St. Johns County Fire Rescue Master Plan February 2019 Fire Rescue - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

St. Johns County Fire Rescue Master Plan February 2019

Fire Rescue Department Overview • 911 Communications • 17 Fire Rescue Stations • Training • 346 Full Time FTE’s • Public Education • 70 Seasonal Marine Rescue • Fire Inspections • 18 Suppression Apparatus • Fire Investigations • 12 Rescue Ambulances • Logistics • 15 Marine Rescue resources • EMS Billing • 4 Special Ops resources • Support Staff • 3 Command units FY 2018 Event Data—57,302 • Fire • Hazardous Materials • Medical • Specialty Rescues • Trauma/MVC • Marine Rescues/Citizen Assists • Automatic/Mutual Aid • Special Events

Area of Response 608 square miles of… • Urban • Suburban • Rural

Fire Rescue Master Plan • St. Johns County’s Fire Rescue Master Plan is designed to construct and staff stations based on: (1) need, (2) population growth, and (3) call volume. • Over the last decade, three new fire stations have been constructed and opened in strategic locations across the County, which include: (1) Murabella, (2) Pine Island, and (3) Nocatee. • In addition, a combined Fire Station 5 and 11, which will also house the Sheriff’s Office South Regional Command Center, will be opening in March of 2019. o Board approved construction in December 2017. o Construction commenced in February 2018. o Tentatively scheduled to be complete in March 2019.

Fire Station 5/11 Rendering

Station Location, Population Growth, and Call Volume Increase

Station Location Planning Standards • National Standards (NFPA) - Initial response 4 minutes; full response 8 minutes; 12-24 firefighters required depending on type of occupancy. o Population Density - Residential, commercial, visitors/tourists. o Call Volume - EMS, fire, auto accidents, special operations, marine rescue. o Response Times - Primary station, secondary station, etc. o ISO Ratings - Classification number 1 (best) to 10 (worst). • Fire Rescue calls are generally comprised of three categories: (1) fire, (2) EMS, and (3) traffic accidents.

Population Growth • Between 2000 and 2018, St. Johns County’s population increased by more than 120,600 residents, or 98 percent. St. Johns County Population 300,000 278,883 243,812 250,000 198,239 190,039 200,000 150,000 123,135 100,000 50,000 0 2000 2010 2012 2017 2022

Population Growth • The County issued 4072 residential building permits between January 2017 and December 2017. • The County issued 4,538 residential building permits between January 2018 and December 2018. • April 2018 record month with 522 permits issued.

Tourism Growth • The County has experienced exponential growth in tourism including the beaches, regional and national events, and central attractions. o 2017 Visitor Statistics*: – 6.3 million tourists. – 3.9 million overnight visitors. – More than 41 percent over the age of 50. * 2017 St. Johns County Tourist Development Council Visitor Profile Survey.

I-95 Increased Traffic Density • Traffic on I-95 has increased exponentially in relation to state, regional, and local travel factors. • Resulting in a corresponding increase in Fire Rescue emergency calls. • In 2018, Fire Rescue responded to 865 emergency events on I-95. • Most interstate accidents are more significant than those located in other portions of the County.

Fire Rescue Responses • St. Johns County Fire Rescue’s call volume, including fires, EMS, traffic accidents, and marine rescue events, continues to increase. St. Johns County Fire Rescue Responses 60000 49001 48376 46082 50000 38232 40000 32521 30000 24865 20000 10000 0 2012 2013* 2014 2015** 2016 2017 * Marine Rescue calls included with Fire Rescue. ** Beach dredging year increased Marine Rescue calls.

Station 19 Northwest Region

Station 19 - Northwest Region • Station 19 will serve Northwest St. Johns County including Julington Creek, Aberdeen, Durbin Crossing, and Durbin Park Town Center. o Location - Veterans Parkway and Race Track Road. o Status - Architectural and civil design currently underway. o Construction - $3.37 million. o Funding - Fire/EMS impact fees. o Staffing - Apply for FY 19 SAFER Grant/staffed in FY 20-23. o Future - County-funded staffing FY 24 and beyond. * SAFER Grant funds staffing at 75, 75, and 35 percent first three years.

Station 19 - Northwest Region

Station 19 - Northwest Region

Station 19 - Northwest Region

Stations 1/10 Northeast Region

Station 10 – Ponte Vedra - Northeast Region

Station 1 – Palm Valley - Northeast Region

Stations 1/10 – Northeast • Stations 1/10 serves the northeast portion of the county. o Call Volume – o Northeast District – 3,809 o Ladder 1 Emergency Calls – 1,560 o Engine 10 Emergency Calls – 1,848 o Rescue 10 Emergency Calls – 1,921

Future Considerations

Considerations • Increasing Fire Rescue call volumes are straining available resources, creating the need for additional phased, programmed Fire Rescue facilities: o Station 19 in the Northwest. o Station 20 in the Southwest. o Station 7 replacement in St. Augustine Beach. • Highest priority is Fire Station 19 in the Northwest portion of the County.

Considerations • The millage rate is set at 1.47 mills for the Fire District. • The current funding mechanism and subsequent funding projections cannot support the continued maintenance of existing services particularly the projected growth of Fire Rescue services.

Staying Connected… www.sjcfl.us/firerescue

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Chief Jeff Prevatt jprevatt@sjcfl.us