This report is on the provision of fire protection and emergency medical services in St. Louis City and St. Louis County.

Members of the St. Louis fire protection and emergency medical services community were consulted throughout the creation of this report. Their guidance and input proved integral in forming a more comprehensive, accurate, and helpful body of information. These professionals’ insights will foster a better understanding of the current system and spark an informed discussion on how to enhance it. What follows is a straightforward look at how fire protection and emergency medical services are currently delivered in the St. Louis region, as well as a detailed analysis of best practices in these fields that examines how the St. Louis region compares to others and offers potential paths toward improving the provision of these critical services.

Units of Fire Protection in the St. Louis Region

Twenty-three fire protection districts (FPD) and 20 municipal fire departments provide fire and emergency medical services to St. Louis City and County. Those services are provided almost entirely by professional firefighters and emergency medical personnel. The primary difference between the municipal fire departments and the fire protection districts is which entity pays for the services provided: the municipal government or the fire protection district.

Missouri Revised Statute (RSMo) §320.200.3 defines a fire department as “an agency or organization that provides fire suppression and related activities, including but not limited to rescue, emergency medical services, hazardous material response, or special operation to a population within a fixed and legally recorded geographic area.” This is a broad definition that covers a threefold set of fire protection entities: municipal fire departments, fire protection districts, and volunteer fire departments. This statute further sets out two sections of the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri that define two other very specific types of fire protection entities. Volunteer fire associations and fire protection districts are further elaborated on in the statutes of the state, but the above definition is the complete explanation of a municipal fire department.

RSMo §321.010.1 states “a fire protection district is a political subdivision which is organized and empowered to supply protection by any available means to persons and property against injuries and damage from fire and from hazards which do or may cause fire, and which is also empowered to render first aid for the purpose of saving lives, and to give assistance in the event of an accident or emergency of any kind.” Fire protection districts are entities that provide services within a determined boundary not based on municipal lines. The fire protection district boundary can include multiple municipalities and unincorporated areas.

According to RSMo §321.230 “for the purpose of providing revenue for such districts, the board [of directors of the fire protection district] shall have the power and authority to order the levy and collection of ad valorem [property] taxes on and against all taxable tangible property within the district, and to make timely demand to sue for and collect any and all other taxes, contributions or allocations to which the district may be entitled.” A property tax is imposed for the provision of services within that boundary in addition to whatever taxes residents might pay to St. Louis County or local municipal government.

There is almost no difference in services provided by a municipal fire department, a volunteer fire association, and a fire protection district. The purpose of these units is to provide assistance in case of a fire or medical emergency. Each entity exists to prevent loss of life and mitigate destruction of property. The primary difference is how those services are paid for: out of the funds of the local government for a municipal fire department, or out of a property tax levied by the fire protection district.

Fire Departments and Budget Expenditures

Fire protection and emergency medical services are provided to the region at a cost of about $334.2 million per year. There is a wide range of total expenditures per fire protection unit in the region, though; Kinloch FPD (volunteer) spends about $21,500 while the City of St. Louis spends over $75.5 million. In areas with low-assessed home values, small departments struggle to provide adequate services. At the same time, larger and better-funded departments provide excellent services to broad geographic areas.

Department	Year	Total Expenditures
Affton Fire Protection District	2014	$6,159,710
Berkeley Fire Department	2014	$1,533,750
Black Jack Fire Protection District	2014	$7,121,719
Brentwood Fire Department	2013	$2,418,383
Clayton Fire Department	2014	$4,472,942
Community Fire Protection District	2014	$11,653,911
Crestwood Fire Department	2014	$2,621,467
Creve Coeur Fire Protection District	2014	$10,247,780
Des Peres Department of Public Safety	2014	$5,855,058
Eureka Fire Protection District	2014	$5,298,570
Fenton Fire Protection District	2013	$9,772,011
Ferguson Fire Department	2014	$2,496,034
Florissant Valley Fire Protection District	2014	$11,410,484
Frontenac Fire Department	2014	$2,191,523
Glendale Fire Department	2014	$1,444,144
Hazelwood Fire Department	2014	$8,103,252
Jennings Fire Department	-	-
Kinloch Fire Protection District	2013	$21,583
Kirkwood Fire Department	2014	$5,513,560
Ladue Fire Department	2014	$4,924,423
Lemay Fire Protection District	2014	$4,125,378
Maplewood Fire Department	2014	$1,647,712
Maryland Heights Fire Protection District	2014	$9,138,175
Mehlville Fire Protection District	2014	$18,542,751
Metro North Fire Protection District	2014	$3,505,125
Metro West Fire Protection District	2014	$21,014,400
Mid-County Fire Protection District	2014	$3,637,949
Monarch Fire Protection District	2014	$20,731,024
Northeast Fire Protection District	2014	$4,426,261
Olivette Fire Department	2014	$2,062,401
Pacific Fire Protection District	2014	$2,532,085
Pattonville Fire Protection District	2014	$15,970,821
Richmond Heights Fire Department	2014	$2,888,257
Riverview Fire Protection District	2014	$3,985,106
Robertson Fire Protection District	2014	$8,245,168
Rock Hill Fire Department	2014	$867,379
Shrewsbury Fire Department	2014	$1,801,518
Spanish Lake Fire Protection District	2014	$3,318,006
St. Louis City Fire Department	2014-2015	$75,500,000
University City Fire Department	2015	$4,106,548
Valley Park Fire Protection District	2014	$2,912,968
Webster Groves Fire Department	2014	$4,024,012
West County Fire Protection District	2013	$12,609,444
West Overland Fire Protection District	2015	$3,370,129
Total		$334,222,921

Funding for municipal fire departments comes through the local municipal government. For example, a municipal fire department works with a city administrator to submit a proposed budget to the city in which it operates. That budget becomes part of the larger city-wide budget and must be approved by the legislative branch of the city government.

Residents of cities that provide fire and EMS are unlikely to see the entire cost of those departments, however. Cities will provide human resources, purchasing, legal, accounting and other necessary services to run a department. The money to pay for those services is included in other departmental budgets. For example, a member of the Public Works Department may be used to work on engine repair for the fire department, but his pay comes from the Public Works appropriation of funds and not the Fire Department.

In contrast, fire protection districts have a different funding mechanism. A fire protection district is a taxing district governed by a board of directors. Its funding comes from a property tax levied on the district. Table 2 displays the tax rates for the fire protection districts within St. Louis County. The fire protection district tax rate varies across the St. Louis region depending on the district and the type of land owned. Tax rate changes and bond issues in fire protection districts are matters that must be brought before the voters of the district in the same manner that such changes must be brought before the voters of a municipality. Generally, municipal fire departments are paid for out of The map below highlights the location of firehouses in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The area shaded in pink describes the effective four-minute reach of firehouses in the region. Unshaded areas are outside the reach of a firehouse within that timeframe. Areas shaded in green are part of parks or flood plain areas accessible to fire departments but with limited road infrastructure. Dots on the map represent firehouse locations.the general revenue fund or another fund established for this purpose by the municipality. Fire protection districts establish a property tax within a defined boundary, which is wholly unconnected to the operations of municipal government.

Fire Protection Districts: Tax Rates
Fire Protection Unit	Residential Tax Rate	Commercial Tax Rate	Agricultural Tax Rate	Personal Prop. Tax Rate
Affton FPD	1.2447	1.3509	1.25	1.3166
Black Jack FPD	1.809	1.818	1.818	1.818
Community FPD	2.05	2.05	0	2.05
Creve Coeur FPD	1.1875	1.1925	1.1775	1.1925
Eureka FPD	1.2423	1.2423	1.2423	1.2423
Fenton FPD	1.051	0.999	1.1	0.958
Florissant Valley FPD	1.49	1.492	1.493	1.493
Kinloch FPD	0.881	0.848	0	0.87
Lemay FPD	1.307	1.365	0.234	1.343
Maryland Heights FPD	1.343	1.342	1.312	1.348
Mehlville FPD	0.654	0.785	1.068	0.861
Metro North FPD	2.634	2.6295	0	2.639
Metro West FPD	1.057	1.131	1.182	1.149
Mid County FPD	2.9307	3.0104	0	3.03
Monarch FPD	0.829	0.983	0.77	1.008
Northeast Ambulance and FPD	1.9478	1.9458	1.9478	1.93
Pacific FPD	0.8582	0.8582	0.8582	0.8582
Pattonville-Bridgeton FPD	2.133	2.133	2.133	2.133
Riverview FPD	2.474	2.474	1.9389	2.4577
Robertson FPD	2.512	2.547	2.549	2.549
Spanish Lake FPD	2.364	2.364	2.364	2.364
Valley Park FPD	1.278	1.268	1.194	1.31
West County EMS and FPD	0.962	0.99	1.009	1
West Overland FPD	2.107	2.022	0	2.042
Median Tax Rate	1.325	1.3535	1.1798	1.3455
Average Tax Rate	1.5978	1.6146	1.11	1.6234

There are communities in the St. Louis region that are not within a fire protection district and lack a municipal fire department. These communities contract for services from another fire protection provider.

Firehouse Locations

The region’s 43 municipal fire departments and fire protection districts operate 118 firehouses, in 58 different zip codes, across St. Louis City and County. Most fire departments and districts have only one or two firehouses, though some have as many as four or five. The City of St. Louis, the outlier in the region because of sheer size and longevity, has 32 firehouses covering both the city and Lambert International Airport.

Firehouse Locations
Department Name	Station	Street Address	City	State	Zip Code
Affton	1	9510 Gravois Rd	St Louis	MO	63123
Affton	2	8110 Valcour Ave	St Louis	MO	63123
Affton	3	4980 Siebert Ave	St Louis	MO	63123
Berkeley	1	8401 Airport Rd	Berkeley	MO	63134
Berkeley	2	9265 Natural Bridge Rd	Berkeley	MO	63134
Black Jack	1	12490 Old Halls Ferry Rd	Florissant	MO	63034
Black Jack	2	18955 Old Jamestown Rd	Florissant	MO	63034
Black Jack	3	5675 N. US Highway 67	Florissant	MO	63034
Brentwood	1	8756 Eulalie Ave	Brentwood	MO	63144
Clayton	1	10 Bemiston Ave N	Clayton	MO	63105
Community	1	8847 St Charles Rock Rd	St Louis	MO	63114
Community	2	9411 Marlow Ave	Overland	MO	63114
Community	3	3736 Geraldine Ave	St Ann	MO	63074
Crestwood	1	1 Detjen Dr	Crestwoon	MO	63126
Creve Coeur	2	11720 Olive Blvd	Creve Coeur	MO	63141
Creve Coeur	3	10940 Schuetz Rd	Creve Coeur	MO	63141
Des Peres	1	1000 N. Ballas Rd	Des Peres	MO	63131
Eureka	1	4849 Missouri 109	Eureka	MO	63025
Eureka	2	1815 W. Fifth St	Eureka	MO	63025
Eureka	3	3570 White Oak School Rd	Eureka	MO	63025
Fenton	1	845 Gregory Ln	Fenton	MO	63026
Fenton	2	1385 Horan Dr	Fenton	MO	63026
Fenton	3	1620 Smizer Mill Rd	Fenton	MO	63026
Fenton	4	12500 Rott Rd	Sunset Hills	MO	63127
Ferguson	1	200 S. Florissant Rd	Ferguson	MO	63135
Ferguson	2	10701 W. Florissant Ave	Ferguson	MO	63135
Florissant	2	1925 Pohlman Rd	Florissant	MO	63033
Florissant	3	1910 Shackelford Rd	Florissant	MO	63031
Florissant	1	661 St Ferdinand	Florissant	MO	63031
Frontenac	1	10555 Clayton Rd	Frontenac	MO	63131
Glendale	1	424 Sappington	Glendale	MO	63122
Hazelwood	1	6100 N. Lindberg Blvd	Hazelwood	MO	63042
Hazelwood	2	6800 Howdershell Rd	Hazelwood	MO	63042
Kirkwood	1	137 W. Argonne Dr	Kirkwood	MO	63122
Kirkwood	2	11804 Big Bend Rd	Kirkwood	MO	63122
Kirkwood	3	1321 W. Essex Ave	Kirkwood	MO	63122
Ladue	1	9213 Clayton Rd	Ladue	MO	63124
Ladue	2	9911 Clayton Rd	Ladue	MO	63124
Lemay	1	1201 Telegraph Rd	St Louis	MO	63125
Maplewood	1	7601 Manchester Rd	Maplewood	MO	63143
Maryland Heights	1	2600 Schuetz Rd	Maryland Heights	MO	63043
Maryland Heights	2	12828 Dorsett Rd	Maryland Heights	MO	63043
Mehlville	1	3241 Lemay Ferry Rd	St Louis	MO	63125
Mehlville	2	5434 Telegraph Rd	St Louis	MO	63129
Mehlville	3	4811 South Lindberg Blvd	St Louis	MO	63126
Mehlville	4	13117 Tesson Ferry Rd	St Louis	MO	63128
Mehlville	5	11020 Mueller Rd	St Louis	MO	63123
Mehlville	6	6870 Telegraph Rd	St Louis	MO	63129
Mehlville	7	5501 Old Lemay Ferry Rd	St Louis	MO	63129
Metro North	1	1815 Chambers Rd	St Louis	MO	63136
Metro West	1	14835 Manchester Rd	Ballwin	MO	63011
Metro West	2	1000 New Ballwin Rd	Ballwin	MO	63011
Metro West	3	17065 Manchester Rd	Wildwood	MO	63040
Metro West	4	16060 Clayton Rd	Ellisville	MO	63011
Metro West	5	18601 Starck Ln	Wildwood	MO	63069
Mid County	1	1875 Pennsylvania Ave	St Louis	MO	63133
Monarch	1	15700 Baxter Rd	Chesterfield	MO	63017
Monarch	2	18424 Wild Horse Creek Rd	Wildwood	MO	63005
Monarch	3	1201 Fernview Dr	Chesterfield	MO	63146
Monarch	4	14898 Olive Blvd	Chesterfield	MO	63017
Monarch	5	155 Long Rd	Chesterefield	MO	63005
Normandy	1	7302 Pasadena	Normandy	MO	63121
Olivette	1	9473 Olive Blvd	Olivette	MO	63132
Pacific	1	910 W. Osage St	Pacific	MO	63069
Pattonville	1	11555 St Charles Rock Rd	Bridgeton	MO	63044
Pattonville	2	3365 McKelvey Rd	Bridgeton	MO	63044
Pattonville	3	2222 Maryland Heights Expressway	Earth City	MO	63043
Richmond Heights	1	7449 Dale Ave	Richmond Heights	MO	63117
Riverview	1	9933 Diamond Dr	St Louis	MO	63137
Riverview	2	9207 Bellefontaine Rd	St Louis	MO	63137
Riverview	3	7213 West Florissant Rd	Jennings	MO	63136
Robertson	1	12641 Missouri Bottom Rd	Hazelwood	MO	63042
Robertson	2	3820 Taussig Ave	Hazelwood	MO	63044
Rock Hill	1	1015 Charleville Ave	St Louis	MO	63119
Shrewsbury	1	4400 Shrewsbury Ave	Shrewsbury	MO	63119
Spanish Lake	1	12220 Bellefontaine Rd	Spanish Lake	MO	63138
St Louis	1	2910 S. Jefferson Ave	St Louis	MO	63118
St Louis	2	314 S. Tucker Blvd	St Louis	MO	63102
St Louis	4	4425 S. Compton Ave	St Louis	MO	63111
St Louis	5	2123 N. Market St	St Louis	MO	63106
St Louis	6	5747 Manchester Ave	St Louis	MO	63110
St Louis	7	2600 LaSalle St	St Louis	MO	63104
St Louis	8	1501 Salisbury St	St Louis	MO	63107
St Louis	9	814 LaBeaume Ave	St Louis	MO	63102
St Louis	10	4161 Kennerly Ave	St Louis	MO	63113
St Louis	11	2224 S. 7th St	St Louis	MO	63104
St Louis	12	5124 W. Florissant Ave	St Louis	MO	63115
St Louis	13	1400 Shawmut Pl	St Louis	MO	63112
St Louis	14	3523 Magnolia Ave	St Louis	MO	63118
St Louis	17	3238 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd	St Louis	MO	63106
St Louis	19	6624 Morgan Ford Rd	St Louis	MO	63116
St Louis	20	5600 Prescott Ave	St Louis	MO	63147
St Louis	22	1229 McCausland Ave	St Louis	MO	63117
St Louis	23	6500 Michigan Ave	St Louis	MO	63111
St Louis	24	5245 Natural Bridge Ave	St Louis	MO	63115
St Louis	26	4520 Margaretta Ave	St Louis	MO	63115
St Louis	27	5435 Partridge Ave	St Louis	MO	63120
St Louis	28	4810 Enright Ave	St Louis	MO	63108
St Louis	29	200 S. Vandeventer Ave	St Louis	MO	63110
St Louis	30	541 DeBaliviere Ave	St Louis	MO	63112
St Louis	31	4408 Donovan Ave	St Louis	MO	63109
St Louis	32	3500 S. Grand Ave	St Louis	MO	63118
St Louis	33	8300 N. Broadway	St Louis	MO	63147
St Louis	34	8227 S. Broadway	St Louis	MO	63111
St Louis	35	5450 Arsenal St	St Louis	MO	63139
St Louis	36	5000 S. Kingshighway Blvd	St Louis	MO	63109
St Louis		Lambert Crash Response	Lambert IAP	MO
St Louis		Lambert Crash Response	Lambeert IAP	MO
University City	1	863 Westgate Ave	University City	MO	63130
University City	2	1045 North and South Rd	Universtiy City	MO	63130
Valley Park	1	840 St Louis Ave	Valley Park	MO	63088
Valley Park	2	55 Crescent Ave	Valley Park	MO	63088
Webster Groves	1	6 South Elm Ave	Webster Groves	MO	63119
Webster Groves	2	1302 South Elm Ave	Webster Groves	MO	63119
West County EMS	1	223 Henry Ave	Manchester	MO	63011
West County EMS	2	13790 Manchester Rd	Manchester	MO	63011
West County EMS	3	13443 Clayton Rd	Town and Country	MO	63141
West Overland	1	10789 Midland Blvd	West Overland	MO	63114

The City of St. Louis and the inner-ring suburbs of St. Louis County have more firehouses than the outlying regions of North, South, and West St. Louis County. This is, in part, because these communities have denser populations, which necessitate more firehouses, firefighters, and resources. The municipal fire departments and fire protection districts get geographically larger as you move toward the border regions of St. Louis County and have development that is less dense.

One result of having larger fire protection districts covering broad geographic areas with low- population density is that the effective range of an individual firehouse is reduced. Communities that build on larger lot sizes, have winding roads with lower speed limits, and/or have an abundance of cul-de-sacs, are more difficult for fire and emergency medical personnel to navigate. Additionally, seemingly small issues have impacts on the provision of fire protection and EMS. Narrow intersections inhibiting fire trucks from making quick turns and fire hydrants with inadequate water pressure for multiple trucks in close proximity are just a few issues that firefighters and paramedics face in our region.

The map below highlights the location of firehouses in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The area shaded in pink describes the effective four-minute reach of firehouses in the region. Unshaded areas are outside the reach of a firehouse within that timeframe. Areas shaded in green are part of parks or flood plain areas accessible to fire departments but with limited road infrastructure. Dots on the map represent firehouse locations.

Fire and Emergency Medical Staffing

There are approximately 2,250 individuals working for fire departments in St. Louis City and County. This includes all firefighters, emergency medical service providers, management, and clerical staff. The smallest departments in the region operate with as few as a dozen employees, while larger ones operate with staffs of over 100. The City of St. Louis Fire Department employs approximately 800 people. There are approximately 1,450 fire department employees within St. Louis County. A table of employees by service provider can be found in the appendix.

The wide disparities in size of fire departments and districts are mirrored in the resources available for equipment and pay.

Pay for Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Positions in the St. Louis Region
Fire Chiefs	Battalion Chief	Assistant Chiefs	Deputry Chief	Medic Chief	Fire Marshall
Average Pay	$105,178	$88,984	$102,702	$93,890	$50,296	$93,019
High	$153,578	$118,385	$127,088	$123,396	$75,381	$120,043
Median Pay	$106,580	$84,736	$101,947	$97,175	$46,124	$91,719
Low	$59,437	$54,734	$79,800	$65,185	$43,758	$71,000
	Captains	Engineers	Lieutenants	Fire Inspector	Paramedic Supervisor	Assistant Fire Marshall
Average Pay	$77,109	$78,456	$70,583	$66,503	$61,398	$107,435
High	$109,371	$108,868	$107,598	$68,264	$64,454	$107,435
Median Pay	$72,731	$79,542	$70,296	$67,477	$61,750	$107,435
Low	$48,010	$43,896	$48,196	$62,795	$56,316	$107,435
	Firefighter - Paramedics	Firefighter - EMTs	Paramedics	EMTs	Firefighters / Privates	Fire Cadet	Clerical
Average Pay	$68,949	$64,519	$43,100	$33,636	$55,216	$18,574	$48,659
High	$102,564	$91,939	$65,312	$45,396	$103,917	$18,574	$90,673
Median Pay	$67,950	$63,762	$38,194	$31,824	$54,465	$18,574	$45,272
Low	$27,150	$24,541	$38,194	$31,824	$22,880	$18,574	$27,541

Mutual Aid in the St. Louis Region

Mutual aid agreements provide for overlapping coverage in cases of emergency across the region. No fire department or EMS provider entirely ceases coverage at the municipal/district border. Each municipal department and fire protection district is prepared to render assistance for their neighbor when and where it is requested.

RSMO §320.090.1 and §44.090.1 provide that in times of significant emergency, any municipal fire department, fire protection district, or volunteer fire protection association in the state may render aid to any other requesting municipal fire department, fire protection district, or volunteer fire protection association. Both sections further provide that when responding to such requests for emergency aid, the responding units are subject to all provisions of law as if they were providing services to their own community. Mutual aid agreements effectively increase the number of service providers in a single community. Every community is trying to help cover the emergencies of every other neighboring community because preventing loss of life is the primary goal.

According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety,

“No fire service agency is equipped to deal fully with every potential emergency or disaster. For this reason, many departments have historically had long-standing formal and informal mutual aid agreements to ensure adequate resources are immediately available to assist affected jurisdictions facing incidents that exceed the capacity of local responders. Mutual aid truly means neighbors helping neighbors. Missouri’s fire service exemplifies this by its commitment to a system that provides resources to any incident or disaster that may exceed the capabilities of local agencies to respond and recover.” ^[1]

In practice, mutual aid means that when a fire station’s staff is occupied at an emergency, and another emergency occurs nearby, the next nearest fire station responds regardless of municipal or fire protection district boundary. Another example would be a fire too large for a single service provider that receives assistance from neighboring units. Mutual aid puts into practice the underlying belief that the primary purpose of a fire protection unit is to prevent the loss of life and mitigate loss of property.

Automatic aid is assistance dispatched automatically from one community/fire district to another. It differs from mutual aid in that mutual aid is requested assistance; automatic aid is an agreement that one department will respond to emergencies in a neighboring area as if it was its own. No request is necessary for aid to be rendered. One example of automatic aid in the St. Louis region exists between University City and the City of St. Louis. If there were a house fire at a location near the border of the two cities, both fire departments would automatically be called to respond.

Fire Engines, Ladder Trucks, Ambulances, and Equipment

The 23 fire protection districts and 20 municipal fire departments of the area use fire engines, ladder trucks, and ambulances to provide services to the St. Louis region. The St. Louis region receives its emergency medical services from approximately 70 public ambulances. St. Louis County’s municipal fire departments and fire protection districts operate 58 ambulances. St. Louis City Fire Department operates 12 ambulances full-time with approximately 13 ambulances in total. St. Louis City and St. Louis County also receive supplemental services from private ambulance services. St. Louis County fire protection service providers currently have 86 fire engines in use and 29 ladder trucks, while the City of St. Louis operates 32 engines and 5 ladder trucks.

Type of Apparatus	Current Number
Engine	118
Ladder	34
Ambulance	70

The region lacks several dedicated units that an area the size of St. Louis, with a high level of development and large population, should have. There exists no dedicated, properly staffed, heavy rescue squad in St. Louis County, for example. Also, only St. Louis City operates a full- time, dedicated hazardous materials (hazmat) response unit. Within St. Louis County, no department operates a full-time dedicated hazmat response unit, which can pose a significant risk to the region. When a hazmat incident occurs in St. Louis County, for example a train derails while transporting hazardous chemicals, those county departments have to muster a hazmat response team from across the region. Individual officers are specially trained and certified in hazardous material response, and they leave the firehouses they are stationed at to respond to the incident. Because critical time is lost during the “mustering” period, the St. Louis City hazmat team is likely the first to respond. It is important to note that this situation exists because individual St. Louis County departments are not large enough to ensure that a hazmat team is always on duty.

The fact that there are 43 different municipal fire departments and fire protection districts within the region presents challenges for interoperability of equipment. The absence of a common equipment standard means that every fire truck or apparatus could store needed tools and equipment in different places and that the tools and equipment may be different. Additionally, while it is common for departments to work together, each may have a different procedure for managing the specific emergency or fire.

Each municipal fire department and fire protection district is responsible for arranging the repairs of their agency’s equipment and vehicles. Departments often pay high costs for repairs by turning to out-of-state or independent contractors. The concentration of separate fire departments and districts, coupled with the lack of a central location to have vehicles serviced, is severely detrimental to the fire prevention and emergency medical services of the region. Vehicles requiring service spend a lot of time getting to and from the service location, which leaves the region under-equipped to handle situations that could be life threatening.

Fire/EMS Training

The city and county operate two separate fire academies with no reciprocal agreement honoring the validity of each area’s fire academy. ^[2] St. Louis City and St. Louis County operate their own fire academies. ^[3] In order for an individual to become a firefighter in the county, they must go through the county academy, even if they have already gone through the city fire academy. The same is true for St. Louis City firefighters, who must graduate from the city fire academy in order to be employed as a firefighter in the city. Further, ongoing education and training occurs at sites all across the St. Louis region, the academy locations are not used for training beyond basic recruit courses.

Fire/EMS Operations

A “standard operating procedure,” according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), is an organizational directive that establishes a standard course of action. These written guidelines explain what is expected and required of fire service personnel in performing their jobs.

NFPA is a non-profit organization whose mission is focused on support for the development, adoption, and enforcement of codes and standards on fire protection. The group is also involved in research and data analysis, technical training and certification, public education, outreach and advocacy on fire protection and emergency medical services. NFPA uses over 6,000 volunteers on technical committees to provide expertise in writing fire codes. The professionals consulted, both labor and management, pointed to the NFPA as the source of authority for best practices in fire protection and emergency medical service delivery.

Fire service provision in the region is not dictated by one set of standard operating procedures that all departments agree to follow. Many municipal fire departments and fire protection districts approach emergencies differently, based on the standard operating procedures adopted by the department and on the personal experiences of their leadership.

The first department to respond to a fire takes charge of how the fire is battled and determines how each incoming department should assist in the emergency. The lack of standard operating procedures presents challenges when one of the 43 different fire agencies comes to the aid of another. While the 43 departments within the region share automatic-aid or reciprocal agreements – each department would assist the other in the event of an emergency – this does not mean that assistance is administered as efficiently and uniformly as possible. Without the benefit of singular standardized operating procedures (that each firefighter, fire chief, and battalion chief) knows and follows region-wide, it cannot be guaranteed that emergencies are addressed in the best manner possible or even in a consistent manner.

St. Louis City and St. Louis County also differ in terms of their fire codes. While St. Louis City has a citywide fire code, there is no such countywide code for St. Louis County. The lack of a unified region-wide code and the absence of a countywide fire code present challenges in the region’s efforts to coordinate and better manage fire prevention efforts. It leaves the region to operate under a patchwork system of municipal codes.

Dispatching

Dispatching for emergency services requires infrastructure by an entity in order to communicate effectively across multiple radio systems and to marshal resources from across the region to address specific situations. Dispatching services are provided for the majority of the region’s service providers from two major dispatching centers: East Central Dispatch Center and Central County Emergency 911.

There are also a small group of communities that self-dispatch; that is, the city itself provides the infrastructure to receive calls for assistance and send resources where they are needed. Self- dispatching cities include Brentwood , Glendale , Kirkwood , Rock Hill , the City of St. Louis, and University City .

Dispatching Providers
Fire Department	Dispatch Provider
Affton Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Berkeley Fire Department	Central County Emergency 911
Black Jack Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Brentwood	Self Dispatch
Christian Hospital EMS	Central County Emergency 911
Clayton	East Central Dispatch Center
Community Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Crestwood Department of Fire Services	Central County Emergency 911
Creve Coeur Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Des Peres Department of Public Safety	Central County Emergency 911
Eureka Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Fenton Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Ferguson Fire Department	Central County Emergency 911
Florissant Valley Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Frontenac Fire Department	Central County Emergency 911
Glendale	Self Dispatch
Hazelwood Fire Department	Central County Emergency 911
Kinloch Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Kirkwood	Self Dispatch
Ladue Fire Department	Central County Emergency 911
Lemay Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Maplewood	East Central Dispatch Center
Maryland Heights Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Mehlville Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Meramec Ambulance District	Central County Emergency 911
Metro North Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Metro West Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Mid-County Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Monarch Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Northeast Ambulance & Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Olivette	East Central Dispatch Center
Pacific Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Pattonville Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Richmond Heights	East Central Dispatch Center
Riverview Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Robertson Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
Rock Hill	Self Dispatch
Shrewsbury	East Central Dispatch Center
Spanish Lake Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
St. Clair Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
St. Louis City	Self Dispatch
University City	Self Dispatch
Valley Park Fire District	Central County Emergency 911
Webster Groves	East Central Dispatch Center
West County EMS and Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911
West Overland Fire Protection District	Central County Emergency 911

Transparency

The officials who have contributed to this report and the respective organizations that they represent have been meeting regularly for over a year. Throughout that time they have remained open and helpful about the information requested of their organizations. City and county service providers, along with both labor and management, agreed early on to candor and openness when approaching the meetings and report to be written.

Previous requests for information from municipal governments and police departments under Missouri’s Sunshine Law have led to expenditures by Better Together approaching $25,000. Approximately $16,000 was spent on Sunshine Requests to 60 police departments in St. Louis City and County. All information requested from fire protection districts and fire departments for the purposes of this report have come free of charge or at dramatically lower costs compared to other studies. Total costs of Sunshine Requests to the fire protection and EMS providers in St. Louis City and County is estimated at $150.

Recent Problems in Fire Protection and EMS

Recently, the St. Louis region has seen several fire and EMS providers have to deal with serious issues affecting the administration, funding, and execution of their work. The problems faced are part of a systemic and structural problem with the provision of services in St. Louis City and County.

Kinloch Fire Protection District is the only volunteer force in St. Louis City and County. The city of Kinloch has a severely depleted tax base from which to draw from, and the fire protection district is still recovering from years of corruption and mismanagement. ^[4] In the last year, the city of Jennings gave up its municipal fire department, and Riverview Fire Protection District began providing services within the city limits. Jennings municipal government was able to save $750,000 annually and was able to drop a quarter-cent sales tax that was used to fund the fire department.

These communities have faced serious issues and used different measures to attempt to address them. Kinloch has had difficulty delivering municipal and fire protection district services for years. Obviously, switching to a volunteer force will not create a stronger district. It remains unclear whether consolidating Jennings into the Riverview Fire Protection District will provide a benefit to both parties. What is clear is that communities in the St. Louis region are increasingly faced with systemic and structural issues in providing fire protection and emergency medical services to their citizens.

Conclusion

St. Louis City and County has dedicated firefighters, paramedics, and support staff, but multiple fire agencies in one region have led to inefficiencies, safety concerns, and problems with funding and management. Many of the departments and districts are underfunded, understaffed, lacking in specialized services and, at times, unable to adequately respond to emergencies.

Both St. Louis City and St. Louis County are in need of capital improvements to their firehouse infrastructure and require new fire trucks, firehouses, and equipment. The St. Louis City Fire Department has not built a new firehouse in 39 years, and many of the houses are over 100 years old. There are large areas of North and West St. Louis County that are having difficulty receiving adequate services. Many firefighters and EMS personnel in the region are struggling to find ways to continue providing high quality services. Fire protection and emergency medical services have been provided in St. Louis City and County at the highest level possible despite systemic, structural problems in the region resulting from fragmentation.

The findings of this study, further elaborated on in a subsequent report, illustrate that there are better, more efficient ways to provide fire protection and emergency medical services that circumvent the fragmentation of St. Louis City and County.

Fire Protection Study #2

This report summarizes the findings of a review of fire and emergency medical service (EMS) provision in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The goal of this report was to explore ways to improve the quality of fire and EMS services in the St. Louis region – thereby saving lives and property.

To accomplish this goal, we compared the delivery of fire and EMS services in the St. Louis region to the recommended standards provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Specifically, we focused on NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, to guide the design of the report.

This report briefly examines the current state of service delivery in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, beginning with a Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of response times for both of these areas. The preliminary GIS analysis revealed several areas, especially within St. Louis County, where service provision could be improved. This report finds that, in order to conform to NFPA 1710 standards, additional firehouses need to be constructed. This report also identifies where fire and EMS services can be improved in the areas of equipment, staffing, and capital upgrades.

Methodology

Better Together developed this report in consultation with fire chiefs, firefighters, and union leaders from both St. Louis County and St Louis City, with the goal of enhancing fire and EMS services in the region. Guided by National Fire Protection Association standards, especially those outlined in NFPA 1710, this advisory group met over the course of a year and identified important needs for fire and EMS services. Through consensus, this committee developed the criteria, approaches, and recommendations outlined in this report.

Introduction: Impacts of Fragmentation on Fire and EMS Services

The 1.3 million residents of the St. Louis region receive service from 43 different municipal fire departments and fire protection districts. This diverse and fragmented system of service provision creates several challenges for our firefighters and their ability to conform to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Fragmentation produces obstacles to training, specialization, career advancement opportunities, levels of service provision, distribution of specialized equipment, and service response boundaries, among many other challenges. The committee believes that the best way to address fragmentation is to establish NFPA standards as the foundation for fire services in the St. Louis region.

Our region’s fragmentation raises questions regarding the sustainability of the current system and the ability to meet NFPA standards. Due to declining revenue, many departments are unable to afford recommended staffing levels. An exploration of the current system offers the potential for improving service provision, benefiting firefighters, taxpayers, and the regional economy, as well as providing a proactive pathway for the future of the region.

Research Questions

Given the fragmented nature of fire and EMS service in the region, and the challenges that fragmentation presents, the following questions were examined in preparing this report:

• Does fire and EMS service provision in the region conform to the standards outlined by the National Fire Protection Association, specifically those outlined in NFPA 1710?
• How would one design the ideal fire and EMS entity, which meets NFPA standards and serves the entire St. Louis region?

Meeting National Standards

A fire agency must follow a well-researched national standard to ensure it is providing the optimal level of public safety to its residents. The committee looked to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for such guidance. The NFPA is the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and an authoritative source on public safety. In short, the NFPA is the “gold standard” by which fire and EMS services are judged nationally and internationally.

Established in 1896, the international nonprofit organization’s mission is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life. The NFPA fulfills this mission by providing, and advocating for, consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. The NFPA has a membership of more than 70,000 individuals from nearly 100 nations.

NFPA publishes 300 codes and standards designed to minimize the risk and effects of fire by establishing criteria for building, processing, design, service, and installation in the United States, as well as many other countries. Its more than 200 technical-code and standard development committees consist of over 6,000 volunteers who vote on proposals and revisions in an accredited process.

In 2001, the NFPA issued Standard 1710. It is the “Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments.” NFPA members representing consumers, management, labor, manufacturers, research/testing, special experts, and users developed the standard after several years of research and deliberations. The issuance of the standard was a “watershed event” for the fire services. In summary, NFPA 1710 establishes a quantifiable method of measuring the quality of a fire department and provides the guidelines for response times and staffing that would determine the number of firehouses, vehicles, and staff in a department.

Fire and EMS Operations

We began our report by locating all of the firehouses within St. Louis City and St. Louis County, to determine response times and the types of equipment needed. Fire station locations are pivotal for meeting the standards for NFPA mandated response times.

NFPA 1710 (5.2.4) dictates that fire departments must be able to establish the following capabilities at each structural fire involving a 2,000 square foot single-family home:

• Incident command
• Water supply
• Attack lines
• Backup lines
• Search and rescue teams
• Ventilation teams
• Rapid intervention crew

NFPA 1710 establishes a response time of four minutes, or less, for the first arriving engine company and/or eight minutes, or less, for the deployment of the full first alarm assignment (4.1.2.1). For the purposes of evaluating our existing fire services, the committee focused its efforts on the four-minute response time of each firehouse, zeroing in on areas where there were holes in coverage.

The Current State of Fire and EMS Service in the St. Louis Area

The St. Louis region receives fire and EMS services from 43 different fire districts and municipal fire departments serving 1.3 million residents. Within St. Louis County, there are 19 municipal fire departments and 23 fire protection districts. Adding in the St. Louis City Fire Department brings the total to 43 different agencies in the St. Louis region. Figure 1 illustrates the St. Louis County fire protection and municipal fire department district boundaries. Figure 2 displays the fire protection districts within St. Louis County, which include Affton , Black Jack , Community, Creve Coeur , Eureka , Fenton , Florissant Valley , Kinloch , Lemay , Maryland Heights , Mehlville, Metro West, Mid-County, Metro North, Monarch, Northeast, Pattonville, Riverview , Robertson, Spanish Lake, Valley Park , West County EMS, and West Overland. For municipal fire departments, as seen in Figure 1, the list includes Berkeley , Brentwood , Clayton , Crestwood , Des Peres , Ferguson , Frontenac , Glendale , Hazelwood , Jennings (as of September 1, 2014, the City of Jennings is part of the Riverview Fire Protection District), Kirkwood , Ladue , Maplewood , Olivette , Pacific , Richmond Heights , Rock Hill , Shrewsbury , St. Louis City, University City , and Webster Groves .

Geographic Information Systems

It was the consensus of the advisory group that an examination of fire services in the St. Louis region should begin with an analysis using geographic information systems. A brief explanation of geographic information systems analysis is as follows:

Geographic information systems are used by government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to describe and analyze the physical world. Simply put, a GIS combines layers of information about a geographic region to give you a better understanding of that region. Layers of information can be combined depending on the purpose of the report, forming a computer model of a jurisdiction on which many types of analysis can be made. In the public safety sector…GIS software uses geography and computer-generated maps as an interface for integrating and accessing location-based information. For example, the location of fire stations can be layered on a jurisdiction’s geography including the road network, water features, building footprints, or any other feature that has been digitized and assigned a location. In this manner, GIS allows public safety personnel to effectively plan for emergency response, determine mitigation priorities, analyze historical events, and predict future events. GIS can also be used to provide critical information to emergency responders upon dispatch or while en route to an incident to assist in tactical planning. ^[5]

The committee employed the services of Vertical GeoSolutions, Inc., a GIS mapping firm, to assist the group in assessing coverage in the St. Louis area and to help the group construct a map where response times would be pursuant to NFPA 1710 4-minute response times. Vertical GeoSolutions, Inc worked in close coordination with the advisory group, over several months, producing several iterations of the map before a final coverage map was finalized and agreed upon by the group.

Geographic Information Systems: Analysis

St. Louis County and St. Louis City are served by 118 firehouses providing aid to 1.3 million people. Figure 3 displays a map of current firehouses and 4-minute response time coverage. As Figure 3 illustrates, St. Louis City meets the four-minute standard with its 30 firehouses in the city, but there are large areas of St. Louis County where the 88 firehouses, belonging to 43 municipal departments and districts, do not meet the standard. A closer examination reveals that only 70 percent of St. Louis County is covered under current 4-minute response times. ^[6]

The Modern Day Firefighter

Over the past 50 years, firefighting has changed drastically. The roles of firefighters have evolved, as they are increasingly called upon to provide a variety of life-saving skills, including EMS services, hazardous material containment, heavy rescue, rope rescue, swift water rescue, and responses to acts of terrorism and natural disasters. Every emergency a firefighter responds to is unique and brings with it unknown dangers that require extensive training and coordination. Firefighters are often the first to respond to a medical emergency, and their ability to respond to an emergency quickly can often be the difference between life and death.

The modern firefighter assumes a job that is more demanding than at any time in the past. The risk of serious injury in the line of service is an ever-present reality, as firefighters are increasingly asked to respond to complicated situations such as meth lab fires. An incident such as a meth fire requires not only an understanding of how to extinguish a chemical fire, composed of hazardous material, but also requires that firefighters be trained to recognize potential boobytraps common among those attempting to protect their illegal operations. As this scenario illustrates, a firefighter does not simply provide water to put out a fire; he or she must also possess the knowledge of hazardous chemical reactions and the risks associated with them.

Firefighters operate an increasingly sophisticated array of equipment and are expected to administer life-saving care to victims in a variety of different dangerous situations. Firefighterparamedics are tasked with responding to a whole host of situations ranging from heart attacks and strokes, to more everyday occurrences such as when someone suffers a laceration doing yard work, or smells gas in their home. Firefighter-paramedics need working knowledge of a variety of different drugs so they can administer care to a victim as quickly as possible to prevent the loss of life. They must also be adept at driving large and unwieldy vehicles quickly through congested traffic, down winding roads with no shoulder, or through subdivisions, whose designers paid little attention to the needs of emergency service providers.

The firefighter’s role is changing as departments are providing fire protection services and requiring new skill sets, most commonly the administration of emergency medical care. This shift is taking place within the St. Louis region as two different systems of emergency medical service delivery are used. Within the St. Louis region, two models of the typical firefighter exist: firefighters working alongside for-profit ambulance services, and firefighter-paramedics. The first model has the firefighter, whose primarily role is to extinguish fires, remaining outside the periphery of providing EMS services. This model of firefighting relies on private, for-profit ambulance services to provide the EMS care. The firefighter arrives at a house fire to pull victims from the scene, and to put out the blaze, while the for-profit ambulance service provides emergency medical care and transports victims to the hospital, if needed.

The other model is the firefighter-paramedic who serves the dual role of fighting fires and providing emergency medical care. These individuals must be prepared to provide advanced life support, assist in rescue, or perform the expected duties of a firefighter such as fire suppression. This dual-certification system means each firefighter-paramedic possesses a greater set of skills when responding to emergencies and is more capable of providing the needed care to save a life when seconds matter most.

It should come as no surprise that the firefighter-paramedic represents the ideal personnel type to respond to an emergency. The versatility of the firefighter-paramedic makes this model the future of firefighting around the world.

Staffing, Equipment, and Special Operations

There are approximately 2,500 individuals working for fire departments in St. Louis City and County. This includes all firefighters, emergency medical service providers, management, and clerical staff. The smallest departments in the region operate with as many as a dozen employees, while larger ones operate with staffs of over 100.

The St. Louis region receives its emergency medical services from approximately 71 public ambulances. St. Louis County’s municipal fire departments and fire protection districts operate 58 ambulances. St. Louis City Fire Department operates 12 ambulances full-time, with approximately 13 ambulances in total. St. Louis City and St. Louis County also receive supplemental services from private ambulance services. St. Louis County currently has 86 fire apparatuses and the city has approximately 32 fire apparatuses. This does not include reserve apparatuses.

Within St. Louis County, no agency operates a full time dedicated hazardous materials response unit or a dedicated technical rescue unit, which poses a significant risk to the region. Although no full time dedicated hazardous materials response unit or technical rescue unit exists, fire agencies in the region can accommodate an emergency. However, the current system is not ideal.

Training and Fire Codes

St. Louis City and St. Louis County operate their own fire academies. ^[7] In order for an individual to become a firefighter in the county, he or she must go through the county academy, even if he or she has already gone through the city fire academy. The same is true for St. Louis City firefighters, who must graduate from the city fire academy in order to be employed as a firefighter in the city, even if they have already gone through the county fire academy. In short, the city and county operate two separate fire academies that do not have a reciprocal agreement that honors the validity of each area’s fire academy. ^[8]

In the county, each of the fire organizations conducts all continuing education and training programs in house with varying degrees of continuity between organizations.

St. Louis City and St. Louis County also differ in the terms of their fire codes. While St. Louis City has a citywide fire code, there is no such countywide code for St. Louis County. The lack of a unified region-wide code, and the absence of a countywide fire codes, presents challenges in the region’s efforts to coordinate and better manage fire prevention efforts.

Standard Operating Procedures

Many municipal fire departments and fire protection districts approach emergencies differently, based on the standard operating procedures adopted by the department. Fire service provision in the region is not dictated by one set of standard operating procedures that all departments agree to follow.

The lack of standard operating procedures presents challenges when one of the 43 different fire agencies comes to the aid of another. While the 43 departments within the region share automatic-aid or reciprocal agreements – each department assists the other in the event of an emergency – this does not mean that assistance is administered as efficiently and uniformly as possible.

For instance, the first department to respond to an emergency takes charge of how the emergency is mitigated and determines how each incoming department would assist in how the emergency is addressed. This means the method, in which each emergency encountered, could feasibly be administered in 43 different manners. Without the benefit of singular standardized operating procedures that each firefighter, fire chief, and battalion chief knows and follows region-wide, we cannot guarantee that emergencies are addressed in the best manner possible.

Interoperability

The existence of 43 different municipal fire departments and fire protection districts within the region presents challenges for the interoperability of equipment. The absence of a common standard regarding equipment means that every fire truck or apparatus could conceivably be different. The manner in which equipment is stored on each truck can differ by department, which may lead to delays when time is of the essence.

Maintenance and Repair

Each municipal fire department and fire protection district is responsible for arranging the repairs of their agencies equipment and vehicles. Departments often pay high costs for repairs by turning to out-of-state contractors or independent contractors.

Dispatching

Two major dispatching centers – East Central Dispatch Center (6 service providers) and Central County Emergency 911 (34 service providers) ^[9] – provide services for the majority of the region. There is a small group of communities that self-dispatch, where the city provides the infrastructure to receive calls for assistance and send resources where needed. Self-dispatching cities are Brentwood , Glendale , Kirkwood , Rock Hill , the City of St. Louis, and University City .

The Current State: Bottom Line

While the St. Louis region is very fortunate to have dedicated firefighters, paramedics, and support staff, multiple fire agencies in one region have led to inefficiencies and safety concerns. Many of the departments and districts are underfunded, understaffed, lack specialized services and, at times, struggle to adequately respond to certain emergencies. The St. Louis City Fire Department has not built a new firehouse in 39 years and many of the houses are over 100 years old. St. Louis City and St. Louis County are in need of capital improvements to their firehouse infrastructure and many require new equipment. In short, fire service provision has been afforded to the St. Louis region at the highest level possible despite being understaffed and underequipped.

The contributions of the St. Louis City and St. Louis County firefighters, along with our EMS personnel, must not be understated. The findings of this report suggest that St. Louis area fire fighters are understaffed and that the typical firefighter is doing the work of two people. It may appear to the region’s citizens that the current state of fire service provision is sufficient. However, the findings of this report, further elaborated on in the next section, illustrate that there remain areas for improvement.

Bringing the Region into NFPA Compliance

The committee established NFPA 1710 as the best approach to improve the safety of residents and businesses. This set a goal of a 4-minute response time for 90 percent of the county. This allows for reasonable non-compliance for areas with little development. To correct areas that did not meet the 4-minute response time criteria, the committee developed the following maps (see Figure 4 and Figure 5) by placing 24 additional firehouses in the county to meet the standard. It should be noted that the new firehouses locations were not checked to determine if the parcel of land was available or appropriate for a firehouse. Rather, this was an exercise to determine additional needs in the county, not to determine the exact location of any additional firehouses.

Review: Current 4-minute Response Time Coverage

Figure 4 displays the current 4-minute response time coverage, including the additional 24 houses represented by the purple dots. The orange dots represent the current location of fire stations within St. Louis County, while the green dots represent current St Louis City fire stations. Four-minute response times are represented in the orange-colored areas for St. Louis County and red colored areas for St. Louis City. As the map illustrates, only 70 percent of St. Louis County is covered under current 4-minute response times.

Filling the Coverage Gap

To meet the goal of a 4-minute response time in 90 percent of the county, an additional 24 firehouses are required. Figure 5 displays how the 4-minute coverage time changes with the additional 24 houses. Existing fire stations are represented by green dots for St. Louis City fire stations and orange dots for St. Louis County fire stations; purple dots signify the locations of 24 future fire stations. Four-minute response time coverage is represented by light red areas in St. Louis City and blue areas in St. Louis County. After the 24 additional fire stations are added into the county, the goal of a 4-minute response time in 90 percent of the county is achieved.

GIS Analysis: Bottom Line

The GIS analysis revealed that the St. Louis area, mainly north and central St. Louis County, has serious gaps in its 4-minute response time coverage. Only about 70 percent of the region is currently covered. To meet the goal of NFPA 1710, and to ensure 90 percent 4-minute response time coverage, 24 additional fire stations would need to be constructed. Figure 6 displays how the regional fire district would be covered with the additional houses included.

Regional Fire District

This report began with the following research questions: Does fire and EMS service provision in the region conform to the standards outlined by the National Fire Protection Association, specifically those outlined in NFPA 1710? How would one design the ideal fire and EMS entity, which meets NFPA standards and serves the entire St. Louis region?

To answer these questions, and to bring the region into NFPA 1710 compliance, one approach would be to form a single regional fire district. A regional fire district could allow the region to meet more easily the NFPA 1710 requirement of a 4-minute response time for 90 percent of the region. A discussion of how a regional fire district could take shape, along with the benefits of such a district, follows.

Benefits of Meeting National Standards

The benefits of meeting the national standards outlined by the National Fire Protection Association would be to:

• Improve protection of life and property
• Ensure a 4-minute response time for 90 percent of the region, providing an equal response time for the majority of the region
• Eliminate inequities in underserved areas of the county ^[10]
• Address inequities in response times, resulting from reliance on private ambulances
• Provide improvements to the command and control structure
• Standardize equipment and standard operating procedures throughout the region
• Enhance disaster response with one agency supporting fire, rescue, hazmat, and EMS response
• Create benefits through economies of scale
• Improve the regional economy

Creating a regional fire district to improve fire and EMS service delivery would not be a process unique to St. Louis County. Across the country, elected officials and fire departments use economies of scale to improve fire service provision, leading to a more efficient use of resources. There are several reasons why a regional fire district could be a net-benefit to the region. First, it would help to enable a 4-minute response time for 90 percent of the region, providing an equal response time for the majority of the region. Second, it would provide improvements in the form of a unified command and control structure and it would standardize equipment throughout the region.

A regional fire district would also provide equipment and financial benefits through increased purchasing power. Rather than each municipal fire department or fire protection district buying equipment separately, a regional fire district could use its advantage as a large agency to purchase equipment at a discounted rate through bulk purchasing. For instance, larger departments often purchase more than one fire engine at a time, which results in discounted rates from vendors.

A regional fire district would permit greater specialization and the expansion of fire services. As will be discussed in the following pages, St. Louis City operates the only dedicated special operation units in the region. A regional fire district would permit greater specialization and the formation of specialized units whose sole purpose would be to deal with the unique disasters that could strike the region.

A regional fire district would permit the expansion of services as departments begin to pool their personnel and expertise. A regional fire district would also remove equipment redundancies as a unified command and organizational structure would dictate purchases that would serve the region as a whole, rather than the needs of specific departments. A regional fire district would be better equipped to plan for future department needs as well as identify areas where cost savings can be realized.

Training, Fire Codes and Interoperability

A regional fire district would ensure uniform training standards for all incoming firefighters. All firefighters would begin their service with the same training and learn the same operating procedures. Firefighters would receive the same levels of professional development throughout their career. Uniform training ensures all emergencies are approached in the same manner using the best practices available. This would protect residents’ life and property, and save firefighters’ lives.

Interoperability of equipment should be a common component among the region’s fire departments. Agencies in the same region should purchase the same equipment, and store and utilize it in the same manner. A regional fire district would ensure that all equipment and vehicles are the same, guaranteeing that when multiple companies respond to an emergency, the companies can respond as a team with minimal and confusion.

Maintenance and Public Safety Garage

Most large-scale departments in the country operate their own maintenance facilities, something that a regional fire district could easily emulate. The building of a centralized maintenance facility would generate significant cost savings and eliminate the reliance of the 43 departments on expensive, out-of-state contractors. A national automotive company or supplier could invest in the construction of a public safety garage, benefiting the company and the region. The public safety garage could be constructed close to the fire academy, which would allow firefighters to train while vehicles are serviced.

Equipment

Utilizing the proposed number of firehouses needed to meet the NFPA 1710 standard of a 4- minute response time, the committee determined the recommended equipment needed to serve a regional fire district. The following tables outline the additional equipment needed. Table 1 displays the equipment needs for St. Louis County. It is the determination of the committee that St. Louis County requires an additional 24 fire engines, 2 additional ladder trucks, and 32 additional ambulances. As outlined in Table 2, the current situation in St. Louis County requires two additional ladder trucks be acquired along with 18 additional ambulances.

Staffing

Once the committee determined the number of firehouses needed to meet NFPA 1710, and the number and type of equipment needed, the next step was to continue following the standards in 1710 regarding staffing.

In developing the 1710 standard, the NFPA reviewed studies and reports to determine the minimum on-duty fire suppression and EMS personnel necessary to efficiently and safely complete all on-scene developments. NFPA 1710 Chapter 5.2.3 establishes minimum staffing requirements of no less than four firefighters per engine or ladder.

Chapter 5.3.3.3.4 establishes a minimum-staffing standard of two EMT-Paramedic and two EMT-Basic for an advanced life support (ALS) emergency response. For purposes of this exercise, we required two firefighter/EMT-paramedics per ambulance.

The staffing factor determines the number of personnel required to staff one position 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Table 3 illustrates the assumptions to determine the staffing factor of 3.5. In addition, Table 4 outlines the required equipment and staffing to comply with NFPA 1710.

Budget

To make a regional fire district a reality, we also considered the budgetary parameters needed to build such a department. To begin, we examined the current budget for fire protection in the St. Louis region followed by an analysis of the projected budget of a unified department.

Current Budget Expenditures

Current budget expenditures for the 19 municipal fire departments and 23 protection districts within St. Louis County are $259 million. St. Louis City operates at $75 million annually. In total, the price tag for fire service provision in the St. Louis region, for the 43 departments, is approximately $334 million annually. However, in many areas, these expenditures represent a shoestring budget for fire service provision. The lapses in 4-minute response time coverage, which prohibit the region from achieving NFPA 1710 compliance, necessitate improvements in the budget allocations for fire service in the St. Louis region.

Through the construction of additional firehouses, the purchasing of needed equipment and vehicles, capital improvements, and increases in the number of staff, our analysis has determined that a regional fire district could reach the NFPA 1710 mandated 90 percent 4-minute response time coverage. Achieving 90 percent would be a significant milestone for fire protection in the region and could be achieved through the following investments.

Projected Budget Expenditures

The following pages describe the need for an additional 1,255 staff for the new department. Most of these are related to the new firehouses needed to achieve compliance with NFPA 1710.

Phasing in New Firehouses, Equipment, and Staff

For St. Louis County and St. Louis City, we estimate that a regional fire district would need approximately 3,400 firefighters to protect the region (see Table 4). With approximately 2,270 firefighters currently protecting the region, an additional 1,130 firefighters would be needed. ^[11]

This is a large undertaking, and it would not be accomplished within a single year. Sufficient training capacity is needed, and it would take several years to construct all of the new firehouses. Over this time, implementation would provide many opportunities to design efficient logistical systems, provide uniform training, streamline purchasing and maintenance, consolidate dispatching, and more.

A regional fire district would include a centralized and unified training academy. The establishment of a regional fire academy, and incumbent training division for the entire region, would ensure all firefighters receive the same training, begin their service with a unified training base, and maintain the same levels of education and professional development across the region throughout their tenure.

Interoperability between fire departments should be a common component among the region’s fire departments, and a regional fire district would improve upon this practice.

Most large-scale departments around the country operate their own maintenance facilities, which is something that a regional fire district within the region could easily emulate. The creation of a centralized maintenance facility would generate significant cost savings and eliminate the current reliance of the 43 departments on expensive out-of-state contractors. Using the assumptions above regarding the number of new firefighters/EMTs being hired each year, and basing salary assumptions on standard human resources practices with banded salaries, the initial 125 firefighters/EMTs in year one of the phase-in would cost $6 million. The cost of all of the new firefighter/EMTs staff in year nine is estimated at $91 million.

Special Operations

St. Louis City operates two special operations units. As mentioned, no St. Louis County agency operates a full-time dedicated hazardous materials response unit, which poses a significant risk to the region. To remedy this, the regional fire district would include six active and two reserve special operations unit. The special operations divisions would include Hazmat technical response, specialized heavy vehicle rescue, rope rescue, trench rescue, confined space rescue, structural building collapse rescue, and water/swift water/ice rescue including marine boat operations. In short, the new regional fire district would possess the capabilities to address disasters that require the deployment of specialized units. The specialty rescue units would also respond to major fire incidents as well. The need for four new units, assuming a minimum of 18 staff per unit to run 24 hours per day, requires 72 staff. The composition of the staff provides an estimated baseline of cost and service, with the understanding that more study regarding the region’s emergency response needs is required. It is estimated that this unit would be paid higher salaries than typical firefighter-paramedics and administration.

Civilian Personnel for Firehouses

For each new firehouse, we estimate that one to two additional hires would be needed to serve in clerical and secretarial positions. In addition, we anticipate the hiring of one mechanic for every five fire stations. Not including current staff, we anticipate the hiring of approximately 50 clerical staff and 5 mechanics at an estimated cost of $2.8 million after 5 years.

Summary of All New Hires for New Department

The salary and fringe benefit costs for the estimated 1,255 new employees of the new department are as follows. Fully implemented salaries are estimated at $100 million. The cost of fringe benefits for those employees is estimated at $56 million. The grand total is $156 million. No inflationary salary increases are assumed. No new expense and equipment needs have been estimated for any of the new employees. Savings from cost efficiencies in training, bulk purchase, and the buying power of a much larger organization should accrue.

One-Time New Firehouses, Capital Projects and Equipment Investment - Phase-in

As mentioned previously, to achieve the 90 percent 4-minute response time for the St. Louis region, the construction of 24 additional firehouses within St. Louis County would be required. These firehouses would be constructed over a 5-year period. These firehouses would cost approximately $5.5 million per house. This onetime cost for firehouse construction would be roughly $132 million.

For fire and ladder trucks, fire engines, and ambulances, the onetime cost of this machinery is as follows. We estimate the unified department would need 24 additional fire engines at a cost of $750,000 per engine. This cost does not factor in bulk discounts, based on economies of scale, which would be achieved when the unified department purchases equipment as one entity. However, a conservative estimate of fire engine costs would be $18,000,000. The purchasing of additional 32 ambulances, at a cost of $300,000 per ambulance, would be $9,600,000. The addition of two hook and ladder trucks, at a cost of $1 million each, places the projected cost at $2 million. A rough estimate of eight special operations units is included at $750,000 per unit.

Overall, the table below identifies the total projected investment needed for capital projects and equipment. The $169.1 million investment needs include the new firehouses, trucks, and other items.

Assuming debt financing would be used, the annual debt service, at a 4 percent interest rate, would be $12.1 million at year 5. The State of Missouri issued bonds in November 2014 to construct the new Fulton State Hospital for the Department of Mental Health. Those bonds were financed at 3.4 percent.

Cost Calculations for Converting Fire Districts to Proposed Salary Plan

This report examining the unification of the St. Louis County and St. Louis City fire districts and departments.

The costs of hiring the new firefighter/EMTs that are necessary to meet the NFPA 1710 standards are estimated elsewhere. However, current firefighters across the region also would need to be converted to the new pay structure. No firefighters will see a reduction in their pay or benefits. This would ensure that firefighter morale does not suffer from inequities built into the new district at the beginning.

Total Cost of New Hires, Capital Projects, and Pay Parity

As mentioned previously, the cost of hiring an estimated 1,255 new employees for the new department, fully implemented, is $100 million. The cost of fringe benefits for those employees is $56 million. This brings the grand total to $156 million for the new hires (see Table 5). ^[12]

The estimated cost of pay parity for current employees is $23 million for the first year of the integration. This assumes pay would be frozen for firefighters making more than the estimated new salary structure.

Additionally, the total projected investment needed for capital projects and equipment, which includes the new firehouses, trucks, and other items, is $169.1 million fully phased in (see Table 7). This brings the total cost of the newly integrated regional fire district, once fully phased-in at year 9, including the capital projects, new hires, and phased-in employees, to $191 million (see Table 8).

For the 1,130 firefighter-paramedics who would help staff the new firehouses to ensure they meet the NFPA 1710 standards for service, the estimated first-year cost is $9,514,415. These numbers are taken from Table 6 and account for salary and fringe benefits for the hiring of the initial 125 firefighters in year one of the phase-in. For the new clerical staff and mechanics, the estimated first year cost is $655,049. The cost for establishing the four specialized units would be spread over a five-year period, costing $2,145,546 in the first year (see Table 6). In total, the estimated first-year cost of the newly created regional fire district is $37 million.

Cost Savings and Positive Externalities

A January 2006 study of fire protection in the St. Louis region, by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, found that “quality fire protection is essential to economic development” and that “firms would not locate in areas in which their operations, employees, and customers are at risk of injury and / or damage due to fire or other hazardous events. ^[13] ” Simply put, fire protection is a factor considered by companies looking to locate to a region. Improving the level of fire service provision in a region fosters an environment that is ripe for economic growth.

St. Louis County and City Fire/EMS services are composed of urban and suburban department and districts with a history of close cooperation. Fire/EMS services in the area regularly collaborate through shared training, dispatch, and mutual aid agreements (protocols for responding to emergency calls from neighboring districts based on contractual agreements among individual departments). These relationships demonstrate the benefits, financially and structurally, that collaboration and unification could bring to the region’s fire/EMS services. A commonly cited benefit of unification results from achieving cost savings from greater economies of scale. A frequently cited concern for unification or consolidation is that it could diminish the quality of fire/EMS services in the region. As this report has shown, the unification of fire/EMS services presents opportunities for cost savings – but its greatest benefit could be improved infrastructure and service delivery. Unification, or collaboration at a minimum, provides the St. Louis region with a unique opportunity for cost efficiency and improved service delivery.

Cost Savings

Costs often associated with unification include increased wages, staffing, and capital outlays for firehouses. A unified department could offset these costs by providing significant savings to the region. These cost savings would come from a variety of factors, such as greater purchasing power and leverage with vendors, healthcare savings, maintenance and repair efficiencies, and improved Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings. Unifying fire and EMS services could provide anywhere from 10 to 20 percent in cost savings.

Pursuing full consolidation would offer greater cost savings and improve emergency services beyond the current structure. While some department and districts may not support full consolidation of emergency services at this time, benefits could be realized by taking steps toward consolidation through greater cooperation among fire and EMS service providers, building additional firehouses, establishing special operations teams, and/or hiring additional firefighters-paramedics.

To determine the possible savings within the St. Louis region, we compiled the line item budgets for all 43 departments. We transferred all budget information into a database and then condensed the line item budget figures into a subset of categories such as salaries, capital costs, maintenance costs, healthcare, information technology, etc.

Of the $351 million combined budgets ^[14] of the 43 departments, $186 million represents salaries. Salary costs would increase as salaries are brought to parity. Cost savings in a unified district primarily would be found in the remaining $164 million budget items. Based on analysis of all of the 43 municipal department and fire protection district’s line item budgets, we estimate a cost savings of 10 to 20 percent resulting in $30 million in total savings, once the region is completely unified in year five.

Table 20 displays the total at year 5 of all of the improvements, to meet NFPA 1710, mentioned in this report along with the $30 million in estimated cost savings. This brings the total cost, assuming financing over time, to $161 million in total additional costs to the region. We do not estimate any cost savings for year one.

If the 43 departments were unified, without the additional firehouses, equipment, or personnel, the first year cost is estimated to be $23 million to achieve pay parity among firefighters. Based on our analysis, if all departments were unified and all salaries were brought to parity (at a cost of $23 million), the unification would be cost-neutral assuming $30 million in estimated cost savings by year five.

Purchase of Apparatus, Equipment & Supplies

The 43 departments and districts in this report have a minimum $25 million combined annual budget for purchasing goods and professional services and $8 million for communications and information technology. Unified purchasing for all fire services would result in significant savings.

Procurement savings from consolidation typically comes from three sources:

• Districts discovering they have been paying different prices for the same products, equipment, and services;
• Reduced prices due to purchasing power from larger budget; and
• Savings from strategic sourcing of products, equipment, and services. ^[15]

A unified district in St. Louis City and County would be one of the largest fire districts in the nation. It would have unparalleled purchasing power and the ability to tailor the design of apparatus and equipment to their specifications. Standardization of equipment would also improve deployment at emergency scenes, as firefighters would be familiar with all apparatus and equipment deployed, and communications would be interoperable.

Apparatus & Equipment Maintenance

St. Louis fire departments and districts spend a minimum of $5 million annually to maintain apparatus and equipment. Contractors provide much of this maintenance. Whenever a fire apparatus is in need of repair, departments must pay a high price to independent mechanics. A unified fire department has the potential to generate substantial cost savings through the formation of a centralized maintenance garage for apparatus.

A unified department would eliminate the need for outside mechanics, as all vehicle maintenance could be conducted in-house. Reserve apparatus also would be readily available and the redundancy of reserve apparatus needed to back up the existing fleet would be eliminated.

Healthcare & Employee Benefit Savings

A unified fire department would also produce savings through economies of scale for purchasing healthcare and other employee benefits. With an estimated $37 million in health care costs among the departments and districts, the possibility of placing all fire department employees under one insurance plan has the potential to generate millions of dollars in savings.

EducationPlus in St. Louis is a good example of the benefits of public sector entities collaborating for cost savings. “EducationPlus is a non-profit educational service agency that brings school districts together to share resources, information and ideas through exemplary, nationally-recognized services in educational technology, cooperative purchasing, staff development and more. ^[16] ” Members of EducationPlus are able to achieve cost savings through programs like PurchasePlus and the Insurance Trust.

Retirement Efficiencies

There are many retirement plans that cover employees in the departments and districts. The plans are a mixture of defined benefit and defined contribution. Several of the retirement plans have both components. The funded ratios of the plans also vary. This analysis does not address how, or if, the current plans would be carried forward into the new system in some fashion. But there would be efficiencies and administrative savings with having all employees in one plan.

The Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System (LAGERS) is the state's largest retirement system providing benefits to firefighters, police, library employees, public works employees, and many others. LAGERS offers two defined benefit plans - one that requires employees to contribute four percent of their salary to the plan and one in which the district covers the entire cost.

Insurance Services Office Classification

The Insurance Services Office (ISO) is “an independent and non-political organization that serves the insurance industry. This is the agency that actually inspects and rates a community’s fire defenses. ^[17] ” ISO determines a Public Protection Classification (PPC) for each fire service community based on their level of fire response, water supply and emergency communication system. ^[18] The classification is important given that “insurance companies use ratings information to help establish fair premiums for fire insurance — generally offering lower premiums in communities with better protection. ^[19] ” In short, “better fire protection results in lower and better insurance rates for the homeowner. ^[20] ”

Bringing the region into National Fire Protection Association 1710 compliance would improve the ISO classifications of communities in the area. An improved ISO classification would reduce insurance premiums for commercial properties, resulting in significant cost savings for area businesses. Insurance companies typically band ISO classes and assign a rate factor for each band to establish the insurance premium for the business. For example, businesses located in a Class 1 or 2 community would be assigned the same premium rate factor, as would businesses located in Class 3 to 5 communities, and so on. Residential insurance premiums are less affected by ISO classifications because insurance companies typically group rates on a larger range of ISO classes. For example, each homeowner within a Class 1 to 6 community would have the same premium rate factor.

Positive Externalities

Unification and collaboration would improve fire and EMS services beyond simple cost savings. Benefits associated with unification would include regional cooperation, standardized training and deployment, improved response times, and improved services resulting in reduced losses of life and property.

Eliminating district and municipal boundaries for fire and EMS services would improve strategic regional planning and provide better services to the entire region. Fire districts already provide support to neighboring districts through mutual aid, where one district requests on-scene support from another district on a case-by-case basis. This illustrates the ability of fire districts to work well together, but it is not transparent to taxpayers. Most taxpayers do not realize that their tax dollars are supplementing services in other departments and districts. Unification provides the opportunity to spread fire service costs proportionally and fairly across the region and insure cost transparency for taxpayers.

This cooperation or codependence also leaves the region at significant risk. If one department suffers within the region, whether from downsizing or economic hardships, other municipalities pay the consequences. For instance, if University City wants to downsize its force or the department is unable to purchase needed equipment, then all of the areas around it suffer the consequences. Ladue , Clayton , Richmond Heights , Mid-County, and Olivette , to name a few, are departments that may depend on the support of the University City Fire Department in times of crisis. The codependence of fire departments within the region means that the actions of one department have consequences for the entire region.

As seen in this report, unified fire and EMS services have the potential to more efficiently respond to emergencies. Regional planning would decrease response times as a result of strategic placement of firehouses and the calculated positioning of apparatus appropriate to the community served. Regional planning would also eliminate the possibility of duplicative training between city and county firefighters required when a firefighter transfers between city and county.

Conclusion

This report is the result of over a year of work and dozens of meetings with fire chiefs, labor representatives, and Better Together staff. It represents the best efforts of the group to fashion an outline of an NFPA 1710 compliant department, the type of department the St. Louis area needs and deserves. The district proposed would be able to deliver improved services to residents of St. Louis City and County by addressing the issues that fragmentation has created. From the outset, the district could create and implement standard operating guidelines, fire codes, and standardized training. The district would be able to begin addressing compliance with NFPA 1710, including minimum staffing requirements, apparatus needs for the region, and four-minute response time coverage, thereby improving services and making for a safer St. Louis region.

Community-Based Studies

• Public Finance
• Economic Development
• Public Health
• Public Safety : ( Municipal Courts , Police , Fire Protection )
• Parks and Recreation
• General Administration

References

1. ↑ http://dfs.dps.mo.gov/programs/resources/mutual-aid.php
2. ↑ The St. Louis City Fire Department does recognize the FF I & II certification that an individual receives at the St. Louis County Fire Academy, but they do require that those individuals go through a 5-week operations guideline, policy, and procedures training.
3. ↑ St. Louis County fire chiefs contract with Greater St. Louis County Fire Academy, Inc.
4. ↑
5. ↑ Geographic Information System Emergency Service Response Capabilities Analysis, Wentzville Fire Protection District Missouri, August 29, 2012, report from the International Association of Fire Fighters., pg. 18. Retrieved from
6. ↑ Link to GIS map online:
7. ↑ Link to GIS map online:
8. ↑ The St. Louis City Fire Department does recognize the FF I & II certification that an individual receives at the St. Louis County Fire Academy, but they do require that those individuals go through a 5-week operations guideline, policy, and procedures training.
9. ↑ Better Together Fire Protection Study #1, page 18, accessed on 09/21/15 at http://www.bettertogetherstl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BT-Fire-ProtectionStudy-1-FINAL1.pdf
10. ↑ A January 2006 study by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, of fire protection in the St. Louis region, noted, “taxpayers pay different prices for fire protection” noting that “There is great disparity in what citizens pay for fire protection in communities across the region. General operating levies….range from $0.27 to $1.500 per $100 assessed value in…Missouri.” The report noted that this “inequality of funding directly affects the type of fire protection provided within the communities in our region.” A Guide to Financing Local Government Services: Fire Protection in the St. Louis Region, January 2006, pg. 9 accessed at FireProtection.pdf
11. ↑ All figures are approximate and are based on the assumption that staffing figures within departments/districts may change daily
12. ↑ No inflationary salary increases are assumed. No new expense and equipment needs have been estimated for any of the new employees
13. ↑ A Guide to Financing Local Government Service: Fire Protection in the St. Louis Region, January 2006, East West Gateway council of Governments, pg. 8, accessed at http://www.ewgateway.org/pdffiles/library/fireprotection/FinancingLocalGov-FireProtection.pdf
14. ↑ The budget figures described in this section refer to the most recent budgeted figures obtained for the 43 fire departments, not the actual expenditures.
15. ↑ 5 Management Procurement Through a Merger: Capturing the Value of the Deal. Accessed at
16. ↑ Education Plus. Accessed at http://www.edplus.org/Administrative/fromthedirector.html
17. ↑ Fire Consolidation Realities Report: A Review of the Facts, Sixth Edition, pg. 14-15, accessed at
18. ↑
19. ↑ Fire Consolidation Realities Report: A Review of the Facts, Sixth Edition, pg. 15, accessed at
20. ↑ Fire Consolidation Realities Report: A Review of the Facts, Sixth Edition, pg. 15, accessed at , pg. 2