Fire Services Review Special Committee - Minutes - 03/18/2024

Members Present: Robert Tuneski (BoF);
Tom Martin (Captain, WFS); Todd Patton (Chief, Goshen Fire Co.)
Members Absent: Steven Sinagra (Director, Emer;
Rob Brule (BoS); [RTM Public Protection & Safety
1.
2.
3.
4.
. Fa} i 0
Submitted by a 2 Hi
Susan Driscoll, FSRSC Secretary w = sm
s, % 2s
wo mr
encl: — Staffing Plan/Facilities Study Draft a 5 — wo
Fleet Plan Draft = aay on
Fire Fleet Recommendations = — WG
oh) U0 Pa
5 a8
= 8
SS
FIFTEEN ROPE FERRY ROAD PHONE; 860-442-0553
WATERFORD, CF 06385-2886
wwwavaterfordctorg
Fire Services Review Special Committee
Minutes—Special Meeting March 18, 2024
Susan Driscoll (RTM); Matthew Keatley (RTM); Mike Howley (Director, Fire Services);
gency Management); Mark Greczkowski (WAS Director of Operations);
Committee appointment thd]
Call to order: Chair Tuneski called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m.
Public comment: None.
Minutes—Feb. 12, 2024: Motion by Keatley, second by Tuneski, to approve Feb. 12, 2024, minutes as presented.
Voice vote: Yes-Tuneski, Driscoll
Abstain-Keatley Motion passed.
Consideration of FSRSC’s charge from the RTM (6/7/21): Patton relayed a
wanted to know why there were 2 full-time firefighters
explained that it was mostly due to budget constraints.
Howley distributed materials for FSRSC members to review in preparation for discussion at the next meeting. He gave
brief explanations of the drafts for Staffing Plan, Facilities Study, Fire Fleet Management Plan, and the current 5-year Fleet
Management Plan, and noted that he is still working on a longer-term fleet management report. He described staffing
projections as somewhat fluid and dependent on the level of growth in town, and noted that FLSA compliance issues, the
separation of WAS, and Covid all took a big bite out of our volunteer program.
Tuneski had several questions about how the town’s fleet management plan is established and implemented. Howley
explained the color coding on the spreadsheet, how every vehicle is placed on the plan after purchase, with projected
lifespans determining probable replacement year. A committee comprised of the First Selectman, Finance Director, Board of
Finance Chair and RTM Moderator reviews the plan and authorizes purchases and major repairs, and department heads
weigh in with needs/usage assessments, updated repair/replacement costs, changes in replacement schedules, and other
issues. He discussed his ongoing efforts to get all fire vehicles undercoated, a new preventive maintenance practice that can
save repair/replacement costs. He said that the Most expensive, or problematic, vehicle in Fire Services currently is the 20-
year-old W-55 70-ft ladder truck that should be replaced with a 100-ft ladder version in order to handle incidents at the
several developments built in the last several years. The upgrade to the 100-ft ladder would be more expensive than the
cost projected in the current plan, delivery would be 2.5-3 years after the order was placed, and that a discount was possible
if payment made when ordered,
Tuneski wrapped up the meeting b
last year and is nearly done.
question from one of the volunteer chiefs, who
at two stations and only one part-timer at another. Howley
Y informing the committee that he has been working on the FSRSC final report since
Next meeting: Consensus to tentatively schedule next meeting for Monday,
Adjournment: Motion by Keatley;
April 22, at 5:30p.m.
second by Driscoll to adjourn at 6:30 p.m. Voice vote: Unanimous.

LZsh ILI Bd¥ hz
1o‘aMoawal
aude vos gah cozy
EN] NAAOL
ADL GS 1
Office of Fire Services
Waterford Fire Department
204 Boston Post Road
Waterford CT. 06385
Waterford Fire Staffing Plan
January 2024
DRAFT
A report for the Fire Services Ad-Hoc
Committee
Prepared by Director of Fire Services
Chief Michael J. Howley

Executive Summary
This document is intended to serve as a guide for the Fire Service Ad-Hoc
Committee and our Town leaders, as an informational document to help keep the
community informed of the needs and the proposed process to close identified
gaps. This plan identifies a path forward that the fire department Director thinks
addresses the gaps in as fiscally conservative a way as possible. It is important to
understand Waterford Fire Services has been falling behind with staffing for the
last ten years as volunteer numbers have decreased at all five companies, some at
critical points of no return.
Waterford has been deeply embedded and supported with volunteer firefighters
with some of the five volunteer companies having history going back over 100
years. Unfortunately the fire service has changed. This change has been building
for many years, 15-20 here in Waterford. These changes with the fire department’s
five companies should have been looked at closer over the last five to ten years
evaluating how many volunteers are active and compliant as interior and or support
volunteers. Waterford Fire Department (WFD) has had many challenges and
changes in the last ten years and very little has been done to address these changes.
The need has been there with very minimal or no action taken. Looking at data
from fire reports here in Waterford, the response times for our volunteer companies
range from above average to no response at all in some cases. This requires staff
from a covered station to respond making longer response times. The result is that
homes, businesses, and citizens in those neighborhoods and zones are at some risk
due to being outside of the nationally recognized standard of four to six minute
drive times from the nearest fire station. The staffing is also well below what is
required to address the Town’s risks, as identified in the risk ISO reports and
documentation for the last 15 years.
There were significant time frames and changes that effected the WFD and the
volunteers available to respond. Each one of these incidents had an impact on
volunteers. In 2019 Volunteers had to choose between working as a part-time
firefighter or volunteering (FLSA). This impacted 12-15 paid volunteers deciding
to work part time for WFD or continuing as a volunteer. Part time firefighters are
hard to come by these days as more and more municipalities are trying to hire full
and part time firefighters. In July 2020 Waterford Ambulance Service (WAS)
separated from WFD. This impact reduced volunteer numbers by 25 volunteers
that were really EMS personnel only, not firefighters, which revealed the true

number of firefighter volunteers. All this added to the impact of recruiting and
retaining volunteers, a major problem across this state and country.
With the rapidly changing national economy, labor contracts are subject to vary
year to year. Considering WFD’s starting salary for firefighters is one of the lowest
in the state, it makes it hard to attract new firefighters and retain current ones. This
is both Union Career and Non-Union part-time firefighters.
Issue 1: Decline in Volunteer Staffing is a Nationwide Problem
The volunteerism in the Waterford Fire Department is rich with history.
Waterford’s private fire companies began as entirely volunteer departments over a
hundred years ago and provided exceptional service to the community. The Town
started adding career staff to supplement the volunteers in the late 60’s, history
below. Over the past 35 years, volunteerism in our Waterford Fire companies has
declined for many reasons, resulting in a transition from a majority volunteer to a
majority career and part time combination fire department now supplemented by
few volunteers.
Waterford has five volunteer companies strategically located throughout the Town
to respond rapidly to Fire, Rescue & EMS emergencies. These companies consist
of Jordan, Quaker Hill, Goshen, Oswegatchie, and Cohanzie with Goshen currently
being our strongest membership of volunteers. A separate sheet of addresses and
photos of each Company is part of this report. Our volunteer companies are not just
a backup to the career staff. The companies are located within densely populated
areas where people live and sleep and in the past, these volunteers would be the
first responders in their districts. They also provide the additional workforce
needed for various call types that require a multiple company response. Today
Waterford currently has approximately 15 - 20 active/qualified volunteer
firefighters, along with many social volunteers, distributed unevenly between the
five volunteer companies. These numbers do not include our very active 10 - 12
fire police members.
The Waterford Fire Department has also worked to increase the recruitment and
retention of volunteers, including women and minorities, by participating in
Everyday Hero CT. A partnership of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association
(CFCA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs ([AFC), the Everyday
Hero CT campaign is a Volunteer Workforce Solutions (VWS) initiative designed
to address the shortage of volunteer firefighters in Connecticut. The WFD has also

implemented new incentive programs as part of our ongoing recruitment and
retention efforts. These include quarterly points/cash stipends, plus tax abatement
incentives. While we continue to on-board new members, we still have a net loss
of volunteers each year. This attrition includes our most experienced and seasoned
members. The reasons for the decline of the volunteer system are complex and
beyond the scope of this paper. The decline is, however, a reality and not likely to
recover enough to make a significant difference. A shortage of volunteers in the
fire service is not just a Waterford issue. The fire service is struggling nationally to
recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. Shortages of volunteer firefighters
threatens the fire department’s existence. This is a troubling trend. Volunteer fire
departments struggle to gain new members. No backup is a cause for alarm for CT
volunteer departments dealing with volunteer firefighter shortages. This problem
has carried through to the many career departments with shortages of qualified
firefighters from which to hire.
Issue 2: An Increase in Calls for Service
Our calls for service have been on a steady upward trend over the past decade. The
statistics below reflects a peak in the volume of calls in FY17-18 with 4,167 calls
including EMS/WAS just before COVID-19 struck our nation. The pandemic
resulted in a downward deviation indicating the community’s reluctance to use the
healthcare system to avoid exposure to the virus. However, call volume has
increased and surpassed previous years since society reached a post-pandemic
state.
We do not just respond to emergency incidents, i.e., fires, motor vehicle accidents,
hazardous material incidents, and EMS. There are several other services provided
by our fire services department such as fire investigation, code enforcement,
inspections, plan review, fire prevention, public education, and community events.
In addition to the services provided there is mandatory training in all the above
emergencies. Additionally, firefighters must also complete activities related to
equipment checks, maintenance and repair, fire station cleaning, and upkeep.
Behind every incident is a report to document our findings and actions taken to
mitigate the emergency. While the extent of each report is dependent on the
seriousness of the incident, our healthcare system is incrementally requiring
additional data points to collect that result in a longer time commitment for report
writing by our officers and office staff.

Our annual emergency incident response call volume, prior to the separation of
WED and WAS, peaked at 4,167 incidents in Fiscal Year (FY) 17-18.
In FY 18-19 the call volume that year reduced slightly with 3,930 incidents.
In FY19-20 all our lives changed as COVID showed up December 2019. By spring
of 2020 COVID was rampant and EMS calls reduced due to OEMS protocols
being changed to reduce the risk for first responders. WFD responded to 2,893
incidents even with COVID going strong.
In FY20-21, with the separation of WAS and WED occurring in July of 2020, call
volume was reduced drastically. In addition to the separation, changes to EMS
protocols also affected the types of incidents to which Fire/EMS was responding,
WED cali volume dropped to 2,240 incidents as we were learning more and more
about COVID.
In FY21-22 as America was coming out of COVID the call volume began rising as
we all started to do more out in public. Our incidents jumped up to 2,612
In FY22-23 it was another busy year for WFD as call volume again increased to
2,727 incidents. The department handled an average of 7.5 calls per day in FY 22-
23.
In FY23-24 we are on track to outpace our record high from last year. This uptick
in calls for service, along with the many required additional duties and training
mentioned, will keep our department busy.
Drawdown
The decrease in volunteer company responses and our increase in calls for service
have compounded to create a very real issue with resource drawdown. Concurrent
calls for service are inevitable and are occurring more frequently with our call
volume. When multiple calls for service occur simultaneously, resources are
quickly drawn down leaving no one available for the next call. Volunteer crews
who previously offset drawdown are no longer responding regularly from our five
companies. At the time of this paper only Company 3 is meeting the need of
volunteers.

This leaves frequent periods of time where adequate staffing is not available for
medical or fire emergencies. One firefighter in an engine is not an
adequate response for any type of incident! ! This happens quite frequently
in Waterford. Our fire resources often run at minimum staffing at an incident
which is an unsafe practice to continue for our personnel and for the public we
serve. Companies responding with one firefighter to an incident showed on paper
they still covered the incident and in a timely manner.
Issue 3: Development that is Outpacing our Service Ability
Over the last several years, Waterford has undergone significant development with
many more housing developments coming. There are currently several large
apartment buildings and housing developments under construction with more
working their way through Town approvals. We are only beginning to feel the
impact of these developments. It is not only the large developments that increase
the workload of the department. All over Town, new or redevelopment is taking
place on any available property; many of these are cluster housing. Cumulatively,
these contribute to the need for additional Town services. More people in smaller
spaces cause more problems. The type of development also impacts our services.
Waterford has a large elderly population with several nursing homes, assisted
living facilities, over age 55 housing, and affordable housing. All of which use our
services. And will increase our call volume.
Issue 4: Inequity of Service Response Times Matter
Regardless of the cause of your emergency, if the condition is acute, or if the injury
is life-threatening or limb-threatening, immediate care is needed. An inequity of
service related to response time has evolved as the decline in volunteer responses
has increased. A fire station near your home that once provided immediate care
may give you a false sense of security as most calls for service are now handled by
the career staff stationed at Jordan and Cohanzie Fire Stations. Or by our Part-time
firefighters that may or may not be scheduled at company 2, 3, & 4. Further
distance from either one of these companies equals a longer wait for services when
needed most. This is not a ding against our volunteer ranks here in Waterford at all,
it is the changes across Connecticut and this country relating to the shortages of
volunteer firefighters. This is why we here in Waterford need to stay ahead of this
changing atmosphere with adequate staffing at all our companies.

Department Staffing Plan for Operations
¢ Historical and Current Staffing
* Recommendations for Staffing
Historical staffing a little background to WFD
1967 first driver firefighter hired at Jordan
1968-69 other companies follow with a single FF driver
1977 Jordan gets 2"! FF night shift coverage to midnight
1985 with construction of Crystal Mall Cohanzie gets 2TM FF nights
1993 night driver moved to days, nights covered by Part time FF’s
1993 2 firefighter/inspectors hired
2000 Cohanzie night FF moved to days, night shift became part time ffs
2013: Volunteers with limited on duty career personnel and part time ff
2015 The Co2, Co 3, driver/ff and 1 fire inspector were re assigned. Due to a
lack of part timers at col an evening shift was reenacted and filled with 2
career staff. Also Co4 was given a 2TM ff on days. (2 ff at col, 2ff at co4, 2 ff
at co5, 0600-1600 and 2 ff on nights at col m-f1600-0200) . And there were
part timers put on at co2 and co3. And working weekends at Col, Co4, Co5
2019 Due to a lack of part time staff a evening shift at Co5 was reenacted
with career staff with 2 career staff working 1600-0200 (The funding from
this came from removing the week day pt shifts at co2 and co3)
2020 Covid set back, effected volunteers, training, meetings, changed
responses for EMS incidents
2020-(fall) fire fatality and lack of volunteer response resulted in selectman
allowing career staff to work optional OT from 0200-0600 this finally giving
the town 24.hr coverage, a 2" fire happened a month or two later where the
only 2 on duty were on scene extensive time before the next ff’s got on
scene. The selectman then allowed the co5 crew optional OT from 0200-
0600 giving co5 24 hr. coverage in January of 2021.
2020 Career staff working poor coverage schedule at three companies:
Cohanzie, Oswegatchie, Jordan - Monday — Friday, 10 hours per day Career
staff working 50 — 70 hours a week (heavy overtime)

¢ 2021 Part time staff working over the hourly limits set by the Town, weekly
e 2021 (June) New Fire Director, two additional ffs were hired in July and
three captains promoted. Established Groups 1, 2 and 3 covering the 24/48
schedule. Four FF’s on duty at all times. col and co5
© 2021 co4 going to two pt FF’s staff 7 days a week. Eight hour days M-F 16
hour days S&S
e 2021 Part time FF’s covering Co 2, three days a week Co3, one day a week
@ 2021-24 New Labor contract with Local 4629 with new schedule 24/48
e 2023 August three additional firefighters hired. Assigned to Co 1. Three on
duty 24/7 at Co 1. (Busiest Company) two FF’s at Co 5
© 2023 Five career on duty at all times (one captain, four firefighters)
e 2023 Two part time firefighters on duty at Company 4 (Oswegatchie) eight
hours a day M-F, 16 hours per day on weekends Saturday and Sunday
e 2023 Co 3 (Goshen), one part time firefighter Saturdays eight hours. June,
July, and August one part time firefighter Saturdays and Sundays eight hours
@ 2023 Co 2 (Quaker Hill), one part time firefighter Tuesday, Thursday, and
Saturday eight hours a day
e 2015-2024 Fire Marshal’s Office, staffed with one Fire Marshal and one
Inspector position. The need is there for additional Inspector(s). This office had
at one time, | Fire Marshal and 3 fire inspectors assigned to it. This will need
to be addressed in future budgets to meet our responsibilities with inspections
and other responsibilities out of the FMO.
Recommended Staffing, Standards, Safety Considerations
Standards of Response
Risk Assessment
In order to perform a complete assessment of a community’s ability to respond to
specific emergencies, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 that a
community must establish standards for itself. These standards need to be made
based on educated understanding of the risk faced both from the source and the
community.

Timely Responses
In an emergency, time is of the essence. Whether it’s a fire or a medical
emergency, minutes count. Timely responses is a critical measure of fire
department performance.
The NFPA has established response time criteria for fire departments. The criteria
accounts for whether the fire department is urban or rural and whether it is career,
volunteer or combination department as Waterford is.
NFPA 1710 outlines Standards for the Organization and Deployment of Fire
Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical operations, and Special Operations
to the Public by Career Fire Departments. NFPA 1720 provides similar but more
lenient standards for combination and volunteer fire departments such as WFD.
Stricter Standards
As a combination department, the Waterford Fire Department is required only to
follow the standards outlined in NFPA 1720. However, in an effort to better serve
our community, we should aspire to meet or exceed the stricter NFPA 1710
standards.
NFPA 1720 applies to volunteers companies who typically don't have personnel
on-duty in stations and instead respond to page-out from home, work, or
elsewhere. It is this fact of volunteer response that introduces a key variable into
the picture. Volunteers cannot guarantee availability like career, on-duty staff can
do unless the volunteers are in the station when actually alerted. In this standard
response goal criteria are very different and intended to reflect the nature of a
volunteer response system.
In general, 1720 provides the following benchmarks:
Urban Zones with >1000 people/sq. mi. call for 15 staff to assemble an attack
in 9 minutes, 90% of the time.
Suburban Zones with 500-1000 people/sq. mi. call for 10 staff to assemble an
attack in 10 minutes, 80% of the time.

> « OSHA 1910.156 Proposed Rule changes in 2024 will have
big impacts on fire services in Connecticut, first change in
43 years
The Transitional Period
What is the Transitional Period (TP)? This is the time frame that Waterford is
going through with the lack of volunteer firefighters thus changing the Fire
Service, Not just Waterford but all over. Waterford’s Transitional time started well
over ten years ago. Were career (paid staff) only supplemented the volunteer
system here in Waterford. That TP has changed, with the volunteer system here in
Waterford supplementing our career staff. Waterford will be in this period for a
while as long as we have and support volunteer firefighters. We will make
adjustments and evaluations with our staffing plan each year as staffing is needed,
due to this TP being very fluid and will fluctuate with volunteers from year to year
at each company. How long will this TP last? Here in Waterford this could be 15-
20 years. An evaluation will need to be completed at some point to evaluate the
volunteer firefighter system in Waterford as we move through the FY’s staffing
plan. This evaluation will determine a cost analysis of volunteers supporting our
fire services. This staffing plan and transitional period will guide fire services in
the direction needed to serve the public fire & EMS responses.
Future Staffing Plan for Waterford
e Continued utilization of full time, part time and volunteers
° Increase number of full time firefighter/EMT’s
° Increase number and weekly hours of part time shifts at Companies two and
three
® Maintain a higher level of qualified and capable volunteers through incentives
« Increase training opportunities for all members
KEEP RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS

Recommended Staffing Proposal
Staffing Proposals, The fire department realizes that there are financial constraints
that affect the Towns decisions regarding long term staffing costs. The department
is also aware of the critical need for increased fire department staffing to bring the
Town closer to the national standards. With this in mind, the fire department has
identified different options to bring the staffing into the department as the Town
leaders deems appropriate. This is accomplished over a period of 6-8 years and
evaluated every 3 years to measure progress. Also recommended to apply for
FEMA SAFER GRANT Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response
(SAFER) from the Federal Government each year of a hiring to offset personnel
cost for three FY’s.
« FYI every three firefighters hired adds one firefighter to a shift
¢ Increase staffing at stations 1, 4, & 5 with career staff
(Over the next seven FYs) Reassign part time FF’s to Co 2& 3
® Hire three additional full time firefighter personnel FY24-25
® Hire three additional full time firefighter personnel FY 25-26
» Re-evaluate progress of hiring adjust as needed FY26-27
« Hire three additional full time firefighter personnel FY27-28
« Re-evaluate progress of hiring adjust as needed FY27-28
» Hire three additional full time firefighter personnel FY28-29
» Hire three additional full time firefighter personnel FY29-30
Re-evaluate progress of hiring adjust as needed FY 30-31
° Hire additional inspector for Fire Marshal’s Office FY25-26
» Hire additional inspector for Fire Marshal’s Office FY28-29
« Hire Assistant Fire Chief (ASAP)

Future Staffing Plan/Goal at each Company
* Jordan - Company #1 —
a FY23-24 add one career staff (completed) three on duty
Goal is four firefighters at Company #1 by FY27-28
® No volunteers left at Jordan
* Quaker Hill - Company #2 —
o FY23-24 Staffing with part time firefighters, various days.
° Current weekly total = 24 hours - three eight hour shifts each week. Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday
» FY24-25 Maintain one firefighter Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
° FY25-26 One part time firefighter seven days a week, eight hour days
2 FY26-27 Two part time firefighters seven days a week, two eight hour shifts -
days/nights
2 FY27-28 Two part time firefighters seven days a week, two eight hour shifts -
days/nights
2 Supported by a minimum number of active volunteers
* Goshen - Station #3 —
Staffing with part time firefighters
« FY23-24 One firefighter Saturdays 8 hours
® FY23-24 One firefighter 8 hours, Sundays — June, July, August
o FY24~-25 Keep same staffing schedules
» FY26-27 Re-evaluate needs for Goshen staffing
FY27-28 Increase days of part-time firefighters
» Supported by volunteers, Town’s most active station
* Oswegatchie - Company #4 -
® FY24-25 Continue staffing with two part time firefighters seven days a week,
third busiest station
a FY25-26 Increase part time hours Monday — Friday from eight hours to 16
hour days
» FY26-27 Add two to three career staff, 24/48, to man new station
Relocate part time firefighters to stations two and three that need added part
time firefighter hours
Supported by a minimum number of volunteers

* Cohanzie - Company#5—
o FY24-25 Add one career staff bringing staffing to three on duty at all times
» FY25-26 Add one career staff bringing staffing to four on duty at all times
® FY26-27 Maintain staffing at four
® FY27-28 Re-evaluate as needed (due to mall project)
® Supported by a minimum number of volunteers
Effectiveness
= Four person crews can perform rescues 80% faster than three person crews
® Four persons responding as a crew on one apparatus are more efficient
than from various locations and on separate apparatus, each firefighter
has a job function as a crew member.
2 Fixed positions of responsibility for efficiency, command, and safety
= The requirements, capabilities and conditions of fire department operations do
not differ from one place to another.
® Assist public officials in dealing with matters of safety and emergency
occurrences and provides citizens with an increased sense of security and
wellbeing.
° Increases the training for all duty personnel to meet the qualifications and
capability requirements for service. This will also help our ISO report.
The final staffing under this plan would be ten career staff on duty at all times by
F/Y 30-31 working a 24/48 schedule and a mixture of hours for part time staff
seven days a week, responding from five stations while operating a variety of
apparatus to mitigate the needs of an incident. Current operations are not efficient.
Looking at Waterford Fire operations, an efficiency analysis or referred to as
Standards of Response Coverage (SOC). Our staffing stations with one firefighter
is not sufficient for incidents whether medical or a fire incident. Minimum staffing
at any one of our five companies should be two firefighters. Multiple company
dispatching when not needed should be corrected with the new (CAD) Computer
Aided Dispatch, this will assist us in making changes to this type of dispatch
system. WFD sends multiple companies and apparatus to an incident to meet
manpower needs. This is a staffing problem. One firefighter in an engine is
not an adequate response for any type of incident! ! Many times only one
firefighter is on an apparatus. This is also an increase in apparatus usage adding
wear & tear maintenance cost.

(ISO) Insurance Services Organization focuses on a community's fire suppression
capabilities by measuring the fire department's first-alarm response and initial
attack (personnel) to minimize potential loss. ISO reviews such items every five
years for the Town’s rating schedule. This is looked at, as engine companies,
ladder or service companies, reserve apparatus, pumping capacity, equipment
carried on apparatus, deployment of fire companies, company personnel, training,
and operational considerations. With the decreased numbers in volunteers full time
staffing is needed to make up the shortfalls of the department, and have sufficient
responses from our five fire companies. To mitigate incidents as our town grows
and requires more services of our fire, police and EMS departments.
Chief, Michael J. Howley
Director Fire Services
C. C. File

Office of Fire Services
Waterford Fire Department
204 Boston Post Road
Waterford CT. 06385
Waterford Fire Stations
Status of Facilities
January 2024
DRAFT
A report for the Fire Services Ad-Hoc
Committee
Prepared by Director of Fire Services
Chief Michael J. Howley

Waterford’s five fire stations are privately owned by the five companies with
agreements to operate and respond to emergencies. There locations are in great
geographical locations in Town. This is a benefit as the Town changes, grows with
further developments and increased of residents and businesses, the Town will be
able to handle the increase services needed from Fire Services without building
additional stations. We have room to grow and make changes in these facilities,
both with personnel and apparatus as WAS move to a separate facility gives us
room in stations. At the time of this document, the Town and Company 4 are in
talks to turn Company 4 over to the Town to construct a new Town owned station.
It is recommended to maintain all five stations. Considerations have been thought
of, with a reduction in stations, but would cost a significant amount to reduce
stations, rebuild new in new locations. Cost of land acquisitions, in the right areas
for optimal response times is a key factor. Reduction in stations would have a
significant impact on the Towns ISO rating.
This section of this report will discuss the conditions of each company and
potential work/capital projects needed to maintain facilities. Some of which are
already in the Towns Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). This will show what is in
the plan and what is needed long term at each company. At the time of this report
the Fire Ad-Hoc Committee has recommended to the Town that Company 4 be
rebuilt, as the facility is in poor condition with structural and mechanical! issues.

Waterford, Co. 1 Jordan Fire Department
89 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford
Est. 1920
Current projects in the CIP/CNR:
Electrical Service Upgrade FY 2023 $25,000 Completed
Window Replacement FY 2024 $60,000 pushed out
Flooring replacement FY 2024 $40,000 pushed out
Bathroom renovations FY 2027 $65,000
Bunkroom renovations FY 2028 $55,000
Not in CIP and Recommended:
Kitchen renovation FY

Waterford Co. 2 Quaker Hill Fire Department
17 Old Colchester Rd, Quaker Hill
Est. 1927
Current projects in the CIP/CNR:
Fire Alarm System FY 2025 $16,000
Generator replacement FY 2023 $50,000 pushed out
Flat Roof Replacement FY 2025 $100,000 pushed out
Rear Parking lot FY 2025 $ 50,000 pushed out
Not in CIP/CNR and Recommended:
Bunk Room Renovations
Bathroom Renovations

Waterford Co. 3 Goshen Fire Department
63 Goshen Road, Waterford
Est. 1927
Current projects in the CIP/CNR:
Apparatus Floor Drainage FY 2023 $25,000 pushed out
Air condition system FY 2023 $25,000 Completed
Flat Roof replacement FY 2025 $75,000
Bunkroom renovations FY 2025 $50,000 pushed out
Not in CIP/CNR and Recommended:
Roof Replacement Rear Building FY 2030

Waterford Co. 4 Oswegatchie Fire Department
441 Boston Post Rd. Waterford
Est. 1929
Current projects in the CIP/CNR:
Cascade Air System FY 2024 $80,000 on hold for new building
Maintain current operations and repairs to keep running
REBUILD NEW STATION

Waterford Co. 5 Cohanzie Fire Department
53 Dayton Road, Waterford
Est. 1942
Current projects in the CIP/CNR:
Roof replacement FY 2023 $110,000 completed
Generator Replacement FY 2024 $55,000 in progress
Skylights in apparatus Bay FY 2025 $30,000
Not in CIP/CNR and Recommended:
Bunkroom Renovations
Bathroom Renovations
Dayroom Renovations
New windows and doors

Summary
This plan is intended to help the Fire Ad-Hoc Committee and Town Leaders
navigate the critical needs of the fire department. The fire department understands
that there are competing interests for the Towns finances, but believes that this is
the single most critical public safety issue facing the Town of Waterford today.
When it comes to the facilities, the concerns of some Boards that the Town does
not own the buildings and we struggle to maintain proper funding for these capital
projects.
As the fire department leadership identified in the early stages of the Ad-Hoc
meetings staffing was needed, as the lack of volunteers continues to be a shortfall
here in Waterford and across this state. There are gaps in the fire department’s
personnel resources and capabilities. These gaps include response time
performance with proper staffing to mitigate an incident that affects approximately
half of the residences and business population of Waterford. This plan helps close
these gaps and allows the fire department to better meet the risks and issues
identified. This plan will help bring the fire department much closer to meeting the
needs of Waterford and creating a safer environment for the community, our
Volunteers, and career staff.
Chief Michael J. Howley
Director Waterford Fire Services
C.C. File:

. 5 = 2
Office of the Director 3 LS
. a s pol
Waterford Fire Department . 3 Hs
204 Boston Post Road ap = =>
Waterford CT. 06385 aN = 2S
nm ae)
st Om
a & AD
Fleet Plan Waterford Fire ‘ 6
DRAFT 03/07/24
The Waterford Fire Department Fleet consist of mix of six or seven apparatus
manufactures, service vehicles, aerial units, and marine units. Every fire
department has been impacted by the rapidly escalating cost associated with
purchasing new apparatus as well as the increasing cost of fuel, insurance,
inspections, maintenance, and repairs of existing apparatus.
Providing an evaluation of the fleet plan for fire services begins with an assessment
of the condition and operational capabilities of the WFD existing vehicles. Based
on this information, we can begin to develop an apparatus plan for the fire
department and provide important information, recommendations to guide our
decision making. The goal is to provide a blueprint that can be used to manage the
apparatus fleet plan.
The cost associated with purchasing and maintaining fire apparatus have risen
dramatically within the last 5 years. The purchase price for a new engine averages
between $825,000 and $1,000,000, while the price average for an aerial truck
know has risen to $1,700,000 to $2,400,000. It has become important more than
ever to purchase wisely and ensure that new apparatus acquisitions meet the needs
of the fire department and the community risk. At the same time, it is imperative to
make sure existing apparatus are in good condition and maintained for safe
operations both for our employees and the public we serve. It is proven fact that
municipalities that do not maintain their fleet of emergency service vehicles to
high standards will often pay out a lot more when involved in an incident, this
often catches up when all records are requested on the maintenance of a vehicle
when involved in an motor vehicle accident. We owe it to our staff and the public
we serve to maintain our fleet to high standards.

Some of the complex problems, concerns we run into with our fleet planning
are:
e Replacement schedule, does it meet today’s needs?
¢ Does it make sense to retain vehicles that are aging and require costly
repairs, maintenance to keep them in service?
e Is replacement a better option with current pricing?
e Do the vehicles still meet the department needs?
e Ifreplacements are done, what should be purchased to meet the current and
future needs of the community?
¢ Do we have more vehicles than we really need, given today’s climate with
volunteer shortages, and staffing limitations. Planning is more important
know more than ever and looking ahead at the service we provide.
As a combination department we are in a transitional period with staffing. This
effects apparatus deployments, usage for incidents, and training. Almost every fire
department has challenges ensuring adequate staffing for fire apparatus every day.
This is a rapidly increasing problem for many volunteer and combination
departments that used to have plenty of members to respond to calls but today have
difficulty assembling minimum crews. Looking at witch vehicles should be
retained, which should be replaced in the near future, and in some cases, which are
no longer needed. In our projected 5-6 year look at fire fleet needs, projected cost
estimates for replacements and cost for refurbishments of apparatus are listed. This
is a very hot trend as of now with cost of new apparatus so high. More and more
municipalities are looking at a refurbishment for a fraction of the cost of new.
Remember this option is not always the best. This is based on condition of vehicle,
age, future needs, and safety features. Each apparatus will have to be evaluated
before consideration of a refurbishment.
In our considerations for fire services fleet is the Towns (ISO) Insurance Services
Organization reporting and what the fleet needs are and points for apparatus.
Sometimes an old engine or aerial truck is worth hanging onto just to list as a spare
for the points in ISO. The resale value of fire apparatus is very low, and this
determines direction with making these decisions.
NFPA 1910, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Refurbishment, Testing,
and Retirement of In-Service Emergency Vehicles and Marine Firefighting Vessels,
provides very specific criteria for the inspection of apparatus.

Rust and corrosion were big issues at one time, due to the quality of steel that was
used in the manufacturing of fire apparatus. As time progressed, rust became less
of an issue, thanks to newer materials and manufacturing processes, such as
aluminum or stainless-steel cabs and bodies, galvanized frame rails, and stainless-
steel sub frames and other components.
More recently, it appears that some of the chemicals used for snow removal and ice
mitigation have created a major resurgence in rust and corrosion problems,
especially with regard to frame rails and underbody components. In some cases,
this has required costly repairs on our fleet. Some fire departments retire and
replace certain vehicles ahead of schedule, while older units that are in better
condition are kept in service beyond their planned replacement dates. This puts
additional stress on the whole fleet.
Creating an Apparatus Replacement Plan
Many task, go into creating the Fleet Plan for Waterford Fire. Age of fleet and how
purchasing of apparatus was done previously for the five independent fire
companies had even more challenges. A plan for the Town is needed, not for
independent fire companies in Waterford. The changes with our volunteer force,
future staffing with career or part time firefighters. Call volume, types of incidents
and the changes in fire services and what we need to do to adopt changes with our
fleet. Is the replacement plan working with current replacement dates? Timeframe
of replacements 10 years, 15 years, or even 20 years on fire apparatus is not out of
the ordinary. Does that time frame still work based on call volume and incident
type? For the most part Waterford has a fleet plan. This plan is very fluid and
vehicles get moved each year or pushed out due to budget constraints. This further
puts a strain on fires services fleet of costly repairs and maintenance.
Current Waterford Fire Department Fleet
Engines (7)
Trucks Platform (1)
Truck Ladder (1)
Truck TeleSquirt (1)
Heavy Rescue (1)
Brush Trucks (3)
Pick-up Service Trucks (5)
HD Pick-up (1)
Marine Boats (2)
Inflatable Marine Units (3)
APV Unit (1)
Staff Vehicles (3)

Breakdown of Fleet with Locations
Company 1
Engine W-11 2014 Emergency-One 1,500gpm Pumper
Ladder W-15 2016 Pierce 100° Aerial Ladder/Quint 2000gpm
Utility W-16 2018 Ford F350 Utility
Company 2
Engine W- 21 2006 Ferrara Igniter Custom 1,500gpm Pumper
Brush W-23 2006 Ford F550 Brush Truck
Engine W-25 2016 Spartan Gladiator TeleSquirt 1,500gpm Pumper
Utility W-26 2021 Ford F350 Pick-up Truck
Marine W-92 Boston Whaler 21’
Marine Zodiac 2
Company 3
Engine W-31 2014 KME Custom 1,500gpm Pumper
Engine W-32 1998 Spartan 1,500gpm Pumper
Utility W-34 2012 Ford HD F450 Utility
Utility W-36 2007 Ford F350 Pick-up Truck
APV-3 2021 Polaris 6x6 EMS/ Rescue
Marine W-93 2007 Lake Assault Boat 24’
Marine Zodiac 3?
Company 4
Engine W-41 2018 Spartan Metrostar 1,500gpm Pumper
Engine W-42 2007 Seagrave 1,500gpm Pumper
Brush W-43 2006 Ford F550 Brush Truck
Utility W-46 2020 Ford F350 Utility
Marine Zodiac 4

Company 5
Engine W-51 2016 Emergency-One 1,500gpm Pumper
Brush W-53 2009 Ford F550 Super Duty
Ladder W-55 2004 Sutphen 75° Tower Ladder/Aerial Scheduled replacement??
Utility W-56 2011 Ford F350 Utility Truck
Rescue W-57 2010 Ferrara Igniter Custom Rescue Truck
Public Safety Building (FMO)
Car 85 Ford Expedition 2016 scheduled for replacement FY26
Car 55 Ford F-150 2013 scheduled for replacement FY25
Car 115 Ford Explorer 2015
Replacement/Refurbish Point System (Most Common)
Factor Points
Age One point for every year of service
Miles / Hours One point for every 10,000 miles or 1,000 engine hours
Type of Service One, three or five points are assigned based on service type
Example a busy engine would get five points
Reliability Points are assigned as one, three, or five depending on the
Frequency that vehicle is in the shop for repairs, five would be in
Shop two or three times a month
M&R One to five points are assigned based on total life M&R cost.
Five is given to cost at original cost of vehicle
Condition This takes into consideration of body condition, rust, interior
Condition, accident history, anticipated repairs, scale one to five
Point Ranges Fewer than 18 points Condition I Excellent
18 — 22 points Condition II Good
23-27 Condition IT Qualifies for Replacement
28 — Points and above Condition IV Immediate consideration

This same system could be used to determine refurbishments.
Refurbishments need to be done before an apparatus gets too far gone. This could
be at the ten, fifteen year mark depending on usage and conditions.
Staff vehicles should be 10 years or 100,000 miles
Director of Fire Services
Chief Michael J. Howley
C.C. File

i ab 0g 26n07 prea IoReZ Sh TRITTG] oSO ad
wongpe
nots
saprSamsg)
parade kena zL Tog sep Ri wogremz st [maT] sco ‘eompoz
sity aay vaysog
ee 06 100g a050z OLR DEFOZ St ESE} «HO Boepez
eg aH EN
HO-St3 4 0H sxeR|
WEST TIONS] aT RG ae maT GHD] ar | ravaion TSAO Games] certo Seni
pinbgans IARI LIdWNd Wad OASt| 324 TR 2040)
DSSS Baas aaaISRNOAT asal SOT Woe IBF NOH HSMAB] aE FSuH cant) BL Seon) SCOT ces)
eeu 1B Oss ‘get 28x00}
wares TRF ITFaSeLPOTEAT VERGE Ea au] se | aradosT ore) Gsaoc, FTEDOF
woUE Wises Rees] Sed GeO! ases Seiasat] eae aT AYE Fur TERT TH Caniare ora]
anypjotions |
Bia Pray SERORG |e a aa Sha] Se Fou] RAPED AIT TASS Camere) aaa baz)
sem, 0g O54 anys,
‘SHEIST AISI pap RSEAg it SaPEST Fe Epicor a] ARES TAG! TASS Gamers] CepDOr ors)
aR 005 : xrtionsg
TAEHINTEOALIISP) Teas) aA) VERS [502 ESS BUSTED BiGe| PHS | AaeaRG aT) 1SO GaMiee| Boor Tra]
saniebousg|
BHSIOVOT TGA] ae TG rSe CAS | LRRD ‘Diaz Pai] TRIS] GOT wert Ses1Or ex)
Ppp
AX
wo
ong
axpser|
t CaISIO IOTVEVINGP | OD) VREML [DOr eaHS | HIST ited Paves wor Ganioz|“Fer08
AR * 305 val
‘xy ueiso9|
BOSSE TSEC HT EUPRT te] UHI Pee COTE | LOTR Tne Tata eal ve Oa] ‘AasaLSS SOT WR] SZeaor
user's ong uoys09)
AREF | UGE ‘THIRICIMGT ANE See ZOES | aeRTIS ‘Bet Tae] a] sravanest RITE] SOS ‘Ganirec] cOZaoT
3 En ToS] SSOTRRS|
persrytron) =
Ears BEAT TapicaNoKasI MALS | yea PRI oes tes | Tiay Sica) SRT INA ALA OF Susd] REN Ie WHEY] Plate Gans] COROF a)
wa) dnxSId U6 _| aut $59]
Ea) site|
Ceit SISAL | RAD Fe Oe] PRI] eae ors | wITFGRD ake, GSTIINTAEN ee Fu RED HOT Came | i orm]
kd
od
Muh
|
See
[CTT
SISOS)
RPT
RAL
AEG
TRG
ERE
TORS|
TUBOMT
wre
Gua
FOSS
aes,
HOT
GRIST
BM
sary exrn3| LIN ALTO3<S| segamumey)
cr a Featavaas EXEL] Parse Ea] Sars | GET Tiel GR INTALAy Se Furl FIGS) HOD CaMere can)
SEY
ete
ish
Sina
Tmasyeaaay)|
aig
coe
iE
:
s55-4
And
ang)
ang
amie,
Te Uy CesSOT OKIE | al : Wigs] we oes | SIO wez| Gea, at | Pardes Res] HOD ‘CaNiare| SovIoT
0
HF
aarind
te
cost
oxy
aeume|
19 ‘UOSURIVA_ ae sini
GN0daY YO! GIALIORY _ svtey svsey none coe Sra To
‘SOHAUWOS SOH-PPY 0} SUOHepUSUsMOIaY SBdIMIAS S114 - NY Id INSWSOVNYW 13314
QUOIUALYA 40 NMOL