Agenda - Council - 08/13/2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ramsey, Nowthen, St. Francis, Oak Grove, and Bethel, Minnesota Feasibility Study for Shared or Cooperative Fire and Emergency Services Section I — Evaluation of Current Conditions In early 2013, Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) was engaged by the cities of Ramsey, Nowthen, 5t. Francis, Bethel, and Oak Grove (referred to as the participating agencies or study agencies), to evaluate the feasibility of establishing or enhancing cooperative delivery opportunities that already exist between the individual agencies regarding the provision of fire and emergency services. This report serves as the culmination of that analysis. In order to fully appreciate the intricacies of how the participating agencies currently provide delivery of emergency services to their communities, ESCI initiates the project with an analysis of the current conditions existing in each agency. A review of all of the organizational elements is conducted for two reasons: first, to verity that ESCI's information collection is complete and accurate; secondly, to provide the reader that is not directly involved in fire and EMS service delivery with an understanding of how the agencies operate. Organization Overview Fire departments and other emergency services providers are actively involved in a number of varying activities primarily depending on the needs within their respective communities. The study area for this project is no different. This section provides a general description of each study agency's history, area served, population, infrastructure and financial element. City of Bethel (Bethel Fire Department) Bethel Fire Department (BFD) is a direct operating department of the City of Bethel. The area is comprised of 0.97 square miles and has a resident population of 466 based on the 2010 U.S. Census. This creates a population density of 480.4 per square mile, classifying the City as rural based on Nation Fire Protection Association (NFPA) benchmarks. Formed in, BFD is one of the oldest fire departments in Minnesota and continues to provide fire suppression, BLS (basic life support) emergency medical first responder, hazmat operations -level, and public education services. The department maintains a single response facility and a total of five apparatus including two engines, one tankertender, one grass unit, and one utility vehicle. Services are provided by an all -volunteer (paid -on -call) force of 12 including the fire chief, assistant chief, captain, two lieutenants, and seven firefighters. City of Nowthen The City of Nowthen is comprised of approximately 35.1 square miles and has a resident population of 4,443 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. This translates to a population density of 126.6 per square mile, Emergency Services Co i eking page 9