HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022.07.25 Council Workshop Packet
AGENDA
City Council Workshop Meeting
7:05 PM - Monday, July 25, 2022
City Council Chambers & GoToWebinar
Page
1. MEETING INSTRUCTIONS for REMOTE ACCESS - The Pasco City Council
Workshops are broadcast live on PSC-TV Channel 191 on Charter/Spectrum
Cable in Pasco and Richland and streamed at www.pasco-wa.gov/psctvlive
and on the City’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cityofPasco.
To listen to the meeting via phone, call (631) 992-3211 and use access code
613-585-088.
2. CALL TO ORDER
3. ROLL CALL
4. VERBAL REPORTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS
5. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
6. MISCELLANEOUS COUNCIL DISCUSSION
4 - 27 (a) Presentation on Cannabis Prohibition (10 minutes)
David Morgan, owner of Lucky Leaf Co., will provide a brief
presentation of cannabis retail opportunities in the downtown area in
the City of Pasco.
28 - 37 (b) COPA (Colima-Pasco Association) Presentation and Sponsorship
Request
Jose Iniguez, Downtown Pasco Development Authority Board
Member, COPA Event Organizer and COPA performer, will present the
COPA Concert and Art Walk scheduled in late September 2022.
38 - 45 (c) Discussion of Municipal Services with the Confederated Tribes of
the Colville Reservation
46 - 205 (d) Resolution - 2022 Fire & Ambulance Services Master Plan
Page 1 of 480
Don Bivins, Principal for Bivins Consulting, LLC, will present the Pasco
Fire Department Master Plan update.
206 - 467 (e) Resolution - Transportation System Master Plan (TSMP)
468 - 478 (f) Resolution – Local Improvement District No. 151 Project
Acceptance
7. EXECUTIVE SESSION
8. ADJOURNMENT
9. ADDITIONAL NOTES
479 - 480 (a) Adopted 2020-2021 Council Goals (Reference Only)
(b) REMINDERS
• Monday, July 25, 4:00 PM: Hanford Area Economic
Investment Fund Advisory Committee Meeting – Ben
Franklin Transit Main Conference Room
(COUNCILMEMBER PETE SERRANO, Rep.)
• Tuesday, July 26, 4:00 PM: Pasco Public Facilities District
Board Meeting – Council Chambers, Pasco City Hall
(MAYOR PRO TEM CRAIG MALONEY, Rep.;
COUNCILMEMBER DAVID MILNE, Alt.)
• Tuesday, July 26, 5:00 PM: HAPO Center/TRAC Advisory
Board Meeting – HAPO Center (COUNCILMEMBER
JOSEPH CAMPOS and MAYOR PRO TEM CRAIG
MALONEY)
• Wednesday, July 27, 7:30 AM: Visit Tri-Cities Board Meeting
– 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick
(COUNCILMEMBER ZAHRA ROACH, Rep.;
COUNCILMEMBER DAVID MILNE, Alt.)
• Thursday, July 28, 4:00 PM: TRIDEC Board Meeting – 7130
W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick (COUNCILMEMBER
IRVING BROWN, Rep.; COUNCILMEMBER DAVID MILNE,
Alt.)
• Thursday, July 28, 5:30 PM: Benton Franklin Community
Action Connections Board Meeting – 720 Court Street,
Pasco (COUNCILMEMBER ZAHRA ROACH, Rep.;
COUNCILMEMBER PETE SERRANO, Alt.)
This meeting is broadcast live on PSC-TV Channel 191 on
Charter/Spectrum Cable in Pasco and Richland and streamed at
www.pasco-wa.gov/psctvlive.
Page 2 of 480
Audio equipment available for the hearing impaired; contact the
Clerk for assistance.
Servicio de intérprete puede estar disponible con aviso. Por favor
avisa la Secretaria Municipal dos días antes para garantizar la
disponibilidad. (Spanish language interpreter service may be
provided upon request. Please provide two business day's notice
to the City Clerk to ensure availability.)
Page 3 of 480
AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council July 21, 2022
TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager City Council Workshop
Meeting: 7/25/22
FROM: Rick White, Director
Community & Economic Development
SUBJECT: Presentation on Cannabis Prohibition (10 minutes)
I. REFERENCE(S):
PowerPoint Presentation
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
David Morgan, owner of Lucky Leaf Co., will provide a brief presentation of
cannabis retail opportunities in the downtown area in the City of Pasco.
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
In November of 2012, State Initiative 502 was passed, which decriminalized the
possession and use of marijuana for recreational purposes.
In July of 2014, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 4166, which prohibited
production, processing and retail sales of marijuana within the City limits. The
prohibition also extended to medical marijuana collective dispensaries although
in 2015, State law was enacted that allowed qualifying patients to grow up to
sixteen marijuana plants depending on circumstances relat ed to the patient.
City Council also adopted Ordinance No. 4304, regarding specific nuisance
violations for growing and storage of marijuana and establishing specific
penalties for violations. Nuisance complaints indicate that both indoor and
outdoor growing operations are occurring and presenting a variety of adverse
impacts including odor, construction of illegal fences and theft.
In 2021, the results of the National Citizen Survey seemed to indicate an evenly
divided public on this issue.
Page 4 of 480
At the request of Mr. Morgan and others, the City Council has allocated a brief
time spot at this Workshop to consider a presentation on retail cannabis from the
operator of such a facility in Spokane.
V. DISCUSSION:
There will be a number of factors that are likely to be raised as discussion on
this issue occurs.
Repealing or modifying Ordinance 4166 involves a detailed discussion of land
use goals - particularly considering the ongoing effort at the Downtown Master
Plan and generally other commercial corridors and commercial locations in the
City.
Other issues appropriate for discussion include:
• enforcement of public safety;
• permitting and administrative licensing issues (additional staff resources;
applicable zoning districts and land use permit processes);
• buffers (both from sensitive land uses identified in WAC's and from other
retailers);
• possible unintended social consequences (retail sales of an influencing
drug as an allowed land use);
• possible costs and identification of likely revenues.
Staff anticipates further discussion on this issue.
Page 5 of 480
CANNABISHOW
CAN HELP REVITALIZE THE C2
ZONE IN DOWNTOWN PASCO
Link to introduction videoPage 6 of 480
OUR STORY
LUCKY LEAF - SPOKANE
Opened March 21, 2016
Family owned, state licensed
& regulated cannabis retail
establishmentPage 7 of 480
BEFORE & AFTER
CHANGES TO THE LOCAL LANDSCAPE
2016 VS. 2021
(Images via Google Maps)Page 8 of 480
2013 2021
Page 9 of 480
2016 2021
Page 10 of 480
2016 2021
Page 11 of 480
Empty retail spaces in the Madison building circa 2016 Lavish Salon, Echo Men’s & Echo Women’s
2016 2021
Page 12 of 480
2016 2021
Page 13 of 480
2016 2021
Page 14 of 480
2016 2021
Page 15 of 480
OUR NEIGHBORS
TESTIMONIALS FROM
NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES
We value our relationships with
our neighboring businesses
and work together to make our
neighborhood a better place.Page 16 of 480
KAREN STRATTON
SPOKANE CITY COUNCIL
letter in support of the
cannabis industry
(not just lucky leaf)Page 17 of 480
CONTRIBUTIONS
TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
Lucky Leaf has played a major role in the revitalization of
an area in downtown Spokane where businesses had left
and buildings sat vacant & abandoned. Cannabis retail
has helped bring new life into our area of downtown,
attracting people and new businesses.
Lucky Leaf donates to local charities and non-profits
including Spokane Boxing which mentors at risk youth.
We’ve also donated to youth sports and activities.Page 18 of 480
OUR PRODUCTS
FOR RECREATIONAL & MEDICAL USES
We sell a wide variety of cannabis products for both
recreational & medical uses. Topicals, Tinctures,
Edibles, Drinks, Flower, Joints, Dabs & Cartridges. All
products are tested by 3rd party labs to ensure quality.
All products also have state required warning labels.Page 19 of 480
MEDICAL BENEFITS
CANNABIS USED FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES
A large portion of our customer base use cannabis products for
medicinal applications. There are a wide range of medicinal uses for
cannabis including pain management, epilepsy, PTSD, seizures, loss
of appetite, anxiety & more. Cannabis is also commonly used to treat
alcoholism & addiction to opiates and other drugs.Page 20 of 480
EXCISE & SALES TAX
TOTALS FROM 2014 -2021
Only cities and counties that
allow retail cannabis will
receive portions of the excise
and sales tax.
$2,600,919,507
$9,583,647,462
Cannabis tax revenue collected
in Washington State.
In total Cannabis sales
2014-2021
Source: https://502data.comPage 21 of 480
DISTRIBUTION OF CANNABIS
REVENUE TO THE CITY OF SPOKANE
City FY16 Distribution FY17 Distribution FY18 Distribution FY19 Distribution FY20 Distribution FY21 Distribution FY22 Distribution
Spokane $94,065.02 $109,423.86 $442,967.93 $437,019.87 $449,175.64 $455,583.95 $608,243.83
https://lcb.wa.gov/records/frequently-requested-listsPage 22 of 480
WHO ELSE BENEFITS?
SERVICE ORIENTED & SURROUNDING BUSINESSES
There is a long list of non-cannabis
businesses that also benefit by
providing services. The excise and
sales tax is just a small piece of
the equation. Here is a short list
of businesses which also benefit
by providing services to cannabis
businesses: Insurance, Janitorial,
Marketing, Advertising, Office
supply, Contractors, Security,
property owners, Restaurants &
more.Page 23 of 480
MAKING IT WORK FOR PASCO
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?
We have a drafted Proposed Changes to Pasco Zoning
Provisions (PMC Title 25) to Allow Limited Operation of
Marijuana Retail Stores in the Central Business District.
City staff can edit as needed with councils approval.Page 24 of 480
INTRODUCTION
The Pasco Municipal Code currently prohibits the location or operation of any
marijuana business in the City of Pasco, whether or not such business is licensed
by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. (PMC 25.10.020(2)) The
purpose of the proposed amendments is to allow limited introduction of licensed
marijuana retail facilities into the Central Business District of the City of Pasco. If
adopted as written, the proposed amendments would continue to prohibit any
marijuana production or processing with the Pasco city limits, and would further
prohibit any marijuana retail stores outside of the Central Business District.Page 25 of 480
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES
Pasco’s zoning law is codified in Title 25 of the Pasco Municipal Code. The
proposed changes to Title 25 are narrowly focused to allow marijuana
retail stores only in the area identified in the code as the “C-2 Central
Business District.” The Central Business District is set forth on the city’s
zoning map and generally consists of 6 city blocks bounded on the north
by West Bonneville Street, on the south by West Columbia Street, and
between 2nd Avenue and 6th Avenue. The area comprises the older
central business district of Pasco, and includes Peanuts Park.Page 26 of 480
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME & CONSIDERATION
Page 27 of 480
AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council July 21, 2022
TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager City Council Workshop
Meeting: 7/25/22
FROM: Dave Zabell, City Manager
Executive
SUBJECT: COPA (Colima-Pasco Association) Presentation and Sponsorship
Request
I. REFERENCE(S):
Copa Sunset Concert Sponsor Packet
Art Walk & COPA Concert Flyer
Proposed Letter of Support
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Jose Iniguez, Downtown Pasco Development Authority Board Member, COPA
Event Organizer and COPA performer, will present the COPA Concert and Art
Walk scheduled in late September 2022.
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
$15,000 impact to general fund if request approved
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
Colima is a smaller rural Mexican state that has a sizable ex-patriate population
in Pasco. In 2016, “Somos Pasco” Economic Development Vision identified the
establishment of a Sister City/Trade Mission as an economic development
strategy. In 2018, City Council discussed a joint effort with the Port of Pasco to
pursue a relationship with Colima, Mexico, and authorized staff to continue
explore and develop a relationship.
In March 2019, the Governor of Colima sent the State Secretary of Economic
Development and State Secretary of Social Development on an exploratory
mission to Pasco. During this visit, the cabinet officials made presentations to
the City Council and various economic development and education groups. The
outpouring of support from the community was significant, and dozens of Pasco
residents volunteered to help continue developing the relationship.
Page 28 of 480
As a goodwill gesture for receiving the delegation, and to affirm his continued
interest in developing this relationship, the Governor of Colima and the Secretary
of Economic Development sent Chef Jennifer Arana of Cervezeria Colima/Casa
Trapiche to participate in the 2019 Pasco Cinco de Mayo Festival. Ms. Arana
also was the featured chef to launch the Chef’s Table Dinner Series at the Pasco
Specialty Kitchen. That visit was followed by a formal invitation from the
Governor of Colima to visit the state.
In June 2019, a local steering committee was formed to assign project teams to
develop projects in the areas of Economic Development and Trade; Edu cation
and Training; Public Safety, Health and Wellness; Arts and Culture; and Rotary
International Exchange. The meetings have been attended by 25-30 people,
representing over a dozen local and regional agencies. The group has also held
joint video planning meetings with counterparts in Colima.
In October 2019, a ten-member delegation of Pasco residents, technical experts
and City officials visited the State of Colima. Over a five -day period, the group
met with various state and community agencies, includ ing the Port of Manzanillo,
Rotary International, State Director of Culture and Tourism, and the Office of
Civil Protection. Various potential projects and programs were discussed and the
Governor reaffirmed his commitment to establishing and supporting a
Cooperation and Friendship Agreement with the City of Pasco.
At Council's November 9, 2019 Council Meeting, the Cooperation and Friendship
Agreement was approved.
V. DISCUSSION:
The Colima-Pasco Association, aka "COPA" was formed by community
members in late 2018.
The COPA Association has been diligently working behind the scenes for the
past two years planning for the upcoming COPA Symphony Concert and Art
Walk in downtown Pasco scheduled on the weekend of September 23 to
September 24, 2022. The Honorable Indira Vizcaino Siva, Governess of the
State of Colima, Mexico (or her representative) is scheduled to attend this event
along with a few musical performers from Colima along with local musicians from
the Mid-Columbia Symphony, the Mid-Columbia Master Singers and Jose
Iniguez. The Arts Foundation of Mid-Columbia will oversee the weekend Art
Walk event.
Jose Iniguez will present details of the COPA Concert and Art Walk, weeken d
schedule, and request monetary sponsorship to help support these community
Page 29 of 480
events (budget outline attached), as well as request to co -author, with Franklin
County Commissioners, support of the events.
Page 30 of 480
Dear Sponsor,
Please join us for an evening of enchantment with a merge of Classical music, Dance, Mariachi boleros and Art Walk.
Colima- Pasco COPA presents a 2-day event of unique music that pairs the beauty of opera aria and classical piano with
the charm of Mariachi Bolero. Headlining the 2-day event is your Mid-Columbia Symphony directed by Adrien Shields
with special guest conductor from the State Symphony of Colima Mx, Miguel Angel Alatorre Alvarez along with the Mid -
Columbia Master Singers and Mid-Columbia Ballet. Soloists Soprano Mariana del Rocio Delgado from the University of
Colima and Tenor Jose Iniguez will bring their vocal power to this magical evening. During the 2-day festivities will be
located at the newly renovated Peanuts Park in downtown Pasco and will be transformed in an Artisan and wine walk that
will bring artists from all disciplines from the Arts Foundation of the Mid-Columbia
We invite you to join us as a corporate or personal Sponsor, focused on the common goal of bringing this cultural
programming to Pasco, WA. Pasco families deserve this programming especially after 2 years of a grueling pandemic.
With your help we can make it available to a ll. This Concert is to highlight the special relationship between our region
with the state of Colima, WA and to welcome our keynote speaker Governor of the State of Colima Indira Vizcaino Silva.
Your sponsorship will make this event free to all. Sponsorship levels and details are outlined on the following pages.
Friday, September 23rd, 2022 – Program
4:00 PM Plaza Opens to over 100 artesian vendors. Music will be performed throughout the Art Walk
Wine, Food vendors will also be dispersed in the mark to have a energetic and diverse offering to
The Art Walk
8:30 PM Art Walk Ends
Saturday, September 24th, 2022 – Program
9:00 AM Farmers Market Opens
10:00 AM Art Walk Opens
5:00 PM
6:30 PM
Sound Check for Symphony
Act I - Mid-Columbia Ballet
Act II - Instrumental Symphony with Arias from our Colima Soprano Soloist Mariana
del Rocío Corona Delgado, professor from the University of Colima and Washington
State Tenor Jose Iniguez
8:30 PM Act III - Governess of Colima Indira Vizcaino Silva & Mayor of City of Pasco Blanche
Barajas (Cooperation Agreement Official Document signed)
Intermission
Page 31 of 480
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
Act IV - Duets of Mexican Boleros- accompanied by the Mid-Columbia Master Singers.
END!
We look forward to partnering with you for what promises to be an unforgettable evening. For more information or to
claim a Sponsorship Level, please contact Jose Iniguez at Encanto Arts at 509.547.7343 or email him at
president@encantoarts.org.
Sincerely,
Page 32 of 480
.
☐ Main Stage Level Admirer Sponsor - $15,000
This tier is open to just 2 companies or organizations: Multiple individuals can donate for this level.
● Level Sponsor will be recognized during the concert
● 10 VIP seating -
● Banner will show on the Stage.
● Pictures with the Symphony and Special Guest artists
☐ Orchestra Level Admirer Sponsorship - $10,000
This tier is open to Just 2 Company: Multiple individuals can donate for this level.
● (Historic) Be the first one to bring the Mid-Columbia Symphony to Pasco, WA
● 5 Seats in VIP Section - Pictures with the Symphony and Special Guest artists
● Level Sponsor will be recognized during the concert.
☐ Artist Level Admirer Sponsorship - $5,000
This tier is open to 2 Companies: Multiple individuals can donate for this level
● Level Sponsor will be recognized during the concert
● 2 Seats in VIP Section - Pictures with the Symphony and Special guest artists.
All company logos will be located on the concert poster. All media interviews concert sponsors will be
mentioned. All Sponsors will be invited to the Special Banquet with the Governess of Colima Indira Viscaino
Silva on September 23rd.
Sponsorships may qualify for a tax deduction. Please consult with your tax advisor.
Page 33 of 480
Sponsorship Level (Please check):
☐ Main Stage Level Sponsor $15,000 ☐ Orchestra Level Sponsor $10,000
☐ Artist Level Sponsor $5,000
Description:
Company or Individual Name (as you would like to be listed):
Contact Name:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Phone: E-mail:
Website:
Please e-mail company logo to: info@encantoarts.org (for inclusion in event promotions) For more info on
COPA please go to the home page: https://www.facebook.com/COPAPascoWashington
Please return completed Sponsorship Agreement Form to:
Colima Pasco Friendship & Cooperation Association
P.O Box 5331
Pasco, WA 99301
Make Checks Payable to: COPA
Note in Memo: COPA Sunset Symphony Concert
For sponsorship information, please contact Jos é Iñiguez 509.547.7343 or president@encantoarts.org
Page 34 of 480
SEPTEMBER 23 & 24, 2022
PEANUTS PARK PLAZA
OPENING THE SHOW,
A PERFORMANCE BY
PRODUCED BY ENCANTO ARTS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Art Walk 4:00 - 8:00 PM
by the Arts Foundation of Mid-Columbia
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Art Walk 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Copa Symphony Concert 6:00 PM
ART WALK FIESTA &
Celebrating the State of Colima, Mx
and the City of Pasco
Cooperation Agreement
OVER 100 ART VENDORS BEER GARDEN, WINE, MUSIC
Musicians from the Mid-Columbia Symphony directed by Adrienne Fletcher
Mid-Columbia Master Singers
Miguel Alatorre, Conductor from State of Colima, Mexico
Mariana del Rocio Corona Delgado, Maestra from the University of Colima
Jose Iñiguez, Tenor, Washington State
Governess of State of Colima, Mexico Honorable Indira Vizcaíno Silva (or representative)
Mayor of City of Pasco Honorable Blanche Barajas
Colima-Pasco Friendship & Collaboration Association President Gabriel Portugal
PERFORMERS
KEYNOTE
SPEAKERS
Page 35 of 480
Budget for Art Walk & COPA Symphony Concert Weekend Event
$2,000 – Entertainment for the Friday Night State of Colima Governor's Ball Mariachi
Imperio Real with WSU Music Student Alto Soloist Daniela Alpire Cabrera.
$10,000 – Travel for 5 Airplane Tickets with Hotel Rooms for:
Governess
2 Cabinet Members
Soprano
Conductor
$18,500 – Main Event COPA Symphony Concert (Permits, Chairs, Security, Symphony,
Choir, Ballet)
$15,000 – Stage and Sound (Request to the City of Pasco for Sponsorship)
Total Budget: $45,500
Page 36 of 480
Colima-Pasco Friendship and Collaboration Association
525 N Third Ave, Pasco, WA 99301, USA
July 22, 2022
Mayor Blanche Barajas
Pasco City Council
Franklin County Commissioners
COPA is in the advanced stage of planning for the visit to Pasco of the Governess of Colima
Mexico. This event, 3 years in the making, has been confirmed by the office of the
Governess.
The Governess Ball is planned for the Rotunda at Franklin County Courthouse on Friday,
September 23, 2022. 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Appetizers and wine will be catered by Ciao’s.
The Governess of Colima and the Mayor of Pasco will sign a cooperation agreement. The
stated goals are cooperation in the areas of Education, Cultural Exchange, Rotary
International, and Trade and Economic Development (ED).
The Symphony Concert and Gala event is planned for Saturday, September 24 in Downtown
Pasco’s newly renovated Peanuts Park.
The Franklin County Historical Society will draft the Cooperation Agreement for signatures.
City of Pasco and Franklin County staff have been involved in advanced planning. Now
these long-planned events are rapidly approaching.
The City of Pasco in cooperation with the Franklin County Commissioners agree to
coordinate efforts to welcome the Governess of Colima Mexico.
Blanche Barajas, Mayor Franklin County Commissioners
City of Pasco
__________________________________ ______________________________
Page 37 of 480
AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council July 19, 2022
TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager City Council Workshop
Meeting: 7/25/22
FROM: Eric Ferguson, City Attorney
Executive
SUBJECT: Discussion of Municipal Services with the Confederated Tribes of the
Colville Reservation
I. REFERENCE(S):
Municipal Services Cooperation Agreement - Confederated Tribes of the Colville
Reservation/City of Pasco
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Discussion
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
None
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are a federally recognized
Indian Tribe. The Colville Tribes purchased lands within the Pasco city limits. In
doing so, the stated intent of the Tribes is to reconnect the Palus Band, as well
as other Tribal members, with their ancestral areas and to develop and enhance
the property for the economic and cultural benefit of the Tribes, Tribal members,
and the surrounding Pasco community.
As background, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation consist of
twelve individual tribes; Chelan, Chief Joseph Band of Nez Perce, Colville, Eniat,
Lakes, Methow, Moses-Columbia, Nespelem, Okanogan, Palus, San Poil and
Wenatchi. The Colville Reservation encompasses and area of 1.4 Mi llion Acres
with a Tribal enrollment of 8,507 members.
What are often referred to as the Tribes' traditional territories once encompassed
most of what we know today as eastern Washington state extending into
Page 38 of 480
Canada, Idaho and Oregon. The Palus Band, shares a long and ancient history
within a region that includes much of current day Pasco.
In mid-2019, the Colville Tribal Council and Chairman extended invitations to the
Pasco City Council and City Manager to share information about their proposals
for their newly purchased land in Pasco, discuss necessary processes, learn of
the City’s plans, explore mutual interests and areas for partnerships, and
establish and begin building a strong government-to-government relationship
built on trust and transparency. These meetings, conducted in Pasco and at the
Lucy F. Covington Government Center in Nespelem, were both productive in
laying the foundation for a relationship between the Tribes and the City.
October 31, 2019, Council approved an "Agreement in Princ iple" between the
Tribes and the City. The agreement cites the respective authority of the Tribe
and the City to establish a government -to-government relationship; discusses
the motivation(s) for the Tribes decision to purchase property in Pasco, the most
symbolic being the Palus Band’s physical and historical connection to the region;
and the desire of the Tribe and City to collaborate and cooperate on matters of
mutual interest specific to the property and to the benefit of the Tribes, Tribal
members, the City and it residents and business community.
The agreement contemplates that the parties will begin developing processes
and procedures to facilitate cooperation between the City and the Tribes on
multiple issues, including but not limited to: the Fee land to Trust land process,
educational and cultural exchange, tourism, media and community outreach and
communications protocols.
The agreement makes clear that the term is open-ended, may be terminated by
either party with formal notice, and is not legally binding.
Over the past several months, the Colville Tribes have asked the City to consider
entering a binding agreement for the purposes of obtaining support from the City
in the Tribes’ “Fee to Trust Application” to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as w ell
as laying the framework for negotiations for future binding “Comprehensive
Municipal Services Agreements” that would provide municipal services before
and after Tribal property obtains Trust status.
V. DISCUSSION:
Tonight, Council has an opportunity to discuss the proposed municipal services
agreement for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation related to their
property located within Pasco's city-limits.
Highlights of the proposed agreement are as follows:
Page 39 of 480
• Defines municipal services.
• Describes the need for a future Comprehensive Municipal Services
agreement at such time tribally owned property transfers to trust status.
• While the property remains in fee status, obligates the City to provide its
municipal services to and for the Tribal property consistent with what it
would do for any other municipal services recipients and/or customers.
• Obligates the Tribe to pay for said municipal services on the same basis
as other fee status property owners through taxes and/or fee schedules.
• The City acknowledges changes in jurisdiction associated with the
transfer of property from fee status to trust status.
The above bulleted items pertaining to municipal services are routine in these
situations.
The agreement also requires that the City provide written support for the Colville
Tribes’ Fee to Trust Application(s), specifically, that the support be in the form of
official correspondence signed by authorized officials of the City, and provided
to the Tribes for submission to the Department of the Interior with the Tribes’ Fee
to Trust Application(s). This is provision is consistent with initial and subsequent
discussions among tribal leaders and City Councilmembers, and staff to staff.
Such support is however a noteworthy policy decision for the Council warranting
discussion.
The proposed agreement represents a next major step on the path the City and
Colvilles embarked on together in October of 2019. The proposed agreement
provide assurances to the City that it will be made whole for the cost of providing
municipal services while the property is in fee status, outlines a process when
properties go to trust status, and is consistent with discussions over the past
three years. Approval of the agreement would serve to aid the Colvilles stated
economic development efforts in Pasco.
Page 40 of 480
MUNICIPAL SERVICES COOPERATION AGREEMENT
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION/
CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON
Page 1 of 5
Municipal Services Cooperation Agreement
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation/City of Pasco
This Municipal Services Cooperation Agreement (“Cooperation Agreement” or
“Agreement”) is by and between the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (hereinafter
“the Tribes” or “Colville Tribes”), and the City of Pasco, Washington (hereinafter “Pasco” or “the
City”), each, hereinafter “Party,” and collectively, hereinafter “the Parties.”
Recitals
Whereas, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have purchased certain
property within the boundaries of the City of Pasco and in Franklin County, Washington (the
“Tribal Property” or “Property”); and
Whereas, the Colville Tribes will submit application(s) (“Fee to Trust Application(s)”) to
the United States Department of the Interior (“Department of the Interior”) requesting that the
United States take title to the Tribal Property in trust status and for the benefit of the Colville
Tribes; and
Whereas, the Parties agree that the development of the Tribal Property (the “Pasco
Project” or “Project”) will result in positive economic benefits for both the Tribes and its members
and the City and the citizens of the region; and
Whereas, the City wishes to support the Tribes’ Fee to Trust Application(s); and
Whereas, the Parties have previously signed an “Agreement in Principle” outlining their
intentions to work cooperatively in the future with regard to the Pasco Project; and
Whereas, the Parties intend to enter into this and future mutually-beneficial agreements
for the delivery of specific City Municipal Services to the Property; and
Whereas, the purpose of this Agreement is to set forth understandings of the Colville
Tribes and the City with regard to the provision of City Municipal Services to the Tribes’ Project
in Pasco;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the above recitals and the mutual promises and
covenants hereinafter set forth and for other good and valuable consideration as set forth herein
the sufficiency of which is expressly acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
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MUNICIPAL SERVICES COOPERATION AGREEMENT
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION/
CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON
Page 2 of 5
1.0 Definition of “Municipal Services”
For the purposes of this Agreement, the term “Municipal Services” includes such
services as the City provides to the general public, such as, but not limited to, fire
suppression, paramedic and ambulance services, law enforcement, court services,
street frontage, and other services typically funded and paid for from real property
taxes and/or fee schedules, and utilities, including, but not limited to, storm water,
and sewer and water services, paid for by utility customers through utility billings.
2.0 Tribal/City “Comprehensive Municipal Services Agreement”
When the Tribes has a reasonable belief that all or a portion of the Tribally-owned
Owned Property (Tribal Property) located within the City of Pasco will be
transferred to trust status, such that those City of Pasco services funded and paid
for from real property taxes and/or fee schedules may not be paid for the Tribal
Property once in trust status, the Parties will begin negotiations in good faith to
develop one or more Comprehensive Municipal Services Agreement/Agreements
(“Comprehensive Agreement/s”) which will address the delivery of Municipal
Services to the Tribes’ Property in Pasco and other issues relating thereto.
3.0 Municipal Services Delivery to Tribal Properties in Pasco
3.1 The Parties agree that providing City Municipal Services to the Tribal
Property benefits the Tribes and the City and the citizens of the region by
protecting the health and safety of persons on or near the Property as well
as protecting structures on or near the Property.
3.2 The Parties agree that regardless of the status of the Tribal Property, whether
in fee status or in trust, the City will provide its municipal services to and
for the Tribal property consistent with what it would do for any other
municipal services recipients and/or customers.
3.3 The Parties agree that normal payments for City of Pasco utility services,
including but not limited to, water, sewer, storm drainage and irrigation
water, in accordance with established utility rates should be made by the
Tribe or by the United States Department of the Interior (“Department of
the Interior”) or by such bureau or agency thereof responsible for making
payments the for such utilities provided to and/or used by the Tribal
Property.
3.4 The Parties agree that so long as the Tribal Property is in fee status, the
Tribe shall pay for those Municipal Services funded and paid for from real
property taxes and/or fee schedules in the normal course.
3.5 The Parties further recognize that after one or more of the Tribal Property
parcels located within the City of Pasco is transferred to trust status and held
by the United States for the benefit of the Tribes, that property becomes
“Indian Country” as that term is defined by federal law, and the property
and persons and activities on the property will be subject to applicable tribal
or (in some cases) federal regulations, civil, and criminal law, and Tribal
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MUNICIPAL SERVICES COOPERATION AGREEMENT
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION/
CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON
Page 3 of 5
Agreements. In the event of trust status of such Tribal Property or any part
thereof, the Parties shall negotiate issues of payments for non-utility City of
Pasco municipal services, with payment for utility services remaining as
provided in Section 3.3 above.
3.6 The Parties agree that once the Tribes commence operation of a gaming
facility located within the City of Pasco, the City’s shall be given priority
in funding from the Impact Mitigation funds from net win proceeds from
Class III gaming activities. Payment for utility services shall remain as
provided in Section 3.3 above.
4.0 Support of Fee-to-Trust Application(s)
The City agrees to provide written support for the Colville Tribes’ Fee to Trust
Application(s). Such support will be in the form of official correspondence signed
by authorized officials of the City, and provided to the Tribes for submission to the
Department of the Interior with the Tribes’ Fee to Trust Application(s).
5.0 Severability
If any provision of this Cooperation Agreement is held to be illegal, invalid or
unenforceable under applicable law in effect at the time of its execution, the
provision shall be fully severable. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced
as if such illegal, invalid, or unenforceable provision had never comprised a part of
this Agreement, and the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full
force and effect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement shall be equally
enforceable on the parties.
6.0 Scope
This Cooperation Agreement is intended to apply to and shall be construed to apply
solely to the Tribal Property for which the Tribes’ Fee to Trust Application(s) are
submitted to the Department of the Interior, and shall not be construed to apply to
any other property owned by the Tribes.
7.0 Notices
Any notice or other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and
shall be deemed to be delivered on: (a) the date of delivery if delivered in person or
by electronic mail; or (b) upon the date of delivery indicated if delivered by express
mail; or (c) three days after being deposited in the U.S. Mail, certified or registered,
postage prepaid and addressed to the Party at the address stated below Agreement
or such other address as either Party may designate by written notice to the other.
Page 43 of 480
MUNICIPAL SERVICES COOPERATION AGREEMENT
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION/
CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON
Page 4 of 5
For the City of Pasco:
___________________
___________________
___________________
For the Tribes:
Executive Director
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
PO Box 150
Nespelem, WA 99155
8.0 Termination
Should the Colville Tribes officially withdraw the Tribe’s Fee to Trust
Application(s) for the Tribal Property and notify the City of such withdrawal, either
Party may terminate this Agreement with ninety (90) days’ written notice to the
other, provided that the provisions for payment of City of Pasco utility and non-
utility services shall remain in effect so long as such services are provided to the
Tribal Property.
9.0 Effective Date
This Agreement shall take effect upon its signing by the authorized representatives
of both Parties and remain in effect for a period of ten (10) years unless terminated
pursuant to its terms herein or superseded by a future agreement/future agreements,
provided that the provisions for payment of City of Pasco utility and non-utility
services shall remain in effect so long as such services are provided to the Tribal
Property, unless those payment provisions are addressed in a superseding
agreement.
The persons signing below are authorized by their respective governments to enter into this
Municipal Services Cooperation Agreement.
For the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation:
______________________________________________ Date:___________
Andrew Joseph, Jr., Chairman
For the City of Pasco
Page 44 of 480
MUNICIPAL SERVICES COOPERATION AGREEMENT
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION/
CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON
Page 5 of 5
_______________________________________________ Date:___________
Page 45 of 480
AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council July 20, 2022
TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager City Council Workshop
Meeting: 7/25/22
FROM: Bob Gear, Fire Chief
Fire Department
SUBJECT: Resolution - 2022 Fire & Ambulance Services Master Plan
I. REFERENCE(S):
Proposed Resolution
Fire and Ambulance Services Master Plan
PowerPoint Presentation
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Don Bivins, Principal for Bivins Consulting, LLC, will present the Pasco Fire
Department Master Plan update.
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
Projected impacts are discussed generally in the plan, and will be refined in the
subsequent strategic plan. As elements of the plan are implemented, budget
documents will define the scope and budget impact along with potential funding
mechanisms. Future fiscal impacts will be determined by Council as part of the
budget process.
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
During the November 7, 2016, Council meeting, the 2016 Emergency Services
Master Plan for Fire & Ambulance services was adopted by motion. While tha t
plan was meant to be a 10-year plan, the projects and impacts associated with
the growth of the city resulted in the scope of the Master Plan to be completed
ahead of the 10-year time frame.
The 2019 Strategic Plan update recommended a Master Plan update based on
the continued rapid growth of the City and progress the City had made at that
time in implementing the 2016 Master Plan – stating “A Master Plan update is
needed to address the enormous growth projections based on the recently
Page 46 of 480
adopted City of Pasco Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The projections therein
will further challenge PFD to meet the service demand that will come with
expanded urban growth boundaries, increased population, new development,
and new commercial/gaming sites.” Based on these items, an update of Master
Plan was completed in 2022 addressing the significant expected growth of the
city and the associated impacts to Fire and Ambulance services for the City of
Pasco. The Master Plan outlines a series of near, mid, and long term stra tegies
to address the current and future conditions for the Fire Department.
V. DISCUSSION:
Bivins Consulting, LLC was contacted requesting an update to the 2016 Master
Plan. Work began on the Master Plan shortly after the completion of the 2019
Strategic Plan, which was adopted in early 2020 by Council. The consultant was
familiar with Pasco Fire from prior interactions and had the available resources
to conduct an update to the Master Plan with assistance of internal Pasco
stakeholders.
The updated Master Plan purpose and approach was to understand the risks
Pasco is faced with today, anticipate community growth (and associated risk)
and recommend steps to position the department to address the growth in
advance with appropriate resources and infrastructure. The plan provides
information regarding the growth and what policy and budget support will be
required to address and manage the identified risks.
The Master Plan consists of four sections:
1. Baseline assessment of current conditions and service performance;
2. Assess potential future community conditions, service demand, and fire
protections risks;
3. Identify future service delivery system needs; and
4. Recommended short, medium, and long term strateg ies to meet the
needs of the community now and into the future, keeping pace with growth
and addressing gaps in the existing system where possible.
Using both the updated Master Plan and the current Strategic Plan, the Pasco
Fire Department will have a road map to address both specific and general policy
and financial requirements to maintain a high level of service delivery as the City
continues to grow.
As is the case with the recently adopted Police Master Plan, adoption of the Fire
Master Plan sets a general course for the Fire Department, providing staff with
high-level policy guidance which may translate to future programs, allocation of
resources, etc. subject to; change in circumstances, available resources, and in
most cases subsequent Council action. With that, staff recommends Council
adopt the updated 2022 Master Plan for the Fire Department.
Page 47 of 480
Page 48 of 480
Resolution – 2022 Pasco Fire Department Fire &
Ambulance Services Master Plan - 1
RESOLUTION NO. 4201
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON
APPROVING THE PASCO FIRE DEPARTMENT 2022 FIRE & AMBULANCE
SERVICES MASTER PLAN.
WHEREAS, the Pasco Fire Department first prepared a master plan in 2016 for fire and
ambulance services and it was approved by Council at their November 7, 2016, Council Meeting;
and
WHEREAS, it is now time to revise and replace the Pasco Fire Department’s Fire &
Ambulance Services Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City of Pasco retained Bivins Consulting, LLC to conduct an update of
the Fire Department’s 2022 Fire and Ambulance Master Plan (“Master Plan”) incorporating the
anticipated changes and growth of the City to update the Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the recommendations in this Master Plan are made based on fire and
emergency services best practices, current and expected Pasco Fire experience, and guidelines
established by professional industry organizations; and
WHEREAS, the detailed plan is the roadmap of how the Pasco Fire Department can
evolve, using available staffing and resources to promote the stated City Council Goals which
represent the community and the Department’s Mission, Vision and Values.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF PASCO, WASHINGTON:
That the Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan meets the priorities of the City Council’s
goals related to Community Safety by addressing the “adoption and develop implementation
strategies for Comprehensive Fire Master Plan aimed at maintaining the current Washington State
Rating Bureau Class 3 community rating;” and the “collaboration with regional partners to
influence strategies to reduce incidences of homeless by leveraging existing resources such as the
newly implemented 0.1% mental health sales tax, use of resource navigator programs, and other
efforts.”
Be It Further Resolved, that the City of Pasco hereby adopts the Pasco Fire Department
2022 Fire & Ambulance Master Plan as attached hereto as Exhibit A; and
Be It Further Resolved, that this Resolution shall take effect immediately.
Page 49 of 480
Resolution – 2022 Pasco Fire Department Fire &
Ambulance Services Master Plan - 2
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Pasco, Washington this ___ day of _______,
2022.
_____________________________
Blanche Barajas
Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________ __________________________
Debra Barham, CMC Kerr Ferguson Law, PLLC
City Clerk City Attorneys
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2021 Master Plan
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2021 Master Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GLOSSARY OF TERMS ............................................................................................................................II
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...........................................................................................................................III
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................I
Purpose & Approach .............................................................................................................................i
Baseline Assessment .............................................................................................................................i
Improvement Strategies ...................................................................................................................... ix
EVALUATION OF CURRENT CONDITIONS ............................................................................................ 1
Organization Overview ...................................................................................................................... 1
City Governance & Structure ................................................................................................................................... 1
Pasco Demographics .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Pasco Fire Department Structure ............................................................................................................................. 3
Agency Comparisons .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Management Components .................................................................................................................. 9
Management Elements ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Management Documents and Processes ............................................................................................................... 10
Critical Issues ............................................................................................................................................................. 11
Communication .......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Record Keeping, Documentation, & Security ....................................................................................................... 11
Capital Assets and Capital Improvement Programs .......................................................................... 13
Facilities ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Apparatus .................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Staffing & Personnel .......................................................................................................................... 25
Administrative and Support Staffing .................................................................................................................... 25
Emergency Response Staffing ................................................................................................................................ 26
Personnel Management ........................................................................................................................................... 27
Service Delivery and Performance .................................................................................................... 30
Service Demand ........................................................................................................................................................ 30
Distribution of Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 36
Concentration of Resources ..................................................................................................................................... 43
Reliability of Response Units .................................................................................................................................. 45
Response Performance Summary .......................................................................................................................... 49
Mutual and Automatic Aid Systems ....................................................................................................................... 52
Incident Control and Management ........................................................................................................................ 53
Training Program .............................................................................................................................. 54
General Training Competencies ............................................................................................................................ 54
Training Administration ............................................................................................................................................ 55
Training Facilities ...................................................................................................................................................... 55
Training Manual ........................................................................................................................................................ 56
Training Record Keeping ......................................................................................................................................... 56
Community Risk Assessment & Reduction Program ......................................................................... 57
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2021 Master Plan
Community Risk Assessment ..................................................................................................................................... 57
Community Risk Reduction ....................................................................................................................................... 60
Emergency Medical Services ............................................................................................................. 62
Medical Direction & Control ................................................................................................................................... 62
Quality Assurance & Quality Improvement ......................................................................................................... 63
Clinical Skills & Continuing Education ................................................................................................................... 64
EMS Staffing & Operations .................................................................................................................................... 64
EMS Administration ................................................................................................................................................... 64
EMS Logistics .............................................................................................................................................................. 65
HAZMAT Services Support and Response Capability ....................................................................... 66
Specialized Response Services .......................................................................................................... 68
Types of Technical Rescue ....................................................................................................................................... 68
Technical Rescue Team Configuration ................................................................................................................... 69
Fire Department Planning .................................................................................................................. 70
Response Performance Planning ............................................................................................................................ 70
Community Risk Assessment Planning .................................................................................................................... 71
Community Risk Reduction Planning ...................................................................................................................... 71
Community Growth Planning .................................................................................................................................. 72
Target Hazard Response Planning ........................................................................................................................ 73
Resource Planning ..................................................................................................................................................... 73
Financial Planning ..................................................................................................................................................... 76
Succession Planning .................................................................................................................................................. 76
Organizational Work Planning.............................................................................................................................. 77
Airport Impacts .................................................................................................................................. 78
Adequacy of Current ARFF Response Capability at Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) ............................................... 79
PSC Growth Impacts on PFD................................................................................................................................... 81
Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau ........................................................................................... 82
WSRB & the Pasco Fire Department ..................................................................................................................... 83
Protection Class Maintenance ................................................................................................................................. 83
Fiscal Review of Current Conditions ................................................................................................. 88
City Economic Context ............................................................................................................................................. 88
Historical Revenues and Expenses ......................................................................................................................... 91
FUTURE SYSTEM DEMAND PROJECTIONS .......................................................................................... 94
Population Growth History & Projection ........................................................................................... 94
Comprehensive Plan and PFD ................................................................................................................................ 97
Demographics ............................................................................................................................................................ 98
Service Demand Projection .............................................................................................................. 100
FUTURE DELIVERY SYSTEM ................................................................................................................ 102
Near-Term Improvements ................................................................................................................ 102
Mid-Term Improvements ................................................................................................................. 104
Long-Term Improvements ................................................................................................................ 111
APPENDIX A: TABLE OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... 113
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2021 Master Plan
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Automatic Aid: Assistance dispatched automatically by contractual agreement between two or more
communities or a region to all first alarm structural fires.
Effective Response Force (ERF): The minimum number of firefighters and equipment that must reach a specific
emergency incident location within a maximum prescribed travel [driving] time. This is established by various
agencies, such as the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau, the NFPA, and local elected officials. At the
local level, this is established after conducting a risk assessment and is usually enumerated within a Standards
of Cover created by the local agency.
Mutual Aid: Assistance that is dispatched, upon request, by the responding (host) fire department. Usually, it is
requested upon arrival at the scene by the responsible jurisdiction. Mutual aid is defined by a signed contractual
agreement.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): An international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating
death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The organization does this
primarily through the development of codes and standards.
Peak Demand Unit: A unit configured for its primary mission (as used in this report, a medical unit) with staff
and equipment assigned. As the name implies, the unit is assigned to serve during peak hours of service demand,
augmenting existing 24-hour resources. Usually assigned ten to twelve hours per day, it is assigned to serve a
geographical area (often not just one fire station area) for this peak period of time, reducing the demand
burden on the 24-hour units during those peak hours.
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2021 Master Plan
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The consultant thanks all the members of the Pasco Fire Department, the Mayor, Council members, and City
Manager of the City of Pasco for their dedication and commitment to providing the highest levels of service
possible within the constraints of available revenue.
All members contacted during this study fully engaged in the process and were professional, positive, and
devoted to PFD. Members and leadership together were motivated to make the organization and community
an even better place to work and live. The consultant genuinely enjoyed working with the group.
In addition, the Pasco Fire Department liaison to the consultant was key to the success of this report. Battalion
Chief Matt Nelson made himself available throughout the life of this project at all hours and on his days off to
ensure a smooth flow of information was provided. He provided logistical support, ensured the right people
were contacted and consulted, while also tracking down datapoint discrepancies.
To help keep costs down and to utilize the in-house expertise at the City of Pasco, the consultant was assisted
ably by Pasco Fire Department administrative staff, as well as Pasco Finance Director Richa Sigdel, Pasco GIS
staff (DeShawn Robins, Jerry Dilger, and Jenn Smithyman), and Pasco Senior Planner Jacob Gonzalez.
Finally, Pasco Fire Department is to be congratulated for its commitment to planning, data gathering, and data
analysis. While many fire departments gather data, few take the next step to analyze what the data indicates
in terms of service efficacy and efficiency. Planning is a highly valued ethic within PFD. The residents of Pasco
should be rightfully proud of their fire department. They are well served by these professionals.
City of Pasco Mayor and Council
Mayor Blanche Barajas
Mayor Pro-Tem Craig Maloney
Councilmember Joseph Campos
Councilmember Irving Brown, Sr.
Councilmember Pete Serrano
Councilmember David Milne
Councilmember Zahra Roach
City Manager
Dave Zabell
Pasco Fire Department
Bob Gear, Fire Chief
Edward Dunbar, Deputy Chief
Patrick Reid, Deputy Chief
Matt T. Nelson, Battalion Chief
-and-
The men and women of PFD who made this study possible,
and who serve the community with tireless energy and professionalism.
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2021 Master Plan
i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Bivins Consulting LLC was engaged by the City of Pasco Fire Department (PFD) to conduct an update to the
2016 Emergency Services Master Plan for the fire department. Project work was initiated on March 1, 2021,
and completed in June 2022. Data was analyzed for the last full year available (2021). This report reflects
the conditions in place during that time. This Master Plan is an update to the Master Plan conducted by
Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) in 2016. Bivins Consulting LLC is not affiliated with ESCI and
conducted this Master Plan Update as an independent contractor with the assistance of internal Pasco
stakeholders.
P urpose & Approach
The purpose of a master plan for the fire service is to understand where the PFD is in relation to the risks the
community is faced with today, anticipate community growth (and therefore service demand growth), and
recommend steps to take to position the department to address that growth in advance with appropriate
resources and infrastructure. In short, a master plan is a tool to help keep the department from lagging behind
community growth and development, maintaining or enhancing service as the community grows. It is an effective
policy-making and budgeting tool as well. Knowing where and how the community will grow into the future and
what the fire department will need in terms of policy and budget support to address it—well in advance—is
critical information for the City Council in their policy making role.
This Master Plan update is divided into four sections as follows: 1) conduct a baseline assessment of the current
conditions and current service performance of the fire department; 2) assess the potential future community
growth; 3) identify the future service delivery system needs to address that growth; and 4) recommend short-,
medium-, and long-term improvements to meet the needs of the community now and into the foreseeable future,
keeping pace with growth and address gaps in the existing system where possible.
Baseline Assessment
The PFD is a modern fire department with the appropriate equipment, new facilities in two locations, and
personnel who are well trained and professional. With 83 total personnel, Pasco has a low level of staff as
compared to their comparable jurisdictions.1 Incident demand is also lower than their comparable agencies. PFD
uses its Community Risk Reduction program to redirect less emergent calls toward other, more appropriate social
service agencies. This has the effect of reducing the number of non-emergent calls for service, increasing the
likelihood units will be available for a true emergency.
1 See Figure 23: Comparable Agency Staffing Levels (2020)*
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2021 Master Plan
ii
This is an important philosophy to embrace, given the growth Pasco is projected to experience. The estimated
population of Pasco is 78,7002 for 2021. This is significant as the City has grown by over 25.8 percent over
the last ten years. While Kennewick is larger by population than either of the other two cities that make up the
Tri-Cities, Pasco (median annual growth rate of 2.53%) is rapidly catching up, and their growth rate has been
significantly outpacing that of Kennewick (median annual growth rate of 1.63%) and Richland (median annual
growth rate of 1.53%) over that same period. The City’s recently adopted Comprehensive Land Use Plan
anticipates that Pasco will reach a population of 121,828 by the year 2038; the addition of almost 45,000
additional residents between now and then.
The City Council has adopted a goal to maintain the excellent Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB)
Public Protection Class (PPC) three (3), which was awarded in 2019. A reduced rating reduces fire insurance
premiums paid by businesses whose insurance companies rely on the PPC ratings and can make a positive
difference in homeowner insurance premiums. A closer analysis of the rating is conducted within this report,
along with recommendations to strengthen the Class 3.
Service Delivery and Response Performance
PFD has a lower frequency for EMS incidents than its counterparts, at almost 70 percent (69.8%) of total calls
for service (demand). However, this is likely due to the aggressive actions of the department’s Community Risk
Reduction program and the Pasco Resource Coordinator redirecting otherwise inappropriate use of the 9-1-1
response system toward more appropriate social services. Pasco experiences 3.5 fires per 1,000 population,
which is just below the median of four for their peer group. Fire loss is second highest among the peer group at
$2,997,175.
Monthly service demand varies within a range of 2.7 percent throughout the year. In general, the lowest service
demand occurs during April (7.1% or 442 calls) and May (7.3% or 455 calls). July (9.8% or 604 calls), August
(9.5% or 591 calls), and December (9.1% or 566 calls) demonstrate the greatest service demand for the year.
PFD hourly service demand correlates with the activity of people, with workload increasing during daytime
hours and decreasing during nighttime hours. Incident activity is at its highest between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00
p.m., which is the identical peak as the 2016 master plan identified. Over 70 percent (70.7%) of calls for
service occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., which is over 6% higher than the 2016 master plan identified
for the same time frame.
Emergency response activity is concentrated in two large areas, as is depicted in the following heat map. These
large concentrations of calls occur within close proximity of existing fire stations, reducing travel time for
emergencies. In the last six years, PFD service demand has expanded the concentration of responses in two
ways; the 2016 hot spot (hereinafter referred to as the Station 81 hot spot) has expanded in 2021 to extend
substantially west of Highway 395 and north of Interstate 182, and a second large hot spot surrounding Station
83 (hereinafter referred to as the Station 83 hot spot) has developed in 2021 and expanded to both sides of
Interstate 182. It is approximately the same size as the Station 81 hot spot. The Station 83 hot spot growth was
anticipated in the 2016 master plan, although not as quickly as has occurred. Combined, a significant majority
of the city is within a hot spot.
2 Washington State Office of Financial Management, Forecasting and Research Division, acquired 5-29-2022.
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2021 Master Plan
iii
City of Pasco, Incident Density – 2021
The following map illustrates potential travel time capability (in green), assuming all apparatus are in quarters
and available to respond. Approximately 96 percent of the incidents that occurred in 2021 were within 6
minutes travel time of a staffed fire station within the city limits. If the urban growth boundary were included,
the percentage changes to 95 percent within six minutes. This is a slight improvement over the 2016 master plan
(95 percent within the city limits).
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2021 Master Plan
iv
PFD Travel Time Model & Incident Distribution
The following map demonstrates actual travel time performance within half-square-mile fire management zones.
The areas in green indicate PFD met the travel time goal of 6-minutes or less 90 percent of the time. The yellow
indicates the 6-minute goal was achieved between 70 percent to 89.9 percent of the time. The red indicates
the 6-minute goal was achieved less than 70 percent of the time. This reflects an overall decline in geographical
performance, but not necessarily overall performance and can be attributed to the lack of a well-connected
transportation system in some areas, rail disruptions, and significantly, concurrent call volume. It is also important
to note that each fire management zone is not equal or balanced in terms of call volume and demand for
service.
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2021 Master Plan
v
Actual Travel Time Compliance by Fire Management Zone, 2021
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a national fire service consensus codes- and standards-making
agency. NFPA 1710 Standard specifies that the full first alarm assignment (17 personnel when aerial apparatus
are assigned) for a moderate risk structure fire (a 2,000 square foot, two-story residence) should arrive within
8 minutes travel time, 90 percent of the time.
The following map reflects the concentration of resources and demonstrates that only along the central portion
of Interstate 182 and the southern portion of State Route 395 in Pasco are within 8 minutes or less travel time
of all four of the PFD stations. The northwest part of Pasco and much of the east side of Pasco only deliver one
fire station to the areas highlighted within the 8-minute national standard. This is significant and will be
addressed in the recommendations portion of this report.
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2021 Master Plan
vi
Station Concentration, 8 Minute Reach From Staffed Stations
PFD has adopted a travel time goal of 12 minutes for the arrival of the full first alarm assignment to a fire
suppression event 90 percent of the time. The following map demonstrates the portions of the PFD service area
that are within 12 minutes or less travel time of all four staffed fire stations.
At 12 minutes or less travel time, PFD can assemble the staffing for a full first alarm (referred to as an effective
response force, or ERF) within the center of the service area (highlighted in green). Again, this map models
potential travel time, assuming all apparatus and personnel are available.
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2021 Master Plan
vii
Simultaneous or concurrent incidents can also affect a fire department’s ability to muster sufficient resources to
respond to additional emergencies. A concurrent call is defined as an incident dispatched in the same station
area as another call within 30 minutes of each other.
These concurrent calls are illustrated on a station-by-station basis in the following chart.
Concurrent Incidents by Station Area, 2021
Location Concurrent
Events
% of All
Calls
% in
2015
Station 81 327 16.18% 15.4%
Station 82 162 11.18% 13.2%
Station 83 442 19.53% 12.3%
Station 84 96 8.81% N/A
In 2021, concurrent calls for service overall occurred 1,027 times. This is significantly lower than the 2015
numbers cited in the 2016 master plan (1,843). The decline is likely due to a fourth station being staffed, causing
the burden to be shared across a larger base and causing neighboring station boundaries to be adjusted to a
smaller footprint.
The following chart displays the current PFD response performance goals at the 90th percentile and the
department’s actual response performance in 2021 in the City of Pasco.
Full First Alarm (ERF), 12 Minutes Travel Time (PFD Travel Time Goal), 2021
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viii
Response Performance Goals & Actual Performance, 2021
Response
Type
Turnout
Obj.
(mm:ss)
2021
Actual
(mm:ss)
Travel Obj.
(mm:ss)
2021
Actual
(mm:ss)
Fire Suppression Response 2:00 2:14 6:00 8:27
Full First Alarm—Fire Suppression Response N/A N/A 12:00 12:35
First Arriving Medical Unit (BLS or ALS) 2:00 2:14 6:00 6:44
First Arriving ALS Unit 2:00 2:14 6:00 6:40
Hazardous Material 2:00 2:14 6:00 7:51
Technical Rescue 2:00 2:14 6:00 15:11
ARFF N/A N/A 3:00 3:37
Wildland 2:00 2:14 6:00 8:29
Projections
The City of Pasco Urban Growth Area & Comprehensive Plan – 2018–2038 Update (Comp Plan) projects a
population of 121,828 by the year 2038, which is equates to the addition of almost 45,000 additional residents
in the next eighteen years. By extrapolating the mean number of emergency responses per one thousand
residents historically (93.29 per 1,000), service demand can be projected as it coincides with population growth.
By 2038, Pasco Fire Department will be experiencing almost ten-thousand calls for emergency services. This is
a conservative projection, since it is unknown at this time whether the 18.53% growth in demand in 2021 over
2020 is an anomaly, a result of the pandemic, or a new, more aggressive trend in service demand growth
going forward.
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Improvement Strategies
The near-term strategies listed in this report are a compilation of the recommendations aimed at improving the
current conditions of the Pasco Fire Department. While the consultant felt that PFD was a highly-skilled, well-
managed, and professional organization, there is always room for improvement. The recommendations compiled
throughout the report are consolidated at the end of this report for ease of review and implementation. The
mid- and long-term strategies are explained in greater detail under the Future Delivery System section of this
report.
NEAR TERM STRATEGIES
There are 24 near-term strategies for improvement in various sections of this report. Most are easily
implemented with relatively low or moderate cost. Recommended mid- and long-term strategies will require
budget discussions to prioritize the changes, financial resources if approved for implementation, and
development of an implementation calendar.
MID- AND LONG -TERM STRATEGIES
The following are mid- and long-term strategies for improvement or increased efficiency.
• Regional Training Manual: The creation and application of a single standardized training manual for
the region will provide for more consistent training, better on-scene coordination, and improved
firefighter safety. With firefighters of Benton and Franklin County fire departments trained in the same
techniques, responders to emergency incidents can be confident that they will be prepared to work
effectively as a team. The cost for this endeavor is staff time to attend meetings, draft training manual
sections, and implement the regional training manual.
• Peak Demand Units (PDUs): PDUs are typically staffed and deployed during the most statistically busy
times of the day and week, which make the unit less costly and more flexibly deployed, both by time
of day and geography. In any usage of this concept, it is important to understand that the value is
added when the unit is deployed as an adjunct to existing staffing patterns. Otherwise, it compromises
overall response capability. Deployment of a PDU during the busiest times of the day (between 8 or 9
a.m. to 8 p.m.) would also help reduce deficiency points assigned by the Washington Surveying and
Rating Bureau for staffing levels during the day (currently 74 deficiency points). The cost of a medical
unit as a PDU would be approximately $530,000 for the unit fully equipped (one-time capital cost),
with the staffing costing approximately $1,000,000 fully loaded annually.
• Staffing Increases: Administrative support would be bolstered by adding a Management Analyst to
the management team at PFD. This position can routinely compute response statistics, calculate
alternative response scenarios, and generally provide the management team with exceptional, real-
time data to make sound management decisions. The cost for this position is approximately $95,000
and would be a civilian position.
The Pasco Fire Department currently has one Administrative Assistant for the entire fire department.
With a Fire Chief and Two Deputy Chiefs, plus administratively assigned line personnel (EMS Officer,
Training Officer, Community Risk Reduction Specialist), the clerical support is insufficient to support these
activities. The department needs one, possibly two additional clerical support positions. The cost of a
clerical support position is approximately $87,000 (fully loaded).
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The operational staffing does not meet national standards and does not meet state or local norms. The
City of Pasco should follow a plan of ramping up staffing in the fire department over successive years.
This improves incident safety, reduces worker fatigue, and increases the likelihood of PFD maintaining
its Class 3 rating from the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau. It should be the goal of PFD to
achieve three-person engine companies and two-person ambulances. The firefighters would cost
$102,000 per person annually, fully loaded.
• Logistics Center: The procurement and distribution of routine supplies is an important behind-the-scenes
process that needs hands-on work and meticulous record keeping. These support services are currently
provided by a variety of personnel in each fire department in the region; some are line personnel, some
are support, and some are management. An opportunity exists for a more efficient regional process.
Standardizing specifications for the purchase, repair, and maintenance of apparatus, self-contained
breathing apparatus (SCBA), communication devices, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), uniforms,
replenishable supplies, and miscellaneous equipment often equates to less out-of-service time. Support
personnel setting up a requisition and delivery system is a key efficiency of this type of approach. These
economies of scale accrue to the benefit of each participating agency.
The agencies can jointly develop a “Just-In-Time” inventory system to avoid large warehouse needs. To
a great degree, a just-in-time inventory process relies on the efficient monitoring of the usage of
materials and ordering replacement goods that arrive shortly before they are needed. This simple
strategy helps to prevent incurring the costs associated with carrying large inventories of raw materials
at any given point. The net cost of such an endeavor (supplies for each agency are already being
purchased separately, likely at a higher unit cost) is in a logistician and the warehouse (which could be
a converted surplus fire station). The logistician would cost approximately $89,000 fully loaded, divided
equally among the participating agencies. An inventory delivery specialist can be added to this function
for just-in-time delivery of replenishable supplies for approximately an additional $67,000 fully
loaded, plus vehicle, also divided equally among the participating agencies. An evaluation of potential
existing warehouse space from one of the partner agencies could be utilized to store inventory and
house the logistics staff.
• New Station 85—3624 Road 100
Station 85 would serve the west side where Stations 83 and 84 fail to achieve a 6-minute travel time.
When the first due area around the proposed station (the area Station 85 units are expected to arrive
first at an emergency) experiences 500 calls for service, the process should begin to design and construct
the station, develop specifications for new apparatus that will be assigned there, and develop a plan
to hire the personnel expected to operate out of the station. In 2021, the first due area for Station 85
had 520 calls for service. This means Station 85 has already hit the trigger point for construction to
begin, apparatus to be put out to bid, and plans to be developed to hire sufficient personnel to staff
the unit(s) assigned there. This station should have a single engine company staffed with three firefighters
and limited EMS capabilities; an ambulance unit would not be required for some time.
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• New Station 87—Kartchner Street, east of State Route 395
Station 87 addresses industrial growth in the east portion of the city and bolsters response to the east
end generally. It would serve the Colville Tribal Casino once built as well as other tribal service and
entertainment related economic development projects planned in that area, which would be a high
concentration of transient population. In addition, large commercial/industrial development is occurring
or slated to occur in the area (a second Resers facility and a large Darigold facility, for example).
Triggering the timing of construction of Station 87 includes achieving approximately 500 calls for service
in a given twelve consecutive months in what would be the service area of the station, or; when the land
the Colville Tribe owns is converted to Tribal Trust lands and the casino is approved to begin construction.
The station should be modeled after the other new stations. As construction is under way, apparatus
should be put out to bid, and plans developed to hire sufficient personnel to staff the unit(s) assigned
there. Station 87 should be equipped with a Telesquirt (or boom Squirt) staffed with three firefighters.
No ambulance unit is anticipated to be required here. A Telesquirt is an apparatus that adds to the
ladder credit Pasco receives, but also matches the relative risk Station 87’s first due area poses.
• New Station 86—Northwest Urban Growth Boundary area
A future Station 86 should be planned for in the far northwest corner within the urban growth expansion
area. While some of the far northwest corner of the city has undeveloped land, the majority of the area
to be served by this station is currently outside of the city but is likely to be annexed into the city as
part of the comprehensive plan implementation (assuming approval by the county and/or state). This
area is expected to see significant development according to the Pasco Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
It is difficult to identify the ideal location for a fire station at this time given the lack of a robust
transportation network there.
Once plans to develop the area are put forth and the road network is laid out, travel time calculations
should be conducted to determine the ideal location for a future fire station and property acquired. The
station should have an engine assigned to it and should be staffed with three firefighters. An ambulance
should not be required at this time. This station area should also have a trigger point of 500 calls for
service in a given year as an indication that design and construction should begin for the new Station
86.
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EVALUATION OF CURRENT CONDITIONS
Other than a survey among comparable agencies conducted in early 2021 using the most recent complete year
of data (2020), this phase of the study identifies the current conditions in place at the end of 2021. While it is
clear that organizations constantly evolve, it is not practical to update the study as the department changes in
real-time. This study reflects a snapshot in time (year-end 2021).
This portion of the study describes the conditions in place during the study window, identifies gaps in service,
and provides recommendations for improvement. The evaluation and analysis of data and other information
are based significantly on the internal data provided by the Pasco Fire Department (PFD), Pasco Finance
Department, and Pasco Planning Division (Comprehensive Plan and GIS), and other external sources. The current
conditions are compared to industry best practices where applicable, including National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) standards, Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) self-assessment criteria,
health and safety requirements, and generally accepted best practices within the emergency services industry.3
Each section in this phase of the report provides the reader with an overview of its purpose and function, then
an analysis is conducted and results explained. Where significant issues or conditions are present, a more specific
analysis is conducted, with discussion and recommendations provided as appropriate. Observations are
supported by stakeholder interviews and validation of data provided by the client to the extent practical.
For continuity purposes, this report generally follows the flow of its predecessor, the 2016 Pasco Fire
Department Master Plan.
Organization Overview
The Organizational Overview component provides a summary of agency composition, configuration, and the
services provided. Data provided by the administrative and management staff of the Pasco Fire Department
were evaluated. In addition, interviews with line personnel, bargaining unit representatives, supervisory and
administrative staff, city management, and elected officials were used to validate data and to provide context.
The purpose of this section is to ground the reader in the operating environment of PFD, verify the accuracy of
baseline information, and ensure that the consultant clearly understands the organizational context.
City Governance & Structure
The City of Pasco operates under a "Council-Manager" form of government, pursuant to Revised Code of
Washington Chapter 35.18. Under this form of city government, the City Councilmembers are the elected
officials of the city and constitute the legislative branch. They in turn appoint and oversee the City Manager to
head the executive branch of the organization. The City Council sets policy for the city, adopts a budget, and
supervises the City Manager. The City Manager implements policy as set by the City Council, manages the
adopted budget, and manages the day-to-day operation of the city through subordinate department heads
within the city, including the Fire Chief.
3 The CFAI organization is now a subsection of the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) but maintains its prime function of
accrediting fire agencies.
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The Pasco City Council is comprised of seven elected officials, each serving four-year terms. Six council members
are elected within geographic districts of the city, while one is elected at large. The council elects a mayor from
among the seated Councilmembers. Pasco Fire Department is one of nine departments providing service or
support from the City of Pasco to its citizens and visitors.
Pasco Demographics
Pasco is a mid-sized city in southeast Washington State and growing rapidly. According to the Washington
State Office of Fiscal Management, the city is home to approximately 78,700 persons in 2021.4 That is a
population growth of 11.6% (8,140 people) since the last master plan for the fire department was written six
years ago. The city is the sixteenth largest city by population in the State of Washington. The city area
encompasses approximately 37.5 square miles, with an additional seven square miles of potential expansion
in the urban growth boundary. The city contains 24,924 homes.
The following map reflects the service area of the Pasco Fire Department for 2021.
Figure 1: Pasco Fire Department Service Area Map, 2021
4 Washington State Office of Financial Management, Forecasting and Research Division, acquired 5-29-2022.
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Pasco Fire Department Structure
The Pasco Fire Department was established by council action on July 16, 1908, after a series of fires destroyed
portions of the town. Little is published in the public domain about the fire department’s history beyond that,
though IAFF Local #1433 maintains an informal history of the PFD for posterity.
The headquarters of the Pasco Fire Department is located at the new Station 84, which was designed to
accommodate both the operational and administrative elements of the department without work space conflicts.
The Fire Chief’s position is generally described by a current position description, which is posted on the Pasco
Human Resources website. The incumbent Fire Chief, Bob Gear, was appointed in 2009.
The Fire Chief is an at-will employee and is under contract with the city. The Fire Chief recommends hiring and
termination actions to the City Manager, but otherwise administers discipline at his sole discretion as guided by
Human Resources policies and the collective bargaining agreement. As resources in this regard, the Fire Chief
has available to him, legal counsel from the City Attorney and personnel advice from the HR Director.
As with most fire departments, PFD is hierarchical, reflecting the paramilitary structure of the fire service.
However, PFD makes a distinction about its hierarchy in that it is scalar during emergency incidents and project-
oriented day to day.
The Pasco Fire Department organization chart follows:
Figure 2: Pasco Fire Department Organization Chart
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4
The functional program management structure follows a similar hierarchical structure as the staffing, with two
deputy chiefs overseeing the programs. Program activities are assigned to various individuals across the
department, regardless of rank. There are several routine program activities required to maintain emergency
operational readiness and include such things as facilities, equipment, apparatus, community risk reduction,
training, EMS, and special operations. Mid-managers are assigned these program areas, with additional,
smaller projects connected to the major programs. The processes are interdependent where better and faster
decisions can be made. This process is illustrated in the following figure.
Figure 3: Functional Program Management Structure
All suppression employees from Battalion Chief down are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. All
exempt employees are covered by employment agreements and/or personnel and civil service rules of the city.
The span of control in the fire department is in an ideal range for the operations branch and within industry
standards at 1:5 for the Captain. The fire department has four career-staffed fire stations within the city. PFD
provides to its constituency services such as fire suppression, advanced life support emergency medical services,
ambulance transport services, and other services as illustrated in the previous figure.
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Agency Comparisons
In the 2016 Master Plan, the National Fire Protection Association benchmark data for 2015 was used to
compare Pasco Fire Department to fire departments in the thirteen states that make up the western region of
the United States as defined by the NFPA. The contemporary data (2021) was not available, so the consultant
used the same criteria (municipalities serving a population of between 50,000 and 99,999) to survey
comparable-sized agencies within Washington State. The respondents answered the questions in the survey
relying on 2020 data, so PFD’s 2020 data was also used to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.
All agencies that fell into the comparable range (municipal fire departments in Washington state that serve
between 50,000 and 99,999 population) responded promptly to the survey. These comparable agencies
include Kennewick, Bellingham, Redmond, Kirkland, Yakima, Richland, and Olympia.5 It is interesting to note that
the eight municipalities serving between 50,000 and 99,999 persons in Washington State are evenly divided
geographically: four on the east side and four on the west side of the state.
All of the following graphics illustrate PFD compared to the other seven municipal fire departments within the
population range.
Figure 4: Population Served Comparison (2020)
The average population served by the seven comparable agencies is 79,770. At a population of 77,100 (2020
data), Pasco was slightly smaller than the average of the comparable agencies. Pasco is the fifth largest of the
eight agencies by population.
5 Ask MRSC. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2021, from http://mrsc.org/Home/Research -Tools/Washington-City-and-Town-
Profiles.aspx
77,100
87,649
97,393
69,900
90,010
99,837
60,000
53,600
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
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Figure 5: Service Area Comparison, Square Miles (2020)
Pasco Fire Department has a slightly larger service area to protect as compared to the average of the
comparable agencies (35 square miles). It has the fourth largest area to serve of the comparable agencies.
Figure 6: Population Density Comparison, per Square Mile (2020)
37.5
29.2
51
45
22.6
36.2
42.6
21
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2,056
3,002
1,910
1,553
3,983
2,758
1,408
2,552
-
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
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The Pasco Fire Department has a slightly lower population density (2,056 persons per square mile) than the
average of the other seven agencies (2,452 persons per square mile). The fact that Pasco is one of a few of
the comparable agencies hosting a regional airport, which encompasses considerable area, has a bearing on
population density.
Figure 7: Total Incidents per 1,000 Population Comparison (2020)
The Pasco Fire Department has the lowest number of incidents per 1,000 population served compared with the
seven other agencies. The number of incidents per 1,000 population (80.3 in 2020) is higher than the ratio for
Pasco as reported in the 2016 Pasco Master Plan (74.7).
80.3
118.9
205.4
151.6
89.0
116.2 122.9
237.9
-
50.0
100.0
150.0
200.0
250.0
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Figure 8: Fires per 1,000 Population Comparison (2020)
Despite having the lowest number of all incident types per 1,000 population (Figure 7), Pasco Fire Department
has the fifth highest number of fires per 1,000 population (Figure 8).
Figure 9: Fire Loss per Capita Comparison (2020)
The Pasco Fire Department has the third highest fire loss per capita of the comparable agencies at $38.9 per
capita. The average of the other seven comparable agencies is $26.8 per capita.
3.5
3.1
5.0
2.0
1.5
5.6
4.0
6.0
-
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
$38.9
$28.5
$21.3
$7.5
$15.4
$45.4
$20.2
$49.0
$-
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
$60
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Figure 10: EMS Incidents per 1,000 Population Comparison (2020)
The Pasco Fire Department has the lowest number of medical responses per 1,000 population (56.1) of all the
comparable agencies. The average of the other seven comparable agencies is 100.6 per 1,000 population.
This is likely due to PFD recodifying what constitutes an EMS call, and the exceptional work of the Community
Risk Reduction program and the resource coordinator, which redirects many low acuity calls to social service
agencies for more appropriate redress.
Recommendation:
• Establish a process to formally maintain the history of the PFD.
Management Components
Management of emergency service agencies has always been challenging, made more so by recent societal
and environmental changes. Changes and concerns surrounding emergency response during the COVID-19
pandemic have required out-of-the-box thinking. This not only includes how to safely respond to emergencies in
the community but how to maintain safety during more routine activities by crews while at the fire stations. Social
distancing, masking, and frequent washing all become more difficult to comply with while crews are living
together for forty-eight consecutive hours, training together, eating together, and interacting with each other in
preparation for responses. Firefighters look to management to keep them safe while also looking to
management to accommodate the activities that make a working crew function effectively.
56.1
83.9
148.6
98.3
60.0
79.7
88.3
145.4
-
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
140.0
160.0
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In addition to COVID-19, there are the challenges that come with significant increases in social unrest and civil
disobedience. Fire departments are faced with difficult decisions and tactics when assisting law enforcement
during these events. Legislative changes to law enforcement engagement in 2021 has shifted many of these
types of responses to the fire department. This increases the fire department burden and dramatically increases
the risk profile for fire department operations. Over and above these complexities, fire service leadership must
continue to deal with the more routine challenges associated with maintaining an effective organizational
structure, setting and measuring levels of service, staying abreast of new technologies and methods, evaluation
and maintenance of a qualified workforce, staff development for effective succession, and financial
sustainability for the future. This section of the report deals with the elements typically found in the management
structure of an organization.
Management Elements
Successful organizations must be clear about their purpose, direction, and culture. They must also have a plan
in place, complete with goals and objectives, metrics to measure effectiveness or achievement, areas of
responsibility assigned, and timelines to achieve them. All these elements together are incorporated into a
strategic plan. The Pasco Fire Department has been a key leader in planning (which is addressed in greater
detail in the Planning Section of this report) for the future. It established a complete strategic plan in 2017 that
addressed all the above-listed elements. It managed to complete the vast majority of the five-year plan in
three years and commissioned a second strategic plan in 2020, which was adopted just prior to the initiation of
this master plan.
Management Documents and Processes
Emergency services organizations usually rely on regulatory documents to augment direct supervision,
empowering crews to make appropriate decisions when direct supervision is not practical. This provides the
leader's intent, allowing members to make decisions independently when guidance is otherwise unavailable.
Pasco Fire Department has a complete and thorough set of regulatory documents broken into rules and
regulations (R&Rs), Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs), and Administrative Orders (AOs). The R&Rs,
complete with a code of conduct and a code of ethics, are intended to, “… cover in a general way the
obligations and duties of the members of the Pasco Fire Department.” The SOGs are intended to, “… be only
a guide for members to use in daily activities.” AOs are issued by city leadership above the fire department
and supersedes any conflicting R&Rs or SOGs, but do not supersede conflicts with the collective bargaining
agreement.
As in many organizations, these regulatory documents are in writing but are not up to date. All the regulatory
documents reviewed by the consultant were issued in mid-2014, with no revisions identified since then. Some
are out of date, e.g. the fire department’s mission statement was amended in the 2017 strategic plan but is not
reflected in R&R 0002 – Mission Statement.
Industry best practice suggests that one-third of the documents be reviewed each year so that the complete set
is reviewed and revised every three years. PFD should also establish a formal process to develop new R&Rs
and SOGs.
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Critical Issues
As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, public safety agencies routinely face a complex array of new
critical issues and emerging challenges. Engaging members of the organization in addressing organizational
challenges is a fruitful and productive practice. For the members to engage, however, they must understand the
most difficult issues facing the organization from the perspective of the leadership. The PFD administration has
listed the following top three critical issues facing the organization.
Figure 11: Critical Issues
Critical Issues
1st Priority Focusing on the long-term goal of sustaining a WSRB protection class rating of 3.
2nd Priority Working to achieve and maintain target fire response times through operational improvements and long-
range strategic planning of facilities and staffing.
3rd Priority Ongoing evaluation of costs, processes, and performance associated with the delivery of city services,
including customer feedback and satisfaction, staffing, faciliti es, and partnership opportunities.
Communication
PFD invests significant time and effort into its internal communication. Staff meetings are convened regularly,
with minutes taken. Written memoranda are occasionally used to supplement staff meeting information and
member forums are conducted (all-hands meetings) to address urgent issues of global impact. The Fire Chief
and his command staff subscribe to an open-door policy. While the organizational chart clearly depicts formal
authority, it reflects the emergent nature of the fire service. The routine, day-to-day communication and activities
in the department are less formal. Programs are often assigned to personnel that deviate from the formal
organizational chart or roles.
External communication is more dependent upon the broader city. PFD does have a formal complaint process
in place and does rely occasionally on community surveys, performed by the city on behalf of all departments.
A community newsletter, which occasionally has articles of interest about the fire department, is distributed by
the city. The Pasco Fire Department does have a presence on Facebook and a thorough presence on the City
of Pasco website. City social media is robust and provides an opportunity to discuss PFD issues of interest to
the general public. Further, the AskPasco app was implemented during the development of this report,
facilitating any complaints or citizen feedback.
Record Keeping , Documentation , & Security
The Pasco Fire Department has a process for public records access in place and has hard copy files protected
in office file drawers. Electronic files are secured by passwords assigned to users with rights to appropriate
documents, and the file server is backed up daily off-site. This process is coordinated with the City Clerks Office,
specifically records management, retention schedules and destruction. Incident reports, patient care reports, and
exposure reports are maintained by the department and appropriately secured. The department uses Image
Trend™ and TargetSolutions™, which are fire service industry-specific software programs. These are password
protected. New World™ is a program used by citywide operations and is also password protected. Finance
reports are issued by the Finance Department of the city regularly, and management reports are shared weekly
at department managers meetings. Operational reports are issued by the Pasco Fire Department annually,
addressing performance.
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At fire stations, public access doors are secured with keypad or fob locks. Response vehicles rely on locked fire
stations to provide security, but staff vehicles are typically unsecured in the parking lot. Small, attractive assets
are inventoried annually. No petty cash is maintained on-site. Instead, Purchase (P) Cards are used by those
with the authority to use them. They have small limits placed on them, and the program is audited by the City
Procurement Specialist.
All testing records are in place for self-contained breathing apparatus, which is conducted internally. Hose,
ladders, pumps, and breathing air from the cascade system are tested by outside contractors. Vehicle
maintenance records are retained at city shops, where vehicle maintenance is conducted. Gas monitor calibration
occurs internally by on-duty personnel.
Recommendation:
• Review and update all regulatory documents on at least a three-year cycle.
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Capital Assets and Capital Improvement Programs
Two of the three critical elements of an effective emergency response system are capital assets in the form of
facilities and equipment. The PFD is well-equipped with appropriate apparatus, and most of the facilities
themselves are appropriately designed, placed, and maintained. Without these, it is impossible for a fire
department to deliver services effectively. This section reviews the capital assets of the Pasco Fire Department
to determine their effectiveness for the mission.
Facilities
The Pasco Fire Department has a capital improvement plan that spans six years (from 2021–2026 and is
updated annually). Funding has been identified and earmarked for the projects. The following figures focus on
the facilities in place or under construction, and identify sites acquired to address future needs.
Figure 12: Station 81
Station 81 is located at 310 N. Oregon Street. It is home to Engine
2811 and Medic 2821; each is staffed with two personnel. Additional
units are stored here to be cross-staffed as the need arises. The
station formerly housed the administrative offices but has been
vacated by admin staff to facilitate a smoother operational purpose
and greater operational flexibility.
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE: STATION 81
Construction type Wood Frame
Date 11-30-1999
Seismic protection/energy audits No
Auxiliary power Yes, Diesel Generator
Condition Remodeled in 2020
Other (ADA, gender appropriate, etc.) ADA and mixed gender compliant; Storage Minimal
Square footage 6,400
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout Yes Sprinkler system/Smoke
detection Yes/Yes
Kitchen/dormitory Yes Washer/dryer No
Lockers/showers Yes Security Parking is gated with gate and station
doors key coded
Training/meetings No Apparatus exhaust system Yes
Apparatus Number Minimum Staffing Comments
Engine 2811 2 Type I engine with a 50’ ladder and elevated master stream
Medic 2821 2
Engine 2861 CS Wildland engine cross-staffed from existing units when called for
Type 4 Rescue Boat CS Cross-staffed from existing units when called for
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Figure 13: Station 82
Station 82 is located on the Port of Pasco Airport (PSC) property at
3502 Varney Lane and is provided as an element of the partnership
with the Port to provide fire and medical response to all air
operations activities. It has two ARFF units with two dedicated
firefighters assigned to the station and they do not leave airport
property. The remaining units and staff respond in and out of the PSC
for more typical responses. The crews anchored to the airport limits
the utility of the station for purposes other than airport response due
to its required location at the airport.
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE: STATION 82
Construction type Cinder Block
Date 03-13-2006
Seismic protection/energy audits No
Auxiliary power Yes, Diesel Generator
Condition Fair
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.) ADA Yes, Mixed Yes, Storage Adequate
Square footage 10,710
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout Yes
Kitchen/dormitory Yes
Lockers/showers Yes
Training/meetings Yes
Washer/dryer Yes, Turnout gear extractor and dryer
Sprinkler system Yes
Smoke detection Yes
Security Yes, Locked at all times due to FAA rules
Apparatus exhaust system Yes
Apparatus Number Minimum Staffing Comments
Engine 2812 2
Medic 2822 2
PSC ARFF 281 2 Dedicated staffing for airport operations – does not leave PSC property
PSC ARFF 282 CS Cross-staffed as needed from other crews.
Tender 2822 Unstaffed Cross-staffed from existing units when called for
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Figure 14: Station 83
Station 83 is located at 7510 Sandifur Parkway. It is a new facility
(opened January 2021) and houses four personnel; two on the engine
and two on the medic unit. A type 6 engine (brush unit) is also housed
here and can be cross-staffed from the regular staffing here as the
need arises.
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE: STATION 83
Construction type Wood frame
Date 1-18-2021
Seismic protection/energy audits Yes
Auxiliary power Yes, Diesel Generator
Condition New
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.) ADA Yes, Mixed Yes, Storage adequate
Square footage 10,600
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout Yes
Kitchen/dormitory Yes
Lockers/showers Yes
Training/meetings No
Washer/dryer Yes (installing as of this writing)
Sprinkler system Yes
Smoke detection Yes
Security All doors key code and/or FOB
Apparatus exhaust system Yes
Apparatus Number Minimum Staffing Comments
Engine 2813 2
Medic 2823 2
Type 6 Engine Unstaffed Cross-staffed from existing units when called for
This new station has caused the old Station 83 to be surplus to the needs of the PFD. The old facility has been transferred
to Pasco Public Works and Pasco Police Departments. The cost will be split between the two agencies according to the
space each agency utilizes.
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Figure 15: Old Station 84 (Replaced in September 2021)
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE: OLD STATION 84, (crew and equipment relocated in September 2021)
Construction type Cinder Block
Date 1958
Seismic protection/energy audits No
Auxiliary power No
Condition Poor
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.) ADA No, Mixed No, Storage No
Square footage 1,920
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout No
Kitchen/dormitory Yes
Lockers/showers No
Training/meetings No
Washer/dryer No
Sprinkler system No
Smoke detection Yes, battery only
Security No
Apparatus exhaust system No
This station has separate apparatus bay and crew quarters on adjacent lots. It was put to use as a temporary facility in
2017 by utilizing an acquired station from Franklin #3 and adjacent home to cobble together a response capability until
a suitable station could be funded and constructed. It was replaced in September 2021 with new Station 84 at 4920
West Court Street. PFD is currently negotiating with Franklin #3 to lease the station back to the District for their resident
program.
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Figure 16: Station 84 (new as of September 2021)
Station 84 is located at 4920 West Court Street. This station replaced
the existing temporary Station 84 (which will become surplus). The
station is also the PFD Headquarters station with the administrative
staff relocating here from their former location on Ainsworth. This
station also serves as the office for the on-duty shift Battalion Chief.
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE: NEW STATION 84 HEADQUARTERS
Construction type Wood Frame
Date Opened September 2021
Seismic protection/energy audits Yes
Auxiliary power Yes, Generator
Condition New
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.) ADA Yes, Mixed Yes, Storage yes with additional storage building
Square footage 16,663
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout Yes
Kitchen/dormitory Yes
Lockers/showers Yes
Training/meetings Yes
Washer/dryer Yes, Turnout washer and dryer
Sprinkler system Yes
Smoke detection Yes
Security All doors secured with Key Code and/or FOB
Apparatus exhaust system Yes
Apparatus Number Minimum Staffing Comments
Battalion 281 1
Ladder 2814 2
Rescue 2834 CS L2814 and R2834 will be cross staffed depending upon nature of incident
Medic 2824 2
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Figure 17: Vehicle Storage Building (Station 84 adjacent)
The Vehicle Storage Building is located on property adjacent to
Station 84. The purpose of this building is to house ancillary and
seasonal apparatus in a facility that requires lower costs per square
foot to construct and maintain, while making these units quickly
accessible and convenient to the PFD.
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE: STORAGE BUILDING LOCATED AT STATION 84
Construction type Wood Frame
Date Opened September 2021
Seismic protection/energy audits Yes
Auxiliary power Yes
Condition New
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.) ADA Yes, Mixed Yes, Storage yes, storage only
Square footage 5208
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout No
Kitchen/dormitory No
Lockers/showers No
Training/meetings No
Washer/dryer No
Sprinkler system Yes
Smoke detection Yes
Security All doors secured with Key Code and/or FOB
Apparatus exhaust system No
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Figure 18: Future Station 85 Site
Property for a future Station 85 is located at 3624 Road 100. The
property is currently vacant and awaiting the results of future
development to drive the need for construction.
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE: STATION 85 SITE SELECTED, NO START DATE FOR CONSTRUCTION SET
Construction type Under planning, no start date for construction set
Date
Seismic protection/energy audits
Auxiliary power
Condition
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.)
Square footage
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout
Kitchen/dormitory
Lockers/showers
Training/meetings
Washer/dryer
Sprinkler system
Smoke detection
Security
Apparatus exhaust system
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Figure 19: Future Station 87 Site
This is the site of a future Station 87. There is currently no address
associated with the property, but it is at the end of Kartchner Street
near the Auto Zone Distribution Center, east of State Route 395. This is
also near a proposed casino site for the Colville Confederated Tribes.
The PFD property is currently vacant and awaiting the results of future
development to drive the need for construction.
SURVEY COMPONENT OBSERVATIONS
STRUCTURE: STATION 87 SITE SELECTED, NO START DATE FOR CONSTRUCTION SET
Construction type Under planning, no start date for construction set
Date
Seismic protection/energy audits
Auxiliary power
Condition
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.)
Square footage
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout
Kitchen/dormitory
Lockers/showers
Training/meetings
Washer/dryer
Sprinkler system
Smoke detection
Security
Apparatus exhaust system
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Figure 20: Pasco Fire Department Training Center
The Training Center for Pasco Fire Department is located at 1011
Ainsworth, adjacent to the current Franklin County Emergency
Management building in the Port of Pasco. The Training Division has
expanded to use some of the office and classroom space vacated by
PFD headquarters staff in their move to Station 84.
Survey Component Observations
STRUCTURE FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING CENTER
Construction type All Metal
Date 10-1-2018
Seismic protection/energy audits No
Auxiliary power No
Condition Fair, added restroom facility in 2020
Special considerations (ADA, mixed gender
appropriate, storage, etc.) Fire and Rescue Training Tower only
Square footage 1,600
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
Exercise/workout No
Kitchen/dormitory Kitchen in adjacent facility
Lockers/showers Lockers and limited showers located in adjacent facility
Training/meetings Classroom located in adjacent facility
Washer/dryer No
Sprinkler system No
Smoke detection No
Security No
Apparatus exhaust system No
Apparatus
The Pasco Fire Department has an apparatus and higher valued equipment replacement plan in place, which
schedules replacements out to the year 2035. This is a detailed plan and addresses replacement consistent with
NFPA 1911 and its Annex D. This standard states that engines and ladder trucks should not exceed 15 years
of frontline service, with a maximum of an additional ten years of reserve status before being surplussed.
Ambulance-type vehicles have a much shorter life expectancy, with seven years being the typical maximum life
for these units. Pasco follows these guidelines in its written apparatus and equipment replacement schedule.
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The intent behind Annex D is to maintain firefighter safety. Apparatus manufacturers comply with the NFPA
standard each year. With changes to the standard every few years, improvements such as lighting, visibility,
crew compartment safety, rollover protection, harnessing of passengers, and other safety systems are added.
Annex D recognizes that an older fleet that has not been upgraded to meet current NFPA standards poses a
greater risk than newer apparatus. A retrofitted apparatus that has been upgraded may meet the intent of
NFPA 1911 and Annex D. However, Annex D is only guidance, not a mandate.
In addition to apparatus replacement schedules, expensive capital equipment carried on the apparatus needs
to be reflected in a replacement schedule. The equipment includes defibrillator-monitors, power stretchers, self-
contained breathing apparatus, and ruggedized portable radios. Expected service life can be obtained from
manufacturers of these various types of equipment.
In developing an apparatus and equipment replacement plan, Pasco Fire Department has established the
criteria for replacement. The price point for the apparatus and equipment is determined and a price escalator
to project how much money will be required to purchase replacement vehicles and equipment once they have
reached the end of their useful lives. Each year, that price escalation factor should be evaluated against the
actual price increases that year, and the replacement schedule trued up. Pasco Fire Department models this
industry best practice.
Funding for the replacement plan is derived from the city general fund or the ambulance utility fund (or a
combination of the two where the unit serves both missions). When the apparatus is retired, there is usually a
nominal return for the salvage value of the sale. Proceeds from this may also be reinvested into the apparatus
and equipment fund or into appropriate fund balance.
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Figure 21: Apparatus & Major Equipment Replacement Schedule
Description Estimated
life in Years
Replacement
Year
Apparatus
2016 Rescue Boat 10 2026
Boat Grant GR0.FR.35.2020 Spill prevention Boat 10 2031
2015 Chevy Tahoe 50% 6 2021
2014 Ford Transit Van 50% Split 7 2024
2014 Ford F250 4x4 Super Duty Cab 10 2024
2016 Ford Pickup - Training 10 2026
2016 Ford Pickup 50% Split General/Ambulance 10 2026
2015 Chevy Tahoe 50% Split General/Ambulance 5 2026
2020 Ford F150 50% Split General/Ambulance 10 2030
2018 Ford Explorer 50% Split General/Ambulance 10 2028
2014 Dodge Ambulance 4500 4x4 7 2021
2014 Dodge Ambulance 4500 4x4 7 2021
2017 North Star Ambulance on Dodge Chassis 7 2024
2017 North Star Ambulance on Dodge Chassis 7 2024
2020 Northstar Ambulance 7 2027
New ambulance—facilitate re-chassis of other ambulance 7 2027
2013 Ford F-550 Grass Truck Type 6 Engine 10 2022
1989 Water Tender-refurbished 10 2025
2020 Ford F-550 Grass Truck Type 6 Engine 15 2035
2012 Viper Aerial Apparatus Ladder 15 2027
Retro fit vehicle 3134 replace Ladder 15 2027
2014 Rosenbauer Fire Pumper Apparatus Type 1 15 2029
Retro fit vehicle 3137 replace Pumper 15 2029
2006 International 4400 Rescue Truck 13 2031
Retro fit vehicle 3149 replace Rescue 13 2031
2018 E-One Custom Pumper Type 1 Pumper 15 2033
2018 E-One Ladder Truck (Teleboom) 15 2033
Retro fit vehicle 3147 replace Pumper 15 2033
Retro fit vehicle 3148 replace Teleboom 15 2033
Equipment
Defibs – Lifepaks (2) each @ 50,000 each 5 2021
Defibs – Lifepaks (2) each @ 50,000 each 5 2023
Defibs – Lifepaks (2) each @ 50,000 each 5 2025
CPR Machine (4) @ $14,000 each 10 2030
MDT (15 units) 5 2022
Breathing Air Compressor – Training 15 2034
SCBA – 57 $8,439 each 15 2021
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The following figure illustrates the apparatus deployment of Pasco Fire Department as compared to similar-
sized municipal agencies in Washington State (Kennewick FD, Bellingham FD, Redmond FD, Kirkland FD, Yakima
FD, Richland FD, and Olympia FD). Again, this reflects the results of the survey conducted in 2021 using data
available from 2020 for each agency.
Figure 22: Resources Deployed by Type Comparison (2020)
4
1.5
4 4
5
1
3
6
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Engines Ladders Medics Stations
Pasco FD Comparable Agency Average
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Staffing & Personnel
The third critical element of an effective emergency response system, and most valuable asset is people. The
effective management of human resources requires a balance between the maximum utilization of the overall
workforce and a high level of job satisfaction by individual workers. To achieve this, management must combine
reliability with a safe working environment, fair treatment, the opportunity to provide input, recognition of the
individual’s commitment and sacrifice, and job enhancement opportunity. Job satisfaction depends upon this
combination of factors.
Administrative and Support Staffing
One of the primary responsibilities of a fire department’s administration is to ensure that the fiscal, infrastructure,
and support elements are in place and functioning smoothly and effectively so that the core mission—responding
to and mitigating emergencies—can be accomplished in a safe and efficient manner. Careful choreography of
these elements is required to strike an effective balance.
Like any other part of a municipal fire department, administration and support need the appropriate resources
to function properly. In this section of the staffing analysis, the ratio of administrative and support positions to
total organizational staffing is compared to industry best practices and similar organizations. Too large an
emphasis on administrative staffing can have as detrimental an influence on the efficient functioning of an
organization as too little. It is important to achieve an appropriate balance between administration and support
and the operational sides of a department since organizational success may depend upon it.
The level of administration and support staffing represents 9.64 percent of Pasco Fire’s total staff. This is a
slightly lower ratio than was in place in the 2016 master plan (10.5%). Pasco has done a good job of integrating
the needed fire department support under other civilian divisions within the city and temporary assignments of
line staff for special projects. The comparable agencies and their staffing levels are illustrated in the following
figure.
Figure 23: Comparable Agency Staffing Levels (2020)*
Agency Total
Employees
Exempt
Staff
Exempt
% of
Total
Support
Staff
Support
% of
Total
FF
FF
% of
Total
FLSA
Hrs/week
Shift Min
on Duty
Pasco 83 3 3.6% 5 6.0% 75 90.4% 49.0 19
Kennewick 98 3 3.1% 3 3.1% 92 93.9% 49.8 18
Bellingham 149 4 2.7% 6 4.0% 139 93.3% 47.4 30
Redmond 178 7 3.9% 8 4.5% 163 91.6% 48.6 32
Kirkland 112 2 1.8% 4 3.6% 106 94.6% 48.0 21
Yakima 99 3 3.0% 1 1.0% 95 96.0% 49.5 22
Richland 87 4 4.6% 10 11.5% 73 83.9% 48.1 16
Olympia 100 6 6.0% 4 4.0% 90 90.0% 49.8 20
Average 118 4 3.6% 5 4.7% 108 91.9% 48.8 23
*Comparable agencies: municipal fire departments in the State of Washington with between 50,000–99,999 population
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The administrative functions of PFD are physically located at Station 84. The building was designed to be the
Headquarters Fire Station that will accommodate the administration and operational assets with appropriate
space for each without having spacing conflicts. The design is advantageous in that it keeps the administration
connected to operational elements to prevent them from losing touch, but keeps operational elements from
feeling micromanaged by a hovering administration.
Emergency Response Staffing
An adequate number of professionally trained staff of emergency responders is required for putting the
appropriate emergency apparatus and equipment to its best use in mitigating incidents. Insufficient staffing at
an operational scene decreases the effectiveness of the response and increases the risk of injury to all individuals
involved. Further, it lends itself to undesirable results (greater fire damage and poorer medical outcomes).
The first 15 minutes is the most crucial period in the suppression of a fire. How effectively and efficiently
firefighters perform during this period has a significant impact on the overall outcome of the event. This general
concept is applicable to fire, rescue, and medical situations. Critical tasks must be performed in a timely manner
to control a fire or to treat a patient. Pasco Fire Department is responsible for ensuring that responding
companies can perform all the described tasks in a prompt, efficient, and safe manner. This requires actions to
be performed simultaneously, not sequentially. The following figure lists PFD’s emergency response staffing.
Figure 24: Emergency Response Staffing per Shift
Operational
Assignments
Station
81
Station
82
Station
83
Station
84
Battalion
Chief
Total
Suppression
Minimum Staffing 4 6 4 4 1 19
Maximum Assigned 6 6 6 6 1 25
Considerable ongoing local, regional, and national discussions and debates around large incidents of significant
consequence have brought attention to the matter of firefighter staffing. Frequently, this discussion is set in the
context of firefighter safety. While there are published standards regarding firefighter staffing, they generally
speak in terms of the number of firefighters assigned to a particular apparatus, often characterized as a
preferred standard of, ”…a minimum of four personnel per company.”6 The more critical issue is the number of
firefighting personnel assembled as teams in an appropriate amount of time at the scene of an emergency that
can perform the required critical tasks to mitigate the emergency regardless of the number of vehicles upon
which they arrive.
Complicating the issue of operational staffing for large fire incidents is the continued responsibility of the fire
service to provide their communities with emergency medical response. These responses often require fewer
personnel resources but are occurring in much greater numbers than fires. Whether a fire department provides
emergency transport to the hospital or not, medical emergencies have continued to challenge many fire service
organizations’ abilities to keep up with service demands. PFD is no exception.
6 NFPA 1710 continues to require that engine companies be staffed with a minimum of four on-duty members, as stated in section
5.2.3 and subordinate subsections of the standard.
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PFD’s response protocols necessitate transferring Medic Unit crews to “swing” over to the fire apparatus when
a multi-unit fire response is dispatched (i.e., structure fire), resulting in a four-person company. If the medic units
are in quarters and available, as well as their counterpart fire engine, the crews will merge on the engine to
respond, leaving the medic unit unstaffed and out of service. If the medic unit or fire engine are separated
when the dispatch occurs, they respond to the fire incident separately. In either case, medical incident response
capacity is adversely impacted, yet the additional staffing is critical to the structure fire response. This process
represents an exposure to the potential for reduced EMS capability for the duration of the fire incident. This is
discussed in greater detail in the Service Delivery & Performance section of this report.
Regarding fires and other major emergencies, the number and types of tasks needing simultaneous action will
dictate the minimum number of firefighters required to combat different types of incidents. In the absence of
adequate personnel to perform concurrent action, the incident commander must prioritize the tasks and complete
some in sequential order rather than concurrently. This delays mitigating actions and degrades the outcome of
the emergency (resulting in greater fire losses).
Many fire departments develop Community Risk Analysis: Standards of Cover (CRA:SOC) to define how they
will respond to a variety of emergencies. A CRA:SOC considers the particulars of an organization, including
community risks, recognizing that how fire departments respond to various situations depends upon their size,
their available resources, and the priorities of that agency’s community. CRA:SOCs also communicate to
employees and to citizens how the agency expects its responders to approach emergency situations. PFD has
created a CRA and an SOC (two separate documents) in-house. The format of a CRA:SOC is specifically
prescribed by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), Sixth Edition and is an industry best
practice. While not a legal requirement, the PFD SOC should be reviewed and revised to reflect the Sixth
Edition of the CFAI’s Community Risk Analysis: Standards of Cover. This is being budgeted as a regional effort
(Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland) for a 2023 project. This will include EMS response and staffing.
Personnel Management
The following review relates to the baseline personnel management components typically found in an
appropriately administered organization.
Operations personnel in the fire service in Washington most commonly work 24-hour or 48-hour shifts. Under
federal labor regulations, they can work up to 53 hours per week before their employers are obligated to pay
them at an overtime rate, and those 53-hour weeks can be averaged over a longer period than one week.
Each employer may adopt a period of time for averaging the employees’ work week from a maximum of 28
days to a minimum of 7 days. In the fire service in the northwest, these time periods, known as “FLSA (Fair Labor
Standards Act) cycles” tend to run from 24 to 28 days. The FLSA cycles are broken up by off-duty periods that
can be regular or varied. These are referred to as Kelly Days.
PFD, like many other fire departments in Washington, schedules additional off-duty shifts to bring the average
work week below 56 hours to avoid overtime costs. Almost all firefighters in Pasco work 48 hours on duty and
96 hours off with 15 Kelly days scheduled per year (to reduce the hours of work per week for a 24-day FLSA
cycle), resulting in an average work week of 49 hours. This places PFD’s FLSA cycle at the average among the
comparable municipal agencies in Washington State.
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PFD has also established a floating work schedule (called “D” shift) that is designed to give the department the
flexibility to place “extra” firefighters where they are needed to cover vacancies created by injuries, vacations,
or other absences, thereby reducing overtime. This shift has not been consistently staffed for the last five years
due to low staffing levels overall. As staffing levels allow, assignment of personnel to D shift is continuously
evaluated. This schedule is an example of the City’s and the Union’s willingness to look at creative ways to
address a common emergency services issue—staffing for vacancies that occur in an unpredictable way.
The department engages with employees in a variety of groups, committees, and teams to provide input into
systems and process. They include:
Figure 25: Committees, Workgroups, or Teams
Committee, Workgroup, or Team Level of Engagement
EMS quality management (QA/QI) On-duty personnel with Medical Advisor follow-up
Medic/Ambulance Work Group Medics from each shift—reviewing training and budget
Training Training Captain and on-duty personnel
Safety Safety Committee with 2 members from each shift, chaired by
department Safety Officer (the Operations Deputy Chief)
Uniforms and PPE, Specifications,
maintenance, and repair B shift Battalion Chief, through on-duty personnel
SCBA repair and maintenance 4 Trained SCBA Technicians, one per shift plus a Lead
Communications Technician On-duty personnel and contracted with outside agency
Apparatus purchase, repair, and maintenance A shift Battalion Chief; maintenance/repair through city shop
Equipment purchase, repair, and maintenance C shift Battalion Chief
Facilities maintenance and repair B shift Battalion Chief
Airport Fueler program B shift Battalion Chief
Investigations and Public Education Administrative Deputy Chief
Technical Rescue Program A shift Battalion Chief, through on-duty personnel
This is a remarkably high level of employee engagement in what is often retained by the administration in other
agencies. The approach taken by PFD demonstrates a desire to share a level of ownership of the fire
department’s operations not often seen in other agencies. This approach builds ownership, develops personal
organizational skills, improves communication, expands decision-making, and develops personnel for higher and
more complex positions of supervision and leadership. In short, it contributes to succession planning.
Pasco has consistently encouraged Spanish speaking competence by their emergency workers. Financial
incentives are provided to bi-lingual employees, but a relatively small percentage of the employees qualify
for this benefit. Anecdotally, employees interviewed about this less-than-optimal engagement in the program
opine that the standardized test for competence as a Spanish speaker has changed several times in the past.
Employees further remarked that there is a need for conversational Spanish targeted primarily toward
emergency communication during stressful situations. It would serve Pasco well to find such a program to provide
flexible and easy-to-implement Spanish for emergency workers. Such programs exist, but the author of this
report makes no warranty as to the effectiveness of these programs.7
7 https://www.myspanishteacher.com/learn_spanish_for_fire_ems . - https://121spanish.com/spanish-for-emergency-workers.
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Recommendations:
• Research and identify a consistent mechanism to provide a flexible and easy-to-implement
Spanish for emergency workers curriculum.
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Service Delivery and Performance
This section is the heart of the master plan as it relates to the prime mission of the Pasco Fire Department. It
reflects the current environment PFD operates in, specifically, the community’s emergency demand for service
(by time and geography); the distribution of resources (apparatus, personnel, and facilities); the concentration
of these resources (delivery of an appropriate complement of personnel and equipment in a timely manner);
reliability of resources (availability to respond to their first due assignments); and actual response performance
(response times). The remaining elements compare automatic and mutual aid balance and evaluate incident
control methods.
Service Demand
The following figure illustrates the Pasco Fire Department service demand for the past six calendar years. The
annual incidents displayed in the following figure represent all incident types, including mutual/automatic aid
given to neighboring fire jurisdictions.
Figure 26: Service Demand, 2016–2021
As the previous figure illustrates, PFD service demand increased by over 43.45 percent from 2016 through
2021, with the largest jump in the last year (2021) of 18.53% over 2020. The following figure uses National
Fire Incident Records System (NFIRS) incident type definitions to categorize incidents as “Fires” (structures,
vehicle, brush, any responses categorized as a 100 series incident in NFIRS), “EMS” (all calls for medical service
including motor vehicle accidents [MVAs] and rescues, any responses categorized as a 300 series incident in
NFIRS), and “Other” (false alarms, hazmat incidents, service calls, all other NFIRS incident series).
5118
5510 5691 5842 6194
7342
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Incidents % Increase YoY
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Figure 27: Incidents by Type, 2021
The above figure illustrates that EMS incidents represent most of the service demand in the PFD service area at
70%. This represents a nine percent reduction of the ratio of EMS incidents to overall incidents since the 2016
master plan. Incidents coded as a fire represent four percent of service demand. This is a 1.4 percent reduction
of the ratio of fires to overall incidents as compared to the 2016 master plan. All other incident types make up
nearly 26 percent of PFD service demand, which is a 10.3 percent reduction of the ratio of other call types to
overall incidents as compared to the 2016 master plan.
The significant difference between 2016 and 2021 for EMS and Other call types (as a ratio of the total) is due
to the emphasis the PFD Community Risk Reduction program has placed on correct coding of responses by
firefighters. There has been a concerted effort to have calls categorized correctly, and proper coding is
occurring at a higher rate than ever before.
Overpressure
Rupture, Explosion,
Overheat (No Fire)
0%
Rescue & Emergency
Medical Service
Incident
70%
Fire
4%
False Alarm & False
Call
6%
Good Intent Call
10%
Service Call
9%
Special Incident
Type
0%
Severe Weather &
Natural Disaster
0%
Hazardous Condition
(No Fire)
1%
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TEMPORAL DEMAND
It is also useful to evaluate service demand from a time perspective (temporally) to determine specific trends
during certain periods where staffing can be modified to better fit the demand. The following illustrates total
service demand during 2021, summarized by month of year, day of week, and hour of day.
Figure 28: Incidents by Month, 2021
Service demand varies monthly within a range of 3.2 percent throughout the year. In general, the lowest service
demand occurs during January (6.5% or 478 calls) and February (6.7% or 490 calls). Both August (9.7% or
712 calls) and September (9.7% or 709 calls) demonstrate the greatest service demand for the year.
Figure 29: Incidents by Day of Week, 2021
As with monthly service demand, service demand varies throughout the week. Again, the range is relatively
narrow (1.86% variance between slowest and busiest days of the week).
478 490
561 575 599
658 674
712 709
641
590
655
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Incidents % of Total
1012
1050
1109
1069 1064 1066
972
900
950
1000
1050
1100
1150
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
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Figure 30: Incidents by Time of Day, 2021
PFD service demand correlates with the activity of people, with workload increasing during daytime hours and
decreasing during nighttime hours, as shown in this figure. Incident activity is at its highest between 10:00 a.m.
and 6:00 p.m., which is the identical peak identified in the 2016 master plan. Almost 70 percent (69.9%) of
calls for service occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., which is six percent higher than the 2016 master
plan identified for the same time frame.
There is a significant and predictable increase in service demand during the day. This provides an opportunity
for PFD to anticipate increased workload and improve response performance by deploying additional
apparatus during periods of peak activity.
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
7.0%12:00 AM1:00 AM2:00 AM3:00 AM4:00 AM5:00 AM6:00 AM7:00 AM8:00 AM9:00 AM10:00 AM11:00 AM12:00 PM1:00 PM2:00 PM3:00 PM4:00 PM5:00 PM6:00 PM7:00 PM8:00 PM9:00 PM10:00 PM11:00 PMPage 101 of 480
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GEOGRAPHIC SERVICE DEMAND
In addition to the temporal analysis, it is useful to examine the geographic distribution of service demand. Using
incident location data provided by PFD, Pasco GIS personnel plots incident locations and calculates the
mathematical density of 2021 service demand in the PFD service area.
The expansion of hot spots in PFD between 2016 and 2021 is significant. Figure 31 below illustrates the 2021
heat map.
Figure 31: Geographic Service Demand, 2021
Since the 2016 master plan, PFD service demand has expanded the concentration of responses in two ways.
The 2016 hot spot was located in the Station 81 area east of SR 395 and south of I-182. That hot spot has
expanded in 2021 to extend substantially west of Highway 395 and north of Interstate 182, and a second
large hot spot now surrounds the new Station 83 stretching to both sides of Interstate 182. It is approximately
the same size as the Station 81 hot spot.
The Station 83 hot spot was anticipated in the 2016 master plan, although not as quickly as has occurred.
Station 83 was relocated in the middle of the hot spot pursuant to the 2016 master plan because call volume
was expected to significantly grow north of I-182. Incident distribution north and south of I-182 is currently
occurring on a 3:1 ratio (north versus south of the interstate). In 2021, 1597 (74%) calls occurred north of I-
182, while 569 (26%) of the calls occurred south of I-182.
Combined, a significant majority of the city is within a hot spot. Most of the incidents displayed in this figure are
EMS incidents (69.8%). The following figure displays 2021 fire incidents.
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Figure 32: Geographic Service Demand, Fire Incidents, 2021
Fire incidents are the least frequent incident type in the data set. However, incidents categorized as fires are
distributed throughout the study area in a pattern similar to the overall incident data. The most significant
concentration of fires is within the Station 81 hot spot.
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Distribution of Resources
The distribution analysis presents an overview of the current deployment of facilities, apparatus, and personnel
within the Pasco Fire Department service area.
Figure 33: Study Area, 2021
PFD currently provides fire protection, EMS first response and transport (ALS and BLS), hazmat, and rescue
service within the City of Pasco. In addition, PFD operates Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) apparatus
at the Tri-Cities Airport. The City of Pasco encompasses approximately 37.5 square miles. There are islands of
unincorporated Franklin County inside the City of Pasco. An inter-local agreement (ILA) on automatic aid
between PFD and Franklin County Fire District #3 (FCFD#3) ensures that the closest available resource is
dispatched to emergency incidents in these island areas.
In the following figure, the Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM) population (2021 estimate) and
traffic analysis zone (TAZ) data are used to display population density for the Pasco area. Using National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) population classifications, population density is categorized as urban (density over
1,000 population per square mile), suburban (density between 500–1,000 population per square mile), and
rural (density less than 500 population per square mile).
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Figure 34: Density, Office of Financial Management (OFM) - Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ), 2021 Population Estimate
The population density inside Pasco is largely urban in nature. The majority of area categorized as rural or low
density (less than 500 per square mile) inside the Pasco Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is zoned for industrial
or commercial land uses, or currently undeveloped land slated for future development and population growth.
The overall population density inside of Pasco is approximately 2,099 per square mile, which is an increase of
255 people per square mile from 2016 (1,844).
The Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB) is a statewide insurance industry organization that
evaluates fire protection for communities across Washington. A jurisdiction’s WSRB rating is an important factor
when considering fire station and apparatus distribution since it can affect the cost of fire insurance for Pasco
residents and businesses.
To receive maximum credit for station and apparatus distribution, WSRB recommends that all “built upon” areas
in a community be within 1.5 road miles of an engine company. Additionally, a structure should be within five
miles of a fire station to receive any fire protection rating for insurance purposes. The following figures examine
PFD fire facility distribution by WSRB distance criteria over the existing road network.
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Figure 35: Station Distribution 2021, WSRB Criteria
Approximately 43.4 percent of Pasco’s entire road network is within 1.5 miles of a PFD station. This includes
only the current city limits (not in the urban growth boundary) but does include private roads, state routes, and
federal highways. Almost all (99+%) of Pasco’s entire road network is within 5 miles of a PFD station. The City
of Pasco currently has a Class 3 Community rating.
Similar to engine company criteria, WSRB recommends that ladder companies (aerial apparatus) be placed at
2.5-mile intervals in areas with buildings over three stories in height.
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Figure 36: Aerial Apparatus Distribution 2021, WSRB Criteria
The PFD aerial apparatus placed at Station 84 and Station 81 are well positioned to respond throughout the
PFD service area to cover buildings greater than three stories in height.
The WSRB Public Protection Classification program only addresses fire suppression activities and is primarily
concerned with the geographic coverage of property. For jurisdictions such as PFD that respond to all types of
emergencies, the travel time required to respond from a fire station to any type of emergency call for service
is of equal importance.
The following figures demonstrate travel time over the existing road network. Travel time is calculated using the
posted speed limit and adjusted for negotiating turns and intersections.
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Figure 37: Travel Time Model 2021, NFPA Criteria
The previous figure demonstrates PFD travel time capabilities from the PFD fire stations. NFPA 1710, which is a
national consensus standard, specifies that career staffed, urban fire departments should deploy resources such
that 90 percent of emergency service demand can be reached in 4 minutes or less travel time. The City of Pasco
has adopted a travel time standard of 6 minutes travel time for the arrival of the first apparatus on the scene.
The following figure displays the portions of the PFD service area within 6 minutes or less travel time of a staffed
fire station. Note that the road network data provided to model travel time does not include data for the Tri-
Cities Airport. However, an examination of aerial photos reveal that the entire airport complex is well within 4
minutes of travel of Station 82.
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Figure 38: Potential Travel Time Model, PFD Response/Travel Time Model, 2021
As illustrated in the previous figure, 97.4% of the road network within the city is within the 6 minute travel time
for the existing fire stations.
More importantly, the following figure demonstrates the percentage of service demand in 2021 that occurred
within 6 minutes or less travel time of a PFD staffed fire station.
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Figure 39: Service Demand and 6-Minute Travel Time Model, 2021
Approximately 96 percent of the 2021 incidents displayed in this figure occurred within 6 minutes travel time
of a staffed fire station. The travel time model in this figure displays potential travel time capability, assuming
all apparatus are in quarters and available to respond.
The following figure uses GIS data provided by PFD to display actual travel time performance in 2021 and
compared to 2015 summarized by the PFD geographic fire management zones (FMZ).
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Figure 40: Actual Travel Time Performance by Fire Management Zone, 2021
Using an approximately half-square-mile grid, PFD has established fire management zones (FMZs) for the PFD
service area. PFD is able to track the distribution of incidents and actual travel time performance within each
FMZ. As opposed to the previous travel time models, which model potential travel time capability, the previous
figure demonstrates actual travel time performance within a distinct geographic area. Demand for service is
not evenly distributed between zones.
The previous figure also compares travel time compliance in 2021 to the 2015 travel time compliance using the
same criteria. PFD met the travel time standard of 6 minutes approximately 69.9 percent of the time in PFD’s
service area (short of the 90% goal). This compares favorably to 2015, which met the PFD travel time standard
of 6 minutes approximately 56 percent of the time in PFD’s service area (also short of the 90% goal). However,
there are challenges geographically, as the map depicts.
The use of geographic FMZ’s is an effective tool to pinpoint areas where traffic delays, lack of street network
connectivity, or responses from a more distant station (due to concurrent incidents) negatively affect actual
response performance. All three factors are at play here, with call concurrency being the most impactful
challenge.
Concentration of Resources
The resource concentration analysis examines PFD’s ability to assemble multiple resources (both apparatus and
people) in a timely manner.
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The following figure displays the concentration of PFD stations in the study area in 8 minutes or less travel time.
The 8-minute travel time goal is intended to ensure that enough people and equipment arrive soon enough to
safely control a fire or mitigate any emergency before there is substantial damage or injury. The 8-minute
travel time criteria is based on NFPA 1710. The NFPA 1710 Standard specifies that the full first al arm
assignment for a moderate risk structure fire (single family residential structure) should arrive within 8 minutes
travel time, 90 percent of the time (90th percentile).
Figure 41: Station Concentration, 2021
The staffing required to deliver the PFD full first alarm assignment for a residential (moderate risk) structure
fire calls for all four stations to be sent (three engine companies, one ladder truck, one medic unit, and one
Command Officer). An agreement with Franklin County Fire District #3 also provides a breathing support unit
with one operator. This may also include mutual aid resources as appropriate. This provides a total of 16
personnel, which meets the Pasco standard as currently written in terms of delivering the staffing required. The
previous figure demonstrates that only a small portion of the core area of Pasco near Interstate 182 is within 8
minutes or less travel time of all four of the PFD stations (red highlighted areas).
Pasco City Council has adopted a travel time goal of 12 minutes for the arrival of the full first alarm assignment
to a fire suppression event (measured at the 90th percentile). The following figure demonstrates the portions of
the PFD service area that are within 12 minutes or less travel time of all four staffed fire stations.
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Figure 42: Full First Alarm (ERF), 12 Minutes Travel Time (PFD Travel Time Goal), 2021
The current city council-adopted standard for PFD’s full first alarm assignment (Effective Response Force, or ERF)
for a residential (moderate risk) structure fire is 11 or more personnel arriving on the scene in 12 minutes or
less, 90% of the time. The actual practice for PFD staffing on these incidents is 16 personnel, including automatic
aid resources. PFD is only able to achieve the council-adopted travel time goal of twelve minutes or less in the
center of the service area, as depicted in the previous illustration.
Reliability of Response Units
The workload of emergency response units can be a factor in response time performance. The busier a given
unit, the less likely that unit is available for the next emergency. If a response unit is unavailable, then a unit
from a more distant station (or mutual/automatic aid department) must respond, increasing overall response
time. Although fire stations and response units may be distributed to provide quick response, that level of
performance can only be obtained when the response unit is available in its primary service area.
Simultaneous or concurrent incidents can also affect a fire department’s ability to muster sufficient resources to
respond to additional emergencies. A concurrent call is defined as an incident dispatched in the same station
area as another call within 30 minutes of each other in the same station area.
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These concurrent calls are illustrated on a station-by-station basis in the following figure.
Figure 43: Concurrent Incidents by Station Area, 2021
Location Concurrent
Events
% of Sta
Calls
% in
2015
Station 81 327 16.18% 15.4%
Station 82 162 11.18% 13.2%
Station 83 442 19.53% 12.3%
Station 84 96 8.81% N/A
In 2021, the total number of concurrent calls for service occurred 1,027 times. This is significantly lower than the
2015 numbers cited in the 2016 master plan (1,843). The decline is likely primarily due to a fourth station (84)
being staffed, which spread the demand across units out of four rather than three stations. The notable exception
is Station 83, which had the highest concurrent call rate of the four stations, and was the only station to see their
concurrent call rate increase despite the addition of a fourth station.
Unit workload is another factor that helps determine how reliable a unit is to respond to its own calls in a timely
manner. Unit hour utilization (UHU) measures the amount of time a unit is committed to an incident (workload).
The larger the number, the greater the unit’s utilization and the less available it is for assignment to subsequent
calls for service. The following chart depicts unit hour utilization for each response unit that is staffed.
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Figure 44: Unit Hour Utilization (UHU), 2021
Apparatus
Average Time
Committed
Total Time
Committed
UHU Rate
2021
UHU 2015
Baseline
AR281 0:24:26 11:48:35 0.13% 0.09%
AR282 0:14:12 1:39:21 0.02% 0.04%
B2841 0:54:26 29:01:58 0.33%
BC281 0:18:49 471:29:54 5.38% 3.54%
BC282 0:20:34 4:47:58 0.05%
CH281 0:47:26 7:06:52 0.08%
CH282 0:32:48 12:34:18 0.14%
CH283 0:45:56 21:26:16 0.24%
E2811 0:20:04 629:14:24 7.18% 5.73%
E2812 0:19:38 156:04:23 1.78%
E2813 0:19:43 680:20:21 7.77% 5.68%
E2814 0:21:34 348:59:42 3.98%
E2818 0:27:43 6:00:21 0.07%
E2819 0:19:58 31:57:28 0.36% 0.68%
E2861 0:25:10 19:18:02 0.22% 0.97%
E2863 0:44:29 45:57:36 0.52% 0.40%
L2811 0:18:55 90:48:44 1.04% 5.31%
L2814 0:20:23 37:43:00 0.43%
M2821 0:30:03 1002:19:09 11.44% 11.60%
M2822 0:29:24 955:43:25 10.91% 12.09%
M2823 0:34:18 1155:32:51 13.19% 10.99%
M2824 0:31:25 819:24:04 9.35%
M2828 1:19:29 6:37:24 0.08%
M2829 1:05:42 4:22:48 0.05% 0.28%
MO281 0:50:35 14:20:01 0.16% 0.51%
MO282 0:56:08 10:17:33 0.12%
MO283 0:25:19 58:39:40 0.67%
PIO281 0:42:58 59:26:04 0.68%
R2832 0:19:07 290:59:32 3.32%
R2834 0:19:31 85:11:54 0.97%
T2822 0:32:12 2:08:47 0.02%
TO281 0:40:10 8:42:13 0.10% 0.66%
UT282 0:47:09 1:34:19 0.02%
In the previous figure, the busiest units are highlighted in red. When engine companies approach ten percent
UHU, their ability to meet their travel time objective to their first due calls decreases, and their failure rate (the
rate at which a unit is not available to handle its own calls for service) potentially drops below 90 percent,
which is the industry minimum standard and the Pasco objective. High failure rates (low unit reliability) results in
slower response times and generally poorer outcomes on incidents requiring an Effective Response Force (ERF).
In PFD’s case, the engines have not reached 10% UHU, so this is not an immediate risk. Station 83’s engine
(E2813) surpassed Station 81’s engine (E2811) in total time committed to incidents and total unit hour utilization.
In short, Station 83’s engine is now the busiest in the Pasco Fire Department.
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EMS units are much busier than their engine counterparts, which is typical. All four Pasco medic units are at or
above the ten percent threshold for achieving their response performance objective, since they are at or beyond
10% UHU. Station 83’s medic unit (M2823) is the most taxed unit of the four with a UHU of 13.19%. They are
committed to an incident an average of 34:18 minutes, which is the longest of the four medic units, but not
substantially so.
Pasco Fire Department added a fourth medic unit since the 2016 master plan was published. The impact of that
added unit is clear in that it bent the growth curve of UHU downward (improved) for two of the three medic
units that have been in service since being deployed. The addition of the medic unit at Station 84 (M2824) not
only had a positive effect on its first due area, but also reduced the UHU for the medic units out of Stations 81
and 82 (M2821 and M2822 respectively). The medic unit from Station 83 undoubtedly also benefitted from
the addition of a fourth medic unit, but not enough to offset the increase in its UHU growth over the 2015
baseline.
Due to high reliance upon EMS response units in Pasco (and most communities in the United States), medic units
have significantly higher UHU’s than their engine counterparts. Medic units with high UHU are more susceptible
to paramedic burnout and overuse, burden-shifting to either engine companies or secondary medic unit
response. Burden-shifting causes the problem to spread to other units. This was studied by Henrico County (VA)
Division of Fire in 2016, which published their findings in what became an industry best practice.8 The study
demonstrated that UHU rates for individual medical units in the range of 25 to 30 percent can lead to employee
burnout issues and can negatively affect station and unit reliability.
The study’s “Commitment Factors” table is illustrated in the following figure.
Figure 45: Medic Unit Commitment Factors as Developed by Henrico County (VA) Division of Fire, 2016
Factor Indication Description
0.16–0.24 Ideal Commitment
Range
Personnel can maintain training requirements and physical fitness and
can consistently achieve response time benchmarks. Units are
available to the community more than 75 percent of the day.
0.25 System Stress
Community availability and unit sustainability are not questioned.
First-due units are responding to their assigned community 75 per cent
of the time, and response benchmarks are rarely missed.
0.26–0.29 Evaluation Range
The community served will experience delayed incident responses.
Just under 30 percent of the day, first-due ambulances are
unavailable; thus, neighboring responders will likely exceed goals.
0.30 “Line in the Sand”
Not Sustainable: Commitment Threshold—community has less than a
70 percent chance of timely emergency service and immediate relief
is vital. Personnel assigned to units at or exceeding 0.3 may show
signs of fatigue and burnout and may be at increased risk of errors.
Required training and physical fitness sessions are not consistently
completed.
8 How Busy Is Busy? Retrieved from https://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume -169/issue-5/
departments/fireems/how-busy-is-busy.html.
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Currently, UHU rates in the study area for EMS or fire units are not approaching concerning levels and are not
in danger of reaching extreme levels in the near term. However, Pasco is experiencing tremendous growth. PFD
should calculate UHU annually and monitor unit hour utilization on a unit-by-unit basis. Particular emphasis should
be placed on the impact of COVID-19 on UHU during the height of the pandemic. The pandemic’s impact on
UHU could be an anomaly, but it is unclear at this time.
If individual units approach high UHU rates, ensure that response performance and other duties are not
negatively affected. A deeper analysis into the causal factors would be prudent as medic units approach 25
percent UHU and as engine companies approach 10 percent UHU. Potential solutions to managing high UHU
include adjustments to the resources assigned to a high UHU area or the addition of a peak demand unit to
share the load.
Response Performance Summary
In the Response Performance Summary, we reviewed the current PFD response performance. The department
provided 2021 incident and apparatus response data, which was recorded and stored in the PFD records
management system software program. As required by the Revised Code of Washington, the Pasco City Council
has established response performance goals (Resolution 2938) and provides a report documenting response
performance annually.9
In addition to the above-referenced RCW, the national consensus standard established in NFPA 1710
recommends that fire departments track and report all of the components of total response time listed as
follows:10
• Call Processing Time. The amount of time between when a dispatcher answers the 911 call and
resources are dispatched.
• Turnout Time. The time interval between when units are notified of the incident and when the apparatus
are en route.
• Travel Time. The amount of time the responding unit actually spends traveling to the incident.
• Total Response Time. Total Response Time equals the combination of “Processing Time,” “Turnout Time,”
and “Travel Time.”
The following figure displays the performance recommendations from the NFPA 1710 standard.
9 RCW 35.103: Fire Departments-Performance Measures.
10 NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations,
and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments (National Fire Protection Association 2020).
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Figure 46: NFPA 1710 Response Performance Recommendations
Response Element NFPA Recommendation
Call Processing 64 Seconds @ 90th Percentile
Turnout Time 60 Seconds @ 90th Percentile for EMS
80 Seconds @ 90th Percentile for Fire
Travel Time (First unit on scene-Fire or EMS) 4 Minutes @ 90th Percentile
Travel Time (First arriving ALS unit) 8 Minutes @ 90th Percentile
Travel Time-Full First Alarm (Moderate risk-structure fire) 8 Minutes @ 90th Percentile
The following figure displays the current PFD response performance goals and the department’s actual response
performance in 2021.
Figure 47: Current PFD Response Performance Goals & Actual Performance, 2021
Response
Type
Turnout
Obj.
(mm:ss)
2021
Actual
(mm:ss)
Travel Obj.
(mm:ss)
2021
Actual
(mm:ss)
Fire Suppression Response 2:00 2:14 6:00 8:27
Full First Alarm—Fire Suppression Response N/A N/A 12:00 12:35
First Arriving Medical Unit (BLS or ALS) 2:00 2:14 6:00 6:44
First Arriving ALS Unit 2:00 2:14 6:00 6:40
Hazardous Material 2:00 2:14 6:00 7:51
Technical Rescue 2:00 2:14 6:00 15:11
ARFF N/A N/A 3:00 3:37
Wildland 2:00 2:14 6:00 8:29
To meet the performance objectives for the incident types above, the Pasco Fire Department plans to continue
to evaluate its response data to determine if relocating resources, improving personnel reliability, or other
organizational changes may improve the ability to accomplish the response time standards. This includes working
with Pasco Public Works on the development of transportation corridor improvements that will lessen travel time.
The Pasco Fire Department intends to continue to engage the public, so they fully understand the level of service
available is based on the resources provided.
ALARM PROCESSING TIME
In 2018, Pasco Fire Department switched dispatch centers from the Franklin County Communications Center to
Southeast Communications Center (SECOMM). For 2021, SECOMM fire dispatch met the NFPA 1710 call
processing performance objective (≤ 64 seconds 90% of the time). Alarms were processed in 27 seconds or
less 90% of the time. This is a significant improvement over the previous call processing times reported by
Franklin County Communications Center (compliant 53.3% of the time in 2015).
TURNOUT TIME
The Pasco Fire Department met its own Turnout Performance Objective (≤ 2 minutes) 84.7% of the time. The
turnout time was 2 minutes, fourteen seconds or less 90% of the time in 2021. This is eight seconds slower than
the 2016 master plan reported.
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PFD command staff should bring this drop-off to the attention of crews as an area for focused improvement. An
axiom in the fire service (and other services), is, “…that which is measured is treasured”. By measuring and
reporting out on turnout time performance on a crew by crew and shift-by-shift basis monthly, crews will typically
redouble their efforts to improve.
TRAVEL TIME
Travel time is potentially the longest component of total response time and is a simple matter of physics. The
distance between the fire station and the location of the emergency influences total response time the most. The
quality and connectivity of streets, traffic congestion, and geography all play crucial roles in travel time
performance. The use of traffic control technology (signal pre-emption devices), closest unit dispatch using
automatic vehicle location (AVL), and mobile data terminals with vehicle routing software are examples of using
modern technology to reduce the travel time and improve response performance. Note that PFD has
implemented all of these technological means to some degree to improve response performance.
The Pasco Fire Department met its own Travel Time Performance Objective (≤ 6:00) 69.9% of the time in 2021.
This is a significant improvement over 2015, which met the objective only 50 percent of the time. Travel time
for the Pasco Fire Department by the 1st arriving unit was 8:27 minutes or less, 90 percent of the time in 2021.
While an improvement, both the City of Pasco Travel Time Objective and the NFPA 1710 Standard were not
achieved for travel time.
For full first alarm-fire suppression responses, PFDs current performance objective calls for 11 or more personnel
arriving on the scene of a residential structure fire in twelve minutes or less, 90% of the time. In 2021, the 90th
percentile arrival time for 11 or more personnel was 12:35 minutes (an improvement over 2020 performance
of 14:29 minutes). PFD’s first alarm personnel arrived on a residential structure fire 81.8% of the time (an
improvement over 2020, which was 76.3%). However, 11 personnel sent to a structure fire is below NFPA
standards (16, or 17 when an aerial device is used). The Pasco City Council should update its response
performance goals (Resolution 2938) to align its first alarm staffing assignment with NFPA 1710.
RESPONSE TIME
NFPA 1710 does not establish a response time as a standard. They do establish the individual elements that
make up what response time would be, and industry best practices recommend tracking and recording the
individual components of total response time. By tracking the individual components of response time, fire
jurisdictions are able to identify and correct specific deficiencies. PFD appropriately follows the provisions of
RCW 35.103 Fire Departments: Performance Measures, in establishing the metrics of its performance. Response
time is the aggregate of call processing, turnout, and travel times.
Recommendations:
• Update Resolution 2938 - Full First Alarm Assignment for moderate risk structure fires
should increase to 17 personnel (includes an aerial apparatus) from the current 11.
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Mutual and Automatic Aid Systems
There are numerous mutual aid agreements, both formal and informal, in place between fire, police, and
emergency medical agencies in the Tri-Cities area. Mutual aid is typically employed on an “as needed” basis
where units are called for and specified one by one by an incident commander.
Automatic aid agreements differ from mutual aid agreements in that under certain agreed-upon criteria,
resources from the assisting agency are automatically dispatched as part of the initial response. These
agreements facilitate closest unit dispatch to emergencies in boundary areas and allow for the dispatch of
additional apparatus and personnel to specific predefined emergencies. Automatic aid agreements are often
thoughtfully negotiated to try to strike a balance between the participating agencies to avoid the appearance
of a subsidy.
Mutual aid is less predictable in that it is utilized when typical response resources are overwhelmed, requiring
additional resources from other agencies. Mutual aid is often less frequently utilized either in the giving or
receiving of it but is also typically less balanced since it is not foreseeable.
Pasco Fire Department participates in statewide mobilizations in other parts of the state and in Oregon, given
its close proximity. These state mobilizations are requested through the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office
on behalf of the host agency.
The following figure displays PFD mutual and automatic aid activity and state mobilizations by frequency and
by hours in 2021.
Figure 48: Mutual and Automatic Assistance, 2021
Automatic Aid
Given/Received Number Total Time
PFD Given 79 86:23:09
PFD Rec'd 56 104:21:19
Mutual Aid
Given/Received Number Total Time
PFD Given 176 204:22:17
PFD Rec'd 9 51:07:24
Mobilizations
PFD Given 17 1722:52:47
The frequency of automatic assistance PFD provides other departments and is provided by other departments
is fairly balanced by the number of occurrences. But by hours spent, PFD receives more hours being assisted
than assisting other agencies. The hours can be heavily skewed by an unusual incident or two, so the imbalance
of hours may be an anomaly.
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One primary purpose of mutual aid agreements is to improve the regional application of resources and staffing.
Cooperative efforts between jurisdictions are an effective means to bolster a community’s fire protection
resources or to reduce unnecessary redundancy and overlap between communities. This is especially important
in an area such as the Tri-Cities. As a metropolitan area with an estimated population of over 308,29311,
demand for emergency services is amplified in the individual communities that make up the Tri-Cities.
Incident Control and Management
PFD uses the Incident Command System (ICS) for tactical incident control and the National Incident Management
System (NIMS) as its standard management protocol. These methodologies for managing emergency incidents
are widely accepted industry standards and are incorporated appropriately into PFD emergency and daily
operations.
The Department’s SOG manual addresses the use of ICS on emergency scenes. ICS training is included in the
annual training schedule. An emergency scene accountability system (Passport System) is utilized to ensure
firefighter safety and accountability. PFD effectively utilizes the ICS and NIMS for emergency and non-
emergency operations.
Recommendations:
• Revise Pasco Policy on Response Performance Objectives to reflect actual full first alarm
assignments to structure fires.
• Analyze Unit Hour Utilization annually to ensure units and crews are not exceeding efficient
and effective deployment (≤ 10% for engines and 25% for medic units). Conduct a
deeper analysis into the causal factors for these units as they approach these thresholds
and address as appropriate. Consider 25 percent UHU for medic units as a trigger point to
increase staffing of the sister engine company.
11 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2021.
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Training Program
During the development of the 2020 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan, 20 citizens from various walks of
life within the City of Pasco were polled to determine their top planning priorities for PFD. The number one
priority of those attending was the technical competence of the personnel in the Pasco Fire Department. This is
not a reflection of a perceived deficit, rather, it reflects a strong desire on the part of the public that they are
able to rely on the knowledge, skills, and abilities of firefighters arriving at an emergency to resolve whatever
emergency problems they face. This is core to the mission of the Training Division for the Pasco Fire Department.
In this section, PFD’s training practices are analyzed and compared to industry standards and best practices,
with recommendations as appropriate.
General Training Competencies
The basis for effective training is established standards. There exists a variety of training standards, including
those from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the International Fire Service Training Association
(IFSTA), the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), and applicable Washington
Administrative Code (WAC) firefighter safety and training requirements. EMTs and paramedics must comply
with the Washington State Department of Health (WADOH) Ongoing Training & Evaluation Program (OTEP)
for continued certification as well.
The curriculum for training complies with WAC 296-305 Safety Standards for Fire Fighters and generally
follows IFSTA plus agency-specific or region-specific curriculum developed in partnership with local agencies.
Skill sheets have been developed and tie in with the curriculum.
PFD has an agency-specific apprenticeship program, similar in nature to the Washington State Council of
Firefighters’ apprenticeship program. Apprenticeship consists of accredited recruit academy training, hazardous
materials training, and EMT training, followed by on-the-job training and academic instruction that supplements
the craft of firefighting. This continues for three years following initial hiring.
Initial training of new hires begins with an indoctrination while assigned to day shift for sixteen weeks. During
the first year (probation) of employment, task book assignments are completed. The most recent graduates of
probation mentor recruits (new hires). This unique method of mentorship has been successful for several reasons.
The mentor is familiar with the material, having recently completed it themselves, they can relate to what the
probationary employee is experiencing, and they are approachable.
Following the probation period, personnel receive on-going training and skill maintenance. To this end, there
must be a sufficient number of instructors, training grounds, and adequate training materials either internally or
available from outside sources. Training sessions should be formal and follow a prescribed lesson plan that
meets specific objectives. PFD provides these on a regularly scheduled basis using Target Solutions, a
commercially available software program specifically for the fire service.
The first three years of training (after probation) is provided through the Pasco Fire Department Apprenticeship
Program. Members during this period are evaluated on their apprenticeship skills jointly by the apprenticeship
committee, company officers, and the training officer.
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After the apprenticeship program is completed, training and ongoing skills maintenance is achieved following
an annual calendar published in January of each year by the Training Officer. The training division has set up
a quarterly training routine, where the Training Officer leads training one month, and station officers leading
the training within their station for the other two months.
The Training Officer relies upon subject matter experts (SMEs) within the department to provide training
instruction within their fields of expertise. These adjunct instructors are brought on days for a short period
(typically six days) to assist the training division. This is an excellent and efficient mechanism to expand upon
the internal expertise within the department. The subject matter expertise lies in the following disciplines:
• Large Area Search • Air Management • Hose Movement
• Forcible Entry • Ladders • Rapid Intervention Teams
• Ventilation • Live Fire Instruction • Water Rescue
• Firefighter Survival • Elevators • Hazardous Materials
• Community Risk Reduction • Extrication • High Rise Operations
• Wildland Firefighting • Active Shooter Response • Rescue Boat Operator
• Fire Dynamics • Pump Operations • Truck Operations
• Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting • Technical Rescue (2 of 3 disciplines
– ropes, trench, confined space)
• Emergency Vehicle Incident
Prevention
Training Administration
The Training Officer is responsible for the training division. The incumbent has held the position for three years.
The training division is primarily designed to facilitate training, not deliver it. The training officer is a division of
one, with SMEs frequently augmenting the training delivery. In addition to the training program, the training
officer is responsible for all training facility maintenance, landscape, repairs, purchasing, indemnification,
coordination of internal training efforts, and contracting of outside sources. Much of the day-to-day training is
the responsibility of on-duty company officers. Nonetheless, the training division is lightly staffed and needs
additional regular assistance.
Recommendation:
• Create a full-time training lieutenant assigned to the training division to increase the output
potential of the training division by managing facilities, recruit school, the ARFF program,
and driving greater consistency throughout the training division. This releases the half time
lieutenant, currently shared with EMS, to be assigned full time to the EMS division.
Training Facilities
Emergency responders must be equipped with a balance of knowledge and skills that are periodically exercised
in a realistic but safe environment. Modern fire training centers continue to evolve with the blending of suitable
space, durable yet adaptable structures, and current technology. Training center facilities must incorporate
classroom resources, computer resources, incident simulation equipment, and individualized study resources.
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Since the 2016 Master Plan for the Pasco Fire Department, the department has developed its own training
center. This was necessary since previously, PFD had to contract with Walla Walla County Fire District #5 for
the use of its training center in Burbank, pulling PFD resources out of the city. PFD had also relied upon
Kennewick’s training facilities on a case-by-case basis, but the grounds were frequently out of service and
unavailable. The Pasco Training Center consists of shipping containers (Conex boxes) arranged in a manner that
provides simulation of a multi-room structure. The training center has received two additional Conex boxes to
add to the existing structure, and a live-fire training prop.
The Training Center for Pasco Fire Department is located at 1011 Ainsworth, adjacent to the Franklin County
Emergency Management building in the Port of Pasco. The Training Division has expanded to use the office and
classroom space vacated by PFD administrative staff. The plan is to continue to lease the facility from the Port
of Pasco and host training activities at the location and explore opportunities to expand the training ground
footprint.
The training classroom space accommodates 75 personnel, and a utility room accommodates an additional 75
personnel. The training facility hosts a Command Lab that allows incident management training using the main
building. There is also an apparatus bay in the building. The combination of classroom space, offices, and the
training props and drill grounds make an ideal training center.
Training Manual
A training manual is the playbook that firefighters use to practice and prepare to operate safely and efficiently.
A playbook is used to standardize techniques and processes for individual companies, fire stations, and between
shifts. Since Pasco is within a geographic region with interdependency for most fires and larger emergency
incidents, it is appropriate that there be a regional training manual. PFD has collaborated with other agencies
in the region to develop a standard training manual. That manual is currently in the process of being updated
and converting it to a digital format.
Training Record Keeping
Individual training records are entered and archived on Target Solutions, which is the department’s record
management system. The records and files are computerized, and daily training records are maintained.
Company training records are also maintained, and the training officer is responsible for ensuring the training
records are complete.
In 2021, a total of 79 PFD personnel received a total of 24,047.65 hours of training for an average of 304
hours per person. Other training activities, technical, specialty team, and instruction outside the department were
in addition to those totals. By comparison, in 2015, 56 PFD personnel received a total of 16,800 hours of
training, for an average of 300 hours per person. This was a simple calculation (56 employees with ten hours
per month of fire training and five hours per month for EMS), which is less reliable than an actual calculation of
training hours from the existing training records, as was done for 2021. The training hours went up slightly on
a per person basis between 2015 and 2021. However, the 2021 figure is likely more accurate than the 2015
figure.
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Community Risk Assessment & Reduction Program
Community Risk Management has two major elements; risk assessment (determining the actual risk profile of a
community) and risk reduction (reducing the risks identified in a community, primarily through education and
empowerment of its residents). Grouped together under the umbrella term, “Community Risk Reduction,” the
concept has gained national prominence in the fire service to address community risks related to the services
provided by fire departments. It starts with a community risk assessment, which quantifies the risk a community
faces in the built environment, from natural risks, and by human activity. Once these risks are assessed and
quantified, a risk reduction strategy can be employed to reduce the rate of growth of emergency response
demand for the fire department, increase community safety, and enhance community livability through increased
safety.
Community Risk Assessment
In William Shakespeare’s, “The Tempest,” a quote from the 410-year-old play is just as valid today—“What’s
past is prologue.” It implies that what has occurred in the past has set the stage for future events. To a large
degree, this is true in community risk assessment. Historical emergency response demand, when analyzed closely,
identifies risk trends within the community and, in some ways, is predictive of future emergency potential.
However, there may be latent potential risks also posed in a community that have not surfaced historically. In
this case, expanding the risk assessment to include potential risk as has been experienced by other communities
regionally or nationally is a prudent step to take. Common risk categories may include the following:
Climate Transportation Emergencies Target Hazard Locations
Topography Airplane Crash Risk by Land Use Designation
Population & Demographics Train Derailment Risk by IBC Occupancy Group
Residential Structures Pipeline Emergency Structural Target Hazards
Commercial Occupancies Vehicle Incident/Fire Critical Infrastructure & Resources
Service Infrastructure Infrastructure Failures Water Distribution
Earthquake Dam/Levee Failure Communications Systems
Flooding Power Failure Energy Systems
Landslide/Mudslide Hazmat Release Government Facilities
Wildfire Mining/Drilling Incident Public Assembly
Severe Winds, including
Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
Human-Caused Hazards and
Vulnerabilities Schools and Day Care Centers
Wildland-Urban Interface Areas Medical Hazards Hospital & Medical Care Facilities
Winter Storm Structural Fire Hazards Buildings Three or More Stories in Height
Other Natural Hazards Technical Rescue Hazards Large Square-Footage Buildings
Technological Hazards and
Vulnerabilities Deliberate Acts Multi-Family Dwellings
PFD’s CRA/CRR Plan uses many, but not all of these categories. Once all risks have been identified, they must
be quantified. There are two primary methods for quantifying risk objectively. The first is a formulaic approach,
referred to as Calculated Priority Risk Index (CPRI). The formula is expressed on the following page, supported
by Figure 49, which define the score categories.
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CPRI = [(0.45 × 𝑃) + (0.3 × 𝑆) + (0.15 × 𝑊) + (0.1 × 𝐷)]
Where:
P = Probability of the event
W = Warning availability, speed of onset
S = Severity or magnitude of the event
D = Duration
Figure 49: PRI Score Categories
Risk Factor Weighting
Factor
Index
Value Level Criteria
Probability 45%
1 Unlikely < 0.1% annual
2 Possible 0.1–1.0% annual
3 Likely 1–10% annual
4 Highly Likely > 10% annual
Magnitude
Severity 30%
1 Negligible
Negligible property damage, < 5% of critical facilities &
infrastructure.
Injuries or illnesses treatable with first aid, no deaths.
Shut down of critical facilities for < 24 hours.
2 Limited
Slight property damage > 5% and < 25% of critical facilities
& infrastructure.
Injuries or illnesses, no permanent disability, no deaths.
Shut down of critical facilities > 1 day and < 1 week.
3 Critical
Moderate property damage > 25% and < 50% of critical
facilities & infrastructure.
Injuries/illnesses result in permanent disability, 1 death.
Shut down of critical facilities > 1 week and < 1 month.
4 Catastrophic
Severe property damage > 50% of critical facilities &
infrastructure.
Injuries or illnesses result in permanent disability and
multiple deaths.
Shut down of critical facilities > 1 month.
Warning
Time 15%
1 Long More than 24 hours
2 Moderate 12 to 24 hours
3 Short 6 to 12 hours
4 Limited Less than 6 hours
Duration 10%
1 Limited Less than 6 hours
2 Short Less than 24 hours
3 Moderate Less than 1 week
4 Long More than 1 week
The second process used to quantify risk objectively is grouping into clusters of probabilities. The
risk/consequence or risk/probability matrix is illustrated in the following figure.
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Figure 50: Risk/Probability Matrix12
As the risk is quantified generally into one of the four quadrants, a decision is made based on the level of risk.
Communities cannot create a zero chance of a risk, which would indicate there is no risk. Likewise, there cannot
be a 100 percent chance of a risk, since that would make it a certainty, not a risk. Every community must come
to grips with an acceptable level of risk, recognizing that it is improbable, impractical, and unaffordable to
eliminate risk in a community. It is also untenable to consider all risks acceptable. Using a matrix helps fire
department officials determine approximately where the line is between an acceptable and unacceptable risk.
It is important to note that for the individuals directly involved in an incident, it is never considered an acceptable
risk. The quadrants in the previous figure may be defined as follows.
• Low impact/low probability: Risks in the bottom left corner are low level, with acceptable consequences
if the incident occurs. These can often be considered acceptable risks and require no further action.
• Low impact/high probability: Risks in the top left corner are moderate level—if the incident happens,
the fire department can usually handle it with existing resources. However, effort should be given to
reduce the likelihood that these incidents occur. This is where community risk reduction strategies pay
significant dividends to a community.
• High impact/low probability: Risks in the bottom right corner are high level if they do occur, but they
are very unlikely to happen. Risks in this quadrant are prime candidates for training and contingency
planning. A fire department may spend time and energy preparing for such an incident and may even
acquire specialized equipment and other non-staff resources to prepare for this risk. These risks also
lend themselves well to community risk reduction strategies, such as public education, community
engagement, and code enforcement.
• High impact/high probability: Risks toward the top right corner are critical. These should be the highest
priorities for the fire department and the community. Aggressive action is required, such as staffing for
these risks, equipping for these risks, and engaging the community in risk reduction and preparedness.
12 "Risk Impact/Probability Chart: Learning to Prioritize Risks." Risk Impact/Probability Chart. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 June 2016.
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Regardless of the method used, once the community risks are identified and appropriately prioritized, plans of
action are developed consistent with their category to reduce risk.
Recommendation:
• Consider using a formulaic approach to quantifying risk and thereby prioritizing risks.
Community Risk Reduction
Once the community risk is assessed and prioritized, strategies can be developed to address them. The risk
reduction process follows an iterative process, as illustrated in the following figure.
Figure 51: Six Steps of Community Risk Reduction
PFD has completed a Community Risk Assessment and has developed a Community Risk Reduction plan. Written
in 2017, the plan relies significantly on the Franklin County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, with
additional focus on threats within the city. This is appropriate since Pasco and Franklin County are virtually
inseparable when it comes to risk. The City of Pasco makes up the vast majority of Franklin County in the built
environment and by population. Therefore, it has a substantial amount of Franklin County’s risk.
The plan comments on all major risk categories within the CRA portion of the plan. The CRR portion of the plan
prioritizes the top three risks Pasco faces as it relates to fire department responses. They are:
1. Cooking fires in the home
2. Injuries and deaths related to slips, trips, and falls
3. “Not-Applicable” EMS event type
None of the top three risks are surprising results. The first two, cooking fires and falls, are among the most
common risk types in communities throughout the United States. The third risk, “not-applicable” EMS event types
is less a risk and more a concern as it relates to accurate data collection and interpretation. The third risk can
be reliably tied to concern over data inaccuracy due to poor categorizing of call types. This can indeed
jeopardize the department’s ability to accurately assess the community risk if the data collected on a response
is not properly categorized. This is a common problem within the fire service, but few agencies seek to address
this issue head-on as PFD has.
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PFD has utilized a creative approach to addressing demand reduction due to system overuse or system abuse.
Most communities have problems with repeat users of the 9-1-1 system for non-emergent purposes. It has been
found nationally that such uses often reflect social issues or confusion about how to access non-emergent services
from systems such as mental health, eldercare, or other social service agencies.
PFD has partnered with Consistent Care Services to provide a Resource Navigator. Users of the 9-1-1 system
for non-9-1-1 purposes are the target audience. Those citizens are referred to the Resource Navigator by on
duty crews that observe the need while on the call. The goals of the program are to reduce repeat users of
911, increase unit availability for 9-1-1 responses, and to put these citizens using 9-1-1 inappropriately in
touch with the correct resources for the problems they are dealing with.
The Resource Navigator is not an employee of the Pasco Fire Department but conducts work on behalf of the
Pasco Fire Department and has an office at the PFD administration building. The incumbent works for the CRR
Specialist and the EMS Officer (since many of the crew referrals come from EMS responses). The position has
resulted in substantially reduced inappropriate use of 9-1-1 services. This improves response performance
indirectly within the PFD system.
It is important to quantify all the major risks in the community and prioritize them, even if some have no action
plan to address them and are consciously subordinated to other, higher risks in the community. This provides a
report card of sorts, facilitating a quick reference point to determine whether lower priority risks are growing
and should be reassessed year-over-year, or should continue to remain a lower priority.
The Community Risk Reduction Specialist intends to update the CRA/CRR plan based in large part on
recommendations made in this master plan. As the five-year anniversary of the inaugural plan has arrived in
2022, it is a good opportunity to review the five-year trend on the top three risks targeted for reduction. It is
also a good point to update the plan, incorporating the recommendations contained in this report.
Recommendations:
• Review response data annually to identify emerging risk trends and modify the CRR plan
accordingly.
• Evolve CRR program toward a station-based risk reduction strategy, managing
geographically distinct risks at the station officer level.
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Emergency Medical Services
An effective EMS system involves many different agencies, organizations, and the public working together to
provide rapid recognition, notification, response, treatment, and transport to those in need of immediate medical
attention. Generally, most EMS systems include at least system access and dispatch components, first response,
ambulance transport, and definitive hospital care. The addition of a trained public component has improved
patient outcomes.
Medical Direction & Control
Prehospital medical care systems include emergency assets (trained personnel on appropriate emergency
vehicles with proper equipment), strategically deployed, arriving promptly to provide the most appropriate
care for the sick and injured, with transportation to the nearest or most appropriate medical facility for further
treatment. Often lost in this process is the role of medical control by physicians specifically trained in the
management of prehospital medical care.
In Washington State, physicians are selected by the Washington State Department of Health upon
recommendation for certification by the local medical community and local emergency medical services and
trauma care council. The physician selected is referred to as the Medical Program Director (MPD) for their
county and oversees the prehospital medical system within that county. In addition, the MPD provides supervision
of medical personnel. This can be done online (paramedics have direct phone or radio access to an emergency
physician in real-time for permission to conduct certain medical procedures) or offline (paramedics conduct
certain medical procedures based on pre-established patient care protocols).
In Pasco, the Medical Program Director (Dr. Kevin Eric Hodges) for the Mid-Columbia region (Franklin and
Benton Counties) has established offline medical control through standing orders and patient care protocols,
most recently adopted in June 2019. Doctor Hodges also provides medical chart reviews, case reviews, and
continuing medical education for field technicians. Dr. Hodges is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and is
assisted by an Administrative Assistant and an MPD Assistant/Paramedic Instructor who manages quality
assurance programs on behalf of Dr. Hodges for the prehospital agencies in the county. The MPD conducts
quarterly crew meetings to discuss contemporary issues, state-of-the-art procedures and practices, and
generally maintain ongoing engagement with the field personnel.
EMS is the single most uniformly operating section of the Tri-Cities fire departments, primarily because they are
combined under the Mid-Columbia Regional EMS & Trauma Care (EMS-TC) Council and under a single MPD for
the region, which covers both counties. Joint protocols, a shared EMS Medical Program Director, and EMS
training are all uniform to the fire departments in Franklin and Benton counties.
Organized as a private, non-profit organization, the Council works with the Washington State Department of
Health, hospitals, pre-hospital EMS providers, airborne medical transport, and other regional healthcare
partners to develop and enhance the EMS and trauma care system. The Mid-Columbia EMS-TC Council functions
at a very high level of coordination and planning.
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Quality Assurance & Quality Improvement
A Quality Assurance & Quality Improvement program exists in Pasco Fire Department. According to the Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), quality assurance (QA) measures compliance against certain
necessary standards, typically focusing on individuals, whereas quality improvement (QI) is a continuous
improvement process focused on systems. PFD’s QA/QI process is coordinated by a QA/QI Committee of field
personnel. The process includes a lessons-learned approach to post-incident analysis and medical case reviews.
These are conducted monthly. Case reviews include the involvement of the QA/QI Committee, the MPD, and the
two PFD medical officers. QA/QI results are published in regular reports, and in particular for certain cardiac
arrhythmias (STEMI), cardiac arrest, and stroke.
Of the 5,560 EMS calls dispatched, 268 were canceled en route and 150 were redirected to the PRN (Pasco
Resource Navigator). PFD transported 3,334 patients. There were 4,680 patients seen, with 1,146 patients not
transported. Of those, 163 were released against medical advice (AMA), 127 required no treatment, and 856
were released under medical protocol G10, which includes a medical release being signed by the patient or a
non-crewmember witness. Just over 24 percent of the total medical calls where a patient was contacted were
not transported.
Crews providing transportation to an area hospital were out of service at the hospital for an average of just
under 20 minutes. This includes patient care transition to the facility, report writing, restocking or cleaning the
unit, and prepping for the next response.
Evidence of the success of the quality improvement effort exists with cardiac arrest survival rates. The Mid -
Columbia region has cardiac arrest survival rates that are very high compared to agencies statewide and
nationally. Pasco Fire Department belongs to the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). According
to CARES,
…approximately 90% of persons who experience an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) die.
Despite decades of research, median reported rates of survival to hospital discharge are poor
(10.4%) and have remained virtually unchanged for the past 30 years.
Outcome studies are conducted in CARES agencies for specific conditions (witnessed cardiac arrest, bystander
initiated CPR attempted, a shockable rhythm once EMS arrives, and patient survival). In the Pasco Fire
Department service area, of the 53 cardiac arrests that occurred in 2021, 22.7 percent were witnessed by
bystanders. Thirty-three and a third percent (33.3%) met the Utstein criteria (including a shockable rhythm). Of
those, 40% of the patients survived. This is a lower survival rate than was observed in the 2016 master plan,
but both are small sample sizes, easily skewing outcomes year-to-year. Data from the CARES registry also
showed increased delays to initiation of CPR for out of hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) and reduced survival
after OHCA coinciding with timing of the pandemic. There was a reduction in the frequency of shockable rhythms,
OHCA in public locations, and bystander AED use. Despite this, there was no significant alteration in frequency
of bystander CPR.
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Clinical Skills & Continuing Education
Each member of the Pasco Fire Department participates in the Ongoing Training & Evaluation Program (OTEP)
to maintain their certifications and keep skills at a high level throughout the year. These training opportunities
are offered internally and some externally within the region. Members who participate present their record of
attendance, which is filed electronically in the PFD reporting system. Higher-level skills required to be performed
regularly, such as intubation, airway management, and intravenous access, are routinely performed by
intermediate and advanced (paramedic) medical technicians. Success rates and multiple attempts are tracked,
and remedial training or testing is provided if necessary.
Continuing education and OTEP are provided through Columbia Basin College. Paramedics are additionally
required to attend Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), High
Performance Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (HPCPR), basic clinical skills assessment, intermediate- and
advanced-skills assessment. In addition to all of the above, paramedics attend in-service training as directed
by the MPD or as QA/QI and/or case review calls for. These are conducted and facilitated by the EMS officer.
EMS Staffing & Operations
Pasco Fire Department employs 30 Washington State-certified paramedics. Of these, four are nationally
registered paramedics. Additionally, there are eight intermediate-level EMTs. These technicians can either
administer intravenous fluids or intubate patients who have unprotected airways, depending on the type of
intermediate certification these technicians have. Finally, there are 43 basic EMTs. This is the minimum level of
medical training for all operational personnel.
Staffing for medical calls includes two personnel on an ambulance and two personnel on an engine for a total
of four personnel. The EMS program is managed day-to-day by a Captain/Paramedic. A
Lieutenant/Paramedic assists with the medical training workload. This position is currently shared with the
Training Division. The medical equipment carried on these apparatus are state-of-the-art, including cardiac
monitors/defibrillators/pacers with 12 lead capability, end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) monitoring (the partial pressure
of CO2 at the end of an exhaled breath), and SpO2 (oxygen saturation, which is a measure of the amount of
oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in the blood relative to the amount of hemoglobin not carrying oxygen),
metronome CPR prompts, and event recording for post-event review.
EMS Administration
The EMS Officer manages the EMS program day to day. One of the issues facing the program is that PFD is
having difficulty keeping certified paramedics because they keep getting promoted out of the system (officers
are assigned to the engines, taking them off of medic units). Further, as the appointed HIPAA Compliance
Officer, the EMS Officer estimates that patient care and other medical records requests are taking between
five to fifteen hours per week to process (such as redacting and ensuring the identity of the requester), which
impacts active management of the system. The technology support needs and the amount of data analysis
required to evaluate and adjust the program accordingly is substantial and ongoing. While there is an EMS
Assistant, that position is shared with the Training Officer and primarily performs EMS training. The Information
Technology technician assigned to PFD is shared with PPD and Municipal Court. Often, competing needs delay
resolving these critical systems and processes.
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EMS Logistics
Logistics and support services for EMS represent a labor-intensive process requiring good policies and attention
to detail. The procurement and distribution of EMS supplies is also an important behind-the-scenes practice that
needs hands-on work and meticulous record keeping. Filling the demand for logistical services is a constant
necessity in any organization and vital to ensure the operational readiness of the agency. A significant amount
of the PFD EMS officers’ time is consumed with logistics duties. This process is repeated by EMS officers at each
fire department in the Tri-Cities area.
A multi-agency purchasing program could improve the management of PFD’s and partner agencies’ supply
chains. In theory, the agencies would collectively create or contract for a logistics center to manage the
purchasing process of EMS supplies.
Medications and other medical supplies are in stock and on hand for quick replenishment, and controlled
medications are secured. Medications and temperature-sensitive liquids are maintained in a temperature-
controlled environment.
Three hospitals in the Tri-Cities area operate four EDs (emergency departments):
• Lourdes Medical Center
• Kadlec Regional Medical Center
• Trios Southridge Hospital
• Kadlec Emergency Room, Kennewick
Two of the receiving EDs are designated trauma centers. Kadlec Regional Medical Center is a Level 3 trauma
center, and Trios Southridge Hospital is Level 3 and Pediatric Level 3. The three designated stroke centers are
Lourdes Medical Center, Level 2; Trios Southridge Hospital, Level 2; and Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Level
2. Transporting EMS medic units receive on-line medical control from the receiving hospital. Paramedics can
consult with receiving hospitals via cellular phone, the radio HEAR (Hospital Emergency Administrative Radio)
system, and with 12-lead telemetry to Kadlec Regional and Lourdes Medical Centers.
Recommendations:
• Consider transitioning to a tiered response EMS system, with engine company/first response units
handling low acuity calls (Alpha, Bravo, and potentially some Charlie priorities), reserving medic
units for high acuity, truly life-threatening call types (most Charlie, Delta, and Echo priorities). This
may reduce pressure on maintaining the paramedic ranks and will require MPD buy-off.
• Acquire a Management Analyst or Data Analyst to routinely pull data for the EMS system, the
PFD management system, and other PFD divisional needs to make sound management decisions
based on quality, contemporary data.
• Assign the EMS Assistant to the EMS Division full-time, discontinuing a shared role with Training
Division.
• Reduce the IT technician sharing burden for PFD. Consider splitting the position with one lower-
demand department than is currently the practice.
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HAZMAT Services Support and Response Capa bility
Hazardous materials response capability had, for many years, been a military mission commonly called nuclear,
biological, and chemical (NBC) defense. With the increased use of chemicals and chemical processes in
communities and their shipment throughout the United States, municipal fire departments began adapting this
military mission, coining the term “hazardous materials” and adding this capability to the list of services provided
to primarily large urban cities in the 1980s.
Since 9/11, the possibility of intentional hazardous materials releases caused many fire departments to add
this capability regardless of the size of the community served, mostly in concert with other regional partners. In
turn, the terminology changed, with weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the threat of chemical hazards being
expanded to include Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN), which replaced the former
acronym NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical). In the military, an “e” was added for explosive devices; for
standardization, the fire service has also expanded to include the “e.”
Informally, hazardous materials and CBRNE are essentially one and the same, with CBRNE typically used to
describe possible acts of terror and hazardous materials used to describe accidental exposure to civilian
populations. In 2007 and 2008, the Washington Fire Chief’s Association attempted to establish nine regional
CBRNE teams dispersed throughout Washington State, along with a funding mechanism to ensure sustainability.
The intent was to provide a regional response team with technical expertise and equipment.
The teams were to be selected from among applicant fire departments that were well-positioned for a response
within their region and had already demonstrated some level of expertise or the commitment to achieve that
level of expertise. Multiple funding mechanisms were identified to provide for these teams, but proposed
legislation was held up in committee. The economic downturn during that same period also hobbled the effort
as funds dried up nationally.
Virtually all fire departments in the United States have received hazardous materials—operations level training,
but this does not constitute a hazardous materials team. A true hazardous materials or hazmat team is capable
of offensive actions once a substance is identified and a proper course of action determined. Hazardous
materials teams are made up of technicians certified in these various risk factors. The most advanced civilian
hazardous materials team offensive capability is referred to as Level A.
Pasco Fire Department Infrastructure
All firefighters in Pasco are trained to at least the operations level, but Pasco Fire maintains a portion of the
resources necessary to stand up a full activation of the highest risk hazmat incident. This is by design. Pasco is
part of a Tri-County Regional Haz-Mat Response Team (Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, and Yakima Counties)
via an interlocal agreement. The philosophy behind the regional team is that the cost of standing up a fully
independent, all-risk hazmat team is exorbitant. But if the costs and duties were shared across the four counties,
along with the response burden, the capability becomes higher than any one agency can reasonably afford
and the depth of capability is deeper than any one agency can achieve.
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The Tri-County Regional HazMat Team is comprised of technician-level members distributed across the signatory
agencies within the four counties. These members are assigned to regular engine companies with the support
equipment necessary to conduct an initial assessment of a suspected hazmat incident. These assessment engines
are equipped with 4-gas meters, pH paper, and Ray 2000 meters. The personal protective equipment they
wear is standard firefighting gear, which is level B (intermediate) protection. An assessment response consists of
three assessment engine companies. In Pasco’s case, one Pasco assessment engine responds with two other
assessment engines from neighboring agencies who are signatories to the Tri-County Regional Team. The
assessment teams utilize HazMatIQ, a training and job aid process whereby personnel can quickly sort the
relative risks and initial actions to be taken in the initial stages of the incident.
This type of response is expected to result in an assessment of the hazardous material within 15 minutes of
arrival. If the incident does not require full hazmat team activation and level A personal protective equipment
(the highest level of risk posed and necessitates wearing a fully encapsulated suit), the assessment teams
transition to mitigation. This will require a hazmat certified incident commander (all PFD company officers and
chief officers are certified HazMat ICs) and may also require additional assistance from decontamination teams
from other agencies that are signatories to the Tri-County interlocal agreement. If the incident requires a full
team activation and level A protection, the Yakima Fire Department responds with a unit that provides level A
suits, additional assets, and capabilities. Response time for this additional capability exceeds 30 minutes.
The methodology described here is relatively new and is continuing to be developed. IFSAC Technician is the
curriculum being used by all signatories to the Tri-County interlocal agreement. Not all agencies have achieved
this, but the goal is to have everybody on the regional team certified at the technician level in 2022. The
regional team concept has worked well; however, SUNCOMM (Yakima dispatch) and SECOMM (Tri-Cities
dispatch) have had breakdowns in handing off information between each of the centers.
There are six hazmat technicians in the PFD. They are assigned two per shift, and the department maintains a
minimum technician staffing for each shift. All other personnel in the department are operations level certified
in hazmat. Training occurred quarterly for the full team (all technicians), department specific monthly, and multi-
county (decon agencies) bi-monthly. Pasco Fire has a containment boom trailer, in addition to technology, small
tools, and equipment to support the mission.
A Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Study was conducted in 2016 by Burlington Northern-Santa Fe
Railroad. The Pasco Fire Department also partnered with Franklin County Emergency Management to conduct
a county-wide commodity flow study in 2017 in order to better define the potential for a hazardous materials
mishap in the region.
Franklin County Emergency Management has equipment for plume modeling and spot weather analysis
(CAMEO/ALOHA programs) stored on laptops in trailers and on Mobile Data Terminals. Pasco Fire Department
has completed training of personnel in the operation of a recently acquired second boat, to be used for
waterway spill response containment located in the Port of Pasco.
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Specialized Response Services
Technical rescue is the term applied collectively to several rescue disciplines that require training and
certifications more than those generally held by most firefighters.
Types of Technical Rescue
The PFD employs a suite of technical rescue disciplines, which are as follows:
Structural collapse - All operations staff are trained to awareness level. As the name suggests, structural collapse
relates to the advanced ability to determine if a building is in danger of collapse (after a fire or an explosion
for example) and training in the techniques used to stabilize a compromised structure so that other firefighting
tasks (such as rescue or extinguishment) can be performed safely.
Trench rescue - Personnel trained in this area have special skills in the area of shoring up a collapsed trench or
hole below grade.
Confined space rescue - Technicians are trained to rescue victims and support rescuers in oxygen deficient or
hazardous atmospheres, which is a typical risk in confined spaces in industrial applications, such as vats, pressure
vessels, tunnels and utility chases, rail-, truck-, and fixed tanks, or any location where air flow is limited, and
escape is not readily available to occupants. Continuous monitoring of the atmosphere within the confined space
is required to determine whether low oxygen levels, high explosive atmospheres, or toxic atmospheres are
present while conducting rescue operations.
Water rescue - Swift water rescue, flood search & rescue, open water rescue, and surface water rescue are
provided by PFD as a technical specialty. These skills are provided shoreside, in the water, and on a floating
platform (boat) as appropriate. There are 18 members trained to the technician level distributed across all
three shifts. There are 17 members certified for boat operations, with a minimum of one boat operator on each
shift to ensure immediate launch capability. PFD does not perform dive rescue, but supports the Columbia Basin
Dive Rescue (CBDR – a nonprofit organization) and law enforcement in their conducting dive rescue for body
recovery, evidence recovery, and vehicle recovery.
High angle rope rescue - Utilizes rope systems, mechanical advantage, and leverage to lower rescuers and
equipment; lift victims, rescuers, and equipment; or otherwise provide stability and safety to an emergency
scene where gravity may be the primary opponent of the incident. There are 18 members trained to technician
level distributed across all three shifts. This discipline is often combined with other technical rescue disciplines
since rope systems are commonly used to support these other technical rescues.
Vehicle and machinery rescue - Commonly referred to as extrication or disentanglement, this specialty
differentiates from routine extrication in that it may rely on almost surgical precision of tools, force, weight, and
leverage, as opposed to brute strength. This includes incidents such as entrapment in industrial equipment (with
or without traumatic amputation), impalement in a motor vehicle accident, or other complex circumstances where
the life of the victim or their permanent disability is significantly at risk. There are nine members trained to the
technician level distributed across all three shifts.
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Technical Rescue Team Configuration
The Technical Rescue Team (TRT) is a Pasco Fire Department team, not a regional team. Breathing air support
is provided by Franklin County Fire District #3 for some call types, but no other reliance from other agencies is
expected.
All PFD firefighters receive training in basic technical rescue skills and are certified to the operations level.
Additionally, members of the Technical Rescue Team are trained to the technician level in their individual areas
of expertise. This is the highest level of certification achievable for these technical team members. Training is
provided consistent with NFPA 1006: Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications, 2021
edition. Initial certification is through a recognized provider, while continuing education is provided both in -
house and regionally. Pasco Fire Department meets or exceeds annual maintenance training standards.
The technicians train monthly in their respective stations and quarterly as an entire team. A TRT manual has been
compiled for training all technicians. The team uses task books for key skills that must be demonstrated
throughout the development of a technician. Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) are in place for each
technical discipline, and PFD maintains accurate records for all life safety rope, as well as documenting annual
confined space entries made per WAC 296-809 and 29 CFR 1910.146 for permit-required confined space
work.
The PFD rescue boat is a 20-foot type 3 jet boat that holds four rescuers and two victims. A second boat was
delivered in 2021. It is a 24-foot deep-hull vessel that can deliver 500 gallons per minute for floating platform
firefighting and is also designed to deploy containment boom and conduct rescue operations. PFD intends to
serve portions of the Columbia River, portions of the Snake River, and portions of the Yakima River when not
flowing shallow. The administration is looking into the potential to acquire a rigid hull inflatable for shallow and
flood operations.
Members of the Technical Rescue Team are evenly distributed across the three shifts, and a minimum staffing of
two water rescue TRT members (at Station 81) and two land-based TRT members (at Station 84) per day. There
is currently no contractual minimum staffing level for building collapse or vehicle machinery technicians per shift
or per day.
Fixed site confined space risks have been identified within the PFD service area. Some industries in Pasco with
these fixed-site confined spaces have approached PFD to consider developing an interlocal agreement to be
the rescue agency of record for permit-required confined spaces. Caution should be exercised in implementing
such an agreement, since every permit-required confined space entry at these industries will require PFD to
assemble the team, deploy to the site, lock out and tag out utilities in the confined space, measure the
atmosphere, develop a safety briefing, and develop a rescue plan in advance of industry workers entering the
confined space. This happens frequently and generates an operational burden that is often underappreciated.
Recommendation:
• Consider all the ramifications before agreeing to be the permit-required confined space
rescue team of record to private industry sites.
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F ire Department Planning
The fire service nationally creates and gathers large volumes of data in the performance of its duties, both from
emergency response activities and in preparation for and anticipation of large-scale disasters. However, many
of these same organizations do not analyze the data sufficiently to evaluate the effectiveness and adjust as
necessary to become more effective or efficient. Accurately analyzed data provides fire service leaders with
information to make key decisions and develop effective plans. The fire service has many different plans and
planning functions that should be included in any fire department but are often set aside for higher priority
issues. This can lead to disastrous consequences.
There are many categories of planning fire departments should employ. Key planning efforts include:
• Response Performance Planning (Standards of Cover; RCW 35.103)
• Community Risk Assessment (CRA) Planning (Standards of Cover; stand-alone CRA)
• Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Planning (stand-alone CRR plan)
• Community Growth Planning (Master Plan; Growth Management Plan)
• Target Hazard Response Planning (Tactical Planning)
• Resource Planning
▪ Staffing (Master Plan; Growth Management Plan; trigger points & projections for retirements,
hiring, promotions)
▪ Equipment (Master Plan; trigger points & projections for retirement, replacement, acquisition)
▪ Facilities (Master Plan; Growth Management Plan; trigger points for land acquisition, construction,
expansion)
▪ Finances (Master Plan; revenue and expense projections)
• Succession Planning (Key leadership trait identification & development)
• Organizational Work Planning (Strategic Plan; goal & objective setting with timelines & assignments)
Response Performance Planning
This type of planning begins with developing a community profile, evaluating the resources available to the fire
department and the transportation network used to respond to emergencies, and establishing a set of response
performance objectives. The intent is to help the community understand what they can reasonably expect from
its fire department during emergencies. It also provides the fire department an opportunity to educate and
inform the elected officials and other key decision-makers about actual limitations to its capabilities. This allows
policymakers and decision-makers to balance risk and cost for the community. While this can be done internally
by many fire departments, it is a labor-intensive endeavor. RCW 35.103 identifies the key performance metrics
a community should use but is not a substitute for local policymakers to make informed cost-benefit decisions.
A Standards of Cover is an industry best practice for the fire service nationally. It combines a community risk
assessment with the elements of response performance planning. This ensures that components such as a critical
task analysis, distribution and concentration of resources, and agency-specific service level objectives are
combined to establish an effective response to emergencies. The purpose of completing such a document is to
assist the agency in ensuring a safe and effective response force for fire suppression, emergency medical
services, and specialty response situations.
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In the absence of a Standards of Cover, Washington state has a statute that requires most fire departments to
establish performance measures. RCW 35.103, Fire Departments—Performance Measures requires local
policymakers for fire departments to establish response goals for turnout, response time, first alarm arrival time,
ambulance arrival time, response performance by special type of incident, and that the performance be
reported in a public meeting on an annual basis.
Pasco Fire Department Status: The Pasco Fire Department has a Standards of Cover, which was developed
internally in 2017. It contains the major elements necessary for a Standards of Cover, but should be updated
to reflect contemporary methodology as per the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), Sixth
Edition. Additionally, PFD has budgeted for a Tri-City (includes Kennewick and Richland) SOC to be conducted
in 2023. PFD also complies fully with RCW 35.103 and reports performance to the city council annually.
Recommendation:
• Integrate the Community Risk Assessment and update the Standards of Cover following the
CFAI, Sixth Edition Handbook.
Community Risk Assessment Planning
As emergency response agencies, fire departments must thoroughly understand their community risks. These risks
must be quantified. There are numerous risk/consequence-or risk/probability matrices; but they usually fall into
one of the quadrants identified earlier in this report or are numerically quantified.
Once an agency has quantified the risks or consequences and likelihood of occurrence, the agency and
community must come to grips with an acceptable level of risk, balancing cost for mitigation with the
consequences for failure to mitigate them.
Once that balance is identified, the risks should be prioritized, typically using local historical response data
analysis and trends, but using a formulaic approach reduces bias toward given risks.
Pasco Fire Department Status: The Pasco Fire Department has created a Community Risk Assessment and a
Community Risk Reduction (CRA/CRR) Plan in 2017. The risk assessment has identified all the known risks within
the jurisdiction. The risk reduction portion is discussed under the next heading. The community risk assessment
was conducted partly in reliance on the Franklin County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (2015)
and partly on the Pasco Fire Department Standards of Cover (2017). The CRA/CRR document is well written
and provides guidance to the agency on the continual assessment of risk. The next revision of the plan should
consider including a formulaic approach to quantifying and prioritizing risk to remove subjectivity to the extent
possible.
Community Risk Reduction Planning
CRR is defined as a process to identify and prioritize local risks, followed by the integrated and strategic
investment of resources (emergency response, public education, and prevention) to reduce their occurrence and
impact. Much of the current literature regarding Community Risk Reduction programs uses a six-step approach
towards development as outlined earlier in this report.
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Community risk reduction is not a new concept for the fire service. Fire departments have been actively involved
in fire prevention for many years through public education, building inspections, and other activities. Although
CRR plans are unique to each community within U.S. fire departments based on each community profile, there
are some common and essential steps.
Not only will a CRR plan be different for each fire department but depending on the size of the agency, it will
vary from station area to station area. The risks in one station’s area may be vastly different from an adjoining
station based on various factors, including demographics, type of residences (multi- or single-family homes),
commercial areas, and transportation networks. Essentially, the fire service exists not only to respond to
emergency incidents, but also to proactively prevent or mitigate the impact of such incidents within their
communities. CRR provides a more focused approach to reducing specific risks.
A comprehensive CRR program that involves community partners, firefighters, and support staff can result in an
organizational culture that recognizes the importance of reducing risks within a community. It is important that
fire service leaders, its firefighters, and other staff begin to shift their thinking towards reducing and mitigating
risks, as this will ultimately be expected by their communities and elected officials.
In its simplest form, a CRR plan utilizes the results of a community risk assessment to identify priorities within the
community. Strategies are then developed to address the highest priority risks to mitigate risk or reduce the
consequences of a risk manifesting itself within the community.
Pasco Fire Department Status: As described under the Community Risk Assessment heading preceding this
section, Pasco Fire Department has a combined CRA/CRR Plan. It is well written and links the findings in the
assessment to prioritized reduction strategies. Further, it utilizes the 5 “E’s” (Education, Engineering, Enforcement,
Economic Incentives, and Emergency Response) in focusing strategies to address the prioritized risks. The risk
strategies are broken into short- (one year), mid- (3–5 years), and long-term (5–10 years) timelines. The top
three risks are prioritized as 1) Cooking Fires; 2) Slips, Trips, and Falls; and 3) Not-Applicable” EMS event
types. The latter risk has more to do with clarity/quality of data and maintenance of response assets for true
emergencies.
The next evolution of the CRR program should consider identifying risk by geographical subareas (e.g., fire
station response zones). A station-based risk reduction strategy provides for station officers to focus on “their”
community risks (within their first due response area) and look for opportunities to educate, mitigate, or create
community partnerships to address community problems. This expands the effort that might otherwise fall on
one or two key people to implement risk reduction throughout the city.
Community Growth Planning
Community growth planning (master planning) for a fire department primarily focuses on three things: land use
planning/zoning (including population distribution and projection), current fire department resource capability,
and current and future emergency response demand by area. Washington State has enacted the Growth
Management Act (GMA), a series of state statutes first adopted in 1990, that requires fast-growing cities and
counties to develop a comprehensive plan to manage their population growth. Pasco complies with the provisions
of the GMA; therefore, city development will be consistent with current zoning and land uses within the plan.
Further, the population of future development can be anticipated and projected.
Pasco Fire Department Status: This report is a fire department master plan. Informed by the Urban Growth
Area & Comprehensive Plan, 2018–2038 Update (adopted October 5, 2020, by the Pasco City Council), the
Pasco Fire Department has fully addressed the need for Community Growth Planning.
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Target Hazard Response Planning
In many instances, emergencies in high-risk facilities within a jurisdiction are anticipated and preplanned to
address challenges early and head them off before reaching a critical stage. By focusing on these specific
risks—or target hazards—fire personnel become very familiar with these facilities, understanding what risks
each of these facilities poses and what features the building has that can be used to gain a tactical advantage,
such as area separation walls or built-in deluge systems.
For those buildings that have been identified as target hazards, a pre-incident “site plan” that is easily
accessible by crews at the scene should be established (a tactical worksheet specific to that building). Further,
tactical worksheets should be used in training drills to get all personnel familiar with the target hazards and
what considerations should be in play during an incident. Crews should spend any discretionary time conducting
walk-throughs of these facilities and discussing hypothetical scenarios to avoid surprises during an actual
incident.
In addition to the short-form tactical worksheets, more complex, detailed site-specific information can be
compiled in advance of an incident and kept electronically, accessible by incident commanders during a
sustained emergency incident, or accessible to training personnel for tabletop exercises.
Pasco Fire Department Status: The Pasco Fire Department has elements of a pre-fire planning process, but it is
not complete and is not formalized. There is an inventory of extremely hazardous buildings that dictate
defensive strategies in the event of fire involvement, but it too is not formal. The region is looking to match the
National Fire Academy (NFA) quick action planning process.
Recommendations:
• Adopt and implement the NFA Quick Action Plan process as an agency.
• Alternatively, develop a formal pre-fire planning process for buildings or infrastructure
that poses an unusual hazard consistent with NFPA 1620.
Resource Planning
Resource planning is a heading under which numerous subject areas fall. Those resources include staffing,
apparatus and equipment, facilities, and finances.
STAFFING
As a city fire department, the staffing should be planned for in coordination with Human Resources. In order to
conduct an effective staffing plan, PFD must address the following elements:
• Identify the minimum number of personnel by rank, by certification, and by location/unit for each shift.
This is done to comply with response targets, critical task analyses, alarm assignments, and response
performance goals, as well as any city policies or collective bargaining agreements. A Standards of
Cover that includes a critical task analysis for each major risk type will help determine the number of
resources necessary to mitigate foreseeable incidents. Adopted performance goals (in compliance with
RCW 35.103) will also help identify minimum staffing levels. Finally, determine if collective bargaining
agreements identify minimum staffing levels.
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• Factor in leave usage (discretionary and unscheduled) staffing levels on each shift. Discretionary, or
scheduled leave, should be balanced across the entire year to spread the exposure evenly and increase
the consistency of staffing levels. Unscheduled leave (sick leave, disability leave, FMLA) should be
viewed historically, identifying trends and average leave usage year-to-year. The mean unscheduled
leave usage should be factored into the leave numbers to identify what additional leave factor should
be calculated. Finally, by determining the total scheduled leave and unscheduled factor into the shift,
scheduling can inform the proper number of employees to assign to a shift, thereby managing overtime
exposure to the extent possible.
• Determine retirement eligibility for each member of the department on shift to anticipate large groups
of turnover, which helps determine whether a recruit class will need to be hired or individual firefighters
will need to be brought in. Asking retirement-eligible members to provide an informal, nonbinding
expression of their intent should become a routine annual process, not one fraught with concern over
being viewed as encouragement to retire. If done routinely and annually, everyone will know it is not
an attempt to cause retirements, but an effort to plan ahead.
Pasco Fire Department Status: All three of these elements are in place at PFD. A staffing formula has been
created and used to justify a SAFER grant for staffing increases in anticipation of the new Station 85. To maintain
the minimum shift strength of 19 personnel on duty, 24.3 persons are needed to be assigned for each shift. This
covers all types of leave except catastrophic leave. PFD administration routinely asks personnel to volunteer
information regarding their intent to retire so that the department can lean forward in anticipation of the need
for a recruit school.
APPARATUS & EQUIPMENT
Fire department apparatus must be reliably operated when a response is called for 100 percent of the time
without fail. This requires a high level of maintenance and assurance that each unit will operate as intended
every time. As can be appreciated, this is an expensive endeavor. NFPA 1911: Standard for the Inspection,
Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Emergency Vehicles provides guidance for the effective
lifespan of apparatus that calls for apparatus to be maintained in front line service for no more than 15 years
and should not be kept in reserve status for more than an additional ten years. According to Annex D of this
standard, “Apparatus that were not manufactured to the applicable NFPA fire apparatus standards or that are
over 25 years old should be replaced.” Annex D of these standards should be adhered to as they relate to
replacement schedules (or refurbishment) for heavy fire apparatus (engines, tenders, and ladder trucks). Lighter
duty response vehicles, such as brush units, medic units, or support vehicles, are not required to meet the
replacement criteria in Annex D.
Funding a replacement schedule is also key to an effective replacement plan. It provides little value to know
when a unit must be replaced when there are no funds available to replace it. Therefore, a policy decision must
be made. Are funds set aside from the fire department budget or the city general fund each year to adequately
implement the replacement schedule as apparatus and equipment reach the end of their useful life? Does the
agency intend to bond/finance the replacement of a large portion of the fleet? If so, can it or should it coincide
with facility needs? A written policy should be in place to guide replacement, funding, and criteria used.
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Anticipating the need for new types of apparatus is also key to effective apparatus and equipment planning.
Knowing when such apparatus should be added to the fleet and how it will be staffed is critical. The Washington
Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB) grading criteria is an excellent resource in this regard. Within the grading
schedule of the WSRB, deficiency points are assigned for gaps in capability. The greater the need for certain
apparatus, the more deficiency points are assigned. This can contribute to a decline in rating and, ultimately,
an increase in commercial insurance premiums for businesses in the community.
Pasco Fire Department Status: The Pasco Fire Department has an apparatus replacement schedule in place.
No policy is in place to formally replace apparatus according to the schedule, but the plan is adjusted based
on replacement age. Expensive small equipment is also identified in a replacement plan. If funds are not
available, replacement is pushed out. Currently, apparatus at Pasco Fire Department is newer and in very good
condition.
FACILITIES
By using the results of the staffing and apparatus planning, an assessment of the facilities and their ability to
handle any growth in those areas is an important step in planning consideration. Facility condition is another
important factor, especially when the facilities are considered a critical infrastructure that helps ensure
community resiliency after a disaster. Seismic upgrades should be considered when conducting a remodel or
addition to an existing building.
Older stations do not always accommodate newer fire apparatus, so careful evaluation of width, height at the
bay doors, the angle of departure onto the ramp, and depth into the bay should be considered. In addition to
crew quarters, ADA accessibility, apparatus size, LEED building certification, and general condition of the
stations, heavy maintenance should be considered. This includes HVAC system maintenance, roof analysis and
repair, ramp concrete crack or pothole repair, energy efficiency audits, and bay drains.
New facilities should be planned for in response to Community Growth Planning (Comprehensive Plan and
Master Plan). GIS mapping of travel times to proposed annexation areas or added thoroughfares will help
identify proper locations for future fire stations. Securing land for such eventuality is less expensive when done
before development occurs. The land can sit vacant until such time as call volumes begin to warrant the
construction of a new station. Generally, call volume growth should be a primary trigger point for action.
Triggering construction of a new station should be a year ahead of the demand threshold. New apparatus for
a new station should also be ordered a year in advance. Finally, new personnel needed to staff new facilities
should be hired in advance so that their training is complete and they are ready for assignment to shift work at
a time coinciding with the opening of the new station and staffing the new apparatus.
Pasco Fire Department Status: This master plan and the City Comprehensive Plan are serving this purpose.
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Financ ial Planning
Planning is crucial to funding for any planned needs, whether staffing (ongoing cost), apparatus and equipment
(periodic), or facilities (infrequent). A Fire Chief who invests in detailed planning and partners with allied
departments or agencies makes the need easy to identify. Collaborating with the Finance Director is key.
Developing the expense side of the financial plan is fairly straightforward but can be tedious. Staging the
expenses so that the spikes and dips are limited can be an art form. Developing strategies to generate the
revenue necessary to fund these new or added expenses normally consists of choices with which elected officials
must grapple. If the financial plan for the fire department is thorough and well thought out, complete with
details, contingencies, and predictable consequences for failure to act, the Fire Chief has significantly increased
the likelihood that the elected officials will seek ways to fund the plans.
An industry best practice is to include the fire department’s needs (indeed, all of public safety) in the city capital
facilities plan and financial projections (revenue and expense) through the life of the plan. This helps the agency
prepare for foreseeable growth challenges and identifies contingencies in the event funding mechanisms fail to
adequately deliver. Establishing a healthy emergency reserve fund also hedges against unforeseen fiscal
calamities, such as a deep recession.
Pasco Fire Department Status: The Pasco Fire Department develops proposed budgets for the two-fiscal years
ahead. This is done with City Council guidance, City Manager direction, and Finance Director assistance.
Proposed discretionary expenses may be presented to the City Manager and/or City Council as a decision
package.
Succession Planning
The fire service nationally has been slow to address or implement succession planning in its fire departments. In
the private sector, succession planning is expected where the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the Chief
Executive Officer are critical to the success of the organization. It is equally true in the public sector. The following
are key steps to developing a succession plan:
• Identify the agency’s critical positions, functions, skills, processes, and systems
• Develop a list of critical success factors
• Identify past, current, and expected levels of performance
• Identify and categorize gaps (urgency, gravity, short-, medium-, or long-term)
• Develop an ideal candidate profile (given the results listed above)
• Determine if an internal candidate(s) has the potential to meet the criteria
• Develop a mentoring plan
It is important that the incumbent CEO (or other position) buys into the plan unless the organization intends to
diverge from the current path. If a new path is desired, a member of the policymakers or an outside “loaned
executive” may be required to act as a coach/mentor for an internal successor. It is also critical that the potential
successor is informed whether ascension to the CEO position is a fait accompli or if candidates must compete.
Pasco Fire Department Status: Work between the Fire Chief and the City Manager has resulted in an effort to
provide succession options in the event the Fire Chief vacates the position. The department has two Deputy
Chiefs managing emergency operations and administration, respectively. Developing these two incumbents and
exposing them to the executive’s role in managing the fire department provides city leadership with the
opportunity to evaluate potential replacements for the Fire Chief.
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Recommendations:
• Develop a formal succession plan for the Fire Chief position.
• Consider extending the succession plan to include other leadership/supervisory positions in
the department.
Organizational Work Planning
An organizational work plan is essentially a strategic plan. The strategic planning process results in a three-to-
five-year work plan, intended to guide the work effort of the entire organization toward a common set of goals
and objectives. The process includes representation from every major interest group in the organization. Each
person in the department should feel that their interests are represented by someone in attendance on the
planning team.
Typically, all members of the department are invited to submit responses to an electronic survey, which includes
their individual, anonymous feedback on a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis
well in advance of a planning workshop. Each member completes the survey, with the results (summarized) are
shared with the planning team prior to their work beginning.
If external stakeholders are given an opportunity to provide feedback (preferred), citizens are provided with
an opportunity to partcipate in a facilitated session. This facilitated citizen forum should solicit their expectations
of the fire department. The results of this forum are shared with the internal planning team to ground the
participants in meeting the community’s needs.
A planning meeting should then be convened to identify and develop the following elements:
• Mission, Vision, and Values
• SWOT Analysis trends
• Strategic Initiatives
• Goals and Objectives
• Timelines
• Personnel responsible for follow-through
It is important to avoid front-loading the timelines for completion of individual goals and objectives in the plan.
Instead, the timelines should maintain a relatively balanced workload over the life of the plan. The plan, once
adopted, must be briefed to all personnel and regularly reviewed for progress. Momentum must be maintained
during the life of the plan, and the plan should be updated annually to keep it contemporary.
Pasco Fire Department Status: PFD has a current strategic plan in place and has demonstrated a commitment
to this type of planning. The 2020 strategic plan just adopted replaces the 2017 strategic plan. As a five-year
plan, PFD is to be lauded for its commitment to completing the plan early.
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Airport Impacts
The Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) is the largest airport in the Southeastern Washington and Northeastern Oregon
region and the fourth largest air carrier airport in the State of Washington. Enplanements have continued to
grow, exceeding 400,000 in 2019. In 2020, PSC ranked 174th nationally in total enplanements with 210,681.13
While the enplanements sharply receded in 2020 starting in March, it was undoubtedly due to the COVID-19
pandemic, travel restrictions, and traveler hesitancy. In 2021, the enplanements have increased sharply to
314,381,14 but continue to lag behind pre-pandemic levels. There is every reason to believe enplanements will
continue to grow at levels that meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2022.
A historical view of passenger enplanements since 2006 is provided in the following figure, clearly showing the
pandemic impact and the beginning of recovery.
Figure 52: Tri-Cities Airport Passenger Enplanements, 2006–2021
While the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly impacted numerous industries throughout the United States, and
passenger air carriers significantly so, signs point to the expansion of airport activity at PSC. Indeed, the PSC
Master Plan published in June 2020 forecasts enplanements to grow to 592,000 by 2032.15 A new airline
(Avelo) started service from Pasco to Burbank, California, in April 2021. Avelo joins Allegiant, Delta, Alaska,
and United to serve the airport and a sizable swath of the Western and Midwest regions of the United States.
Air cargo volume, however, is expected to decline through 2037 following the construction of logistics centers
at the intersection of Interstates 82 and 84 near Hermiston, Oregon.16
13 FAA, Enplanements at Primary Airports (Rank Order) CY00, ACAIS (Air Carrier Activity Information System).
14 https://www.flytricities.com/grow/airport-statistics, obtained 5-31-2022.
15 Tri-Cities Airport PSC Master Plan 2020; accessed May 4, 2021.
16 Ibid.
-
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
500,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
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PSC occupies 2,335 acres. Terminal improvements totaling $41.9 million were initiated in 2014 and completed
in 2017. The project resulted in the expansion of the boarding concourse and restaurant, increased space for
security screenings, and updated ticketing and baggage areas. The size of the terminal was expanded to
110,000 square feet.
There are adjustments to taxiways being proposed within the PSC Master Plan, but none of the proposed
improvements appear to have an effect on ARFF access to the apron, runways, or the terminal.
The City of Pasco and the Port of Pasco have entered into a 50-year interlocal agreement for the City to
provide ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting). Terms of the most recent iteration of the agreement prescribes
each signatory’s responsibility. Key elements of the agreement include:
• Port will provide full access to the airport fire station to the City.
• City will provide ARFF services.
• City provides equipment for firefighting, EMS, and hazardous materials.
• Port provides ARFF equipment.
• Shared payment of utilities, facility maintenance, training costs, and inspection services.
• Requirements for staffing and minimum skills qualifications.
• Port designates the City Fire Chief to be the Airport Fire Chief.
In consideration of the services provided by the City to the Port, the Port provided the fire station and pays the
City the actual cost to maintain two firefighters per shift dedicated to the airport. There are additional incidental
expenses agreed to, some of which are currently being explored for modification.
While ARFF services are required for airport operations, there are benefits to collocating ARFF, EMS, and fire
services in an on-site facility. For the airport, colocation offers more emergency resources within a shorter
response time. For the department, PFD personnel can gain insights that are critical to deconflict airport
procedures during firefighting operations. For both the Port and City, there are cost-sharing benefits. Requests
for ARFF services and response activity at the airport have remained relatively flat.
Adequacy of Current ARFF Response Capability at Tri -Cities Airport (PSC)
The ARFF facility is southwest of the passenger terminal building of the airport. The dual-use facility allows
firefighters to serve PSC and the surrounding community. This is accomplished with three bays opening onto the
airfield, and three bays opening onto the city street. Six PFD firefighters staff the ARFF station 24 hours a day.
The facility has two ARFF dedicated trucks, each providing the necessary 500 pounds of dry-chem and 1,500
gallons of water required for an Index B response. The two ARFF units dedicated to the airport are a 2009
Oshkosh Stryker vehicle and a 1986 Oshkosh T1500. Due to its age, the latter serves as the backup vehicle.17
17 Tri-Cities Airport PSC Master Plan 2020; assessment of ARFF facilities and capabilities.
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Fire hydrants are near the passenger terminal building, the Airport Control Tower Communications (ATCT),
Station 82 (ARFF), and the Airport Business Park in the East Side Industrial Park. The City of Pasco Public Works
Department operates and maintains the water system surrounding PSC on three sides: 24- and 36-inch water
mains are adjacent to Road 36 west of PSC, an 18-inch water main is adjacent to Argent Road south of PSC,
and a 12-inch water main is adjacent to Stearman Avenue east of PSC. A 12-inch water main extends into the
passenger terminal area along 20th Avenue. Water pressure and fire flow rates within the area, as reported
by the City Fire Marshal, are appropriate for the structures and are summarized in the following figure.
Figure 53: Hydrant Pressure & Fire Flow for PSC Commercial/Industrial Structures18
Location Static
Pressure
Residual
Pressure
Flow
(GPM)
Flow at 20
psi (GPM)
3125 Rickenbacker Dr. 92 80 1,300 3,420
East End of Rickenbacker Dr. 93 72 1,200 2,352
NW Corner of Varney & Argent Rd. 86 72 1,275 2,945
3406 Stearman Ave. 80 67 1,190 2,718
North end of Swallow Ave. 84 62 1,160 2,065
4218 Stearman Ave. 84 68 1,130 2,389
Terminal Dr. northwest of FedEx 94 82 1,250 3,339
Airport and PFD administrators describe a positive working relationship that is beneficial to both parties. A
study of ARFF concluded that the Port and City are working together, and currently, the airport maintains all
requirements for Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 139 in relation to the ARFF program.19 The Port of Pasco
and the Pasco Fire Department have maintained an open dialogue throughout the life of the agreement. When
interviewed for this report, the Deputy Chief of Operations for PFD stated that he would like to see more full-
scale or tabletop exercises to ensure role clarification. The airport manager stated that payment of turnouts is
an issue for which he would like further discussion. The port has also taken on annual ARFF vehicle pump and
sodium bicarbonate testing and fluffing the Purple-K (a dry powder extinguishing agent). Both agencies speak
highly of the other, with the airport manager expressing his belief that PFD is a sound ARFF agency that provides
quality services.
PFD firefighters certified to perform aircraft rescue firefighting duties (National Fire Protection Association
Standard 1003) must meet FAR 139 refresher burn requirements. Additionally, there are other knowledge and
skill maintenance requirements in place to meet FAA regulations and job proficiency. They involve FAA rules
and regulations, aircraft and airport familiarization, fire behavior, ARFF apparatus, PPE (Personal Protective
Equipment), rescue and firefighting procedures, hazardous materials, incident command, and airfield
communications. Practical skills include forcible entry and disentanglement; live fire truck operations; live
wheel/brake; engine, galley, and cabin fires; and flammable liquids foam firefighting and tactics.
18 Ibid.
19 Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Study, SSi, Inc. and W.A.M.D.I. Aviation Consultants, LLC, 2013.
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Current training of ARFF personnel is the responsibility of the PFD Training Officer. All ARFF personnel receive
annual training that meets or exceeds FAR 139 and NFPA 1003: Standard for Airport Fire Fighter Professional
Qualifications. PFD is the repository of training records. Initial ARFF certification training is conducted in house
at Station 82. It involves 40 hours of basic ARFF training and live-fire burn exercises. Continuing education
requirements involve in-house classes, a contactor delivering didactic ARFF specific training to PFD personnel
on-site, and live fire burns using a contracted live fire training prop set up at the Pasco Airport.
It is beyond the capacity of any fire department to operate and maintain enough resources for every
eventuality. For this reason, best practices are for fire and EMS agencies to enter into automatic and mutual aid
agreements that are mutually beneficial to the participants. The City of Pasco maintains automatic and mutual
aid agreements and contracts with other cities, fire districts, and the Tri-Cities Hazardous Materials Response
Team for response to major incidents. FCEM (Franklin County Emergency Management) is responsible for
coordinating, establishing, and maintaining the agreements and emergency response plans.
PSC Growth Impacts on PFD
Even with continued increases in aircraft activity, the analysis showed that Pasco’s airport runway configuration
is expected to be adequate through the foreseeable future, as identified in the PSC master plan. The potential
for extension of runway 12 exists, but in the opinion of the airport manager, it is not likely. Nor is it likely that
the airport will become Index C in the foreseeable future. While growth in utilization of the airport is expected
to climb post-pandemic, none of the growth is expected to dramatically affect PFD in providing service to the
airport, with the exception of a possible (but unlikely) increase to Index C.
PFD incident commanders and operations personnel need to have a working knowledge of the PSC Airport
Emergency Plan (AEP). ARFF personnel require an in-depth understanding and should participate in regular (if
not frequent) exercises of the AEP with scheduled tabletop exercises with airport management and their
representatives.
Per the AEP, the Airport Director and Deputy Airport Director assume the role of agency administrator of
incidents that occur on airport property. Customarily and appropriately, their presence at the airport is during
regular business hours. Tri-Cities Airport law enforcement officers and ARFF personnel are the first responders
for emergency incidents at the airport. This is true for times of scheduled commercial air operations, general
aviation, and during the hours of non-scheduled airline activities. In this capacity, as first on the scene, and in
keeping with the AEP and best practices, ARFF personnel would establish command of the incident or accident
until rendered safe.
Recommendations:
• The Franklin County Emergency Management Plan should more specifically address risk at
the airport.
• ARFF personnel, PFD, and PSC management staff should conduct tabletop exercises
annually using the AEP for familiarization and role clarification.
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Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau
The Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau (WSRB), “…is an independent, not-for-profit organization
operating in the public interest, and the criteria used to evaluate communities is approved by the Washington
State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the state's insurance regulator.” The WSRB develops evaluations of
community risks as it relates to property loss potential, resulting in a Public Protection Classification. The primary
purpose of these evaluations is to provide insurance companies with a better understanding of property risk
from fire and natural disasters. In addition, the intent is to help insurance consumers feel confident that their fire
insurance premiums are fair. It also helps communities understand how they can improve their fire-defense
capabilities and building code effectiveness.
There are four main areas the evaluation concentrates on. They include:
• Fire department (40% of rating) includes station distribution, staffing levels, equipment, and personnel
training.
• Water supply (35% of rating) includes water flow capacity, fire hydrant location, and maintenance.
• Emergency communications system (16% of rating) includes dispatching system, staffing, and training.
• Fire safety control (9% of rating) includes fire code and building code enforcement, fire investigations,
and public fire education programs.
The evaluation is conducted using a criteria schedule with point values assigned for consistency. To earn full
credit for an item, a community must meet the criteria described in the schedule. If the community does not meet
all the requirements, credit is deducted, depending on the importance of the item and the degree of deviation.
Through this rating, each community is rated on a scale of 1 through 10, where 1 indicates exemplary fire
protection capabilities, and 10 indicates the capabilities, if any, are insufficient for insurance credit. In other
words, the lower the rating, the better the protection, resulting in lower insurance premiums for properties
protected in the community. The following figure indicates the number of fire departments in the State of
Washington with each Public Protection Class, including Pasco’s Class 3 (in red).
Figure 54: Number of Washington State Fire Departments per Public Protection Class
0 5
48
80
126
106 107
149
47
9
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Number of Fire DepartmentsPublic Protection Class
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WSRB & the Pas co Fire Department
PFD had received a Public Protection Class (PPC) 5 in 2015, with areas of deviation noted in each of the four
major areas the WSRB evaluates. There were opportunities identified to improve in areas of the PPC that
increased the likelihood of PFD receiving a Class 4 in its next rerate. The following specific areas represented
opportunities for significant improvement:
• Continue conducting annual hydrant inspections, including operation and checking static pressure. Flow
testing the system grids should occur every five years, which was not currently being performed.
• Positioning staffed fire apparatus in a strategic manner to extend an effective reach to the structures
within the city. This preceded the 2016 master plan, which addressed this issue.
• Increasing the staffing on existing deployed fire apparatus. EMS units could be factored into overall
staffing, depending on how often they were available to respond to fires.
• Continue conducting annual fire code inspections of commercial occupancies by certified fire code
inspectors.
The resulting rerating, which occurred in 2018, resulted in a new Public Protection Class (PPC) 3. This is consistent
with the PPC rating for Pasco’s peer group as listed in the following figure.
Figure 55: Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau PPC Ratings for Comparable Agencies
Pasco FD Comparable Agencies Benchmark Performance Data
Agency Density
Sq Mi
Incidents
per
1,000
Pop.
Fires per
1,000
Pop.
Fire Loss
Per
Capita
EMS per
1,000
Pop.
Total
Staff
WSRB
Rating
Pasco FD 2,056 80.34 3.5 $ 38.9 56.1 83 3
Kennewick FD 3,002 118.86 3.1 $ 28.5 83.9 98 3
Bellingham FD 1,910 205.45 5.0 $ 21.3 148.6 149 3
Redmond FD 1,553 151.60 2.0 $ 7.5 98.3 178 3
Kirkland FD 3,983 89.01 1.5 $ 15.4 60.0 112 3
Yakima FD 2,758 116.16 5.6 $ 45.4 79.7 99 3
Richland FD 1,408 122.92 4.0 $ 20.2 88.3 87 3
Olympia FD 2,552 237.95 6.0 $ 49.0 145.4 100 2
Protection Class Maintenance
Pasco Fire Department has met with the WSRB to understand the deficiencies noted in the 2018 rating process
thoroughly. A plan has been developed to maintain or improve the most recent protection classification. Given
that Pasco is at the upper range of the PPC 3 (2.92, rounded to three), it requires intention and a continuous
improvement mindset to protect the current class 3 rating or even improve it. Further, the WSRB points out that
if improvements are made to one category that outpaces the others, deficiency points are given. This method
ensures that improvements are even across all four categories to the extent possible. The point system employed
by the grading schedule is a deficiency point system with zero being the best score (100% credit).
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Areas identified as being awarded less than 80% of the eligible credit are areas of deficiency that warrant
focused evaluation. A cost-benefit analysis should be done for each of these areas. If the deficiency points to
be reduced or eliminated in those circumstances are low relative to the cost of improvement, those areas may
be intentionally set aside in favor of larger returns on the investment. Those areas awarded less than 80% of
the eligible credit that warrant consideration are listed under each of the four areas of evaluation, which follows.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
• Number of reserve ladder trucks. One reserve is required for every five in service ladder trucks. PFD
has two ladder trucks (1.5) and should have a reserve. This can be partially accomplished by an
interlocal agreement with other agencies in the region to share a single reserve ladder truck. Twenty
deficiency points can be eliminated (0% credit received).
• Distribution of companies. Structures should be within 1.5 road miles of an engine company and 2.5
road miles of a ladder truck. Automatic aid units are considered. Relocation of Station 83 and
construction of Station 84 will improve this category (the station changes occurred after the last rating).
Further, trigger points for future station construction when growth drives expansion are included in this
master plan, thus, additional resources would be distributed once those triggers are reached. There are
107 deficiency points that can be eliminated (49% credit received).
• Shift staffing. Shift strength is slightly higher than the total number of personnel required to respond to
a moderate risk structure fire (2,000 square foot, 2-story residence). Automatic aid companies can be
included in the count, which improves the potential shift staffing levels. The addition of another company
or two would raise the amount of credit received for shift strength day and night (see previous category).
There are 117 deficiency points that can be eliminated (63% credit received).
• Company training. A minimum of 20 hours of structural firefighting training per firefighter per month
is required, with reductions allowed in the number of hours based on the certification levels of
firefighters. A concerted effort to increase training in structural firefighting hours per person per month
or in certifying personnel to Firefighter II (reducing to 10 hours) will improve the credit awarded for
training. This element is part of a group of elements that fit under the heading, “Training.” There are
39 deficiency points that can be eliminated (57% credit received).
• Pre-fire planning. PFD has elements of a pre-fire planning process, but it is not complete and is not
formal. Adopt and implement the NFA Quick Action Plan process as an agency or develop a formal
pre-fire planning process for buildings or infrastructure that poses an unusual hazard consistent with
NFPA 1620. While there are only 5 deficiency points that can be eliminated, this is an important
program to implement and is a recommendation in the body of this report.
• Fire operations. This score is an average of the percentages awarded for shift staffing, engine and
ladder company unit staffing, and training. Implementation of improvements in these areas will improve
the score in this category. There are 104 deficiency points that can be eliminated (68% credit received).
• Fuel. Fuel must be available in sufficient quantities at fire stations. Suitable arrangements must be made
for the delivery of fuel to apparatus at fires of long duration. Installing fueling supply capabilities at a
central location(s) with 24/7 access to the city fleet is beneficial to the entire city, and establishing a
mobile fuel supply capability, possibly with Public Works, also addresses this issue. There are 17
deficiency points that can be eliminated (15% credit received).
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WATER SUPPLY
• Hydrants – inspection and condition. Hydrant inspections must occur annually, including proper
operation. Flow tests must be conducted every five years. Hydrants should be marked for available
flow and accessible. Incomplete records caused deficiency points in this area. The Pasco Water
Department has begun tracking hydrant inspections on the Cartegraph System, which was not complete
as of the last rating process. There are 26 deficiency points that can be eliminated (74% credit
received).
• Arrangement and operation. Water system components should be distributed, tested, and maintained
with redundancies in place as appropriate. Backup power was being tested monthly, but the WSRB
requires weekly testing. Implementation of weekly testing of backup power should be performed and
documented. There are 56 deficiency points that can be eliminated (44% credit received).
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION
• Security. Communication center security includes restricted access, security of doors and windows, and
the vulnerability of the areas surrounding the center. Concern was expressed about the security of staff
and equipment, such as a lack of bulletproof windows. Discussion with SECOMM to encourage hardening
of the facility would address this issue. This program is outside of Pasco’s direct control, but this element
received 50% credit.
• Dispatch circuits. The communication center must have separate primary and secondary dispatch circuits
for transmitting alarms. Maximum credit is obtained when dual circuits are provided, circuits are
supervised, there is an automatic switchover to a secondary circuit, and all components of the system
are owned by the communications center. The secondary circuit that is employed is through IP (internet
protocol), which sends dispatch information through internet-enabled station printers. This IP circuit is not
owned by the communications center. Efforts should be made to develop a truly independent secondary
dispatch circuit. This element received no credit.
• Number of telecommunicators on duty. The number of required telecommunicators on duty is based
on the total number of calls received per year at the communication center. If the communication center
is meeting the call-answering and dispatching times set forth by NFPA 1221: Standard for the
Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems, then full credit will be
applied to this item. Based upon 2018 total call volume data provided by SECOMM, there should be
11 dispatchers and 1 supervisor on duty at all times (currently, there are 8 dispatchers and 1 supervisor
on duty). This element received 56% credit.
FIRE SAFETY CONTROL
• Fire Plan Review. Review of plans for fire code compliance must be done by experienced, certified
personnel. The plan reviewer shall have 5 or more years of plan review experience, be a registered
design professional (licensed professional engineer), and receive at least 16 hours of plan review-
related continuing education per year. The plan review department needs to have adequate staffing
to ensure comprehensive plan reviews. The City of Pasco is meeting this requirement except for
"adequate staffing to ensure comprehensive plan reviews." The City currently has 1 full-time fire plan
reviewer. It is recommended that an additional fire plan reviewer be hired. There are 15 deficiency
points that can be eliminated (70% credit received).
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• Inspection of fire code permits. New and renovated occupancies requiring a fire code permit must be
inspected prior to issuing a Certificate of Occupancy. Fire inspectors shall be certified with 5 or more
years of experience in inspections and receive at least 16 hours of fire inspection-related continuing
education per year. Adequate department staffing levels must be maintained to ensure comprehensive
inspections. The City of Pasco is meeting this requirement with the exception of, "…adequate staffing
to ensure comprehensive plan reviews." The City currently has 1 full-time and 1 contracted Plans
Examiner, 1 full-time and 2–3 part-time building inspector contractors, 5 code enforcement officers, 2
permit technicians, and 1 fire-safety inspector. It is recommended that the City hire an additional
building inspector to conduct 8–10 inspections per day. There are 13 deficiency points that can be
eliminated (74% credit received).
• Fire code inspections of existing occupancies. Fire Code Inspections of existing occupancies shall be
conducted. The frequency of inspections will be evaluated using Table 7 in the Protection Class Grading
Schedule (currently the City inspects high hazard occupancies annually, and medium hazard occupancies
every two years. Low hazard occupancies are not regularly inspected.) Fire code inspectors should be
certified with 5 or more years of experience and receive a minimum of 16 hours of fire inspection-
related continuing education per year. Staffing levels must be sufficient to ensure comprehensive
inspections. Fire code inspectors must have 5 years of experience and receive 16 hours of continuing
education per year. The City of Pasco is meeting this requirement except for years of experience. This
problem remedies itself with time if employees are retained. There are 272 deficiency points that can
be eliminated (32% credit received).
• School & Adult programs. School programs should include age-appropriate subjects for all students,
preschool to the 12th grade. Adult education should include programs for all segments of the adult
population in the community. The Pasco Fire Department is meeting this requirement except for years of
experience. This problem remedies itself with time if employees are retained. There are 20 deficiency
points that can be eliminated for the two programs (60% credit received for each of the two programs).
• Fire investigations. Fire investigations must be done to determine the cause and origin of all fires. Fire
investigator shall have 5 or more years of experience, be a commissioned law officer, be certified as
a fire investigator, and receive at least 16 hours of fire-investigation-related continuing education per
year. In addition, sufficient staff levels are required to ensure adequate response to fires, and all fires
should be reported to NFIRS. All reported fires within the City of Pasco are investigated at the company
officer level as required by law. Those fires (such as structural) that meet damage or occupancy criteria
are investigated by certified fire investigators within the fire department. The WSRB requires all fires
to be Investigated by a fire investigator. Negotiations are on-going to change these criteria. The Pasco
Fire department is meeting this requirement except for years of experience. This problem remedies
itself with time if employees are retained. There are 10 deficiency points that can be eliminated (50%
credit received).
• Building code enforcement. Current building codes must be adopted and effectively enforced. The
score for this item is based on the current Building Code Class of the community. For the WSRB to
consider that building codes are effectively enforced, the City must be able to provide at least 1 full-
time Fire Safety Inspector per 1,000 buildings that fall within the moderate to high hazard classification.
The City needs to add 1 full-time code enforcement officer. There are 12 points available to gain. There
are 12 deficiency points that can be eliminated (70% credit received).
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Recommendations:
• Validate likely deficiency points eliminated for each element being considered with WSRB;
discuss a plan to improve in these areas.
• Develop a budget and timelines for implementation of Protection Class Maintenance
elements listed in this section.
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Fiscal Review of Current Conditions
This section addresses the financial circumstances that directly bear on the level of service the Pasco Fire
Department is able to provide. It starts with an overview of the City of Pasco fiscal position (the macro-economic
climate), which includes all major City revenue streams. It then evaluates all Pasco Fire Department revenue
streams and all major expenses of the fire department. This information is used to construct a projection of the
funding position of the fire department as it relates to projected growth within the community.
City Economic Context
Economic data for Franklin County suggests the unemployment increases caused by the 2020–21 pandemic are
in recovery; in some cases, making up for lost time (new construction). Economic activity, including levels of
unemployment, home values, retail sales, and inflation trends are reflected in this subsection.
The following figure shows the trend in unemployment rates in Franklin County from April 2012 to April 2021.
As shown, civilian unemployment is at its lowest level in August every year during this period (before the
pandemic), with unemployment peaking to its highest level in around February of every year during this period
(prior to the pandemic). This sawtooth pattern is consistent until the COVID-19 pandemic locked down the
economy nationally between mid-March 2020 and April 2021. The unemployment rate is trending downward.
The cyclical nature of the unemployment trends are likely a result of the significant agricultural (seasonal)
employment in Franklin County.
Figure 56: Franklin County Unemployment, Not Seasonally Adjusted, 2012–2021
Source: Federal Reserve Economic Data
In the following figure, median home sales are increasing at an impressive rate, nearly doubling in the ten years
since 2011. The period during the COVID-19 pandemic has seen median home prices exceed the trendline over
the last eleven years.
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
4/1/201110/1/20114/1/201210/1/20124/1/201310/1/20134/1/201410/1/20144/1/201510/1/20154/1/201610/1/20164/1/201710/1/20174/1/201810/1/20184/1/201910/1/20194/1/202010/1/20204/1/202110/1/2021Page 156 of 480
2021 Master Plan
89
Figure 57: Franklin County Median Home Sales Price, 2012–2021
Source: GeoData Plus
The Washington State Department of Revenue compiles information on the taxable retail sales (TRS) in
municipalities in the state. The relative amount of taxable retail sales is an indicator of the relative strength of
the private sector in a community. The annual change in the level of TRS is an indicator of the trend in overall
economic activity and tax base in the area. TRS data for the City of Pasco provides insight regarding the level
of economic activity taking place.
The next figure shows total TRS by full year between 2011–2021 (the most recent complete data available
from the Washington Department of Revenue). The TRS grew in 2021 by 21.77% over 2020, which is the
largest percent of year-over-year growth in the eleven year evaluation period.
Figure 58: Pasco Taxable Retail Sales & Annual Growth Rate
Source: Washington State Department of Revenue
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$350,000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
$0
$500,000,000
$1,000,000,000
$1,500,000,000
$2,000,000,000
$2,500,000,000
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Taxable Retail Sales Annual Growth Rate
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The next figure shows the recent trend in the West Region Urban Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U). As shown, the annual inflation index has been positive for the period 2017–2021, with a significant
increase in 2021(which continues into the first half of 2022). The average annual inflation rate from 2017
through 2021 was 3.04 percent.
Figure 59: Inflation Trend – All Items: West Urban CPI-U
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The following figure shows the new construction assessed value compared to the taxable new construction added
to the property tax rolls. The new construction value in 2021 ($575,943,281) has more than doubled since
2020 ($284,637,685). The taxable value of new construction has even more significantly climbed over the
same timeline ($533,720,434 in 2021 and $195,724,435 in 2020). From a fire department standpoint, all
new construction, whether taxable or not, adds to the risk inventory of buildings to protect and increases call
volume potential for the life of the buildings.
Figure 60: New Construction & Taxable New Construction
2.8%
3.4%
2.7%
1.8%
4.5%
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
4.0%
4.5%
5.0%
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
$0
$100,000,000
$200,000,000
$300,000,000
$400,000,000
$500,000,000
$600,000,000
$700,000,000
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Construction Taxable Linear (Construction)
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Historical Revenues and Expenses
The following is a review of historical revenues and expenses in the fire department to help identify relevant
financial trends, strengths, and weaknesses, and to inform the financial footing of the PFD going forward. The
historical review helps illustrate how PFD funds its services—where the money comes from and where it goes.
REVENUE TRENDS
The City of Pasco derives its revenue from the city general fund, which receives its revenue from a variety of
sources, such as property taxes, sales taxes, and utility taxes. Pasco Fire Department further significantly
augments revenue in the form of ambulance utility fees, the Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT)
program, ambulance transport fees, and airport fire protection services contract funds. These combined PFD-
specific revenue sources total $12,165,790.48 for 2021, which is a slight decrease over the 2020 revenue,
which was a five-year high.
The following figure provides information on revenues by type from 2016–2021 (actual).
Figure 61: PFD Associated Revenue
Description 2016 Actual 2017 Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Actual 2021 Actual
Amb Monthly Utility Fee (3,534,388.44) (4,088,643.37) (4,504,961.47) (5,104,589.51) (5,404,705.01) (5,518,349.29)
AR & Collection Interest (2,202.40) (1,461.48) (2,878.59) (570.64) (798.63) (1,015.99)
Capital Contribution (Cash)-
Co Fire Dist & Contract Amb Services (26,097.68) (26,449.98) (28,599.26) (29,377.97) (28,299.10) (29,820.78)
Donated Private Source Cash (9,100.00)
External Fire/Amb Training Recovery (18,028.26) (3,150.00) (10,460.04) (15,300.00) (10,500.00) (12,050.00)
Fed Direct DHHS- Dept of Health Human Svcs (O&M)(40,235.88)
Fed Indirect DHHS- Dept of Health & Human Services (O&M)-
Fed Indirect DOHS- Dept of Homeland Security (O&M)(453,231.41) (458,728.49) (227,371.31) (426,361.55)
Fed Indirect DOT- Depart of Treasury (O&M)(1,678,052.73) (914,474.51)
Fire Protect Service Airport (642,059.00) (750,441.69) (761,034.92) (866,797.51) (906,126.00) (937,612.08)
Fire Protection Service (39,893.75) (124,350.70) (152,342.99) (42,994.42) (108,409.13) (38,143.61)
GEMT Cost Recovery (1,093,185.00) 1,093,185.00 -
Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) Discount 993,564.89 (248,512.91) 560,916.20 935,183.35
Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) Payment Program (2,116,400.00) (2,002,394.91) (4,524,842.19) (3,241,129.00)
I/F Rescue Team Service (14,000.00) (21,356.22) (14,000.00) (15,400.00) (16,016.00) (16,016.00)
Insurance Recoveries-Capital Assets (1,943.45)
Insurance Recoveries-Personnel related (936.24) (4,771.90) (45,341.06) (11,112.75)
Internal Fire Training Recovery (1,000.00)
Investment Interest & FMV changes
Medicaid/DSHS Discounts 514,976.81 534,348.94 515,838.19 571,820.77 250,258.89
Medicare Discounts 265,601.99 317,079.43 309,326.73 436,229.87 736,408.71 1,078,162.04
Mileage Fees (156,499.51) (153,317.15) (152,788.34) (162,710.45) -
Misc Amb Discounts 11,640.40 17,118.58 11,999.06 12,302.74 13,669.43
Miscellaneous Rents (4,623.33) (39,508.63) (38,433.85) (36,523.73) (24,316.68) (7,447.86)
Miscellaneous Revenues Non Tax (25.00) (5,150.00)
Miscellaneous Revenues Taxable - (25.00) (150.00) (7,986.00)
NonTransport Med Service (27,750.00) (19,000.00) (16,250.00) (8,750.00) -
Private Contributions (2,000.00)
Refunds Reimbursement Rebates (38,983.90) (67,612.58) (10,373.21) (105,415.85)
State Grant- Dept of Health (O&M)(1,290.00) (1,270.00) (1,222.00) (1,266.00) (1,260.00) (1,260.00)
Transfer In Subsidy (420,000.00) (420,000.00) (420,000.00) (1,120,000.00) (420,000.00) (420,000.00)
Transport Fee - NonResident (440,120.00) (497,625.00) (485,420.00) (535,820.00) 1,100.00
Transport Fee - Resident (1,293,600.00) (1,419,600.00) (1,411,200.00) (1,649,100.00) (2,206,590.40) (2,490,940.60)
Grand Total (5,830,333.17) (7,799,937.27) (7,690,404.14) (11,352,017.64) (14,092,827.55) (12,165,790.48)
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EXPENSE TRENDS
PFD’s largest operating expense is personnel costs, followed by supplies and services. The Fire Fund supports
38 personnel, while the Ambulance Fund supports 43.75 personnel, for a total of 81.75 personnel working at
the Pasco Fire Department. When compared to revenue growth, PFD is offsetting a significant amount of its
expenses with new or higher revenues over the course of the six-year period.
In 2021, personnel costs represented just over 70 percent of total budgeted operating expenses for the Pasco
Fire Department. This is compared to the typical 80% of expenses attributable to personnel costs for full career
fire departments across the state of Washington.
The following figure provides information on expenditures by type from 2016–2021 (actual).
Figure 62: PFD Associated Expenses
When deducting the revenue generated by PFD from its expenses, the remaining balance becomes the financial
burden for the City of Pasco. The following figure illustrates the revenue offset from PFD’s expenses, with the
City of Pasco shouldering the unfunded expense balance from the general fund. The trend shows a gradual
growth in general fund reliance in 2016, 2017, and 2018, followed by a steady decline in reliance on the
general fund in 2019 and 2020, then a significant increase in general fund reliance in 2021.
Figure 63: PFD’s General Fund Burden
Description 2016 Actual 2017 Actual 2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Actual 2021 Actual
#51 - Wages, etc.6,866,142.96 7,720,316.47 9,105,269.68 9,479,239.97 9,889,731.42 10,639,131.44
#52 - Benefits, etc.1,773,895.47 2,248,460.63 2,549,655.02 2,683,609.99 2,680,151.82 2,944,280.76
#53 - Supplies, etc.409,077.44 562,630.72 505,877.98 494,067.73 537,340.33 779,491.45
#54 - R&M, Services, etc.2,071,731.27 3,605,519.48 2,935,624.10 2,919,319.55 3,101,908.42 4,964,002.62
#56 - Equipment, etc.97,775.47 118,353.11 69,386.71 131,793.44 44,651.25 47,313.89
#57 - I/F Loan Principle Repay 2,000,000.00
#58 - I/F Loan Interest Debt 34,027.40 48,680.00
#59 - I/F Loan Principle Repay (2,000,000.00)
Grand Total 11,218,622.61 14,255,280.41 15,199,840.89 15,756,710.68 16,253,783.24 19,374,220.16
-
5,000,000.00
10,000,000.00
15,000,000.00
20,000,000.00
25,000,000.00
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Revenue Expenses General Fund Burden
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In summary, the Pasco Fire Department has contributed a sizable share of the revenue it requires to operate.
The City of Pasco will always be relied upon for general fund support, but PFD continues to leverage revenues
it can generate to place a lighter burden on the city in general than might otherwise be required. Of course, if
expenses go up disproportionately to the revenue PFD generates (as it has in 2021), the general fund burden
becomes heavier for the city.
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FUTURE SYSTEM DEMAND PROJECTIONS
Since a roadmap for growth within the City of Pasco has been created in the Pasco Urban Growth Area &
Comprehensive Plan – 2018–2038 Update (Comp Plan), the fire department and elected leaders have the
information necessary to grow PFD’s resources wisely and incrementally to absorb the impact of community
growth. PFD’s resource utilization is currently stretched (see Service Delivery & Performance section of this
report), so growth will only exacerbate the challenges.
In the City of Pasco, recent history reflects a consistently high growth rate. The Urban Growth Area &
Comprehensive Plan – 2018–2038 Update (Comp Plan) was adopted on October 5, 2020 by the Pasco City
Council. The Comp Plan anticipates that Pasco will reach a population of 121,828 by the year 2038; the
addition of almost 45,000 additional residents in the next eighteen years.
Populati on Growth History & Projection
Recent history reflects a consistently high growth rate in the City of Pasco. The following figure reflects the
decennial population growth over the last fifty years.
Figure 64: Pasco Decennial Population History, U.S. Census, 1970–2020 (50 years)
A closer look at each year in the last decade (2012–2021) reveals a steady progression of population growth
continues. The following figure reflects Pasco’s annual population growth.
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Pop 13,920 19,428 20,337 32,066 59,781 77,100
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
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Figure 65: Pasco Annual Population History, OFM, 2012–2021
The year-over-year growth is steadily increasing, with an average annual growth rate of 2.59 percent. The
city grew by over 25 percent over the last ten years. The rate of population growth throughout the Tri-Cities
area is also growing, but Pasco’s growth rate exceeds the other two cities, as depicted in the following figure.
Figure 66: Tri-Cities Annual Population % Change by City, 2012–202120
20 https://ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/dataresearch/pop/april1/OFM_april1_intercensal_estimates_2010_2020 .
obtained 5-31-2021.
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
2.50%
3.00%
3.50%
4.00%
4.50%
5.00%
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
90000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Population % Increase
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Pasco 2.6%5.1%3.3%0.4%3.8%1.6%2.6%2.3%2.3%2.1%
Kennewick 0.4%1.6%1.6%0.6%0.9%1.4%1.4%2.3%1.5%0.8%
Richland 2.5%2.9%2.3%2.5%0.8%1.8%2.3%3.0%3.3%1.3%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
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While Kennewick is larger by population than either of the other two cities that make up the Tri-Cities, Pasco
(median annual growth rate of 2.59%) is rapidly catching up and its growth rate has been outpacing Kennewick
(median annual growth rate of 1.3%) and Richland (median annual growth rate of 2.3%).
The Comp Plan anticipates that Pasco will reach a population of 121,828 by the year 2038; the addition of
almost 45,000 additional residents in the next eighteen years. If the projected growth is linear, the following
figure depicts an estimated progression of population using the last ten years and the projected 2038
population from the comprehensive plan in three-year increments. The incremental growth is based on the annual
median growth over the last decade.
Figure 67: Pasco FD Service Area Population Projection, Through 2038
The above figure is a population projection in three-year increments. The solid blue bars are actual population
numbers. The projections (2023–2035) are faded blue gradients. The final red gradient depicts the 2038
comprehensive plan estimate.
2011 2014 2017 2020 2023 2026 2029 2032 2035 2038
Population 61,000 67,770 71,680 77,100 83,101 89,569 96,541 104,055 112,155 121,828
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
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Comprehensive Plan and PFD
The amount of vacant or underutilized parcels within the city is insufficient to address this projected population
growth. The vast majority of vacant or underutilized parcels are in west Pasco (south of Interstate I-182 and
west of Highway 395), where remnant parcels are not at urban densities. One opportunity for Pasco is through
the implementation of infill and redevelopment strategies. These strategies will allow either hard-to-develop
parcels of land or existing structures to be updated or developed through changes in the zoning code.21
Even if the city maximized the use of vacant and underutilized parcels, the City of Pasco will need to
accommodate an additional 17,866 city residents This argues for the expansion of the urban growth boundaries
of the City of Pasco to accommodate this additional population. If the urban growth boundaries are expanded
to accommodate this projected new growth, it will also place an additional burden on direct service providers
in the city, such as the Pasco Fire Department, to serve these new, more distant areas. Importantly, the Comp
Plan also states that the transportation system in some areas is limited, with housing placed in the path of logical
connections, impacting transportation access for fire and emergency responders.
The following figure depicts the projected future development areas in the City of Pasco.
Figure 68: Future Development in Pasco
The projected future development, according to the comprehensive plan, is concentrated primarily in the
northwest corner of the city (commercial and residential) and on the east side (industrial). Additionally, an
increasing amount of infill development is expected to occur throughout the city. Significant developments include
the following.
21 Pasco Comprehensive Plan, Vol 2 – Supporting Analysis; Infill and Redevelopment, page 17. Accessed on 5-11-21.
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• Affinity & Hydro at Broadmoor Apartments is a complex located at Burns Road and Rd 108. This multi-
building facility includes 165,235 square feet of total building space, with 240 apartments and 170
senior living units. Only the 170 units are designated with an age restricted covenant. The other 240
units are unrestricted apartments.
• Reimann Industrial Park is the second industrial processing center for the Port of Pasco. The 300-acre
park is located 1.9 miles north of the current Pasco Processing Center and 6.3 miles from Pasco Fire
Departments closest station, Station 81 located at 310 North Oregon Ave.
• Darigold’s new processing plant is located on 150 acres within the new Reimann Industrial Park. The
400,000 square foot plant will have 200 employees and indirectly add 1000 support services jobs to
the area. The plant is scheduled to open in August 2023. Site specific hazards include confined spaces
and large industrial equipment along with wastewater storage facilities.
• Columbia Shores Townhome development is located on Court Street and Harris Road. This project is still
in review, so the following numbers are tentative:
o Phase 1: 4/2022 - 4/2024, 106 townhouses + 3 single-family-detached homes
o Phase 2: 1/2024 - 1/2026, 117 townhouses
o Phase 3: 9/2025 - 9/2027, 125 townhouses
o Phase 4: 6/2027 - 12/2029, 150 townhouses
Demographics
The largest racial or ethnic group in Pasco is Hispanic or Latino at 56%, followed by white alone (not Hispanic
or Latino) at 37.2%, and a distant third is two or more races at 11.1%. This is important in that it underscores
the need for members of the Pasco Fire Department to possess at least conversational Spanish speaking skills
to interact with its residents in an emergency situation.
Ethnicity and population growth are not the only factors to consider when planning for future service provision.
The effect of what is commonly referred to as the “silver tsunami,” a euphemism for baby boomers reaching
retirement age, will likely exponentially increase demand for emergency medical services into the future.
As told by Dr. Thomas Gill of the Yale Center on Aging, “…by 2050, people over 65 will represent more than
20 percent of the [U.S.] population, up from 15 percent today. That shift may not sound significant, but it
represents about 40 million additional Medicare-age patients flooding the already beleaguered U.S.
healthcare system. This flood, the so-called ‘silver tsunami’ will be driven partially by advances in medicine that
are helping people live longer, but also by the Baby Boomers, people born during the population spike after
World War II who are reaching old age.”22
The healthcare system in the United States is in flux and, depending upon its evolution, may have currently
unforeseeable ramifications to pre-hospital care. However, the aging population, the growth of those over age
65 as a percent of the total population, and the increasing life expectancy all contribute to known, significant
increases in demands for service.
22 Rx: The Quiet Revolution, What the ‘Silver Tsunami’ Means for U.S. Health Care: An Interview with Thomas Gill of the Yale
Center on Aging. https://rxfilm.org/problems/silver -tsunami-united-states-healthcare-thomas-gill-yale-center-on-aging-
interview/ acquired from website 5-13-21.
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A study conducted in North Carolina in 2010 evaluated the effect of an aging population on the pre-hospital
EMS system as a predictor of future system demand. The salient point of the study is made in the abstract, which
states, “Visits [to Emergency Departments] by individuals 65 years of age or older accounted for 14.7 percent
of all visits and 38.3 percent of all EMS transports to the Emergency Department. For those patients aged 85
years and older, EMS was the most common mode of Emergency Department arrival (60.6%). We estimate that
by 2030, total EMS transports to North Carolina Emergency Departments will increase by 47 percent. Patients
65 years of age and older are projected to account for 70 percent of this increase and to compose 49 percent
of all EMS transports by 2030. The proportion of patients using EMS to reach North Carolina Emergency
Departments increases steadily with age. By 2030, older patients will account for approximately half of EMS
transports to North Carolina Emergency Departments.”23
A similar study was conducted in Halifax, Canada, in 2015 and drew similar conclusions. Indeed, the abstract
states, “We confirmed the increasingly high rate of EMS use with age to be consistent with other industrialized
populations.”24 Empirical evidence suggests that as society’s population ages, with baby boomers making up an
increasing percentage of the total population, the EMS systems nationally will bear an increasing burden in EMS
transportation. The large study in North Carolina (n = 2,743,221) is perhaps the best predictor of future EMS
demand nationally. Given North Carolina’s findings, supported by studies in Halifax and observations by
geriatric experts in the U.S., it is reasonable to expect that Pasco will experience similar growth in EMS demand
by this demographic group.
In 2021, those residents of Pasco aged 65 or older represented 9.2 percent (7,240) of the population. By
2025, that same group is projected to represent 11.49 percent (9,961) of the population of Pasco.25 If this
trend continues, and there is no data to suggest otherwise, Pasco Fire Department will inevitably see the silver
tsunami negatively impacting its service capability by driving the EMS call volume disproportionately higher as
compared to other response types.
23 Platts-Mills, Timothy F., et al. “Emergency Medical Services Use by the Elderly: Analysis of a Statewide Database.” Prehospital
Emergency Care, vol. 14, no. 3, 2010, pp. 329–333., doi:10.3109/10903127.2010.481759.
24 Goldstein, Judah, et al. “The Epidemiology of Prehospital Emergency Responses for Older Adults in a Provincial EMS System.”
Cjem, vol. 17, no. 5, 2015, pp. 491–496., doi:10.1017/cem.2015.20.
25 TriCity Development Council Demographics; acquired from website 6-09-2021.
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Service Demand Projection
While the overall service area population had a median annual growth rate of nearly 2.6 percent over the last
ten years (2012–2021), the median annual growth in service demand is 6.75 percent. In 2021, growth in
demand was 18.53% higher than in 2020, which is an unprecedently increase. It remains to be seen whether
this is an anomaly, a reflection of the pandemic, or a new normal. Based on the population growth identified in
the previous paragraphs, PFD can expect to see service demand continue to increase. With 93.29 calls per
1,000 population in Pasco, a projection can be made according to the population estimate increases. The
following figure illustrates the total call volume projections.
Figure 69: Projected Service Demand, 2023–2038
Fires (of all types) demonstrate the lowest rate of increase. This reflects a national trend and can be attributed
to improvements in building codes and fire prevention over the last several decades. EMS is expected to continue
to be the dominant factor affecting service demand. Other incidents (including alarm sounding and service calls)
not involving actual fires or medical incidents are predicted to increase in part due to the use of automatic alarm
systems and properly coded public assist calls.
While the projections follow a linear path of growth, community growth and its associated service demand
rarely align with strict linear progression. However, it is reasonable to conclude that the path toward the Comp
Plan population projection has a direct correlation to the growth in fire department service demand. PFD will
remain challenged to keep up with increases in service demand as the city continues to grow.
2023 2026 2029 2032 2035 2038
EMS 4,662 5,025 5,416 5,838 6,292 6,835
Fire 274 295 318 343 370 401
Other 1,743 1,879 2,025 2,183 2,353 2,556
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
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FUTURE DELIVERY SYSTEM
Given the current conditions in which the Pasco Fire Department operates and the projections for services the
Pasco Fire Department will be expected to provide in the future, this section concludes with strategies intended
to place the organization in a position to serve its future demand and risk successfully. This section focuses on
potential operational changes that provide the desired levels of service identified in the previous sections, with
an emphasis on efficiency.
The recommendations contained in this report are significantly influenced by and consistent with the Pasco City
Council budget goal for Community Safety, which is to “Preserve past improvements and promote future gains.”
These recommendations are also informed by industry best practices and reflect a continuous improvement
mindset.
Near -Term Improvement s
This report has numerous recommendations which are intended to enhance the current practices of the Pasco Fire
Department. The presence of these recommendations should not be construed to indicate that PFD has many
problems. On the contrary, this agency was one of the top professional organizations this consultant has
evaluated (115 agencies). The data the department maintains is excellent, and the practices are professional
and skillful, despite facing explosive growth as a community and resources just now catching up to that growth.
The following is a summary of the near-term recommendations made within this report.
1. Establish a process to formally maintain the history of the PFD. (Org. Overview)
2. Review and update all regulatory documents on at least a three-year cycle. (Mgmt. Components)
3. Revise Pasco Policy on Response Performance Objectives to reflect actual full first alarm assignments to
structure fires. (Service Delivery & Performance)
4. Analyze Unit Hour Utilization annually to ensure units and crews are not exceeding efficient and
effective deployment (> 10% for engines and 25% for medic units). Conduct a deeper analysis into
the causal factors for these units as they approach these thresholds and address, as appropriate.
Consider 25% UHU for medic units as a trigger point to increase staffing of the sister engine company.
(Service Delivery & Performance)
5. Update Resolution 2938 - Full First Alarm Assignment for moderate risk structure fires should increase
to 17 personnel (includes an aerial apparatus) from the current 11. (Service Delivery & Performance)
6. Create a full-time training lieutenant assigned to the training division to increase the output potential of
the training division by managing facilities, recruit school, the ARFF program, and driving greater
consistency throughout the training division. This releases the half time lieutenant, currently shared with
EMS, to be assigned full time to the EMS division. (Training Division)
7. Consider using a formulaic approach to quantifying risk and thereby prioritizing risks. (Community Risk
Assessment & Reduction Program)
8. Review response data annually to identify emerging risk trends and modify the CRR plan accordingly.
(Community Risk Assessment & Reduction Program)
9. Evolve CRR program toward a station-based risk reduction strategy, managing geographically distinct
risks at the station officer level. (Community Risk Assessment & Reduction Program)
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10. Establish and maintain a minimum staffing requirement for the haz-mat technicians. (HAZMAT Services
Support and Response Capability)
11. Consider all the ramifications before agreeing to be the permit-required confined space rescue team
of record to private industry. (Specialized Response Services)
12. Revise Resolution 2938 to reflect the current Mission Statement and adjust the response performance
objectives to the 90th percentile. (Fire Department Planning)
13. Adopt and implement the NFA Quick Action Plan process as an agency. (Fire Department Planning)
a. Alternatively, develop a formal pre-fire planning process for buildings or infrastructure that poses
an unusual hazard consistent with NFPA 1620.
14. Develop a formal succession plan for the Fire Chief position. (Fire Department Planning)
a. Consider extending the succession plan to include other leadership/supervisory positions in the
department.
15. The Franklin County Emergency Management Plan should more specifically address risk at the airport.
(Airport Impacts)
16. ARFF personnel, PFD, and PSC management staff should conduct tabletop exercises annually using the
AEP for familiarization and role clarification. (Airport Impacts)
17. Consider transitioning to a tiered response EMS system, with engine company/first response units
handling low acuity calls (Alpha, Bravo, and potentially some Charlie priorities), reserving medic units
for high acuity, truly life-threatening call types (most Charlie, Delta, and Echo priorities). This may reduce
pressure on maintaining the paramedic ranks and will require MPD buy-off. (EMS)
18. Acquire a Management Analyst or Data Analyst to routinely pull data for the EMS system, the PFD
management system, and other PFD divisional needs to make sound management decisions based on
quality, contemporary data. (EMS)
19. Assign the EMS Assistant to the EMS Division full-time, discontinuing a shared role with Training Division.
(EMS)
20. Reduce the IT technician sharing burden for PFD. Consider splitting the position with one lower-demand
department than is currently the practice. (EMS)
21. Integrate the Community Risk Assessment and update the Standards of Cover following the CFAI, Sixth
Edition Handbook. (Fire Dept. Planning)
22. Research and identify a consistent mechanism to provide a flexible and easy-to-implement Spanish for
emergency workers curriculum. (Staffing & Personnel)
23. Validate likely deficiency points eliminated for each element being considered with WSRB; discuss a
plan to improve in these areas. (Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau)
24. Develop a budget and timelines for the implementation of Protection Class Maintenance elements listed
in this section. (Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau)
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Mid -Term Improvements
The mid-term strategies are progressive enhancements of the current conditions and net improvements to the
status quo. They will likely require policy consideration and budget allocation. Where appropriate, trigger
points are identified which should initiate implementation action.
Regional Training Manual
Fire department trainers use manuals based on national, state, and local standards as a resource to develop
lesson plans for didactic and hands-on skills training. Training sessions provide firefighters with the knowledge,
skills, and abilities to perform in emergency and non-emergency situations in an effective, efficient, and safe
method. Recently, the Tri-Cities fire departments have discussed developing a training manual for adoption by
all the agencies. With efforts being made to develop operational alignment between the agencies, there should
be a single training manual for all fire agencies in Benton and Franklin counties.
Care should be exercised to prevent the development process from being drawn out or languishing on the back
burner. To expedite the process, material from accredited existing model training manuals, hose evolutions, and
standard operating guidelines, with modifications for local conditions, should be adopted as the foundation.
Meeting to discuss any need for exceptions to that foundation, or carving out individual agency exceptions,
should be the next step. Efforts should be made, however, to limit individual agency exceptions as opposed to
a regional standard. This requires difficult discussions and debate but focusing on the benefits of standardization
should drive the agencies toward consistency.
The creation and application of a single standardized training manual will provide more consistent training,
better on-scene coordination, and improved firefighter safety. With firefighters of Benton and Franklin County
fire departments trained in the same techniques, responders to emergency incidents can have the confidence
that they will be prepared to work effectively and seamlessly as a team. The cost for this endeavor is staff time
to attend meetings, draft training manual sections, and implement the regional training manual.
Peak Demand Units
Staffing is typically a fire agency’s single most expensive resource. A significant factor that drives cost is the
24-hour nature of the fire service demand. The rationale for staffing and deploying in this manner is the
unpredictable nature of emergencies. Once a base emergency response capability is achieved throughout the
24-hour cycle, however, additional capacity can be gained with a more flexibly staffed and deployed model.
This efficient and effective model includes resources that augment the traditional deployment of response
resources. This flexible unit follows the observable trends in emergency calls for service (demand) which dictates
to a significant degree the distribution of that flexible resource. Implementing this flexible unit reduces response
times where demand is high or when prescheduled vacancies (i.e., training) occur. These flexible resources are
referred to as Peak Demand Units (PDUs) and they are deployed in a manner that mirrors the ebb and flow of
emergency demand. A PDU has four major configuration variables: the unit itself, the crew make-up/size, the
deployment purpose/philosophy, and deployment hours/geography.
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PDUs are typically staffed and deployed during the most statistically busy times of the day and week, which
makes the unit less costly and more flexibly deployed, both by time of day and geography. These units can be
a fire engine that is a Type 1 (a so-called structure fire engine) or a Type 6 (also-called wildland fire engine)
configuration, a medical unit (ambulance), or a multi-purpose squad. Regardless of the type of vehicle, what
makes a PDU unique is the way it is deployed and staffed. PDUs can be staffed with a medical crew if that is
its primary purpose, with a fire suppression crew, or both. It can be deployed during wildland fire season with
a wildland fire crew. Regardless of staff capability, the staff can be obtained by hiring new personnel or by
using callback crews on overtime. Staffing a PDU should not be completed by cross-staffing (thereby taking a
critical resource out of service), as it depletes the core resources and reduces agency capability. These concepts
normally require bargaining the hours and working conditions under which the unit is staffed when a collective
bargaining unit is affected.
PDUs are not only assigned as an additional resource based on statistically busy times and locations. They can
also be used to manage gaps in coverage for units participating in training and could even be cooperatively
staffed with a neighboring agency(s). A PDU could be only occasionally staffed for activities such as a scheduled
event or routinely staffed for periods of peak demand. In any usage of this concept, it is important to understand
that the value is added when the unit is deployed as an adjunct to existing staffing patterns. Otherwise, it
compromises overall response capability.
For Pasco, deployment of a PDU during the busiest times of the day (between 8 or 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.) would also
help reduce deficiency points assigned by the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau for staffing levels
during the day (currently 74 deficiency points).
Working with neighboring agencies to implement a regional PDU is also a possibility. It reduces the per agency
cost, but it also reduces the per agency benefit derived from such a unit. The cost of a medical unit as a PDU
would be approximately $530,000 for the unit fully equipped (one-time capital cost). The staffing would run
approximately $1,000,000 fully loaded annually, less if run five days a week.
Staffing Increases
Administrative support would be extremely helpful in the form of a Management Analyst being added to the
management team at PFD. This position can routinely run response statistics, calculate alternative response
scenarios, and generally provide the management team with exceptional, real-time data to make sound
management decisions. Currently, this burden falls upon the executive staff of the department individually.
While the executive team is a competent, skilled group, their efforts are better spent focusing on making sound
decisions based on sound analysis. Having an Analyst conduct that analysis would allow the executive team to
consider options and alternative decisions more efficiently using their time and skills. The cost for this position is
approximately $65,000 annually and would be a civilian position.
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The Pasco Fire Department has one Administrative Assistant for the entire fire department. With a Fire Chief
and two Deputy Chiefs, plus administratively assigned line personnel (EMS Officer, Training Officer, Community
Risk Reduction Specialist), the clerical support is insufficient to support these activities. The department needs
one, possibly two additional clerical support positions. To the extent clerical support is not available, it requires
managers and technicians to perform their own support work. This takes away from the effectiveness of
managers and technicians doing their primary jobs. While this is acceptable from time to time, it is an inefficient
use of higher salaried personnel who are not adequately trained or do not possess the skills necessary to conduct
the support work that a clerical person would easily and routinely perform. The cost of a clerical support position
is approximately $55,000 (fully loaded).
The line staffing does not meet national standards and does not meet state or local norms. Two-person engine
companies place a substantial burden on responders during the scene of emergencies. While the ambulances
augment the staffing on structure fires, they are the most likely unit type to be unavailable when a structure fire
occurs. The City of Pasco should follow a plan of ramping up staffing in the fire department over successive
years. This improves incident safety, reduces worker fatigue, and increases the likelihood of PFD maintaining its
Class 3 rating from the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau.
It should be the goal of PFD to achieve three-person engine companies and two-person ambulances. The Fire
Chief has established an informal trigger point for additional staffing for any ambulance achieving a unit hour
utilization of .25 to prompt the consideration of an additional firefighter on the sister engine company. While
not a negotiated agreement, the philosophy is sound. The ambulances are not in danger of achieving the .25
UHU in the immediate near term. When it does, the cost for the extra position on that engine company every
day for a year (fully loaded) is approximately $500,000.
Logistics Center
At the heart of any fire department are the activities and functions that support the delivery of emergency
services. A logistics center keeps agency assets in operational readiness and ensures that enough supplies, tools,
and equipment are available for emergency workers to mitigate the emergency. PFD sits in an urbanized core
area where inefficient duplication undoubtedly exists as each of the cities which make up the Tri-Cities are
independent, siloed systems that would otherwise lend themselves to a regional approach.
Although emergency services providers, the fire agencies in the area are also businesses that collectively spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to ensure mission critical readiness. Like all businesses, fire
departments need to maximize the effectiveness of budget dollars and develop efficient practices. Such
practices may take the form of economies of scale, administrative efficiencies, paperwork reduction,
technological advances, and innovative cost-saving concepts.
The procurement and distribution of routine supplies is an important behind-the-scenes process that needs hands-
on work and meticulous record keeping. These support services are currently provided by a variety of personnel
in the region, some are line personnel, some are support, and some are management. Filling the demand for
logistical support is a constant necessity in any organization and vital to ensuring the operational readiness of
the agency. Key elements of a combined logistical center are:
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• Assessment of current assets to be managed.
• Assessment of current levels of support service activities.
• Standardization of apparatus, equipment, and supplies.
• Standardization of preventative maintenance programs and recordkeeping.
• Centralization of supply and equipment acquisition, warehousing, and distribution.
Standardizing specifications for the purchase, repair, and maintenance of apparatus, self-contained breathing
apparatus (SCBA), communication devices, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), uniforms, replenishable supplies,
and miscellaneous equipment often equates to less out-of-service time. Support personnel setting up a requisition
and delivery system is a key efficiency of this type of approach. These economies of scale accrue to the benefit
of each participating agency.
Distribution can be managed internally or through agreements with suppliers to gain the advantages of
collective purchasing and supply, such as:
• Administering a larger collective bid process for supplies can achieve lower unit prices and attract
additional competitors.
• Negotiating terms of the conditions of a purchase that might not be available to smaller purchasing
centers.
• Conducting collective bidding processes that are applicable to all participating agencies.
The agencies can jointly determine the proper level of inventory to maintain within the system. The use of system-
wide inventory planning ensures that the most cost-effective inventory management can be established for the
system participants. This is referred to as “Just-In-Time” inventory. To a great degree, a just-in-time inventory
process relies on the efficient monitoring of the usage of materials and ordering replacement goods that arrive
shortly before they are needed. This simple strategy helps to prevent incurring the costs associated with carrying
large inventories of raw materials at any given point. The net cost of such an endeavor (supplies for each
agency are already being purchased separately, likely at a higher unit cost) is in the logistician and the
warehouse. The logistician would cost approximately $95,000 fully loaded, divided equally among the
participating agencies. An Inventory Delivery Specialist can be added to this function for just-in-time delivery
of replenishable supplies for approximately an additional $45,000 fully loaded, plus vehicle. An existing
surplus fire station for any of the participating agencies could serve as a supply warehouse and office for this
function.
Station Additions
While PFD has done amazing work, it is clearly straining to keep up. The service level and capability are not
sustainable without commensurate growth of resources to match the unprecedented growth of emergency
demand and of the city itself. Actions have been taken to implement recommendations made in the 2016 master
plan, but station construction has lagged behind the growth that required the construction. Heat maps in this
report indicate that while new Station 83 is properly located within the center of the largest hot spot, the station
opened at least a year late (it opened in January 2021). Station 84 opened in September 2021 but is only a
block away from its original location, so the negative impact of delay is low.
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There are indications of the system declining in the following ways:
• PFD is at the minimum performance for its own goal of the first apparatus on the scene (89.4%), which
is a slight decline from the 2016 master plan performance of 89.7 percent. Said another way, 39 of
the fire management zones were noncompliant with the 6-minute travel time standard in 2015, but 81
of the management zones were noncompliant with the 6-minute travel time standard in 2020 (double
the area in 2015).
• PFD is currently able to assemble a full first alarm in 12 minutes or less travel time (its self-imposed
performance goal) at 76.3 percent of fire suppression events. The goal is 90 percent.
• The population within the service area has increased by 9.56% since the last master plan (2016).
• Call volume (demand for service) has increased by 18.53% just in the last year (2021 compared to
2020). This is an unprecedented growth in service demand.
• New development and population growth are projected to continue increasing, both in the near future
and long term.
• Service demand has steadily increased and is projected to continue increasing an additional 25.21
percent by 2029.
Currently, the four staffed PFD stations are within 6 minutes or less travel time to approximately 95 percent of
current service demand inside the Pasco UGB. However, the fact that PFD achieves this travel time 46 percent
of the time is an indication that growth and concurrent calls are negatively impacting service.
Figure 70: Current Staffed Station Deployment
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The deployment of stations is currently situated nearest the highest demand for services.
Figure 71: Proposed Six Staffed Station Deployment
The previous figure depicts two proposed new fire stations; Station 85, located at 3624 Road 100, and Station
87, at the end of Kartchner Street near the Auto Zone Distribution Center, east of State Route 395. These two
properties are already owned by the city and are planned for use as future fire station sites. The gray areas
on the map depict areas within 1.5 miles served by the stations. Note that proposed Station 87 has a small
area it reaches within 1.5 miles. That is due to the lack of a road network. Once development causes a road
network to be built, the reach of a new Station 87 will also increase (out to 1.5 road miles from the station).
A proposed new Station 85 addresses infill, residential and commercial growth in the west portion of the city.
A proposed new Station 87 addresses industrial growth in the east portion of the city and bolsters response to
the east end generally. These two proposed stations each have different trigger points to begin construction.
STATION 85
For Station 85, when the first due area around the proposed station (the area Station 85’s units are expected
to arrive first at an emergency) experiences 500 calls for service, the process should begin to design and
construct the station, develop specifications for new apparatus that will be assigned there, and develop a plan
to hire the personnel expected to operate out of the station. In 2021, the first due area for Station 85 had
already exceeded 500 calls for service. This means Station 85 has reached the trigger point for construction to
begin, apparatus to be put out to bid, and plans to be developed to hire sufficient personnel to staff the unit(s)
assigned there.
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Upon opening, Station 85 should be equipped with a staffed engine company. The need for an ambulance in
the station (as has been the model for the other four stations) is mitigated by the close proximity of ambulances
from the urban core of the city (Stations 81, 82, 83, and 84 – Unit Hour Utilization indicates there is sufficient
capacity for additional call volume). The need for an ambulance at Station 85 would be further negated with
the implementation of a Peak Demand Unit. If the engine is a stand-alone engine, it is recommended that the
station be staffed with three firefighters. The station design should mirror the other new stations just added to
the PFD system, and the cost is expected to be similar to the other new stations, approximately $7 million in
2021 dollars. Fire stations (indeed, any public works project) are expensive to construct because they must be
hardened as an element of the critical infrastructure in the city and because Washington state law requires that
public works projects pay prevailing wages. The engine assigned there would cost approximately $1.1 million
fully equipped. The firefighters would cost $102,000 per person annually, fully loaded.
STATION 87
For Station 87, the trigger point is different. There are four elements that drive demand for this station.
• This area has a significant industry presence, and more being developed (a second Resers facility and
a large Darigold facility, for example), which is important to the local economy—jobs and tax revenue.
• The eastern portion of the city is reliant almost exclusively on Station 81. While demand for service
there does not rise to the level of the other stations, there is a considerable population living within the
service area, warranting greater depth of response capability. This was a significant concern expressed
by citizens during the Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan development.
• The Colville Tribal Casino and other tribal economic development projects being proposed near this
station will bring a significant (although transient) population to the area.
• The industrial development in eastern Pasco, the Colville Tribal Casino, and the resource constraints on
the east side of the city undoubtedly add to the WSRB deficiency points PFD has received unless
addressed. By opening and staffing a station here, response performance improves, and staffing levels
increase, thereby reducing the number of deficiency points assigned by WSRB and protecting or
improving the relative strength of the Public Protection Class 3 that PFD currently enjoys.
Development and opening of the Colville Tribal Casino will be a tipping point for moving forward to construct
Station 87. Short of other large industrial development, at such time as the land the Colville Tribe owns is
converted to Tribal Trust property and the casino is approved to begin construction, construction should also
begin for Station 87. The station should be modeled after the other new stations. As construction is under way,
apparatus should be put out to bid, and plans developed to hire sufficient personnel to staff the unit(s) assigned
there.
Station 87 should be equipped with a staffed Telesquirt (or boom Squirt). This is an engine that also has an
elevated master stream to deliver a fire stream from an elevated position (typically 50 feet). This apparatus
adds to the ladder credit Pasco receives, but also matches the relative risk Station 87’s first due area poses. As
an area populated with industrial and large area structures, elevation is often needed. But the unit also performs
all of the essential functions of a fire engine. In fact, the WSRB gives full credit to a Telesquirt as an engine and
an additional half-credit as a ladder truck.
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As with Station 85, there may not be a need for an ambulance in Station 87. This may be dependent upon the
call volume and call types posed by the casino once it is constructed and operational. As with Station 85, the
need for an ambulance at Station 87 may be further negated with the implementation of a Peak Demand Unit.
If the Telesquirt is a stand-alone unit, it should be staffed with three instead of two firefighters. Close monitoring
of the call types and response performance of Station 87 is warranted. If demand taxes the Telesquirt, an
ambulance may need to be added in the future.
The station design should mirror the other new stations just added to the PFD system, and the cost is expected
to be similar to the other new stations, approximately $7 million in current costs. The Telesquirt assigned there
would cost approximately $1.7 million fully equipped. The firefighters would cost $102,000 per person
annually, fully loaded.
Long -Term Improvements
Long-term improvements are anticipated enhancements of the current infrastructure but are more difficult to
establish a timeline for. They, too, will likely require policy consideration and budget allocation. Where
appropriate, trigger points are identified which should initiate implementation action. Annexation of the
northwest corner of the urban growth area is likely to occur in the foreseeable future. Should this become a
reality, fire service coverage should be designed to address this new area of the city.
STATION 86
A future Station 86 should be planned for in the far northwest corner within the urban growth expansion area.
This area is outside of the city currently but is likely to be annexed into the city as part of the comprehensive
plan implementation (assuming approval by the county and/or state). This area is expected to see significant
development according to the Pasco Comprehensive Plan. It is difficult to identify the ideal location for a fire
station since the area currently lacks a robust transportation network. Once plans to develop the area are put
forth and the road network is laid out, travel time calculations should be conducted to determine the ideal
location for a future fire station and property acquired. As this area starts increasing its density and the demand
for service also increases, close attention should be paid to annual demand growth there.
This station area should also have a trigger point of 500 calls for service in a given year as an indication that
design and construction should begin. This is also the point at which apparatus should be to be put out to bid,
and plans developed to hire sufficient personnel to staff the unit(s) assigned there. The station should have an
engine assigned to it. An ambulance should not be required. If the engine is a stand-alone engine, it should be
staffed with three firefighters. The engine assigned there would cost approximately $1.1 million fully equipped.
The firefighters would cost $102,000 per person annually, fully loaded. These costs will increase with inflation
until such time as the trigger point is reached.
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APPENDIX A: TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Pasco Fire Department Service Area Map, 2021 ........................................................................................... 2
Figure 2: Pasco Fire Department Organization Chart ..................................................................................................... 3
Figure 3: Functional Program Management Structure ...................................................................................................... 4
Figure 4: Population Served Comparison (2020) ............................................................................................................. 5
Figure 5: Service Area Comparison, Square Miles (2020) ............................................................................................. 6
Figure 6: Population Density Comparison, per Square Mile (2020) ............................................................................. 6
Figure 7: Total Incidents per 1,000 Population Comparison (2020) ............................................................................ 7
Figure 8: Fires per 1,000 Population Comparison (2020) .............................................................................................. 8
Figure 9: Fire Loss per Capita Comparison (2020) .......................................................................................................... 8
Figure 10: EMS Incidents per 1,000 Population Comparison (2020) ........................................................................... 9
Figure 11: Critical Issues ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 12: Station 81 ........................................................................................................................................................... 13
Figure 13: Station 82 ........................................................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 14: Station 83 ........................................................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 15: Old Station 84 (Replaced in September 2021) ......................................................................................... 16
Figure 16: Station 84 (new as of September 2021) ..................................................................................................... 17
Figure 17: Vehicle Storage Building (Station 84 adjacent) .......................................................................................... 18
Figure 18: Future Station 85 Site ....................................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 19: Future Station 87 Site ....................................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 20: Pasco Fire Department Training Center ........................................................................................................ 21
Figure 21: Apparatus & Major Equipment Replacement Schedule ............................................................................. 23
Figure 22: Resources Deployed by Type Comparison (2020) ..................................................................................... 24
Figure 23: Comparable Agency Staffing Levels (2020)* ............................................................................................. 25
Figure 24: Emergency Response Staffing per Shift ........................................................................................................ 26
Figure 25: Committees, Workgroups, or Teams .............................................................................................................. 28
Figure 26: Service Demand, 2016–2021 ........................................................................................................................ 30
Figure 27: Incidents by Type, 2021 .................................................................................................................................. 31
Figure 28: Incidents by Month, 2021 ................................................................................................................................ 32
Figure 29: Incidents by Day of Week, 2021 .................................................................................................................. 32
Figure 30: Incidents by Time of Day, 2021 ..................................................................................................................... 33
Figure 31: Geographic Service Demand, 2021 ............................................................................................................. 34
Figure 32: Geographic Service Demand, Fire Incidents, 2021 .................................................................................... 35
Figure 33: Study Area, 2021 ............................................................................................................................................. 36
Figure 34: Density, Office of Financial Management (OFM) - Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ), 2021 Population
Estimate ................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Figure 35: Station Distribution 2021, WSRB Criteria .................................................................................................... 38
Figure 36: Aerial Apparatus Distribution 2021, WSRB Criteria ................................................................................. 39
Figure 37: Travel Time Model 2021, NFPA Criteria ...................................................................................................... 40
Figure 38: Potential Travel Time Model, PFD Response/Travel Time Model, 2021 ................................................ 41
Figure 39: Service Demand and 6-Minute Travel Time Model, 2021 ........................................................................ 42
Figure 40: Actual Travel Time Performance by Fire Management Zone, 2021 ....................................................... 43
Figure 41: Station Concentration, 2021 ........................................................................................................................... 44
Figure 42: Full First Alarm (ERF), 12 Minutes Travel Time (PFD Travel Time Goal), 2021 ..................................... 45
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Figure 43: Concurrent Incidents by Station Area, 2021 ................................................................................................ 46
Figure 44: Unit Hour Utilization (UHU), 2021 .................................................................................................................. 47
Figure 45: Medic Unit Commitment Factors as Developed by Henrico County (VA) Division of Fire, 2016 ....... 48
Figure 46: NFPA 1710 Response Performance Recommendations ............................................................................. 50
Figure 47: Current PFD Response Performance Goals & Actual Performance, 2021 ............................................. 50
Figure 48: Mutual and Automatic Assistance, 2021 ......................................................................................................... 52
Figure 49: PRI Score Categories ........................................................................................................................................ 58
Figure 50: Risk/Probability Matrix .................................................................................................................................... 59
Figure 51: Six Steps of Community Risk Reduction ......................................................................................................... 60
Figure 52: Tri-Cities Airport Passenger Enplanements, 2006–2021 .......................................................................... 78
Figure 53: Hydrant Pressure & Fire Flow for PSC Commercial/Industrial Structures .............................................. 80
Figure 54: Number of Washington State Fire Departments per Public Protection Class ........................................ 82
Figure 55: Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau PPC Ratings for Comparable Agencies ............................... 83
Figure 56: Franklin County Unemployment, Not Seasonally Adjusted, 2012–2021 ............................................... 88
Figure 57: Franklin County Median Home Sales Price, 2012–2021 .......................................................................... 89
Figure 58: Pasco Taxable Retail Sales & Annual Growth Rate ................................................................................... 89
Figure 59: Inflation Trend – All Items: West Urban CPI-U ............................................................................................ 90
Figure 60: New Construction & Taxable New Construction .......................................................................................... 90
Figure 61: PFD Associated Revenue .................................................................................................................................. 91
Figure 62: PFD Associated Expenses ................................................................................................................................. 92
Figure 63: PFD’s General Fund Burden ............................................................................................................................. 92
Figure 64: Pasco Decennial Population History, U.S. Census, 1970–2020 (50 years) ........................................... 94
Figure 65: Pasco Annual Population History, OFM, 2012–2021 ................................................................................ 95
Figure 66: Tri-Cities Annual Population % Change by City, 2012–2021 ................................................................. 95
Figure 67: Pasco FD Service Area Population Projection, Through 2038 .................................................................. 96
Figure 68: Future Development in Pasco .......................................................................................................................... 97
Figure 69: Projected Service Demand, 2023–2038 ................................................................................................... 100
Figure 70: Current Staffed Station Deployment .......................................................................................................... 108
Figure 71: Proposed Six Staffed Station Deployment ............................................................................................... 109
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Presented to Pasco City Council
July 25, 2022Page 183 of 480
•Assess current conditions
•Assess future community growth
➢How does that growth impact service delivery?
•Determine appropriate future service delivery system
models
•Recommend strategies to meet the needs of the
community…
➢…in the near-term
➢…in the mid-term
➢…in the long-termPage 184 of 480
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Location Concurrent
Events
% of All
Calls % in 2015
Station 81 327 16.18%15.4%
Station 82 162 11.18%13.2%
Station 83 442 19.53%12.3%
Station 84 96 8.81%N/APage 191 of 480
Response
Type
Turnout
Obj.
2021
Actual
Travel
Obj.
2021
Actual
Fire Suppression Response 2:00 2:14 6:00 8:27
Full First Alarm—Fire Suppression Response N/A N/A 12:00 12:35
First Arriving Medical Unit (BLS or ALS) 2:00 2:14 6:00 6:44
First Arriving ALS Unit 2:00 2:14 6:00 6:40
Hazardous Material 2:00 2:14 6:00 7:51
Technical Rescue 2:00 2:14 6:00 15:11
ARFF N/A N/A 3:00 3:37
Wildland 2:00 2:14 6:00 8:29
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1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Pop 13,920 19,428 20,337 32,066 59,781 77,100
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
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2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Pasco 2.6%5.1%3.3%0.4%3.8%1.6%2.6%2.3%2.3%2.1%
Kennewick 0.4%1.6%1.6%0.6%0.9%1.4%1.4%2.3%1.5%0.8%
Richland 2.5%2.9%2.3%2.5%0.8%1.8%2.3%3.0%3.3%1.3%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%Page 195 of 480
2011 2014 2017 2020 2023 2026 2029 2032 2035 2038
Population 61,000 67,770 71,680 77,100 83,101 89,569 96,541 104,055 112,155 121,828
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
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2023 2026 2029 2032 2035 2038
EMS 4,662 5,025 5,416 5,838 6,292 6,835
Fire 274 295 318 343 370 401
Other 1,743 1,879 2,025 2,183 2,353 2,556
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
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AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council July 21, 2022
TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager City Council Workshop
Meeting: 7/25/22
FROM: Rick White, Director
Community & Economic Development
SUBJECT: Resolution - Transportation System Master Plan (TSMP)
I. REFERENCE(S):
Draft Resolution
Exhibit A - Pasco Transportation System Master Plan
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Discussion
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
For years, Pasco has been among the fastest -growing cities in Washington.
Between 2020 and 2040, Pasco will accommodate almost 45,000 additional
residents, with an expected total population that will exceed 120,000 people. To
address the rapidly growing transportation concerns, the City initiated its first
Transportation System Master Plan (TSMP), which began in the fall of 2019. The
TSMP is a key resource for implementing transportation system improvements
that address current deficiencies and that serve expected local and regional
growth. It should be highlighted that because this is the first comprehensive
transportation planning effort conducted citywide, additional efforts will be
required to carry out the vision of the plan.
TSMP - Plan Vision
The first stage of the planning process involves defining the City’s vision for its
transportation system and developing goals and policies to guide it. Pasco’s
comprehensive plan defines a vision for Pasco in 2038 which includes their
idealized future transportation system; this concept was used to develop the
following vision statement to guide the TSMP. To set the tone for the TSMP, the
following vision statement has been established to guide all aspects of the plan.
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TSMP VISION STATEMENT
The City of Pasco’s future transportation system is a safe and balanced
multimodal transportation system that equitably serves pedestrians, bicyclists,
transit, freight, and drivers. Pasco’s residents should have access to livable
neighborhoods through established planning practices that prioritize system
connectivity and multimodal street design, including a network of parks, trails,
and bikeways that connect all residents to the Columbia River. Pasco’s
transportation system also supports regional economic activities, incl uding
access to Pasco’s freight facilities for regional agriculture and other industries,
and supports regional, multimodal transportation connections in Pasco.
TSMP - Summary
Pasco’s first TSMP will provide a framework to develop a multimodal
transportation system to accommodate anticipated population growth in both the
currently developed and undeveloped areas addressing. In addition to the
specific capital improvement projects for walking, bicycling, and driving. The
TSMP evaluates the existing transportation conditions and identifies system
improvements necessary to accommodate forecasted growth and mobility
demands. The primary purpose of the TSMP is to guide how the city wi ll make
strategic transportation investments in the coming years as it is a tool for
developing the Transportation Improvement and Capital Improvement Plans.
Public Engagement
Early in the planning process, a project team was established that consisted of
city staff members, which worked closely with a Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC) comprised of local partners to develop and review interim work products.
Members of the TAC included:
• Bike Tri-Cities
• Ben Franklin Transit
• Franklin County
• Benton-Franklin Council of Governments
• Washington State Department of Transportation
Public engagement was primarily held virtually and online, due to the restrictions
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The first event (June 2020) identified community concerns and issues
related to walking, bicycling, and driving within Pasco today through an
online survey. Refer to Appendix A of the TSMP for a summary of the
public responses to the survey.
• The second online event (May/June 2021) collected public feedback on
the proposed projects and programs that the TSMP process identified to
address current and expected future transportation system issues.
Page 207 of 480
A shortened summary of comments received during the engagement process
includes:
• Concern about the lack of connectivity in new neighborhoods north of I-
182.
• Locations where residents felt unsafe or unable to conveniently reach
their intended destination.
• The challenges of navigating the city for those without access to a private
vehicle
The input from community members is reflected in the results of the existing
conditions summaries provided in Chapter 2 of the TSMP.
Transportation System Challenges
Pasco’s transportation system was evaluated for system performance and
reliability. The TSMP includes an entire chapter element on system challenges,
below is a summary of the results.
• Congestion
o Significant vehicle congestion was identified at the intersections of
I-182 at Road 68 and Road 100/Broadmoor Blvd. For example, the
Road 68 interchange was observed to have excessive vehicle
queues blocking access to adjoining intersections and driveways.
o Citywide, 14 out of the 52 monitored locations (intersections)
experienced congestion and delay. The Road 68 corridor
extending between Sandifur Parkway and W Court Street has the
highest group of congested locations.
• Safety
o Traffic safety was reviewed by considering how often crashes
occurred at intersections and along roadways around the city along
with the type and severity of crashes.
o Intersections with both high congestion levels and crash rates:
Road 68 at Burden Blvd, Road 68 at W Court Street, and N 20th
Avenue at W Court Street.
o Citywide, four corridors were identified for higher crash rates:
Burden Blvd, W Court Street, W Sylvester Street, and W Lewis
Street.
o The TSMP incorporates the most recently completed Local Road
Safety Plans completed in 2020 and 2022.
• Connectivity
o A technical review of Pasco’s existing transportation system
highlighted many arterial or collector corridors and areas without
access for pedestrians, vehicles, transit riders, and bicyclists.
o During the TSMP public engagement and outreach efforts, public
feedback identified several areas and locations where residents
Page 208 of 480
felt unsafe or unable to conveniently reach or access their
destination.
o The following corridors and areas experience a lack of access,
particularly nonfor -Road, Burns Sandimotorized users: fur
Parkway, Court Street, and Sylvester Street. Long block lengths
and limited access options increase out-of-direction travel and
concentrate higher traffic volumes at the entry points to the
neighborhoods.
Plan Implementation
The 2018-2038 Pasco Comprehensive Plan emphasized the importance of
implementation, in order to establish the procedural framework for linking the
goals and policies of all the Comprehensive Plan Elements with supporting and
related actions and initiatives Implementation of the TSMP will require a series
of updates and amendments to existing city policies, codes, and regulations
related to land development, transportation management, and capital project
funding.
These major actions are categorized below:
• Secure Necessary Funding for Transportation Improvements
o The estimated planning-level costs of all projects/plans are $665
million
o of after $293 estimate) million (planning gap Funding level
collection of Traffic Impact Fees and city improvement programs.
• Implement Neighborhood Transportation Management Tools
• Update Vehicle Mobility Standards
• Update Engineering Design Standards for Roadways, Bikeways, and
Walkways
• Amend the Municipal Development Code to incorporate TSMP changes
regarding Streets and Sidewalks, Subdivision Regulations, and Zoning
Policy Guidance
The TSMP was developed consistent with the state and regional transportation
planning framework as required by the Washington State Growth Management
Act (GMA). In addition to the GMA and regional transportation planning
conformance with the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments, the TSMP
implements the goals and policies of the Pasco City Council and the 2018 Pasco
Comprehensive Plan.
in is TSMP the adoption of and completion the Specifically, pending
conformance with the Community Transportation Network Goal of the City
Council 2022-multi2023 Goals to promote a highly functional -modal
transportation network, including the application of the TSMP.
Page 209 of 480
V. DISCUSSION:
The Transportation System Master Plan has been discussed with the Pasco
Planning Commission and City Council at various times since 2019. Most
recently, the implementation of the plan was shared with the Pasco City Council
on February 14, 2022. Pasco's interests are served by this planning effort and
addresses the necessary public infrastructure improvements are planned for
timely with growth.
City staff recommends approval of the Pasco Transportation System Master
Plan when it returns at the next regular Council Meeting.
Page 210 of 480
Resolution – TSMP - 1
RESOLUTION NO. ______
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON,
ADOPTING THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN (TSMP)
FOR THE CITY OF PASCO AS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE 2018-2038 PASCO
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WHEREAS, the Pasco City Council adopted the 2018-2038 Comprehensive Plan
(Ordinance No 4537) on June 7, 2021, in accordance with the Washington State Growth
Management Act; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Growth Management Act requires each city’s
transportation element and plan must contain a set of goals, policies, and evaluation criteria that
define a vision for a city’s transportation future; and
WHEREAS, the Transportation System Master Plan (TSMP) documents the operational
and safety performance of the City’s existing and future transportation system to support growth
through the year 2040; and
WHEREAS, the TSMP is in conformance with the Community Transportation Network
Goal of the City Council 2022-2023 Goals to promote a highly functional multi-modal
transportation network, including the application of the TSMP; and
WHEREAS, the TSMP collected input from community members and identifies
implementation strategies to address comments from the public and transportation stakeholders.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON:
That the TSMP meets the priorities of the City Council’s goals related to Community
Transportation Network to, “Promote a highly functional multi-modal transportation system
including, but not limited to the application of the adopted Transportation System Master Plan
including development of policies, regulations, programs, and projects that provide for greater
connectivity, strategic investment, mobility, multi-modal systems, accessibility, efficiency, and
safety.”
That the City Council of the City of Pasco hereby adopts the Transportation System
Master Plan as attached hereto as Exhibit A; and
Be It Further Resolved that this Resolution shall take effect immediately.
Page 211 of 480
Resolution – TSMP - 2
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Pasco, Washington this ___ day of _____,
2022.
Blanche Barajas
Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Debra Barham Kerr Ferguson Law, PLLC
City Clerk City Attorneys
Page 212 of 480
Transportation
System Master Plan
JUNE 2022
CITY OF PASCO
Page 213 of 480
PROJECT TEAM
CITY OF PASCO
Dan Ford,
City Engineer
Jacob Gonzalez,
City Planning Manager
DKS ASSOCIATES
Carl Springer,
Project Manager
Aaron Berger,
Senior Engineer
Rochelle Starrett,
Engineer
Melissa Abadie,
Creative Services
ANGELO
PLANNING GROUP
Darci Rudzinski,
Principal
Andrew Parish,
Senior Planner
TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Dan Ford,
City of Pasco
Jacob Gonzalez,
City of Pasco
Carl Springer, DKS
Aaron Berger, DKS
David Beach,
Bike Tri-Cities
Patrick Pittenger,
Benton-Franklin
Council of
Governments
Erin Braich,
Benton-Franklin
Council of
Governments
Olivia Meza,
Benton-Franklin
Council of
Governments
Keith Hall, Benton
Franklin Transit
Paul Gonseth, WSDOT
John Gruber, WSDOT
Eric Snider, WSDOTPage 214 of 480
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 2:
PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW . . . . . . . 10
CHAPTER 3:
RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
CHAPTER 4:
TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM STANDARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
CHAPTER 5:
IMPLEMENTATION
AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES . . . . . . . . . . 60
APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Page 215 of 480
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1. STATE, REGIONAL, AND CITY PLANNING FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................4
FIGURE 2. PERFORMANCE-BASED PLANNING PROCESS ..........................................................................................5
FIGURE 3. TRI-CITIES REGIONAL CONTEXT .....................................................................................................11
FIGURE 4. HISTORICAL POPULATION GROWTH TRENDS IN TRI-CITIES ..............................................................................12
FIGURE 5. TRI-CITIES BRIDGE CROSSING TRAFFIC GROWTH TRENDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
FIGURE 6. PASCO RESIDENTIAL DEMOGRAPHICS ...............................................................................................14
FIGURE 7. EMPLOYMENT TRAVEL PATTERNS TO/FROM PASCO (STREETLIGHT DATA, 2019) ..............................................................16
FIGURE 8. FREIGHT ACTIVITY CENTERS WITHIN PASCO (STREETLIGHT DATA, 2019) ....................................................................17
FIGURE 9. EXISTING BEN FRANKLIN TRANSIT SERVICES .........................................................................................19
FIGURE 10. PLANNED BEN FRANKLIN STOP UPGRADES AND ROUTE EXTENSIONS ....................................................................20
FIGURE 11. PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CHALLENGES – TODAY ..............................................................................22
FIGURE 12. INTERSECTIONS WITH MAJOR CONGESTION BY 2040 .................................................................................27
FIGURE 13. MOTOR VEHICLE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS ..........................................................................................30
FIGURE 14. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PROJECTS ..............................................................................................40
FIGURE 15. DESIRED FACILITY SPACING ......................................................................................................45
FIGURE 16. RECOMMENDED ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION .............................................................................46
FIGURE 17. FREIGHT SYSTEM ...............................................................................................................52
FIGURE 18. SUMMARY OF NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Page 216 of 480
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1. PASCO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN URBAN GROWTH AREA ..................................................................................25
TABLE 2. INTERSECTIONS WITH MAJOR CONGESTION BY 2040 (OPERATING AT LOS E OR F) ...........................................................26
TABLE 3. INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS (INT) ................................................................................................31
TABLE 4. NEW ROADWAY EXTENSIONS (EXT) ..................................................................................................33
TABLE 5. TRAFFIC STUDIES AND TRANSIT AMENITIES (TS & TR) ...................................................................................35
TABLE 6. ROADWAY WIDENING PROJECTS (EXP) ...............................................................................................36
TABLE 7. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PROJECTS (BP) ............................................................................................41
TABLE 8. SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS SUMMARY .........................................................................................42
TABLE 9. FACILITY SPACING GUIDELINES .....................................................................................................45
TABLE 10. FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF NEW ROADWAYS ....................................................................................47
TABLE 11. ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION CHANGES ....................................................................................48
TABLE 12. APPLICATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ...................................................................54
TABLE 13. ACCESS MANAGEMENT SPACING STANDARDS ........................................................................................55
TABLE 14. RECOMMENDED STREET CONNECTIVITY STANDARDS ..................................................................................56
TABLE 15. EXISTING MOBILITY TARGETS FOR WEEKDAY PEAK HOUR PERIODS .......................................................................57
TABLE 16. RECOMMENDED MOBILITY TARGETS ................................................................................................58
TABLE 17. FILLING THE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING GAP ........................................................................................61
TABLE 18. RECOMMENDED VEHICLE MOBILITY STANDARDS FOR LOCAL STREETS ....................................................................63Page 217 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 1
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
For years, Pasco has been among the fastest
growing cities in Washington, and it is
expected to add over 40,000 new residents
by 2040 when Pasco’s population will exceed
120,000, surpassing the neighboring Tri-Cities.
Rapid population growth of this scale has a
corresponding major impact in transportation
demands for a community. As the city’s first
transportation system master plan, this represents
a foundational study that will establish a host
of policies and programs that will guide the City
of Pasco to a safer and more vibrant city. The
challenge ahead for city leaders is to take steps to
address existing system needs identified through
this process and to make strategic investments
with partner transportation agencies to prepare
for substantial growth in the decades to come.
THE CITY OF PASCO HAS PREPARED A
MASTER PLAN TO GUIDE DECISIONS AND
INVESTMENTS IN THEIR TRANSPORTATION
FACILITIES AND SERVICES.
1
Page 218 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 2INTRODUCTION
The Pasco Transportation System Master Plan
(TSMP) is a guide for future transportation
investments to ensure that they align with
our community’s goals, values, and vision
for the future. The TSMP is a key resource for
implementing transportation system improvements
that address current deficiencies and that serve
expected local and regional growth. As the first
TSMP in Pasco, this plan represents the first step
towards a series of new guidelines and standards
that will shape the city as it grows and re-builds.
Transportation planning in Washington is
required under the Growth Management Act
which governs each city’s transportation
element of a comprehensive plan.
Under the Growth Management Act, each
transportation plan must contain:
• A set of goals, policies, and evaluation
criteria that define a vision for a city’s
transportation future
• An inventory of a city’s existing, multimodal
transportation system and how well this
system currently serves users
• An assessment of future travel demand and
the impact of this growth on the existing
transportation system
• A review of bicycle and pedestrian needs
and opportunities
• An understanding of available funding for
transportation system improvements
The Pasco TSMP documents the operational and
safety performance of the City’s existing and future
transportation system and provides strategies that
will support growth in and around the community
through the year 2040.
This TSMP will act as a supplement to the
transportation element in Pasco’s 2018-2038
Comprehensive Plan to further envision Pasco’s
transportation future.
ADA COMPLIANCE AND TRANSITION PLAN
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) governs
how we serve people with hearing, vision, and
ambulatory disabilities. In 2013, the City of Pasco
adopted the Sidewalk Transition Plan. The
Sidewalk Transition Plan was intended to remove
barriers to mobility of people with disabilities
and improving safety for all pedestrians in Pasco.
The results of that plan highlighted the needs
to improve infrastructure based on area needs,
including Downtown, West Court Street (between
Road 48 and N 4th Avenue), Road 68 and the area
around Columbia Basin College and the Tri-Cities
Airport. In 2018, the Pasco City Council adopted
its first Complete Streets Policy, which is aimed
at maximizing the safety of the community and all
users of public streets.
The implementation of the plan has been left arising
opportunities, such as inclusion in the scope of
capital projects or repair of sidewalks and non-
compliant ADA ramps by city crews. This approach
Plan Purpose
This transportation system master plan lays
out a multimodal transportation system to
better serve built parts of the community
and provides a framework for growth in
undeveloped areas. In addition to the specific
capital improvement projects for walking,
bicycling, and driving, this plan identifies
a more robust street design concept for
arterial and collector roadways to better
serve all travel modes. The plan also includes
a priority network for quality bicycle routes,
and safety enhancements for mid-block
crossings on arterial roadways.
The master plan also recommends new street
spacing and accessibility guidelines to be
applied for new portions of the community
that will be built in the coming years.
Significant growth is expected north of
Interstate 182 in the Broadmoor Boulevard
area, which includes hundreds of acres of
developable residential and commercially
zoned vacant land. Better street connectivity
can balance travel demand across many
routes and makes it easier for residents to
walk or bike within the neighborhood or to
access transit. This approach recognizes
that the layout and design of the local
transportation system is foundational to
neighborhood livability. It better serves the
full spectrum of community travel needs
which can vary over time based on household
size, income, age, physical abilities, and
personal preferences. Page 219 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 3INTRODUCTION
has provided certain level of success. Additionally,
the City has a designated ADA coordinator, a formal
process for notices and grievances.
While incremental improvement has been
accomplished, a more systematic implementation
plan for the ADA transition plan is recommended.
This plan would establish clear parameters,
schedules, and completion targets on:
1. Documentation of Existing Conditions
and Compliance (Catalogue or inventory)
2. Evaluation of Internal Design Standards,
Specifications and Details (Scheduled
recurrent reviews, as standards and
regulations are updated)
3. Implementation Schedule (Targets)
4. Progress Monitoring (Tracking progress
and expenditures associated with the
formal program)
3PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN
Page 220 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 4INTRODUCTION
The TSMP was developed consistent with
the state and regional transportation planning
framework as required by the GMA. The chart
at right illustrates how the state’s Growth
Management Act provides overall policy and
regulatory guidance for all governmental agencies
within Washington State. In addition to state
guidance, the City of Pasco must also coordinate
their planning with local Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO), which is represented by the
Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCG).
The BFCG develops and maintains the region’s
transportation plan (RTP) and they are responsible
for oversight on regional population and
employment forecasts of local city and county
agencies to maintain consistency with statewide
planning efforts. Land use growth assumptions are
vital inputs to the transportation planning process.
As noted previously, the TSMP supplements the
transportation element of its Comprehensive Plan,
and it provides the basis for Pasco’s on-going
six-year transportation improvement plan and
the bicycle and pedestrian master plan.
By coordinating the city’s TSMP with their
regional and statewide partner agencies, the city
can strengthen its position to more effectively
compete for various state and federal
transportation funding opportunities. The city
desires to continue its record in securing state
and federal grants to expedite local transportation
improvement projects. A recent example is
the grant that advanced the Lewis Street
Overcrossing project in the downtown to began
construction in 2021. New federal legislation in
2022 enabled additional grant opportunities such
as the RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure
with Sustainability and Equity).
Planning and Transportation Funding Framework
FIGURE 1. STATE, REGIONAL, AND CITY PLANNING FRAMEWORK
WASHINGTON STATE GROWTH MANAGEMENT ACT GMA
BENTONFRANKLIN COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CAPITAL FACILITIES PLANREGIONAL/METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN
TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT SIXYEAR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN BICYCLE / PEDESTRIAN MASTER PLAN
CITY OF PASCO
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLANPage 221 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 5INTRODUCTION
The TSMP project team, which included city
staff members and the consultant team, worked
closely with a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
comprised of local partners to develop and
review interim work products and address major
issues collaboratively. The TAC roster included
representatives from Washington State Department
of Transportation (WSDOT), Franklin County, Ben
Franklin Transit (BFT), Benton-Franklin Council of
Government (BFCG), and Bike Tri-Cities. The TAC
met three times to review how the system works
today, expected changes with growth to 2040,
and proposed transportation improvements
recommended within Pasco. During each meeting,
initial technical findings were presented and
discussed with TAC members to collect feedback
on draft concepts and to align long-range plans
among the various partner agencies.
In addition, two online public open house events
were conducted during the development of the
TSMP. Given the restricted conditions of the
ongoing COVID pandemic, these events were
limited to being conducted online only.
• The first event (June 2020) identified community
concerns and issues related to walking, bicycling,
and driving within Pasco today through an online
survey. Refer to Appendix A for a summary of the
public responses to the survey.
• The second online event (May/June 2021)
collected public feedback on the proposed
projects and programs that the TSMP process
identified to address current and expected future
transportation system issues.
PERFORMANCE-BASED
PLANNING ELEMENTS
The Pasco TSMP differs from prior transportation
planning processes in that this update applied
a performance-based approach. As described
below, that begins with the community’s vision
for its transportation system, which is distilled
into measurable goals and supporting policies.
These goals and policies are then used to develop
performance measures that are used to identify
gaps and challenges in the system today, to
evaluate potential projects, and to measure
long-term alignment between Pasco’s
transportation system and the community’s
vision of this system. The plan process is illustrated
in Figure 2, along with the key questions that are
considered at each stage of the planning work.
The advantage of a performance-based planning
process is that it demonstrates how strategic
investments directly benefit and address
essential community goals regarding multimodal
transportation services for all of the community’s
residents, workers, and visitors.
The Planning Process
FIGURE 2. PERFORMANCE-BASED PLANNING PROCESS
VISION, GOALS, OBJECTIVES, & PERFORMANCE
MEASURES
TRENDS, TARGETS, & PRIORITIES
INVESTMENT PLANS, SYSTEM DESIGN, & STANDARDS
What do we value most in our community?
How do those values apply to our travel system?
How do we measure success?
What challenges do we
face today?
How will growth impact those challenges?
What are our strategies to improve our system consistent with our
community values?
What public investments
are our top priority?
What guidance is needed for private investments?
How will we evaluate and monitor progress?Page 222 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 6INTRODUCTION
VISION:
The City of Pasco’s future transportation system is a safe and balanced
multimodal transportation system which equitably serves pedestrians,
bicyclists, transit, freight, and drivers. Pasco’s residents should have
access to livable neighborhoods through established planning practices
which prioritize system connectivity and multimodal street design,
including a network of parks, trails, and bikeways which connect all
residents to the Columbia River. Pasco’s transportation system also
supports regional economic activities, including access to Pasco’s
freight facilities for regional agriculture and other industries, and
supports regional, multimodal transportation connections in Pasco.
The first stage of the planning process involves defining the City’s vision for their transportation system and developing goals and policies to guide it.
Pasco’s comprehensive plan defines a vision for Pasco in 2038 which includes their idealized future transportation system; this concept was used to develop
the following vision statement to guide the TSMP.
Pasco’s Transportation Vision
Page 223 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 7INTRODUCTION
TR-1: COORDINATE WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS
ON SHARED TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS
TR-1-A: Participate in the metropolitan and
regional transportation planning efforts of the
Benton-Franklin Council of Governments.
TR-1-B: Work with other jurisdictions to plan,
fund, and implement multi-jurisdictional projects
necessary to meet shared transportation needs
including right-of-way acquisition.
TR-1-C: Collaborate with Ben Franklin Transit
in programming transit routes, transit stops, and
supporting facilities that increase user accessibility
during the development process.
TR-1-D: Require transportation and land use
planning efforts and policies that meet the needs
of the community and the objectives of this plan.
TR-2: PROVIDE SAFE ACCESS TO
TRANSPORTATION FOR ALL SYSTEM USERS
TR-2-A: Minimize traffic conflicts on the arterial
street system by implementing access and corridor
management best practices.
TR-2-B: Maintain a current local road safety plan
to identify and prioritize safety investments.
TR-2-C: Reduce frequency of fatal and severe
injury crashes particularly for vulnerable road users.
TR-2-D: Establish a vision zero plan for
transportation safety.
TR-3: PRESERVE EXISTING ROADS, SIDEWALKS,
TRAILS, AND TRANSIT FACILITIES
TR-3-A: Ensure adequate maintenance of the
existing facilities.
TR-3-B: Encourage retrofit projects that include
beautification on major arterial streets.
Transportation Goals and Policies
The following goals and policies were identified for Pasco’s TSMP based on the existing transportation goals for Pasco’s comprehensive plan and relevant
state and regional plan goals.
GOAL #1 GOAL #2 GOAL #3
Page 224 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 8INTRODUCTION
TR-4: PRIORITIZE A CONNECTED AND EFFICIENT
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR DRIVERS
TR-4-A: Adopt and maintain a functional street
classification system consistent with regional
and state guidance.
TR-4-B: Maintain level-of-service (LOS) “D” on
all arterials and collectors and level-of-service
(LOS) “C” during the PM peak-hour.
TR-4-C: Provide increased neighborhood travel
connections to enhance public safety and provide
for transportation disbursement.
TR-4-D: Evaluate, plan, and install traffic control
devices and intersection designs to improve travel
safety and efficiency.
TR-5: DEVELOP A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
THAT SUPPORTS AND ACCOMMODATES THE
NEEDS OF BUSINESSES AND VISITORS
TR-5-A: Promote the safe and efficient
movement of freight through the city.
TR-5-B: Support the development of
facilities that are critical components of
the movement of freight.
TR-5-C: Maintain the multimodal
passenger terminal.
TR-5-D: Support rail services for passengers,
industries, and commerce within the area.
TR-5-E: Support air services for passengers,
industries, and commerce within the area in
coordination with the Pasco Airport Master Plan.
TR-6: SUPPORT HEALTHY AND LIVABLE
NEIGHBORHOODS IN PASCO
TR-6-A: Develop an interconnected network
of streets, trails, and other public ways during
the development process to ensure and improve
neighborhood accessibility.
TR-6-B: Encourage multimodal street design
with traffic calming and safety in consideration
of surrounding land uses.
TR-6-C: Require developments to meet the
mission of the Pasco Complete Street Ordinance.
TR-6-D: Incorporate aesthetic design and
streetscape into all major arterial and collector
streets as they are constructed.
GOAL #4 GOAL #5 GOAL #6
Page 225 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 9INTRODUCTION9
TR-7: DEVELOP A COMPLETE MULTIMODAL
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
TR-7-A: Collaborate with Ben Franklin Transit
in programming transit routes, transit stops, and
supporting facilities that increase user accessibility
during the development process.
TR-7-B: Encourage the use of public
transportation including ride-sharing and
Ben Franklin Transit’s Van-Pool program.
TR-7-C: Encourage park-and-ride lots for bicycles
and/or automobiles.
TR-7-D: Encourage bicycle and pedestrian travel
by providing safe and purposeful bicycle and
pedestrian routes.
TR-7-E: Reduce major existing system
connectivity gaps for bicyclists and pedestrians
to improve multimodal access.
TR-7-F: Develop new transportation performance
measures for a multimodal system that could
include measures like freight delay.
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN
GOAL #7
Page 226 of 480
Pasco Today
and Tomorrow
CHAPTER 2
10
Pasco attracts visitors from the entire
Columbia Basin, Yakima Valley, Walla Walla
and Northeastern Oregon region. It is home to
the regional Tri-Cities Airport, Columbia Basin
College, expanding regional sports facilities,
and our rapidly changing Downtown.
One feature that makes Pasco unique compared
to its neighboring cities is its dependence on the
four bridges over the Columbia and Snake Rivers
for inter-city and regional travel (see Figure 3).
PASCO IS A RAPIDLY GROWING COMMUNITY
IN THE TRI-CITIES REGION. THE RAPID
GROWTH IS MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT
FOR RESIDENTS TO GET AROUND PASCO
AND REQUIRES NEW SOLUTIONS TO MANAGE
THE FUTURE GROWTH.Page 227 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 11PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
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PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO URBAN GROWTH AREA UGA
ACTIVITY CENTERS
EXISTING BARRIERS
AGRICULTURE AREAS
TRICITIESAIRPORT
KENNEWICK
DOWNTOWNPASCO
COLUMBIABASIN COLLEGE
HAPO CENTER &PASCO SPORTING COMPLEX
RICHLAND
HANFORD SITE GLADE RDFIGURE 3. TRI-CITIES REGIONAL CONTEXTPage 228 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 12PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
Pasco has experienced a population boom over the last 20 years during which time the population
more than doubled, outpacing the rate of growth in neighboring Kennewick and Richland, and in
Washington State overall. In recent years, development has been attracted to the lands north of Interstate
182 and west of Road 68, which offered significant vacant lands for development and convenient
commuting access to regional work centers, such as the Hanford Site. Since 2010, Pasco’s population
has increased by 25 percent (3.1 percent annually), from 60,000 residents to 75,000 residents in 2018
while its Tri-Cities neighbors have grown by 15 percent, as illustrated in Figure 4. By way of comparison.
Washington State’s population grew by 12 percent during the same period.
About half of the city’s residents use the
three Columbia River bridges to commute to
work, travel to shopping centers, and reach
other regional destinations south or west of
the river. This is a major constraint
for vehicle traffic among the cities. Providing
safe, convenient, and reliable travel
across these bridges will be an important
consideration in developing the
Transportation System Master Plan
for the City of Pasco.
Growth in Pasco has been rapid over the
past 20 years, which has also increased the
demand for travel across the river bridges,
seen in Figure 5. The bridges with the
highest traffic volumes are on Interstate 182
and US 395. They each carry about two to
three times the number of cars and trucks
as the other two river bridges entering
Pasco, which are SR 397 and US 12. As the
existing highway facilities become more
congested during peak hours of the day,
it extends travel times for commuters,
freight traffic, and other trips made on
these regional highway corridors.
Historic Growth
FIGURE 4. HISTORICAL POPULATION GROWTH TRENDS IN TRI-CITIES
90,000
KENNEWICK
RICHLAND
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
2000 202020152010
YEARTOTAL POPULATION2005
PASCO
POPULATION: 75,000Page 229 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 13PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
The population growth in the Tri-Cities region and Pasco closely mirrors traffic trends on the I-182 and US
395 Columbia River bridges where volumes increased between 15 and 22 percent (2.5 to 3.7 percent
annually) between 2012 and 2018 (see Figure 5).
FIGURE 5. TRI-CITIES BRIDGE CROSSING TRAFFIC GROWTH TRENDS
BLUE BRIDGE
I182 BRIDGE
70,000
60,000
50,000
2012 2014 2016 2018AVERAGE MONTHLY TRAFFICYEAR
80,000
BRIDGETRAFFICGROWTH:+19%
13PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN
Page 230 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 14PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
Pasco is a majority-minority community with a
large Hispanic and Spanish-speaking population.
Relative to Washington State, Pasco has a higher
proportion of children under age 18 and a lower
median household income; 17 percent of residents
live in poverty. Within Pasco, over 40 percent of
senior citizens are also living with a disability (see
Figure 6). Pasco’s population characteristics indicate
a need for reliable alternative transportation modes
to accommodate groups that cannot drive or those
individuals who cannot afford to drive. This will
be a significant consideration for transportation
choices around community equity.
PASCO HAS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE
OF CHILDREN UNDER 18 34%
THAN THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE 22%
AGE OF PASCO RESIDENTS
UNDER 18
1865 58%
OVER 65 8%
34%
50%
47%
ENGLISH
SPANISH
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
PASCO
WASHINGTON STATE
17%OF PASCO RESIDENTS
ARE BELOW THE
POVERTY LINE
$61,600
$70,100
RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME
3% LATINO/A NONMEXICAN DESCENT
2% ASIANAMERICAN
2% BLACK/AFRICANAMERICAN
2% OTHER RACIAL GROUPS
LATINO/A MEXICAN DESCENT
52%
39% CAUCASIAN
OF RESIDENTS 65 YEARS AND
OLDER HAVE A DISABILITY42%
SENIOR CITIZENS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Demographics
FIGURE 6. PASCO RESIDENTIAL DEMOGRAPHICSPage 231 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 15PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
Based on mobility data1 for the Tri-Cities region,
we found that nearly half (48 percent) of Pasco’s
employed residents travel to job sites outside of
Pasco. Residents that are commuting out of town
use one of the four bridges to travel to jobs in
Kennewick, Richland, or the Hanford Nuclear Site.
As shown in Figure 7, bridge travel patterns
mirror these destinations with the highest share
(26 percent) on the Lee-Volpentest Bridge (I-182)
to access jobs in Richland, Kennewick, or the
Hanford site while 16 percent of commute trips
use the Pioneer Memorial Bridge (US 395). The
other two bridges carry a small share, three
percent each.
1 Employment and school travel patterns analysis conducted using StreetLight data for 2019.
The other half of the employed Pasco residents
work in or near Central and Downtown Pasco,
at commercial establishments along US 395, or
in the industrial areas of eastern Pasco. Local job
destinations are colored to show where the highest
concentrations occur in Figure 7. Other major
activity generators are the higher level schools
including Chiawana High School, Pasco High
School, and the Columbia Basin College.
Employment and School Travel Patterns
The Port of Pasco maintains and operates
several key industrial sites for the Tri-Cities
region, including the Tri-Cities Airport, the Big
Pasco Industrial Center, and a container barge
terminal on the Columbia River. Burlington
Northern-Santa Fe Railroad also maintains
a major switchyard within Pasco. Freight
activity is concentrated within eastern
Pasco along the existing rail alignment,
US 395, and SR 397/Oregon Avenue
adjacent to these major industrial centers.
The composition of vehicle types using city
streets was evaluated in the same StreetLight
Data set to show which areas had the highest
share of trucks. As shown in Figure 8, higher
shares of heavy trucks were found to be
concentrated east of US 395, with the
highest share of truck traffic east of US 12.
Bridge crossings were reviewed as well, and
it was discovered that the percent of heavy
freight over the Columbia and Snake Rivers
ranges from six to 20 percent with the
highest percent share being on the Snake
River Bridge in eastern Pasco, with
20 percent of its 19,000 daily vehicles being
freight trucks. By contrast, the western and
northern sectors of the city had relatively
light truck traffic. The truck volumes north of
I-182 and west of US 395 were much lower,
typically less than five percent of the total
vehicle traffic, while the river bridge shares
were between eight and nine percent.
Freight Transportation
15
Page 232 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 16PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
TRICITIES
AIRPORT
397
240
COURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68GLADE RDRAILROAD AVE4TH AVE
LEWIS ST
10TH AVEOREGON AVEBROADMOOR BLVDBROADMOOR BLVDDENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVD
ROAD 8420TH AVEWERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
O
R
T
H
S
T
C
OMMERCIA
L A
V
E
COLUM
B
I
A
R
I
V
E
R
SNAKE RIVER3%
1 1%11%
182
395
395
12
1%
10%
11%
3%
1%
5%
INDUSTRIALBUSINESSES IN EAST PASCO
HIGH SCHOOL
DOWNTOWNPASCO
COMMERCIALBUSINESSESALONG US 395
26%
16%WA397 BRIDGE:3%
3%
395
HIGH SCHOOL
I182 BRIDGES:
BLUE BRIDGE/US 395:
US 12 BRIDGE:
397
PERCENTAGES
OF WORK
DESTINATIONS
FOR ALL COMMUTE
TRIPS OF PASCO'S
RESIDENTS
LESS THAN 5%
510%
1015%
1520%
MORE THAN 20%
N
TOP EMPLOYMENT
DESTINATIONS
FIGURE 7. EMPLOYMENT TRAVEL PATTERNS TO/FROM PASCO (STREETLIGHT DATA, 2019)Page 233 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 17PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
182
395
395
395
12
397
397
240
COURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68GLADE RDRAILROAD AVE4TH AVE
SYLVESTER ST LEWIS ST
10TH AVEOREGON AVEBROADMOOR BLVDBROADMOOR BLVDDENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420TH AVEWERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
O
R
T
H
S
T
C
OMMERCIA
L A
V
E
COLUM
B
I
A
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I
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E
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SNAKE RIVERTRICITIES
AIRPORT
ESTIMATEDPERCENTAGEOF HEAVYVEHICLES ONROADWAYS 2018
LESS THAN 5%
510%
1015%
1520%
MORE THAN 20%
N
I182 BRIDGES:2018 AVERAGE ANNUAL DAILY TRAFFIC: 69,0008% HEAVY VEHICLES
BLUE BRIDGE/US 395:2018 AVERAGE ANNUAL DAILY TRAFFIC: 67,0009% HEAVY VEHICLES
US 12 BRIDGE:2018 AVERAGE ANNUAL DAILY TRAFFIC: 19,00020% HEAVY VEHICLES
WA397 BRIDGE:2018 AVERAGE ANNUAL DAILY TRAFFIC: 20,5006% HEAVY VEHICLES
FIGURE 8. FREIGHT ACTIVITY CENTERS WITHIN PASCO (STREETLIGHT DATA, 2019)Page 234 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 18PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
The City of Pasco is served by Ben Franklin Transit
(BFT) which operates fixed-route bus service,
dial-a-ride, vanpool, and other demand responsive
services within the Tri-Cities area. These transit
options provide service within Pasco along with
connections to Kennewick, Richland, and other
regional destinations.
FIXED ROUTE SERVICE
BFT operates eight fixed route bus services
within Pasco, including the following:
• Route 1: Pasco / Kennewick / Richland
• Route 3: Pasco / Kennewick
• Route 64: Pasco A Street
• Route 65: Pasco Lewis
• Route 66 & Route 67: Pasco Sylvester
& Pasco Sandifur
• Route 225: Pasco / Richland
• Route 268: Pasco / Richland
See Figure 9 for these route locations and their
existing transit stops.
Weekday service is provided between 6:00 a.m.
and 10:00 p.m. although Route 64 and 268 both
end service at 8:00 p.m. Service is similar for
most routes for Saturday although service does
not start until 7:00 a.m.; Route 268 does not
provide Saturday service. Most routes operate on
30-minute headways for weekday and Saturday
service, but Routes 1 and 3 operate on 15-minute
headways, providing more frequent service to
Kennewick and Richland from Downtown Pasco.
Conversely, Routes 66 and 67 operate on hour
headways, providing less frequent service to
largely residential areas in western Pasco.
Sunday service for Routes 1, 3, 64, and 225
began in August 2021.
BFT operates service for Pasco to and from the
22nd Avenue Transit Center which facilitates
transfers between routes. Riders can park at both
the 22nd Avenue Transit Center and the HAPO
Center. BFT has received two multimodal transit
center grants from WSDOT to further develop
multimodal hubs in Downtown and West Pasco.
The bus stops within Pasco are indicated on
Figure 9. Class 1 is a basic stop, which includes a
sign that specifies the route number serving that
location. Class 2 also has a bench for waiting riders,
and Class 3 is a covered shelter with a bench.
The Class 2 and 3 bus stops often require more
right-of-way space to construct these facilities
consistent with ADA requirements than is provided
in the current street standards. To address this,
this plan update identified a wider sidewalk be
built on collector and arterial roadways. In
addition, the city has an exemption process
to provide needed easements to BFT to
accommodate these higher quality facilities.
According to the BFT Transit Development Plan,
additional bus service is planned to extend
coverage along Road 84 south of Argent Road,
with continued service along the end of Court
Street west of Road 68. The BFT plan also
identified locations on the current service routes
where stop upgrades are anticipated. Notable
proposed changes are upgrades to Class 3
(sheltered) stops along Sandifur Parkway, and
along Road 68 in the commercial area. Refer
to Figure 10 for more information.
DIAL-A-RIDE SERVICE
Ben Franklin Transit operates Dial-A-Ride service
for individuals with a disability between 6:00 a.m.
and 10:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and between
7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. There is
no Sunday service.
VANPOOL
Vanpool services are also available for commuters
traveling to Walla Walla, the Hanford Nuclear Site,
and other major employment destinations.
OTHER TRANSIT SERVICES
BFT also offers CONNECT and general demand
service which allows residents of Pasco to schedule
rides to and from transit stops or other destinations
within specific areas. These services make transit
more accessible for all residents, especially those
who lack convenient access to transit.
Transit Services
Page 235 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 19PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
182
395
12
397
397
240 4TH AVEGLADE RD395
395
COURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST LEWIS STOREGON
AVEBROADMOORBLVDBROADMOOR BLVDDENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420TH AVE
10TH AVE
WERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
O
R
T
H
S
T
C
OMMERCIA
L A
V
E
COLUM
B
I
A
R
I
V
E
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SNAKE RIVERTRICITIES
AIRPORT
N
PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO UGA
EXISTING BUS ROUTE
BUS STOPS:
CLASS 1 BASIC STOP
CLASS 2 BENCH/TRASH CAN
CLASS 3 SHELTER
FIGURE 9. EXISTING BEN FRANKLIN TRANSIT SERVICESPage 236 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 20PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
182
395
12
397
397
240 4TH AVEGLADE RD395
395
COURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST LEWIS STOREGON
AVEBROADMOORBLVDBROADMOOR BLVDDENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420TH AVE
10TH AVE
WERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
O
R
T
H
S
T
C
OMMERCIA
L A
V
E
COLUM
B
I
A
R
I
V
E
R
SNAKE RIVERTRICITIES
AIRPORT
N
PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO UGA
EXISTING BUS ROUTE
BUS STOPS:
PROPOSED BUS ROUTE
CLASS 1 BASIC STOP
CLASS 2 BENCH/TRASH CAN
CLASS 3 SHELTER
FIGURE 10. PLANNED BEN FRANKLIN STOP UPGRADES AND ROUTE EXTENSIONSPage 237 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 21PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
The transportation system performance was
reviewed to understand where the system
experiences high levels of congestion during
weekday peak travel hours, where higher than
expected crash rates occur, and where there
are barriers to safe and convenient travel for
all users. These issues were observed even
with the short-term transportation improvements
that are expected for Pasco. Figure 11 shows
a compilation of our system performance
findings for Pasco. The following sections
highlight a few key findings that will be
considered during the plan development.
For more details on how the performance
assessment was completed and full listing
of the findings, please refer to the Technical
Memorandum #3 in Appendix B.
CONGESTION
Traffic congestion for motor vehicles is
significant today at the two western interchanges
(Broadmoor Boulevard and Road 68) on I-182
during typical weekday commute hours.
The Road 68 interchange was observed to
regularly have excessive vehicle queues
blocking access to adjoining intersections and
driveways. Whenever traffic has significant
delays during peak travel hours, it can impact
the safe and convenient traffic operations
in those areas.
Fourteen intersections also had significant
congestion. A total of 52 locations were monitored
around the city, however, the rest of the locations
all operated with low to moderate delays during the
busiest hours of the day. The list of 14 intersections
with concerns are noted in Figure 10. The Road 68
corridor from Sandifur Parkway, across I-182 and
ending at Court Street has the highest group of
congested locations. Several key locations along
Argent Road, Sylvester Street, and Court Street are
also noted as being congested on a regular basis.
SAFETY
Traffic safety was reviewed by considering how
often crashes occurred at intersections and along
roadways around the city along with the type
and severity of crashes. Locations with the
highest crash rates were flagged and mapped
on Figure 11 (a total of five intersections). A crash
rate calculation considers both the number and
severity of crashes along with the traffic count
at a given location. In this way, intersections
with different traffic counts can be reasonably
compared to each other. We found several
intersections had both high congestion and high
crash rates, which occurred at Road 68 at Burden
Boulevard, Road 68 at Court Street, and 20th
Avenue at Court Street. In addition, four corridors
were flagged that had a significantly higher rate
of crashes, especially between intersections. Those
included Burden Boulevard, Court Street, Sylvester
Street, and Lewis Street. These corridors had a total
of 33 crashes involving pedestrians and bicycle
riders. Each of these streets are arterial roadways
that carry higher traffic volumes at increased speeds.
Field observations showed that portions of these
high crash corridors had frequent driveways and
side streets which adds opportunities for conflicts.
In addition, the city prepared a Local Road Safety
Plan in February, 2020, that confirmed these
findings, and recommended safety projects at
North Road 28 and West Sylvester Street; South
10th Avenue and West Lewis Street; and a road
diet project on West Sylvester Street. All of these
projects are included in this TSMP.
Transportation System Challenges
INTERSECTIONS WITH BOTH HIGH
CONGESTION AND HIGH CRASH RATES:
• ROAD 68 AT BURDEN BOULEVARD
• ROAD 68 AT COURT STREET
• 20TH AVENUE AT COURT STREETPage 238 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 22PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
182
395
395
12
397
397
240
COURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST LEWIS ST
10TH AVEOREGON
AVE
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420TH AVEWERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
O
R
T
H
S
T
C
OMMERCIA
L A
V
EBROADMOOR BLVDDENT RD
COLUM
B
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SNAKE RIVERTRICITIES
AIRPORT
INTERCHANGECONGESTION
INTERSECTION WITH CONCERNS
PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO UGA
INTERSECTIONWITH CONCERNS
CONGESTION CONCERN
HIGH ACCESS DENSITY WITHOUT CENTER LANES
N
HIGH COLLISION ROADWAY
CONNECTIVITY ISSUESFOR ALL TRAVEL MODES
BIKE/PED CONNECTIVITY ISSUES
ROADWAY CONNECTIVITY ISSUES
OTHER IDENTIFIED OPERATIONAL NEEDS
SAFETY CONCERN RAILROAD
1 ROAD 68 & SANDIFUR PKY
2 ROAD 68 & BURDEN BLVD
3 ROAD 68 & I182 WB ON/OFF RAMPS
4 ROAD 68 & COURT ST
5 MADISON AVE & BURDEN BLVD
6 ROAD 44 & ARGENT RD
7 ROAD 36 & ARGENT RD
8 SYLVESTER ST & US 395 NB OFF RAMP
9 SYLVESTER ST & ROAD 28
10 20TH AVE & COURT ST
11 4TH AVE & US 395 WB ON/OFF RAMPS
12 FOSTER WELLS RD/US 395
13 RAINIER AVE & US 395 SB ON/OFF RAMPS & KARTCHNER ST
14 A ST & US 124TH AVEGLADE RD12
13
11
10
8 9
4
6
5
1
2
3
7
14
#
395
KARTCHNER ROADBROADMOORBLVD
FIGURE 11. PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CHALLENGES – TODAYPage 239 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 23PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
CONNECTIVITY
Connectivity describes how efficiently, directly,
and conveniently a system is designed to serve
its intended users. A well-connected multimodal
system promotes resiliency, reduces congestion,
and enhances equity for local travelers, whether
they are driving, accessing transit, bicycling, or
walking. For example, a well-connected roadway
network provides more routes for drivers to travel
between a trip’s start and end points which can
reduce congestion. Improving system connectivity
for drivers can spread traffic more evenly across
the existing roadway network, mitigate congestion
due to system disruptions, and reduce the overall
distance traveled by drivers. Pedestrians,
bicyclists, and transit riders also benefit from a
well-connected transportation system. Providing
local circulation options for short trips also helps
freight traffic that otherwise must compete with
autos that are forced onto the arterial roadways,
such as Road 68 and Broadmoor Boulevard.
Long block lengths and out-of-direction travel can
dissuade potential multimodal system users and
incur significant costs in both time and safety
for existing users who depend on these systems.
A technical review of Pasco’s existing transportation
system highlighted many arterial or collector
corridors and areas without access for pedestrians,
vehicles, transit riders, and bicyclists. In addition,
public feedback identified dozens of locations
where residents felt unsafe or unable to
conveniently reach their intended destination.
A few specific examples where connectivity
challenges were flagged include the following:
• The I-182 freeway corridor divides Pasco in
half and provides very limited opportunities
to cross over the freeway. Local freeway
interchanges have inadequate facilities for
walking and biking, which compound the
barriers for non-motorized travel. Further,
the long spacing between these interchanges
exacerbates the barrier for walking and bicycling
travel between either sides of the highway.
• The Pasco Airport, and the Pasco rail yards
represent major barriers to intra-city travel.
• In portions of unincorporated Franklin County
within Pasco (for example, south of I-182),
historical rural development has created a
roadway network with limited east-west street
connections and limited north-south street
connections across the Franklin County
Irrigation Canal.
• Newer residential developments adjacent
to Burden Boulevard and Sandifur Parkway
have limited connections to adjoining services
and neighborhoods.
It is acknowledged that the city does have two
extensive east-west trail corridors to serve walking
and bicycling. These include the trail immediately
north of I-182 between Broadmoor Boulevard and
Argent Road. This provides connections to
adjoining neighborhoods and to Road 58. Another
regional trail borders the Columbia River between
Sacajewea State Park and Road 100 with
intermittent connections to city streets.
Photo Credit: Jacob GonzalezPhoto Credit: City of PascoPage 240 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 24PASCO TODAY AND TOMORROW
In many areas of the city, the transportation
system does not support travel for Pasco residents
without a car. Notable corridors that require
attention are portions of Burns Road, Sandifur
Parkway, Burden Boulevard, Court Street and
Sylvester Street. For automobile drivers, long
block lengths and limited access options increase
out-of-direction travel and concentrate higher
traffic volumes at the entry points to the
neighborhoods. The residents that live adjacent
to these entry/exit points experience significantly
higher traffic volumes than others in the same
neighborhood. These same features also
significantly increase the distance that must be
traveled by pedestrians or bicyclists to access
transit or other destinations, making it more
difficult to walk or bike in Pasco.
The current transit service routes generally are
within one-quarter to one-half mile as the crow flies,
to many of the key destinations and neighborhoods
within the existing city limits, as shown in Figure 8,
but limited street connectivity in certain areas puts
these stops beyond a reasonable walking distance
for many residents. Today, the exceptions are in the
industrial areas east of US 12, and the edges of
the urban area, particularly in the southern portions
of Broadmoor Boulevard and westerly end of
Argent Road. As noted previously, BFT is planning
to extend bus route services along Road 84 south
of Argent Road connecting to Court Street.
In general, as new development occurs, there is
an opportunity for the city and its regional partners
to provide better quality and more consistent
connection options as part of the new neighborhood
designs. This will enable city residents, employees,
and visitors to have safer and more convenient
access to transit services and general walking and
biking trips. The primary growth area is north of
I-182 in the greater Broadmoor Boulevard Area.
As new streets and neighborhoods are developed,
providing direct, safe, and convenient walking and
bicycling access to existing and planned transit
routes will be critical to maintaining a safe and
reliable transportation options for our residents. Page 241 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 25IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
The Benton-Franklin Council of Governments
(BFCG) travel demand model was applied
to forecast 2040 travel demand within the City
of Pasco, and the resulting traffic volumes were
evaluated at study intersections by the project team
to flag major degradations or changes in traffic
operations compared to present day conditions.
Forecasts were developed from the Base Year
(2015) and Future No-Build (2040) BFCG regional
travel demand model, following the process
described in the Traffic Analysis and Forecasting
Methodology memo.2 Key assumptions are
highlighted in the following sections along with
performance results.
The travel demand forecasting is directly influenced
by expected land use growth throughout the
Tri-Cities region. For this Transportation System
Master Plan, the BFCG model was updated to a
2040 horizon year, by refining the previous 2017–
2037 Pasco Comprehensive Plan Update land use
to reflect the Broadmoor Master Plan and Urban
Growth Area (UGA) expansion that was identified
2 DKS Associates. Traffic Analysis & Forecasting Methodology memo. July, 2020
3 Benton-Franklin Council of Governments. Transition 2040, Appendix F. 2018.
during the Comprehensive Plan Update. The
updated 2040 land use significantly changed
both the geographic distribution of growth and
population and employment projections for the
City of Pasco and its UGA. The land use totals are
summarized in Table 1.
The 2040 land use assumptions are the catalyst for
the forecasted growth and changes of traffic
patterns within the City of Pasco. Significant shifts
are expected north of I-182 as higher office, retail,
and mixed-use growth in the Broadmoor area
reduced the number of residents traveling out of
Pasco for jobs, goods, and services. Reduced
regional travel was also shown to reduce peak
demands at interchanges with I-182, compared to
historical growth patterns in Pasco where a high
share of local residents left
the city for employment and shopping purposes.
Overall, households are predicted to grow by 81
percent from 2015 (the BFCG model base year) to
2040, while employment is predicted to grow by
about 73 percent during the same period.
EXPECTED TRANSPORTATION
IMPROVEMENTS
It was assumed that near-term transportation
improvements that are reasonably likely to be
funded and constructed by the cities of Pasco,
Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, and
WSDOT will be operational by 2040. These new
improvements projects within Pasco include the
following. As noted, several of these projects have
been recently completed, while others are actively
in development or preparing for construction:
• Argent Road Improvements (Road 40 to
20th Avenue) - under construction
• Wrigley Drive Extension (Convention Drive
to Clemente Lane) - completed
• Chapel Hill Boulevard Extension (Road 84
to Road 68) - completed
• Sandifur Parkway Improvements (Road 68
to Convention Drive)
• Road 68 Widening (I-182 to Argent Road) –
in progress
• Burns Road Improvements/Extension
(Road 52 to Pasco City Limits)
• Lewis Street Downtown Overpass – in progress
Other projects included in the 2040 BFCG model
outside of Pasco are summarized in Transition
2040, the Tri-Cities Metropolitan Area Regional
Transportation Plan.3
Forecasted Growth In Pasco
TABLE 1. PASCO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN URBAN GROWTH AREA
LAND USE TOTAL 2015 2040 PERCENT GROWTH
HOUSEHOLDS 22,500 39,645 81%
POPULATION 70,855 120,275 71%
EMPLOYMENT 19,765 33,895 73%Page 242 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 26IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
The system performance with growth in 2040
was re-evaluated to determine if traffic congestion
would reach unacceptable levels with the
added traffic volumes. We found that sixteen
intersections would drop below the agency’s
target, which is LOS D. This corresponds to
significant delay for the average vehicle using that
location during commute hours. The locations that
are expected to have major congestion issues are
mapped in Figure 12 and listed in Table 2. These
locations and the roadways serving them were
further reviewed to help gauge the scale and
nature of system improvements that would
adequately serve the higher travel demands, and
recommendations are made in the following section.
The traffic operations results showed increased
congestion and below standard operating
conditions throughout much of the City of Pasco
west of US 395 (south), and in and around the
industrial employment growth expected to occur
along US 395 (north) and US 12. The Broadmoor
Boulevard and I-182 interchange ramp terminal
intersection failures were particularly concerning,
as ramp queues could lead to safety and operations
issues on I-182. The operations issues at the US 12
and A Street intersection, the US 395 and
Kartchner Street interchange, and the 4th Avenue
and I-182 interchange are of particular concern for
freight movement, as these are all key gateways
into the City of Pasco’s industrial growth centers.
System Conditions After Growth
TABLE 2. INTERSECTIONS WITH MAJOR CONGESTION BY 2040 (OPERATING AT LOS E OR F)
#STUDY INTERSECTION
AM PEAK HOUR
LEVEL OF SERVICE
PM PEAK HOUR
LEVEL OF SERVICE
EXISTING FUTURE
NO-BUILD EXISTING FUTURE
NO-BUILD
1 BROADMOOR BOULEVARD & I 182 WB ON RAMP/I 182 WB ON/OFF RAMP B B A E
2 BROADMOOR BOULEVARD & I 182 EB OFF RAMP/I 182 EB ON RAMP B C B F
8 SYLVESTER ST & US 395 NB OFF RAMP A/C A/C A/E A/F
11 4TH AVE & US 395 WB ON/OFF RAMP A B D E
13 US 395 & FOSTER WELLS RD A/F C/F B/F C/F
14 RAINIER AVE/US 395 SB ON/OFF RAMP & KARTCHNER ST A/C A/D B/F B/F
15 COMMERCIAL AVE/US 395 NB ON/OFF RAMP & KARTCHNER ST A/D A/E A/D A/F
18 HWY 12 & E A ST A/C A/E A/C A/F
19 ROAD 68 & BURDEN BLVD E E E E
20 BROADMOOR BOULEVARD & DENT RD/EDELMAN RD A/C A/F
27 ROAD 68 & SANDIFUR PKWY C E
30 ROAD 68 & COURT ST A/D A/F
31 ROAD 60 & COURT ST A/C A/F
32 MADISON AVE & BURDEN BLVD A/F A/F
33 ARGENT RD & RD 44 A/F B/F
52 CEDAR AVE & LEWIS ST A/C A/E
Red text indicates where conditions will exceed accepted LOS limits.
LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS) For motor vehicles, the LOS is an indicator of how much extra time it
takes to travel through an intersection during busy travel hours. The LOS scale ranges from little or no delay
(LOS A) to extreme delay (LOS F). Pasco’s target is LOS D, which is moderate delay. During off-peak hours,
delay conditions improve significantly. See Appendix C for more information. Page 243 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 27IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
182
395
12
397
397
240
COURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST
10TH AVEOREGON
AVE
LEWIS ST
CEDARAVEBROADMOORBLVDBROADMOORBLVDDENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
CLARK RD
FOSTER WELLS RD
ROAD 44A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420TH AVEWERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
O
R
T
H
S
T
C
OMMERCIA
L A
V
E
COLUM
B
I
A
R
I
V
E
R
SNAKE RIVERTRICITIES
AIRPORT
N
PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO UGA
#
STUDY INTERSECTIONS THAT DO NOT MEET MOBILITY TARGETS:
BOTH AM & PM PEAK
Refer back to Table 2 for full descriptions of intersection names.
PM PEAK ONLY
#4TH AVEGLADE RD395
395
13
18
19
1
2
8
11
14 15
20
27
30 31
32
33
52
FIGURE 12. INTERSECTIONS WITH MAJOR CONGESTION BY 2040Page 244 of 480
Recommended
Transportation
System
Improvements
CHAPTER 3
28
Not all recommended improvements are required
to be in place prior to developing land within the
UGA. The need to upgrade the existing streets
or construct new ones will be driven by the
multimodal access needs of the adjacent
properties. The project design elements depicted
are identified for the purpose of creating a
reasonable cost estimate for planning purposes.
The actual design elements for any project
are subject to change and will ultimately be
determined through a project scoping process.
THE RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS TO
PASCO’S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WILL
IDENTIFY UPGRADES TO EXISTING STREETS
AND INTERSECTIONS, AS WELL AS THE
CONSTRUCTION OF NEW ROADWAYS,
TO SUPPORT THE MULTIMODAL NEEDS
OF THE COMMUNITY.
Photo Credit: City of PascoPage 245 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 29
The first major category of system improvements
to the motor vehicle system is for at-grade
intersection traffic control upgrades and
channelization improvements, or for
major freeway interchange upgrades and
re-configuration projects. As shown in Table 3,
many projects are identified to upgrade existing
intersections traffic controls to better serve
higher traffic volumes with planned growth.
This typically includes installing traffic signals
or roundabouts to make those locations more
efficient and safer under higher usage levels.
One of the more complex intersection solutions
is on Broadmoor Boulevard at Sandifur Parkway
(INT42); this includes extensive additions of
dedicated right- and left-turning lanes and
upgrades to the existing traffic signal equipment
to serve these wider street approaches. The cost
estimate for these improvements is $3.6 million.
In addition, there are several freeway interchanges
on I-182 that require improvement to the existing off
and on ramps serving the local city streets, or they
require a major upgrade of the interchange itself
to better service long-range multimodal travel
demands (INT1, INT24, INT25, INT30). The
Broadmoor Boulevard interchange (INT25)
improvement project would add a loop off-ramp
for eastbound freeway travel bound for northbound
Broadmoor Boulevard. This will significantly reduce
demands on the existing eastbound off-ramp, which
queues heavily during peak periods. As noted
previously, the existing freeway overcrossings
of I-182 have very limited walking and bicycling
facilities, and any upgrade to those interchanges
would provide improved accommodations for
all modes of travel consistent with City of Pasco
and WSDOT design standards.
The recommended improvements are listed
by category in Figure 13 (Motor Vehicle
System Improvements) and Figure 14
(Bicycle/Pedestrian Projects), with the
project IDs corresponding with those in
Table 3 through Table 7. Note that the
project IDs were created in numerical order,
and do not correspond with priority. While
the estimated project costs are shown, the
responsibility will be shared by the city,
Franklin County, WSDOT, and private
development, with the cost shares to be
determined as applicable.
Motor Vehicle System Improvements
TO BETTER SERVE THE HIGHER TRAFFIC
VOLUMES EXPECTED WITH COMMUNITY
GROWTH, MANY MOTOR VEHICLE
SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE
UPGRADING EXISTING INTERSECTION
TRAFFIC CONTROLS.Photo Credit: Tri-City HeraldPage 246 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 30RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
182
395
395
12
397
397
240
COURT ST
ARGENT RD RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST LEWIS STOREGON
AVE
10TH AVE
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420TH AVEWERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
O
R
T
H
S
T
C
OMMERCIA
L A
V
E
COLUM
B
I
A
R
I
V
E
R
SNAKE RIVERTRICITIES
AIRPORT
N
RAILROAD
PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO UGA
ROAD WIDENING TRANSIT CENTER
TRAFFIC STUDY
ROAD EXTENSION/NEW ROAD
BRIDGE IMPROVEMENTS
NEW BRIDGE
INTERSECTIONIMPROVEMENTS#
EXP#TR#
TS#
EXT#
EXT#
EXT#4TH AVEGLADE RDTS2
TS1
EXT1
EXT12
EXP1EXP14
EXP2EXP1
5EXP13
EXT13 EXT2EXT3
EXP4EXP3
EXP6EXT8 EXT5 EXT6 EXT7 EXP9
EXT16EXT9EXT5
EXP9
EXT10EXP9EXT15
EXT14
TR1
EXT11EXT4EXP7EXP10TS3EXP8EXP6EXP5EXP1132
33
34
4 14 16
17 19 23 6
9
30
46 47
15
8107
2
3
45
124443
25
42
11
49
241
48
DENT RD
ROAD 68
KARTCHNERROAD
BROADMOORBLVD
BROADMOORBLVD
FIGURE 13. MOTOR VEHICLE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTSPage 247 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 31RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
TABLE 3. INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS (INT)
ID NAME DESCRIPTION COST
INT1 Road 68/I-182 WB Ramp Terminal Improvements Expand capacity of westbound ramp terminal $1,915,000
INT2 Sandifur Parkway/Convention Drive Improvements Install a traffic signal; restripe Convention Drive to include northbound and
southbound left turn pockets $1,045,000
INT3 Road 68/Burden Boulevard Intersection Improvements Channelization improvements to reduce queueing on westbound approach
and access to I-182 $260,000
INT4 Court Street/Road 68 Intersection Improvements Construct a roundabout or traffic signal to improve safety, intersection control,
and capacity $2,000,000
INT6 Lewis St/Heritage Ave Intersection Improvements Install traffic signal $480,000
INT7 Burden Blvd/Road 60 Intersection Improvements Install traffic signal $480,000
INT8 Road 44/Burden Blvd Intersection Improvements Install traffic signal $480,000
INT9 Heritage Ave/A St Intersection Improvements Install traffic signal $795,000
INT10 Madison Ave/Burden Blvd Intersection Improvements Install traffic signal $480,000
INT11 Dent Rd/Road 68/Columbia River Rd/Taylor Flats Rd/
Clark Rd Intersection Improvements
Realign Columbia River Road south to Dent Road and close existing
connection to Road 68; construct a 1-lane roundabout at Columbia River Road/
Dent Road; construct a 2-lane four leg roundabout at Dent Road/Clark Road/
Road 68/Taylor Flats Road with eastbound and northbound right turn slip
lanes; widen Taylor Flats Road to 4 lanes immediately north of roundabout
$4,865,000
INT12 Sandifur Pkwy/Road 76 Intersection Improvements Install a traffic signal; remove existing channelized northbound right turn lane
and convert to shared northbound through/right turn lane $480,000
INT14 Court St/Road 60 Intersection Improvements Construct a traffic signal $480,000
INT15 Argent Rd/Road 52 Intersection Improvements Construct turn pockets or traffic signal $350,000
INT16 Court St/Road 52 Intersection Improvements Construct turn pockets (included as part of road diet project)$350,000
INT17 Sylvester St/Road 28 Intersection Improvements Redesign traffic signal and install a northbound left turn lane $700,000
INT19 10th Ave/Sylvester St Intersection Improvements [ from Comp Plan – no description available]$50,000
INT23 Cedar Ave/Lewis St Intersection Improvements Construct a traffic signal and restripe Lewis Street to three lanes $350,000Page 248 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 32RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
ID NAME DESCRIPTION COST
INT24 I-182/Road 68 Interchange Improvements Interchange reconstruction, improve on and off capacity for EB and WB traffic,
widen bridge structure $15,850,000
INT25 I-182/Broadmoor Blvd Interchange Improvements
Construct a 1-lane loop ramp from eastbound I-182 to northbound Broadmoor
Boulevard within existing right of way; widen westbound approaches at I-182
westbound and eastbound ramp terminals to include dual right turn lanes
$3,300,000
INT30 4th Ave/I-182 WB ramps Construct a southbound right turn lane at intersection $220,000
INT32 Court St/Harris Rd Install a traffic signal $480,000
INT33 Court St/Road 108 Restripe southbound approach to create a southbound left turn lane $35,000
INT34 Court St/Broadmoor Boulevard Install a traffic signal $480,000
INT42 Broadmoor Boulevard/Sandifur Parkway
Intersection Improvements
Widen approaches as needed to construct new dual northbound left turn
lanes, a westbound through lane, a channelized southbound right turn lane,
and dual eastbound right turn lanes; widen to add an additional southbound
receiving lane on Broadmoor Boulevard between Sandifur Parkway and the
old Harris Road intersection
$3,600,000
INT43 Sandifur Parkway/Road 90 Intersection Improvements Install a traffic signal $795,000
INT44 Sandifur Parkway/Road 84 Intersection Improvements Install a traffic signal $480,000
INT45 Wrigley Drive/Road 76 Intersection Improvements Install a traffic signal $480,000
INT46 Rainier Ave/US 395 SB On/Off Ramp & Kartchner St Install a traffic signal $480,000
INT47 Commercial Ave/US 395 NB On/Off Ramp
& Kartchner St Install a traffic signal $480,000
INT48 Sylvester St & US 395 NB Off Ramp Install a traffic signal $480,000
INT49 Lewis St/10th Avenue Intersection Improvements Install an active signal ahead warning sign $45,000Page 249 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 33RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
The next major category of motor vehicle system
improvements is roadway extensions, which are
newly constructed as development occurs, and
overpasses. These projects are generally much
larger investments than intersection upgrades
because they are building the essential roadway
network in the growth areas and addressing system
limitations at key bottlenecks around the city.
The first two projects would construct new street
overpasses at Lewis Street (EXT1) in downtown,
and at Road 76 (EXT2) just west of the Road 68
interchange with I-182. The Lewis Street Overpass
replaces the existing railroad underpass facility
and began construction in 2021. The Road 76
Overpass project supplements the carrying
capacity of the Road 68 overpass to allow local
trips to cross the freeway without passing through
the ramp intersections and provides quality
walking and bicycling options that are not
available at Road 68. The other EXT projects
are new streets that extend the existing major
roadway system to service growth areas.
TABLE 4. NEW ROADWAY EXTENSIONS (EXT)
ID NAME EXTENTS DESCRIPTION COST
EXT1 Lewis Street Overpass 2nd Avenue to Oregon
Avenue
Construct a new railroad overpass between 2nd Avenue and Oregon Avenue
to replace existing deteriorating underpass (Built)$32,016,000
EXT2 Road 76 Overpass Chapel Hill Boulevard
to Burden Boulevard
Construct a new 2-lane overpass and roadway to extend Road 76 over
I-182 with bicycle and pedestrian facilities; install traffic signal at Road 76/
Burden Boulevard, restripe southbound approach to include a separate left
turn pocket, and construct a northbound right turn lane; complete existing
roundabout at Road 76/Chapel Hill Boulevard
$30,000,000
EXT3 Wrigley Drive Extension Clemente Lane to
Convention Drive Extend Wrigley Drive from Clemente Lane to Convention Drive (Built)$960,000
EXT4 Crescent Road Chapel Hill Boulevard
to Road 108
Construct a new 3-lane road in the existing Crescent Road ROW to connect
Road 108 and Chapel Hill Boulevard $3,085,000
EXT5 Future East-West
Connection (Deseret Drive)Dent Road to Road 52
Construct a 3-lane roadway and upgrade existing segments of Deseret Drive;
construct two-way stop control intersection at Deseret Drive/Dent Road,
Deseret Drive/Future North-South Connection (Halfway between Broadmoor
Boulevard and Dent Road), Deseret Drive/Convention Drive, and Deseret
Drive/Road 60; install new signals at Broadmoor Boulevard/Deseret Drive and
Road 68/Deseret Drive; construct new 1-lane roundabout at Deseret Drive/
Road 90 and Deseret Drive/Road 84
$63,640,000
EXT6 Road 52 Extension Burns Road through
to UGA Construct a 3-lane roadway $24,885,000Page 250 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 34RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
ID NAME EXTENTS DESCRIPTION COST
EXT7 Road 60 Extension Burns Road through
to UGA
Construct a 3-lane roadway; install two-way stop control
at Clark Road/Road 60 $24,270,000
EXT8 Convention Drive
Extension
Burns Road through
to UGA
Construct a 3-lane roadway; install two-way stop control at Clark Road/
Convention Drive; restripe northbound approach at Burns Road/Convention
Drive to include a dedicated left turn lane
$24,330,000
EXT9 Road 90 Extension Burns Road through
to UGA
Construct a 3-lane roadway; install a traffic signal at Road 90/Burns Road;
construct a 1-lane roundabout at Road 90/Dent Road $26,795,000
EXT10
Future North-South
Connection (Halfway
between Broadmoor
Boulevard and Dent Road)
Harris Road to Dent Road
Construct a 3-lane roadway; install two-way stop control at Future North-South
Connection/Harris Road and Future North-South Connection/Dent Road;
install a traffic signal at Future North-South Connection/Burns Road
$28,105,000
EXT11 Dent Road Extension Burns Road to Harris Road Construct a 3-lane roadway; install a traffic signal at Dent Road/Burns Road $14,505,000
EXT12 Hillsboro Rd Extension King Avenue to UGA New road from east of King Ave to UGA $34,940,000
EXT13 Wernett Rd Extension Road 76 to Road 84 New road from Rd 76 to Road 84 $6,075,000
EXT14 Sandifur Parkway
Extension - Phase 1
Broadmoor Boulevard
to Future North-South
Connection (Between
Broadmoor Boulevard
and Dent Road)
Construct a 5-lane roadway; realign Harris Road to Sandifur Parkway Extension
as 2-lane road and close the existing Harris Road/Broadmoor Boulevard
intersection; construct a 2-lane roundabout at Sandifur Parkway Extension/
Harris Road and a 1-lane roundabout at Sandifur Parkway/Future North-South
Connection (Between Broadmoor Boulevard and Dent Road) with a westbound
right turn slip lane
$12,140,000
EXT15 Sandifur Parkway
Extension - Phase 2
Future North-South
Connection (Between
Broadmoor Boulevard and
Dent Road) and Shoreline
Construct a 3-lane roadway; construct a 1-lane roundabout at Sandifur Parkway/
Dent Road; install two-way stop control at Sandifur Parkway/Shoreline $23,740,000
EXT16 Road 84 Extension Burns Road to UGA Construct a 3-lane roadway; install a traffic signal at Road 84/Burns Road;
construct a 1-lane roundabout at Road 84/Dent Road $25,585,000Page 251 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 35RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
A series of focused traffic studies (TS1, TS2, and
TS3) was also identified to develop conceptual
plans for solutions at major intersections and
freeway interchanges to better understand
trade-offs and cost efficiencies. In addition,
two safety studies (TS4 and TS5) were identified
to help the City leverage access to grant funding
for local safety improvements. The master plan
also shows a potential transit park and ride lot in
the general Broadmoor Road area. In addition,
the city will develop and adopt a master plan
that focuses on active transportation needs of
the community. This will refine the findings of the
TSMP projects to include a priority citywide
network, and to amend plans and standards,
as needed, to support safe and convenient
non-motorized travel. Further study is required
to fully understand the investment required for
improvements to support the park-and-ride lot.
TABLE 5. TRAFFIC STUDIES AND TRANSIT AMENITIES (TS & TR)
ID NAME DESCRIPTION COST
TS1 Study Road 44/Argent Road Intersection Study Road 44/Argent Road Intersection $65,000
TS2 Traffic Analysis for I-182/US 395 Interchange Traffic Analysis for I-182/US 395 Interchange $265,000
TS3 Traffic Analysis for US 12/Tank Farm Road Traffic Analysis for US 12/Tank Farm Road $250,000
TS4 Intersection Safety Implementation Plan
Develop a program to analyze intersection safety needs, including
identification of automated enforcement locations and identifying projects
for safety grants
$80,000
TS5 Local Roads Safety Plan (LRSP)Update the 2020 LRSP in even-numbered years (2022 and following) to gain
eligibility for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant funding $60,000
TS6 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Develop a master plan specific to the active transportation needs
of the community. $200,000
TR1 Broadmoor Park and Ride Location Construct a park-and-ride facility in the Broadmoor Area TBDPage 252 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 36RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
The next category of motor vehicle improvements is
expansions to the existing system, which generally
add more motor vehicle travel lanes to serve 2040
traffic conditions consistent with the mobility targets
in place by the City and its local partners (WSDOT
and Franklin County). Some expansion projects
were also identified as key components to complete
a comprehensive bicycle network for Pasco. These
projects are included on Figure 13. Several of these
roadway widening projects also identify supporting
intersection and traffic control upgrades based on
initial performance studies done through the TSMP.
Further traffic engineering evaluation will be
required at the time of improvement design
to fully understand the geometric requirements
associated with intersection improvements,
such as the length of the suggested dedicated
turn lanes, at each location.
TABLE 6. ROADWAY WIDENING PROJECTS (EXP)
ID NAME EXTENTS DESCRIPTION COST
EXP1 Argent Road
Improvements - Phase 1
20th Avenue to
Varney/Saraceno Widen to 5 lanes with intersection improvements $2,015,000
EXP2 Argent Road
Improvements - Phase 2
Varney/Saraceno to
Road 40
Widen to 5 lanes with intersection improvements; install a traffic signal
or roundabout at Road 36/Argent $8,150,000
EXP3 Sandifur Parkway
Improvements
Convention Drive to
Road 68
Widen to 5 lanes; construct a westbound right turn lane at Road 68/
Sandifur Parkway $2,265,000
EXP4 Sandifur Parkway
Improvements Road 60 to Road 52
Widen to 3 lanes; restripe westbound approach to Road 52 to include a shared
through/right lane and a dedicated left turn pocket; restripe southbound and
eastbound approaches to Road 60 to include dedicated left turn lanes
$3,505,000
EXP5 Road 68 Improvements I-182 Eastbound Ramp
Terminal to Argent Road
Widen to 5 lanes; construct a southbound right turn lane at Road 68/Chapel
Hill Boulevard $307,628
EXP6 Burns Road
Improvements
Broadmoor Boulevard
to Road 44
Widen to 3 lanes; construct new 3-lane roadway between Road 68 and Rio
Grande Lane; install all-way stop control at Road 52/Burns Road intersection;
install a traffic signal at Burns Road/Road 68
$13,804,000
EXP7 Broadmoor Boulevard
Improvements
I-182 Eastbound Ramp
Terminal to Court Street
Widen to 3 lanes as needed; convert existing right turn pockets and
acceleration lanes to a continuous through travel lane $7,905,000
EXP8 Broadmoor
Boulevard Widening
I-182 Westbound Ramp
Terminal to Dent Road
Widen to 5 lanes between I-182 Westbound Ramp Terminal and Burns Road;
widen to 3 lanes between Burns Road and Dent Road; install traffic signal
at Broadmoor Boulevard/Burns Road and widen eastbound approach to
include dedicated left and right turn lanes; install traffic signal at Broadmoor
Boulevard/Dent Road
$8,035,000
EXP9 Clark Road/Dent Road
Improvements Burns Road to Road 52 Widen to 3 lanes $43,225,000Page 253 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 37RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
ID NAME EXTENTS DESCRIPTION COST
EXP10 Road 68 Improvements Sandifur Parkway to
Clark Road Widen to 5 lanes $13,085,000
EXP11 Road 68 Improvements Court Street to
Argent Road
Extend 5-lane section immediately south of Argent Road; convert existing
southbound right turn lane to a shared southbound through/right turn lane $9,740,000
EXP13 Road 44 Improvements Madison Avenue to
Argent Road Widen to 3 lanes; install a traffic signal at Road 44/Argent Road intersection $1,225,000
EXP14 Road 36 Improvements Desert Plateau Drive to
Argent Road Widen to 3 lanes $3,345,000
EXP15 Argent Road
Improvements - Phase 3 Road 40 to Road 44 Widen to 5 lanes $600,000
EXP23 Burns Road Shoreline to
Broadmoor Boulevard Widen to complete a residential minor arterial cross section $13,795,000
EXP26 Court Street Harris Road to
Broadmoor Boulevard Widen to complete a residential minor arterial cross section $9,920,000
EXP33 Road 84 Burns Road to
Sandifur Parkway Widen to complete a residential collector cross section $25,000
EXP37 Road 76 Sandifur Parkway to Burden
Boulevard Widen to complete a commercial collector cross section $1,925,000
EXP38 Wrigley Drive Road 76 to Clemente Lane Widen to complete a commercial neighborhood collector cross section $560,000
EXP46 Hudson Drive Road 84 to Okanogan Lane Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $825,000
EXP47 Okanogan Lane Hudson Drive to
Chehalis Drive Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $250,000
EXP48 Chehalis Drive Okanogan Lane to
Three Rivers Drive Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $490,000
EXP49 Three Rivers Drive Chehalis Drive to Road 68 Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $1,170,000
EXP53 Argent Road Road 52 to Road 44 Widen to complete a residential minor arterial cross section $3,840,000
EXP57 Road 76 Argent Road to Court Street Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $5,520,000Page 254 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 38RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
ID NAME EXTENTS DESCRIPTION COST
EXP58 Court Street Broadmoor Boulevard
to Road 84 Widen to complete a residential 3-lane principal arterial cross section $15,315,000
EXP74 Wrigley Drive Road 68 Place to
Roosevelt Drive Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $4,350,000
EXP75 Roosevelt Drive Wrigley Drive to
Madison Avenue Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $225,000
EXP76 Madison Avenue Roosevelt Drive to
Burden Boulevard Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $140,000
EXP77 Madison Avenue Burden Boulevard
to Road 44 Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $50,000
EXP79 Road 60 Burns Road to
Burden Boulevard Widen to complete a residential collector cross section $465,000
EXP82 Burden Boulevard Road 60 to Road 36 Widen to complete a residential minor arterial cross section $5,860,000
EXP89 Road 60 Court Street to
Sylvester Street Widen to complete a residential collector cross section $3,305,000
EXP93 Sylvester Street Road 60 To Road 54 Widen to complete a residential collector cross section $2,125,000
EXP102 A Street 20th Avenue to
Heritage Boulevard Widen to complete an industrial minor arterial $6,990,000
EXP103 A Street Heritage Boulevard
to US 12 Widen to complete an industrial minor arterial $4,695,000
EXP111 10th Avenue Lewis Street to
Sylvester Street Widen to complete a mixed use minor arterial cross section $2,895,000
EXP112 10th Avenue Ainsworth Street to
Lewis Street Widen to complete an industrial minor arterial cross section $150,000
EXP115 4th Avenue Ainsworth Street to
Columbia Street Widen to complete an industrial minor arterial cross section $3,480,000
EXP126 Elm Avenue Broadway Street
to A Street Widen to complete a residential neighborhood collector cross section $445,000Page 255 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 39RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
The recommended bicycle and pedestrian system
improvements are listed by category in Figure 14
(Bike/Pedestrian Projects), with the project IDs
corresponding with those in Table 7. Note that the
project IDs were created in numerical order, and
do not correspond with priority. While the estimated
project costs are shown, the responsibility will be
shared by the City, Franklin County, WSDOT, and
private development, with the cost shares to be
determined as applicable.
In addition to the specific projects targeted for
bicycle and pedestrian users (Table 7), Figure 14
illustrates motor vehicle projects that have bike
and pedestrian elements, which were already
listed in the previous sections’ project tables.
The compilation of dedicated bicycle/pedestrian
and other projects illustrates the citywide bicycling
and walking network that will be in place once
these improvements have been completed.
Photo Credit: Port of Pasco
Bicycle and Pedestrian System Improvements
Photo Credit: City of PascoPage 256 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 40RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
182
395
395
12
397
397
240
COURT ST
ARGENT RD RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST LEWIS STOREGON
AVE
10TH AVE
DENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
BROADMOORBLVD
BROADMOORBLVD
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
20TH AVEWERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
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L A
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COLUM
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AIRPORT
N
RAILROAD
PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO UGA
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIANIMPROVEMENTPROJECTS
BP#
MINOR ROADWAY WIDENING
EXP#
OTHER BICYCLEAND PEDESTRIANPROJECTS
EXP#
EXT#
TRANSIT CENTERTR#4TH AVEGLADE RDEXT1
EXT12
EXP1EXP14
EXP2EXP1
5EXP13
EXT13 EXT2EXT3
EXP4EXP3
EXP6EXT8 EXT5 EXT6 EXT7 EXP9
EXT16EXT9EXT5
EXP9
EXT10EXP9EXT15
EXT14
TR1
EXT11EXT4EXP7EXP10EXP8EXP6
EXP23
EX
P
2
6
EXP58
EXP77
EXP74EXP79
EXP102 EXP126EXP89EXP57EXP5EXP11ROAD 68
BP6
BP11, BP14
BP12, BP15
BP8 BP13, BP16BP12, BP15
BP9
BP10
BP10
BP1 BP2 BP3
BP4BP5BP7ROAD 84FIGURE 14. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PROJECTSPage 257 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 41RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
TABLE 7. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PROJECTS (BP)
ID NAME EXTENTS DESCRIPTION COST
BP1 Burns Road Pedestrian/
Bicycle Pathway Phase 1
Broadmoor Boulevard
to Road 90
12-foot-wide Pedestrian/Bicycle pathway from Broadmoor Boulevard
to Road 90 (Starting construction in 2022)$775,000
BP2 Burns Road Pedestrian/
Bicycle Pathway Phase 2 Road 90 to Road 84 12-foot-wide Pedestrian/Bicycle pathway from Road 90 to Road 84
(Starting construction in 2022)$455,000
BP3 Burns Road Pedestrian/
Bicycle Pathway Phase 3 Road 84 to Road 68 12-foot-wide Pedestrian/Bicycle pathway from Road 84 to Road 68
(Starting construction in 2022)$650,000
BP4
Pedestrian/Bicycle
Access Broadmoor
Boulevard Interchange
St Thomas Drive to
Harris Road
Pedestrian/Bicycle facilities on Broadmoor Boulevard from St Thomas Dr
to Harris Road $2,320,000
BP5 Pedestrian/Bicycle Access
Road 68 Interchange
Chapel Hill Boulevard to
Burden Boulevard Pedestrian/Bicycle facility on Road 68 from Chapel Hill Blvd to Burden Blvd $1,100,000
BP6 Sacajawea Heritage
Trail Levee Road 52 to Road 72 Lower the levee and install pathways for pedestrians from Road 52 to Road 72 $4,731,000
BP7 James Street
Improvements
Oregon Avenue to
Frontier Loop Improve safety and pedestrian features and consolidate accesses $1,220,000
BP8 Pedestrian/Bicycle Access
Sylvester Street Overpass
32nd Avenue to
28th Avenue
Pedestrian/Bicycle facility on Sylvester Street from 32nd Avenue to
28th Avenue $1,845,000
BP9 Lewis Street Corridor
Improvements N/A Tie Lewis Street Overpass into other downtown improvements for safety
and Pedestrian/Bicycle accessibility $1,625,000
BP10 FCID Canal Pedestrian/
Bicycle Pathway Study N/A FCID Canal Pedestrian/Bicycle Pathway Study $870,000
BP11 Court Street Road
Reconfiguration Road 40 to Road 68 Reconfigure Court Street to one lane in each direction and a center turn lane;
stripe bike lanes in both directions $270,000
BP12 Sylvester Street Road
Reconfiguration 5th Avenue to Road 54 Reconfigure Sylvester Street to one lane in each direction and a center turn
lane; stripe bike lanes in both directions $1,630,000
BP13 20th Ave Road
Reconfiguration A Street to Argent Road
Reconfigure 20th Avenue to one lane in each direction and a center turn
lane; install buffered bikes lanes in both directions. Additional improvements
(e.g. right turn lanes) may be provided at intersections
$1,990,000
BP14 Court Street Sidewalk Infill Road 40 to Road 68 Complete sidewalk infill as needed $8,275,000
BP15 Sylvester Street
Sidewalk Infill 5th Avenue to Road 54 Complete sidewalk infill as needed $9,795,000
BP16 20th Ave Sidewalk Infill A Street to Argent Road Complete sidewalk infill as needed $3,180,000Page 258 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 42RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
The previous lists of recommended multimodal
system improvements represent an investment
of about $665 million, as summarized in Table 8
below. Most of the costs are associated with
Roadway Extensions (EXT) and Widenings (EXP),
which together total $575 million. It is noted that
these improvement costs will be shared among
the City of Pasco, the local development
community, and other local transportation agency
partners, including WSDOT and Franklin County.
The city will be updating its Traffic Impact Fee (TIF)
program in 2022 to address these system
investments. The TIF is a one-time fee which
helps build system improvements. It is collected
from local development applicants at the time
of new construction.
Summary of Recommended Improvements
TABLE 8. SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS SUMMARY
ID CATEGORY NUMBER OF
PROJECTS DESCRIPTION ESTIMATED COST
(MILLIONS)
INT Intersections 31 Intersection expansions, multimodal improvements and upgraded traffic controls $42.8 M
EXT Roadway Extension Projects 16 New streets to extend or replace existing roadways and overpasses $375.1 M
TS/TR Traffic Studies and Transit Amenities 6 Future traffic and concept planning to refine the scope and cost of improvements $0.9 M
EXP Roadway Widening Projects 40 Expand existing roadway cross-sections to add motor vehicle through and turning
lanes to support growth $206.0 M
BP Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects 16 Dedicated projects to enhance and connect the citywide system for
walking and bicycling $40.7 M
TOTAL 108 $665.5 M
42
Page 259 of 480
Transportation
System
Standards
CHAPTER 4
43
The roadway functional classification system,
special route designations, access spacing and
mobility standards are also included in this chapter.
For a complete listing of the system standards
including typical design standards for roadways,
walkways and bikeways within the city, refer
to Appendix D for Transportation System
Standards memo.
THIS CHAPTER PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW
OF THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
STANDARDS ADOPTED CONCURRENT
WITH THE PASCO TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM MASTER PLAN. TOGETHER, THESE
STANDARDS WILL HELP ENSURE FUTURE
FACILITIES ARE DESIGNED APPROPRIATELY
AND THAT ALL FACILITIES ARE MANAGED
TO SERVE THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE.Page 260 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 44TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
A city’s street functional classification system is
an important tool for managing the transportation
system. It is based on a hierarchical system of
roads in which streets of a higher classification,
such as arterials, emphasize a higher level of
mobility for through movements, while streets of a
lower classification emphasize access to land uses.
Pasco currently has four functional classes:
1. Principal Arterials connect major activity
centers as well as the interstate system.
They will serve a variety of travel movements
supporting longer/lengthier trips and
are primarily intended to serve regional
traffic movement.
2. Minor Arterials create direct connections
through the city and can be found on the
periphery of residential neighborhoods. They
generally provide the primary connection to
other Arterial or Collector Streets and access
to larger developed areas and neighborhoods.
3. Collectors provide local traffic circulation
throughout the city and serve to funnel traffic
from the arterial street network to streets of
the same or lower classification. They typically
have minor access restrictions.
4. Local Streets provide local access and
circulation for traffic, connect neighborhoods,
and often function as through routes for
pedestrians and bicyclists. Local Streets
should maintain slow vehicle operating
speeds while providing convenient access
to multimodal travel.
The TSMP also introduced a new Neighborhood
Collector functional classification to identify
locations where local access needs should be
balanced with enhanced pedestrian and bicycle
amenities. These streets should maintain slow
vehicle operating speeds to accommodate
safe use by all modes and provide local
neighborhood access.
Functional classification provides a helpful
framework for managing the city’s transportation
system and supporting other standards
summarized in the following sections,
including connectivity, spacing, freight routes,
cross-sections, and access management.
Table 9 lists the desired spacing of each facility
type throughout Pasco to ensure a high level
of connectivity. Figure 15 illustrates the desired
spacing for the arterial and collector network.
Deviations from these guidelines may be needed
in locations where there are significant barriers,
such as topography, rail lines, freeways, existing
development, or the presence of natural areas.
In Pasco, all roadways are required to be
multimodal or “complete streets”, with
each street serving the needs of the various
travel modes. Streets in the city will not all
be designed the same. Pasco classifies the
street system into a hierarchy organized
by functional classification and street type
(representative of their places). These
classifications ensure that the streets reflect
the neighborhood through which they pass,
consisting of a scale and design appropriate
to the character of the abutting properties
and land uses. The classifications also
provide for and balance the needs of
all travel modes including pedestrians,
bicyclists, transit riders, motor vehicles and
freight. Within these street classifications,
context sensitive designs may result
in alternative cross-sections.
Roadway Functional Classification
Photo Credit: Tri-City HeraldPage 261 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 45TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
TABLE 9. FACILITY SPACING GUIDELINES
FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM SPACINGA
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL 1 to 2 miles
MINOR ARTERIAL 1 mile
COLLECTOR ½ mile
NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTOR ¼ mile
LOCAL STREET 300–500 feet
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES 300 feet
A Recommended maximum spacing refers to distance
between facilities with the same or higher functional
classification. Deviations from the recommended
maximum spacing are subject to approval by the
City engineer.
The adopted reclassifications aim to create
a consistent functional classification scheme
and match a roadway’s functional classification
to their role in the transportation network.
The existing road network was also reviewed
to identify neighborhood collector routes.
Neighborhood collectors were identified in locations
where the functional classification map from the
Pasco Comprehensive Plan previously identified
two closely spaced, parallel collectors which serve
similar land uses. Converting one of these routes to
a neighborhood collector provides a classification
that is more consistent with the actual use of the
road and facilitates multimodal transportation.
Neighborhood collectors were also designated
on the local street system for routes which
provide connections between several adjacent
neighborhoods and the collector or arterial network.
The adopted reclassifications summarized
in Figure 16 and Tables 10 and 11 will provide
better system spacing and connectivity. It is
important to note that many of the existing
roadway cross-sections will not meet the standard
cross-sections of their new functional classification.
Cross-section improvements are not expected
outside of redevelopment.
Note that Columbia River Road and Taylor Flats
Road, north of Road 68, are classified as
collectors, consistent with Franklin County’s
functional classification, even though Road 68
is classified as a principal arterial. These
designations will be consistent for both roadways
as they continue further north in rural Franklin
County. Also, the easterly end of Burns Road, also
called Powerline Road, is indicated with a possible
easterly extension that crosses over the rail yard
and eventually connects to US 395 north of Foster
Wells Road. This is an illustrative concept of how
east-west principal arterial level connections could
be made north of I-182 to provide an alternative
regional route. However, this connection is not
included in the project list of the TSMP, and has not
been assumed in the 2040 horizon year system.
People walking and biking benefit the most from
closely spaced facilities because their travel is most
affected by variation in distance. By providing
walking and biking facilities or accessways that are
spaced no more than 300 feet apart, Pasco will
support active transportation within and between
its neighborhoods. These connections also support
high quality access to transit.MINOR ARTERIALMINOR ARTERIALFREEWAY
COLLECTORPRINCIPAL ARTERIALPRINCIPAL ARTERIAL2 MILES
1 TO 2 MILES FOR PRINCIPAL ARTERIALS
1 MILE
1 MILE FOR
MINOR ARTERIALS
1/2
1/2 MILE FOR
COLLECTORS
FIGURE 15. DESIRED FACILITY SPACINGPage 262 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 46TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
4TH AVEGLADE RDCOURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST LEWIS STOREGON
AVE
DENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420THAVE
10TH AVE
WERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
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AIRPORT
BROADMOOR BLVDBROADMOOR BLVD182
395
397
395
12
397
240
395PASCO CITY LIMITS PASCO UGA
STREET CLASSIFICATION:
INTERSTATE
OTHER FREEWAYS
& EXPRESSWAYS
RAMP
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL
PRINCIPAL
ARTERIAL, FUTURE
MINOR ARTERIAL
MINOR ARTERIAL,FUTURE
COLLECTOR
COLLECTOR, FUTURE
NEIGHBORHOODCOLLECTOR
NEIGHBORHOOD
COLLECTOR, FUTURE
LOCAL
N
FIGURE 16. RECOMMENDED ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATIONPage 263 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 47TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
TABLE 10. FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF NEW ROADWAYS
ROADWAY EXTENTS RECOMMENDED FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
SANDIFUR PARKWAY EXTENSION Broadmoor Boulevard to New North-South Collector Principal Arterial
DENT ROAD EXTENSION Burns Road to Harris Road Minor Arterial
SANDIFUR PARKWAY EXTENSION New North-South Collector to Shoreline Drive Minor Arterial
SANDIFUR PARKWAY EXTENSION New North-South Collector to Shoreline Drive Collector
NEW NORTH-SOUTH COLLECTOR Dent Road to Harris Road Collector
ROAD 84 EXTENSION Burns Road to Columbia River Road Collector
CONVENTION DRIVE EXTENSION Burns Road to Clark Road Collector
ROAD 60 EXTENSION Burns Road to Clark Road Collector
DESERET DRIVE Dent Road to Road 52 Collector
ROAD 76 EXTENSION Burden Boulevard to Argent Road Collector
ROAD 90 EXTENSION Burns Road to UGA Neighborhood Collector
THREE RIVERS DRIVE EXTENSION Road 68 to Rio Grande Lane Neighborhood Collector
WRIGLEY DRIVE EXTENSION Clemente Lane to Road 68 Place Neighborhood Collector
ROAD 52 EXTENSION Burns Road Deseret Drive Neighborhood Collector
WERNETT ROAD EXTENSION Road 76 to Road 84 Neighborhood CollectorPage 264 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 48TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
TABLE 11. ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION CHANGES
EXISTING FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION ROADWAY EXTENTS RECOMMENDED FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
MINOR ARTERIAL Broadmoor Boulevard Dent Road to UGA Principal Arterial
MINOR ARTERIAL 20th Avenue Lewis Street to A Street Principal Arterial
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL 10th Avenue Ainsworth Street to A street Minor Arterial
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL 4th Avenue A Street to I-182 Westbound Ramp Terminal Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Court Street Broadmoor Boulevard to Harris Road Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Harris Road Court Street to Dent Road Extension Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Dent Road Burns Road to Road 68 Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Clark Road Road 68 to Road 52 Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Chapel Hill Boulevard Road 82 to Road 68 Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR A Street 20th Avenue to 28th Avenue Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR 28th Avenue A Street to Sylvester street Minor Arterial
MINOR ARTERIAL Chapel Hill Boulevard Crescent Road to Broadmoor Boulevard Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Road 60 Court Street to Sylvester Street Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Sylvester Street Road 60 to 4th Avenue Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Court Street 4th Avenue to 1st Avenue Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL 1st Avenue Court Street to A Street Collector
LOCAL Broadway Street Wehe Avenue to Cedar Avenue Collector
LOCAL Cedar Avenue Broadway Street to Lewis Street Collector
LOCAL Commercial Avenue Kartchner Street to Hillsboro Road Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Road 90 Sandifur Parkway to Burns Road Neighborhood Collector
COLLECTOR Wernett Road Road 36 To Road 76 Neighborhood Collector
COLLECTOR 14th Avenue Lewis Street to Court Street Neighborhood Collector
COLLECTOR Saratoga Lane Chapel Hill boulevard to Argent Road Neighborhood Collector
COLLECTOR Road 44 Argent Road to Madison Avenue Neighborhood Collector
COLLECTOR Madison Avenue Road 44 to Burden Boulevard Neighborhood CollectorPage 265 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 49TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
EXISTING FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION ROADWAY EXTENTS RECOMMENDED FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
COLLECTOR Road 52 Burden Boulevard to Burns Road Neighborhood Collector
COLLECTOR Wrigley Drive Road 76 to Clemente Lane Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Kohler Road Dent Road to Hillcrest Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Road 92 Court Street to Maple Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Road 76 Argent Road to Court Street Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Road 60 Argent Road to Court Street Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Road 48 Argent Road to Sylvester Street Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Wernett Road Road 36 to Road 30 Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL 14th Avenue Court Street to Lincoln Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Pearl Street 24th Avenue to 13th Avenue & 10th Avenue to 5th Avenue Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL 13th Avenue Pearl Street to Riverview Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Riverview Drive 13th Avenue to 12th Avenue Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL 10th Avenue 12th Avenue to Pearl Street Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Elm Avenue A Street to Shepperd Street Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Wrigley Drive Road 68 Place to Roosevelt Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Roosevelt Drive Wrigley Drive to Madison Avenue Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Madison Avenue Roosevelt Drive to Burden Boulevard Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Vincenzo Drive Broadmoor Boulevard to Majestia Lane Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Majestia Lane Vincenzo Drive to Road 90 Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Road 90 Sandifur Parkway to Burns Road Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Wilshire Drive Road 90 to Westmoreland Lane Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Westmoreland Lane Wilshire Drive to Overland Court Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Overland Court Westmoreland Lane to Westminster Lane Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Westminster Lane Overland Court to Stutz Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Stutz Drive Westminster Lane to Road 84 Neighborhood CollectorPage 266 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 50TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
EXISTING FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION ROADWAY EXTENTS RECOMMENDED FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
LOCAL Hudson Drive Road 84 to Okanogan Lane Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Okanogan Lane Hudson Drive to Chehalis Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Chehalis Drive Okanogan Lane to Three Rivers Drive Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Three Rivers Drive Chehalis Drive to Road 68 & Rio Grande Lane to Road 56 Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Road 56 Three Rivers Drive to Overton Road Neighborhood Collector
LOCAL Overton Road Road 56 to Road 52 Neighborhood Collector
Page 267 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 51TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
Freight routes play a vital role in the economical
movement of raw materials and finished products,
while maintaining neighborhood livability, public
safety, and minimizing maintenance costs of the
roadway system. The Washington State Freight
and Goods Transportation System (FGTS) tonnage
classification system identifies different categories
of freight corridors based on annual freight
tonnage moved (refer to Figure 17). The freight
corridors in Pasco are as follows:
• I-182
• US 12
• US 395
• WA 397
• Broadmoor Boulevard (I-182 to Harris Road)
• Road 68 (I-182 to Clark Road)
• 4th Avenue (I-182 to Glade Road)
• Ainsworth Avenue/Dock Street (WA 397 to
Sacajawea Park Road)
• Harris Road (Broadmoor Blvd to Shoreline Road)
• Shoreline Road (Harris Road to Burns Road)
• Burns Road (Shoreline Road to Dent Road)
• Dent Road (Burns Road to Road 68)
• Clark Road (Road 68 to Glad Road)
• Taylor Flats Road (North of Road 68)
• Columbia River Road (North of Road 68)
• Glade Road (North of 4th Avenue)
• Railroad Avenue (North of Hillsboro Street)
• Foster Wells Road (East of US 395)
• Kartchner Street (Railroad Avenue to
Commercial Avenue)
• Hillsboro Street (Railroad Avenue to
Travel Plaza Way)
• Lewis Street (US 395 to 20th Avenue)
• 20th Avenue (Lewis Street to A Street)
• A Street (20th Avenue to US 12)
• Pasco Kahlotus Road (East of US 12)
• Lewis Street (WA 397 to US 12)
• 4th Avenue (Ainsworth Street to A Street)
As part of the revitalization of the downtown
as envisioned in the current Master Planning,
the existing Lewis Street freight corridor should
be modified to divert freight traffic onto parallel
routes along Ainsworth Street and A Street.
Other critical freight corridors that are not currently
included in the Washington FGTS, as shown in
Figure 17, include Sacajawea Park Road from
Ainsworth Avenue to US 12 and Commercial
Avenue from Lewis Street to Kartchner Street.
Including these routes in a future update to the
Washington FGTS will recognize their significance
to Pasco’s freight system and connect key
industrial areas to existing FGTS corridors.
The city’s freight transportation system also
includes a rail yard, port, and the Tri-Cities Airport.
Intermodal connections between these freight
hubs, Pasco’s industrial areas, and the Tri-Cities
region are necessary to support the movement
of goods. Primary routes serving these existing
freight transportation needs are identified through
the Washington FGTS although additional
development in these areas could generate
new freight traffic demands.
Pasco will benefit from ensuring that its freight
routes are designed to accommodate the needs of
its industrial and commercial areas, while protecting
its residential neighborhoods from freight traffic.
Having designated freight routes will help the city
better coordinate and improve its efforts regarding
both freight and non-freight transportation system
users, including the following:
• Roadway and Intersection Improvements can
be designed for freight vehicles with adjustments
for turn radii, sight distance, lane width and turn
pocket lengths.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements—
such as protected or separated bike facilities,
enhanced pedestrian crossings, and other
safety improvements—can be identified to
reduce freight impacts to other users,
particularly along bikeways and walkways.
• Roadway Durability can be increased by
using concrete instead of asphalt for the
pavement surface.
• Railroad Connections can be coordinated
to support businesses that ship goods by rail,
particularly in areas where railroad sidings
can be provided.
• Coordination with Businesses and Adjacent
Jurisdictions can ensure that local and regional
freight traffic uses Pasco’s freight routes to travel
within the city.
Freight Network
Page 268 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 52TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
4TH AVEGLADE RDCOURT ST
ARGENT RD ROAD 68RAILROAD AVESYLVESTER ST LEWIS STOREGON
AVEBROADMOOR BLVDBROADMO OR BLVDDENT RD
KARTCHNERROAD
CLARK RD
A ST
SANDIFUR PKWY
BURNS RD
BURDEN BLVDHARRIS RD
ROAD 8420TH AVE
10TH AVE
WERNETT RD
POWERLINE RD
AINS
W
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AIRPORT
182
395
397
395
12
397
240
395
REROUTE LEWIS STFREIGHT CORRIDORTO A ST VIAHERITAGE LANE
SUGGESTED
FREIGHT CORRIDORS
TO BE ADDED TO
THE WSDOT
FREIGHT MAP
PASCO CITY LIMITS
PASCO UGA
FREIGHT CORRIDORS:
T1: MORE THAN 10 MILLION TONS PER YEAR
T2: 410 MILLION TONS PER YEAR
T3: 300,0004 MILLION TONS PER YEAR
T4: 100,0003000,000 TONS PER YEAR
T5: AT LEAST 20,000 TONS IN 60 DAYS
AND LESS THAN 100,000 TONS PER YEAR
N
FIGURE 17. FREIGHT SYSTEMPage 269 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 53TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
Neighborhood Traffic Management (NTM) involves
strategies to slow traffic, and potentially reduce
volumes, creating a more inviting environment for
pedestrians and bicyclists. NTM strategies focus
on neighborhood livability on local streets, though
a few can apply to collectors and arterials, such
as raised median islands. Mitigation measures
balance the need to manage vehicle speeds
and volumes with the need to maintain mobility,
circulation, and function for service providers,
such as emergency responders. Examples of tools
are shown in Figure 18.
Table 12 lists common NTM applications. Any
NTM project should include coordination with
emergency response staff to ensure that public
safety is not compromised. NTM strategies
implemented on a state facility would require
coordination with WSDOT regarding freight
mobility considerations.
Neighborhood Traffic Management Tools
FIGURE 18. SUMMARY OF NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
CHICANES
DIVERTERS
SPEED CUSHIONS
CHOKERS
MEDIAN ISLANDS
SPEED HUMP
CURB EXTENSIONS
RAISED CROSSWALKS
TRAFFIC CIRCLES
Photo Sources: Chicanes, Chokers, Median Islands, and Speed Hump > www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden;
Curb Extensions and Traffic Circles > www.pedbikeimages.org/Carl Sundstrom; Diverters > www.pedbikeimages.org/
Adam Fukushima; Raised Crosswalks > www.pedbikeimages.org/Tom Harned; Speed Cushions > NACTO Urban
Street Design Guide.Page 270 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 54TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
TABLE 12. APPLICATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC
MANAGEMENT APPLICATION
USE BY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION IMPACT
ARTERIALS COLLECTORS LOCAL STREETS SPEED REDUCTION TRAFFIC DIVERSION
CHICANES
CHOKERS
CURB EXTENSIONS
DIVERTERS (WITH EMERGENCY VEHICLE PASS-THROUGH)
MEDIAN ISLANDS
RAISED CROSSWALKS
SPEED CUSHIONS (WITH EMERGENCY VEHICLE PASS-THROUGH)
SPEED HUMP
TRAFFIC CIRCLES
The City of Pasco does not currently have a formal neighborhood traffic management program.
Suggested elements of a new program to be developed and implemented can include:
• Provide a formalized process for citizens who are
concerned about the traffic or safety on their
neighborhood street. The process could include
filing a citizen request with petition signatures and
a preliminary evaluation. If the evaluation finds
cause for concern, a neighborhood meeting
would be held and formal data would be collected
and evaluated. If a problem were found to exist,
solutions would be identified and the process
continued with neighborhood meetings, feedback
from service and maintenance providers,
cost evaluation, and traffic calming device
implementation. Six months after implementation
the device would be evaluated for effectiveness.
• For new development proposals, in addition to
assessing impacts to the entire transportation
network, traffic studies for new developments
must also assess impacts to residential streets.
A recommended threshold to determine if this
additional analysis is needed is if the proposed
project increases through traffic on residential
streets by 40 or more vehicles during the
evening peak hour or 200 vehicles per day.
Once the analysis is performed, the threshold
used to determine if residential streets are
impacted would be if their daily traffic volume
exceeds 1,800 vehicles.
NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES IMPROVE NEIGHBORHOOD
LIVABILITY ON LOCAL STREETS, CREATING
A MORE INVITING ENVIRONMENT FOR
PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS. Page 271 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 55TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
Access management provides safe and efficient
access to the transportation system for all users.
Historically, the City of Pasco only managed access
through restrictions on the placement of driveways.
New residential driveways must be located 25 feet
from an existing intersection, while new commercial
driveways must be placed in coordination with
the Public Works Director.4 Expanded access
management spacing standards which account
for the different roadway functional classifications
are adopted for the City of Pasco as part of the
TSMP to better manage driveway construction.
These standards are summarized in Table 13.
In addition to these access spacing standards, it is
recommended that the city consider guidelines to
enhance the system connectivity within the new
neighborhoods to better balance access for all
system users. As noted in previous sections of the
TSMP, the public feedback during the open house
events highlighted the challenges of navigating the
city outside of a motor vehicle. Walking and biking
and access to transit are significantly benefited
by constructing neighborhoods with greater
connectivity through better street and walkway
spacing, and more direct routes to key destinations,
such as schools, parks and transit stops. Today,
the city does not provide this type of guidance,
and new neighborhood circulation plans are left
to the development applicants to decide.
4 City of Pasco. Pasco Municipal Code Section 12.04.100
Driveway Standards. https://pasco.municipal.codes/
PMC/12.04.090
Access Management & Street Connectivity Standards
TABLE 13. ACCESS MANAGEMENT SPACING STANDARDS
SPACING GUIDELINESA, B PRINCIPAL
ARTERIALS
MINOR
ARTERIALS COLLECTORS NEIGHBORHOOD
COLLECTORS
LOCAL
STREETS
MINIMUM DRIVEWAY SPACING (DRIVEWAY TO DRIVEWAY)B
300 feet 250 feet 150 feet 75 feet N/A
MINIMUM FULL-ACCESS DRIVEWAY SPACING (SETBACK FROM INTERSECTION)
300 feetC 250 feet 150 feet 75 feet 25 feet
MINIMUM RIGHT-IN/RIGHT-OUT DRIVEWAY SPACING (SETBACK FROM INTERSECTION)
150 feetC 125 feet 75 feet 50 feet 25 feet
A All distances measured from the edge of adjacent approaches.
B A property must construct access to a lower classified roadway, where possible.
C WSDOT requires 1,320 between an interchange and the closest driveway. (Source: State of Washington.
Washington Administrative Code Section 468-52-040 Access Control Classification System and Standards.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=468-52-040)
Photo Credit: Group Health Foundation Photo Credit: Jacob GonzalezPage 272 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 56TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
The public engagement process of the TSMP
revealed a strong concern about the lack of
connectivity in new neighborhoods north of I-182.
To address this, guidelines were developed to
clarify the community’s expectation for better
circulation options in growth areas. It was
recognized that it is important to balance the
economic objectives of a land developer with
the community values of its future residents.
City standards help to assure that the shape
of the resulting walking, biking and travel systems
will provide a framework for new neighborhoods
to thrive in the long-term, since it plays a
fundamental role in defining the character
of that community for generations to come.
Specifically, it is recommended to apply new
guidelines for the maximum block length, block
size, block perimeter and access spacing as
summarized in Table 14. Under this new guidance
for most zoning designations, block lengths shall
not exceed 660 feet and the block perimeter shall
not exceed 1,760 feet. Previously blocks could not
exceed 1,320 feet for residential uses or 600 feet
for commercial uses.5 The recommended complete
street connectivity standards plus guidelines are
summarized below in Table 14. To enact these
recommended street spacing and connectivity
changes, the city must conduct a public hearing
and the city council must adopt them to become
a part of the municipal code.
5 City of Pasco. Street Connectivity – Supplemental
Memorandum for CA2019-013. September 17, 2020.
TABLE 14. RECOMMENDED STREET CONNECTIVITY STANDARDS
SPACING GUIDELINES PRINCIPAL ARTERIALS MINOR ARTERIALS COLLECTORS NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTORS LOCAL STREETS
MAXIMUM BLOCK SIZE (PUBLIC STREET TO PUBLIC STREET)660 feet 660 feet 660 feet 660 feet 660 feet
MINIMUM BLOCK SIZE (PUBLIC STREET TO PUBLIC STREET)300 feet 250 feet 200 feet 150 feet 125 feet
MAXIMUM BLOCK PERIMETER 1,760 feet 1,760 feet 1,760 feet 1,760 feet 1,760 feet
MAXIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE ACCESSWAYSA
330 feet 330 feet 330 feet 330 feet 330 feet
A Spacing is the maximum of public street to public street, public street to accessway, or accessway
to accessway distance.Page 273 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 57TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
For the motor vehicle system, the city applies a list of performance targets to track how well the system works.
These mobility targets are used in long-range planning and development review to identify deficiencies on
the transportation network and can be used to identify needed improvements as growth occurs.
Mobility targets are adopted by the City of Pasco
in their comprehensive plan. The City of Pasco uses
a Level of Service (LOS) standard which evaluates
the average delay at signalized and unsignalized
intersections. This calculation is made by using
a national methodology for assessing intersection
performance, as published in the Highway Capacity
Manual (HCM). The current mobility targets, which
apply to the weekday peak hour, are summarized
below in Table 15. The City requires a lower level
of service for arterial and collector roadways where
higher traffic leads to higher delays. The arterial
and collector standards are consistent with the
mobility targets applied by BFCG and WSDOT.
TABLE 15. EXISTING MOBILITY TARGETS FOR
WEEKDAY PEAK HOUR PERIODS
FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION MOBILITY TARGET
LOCAL STREETS Level of Service C
ARTERIALS AND COLLECTORS Level of Service D
WSDOT FACILITIES Level of Service D
Vehicle Mobility Targets
TWO COMMON METHODS USED TO GAUGE TRAFFIC OPERATIONS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES ARE:
VOLUME-TO-CAPACITY (V/C) RATIO
A v/c ratio is a decimal representation (between
0.00 and 1.00) of the proportion of capacity that
is being used at a turn movement, approach leg,
or intersection. The ratio is the peak hour traffic
volume divided by the hourly capacity of a given
intersection or movement. A lower ratio indicates
smooth operations and minimal delays. A ratio
approaching 1.00 indicates increased congestion
and reduced performance.
LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS)
LOS is a “report card” rating (A through F) based
on the average delay experienced by vehicles at
the intersection. LOS A, B, and C indicate conditions
where traffic moves without significant delays over
periods of peak hour travel demand. LOS D and E
are progressively worse operating conditions. LOS F
represents conditions where average vehicle delay
is excessive, and demand exceeds capacity, typically
resulting in long queues and delays.Page 274 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 58TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
Typically, these LOS targets are applied at individual
intersections. It is recommended that these targets
be modified to account for the type of traffic
controls being applied at each intersection,
since the impact of delay differs between signals,
roundabouts and stop sign controlled locations.
In addition, it is recommended that another metric
be added, the Volume-to-Capacity (v/c) Ratio,
which measures how close to capacity a location
operates at a given time of day. Using both a LOS
(delay-based) and v/c (congestion-based) standard
which can be helpful in situations where one
metric may not be enough, such as an all-way stop
where one approach is over capacity, but overall
intersection delay meets standards. Each of these
metrics is readily calculated by applying the
appropriate HCM methods. Table 16 summarizes
recommended changes to Pasco’s mobility
targets. Also noted is the current target used
for WSDOT intersections, which will remain at
Level of Service D for all cases.
TABLE 16. RECOMMENDED MOBILITY TARGETS
TRAFFIC CONTROL TYPE MOBILITY TARGETS APPLICABLE ELEMENT
SIGNALIZED Level of Service D and
Volume-to-Capacity Ratio ≤0.90
Average for all vehicles
using the intersection
ALL-WAY STOP OR ROUNDABOUTS
Level of Service D and
Volume-to-Capacity Ratio ≤0.90 Worst Approach
TWO-WAY STOP A Level of Service E and
Volume-to-Capacity Ratio ≤0.95
Worst Major Approach/
Worst Minor Approach
WSDOT INTERSECTIONS Level of Service D Intersection or Worst Approach
depending on control type
A Applies to approaches that serve more than 20 vehicles; there is no standard for approaches serving lower volumes.Page 275 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 59TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
Pasco experiences peak congestion due to
single-occupant trips during peak demand times.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) aims
to remove single occupant motor vehicle trips
from the roadway network during peak travel
demand periods which could provide one avenue
for reducing pressure on key facilities. Changing
users’ travel behavior and providing alternative
choices will help accommodate the expected
growth in travel demand identified for Pasco.
Generally, TDM focuses on reducing vehicle
miles traveled for large employers by promoting
active and shared modes of travel. Research
has shown that a comprehensive set of
complementary policies implemented over
a large geographic area can affect the number
of vehicle miles traveled to/from that area.
For TDM measures to be effective, strategies
should go beyond the low-cost, uncontroversial
measures commonly used such as carpooling,
transportation coordinators/associations, and
priority parking spaces.
Effective TDM measures include parking strategies
(limiting or increasing supply in strategic locations),
improved services for alternative modes of travel,
and market-based incentives to encourage travel
behavior changes. TDM can also include a variety
of actions that are tailored to the specific needs
of an area.
Opportunities to expand TDM and other measures
in Pasco include developing requirements for
long-term bicycle parking for places of
employment above a certain size, park-and-ride
facilities, major transit stops, and multi-family
residential developments. Other land uses,
especially activity generators, should be required to
provide short-term bike parking and are
encouraged to implement the long-term options.
Long-term bicycle parking options include:
• Individual lockers for one or two bicycles
• Racks in an enclosed, lockable room
• Racks in an area that is monitored by
security cameras or guards (within 100 feet)
• Racks or lockers in an area always visible
to employees
Demand Management Policies
EFFECTIVE TDM STRATEGIES INCLUDE:
• Develop standards and policies that support
alternative vehicle types and travel methods,
including a network of electric vehicle charging
stations, or other facilities that support Pasco’s
Green House Gas Emissions Reductions Policy
Resolution 3853.
• Encouraging/supporting rideshare/vanpool to
major employers in Benton or Franklin County and
Kennewick or Richland (e.g. Hanford Nuclear Site)
for employees living in Pasco.
• Establishing site development standards that
require pedestrian and bicycle access through
sites and connections to adjacent sites and
transportation facilities, to the extent the
development impacts existing access.
• Improving amenities and access for transit stops.
Actions could include instituting site design
requirements allowing redevelopment of parking
areas for transit amenities; requiring safe and
direct pedestrian connections to transit; and
permitting transit-supportive uses outright in
commercial and institutional zones.
• Improving street connectivity to support
direct connections between residential areas
and activity centers.
• Investing in pedestrian/bicycle facilities.Page 276 of 480
Implementation
and On-Going
Strategies
CHAPTER 5
60
It is important to recognize that because this
is the first of its kind transportation planning
process for the City of Pasco, additional work
will be required to carry this strategic vision
into practice. This chapter identifies the
recommended implementation actions.
Furthermore, it is recognized that the primary
purpose of the TSMP is to guide how the city will
make strategic transportation investments in the
years to come. It is acknowledged that there are
a host of on-going community issues related to
general transportation needs that may not be
resolved by this TSMP process and outcomes,
and further studies may be required to help to
inform how best to respond to each of those
situations. Several of the most prominent on-going
transportation issues that face Pasco are
acknowledged in the final section of this chapter
along with a summary of their status, applicable
on-going strategies, and the expected path forward.
THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS PRESENTED
THE GOALS, POLICIES, PLANS AND
PROGRAMS THAT DEFINE THE KEY
ELEMENTS OF PASCO’S TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM MASTER PLAN. THE TSMP
DESCRIBES THE CITY’S VISION FOR HOW
IT WILL ADDRESS MANY TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM WEAKNESSES AND GAPS
IDENTIFIED TODAY, AND HOW IT PLANS
TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO SUPPORT
COMMUNITY GROWTH TO 2040.
Photo Credit: Jacob GonzalezPage 277 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 61IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
To effectively implement the TSMP citywide
will require a series of updates and amendments
to existing city policies, codes and regulations
related to land development, transportation
management and capital project funding.
The major actions to be taken fall into
these categories:
• Secure Necessary Funding for
Transportation Improvements
• Implement Neighborhood
Transportation Management Tools
• Update Vehicle Mobility Standards
• Update Engineering Design Standards
for Roadways, Bikeways and Walkways
• Amend the Municipal Development Code
to incorporate TSMP changes regarding
Streets and Sidewalks, Subdivision
Regulations and Zoning
The specific recommendations for each
action are described in the following sections.
SECURE NECESSARY LOCAL
FUNDING PROGRAMS
Providing adequate city funding for capital
investments and on-going maintenance of
transportation systems and services is a major
challenge throughout the State of Washington.
The City’s current funding programs are expected
to allocate about $20 million annually ($360
million over 18 years) for transportation system
improvements through 2040, not including other
allocations from gas tax revenues that support
maintenance operations. The current Traffic
Impact Fee program is expected to collect about
$12 million. However, when compared to the full
list of capital improvement projects identified
through this TSMP, which totals $665 million,
additional funding options are needed to bridge
the $293 million gap.
If the city decides to supplement the transportation
funding beyond what is currently available to
advance more projects, it is recommended to
further consider one of the above options. This
could include more general funding allocated to
the transportation improvement program, and/or
increasing the current Traffic Impact Fee (TIF).
A separate study was conducted to recommend
update options for the city’s Traffic Impact Fee
(FCS Group, October 2021). If the full amount was
authorized, the new TIF would generate about
$350 million in additional fees, which would
fully bridge the funding gap shown in Table 17.
It will be vital for the City Council to consider the
proposed TIF rate and recommend a fee that
ensures new development accommodates the
necessary transportation infrastructure without
burdening existing residents and businesses.
Without significant additional funding resources,
the great majority of projects identified in the
TSMP will not be able to be constructed within
the timeframe of the TSMP.
In addition, the city should consider developing
a proportionate share methodology and funding
strategy for specific transportation improvements
that are not funded through the TIF or other
existing programs.
Steps to Support Plan Implementation
TABLE 17. FILLING THE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING GAP
DESCRIPTION TOTAL FUNDING THOUGH 2040
TRANSPORTATION CITYWIDE INVESTMENT RECOMMENDED IN THE PASCO TSMP $665 M
CURRENT CITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM – $360 M
CURRENT CITY TRAFFIC IMPACT FEE PROGRAM – $12 M
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING SHORTFALL $293 M
ACTION: PURSUE AND ENACT
SUPPLEMENTAL LOCAL
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING OPTIONS
TO BRIDGE FORECASTED FUNDING GAP.Page 278 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 62IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
IMPLEMENT NEIGHBORHOOD
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TOOLS
The Transportation System Management Plan
identifies a new classification of city streets that
are the best candidates for applying neighborhood
traffic management (NTM) strategies. The primary
purpose of this new classification is to address
community concerns about autos speeding
through neighborhoods or diverting away from
state highways while they are under severe
congestion. These streets are referred to as
Neighborhood Collector routes, and they are
shown in Figure 15, and listed in the supporting
technical memorandum . Potential management
strategies include traffic humps, traffic circles
and raised crosswalks, which are illustrated
in the memorandum.
The challenge with a NTM program is to identify
a clear and objective process for collecting
community inputs, assessing the prevailing
concerns, and evaluating which, if any, NTM
solution is appropriate to be installed. This will
require developing guidelines about which
NTM strategies are best for Pasco, and where
and how they are to be applied. In addition, many
cities balance the technical review process with
a consensus opinion of the affected neighbors
to help ensure community satisfaction with
the NTM decision.
The City of Pasco does not currently have a formal
neighborhood traffic management program. If
such a program were desired to help respond to
future NTM issues, suggested elements include:
• Provide a formalized process for citizens
who are concerned about the traffic on their
neighborhood street. The process could include
filing a citizen request with petition signatures
and a preliminary evaluation. If the evaluation
finds cause for concern, a neighborhood meeting
would be held, and formal data would be
collected and evaluated. If a problem were found
to exist, solutions would be identified and the
process continued with neighborhood meetings,
feedback from service and maintenance
providers, cost evaluation, and traffic calming
device implementation. Six months after
implementation the device would be evaluated
for effectiveness.
• For land use proposals, in addition to assessing
impacts to the entire transportation network,
traffic studies for new developments must
also assess impacts to residential streets. A
recommended threshold to determine if this
additional analysis is needed is if the proposed
project increases through traffic on residential
streets by 40 or more vehicles during the
evening peak hour or 200 vehicles per day.
Once the analysis is performed, the threshold
used to determine if residential streets are
impacted would be if their daily traffic volume
exceeds 1,800 vehicles.
ACTION: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT
CITY DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT
A NTM PROGRAM THAT FORMALIZES
THESE PROCESSES.
Photo Credit: Ben Franklin TransitPage 279 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 63IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
UPDATE VEHICLE MOBILITY STANDARDS
Mobility standards for streets and intersections in
Pasco provide a metric for assessing the impacts
of new development on the existing transportation
system and for identifying where capacity
improvements may be needed. They are the basis
for requiring improvements needed to sustain the
transportation system as growth and development
occur. Two common methods currently used in
Oregon to gauge traffic operations for motor
vehicles are volume-to-capacity (v/c) ratios and
level of service (LOS). For State facilities, mobility
targets are v/c ratio based.
The City of Pasco does not have adopted mobility
standards for motor vehicles. It is recommended
that the city consider adopting mobility standards
to include both a v/c ratio and LOS standard.
Having both a LOS (delay-based) and v/c
(congestion-based) standard can be helpful in
situations where one metric may not be enough,
such as an all-way stop where one approach is
over capacity, but the overall intersection delay
meets standards. The City of Pasco should also
introduce mobility standards that depend on the
intersection control which can better capture
acceptable levels of performance across different
intersection control types. The recommended
mobility standards shown in Table 18 should be
incorporated into the Traffic Impact Analysis
guidelines and applied for the next update to the
comprehensive plan.
TABLE 18. RECOMMENDED VEHICLE MOBILITY STANDARDS FOR LOCAL STREETS
TRAFFIC CONTROL TYPE MOBILITY TARGETS REPORTING MEASURE
SIGNALIZED Level of Service D and
Volume-to-Capacity Ratio ≤0.90 Intersection
ALL-WAY STOP OR ROUNDABOUTS
Level of Service D and
Volume-to-Capacity Ratio ≤0.90 Worst Approach
TWO-WAY STOP A Level of Service E and
Volume-to-Capacity Ratio ≤0.95
Worst Major Approach/
Worst Minor Approach
WSDOT INTERSECTIONS Level of Service D Intersection or Worst Approach
depending on control type
A Applies to approaches that serve more than 20 vehicles per hour; below that amount, there is no standard.
ACTION: AMEND CITY DEVELOPMENT
CODE TO INTRODUCE VEHICLE
MOBILITY STANDARDS ON CITY
STREETS CONSISTENT WITH THE TSMP.Page 280 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 64IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
UPDATE ENGINEERING
ROADWAY STANDARDS
The City Engineer maintains the recommended
design standards for all city-maintained facilities,
which include roadway, bikeway, walkway and
trail cross-sections. The configurations of several
elements of these facilities were modified during
the TSMP process, primarily to provide better
quality bicycling and walking facilities on lower
class roadways. The specific facility cross-sections
and new right-of-way requirements should be
incorporated into the city’s design standards
to guide construction of future street
improvement projects.
MUNICIPAL CODE REVISIONS
AND AMENDMENTS
A variety of changes and amendments were
recommended that influence the city’s municipal
code as it relates to streets and sidewalks,
subdivisions regulations and zoning. The
city council should take action to modify the
appropriate sections of the code to address
these amendments, as stipulated in a
memorandum (Angelo Planning Group,
20 Aug 2021) and summarized below:
1. Title 12 Streets and Sidewalks:
a. Increase minimum sidewalk width in
residential and mix-used areas
b. Update driveway design standards to be
consistent with current best practices
c. Implement Complete Street guidelines and
clear and objective minimum standards
d. Add a fee-in-lieu provision for roadway
improvements
2. Title 21 Pasco Urban Area
Subdivision Regulations:
a. Require a future street plan with proposed
subdivision to demonstrate how it will
accommodate future street extensions
b. Amend arterial minimum standards
consistent with the TSMP
c. Amend collector minimum standards
consistent with the TSMP
d. Amend local access roadway minimum
standards consistent with the TSMP
e. Provide guidance for constrained roadway
designs to enable connectivity in challenging
topographical or environmental situations.
f. Require pedestrian ways in areas of
exceptionally long blocks or for access to
recreational facilities or schools.
3. Title 25 Zoning:
a. Require safe connections on all non-single-
family residential development sites to:
main building entries, adjacent streets and
sidewalks, transit stops, and adjacent uses
such as schools and parks
b. Reduce minimum off-street parking standards
and consider maximums
c. Establish bike parking standards
d. Codify recommended TSMP access
management spacing standards to better
manage driveway construction
e. Require safe and direct pedestrian
connections to existing and planning
transit stops.
f. Permit transit supportive uses outright in
commercial and institutional zones.
ACTION: AMEND THE CITY DESIGN
STANDARDS TO INCLUDE THE MINIMUM
STANDARDS FOR ARTERIAL, COLLECTOR,
AND LOCAL ACCESS ROADWAYS AS
DESCRIBED IN THE TSMP. Page 281 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN 65IMPLEMENTATION AND ON-GOING STRATEGIES
This is the first Transportation System Master Plan
that has been prepared by the City of Pasco.
As noted earlier in this section, to fully realize
the vision of this TSMP to be “a safe and
balanced multimodal transportation system which
equitability serves pedestrians, bicyclists, transit,
freight and drivers” will require several regulatory
and administrative changes to be made by the city.
Once these changes have been implemented,
the shape and amenities of new transportation
projects will more readily support these objectives.
However, as with any long-range planning
process, the TSMP should be reviewed and
updated periodically to address any unanticipated
major changes that could significantly influence
the land development patterns or the local
transportation system. Examples of possible
issues that trigger a review might include new
state and federal transportation regulations
and funding priorities, or significant changes
to the city or regional growth forecasts that are
associated with comprehensive plan updates,
or major urban growth area adjustments.
Aside from these types of triggering events,
it is recommended that the TSMP be reviewed
every five to 10 years to update the growth
and funding assumptions that were made
in this plan. The update process should align
with the requirements stipulated in the Growth
Management Act for transportation elements
(RCW 36.70A.070, subsection 6).
On-Going Plan Review and Updates
Page 282 of 480
JUNE 2022
CITY OF PASCO
Transportation
System Master Plan
Appendices
Page 283 of 480
Appendix A
Page 284 of 480
These are the results of the online survey in June and
July of 2020. The Pasco community provided a total of
225 responses and we summarized the information below.
THE PASCO COMMUNITY
• 74% of respondents live in Pasco
• 54% of respondents work in Pasco
• 10% of respondents attend school in Pasco
0 20 40 60 80 100
Under 18 years
19-25 years
26-64 years
65 years or older
Percentage of Respondents
How old are you?
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
<1 Year
1-5 Years
5-10 Years
10-20 Years
20+ Years
Percentage of Respondents
How long have you lived in the City of Pasco?
Page 285 of 480
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
<1 Year
1-5 Years
5-10 Years
10-20 Years
20+ Years
Percentage of Respondents
How long have you worked in the City of Pasco?
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Car/Truck (by yourself)
Carpool?
Uber/Lyft?
Bus?
Bicycle?
Walking?
Scooters?
Other?
How Often do you travel by...
Daily
Weekly
Weekends only
Once a month, or less
Never
Page 286 of 480
WALKING
Where residents of Pasco note issues with sidewalks:
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
I disagree
I agree
Percentage of Respondents
I can easily walk to most destinations in my
neighborhood.
0 5 10 15 20 25
I disagree
I agree
Percentage of Respondents
Crosswalks are provided wherever I want to cross the
street.
Page 287 of 480
Transportation System Accessibility
0 5 10 15 20
I disagree
I agree
Percentage of Respondents
I feel safe and comfortable biking in my neighborhood.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
I disagree
I agree
Percentage of Respondents
Most places I need to visit each day (shopping, dining,
parks, etc.) are available within my neighborhood.
Page 288 of 480
0%20%40%60%80%100%
A doctor or medical…
A grocery store
Restaurants or food
Parks or recreation
My employer
A bus stop
I can reach...
With a 15 minute (or less)
walk
With a 15 minute (or less)
bike ride
With a 15 minute (or less)
drive
0 5 10 15 20 25
Parks
Schools
Shopping
Recreation
Restaurants
Jobs
Other
Percentage of Respondents
I would like improved access to:
Page 289 of 480
Appendix B
Page 290 of 480
SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING PERFORMANCE
DATE: May 18, 2020
TO: Dan Ford, Jacob Gonzalez | City of Paso
FROM: Rochelle Starrett, Carl Springer, Aaron Berger | DKS Associates
SUBJECT: Pasco Transportation System Master Plan
Task 3: System Inventory and Existing Conditions
Project #19209-000
BACKGROUND
The City of Pasco is developing its first transportation system master plan (TSMP) which
includes a baseline for measuring transportation system conditions. This memorandum
provides an overview of the transportation system performance which includes a deta iled
review of operating characteristics for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and drivers. This
analysis focuses on arterial and collector roadways within Pasco’s Urban Growth Area (UGA).
Study intersections were identified in coordination with the City of Pasco and are listed
below and mapped in Figure 1. Note that only some locations were analyzed for both
weekday AM and PM peak period conditions.
AM/PM Study Intersection Locations
1. Broadmoor Blvd & I-182 WB Ramps
2. Broadmoor Blvd & I-182 EB Ramps
3. Road 68 & I-182 WB Ramps
4. Road 68 & I-182 EB Ramps
5. US 395/Morasch Ln & Argent Rd
6. US 395 SB Ramps & Court St
7. US 395 NB Ramps & Court St
8. US 395 NB Ramps & Sylvester St
9. 20th Ave & I-182 WB Ramps
10. 20th Ave & I-182 EB Ramps
11. 4th Ave & I-182 WB Ramps
12. 4th Ave & I-182 EB Ramps
13. Foster Wells Rd & US 395
14. US 395 SB Ramps/Rainier Ave &
Kartchner St
15. US 395 NB Ramps/Commercial Ave &
Kartchner St
16. Hwy 12 SB Ramps & Heritage
Blvd/Pasco Kahlotus Rd
17. Hwy 12 NB Ramps & Heritage
Blvd/Pasco Kahlotus Rd
18. Hwy 12 & A St
19. Road 68 & Burden
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 2
PM Only Study Intersection Locations
20. Broadmoor Blvd & Burns Rd
21. Broadmoor Blvd & Sandifur Pkwy
22. Broadmoor Blvd & Chapel Hill Blvd
23. Broadmoor Blvd/Road 100 & Argent Rd
24. Road 84 & Argent Rd
25. Road 84 & Court St
26. Road 68 & Powerline Rd
27. Road 68 & Sandifur Pkwy
28. Road 68 & Chapel Hill Blvd
29. Road 68 & Argent Rd
30. Road 68 & Court St
31. Road 60 & Court St
32. Madison Ave & Burden Blvd
33. Road 44 & Argent Rd
34. 20th Ave & Argent Rd
35. 20th Ave & Court St
36. 20th Ave & Sylvester St
37. 20th Ave & Lewis St
38. 10th Ave & Sylvester St
39. 10th Ave & Lewis St
40. 10th Ave & A St
41. 10th Ave & Ainsworth St
42. 4th Ave & Court St
43. 4th Ave & Sylvester St
44. 4th Ave & Lewis St
45. 4th Ave & A St
46. 4th Ave & Ainsworth St
47. Oregon Ave & Lewis St
48. Oregon Ave & A St
49. Oregon Ave & Ainsworth St
50. Heritage Blvd & Lewis St/Avery Ave
51. Heritage Blvd & A St
52. Cedar Ave & Lewis St
FIGURE 1. PASCO TSMP STUDY INTERSECTIONS
ANALYSIS METHODS USED
The system performance evaluation applied several technical methods consistent with
transportation planning practices. The following section describes the methods used and
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 3
they are consistent with the Street Light Analysis Approach Memo, the Traffic Forecast
Methodology Memorandum, national guidance, and best practice.
SAFETY ANALYSIS
Crash data for the last five years (2014-2018) was obtained from WSDOT to analyze crash
trends within the City of Pasco1. This data was used to flag typical crash patterns (e.g. crash
type, severity, underlying factors) and screen the transportation system for corridors and
intersections with high crash rates. Crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists were also
flagged for separate evaluation. Results of this analysis are documented in the Traffic Safety
Assessment, provided in the appendix.
SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY ANALYSIS
Pasco’s existing road network and functional classification was reviewed to identify
transportation barriers and other missing elements of Pasco’s existing transportation
system. Pasco does not have spacing standards for different street types, so syst em
connectivity was assessed using a 1-mile spacing standard for arterial roadways and a ½-
mile spacing standard for collectors. Connections for both pedestrians and bicyclists should
be provided more frequently to promote walkability and bikeability. Bicy cle and pedestrian
connectivity gaps were identified when existing block lengths along arterial or collector
roadways exceeded 500 feet. The gap analysis was used to identify corridors and areas that
lack critical bicycle or pedestrian connections.
STREET LIGHT ANALYSIS
Street Light data uses GPS traces from personal devices (e.g. cell phones) or other location-
based services to infer travel patterns. The personal identity of the user is kept anonymous
at all times. The data is used as a sample to represent patterns and trends for all types of
travel around the City. Additional details on the Street Light analysis are provided in the
Street Light Analysis Approach Memo.
Each Street Light analysis was set up to consider an entire year of available data (typ ically
2019) which can provide a clearer picture of typical travel patterns. Trip metrics (e.g. trip
length or distance) and traveler attributes (e.g. trip purpose or income) were also evaluated
in conjunction with different analyses to provide additional insights to travel behavior.
Existing data, such as freight volumes from WSDOT, was also used to calibrate the
estimated Street Light freight volumes.
1 Crash data provided from the 2020 City Safety Program:
https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/LocalPrograms/Traffic/CitySafetyProgram
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 4
OPERATIONS ANALYSIS
Traffic operations at study intersections were reported using Synchro 10 and HCM 6th
Edition Methodology based on recent traffic counts and new counts collected December
2019 and January 2020. Since traffic counts are typically lower during the winter, these
counts were factored to represent average traffic conditions in Pasco. Specific m ethods used
for seasonal factoring and adjusting traffic counts are summarized in the Traffic Forecast
Methodology Memorandum. Intersection geometry and traffic control types were collected
using Google Maps/Streetview and field verified, if necessary. Tra ffic signal timings were
provided by both the City of Pasco and WSDOT.
Signalized intersection v/c ratios were post-processed at signalized intersections based on
HCM 6th Edition Chapter 192. If HCM 6th Edition results could not be reported for signals, v/c
ratios were reported using HCM 2000. Mainline through movement v/c ratios were post -
processed at unsignalized intersections consistent with the Highway Capacity Manual 3.
Planning mobility targets for all study intersections utilize a LOS D standard for all arterial
and collector roadways, consistent with state transportation plans and adopted regional
standards4.
EXISTING TRANSPORTATION CONDITIONS
EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY
ROADWAY SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY
Pasco’s existing roadway network is arranged largely on a grid system which establishes a
system of arterial and collector streets. Within Pasco’s older downtown core (generally
between US 395 and Oregon Avenue, south of I -182), the existing functional classification
system establishes a traditional urban arterial and collector street system that adheres to
the recommended spacing standards, seen below in Figure 2. Existing arterials in the
downtown core also distribute traffic to and from existing interchanges along US 395 and I-
182.
The roadway system in areas of Pasco outside the downtown core have more limited
opportunities for developing an arterial and collector street system. The existing road
network is constrained by post-1980s suburban-style residential developments (including
new subdivisions north of I-182 and developments that remain within Franklin County south
2 TRB. Highway Capacity Manual, 6th Ed., Ch. 19 Signalized Intersections. 2016.
3 TRB. Highway Capacity Manual, 6th Ed., Ch. 20 Two-Way Stop-Controlled Intersections.
2016.
4 City of Pasco. 2018 to 2038 Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies. 2020.
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 5
of I-182). The recent development in Pasco have a markedly different development style,
seen below in Figure 2, which includes longer block lengths and limited access points.
Limited crossing opportunities for I-182, the Pasco airport, and other geographical features
(e.g. the Franklin County Irrigation Canal) also constrain the existing roadway network
within Pasco.
FIGURE 2. LOCATION OF RESIDENTIAL UNITS CONSTRUCTED EACH DECADE IN CITY OF PASCO
The constraints to circulation and access affect the City’s ability to provide convenient and
safe services for all travelers. Through this plan update process, there are opportunities to
address these system weaknesses. The first is through re-classifying roadways to better
represent that scale and character of facilities for a given area. A s new streets are built and
existing streets are upgraded to match revised standards, those improvements will better
align with what is important for residents and businesses alike. However, the long blocks
and sealed off neighborhoods that are borderd by the arterial and collector network will
remain, particularly in recently developed areas and across I-182. Housing construction in
Pasco has built approximately 11,000 units over the past 20 years (see Figure 3). As the
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 6
City continues to grow, it will be important to consider how system connectivity could be
enhanced, especially in the new neighborhoods, to achieve the City’s community values.
FIGURE 3. TOTAL NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL UNITS CONSTRUCTED IN CITY OF PASCO BY DECADE
MULTIMODAL SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY
The same development patterns also limit connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists who
depend on more frequent system spacing. Key facility gaps were identified when the
distance between local streets or existing trails exceeded 500’ on arterial and collector
roadways. Since these gaps occur more frequently than for the arterial and collector street
system, the gap analysis was used to flag arterial and collector segments with several
facility gaps. The following arterial and collector corridors (adjacent to existing
developments) were identified as segments with poor pedestrian or bicyclist accessibility:
● Court Street (Road 44 to Road 108)
● Wernett Road (Road 48 to Road 76)
● Argent Road (Road 48 to Road 100)
● Chapel Hill Boulevard (Road 68 to Road 100)
● Burden Boulevard (Road 36 to Road 60)
● Sandifur Parkway (Porto Lane to Road 90)
● Road 44 (Laredo Drive to Porto Lane)
● Burns Road (Road 68 to Road 100; Dent Road to Kohler Road)
● Clark Road (Road 36 to Lentz Road/Janet Street)
● Road 100/I-182 overpass
● Road 68/I-182 overpass
Areas within Franklin County, south of I-182, also have limited local street connectivity
which further limits the existing multimodal transportation system in these areas. Figure 4,
below, shows identified corridors and areas with limited multimodal access.
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 7
FIGURE 4. MULTIMODAL SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY CONSTRAINTS
The multimodal system connectivity assessment did not consider existing crossing
opportunities for arterial or collector roadways which can further limit the connectivity of a
multimodal transportation system. Limited crossing opportunities exist on 20th Avenue
between Argent Road and I-182, which divides existing student housing from the Columbia
Basin Community College Campus. Other arterial and collector roadways within Pasco are
also expected to provide limited crossing opportunities for multimodal system users.
EXISTING TRAVEL PATTERNS (PER STREET LIGHT DATA FINDINGS)
BRIDGE TRAVEL
Travel on the Columbia and Snake River Bridges between Pasco and the Tri -Cities is tied to
the geographic location of each regional trip’s origin or destination. The US 12 Bridge serves
travel between Pasco, the eastern Tri-Cities, and other destinations to the east. The Blue
Bridge/US 395 Bridge and WA-397 Bridge primarily serve travel between Pasco (especially
the largely residential areas near these bridges), Kennewick, and eastern Richland.
However, the Blue Bridge/US 395 Bridge also serves regional traffic between US 395 north
of Pasco and I-82 south of Pasco which accounts for 4% of this bridge’s AADT. The I-182
Bridges serve travel between Pasco, Hanford, Richland, western Kennewick, and West
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 8
Richland. Within Pasco, the I-182 Bridges serve residential zones within western Pasco and
the Road 68 commercial core. The I-182 Bridges also serve regional traffic to I-82 west of
the Tri-Cities which accounts for 2% of these bridges’ AADT.
Traffic within the Tri-Cities region primarily uses the I-182 Bridges, the Blue Bridge/US 395
Bridge, and the WA-397 Bridge. The great majority of trips on all three Columbia River
bridges are less than 30 miles in length, 65% of trips on the I-182 Bridges, 78% of trips on
the Blue Bridge/US 395 Bridge, and 75% of trips on the WA-397 Bridge. Conversely, the
vehicle trips are longest on the US 12 Bridge where only 38% of trips are less than 30 miles
and 9% of trips are longer than 100 miles. The distribution of trip lengths for each bridge is
below in Figure 5.
FIGURE 5. VEHICLE TRIPS LENGTH CROSSING RIVER BRIDGES (% of Total Bridge Trips, StreetLight
Data)
FREIGHT TRAVEL
Freight transportation plays a significant role in Pasco’s economy and serves trips between
the Columbia River Basin agricultural region and other major cities within the Pacific
Northwest, including Seattle, Portland, Spokane, Moses Lake, and Walla Walla. Freight is
concentrated on Pasco's highway system which is primarily accessed at the following
interchanges/intersections:
● US 395/Kartchner Street interchange
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 9
● US 12/Lewis Street interchange
● US 12/Sacajawea Park intersection
● US 395/Oregon Avenue interchange
Freight traffic on local roadways is concentrated in eastern Pasco, adjacent to major
industrial centers, including Kartchner Street, Ainsworth Street, Oregon Avenue, Heritage
Boulevard, A Street, Lewis Street, and Sacajawea Park Road. Freight traffic on the bridges
over the Columbia and Snake Rivers ranges from 6 -20%. Figure 6 summarizes freight
activity within Pasco.
FIGURE 6. FREIGHT TRAVEL PATTERNS IN PASCO (Source: StreetLight Data)
Although the distribution of freight traffic for Pasco remains similar throughout the year, the
total volume of freight traffic increases during summer and early fall months, as seen in
Figure 7. Freight traffic peaks in the spring and summer months (April to September) where
it is 7-8% above average; the months of June, August, and September have the highest
freight traffic. Freight traffic is lower in the fall and winter months (October to March) where
it is 6-10% below average. The seasonal variation in freight volumes mirrors the growing
and harvest season within the Columbia River Basin which suggests the importance of
regional agriculture for Pasco’s economy.
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 10
FIGURE 7. SEASONAL VARIATION IN FREIGHT TRAFFIC FOR PASCO (Source: StreetLight Data)
COMMUTE PATTERNS
Street Light data can also infer trip purpose using a device’s identified “home” or “work”
location. Inferred home-based work trips that begin in Pasco during the AM peak (6-10 AM)
were used to understand typical commute trends for residents of Pasco. Since Street Light
flags “home” and “work” locations based on where a device typically spends daylight o r
evening hours, this data set does count students travelling to school or overnight shift
works in Pasco who travel home during the AM peak as home-based work trips. Street Light
data estimates about 50% of Pasco’s residents have local jobs within Pasco for work which
is twice the percentage estimated by the US Census (25%)5. The top Pasco employers
include the following:
● Downtown Pasco area businesses
● Chiawana High School (including students)
● Industrial businesses in eastern Pasco
● Commercial businesses along US 395
Within the Tri-Cities region, other major employment destinations include the cities of
Kennewick, Richland, and the Hanford Nuclear Site. Commute patterns for Pasco residents
on the Columbia River bridges mirror these destinations. 26% of com mute trips to jobs
outside of Pasco use the I-182 Bridges to access jobs in Richland, Kennewick, and the
Hanford site while 16% of commute trips use the Blue Bridge/US 395 Bridge, primarily to
access jobs within Kennewick or Richland. Existing commute patterns are summarized in
5 US Census On the Map. Work Destination Report – Home Selection Area to Work Places.
https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/cgi-
bin/report.py?mode=serve_page&t=otm_23e9532e0d994c57afb714237fd6325d&download
=false&format=pdf Accessed. May 11, 2020.
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 11
Figure 8. These numbers were estimated using a full year of observed Street Light data, so
high school or community college students are also captured within this commute data.
Residents of West Pasco (west of US 395 or north of I-182) are more likely to travel outside
of Pasco for work, and more West Pasco residents travel to Hanford, Richland, West
Richland, and Kennewick/Richland than East Pasco residents. Conversely, resident s of East
Pasco who travel outside of Pasco for work are more likely to be employed in Kennewick or
the eastern Tri-Cities area than residents of West Pasco. Within Pasco, employment is also
geographically concentrated; residents are more likely to be empl oyed near their home. A
higher percentage of residents of East Pasco work at the industrial businesses of east Pasco
compared to residents of West Pasco.
FIGURE 8. COMMUTE PATTERNS FOR PASCO RESIDENTS (Source: Street Light
Data)
Commuters from the Tri-Cities region who are employed in Pasco tend to live in Kennewick
(13% of Pasco workers) or in the western Kennewick/eastern Richland area (16% of Pasco
workers). 5% of workers commute from Richland and 6% of workers commute from West
Richland. Residents of Pasco who stay within Pasco fork work tend to live south of I-182
although some of Pasco’s workers do live in the newer residential developments around the
Road 68 commercial core.
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 12
EXISTING TRANSIT SERVICES
Local transit services are provided by Ben Fran klin Transit which operates 8 fixed route bus
services within Pasco, including:
● Route 64: Pasco A Street
● Route 65: Pasco Lewis
● Route 66 & Route 67: Pasco Sylvester & Pasco Sandifur
● Route 150: Pasco / Kennewick
● Route 160 / Kennewick
● Route 225: Pasco / Richland
● Route 268: Pasco / Richland
Weekday service is typically provided between 5:45 AM and 8:15 PM on all routes with half
hour headways. Select routes run until 10:15 PM on weekdays, including inter -city routes to
both Kennewick and Richland. Service is similar on most routes for Saturday although
service does not start until 6:45. Transit service ends an hour earlier on Saturdays for
Routes 64 and 160, and Route 268 does not provide Saturday Service. No transit services
are available on Sunday. Ben Franklin Transit operates service for Pasco to and from the
22nd Avenue Transit Center which facilitates transfers between routes. Riders can currently
park at both the 22nd Avenue Transit Center and the HAPO Event Center.
FIGURE 9. BEN FRANKLIN TRANSIT ROUTES
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 13
Ben Franklin Transit also operates Dial-A-Ride service for individuals with a disability
between 6 AM and 10 PM Monday to Friday and between 7 AM and 10 PM on Saturday.
Vanpool services are also available for commuters travelling to Pendleto n, Walla Walla,
Connell, Patterson, and the Hanford Nuclear Site.
EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Most study intersections on WSDOT facilities currently operate within their mobility target
during the morning peak period, including all US highway or interstate ramp terminals
within Pasco. Two study intersections exceed their mobility target during the AM peak: US
12/E A Street and US 395/Foster Wells Road. These intersections are two at -grade
intersections on US highways within Pasco, and the intersection of US 12/E A Street has
previously been identified as a future interchange. The intersection of Road 68/Burden
Boulevard, under the City of Pasco’s jurisdiction, also has major delays during the AM peak.
Existing Weekday AM Peak Hour intersection operations is summarized below in Table 1.
TABLE 1: EXISTING WEEKDAY AM PEAK HOUR WEEKDAY INTERSECTION
OPERATIONS
# CONTROL INTERSECTION LEVEL OF
SERVICE*
DELAY
(SECONDS
PER VEHICLE)
VOLUME TO
CAPACITY
RATIO
1 Signal Road 100 & I 182 WB On Ramp/I 182
WB On/Off Ramp
B 16 0.40
2 Signal Road 100 & I 182 EB Off Ramp/I 182
EB On Ramp
B 17 0.68
3 Signal Road 68 & I 182 WB On/Off Ramp/I
182 WB On Ramp
B 16 0.84
4 Signal Road 68 & I 182 EB On/Off Ramp/I 182
EB On Ramp
A 7 0.50
5 Signal US 395 On/Off Ramp/Morasch Ln &
Argent Rd
B 13 0.44
6 Signal US 395 SB On Ramp/US 395 SB On/Off
Ramp & Court St
A 9 0.48
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 14
7 Signal US 395 NB Off Ramp/US 395 NB On
Ramp & Court St
B 12 0.74
8 TWSC Sylvester St & US 395 NB Off Ramp A/C 0/15 0.26/0.46
9 Signal 20th Ave & I 182 WB On Ramp/I 182
WB Off Ramp
B 14 0.72
10 Signal 20th Ave & I 182 EB On/Off Ramp B 18 0.68
11 Signal 4th Ave & US 395 WB On/Off Ramp B 10 0.44
12 Signal 4th Ave & US 395 EB On/Off Ramp B 20 0.75
13 TWSC US 395 & Foster Wells Rd A/F 10/54 0.23/0.22
14 TWSC Rainier Ave/US 395 SB On/Off Ramp &
Kartchner St
A/C 9/21 0.16/0.19
15 TWSC Commercial Ave/US 395 NB On/Off
Ramp & Kartchner St
A/D 8/33 0.06/0.5
16 TWSC Hwy 12 EB On/Off Ramp & Lewis St &
Hwy 12 EB Off Ramp
A/C 10/22 0.29/0.63
17 TWSC Hwy 12 WB Off Ramp/Hwy 12 WB
On/Off Ramp & Lewis St
A/B 9/14 0.31/0.18
18 TWSC Hwy 12 & E A St B/F 11/129 0.25/0.89
19 Signal Road 68 & Burden Blvd D 52 0.87
*Shaded values indicate an intersection that exceeds its mobility target
During the Weekday PM peak period, WSDOT study locations, including freeway ramp
terminals, handle the bulk of traffic; these locations tend to have the most severe
operational issues, while most local street intersections currently operate with tolerable
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 15
congestion, as defined by their mobility target. The few ramp terminals that have severe
congestion are either two-way stop control (TWSC) or at-grade intersections which have
high side street delay. The intersections of US 12/E A Street and Rainier Ave & US 395 SB
Ramps/Kartchner Street both currently operate over-capacity on their minor street
approach with excessive vehicle delays. During the PM peak, the traffic signals at I-182 WB
Ramps/Road 68 and 4th Ave/US 395 WB Ramps also both exceed their mobility targets.
Most City streets operate well within their mobility target during the PM peak. Only the
intersection of Road 68/Burden Bouleva rd exceeds its mobility target during the PM peak.
PM peak vehicle operations for all study intersections are summarized below in Table 2.
TABLE 2: EXISTING WEEKDAY PM PEAK HOUR INTERSECTION OPERATIONS
# CONTROL INTERSECTION LEVEL OF
SERVICE*
DELAY
(SECONDS
PER VEHICLE)
VOLUME TO
CAPACITY
RATIO
1 Signal Road 100 & I 182 WB On Ramp/I 182
WB On/Off Ramp
A 9 0.72
2 Signal Road 100 & I 182 EB Off Ramp/I 182
EB On Ramp
C 21 0.86
3 Signal Road 68 & I 182 WB On/Off Ramp/I
182 WB On Ramp
F 136 1.43
4 Signal Road 68 & I 182 EB On/Off Ramp/I
182 EB On Ramp
B 16 0.77
5 Signal US 395 On/Off Ramp/Morasch Ln &
Argent Rd
B 17 0.49
6 Signal US 395 SB On Ramp/US 395 SB
On/Off Ramp & Court St
A 10 0.54
7 Signal US 395 NB Off Ramp/US 395 NB On
Ramp & Court St
B 17 0.89
8 TWSC Sylvester St & US 395 NB Off Ramp A/E 0/38 0.23/0.82
9 Signal 20th Ave & I 182 WB On Ramp/I 182
WB Off Ramp
C 26 0.91
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 16
10 Signal 20th Ave & I 182 EB On/Off Ramp C 21 0.73
11 Signal 4th Ave & US 395 WB On/Off Ramp E 58 1.04
12 Signal 4th Ave & US 395 EB On/Off Ramp B 16 0.69
13 TWSC US 395 & Foster Wells Rd B/F 12/74 0.26/0.53
14 TWSC Rainier Ave/US 395 SB On/Off Ramp
& Kartchner St
B/F 11/363 0.38/1.51
15 TWSC Commercial Ave/US 395 NB On/Off
Ramp & Kartchner St
A/D 8/31 0.08/0.61
16 TWSC Hwy 12 EB On/Off Ramp & Lewis St &
Hwy 12 EB Off Ramp
A/B 8/11 0.28/0.18
17 TWSC Hwy 12 WB Off Ramp/Hwy 12 WB
On/Off Ramp & Lewis St
B/B 11/13 0.24/0.32
18 TWSC Hwy 12 & E A St B/F 14/1688 0.44/3.88
19 Signal Road 68 & Burden Blvd E 62 1.12
20 TWSC Road 100 & Dent Rd/Edelman Rd A/D 8/26 0.13/0.35
21 Signal Road 100 & Sandifur Parkway B 12 0.50
22 Signal Road 100 & Chapel Hill Rd C 21 0.69
23 TWSC Road 100 & Argent Road A/C 8/18 0.24/0.12
24 Signal Road 84 & Argent Road B 12 0.28
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 17
25 TWSC Court Street & Road 84 A/B 8/11 0.12/0.12
26 TWSC Road 68 & Edelman Road/Powerline
Rd
A/C 8/18 0.24/0.13
27 Signal Road 68 & Sandifur Pkwy C 22 0.70
28 Signal Road 68 & Chapel Hill Rd C 20 0.74
29 Signal Road 68 & Argent Road C 22 0.69
30 TWSC Road 68 & Court Street A/D 8/34 0.13/0.73
31 TWSC Road 60 & Court Street A/C 8/21 0.13/0.36
32 TWSC Madison Ave & Burden Blvd A/F 9/72 0.35/0.71
33 TWSC Argent Rd & Rd 44 A/B 0/15 0.17/0.47
34 Signal 20th Ave & Argent Rd B 20 0.66
35 Signal 20th Ave & Court St C 25 0.71
36 Signal 20th Ave & Sylvester St C 23 0.51
37 Signal 20th Ave & Lewis Street C 22 0.54
38 Signal 10th Ave & Sylvester St B 12 0.59
39 Signal 10th Ave & Lewis St C 22 0.45
40 Signal 10th Ave & A St B 17 0.36
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 18
41 Signal 10th Ave & Ainsworth St B 19 0.62
42 Signal 4th Ave & Court St B 19 0.70
43 Signal 4th Ave & Sylvester St A 8 0.24
44 Signal 4th Ave & W Lewis St B 14 0.56
45 Signal 4th Ave & A St A 5 0.29
46 TWSC 4th Ave & Ainsworth St A/A 8/9 0.29/0.02
47 Signal N Oregon Ave & E Lewis St B 17 0.43
48 Signal Oregon Ave/S Oregon Ave & E A St B 11 0.23
49 TWSC Oregon Ave & Ainsworth St A/C 8/17 0.12/0.41
50 TWSC Heritage Blvd & Lewis St & Avery Ave A/C 8/19 0.29/0.4
51 TWSC E A St & Heritage Blvd A/C 8/17 0.12/0.43
52 TWSC Cedar Ave & Lewis St A/C 9/24 0.15/0.48
*Shaded values indicate an intersection that exceeds its mobility target
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 19
KEY TRANSPORTATION ISSUES
The review of Pasco’s existing transportation system was used to identify key operational,
safety, and connectivity issues to inform an assessment of Pasco’s existing transportation
system. This review identified locations that had high levels of congestion during peak travel
hours, higher than expected crash rates, and barriers to safe and convenient travel for all
users.
Figure 10 shows a composite of our system performance findings for Pasco which will be
considered during the plan development. Detailed findings for each travel mode are also
summarized below.
FIGURE 10. PASCO’S EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CHALLENGES
PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS
● Limited system connectivity; key barriers include:
○ Highway crossings without pedestrian or bicycle facilit ies (e.g. Road 100,
Road 68)
○ Long blocks (up to 2,000 feet) without any pedestrian connections
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 20
○ Limited sidewalks and bike facilities, including along arterial and collector
roadways
○ Rural roadway standards which do not include multimodal facilities
● Corridors without adequate pedestrian or bicyclist connections, including:
○ Court Street (Road 44 to Road 108)
○ Wernett Road (Road 48 to Road 76)
○ Argent Road (Road 48 to Road 100)
○ Chapel Hill Boulevard (Road 68 to Road 100)
○ Burden Boulevard (Road 36 to Road 60)
○ Sandifur Parkway (Porto Lane to Road 90)
○ Road 44 (Laredo Drive to Porto Lane)
○ Burns Road (Road 68 to Road 100; Dent Road to Kohler Road)
○ Clark Road (Road 36 to Lentz Road/Janet Street)
● Limited crossing opportunities on high-speed roadways, outside of existing signals
● High crash risk
○ Over two hit and run crashes annually involve pedestrians
○ Nearly half of pedestrian crashes occurred at marked crosswalks
○ Over 60% of bicyclists crashes were caused by drivers failing to yield the right
of way when turning or crossing
TRANSIT
● Basic transit service
● Limited stop amenities
● Limited access from new residential developments to transit
● Limited, safe crossing opportunities near stops
● Limited existing park and ride locations
VEHICLES
● Limited system connectivity; key barriers include:
○ Long blocks (up to 2,000 feet) without any local street connections
○ Limited arterial or collector roadway access points for large residential
developments
○ I-182
○ Pasco Rail Yard
● Peak period intersection congestion near ramp terminals and at critical intersections
in Pasco, including at:
○ Road 100/I-182 Interchange
○ Road 68/I-182 Interchange
○ Road 68/Burden Boulevard
○ Road 68/Court Street
○ Madison Avenue/Burden Boulevard
○ Road 36/Argent Road
○ Road 44/Argent Road
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 21
○ 20th Avenue/ Court Street
○ 4th Avenue/I-182 WB ramp terminal
○ US 12/A Street
○ US 395 SB ramp terminal/Rainier Avenue/Kartchner Street
○ US 395/Foster Wells Road
● AM peak period congestion on Road 100 between the I-182 interchange and Argent
Road from Chiawana High School traffic
● Existing at-grade intersections on national highways, including US 12/A Street and
US 395/Foster Wells Road
● High access density without a center, two-way left turn lane on Court Street and
Sylvester Street
● Vehicle speeding
● Existing, multi-lane half street connections without striping to denote travel lanes
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PASCO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MASTER PLAN • SYSTEM INVENTORY AND EXISTING CONDITIONS • MAY 2020 22
APPENDIX
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TRAFFIC SAFETY ASSES SMENT
DATE: Feb 12, 2020
TO: Project Management Team | City of Pasco
FROM: Veronica Sullivan, Carl Springer | DKS Associates
SUBJECT: Pasco Transportation System Master Plan Project #19209-000
SUMMARY
Traffic safety was evaluated on major roadways within the City of Pasco. Collision data was
provided by WSDOT for the five-year period from 2014 to 20181. The study team identified the
following findings related the existing safety conditions:
• The most common collision types were rear-end and entering at angle crashes.
• 75% of rear-end crashes and 64% of all crashes occurred at intersections2.
• The five intersections with the highest crash rate were W Court St reet/ Road 68, Sylvester
Street/Road 28, Burden Boulevard/Road 68, 20th Avenue/ W Court Street and Sandifur
Parkway/ Road 68.
• The six roadway segments with highest crash rate accounted for 57% of all collisions within
the city were Burden Boulevard, 20th Avenue, Sylvester Street, Lewis Street, Road 68 and
Court Street.
• For most crashes, neither speeding nor alcohol/drug use were documented as significant
contributors, and only reported in less than 8% of all crashes.
1 Crash data provided from the 2020 City Safety Program:
https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/LocalPrograms/Traffic/CitySafetyProgram
2 Intersection related crash includes “at intersection and related”, “at intersection and not related” and
“intersection related but not at intersection”.
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2
• The most common driver errors reported were inattention, failed to yield right -of-way and
following too closely.
• 42% of pedestrian crashes involved a driver that reported inattention or field to yield right -
of way to pedestrian.
• 77% of bicycle crashes occurred at intersections and 54% involved a vehicle making a
turning movement.
Figure 1: Identified high crash rate intersections and roadway segments.
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TRAFFIC SAFETY ANALY SIS RESULTS
TREND S OVER LAST FIVE YEAR S
There were 3,984 total crashes reported (797 per year) within the City of Pasco on all roadway
facilities. The type, severity, and reported driver errors are summarized in the following discussion.
• 1159 rear-end crashes (29% of crashes)
• 1087 entering at angle crashes (27% of crashes)
• 54 pedestrian-related crashes (1.4% of crashes)
• 26 bicycle-related crashes (0.01% of crashes)
Crashes within the City of Pasco; over the past five years:
• 7 crashes resulted in fatalities
• 43 crashes resulted in serious injuries (Injury A)
• 72% of crashes are property damage only or lead to minor injuries (Injury C)
The most common driver errors are responsible for nearly 65 percent of all crashes including:
• 1019 Inattention (26%)
• 627 Did Not Yield Right-of-Way (16%)
• 561 Followed Too Closely (14%)
• 225 Improper Turn or U-turn (6%)
• 121 Disregard Stop and Go Light (3%)
Risky behavior, including alcohol/drug use or speeding was implicated in 141 and 175 crashes,
respectively. These crashes tend to be less severe; alcohol/drug use and speeding is involved in
64% and 80% of property damage only crashes.
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PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
54 crashes involved at least one pedestrian. Crashes were most common in along major arterials,
including W Court Street (13 crashes), W Sylvester Street (7 crashes) and W Lewis Street (5
crashes).
• About two-thirds (61%) of pedestrian-involved crashes occurred during daylight conditions.
• 22% (12 crashes) were caused by drivers failing to yield the right of way and 20% were caused
by driver inattention.
• 11 crashes were hit and run
• 26 crashes occurred at a marked crosswalk
• 16 crashes involved a ped crossing at an intersection with a signal
• 6 crashes involved a ped crossing at an intersection with no signal
BICYCLE SAFETY
26 crashes involved a bicyclist over the past five years.
• 77% of crashes occurred at an intersection.
• 2 crashes occurred at the intersections of W Argent Rd/ Road 100 and W Court St/Route 395
Northbound off ramps.
• 3 crashes occurred along these two segments: N 4th Ave and N 20th Ave.
• 54% of crashes involved a vehicle that was making a turning movement: 8 crashes making a
left turn and 6 crashes making a right turn.
• 5 crashes occurred in dark conditions, including one reported with no streetlights on. The
remaining crashes occurred during daylight conditions.
• 8 crashes reported the cyclist with “inattention” and 4 crashes where the cyclist did not grant
right-of-way to vehicle.
Most of the crashes involving a bicyclist were caused by drivers failing to yield the right of way
when turning or crossing (64 percent). The remaining crashes were caused by either a bicycle or
motorist failing to obey traffic control devices. All bicycle crashes occurred during the day.
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INTERSECTION SAFETY
52% of crashes occur at intersections and 27% of crashes were within 75 feet of a signalized
intersection. Table 1 shows the weighted crash rate based on crash severity and frequency.
TABLE 1 : INTERSECTIONS WITH H IGH CRASH RATES
* Weighted total is based on the severity of the crash = PDO+ 10(Possible Injury +Suspected Minor Injury) +
100*(Suspected Serious Injury).
3 Intersection Crash Rate Formula in Section 3.2.2:
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa1210/s3.cfm
# LOCATION
NO
APPARENT
INJURY
POSSIBLE
INJURY
SUSPECTED
MINOR
INJURY
SUSPECTED
SERIOUS
INJURY
GRAND
TOTAL
WEIGHTED
TOTAL *
APPROXIMATE
AADT
CRASH
RATE 3
1 W COURT ST
AND RD 68 20 13 3 0 36 180 9830 2.01
2 SYLVESTER ST
AND RD 28 28 9 1 1 39 228 14640 1.46
3 BURDEN BLVD
AND RD 68 77 22 2 2 103 517 48370 1.17
4 20TH AVE AND
W COURT ST 45 18 4 0 67 265 26990 1.36
5
SANDIFUR
PKWY AND RD
68 26 13 2 0 41 176 23070 0.97
6
BURDEN BLVD
AND
CONVENTION
PL
32 16 1 1 50 302 43960 0.62
7 W COURT ST
AND 26TH AVE 21 8 4 0 33 141 25340 0.71
8 RD 68 AND EB
RAMPS 55 13 2 0 70 205 42970 0.89
9 RD 68 AND WB
RAMPS 46 15 3 0 64 226 48260 0.73
10
BURDEN BLVD
AND CLEMENTE
LN 39 11 1 0 51 159 43560 0.64
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SEGMENT SAFETY
Six study segments were selected based on the number of crashes per mile, as summarized in Table 2 below. The combined number of
crashes for all six segments make up 57% of total crashes within the City of Pasco.
TABLE 2 : STUDY SEGMENTS CRASH DATA SUMMARY
4 Average AADT was an average of the volume collected from Pasco Tube Counts in 2018: https://data-cityofpasco.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/pasco-
tube-counts-2018
5 Crash rate was calculated using Section 3.2.1 Road Segment Rate Calculation: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa1210/s3.cfm
# STUDY
SEGMENT UNKNOWN
NO
APPARENT
INJURY
POSSIBLE
INJURY
SUSPECTED
MINOR
INJURY
SUSPECTED
SERIOUS
INJURY
DIED IN
HOSPITAL
GRAND
TOTAL PEDESTRIAN
CRASHES
BICYCLIST
CRASHES
APPROX.
STUDY
CORRIDOR
LENGTH IN
MILES
AVERAGE
AADT 4
CRASH
RATE 5
1 BURDEN
BLVD
0 253 67 6 4 0 330 1 0 0.48 9447 3987.64
2 20TH AVE 0 236 58 12 3 0 309 6 4 2.0 7046 1201.50
3 SYLVESTER
ST
6 177 61 13 4 1 262 7 0 4.12 3673 948.68
4 LEWIS ST 4 227 79 12 3 0 325 6 6 4.22 4828 874.06
5 RD 68 2 391 119 18 3 0 533 0 0 3.07 13687 695.05
6 COURT ST 5 373 126 25 2 0 531 11 2 6.68 6710 522.43 Page 318 of 480
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APPENDIX A – DETAILE D DIAGRAMS OF CRASH DATA
Figure 2: Heat Map of All Crashes within the City of Pasco.
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Figure 3: Location of Crashes Including Suspected Serious Injury and Fatality.
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Figure 4: Location of Pedestrian Crashes Based on Crash Severity.
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Figure 5: Location of Bicycle Crashes Based on Crash Severity.
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APPENDIX B - ADDITIONAL S AFETY ANALYSIS FOR COURT STREET AND SYLVESTER STREET
COURT ST
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Top 6 Crash types along the Corridor:
Reasons for Collison Type:
COLLISON TYPE NUMBER OF
CRASHES
ENTERING AT ANGLE 185
➢ DID NOT GRANT RW TO VEHICLE 66
➢ INATTENTION 50
➢ DISREGARD STOP AND G O LIGHT 19
➢ IMPROPER TURN 14
➢ DISREGARD STOP SIGN - FLASHING RED 8
➢ NONE 7
➢ OTHER 6
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Entering at angle
From same direction - both going straight - one stopped - rear-end
From opposite direction - one left turn - one straight
From same direction - both going straight - both moving - rear-end
From same direction - both going straight - both moving - sideswipe
Fixed object
Other
Crash Type
No Apparent Injury Possible Injury Suspected Minor Injury Suspected Serious Injury UnknownPage 325 of 480
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➢ EXCEEDING REAS. SAFE SPEED 5
➢ UNKNOWN DRIVER DISTR ACTION 5
➢ UNDER INFLUENCE OF A LCOHOL 1
➢ OTHER DRIVER DISTRAC TIONS INSIDE VEHICLE 1
➢ DRIVER DISTRACTIONS OUTSIDE VEHICLE 1
➢ DRIVER NOT DISTRACTE D 1
➢ IMPROPER BACKING 1
FROM SAME DIRECTION - BOTH GOING STRAIGH T - ONE STOPPED - REAR-END 126
➢ FOLLOW TOO CLOSELY 56
➢ INATTENTION 35
➢ OPERATING DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT 7
➢ OTHER 6
➢ NONE 5
➢ EXCEEDING REAS. SAFE SPEED 4
➢ DID NOT GRANT RW TO VEHICLE 2
➢ UNKNOWN DRIVER DISTR ACTION 2
➢ APPARENTLY ASLEEP 1
➢ DRIVER OPERATING HAN DHELD TELECOMMUNICAT 1
➢ DRIVER NOT DISTRACTE D 1
➢ APPARENTLY FATIGUED 1
➢ UNDER INFLUENCE OF A LCOHOL 1
➢ DRIVER DISTRACTIONS OUTSIDE VEHICLE 1
➢ DRIVER INTERACTING W ITH PASSENGERS, ANIM 1
➢ DRIVER OPERATING OTH ER ELECTRONIC DEVICE 1
➢ DRIVER READING OR WR ITING 1
FROM OPPOSITE DIRECT ION - ONE LEFT TURN - ONE STRAIGHT 65
➢ DID NOT GRANT RW TO VEHICLE 27
➢ IMPROPER TURN 12
➢ INATTENTION 10
➢ NONE 6
➢ OTHER 3
➢ UNDER INFLUENCE OF A LCOHOL 2 Page 326 of 480
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➢ DISREGARD STOP AND G O LIGHT 2
➢ DISREGARD YIELD SIGN - FLASHING YELLOW 2
➢ DISREGARD STOP SIGN - FLASHING RED 1
Other Crash Data:
Crash Distribution by Junction Type
At Intersection and Related
At Driveway
Not at Intersection and Not
Related
Intersection Related but Not at
Intersection
At Intersection and Not Related
At Driveway within Major
Intersection
Crash Distribution by Lighting Conditions
Daylight
Dark-Street Lights On
Dusk
Dark-No Street Lights
Dark-Street Lights Off
Dawn
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SYLVESTER ST
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Top 6 Crash types along the Sylvester Corridor:
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Entering at angle
From opposite direction - one left turn - one straight
From same direction - both going straight - one stopped - rear-end
Fixed object
From same direction - both going straight - both moving - rear-end
One parked--one moving
Other
Crash Type
No Apparent Injury Possible Injury Suspected Minor Injury Suspected Serious Injury Died in Hospital UnknownPage 330 of 480
PASCO TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN
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Crash Distribution by Junction Type
At Intersection and Related
Not at Intersection and Not Related
At Driveway
At Intersection and Not Related
Intersection Related but Not at Intersection
At Driveway within Major Intersection
Driveway Related but Not at Driveway
Crash Distribution by Lighting Conditions
Daylight
Dark-Street Lights On
Dusk
Dawn
Dark-No Street LightsPage 331 of 480
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HCM 6th TWSC
8: Sylvester St & US 395 NB Off Ramp 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing AM Synchro 10 Report
Page 8
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 4.8
Movement EBL EBT WBT WBR SBL SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
13: US 395 & Foster Wells Rd 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing AM Synchro 10 Report
Page 13
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 3.1
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
14: Rainier Ave/US 395 SB On/Off Ramp & Kartchner St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing AM Synchro 10 Report
Page 14
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 4.5
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
15: Commercial Ave/US 395 NB On/Off Ramp & Kartchner St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing AM Synchro 10 Report
Page 15
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 12.2
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
16: Hwy 12 EB On/Off Ramp & Lewis St & Hwy 12 EB Off Ramp 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing AM Synchro 10 Report
Page 16
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 7.7
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBR SEL SER
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HCM 6th TWSC
17: Hwy 12 WB Off Ramp/Hwy 12 WB On/Off Ramp & Lewis St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing AM Synchro 10 Report
Page 17
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 2.7
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
18: Hwy 12 & E A St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing AM Synchro 10 Report
Page 18
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 7.8
Movement EBL EBR NBL NBT SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
8: Sylvester St & US 395 NB Off Ramp 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 8
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 12.3
Movement EBL EBT WBT WBR SBL SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
13: US 395 & Foster Wells Rd 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 13
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 4.1
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
14: Rainier Ave/US 395 SB On/Off Ramp & Kartchner St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 14
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 45.2
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
15: Commercial Ave/US 395 NB On/Off Ramp & Kartchner St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 15
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 13
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
16: Hwy 12 EB On/Off Ramp & Lewis St & Hwy 12 EB Off Ramp 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 16
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 1.9
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBR SEL SER
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HCM 6th TWSC
17: Hwy 12 WB Off Ramp/Hwy 12 WB On/Off Ramp & Lewis St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 17
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 3.7
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
18: Hwy 12 & E A St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 18
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 51.2
Movement EBL EBR NBL NBT SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
20: Road 100 & Dent Rd/Edelman Rd 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 20
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 6.7
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
23: Road 100 & Argent Road 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 23
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 4.4
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
25: Court Street & Road 84 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 25
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 2.1
Movement EBL EBT WBT WBR SBL SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
26: Road 68 & Edelman Road/Powerline Rd 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 26
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 1.4
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
30: Road 68 & Court Street 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 30
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 10.5
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
31: Road 60 & Court Street 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 31
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 3
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
32: Madison Ave & Burden Blvd 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 32
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 7.4
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
33: Argent Rd & Rd 44 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 33
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 7.3
Movement EBL EBT WBT WBR SBL SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
46: 4th Ave & Ainsworth St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 46
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 0.2
Movement EBT EBR WBL WBT NBL NBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
49: Oregon Ave & Ainsworth St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 49
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 6.9
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
50: Heritage Blvd & Lewis St & Avery Ave 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 50
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 4.6
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
51: E A St & Heritage Blvd 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 51
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 4.5
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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HCM 6th TWSC
52: Cedar Ave & Lewis St 04/14/2020
04/14/2020 Existing PM Synchro 10 Report
Page 52
Intersection
Int Delay, s/veh 6.1
Movement EBL EBT EBR WBL WBT WBR NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR
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Appendix C
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FUTURE TRAFFIC FORECAST
DATE: September 2, 2020
TO: Pasco TSMP Project Team
FROM: Carl Springer, Aaron Berger | DKS Associates
SUBJECT: Pasco TSMP Task 4.2:
Technical Memo #4
Project #19209-000
The City of Pasco is developing its first transportation system master plan (TSMP). Future
forecasting is an important step in the transportation planning process and provides estimates of
future travel demand. This memorandum documents the Future No-Build 2040 results associated
with the travel demand model developed by Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCG) for
the Pasco area. The Pasco model was used to develop study intersection turn movement volumes
for the 2040 TSMP horizon year.
INTRODUCTION
This task considers how the City’s transportation system will perform with the expected travel
demand growth to 2040. The future baseline assessment will include any transportation
improvement projects that have committed funding available. The BFCG travel demand model will
be applied to forecast 2040 travel demands within the planning area, which was evaluated by the
consulting team to flag major degradations compared to today’s conditions. A summary of the
Pasco Travel Demand Model results is provided in the following sections, including a discussion of
the roadway network and land use assumptions included in the model.
FUTURE FORECASTS
Future 2040 PM traffic volumes at all study intersections were developed from the Benton-Franklin
Council of Governments (BFCG) regional travel demand model. The BFCG regional travel demand
model includes both existing (2015) and future (2040) model scenarios in TransCAD which formed
the basis of all future traffic analysis. This model provides a regional picture of growth and
transportation improvements identified as feasible and funded within the next 20 years which will
be used to identify and refine projects within Pasco for the TSMP.
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 1
FUTURE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK
Transportation improvements assumed in the BFCG 2040 Model include projects submitted by the
cities of Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, and WSDOT that are reasonably expected to
be complete by 2040 (i.e. financially constrained). Only new construction or projects that otherwise
change a roadway’s alignment or capacity in the RTP are included as network changes within the
BFCG 2040 model. Projects within Pasco include:
• Argent Road Improvements (Road 40 to 20th Avenue)
• Wrigley Drive Extension (Convention Drive to Clemente Lane)
• Chapel Hill Boulevard Extension (Road 84 to Road 68)
• Sandifur Parkway Improvements (Road 68 to Convention Drive)
• Road 68 Widening (I-182 to Argent Road)
• Burns Road Improvements/Extension (Road 52 to Pasco City Limits)
• Lewis Street Rail Yard Overpass
Other projects included in the 2040 BFCG model outside of Pasco are summarized in Transition
2040, the Tri-Cities Metropolitan Area Regional Transportation Plan1.
2040 TRAFFIC OPERATIONS ANALYSIS
The 2040 baseline analysis identifies how Pasco’s transportation system is expected to operate with
additional residents, businesses, and visitors. These conditions were assessed based on the
forecasted increase in trips generated by future transportation growth without any new
investments in the transportation infrastructure. This analysis describes where the transportation
system will perform satisfactorily and identifies areas that will likely be congested without
additional investments.
2040 NO BUILD TRANSPORATION SYSTEM OPERATIONS
Traffic operations (delay, LOS, and v/c) were analyzed for future (2040) conditions using Synchro.
The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 6th Edition methodology was used for signalized and
unsignalized intersection analyses, where possible; signalized intersection v/c ratios were post-
processed to obtain intersection v/c ratios. If HCM 6th Edition results cannot be reported due to
intersection geometry or other limitations, the capacity results were based on HCM 2000.
All intersections within the Pasco UGA were compared against the mobility targets identified by
WSDOT, the City of Pasco, or Franklin County. These agencies currently use a Level of Service
(LOS) D mobility standard which were applied at all study intersections as part of the TMP update.
1 Benton-Franklin Council of Governments. Transition 2040, Appendix F. 2018.
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 2
Study intersection operations were analyzed using the methodology outlined in the traffic analysis
and forecasting methodology memo2. Forecasted intersection operations were compared to
applicable agency mobility targets to identify where significant congestion is likely to occur. Figure
1 shows the study intersections that do not meet mobility targets for both AM and PM peak hour in
the 2040 no-build conditions. Also, Table 1 compares the existing and future no-build operational
Level of Service (LOS) results for the study intersections that do not meet mobility targets for AM
and PM peak periods. A complete listing of operating conditions (delay, LOS, and v/c) at study
intersections is provided in the appendix.
FIGURE 1: STUDY INTERSECTIONS THAT DO NOT MEET MOBILITY TARGETS FOR AM AND PM PEAK
PERIODS (2040 DESIGN HOUR CONDITIONS)
2 DKS Associates. Traffic Analysis & Forecasting Methodology memo . July, 2020.
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 3
TABLE 1: STUDY INTERSECTIONS THAT DO NOT MEET MOBILITY TARGET LEVEL OF SERVICE
(LOS) D FOR EXISTING AND FUTURE NO-BUILD (AM AND PM PEAK)
AM (LOS) PM (LOS)
# Study Intersection
Mobility
Target
(LOS)
Existing Future
No-Build Existing Future
No-Build
1 Road 100 & I 182 WB On Ramp/I
182 WB On/Off Ramp D B B A E
2 Road 100 & I 182 EB Off Ramp/I
182 EB On Ramp D B C B F
8 Sylvester St & US 395 NB Off Ramp D A/C A/C A/E A/F
11 4th Ave & US 395 WB On/Off Ramp D A B D
E
13 US 395 & Foster Wells Rd D A/F C/F B/F C/F
14 Rainier Ave/US 395 SB On/Off
Ramp & Kartchner St D A/C A/D B/F B/F
15 Commercial Ave/US 395 NB On/Off
Ramp & Kartchner St D A/D A/E A/D A/F
18 Hwy 12 & E A St D A/C A/E A/C A/F
19 Road 68 & Burden Blvd D E E E E
20 Road 100 & Dent Rd/Edelman Rd D A/C A/F
27 Road 68 & Sandifur Pkwy D C E
30 Road 68 & Court Street D A/D A/F
31 Road 60 & Court Street D A/C A/F
32 Madison Ave & Burden Blvd D A/F A/F
33 Argent Rd & Rd 44 D A/F B/F
52 Cedar Ave & Lewis St D A/C A/E
Overall, in comparison to the existing conditions, twice as many study intersections will not meet
the mobility targets in the 2040 future no-build conditions. In other words, if future improvements
are not made for the identified intersections that are currently operating less than LOS D, these
intersections will continue to operate at a substandard level and additional intersections will not
meet their mobility targets. For instance, the intersection of Road 68 and Burden Blvd reported
LOS E for AM and PM peak periods for existing conditions and the LOS results will continue for the
future no-build conditions. Also, the stop-controlled intersection of US 395 and Foster Wells Rd
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 4
experienced significant delays for AM and PM peak periods in both existing and future no-build
conditions, however there is a planned improvement project that may impact future operational
results3.
With regards to the future no-build results, of the 19 study intersections in the AM peak period,
four will not meet their respective mobility target during the 2040 design hour conditions. For the
PM peak period, 16 of the 52 study intersection will exceed the 2040 mobility target. The four
study intersections that are substandard under 2040 conditions for both AM and PM peak periods
include: US 395 and Foster Wells Rd, Commercial Ave/US 395 NB On/Off Ramp and Kartchner St,
Hwy 12 and E A St, and Road 68 and Burden Blvd. The majority of the study intersections that
exceed their mobility target are located near highway interchanges.
Significant corridors of concern for the future no-build operations include Rd 100 and Rd 68. Three
study intersections on both Rd 100 and Rd 68 will not meet the mobility targets during the 2040
design hour conditions. In particular, the intersection of Rd 68 and Court Street experience LOS
LOS A/F due to the side streets operating over capacity during the PM peak period.
Another area of concern for the future no-build conditions are located at ramp terminals. The ramp
terminals along Rd 100 and Kartchner St both experienced LOS E or F. Significant improvements
should be made at these ramp terminal locations or additional ramps terminals should be
considered to alleviate some of the traffic.
3 US 396 Safety Corridor Improvements visit: https://wsdot.wa.gov/projects/us395/safety-corridor/home
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 5
APPENDIX
Page 409 of 480
PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 6
TABLE 3: FUTURE NO-BUILD 2040 RESULTS FOR AM PEAK
Existing Future No-Build
# Study Intersection
Mobility
Target
(LOS)
Level of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
Level of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
1
Road 100 & I 182 WB
On Ramp/I 182 WB
On/Off Ramp
D B 14 0.40 B 19 0.69
2
Road 100 & I 182 EB Off
Ramp/I 182 EB On
Ramp
D B 15 0.68 C 35 0.98
3
Road 68 & I 182 WB
On/Off Ramp/I 182 WB
On Ramp
D A 8 0.69 A 6 0.71
4
Road 68 & I 182 EB
On/Off Ramp/I 182 EB
On Ramp
D A 7 0.47 A 6 0.61
5
US 395 On/Off
Ramp/Morasch Ln &
Argent Rd
D B 13 0.44 B 16 0.63
6
US 395 SB On Ramp/US
395 SB On/Off Ramp &
Court St
D A 7 0.43 A 8 0.50
7
US 395 NB Off Ramp/US
395 NB On Ramp &
Court St
D A 9 0.49 A 8 0.45
8 Sylvester St & US 395
NB Off Ramp D A/C 0/15 0.26/0.45 A/C 0/19 0.35/0.51
9
20th Ave & I 182 WB On
Ramp/I 182 WB Off
Ramp
D B 12 0.65 B 15 0.79
10 20th Ave & I 182 EB
On/Off Ramp D B 15 0.63 B 19 0.72
11 4th Ave & US 395 WB
On/Off Ramp D A 8 0.36 B 11 0.54
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 7
Existing Future No-Build
# Study Intersection
Mobility
Target
(LOS)
Level of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
Level of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
12 4th Ave & US 395 EB
On/Off Ramp D B 11 0.44 B 12 0.60
13 US 395 & Foster Wells
Rd D A/F 10/54 0.23/0.22 C/F 16/596 0.47/1.33
14
Rainier Ave/US 395 SB
On/Off Ramp &
Kartchner St
D A/C 9/21 0.16/0.19 A/D 9/29 0.16/0.32
15
Commercial Ave/US 395
NB On/Off Ramp &
Kartchner St
D A/D 8/33 0.06/0.5 A/E 8/45 0.06/0.6
16
Hwy 12 EB On/Off
Ramp & Lewis St & Hwy
12 EB Off Ramp
D A/C 10/22 0.29/0.63 A/D 10/27 0.29/0.73
17
Hwy 12 WB Off
Ramp/Hwy 12 WB
On/Off Ramp & Lewis St
D A/B 9/14 0.31/0.18 A/C 9/16 0.34/0.27
18 Hwy 12 & E A St D A/C 0/23 0.25/0.34 A/E 0/46 0.33/0.62
19 Road 68 & Burden Blvd D E 64 0.90 E 59 0.95
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 8
TABLE 4: FUTURE NO-BUILD 2040 RESULTS FOR PM PEAK
Existing Future No-Build
# Study Intersection
Mobility
Target
(LOS)
Level
of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
Level of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
1
Road 100 & I 182 WB On
Ramp/I 182 WB On/Off
Ramp
D A 9 0.72 E 77 1.25
2 Road 100 & I 182 EB Off
Ramp/I 182 EB On Ramp D B 19 0.86 F 125 1.24
3
Road 68 & I 182 WB
On/Off Ramp/I 182 WB
On Ramp
D B 15 0.97 A 9 0.88
4
Road 68 & I 182 EB
On/Off Ramp/I 182 EB On
Ramp
D C 24 0.76 C 25 0.83
5
US 395 On/Off
Ramp/Morasch Ln &
Argent Rd
D B 17 0.47 C 21 0.62
6
US 395 SB On Ramp/US
395 SB On/Off Ramp &
Court St
D A 8 0.44 A 9 0.53
7
US 395 NB Off Ramp/US
395 NB On Ramp & Court
St
D B 11 0.62 B 11 0.67
8 Sylvester St & US 395 NB
Off Ramp D A/E 0/38 0.23/0.82 A/F 0/97 0.31/1.06
9 20th Ave & I 182 WB On
Ramp/I 182 WB Off Ramp D B 18 0.82 C 22 0.86
10 20th Ave & I 182 EB
On/Off Ramp D B 13 0.54 B 13 0.58
11 4th Ave & US 395 WB
On/Off Ramp D D 42 0.82 E 60 0.94
12 4th Ave & US 395 EB
On/Off Ramp D B 11 0.55 B 13 0.62
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 9
Existing Future No-Build
# Study Intersection
Mobility
Target
(LOS)
Level
of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
Level of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
13 US 395 & Foster Wells Rd D B/F 12/74 0.26/0.53 C/F 19/2514 0.39/4.78
14
Rainier Ave/US 395 SB
On/Off Ramp & Kartchner
St
D B/F 11/363 0.38/1.51 B/F 11/496 0.4/1.81
15
Commercial Ave/US 395
NB On/Off Ramp &
Kartchner St
D A/D 8/31 0.08/0.61 A/F 8/55 0.08/0.8
16
Hwy 12 EB On/Off Ramp
& Lewis St & Hwy 12 EB
Off Ramp
D A/C 8/16 0.28/0.39 A/C 8/19 0.31/0.5
17
Hwy 12 WB Off
Ramp/Hwy 12 WB On/Off
Ramp & Lewis St
D B/B 11/13 0.24/0.32 B/B 13/15 0.37/0.37
18 Hwy 12 & E A St D A/C 0/25 0.28/0.3 A/F 0/112 0.4/0.88
19 Road 68 & Burden Blvd D E 73 1.15 E 75 1.09
20 Road 100 & Dent
Rd/Edelman Rd D A/C 8/25 0.13/0.23 A/F 10/2121 0.34/5.44
21 Road 100 & Sandifur
Parkway D B 12 0.50 C 21 0.77
22 Road 100 & Chapel Hill Rd D B 12 0.77 B 15 0.62
23 Road 100 & Argent Road D A/C 8/18 0.24/0.12 A/D 8/29 0.31/0.23
24 Road 84 & Argent Road D B 12 0.245034 B 13 0.31
25 Court Street & Road 84 D A/B 8/11 0.12/0.12 A/C 8/16 0.25/0.17
26 Road 68 & Edelman
Road/Powerline Rd D A/C 8/18 0.24/0.13 B/A 11/0 0.62/0
27 Road 68 & Sandifur Pkwy D C 21 0.70 E 58 0.98
28 Road 68 & Chapel Hill Rd D B 15 0.61 B 19 0.55
29 Road 68 & Argent Road D C 21 0.67 C 31 0.87
30 Road 68 & Court Street D A/D 8/34 0.13/0.73 A/F 9/278 0.25/1.48
31 Road 60 & Court Street D A/C 8/21 0.13/0.36 A/F 9/178 0.17/1.22
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PASCO TS MP • TECHNICAL MEMO #4 10
Existing Future No-Build
# Study Intersection
Mobility
Target
(LOS)
Level
of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
Level of
Service
Delay
(secs)
Volume/
Capacity
Ratio
32 Madison Ave & Burden
Blvd D A/F 9/72 0.35/0.71 A/F 9/312 0.37/1.44
33 Argent Rd & Rd 44 D A/F 10/98 0.31/1.03 B/F 12/490 0.5/1.95
34 20th Ave & Argent Rd D B 20 0.66 C 30 0.83
35 20th Ave & Court St D C 24 0.68 C 27 0.77
36 20th Ave & Sylvester St D C 21 0.46 C 21 0.45
37 20th Ave & Lewis Street D C 21 0.48 C 22 0.56
38 10th Ave & Sylvester St D B 12 0.52 B 12 0.52
39 10th Ave & Lewis St D C 22 0.44 C 23 0.45
40 10th Ave & A St D B 17 0.36 B 18 0.38
41 10th Ave & Ainsworth St D B 18 0.62 B 18 0.58
42 4th Ave & Court St D B 17 0.64 C 22 0.78
43 4th Ave & Sylvester St D A 8 0.56 A 8 0.56
44 4th Ave & W Lewis St D B 15 0.58 B 16 0.65
45 4th Ave & A St D A 4 0.20 A 5 0.24
46 4th Ave & Ainsworth St D A/A 8/9 0.29/0.02 A/A 8/9 0.3/0.02
47 N Oregon Ave & E Lewis
St D B 17 0.38 B 20 0.58
48 Oregon Ave/S Oregon Ave
& E A St D B 11 0.22 B 11 0.27
49 Oregon Ave & Ainsworth
St D A/C 8/17 0.12/0.41 A/C 8/21 0.15/0.44
50 Heritage Blvd & Lewis St
& Avery Ave D A/C 8/19 0.29/0.4 A/D 8/27 0.3/0.61
51 E A St & Heritage Blvd D A/C 8/17 0.12/0.43 A/D 9/28 0.16/0.6
52 Cedar Ave & Lewis St D A/C 9/24 0.15/0.48 A/E 9/37 0.18/0.65
Page 414 of 480
Appendix D
Page 415 of 480
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS
DATE: February 22, 2021
TO: Dan Ford, Jacob Gonzalez | City of Pasco
FROM: Rochelle Starrett, Carl Springer | DKS
SUBJECT: Pasco Transportation System Master Plan: Technical Memo #5 Project #19209-000
This document provides an overview of the transportation system standards recommended for
adoption as part of the Pasco Transportation System Master Plan (TSMP). Included is a detail of the
roadway functional classification system, typical designs for roadways, and pedestrian and bicycle
facilities, special route designations, access spacing and mobility standards, and guidance for
Traffic Impact Analysis requirements. Together, these standards will help ensure future facilities
are designed appropriately and that all facilities are managed to serve their intended purpose.
MULTI-MODAL STREET SYSTEM
Traditional roadway designs focus on the safety and flow of motor vehicle traffic. The one size fits
all design approach is less effective at integrating the roadway with the character of the
surrounding area and addressing the needs of other users of a roadway. For instance, the design of
an arterial roadway through a commercial area has often traditionally been the same as one
through a residential neighborhood, both primarily focused on the movement of motor vehicles.
In Pasco, all roadways are proposed to be multi-modal or “complete streets”, with each street
serving the needs of the various travel modes. Streets in the city will not all be designed the same.
It is recommended that Pasco classify the street system into a hierarchy organized by functional
classification and street type (representative of their places). These classifications ensure that the
streets reflect the neighborhood through which they pass, consisting of a scale and design
appropriate to the character of the abutting properties and land uses. The classifications also
provide for and balance the needs of all travel modes including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit
riders, motor vehicles and freight. Within these street classifications, context sensitive designs may
result in alternative cross-sections.
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 2
ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
A city’s street functional classification system is an important tool for managing the transportation
system. It is based on a hierarchical system of roads in which streets of a higher classification,
such as arterials, emphasize a higher level of mobility for through movements, while streets of a
lower classification emphasize access to land uses.
Pasco currently has four functional classes:
• Principal Arterials connect major activity centers as well as the interstate system. They
provide limited access and are primarily intended to serve regional traffic movement.
• Minor Arterials create direct connections through the city and can be found on the
periphery of residential neighborhoods. They generally provide the primary connection to
other Arterial or Collector Streets and access to larger developed areas and neighborhoods.
• Collectors provide local traffic circulation throughout the city and serve to funnel traffic
from the arterial street network to streets of the same or lower classification. They typically
have minor access restrictions.
• Local Streets provide local access and circulation for traffic, connect neighborhoods, and
often function as through routes for pedestrians and bicyclists. Local Streets should
maintain slow vehicle operating speeds and discourage through traffic.
The TSMP also recommends adding a new Neighborhood Collector functional classification to
identify locations where local access needs should be balanced with enhanced pedestrian and
bicycle amenities. These streets should maintain slow vehicle operating speeds to accommodate
safe use by all modes and through traffic should be discouraged.
Functional classification provides a helpful framework for managing the city’s transportation system
and supporting other standards discussed in the following sections, including connectivity, spacing,
freight routes, cross-sections, and access management.
Table 1 lists the desired spacing of each facility type throughout Pasco to ensure a high level of
connectivity. Figure 1 illustrates the desired spacing for the arterial and collector network.
Deviations to these guidelines may be needed in locations where there are significant barriers, such
as topography, rail lines, freeways, existing development, and the presence of natural areas.
TABLE 1: FACILITY SPACING GUIDELINES
FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM SPACING1,2
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL 1 to 2 miles
MINOR ARTERIAL 1 mile
COLLECTOR ½ mile
Page 417 of 480
PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 3
FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM SPACING1,2
NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTOR ¼ mile
LOCAL STREET 300-500 feet
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES 300 feet
1. Recommended maximum spacing refers to distance between facilities with the same or higher functional
classification.
2. Deviations from the recommended maximum spacing are subject to approval by the City engineer.
People walking and biking benefit the most from closely spaced facilities because their travel is
most affected by variation in distance. By providing walking and biking facilities or accessways that
are spaced no less than 300 feet apart, Pasco will support active transportation within and between
its neighborhoods. These connections also support high quality access to transit.
FIGURE 1: DESIRED FACILITY SPACING
The proposed roadway functional classification from the Pasco Comprehensive Plan was reviewed
to identify locations where reclassifications should be considered to improve conformance with
recommended spacing guidelines. The future functional classification map from the Comprehensive
Plan includes instances of closely spaced arterials and sudden changes in functional classification.
The recommended reclassifications aim to create a more consistent functional classification scheme
and match a roadway’s functional classification to their role in the transportation network. The
existing road network was also reviewed to identify potential neighborhood collector routes.
Neighborhood collectors were identified in locations where the functional classification map from
the Pasco Comprehensive Plan previously identified two closely-spaced, parallel collectors which
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 4
serve similar land uses. Converting one of these routes to a neighborhood collector provides a
classification that is more consistent with the actual use of the road and facilitates multimodal
transportation. Neighborhood collectors were also designated on the local street system for routes
which provide connections between several adjacent neighborhoods and the collector or arterial
network.
The recommended reclassifications summarized in Figure 2 and Table 2 will provide better system
spacing and connectivity. It is important to note that many of the existing roadways cross-sections
will not meet the standard cross-sections of their new functional classification. Cross-section
improvements are not expected outside of redevelopment.
FIGURE 2: RECOMMENDED ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
A draft version of this figure identifying all recommended changes is also included for review
Page 419 of 480
PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 5
TABLE 2: FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF NEW ROADWAYS
ROADWAY EXTENTS
RECOMMENDED
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
SANDIFUR PARKWAY
EXTENSION Road 100 to New North-South Collector Principal Arterial
DENT ROAD EXTENSION Burns Road to Harris Road Minor Arterial
SANDIFUR PARKWAY
EXTENSION New North-South Collector to Shoreline Drive Minor Arterial
SANDIFUR PARKWAY
EXTENSION New North-South Collector to Shoreline Drive Collector
NEW NORTH-SOUTH COLLECTOR Dent Road to Harris Road Collector
ROAD 84 EXTENSION Burns Road to Columbia River Road Collector
CONVENTION DRIVE EXTENSION Burns Road to Clark Road Collector
ROAD 60 EXTENSION Burns Road to Clark Road Collector
DESERET DRIVE Dent Road to Road 52 Collector
ROAD 76 EXTENSION Burden Boulevard to Argent Road Collector
ROAD 90 EXTENSION Burns Road to UGA Neighborhood
Collector
THREE RIVERS DRIVE
EXTENSION Road 68 to Rio Grande Lane Neighborhood
Collector
WRIGLEY DRIVE EXTENSION Clemente Lane to Road 68 Place Neighborhood
Collector
ROAD 52 EXTENSION Burns Road Deseret Drive Neighborhood
Collector
WERNETT ROAD EXTENSION Road 76 to Road 84 Neighborhood
Collector
Page 420 of 480
PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 6
TABLE 3: ROADWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION CHANGES
EXISTING
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
ROADWAY EXTENTS
RECOMMENDED
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
MINOR ARTERIAL Road 100 Dent Road to UGA Principal Arterial
MINOR ARTERIAL 20th Avenue Lewis Street to A Street Principal Arterial
PRINCIPAL
ARTERIAL 10th Avenue Ainsworth Street to A street Minor Arterial
PRINCIPAL
ARTERIAL 4th Avenue A Street to I-182 Westbound Ramp
Terminal Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Court Street Road 100 to Harris Road Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Harris Road Court Street to Dent Road Extension Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Dent Road Burns Road to Road 68 Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Clark Road Road 68 to Road 52 Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR Chapel Hill Boulevard Road 82 to Road 68 Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR A Street 20th Avenue to 28th Avenue Minor Arterial
COLLECTOR 28th Avenue A Street to Sylvester street minor arterial
MINOR ARTERIAL Chapel Hill Boulevard Crescent Road to Road 100 Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Road 60 Court Street to Sylvester Street Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Sylvester Street Road 60 to 4th Avenue Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Court Street 4th Avenue to 1st Avenue Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL 1st Avenue Court Street to A Street Collector
LOCAL Broadway Street Wehe Avenue to Cedar Avenue Collector
LOCAL Cedar Avenue Broadway Street to Lewis Street Collector
LOCAL Commercial Avenue Kartchner Street to Hillsboro Road Collector
MINOR ARTERIAL Road 90 Sandifur Parkway to Burns Road Neighborhood
Collector
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 7
EXISTING
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
ROADWAY EXTENTS
RECOMMENDED
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
COLLECTOR Wernett Road Road 36 To Road 76 Neighborhood
Collector
COLLECTOR 14th Avenue Lewis Street to Court Street Neighborhood
Collector
COLLECTOR Saratoga Lane Chapel Hill boulevard to Argent Road Neighborhood
Collector
COLLECTOR Road 44 Argent Road to Madison Avenue Neighborhood
Collector
COLLECTOR Madison Avenue Road 44 to Burden Boulevard Neighborhood
Collector
COLLECTOR Road 52 Burden Boulevard to Burns Road Neighborhood
Collector
COLLECTOR Wrigley Drive Road 76 to Clemente Lane Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Kohler Road Dent Road to Hillcrest Drive Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Road 92 Court Street to Maple Drive Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Road 76 Argent Road to Court Street Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Road 60 Argent Road to Court Street Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Road 48 Argent Road to Sylvester Street Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Wernett Road Road 36 to Road 30 Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL 14th Avenue Court Street to Lincoln Drive Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Pearl Street 24th Avenue to 13th Avenue & 10th
Avenue to 5th Avenue
Neighborhood
Collector
Page 422 of 480
PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 8
EXISTING
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
ROADWAY EXTENTS
RECOMMENDED
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
LOCAL 13th Avenue Pearl Street to Riverview Drive Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Riverview Drive 13th Avenue to 12th Avenue Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL 10th Avenue 12th Avenue to Pearl Street Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Elm Avenue A Street to Shepperd Street Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Wrigley Drive Road 68 Place to Roosevelt Drive Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Roosevelt Drive Wrigley Drive to Madison Avenue Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Madison Avenue Roosevelt Drive to Burden Boulevard Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Vincenzo Drive Road 100 to Majestia Lane Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Majestia Lane Vincenzo Drive to Road 90 Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Road 90 Sandifur Parkway to Burns Road Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Wilshire Drive Road 90 to Westmoreland Lane Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Westmoreland Lane Wilshire Drive to Overland Court Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Overland Court Westmoreland Lane to Westminster
Lane
Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Westminster Lane Overland Court to Stutz Drive Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Stutz Drive Westminster Lane to Road 84 Neighborhood
Collector
Page 423 of 480
PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 9
EXISTING
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
ROADWAY EXTENTS
RECOMMENDED
FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION
LOCAL Hudson Drive Road 84 to Okanogan Lane Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Okanogan Lane Hudson Drive to Chehalis Drive Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Chehalis Drive Okanogan Lane to Three Rivers
Drive
Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Three Rivers Drive Chehalis Drive to Road 68 & Rio
Grande Lane to Road 56
Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Road 56 Three Rivers Drive to Overton Road Neighborhood
Collector
LOCAL Overton Road Road 56 to Road 52 Neighborhood
Collector
FREIGHT NETWORK
Freight routes play a vital role in the economical movement of raw materials and finished products,
while maintaining neighborhood livability, public safety, and minimizing maintenance costs of the
roadway system. The Washington State Freight and Goods Transportation system (FGTS) tonnage
classification system identifies different categories of freight corridors based on annual freight
tonnage moved1. The following corridors are identified in Pasco and summarized below in Figure 3:
• I-182
• US 12
• US 395
• WA 397
• Road 100 (I-182 to Harris Road)
• Road 68 (I-182 to Clark Road)
• 4th Avenue (I-182 to Glade Road)
• Ainsworth Avenue/Dock Street (WA 397 to Sacajawea Park Road)
• Harris Road (Road 100 to Shoreline Road)
• Shoreline Road (Harris Road to Burns Road)
• Burns Road (Shoreline Road to Dent Road)
1 WSDOT. Freight Transportation System in WA.
https://wsdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0e37044a459244d9b6414826b46e8c46
Page 424 of 480
PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 10
• Dent Road (Burns Road to Road 68)
• Clark Road (Road 68 to Glad Road)
• Taylor Flats Road (North of Road 68)
• Columbia River Road (North of Road 68)
• Glade Road (North of 4th Avenue)
• Railroad Avenue (North of Hillsboro Street)
• Foster Wells Road (East of US 395)
• Kartchner Street (Railroad Avenue to Commercial Avenue)
• Hillsboro Street (Railroad Avenue to Travel Plaza Way)
• Lewis Street (US 395 to 20th Avenue)
• 20th Avenue (Lewis Street to A Street)
• A Street (20th Avenue to US 12)
• Pasco Kahlotus Road (East of US 12)
• Lewis Street (WA 397 to US 12)
• 4th Avenue (Ainsworth Street to A Street)
Other critical freight corridors that are not currently included in the Washington FGTS include
Sacajawea Park Road from Ainsworth Avenue to US 12 and Commercial Avenue from Lewis Street
to Kartchner Street. Including these routes in a future update to the Washington FGTS will
recognize their significance to Pasco’s freight system and connect key industrial areas to existing
FGTS corridors.
The city’s freight transportation system also includes a rail yard, port, and the Tri-Cities Airport.
Intermodal connections between these freight hubs, Pasco’s industrial areas, and the tri-cities
region are necessary to support the movement of goods. Primary routes serving these existing
freight transportation needs are identified through the Washington FGTS although additional
development in these areas could generate new freight traffic demands.
Pasco will benefit from ensuring that its freight routes are designed to accommodate the needs of
its industrial and commercial areas, while protecting its residential neighborhoods from freight
traffic. Having designated freight routes will help the city better coordinate and improve its efforts
regarding both freight and non-freight transportation system users, including the following:
• Roadway and Intersection Improvements can be designed for freight vehicles with
adjustments for turn radii, sight distance, lane width and turn pocket lengths.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements – such as protected or separated bike facilities,
enhanced pedestrian crossings, and other safety improvements – can be identified to reduce
freight impacts to other users, particularly along bikeways and walkways.
• Roadway Durability can be increased by using concrete instead of asphalt for the
pavement surface.
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 11
• Railroad Connections can be coordinated to support businesses that ship goods by rail,
particularly in areas where railroad sidings can be provided.
• Coordination with Businesses and Adjacent Jurisdictions can ensure that local and
regional freight traffic uses Pasco’s freight routes to travel within the City.
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 12
FIGURE 3: WASHINGTON STATE FGTS FREIGHT NETWORK
This figure will be developed at a later date
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 13
PRIORITY BICYCLE NETWORK
Currently, Pasco does not maintain designated bicycle routes although residents of Pasco have
provided numerous comments and input in support of bicycle facilities. These comments were
received in both the online survey conducted for the TSMP and in the 2020 National Citizen Survey
conducted by the City of Pasco2. Pasco’s existing and planned bicycle facilities were reviewed to
identify opportunities and constraints. Future bicycle facility gaps were identified and used to
develop a comprehensive priority bicycle network for the City of Pasco. The priority bicycle network
will be used to prioritize investments and develop a system that supports bicycle travel. The
identified priority bicycle network for Pasco is shown in Figure 4.
The priority bicycle network includes a range of treatment types based on the roadway context
(e.g., vehicle speeds and volumes) and available right of way. This approach ensures that the
proposed bicycle network fits within the existing neighborhood and street context.
FIGURE 4: RECOMMENDED PASCO PRIORITY BIKE NETWORK
A draft version of the priority bicycle network is available here:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1ZQGKg1iS76ttbP7cpz4f7Iu983_Lvng1&usp=shari
ng
2 The National Community Survey. Pasco, WA, Community Livability Report. 2019. https://www.pasco-
wa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/62086/NCS-Community-Livability-Report-Pasco-2020
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 14
MULTIMODAL CROSS-SECTION STANDARDS
Different streets serve different purposes, and a functional classification system provides a
framework for matching the size and type of various street elements with the intended purpose of
the street. While a street’s functional classification does not dictate which street elements to
include, it does facilitate the selection of the multimodal facilities and widths that help the street
fulfill its intended multimodal function. Adjacent land uses and available right-of-way also influence
which elements are included in a specific segment.
Much of Pasco’s street system is already built out and may not be easily reconfigured. However,
cross-section standards should be applied to existing streets as significant redevelopment occurs
and to new streets serving future development areas. For existing developed areas where
significant redevelopment is not expected, the constrained cross-section standards will be applied.
Constrained cross-sections may include narrower or limited travel lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle
facilities, or accommodations that generally match those provided by the surrounding developed
land uses. Cross-section standards can also provide a framework to guide design of existing
facilities that may be candidates for future road diets or other reconfigurations.
Roadway cross-section design elements include travel lanes, curbs, planter strips, and pedestrian
and bicycle facilities. The current standard cross-sections for the City of Pasco are summarized in
the Pasco Design and Construction Standards3 and summarized below for comparison with the
recommended cross-sections.
The following cross-sections show current standards and recommended maximum elements and
total facility widths for Pasco’s functional classes. The recommended cross-sections were expanded
to allow flexibility in the width of specific elements depending on the context of the adjacent land
uses, as identified in the comprehensive plan zoning map. The cross-sections identified below
include sections for each roadway type within each land use context to present the complete range
of cross-section standards. These standards were compiled based on existing best practices for
urban street design4,5 and professional judgement. A specific roadway type may not exist within a
specific land use context (e.g. there are currently no identified industrial neighborhood collectors).
ARTERIAL ROADWAY STANDARDS
Currently, the City of Pasco maintains a five-lane cross-section standard for all minor arterials
which includes a 5-foot bike lane and 7-foot sidewalks on each side of the street, seen in Figure 5.
The City of Pasco does not currently have a roadway standard for their principal arterial network.
3 City of Pasco. Pasco Design and Construction Standards. https://www.pasco-wa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3229/City-of-
Pasco-Standard-Drawings-
4 NACTO. Urban Street Design Guide. https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/
5 NACTO. Urban Bikeway Design Guide. https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 15
Paved Width: 68 feet, Right of Way: 83 feet
FIGURE 5: EXISTING MINOR ARTERIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE: STREETMIX)
The Pasco Transportation System Master Plan recommends converting the existing minor arterial
roadway standard to the proposed principal arterial roadway standard and introducing a new three-
lane minor arterial cross-section. Other key recommended changes include adding a planter strip
between the sidewalk and street, on-street parking (for residential and mixed-use areas where less
off-street parking is typically constructed), and a buffer between cyclists and adjacent travel lanes.
The proposed principal arterial cross-sections, summarized in Figures 6A to 6D, and the proposed
minor arterial cross-sections, summarized in Figures 7A to 7D, include flexible design standards for
each cross-section element to accommodate the expected roadway users depending on the
adjacent land use context. For example, the residential minor arterial cross-section standard will be
applied as part of the proposed road reconfiguration on Court Street. A summary of the
recommended widths for both the principal arterial and minor arterial cross-sections is also
provided below in Tables 4 and 5.
Paved Width: 70 feet, Right of Way: 102 feet
FIGURE 6A: RECOMMENDED PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL – MIXED USE STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 16
Paved Width: 70 feet, Right of Way: 94 feet
FIGURE 6B: PROPOSED PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL – RESIDENTIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 74 feet, Right of Way: 96 feet
FIGURE 6C: PROPOSED PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL – COMMERCIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 17
Paved Width: 76 feet, Right of Way: 98 feet
FIGURE 6D: PROPOSED PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL – INDUSTRIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
TABLE 4: RECOMMENDED PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL CROSS-SECTION OPTIONS
Note: Pasco’s standard curb section is included as part of the furnishing zone or landscape strip width; Pasco’s standard
gutter section is included as part of the adjacent lane
1. On-street parking not recommended for a five-lane cross-section
2. The number of lanes is dependent on the expected street volume
Cross-Section Element Mixed Use Residential Commercial Industrial
Sidewalk 8 feet 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet
Furnishing Zone or
Landscape Strip 8 feet 6 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Bike Lanes 5 feet 5 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Buffer Width 2 feet minimum 2 feet minimum 2 feet minimum 2 feet minimum
On-Street Parking Optional1; 8 feet None None None
Vehicle Travel Lanes2
2 to 4 lanes;
11 feet
2 to 4 lanes;
11 feet
2 to 4 lanes;
12 feet
2 to 4 lanes;
12 feet
Median or Center T urn
L ane 12 feet 12 feet 12 feet 14 feet
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 18
Paved Width: 64 feet, Right of Way: 92 feet
FIGURE 7A: PROPOSED MINOR ARTERIAL – MIXED USE STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 62 feet, Right of Way: 86 feet
FIGURE 7B: PROPOSED MINOR ARTERIAL – RESIDENTIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 19
Paved Width: 50 feet, Right of Way: 72 feet
FIGURE 7C: PROPOSED MINOR ARTERIAL – COMMERCIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 52 feet, Right of Way: 74 feet
FIGURE 7D: PROPOSED MINOR ARTERIAL – INDUSTRIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 20
TABLE 5: RECOMMENDED MINOR ARTERIAL CROSS-SECTION OPTIONS
Note: Pasco’s standard curb section is included as part of the furnishing zone or landscape strip width; Pasco’s standard
gutter section is included as part of the adjacent lane
COLLECTOR ROADWAY STANDARDS
The City of Pasco’s current collector cross-section includes three lanes for vehicles with 5-foot bike
lanes and 7-foot sidewalks on each side. The existing collector cross-section is shown in Figure 8.
Paved Width: 48 feet, Right of Way: 63 feet
FIGURE 8: EXISTING COLLECTOR STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE: STREETMIX)
The Pasco Transportation System Master Plan recommends maintaining the existing collector
roadway standard for collectors constructed in commercial and industrial areas where a center two-
way left turn lane can better balance through movements for vehicles and business or freight
access. The recommended collector street cross-section for mixed use and residential areas does
not include a center two-way left turn lane to minimize the cross-section width and to support a
Cross-Section Element Mixed Use Residential Commercial Industrial
Sidewalk 8 feet 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet
Furnishing Zone or
Landscape Strip 6 feet 6 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Bike Lanes 5 feet 5 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Buffer Width 2 feet minimum 2 feet minimum 2 feet minimum 2 feet minimum
On-Street Parking Optional; 8 feet Optional; 7 feet None None
Vehicle Travel Lanes
2 lanes;
11 feet
2 lanes;
11 feet
2 lanes;
12 feet
2 lanes;
12 feet
Median or Center T urn
L ane 12 feet 12 feet 12 feet 14 feet
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 21
multimodal street character. Other key recommended changes include adding a planter strip
between the sidewalk and street and including on-street parking (for residential and mixed-use
areas where less off-street parking is typically constructed). The proposed collector cross-sections,
summarized below in Figures 9A to 9D, include flexible design standards to accommodate the
expected roadway users depending on the adjacent land use context. The proposed residential,
commercial, or mixed-use standards will be applied to the planned road reconfiguration on
Sylvester Street. The recommended widths are also summarized below in Table 6.
Paved Width: 50 feet, Right of Way: 78 feet
FIGURE 9A: PROPOSED COLLECTOR – MIXED USE STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE: STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 48 feet, Right of Way: 72 feet
FIGURE 9B: PROPOSED COLLECTOR – RESIDENTIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 22
Paved Width: 45 feet, Right of Way: 67 feet
FIGURE 9C: PROPOSED COLLECTOR – COMMERCIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 46 feet, Right of Way: 68 feet
FIGURE 9D: PROPOSED COLLECTOR – INDUSTRIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE:
STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 23
TABLE 6: RECOMMENDED COLLECTOR CROSS-SECTION OPTIONS
Cross-Section Element Mixed Use Residential Commercial Industrial
Sidewalk 8 feet 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet
Furnishing Zone or
Landscape Strip 6 feet 6 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Bike Lanes 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet
Buffer Width None None None None
On-Street Parking Optional; 8 feet Optional; 7 feet None None
Vehicle Travel Lanes
2 lanes;
11 feet
2 lanes;
11 feet
2 lanes;
11 feet
2 lanes;
11 feet
Median or Center T urn
L ane None None 11 feet 12 feet
Note: Pasco’s standard curb section is included as part of the furnishing zone or landscape strip width; Pasco’s standard
gutter section is included as part of the adjacent lane
The Pasco Transportation System Master Plan also recommends introducing a new neighborhood
collector cross-section which balances mobility for all roadway users with home or business access.
Neighborhood collectors are designed to provide more connectivity than local streets with slower
vehicle speeds than a typical collector street through their design or other traffic calming
treatments. These features make neighborhood collectors a critical component of a multimodal
transportation system. This cross-section includes two vehicle travel lanes, on-street bike lanes (in
commercial or industrial areas only), on-street parking (for residential and mixed-use areas where
less off-street parking is typically constructed), a planter strip between the sidewalk and street,
and sidewalks. The proposed neighborhood collector cross-sections, summarized below in Figures
10A to 10D, include flexible design standards for each cross-section element to accommodate the
expected roadway users depending on the adjacent land use context. Recommended widths for
each element are also summarized in Table 7. Potential traffic calming treatments which can be
applied to neighborhood collectors is summarized below in the Neighborhood Traffic Management
Tools section.
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 24
Paved Width: 40 feet, Right of Way: 68 feet
FIGURE 10A: PROPOSED NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTOR – MIXED USE STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 38 feet, Right of Way: 62 feet
FIGURE 10B: PROPOSED NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTOR – RESIDENTIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 25
Paved Width: 32 feet, Right of Way: 54 feet
FIGURE 10C: PROPOSED NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTOR – COMMERCIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 32 feet, Right of Way: 54 feet
FIGURE 10D: PROPOSED NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTOR – INDUSTRIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 26
TABLE 7: RECOMMENDED NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTOR CROSS-SECTION OPTIONS
Cross-Section Element Mixed Use Residential Commercial Industrial
Sidewalk 8 feet 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet
Furnishing Zone or
Landscape Strip 6 feet 6 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Bike Lanes None None 5 feet1 6 feet1
Buffer Width None None None None
On-Street Parking Optional; 8 feet Optional; 7 feet None None
Vehicle Travel Lanes
2 lanes;
12 feet
2 lanes;
12 feet
2 lanes;
11 feet
2 lanes;
11 feet
Median or Center T urn
L ane None None None None
Note: Pasco’s standard curb section is included as part of the furnishing zone or landscape strip width; Pasco’s standard
gutter section is included as part of the adjacent lane
1. Sharrows and traffic calming treatments can be provided in lieu of bike lanes
LOCAL ROADWAY STANDARDS
Existing local roadway standards for the City of Pasco are summarized in Figures 11A and 11B for
local streets with and without curb. Both cross-sections include two travel lanes and parking on
each side of the street. Sidewalks are only provided for sections that are constructed with curb. All
new roadways within the City of Pasco are recommended to be constructed with curb, so the TSMP
did not include a local street option without curb.
Paved Width: 38 feet, Right of Way: 49 feet
FIGURE 11A: EXISTING LOCAL STREET CROSS-SECTION WITH CURB (SOURCE: STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 27
Paved Width: 44 feet, Right of Way: 44 feet
FIGURE 11B: EXISTING LOCAL STREET CROSS-SECTION WITHOUT CURB (SOURCE: STREETMIX)
The Pasco Transportation System Master Plan recommends maintaining the existing local roadway
standard for streets constructed in mixed use and residential areas where on-street parking is
needed to serve residences or businesses. On-street parking is less critical in commercial and
industrial areas where large off-street parking areas are typically constructed, so the recommended
local street cross-sections for commercial and industrial areas does not include parking. Other key
recommended changes include adding a planter strip between the sidewalk and street. The
proposed local street cross-sections, summarized below in Figures 12A to 12D, include flexible
design standards for each cross-section element to accommodate the expected roadway users
depending on the adjacent land use context. The recommended widths for each cross-section
element is also summarized below in Table 8.
Paved Width: 36 feet, Right of Way: 64 feet
FIGURE 12A: PROPOSED LOCAL STREET WITH CURB – MIXED USE STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 28
Paved Width: 34 feet, Right of Way: 58 feet
FIGURE 12B: PROPOSED LOCAL STREET WITH CURB – RESIDENTIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
Paved Width: 22 feet, Right of Way: 44 feet
FIGURE 12C: PROPOSED LOCAL STREET WITH CURB – COMMERCIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 29
Paved Width: 24 feet, Right of Way: 46 feet
FIGURE 12D: PROPOSED LOCAL STREET WITH CURB – INDUSTRIAL STREET CROSS-SECTION
(SOURCE: STREETMIX)
TABLE 8: RECOMMENDED LOCAL STREET CROSS-SECTION OPTIONS
Cross-Section Element Mixed Use Residential Commercial Industrial
Sidewalk 8 feet 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet
Furnishing Zone or
Landscape Strip 6 feet 6 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Bike Lanes None None None None
Buffer Width None None None None
On-Street Parking Optional; 8 feet Optional; 7 feet None None
Vehicle Travel Lanes
2 lanes;
10 feet
2 lanes;
10 feet
2 lanes;
11 feet
2 lanes;
12 feet1
Median or Center T urn
L ane None None None None
Note: Pasco’s standard curb section is included as part of the furnishing zone or landscape strip width; Pasco’s standard
gutter section is included as part of the adjacent lane
1. Additional width may be needed at intersections or driveways to accommodate truck turning movements
CONSTRAINED ROADWAY OPTIONS
Constrained Streets are generally those where the construction may be challenging due to
topography, environmentally sensitive areas, or historic areas. The constrained street standards
will also be applied in existing, developed areas where significant redevelopment is not expected.
These streets may require modified designs that may not be to scale with the adjacent land use to
allow for reasonable construction costs. Constrained elements may include narrower or limited
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 30
travel lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities, or accommodations that generally match those
provided by the surrounding developed land uses. Recommended guidance for modifications to the
standard designs is provided in Table 9. Any modification of a standard design requires approval
prior to construction.
TABLE 9: RECOMMENDED CONSTRAINED ROADWAY OPTIONS
Note: Pasco’s standard curb section is included as part of the furnishing zone or landscape strip width; Pasco’s standard
gutter section is included as part of the adjacent lane
1. Minimum 3 feet width for furnishing/landscape strip, if provided
2. The number of lanes is dependent on the expected street volume
3. Access restrictions required if no median is provided
COUNTY ROADWAY OPTIONS
County roadways within Pasco’s UGA face several unique challenges, including inconsistent
roadway widths, lack of multimodal facilities, and inadequate ROW designations which can make it
challenging to bring these roadways up to urban standards as these areas are incorporated.
Furthermore, there is no existing formal agreement between Franklin County and the City of Pasco
to guide the process for requiring dedication and improvements in the UGA or for jurisdictional
transfer of County roads to the City. As a result, within the UGA ROW dedication and
improvements, including multimodal facilities, are provided in an inconsistent, ad hoc manner.
Three different approaches can be considered for establishing road annexation (or jurisdictional
transfer) standards that ensures consistency in ROW widths and promotes multimodal facility
development:
1. Interim or phased approaches for upgrading ROW in urbanizing areas (i.e. within the UGA)
Cross-Section Element Principal & Minor
Arterials
Collectors &
Neighborhood
Collectors
Local Streets
Sidewalk 6 feet minimum width 5 feet minimum width 5 feet minimum width
Furnishing Zone or
Landscape Strip None1 None1 None1
Bike Lanes 6 feet minimum width,
no buffer
5 feet minimum width or
provide facility on
adjacent corridor
N/A
On-Street Parking None None None
Vehicle Travel Lanes
2 to 42
11 feet minimum width
2
10 feet minimum width
2
10 feet minimum width
Median or Center T urn
L ane As needed3 As needed3 None
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 31
2. Interagency Agreements that establish a coordinated strategy for ROW improvements
among the City and the County/State
3. Standards/Fee-in-lieu that offer developers or property owners an alternative to directly
providing roadway improvements
These methods and examples will be used to codify a process to manage ROW dedications within
the UGA as part of the TSMP.
PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE STANDARDS
The following sections detail various walking and biking facility standards and treatment guidelines.
WALKING AND BIKING FACILITIES
As shown in the multi-modal roadway cross-section standards, the existing city roadway design
standards should be modified to require buffered bike lanes along principal arterial and minor
arterial roadways for all land use types. Wider bike lanes will also be provided along collector
roadways for all land use types and neighborhood collector roadways in industrial or commercial
areas. Bicyclists should be accommodated with a 5-foot bike lane and 2-foot buffer along arterial
roadways and a six-foot bike lane along collector roadways. Currently, the City of Pasco requires 5-
foot bike lanes on all arterial and collector roadways, so the revised standards increase the total
operating room for bicyclists. Shared streets for bikes are also recommended to be designated
throughout the city and should include pavement markings/ signage.
All streets in mixed-use, residential, and industrial areas are also recommended to require wider
sidewalks. Newly constructed roadways are recommended to include an 8-foot sidewalk in mixed-
use areas and a 6-foot sidewalk in residential, commercial, and industrial areas. Additionally, each
new street is recommended to include a landscape buffer strip or tree wells to create a more
pleasant walking environment for pedestrians. Currently, the City of Pasco requires a 5-foot
sidewalk in residential areas and a 7-foot sidewalk in commercial areas. The proposed cross
sections increase the standard sidewalk width to 6 feet in residential areas and establish new
standards for commercial areas that are based on the type of adjacent businesses. In mixed use
areas (e.g., downtown Pasco), wider 8-foot sidewalks will be supplemented with tree wells to
accommodate increase pedestrian activity while auto-oriented commercial districts will provided
narrower 6-foot sidewalks.
SHARED-USE PATHS
Shared-use paths provide off-roadway facilities for walking and biking travel. Depending on their
location, they can serve both recreational and transportation needs. Shared-use path designs vary
in surface types and widths. Hard surfaces are generally better for bicycle travel. Widths need to
provide ample space for both walking and biking and should be able to accommodate maintenance
vehicles. Currently, the City of Pasco does not have a standard cross-section for shared-use paths.
The recommended cross-section is summarized in Figure 13. The proposed cross-section is 12 feet
wide, with 2-foot shoulders on each side.
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 32
Paved Width: 14 feet, Right of Way: 16 feet
FIGURE 13: PROPOSED SHARED-USE PATH CROSS-SECTION (SOURCE: STREETMIX)
STREET CROSSINGS
Roadways with high traffic volumes and/or speeds in areas with nearby transit stops, residential
uses, schools, parks, shopping and employment destinations generally require enhanced street
crossings with treatments, such as marked crosswalks, high visibility crossings, and curb
extensions to improve the safety and convenience. Crossing locations with higher volumes of
pedestrians (either observed or projected) are also candidate locations for rectangular rapid
flashing beacons or pedestrian hybrid beacons which increase the visibility of the crossing for
drivers. Crossings should be consistent with the recommended block spacing standards shown in
Table 5, and mid-block pedestrian and bicycle accessways are recommended to be provided at
spacing no more than 300 feet. Exceptions include where the connection is impractical due to
topography, inadequate sight distance, high vehicle travel speeds, lack of supporting land use or
other factors that may prevent safe crossing (as determined by the city).
The city should consider adding enhanced pedestrian crossing treatments to increase protection
where warranted by the combination of pedestrian demand volumes and cross traffic speeds and
volumes. Candidate locations include trail crossings (e.g. Road 100/Planned FCID Canal Trail),
parks or recreation, schools, or high-volume transit stops. Appendix A of National Cooperative
Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 562, Improving Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized
Crossings, includes a procedure for treatment selection, with input variables including:
• Vehicle speed on the major street
• Pedestrian crossing distance
• Peak hour pedestrian volume
• Peak hour vehicle volume
• Local parameters such as motorist compliance, pedestrian walking speed, and pedestrian start-
up and clearance time
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 33
NCHRP Report 562 includes worksheets for inputting the variables above and identifying the
appropriate treatment type. A typical worksheet used for this evaluation is seen below in Figure 14.
FIGURE 14: NCHRP 562 SAMPLE EVALUATION WORKSHEET
NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TOOLS
Neighborhood Traffic Management (NTM) involves strategies to slow traffic, and potentially reduce
volumes, creating a more inviting environment for pedestrians and bicyclists. NTM strategies target
neighborhood livability on local streets, though a few can apply to collectors and arterials, such as
raised median islands. Mitigation measures balance the need to manage vehicle speeds and
volumes with the need to maintain mobility, circulation, and function for service providers, such as
emergency responders. Examples of tools are shown in Figure 15.
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 34
Chicanes Chokers Curb Extensions
www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden www.pedbikeimages.org/Carl
Sundstrom
Diverters Median Islands Raised Crosswalks
www.pedbikeimages.org/Adam
Fukushima
www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden www.pedbikeimages.org/Tom Harned
Speed Cushions Speed Hump Traffic Circles
NACTO Urban Street Design Guide www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden www.pedbikeimages.org/Carl
Sundstrom
FIGURE 15 : SUMMARY OF NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 35
Table 10, below, lists common NTM applications. Any NTM project should include coordination with
emergency response staff to ensure that public safety is not compromised. NTM strategies
implemented on a state facility would require coordination with WSDOT regarding freight mobility
considerations.
TABLE 10: APPLICATION OF NTM STRATEGIES
Arterials Collectors Local
Streets
Speed
Reduction
Traffic
Diversion
CHICANES ü ü ü
CHOKERS ü ü ü
CURB EXTENSIONS ü ü ü ü
DIVERTERS
(WITH EMERGENCY VEHICLE PASS-
THROUGH)
ü ü ü
MEDIAN ISLANDS ü ü ü ü
RAISED CROSSWALKS ü ü ü
SPEED CUSHIONS
(WITH EMERGENCY VEHICLE PASS-
THROUGH)
ü ü ü
SPEED HUMP ü ü ü
TRAFFIC CIRCLES ü ü ü
The City of Pasco does not currently have a formal neighborhood traffic management program. If
such a program were desired to help respond to future issues, suggested elements include:
• Provide a formalized process for citizens who are concerned about the traffic on their
neighborhood street. The process could include filing a citizen request with petition
signatures and a preliminary evaluation. If the evaluation finds cause for concern, a
neighborhood meeting would be held and formal data would be collected and evaluated. If a
problem were found to exist, solutions would be identified and the process continued with
neighborhood meetings, feedback from service and maintenance providers, cost evaluation,
and traffic calming device implementation. Six months after implementation the device
would be evaluated for effectiveness.
• For land use proposals, in addition to assessing impacts to the entire transportation
network, traffic studies for new developments must also assess impacts to residential
streets. A recommended threshold to determine if this additional analysis is needed is if the
proposed project increases through traffic on residential streets by 40 or more vehicles
during the evening peak hour or 200 vehicles per day. Once the analysis is performed, the
NTM Application Use by Function Classification Impact
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threshold used to determine if residential streets are impacted would be if their daily traffic
volume exceeds 1,800 vehicles.
ACCESS MANAGEMENT & STREET CONNECTIVITY STANDARDS
Access management provides safe and efficient access to the transportation system for all users.
Currently, the City of Pasco only manages access through restrictions on the placement of
driveways. New residential driveways must be located 25 feet from an existing intersection, while
new commercial driveways must be placed in coordination with the Public Works Director6.
Expanded access management spacing standards which account for the different roadway
functional classifications are recommended for the City of Pasco to better manage driveway
construction. These standards are summarized in Table 11.
TABLE 11: RECOMMENDED ACCESS MANAGEMENT SPACING STANDARDS
SPACING GUIDELINES1 2 PRINCIPAL
ARTERIALS
MINOR
ARTERIALS COLLECTORS NEIGHBORHOOD
COLLECTORS
LOCAL
STREETS
MINIMUM DRIVEWAY SPACING
(DRIVEWAY TO DRIVEWAY) 2 300 feet 250 feet 150 feet 75 feet N/A
MINIMUM FULL-ACCESS
DRIVEWAY SPACING
(SETBACK FROM
INTERSECTION)
300 feet3 250 feet 150 feet 75 feet 25 feet
MINIMUM RIGHT-IN/RIGHT-
OUT DRIVEWAY SPACING
(SETBACK FROM
INTERSECTION)
150 feet3 125 feet 75 feet 50 feet 25 feet
1. All distances measured from the edge of adjacent approaches
2. A property must construct access to a lower classified roadway, where possible
3. WSDOT requires 1,320 between an interchange and the closest driveway7
The City of Pasco recently adopted block length and block perimeter guidelines to control access to
their street network. Under this new guidance for most zoning designations, block lengths shall not
exceed 660 feet and the block perimeter shall not exceed 1,760 feet. Previously blocks could not
exceed 1,320 feet for residential uses or 600 feet for commercial uses8. In addition to these new
standards, Pasco should consider adopting standards which govern the minimum block size and the
6 City of Pasco. Pasco Municipal Code Section 12.04.100 Driveway Standards. https://pasco.municipal.codes/PMC/12.04.090
7 State of Washington. Washington Administrative Code Section 468-52-040 Access Control Classification System and
Standards. https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=468-52-040
8 City of Pasco. Street Connectivity – Supplemental Memorandum for CA2019-013. September 17, 2020.
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maximum distance between pedestrian or bicycle access points. The existing street connectivity
standards plus these additional guidelines is summarized below in Table 12.
TABLE 12: EXISTING AND RECOMMENDED STREET CONNECTIVITY STANDARDS
SPACING GUIDELINES PRINCIPAL
ARTERIALS
MINOR
ARTERIALS COLLECTORS NEIGHBORHOOD
COLLECTORS
LOCAL
STREETS
MAXIMUM BLOCK
SIZE (PUBLIC STREET
TO PUBLIC STREET)1
660 feet 660 feet 660 feet 660 feet 660 feet
MINIMUM BLOCK SIZE
(PUBLIC STREET TO
PUBLIC STREET)
300 feet 250 feet 200 feet 150 feet 125 feet
MAXIMUM BLOCK
PERIMETER1 1,760 feet 1,760 feet 1,760 feet 1,760 feet 1,760 feet
MAXIMUM DISTANCE
BETWEEN
PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE
ACCESSWAYS2
330 feet 330 feet 330 feet 330 feet 330 feet
1. Existing standard for the City of Pasco
2. Spacing is the maximum of public street to public street, public street to accessway, or accessway to accessway
distance
VEHICLE MOBILITY TARGETS
Mobility targets are used in long-range planning and development review to identify deficiencies on
the transportation network and can be used to identify needed improvements as growth occurs.
Two common methods used to gauge traffic operations for motor vehicles are volume to capacity
(v/c) ratios and level of service (LOS):
• Volume-to-capacity (v/c) ratio: A v/c ratio is a decimal representation (between 0.00 and 1.00)
of the proportion of capacity that is being used at a turn movement, approach leg, or
intersection. The ratio is the peak hour traffic volume divided by the hourly capacity of a given
intersection or movement. A lower ratio indicates smooth operations and minimal delays. A ratio
approaching 1.00 indicates increased congestion and reduced performance.
• Level of service (LOS): LOS is a “report card” rating (A through F) based on the average delay
experienced by vehicles at the intersection. LOS A, B, and C indicate conditions where traffic
moves without significant delays over periods of peak hour travel demand. LOS D and E are
progressively worse operating conditions. LOS F represents conditions where average vehicle
delay is excessive, and demand exceeds capacity, typically resulting in long queues and delays.
Mobility targets are adopted by the City of Pasco in their comprehensive plan. The City of Pasco
currently uses a Level of Service (LOS) standard which is based on a Highway Capacity Manual
calculation of delay that varies between signalized and unsignalized intersections. The current
mobility targets, which apply to the daily peak hour, are summarized below in Table 13. The City
requires a lower level of service for arterial and collector roadways where higher traffic leads to
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higher delays. The arterial and collector standards are consistent with the mobility targets applied
by BFCG and WSDOT.
TABLE 13: EXISTING MOBILITY TARGETS
FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFIATION EXISTING MOBILITY TARGET
LOCAL STREETS LOS C
ARTERIALS AND COLLECTORS LOS D
WSDOT FACILITIES LOS D
The City of Pasco should consider expanding their current mobility targets to include a volume-to-
capacity (v/c) standard. Having both a LOS (delay-based) and v/c (congestion-based) standard can
be helpful in situations where one metric may not be enough, such as an all-way stop where one
approach is over capacity but overall intersection delay meets standards. The City of Pasco should
also introduce mobility targets which depend on the intersection control which can better capture
acceptable levels of performance across different intersection control types. Table 14, below,
summarizes recommended changes to Pasco’s mobility targets.
TABLE 14: RECOMMENDED MOBILITY TARGETS
INTERSECTION TYPE
PROPOSED
MOBILITY
TARGET
REPORTING MEASURE
SIGNALIZED LOS D and v/c
≤0.90 Intersection
ALL-WAY STOP OR
ROUNDABOUTS
LOS D and v/c
≤0.90 Worst Approach
TWO-WAY STOP 1 LOS E and v/c
≤0.95 Worst Major Approach/Worst Minor Approach
WSDOT INTERSECTIONS LOS D Intersection or Worst Approach depending on control
type
1. Applies to approaches that serve more than 20 vehicles; there is no standard for approaches serving lower volumes
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DEMAND MANAGEMENT POLICIES
Pasco experiences peak congestion due to single-occupant trips during peak demand times.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) aims to remove single occupant motor vehicle trips
from the roadway network during peak travel demand periods which could provide one avenue for
reducing pressure on key facilities. Changing a users’ travel behavior and providing alternative
choices will help accommodate the expected growth in travel demand identified for Pasco.
Generally, TDM focuses on reducing vehicle miles traveled for large employers by promoting active
and shared modes of travel. Research has shown that a comprehensive set of complementary
policies implemented over a large geographic area can affect the number of vehicle miles traveled
to/from that area. In order for TDM measures to be effective, strategies should go beyond the low-
cost, uncontroversial measures commonly used such as carpooling, transportation
coordinators/associations, priority parking spaces, etc.
Effective TDM measures include parking strategies (limiting or increasing supply in strategic
locations), improved services for alternative modes of travel, and market-based incentives to
encourage travel behavior changes. However, TDM includes a wide variety of actions that are
specifically tailored to the individual needs of an area. Effective TDM strategies include:
• Supporting alternative vehicle types by identifying potential electric vehicle plug-in stations
and developing implementing code provisions.
• Encouraging/supporting rideshare/vanpool to major employers in Benton or Franklin County
and Kennewick or Richland (e.g. Hanford Nuclear Site) for employees living in Pasco.
• Establishing site development standards that require pedestrian and bicycle access through
sites and connections to adjacent sites and transportation facilities, to the extent the
development impacts existing access.
• Improving amenities and access for transit stops. Actions could include instituting site
design requirements allowing redevelopment of parking areas for transit amenities;
requiring safe and direct pedestrian connections to transit and permitting transit-supportive
uses outright in commercial and institutional zones.
• Improving street connectivity to support direct connections between residential areas and
activity centers.
• Investing in pedestrian/bicycle facilities.
Opportunities to expand transportation demand management and other measures in Pasco include
developing implementing requirements for long-term bicycle parking for places of employment
above a certain size, park and ride facilities, major transit stops, and multi-family residential
developments. Other land uses, especially activity generators, should be required to provide short-
term bike parking and are encouraged to implement the long-term options. Long-term bicycle
parking options include:
• Individual lockers for one or two bicycles
• Racks in an enclosed, lockable room
• Racks in an area that is monitored by security cameras or guards (within 100 feet)
• Racks or lockers in an area always visible to employees
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ELECTRIC AND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
Emerging transportation technologies will shape roads, communities, and daily lives for
generations. Vehicles are becoming more connected, automated, shared, and electric. While the
timing of when these advances will occur is uncertain, they will have significant impacts on how a
community plans, designs, builds, and uses the transportation system. Below are some important
emerging transportation technology terms and definitions that provide the basis for the impacts,
policies and action items discussed in the following sections.
Connected vehicles (CVs) will enable
communications between vehicles, infrastructure,
and other road users. This means that vehicles will
be able to assist human drivers and prevent
crashes while making the system operate more
smoothly.
Automated vehicles (AVs) will, to varying
degrees, take over driving functions and allow
travelers to focus their attention on other matters.
Vehicles with combined automated functions like
lane keeping and adaptive cruise control exist
today. In the future, more sophisticated sensing and programming technology will allow
vehicles to operate with little to no operator oversight.
Shared vehicles (SVs) allow ride-hailing companies to offer customers access to vehicles
through cell phone applications. Ride-hailing applications give on-demand transportation with
comparable convenience to car ownership without the hassle of maintenance and parking.
Examples of shared vehicles include companies like Uber and Lyft.
Electric Vehicles (EVs) have been on the road for decades and are becoming more
economically feasible as the production costs of batteries decline and vehicle fuel prices
increase.
Many of these technologies will not be exclusive of the others and it is important to think of the
host of implications that arise from the combination of them. These vehicles are referred to as
connected, automated, shared, and electric (CASE) vehicles.
IMPACTS OF CASE VEHICLES
CONGESTION AND ROAD CAPACITY
There are several competing forces that will unfold as connected, automated, and shared vehicles
are deployed. It is difficult to predict how these vehicles will influence congestion and road
capacity.
• AVs will provide a more relaxing or productive ride experience and people may have less
resistance to longer commutes.
• Shared AVs are projected to have lower fuel and operating costs, making them less
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expensive on a per mile basis than private vehicle ownership. This may increase demand for
auto-based travel in the future.
• CV technology will allow vehicles to operate safely with closer following distance, less
unnecessary braking, and better coordinated traffic control. This will increase road capacity
in the long run when CVs and AVs comprise most of the public and private fleet of vehicles.
• In the near term, since AVs make up a fraction of the fleet of vehicles, road capacity could
decrease as AVs will operate more slowly and cautiously than regular vehicles.
• A new class of traffic – zero-occupant vehicles – will increase traffic congestion. These could
include AVs making deliveries or shared AVs circulating around the city and traveling to
their next rider.
• Roadways may need to be redesigned or better maintained to accommodate the needs of
automated driving systems. For instance, striping may need to be wider and more
consistently maintained to ensure the vehicle’s sensors can recognize it.
These points raise questions about the degree to which CASE vehicles will impact road capacity and
congestion. The development and use of the technologies should be monitored closely.
TRANSIT
AVs could become cost competitive with transit and reduce transit ridership as riders prefer a more
convenient alternative. However, transit will remain the most efficient way to move high volumes
of people through constricted urban environments. AVs will not eliminate congestion and as
discussed above, could exacerbate it – especially in the early phases of AV adoption. In addition,
shared AVs may not serve all sectors of a community so many will still require access to transit to
meet their daily needs.
PARKING
Because AVs will be able to park themselves, travelers will elect to get dropped off at their
destination while their vehicle finds parking or its next passenger. Shared AVs will have an even
greater impact on parking because parking next to the destination will no longer be a priority for
the traveling public. This means that parking may be over-supplied in some areas and new
opportunities to reconfigure land use will emerge. Outstanding questions related to parking
include:
• How does vehicle ownership impact parking behavior?
• What portion of the AV fleet will be shared?
• How far out of the downtown area will AVs be able to park while remaining convenient and
readily available?
CURB SPACE
In addition to parking impacts, the ability to be dropped off at the destination will create more
potential for conflicts in the right-of-way between vehicles that are dropping passengers off or
picking them up, vehicles moving through traffic, and vehicles parked on the street. This issue is
already occurring in many urban areas with ride-hailing companies, where popular destinations are
experiencing significant double-parking issues.
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AVs will also be used to deliver packages and food. This may mean that delivery vehicles need to
be accommodated in new portions of the right-of-way. For instance, if the AV parks at the curb in a
neighborhood and smaller robots are used to deliver packages from door to door, new conflicts will
arise between vehicles, pedestrians, robots, and bicyclists.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING
To accommodate a future where electric vehicles are the majority of the vehicle fleet, additional
charging infrastructure will be required. Cities, electric utilities, regions, and states will need to
work together to create enough reliable electricity supply to fulfill the increased electrical demand.
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TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS (TIA) GUIDELINES
The City of Pasco’s existing TIA guidelines were reviewed to identify areas of improvement to
ensure a consistent development review process that accurately anticipates traffic impacts due to
ongoing development. Currently, Pasco requires a TIA to be completed if 100 or more weekday
peak hour trips are generated by the development, or due to existing traffic/roadway conditions,
existing and anticipated traffic volumes, trip distribution, accident history, property zoning, truck
traffic percentage, event-based traffic, expressed community concern, and other factors relating to
complexity, and location of proposed development.
Their current guidelines also allow for two tiers of TIAs to be completed depending on the
anticipated level of development. A Tier 1 TIA can be completed when fewer than 50 PM peak hour
net new trips will be generated by the development depending on the context of the development
location. Tier 1 TIAs document the anticipated trip generation and detail the proposed site plans for
the development at a minimum. Tier 2 TIAs are required when a development is expected to
generate 50 or more net new trips during the PM peak hour. These documents include all details
required for a Tier 1 TIA plus a full traffic study to document traffic conditions with the new
development. The existing TIA guidelines do not provide specific details on methodologies that
must be used to evaluate transportation impacts (e.g. appropriate background growth rate,
appropriate trip generation resources).
Recommended modifications to the TIA guidelines are summarized in the supplemental document
“Pasco Guidelines for Transportation Impact Analysis,” provided in the appendix. These guidelines
incorporate most material previously included in Pasco’s TIA guidelines, but include additional
details on best practice for conducting TIAs. Clearly specifying these methods in the TIA guidelines
will increase the uniformity of TIAs received by the City of Pasco and ensure consistent
development review standards are applied. Key changes include:
• Reducing the trips generated threshold to trigger a Tier 2 TIA from 50 to 25 for either the AM or
PM peak hours
• Adding a daily trip generation threshold to trigger a Tier 2 TIA of 300 trips
• Specifying that all TIAs must be prepared by a licensed professional engineer or under the direct
supervision of a licensed professional engineer registered in the State of Washington
• Providing recommendations for standard analysis methodologies (e.g. standard background
growth rate)
• Adding additional guidelines for appropriate content to be documented in each TIA
The following section presents the TIA guidelines for the City of Pasco.
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CITY OF PASCO
GUIDELINES FOR TRANSPORTATION IMPACT ANALYSIS
February 2021
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This document describes the city’s required content for a Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA). In
general terms, TIA applies to developments that are presumed to have a transportation impact. A
traffic study shall, at a minimum, be a thorough review of the intermediate and long-range effects
of the proposed development on the City’s transportation system and may result in mitigation of
those resulting impacts. This is not to be confused with a Traffic Impact Fee.
A professional engineer must prepare the TIA and must use appropriate data, methods, and
standards as documented in the Pasco Guidelines for Transportation Impact Analysis.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this section is to implement a process to apply conditions to land use proposals in
order to minimize impacts on and protect transportation facilities.
In order to obtain sufficient and consistent information to assess a development’s impact on the
transportation system a TIA will be performed by the City of Pasco, and/or its agents, at the
Developers expense. The City of Pasco requires two tiers (Tier 1 and Tier 2) of TIAs depending on
the expected level of development. In order to perform an adequate TIA the following options are
available to the developer, Once a direction is chosen by the developer and/or his/her
representative. it cannot be changed. This is out of consideration for responsibilities and final cost
for the developer:
n The City and/or its agents perform the TIA, at the Developers expense, selecting the most
efficient and cost-effective means and provide the analysis to the developer without further
consideration.
n The Developer can perform the TIA utilizing their own licensed Traffic Engineer at the
developer’s expense and the City will perform a review, at the Developers sole expense, with
any and all clarifications or modifications to the TIA resulting from the review being the
Developers sole financial responsibility.
The preparation of the TIA report is the responsibility of the landowner or applicant. Pasco assumes
no liability for any costs or time delays (either direct or inconsequential) associated with the TIA
report preparation and review. The applicant can choose any qualified professional engineer. All
TIA reports shall be reviewed by the city Public Works Department and the Department of
Community & Economic Development (referred to as “city” in this document). Studies that do not
address these guidelines adequately shall be returned to the applicant for modification. It is the
responsibility of the applicant to coordinate with local agencies and/or the Washington State
Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for any potential impacts to county roadways or state
highways.
WHEN IS A TIER 1 ANALYSIS REQUIRED?
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A Tier 1 TIA may be required to be submitted to the city with a land use application at the request
of the city or if the proposal is expected to involve one (1) or more of the following:
1. Changes in land use designation, or zoning designation that will generate more vehicle trip
ends.
2. Projected increase in trip generation of less than 25 trips during both the AM or PM peak
hour, or less than 300 daily trips.
3. No additional Tier 2 requirements are met.
WHEN IS A TIER 2 ANALYSIS REQUIRED?
A Tier 2 TIA may be required to be submitted to the city with a land use application at the request
of the city or if the proposal is expected to involve one (1) or more of the following:
1. Changes in land use designation, or zoning designation that will generate more vehicle trip
ends.
2. Projected increase in trip generation of 25 or more trips during either the AM or PM peak
hour, or more than 300 daily trips.
3. Potential impacts to intersection operations.
4. Potential impacts to residential areas or local roadways, including any non-residential
development that will generate traffic through a residential zone.
5. Potential impacts to pedestrian and bicycle routes, including, but not limited to school routes
and multimodal roadway improvements identified in the Transportation System Master Plan
(TSMP).
6. The location of an existing or proposed access driveway does not meet minimum spacing or
sight distance requirements, or is located where vehicles entering or leaving the property are
restricted, or such vehicles are likely to queue or hesitate at an approach or access
connection, thereby creating a safety hazard.
7. A change in internal traffic patterns may cause safety concerns.
8. Projected increase of five trips by vehicles exceeding 26,000-pound gross vehicle weight (13
tons) per day, or an increase in use of adjacent roadways by vehicles exceeding 26,000-
pound gross vehicle weight (13 tons) by 10 percent.
9. Potential event-based traffic that could impact adjacent intersections.
10. Expressed community concern.
11. Other factors as deemed appropriate by the Public Works Department or the Department of
Community & Economic Development.
PROCESS
A landowner or developer seeking to develop/redevelop property shall contact the city at the
project’s outset. The city will review existing transportation data to establish whether a Tier 1 or
Tier 2 TIA is required. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide enough detailed
information for the city to make a determination. An applicant should have the following prepared,
preferably in writing:
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n Type of uses within the development
n The size of the development
n The location of the development
n Proposed new accesses or roadways
n Estimated trip generation and source of data
n Proposed study area
If the city cannot properly evaluate a proposed development’s impacts without a more detailed
study, a Tier 2 TIA will be required. Within a reasonable time following the initial contact, the city
will establish whether a TIA is required. If the developer chooses to use the city to complete the
TIA, the city will provide a project specific scope with an estimated cost to the applicant that
includes all of the requirements in this guideline document. If the developer chooses to use its own
traffic engineer, it must submit a project specific scope to the city that includes all of the
requirements in this guideline document for review and approval before starting the TIA.
TIER 1 REQUIREMENTS
The following sections detail the TIA requirements.
TIA REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements shall be included in each Tier 1 TIA submitted to the city. Additional
information specified by the city through scoping or through other project meetings shall also be
included.
1. The TIA shall be prepared by or prepared under the direct supervision of a Registered Professional
Engineer who shall sign and stamp the TIA.
2. Study Area: An inventory of the existing transportation facilities (pedestrian, bicycle, transit,
and vehicle) for all roadways fronting the proposed development will be included. The
surrounding land use context and allowable zoning must also be reviewed.
3. Trip Generation: The proposed trip generation should be based on similar land uses reported
in the latest version of the ITE Trip Generation Manual and shall include calculations for
removed trips, pass-by trips, internal trip capture, and diverted trips, if applicable.
4. Trip Distribution and Assignment: Estimated site generated traffic for the proposed project
should be distributed and assigned to intersections of existing or proposed arterial and
collector roadways within three miles of the site. A summary by intersection movement
should be provided in tabular format, at a minimum. Trip distribution methods should be
based on a reasonable assumption of local travel patterns and the locations of off-site
origin/destination points within the site vicinity. An analysis of local traffic patterns and
intersection turning movement counts can be used as long as the data has been gathered
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within the previous 12 months and reflect typical traffic volumes. Counts collected during
periods with significant and/or extended traffic disruptions (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic,
natural disasters, or other special events as determined by city staff) cannot be applied
without adjustments to account for the impact on traffic volumes with approval by city staff.
5. Site plan review: A site plan for the proposed development shall be submitted detailing proposed access
locations and documentation that they meet spacing and sight distance requirements; site circulation for
bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles; and the proposed parking.
TIER 2 REQUIREMENTS
The following sections detail the TIA requirements.
TIA REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements shall be included in each Tier 2 TIA submitted to the city. Additional
information specified by the city through scoping or through other project meetings shall also be
included. All additional Tier 1 criteria not specified must be satisfied.
1. The TIA shall be prepared by or prepared under the direct supervision of a Registered Professional
Engineer who shall sign and stamp the TIA.
2. Study Area: The TIA should include all roadways adjacent to and through the site (e.g., all
roadways used to access the site), and any roadway with a functional classification of
collector and above within a quarter-mile of the site. Study intersections will generally
include site-access points, and intersections of two roadways with a functional classification
of collector and above (i.e., Principal Arterial, Minor Arterial, Collector, or Neighborhood
Collector) within three-miles of the site with an expected increase of 20 peak hour trips
generated from the proposed project. The intersection closest to the site of any roadway
with a functional classification of collector and above with a Principal Arterial should also be
included (if not already required), regardless of the distance or generated trip thresholds
identified above. An inventory of the existing transportation facilities (pedestrian, bicycle,
transit, and vehicle) for all study roadways will be included. The surrounding land use
context and allowable zoning will also be reviewed.
3. The TIA should include the following horizon years:
n Existing Conditions
n No Build Conditions. The conditions in the year in which the proposed project will be
completed and occupied, but without the expected traffic from the proposed project. This
shall include trips generated at study intersections from approved, but not fully occupied
developments at the time traffic count data was collected.
n Build Conditions. The no build condition, plus traffic from the proposed project
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assuming full build-out and occupancy. This shall also include phased years of
completion resulting from the development, if applicable.
n Mitigation Conditions (if necessary). The build conditions plus off-site (e.g. proportionate
share of infrastructure improvements) and on-site (e.g. traffic management plan, parking
management plan) improvements that mitigate undesirable impacts from the
development.
4. Analysis Periods: The TIA should analyze the weekday (Tuesday through Thursday) AM
and/or PM peak periods in which the proposed project is expected to generate 25 or more
trips. Additional periods may be required depending upon the proposed project and/or
surrounding land uses. Turning movement counts during the weekday AM peak period should
typically be between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM, and 4:00 PM and 6:00 pm during the weekday
PM peak period. Historical turning movement counts may be used if the data is not more
than 12 months old. Historical counts shall be factored accordingly to meet the existing
traffic conditions.
5. Trip Generation: The proposed trip generation should be based on similar land uses reported
in the latest version of the ITE Trip Generation Manual and shall include calculations for
removed trips, pass-by trips, internal trip capture, and diverted trips, if applicable.
6. Trip Distribution and Assignment: Estimated site generated traffic for the proposed project
should be distributed and assigned to intersections of existing or proposed arterial and
collector roadways within three miles of the site. Trip distribution methods should be based
on a reasonable assumption of local travel patterns and the locations of off-site
origin/destination points within the site vicinity. An analysis of local traffic patterns and
intersection turning movement counts can be used as long as the data has been gathered
within the previous 12 months.
7. Background Traffic Growth Rate: A 1 percent compound annual growth rate shall be applied
to all movements at study intersections to develop background traffic growth for the horizon
years. An applicant may propose an alternative background growth rate with appropriate
documentation and references.
8. In-Process Developments: The TIA should add the trips generated at study intersections
from approved, but not fully occupied developments at the time traffic count data was
collected, to the future horizon years. The applicant should request the approved
developments and their occupancy status from the city. Should the TIA not be submitted to
the city within 12 months of the scoping summary, additional approved developments could
be required. If multiple development applications are received by the city, but not yet
approved, for projects in the same area, the city may require a sensitivity test for each
subsequent applicant to ensure the adequacy of proposed improvements in the event all
developments are approved. The need for any sensitivity tests will be determined based on
the order of applications received and specified in the study scope.
9. Safety Analysis: crash patterns for the past five years will be reviewed for all study
roadways. Crash trends and any specific recommendations to improve existing safety
deficiencies will also be discussed.
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TIA CONTENT
The following content should typically be included in each Tier 2 TIA submitted to the city.
Additional information specified by the city in the scoping summary or through other project
meetings shall also be included.
Section 1: Introduction
n Proposed project summary, including site location, zoning, project size, and project scope.
This should include a figure showing the project site and vicinity map, including any
roadway with a functional classification of collector and above within a quarter-mile of
the site and all study intersections.
Section 2: Existing Conditions
n Study area description, including a figure showing the project site, key roadways, and
study intersections.
n Existing site conditions, current zoning, and adjacent land uses.
n Roadway characteristics of important transportation facilities and modal opportunities
located within the study area, including roadway functional classifications, roadway
cross-section, roadway condition, posted speeds, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and
transit facilities.
n Existing lane configurations and traffic control devices at the study area intersections.
n Existing traffic volumes and operational analysis of the study area roadways and
intersections. This should include a figure of existing peak hour turn movement volumes.
n Roadway and intersection crash history analysis (most recent five years). This should
include a discussion on crash trends, if any, and recommendations for safety
improvements, if any.
Section 3: Assumptions and Methodologies
n Project description, including site location, zoning, project size, and project scope, and
map showing the proposed site, building footprint, access driveways, active
transportation connections, parking, and transit facilities.
n Transportation standards (e.g., roadway and access spacing standards, level-of-service
standards). These can be found in the Pasco Transportation System Master Plan.
n Site access for vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders, including access spacing
and site distance review at site driveways, and summary of roadway grades and other
vertical or horizontal obstructions.
n Site frontage improvements, including provisions for pedestrians and bicyclists.
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 51
n Trip generation summary. This section should also include a summary of the expected
vehicles exceeding 26,000-pound gross vehicle weight (13 tons) that the proposed project
will generate.
n Trip distribution and assignment assumptions, including a figure showing the trip
distribution percentages. A summary of the distributed trips at intersections of existing or
proposed arterial and collector roadways within three miles of the site should be provided
in tabular format by intersection movement.
n Background traffic growth.
n In-process developments, if applicable.
n Funded transportation improvements in the study area, if applicable, including
improvements found in the Pasco Transportation System Plan and the Ben Franklin
Transit Development Plan.
n Future analysis years and scenarios (No Build Conditions, Build Conditions, Mitigation
Conditions, and Phased Years of Completion, if necessary).
n Future traffic volumes. This should include a figure showing the future traffic volumes
broken down by existing traffic volumes, background traffic growth, in-process trip
growth (if applicable), project traffic growth, and total traffic volumes.
Section 4: Future Conditions
n Background traffic volumes and operational analysis.
n Full buildout traffic volumes and intersection operational analysis. This should also
include a summary of roadway segment conditions with full buildout traffic volumes
(e.g., roadway volumes, roadway condition and width).
n Signal and turn lane warrant analysis at site access points, if applicable.
n Intersection and site-access driveway queuing analysis.
n Site access considerations for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders
n Impacts of non-residential traffic through a residential zone.
n Impacts from vehicles exceeding 26,000-pound gross vehicle weight (13 tons), including
turning movements.
n Site circulation and parking.
Section 5: Recommendations
n Motor vehicle improvements, including proposed cross-section for site frontage
improvements and intersection improvements (if necessary).
n Site access recommendations for all transportation modes, including summary of needed
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PASCO TSMP • TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STANDARDS • FEBRUARY 2021 52
deviations to the code, cross-over easements and driveway consolidation, and proposed
driveways widths.
n Pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvements, including provisions for pedestrians and
bicyclists along the site frontage, and internally to the site. Recommendations must also
consider future transit routes or stops and access to these facilities from the site.
Appendix
n Traffic count data.
n Crash analysis data.
n Traffic operational analysis worksheets, with detail to review capacity calculations.
n Signal, left-turn, and right-turn lane warrant evaluation calculations.
n Other analysis summary sheets, such as queuing.
Page 467 of 480
AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council July 11, 2022
TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager City Council Workshop
Meeting: 7/25/22
FROM: Steve Worley, Director
Public Works
SUBJECT: Resolution – Local Improvement District No. 151 Project Acceptance
I. REFERENCE(S):
Resolution
PowerPoint Presentation
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
DISCUSSION
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
See below.
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
On March 2, 2020, Council approved Ordinance No. 4483, establishing Local
Improvement District (LID) No. 151, and the proposed construction of a gravity
sanitary sewer main from Harris Road to and along Burns Road in the vicinity of
I-182 and Broadmoor Boulevard and other work necessary to complete the
project. The sewer alignment consists of approximately 11,000 linear feet of
gravity sewer pipe (30-, 24-, and 12-inch diameter) with three pipe connections
(8- and 21-inch diameter) to adjacent parcels north of Burns Road.
The project bid was awarded by Council action to Big D's Construction of Tri -
Cities, Inc. of Pasco, WA on December 7, 2020, in the amount of $1,726,860.55.
The project is now complete and was constructed per project specifications.
Final construction costs were $1,753,282.58, which included change orders
totaling $53,978.00 (3%). The change order accommodated a late request from
developer/LID participant to realign a portion of the sewer trunk main 90 feet
Page 468 of 480
east, to be located within future roadway layout. No impacts to other LID
participants were generated by this change order.
Formal acceptance of public works projects are required by State law and start
the 45-day period within which an outside vendor, supplier or laborer would have
an opportunity to file a claim against this project pursuant to RCW 60.28.011 (2).
Upon completion of the 45-day lien filing period, retainage being held by the City
may be released upon receipts of the following:
• An affidavit of no liens
• A release from the Department of Revenue that all taxes have been paid
• A release from any claims from the Department of Labor and Industries,
pursuant to RCW 60.28.051
V. DISCUSSION:
Staff recommends City Council's acceptance of the project as constructed by the
above listed contractor.
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Resolution – Northwest Area Sewer LID No. 151 Project Closeout - 1
RESOLUTION NO. ________
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON,
ACCEPTING WORK PERFORMED BY BIG D’S CONSTRUCTION OF TRI-
CITIES, INC., UNDER CONTRACT FOR THE NORTHWEST AREA SEWER
LOCAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 151 PROJECT.
WHEREAS, the work performed by Big D’s, under contract for the Northwest Area Sewer
Local Improvement District (LID) No. 151 project, has been examined by City of Pasco staff and
has been found to be in apparent compliance with the applicable project specifications and
drawings; and
WHEREAS, it is the City Staff’s recommendation that the City of Pasco formally accepts
the contractor's work and the project as complete.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF PASCO, WASHINGTON:
That the City Council concurs with the Staff’s recommendation and thereby accepts the
work performed by Big D’s, under contract for the Northwest Area Sewer LID No. 151 project, as
being completed in apparent compliance with the project specifications and drawings; and
Be It Further Resolved, that the City Clerk is hereby directed to notify the Washington
State Department of Revenue of this acceptance; and
Be It Further Resolved, that the final payment of retainage being withheld pursuant to
applicable laws, regulations and administrative determination shall be released upon satisfaction
of same and verification thereof by the Public Works Director and Finance Director.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Pasco, Washington, this ___ day of August,
2022.
Blanche Barajas
Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________ ___________________________
Debra Barham, CMC Kerr Ferguson Law, PLLC
City Clerk City Attorneys
Page 470 of 480
City Council Regular Meeting
July 25, 2022Page 471 of 480
NW Area Sewer LID 151
Vicinity Map Page 472 of 480
NW Area Sewer LID 151
Before Page 473 of 480
NW Area Sewer LID 151
In Progress
Page 474 of 480
NW Area Sewer LID 151
In Progress
Page 475 of 480
NW Area Sewer LID 151
Complete Page 476 of 480
NW Area Sewer LID 151
Change Order Details
Awarded CN Contract: $1,726,860.55
Total CN Contract: $1,753,282.58
Change Order #1: $53,978.00
*Adjustment of manholes for consistency with
proposed platting of Mr. Adams’ Lot #8Page 477 of 480
Questions?Page 478 of 480
QUALITY OF LIFE
Promote a high-quality of life through quality programs, services and appropriate investment and re-
investment in community infrastructure including, but not limited to:
• Completion of Transportation System Master Plan and design standard updates to promote greater
neighborhood cohesion in new and re-developed neighborhoods through design elements, e.g.;
connectivity, walkability, aesthetics, sustainability, and community gathering spaces.
• Completion of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan and development of an implementation
strategy to enhance such services equitably across the community. • Completion of the Housing Action and Implementation Plan with a focus on a variety of housing to address
the needs of the growing population.
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Enhance the long-term viability, value, and service levels of services and programs, including, but not
limited to:
• Adopting policies and strategic investment standards to assure consistency of long-range planning to include
update of impact fees, area fees to specific infrastructure, and SEPA mitigation measures related to new
development, e.g.; schools, traffic, parks, and fire.
COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION NETWORK
Promote a highly functional multi-modal transportation system including, but not limited to:
• Application of the adopted Transportation System Master Plan including development of policies, regulations,
programs, and projects that provide for greater connectivity, strategic investment, mobility, multi -modal
systems, accessibility, efficiency, and safety.
COMMUNITY SAFETY
Promote proactive approaches for the strategic investment of infrastructure, staffing, and equipment
including, but not limited to:
• Adoption and develop implementation strategies for Comprehensive Fire Master Plan aimed at maintaining the
current Washington State Rating Bureau Class 3 community rating.
• Collaboration with regional partners to influence strategies to reduce incidences of homeless by leveraging
existing resources such as the newly implemented 0.1% mental health sales tax, use of resource navigator
programs, and other efforts. • Development of an implementation strategy for the Comprehensive Police Master Plan to support future service
levels of the department to assure sustainability, public safety, officer safety, crime control, and compliance
with legislative mandates.
ECONOMIC VITALITY
Promote and encourage economic vitality including, but not limited to:
• Implementation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan through related actions including zoning code changes,
phased sign code update, and development regulations and standards.
• Completion of Area Master Plans and environmental analysis complementing the Comprehensive Land Use
Plan such as Downtown and Broadmoor Master Plans.
• Development of an Economic Development Plan, including revitalization efforts.
COMMUNITY IDENTITY
Identify opportunities to enhance community identity, cohesion, and image including, but not limited to:
• Development of a Community Engagement Plan to evaluate strategies, technologies, and other opportunities
to further inclusivity, community engagement, and inter-agency and constituent coordination efforts.
• Support of the Arts and Culture Commission in promoting unity and the celebration of diversity through art
and culture programs, recognition of significant events or occurrences, and participation/sponsorship of events
within the community.
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CALIDAD DE VIDA
Promover una calidad de vida alta a través de programas de calidad, servicios, inversiones y reinversiones
apropiadas en la infraestructura de la comunidad incluyendo, pero no limitado a:
• Terminar el Plan de Transportación para promover más cohesión entre nuestras vecindades actuales y re-desarrolladas
a través de elementos de diseño, p.ej. conectividad, transitabilidad, sostenibilidad estética, y espacios para reuniones
comunitarias.
• Terminar el Plan de los Parques, la Recreación, y los Espacios Vacíos y el desarrollo de una estrategia de
implementación para mejorar tales servicios justamente a lo largo de la comunidad.
• Terminar el Plan de Acción e Implementación de Viviendas con un enfoque en una variedad de viviendas para tratar las
necesidades del aumento en la población.
SOSTENIBIILIDAD FINANCIERA
Mejorar la viabilidad a largo plazo, el valor, y los niveles de los servicios y los programas, incluyendo, pero no
limitado a:
• Adoptar las políticas y los estándares de inversión estratégica para asegurar consistencia en la planificación a largo
plazo para incluir la actualización de las tarifas de impacto, las tarifas en áreas de infraestructura específica, y las
medidas de mitigación SEPA relacionadas con el nuevo desarrollo, p.ej. escuelas, tráfico, parques, e incendios.
RED DE TRANSPORTACION COMUNITARIA
Promover un sistema de transportación multimodal en alta operación incluyendo, pero no limitado a:
• Aplicar el Plan de Transportación que fue adoptado, incluyendo el desarrollo de las políticas, las reglas, los programas,
y los proyectos que proporcionan más conectividad, inversión estratégica, movilidad, sistemas multimodales,
accesibilidad, eficiencia, y seguridad.
SEGURIDAD COMUNITARIA
Promover métodos proactivos para la inversión estratégica en la infraestructura, el personal, y el equipo
incluyendo, pero no limitado a:
• Adoptar y desarrollar estrategias de implementación para el Plan Comprehensivo para Incendios. Con el propósito de
mantener la clasificación comunitaria actual en la tercera Clase del Departamento de Clasificación del Estado de
Washington.
• Colaborar con socios regionales para influenciar estrategias que reduzcan los incidentes de personas sin hogar al
hacer uso de los recursos actuales como el impuesto de ventas de 0.1% implementado recientemente para la salud
mental, el uso de programas para navegar los recursos, y otros esfuerzos.
• Desarrollar una estrategia de implementación para el Plan Comprehensivo de la Policía para apoyar los niveles futuros
de servicio del departamento para asegurar la sostenibilidad, la seguridad pública, la seguridad de los policías, el
control de crímenes, y el cumplimiento con los mandatos legislativos.
VITALIDAD ECONOMICA
Promover y fomentar vitalidad económica incluyendo, pero no limitado a:
• Implementar el Plan Comprehensivo del Uso de Terreno a través de acciones relacionadas, incluyendo cambios de los
códigos de zonificación, actualización en las etapas de los códigos de las señales, y el desarrollo de las reglas y los
estándares.
• Terminar los Planes de las Áreas y un análisis ambiental el cual complementa al plan integral de uso de la tierra como a
los Planes del Centro y de Broadmoor.
• Desarrollar un Plan de Desarrollo Económico, el cual incluya esfuerzos de revitalización.
IDENTIDAD COMUNITARIA
Identificar oportunidades para mejorar la identidad comunitaria, la cohesión, y la imagen incluyendo, pero no
limitado a:
• Desarrollar un Plan de Participación de la Comunidad para evaluar las estrategias, las tecnologías, y otras
oportunidades para promover la inclusividad, la participación de la comunidad, y los esfuerzos interdepartamentales y de
coordinación de los constituyentes.
• Apoyar a la Comisión de las Artes y Cultura al promover la unidad y la celebración de la diversidad a través de
programas de arte y cultura, reconocer eventos o acontecimientos significantes, y participar/patrocinar eventos dentro
de la comunidad.
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