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Orono Fire Needs Assessment <br />22 | Page <br /> <br />fleet. Reviewing the above fleet, the fire department should have 2 frontline engines and one <br />reserve. Currently one apparatus is at the 25-year mark and in need of replacement. There will <br />need to be a significant investment in the fleet over the next 5 to 10 years regardless of who is <br />operating the fire department. This investment may need to be sooner due to the ever- <br />lengthening lead times for fire equipment, PPE and apparatus. Common life expectancy for <br />types of apparatus are as follows; Engine/Pumper 20 years, Ladder 25 years, Tanker/Tenders 25 <br />years, Rescue 10 years, Utility 10 years, Staff 7 years or if a vehicle is over 100,000 miles. <br />3.4 Staffing <br />LLFD is made up of a full-time fire chief and paid on call firefighters. Combination departments <br />consider administrative personnel as primary daytime responders. LLFD is organized and <br />resourced to have 50 paid on call firefighters. At the end of 2022, LLFD had a total of 42 paid on <br />call firefighters split between the two stations for their operational and administrative staff. <br />The most valuable asset for the fire department is our personnel. The United States depend on <br />1.1 million firefighters, of those approximately 812,000 are volunteer/paid on call (POC). The <br />US reached a low of volunteer firefighters in 2011. There has been a slow increase since then <br />but the growth isn’t enough to meet the steady increase in call volume. Managing POC <br />personnel to achieve maximum efficiency, professionalism and personal satisfaction is as easy <br />as full-time personnel. Consistency, fairness, safety and opportunities for personal and <br />professional growth are key values in a healthy management culture. These values are <br />important when the organization relies on the participation and support of a “volunteer” <br />workforce. POC personnel will leave if they don’t feel valued and/or experience personal <br />satisfaction from their participation. <br />Several national organizations recommend standards to address staffing issues. The <br />Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) Respiratory Protection Standard and the <br />National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1710 or 1720 are frequently cited as <br />authoritative documents. 6 7 8 In addition, the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) <br />publishes benchmarks for the number of personnel recommended on the emergency scene for <br />various levels of risk. <br />Currently, there are no formal adopted standards but LLFD is achieving the Rural Area Demand <br />Zone. Adopting formal guidelines for response standard is critical for a modern fire <br /> <br />6 Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR 1910.134; Occupational Health & Safety Administration. <br />7 NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical <br />Operations, to the Public by Career Fire Departments; NFPA. <br />8 NFPA 1720: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical <br />Operations and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments; NFPA.