HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007.0410.TCWSM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE WORK STUDY SESSION
cae OF THE
FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
April 10,2007
AGENDA ITEM#1-CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Mayor Nichols called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m.
Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Mayor Nichols,
Councilmember Kehe, Councilmember Leger, Vice Mayor McMahan, Councilmember Schlum,* and
Councilmember Archambault. Town Manager Tim Pickering, Assistant Town Attorney Mark Langlitz, Rural
Metro Fire Chief Scott LaGreca and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also present.
• Councilmember Schlum participated throughout the entire meeting by use of teleconferencing
equipment.
Councilmember Dickey arrived at the meeting at approximately 5:04 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM #2 - PRESENTATION OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S THREE-YEAR
OPERATION PLAN.
Mayor Nichols advised that Councilmember Schlum would participate throughout the entire meeting by use of
teleconferencing equipment. In order for Councilmember Schlum to hear clearly what was being said during the
meeting, the Mayor requested that the members of the Council lean forward and speak clearly into the
microphones.
Town Manager Tim Pickering said that the Council and staff must constantly look into the future regarding
public safety and particularly, as will be discussed this evening, the Town's fire operations. He noted that the
Town took over the fire operations in 2002 and since then they have done a pretty good job of ensuring that the
Town and its residents are protected not only as far as fire issues but from an emergency services standpoint as
well. He advised that Fire Chief Scott LaGreca would provide an overview of the Town's three-year
Operational Plan (2007-2010) and explained that as part of the Town's contract with Rural Metro, they are
required to present to the Town an Operational Plan.
Chief LaGreca addressed the members of the Council and noted that his predecessor's plan contained nine
action items and said of those, seven have been completed and two were ongoing, one of which is the Station 2
plan that they will be talking about this evening. He indicated his intention to provide an overview of the
Town's three-year Operational Plan (a full copy of which is on file in the office of the Town Clerk).
Chief LaGreca noted that the quality of service to the Town's customers inside and outside the organization
depends, to a large degree, on how they plan the future. He stated that the Fountain Hills Rural/Metro Fire
Department has revisited and updated the Operational Plan for 2007-2010 and added that this three-year plan
should serve as a road map to help guide the Town's future. He said that progress will be measured in a variety
of ways and added that the planning process sets goals and includes general time frames within which to
complete them. He advised that the Fire Department will periodically reevaluate the goals and modify their path
as necessary.
Le Chief LaGreca referred to the Department's Vision, Mission (emphasized that the Department recognizes that
they are an integral part of the community and are sensitive and responsive to neighborhood needs and
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priorities), and Department Description (Emergency Medical Service, structural and wild land firefighting,
public assist/special duty,fire prevention and public education).
The Chief also touched on the following areas of the Operational Plan: Emergency Management Preparedness,
Department values and current Organizational Action Items that include: (1) Fire Station #2 relocation project;
(2) apparatus replacement; (3) community grading and accreditation; (4) Fire Station #1 refurbishment (Phase
2); (5)Fire Marshall Office, (6) training and(7) grant funding.
Chief LaGreca said that as previously mentioned, the relocation of Fire Station #2 has been continued from the
2005-06 Operational Plan and explained that the Department's goal is to reduce emergency response times. He
stated that in the past, the location of fire stations was not an exact science; it was controlled by ISO ratings. He
referred to maps that outlined previous response times based on density levels in the Town and noted the
challenges that the Town faces in terms of geography (washes, hills, valleys and ridges). He said that the
previous model worked well when the Town was small and compacted in several areas(early 1990's).
The Chief stated that the question this evening is whether they want to move forward with a response rate of five
minutes 90% of the time and eight minutes 90%percent of the time or the whole southern half of the Town. He
expressed the opinion that they want to look at a new response goal of five minutes 90% of the time and four
minutes 80% of the time. He said that the Department found some new technology through the relationships
that were formed with the City of Phoenix. They learned about a new program called Network Analysis (ESRI
Earth Vision), a mapping solution. He worked with the City of Phoenix to determine whether this program is
applicable to Fountain Hills and found and that it was. Between that relationship and another one he has with
the City of Scottsdale, they offered to do the initial software design work for them, saving the Town
approximately $5,000 in software purchases.
Chief LaGreca said that Network Analysis is a GIS program whereby they take the Town's GPS file(street file),
load it in and input the desired time speeds (they decided to use the legal speed limits for the Town of Fountain
Hills). He stated that this is a peer study based purely on statistical and analytical data and they then ask it to
give them a polygon on a point and how far they can go in five minutes and how far they can go in four minutes.
He added that they first focused on the existing Fire Station and how far they could go in five minutes 100% of
the time. He referred to charts that depicted the results of that analysis and noted that most of the area is outside
of the Town's boundaries; they get very little overlap penetration in certain areas, and therefore people in certain
areas are going to be waiting more than five minutes for the Department to arrive. He said they know for a fact
through studies on response times that to get to certain points in Eagle Mountain takes anywhere from nine to
fifteen minutes under the most perfect conditions. He recalled the fire they had last fall at Mira Vista and said it
took them nine minutes and fifteen seconds to respond and that was at 7:30 p.m. with perfect conditions and
both stations starting from home. Chief LaGreca said that the Department believes that that is unacceptable at
this point.
Chief LaGreca said that one of the other things that they wanted to do is take a look at their data because they
always say that their average is four minutes or less in most if not all of the Town. He reported that in looking
at the data, that number is really skewed because most of the runs are coming out of Station 1 and they are doing
probably 12 runs a week to the nursing home across the street. So when you have 12 runs a week at a minute or
less, the statistical data is not really going to be accurate. He added that they just took a look at Station 2 and, as
the chart reflects, in 2006 they arrived at everybody's call 73% of the time in five minutes and in the eight-
minute zone, they could only get there 50% of the time. In 2007 they took another look at it and in the five-
minute zone they were able to get there 81% of the time (a little bit better) but in the eight-minute zone they
were only able to get there 50% of the time.
Chief LaGreca advised that the Department starting looking around and asking where they could go to achieve
the desired coverage. After looking at numerous sites and one site in particular, they "backed away." Randy ,48)
Harrell, the Town Engineer, mentioned that they do have a site that's Town owned(by the new Palatial Estates),
so they ran the numbers on this challenging site. If the Station was located at this site it would take the
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Department five minutes to respond 100% of the time (he referred to the site on the map and showed the area
the Department would be able to cover) and added that they could also overlap into Station 2's area. He noted
that they are not currently hitting those areas and if they decide to move forward on the Station's relocation,they
could vastly improve coverage and response times.
In response to a question from Councilmember Kehe, Chief LaGreca explained that the Department has not yet
run the numbers on the large grey mass in the upper left hand corner of the map. He said that he is trying to
keep this as two separate subjects because there is a little bit of an analogy today versus ten or fifteen years ago.
They thought back then that they"kinda, sorta"knew what was going to happen down there but didn't know for
sure what would happen or when it was going to occur and now it has happened. He said that as far as
tomorrow, they "kinda, sorta" know what is going to happen in that area, but they don't really know for certain
what is going to happen and until they get some certainty as far as the infrastructure, it would be an incomplete
study to run numbers on at this time. He added that studies will have to be done on that in the future but this
evening he does not want to confuse the issues.
Councilmember Leger asked whether the grey area is outside of the five-minute response time and Chief
LaGreca responded that it is. He said that the red area on the map reflects the five-minute response time (90%).
Councilmember Leger commented that based on the location of the existing Fire Station 1 and the proposed
Station on Shea, the grey and yellow areas are outside of the five-minute response time. Chief LaGreca replied
that they did not even factor in the proposed street schematic for the new addition to the Town of Fountain Hills.
He added that some people will remember that there was a second option, the Kingstree site, which he
prematurely exclaimed to be the best site. He said that they ran the numbers on the Kingstree site versus the
proposed Shea site and the problem that they have is there is a great overlap in certain areas (up in Station l's
area), some coverage in another area, but they end up taking away response time to the people living down in
old Fire Rock and asked how they could explain that to the residents. He added that in essence, they would not
even be covering the area they are concerned about, Eagle Mountain, with this scenario. He stated that the
Department believes that the Kingstree options should come off of the table based on purely statistical,
Nimor analytical data and added that the key factor is Shea Boulevard.
Councilmember Leger asked whether the five-minute response time is standard in the industry and the desirable
goal. The Chief replied that the industry standard is four minutes 90% of the time. That is what all Fire
Departments strive to achieve and most all if not of them never reach that 100% of the time or even 90% of the
time. He said that he made an assumption that if they can get five minutes 100% of the time, if they are home
and they have operated on a five-minute response time for the better part of ten or fifteen years, it automatically
shows as they go in there that the areas will drop down in the four-minute response time and they may have a
good, realistic chance of achieving four minutes 80% of the time. He added that if they wanted to go to a four-
minute response time 100% of the time, they would have to build new stations. He advised that Scottsdale had
an outside study conducted and in order for them to achieve a four-minute response time 100% of the time, they
would have had to go from 13 stations to 27 stations, which is economically unfeasible and undoable. He stated
the opinion that based on the data they have received, the proposal provides the best opportunity to take care of
three quarters or more of the Town of Fountain Hills.
Councilmember Leger commented that when analyses are done with respect to response times, one of the
variables considered is location and that is what they are talking about. He asked whether there are other
variables that can contribute to improving or reducing response times. He added that speed was mentioned.
Chief LaGreca responded that one of the things they have looked at is the type of equipment that is used to
respond and said that this issue will be discussed further on in the presentation. He added that one of the things
they have done over the past year is rather than push their ladder truck first out, a big heavy truck, they have put
a small, light,quick attack truck with it so it's quicker,nimbler and reaches the sites faster than the big truck can
and can get through traffic easier. They have also pre-empted all of their stop and go signs in Town so as they
approach intersections, the lights cycle to their favor unless there is a pedestrian in the walk or getting ready to
push the button (then it has to cycle through before it gives the trucks the ability to go through). The
Department has also required all gated communities to pre-empt their gates so when the trucks come up to the
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gates, their pre-emption lights hit their buttons and opens up the gates. He explained that Eagle Mountain
brought this issue to the forefront about eight years ago because in that subdivision trucks might have to go
through three gates before reaching certain homes. He added that the Department still has the ability to use a
key if the pre-emption for some reason does not work.
Chief LaGreca said that the new truck the Department has designed is built to handle not only the type of streets
in Town but the new homes as well that are built on very challenging and beautiful lots with driveways that go
anywhere from 100 to 200 feet or more with 18% grade and serpentine driveways, which provides challenges
for a fire truck or ambulance. He noted that the proposed new truck will have a short-wheel base and a tight
crank angle that will allow the trucks to turn in a 30-foot diameter driveway. He said that they are looking at all
of the geographical challenges facing them or going to face them and how they can best meet these challenges
through engineering and the purchase of better equipment for the unique environment they live in.
Councilmember Kehe asked what the value is over the overlap and said it almost seems as though there has to
be an analysis done on whether Fire Station#1 is properly positioned in terms of whether they need the common
overlap or should the coverage in the northern area be moved up so that they immediately pull in the grey area
in anticipation of the possibility of a need for the State Trust land.
Chief LaGreca said that right now the upper station handles approximately 250 calls a month and the other
station below does approximately 50 calls a month. He said that the lower station is continually covering the
other station when the trucks are out so when they are moving up farther away, it takes them longer to move up
into that location to get in position to cover the back-to-back calls. He noted that at about 5:00 a.m., they start
getting EMS calls and it is not uncommon to have five back-to-back,back-to-back, etc. He said that the overlap
helps to balance out the call load. He added that if they should happen to have a fire in the older,un-sprinklered
part of Town, they want to have the ability to have both companies arrive at the scene quicker rather than later.
Mr. Pickering stated that he believes Councilmember Kehe's question had to do with the grey area to the north,
part of the State Trust Land that is not covered, and asked whether that was correct. Councilmember Kehe
responded that he knows it is covered but it takes longer to get there. He said that as a lay person he believes
that is the weakness in the coverage and questioned whether that could be modified by lessening the overlap and
moving the coverage up. He added that he recognizes the fact that the issue is critical to the location of the
present Fire Station#1.
Chief LaGreca replied that there are two ways of looking at it. He said that if they are talking about moving a
Fire Station that is in a very good location right now(the bigger Fire Station),then building a larger Fire Station,
they would have to do a cost benefit analysis to determine whether it would make financial sense to abandon
that station and put it at another location. He said that he is not prepared this evening to speak to that issue.
Mr. Pickering commented that this issue has been discussed, whether to close down Station#1 and relocate it or
add a third substation. He said that they've talked about where the third station could be located and coverage.
He added that the Chief made a very good observation when they discussed it; he said that a lot of the area is not
populated right now. Eagles Nest is not built out; the State Trust Land is not built out and it could take three,
four or even five years before that occurs. The Chief said that they have to see how it actually plays out before
they locate a station there. He emphasized that staff has looked at that and considered a third substation as a
potential possibility in the future, it is just that right now it is not an immediate need because people are not
there.
Councilmember Kehe asked whether there were homes located in the upper left hand corner of the map on
display and the Chief responded that there are homes in this area. Mr. Pickering noted that the chart that the
Council is not seeing is the five mile an hour and over chart, which means the Fire Department runs five miles
faster than the speed limit. He said that all of that area is covered.
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Chief LaGreca said that exception reports are prepared by the Department and whenever they cannot make their
five minutes 90% of the time and eight minutes 90% of the time, exception reports are filed and if he sees
Lie something that is totally unacceptable it is his job to notify the Town Manager that an issue exists. He added
that they really don't have a problem with exceptions in that area because quite frankly going up Golden Eagle
they travel over the speed limit by probably ten miles an hour or more. He said that if they factored in ten miles
an hour(and they did take a look at that) it works fine. He stated that for the sake of the argument this evening,
he did not want to cloud the study by arbitrarily saying that on certain streets they can travel 10 miles an hour
faster and on other streets they can only travel 10 miles under the limit.
Councilmember Leger commented that they are re-evaluating the relocation of a Fire Station and it's a given
that Eagles Nest and the State Trust Land will be developed. He expressed the opinion that this is a good time
to look at servicing that area within the five minute parameters. He said that he believes he is hearing that the
area in the northwest could in fact be accessed within five minutes if speed is increased and if the Department
increases its speed going up Fountain Hills Boulevard there is perhaps a possibility that they could cover the
State Trust Land as well. The Chief concurred with Councilmember Leger's statements.
Mayor Nichols noted that they are also looking at this as a three-year plan and some of the areas they are talking
about won't be developed within the three years. Councilmember Leger said that if they can anticipate what the
Town is going to look like three years from now, they are not then relocating another station and he believes that
is what the challenge is. The Mayor stated that he believes Mr. Pickering is saying that when they go out
another three years they may be looking at a third station.
Mr. Pickering advised that there is a potential for either a third substation or the Council might look at relocating
Station #1. He added that they are not going to make that determination, and they shouldn't make that
determination,until they have all of the pieces of the puzzle in place so they know what the roadway system will
be. He noted that they don't know at this point what the roadway system in the State Trust Land is going to be.
He said they have a proposed plan but it is just that. He added that they talk about connectivity and the need for
vikire it and those decisions will have an impact on any third substation or relocation of Station#1. He said that at this
point, they see the problem as being an existing one—they know one exists because the Department cannot get
to the people fast enough. Calls from all of the current homes in the north section of the community are
responded to in a prompt manner and they study this issue and maintain records on it. He added that the current
problem is getting down to Eagles Nest in a reasonable amount of time, and that is what the Chief is
concentrating on over the next year or two. He said that this doesn't mean that the third substation will not be
looked at, it just means that right now that is not their concentration.
Chief LaGreca commented that he looks at the numbers on a monthly basis and if he started to see red flags (a
certain amount of calls in part of the built up areas where people are living) he would report same to Mr.
Pickering immediately, ask that the study be escalated and try to implement some interim process to ensure that
the problem is mitigated. He said as far as population, he can remember when they were building Eagle
Mountain and for a lot of years there were houses there without any people living in them. He agreed that it is
going to take some time for that area to populate but reiterated that the Department monitors this on a monthly
basis and will report any significant findings to the Town Manager for immediate resolution.
Vice Mayor McMahan asked what the Department's response time is currently in that area and the Chief
responded five minutes for the most part and every now and then it takes six or seven minutes (engine may not
start from the home base). He said that another thing they have in their favor that they have discussed with the
Council is the fact that they now have two ambulances and when they start out, most of the time they are starting
from Point A.
Councilmember Schlum stated that it doesn't seem reasonable to not make some assumptions, particularly when
it comes to the State Trust Land, as far as the need for additional services. He said that even though they don't
know how the roads will lay out, they can make some assumptions that they will extend off of the Fountain Hills
Boulevard extension or McDowell Mountain Road. He added that he doesn't know if there are other locations
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to be considered or if there is an understanding that they could perhaps get away with two locations if they were
to consider a different location other than what is being looked at today on Shea Boulevard. He expressed the
opinion, based on what he has heard and read, that it is not likely that once the State Trust Land is developed ,vii)
that they would be able to get away with just two locations. He added,however,that it would be shortsighted to
not consider that additional space to be served in this discussion just because an immediate need does not exist.
Chief LaGreca said that Councilmember Schlum's point is well taken and stated that as Mr. Pickering noted,
they would have to do a cost benefit analysis. He added that if they decide to move the Station,would they want
to do a $4 million project or look at a small, first response bay around Golden Eagle and Bainbridge (the flat
piece of property owned by the Town).
Councilmember Schlum advised that moving the Palisade's location is probably not going to be a reasonable
thing to consider but with an expectation that they will need another location to serve the State Land, they need
to keep that piece in mind when considering perhaps relocating the Shea Boulevard location.
Mayor Nichols commented that everyone agrees with him, the question he is hearing has to do with the time
issue, more in the area of four or five years from now than three years. Mr.Pickering concurred and said it's not
that staff is not looking at that; they are looking at the other locations in the planning stages. They have them in
the capital budget, etc. but the exact location should not be determined until they know the roadway systems that
are going to be in place. He added that an incorrect decision at this point in time could have serious impacts but
staff is aware of the situation. He emphasized the importance of making a decision on the issue that is currently
before the Council. He said that staff is seeking permission to move forward with architectural drawings and
site prep in order to move down that road.
Councilmember Archambault stated that he has two questions, one from him and one from Councilmember
Dickey (unable to speak due to an illness). Councilmember Archambault asked whether they already had some
possible sites in mind should they determine later on that a substation is needed somewhere else. Mr. Pickering
advised that they haven't gone as far as identifying sites but the Town owns land and the whole State Trust Land
might be a possibility as well. During discussions the developer might indicate that they want a fire substation
at that location. He stated that those issues (potential sites) will be addressed in the future and at this point in
time nothing has been specifically identified. He reconfirmed that the Town does have land for such use.
Councilmember Archambault advised that Councilmember Dickey's concern has to do with looking at the
proposed Station next to Palatial Estates on Shea Boulevard and whether it will be more dangerous to come out
onto Shea when they get calls as opposed to the site they currently have now on Saguaro Boulevard.
Chief LaGreca responded that at first putting a Station on Shea Boulevard sounded like a risky thing to do but
once they went out and visited the site, they saw that their site lines were far better and superior to what would
have been in place on Kingstree. Standing and looking all the way east, they could see all the way down to the
curb past Fountain Hills Boulevard. They are also proposing to move their pre-emption pole on Saguaro
Boulevard to the front of the Fire Station so that when they got calls, the pre-emption would hit and cycle the
lights on Palisades and Fountain Hills Boulevard and shut down the traffic between those two major
intersections coming in. There would also be a street cut in the median so they could pull out and turn east
bound and a yellow or red flashing light for anybody able to make a right-hand turn out of Firerock(to get into
the tunnel that they are trying to activate and out into the circle). He added that the site will be geographically
challenging but reiterated that their site lines will be much better at this location.
Councilmember Kehe said before they get off of the subject of future needs, for the benefit of the public he
would like to clarify that the immediate situation is that people in the populated areas in the north can now, 90%
of the time, receive a five-minute response time to calls with the Department upping the speed limit ten miles
per hour. Chief LaGreca concurred with Councilmember Kehe's statement.
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Councilmember Leger stated that in the event that they relocate Station #2, which is currently on Saguaro
Boulevard to the proposed Shea location, he was wondering whether they would abandon the Station#2 facility,
kiiie use if for municipal services or sell it and, if so,have they assessed what that property would be worth.
Chief LaGreca said that he would recommend that they sell the property and use the money to pay for the
construction of the new Fire Station (put the money back into the General Fund). He added, however, that that
will be the decision of the Town Manager and the Council.
Mr. Pickering advised that the steps they would have to take include getting the property appraised, looking
closely at the process that would have to be followed for a sale because when property is sold at a certain
amount the issue must be placed on a ballot for voter approval. He added that if they sell land over"x" amount
of dollars, the issue will have to go on a ballot for sale approval. He said that all of those things will have to be
considered but during the initial discussion they had, they talked about the fact that the land would probably
make a good condo location so the property could be zoned for that use and then sold outright. The proceeds
would then be used for the new project. He added that at this point in time he cannot say whether it will be a
"wash"with no cost or anything like that. He reported that the site is two acres in size.
Councilmember Leger stated that he would like to see those numbers when they are available, even a rough
appraisal estimate. He pointed out that there is currently a very nice building sitting on the site and said that
there will be a lot of costs associated with the demolition of that facility.
Chief LaGreca expressed the opinion that the demolition costs will be minimal and Mr. Pickering added that
whoever purchases the building may be able to use it or part of it.
Chief LaGreca added that under Action Item #1, in 2008 they talk about an appraisal of the current Station,
budgeting money for engineering site work in the upcoming fiscal year, potentially doing the final design work
and conducting a bid process. He said that they already prepared a floor plan of the Station that shows how it
Niro could fit on the site because they were concerned about being a good neighbor to Palatial Estates so changes
were made for this reason. He noted that the packet contains some schematics and noted that the Station would
be 4,850 square feet in size. He said that he used$300 a square foot as a cost, based on the fact that Carefree is
currently building a Station and they are paying $275 a square foot. He estimated that the cost of the Station
would be somewhere in the ballpark of approximately $1.5 million. He added that in 2009, 2010 or even 2011,
the Station would be complete and occupied. He said that he envisions Station #2 being sold and the money
would go back into the General Fund, reducing the cost of the project. He emphasized that this is simply his
viewpoint of the situation.
In response to a question from Councilmember Leger, Chief LaGreca advised that the square footage of Station
#2 is 4,850 square feet. The Chief referred to a rendering of the floor plan of the proposed Station and said that
he believes they have been excellent neighbors on Saguaro Boulevard and have not had one complaint about
their operations. He added that they intend to also be a good neighbor to Palatial Estates. He discussed efforts
that would be expended to minimize impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.
Mayor Nichols asked where this would be in relation to the newly proposed conference center and Mr.Pickering
advised that it is down below it. The proposed conference center is much higher and off to the west and there
would be a huge amount of open space between the facilities.
Chief LaGreca referred to Action Item#2, and noted that as part of the Department's 2006 Strategic Goal, it is
their intention to provide current response capability with necessary fire-fighting apparatus (as previously
mentioned). He noted that the Department has streamlined and reduced its fleet vehicles through mutual aid
agreements and they provide improved response capabilities through innovative positioning of current first
Le response units. He said that this will increase the service life of the fleet by getting rid of extra vehicles and
realizing a savings of approximately 800 gallons of fuel per year.
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Chief LaGreca reported that the Department had a 1987 Ford utility truck that they would have had to replace
but were able to sell; because of their Mutual Aid relationship with the Fort McDowell Indian Nation,they were
able to utilize their truck. He noted that it would have cost $235,000 to replace that$35,000 truck. The Chief
gave other examples of similar savings in this area, including maintenance, and said that the total overall capital Noir
savings realized amounts to$565,000 and total annual savings amounts to$19,000.
Discussion ensued relative to proposed apparatus replacements for 2007-08 contained in the report, the fact that
the equipment needs are in the capital budget, the fact that the RFP was completed in February, an RFQ will be
completed by June, Council action and award of the contract, if approved, by August with delivery by June
2008.
Chief LaGreca also discussed Action Item#3, Community Grading and Accreditation, and stated that one of the
things they talked about is Fountain Hills becoming a"Fire Wise Community," a designation by the Governor's
Office. He said that in order to achieve accreditation, a Department most show preventative measures that are
taken to avoid wild land fires or in the Town's case, desert fires. He stated the opinion that Fountain Hills
would be a primary candidate to serve as the model city for a low land Fire Wise community. He noted that
every year the Department budgets a certain amount of funds (anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000) for what
they call fuel reduction but the Town calls it wash remediation. He explained that this will open up
opportunities to buy wild land fire-fighting equipment directly from the Federal government at a much more
reasonable cost and also opens up grant funding.
Discussion ensued relative to having an ISO (Insurance Services Office) and the fact that they are currently at a
4 right now and believe they can get down to a 3 or a 2, which would provide an economic benefit to business
owners in Town; the Department's plan to develop a Community Activate Response Effort Program(C.A.R.E.),
and plans to evaluate the 2009 International Fire Code for potential amendments and adoption.
Chief LaGreca also discussed Action Item #4, Fire Station #1, Refurbishment (Phase 2 — 2007-08) and noted
that the building is 16 years old. He stated that the outside has been painted, asphalt has been placed on the
driveway, the building is handicapped compliant in the front, the roof has just been done and he believes new
flooring and more painting will be occurring shortly. He said that the rest of the work will be done during the
next budget year (rear paving, re-inspection of the mechanical/HVAC system and restroom upgrades). He
added that flooring replacement is scheduled for 2008-09 and there is a good chance that this will be completed
by the end of this year.
Chief LaGreca advised that Action Item#5, Fire Marshall Office, Record Management System, is "up in the air
right now" and said that they have their hardware for the upgrading of the system, they have already transferred
over some of the data from Rural Metro and the Scottsdale Information Services people have put it into a format
that they can start to use. The only problem is that they are losing their Fire Marshal and so this may be pushed
back a few months until they can get one of their Captains to "pick up the ball" and finish it off or the new
person comes in and finishes it off. He added that with the Fire Marshal leaving in June,they are going to take a
look at how they can achieve greater economy of scale in what they are doing as far as inspections and plan
review in conjunction with the building side as well.
Additional discussion ensued relative to Action Item #6, Training, and the Chief said that in 2007-08 the
Department is participating in a Federal/State Top-Off 4 Exercise that will last through October, the fact that
there are two new Captains who need to go through the Battalion Chief Academy at Glendale Community
College in October, the fact that in 2008-10, the Department is going to explore opportunities to send several
Captains or firefighters to the National Fire Academy; Action Item #7, Grant Funding, and the fact that the
Department currently has three grants out and were successful in the Governor's Grant for Highway Safety in
the amount of$8,000 and the fact that Congress and the Senate has not assigned an appropriations bill to fund
the State and until that is done they will not receive their funding, and the fact that next year the Department will
pursue grants to help mitigate capital costs.
Nod
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Chief LaGreca stated that he is giving the Council a performance guarantee this evening that as an organization
and as individual members of the Fountain Hills Rural/Metro Fire Department, they will do the things they say
L., they will, try their best to do them well every time and care about their customers,their property and each other.
He added that in summary, the Fountain Hills Rural/Metro Fire Department will revise the three-year Operation
Plan based upon the issues and goals outlined. Commitment to action plans and coordinated efforts will assure
that the plan stays on course. An organization without vision and long-range plans will struggle as it moves to
the future. The Operational Plan is a living example of the tremendous benefits that all of us receive when the
work force and management work together toward the future.
The Chief reiterated some of the concerns the Council had as far as the north side of Town and stated that the
Department will continue to watch that and be diligent on whatever happens there and should anything arise, it
will immediately be reported to Mr. Pickering's office.
The Mayor and members of the Council thanked the Chief for his informative presentation.
Councilmember Leger asked what the estimated cost was for the new piece of fire equipment the Department
has designed. Chief LaGreca advised that they have budgeted $360,000 but said he believes it will come in
somewhere between $300,000 and$320,000. He added that the vehicle will not have a lot of bells and whistles
but it will be built to take care of the new homes and subdivisions that will come on line over the next 20 years.
He confirmed that the truck will be diesel run and utilize bio-diesel fuel, which will result in less pollution.
Vice Mayor McMahan asked whether there was a contingency plan in place for wild fires and the Chief replied
that the Department has been conducting drilling with Rio Verde and Fort McDowell over the last two weeks in
an effort to prepare for the season. He said that they have had three starts already in the washes. All of their
equipment has been loaded back on to the truck so they are ready to go. The State is gearing up as well so they
have to make sure that they can hold fires for the first few hours before relief arrives. He strongly encouraged
everyone who sees anything that might even look like smoke to dial 9-1-1. He commended the Streets
Department and said that they have been very proactive and are grading the sides of the roads to take care of the
inconsiderate motorists who throw cigarette butts out of their windows, etc.
Mayor Nichols said he believes he learned this evening that the Kingstree potential will not work and the
proposed repositioning on Shea makes sense and will provide coverage into the Eagle Mountain area. He added
that it does not solve the Town's long-range problems as far as getting up into the northwest section or into the
State Trust Land, but that is something that will have to be considered as they move forward over the next
couple of years. He stated that he was relieved to hear that up in the northwest section of Town, the grey area,
they are able to respond right now within the five-minute window 90% of the time exceeding the speed limit by
10 miles-per-hour. He added that the public should not worry that they are not getting coverage because they
are. He asked whether staff was seeking direction at this time from the Council.
Mr. Pickering responded that no direction is being sought at this time; the presentation was just an informational
one. He said that they just wanted to make the Council aware of the steps that have been taken and future goals.
He added that that the Chief wanted to look at all of the numbers to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated.
He stated that the decision of where to locate Station #2, at the time the decision was made, was a good one
because they were trying to cover more area than just Fountain Hills and Fort McDowell was included in that.
He added that that is not the case any more and so now they have to re-look at that decision and that is what
Chief LaGreca was saying this evening.
Councilmember Archambault thanked Mr. Pickering and Chief LaGreca for being so proactive in this critical
area and said it is great to know that everyone is looking out for the Town's future down the road. He added
that it makes the Council's decision making process much easier.
Lir Mr. Pickering informed the Council that at the end of this fiscal year, they will come to the two year expiration
of the Rural Metro contract. He said that the Council will probably see in the upcoming budgets money to
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prepare bid specs for this purpose. He added that that is not say that they are switching, it is to get them
prepared so that long in advance, if they did have to make any sort of change, they would be prepared to do so.
He stated that he would hope that Rural/Metro would still provide the Town a bid and continue to provide
service to the Town. He advised that staff will be talking with neighboring communities to see if they want to
provide that service and probably take a look at the costs and how service would be provided so that they can
continue to be proactive. He noted that the process is the Town's responsibility.
Mayor Nichols expressed appreciation to Chief LaGreca and his staff/crews for the excellent service they
provide. He said they are part of the Town and part of what makes Fountain Hills special. He added that the
residents truly appreciate the efforts of this fine group of dedicated professionals.
AGENDA ITEM#3-ADJOURNMENT
Councilmember Archambault MOVED to adjourn and Vice Mayor McMahan SECONDED the motion, which
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY(7-0). The meeting adjourn t 6:22 p.m.
TOWN OF FOUNT HILLS
By
Wally N. hols, ayor
ATTEST AND
PREPARED BY:
Bevelyn J. en ,Town Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Work Study Session
held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 10th day of April, 2007. I further certify that the meeting
was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 3rd day of May 2007.
Bevelyn J. B d ,Town Clerk
j
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