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
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1
1
1
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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:_
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' 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.
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' 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.
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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.
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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
•
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
•
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