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Fire District quality improvement plan information
Check back often for updates. Last updated 07/30/2021
If you would like to schedule a community meeting and presentation please contact Chief Wilks at buddy.wilks@cahabavalleyfire.org or 205-408-7734.
We look forward to engaging the community to provide information and to answer questions.
*Other planned community meeting details will be posted here as they are confirmed.
Community Meetings were held |
Date |
Time |
Location |
July 12, 2021 |
7:00 PM |
145 Narrows Drive Birmingham, AL 35242 (Station 185) |
July 13, 2021 |
7:00 PM |
60 Manning Place Birmingham, AL 35242 (Station 183) |
July 27, 2021 |
7:00 PM |
5487 Highway 280 Birmingham, AL 35242 (Station 181) |
Cahaba Valley Fire & EMR District
2021-2022 Quality Improvement Plan
Who we are
-
Three fire stations
-Highway 280 (St 181)
-Mt Laurel (St 183)
-Narrows (St 185)
-
All hazards and risk response
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Provide fire and EMS responses
-Paramedic first response
-Paramedic transport
-We do not charge district residents for transports, only bill insurance companies
-
Provide public assistance
-smoke detectors
-water shut offs
-lift assistance
-clear roadways after storms to ensure continuation of emergency services
-
What we do when we are not running emergency calls:
– Equipment & apparatus inspection/maintenance
– Station cleaning & maintenance
– Fire & EMS Training
– Business inspections / preplanning
– Child safety seat inspection / education
– Fire Prevention Education (schools, businesses, churches)
Effective Response Force
(How many people are needed to effectively handle the tasks required)
-
EMS response
-Cardiac arrest
-C.P.R. – 2
-Documentation- 1
-Airway- 1
-Medication- 1
-IC- 1
-ERF- 6
-
Fire response
-Incident Commander- 1
-Safety- 1
-Water supply- 2
-Fire attack- 4
-Search/Rescue- 4
-Force entry- 2
-RIT- 2
-Medical- 2
-ERF- 18
What we want to do to improve services
Click items below to expand explanation
- Fully staff the fire engine at the Narrows station- Would staff the engine company with 3 personnel and the ambulance transport unit with 2 personnel. Currently only 2 personnel assigned to the ambulance.
-Improves response capability to the communities of the Narrows, Eagle Point, Highland Lakes, Birch Creek, Dunnavant Place, and other areas along Dunnavant Valley Road.
-Cost approximately $850,000 per year for staffing.
-Provides increased staffing to the second busiest area of the fire district.
-Improves effective response force to incidents.
-Improves response times and availability.
- Fully staff the ambulance at Mt Laurel station- Would staff the engine company with 3 personnel and the ambulance transport unit with 2 personnel. Currently only 3 personnel assigned to the engine company.
-Improves effective response force to incidents in the Dunnavant Valley area including but not limited to Mt Laurel, Highland Village, Highland Lakes, Birch Creek, Dunnavant Place, Villas Belvedere, Aaronvale, Shoal Creek, South Oak, Stonegate, Holly Brook, Smyer Lake, The Shires, Spring Stone, and the Narrows.
-Improves availability of ambulances in the area
-Proactive approach to the growth in the area
- Relocate the Highway 280 station to Brook Highland Parkway
-Provides a business and administrative office that is more accessible to the public
-Provides a community / training room that can be used for community events and CPR & First Aid training. This would also provide a location for the department to conduct in house training.
-Cannot get a loan against the property for improvements because of the way the way the property is deeded to the District.
-Replaces a 38 year old, under sized current station that has been remodeled 4 times. Current property is not large enough for needed expansion.
-Provides better response times to our busiest areas
-Reduces amount of required travel on U.S. 280, improves safety of the drivers and firefighters.
- Become an accredited organization (Center for Public Safety Excellence)
Click image to link to CPSE website
-An all-hazard, quality improvement model based on risk analysis and self-assessment that promotes the establishment of community-adopted performance targets for fire and emergency service agencies.
- Build and staff an additional station further north of Hugh Daniel Drive on Dunnavant Valley Road
-While this is a goal for the District it has become a long term goal that will be revisited at a later time. This decision was made based on input from the community and lack of budgetary support.
-Improves services to the communities of Shoal Creek, South Oaks, Stonegate Farms, Symer Lake, Hollybrook Lake, Springstone, The Shires, and individual homeowners in the area
-Reduces response times to the same areas
-Addition of this station improves entire district’s ISO rating to a Class 1. (Best rating possible)
- Class 1 ISO rating (Insurance Service Office)
-Ensures best possible insurance rates to both residential and commercial district members
Fully staff the fire engine at the Narrows station- Would staff the engine company with 3 personnel and the ambulance transport unit with 2 personnel. Currently only 2 personnel assigned to the ambulance.
-Improves response capability to the communities of the Narrows, Eagle Point, Highland Lakes, Birch Creek, Dunnavant Place, and other areas along Dunnavant Valley Road.
-Cost approximately $850,000 per year for staffing.
-Provides increased staffing to the second busiest area of the fire district.
-Improves effective response force to incidents.
-Improves response times and availability.
Fully staff the ambulance at Mt Laurel station- Would staff the engine company with 3 personnel and the ambulance transport unit with 2 personnel. Currently only 3 personnel assigned to the engine company.
-Improves effective response force to incidents in the Dunnavant Valley area including but not limited to Mt Laurel, Highland Village, Highland Lakes, Birch Creek, Dunnavant Place, Villas Belvedere, Aaronvale, Shoal Creek, South Oak, Stonegate, Holly Brook, Smyer Lake, The Shires, Spring Stone, and the Narrows.
-Improves availability of ambulances in the area
-Proactive approach to the growth in the area
Relocate the Highway 280 station to Brook Highland Parkway
-Provides a business and administrative office that is more accessible to the public
-Provides a community / training room that can be used for community events and CPR & First Aid training. This would also provide a location for the department to conduct in house training.
-Cannot get a loan against the property for improvements because of the way the way the property is deeded to the District.
-Replaces a 38 year old, under sized current station that has been remodeled 4 times. Current property is not large enough for needed expansion.
-Provides better response times to our busiest areas
-Reduces amount of required travel on U.S. 280, improves safety of the drivers and firefighters.
Become an accredited organization (Center for Public Safety Excellence)
Click image to link to CPSE website
-An all-hazard, quality improvement model based on risk analysis and self-assessment that promotes the establishment of community-adopted performance targets for fire and emergency service agencies.
Build and staff an additional station further north of Hugh Daniel Drive on Dunnavant Valley Road
-While this is a goal for the District it has become a long term goal that will be revisited at a later time. This decision was made based on input from the community and lack of budgetary support.
-Improves services to the communities of Shoal Creek, South Oaks, Stonegate Farms, Symer Lake, Hollybrook Lake, Springstone, The Shires, and individual homeowners in the area
-Reduces response times to the same areas
-Addition of this station improves entire district’s ISO rating to a Class 1. (Best rating possible)
Class 1 ISO rating (Insurance Service Office)
-Ensures best possible insurance rates to both residential and commercial district members
Comparable fire departments
-
Cahaba Valley- 3 stations- Budget $ 3,600,000 (provide Fire-EMS-Transport)
– Population served 22,500
– Median home value $362,100
-
Vestavia Hills- 5 stations- Budget $ 10,617,159 (provide Fire-EMS-Transport)
– Population served 34,000
– Median home value $ 376,200
-
Pelham- 5 stations- Budget $ 8,932,394
(provide Fire-EMS)
– Population served 23,400
– Median home value $ 189,000
-
Mt. Brook- 3 stations- Budget $ 8,797,251 (provide Fire-EMS-Transport)
– Population served 20,400
– Median home value $ 628,800
-
Alabaster- 3 stations- Budget $ 6,455,139 (provide Fire-EMS)
– Population served 33,000
– Median home value $ 173,000
What we are asking to do
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Current Budget- $3,600,000
-
Needed Budget- $5,800,000
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Maintaining the 12 tier scale that is based on property values as assessed by the Shelby County Property Tax Commission.
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Changing fire dues by an equal percentage across all residential properties over a two year period.
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Year 1 – 35 percent increase across all residential properties
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Year 2 – 30 percent increase across all residential properties
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The remainder of the budget will come from:
-Commercial properties- $ 436,252.86
-Apartment complexes- $1,070,160.00
-Rex Lake Contract- $425,000
-Wehapa Contract- $6,857
-Ambulance transport revenue- $ 275,000
-Other variable income
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Value of the District $106 billion
-
Budget requested 0.5% of the value of the district
If you would like to schedule a community meeting and presentation please contact Chief Wilks at buddy.wilks@cahabavalleyfire.org or 205-408-7734.
We look forward to engaging the community to provide information and to answer questions.
*Other planned community meeting details will be posted here as they are confirmed.