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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017.06.26 Council Workshop PacketWorkshop Meeting AGENDA PASCO CITY COUNCIL 7:00 p.m. June 26, 2017 Page 1. CALL TO ORDER: 2. ROLL CALL: (a) Pledge of Allegiance 3. VERBAL REPORTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS: 4. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION: 3 - 56 (a) Pasco Fire Department, Strategic Plan (b) Big Cross - Disc Golf, it's a Win-Win Presented by Dan Dotta, Interim Administrative & Community Services Director 5. MISCELLANEOUS COUNCIL DISCUSSION: 6. EXECUTIVE SESSION: 7. ADJOURNMENT. REMINDERS: 1. 4:00 p.m., Monday, June 26, Ben-Franklin Transit Office – Hanford Area Economic Investment Fund Committee Meeting. (COUNCILMEMBER AL YENNEY, Rep.; SAUL MARTINEZ, Alt.) 2. 6:00 p.m., Monday, June 26, Conference Room #1 – Old Fire Pension Board Special Meeting. (COUNCILMEMBER REBECCA FRANCIK, Rep.; SAUL MARTINEZ, Alt.) 3. 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 28, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd – Visit Tri-Cities Board Meeting. (COUNCILMEMBER CHI FLORES, Rep.; COUNCILMEMBER TOM LARSEN, Alt) 4. 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 4 – Pasco’s Grand Old 4th of July Parade; check in at registration table near 4th & Marie by 9:00 a.m. (COUNCILMEMBERS REBECCA FRANCIK, CHI FLORES and BOB HOFFMANN) 5. 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 4, Dust Devils Stadium – Pasco 4th of July Fireworks Page 1 of 56 Workshop Meeting June 26, 2017 Celebration Welcome Address. (MAYOR PRO-TEM REBECCA FRANCIK) 6. 12:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 5, 2601 N. Capitol Avenue – Franklin County Mosquito Control District Meeting. (COUNCILMEMBER BOB HOFFMANN, Rep.; AL YENNEY, Alt. 7. 5:30 p.m., Thursday, July 6, P&R Classroom – Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting. (COUNCILMEMBER SAUL MARTINEZ, Rep.; CHI FLORES, Alt.) This meeting is broadcast live on PSC-TV Channel 191 on Charter Cable and streamed at www.pasco-wa.gov/psctvlive. Audio equipment available for the hearing impaired; contact the Clerk for assistance. City Hall will be closed on Tuesday, July 4 in honor of Independence Day. The next meeting of the Pasco City Council will be conducted on Monday, July 10, 7:00pm. Page 2 of 56 AGENDA REPORT FOR: City Council June 20, 2017 TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager Workshop Meeting: 6/26/17 FROM: Bob Gear, Fire Chief Fire Department SUBJECT: Pasco Fire Department, Strategic Plan I. REFERENCE(S): Pasco Fire Department, Strategic Plan II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Presentation and discussion III. FISCAL IMPACT: Adopting the plan creates no financial impact. IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF: A Master Plan for the Pasco Fire Department was completed by key members of the department with the assistance of Emergency Services Consulting International and adopted by the City Council in 2016. The Master Plan is a long term document to intended to guide the Council and the City Administration for the next 10 years. The proposed Stratrgic Plan follows on to the Master Plan drilling down into the current and anticipated issues and conditions impacting readiness and capabilities of the department. V. DISCUSSION: The strategic plan provides an in depth analysis of the departments current ability to meet its mission objectives and goals, provides an inventory of department strengths and weaknesses, measures public perception of the department and provides several strategies for geared to position the department to meet the fire service needs of the community now and into the future. The Strategic Plan further defines and provides guidance for implementation of master plan recommendations. Page 3 of 56 Don Bivins, a representative of ESCI, along with Chief Gear will provide Council a brief overview of the plan; its major findings, conclusions and recommendations and answer any questions. Page 4 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page i Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Planning Methodology .......................................................................................................................5 Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles ............................................................................................. 21 Environmental Scan ......................................................................................................................... 22 Definition of Terms .......................................................................................................................... 25 Strategic Plan ................................................................................................................................... 26 Appendix A – Internal SWOT Feedback .................................................................................................. 38 Appendix B – Timeline ............................................................................................................................ 42 Appendix C – Status & Accountability ..................................................................................................... 46 Appendix D – Task Worksheet ................................................................................................................ 51 Page 5 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 1 Introduction Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) was contracted by the Pasco Fire Department to facilitate and construct a three to five-year strategic plan. This is almost immediately following the conclusion of a master plan that provided recommendations to address expected and forecast community growth for the next ten to twenty years. Organizations often follow up a master plan with a strategic plan. The difference between the two is simply described as follows: • A master plan is long range (10-20 years), and includes forecasts, growth estimates, and an assessment of the current service delivery infrastructure. It makes recommendations based on these forecasts that are intended to position the organization to address community service demands into the future as the community growth occurs, and preferably ahead of the need. • A strategic plan is short term (3-5 years), and is often referred to as an organizational workplan. It will frequently take many of the recommendations contained in the master plan and program the work necessary to implement them over the shorter life of the plan. It also addresses contemporary issues facing the organization, such as a change in leadership (anticipated in this case). The strategic plan focuses the agency and its members on the essential activities which must occur in sequence to be achieved efficiently. A key component of a strategic plan is an environmental scan (discussed in greater detail within this report). The scan is intended to address structural, cultural, or other potential obstacles that may impede progress on the workplan. In this case, an environmental scan was thorough and broadly assessed. Following the environmental scan, an internal planning team is assembled to review the findings, identify and prioritize work, and break the process down into smaller components, making it easier to implement. Once a strategic plan is created and adopted, the elements are divided up among the members of the organization, which results in additional buy-in. In fact, a strategic plan often helps an organization avoid distractions of additional work not directly tied to the strategic plan. Budgeting should also align as much as possible with implementation of the strategic plan. ESCI thanks all the members of the Pasco Fire Department for their dedication and commitment to the strategic planning process. All members we interacted with were professional, positive, and devoted to PFD, making it an even better place to work and live. The facilitators truly enjoyed working with the group. The entire department had the opportunity to forge their future through the internal survey provided to all members. In addition, citizens and allied agencies participated in separate sessions to provide a clear environmental assessment. The following list of participants contributed significantly to the planning process. Page 6 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 2 Page 7 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 3 Internal Planning Team • Derek Knutson • Patrick Taylor • Mike Maier • James McGrath • Trevor Jones • Andy Hittinger • Raquel McGrath • Jeff Eliason • Garrett Jenks • Samuel Reed • Ben Shearer • Nathan Schweiger • Dan Sullivan Allied Agencies • Dan McCary, FCSO • J.B. Raymond, FCSO • Rick Rochleau, FCSO • Bob Metzger, PPD • Joe Grad, Franklin PUD • Sean Davis, FCEM • Amy Person, B-F Health Dist. • Greg Miller, Cascade Natural Gas • Steven Keasic, Cascade Natural Gas • Randy Nunamaker, Pasco School District Citizen Forum • Brian Leavitt • Adan Suarez • M. Helen Pudwill • Beverly Finke • Hector Cruz • John Wyatt • Diane Wyatt • Julissa Crow • Mike Crow • Luke Hallowell • Grant Baynes • Treva Fifer • John Fifer • Felix Vargas Page 8 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 4 Letter from the Fire Chief Page 9 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 5 Planning Methodology “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” — Peter Drucker As the quote above suggests, developing a plan only demonstrates good intentions. It takes work to implement a plan. That is not to say that planning is easy. In fact, if not done properly, it should not be followed for fear of delivering an organization to the wrong destination! A plan—complete with goals, objectives, timelines, assignments, and a clear understanding of destination—creates a roadmap for an organization to follow. Change starts with a plan. In order for any organization, public or private, to reach its full potential, it must have a plan. An organization that knows where it is going, knows the environment in which it must operate, and identifies how to get there has the best chance to meet the needs of its community and achieve its vision. This planning process has served to refresh the organization’s continuing commitment to professionalism and set the path toward future success. The approach taken in this planning process includes an in-depth environmental scan from the perspectives of all employees. The criteria are referred to as a SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). The feedback from these areas is summarized in this report. The feedback was gathered by an anonymous survey for all internal personnel; interviews with allied agencies surrounding Pasco and who partner with Pasco; and a structured and facilitated session with a broad spectrum of citizens served by Pasco Fire Department. The following summarizes the takeaways. Allied Agency Forum Allied agencies were invited to participate in a forum to provide feedback on the Pasco Fire Department from the perspective of those who work directly with PFD. The consensus discussion focused on the imminent retirement of the fire chief and assistant chief, and how that may change the relationship with the allied agencies. The feedback was separated into two groups; What could we lose with new leadership? • Pasco Police-Fire working relationship, especially in training • Focus on prevention (in general) • Communication between agencies (looking out for each other’s best interests) • Building interagency cooperation and relations with allied agencies • Need to fill position now so incumbent can work with the new chief to maintain those critical relationships and programs, creating a smooth transition What could we gain with new leadership? • Incident Command training opportunities with Cascade Natural Gas (new initiative at CNG) • New blood can be a good thing; new perspectives and new experiences • Benton County partnerships • Outreach with Cascade Natural Gas (emerging leadership there) • Enhanced partnerships with health district, other allied agencies to address at risk populations • Potentially continued involvement with allied and partner agencies Page 10 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 6 Citizen Forum The following graphs illustrate the Citizen Forum attendee’s responses and should serve to guide the department as it develops its strategic plan for the next three to five years. Figure 1: Citizen Planning Priorities The planning priorities were presented as a forced ranking of each dimension against the other dimensions. The six dimensions provided and compared were costs, response times, training, maintaining reliable equipment and facility infrastructure, and expanding services to the community. The scale requires the respondents to select the most important dimension as compared to each of the other dimensions. The result reveals a rank ordered set of dimensions individually and as a group. The chart in Figure 1 reflects the group results. Generally, the citizen forum participants prefer a high state of readiness to respond to emergencies (technical competence), a high emphasis on reliable infrastructure (equipment and facilities), and improving response times—failing that, at least maintenance of existing response times. Of lesser importance is cost containment and expansion of services. The lowest ranked dimensions are of lower priority, which may reflect a high degree of satisfaction (cost of service) and the types of services provided by the fire department. 13 15 28 45 48 61 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Expand Services Contain Costs Maintain Response Time Improve Response Time Reliable Equip./Facilities Ensure Technical Competence Page 11 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 7 The citizens represented were then asked to identify the most important functions and services the department provides based on the list of services currently provided and rank those services. In this case, the respondents placed a value of 3, 2, or 1 alongside the services. A three (3) reflects a critical priority, a two (2) an important priority, and a one (1) a low priority. The participants were also asked to cross out any service it felt was not appropriate to provide or add a service where they believed a gap existed. None of the respondents crossed out a service or added a service. The following chart describes the service priorities. Figure 2: Citizen Service Priorities While there is a clear deference to traditional emergency response services as illustrated in Figure 2, it is clear that the citizens prioritize all types of emergency response services highly. This is not to say they do not value other services. On the contrary, services often viewed as routine (public education) are still valued as an important priority (2), leaning toward critical (3). Finally, the forum participants were asked to rate and compare the cost of service, response performance, and staffing. The following chart depicted in Figure 3 describe the opinions of the forum attendees in the three categories; cost, response, and staffing. 2.93 2.86 2.64 2.57 2.43 2.36 2.36 2.21 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 Fire Suppression Emergency Medical Response Technical Rescue Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting Hazardous Materials Response Ambulance Transportation Fire Prevention Services Public Education Page 12 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 8 Figure 3: Cost, Response, and Staffing Survey These three categories illustrate that Pasco is viewed as appropriately staffed (54%), provides an appropriate response time (62%), and has an appropriate cost for the service (69%). Significant in its consistency is the belief by those in attendance that the services are not too expensive (0%), responses are not too heavy or aggressive (0%), and that the department is not overstaffed (0%). However, it is important to recognize that these dimensions are not necessarily representative of a community-wide perspective, nor that these survey results would be an accurate predictor of similar results of a broader survey. It is a reflection of the opinions of those in attendance, armed with some background information about Pasco Fire Department’s service delivery system and the challenges and limitations it faces. This result reinforces ESCI’s assertion that community outreach provides the opportunity to educate the community about PFD’s service delivery system and its limitations to the broader community. It is clear the department enjoys a great deal of respect and confidence from its citizenry. The Internal Fire Dept. Staff Prior to arrival on site, a survey instrument was administered to the fire department. The survey is a standard instrument used by ESCI to gauge the internal dynamics and environment of the fire department, which helps tailor the process to the organization once the planning workshop begins. The following are the results of the survey instrument displayed graphically. Data representing 2% of answers or less appear visually but are not labeled with a percentage to maintain clarity of the figures. 46% 54% 0% 38% 62% 0% 31% 69% 0% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80% Understaffed Staffed Appropriately Overstaffed Response too slow Response appropriate Response too heavy Underfunded Appropriate cost Too expensive Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 9 Figure 4: PFD Internal Survey – Experience Please identify your total number of years of experience (paid and volunteer) in the fire service. Answer Options Response Percent Response Count 3-10 years 24.0% 12 10-20 years 48.0% 24 20+ years 28.0% 14 Answered Question 50 Skipped Question 0 Out of 63 personnel in the Pasco Fire Department, 50 responded to the survey, which is almost 80% of the entire workforce. In ESCI’s experience, responses that exceed 50% is exceptional engagement by the membership. The responses also reveal that 72% of the respondents have more than ten years of experience in the fire service. Figure 5: PFD Internal Survey Demographics – Position Which one of the following best describes your current position? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Command Staff 12.2% 6 Company Officer 30.6% 15 Line Staff 55.1% 27 Support Staff 2.0% 1 Answered Question 49 Skipped Question 1 Line staff accounted for the largest group of respondents as compared with line officers, command staff and support staff. When line staff and company officers are added together (collectively referred to as shift personnel in the fire service), 85.7% of the respondents are at or below the Captain rank. Page 14 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 10 Figure 6: Training & Professional Development When asked to comment on a series of questions related to training and professional development, an obvious area of concern is those being promoted being prepared for the new duties at the higher level. Almost 40% of the respondents strongly disagreed that those promoted are well prepared by the department. With only 20% of the respondents either strongly agreeing or somewhat agreeing, it is clear this is an area of need, which is addressed in the strategic initiative #2, “Succession Planning.” It is important however, to differentiate between the department’s obligation to prepare a person for upward advancement and the individual’s responsibility to prepare themselves for promotion. In ESCI’s opinion, it is incumbent upon those seeking upward advancement to prepare themselves to operate at a higher level in the organization. It is incumbent upon the PFD to further refine and develop the skills of those in the new, higher position. It is in everyone’s best interest for the department to create a clear roadmap to follow for those aspiring to higher positions, including the important hard and soft skills that are the hallmark of a highly capable professional. Goal 2B in this strategic plan addresses that issue head-on. 10% 8% 20% 12% 10% 24% 14% 8% 10% 41% 24% 18% 18% 24% 35% 22% 29% 31% 47% 45% 49% 39% 39% 49% 47% 16% 14% 22% 20% 10% 10% 10% 10% 4% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% My department has a clear plan in place for my professional development. I have a clear understanding about the goals and objectives of the department's training program. My training prepares me for the types of emergency incidents that I am likely to encounter in my job. Training is consistent throughout the department. In general, all department personnel are adequately trained to do their jobs. The department's training records are accurate and current. The training program meets the needs of the department. Members who are promoted are usually well prepared by the department's professional development program for their new duties. No Opinion Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Page 15 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 11 There were several anecdotal comments added by some members in the survey expressing concern about the training program and the training officer. This issue was discussed with the internal planning team during the workshop. Those in attendance did not agree with the sentiments expressed in criticisms of the training officer and postulated that there may be some who misunderstand the role of the training officer. The training officer, as described by the internal planning team, is not a drill master who takes crews into the field and trains them. Rather, he develops curricula and adjuncts to establish standardization of training and hands the training off to the company officers to teach their crews. He then establishes a spot audit to determine the relative success of the instruction and keeps records required by state statutes. Clarity on this subject and the role of the training officer should be a topic of discussion by the administration. Figure 7: Performance Reviews Performance reviews are surprisingly highly evaluated by the respondents. Close to 80% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that performance reviews included positive recognition, included suggestions for individual improvement, are based on well understood standards, and are regularly conducted. In ESCI’s experience, this is an area where most fire departments score low. 6% 11% 4% 11% 13% 17% 19% 47% 53% 55% 43% 36% 23% 26% 34% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% I receive regular feedback (reviews) from my supervisor about the quality of my work. I know what standards will be used to evaluate my performance. Performance evaluations include suggestions for improved performance. Performance evaluations include recognition for superior work and accomplishments. No Opinion Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Page 16 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 12 Figure 8: Communication Communication is another area where most fire departments could use significant improvement. However, in PFD’s case, the scores range from 55%-60% either agreeing or strongly agreeing that communication is open and honest, that criticisms are responded to professionally, that an open flow of communication occurs from the top down (although this has the lowest marks of the group of responses), and that members are well informed. There were several comments made by respondents about communication being sometimes at crossed purposes between the fire chief and assistant chief. Some members expressed concern about getting mixed, or in some cases, opposite responses from the two chief officers when a question is posed. It is an area of potential emphasis for the executive leadership to concentrate effort on. Mixed responses by the two can at the least confuse personnel, and can erode confidence in getting “the straight scoop” in the worst case. 11% 4% 17% 21% 17% 17% 13% 21% 26% 15% 17% 21% 43% 36% 38% 38% 40% 17% 17% 28% 17% 21% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% I am well informed about the activities at my department. An open flow of communication is maintained to and from the senior leadership (i.e., chief, deputy chief, etc.) and the line personnel. My department's leadership values employee input in general. Employee concerns about or criticisms of the department are responded to in a professional manner. The department's senior leadership is open and honest with the membership. No Opinion Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Page 17 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 13 Figure 9: Sources of Information Information sources by respondents is most appropriately by direct supervisors, which represents 34% of the respondents’ selections. “Department newsletter” and “elected group meeting minutes” had zero percent of the responses and thus do not appear on the pie chart. The rumor mill is one of the lowest sources of information respondents rely upon. Rumor mills in fire departments (in part due to the 24 hours of close quarters interaction) is usually a significant problem in most fire departments. It is axiomatic that a vacuum in information flow is often filled with speculation. To prevent this reliance on the rumor mill for information, significant effort needs to be exerted by the administration to communicate in an honest, transparent and timely manner. Clearly, at PFD significant effort is being expended in communicating. The fire chief and assistant chief should spend some energy getting on the same page when communicating issues to the troops, avoiding speculation that leads to a divergence of message. 34% 23% 11% 15% 11% 6% My immediate supervisor Other members The 'rumor mill' Senior leadership (i.e., chief, deputy chief) Elected group meeting minutes Association/Labor representatives Department newsletter Other (please specify) Page 18 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 14 Figure 10: Work Environment The work environment appears to be very positive, with one lone exception. When asked to agree with the statement that decisions are made in a timely, impartial and consistent manner, 51% of the respondents either somewhat disagreed or strongly disagreed. It is unclear to ESCI whether the issue is weighted on timeliness, impartiality, or consistency (or all three), but further exploration into the relative dissatisfaction of the decision-making process is warranted. It is entirely possible that decisions that are made are not communicated formally, allowing the information to filter throughout the organization in whatever pathway it naturally flows. This may tie in with the previous two figures, “Communication” and “Sources of Information.” 5% 7% 16% 4% 9% 7% 18% 16% 36% 16% 22% 33% 45% 49% 38% 40% 69% 60% 32% 29% 11% 40% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% My immediate supervisor is knowledgeable. I have a clear understanding of my job and responsibilities. The department provides me with the resources necessary to perform my job effectively. The work habits of officers/supervisors I work with set a good example. Decisions at the department are made in a timely, impartial, and consistent manner. Morale in my work group is high. No Opinion Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Page 19 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 15 Figure 11: Perceived Department Morale Department morale is relatively high as compared with other fire departments of similar size and scope. This is not to discount the minority who feel the morale is poor. There are numerous factors which go into the psychology of organizational morale, including individual happiness (whether work-related or not), the feeling of individual engagement, the individual’s crew make-up and their relative negativity or positivity, and the working conditions. The current status of collective bargaining, of mediation, or arbitration can also influence perception of department morale. There is insufficient information to make a determination here as to cause. The group who rated department morale as poor, while in the minority, is large enough to warrant further exploration. It is important to recognize, however, that the greatest litmus test for department morale includes the number of those feeling the morale is excellent or good. In this case, that equals 53% of the respondents. Sixteen percent feel it is poor. It is important to keep these numbers in perspective. 9% 44% 31% 16% Excellent Good Average Poor No Opinion Page 20 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 16 Figure 12: Perceived Employee Morale Similar to the previous figure illustrating perceived department morale, the above figure focuses on individual morale and whether morale is going up, down, or staying the same. Eighty percent of the respondents stated that their individual morale is either the same or better than it was a year ago. Twenty percent felt it was lower than last year. This roughly approximates the rating on department morale in the previous figure. Figure 13: Rating of Personal Work Environment 36% 44% 20% Greater than it was a year ago. About the same as it was a year ago. Lower than it was a year ago. 39% 46% 11% 4% Excellent Good Average Poor No Opinion Page 21 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 17 The personal work environment seeks to get the respondents to look at the work environment, not their own personal feelings. In this case, 85% of the respondents rated their personal work environment either excellent or good. Only 4% rated the work environment poor. This latter rating mirrors Figure 10: Work Environment (“morale in my work group is high”). In that response, two individuals strongly disagreed with the statement, “morale in my work group is high,” which is 4% of the respondent group. While no organization can dismiss as insignificant any employee who feels low, it is also important to keep the size of the problem in context. Figure 14: Member Pride The members of the Pasco Fire Department are proud of their organization and proud to work for it, as evidenced by the 91% stating they are either very proud or somewhat proud to work for their agency. The 9% (n=4) who are not proud to work for their agency may have varied reasons. The number is too low to discern a trend, however, the administration would be well served to open the door to discussion on the lack of pride and personal morale by these few individuals. 74% 17% 9% Very Proud Somewhat Proud Not Proud No Opinion Page 22 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 18 Figure 15: On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent, how would you rate the following external services and programs provided to the public by the department? The primary emergency services provided by PFD (fire suppression and EMS) are scored highly, as is public education. Those emergency services provided as part of an interagency team are scored lower (technical rescue and hazardous materials). Plan inspections and code enforcement are scored the lowest, but are services not provided directly by PFD, but by the building official. This may reflect either a lack of specific knowledge about how these services are provided, or that they should be provided by PFD and are thus provided in a less effective manner. Figure 16: On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent, how would you rate the following internal services and processes provided by the department? Surprisingly, employee benefits top the rankings of internal services. Employee relations and administrative support round out the top three internal services thought to be provided very well. The lack of a wellness/fitness program is evident (and is addressed in strategic initiative #3, goal 3A), as is dispatch services and facility and apparatus maintenance (also addressed in strategic initiative #1, goals 1E and 1F). These areas will be addressed in a positive way through the implementation of this strategic plan. 8.60 7.77 7.48 6.70 5.80 4.35 4.14 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 Emergency Medical Services Public Education Fire Suppression Technical Rescue (as currently provided) Haz Mat Code Enforcement Plan Inspections 7.75 6.89 6.43 5.95 5.73 5.42 5.20 4.61 2.91 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 Employee Benefits Administrative Support Employee Relations Organizational Planning Safety Programs Equipment and Apparatus Maintenance Facility Maintenance Dispatch/Communications Wellness/Fitness Program Page 23 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 19 Figure 17: Facilities & Apparatus Facilities do not meet the needs of the department according to 52% of the respondents, which is supported by the results and recommendations of the master plan, concluded six months ago. Apparatus maintenance could be improved according to 50% of the respondents, but there is a higher lack of satisfaction for the timeliness of apparatus repairs (55%). Both of these issues are addressed in strategic initiative #1 – Service Delivery Infrastructure (goals 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E). Figure 18: Community Relations 4% 4% 4% 7% 48% 15% 7% 24% 15% 26% 4% 4% 7% 30% 33% 37% 33% 37% 37% 4% 13% 43% 48% 39% 43% 30% 28% 35% 30% 4% 7% 7% 4% 59% 54% 54% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% The existing facilities are adequate to meet the needs of the department. The facilities are well maintained. The facilities are in good repair. The current fleet of apparatus is adequate to meet the needs of the department. Apparatus are well maintained. Apparatus repairs and maintenance are completed in a timely manner. Hose testing is completed on a regular basis. Ladder testing is completed on a regular basis. Pump testing is completed on a regular basis. No Opinion Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree 7% 5% 18% 5% 53% 53% 39% 44% 22% 52% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% The department is respected by the community that it serves. The department is sufficiently engaged in the community. The department leadership strives to maintain cooperative working relationships with neighboring emergency service providers. No Opinion Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Page 24 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 20 Respondents believe PFD works well with neighboring emergency service providers and believes the community itself respects the PFD. Sufficient engagement received the lowest score within this category (which is still high). Over 75% either somewhat agree or strongly agree that the department is sufficiently engaged in the community. This unwillingness to accept “good enough” is reflected in strategic initiative #3 – Health and Safety (goals 3D and 3E). Figure 19: In your opinion, what is the community's overall image of the Pasco Fire Department? Figure 19 reflects that respondents believe overwhelmingly that the community has a positive image of the Pasco Fire Department. As stated in the analysis of Figure 18, there appears to be a recognition that being respected and valued by the people you serve is key to an emergency service organizations’ success. There appears to be an unwillingness to accept “good enough.” Even those who score this dimension low only score it average. No respondent scored it as poor. 36% 44% 20% Excellent Good Average Poor No Opinion Page 25 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 21 Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles Mission The organization’s mission statement should clearly define the primary purpose of its existence. It focuses fire department members on what is truly important to the organization and community. The mission statement should be understood by all members and posted prominently throughout the organization’s facilities. Each member should commit the mission to memory. The internal planning team, through a consensus process and based on feedback from the citizen forum, reviewed and revised the department’s mission statement. Pasco Fire Department Mission Statement Honorably Protect and Serve our Community Vision In addition to knowing their mission, all successful organizations need to define where they expect to be in the future. The department’s vision provides members with a future view that can be shared, a clear sense of direction, a mobilization of energy, and gives a sense of being engaged in something important. Vision statements provide a direction of how things can be and a sense of organizational purpose. Pasco Fire Department Vision Statement The Pasco Fire Department will: • Maintain a highly-qualified workforce grounded in humility, integrity, and respect for all cultures • Promote progressive growth and expansion to meet the changing needs of the community • Conduct ourselves professionally in our community at all times • Promote a healthy and safe work environment • Be the leading resource for community safety, education, and information • Work collaboratively with labor and management to meet the community’s expectations • Integrate the department into community activities and events Guiding Principles (Values) Guiding principles (values) define what the organization considers to be appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. An organization’s fundamental guiding principles define the organization’s culture and belief system, thus providing a foundation in an environment that is always changing. The strategic planning team declared the following as the core values for the department. Page 26 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 22 With the completion of its mission, vision, and core values, the Pasco Fire Department has established the organization’s foundation for strategic planning. ESCI strongly recommends that every member empower themselves with these elements; they are the basis for accomplishing the organization’s strategic initiatives, goals, objectives, and day-to-day tasks. Pasco Fire Department Core Values • Promote morale, pride, and accountability from the top down • Maintain collaborative relationships with city departments and neighboring agencies • Honor tradition and provide training and education by highly experienced personnel • Remain progressive with innovation and technology through education and training • Engage in active sharing of your knowledge and experience • Earn respect daily Environmental Scan In order to properly formulate strategic initiatives, the internal planning team had to evaluate the external and internal organizational environment. The internal planning team combined feedback from the citizen forum, the allied agency session, the organization- wide internal survey results, and their collective knowledge of the organization and the community to assess the environment in which the department operates. Analyzing the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) is the first step in identifying the actionable strategies the department must develop for the future. Strengths The identification of organizational strengths is the first step in the environment scan. An organization’s strengths identify its capability of providing the services requested by its customers. The organization needs to make certain that its strengths are consistent with the issues it faces. Programs that do not match organizational strengths or primary functions should be reviewed to evaluate the rate of return on precious staff time. The internal planning team identified the department strengths: • The line firefighters. • Being a growing agency with new motivated employees for the most part. • The line staff is dedicated to serve the community in the best possible manner with the resources at its disposal. Pasco Fire maintains a level of aggressiveness that is not rivaled by any city in the area regarding fire attack and EMS services. • The fire chief. • PFD has a lot of new personnel that bring a lot of outside expertise in different areas. • The ability to be part of the Tri-Cities, not on our own. • Senior staff that supports their members. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. —Ralph Waldo Emerson Page 27 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 23 Weaknesses Organizational weaknesses, or lack of performance, are also an important environmental scan element. In order to move forward, the organization must honestly identify the issues that have created barriers to success in the past. Weak areas needing improvement are not the same as challenges, which will be identified later, but rather those day- to-day issues and concerns that may slow or inhibit progress. Internal organizational issues, as identified by the planning team, are typically issues that are at the heart of an organization’s problems. The internal planning team identified the following weaknesses: • Communication. • Borderline embarrassing physical fitness correlating with lack of training. • Lack of accountability and follow through, specifically with officers. • Officer Development. • The ARFF program is our greatest weakness. We don't have a program manager who coordinates the program and its associated activities. Because there is no manager it is ignored and flounders. A strong manager could promote the program within the organization and develop a training program that would incorporate hands on evolutions. • Training for new officers. • Not aggressively planning and executing buildings for stations and getting those up and running before the need is drastic. Opportunities An organization’s opportunities and threats are generally derived from the external environment. Opportunities are focused on existing services and on expanding and developing new possibilities inside and beyond the traditional service area. Many opportunities exist for the department: • More hands-on training and physical fitness requirements. • Public support. • The willingness of the line personnel who want more outside training in such things as truck ops, boat ops, or TRT. • Building our own training facility. • Officer Development. • The ability to consolidate Tri-City fire departments. • Growth. We finally seem to have some buy in from City Council. Let’s get them excited about growth in the fire department. You can't expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday's tools and expect to be in business tomorrow. —Unknown Source Page 28 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 24 Threats There are conditions in the external environment that are not under the organization’s control. The identification of these conditions allows the organization to develop plans to mitigate or respond when a threat becomes an obstacle. By recognizing these challenges, an organization can greatly reduce the potential for loss. The internal planning team identified the following threats: • Promoting inexperienced firefighters to the officer position. • Administration retiring with no plans in place to cover that change. And getting a new chief that isn't in line with the department’s future plans and goals. • Physical fitness; personnel with poor fitness being a liability for everybody. • Losing the support from the City Council and upper management through the next few years as council seats come up for re-election and the Chief retiring. • Running out of funding and backing for the change and growth that is happening, and then not reaching the goals. • Not following through with new station and staffing. If you don't like change you're going to like irrelevance even less. —US Army General Eric Shinseki Page 29 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 25 Definition of Terms There are five main components to a strategic plan: Strategic Initiatives, Goals, Objectives, Critical Tasks, and Outcomes or Performance Indicators. For purposes of this strategic plan, they are defined as follows: Initiative – The largest overarching element of a strategic plan, an initiative is a broad enterprise where the department may have multiple areas of focus. Goal – A smaller component of and subordinate to an initiative, a goal is focused on one particular area but is still general in nature. If all of the goals under an initiative have been accomplished, the initiative will be considered achieved. Objective – A smaller component of and subordinate to a goal, an objective is usually defined as specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-sensitive. If all objectives under a goal are accomplished, the goal will have been accomplished. Critical task – The smallest component of a strategic plan, critical tasks are the immediate (within 90 days) action steps needed to meet an objective or a goal. An objective itself may be a critical task, but not all goals or objectives have critical tasks. Outcome – The description of a desired result of an objective once accomplished. Strategic initiatives, goals, objectives, critical tasks, and outcomes become an important part of the organization’s efforts. By following these components carefully, the organization will be guided into the future and should benefit from reduced obstacles and distractions. Each of the initiatives, goals, and objectives were identified in a two-day planning workshop facilitated by ESCI with the internal planning team. To actually implement the objectives contained in this plan, ESCI recommends establishing numerous work groups, referred to within this plan as task forces. PFD should assemble appropriate personnel to these task forces based on skill-sets, interest, and alignment with current job duties. The initiative manager listed at the top of each initiative is responsible for routinely checking in with the task forces that make up that initiative, encourage the groups, reinforce accountability, and communicate progress to the rest of the organization. The following series of tables list and define each initiative with its subordinate goals and each goal with its subordinate objectives. Timelines are also listed with each objective as follows: Critical tasks (to be completed within the 90 days following finalization of the strategic plan), Short-term (more than 90 days but less than one year), Mid-term (greater than one year but less than three years), and Long-term (greater than three years but not longer than five years). These timelines are listed after the objectives. Each objective has a person responsible for coordinating the effort to implement that objective. Each initiative has an assigned manager. The initiative manager is responsible for tracking that initiative’s progress. This includes coordinating with the individual objective coordinators within that initiative to maintain progress and assist by removing roadblocks. Page 30 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 26 Strategic Plan Initiative 1 – Service Delivery Infrastructure This initiative includes all of the capital, vehicles, hardware, and technology systems which the fire department relies upon to provide service to the community. This includes fire stations, training facilities, apparatus and their maintenance, equipment, software programs and systems, and the dispatch center. Initiative Manager: Fire Chief Bob Gear Goal: 1A Site and construct a new Station 84 with adequate personnel, consistent with the master plan recommendations. Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Secure funding for station construction Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Pasco has a funding source identified and secured for Station 84 2. Locate and secure land for a new Station 84 Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: New Station 84 property has been secured and is in place 3. Select an architect for station design Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: An architect has been contracted for Station 84 4. Select a contractor for station construction Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A contractor has been contracted for Station 84 5. Develop a staffing plan consistent with the master plan Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A staffing plan has been developed and staged to be implemented to coincide with Station 84 opening 6. Construct and open the station by 1-1-2020 Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A new Station 84 is open, staffed, and serving the community Page 31 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 27 Goal: 1B Relocate Station 83 based on the Master Plan recommendation. Ob je c t i v e 1. Secure funding for station relocation Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Pasco has a funding source identified and secured for Station 83 relocation 2. Locate and secure land for relocated Station 83 Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Pasco has a site selected and secured for relocation of Station 83 as per the master plan recommendations 3. Select an architect for station design Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: An architect has been contracted for Station 83 4. Select a contractor for station construction Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A contractor has been contracted for Station 83 5. Construct and open the new station 83 by 1-1-2020 Responsible: Facilities Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A relocated Station 83 is open and serving the community Page 32 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 28 Goal: 1C Establish a regional training facility with additional training program staffing. Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Identify regional partner agencies to form a regional training center consortium Responsible: Facilities Task Force & Training Timeline: Critical Task Outcome: Regional partners have been identified, engaged, and have agreed in concept to join a regional training consortium 2. Establish an inter-local agreement to form a regional training consortium Responsible: Facilities Task Force & Training Timeline: Critical Task Outcome: An agreement has been executed for a regional training consortium 3. Secure funding for Training Center site in partnership with the consortium members Responsible: Facilities Task Force & Training Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Pasco and its consortium partners have a funding source identified and secured for the new training center 4. Locate and secure land for new training center Responsible: Facilities Task Force & Training Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Pasco has a site selected and secured for a new training center that meets environmental regulations 5. Select an architect for training center design Responsible: Facilities Task Force & Training Timeline: Short-term Outcome: An architect has been contracted for the new training center 6. Select a contractor for the training center Responsible: Facilities Task Force & Training Timeline: Short-term Outcome: A contractor has been contracted for the training center construction 7. Construct and open the new training center by 1-1-2019 Responsible: Facilities Task Force & Training Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A new training center is open and serving PFD and its consortium partners Page 33 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 29 Goal: 1D Provide adequate storage for equipment in existing stations. Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Surplus excess equipment currently utilizing storage space Responsible: Storage Task Force Timeline: Critical Task Outcome: Survey of equipment completed; all excess equipment is surplused 2. Assess each station’s storage capacity Responsible: Storage Task Force Timeline: Critical Task Outcome: A storage survey has been completed for each station 3. Develop and implement a storage plan for each station Responsible: Storage Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Adequate storage has been provided for each station Goal: 1E Improve fleet maintenance. Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Partner with Public Works to identify problems with maintenance of fire apparatus Responsible: Apparatus Task Force & PPW Timeline: Critical Task Outcome: Work group established to identify problems; Maintenance issues identified 2. Identify options to improve fleet maintenance through-put Responsible: Apparatus Task Force & PPW Timeline: Short-term Outcome: List of available options to correct issues has been established 3. Establish a regular preventative maintenance program Responsible: Apparatus Task Force & PPW Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Preventative maintenance program is in place Page 34 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 30 4. Develop a funding mechanism to address maintenance of fire apparatus Responsible: Apparatus Task Force & PPW Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Funding for maintenance secured Goal: 1F Pursue consolidation of dispatch centers (already under way). Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Secure signatures of partnering agencies (Franklin and Benton Counties) Responsible: Communication Task Force Timeline: Critical Task Outcome: Signatures collected from all participants 2. Conduct SECOMM radio procedure training for Pasco Fire Responsible: Communication Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: All PFD personnel are trained in SECOMM radio procedures 3. Ensure proper training for SECOMM personnel Responsible: Communication Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: SECOMM personnel are properly trained 4. Develop an emergency dispatch transition plan Responsible: Communication Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: A transition plan is in place with contingencies 5. Work with SECOMM to update deployment plan and run cards Responsible: Communication Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Run cards created and uploaded into the CAD program Page 35 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 31 Initiative 2 – Succession Planning Pasco Fire Department is within one year of losing its fire chief and assistant chief to retirement. In addition, senior staff in the rest of the department is within three to five years of retirement as an entire group. As a young department, the future leadership on the line and at the mid-management levels is likely to be inexperienced as compared to counterpart agencies of similar size and scope. The potential executive leadership vacuum is the most pressing concern facing the department. Concern internally and externally has been expressed about the loss of momentum, the loss of continuity, and the loss of effective relationships in all directions. This initiative is intended to address the immediate concerns and set the framework for leadership development long term at all levels. Initiative Managers: Chief Bob Gear, Assistant Chief Dave Hare, City Manager Dave Zabell Goal: 2A Recruit and select PFD executive leadership to maintain a positive and progressive administration. Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Develop a successful candidate profile for the chief and assistant chief (or deputy) positions Responsible: Executive Recruitment Task Force Timeline: Critical Task Outcome: Profile outlines are completed 2. Target recruit for candidates fitting the profile with significant emphasis on effective labor/management relationships Responsible: Executive Recruitment Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: List of candidates identified, interviews scheduled 3. Develop a comprehensive testing process with input from labor and other key stakeholders Responsible: Executive Recruitment Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: A comprehensive testing process has been identified which addresses key stakeholder concerns 4. Recruit and fill the executive positions prior to incumbents leaving for a smooth transition Responsible: Executive Recruitment Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Fire chief position is filled six months in advance of incumbent departure; Assistant (Deputy) chief position is filled six months in advance of incumbent departure 5. Continue strong relationships with assisting and cooperating agencies through the PFD leadership transition. Responsible: Executive Recruitment Task Force Timeline: Short-term, ongoing Outcome: Effective interagency relationships have been maintained; New relationships have been developed Page 36 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 32 Goal: 2B Establish a career development program Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Map potential career path opportunities, laterally and vertically Responsible: Career Development Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Written guidelines are developed and available to all personnel 2. Identify critical skills needed to be successful at each rank and level of the organization Responsible: Career Development Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: A skills inventory, including soft skills and technical skills, has been created for each position in the organization 3. Create specific curriculum for each skill set and for each position in the organization Responsible: Career Development Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: A curriculum for the development of each position in the department has been created which includes soft skills, technical skills, and alternative (external) paths to obtain these skills 4. Implement curricula organization-wide Responsible: Career Development Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: The curricula has been implemented and is being utilized widely within the department; attendance for sessions is high and growing 5. Evaluate the success of the career development program and adjust as needed Responsible: Career Development Task Force Timeline: Mid-term, ongoing Outcome: The participants are polled to determine needed adjustments; adjustments are made without needless delay Page 37 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 33 Goal: 2C Implement a standardized lateral entry and entry level hiring process Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Collaborate with labor to develop a standardized lateral entry and entry level hiring process Responsible: Hiring Process Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A standardized hiring process has been developed with input from labor; written guidelines have been created 2. Conduct competency testing for lateral entry and entry level positions Responsible: Hiring Process Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: Highly qualified personnel are being selected and hired by PFD 3. Post hiring evaluation of testing process is evaluated and adjusted as necessary Responsible: Hiring Process Task Force Timeline: Mid-term, ongoing Outcome: The testing process is routinely adjusted to reflect lessons learned from previous testing and hiring processes Initiative 3 – Health and Safety Pasco Fire Department personnel recognize the inherent dangers firefighting poses to its members. The physical condition of firefighters plays an important role in reducing injuries and even death of its personnel. The safety equipment used by firefighters must be well maintained and consistently used to keep members as safe as possible. Stress contributes to firefighter health, and as such should be managed to the extent possible. Finally, the general public’s health and safety has a direct bearing on the services provided by PFD. This initiative seeks to address each of these elements of health and safety. Initiative Managers: Assistant Chief Dave Hare Goal: 3A Develop a Wellness/Fitness Program Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Research successful programs in other agencies already in place Responsible: Wellness/fitness Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: Successful attributes have been identified and collected; agencies that have successfully implemented wellness/fitness programs have been identified 2. Develop a wellness/fitness program which includes the successful attributes identified in 3A:1 Responsible: Wellness/fitness Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A wellness/fitness program has been established and implemented Page 38 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 34 3. Address exercise equipment and workout space needs as identified in the wellness/fitness program; access to a gym may be an efficient alternative Responsible: Wellness/fitness Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: Appropriate exercise equipment and workout space is available to all personnel 4. Develop a non-punitive, standardized, job related wellness/fitness education and evaluation process that includes new recruits Responsible: Wellness/fitness Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: An ongoing, job related wellness/fitness education program is in place; a confidential, non-punitive wellness/fitness evaluation process is in place 5. Implement the Washington State Council of Firefighters Healthy In/Healthy Out program Responsible: Wellness/fitness Task Force Timeline: Mid-term, ongoing Outcome: All personnel have been trained in the tenets of the Health In/Healthy Out program and it is used and reinforced routinely in PFD Goal: 3B Ensure proper Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is selected and provided to all personnel Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Regularly evaluate PPE needs, factoring the latest technology into replacement criteria Responsible: PPE Task Force Timeline: Mid-term, ongoing Outcome: A written PPE replacement cycle and criteria has been created 2. Research and acquire appropriate personal escape systems for all personnel Responsible: PPE Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: Personal escape systems have been acquired for all line personnel 3. Provide annual training on care, maintenance, and inspection of PPE Responsible: PPE Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: All personnel have been trained and routinely follow the maintenance and inspection processes 4. Pursue grants and other alternative funding sources for PPE Responsible: PPE Task Force Timeline: Mid-term, ongoing Outcome: Grants and alternative funding has been secured for PPE improvements Page 39 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 35 Goal: 3C Improve station alerting systems Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Research appropriate and healthy alerting systems Responsible: Alerting Task Force Timeline: Short-term Outcome: Research completed and healthy alerting systems identified 2. Install healthy alerting systems at each fire facility Responsible: Alerting Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: Healthy alerting systems have been installed at each fire facility Goal: 3D Continue to develop and implement Community Risk Reduction programs Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Develop a Community Paramedicine Program Responsible: Community Outreach Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: A complete community paramedicine program has been developed 2. Establish partnership agreements with allied agencies Responsible: Community Outreach Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: Allied agencies have partnered with PFD and signed onto an agreement 3. Implement the Community Paramedicine Program developed in 3D1 Responsible: Community Outreach Task Force Timeline: Mid-term Outcome: The community paramedicine program identified in 3D1 has been implemented 4. Secure ongoing funding for community paramedicine program Responsible: Community Outreach Task Force Timeline: Long-term Outcome: Alternative funding streams have been established for the ongoing operation of the community paramedicine program Page 40 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 36 Goal: 3E Enhance community outreach Ob j e c t i v e s 1. Implement a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program Responsible: Community Outreach Task Force Timeline: Long-term Outcome: A CERT program has been implemented in the community and community members have joined the team and received the training 2. Develop processes, systems, and programs to engage the community to reduce their risk Responsible: Community Outreach Task Force Timeline: Long-term Outcome: Community members have partnered with PFD to help reduce community risks 3. Develop and conduct a PFD Citizen’s Academy Responsible: Community Outreach Task Force Timeline: Long-term Outcome: A Citizen’s Academy has been developed and implemented which teaches community stakeholders about the PFD from “the inside” Page 41 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 37 Implementation Methodology “The three major keys to successful strategic planning and implementation are commitment, credibility, and communication.”1 These three critical elements are best addressed by appropriate prioritization and completion of objectives, consistently seeking and utilizing input from PFD members and communicating plan status on a consistent basis, and measuring compliance for the established timelines. Prioritization of Objectives In conjunction with developing operational plans, assigned task forces/individuals are charged with prioritizing each of their objectives. Each assigned task force/individual will determine the priority and timing for each objective. Upon approval of the fire chief, objectives that can be accomplished within the limits of existing program budgets receive highest priority. Pasco Fire Department Member Input and Communication Once the operational plans for each objective are developed, the groups tasked with a given objective will forward ideas, suggestions, and comments to the initiative manager for review and approval. 2017 Implementation Timeline The Pasco Fire Department Strategic Planning Team must be committed to a regular schedule of status updates and accountability monitoring. The Team should set up an implementation schedule for 2017 to ensure regular communication and commitment to the strategic plan: • Upon adoption – Fire chief provides summary of strategic plan initiatives and goals to membership, and interested community stakeholders. Official development of operational plans begin. • Quarterly Meeting – Strategic Planning Team meeting to track progress of operational plan development and objectives prioritization. • Annual budget development plan review – Strategic plan is reviewed and prioritized in accordance with budget development and annual planning priorities. In addition to the quarterly planning meetings, the Strategic Planning Team should meet on an annual basis to assess progress, celebrate accomplishments, and ensure the ongoing viability and validity of the Strategic Plan. To help maintain communication about the organization’s progress in meeting its goals to the membership, PFD leadership should commit to publishing regular status reports and minutes resulting from the Team’s quarterly and annual meetings. Regular communication with the organization on plan progress serves to keep the strategic plan front-of-mind for PFD’s members and sustains momentum. 1 Ahoy, Chris, Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning & Management, Iowa State University, September 1998. Page 42 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 38 Appendix A – Internal SWOT Feedback All members of Pasco Fire Department were solicited for their feedback under the headings, “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats” within an organizational survey. Fifty members submitted responses. Their responses are listed below. The results follow: Strengths Continuity between crews. The personnel, our Chief has created an environment to allow us to succeed. Its firefighters. Chief The people that work for the department. The vast knowledge, willingness to learn, and ability to do the job that the majority of the personnel have. The line firefighters. Our Department Chief. Its employees. We have a lot of dedicated, young employees who will make great formal and informal leaders in the future. Line personnel. We do have areas where we call all improve, but overall, we have a large percentage of good people wanting to be good at our jobs. It has a lot of new personnel that bring a lot of outside expertise in different areas. Being a growing agency with new motivated employees for the most part. The ability to be part of the Tri-Cities, not on our own. Highly talented group of individuals. That the majority of its members are younger and " go-getters." Community-oriented with caring, proficient personnel. The drive of the members to serve the community members with the best possible customer service. People it hires. The employees of the fire department. The people. Senior staff that supports their members. The employees on the line trying to get the job done. Its support staff and its Chief. The improvements need to be made in the middle and upper level. Moving forward in a variety of areas in a Pasco Fire Department. We have a lot of people working on various projects moving PFD in the right direction. The personnel. EMS Its line personnel and their willingness to do their job is where the greatest strength lies. B Shift The people. Staff Tenacity. Page 43 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 39 Weaknesses Three shifts, three different ways of going about things. Poor attitudes of personnel. Communication, rumor mill. The few "bad apples" that constantly spread discontent and create issues. Training Arrogance and/or ignorance. The training division. The ability to take the Chief’s game plan and put it into day to day operations. Training division and communication are tied. Lack of motivation from some individuals. Consistent ongoing training. Training for new officers. Borderline embarrassing physical fitness correlating with lack of training. That the city is growing so fast and that we are under staffed. Spoiled rotten group of individuals that work as individuals and not as a team. Not aggressively planning and executing buildings for stations and getting those up and running before the need is drastic. Inability to grow to an adequate staffing level due to financial planning of the City years ago. Lack of manpower. Growth not keeping up with demand. We're on the computer way more than we're outside training. Communications are all over the place. This isn't communications not happening, just different stories depending on audience and who is telling the story. The Chief and Asst. Chief offices are right next to each other, yet we will get two different versions of something in the same day. Or the story will change day to day even from the same person. In addition, we keep being asked to give input, like this survey. The appearance however, is that it just makes it look like our input counts and management can say we asked for input. The ARFF program is our greatest weakness. We don't have a program manager who coordinates the program and its associated activities. Because there is no manager it is ignored and flounders. A strong manager could promote the program within the organization and develop a training program that would incorporate hands on evolutions. Lack of accountability and follow through, specifically with officers. Speed at which government gets things done. Officer Development The shifts don't work together well. There is a rivalry that could be a good thing but is not and it starts at the top of the shifts. Truck Ops Time to achieve our training goals. Communicating through the massive growth we are experiencing, and changing with the times. Lack of accountability. Breaks in communications between the Chief- Asst, Chief-BC, and firefighters. This communication is not consistent in both directions and between shifts leading to missed info and a less efficient department. There is so much growth right now that it is hard to keep up with what is happening and get the information down to them. But making sure everyone has a common message to send out. Then the line staff have a better understanding of what is happening. We are stretched thin for managing programs. A generalized sense of entitlement. Page 44 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 40 Opportunities Better officer development. Development of department members that are genuinely excited about the job and want to become masters of their craft. Not only upward mobility but also empower them to lead from the bottom up. The city growth. Pushing the water rescue program to be the go to program in the area. With the new hires and the department's growth, instill to the new employees and old employees to be appreciative to how good we have it to be firefighters and be able to serve the community. Get adequate staffing. The city's growth. Use it to promote and grow the department. The backing of the City Council seems to be very favorable right now. Pub Education More hands-on training and physical fitness requirements. Expansion and growth. Public support. Officer Development Being proactive in funding Station 5. Community Paramedicine Truly listening to the employees and when something is brought up, don't just write it off as complaining for no reason. The ability to consolidate Tri-City fire departments. The willingness of the line personal who want more outside training in such things as truck ops, boat ops, or TRT. Training off duty. A strong up-and-coming leadership crew with excitement to continually make the department better and on the path with the Chief’s vision. The growth in West Pasco. Use this rapid growth to promote and improve PFD. Ensure the growth of the fire department matches the community’s needs. We fell so far behind in the 80s it took monumental effort to catch up. Growth. We finally seem to have some buy in from City Council. Let’s get them excited about growth in the fire department. Building our own training facility. Administrative and policy-level change due to retirements. City growth. Page 45 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 41 Threats Under-trained officers. City growth. lack of future admin leadership, after who is there now retires. Stagnation of programs and training. The science of firefighting is changing and we must keep up with the times to provide the best service to our citizens that is possible. Promoting inexperience firefighters to the officer position. Losing the support from the City Council and upper management through the next few years as council seats come up for reelection and Chief’s retiring. Admin retiring with no plans in place to cover that change. And getting a new chief that isn't in line with the department future plans and goals. Station and Staffing The mass influx of new employees and a training division with no supervisory or line experience. Not handled right, this will hurt the department in the long run. Not being able to provide our services to the entire city due to location of stations. All new administration. The Chief leaving the department. Physical fitness, personnel being a liability for everybody. I'm worried about the next chief after Gear. Funding for all the programs that we promote without having a clear program from the start. Financial support from the stakeholders. Honesty between upper management and line personnel. Changing federal and state laws that deal with health care. The inability to collect funds for services rendered. The older officers who want to keep things status que and continue with the "busy work" which will bring morale down. The loss of support from a new City Council and manager. Increased need with not enough employees or stations to handle call volume. Money. Revenue. Falling behind the growth curve of the city. Stale administration and an inexperienced, unsupervised training department. Senior leadership change. Running out of funding and backing for the change and growth that is happening, and then not reaching the goals. Too fast of growth for the department to keep up with. Administrative and Policy level change due to retirements. Page 46 of 56 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 42 Appendix B – Timeline Objectives Assigned Responsibility Critical 90 Days Short Term < 1 year Mid Term 1–3 years Long Term 3–5 years 1C1: Identify regional partner agencies to form a regional training center consortium Facilities Task Force & Training 1C2: Establish an inter-local agreement to form a regional training consortium Facilities Task Force & Training 1D1: Surplus excess equipment currently utilizing storage space Storage Task Force 1D2: Assess each station’s storage capacity Storage Task Force 1E1: Partner with Public Works to identify problems with maintenance of fire apparatus Apparatus Task Force & PPW 1F1: Secure signatures of partnering agencies (Franklin and Benton Counties) Communication Task Force 2A1: Develop a successful candidate profile for the chief and assistant chief (or deputy) positions Executive Recruitment Task Force 1A1: Secure funding for station construction Facilities Task Force 1A2: Locate and secure land for a new Station 84 Facilities Task Force 1A3: Select an architect for station design Facilities Task Force 1B1: Secure funding for station relocation Facilities Task Force 1B2: Locate and secure land for relocated Station 83 Facilities Task Force 1B3: Select an architect for station design Facilities Task Force 1C3: Secure funding for Training Center site in partnership with the consortium members Facilities Task Force & Training 1C4: Locate and secure land for new training center Facilities Task Force & Training 1C5: Select an architect for training center design Facilities Task Force & Training P a g e 4 7 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 43 Objectives Assigned Responsibility Critical 90 Days Short Term < 1 year Mid Term 1–3 years Long Term 3–5 years 1C6: Select a contractor for the training center Facilities Task Force & Training 1D3: Develop and implement a storage plan for each station Storage Task Force 1E2: Identify options to improve fleet maintenance through-put Apparatus Task Force & PPW 1E3: Establish a regular preventative maintenance program Apparatus Task Force & PPW 1E4: Develop a funding mechanism to address maintenance of fire apparatus Apparatus Task Force & PPW 1F2: Conduct SECOMM radio procedure training for Pasco Fire Communication Task Force 1F3: Ensure proper training for SECOMM personnel Communication Task Force 1F4: Develop an emergency dispatch transition plan Communication Task Force 1F5: Work with SECOMM to update deployment plan and run cards Communication Task Force 2A2: Target recruit for candidates fitting the profile with significant emphasis on effective labor/management relationships Executive Recruitment Task Force 2A3: Develop a comprehensive testing process with input from labor and other key stakeholders Executive Recruitment Task Force 2A4: Recruit and fill the executive positions prior to incumbents leaving for a smooth transition Executive Recruitment Task Force 2A5: Continue strong relationships with assisting and cooperating agencies through the PFD leadership transition Executive Recruitment Task Force Ongoing 2B1: Map potential career path opportunities, laterally and vertically Career Development Task Force 2B2: Identify critical skills needed to be successful at each rank and level of the organization Career Development Task Force 2B3: Create specific curriculum for each skill set and for each position in the organization Career Development Task Force 3C1: Research appropriate and healthy alerting systems Alerting Task Force P a g e 4 8 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 44 Objectives Assigned Responsibility Critical 90 Days Short Term < 1 year Mid Term 1–3 years Long Term 3–5 years 1A4: Select a contractor for station construction Facilities Task Force 1A5: Develop a staffing plan consistent with the master plan Facilities Task Force 1A6: Construct and open the station by 1-1-2020 Facilities Task Force 1B4: Select a contractor for station construction Facilities Task Force 1B5: Construct and open the new station 83 by 1-1-2020 Facilities Task Force 1C7: Construct and open the new training center by 1-1-2019 Facilities Task Force & Training 2B4: Implement curricula organization-wide Career Development Task Force 2B5: Evaluate the success of the career development program and adjust as needed Career Development Task Force Ongoing 2C1: Collaborate with labor to develop a standardized lateral entry and entry level hiring process Hiring Process Task Force 2C2: Conduct competency testing for lateral entry and entry level positions Hiring Process Task Force 2C3: Post hiring evaluation of testing process is evaluated and adjusted as necessary Hiring Process Task Force Ongoing 3A1: Research successful programs in other agencies already in place Wellness/Fitness Task Force 3A2: Develop a wellness/fitness program which includes the successful attributes identified in 3A:1 Wellness/Fitness Task Force 3A3: Address exercise equipment and workout space needs as identified in the wellness/fitness program; access to a gym may be an efficient alternative Wellness/Fitness Task Force 3A4: Develop a standardized, job related wellness/fitness education and evaluation process that includes new recruits Wellness/Fitness Task Force 3A5: Implement the Washington State Council of Firefighters Healthy In/Healthy Out program Wellness/Fitness Task Force Ongoing 3B1: Regularly evaluate PPE needs, factoring the latest technology into PPE Task Force Ongoing P a g e 4 9 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 45 Objectives Assigned Responsibility Critical 90 Days Short Term < 1 year Mid Term 1–3 years Long Term 3–5 years replacement criteria 3B2: Research and acquire appropriate personal escape systems for all personnel PPE Task Force 3B3: Provide annual training on care, maintenance, and inspection of PPE PPE Task Force 3B4: Pursue grants and other alternative funding sources for PPE PPE Task Force Ongoing 3C2: Install healthy alerting systems at each fire facility Alerting Task Force 3D1: Develop a Community Paramedicine Program Community Outreach Task Force 3D2: Establish partnership agreements with allied agencies Community Outreach Task Force 3D3: Implement the Community Paramedicine Program developed in 3D1 Community Outreach Task Force 3D4: Secure ongoing funding for community paramedicine program Community Outreach Task Force 3E1: Implement a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program Community Outreach Task Force 3E2: Develop processes, systems, and programs to engage the community to reduce their risk Community Outreach Task Force 3E3: Develop and conduct a PFD Citizen’s Academy Community Outreach Task Force P a g e 5 0 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 46 Appendix C – Status & Accountability Pasco Fire Department Status & Accountability Worksheet Implementation Timeline Status: On Target – Delayed or Deferred – Not Currently On Target Initiatives/Goals/Objectives Initiative #1: Service Delivery Infrastructure Manager: Assistant Chief Dave Hare Goal 1A: Site and construct a new Station 84 with adequate personnel, consistent with the master plan recommendations. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Secure funding for station construction Facilities Task Force Short-term Obj. 2: Locate and secure land for a new Station 84 Facilities Task Force Short-term Obj. 3: Select an architect for station design Facilities Task Force Short-term Obj. 4: Select a contractor for station construction Facilities Task Force Mid-term Obj. 5: Develop a staffing plan consistent with the master plan Facilities Task Force Mid-term Obj. 6: Construct and open the station by 1-1-2020 Facilities Task Force Mid-term Goal 1B: Relocate Station 83 based on the Master Plan recommendation. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Secure funding for station relocation Facilities Task Force Short-term Obj. 2: Locate and secure land for relocated Station 83 Facilities Task Force Short-term Obj. 3: Select an architect for station design Facilities Task Force Short-term Obj. 4: Select a contractor for station construction Facilities Task Force Mid-term Obj. 5: Construct and open the new station 83 by 1-1-2020 Facilities Task Force Mid-term Goal 1C: Establish a regional training facility with additional training program staffing. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Identify regional partner agencies to form a regional training center consortium Facilities Task Force & Training Critical Task Obj. 2: Establish an inter-local agreement to form a regional training consortium Facilities Task Force & Training Critical Task P a g e 5 1 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 47 Obj. 3: Secure funding for Training Center site in partnership with the consortium members Facilities Task Force & Training Short-term Obj. 4: Locate and secure land for new training center Facilities Task Force & Training Short-term Obj. 5: Select an architect for training center design Facilities Task Force & Training Short-term Obj. 6: Select a contractor for the training center Facilities Task Force & Training Short-term Obj. 7: Construct and open the new training center by 1-1-2019 Facilities Task Force & Training Mid-term Goal 1D: Provide adequate storage for equipment in existing stations. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Surplus excess equipment currently utilizing storage space Storage Task Force Critical Task Obj. 2: Assess each station’s storage capacity Storage Task Force Critical Task Obj. 3: Develop and implement a storage plan for each station Storage Task Force Short-term Goal 1E: Improve fleet maintenance. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Partner with Public Works to identify problems with maintenance of fire apparatus Apparatus Task Force & PPW Critical Task Obj. 2: Identify options to improve fleet maintenance through-put Apparatus Task Force & PPW Short-term Obj. 3: Establish a regular preventative maintenance program Apparatus Task Force & PPW Short-term Obj. 4: Develop a funding mechanism to address maintenance of fire apparatus Apparatus Task Force & PPW Short-term Goal 1F: Pursue consolidation of dispatch centers (already under way). Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Secure signatures of partnering agencies (Franklin and Benton Counties) Communication Task Force Critical Task Obj. 2: Conduct SECOMM radio procedure training for Pasco Fire Communication Task Force Short-term P a g e 5 2 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 48 Obj. 3: Ensure proper training for SECOMM personnel Communication Task Force Short-term Obj. 4: Develop an emergency dispatch transition plan Communication Task Force Short-term Obj. 5: Work with SECOMM to update deployment plan and run cards Communication Task Force Short-term Initiative #2: Succession Planning Manager: Executive Team, City Manager Goal 2A: Recruit and select PFD executive leadership to maintain a positive and progressive administration. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Develop a successful candidate profile for the chief and assistant chief (or deputy) positions Executive Recruitment Task Force Critical Task Obj. 2: Target recruit for candidates fitting the profile with significant emphasis on effective labor/management relationships Executive Recruitment Task Force Short-term Obj. 3: Develop a comprehensive testing process with input from labor and other key stakeholders Executive Recruitment Task Force Short-term Obj. 4: Recruit and fill the executive positions prior to incumbents leaving for a smooth transition Executive Recruitment Task Force Short-term Obj. 5: Continue strong relationships with assisting and cooperating agencies through the PFD leadership transition Executive Recruitment Task Force Short-term, ongoing Goal 2B: Establish a career development program. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Map potential career path opportunities, laterally and vertically Career Development Task Force Short-term Obj. 2: Identify critical skills needed to be successful at each rank and level of the organization Career Development Task Force Short-term Obj. 3: Create specific curriculum for each skill set and for each position in the organization Career Development Task Force Short-term Obj. 4: Implement curricula organization-wide Career Development Task Force Mid-term Obj. 5: Evaluate the success of the career development program and adjust as needed Career Development Task Force Mid-term, ongoing P a g e 5 3 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 49 Goal 2C: Implement a standardized lateral entry and entry level hiring process. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Collaborate with labor to develop a standardized lateral entry and entry level hiring process Hiring Process Task Force Mid-term Obj. 2: Conduct competency testing for lateral entry and entry level positions Hiring Process Task Force Mid-term Obj. 3: Post hiring evaluation of testing process is evaluated and adjusted as necessary Hiring Process Task Force Mid-term, ongoing Initiative #3: Health and Safety Manager: Fire Chief Bob Gear Goal 3A: Develop a Wellness/Fitness Program. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Research successful programs in other agencies already in place Wellness/Fitness Task Force Mid-term Obj. 2: Develop a wellness/fitness program which includes the successful attributes identified in 3A:1 Wellness/Fitness Task Force Mid-term Obj. 3: Address exercise equipment and workout space needs as identified in the wellness/fitness program; access to a gym may be an efficient alternative Wellness/Fitness Task Force Mid-term Obj. 4: Develop a standardized, job related wellness/fitness education and evaluation process that includes new recruits Wellness/Fitness Task Force Mid-term Obj. 5: Implement the Washington State Council of Firefighters Healthy In/Healthy Out program Wellness/Fitness Task Force Mid-term, ongoing Goal 3B: Ensure proper Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is selected and provided to all personnel. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Regularly evaluate PPE needs, factoring the latest technology into replacement criteria PPE Task Force Mid-term, ongoing Obj. 2: Research and acquire appropriate personal escape systems for all personnel PPE Task Force Mid-term Obj. 3: Provide annual training on care, maintenance, and inspection of PPE PPE Task Force Mid-term Obj. 4: Pursue grants and other alternative funding sources for PPE PPE Task Force Mid-term, ongoing Goal 3C: Improve station alerting systems. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Research appropriate and healthy alerting systems Alerting Task Force Short-term Obj. 2: Install healthy alerting systems at each fire facility Alerting Task Force Mid-term P a g e 5 4 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 50 Goal 3D: Continue to develop and implement Community Risk Reduction programs. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Develop a Community Paramedicine Program Community Outreach Task Force Mid-term Obj. 2: Establish partnership agreements with allied agencies Community Outreach Task Force Mid-term Obj. 3: Implement the Community Paramedicine Program developed in 3D1 Community Outreach Task Force Mid-term Obj. 4: Secure ongoing funding for community paramedicine program Community Outreach Task Force Long-term Goal 3E: Enhance community outreach. Responsible Timeline Obj. 1: Implement a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program Community Outreach Task Force Long-term Obj. 2: Develop processes, systems, and programs to engage the community to reduce their risk Community Outreach Task Force Long-term Obj. 3: Develop and conduct a PFD Citizen’s Academy Community Outreach Task Force Long-term P a g e 5 5 o f 5 6 Pasco Fire Department Strategic Plan – 2017 Page 51 Appendix D – Task Worksheet Initiative: Person(s) Responsible: Desired Outcome(s): Goal: Objective: Timeline: # Task Assigned/Delegated Start Date Completion Date Cost Estimate Comments 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 P a g e 5 6 o f 5 6