2. Fire Department9225
T:
Mayor Pamela B. Kennedy
and Kalispell City Council
FROM: Randy Brodehl, Fire Chief
James H. Patrick, k, City Manager
SUBJECT: Hazardous Materials Response
MEETING DATE: October 3, 2005
BACKGROUND: The state of Montana Disaster and Emergency Services(DES)
Department has partnered with the fire departments in Billings, Missoula, Great Falls,
Bozeman, and Helena to provide response teams to hazardous materials threats or
releases in the stater In addition, the DES has partnered with Flathead County Office of
Emergency services to provide a team.
All but the Flathead County team respond to larger incidents where local jurisdictions are
not able to provide a complete response. They respond as a resource to the jurisdiction
and function as a branch of the local incident command system. Each state team
responds, n average, less than three times per year. Their average on scene time for
each of these responses is four hours. The teams are made up of members that are
certified to the tzars materials technician level, and are supported by local
jurisdictions that are trained to either the hazardous materials awareness or operations
levels. Funding and equipment for the teams is provided through a combination of state
and federal grants, response billing, and state general tax revenue funds.
The Flathead County Task Force One Hazardous Materials Tear, under the leadership of
Flathead County Office of Emergency services OEs, has traditionally responded as a
primary response tear. This means that they often respond before or in place of local
jurisdictions, and assume command of the scene. Due to this typo of response, the team
responds several tires per month. The Flathead County Commissioners have been
working with Montana DES to determine if the current procedure used by Flathead County
is within the scope outlined in the Montana Code Annotated 2005. There is concern that
the response procedures may well be outside of the intent r t f the law and could put the
county at a higher liability risk.
The Commissioners are also considering a major shift in the makeup of the team, and the
method of response currently used. Commissioner Joe Brenneman is heading this review
and has been working with Montana DES to review the current program as compared to
the state of Montana F a ar o s Materials Response Plan (The first three sections of the
plan are shown in Appendix A). He has requested an independent review of the tear
qualifications and training. This review will be completed in October.
Commissioner Brenneman has also contacted the Kalispell Fire Department for assistance
in understanding what we would have available, should the team be revised to look like the
other five teams across the state, with the team being based in the Kalispell Fire
Department. The Kalispell Fire Department has hazardous materials technicians and all
personnel are trained to the operations level, but the department has not been allowed by
OES to be part of the team.
RECOMMENDATION:
The City of Kalispell continues to assist Flathead County in reviewing the current
situation.
The City is willing to review the possibility
o Kalispell Fire Department members being included in the team
o Housing of equipment and apparatus in the fire station
o Team leadership
o Team training
The City should also review:
o Liability
o Time commitment
o Funding (Appendix )
o Frigate/public partnerships for personnel and equipment
When this information has been reviewed n n assessment made, the Are Chief should
present the City Council with the information and a recommendation for future involvement.
Rsffy smft,
'If 66'
r Chief
James H . Patrick, City Manager
INTRODUCTION
Appendix
Montana Hazardous Maten*als Response Plan.
Purpose
The primary pose of this plan is to Provide effective coordinated emergency response support to
local go e.nunent by state, federal, and private agencies for 'Incidents involving the .release o
potential release of hazardous matefials in the State of Mona. For the purposes of this plan,
"hazardous material" means a hazardous substance, a hazardous or deleterious substance as defmed
in 75-1 o- o , MCA, radioactive mate .al or a combination of a hazardous substance, a hazardous or
deleterious substance, and radioactive material. Other poses of this plan are to provide guidance
to State personnel who may encounter an incident involving hazardous materials and to define the
support role of specific state agencies. This state plan can be initiated at the request of local
goenunents.
This plan allows for coordination with local hazardous materials response plans developed by cities,
counties, and Local Emergency planning Committees, hereafter referred to as '` E C'', pursuant to
Title III of the Federal S .perfund Amendments and Reauthorization .act hereafter referred to as
"-SARA Title . 1"". Coordination could include out of state entities. This plan provides for response
and support of the capabilities of local response personnel when the incident involves hazardous
materials as defined in 0-3 -1203 Montana Codes .annotated (MCA).
The State of Montana recognizes the Wide variation local hazardous materials response
capabilities throughout the state and adjacent states. It is impost, therefore, to emphasize that the
s a e's intent is to SUPPLEMENT local canabilities, not to supplantit. The Montana Hazardous
Materials Response plan shall lie'Implemented at the request of local o er=entw
Scope
This plan outlines the circumstances under which state support will he I'LM'tiated . The plan is for the
use of state personnel and local jurisdictions that are involved with hazardous material emergency
response within the state. The plan covers the procedures, commun.leat ons, and responsibilities o
participating agencies and provides for the follow-up to hazardous material spills or release
incidents. The capabilities and responsibilities of the various agencies involved are outlined.. This
plan addresses transportation and fixed site spills, releases, or threat of release of hazardous
materials, and 'Incidents involving orphaned hazardous materials, which may pose a threat to human
health or the environment. n accordance with Montana law l o-3 -1 o5 MCA, the State may consult
and cooperate with agencies in the federal govemment, other States, and Canadian federal or
provincial governments.
Authority
A tl o ty for implementation of this plan 's derived from 1 o-3 - l 20 2 through 5 MCA. The
Montana Hazardous Materials Response Plan requires the coordinated efforts of all signatory
agencies.
Assumptions
The response activities in this plan are based on the National Incident Management S item
LNIMti), Nuns is a management err ent tool that provides a structure for response to emergency situations,
in this ease, hazardous materials incidents. It provides a system for federal, state, and private entities
to be integrated under local command. SARA Title 111, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. (OSHA), and the Environmental nme to Protection agency EPA rules require use of a
Incident Management System for hazardous materials incidents. It is the policy of the Montana
State Emergency .Response Commission hereafter referred to as t .e "SERC", that N MS will be used
when responding to hazardous materials incidents, in conjunction with the Mate Emergency
Coordination Plan hereafter refeffed to as the "-SEC '". NfMS when implemented by local
goverment ding initial response, will allow state resources to become part of the response
network without disrupting local effort.
Incident Command and Control
The State Hazardous Materials Incident Response Tearn hereafter referred to as "SHMIR " is
designed as a support unit to provide 2 -hour coverage seven days a week} The SHMIRT operates
under the direction of a team leader. When multiple regional components are operating as the state
team at the satne incident the first tearn deployed will have the team leader mess the SHMR ` at a
later time agrees to assign that responsibility to another team member. As a support Wit, the team
operates under the direct authority of the 1C. If requested, tht team may provide technical guidance
to an IC -scene or by phone. Use of the team does not release the local response agencies from
their duty to provide nrnal response meets.
Implementation
The Disaster and Emergency Services Division hereafter referred to, as "MT -DES" is the statutorily
assigned agency for notification of reportable hazardous materials incidents as established by 10-3-
1211 MCA and Title III of the SARA. This enables MT -DES, to maintain a database of incidents.
Reporting hazardous materials incidents to MT -DES also fulfills state reporting requirements as
established by 10-3-1211 MCA and Title III of the SARA.
The decision t initiate the request for assistance provided in this plan shall be made by the local
Incident Commander according to procedures outlined in their local emergency operations plan,
when it 's detenrnined that a hazardous material is 'Involved in quantities or conditions exist that may
pose an immediate hated to public health and/or the environment, r when the IC is seeking
technical advice or assistance* The plan is im'tiated by calling MT -DES, at - 1-3 l l . MT -DES
will notify the appropriate response and support agencies, when requested to do so by the 1C.
Summary
Implementation of the Montana Hazardous .materials Response Pfau includes creation of a single
specially trained and equipped team for hazardous material incident response. The state-wide
response SHMIR ` is a cooperative effort of regionally located response teams, designated officials
of state agencies, and. the SERC. The SHM RT members are strategically located around the state,
Each of these regional teams Will consist of hazardous materials emergency response personnel with
specialized equipment specific to hazardous materials response. The regional teams, when activated,
will operate under the direction of the team leader and within NMS. The teats are intended to
respond to the most acute and critical hazardous chemical emergencies in the state. Their primary
objective is to protect human life, the environment, and property ding the early stages or an
emergency. Wile there s are expectation from the State Emergency Response Commission SERC
and the MT -DES State Emergency Coordination Center SECC that the regional teams comprising
the SHMIRT will respond when requested, there is also are understanding that there may be local
circumstances that may prevail and prevent them from responding r subject for recall to their home
station. I order to accomplish this, the regional teams must remain under local administrative
control and not as a state resource.
IR State Hazardous Materials Incident .response Teams
Mission Statement
To create and establish strategically located, specialty trained and equipped regional .hazardous
materials incident response teams (regional teams) using the combined resources of the state of
Montana, local governments, and private industry. The state response teams" mission is to protect
Montana's citizens,, environment, natural resources, and property from the effect of hazardous
material releases or the threat of release of hazardous materials.
Goals
Goal l Jo provide emergency responders with timely, up-to-date information., 'in a readily
access le ��er, which may e used as as s foremergency operations s sec sins.
Goal 2: To assist local governments in responding to and mitigating the effects of hazardous
materials incidents.
Goal 3 :To provide emergency responders with appropriate hazardous materials training to meet
operational and regulatory requirements.
Goal 4 :To provide regional teams with appropriate equipment and training to support other
emergency responders at hazardous materials incidents.
Policies
The State of Montana recognizes that local govemments have primary responsibility for the
mitigation of hazardous materials emergencies. For those incidents where the local officials ash. the
Mate for assistance, the State Hazardous Materials Incident Response Team SHMIR will provide
emergency hazardous materials 'incident response coverage.
The regional hazardous materials incident response teams, as components f the SHMIR , will be
strategically located in existing at tl e l fire departments agencies identified and accredited by the
SERC:
'rained HAZMAT personnel from host fire departments aeucies will staff the regional teams.
Those agencies at their sole discretion may include members on their team who are not regular
members oftheir organization..
The regional teams will use NMS and will not respond to an incident until the IC has been
established at the incident. The team will work under the direct supervision of a Team Leader.
Administrative and legal operations of the regional response team components and the SHMIRT are
to be consistent with administrative n.es adopted by the state. Such rules must meet statutory
guidelines and operational needs.
The Montana Hazardous Materials Response, lan in addition to C R 1910.120 and. NFPA 472 and
other applicable stands addressing will guide response team operations including;
Personnel
0 Regulatory compliance
Equipment standards
Insurance requirements
Training requirements
0 Certification requirements
0 Records and reporting
Medical surveillance
Billing/cost recovery program
Decontamination Procedures
Coordination with other Government Agencies
The State of Montana and its State Hazardous Mate a s Incident Response Team is committed to the
principles of integrated emergency management. Command and control fictions will use NIMS,
SHMIRT Agencies
The SERC will determine what agencies will .have SHMIRT Teams and only those agencies will be
authorized by the SERA.
Training and performance
The State of Montana will provide specialized training to response team personnel through -the
SERC, State regional response tee training programs will address the federal training levels a
outlined in the "Training Specifications" section of this plan. Criteria for certification the
authorization of teams will be defined in the accreditation autoation process section of this plan
and audited by a committee of the SERC. The teams will be trained In and operate under N MS.
SHMIRT will be evaluated using the performance crite a established y 29 C R 1910.120 q) and
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1. and 472.
ACCREDITATION AUTHORIZATION PROCESS FOR PET.SONNELWITH ADVANCE
HAZMAT CAPABILITIES
.The following outlines the steps for a persormel with advanced ha mat capabilities to become
accredited authofized by the SERC:
1. The chief executive of the agency requesting accreditation authorization shall submit to the SERC
annually, a letter of certification, listing the members of the team, outlining the training provided
to the members of the team, tt .e quall-fications of the personnel, the number of personneltrained
and to which level of training, and also certification of the minimum required hazardous
materials equipment as required by this plan.
2. Once the accreditation authorization process has been completed by the SERC, a letter s. a l be
sent to MT -DES validating the agency's team accreditation.
3. Each authon*zed team will participate, with other regional teams in, at least, one multi -agency
hazardous materials exercise a year.
. The accredited authorized agency will enter into a Memorandum o 'Understanding with the
SERC.
5. If team members change or additional members are added, the chief executive for the accrediting
agency iArill submit the changes along with training documentation to the SERC prior t
deployment as a team member.
Financial Management
The SHMIRT operates under the administration of the SERC, All fiscal accounting, 1anm*,
budgeting, recording, and reporting programs of the team will be the function of the SERC and.
outlined In contracts memorandums of understanding between the SERC and the response teams.
State Hazardous Materials Incident Response Team Components
A regional SHMIRT consists of a minlmurn of six members competent in. the use of, level "A"
personal protective equipment, containment,, monitoring and decontamination equipment.
miscellaneous tools and reference materials at the technician level. Regional teams can be staffed by
members of a ste le department agency or may be comprised of personnel from various agencies.
Representative Hazardous materials qualified(OSHA 1910.120) positions that may/or are required
to be staffed at an incident to which the SHMIRT responds include:
Incident Commander - local agency
Herat Team Leader
. Ha mat Safety Officer - SHMIRT Member
. Entry Team - SHMIRT
Back-up Team - SHMIRT
. Research - SHMIRT
r DECON - local. agency or S14MIR
. ALS as defined by state EMT licensing rWes - local agency or SHMIRT
Depending on the complexity of the incident other positions may be required to provide effective
and safe ma.aem.t of the incident.
Minimum Requirements (See Training Requirements — Section V11)
The minimum requirements for regional teams to be considered a component of the SHMIRT
include:
l . The Fire Chief chef executive for each regional team Will certify training and equipment
standards are met for their respective team members.
2. Annual . approval as a team by the SERC.
Availablewithin 5 minutes 2 hrsay, days/week for technical assistance y hone.
4. Avw*lable to supply 3 team memberson-site 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week for initial and.
extendedresponse for a period not to exceed 10 days. Teams should respond to MT -DES
within 30 minutes of the request for a response and advise MT -DES whether they are
able/notable to respond.
Appendix
• Montana Code Ante
1.0-3-1214. Right to reimbursement. State hazardous material incident response
team members may submit claims to the commission for reimbursement o
documented costs incurred as a result of the a ss response to an incident.
Reimbursement for the costs may not exceed the duration of response,
(2) A party who is not a past of the state hazardous material incident response team
and is not liable under federal or state law may submit a claim to the commission for
costs if the claim is associated with a request by the state hazardous material incident
response team or the commission,
(3) Claims for reimbursement must be submitted to the commission within days
after termination of the response to the 'Incident for the state's determination o
payment, if any.
(4) Reimbursement may be made only after the comet-Issio finds that the actions
by the applicant were taken in response to an incident as defined in this part and only
if adequate ids are available.
9225
T:
Mayor Pamela B. Kennedy
and Kalispell City Council
FROM: Randy Brodehl, Fire Chief
James H. Patrick, City Manager
SUBJECT,. Insurance Services Offices response criteria versus
National Fire Protection Association Standard 1710.
MEETING DATA; October 3, 25
BACKGROUND: Fire departments across the ration have traditionally located fire stations
according to a set of values provided by the Insurance services Offices (ISO). By ISO
values, fire stations should be 1.5 miles apart to effectively place enough personnel on
scene for initial fire attack during the incipient stages of a fire, It also establishes that a
ladder truck response should be 2.5 miles or less. (Appendix A ISO Station Response
Areas) This is a simple way of determining station locations, allowing fire chiefs to use a
cheat sheet for future station location planning. Basically, the more fire stations that can be
located at that distance, the greater number of points are assigned_ These points are part
of a larger formula that is used to establish community fire classifications. These
classifir,ations in turn can be used by fire insurance companies to project fire losses and t
establish insurance rates. However, fire insurance companies are less and less dependent
n ISO classifications and are becoming more dependent on actual loss data for
establishing insurance rates.
In 1995, the National Fire Protection Association NF A , the rationally recognized
organization that develops fire related standards., began developing a standard criterion for
fire department responses. This standard became know as NFPA Standard f
Standard for the t a at and Deofovment of Fire Suwressl'on ODerations. Emerclenci
Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments. A
similar standard, standard 1720,vas developed for combination and volunteer fire
departments. Many NFPA standards have been adopted into federal, state, and local laws
and ordinances. Other standards are used when an adopted law refers decisions to
nationally recognized standard practices NF A 1710 covers apparatus staffing and
response times for fire, emergency medical system (EMS) responses, and other
emergency responses for fire departments. For this discussion, we wj]J be looking at
response times for fire and EMS in the City of Kalispell- (Appendix 13, NF A 1710 Station
Response Areas)
Instead of using distances such as ISO does, NF A 1710 uses travel times. These travel
times are based on the Fire Pro a air Gorge (Appendix C �r and information rn several
medical response studies. The Fire 'rp.
ah` Curve uses scientific studies which
confirm that fire attack within the first five minutes of a fire will usually contain the fire in the
incendiary stage (when a fire is small and can be controlled by initial offensive action using
a fire extinguisher or fire l a roes). The American Heart Association provides the EMS
response data that says CPR within the first five minutes of a cardiac arrest allows a 50
survival rate. (Appendix D)
NFPA 1710, whea boiled down, says that fire department response can include up to
minute for turnout t me(the time it takes to leave the station when a gall is received), and up
to four minutes to respond to the scene. This is a total response time of 5 minutes from the
receipt of the call. For fire responses within the cfty limits, that would include the first due
fire engine, On EMS responses, it includes the first due advanced ce life support engine or
ambulance. Also identified n NFPA 1710 is the response times for the first due ladder
truck. This includes one minute turn out time, and eight minutes of response time, for a
total of nine minutes from receipt of call. NFPA also recognizes that % compliance with
this requirement would be impossible for any fire department, so the standard is for
meeting the time requirements 9 of the time. Outside of the city, the response
requirements are the responsibility of the agency having jurisdiction, so are not within the
scope of this report.
While response time is the critical factor, there is no standardized cheat sheet for fire
station planning using NFPA 1710. This is because apparatus travel at different speeds
based on traffic flow, time of clay, and types of roadways. Kalispell Fire Department is not
able to track specific response tires with any accuracy at this time due to the lack of
details available from the Dispatch Center. However, in Kalispell, we can generalize some
of that information by making two assumptions: Apparatus travel speed averages 25
miles per hour, except on high speed corridors (roadways with a speed limit of 45 miles per
hour or higher); 2 Apparatus travel speed averages 55 miles per hour on high speed
corridors. These speeds may vary up or down, depending on traffic conditions, but in the
absence of additional time study information, we will use the above speeds for calculating
response distances. The City of Kalispell has multiple high speed corridors; At least parts
of Highways 2 and 93, Three Mile and Four Mlle Drives, and Foyes Lake Road are high
speed corridors. The corning Hwy 93 Bypass will also be high speed. Calculations using
N F PA 1710 allow greater response distances while still maintaining a 90% travel time of
four minutes or less for engines and are eight minute travel time for ladder trucks.
When reviewing the differences between ISO and NFPA 1710, the critical response lines i
Kalispell are very simi ar, except where there are high speed corridors. `his is because at
25 miles per hour} apparatus travels about 1.7 miles, which is only slightly more than the
1.5 riles identified by ISO. However, on a high speed corridor, apparatus travel 4.6 miles
in fireminutes.
Comparison:
ISO -Easy to use,, may have a significant fiscal affect on the commercial business insurance
rates, and is nationally recognized as a functional fire station location planning tool.
Stations may be closer together than is needed for an effective response, creating a higher
cost to the taxpayer. The number of ladder trucks may be higher than needed if the city
has at least one high speed corridor. The greater the number of fire stations* the greater
the number of firefighters required, increasing the cost to the taxpayer.
W A -Measurable and based on a scientifically documented fire behavior pattern and
medically sound response principles. Typically requires fewer dire stations, less firefighters.,
less fire engines, and less ladder trucks. This equates to a significant cost reduction for
taxpayers. It is difficult but not impossible to calculate. It is not currently being used to
calculate insurance rates.
Kalispell growth patterns indicate that the city will require addition staffed fire stations in the
near future. The Kalispell Fire Department has developed two plans which look at where
these stations should be located as the city grows. Each plan will provide significant
capabilities for fire suppression and EMS response. Each plan corner at a cost, and
careful consideration eratio should be given to which plan the city should use.
n 2 , the Ka is pel I Fire De a rtment developed goals and objectives using N F PA 1710
response standards for planning fire and EMS response. This, because the city at that time
contained almost no high speed corridors, was the same as if ISO criteria were being used
and the terminology could be used interchangeably. Now, the city is laced with high speed
corridors, with more coming in the future, and greater use of high speed corridors by
emergency response apparatus.
RECOMMENDATION: The Kalispell Fire Department recommends using NA 1710 as
the primary fire station location planning tool, and using ISO as a reference to make minor
adjustments to station locations whe n reasonable. Because N F PA 1710 takes into account
fire and EMS response, and because it is based on actual response data rather than
mileage, it more accurately reflects the response needs of the community. Council has the
authority to change or modify this recommendation. The fire chief will continue to plan
using NA 1710 as the primary planning tool, unless directed by Council to use a different
tool.
Respectfully submitted,
kan god -f ire Chief
James H, Patrick., City Manager
A Did You Know.....
w
MINUTES WITHOUT DEFIBRILLATION
Fire doubles in size every thirty seconds
0
three minutes, until it reaches Flashover,
fire growth is unrestrained. National Fire Protection
Association
rt,nsi-i<>vt,R
OCCURS
CRI."I"ICAL., TIMF 111111111
to
then
FPA STANDARD 1710 - STAT ON RESPONSE AREAS
KALISPELL FIRE DEPARTMENT
ISO STATION RESPONSE AREAS
51
25
TO:
Mayor Pamela B. Kennedy
and Kalispell City Council
FROM: Randy Brodehl, Fire Chief
James H . Pat, City Manager
SUBJECT: Fire engine response with the ambulance
MEETING DATE: October 3, 2005
AGROUND Kalispell Fire Department provides basic and advanced medical life
support response to most of the population in Flathead County. This is approximately
3,500 calls per year, with about half of those being inside the city limits and the others
being outside the city limits_ Outside the city limits, the Kalispell it Fire Department
ambulance is assisted by fire or quick response units, who initiate treatment and assist with
patient packaging and moving, and may also assist during transport as the need dictates.
These agencies provide tour or more personnel for assisting during the transport to the
nearest medical facility. Wfthin the city limits, this same assistance is provided by
responding a fire engine with the ambulance on emergency responses. The engine is
staffed with paramedics and a full complement of advanced life support equipment.
Medical treatment on scene has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. During
that time, we have gone from the need to get patients to the hospital so they can be
stabilized and treated., to stabilizing and treating the patient before transporting. This
change has made a dramatic increase in patient survival rates, and quality of life following
recovery. With this has come the need for more training, invasive treatment in the field,
specialized equipment, and additional personnel during stabilization and transport. As an
example, a patient who has had a cardiac evert may need} airway management including
mechanical means, cardiac management including defibrillation and CPR, drugs
administered in sequence, vital signs monitodn , scene management, and patient
packaging. All of this happens before the patient is moved to the transport ambulance.
The patient and attached equipment must be moved to the ambulance and loaded Patient
management must continue during the trip to the medical facility, while one person drives.
Should the patient be up or downstairs from the ambulance, ce, additional personnel are
needed to manage the move to the ambulance, reducing the risk of injury to firefighters.
So, the need for additional personnel on scene is evident it we grant to have the medical
success rate that we currently d. Questions are often poised as to why a fire engine.
Why not a small chase vehicle such as a pickup with equipment with one person? This
becomes a logistics management issue of splitting the operations crew into three groups
instead of two, It is much more difficult to function as three groups than it is two. While an
engine can be restaffed as soon as the patient is stable when it responds to the scene, it
.c.1an not be restaffed until the chase vehicle returns to the station if the engine does not
respond. As is obvious, many of the calls we respond to do not require all the personnel on
the engine. However, typically we do not know that until the patient has been assessed
we gait until the patient assessment is complete before we request additional personnel, it
may be too late to save a life. Keeping an engine company together as much as possible,
allows that engine to be freed up for additional responses sooner, with a complete crew.
Another consideration is what d o you d o if one person i n the chase vehicle isn't enough?
This means that the engine has to respond anyway and negates the advantage of a small
chase vehicle.
RECOMMENDATION: Council watches the patient management vignette demonstrated
by the firefighters, listens to the input of the attending physician, and asks questions as
needed.
Rsffy submitted
R�Y -er� James H. Patrick City Manager