Boulder Fire-Rescue will be better prepared for wildland fires that could threaten the city and better equipped to respond to medical calls under the terms of a new master plan unanimously approved by the City Council on Tuesday night.
Boulder officials praised the work that went into the master plan process.
"I'm really proud that we're focusing on the issues that are most important to us," said Boulder City Councilwoman Suzy Ageton. "The wildland fire danger, all you have to do is stick your head out the door in the morning and smell the smoke. I'm really proud that we're moving so aggressively."
The master plan identifies trends that will shape the fire department and community needs in years to come.
The wildland fire danger now exists all year, and with an aging population, more density and simply more people, the fire department also expects to spend more resources responding to medical calls.
The number of medical calls for fire-rescue crews increased 17 percent between 2006 and 2011, and that number is expected to continue rising as Boulder's population of people older than 60 approaches 21 percent by 2020.
In response, the fire department is increasing the number of full-time wildland firefighters, building a new station focused on wildland fires and working on new code recommendations for the urban-wildland interface.
Also in the plan is a new emergency response time standard of six minutes or less 80 percent of the time. While first responders lived up to the established Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan fire rescue standard of "normally six minutes or less" 78 percent of the time in 2011, the new standard is a more concrete benchmark for one of the most important aspects of department operations.
The key obstacles to improving response times are steadily increasing 911 call loads -- from more than 8,000 calls in 2001 to about 10,000 in 2011 -- and increased traffic in Boulder, officials said.
The department plans to combat those trends partly through a new computer-aided dispatch program that employs automatic vehicle location. The system is designed to ensure that if an engine from a certain district is not immediately available, the nearest truck in a neighboring district can be called in to help.
Another program that may help reduce response times is a light response vehicle program that will be launched in 2013. The program, a pilot version of which will operate out of Fire Station No. 1, at 2441 13th St., will cost about $100,000 to $120,000 and will use an outfitted pickup truck or SUV to respond to medical calls that don't require an engine or ladder truck.
Copyright 2012 - Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
