HomeMy WebLinkAboutESD-016-12 Clarhwn REPORT
EMERGENCY AND FIRE SERVICES
Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Date: October 29, 2012 Resolution#: 610,4, - By-law#:
Report#: ESD-016-12 File#:
Subject: COST TO PREPARE A FIRE MASTER PLAN - IN-HOUSE
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee
recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report ESD-016-12 be received for information.
Submitted by: `' Reviewed by:
Gord Weir Franklin Wu,
Director of Emergency Chief Administrative Officer
Services/Fire Chief
GW/mb
CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379
REPORT NO.: ESD-016-12 PAGE 2
1.0 BACKGROUND
1.1 The Fire Master Plan study, approved through the 2012 budget process, is growth
related. In approving the Fire Master Plan study, Council requested department
staffing be looked at as one of their concerns.
1.2 The Fire Master Plan will provide a clear action plan to lead the Municipality of
Clarington in the identification of future needs, maintenance of existing facilities,
staffing levels, future fire stations, responses, as well as the review of suppression,
prevention, administration and training divisions.
1.3 Consultants'specializing in fire master planning must have knowledge and
experience in fire and emergency services master planning, marketing, program
development, facility development and utilization, demographics and future trending
analysis, technology applications and future trends, public consultation processes,
business planning, financial analysis, fire modeling, planning and growth
forecasting.
1.4 General Purpose and Administration Committee Resolution # GPA-491-12
instructed staff to report the cost to have Municipal staff complete a Fire Master
Plan study in house.
2.0 COMMENTS
2.1 The RFP process allows the municipality to select a highly experienced firm with
direct knowledge and experience related to the scope of work for developing a Fire
Master Plan. Administration staff within the fire department may have some
knowledge with respect to master fire planning, but it is not to the level or depth of
consultants that have made this their core service with dedicated software, staff and
other resources.
Consulting firms have the ability to invest in staying current regarding the fire
service industry and related standards, legislation and guidelines and in specialized
software and proprietary technology such as developing a risk evaluation model
that, in addition to being a core component in the risk model assessment also
provide a unique presentation tool for the community and Council.
Consultants have developed proprietary processes and approaches through
extensive project experience and using industry-related knowledge, which are
invaluable tools for determining fire protection needs based on community risk and
local circumstances; the key to developing the right plan for a municipality.
The specialized software and proprietary processes used are investments made to
remain a leader in the provision of these services; investments that are not cost-
effective for a municipality to make for a study conducted every five years.
REPORT NO.: ESD-016-12 PAGE 3
External evaluation can provide independent analyses of the core services of the
fire department thereby withstanding the scrutiny of internal stakeholders and the
community.
The consulting process provides the opportunity to complete a major priority for the
department through a defined scope of work and within a short time schedule.
Even if an appropriate team could be assembled, the required workload would
impact their current work priorities greatly.
Multidisciplinary consulting firms have staff trained and experienced in relevant
specialized areas such as: fire master planning, growth forecasting, planning,
engineering, traffic and transportation, infrastructure and municipal servicing,
buildings and facilities design and project management, all of which are relevant to
a fire master plan.
2.2 Dillon Consulting's proposed total time to complete the Fire Master Plan study is
478 hours. When equating this time against senior staff wages, the cost is
approximately $36,000 in wages alone. Software typically utilized to prepare a Fire
Master Plan costs $6,400, not including development cost. In many instances
several types of software are utilized. Annual software maintenance fees would
range in the area of$2,000. The cost for Municipal staff to prepare a Fire Master
Plan would be at least $44,400, much of which would be charged against the tax
levy as it would not qualify for Development Charges financing. It is important to
note that Administration staff does not have the full expertise nor the time or
resources to produce a master fire plan that would be as fulsome or in depth as one
completed by a consultant.
The Fire Master Plan study approved through the 2012 budget is a growth related
study funded through development charges at 90% and the tax levy at 10%. The
development charges portion of the funding cannot be reallocated to operating
budgets or any other non-growth related activity. It can only be used based on the
parameters of the development charges legislation and Clarington's development
charges background study.
The fee for Dillon Consulting to complete the Fire Master Plan Study is $71,226.91;
$64,104.22 (90%) in development charges and $7,122.69 (10%) funded through
the tax levy.
3.0 CONCURRENCE:
3.1 This report has been reviewed by Marie Marano, Director of Corporate Services and
Nancy Taylor, Director of Finance who concur with the recommendations.
REPORT NO.: ESD-016-12 PAGE 4
4.0 CONCLUSION
Staff would be challenged to develop a Fire Master Plan with the same level of
expertise a consulting firm such as Dillon Consulting can deliver. Dillon brings over
25 years experience completing fire master plans and related studies, including
more than 60 studies for fire service providers across Canada, with a strong focus
on Ontario municipalities. This specialized knowledge and focused team is typically
not available within the municipal organization.
Dillon Consulting has completed a number of fire studies in Durham Region, the
GTA and across Southern Ontario equipping their team with unique knowledge,
understanding of opportunities and experience regarding local peers, benchmarks
and industry best practices.
Dillon's Project Director has assisted Clarington's Emergency and Fire Services with
a number of technical assignments. This includes being retained by the Municipality
of Clarington as an expert witness for an OMB hearing regarding land development
and fire protection services and the completion of the previous fire master plans
such as the 2008 Master Fire Plan update.
CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN
The recommendations contained in this report conform to the general intent of the
following priorities of the Strategic Plan:
_ Promoting economic development
X Maintaining financial stability
Connecting Clarington
_ Promoting green initiatives
_ Investing in infrastructure
_ Showcasing our community
_ Not in conformity with Strategic Plan
Staff Contact: Gord Weir, Director of Emergency Services/Fire Chief
List of Interested Parties: None