Fire Department Comprehensive Analysis

Click here to view the Platteville Fire Department Comprehensive Analysis Report presented by Public Administration Associates and Five Bugles Design at the Tuesday, February 23, 2021 Common Council meeting.

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The City of Platteville has begun studying certain facility improvements necessary for service delivery by its Fire Department. One of the objectives in determining space needs revolves around the future of our Fire Department and the challenges surrounding their ability to provide service to the community within the spaces presently provided. Several questions have arisen regarding the way Fire Safety Services are delivered warranting further study prior to conducting future facility designs.

The Common Council desires to engage a Consultant to work with the council, departments, and the public on the following issues/challenges regarding ongoing service delivery of our Fire Department. 

1. Future Service Delivery – The Study should review the current means by which service is provided by our Fire Department and project what the future entails for the delivery of service. This item should also address the format by which service is provided in order to consider various options such as full-time staffing, regional district creation, higher license threshold of emergency care, shared/joint department, etc. as applicable to the service listed. The Study should consider projects not fewer than 3 years nor more than 20 years into the future based upon the recommendation of the consultant.
2. Operational Alternatives – This item should review current services to make suggestions on the current operational delivery of service alternatives. Essentially, what are possible changes that could be made to current operations that help streamline service delivery, align services with best practices, and make suggestions that help with Fire Safety delivery.
3. Right Size – The Study should bring together necessary data and demographics to objectively demonstrate the facility needs to support Fire Safety Services. Types of data to be reviewed would include but not limited to personnel, equipment, consideration of adjacent communities, population, geographic growth, height of buildings, and our service responsibilities in relationship to other jurisdictions both municipal, county, and state.
4. Operating Costs – Based on what the future may hold for these services, the study should review, and project operating costs based upon the future staffing projections considered.
5. Location – This item would assist in trying to figure out what is the best and most ideal location in order to locate a Fire Safety Facility, regardless of current land uses and property ownership. The intent is to create a radius around this point based upon certain distances to assist in finding suitable sites to locate such a facility. The desire would be to consider response times, volunteer response ability, ISO minute coverage maps as available, and all other information as might be applicable. This should also review locations based on the idea that the Fire Safety facility would be a joint facility as well as a standalone fire station. This item should also account for the city’s growth pattern as it expands through new development and annexations.
6. Fire Station Conversion – The current fire station was constructed in 1964 and due to updates in technology, equipment and truck modifications increased space needs have become more challenging. Numerous discussions have occurred regarding the potential for future expansion of the current facility. Given the needs of Fire Safety Services and their future projections, this item would review whether that idea remains feasible.
7. Garage Space – This item would review the vehicle and equipment needs for fire services over the course of the next 50 years. This item should further study how these needs coincide with current space availability and possible options for expansion.
8. Shared Facility – This item should review the feasibility of a shared Fire Safety Facility that houses Fire, Training Center, and potential retail/commercial space. Obviously, each of the three has different needs regarding their facilities and the study should consider whether it is realistic of the city to consider all three within one facility.

On June 23, 2020 the City of Platteville Common Council awarded to Fire Department Comprehensive Analysis RFP to Public Administration Associates (PAA)/Five Bugles Design for an amount of $38,500.  This was a joint proposal where Public Administration Associates will address sections 1-5 of the RFP and Five Bugles Design will address sections 6-8 of the RFP.

The City of Platteville has allocated $25,000 towards the comprehensive analysis with the remaining costs to be covered through grants and fundraising.  As of September 28, 2020, donations have been received from The American Legion in the amount of $5000, the Platteville Fire Department, Inc. membership in the amount of $5000, and are waiting final approval on a $5000 grant which would cover the remaining costs associated with the comprehensive analysis.

Update 9/28/2020 – As of this date, Public Administration Associates has collected most of the required data they require for the study and are now moving into the analysis phase.  They have also begun the phase of mapping the Fire Department’s service area which will include mapping addresses of calls and volunteer’s homes so that they can analyze response times and distances from the current fire station.

In the upcoming weeks, Public Administration Associates will begin additional interviews to move from the objective data collection phase to get historical data related to the current status and opinions/views on the future status of the fire department.  PAA will also begin looking at alternative fire station locations and will add those locations to the mapping system to analyze how response distances and times would be affected should the fire station be relocated.

The last phase for PAA will be to complete a space needs evaluation of the current building to include in their final report.  Upon PAA completing the background data study, Five Bugles Design will then begin their portion of the comprehensive analysis which will focus on the building design.

Additional informational updates will be posted as information is available.  We thank everyone for their continued support of the Platteville Volunteer Fire Department.