TO: Lee D.

Garrity, City Manager

FROM: Gregory M. Turner, Assistant City Manager
DATE: July 30, 2014
SUBJECT: Audit of Fire Deart!ent "ersonal "rote#ti$e %&ui!ent


As re&uested, ' #ondu#ted an indeendent audit of t(e Firefig(ter ersonal rote#ti$e
e&ui!ent in t(e Deart!ent to deter!ine)
A. *o+ !u#( e&ui!ent does t(e Deart!ent (a$e,
-. 's all of t(e e&ui!ent #o!liant +it( t(e 10 year !a.i!u! life dire#ti$e of t(e
/ational Fire "rote#tion Asso#iation 0/F"A1,
C. *o+ is t(e in$entory of e&ui!ent assigned to firefig(ters tra#2ed,
D. 's t(ere an effe#ti$e syste! to assure t(at older e&ui!ent is re!o$ed fro! ser$i#e,
Background
Co!laints +ere re#ei$ed t(at t(e City3s firefig(ters did not (a$e safe ersonal rote#ti$e
e&ui!ent 0""%1 to fig(t fires. Firefig(ting ""% #onsist of a #oat, ants, glo$es, 4oots, a
(ood, and a (el!et. T(e /ational Fire "rote#tion Asso#iation 5tandard 1671 #o$ers t(e
sele#tion, #are, and !aintenan#e of t(is tye of e&ui!ent. 'n 2006, t(e 1671 5tandard +as
a!ended to re&uire all ""% older t(an 10 years 4e re!o$ed fro! ser$i#e. T(e 5tandard
also re&uires early rela#e!ent or re!o$al of ""% t(at is da!aged in su#( a +ay so as to
affe#t its rote#ti$e &ualities.

Research Process
To ans+er t(e &uestions a4o$e, ' re$ie+ed t(e re#ords of t(e Deart!ent related to ""%
assigned to indi$idual firefig(ters and ' inter$ie+ed t(ose Fire Deart!ent staff 4ot(
#urrent and retired +(o !anaged ""% distri4ution o$er t(e last 10 years. 'n addition, '
re$ie+ed #o!uter re#ords of e&ui!ent distri4uted fro! t(e +are(ouse, ' analy8ed +(ere
t(is tye of e&ui!ent is stored, and ' studied t(e re&uire!ents of /F"A 1671 standard.

Fire Departent Sta!! Beha"ior
Firefig(ters (a$e (istori#ally 4een issued one set of rote#ti$e e&ui!ent. T(is e&ui!ent
+as reaired or rela#ed +(en ne#essary, 4ut firefig(ters and t(eir #atains +ere !oti$ated
to o4tain a se#ond set of e&ui!ent 4y s#rounging fro! sets of firefig(ters +(o +ere retiring
or !o$ing to ot(er 9o4s. Firefig(ters +ere !oti$ated to do t(is to (a$e an e.tra #lean set of
e&ui!ent +(ile t(eir ri!ary set +as 4eing +as(ed or reaired. "rior to 2006, t(ere +as no
need to in$entory retired e&ui!ent t(at +as still in good #ondition sin#e t(ere +as no 10
year !a.i!u! life standard for t(is e&ui!ent. After 2006, it +ould (a$e 4een i!ossi4le to
#reate an in$entory for e&ui!ent t(at +as not re$iously in$entoried. T(e end result is
t(ere is #ertainly e&ui!ent in t(e ossession of #urrent and for!er firefig(ters t(at is !ore
t(an 10 years old. ' 2no+ of no reasona4le +ay for t(e City to (a$e 100: assuran#e t(at an
e!loyee +ill not 4ring a ie#e of e.ired e&ui!ent into a station.

2

Findings
T(e Deart!ent 2et tra#2 of t(e e&ui!ent issued to firefig(ters in so!et(ing #alled ;T(e
-oo2<. =nfortunately, staff in t(e Deart!ent found t(at !u#( of t(e infor!ation in ;T(e
-oo2< +as ina##urate. T(erefore, in January 2014, t(ey dire#ted all firefig(ters to #o!lete
an in$entory s(eet of t(e e&ui!ent assigned to t(e!. 05ee atta#(!ent A1. T(e #o!leted
in$entory s(eets indi#ated out of date e&ui!ent, 4ut field #(e#2s 4y deart!ent
ad!inistrati$e staff found t(at !any e!loyees (ad !ultile sets of e&ui!ent and t(at if an
e!loyee (ad an out of date set of e&ui!ent, t(ey also (ad an in>ser$i#e set as +ell. An in>
ser$i#e set of e&ui!ent is a set t(at is #o!liant +it( t(e /F"A 1671 rules for re!aining
life and (ysi#al #ondition.

=nder Deart!ent oli#y as des#ri4ed in +ritten dire#ti$e 2.1.2, it is t(e resonsi4ility of
Fire Catains to (andle t(e inse#tion of ""%3s to re$ent oorly !aintained, #onta!inated
or da!aged e&ui!ent fro! 4eing used. T(is dire#ti$e also !a2es ea#( Deart!ent
e!loyee resonsi4le for !onitoring t(e #ondition of t(eir ""% 0Atta#(!ent -1. Desite
t(ese re&uire!ents, out of date ""% (as 4een found in stations. T(ere is no indi#ation t(at
t(is e&ui!ent +as used in firefig(ting e$ents, 4ut its resen#e is a ro4le! t(at s(ould 4e
addressed.

't is i!ossi4le to 2no+ all t(e e&ui!ent firefig(ters (a$e (eld on to o$er t(e years. 't
t(erefore !ay 4e !ore i!ortant to fo#us on t(e !ore ri!ary &uestion of +as ade&uate
e&ui!ent ro$ided to ea#( e!loyee. As ' already !entioned, ;T(e -oo2< t(e Deart!ent
used to 2ee tra#2 of dire#tly assigned e&ui!ent +as not a##urate. T(e !ost a##urate sour#e
of e&ui!ent distri4ution re#ords turned out to 4e t(e City Central +are(ouse #o!uter
syste!. T(is syste! 2et re#ords of t(e nu!4er of ie#es of e&ui!ent issued to t(e
Deart!ent ea#( year. -y ta4ulating t(is data and #ross>referen#ing it against t(e nu!4er of
firefig(ters in t(e Deart!ent, t(e follo+ing ta4le +as de$eloed.





















#arehouse issuance o! Fire PPE

$ear Coats Pants %oods Boots %e&ets '&o"es
Fire Dept(
Ep&o)ees
2004 ?3 @0 ?A 4@ 32 141 26A
2007 136 12A A0 ?A 7? 14A 2A6
200? 121 122 AA 67 ?2 163 312
200@ A? 107 A3 ?1 32 1A@ 327
2006 7? ?7 74 A4 3? A? 343
200A 20 1A 44 36 10 @7 343
2010 41 36 72 @@ 1A 110 343
2011 @A @7 77 3? 16 66 343
2012 3@ 41 30 36 17 4@ 347
2013 ?2 77 74 36 20 ?7 347
2014 3? 33 A@ 4A 2@ @4 343
Total @4A @72 @3@ ?32 32@ 1227 A$g 32A.A
: of A$g 22@: 226: 223: 1A2: AA: 3@1:

3

T(e data in t(e ta4le indi#ates t(at +it( t(e e.#etion of (el!ets +(i#( +ill 4e dis#ussed
laterB t(ere +ere t+o to t(ree ti!es as !u#( e&ui!ent issued as t(ere +as staff to +ear it
o$er t(e last 10 years. T(is indi#ates t(at e&ui!ent +as regularly 4eing rela#ed as it +ore
out or +as da!aged.

T(e data also indi#ates t(at t(ere is a $ery (ig( ro4a4ility t(at e$ery firefig(ter (as at least
one #oat, (ood, air of ants, air of 4oots, and air of glo$es t(at is less t(an t(e 10 year
!a.i!u! life.

T(e Deart!ent3s (el!et rela#e!ent rate is far lo+er t(an for ot(er ie#es of ""%. T(e
Deart!ent indi#ates t(is is due to t(e fa#t t(at (el!ets are reaired 4y t(e Deart!ent and
t(erefore, (a$e a !u#( lo+er rela#e!ent need.

T(e Deart!ent (as de$eloed a ne+ tra#2ing syste! t(at +ill assist in in$entory tra#2ing of
""% and +(at firefig(ter it is assigned to.

'n t(e FC 2014>17 -udget, City Coun#il aro$ed funding ade&uate to ay for a se#ond full
set of ""% for ea#( firefig(ter. T(is s(ould signifi#antly redu#e firefig(ters desire to (old
onto older and so!eti!es out of date ""%.

'n #on#lusion, ' find t(at 11 t(e Deart!ent (as ade&uate 4udget to a#&uire ""% t(at
#o!lies +it( /F"A 1671B t(at 21 t(e Deart!ent (as o$er t(e last 10 years distri4uted ""%
to e!loyees in a !anner t(at is #onsistent +it( t(e re&uire!ents of /F"A 1671B t(at 31 t(e
in$entory syste! of t(e Deart!ent needs to #ontinue to 4e udated to dire#tly lin2 ea#(
ie#e of ""% to a se#ifi# e!loyeeB and t(at 41 Fire Catains s(ould 4e re!inded of t(eir
o4ligation to assure t(at only aro$ed ""% is used 4y t(eir station ersonnel.