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Frequently Asked Questions About the
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District's Fire Station Relocation Project
What is the Fire Station Relocation Project?
It is a carefully constructed strategic plan developed by the Sacramento
Metropolitan Fire District to locate emergency resources throughout our
jurisdiction.
How many stations are affected by this project?
Fourteen stations are included in the first phase of the project. Station
No. 23 will be remodeled extensively; Station No. 32 will be rebuilt on
its existing site; ten stations will be relocated; and two new fire
stations will be built in new service areas of the District.
Why do we need additional stations?
Some areas of the District are under-served right now and our performance
is not what we want it to be in those areas. The new stations will be
located in areas of rapid growth south of Highway 50.
Why are you changing all these stations?
The short answer is to make best use of our resources. While researching
the use of our resources, we used a performance-driven model for station
locations to see how we are currently responding to the communities we
serve, and how we could be responding. Our goal is to maximize our
effectiveness and efficiency with our current resources.
How did you decide which stations to relocate?
Deciding where to place fire stations in the District was a four-step data
gathering process. The first step looked at the distance between stations
using simple circles and diamonds placed on a street map about a mile and
a half apart. The second step used a computer program called FLAME that
looked at time and distance over a street map to identify response
capability. The third step used the most innovative computer software
program in the world to measure time and distance plus the historical
performance of our fire companies responding to calls to identify where to
place fire stations for optimal performance. The last step in the
decision-making process was a "reality check." We took what we
saw in theory on paper and balanced it with the real life experiences of
seasoned members of our project team.
What's going to happen to the fire crews at the stations
you're closing or relocating?
Individual firefighters at the stations involved in the project will be
able to bid for a new station based on seniority. At the company level, as
stations are combined, available companies will staff the two new fire
stations at Vintage Park and Bradshaw and at Sunrise and Douglas
Boulevards. The third company to become available will staff a sixth truck
company for the Fire District. We know that one station impacts the
response performance of another station, so we will coordinate the
relocation of stations and companies to avoid creating greater gaps in our
service to the community.
How much is this project going to cost?
Each station will cost approximately $2,250,000. The total cost of the
project over 14 years for all rebuilds and remodels will be about
$58,000,000.
Why is SMFD doing this Project now?
There are a number of reasons why we're embarking on the project now.
Those reasons include the condition of the fire stations themselves; the
way the fire service developed throughout the area; how and where fire
stations were located under our predecessor agencies; the changing needs
of the community; the changes in infrastructure around the stations; and
our changing workforce.
For example, none of the stations included in this project meet the
seismic earthquake retrofit standards enacted by the California
Legislature in 1985 for all public buildings. All the stations are
outdated. The oldest was built in 1945, the most recent in 1979. The
average age of the stations in the project is 39 years. All the stations
in the project are also too small. We have continued to add equipment to
our engines and personnel to our stations as the community asks us to take
on more responsibility. We need more room for our emergency equipment and
workout equipment for our firefighters. We encourage our firefighters to
stay fit for the job-and for life after the job.
A key reason for this project is to enhance our service performance.
Our present District is affected by the way the fire service developed
historically throughout the area and how fire stations were sited or
located under our seventeen predecessor fire agencies. The placement of
the stations by many different agencies over a span of time resulted in
performance gaps and overlaps throughout the jurisdiction. We need to
eliminate those gaps and correct those overlaps. We are also affected by
change in the community infrastructure. For instance, Station 103 lost
part of its front ramp over the years as Watt Avenue was widened to meet
the increased traffic needs of the community. Each time Watt Avenue was
widened, the front ramp got shorter, and that inhibits our firefighters'
ability to back into the station safely or to pull the engine out to do
regular maintenance. That kind of change in the external infrastructure
around our stations has occurred across the District.
Finally, we looked at the changing needs of our workforce. At the time
the stations in this project were built, none of the various fire
departments employed female firefighters. In order to serve our present
workforce, we need to address issues of privacy for our firefighters:
separate sleeping areas, separate changing areas, separate restroom
facilities.
I heard that funding for this project was $29 million,
and now it's up to almost $60 million. Why?
Actually, the original proposal was $26 million for a 5-year plan that
included only new station construction. This project is a 14-year plan
estimated to cost $58 million that includes not only new construction and
the major remodel of Station No. 23, but also a remodel for all other
stations in the Fire District.
Are you creating a negative situation in the
neighborhoods that will lose a fire station?
The answer to that question depends on your perspective. As we move fire
stations from one location to another, we will be improving performance
overall within the District. To be sure, those residents living next door
to a station we're moving a half-mile away will see a longer response
time. But to the question, will service to that community improve overall;
the answer is "yes." We're strategically locating stations to
improve performance in the larger community.
Are you planning on eliminating
any emergency services with this project?
No, we are still going to respond the way we do today with the enhanced or
added-on services that we currently provide.
Does this plan deal with the City
of Sacramento's interest in expanding its sphere of influence into Rancho
Cordova?
We're all aware that the City of Sacramento is undergoing a process to
expand their sphere of influence, which includes part of our Fire
District. In the Rosemont area, we've been staffing Station No. 54 half
time. We want to correct that situation by staffing it full time and
providing the service that the community deserves.
Why don't we apply for grants and/or Federal funds for
this project? Why spend our District's money? Has this option been
explored?
Grants at the local, state and federal levels are not easy to come by,
however, we will continue to look for grants and alternative funding for
this project. There are no current available grants for station
infrastructure, rebuilding, or new station sitings and construction. We
have been successful in getting grants for "weapons of mass
destruction," and those funds from the Federal government probably
will increase in the future. With regard to other types of revenue, we are
funding some of the fire stations in this project through development fees
already being collected in the Vineyard area and the Antelope/ Elverta
area. Additionally, the proposed fire station at Sunrise and Douglas
Boulevards will be funded completely from development fees. We're also
looking to establish a District-wide development fee for fire stations
that we can use at any location across the District without being tied to
a specific neighborhood.
How will this project affect with the City of Citrus
Heights ?
The leadership of the City of Citrus Heights is very interested in and
concerned about our station relocation plan. We are in the process of
meeting with city leaders and neighborhood groups to help them understand
that fire stations do not respond to homes, businesses, or intersections
with emergency services. It is the people and the equipment in fire
stations-the firefighters-who respond to emergencies. We are strategically
relocating the fire stations, but we will continue to reinforce the fact
that it is what is in the stations that is most important. And today there
are more firefighters in the City of Citrus Heights than there were when
SMFD merged a year ago.
Is this project the right thing to do at this time, now
that America is at war?
Yes, now is the right time for this project. Many of those involved in the
consolidation of fire departments in the area say it is long overdue. The
research and preliminary plans for the project were started well in
advance of the present situation. Looking at this strategic plan from a
national perspective, in light of current events, it is definitely the
right time. We should be moving forward as a government agency with this
part of our overall business plan.
Is this project reactionary to the September 11 events?
No, it is not reactionary to the September 11th tragedies. The preliminary
work on the project started about two years ago, and we initiated public
hearings for the project in the summer of 2001.
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