Item #3 Austin Fire Department Q3 Quarterly Report Presentation — original pdf

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AUSTIN FIRE Public Safety Commission Meeting FY24 Q3 Assistant Chief Tom Vocke 1 S i n g l e S t a i r w a y Council Resolution No. 20240502-094 proposes an amendment to the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) to allow a single stairway for multifamily developments up to five stories. AFD, DSD and ATCEMS found the following potential safety risks: • Hindered Evacuation Tactics • • Obstructed Emergency Medical Services Insufficient and Aging Water Infrastructure in Residential Areas Proponents of the Resolution often cite Seattle as a successful use case. The "Seattle Special" was first allowed in the 1970' s because of excellent water supply, response times, emergency communications, and fire prevention and enforcement. Austin cannot match Seattle in two of the four categories (response and water supply). • Seattle has 1 ladder for every 2.7 engines. Austin has 1 ladder for every 3.8 engines • Seattle's fire arriving engine arrives within 4 minutes 76% of the time vs Austin’s 57% • Seattle's full first alarm arrives within 8 minutes 95% of the time vs Austin’s 12% • Seattle has "very good" hydrant infrastructure • Washington State Association of Fire Marshals has concerns of extending beyond Seattle 2 C r o w d S t r i k e O u t a g e o n J u l y 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 In the late evening hours on July 18th 2024, Fire Dispatch experienced CAD outage due to a faulty update to cyber security software (CrowdStrike) thru Windows operating devices. During the outage Fire Dispatch in collaboration with other COA agencies transitioned to a hybrid of limited CAD use with paper dispatching to continue operations. As a result, despite the technology challenges, not a single call for assistance was missed or dropped by AFD Dispatch. Incidents of note include two working box alarms, a vehicle rescue, a request for assistance for a cardiac arrest, and a wilderness taskforce. Command and Support teams were activated to assess and repair inoperable systems and coordinate resources. Within 7 hours all critical systems had been re-established. 3 N o w O p e n : S t a t i o n 1 • Station 1 reopened on July 30, 2024. • Engine 1 and Ladder 1 have been at 314 W 11th. • Engine 13 has been at Station 6 at 1705 S. Congress Ave. 4 N o w O p e n : S t a t i o n 2 2 • Station 22 reopened in July 2024. • Engine 22 and Ladder 22 have returned, after being at Station 35 during the construction. 5 N e w F i r e S t a t i o n 5 4 a t C a n y o n C r e e k Located in Council District 10 and will be a shared facility with ATCEMS. Expected completion: December 2024 Updates: • Broke ground on January 30, 2024. • Abatement work and demolition completed mid-January 2024. • Steel is complete. • Interior work is being done. 6 F i r e S t a t i o n D e f e r r e d M a i n t e n a n c e a n d P r o j e c t s Station 25 Station 15 • Engine 15 is at Station 5 • Refresh began June 3, 2024 Station 8 – Expected completion: December 2024 • Engine 8 is on-site; Ladder 8 is at Station 30 • Recent work on interior sheet rock; Steel is complete Station 23 – Expected completion: October 2024 • Engine 23 is in a trailer at 8700 Cameron Road Station 25 – Expected completion: October 2024 • Engine 25 is at Station 44 • Exterior is being finished, with windows in Station 47 • Engine 47 moved to Station 52 on July 1, 2024. • Work has begun. 7 A u t o m a t i c A i d Automatic Aid: Interlocal agreement to dispatch the closest unit to a 911 call, regardless of department or jurisdiction. Auto Aid occurs multiple times per day and greatly contributes to decreased response times Austin and Travis County. Automatic Aid Successes: • New regional Wildfire policy includes enhanced response plans for Brush Alarms across the county and brings ESD 2 (Pflugerville) and ESD 12 (Manor) back into response with AFD for Brush Fires. July 20th: Working fire at 2203 Onion Creek in southeast Austin (photos on right) • AFD, ESD 11, and ESD 5 all sent units. AFD was the first unit on scene and the first Command element was a Chief from ESD11. • All companies worked together successfully in extinguishing a working fire in a two-story house with a fully involved garage that was spreading to the attic & roof. • Joint operations at the crew level and command level were seamless. Frequent training with ESDs 5 and 11 was evident as crews worked well together. July 21st 3:45 am: Working apartment fire at 2809 W. William Cannon Dr. • The first AFD units found an apartment on fire in a 3-story apartment building; the fire quickly went to a second alarm. • AFD Battalion Chief 8 arrived first, followed by Westlake Battalion Chief 901, who was a great help to ensure personnel accountability and in unit tracking. 8 • Captains & Battalion Chiefs in Austin and Auto Aid departments have been training together for years in regional Incident Commander, Command of Multiple Alarms, and Command of May Days classes. This training results in better operations on scene when our chiefs run incidents together. O v e r d o s e R e s p o n s e In December 2021, all AFD personnel received hands on training for Naloxone administration and each unit received a stock of the medication. 158 113 101 189 139 128 178 108 92 169 114 114 138 95 71 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 FY23 Q3 FY23 Q4 FY24 Q1 FY24 Q2 FY24 Q3 FY24 Q3 9 Total calls where Narcan was given Number of times AFD administered or assisted Patient improvement cases Arson Fires FY24 50 47 58 Arson Fires Identified Arson Cleared by Arrest Arson Cleared by Citation 13 19 15 6 8 4 FY24 Q1 20 0 FY24 Q2 40 FY24 Q3 60 80 I n v e s t i g a t i o n s • Percent of Arson Fires Cleared: - FY 24 Q1: - FY 24 Q2: - FY 24 Q3: 38% 47% 40% National Clearance Rate: 22% On May 20-24, one of AFD’s Accelerant Detection Canine’s (ADC), ADC Wilson, and his handler, Lt. Nicholas Ganci, traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to participate in the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosions (BATFE) canine division’s annual recertification process. At this event, dogs and handlers from across the country undergo two days of exercises and scenarios including searches of vehicles, structures, fire debris/evidence, clothing, and people, as well as pinpoint precision testing. 10 Our ADC handler teams constantly train year-round to stay sharp on their skills, and it showed, as ADC Wilson tied for the “Top Dog” Award. W i l d f i r e D i v i s i o n Outreach Efforts • Held annual Wildfire Symposium at the Rosewood-Zargosa Neighborhood Community Center in May. Focus on the meeting included discussions on wildfire risk, insurance, and engaging vulnerable populations. • Hosting a Structure Ignition Zone (SIZ) class, in order to expand efforts to conduct wildfire risk assessments for homeowners. Response to The Interface (RTI) Training • The 2.5 year RTI delivery plan was recently completed, with over 930 operations members completing the course and certified. • AFD and the Wildfire Division attended a proclamation reading from CM Alter on July 18th, celebrating that Austin is the largest municipality to date to provide RTI to its firefighters. Situational Awareness Tool • After completing a two year RFP process with no situational awareness platform selected, AFD Wildfire GIS analysts and staff, in conjunction with RDA and other AFD offices and city agencies, is working to build an internal, ESRI-based situational awareness platform. • The updated version went live on July 22nd, after retraining of Battalion 5 on the platform held by the Wildfire Office. • The tool will provide a way for AFD and partner agencies to share incident information during a wildfire, including evacuation plans and fire data. Future plans will allow this platform to develop into an 'all hazards' situational awareness tool. 11 Information on fire danger ratings, outreach efforts, and other division efforts can be found at ATXWildfire.com O f f i c e o f t h e F i r e M a r s h a l : S p e c i a l E v e n t s Special Events in FY24 Q3: • 2 Aerial Fireworks Show and 1 drone/pyro show • 7 Austin FC games • 14 Outdoor Concerts • 2 Races @ Circuit of the Americas: MOTOGP & Ferrari Challenge • Multiple festivals and outdoor events, including: - Blues on the Green - Juneteenth - Reggae Fest - Kite Fest - Eeyore’s Birthday • 63 events @ Austin Convention Center and Palmer Events Center 12 T h e C o m p l i a n c e E n g i n e The Compliance Engine (TCE) database tracks compliance and non-compliance for all fire protection systems in commercial properties across the City of Austin. This allows the Austin Fire Department to track annual fire systems reports, deficiencies and repair reports and receive immediate notification of system impairments. 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 FY24 Q1: 84% FY24 Q2: 86% FY24 Q3: 85% 16 13 6 8 Percentage of City of Austin fire system tracking for compliance and non-compliance 83 85 80 71 67 69 55 Current systems in the Compliance Engine: 36,797 13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 (Q1-3) Prior to The Compliance Engine After implementation of The Compliance Engine C o m m u n i t y O u t r e a c h The Austin Fire Department has a vision that residents be fire safe in their homes by providing free smoke alarms and fire safety educational training through Outreach Programs:  Free Smoke Alarms – The Austin Fire Department offers/installs free smoke alarms to homeowners that live within AFD’s Jurisdiction. Number of Smoke Alarms installed: - FY 24 Q1: 115 - FY 24 Q2: 507 - FY 24 Q3: 162 - FY 24 Q1: 205 - FY 24 Q2: 171 - FY 24 Q3: 264  Fire Safety Training – The Austin Fire Department provides vital “hands-on” fire extinguisher training and home fire safety awareness demonstrations.  Red Angels Program – The Austin Fire Department works in collaboration with Austin Community College’s nursing program, we provide “in-home” basis health wellness checks (blood pressure, glucose, temperature, heart rate) and conduct home hazard safety assessments. - FY 24 Q1: No events this quarter - FY 24 Q2: 65 - FY 24 Q3: No events this quarter To request smoke alarms call the Free Smoke Alarm Hotline: (512) 974-0299 A F D S w o r n S e p a r a t i o n s & C i v i l i a n V a c a n c i e s AFD Sworn Separations through August 10, 2024 Civilian vacancies as of July 2, 2024: 11 Divisions with Civilian Vacancies Include: • Human Resources • Engineering • Office of the Fire Chief • Wildfire • Wellness 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 38 37 4 2020 4 2021 44 11 2022 Resignation Retirement 29 6 2023 27 6 2024 (Through Aug 8) Average Years of Service: • Retirements: 28.86 Years • Resignations: 5.5 Years 15 C a d e t H i r i n g P r o c e s s 2023 Hiring Process Applicant Update: • Cadet Class 137 began January 29 with 39 cadets. There are currently 33. Graduation will be August 9th. • Cadet Class 138 began April 22 with 23 cadets. There are currently 18. Graduation will be November 1st. 2024 Hiring Process Applicant Update: • Applications: March 27 – April 17 (1,398 received) • Written test and Standard Oral Interview: May 28-29 - 667 attended out of 1357 who had accepted invitation - 466 achieved a passing score of 70+. • 300 move forward; List remains active for 24 months - Group 1: Top 120 ranked applicants  Conditional offer letters: July 2  Background checks: July to August  Applicant Weekend: August 24-25 Top 300 Candidates Remaining Hispanic or Latino 33% Black or African American 8% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Island 1% Asian 2% American Indian/Alaskan Native 1% Choose not to disclose 4% Two or more races 10% White 41% Of all races and ethnicities: 13% female (CPAT Orientation, Drug Testing, Medical Forms, and Instructions)  Medical, Psychological, and CPAT Assessments: September to October  Final offer letters expected to be sent by November  Class 139 is scheduled to begin in January 2025 - Group 2: Top 121-300 ranked applicants (to be processed in 2025) 16 C a d e t H i r i n g P r o c e s s : N o S h o w S u r v e y R e s u l t s We received 141 responses to our survey on why people chose not to come to the test day. Of those responses, the biggest issues were travelling to Austin (42 responses), followed by not being able to get off work (38 responses), and Medical or Family Emergency (31 responses). Medical or family emergency 21% Couldn't get off work or deployed 26% No-Show Survey Results (141 responses) Moved or changed plans 9% No longer interested 2% Hired by another department 4% Cost to live in Austin is too high 9% 17 Travel was too difficult 29% R e c r u i t i n g Q3 Updates: • Marketing team sent emails encouraging all 1,398 applicants to continue in the process. Through a survey done during the exams, we found that email was the preferred method of communication for most applicants. • Recruiters also personally reached out by phone and text to encourage every applicant to come to the written and SOP exams. • 99% of applicants surveyed marked YES to the question: “In your opinion, did AFD Recruiting keep you informed about the process and/or answer your questions?” (653 of 659 applicants surveyed) • Survey results indicated the importance of keeping a strong presence on the web, 44% of those sitting for the test learned about our hiring process through the internet. For more, visit JoinAFD.com. 18 What form of communication did you find most useful? 659 responses Email 71% Website 3% Phone Call 4% Text 22% How did you hear about the AFD hiring process? 659 responses Internet (JoinAFD.com, City of Austin website, web search) 44% Print Media (mailer, flyer, poster, yard sign) 1% Recruiter Contact (in person, email, phone call, text) 13% Other 9% Word of Mouth (non-recruiter: friend, family member, acquaintance) 33% P a s s t h e T o r c h Participants (ages 18-35) engage in real fire service activities under the guidance of experienced firefighters to get a glimpse into the cadet academy and a first-hand feel for a career in the fire service. Q3 Update: • • Pass the Torch Graduates in AFD 34 participants graduated from the spring 2024 Pass the Torch class on July 13, 2024.  Current AFD hiring process top 120 candidates includes 9 recent graduates and 5 previous graduates from Pass the Torch classes.  Cadet Class 137 has 2 Pass the Torch graduates expected to graduate on August 9th.  Cadet Class 138 has 1 Pass the Torch graduate, who is also the first AFD Explorer in a cadet class  From first class in 2014 to fall 2023: 33 graduates have been accepted in a Cadet Academy class; 23 are still employed with AFD. F i r e E x p l o r e r s P o s t 3 7 0 The Explorers (ages 14-20) meet once a month and learn about careers in the fire service directly from members in the Austin Fire Department. Q3 Update: • Recent improvements to our Explorers Post 370 program in planning and staffing allows a curriculum that focuses on teamwork and the skills of the job. We hope that this will create a more direct pipeline to our Pass the Torch program and the eventual hiring of our students. 12 Austin Fire Explorers competed in the DFW Fire Games in Rowlett on April 27th. Our teams won 3rd place in “Room Search”, 2nd place in “EMS Skills Event” and first place in the “Hose-off Event”. The Team hopes to compete in the San Antonio competition this October. • 19 AFD strives to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining the Austin Fire Department, please visit: JoinAFD.com 20