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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0070.001 2002-2004Harry ]Kiev Mayor %Eou tp ofaat`t— FIRE DEPARTMENT 25 Aupuui Street • Suite 103 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 - (808) 961-8297 • Fax (808) 961-8296 January 16, 2003 Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung Council Member Chair, Committee on Finance 25 Aupuni Street, Room 209 Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Council Member Chung: Darryl J. Oliveira Fire Chief Desmond K. Wery Deputy Fire Chief I would like to take this opportunity to first apologize for not having kept you adequately informed of the proposed Sun Sun Lau project, and secondly provide you with some background information on this issue. As you review the enclosed report, please feel free to contact myself or Deputy Fire Chief Desmond Wery regarding any questions or concerns that you may have. In addition, I would like to emphasize that the basis for this proposed project is our sincere commitment and dedication to provide and maintain the highest level of public service. Realizing that the County of Hawaii has not yet recovered financially and must prudently plan and prioritize its projects, I am hopeful that this report will prove beneficial in your decision making process. Sincerely, VAaR/YL OLIVEIRA Fire Chief Enclosure Comm. -No. . f File No. Ref. To: .�.— Ref. Date ---JAN. 2 2 2003 HAWAII COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT Capital Improvement Project FIRE ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT COMPLEX (SUN SUN LAU) HAWAII COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FIRE ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT COMPLEX (SUN SUN LAU) OBJECTIVE: The establishment of a functional and mission supportive facility that will address the infrastructure requirements needed to improve and maintain the operational effectiveness of the Hawaii County Fire Department. Furthermore, the development of a facility that will enhance and promote a more customer service oriented organization. MISSION REOUIREMENTS: Administrative Services Facility Location The present Fire Department Administrative Services occupies approximately 2,000 square feet of office space within the County Building Complex at 25 Aupuni Street in Hilo. All administrative functions, to include the Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief, Personnel Management, Fiscal, and other business services, reside within this office complex. The location of this complex is within the identified tsunami inundation zone and subjects the operation of the Fire Department's management and administrative services division to potential impact of such an event. Although the resources of the operations division would primarily mitigate such an event, the required planning and logistical coordination would require the support of a functional administration. The proposed solution is the relocation of the Fire Department Administration to a location and facility that would remain operational regardless of the impact of a natural disaster or other catastrophic event Y Record and Data Collection As illustrated in the accompanying photographs, the filing and record and data collection of the entire Fire Department is stored within the confines of this office and requiring the use of every available space, which has been taxed to the utmost limits. Many of these documents and records may be confidential or irreplaceable and require presentation to support audit and litigation activities. With a combined uniformed and civilian workforce of over 320 paid and 325 volunteer personnel, the respective reports and records generated by this substantial personnel pool fills volumes. LI 1 n The proposed solution is the acquisition or establishment of a facility that will provide adequate data and record storage as well as office space to support the management of the Fire Department. The infrastructure requirements would also reflect projected growth and anticipated space needs. I➢ Centralized Location L 1 Fire Administration Office (County Building) The present administrative facility does not provide for the centralized location of all support services and results on a direct impact on customer service. The infrastructure limitations have required the satellite location of the Training, Fire Prevention and Emergency Medical Services Divisions. Each of these functional divisions provides services directly to the public and other agencies in unison with the administration and frequently requires the customer to conduct business at multiple locations. For example: Building plans requiring the review and approval of the Fire Department's Prevention Division are delivered to the administration office by the customer or contractor. This policy provides for a consistent and readily accessible process -2- r of submission of plans however does not provide for the interaction or direct accessibility to the Inspector who will be reviewing the plans. Should a customer have questions or comments regarding the plans, he/she must wait until such time that the Inspector picks it up and contact is made. The present location of the Prevention Division at the Central Fire Station does not promote customer service and does not provide for the adequate space or facility to review plans and conduct post incident investigations. The proposed solution would be to acquire a facility to centralize all support functions and ' divisions to promote and improve customer service as well as improve the operational effectiveness of the Fire Department Fire Department EMS and Auxiliary Services Office (Central Fire Station) -3- Fire Department EMS and Auxiliary Services Office (Central Fire Station) Fire Department Prevention and Inspection Division (Central Fire Station) 0 Fire Department Prevention and Inspection Division (Central Fire Station) Fire Department Prevention and Inspection Division (Central Fire Station) -5- Incident Operations PlanninL, & Coordination Present infrastructure and facilities utilized by the administration and support services divisions do not provide for large incident or emergency operations coordination and planning. Although the Civil Defense complex has established an Emergency Operations Center, it is designed for multi -agency incident management and is not readily accessible or practical for Fire Department incident planning and coordination. The proposed solution would be the establishment of a facility to provide the infrastructure to support large incident planning and coordination. This infrastructure would include emergency communications, power, and utilities. WOE I c 0 fl 1 Training/Safety Division (Central Fire Station) Training ➢ Classroom & Coordination Areas The present facilities utilized for training purposes do not provide for adequate classroom and coordination areas. The entire training complex consists of 800 square feet and can only support the conducting of classes or training sessions consisting of a maximum of 12 participants. In addition to the limited classroom space, equipment and adjunct storage as well as training curriculum and material library space is severely inadequate. To further complicate this issue, is a lack of adequate vehicle parking, and the fact that this facility is also within the disaster inundation area. Although the training facility is utilized primarily by the Fire Department, it has been utilized for public service functions and training, as well as inter -agency training programs. However, the limited space and accessibility has resulted in restrictive class sizes. Thero osed solution would be the acquisition or establishment of a facility to adequately P P support new employee and recurrent training programs to improve operational effectiveness and customer service. A secondary benefit would be reflected in the potential utilization of such a facility for larger interagency and public training projects. -7- • • Training/Safety Division Office (Central Fire Station) Training Room (Central Fire Station) L 11 1 Communications Division ➢ Location/Soace Limitations The present emergency dispatch or communications division operates out of a confined and space limited facility adjacent and attached to the Fire Department warehouse complex behind the Central Fire Station. This facility is within the disaster inundation area and is not constructed to withstand hurricane force events. Over the past twenty years, the communications or dispatch units have been required to relocate due to tsunami warnings and other emergency preparedness activities creating a significant logistical problem and potential adverse effects on emergency communications. The present facility does not provide for expansion or growth of the communications division with regard to additional communications consoles or terminals and does not provide for adequate housing of all equipment components. The proposed solution would be the establishment of a functional and operational communications center that would not be susceptible to potential storms or other natural disasters. This facility would also have the space and capability to support projected expansion and growth as well as accommodate all components of the communications system. Fire Department Dispatch/Communications Facility (Central Fire Station) � o 0 1 Fire Department Dispatch/Communications Facility (Central Fire Station) SUMMARY: In summary, the Hawaii County Fire Department's Administration and support services infrastructure has failed to keep up with the ever-expanding operational and service delivery demands. This problem has been further impacted by a lack of a permanent site or facility. The Administration has been required to operate from a total of four locations over a period of eight years, and each facility has placed additional burdens and compromised the operational effectiveness of the organization. The ultimate and inevitable solution to this perpetual problem is the establishment of a centralized and dedicated facility to support the many essential functions of the Fire Department. As identified in our strategic planning process and detailed within our vision and mission statements, our primary goal is to serve and protect our community. The fundamental program needs required to achieve this goal include the ability to plan, train, coordinate, and manage resources in the most efficient and cost-effective manner regardless of any interruptions that may be attributed to a natural disaster. There is no question as to the need for such a facility, but rather when a formal commitment will be made to establish one. _10 -