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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Figure 80. Commitment Factors as Developed by Henrico County (VA) Division of Fire, 2016

Ideal Personnel can maintain training requirements and physical fitness

0.16-0.24 Commitment | and can consistently achieve response time benchmarks. Units are
Range available to the community more than 75% of the day.

Community availability and unit sustainability are not questioned.

0.25 System Stress | First-due units are responding to their assigned community 75% of

the time, and response benchmarks are rarely missed.
Evaluation The community served will experience delayed incident responses.
0.26-0.29 Just under 30% of the day, first-due ambulances are unavailable;
Range . . a) is
thus, neighboring responders will likely exceed goals.
Not Sustainable: Commitment Threshold—the community has less
than a 70% chance of timely emergency service and immediate
“Line in the relief is vital. Personnel assigned to units at or exceeding 0.3 may
Sand" show signs of fatigue and burnout and may be at increased risk of
errors. Required training and physical fitness sessions are not
consistently completed.

0.30

In, Figure 81, the UHUs of Nashua Fire Rescue units are displayed with their relative workloads from 2017
through 2019. While other units responded to incidents within the city during this time, their activity levels
of response were low, 1% or less, and not included in this figure.

Figure 81. Unit Hour Utilization 2017-2019
TO da)

Count Average Percentile
818 0:37:00 1:00:39 1.9% 504:22:07
770 0:37:06 0:59:30 1.8% 476:10:31
763 0:37:31 1:00:19 1.8% 477:09:53
870 0:33:30 0:58:58 1.8% 485:44:45
4631 0:13:39 0:22:33 4.0% 1054:02:46
7192 0:14:59 0:23:30 6.8% 1795:09:15
6416 0:14:56 0:22:40 6.1% 1596:27:51
3860 0:18:48 0:27:49 4.6% 1209:46:09
8977 0:15:09 0:22:37 8.6% 2267:36:14
5388 0:18:18 0:28:49 6.3% 1643:49:45
5739 0:15:31 0:24:20 5.6% 1483:30:49
5451 0:14:43 0:24:36 5.1% 1336:17:38
4512 0:14:36 0:22:40 4.2% 1098:31:52
2575 0:17:45 0:28:17 2.9% 762:03:58

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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

When the Unit Hour Utilization of Nashua Fire Rescue units is calculated, all fall well below the thresholds for
adding additional units to the system. Given the annual call volume, call concurrency rates, and UHUs, the
fire department should have ample time for additional duties such as training, career development, and pre-
fire planning.

RESPONSE PERFORMANCE

The most visible element of Nashua Fire Rescue is its response performance. How quickly units arrive on the
scene and the efficiency they resolve an emergency situation are typically the only interaction most residents
will have with the fire department. To evaluate the fire department's performance, ESCI used NFPA 1710,
which is the applicable standard for career fire departments.

Response time performance is comprised of the following components:

= Call-Processing Time: The amount of time between when a call is answered by the 911 Primary
Public Safety Answering Point, or dispatch center, and when resources are dispatched.

= Turnout Time: The time interval between when units are notified of the incident and when the
apparatus responds.

= Travel Time: The amount of time the responding unit actually spends on the road traveling to the
incident until arrival at the scene. This is a function of speed and distance.

= Response Time: This time is calculated from the time the fire department is dispatched to the arrival
of the first apparatus. Response Time equals the sum of “Turnout Time” and “Travel Time.”

= Total Response Time: This is the most apparent time to the caller requesting emergency services.
Total response time is the amount of time that occurs from the time they place the emergency call
until units arrive. This time often includes factors both within and outside the control of the fire
department, particularly when another agency provides dispatch services.

Tracking the individual components of response time will enable Nashua to identify deficiencies and areas
for improvement. Once Nashua Fire Rescue’s leadership understands the current performance for Call
Processing, Turnout Time, and Travel Time, this information can be used to develop response goals and
standards that are both relevant and achievable. Fire service best practices recommend that fire service
organizations monitor and report the components of Total Response Time.

The Time Continuum is comprised of the three elements described above—Call-Processing, Turnout Time,
and Travel Time. Total Response Time is the sum of all of the times starting with the call-processing time,
turnout time, and travel time. The components of the Nashua Fire Rescue Response Time Continuum will
each be evaluated in further detail in the next sections. The following figure is an illustration of the total
response time continuum.

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Figure 82. Total Response Time Continuum

leet iit

Response Time

Total Response Time

Historically, fire rescue service providers have used the performance measurement of average response to
describe the levels of performance. The average is a commonly used descriptive statistic, also called the
mean of a data set. Averages may not accurately reflect the performance for the entire data set because the
average can be significantly skewed by data outliers, especially in small data sets. One extremely good or
bad value can skew the “average” for the entire data set. Percentile measurements are a better measure of
performance since they show that most of the data set has achieved a particular level of performance. The
goth percentile means that 90% of responses were equal to or better than the performance identified, and
that the other 10% can be attributed to data outliers, inaccurate data, or situations outside of normal
operations that delayed performance. This can be compared to the desired performance objective to
determine the degree of success in achieving the goal.

An important consideration when evaluating fractile performance is that the results of each category are not
additive, meaning that the sum of two or more constituent metrics cannot be simply added together to find
the sum. This is because each dataset is discrete and, as such, must be observed individually, particularly
when data quality is an issue. If a metric, such as response time, possesses the majority of its data points,
while turnout time is not accurately documented, a significant difference can exist between the response
time calculated using the fractile descriptive and the sum of turnout time and travel time.

In evaluating the various response time components using the fractile analysis method, each component
must be evaluated and quantified separately, as the available data—and the quality of the data may vary
significantly.

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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

To provide an analysis of performance for emergency calls within Nashua, the following assumptions were
made:

= Non-emergency incident types were removed

» Mutual and auto aid given were removed

» Other aid given were removed

= NFIRS call types within the 500, 600, 800, and goo series were removed

= Cells containing zeros or no value were removed

Call Processing Time Performance

The industry standard for call processing (or alarm handling) is NFPA 1221: Standard for the Installation,
Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems. This standard provides for
communication centers to have processing times of not more than 60 seconds, 90% of the time. For special
operations, calls requiring translation, or other factors described in the standard, times should not exceed go
seconds at the goth percentile. It should be noted that Nashua Fire Rescue does not have direct supervision
over the initial processing and transferring of emergency calls, so these performance measures are not within
its control. This component of the process is performed at the state level by the New Hampshire Bureau of
Emergency Communications (NHBECC). ESCI recommends that Nashua Fire Rescue actively work with the
state of New Hampshire to ensure compliance with NFPA 1221.

Examination of Nashua’s 2017 through 2019 data revealed that overall alarm handling through the NHBECC
exceeded the benchmark across all categories. Data containing missing time stamps or zero-time stamps for
call processing were not included. The following figure illustrates call processing performance for the
NHBECC shown at the goth percentile.

Figure 83. NHBECC Alarm Handling Time, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire

OverPress

EMS

Haz Cond

Alarms

Total

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00

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=) THE CITY OF NASHUA

‘The Gate City”
Administrative Se evices
Purchasing De partes nt
Addendum 1
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Please sign and return this page with your submitted proposal. Failure to acknowledge the addendum will
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Date

Mare rye \ hea adling Sua le S Toit
aT ye Lecter Store!

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Name of Firm

229 Main Street » Nashua, New Hampshire 03061 + Phone (603) 589-3330 + Fax (603)
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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Once the initial alarm handling is complete, the call is then routed to Nashua Fire Alarm for additional call
processing and dispatch.

Figure 84. Nashua Fire Alarm Dispatch Time, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire

OverPress

EMS

Haz Cond

Alarms

Total

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30

Overall, Nashua Fire Alarm nearly meets NFPA standards for call processing and dispatch. Additionally,
Nashua Fire Alarm receives direct alarm notification of fire alarms and call box activations. This dramatically
reduces the amount of time required to receive and transmit the notification of a potential emergency. The
City of Nashua provides this as an included service to its residents.

Since the receipt of an emergency call, the alarm handling, and dispatch often occur in two steps within New
Hampshire, the overall call processing time (NHBECC and Nashua Fire Alarm) is presented at the 90"
percentile to illustrate the actual performance of the system as a whole.

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Figure 85. Total Call Processing Time, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire

OverPress

EMS

Haz Cond

Alarms

Total

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00

The total call processing time for Nashua at the 90" percentile is 3 minutes, 32 seconds for emergency calls,
3 ¥2 times the industry standard. As shown in this figure, alarm processing times are much faster than other
categories due to the direct receipt of many alarms from call boxes or directly linked fire panels within the
city. The two-step process of all emergency calls first received at the NHBECC then transferred to the local
department for dispatch creates additional delays within the system; however, this saves some communities
the costs of additional infrastructure to support a standalone Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

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Turnout Time Performance

The second component of the response continuum, and one that is directly affected by response personnel,
is turnout performance. Turnout is the time it takes personnel to receive the dispatch information, move to
the appropriate apparatus, and begin responding to the incident.

NFPA 1710 calls for a goth percentile turnout performance of 80 seconds for fire and special operations calls
and 60 seconds for EMS incidents. The following figure illustrates the turnout performance for Nashua Fire
Rescue.

Figure 86. Turnout Time, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire

OverPress

EMS

Haz Cond

Alarms

Total [iyAik:

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30

Overall, turnout times exceed NFPA standards by nearly double, with the best performance occurring on fire-
related incidents. While it is the experience of ESCI that most departments cannot meet turnout time
standards, Nashua has room for improvement in this area. Factors to consider when evaluating turnout times
are station design configurations, staffing schemes, and crew performance.

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Travel Time Performance

The third component of the response continuum is travel time. It is important to understand that travel time
is not specifically a factor of speed as much as it is the result of proper placement of fire stations from which
emergency response begins. Travel time is the amount of time between when the apparatus departs for the
call and when it arrives on the scene, measured at the goth percentile. NFPA 1710 requires that the first due
fire or EMS unit arrives on the scene within a 4-minute, or 240-second, travel time. The following figure
provides the travel time performance for Nashua Fire Rescue.

Figure 87. Travel Time, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire 04:54

OverPress (i i:y

EMS
Haz Cond
Alarms
Total [eZ 8.5)
00:00 0100-0200 +~«=«a300~=«K00 «SCO =S=«H 0

Although above NFPA standards, Nashua’s travel time performance is strong at 4 minutes, 48 seconds
overall. While travel times could be improved by the addition of resources in areas remote from current fire
station locations, the City must balance community expectations with its ability to financially support public
services, including the fire department.

In Figure 88, Nashua’s travel performance is illustrated as 10-acre hexagons, with each providing the average
travel time to that area. Not surprisingly, travel performance is best in areas immediately adjacent to fire
stations.

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Figure 88. Average Travel Time by 10-Acre Hexagons

? Senter

Form Escates

ery es

roy

Ferry Street

@® Fire Station 5 -- e

Average Travel by 10 Acre Hexagons {
<4 minutes

4-6 minutes

6-8 minutes

8-10 minutes

>10 minutes

Nashua Boundary
Fire Districts

0 1 2
— SS hites

[jee ee

Four Mills

Net 122 tandfil

%

z

=

>

pros 7a

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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