The following article was acquired from the Monterey Herald website and was written by Tess Kenny.
Study: Monterey Fire Department meets best practices, lacks administrative support
In the case of an emergency, residents can rest assured that the Monterey Fire Department’s response time is more than likely to meet, and even exceed, expectations, according to a new report reviewing the department’s daily practices.
For the last year and a half, consulting company Citygate Associates LLC has taken a deeper look at the Monterey Fire Department — exploring risks, needs and relative performance — to understand if and how the organization is prepared to offer appropriate support. Findings from the undertaking, called a Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover Study, were presented to the Monterey City Council Wednesday.
The results are encouraging.
“In Citygate’s more than 20 years of conducting fire service deployment studies, very few client agencies have met all the key best practice response performance measures to the same degree as the Monterey Fire Department,” the report reads.
[. . .]
“(The city) is hitting, if not better (than), spot-on best practices, ” said Citygate Public Safety Principal Stewart Gary while presenting the report to Monterey City Council on Wednesday. “Keep measuring how you’re doing.”
Overall for resource deployment, Citygate finds the department is “appropriately staffed and deployed to protect the jurisdictions it serves against the hazards likely to impact them,” the report reads.
Where the consulting firm cites some concern, however, is in the Monterey Fire Department administrative support — or lack thereof. Though noting a strong sense of dedication and professionalism among administrative personnel, Citygate finds “significant ongoing administrative workload capacity gaps.”
[. . .]
Now saturated in data to understand the Monterey Fire Department’s performance and purview, the city will next digest the report and comb through Citygate recommendations for future implementation. That includes the potential adoption of response time policies to aid deployment planning and monitor performance, as well as consideration of back-house staffing issues and keeping a watchful eye on station coverage and workload.
“Obviously this is a very complex, detailed report. … What we’re going to do is count on our professional staff with our chief, the city manager, also the firefighter’s association, and our council team, and HR, and everyone else to work together as we digest this report,” said Mayor Clyde Roberson at Wednesday’s study session.
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The following article was acquired from the Monterey Herald website and was written by Tess Kenny.
Study: Monterey Fire Department meets best practices, lacks administrative support
In the case of an emergency, residents can rest assured that the Monterey Fire Department’s response time is more than likely to meet, and even exceed, expectations, according to a new report reviewing the department’s daily practices.
For the last year and a half, consulting company Citygate Associates LLC has taken a deeper look at the Monterey Fire Department — exploring risks, needs and relative performance — to understand if and how the organization is prepared to offer appropriate support. Findings from the undertaking, called a Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover Study, were presented to the Monterey City Council Wednesday.
The results are encouraging.
“In Citygate’s more than 20 years of conducting fire service deployment studies, very few client agencies have met all the key best practice response performance measures to the same degree as the Monterey Fire Department,” the report reads.
[. . .]
“(The city) is hitting, if not better (than), spot-on best practices, ” said Citygate Public Safety Principal Stewart Gary while presenting the report to Monterey City Council on Wednesday. “Keep measuring how you’re doing.”
Overall for resource deployment, Citygate finds the department is “appropriately staffed and deployed to protect the jurisdictions it serves against the hazards likely to impact them,” the report reads.
Where the consulting firm cites some concern, however, is in the Monterey Fire Department administrative support — or lack thereof. Though noting a strong sense of dedication and professionalism among administrative personnel, Citygate finds “significant ongoing administrative workload capacity gaps.”
[. . .]
Now saturated in data to understand the Monterey Fire Department’s performance and purview, the city will next digest the report and comb through Citygate recommendations for future implementation. That includes the potential adoption of response time policies to aid deployment planning and monitor performance, as well as consideration of back-house staffing issues and keeping a watchful eye on station coverage and workload.
“Obviously this is a very complex, detailed report. … What we’re going to do is count on our professional staff with our chief, the city manager, also the firefighter’s association, and our council team, and HR, and everyone else to work together as we digest this report,” said Mayor Clyde Roberson at Wednesday’s study session.