HomeMy WebLinkAboutFire Station Location Study Agreement
Augusta Richmond GA
DOCUMENT NAME: ~1a.e- ~J'lTIO'" L0C!'\,/O.v <; jU 'Dj Are>E6;nVV r
DOCUMENT TYPE: A ~ (<..fSE m 12<0l
YEAR: ') q q <6
BOX NUMBER: t.p
FILE NUMBER: l ~ <1 ~ '1
NUMBER OF PAGES: I 0
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AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES TO
Augusta/Richmond County
FIRE STATION LOCATION STUDY
THIS AGREEMENT, between Association County Commissioners of Georgia (hereafter
referred to as the "Consultant") with its principal office located at 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1000, Atlanta,
Georgia, 30303 and Augusta/Richmond County with its principal office located at 530 Greene Street,
Augusta, Georgia, 30911.
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WITNESSETH THAT:
NOW THEREFORE, the parties hereto mutually agree as follows:
1, Period of Agreement. This agreement shall commence upon execution by both parties and
terminate no later than March 1, 1999, unless otherwise extended by the mutual agreement of
the parties.
2. Employment of Consultant. Augusta/Richmond County agrees to engage the Consultant and the
Consultant hereby agrees to perform the services outlined in Attachment A which is attached
hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
3. Scope of Services. The services to be performed hereunder are set forth in Attachment A.
4. Time of Performance. The services to be performed hereunder shall be undertaken and
completed in such sequence as to assure their expeditious completion and best carry out the
purposes of the agreement. The project will be started within fourteen (14) days of the Notice to
Proceed, and a Draft report will be delivered to Augusta/Richmond County within an agreed upon
time frame.
5. Compensation. Augusta/Richmond County agrees to pay the Consultant a total fixed fee of
$37,180 (Thirty Seven Thousand One Hundred Eighty dollars) for all services required, inclusive
of travel related expenses. Payment for services will be rendered as outlined in Section 10
herein.
6. Changes. Augusta/Richmond County may, from time to time, require changes in the scope of
the services of the Consultant to be performed hereunder. Such changes, which are mutually
agreed upon by and between Augusta/Richmond County and the Consultant, shall be
incorporated in written amendment to this agreement signed by both parties.
7. Services and Materials to be Furnished by Augusta/Richmond County. Augusta/Richmond
County shall locally furnish the Consultant with all necessary information, data and material
pertinent to the execution of this agreement, as outlined in Attachment A. Failure to supply the
needed data could result in additional cost to Augusta/Richmond County. Augusta/Richmond
County shall cooperate with the Consultant in carrying out the work herein and shall provide
adequate staff for liaison with the Consultant.
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8. Termination of Agreement for Cause. Augusta/Richmond County shall have the right to
terminate this agreement for cause by giving written notice to the Consultant to such termination
and specifying the effective date thereof. The Consultant shall be entitled to payment for
services rendered to and accepted by Augusta/Richmond County through the effective date of
the termination.
9. Information and Reports. The Consultant shall, at such time and in such form as
Augusta/Richmond County may require, furnish such periodic reports concerning the status of
the project, such statements, certificates, approvals and copies of proposed and executed plans
and claims and other information relative to the project as may be requested by
Augusta/Richmond County.
10. Payment for Services. The Consultant will invoice Augusta/Richmond County thirty percent
(30%) of the contract amount within thirty (30) days of project initiation, thirty percent (30%)
within 60 days, and forty percent (40%) upon completion of project.
11. Subcontractor. The parties hereby acknowledge and agree that the services to be performed
hereunder shall be performed by David M. Griffith & Associates, Ltd. in accordance with the
terms of this agreement. *
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12. Notices. Any notices, bills, invoices, or reports required by this agreement shall be sufficient if
sent by the parties in the United States mail, postage paid, to the addresses noted below:
Jerry Griffin, Executive Director
Association County Commissioners
of Georgia
50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1000
Atlanta, Georgia 3030B
Mr. Donald A. Carter,
Regional Vice President
David M. Griffith & Assoc., Ltd.
1280 W, Peachtree Street, Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Charles R. Oliver, Administrator
Augusta/Richmond County
530 Green Street
Augusta, Georgia 30911 .
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Augusta/Richmond County and the Consultant hereto have executed
this agreement on the date set below their names. .
AUGUSTAlRICH~OND COUNTY
U~ .~
ASSOCIATION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
F GEORGIA
^ . J l'\ ~ This doculIlent Ipproved as
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l\0J ****13. Venue. Co~su tanl. by e~ecution of this agreem~nt, here~y consen~s to jurisdiction and
\Y venue in the Superior Court of Richmond County, Georgia and waives any right to contest
jurisdiction and venue in said Court.
J R. riffin, Executive Director
Association County Commissioners
of Georgia
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ATTACHMENT A
WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
Our approach to developing a station location master plan for the fire
department is outlined in this section of the proposal. The study plan has been
organized into three phases and will be conducted over a 15-week period. The
phases are listed below.
Phase 1: Study Design
Phase 2: Intensive Study and Analysis
Phase 3: Final Report Preparation and Presentation
Each phase involves a planning/review session with the study committee.
These meetings closely coordinate development of the study with local
objectives and periodically communicate findings and issues to the county.
PHASE 1
PRELIMINARY STUDY DESIGN (Weeks 1 - 2)
The Phase 1 preliminary study period is designed to build a strong
working relationship between the study team and the county. Phase 1 refines
the objectives of the study and establishes a work plan to achieve these
objectives.
Task 1 - Study Orientation .
Upon award of the contract we will contact the department. During Task 1
the consulting team will:
1. Make initial contact with the county and department officials.
2. Gather background information about the county and the fire
department.
3. Develop a tentative study schedule.
4. Arrange for site visits.
5. Prepare preliminary interview and data collection instruments.
@1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG
WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
Task 2 - Initial Site Visit
The objective of the visit will be to finalize the study objectives and begin
the detailed information gathering process. Six tasks will be accomplished
during the first site visit.
A. Conduct personal interviews with key individuals - We believe that
personal, in-depth interviews are the most effective way to gather
information about the county and its fire protection needs. Entrance
interviews will be held with the County Administrator, the Fire Chief and
key departmental personnel. The objective of the interviews will be to
identify in detail the key policy issues to be addressed in the study. We
will review the study proposal during the interviews to solicit concerns
about station location issues.
B. Review Operational Needs - Through interviews and observations the
study team will become familiar with the department, its service areas
and the range of services it provides. The objective of this review will be
to gather information about operations and to identify other information
necessary to conduct a detailed assessment. The following issues will be
examined:
· Organizational structure of the department
· Staff levels
· Facilities and apparatus deployment
· Apparatus and major equipment inventory
C. Tour the county and the fire stations - The objective of the tour will be
to gather information about those factors affecting fire station location
decisions. We will tour the county with fire officials to discuss coverage
problems, needs and potential solutions.
D. Review information needs - Preparation of the study will require the
analysis of information about service needs and the manner in which
services are provided. ,We will meet with county and department
personnel to review fire department and county information systems that
might be available to the study team.
E. Meet with the study committee - The meeting will allow the project team
to gather information from committee members as well as brief them on
our initial observations and next steps in the study. A primary purpose of
the meeting will be to gather information from them about their station
location concerns.
@ 1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG
WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
F. Collect and Review Prior Studies - We will not duplicate but build on
prior internal and external studies of the department. We will review all
previous studies regarding the fire department.
Task 3 - Submit Detailed Study Plan for Review
The project team will prepare a written progress report based on the first
round of field interviews. The objective of the report will be to keep the county
and department fully informed about what has been accomplished, clarify and
finalize the objectives of the study and outline future study tasks. We will meet
with local officials to discuss the progress report and our detailed plan for the
study. If needed, modification of the objectives and direction of the study will be
made to accommodate local needs based on our initial site visit findings. In
addition to the revised study plan, we will provide monthly progress reports to the
project monitor and debrief local officials at the end of each site visit.
PHASE 2
INTENSIVE STUDY ANAL Y51S (Weeks 3-12)
Phase 2 represents the heart of the study and will be accomplished over a
10-week period. Phase 2 involves an analysis of community demographic
trends, emergency service levels, and development of a station location plan for
the county.
Task 4 - Demographic Analysis
Community demographics (socio-economic) play an important role in the
demand for emergency services. As the population of a community grows and
moves about its creates different service needs. This is especially the case for
fire/rescue agencies that strive to meet response time performance goals but
operate from fixed locations. Properly placed stations can go a long way
towards providing reasonable response times and service equity to the entire
community. In conducting the analysis, we will be cognizant of how
demographic patterns may affect service demands' and deployment needs. We
will review the county's comprehensive land use plan and demographic trends
to gain a full understanding of current as well as future fire station location
needs.
@ 1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG
WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
Task 5 - Emergency Service Analysis
A good station location plan is based on a solid understanding of a
community's emergency service needs. The project team will conduct an
analysis of emergency services provided by the department. The analysis will
include fire and rescue services. We will review past trends and current
operations. Although the department does not provide emergency medical care
we will attempt to gather emergency medical system (EMS) data from the
county's private provider. It is our understanding that the county and fire
department are interested in having the suppression personnel provide some
EMS care. The involvement of fire departments in EMS has become nearly
universal in recent years. If EMS data is not available from the local ambulance
company, we will use benchmark data from other fire/EMS departments to
estimate the impact that the provision of EMS care will have on the fire'
department and its facility/apparatus! needs.
Resource and Service Trends. This analysis will proceed on several fronts.
First, we will develop a profile of department resources and the basic services
provided from 1992 to the present to detect any unusual occurrences or trends.
This information will be broken out by the following categories to gain a full
understanding of how resource and service needs are changing in the county:
· Resources
Fiscal
Personnel
Facilities
Apparatus
· Services
Fire incidents (structure, vehicle, false, other)
Other service incidents (haz-mat, false alarms, etc.)
Non-emergency services (hydrant maintenance, inspections)
Mutual aid (received and given by jurisdiction)
· Outcomes
Structure fires
Multiple alarms
Civilian and fire fighter injuries
Civilian and fire fighter deaths
Fire dollar loss
@ 1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG
WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
Current Operations. A second and more detailed service call analysis will be
conducted for the most recent year. The following information will be analyzed to
develop a comprehensive picture of current demand levels:
· Service call levels
Number of calls and non-emergency services
Workload levels of individual fire companies and stations
· Response time
Type of apparatus
Emergency response time maps
· Geographic patterns of service demands
Fire incident location maps
This information will be used to present decision makers with a
comprehensive picture of fire service needs and patterns in the community.
Special emphasis will be placed on developing a profile of performance factors
associated with each fire station. Through this analysis the study committee will
gain a full understanding of service overlaps and gaps and opportunities for
improving the system.
Task 6 - Station and Apparatus Location Analysis
The location of fire stations and the deployment of resources (apparatus
and personnel) can have an important impact on the delivery of emergency
services. This is because response time is related to how well an organization
deploys its resources. The department currently operates from. 19 stations
located throughout the county's 325 square miles. The fire stations were
constructed over a lengthy period of time using different standards and operating
practices. Decisions concerning the location of stations and apparatus in a
community are usually determined by:
· Distance between fire stations
· Emergency travel conditions
· Emergency needs of neighborhoods
· Hazards at particular locations
@ 1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG
WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
The station location analysis will be conducted in conformance with
accepted standards. We propose to use several sources of information to
evaluate station location options. These are listed below:
· Standards contained in the Insurance Service Office's, "Fire
Suppression Rating Schedule" regarding apparatus
distribution.
· Standards contained in the most recent education of the
International City Management Association's Fire Service
Greenbook.
· Standards adhered to in Augusta-Richmond County (e.g.,
average response time levels, average company run levels,
average station coverage area).
We propose to use the FLAME, microcomputer fire station location
software, to conduct the analysis. DMG has been licensed by Bode Research to
use FLAME. FLAME is the best available fire station and EMS unit location
modeling software. It was developed by fire/EMS professionals in Wichita,
Kansas and has been successfully used in a number of jurisdictions. FLAME will
allow the project team to model the travel speed and travel distance of
emergency vehicles using the actual street network of the county. FLAME
automatically computes the distance traveled and travel time of apparatus.1
FLAME uses U. S. Census Bureau Tiger maps. The FLAME maps can be
modified to reflect recent changes in the street network.
FLAME analysis contains listings, tabular output and maps that clearly
demonstrate the operational implications of various station location options. The
maps, produced by a high definition color printer, include fire station response
areas and company travel times. The maps illustrate:
· The extent to which current stations provide coverage throughout the
community including:
Areas with overlapping coverage.
Areas outside ofthe desired travel time goal.
IDMG and the principals in this study have used FLAME in Broward and Sarasota
Counties, Florida; Santa Rosa, California; Florence County, South Carolina; Lynchburg, Virginia;
Lansing, Michigan; Missouri Ci!ty and Rosenberg, Texas; Payson, Arizona; Albany, New York
and Pasadena, California to develop fire apparatus and !lmbulance deployment plans.
@ 1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG
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WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
· The. impact of coverage patterns as stations are added or moved to
alternative locations.
· The selection of the optimum locations for fire stations based on the
community's desired response time standards.
The project team will work with the department to develop the appropriate
FLAME maps for use during the study. FLAME travel time parameters can be
set at various levels to prepare graphic pictures of coverage in the city to identify
areas of overlapping coverage and substandard coverage. We will calibrate
FLAME to test the response time parameters suggested by generally accepted
standards and defined by the county. It is noted that FLAME models travel time
and that total response time is calculated by adding dispatch and turnout time to
the FLAME travel time analysis. We will review the emergency workload levels
(emergency calls) of individual fire companies and determine the extent to which
they conform to generally accepted standards. Our station location analysis will
include:
· Recommended adjustments in the current station network to include
staffing, apparatus assignments and station locations
· Recommended adjustments to plans for adding, relocating or expanding
stations considering the department's workload and growth projections
Task 7 - Develop Cost Estimates
The design of a revised station location plan may result in costs for the
construction of new facilities and the need for new apparatus. We will identify
the capital costs (stations and apparatus) associated with the plan to facilitate
the county's fiscal and operational planning.
PHASE 3
REPORT'PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION (Weeks
13- 15)
Task 8 - Prepare
a Draft Station Location Plan
Throughout the study process, the project team will be collecting and
analyzing information. We have found the analysis process to be iterative in
nature. As information is collected and reviewed, it leads to the formulation of
ideas, the development of additional questions and perhaps new information
@ 1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG
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WORKPLAN AND PROJECT SCHEDULE
needs. During the analysis process, the team will consult with county officials
regarding development of the station location plan. A draft copy of the station
location plan will be presented to the steering committee for review and
comment. The draft report will:
· Document study activities.
· Provide detailed findings and recommendations.
· Contain station location and apparatus plans.
· Provide an action plan specifying responsibilities, timetables
and tasks for each recommendation.
Task 9 - Prepare and Present the Final Report
We will take the County's comments on the draft plan into consideration
when preparing the final report. The report will contain tables, graphs and maps
designed to facilitate understanding of the descriptive information and the
recommendations by non-fire personnel.
DMG staff will be available for phone consultation after the conclusion of
the study. Clients often use this service to discuss findings, recommendations
and implementation issues. Members of the study team will also be available for
more detailed on-site technical assistance at the conclusion of the study at our
normal billing rates.
@ 1997
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
Fire Station Location Study
ACCG