HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-11-2021 Council Work Session PacketCouncil Work Session
Monday, January 11, 2021
5:00 P.M.
Orono Council Chambers,
2780 Kelley Parkway, Orono, MN 55356
WORK SESSION AGENDA
The Orono Council Work Session is open to the public
1. Update/Direction on Medina Fire District Discussions
2. City Administrator Search Process Update
3. Text Amendment Priorities
4. Boat Storage
Council Work Session
Monday, January 11, 2021
5:00 P.M.
Orono Council Chambers,
2780 Kelley Parkway, Orono, MN 55356
Past Meeting Agendas
November 23, 2020
Drug Paraphernalia
Utility Rate Study
November 9, 2020
COVID-19 Update
Update on Text Amendments
Building Inspection Services RFP Discussion
October 26, 2020
2021 CIP Discussion
a. Water
b. Sewer
2021 Police CIP Discussion
Utility Rate Study
Annual Discussions Timeframe:
Budget: Part of June, All of July, August and October.
City Administrator & Police Chief Update (3 times per year for 15 minutes)
MEMORANDUM
To: Mayor and City Council From: Ron Olson, Finance Director Date: January 11, 2021 Subject: Medina Fire District
City Administrator Dustin Rief has been attending meeting regarding the creation of a
Fire Service District involving the City of Orono, Medina, Long Lake, Independence and
Maple Plain. Fire Departments included in the meetings are: Long Lake, Loretto,
Hamel, and Maple Plain.
The next meeting of the committee is on 1/21/202. Before I attend this meeting, I would
like some direction from the Council on Orono’s position on this matter. Because this
could have a significant financial impact on Orono, would impact negotiations with Long
Lake and the possibility of Orono Building a fire station of our own, it seem pertinent to
make sure that the Council is aware and kept updated on the process.
Exhibits
A. Minutes 10/8/20
B. Minutes 11/12/20
C. Agenda 1/21/21
D. Medina Fire Study
1
October 8, 2020
FIRE SERVICE DISTRICT INFORMATION SESSION MINUTES OF
OCTOBER 8, 2020
Fire Service District group met on October 8, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. at the Long Lake Fire
Station.
I. Call to Order
Members present: Orono City Administrator Dustin Rief, Long Lake City
Administrator Scott Weske, Long Lake Fire Chief James Van Eyll,
Loretto Fire Chief Jeff Leuer, Hamel Fire Chief Jeff Ruchti,
Assistant Hamel Fire Chief Mario Fabrizio, Assistant Maple Plain
Fire Chief Rick Denneson, Independence City Administrator Mark
Kaltsas, and Interim Maple Plain City Administrator Frank Boyles
Members absent:
II. Fire Service Information Presentation
Scott Johnson provided a brief presentation to the group regarding recruitment/retention
issues, major future expenses for facilities/equipment, and opportunities to work together
on a new fire service delivery model through a joint powers agreement and/or future fire
services taxing jurisdiction.
Further discussion took place on the value of working together on a joint powers
agreement for fire services. The overall theme/goal that everyone expressed at the
meeting was the ability to provide as good or greater fire service while reducing future
costs through eliminating duplication and pooling resources.
III. Concerns, Issues and Roadblocks
The group discussed the need for equal say/representation for the percent of the budget
each city pays per year at the board level. The group also discussed how each provider
has a different approach on how they provide fire services. Each fire department will
have different experience levels depending on the area of expertise. Some members of
the group are worried about the structure from the politicians to boots on the ground.
Orono will be providing some options in their notes
There is worry about finances from the group. Concerns ranged from fire pensions to
Medina not having assets to contribute to a joint powers agreement. The group agreed
that all assets will need to be reviewed.
IV. Next Steps
Medina is reaching out to Tate Mills from the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The group is
requesting help from Mr. Mills for the group to create a framework that can be used to
start discussions on alignment for a joint powers agreement.
Adjournment at 9:20 a.m.
1
November 12, 2020
FIRE SERVICE DISTRICT INFORMATION SESSION MINUTES OF
NOVEMBER 12, 2020
Fire Service District group met on November 12, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. at the Long Lake Fire
Station.
I. Call to Order
Members present: Orono City Administrator Dustin Rief, Long Lake City
Administrator Scott Weske, Long Lake Fire Chief James Van Eyll,
Loretto Fire Chief Jeff Leuer, Hamel Fire Chief Jeff Ruchti,
Assistant Hamel Fire Chief Mario Fabrizio, Assistant Maple Plain
Fire Chief Rick Denneson, John Ehret, State Fire Marshal’s Office,
and Tate Mills, State Fire Marshal’s Office
Members absent: Mark Kaltsas, City of Independence and Frank Boyles, City of
Maple Plain
II. Medina Fire Study
Robert Finn, Matrix Consulting, provided a brief presentation to the group regarding the
recently completed Medina Fire Study. The group was not shocked by the results of the
study.
Further discussion took place on the value of working together on a joint powers
agreement for fire services. The overall theme/goal that everyone expressed at the
meeting was the ability to provide as good or greater fire service while reducing future
costs through eliminating duplication and pooling resources.
III. Problems, Concerns, and Roadblocks
The group discussed concerns with recruitment/retention of fire personnel, providing a
sustainable long-term model for fire services, concerns with locations of future fire
stations, the amount of transitional costs for a fire service district/JPA and the use of duty
crews in the future.
John Ehret from the State Fire Marshal’s Office informed the group that transitional costs
will be significant, but cities usually support the costs because they see the greater good.
It was up to the group to identify the problem, rally around the issue, and become unified.
The main concern of the group was the state of service delivery and the mechanics of
service delivery for fire.
John Ehret and Tate Mills from the State Fire Marshal’s Office offered to provide
facilitation services for the group at no charge. They requested each city provide a letter
requesting facilitation services. Scott Johnson agreed to reach out to Mark Kaltsas and
Frank Boyles with this information.
2
November 12, 2020
IV. Next Steps
Medina agreed to bring a motion before their City Council on the Fire Study to move the
process forward. Each city at the meeting agreed to bring forward a letter for their City
Council to approve facilitation services from the State Fire Marshal’s office.
Adjournment at 9:16 a.m.
Fire Services District Information Meeting Agenda
January 21, 2021
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Discussion Items:
1) Clarification of the mission - why are we here?
a. John Ehret and Tate Mills, MN State Fire Marshal’s Office – Will lead the discussion on
adaptive and technical mythologies
b. Define the group’s mission
2) Development of teams
3) Establishment of ground rules/Expectations
Comprehensive Fire Service Study
MEDINA, MINNESOTA
November 3, 2020
FINAL REPORT
Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Executive Summary 1
2. Organization and Area Overview 5
3. Fire Rescue Services 13
4. Emergency Service System Dynamics 35
5. Existing Fire Protection System 52
6. Municipal Department 58
7. Joint Powers Agreement 70
8. Facilities 83
Appendix – Sample Joint Powers Agreement 95
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 1
1 Introduction and Executive Summary
The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the City of Medina to conduct a
comprehensive fire service study of the City of Medina. The project was focused on the
future fire service needs of the City related to the delivery of services from the four fire
departments currently serving the City.
1 Approaches Utilized in This Project
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 and collectively
interviewed several executives, management, and supervisory staff of Medina,
Fire Department leadership from the four (4) departments and command staff.
• 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 Fire Departments which
was reviewed by the staff of Medina and the Fire Departments.
• Analysis – The project team analyzed the collected data and reviewed interview
notes to provide the basis for the final recommendations.
Throughout the study, the project team reviewed facts, issues, and initial findings with
Medina staff.
2 Executive Summary
The City of Medina receives fire protection services from four fire departments through
contracts with each department. Two of these departments are non -profit corporations
and the other two are municipal departments. Hamel Fire Department is one of the no n-
profit corporations that approached the City about absorbing the fire department and
creating a municipal fire department under the City of Medina’s umbrella. These
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 2
discussions raised several issues for further discussion and at this point the City of
Medina has three options to provide fire protection services.
Option 1 – Continue with Contract Fire Protection
While this option remains viable for the delivery of fire services, the City of Medina is in a
precarious position should one or more of the current fire departments dissolve or decide
not to provide services. The City does not fully own any of the apparatus or stations or
employ any staff to provide fire protection services. The project team does not
recommend continuing this form of fire protection. However, in continuing this form of fire
protection, the City should take steps to protect itself should one or more of the fire
departments terminate their contract or become incapable of providing service. Further,
the City should provide overall management of the fire protection system for the City to
ensure the services are provided in the City’s best interest.
Option 2 – Municipal Fire Department
In this option, the City would absorb the Hamel Fire Department and create a municipal
fire department. This would provide the City of Medina with control of their fire protection
system. Based on the terms of termination within the contracts with Long Lake Fire
Department, Loretto Fire Department, and Maple Plain Fire Department , it will take two
to three years to fully terminate those contracts. This will allow time for the City to fully
implement a new Medina Fire Department. In creating this new department, new
employees would be added to the City of Medina and additional workloads for human
resources, finance and information technology would need to be addressed. The
additional employees would likely create other issues involving the Affordable Care Act
(ACA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Other issues for the City could include
increases in workers compensation rates and property casualty insurance rates. These
rate increases would likely be across the board for the City and not just the fire
department. Additionally, the City would need to build a new fire station that is more
centrally located to provide an appropriate level of service to the residents of the City, as
the Hamel Fire Department station is not appropriately located to ensure timely response
times across the City. The project team does not recommend the City absorb the Hamel
Fire Department to create their fire department.
Option 3 – Joint Powers Agreement
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 3
The City of Medina would join forces with the City of Long Lake, the City of Loretto, and
potentially with the City of Orono. The joint powers agreement would establish a fire
district involving the four cities to provide fire protection services and share the cost to
provide those services. Most joint powers agreements provide for the fire district to lease
the existing apparatus and fire stations from the joining jurisdictions. Currently the City of
Medina and the Hamel Fire Department share in the ownership of apparatus used by the
Hamel Fire Department. Hamel Fire Department has previously agreed to transfer these
assets to the City of Medina if a municipal fire department was formed. However, there
may be a need for the City of Medina to invest in additional capital items to provide a
commensurate capital investment The City of Medina would benefit from the investment
into a fire station and apparatus as it would create a level playing ground with the other
jurisdictions. This type of investment will be needed with the creation of a fire district or a
municipal fire department. The gain to the City with the fire district is the sharing of
operational costs, the equal provision of services, and the reduction of the duplication of
equipment. It would allow for the sharing of internal services such as training, fire
prevention and public education to be more efficient and effective. The project team
recommends the City work towards the creation of a fire district with other City partners
and fire departments.
Facility Assessment
The physical facilities vary in condition and renovation suitability. Long Lake and Maple
Plain fire stations are in good condition and have ample space for additions and
renovation projects. The Hamel and Loretto fire stations are not suitable for renovations,
have limited space at their respective sites for expansion and the apparatus bay space is
cramped to point the apparatus does not have appropriate clearance from the walls of the
station. In fact, these two stations should be razed, and a new station built to
accommodate the larger apparatus and provide for appropriate space for training,
meetings and living quarters. There are two bays available in the public works building
that are deep enough to handle four trucks but not conducive to operate as a fire station.
The issues include no parking on the far end of the building, limited access in and out of
that area, and the operations of each of the departments will result in operational con flicts.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 4
Summary of Recommendations
Key Findings
Key Recommendations
While a viable approach for providing fire
protection services in the City, the interest in
forming a fire district between the City and
partner agencies will create a more stable
approach to services.
Absorbing the Hamel Fire Department and
creating a municipal department is a costly
option and would have less efficiencies than
forming a fire district with surrounding
agencies.
There is interest from surrounding
communities in the formation of a fire district
through a Joint Powers Agreement. This
option would provide the most stable and
efficient approach for providing fire protection
services in the City.
The facilities used by the Fire Departments
varied conditional states, ability for
renovations and continued use for
emergency service delivery.
The City of Medina should not pursue the
extension of contracts to provide fire
protection services unless full ownership is
acquired in the capital assets focused on the
services provided to Medina.
The City of Medina should only pursue the
development of a Municipal Fire Department
if there is no interest or pursuit of a fire district
with other surrounding jurisdictions.
The City of Medina should pursue the
development and creation of a fire district
through a joint powers agreement with
surrounding jurisdictions.
The City of Medina should not invest any
further funding to the fire stations in Loretto or
Hamel.
The City of Medina should not integrate a fire
station into the public works facility as the
operations of a fire department and public
works are not complementary and can even
conflict.
The City of Medina should pursue a new fire
station facility at a location that fits the new
fire district model or municipal fire department
model for desired travel time performance.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 5
2 Organization and Area Overview
This chapter provides an overview of the general characteristics of the City of Medina and
the organization and governance of the four Fire Departments servicing the City.
1 Background and Overview
1. Area Characteristics
Medina is located in the central section of Minnesota approximately 15 miles west of
Minneapolis, in Hennepin County. The City is approximately 27 square miles and has an
estimated population of 6,191 residents. Highway 55 follows an east/west path across the
northeast corner of the City.
2. Demographic Profile
The following table illustrates the demographic profile of Medina and changes that have
occurred since the 2010 Census.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 6
Medina Demographics
U. S. Census Bureau 2010 2015 2018
Estimated Medina Population 4,680 5,378 6,191
Median Age 42.1 44.3 41.9
Children Under Age 5 3.2% 5.9% 8.2%
Children Ages 5 to 19 years 29.6% 25.8% 23.1%
Persons Age 20 to 59 years 51.9% 49.5% 52.6%
Persons Age 60 and Over 15.1% 18.7% 15.4%
Families in Poverty 1.6% 3.1% 2.9%
Civilian Labor Force Unemployed 9.4% 2.4% 1.9%
Median Household Income $118,608 $132,045 $144,107
Employment Sectors:
Education, Health Care, Soc. Svc. 10.9% 11.7% 11.7%
Retail Trade 14.2% 11.1% 14.0%
Professional, Scientific, Mgmt. 17.7% 14.3% 18.3%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 14.6% 13.8% 12.1%
Entertainment, Recreation, Food 5.4% 8.5% 5.8%
Construction 7.9% 5.6% 3.1%
Manufacturing 15.8% 16.1% 15.5%
Transportation, Warehousing, Util. 2.3% 2.8% 1.2%
Public Administration 0.6% 3.9% 4.7%
Other Services 1.4% 5.0% 3.7%
Wholesale 6.0% 5.9% 6.6%
Information 1.7% 0.9% 3.2%
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing 1.4% 0.3% 0.0%
The population of Medina has increased approximately 32% since 2010 adding an
estimated 1,511 residents. The median age has remained relatively even in the range of
42 years with an increase in the children under age 5 age group. Other age groups have
remained relatively stable.
The following map provides a view of population density by census tract based on 2010
census data.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 7
The areas around Hamel and Loretto are the most densely populated along with a small
area near Lake Independence.
3. Community Development and Growth
In 2018, the City of Medina completed their 2040 Comprehensive Plan that encompasses
many different aspects of the City. The section on residential development indicates there
is a potential capacity of 1,017 additional residential units through 2040. This average s to
approximately 50 new residential units per year which coincides with the average number
of new home building permits of approximately 40 per year. The Metropolitan Council
estimates the growth in the City of Medina will be at half the rate of growth f rom 2000 –
2020. The following chart illustrates the past population growth and contains the
projections through 2040.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 8
The population growth from 1990 to 2010 averaged 2.6% per year that also coincides
with the building permits issued. The City of Medina has a considerable amount of wetland
area that limits the growth. Based on the anticipated reduced growth rate, the City of
Medina will have approximately 8,900 residents by 2040. Commercial and retail growth
is expected to be light and predominately in the northeast quadrant of the City.
4. Fire Protection System
The City provides fire suppression using contracted service providers; there are four
providers for the City:
• Hamel Fire Department
• Loretto Fire Department
• Long Lake Fire Department
• Maple Plain Fire Department
This results in no employees for the City that are directly involved in the operations of a
fire department. Each of the fire departments have a section of the City to provide services
designed to achieve a 10-minute travel time service level, according to national and state
standards.
The Hamel Fire Department is the only provider that has a station located in the City of
Medina. Loretto Fire Department is located in the City of Loretto which is surrounded by
the City of Medina. Maple Plain and Long Lake are located just outside the City limits as
illustrated in the following map.
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2018 2020 2030 2040
Population Estimates
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 9
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 10
Each of the four Fire Departments have a response area assigned to provide services as illustrated in the following map.
Loretto Fire
District
Hamel Fire
District
Long Lake Fire
District
Maple Plain Fire
District
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 11
Calls for service for each of the fire departments in the City of Medina for the past three
years are displayed in the following table.
City of Medina Fire Service Calls
2017 2018 2019
Hamel Fire Department 168 186 178
Loretto Fire Department 30 29 40
Maple Plain Fire Department NR 24 14
Long Lake Fire Department 19 18 16
Hamel is the only fire department that does not have contracts with other cities, they
provide service to a larger area than the other departments. Maple Plain did not report
their 2017 calls in the City.
The following map illustrates the call for service demand using GIS technology to outline
where many of the calls are occurring.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 12
As expected, the higher call density is along the eastern section of the City that coincides
with the heavier population density in that area.
2 Financial Resources
The City of Medina receives approximately 73% of its financial resources from assessed
property taxes. Other resources include licenses and permits, intergovernmental
revenues, and transfers from other funds such as water, sewer, and storm water.
Through the contracts with the fire departments the City provides operational funds and
capital improvement funds. The amount for each of the contracted fire departments is
based on the market value of the taxable properties in the service area and the number
of calls for service as measured by the number of personnel hours expended. The table
that follows illustrates the operational costs for each of the contracts for the past three
years.
Medina Operational Fire Protection Expenditures
2017 2018 2019
Hamel Fire Department $221,000 $238,000 $257,500
Loretto Fire Department $86,393 $88,985 $75,506
Maple Plain Fire Department $5,667 $5,837 $6,012
Long Lake Fire Department $26,111 $26,894 $23,165
Total $339,171 $359,716 $362,183
It is important to note, the previous table illustrates the contractual expenditures by the
City of Medina. Each Fire Department will have differing income and expenditures due to
other contracts and other fund-raising activities to support any additional costs to operate
their department. Hamel Fire Department provides service to the largest section of the
City, with Loretto Fire Department covering the second largest area. The operational
costs have increased approximately 6.8% over the past three years.
Three of the four departments are allocated funds to be used for capital improvements
for equipment or facilities. The following table illustrates the capital improvement funds
for the past three years.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 13
Medina Capital Improvement Expenditures
2017 2018 2019
Hamel Fire Department $73,000 $73,000 $73,000
Loretto Fire Department $21,315 $21,000 $18,877
Maple Plain Fire Department $0 $0 $0
Long Lake Fire Department $6,000 $6,000 $6,000
Total $100,315 $100,000 $97,877
As shown capital improvement expenditures have remained relatively constant at
approximately $100,000 per year. The contract with Hamel allows the City to acquire
ownership in the capital investments made in the apparatus purchased with these funds.
For perspective, the following table illustrates the total cost for fire protection services for
the City.
City of Medina Total Fire Protection Expenditures
2017 2018 2019
Hamel Fire Department $294,000 $311,000 $330,500
Loretto Fire Department $107,708 $109,985 $94,383
Maple Plain Fire Department $5,667 $5,837 $6,012
Long Lake Fire Department $32,111 $32,894 $29,165
Total $439,486 $459,716 $460,060
It should be noted, with the exception of Hamel Fire Department, the service providers
also have contracts with other cities in the immediate area and receive funds from those
entities as well.
3 Fire Prevention
Fire safety and building inspections are handled in the City through a contracted service.
By contract, all commercial and multi-family properties receive a fire safety inspection
every three years. In addition, large commercial horse barns are included in the inspection
process. These facilities are typically 30,000 to 40,000 square feet in size. The contractor
reports there are approximately 100 properties to be inspected and noted that growth has
been steady for past few years.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 14
3 Fire Rescue Services
The City of Medina provides fire protection services through contracts with four different
fire departments. This chapter provides an overview of the fire protection system including
the resources available to the City and a historical review of the workload of the Fire
Departments.
1 Hamel Fire Department
Hamel Fire Department provides service to the east and northeast areas of the City of
Medina with an estimated population of 5,371 and approximately 1,854 households.
1. Organization of the Fire Protection System
The Hamel Fire Department (HFD) was formed in 1928 and formally incorporated in 1932.
In the early years equipment for firefighting operations included a bucket brigade using
three-gallon cans to a four-wheeled trailer with a water pump. The first motorized
apparatus acquired was a 1931 Model A, that was used for firefighting operations. The
fire station was built in 1966 with an addition in 1986. Incorporated as a non-profit
corporation, the department is governed by a Board of Directors. The Fire Chief reports
to the Board of Directors of the Hamel Fire Department.
Today the HFD operates from the same station with a variety of apparatus, equipment,
and a volunteer staff. The organization chart that follows illustrates the current Fire
Department organization.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 15
Hamel Fire Department Organization Chart
Fire Chief
Business
Management
Financial
Management
Purchasing
Quartermaster
Policies/Proce
dures
Assistant
Chief
Support Services
Radio/Tech Mgmt.
Medical Gear Mgmt.
Fleet Mgmt.
Building/Ground
Mgmt.
SCBA Mgmt.
Reserves Training Captain Service Delivery
Lieutenant
Firefighters
Lieutenant
Firefighters
Community
Outreach
Fire
Prevention
Events
Coordiinator
Hamel
Rodeo Reps.
Resource
Management
Recruiting/Re
tention
Funding
Appropriation
Public
relations
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 16
2. Physical Resources
The following tables illustrate the physical resources available to the HFD. Staffing for the
department is a volunteer system with 24 volunteer members.
Hamel Fire Department
Station 1 92 Hamel Road
Description of Use This facility is owned by the Fire Department and staffed with volunteer
personnel.
Apparatus Space Four Bays
Assigned Apparatus Unit ID Year Description Type
E11 2006 Spartan Type 1 Engine
E12 2016 Rosenbauer Type 1 Engine
T11 2007 Pierce Water Tender
T12 2018 Midwest Water Tender
R11 2008 Ford Rescue
U11 1988 Ford Utility
U12 2018 Chevrolet Silverado Utility
C11 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe Utility
G11 2014 Ranger UTV Utility
3. Historical Workload
The following table illustrates the calls for service taken from the computer aided dispatch
(CAD) data and includes all calls for the Fire Department regardless of location.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 17
Hamel Fire Department Calls for Service by Type
2016 2017 2018 2019 Total Pct.
Auto Accidents 7 9 8 7 31 4.5%
Medical Calls 65 73 72 72 282 41.3%
Total Medical and Auto Accidents 72 82 80 79 313 45.8%
Alarm – Activation 39 42 46 47 174 25.5%
Alarm - False 0 0 1 0 1 0.1%
Alarm – Malfunction 0 0 0 1 1 0.1%
Mutual Aid 2 0 0 0 2 0.3%
Other Type Fire 3 4 7 5 19 2.8%
Smoke Scare 6 1 1 2 10 1.5%
Structure Fire 1 3 3 2 9 1.3%
Vegetation/Brush/Debris Fires 2 5 4 4 15 2.2%
Vehicle Fire 1 3 2 2 8 1.2%
All Fire Calls 54 58 64 63 239 35.0%
Rescue Calls - Extrication 0 0 0 1 1 0.1%
Rescue Calls - Other 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Rescue Calls - Search 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Rescue Calls - Water 0 0 1 0 1 0.1%
All Rescue Calls 0 0 1 1 2 0.3%
Dispatched/Canceled 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Good Intent Calls 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Hazardous Condition 15 20 22 25 82 12.0%
Hazardous Materials 2 0 0 0 2 0.3%
Overpressure Rupture 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Severe Weather Alerts 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Service Calls 8 10 10 17 45 6.6%
Other Type of Calls 25 30 32 42 129 18.9%
Total Calls for Service 151 170 177 185 683
As illustrated medical calls and auto accidents account for 45.8% of the total call volume.
The type of calls illustrated are from the CAD data and represent the type of call as initially
reported. There may be differences as the fire department will report their actual findings
once they arrive.
DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA
Matrix Consulting Group Page 18
The following table displays the total number of calls for service handled by the
Department by each hour and day of the week for the past four years.
Hamel Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12 am 4 3 2 2 2 1 4 18
1 am 0 1 2 0 1 2 1 7
2 am 2 2 0 3 2 1 2 12
3 am 3 1 2 2 1 2 5 16
4 am 2 4 1 3 4 0 0 14
5 am 1 3 2 1 3 0 3 13
6 am 1 3 1 2 1 4 0 12
7 am 2 7 2 2 9 0 0 22
8 am 3 11 8 3 10 2 6 43
9 am 12 11 4 2 7 7 7 50
10 am 9 8 11 4 6 9 8 55
11 am 10 6 8 2 9 7 3 45
12 pm 6 3 4 10 8 2 5 38
1 pm 9 6 4 5 1 8 6 39
2 pm 5 4 6 4 10 8 5 42
3 pm 4 8 7 4 6 8 7 44
4 pm 8 6 2 6 8 5 7 42
5 pm 4 3 5 9 4 5 5 35
6 pm 10 7 6 8 4 3 5 43
7 pm 7 7 5 10 1 7 6 43
8 pm 5 8 3 2 2 9 9 38
9 pm 7 5 5 4 5 4 5 35
10 pm 9 4 7 1 2 3 2 28
11 pm 0 2 3 3 2 9 8 27
Total 123 123 100 92 108 106 109 761
As illustrated above, calls for service varied by time of day and day of the week. The
heavier call volume begins at the 8 am hour and continues through the 7 pm hour. The
call volume is also heavier in the beginning of the normal work week with Sunday and
Monday being the busiest days of the week. The busiest time of the day is the 10 am hour
with the slowest hour being 1 am.
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The following chart further illustrates the calls for service by hour of the day.
As illustrated above, calls increase at the 8 am hour peaking at the 10 am hour and remain
steady throughout the day to the 7 pm hour. The calls begin to decline at the 9pm hour
with 1 am being the slowest hour of the day.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
12a 3a 6a 9a 12p 3p 6p 9p
Calls by Time of Day
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2 Loretto Fire Department
Loretto Fire Department provides service to the northwest areas of the City of Medina
with an estimated population of 814 and approximately 281 households.
1. Organization of the Fire Protection System
The Loretto Fire Department (LFD) operates from a single station in the City of Loretto.
The department provides service to the City of Medina on a contractual basis and has
similar arrangements with Corcoran, Greenfield, Independence, and Loretto.
Incorporated as a non-profit corporation, the department is governed by a Board of
Directors. The Fire Chief reports to the Board of Directors of the Loretto Fire Department.
The organization chart that follows illustrates the current Fire Department organization.
Loretto Fire Department Organization Chart
2. Physical Resources
The following table illustrates the physical resources available to the LFD. Staffing for the
department is a paid-on-call system with 37 volunteer members.
Fire Chief
Assistant
Chief
Captain
Assistant
Chief
Captain
Assistant
Chief
Captain
Assistant
Chief
Captain
Captain
Captain
Office Admin
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Loretto Fire Department
Station 1 259 North Medina Avenue
Description of Use This facility is owned by the Fire Department and staffed with paid-on-call
personnel.
Apparatus Space Five Bays
Assigned Apparatus Unit ID Year Description Type
E11 1996 Pierce Type 1 Engine
E12 2000 Pierce Type 1 Engine
G11 1992 Ford F350 Type 6 Engine
R11 2017 Pierce Rescue
T11 2006 Pierce Water Tender
U11 2012 Pierce Utility
U12 2006 Ford F250 Utility
U13 2015 Chevrolet 1500 Utility
2014 Chevrolet Suburban Utility
Ranger 2008 Polaris Utility
3. Historical Workload
The following table illustrates the calls for service taken from the computer aided dispatch
(CAD) data and includes all calls for the Fire Department regardless of location.
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Loretto Fire Department Calls for Service by Type
2016 2017 2018 2019 Total Pct.
Auto Accidents 17 9 17 11 54 6.9%
Medical Calls 99 109 94 107 409 52.4%
Total Medical and Auto Accidents 116 118 111 118 463 59.4%
Alarm – Activation 16 23 25 27 91 11.7%
Alarm - False 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Alarm – Malfunction 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Mutual Aid 1 1 3 2 7 0.9%
Other Type Fire 3 4 8 4 19 2.4%
Smoke Scare 2 4 1 1 8 1.0%
Structure Fire 9 6 10 7 32 4.1%
Vegetation/Brush/Debris Fires 4 3 6 4 17 2.2%
Vehicle Fire 3 6 5 1 15 1.9%
All Fire Calls 38 47 58 46 189 24.2%
Rescue Calls - Extrication 0 0 2 4 6 0.8%
Rescue Calls - Other 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Rescue Calls - Search 1 0 0 0 1 0.1%
Rescue Calls - Water 1 1 1 3 6 0.8%
All Rescue Calls 2 1 3 7 13 1.7%
Dispatched/Canceled 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Good Intent Calls 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Hazardous Condition 17 16 24 22 79 10.1%
Hazardous Materials 1 0 2 2 5 0.6%
Overpressure Rupture 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Severe Weather Alerts 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Service Calls 6 8 7 10 31 4.0%
Other Type of Calls 24 24 33 34 115 14.7%
Total Calls for Service 180 190 205 205 780
As illustrated, medical calls and auto accidents account for 59.4% of the total call volume.
The type of calls illustrated are from the CAD data and represent the type of call as initially
reported. There may be differences as the fire department will report their actual findings
once they arrive.
The following table displays the total number of calls for service handled by the
Department by each hour and day of the week for the past four years.
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Loretto Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12 am 0 2 2 3 1 3 6 17
1 am 2 3 5 3 1 2 4 20
2 am 1 5 2 3 3 1 0 15
3 am 2 2 2 2 3 0 2 13
4 am 1 0 3 1 1 0 2 8
5 am 2 2 1 4 2 3 1 15
6 am 2 5 2 7 5 4 1 26
7 am 8 6 5 6 10 4 4 43
8 am 4 6 6 7 4 6 3 36
9 am 13 12 4 6 13 3 4 55
10 am 8 3 5 3 4 7 7 37
11 am 9 2 10 7 2 5 9 44
12 pm 5 13 6 3 7 8 9 51
1 pm 8 9 3 3 11 3 7 44
2 pm 6 9 7 6 3 7 6 44
3 pm 6 9 7 6 8 5 1 42
4 pm 9 6 7 5 6 7 8 48
5 pm 6 15 11 8 5 11 5 61
6 pm 5 12 6 3 6 5 12 49
7 pm 14 7 5 2 9 8 4 49
8 pm 8 6 1 6 4 5 7 37
9 pm 7 3 7 6 3 3 5 34
10 pm 0 5 4 6 5 3 4 27
11 pm 4 2 4 1 4 10 4 29
Total 130 144 115 107 120 113 115 844
As illustrated above, calls for service varied by time of day and day of the week. The
heavier call volume begins at the 7 am hour and remains steady through the 6 pm hour.
The call volume is also heavier in the beginning of the normal work week with Monda y
being the busiest day of the week. The busiest time of the day is the 5 pm hour with the
slowest hour being 4 am.
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The following chart further illustrates the calls for service by hour of the day.
As illustrated above, calls increase at the 7 am ho ur with a sharp increase at the 9 am
hour peaking at the 5 pm hour. The calls begin to decline at the 6 pm hour with 4 am
being the slowest hour of the day.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
12a 3a 6a 9a 12p 3p 6p 9p
Calls by Time of Day
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3 Long Lake Fire Department
Long Lake Fire Department provides service to the south-central area of the City of
Medina with an estimated population of 675 and approximately 233 households.
1. Organization of the Fire Protection System
The Long Lake Fire Department (LLFD) was initially formed in 1915 with buckets, wooden
ladders, and a two-wheel chemical cart. The first motorized truck was a 1921 Ford Model
T with advancements in the apparatus over the years with the first fire station built in 1942.
In 2002, the Cities of Long Lake, Medina, and Orono entered a long -term agreement with
Long Lake to provide emergency services. Today, the LLFD operates from two fire
stations with a paid-on-call staffing model. In 2008, a full time Fire Chief position was
added to manage the Fire Department. As a municipal department, the Fire Chief reports
to the City Administrator of the City of Long Lake.
The organization chart that follows illustrates the current Fire Department organization.
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Long Lake Fire Department Organization Chart
Fire Chief
Assistant
Chief
Deputy
Chief/Captain of
Administration
Building
Coordinator
Apparatus 1
Coordinator
Apparatus 2
Coordinator
SCBA
Coordinator
Communications
Coordinator
QuarterMaster
Battalion Chief/Captain
Senior
Captains
Fire
Captain/Lieut
enant
Firefighters
Fire
Captain/Lieut
enant
Firefighters
Fire
Captain/Lieut
enant
Firefighters
Fire
Captain/Lieut
enant
Firefighters
Fire
Captain/Lieut
enant
Firefighters
Deputy
Chief/Captain of
Training
Training
Assistant
EMS
Coordinator
Secretary
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2. Physical Resources
The following tables illustrate the physical resources available to the LLFD. Staffing for
the department is a paid-on-call system with 41 volunteer members and a fulltime Fire
Chief.
Long Lake Fire Department
Station 1 340 Willow Drive N
Description of Use Provides service to Long Lake, Orono, and the south-central section of
Medina. Serves as the Administrative Offices of the Fire Department.
Apparatus Space Six Drive through Bays
Assigned Apparatus Unit ID Year Description Type
E11 2004 Kenworth/Pierce Type 1 Engine
E21 2003 International/Pierce Type 1 Engine
R12 2003 Sterling Heavy Rescue
T11 2009 Freightliner/Midwest Water Tender
U11 1998 Ford F350 Type 6 Engine/Utility
U14 2013 Polaris Utility
CMD 1 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Command
CMD 2 2012 Ford Explorer Command
B11 2004 26-foot Watercraft Water Rescue
Long Lake Fire Department
Station 2 3770 Shoreline Drive
Description of Use Provides service to south side of Orono and lake areas.
Apparatus Space Two Bays
Assigned Apparatus Unit ID Year Description Type
E22 2018 Toyne Type 1 Engine
R21 2003 Ford F550 Rescue/Type 6 Engine
U21 2000 Ford F250 Utility/Type 6 Engine
T12 2001 Sterling/Midwest Water Tender
3. Historical Workload
The following table illustrates the calls for service taken from the computer aided dispatch
(CAD) data and includes all calls for the Fire Department regardless of location.
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Long Lake Fire Department Calls for Service by Type
2016 2017 2018 2019 Total Pct.
Auto Accidents 11 10 8 10 39 2.5%
Medical Calls 89 100 122 119 430 27.1%
Total Medical and Auto Accidents 100 110 130 129 469 29.6%
Alarm – Activation 125 90 116 126 457 28.8%
Alarm - False 0 1 1 0 2 0.1%
Alarm – Malfunction 0 0 0 1 1 0.1%
Mutual Aid 0 1 0 1 2 0.1%
Other Type Fire 10 18 11 17 56 3.5%
Smoke Scare 14 9 8 4 35 2.2%
Structure Fire 6 6 10 5 27 1.7%
Vegetation/Brush/Debris Fires 15 4 7 4 30 1.9%
Vehicle Fire 6 4 5 7 22 1.4%
All Fire Calls 176 133 158 165 632 39.8%
Rescue Calls - Extrication 2 4 2 2 10 0.6%
Rescue Calls - Other 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Rescue Calls - Search 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Rescue Calls - Water 7 8 6 5 26 1.6%
All Rescue Calls 9 12 8 7 36 2.3%
Dispatched/Canceled 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Good Intent Calls 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Hazardous Condition 65 79 86 86 316 19.9%
Hazardous Materials 12 4 7 9 32 2.0%
Overpressure Rupture 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Severe Weather Alerts 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Service Calls 25 22 27 28 102 6.4%
Other Type of Calls 102 105 120 123 450 28.4%
Total Calls for Service 387 360 416 424 1,587
As illustrated fire calls account for 39.8% of the total call volume with alarm activations
accounting for 28.8% of the calls. The type of calls illustrated are from the CAD data and
represent the type of call as initially reported. There may be differences as the fire
department will report their actual findings once they arrive.
The following table displays the total number of calls for service handled by the
Department by each hour and day of the week for the past four years.
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Long Lake Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12 am 4 4 7 4 6 4 3 32
1 am 4 6 0 5 2 2 4 23
2 am 3 6 2 6 3 4 6 30
3 am 5 4 4 2 3 3 3 24
4 am 1 5 3 3 3 0 2 17
5 am 4 1 7 5 3 0 4 24
6 am 1 10 9 7 7 7 5 46
7 am 7 10 13 8 9 7 6 60
8 am 7 18 12 17 9 8 12 83
9 am 13 15 14 16 8 15 14 95
10 am 12 10 11 11 18 15 20 97
11 am 15 16 19 17 12 10 24 113
12 pm 18 11 11 13 9 15 17 94
1 pm 17 7 17 18 13 18 15 105
2 pm 15 17 12 17 14 14 9 98
3 pm 18 13 11 23 21 14 8 108
4 pm 24 15 15 20 10 9 18 111
5 pm 9 9 10 11 15 18 18 90
6 pm 18 26 21 18 14 10 17 124
7 pm 22 16 13 17 14 12 20 114
8 pm 12 7 16 11 12 11 12 81
9 pm 8 13 9 9 10 11 12 72
10 pm 8 9 5 5 9 11 5 52
11 pm 4 2 11 4 5 8 5 39
Total 249 250 252 267 229 226 259 1,732
As illustrated above, calls for service varied by time of day and day of the week. The
heavier call volume begins at the 7 am hour and remains steady through the 6 pm hour.
The call volume is also heavier in the middle of the normal work week with Wednesda y
being the busiest day of the week. The busiest time of the day is the 6 pm hour with the
slowest hour being 4 am.
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The following chart further illustrates the calls for service by hour of the day.
As illustrated above, calls increase at the 7 am ho ur with a sharp increase at the 8 am
hour peaking at the 6 pm hour. The calls begin to decline at the 7 pm hour with 4 am
being the slowest hour of the day.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
12a 3a 6a 9a 12p 3p 6p 9p
Calls by Time of Day
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4 Maple Plain Fire Department
Maple Plain Fire Department provides service to the southwest area of the City of Medina
with an estimated population of 113 and approximately 39 households. This service area
is limited to the western side of Katrina Lake within the Morris T Baker County park.
1. Organization of the Fire Protection System
The Maple Plain Fire Department (MPFD) was initially formed in 1930 by a small group
of 13 residents. The department operates from a single station located in the City of Maple
Plain providing service to Maple Plain, Independence, Baker Park and Medi na on a
contractual basis. As a municipal department, the Fire Chief reports to the City
Administrator of the City of Maple Plain.
The organization chart that follows illustrates the current Fire Department organization.
Maple Plain Fire Department Organization Chart
2. Physical Resources
Fire Chief
Assistant Fire Chief
Captain
Firefighters
Captain
Firefighters
Assistant Fire Chief
Captain
Firefighters
Captain
Firefighters
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The following table illustrates the physical resources available to the MPFD. Staffing for
the department is a paid-on-call system with 29 volunteer members.
Maple Plain Fire Department
Station 1 1645 Pioneer Avenue
Description of Use Located in the City of Maple Plain providing service to Maple Plain, Medina,
and Independence.
Apparatus Space Four Bays
Assigned Apparatus Unit ID Year Description Type
E11 1989 Peterbilt Type 1 Engine
E12 2008 Spartan Type 1 Engine
G11 1985 Hummer Utility
G12 1973 Gama-Goat Utility
A11 2002 Pierce Aerial
B11 2018 Zodiac Watercraft Water Rescue
R11 1996 Peterbilt Heavy Rescue
R12 2013 Chevrolet Suburban Light Rescue
T11 2020 Peterbilt Water Tender
T12 2000 Kenworth Water Tender
U11 2016 GMC Utility
C11 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe Command
3. Historical Workload
The following table illustrates the calls for service taken from the computer aided dispatch
(CAD) data and includes all calls for the Fire Department regardless of location.
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Maple Plain Fire Department Calls for Service by Type
2016 2017 2018 2019 Total Pct.
Auto Accidents 11 18 12 9 50 4.7%
Medical Calls 182 166 178 159 685 64.1%
Total Medical and Auto Accidents 193 184 190 168 735 68.8%
Alarm – Activation 28 27 34 29 118 11.0%
Alarm - False 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Alarm – Malfunction 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Mutual Aid 1 1 0 2 4 0.4%
Other Type Fire 2 3 3 7 15 1.4%
Smoke Scare 5 3 3 2 13 1.2%
Structure Fire 3 7 1 2 13 1.2%
Vegetation/Brush/Debris Fires 4 3 2 2 11 1.0%
Vehicle Fire 3 3 0 4 10 0.9%
All Fire Calls 46 47 43 48 184 17.2%
Rescue Calls - Extrication 1 1 2 0 4 0.4%
Rescue Calls - Other 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Rescue Calls - Search 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Rescue Calls - Water 0 0 1 0 1 0.1%
All Rescue Calls 1 1 3 0 5 0.5%
Dispatched/Canceled 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Good Intent Calls 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Hazardous Condition 24 22 20 23 89 8.3%
Hazardous Materials 0 2 3 2 7 0.7%
Overpressure Rupture 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Severe Weather Alerts 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Service Calls 14 16 12 6 48 4.5%
Other Type of Calls 38 40 35 31 144 13.5%
Total Calls for Service 278 272 271 247 1,068
As illustrated, medical and auto accident calls account for 68.8% of the total call volume.
The type of calls illustrated are from the CAD data and represent the type of call as initially
reported. There may be differences as the fire department will report t heir actual findings
once they arrive.
The following table displays the total number of calls for service handled by the
Department by each hour and day of the week for the past four years.
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Maple Plain Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12 am 11 3 4 2 5 2 7 34
1 am 3 4 2 2 10 3 4 28
2 am 2 4 5 1 3 2 4 21
3 am 1 3 3 1 2 3 2 15
4 am 3 3 4 4 4 6 1 25
5 am 2 9 4 2 2 4 4 27
6 am 3 4 6 6 4 8 2 33
7 am 2 4 5 6 5 5 6 33
8 am 7 9 7 4 12 7 13 59
9 am 9 19 13 6 10 5 13 75
10 am 15 8 7 9 6 10 14 69
11 am 6 16 12 6 10 10 8 68
12 pm 9 15 11 9 5 11 11 71
1 pm 6 9 9 11 10 10 7 62
2 pm 5 9 14 11 11 7 10 67
3 pm 6 4 6 6 9 11 9 51
4 pm 12 7 10 9 11 13 5 67
5 pm 10 4 7 7 9 10 13 60
6 pm 8 7 8 9 8 7 7 54
7 pm 6 11 10 15 6 4 10 62
8 pm 13 9 10 6 5 10 11 64
9 pm 6 7 1 4 9 8 10 45
10 pm 4 5 6 8 12 7 7 49
11 pm 5 5 3 5 3 5 3 29
Total 154 178 167 149 171 168 181 1,168
As illustrated above, calls for service varied by time of day and day of the week. The
heavier call volume begins at the 8 am hour and remains steady through the 8 pm hour.
The call volume is also heavier at the end of the normal work week and into the weekend
with Saturday being the busiest day of the week. The busiest time of the day is the 9 am
hour with the slowest hour being 3 am.
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The following chart further illustrates the calls for service by hour of the day.
As illustrated above, calls increase at the 8 am hour with a sharp increase and peaking
at the 9 am hour. The calls remain steady before beginning to decline at the 8 pm hour
with 3 am being the slowest hour of the day.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
12a 3a 6a 9a 12p 3p 6p 9p
Calls by Time of Day
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4 Emergency Service System Dynamics
In making decisions about the emergency services system, it is important to understand
the science behind the location of resources, the deployment strategies of those
resources and other factors 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 lar ge
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 Medina.
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 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?
• What is the impact of the passage of time on survivability for victims of cardiac
arrest?
1 Emergency Medical Services
Emergency medical services (EMS) are a significant part of the emergency services
system. Not only are these types of calls rising but they are also wide ranging in terms of
the types of service calls. Emergency medical response systems must account for this
variability and ensure appropriate care is provided in a timely manner. In Medina , the fire
departments provide first responder services while the transport of patients is handled by
a third-party organization.
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.
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For perspective, the following chart illustrates the survivability of cardiac 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 rat es 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 with
additional (ALS) assistance provided by responding ambulance units and personnel.
2 Fire Suppression Services
The goal of fire suppression systems is to save lives and minimize property damage.
Every structure fire goes through the same process of development. T he growth of that
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Minutes before CPR or AED Begins
Survival Rate after Sudden Cardiac Arrest
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fire is dependent on many factors including fuel loads, the types of materials, and the
area involved to name a few items. There is one point, “flashover”, that is identifiable and
serves as a benchmark for the response of resources.
The following chart illustrates the traditional “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. Once this occurs, the space
becomes untenable for firefighters and un -survivable for any occupants. With the rapid
expansion of the fire, there is additional risk to other areas of the structure and potentially
to any structures or wildland areas 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.
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. In fact, research conducted in 2010 by the
Underwriter Laboratories determined the increased use of synthetic materials in the home
has created faster flashover times to le ss than 4 minutes in some of their tests. Modern
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home furnishings made of foam, plastics, or other petroleum -based products have
increased the available fuel load for a fire. Additionally, construction techniques and
components have increased the efficiency of our homes but has added a new dimension
to fire growth.
3 National Response Time Criteria
The expression of response time has changed. In years past , the measurement was
expressed as an average of time. This essentially represents how the system or
department is performing 50% of the time and is not a true reflection of how a department
is performing. With the research that has been performed in develo ping performance
standards and practices the use of fractal time has become the best practice in the
measurement and presentation of response time components. Fractal response time
measures how often (as a percent of calls) a department can perform within each
response time component. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the
Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) use the 90th percentile as the standard to
meet for benchmark and baseline criteria. Benchmark measurements are described as
the industry best practice. Baseline measurements are described as the actual
performance of the organization.
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 cascade of events that
occurs once an emergency starts or is recognized is illustrated in the following chart.
Those highlighted points represent hard data or that which is quantitative versus soft data
or that which is subjective and unknown.
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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, evaluation areas for improvement can be identified. Below are the
definitions for the three components:
• Call Processing is 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).
There are four nationally recognized models used to measure performance of the fire
protection system and each 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
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Career Fire Departments last published in 2020.
• NFPA 1720 Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression
Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by
Volunteer 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.
• 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.
4 Community Standards
As noted previously there are four nationally recognized models to use to design and
improve a fire protection system in our communities. Each model is based on different
aspects of a community from population density, the type of fire department and the r oad
miles in the area.
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.
• 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.
NFPA 1720 Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression
Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by
Volunteer Fire Departments was last published in 2020.
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• Defines a combination fire department as one having emergency service
personnel comprising less than 85 percent majority of either volunteer or career
membership.
• Defines a volunteer fire department as one having volunteer emergency service
personnel comprising 85 percent or greater of its department membership.
• Defines four demographic components based on population density as urban,
suburban, rural, and remote.
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.
Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) had previously defined benchmar k and
baseline response times for each of the three components. They have since determined
they are not a standard making organization and decided to leave the establishment of
benchmark performance standards to others. However, their body of work is signi ficant
and has been and continues to be used by numerous communities across the country.
Their performance objectives were based on population density demographics.
By definition, NFPA 1720 is the applicable fire protection model for the City of Medina.
Additionally, ISO and the CPSE provide additional performance objectives for the City in
the delivery of fire protection services. While NFPA 1710 does not apply to the City of
Medina, Appendix A contained in that document provides supplementary information and
background as it pertains to service delivery objectives for the City 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
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 City
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of Medina, is responsible for determining the level of service to be provided by its fire
services. Considerations for the level of service include, but are 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. The levels of service provided to the City should be written and documented
so the residents of the City know and understand the expectations of the fire protection
system.
Recommendation: The City should adopt an organizational statement for the fire
protection system that outlines response time expectations, staffing, response
capabilities and to provide guidance for any future expansion of the fire protection
system.
5 Distribution of Resources
Distribution of resources is the measure of getting initial resources to an emergency to
begin mitigation efforts. This is measured in a variety of way s including percentage of
square miles, percentage of road miles and travel time. The Insurance Services Office
(ISO) has used road miles for many years advocating one and a half miles for an engine
company and two and a half miles for a ladder company. Wi th 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.
1. Travel Time Performance Standards
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 that has a proven record of success. However, as illustrated in the following
table, NFPA 1720 does not address travel time for the first arriving unit. In fact , NFPA
1720 does not address travel time for any responses by the fire department.
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First Arriving Unit - Benchmark Performance Objectives
Demand Zone Demographics NFPA 1720 ISO CPSE
Urban Greater than
1,000 per sq. mile
No
Requirement
1.5 road miles in
the built-upon
area
4 minutes or less
90% of the time
Suburban 500 - 1,000 per
sq. mile
No
Requirement
1.5 road miles in
the built-upon
area
5 minutes or less
90% of the time
Rural Area Less than 500 per
sq. mile
No
Requirement
1.5 road miles in
the built-upon
area
10 minutes or
less 90% of the
time
Remote Area
Travel Distance
greater than/equal
to 8 miles
No
Requirement
1.5 road miles in
the built-upon
area
No Requirement
As illustrated, CPSE addresses the travel time for the various demographics with differing
travel times and ISO only addresses the built upon area.
2. Fire Protection System Performance
The computer aided dispatch (CAD) data for the fire departments in the City of Medina
was limited. In October 2018, the dispatch center changed to a new CAD system and the
old data was archived. This archive process caused some of the older data to be
unusable. The data used in this analysis is from October 2018 through June 15, 2020.
The following table illustrates the travel time for the City of Medina and for each fire
department individually as compared to the CPSE performance benchmark for the rural
demographic.
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City of Medina
All Emergency Calls -
90th Percentile Times
2018 -
2020 2018 2019 2020 Benchmark
Travel Time
1st Unit
Distribution 5:54 6:15 5:30 6:24 10:00
n = 395 n = 65 n = 245 n = 85
Hamel Fire Department
Travel Time 1st Unit
Distribution
5:38 5:48 5:15 6:28 10:00
n = 298 n = 47 n = 178 n = 73
Long Lake Fire Department
Travel Time 1st Unit
Distribution
7:34 8:15 7:00 6:17 10:00
n = 32 n = 6 n = 20 n = 6
Loretto Fire Department
Travel Time 1st Unit
Distribution
5:03 2:55 5:02 3:19 10:00
n = 56 n = 7 n = 42 n = 7
Maple Plain Fire Department
Travel Time 1st Unit
Distribution 5:59 5:12 4:21 3:14 10:00
n = 25 n = 6 n = 16 n = 3
*Statistically these travel times use a small data set and therefore should be viewed with a
certain amount of skepticism.
As illustrated, the travel time performance in the City of Medina is well below the nationally
recognized performance objective of 10 minutes for rural areas. This indicates the current
distribution of the resources (placement of stations) works well for the City. It must also
be noted the number of calls evaluated. Statistically small numbers may provide
erroneous results and should be viewed with some deliberation.
For a visual perspective, the following map illustrates a 10-minute travel time from all the
stations that provides service to the City.
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This map supports the limited data used in the previous table. The darker sh ades
represent the overlap from the different stations illustrating the availability of additional
resources during those types of calls.
For the total response, the following table illustrates the same data except it shows the
response time beginning when the fire department is dispatched until arrival at the
location of the call for service.
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City of Medina
All Emergency Calls -
90th Percentile Times
2018 -
2020 2018 2019 2020
Total
Response
1st Unit
Distribution
9:47 9:22 9:23 11:03
n = 395 n = 65 n = 245 n = 85
Hamel Fire Department
Total
Response
1st Unit
Distribution
8:53 8:36 8:21 10:45
n = 298 n = 47 n = 178 n = 73
Long Lake Fire Department
Total
Response
1st Unit
Distribution
15:05 11:16 16:14 10:40
n = 32 n = 6 n = 20 n = 6
Loretto Fire Department
Total
Response
1st Unit
Distribution
9:19 6:46 9:08 9:18
n = 56 n = 7 n = 42 n = 7
Maple Plain Fire Department
Total
Response
1st Unit
Distribution 16:52 9:42 19:12 17:26
n = 25 n = 6 n = 16 n = 3
*Statistically these travel times use a small data set and therefore should be
viewed with a certain amount of skepticism.
This table shows the total response time from the time of dispatch to the arrival time.
There is no turnout time component for the unstaffed (volunteer) apparatus as the
personnel must first respond to the station. These times represent more of what the
residents experience as it relates to the total response time from when they make the call
to report a need for emergency services.
6 Concentration of Resources
Concentration of resources 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. There are two
parts to this component – the first is providing an effective response force and the second
is the amount of time to get those resources in place.
1. Performance Standards
As noted, there are two segments to concentration of resources, the first segm ent uses
travel time and the second segment involves the number of personnel. Again, these two
segments represent the most appropriate measurement available for the concentration
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of resources and these measurements have a proven record of success nationally. The
next table illustrates the travel time for the first alarm assignment.
First Alarm Assignment - Benchmark Performance Objectives
Demand Zone Demographics NFPA 1720 ISO CPSE
Urban
Greater than
1,000 per sq.
mile
9 minutes or
less 90% of the
time
No time or
mileage
requirement
8 minutes or
less 90% of the
time
Suburban 500 - 1,000 per
sq. mile
10 minutes or
less 80% of the
time
No time or
mileage
requirement
10 minutes or
less 90% of the
time
Rural Area Less than 500
per sq. mile
14 minutes or
less 80% of the
time
No time or
mileage
requirement
14 minutes or
less 90% of the
time
Remote Area
Travel Distance
greater
than/equal to 8
miles
Dependent on
the travel
distance
No time or
mileage
requirement
No
Requirement
NFPA 1720 addresses the first alarm assignment by demographic and the stated time is
measured from the time of dispatch to arrival at the scene. Additionally, NFPA 1720 has
a performance objective for suburban and rural of 80% and not 90% of the time. Which
differs from ISO, CPSE, and NFPA 1710.
As mentioned previously, the second part of the concentration of resources arrival time
concerns the number of personnel arriving with the first alarm assignment. The following
table summarizes NFPA, ISO, and CPSE standards for the number of personnel arriving
for a first alarm assignment for a single-family dwelling.
First Alarm Assignment - Recommended Personnel
Demand Zone Demographics NFPA 1710 NFPA 1720 ISO CPSE
Urban
Greater than
1,000 per sq.
mile
16 personnel 15 personnel No specific
requirement 16 personnel
Suburban 500 - 1,000 per
sq. mile 16 personnel 10 personnel No specific
requirement 16 personnel
Rural Less than 500
per sq. mile 16 personnel 6 personnel No specific
requirement 16 personnel
Remote
Travel Distance
greater
than/equal to 8
miles
16 personnel 4 personnel No specific
requirement 16 personnel
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As illustrated, ISO does not specify the number of personnel that is expected or
anticipated to arrive and instead provides points for the personnel - meaning the more
on-duty personnel the more points are added to the overall evaluation. In comparison,
NFPA 1720 addresses the number of personnel based on the demographics with less
personnel in rural areas than urban or suburban. NFPA 1710 and CPSE base their
personnel requirements on creating an effective response force using critical tasking.
2. Effective Response Force
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 a 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 and nature of the incident. The Center for
Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) provides a suggestive list of tasks that need to be
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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 Table 30 and
shows the minimum required personnel to mitigate the initial emergency response
requirements by occupancy risk.
Table 30: 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 should be noted that the four-person companies discussed in some areas of NFPA
1710 are not maintained in the description of primary tasks to be acc omplished on the fire
ground – recognition that the requirements of the response in the field are dynamic and
do not fit neatly into size and shape of any particular response configuration. These
objectives apply to the initial and follow-up response for reported structure fires and does
not suggest that this response is required for all fire incidents.
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, su ch as
weather, making the task that much more difficult.
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Adding to the critical tasks and staffing issues is the OSHA requirement of “two in/two
out” in 29 CFR 1910.134(g)(4). This federal regulation states 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 while in the IDLH
atmosphere. In addition, there must be two firefighters located outside the IDLH
atmosphere for potential rescue if the situation arises. This is a mandatory federal
requirement.
The concept of an effective response force carries through for other responses by the fire
department. Tables 31 to 33 outline the critical tasks for an effective response force.
Table 31: 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
Table 32: Critical Tasks for Initial Wildland Urban Interface Fires
Critical Task No Hydrants With Hydrants
Command/Safety 1 1
Pump Operations 1 1
Attack Line 2 2
Structure Protection 3 2
Water Supply 1 0
Tender Operator 2 0
Exposure Lines 2 0
Total Personnel 12 6
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Table 33: 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
3. Fire Protection System Performance
As previously noted, the CAD data is limited due to the change in the system and the
archived data. The data that is available contained three calls for service that involved a
structure fire. This is not enough data to provide a substantive analysis.
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5 Existing Fire Protection System
This chapter presents the project team’s analysis for the City of Medina to retain the
contractual services for fire protection.
1 Key Issues
The current process of providing fire protection services to the residents of the City of
Medina is through contracts with various fire departments. This leaves the City in a
somewhat precarious position due to various events that could occur that are outside their
control, as noted below:
• The dissolution of a non-profit contract fire department.
• A board of directors or city council for a contract fire department deciding not to
renew a contract with the City of Medina or to terminate the current contract.
• No local control of the management or delivery of the fire services
For the City of Medina to continue using the contract form of providing fire protection
services, there needs to be changes made to protect the City from being with out a fire
protection service.
2 Fire Department Dissolution
A vulnerability to the City of Medina and the provision fire protection to the residents is
the dissolution of a contract fire department. Two of the four fire departments are non-
profit organizations that rely on volunteer members to provide the service outlined in the
contract. The other two fire departments are municipal departments that provide services
through contracts with the City of Medina.
1. Personnel
The current fire departments have expressed concerns over the recruitment and retention
of volunteer members for their respective organizations. This issue is not a local or
regional issue, it is a national issue within the fire service. For example:
• In Pennsylvania, there were approximately 300,000 volunteer firefighters in the
1970s and in the early 2000s there were approximately 60,000 volunteer
firefighters. In 2018 that number of volunteer firefighters dropped to an estimated
38,000.
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• In Wisconsin, the Woodland Fire Rescue in Dodge County, which has been in
operation for nearly 150 years, will discontinue service effective December 31,
2020 due to dwindling volunteer personnel. This department has 14 members with
8 members regularly responding to calls.
Minnesota reports there are approximately 20,000 firefighters in the state with 18,000
being volunteer firefighters. It is also reported the number of firefighters in the state is
down approximately 700 people in the past five years.
Conclusions on Fire Personnel Risks
With the dwindling of volunteer firefighters, the fire departments may need to utilize paid
personnel or dissolve due to a lack of personnel or necessary funding to provide paid
personnel. The additional funding will need to come from the contracts with increased
cost passed on to the City of Medina.
2. Capital Assets
Dissolution of a fire department also impacts the capital assets and the City of Medina.
Three contracts have provisions for the City to contribute to the capital i mprovements of
the fire departments and all three have differing rates of contribution. In addition, each
have differing mechanisms for ownership of the assets. The Maple Plain contract has no
provisions for capital assets and no provisions for the City of Medina to contribute funds
to the capital assets.
The Loretto Fire Department contract outlines the capital improvement funding is a part
of the budget that is submitted to the contracting cities. There is no provision for the
allocation of ownership of any capital assets should the fire department dissolve or fail to
sign a contract with the City of Medina. In fact, there are no provisions in the contract in
the event of a dissolution for any of the contracting cities that are a party to the contract.
In the past three years the City of Medina has provided an average of $20,397 per year
for capital improvement funds.
The Long Lake Fire Department contract provides a process to develop and fund capital
improvements for the department through the contracting cities as follows:
• The City of Long Lake will have the option of funding any percentage of the total,
which is equal to or greater than the average of its last three City Budget
Percentages including the current calendar year.
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• The City of Orono will have the option of funding the remaining amount. If Orono
does not wish to fund the total of the remaining amount, it must fund at least the
average of its last three City Budget Percentages including the current calendar
year and may fund more if it chooses.
• Medina will fund the balance remaining to be funded after Long Lake and Orono
have specified their funding amounts.
The contract outlines the disposition of major equipment with the City of Long Lake having
the first right to purchase the equipment. If the City of Long Lake does not exercise their
right to purchase, the City with the largest ownership share will have th e right to acquire
full title. With the limited funding the City of Medina has provided, it is likely the equity is
limited as well.
Funding for capital improvements for the Hamel Fire Department are contained in its
contract with the City of Medina. The funding follows the same budget process as the
operating budget and requires approval from the City. The difference with this contract
and the others is that Hamel only contracts with the City of Medina. There is a table in the
contract that specifically identifies the ownership shares between the two parties of the
contract and is updated annually. As well, Hamel Fire Department has the first right to
purchase the City of Medina’s share in any of the assets co -owned as listed. Following
the refusal of Hamel Fire Department to purchase the City’s share, the City of Medina
could exercise their right to purchase the Fire Department’s share. In the past three years
the City of Medina has averaged $73,000 per year for contributions to the capital
improvements.
While the contract with the Hamel Fire Department does provide some ownership shares
of the apparatus it would still require the City to purchase the remaining ownership shares
from the fire department to fully acquire ownership. None of the contracts provide
ownership shares for any of the fire stations. The key issue is in the event of the
dissolution of one of the fire departments, service delivery would be impacted and the
City would not have the ability to quickly establish a fire protection service fo r the area
served by that agency, including the ability to house any apparatus and equipment.
The following table illustrates the ownership equity in the apparatus and other equipment
as of May 2020.
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Asset Allocation
Apparatus
Year Description Hamel Fire Department City of Medina
2006 Spartan Engine 28% 72%
2007 Pierce Tanker 23% 77%
2008 Ford Light Rescue 23% 77%
2017 Chevrolet Tahoe Command Vehicle 61% 39%
2017 Rosenbauer Engine 50% 50%
2018 Midwest Tanker 50% 50%
2019 Rosenbauer Rescue 100% 0%
2018 Chevrolet Silverado Utility 36% 64%
Equipment
Year Quantity Description Hamel Fire
Department City of Medina
2014 1 Thermal Imager – Scott Attack Eagle 16% 84%
2017 1 Thermal Imager – Scott X190 0% 100%
2014 1300 feet 1 ¾” Fire Hose 0% 100%
2014 150 feet 2 ½” Fire Hose 0% 100%
2017 400 feet Large Diameter Hose 0% 100%
2014 4 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 44% 56%
2015 2 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2016 4 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2017 3 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2018 6 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 20% 80%
2019 4 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2020 6 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2016 4 Helmets 0% 100%
2014 1 Lucas Compression System 50% 50%
2015 3 Lifepak 1000 Defibrillators 0% 100%
2017 1 set Genesis Extrication Tools/Battery
Powered 0% 100%
As illustrated above, the City of Medina has varied levels of ownership in apparatus and
equipment in the Hamel Fire Department but would still have a significant expense to fully
acquire full ownership in these assets.
2 Contract Termination
Each contract has a termination clause that provides for a period of time prior to the
compete termination. The terms of these clauses vary with each contract as shown in the
following table.
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Medina Fire Department Contracts
Department Expiration Date Termination
with cause
Termination
without cause
Hamel Fire
Department
December 31, 2022 90-day written notice
2 years written notice no
earlier than December 31,
2020
Long Lake Fire
Department
December 31, 2025 3 years written notice 2 years written notice
Loretto Fire
Department
December 31, 2021 90-day written notice 1-year written notice
Maple Plain Fire
Department
December 31, 2021 Immediate with written
notice
6-month written notice
provided on January 1 of
the subsequent year.
Conclusions on Contract Risks
For most situations, the termination of a contract provides a considerable time frame to
address the fire protection needs of the City. However, should Loretto Fire Department
and the Hamel Fire Department provide a simultaneous 90-day notice, the City could be
in a position to lose its fire protection system in the northern half of the City rather quickly.
While this scenario is not likely to occur, it does highlight a vulnerability to the fire
protection system.
3 Fire Services Management
Each fire department presents their operating budget and their capital improvement
requests to the City annually. At the appropriate time the City meets with the individual
department and determines the amount of funding to be provided based on the contract.
Once the budgets are approved, the contract fire departments are able to spend the funds
according to their budgets without any further oversight from the City.
The State Auditor provided a Statement of Position in December 2018 that states in part
“Independent nonprofit firefighting corporations are separate corporations and usually are
authorized to control their own financial accounts. In these fire departments, the nonprofit
corporation generally issues paychecks and corresponding tax statements to its
firefighters and handles the hiring and discipline of firefighters. The nonprofit corpo ration
funds the fire department by charging for fire services through its contracts with cities and
towns.”
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In terms of operations, each fire department is free to establish their own policies,
procedures, and response protocols for their department and r esponse area. The City
has no oversight to ensure the services provided are equal throughout the City. In fact,
the Hamel Fire Department contract is the only one that specifies the response time, the
number of personnel to respond, and other functions of the department.
Conclusions on Fire Services Management
With four fire departments providing service to the City of Medina, these is no overall
management of the fire protection system in the City. There is no coordination as to the
funding requests for equipment that may be duplicated or to maintain operations that
provide the same level of service within the City. Essentially there is no one looking out
for the best interests for the City of Medina.
Recommendation:
The City of Medina should not pursue the extension of contracts to provide fire
protection services unless full ownership is acquired in the capital assets focused
on the services provided to Medina.
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6 Municipal Fire Department
This chapter presents the project team’s analysis of the City of Medina creating a
municipal Fire Department. Three of the four fire departments are a party to contracts
outside the City of Medina, this chapter focuses on the City converting the Hamel Fire
Department to a municipal fire department.
1 Key Issues and Assumptions
There is an overall lack of centralized management of the fire protection system in the
City of Medina.
• The Police Chief serves as the liaison to the Departments for management and
other issues needed to ensure appropriate services are provided.
• The City contracts with four fire departments and provides them with financial
support. The resources to provide the service is left to the individual departments
to decide.
Other issues include the use of volunteer staffing. Hamel reports that 65% of their
volunteer staff do not reside in Medina primarily due to the lack of starter homes and
rental property.
There are two ways to address the issue, first creating a municipa l fire department and
second to create a fire district with numerous partners. This chapter examines the
municipal fire department and the next chapter will examine the creation of a fire district.
In as much as three of the four fire departments are party to contracts outside the City of
Medina, a significant assumption in this assessment is the City converting the Hamel Fire
Department to a municipal fire department. This assumption also coincides with the
previous discussions related to the Hamel Fire Department request to become a
municipal fire department.
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Planning Elements and Assumption
Element Assumption
Management/Administration
The Chief of the Fire Department would report directly to the
Medina City Administrator under the overall policy direction of the
Medina City Council
Current Contracts
Due to the termination clause in the current contracts, they will
likely need to continue through their scheduled term. Variously,
terminations are between 2021 and 2023.
Staffing and Compensation
The Fire Department would remain as a volunteer organization.
Any compensation would be in the form of a stipend as permitted
by FLSA regulations.
Operating Expenses
Using previous budgeted amounts from the contracts and normally
expected increases.
Physical Facilities
A more centralized fire station will be needed as the contracts with
other departments either expire or are terminated.
Apparatus and Major
Equipment
Through the contract with Hamel Fire Department, the City has an
ownership share on all or part of the necessary apparatus and
equipment
Impact on Support Services in
other City 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.
2 Organization Overview
A first step to the formation of a municipal fire department is to establish the department
as a part of the city similar to Chapter 2 Section 205 that establishes the police
department. Similar duties and requirements should be established for the fire department
as outlined in the police department section. However, the current fire protection system
uses four fire departments to provide services with each department having a contract
with the City of Medina. Each of these contracts contain similar language in t erms of
financial support and service expectations. Differences include the expiration dates and
clauses for termination, as illustrated in the previous chapter. The contract with Long Lake
does provide for a termination or renegotiation to enable the participation in a fire district
or similar organizational arrangement.
Terminating the contracts could be an obstacle in the establishment of the municipal fire
department. The Hamel Fire Department contract may not be an obstacle as they
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represent the fire department to be converted to the new municipal department. In
addition, it was their request to be transitioned to a municipal fire department.
The contracts with Long Lake Fire Department, Loretto Fire Department and Maple Plain
Fire Department would likely need to be terminated in accordance with the terms of the
respective contract. In this instance, the new municipal fire department would not
necessarily provide service to the entire City until these contracts are finally terminated.
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. For example,
recruitment and retention is typically a human resources function but could be assigned
to the fire department in which case a recruitment position may be warranted.
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Medina City Fire Department
The department would remain as a volunteer department but with a smaller footprint in
terms of positions. With a municipal fire department there would not be a need for financial
management and purchasing positions as Hamel Fire Department has outlined. Policies
and procedures would also become a City function.
3 Physical Resources
The contract with Hamel Fire Department has a section for capital expenditures, the
funding of those expenditures and the allocation of ownership based on the funding from
each of the parties to the contract. The table that follows outlines the asset allocation
contained in the contract as of May 2020.
City Administrator
Fire Chief
Assistant Chief
Captain
Operations
Lieutenant
Firefighters
Lieutenant
Firefighters
Captain
Training
Captain
Support Services
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Asset Allocation
Apparatus
Year Description Remaining
Principal
Hamel Fire
Department City of Medina
2006 Spartan Engine $0 28% 72%
2007 Pierce Tanker $0 23% 77%
2008 Ford Light Rescue $0 23% 77%
2017 Chevrolet Tahoe Command Vehicle $0 61% 39%
2017 Rosenbauer Engine $226,466 50% 50%
2018 Midwest Tanker $134,591 50% 50%
2019 Rosenbauer Rescue $161,912 100% 0%
2018 Chevrolet Silverado Utility $0 36% 64%
Equipment
Year Quantity Description Hamel Fire
Department City of Medina
2014 1 Thermal Imager – Scott Attack Eagle 16% 84%
2017 1 Thermal Imager – Scott X190 0% 100%
2014 1300 feet 1 ¾” Fire Hose 0% 100%
2014 150 feet 2 ½” Fire Hose 0% 100%
2017 400 feet Large Diameter Hose 0% 100%
2014 4 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 44% 56%
2015 2 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2016 4 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2017 3 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2018 6 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 20% 80%
2019 4 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2020 6 sets Bunker Coats/Pants 0% 100%
2016 4 Helmets 0% 100%
2014 1 Lucas Compression System 50% 50%
2015 3 Lifepak 1000 Defibrillators 0% 100%
2017 1 set Genesis Extrication Tools/Battery
Powered 0% 100%
The contract provides for the disposition of the assets based on the ownership with those
assets that have 100% ownership of a single party to acquire the title or other receipt
indicating ownership of the apparatus and equipment. For those items that have shared
ownership, each party have the right to purchase the rights from the other party. However,
Hamel Fire Department has offered to allow the transfer of assets for certain non -
monetary considerations. Negotiations between the City and Hamel Fire Department may
allow the assets to be transferred to the City.
The Hamel fire station is not included in the asset allocation table. This building will require
a considerable amount of renovation to continue its use as a fire station. However, in
terms of providing service to the City, it is not in a good location based on the travel time
component of the response time continuum. Although a large number of calls for service
occur in the northeast section of the City. The following map illustrates the 10-minute
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travel time performance benchmark with a station located at or near the current Medina
City Hall.
In order for the level of service to remain the same, a new station will be required that is
more centrally located to meet the ten-minute travel time performance objective. To keep
costs at a minimum, property around the current City Office may be sufficient to construct
a new station. A new single-story fire station is estimated to cost between $2.6M and
$5.0M. This is based on a cost per square foot of approximately $128 and a 20,000
square foot building. This would allow for future expansion, office space, and potential
living quarters.
Within the fire service industry, the use of mutual aid and automatic aid is a common
element. Most jurisdictions are capable of handling the daily types of calls but need
assistance with larger more complex incidents. Mutual aid is typically defined as
assistance that is requested by the responding fire department. The fire department
responds and realizes additional resources are needed and calls for those resources from
a neighboring department. Many mutual aid agreements are handled on a county wide
basis in which all fire agencies become a signatory. Automatic aid is typically defined as
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assistance that is automatically dispatched as a part of the original incident. The use of
automatic aid provides several advantages as the closest station will be dispatched,
avoids the duplication of resources, and provides the appropriate amount of pers onnel
for the type of call. These type of arrangements are typically handled between two
departments rather than as a county wide agreement. One of the potential issues with
automatic aid is that one department becomes the primary respondent in the neighbo ring
jurisdiction and an inequity in providing services versus receiving them exists.
A new municipal fire department will need to establish the agreements necessary with
neighboring departments for mutual or automatic aid as needed. Long Lake, Loretto, and
Maple Plain would certainly play a role in these agreements. Plymouth would also be a
potential partner for mutual aid.
4 Human Resources
The City would need to develop job descriptions and qualifications for every position in
the fire department. The process to hire and promote will also need to be developed and
implemented prior to converting the existing Hamel Fire Department into a City
department. Even though the fire department is being staffed with volunteer members,
there may be a need for a pay scale to be implemented to include stipends.
Within the current City organization, the human resources function is handled by the
Assistant City Administrator who also has other duties including city elections, data
practices, IT/communications and is the City Clerk. To handle the needs of the fire
department, including the hiring and promotion processes, payroll administration and
other human resource needs of the department, the City would likely need a part-time
human resources assistant.
Additional considerations that will impact the City of Medina include the provisions of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For the ACA, once
the City has 50 employees the ACA requires the employer to begin tracking hours and
conducting look back periods. Once an employee reaches an average of 30 or more hours
per week, the City will need to provide health insurance. While the volunteer firefighters
may not meet the 30-hour requirement, the ACA does require the City to track and
evaluate the hours on a regular basis adding additional responsibilities to the human
resources function.
The additional employees would also trigger the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and
the City of Medina 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:
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• If the employee is employed for at least 12 months by the city
• If the employee is employed for at least 1,250 hours of services with city 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 requirement s. As well, this will add to the workload of the
human resources function.
5 Financial Resources
The City of Medina provides its residents fire protection through contracted services with
four fire departments that it also supports with financial resources. Each of these contracts
have termination clauses that have different termination notice time frames.
• Long Lake Fire Department has a without cause termination notice of 2 years.
Assuming notice would be given on January 1, 2021, the contract would then be
terminated on December 31, 2022.
• Loretto Fire Department has a without cause termination notice of 1 year. Assuming
notice would be given on January 1, 2021, the contract would then be terminated on
December 31, 2021.
• Maple Plain Fire Department contract may be terminated with a minimum six-month
notice and the termination effective on January 1 of the following year from the time
the notice is given. Assuming the notice provided would be given on January 1, 2021,
the contract would then be terminated on January 1 , 2022.
• The Hamel Fire Department contract contains a termination clause for any reason with
a 2-year written notice that cannot be issued any earlier than December 31, 2020.
Assuming the notice would be given on January 1, 2021, the contract would terminate
on December 31, 2022.
However, in this instance the Hamel Fire Department Board of Trustees have indicated
their desire for the Hamel Fire Department to become a City department and are
apparently amicable to a termination of the current contract. As such, consideration of the
termination clause is being absolved. As noted previously, Hamel Fire Department has
offered to allow the transfer of assets for certain non -monetary considerations.
The following table illustrates the financial impact for the City of Medina with creating a
City fire department. There are a few assumptions in this projected budget.
• The new City fire department would begin operations on January 1, 2021.
• The Fire Chief would be a full-time position
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• With the exception of the Fire Chief, the department would remain as a volunteer
organization.
• Contract termination notices would be given on January 1, 2021.
• The City would assume full ownership of the Hamel Fire Department assets on
January 1, 2021.
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City of Medina Financial Forecast
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Administrative Salaries $90,000 $92,700 $95,481 $98,345 $101,296
Volunteer Stipends $50,000 $51,500 $53,045 $54,636 $56,275
FICA $6,885 $7,092 $7,304 $7,523 $7,749
Health Insurance $12,000 $12,360 $12,731 $13,113 $13,506
Workers Compensation $18,377 $18,890 $19,457 $20,041 $20,642
Retirement $21,000 $21,630 $22,279 $22,947 $23,636
Personnel Expenditures $198,262 $204,172 $210,297 $216,606 $223,104
Office Supplies $1,000 $1,030 $1,061 $1,093 $1,126
Medical Supplies $2,200 $2,266 $2,334 $2,404 $2,476
Small Tools/Parts $10,000 $10,300 $10,609 $10,927 $11,255
Turnout Equipment $15,000 $15,450 $15,914 $16,391 $16,883
Uniforms $7,000 $7,210 $7,426 $7,649 $7,879
Fire Prevention Supplies $900 $927 $955 $983 $1,013
Fuel $9,000 $9,270 $9,548 $9,835 $10,130
Total Supplies $45,100 $46,453 $47,847 $49,282 $50,760
Professional Services $7,000 $7,210 $7,426 $7,649 $7,879
Physicals $8,000 $8,240 $8,487 $8,742 $9,004
Computer Software Support $1,500 $1,545 $1,591 $1,639 $1,688
Phones $4,500 $4,635 $4,774 $4,917 $5,065
Electric $15,000 $15,450 $15,914 $16,391 $16,883
Radio Communications $25,000 $25,750 $26,523 $27,318 $28,138
General Liability Insurance $16,000 $16,480 $16,974 $17,484 $18,008
Training - Travel/Fees/Supplies $23,000 $23,690 $24,401 $25,133 $25,887
Total Services $100,000 $103,000 $106,090 $109,273 $112,551
Vehicle Maintenance $18,000 $18,540 $19,096 $19,669 $20,259
Building Maintenance $18,000 $18,540 $19,096 $19,669 $20,259
Office Equipment Maintenance $2,500 $2,575 $2,652 $2,732 $2,814
Total Maintenance $38,500 $39,655 $40,845 $42,070 $43,332
Long Lake Fire Department $35,568 $36,635 $37,734 $0 $0
Loretto Fire Department $108,105 $0 $0 $0 $0
Maple Plain Fire Department $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total Operating Expenditures $525,535 $429,915 $442,812 $417,230 $429,747
Apparatus Remaining Principal $104,594 $104,594 $104,594 $104,594 $104,594
Fire Station $0 $167,000 $167,000 $167,000 $167,000
Total Expenditures $630,129 $701,509 $714,406 $688,824 $701,341
Hamel Fire Department has principal remaining on three apparatus that total $522,969
as of May 2020. The previous table illustrates these balances as being payable in equal
annual installments of $104,594 over a five-year period.
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One of the assumptions in this financial projection is for the fire department to remain as
a volunteer department. As previously noted, this is likely to become an issue in the near
future as the fire departments currently serving the City of Medina have indicated they
are struggling to recruit new volunteers for their respective departments. The cost to
include paid firefighters can take several forms.
Some fire departments have utilized part-time firefighters to staff the department for those
hours that volunteer firefighters are not available, typically the daytime hours during the
week. Hourly rates can vary between $15 and $20 depending on the area and certification
levels maintained. The hours of operation can range from 8 -hour days to 10-hour days.
Using a 10-hour day allows for the overlap between the paid crews and the volunteer
crews to ensure personnel coverage for calls for service. The table that follows illustrates
the cost associated with using part-time firefighters.
Part-Time Staffing
Hourly Rate 10-hour shift 2 Personnel FICA Total Cost
$15 $39,000 $78,000 $5,967 $83,967
$18 $46,800 $93,600 $7,160 $100,760
$20 $52,000 $104,000 $7,956 $111,956
The hours are based on a Monday through Friday work week with the 10-hour shift
totaling 2,600 hours for the year for each position.
Conversely, full-time employees could be used to staff the department during the daytime
hours. The range of pay is $55,000 to $65,000 per year per employee. The table that
follows illustrates the cost for two personnel.
Full-Time Staffing
Salary FICA Health Care
Benefits
Total Cost per
Employee
Number of
Personnel Total Cost
$55,000 $4,208 $12,000 $71,208 2 $142,415
The cost for two full-time employees is approximately $142,415 and the hours for
operation would 8 hours per day. There could be some amount of overtime depending on
the calls for service at the timing of that request.
In terms of additional workload for the financial function, there will be additional payroll
issues, purchasing, and the payment of the normal invoices. The larger purchases will
require additional time to address the purchasing requirements for specifications and
purchase orders. To handle the needs of the fire department including the purchasing,
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invoicing and other financial resource needs of the department, the City would likely need
a part-time financial assistant.
The cost of operating a municipal department wil l exceed the current cost of contracting
for services, increase ancillary service needs and workloads for existing City personnel.
This should only be pursued if the Hamel Fire Department is going to cease operations
and a joint powers agreement does not become feasible, which is discussed in the
following section.
Recommendation:
The City of Medina should only pursue the creation of a Municipal Fire Department
if there is no interest or pursuit of a fire district with other surrounding
jurisdictions.
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7 Joint Powers Agreement
This chapter presents the projects team’s analysis of creating a joint powers agreement
to provide fire protection services to the City of Medina.
1 Joint Powers Agreement Overview
Many communities provide fire protection services through joint and other cooperative
efforts. These include regional organizations, cooperatives for management and
purchasing, and joint operations. The intent with these types of cooperative efforts is to
reduce costs, create an effective fire protection system and eliminate any duplication of
resources.
Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 471, Section 471.59, provide a mechanism to allow units of
government to enter into written agreements with other units of government to provide
service or the performance of a function. Functions include joint construction or leasing
of facilities or equipment and the provision of administrative officers and functions.
For purposes of this section the term governmental unit “includes every city, county, town,
school district, service cooperative under section 123A.21, independent nonprofit
firefighting corporation, other political subdivision of this or another state, another state,
federally recognized Indian tribe, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Historical
Society, nonprofit hospitals licensed under sections 144.50 to 144.56, rehabilitation
facilities and extended employment providers that are certified by the commissioner of
employment and economic development, data and supported employment services
licensed under chapter 245D, and any agency of the state of Minnesota or the United
States and includes any instrumentality of a governmental unit.”
Agreements between units of government must specify the functions or activities to be
performed and the means they will be performed. Financial considerations may be
addressed in these agreements to identify responsibilities of each organization in
providing funds to support the agreement. In addition, to identify any revenue that may
be derived from the function of the agreement. Transferring personnel and property
needs to be addressed in the agreement as well as the preservation of employment
benefits. The duration of the agreement can have a set term or may be perpetual.
In essence, a joint powers agreement can establish a fire district, but it cannot transfer
taxing authority to that district. The only manner in which taxing authority can be
transferred to or assigned to the fire district is through legislative action. This means the
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cities involved in the joint powers agreement will remain as partners throughout the
duration of the agreement.
2 Governance
There is no specific requirement for the establishment of a Board of Directors for or
through the joint powers agreement. This would require the existing governance to remain
intact to manage the organizations as they currently exist. Assuming the agreement would
create a common administrative structure for the overall management of the districts, this
could prove to be problematic as each governing Board could provide opposing views
and direction to the administrative officers.
A joint board is required to be established if the power to issue bonds or obligations is
granted to the joint venture. The joint board must be composed solely of members of the
governing bodies of the governmental units that established the joint board. The statute
also does not allow the joint board to pledge any taxing power of any of the governmental
units establishing the joint board.
The fire agency created by a joint powers agreement does not have any taxing authority
but will be expending funds based on the budgets from the various participating cities and
potentially hiring staff; a joint board should be established to provide appropriate oversight
and control.
3 Financial Resources
There are two financial items that will need to be addressed concerning financial
resources. Operating funds are those funds that will be used for the daily operations of
the fire district and the capital improvement funds to ensure the fire district has t he
physical resources to deliver the desired level of service.
The formula for funding allocation can take any form desirable by the parties involved.
The current process is for the fire department to submit a budget for approval with the
City of Medina. Contributions from the City are then based on the market value of the
property protected and hours expended on calls for service. In this formula, 70% of the
contribution is based on the market value and 30% is based on the hours expended on
calls for service. While there are other mechanisms to use for the calculation, this
calculation has been agreed upon by the parties currently involved in contractually
providing service.
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Initially the fire district will rely on the municipalities to provide funding for the operation of
the district. In order for the fire district to become a taxing district the Minnesota State
Legislature must pass a law providing the authority. Another mechanism to fund the fire
district would be to establish a property tax rate that would sustain the fire district and
apply that to each individual member of the fire district. The table that follows uses the
taxable market value of the four municipalities to determine the percentage of
contribution.
JPA Taxable Funding Formula
Taxable Market Value Pct of the Total
Long Lake $296,371,990 5.3%
Orono $3,419,069,460 60.6%
Medina $1,855,481,106 32.9%
Loretto $71,764,455 1.3%
Totals $5,642,687,011 100.0%
While this mechanism seems to create a heavier burden to Orono, if the fire district
becomes a taxing authority the funding will in fact become a heavier burden to the Orono
area. The table that follows provides another mechanism that takes in to account the
area, population and calls for service.
JPA Funding Formula
Sq Miles Population Call Volume Contribution Pct.
Long Lake 0.86 2.0% 1,816 10.4% 67 11.1% 7.8%
Orono 15.92 37.4% 8,339 47.6% 280 46.4% 43.8%
Medina 25.55 60.0% 6,712 38.3% 236 39.1% 45.8%
Loretto 0.26 0.6% 664 3.8% 21 3.5% 2.6%
Totals 42.59 100.0% 17,531 100.0% 604 100.0% 100.0%
This method is similar to the existing method but is somewhat simplified. All three
components are expressed as a percentage of the total for that component. When added
together then divided by three the percentage of contribution is developed. In this
scenario the municipalities that are the largest in size, population, and users of the system
contribute more.
The following table illustrates anticipated projected expenditures for five years for the
Joint Powers Agreement. It is based on the Long Lake Fire Department budget as that
budget was detailed and contained many of the expected line items for a joint venture.
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Joint Fire Authority Expenditure Projection
Line Item 2020 Budget 2021 Budget 2022 Budget 2023 Budget 2024 Budget 2025 Budget
Fire Chief - Full Time $ 96,533 $ 98,463 $ 100,433 $ 102,441 $ 104,490 $ 106,580
Volunteer Stipends - Calls for Service $ 88,740 $ 90,515 $ 92,325 $ 94,172 $ 96,055 $ 97,976
Training Stipends $ 56,610 $ 57,742 $ 58,897 $ 60,075 $ 61,276 $ 62,502
Fire Officer Stipends $ 26,163 $ 26,686 $ 27,220 $ 27,764 $ 28,320 $ 28,886
PERA $ 23,715 $ 24,189 $ 24,673 $ 25,167 $ 25,670 $ 26,183
FICA $ 32,054 $ 32,695 $ 33,348 $ 34,015 $ 34,696 $ 35,390
Employer Paid Health $ 13,260 $ 13,525 $ 13,796 $ 14,072 $ 14,353 $ 14,640
Work Comp Ins $ 30,600 $ 31,212 $ 31,836 $ 32,473 $ 33,122 $ 33,785
Total Salaries and Benefits $367,674 $375,028 $382,528 $390,179 $397,982 $405,942
Office Supplies $ 1,377 $ 1,405 $ 1,433 $ 1,461 $ 1,491 $ 1,520
Printed Forms $ 765 $ 780 $ 796 $ 812 $ 828 $ 845
Training/ Instruct Materials $ 995 $ 1,014 $ 1,035 $ 1,055 $ 1,076 $ 1,098
Motor Fuels $ 13,311 $ 13,577 $ 13,849 $ 14,126 $ 14,408 $ 14,696
Shop Supplies $ 612 $ 624 $ 637 $ 649 $ 662 $ 676
Chemicals / Foam $ 765 $ 780 $ 796 $ 812 $ 828 $ 845
Fire Prevention Materials $ 1,377 $ 1,405 $ 1,433 $ 1,461 $ 1,491 $ 1,520
Uniforms $ 765 $ 780 $ 796 $ 812 $ 828 $ 845
Medical Supplies $ 3,366 $ 3,433 $ 3,502 $ 3,572 $ 3,643 $ 3,716
Equipment Parts $ 2,295 $ 2,341 $ 2,388 $ 2,435 $ 2,484 $ 2,534
SCBA Equipment Parts $ 1,683 $ 1,717 $ 1,751 $ 1,786 $ 1,822 $ 1,858
Bldg & Grounds Maint Supp $ 3,060 $ 3,121 $ 3,184 $ 3,247 $ 3,312 $ 3,378
Small Tools $ 9,180 $ 9,364 $ 9,551 $ 9,742 $ 9,937 $ 10,135
Protective Gear / Uniforms $ 9,180 $ 9,364 $ 9,551 $ 9,742 $ 9,937 $ 10,135
Turn Out Gear $ 23,562 $ 24,033 $ 24,514 $ 25,004 $ 25,504 $ 26,014
Total Supplies $72,293 $73,738 $75,213 $76,717 $78,252 $79,817
Professional Services $ 10,710 $ 10,924 $ 11,143 $ 11,366 $ 11,593 $ 11,825
Auditing/Accounting Services for RA $ 7,650 $ 7,803 $ 7,959 $ 8,118 $ 8,281 $ 8,446
Physicals Other Medical $ 12,240 $ 12,485 $ 12,734 $ 12,989 $ 13,249 $ 13,514
Computer Software Support $ 306 $ 312 $ 318 $ 325 $ 331 $ 338
W.A.F.T.A. Dues $ 3,060 $ 3,121 $ 3,184 $ 3,247 $ 3,312 $ 3,378
Cell Phones (Nextel/Sprint) $ 6,885 $ 7,023 $ 7,163 $ 7,306 $ 7,453 $ 7,602
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Joint Fire Authority Expenditure Projection
Line Item 2020 Budget 2021 Budget 2022 Budget 2023 Budget 2024 Budget 2025 Budget
800 mHz Radio Admin Fee $ 16,830 $ 17,167 $ 17,510 $ 17,860 $ 18,217 $ 18,582
Internet (MediaCom) $ 16,983 $ 17,323 $ 17,669 $ 18,022 $ 18,383 $ 18,751
Pagers / Radios (Ancom) $ 4,590 $ 4,682 $ 4,775 $ 4,871 $ 4,968 $ 5,068
Education / Conferences $ 35,190 $ 35,894 $ 36,612 $ 37,344 $ 38,091 $ 38,853
General Liability Insurance $ 13,770 $ 14,045 $ 14,326 $ 14,613 $ 14,905 $ 15,203
Insurance Broker Fee $ 1,530 $ 1,561 $ 1,592 $ 1,624 $ 1,656 $ 1,689
Electricity Exp (Excel) $ 22,950 $ 23,409 $ 23,877 $ 24,355 $ 24,842 $ 25,339
City Water/Sewer/Storm $ 3,825 $ 3,902 $ 3,980 $ 4,059 $ 4,140 $ 4,223
Natural Gas (CenterPoint) $ 9,180 $ 9,364 $ 9,551 $ 9,742 $ 9,937 $ 10,135
Custodial & Waste Removal $ 13,005 $ 13,265 $ 13,530 $ 13,801 $ 14,077 $ 14,359
Lawn & Turf Maintenance $ 6,120 $ 6,242 $ 6,367 $ 6,495 $ 6,624 $ 6,757
Bldg Maint & Repair $ 29,070 $ 29,651 $ 30,244 $ 30,849 $ 31,466 $ 32,096
Light Truck Maint/Repair $ 8,721 $ 8,895 $ 9,073 $ 9,255 $ 9,440 $ 9,629
Heavy Truck Maint/Repair $ 17,213 $ 17,557 $ 17,908 $ 18,266 $ 18,631 $ 19,004
Other Equip/Boat Maint $ 6,885 $ 7,023 $ 7,163 $ 7,306 $ 7,453 $ 7,602
Insurance Claim Expenses $ 383 $ 390 $ 398 $ 406 $ 414 $ 422
Copier Maintenance $ 765 $ 780 $ 796 $ 812 $ 828 $ 845
Miscellaneous $ 3,060 $ 3,121 $ 3,184 $ 3,247 $ 3,312 $ 3,378
Dues & Subscriptions $ 2,448 $ 2,497 $ 2,547 $ 2,598 $ 2,650 $ 2,703
Recognition Expenditures $ 765 $ 780 $ 796 $ 812 $ 828 $ 845
Subtotal Purchased Services $254,133 $259,216 $264,400 $269,688 $275,082 $280,583
Total Operating Expenditures $ 694,100 $ 707,982 $ 722,141 $ 736,584 $ 751,316 $ 766,342
Capital Reserves $ 150,000 $ 150,000 $ 150,000 $ 150,000 $ 150,000 $ 150,000
Other Equip
Capital Contributions $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000
Total Expenditures $844,100 $857,982 $872,141 $886,584 $901,316 $916,342
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The projections are based on operating three fire stations and include a 2% annual
increase for each of the five years. There are likely some line items that will not be needed
and some that will need to be increased based on the needs of the new fire district .
For perspective, the following table illustrates the funding contribution for each
municipality for the next five years based on the projected expenditures. The rate of
contribution is from the previous allocation table using the population, area, and calls for
service.
JPA Contributions by Municipality
Pct of
Contribution 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Long Lake 7.8% $66,039 $67,125 $68,233 $69,363 $70,515 $71,691
Orono 43.8% $369,447 $375,523 $381,720 $388,042 $394,489 $401,066
Medina 45.8% $386,457 $392,812 $399,295 $405,908 $412,652 $419,532
Loretto 2.6% $22,157 $22,522 $22,893 $23,272 $23,659 $24,054
Totals 100.0% $844,100 $857,982 $872,141 $886,584 $901,316 $916,342
These projections are based on the current population and call volume data. As the
population changes and the calls for service change, the contribution for each municipality
will change.
These projections will likely change as the joint powers agreement process continues to
develop but they do provide some guidance in the decision-making process.
4 Physical Resources
To form a fire agency using the joint powers agreement it is common for the joining entities
to lease their existing equipment to the fire agency. The same type of agreement is
generally done for fire stations. Given the conditions of the Hamel and Loretto fire stations,
the City of Medina would benefit by combining the two stations into a single station located
in the area of Highway 55 and Mohawk Drive. The map that follows illustrates the 10 -
minute travel time and the area covered from this new location.
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This location could serve the entire northern section of the City and still maintain the
current 10-minute travel time performance objective. The map that follows illustrates the
coverage of the City of Medina with the proposed station and Long Lake Fire Department
Station 1.
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Using these two stations with a ten-minute travel time, the City of Medina would be well
served. However, the construction of a new station will require some time to be
completed.
The map that follows illustrates the ten -minute travel time using the Long Lake Fire
Department Station 1 and the Loretto Fire Station.
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The northeast corner of the City and a large area in the east central section of the City
are outside of the ten-minute travel time area. As well the majority of the call volume is in
the northeast section of the City. Using this configuration would likely decrease the leve l
of service.
With the amount of time that will likely be needed to plan and construct a new fire station,
continued use of the existing facilities, Hamel and Loretto, would be in the best interest
of the northern sections of the City. While the two stations are not suitable for any major
renovations, they can continue to be used until such time as a new facility can be
constructed.
In terms of apparatus, the City already has a shared ownership with the Hamel Fire
Department as noted previously. As well, Hamel Fire Department has previously indicated
a willingness to transfer the assets to the City of Medina if a municipal fire department
were formed.
The table that follows provides a listing of all the apparatus and the ownership of the
apparatus currently providing services to the City of Medina.
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City of Medina Fire Protection Apparatus
Year Description Type Owner
2018 Toyne Type 1 Engine Long Lake Fire Department
2018 Midwest Water Tender Hamel Fire Department
2018 Chevrolet Silverado Utility Hamel Fire Department
2017 Pierce Rescue Loretto Fire Department
2017 Chevrolet Tahoe Utility Hamel Fire Department
2016 Rosenbauer Type 1 Engine Hamel Fire Department
2015 Chevrolet 1500 Utility Loretto Fire Department
2014 Chevrolet Suburban Utility Loretto Fire Department
2014 Ranger UTV Utility Hamel Fire Department
2013 Polaris Utility Long Lake Fire Department
2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Command Long Lake Fire Department
2012 Pierce Utility Loretto Fire Department
2012 Ford Explorer Command Long Lake Fire Department
2009 Freightliner/Midwest Water Tender Long Lake Fire Department
2008 Polaris Utility Loretto Fire Department
2008 Ford Rescue Hamel Fire Department
2007 Pierce Water Tender Hamel Fire Department
2006 Pierce Water Tender Loretto Fire Department
2006 Ford F250 Utility Loretto Fire Department
2006 Spartan Type 1 Engine Hamel Fire Department
2004 Kenworth/Pierce Type 1 Engine Long Lake Fire Department
2004 26 foot Watercraft Water Rescue Long Lake Fire Department
2003 International/Pierce Type 1 Engine Long Lake Fire Department
2003 Sterling Heavy Rescue Long Lake Fire Department
2003 Ford F550 Rescue/Type 6 Engine Long Lake Fire Department
2001 Sterling/Midwest Water Tender Long Lake Fire Department
2000 Pierce Type 1 Engine Loretto Fire Department
2000 Ford F250 Utility/Type 6 Engine Long Lake Fire Department
1998 Ford F350 Type 6 Engine/Utility Long Lake Fire Department
1996 Pierce Type 1 Engine Loretto Fire Department
1992 Ford F350 Type 6 Engine Loretto Fire Department
1988 Ford Utility Hamel Fire Department
The list is shown in order of the newest apparatus first. Of the 32 vehicles listed, 13 are
ten or less years old and 7 are between 11 and 15 years in age. With the newer apparatus,
the replacement is not imminent and will allow the fire district to establish a replacement
program and a capital improvement fund.
The previous table outlined the apparatus available for a fire district. The next step would
be to determine what is needed to provide service to the fire district. The table that follows
provides summary of the type of apparatus and the number of each type.
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Joint Powers Apparatus
Description Number of Apparatus
Type 1 Engine 7
Water Tender 5
Type 6 Engine/Brush Truck 4
Rescue 2
Heavy Rescue 1
Command/Utility 12
Water Rescue 1
In terms of the number of apparatus needed to provide service, the amount of apparatus
in the previous table appears to be good starting point. Using a three -station
configuration, the seven engine companies would allow for each station to house two
engine companies with one in reserve. The number of water tenders and brush trucks
appear to be appropriate given the hazards within the communities and the lack of a
municipal water supply in various areas.
Hamel Fire Department has previously agreed to allow the City of Medina to acquire their
current apparatus. There are eight units in the department, of which seven units are
already partially owned by the City. Three of the units have principal balances totaling
$522,969. If the City can acquire all the apparatus for the principle balances owed, the
City should move forward with the acquisition. This would provide 2 of the 7 engines
needed and 2 of the 5 tenders needed along with other apparatus and vehicles.
5 Human Resources
The assumption of the JPA formation is for the organization to remain as a volunteer
organization with the exception of the Fire Chief’s position. The current volunteer
personnel would transition to the new organization. However, the fire departments have
expressed their concerns over the number of volunteer personnel that are available in the
area. For the future staffing of the JPA, there may be a need for part -time or full-time
staffing.
The fire departments have established relief associations to provide pension and
retirement benefits for the volunteer personnel. Typically, the amount of the pension is
based on the years of service the personnel have provided to the department. These
associations are governed by Minnesota Statutes and have specific duties and
responsibilities assigned to them. Minnesota Statutes allow for the consolidation or
dissolution of the relief associations and provide specific procedures to address these
issues. The consolidation of the associations will require appropriate legal guidance and
filings with the State to consolidate and create a new association.
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6 Comparative Analysis
The City of Medina has three choices with the delivery of fire suppression services; status
quo, establish a municipal fire department, or work with other partners in the area to
create a joint venture. The table that follows provides a comparative between the three
choices.
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Comparative of Fire Services Delivery
Status Quo Municipal Joint District
Governance
• No control of the fire
services other than
through the terms of a
contract.
• Complete control of
the Fire Department
• A position on the
Board of Directors to
provide oversight of
the fire protection
system.
Apparatus
• No ownership of
apparatus except
through the terms of a
contract with some
departments.
• Current Hamel
contract allows for
ownership rights
• Complete ownership
and maintenance
responsibility
• Would initially own the
apparatus.
• May turn over the
apparatus to the Joint
District in the future.
Fire Stations
• No ownership rights to
any facilities.
• Hamel and Loretto
stations will require
replacement.
• A new fire station will
be required.
• Maintenance of the
new facility would
become the
responsibility of the
City.
• A new fire station will
be required.
• Maintenance
responsibility to be
determined.
Financial
Resources
• Will continue to
provide financial
resources to each of
the four fire
departments through
contracts.
• Will be responsible for
all costs associated
with the fire
department.
• Will share the
operational costs with
the other partners in
the Joint District.
Human
Resources
• Each fire department
will be responsible for
their own volunteer
staffing.
• Dwindling volunteer
staffing may mean the
fire departments will
need to hire part-time
or full-time personnel.
• Paid personnel will
increase the cost to
the City.
• Would continue to
utilize volunteer
staffing.
• With dwindling
volunteers available,
may need to hire part-
time or full-time
personnel.
• Adding volunteer
staffing or paid staffing
to the City will likely
add other needs such
as human resources
or ACA requirements.
• Utilize the existing
volunteer staffing.
• May need to add full-
time or part-time staff
to provide services
sharing the cost with
all partners in the Joint
District.
Maintaining the established contractual system currently in use will require investment in
fire stations. Both Loretto and Hamel fire stations are inadequate and have outlived their
useful life. In addition, the fire departments have noted the volunteer staff is beginning to
dwindle and at some point, a paid staff will need to be instituted. The City will likely need
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to bear the cost for the additional staffing with little control of the staffing model. In terms
of financial resources, the following table illustrates the cost differences.
City of Medina Financial Comparison
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Status Quo $1,143,085 $1,168,157 $1,205,701 $1,234,950 $1,262,920
Municipal Dept. $630,129 $701,509 $714,406 $688,824 $701,341
JPA $491,051 $664,406 $670,889 $677,502 $691,126
The status quo is based on the 10-year projection that also includes capital expenditures
for Hamel, Loretto, and Long Lake Fire Departments. The Municipal Department is based
on the projections from Chapter 6 that includes the capital items of apparatus and a fire
station. The apparatus, as outlined in Chapter 6, would be paid over a period of five years
would be completed by 2026. This would reduce the annual cost by approximately
$105,000. The fire station cost, using the calculations in Chapter 6, is $167,000 annually
and would be for a period of 15 to 20 years depending on the financing arrangements.
The JPA cost is based on the funding formula previously illustrated and the projected
costs of the JPA that has Medina providing 45.8% of the funding for the JPA. The capital
cost is included in the previous table as illustrated in the Municipal Department Chapter
with the apparatus payments being completed in 2026.
For the City of Medina there is not much difference between a municipal fire department
and a joint fire district partnership in terms of the needed capital items such as a fire
station and apparatus. The advantage to all participants in a joint fire district is the sharing
of operational costs and eventually capital costs. Should the Joint Fire District secure the
right to levy a tax and become self-sufficient, the Joint District would assume all the
responsibility.
7 Implementation
This process will require time to complete as there are many moving parts to address
within each organization and jurisdiction. The Cities of Medina, Long Lake, Orono and
Loretto have expressed interest in the establishment of a joint powers agreement. Long
Lake Fire Department and the Loretto Fire Department have also expressed their interest
in the joint powers agreement. The Hamel Fire Department has expressed their desire to
be absorbed by the City of Medina in lieu of the joint powers agreement.
The first step is to bring those interested entities together for the purposes of outlining the
desired organization and the commitment to pursue the fire district. Within this first step
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is to determine the roles of the organizations and jurisdictions in the development of a fire
district. The cities involved are the organizations that have the duty to provide public
safety and they are the ones that have the taxing authority to financially support such an
endeavor. The fire departments involved have the technical expertise to support the fire
agency development but lack the taxing authority to provide any financial resources to
operate the agency.
Once the roles have been outlined, the process should turn to the development of the fire
agency. This part of the process can use existing joint powers agreements from other
agencies that have been successful in the development of their agreements and
operations. One such agreement is contained as an appendix at the end of this report.
In addition to the agreement contained in the appendix, there are other considerations for
the development of a fire agency as noted below:
• Organization – Legally establishing the fire district and creating the administrative
and organizational structure.
• Planning – Determining the fire district boundaries and the desired response
capabilities of the fire district.
• Financial – Determining the budget, the budget development process and how much
each community should be assessed.
• Physical Resources – How the existing equipment will be handled and how new
purchases will be handled in terms of ownership, placement, and usage.
• Human Resources – How are the existing employees to be integrated into the fire
district and how are new employees to be handled.
As the discussions progress, there will be other issues that are specific to the City of
Medina and the other partners that will require additional consideration and dialogue.
The chart below outlines a suggested timeline for bringing the joint powers agreement
forward for approval by the various entities. This timeline is for illustrative purposes;
certain phases may not take as long while others may take longer than expected. The
project team estimates the process will take 8 – 12 months to complete. The 12 month
timeline illustrated below can be accelerated if earlier tasks are performed
simultaneously.
Development of the Joint Powers Agreement
Phase / Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Planning - District Boundaries
Governance
Financial Resources
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Service Levels
Physical Resources
Human Resources
Recommendations:
The City of Medina should pursue the development and creation of a fire agency
through a joint powers agreement with surrounding jurisdictions.
The City of Medina should acquire all the apparatus from the Hamel Fire
Department if the apparatus can be acquired for the current principle balance of
$522,969 that is owed on the current apparatus.
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8 Facilities
The project team was tasked with conducting a walk -through evaluation of each Fire
Department station. The project team toured each location with Fire Department
personnel and was provided information as to the historical use, conditions, and general
shortcomings of each facility. The ultimate goal of the evaluation was to es tablish a
baseline inventory of current facility and site conditions to aid in determining potential
future use, expandability, deficiencies, and obsolescence.
1 Fire Department Facilities
For the facility evaluations, the project team conducted a “walk through” assessment of
the facility’s exterior, interior and technical systems in August 2020. Overall building
systems such as structural, mechanical, and electrical were assessed to the extent that
they could be readily observed. All evaluations were supplemented by information
provided by the user regarding the current conditions and any recent or planned
improvements. The evaluations are not based on a detailed analysis, but rather as a
broad index of each facility’s relative physical condition and viability. Conditions were
rated on a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor, as defined below.
• Excellent – conditions are newly renovated or constructed, basic standards are
meet or exceeded.
• Good - conditions meet basic standards and potential exists for expansion or
redevelopment at low expense.
• Fair - conditions may be reasonable for improvement or redevelopment at
substantial expense.
• Poor - conditions do not meet basic standards and have little potential for
improvement without significant effort and resources.
The following fire department facilities were evaluated by the project team:
• Hamel Fire Department
• Long Lake Fire Department Station 1
• Loretto Fire Department
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• Maple Plain Fire Department
A summary of each facility/site evaluation plus general comments are presented in the
following evaluation sheets.
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Hamel Fire
Department
Facility Location:
92 Hamel Road
Description of Use
This facility is owned by the Fire Department and staffed with volunteer
personnel. The service area for this station includes the northeast quadrant
of the City.
Year Constructed 1969 Additional bays added in 1985
Site Conditions
Total Parking Spaces: None
ADA Parking Spaces: None
Signage: Fair
Accessibility Issues: Fair
Expansion Capability: Limited area to the rear of the
building
Building Exterior
Exterior Wall: Fair
Roof: Poor
Apron Fair
Apron/Street Visibility Good
Building Interior
Sleeping Quarters None
Crew Quarters Kitchen area in the rea of the
apparatus bay
Men’s/Women’s Facilities Separate restrooms, unisex
shower
Overall Layout: Poor
Renovation Suitability: Poor
Apparatus Area
Number of Bays 4
Apparatus Bay Space Poor
Separate Storage for Turnout Gear No - Gear stored in apparatus bay
Extractor for Turnout Gear Yes
Technical Systems
Plumbing: Poor
Mechanical (HVAC): Poor
Electrical: Poor
Lighting: Poor
Vehicle Exhaust System Yes
Back-Up Power Yes - manually operated generator
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Vertical Transportation: N/A
Comments
The apparatus bays are not deep enough, the apparatus is against the rear
wall, no workspace between the apparatus. The meeting room is small, able
to hold approximately 10 to 15 people. The kitchen area is behind a truck in
the apparatus bay. The HVAC system is electric baseboard heat and a wall
unit for air conditioning in the meeting room. There is no parking available
on the lot and the only expansion area is to the rear of the building. Electric,
plumbing, and roof are original equipment.
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Long Lake Fire
Department
Facility Location:
340 Willow Avenue N
Description of Use Provides service to Long Lake, Orono, and the south-central section of
Medina. Serves as the Administrative Offices of the Fire Department.
Year Constructed 2003
Site Conditions
Total Parking Spaces: 47 marked
ADA Parking Spaces: 3 marked
Signage: Good
Accessibility Issues: Good
Expansion Capability: Good (room to the rear of the facility)
Building Exterior
Exterior Wall: Good
Roof: Good
Apron Good
Apron/Street Visibility Good
Building Interior
Sleeping Quarters None Present
Crew Quarters Kitchen available
Men’s/Women’s Facilities Both available - restrooms/showers
Overall Layout: Good
Renovation Suitability: Good
Apparatus Area
Number of Bays 6
Apparatus Bay Space Good
Separate Storage for Turnout Gear Yes
Extractor for Turnout Gear Yes
Technical Systems
Plumbing: Good
Mechanical (HVAC): Good
Electrical: Good
Lighting: Good
Vehicle Exhaust System Good
Back-Up Power Good
Vertical Transportation: N/A
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Comments
Overall, the station is in good condition with plenty of space in the apparatus
bay for equipment and work areas. There are no sleeping quarters but could
be added as an addition to the rear of the building.
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Loretto Fire
Department
Facility Location:
259 North Medina
Avenue
Description of Use
This facility is owned by the Fire Department and staffed with paid-on-call
personnel. The northwest quadrant of the City receives service from this
station.
Year Constructed 1980
Site Conditions
Total Parking Spaces: 30 marked
ADA Parking Spaces: None
Signage: Fair
Accessibility Issues: Fair
Expansion Capability: No expansion capabilities
Building Exterior
Exterior Wall: Fair
Roof: Good - replaced in 2017
Apron Good
Apron/Street Visibility Good
Building Interior
Sleeping Quarters None
Crew Quarters Small kitchen on the second floor
Men’s/Women’s Facilities Men’s and Women’s restroom
Overall Layout: Poor
Renovation Suitability: Poor
Apparatus Area
Number of Bays 4
Apparatus Bay Space Poor - trucks are against the rear
wall
Separate Storage for Turnout Gear No - Gear is stored in apparatus
bay
Extractor for Turnout Gear No
Technical Systems
Plumbing: Fair
Mechanical (HVAC): Fair
Electrical: Fair
Lighting: Fair
Vehicle Exhaust System Yes
Back-Up Power
Yes
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Vertical Transportation: Stairs only
Comments
The facility is built with the rear wall into a hillside so there is no expansion
capability. Apparatus is literally touching the rear wall, one of the rest rooms
can only be used if the truck is out of the bay. The electrical and HVAC
systems are original equipment.
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Maple Plain Fire
Department
Facility Location:
1645 Pioneer Avenue
Description of Use Located in the City of Maple Plain providing service to Maple Plain, Medina,
and Independence.
Year Constructed 1980
Site Conditions
Total Parking Spaces: 26
ADA Parking Spaces: 2
Signage: Fair
Accessibility Issues: Fair
Expansion Capability: Good - room on two sides
Building Exterior
Exterior Wall: Fair
Roof: Good - replaced in 2010
Apron Good
Apron/Street Visibility Good
Building Interior
Sleeping Quarters None
Crew Quarters Kitchen and small meeting room
Men’s/Women’s Facilities Men’s and Women’s restroom, no
showers
Overall Layout: Good
Renovation Suitability: Fair
Apparatus Area
Number of Bays 4
Apparatus Bay Space Fair
Separate Storage for Turnout Gear Gear stored in apparatus bay
Extractor for Turnout Gear No
Technical Systems
Plumbing: Good
Mechanical (HVAC): Good - apparatus heating system
renovated in 2000
Electrical: Good
Lighting: Good
Vehicle Exhaust System Yes
Back-Up Power Yes
Vertical Transportation: Stairs
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Comments
Apparatus bay space is deep enough for some apparatus to be double
stacked but not much room between the apparatus. Any renovations will
require an addition to the building such as for sleeping quarters. Overall, the
facility is good condition on a dead-end section of the street.
2 Public Works Facility
The project team was tasked with conducting a walk -through evaluation of the public
works facility to evaluate its potential use as a fire station. Two bays on the north side of
the facility were specifically evaluated for use as a fire station facility.
These two bays are deep enough to provide sufficient space for apparatus. Additionally,
the bay doors are high enough to accommodate larger appara tus as well. The depth of
these two bays would allow for apparatus to be stacked in the bays reducing the number
of bays needed. However, this practice also increases the response time when
responding to a call for service. The type of call dictates the re sponse, it is quite feasible
the apparatus needed for a call would be staged behind another in the bay meaning the
first apparatus would need to be moved before the response could begin.
There are other issues that need to be considered. Crew quarters wo uld need to be
installed in the building, close to the apparatus bays that would include restrooms,
showers, kitchen, and lounge area. These would need to be in place in the anticipation of
full-time crews being housed in the station or volunteer crews staging in the fire station
during a long-term event.
The response for a call for service in the current environment requires the volunteer
member to respond to the station. There is limited parking on the north side of the building
that would need to be added to accommodate these responders. Another consideration
is the two operations that could be occurring simultaneously. Public works is moving in
and out of the facility with salt trucks and snowplows during a snow event and the fire
department is trying to maneuver in and out to respond to calls for service. With these
two operations occurring simultaneously, there would be private vehicles, dump trucks,
snowplows and fire apparatus moving in a variety of directions at the same time in a small
space.
The response to calls for service and the operations of the public works could create a
conflict in the moving of equipment and supplies. The other issue is the living
arrangements. With full-time crews, the fire station becomes a home for the personnel for
the 24-hour period. Placing the living quarters of the fire department on the second floor
in the public works building will likely create noise issues between the two groups. For
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example, the public works crews respond to a water main break at 3 am. In d oing their
job there would likely be a considerable amount of noise moving equipment and supplies.
At the same time the fire crew is trying to sleep above the work area.
3 Summary
Fire department facilities are all purpose-built facilities that were constructed between
1969 and 2003. Overall, the Long Lake and Maple Plain facilities are in good condition,
adequately sized for their operations, and well maintained. Each have the capability to be
renovated or expand as needed as the site locations have the availability of land
surrounding the station.
The Hamel fire station should be razed and will need to be relocated. In terms of the
interior of the structure:
• The meeting/training room is not large enough to accommodate a normal
classroom size of 20 to 25 students or to hold a meeting with more than 15 people.
• The apparatus bays are not deep enough to properly house the larger apparatus
currently used by today’s fire service.
• The food preparation area is located in the apparatus bay behind the rescue truck,
not an appropriate space to prepare food or meals with the vehicle exhaust or other
contaminates.
The exterior of the structure has issues as well:
• The roof is reported to be the original roof.
• There is no on-site parking.
• Space to the rear of the building is limited in terms of the lot size.
The building is not suitable for any renovations to add proper food preparation areas,
sleeping quarters, dining areas or training/meeting rooms. The facility has separate
restroom facilities but only has a single unisex shower.
The Loretto fire station should be razed and will likely need to be relocated due to the
configuration of the existing site. The rear of the apparatus bay is against a hillside with
the on-site parking on the upper level. For the interior of the facility the following issues
were noted:
• The apparatus bays are too small for the apparatus. The rear of the apparatus is
physically against the rear wall.
• The women’s restroom is completely blocked by the apparatus.
• There is a small meeting room (approximately 920 sq. ft.) on the second floor
that also houses a small kitchen and office workspace.
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The exterior of the of the structure is in fair condition with on -site parking available and
good visibility for leaving the station. The topography of the lot may not be very conducive
to any expansion with the only option to build a second floor.
Neither of these two stations are suitable for the renovations necessary to house staffing
- volunteer, part-time or full-time. To accommodate in-station staffing, the stations would
need to be expanded to provide appropriate facilities for food preparation, sleeping
quarters, restrooms, and shower facilities. In Hamel, expanding the living quarters would
not leave room to expand the apparatus bays. In Loretto, adding a second floor for living
quarters does not address the apparatus bay area.
Recommendations:
The City of Medina should not invest additional funding to the fire stations in
Loretto or Hamel.
The City of Medina should not integrate a fire station into the public works facility
as the operations of a fire department and public works are not conducive to each
other.
The City of Medina should pursue a new fire station facility at a location that fits
the new fire district model or the municipal fire department model.
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A Sample Joint Powers Agreement
The sample joint powers agreement included in this appendix is for refere nce purposes
only. It was used in 2014 to establish a fire district in Rice County Minnesota that involved
10 units of government similar to the number of potential participants in the Medina area.
This sample provides background and support to the process of creating a successful
organization.
JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT
FIRE PROTECTION AND RESCUE SERVICES
THIS AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered as of April 1, 2014 by
and between the City of Northfield, Rice County, Minnesota, 801 Washington Ave.,
a municipal corporation under the laws of the State of Minnesota (“Northfield”); the
City of Dundas, Rice County, Minnesota, 216 Railway Street N., a municipal
corporation under the laws of the State of Minnesota (“Dundas”); and the Northf ield
Rural Fire Protection District, PO Box 280, Dundas, Minnesota 55019, a joint powers
board formed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 471.59 (comprised of
Bridgewater Township, Northfield Township, Webster Township, and Forest
Township in Rice County, and Waterford Township, Sciota Township, and Greenvale
Township in Dakota County, Minnesota) (hereinafter referred to as “Rural Fire”);
(collectively Northfield, Dundas and Rural Fire are hereinafter referred to as the
“Parties”).
Recitals
WHEREAS, the Parties hereto and each of the undersigned Members are each
authorized by law to provide fire protection and rescue services to their respective
residents; and
WHEREAS, the Parties hereto have determined that such power may best
be exercised jointly; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes, section 471.59 authorizes two or more
governmental units by agreement of their governing bodies jointly to exercise any
power common to the contracting parties and provide for a joint board representing
the parties to the agreement; and
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WHEREAS, Northfield and Rural Fire respectively own firefighting/rescue
equipment listed in Exhibit A, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by
reference; and
WHEREAS, Northfield owns a fire station located at 300 W. 5th St., Northfield,
(the “Fire Station”), as well as the real property upon which the Fire Station sits; and
WHEREAS, fire protection services have previously been provided by
Northfield through the Northfield Fire Department by means of a service contract
between Northfield, as the service provider, and Dundas and Rural Fire, as the
service recipients; and
WHEREAS, Northfield presently operates the Northfield Fire
Department with an efficient staff of firefighters, including a fire chief, other fire
officers and paid on call firefighters; and
WHEREAS, the Parties hereto desire to reach an agreement for joint
administration, operation, ownership, and control of a joint fire department.
NOW THEREFORE, the undersigned governmental units, in the joint
and mutual exercise of their powers pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section
471.59, agree as follows:
1. Name. The Parties and undersigning Members do hereby establish a joint fire
department to be called the “NORTHFIELD AREA FIRE AND RESCUE
SERVICE”, (the “Organization” or “NAFRS”).
2. Purpose. The purpose of this Agreement is to establish the joint Organization
governed by a joint governance board pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section
471.59 for the purposes of providing fire protection, suppression, preve ntion,
technical rescue and non- transport emergency medical services (the “fire
services”) for the Parties within the fire services area established herein.
3. Members. The initial Members of the Organization (“Members”) shall
consist of the following units of government:
a. City of Northfield,
b. City of Dundas,
c. Rural Fire,
d. Bridgewater Township,
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e. Northfield Township,
f. Webster Township,
g. Forest Township,
h. Waterford Township,
i. Sciota Township, and
j. Greenvale Township
4. Service Area. The NAFRS shall provide fire and rescue services as outlined
herein in the service area shown in Exhibit C, which is attached hereto and
incorporated herein by reference.
5. Governance. A joint powers board (the “Board”) is hereby created for the
governance of the Organization and to facilitate the performance of this
Agreement throughout its life. Such Board shall have the powers specifically
given herein and shall have the power to make recommendations to the
Members to improve cooperation and efficiency in carrying out the intent of this
Agreement and to make recommendations for amendments and supplements
to this Agreement.
a. Board Membership. The Board shall consist of eight (8) Board
members (the “Board members”); with five (5) Board members
appointed by the Northfield City Council, two (2) Board members
appointed by Rural Fire, and one (1) Board member appointed by the
Dundas City Council. The City Administrators of Northfield and Dundas,
the Administrator/Director of Rural Fire, the Fire Chief, the Northfield
Public Safety Director (or Northfield Police Chief if there is no Northfield
Public Safety Director) and the Director of Emergency Medical Services
for the Northfield Hospital will serve as ex-officio, non-voting members
of the Board. Board members will be appointed for 3-year terms. Board
members must reside within the area served by the NAFRS. For
purposes of this Agreement, Rural Fire shall act as the representative
of the township government members hereto on the Board, unless
otherwise provided herein, exercising all powers and duties and such
governmental approvals as are required in this Agreement on behalf of
the township government members.
No employee, full or part-time, of NAFRS shall serve as a member of the
Board.
b. Initial Board Members. Prior to the Effective Date stated herein, the
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Parties shall appoint their respective Board members by resolution
adopted by their respective governing bodies. Notwithstanding
paragraph 5.a. providing that Board members will be appointed for 3
year terms, the appointments to the initial Board, as provided in this
paragraph, shall establish staggered terms for the subsequent 3 year
appointment of all Board members to the Board by the respective
Parties. The initial Board members shall be appointed by the respective
Parties, as follows:
i. Northfield’s five (5) Board members:
1. 1 Board member shall be appointed for a 1-year term;
2. 2 Board members shall be appointed for 2-year terms; and
3. 2 Board members shall be appointed for 3-year terms.
ii. Dundas’ one (1) Board member:
1. 1 Board member shall be appointed for a 3-year term.
iii. Rural Fire’s two (2) Board members:
1. 1 Board member shall be appointed for a 1-year term; and
2. 1 Board member shall be appointed for a 3-year term.
c. Chair and Vice Chair. The Board shall elect from its voting Board
members a Chair and Vice Chair at its first meeting and annually
thereafter at its first meeting of the calendar year. The Chair shall act as
the presiding officer at all Board meetings and the Vice -Chair shall so
act in the absence of the Chair.
d. Compensation. Board members shall serve without compensation.
e. Meetings.
i. The Board shall hold regular meetings at least once in each
month for the first year of its existence with the time and place of
the regular meetings of the Board to be determined by the Board.
ii. A majority of the Board members shall constitute a quorum at a ny
meeting held by the Board for purposes of conducting business.
iii. After the first year, the Board will meet at least quarterly in each
calendar year as determined by the Board. The Board shall
establish a list of regular meeting dates and times each year for
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approval at the first meeting of the Board each calendar year.
iv. Procedures of the Board shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of
Order, and the Board may adopt other rules of procedure,
decorum, and bylaws not inconsistent with this Agreement and
consistent with standard custom and practice for meetings of
local government units.
v. Each Board member must attend a minimum of 75% of the
Board meetings to be held each calendar year. Failure to
maintain this attendance requirement will require the
appropriate appointing governing body to make another
appointment to the Board. If desired by the appropriate
appointing governing body, the same individual may be
reappointed.
vi. Each Board member shall have one vote.
vii. Proxy voting by Board members is not permitted.
viii. Meetings of the Board shall comply with the Minnesota Open
Meeting Law.
f. Powers and Duties of the Board. The Board shall have, and is hereby
given, all powers, duties and functions enumerated in this Agreement
and provided by law, and all such further powers necessary to carry out
the intent and purpose of the Organization as set out in this Agreement
including, but not limited to, all of the following:
i. To control and direct the administration of the affairs of the NAFRS;
ii. To make recommendations to the governing bodies of the
Parties relating to the NAFRS;
iii. To submit a proposed annual NAFRS budget to the
governing body of each party before July 1 in each year;
iv. To establish an administrative/organization structure;
v. To establish and execute operating and capital improvement
budgets;
vi. To receive and disburse funds, purchase, and sell equipment,
and fund all operations of the NAFRS;
vii. To enter into contracts and mutual aid agreements as
necessary to carry out the functions and operations of the
NAFRS;
viii. To comply with all public laws applicable to the Members
individually, including, but not limited to, the Minnesota Open
Meeting Law, Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, and
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the Minnesota Uniform Municipal Contracting Law;
ix. To hire, terminate and discipline employees and administer
all other personnel and human resources matters;
x. To contract with consultants, including, but not limited to,
accountants, auditors, the fiscal agent, engineers, architects,
and legal counsel or other services professionals as it
determines is necessary and convenient;
xi. To manage, own, lease and operate equipment, vehicles, and
facilities and buildings;
xii. To perform those functions necessary for protection of the
public as authorized by law;
xiii. To allocate costs to service recipients and make all
operational and fire services decisions;
xiv. To establish policy and procedures and safety regulations for
operations and fire services;
xv. To insure and indemnify the Organization, its Members,
Board and employees;
xvi. To cause reports, plans, studies, and recommendations to be
prepared;
xvii. To consider applications from additional local units of
government for membership in the Organization;
xviii. To adopt bylaws, rules, personnel policies, guidelines, and
regulations for employees and the operation of the Organization
and its vehicles, equipment, facilities and buildings;
xix. To annually establish and update a capital improvement
program/finance plan (including an equipment replacement
schedule) of not less than ten (10) years’ duration;
xx. To purchase or lease land, and to cause the construction of
buildings to implement the purposes of the Organization, except
that any purchase of land or construction of a new building or
facility must be approved by all of the Parties respective
governing bodies;
xxi. To lease or purchase equipment (including capital
equipment) and supplies necessary for the proper
operation, care, maintenance, and preservation of the
Organization;
xxii. To incur debt, as allowed by law, and approve financial
obligations of the Organization, subject to approval by all of the
Parties respective governing bodies;
xxiii. To acquire, operate, maintain, replace, and dispose of
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Organization vehicles, equipment, and supplies as may be
deemed expedient in carrying out the purposes of this
Agreement;
xxiv. To continue a Firefighters’ Relief Association for the benefit of
the Organization, including the power to determine whether to
approve a pension benefit increase, and to make such
contribution to the fund of the Firefighters’ Relief Association as
the Board deems appropriate or as is required by law; and
xxv. To exercise such other powers of the Organization as are
necessary to carryout, and that are consistent with, the
purposes of this Agreement.
g. Annual Report. The Board will submit an annual fire department/fire
services report by July 1 to the governing bodies of the Members.
The report shall include, at minimum, the following:
i. Budget and actual for the current year of all revenues and
expenditures for all operation;
ii. Budget projections for the following 2 years;
iii. Income statement and balance sheet for the current year and the
previous 2 years;
iv. Description of fire services provided to Members;
v. Description of present vehicles and facilities and potential needs;
vi. Fire district calls by type (rural, urban, I-35, rescue, fire);
vii. Response time (rural, urban, I-35);
viii. Organization chart;
ix. List of officers and number of employees;
x. Number of firefighters responding (rural, urban, I-35);
xi. Summary of Insurance Services Organization (ISO) scoring
and rating; and
xii. Such other information as deemed necessary or relevant to
Members regarding NAFRS operations.
h. Bylaws. The Board shall have the authority to adopt bylaws
establishing its own procedures consistent with this Agreement. The
Board may amend its bylaws by majority vote of all of the Board
members.
i. Disbursements. Except as otherwise provided, all unbudgeted
disbursements and expenditures of the Organization shall be approved
by the Board. All checks issued by the NAFRS from NAFRS funds shall
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be co-signed by two officials designated by the Board.
j. Annual Audit. The Board shall cause to be made an annual audit of
the books and accounts of the NAFRS, consistent with the
requirements of the State Auditor, and shall make and file such annual
audit report to its Members within four (4) months after the end of each
fiscal year (January 1-December 31), which includes but is not limited
to the following information:
i. The financial condition of the NAFRS and all revenues and
expenditures;
ii. The status of all NAFRS activities and projects;
iii. The business transacted by the NAFRS; and
iv. Other matters which affect the interests, operations or
finances of the NAFRS.
The audit shall be contracted out to an external professional auditing
firm not associated with the NAFRS and such auditor shall be
designated to ensure that the NAFRS and its finances and accounting
are in compliance with all applicable legal and auditing requirements,
proper fire service standards and practices, and effective financial
controls.
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6. Budget.
a. Organization Budget. The Parties agree that annually, prior to August1
of each calendar year of this Agreement, the Board shall develop and
approve a budget of operating expenses and capital expenditures for
the ensuing calendar year and present the same to the Parties for their
consideration and approval on or before August 1. The budget prepared
by the Board shall consist of the entire cost of operation of the NAFRS,
including capital contributions and contributions to the firefighters relief
association.
b. Review of Board Budget. On or before September 30 in each year,
the governing bodies of each of the Parties shall act to approve or
disapprove the NAFRS budget submitted by the Board for the next
calendar year. If the governing bodies of the Parties disagree on budget
approval, then they shall forthwith convene a meeting of the Parties’
governing bodies to consider the matter. Until the new budget is
approved by the Parties’ governing bodies, continuing NAFRS
expenditures shall be in accord with the last approved budget.
c. Budget Report. The Board shall prepare and submit a quarterly budget
report to the Parties, showing a record of receipts and disbursements,
which shall be forwarded to the Parties’ governing bodies within 30 days
following the close of the quarter.
7. Funding.
a. Party Contributions. The NAFRS shall be funded by the participating
Parties as provided herein. Each Party shall contribute an allocated
share (“Party Contribution”) of the total operating budget (capital and
operating expenses and relief association contribution) of the NAFRS.
The amount of the Party Contribution respectively for fiscal year 2014,
2015, 2016 and 2017 shall be:
i. Northfield 72.2%
ii. Rural Fire 22.4%
iii. Dundas 5.37%
b. Adjustment Process. The Party Contributions shall be updated every
two years starting with the year 2019 for the 2020 budget in accordance
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with the procedure described in Exhibit D, which is attached hereto and
incorporated herein by reference. Annual Party Contributions will be
determined by the process described in Exhibit D. The population
numbers used to calculate annual Party Contributions will be those most
recently certified by the Minnesota State Demographer. The Estimated
Market Values of Improvements will be those most recently certified by
the relevant County Auditors for the Members’ respective jurisdictions.
Fire Calls will be those reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting
System by the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service (NAFRS) and
occurring in the NAFRS service area.
c. Invoice and Schedule of Payments. The NAFRS shall invoice each
Party in an amount equal to one half of that Party’s share of the annual
budget on a semi- annual basis. The invoice shall be itemized showing
a breakdown of the Parties’ Contribution to operations, capital
equipment, relief association, etc., and such other itemization as
requested or required by the Parties to know and understand
completely their respective Party Contributions to the NAFRS. The
Parties shall be invoiced at least thirty (30) days before paym ents are
due to the NAFRS; payments being due and payable no later than the
following schedule:
i. First Half: January 1
ii. Second Half: July 1
8. Fiscal Agent.
a. The Board shall appoint a Fiscal Agent to provide budgeting,
recordkeeping, and accounting services necessary or convenient for
the operations of the NAFRS, which may be by NAFRS employees or
contractual arrangement. The Fiscal Agent shall be compensated by
the NAFRS at a rate mutually agreed upon by the Fiscal Agent and the
Board. The Board may change the Fiscal Agent as it deems necessary
from time to time. The Fiscal Agent shall provide services including, but
not be limited to, the following:
i. Management of all NAFRS funds, including Party Contributions
and grant monies;
ii. Assist in preparation of budgets and audits; and
iii. Keep and maintain all financial records.
9. Insurance.
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a. The Organization shall obtain and maintain at all times during the term
of this Agreement commercial general liability (CGL), directors and
officers, public officials errors and omissions, property insurance for
contents and mobile and miscellaneous equipment, property, and auto
insurance and such other insurance as it or the Parties deem
necessary for the NAFRS to fully indemnify the Organization, the
Board, the Parties and its Members for actions or omissions of the
Organization, the Board, the Parties and its Members arising out of this
Agreement as well as for employees, vehicles, personal property,
facilities and buildings.
b. The level of insurance maintained for each identified category provided
in paragraph 9.a. shall include insurance coverage equal to or greater
than the maximum municipal liability limit contained in the Minnesota
Tort Claims Act, Minnesota Statutes, section 466.04. The CGL policy
shall contain a general aggregate limit not less than $4,000,000 or the
maximum municipal liability limit contained in the Minnesota Tort Claims
Act, Minnesota Statutes, section 466.04, whichever is greater.
c. Additionally, the Organization shall maintain workers’ compensation
coverage for its employees equal to the statutory limits.
d. Each Member shall be named as an additional insured on the
Organization’s insurance.
10. Liability and Indemnification.
a. The NAFRS shall be considered a separate and distinct public entity to
which the Parties and Members have transferred all responsibility and
control for actions taken pursuant to this Agreement. NAFRS shall
comply with all laws and rules that govern a public entity in the State of
Minnesota and shall be entitled to all of the protections of Minnesota
Statutes, Chapter 466.
b. To the full extent permitted by law, this Agreement and the activities
carried out hereunder are intended to be and shall be construed as a
“cooperative activity” and it is the intent of the Parties and Members
that they, together with the Organization, shall be deemed a “single
governmental unit” for the purposes of liability, all as set forth in
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Minnesota Statutes, section 471.59, subdivision 1a. Furthermore, for
purposes of Minnesota Statutes, section 471.59, subdivision 1a, each
Party and Member to this Agreement expressly declines responsibility
for the acts or omissions of the other Parties and Members. In addition
to the foregoing, nothing herein shall be construed to waive or limit any
exemption or immunity from, or limitation on, liability available to the
Parties or Members, whether set forth in Minnesota Statutes, chapter
466 or otherwise.
c. The Organization shall hold the Parties and Members harmless,
individually and collectively, and will defend and indemnify the Parties
and Members, their officers, employees, and agents, for any claims,
suits, demands or causes of action for any damages or injuries based
on allegations of negligence or omissions by t he Organization. The
Organization’s duty to indemnify will be limited to its applicable
insurance coverage and does not constitute, or shall be construed as, a
waiver by either the Organization or any or all Parties or Members of any
exemptions, immunities, or limitations on liability provided by law or of
being treated as a single governmental unit as provided in Minnesota
Statutes, section 471.59, subdivision 1(a). The Organization’s obligation
under this section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
d. Under no circumstances shall a Party or Member be required to pay on
behalf of itself and other Parties or Members, any amounts in excess of
the limits on liability established in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 466,
applicable to any other Party or Member. The limits of liability for some
or all of the Members may not be added together to determine the
maximum amount of liability for any Member.
e. The Parties and Members to this Agreement are not liable for the acts
or omissions of the others except to the extent to which they have
agreed in writing to be responsible for the acts or omissions of the other
Parties or Members.
f. If a Member has procured or extended insurance coverage pursuant to
Minn. Stat. §§ 466.06 or 471.981 in excess of the limits on governmental
liability under section 466.04, subdivision 1, covering participation in this
Agreement, the procurement of that insurance constitutes a waiver of the
limits of governmental liability for that governmental unit only to the extent
that valid and collectable insurance or self-insurance, including, where
applicable, proceeds from the Minnesota Guarantee Fund, exceeds those
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limits and covers that Member's liability for the claim, if any.
g. If a damage award is higher than the NAFRS’ insurance limits , the
Parties agree that excess damages shall be paid proportionally based
on each Parties’ Party Contribution as of the date of the occurrence of
the injury which caused the damage.
11. New Members.
Another governmental unit may be added to this Agreement upon the
unanimous approval of all the governing bodies of the Parties. If
approved, the rights and obligations of the new party shall be set forth in
a writing amending this Agreement and the new Member shall be fully
obligated and bound by the terms of this Agreement as amended. The
new Member, based upon a duly adopted resolution of its governing body,
shall execute the amended Agreement and file it with the NAFRS. A new
Member shall not be compensated for any equipment donated to the
NAFRS. A new Member shall not have an interest in any assets upon
withdrawal or dissolution until the new Member has been a Member of
the Organization for a period of ten (10) continuous years.
12. Mutual Aid Agreements.
The NAFRS may enter into mutual aid and other service contracts to
provide services to other jurisdictions. Such contracts require the
consent of a majority of the Board.
13. Firefighters Relief Association.
The NAFRS shall be responsible for supporting and funding the
Northfield Firefighter’s Relief Association (“Relief Association”), including
any under-funded amount in accordance with Minnesota Statutes. The
NAFRS shall contact the Relief Association regarding this organizational
change immediately following the Effective Date and request that the
Relief Association take all actions necessary to change its enabling
documents and bylaws accordingly to allow existing and new employees
of the NAFRS to be eligible for membership in the Relief Association.
The Parties agree to contribute to the Relief Association annually through
the Organization’s budget and Party Contribution process. The Relief
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Association is a separate and independent organization apart from the
NAFRS. It is up to the Relief Association to manage its accounts and
allow pension benefit changes appropriate under the “fully funded”
definition provided by Minnesota State Statutes as substantiated by an
actuarial survey performed by a professional accounting firm. As relief
and pension benefits change, each Party agrees to guarantee the
payment of pension benefits at the level established, providing that any
benefit increases meet the requirement of “fully funded” as defined by
appropriate Minnesota State Statutes as substantiated by an actuarial
survey performed by a professional accounting firm. Notwithstanding the
preceding sentence, each Party’s obligation to guarantee the payment of
said pension benefits shall be limited to that percentage of th e pension
benefits which equals the Party’s Party Contribution.
14. Compliance with Laws.
The NAFRS shall be responsible for compliance with all Federal and
State regulations, standards, and requirements. NAFRS shall at all times
be in compliance with such equipment, personnel and training standards
as may be required by law.
15. Personnel.
a. The Board shall ensure continuance of a strong volunteer, paid on call
fire service. The Board will maintain a succession plan and leadership
training program for all officers of the NAFRS. The Board shall hire and
discharge full and part-time employees as it deems necessary in the
best interest of the NAFRS.
b. On the Effective Date, all personnel of the City of Northfield Fire
Department shall become employees of the Organization and the
Organization shall thereafter be solely responsible for all aspects
related thereto, including compensation of employees.
c. Rules, Policies and Procedures. The NAFRS must promptly, following
the Effective Date, adopt rules, policies, procedures, bylaws, and
regulations governing operation, management, department structure,
personnel administration and all other like matters related to the
Organization and its personnel and operations. Until such rules, policies,
procedures, bylaws and regulations have otherwise been established or
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changed by the Board, the Northfield employee handbook, standard
operating guidelines, and related regulations of Northfield pertaining to
the Northfield Fire Department are adopted hereby by the NAFRS and
shall apply to the NAFRS and its personnel, except to the extent
superseded by this Agreement, upon the Effective Date.
d. Fire Chief. The Fire Chief shall be responsible to the Board for the
efficient and effective operations of the Organization; the hiring,
termination, supervision, discipline and the direction of all NAFRS
personnel; the establishment of rules of conduct for those personnel of
the NAFRS; and carrying out the policies and procedures adopted by
the Board and such other responsibilities and duties as are established
by the Board from time to time. The Fire Chief shall be appointed by the
Board and serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Fire Chief shall be
chosen by the Board based on training, experience, administrative and
other qualifications. The Fire Chief shall be appointed by the Board for
an indefinite term and may be removed by the Board at any time in the
Board’s sole discretion.
16. Equipment.
a. Existing Equipment Listed in Exhibit A. Northfield and Rural Fire
respectively own the firefighting/rescue equipment listed in Exhibit A,
which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. In the
event a listed item is later traded or sold by the NAFRS, the trade -in
value or selling price shall be credited to the next annual Party
Contribution of the Party owning the piece of listed equipment traded or
sold. On the Effective Date, the Equipment listed in Exhibit A shall be
leased to the NAFRS for use in NAFRS operations. Northfield and Rural
Fire shall execute an Equipment Lease Agreement with NAFRS
respectively leasing the above listed equipment for One Dollar ($1.00)
each paid by NAFRS to Northfield and Rural Fire, respectively. The
lease term for each lease shall be for a period ending upon the
dissolution of the NAFRS or the withdrawal of the owning Party,
whichever comes first. Termination or withdrawal shall be as otherwise
provided in this Agreement with respect to disposition of assets.
b. Disposition of Other Equipment and Personal Property of City of
Northfield Fire Department to NAFRS. In addition to the foregoing, on
the Effective Date, all other equipment and personal property of the City
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of Northfield Fire Department used to provide fire protection services
and listed in Exhibit B, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein
by reference, shall be leased to the NAFRS. Northfield shall execute an
Equipment Lease Agreement with NAFRS leasing the above listed
equipment and personal property for One Dollar ($1.00) paid by NAFRS
to Northfield. The lease term shall be for a period ending upon the
dissolution of the NAFRS or the withdrawal of Northfield, whichever
comes first. In the event a listed item is later traded or sold by the
NAFRS, the trade-in value or selling price shall be credited to next
annual Party Contribution of Northfield. Termination or withdrawal shall
be as otherwise provided in this Agreement with respect to disposition
of assets. The Northfield Equipment Lease Agreement referenced
above in paragraph 16.a. and this lease may be the same instrument.
c. New Equipment Purchased Following Effective Date. The NAFRS
will maintain vehicles and equipment supported by a replacement and
refurbishment schedule, which will be reviewed and updated at least
annually by the Board and included in the budget. The Parties shall
each acquire an undivided interest as part owner of any equipment and
vehicles purchased by NAFRS following the Effective Date in the
proportion of each Party’s Contribution. If an item of equipment or a
vehicle is purchased with installments payable over a period of years,
then the relative undivided ownership inte rests of the Parties in the
equipment or vehicle shall be computed in accordance with the
percentage share each Party contributed to each installment. Title to
equipment and vehicles purchased by NAFRS will be held by the
NAFRS. The Parties agree to establish an equipment replacement
fund, not to exceed $100,000 in annual contributions, except by
agreement of the Parties. Contributions by Parties for capital
equipment shall be as part of the approved budget and included in the
respective Party Contributions.
A master fire department inventory of all newly jointly purchased items
will be maintained by the NAFRS. The inventory will indicate a
description of the item, identification or serial numbers, fire department
inventory number, the year of purchase, and the total cost of the item.
When jointly purchased equipment is traded or sold, the trade -in value
or sale price will be credited back to the NAFRS fire department fund for
use in equipment purchases.
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17. Land and Buildings.
a. Existing Land and Buildings. Northfield owns a fire station and land upon
which it sits located at 300 W. 5th St., Northfield (the “Fire Station”), which prior
to the establishment of the NAFRS was used by the City of Northfield Fire
Department. On the Effective Date, the Fire Station shall become the initial fire
station of the NAFRS. Northfield shall remain the owner of the Fire Station and
the real property upon which it is located at all times during the term of this
Agreement, unless the governing body of Northfield determines in its discretion
to sell the Fire Station and the real property upon which it is located. Northfield
shall execute a Fire Station Lease Agreement with NAFRS leasing the above
referenced land and building to NAFRS for the use thereof by NAFRS f or
amounts (the “rent”) to be negotiated and agreed upon from time to time by
Northfield and all the Parties to this Agreement. Apart from possible
modification of the amount and terms of payment of the rent, the Lease
Agreement shall be subject to review and renegotiation in 10 years after the
commencement date thereof, and every 5 years thereafter, at the request of
Northfield or NAFRS upon 90 days written notice. Any maintenance, alterations
or improvements to the Fire Station shall be the financial resp onsibility of the
NAFRS, and the NAFRS shall be responsible for managing and overseeing
such maintenance, alterations, or improvements. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the lease term shall be for a period ending upon the dissolution of
the NAFRS, the NAFRS moves to a new NAFRS fire station, or the withdrawal
of Northfield from the NAFRS, whichever comes first. The rent shall be included
in the NAFRS budget. Any leasehold improvements to the Fire Station or real
property upon which it is located shall remain the property of Northfield and no
compensation shall be paid to the NAFRS when and if the NAFRS vacates the
Fire Station.
In the event the Fire Station and/or the real property upon which it is located
is sold by Northfield, NAFRS shall not receive any of the proceeds from the
sale, unless the governing body of Northfield determines otherwise.
b. Insurance for Existing Building. Northfield shall insure the existing Fire
Station building. NAFRS shall reimburse Northfield for the costs to insure
the existing Fire Station building.
c. New Land and Buildings. All new joint buildings and land may be owned
and to the extent permitted by law, financed by the NAFRS. The cost of
new or upgraded facilities must be approved by all the Parties to this
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Agreement. The NAFRS shall be responsible for managing and overseeing
the construction of any new joint buildings.
d. Future Fire Facility. NAFRS shall make a recommendation to the
Parties on the location, cost, ownership, and financing of an upgraded
or new fire facility.
18. Allocation of Resources.
The Parties recognize that occasions will arise on which demand for
services outlined in this Agreement will exceed the resources available
for provision of such services. In such circumstances, NAFRS shall use
its best judgment to prioritize the delivery of services. The NAFRS shall
have complete discretion in prioritizing the delivery of services pursuant
to this Agreement.
19. Adoption of Uniform Fire Code.
Each Member agrees to take actions necessary to apply the current
Minnesota State Fire Code.
20. Effective Date.
The effective date (“Effective Date”) shall be July 1, 2014. The Effective
Date is the date that all provisions of this Agreement shall be
implemented in full transferring all fire service operations to NAFRS,
provided however, that all the Parties hereto have adopted a resolution
approving this Agreement and authorizing its execution, and the
Agreement has been executed by the authorized representatives of the
Parties.
21. Term.
This Agreement shall remain in effect until it is terminated in a manner
provided herein.
22. Termination.
This Agreement shall terminate and the Organization thereby dissolved
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upon the occurrence of any one of the following events, whichever occurs
first:
a. When the Parties, by written agreement approved by the governing
bodies of each Party constituting a majority of the Parties hereto, agree
to dissolve the Organization and terminate this Agreement. A
termination of this Agreement under this mechanism shall not be
effective for at least 12 months from its approval by a majority of the
Parties, unless an earlier termination date is approved by all the Parties.
b. When necessitated by operation of law or as a result of a decision by
a court of competent jurisdiction.
c. When necessitated based upon the failure to obtain the necessary
funding from the Parties or grant funding from the State of Minnesota
and/or the United States federal government.
23. Effect of Termination/Dissolution of Organization.
Upon termination of this Agreement, the Organization shall be
dissolved and the Board shall provide for the distribution of all of the
Organization’s funds and assets in the following manner:
a. The Board may determine to sell and liquidate any and all non -
monetary Organization assets prior to distribution that are not
otherwise owned by a Party individually. Upon dissolution, the Parties
will have 120 days to agree upon a division of the assets of the NAFRS
among themselves. The remaining property jointly acquired by the
Organization shall be sold for a reasonable price on competitive bids
and the proceeds divided among the owners in proportion to their
contribution to the purchase. The parties may be bidders at any such
sale.
b. Any and all personal property used by the Organization and owned
by a Party shall be returned to that Party upon dissolution.
c. Any remaining funds and assets shall be divided and distributed to the
Parties in proportion to the percentage of annual contribution of funds
by the Party to the Organization at the time of dissolution.
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Termination shall not act to discharge any liability incurred by the
Organization or the Parties during the term of this Agreement. Such
liability shall continue until discharged by law, this Agreement or any other
agreement.
If the Parties do not agree on the fair market value of a non -liquid asset,
the Organization may submit the item to a professional appraiser, whose
written opinion of the fair market value shall be conclusive.
24. Withdrawal of a Party.
A Party may withdraw from this Agreement by providing at least twelve
(12) months prior written notice of its intent to withdraw to the other
Parties. Withdrawal shall not act to discharge any liability incurred by the
Party prior to withdrawal. Such liability shall continue until discharged by
law or agreement of the remaining Parties.
If a Party withdraws from the NAFRS, and the remaining Parties decide
to continue the operations of the NAFRS under the terms of this
Agreement, including any amendment(s) thereto to change the
allocation formulas, the withdrawing Party shall be entitled to distribution
under paragraph 23.b. and the remaining Parties shall pay the
withdrawing Party for its interest in the Organization’s assets and funds
in proportion to the percentage of annual contributi on of funds by the
Party to the Organization at the time of withdrawal.
If the Parties do not agree on the fair market value of a non -liquid asset,
the Organization may submit the item to a professional appraiser, whose
written opinion of the fair market value shall be conclusive.
25. Dispute Resolution.
The Parties agree to engage in good faith to attempt to resolve any
disputes that may arise over the establishment, operation, or maintenance
of the Organization. If a dispute is not resolved informally, the Parties
agree to use the following process to attempt to resolve any dispute they
may have related to the Organization:
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a. Written Notice of Dispute. Any Party with a dispute regarding the
Organization may submit a written explanation of its dispute to the
Organization and to each Party. The explanation of the dispute must
be detailed, not repetitive of a dispute already addressed by the Board
regarding the same Party, relate directly to a matter within the scope of
the Organization or of the Board’s powers, and must suggest a solution.
b. Review and Response by Board. Upon the Organization’s receipt
of a written dispute, it shall be placed on the agenda of the Board’s
next scheduled regular meeting for consideration. The Board shall
respond in writing to all properly submitted disputes within 60 days
and shall provide each Party a copy of its response.
c. Mediation. If the Party with the dispute is not satisfied with the Board’s
response, it may file a written request with the Organization for
mediation. If the Party and the Board are not able to mutually agree on
a mediator, the Party and the Board shall each select a mediator and the
two mediators shall select a third. Each party to the mediation shall be
responsible for the cost of the mediator it selected and shall share
equally in the costs of the mediation and of the third mediator, as
applicable.
d. Binding Arbitration. If the dispute is not resolved in mediation, the
aggrieved Party or the Board may initiate a binding arbitration process.
The Parties agree the decision of the arbitrator shall be binding on the
Organization and its Members. The arbitrator shall be mutually selected
from the roster maintained by the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS).
In the event that the Party and Board cannot agree on an arbitrator, one
shall be selected for the Parties by the Commissioner of BMS. Each
party to the arbitration shall share equally in the cost of arbitration.
26. Taxing District.
The Board shall study the feasibility of converting the NAFRS to a
special protection taxing district or other form of special service taxing
district and submit a report of its analysis, findings, and
recommendations to the Members on or before July 1, 2015.
27. General Terms.
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a. Voluntary and Knowing Action. The Parties, by executing this
Agreement, state that they have carefully read this Agreement and
understand fully the contents thereof; that in executing this Agreement
they voluntarily accept all terms described in this Agreement without
duress, coercion, undue influence, or otherwise, and that they intend
to be legally bound thereby.
b. Authorized Signatories. The Parties each represent and warrant to
the others that (1) the persons signing this Agreement are authorized
signatories for the entities represented, and (2) no further approvals,
actions or ratifications are needed for the full enforceability of this
Agreement against it; each party indemnifies and holds the others
harmless against any breach of the foregoing representation and
warranty.
c. Notices. The Member’s representatives for notification for all purposes
are:
To City of Northfield:
City
Administrator
City of
Northfield 801
Washington
St.
Northfield, MN55057-
2565 (507) 645-8833
To City of Dundas:
City
Administrator
City of
Dundas
To Rural Fire:
Rural Fire Administrator
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To Bridgewater Township:
To Northfield Township:
To Webster Township:
To Forest Township:
To Waterford Township:
To Sciota Township:
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To Greenvale Township:
d. Assignment. This Agreement may not be assigned by a Party without
the written consent of the others.
e. Modifications/Amendment. Any alterations, variations, modifications,
amendments, or waivers of the provisions of this Agreement shall only
be valid when they have been reduced to writing and signed by
authorized representatives of all of the Parties hereto. The Board or any
Party may propose amendments to this Agreement. Such amendments
shall be in the form of a resolution adopted by the Board or a resolution
adopted by the governing body of a Party, as applicable, depending on
which entity is proposing the amendment. The Party s eeking to amend
shall present the proposed amendment to the other Parties and the
Board, as applicable. The Board shall issue a report on all proposed
amendments, including those initiated by the Board, explaining the
amendment and process for amendment co nsideration and adoption.
The Board shall include in its report a proposed resolution reflecting its
recommendation regarding the proposed amendment. Parties shall act
to approve, modify, or deny a proposed amendment within ninety (90)
days after the Board issues its report concerning the proposed
amendment.
f. Records—Availability and Retention. Pursuant to Minn. Stat. §
16C.05, subd. 5, the Parties agree that any Party, the State Auditor, or
any of their duly authorized representatives at any time during no rmal
business hours and as often as they may reasonably deem necessary,
shall have access to and the right to examine, audit, excerpt, and
transcribe any books, documents, papers, records, etc., which are
pertinent to the accounting practices and procedures of the NAFRS and
involve transactions relating to this Agreement.
g. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be deemed to have been made
and accepted in Rice County, Minnesota, and the laws of the State of
Minnesota shall govern any interpretations or construc tions of the
Agreement without regard to its choice of law or conflict of laws
principles.
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h. Data Practices. The Parties acknowledge that this Agreement is
subject to the requirements of Minnesota’s Government Data Practices
Act, Minnesota Statutes, Section 13.01 et seq.
i. No Waiver. Any Party’s failure in any one or more instances to insist
upon strict performance of any of the terms and conditions of this
Agreement or to exercise any right herein conferred shall not be
construed as a waiver or relinquishment of that right or of that Party’s
right to assert or rely upon the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
Any express waiver of a term of this Agreement shall not be binding and
effective unless made in writing and properly executed by the w aiving
Party.
j. Entire Agreement. These terms and conditions constitute the entire
Agreement between the Parties regarding the subject matter hereof.
All discussions and negotiations are deemed merged in this
Agreement.
k. Headings and Captions. Headings and captions contained in this
Agreement are for convenience only and are not intended to alter any
of the provisions of this Agreement and shall not be used for the
interpretation of the validity of the Agreement or any provision hereof.
l. Survivability. All covenants, indemnities, guarantees, releases,
representations and warranties by any Party or Parties, and any
undischarged obligations of the Parties arising prior to the expiration
of this Agreement (whether by completion or earlier termination), shall
survive such expiration.
m. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several
counterparts, each of which shall be an original, and all of which shall
constitute but one and the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned governmental units, by action of
their respective governing bodies, have caused this Agreement to be executed
in accordance with the authority of Minnesota Statutes § 471.59.
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EXHIBIT A
As of the Effective Date, the capital equipment owned by each of the Parties is as
follows:
2014 Fire Vehicles List
Vin Make Model Year Dept City ID #
1XPCHB8X3HN215887 PETE FIRE TRUCK 1987 NORTHFIELD 8115
DPSMN931073 HMDE DUCK TRLR 1993 NORTHFIELD DUCK TRLR
1PBBB16M8P1000663 SPPR BOAT TRLR 1993 NORTHFIELD BOAT TRLR
5DT211F2221006996
ROADMASTER
(RDMS)
DIVE TRAILER
2002
NORTHFIELD
DIVE TRLR
4EN6AAA8XD1007992 E-ONE HP78 - LADDER TRUCK 2013 NORTHFIELD 8118
BOAT NORTHFIELD BOAT
1PGBH5FC8FRHY1081 PMFB (Aerial) FIRE TRUCK 1985 NORTHFIELD 8128
1FDXF47F22EA31718 FORD CD DRW 2002 NORTHFIELD 8110
4P1CT0251YA000928 PIERCE LANCE - HEAVY
RESCUE
2000 NORTHFIELD 8120
TBD PETER PERSH 1926 NORTHFIELD PERSH
2109 EAGLE RANGER TRAILER 2004 RURAL FIRE RANGER TRLR
4XARD50A64D167437 POLARIS RANGER 2004 RURAL FIRE ATV
1HTWDAZR25J130341 INT'L TANKER 2005 RURAL FIRE 8126
4S7HT2B915CO50783 SPARTAN ENGINE 2005 RURAL FIRE 8125
2NPRHN8X79M772843 PETERBUILT M340 Tanker 2009 RURAL FIRE 8116
1GC3K0CG1BZ359257 CHEVY 3500 PICKUP 2011 RURAL FIRE 8113
4XAUH88A2DB626690 POLARIS RANGER 2013 RURAL FIRE ATV
1YGU51417EV111873 ALUMA 2013 RURAL FIRE RANGER TRLR
Updated January 2014
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EXHIBIT B
As of the Effective Date, the equipment and personal property owned by the City of
Northfield used for fire protection services and transferred to the NAFRS are as
follows:
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EXHIBIT C – NAFRS Service Area Map 2014
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EXHIBIT D
Procedure for determining the allocation of costs among the Parties
Step 1: Get the Estimated Market Value of Improvements (EMVI) and Populations
for each of the members. Get the fire call history for the previous three years. The
EMVI is to be obtained from the Rice and Dakota County Auditors. The Population
is to be obtained from the State Demographer. The fire call history is to be obtained
from NAFRS.
Step 2: Consolidate the EMVI, Population and Fire Call data for the townships in the
Rural Fire District.
Step 3: Determine whether Rescue Squad related costs paid by NAFRS exceed
$75,000 for each year of a two-year continuous period. If so, then rescue calls will be
added to fire calls.
Step 4: Calculate the three-year average of fire calls (or fire calls plus rescue
calls if so, determined in Step 3) for each of the Parties. A fire call is counted
if:
a. It occurs in the NAFRS service area. Consequently, it occurs in either a
township, Dundas, or Northfield. All calls in townships will be attributed
to the Rural Fire District.
b. A report has been submitted to the National Fire Incident Reporting System.
Step 5: Apply the following weighting factors for EMVI, Population and Average Fire
Calls to determine each Party’s’ obligation.
EMVI 33%
Population 33%
Fire Calls 34%
EXAMPLE:
Step 1: Current data for Estimated Market Value of Improvements and
Population:
Member EMVI Population
Northfield $1,035,768,030 20,355
Dundas $99,003,200 1,490
Bridgewater 128,172,500 1,837
Forest 60,085,700 682
Greenvale 76,394,800 823
Northfield 62,582,200 869
Sciota 11,894,400 114
Waterford 39,708,100 333
Webster 18,689,900 278
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Step 2: Consolidate the data for the townships in the Rural Fire District.
Rural Fire District EMVI Population
Bridgewater 128,172,500 1,837
Forest 60,085,700 682
Greenvale 76,394,800 823
Northfield 62,582,200 869
Sciota 11,894,400 114
Waterford 39,708,100 333
Webster 18,689,900 278
397,527,600
4,936
Step 3: Calculate the rescue squad related costs paid by NAFRS and the percentage
of these costs compared to NAFRS operating and capital budget for the year. These
costs are determined as follows, using 2017 costs in the example:
Capital equipment $0
Small equipment $0
Maintenance $10,000 equipment maintenance, fuel, insurance
Rent $1,600 use $5.00 /sq ft for the upgraded facility
Operations $6,000 8% of NAFRS facility budget
Personnel $1,900 Captain’s pay + employers contribution to FICA, Medicare
Total $19,500
The total NAFRS contribution to the Rescue Squad for this year was $19,500.
Step 4: Calculate the average of fire calls for the previous 3 years:
JPA Party Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Averag
e
Northfield 208 221 211 213
Dundas 7 10 11 9
Rural Fire District 41 37 34 37
Step 5: Apply the weighting factors to determine the percentage contribution for each
Party
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EMVI
(payable 2018)
EMVI %
Population
(2016)
Population
%
Fire
Calls
Averag
e
Call %
Northfield $1,035,768,030 67.6% 20,355 76.0% 213 82.2%
Dundas $99,003,200 6.5% 1,490 5.6% 9 3.5%
Rural Fire District
$397,527,600
25.9%
4,936
18.4%
37
14.3%
$1,532,298,830
100.0%
26,781
100.0%
259
100.0%
Party Formula JPA
Percentage
Northfield 67.6% x 33% + 76.0% x 33% + 82.2% x 34% = 75.29%
Dundas 6.5% x 33% + 5.6% x 33% + 3.5% x 34% = 5.17%
Rural Fire District 25.9% x 33% + 18.4% x 33% + 14.3% x 34% = 19.54%
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JPA Amendments Log
AMENDMENT RESOLUTION (number
and title)
DATE
APPROVED
by BOARD
1 2017-8 Amendment to the Joint Powers Agreement 8/17/17
2 2018-3 Amendment to the Joint Powers Agreement 5/17/2018
CITY OF ORONO MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 11, 2021
TO: Mayor Walsh, City Council
FROM: Victoria Seals, Aaron Printup, & Anna Carlson, City Clerk
RE: City Administrator Update
The purpose of this work session item it to give the Council a brief update of the hiring timeline for the
City Administrator position.
Exhibits
A. City Administrator Hiring Timeline
Administrator Hiring Plan
City of Orono
Hiring Timeline
Jan 11 Feb 9-19 Mar 8-12 Mar 16-19
Post position to:
LMC, MCMA, &
ICMA (Anna)
Jan 22
Review candidate
applications (Anna,
Aaron, & Victoria)
Present plan to
council/mayor @
work session
(Anna, Aaron &
Victoria)
30-day go/no-go
Jan 25
Update Council +
Mayor on progress
(Anna, Aaron, &
Victoria)
Feb 8Feb 5
Review candidate
applications (Anna,
Aaron, & Victoria)
Update Council +
Mayor on progress
(Anna, Aaron, &
Victoria)
Discuss candidates
next steps (Anna,
Aaron, & Victoria)
Discuss candidates
moving to
interview -narrow
down to 5 or 6
(Anna, Aaron, &
Victoria)
Feb 22
Review candidates
for further
consideration-
resumes &
applications
(Council + Mayor)
Ratings will be
compiled for Feb
25 mtg (Anna)
Interviews with
final candidates
(Council, Mayor +
Dept heads)
Mar 15
Review final
candidate
interviews
(Council, Mayor +
Dept heads)
Reference +
background checks
for final candidate
(Anna)
CITY OF ORONO MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 11, 2021
TO: Mayor Walsh, City Council
FROM: Jeremy Barnhart, AICP, Community Development Director
RE: Text Amendment Priorities
Last December, the City Council requested an update on pending text amendments. In an
ongoing process, the Council, the Code Review Committee, Staff, and the City Attorney identify
a number of ordinance amendments and seeks Council input on priorities.
Text Amendments identified to date are summarized on the attached worksheet. Staff has also
attempted to summarize the expected complexity on a scale of 1-3, three being the most
complex.
Staff prioritizes amendments based on several factors, including:
1. Council/ Commission priorities.
2. Workload for the expected duration of the amendment process.
3. Seasonal influences (e.g. Try to get lake related issues resolved before the boating
season).
4. Complexity. Complex ordinances may take several months of background work before
they hit the PC/ open meeting schedule.
The council had directed staff to initiate text amendments where staff observes deficiencies in
our ordinances, when our ordinances are unnecessarily difficult, or when the ordinance does not
further the goals of the Council. Staff is to seek authorization from the Council before
expending resources. As necessary, staff will seek initial discussion with the Council in a
worksession, prior to completing the public portion of the text amendment process, including,
where applicable, planning commission review.
Amendments initiated by the public, or the Planning Commission are processed immediately.
If the Council would like to change these processes, please advise.
Priority Description Case #Authorized/
Recommended by Date Complexity
1‐3, 3 highest Notes
1
Boat Storage ‐ This ordinance is intended to review and
possibly revise the regulations related to boat storage. The
initial goa is to ensure that the code is enforceable. LA20‐47 P. Attorney recom. 7/14/2020 3
2
Expansion Permits. This text amendment is intended to
introduce a process whereby a property and project
meeting certain conditions and standards can apply for the
an expansion permit, to be issued by staff. This could
potentially save property owners from having to prove
practical difficulties, and the Council, for those projects
that went to Council could approve a project based on its
own standards. LA20‐61 Code Review Comm. 8/20/2020 2
3
Dry buildable definition ‐ remove 18%. This is a pretty
straight forward amendment to amend the definition of
dry‐buildable in both the zoning and subdivision codes. LA21‐02 Council 10/12/2020 1
4
Dock Use/ Exceptions. Council member Johnson and Richie
Anderson are putting some thoughts together on this
proposal to allow limited expansions of dock usage. LA21‐03 Mayor 11/8/2020 3
5
Appeal process ‐ exclude code enforcement activities. This
is a pretty straightforward text amendment intended to
make sure that subjects of code enforcement action are
appeals through the Court system, not through the city. LA21‐01 Staff and C. Attorney recom 9/30/2020 1 Attorney drafted
6
Lot area exceptions for dead trees/ buckthorn. This
ordinance would provide an exemption from the dead
trees/ buckthorn prohibition for lots larger than a certain
acreage, considering 1 acre. Staff recommended 11/8/2020 1
7
Repair Broken links/ references. Minor housekeeping
response to broken links in the code. Staff 1/11/2021 1
8
Long grass/ weeds. The City Code prohibits long grass and
weeds higher than 6 inches. There is no exception for
natural or ornamental grasses. An amendment would
provide an xception for duly planted or promulgated
grasses. Staff recommended 1/11/2021 1
9
Park Dedication. A review of our park dedication process
and practice. Substantial effort necessary. CC via Sub. Code 9/14/2020 3
10
Consolidate Definitions. Housekeeping related, review the
definitions scattered throughout the city code and
consolidate them to one place, remove inconsistencies,
etc. Code Review Comm. 8/20/2020 2
11
Plumbing CUPs. Review the process for approving
plumbing in an accessory building. Currently many pool
houses and similar trigger a CUP while the main concern
understood by staff is accessory dwelling units. Staff and C. Attorney recom 9/30/2020 2
12
Hardcover limitations for Lots of Record. Review the Code
and pursue whether the hardcover limits for lots of
record, currently 25% can be adjusted to coincide with the
tier, which could increase hardcover to 30‐35% or more. Code Review Comm. 8/20/2020 3 DNR sign off
13
City/ State Exemptions from specific areas of the city code.
Clarifying the applicability of city codes on certain County
or state projects. For instance, construction hours,
permits, and noise issues are exempt from city rules.
Codifying would clarify expectations. Code Review Comm. 8/20/2020 2
14
Special Lot Combinations. Establish standards and
procedures for 'special lot combinations' currently only
allowed in the RS zoning district (Big Island) Staff recommended 12/7/2020 2
CITY OF ORONO MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 11, 2021
TO: Mayor Walsh, City Council
FROM: Jeremy Barnhart, AICP, Community Development Director
RE: Boat Storage
Council has directed staff to prepare an amendment to the existing boat storage regulations in the
city code, Section 78-1577 (4), in order to clarify them and ensure their enforceability.
While developing a revision, staff and the city attorney quickly came to the realization that it was
necessary and beneficial that the review of this section of the code should extend beyond closing
a few loopholes. A rewrite of this section may be necessary. Prior to presenting a revision, staff
requests a dialogue with the Council to confirm goals of the regulation:
1. What are the primary concerns regarding exterior boat storage? What concerns is the city
trying to address; what are we protecting?
a. Are there similar concerns with other, exterior non-boat related storage (utility
trailers, snowmobile trailers)?
2. The current code includes certain storage parameters for boats or trailers longer than 30 feet.
Should there be a differentiation based on length?
3. Is there a place where boats (or boats on trailers) should not be placed?
4. Should there be different rules for summer versus winter?
5. Should storage of boats (and boats on trailers) be permitted differently based on whether or
not the property is on the lake or off-lake?
6. Does the Council view the storage of all watercraft the same way? Non-motorized boats;
canoes; and/or kayaks? Jet Skis, and similar?
7. Does operability of the watercraft matter? Seaworthiness (can it float)?
8. Should the storage location differ if it is an empty trailer; a non-boat trailer; or a boat on a
trailer?
9. Is there an appropriate maximum size/length/type of watercraft allowed to be stored outdoors
on a residential property? What is that size? The code currently calls out a 30 foot limit.
Why?
10. Is there a difference between seasonal storage and long-term storage?
11. Should there be a requirement for shrink wrapping for long-term or seasonal storage?
12. Should the storage location have to be hard surface? Is the storage/parking location hardcover
by default?
13. Should there be a limit to the number of boats and/or boat trailers to be stored outdoors on a
residential property?
14. Does ownership of the watercraft matter?
15. Do Setbacks matter? Setbacks based on size/height?
Exhibits
Exhibit A Section 78-1577
(1)
a.
b.
c.
1.
2.
3.
4.
d.
e.
(2)
a.
Sec. 78-1577. - Exterior storage in R districts.
In all R districts, it is the responsibility of the owner of any property, improved or unimproved, to maintain the outdoor
areas; including courtyards and the like, of the property and adjacent rights-of-way in a manner that complies with the
following requirements. All recreational vehicles, mobile homes, camping trailers, motor homes, pickup coaches, travel
trailers, special mobile equipment, and utility trailers shall meet the requirements of this Code. Additionally, all exterior
storage must comply with subdivision (6) of this section.
Definitions:
Blight means a deteriorated condition, something that impairs or destroys.
Junk means any cast-off, damaged, discarded, junked, obsolete, salvage, scrapped, unusable, worn-out or
wrecked object, thing or material composed in whole or in part of asphalt, brick, carbon, cement, plastic,
or other synthetic substance, fiber, glass, metal, paper, plaster, plaster of paris, rubber, terra cotta, wool,
cotton, cloth, canvas, organic matter or other substance, regardless of perceived market value or
requiring reconditioning in order to be used for its original purpose.
Recreational vehicle. Mobile home and recreational vehicle shall mean and include the following
definitions, and shall not include any manufactured housing unit bearing a State of Minnesota
manufactured housing seal or certificate, for uses including but not limited to those listed below:
Camping trailer means a folding structure, mounted on wheels and designed for travel, recreation
and vacation uses, also called a pop-up camper.
Motor home means a portable, temporary dwelling to be used for travel, recreation and vacation,
constructed as an integral part of a self-propelled vehicle.
Pickup camper means a structure designed to be mounted on a truck chassis for use as a temporary
dwelling for travel, recreation and vacation.
Travel trailer means a vehicular, portable structure built on a chassis, designed to be used as a
temporary dwelling for travel, recreational and vacation uses, permanently identified as a travel
trailer by the manufacturer of the trailer.
Special mobile equipment means every vehicle not designed or used primarily for the transportation of
persons or property and only incidentally operated or moved over a highway, including but not limited to:
ditch digging equipment, moving dollies, pump hoists and other well-drilling equipment, street sweeping
vehicles, and other machinery such as asphalt spreaders, bituminous mixers, bucket loaders, tractors
other than truck-tractors, ditchers, leveling graders, finishing machines, motor graders, road rollers,
scarifiers, earth-moving equipment. The term does not include travel trailers, dump trucks, truck-
mounted transit mixers, truck-mounted feed grinders, or other motor vehicles designed for the
transportation of persons or property to which machinery has been attached.
Utility trailer means any motorless vehicle, other than a boat trailer or personal watercraft trailer,
designed for carrying of snowmobiles, motorcycles, all terrain vehicles, or property on its own structure
and for being drawn by a motor vehicle but shall not include boat trailers, a trailer drawn by a truck-
tractor semitrailer combination, or an auxiliary axle on a motor vehicle which carries a portion of the
weight of the motor vehicle to which it is attached.
[Parking regulated.] Parking of recreational vehicles, mobile homes and utility trailers shall be regulated as
follows:
It is unlawful for any person to park a mobile home or recreational vehicle upon public property for
b.
c.
(3)
a.
b.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
(4)
a.
human habitation
It is unlawful for any person to park or store a utility trailer, mobile home, recreational vehicle in any "R"
district for more than 24 hours, except in a side or rear yard at least five feet from any property line.
It is unlawful to use a mobile home or recreational vehicle for human habitation on any private property
for more than 72 hours without a permit from the city.
Vehicle storage. All vehicles parked or stored on any property within the city shall be operable and currently
licensed. The parking of vehicles, other than recreational vehicles, in "R" districts is regulated as follows:
Parking of vehicles other than recreational vehicles, with a maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) of
14,000 pounds or less is allowed in all "R" districts.
Parking of vehicles in "R" districts in excess of 14,000 pounds GVW has the potential to create negative
impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. These impacts may include noise (from operation as well as
maintenance of vehicle); vibration; glare; odors; soil/water contamination (from dripping, washing, etc.);
hazards to pedestrians by way of proximity, especially on private roads; wear and tear on local or private
roads; propensity to offload remaining cargo on site at end of day; and visual incompatibility with the
character of a neighborhood. Such use may be acceptable under certain conditions in zoning districts
where lot areas are generally two acres or larger. Therefore, parking of such vehicles requires each of the
following conditions be met:
Property owner must be vehicle owner or operator.
Vehicle must be set back 50 feet from property lines.
Vehicle must not be visible from neighboring properties and public streets; vegetative screening is
preferred.
Maintenance of said vehicle shall occur within an enclosed building.
The vehicle shall not constitute a nuisance at any time.
In a shared driveway situation, the applicant shall demonstrate that the appropriate easement exists.
Minimum lot size of five acres. For any property at least two acres but less than five acres in area,
where it can be shown that prior to the effective date of this section such a vehicle was previously
stored on a regular basis prior to and after January 1, 2004, a vehicle storage permit may be granted if
the above conditions a. through f. are met, subject also to the following limitations:
A vehicle storage permit may only be issued for properties within the RR-1B, RR-1A, and LR-1A
zoning districts.
Such permit shall be granted only to the current property owner and only for the specific vehicle
applied for. The current owner may replace the vehicle in kind, but shall not add other such
vehicles. Any replacement vehicle must be registered with the city within 30 days to transfer its
permitted status.
This permit shall not apply to subsequent property owners, subsequent property owners shall not
be considered as having a grandfathered permit by virtue of their predecessor's permit.
This permit shall automatically and permanently expire if the vehicle storage is voluntarily
discontinued for a period of one year.
[Storage of boats and boat trailers.] Boats, unoccupied boat trailers, and boats on trailers shall be subject to
the following storage requirements when not stored for commercial purposes:
Licensing, operability and restorations. All boats stored outside on a residential property shall be licensed
b.
c.
d.
1.
2.
e.
f.
g.
(5)
(6)
a.
b.
1.
2.
to the owner or occupant of the property. All boats stored on a property shall be in operable condition,
except that inoperable boats under active restoration may be stored on a property for not more than two
years, the intent being to discourage the long-term storage of inoperable boats on residential property.
Principal residence required. No boat shall be stored on a property or on a group of contiguous
commonly owned properties that does not contain a principle residence structure.
Maximum length. Boats and unoccupied boat trailers exceeding 30 feet in length shall not be stored on
any residential property except within a fully enclosed building meeting all applicable zoning and building
code standards. Exception: Existing boats over 30 feet in length which are documented to have been
stored on the property within the 24 months prior to the effective date of the ordinance from which this
section is derived shall be allowed to continue such storage practice until the property is sold, and shall
meet the setback requirements of this section.
Allowed storage locations. Boats and unoccupied boat trailers up to 30 feet in length may be stored
outside on residential property as follows:
Lakeshore lots. Boats may be stored in a side yard, street yard, side street yard and lakeshore yard as
long as they meet required setbacks and have no significant impact on lake views enjoyed by adjacent
neighbors.
Nonlakeshore lots. Boats maybe stored in a side yard and rear yard; trailerable boats may be stored
on trailers in a driveway in a front yard or side street yard.
Required setbacks. Boats and unoccupied boat trailers shall be stored no less than five feet from any lot
line and no less than 15 feet from the principal residence structure on any adjacent lot.
Screening. Screening is not required for outside boat storage when in conformance with this section. If
boats are shrink wrapped, white is the preferred color but is not mandatory.
Dispute resolution. Complaints regarding boats stored in lakeshore yards and potentially impacting a
neighbor's views of the lake will be referred to a dispute resolution committee, consisting of the planning
director, the building official, and a member of the planning and zoning staff.
[Prohibited parking or storage.] Outdoor parking or storage of special mobile equipment as defined in this
section shall be prohibited in any "R" district.
Prohibited material storage. Any violation of this section is subject to abatement upon seven days' written
notice to the owner of private premises on which such material is found or any conditions in violation of this
code section exist. The owner of the property will be determined as shown by the records of the office of the
county recorder. The city may remove such matter or correct any conditions in violation, and certify the cost
of such removals or corrections as any other special assessment. Additionally, the city may also seek
injunctive relief for violation of this section. Owners of private property shall remove and keep removed from
all exterior areas of all residential properties the following items:
Pest harborage. All exterior property shall be free from rodent harborage and infestation. Boxes, lumber,
scrap metal, and similar materials shall not be allowed to accumulate outside a structure in a manner
that attracts an infestation of pests. Materials permitted and approved for exterior storage shall be neatly
stacked.
Trash and debris.
All household garbage, offal, dead animals, animal and human waste, and waste materials.
Accumulations of litter, glass, scrap materials (such as wood, metal, paper, and plastics), junk,
combustible materials, stagnant water, plastic bags or trash.
3.
c.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
d.
Accumulations of clothing and any other items not designed for outdoor storage.
Non-trash items.
Accumulations of wood pallets.
Accumulations of vehicle parts or tires.
All construction and building materials unless such materials are being used at the time in the
construction of a building, in which case such construction must be permitted and on a continuous,
uninterrupted basis.
All appliances or appliance parts.
All indoor or upholstered furniture of a type or material which is deteriorated by exposure to outdoor
elements.
All recycling materials except for reasonable accumulations, amounts consistent with a policy of
regular removal, which are stored in a well-maintained manner according to Chapter 50 and Chapter
54.
All other non-trash items which:
Are of a type or quantity inconsistent with normal and usual use; or
Are of a type or quantity inconsistent with the intended use of the property; or
Are likely to obstruct or impede the necessary passage of fire or other emergency personnel.
Fertilizer and burial of waste. No person shall leave, deposit, or cause to be placed on any private ground
any garbage, sewage, waste, debris, carcass, or other substance or matter which is offensive or unhealthy
by decomposition unless the same be buried at least three (3) feet under the surface of the ground;
provided, that the use of manure and phosphorous free fertilizer in the normal course for agriculture or
horticulture is permitted.
(Code 1984, § 10.60(13); Ord. No. 206 2nd series, § 1, 9-10-2001; Ord. No. 4 3rd series, § 2, 11-11-2003; Ord. No. 21 3rd
series, § 1, 11-8-2004; Ord. No. 29 3rd series, §§ 1—3, 10-24-2005)