief position and five Lieutenant positions at a cost of $380,000 per year over current administrative spending. Requires six part-time firefighters at a cost of $140,250 per year. Total costs estimated at $520,200 per year.

The following sections provide greater detail on the methodology and assumptions used by TNCG to make the determinations discussed above.

FrontlineFirefighterStaffingAnalysis

The 2014 Internal Analysis focuses primarily on call volumes and response times to measure staffing efficiency; TNCGs analysis of the Troy Fire Department primarily focuses on the Departments coverage requirements and target service standards. The intent of the Departments internal analysis was to determine the most cost-effective approach to increase its average shift staffing from eight firefighters to 12 firefighters; however, the Citys intended policy is to continue with the current minimum staffing target of 8 firefighters, including the platoon commanders. These staffing targets and coverage goal served as the primary determining factor in the Citys internal analyses and TNCGs analysis. In addition, TNCG evaluated EMS Unit Hour Utilization (UHU)



rates to determine if workload warranted an alternative shift schedule approach for EMS response. EMSUnitUtilizationUnit hour utilization is a calculation that indicates the proportional amount of time an EMS unit spends responding to an incident. Incidents that take a longer time to address will pull a unit out of service for a longer period, which puts additional strain on the Departments available units to respond to new calls. According to industry best practices, a unit that spends 30% or more of its time responding to calls is in danger of being over-utilized. To calculate the unit hour utilization, the time a unit spends responding to incidents is divided by the total number of available service hours. In 2014, the Troy Fire Department responded to 4,070 EMS incidents. Response data provided by the Department indicated that, on average, units spent 30 minutes in the field responding to calls. Multiplying these values indicates that EMS units spent approximately 2,035 hours responding to EMS incidents in 2014. Because Fire Department services are provided around the clock, all year long, each EMS unit is available for approximately 8,760 hours per year. The Troy Fire Department deploys three EMS units each shift, meaning the total number of available hours for EMS units is 26,280 hours. Dividing hours spent in the field (2,035) by the number of available hours (26,280) yields an EMS unit utilization rate of 7.74%. While the rate above relies on data that suggests the time spent on calls averages 30 minutes per incident, a more conservative estimate of one hour per incident may be used to account for paperwork and incidental activities related to the call. Performing the UHU calculation using an assumption of one hour spent in the field per incident results in a utilization rate of 15.5%. In both cases, the utilization rate does not reach a threshold which indicates the Department needs to add capacity. This in turn corroborates findings in the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis that current staffing levels are sufficient to meet existing call demand. In terms of responding to EMS calls (which constituted 84% of all incidents in 2014), the number of units is sufficient. Unit hour utilization calculations are typically applied to EMS units because these units experience the highest call volumes and need to be available frequently. Consistent with other fire departments across the country, structure fires in Troy comprise a smaller percentage (1.5%) of overall call volume. Because the frequency of these calls is lower, fire departments typically emphasize the importance of turnout numbers for structure fire calls rather than utilization rates, using NFPA 1710 as a deployment guide. These deployment guides serve as the primary basis of projected staffing needs. Deployment will vary based on the specific type of incident. For example, responding to a car fire or service call will not necessarily require the same apparatus or number of firefighters as responding to a structure fire. Specifically, the Department could establish service standards for responding to specific call types and benchmark tracking data



against those standards. This data should include the type of call, which units respond to calls, when the units respond, response times across all districts, and average time spent on scene. During the course of fieldwork, the Department indicated it was working to rectify data quality issues from previous years. Although data from the past two years was reliable, the Department should continue to practice rigorous data tracking and measurement in order to more thoroughly assess unit utilization figures. ShiftStaffingCoverageRequirementsThe most important measure for evaluating staffing levels involves coverage requirements and staffing availability. These factors are used to determine the appropriate number of personnel to assign to each shift. Because full-time staff take leave, such as personal and sick days, additional staff are required to ensure that enough firefighters are available to meet minimum coverage standards. Consequently, even though the Troy Fire Departments current minimum shift staffing is eight firefighters, the Department must assign more than eight firefighters to work each shift. In order to determine the appropriate number of firefighters to assign, a staffing factor analysis is conducted. A staffing factor represents the number of employees needed to cover each position on a shift, after accounting for leave (such as sick time, vacations, and scheduled days off). Data provided by the Troy Fire Department indicates that shift firefighters currently work approximately 2,920 hours each calendar year. Of these, approximately 739 hours are used for leave, scheduled time off, and continuing education. This means that on average, a shift firefighter is available on duty for 2,181 hours each calendar year. Dividing the number of scheduled hours by the number of hours available on duty yields a staffing factor: in this case, 1.34 firefighters are required to fill each position on a shift in order to provide adequate minimum coverage, given historical leave usage. TNCG applied the Departments staffing factor to the following deployment models or coverage targets in order to determine the appropriate number of firefighters to assign to each shift:

Current Deployment Model The number of full-time firefighters needed to meet current 8-person minimum shift staffing levels.

Staffing Alternative A The number of full-time firefighters needed to reach target staffing of 12 firefighters per shift.

Staffing Alternative B The number of part-time firefighters needed to reach target staffing of 12 firefighters per shift.

Specific calculations for each deployment model are discussed in the following sections.



CurrentDeploymentModelAs previously stated, the Troy Fire Department currently staffs each platoon with 11 firefighters. To meet minimum staffing levels, each platoon is composed of one Platoon Commander, three firefighter/paramedics at Station 1, two firefighter/paramedics at Station 2, and two firefighter/paramedics at Station 3, for a total of eight firefighter positions. Multiplying each of these positions by the staffing factor (1.34) yields the number of firefighters needed to provide adequate shift coverage. The following table depicts a staffing factor calculation for the existing 8-person minimum staffing level. Table3:CurrentDeploymentStaffingFactor,2015

8-person Minimum Staffing Shift Staffing Factor Coverage Platoon Commander 1 1.34 1 Station 1 Firefighter/Paramedic 3 4.02 4 Station 2 Firefighter/Paramedic 2 2.68 3 Station 3 Firefighter/Paramedic 2 2.68 3 Total Firefighters 8 10.72 11

Applying the staffing factor to the current minimum staffing level indicates that 11 firefighters (including the Platoon Commander) are needed to adequately cover each shift. This is the current number of firefighters allocated to each shift, which suggests that the Troy Fire Departments current staffing model adequately meets the Citys needs. The Department provides enough staff at each station and across each shift to cover absences and does not over- or under-staff its platoons. StaffingAlternativeAIn order to explore how many full-time personnel would be needed to achieve target staffing of 12 persons per shift, the staffing factor was applied to a new, hypothetical shift arrangement. Because Station 1 handles the largest volume of calls, an additional two firefighters would be assigned to cover that station, while Stations 2 and 3 would each receive an additional firefighter per shift. The addition of these four firefighter positions raises the overall minimum number of firefighters per shift from eight to 12. The previous staffing factor of 1.34 firefighters per position was applied to this shift structure, and yielded coverage amounts as depicted in the table below. Table4:Target12PersonMinimumFullTimeStaffingFactor,2015

12-person Minimum Staffing Shift Staffing Factor Coverage Platoon Commander 1 1.34 1 Station 1 Firefighter/Paramedic 5 6.70 7 Station 2 Firefighter/Paramedic 3 4.02 4 Station 3 Firefighter/Paramedic 3 4.02 4 Total 12 16.08 16

Based on this staffing arrangement, the Troy Fire Department would need to modify staffing coverage from 11 persons per shift to 16 persons per shift an increase of five full-time firefighters for each shift, or 15 firefighters across all three shifts. The estimated



cost of hiring all full-time firefighters to meet this staffing goal is approximately $93,333 per firefighter or $1.4 million per year, as the table below demonstrates. Table5:AdditionalFullTimeStaffingCosts,20152019

Years Additional Positions Total Compensation Costs Total Ancillary

Costs Grand Total

2015 15.00 $1,063,481.11 $81,081.00 $1,144,562.112016 15.00 $1,221,108.02 $55,911.00 $1,277,019.022017 15.00 $1,438,498.75 $24,055.80 $1,462,554.552018 15.00 $1,505,420.97 $24,462.45 $1,529,883.422019 15.00 $1,539,292.92 $24,881.25 $1,564,174.17

In the previous table, Total Compensation Costs includes base salary and holiday pay, plus annual step increases and cost of living adjustments as articulated in the current labor contract. Total Ancillary Costs includes drug screening, testing, training, and personal protective equipment (PPE). The average annual compensation cost in this scenario is $1.35 million per year, while the average for ancillary costs is approximately $42,000 per year. Together, these average $1.4 million per year in additional expenses. In contrast, the Departments 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis estimated 16 full-time firefighters would be needed to achieve a target of 12 firefighters per shift, at an estimated total annual cost of $1.5 million per year. The difference in costs is largely attributable to the additional firefighter position outlined in the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis. StaffingAlternativeBRather than hire full-time firefighters, the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis recommends hiring 24 part-time firefighters in order to achieve expanded shift staffing levels. Under this staffing alternative, the Department would maintain the existing 8-person minimum staffing level with full-time firefighters, while reaching 12-person staffing using only part-time firefighters. Because part-time employees do not receive the same benefits as full-time employees, the staffing calculation changes. Part-time staff would be limited to 1,500 duty hours per year in order to avoid certain ancillary costs, such as medical insurance premiums. Given that the number of regular duty hours for a full-time firefighter is approximately 2,920 hours per year, two part-time positions would be required to cover each full-time position. This means that each part-time employee is equal to half of a full-time equivalent (FTE) position. Increasing current staffing from an 8-person minimum to 12 persons per shift requires four additional FTEs, or eight part-time employees. Across three shifts, this results in a need for 24 part-time positions. This is consistent with the Departments 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis. Part-time employees would be eligible for regular cost of living increases but not step increases or holiday pay, and the Department would not be required to purchase multiple sets of PPE for part-time employees. Although the total number of employees



hired in this scenario is greater than in Scenario A, these factors reduce the overall costs of employing part-time firefighters, as illustrated in the table below. Table6:AdditionalPartTimeStaffingCosts,20152019

Years Additional Positions Total Compensation Costs Total Ancillary Costs Grand Total2015 24.00 $514,800.00 $89,496.00 $604,296.002016 24.00 $526,383.00 $5,760.00 $532,143.002017 24.00 $538,226.62 $5,760.00 $543,986.622018 24.00 $550,336.72 $5,760.00 $556,096.722019 24.00 $562,719.29 $5,760.00 $568,479.29

The average annual cost for hiring this many part-time firefighters is approximately $23,700 per firefighter, for a total of approximately $561,000 per year. Drug testing and PPE costs are assumed to be front-loaded in Year 1. The average annual compensation cost in this scenario is approximately $538,500 per year, while the average for ancillary costs is approximately $22,500 per year. The Departments 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis suggested average annual wage costs of $510,000 and one-time PPE costs of $80,760 under this scenario. TNCG assumed part-time employees would receive annual cost of living increases and also factored drug screening costs for part-time employees into its analysis, which accounts for much of the discrepancy in cost estimates.



FrontlineFirefighterStaffingConclusionsThe Fire Departments 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis and cost estimates for front-line firefighter positions are accurate, and the methodology appears to be sound. Part-time firefighters would be the most cost-effective approach to achieving 12-person staffing, should the City elect to pursue that staffing level. The following compares the estimated costs of staffing scenarios discussed above. Table7:StaffingCostComparison

Staffing Alternative Department

Internal Analysis

TNCG Analysis Difference

Staffing Alternative A: 12-Person Target Staffing with Full-Time Firefighters

Only



TNCG Staffing Factor analysis of 2014 data indicates need for one less firefighter. Results in an annual cost reduction of $104,000.

Staffing Alternative B: 12-Person Target Staffing with Full-

Time and Part-time Firefighters



TNCG analysis reflects same part-time staffing need as Department's internal analysis but includes annual cost of living increases and drug screening/hiring costs. Results in a difference of $29,000 per year.

Differences in cost projections are minor and the result of the more detailed methodology used by The Novak Consulting Group. The 2014 Internal Analysis slightly overestimates the number of full-time firefighters needed to achieve target staffing goals, and slightly underestimates the costs of part-time firefighters, which results in the cost differences described above. On the whole, the conclusions in this report are consistent with those outlined in the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis: the Troy Fire Department is not understaffed to meet its existing service level obligations, and in the event the City wishes to increase staffing in the Fire Department, part-time firefighters are a more cost-effective approach. In the course of performing the comparative staffing analysis described above, other needs were identified with respect to the Fire Departments command structure and operations, as discussed in the next section.



CommandandStaffing The Departments 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis did not address additional administrative and supervisory obligations associated with increasing shift staffing levels, particularly with respect to adding a significant number of part-time employees. Increasing staffing through the addition of part-time firefighters will not only increase the fire scene command responsibilities but increase the administrative burden (scheduling, training, etc.) that Department command personnel must absorb. The Departments current command structure is not sufficient to take on this additional burden. The following chart depicts the current command staff structure.

Fire Chief

Assistant Fire ChiefPrevention/Inspection

Assistant Fire ChiefSuppression/EMS

Firefighter/EMT-PPrevention


Secretary







Figure3:CurrentCommandStaffStructure

Currently, two Assistant Chiefs split administrative duties, with one Assistant Chief assigned to the Prevention/Inspection Bureau facilitating prevention/inspection activities and supervising two administrative firefighter positions. These firefighters work regular 40-hour weeks. The second Assistant Chief is assigned to oversee Fire/EMS shift operations. The Assistant Chiefs provide coverage for each other in the event of leave or other absences. Platoon Commanders are responsible for overseeing and supervising the day-to-day activities of the firefighters under their command, including scheduling, training, and responding to incidents. Platoon Commanders currently have a span of control ratio of 1:7 under minimum staffing scenarios, meaning on a typical day they are directly supervising seven firefighters on a given shift. This ratio may be lower during the 40-hour work week, as the Fire/EMS Operations Assistant Chief oversees the shift as well. Span of control may be higher from day to day depending on leave usage and available shift coverage. If every platoon firefighter is available for duty on a shift, the platoon commanders have a supervisory ratio of 1:10.



According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines, a typical incident command structure will have a span of control ranging from 1:3 1:7, with 1:5 being optimal. The Troy Fire Department, on average, operates with a daily shift ratio of between 1:3.5 (Operations Assistant Chief and Platoon Commander overseeing seven Firefighters) and 1:10 (Platoon Commander supervising 10 Firefighters). In addition, during peak workload periods, the other Assistant Chief and the Fire Chief are available to take on additional supervisory and command duties if necessary. Based on those ratios, the Troy Fire Department is functioning within the FEMA thresholds and TNCG did not observe deficiencies to justify additional supervisory personnel under the current minimum staffing goals. However, while the Department operates effectively under the current command system, the addition of significant numbers of new hires would require greater administrative and supervisory oversight, and, thus, necessitate additional supervisory staff. RECOMMENDATION 1: Modify the organizational structure to provide an appropriatecommandstructureforadditionalparttimehires. Step 1: If (and only if) additional front line staff is added, the Department should first proactively address the organizational structure in order to ensure there is sufficient supervisory control to appropriately accommodate additional firefighter personnel. These adjustments will require a two-step process. First, the Department should alter its command and supervision structure to improve span of control at the administrative and shift levels and adequately take on the additional duties associated with hiring and training part-time employees. Second, the Department should begin increasing service levels by phasing part-time firefighter hires, beginning with an initial hiring phase of six part-time firefighters. This will allow the Department to increase staffing by one firefighter per shift. With respect to command structure, the Department should change existing relationships both in its administrative staff and in shift command staff. Rather than split administrative capacity between two Assistant Chiefs reporting to a Fire Chief, the Assistant Chief positions should be eliminated and replaced with a full-time, second-in-command Deputy Chief. This position will report directly to the Fire Chief and serve as an intermediary between the Fire Chief and Platoon Commanders. Under this scenario, the Deputy Chief will effectively assume the responsibilities of both Assistant Chiefs while delegating work as appropriate to the Platoon Commanders and Lieutenants under his/her command. These responsibilities include:

Coordinating the Fire Departments hiring efforts. Managing and overseeing fire prevention and planning activities. Tracking and evaluating performance measures, such as call data, response

times, and the number of units responding to incidents. Reporting on the Departments performance and services.



Assigning responsibilities for training, apparatus and fleet maintenance, facilities maintenance, planning, public outreach, and development review to Lieutenants as appropriate.

Rotating functional duties of Lieutenants to provide professional development experience.

Providing additional on-scene command capacity in the event of a structure fire. The Department should also eliminate one of the existing 40-hour Inspector positions and create five new Lieutenant positions. Three of the new Lieutenants should report to Platoon Commanders on shifts, and two Lieutenants will serve in a 40-hour per week administrative capacity. These changes are intended to help the Department absorb the additional workload demands of larger platoons. If the City decides to refrain from increasing the current shift size, hiring Lieutenants will not be necessary. The shift Lieutenants will report to Platoon Commanders and provide additional administrative and fire scene capacity on individual shifts. Lieutenants will assist Platoon Commanders with certain responsibilities and shift operations, including:

Supervising Station 1, allowing the Platoon Commander more leverage to supervise outlying stations more closely and provide additional platoon direction.

Scheduling staff and accommodating leave and other absences as required. Creating daily workload schedules for their shifts in order to appropriately

address apparatus and fire station maintenance and upkeep needs. Setting training goals and scheduling training sessions on a regular basis. Assisting Platoon Commanders with command operations at fire scenes. Coordinating with Platoon Commanders to ensure quality and appropriate

performance by front line staff, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. Motivating front-line firefighters and communicating staff concerns to the Platoon

Commander. The administrative Lieutenants should be divided into two positions: one Lieutenant will be responsible for safety and prevention activities (through the upgrade of a current Firefighter in the Inspection bureau), and the second will be responsible for training (through the downgrade of one of the Assistant Chief positions). Both administrative Lieutenants will work a regular 40-hour week during typical business hours. This will make the Lieutenants available to assist whatever shift is currently on duty that day and provides for easier interactions with outside organizations/entities on plan review and inspections activities. Importantly, the Safety and Prevention Lieutenant will also be responsible for supervising the remaining 40-hour Inspector position. Together, the Inspector and Safety Lieutenant will handle the bulk of the Citys fire inspections, planning, permitting, and prevention activities, with broad oversight and guidance from the Deputy Chief. The Training Lieutenants responsibilities will primarily center on creating overall training and readiness goals for the firefighters, as well as facilitating firefighter access to



training programs and ensuring performance goals are met. This Lieutenant will be responsible for coordinating with the Deputy Chief to set overall Departmental training goals and to track compliance, while working with Platoon Commanders to schedule and perform specific trainings. The goal of restructuring command staff in this fashion is twofold: it improves the span of control for each shift by doubling the number of officers who can engage in command and control activities, and it restructures the Departments administrative staff to provide additional capacity and a more direct chain-of-command from supervisors to the Chief. This proposed organizational structure is illustrated in the following figure.

Fire Chief

Deputy Fire Chief


Secretary







LieutenantTraining

Part-Time Firefighter/EMT-P

2 Positions


2 Positions


2 Positions

LieutenantShift 1

LieutenantShift 2

LieutenantShift 3

LieutenantSafety and Prevention

Figure4:ProposedCommandStaffStructure

To make these adjustments, the current Assistant Chief should be promoted to Deputy Chief (note: one Assistant Chief position is currently vacant due to recent promotion to Fire Chief), and a selection process should begin to fill the new Lieutenant positions. The Lieutenants should operate under a separately negotiated contract in order to minimize overlap between their command positions and the Platoon Commanders. The estimated cost of providing these positions is approximately $380,000 over current administrative spending, as shown in the table below.



Table8:CommandStaffStructureCostComparison

CurrentPositions EstimatedSalaries#

PositionsTotalBaseSalary

BenefitsFactor

TotalCompensationCosts

FireChief $112,570 1.00 $112,570 145% $163,226AssistantChief $102,760 2.00 $205,520 145% $298,004CurrentSalariesSubtotal $215,330 3.00 $318,090 145% $461,231

ProposedPositions EstimatedSalaries#

PositionsTotalBaseSalary

BenefitsFactor

TotalCompensationCosts

FireChief $112,570 1.00 $112,570 145% $163,227DeputyChief $107,665 1.00 $107,665 145% $156,114Lieutenants $71,972 5.00 $359,860 145% $521,797ProposedSalariesSubtotal $292,207 7.00 $580,095 145% $841,137AdditionalAnnual $379,906 The estimated salaries shown above represent the top salary for that position as authorized by the City of Troys 2015 salary ordinance. The top salary for the proposed Lieutenant position was computed by adding 7% to the current top-level pay for a 1st Class Firefighter, Step 2. This results in an annual salary that falls between top firefighters and Platoon Commanders. Restructuring the Departments Command positions allows for broader organizational management from the Deputy Chief. Hiring Lieutenants creates additional administrative capacity for prevention, planning, training, and professional development needs, as well as augments the Platoon Commanders capabilities on each shift. Creating these new positions and reallocating functional responsibilities within the command structure will take a significant investment of time and resources, and both the City and Firefighters Union will need to work together to effectively adopt these changes. If the process of change is successfully shepherded, the restructured command positions will positively impact the Departments service provision and overall efficiency. Step 2: After changing the Departments command structure, the Department should begin to phase in the addition of part-time firefighter staff. A phased approach will provide the Department with more flexibility than hiring 24 part-time firefighters outright. Introducing so many new firefighters at one time presents a significant expense and is also likely to disrupt cohesion among existing shift staff. The cultural pressures of getting to know and accommodate new recruits will compound the stresses experienced by tenured staff who also weather a change in command structure. Care will need to be taken to ensure the pace of change in the Department does not overwhelm tenured firefighters and new command officers. It is therefore recommended that the City hire 12 part-time firefighters in the first year of implementation, in two phases of six firefighters each. This will serve as an initial test phase of increasing staffing levels using part-time personnel. If the hiring and assimilation process proves to be successful, the City may wish to add an additional six



part-time firefighters in future years.1 Phasing hires in this fashion will allow new staff to acclimate to the Departments existing culture and practices, reduce disruption to existing staff, and further reduce up-front costs. Under this scenario, the Department would assign each shift two part-time firefighters to provide additional coverage. This will increase available minimum staffing from eight firefighters per shift to nine firefighters per shift, with part-time firefighters working less than 1,500 hours per year. As shown in following table, this phased approach lowers average annual costs for part-time firefighters to approximately $140,250 per year over five years a significant cost savings in year one over hiring a full complement of 24 part-time firefighters. This will also allow the Department to evaluate the part-time staffing program make adjustment, or terminate the program if deemed appropriate. Table9:PhasedPartTimeStaffingCosts,20152019

Years Additional Positions Total Compensation Costs Total Ancillary Costs Grand Total 2015 6.00 $128,700.00 $22,374.00 $151,074.002016 6.00 $131,595.75 $1,440.00 $133,035.752017 6.00 $134,556.65 $1,440.00 $135,996.652018 6.00 $137,584.18 $1,440.00 $139,024.182019 6.00 $140,679.82 $1,440.00 $142,119.82 The average total compensation costs for six part-time firefighter positions is approximately $135,000 per year, while the average ancillary costs are approximately $5,600 per year. As in the other staffing scenarios, ancillary costs are likely to be front-loaded in Year 1 when equipment is purchased with new hires. The phased approach presents a way to begin offering higher levels of service at the lowest possible cost, and with minimal risk to the Departments existing practices. If service demands increase in future years and the Department seeks additional personnel. As part-time staff are hired, the Department should closely monitor the tenure of its part-time employees, the amount of time and expense involved in hiring them, the quality of the applicant pool, the ease of recruitment, and their performance relative to other full-time firefighters. These variables will enable command staff to make more informed decisions about the relative effectiveness of increasing service levels with part-time firefighters, and whether the City should continue to increase the number of part-time firefighters in future years. 1Thetotalstaffingtargetrequiredtomeeta12firefighterpershifttargetis12FTE.Eachfirefighteramountsto0.5FTE;asaresult,24parttimefirefighterswouldberequiredtomeetthistarget.However,theaforementionedrecommendationsalsoincluderecommendationstoaddthreeadditionalshiftlieutenants.Asaresult,only18parttimefirefightersareneededtomeetthetargetof12firefighterspershift.



ShiftScheduleAlternatives In an effort to more fully understand and evaluate the impact of the Troy Fire Departments current schedule on staffing levels, TNCG examined the impact of alternative scheduling arrangements on staff availability. Both 10/14 and 12/12 schedules were compared to the Departments existing 24/48 schedule. Under a 10/14 schedule, a 24-hour period is divided into one 10-hour shift and one 14-hour shift. Rotation periods for a 10/14 schedule commonly consist of rotating two 10-hour shifts and two 14-hour shifts, or working two 10-hour days, followed by two 14-hour days, followed by four days off. A 12/12 schedule divides a 24-hour period into two shifts, usually divided into day and night shifts. Jurisdictions across the country use both schemes in a variety of shift combinations to maximize staffing efficiency while achieving compliance with local and Federal labor laws. In the case of Troys Fire Department, each scheduling alternative requires the same number of platoons and the same weekly hour coverage as the existing 24/48 schedule. Changing the shift schedules themselves from a 24/48 to a 10/14 or a 12/12 does not appreciably impact the availability of the Departments staff or its overall staffing requirements. Additionally, shorter shift schedules involve firefighters rotating between day and night shifts and occasionally working a day and a night shift back to back. This makes shorter shift schedules unpalatable unless other staffing adjustments are made, which usually increase the Departments staffing factor and make the schedule less efficient. Adjustments to the Departments existing shift schedule may be necessary (and would have the greatest impact) if high EMS utilization rates lead to potential burnout over a 24-hour shift, or if overtime expenses associated with meeting minimum staffing requirements increase dramatically. As discussed above, the Fire Departments EMS utilization rate in 2014 was 7.75%, which is well below the accepted threshold of 30% for evaluating burnout and is insufficient to justify a shift schedule change. The Department also performs acceptably with respect to overtime spending. In 2014, short-shift overtime totaled 2,912 hours at a cost of $118,865. This is significantly less than the cost of hiring additional staff to prevent overtime from being taken. To impact overtime, the City would have to hire one additional firefighter per shift, at a cost of nearly $300,000. Therefore, overtime usage is also not sufficient to justify a shift schedule change. Based on these calculations, the Departments existing schedule configuration is appropriate, and no change in shift arrangements is necessary. Should these factors change in the future, the Department may wish to re-evaluate whether changing shift schedules would benefit service delivery and staffing levels.



ISOStandards Improving the City of Troys ISO rating was an ancillary goal of the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis, which projected improvements to the Citys ISO score if target minimum staffing is increased. However, the impact of additional front-line staff on the Citys ISO rating is likely to be less substantial than indicated in the 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis. The Fire Department itself is responsible for approximately 50% of the available points when determining the Citys overall ISO score. Other factors include emergency communications and water supply, over which the Fire Department has little or no control. Per its last ISO evaluation, the City barely achieved an ISO rating of 4. This means that in order to improve its ISO score, the City will need to make significant strides in several ISO scoring areas. ISO grades fire departments across a wide range of activities, including staffing, training, and documentation. TNCG applied projected staffing numbers from the 2014 Internal Analysis to the ISO formulas utilized in the Citys latest ISO report. This analysis concluded that increasing staffing to a target minimum of 12 firefighters per shift would have a limited impact on the Citys overall ISO rating, particularly given that the ISO scoring system has changed. These changes include:

Reduced emphasis on the number of engine/ladder companies. Increased emphasis on deployment analysis, as an alternative to the old

distance/station standard. Increased emphasis on response time and performance and additional credit for

those activities. Credits for community risk reduction efforts. The number of hours of training required to get credit is reduced BUT the

threshold for documentation and quality is higher. Notably, under the new ISO methodology, documentation and verification of training efforts for fire departments is much more important than under the previous methodology. While a fire departments staffing level is still a component of the ISO score, other components, such as training efforts, a deployment analysis, and improving response times account for significant portions of the overall ISO rating. Additionally, implementing automatic/mutual aid agreements and demonstrating their use will also contribute to a higher ISO rating under the new system. Focusing efforts on these areas will likely allow the Department to improve its ISO rating more readily than by simply increasing staffing. Future policy decisions using ISO as a foundation should anticipate the new scoring standards, rather than using previous ISO scores and reports as a model. The Fire Department should continually evaluate its performance measurement practices in light of the revised ISO scoring standards. The City should also verify that ISO is categorizing the Fire Department appropriately as a fire department, not a fire district.



While ISO is an important standard and the Department appropriately utilizes it to gauge its current service delivery, insurance benefits from an improved ISO rating may or may not have significant financial impacts on the City and its residents. Not all insurers rely on ISO standards in order to compute insurance rates, and so improvements in scoring will only impact residents who carry insurance through companies that recognize the ISO system. Rather than simply reducing insurance rates, an improved ISO score is likely to have the greatest impact in terms of reducing fire loss and improving performance with respect to containing fires to the room of origin. As a result, the ISO system provides a good basis for improving the Departments service level and overall efficiency, which may or may not impact actual insurance rates.

DiversityRecruitment The Troy Fire Department has expressed an interest in improving diversity recruitment practices, and in attracting more female and minority recruits to the Fire service. This is particularly important given the Departments interest in potentially expanding shift staffing; moving forward with hiring a significant number of front-line staff presents a prime opportunity to implement new recruitment practices designed to engage and attract diverse applicants. RECOMMENDATION2:Validate internalagility testsandutilize InternationalAssociationofFireFighters (IAFF)and InternationalAssociationofFireChiefs (IAFC) recruitmentpracticesthatemphasizediversity. The Department has historically relied on internal testing practices for firefighter recruits, including an in-house agility test. Rather than utilizing an internally developed test, the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), jointly developed by IAFC and IAFF, would serve as a useful benchmark for validating the Troy Fire Departments internal agility test. The Department may also be able to rely on a regional testing consortium, such as the Miami Valley Fire/EMS Alliance, for external validation services. Additionally, the Department may also change testing methods from the standard written test/physical ability model to a model that employs a written test followed by an oral exam, leaving physical training for the training academy. This approach has been implemented by cities such as Memphis, TN and Kansas City, MO with some success.2 The IAFC identifies recruiting and testing processes as the most effective ways to increase workforce diversity. Recruitment efforts should be community-based and utilize community institutions, such as churches and local agencies.

2Source:http://www.iafc.org/onScene/article.cfm?ItemNumber=6712



The value of recruiting a pool of diverse part-time employees is that they become an excellent source of candidates for full-time fire service. Hiring part-time firefighters gives the Department an opportunity to evaluate the firefighters work ethic, cultural fit, skill quality, performance, and other interpersonal skills. It is our understanding that the Citys legal staff has found alternative ways to give preference to part-time applicants in the full-time hiring process in order to allow the Department to recruit known, trained, qualified full-time firefighter candidates from its existing part-time pool. Within the realm of management rights, the City should explore all ways to provide such preference. By adapting its recruitment and testing practices, the Troy Fire Department can help to ensure that minority candidates who would make excellent firefighters are not turned away due to subconscious or institutional barriers that may exist in some forms of testing. Utilizing industry best practices will help to increase the spread and reach of the Departments recruiting efforts, while taking applicants through certified testing programs will help to ensure all candidates are testing under appropriate standards. The Troy Fire Department should utilize its recruitment efforts as a way to engage all demographics in the Troy community and publicize information about the services the Department provides every day. By actively seeking out, welcoming, and shepherding minority candidates through the selection process, the Department can help to ensure that it reflects the makeup of the wider community.

Conclusion Overall, The Novak Consulting Groups Analysis is consistent with the Departments 2014 Internal Staffing Analysis. Utilizing part-time firefighters to achieve staffing of 12 persons per shift is the most cost-effective approach, requiring an additional 24 part-time firefighters at an estimated annual cost of $561,000. However, a phased approach consisting of the addition of six part-time firefighters each in two hiring phases will allow the Department to attain service gains while still allowing for the real-time evaluation of the part-time firefighter program. Each six part-time firefighters will cost approximately $140,250 per year. Restructuring command positions prior to adding new shift staff will help to increase efficiencies in the existing platoon structure and create capacity for additional front-line staff. Increasing command staffing from 1 FTE per shift to 2 FTE per shift, by adding shift Lieutenants to the 24/48 fire suppression shifts, will provide the necessary capacity to supervise and manage the additional administrative duties associated with managing part-time personnel. In addition, converting one Assistant Chief to an administrative Lieutenant position, as well as converting a fire inspector position into a Lieutenant position will further strengthen the Departments ability to augment training and manage part-time employee scheduling, training, recruitment, and retention. The estimated cost impact of restructuring the Departments command positions is approximately $380,000 per year.



Should the Department adopt the staffing recommendations above, estimated annual costs total approximately $520,250 per year. This cost estimate assumes the cost of amending the command structure and adding twelve part time firefighters in two six staff increments. If the Department fully implements the amended command structure and adds a total of 18 part-time firefighters, the total cost will be approximately $800,750. These changes also allow the Department to create greater efficiencies in existing operations and more effectively position the Department for future growth. The Troy Fire Department will have increased administrative capacity, a dedicated position responsible for training and education requirements, clear and distinct supervisory roles in each platoon, and increased staffing and service levels across all platoons. Under this framework, the Troy Fire Department can continue to provide exceptional, expanded service and adapt more effectively to staffing and service needs that arise in the future.

Documents

Novak Study (Troy Fire Dept. Study, 5/2015)