Scope of work: Development of a Fire Master Plan for the Cy-Fair community of the northwest Houston metropolitan area. This engagement—based on Harris County Emergency Services District #9’s unique Fire and EMS fact pattern and varied risks—included a community risk assessment, a standard of cover study, and a compliance audit. The Master Plan also included the development of a strategic plan to ensure goals are actionable and categorized by priority over the long term.

Citygate is currently preparing a Capital Facilities Master Plan for the County of Santa Barbara Fire Department. This in-depth master plan for the Department’s buildings will include all fire stations, headquarters, logistics, and aviation and will be sufficient to estimate major repair costs or the need for total replacements over a feasible, multiple-year timeline. Citygate will work with County staff to prepare facility financing strategies considering the Department’s revenue sources.

Citygate conducted a Standards of Coverage (SOC) study update, community risk assessment, and facility assessment for the City of Huntington Beach Fire Department to assist the Department in achieving agency accreditation with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. In addition, the study established current response performance, identified new targets for improvement, and served as the basis for a new Strategic Community Risk Reduction Program that identified programs for implementation to mitigate risks and make the City a safer, healthier, and more resilient community. The facility assessment assisted in identifying modifications and use of existing facility space to reduce employee exposure to carcinogens. In addition to identifying specific facility needs, the assessment formed the baseline for future annual facility safety inspections. Citygate also performed the City’s 2017 SOC study.

Citygate performed a fire services Master Plan assessment for the City of Turlock, California. As part of the Master Plan, this assessment included a Community Risk Assessment, Standards of Coverage study, and headquarters programs adequacy and facility and fleet assessment. The Master Plan organized all of these pieces into an organized whole from which immediate and longer-term fire service programs can be managed. The facility assessment also identified modifications and the possibility of long-term continued use.

Citygate performed a comprehensive operations and staffing assessment of the Police Department for the City of Minnetonka, Minnesota. This comprehensive assessment of the law enforcement services delivery system featured a review of Department functions, organizational structure, operational functions, staffing and service levels, and Department efficiencies to ensure current and future needs are met through efficient and effective operations. This study was coordinated with Citygate’s concurrent fire services study.

Citygate conducted an operational and physical asset study for the City of Minnetonka, Minnesota Fire Department. This study entailed a thorough review and analysis of services, staffing, apparatus, and facility options for the Department, including a comprehensive Standards of Coverage document analyzing resource deployment to determine whether the Department is properly deployed to meet the risks and expectations of its community. This assessment also included a staffing plan to meet the needs identified in the SOC analysis, a long-term apparatus plan, and a review of fire station locations with recommendations. The staffing analysis identified strengths and weaknesses, if any, of the current staffing plan.

Citygate assisted the City of Temecula, California, in estimating the size and likely parcel assessment needed for a single in-town police facility that could serve the City at its buildout size should the City ever desire to house contracted Sheriff’s personnel or its own standalone police department.

Citygate completed a Police Department facilities review and headquarters/facilities siting study for the City of Riverside, California, with the goal of developing a new police headquarters facility within the City that optimizes operational services to the community. Citygate provided an evaluation of the three existing policing facilities’ functions, operations, and physical locations, related to the community they serve. Based on the evaluation of the facilities, Citygate determined what, if any, adjustments to policing operations are recommended to meet both current and projected future needs of the City. We also prepared an analysis of what policing functions the proposed new police headquarters, and potential sub-station(s), should provide and the approximate size of both sworn and professional workforce needed within the proposed police facilities. To determine this, Citygate evaluated the adequacy of staffing levels for current workload and meeting Department command staff’s goals and objectives related to staffing and community service level expectations.

Citygate, in partnership with COAR Design Group (formerly Jeff Katz Architecture), assessed the space and facility needs of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s Emergency Communications and Data Center to provide space-needs planning for this essential public facility in a way that can cost-effectively evolve. This assessment included researching the benefits of sharing space with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Interagency Command and Communications Center.

Citygate completed an independent evaluation and assessment of the St. Louis County Animal Services policies, practices, standard operating procedures, veterinary protocols, and facilities. This evaluation examined compliance with the Missouri Department of Agriculture Animal Care Facilities Act, the Association of Shelter Veterinarian standards and guidelines, and best practices; identified areas for improvements; and made recommendations on tasks necessary to increase the live release rate, eliminate pet overpopulation in the community and decrease the number of animals coming into the facility, and improve Animal Care and Control’s current processes and procedures. Citygate received continual praise from the County throughout the engagement. Our project report was even accepted without revision! In the year following Citygate’s evaluation, as the County implemented Citygate’s recommendations, the euthanasia rate declined from 20 percent to 4 percent and the Public Health Deputy Director indicated that conditions at the shelter “improved dramatically.”