AGENDA #4

February 25, 2004

Chapel Hill Fire Department

Initial Budget Presentation to the Mayor and Council

2004-2005

I.          Mission Statement

The mission of the Chapel Hill Fire Department is to protect life, property and the community environment from the destructive effects of fire, disasters or other life hazards by providing public education, incident prevention and emergency response services.  Our priorities are:  (1) Safety; (2) Service; and (3) Morale.

II.        Brief Services Description

§ Fire Suppression

§ First Responder – Emergency Medical

§ Vehicle Extrication and Basic Rescue

§ Fire Code Enforcement through an Inspection Program

§ Disaster Management and Emergency Operations Center

§ Public Safety Education

§ Fire Cause and Determination Investigations

§ Initial Investigation of Environmental Hazards

§ Development of Homeland Security Preparedness Capabilities

§ Partner agency in the North Carolina Taskforce 8 Urban Search and Rescue Team

§ Partner agency with Orange County Safe Communities

III.       Departmental Revenue Estimates

REVENUE SOURCE	Actual 2002-2003 Revenues	2003-2004 Budgeted Revenues	Estimated 2003-2004 Revenues	Proposed Revenues For 2004-2005
State Fire Protection Fund	849,764	850,000	850,000	850,000
Local Fire Training Fee	200	-	143	-
Fire Districts	500	500	500	500
Fire Inspection Fees	4,880	3,000	3,000	3,000

IV.       Departmental Base Budget Cost Estimates

CATEGORY	2003-2004 Original Budget		Requested 2004-2005 Budget
Personnel		4,617,122		4,679,525
Operations		699,079		742,826
Capital Equipment		5,200		5,200
TOTAL		5,321,401		5,427,551

V.        Programs Going Well

• Urban Search and Rescue – Working closely with the fire departments of Raleigh, Cary and Durham, the Chapel Hill Fire Department continues to enhance our technical rescue experience and skills through course training in confined space, structural collapse, trench rescue and heavy extrication.  Team members participate in monthly regional training in preparation for State activation or local emergency needs.
• First Responder – Increased the survival rate of patients due to cardiac arrest from 5% to 25% due to the semi-automatic defibrillators carried on all fire trucks.  Program affords residents experiencing medical and traumatic emergencies trained firefighters on scene in less than four minutes in greater than 95% of the calls. Ensures rapid response of medical aid prior to Orange County Emergency Medical Services arrival.
• Public Education - Demand for public education services have become very popular and continue to increase over the past year.  Child Safety Seat Clinics and weekly checking stations provide the citizens of Chapel Hill and new parents an excellent training resource for car seat installation.  Public education program demands in the schools have also increased. We are still working with Risk Watch in schools on a limited basis and hope to continue to expand that program in the near future.  We are the host agency for the Orange County Chiefs’ Fire Safety Trailer that is housed at Fire Station #5, near Southern Village.
  
  

VI.       Programs That Could Be Improved

• Operational Staffing – despite recent increases, staffing levels are still below comparable size communities and communities with comparable hazards.
• Communications – the need for an interoperable and dependable-coverage voice two-way radio system remains a high priority for the Chapel Hill Fire Department and other Public Safety agencies in Orange County. 

VII.     Proposed Additions

• Addition of six (6) firefighters for the Emergency Operations Division operational staffing to increase response staffing and improve effectiveness on emergency scenes.  The staffing will also enhance safety of operations.

VIII.    Proposed Reductions or Changes

• Reclassification of the Assistant Chief of Logistics to an Administrative Captain and hire a part-time secretary to work the front desk to allow the Department’s Administrative Assistant more focused time to work on payroll, accounts payable and other assigned tasks.  This could be accomplished with no increase in salary funds.