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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Section Ill. Evaluation of Fire Department Current Conditions

The Evaluation of Current Conditions provides a summary of agency composition, configuration, and services
provided by Nashua Fire Rescue. ESCI analyzed data provided by the administrative and management staff
of Nashua Fire Rescue. In addition, ESCI combined interviews with line personnel, supervisory and
administrative staff, elected/appointed officials, and allied governmental agencies with information
collected during ESCI’s fieldwork to develop the following overview.

The purpose of this section is two-fold. First, it verifies the accuracy of baseline information along with ESCI’s
understanding of Nashua Fire Rescue’s composition and operations. This section provides the foundation
from which ESCI developed the Master Plan. Secondly, the overview serves as a reference for the reader,
who may not be fully familiar with the details of Nashua Fire Rescue’s operations.

The following evaluation and analysis of data and other information is based primarily on the internal data
provided by Nashua Fire Rescue, the city’s demographic information, and other external resources. The
Current Conditions section compares the Department and its operations to industry best practices, National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) self-
assessment criteria, health and safety requirements, national mandates relative to emergency services, and
generally accepted best practices within the emergency services community.

INTERNAL CUSTOMER ASSESSMENT

ESCI solicited input from the members of Nashua Fire Rescue using a 20-question online survey. The survey
was open for participation from August 14 through September 4, 2020. Nashua Fire Rescue shared the
survey link with its firefighters and encouraged their participation. In addition to the online survey, ESCI
solicited input from members of Nashua Fire Rescue through a series of in-person meetings with on-duty
crews as well as union leadership. The feedback from the in-person sessions was entirely consistent with the
results of the survey. The following summarizes the results of the online internal survey.

Ninety-four members of Nashua Fire Rescue completed this survey, which is 54% of the Department’s 172
members. This survey can be considered to be representative of the majority of Nashua Firefighters. The
number of years of service of the members that participated in the survey was well-distributed: 19% of the
members had 20 or more years of service, 40% had between 10 and 20 years of service, 21% had between
six and 10 years of service, and 19% had less than 5 years of service.

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Figure 38. Survey Participant Years of Service

20+ years
hee

10-20 years

LO

6-10 years
21%

The ranks of the survey participants were representative of the makeup of Nashua Fire Rescue: 66% held the
rank of Firefighter, 22% were Lieutenants, 5% were Captains, 3% were Chief Officers, and 4% were Fire Alarm
Operators (Dispatchers).

Figure 39. Survey Participant Ranks

Chief Officer Fire Alarm
. 3% Operators
Caprain (Dispatchers)

4%

Lieutenant
22%

Firefighter
YW)

The internal survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of Nashua Fire Rescue personnel were very
consistent in their feelings. The survey results indicated that there exists within Nashua Fire Rescue a
significant morale problem. The majority—64% (60 people)—classified morale within the fire department as
“poor.” The second most common response was that morale was “average,” with 27% of the participants (25
people) selecting that answer. Only 10% of the survey participants (9 people) felt that morale within Nashua
Fire Rescue was “good.” Not a single survey participant felt that morale within Nashua Fire Rescue was
“excellent.”

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Figure 40. Internal Survey: Morale

Excellent_ __No Opinion
0% 0%

Average
27%

An analysis of the individual results of the 20-question internal survey presents a very clear picture of the
current state of Nashua Fire Rescue. The survey results, as well as the in-person interviews, both revealed
five common themes that stood out within Nashua Fire Rescue. These themes were:

Nashua Fire Rescue members are proud to be part of Nashua Fire Rescue.

Nashua Fire Rescue Members almost unanimously agree that the people that make up the
Department is the Department's biggest strength. Members repeatedly cited the “manpower” and
“aggressive firefighting” as specific examples of this strength.

Morale is a significant problem within Nashua Fire Rescue. Members overwhelmingly believe that
communication (or a lack thereof) is the biggest contributor to the Department's poor morale.

Members very directly stated a desire for consistent accountability within Nashua Fire Rescue. They
went so far as to request that chief officers hold the members accountable from the top-down while
the union holds the members accountable from the bottom-up. There were repeated concerns
voiced that not everyone was being held equally accountable.

Training was repeatedly identified as one of the biggest weaknesses within Nashua Fire Rescue.

It is worth noting that the issues of morale, communication, accountability, and training are deep-seated
issues that permeate the culture of Nashua Fire Rescue. In 2001, Municipal Resources, Inc. completed an
Organizational Assessment, which included a survey of Nashua Fire Rescue members that yielded very
similar results. Almost 20 years later, those issues still remain unresolved. The results of the survey are
included in Appendix A.

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FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

The financial health of Nashua Fire Rescue is critical to ensure that the department can continue to provide
fire services at an acceptable level to the community. To assist the department in determining how its
financial policies have impacted its financial stability, a data-driven model was developed to represent these
policies fairly and consistently. The models offer an overview of the current state of Nashua Fire Rescue.

In this section, background information provided by Nashua Fire Rescue and the City of Nashua is used to
describe the department's historical and current financial condition. This includes a multi-year historical
review of revenues and expenses. This analysis relies solely on the financial documentation provided by
Nashua Fire Rescue and the City of Nashua. Those sources provided include general fund budgets, revenues,
and fund balances for 2016-2020.

Historical Revenue

Nashua Fire Rescue is funded through the city’s General Fund. The primary source of funding is property
taxes, followed by motor vehicle revenues. The city’s unassigned general fund balance at the end of FY 2019
was $30.0 million, an increase of $900,000 from the prior fiscal year.

The city continues to grow, reinvent, and strengthen its economic health by being responsive to the ever-
changing market trends. Nashua remains an economic hub and jobs-generator for the region.

The city uses a multi-year model to plan for future budget periods. The city manages its capital budget
process over a six-year time horizon. It appears that Nashua Fire Rescue pays for equipment through a
mixture of cash and bonds based on needs.

The city has $115.1 million of authorized unissued debt. Standard and Poor’s Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings
affirmed their AAA rating and stable outlook on the City. All these things will benefit Nashua Fire Rescue as
cash requirements continue to rise.

The current General Fund Budget for the City of Nashua is approximately $270,000,000. The size of the
budget has shown stable growth from 2016-2020. Growing at an average rate of 2.52%, 2018 brought a spike
in growth that is shown in the following figure.

Figure 41. Nashua General Fund Budget Growth, FY 2017-2020

ee ee

1.25% 4.28% 3.53% 1.03%

From 2016 through 2020, the General Fund appropriation for Nashua Fire Rescue has also increased. The
annual appropriation has grown at an average annual rate of 2.97% per year. In 2018, there was a greater
increase in appropriations than average. This results in the bump in the following figure. It appears that
Nashua Fire Rescue has experienced consistent growth year to year in appropriations.

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Figure 42. Nashua Fire Rescue Fire Appropriation, FY 2016-2020

$25,000,000 10%
$24,500,000 9%
$24,000,000 8%
$23,500,000 7%
$23,000,000 6%
$22,500,000 oe
$22,000,000 3%
$21,500,000 2%
$21,000,000 1%
$20,500,000 + tr 0%

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

ma General Fund Fire Appropriation === Percentage Change
Percent of Total GF

Figure 43. Nashua Fire Rescue General Fund Budget Growth, FY 2017-2020

TE eae

2.55% 6.10% 2.93% 0.27%

General Fund Revenues for Nashua Fire Rescue have experienced significant volatility during the period
2016-2020. The amounts involved appear to be inconsequential to the overall operation of Nashua Fire
Rescue. However, volatility should be considered when planning.

Figure 44. Nashua Fire Rescue Fire Revenues, FY 2016-2020

$96,000 10.00%
$94,000 8.00%
$92,000 6.00%
$90,000 4.00%
$88,000 2.00%
$86,000

0.00%
$84,000

-2.00%
$82,000 00%
$80,000 -4.00%
$78,000 -6.00%
$76,000 -8.00%
$74,000 T t t t t T ™ 1 0.00%

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

mam fFireRevenues Percentage Change

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Historical Expense

For budgeting purposes, Nashua Fire Rescue is broken down into a single budgetary department. Within the
budget, expenses are broken down into nine categories: Salaries and Wages, Fringe Benefits, Professional
and Technical Services, Property Services, Other Services, Supplies and Materials, Other Expenses,
Equipment, and Budget Adjustments. Each of these unique categories represents several different expenses,
with Salaries and Wages being the largest and fastest-growing category. This is followed closely by Fringe
Benefits. It is common for personnel costs by the largest and fastest-growing expenses; it also requires the
most attention when budgeting.

From 2016-2020, Salaries and Wages make up, on average, approximately 64.6% of the total budget. Fringe
Benefits is next at approximately 31.75% of the total budget. Year to year, the categories tend to remain
consistent with little variation in total percentage. The following figure summarizes the budget by expense
classification.

Figure 45. Average Budget Amount by Category, 2016-2020

@51-Salaries and Wages
52-Fringe Benefits
m 53-Professional & Technical Services
m 54-Property Services
55-Other Services
= 61-Supplies and Materials
m@ 68-Other Expenses
§71-Equioment

@90-BUudget Adjustments

The following figure illustrates the growth across categories over time. Beginning in FY 2019, the City of
Nashua was negatively impacted by the decision of the State of New Hampshire to abandon its decades-long
commitment to providing support of 35% of the City’s retirement costs. The assumption could be made that
this is part of the reason for the growth that is shown in Figure 46.

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Figure 46. Nashua Fire Rescue Budget by Category, FY 2016-2020

$30,000,000
$25,000,000
$20,000,000
$15,000,000
$10,000,000
$5,000,000
S-
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
= 51-Salaries and Wages u 52-Fringe Benefits
53-Professional & Technical Services ™ 54-Property Services
55-Other Services 61-Supplies and Materials
m 68-Other Expenses § 71-Equipment

= 90-Budget Adjustments

Nashua Fire Rescue does use supplemental funding in addition to the General Fund. These supplements are
found in FEMA and State Grants. They also include some ongoing funds. The following figure illustrates the
ongoing impact of those revenues. The FEMA/State Grants vary greatly while the funds remain consistent.

Figure 47. Nashua Fire Rescue FEMA/State Grants, FY 2016-2020

$1,000,000 700%
$700,000 600%
$800,000 500%
$700,000 400%
$600,000

300%
$500,000

200%
$400,000

100%
$300,000 00%
$200,000 0%
$100,000 Oo -100%

$ ™ T T T T T T -200%
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

mmm FEMA/State Grants ==Percentage Change

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Itemized Grant Awards 2016 through 2020 are as follows.

Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Figure 48. Itemized List of Nashua Fire Rescue FEMA/State Grants, FY 2016-2020

ce cc

2016 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Rope Rescue Equipment
Grant Training
2016 SHSP - State of New Haz Mat Level B Suits
Hampshire Hazardous Assay Reader Meter
Materials
FEMA Pass-Through Grant
2017. + SHSP - State of New Leak Sealing Kit
Hampshire Hazardous Fan Lockout Kit
Materials Bonding Kit
FEMA Pass-Through Grant
2018 | Firehouse Subs Particulate Blocking Hoods
2018 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Rescue Truck
Grant
2019 | SHSP- State of New Hampshire [Leak Control Kits,
Hazardous Materials Drum Repair Kits

FEMA Pass-Through Grant

$86,000

$22,326

$15,293

$15,010
$650,000

$7,295.00

The following figure illustrates the Nashua Fire Rescue Recurring Fund Balances for 2016 through 2020.

Figure 49. Nashua Fire Rescue Recurring Fund Balances, FY 2016-2020

$160,000
$140,000
$120,000
$100,000
$80,000
$60,000
$40,000
$20,000
S-

2016 2017 2018 2019

mus Expendable Trust Fund
mum Special Revenue/Revolvong Funds

seececeee 2 per. Mov. Avg. (Expendable Trust Fund)

seseseses 2 per. Mov. Avg. (Special Revenue/Revolvong Funds)

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Current or Upcoming Areas of Interest

In 1993, Nashua voters passed a Budget Control Charter Amendment that limited budget growth to an
increase of no more than the average annual consumer price index (CPI-U) over the past 3 years. This could
severely limit the flexibility of the city to respond during an economic crisis. In 2019, the New Hampshire
Supreme Court upheld the decision by lower courts that the Amendment was unenforceable, making this no
longer a concern.

The City has an ordinance stating that its policy is to maintain a minimum unassigned general fund balance
of 10% of the fiscal year appropriations. This allows for additional reserves as well.

The City of Nashua continues to perform well in all audits and has been awarded the Certificate of
Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the
United States and Canada for its CAFR for the past 14 fiscal years.

MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS
Effective fire department management is a common challenge for fire service leaders. Today's fire
departments must address management complexities that include an effective organizational structure,
adequacy of response, maintenance of competencies, a qualified workforce, and financial sustainability for
the future. In the following report section, ESCI examined Nashua Fire Rescue’s current efforts to manage
the organization, and identified measures and best practices as the Department moves into the future.

The development of baseline management components in an organization enables it to move forward in an
organized and effective manner. In the absence of foundational management elements, the organization will
tend to operate in a random and generally ineffective manner.

NFPA 1201: Standard for Providing Fire and Emergency Services to the Public, addresses the need to have an
adopted master plan, an established organizational structure, established mutual aid systems, and a variety
of other managerial attributes in place to best serve the community effectively. Of specific focus are mission,
vision, and values statements that can be utilized as the department moves forward.

Mission, Vision, and Organizational Values

A mission statement is an explanation of the organization's reason for existence. The mission statement
supports the vision and communicates purpose and direction to employees, customers, and other
stakeholders. The mission statement should answer the questions “What is our organization's purpose?” and
“Why does our organization exist?” As illustrated below, Nashua Fire Rescue's Mission Statement answers
these questions.

Figure 50. Nashua Fire Rescue’s Mission Statement

To create a safe and vibrant community through risk reduction, preparedness,
and a proactive all hazards response plan.

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Avision statement establishes the ideal image that the organization wishes to achieve. The vision statement
should answer the questions “Where are we headed?” and “If we achieved all strategic goals, what would we
look like 10 years from now?” Nashua Fire Rescue’s Vision Statement answers these questions.

Figure 51. Nashua Fire Rescue’s Vision Statement

To be the premier emergency services provider in our region that is constantly striving for excellence
in service delivery through education, innovation, teamwork and collaboration.

We place extreme value on continually evaluating Nashua Fire Rescue’s policies, procedures, and
training guidelines in order to provide our customers and personnel with the safest environment
possible.

An organizational values statement includes the core principles that guide the organization and its culture.
In avalues-led organization, the values quide decision-making and establish a standard against which actions
can be assessed. The values statement should answer the questions “What values should guide the
operations of our organization?” and “What conduct should our employees uphold?” The Organizational
Values Statements listed below clearly identify the values that guide the operations of Nashua Fire Rescue
and are upheld by the Department’s members.

Figure 52. Nashua Fire Rescue’s Organizational Values

Our core values are driven by:

Accountability Personal, to each other and our community
Compassion We demonstrate kindness and empathy

Dedication We are committed to our organization and community
Ethics We will consistently strive to do the right thing
Honesty Truth and fairness in endeavors large and small
Integrity We adhere to sound moral principals

ESCI commends Nashua Fire Rescue for having established clear mission and vision statements as well as
relevant organizational values. Just as the operations of a fire and EMS department are dynamic, so are the
guiding principles for the organization. These components can change as the department and community
change.

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