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Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

4. Nashua Fire Rescue maintains a website and social media presence to provide information to its
customers, but it does not have a formal citizen feedback/input mechanism in place to receive
necessary end-user feedback.

ESCI recommends that Nashua Fire Rescue continue to develop its social media presence in an effort to
provide information to, and receive information from, its customers. ESCI also recommends that
Nashua Fire Rescue evaluate the use of a survey tool to collect performance feedback of those citizens
who have used the Department's services. The gathering of information directly from these individuals
will allow Department and City leadership to key in on specific performance issues that allow for
intervention in a timelier manner, as well as highlight those performance issues that customers indicate
as being of high value.

5. Nashua Fire Rescue has implemented computers at all fire stations to use in recording incidents,
accessing emails and Department operating procedures, and recording equipment inventories. At the
time of this report, the Department did not have a formal IT management strategy in place.

Technology is an evolving field and agencies failing to have plans in place to address ongoing changes
in operating systems can be caught in a position of being required to expend significant and finite
budget revenues to update computers no longer supported by manufacturers. As part of its records
management efforts, the Department utilizes Alpine RedNMX RMS® and Windows® based computers
to accomplish its organizational responsibilities. The Department uses the City’s IT services to maintain
its computer inventory and securely store digital records off-site. ESCl recommends that Nashua Fire
Rescue work with its IT services to ensure an effective IT management strategy is in place to address
current and future department related software are operated and maintained in accordance to
standards within NFPA 950: Standard for Data Development and Exchange for the Fire Service and
NFPA 951: Guide to Building and Utilizing Digital Information.

6. Nashua Fire Rescue should consider staffing a dedicated IT position.

Information Technology (IT) is a challenge within Nashua Fire Rescue. The city currently staffs a central
IT Division that services all city departments with the exception of the police department. In recent
years, the fire department has become increasingly more reliant on computers, laptops and tablets for
both routine and emergency operations more.

7. ESCl recommends that Nashua Fire Rescue implement the use of an online platform, such as Target
Solutions®, as a mechanism to inform individuals when new policies and procedures are published.

Interviews with various stakeholders indicated that Nashua Fire Rescue sometimes encounters
challenges with ensuring accountability for reading and confirming understanding of the new, or
updated, policy when placed onto the intranet. ESCI recommends that Nashua Fire Rescue implement
the use of an online platform, such as Target Solutions®, as a mechanism to inform individuals when
new policies and procedures are published. This system allows each employee to receive the new
documents personally and acknowledge receipt with an electronic timestamp. The system also enables
the Department to require each employee to answer questions specific to the document's content and
ensure the employee receives the desired information. Since Nashua Fire Rescue is preparing to begin
using the Target Solutions® platform in its Training Program, using the program to track policies and
procedures would be a logical next step.

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10.

Nashua Fire Rescue should work to formalize its mental health program to ensure that its firefighters
have the resources they need when they need them.

Our nation’s firefighters are faced with emotional needs that are very different and unique to the
occupation. The percentage of firefighters struggling with career-related stress is very high, with suicide
rates climbing each year. These issues manifest themselves through higher divorce rates and addictions
such as alcohol, drugs, or gambling. Frequently seen in recent studies and another major concern is Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As these symptoms occur, employees need a support system in place
that is readily accessible from someone who is qualified and truly understands his or her circumstances.

While the Department has provided mental health education for its firefighters, in light of the increasing
need across the nation for mental health support for firefighters, Nashua Fire Rescue may choose to use
local resources to establish a program or can draw from national resources such as those that are
available through the IAFF or the First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE).

ESCI recommends that the joint labor management committee that reviews the current promotional
process evaluates the process in its entirety to ensure that the test components correlate to the
current job descriptions and JPRs established by the national standard as they relate to the positions
within Nashua Fire Rescue.

NFPA 1021 is the Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications. This standard identifies the
minimum job performance requirements (JPRs) for the various ranks of fire officers. As the ultimate goal
should be to ensure a defensible promotion process in the event of a legal challenge, ESCI also suggests
that Nashua Fire Rescue re-evaluate the merits of including the civilian Board of Fire Commissioners
within the promotional process. It is ESCI’s suggestion that Nashua Fire Rescue may be able to improve
the current promotional process by allowing the professional human resources and fire department
personnel to conduct the entire process, thereby eliminating the potential political influence that could
be introduced by the inclusion of the elected board.

Nashua Fire Rescue should make it a priority to alert only the fire station(s) that are dispatched to
calls to reduce the constant radio traffic that is currently transmitted to all of the stations.

One issue that was repeatedly brought up to ESCI during the site visit meetings was a strong desire by
the membership to have quiet stations. Nashua Fire Rescue responded to more than 8,000 calls last
year, or an average of 21 calls per day. At the time of ESCI's site visit, firefighters in every station heard
the radio traffic for every call, whether or not the members of that station were assigned to respond.

A study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine in 2018 found higher rates of
hypertension and high cholesterol in people who were regularly exposed to loud noises at work. Loud
noises were defined as four or more hours a day, several days a week, when individuals needed to raise
their voice or shout to be heard by someone standing a few feet away. The researchers concluded that
as many as 14% of cases of hypertension and 9% of cases of high cholesterol were potentially a result of
noise exposure—possibly due to the stress of a loud working environment.

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11.

Nashua Fire Rescue should develop a Professional Development Program for all positions within the
organization.

While Nashua Fire Rescue has a program in place to provide books and tuition reimbursement for its
firefighters, it lacks a Professional Development Program (PDP). A successful Professional Development
Program will benefit both the employees and the organization they serve. The intent of the Professional
Development Program is to engage employees in identifying gaps in understanding and development
that prepares and enables him or her to be successful in current and future roles. This directly translates
to personal fulfillment and job satisfaction as well as positioning employees for future success within
the organization. A comprehensive PDP should be developed for each organizational level: front-line
personnel, first-level supervisors, mid-level managers, and senior leaders.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs has developed the Officer Development Handbook, which
is intended to function as the foundation for any organization’s Professional Development Program.
The handbook provides a foundation and explanation of the basic tenets of a Professional Development
Program upon which an organization can build upon and customize to meet its own needs.

Service Delivery

12.

ESC

Nashua Fire Rescue should work with the New Hampshire Bureau of Emergency Communications to
ensure compliance with NFPA 1710 4.1.2.1.

(1) Alarm handling time completion in accordance with 4.1.2.3.3:

Figure 96. NFPA 1710 4.1.2.3.3

Response Interval NFPA/CFAI Recommendations

Call Processing 64 seconds or less at 90%

lt 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 2017-2019 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 the call processing
performance for the NHBECC shown at the goth percentile.

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Figure 97. NHBECC Alarm Handling, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire

OverPress

EMS

Haz Cond

Alarms

Total

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

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

Figure 98. Nashua Fire Alarm Dispatch, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire

OverPress

EMS

Haz Cond

Alarms

Cicely 01:03

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 go"
percentile to illustrate the actual performance of the system as a whole.

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Figure 99. Total Call Processing, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire
OverPress
EMS
Haz Cond

Alarms

Total [ixey

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).

13. Nashua Fire Rescue should work toward compliance with NFPA 1710 4.1.2.1. The Department shall
establish the following performance objectives for the first-due response zones that are identified by
the AHjJ:

(2) 80 seconds turnout time for fire and special operations responses and 60 seconds turnout time

for EMS responses.

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 time performance for
Nashua Fire Rescue.

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Figure 100. Turnout, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

itm 02:01

OverPress [yy Z|

EMS vp

Haz Cond
Alarms
Total [yak
00-00 “00:30 - “on:00 - 130 “2:00 “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.

Additionally, technology such as television monitors that provide real time incident information, pre-
alerting, and consistent use of mobile data terminals to capture response metrics can also improve
turnout times. Ultimately, Nashua Fire Rescue must adopt their own performance goals and should
report on performance on aregular basis such as monthly or quarterly. Finally, all radio traffic is broadcast
throughout all fire stations day and night. A contributing factor to delayed turnout times may be related
to firefighters tuning out the majority of radio traffic throughout the day and relying on someone within
the station to hear when a unit is actually being dispatched from that station. Nashua should work to
correct this immediately.

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Jim Donchess
Mayor e City of Nashua

To: Board of Aldermen

From: Mayor Jim Donchess

Date: May 25, 2022

Re: Multi-Year Contract Award — Single Stream Recycling

Pursuant to NRO: § 5-74/B: A contract that extends from the current fiscal year into succeeding

fiscal year(s) in which no funds have been appropriated nor otherwise designated for this purpose
shall be approved by the full Board of Aldermen before the contract shall become binding on the

City.

The Finance Committee has approved and placed on file the notification of the award of the
referenced contract at the June 1, 2022 meeting and as such | am requesting the full Board of
Alderman approve the following contract:

Item: 3-year contract to transport and process the City’s single stream
recyclables
Value: $400,000 per year for 3-years to total $1,200,000
Vendor: Casella Recycling LLC
Purchasing Memo#: 22-282 dated May 25, 2022
Contract Term: 3 years -7/1/22-6/30/25
Thank you.

229 Main Street * PO Box 2019 * Nashua, New Hampshire 03061-2019
603.589.3260 * fax 603.594.3450 * NashuaMayor@NashuaNH. gov
www.NashuaNH. gov

Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

14. Nashua Fire Rescue should work toward compliance with NFPA 1710 4.1.2.1. The Department shall
establish the following performance objectives for the first-due response zones that are identified by
the AHjJ:

(3) *240 seconds or less travel time for the arrival of the first engine company at a fire suppression
incident.

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 101. Travel Time, goth Percentile, 2017-2019

Fire 04:54

OverPress —t-i:y

EMS uy

Haz Cond fi-wiy.

Alarms [iLye%}
Total [ey 8-':
00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00

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 101, 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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ESC)

Nashua Fire Rescue, NH

Figure 102. Average Travel Time by 10-Acre Hexagons

et

@ ‘Fire Station

Average Travel by 10 Acre Hexagons !
<4 minutes
4-6 minutes
6-8 minutes
8-10 minutes
>10 minutes

Nashua Boundary

loiee ee

Fire Districts

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.

Nashua Fire Rescue should capture the benchmarks to track the following data and monitor
compliance with NFPA 1710 4.2.1.

The Department shall establish the following performance objectives for the first-due response
zones that are identified by the AHJ:

(4) 360 seconds or less travel time for the arrival of the second company with a minimum staffing
of 4 personnel at the fire suppression incident.

(5) For other than high-rise, 480 seconds or less travel time for the deployment of an initial full
alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident.

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17.

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(6) For high-rise, 480 seconds or less travel time for the deployment of an initial full alarm
assignment at a fire suppression incident.

At the time of ESCI’s site visit, Nashua Fire Rescue was not tracking and monitoring these
performance metrics.

Nashua Fire Rescue should work toward compliance with NFPA 1710 4.1.2.1. The Department shall
establish the following performance objectives for the first-due response zones that are identified by
the AHjJ:

(7) 240 seconds or less travel time for the arrival of a unit with first responder with automatic
external (AED) or higher-level capability at an emergency medical incident.

The standard for travel time for EMS calls is 240 seconds, or 4 minutes. As illustrated previously, Nashua
Fire Rescue’s travel time performance to EMS calls overall was 5 minutes, 2 seconds, which is 1 minute,
2 seconds longer than the expected performance. With geographic location having the greatest impact
ontravel time, leadership and governing bodies must weigh the factors associated with working to meet
that standard.

Nashua Fire Rescue should submit an annual report to the AHJ in accordance with NFPA 1710
4.1.2.5.1.

4.1.2.5.1 The fire department shall evaluate its level of service and deployment delivery of alarm handling
time, turnout time, and travel time performance objectives on an annual basis.

4.1.2.5.2* The evaluations shall be based on emergency incident data relating to the level of service,
deployment, and the achievement of each travel time performance objectives in each geographic area
within the jurisdiction of the fire department.

4.1.2.6 The fire department shall provide the AHJ with a written report annual.

4.1.2.6.1 The annual report shall define the geographic areas and/or circumstances in which the
requirements of this standard are not being met.

4.1.2.6.2 The annual report shall explain the predictable consequences of these deficiencies and address
the steps that are necessary to achieve compliance.

4.1.2.6.3 The annual report shall identify any deficiencies that are anticipated to develop in the next 3
years and address the steps necessary to continue to achieve compliance to this standard.

Nashua Fire Rescue currently collects and evaluates the data that is identified in this section of NFPA
1710. ESCI suggests that Nashua Fire Rescue should include a concise report to the AHJ that includes
only the aforementioned information. This document should serve as an ongoing source of evaluation
and discussion between Nashua Fire Rescue and City Officials about the resources that are required to
meet the established performance criteria.

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