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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Nashua Hazard Mitigation Actions

20. Adopt the most current International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential
Code (IRC).

21. Promote the installation of air conditioners and heat pumps and opportunities to subsidize
the equipment and energy costs for low-income families.

22. Promote the installation of low-flow water saving showerheads and toilets and
opportunities to subsidize the equipment for low-income families.

23. Increase tree plantings around buildings to shade parking lots and along public rights-of-
way.

24. Encourage the installation of green roofs, which provide shade and remove heat from the
roof surface and surrounding air.

25. Work with insurance industry representatives to increase public awareness of the
importance of multi-hazard insurance and coverage limitations.

26. Install, repair and/or replace HVAC systems at public facilities, particularly at schools, the
library, fire stations, police department.

27. Install redundancies in municipal fiber and fire alarm network.

28. Incorporate hazard mitigation principles into all aspects of public-funded building.

29. Incorporate mitigation retrofits for public facilities into the annual capital improvements
program.

30. Incorporate a stand-alone element for hazard mitigation & resilience into the upcoming

master plan.

31. Add at least a 1-foot "freeboard" requirement (feet above base flood elevation) in the
flood damage ordinance to maintain Nashua's Class 8 CRS Rating in 2020.

32. Prepare and adopting a community-wide stormwater management master plan to
maintain compliance with the City's MS4 permit.

33. Implement an inspection, maintenance, and enforcement program to help ensure
continued structural integrity of municipal dams and the Merrimack River Right Bank — Flood
Damage Reduction System levee. Recommendations from the Army Corps of Engineers
inspection reports should be resolved to bring the levee to an “Acceptable” status.

34. Promote the Resilient Nashua Toolkit interactive website for educating the public on
hazard mitigation and preparedness measures.

35. Designated local floodplain manager and CRS coordinator achieve CFM certification.

36. Install, Uograde, or maintain back-up generators for pUMping and lift stations in sanitary
sewer systems along with other measures (e.g., alarms, meters, remote controls, and switchgear
Upgrades).

37. Raise utilities or other mechanical devices above expected flood levels, particularly in

areas likely to be redeveloped soon in the Millyard.

38. Wet floodproof basements residential and non-residential structures, which may be
preferable to attempting to keep water out completely because it allows for controlled flooding
to balance exterior and interior wall forces and discourages structural collapse, particularly in
areas likely to be redeveloped soon in the Millyard.

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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Nashua Hazard Mitigation Actions

39. Identify the best approach to prevent new development or to require flood-resilient site &
building design in developable parcels adjacent to the Merrimack River.

40. Develop a coordinated GIS Department. Find out who uses GIS, determine how it is used,
and identify other potential uses.

41. Obtain hazard data and using GIS to map risk for various hazards.

42. Develop and maintain a database to track community exposure to flood risk, particularly

smaller nuisance events, for future benefit-cost analysis use.

The City of Nashua is now working to integrate requirements of the Nashua Hazard Mitigation Plan into other
planning mechanisms. Additionally, the City’s Capital Improvement Plan includes many of the large-scale
City mitigation projects that were identified in the Hazard Mitigation Plan, and the Division of Public Health
and Community Services is working on incorporating public health mitigation strategies into its Community
Health Improvement Plan update cycle. The Resilient Nashua Initiative will be responsible for helping other
City departments to integrate the Hazard Mitigation Plan into its own planning mechanisms.

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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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OOD EXD e

fio-24 4 38"
MACHINE SCREW ANO

f-2e 2
MACHINE SCREW

HOODS aRE 10 BE CUT TO FIT LOCKER
wowT “@
4

ROWS, AND COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED WITH
0-24 x 3/8 TR, HO, ACHINE SCREWS
AND NUTS BEFORE PLAOQNG ON LOGHERS,

OPAL HOOD & END, AND
ATTACH wT OK 1/2" »
METAL SCREW

oxo CAP

CUT HOOD AS REQUIRED AT (1)
ENO OF EACH ROW. EITHER RIGHT aN
OR LEFT HAND END UAT BE CUT

—— KOOD £40
DETAIL AT
9 EXPOSED CUT END
Fee — TO ats a aa ms gent MULTIPLE HOODS
9 METAL SOREWS. OFMLL, ANC FIGURE 4
FASTEN HOOD ENDS ~~ ASSEMELY TO WALL NOTE:
oly al bail) Rens ALL HOODS ARE 60" LONG, THEY ARE
7 FIGURE 2 TO EXTEND OVER THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF
SECTION A~A THE ROWS, INCLUDING FRONT FILLERS,
PTEeaKaaria Gea none i HOOOS ARE NOT TO EXTEND INTO CORNERS.

AT CORNERS USE SLOPING TOP CORNER
FILLERS (END CAPS ARE NOT REQUIRED
WHERE CORNER FILLERS ARE LOCATED),

FIGURE 3 iL.

1. ATTACH/ANCHOR HOCD ENDS TO
THE LOCKER OR TO THE WALL
(SEE FIGURES 1. 3, 4. AND 8.)

2 ATTACH HOCD SUPPORTS TO HOODS ON
APPROXIMATE 30” CENTERS.
(SEE FIGURES 2, 8 AND 11.)

3. COMPLETELY ASSEMBLE AND CUT TO FIT
HOODS BEFORE ATTACHING TO LOCKERS.
(SEE FIGURES 2, 3 AND 4.)

1" %1 1/2" 16 GA SUPPORT ANCLE
FURNISHED IM 77" LENGTHS. ERECTOR 10
CUT SUPPORT ANGLES AS REQUNRED AND

FURMISH FITTINGS FOR ANCHORING TO WALLS. = 4. PLACE HOOO ASSEMBLY ON THE LOCKERS.
SE OCD SupRORTS (SEE FIGURES 5, 6, * 8, 9 AND ES
= TION ATTACH UNCUT END. (SEE FIGURE 2.

aase, Ser DRILL HOOD AND END. AND ATTACH THE

END CAP AT CUT END, (SEE FIGURE 4.)
USE A 5/16" SOCKET WITH SCREW GUN 70
ORIVE TEK SCREW THROUGH LOWER HOOD
FLANGE, OR DRILL A 9/64" DIAMETER

. PILOT HOLE AND USE SOCKET WRENCH OR
ae 6 SAF pene NUTDRIVER
SCREWS SCREWS
5. FIGURES 3, 6, AND 7, SHOW THREE
EXAMPLE SINGLE ROW LAYOUTS.
lV ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
SINGLE ROW SINGLE ROW FOR FIELO CUT
ROW
WITHOUT WALL ANGLE WITH WALL ANGLE SHOURE 10 pels alte
FIGURE 8 FIGURE 9

Ce See ee
Fo, Ore AURA, OT

Five
oma

INSTALLATION OF SLOPING HOODS tne 6221-CA

Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

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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