Appendices Ashfield Fire Department Review, Recommendations & Strategic Plan ‘March 3,202 ‘Table of Appendices ‘SWOT Data Seengths, Weaknesses Opportunites, Treats ‘Volunteer Fitefighter Cost Savings Caleulator ‘National Volunteer FireCounil (NVFC) - Online Toot Fite Chiet Job Dese‘ption & Annual Review Form ‘Small Town Voluntzer Fire Department Leadership Fire Chief Salary & Expense Projection How Many Volunteers Do You Need? ‘Suggested Hazmat Training & Schedule Engine Company Evolution Training Sample EMS Training Scheiule 10-Minute Training Topies ‘Squad System Rotations ‘Analysis of Building Fire Flashover Fire Station Needs & Role Diesel Soot Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Elements & Cost Matrix of Recommended Strategic Actions SZErASHrommon & >‘Ashfield FO SWOT 2020 SurveyMonkey Q1 Please list up to three STRENGTHS of the Asfield Fire Department. osverec: Spas 0 ANSWER CHOICES Responses 1 Personal (Oo spect, tz 920 0 z ‘vey eSponsve enn an ta re they Se oan we 5 eam srpi2i 18 Pa 2 ‘Garon scored carey and esponsibie sraoagai 48 PM « ‘esion a aiaoai 1200 Pe = Having aps he Doe responds vey cal ay ori sraa0ai a6 PA 5 Kronen re “yaaa 525 Pw 7 het codes zi ne “yaaa 00 Pw a Good armen aie wera 128 PM 3 commie FE ween 108A 0 Trenbers wow dda o Gamer and oe ‘yan 108 A rn Vio wl as team to accampsoh go ao 06 @ ‘Teamwroik among otfcers and fieittens on scene /2712020 2:08 AM 2 ‘We hve ged Geeated pope no sane. 100 1H A a _Gommaniy oareach a : 1avzar2020 6-43 PM 7 ‘STRENGTH? are a ‘ele anc competent on ils eeedn 2 cis svaaes 38 Px “2 eal sevcs svengton te community naa 5 Pa a ‘wires = “yazan 1200 Pu 4 ‘Aare ecu equprent ‘yavzon 5:25 Om 5 ‘ret of peo _ _ ‘wer 12:6 a . ‘0a 10:28 AM 7 ‘member who ae Knowedeaie on How 1 ght Ties and expand 0 eas ra0a8 10:53 ANA a Dues pesonna at reo 8 Pat 3 ng song eet anc 205 A ry Wel eed nt epee arene z “a Communication 1nan020 88 Pe ansAshfield FD SWOT 2020 SurveyMonkey . STRENGTH bare a stoning, poste aro tp wags fr volrtees urna 538 PM 6 i ls eupmet ‘wun 1059 aM i. “Trained an prepared in mip forms of spec rescue. 1e,watedce rescue, “uvPw2020 446 PM roumenleop woes Teamwork zum 63 2sAshfield FO SWOT 2020, surveyMonkey Q2 Please list up to three WEAKNESSES of the Ashfield Fire Department. osverec: Spo © Woskonss #2 « entrees #2 * * Weakness are 4 sequent rz 9-20 Me 2 tc en vliter and ionvisby rece arent 1 anh svar 638 2 ew ttt ae avant respond much of he ee srroneai 345 - WM eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeceeeeeceeeecee eeeeeeece: Gemeean aaa ie: evi etd eS 119702 B46 PH Ne rages, cao! ep espeaig calle aaa 625 PM a2 worden “Wea 1024 AM at ene mares [Waa 109M Daytime personnel avalabity 2 Train 72000205 8 ‘ie coud ure more pope our parent Ha epee, “asanzo eso m “ Davina Stata 313Ashfield FD SWOT 2020 SurveyHtonkey * weakness #2 ate rem personnel ecrstment uae 90 AM 2 bts wasn aon ey lace one Cea roe cabanas NATROL SSB Pa 3 We abou the tang an ates of Some values svoaraaat 3:45 PM : ae 2 2 5 ‘Nat having many fie fights in toun during ne dey vier 846 PM . é operation cite reat ss on : ‘yar 6:25PM 7 “Tack of deaeton Ee ‘visa 1.00PM a Tals ae ‘wean 1226 Pw 9G gai. Neer Soren tans 1000 10 not tng vying Sls af members for what hey ean oer ‘wares 1053 AM Ti Nees improvement on taring schedule ang opanization, ——=SSSS*~*~S«S Baer Beeeeeae geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ees susummEEOROME Cee: a We coud use a ger fe fuse, Campa. aaa 80a atte enpere fai 132000 3 * WEAKNESS ‘owe 2 turing 2iaatzi 920 AM 2 american could be inprved-outeac oounspeqe cine than during specie aes. —‘UzTa021 518 Pk tn oun have noes Sout te verve, wa, Wor a goes Woe sucess Spwraton. Moveanspaeny could wad songs det “Easement oo cay or sr span 346 Pu ‘Rescue equipment is located na diterer bulding sva0202 6:28 PM ‘uc of consents an coed aig pon tomes steel si ang ——-WV202 1053 AM ‘Mere response to eae 77200 205 a ansAshfield FO SWOT 2020 surveyMonkey Q3 Please list up to three OPPORTUNITIES for the future of the Ashfield Fire Department. ANSWER CHOICES Responses prune sca.co% ay ‘oronny #2 eam 2 cpenmay came . * ‘oppoRTUNTY mt bare a utaoun cooperation zea. 920 AM “2 tind ways to caoranate on ck a ‘cians es es tn pom Ah sa eh ew 3 ‘hod neo eoanze sence ad ating ‘ino 345 6 + esieraliin an 1208 Pw a Getting upto die fie wack nie02 648 PM a il radios for erie = 7 "ae wow Che a aseoz soem ® ns ferfesaley waaoas 2PM Enpandg on fe satay econ. ras 159 0 ate ek ats ~aupwa020 643 6 513Ashfield FD SWOT 2020, SurveyMonkey ‘oppoRTUNITY 2 ave mary ren young fans raving ttm (ewes) 21021 920 Akt Take aarriage of en tectologes an aden eadeahip sas boon bse ba eosin) 272021 538 PM fro and omeroteymaagient content 3 Posies for shang sore services, ue, tl whoo deparmenis ceria) a Regonaeaton _ ran 88 3 ating euiprent oto sia a6 Pe é “Tain! mere avg, on eae sks, ‘yaaa 5:25 PM 7 ‘reser conminieton ‘yo024 3024 AN a ‘restore aon ‘Wi 10S AM 3 "New re sian rowed dspriyfr SAFETY of meres, wo accomodate flline ——‘/202000445 PM pessmestrape and ave the sity o 7 Shar esponsties TARO RO Ae a ‘Community Open Hose ato ki your Fe Orparent ad fs persone 252000159 88 2 ~uptate station ‘naaoa0 623 PN + “OPPORTUNTY 2 ATE 1 Exanipe new systems ardgrtoeds tight wk nl seve ae: cesvely expe 2772021818 PM fons beh between oun serves (ee tom gor. emery Pe) 80 [planing uns (ocho, arpa, bar) z “eatin of ple slay nity bingira al servers ogee sreontei sam 2 everalaten| 11200003 209 Pa « eowarze eke nimi 625 Pu “5 Upto date equipment and wenn M2021 10:24 0 5 row teks and equine sri 083 a “7 Usieg peoples strengths tomake the department beter 1072772020 206 AM a Patsonrl Paving vesteireeest the dpa 1020 E50 Ae a ecnsimee & tenon TanAao%0 B48 PM onsAshfield FD SWOT 2020, SurveyMonkey Q4 Please list up to three THREATS to the future of the Ashfield Fire Department. Arveret M_Skppd: 0 answer choices Responses a if Col als eventing oo ach egy kale) 702 9:20 8 2 Too fw voheers and gra oo ntown Sal hag ea! Tr We eneigercles at 12720215 Fete mediate essence 3 Trg cet we raed ‘wronaai sas 4 Equipment Expenses ‘202021 1209 em = egiralaten ore sevs, ee sisaai 46 Pa &_ Members who ony respon fo tig als chug oes ——=SCS*~*~*~S*~“ {pel buoy ater you naw abace knee a ust pesto be dane owt oa 2 Recut a parse “urea 259 A 8 ‘pine depanmet rom aspen 0 ppeverk, As wee ise Son “uraue20 649 Pw 9/13Ashfield FO SWOT 2020 SurveyMonkey Q6 Please tell me the action or change that you personally think would be most damaging to the future of the Ashfield Fire Department (something you don't want to happen no matter what). ‘Ansoned 12° Skips 1 2 Essent o ey aor lado or non an aatoy Wied a lime il ere ——-W27a021 S18 PR tee Tis oslenciea n tse stor eaesip ang wth ler experience ar ‘hil a anageicisespoues. To go fe tay, wo et tobe crt rao certs leas. ging fore. 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Pj on ny fone perro, 27 an anaes st ot sustain ae te ete ds ‘Shared orca sytem, 0:7 Del Mas Be edb ut eal to reue oles 3 ‘Stas qo: carénungourcuret mode, Stating nade and ees way 00 much on WZOOEL SSP Values am sea cone hat Wing ar ato he tein ta ay make ‘teu to cotnue ome te challenges of pong het ca ie sanies. ‘Seeclte er commie and am rt ertzng tet eos tae lace at ‘etoenabty on ne tous ot wouceor he on eporiy etre hey ean 3 ee bt shang sree wn anche town ss reper) wosdbe ad cae or wiernat 48 Pes tne tw ate ui ot en mar neat we ae cory pong ree sce stow a sued sence toon wea Pav ob aya ul re ee ‘varranat $25 PA saanoas io PM 7 1 wo wert regional and jired wth a few Gaparments and had a ox Of tn chet who cont W202 12:26 PM tow the to ar te peso the department = eo rt wnt earl Cl oe want 1 sao us stay wih he sus qu. We ——-UBZT211024AM reed to move yond hat bah ag naecogy Sr now Wes ok kl 2 thing lee Cl now stan ea equine ‘Wie OSB AN 0 The cordsidelning, deg! ad tale ce ow ancis eaoship wo ato beter VERO 445 PH ana aorane tere der = “ving anos porsonecone Cie, stan balove he next Chet shaud come Wom LRT2020 205 AM wenn te opener 2 Revenalzaton ~ 2 ‘Net geting the bps we rod orn the ie epee ale Pang Sarco n charge ‘wnat ary trong wt Inte Ashi Fe Depa ronsAshfield FD SWOT 2020 SurveyMonkey Q7 Feel free to use this space to tell me anything else you want to say, or think | should know, or think | should say or not say. unsAshfield FO SWOT 2020 SurveyMonkey * Responses pare 4 Delis ney eae; pent puts hee nthe fora ts heme. tm —-yz72021 $1 PA eran te wars ong nous en alte gran, isle deerts(epustone; comple {ear rings: equpmet pases: ect) Tet sod, be sistanane a tan sg ‘ropa verte rogue ring aout pang resources, svaepes ard carmuncatan “Sysam asupor ad ee ro gee, wot une vauteas Cee thane: ‘oroceser ar asad ey on ae ono sung, dedcted eau borg ih Sens rom ove ofa mag be weshing ak cuen valecrs ne ees ane loo ter small el os. 2 Tape we can fd ch with esa ails avin adhe te ton makes a——“UBacave1 SPM “omsmamert to supon change. blave we ou ar he sees eran ven a “Te toon neds to neering rom care ee doar meer asa We people on UnGG21 SFA {he te depart ey Borg on te Soprmen an take ome pe th pare The "put neds tbe hee 7 Te tating ht area ok of song fom teaser cel ulese fea fr, az WiTH02 S25 PM il tes ate als Resco equper sted nx spate Bulg up He ‘ei, oy olens nave ket oe bling. Cit has no Hea was espn cals Senos we ea ao The ere oly raed ob pase, canes oowtiicd ‘ater rel no lr se 5 “Grothe st ory, ove sen FF esponse ich arias boon te Fie Chel ‘S021 E00 PM reeprdag and PO tomes ess ely harmarng stay St FF Chet 6 Trey mich sill n eral terms owt wan 1 See thedeparment move fowar. 820211024 AM ‘seve te frfghters ne aries pup a pope wha can ban fm vey toro Inedosp toby sou te anges taste arpdnet rhe ae. co “The deparert has a noe of yal volved members. Tere Is tendancy to usethe 1/1/2021 10:59 AM inne people na eo nd gore mame oem. Tis does Yelp ss Sod ‘members gain exparence. ange ne cove he srt sare ome’ na tae ‘esttanee tory ate spon. Thre ck af wings tops orwha we aed {eso quent and ew saton. nes thr 4 ck appre fa eons of ‘Someane who can respond 24/7 and then aust har work scheaule # there isa ca. We news [Sheu ae can ate, eonusging ne clear We ned someone soo has oc eam the proper centre su ae FFL at, We ned come wh cn moracs th ‘nm postive et yo-actvey ecu naw eras We Neos art sled ose fi ‘ino hat wel e to have Someone wan neue, expres aay tte eepmmert ut hey wl See fo be neue renee sponse a, aA ard iis ot members Thank fr yur flrs oso ust . “oconine te success, eas eked us, the command acy pdt advancameré 202000 48M oe APD | niove tat is very ingot erie nn to tee fly und a supe ll fine cht tl be nar ngs forthe department car every thal Eh to lo atersuy 12021 wit al tine Chel. Te ppt, mepetre cat Coverage end Strate ates that eet be cred dng te sins ay hours” above end ayo someting hata son oth 9 il ob cols ane. The Cts poston ha become more than a ete parars pute or. Adora, eleve at ow stouls Isten tthe recarnanr he Coven CN, he Oeste figs rate refers Assocation a premete ar reform wt tho esting Yano to coprront "hae ARE wing, eg, quale rd supped cares forthe Che posten wih he pre 7 ~Tbelave we eto upto SOG and palsies he rly outdated | als balave he 77000 206 ret Chet needs to be sac wo a ny hase ewes experience Bt alo modal Imanagomert get and ch expen Fc} “shi Fr Dpartrert s vay oo ie salty avalon progam for ehisenfanias —=UES@020 159 AN rvs ‘aus belt sot bord understand whet we race athe patent wh au budge: —‘/RAR0 6S Pw ‘eso, ton aha stm ogo ough eve yen k's extemal Import bose ‘hey resus by how mary ell er year we have They dor aka Ie etal work wnsAshfield FD SWOT 2020 SurveyMonkey ‘tg example of he mgt says bong st on us fhe Nea depen ways geting en vaca, What thy arden if ur emer atce als weNee n. ck up otis an BsArPenDix B NVFC Volunteer Firefighter Cost Savings Calculator “Tne mode! celcuats the summary Infrmaton, based on natenal standardslaverapes Aenfave Massachusetts ‘rea Protected (square miles) 40 Population Protectod +1200 [Number of Residences ‘350, Current Operating Expenses 8 72.000 ‘Active Volunteors Fe Ground Operators 16 Fundraising : ‘emirate : ‘Ownership of Assets : ‘Number of Stations 1 Number of Apparatus Engines 1 aad Tucks Tankers 1 Rescue Trucks 1 Unity Vehicles : ruth Trucks 1 ‘Ambulances : Here are no eles nearby that canbe us ‘chet 0.000 Deputy Chet 5 0.000 ‘stant Chit 3 0000 ‘captain 5 9,000 eters 5 ‘0,000 Devers 5 0,000 Medes 8 50,000, Fret Rescue Persoarel 5 60,000 Aasrinitatve ‘Average Salary of Oficers inthe vicinity ‘Number of Career Personnel Necessary Offers 4 Fetters 2 Divers | Medics : aminstrstve 1 ‘Safer Funding, nentves, Stands, Casi-percallexpense 5 : (Career Fie Fightor Costs 5 60,000 ‘Garser Acministative Costs 5 “40,000 “otal Career Costs 5 000,000Personal Protective Glathing Coss Apparatus Costs Capital Equipment Expense Current Company Value Total Annual Volunteer Savings Savings per Residence Fighter 72,000 4,088,000, 41140,000, 2,140,000 4,072,000 2st 67,000APPENDIX C TOWN OF ASHFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS DRAFT ~ March I, 2021 Position Description ‘Works under the direction of the Seleet Board pursuant to Chapter 48 Section 42 ofthe General Laws of Massachusets and local by-laws. 1, Scope: Chief Exceutive Officer of the Fire Department. Provides leadership tothe stafT of the fire department and volunteers, Provides vision to the department. Performs a variety of technical, administrative, ad supervisory work regarding the planning, organizing, directing and implementing fire preventen, community education, fire suppression and emergency medical services to prevent or mininize the loss of life and property by fire, emergency medical ‘conditions and other hazares, The Chief (or his designee) serves as the official spokesperson for the Department regarding al instances and even. Oversees capital improvements and repairs. Works withthe town's chief procurement officer regarding purchasing forthe department. The chief is responsible for repairs and maintenance to the fire station, fre apparatns and other department equipment. ‘The Chief will report at leat monthly to the Select Board. The Chief will submit written reports ‘at monthly meetings detailing department aetvites, project updates, responses, and financia/budget matters. ‘The Chief will supervise all members and staff of the fre department either directly or through, subordinate officers. fe emergency and non-emergeney leadership at all times demonstrating integrity; initiative; innovat ve thinking and problem solving; insight; interest in all aspects of the department; and provide inspiration for staff members. The Chief will provide staf with the benefit of information and knowledge gained through study and experience The Chief will demonstrate good skills at recruiting and retaining volunteers and at leading a call/volunteet fire departme't. 43. Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesSupervises subordinate officers in their assigned duties. Delegates responsibilities and duties as appropriate Reviews, evaluates, develogs and implements programs, policies and procedures for various departmental operations. Directs and participates in major departmental programs. Responds to emergency incidents as needed; assumes command in accordance withthe Franklin County Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Cartes out duties in confoumance with Federal, tate, and Town laws and ordinances, Plans and implements Fireand EMS community education programs in order to beter carty out the mission ofthe fire department. Prepares and submits annual operating budget and capital needs budget. Prepares and maintains department's strategic (master) plan, Prepares and submits a comprehensive annual report of| operations. Appoints and tains qualified officers as needed, Appoints and tains qualified firefighters, EMS providers, and suppor sta as needed, Responsible for recruiting volunteer firefighters and EMS providers, Handles grievances from e'tizens, officers and firefighters, maintains departmental discipline and the conduct and general beravior of staf. Prepares and submits annual reports to the Town regarding the Department’ activites. [Assigns personnel and equpment to such duties and uses asthe department requires. ins the fire station, pparatus, equipment and property of the department In collaboration with the town's chief procurement officer and town administrator, purchases ‘goods and services for the Sire department. ‘Writes and applies for private and public grants to benefit the fire department. 4, Additional duties ‘Attends conferences and meetings to keep abreast of current trends inthe field; represents the Distrit Fire/EMS Departrens in a variety of local, county, state, national and other meetings.Performs the duties of command personnel as needed and fulfils obligations during duty days or ty weeks. Serves as a member of various committees, Performs a variety of ceremonial duties on behalf ofthe fire department including attendance at ‘memorial services, graduat ons, funerals, weddings and civie/eommunity events “The Chief performs emergency medical services, training, fire prevention, public education, er of various committees. 10, Performs a variety of ceremonial duties on behalf ofthe fire department for example, attendance at memorial services, graduations, funerals, weddings and civieleommunity evens, 11. Performs EMS, taining, fire prevention, public education, disaster management, hazmat mitigation and fre suppression on an as needed basis.‘Comments: General Comments & Suggestions for Future Goals Gf any); Note: Future Goals if any) or formal statements of improvement will be approved by a majority vote ofthe Select Board as appointing authorityOverall Score: ‘The total combined scores equals: ‘The maximum score possible is 128 points. ‘The minimum score possble is 41 points. Reviewer Signature: ‘This review has been full explained to me: Date Chief signature Follow up review date (ifsecessary): Next Review Date Comt Reviewers Select Board Member #1 Score: ‘Scleet Board Member #2 Seore Select Board Member #3 Seore ‘Total Score:APPENDIX D, Leadership Principals of a Small Town Volunteer Fire Department Leadership of a volunteer fire department isn’t about standing in the front yard ofa burning, house with a portable radio telling people what todo; tis is emergency incident management. Butall too cften, fire department leaders ae chosen for thelr emergency incident management skill, under the mistaken impression that how well a person manages an emergency incident indicates how well she or he will ead a volunteer or mostly volunteer fire department Leadership is about much more than emergency incident management. Itis about providing a clear and positive vision fo the fre department, communicating that vsion to the firefighters, community and elected officals, and then working every day to make that vision a reality. This is work a fic chief must de between fires and other emergencies—during the time the department i training, eecuiting, planning, budgeting, preventing and solving personnel issues, and preparing. Yes, a calm, clear head uncer pressure at the scene of any emergency is critica, but the best chiefs and leaders will make sure that they are not the sole person capable of managing an incident. The best leaders design and implement systems that don’t rely upon them to handle every situation. Moreaver they know their own limits and rely upon their officers and firefighters to filn for ther weaknesses. They've developed a department where people are valued for their strengths end sks, not beaten down for the weaknesses. This results in a strong team. Ifthe chief it strong in one skill or knowledge, someone else is, and they step Up to assis. Strong fire department leaders understand and accept that that thelr jo is about serving the ‘community and serving their frefighters—fulfiling the organization's mission. As you rise up ‘through the ranks and take on a greater leadership role, you gain no extra privileges, You should get no spedial perks; instead you take on more responsibilty forthe success of the department and the safety of your citizens. Strong leaders make sure their staff has all ofthe ‘tools and knowledge to accomplish the mission. Chiefs work for theie firefighters, not the other ‘way around. In fac, ofall the resources that that a small-town fire department needs, the volunteer Firefighters are the most vzluable. While your station, your trucks, and your budget need attention, they are secondary to the needs of the people in your department. Without the people, the rests without value. Leading people is most important.In my experience asa fire chief, and as someone who has spent alt of time listening to ‘members of small fre departments from allover the United States (and beyond), ! have found that there are eight key elements of excellent volunteer fire department leadership, They have helped me improve in my ole; they are worth your consideration as well. They are: 4. Fire chiefs must hold themselves accountable tothe same standards and procedures they set for the members of the department otherwise, they ose respect and authority. Ifyou require your Srefighters to pass an annual skills test oF physical exam, you as the chief better be fist in-line and pass the test. Don't gle yourself a pass or special privileges. 2, Great fire department leaders can't afford to become emotionally attached tothe past {and such things as ald trucks, favored vendors, outdated standards and tactics, the old {guard members, and the big fre of the past. Nostalgia is your enemy and will prevent you from seeing and leading into the future. Yes, there is always a place for tradition and honoring the past, but these are best left to the pictures and plaques on your walls ‘or website, and through social events 3. Delegatingis a crucial skil that fre chiefs and department leaders must have and practice. Delegation is how you a leader demonstrate trust in his or her firefighters and officers. In today's world, staff must be empowered to take action, otherwise, the chief gets overwhelmed with unfinished tasks and departments fall apart. Delegation is, ‘excellent empowerment tool Delegating Isn't Just assigning # task or project to one of your officers or firefighters, It requires that you dearly tate what you want done, why you want done, who Is ‘empowered to do f, where you ean find help or resources, and when it must be done. Itisalso appropriate to provide some guidance on how to accomplish a task or project, €F provide a vision‘or the project. On the fire ground, training, rank, and pre-planning take the place of explaining who, why, and how. But, remember that its the in- between fires that requires the most leadership and requlres a more businesslike (as ‘opposed to paramilitary) approach. Good leaders understand that even when they delegate, they are still ultimately responsible for theoutcome of the project. Therefore, if the project falls to meet ‘expectations, the responsibilty for that ison the leader. Leaders don’t blame their staff for fallures. They take responsibilty find a solution and coach their staff fr the future. ‘They work from the assumption that they didn’t explain or delegate the task properly, ‘or the department didn't provide the needed training or resources. The fast way to losing volunteers, losing authority, and creating low morale is to blame people when the Issue was lack of training, lack of resources, or poor direction. Itisalso important to understand that when you do delegate tasks and projects that they will nt be done the way you would do them, particularly the more complex theproject. It is hard to accept this and it’s hard to control your urge to jump in and mmicromanage. [As a department lesder iti important that everyone on the department feels you respect them as much as everyone else. You must make it clear that everyone on the ‘department is equa has an important role to play, and that they have your confidence. Every member of the team brings important skills and knowledge to the department and you must communicate that to everyone. if members of the department start to ‘think that you don’: like them or you don't respect or trust them, they wil fade away oF start to undermine the department. Ifothers think that leadership disfavors someone, ‘they wil take sides and you will tart to experience morale problems that lead to people not coming to calls, distrust, and people tearing each other down. In small combinaticn departments its critical that the chief and department leaders ace not seen as favoring either the volunteers or the career staff, While they may have aiffecent roles, both career and volunteer members are eritical to departmental success. ‘The failure of many combination departments can be traced to leadership that take sides or plays one group against the other Fire chiefs must also be prepared to accept the judgement of your staff when it comes to you, If your firefighters tell you that you aren't listening, then you aren't listening. IF ‘they tell you that you aren’t supporting them, then you aren't. You must avoid the “you don't know how much | do for you argument”. It will drive people away or cause them toundermine you znd the department. For instance, in 2020 the National Volunteer Fire Council conducted a national survey of current and former volunteer fiefighters to find out why volunteers leave. Twenty percent of ire department leaders said that inflexible training was @ reason people left ‘theie departments, ut only seven percent of former volunteers agreed. Forty-one percent of department leaders said volunteers left because they could not juggle ‘raining, duty squads and other department commitments with their jobs and family life, but only 8% of former volunteers agreed. Here isa case of leadership not listening to their volunteers, When asked why they stopped volunteering, the biggest reason former members ced for leaving (22%) was that the department atmosphere was ful ‘of cliques and grouns that exclude others. And, thirty percent of current non-leadership volunteers agreed with them. Department leadership doesn’t see the problem or see their role in the preblem. Poor leadership that allows cliques to dominate the fire house is the number one reason people are quitting the volunteer Fre service. ‘Similacy, In “The 2020 EMS Trend Report” produced by Fitch & Associates and the National EMS Management Association, a number of problematic trends in EMS have been tracked over the past five years. These trends are industry wide and applicable to the volunteer EMS world, One of the reports findings is that seventy percent (70%) of EMS medical directors described themselves as being engaged with the feld providersthey oversee, but only twenty-one (21%) of field providers reported having an EMS director they felt was engaging with them. ‘Change the title EMS director to chief, mayor, or town administrator. The problems the same, Those atthe top can fal into believing that all the work they are doing Is ‘engaging with those we lead, and while our work isimportant, meaningful, and sometimes overwhelming, It sn’t necessarily engaging our members and addressing their needs. You must work at not falling into this trap. ‘There can be no secrets. Successful leaders share all oftheir knowledge and information with everyone in the organization. Yes, there isa small set of confidential and legally secret information that needs to be locked ina file cabinet, but 99% ofall, that goes on isnot aratected by privacy laws. If you, or people in your department, are in the habit of repeating the old saw "That's ‘need to know’ and you don’t need to know," then you aren't leading. Everyone in the organization should know or have access tothe budget, how the promotional process works, pre-plans, policies and procedures, who gets paid what and ‘hy, the chiefs schedule, a wel as all ofthe technical information about your equipment. When you demystiy these topics, the rumors die and people do better at ‘theirjobs. Organizations that a full of secrets and whispering have poor morale, volunteers who fade away, trouble recruiting, and employees who undermine the mission and low engagement. Putting all of your information sbout budgets, pay, polices, deployment, and proce: cut in public builds trust with firefighters and the community. It pushes you, as leadership, to hold yourself accountable and this results in respect for leadership and a ‘well disciplined fore. Fice & EMS Chiefs are the face of thelr department. On-duty and off-duty everyone is watching. They need to understand and accept that how they behave is how their firefighters and EMS providers will behave. How they are seen by their community wll determine the repttation oftheir department. Departments with excellent reputations are able to recruit new volunteers; those with poor reputations won't attract the new ‘members they need. Great leaders atively manage and protect the reputation of their department. Leading by example is how a chief becomes respected, trusted, and followed. He or she must demonstrate «nowledge and skills. They must have courage. The courage to speak-up against dangerous or unjust practices, to insist all members are equal and ‘well-treated, and to 23k for help when they need it and accept feedback from their staffs and communty. They can't be complainers. They can’t gossip about their members. They must be honest. Attitudes are contagious.9, Taking a long-term strategic view and planning for the future sa critical role of a chief officer. They must bringa vision to the department and the community. Status quo, or doing what we've always done isn'ta vision. It won't motive or inspire volunteers to do ‘more training or improve how they do the job. It won't recruit new volunteers. I's hard to break through all ofthe day to day administrative issues and emergency calls to focus on big picture and the long-term plan, but this is an essential critical role of a successful fire or EMS chiet. Some ofthese elements wil easier to adopt than others. Leadership doesn’t necessarily come naturally, But that Isto be expected. Yes, leadership is something you can learn. Its myth that the only way to be a greatleader's to born into it. Great organizations and their leaders teach others to be leaders. For instance, the Disney Corporation created the Disney Institute for the sole purpose of teaching leadership, and now it even offers its leadership classes to anyone Who wants to learn to be leader. There are thousands of colleges and organizations that successfully teach people tobe leaders. You should take advantage of one or mare ofthese programs to lear the skill you need to lead. And there's no need to limit your leadership training to fire service programs. Leadership cuts across industries and job titles or ranks. The skills it takes to manage a non-profit food bank or be CEO of a multinational corporation are applicable tous in the fire service. Another source of leadership training isthe National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). The NVFC has a number of leadership programs available on its NVFC Virtual Classroom, and they also publish an excellent guide for fire depar ment leaders led the "Volunteer Fire Service Culture Guide: Essential Strategie: for Success” that you can obtain from its website. The International Association of Fire Chiefs, Ylunteer & Combination Officers Section (IAFC, VCOS) also offers a variety of leadership training opportunities on its website, Explore these opportunities. And keep an eye out for new programs. Being a strong leader isa dynamic state lust as the fre service continues to evolve, so too does the position ofthe fre chiefAPPENDIX E Fire Chief Salary & Expense Projection ‘The salary and expences for hiring» full-time, career ire chet in this reports based upon the following projection Single salen, $65,000 Employer Taxes) 1.300 ‘Annual Pension Contrbuton 13,000 Medial (2) 744 Dental (2) a2 Vision(2) 2 $93,418 Family $65,000 1.300 13,000 21902 803 168 $102,170 (1) Assumes employer does rot participate in Social Security (2) Assumes employer pays 65% of medical, dental and vision ‘Single a single individual erpoyee health insurance plan Family= family employee health insurance plan (na related note, once there fulltime or part-time staf working tthe fire station the town should plan for an increase in tity expenses forthe fre station. Water, heat, and electricity expenses will go ‘up and the fie department badget shouldbe adjusted fortisAPPENDIX F How Many Firefighters Do You Need? Most everyone agrees thatthe Ashfield Fire Department needs more call/volunteer lighters, Determining how many more and how many firefighters and EMS responders the department needs is part art and part science. There isn’t a formula tht fits all, Here's one way of looking atthe issue and determining your need How many firefightersa callivolunteer fire department needs depends on how many firefighters you need to fight a fire, and from there you analyze how many firefighters ‘must be on the department to routinely tumout (70% to 80% ofthe time) the number of firefighters you need, It is possible to fight a re with four firefighters, but itis not recommended. Two of the four firefighters must be serving in two roles. When this happens, both roles suffer. Here's an example: In this picture, four firefighters are attempting to extinguish house fire. Two of the firefighters are advancing the hose line, The other two firefighters are simultaneously serving as the safety team for the fist two firefighters, while also acting as pump operator and incident commander, If they need to function asthe safety team, they will have to ‘bandon thet jobs as izeident commander (and yes, nobody isin command at this point) ‘and pump operator. Tbe role of incident commander and pump operator is hampered because these two firefighters must be geared up to enter the building — they will,distracted putting on SCBA, stretching a backup hose, monitoring the fire attack team, staging tools, and rasirg escape ladders, ‘This should only be attempted in an extreme situation and should not be considered routine. (When confronted witha fire situation lke this, the initial arriving crews should restrict themselves to exterior operations, unless the eseue of people in the building is needed.) ‘The AFD should conduct regular training sessions on how do ths. [Ashfeld’s curent engize and engine-tanker both have two firefighter cabs, so the department is somewet limited to assembling only four firefighters with its first two trucks at the fire, There are deployment models that would increase the assembly of firefighters at the scene because firefighters ae allowed to ative in their own vehicle, There are pros and cons to these models, bu the new chief should consider and discuss these models with the cepartment. ‘A better minimum or initial tumout at house fire i sx firefighters, as in the picture below. Two ofthe firefighters are advancing the hose line. Two firefighters are dedicate asthe safetylbackup team, and there is a pump operator and an incident commander. A rural community should make it the goal to assemble atleast six firefighters and an engin at each fire in fourteen minutes or less 80% of the time. ‘Additionally, in # areas with fire hydrants, getting atleast 3000 gallons of water on location inthe first 10-14 minutes is important to success, ‘Two-In/ Two-Out/ IC/ Pump Operator Ke as‘The basic first alarm heuse fire requires 15 to 17 firefighters as shown in the diagram, below. A full fist alarm should be assembled within 20 to 24 minutes ina rural community. Each fire department has a slighty different first alarm deployment based ‘on local factors such asthe type and size of buildings. (There is no nationally o state ‘agreed upon definition ofa firs alarm.) The number of Firefighters and deployment time ‘will vary town to town. This diagram represents a generic turnout ification facade ie one Sip apap tna |e Fa Fen ieee tee baa rasta Se ees a eee Ifthe Ashfield FD determines it need to assemble six Grefighters at each reported fire, then it must to look at ts response dat to see how many firefighters turnout for fires over past five years. If, for example, eight firefighters out of sixten firefighters routinely respond to fires, then the department i fine with sixteen firefighters If, however, four (or fewer) firefighters moutinely respond out of sixteen firefighters on the AFD, the department needs more call/volunteer firefighters. It might need at least 24 firefighters ‘on the department to get six. Each community will havea different turnout experience based upon morale, gevgraphy, call volume, demographics, and work pattems. There is no standard percentage or formula for determining how may eallvolunteer firefighters ‘you need on any particular department, Ifthe Ashfield FD is expected to turnout 15 firefighters foreach fie, it might need 60 calivoluntet firefighters to achieve such a turnout 70% to 80% of the time, (There are towns in Massachusetts that have 60 members and achieve these kinds of response.Examples are Carver, Cast, Swansea, and Leicester — but, all communities larger than Ashfield) With 55 members, my department routinely (70% of the ime) tums out 17 freighters, fora building fre, but has never exceeded 24 firefighters for any incident. And, over the past five yeas, there have been occasions with only three or four Firefighters avaiable. If Ashfield can't consistently (70% of the time) field 15 firefighters toa fire, then it wil need to use automatie sid and mutual aid to make up the difference. “This ype of analysis ishalfart and half science, If the department conducts this kind of tumout data analysis each yeat, a pattern will start to develop. It will take about five ‘yeats, but the chief wil be able to reasonably predict turnouts and know what the typical and maximum capability ofthe department is. This means beter planning and adjustments to the deployment plan, taties used andthe terms of automat sid agreements Keep in mind that prediting and managing volunteer responses is a dynamic process. ‘While performance isa good indicator of what might happen tomorrow, itis not a guarantee, Making sure you get the same or better responses inthe future requires a chief ‘with great leadership skils and a supportive community, in addition to analyzing trends and setting goals From 1990 to 2020, the sizeof the Ashfield Fire Department has declined. In 1990 there were 20 volunteers on the fire department and today there are 16. The number of volunteers mst he inenéed to keep pace with increased needs or part-time or eareer lighters are needed 0 supplement the volunteers. And, anecdotal information suggests that in 1990 asignificanty greater number of volunteers both lived and worked intown, (One of the highest priorities of Ashfield's new fire chief will be recruiting new call/olunteer Grefighters. Tracking tumouts and using response data to create ‘membership targets anc measure success should be an essential part ofthat task. NOTE: There isan ola rule of thumb that says that for every seat on the firetruck you need to fill you need sis firefighter on the department. This saying has been around at Teast since the 1960s. kt comes from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating schedule that credited one caree: firefighter asthe equivalent of sic call/volunteer firefighters. Given that the ISO used fire report data from 30,000 fire departments asthe basis ofits rating schedule, there was (and I'l stress the word “was") merit to this formula up into the 1970s and [980s. Today, the rating schedule is more focused on how many {firefighters show wp oa fire, not how many are an any particular department.Appensix C5 Sample Schedule of Hazmat Training Callivolunteer firefighters should pateipate in 8 to 10 hours of hazardous material raining (Hazmat Training) each yea Federal EPA regulations alace the responsibility for responding to hazardous materials incidents ‘on local ire departments. If thre isa Hazmat Incident, the local fire department i in charge and responsible fr iia resonse mitigation. Even wien the state Hazmat Team arivs, the losal chi (or incident commander stil in charge Federal regulations requir al firefighters, including callWoluntcer firefighters, be tained as “Hlnardous Materials Fist Responders” to the Operational Level. The Opeational Level includes the Awareness Level. (There are fou levels: Awareness, Operational, Techaical & Specialist) ‘The Insurance Services Cie (ISO) looks to have all firefighters do 8 hours of Hazmat Training each year, Federal regultons require annual taining, but don specify hous, only that the teaning is Awareness anc Operational “The spevifis of the training are not spelled ou, it sony required that the taining reflec local needs. The AFD doesn’thave to tain for remote or non-existent hazards. Instead it should focus on gasoline sil, el ol spills, propane leaks, carbon monoxide incidents chlorine (Govimming pool chemical spllsleakand such, ‘There is one Massachusets exception; sate Taw fegulres annual "Right To Know Training” raring lato satesal inthe worplece and “Hazsom” (hazard cemmunicatons traning ~ placards and such forall municipel employees. Having freighters rin for HAZMAT incidents 8 to 10 hours per year sa best practic, Ifthe Ashfield FD sot aside the oceasional ith Wednesday of certain months for Hazmat ‘Training, then it would train four or five times each year for hazmat incidents. I each drill was shout hours in length, itwould meet the hazmat traning standard For Instance, there are four 5* Wednesday's in 2021 andthe department could do the following March 2021: Right To Know & Hazcom & Emergency Response Guidebook June 2021; Fractce damming and dikng fel leaking from a tuck Sept. 2021; Tracie sting up forthe mass decontamination oF «group of people covered ina pesticide rather chemical Dec. 2021: Fropane Emergency Response ClassAPPEN DX H MCVFA Model Engine Company Evolution #3 ‘Two Firefighter Attack/Transitional Attack/Unoccupied Home ‘An NFPA 1410 Evolution (Objective: To estatlsh a safe & effective transitional fie attack at such times as when the frst ariving apparatus is understaffed with two or three firefighters The engine company wil doa 360 size-up, stretch and charge an 1" attack ine to anerterir position to knock down the fie with 150 gpm flow, and stage tools {nd ladders while waiting additional etourcse to transition to an intaror stack. ‘This evolution ie foruse when there are nat elans tobe rescued on atv Evolution Deseistion: Engine or Quint sete-up at Sle Alpha of the simulated fre bulding. Officer gives an inital radio report. Officer does a 360 degree sis-up ofthe bullding and fire. Driver sets up truck for fre attack (Officer & Driver stretch 2001 "attack line to point af exterior fire attack & low 150 gpm for 30, seconds. Officer & Driver stage tools at point of entry and raise ladder as appropriate. Officer & Driver hold fre unt adational resources ative Evaluation criteria 360 degree size-up completes. Attack line shall be complete deployed from hose bed NNozdle shal be flowing a leat 150 gpm a the appropriate nozle pressure, soli or straight stream. ‘Time begins when the engine stops and sets its parking brake atthe simulated fire and time ends when ‘the hose line has flowed fr 30 seconds, Tools & ladder staged/set propery RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM TIME: 4.5 Minutes eerene, NFPA 440,200 Ein, Ting forint regency Sean OperationsMCVFA Model Engine Company Evolution #4 Engine Company Roof Ventilation - Typical Asphalt Shingle Roof A NFPA 1410 Evolution ‘Objective: To place two freighters with hand tools anda power saw on he roofof@ one or two story structure ready to open the root for ventilation using engine company ladders Evolution Descition: [An engine is postoned a the simulated fir building. The engine company places its extension ladder to the oof and places its ref ladder an the roof. The company starts and tess its power saw on the round, The company proceeds tothe roof with hand tools and power tools and stats the saw onthe roof, Consider wind direction when choosing the side ofthe roof to use, ‘valuation Criteria: Ladders shal be properly deployed. Saws tested onthe ground. Proper tool ae brought tothe rof. Firefighters were PPE propery and perform al ations safely, ‘Time begins when the engine stops at simulated fire scene and sets brakes, Time ends when a crew of, two firefighters with hand tol son the roof and the power saws running RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM TIME: 4% MINUTES Reference NFPA 1810, 2015 Elton; Training for inal Emergency Scene OperationsMCVFA Model Engine Company Evolution #5 TWO-IN, TWO-OUT COMPLIANCE, 4 Firefighters, 2 Engines An NFPA 1410 Evolution FIRST 2 FIREFIGHTERS ~TRANSITIONAL ATTACK ~SIZE-UP & EXTERIOR ATTACK. {4 FIREFIGHTERS ~2 TRUCKS ON SCENE ~ TRANSITIONAL ATTACK ~ INTERIOR ATTACK ~2 IN, 2 OUT COMPLIANCE Te Should be located atthe pont of entry to monitor the Interior Attack Crewsovenon dT. ‘Suggested Topics for an Annual EMS Training Program — First Response EMS/Rescue January: AED & Cardiac Arrest Scenarios February: Patient Assessment — Medical & Trauma March: Stop the Bleed Apel: Water Rescue Exercise May: Common Medical Emergencies: Diabetic Emergencies Stroke ‘cOPO/Asthma/Breathing Difficulties June: ‘Auto Extrication July: ‘Traumatic Injury Scenarios August: ‘riage Practice September: Joint with Highland Ambulance Use of Stretcher Use f Stair Chair Location of ey Items on Ambulance October: Cold Water Rescue & Hypothermia November: splinting December: Poisoning and Allergic Reactions ‘Many ofthese can be taught by AFD members; however, Highland EMS is willing and able to provide instructors to help with EMS training. The AFD should take greater advantage of Highland EMS as trainingresource.Appendix § 5 v Suggested Topics for 10 Minute Review Training Portable Water Fire Extinguishers Connecting and Pumping Fire Department Connections Blizzard Operations Mandated Reporter Law Risk Management Principles FF Cancer Prevention 11 Best Practices Chimney Fite Kits & Operations Hyérant Assist Valve Risk Management Matrix ‘Applying Tourniquet Oxygen Administration Landing Zane Setup/Locations Lifting Procedures Slip & Fall Prevention Hearing Loss Prevention Double Edge Theater Response/Preplan Ashfield Lakehouse Response/Preplan Elmer's Store Response/Praplan Countrypie Pizza Response/Preplan -Ashtield Community Preschool Kesponse/Preplan Exon Station Suppression System ‘Ashfield House Apartments Response/Preplan ‘Mercury Spil/Broken Thermometer Response Wildland Fire Safety Zones & Escape Routes, Wildland Fire ~Ten Standing Orders Wildland Fire ~18 Watch Outs SUCE-RS AED Review CO Call Response & Metering Various EMS Scenarios Various SOG Reviews SCBA In-Service Inspection Bom Threat Responseseca Sample of Squad System Rotations/Assignments ‘four squad rotation would ike this: Monday Squad A Tuesday Squad B Wednesday Squad A Thursday Squad B Friday squad ¢ Saturday Squad D Sunday Squad © Monday Squad D Tuesday Squad A A three squad rotation cou this Monday Squad A Tuesday Squad B Wednesday Squad C Thursday Squad A Friday Sauad 8 Saturday Squad C Or a three squad rotation coud ike this: Monday Squad Tuesday Squad? Wednesday Squad ‘Thursday | Squad2 Friday Squad 3 Saturday Squad Sunday Squad 3 Monday Squad Tuesday Squad 2 Wednesday Squad 2 Thursday Squad2 Friday squad 3 ‘And another rotation could lok ke this: Monday Squad 3 ‘wesday Squad 2Wednesday Squad 2 Thursday Squad 2 Friday Squad 3 Saturday Squad 3 Sunday Squad 1 Monday Squad 1 full week rotation looks ie this Week 2 Squad 2 Week2 Squad 2 Week3 Squad 3 Weeks Squad 4 Weeks Squad (Repeats) Each duty week would be from Monday evening to Sunday evening, ‘There are dozens of squad rotations avaliable for thee and four squad systems. The Important facto is to avoid rotating on a seven day bass or you repeat the same days. (You can use seven days fyou are fon full week rotation) ‘squads can be called groups, companies, batalions or anything ese. Let the firefighter pick term they tke.Appendix L Analysis of Building Fire Flashover Data & Analysis from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Flashover, the rapid burning of the entire contents of room, occurs only minutes into a modern fire. Twenty-five years ago, flashover typically took about 30 minutes to occur. Fire departments need to arrive fast with lots of water. Comparison of Room Furnishings borrow Cry NY On oe ry ioe eee Modern Day Fire Environment “Todey’s building fres are very afferent than 25 years ago. Now bulding construction materials, and the composttion of home furnishings are drastically different. Today's home contents Contain large quantities of petroleum-based products and synthetics that bum faster and hotterversus traditional, more natural materials such as wood and cotton. Lightweight construction Ccamponents are now the norm in homes and buildings. ‘These modern materials ae releasing heat at exponentially faster rates and reaching fashover faster than ever. These cembined factors have drastically changed the operational timeframe ‘nd tactic that firefighters have to altack fires. Here's what the science says. Building Construction ‘The materials, construction methods and designs of today play en influential role in how fie now benaves and the revised tactics that firefighters must consider in order to safely anc effectively fight these modern fres, With the majo of new homes today constructed with lightweight materials, there is @ much greater risk for catastrophic structural collapse wel within the operational time frames. Additionally, open foor plans, between both rooms and floors, allows for quicker fre spread throughout structure, Fuel Load ‘Today's home contents are largely synthetic materials ~ carpets, plastics, composites ~ and have an exnonentially higter rate of heat release than more traditional, wood-based materials of the past. This creates an environment where fre grows more quickly and reaches flashover| ‘many times faster than in fhe past. Flashover is now accurring regularly within the standaré arrival me of many deparments, thereby adding tothe risk of structural collapse, as mentioned above. ‘Operational Time Frame For years, incident cemnmanders conducted fre ground operations using the “20 minute rule," which suggested that a crew has aporoximately 20 minutes to make progress on textinguishing a fre. Science is showing that this time frame is now outdated. Due tothe ‘modern fire environment, building construction and fuel load, fie is accelerating faster and times to collapse ane flashover are shrinking, Firefighters must be aware thal the window of time they have to make an interior tack has greatly diminished Analysis of Changing Residential Fire Dynar UL’s analysis examines the all-encompassing effect from changes in residential environment in terms offi dynamics andthe implications for fiesighter tactics. UL's study examines the impact of the modern resicence on fre dynamics and its impact on firefighting tactics. The residential fire conclione that firefighters arive at today are very different than the concitons faced several generations ago.The steady change in residential fire environment includes: ‘+ Larger homes (increase in two story homes) + Open home geometies (taller celings, open floorplans, two story foyers, great rooms) + Home Contents/inereased synthetic fuel lads (plastics and textiles) + New construction materials (engineered products, green/sustainable tems) UL compared the changes in home contents and construction materials through six experiments ‘contrasting moder and legacy lving room contents across three pairs of living room fires. Then the findings from these experiments were examined inthe context of frefighting operational timelines ‘The six experiments revealed that fire dynamics change rapidly in today’s modern Faster Flashover + Modern rooms had fashover occur in less than five minutes, the shortest timeframe for a legacy room to transition to lashover was 29 minutes. + Demonstrated that the fie has transitioned to lashover in most cases prior to atval of fire service or at the very least crews will encounter a ventilation limited fre, Faster Fire Propagation + Modem window & interior doors fail faster than legacy counterparts, ‘+The change in modern dry wall nings now allows for more content fires to become structure fires, Fire penetrates wal lining and fils the void and allows for faster fre propagation Shorter Times to Collapse + Modern home constuction techniques have removed components that had prolonged collapse. + After unit arrival at eight minutes from ignition, collapse is possible as soon as 1 minutes '30 seconds later, the legacy room fre collapse hazard begins at 40 minutes after arrival. ‘Shorter Resident Escape Times +The impact of ventilation (flow paths) isthe key tothe fre development in structures + Fire departments must reexamine their tactics to ensure they are stl elevant within this evolving fire envirenmentAPPEND (1) The Fre Station's Role Creating a Successful Volunteer Fire Department ‘The role ofthe fire stationin a successful cal/volunteer fre department is more than simply as, ‘utilitarian garage. The fire station ereates an important image and message that can help or hurt a community's effortsto recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, Call/volunteer fre departments are competing with a great deal of other volunteer ‘opportunities. People are more likely to volunteer their time when they feel thelr service is. needed, appreciated, and important. People need to feel they will be part of a professional and ‘welkrun organization. An ald utilitarian garage doesn't scream “important” or “appreciated by the community” ‘The current Ashfield Fie Station is old, obsolete, and doesn’t do anything to attract new members, It blends into the street and could be any old garage. There Is nothing about it that ‘Would entice someone to be part of the fre department. Fresh paint, a bigger and brighter sign, along with big glass doors and backlit fire trucks isa fast and inexpensive first step that Ashfeld could take to change the look and fee! of the fre station soit says pride, professionalism, and importance.[Adequate space, landscaphg, and more inviting colors help make the department one that people will want tobe a part of. It says this is an important part of our community. You should bea part ofthis. “Te current ire station was bull fs 1945. Its amang the oldest active fre stations inthe state. Some ‘ofthe functional ares that it needs areas follows + clean room/space fer storing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) + Acommunications and/or emergency operations room/space. This space would be place with radio communication, computer communications/manitors, maps, a dest/tabe large enough to layout e map, replan books, reference materials, and were officers could gather during a natural dlsaster, 3 large brush fie, of complex hazardous materalsincident to plan and manage operations. Men and women’s lecker rooms with showers. Decontamination space for cleaning PPE and personal Clean storage space ‘or EMS supplies. Ventilation System. private office forthe chet Some type of administrative office/orkspace~ file cabinets, coper,computer/printer, work table/desk, te + Modern training room with space to at last 30 students (a goal shouldbe increase the sizeof the volunteer force) ith a large monitor for ooline traning, white board and computer system. | suspect that an “OSHA” auit ofthe fe station and a building code audit ofthe fire station wl reveal long st of serous deficiencies.Appendix_N Diesel Soot & Cancer in Fire Stations Firefighters are sudderly finding they have unasualy high rates of cancer. Departments ae reporting difficulties with recruiting firefighters because ofthis. Preliminary studies into this problem indicat likely sources toxic smoke from fire ineidents and toxic soot from five truck diesel engines. In small owns ike Ashfield the grester issues is diese ach time a ruck startup inside the Ashfield Fre Station is fils the inside ofthe station with diesel soot. Firef gers (and anyone in the station) is breathing this soot. The soot settles on all ofthe surfaces i the station including the firefighters protective clothing. Soot is absorbed into te protective clothing and is then spread to the firefighter each time sherbe wears the gear. Diesel soot, more correctly called solid particulate mater is mainly compose of unburned fuel and oi, along with the products of fuel combustion suchas hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and sulfide oxides. Diesel soot is a carcinogen. ‘The particulate mater we call diese! soot damages lung tissue, is linked to cardiovascular disease, and can alterinmunologial systems. ‘Ashfield’s 1990 dicselengine-tanker puts out about 6.0 g/bhp-hr of particulate mater. A fie engine bul afer 2007 pu ous 0.01 g/bhp-hr of particulate mater, The ference in particulate mater emissions from 1990 to 2007 is 600 times lower. (g/bhp-hr= grams per brake horsepower how) Modem fire stations hove some type of system for removing diesel exhaust and soot from the sir of fire stations. The AFD fire station has no such system, “The firefightr’s PPE at the AFD fit station is stored exposed to diesel sot every time @ truck stars, There isto separate space to safely store the gear. There is no space or ‘equipment for cleaning PPE at the fire station. From a health standpoint, elimination of old diesel trucks from fire stations is critically important. Additionally, storing firefighter’s PPE in way that it is not ‘exposed to diesel sootis also essential to protecting the health of firefighters. Tes also essential tha: a space be provided atthe fie station to install a heavy-duty (Commercial) washing machine (“extractor”) to wash firefighter’s PPE. Their gear should be washed after every fire and as part of a annual cleaningfinspection program,aerenpex ee The Cost of Outfitting a Call/Volunteer Firefighter with PPE. CaliVolunteer firefighters are not free. Communities must keep them properly ‘outfitted with personal protective equipment. New members must be provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before they can start responding to emergency calls or particip i Frequent, regular investments in PPE a in an effective callivolunteer fire & EMS force. Outdate, ripped, dirty and il fitting PPE are reasons people leave eallivolunteer fire departments because they fell that Teadership doesn’t care about their safety or wellbeing. ‘The Cost of Structural PPE Te current average e>st for one set of structural PPE in Massachusetts is about $3000. Structural PPE cannot be used once it reaches 10 years old, The material used to make structural PPE deteriorates with age and exposure to sunlight Gloves and hoods will have to be replaced more often than once every 10 years. Best Practices for cancer prevention ae to issue two hoods and two pair of gloves. eed FIREFIGHTER‘The Cost of EMS PPE Each firefighter and EMS provider should have an EMS Jacket that also as serves asa traffic safety jacket. A pair of safety glasses and pair of exriation/rescue gloves ‘completes the package EMS Jackets must te blood-borne pathogen resistin. (Many low cost traffic safety jackets look like EMS jackets but provide no protection from biohezards.) They should rect ANSI 107-2015 Type P Class 3 (or Class 2) visibility standard EMS Jackets cost between $250 and $500 each EMS providers should also have a helmet for motor vehicle erashes and other special rescue situations. Thee brush helmet or structural firefighting helmet is appropriate, and there is not a need to purchase separate EMS belmets EMS Jackets are an eligible project as part ofthe federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, ‘There are no state programs for funding EMS PPE (excluding some temporary programs due to the COVID-19 Pandemic).The Cost of Wildland PPE Each firefighter should be provided a set of wildland firefighting PPE. A set of wildland PPE will cost about $600 per firefighter. (The example below shows too sets of gear per fiefighter, Here in New England, one set is normal and appropriate ‘because our fires gexerally don’t stetch into multiple days. In New England, some department's provide wildland boots and other departments allow their members to wear personal work boots The cost of outfitting sxwieot» seen rom nes. awildlandfirefighter Straicctytssnsnceotne tas sence innate Dit Ca er as Fe $55 $300" 4 $300 $800 $30. $400 moots pesiog as 4 $400-$600 $400Structural PPE should never be worn for wildland firefighting. Its too heavy and causes firefighters to collapse ftom heat. It slows firefighters dovm so they can’t escape flames. tis too expensive ta be torn up ina briar patch, ‘Structural PPE should not be worn for many reseue incidents, especially around water. If firefightes fall into water in structural PPE they eannot swim. ‘Wildland PPE is a good altemative PPE for technical rescue incidents Funding for wildland PPE is available annually from the Massachusetts DCR ‘administering the federal Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) grant program. Department's such as the AFD a eligible to receive up to $2000 per year of matching funds to ‘purchase wildland PPE (among other items). A $2000 grant would require a $2000 match fora total project cost of $4000. “The federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) is also an available funding sour for ‘Wildland PPE. How well call/volunteer fire departments keep their firefighters in PPE that fits properly, that is less than 10 years old, in good condition (not ripped and is clean) and appropriate to the type of incidents the department experiences has a direct bearing on firefighter morale, and the recruitment and retention of volunteers.Appendix P Matrix of Recommended Strategic Actions Ashfield Fire Department - 2021 ‘Action ~[Actor= Responsible Party | Timing a ‘Appoint Career Fire Chet | Selec Board Tmmediate 2031 S5H.500 to $102,000 | ee eee | pyaar ‘Anveally | Uses Assessment Center | Selest Board immediate Hiring Process for Chie = [esas : ‘Adopt Written Job Select Board Immediate ‘Nominal/None Description & Annual | Review Process for Chief | Replace Engine 3 Selec Board, Fin Com & | Tmmediate = 202i ~FV22_| $400,000 wo $850,000 Fire Chie Replace gine Tanker? | Select Board, Fn Com & [2024 7 00000 $850,000 Fire Chet Replace Brash Selec Boa, Fn Com & | 2028 New $80,000 5150000 Fins Chet 2525,00010 $5,000 lan For Fire Staton Tmediaie- 202i Replacement or Renovation ‘Start Consiacion of New| Selec Board & Fir Chief | 20062030 Slow Fire StationTherease Number of Fire Chiet 2023 — FY 2023 Budget [$5200 Annually Volunteer Firefighters Cost of Stipends 0 zease Naber of Fie Chis? SFY 2006 Bodget | $3200 Aanvally CaliWolunier Firefighters Cost of Stpends 024 | = Thi Five ParcTine | Select Board, FinCom & [2005 FY 3004 Badger | $54,600 Analy FirefighrsforDaytime | Fire Chief Increase Averge Fie Chet Fitighes [3023 38600 Annually Firefighter Training to 80 Cos of Stpends howsperjen Tnerease Average Fir het & Fisighies [006 $4800 Annually Firefighter Training to 100 | Cost of Stipends hous per year | ‘Aier Franing Ada | Fetghiers Timed —2021 No Cost Safety message & mini topics “Alter Training Add | Freighter Tinmedine-2021 No Cost Maem | |"Alter Training — Add Firefighters ‘Immediate — 2021 ‘No Cost. EMS Topics e Tiplement Squad System | Firtghers & Fire Chis? | Tmmediate-2021 No Cost [for EMS Coverage Slavia Strategic Planning | Fire Chief 20s {NominalProcess & Regionalization St [Present New Sees Flan Fre Che? Bear Start a Stal Fundto | Fin Com & Select Board | FY 2025 315,000 per year replace Rescue | _ Replace See Contained | Slee Board Fin Com | SFY 3054 $1030 Breathing Apparat if nsuoessil with grant _ [Fund PPF Replacement | Seles Board & Fin Camm —|Tamediate= FV 2022 | 39000 Annual Separate Truck Chasis | Fielighs & Fie Chief — [Immediate W200 | S330 Anmaally from Traini = " I | Annually Apply te AFG@ | Fe Cher Soa No Coat Anply Fund New Bogie Tanker _| ____| sso teh i Avandea “Antully Apply to DCR- | Fre Chet ma No Cost Vitor | SOM Match if Awarded ‘ “Aniully Appiyt@ AFGTO | Fe Chet ctoay Notaw Fund new SCBA i 5% Match uf Awarded