Item #3 Austin Fire Department Fiscal Year 2025 Q1 Presentation — original pdf

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AUSTIN FIRE Pu b lic Sa fe t y Co m m is s io n Me e t in g FY2 5 Q1 Ch ief of Sta ff Rob Vires 1 C a l i f o r n i a W i l d f i r e R e s p o n s e AFD was part of a Texas strike team All TX Strike Team crews in California adopted wildland firefighting tactics taught to them by AFD Wildfire Captain Doug Iannelli AFD unit was assigned to the Palisades and Las Flores Canyon areas Duties included: • Mitigating wildfire hotspots • Clearing sidewalks and roadways of debris • Assisting utilities personnel with gas shutoff • Patrolling streets for fires TX Strike Team in California 2 AFD crew hiking through the hills of Southern California searching for infrared hot spots AFD Firefighter Jacob Bishop clearing foliage to make access easier for returning residents. A F D M e n t a l H e a l t h U p d a t e AFD has seen four suicides committed by firefighters and recently retired members over the last 5 years Mental health resources include: Staff Psychologists • Free therapy services for AFD employees and their dependents • Referrals to Ascension services for priority psychiatric consultation/medication treatment • Annual behavioral health checks • Provide psychoeducation on a variety of mental health topics • Station visits to facilitate familiarity with department mental health professionals and reiterate access to resources. Peer Support • 24/7 free and confidential hotline available to all firefighters and their families • Conduct education sessions about the importance of resiliency and positivity in the face of the challenges on the job • Cadet mentoring program for the past 12 classes • Partnership with Divine Canines for therapy dogs Chaplains Non-denominational spiritual support 3 A F D R e s p o n s e t o P e r s o n s E x p e r i e n c i n g H o m e l e s s n e s s ( P E H ) Captain position dedicated to PEH issues Coordination with other entities • City-wide Homeless Encampment Management Teams Group • Vacant Structure Task Force • Homeless Services Office (HSO) • City Public Information Office (CPIO) Inspections - ensure permanent and temporary shelters are safe for the level of occupancy Prevention • • Coordinate with HSO to share data, formulate outreach and cleanup plans • Tracking activity on dashboard (next slide) Response • Emergency operational units address warming fires, dumpster fires and fires in vacant structures • Developing data/mapping tools both specific to PEH fires and general situational awareness 4 A F D R e s p o n s e t o P e r s o n s E x p e r i e n c i n g H o m e l e s s n e s s ( P E H ) D a s h b o a r d 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 • Shared facility with ATCEMS • On RR 620 to access Canyon Creek neighborhood and Concordia University Construction Complete Updates: • Crews and engine began operating out of the station on January 12 • Grand Opening ceremony scheduled in March 6 F a c i l i t y I m p r o v e m e n t P r o j e c t s Station 8 • Expected completion: March 2025 • Engine 8 is on-site; Ladder 8 is at Station 30 • Working on the floors and ceiling grid Station 25 • Expected completion: February 17, 2025 • Engine 25 is at Station 44 • Finishing work on cabinets and upstairs floor Station 25 Station 23 • Expected completion: March 2025 • Engine 23 is in a trailer at 8700 Cameron Road • Working on electric and paint Station 47 • Expected completion: March 2025 • Engine 47 moved to Station 52 on July 1, 2024. • Demo has started and completing generator installation. Station 20 • Expected completion: April 2025 • Engine 20 and Rescue 20 moved to Station 29 on January 6, 2025 • Closed for mold remediation and remodeling 7 A u t o m a t i c A i d An 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 for Austin and Travis County. Successes: • Use of Cedar Park’s training facility by northwest Austin crews. November 2024, Austin Fire Department and Cedar Park Fire Department attended Acting Officer professional development program together. • House fire on Sunday, January 12th on Hanbridge Ln in southwest Austin. The fire was extensive, forcing crews to evacuate when the fire enveloped the attic and spread to the second floor. AFD worked seamlessly with Oak Hill FD (ESD 3) to extinguish this fire. 8 AFD and Cedar Park apparatus and personnel training together. Photos courtesy of AFD Division Chief Wayne Parris. O v e r d o s e R e s p o n s e Since 2021, all AFD personnel are trained on Naloxone administration and each unit carries the medication. FY25 Q1 178 108 92 169 114 114 138 95 71 96 72 53 88 63 51 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 FY24 Q1 FY24 Q2 FY24 Q3 FY24 Q4 FY25 Q1 9 Total calls where Narcan was given Number of times AFD administered or assisted Patient improvement cases I n v e s t i g a t i o n s Percent of Arson Fires Cleared: - FY 24 Q2: - FY 24 Q3: - FY 24 Q4: - FY 25 Q1: 47% 40% 41% 43% National Clearance Rate: 22% FY 25 Q1: 44 total fires investigated, 28 (64%) involved Persons Experiencing Homelessness FY 25 Q1: In September, firefighters responded to an apartment fire on the second floor that was intentionally set. AFD rescued two trapped individuals with life-threatening injuries from the apartment above. Arson investigators identified the suspect, he was arrested in December 2024, and the grand jury indicted him on a first-degree felony charge. 10 Arson Fires FY24-FY25 Q1 44 50 58 47 39 Arson Fires Identified Arson Cleared by Arrest Arson Cleared by Citation 13 14 15 19 10 6 6 8 4 6 FY25 Q1 0 FY24 Q1 20 10 FY24 Q2 40 30 FY24 Q3 60 50 FY24 Q4 70 W i l d f i r e U p d a t e s Outre a c h Efforts W i l d f i r e D i v i s i o n • Structure Ignition Zone Evaluations (SIZE) – increase in requests up to 120 in January • 35 public outreach events in the last six months • Expanding the scope of social media outreach • Council Members will begin receiving a monthly wildfire newsletter to share with their constituents, starting in February • Supporting HSEM as they reinvigorate the CERT programs in the area Situa tiona l Awa re ne s s Tool • Scope expanded beyond wildfire to include HazMat, flood, and rescue incidents • EMS and APD have provided input and data • Projected live date is June 1, 2025 Eva c ua tion Pla nning • Coordinating with HSEM to create an All-Hazards Evacuation Plan by June 1, 2025 • Planning groups include evacuation initiation planning, traffic control, Temporary Assembly Points, messaging, repopulation, animal control, etc. Ope ra tions • Battalion realignment implemented to place wildfire and other resources where they can be most effective 11 Information on fire danger ratings, outreach efforts, and other division efforts can be found at ATXWildfireHub.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 FY25 Q1: • Austin City Limits – 6 days of 75K attendance each day • COTA F1- 3 days with over 350K attendance • Austin FC- 3 games with 20k attendance each • Aerial Fireworks shows- 4 total, including New Years Eve • Outdoor Events/ Circuses- 12 total, including Viva La Vida, Trail of Lights, Electrify Expo, Texas Bookfest etc.. • UT Football – assisted UT Fire Marshall with Stand-by for 3 games • West Campus inspections and Firewatch – 13 Frat/Sorority events • Outdoor Concerts- 11 total @ Moody Amphitheater, Domain, etc.. • Tradeshow/Conventions- 68 total with estimated attendance of 200K total 12 Percentage of City of Austin fire system tracking for compliance and non-compliance 83 80 85 85 71 67 69 55 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. FY25 Q1: 85% Current systems in the Compliance Engine: 36,771 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 16 13 6 8 13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 Prior to The Compliance Engine After implementation of The Compliance Engine Q1 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 25 Q1: 319  Fire Safety Training – The Austin Fire Department provides vital “hands- on” fire extinguisher training and home fire safety awareness demonstrations. - FY 25 Q1: 295  Red Angels Program – The Austin Fire Department works in collaboration with Austin Community College’s nursing program, we provide “in-home” basic health wellness checks (blood pressure, glucose, temperature, heart rate) and conduct home hazard safety assessments. 14 - FY 25 Q1: 80 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 Average Years of Service: • Retirements: 28.86 Years • Resignations: 5.5 Years Current sworn vacancies: 57 Current civilian vacancies: 9 AFD Sworn Separations through November 17, 2024 38 37 4 2020 4 2021 44 11 2022 Resignation Retirement 29 6 2023 36 7 2024 (Through Dec. 28) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 15 C a d e t R e c r u i t i n g a n d H i r i n g P r o c e s s Candidate Interest Cards prior: 1,681 Applications for May 2024 Hiring Process: 1,398 Applicants Taking the Hiring Exam: 667 Group 1: Top 120 ranked applicants • Accepted Conditional Offers of Employment (COE): 113 - Inactive Candidates: 56 - Active Candidates: 57 (Withdrew, missed deadlines, did not meet standards, no-shows, deferrals) • Pre-Hire Assessments conducted from August to November 2024 (Medical, Psychological, CPAT, criminal background) • Successful candidates moved to Final Active List: 57 Group 2: Top 121-220 ranked applicants • Accepted Conditional Offers of Employment (COE): 84 - Inactive Candidates: 52 - Active Candidates: 32 • Pre-Hire Processes conducted from October to January 2025 • Successful candidates moved to Final Active List: 32 Group 3: Top 221-300 ranked applicants • Pre-Hire processing scheduled for March 2025 16 C a d e t C l a s s e s Recent Cadet Class Graduations: • Cadet Class 137 graduated on August 9 • Cadet Class 138 graduated on November 1 Scheduled Cadet Academies: • Cadet Class 139 (48 Cadets) - Started on January 13, 2025 - Graduation scheduled July 25, 2025 • • Cadet Class 140 (48 Cadets) - Scheduled for March 24, 2025 - Final offer letters sent January 13, 2025 Cadet Class 141 (Number of Cadets TBD based on vacancies) - Scheduled for August 2025 Photo from Cadet Class 139 family night on January 10 17 Photo from Cadet Class 138 Graduation on November 1 O t h e r R e c r u i t i n g O p p o r t u n i t i e s 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. • 21 signed-up for the Explorers program from Oct – Dec 2024 • 15 Austin Fire Explorers (four teams) competed in the San Antonio Explorer Fire Games competition in October. They won eight awards, including 1st and 2nd place in Bunker Drill, 1st and 2nd in Truck Company Operations, 1st in Team Crossfit Challenge, and best overall team. P a s s t h e T o r c h Participants (ages 18-35) engage in real fire service activities under guidance of experienced firefighters to get a glimpse into the cadet academy and a first-hand feel for a career in the fire service. • Graduated 30 Pass the Torch students in 2024 - 4 went on to be a part of the hiring process. O u r n e x t E x p l o r e r s c l a s s s t a r t s i n J a n u a r y a n d t h e n e x t P a s s t h e T o r c h i s s c h e d u l e d f o r M a r c h . 18 For more, visit JoinAFD.com. 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 19