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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Figure 88. Average Travel Time by 10-Acre Hexagons

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4-6 minutes

6-8 minutes

8-10 minutes

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While the overall travel performance within Nashua is near or below 4 minutes, there are areas of the city
that experience increased travel times. Areas north of the airport are difficult to reach directly due to the
location of Station 5, and areas along the western border experience longer travel times as well. The
commercial area between the Nashua Country Club and Circumferential Highway along the Merrimack River
is an area for future evaluation. This location, as well as most locations along the river, are prime locations
for additional development within the city. As commercial fires are generally more labor-intensive responses,
delayed travel times to this area may compound fire suppression efforts. Additionally, increased
development most often leads to increases in demands for services.

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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Response Time Performance

Response time is the amount of time from initial notification to the fire department until the first unit arrives
on-scene. While not specifically addressed by NFPA 1710, it is a combination of turnout and travel time
standards or 5 minutes, 4 seconds for the majority of responses and 5 minutes, 24 seconds for fire and special
operations calls.

Figure 89. Response Time, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire 06:30

OverPress [ity

EMS
Haz Cond
Alarms
Total [ey-8:¥/
00:00 a “02:00. “04:00 a “06:00 08:00

At under 7 minutes, response time performance within Nashua is strong. While improving turnout times will
also improve response performance, overall, Nashua Fire Rescue provides fast responses when compared to
other departments ESCI has evaluated. Finally, total response time is evaluated.

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Total Response Time Performance

The culmination of the Response Time Continuum is total response time. When citizens call for emergency
assistance, this metric represents what they experience as they place the call and wait for help to arrive. Total
response time is the amount of time that elapsed from when the call was initiated at the communications
center until the first emergency unit arrived on the scene. Like response time performance, NFPA 1710 does
not provide a standard for this metric; however, it is presented here for informational purposes at the goth
percentile.

As previously discussed, the initial receipt of the emergency call occurs atthe NHBECC and is then transferred
to Nashua. To provide a comparison, first the total response time of Nashua Fire Rescue resources is
displayed and then compared to the actual performance when the NHBECC component is included.

Figure go. Total Response Time (Nashua), goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire

OverPress

EMS

Haz Cond

Alarms

Total

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00

With an overall total response time of 7 minutes, 15 seconds, Nashua Fire Rescue’s ability to provide rapid
response to emergencies is extremely fast based on ESCI’s experience. However, this performance
represents only the components the City has direct control over. Since Nashua provides call boxes and direct
alert notifications from alarm panels to Nashua Fire Alarm, these figures are representative of responses
initiated using that system. Next, performance when calls are routed through the NHBECC is displayed.

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Figure 91. Total Response Time (Nashua + NH PSAP), goth Percentile, 2017-2019

itm 609:24

OverPress [iitew2:}

EMS (uz: &)

Haz Cond

Alarms

Total Pye

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00

When emergency calls pass through the NHBECC, 2 minutes, 30 seconds is added to the overall total
response time at the 90" percentile for the City of Nashua. Nashua Fire Rescue may consider working with
the NHBECC to determine if performance can be improved as well as educate its citizens regarding the
limitations of the current system.

Mutual Aid and Automatic Aid Systems

Few if any organizations possess all the resources needed to mitigate all possible types of incidents.
Additionally, when mutually beneficial agreements are possible, particularly when they occur at little cost to
the organizations, good governance suggests that these opportunities should be seized to provide higher
service levels to the communities involved. Two types of agreements are discussed in this section, mutual
and automatic aid agreements. In mutual aid agreements, two or more organizations agree that, when
requested, they will supply the other agency with the requested resources if available. For emergency
services, this typically occurs at the request of responding or on-scene personnel. The other type of
agreement, automatic aid, occurs, as the name implies, automatically. When an emergency call is received
by the dispatch center, all available resources are examined based on the appropriate unit type and their
proximity to the call, typically with the closest unit responding regardless of the jurisdiction in which the
incident occurred. The following figure presents the locations of Nashua Fire Rescue stations, as well as the
locations of automatic aid fire stations surrounding the municipal boundaries of Nashua.

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Figure 92. Mutual Aid Fire Stations

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Surrounding the City of Nashua, several fire departments are available to provide mutual aid if requested.
The City of Nashua belongs to two mutual aid organizations that have jurisdiction in this area: the Border
Area Community Group and the Souhegan Mutual Aid Association. For the majority of incidents, Nashua Fire
Rescue possesses sufficient staffing to mitigate the emergency. However, if requested, numerous resources
exist outside Nashua and could potentially provide additional assistance. Nashua should continue to
participate in the mutual aid system and conduct periodic training with its mutual aid partners to ensure a
continuity of operations while on the scene of emergency incidents.

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Section V. Future System Demand Projections

The City of Nashua reports that the following projects are various phases of the planning stages:

Figure 93. Nashua Economic Development

Bridge Street Waterfront
Development Project

Buck Meadow Road

Central Street

Credit Union on Broad Street

Crown Street Shelter

Daniel Webster Highway

Downtown Circulation Study

Dumaine Avenue
Exit 36 South

Fairgrounds Middle School

Flex Buildings on Innovative
Way
Groton Road

Groton Road
Innovative Way

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A mixed-use development with up to 700 units of housing situated
in a village concept. The project will include supporting

commercial and retail space.
Construction of a new middle school.

Demolition of existing 50-unit public housing project. Four new 4
story buildings to be constructed; approximately 260 units.
Building A: 90,840 square feet

Building B: 93,400 square feet

Building C: 39,837 square feet

Building D: 29,532 square feet

New construction; 10,000 square feet.

Renovation of a 25,000 square foot vacant Catholic School into a
homeless shelter.

Renovation of vacant retail building into a supermarket; 45,000
square feet.

The purpose of the study is to identify potential strategies to
improve roadway and intersection traffic flow and mobility within
Downtown Nashua, strengthen pedestrian and bicycle
connections with the core downtown area, and enhance
accessibility for residents and businesses.

30 units of new 2 story townhouses.

Progress continues to be made on the Exit 36 South Planning
Study to assess the effectiveness of a southbound off-ramp at Exit
36 on the F.E. Everett Turnpike, near the New Hampshire and
Massachusetts border. Once constructed, the project will help to
alleviate traffic bottlenecks in Nashua's south end, facilitate
growth on development sites, and help maximize multi-modal

transportation opportunities.
Renovation and addition.

Single story commercial buildings, new construction.
Building (1) 12,000 square feet

Building (2) 16,800 square feet

Building (3) 10,500 square feet

25-unit detached condo development.

]1-unit subdivision of single-family homes.
4-story self-storage building; 73,442 square feet.

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Master Plan

Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Lock Street
Nashua Downtown Riverfront
Development

Nashua Landing

New Hampshire Capitol
Corridor

Pennichuck Middle School

Performing Arts Center
Feasibility Study

Public Health Department on
Mulberry Street
Renaissance Nashua Phase 2

School Street Flats

Spring Street Shelter

Supermarket on Daniel
Webster Highway

Townhouses on Storage Drive

U-Haul Self-Storage on
Amherst Street

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18 New townhouse units.

The plan's broad recommendations include connected
walkways, landscaping, enhanced access to the waterfront and
the River itself, wayfinding amenities, historical and natural
resource protection, lighting, alternative parking solutions with
potential for new construction, and ensuring future maintenance
of improvements. This plan represents a vision for dramatically
improving the way our Downtown riverfront looks and feels, to
become a true asset for the community and a destination for the
region.

Multistory self-storage; 105,000 square feet.

Construction of new Costco store with fueling station; 150,000
square feet.

The New Hampshire Capitol Corridor project will evaluate a
diverse set of rail and bus options for improving connectivity in the
NH Capitol Corridor by leveraging existing transportation

infrastructure, including the Pan Am Railway, US Route 3, and I-93.
Renovation and large addition.

In the Fall of 2016, the Economic Development Division and a
special working group of Alderman and stakeholders in the arts
community began working with the arts consultant Webb
Management on the establishment of a new arts district as well as
the creation of a new 500-700 seat performing arts venue in
Downtown.

100% renovation to building; 15,500 square feet.

New construction of 3 five story apartment buildings:
Building A: 76,400 square feet
Building B: 51,715 square feet
Building C: 60,989 square feet

New construction of 7-Story apartment/mixed use building:
151,772 square feet.

Renovation of a 20,000 square foot vacant Catholic School into a
homeless shelter.

30,000 square feet, renovation of existing space.

New construction: 28 Units, 3 stories.
New construction 2-story climate-controlled storage building;
68,000 square feet.

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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

POPULATION PROJECTIONS

The population of the City of Nashua has remained consistent since the 2010 U.S. Census. During the last 10
years, census projections estimate that the city experienced a population increase of approximately 3,100
people or 3.6%. Based on U.S. Census population projections, proprietary demographic data from
Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), and information from the Nashua Regional Planning
Council, three estimates were developed for future population estimates. All models maintain annual
population growth below 0.5% per year with a population difference of 7,683 by 2040.

Figure 94. Nashua Population Projections, 2020-2040

100,000

98,878
98,000
96,000
96,198
94,000
92,000 92,876
90,000 91,195
88,000
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9 D> AN > oh 9 no Wl B® oA AD ad nb nm S nod A & A
SPP DM PM PIMP M PM oS oP DP oS
SPP PM Pe ho Pe GPP OG HF HH Hy

ease=eNRPC =—=Census = Esri

An important consideration to population is its relationship to service demand. Generally speaking, service
demand will be greater in areas of high population density than lower population density; however, the area's
demographics also play a large role in demand. For example, a newly constructed subdivision occupied by
young professionals and families would likely be much less dependent upon emergency medical services than
a neighborhood occupied primarily by retirees. Although the population densities may be equivalent, the
dependence upon emergency responders would differ.

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SERVICE DEMAND PROJECTIONS

The demand for services is central to the existence of a fire department. Often as the population rises or falls,
so does the demand for services. As discussed in the previous section, the population of Nashua has remained
relatively constant since 2010. Because of this, it can be anticipated that the demand for service should be
consistent year to year as well. As this level of increase is generally in line with the local estimates for
population change, a per capita rate using the high and low rates of incidents per year divided by population
for 2016 through 2019 was applied to forecast populations and projected out to the year 2040. The results
are shown in the following figure.

Figure 95. Nashua Per Capita Service Demand Projections, 2020-2040

15,000 14,714

14,500 14,206

14,000 13,715
13,549

13,500
13,081

13,000

12,500 12,343

12,000

11,500 =

11,000 ——$— + —— — ————
ao 68 % bh > nb A A Cy DS A
SPD MPM PMD GPM oS Pgh os DP 5
Fr eG eM eG” Pe > Peg fF ep Poe es -

=——7.79 per Capita = Avg/7.1perCapita = 6.54 per Capita

Based on this rate of increase, Nashua Fire Rescue could anticipate that annual service demand would remain
fairly constant through 2040. As with any forecast, local and external factors can dramatically impact
changes to both population and service demand. Changes in demographics, the median age of a population,
and other factors also influence the demand for services. New construction along the river front may also
impact the rate of change as homes and businesses are established in previously underdeveloped areas.

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Section VI. Recommended Future Delivery System Models

The project concludes with strategies that are intended to place Nashua Fire Rescue in a position to manage
the risk within the community successfully and to respond to the future demand for service effectively. ESCI
developed the following recommendations with the specific intent of identifying options that can deliver the
desired levels of service at the most efficient cost.

Within each of the five operational areas detailed in this report, ESCI offers both Short- and Mid-Term
Strategies, as well as Long-Term Strategies.

Short- and Mid-Term Strategies vary in complexity and financial impacts. While future drivers of service
demand are considered, these recommendations tend to be based on the current conditions of an
organization and strategic objectives obtainable in less than three years.

Long-Term Strategies are typically associated with timeframes over three years. Future drivers of increased
service demand are often critical components to be considered when identifying long-term strategies. These
recommendations vary in complexity and financial impacts.

SHORT AND MID-RANGE DEPLOYMENT OPTIONS

Management Components

1. ESCI recognizes that this report contains a multitude of recommendations that cannot all be
accomplished simultaneously. Nashua Fire Rescue should facilitate a Strategic Plan to consider and
prioritize the goals and objectives that are recommended within this Master Plan.

The strategic planning process would ideally result in a three-to-five-year work plan, intended to guide
the work effort of the entire organization toward a common set of goals and objectives. The process
should include representation from every major interest group in the organization. Each person in the
Department should feel that their interests are represented by someone in attendance on the planning
team.

2. Nashua Fire Rescue’s Rules and Regulations are reviewed and updated by a committee comprised of
uniformed members, administration, and the Board of Fire Commissioners on an “as-needed” basis.
All department policies are incorporated into Nashua Fire Rescue’s Rules and Regulations.

ESCI suggests that rather than leaving the policy review schedule open to interpretation of “as needed”,
that Nashua Fire Rescue set a review schedule that provides for every policy to be reviewed and updated
no less than every three years. This review should also include an annual gap analysis to identify the
need for new rules and regulations.

3. Nashua Fire Rescue would benefit from having a review of all rules and regulations conducted by an
independent third-party.

ESCI suggests that Nashua engage the services of an independent third party to the fire department's
rules and regulations to assure compliance with industry standards and best practices.

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