2023
2023
STRATEGIC
PLAN
DEREK PARKER, FIRE CHIEF
www.cityofmerced.org
CONTACTS
@mercedfire
@mercedfiredept
@mercedfiredept
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 2
CONTENTS
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 3
4 City Manager
5 Strategic Planning Committee
7 Message from the Fire Chief
8 Leader’s Intent
9 Strategic Plan Goals
18 Final Findings
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 4
From the City Manager
It is an honor to lead the more than 500 employees of
the City of Merced. The Merced Fire Department
enjoys a rich history within the City, forming 150
years ago to serve this great community. We are
eager and excited to provide for the future direction
of the Merced Fire Department and look forward it its
continued success over the next 150 years.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Dietz
City Manager
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 5
Strategic Planning Committee
On April 14, 1873 community leaders gathered in Merced to discuss fire dangers after a deadly and destructive fire burned through Snelling. 150 years later, nearly to the minute, present day community leaders met April 14, 2023 at Merced City Hall. The goal of the Merced Fire Department was to create a strategic plan to bring Merced forward for the next 150 years. A total of 5 planning meetings were held and the topics were:
• EMS Service Delivery
• Fire Prevention
• Fire Department Deployment
• Budget
• Community Relations
The presentation of the Strategic Planning Committee’s work also occurs on a special day in Merced Fire Department history. November 3, 1873 was the first day that the Merced Fire Department’s El Capitan Hose Company 1 was placed into service. 150 years later, the findings and recommendations of the Strategic Planning Committee were released on behalf of the group as we look ahead to the next 150 years.
Thank you to all for your participation, insight, and dedication! Members of the Strategic Planning Committee representing the Fire Department are:
Derek Parker, Fire Chief
Tom England, Deputy Chief
Casey Wilson, Battalion
Chief
Jeremy Franklin, Battalion
Chief
Shawn Luce, Battalion Chief
Mickey Brunelli, Battalion
Chief
Manual Abeyta, Fire
Marshal
Dr. Tushar Patel, Medical
Director
Ryan Paskin, Captain
Tony Giotta, Captain
Brett Markarian, Captain
Matthew Alley, Engineer
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 6
Dewayne Young, Captain
Joel Verrinder, Engineer
Chad Englert, Captain and
Association President
Janet German,
Management Analyst
Courtney Bohanan, Lead
Dispatcher
Members of the Strategic Planning Committee representing the Community are:
Mary Camper, Realtor
Ernie Ochoa, Realtor
Dale Johns, CEO Mercy
Merced
Rigo DeAlba, Mercy Merced
Dr. Sima Asadi, Pediatrician
Steven Melander, Educator
Dr. Doug Williams, Educator
Doug Fluetsch, Insurance
Annisa Fragoso, Insurance
Alison Kostecky, Insurance
John Larson, Business
Community
Peg Larson, Business
Community
Rhonda Batson, NAACP
Jerome Rasberry, NAACP
Virginia Riley, NAACP
Hannah Niane, NAACP
Wanda Patrick, NAACP
Paul Thao, Lao Family
Gameelah Mohamad, Red
Cross
Chief Chou Her, UC Merced
Police
George Gongora, UC
Merced Police
Dr. Daniel Okoli, UC Merced
Luis Lara, CHP
Feliza Gray, Merced County
Chief Billy Alcorn, Fresno
Fire
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 7
Message from the Fire Chief
Each day of my career, my goal has been the same, be a
responsible public servant who abides by moral and
professional values doing the right thing for the right reason.
As the leader of the Merced Fire Department, my priority is the safety of our members and the public. We will prepare for the present and the future with purposeful planning to ensure superior outcomes.
Sincerely,
Derek Parker
Fire Chief
“
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 8
Leader’s Intent
The primary scope of work requested of the Fire
Chief by the City Manager was to create a plan, a
living document, for the fire department, city staff,
and community to refer to when making decisions
regarding to the direction of the fire department. It
was determined early on that the message of the
community shall be reflected in the decision-
making process of the fire department. To ensure
equitable representation the make-up of the
Strategic Planning Committee the membership
would have to reflect local educators, healthcare
providers, business leaders, realtors, public safety
partners, and community leaders. Two questions
needed to be answered:
Why is Merced experiencing
historically high call volume?
Are the operational inefficiencies that
could be identified both internal and
external?
In addition to answering these questions, the
committee was charged with hosting meetings at
each of the MFD fire stations to showcase the
facilities and equipment and to provide the
community with an open house opportunity.
An internal communications plan shall be
developed for MFD members to track the progress
of the Strategic Plan.
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 9
Strategic Plan Goals
Keep the citizens of
our city safe
Enhance community
safety through
prevention
Provide an effective
and efficient
response to all
emergencies
Fund a modern and well-
maintained Fire
Department for the city
Educated the community
and enhance the
relationship with the Fire
Department
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 10
Keep the citizens of our city
safe
Strengthen emergency medical
response and supporting healthcare
groups
Explore expanded EMS in the
community
Provide proactive community risk
reduction in the form of health
education and referral
Provide opportunities to serve in
non-fire suppression roles
Enhance community safety
through prevention
Establish a fiscally sustainable Fire
Prevention Bureau to support a fire-
safe community and smart future
development
Create an equitable Fire Inspection
program for businesses within the
City of Merced
Create growth within the Fire
Prevention Bureau to promote
efficiencies in service for the end-
user, the citizen
Provide an effective and
efficient response to all
emergencies
Provide funding and resources to
ensure that MFD station facilities
are adequate in size, response, and
distribution
Provide funding and resources to
ensure the Hawk Regional Training
Center can accomplish the MFD
mission while supporting Merced
College and Merced Unified High
School District Career and Technical
Education programs
Provide funding to improve daily
staffing to increase the effective fire
force and ensure well-being
Fund a modern and well-
maintained Fire
Department for the city
Ensure adequate funding to support
programs for firefighter safety,
training, and well-being
Recover all Fire Department
expenses, where appropriate
Reduce apparatus cost by projecting
future purchases
Educate the community
and enhance its
relationship with the Fire
Department
Increase community resilience for a
safer Merced
Provide continued Public Education
to the community
Provide transparent and detailed
information to the public at events
and through social media
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 12
Strengthen emergency medical response & supporting healthcare groups Explore expanded EMS in the community
Provide proactive community risk reduction in the scope of health education and referral
Provide opportunities to serve in non-fire suppression roles The Merced Fire Department has been
organized and serving the citizens of
Merced for over 150 years. Providing
service before self, leading the community
in times of need and distress, and forging
lasting relationships have been the mission
since the creation of the organization. This
mission comes at a price to the
membership mentally, emotionally, and
physically. As Merced grows over the next
150 years, the need for first response and
solidarity will be more evident than ever.
Effective EMS response in the community
is essential in today’s environment.
Providing Advanced Life Support (ALS)
capabilities through the fire department
engines, trucks and squads close a key link
in the AHA’s Links of Survival.
Being active and engaged in the well-being
of the citizenry with risk reduction, health
education, and referral by leveraging
partnerships with the healthcare
community will only make our community
safer and stronger.
The safety of our city, surrounding areas,
and the region is dependent on mutual aid.
By providing non-fire suppression EMT and
Paramedic roles the MFD will be poised to
support the region with ALS transport
throughout our busy system.
Keep the citizens of our city
safe
Figure 1. Teaching Hands-Only CPR
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 13
Establish a fiscally sustainable Fire Prevention Bureau to support a fire-safe community and smart future development
Create an equitable Fire Inspection program for businesses within the City of Merced
Create growth within the Fire Prevention Bureau to promote efficiencies in service for the end-user, the citizen
MFD has a rich fire prevention history and
our community has benefitted from that
foundation of safety. The city’s growth has
come with nuanced construction
complexity, population increases, and
unique hazards. In order to keep pace with
the increased demand, MFD must stand
prepared. Increasing staffing within the Fire
Prevention Bureau is necessary to ensure
the community remain fire safe.
Just as the number of business and
buildings within the City of Merced have
increased, so have the differences within
each of the occupancy types. To maintain
equitability the occupancy types must be
categorized by square footage.
To keep pace with the previously
mentioned increase in demand MFD must
increase
staffing
within the
Fire
Prevention
Bureau.
Increased
business
inspections in
the “B”
occupancy
are necessary
to ensure life
safety
inspections
are conducted citywide. Additional Fire
Prevention Officers will need to be added
to keep up with the demand of fire
prevention.
Enhance community safety
through prevention
Figure 2 MFD Fire Prevention efforts in the
1950’s
Provide funding and resources to ensure that MFD station facilities are adequate in size, response, and distribution
Provide funding and resources to ensure the Hawk Regional Training Center can accomplish the MFD mission while supporting Merced College and Merced Unified High School District Career and Technical Education programs
Provide funding to improve daily staffing to increase the effective fire force and ensure well-being
While community members may see and
hear MFD responding to requests for
service, it is the requests that go unnoticed
which require attention. MFD does not
respond to lower acuity medical incidents;
however, the ambulance contractor may
not be able to respond either due to call
volume increases. The community needs
support and MFD is prepared to support to
the community.
Training is needed to prepare our
workforce for the service they will provide.
MFD is active within the community and
establishing partnerships with schools. This
engagement allows us to recruit youth for
future jobs. MFD has made the
commitment to hire and retain local.
The utilization of the SAFER grant to
increase the effective fire force to
residential and commercial structure fires is
essential in the safety of the MFD response.
In addition to the increased safety of a 4-
person staffed apparatus, the safety to the
community with the addition of paramedic
level service is vital.
Provide an effective and efficient
response to all emergencies
Figure 3 E355 and E55 at Station 55
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 15
Ensure adequate funding to support programs for firefighter safety, training, and well-being
Recover all Fire Department expenses, where appropriate Reduce apparatus cost by projecting future purchases
Maintaining a well-funded public safety agency
can be challenging. The utilization of grant
funding to support programs within the
community is essential in a disadvantaged
community such as Merced. MFD should
regularly participate in the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to
Firefighters Grant (AFG) program as well as the
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response (SAFER) program. Additional smaller
grants are encouraged to be pursued creating
revenues for one-time projects are valuable and
fiscally responsible additions to the budget.
MFD
established
the Master Fee Schedule at the direction of city
council. In 2016 the Master Fee Schedule was
updated however no adjustment with relation
to the economy was added. A Consumer Price
Index (CPI), specifically for the San
Francisco/Oakland/Hayward area, is the
recommended CPI to be utilized for the Merced
area. Additionally, revenues should be
considered for EMS. Our medically fragile
community needs Basic Life Support,
Advanced Life Support, and Critical Care
transport capability. The establishment of an
EMS Fee Schedule is recommended by the SPC
for the future fiscal sustainability of the MFD.
Apparatus costs present a challenge for two
very specific reasons, high cost and very long
lead times for delivery. To combat these
challenges the recommendation is to establish
an apparatus replacement program and fund
the program annually. Also, the utilization of
lease-buy back programs with lending partners
should be considered to bridge the financial
gap.
Fund a modern and well-
maintained Fire Department
for the city
Figure 4 State Budget Allocation from
Senator Anna Caballero
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 16
Increase community resilience for a safer Merced
Provide continued Public Education to the community
Provide transparent and detailed information to the public at events and through social media
The public is the lifeblood of our “community.”
Our “community” is made up of members and
contributors who come from a diverse
background. While our mission is focused on
providing safety
and response, it
is essential to be
inclusive and
respectful of the
varied
backgrounds,
beliefs, and
experiences
which make up
our population.
MFD has a
strong social
media presence
and that allows
our community
to stay engaged in our
activities.
Our community is very willing to be involved,
and the 2023 Winter Storms demonstrated that
MFD could benefit from reactivating
Community Emergency Response Team
(CERT). Merced CERT shall be reestablished to
provide support during incidents and events.
MFD shall
continue their
strong
outreach and
education, in
support of and
in cooperation
with the
Merced
Firefighter’s
Association, to
uplift
organizations
with strong
community
ties. MFD has been noted to
be one of the most
influential organizations in the area and these
efforts should only become stronger.
Educate the community and
enhance its relationship with
the Fire Department
Figure 5 Firefighter's at a Girl Scout's Tea Luncheon
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 17
Merced Fire Department – Strategic Plan 2023 | 18
Final Findings
The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) was charged with hosting five planning events to discuss five topics and these would be at each of the five fire stations. The group came together to share both questions and opinions about service, leadership, operations, and provide direction on a regular basis. Early in the first meeting it was abundantly clear that the members were comfortable in asking questions to learn the needs of the community.
The SPC was taken aback at the apparatus and facilities. While many of the stations are in excellent condition, all facilities were in need of enhancements at some level. All apparatus are very well maintained, yet again, in need of enhancements or upgrades at some level.
However, the rate of deterioration is increasing as is the cost of supplies and services, so our strong recommendation to council is to act now.
The SPC is clearly aware of the threat to the community with regard to the lack of response within our EMS system. It is clearly the recommendation of the SPC to urge both the City of Merced and its city council to engage in the delivery of Advanced Life Support. EMS is vital to the safety of the community.
Finally, there are possible funding sources for these actions that must be consistently explored, applied for and prudently used. By implementing these recommendations the MFD will be set up for the next 150 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Merced.
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