Table 9 lists the fire protection districts in Washoe County and their respective ISO rating. Table 9 - ISO Ratings for Fire Protection Agencies/Areas in Washoe County, 1990 Fire Protection District/Area ISO Rating Gerlach with hydrants 6 North Lake Tahoe 3 SFPD with hydrants 6 SFPD without hydrants 8 TMFPD with hydrants 5 TMFPD without hydrants 8 TMFPD, Wadsworth 9 Warm Springs 9 Sources: Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, and Sierra Fire Protection District. Fire Protection Response Criteria The "Fire Suppression Rating Schedule" of 1980, published by the Insurance Services Office, represented a change from the previous specification oriented "Grading Schedule" to a performance based schedule. Some credit is available for water delivered to the fire scene regardless of the means of delivery. The new fire suppression rating schedule uses 1.5 mile response distances as a criteria for engine company response to fires. Appendix B lists the factors considered by the "Fire Suppression Rating Schedule". The 16th Edition of the National Fire Protection Handbook makes the following statements about response standards: As already described, time is another critical factor in the evaluation of public fire protection. It is generally considered that the first arriving piece of apparatus should be at the emergency scene within five minutes of the sounding of the alarm, since additional minutes are needed to size up the situation, deploy hose lines, initiate search and rescue, etc. To be minimally effective in controlling a fire, the initial responding apparatus must reach the emergency scene within approximately 10 minutes of the sounding of the alarm. Figure 4 shows fire growth versus reflex time and illustrates this concept. Table 10 lists the minimum fire protection and emergency medical services response standards used for condition assessment and analysis in Washoe County. Figure 4 - Fire Growth Versus Reflex Time Source: Managing Fire Services, Second Edition, (International City Management Association, 1988). Table 10 - Minimum Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services Response Standards Residential Land Use Designation Response Time Urban 5 minutes or less Suburban 10 minutes or less Rural 20 minutes or less Source: Washoe County Department of Community Development. Fire Apparatus Manning Another critical factor in providing fire protection is fire personnel. One structural interior attack line (1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inch hose) requires a minimum of two personnel on the hose line. Accepted safety practices require a third person outside the structure ready to affect rescue. Based on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) figures, the efficiency of an engine company decreases by approximately 35 percent for every person as engine company manning is reduced from five firefighters to three firefighters per company. As the number of personnel per engine decreases, the number of engines assigned to each fire must increase in order to provide adequate personnel to control and extinguish a fire. Table 11 shows the fire personnel/population ratios and firefighters/engine company for the fire protection agencies in Washoe County.Table 11 - 1990 Fire Personnel/Population Ratios and Fire Fighters/Engine Company by Agency
Agency - Population - Firefighters - Firefighters/1,000 Population - Firefighters/ Engine Company
TMFPD 57,298 75 1.45 3
BLM NA 20 NA 3
NLTFPD 7,700 46 5.97 3-4
SFPD 6,798 19 2.79 2
Notes: Population figures are from Washoe County adopted area plans. The BLM is responsible for wildland fires�population figures not available. Population data for SFPD are approximate only. Figures have been rounded. Data represent paid line personnel. Sources: Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and Washoe County Department of Community Development.
Countywide Use of Fire Protection Resources
Within Washoe County, there are several fire protection agencies with contiguous boundaries. Each agency has historically attempted to meet its own initial response needs. Fire stations should be located to adequately protect all property within each respective jurisdiction. This task is made more difficult and less economical when jurisdictional boundaries are irregularly shaped, illogical or subject to change. Response confusion and duplication of effort between agencies can be reduced or eliminated when simplified boundaries are established or boundaries are eliminated for purposes of fire protection.
Fire protection is generally more efficient when fire stations are utilized throughout an area based on need and natural service radius. Response conflicts between agencies can be lessened when more easily recognizable, simplified boundaries are maintained. Duplication of services and functions can be minimized through improving district boundaries and the communication of proposed changes to those boundaries.
Fire Prevention Activities
The prevention of fire is usually the primary goal of any fire department. Fire prevention is graded as an important component in the fire defenses of a community. Fire prevention refers primarily to measures directed toward avoiding the inception of fire and reducing fire related losses. Among these measures would be included: fire safety education, fire prevention inspection, fire code enforcement, investigation of fires to determine causes, and investigation of suspicious fires.
The enforcement of the municipal fire codes comes under the jurisdiction of the fire department and is one of the major responsibilities of the fire prevention bureau. Although fire safety inspection is the key function in code enforcement, other forms of enforcement endeavors have proven effective in attaining the objectives of conformance to fire safety codes and regulations. Among these are publicity efforts through newspaper, radio, and television coverage to bring the issues of code enactment and enforcement to the attention of the public .
One way through which the fire prevention bureau can effectively approach enforcement of codes is participation in plan review, in which all plans and specifications for new construction are routed to fire prevention agencies to be checked for conformance with fire codes. Inspection follow-up is essential to assure that fire safety requirements imposed at this stage are carried out in new construction.
Conditions and Trends
Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD)
Except where served by another local fire protection agency, the County area south of the Township 22 North line is provided emergency services by the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District in the following areas: fire, emergency medical services to EMT-D level, hazardous material emergency response and the enforcement of Washoe County fire ordinances. The TMFPD also provides structural fire protection, private wildland fire protection, enforcement of Washoe County fire ordinances and is the managing administrator for the coordination of all fire, EMS, and HAZMAT issues in northern Washoe County.
Currently, the agency operates six paid stations with a full-time staff of 91. Of this total, 75 are fire fighting personnel. The TMFPD paid stations are manned by a total of 25 fire personnel each day. In addition, there are 13 volunteer stations, and one joint paid/volunteer station, throughout Washoe County manned by approximately 250 volunteers. Table�12 lists the TMFPD stations, their locations, and sizes.
TMFPD currently has plans for new fire station sites in Southwest Truckee Meadows, near the Mt. Rose Highway/Highway 395 intersection, and in the proposed Double Diamond development. Any other future stations will be based on future development and fiscal constraints.
North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD) Fire protection services are provided to the Washoe County residents of the Lake Tahoe basin by the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District. This agency operates three stations with a full-time staff of 50, of which 46 are line personnel.
Station 1 (also NLTFPD headquarters) is located at the corner of Tanager Street and Oriole Way and is 11,000 square feet in size. Station 2 is located near the intersection of Lake View Avenue and Reservoir Drive and has 2,000 square feet of space. Station 3 is located at the intersection of State Route 431 and Country Club Drive and is 2,562 square feet in size. No additional NLTFPD stations are currently planned, but maintaining present service levels through the year 2007 may require additional facilities and staff.
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Table 12 - Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District - Station Location and Square Footage Station + Location + Sq. Ft. + Status
2 100 Woodland Avenue 2,100 Paid
3 10575 Silver Lake Boulevard 2,800 Paid
4 12300 Old Virginia Road 1,800 Paid
5 5399 Sun Valley Drive 2,800 Paid
6 1240 East Lake Boulevard 2,800 Paid
7 500 Rockwell Boulevard (Spanish Springs) 4,000 Paid/Volunteer
20 3405 Reno Park Boulevard (Cold Springs) 2,100 Vol
21 11525 Red Rock Road 1,000 Volunteer
23 130 Nectar Street (Lemmon Valley) 2,100 Volunteer
25 Middle Street, Wadsworth 3,500 Volunteer
26 3255 West Hidden Valley Drive 750 Volunteer
27-1 Lakeshore Boulevard 300 Volunteer
28 245 Bellevue Road (Washoe Valley) 1,000 Volunteer
29 6015 Ironwood Road (Warm Springs) 1,000 Volunteer
37 Highway 395 and Pagni Lane (Pleasant Valley) 300 Volunteer
40 16180 Red Rock (Rancho Haven) 240 Volunteer
41 Sutcliff (Pyramid Lake) 240 Volunteer
42 Gerlach 750 Volunteer
Note: Stations 40, 41 and 42 are volunteer stations administered by TMFPD for Washoe County.
Source: Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
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Nevada Division of Forestry, Sierra Fire Protection District (SFPD)
The Nevada Division of Forestry provides fire protection services for rural and suburban areas within its district of Washoe County by law and agreement. Under a closest forces contract with the U.S. Forest Service, the Nevada Division of Forestry provides response to fires which break out within the National Forest areas of the County.
The Nevada Division of Forestry, Sierra Fire Protection District (SFPD) operates four paid stations in Washoe County with 30 full-time personnel, 19 of which are line personnel. In addition, the agency operates five volunteer stations. Table 13 lists the Sierra Fire Protection District stations and their locations. The two new planned SFPD stations are: at Galena Resort (paid) and at Upper Mogul in Verdi (volunteer). Additional facilities and staff may be needed through the year 2007.
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Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The Bureau of Land Management provides fire protection services for federal public lands within BLM jurisdiction. Within Washoe County, the BLM provides fire protection during the wildfire season.
The BLM operates two stations on a cooperative basis with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. These are the East Lake Station (TMFPD Station 6) and the Desert Springs Station (TMFPD Station 7). Currently, the BLM mans these stations with 13 full-time seasonal staff, 12 of which are line personnel.
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Table 13 - Sierra Fire Protection District Station Location and Status
Station - Location - Sq. Ft. - Status
Bowers Mansion Old Highway 395 4,300 Paid Galena #1 Highway 431 4,200 Paid Galena #2 Highway 431 1,800 Paid Verdi Garson Road 1,600 Paid Anderson Acres 1110 Longview 1,200 Volunteer Callahan Callahan Ranch Road N/A Volunteer Cold Springs 17505 Highway 395 2,000 Volunteer Galena #4 Whites Creek Road N/A Volunteer Verdi Bridge Street 3,200 Volunteer
Notes: N/A = not available. The Cold Springs station has one full-time person assigned. Source: Nevada Division of Forestry.
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Additionally, the BLM operates out of a hangar on the airfield at Stead under an agreement with the Airport Authority of Washoe County. The BLM also bases its air tanker, with fire suppression capability, and the associated three crew members at the Stead facility. No additional BLM stations are anticipated to be needed through the year 2007.
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Police Protection Conditions and Trends Another fundamental and important service provided by Washoe County is that of police protection. This service is provided in Washoe County by local, state and federal agencies. As is typical throughout the nation, local government plays the major role in the provision of police services in Washoe County. For the purposes of this section, police protection services include law enforcement, traffic control, detention, crime prevention, education, and emergency rescue functions.
Agencies providing these services in Washoe County have been given jurisdiction in specific areas, but can, under certain circumstances, operate outside of these areas. Reno and Sparks agencies operate within their respective municipal boundaries. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office provides police protection services for all of Washoe County, to include Reno and Sparks. The Sheriff's Office also supports countywide services such as the Crime Lab, Search and Rescue, and a number of ongoing educational programs. The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHPD) has jurisdiction on all federal-aid primary, secondary, and state maintained roads in Nevada. The State of Nevada has provided the University of Nevada system with its own police agency. The University of Nevada Police (UNPD) are responsible for providing police protection at all property held and/or operated by the university system. The Reno Indian Colony and the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation are provided police protection by their respective Tribal Police. In addition, both state and federal agencies have responsibility for providing police services within specific jurisdictions on the state and/or federal lands. Various federal agencies have jurisdiction for federal violations, but these agencies do not enter into the local planning process and are not discussed in detail in this section.
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