COMI ML GOLD MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT RVIC CES PST STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FIRE PROTECTION 2012-2014 DRAFTV15 Vision * Mission * Values s Key Goals November; 2011 The Gold Mountain Community Services District (GMCSD) has done an excellent job with improving community fire protection since 2005. GMCSD is to be commended for outstanding efforts in fire prevention and vegetation management, working with the Plumas Fire Safe Council. These efforts, along with current planning to become recognized as part of the "FireWise Communities USA" program are very impressive and valuable. In addition, GMCSD underwent a complex and extended Portola Volunteer Fire Department, study to update the fire protection contract, considering August 2011 (not all firefighters pictured.) three possible fire departments. The contract with the City of Portola FD was renewed. Valuable improvements have also been made to the fire protection water system, with more coming over time. - An important current and future focus is to help improve the response and performance capabilities from local responders to emergencies at GMCSD. In addition to providing training for Portola FD, it is critical that the GMCSD engage with the Eastern Plumas Rural Fire Protection District (EPRFPD.) They are the closest fire Eastern Plumas Rural Fire Protection District, district, and have the closest fire station to GMCSD (half August 2011 (not all firefighters pictured.) the distance of the Portola station.) However, that station is currently ineffective. It is basically a garage containing old fire equipment, and there is only one volunteer firefighter living in the area. GMCSD needs to help improve the capabilities of EPRFPD Station #3, and to also help with recruiting new The Eastern Plumas Health Care District volunteer firefighters, including from the Gold Mountain plays a key role in EMS response in community. This is the single most important task partnership with local fire departments. facing GMCSD over the next three years. Successful The Plumas County Sheriff's Office plays a firefighting and emergency medical aid response is key role in emergency dispatch, evacuation, heavily dependent upon having a rapid, well trained law enforcement, and traffic control. The EPRFPD will not be able to make these California Highway Patrol may also play a response. GMCSD. key role in law enforcement, traffic control improvements without support from and evacuation during fires and accidents. 1 The History of Strategic Planning From a long history with military roots, strategic planning is focused on the "big picture. I The purpose is to identify results or outcomes, rather than products or outputs. Strategic planning is less concerned with how to achieve outcomes than with what those outcomes should be. Until the mid-1980s strategic planning remained mostly a private sector undertaking. The public sector, including the fire service, has more recently adopted strategic planning to improve results. The basic components of a strategic plan are a vision statement, a mission statement, a list of values, and key goals and objectives spread over a timeframe chosen by the group. Three to five year periods are common. Once completed, the plan is updated at least annually through a group process, and is used as the main guiding document for the organization. Gold Mountain Community Services District (GMCSD) Fire Protection Strategic Planning = A Work in Progress This strategic plan is designed to be a working document that is updated annually, rolling the timeframes forward by one year and recognizing accomplishments. It was developed with limited input to serve as a foundational document. Key stakeholders need to be involved in the next update of the plan. This should include not only GMCSD stakeholders, but also those from many related agencies and groups as well. CASTCER KURAL PLUMAS FIRE T PORTOLA FRE DEPT a A Portola Fire Department, South Side Eastern Plumas Rural Fire Protection District Station, serving GMCSD, 316 1st Ave. Station #3, 5585 Semaphore Road, Iron Horse Mike Callaghan of the Gold Mountain CSD shown providing response orientation training for Portola FD firefighters in September of 2011. 2 Gold Mountain Stakeholder Map Fire Protection, EMS November 2011 v1 FIRE DANGER - ALLIANCES HIGH TODAY! County Board of Supervisors Plumas County California Highway Patrol Sheriff's Office CUSTOMERS Homeowners CSD STAFF Visitors Guests General Manager LS Assistant KEY STAKEHOLPERS Plumas County Eastern Plumas Health Care Fire Safe Council GM CSD Plumas County City of Portola & FD Plumas County Fire Safe Council U.S. Forest Service GM HOA Fire Chiefs Association Eastern Plumas RFPD CAL FIRE Plumas County US Office of Emergency Services Plumas County Hazardous Materials Team Graeagle Fire Protection District Beckwourth Fire Protection District Plumas County Public Works PLUMAS COUNTY CALIFC ORNIA 01996-2009 THE GROVE Vr This is a "snapshot" of key stakeholders and alliances necessary for effective fire protection at Gold Mountain (GM). While some groups play a larger and more important role than others, all may be involved with decisions and action in fire prevention, or disaster preparedness, and/or during emergencies. In an ideal scenario, better planning decisions would have been made about fire protection at GM prior to development. That, Multiple agencies responded to a human-caused however, did not happen, and the wildfire at Gold Mountain in July of 2011, using the GMCSD is working to improve the mutual aid system. All went well, and damage was situation over time as funds allow. limited to a vehicle and vegetation. 3 CONTEXT MAP. - Gold Mountain Fire Protection November 2011 v1.0 L POLITICAL FACTORS TRENDS ) ECONOMIC Nationale fire TRENDS Plumes reductons eronomice in rederal eugN Poor County planning historioally CLIMATE grant Cimale = 1 asian Iaord Chiels re: GMCSD Economic Recession lundingt to FD's ET Fire cCouny Concerns about EPRFPD abilitièg Real Estate market very weak Goody work tos serve GMCSD Fire Safe by for to development Plumas raining Iacuded Nextt no Councly liguer Grand. Jury report 2010 on county SCS GM County and me fire protection Foreclosures & Reappraisals vecebion aeal ongoing National climate of "no new taxes", Iacrased of Portola & County cuts a fewer Cityo onbed lime EES Attack on new national many fire compbeuy with fire Ee weak requirement for sprinkler Taxn revenues decreasing needs, and L kep: all new mpr CR systems in constructign EPRHC financial woes . their for ERE Te TCNe much Voliuntper PAGAY OPIRN Fire less time aka ctpner time can be may spend for fire & EERES to s F evoiedi earingt Need to Ase CETPARAS lrainngd that SUcPORTN Corps CUSTOMER NEEDS Faster Reliabilily & consistency of emergency fire protection services response Cell coverage slowly Ettective Local Homeowner Disaster UNCERTAINTIES EBNSDNY 911 Fire Station (Iron preparedness FECORS improving, can speed calls When will Economy and help responders. Horse or GM) Cooperative efforts to recover? PSREC Fiber project coming in Improved water reduce costs WillE EPRFPD improve? 2012, 2013 - helps in many ways system at GM Improved FD training. such etc. asi in water shultleplan Wildires, lightning, Onlinet training opportunities for firefighters No new taxes Continuedgood vegetation Willf fire sprinkler GISr mapping abilities provide good Evacuation plan management requirement survive? planning tools Larger regional Efleçlivaf fire prevention fire drill 01996-2009 THE GROVE Vf Current Environmental "Context" used as 'food for thought' for this plan. This is a' "snapshot" of conditions related to local fire protection. Note: This context is based on numerous sources, including the National Volunteer Fire Council, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fire Protection Association, the California State Firefighters Association, and the Plumas News. - à Driving & Pumping Drill, hosted by Plumas Eastern Plumas Engine 9824 drafting water U.S. Forest Service crew, Beckwourth County Fire Chiefs and Graeagle FPD, at pumping drill, Graeagle, September 2011. Station, 9-11 Memorial, August 2011. September 2011. 4 Frm Servica Agency, Gold Mountain, Nakoma EPRFPD Station 3 Portola FD South Side Station Chosen response location 2.3 miles to Nakoma 4.5 miles to Nakoma for comparisons 4 minutes travel 8 minutes travel minimum Improving fire and EMS response times is one of the most important goals for GMCSD to accomplish over the long range. Today the response time from Portola FD is excessive, simply due to the nature of volunteer fire departments and the long travel distance. There is nothing that Portola FD can do about this. Improvement can only come from locating a facility with equipment and local trained firefighters closer to GMCSD. The most frugal and effective way to accomplish this is to use the existing Eastern Plumas Rural Fire Protection District station at Iron Horse and to help recruit more volunteers in the immediate area. 5 TIME VS. PRODUCTS of COMBUSTION FLASHOVER No one survives flashover FIRE GROWTH 30 ofs smokea alarms 25" off fire deaths occured UNRESTRICTED didn'twork in homes in homef fires in which - that had fires* smoke alarms sounded* Without fire sprinklers, odds of escaping decrease significantly SMOKE RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL FIREFIGHTERS OPEN ALARM SPRINKLER SPRINKLER HOSE NOZZLES ACTIVATES ACTIVATES ACTIVATES I- t FIRE GROWTH RESTRICTED FIRE GROWTH RESTRICTED DETECTION: REPORT DISPATCH RESPONSETOFIRE SETUP OF FIRE OF FIRE FIGHTINGFIRE TIME VARIES TIMEDIRECTIY MANAGEABLEBY FIRE DEPARTMENT 2 3 4 5 a 7 8 10 TIME (in minutes) Based upon national averages ACTIONS BEFORE FIRE Northern Illinois NORTH ANILLINOIS 1) TESTS SMOKE ALARMS Fire Sprinkler FIRINSPECTORS SSOCIATION U.S. Experience With Smoke Alarmsa and 2) CONDUCTFIRE Advisory Board Other Fire Alarms. NFPA. September 2001. ESCAPEL DRILLS ww.trugtalruswsar NOTE: See NFPAF FireProtection! Handbook - fort time andt temperaturei information. Graphic showing the impacts of a delayed response and fire attack. Likely fire attack by Portola FD forces is beyond 12 minutes, due in great part to the time required to travel to Gold Mountain. Pre Flashover PostFlashover Limited to one room May spread beyond one room Requires smaller attack lines Requires larger, more attack lines Search and Rescuei IS easier Compounds Search and Rescue lnitial assignment canhande Requires additional companies 6 Emergency Medical Services 80 60 d 40 % 20 Minutes 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 10 Time Varies Detection Report EMS Response Time of of Dispatch Turn Respond to Set up Collapse Alarm Units out Scene Time Indirectly Time Directly Manageable Manageable Cardiac. Arrest Survival A similar need for timely emergency response exists for emergency medical aid incidents. Neither Portola FD nor the Eastern Plumas Health Care ambulance can arrive and provide care at Gold Mountain within the roughly six minute window needed to improve chances of survival and recovery. This applies not only to heart attacks, but also to other serious trauma. Starting CPR or other trained care early is critical. This is why local Fire Departments nationwide are usually the first responders to start emergency medical care - they are the closest, and it would be too expensive to add staffed ambulances all over to achieve a quick response time. All firefighters in Plumas County are required to be trained to at least "First Responder/CPR/AED" level, and many are EMT-I certified. A few are EMT-III, "Paramedics". . The EPHC Ambulance is staffed by one Paramedic and one EMT-I, but ambulances are not trained or equipped for firefighting or rescue - such as extrication from a motor vehicle accident. 7 Gold Mountain Community Services District The Gold Mountain Community Services District is a governmental organization that provides water, sewer, and fire protection services to the community. Its Enabling Documents are the Calitornia Government Code. The five member volunteer Board of Directors is elected by registered voters within the Gold Mountain district. Gold Mountain is an environmentaly sensitive, gated, golf and recreational community of approximately 401 custom home sites spread over more than 1280 forested acres in Plumas County, California. Our Fire Protection Mission: What We Do "The mission of the Gold Mountain Fire Safe Committee is to support and encourage activities which reduce hazardous fire fuel loads in our community. In all cases we want to preserve the natural beauty of Gold Mountain while taking prudent steps to reduce the risk of devastating wildfire damage. The committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Gold Mountain Community Services District on needed infrastructure improvements and services related to structural fire safety, and reports to the Gold Mountain Homeowners Association making recommendations concerning the fire safe maintenance of the community's common areas. 1 Our Vision For Future Fire Protection: What We Aspire To "We provide good quality and timely fire protection and EMS services. 39 To achieve this vision, we will: Strive to be leaders who promote regional efforts through effective planning, communication, and implementation; Operate in a well organized manner and serve as a role model for other rural communities. Our Values: What We Believe In and How We Behave Positive Leadership: We strive to be effective leaders through helping making things better. We lead through example and engage to help solve problems. Fire Prevention: We make fire prevention and personal preparedness two of our top priorities. Cooperation: We value and encourage regional teamwork and cooperation in fire and EMS. Planning: We engage in regular planning to help assure safe and effective response and to shape the future of our services. Knowledgeable & Resourceful: We maintain awareness of the current best practices in rural fire protection and take advantage of the many resources available to us to help succeed. 8 Our Three-) Year Plan - The Headlines 2012 Goals Theme: Improving planning & training for our existing resources, system and fire contract. Educate property owners about this plan, update annually Start conversations with Eastern Plumas Rural Fire Protection District Continue with vegetation management and prevention programs Participate in CSFA/PCFCA Vol FF Recruiting Workshop in May, 2012 Help recruit some local volunteer firefighters Support PCFCA efforts to improve emergency water shuttle system Provide response and access training to system partners Continue with fire water system improvements Note: second and third year. goals are more general in nature and will become more specific as they roll forward in each planning cycle. 2013 Goals Theme: Increasing our engagement and working relationship with the Eastern Plumas Rural Fire Protection District Host regional mutual aid fire drill, with scenario of interface fire Conduct formal planning with EPRFPD to improve Station 3 Assist with regional volunteer firefighter recruiting and retention Assist with improving fire equipment, including seeking grants Continue regular fire training for responding agencies Continue prevention and water system improvements 2014 Goals Theme: Helping to improve fire facilities, equipment, recruiting, retention, and training for our fire partners. [TBD] Gold Mountain Accomplishments Fire Protection [Need more GM input here, photos] CSD Board evolution, HOA involvement Fire Safe Committee Homeowner inspections Common area fuel reduction program Public education Chipper program Hydrants and water system improvements Pump & rank on District vehicle & training Budget established Fire contract RFP's and renewal, update Add "How you can help" page? 10