Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 2013 -03 FEMA--fire equipment — reading text

membership up to Firefighter It. What services does your organization provide? Structural Fire Suppression Emergency Medical Responder Haz -Mat Operational Level Wildland Fire Suppression Basic Life Support Haz -Mat Technical Level Advanced Life Support Rescue Operational Level FormalNear -Round Fire Prevention Program Rescue Technical Level Please describe your organization and /or community that you serve. We recommend typing your response in a Word Document outside of this application, then copying and pasting it into the written field. There is a 4000 character limit. The Fort Walton Beach Fire Department serves the City of Fort Walton Beach and the surrounding area in southern Okaloosa County, Florida. The city is located along the Gulf Coast in the panhandle between Panama City and Pensacola with a population of approximately 19,600. The department is entirely paid- career, consisting of the Fire Chief, 33 line personnel, 2 fire prevention personnel, and 1 administrative assistant. All department personnel are cross -trained as Emergency Medical Technicians and /or Paramedics. These personnel staff a 78' ladder truck and a rescue company at the main fire station, and an engine company at a second fire station. The department also houses two reserve apparatus including a 75' ladder truck and an engine. We provide a multitude of emergency and non -emergency services, including Advanced Life Support non -transport first response. Our service coverage includes U. S. Highway 98, the primary coastal artery along the Gulf Coast, and a bridge connecting Fort Walton Beach to a barrier island community leading eastward to the City of Destin. We also provide mutual aid to parts of Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Airfield, military bases that are critical to national defense. In all, our mutual aid agreements increase our population coverage to upwards of 100, 000 residents year round and double that amount when tourists are traveling through or staying at local motels during spring break and the summer months. Our geographic location places us at an ongoing risk of hurricanes and tropical storms. Those factors allow for a broad spectrum of challenges that we could encounter at an emergency incident. Therefore, many of our firefighters have diversified their training to include rope rescue and hazardous materials technician. Those skills prove useful when the Okaloosa County Special Operations unit or the Florida Urban Search and Rescue ( FUSAR) team is activated for a special incident. Training for all possible scenarios is ongoing to maintain skill level and to remain current with new standards and improvements in the fire service. In this way we fulfill our mission to protect life and property. Fire Department Characteristics ( Part II) https: / e/ services. Tema. gov/ FemaFireGrantlfiregrantljsp /fire2A l2/ application /print _app.jsp?print= true& app_ nu... 1/ 4/ 2013 Application Number: EN4W- 2012 -FO -02509 PagePage 66 ofof 2,2, 2011 2010 rrr• rrr• What is the total number of fire -related civilian fatalities in your jurisdiction 1 0 over the last three years? What is the total number of fire -related civilian injuries in your jurisdiction 1 1 over the last three years? What is the total number of line of duty member fatalities in your jurisdiction 0 0 over the last three years? What is the total number of line of duty member injuries in your jurisdiction 0 1 over the last three years? Over the last three years, what was your organization' s average operating 3690941 budget? What percentage of your TOTAL budget is dedicated to personnel costs 89% salary, overtime and fringe benefits)? What percentage of your annual operating budget is derived from: Enter numbers only, percentages must sum up to 100% Taxes? 92% EMS Billing? 0% Grants? 1% Donations? 0% Fund drives? 0% Fee for Service? 7% Other? 0% IfIf youyou enteredentered aa valuevalue intointo OtherOther fieldfield ( ( otherother thanthan 0),0), pleaseplease explainexplain PleasePlease describe describe youryour organization'organization' ss needneed forfor FederalFederal financialfinancial assistance.assistance. WeWe recommendrecommend typingtyping youryour responseresponse inin aa WordWord Document Document outsideoutside ofof thisthis application,application, thenthen copyingcopying andand pastingpasting itit intointo thethe writtenwritten field.field. ThereThere isis aa 40004000 charactercharacter limitl.imit. TheThe CityCity ofof FortFort WaltonWalton BeachBeach FireFire DepartmentDepartment isis notnot unlikeunlike thethe restrest ofof thethe countrycountry inin thesethese toughtough economiceconomic times.times. NearlyNearly 90%90% ofof ourour totaltotal budgetbudget isis usedused toto paypay personnelpersonnel costs.costs. TheThe remainingremaining 10%10% isis forfor operatingoperating expenses,expenses, whichwhich isn'isn' t muchmuch whenwhen youyou factorfactor inin thethe highhigh costcost ofof fuel,fuel, supplies,supplies, equipment,equipment, repairs,repairs, andand servicesservices thatthat areare essentialessential throughout throughout thethe year,year, notnot toto mentionmention thethe unexpectedunexpected occurrences.occurrences. FromFrom thethe yearyear 20092009 toto thethe presentpresent thosethose operationaloperational fundsfunds havehave beenbeen cutcut byby moremore thanthan 3030%,%, andand allall thethe while,while, ourour expensesexpenses continue continue toto increase.increase. InIn orderorder toto cutcut costs,costs, citycity officialsofficials eliminatedeliminated ourour DeputyDeputy Chief'Chief' ss positionposition andand otherother cutscuts toto personnelpersonnel havehave beenbeen mentioned mentioned throughout throughout thisthis economic economic crisiscrisis asas aa potentialpotential solution.solution. WeWe continuecontinue toto dodo everythingeverything possiblepossible notnot toto loselose aa brotherbrother oror sistersister firefighterfirefighter including including notnot seeking seeking raisesraises guaranteedguaranteed byby unionunion contractcontract withwith thethe city.city. Instead,Instead, ourour membersmembers offeredoffered toto taketake aa paypay freezefreeze eacheach ofof thethe lastlast threethree years.years. AnyAny lossloss ofof firefightersfirefighters wouldwould alsoalso bebe feltfelt byby thethe community community sincesince aa reductionreduction inin manpowermanpower wouldwould causecause aa dropdrop inin thethe levellevel ofof serviceservice wewe provide.provide. WeWe areare simplysimply notnot wil ingwil ing toto letlet ourour serviceservice falter,falter, nornor deviatedeviate fromfrom ourour missionmission toto protectprotect lifelife andand property.property. We'We' veve stretchedstretched andand mademade duedue withwith whatwhat wewe havehave butbut wewe consistentlyconsistently havehave aa shortfallshortfall priorprior toto thethe endend ofof thethe fiscalfiscal yearyear andand havehave toto petitionpetition ourour city'city' ss financialfinancial departmentdepartment forfor additional additional fundsfunds eveneven toto repairrepair ourour firefire trucks.trucks. TheThe citycity isis surroundedsurrounded byby militarymilitary basesbases andand bodiesbodies ofof waterwater notnot allowingallowing forfor expansion expansion andand aa recentrecent censuscensus showed showed aa decreasedecrease inin population.population. TheThe averageaverage incomeincome ofof ourour residentsresidents isis aboutabout $ $ 26,26, 000,000, wellwell belowbelow thethe national national averageaverage ofof$ $ 41,41, 000.000. Additionally,Additionally, overover 10%10% areare consideredconsidered toto bebe belowbelow povertypoverty level.level. DueDue toto thethe budgetbudget shortage,shortage, thethe locallocal unionunion hashas attempted attempted fundraisersfundraisers inin orderorder toto purchasepurchase honorhonor guardguard uniformsuniforms forfor membersmembers ofof thethe departmentdepartment whowho volunteervolunteer theirtheir timetime toto serveserve atat specialspecial events.events. TheThe fundraisersfundraisers werewere alsoalso usedused toto addadd toto thethe locallocal unionunion supportedsupported " " burnburn outout fund"fund" whichwhich donatesdonates toto thosethose inin ourour community community whosewhose liveslives havehave beenbeen turnedturned upsideupside downdown byby aa househouse fire.fire. TheseThese fundraisersfundraisers havehave producedproduced minimalminimal results.results. WeWe attribute attribute thisthis toto thethe tighttight budgetsbudgets ofof individualsindividuals andand locallocal businesses.businesses. SinceSince raisingraising taxestaxes isis notnot supportedsupported byby statestate oror locallocal officials,officials, thisthis grantgrant processprocess isis thethe mediummedium toto obtainobtain fundingfunding forfor ourour needs.needs. Although Although wewe havehave assistedassisted