HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-08-2023 Council Work Session PacketCouncil Work Session
Monday, May 8, 2023
5:00 P.M.
Orono Council Chambers,
2780 Kelley Parkway, Orono, MN 55356
WORK SESSION
AGENDA
1. 2024 Street Maintenance Part II
2. Draft Fire Needs Study Report
Prepared By: Reviewed By: A. Carlson Approved By:
CITY OF ORONO MEMORANDUM
DATE: May 8, 2023
TO: City Council Members
FROM: City Engineer
RE: 2024 Street Maintenance Project
1.Purpose. The purpose of this action item is to gain council guidance on planning for the 2024 Street
Maintenance Project. This is a continuation of the discussion on April 10th.
2.Background. In order to maintain our city streets the engineering department recommends a portion
of the city’s streets for various pavement preservation activities. Streets are inspected and assigned a
pavement condition index (PCI) rating. The PCI allows street to street comparisons and provides the data
required to conduct street maintenance programming and planning.
3.2024 Recommended Streets. For 2024 the recommended roads are as follows.
Road Pavement
Cost Estimate
PCI Remarks
Willow Drive (Fox to
Brown)
$ 621,700 56
Partenwood Road and
Lane
$ 122,300 53
Glendale Drive $ 47,200 58 Connection into Long Lake. ROW in dispute with
property owner. May request to add to 2023 Fox Street
Project.
Orchard Park Road $ 385,500 58 Added to the list in 2024 as the Fox Street Bids cam in
well below budget.
Preventive
Maintenance
$50,000 Crack sealing and contract patches
Total $1,226,700.00
4.2025 and Beyond. The list below is not exhaustive. There are several other roads in need on
maintenance in the immediate future (PCI <70).
Road Pavement
Cost Estimate
PCI Remarks
Kelley Avenue $ 547,400 67 This road has suffered from flooding in the past.
Stormwater improvements have been made however we
should consider raising portions of the roadway as part of the
project.
Lydiard Ave, Circle
and Carman Rd
$ 117,200 67 Due to proximity these would be ideally be completed at the
same time as Kelly Avenue.
North Arm Drive
and Lane
$ 778,800 58 Parks CIP has a trail being incorporated into this project
when it occurs.
Old Long Lake
Road
$ 805,200 58 Road base appears in good condition but pavement is
suffering from stripping (separation of wear and base course)
Spring Hill Road $ 529,500 51 Suffering from stripping (separation of wear and base
course) and settlement above utility crossings.
Dickey Lake Drive $ 388,400 59
Ferndale Road West $ 181,800 61
Spruce Place,
Linden Lane, Dahl
Road, Loma Linda
& Forest Lake
$ 371,800 60
Fagerness Point
Road, Webb, and
Concordia
$336,900 62
Crestview Avenue $ 123,700 69 Road area and neighborhood suffer from draining issues
that could be addressed in conjunction with a road project.
5. Pavement Funding. The projects will be funded with a combination of the Pavement Management
Fund, Sewer Funds, and Stormwater Fund. The Pavement fund is the limiting factor in the amount of
pavement maintenance that can take place each year. Adequate funding is available in the Stormwater,
Water, and Sewer Funds.
a. Pavement Funding for 2024. The Pavement Fund receives resources from the pavement levy.
The levy for 2023 is $1,000,000. This is the amount the 2014 Pavement Management Study established
as the needed revenue to keep up with the pavement maintenance needs of the City. Adjusted for a
modest 2% Construction inflation index per year the amount for the 2024 levy should be $1,220,000.
b. Pavement Funding for the Future. After 2024 the pavement levy should be adjusted for
inflation. Assuming a 2% inflation, that level of funding should allow the City to complete all of the
projects listed in section 4 above and increase the preventive maintenance portion to $100,000/year by
2028.
6. Municipal State Aid Roads (MSA). The city receives approximately $450,000 / year from the state
MSA fund. The city is paying an annual debt service of $140,000 / year on some street maintenance
bonds from the MSA fund. The debt service is scheduled to be paid off in 2026. In 2018 the city took a
five-year advance in order to reconstruct Old Crystal Bay Road. The fund is projected to have a positive
balance again in 2024. The following MSA roadways are in need of maintenance.
Road Pavement
Cost Estimate
PCI Remarks
Willow Drive N
(Kelley Parkway to
CSAH 112)
$ 92,000 50 This section of road way is to be included in the CSAH
112 Turnback Phase 3 project currently slated for 2024.
Brown Road N
(CSAH 112 to
CSAH 6)
$ 706,900 60 Looking at a 2025 project.
COUNCIL ACTION REQUESTED:
Direction on 2024 Road Maintenance Project
Prepared By: JVE Reviewed By: Approved By:
CITY OF ORONO MEMORANDUM
DATE: May 8, 2023
TO: City Council Members
FROM: Fire Chief
RE: Fire Department Needs Assessment
1.Purpose Review the draft Fire Department Needs Assessment and draft Presentation
2.Background. The City Council directed staff at the February 13, 2023 Council Meeting to
complete a needs assessment by June 12th
The draft Presentation and draft Needs Assessment are ready for reviewal by the City Council.
Staff will present background information regarding the presentation and is requesting discussion
from the City Council on the draft Presentation and draft Needs Assessment
COUNCIL ACTION REQUESTED:
Discussion and reviewal of the draft Presentation and draft Needs Assessment.
James VanEyll
CITY OF ORONO 2750 Kelley Parkway
ORONO FIRE
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
1 | Page
Table of Contents
1.0 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Response Guidelines ..................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Facilities, Apparatus and Equipment ............................................................................................ 5
1.3 Staffing .......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.0 History of Fire Service in Orono ........................................................................................................ 7
3.0 Evaluation of Current Conditions .................................................................................................... 11
3.1 Organizational Overview ............................................................................................................. 11
3.1.1 Service Area and Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 11
3.1.2 Budgets and Finance ........................................................................................................... 12
3.1.3 Emergency Response Type and Frequency ......................................................................... 14
3.2 Management Components ......................................................................................................... 16
3.2.1 Foundational Management Elements................................................................................. 16
3.2.2 Management Documents and Processes ............................................................................ 16
3.2.3 Record Keeping and Documentation .................................................................................. 16
3.3 Capital Assets and Capital Improvement Programs .................................................................... 17
3.3.1 Facilities ............................................................................................................................... 17
3.3.2 Apparatus ............................................................................................................................ 21
3.4 Staffing ........................................................................................................................................ 22
3.4.1 Emergency Response Staffing ............................................................................................. 23
3.4.2 Personnel Policies and Processes........................................................................................ 26
3.4.3 Relief Association ................................................................................................................ 27
3.5 Fire and EMS Training Delivery ................................................................................................... 27
3.5.1 General Training Competencies .......................................................................................... 27
3.5.2 Training Program Management and Administration .......................................................... 27
3.6 Service Delivery and Performance .............................................................................................. 28
3.6.1 Service Demand .................................................................................................................. 28
3.6.2 Resource Distribution ......................................................................................................... 33
3.6.3 Response Performance ....................................................................................................... 36
3.6.4 Mutual/Automatic Aid Systems .......................................................................................... 39
3.6.5 Community Risk Reduction ................................................................................................. 40
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
2 | Page
3.6.6 Fire and Life Safety Education ............................................................................................. 41
3.6.7 Fire and Life Safety Code Enforcement ............................................................................... 41
3.6.8 Fire Cause and Origin Investigation .................................................................................... 41
4.0 Community Risk Factors .................................................................................................................. 42
4.1 Population Growth and Demographics....................................................................................... 42
4.2 Community Risk Analysis ............................................................................................................ 43
5.0 Future Service Delivery ................................................................................................................... 46
5.1 Central Station Model ................................................................................................................. 46
5.2 Multiple Station Model ............................................................................................................... 46
5.3 Future Staffing ............................................................................................................................ 46
5.3.1 Career Fire Department ...................................................................................................... 46
5.3.2 Combination Fire Department ............................................................................................ 47
5.3.3 Duty Crew Fire Department ................................................................................................ 47
5.3.4 Paid-On-Call (POC) Fire Department ................................................................................... 48
5.4 Thresholds & Triggers – Determining When to Change the Staffing Model .............................. 48
6.0 Courses of Actions (COAs) ............................................................................................................... 50
6.1 COA 1: Orono Assumes Control of Existing LLFD ........................................................................ 50
6.2 COA 2: Taxable Fire District/Joint Powers Agreement ............................................................... 51
6.3 Course of Action (COA) 3: Orono Municipal Fire Department with POC Firefighters ................ 52
6.4 COA 4: Orono Municipal Fire Department with Duty Crews and FTEs ....................................... 52
7.0 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 54
7.0.1 Personnel ............................................................................................................................ 54
7.0.2 Facility ................................................................................................................................. 55
7.0.3 Apparatus and Equipment .................................................................................................. 55
7.0.4 Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................... 55
7.1 Recommendations for 2023........................................................................................................ 56
7.1.1 Personnel ............................................................................................................................ 56
7.1.2 Facility ................................................................................................................................. 57
7.1.3 Apparatus & Equipment ...................................................................................................... 57
7.1.4 Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................... 59
7.2 Recommendations for 2024........................................................................................................ 59
7.2.1 Personnel ............................................................................................................................ 60
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
3 | Page
7.2.2 Facility ................................................................................................................................. 60
7.2.3 Apparatus & Equipment ...................................................................................................... 60
7.2.4 Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................... 61
7.3 Recommendations for 2025........................................................................................................ 62
7.3.1 Personnel ............................................................................................................................ 62
7.3.2 Apparatus & Equipment ...................................................................................................... 62
7.4 Recommendations for 2026 and beyond ................................................................................... 63
7.4.1 Facility ................................................................................................................................. 63
Annex A – Heat Maps .................................................................................................................................. 64
Annex B – Orono Fire Capital Plan .............................................................................................................. 68
Annex C – Orono Fire Organizational Chart ................................................................................................ 69
Annex D – Timeline ..................................................................................................................................... 70
Annex E – Management Component Charts .............................................................................................. 72
Annex F – Equipment Standards ................................................................................................................. 76
Annex G – Emergency Response Staffing Charts ........................................................................................ 77
Annex H – Firefighter Health and Safety Information ................................................................................ 79
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
4 | Page
1.0 Executive Summary
This needs analysis was compiled by the Orono Fire chief with assistance from the rest of the
Orono staff and in consultation with the Orono Fire Negotiating Committee. The purpose of
the analysis is to establish the future needs of Fire and Emergency Services for Orono residents
and review various means of meeting those needs. This report provides analysis on the current
state of Fire and Emergency Services in Orono and looks at how the city should prepare for the
future.
Staff recommends the establishment of an Orono Fire Department based on the following:
• Establishment of a Suburban Response Standard
• An organizational structure consisting of a combination of full time, duty crew and paid
on call firefighters
• A capital investment plan with sufficient funding to meet National Fire Protection
(NFPA) guidelines within 10 years and then maintain the fleet and facilities into the
future.
• Establish contracts with partner cities to provide them service were mutually beneficial
but using a cost distribution model that is equitable.
The review of the current system identifies issues with systemic underfunding of capital and
staffing deficiencies. The revenues set aside for capital investment have not kept pace with
inflation. Due to this lack of funding, the department finds itself with an aging fleet and
facilities that need many updates but no funding for either. Staffing has not kept pace with
demand nor the expectations of the cities and citizens.
1.1 Response Guidelines
The first item Orono should address is establishment of response guidelines. Staff recommends
that Orono Fire strive to achieve the Suburban Area Demand Zone, per NFPA 17201 or better,
per NFPA 17102 if staffing stations. By adopting a response guideline, staff can better
recommend staffing models that will meet and or exceed the guideline. Currently, there are no
formally adopted response guidelines.
1 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; NFPA
2 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; NFPA
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
5 | Page
1.2 Facilities, Apparatus and Equipment
There are many additions and changes to the facilities and equipment that need to happen so
that the department can meet current and future needs. As we build the Orono Fire
Department, we want it to be a model fire department for the area, that follows best practices,
state and national standards. Staff recommends that the Orono Fire Department continue with
the two-station model. This model requires a front out rescue pumper at each station and one
reserve rescue pumper. The front out rescue pumper should be less than 15 years old and the
reserve less than 25 per NFPA 19013. We should have a ladder truck at the central/main station
and a combination brush/medical response utility at each station. A tanker/tender at each
station is a requirement due to a large response area where there is no municipal water supply
within the City of Orono. One of these tanker/tenders could be shared use with the Orono
Public Works Department. The department should have two fire boats. One needs to be
docked on Lake Minnetonka for the summer and the other available to respond to smaller
bodies of water, such as Long Lake. A fire/medical response 6x6 or UTV is required to respond
to areas where our brush/medical utility isn’t able to respond i.e., trails, wooded areas,
marshes. Staff recommends that both 20-year-old engines be replaced with new rescue
pumpers or used if they meet our specifications. A ladder truck was purchased by Orono and
needs to be equipped and refurbished, which is currently in process. Staff recommends 2 new
combination brush/medical utility trucks be purchased, one for each station. Staff recommends
that a facilities study be commissioned. This facilities study can review both fire stations and
recommend the imminent maintenance and upgrades to the latest standards. Both fire
stations are at or over the 20-year mark and in need of multiple updates and maintenance.
1.3 Staffing
The greatest resource of the fire department is a well-trained and dedicated firefighter. The
Orono Fire Department has a good call volume and has experienced an increase in call volume
over the last few years. Recruiting and retaining POC firefighters has become increasingly
difficult. This mirrors state, regional and national trends. Fire service analysts agree that the
reason for this difficulty is due to demographics, culture, as well as the increased training and
response demands on a firefighter. The Department could use a phased in approach of 4 Paid-
On-Call (POC) or parti-time firefighters for a daytime duty crew. This would satisfy the issue of
daytime response as we move towards our near-term goal of a full-time fire inspector and
firefighter tech/admin. Both of these positions would respond to day time calls. The Duty Crew
staffing model could look like the following: 4 duty crew firefighters would handle the majority
of the calls for service during the week from 0600 – 1800 hours. 45% of our calls for the last 9
years occurred between 0600 – 1800 hours during the week even though this only accounts for
3 NFPA 1901 Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus; NFPA
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
6 | Page
36% of the hours in a week. In the near future modifications could be made at each fire station
for crew and day rooms, the program should be expanded to 24 hour 7 days per week model,
so that our response standards are met 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The recommendation is
based on the City or Orono adopting a performance guideline of Suburban or better. These
changes help our POC firefighters respond better and have less stress on their bodies when the
pager goes into alert mode. It also allows the firefighters to schedule their time to be on call
and not at the mercy of when calls occur. The biggest benefit of this staffing model is our
citizens we serve. They will see an improved response performance.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
7 | Page
2.0 History of Fire Service in Orono
Orono has contracted for fire service either formally or informally since being an independent
town in 1889. The City was incorporated in 1955 and the first formal fire contracts were
developed and implemented in the 1960s. Orono has utilized up to 4 fire departments to
supply coverage to the City of Orono and they were Maple Plain, Wayzata, Long Lake, Mound
and Excelsior. Each of these departments are over 90 years old. Orono commissioned a fire
response study in 1980. See Map 2 for a service boundary from the 1960s to the 1980 study.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
8 | Page
It was recommended that the boundaries between Long Lake and Wayzata change, see Map 7.
Long Lake was able to respond quicker to some of the areas Wayzata Fire was covering due to
Long Lake’s new fire station. Also, the study suggested that Orono construct a fire station in
the Navarre Area of Orono to improve response times.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
9 | Page
The above map was the boundaries for each fire service area until the 2002 contract.
In 2002, Orono, Medina and Long Lake entered into a long-term contract for fire service. Orono
and Long Lake created a new fire station 1 with joint ownership between them. Orono
consolidated down the Maple Plain Fire response area into the Long Lake’s response area.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
10 | Page
Orono built fire station 2 in 2004 and added it to the long-term contract in 2007. Excelsior Fire
opened and operated fire station two due to issues with leadership at Long Lake Fire with their
paid-on-call fire chiefs. James Van Eyll was hired as the first full-time fire chief due to these
leadership issues. Over the next 15-years, the City of Orono consolidated down their fire
service area to just to the Long Lake Fire Department. In 2017, Orono expressed their interest
in switching roles with City of Long Lake. Orono and Long Lake have been in negotiations since
then. Orono hired a fire chief in December of 2022 and their initial task was a needs
assessment of fire and emergency for Orono.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
11 | Page
3.0 Evaluation of Current Conditions
3.1 Organizational Overview
The Organizational Overview provides a summary of the current delivery of Fire and EMS
Services to the City of Orono. The data was gathered from the information submitted to the
Minnesota State Fire Marshall’s Office by the Long Lake Fire Department. Fire and emergency
medical services are provided by the Long Lake Fire Department through a contract for service
with the City of Long Lake. The following map shows the coverage area for the Long Lake Fire
Department, which also provides services to the Cities of Long Lake, Medina and Minnetonka
Beach.
3.1.1 Service Area and Infrastructure
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
12 | Page
The service area consists of 33 approximate square miles of that the City of Orono is 23.98
square miles or 72.67% of the service area. Orono is 15.92 square miles if you remove the
lakes. The Long Lake Fire Department serves a population of 11,301 of that the City of Orono
population served is 8,315 or 73.58% of the population.
Following is a summary of the Long Lake Fire Department’s service areas and service delivery
infrastructure.
Long Lake Fire
Department
Agency Type
Municipal fire
department with Full-
time Chief and paid-on-
call (POC) firefighters
Area, Sq Miles +/-33
Headquarters
340 Willow Drive N
Orono, MN
Fire Stations 2
Population Served 11,301
Service Delivery Infrastructure
Emergency Vehicles
Engines 2
Engine, reserve 1
Utility/Brush 3
Water Tender 2
Light Rescue 1
Heavy Rescue 1
Boat 2
Command 2
The area served by the Long Lake Fire Department includes the City of Orono, a portion of
Medina and City of Minnetonka Beach.
3.1.2 Budgets and Finance
Property taxes are the primary source of funding for emergency services. Other funding
sources include state and federal grants, rental income, fee for service, fundraisers, donation,
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
13 | Page
etc. This funding is used to purchase the necessary equipment to fulfill the mission and run the
day-to-day operations.
In the current economic situation, fire departments are seeing increasing expenditures and a
disruption in the supply chain has increased lead times for equipment and apparatus. This has
led to a difficulty to maintain the current delivery of service to the community, which has led to
the request for more funding to adequately supply the expected levels of services. The
following is a summary of the Long Lake Fire Department’s revenues, budgeted expenditures
and capital for 2023.
Long Lake Fire Department
Municipality Orono Long Lake Medina
Minnetonka
Beach* Other** Totals
2023 Fire
Revenue $ 543,963 $ 64,054 $ 33,775 $ 58,680 $ 8,648 $ 709,120
2023 Fire
Expenditures $ 543,963 $ 64,054 $ 33,775 $ 32,610 $ 8,648 $ 683,050
2023 Capital
Allocation $ 87,302.80 $ 10,279.40 $ 5,417.80 $ - $ - $ 103,000
Totals $ 631,265.80 $ 74,333.40 $ 39,192.80 $ 58,680.00 $ 8,648.00
*Minnetonka Beach has a separate contract for service
**Other revenue listed is from Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education (MBFTE) and rental income
The City of Orono cost for fire protection is below state and national rates. Please see the
graph below. These numbers for Minnesota and the National Rates are from a study done by
the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
14 | Page
* A Kare 11 News report from 2019 shows that Minnesota is 48th out of the 50 states in
spending on the fire service.
This doesn’t simple state that the City of Orono or the others are underpaying for fire
protection. This comparison is one of several factors to review. Another is the level of service
provided to the community and the community’s satisfaction with the level of service along
with adequate facilities and apparatus. Improving the level of service and correcting the
underfunded capital will create additional funding needs that could result in higher tax rates to
support the system.
Minnesota usually is in the bottom 10% national in spending on the fire service. As a
comparison from fiscal year 2020, Minnesota ranks 20th in K-12 education spending, 16th for
parks and 11th for police.
3.1.3 Emergency Response Type and Frequency
The Long Lake Fire Department responds to many different calls for service each year. Most of
the incidents are medicals and alarms. Below is the breakdown for the past five years of calls
for the Long Lake Fire Department. 431 calls in 2022 is the most since 2011 when LLFD
responded to 432 calls.
$469.00
$268.00
$205.42
$103.10
$275.49
$156.77
$-
$50.00
$100.00
$150.00
$200.00
$250.00
$300.00
$350.00
$400.00
$450.00
$500.00
National Minnesota*Orono Long Lake Minnetonka
Beach
Medina
Comparision of Cost for Fire Protection per
Household
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
15 | Page
Incident Type 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
100 Fire 29 28 30 24 31
200 Overpressure Rupture,
Explosion, Overheat (no fire) 2 0 1 0 0
300 Rescue & Emergency
Medical Service Incident 136 120 93 123 120
400 Hazardous Condition (No
Fire) 62 57 41 65 72
500 Service Call 11 22 21 19 18
600 Good Intent Call 103 85 88 100 99
700 False Alarm & False Call 88 86 88 83 74
800 Severe Weather &
Natural Disaster 0 2 2 1 0
900 Special Incident Type 0 0 0 0 0
Total Incident Count 431 400 364 415 414
Below is a breakdown for the past five years of calls that occurred in the City of Orono.
Incident Type 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
100 Fire 17 13 15 12 13
200 Overpressure Rupture,
Explosion, Overheat (no fire) 2 0 1 0 0
300 Rescue & Emergency
Medical Service Incident 95 82 66 83 86
400 Hazardous Condition (No
Fire) 48 43 37 42 64
500 Service Call 5 16 14 14 17
600 Good Intent Call 79 64 68 73 88
700 False Alarm & False Call 65 65 67 55 59
800 Severe Weather &
Natural Disaster 0 2 2 1 0
900 Special Incident Type 0 0 0 0 0
Total Incident Count 311 285 270 280 327
% of Total LLFD Calls 72% 71% 74% 67% 79%
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
16 | Page
3.2 Management Components
The common challenge for fire service leaders is effective fire department management.
Today’s fire department must address management complexities that include effective
organizational structure, volunteer or paid-on-call personnel (POC), adequate response,
maintenance of competencies and a qualified workforce.
The effective management of the fire department needs to be based on a number of
components. The fire department should start with the organization’s mission, vision and
values which should align with the City’s. A mission statement expresses the core reason for an
agency’s existence. A vision statement expresses where the organization wants to go in the
near-term future. The values express how the members of the organization are going to treat
each other on the journey to achieve the vision. These three core elements are all contained in
a strategic plan. A strategic plan is typically a five-year work plan for the organization with
goals and objectives. As Fire Chief of the Long Lake Fire Department, I created all of the above
management components.
3.2.1 Foundational Management Elements
The next steps are the essential foundational elements such as rules, regulations, standard
operating procedures or guidelines along with department policies and operational documents.
Then the development of internal and external communication practices and recordkeeping are
implemented and maintained. These foundational elements allow an organization to move
forward in an organized and effective manner. As Fire Chief of the Long Lake Fire Department, I
developed and implemented all foundational management elements.
3.2.2 Management Documents and Processes
To be an effective organization, a department should establish the appropriate documentation,
policies, procedures and guidelines. Processes must also be established to address the flow of
information and communication within the fire department as well as with the citizens it
serves.
As Fire Chief for the Long Lake Fire Department, I established new and improved policies,
procedures and guidelines. Also, I created processes to establish the flow of communication
and information within the department.
3.2.3 Record Keeping and Documentation
Accurate record keeping is a must for any organization. As Fire Chief for the Long Lake Fire
Department, I updated and improved all record keeping and documentation.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
17 | Page
3.3 Capital Assets and Capital Improvement Programs
Three basic resources are required to successfully carry out the mission of the fire department.
They are trained personnel, facilities and firefighting equipment/apparatus. It is impossible for
the fire department to deliver services effectively without the appropriate capital equipment
and funding to plan and maintain it.
3.3.1 Facilities
Fire facilities or stations play an integral role in the delivery of emergency services for a number
of reasons. The station’s location will dictate, to a large degree, response time to emergencies.
Longer response times can mean the difference between confining a fire to a single room and
losing the structure or survival from sudden illness or injury. Fire stations also need to be
designed to house sufficient personnel, equipment and apparatus; as well as meet other needs
of the organization and its personnel.
Consideration should be given to a fire station’s ability to support the department’s mission as
it exists today and how it will exist in the future. One needs to examine the activities that take
place within a fire station to ensure the structure is adequate now and plan for the future.
Examples of these may include:
• The housing and cleaning for apparatus and equipment
• Decontamination areas for firefighters and PPE
• Residential living and sleeping space for on-duty personnel
• Administrative and management offices with adequate technology
• Training and classroom areas
• Firefighter fitness and recovery areas
• Emergency Operations Center
The City of Long Lake operates the fire department out of 2 fire stations. The Willow Drive Fire
Station serves the northern portion of the service area and is located at 340 Willow Drive North
in Orono. The Navarre Fire Station, located at 3770 Shoreline Drive Orono serves the southern
portion of the service area.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
18 | Page
Willow Drive Fire Station is one of two fire stations operated by the Long Lake Fire Department.
It houses the administrative offices and serves as the main fire station. The facility includes 6
double pass-through bays along with offices and a medium sized training room. It does have
showers, a small, separate locker room for each gender, a kitchen and workout room. It is co-
owned by Orono and Long Lake.
There are no 24-hour crew quarters at the station, nor is there room to add them without a
major remodel. It is currently not set up for the best practices of carcinogen containment nor
does it have an exhaust removal system. The roof is in need of replacement due to constant
leaks that have been patched. It is in need of a technology upgrade for improved Wi-Fi
coverage, a station alerting system and improved communication speakers throughout. Orono
and Long Lake share ownership of this building.
Willow Drive Fire Station
Physical Address 340 Willow Drive North
Date of Construction 2003
Auxiliary Power Generator, Diesel
Condition Fair
Special Considerations
Adequate storage, ADA Accessible, Dual
Gender Appropriate.
Square Footage 19,000
Facilities Available
Exercise/Workout Yes, separate room with good equipment
Kitchen Yes, adjacent to lounge area
Crew Quarters No crew rooms
Lockers/Showers Yes, but not enough for staff
Training/Meetings Yes
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
19 | Page
Technology Yes, but needs updates
Washer/Dryer No washer but a dryer
Gear Extractor/Dryer Yes, but extractor is 20 years old
Safety and Security
Sprinkler System Yes
Smoke Detection Yes
Security Yes
Apparatus Exhaust System No
Units/Staffing Levels Assigned
Apparatus list follows. All units staffed via
Paid-On-Call firefighters
The Navarre Fire Station is the second of two fire stations operated by the Long Lake Fire
Department. The station consists of 2 double-depth apparatus bays along with two offices and
a small training room.
There are no 24-hour crew quarters, nor is there room to put them in without a major remodel.
This smaller station doesn’t have a locker room. It also lacks an exercise room, although the
firefighters turned the lounge area into a workout area with donated equipment. The Navarre
Fire Station does have issues with the HVAC on a regular basis. It is currently not set up for the
best practices of carcinogen containment nor does it have an exhaust removal system. It is in
need of a technology upgrade for improved Wi-Fi & radio coverage, a station alerting system
and improved communication speakers throughout. Orono owns the building outright but
contracts with the City of Long Lake to operate and maintain it.
Navarre Fire Station
Physical Address 3770 Shoreline Drive
Date of Construction 2003
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
20 | Page
Auxiliary Power Generator, Natural Gas
Condition Fair
Special Considerations
Adequate storage, ADA Accessible, Dual
Gender Appropriate.
Square Footage 6,900
Facilities Available
Exercise/Workout Yes, in lounge room
Kitchen Yes, adjacent to exercise area
Crew Quarters No crew rooms
Lockers/Showers Yes, but not enough for staff
Training/Meetings Yes, but small
Technology Yes, but needs updates
Washer/Dryer No washer but a dryer
Gear Extractor/Dryer Yes, but extractor is 20 years old
Safety and Security
Sprinkler System Yes
Smoke Detection Yes
Security Yes, no cameras
Apparatus Exhaust System No
Units/Staffing Levels Assigned
Apparatus list follows. All units staffed
via Paid-On-Call firefighters
Firefighters are at a significantly higher risk than the general population to develop cancer (21%
higher colon cancer risk, 39% higher skin cancer risk, 102% higher testicular cancer risk, etc.)4.
This risk is a direct result of their firefighting activities – they are frequently exposed to highly
toxic and carcinogenic compounds at the fire scene, and they bring those compounds back to
the fire station on every hose, ladder, fire truck and piece of personal protective equipment
that was anywhere near the fire. In addition, operating diesel fire trucks inside the fire station
has resulted in massive amounts of diesel particulates permeating the apparatus bay (one large
study showed a typical apparatus bay has concentrations 16 times above EPA Standards).
While Long Lake Fire has made every effort to not allow the diesel trucks to idle inside the bays,
just starting and moving them results in large amounts of particulates released into the air.
Both the fireground toxins and the diesel particulates are so small that they hang suspended in
the air for long periods of time, so the risk does not go away between calls but rather is
consistent every time the apparatus bay is entered. Apparatus Bays are not a safe place to
work, not a safe place to store equipment and supplies, and not a safe place to walk through to
gain access to adjoining spaces. Any adjoining space that is not properly protected through air
4 Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service, www.firefightercancersupport.org
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
21 | Page
pressure differentials and air locks also becomes contaminated. The increase risk of cancer
becomes a major factor in evaluating the functionality of a fire station.
3.3.2 Apparatus
Fire apparatus and boats are unique and expensive pieces of equipment customized to operate
for our community and defined mission. Apparatus must be reliable to transport firefighters
and equipment rapidly and safely to an incident scene. Such vehicles must be properly
equipped and function appropriately to ensure that the delivery of service is not compromised.
For this reason, they are very expensive and have longer lead times. They also offer little
flexibility in use and reassignment to other missions.
The vehicles listed below are well maintained but in varying degrees of condition. Long range
capital planning is a challenge in today’s economy. Pricing and lead times have increased
significantly. The larger problem is the limited funding for capital purchases in the current
contact.
*Non-complaint with NFPA Standards
Due a lack of capital funding, the current fleet is aged and some vehicles are at or near their
end of life according to NFPA. Annex D of NFPA 19015 includes life cycle recommendations
regarding frontline and reserve apparatus. The standard recommends that apparatus should
provide 15 years of frontline service and then be turned over for reserve status. The annex
further recommends that apparatus that are more than 25 years old be retired from the vehicle
5 NFPA 1901: Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus; NFPA
Apparatus
Number Type Year Life
Expectancy Make and Model Condition Pump
Capacity
Tank
Capacity Ownership
B11 Boat 2004 Lake Assault Good 1000 N/A Long Lake/Donated
B12 Boat 2020 Zodiac Pro 5.5 Excellent Portable N/A Long Lake/Donated
CMD Command 2022 7/100K Chev Tahoe Excellent N/A N/A Orono - 100%
Cmd1 Command 2013 7/100K Chev Tahoe Fair N/A N/A Orono - 82.73%
Cmd2 Command 2022 7/100K Chev Tahoe Excellent N/A N/A Orono - 84.96%
E11*Engine 2004 20 Kenworth/Pierce Poor 1250 1000 Orono - 74.68%
E21*Engine 2003 20 International/Pierce Fair 1250 1000 Orono - 100%
E22 Engine 2017 20 Spartan/Toyne Excellent 1500 1000 Orono - 83.02%
L1 Ladder 2012 25 Pierce Good 2000 400 Orono - 100%
R12 Heavy Rescue 2003 10 Sterling Good N/A N/A Orono - 76.07%
R21 Light Rescue 2003 10 Ford 550 Good N/A N/A Orono - 100%
T11 Tender 2009 25 Freightliner Excellent N/A 3500 Orono - 84.15%
T12 Tender 2001 25 Sterling Fair N/A 2000 Orono - 72.38%
U11*Grass/Medical 1998 10 Ford F350 Fair 190 200 Orono - 71.05%
U12 Grass 2015 10 Polaris Ranger Good 70 70 Long Lake/Donated
U21*Grass/Medical 2000 10 Ford F250 Good Unknown 75 Long Lake/Donated
Long Lake Fire Department
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
22 | Page
fleet. Reviewing the above fleet, the fire department should have 2 frontline engines and one
reserve. Currently one apparatus is at the 25-year mark and in need of replacement. There will
need to be a significant investment in the fleet over the next 5 to 10 years regardless of who is
operating the fire department. This investment may need to be sooner due to the ever-
lengthening lead times for fire equipment, PPE and apparatus. Common life expectancy for
types of apparatus are as follows; Engine/Pumper 20 years, Ladder 25 years, Tanker/Tenders 25
years, Rescue 10 years, Utility 10 years, Staff 7 years or if a vehicle is over 100,000 miles.
3.4 Staffing
LLFD is made up of a full-time fire chief and paid on call firefighters. Combination departments
consider administrative personnel as primary daytime responders. LLFD is organized and
resourced to have 50 paid on call firefighters. At the end of 2022, LLFD had a total of 42 paid on
call firefighters split between the two stations for their operational and administrative staff.
The most valuable asset for the fire department is our personnel. The United States depend on
1.1 million firefighters, of those approximately 812,000 are volunteer/paid on call (POC). The
US reached a low of volunteer firefighters in 2011. There has been a slow increase since then
but the growth isn’t enough to meet the steady increase in call volume. Managing POC
personnel to achieve maximum efficiency, professionalism and personal satisfaction is as easy
as full-time personnel. Consistency, fairness, safety and opportunities for personal and
professional growth are key values in a healthy management culture. These values are
important when the organization relies on the participation and support of a “volunteer”
workforce. POC personnel will leave if they don’t feel valued and/or experience personal
satisfaction from their participation.
Several national organizations recommend standards to address staffing issues. The
Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) Respiratory Protection Standard and the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1710 or 1720 are frequently cited as
authoritative documents. 6 7 8 In addition, the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE)
publishes benchmarks for the number of personnel recommended on the emergency scene for
various levels of risk.
Currently, there are no formal adopted standards but LLFD is achieving the Rural Area Demand
Zone. Adopting formal guidelines for response standard is critical for a modern fire
6 Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR 1910.134; Occupational Health & Safety Administration.
7 NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical
Operations, to the Public by Career Fire Departments; NFPA.
8 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; NFPA.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
23 | Page
department. Orono falls within the Suburban Area Demand Zone and Long Lake falls withing
the Urban Area Demand Zone.
Demand Zone Demographics
Pop per Sq Mi
Minimum Staff to
Respond
Response Time
(minutes)
Meets
Objective
(%)
Urban Area >1000 15 9 90
Suburban Area 500 - 1000 10 10 80
Rural Area <500 6 14 80
Remote Area
Travel Distance
>= 8 mi 4
Directly dependent
on travel distance 90
Special Risks
Determined by
AHJ
Determined by
AHJ based on risk Determined by AHJ 90
3.4.1 Emergency Response Staffing
Staffing levels are set by the worst case and most personnel intensive emergency response. In
order to mitigate incidents, you need properly trained staff of emergency responders with the
proper equipment and apparatus to respond. Insufficient staffing increases the risk of injury to
all involved with the incident and will decrease the effectiveness of the response.
Responding to a fire incident, the department needs 15 to 16 responders in various roles on the
scene to make an interior attack. The 15 to 16 responders all have specific roles to play on the
incident scene and should be paged in the first alarm. Please see the illustration below for a
breakdown of the roles.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
24 | Page
The first 5 minutes of an incident will dictate how the next 5 hours will go, so it is imperative to
set up incident command (IC) within the initial minutes of the incident. That IC can be the first
arriving officer with the engine or the Chief/Duty Officer responding in the command vehicle.
The most crucial period for fire suppression is the first 15 minutes. If the crews are not able to
put water on the fire and establish an uninterrupted supply of water, then it is less likely to
achieve the desired results. Please see the Fire Propagation Curve below.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
25 | Page
The general concept of the first 15 minutes can be applied to other incident types such as
rescue and medicals. Critical tasks must be conducted in a timely and orderly manner in order
to bring calm to the chaos. The fire chief is ultimately responsible for assuring that responding
companies/firefighters are capable of performing the tasks assigned to them in a prompt,
efficient and safely.
Staffing for an auto crash with extrication would be 13 responders, while staffing for an EMS
incident would only be 4. Please see Annex G for the breakdown of their roles.
Another way to see how many firefighters are needed is to review the national and regional
rates of firefighters per 1,000 people. The Long Lake Fire Department falls within the regional
and is above the national median. The graph below illustrates this
This comparison doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to generate sufficient personnel
for incident response. It is not surprising that the region and LLFD are above the national
median. The upper Midwest has the highest amount of volunteer or paid on call firefighters.
The following graph shows LLFD’s ability to generate its own personnel for each type of call on
average for the past 9 years.
3.23
3.98 3.82
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
National Median Regional Median Long Lake Fire
Median Rates of Firefighters per 1,000 People
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
26 | Page
To do an interior attack on the fire a fire department should have 15 - 16 firefighters on scene
but for the other types of calls you need less. The City of Long Lake pages each station on
weekdays from 0600 – 1800 hours to assure an adequate response of personnel for the calls for
service, especially at Station 2. This leads to inefficiencies as shown in the graph above.
Medicals, over the last 9 years make up 35% of all calls to Orono and Alarms are 36%. Fire calls
only make up 10% of the total calls over the same time period.
Station 2 daytime response performance is masked by paging both stations for day time calls.
Station 2 over the last few years averages less than 4 firefighters per Orono daytime calls.
Station 2 produces less than 2 firefighters for daytime calls 10% of the time. Their average
turnout time is 7:45 and the average on scene time is 13:08 as compared to the overall average
turnout time of 6:10 and average on scene time is 10:51
3.4.2 Personnel Policies and Processes
The Long Lake Fire Department has a contemporary personnel policy manual. They provide
training on these policies to the firefighters. LLFD uses Lexipol® web-based policy management
service since the City of Long Lake’s policy manual is outdated.
Recruiting, selecting and retaining firefighters takes considerable investment of time, effort and
money to ensure high quality employees work in the organization. Gone are the days of hiring
anyone who walks through the front door. Selecting the best candidates that fit within the
department and its culture requires deliberate and comprehensive evaluation. It has been a
challenge to recruit and retain firefighters the past few years at LLFD.
14.50
13.28
11.01 10.90
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
Fire Medical Alarm Other
9 Year Average of Firefighters
per Type of Incident
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
27 | Page
3.4.3 Relief Association
The Long Lake Fire Department Relief Association manages the pension fund which is invested
with the State Board of Investment. The lump sum benefit level is $7,000 per year of service as
of 1/1/2022. The vesting schedule is 60% at 10-years and 100% at 20-years. The benefit level is
funded by the rates of return on investments and fire state aid. In my 15-years as Fire Chief at
Long Lake, the cities didn’t contribute any extra funds for the firefighter’s pension. Orono
makes up approximately 2/3 of the fire state aid.
3.5 Fire and EMS Training Delivery
Training and education of personnel are critical functions for a fire department. Emergency
personnel are at risk and emergency outcomes are compromised without quality and
comprehensive training programs. Initial, ongoing, and high-quality training and education is
critical for a fire department effectiveness and the safety of its personnel.
The training of the newly hired firefighter requires a structured recruit training and testing
process. Once the initial training is complete, personnel need to be actively engaged on a
regular basis to ensure skills and knowledge are maintained. Training programs must go
beyond simply fulfilling mandatory hours. Emergency services training officers must ensure
that firefighters are not only competent, but also self-confident in the variety of skills necessary
to perform effectively. Firefighting and EMS skills and knowledge are perishable. This is why it
is important to have a good instructor or two within the organization. Or have access to
resources and funds to bring in outside experts. The training should be set up in a way that if
follows a prescribed lesson plan that meets specific objectives.
3.5.1 General Training Competencies
Training must be based on standards to be effective. In Minnesota, the fire standards are
established through the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education (MBFTE) along
with the Minnesota State Certification Board. The national fire standards are found in NFPA
and the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA). Medical standards are
established by the National Emergency Medical Services. The Long Lake Fire Department does
an excellent job of following and training to the standards.
3.5.2 Training Program Management and Administration
A training program needs to be well managed to be effective. The program should include
training administration, recordkeeping, training facilities and resources, general training
competencies and training methodologies. A paid-on call training officer has their hands full
with normal scheduled training and they have little time to address the administrative support
and the development of the program guidance such as training planning, goals and defined
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
28 | Page
objectives. This is where a full-time training officer or contracted company for training would
further enhance the program.
3.6 Service Delivery and Performance
Response is the most visible part of the emergency service system. When someone calls 911,
their expectation is that they receive a quick response by qualified personnel to assist them
with their emergency.
3.6.1 Service Demand
Service demand is the number of calls for service during a specific period of time, but it is
important to understand when and where the demand is coming from for our area.
The above data shows overall service demand for the past 10 years for both the City of Orono
and the total LLFD incidents for all the contracted cities. As you can see, service demand has
been relatively flat over the past 10 years. Orono, over the last 10 years, accounts for 75% of
the service demand. Orono has been as low as 67% and as high as 80%. It is helpful to break
this demand down by incident type. The breakdown will be in four primary categories; fires,
medical responses, fire alarms (alarms) and all other incident types, such as power line issues,
public assists, etc.
324
281
319 326 299 327
280 270 285 311
426
353
413 410 383 414 415
364 400 431
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Service Demand
Orono Calls LLFD Total Calls
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
29 | Page
As you can see from the above chart, actual fire calls account for a small percentage of the
demand for service that happens in the City of Orono. Medicals and alarms constitute the
greatest workload for the firefighters in Orono. It is interesting to see if there are trends by
month, day of week or time of day for service demand.
As one would expect, June, July and August are the highest months for service demand in
Orono. On average for the past 5 years, there are 36 calls for service in July and 29.8 for June
and August.
30
39 42
32 32 24 24 27 30
89
98 105 105
116
104
88
111
121
112
127 121
91
105 105 107 103 105
50 55 58
71 74
46 49 43
52
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Service Demand by Type of Call
Fires Medicals Alarms Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Service Demand by Month
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
30 | Page
On average, the higher demand for service in the middle of the week over the past 5 years then
either the beginning or the end of the week. 45% of the calls happen Tuesday through
Thursday.
The service demand by hour of the day shows that calls start to pick up from 0600 – 0700 and
peak by midafternoon. Service demand starts to decline after 1800 hours.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Service Demand by Day of Week
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 5 10 15 20 25
Service Demand by Hour of Day
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
31 | Page
The above graph shows the 9-year average of service demand by hour of the day. The curve
closely follows typical population activity patterns. The busiest hour for the past 9 years is 6pm
(7.2%) and the slowest is 4am (1.2%). Over the last 9 years, 63% of our calls happened between
0600 – 1800 hours. If we break this down even further and review 0600 – 1800 hours weekday
excluding holidays, 45% of our calls happened during this time slot. This time slot makes up
only 36% of the hours in a week. This is the toughest time slot to staff a vehicle for response.
The graph below shows all calls during the week excluding holidays for the past 9-year average.
5.44 5.00 4.78 3.78 3.67
4.89
6.44
10.00
14.00
16.44
17.8918.67
17.3318.1117.3316.33
18.89
17.33
21.44
17.56
14.3314.00
8.78
7.00
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
9 Year Avg Service Demand by Hour of Day
3.56 2.89 3.67 2.78 2.78 3.67
5.44
7.56
10.6711.5612.5612.67
11.22
12.7812.4411.33
13.1112.56
15.56
11.44
9.8910.11
6.67
5.22
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 239 Year Average Hour of Day
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
32 | Page
The next question is where is the highest demand for service within Orono. The following
graph plots the incident demand within Orono.
The above heat map is for calls for service to the City of Orono for the past 9 years. In Annex A,
we have the heat maps for each of the category of calls.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
33 | Page
3.6.2 Resource Distribution
Since we know where and when incidents occur in Orono, we can evaluate the deployment of
existing resources against historical demand. The map below shows our ability to respond from
each station within an assumed four- and 8-minute travel time. The geography and nature of
the road network present challenges to the fire department within the City of Orono. It is
important to recognize that the maps generated by this process do not account for the time it
takes a volunteer to travel to the station among other items. It only provides an indication of
the expected duration between pulling out of the station and arriving on scene under normal
driving conditions.
Insurance Services Office (ISO) requirements must be considered when evaluating distribution
of resources. To receive the highest amount of credit with ISO, properties should be within 1.5
miles of a fire engine, 2.5 miles of an aerial apparatus for properties over three stories in height
or greater than 25,000 square feet, and within five total miles of a fire station. The map below
shows the travel distances of 1.5, 2.5 and 5 miles from each fire station.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
34 | Page
The ability of the fire department to arrive on scene of a fire within a given time or distance,
represents only part of the ISO classification. Other elements include the ability to assembly
personnel, resources and water sufficient to extinguish the fire. The next graph shows the
areas that are 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
35 | Page
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
36 | Page
Those structures outside of a 1,000 feet radius need the fire department to demonstrate a
suitable water shuttle operation and transport a sufficient volume of water to a fire for
suppression activities within a specified period.
3.6.3 Response Performance
Response performance is defined as how fast after a citizen calls 911, a vehicle will arrive to
mitigate the problem. It is a measure when the fire apparatus is dispatched to when the first
fire department unit arrives on scene. The response time continuum, the time between when
the caller dials 911 and when assistance arrives, is comprised of several different components
explained below
The NFPA standard for call processing is derived from NFPA 1221 9 referenced by NFPA 1710
and provides for communication centers to have alarm time processing of not more than 1-
minute (60 seconds), 90 percent of the time for high acuity incidents. NFPA 1710 is a standard
for full-time fire firefighters or as defined by AHJ for staffed stations.
9 NFPA 1221: Standard for the Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems;
NFPA.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
37 | Page
NFPA 1710 Standards for Fire/EMS Responses
Response Interval NFPA Standard
Alarm Processing (NFPA 1221) 1-minute or less 90% for High Acuity Calls
Turnout Time
1-minute or less at 90% for EMS Incidents,
80-seconds or less at 90% for Fire
Travel Time 4-minutes for the first arriving unit
The first component of response time continuum is Alarm Processing time in the
communications/dispatch center. Hennepin County Communications Center is the dispatch
center for the City of Orono. Hennepin County Communications Center average call processing
time for the past 5 years is 2:19.
The second component of the response time continuum is Turnout Time. Turnout Time is the
period that begins when emergency personnel are notified to response and ends once an
apparatus begins to respond. Turnout times are dependent on staffing patters and will be
longer for volunteer or POC firefighters, especially if the stations are not staffed. This element
of response performance is specifically defined in NFPA 1710 for career departments. NFPA
1720, the standard that applies to volunteer or combination departments, doesn’t outline a
specific Turnout Time performance recommendation for unstaffed stations as defined by the
authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). It is still a good exercise to evaluate the department’s ability
to get apparatus or units in route. The first graph is the Turnout Time for a command vehicle
and the second graph is for an engine or utility. The two lines in the graphs are an average and
the 90th percentile. The 90th percentile means that the vehicle turned out 90% of the time
below the time listed. So, in the first time of 4:01, the chief or duty officer was in route 90% of
the time in 4:01 or less.
0:02:32 0:02:38
0:02:10 0:02:12 0:01:54
0:02:24 0:02:25 0:02:39 0:02:21
0:04:01
0:05:00
0:04:00 0:04:02
0:03:31
0:04:22 0:03:58 0:04:11 0:04:16
0:00:00
0:00:43
0:01:26
0:02:10
0:02:53
0:03:36
0:04:19
0:05:02
0:05:46
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Chief/Duty Officer
Average 90th Percentile
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
38 | Page
The third element is Travel Time. Travel Time is the time from when an apparatus leaves the
station to when it arrives on scene. The existing road network, traffic congestion, geographic
barriers and the weather all affect travel time performance. NFPA 1720 doesn’t address travel
time, it is only in NFPA 1710.
The last element and the most important one, is Response Time. This is a combination of
Turnout and Travel Time. Response Time is the most common measurement of fire
departments response. The graph from NFPA 1720 below shows the target for the
classification and the percentile a unit should arrive. Orono falls within the Suburban Area
Demand Zone.
Demand Zone Demographics
Pop per Sq Mi
Minimum Staff
to Respond
Response
Time
(minutes)
Meets
Objective (%)
Urban Area >1000 15 9 90
Suburban Area 500 - 1000 10 10 80
Rural Area <500 6 14 80
Remote Area
Travel Distance
>= 8 mi 4
Directly
dependent on
travel
distance 90
Special Risks
Determined by
AHJ
Determined by
AHJ based on
risk
Determined
by AHJ 90
0:06:06 0:06:12 0:06:13 0:06:00 0:06:01 0:06:08 0:06:32 0:06:10 0:06:07
0:09:41 0:09:26
0:10:19
0:09:01 0:09:30 0:08:57 0:09:37 0:08:55 0:08:53
0:00:00
0:01:26
0:02:53
0:04:19
0:05:46
0:07:12
0:08:38
0:10:05
0:11:31
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
First Engine or Rescue
Avg 90th
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
39 | Page
The following graph shows LLFD’s response time since 2014. It shows the average, 80th
percentile and the 90th percentile. This is for the first unit, which could be a command vehicle
with chief or duty officer, an engine or rescue with a crew.
The numbers shown above is all emergency response time for LLFD. This includes every call
whether it was a code or routine response. LLFD’s response time falls within the Rural Area
Demand Zone but not the Suburban Area Demand Zone. Orono falls into the Suburban Area
Demand Zone and the City of Long Lake falls within the Urban Demand Zone. The City of Long
Lake proposed a trial period of Duty Crews in the summer of 2020 but due to COVID cancelled
this plan.
3.6.4 Mutual/Automatic Aid Systems
LLFD does participate in Hennepin County’s mutual/automatic aid systems. As Chief of LLFD, I
developed the box alarm system for the fire service area. LLFD also participates in the
statewide mutual aid system. As Fire Chief, LLFD did deploy to Becker to assist with a massive
junk yard fire in February of 2020.
Mutual aid is typically employed on an as needed basis where specific units are called for by the
incident commander. Automatic aid differs from mutual aid in that units are dispatched as part
of the initial response. All aid is predetermined ahead of time and is set up by area of where
the incident occurred and what type of call is happening. All mutual aid and automatic aid are
agreed upon ahead of time. These agreements facilitate the necessary number of personnel
and the appropriate apparatus are responding to the incident. Below is a graph that shows the
auto and mutual aid given and received by LLFD over the past 10 years.
0:08:03 0:08:25 0:09:19 0:08:32 0:08:29 0:08:41 0:08:35 0:08:56 0:09:01
0:11:00 0:11:00 0:12:00 0:11:30 0:11:05 0:11:14 0:11:12 0:11:56 0:11:520:12:34 0:13:22 0:14:07 0:13:53 0:13:04 0:12:47 0:12:49 0:13:53 0:13:52
0:00:00
0:02:53
0:05:46
0:08:38
0:11:31
0:14:24
0:17:17
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
First Unit
Avg 80th 90th
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
40 | Page
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Auto Aid Given 5 6 1 4 3 1 2 4 3 1
Mutual Aid Given 22 10 13 20 13 12 12 12 6 7
Auto Aid Received 12 5 5 3 4 5 4 7 6 7
Mutual Aid
Received 5 11 11 4 9 8 8 12 6 5
Mutual and automatic aid operations are an integral part of the response protocol for Hennepin
County. Without this system, most departments would not have enough resources to respond
properly to larger incidents without putting their personnel into high-risk situations. The best
use of mutual and automatic aid is dependent on the departments working well together.
Most departments do the following:
• Fire ground operations must be conducted in a similar manner and should be based on
common Standard Operating Guidelines. Most departments within Hennepin County use
BlueCard for managing Type 4 and 5 incidents. BlueCard is a national training program that
provides fire departments with a training and certification system that defines the best
standard command practices for common, local, everyday strategic and tactical emergency
operations conducted on NIMS Type 4 and Type 5 events.
• Firefighters must know how to work in concert with personnel from another agency,
based on common training programs and procedures. The western area of Hennepin County
uses the same fire training agency to initially train the new firefighters.
• Dispatch procedures should be in place that clearly define which response types and
locations are to receive Automatic Aid response. The box alarm system has been in use within
Hennepin County since 2010.
• Procedures for the request of and provision of mutual aid should be clearly established
in the Mutual Aid Agreement. Hennepin County Fire Chiefs Association has had a Mutual Aid
Agreement in place for all departments within Hennepin County since 2003.
• Personnel should be fully trained on mutual and automatic aid practices and remain
informed on any changes.
3.6.5 Community Risk Reduction
An aggressive risk management program, through proactive fire and life safety services, is a fire
department’s best opportunity to minimize the losses and human trauma associated with fires
and other community risks. “NFPA recommends a multifaceted, coordinated risk reduction
process at the community level to address local risks. This requires engaging all segments of
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
41 | Page
the community, identifying the highest priority risks, and developing and implementing
strategies designed to mitigate the risks.”10
A fire department needs to review and understand the importance of fire prevention and public
education, appreciating their role in the planning process of a community. Community Risk
Reduction Program components are public fire and life safety education, fire code enforcement
and fire cause investigation.
3.6.6 Fire and Life Safety Education
Providing fire and life safety education to the public to minimize the number of emergencies
while training the community to take the appropriate actions when an emergency occurs is
essential to a fire and life safety program. These programs provide the best chance for
minimizing the effects of fire, injury and illness to the community. Today, public fire and injury
prevention education is much more important than in the past. This is the result of evolving
community expectations, coupled with the realization by the fire department that community
engagement and safety education outreach can build tremendous community support.
Currently, the Long Lake Fire Department does very little community fire and life safety
education. It is enormous time burden on the POC firefighters. Common best practice is to
have members of the fire inspector and duty crew perform this function.
3.6.7 Fire and Life Safety Code Enforcement
The most effective way to combat fires is to prevent them. A strong fire prevention program,
based on locally identified risks, reduces loss of property, life and the often-crippling impact on
a community’s economy. Currently, this enforcement is performed on all new construction and
on a complaint basis. There isn’t a program set up to perform annual inspections on
commercial and/or rental properties. A routine inspection program is common best practice
for a city the size of Orono.
3.6.8 Fire Cause and Origin Investigation
An essential element of a community risk reduction program is determining the cause of a fire.
By identifying a cause and potential trends enables the department to provide specific public
information and fire prevention education to prevent reoccurrence. Currently, fire
investigation is handled by a team of investigators from Hennepin County Fire Departments and
the State Fire Marshal’s Office. In the past, the Long Lake Fire Department had a firefighter on
the Hennepin County Team but it is an enormous time commitment for a POC firefighter.
10 NFPA Standard 1730: Organizing and Deployment of Fire Prevention Inspection and Code Enforcement, Plan
Review, Investigation and Public Education Operations, 2019 Edition.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
42 | Page
4.0 Community Risk Factors
The best way to project future service demand is to evaluate the population growth and
current community risks. These areas along with historical per capita incident rates should
allow a more accurate projection of future demand.
4.1 Population Growth and Demographics
Emergency service demand is typically driven by population and human activity. As the
population of an area rises, so does the overall demand for service. Orono is the 114th largest
city in Minnesota. The current growth rate is 1.04% annual and its population has increased
3.17% since the most recent census. Orono has a population density of 522 people per square
mile.
An NFPA report has identified the groups that face a higher risk of being injured or killed in a
fire as:11
• Children under 5 years of age;
• Older adults over 65 years of age;
• People with disabilities;
• People with a language barrier;
• People in low-income communities.
The graph shows these risk factors for the City of Orono. 12
11 NFPA, 2007; Urban Fire Safety Project, Emmitsburg, MD; retrieved from https://www.nfpa.org/Public-
Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Regional-risks/Urban-areas/Reports-and-presentations
12 Retrieved from https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/orono-mn-population
11%
17%
10%
7%6%
% OF ORONO POPULATION
Under 5 Over 65 Disabilities Language Barrier Low-income
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
43 | Page
The City of Orono’s population density falls within the Suburban Area Demand Zone according
to NFPA Standard 1720. The following map illustrates the defined population areas of Orono.
4.2 Community Risk Analysis
This section analysis the risks that are present and potentially threaten people and property.
These risks are identified to assist in planning and response to likely emergencies. The fire
service assesses the relative risk of properties based on the following factors, the service area
population and population density, the demographics of the population, local land use and
development and the geography and natural risks present within the community. These
factors affect the number and type of resources (both personnel and apparatus) necessary to
mitigate the emergency. Properties with high fire and life risk often require greater number of
personnel and apparatus.
The following community risk assessment has been developed based on intended land uses as
described in the zoning designations for the respective jurisdictions.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
44 | Page
Relative Risk Category Zoning
Low Risk Areas zoned and used for agricultural purposes, open space
and very low-density residential use.
Moderate Risk Areas zoned for medium density single family properties, small
commercial and office uses, low-intensity retail sales and
equivalently sized business activities.
High Risk Areas zoned for higher-intensity business districts, mixed use
areas, high density residential, industrial, warehousing and
large mercantile centers.
Weather can be another risk for the community that will play a role in service demand. LLFD
has to respond to flooding, winter storms, wind storms and tornados.
There are several transportation corridors and various modes of transportation that fall within
Orono. Highway 12 along with County Road 15, 19 and 112 that move through Orono.
Regardless of the size of the roadway or the speed limit, any roadway has the potential for
motor vehicle crashes, vehicle fires, medical emergencies, brush fires or hazardous material
spills/leaks. Each of these are not only a risk to our community but the responders are also at
risk of being struck by vehicles while operating near moving traffic.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
45 | Page
BNSF does have a line that runs through Orono along Highway 12. Although a comparatively
safe mode of transport, railway operations do come with hazards similar to the ones that occur
along our roadways.
Other risks in our area are associated with the building occupancies. The school district,
congregate care facilities are the two big ones.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
46 | Page
5.0 Future Service Delivery
The future service delivery model could occur with 1 central station or the current 2 station
model. Regardless of the number of stations, we should have staff located at the station for
response to all incidents. This staff can be a mix of full-time employees, during the day, and
part-time or paid-on-call firefighters at other times.
5.1 Central Station Model
The advantage of this model is that there is only one station to maintain and you can limit the
number of apparatuses in the fleet. In this model, we would need 2 command vehicles, a staff
vehicle, 2 rescue pumpers, a tender, a ladder, a brush/medical utility, 2 fire boats, a brush
utility UTV and a pick-up truck. This model is less capital intensive but can lead to longer
response times.
5.2 Multiple Station Model
The advantage of this model is that the stations are located near populations centers and main
roadways. The population center is where the majority of our calls occur and the two stations
allow for quicker response times. In this model, we would need 2 command vehicles, a staff
vehicle, 3 rescue pumpers, 2 tenders, a ladder, 2 brush/medical utility, 2 fire boats, a brush
utility UTV and 2 pick-up trucks.
5.3 Future Staffing
The Long Lake Fire Department is dependent on the paid-on call model of staffing response.
This staffing model has worked well and continues to do so today but we have to look and plan
for the future. The paid-on call model is becoming more difficult to recruit and retain
responders not only national but locally too.
LLFD staffs for a normally expected service demand along with some reserve capacity for
multiple or larger incidents. But LLFD, along with most agencies, cannot staff for the major,
manpower-intensive incidents that occur on an infrequent basis. It is simply impractical to fully
staff for every contingency, which is why automatic and mutual aid is necessary.
Decisions on staffing models are best made in conjunction with the level of response
performance an organization seeks to accomplish, the community’s expectations and the City’s
financial capacity to fund the model.
5.3.1 Career Fire Department
A fully staffed model would require a minimum of 6 – 8 on duty personnel (two companies) 24
hours a day. This would require approximately 24 – 32 full-time personnel to cover a 24/7
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
47 | Page
operation with an average annual workweek of 50 hours. This is a traditional firefighter work
schedule and under Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) a firefighter can work 53 hours per week
without overtime. This model would also require a full-time fire chief, fire marshal, training
chief and an admin. There are federal grants available to cities which assist with the phase in of
the full-time personnel over a 5-year period. Bloomington Fire just recently was awarded one.
Alternatively, Orono could start with a single crew available 24/7, which would require 12 – 16
full-time personnel. This would be a financial advantage since most of the calls for service are
handled by a single crew. However, it would not be effective for simultaneous incidents and
may not be enough for a complicated auto extrication or other calls that require more
personnel to safely conduct operations, requiring mutual aid for all of those calls for service.
This model would still require a full-time fire chief, fire marshal, training chief and admin.
Plymouth Fire recently went to a model similar to this one.
5.3.2 Combination Fire Department
This model provides a single-company of career response (12-16 full-time personnel) and
utilizes the POC members of the department to supplement the career response for
simultaneous incidents and to provide safe numbers of personnel at structure fires and other
incidents requiring more personnel. This may be an attractive model because it reduces
personnel costs as compared to career departments but allows for a larger effective response.
There are complications managing a Combination Department because career and POC staff
have differing priorities. Some POC might feel like they don’t get enough calls to make the time
they spend training worthwhile. This model is frequently used during a transition between POC
and career operation models. It is likely that one station could house both POC and career staff
and the other would house just the POC staff. This would still require a full-time chief, fire
marshal, training chief and admin.
5.3.3 Duty Crew Fire Department
This model assigns POC personnel to take shifts during the day/week so that at least four
people are at the stations during peak call times or during times when few personnel are
available to respond from the workplace (traditional business hours). Personnel would sign up
to cover the shifts they wanted and unclaimed shifts might be covered by firefighters from
mutual aid partners as part-time firefighters. The on-duty personnel would be paid a standard
hourly rate. The challenge with this approach is finding availability from current personnel
because they might need to take time off from their day jobs. This model is most successful
where there are many POC firefighters that can spread the shifts among them. There is
typically a minimum number of hours of on-duty time per month.
An alternative approach to duty crews is to hire part-time firefighters from outside the
organization or from mutual aid companies. Typically, these are individuals who may work as
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
48 | Page
POC firefighters or duty crew firefighters with other fire departments in the area while looking
for a job with a career department. By combining several duty crew positions at Cities around
the region, they can develop what is effectively a full-time job. There would be some savings
on existing POC personnel responding from their home since a single duty crew would handle
most routine calls without additional staff.
Another approach would be to use the model above for day time duty crews and utilize existing
POC firefighters to provide evening coverage at a fire station from 1800 – 0600. A crew of 4
would staff the crew between these hours for a flat rate plus the current compensation rate for
actual response. This would require some renovations to the existing fire stations for crew
quarters. This model would allow the Orono Fire Department achieve the Suburban Area
Demand Zone or better on all calls. It would lead to better use of our personnel by having them
respond to only the calls they are truly needed.
5.3.4 Paid-On-Call (POC) Fire Department
This is the current operational model of the Long Lake Fire Department and many other
surrounding fire departments. It does not address the issue of availability of daytime
responders, especially at Station 2, identified by this assessment nor the issue of response
performance. This also doesn’t address the inefficiencies in the use of personnel. All models
will require some modifications to the stations.
5.4 Thresholds & Triggers – Determining When to Change the Staffing Model
There isn’t one single benchmark to use that could suggest a change in the staffing model.
Orono and the fire department should understand that while staffing shortages is often is a
driving force, it is only one component of a larger operational landscape. Other components
are longer response times, call volume, health and wellness of the responders and
burnout/disinterest of volunteers. Any one or a combination of these components could be the
trigger that leads to changing the response model.
A high call volume can lead to burnout for the POC firefighter. They are having to respond to
calls at all hours which is putting a strain on their life and leads to burnout.
Staffing shortages can be a multitude of items. It is hard to find people who want to become
POC firefighters. It is also an even harder task to find POC firefighters who can respond during
the day when they are normally at their full-time jobs.
The health and wellness of the firefighter is being studied more and more. It is showing that
there are huge adverse effects on the firefighter’s health when the pager goes into alert mode.
If you are able to limit the amount of time this happens or control how the notification of a call
is happening with station alerting makes a big difference. The studies show a huge spike in a
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
49 | Page
firefighter’s blood pressure every time the pager goes into alert mode.13 With station alerting,
you are able to control this spike in blood pressure by alerting the firefighters more subtle.
The disinterest in the fire service by the POC firefighters is caused when a firefighter lives
farther away from the station and doesn’t make a truck. They can become disinterested in
responding if all they are going to do is sit and not use the skills they have trained for.
Because the recruitment and retention of volunteers is expected to become more and more
difficult and because 45% of the calls for service occur weekdays and non-holidays from 0600 –
1800 hours, it is evident that the current staffing model will need to change if we are to
continue to provide excellent service to the citizens into the future. All of the models listed
below will require significant remodels or expansions of existing facilities including crew
quarters for assigned overnight hours.
13 Paige J. Rynne, Cassandra C. Derella, Carly McMorrow, Rachel L. Dickinson, Stephanie Donahue, Andrew A.
Almeida, Megan Carty & Deborah L. Feairheller (2023) Blood pressure responses are dependent on call type and
related to hypertension status in firefighters, Blood Pressure, 32:1, DOI: 10.1080/08037051.2022.2161997
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
50 | Page
6.0 Courses of Actions (COAs)
In this section we will review the different courses of actions that are available for Orono and
the Orono Fire Department. Staff will use the preceding analysis of the current conditions and
the review of the current risk and the development of trends within the City of Orono, evaluate
the need for additional resources to enable Orono to provide services for the current and into
the future.
Course of Action (COA) Description
1. Orono Assumes Control of
Existing LLFD
In this COA Orono assumes operational and administrative control of
the existing LLFD including staff equipment and facilities. The Cost
distribution model remains the same as the current Fire contract.
2. Taxable Fire District/JPA
This COA looks at Orono joining a future Fire District or JPA
Department. It uses a conceptual district from a Future Fire Services
Meeting Presentation. It assumes an Ad Valorum Tax distribution of
Costs.
3. Orono Fire with Paid on
Call Firefighters
This COA looks at Orono forming a Fire department with a Full Time
Chief and Paid on Call (Volunteer) firefighters. These facilities and
equipment plan for this COA is Sustainable and achieves NFPA
standard within the first ten years.
4. Orono Fire with Duty
Crews
This COA looks at Orono forming a fire department with a full time
chief, daytime duty crew and Paid on Call (Volunteer) firefighters. The
facilities and equipment plan for this COA is Sustainable and achieves
NFPA standard within the first ten years.
6.1 COA 1: Orono Assumes Control of Existing LLFD
• Description. In this COA Orono assumes operational and administrative control of the
existing LLFD including staff equipment and facilities. This includes continuing the current
two station organization and POC staffing. If includes continuing to invest in capital and
facilities at the same rate
• Cost. The cost distribution model remains the same as the current Fire contract. That
model is based on 70% tax capacity and 30% call hours. The estimated annual cost to the
city of Orono is $895,000 per year plus and negotiation expenses paid to Long Lake for the
transfer of their portion of assets to Orono. The average cost per Orono household is $284.
For this COA the estimated cost is based on the 2023 LLFD operating budget, Orono portion
of the Capital Improvement Plan contribution as well as current debt service on the Fire
Facilities Bond and additional capital allocation the city has made in 2023.
• Advantages (pros). Advantages to this course of action are that is the least expensive of the
four. With Orono assuming control greater synergy can be achieved with the other
emergency services, in particular the Orono Police department. This should improve
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
51 | Page
overall service to Orono residents and reduce inefficiencies in emergency response. In
addition, the department and its members will have access to the rest of the Orono staff
and the administrative support services it can provide.
• Disadvantages (Cons). A key disadvantage to this COA is that the investment in capital is
too low to sustain the fleet and meet NFPA standards. This COA does not establish nor
realize and improvement in emergency response. The response is likely to remain at a Rural
level in our increasingly suburban and urban community. Further in this COA with its cost
distribution formula Orono residents disproportionately resource the department. This
COA is dependent on both Orono and Long Lake coming to a mutually agreeable agreement
on the transfer of the department which has so far, since 2017 been unsuccessful.
6.2 COA 2: Taxable Fire District/Joint Powers Agreement
• Description. This COA looks at Orono joining a future Fire District or JPA Department. It
uses a conceptual district from a Future Fire Services Meeting Presentation. That
conceptual district includes the cities of Corcoran, Greenfield, Independence, Long Lake,
Loretto, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Wayzata, and Woodland. It also
includes the current fire departments of Long Lake, Loretto/Hammel, Maple Plain and
Wayzata. This COA uses an Ad Valorum (property Value) tax formula for distribution of
costs.
• Cost. To estimate a cost for this COA the current operating budgets of the subject
departments were combined. In addition, it was assumed the capital needs of all the
departments was about the same as LLFDs so a sustainable capital need was calculated.
The costs were then distributed based on the subject communities’ tax capacities. Based
on these calculations the annual cost to Orono would be $1,910,000. The average cost to
Orono households would be $597 per year. Moving to a Duty Crews staffing structure
would likely raise that cost to $2,759,000 or an average of $725 per Orono household.
• Advantages (pros). Advantages of this COA would be possible capital cost avoidance in the
future and a larger pool of fire fighters to draw from which might offset recruiting and
retention trends.
• Disadvantages (Cons). Cost burden disproportionate to services provided. Using current
call volumes of the fire departments and cities included in the district, Orono would only
use approximately 22% of the service but fund 34% of the budget. As one of 10
municipalities Orono would have very little local control. Improvements in service
standards, capital investment and operations would require agreement between the cities
served or worse yet convincing an independent board.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
52 | Page
6.3 Course of Action (COA) 3: Orono Municipal Fire Department with POC
Firefighters
• Description. This COA looks at Orono forming a fire department with a full time chief and
Paid on Call (Volunteer) firefighters. facilities and equipment plan for this COA is
sustainable and achieves NFPA standard within the first ten years. This COA would use a
1/3 Tax Value + 1/3 Population + 1/3 Call hour formula to distribute costs to any
municipalities contracting with the Orono Fire Department for service.
• Cost. Costs for this COA were calculating using current Operating costs for LLFD but adding
a capital improvement plan that achieves NFPA standard within 10 years and then provided
sustainingly funding for the future. This COA would cost Orono $978,000 per year if in
partnership(contracts) with the current municipalities covered by LLFD. This amounts to an
average of $320 per Orono household. If the department did not serve and contract
partners the cost would be $1,357,000 per year.
• Advantages (pros). This COA sees many of the same advantages of COA1. IT establishes
local control for the city of Orono. It improves emergency service coordination between
fire and Police. And, it provides a sustainable plan to ensure the capital needs of the
department are met. In addition, the department and its members will have access to the
rest of the Orono staff and the administrative support services it can provide.
• Disadvantages (Cons). Disadvantages include increased cost compares for COA1. This
COA does not provide for an improved response model which will likely remain at a rural
response. This COA does not improve staffing/response efficiency. This model relies too
heavily on firefighters being able to drop what they are doing and respond to calls especially
during the weekday. 45% of our calls happen during the week from 0600-1800 hours,
which is when we have our least amount of available personnel. The time slot only
accounts for 36% of the week. This response model is creating a high amount of stress on
the firefighters and alarms more firefighters then are necessary to handle the incident. This
COA does not allow for a phased stand up of the department.
6.4 COA 4: Orono Municipal Fire Department with Duty Crews and FTEs
This is the Staff recommended COA.
• Description. This COA looks at Orono forming a fire department with a full time chief,
daytime duty crew and Paid on Call (Volunteer) firefighters. The facilities and equipment
plan for this COA is sustainable and achieves NFPA standard within the first ten years. This
COA would use a 1/3 Tax Value + 1/3 Population + 1/3 Call hour formula to distribute costs
to any municipalities contracting with the Orono Fire Department for service. This COA
includes establishing a suburban response standard for the department.
• Cost. The Capital cost calculation for this COA is the same as COA 3. The operating costs
were adjusted to include daytime duty crews. The estimated annual cost for this COA is
$1,177,000 per year if in partnership(contracts) with the current municipalities covered by
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
53 | Page
LLFD. This amounts to an annual average of $368 per Orono household. If the department
did not serve and contract partners the cost would be $1,633,000 per year.
• Advantages (pros). This COA has the same advantages as COA3 such as local control, a
sustainable capital plan and improved synergy with the police and other Orono
departments. Most importantly this COA allows for improved response meeting suburban
and urban standards. In addition, with dedicated daytime staffing, this COA would see
improved fire and life safety education, better for the predictability (health) for firefighters,
and improved health and life safety code enforcement
• Disadvantages (Cons). This COA is more expensive than COAs 1 and 3.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
54 | Page
7.0 Recommendations
Staff recommends Course of Action 4. The following summarizes the recommendations to build
the fire department now and for the future. Each of these will require action by Orono and the
Fire Department. We will break the recommendations down by year that they should be started
and the category for them. The categories will be Personnel, Facility, Apparatus & Equipment
and Miscellaneous.
The first item Orono should address is a lack of a response guideline. Staff recommends that
Orono moving towards the Suburban Area Demand Zone or better, which will require a
different staffing model both day and night. By adopting a response guideline, staff can better
recommend personnel models that will meet and or exceed the guideline. This will also lead to
better response times to medicals which could result in better outcomes. Staff, Council and
Community members should all be a part of the process of development of response time
standards and performance targets will assist the city with future staffing decisions for the fire
department.
7.0.1 Personnel
As we review the staffing model based on the adopted guidelines, the 4 firefighter duty crew ot
the two FTEs and the two PT duty crew firefighters would handle the majority of the calls for
service weekdays from 0600 – 1800 hours. 45% of our calls for the last 9 years occurred
weekdays between 0600 – 1800 hours. Once facility remodels are approved and completed,
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
55 | Page
we could expand this program to overnights which would help improve our firefighter’s health
and wellbeing.
7.0.2 Facility
There are many additions and changes to the model, facilities and equipment that need to
happen so that the fire department can meet the demands now and into the future. As we
build the Orono Fire Department, we want it to be a model fire department for the area, that
follows best practices, state and national standards. That future needs to start now and look
like the following. Staff recommends that the Orono Fire Department continue with the two-
station model and conduct a facility needs analysis and study.
7.0.3 Apparatus and Equipment
The two-station model requires a front out rescue pumper at each station and one reserve
rescue pumper. The front out rescue pumper needs to be less than 15 years old and the
reserve less than 25 per NFPA 190114. It should have a ladder truck at the central/main station
and a combination brush/medical response utility at each station. A tender at each station is a
requirement due to a large response area where there is no municipal water supply. One of
these tenders could be shared use with the Orono Public Works Department. The department
should have two fire boats. One needs to be docked on Lake Minnetonka for the summer and
the other available to respond to smaller bodies of water or Long Lake. A fire/medical response
6x6 or UTV is required to respond to areas where our brush/medical utility isn’t able to respond
i.e., trails, wooded areas, marshes. Staff recommends that both 20-year-old engines be
replaced with new rescue pumpers or used if they meet our specifications. A ladder truck was
purchased by Orono and needs to be equipped and refurbished. This is currently in progress.
Staff recommends 2 new combination brush/medical utility trucks be purchased, one for each
station.
7.0.4 Miscellaneous
Staff recommends the Council to direct the Negotiation Team to focus on the disposition of Fire
Station 1. They should either achieve a 100% ownership for Orono or the establishment of a
shared ownership and use agreement. Once that is complete, direct them to work through
shared ownership agreement with the equipment. This equipment and apparatus should
include both tenders, Engine 22, both fire boats, the SCBAs, PPE and tools and small equipment.
Staff put together a list of recommendations by year starting in 2023.
14 NFPA 1901 Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus; NFPA
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
56 | Page
7.1 Recommendations for 2023
The recommendations below should be started in 2023 due to an immediate need or the item
has a longer lead time. We will break them out into each category.
7.1.1 Personnel
1. Orono Firefighters Relief Association - The City of Orono will need to start a relief
association regardless of what the City of Long Lake does with the fire department.
Staff has already initiated the process of standing up a relief organization. The final
portions of the process however will not occur until the new organization has
firefighters on the roster and is functional. The Fire Chief has contacted the Secretary of
State for a template/sample of the Articles of Incorporation for a MN Nonprofit
Corporation. The Fire Chief has requested a template/sample set of bylaws for a relief
association from the State Auditor’s Office. These will have to be filed along with the
Articles of Incorporation once a relief association board is elected. The City of Orono
will have to have special legislation written and passed to facilitate the move the
firefighter’s pensions from Long Lake to Orono Relief Association. The Orono Council
and Mayor have discussed the relief association with the Long Lake Firefighters and
promised to keep them whole in the process of transition from Long Lake to Orono
Relief Association. Staff recommends that the relief association be set up as a defined
contribution fund. This allows the firefighters to obtain all of the funds once they are
vested and not have to worry about the city council approving a benefit level. It is
similar to a 401K, whereas each firefighter has their own fund
2. Firefighter Tech\Admin - The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department should hire a
full-time administrative assistant. The Fire Chief should create a position profile and job
duties for this individual in 2023. This new position will need to respond to calls for
emergency service during the day. This position should be in place before hiring of any
firefighters. The posting should occur at the end of the year and the start date should
be January of 2024.
3. Fire Inspector - The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department should hire a full-time
fire inspector. The Fire Chief should create a position profile and job duties for this
individual in 2023. This new position will need to respond to calls for emergency service
during the day and should be part of the Hennepin County Fire Investigation Team. This
is a position, once established, could be used by our surrounding cities for fire
inspections on a contract basis. This position could be in place before the hiring of
firefighters. The posting should occur at the end of the year and the start date should
be January of 2024.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
57 | Page
7.1.2 Facility
1. Imminent Maintenance – Orono will need to proceed with all the imminent
maintenance that is needed on Station 2. This should include a new roof, exhaust
removal system, improved technology, updated gear & equipment washing facilities, etc
2. Commission a facilities study - The City of Orono should hire a firm, who specializes in
fire station design, to perform a facilities study. They should review each fire station
and the existing public works facility. This firm should develop a plan and cost estimate
for each building to be used as a fire station now, and into the future. They should
account for all best practices for cancer, cardiac, PTSD and overall staffing on a 24/7
basis. Once the study is complete, Orono should work on putting the plan in place for
the Navarre Fire Station as soon as possible. If the Navarre Fire Station response area is
going to be moved before the end of the contract.
3. Navarre Fire Station - The City of Orono should remodel and expand the Navarre Fire
Station. The scope of the remodel will be derived from the facilities study performed in
the 2023 Recommendations and what vehicles we move and house at the Navarre Fire
Station.
4. MNFire Model Fire Department - The Orono Fire Department should stive to become a
model fire department for MNFire. The Fire Chief should work with the leaders of
MNFire to review best practices for Cardiac, PTSD and Cancer prevention and strive to
implement them into all aspects of our Department and Facilities.
7.1.3 Apparatus & Equipment
1. Used Ladder Truck - Refurbish and equip the used ladder truck that was purchased in
the fall of 2022. Determine the scope of refurbishment that can be done in-house,
locally and at MacQueen. Work with the parties to complete the refurbishment. Work
on an equipment list for the vehicle and send this list to vendors for quotations. The
refurbishment and the equipment procurement are in process.
2. New/Used Tender/Tanker - The City of Orono should purchase a new or used
tender/tanker truck for the Navarre Fire Station. Some portions of the Navarre Fire
Station’s response area of Orono have no fire hydrants. It could be a new vehicle
depending on the delivery times and deadline for making the switch.
3. New Rescue Pumpers – The City of Orono should start the process of specification and
ordering of two new rescue pumpers. The specification should be similar to the rescue
pumper that the Long Lake Fire Department ordered in 2017 from Toyne. We should
work with the vendors to develop a cost-effective specification for the rescue pumper.
The rescue pumpers should be ordered as soon as possible since lead times are going on
3 years and Annex D of NFPA 1901 recommends front out apparatus should be less than
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
58 | Page
15 years old.15 Engine 21, which is completely owned by Orono, is 20 years old and
Engine 11 jointly owned per the contract with Medina and Long Lake is 19. Both
engines should be replaced with a new rescue pumper unless we are able to procure a
used rescue pumper that meets the majority of our specifications.
4. New Brush/Utility Apparatus – The City of Orono should start the process of
specification and ordering of a new brush/utility apparatus. The specification should be
similar to Utility 11 that was purchased in 1998. NFPA 1901 suggests that no fire
apparatus be older than 25 years old.16 This new brush/utility can be used in response
to medical or wildfire calls mainly. If the cities agree to a longer-term contract, then the
vehicle can be used at either station for medical, wildfire and other call response. If the
cities cannot agree, then the vehicle can be used at the Navarre Fire Station for
response to medical, wildfire and other calls. This combination brush/medical utility
responds to more calls than any other piece of apparatus.
5. New Pick-up Utility – The City of Orono should start the process of specification and
ordering a new pick-up utility vehicle. This new vehicle would be used to transport hose
and equipment from scenes along with the ability to transport people. It would also be
used by firefighters for transport to classes. It could be the utility that is used by the fire
inspector to perform inspections.
6. Records Management System - The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department will
need a records management system. The Fire Chief should review existing record
management systems on the market. These records management systems should be
able to work with the State of Minnesota for the NFIRS reporting and Hennepin CAD. It
should also integrate fire inspections, pre-planning, community risk reduction and
scheduling among other items. The process of personalizing an online RMS system
could take upwards of a year to have it up and running for use by the department and
the community.
7. Online Policy and Procedures Manual - The City of Orono and the Orono Fire
Department will need an online policy and procedure manual along with standard
operating guidelines (SOGs). The Fire Chief should review existing companies for use
with the Orono Fire Department. The process of personalizing an online policy and
procedure manual along with SOGs could take upwards of a year to have it up and
running for use by the department. We will need to incorporate the best practices into
our policy, procedures and guidelines.
15 NFPA 1901: Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, 2016 Edition.
16 NFPA 1901: Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, 2016 Edition.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
59 | Page
7.1.4 Miscellaneous
1. Response Standards - The City of Orono should establish a response performance
matrix. Currently, the City of Orono falls under the rural response performance from
NFPA 1720.17 Staff recommends at a minimum adopting the response performance
guideline for a Suburban demand zone. Staff recommends implementing duty crews for
peak times or during low turnout times and then adopting NFPA 1710 for staffed
stations.18
2. Quality improvement for Fire and Emergency Services – The City of Orono should send
the Fire Chief to a workshop by the Center for Public Safety Excellence. The Quality
Improvement for the Fire and Emergency Services workshop is offered 20 times a year
and is held throughout North America.
3. Mutual Aid Agreement - The City of Orono, the Orono Fire Department and Fire Chief
should implement the Hennepin County Fire Chief’s Association Mutual Aid Agreement.
This was completed in January of 2023.
4. Joint & Cooperative Purchasing Agreement - The City of Orono, the Orono Fire
Department and Fire Chief should implement the Hennepin County Fire Chief’s Joint &
Cooperative Agreement for Public Safety Purchasing. This was completed in January of
2023.
5. Navarre Fire Station’s Response Area – The City of Orono should explore the option of
moving the Navarre Fire Station’s Response Area out of the current contract. Section 21
of the contract allows for the subtraction of area serviced by the Long Lake Fire
Department. Orono needs to give notice prior to July of 2023 for the 2024 budgeting.
6. Orono should start to engage Minnetonka Beach in conversation for the Orono Fire
Department to cover the City of Minnetonka Beach, which had been covered by the
Long Lake Fire Department
7.2 Recommendations for 2024
The recommendations below should be started in 2024 due to need or the item has a longer
lead time. Staff is assuming that the City of Orono has given notice to Long Lake and Medina
about moving Station 2 call area from the contract. We will break each recommendation out
into each category.
17 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; NFPA.
18 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, 2016 Edition
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
60 | Page
7.2.1 Personnel
1. Firefighters for Navarre Station – The City of Orono will need to hire part-time or paid-
on-call (POC) firefighters. The firefighters need to be hired about 6 months prior to
responding to calls in this service area. These firefighters will be used on-call and for the
duty crews.
2. Orono Firefighters Relief Association – The Fire Chief will work with the newly hired
firefighters to form and file for a relief association with the State of Minnesota.
3. Firefighter Tech/Admin - The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department should hire a
full-time Firefighter Tech/Admin. The Fire Chief should create a position profile and job
duties for this individual in 2023. This new position will need to respond to calls for
emergency service during the day. This position should be in place before hiring of any
firefighters. The posting should occur at the end of the year and the start date should
be January of 2024.
4. Fire Inspector - The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department should hire a full-time
fire inspector. The Fire Chief should create a position profile and job duties for this
individual in 2023. This new position will need to respond to calls for emergency service
during the day. This is a position, once established, could be used by our surrounding
cities for fire inspections on a contract basis. This position could be in place before the
hiring of firefighters. The posting should occur at the end of the year and the start date
should be January of 2024.
7.2.2 Facility
1. Imminent Maintenance – The cities will need to proceed with all the imminent
maintenance that is needed on Station 1. This should include a new roof, exhaust
removal system, improved technology, updated gear & equipment washing facilities,
etc.
2. The City of Orono will need to remodel fire station 1. This could require a shared use
agreement with the City of Long Lake for Station 1. The scope of work will be derived
from the facilities study performed from the 2023 Recommendations.
7.2.3 Apparatus & Equipment
1. New Command Truck - The City of Orono should purchase a new or used command
truck. This command truck will be used by the Fire Chief. The existing command truck
can be used by the Duty Officer to respond to calls. This Duty Officer program will be
similar to the one that was set up for LLFD.
2. Personal Protective Equipment - The City of Orono will need to outfit each firefighter
with PPE. Staff recommends purchasing the PPE and adding it to the Capital Budget
plan and replacing it every five years. This will give a firefighter a front set of PPE and a
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
61 | Page
backup set of PPE after year five. This process is following best practices for cancer
prevention from MNFire. Staff recommends that this PPE be funded through the
operating budget uniform line item by annual transfer from the Fire Capital Fund.
3. Fire Equipment for the Navarre Fire Station - The City of Orono will need to purchase
equipment for the Navarre Fire Station that is removed during the transfer from Long
Lake to Orono. This could be equipment that was donated to the City of Long Lake or
other equipment needed for best practices.
4. New Fire Boat – The City of Orono should start the process of specification and ordering
of a new fire boat similar to the donated fire boat that LLFD currently uses and the new
fire boat that Excelsior Fire purchased. The best practice is to have similar equipment
and vehicles to our mutual aid partners.
5. New Brush/Utility Apparatus - The City of Orono should start the process of specification
and ordering of a new brush/utility apparatus. The specification should be similar to
one purchased in 2023 recommendations. This new brush/utility will be used in
response to medical or wildfire calls mainly.
6. New 6x6 Brush/Medical Utility – The City of Orono should start the process of
specification and ordering a new 6x6 brush/medical response unit with trailer similar to
the one Long Lake Fire currently operates.
7. Online Shift Scheduling Software – The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department
will need an online personnel scheduling software. The Fire Chief should review existing
online scheduling software on the market. These online shift scheduling systems should
be able to work with both POC and Full-time personnel. It should also integrate with
our fire station display dashboards and have an app for ease of use by the firefighters.
This should be implemented before firefighters are hired and responding to incidents.
8. Online Training Software – The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department will need
an online training platform. The Fire Chief should review existing online training
platforms on the market. These online training platforms should be sanctioned by the
Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education. This should be implemented
before firefighters are hired and responding to incidents.
7.2.4 Miscellaneous
1. State Fire Marshall – The Fire Chief will contact the State fire Marshall’s office to do an
inspection of Station 2 for the purpose of obtaining a fire department identification
number.
2. Orono should start to engage Medina in conversation for the Orono Fire Department to
cover the small area of Medina which had been covered by the Long Lake Fire
Department starting January 1,2026
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
62 | Page
7.3 Recommendations for 2025
The recommendations below should be started in 2025 due to a need or the item has a longer
lead time. We will break them out into each category.
7.3.1 Personnel
1. Station 1 Firefighters – The City of Orono will need to hire part-time or paid-on-call
(POC) firefighters. The firefighters need to be hired about 6 months prior to responding
to calls in this service area. These firefighters will be used on-call and for the duty
crews.
2. Fire Training Chief – The City of Orono and the Orono Fire Department should hire a full-
time fire training chief. The Fire Chief should create a position profile and job duties for
this individual in 2025. This new position will need to respond to calls for emergency
service during the day. This is a position, once established, could be used by our
surrounding fire departments for fire training on a contract basis. It also could operate
the joint Fire Police Training Facility, if one is built. The posting should occur at the end
of the year and the start date should be January of 2026. This investment would help
our fire department become even better, similar to Plymouth, Minnetonka, Chanhassen
and Chaska. This training officer could be contracted out to surrounding fire
departments as recommended in the Assessment of Shared Services19 conducted by
McGrath Consulting Group in July of 2016
7.3.2 Apparatus & Equipment
1. Personal Protective Equipment - The City of Orono will need to outfit each firefighter
with PPE. Staff recommends purchasing the PPE and adding it to the Capital Budget
plan and replacing it every five years. This will give a firefighter a front set of PPE and a
backup set of PPE after year five. Staff recommends that this PPE be funded through
the operating budget uniform line item by annual transfer to the Fire Capital Fund.
2. Fire Equipment for Station 1 - The City of Orono will need to purchase equipment for
Station 1. This could be equipment that was donated to the City of Long Lake or other
equipment needed Fire Station.
3. New Pick-up Utility – The City of Orono should start the process of specification and
ordering a new pick-up utility vehicle. This new vehicle would be used to transport hose
and equipment from scenes along with the ability to transport people. It would also be
used by firefighters for transport to classes.
19 Assessment of Shared Services: Shared Training Services, Staffing and Personnel Deployment for the Long Lake,
Loretto, Maple Plain and Mound Fire Departments by McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. July of 2016
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
63 | Page
7.4 Recommendations for 2026 and beyond
7.4.1 Facility
1. Replace Dock on Lake Minnetonka – The City of Orono should purchase a new wider and
more stable dock for the fire boat and City’s pontoon. The dock should be a minimum
of 4 feet wide and be made out of a non-slip composite or aluminum decking. The
current dock was donated a while ago and is not in the best shape for use as an
emergency dock. It is difficult to load and unload the equipment needed for response
on Lake Minnetonka with the smaller width of the dock.
2. Orono Fire and Police Joint EOC & Training Facility – The City of Orono should review
adding an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), live fire training facility and classrooms
to Station 1 or surrounding properties for joint training usage by the fire and police
departments. This could be used as a regional training facility for surrounding mutual
aid partners on a contractual basis. It would function as the main EOC for the City of
Orono. The Fire Chief of Training could help run this joint training facility. This training
facility would fill a void in the area since there isn’t a training facility within 20-minutes
of our area
In Summary, staff recommends the following 5-year goals; equipment and apparatus
modernization, upgraded fire stations, 24/7 staffed stations with a combination of duty crews
and full-time personnel, a more efficient fire department, a joint Fire and Police Training Facility
and EOC. These recommendations will bring the Orono Fire Department to the current best
practices and national standards. Orono has the personnel and resources to move the
department forward and make it a model department for the future. This plan will serve as a
road map to the future for the department. The plan includes the ability to keep the facilities,
personnel and equipment up to date and meeting guidelines. It helps identify critical issues and
potential impediments to implementation. Raising cost and the need to identify long term
funding is addressed as we look into the future towards 2040. Please see Annex B for staff’s
long-term CIP for the Orono Fire Department.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
64 | Page
Annex A – Heat Maps
The
above heat map is for alarm calls in the City of Orono in the past 9 years.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
65 | Page
The above heat map is for fire calls in the City of Orono for the past 9 years.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
66 | Page
The above heat map is for medical calls in the City of Orono for the past 9 years.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
67 | Page
The above heat map is for the other calls in the City of Orono in the past 9 years.
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
68 | Page
Annex B – Orono Fire Capital Plan
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
69 | Page
Annex C – Orono Fire Organizational Chart
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
70 | Page
Annex D – Timeline
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
71 | Page
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
72 | Page
Annex E – Management Component Charts
Foundational Management Elements Chart
Long Lake Fire
Department
Mission, Vision, Strategic Planning, Goals and Objectives
Mission Statement Yes
Displayed Yes
Periodic Review Yes
Vision Established and
Communicated Yes
Values of Staff Established Yes
Strategic or Master Plan No
Adopted by Elected Officials N/A
Published and Available N/A
Periodic Review N/A
Agency Goals and Objectives
Established Yes
Date Developed Annually
Periodic Review Yes
Tied to Division/Personnel
Performance Statements/Plans Yes
Objectives Linked to Programs N/A
Performance Objectives
Established N/A
Code of Ethics Established Yes
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
73 | Page
Management and Processes Chart
Long Lake
Fire
Department
Availability of SOPs, Rules and
Regulations, Policies
Copies of Rules Provided Yes
Last Date Reviewed Annually
Copies of SOGs or
Guidelines Available Yes
Regular Update Yes
Process for Development
of New SOGs Yes
SOGs Used in Training
Evolutions Yes
Policy Manual Available Yes
Reviewed for Consistency Yes
Reviewed for Legal
Mandates Yes
Training on Policies
Provided Yes
Internal Communications
Regularly Scheduled Staff
Meetings Yes
Written Staff Meeting
Minutes No
Memos Yes
Member Newsletter Yes
Open Door Policy Yes
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
74 | Page
Record Keeping and Documentation Chart
Long Lake Fire
Department
Document Control
Process for Public Access
Established Yes
Hard Copy Files Protected Yes
Computer Files Backed
Up No
Document Security
Building Security Yes
Office Security Yes
Computer Security Yes
Monetary Controls Used
Cash Access Controls N/A
Credit Card Controls Yes
Purchasing Controls Yes
Reporting and Records
Periodic Report to Elected
Officials Yes
Financial Report Yes, Annually
Management Report Yes
Annual Report Produced Yes
Distributed to Others Yes
Required Maintenance Records
Incident Reports Yes
Patient Care Reports Yes
Exposure Records Yes
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
75 | Page
SCBA Testing Yes
Hose Testing Yes
Ladder Testing Yes
Pump Testing Yes
Breathing Air Testing Yes
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
76 | Page
Annex F – Equipment Standards
NFPA 1901 governs the design of fire apparatus while NFPA 150020 addresses firefighter healthy safety.
Together these two standards have assisted in developing the concept of the “Clean Cab”. In the typical
fire apparatus design, contaminated firefighter protective gear and equipment are loaded or bracketed
into the apparatus cab as firefighters leave a fire incident and return to the fire station. The smell of a
“fire” and associated carcinogen particles lingers in the cab and is noticeable even days later. The
science has proven that carcinogens attach to the PPE and equipment and continue to off-gas while
firefighters are in the apparatus. This concept focuses on specifically designing the cab of new
apparatus to be free from firefighting equipment that can be easily contaminated on the fireground.
This includes equipment such as self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), tools, hand lights and other
small equipment. The design provides a nonporous interior so that the cab can be easily cleaned after a
fire to reduce any secondary cross contamination. The goal is to reduce firefighter exposure to
contaminated gear and off-gassing equipment and to address numerous other safety concerns. Long
Lake Fire does go through a gross decontamination process on scene after every fire incident before
going back to the fire station. The Orono Fire Department should incorporate this best practice into our
specifications for all new fire apparatus and push to make sure this is in any used fire apparatus that we
may purchase going forward.
Annex D of NFPA 190121 includes life cycle recommendations regarding frontline and reserve
apparatus. The standard recommends that apparatus should provide 15 years of frontline service and
then be turned over for reserve status. The annex further recommends that apparatus that are more
than 25 years old be retired from the vehicle fleet. Reviewing the above fleet, the fire department
should have 2 frontline engines and one reserve. Currently one apparatus is at the 25-year mark and in
need of replacement. There will need to be a significant investment in the fleet over the next 5 to 10
years regardless of who is operating the fire department. This investment may need to be sooner due to
the ever-lengthening lead times for fire equipment, PPE and apparatus. Common life expectancy for
types of apparatus are as follows; Engine/Pumper 20 years, Ladder 25 years, Tanker/Tenders 25 years,
Rescue 10 years, Utility 10 years, Staff 7 years or if a vehicle is over 100,000 miles.
20 NFPA 1500: Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program; NFPA
21 NFPA 1901: Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus; NFPA
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
77 | Page
Annex G – Emergency Response Staffing Charts
Fire Response Staffing
Responders On Scene Roles
1 Incident Commander
1 Engine/Pump Operator
2 Firefighters on attack line
2 Firefighters on backup line
1 Company Officer/Firefighter for attack line
1 Company Officer/Firefighter for backup line
2 Firefighters for search and rescue
2 Firefighters for ventilation
2 Firefighters for rapid intervention
1 Aerial/Ladder Operator
15 Total Responders Needed
Non-Structure Fire Staffing
Responders On Scene Roles
1 Incident Commander
1 Engine/Pump Operator
1 Engine/Pump Officer
2 Firefighters on attack line
5 Total Responders Needed
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
78 | Page
EMS Incident Staffing
Responders On Scene Roles
1 Rescue Operator
1 Rescue Officer
2 Patient Care
4 Total Responders Needed
Auto Crash with Extrication Incident Staffing
Responders On Scene Roles
1 Incident Commander
1 Engine/Pump Operator
1 Engine/Pump Officer
2 Firefighters on attack line
1 Backup Engine/Pump Operator
1 Backup Engine/Pump Officer
2 Extrication
1 Rescue Operator
1 Rescue Officer
2 Patient Care
13 Total Responders Needed
Orono Fire Needs Assessment
79 | Page
Annex H – Firefighter Health and Safety Information
Ensuring the health and safety of employees should be a high priority in any business or government
organization. Many fire service organizations offer proactive health and wellness programs designed to
promote and support healthy lifestyles. This program helps to ward off illness and injury. The best
practice is to follow NFPA 158222 and International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) / International
Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) wellness program23. Firefighters need to be medically fit to meet the
strenuous duties associated with fire ground task and emergency response. In addition, state and
federal law mandates respiratory medical assessment, clearance and fit testing for anyone required to
wear a respirator. CFR 1910.134(e)(1) requires employees obtain a medical clearance from a physician
or other licensed health care professional before they can wear a respirator (including N95, N100, P100
and HEPA respirators), and must be fit tested annually.
A 10-year review (1994-2004) of firefighter line of duty death statistics revealed that 45 percent were
the result of heart disease. In 2010, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
conducted a study of the prevalence of cancer in 30,000 firefighters. NIOSH researchers found that
firefighters had a 9% increase in a cancer diagnosis and a 14% increase in cancer related deaths.
According to NFPA, more than 68% of all firefighters will develop some form of cancer in their lifetimes.
The rate of line of duty deaths from cancer-related illness is increasing rapidly and is on pace to overtake
cardiac disease as the leading cause of firefighter deaths nationwide.
Ensuring employees are medically cleared to perform rigorous fire ground tasks, along with identifying
any pre-existing conditions which may place an employee in jeopardy, is an important screening
component in the hiring process and beyond.
According to the International Association of Firefighters, more than 12% of all firefighters will develop
heart disease at some point in their lives. Even young and healthy firefighters suffer from hardened
arteries and impaired heart function after just three hours of prolonged firefighting, according to a 2010
study from the Illinois Fire Service Institute.24
22 NFPA1582: Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, NFPA.
23 The Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative Fourth Edition
24 https://mnfireinitiative.com/resources/heart-health/