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09/05/03 Brodehl/Development ImpactsKALISPELL FIRE DEPARTMENT Randy Brodehl - Fire Chief Jim Stewart - Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal Dee McCluskey — Assistant Chief/Operations 9/5/2003 To: Chris Kukulski, City Manager From: Randy Brodehl, Fire Chief Re: Glacier Mall Development Impacts 312 First Avenue East Kalispell, Montana 59901 (406) 758-7760 FAX: (406) 758-7952 Chris, After our discussion at staff on Wednesday, I asked my staff to put some information together regarding impacts to our ability to provide service in this area. Craig Kerzman, Building Official: If the City of Kalispell has or is give the opportunity to provide building inspection and zoning service to Mr. Wolford's mall project, we welcome the chance to do so. The Building Department has both the capacity and the desire to accommodate such a project. Typically, construction of these projects occurs over a number of years and would not tax our resources. If the developer launches a massive construction program to develop the entire site with a year or so, would simply contract with a local code certified, Montana licensed engineer to supplement our existing staff. 2. Jim Stewart, Fire Marshal: Fire flow requirements are regulated by the Uniform Fire Code, Appendix III -A, and the proposed mall project would most likely have a fire flow requirement of 3750-4000 gallons per minute, due to the fact that it would be a fully sprinklered structure. The duration requirement for this 3750 gpm flow is 3 hours. InTormation submitted by Dick Amerman, at the fire department's request in March 2001, indicated that the current production/storage for the upper pressure zone could support a 3000 gpm flow for 2 3/4 hours. It appears that fire flow demands of 3750 would allow for duration of less than 1 hours. As a part of the Glacier Mall planning project, it is my recommendation that steps be taken to identify and prioritize an increase in the water production/storage capability for the upper pressure zone of the City's water distribution system. The Kalispell Fire Department also has the expertise to provide all fire and life safety plans reviews for this development and works on this type of project with the Kalispell Building Department on a routine basis. "Assisting our community in reducing, preventing, and mitigating emergencies. - Page 2 September 5, 2003 The Department also provides annual fire and Life safety inspections to all businesses, using highly skilled inspection personnel who are trained to assist the business owners in maintaining a safe working environment. 3. General information: The Kalispell Fire Department has the apparatus and personnel to respond to both fire and EMS needs at the proposed Glacier Mall site. However, response times could be as long as 12-13 minutes. According to the National Fire Protection Association Standard 1710, and Goal 42 of the Kalispell Fire Department, this response time should be less than five minutes. ® The area around the proposed site is already being heavily developed and the City of Kalispell has long recognized the need for a north fire station to meet response needs in this area. The City is actively planning a new fire station near the intersection of Grandview, Four Mile Drive, and Highway 93, and intends to have it functional by the summer of 2006. This should coincide with development on the Glacier Mall site. The issue that may slow down this project is funding. In past negotiations, Mr. Wolford has suggested he would be interested in paying the City for construction of a fire station that would respond to the Mall area. I recommend the City continues pursuing this idea with any negotiations regarding this development. As soon as a new station is constructed, we will request an ISO re -grading with the anticipation that we will drop from a Class 5 to a Class 3. This should mean a substantial decrease in insurance premiums to Mr. Wolford and the mall tenants. In addition, the quick response from the not station would mean less fire loss, and significantly better EMS response times. The Kalispell Fire Department is a fully staffed all career department that has the immediate expertise to handle any and all fire, EMS, rescue, and hazardous materials needs in the City of Kalispell. A development of this nature is well within the scope of our abilities and we welcome the opportunity to assist in any way we can. Please contact me if you need further information. R i i; ehl, Fire Chief "Assisting our community in reducing, preventing, and mitigating emergencies. "