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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.a. Fire / Police Administration StudyTO: FROM: DATE: RE: Mayor Hoke Councilmembers Napper Oxborough Walsh Wippermann Stephan Jilk, Administrator/Clerk August 19, 1988 Fire/Police Administration Study Fire Station Study R 0 ", E M N IN I M I I'l t" r I Please find attached copies of the final reports on the above studies. These reports represent several weeks of interesting discussion, information gathering and education on the behalf of those involved in them. I wish to thank our staff for the input and cooperation given in completing them. I believe Fred Hoisington, Larry Thompson and others of their staff have completed a thorough, complete review of Rosemount's needs and have presented their conclusions in a clear, understandable method. Larry and Fred will present an overview and summary of these reports for us on Tuesday. Their verbal reports will not be extensive and will leave time for discussion. All department heads will be present also for this session. We look forward to this opportunity as another challenging step to our growth and expanding needs. smj Attachment Hoisington Group Inc. Land Use Consultants August 18 1988 City Council City of Rosemount 2875 145th Street West Rosemount, MN 55068 Re: Transmittal of Final Fire Station Location Study Report Attention: Mr. Stephan Jil.k We are pleased to submit this Final Report which includes our recommendations as to the number and location of future fire stations within the City of Rosemount. I want to acknowledge the excellent technical contribution made by Richfield Fire Chief Patrick Coughlin who was responsible for the application of response time models and the preparation of a portion of this Report. I would also like to recognize the contributions made by Richard Carlquist, Plymouth Public Safety Director, and Larry Thompson, Public Management Consultants, both of whom provided us with input during the study process. I want to thank the Rosemount City Council for giving us an opportunity to be of continuing service to the City. We especially wish to thank Red Staats, Scott Aker and the City Staff who served the important role of providing the Team with background information and reviewing our recommendations. The perceptive direction of Stephan Jilk was particularly appreciated. Again, we thank you for the opportunity to be of service to the City of Rosemount and wish you the very best as you proceed to make the decisions that will be essential to improve the City's fire fighting and rescue capabilities. HOISINGTON GROUP INC. 2Noising on President 7300 Metro Blvd. Suite 525 Edina, MN 55435 (612) 835-9960 CONTENTS PAGE STUDY OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 COMMUNITY GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND N 3 EXISTING FIRE SERVICE AND FACILITIES 6 RESPONSE TIMES _9 ALTERNATIVEVRESPONSE TIME ANALYSIS 11 COST ASSESSMENT 13 i CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A 14 i 1 1 1 1 1 STUDY OBJECTIVES AND `METHODOLOGY In April of 1988, the City of Rosemount commissioned Hoisington Group Inc.: to study the City's fire station needs and identify the number and location of future facilities. The most important factors considered were land use patterns, access, present and future population/dwelling unit distribution, water service availability, and the present and future availability of volunteers as related to fire station location. Because of the nature of the study, to improve the City's fire fighting capabilities, this report includes recommendations that go beyond fire station needs. Fire fighters are the essence .of a strong and capable volunteer department and several recommendations necessarily deal with recruitment. The study process included the following: 1. An evaluation of existing and proposed land use, transporta- tion/accessibi'l'ity, utilities, demographicsandbarriers to fire service including natural features, limited access highways and railroads. 2. A review of fire insurance ratings including the number and location of calls and response times. 3. Comparisons, with other communities having central and satellite fire station facilities. No valid conclusions could be reached by making comparisons: 4. Review ;and recommendation of acceptable response time standards. 5. An evaluation of the present fire station and equipment and the identification of future needs based on alternative facility concepts. 6. An assessment of approximate future capital costs for facility/equipment alternatives. 1 7. Meetings with the Fire Chief, City Administrator, City Planner and Building Official to generate input and review recommendations: 8. Preparation, of a Preliminary Report identifying findings, conclusions and recommendations. 9. Preparationofa Final Report. 10. Meetings with the City Council to present recommendations. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. By year 2000, the number.of dwelling units within the 2000 Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) will comprise 92% of all residential development in the City of Rosemount.A maximum of two fire stations will be required to provide an acceptable level of service to the City's urban areas. 2. Whether the City adopts the one or two station concept, these should, be located in the west end of the City. Service cannot be improved with additional stations located in central or eastern Rosemount. ' 3. The present and future locationofvolunteers will be the primary determinant in locating fire station facilities. 4. Whether one or two fire stations are built depends on the level of service that is felt to be appropriate for the northwesterly rural residential areas of Rosemount. Improve- ments in service over that which currently exists, will demand a second station. S. The present station will not fit well into either a one or two station_ concept given present City growth trends. The inability to recruit volunteers in this area will shrink the size of the service area and increase response times to all sectors of the City. 6. The City's immediate needs can best be served by a new station relocated to the west and centered in a residential area which is fertile ground for the recruitment of volunteers. 7. If the more nearly ideal two station concept is adopted with a central station on CR 42,`the "second station should be con- structed within five years of the new central station. 8. In the interest of maintaining excellent coverage in the short-term while keeping options open for improved service levels in the future (a :second station), the Consultant recommends the construction of a new central fire station on 145th Street between Shannon Parkway and Chippendale Avenue. 9.' A recruiting program should be implemented to concentrate on the two minute turn -out area surrounding each station`. 10. The City should consider adopting Appendix Chapter 38 of the State Building Code whish would require fire suppression improvements. ' 11., City employees should be recruited as volunteer fire fighters to improve daytime response times subject to Fair Labor Standards Act limitations 2 COMMUNITY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 1 Overview The City of Rosemount is located'approximately six miles due south of the City of St. Paul. It .abuts the rapidly growing suburban communities of Apple Valley, _Eagan and Inver Grove Heights along its westerly and northerly boundaries respectively. On the other hand, its southerly and easterly boundaries interface with Empire, Vermillion and Nininger Townships, all of which are rural in nature. ' The City is really two communities in one, an urbanizing west end, the core of which is the old Village of Rosemount, and the very rural/agricultural-east end which comprises the original Township of Rosemount and contains the oldPine Bend Indu"strial area. Pine Bend includes several heavy industries which have a strong relationship with the Mississippi River. The consolidation of the village and township in 1970-71 unified the community under one governmental jurisdiction, allowing for greater efficiency in the delivery of public services. The consolidation of the two governments, however, did not alter development patterns substantially because the old village, had the only available public sewer and water services allowing for urban development. The establishment of the Metropolitan Urban Service 1 Area (MUSA) during the 70's further reinforced the urbanization of the west end of Rosemount and the maintenanceofa basically rural/industrial east end The City consists of a total of slightly less than 36 square miles but is elongated in an east/west direction. <It is nine miles long' and four miles wide which poses a challenge for the delivery of public services. Approximately five square miles of land 'within the City is owned by the University of Minnesota. While the City has very little authority to provide public services within the Rosemount Research Center, it does provide fire protection _services within that area of the University property that lies between 145th and 160th Streets The type and nature of development (Figure 1) varies greatly throughout the City with rural residential development at one dwelling unit per five acres in the northwest, urban residential densities in excess of 3.5 units per acre within and adjacent to the old village, heavy industrial development in the northeast corner of the City, and substantial areas of excellent agricultural land, comprising most of the center and southeasterly areas of Rosemount. 3 1 Dwelling Unit Distribution Approximately 90% of Rosemount's housing stock lies westerly of the Chicago -Milwaukee Railroad tracks (Figure 2). Historically, the bulk of Rosemount's population has resided in Sections 29 and 30 (presently contains 50% of the City's dwellingunits), the ' southerly boundary of which is County Road 42. Much new growth is occuring in the northerly half of Section 30 and the southerly half of Section 19 including Country Hills, a US Homes Corporation; ' project, consisting of 567 single-family homes. Substantial new development is also occuring in Section 31' ' including the Wensmann Additions (206 units), West Ridge (280 units), O'Leary,'s Hills (213 units) and Valley Oak or Winds Crossing (258 units), substantial' areas of which have already been platted. All of these subdivisions are contiguous to or an outgrowth of the g old Village of Rosemount and development is occuring because of ' the availability of public sewer and water services. One additional major subdivision (Enebak) is proposed for Section 28 in the triangle that lies between the Chicago -Rock Island Railroad line and County Road' 42 This subdivision could include up to 490 residential units. The City currently has a;population estimated at 7,600 (City estimate` 1988) and based on the development of 270 lots per year, will grow to 1990 and 1995 populations of 9,300 and 14,500 1 respectively. Rosemount is a rapidly growing community but its growth is very well contained because the imposition of MUSA forces almost all development to occur in close proximity to the ' old village. Future Growth Based on the present improved lot inventory, anticipated 1988 improvements and the remaining inventory of phased improvements beyond 1988; a -large majority of the City's growth will be west of State Trunk Highway 3 between now ,and `year 2000. Seventy-five' percent of its housing stock will lie west of and 17% will be east of STH 3 but within MUSA. The remainder of the City will experience very little development between now and the turn of the century. 4 Water Service Public water service is or will be available to all of the are -as lying, south of the old village of Rosemount except for that lying easterly of STH '3 which will continue to be agricultural in use at least until year 2000. Water service to the northerly sector of the City will extend no further than approximately one mile north of 145th Street over the next 20 years. There are presently no plans to extend water service to the rural residential areas in the northwest quadrant of the City which means that fire risk will be higher and losses greater due to the dependence on tankers for water supply. Public water service will be available to areas within the designated year 2000 MUSA which currently lie easterly of STH`3 in Sections 21 and 28. ' Transportation The City of Rosemount is very well `served with a developed system of State and County highways and Municipal State Aid streets. County Road; 42 provides a continuous roadway which connects the entire City east to west. State Trunk Highways 3, 52/56 and 55 also provide excellent north -south access at both ends of the City. Other than the Rosemount Research Center which does not have a readily understandable street system, all of the City of Rosemount is readily accessible via its major roadway network. There are no areas -of -the City that lack accessibility. The University of Minnesota Rosemount Research Center is serviced by the City's Fire Department and is occupied by commercial and industrial type uses that generally have higher than normal levels ' of fire hazard. Hazardous wastes are also stored at the Research " Center and the City Fire Department has been instructed to allow these materials to burn of involved in a conflagraton'. While the Fire Department is gaining an increasing understanding of the ' layout of the Research Center, streets therein are not signed and the Department is discouraged from becoming familiar with the property. Improved relations with Research Center personnel i should be encouraged; to maximize -fire protection capabilities. EXISTING FIRE SERVICE AND FACILITIES The City of Rosemount currently has a central Fire Station located on Brazil Avenue in the northeast quadrant of downtown Rosemount, just north of City Hall. This facility was constructed in 1974 and has a floor area of approximately 8,600 square feet comprised of four apparatus bays, offices, dispatch area, hose tower, community room and ancillary facilities. It is the Consultant's understanding that the present station could be converted to a ' public works garage if an alternative fire station location is recommended. At the present time, the Fire Departmenthasa fleet of ten vehicles to support fire fighting and rescue operations.: They include a 65 foot platform aerial ladder truck, a 1,000 gpm pumper, a 1,250 gpm pumper (1,000 gallon), a 1,500 gpm pumper (750 gallon), two 4x4 grass fire fighting_ vehicles, one rescue truck, one tanker (3,300 gallon), one hose truck (pickup) and one car which is not always housed at the Station. Two vehicles are ' anticipated to be added including a Suburban 4x4 in 1989 and a utility van if space is available in 1992. This will bring the Department's vehicle inventory to 12 by 1992 assuming the single fire station concept is adoptedandimplemented. The Rosemount Fire Department is a'volunteer organization consisting of 37 fire fighters. Nearly all departmental personnel reside within the old village of Rosemount, westerly of the present fire station'._ Three -reside east of the present station facility and three reside some distance northerlyofthe station. None of the current volunteers reside within the area defined as the "two minute" turn -out radius and only two reside within the "two and one half minute" turn -out area Since there is very little residential development within two and one half minutes of thepresent fire station, it will be ' impossible to increase the number of volunteers in close proximity and thereby diminish overall response times. The area that can be serviced from the existing fire'station-facility within a six to seven minute response time will therefore be smaller than one ' where volunteers can be recruited within two and one half minutes of the station. ' The City presently has a fire insurance rating of six which will not improve with the relocation of the present, station or increased numbers of stations according to the 1988 Improvement Statement by the ISO Commercial Risk Services, Inc. According to the report, rating improvements would more readily be achieved by correcting departmental and water supply deficencies:_ � 6 ' The insurance rating is primarily based on the coverage of existing developments but it is important to note that the City of Rosemount is growing rapidly in areas north and south of the old village which are beyond the six to seven minute desirable response time from the present station. These growth ,areas are also where the best prospects for recruitment will exist in the ' future, According to the Fire Chief, the Department can respond within six toeightminutes to a fire or rescue incident within and adjacent to the old village of Rosemount. The rural residential area in the northwest corner of the City generally requires a much longer response time and those rural and industrial areas lying easterly of the old village, where volunteers are not available, require even longer response times. Because of the absence of volunteers in central and eastern Rosemount, and limited recruitment ' opportunities over time, response times could not be improved even if stations were present in these areas. ' Table 1'`is a listing of fire and rescue calls made by the Department between 1984 and 1987. No real pattern emerges except that the Department hada lesser than normal number of calls in 1986. The substantial difference in the number of incidents in ' 1986 and 1987 was attributable to considerably more grass and trash fires in 1987. ' TABLE 1 TOTAL FIRE AND RESCUE CALLS ' 1984 ............. 215 1985 217 1986 ............. 1,89 ' 1987 .. .. ... 264 According to the Fire Chief, approximately two thirds of all runs made by the Rosemount Fire Department are for rescue events. Most of the more severe rescues involve acidents on State Highways; 52/56 and 55 at the east end of the City. Most rescue trips for ' illnesses are made to the old village or the urban area of Rosemount. Of course, the predominance of fires are fought in town as opposed to agricultural areas. ' The City fights ,very few fires in the central and eastern ends of the City. It has been called to fight fires at the Koch Refinery facility on several recent (1987) occasions but because the ' Refinery provides its own unique chemical fire fighting capabilities, the City provides little more than standby service related to such major conflagrations. By far thelargestnumber ' of incidents of both fire and rescue are generated by the existing development within and adjacent to the old village. 7 ' Rosemount police officers and fire fighters are trained to the First Responder level of emergency medical training. They respond to all medical emergencies and perform basic emergency care until the ambulance arrives. Ambulance transportation and Advance Life -Support (ALS) is provided by Health East, responding from South St. Paul. The ALS ambulance is staffed by paramedics who ' are trained and equipped to give advanced pre -hospital care to victims, such as cardiac, shock and drug therapy. ' The response time of the ALS unit is longer than, neighboring communities. A shorter response time for ALS would be preferable, but Rosemount does not have the population base and density to ' support the cost of an ALS unit of its own. However, a cost effective alternative .does exist which would increase the survival: chances of victims with coronary problems. Emergency physicians in Minnesota are now authorizing non -paramedic rescue personnel to ' use automatic defibrillators, which can be used to monitor and correct cardiac arrest. First Responder emergency rescue services' will continue to be provided by the Fire Department due to the ' high cost of alternative service improvements. The City of Rosemount has mutual aid, pacts with all surrounding ' communities and provides fire fighting services to the City of Coats on a contract basis. Mutual aid can be especially important to areas of Rosemount that do not have a public water,; system available and, therefore, require the use of tankers. While ;Apple ' Valley no longer has tankers, Eagan is an especially important resource to assist with service to the northwest area of Rosemount. ' The Koch Refinery has its own fire department and an 8,000 gallon foam truck especially designed for fighting chemical fires. The ' Department does not fight fires elsewhere in the community. Koch Refinery is part of the mutual aid system with surrounding communities but this only allows each of the surrounding departments to fight fires at the factory site and not vice -versa. ' Company fire fighters are experts at fighting chemical fires and provide fire fighting training in the use of foam to other departments'. Major problems presently associated with the Department include an insufficient number of daytime volunteers due to employment ' outside of the community, water service deficiencies as per the ISO Improvement Statement and the difficulty with recruiting volunteers in close proximity to the existing central fire station It is important to note, as well, that the City is less ' than one percentage point away from an insurance rating of five which could lower business insurance rates. It is very likely that water improvements made since the ISO's 1980 assessment may already qualify the City for "a five rating. 8 RESPONSE TIMES Response time is composed of two time segments. The first segment, turn -out time, is the time it takes until fire fighters are aboard the engine and ready to respond. The second segment, travel time, is the time it takes the engine to travel to the fire, ' scene from the 'fire ,station. Turn -out time on a career department is relatively short and ' consistent. The fire fighters are already in the station, ready to dress and board the engine within about 30 seconds On a_ volunteer department, turn -out time is relatively longer and varies more. The volunteers must get into their vehicles and travel to the station from different locations and distances before getting dressed and boarding the engine. ' The time needed to reach the station varies by the time of day, weather and traffic conditions. More importantly, it varies by the availability of volunteers who live close to the station, ' since the nearest volunteers are not always available. Thus, the turn -out time segment is more important for volunteer departments and isofparamount importance when considering fire station ' location. All things considered, departments with a large number of volunteers living near the station have shorter response times to a larger geographic area. For this reason, it is a good policy to locate fire stations ;in residential areas which are likely to ' yield volunteers who live near the station. The methodology used to measure response 'times was developed in ' 1970 for the New York City Fire Department. It has also been used in several other cities throughout the country and found to be valid. The formulas selected for Rosemount are designed for ' communities having a grid pattern of streets where the majority of travel is at right angles to cross streets. This is obviously the case for most of the City of. Rosemount.' Two travel time formulas were used. The first is valid for travel distances of less than .38 mile and the second is valid for distances greater than that. The formulas are as follows: ' T = 2.10 x square root of D for distances less than 38 mile, and ' T = 0.65 + 1.70 D for distances greater than .38 mile. T = Travel time D = Distance 9 The areas on the response time map are depicted as squares rather than circles and represent average travel times. Actual travel ' times would manifest themselves in a more irregularly shaped pattern. Using this concept, the longest distance traveled from a station in four minutes will be along routes perpendicular to the station. Distances traveled to intermediate points around the ' station in four minutes will be shorter. We have validated the measures by comparing the estimates with actual times for a sample of Rosemount's volunteer fire fighters. A very close correlation ' was found to exist between the formulas and the actual 'travel times. ' For the purpose of this Study, the following assumptions were made: 1. The City is interested in a system that represents the least possible cost for providing a responsible levelofservice. 2. A six to seven minute response time for the urban area of . ' Rosemount. 3. A seven plus minute response time to the semi -rural and rural ' areas of Rosemount, 4. The Fire Department will continue to provide emergency rescue services as,a First Responder department. 10 ALTERNATIVES/ RESPONSE TIME ANALYSIS ' A central station versus -multi -stations is primarily dependent on the distribution -and therefore availability- of fire fighters. With a career department, the fixe fighters are already in the ' station and stations can be located to achieve the best possible coverage in keeping with response time objectives. With a volunteer department, the most important locational determinant is the location of the ,volunteer fire fighter's residences. In areas within the City that have little or no potential for recruitment, fire stations, themselves, will not improve response times to fires ' With that in mind, it is important to note that Rosemount is unique in that it is completely unlike the typical metropolitan ' area suburban community, which is entirely within MUSA and, therefore, must service growth in all quadrants. Because of MUSA, growth will continue to be heavily concentrated in the west end of the City and most development will lie westerly of State Trunk ' Highway 3. Because of this concentration, the City can provide a fire protection system that includes no more than two stations, at least for the next 20 years, assuming they are property located. ' For the purpose of this Study, three concepts or scenarios were evaluated as follows: ' 1. A single station concept utilizing the existing station. 2. A single station concept utilizing a; new centrally located station. 3. A two -station concept. Coverage From The Existing Station The six to seven minute area covered by the present fire station (Figure 3) is a two mile travel distance. Only two fire fighters presently live ,within the two and one half minute turn -out area but much of this zone is designated for land uses other than ' residential which means that the overall response area will shrink over time because the bulk of future fire fighters will reside beyond the two and one half minute travel time to the station. It' is unlikely that fire fighters who presently live within two and one half minutes of the station will be replaced by personnel :in the same area and recruiting will grow increasingly difficult. In a nutshell, the present fire station does, not have a sufficiently sized response :area to cover the most rapidly urbanizing portions of the City of Rosemount and the response area will continue to shrink as departmental personnel age. 11 PUBLIC MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS 13911 RIDGEDALE DRIVE • MINNETONKA, MN 55343 SUITE 343 • PHONE (612) 542-3089 • ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SAFETY OPERATIONS AND ORGANIZATION Prepared for the CITY OF ROSEMOUNT, MINNESOTA August, 1988 TABLE OF CONTENTS Review of Current Operations . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . 2 Police Department . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fire Department . . . . . . 7 Additional Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 • Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Organizational Structure . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Functional Consolidation . . . . . . . . 18 Administrative Alternatives . . . . . . . . . . 20 Alternatives for Consideration . . . . . . 26 Recommendations . . . . 30 • • REVIEW OF CURRENT OPERATIONS • INTRODUCTION The City's Request for Proposals requires a review of current operations of the Police Department and Fire Department. That is the purpose of this portion of our report It is not our intent to present an in-depth study of either the Police Department or Fire Department, but rather more an overview of these Departments. Our primary intent is to present and discuss those issues which we feel need to be addressed by the City, either now or at some point in the future. In this regard, we also will suggest guidelines which can be used by the City in addressing such issues. It should be noted that our report is based upon information which has been provided to us by the City regarding existing operations of the Police . Department and Fire Department, as well as the City's projections of future population and development trends. Should a major deviation from these projections occur, several of the topics discussed in our report obviously should be re-evaluated in the light of then --existing circumstances. • -2- • POLICE DEPARTMENT In general, we found the Police Department to be somewhat more sophisticated than what normally would be expected for a community of Rosemount's size and stage of development. The Department has well-defined goals, and it seems to be moving toward the achievement of these goals in a reasonable and consistent manner. Staffing The size of the Police Department appears appropriate for a community such as Rosemount. The City has been using a ratio of one officer per one - thousand population for staffing decisions, and this is accepted index for a small community. As the City grows, however, Departmental statistics and programs should become additional factors to be considered when making such decisions. • The Police Department's annual report analyzes staffing needs based upon the number of patrol hours per year which are not committed to direct patrol activities. While this also is a reasonable staffing consideration, we suggest that the City first determine what percent of a Patrol Officer's time each year should be "uncommitted". This then would become a goal for staffing purposes. (If the analysis in the annual report is followed to its ultimate conclusion, the City's goal would be to have at least one Officer on duty at all times with no direct activity.) Manpower Utilization The City currently is undergoing a transition to two four -man patrol teams. We feel that the shift schedule which has been proposed for implementation once this change occurs will make extremely good use of Departmental personnel. The proposed schedule is an extremely effective schedule for a small Police Department. • -3- U -4- As part of the transition to two four -man teams, the Police Department also • will be increasing in size from six to eight Patrol Officers. Both changes will provide an opportunity for "double coverage" at various times throughout the week, as well as an opportunity for the Department to perform selective law enforcement. We encourage such enforcement efforts and the "targeting" of Departmental personnel, in response to community needs, Organizational Structure Once the Police Department makes the transition to two four -man teams, the organizational structure of the Department will include the Police Chief, one Lieutenant and two Sergeants (or "team leaders"). The City needs to recognize that initially this ,will be a "top heavy" organizational structure, with a ratio of one supervisor to one and one-half Patrol Officers. The proposed structure will allow the Department to increase in size without adding supervisors, however, and thus it could be considered by the City a reasonable "investment" in the future. A general concept which the City may wish to consider relates to • justification for the creation of a supervisory position. If the duties of the proposed position are the same or very similar to those of the persons whom would be supervised, a separate supervisory position normally is not warranted. On the other hand, if the majority of duties of the proposed position are duties which would not be performed by the persons whom would be supervised, a separate supervisory position may be warranted. Administration The automation and data processing system of the Police Department is much more extensive than what normally would be found in a community of Rosemount's size, and it clearly will allow for a great deal of future growth. At the present time the ratio of support personnel to Patrol Officers in the Department is quite efficient, although the addition of a dispatch operation clearly would reverse this ratio. The Department also has developed a "policies and procedures" manual, which again is somewhat beyond what normally would be found in a community such as Rosemount. U -4- Dispatch Services Until recently the City was seriously considering a future independent dispatch operation. We strongly recommend that such an operation be considered only as a "last resort" by the City. Should discussion of an independent dispatch operation again arise, we suggest the City carefully compare the total expense of such an operation to other options which may be available. The most cost-effective option to the City, of course, would be continuing to receive dispatch services from Dakota County. If this is not possible, we recommend that the City next consider a combined dispatch operation with other communities in the area. Such an operation would be significantly less expensive to, the City than an independent dispatch operation serving only Rosemount. Training The City is very fortunate to have readily available a wide variety of training courses, offered through the Dakota County Joint Training Program. At the present time training is specified for less -experienced Officers, but it somewhat left to the discretion of more -experienced Officers. We suggest that discretionary training be considered an option only after an Officer has met specific, predetermined training goals. An additional suggestion in this regard is that the Department establish a formal performance appraisal system. Once such a system exists, training then can be specified to meet each Officer's performance goals and/or performance deficiencies. Of course, a formai performance appraisal system also would be an extremely effective supervisory tool. Departmental Statistics Because of the Police Department's data processing system, a great deal of statistics regarding Departmental operations are available to the City. Our suggestion in this regard is that the City recognize the usefulness of such statistics in determining selective enforcement programs and in making is budgetary decisions. -5- Departmental statistics should be the key to "targeting" law enforcement programs. For example, a comparison of the number of personal injury accidents in the City to the number of moving violation tickets which are written will provide an index of the City's traffic enforcement program. The recommended ratio in this regard is at least twenty tickets for each such accident. If the City's ratio of moving violation tickets to personal injury accidents is less than twenty to one, by increasing its traffic enforcement efforts at appropriate locations the Police Department should be able to lower such accidents and increase overall traffic safety. In addition, this presents an excellent opportunity for the Department to reinforce the concept of directed patrol strategies. Departmental statistics also can be used in comparison with the statistics of comparable communities to determine selective enforcement priorities. For example, if a certain type of incident occurs with greater frequency in Rosemount than is "average" for comparable communities, this clearly is an • area which should receive attention by the Department. • • 0 • FIRE DEPARTMENT In general, we found the Fire Department to be about what normally would be expected for a community of Rosemount's size and stage of development. The Department obviously has experienced problems in recent years due to the turnover in the Fire Chief's position, but this situation appears to have stabilized. At this point the Department seems to have established goals, and it seems to be working toward the achievement of these goals. Fire Protection Built-in fire protection systems obviously are the most efficient method of mitigating serious fire losses in any community. Such systems are particularly important in a community such as Rosemount, with a volunteer Fire Department and with commercial/industrial development located a significant distance from the City's fire station. We suggest that the City consider the adoption of Appendix Chapter 38 to the State Building Code. This Chapter establishes more stringent fire protection requirements than the Building Code itself, and it requires automatic sprinkler systems in all commercial/industrial structures of a certain size and type. It should be noted that the adoption of Appendix Chapter 38 by the City would require private water storage facilities for those structures to which the Chapter applies and to which City water is not available. While this would be an additional expense for the owners of such properties, their benefits would be significantly lessened fire risks and much lower fire insurance rates. Conceivably, the adoption of this Chapter also could prompt a discussion regarding the extension of City water to such properties. Code Enforcement Increased development in Rosemount, together with an increase in the -7- number and complexity of fire code and building code regulations, has placed • a significant burden upon the City. We feel that almost any city's responsibilities in this regard have reached the point where they are beyond what could be expected to be handled by a "volunteer" Firefighter/Code Enforcement Officer. We recommend that the City seriously consider hiring a qualified, part-time employee who would be responsible for fire code enforcement functions, such as plan review and routine field inspections. In order to coordinate such functions with enforcement of the City's building code, it also is our recommendation that this employee report to the City Building Inspector. Obviously a part-time Code Enforcement Officer would be available to the Fire Chief, and with the right background he could serve as an excellent resource to the Chief. For example, a person in this position who also is a full-time Firefighter in another community could advise the Chief regarding various aspects of Departmental operations. An additional issue relative to code enforcement involves property in the City which is owned by the University of Minnesota. While the City does not have authority to enforce building codes on this property, it can enforce fire codes. It would be particularly helpful to the Fire Department to have street signs and building numbers in this area, as well as a properly maintained water distribution system. Manpower The size of the Fire Department appears reasonable and adequate for a community such as Rosemount. As is the casein most communities, however, during daytime hours it can be particularly difficult to get a large number of Firefighters at a fire scene. We suggest that the Department "selectively" recruit additional Firefighters based upon their availability during daytime hours, as well as their location relative to the City's fire station. The Department also may wish to consider an automatic backup response from Apple Valley during daytime hours, particularly for structural fire calls. -8- Training • A significant amount of training is required by State and Federal regulations for all Fire Departments. For example, twenty-four hours of training currently is required each year in the recognition of hazardous materials and in their appropriate suppression. Training also is required in order for a Department to use various types of specialized equipment, such as self-contained breathing apparatus. Training which is required by State and Federal regulations is only a small part of any Fire Department's overall training needs. In general, we suggest that a volunter Department schedule no less than six hours' training per month, to be held separately from any business meeting or other Departmental meeting. (It is our understanding that Rosemount's Department has adopted such a schedule.) We also suggest that Fire Departments prepare an annual training program, to insure that they meet all statutory and locally -desired training objectives. Administration • The Fire Department's records seem adequate and up -to --date, and they appear to meet all applicable State requirements. We suggest that the Department periodically review its files relative to "preplanned" fire scenes, as structural conditions within existing buildings do change over time. We also suggest that the Department consider an on-going equipment replacement schedule, in order to anticipate and routinely budget major equipment purchases. Fire Insurance Rates Rosemount currently has a "Class 6" rating for fire insurance purposes. At the time of its last rating, however, the City received 49% of its maximum potential rating. An increase to only 50% of its maximum rating would reduce the City from a "Class 6" to a "Class 5" insurance rate. We suggest that the City request a re-evaluation of its rating for fire insurance purposes. Such a re-evaluation can be requested by the City, and • a reduction in Rosemount's rating would lower fire insurance premiums for commerical/industrial property in the City. In all likelihood, the City • already has undertaken a number of steps which would allow it to increase the percentage of its maximum potential rating. Selection of Departmental Officers All volunteer Fire Departments serve a dual role. They exist to protect the community, but they also serve a "social" function for members of the Department. This conflict is present in all volunteer Departments, and each Department must wrestle with the demands which are placed upon it by essentially differing goals. One area in which this conflict presents a particular problem to the City is in the selection of Departmental officers. Ideally Departmental officers should be selected solely based upon their qualifications, and their tenure should be based upon job performance. The selection of such officers should not be based upon "popularity", and they should not have to maintain popularity with a majority of the Department in order to retain their positions. Few persons can effectively direct an organization if they also must continually run for re-election by members of • that organization. In the real world, of course, it is not realistic to expect a volunteer Fire Department to have no input into the selection of Departmental officers. Somewhere between these two extremes lies our recommendation for the City. We clearly do feel that the City Council should discuss this matter, in order to better balance its role and the role of the Department in filling these positions. One alternative would be for the Fire Department to recommend a group of qualified candidates for each position to the City Council, who then would select the candidates whom they feel are most qualified. A second alternative would be for the Department to forward to the City Council the votes which all candidates for each position receive. In this case the Council then would have additional input from members of the Department on their relative assessment of the candidates. Whatever process is adopted for the selection of Departmental officers, it -10- also is our suggestion that the City Administrator become more involved in • this process. In the City's current organizational structure, at least, it is the Administrator who is directly responsible for supervising the Fire Chief and who has indirect responsibility for administration of the Fire Department. In addition, the City may wish to consider a more formal evaluation process for these positions, similar to that which would be utilized for other City personnel. • ADDITIONAL ISSUES There are two additional issues which we wish to discuss and which fall outside a review of operations of the Police Department and Fire Department. The first is the provision of emergency medical services within the City, and the second is under what circumstances the City may wish to consider the appointment of a full-time Fire Chief. Emergency Medical Services Both the Police Department and Fire Department respond to medical calls in the City, and personnel in both Departments are trained as "first responders". Advanced Life Support units also respond to such calls, but this service is dispatched from South St. Paul and has a response time of several minutes. There are a number of possibilities which could be considered by the City to increase the level of emergency medical services available to its citizens. One alternative would be to train members of the Police Department and/or Fire Department as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). This is a fairly extensive training program, however, and it may not be considered cost-effective by the City. A second alternative would be train members of the Police Department and/or Fire Department in the operation of automatic defibrillators. The training required to operate this equipment is less extensive than is required to become certified as an EMT. However, the availability of automatic defibrillators in the City could significantly improve the recovery rate of heart attack patients, particularly given the current response time of Advanced Life Support units. Full -Time Fire Chief At some point in the future the City undoubtedly will discuss the possibility • of appointing a full-time Fire Chief. Our purpose at this time is to set forth -12- • • • several concepts which we feel should be considered when discussing this issue. We feel that a Fire Chief serves several distinct functions- administration of the Fire Department, command at fire scenes, the training of Departmental personnel and fire code enforcement. An obvious problem which any community faces in the selection of a Fire Chief is how to find one person with skills and abilities in each of these areas. Thus, we feel that frequently smaller communities are better served by a combination of part-time personnel than by the appointment of a full-time Fire Chief. We already have recommended the appointment of a part-time employee with responsiblity for fire code enforcement. We also feel it is reasonable to consider the existing "volunteer" Fire Chief a part-time employee, given the administrative workload of the Department, and we suggest the City make any changes necessary to recognize this situation. Thus, our initial recommendation is a combination of part-time employees carrying out the above duties and responsiblities. Within very few years, however, it is reasonable to expect that the City will grow to a point where one full-time employee combining the duties and responsibilities of a Fire Chief easily could be justified. At that point the City will need to decide if it would best be served by such an employee or by continuing a combination of part-time employees. Such a decision should be made based upon which alternative most effectively carries out each of the above functions, as well as which best provides for their overall coordination. -13- RECOMMENDATIONS Throughout this portion of our report we have made a number of suggestions regarding operations of the Police Department and Fire Department. However, at this point we would like to review five specific recommendations. Our first recommendation, which we feel has the highest priority, is to increase the attention given fire code enforcement. As has been noted, the City has a number of responsibilities in this regard. The technical knowledges and the time required to carry out these responsibilities probably have become more than can reasonably be expected from a "volunteer" Firefighter. We recommend that the City hire a qualified, part-time employee with responsiblity for these functions, reporting to the City Building Inspector. There are four additional, issues which we feel should be seriously discussed by the City, but which we have not prioritized. These issues are: the possibility of an independent police dispatch operation; the adoption of Appendix Chapter 38 to the State Building Code; a revision in the current procedure for selecting officers in the Fire Department; and an increase in the level of emergency medical service available in the City. Various factors relating to each of these issues have been presented in previous sections of our report, and at this point the issues merely will be summarized. Until recently the possibility of an independent police dispatch operation was being seriously considered by the City. Such an operation should be approached very cautiously, and should this issue again arise we recommend the City carefully analyze the expense of such an operation, as well as other options which may be available to provide the same services. . Built-in fire protection systems are critical in a community such as -14- Rosemount. The adoption of Appendix Chapter 38 to the State Building • Code would significantly lessen fire risks on many commercial/industrial properties in the City, as well as lower their fire insurance rates. We have noted the problems which are inherent in the selection of Departmental officers by members of the Fire Department. Alternatives are available to the City which would allow input into this process by members of the Department, and yet which would enable these officers to maintain a more stable and independent "management" role. Finally, we have noted the long response time which is required to provide "advanced life support" emergency medical service in the City. By training members of the Police Department and/or Fire Department in the use of automatic defibrillators, we feel the City could significantly improve the recovery rate of its heart attack patients. • -15- • INTRODUCTION The City's Request for Proposals requires an analysis of various issues related to full or partial consolidation of the Police Department and Fire Department. Specifically requested are a discussion of functional consolidation of the two Departments, as well as a review of the possible forms of administrative (or "nominal") consolidation. That is the purpose of this portion of our report. We first will discuss true functional consolidation of the police and fire functions. We then will present and explain various alternatives for the administration of these functions. From a practical standpoint, however, we feel that only two of these alternatives represent realistic options for consideration by the City. These alternatives will be discussed in much greater depth than will the alternatives which we feel represent only • "theoretical" options for consideration. -17- FUNCTIONAL CONSOLIDATION True functional consolidation combines a community's police and fire functions in one Public Safety Department. Officers in such a Department are Public Safety Officers, and they respond to both police calls and fire calls. True functional consolidation is quite rare. The only community in Minnesota which has attempted such consolidation is Burnsville. However, Burnsville recently discontinued functional consolidation in favor of a more standard organizational structure for the delivery of police and fire services. One reason true functional consolidation is so rare relates to inherent differences between the police service and fire service. It is extremely difficult to find individuals who have an interest in both areas, as well as • appropriate skills and abilities. It also becomes extremely difficult to maintain an adequate level of training in both areas for Public Safety Officers. True functional consolidation requires a fairly large community, as well as a fairly large Public Safety Department. Such a Department needs to be large enough so that adequate personnel are on duty to respond to both police calls and fire calls at the same time. This normally requires at least eight officers per shift, if only full-time personnel respond to such calls, or five to six officers per shift if off-duty personnel also are utilized. While true functional consolidation is quite rare, partial consolidation of the police and fire functions is somewhat more common. One type of partial consolidation exists in a Public Safety Department with three separate employee groups. One group provides only police services, one group provides only fire services, and a third group assists with the provision of either service. -18- Another type of partial consolidation exists in communities with separate Police and Fire Departments, but with a high degree of cross -training and cross -utilization between the Departments. In this instance each employee group performs some services in the other Department. However, even this type of consolidation normally requires full-time employees in both Departments. We do not recommend functional consolidation for the City of Rosemount. Rosemount is not now, nor will it likely become, large enough for such consolidation even to be considered. We also do not feel that this is the most effective way for a community to deliver police and fire services. While we do not recommend functional consolidation for Rosemount, this does not mean there should not be some cross -training and cross -utilization between the Police Department and Fire Department. Since Police Officers normally are the first to arrive at a fire scene, occasionally they can extinguish fires with hand-held fire extinguishers. Police Officers also can assist the Fire Department at a fire scene by performing hydrant hookups and by assisting with the distribution of hose and equipment from fire vehicles. -19 ADMINISTRATIVE ALTERNATIVES There are several structural alternatives for administration of Rosemount's police and fire functions, most of which involve some form of consolidation at the administrative level. This section of our report will describe and briefly discuss each such alternative. The following section will analyze in greater depth the two alternatives which we feel represent realistic options for consideration by the City. Both Chiefs Reporting to a Public Safety Director The first alternative is to create a new position of Public Safety Director, and for both the Police Chief and Fire Chief to report to this person. Only the Public Safety Director then would report to the City Administrator. Structurally this alternative would be diagrammed as follows: • CITY ADMINISTRATOR PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR POLICE FIRE CHIEF CHIEF Under this alternative the Police Chief and Fire Chief each would continue to direct their individual Departments. However, the Public Safety Director • would become responsible for coordinating activities between the two -20- I7 CITY ADMINISTRATOR POLICE FIRE CHIEF I I CHIEF -21- Departments. • Such an organizational structure would insert an additional layer of supervision between the City Administrator and the Police Chief and Fire Chief. Clearly this would be a "top heavy" (and probably inefficient) administrative system. While such a structure would give the City Administrator one less person to supervise, it also means that he would lose direct contact with both the Police Chief and Fire Chief. Creating the position of Public Safety Director would add one additional person to the City's professional staff. In effect, three persons would be performing the duties which two persons now perform. We feel it is extremely doubtful there would be sufficient workload to justify creating such a position, without significantly decreasing existing duties and responsibilities of the Police Chief and Fire Chief. We do not recommend this alternative as a realistic option for consideration by the City. This is not a cost-effective alternative, and we feel that it would create more administrative problems than it would solve. Both Chiefs Reporting to the City Administrator The second alternative is for the Police Chief and Fire Chief to report directly to the City Administrator. Of course, this is the City's current administrative system. Structurally this alternative would be diagrammed as follows: I7 CITY ADMINISTRATOR POLICE FIRE CHIEF I I CHIEF -21- Under this option the City Administrator would retain direct supervision of • both the Police Chief and Fire Chief, and he would be responsible for coordinating activities between the two Departments. This is the only alternative which would require no change in existing duties and responsibilities of the Police Chief and Fire Chief. • • We do feel that this alternative is a realistic option for consideration by the City. For this reason further discussion of this alternative will be presented in the following section of our report. Fire Chief Reporting to a Ponce Chief/Public Safety Director The third alternative is for the Fire Chief to report to the Police Chief, whose title normally would be changed to Public Safety Director. Only the Police Chief/Public Safety Director then would report to the City Administrator. Structurally this alternative would be diagrammed as follows: CITY ADMINISTRATOR POLICE CHIEF/ PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR (POLICE FIRE SUPERVISORS) CHIEF Under this option the Police Chief/Public Safety Director would direct both - the Police Department and Fire Department, and he would be responsible for coordinating activities between the Departments. The City Administrator would continue to have direct contact with the Police Chief, but he would -22 lose direct contact with the Fire Chief. • We feel that this alternative also represents a realistic option for consideration by the City. For this reason, further discussion of this alternative will be presented in the following section of our report. Police Chief Reporting to a Fire Chief/Public Safety Director The fourth alternative is for the Police Chief to report to the Fire Chief, whose title also would be changed to Public Safety Director. Only the Fire Chief/Public Safety Director then would report to the City Administrator. Structurally this alternative would be diagrammed as follows: CITY ADMINISTRATOR • FIRE CHIEF/ PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR POLICE (FIRE CHIEF SUPERVISORS) Under this alternative the Fire Chief/Public Safety Director would direct both the Police Department and Fire Department, and he would be responsible for coordinating activities between the Departments. The City Administrator would continue to have direct contact with the Fire Chief, but he would lose direct contact with the Police Chief. • While this may be a realistic alternative in a community with a full-time Fire Chief, it is not a realistic alternative in a community with a part-time Fire -23- • Chief. The advantages and disadvantages of this alternative would be approximately the same as for the preceeding alternative, but only if both Chiefs are full-time employees. This also is a much more realistic alternative for a community with a full-time Fire Department then it is for a community with a volunteer Fire Department. We do not recommend this alternative as a realistic option for consideration by the City. Clearly it is not realistic to expect a full-time Police Chief, directing a Department of full-time employees, to report to part -.time Fire Chief, directing a volunteer Department. One Public Safety Director Managing Both Departments The fifth alternative is to eliminate the positions of Police Chief and Fire Chief. These positions would be replaced with one position titled Public Safety Director, who would report to the City Administrator. Structurally this alternative would be diagrammed as follows: CIT Y ADMINISTRATOR PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR (POLICE (FIRE SUPERVISORS) SUPERVISORS) Under this alternative the Public Safety Director would directly manage both the Police Department and Fire Department. The City Administrator would have more direct involvement with both Departments than in the previous alternatives, and he clearly would need to support the Public Safety Director -24- administratively. This is the only alternative which does represent a • cost -savings to the City, however, at least at the administrative level. While this alternative may seem attractive to a small community, it would be extremely difficult to implement. Such a structure requires one person with in-depth, technical knowledge in both the police service and fire service. It is highly unlikely the City could find, let alone hire, one person with this breadth of technical expertise. We do not recommend this alternative as a realistic option for consideration by the City. We do not feel that one person would have sufficient knowledge and time to directly manage two major, diverse City functions. • -25- ALTERNATIVES FOR CONSIDERATION As has been noted, we feel there are only two realistic alternatives to be considered by Rosemount for the administration of its police and fire functions. The first alternative is for both the Police Chief and Fire Chief to report to the City Administrator, which of course is the City's current organizational structure. The second alternative is for the Fire Chief to report to the Police Chief, whose position would be retitled Public Safety Director, and who then would report to the City Administrator. Our intent at this point in our report is to analyze each of these alternatives in greater depth than was the case in the preceding section. Our recommendations to the City regarding these alternatives will be presented in the final section of our report. Both Chiefs Reporting to the City Administrator The most common organizational structure for the delivery of police and fire services is for both the Police Chief and Fire Chief to report to the City Administrator. We feel that this nearly always is the most effective organizational structure for a community with a full-time Police Department and a full-time Fire Department. We also feel that frequently this is the most effective structure for a community with a volunteer Fire Department, but with a full-time Fire Chief. One advantage of a separate Police Department and Fire Department is that each Department has its own autonomy, and each is seen as having equal "status" in the organization. If both the Police Chief and Fire Chief report to the City Administrator, the Administrator is in a position to balance the needs of both Departments. Normally an Administrator will be seen as a more objective judge of competing needs than would be a Police Chief/ Public Safety Director. As already has been noted, the positions of Police Officer and Firefighter -26- really have very little in common. Not only are the duties and • responsibilities of these positions quite dissimilar, but so are the skills and personalities of personnel within each Department. In many respects there is very little to suggest a combination of these two functions, even at the administrative level. Public Safety Departments frequently are promoted on the basis of increased cooperation between the Police Department and Fire Department. While this may occur in some situations, it is not uncommon for competition between these Departments to actually increase if the Departments are consolidated. The maintenance of separate Departments at least limits the suspicion that one Department is receiving greater consideration and attention than the other. Perhaps the most critical factor justifying the maintenance of a separate Police Department and Fire Department relates to the role of the City Administrator. The City Administrator does have ultimate responsibility for the administration and operation of these Departments. By maintaining direct supervision of both the Police Chief and Fire Chief, he can have maximum inpact upon each Department's individual operation. A City Administrator also is in a better position to deal on a "political" level with a volunteer Fire Department than would be a Police Chief/Public Safety Director. The Administrator "has the ear" of the City Council, and he will be seen as being in a greater position of "political power". For this reason, an Administrator also may be better able to implement City Council directives regarding the Fire Department. While a consolidation of the Police Department and Fire Department would provide greater coordination between these Departments, the maintenance of separate Departments would provide more efficient administration within the Departments. This is particularly true for the Police Department, when compared to a structure in which the Police Chief also would have administrative responsibility for the Fire Department. Clearly a Police Chief with responsibility for only one Department would be better able to devote is his attention to this responsibility. -27- One disadvantage of maintaining a separate Police Department and Fire • Department is that a "chain of command" is not present in all situations. Primarily such situations are of an emergency nature involving both Departments, and they relate to which Department is "in charge" of the situation. This is one instance in which a Public Safety Director clearly would be better able to coordinate the Departments than would a City Administrator. Fire Chief Reporting to a Police Chief/Public Safety Director There definitely are circumstances in which we would recommend appointing a Police Chief as Public Safety Director, with administrative responsibility for both the Police Department and Fire Department. One example would be a community with no City Administrator in which Department Heads report directly to the City Council. For us to recommend such a structure in a community with a -City Administrator, however, it normally would have to be in recognition of "special circumstances" within the community. One advantage of a consolidated administrative structure is that there is a clear "chain of command" between the Police Department and Fire Department. In emergency situations a Public Safety Director clearly and quickly can determine who is in charge of an incident and how it should be handled. In such situations there is no division of authority or lack of coordination between the Departments. An additional advantage of a consolidated administrative structure is the administrative support which a full-time Police Chief/Public Safety Director can provide a "volunteer" Fire Chief. Frequently such a Director will have greater experience and ability in administrative aspects of Departmental operations, such as budgeting and personnel administration. A full-time Police Chief/Public Safety Director also is able to represent the Fire Department during daytime hours. One person administering both the Police Department and Fire Department can effectively coordinate the support services provided both Departments. • For example, a Police Chief/Public Safety Director could effectively direct the provision of dispatch services to both Departments, and he could IM maximize the interchange of Departmental data. 40 If a Police Chief is appointed to the position of Public Safety Director, members of the Fire Department may feel a loss of "autonomy". They also may become suspicious that their Department will receive less consideration and attention than would be the case if the Fire Chief reported directly to the City Administrator. In addition, a Police Chief/Public Safety Director would need to have a working knowledge of Fire Department practices and procedures in order to gain their confidence. This could be a background which many candidates for the position might not possess. • A Police Chief/Public Safety Director would have to oversee a wide variety of Departmental programs. Easily he could be "spread thin", which could affect his ability to effectively administer these programs. Such a situation also could divert his attention from law enforcement, which is the area in which he should be most effective. One particular disadvantage of a consolidated administrative structure relates to the role of the City Administrator. If the Police Department and Fire Department are consolidated at the administrative level, the City Administrator would lose the ability to directly coordinate activities between these Departments. He also would have less direct input into operation of the Fire Department, as he would not directly supervise the Fire Chief. A final disadvantage of a consolidated administrative structure relates to a community's ultimate growth. As has been noted, this alternative normally is most effective in a small community and least effective in a large community. Thus, a community can 'outgrow" the circumstances under which such a consolidation at one time would make sense. -29- • RECOMMENDATIONS As was noted in the previous section of our report, our most frequent recommendation for the delivery of police and fire services is for both the Police Chief and Fire Chief to report to the City Administrator. In order to recommend an administrative consolidation of the Police Department and Fire Department, this would have to be in recognition of "special circumstances" within a community. We do not feel that such "special circumstances" exist in Rosemount. Examples of circumstances which might prompt discussion of some formof administrative consolidation could include the lack of a command presence at fire scenes, the need for administrative support by the Fire Chief, or a City Administrator's inability to coordinate the Police and Fire Departments. Even if such a situation did exist, however, the City Council first would • need to decide if the situation is created more by the City's organizational structure or by incapabilities of the City staff. We feel that the most persuasive argument for continuing a separate Police Department and Fire Department relates to the role which the City Administrator should play in a municipal organization. An administrative consolidation of these Departments would decrease the Administrator's effectiveness in dealing with the Fire Department in particular, thus decreasing his ability to effectively implement City policy. As previously noted in our report, there are some situations in which a Police Chief/Public Safety Director could be more effective than a City Administrator. However, the critical question is how often these situations really arise. It is our feeling that an effective Administrator can anticipate such situations and can develop appropriate policies for dealing with them. One caution which we would like to note is that the City Council should not make its decision in this matter based upon existing City personnel. Clearly -30- the City's current Police Chief has a unique background and could be an . excellent Public Safety Director. Our concern is whether future candidates for this position would have a similar background and possess similar skills. We do not mean to imply that a case cannot be made for some consolidation of the Police Department and Fire Department. We already have noted that this is an effective organizational structure in a small community. However, absent of compelling reasons to institute such a change, we feel that a continuation of separate Departments in Rosemount will provide the most effective structure for delivery of the City's police and fire services. • -31-