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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Figure 55. Nashua Fire Rescue Total Emergency Response Staffing

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Position Title Number of Positions Worked/Week Work Schedule

Operational Staff Individuals considered full-time employees, primarily assigned to
(fulttime & part-time} provide emergency services at the operational level.
24 Hours Broken into
. Average 42 hours in 2 Shifts:
Deputy Chief 4 an 8-week cycle 10 on/14 on/
then 48 or 96 off
24 Hours Broken into
. _ Average 42 hours in 2 Shifts:
Shiff Management Technician 4 an B-week cycle 10 on/14 on/
then 48 or 96 off
24 Hours Broken into
Captain 7 Average 42 hours in 2 Shifts:
Pp an 8-week cycle 10 on/14 on/
then 48 or 96 off
24 Hours Broken into
. Average 42 hours in 2 Shifts:
Leutenant 9 an 8-week cycle 10 on/14 on/
then 48 or 96 off
24 Hours Broken into
ge Average 42 hours in 2 Shifts:
Firefighter 108 an 8-week cycle 10 on/14 on/
then 48 or 96 off

A baseline overview of the career staffing model, staffing levels, and relief factors provides an opportunity to
review and analyze the current staffing patterns, shifts, and options to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and
capabilities. The Deputy Chief, supported by a Shift Management Technician, provides general direction and
support for operations staff as well as command level assistance when needed at incidents with additional
alarms. Nashua Fire Rescue operates with an officer assigned to each company, one Captain assigned to each
station, and one Captain in charge of Hazardous Materials Operations who is assigned to Station 2 for a total
of seven captains. The Department does not use a promoted apparatus operator to serve as the individual
responsible for all aspects of maintaining and operating fire engines and aerial units.

Each Nashua Fire Rescue firefighter is expected to be able to operate the fire apparatus. ESCI suggests that
Nashua Fire Rescue consider creating a promotional position for Driver. In 2017 alone, more than 15,000 fire
department vehicles were involved in collisions nationwide, resulting in 4,555 firefighter injuries occurring
while responding to or returning from an incident.?? Considering the risk involved in operating emergency
vehicles, it would be prudent for Nashua Fire Rescue to establish promoted Driver positions that require
additional and ongoing safe driver training.

23 NFPA Journal, U.S. Firefighter Injuries 2017, Nov-Dec 2018.

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Considerable ongoing local, regional, and national discussion and debate draws a strong focus and attention
to the matter of firefighter staffing. Frequently, this discussion is set in the context of firefighter safety. The
jurisdiction may choose to establish response demand zones and use the criteria outlined in NFPA standards.
As detailed in the Historical System Performance section of this report, NFPA 1710, 2020 edition, specifies the
number of firefighters assigned to an engine company to be “minimum of four on-duty members personnel
per engine company.”**

ESCI notes that the more critical issue is the number of firefighters assembled at the scene of an incident in
conjunction with the scope and magnitude of the job tasks expected of them, regardless of the type or
number of vehicles upon which they arrive. NFPA 1710 recommends that the number of on-duty fire
suppression members shall be sufficient to perform the necessary firefighting operations given the expected
firefighting conditions.” The standard further recommends that the numbers shall be determined through
task analyses that take the following factors into consideration.

Figure 56. Staffing Factors”®

Staffing Factors

Life hazard to the populace protected.

Provisions of safe and effective firefighting performance conditions for the firefighters.
Potential property loss.

Nature, configuration, hazards, and internal protection of the properties involved.

Types of fireground tactics and evolutions employed as standard procedure, type of
apparatus used, and results expected to be obtained at the fire scene.

Staff Scheduling Methodology

The total number of positions required becomes a policy decision based on the needs of the jurisdiction. The
jurisdiction also establishes the number of employees needed above the minimum to allow for vacancies due
to vacation, sick, and other types of leave. This staff requirement above the minimum yields a total number
of full-time employees required to ensure necessary daily minimum staffing is achieved according to policy.
Minimum staffing for Nashua Fire Rescue is four firefighters per engine company or ladder company.

Nashua Fire Rescue uses a four-platoon (shift) system that uses rotations of one 10-hour day that is
immediately followed by one 14-hour night, and then either 48 or 96 hours off. This rotation yields a 42-hour
average workweek over an eight-week cycle for shift operations. Each shift is led by a Deputy Chief (4 total)
who serves as the senior officer on the shift. These Deputy Chiefs answer directly to the Assistant Chief, who
is on a weekly 40-hour schedule and occasionally assumes an operational role as needed. These individuals
are responsible for all aspects of the shift operations and serve as the Fire Chief's representative at significant
incidents.

24 NFPA 1710 2020 ed.: 5.2.3.1.1.
25 NFPA 1710 2020 ed.: 5.2.2*.
26 NFPA 1710 2020 ed.: 5.2.2.1.

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The staffing methodology used by Nashua Fire Rescue is very common across the United States for
firefighters working a 10-hour day/14-hour night schedule.

A common industry practice to achieve optimal staffing and efficiency is to determine the appropriate
minimum staffing factor and then the relief factor based on the needed coverage for sick, vacation, and other
unplanned leave.

Minimum Staffing Factor Determination

The starting point for the analysis was to determine the minimum number of personnel needed to fill the
minimum 38 daily staffing positions for fire operations and avoid overtime for unscheduled hours.

Minimum Staffing
= 365 days per year x 24 hours per day = 8,760 hours per year per position.
= 8,760 hours per year x 38 minimum positions daily = 332,880 hours per year that must be staffed for
24/7 coverage.
=" 42-hour workweek equals 2,184 scheduled hours per position annually: 332,880/2,184 = 152.4 FTE
positions for minimum staffing.
= Nashua Fire Rescue currently has 152 FTEs budgeted for operations staffing.

Relief Factor

The next staffing factor to be analyzed is the “relief factor,” or the amount of additional FTE positions needed
to reasonably cover “off time” including, leave, training, vacancies, etc. The following is an industry-accepted
methodology used to determine a relief factor to cover paid leave, training time off, and vacancies
adequately for 24-hour fire and EMS department shifts. Determining the relief factor is outlined in the
following:

= The average of Nashua Fire Rescue FY 2017-19 firefighter paid leave, time off for training, unscheduled
time off, and position vacancies is 54,720 hours annually.

= 54,720 hours divided by the scheduled 2,184 hours per position annually = 25.1 FTEs of annual coverage
required for time off.

= When the total average time off per FTE (360) is subtracted from the total annual hours per FTE (2,184)
the result is an average of 1,824 hours per year actually worked.

= By dividing total annual hours scheduled (2,184) by hours actually worked (1,824), a relief factor of 1.2%
is achieved.

= This results in a total of 176 operational FTEs or 44 FTEs per shift using the 1.2% relief factor.

In some fire and EMS departments, the need to apply the relief factor to a specific rank or classification is
needed based on staffing criteria or these instances. The above exercise considers the entire operations
staffing group and does not distinguish between officer and line staffing or the use of operations staff in other
areas. In these cases, the relief factor may be more or less than the overall number identified here. This
becomes a policy decision and is usually based on specific staffing needs or criteria of the specific rank or
classification in question.

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Deployment Methods and Staffing Performance for Incidents
NFPA 1710 addresses apparatus staffing, response time, and the effective firefighting force (also referred to

as the effective response force), which is the minimum number of firefighters to carry out essential fireground
tasks.

Fire Responses

The number and types of tasks needing simultaneous action dictate the minimum number of firefighters
required to combat different types of fires. In the absence of adequate personnel to perform concurrent
action, the commanding officer must prioritize the tasks and complete some in chronological order, rather
than concurrently. These tasks include:

= Command = Water supply

= Scene safety «= Pump operation

» Search and rescue = Ventilation

= Fire attack » Back-up/rapid intervention

The following figure describes initial full alarm assignments for a residential structure fire, open-air shopping
center fire, and an apartment fire. All three of these types of occupancies are common throughout Nashua.
These are generalizations representative of different types of structures and risks. Each department may
handle these types of fires with fewer or more personnel; however, this describes the work functions that
must take place for the handling of a fire.

When a fire escalates beyond what can be handled by the initial assignment, the fire has unusual
characteristics such as a wind-driven fire, or has been accelerated with a highly flammable compound,
additional personnel will be needed. There are also types of scenarios that may not be fires, but mass casualty
incidents, explosions, tornadoes, etc., that may require additional staffing. It is difficult or impossible to staff
for these worse case incidents. These require a strong mutual aid or automatic aid plan for assistance.

NFPA 1710 states that in response zones with high numbers of incidents, geographical restrictions,
geographical isolations, or urban areas the engine and truck staffing should be increased to five, while in
response zones with tactical hazards, high-hazard occupancies, or dense urban areas, the staffing should be
increased to six. The standard defines the term geographical isolation as areas where over 80% of the
response area is outside of a 10-minute response of the next closest fire suppression unit, and geographical
restriction as being where there are predictable response delays.

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Figure 57. NFPA 1710 Initial Full Alarm Assignments

2,000 SF Residential Structure Open-Air Shopping Center 1,200 SF Apartment
at (13,000 SF to 196,000 SF) (3-story garden apartment)

Incident Commander Incident Commander Incident Commander

Water Supply Operator Water Supply Operators Water Supply Operators

2 Application Hose Lines 3 Application Hose Lines 3 Application Hose Lines

1 Support Member per line 1 Support Member per line 1 Support Member per line

Victim Search and Rescue Team Victim Search and Rescue Team Victim Search and Rescue Team

Ground Ladder Deployment Ground Ladder Deployment Ground Ladder Deployment

Aerial Device Operator Aerial Device Operator Aerial Device Operator

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Boo BIR LWIA NY ND

Rapid Intervention Crew Rapid Intervention Crew Rapid Intervention Crew

EMS Care Crew EMS Care Crew

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The minimum response to the benchmark structures is 17 firefighters for a residential structure, 28 for an
open-air shopping center, and 28 for an apartment. The previous standard was 15 firefighters for residential
structures. The two additional positions required in the 2020 standard result from an increase in the
recommended size of the rapid intervention crew (RIC). As previously noted, both NFPA 1500 and OSHA 29
CFR 1910.134(g)(4) require a minimum of a team with at least two members located outside an immediately

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dangerous to life and health (IDLH) atmosphere to monitor and provide emergency rescue for responders
until a more formalized rapid intervention crew is created; this is generally referred to as “two-in/two-out.”
The four-person RIC outlined in the revised standard must consist of an officer and three firefighters.

The following is Nashua Fire Rescue’s initial assignment for a Reported Working Structure Fire (residential or
commercial). Nashua deploys 18 firefighters, thus exceeding the NFPA 1710 Standard of 17 firefighters by
one firefighter

Figure 58. Nashua Initial Assignment First Alarm - Reported Working Fire

Apparatus Firefighters

Two Engines 8
One Aerial 4
One Deputy Chief with SMT 2
One Engine (RIT) 4

Total 18

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Nashua Fire Rescue does not differentiate the initial alarm assignment by occupancy. As such, a fire in a strip
mall or garden apartment, both of which NFPA 1710 recommends 28 firefighters on an initial full alarm
assignment, will each have 18 firefighters initially dispatched. It would be up to the Incident Commander to
request a “Working Fire” assignment which would increase the response from 18 to 26 firefighters. A second
alarm assignment would send an additional engine and ladder truck and a total of 8 additional firefighters.
The second alarm assignment would put a total of 34 firefighters on-scene for a fire in a strip mall or garden
apartment, which exceeds the 28 firefighters specified by NFPA 1710. ESCI suggests that Nashua Fire Rescue
should modify its current alarm assignments to satisfy critical staffing functions for fires in occupancies such
as strip malls and garden apartments by ensuring that the initial full alarm assignment deploys at least 28
firefighters.

Emergency Medical Services Responses

Nashua’s standard response for an EMS response is to send either an engine or a ladder truck with a crew of
four firefighters as “first responders.” This crew is tasked with providing patient care on the scene in advance
of an ambulance's arrival. At a minimum, all Nashua firefighters have basic first aid and Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation (CPR) training. All Nashua firefighters hired after 1999 are required to maintain Emergency
Medical Technician Certification. A number of firefighters hold advanced certifications such as paramedic.

Special Operations Responses
The Nashua Fire Rescue Hazmat Team is broken into two groups: primary (A Team) and backup (B Team)
member. The A Team Members are all stationed at Station 2.

When the team is in quarters, the A Team will respond to a hazardous materials incident with Engine 2, and
Special Hazards 1. The decontamination trailer will only respond if needed. In the event that the A Team
members are previously committed to another call, the B Team members will respond to the Station and
then respond to the incident with Special Hazards 1 and another engine company in place of Engine 2.

The Dive Team is a part of the Emergency Services Division. A cooperative effort with the Nashua Police
Department, the Nashua Fire Rescue Dive Team's primary role is to rescue and work in a support capacity
with the Police Department for recovery situations. Nashua’s Dive Team members are not assigned to one
specific fire station. For dive calls, the diver in the first due area will respond to the scene and begin size-up
operations. The remaining on-duty divers will respond from their assigned stations to Station 2, where they
will then respond with the Dive Truck, Marine 1, two boats, and an air supply.

Nashua Fire Rescue uses a Dive/HazMat Report (DHMT) to determine response for out-of-town specialty
team responses. This plan is distributed to the on-duty shift, Fire Alarm Division, and Fire Training and Safety
Division and specifies which on duty members are to respond on what apparatus and what functions they are
assigned to perform.

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Fire Marshal Division

Fire prevention is the most vital non-emergency function the fire service provides. National best practices
suggest that prevention programs include the five E’s of emergency response, education, engineering,
enforcement, and economic incentive. In addition, fire prevention offices should meet the requirements of
NFPA 1730: Standard on Organization and Deployment of Fire Prevention Inspection and Code Enforcement,
Plan Review, Investigation, and Public Education Operations. Under the New Hampshire Revised Statutes
Annotated (RSA) 154:2 and New Hampshire Administrative Rule SAF-C 6000, the Fire Chief is responsible for
the administration and enforcement of the New Hampshire State Fire Code. The Fire Chief then delegates
that authority through the adoption of NFPA 1, Uniform Code, 2015 edition.

Fire investigations are also the responsibility of the Fire Chief under New Hampshire RSA 154:7 and are
delegated to others under New Hampshire RSA 154-7 a Il. All of the aforementioned functions are vital
components of a model community risk reduction program.

The duties of Nashua Fire Rescue’s Fire Marshal's Office are shared among a full-time Administrator, a Fire
Marshal, and two Fire Inspectors/Investigators. The Department previously had a Public Educator position;
however, the funding mechanism was removed in the 2006 fiscal year budget.

The Fire Marshal's Office operates out of the Lake Street Community Fire Station. Staff members work four
10-hour days. The office is staffed Monday through Friday from 0700 to 1700. At the time of this report, there
was no on-call coverage after normal business hours. Availability of staff after hours for enforcement,
questions, and fire investigations was reported to be about 50% of the time. When staff is not available,
complaints, code enforcement, and investigations are generally followed up the following business day. Staff
within the Fire Marshal’s Office reported that the current operational model is challenged by coverage gaps,
a lack of ability to perform inspections, staffing, workload, and funding.

The present staffing level does not allow for regular inspections to be completed at all target hazard
occupancies such as apartment complexes and multi-family dwellings. These occupancies are often only
inspected when a complaint is generated by a tenant, landlord, or the building official.

The office recently switched from IMC software management system over to Alpine Red MNX. Staff report
the new system to be more user friendly, thus allowing for improved data management and statistical
analysis.

Just prior to ESCI's site visit, the Fire Marshal’s Office had made a transition to placing the majority of the
permits issued by the office online. This has helped streamline the process for both office staff and
contractors and has been met with very positive feedback from both.

During 2019, the Fire Marshal’s Office conducted 3,170 inspectional/investigative activities. This equates to
the Fire Marshal and the two Inspector / Investigators conducting an average of 1,056 activities each during
the calendar year.

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Qualifications

Qualifications for the Fire Marshal’s Office are as follows: NFPA 1730: Standard on Organization and
Deployment of Fire Prevention Inspection and Code Enforcement, Plan Review, Investigation, and Public
Education Operations requires that personnel assigned to the Fire Marshal’s Office meet the minimum
requirements of NFPA 1031: Professional Qualifications for Fire Inspector and Plans Examiner, NFPA 1035:
Standard on Fire and Life Safety Educator, Public Information Officer, and NFPA 1033: Standard for Professional
Qualifications for Fire Investigator.

Currently, the Nashua Fire Marshal’s Office has three full-time personnel assigned to these functions. All
three personnel meet only certain portions of these qualifications. Under the collective bargaining
agreement that was in place at the time of ESCI’s site visit, members are permitted to take the test for a
position in the Fire Marshal’s Office; however, they do not need to be certified in any areas of fire
prevention/investigation. In addition, all three current members of the office are eligible to retire. This puts
the office in a very precarious position and has the potential to affect the continuity of operations. Fire
prevention and investigation are very specialized areas of the fire service, and it takes years to learn these
positions.

ESCI notes that the recently approved contract for the period of time July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2023,
requires Fire Marshal’s Office candidates to have Inspector 1 and Investigator Certifications in order to be
eligible to test for the position. Eligibility will be determined as of the date the vacancy occurs.

Fire Code Enforcement

The Fire Chief is the Authority Having Jurisdiction under New Hampshire Administrative Rule Saf-C 6000. His
powers are then granted to his designees through the adoption of NFPA 1. The Nashua Fire Marshal’s Office
also works with the City of Nashua Building Safety Department. This department enforces the City’s housing
code, which is the New Hampshire State Building Code. The Building Safety Department is staffed with four
full-time Inspectors and one Plans Examiner. The Building Department is also responsible for all gas piping
and mechanical inspections as required under the New Hampshire State Fire Code in addition to the
inspections required under the New Hampshire State Building Code. Both offices meet weekly to ensure
continuity of operations and proper enforcement.

Plan Reviews

Plan reviews are required for all fire protection systems and new construction as required by the New
Hampshire State Fire Code. Conversely, the Building Safety Department is under the authority of the New
Hampshire State Building Code. In 2019, there were 1,208 plan reviews and/or permits issued within the Fire
Marshal's Office. Currently, the Fire Marshal completes all of the plan reviews.

Nashua Fire Rescue should consider the addition of a civilian plans reviewer to the Fire Marshal’s Office. A
civilian plans reviewer position could bring stability to the Fire Marshal’s Office because that position would
not be expected to promote out of the office. This position could be an economical way redistribute the Fire
Marshal’s workload, thus allowing for the completion of regular inspections of all target hazards in the City.

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Inspections

The Nashua Fire Marshal’s Office conducted 3,170 plan reviews/permits, inspections, complaints, and
investigational activities during 2019. It should be noted that 1,685 of these activities are required to be
inspected/issued under specific New Hampshire statutes as they are places of assembly and schools.

The current inspection program includes regular inspections of places of assembly, schools, hospitals, and
nursing homes. In addition, the Office works very closely with the Building Safety Department to ensure all
complaints on vacant and blighted buildings are addressed. The Building Safety Department handles all
mechanical and gas piping inspections for the City even though the authority to enforce the specific codes
and standards is granted to the Fire Chief under New Hampshire RSA 154:2 II (a).

Fire Investigations

Under New Hampshire 154:7 a, all fires in the State of New Hampshire are required to have an Origin and
Cause Investigation performed. Furthermore, if the fire is determined to be of a suspicious or incendiary
nature, the investigation will involve members of the police department. The Nashua Fire Marshal's Office
handles fire investigations with prosecution handled by the Nashua Police Department. The Nashua Fire
Marshal's Office can also request assistance from the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.

ESCI’s review of statistical data related to the number of structure fires during the last five years revealed no
adverse trends in fire loss for the City.

Public Education

Public education is an essential function performed by the fire service and is a vital part of any agency's
community risk reduction program. The Public Educator position was eliminated in the 2006 budget and
currently, Nashua Fire Rescue does not have an established fire prevention or community risk reduction
program in place. In addition, Nashua had a strong regional Juvenile Fire Setter program; however, it was
disbanded many years ago. NFPA 1730 and the Vision 20/20 National Strategies for Fire Loss Prevention
program are the current best practices in regards to this area of fire prevention.

Training & Safety Division

Training programs are critical to ensuring that agencies are able to provide a number of competent and
cutting-edge emergency response services to the community. Nashua Fire Rescue currently provides the
following emergency response services:

« Firefighting

« Emergency Medical Services

« — Regional Hazardous Materials Response
«= Dive Team Response

= Confined Space Rescue

= Trench Rescue

» Automobile Extrication

« High and Low Angle Rescue

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Workspace Products

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES
LYON WORKSPACE STANDARD SHEET METAL LOCKERS

ANNUAL INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE

* Clean interior and exterior of locker using a mild soap solution applied with a damp cloth
or sponge. Lockers must be thoroughly dried. Use of caustic cleaners/disinfectants will
damage the locker finish and void your warranty.

* Tighten loose hardware on body and hooks with 3/8” hex nut driver

* Tighten loose hardware on handle assembly with 14” hex nut driver

* Adjust door jambs on frame member if door does not latch properly with pliers or
SJTOOL2 (available from Lyon). Adjust downward if door hangs up and upward if door
fails to latch. Door jambs can be lubricated with a wax stick.

* Check to see that sliding catch is moving freely and the roller spins freely. If the parts do
not operate freely, contact your local Lyon representative.

* Lubricate hinges with a lightweight machine oil making sure to wipe off any excess oil.

¢ Waxing of lockers is not necessary, however if preferred, use a high-grade automotive
type wax.

* Touch up nicks and scratches as required. Featheredge deep nicks and remove any rust
with fine emery cloth. Contact your local Lyon representative for all spray on or brush
on touch up paint in specified colors.

* Replace any badly worn or broken parts of unit by contacting your local Lyon
representative.

Replacement parts can be purchased from: Lyon Workspace Products
P.O. Box 671
Aurora, Illinois 60507
Attn: Customer Service
800-433-8488

Note: Retain installation drawings and shipping bills of material for reference when
ordering replacernent parts.

Sheet # 6234-CA

PO Box 671, Aurora, IL 60507-0671 Lyonworkspace.com ph 630-892-8941 fx 630-892-8658