Salinas Fire Department
Long-Range
Master Plan
Purpose and Approach
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The purpose of a Master Plan is to understand where the department is in relation to:
The risks the community faces today.
Anticipate community growth (and therefore risk growth).
Recommend steps to position SFD to address that growth in advance with appropriate resources and infrastructure.
In short, a Master Plan keeps the fire department from lagging behind community growth and development.
Process
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The Triton Team analyzed the data provided by the department as well as others to determine the current levels of response performance.
From this analysis, the team identified factors influencing risk and response performance and has identified opportunities for delivery system improvement.
Description of Community Served
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Resident population: Approximately 160,000+
Approximately 23 square miles
Full-service fire department
Six fire stations
92 career operations staff, and 14 support staff
Services Provided
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Traditional structural and wildland fire suppression
EMS Fire Response at the advanced level
Hazardous materials response
Low-angle rescue, Swift Water, and vehicle extrication
Life-safety programs (inspection, plan reviews)
Public education and prevention programs
SFD Service Area
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Population Density
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SFD Organizational Structure
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Administrative Staff
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Operations Staff FTEs
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Percentage of Incidents (2018-22)
Incident Type Description
Percent of Total
Fires
5.1%
Overpressure
< 1%
Rescue-Medical
62.9%
Hazardous Condition
2%
Service Call
7.7%
Good Intent
16%
False Alarm
5.2%
Disaster
< 1%
Special
< 1%
Other
< 1%
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Community Risk Assessment
Assembly Occupancies
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Multi-Family Occupancies
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Buildings Three or More Stories in Height
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Buildings Greater than 50,000 Square Feet
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Fire Flows Greater than 2,500 Gallons per Minute Occupancies 17 AP Triton, LLC
Earthquake Risks
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Wildfire Risks
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Service Delivery & Performance
Response Workload History (2018-22)
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Monthly Response Workload History (2018-22)
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Daily Response Workload History (2018-22)
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Hourly Response Workload History (2018-22)
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Response Unit Workload History (2018-22)
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Call Processing by Incident Type (2018-22)
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Turnout Time by Incident Type (2018-22)
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First Arrival Travel Time (2018-22)
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Concurrent Incident Percentage
Calls Concurrency
Percent
Single Incident
28%
2 Incidents
23%
3 Incidents
15%
4 Incidents
10%
5 Incidents
7%
6 Incidents
5%
7 or More Incidents
10%
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All Incident Demand Density
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Fire Incident Demand Density
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EMS Incident Demand Density
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Travel Time
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Support Programs
Communications & Dispatch
Life Safety Services & Public Education
Special Operations
Emergency Medical Services
Training & Continuing Medical Education
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Conclusions and Recommendations
Key Findings
The City’s budgeted revenues continue to be strained to keep pace with the inflation-fueled growth in expenditures.
The fire department has added a fourth position to its second ladder company as daily staffing levels allow.
Each station needs updating from a construction, ADA, and modernization standpoint.
The number of fires in Salinas is above the national average..
Incidents associated with the unhoused population accounted for 5.1% of responses between 2020–2022. 36 AP Triton, LLC
Key Findings continued …
The total response workload has increased by 29.8% over the past seven years.
The Unit Hour Utilization (UHU) is higher than in 2019. All stations exceeded 10%-unit hour utilization. “Unsheltered” persons account for much of this increase.
The City Council has allocated funding to purchase land for a new Fire Station 7, but the funding for construction, staffing, and equipment has not been identified.
The City Council has authorized “over hiring” for firefighters..
The only comprehensive medical exam is provided to personnel when they are hired. 37 AP Triton, LLC
Key Findings continued …
EMS workload increased by 40.3% over the last seven years.
EMS requests are 75.8% of all responses. This has increased since the 2019 report by nearly 7%.
Per Monterey County EMSA policy, American Medical Response (AMR) units can be reassigned or diverted to more acute level calls. When reassignment or diverted, SFD crews are left on the scene until another AMR ambulance becomes available. 56% of medical aids fall into two call types: Sick Person and Unknown Problem/Person Down.
Unhoused responses are a significant obligation of SFD. Research revealed that Natividad Hospital offers comprehensive mental health services with 24-hour care. 38 AP Triton, LLC
Key Findings continued …
According to the data, the volume of incident medical calls related to unhoused medical aids is just above 6%.
All stations have workout equipment located within the apparatus bay, with no physical separation between the apparatus and workout areas.
The Training Division lacks adequate administrative support.
The Fire Marshal has additional responsibilities not associated with fire code enforcement.
SFD is not meeting the state-mandated inspection schedule.
A defined schedule to inspect all commercial occupancies needs to be developed. 39 AP Triton, LLC
Key Findings continued …
Emergency Communications Department generally meets national call processing criteria in all classes except for fire responses.
SFD provides excellent service for new construction plan reviews and permitting.
Public outreach and prevention activities need to be expanded.
There is no coordinated community risk reduction program at SFD. 40 AP Triton, LLC
Short-Term Recommendations Highlights
Implement a Quick Response Unit for a 180-day trial period.
Implement annual medical examinations for firefighters.
Explore drafting a reasonable ambulance bid when the current contract ends.
Implement a First Responder Fee for medical incidents.
Develop a plan to build and staff Fire Station 7.
Add a Support Division Chief to reduce the Fire Marshal’s workload.
Identify all Commercial Properties and Target Hazards.
Develop a Strategic Plan.
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Mid-Term Recommendations Highlights
Increase EMS Training to meet National Registry Requirements.
Explore options with partner agencies to develop a response team for mental health, intoxication, and welfare checks.
Determine if alternative dispatching for Fire and Police should be considered.
Develop a robust Fire Investigation program.
Develop a Community Risk Reduction program.
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Long-Term Recommendation
Develop a Capital Improvement and Replacement Plan.
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Questions and Discussion
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