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

433100 ( whole dollar amounts only) 4. Generally the equipment purchased under this grant program will: Replace or upgrade old, obsolete, tattered, torn, or substandard equipment currently owned by your organization 10 or more years If you selected " replacing equipment" above, please specify the age of equipment in years. 5. Generally the equipment purchased under this grant program is: Will bring the organization into voluntary compliance with a national standard, The new station alerting system will be in e. g. compliance with NFPA, OSHA, etc. compliance with NFPA 1221, the standard for Please explain how this equipment will bring the organization into voluntary communications and alerting for fire departments compliance in the space provided to the right. and dispatch centers. It Is also in line with the Insurance Services Office ( ISO) requirements. 6. Will the item requested benefit other organizations or otherwise be available Yes for use by other organizations? If you answered Yes in the question above, please explain: The new station alerting system has been proven to reduce response times to emergency incidents. This will benefit other organizations to whom we provide mutual aid by arriving on scene in less time in order to assist in fire extinguishment and rescue operations. 7. Will this equipment be used for wildland firefighting purposes? No 8. Is your department trained in the proper use of this equipment being Yes requested? No 9. Are you requesting funding for training? ( Funding for requested training should be requested in the Equipment Additional Funding section). 10. If you are not requesting training funds through this application, will you IM obtain training for this equipment through other sources? Firefighting Equipment - Narrative Section # 1 Project Description: In the space provided below include clear and concise details regarding your organization' s project's description and budget. This includes providing local statistics to justify the needs of your department and a detailed plan for how your department will implement the proposed project. Further, please describe what you are requesting funding for including budget descriptions of the major budget items, i. e., personnel, equipment, contracts, etc.? ' 3000 characters The first project identified in our needs assessment relates directly to the safety of the community we serve and other organizations that assist us in that effort. Located at our main station is a complete cascade system for recharging Self Contained Breathing Apparatus ( SCBA) bottles which is routinely operated to fill SCBA bottles after use at emergency incidents and training. Our second station, approximately 6 miles away, is not equipped with this system. Currently in use is a 1988 van with three filling bottles and a leaky, obsolete filling chamber. The van has to be driven to the main station on a weekly basis to recharge the filling bottles by way of the compressor. The van is slated by the City of Fort Walton Beach to be sold due to the need to out non -essential vehicles, so https: / e/ services. fema. gov/ FemaFireGranUFiregrant tjsp /Cire2Ol2lapplicationlprint app.jsp ?print =tore &app_nu... 1/ 4/ 2013 Application Number: ENM- 2012-FO -02509 Page 12 of 2, there will be no means to transport that equipment for recharging. Because of this, the engine company assigned to that station will have to leave their district almost daily to refill SCBA bottles. This, in turn, causes a delay in care for those who need assistance. An agreement is in place with other organizations for automatic aid so services are exchanged when either company has to leave their jurisdiction or is handling another emergency. However, the other companies must traverse a longer distance to reach those in our jurisdiction, all the while leaving their citizens vulnerable to the same situation. This equates to a new risk to our community that must be addressed. Whether someone is having a heart attack or trapped in a house fire, any avoidable delay to our arrival is unacceptable. Those issues will be averted with the complete cascade system installed and the quality care that our community rightfully expects will continue without delay. The second project focuses on the health hazard of our toning system that alerts us to respond to an emergency incident. This system creates an audible alert tone and activates lights in the station. The sudden, unexpected noise of the tones can be quite alarming during the daytime and much more so at night when one is awakened by such a jolt. Studies have identified heart related problems as a result of continued exposure to this type of alerting. Modern toning systems have been developed to prevent these adverse effects by using a ramped pre -alert tone that gradually increases in volume and lights that gradually increase in brightness. Both the ramped tone and gradual lighting have shown to lessen firefighter stress and heart problems. The majority of the equipment that comprises the alerting system is obsolete. Other existing components can be incorporated into the new system. The new toning process will utilize the existing communications system but will enhance its effectiveness. It does so with redundant communication links ensuring successful alerts and testing confirms a reduction in response times. Budget for these projects: Cascade system $ 39, 100 Alerting system $ 433, 100 Total $472, 200 Section # 2 Cost/ Benefit: In the space provided below please explain, as clearly as possible, what will be the benefits your department or your community will realize if the project described is funded ( i. e. anticipated savings and /or efficiencies)? Is there a high benefit for the cost incurred? Are the costs reasonable? Provide justification for the budget items relating to the cost of the requested items. * 3000 characters Throughout recent years the high cost of diesel fuel has taken a significant toll on our budget. As you can imagine, fire trucks don' t get the best miles per gallon so the cost for the increase in fuel used during an almost daily twelve mile round trip between stations to refill SCBA bottles would add up quickly. In reality though, what are fuel costs when compared to someone' s life? Surrounding jurisdictions provide automatic aid when we must leave our district but their response times are longer than ours would be to those emergencies. With this equipment in the right place, we can be in the right place and never have to wonder if a life would have been saved had there not been a delay. Also, other jurisdictions will not be overtaxed with an increase in call volume and wear on their apparatus. Additionally, multiple organizations use a training tower that is also located at our second station, performing extended drills to maintain proficiency and learn new tactics. Those organizations will have the ability to refill their SCBA bottles immediately and continue training. Once their drills are complete, all bottles will be filled prior to leaving the stations, allowing them to maintain readiness for emergency incidents. As mentioned in the project description, the modern toning system uses redundant communication links to prevent a failure in the alerting process. Sadly, there have been numerous occasions when the current communication system failed to send the alert tone, which caused a delay in response. Those precious minutes lost due to that failure can cost lives, something that does not come with a price tag. With this new sophisticated and proven technology, that delay won' t continue to happen. The reduction in response times will benefit our citizens who count on us to arrive quickly for the protection of their life and property. Surrounding jurisdictions will benefit as well by way of more timely assistance when we provide them with mutual aid. Those jurisdictions, along with others throughout the region, could potentially benefit from this system since they will be able to utilize equipment that will be installed at the regional dispatch center. Healthcare and workman' s compensation costs due to heart related problems suffered by our firefighters will have a large impact on an already stressed budget. The cost incurred by not having this equipment will surpass the cost of these projects in a very short time. By purchasing this equipment now, we will not be paying the price later. Without it, the real price will be paid in the health and livelihood of our firefighters and the community we are committed to protect. https: / /eservices. fema. gov/ FemaFireGrant/ firegrant/ Isp/ flre20l2 lapplicatioalprint_app. jsp ?print =true & app_ nu._ 1/ 4/ 201:  Page 13 of 24 Spplication Number: EMW- 2012 -FO -02509 Section If 3 Statement of Effect: How would this award affect the daily operations of your department (i. e., describe how frequently the equipment will be used or what the benefits will provide the personnel in your department)? How would this award affect your department' s ability to protect lives and property in your community? * 3000 characters Upon installation of the complete cascade system we will be in compliance with NFPA 1852 that states SCBA bottles should be refilled as soon as possible after use. Other organizations that train with us will be able to maintain this standard as well by utilizing this equipment to refill their bottles immediately. We use our SCBA' s regularly at structure fires and in frequent training for these emergencies. Also, due to atmospheric pressure, temperature changes, and other elements, our SCBA bottles routinely lose small amounts of air and must be topped off. Because of these occurrences, the new cascade system will be used on a daily basis. Having the ability to promptly refill our SCBA bottles will keep us ready for any emergency and valuable resources will not be wasted in the process. This equipment will enable us to keep the safety of the community as our priority and improve our ability to protect life and property. In our careers as firefighters we find ourselves in high stress situations every day. The added stress that the current alerting system places on us is unnecessary and will lead to health problems. The firefighters of the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department will be grateful not to have the loud, startling noise of the tones announcing an emergency call. The new gradual tone and lighting will provide the notification we need without the harmful effects. It' s a terrible feeling when you are responding to a critical incident and you know there was been a breakdown in the alerting system. You try your best to get back every second that was lost due to the failure. Our firefighters will appreciate having sophisticated and proven technology so they can use their