By Tim Millspaugh and Dr. John Leslie
BACKGROUND
Sedgwick County Fire District #1 (SCFD 1) is a paid department consisting of eight fire stations located on the periphery of the Wichita, Kansas. It serves a number of small rural cities and unincorporated areas throughout the county. Under the leadership of Chief Gary Curmode, SCFD 1, which consists of 139 paid personnel, has been accredited by Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) since 2003 and considers itself a state-of-the-art fire service. Through a major influx of county funds, the district has embarked on a major station relocation project which will ensure that it remains a responsive organization to serve its citizens through the 21st century. Although recognized as an exemplary fire service, the district had one nagging problem, supplying water in the unincorporated, nonhydranted areas in the county. Below is described a notable success in addressing this problem which also consequently saved the citizens of Sedgwick County a significant amount on fire insurance premiums.
THE PROBLEM
Historically, to secure and improve Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating, the SCFD 1 was limited by fiscal constraints, personnel restrictions, and physical aspects. Consequently, fire insurance rates for residential and commercial/business properties were higher. More importantly, the inability to provide adequate water to the unincorporated, nonhydranted areas of the county resulted in potential life safety/property loss issues for Sedgwick County. Although it is probably impossible to quantify the effect of any inadequate water supplies in such areas, the probability of resident/commercial loss was more significant because of inadequate water supplies.
POTENTIAL SOLUTION
To improve Sedgwick County’s ISO classification from its current level of Class 9, a series of analyses were performed. The first was a study of water supply issues by geographical location. This consisted of 1. data collection concerning hydrant location and capacities, 2. tender shuttle operational efficiencies related to staff training and practices, 3. asset availability/capability, and 4. cooperative agreements with related water service agencies and fire departments throughout the county. A review of this data indicated some potential areas of deficiency, including staff numbers and training levels, assets (primarily tender availability/capacity), and the determination of critical locations of assets and staff.
Responding to these issues, the entire district tender fleet was replaced with state-of-the-art equipment over a five-year period. Replacing old obsolete equipment increased tender water capacity from 14,000 to 18,800 gallons, a 34.3% increase. Three older tenders were put into reserve status to assist at significant events. The new assets also included significant added features to enhance the district’s ability to put water on a fire. For example, new tenders have five-inch fixed hydrant connections and back- or side-dump capability. Also, all tenders carry 3,000-gallon dump tanks with flat-bottom strainers.
Deployment, staff assignments, and training strategies, were modified to complement the above assets. Each tender is now assigned a two-member crew. The first tender on-scene now connects to the engine to provide water for an initial attack. Second and subsequent tenders use dump tanks and initiate shuttle operations. A reserve unmanned shuttle apparatus has been deployed to a strategic location in the county for use as needed. This was necessary to comply with ISO requirements.
As part of the strategic plan, water resources throughout the county were identified and analyzed to determine their capacities. Local lakes and ponds were pinpointed, and dry hydrants were installed at a major lake in the western part of the county. Rural water resources located in small communities were specifically identified, and cooperative relationships were established with relevant water district managers through formal meetings and subsequent agreements.
RESULTS
On completion of the activities outlined above, the district felt confident in contacting the ISO for an on-site survey which was conducted in 2005. Before the surveyor’s arrival on-site, the district had to provide a list of all vehicles and an outline of all equipment carried on them. Additionally, the district provided data on all pumps, personnel, hose, and the different cities served by the district’s water systems, hydrants, and so on. The fire district is divided into two distinct service areas. The first includes the small rural cities themselves, many of which have their own rural water systems. The second distinct area consists of the unincorporated, nonhydranted areas the district serves. SCFD 1 serves an area of diverse population density that includes urban, suburban, rural, and frontier areas located throughout its 631-mile jurisdiction.
To comply with ISO standards, the district was required to prove that it could provide 250 gallons-per-minute for two hours in the nonhydranted, unincorporated areas within five miles of a fire station, which is called the hauled water test. This does not consist of a physical shuttle operation, but is a simulated activity in which the ISO representative enters the relevant numbers into a computer system for analysis. The results of this analysis enables the reviewer to determine whether the district can provide adequate water supply.
The hands-on activities that the district was required to perform consisted of the determination of actual tank dump and fill times for all tenders, hydrant flows for all communities, and engine/hydrant lay to the point where the water resource existed.
Suffice to say, the district passed its test with a significant improvement over its historical performance. Subsequently, properties within the SCFD 1 service area there were located within five driving miles of a fire station and greater than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant were reclassified as Class 5. Additionally, Haysville, Kansas, located in SCFD 1, through some internal improvements to its water system, upgraded its rating to a Class 2 from a Class 4.
Conservative estimates indicate that the citizens of SCFD 1 will save approximately $3 million annually in reduced fire insurance rates. The district has informed the residents and in subsequent meetings has explained to them the qualifications for the new insurance rates. Insurance representatives from the major Kansas insurers have attended these meetings and have requested information from the fire districts to better serve their clients and implement the rate reductions. All in all, this effort has been very effective, proving that a cooperative relationship between a fire department and the ISO can result in significant benefits to the people that the fire service is dedicated to serve. These benefits can be measured in monetary terms through insurance rate reductions, but the less-tangible results, namely the saving of lives and property, are also significant. This is a prime example of how the ISO and fire departments can work together to solve problems and achieve significant life-saving and dollar-saving outcomes.
