HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Risk Assessment and Standard of Cover 2016
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Iowa City Fire Department
Fire Chief John Grier
Standards of Cover Team Contributors:
Deputy Fire Chief Roger Jensen
Battalion Chief Brian Platz
Battalion Chief Eric Nurnberg
Battalion Chief Greg Tinnes
Fire Marshal Brian Greer
OCTOBER 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 1
A. Description of Community Served ........................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3
Community Legal Basis ....................................................................................... 13
History of the Community ................................................................................... 14
Community Financial Basis .................................................................................. 19
Capital Improvement Plan, 2016 – 2020 ............................................................................................. 20
Area Description ................................................................................................ 21
Community Boundaries ............................................................................................................................. 21
Community Planning Areas/Zones ....................................................................................................... 22
Community Transportation Systems .................................................................................................... 24
Iowa City Municipal Airport Operations and Facilities ................................................................... 25
Waterways ...................................................................................................................................................... 26
Highways ......................................................................................................................................................... 31
Rail ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31
First Avenue Grade Separation Project ................................................................................................ 32
Transit Service ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Community Critical Infrastructure ......................................................................................................... 33
Area Development ............................................................................................. 35
Growth Boundaries ..................................................................................................................................... 35
Community Land Use and Zoning ......................................................................................................... 39
Community Topography ........................................................................................................................... 42
Community Geography ............................................................................................................................. 44
Community Geology .................................................................................................................................. 44
Community Physiography ........................................................................................................................ 45
Community Climate .................................................................................................................................... 45
Demographic Features ....................................................................................... 51
Community Population/Population Densities .................................................................................. 51
Community Demographic Features ..................................................................................................... 53
B. History of the Agency .................................................................................................................................. 58
Legal Establishment of the Fire Department ..................................................................................... 58
Major Historical Milestones of the Department ................................................................................ 58
Current Legal Boundary of Service Area .............................................................................................. 73
Current Organization, Divisions, Programs and Services .............................................................. 74
Fire Stations, Training Facilities, Apparatus, Equipment and Staffing ...................................... 75
C. Current Levels of Service with Delivery Programs ............................................................................ 79
Fire Suppression ........................................................................................................................................... 79
Rescue .............................................................................................................................................................. 81
Medical ............................................................................................................................................................. 84
Hazardous Materials .................................................................................................................................... 86
Specialized Services .................................................................................................................................... 89
Community Risk Reduction Services .................................................................................................... 89
D. Current Deployment and Coverage Areas ........................................................................................... 91
Points of Service Delivery .......................................................................................................................... 91
Minimum Deployment Resources ......................................................................................................... 92
Response Areas ............................................................................................................................................. 93
E. Summary of Community Response History ........................................................................................ 94
F. Community Priorities, Expectations, and Performance Goals ...................................................... 96
Mission Statement ....................................................................................................................................... 96
Community Service Priorities .................................................................................................................. 96
Community Service Expectations .......................................................................................................... 96
Methodology and Findings ................................................................................. 97
Program and Service Prioritization ........................................................................................................ 97
Community Expectations .......................................................................................................................... 97
Areas of Concern Identified by the Community Stakeholders .................................................... 98
Positive Comments and Strengths Provided by the Community Stakeholders ................... 99
Performance Goals ...................................................................................................................................... 99
Community Service Level Benchmark Objectives .................................................. 100
Fire ................................................................................................................................................................... 100
EMS .................................................................................................................................................................. 100
Rescue ............................................................................................................................................................ 102
Hazardous Materials .................................................................................................................................. 103
G. Community Risk Assessment and Risk Levels .................................................................................. 104
Risk Assessment Methodology ........................................................................... 104
Methodology (Probability/Consequence/Impact of Event Risk) .............................................. 104
Planning Areas/Zones .............................................................................................................................. 106
Risk Assessment .............................................................................................. 125
Fire Suppression Services ........................................................................................................................ 125
Fire Risk Level Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 146
Fire Critical Task Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 154
Emergency Medical Services ................................................................................................................. 156
EMS Risk Level Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 159
EMS Critical Task Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 162
Hazardous Materials Services ................................................................................................................ 164
HazMat Risk Level Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 164
HazMat Critical Task Analysis ................................................................................................................. 169
Rescue Services ........................................................................................................................................... 170
Rescue Risk Level Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 174
Rescue Critical Task Analysis .................................................................................................................. 181
H. Historical Perspective and Summary of System Performance ................................................... 182
Distribution Factors ......................................................................................... 182
Concentration Factors ...................................................................................... 186
ERF (Effective Response Force) ........................................................................... 190
Reliability Factors ....................................................................................................................................... 191
Baseline Performance Tables ............................................................................. 193
I. Evaluation of Service Delivery ............................................................................................................... 199
Performance Objectives – Benchmarks ................................................................ 199
Fire Suppression Services Program ..................................................................................................... 199
Emergency Medical Services Program ............................................................................................... 201
Hazardous Materials Services Program .............................................................................................. 201
Rescue Services Program ........................................................................................................................ 203
Performance Objectives – Baselines .................................................................... 204
Fire Suppression Services Program ..................................................................................................... 204
Emergency Medical Services Program ............................................................................................... 204
Hazardous Materials Services Program .............................................................................................. 204
Rescue Services Program ........................................................................................................................ 205
Performance Gaps – Baseline to Benchmark Time Gap ........................................... 205
Areas of Program Delivery and Coverage Improvement ......................................... 207
Recommendations for Improved Effectiveness in Deployment and Coverage ............ 211
J. Performance Maintenance and Improvement Plans .................................................................... 214
Compliance Team / Responsibility ...................................................................... 214
Performance Evaluation and Compliance Strategy ................................................ 214
Compliance Verification Reporting ..................................................................................................... 214
Constant Improvement Strategy ........................................................................ 214
K. Appendices, Exhibits, and Attachments ............................................................................................ 214
Apparatus Replacement Schedule ...................................................................... 214
Apparatus Maintenance and Repair .................................................................... 216
Apparatus Replacement Analysis Worksheet ........................................................ 217
Monthly Training Hours, 4/15 – 2/16 ................................................................... 218
Baseline Performance Tables by Fire District ......................................................... 219
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 General Fund Revenue (2015-2018) ........................................................................................................ 19
Table 2 Capital Improvement Plan (2016-2020) .................................................................................................. 20
Table 3 Capital Improvement Program, Unfunded Fire Department Projects ............................................... 20
Table 4 Monthly Weather Averages, Summary .................................................................................................... 47
Table 5 Average Snowfall, Rainy Days, Relative Humidity ................................................................................ 47
Table 6 Emergency Response Staffing ................................................................................................................... 79
Table 7 Airway and Breathing Skills ...................................................................................................................... 85
Table 8 Assessment Skills ........................................................................................................................................ 85
Table 9 Emergency Trauma Skills .......................................................................................................................... 85
Table 10 Pharmacological Intervention Skills ...................................................................................................... 85
Table 11 Medical/Cardiac Care Skills .................................................................................................................... 85
Table 12 Station and Apparatus Staffing ............................................................................................................... 92
Table 13 Approximate Road Miles in Each Fire District .................................................................................... 94
Table 14 Program Ranking ...................................................................................................................................... 96
Table 15 Ranking Probability ................................................................................................................................ 105
Table 16 Ranking Consequence ............................................................................................................................ 105
Table 17 Ranking Impact ....................................................................................................................................... 105
Table 18 Approximate Road Miles in Each Fire District .................................................................................. 109
Table 19 Total Occupancy Hazard Statistics ....................................................................................................... 132
Table 20 Total Structures by Type of Use and Risk Class ................................................................................. 132
Table 21 Average OVAP Score by RMZ .............................................................................................................. 137
Table 22 RMZ Classifications as Identified by RHAVE .................................................................................... 138
Table 23 Fire Critical Tasks ................................................................................................................................... 154
Table 24 EMS Critical Tasks .................................................................................................................................. 163
Table 25 HazMat Critical Tasks ............................................................................................................................ 169
Table 26 Rescue Critical Tasks .............................................................................................................................. 181
Table 27 Population Served by First Due Company .......................................................................................... 184
Table 28 Fire and Special Operations NFIRS Incident Types: All 100s, 322, 323, 324, 372, 411-431 ......... 185
Table 29 EMS NFIRS Incident Types: 311, 320, 321 .......................................................................................... 186
Table 30 Calls for Service (2015) .......................................................................................................................... 188
Table 31 Total Response Times for 90% of all Code 3 Moderate Risk Fires and Special Operations Events
(2011-2015) .............................................................................................................................................................. 190
Table 32 First In other than First Due, by District (2011-2015) ...................................................................... 192
Table 33 First Due Response Reliability, by Station (2015) .............................................................................. 192
Table 34 Baseline: Low Risk Fire Suppression .................................................................................................... 194
Table 35 Baseline: Moderate Risk Fire Suppression .......................................................................................... 194
Table 36 Baseline: High Risk Fire Suppression ................................................................................................... 195
Table 37 Baseline: Special Risk Fire Suppression ............................................................................................... 195
Table 38 Baseline: Low/Moderate Risk EMS ...................................................................................................... 196
Table 39 Baseline: Low Risk HazMat ................................................................................................................... 196
Table 40 Baseline: Moderate Risk HazMat .......................................................................................................... 197
Table 41 Baseline: Low Risk Technical Rescue ................................................................................................... 197
Table 42 Baseline: Moderate Risk Technical Rescue ......................................................................................... 198
Table 43 Baseline: High Risk Technical Rescue .................................................................................................. 198
Table 44 Critical Tasks: Fire Risks - Low, Moderate, High, Special ................................................................ 200
Table 45 Critical Tasks: EMS Risk - Low and Moderate ................................................................................... 201
Table 46 Critical Tasks: HazMat Risk - Low, Moderate, High ......................................................................... 202
Table 47 Critical Tasks: Rescue Risk - Low, Moderate, High ........................................................................... 203
Table 48 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: Fire Suppression - Low, Moderate, High, Special
................................................................................................................................................................................... 206
Table 49 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: EMS - Low/Moderate ........................................ 206
Table 50 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: HazMat - Low, Moderate ................................. 206
Table 51 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: Technical Rescue - Low, Moderate, High ...... 206
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Percentage of Population in Selected Age Groups (2010) ................................................................... 53
Figure 2 Assist Invalid by RMZ (2011-2015) ........................................................................................................ 54
Figure 3 EMS by Risk Management Zone (2011-2015) ...................................................................................... 55
Figure 4 Population by Race (2010) ....................................................................................................................... 56
Figure 5 Languages other than English spoken at home ..................................................................................... 56
Figure 6 Incidents by Group and RMZ (2015) ..................................................................................................... 57
Figure 7 ICFD Organizational Chart ..................................................................................................................... 75
Figure 8 Auto Aid/Mutual Aid Given and Received (2015) ............................................................................... 80
Figure 9 Personnel & Resources ............................................................................................................................. 93
Figure 10 Total Number of Incidents (2006-2015) .............................................................................................. 95
Figure 11 Real Estate Market Trends in Iowa City ............................................................................................ 114
Figure 12 Fire Responses (2011-2015) ................................................................................................................. 125
Figure 13 Building Fires (2011-2015) .................................................................................................................. 126
Figure 14 Property Loss Due to Fire (2011-2015) .............................................................................................. 130
Figure 15 OVAP Categories .................................................................................................................................. 131
Figure 16 Occupancy Hazard Statistics ............................................................................................................... 132
Figure 17 Risk Category by Type of Structure .................................................................................................... 133
Figure 18 EMS Responses (2011-2015) ............................................................................................................... 156
Figure 19 EMS Incidents by RMZ ........................................................................................................................ 156
Figure 20 Overlapping Incidents (2011-2015) .................................................................................................... 158
Figure 21 Total Incident Calls by District (2011-2015) ..................................................................................... 187
Figure 22 Truck 1 Responses by Sub-District (2015) ........................................................................................ 189
Figure 23 Rescue 4 Responses by Sub-District (2015) ....................................................................................... 189
Figure 24 Incidents and Arrival Sequencing by Sub-District (2015) ............................................................... 190
Figure 25 Overlapping Incidents (2011-2015) .................................................................................................... 191
Figure 26 First Due Response Reliability, by Station, and Total Calls (2015) ................................................ 193
LIST OF IMAGES
Image 1 The University of Iowa Old Capitol .......................................................................................................... 3
Image 2 The University of Iowa Pentacrest ............................................................................................................ 3
Image 3 The T. Anne Cleary walkway ..................................................................................................................... 4
Image 4 The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics ......................................................................................... 4
Image 5 Ped Mall, Downtown Iowa City ................................................................................................................. 5
Image 6 Ped Mall, Downtown Iowa City ................................................................................................................. 5
Image 7 Summer of the Arts Jazz Fest, Downtown Iowa City ............................................................................. 6
Image 8 Park@201, one of several new high rise buildings in downtown Iowa City ........................................ 6
Image 9 Winter Weatherdance, Ped Mall, Iowa City ............................................................................................ 6
Image 10 Panoramic view of downtown Iowa City during Summer of the Arts ............................................... 7
Image 11 Statue of Irving Weber in downtown Iowa City. .................................................................................. 7
Image 12 Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories .............................................................................................. 8
Image 13 Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa .............................................................................................. 8
Image 14 Voxman Music Building ........................................................................................................................... 9
Image 15 Petersen Residence Hall ............................................................................................................................ 9
Image 16 University of Iowa School of Art and Art History .............................................................................. 10
Image 17 Madison Street Residence Hall .............................................................................................................. 10
Image 18 Iowa City Old Capitol building ............................................................................................................. 12
Image 19 Iowa City Public Library ......................................................................................................................... 12
Image 20 Iowa Territory Centennial Three Cent Stamp ..................................................................................... 14
Image 21 Historic State Capitol .............................................................................................................................. 15
Image 22 Clinton & Washington Streets (1853) .................................................................................................. 16
Image 23 Herky the Hawk, athletics mascot of the University of Iowa. ........................................................... 16
Image 24 Department of Dance, College of Liberal Arts, the University of Iowa ........................................... 17
Image 25 Iowa Gymnastics Training Facility ....................................................................................................... 17
Image 26 Independence Day fireworks display from Hubbard Park, University of Iowa ............................. 17
Image 27 Medical Education Research Facility, University of Iowa ................................................................. 18
Image 28 College of Public Health, University of Iowa ....................................................................................... 18
Image 29 Kirk Ferentz, Iowa football Head Coach since the 1999 season ........................................................ 18
Image 30 Flood waters over the emergency spillway at the Coralville Dam (2008) ........................................ 27
Image 31 Coralville Lake: record high crest at 717.02 feet above sea level ....................................................... 27
Image 32 2008 Flood, ICFD Training Center (tan building on the right) ........................................................ 29
Image 33 2008 Flood, The University of Iowa Memorial Union ....................................................................... 29
Image 34 2008 Flood, University of Iowa Advanced Technology Research Facility ....................................... 29
Image 35 Pre-Flood: Normandy Drive, Idyllwild, N Dubuque Street & Lower City Park ............................. 30
Image 36 2008 Flood: Normandy Drive, Idyllwild, N Dubuque Street & Lower City Park ........................... 30
Image 37 First Avenue Grade Separation .............................................................................................................. 32
Image 38 Iowa City's Wastewater Treatment Plant ............................................................................................. 37
Image 39 Iowa City Water Treatment Plant ......................................................................................................... 37
Image 40 Iowa City Streets Department at work ................................................................................................. 48
Image 41 Iowa Avenue following April 2006 tornado ......................................................................................... 49
Image 42 Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, 828 E Washington Street, Iowa City .................................................... 50
Image 43 St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Iowa City .............................................................................................. 50
Image 44 Five firefighters taking possession of Snowball and Highball (1912) ............................................... 59
Image 45 Alert Hose House, built in 1883, was Iowa City's first substation. ................................................... 60
Image 46 New Year's Eve Celebration Program (1887) ...................................................................................... 60
Image 47 Gravestone of Lycurgus Leek, Iowa City's first line of duty death .................................................... 61
Image 48 Highball and Snowball responding to a call (1912) ............................................................................ 61
Image 49 Iowa City's first motorized 1912 Seagrave fire apparatus (February 1913) ..................................... 62
Image 50 Iowa City's first motorized fire apparatus, delivered in January of 1912 ......................................... 62
Images 51 Iowa City Fire Department (October 1925) ....................................................................................... 63
Image 52 ICFD Membership Photograph (1929) ................................................................................................ 64
Image 53 Iowa City's First Aerial Apparatus ........................................................................................................ 65
Image 54 ICFD Fire Station #1 on South Gilbert Street ...................................................................................... 65
Image 55 ICFD Fire Station #2 (opened on August 23, 1968) ........................................................................... 66
Image 56 Lt. Robert Hein ......................................................................................................................................... 66
Image 57 Fire Station #3 (opened February 12, 1972) ......................................................................................... 67
Image 58 Des Moines Register (January 27, 1979) ............................................................................................... 67
Image 59 Flood of 2008 with ICFD training center pictured (tan building on right) ..................................... 68
Image 60 Joint Emergency Communications Center (opened 2010) ................................................................ 69
Image 61 Three New Fire Apparatus (purchased in 2011) ................................................................................. 69
Image 62 Rescue One Connector Boat (purchased in 2011) .............................................................................. 70
Image 63 Iowa City Fire Station #4 (opened October 3, 2011) .......................................................................... 71
Image 64 Fire Chief Andy Rocca (retired May 13, 2013) .................................................................................... 72
Image 65 ICFD Station #1 ....................................................................................................................................... 76
Image 66 ICFD Station #2 ....................................................................................................................................... 76
Image 67 ICFD Station #3 ....................................................................................................................................... 77
Images 68 ICFD Station #4 ...................................................................................................................................... 77
Image 69 Engine 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 78
Image 70 Truck 1 ...................................................................................................................................................... 78
Image 71 Quint 2 ...................................................................................................................................................... 78
Image 72 Engine 3 ..................................................................................................................................................... 78
Image 73 Engine 4 ..................................................................................................................................................... 78
Image 74 Rescue 4 ..................................................................................................................................................... 78
Image 75 Command Van ......................................................................................................................................... 78
Image 76 Structure Fire: Iowa Avenue (September 24, 2011) ............................................................................ 79
Image 77 Water Rescue Operations on the Iowa River ....................................................................................... 81
Image 78 ICFD Technical Rope Rescue Training Evolution .............................................................................. 81
Image 79 ICFD Confined Space Training Evolution ........................................................................................... 82
Image 80 ICFD Connector Boat Pairing ............................................................................................................... 82
Image 81 ICFD Trench Rescue Training Evolution ............................................................................................ 83
Image 82 ICFD Performing Vehicle Extrication, ................................................................................................. 86
Image 83 ICFD Hazardous Materials Response Technicians ............................................................................. 87
Image 84 Confined space training exercise. .......................................................................................................... 87
Image 85 Hazardous materials functional exercise at the University of Iowa ................................................. 88
Image 86 Iowa City Firefighters routinely provide station tours and public relations activities .................. 89
Image 87 Johnson County Joint Emergency Communications and Emergency Operations Center ........... 93
Image 88 Ralston Creek during a rainstorm (April 2013) ................................................................................ 121
Image 89 Normandy Drive Waterfront ............................................................................................................... 121
Image 90 Iowa City Flood of 2008 ........................................................................................................................ 122
Page 1
Executive Summary
The Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) was one of the first fire departments established in Iowa. The
beginnings of the department date back to 1842, three years after the founding of Iowa City and four years
before Iowa became a state. Today the ICFD is a full service municipal fire department providing fire
suppression, emergency medical services (EMS), technical rescue, and hazardous materials (hazmat)
response. The staff is equally committed to providing quality non-emergency service in fire prevention,
code enforcement, life safety education, and emergency preparedness. The department is entrusted to
providing a high level of professionalism and efficiency on behalf of the community it serves.
The department has been involved with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for
over ten years as a means to improve service delivery through organizational improvement. The ICFD was
awarded accredited agency status in 2008 and again in 2013. Today, the department continues to utilize
the accreditation model to improve our ability to assess and measure the efficiency and effectiveness of
our programs. The department is committed to improving the quality of life for the citizens of this
community. In 2018, the department will again present itself for review by the CFAI.
The Iowa City Fire Department conducted a Community Risk Assessment/Standard of Cover (CRSOC)
project to achieve maximum effectiveness in mitigating all types of risk. Simply stated, the Standard of
Cover (SOC) illustrates all hazards deployment strategies and links projected demand for resources to
classifications and categories of risk.
The development of the department’s systematic deployment strategy is a combination of subjective
analysis and applied objective data. This document is a comprehensive assessment of community risk. It
provides an understanding of community risk as it relates to the deployment of emergency service
personnel and equipment. To quantify the analysis, the department established a risk assessment
methodology which is a common set of rules related to the assessment of hazards and risks. Risk levels are
classified using a three axis risk assessment methodology. The process includes an assessment of threat
probability, the consequence to the community, and the impact to the department. Threats can be
predicted utilizing quantifiable data. Consequence is a measure of the disparate outcome (emotional,
economic, or historical). Impact is the measured “drain effect” regarding adverse service area resource
availability caused by emergency incident mitigation demand. Impact reflects the agency’s remaining
capacity to deploy and cover.
The document begins with a description of the community, a summary of the services provided, and a
review of community expectations. The comprehensive examination of risk that follows is geographically
described and analyzed by Risk Management Zones (RMZ) and fire station response districts.
Risk classifications for fire, EMS, haz-mat, and technical rescue are assessed and quantified into low,
moderate, high, and special risk categories. A critical tasking analysis was completed which identified the
number of staff necessary to safely mitigate each category of risk within a prescribed timeframe.
Page 2
Historical response time data was used to measure current system performance. Performance objectives
were identified, which specified response time measures for alarm handling, turnout, and travel times.
Baseline and benchmark performance measures for the distribution of fixed facilities (first arriving unit)
and the assembly of an effective response force (ERF) per critical task requirements were established by
service classification and category of risk.
Finally, overall conclusions were presented and the following recommendations were made for
consideration by the fire chief and other policy makers.
1. Response Time – Fixed Facilities: Service demand and community expectations in response time
performance will eventually require two additional fixed facilities and the relocation of fire station #3.
2. Response Time Components – Alarm handling, turnout, and travel time: Time saving improvements
in call taking procedures to include a modernized CAD and JECC agency accreditation should be
pursued. Fire station design and crew proficiency should be relied upon to improve turnout time while
improvements to travel time performance will require technology based solutions.
3. Reassessment of High and Special Risk Occupancies: The three axis risk assessment methodology adds
“impact” to probability and consequence in the calculation of risk. As a result, the number of occupancies
identified as high and special risk for fire events has increased. A reassessment of high and special risk
categories within the classifications of EMS, hazmat, and rescue should also be performed.
4. Assembling an Effective Response Force (ERF) for High and Special Risk Events: Given current
minimum staffing levels, an additional engine company must be added to first alarm building fire
dispatch protocols to minimally satisfy critical task requirements at high and special risk occupancies.
Alternatively, four-person minimum staffing could satisfy critical task requirements without adding an
additional unit. Dispatch protocols will need to be adjusted in the short term to fulfill critical task
requirements. Discussions on how to achieve additional staffing should be pursued.
Page 3
A. Description of Community Served
Introduction
As home to a large public university with exceptional programs in the arts and sciences, Iowa City features
a vibrant intellectual and cultural scene. Lectures by guest scholars of international importance, a wide
selection of weekly in-house colloquiums, nightly live music in local clubs, concerts by internationally
recognized orchestras, readings by local authors in independent book stores, and displays by local artists
at galleries all underscore that Iowa City has something for everyone.
Image 1 The University of Iowa Old Capitol
designated a national historic landmark
Image 2 The University of Iowa Pentacrest
Page 4
Image 3 The T. Anne Cleary walkway
Image 4 The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
a 732-bed public teaching hospital and level 1 trauma center is Iowa’s only tertiary-level care center. UIHC employs
over 7,100 people.
Page 5
Image 5 Ped Mall, Downtown Iowa City
Image 6 Ped Mall, Downtown Iowa City
Page 6
Image 7 Summer of the Arts Jazz Fest, Downtown Iowa City
Image 8 Park@201, one of several new high rise
buildings in downtown Iowa City
Image 9 Winter Weatherdance, Ped Mall, Iowa City
Page 7
The University of Iowa is a major national research university located on a 1,900-acre campus. The
University of Iowa is composed of 11 colleges, the largest of which is the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences, enrolling most of Iowa’s undergraduates. The Henry B. Tippie College of Business, the Roy J.
Carver College of Medicine, and the Colleges of Education, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Pharmacy enroll
undergraduates. All provide graduate degree programs along with the Colleges of Dentistry and Public
Health. The university occupies more than 120 major buildings.
Image 10 Panoramic view of downtown Iowa City during Summer of the Arts
Image 11 Statue of Irving Weber in downtown Iowa City.
Irving Weber was a University of Iowa swimmer, the first to make the All-American Swimming Team. Beginning in the
1970s, his weekly Saturday newspaper articles were what led to his greatest renown in the community. His articles
regularly informed readers about Iowa City’s history.
Page 8
Image 12 Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories
Image 13 Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa
emerges from historic 2008 flood to open in the fall of 2016
Page 9
Image 14 Voxman Music Building
at 93 E Burlington St, Iowa City, opened to students in the fall of 2016
Image 15 Petersen Residence Hall
opened in the fall of 2015
Page 10
Image 16 University of Iowa School of Art and Art History
141 N Riverside Drive, Iowa City Ars Longa. Vita Brevis Est (Art is forever. Life is short)
Image 17 Madison Street Residence Hall
will house more than 1,000 students. Opening in the fall of 2017.
Page 11
Combine all this with easy access to the outdoor attractions in and around the area and it is not surprising
that Iowa City is consistently ranked among the best places to live and work:
Iowa City ranked #7 for “Top 10 College Town You’ll Never Want to Leave,”
collegemagazine.com, October 2015
Iowa City, ranked #1 for “The Least-Stressed Cities in America,” smartasset.com, August 2015
Iowa City, voted #3 Top Places to Live in America, outsideronline.com, August 2015
Iowa City, #8 “Top 30 Small Cities,” Area Development Magazine, June 2015
Iowa City, #21 “Best Small Cities in America 2015,” NerdWallet.com, June 2015
Iowa City, #1 “Best Cities for College Grads in 2015,” Huffingtonpost.com, May 2015
Iowa City MSA, Ranked #1 in Employment Destinations Index, AIER, May 2015
Iowa City MSA, Fastest Growing Iowa Metro and top 100 Fastest Growing Metros 2010-2014, US
Census, April 2015
Iowa City MSA, #38, “Economic Strength Rankings,” (out of 381 US Metros), POLICOM, March
2015
Iowa City, #4, “Best College Towns,” American Institute for Economic Research, February 2015
Iowa City #5, “Best-Performing Cities (Small Cities),” Milken Institute, January 2015
Iowa City #6, “Easiest Cities to Find a Job,” ZipRecruiter.com, January 2015
Iowa City #6, “The 10 Smartest Cities in America,” MarketWatch, January 2015
Iowa City, “Best in the Midwest,” The Ultimate Guide to Retirement, Money Magazine, 2016
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) designated Iowa City, the world’s third City of Literature on
Nov. 20, 2008. Iowa City joined Edinburgh, Scotland, and Melbourne,
Australia, as UNESCO Cities of Literature. Subsequent designations
have been conferred upon Dublin, Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Norwich,
England; Krakow, Poland; Heidelberg, Germany; Dunedin, New
Zealand; Granada, Spain; and Prague, Czech Republic.
Page 12
Image 18 Iowa City Old Capitol building
Iowa City was the second capital of the Iowa Territory and the first capital city of the State of Iowa. The
Old Capitol building is a National Historic Landmark in the center of the University of Iowa campus.
Iowa City is the only City of Literature in North or South America, Africa and Asia, as awarded by
UNESCO in 2008.
Image 19 Iowa City Public Library
established in 1896. Currently located in a new facility at the intersection of College and Linn Street on the downtown
Ped Mall.
Page 13
The Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) was one of the first fire departments established in Iowa. The
roots of the department go back to 1842, three years after the founding of Iowa City and four years before
Iowa’s statehood. The original firefighting equipment, consisting mostly of buckets, was stored in the
basement of the Old Capitol building. Today, the ICFD provides emergency and non-emergency services
including fire suppression, emergency medical care via basic and advanced life support services (EMS),
technical rescue, and hazardous materials response. The entire staff is dedicated to providing the highest
quality of service to the community by way of community risk reduction services to include: fire
prevention and fire code enforcement, fire and life safety education, and emergency and disaster
preparedness. The ICFD is striving to achieve a level of professionalism and efficiency that meets or
exceeds the community’s expectations. The department has been involved with the Commission on Fire
Accreditation International (CFAI) for over ten years as a means to improve service delivery through
organizational improvement. The ICFD was awarded accredited agency status in 2008 and again in 2013.
Today, the department continues to utilize the accreditation model to improve our ability to assess and
measure the efficiency and effectiveness of our programs. The department is committed to improving the
quality of life for the citizens of this community. In 2018, the department will again present itself for
review by the CFAI.
Community Legal Basis
Iowa City was created by an act of the Legislative Assembly of the Iowa Territory on January 21, 1839,
fulfilling the desire of Governor Lucas to move the capital out of Burlington and closer to the center of the
territory. This act began, “An Act to locate the Seat of Government of the Territory of Iowa . . . so soon as
the place shall be selected, and the consent of the United States obtained, the commissioners shall proceed
to lay out a town to be called “Iowa City.””
Commissioners Chauncey Swan and John Ronalds met on May 1 in the small settlement of Napoleon,
south of present day Iowa City, to select a site for the new capital city. The following day the
commissioners selected a site on bluffs above the Iowa River north of Napoleon, placed a stake in the
center of the proposed site and began planning the new capital city. Commissioner Swan, in a report to
the legislature in Burlington, described the site: “Iowa City is located on a section of land laying in the
form of an amphitheater.” By June of that year, the town had been platted and surveyed from Brown
Street in the north to Burlington Street in the south, and from the Iowa River eastward to Governor Street.
While Iowa City was selected as the territorial capital in 1839, it did not become the capital city until 1841;
after construction on the capital building had begun. The capital building was completed in 1842, and the
last four territorial legislatures and the first six Iowa General Assemblies met there until 1857, when the
state capital was moved to Des Moines.
Page 14
Image 20 Iowa Territory Centennial Three Cent Stamp
picturing the old state capitol building in Iowa City.
History of the Community
The first settlements in Iowa clustered along the Mississippi River. Dubuque, Davenport, Bloomington
(now Muscatine), Burlington, and Fort Madison sprang up from mining camp, private land reserve, boat
landing, trading-post, or military garrison into bustling frontier towns. But it was not long before the
fertile prairie to the west began to lure the pioneers away from the hills along the river. In August, 1836,
the population of the two counties in the Iowa country was 10,531. Twenty-one months later the census
showed an increase of 117%. Of the 22,859 persons then in Iowa, 7,755 (or over 33.9%) were living in
Missouri River basin counties; and after two more years, out of a total population of 43,112, over 44.1% or
19,041 people were inhabitants of inland counties.
This rapid shifting of the center of population westward brought with it the need for roads, mail routes,
and other conveniences. By no means the least persistent of the demands of the people was for the
location of the capital of the Territory to be near the center of population. Travel in those days was not the
negligible consideration it now is. Indeed, the problem of accessibility led to the opinion that the seat of
government should occupy a central position geographically as well as with respect to the mass of
population.
The First Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa, having in mind the future development of the
Territory, made provision for the establishment of the permanent seat of government at some point
within Johnson County; and Governor Robert Lucas approved the act on January 21, 1839. For three
years, or until the public buildings at Iowa City — for such was to be the name of the capital of Iowa —
were declared ready for occupancy, the Legislative Assembly was to continue to hold its meetings at
Burlington. A supplementary act authorized the Governor to "apply to Congress for a donation of, or a
pre-emption to, four sections of land on which to locate the seat of government;" while a joint resolution
instructed William W. Chapman, Territorial Delegate to Congress, to ask for a donation of "at least four
sections of land, on which to locate the seat of government of the Territory of Iowa."
Chauncey Swan, John Ronalds, and Robert Ralston, who had been appointed commissioners for that
purpose, chose the permanent site for the capital on May 4, 1839, indicating the place by a slab driven into
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Image 21 Historic State Capitol
the ground about where the Old Stone Capitol at Iowa City now stands. In October of the same year
official notice of the selection was returned to the Register of the Land Office at Dubuque.
After two years, it was seen that the capitol building at Iowa City would not be ready for occupancy at the
end of the three years allotted for the work of construction. In view of this fact, the following Legislative
Assembly would meet on the first Monday in December, 1841, at Iowa City, if "other sufficient buildings
shall be furnished for the accommodation of the Legislative Assembly, rent free." Such accommodations
were provided and in conformity with a proclamation of Governor Robert Lucas, the fourth regular
session of the Legislative Assembly convened on December 6, 1841, in the new capital city. On that day
Iowa City became the capital of Iowa in fact as well as in name.
For sixteen years, the seat of government remained at Iowa City. That thriving town beheld fourteen
sessions of the legislature and three constitutional conventions convene, accomplish their work, and
adjourn. It witnessed also, during those sixteen years, a constant stream of settlers who came to push the
frontier farther and farther toward the west. At each of the constitutional conventions and at all but two
sessions of the Legislative Assembly or General Assembly the question of re-locating the capital arose in
one form or another.
When Iowa moved its seat of government
to Des Moines, the Old Capitol was given to
the University of Iowa. The building was
used for classrooms and offices and soon
became a symbol for the University.
The delegates to the first constitutional
convention in Iowa were called to order on
October 7, 1844. When the report of the
committee on schedule — that is, the article
of the constitution providing for the
transition from Territorial to State
government — came before the assembly
on the twenty-sixth day of the same month, Mr. George Hobson of Henry County proposed as an
amendment to the section fixing the time for the first meeting of the General Assembly that Iowa City
"shall be the seat of government of the State of Iowa until the year eighteen hundred and sixty-five, and
until removed by law." The proposition was agreed to by a vote of forty-one to twenty-seven.
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Image 22 Clinton & Washington Streets (1853)
The Constitution of 1846 under which Iowa became a state, contained a provision that Iowa City "shall be
the Seat of Government of the State of Iowa, until removed by law." The failure to incorporate a clause
locating the capital at that place for any definite period, as the Constitution of 1844 had done, was
probably a concession to the southern and western portions of the territory, where a strong sentiment was
developing in favor of removing the capital farther west at no remote time. In fact, it was immediately
pointed out by those opposed to the Constitution that this was a subtle method of accomplishing the
immediate relocation of the capital; for in the General Assembly, under the new constitution, there would
be a majority of eighteen members from the south and southwest who would be inclined to vote for the
establishment of the capital at the Raccoon Forks of the Des Moines River, the location of Fort
Des Moines.
In 1857, the state capital was moved to Des Moines. Iowa City was compensated for the loss of the state
capital with the establishment of the University of Iowa, now one of the country’s top 30 public
universities with more than 30,000 students enrolled in more than 100 areas of studies.
Image 23 Herky the Hawk, athletics mascot of the University of Iowa.
There are currently two different styles of Herky costumes. The version used at football games features Herky wearing
a football helmet.
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Image 24 Department of Dance, College of Liberal Arts, the University of Iowa
Image 25 Iowa Gymnastics Training Facility
Image 26 Independence Day fireworks display from Hubbard Park, University of Iowa
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Image 27 Medical Education Research Facility, University of Iowa
Image 28 College of Public Health, University of Iowa
Image 29 Kirk Ferentz, Iowa football Head Coach since the 1999 season
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Community Financial Basis
The fire department is for the most part funded by the city’s general fund. The general fund is supported
by eight funding source areas. Property tax is the largest portion of the source areas, followed by other
taxes and charges for services. Property tax revenue of $51,492,986 is the primary funding source for
General Fund operations, providing an estimated 34% of total revenue in FY2015. The ICFD’s annual
operating and capital budget appropriated for the year ending June 30, 2015 was $8,410,949. For FY2016,
the fire department is appropriated $8,519,281.
Table 1 General Fund Revenue (2015-2018)
The City of Iowa City Finance Department provides a fiscal year budget manual to each department and
division to assist in the development of the annual budget. Each year, the departments develop a multi-
year capital outlay budget, which is reviewed and updated annually. The preparation of the City’s annual
budget includes the one-year annual budget, required by Iowa Code, and a second-year text projection as
a planning tool. The text notes permit a more comprehensive review of the City’s financial condition,
allowing analysis of current and future needs. A budget calendar is included in the budget manual to
provide further guidance in the budget process. During preparation of the plan, careful review is made of
property tax levy rates, utility and user fee requirements, ending cash balances by fund, debt service
obligations, bond financing needs, capital outlay for equipment purchases, and major capital
improvement projects. Departments are required to update their line item budgets for each activity within
the computerized public sector Munis financial software system.
The City Council sets the budget priorities and adopts the financial plan. All budgetary decisions are
approved by the City Council.
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Table 2 Capital Improvement Plan (2016-2020)
Fire Department Projects Priority 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Fire Apparatus Replacement Program 1
60,000 1,790,000
Fire/Police Storage Facility Relocation 2 700,000
Fire Training Center Relocation 2
Capital Improvement Plan, 2016 – 2020
The CIP plan fully funds the fire apparatus replacement schedule. The planned replacements will allow
the department to maintain apparatus per the approved vehicle replacement plan.
In late 2014, the fire and police departments jointly leased a storage facility just outside of the city to
provide temporary storage for a reserve apparatus, training props and miscellaneous equipment that was
previously housed in the fire department training center. The CIP provides $700,000 in 2016 to construct
a replacement storage facility.
The previously unfunded proposal to construct a fire training building, burn room, stair tower, rappelling
and search areas has been significantly revised and downsized to vastly reduce the project cost and land
space. The suggested plan is to allocate $500,000, in 2020 to replace the fire training facility that was lost to
the revitalization of the north wastewater site in 2014. An accessible training area to keep fire department
personnel well trained and in the city so as to be readily available for calls for service remains the goal.
The absence of a training center will increase risk over time due to skills degradation.
Table 3 Capital Improvement Program, Unfunded Fire Department Projects
Three of the unfunded projects are for fixed fire department facilities. Fire Stations #5 and #6 are planned
to provide acceptable travel times, and Fire Station #1 relocation is to replace the small and outdated
central station. The traffic pre-emption system and the Emerald Street diamond grinding are projects that
if funded, would improve fire department response times.
On October 7, 2015, the Iowa City Finance Director was notified that for the fourth consecutive year, the
City’s Finance Department had been awarded the national Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by
the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). On June 27, 2014, the City of Iowa City received,
for the 29th consecutive year, the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its
Capital Improvement Program , Unfunded Fire Department Projects
Project Name Description Unfunded Amount
Fire Station #1 Relocation Relocate & expand central fire station 11,593,000
Fire Station #5
Construction of Station #5 in the South
Planning District 2,898,000
Fire Station #6
Construction of Station #6 in the
Southwest Planning District 2,898,000
Traffic Signal Pre-emption System
City-wide GIS based signal pre-emption
for emergency vehicles 1,221,000
Emerald Street Diamond Grinding
Diamond grinding to remove slab
warping that interferes with the
movement of fire apparatus from
Station #2 212,000
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Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and on April 30, 2014, received word that for the 39th
consecutive year, Moody’s Investors Service had awarded the City of Iowa City an AAA bond rating, the
highest credit rating possible. The top tier AAA rating ranks Iowa City among the most financially stable
cities in the state of Iowa and the nation.
Area Description
Community Boundaries
Iowa City is located on both sides of the Iowa River in a rich agricultural area in southeast Iowa, in the
heart of the Midwest, just south of the Coralville reservoir. This location, 25 miles south of Cedar Rapids
and approximately 55 miles west of Davenport and the Mississippi River, is within easy reach of many of
the major Midwest metropolitan centers, lying 300 miles north of St. Louis, a little over 200 miles west of
Chicago, and 250 miles east of Omaha. The city covers 25.28 square miles in the central portion of
Johnson County.
Map 1 Iowa City within Johnson County within the State of Iowa
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Community Planning Areas/Zones
The concept of the census tract was first developed in the United States. In 1906, Dr. Walter Laidlaw
originated the concept of permanent, small geographic areas as a framework for studying change from
one decennial census to another in neighborhoods within New York City. After 1930, the Census Bureau
saw the need to standardize the delineation, review, and updating of census tracts and published the first
set of census tract criteria in 1934. The goal of the criteria has remained unchanged; that is, to assure
comparability and data reliability through the standardization of the population thresholds for census
tracts, as well as requiring that their boundaries follow specific types of geographic features that do not
change frequently. In the U.S., census tracts are designed to be relatively homogeneous geographic units
with respect to population characteristics, economic status, and living conditions. General demographic
information, an overview of economic conditions, and employment workforce data is available by census
tract and all fixed facilities can be identified by census tract. Iowa City includes all or portions of 16
different census tracts. The ICFD refers to the 16 tracts as Risk Management Zones (RMZs). They are
listed by their census tract number and they provide defined geographic regions for tracking incident data
and describing the built environment.
The ICFD conducts a thorough analysis of the community risks within each of the 16 RMZs. The
assessment involves an all-hazard risk assessment in each RMZ (pursuant to Criterion 2B of the CFAI
FESSAM 9th Edition).
Map 2 Iowa City Fire District with Stations
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Incident location is an important factor when conducting a community risk assessment. The department
uses two components to analyze incident locations. The components are Risk Management Zones (RMZs)
and fire station response areas (districts). Iowa City has four fire stations and four fire districts. A district
is defined as that fire station’s first-due response area.
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Map 3 Iowa City Fire District with Stations and Schools
As part of the risk assessment process, the ICFD conducts a thorough evaluation of the risks (both fire and
non-fire) within each RMZ. The assessment process identifies the maximum or worst, typical or routine,
and the remote or isolated risk(s) within each RMZ.
Maximum risks are hazards that require the most amounts of emergency resources, or that would result in
the greatest negative effect on the community. Examples include, but are not limited to, the loss of life or
property; damage to critical infrastructure, economic, historical or environmental impact, etc. Typical or
routine risks are those risks most common to an RMZ.
Community Transportation Systems
There are several modes of transportation within the city, including roadways, a municipal airport, bus
service, trails, a bicycle friendly community, and a freight-only rail line. The Johnson County Council of
Governments reports that, per the (2010) U.S. Census, Iowa City has far more pedestrian and bicycle
commuters than the rest of the state, with 15.5 percent per capita pedestrians and 2.5 percent per capita
bicyclists. The Eastern Iowa Airport, 20 miles to the northwest, is a commercial airport that provides
service to the Iowa City / Cedar Rapids area.
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Map 4 Bike Facilities in Iowa City and Coralville
Iowa City Municipal Airport Operations and Facilities
Iowa City’s general aviation airport is located on the south side of the city, two miles southwest of the
central business district. The Iowa City Municipal Airport is the second busiest general aviation airport in
the state. It has been operating since 1918 and is the oldest general aviation airport this side of the
Mississippi River. Eighty-four aircraft are based at the airport where approximately 36,000 flight
operations are conducted annually.
The Iowa City Municipal Airport does not have a significant impact
on the arterial street system. South Riverside Drive, a four-lane
arterial street provides vehicular access to the airport. Existing Iowa
City Municipal Airport facilities include two runways, the terminal
building, a maintenance facility, hangars, and the fueling facilities.
The airport terminal includes a pilots’ lounge, weather briefing room, lobby, classroom, and
administrative offices. Fueling facilities are provided for the fixed base operator.
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The fixed base operator offers fuel sales, charter service, maintenance, flight lessons, and other airport
support services. Existing runway dimensions are 3,900 x 75 feet (Runway 12-30), and 5,004 x 100 feet
(Runway 7-25), and can accommodate larger aircraft than many other general aviation airports.
The airport is utilized by single engine, twin engine, turboprop, and business
jet aircraft, along with helicopters. The airport also offers aircraft parking.
Regional access to the airport is provided by U.S. Highway 218/27, I-80, I-
380, U.S. Highway 6, and Iowa Highway 1. The airport supports 115 jobs in
the Iowa City Area and contributes $11.2 million in economic output. A
study on the economic impact of aviation in Iowa was commissioned by the
Iowa Department of Transportation and estimates that 36,450 operations
occur per year, and 70 aircraft visit the airport each week on average.
The Airport Commission voted in 2009 to change the traffic patterns on
Runway 7 and 12 to right-hand traffic. The change provides increased safety for separation between
aircraft and helicopter traffic landing at the UI Hospitals & Clinics. In addition, aircraft landing traffic
patterns are shifted away from the residential areas to the north and northwest of the airport.
Waterways
The Iowa River runs through the City of Iowa City. Approximately 300 miles long, the Iowa River is open
to traffic to Iowa City, about 65 miles from its mouth. The river is dammed to create the Coralville
reservoir just north of Iowa City to provide flood control and recreation.
Map 5 Coralville Lake
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On June 15, 2008, the Iowa River in Iowa City crested at 31.53 feet. Major flood stage is 25 feet. Frequent
and heavy rainfall events in late May and early June caused record flooding. Coralville Lake, the man-
made reservoir built to control flooding, topped at a record 717.02 feet above sea level, five feet above the
dam’s emergency spillway.
The flood of 2008 was severe in many eastern Iowa communities. Nearly 800 homes and 260 businesses
were damaged in Iowa City, Coralville, and rural Johnson County. Critical infrastructures such as
drinking water and wastewater facilities were threatened. Many major roads and highways throughout
Iowa were closed during the flooding.
Image 30 Flood waters over the emergency spillway at the Coralville Dam (2008)
Image 31 Coralville Lake: record high crest at 717.02 feet above sea level
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Map 6 Iowa River 500-year floodplain and 2008 flood
Map 7 Iowa City 100 and 500 year floodplains
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Image 32 2008 Flood, ICFD Training Center (tan building on the right)
Image 33 2008 Flood, The University of Iowa Memorial Union
Image 34 2008 Flood, University of Iowa Advanced Technology Research Facility
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Image 35 Pre-Flood: Normandy Drive, Idyllwild, N Dubuque Street & Lower City Park
Image 36 2008 Flood: Normandy Drive, Idyllwild, N Dubuque Street & Lower City Park
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Highways
Four highways run through Iowa City: U.S. 218/27, Iowa 1, and U.S. 6. Interstate 80 runs east-west along
the northern edge of Iowa City. U.S. Highway 218/27 (The Avenue of the Saints) runs north south along
the western edge of the city.
Map 8 Iowa City Arterial Street
Thousands of trips per day are made on the streets, roads, highways, and interstates that go through Iowa
City. If the designated capacity of the roadway is exceeded, the potential for a major incident increases.
Weather conditions play a major factor in the ability of traffic to flow safely in and through the city, as
does the time of day and the day of the week. Although certain intersections may pose a higher risk than
others due to a tight turning radius or low sight distance, traffic volume also plays a role, as streets with
more traffic are more likely to experience a higher incident of accidents.
Rail
Iowa City is served by the freight-only Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) and the Cedar Rapids and Iowa
City Railway (CRANDIC). The main products handled by the IAIS, a class II railroad, include farm
products, food products, transportation equipment, waste and scrap products, and metals. The CRANDIC
is a class III railroad. The main products handled by the CRANDIC include food products, coal, grain,
paper, and hazardous materials.
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First Avenue Grade Separation Project
Approximately 13,000 vehicles use First Avenue daily, with future volumes projected to increase
moderately. Each day, between two and four trains block First Avenue, causing conflicts, major traffic
delays, and delays in our ability to provide emergency services. Traffic studies have shown that on average,
whenever the crossing is blocked, 288 vehicles idle in traffic for 10 to 20 minutes, while another 392
vehicles seek other routes, including the nearest grade-separated crossing on Summit Street, a four-mile
detour.
Construction on a grade separation project began in April of 2015. The plan involves lowering First
Avenue while raising the railroad at the current at-grade crossing of the Iowa Interstate Railroad. The City
of Iowa City has designated funds, along with support from federal funding, to design and construct the
separation between the railroad and vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Included in this project will be a new
railroad bridge, street paving, water main improvements, and other related work. The project will
decrease risk to this portion of Iowa City and improve fire department response reliability by eliminating
the blockage of traffic along First Avenue caused by passing trains.
Image 37 First Avenue Grade Separation
The city and the surrounding areas stand to benefit from other proposed rail improvements. The Iowa
Department of Transportation is working to initiate a new commuter-oriented passenger rail service in
the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Corridor on the CRANDIC lines. The corridor is well-located to serve
commuters traveling from Cedar Rapids, North Liberty, and Coralville to Iowa City’s downtown and the
University of Iowa.
In 2010, the State of Iowa received $230 million in transportation appropriation funds to create a new
intercity passenger-rail service between Chicago and Iowa City via the Quad Cities, by upgrading 131
miles of track to meet FRA Class IV requirements, which will enable 79 mph passenger-rail operations.
The project is moving forward in the state of Illinois but political support in Iowa has waned.
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Transit Service
Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and the University of Iowa Campus provide public transportation.
Iowa City has a higher than average number of buses and public transportation options compared to most
other cities in Iowa. The 2010 Census showed that among similarly sized communities, the Iowa City
Urbanized Area ranked tenth in the country for percentage of persons using public transit to get to work
at 5.3 percent. The next highest percentage for a metropolitan area in Iowa was 1.6 percent. The Iowa City
Urbanized Area also ranked third highest in the country for persons walking to work at 10 percent.
Map 9 Iowa City Transit Routes
Iowa City Transit is the primary provider of public transit in the north district. Two bus routes offer
residents of the north district connections to downtown Iowa City, the University of Iowa, and to other
destinations in the Iowa City area. The Manville Heights route provides transportation to the western
portion of the district, while the North Dodge route provides service in the eastern half of the district. The
University of Iowa’s CAMBUS provides fixed route service to campus facilities and the University of Iowa
Bionic Bus and the Johnson County SEATS provide para-transit for persons with disabilities.
Community Critical Infrastructure
(e.g. water supply distribution, storm drainage, etc.)
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Iowa City’s growth policy is an integral part of the Comprehensive Plan in three ways: 1) It defines a long-
range planning boundary for Iowa City; 2) It establishes when annexations should occur; and 3) It
establishes where the investment of public funds for infrastructure and improvements should occur
(namely roads, water, and sewer).
The Growth Boundary defines the city’s potential corporate limits – land that, for the purposes of long-
range planning, is projected to serve the city’s growth need for 30-40 years. Sanitary sewer and streets are
the most expensive items of public infrastructure that must be provided to all new development within the
City.
Map 10 Iowa City Growth Boundary
Land included in the growth area must have the potential to be connected to the sewer system, which is
based on watershed boundaries. Guiding new developments to watersheds that can be served by gravity
flow to the City’s sewage treatment plant enables the most cost effective provision of this essential City
service. The growth boundary is used when making decisions regarding the extension of infrastructure,
the approval of subdivisions, the approval of agreements with other governmental jurisdictions regarding
growth, and in response to annexation requests. In addition, the City coordinates with private utilities to
ensure that areas proposed for development can be fully served.
A Public Works land inventory completed in 2008 indicates that Iowa City had more than 1,496 acres of
vacant residential land within city limits, mostly in the South and Northeast District. The designated
growth area contains an additional 3,095 acres of vacant residential land. If future residential development
occurs at densities similar to recent development patterns, Iowa City could reach build out capacity in
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2034. However, if residential development were to maximize current zoning capacity, Iowa City would
not reach build out capacity until 2055. Infill development at higher densities would absorb some housing
demand, thus conserving farmland and maximizing the use of infrastructure.
Map 11 Potential Development Areas: Perimeter of Iowa City
When the City prioritizes public investment in infrastructure and public amenities, improvements that
serve properties within the corporate limits of Iowa City that further the City’s policy of compact and
contiguous growth, including urban infill development, should be given priority. This policy will guide
decision-making for the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP is one of the most effective
tools the City has to affect the timing and direction of growth. Historically, the City invested in
infrastructure to accommodate moderate growth rather than building infrastructure prior to
development. In the future, City Council will use the CIP to effectively guide the location and timing of
growth in the community through an annual review and prioritization of the CIP prior to the budget
process.
Area Development
Growth Boundaries
While continued development of new neighborhoods and employment areas are anticipated in the City’s
growth area, a significant policy focus for the City is to accommodate growth to the extent possible by
facilitating higher density urban infill development, such as in the Riverfront Crossings District, and
through stabilization and revitalization efforts in existing neighborhoods and commercial areas.
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Map 12 Riverfront Crossing District
In 2014, the City of Iowa City completed its $50 million Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion project;
the largest public works project ever undertaken by the City. The work involved permanently shutting
down operations at the 80-year-old North Plant, located on South Clinton Street, and expanding the
newer South Wastewater Treatment Plant on Napoleon Street. The plant is state-of-the-art, utilizing
innovative modern designs, and natural bioprocesses that are inspired by nature to treat the wastewater
and return it to the Iowa River. Unlike the hazardous chemicals that were used in the past, these eco-
friendly processes ultimately protect our community and our environment, including the restored
wetlands and prairie that surround the facility, where grasses, wildflowers, birds, and wildlife abound.
The $26.5 million expansion at Iowa City’s south wastewater treatment plant doubled its capacity from 5
million gallons per day (MGD) to 10 MGD. The expansion provided Iowa City with the opportunity to
configure the system to serve long-term city growth and allow the phase out of the older, downtown north
wastewater treatment plant.
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Image 38 Iowa City's Wastewater Treatment Plant
Iowa City’s water treatment plant went online in 2003. The plant was designed to treat five different
sources of water including surface water. The primary source of water utilized by the city is water from
alluvial wells. Deep wells include two Jordan wells (approximately 1,600 feet deep) and four Silurian wells
(approximately 400 feet deep). There are four alluvial wells, shallow wells approximately 40 feet deep that
use the sands and gravel adjacent to the river to naturally filter impurities from the raw source before
reaching the purification facility. Surface water sources include the Iowa River and a manmade lake
located on the facility site. Because of the many water sources on two water well sites, Iowa City has the
ability to provide an excellent blend of high quality water as well as an abundant capacity. After blending
the water, it is purified through an aerator; softened to improve clarity and reduce water hardness; re-
carbonated to stabilize the water for customer use; filtered to remove particle traces and improve taste;
and then disinfected and fluoridated. The water is then ready for consumption.
Image 39 Iowa City Water Treatment Plant
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The City of Iowa City, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report lists the following critical infrastructure
assets:
Miles of water main: 271
Number of city owned fire hydrants: 3,385
Map 13 Iowa City Hydrant Locations
Daily average consumption of water in gallons: 5,640,000
Maximum daily capacity of water treatment plant in gallons: 16,700,000
Maximum storage capacity in gallons: 9,000,000
Sanitation Landfill: 411 acres
Landfill tonnage: 115,624
Miles of sanitary sewer: 298
Miles of storm sewer: 131
Daily average wastewater treatment in gallons: 10,020,000
Maximum daily wastewater treatment capacity of plant in gallons: 41,100,000
Streets (in miles): 279
Street lights: 3,412
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The map below shows fire flow density based on flow tests for a sample of 100 fire hydrants. The
concentrations of higher flow hydrants are well suited for parts of the city that are the most populated and
have higher property values.
Map 14 Fire Hydrant Flow Density
Community Land Use and Zoning
The character and future of Iowa City is set by the imagination, vision and commitment of the people who
live and work here. The Urban Planning Office engages the general public in comprehensive and district
planning. The Urban Planning Office reviews and makes recommendations for the Iowa City Planning
and Zoning Commission on applications for rezoning, street vacations, annexations, subdivisions, and
changes in the Iowa City Zoning Code.
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Map 15 Iowa City Zoning Map
The Comprehensive Plan is often referred to as a roadmap for directing growth and change over time. It
describes a broad vision for the kind of community Iowa City should be and the steps necessary to get
there. The Comprehensive Plan guides decisions on planning and development issues as they arise and
evolve as amendments are made.
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Map 16 Future Land Use
The City of Iowa City adopted an updated Comprehensive Plan in May of 2013. The new plan, Iowa City
2030, sets a foundation for moving our community forward on a path to sustainability. The plan sets forth
a general vision and a broad set of goals to guide future development within the city. It includes a Future
Land Use Map with general designations of appropriate land uses and density of development in relation
to available infrastructure. A sustainability assessment completed in the summer of 2013 provides baseline
data that may be used to set measurable targets and goals in areas such as energy and water conservation,
resource management and community wellness.
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Map 17 Iowa City Planning Districts
The district planning process involves extensive citizen participation focusing on ten district areas of the
community. Detailed plans have been developed for eight of the ten planning districts. These plans
address the unique issues and opportunities in each district. Once adopted by the City Council, the district
plans become part of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan. The most recently adopted plan is the
Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan.
Community Topography
The Iowa glacial plain was formed by five different glaciers. The last glacier, which covered about one-fifth
of the state’s area, retreated from the north-central region some 10,000 years ago, leaving the topsoil as its
legacy. Glacial drift formed the small lakes in the north. The oldest rock outcropping, located in the state’s
northwest corner, is about 1 billion years old.
The topography of Iowa consists of a gently rolling plain that slopes from the highest point of 1,670 ft.
(509 m) in the northwest to the lowest point of 480 ft. (146 m) in the southeast at the mouth of the Des
Moines River. About two-thirds of the state lies between 800 ft. (244 m) and 1,400 ft. (427 m) above sea
level; the mean elevation of land is 1,100 ft. (336 m). Iowa City has a wide range of elevations, generally
sloping from the hills on the northeast and west sides of town down toward the Iowa River and areas
toward the south of town. The average elevation for the city is 668 feet (203.6 m) above sea level from a
low of 630 feet (192.04m) to a high of 817 feet (249.04 m).
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Map 18 Iowa City Landscapes
Supremely well suited for agriculture, Iowa has the richest and deepest topsoil in the US and an excellent
watershed. Approximately two-thirds of the state’s area is drained by the Mississippi River, which forms
the entire eastern boundary, and its tributaries. The western part of the state is drained by the Missouri
River and its tributaries. Iowa has 13 natural lakes.
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Community Geography
Iowa City is within the regional geographic units, which define its vegetation, topography, and geology.
The EPA’s Level IV Eco-regions (2002) identifies the Southern Iowa Rolling Loess Prairies, a region
known for its undulating and rolling landscapes, and the Interior River Lowlands as the sub-regions of
local prominence.
Community Geology
Iowa’s bedrock geology generally increases in age from west to east. In northwest Iowa, Cretaceous
bedrock can be 74 million years old, in eastern Iowa Cambrian bedrock dates to 500 million years ago.
Buried deeply within Iowa’s bedrock, the Midcontinent Rift System can be seen clearly in magnetic
anomaly maps of Iowa. This billion-year-old tectonic plate scar extends from Kansas through Lake
Superior. This rift is not seismically active. No major active fault lines exist in Iowa, and Iowa is one of the
most seismically stable states in the US. Apart from a 1968 Illinois earthquake, which caused the water
tower at Lineville, Iowa to leak, no injuries or significant damage has ever been caused by earthquakes in
Iowa. Lake earthquakes associated with the New Madrid Fault of far southern Illinois and Missouri can
occasionally be felt in eastern Iowa.
Map 19 Bedrock Geologic Map of Iowa
Iowa is generally not flat; most of the state consists of rolling hills. Iowa can be divided into eight
landforms based on glaciation, soils, topography and river drainage. Iowa City lies within the Southern
Iowa drift plain. The SIDP is probably the most familiar landscape to travelers, since most of Interstate 80
in Iowa runs through the SIDP. The classic Iowa landscape, consisting of rolling hills of Wisconsin-age
loess on Illinoisan (or earlier) till. The SIDP is some of the most productive agricultural land in the world.
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Community Physiography
Floods in 1993 washed away all the soil and unconsolidated bedrock along the spillway of the Coralville
Lake Dam, just two miles north of Iowa City, exposing a rich collection of Devonian-age fossils. This area
has been transformed into a visitors’ center, where hikers can tour the bedrock. The June 2008 floods
expanded the fossil bed floor, and removed some of the weathered overburden.
Historically, Iowa was a significant coal producer. Iowa coal tends to be too high in sulfur for modern
applications, and the last commercial mine closed in 1994. Iowa has very limited natural gas and oil
production.
Like most Upper Midwest and Plains states, radon is a common problem in Iowa, especially in areas with
clay-rich soils.
The elements of terrain and vegetation interplay across the city. Terrain that is present includes:
Level and gently undulating uplands
Nearly level stream courses, floodplains, bottomlands
Open slopes and ravines
Rolling uplands
Vegetation/Habitat features that are present in Iowa City include:
Forests
Woodlands
Prairie
Wetlands
Landscape elements and features combine to create a mosaic of different habitats in different terrain
settings throughout the city. As a river city, its geographical location grants close proximity to the Iowa
River. Locally prominent limestone, shale, and dolomite outcrops line the remnant bluffs and terraces
above the river’s edge, which sometimes hint at the former course before the Iowa River channelized to
control flooding.
Local habitats are representative of statewide ecosystems commonly found within the general categories of
Forest, Open Woodland, Savanna, Wetland, and Prairie terrestrial habitats dissected by aquatic habitats
found with the Iowa River and its tributaries. Aquatic habitats within Iowa City include the Iowa River,
Rapid Creek, Ralston Creek, Clear Creek, and Snyder Creek.
Community Climate
Like most cities in the upper Midwest and due to its location in the central portion of North America, the
climate is continental in character. Iowa City experiences four seasons annually – spring, summer, fall,
and winter. Because it is far from the influence of a large body of water, a wide variation in both
temperature and precipitation during four seasons is common.
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Map 20 Yearly Average Precipitation (1981-2010)
Spring ushers in the beginning of the severe weather season. Iowa averages about 50 days of thunderstorm
activity per year. Iowa City’s climate is warm and humid during the summer with daytime temperatures
often near 90 degrees Fahrenheit and very cold during the winter when temperatures drop well below
freezing. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average maximum temperature of 87.5 degrees
Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January, with an average minimum temperature of 13.4
degrees Fahrenheit. The highest recorded temperature was 104 degrees Fahrenheit in 1988, while the
lowest recorded temperature was -26 degrees Fahrenheit in 1996.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that
can reach 21 degrees Fahrenheit, and limited during winter with an average difference of 17 Degrees
Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation in Iowa City is 37.27 inches. Rainfall is evenly distributed
throughout the year.
The pattern of precipitation across Iowa is seasonal, with more rain falling in the summer months.
Summer precipitation results primarily from thunderstorm activity, although longer, less intense rains are
common in the area. Other forms of precipitation recorded in the area include snow, hail, ice pellets, and
sleet. The month of June is typically the wettest month. The annual snowfall average based on weather
data collected from 1981 to 2010, from the NOAA National Climate Data Center is 27.2 inches.
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The following data tables contain Iowa City’s weather information, which was provided by the weather
base in March 2016.
Table 4 Monthly Weather Averages, Summary
Average Temperature Years on Record: 30
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
F 50 22.1 26.3 38.6 51 61.4 71.5 74.8 72.7 64.2 52 39 25.2
Average High Temperature Years on Record: 30
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
F 59.6 30 34.3 48.2 61.7 71.9 81.6 84.6 82.6 75.9 62.9 47.7 33
Average Low Temperature Years on Record: 30
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
F 40.4 14.3 18.3 29.1 40.2 50.9 61.3 65 62.8 52.5 41.1 30.2 17.5
Average Precipitation Years on Record: 30
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
in. 36.3 0.9 1.2 2.2 3.5 4.2 4.6 5 4.5 3.4 2.9 2.4 1.5
Highest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 26
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
F 109 61 66 84 92 105 105 109 108 99 94 81 67
Lowest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 25
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
F -23 -23 -23 -16 13 27 37 45 39 24 11 -4 -19
F = Degrees Fahrenheit; in. = Inches of Precipitation
Although weather impedance to emergency response is rare, the consideration of such a factor is still
important. Seventy-three snow and ice events were reported in Johnson County, Iowa, between 1950 and
2005, including freezing rain, ice storms, heavy snow, and winter storms. Heavy snow and ice can
seriously impede response times as it did in 2007 when large amounts of rain and slush suddenly froze
leaving thick icy ruts forcing emergency response vehicles to reduce their speed. Heavy equipment was
eventually used to scrape the pavements clean but for several weeks the impact was measurable and led to
numerous broken axles and springs on emergency response vehicles.
Table 5 Average Snowfall, Rainy Days, Relative Humidity
Average Snowfall Years on Record: 63
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
in. 28.4 7.7 6.7 5 1 --- --- --- --- --- 0.2 1.8 6
Average Number of Rainy Days Years on Record: 99
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Days 64.8 3.7 3.6 5.3 6.1 6.9 7.5 6.9 6.6 6 4.5 3.8 3.9
Average Relative Humidity Years on Record: 6
ANNUAL JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
% 74 79 78 75 67 70 75 76 77 75 69 72 78
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Image 40 Iowa City Streets Department at work
There are no large bodies of water between the Rockies and Iowa, so meteorologists say Iowa is in the
“rain-shadow” of the mountains. This means most of the time the west winds that cross Iowa are dry and
hot. Cool, dry air from the north provides relief from summer heat or it can make it even colder in the
winter. Southerly winds coming up from the Gulf of Mexico provide most of Iowa’s precipitation.
Any of these systems can be in place for a long period of time. They produce stable, sometimes pleasant,
sometimes unpleasant weather conditions. Long periods of hot, dry winds from the west can cause
drought conditions. A continuous stream of moisture-rich air from the south can cause flooding. When
any two of the systems collide, there is a good chance there will be an outbreak of severe weather.
On the evening of April 13, 2006, a severe storm consisting of large hail and tornadoes struck Iowa City,
causing severe property damage and displacing many from their homes, including University of Iowa
students. The storm left a path of destruction three and a half miles long and a third of a mile wide. The
National Weather Service reported five to six tornadoes in Johnson County, two of which touched down
in Iowa City, and one of which was classified as an EF-2 tornado, with winds over 150 miles per hour. It
was the first tornado recorded to directly hit Iowa City. No serious injuries were reported.
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Map 21 April 2006 Tornado Path and Damage Amounts
Iowa City is located in tornado alley and within Wind Zone 4, the highest wind zone in the country. Per
NOAA records, Iowa City is in an area experiencing 20-30 significant tornadoes per 100-year period,
providing an average of one event every four years. For that reason, the entire jurisdiction is at risk of
experiencing a tornado or a windstorm. The April 2006 tornado with EF-2 magnitude winds caused $12
million in damage.
Image 41 Iowa Avenue following April 2006 tornado
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Image 42 Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, 828 E Washington Street, Iowa City
Image 43 St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Iowa City
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Demographic Features
Community Population/Population Densities
While many communities in Iowa and the rural Midwest are losing population, Iowa City continues to
grow. Between 1960 and 1970, the population grew by 40%. Another period of considerable population
growth occurred between 1990 and 2000 when population increased by 18%. Such growth is not a new
trend: Iowa City’s population has increased during every decade for the past century. Per the 2010 Census,
Iowa City had a population of 67,862, a 9.1% increase over the 2000 Census. The US Census Bureau in
2014 estimates Iowa City’s population to be 73,415, an 8.1% increase over the 2010 Census. In 2016, the
US Census Bureau indicates that Iowa City’s population grew by 9.1% from 2010 to present and that
Johnson County was the second fastest growing county in the state. A linear projection model estimates
that by 2030 the population of Iowa City will be approximately 84,000. Adding to the permanent
population are more than a million visitors each year who come to enjoy cultural events and art exhibits,
to attend Big Ten athletic events, and to participate in the many conferences and educational programs
scheduled at the university year-round.
Map 22 Population Density by Census Blocks, 2010
Risk Management Zone (RMZ) population densities per the 2010 Census:
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RMZ Population Density
1 1,071
4 1,349
5 4,355
6 6,249
11 10,808
12 4,080
13 4,232
14 4,087
15 4,477
16 17,587
17 1,835
18 2,600
21 10,890
23 3,262
104 14
105 1,837
Map 23 2010 Population Density by RMZ
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Community Demographic Features
Higher education (the University of Iowa and Kirkwood Community College), exert a major influence on
the demography of Iowa City. The student population of over 31,000 (22,354 undergraduates, 5,616
graduate and professional, 1,417 post-doctoral) makes Iowa City’s median age (25.4 years) young,
especially for Iowa. Iowa City is also one of the most educated communities in the country: 95.7% of
residents age 25 years and older have a high school diploma; 59.9% of residents 25 years and older have a
bachelor’s degree or higher.
College age residents and young adults comprise nearly half of Iowa City’s population, with those between
the ages of 18 and 24 accounting for 32.5% of the total population. From 2000 to 2012 this segment of the
population grew by 10% (from 20,438 persons to 22,708 persons). Meanwhile, the number of young adult
residents aged 25-34 increased by 9.4% (from 10,218 to 11,183 persons), accounting for 12% of Iowa City’s
total population.
Senior citizens and those approaching retirement age are by far the fastest growing age groups due to the
aging Baby Boom generation and Iowa City’s allure as a regional retirement destination. Census data from
2000 to 2010 reflects an 81% increase in the number of residents age 55 to 64, and a 26.5% increase in
residents age 65 and over.
Figure 1 Percentage of Population in Selected Age Groups (2010)
An increase in the incidents of cooking fires in 2014 and 2015 in RMZ 4, 18, and 105 is believed to be
linked to a demographic high in older adults and college age young adults.
8%
18%
59%
15%
Percentage of Popula4on in Selected Age Groups 2010
Seniors (65+) Boomers (45-65) Young Adults (18-44) Children (under 18)
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Figure 2 Assist Invalid by RMZ (2011-2015)
Likewise, a 79.2% increase from 2010 to 2015 in calls categorized as “assist invalid” are likely due to a
similar shift in demographics.
Per the 2010 Census, Iowa City experienced a decline in residents between the ages of 35 and 54 years of
age – an age cohort that one might think of as the “family” years. The number of residents age 35 to 44
shows a decline of 13.5%, while the number of residents age 45 to 54 dropped by 6.9%. The only other
group to experience a decline was the number of children 10-14 years of age, which dropped by 8%.
The effect of community demographics on service demands is perhaps best demonstrated in a chart that
tracts emergency medical (EMS) calls for service within each risk management zone (RMZ). EMS calls
represented 63.49% of all incidents in 2014.
1 4 5 6 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 23 104 105
2011 10 21 6 0 2 0 8 16 0 2 3 19 2 2 0 10
2012 17 39 9 0 2 2 10 28 3 4 5 15 3 1 0 4
2013 16 39 7 0 0 2 17 35 10 3 3 11 13 2 2 11
2014 11 35 5 4 7 2 11 30 8 4 8 25 16 0 0 9
2015 15 44 14 2 1 5 9 25 6 5 9 17 10 2 1 16
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50 Assist Invalid by RMZ, 2011-2015
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Figure 3 EMS by Risk Management Zone (2011-2015)
RMZ 4 includes a higher percentage of minority and low to moderate income populations while RMZ 4,
14, 18, and 105 include higher percentages of senior citizens and older adults. RMZ 21 is a tract that is
densely populated with college age young adults.
The 2010 Census shows that a full third of Iowa City households (9,488) consisted of single persons.
Another 23% of households (6,426) are classified as non-family – that is people living together who are
unrelated by birth or marriage. In Iowa City, the average household size is 2.22 persons, just below the
state (2.41) and national (2.58) averages. More than half of all households in Iowa City are renters.
The growth in the number of young adults and seniors, along with the changing size and configuration of
households, has important implications for future development. Iowa City is experiencing increasing
demand for higher-density housing located in walkable neighborhoods, especially those close to
downtown and campus, and for more housing options to accommodate seniors and empty-nesters.
Meanwhile, stable neighborhoods with affordable housing and quality schools are essential to ensuring
that Iowa City remains an attractive place for families with children.
As of the 2010 Census, there were 67,862 people, 27,657 households, and 11,743 families residing in the
city. The population density was 2,713.4 inhabitants per square mile. There were 29,270 housing units at
an average density of 1,170.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 82.5% White, 5.8%
African American, 0.2% Native American, 6.9% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more
1 4 5 6 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 23 104 105
2011 134 276 87 76 117 79 77 201 65 193 217 373 338 111 36 158
2012 193 302 122 86 130 60 71 225 72 227 224 420 347 137 59 141
2013 204 279 123 106 177 100 73 346 88 192 234 502 395 125 49 195
2014 172 315 126 98 124 57 71 336 74 231 199 564 456 138 56 225
2015 197 357 177 102 120 56 73 361 91 238 274 533 507 172 38 191
0
100
200
300
400
500
600 EMS by Risk Management Zone
2011-2015
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races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 5.3% of the population. The chart below shows the racial mix of
the city.
Figure 4 Population by Race (2010)
Foreign-born persons made up 11.8% of the population and 15.7% of the population spoke a language
other than English at home. The gender makeup of the city was 49% male and 50.3% female.
Figure 5 Languages other than English spoken at home
There were 27,657 households of which 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.5%
were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a
male householder with no wife present, and 57.5% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made
up of individuals and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.88. Median household income, 2009-2013, was
White Alone, 82.5%
Other Race Alone or
in CombinaGon,
17.5%
Black Alone,
5.8%
American
Indian/
Alaska
NaGve alone,
0.2%
Asian Alone, 6.9% Some Other Race
Alone, 2.1%
Population 2010 by Race
30%
29%
32%
9%
Languages other than English spoken at home
Spanish Other Indo -European Language Asian and Pacific Islander language Other languages
Page 57
$41,410. The level of persons below poverty level for the same period was 28.2%. The median value of
owner-occupied housing units was $180,900. The percentage of housing units in multi-unit structures was
45.6%. Mean travel time to work was 16.3 minutes.
At-risk populations include 10,939 children (those under 18 years), 6,020 seniors (65 years or older), and
about 353 individuals with physical and/or mental disabilities. It is assumed that these groups are more
likely to require assistance during times of disaster and therefore are considered more “at-risk” than the
remaining population.
The chart that follows quantifies incidents by group and by RMZ for calendar year 2015. Population
increases in RMZ 4, 17, and 105 will impact the probability of service demand increases going forward.
Within these three RMZs, the agency experienced 21.8% of all incidents for this calendar year.
Figure 6 Incidents by Group and RMZ (2015)
1 4 5 6 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 23 104 105
Fire 10 18 13 6 7 6 0 15 4 28 16 31 21 14 0 9
False Call 81 67 30 46 76 25 11 32 11 85 69 54 141 138 10 50
Haz-mat 14 7 10 10 10 5 1 10 7 13 11 12 12 4 4 2
Good Intent 36 40 25 37 25 10 7 18 9 51 37 89 83 44 35 11
Service 25 53 23 4 4 8 10 36 9 14 27 37 24 10 4 20
Other 5 7 1 4 3 1 3 3 1 6 3 4 5 7 1 0
EMS/Rescue 226 369 197 120 134 60 77 376 96 268 299 562 585 193 42 195
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000 Incidents by Group and by RMZ
2015
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B. History of the Agency
Legal Establishment of the Fire Department
The code of Iowa grants the City of Iowa City the authority to establish, house, equip, staff, uniform, and
maintain a fire department. The Iowa City Fire Department was established by city ordinance on February
1, 1874. According to the proceedings of the Fourth Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa, Council
File 109, a bill authorizing the Iowa City Fire Engine Company was approved in February 1842, largely for
the protection of what was then the new state capitol building, known now as “Old Capitol.” The
company was finally formed on January 31, 1844. The Iowa City Fire Engine Company apparently went
out of existence sometime in the late 1840s or early 1850s. Then in 1861, in response to a fire that burned
most of the buildings on Dubuque Street between Iowa Avenue and Washington Street, the City Council
passed an ordinance to “establish companies in Iowa City.”
Major Historical Milestones of the Department
Fire protection was an essential component of public safety when Iowa was on the frontier, just as it is
now. Then, the position of firefighter was filled by a dedicated volunteer who was willing to sacrifice his
time, energy, health and even his life to help protect the community. At some point in each town and city,
these volunteer firefighters stopped simply congregating at the scene of a fire and formed themselves into
fire companies and fire departments. Through an 87-year “volunteer era” of the fire department in Iowa
City, there were 12 separate fire companies. Together, these fire companies had well over 400 volunteers.
Some of the companies lasted only a few years while others remained active for decades. There were as
many as six different fire companies in Iowa City at one time. Eventually, they were grouped under the
umbrella name of the Iowa City Fire Department, while maintaining their individual identities and
functions. These volunteer fire companies performed a much-needed public service, which Iowa City
could not have otherwise afforded at the time.
As a result of a citizens’ petition, the City Council ordered the marshal to “procure, upon the best possible
terms, three-story, two-story, and two 14-foot ladders, six poles with the necessary hooks, chains, and
ropes, together with a carriage suitable for the conveyance of the same, and to provide a suitable central
place for the keeping of the same.” Thus, Iowa City Fire Company #1 was formed on October 26, 1855,
and was equipped with the items that the marshal bought in 1854. They may have had a hand engine,
because on August 11, 1856, the Council recommended the expenditure of $300 for the purchase of a fire
engine.
In 1861, the City Council passed an ordinance to establish fire companies in Iowa City. The council also
authorized the purchase of equipment for firefighters. The equipment was pulled to the fire by horses
hired for each alarm from the nearby livery. Once on the scene of a fire, the pump was powered by hand
by firefighters to add pressure to water from the mains.
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Image 44 Five firefighters taking possession of Snowball and Highball (1912)
Fire Chief Jim Clark is second from the left.
In 1872, in response to a fire that destroyed the famous Clinton House Hotel, the city council agreed to
purchase $500 worth of fire-fighting equipment, including hook and ladder equipment and buckets. This
led to the founding of the entity named the Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD). The new equipment
brought about the formation of a second fire company. With the formation of two independent fire
companies, the ICFD was established by ordinance on February 1, 1874.
The ordinance provided for companies of fire wardens, horsemen, engine men, and ladder men. These
companies were autonomous and task specific, but unlike rival companies in other cities, they were
considered part of one fire department. They operated under the supervision of a fire chief and two
assistant chiefs. All fire apparatus was placed under the care of the fire chief who was required to make a
quarterly report to the City Council on the condition of the fire department. Despite these improvements,
large fires were still fought by calling on unorganized spectators to assist the firefighters. Throughout the
1870s newspapers called for the city to double the number of firefighters, arguing that the only proper way
to fight fires was with many “disciplined men” supervised by a “competent head.” In 1881, Iowa City built
a new city hall at the corner of Linn and Washington Streets. ICFD headquarters were moved to the new
building.
In 1883, a second fire station, the Alert Hose House, was built at 206 North Linn Street. The station was
equipped with a four-wheel hose cart to protect the north end of the city. This was the first substation of
the ICFD, and signaled a change in fire protection from the downtown business section toward residential
neighborhoods.
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Image 45 Alert Hose House, built in 1883, was Iowa City's first substation.
In 1890, the Iowa State Legislature passed a law allowing second-class cities (those with a population
between 2,000 and 15,000) to levy a tax, “For the purpose of maintaining a fire department.” As a result,
the city was able to purchase more equipment. An even greater impact on the department was the
provision within the law that allowed cities to pay firefighters for their time spent at fires.
Image 46 New Year's Eve Celebration Program (1887)
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Image 47 Gravestone of Lycurgus Leek,
Iowa City's first line of duty death
The fire department improved its alarm system at about this time. By 1897, there were eight municipal
alarm boxes set up on corners throughout the city. They were connected to a striker at the chief’s
residence, the water works and at Foster and Thompsons’s Livery Barn. There were indicators at City Hall
and at the Alert Hose Company to tell the firefighters the vicinity of the alarm.
On Saturday, June 19, 1897, the ICFD lost its first firefighter at an emergency incident. The Mechanics
Academy, which served as the University of Iowa’s Library, was struck by lightning at about four o’clock
in the morning. Lycurgus (Kirk) Leek of the Protection Engine and Hose Company No. 1 was fighting the
fire on the third floor when the roof collapsed. He was knocked unconscious and perished in the fire. Mr.
Leek is buried at Oakland Cemetery. His headstone reads, “Lycurgus Leek who sacrificed his life June 19,
1897, while fulfilling the duty of a volunteer fireman, aged 40 years, 4 months, 4 days.”
Lycurgus Leek’s death almost led to the disbanding of the ICFD.
Some citizens had charged that his death was due to the
department’s incapacitation caused by too much alcohol consumed
by its members at the fire fighters’ tournament held in Iowa City
earlier that week. To their credit, the local newspapers whole-
heartedly supported the firefighters. They called on residents to
remember the good service provided by the fire department over the
years.
A large fire at the Metropolitan Block at the corner of Dubuque and
Washington Streets (the current location of the Jefferson Hotel) in
1912 led to three major improvements. The first was the purchase of
Snow Ball and High Ball, Iowa City’s famous matched white fire
horses. Snow Ball and High Ball were quartered at the Alert Hose
Company on North Linn to pull the hose cart.
Image 48 Highball and Snowball responding to a call (1912)
The second was the purchase of the city’s first motorized 1912 Seagrave fire apparatus. The truck was
purchased on January 13 and was housed at the City Hall building.
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Image 49 Iowa City's first motorized 1912 Seagrave fire apparatus (February 1913)
Image 50 Iowa City's first motorized fire apparatus, delivered in January of 1912
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The third was the institution of a paid department. On October 1, 1912, James Clark, Herman Amish and
George Kasper were hired as Iowa City’s first full time paid firefighters. James Clark was named chief. He
and Herman Amish were stationed at headquarters. George Kasper was stationed at the Alert Hose
Company on North Linn. The volunteer fire companies continued to be an integral part of the ICFD.
They responded alongside the paid firefighters until 1929 when the department became fully paid.
Images 51 Iowa City Fire Department (October 1925)
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Image 52 ICFD Membership Photograph (1929)
A second piece of motorized apparatus was purchased on October 8, 1922. The 1922 American LaFrance
pumper was housed in the City Hall building. With the purchase of the second motorized apparatus, the
age of the horse drawn hose cart was coming to a close. In 1925, Highball and Snowball were put out to
pasture at a farm near Solon.
On July 14, 1929, the Alert Hose House on North Linn Street finally closed and a two-platoon system was
created. The six paid firefighters worked every other day. The inclusion of the fire chief brought the total
strength of the department to seven. The department continued to grow throughout the 1930s, despite the
hardships of the depression. By 1938 there were eleven members where there had been seven in 1932.
Local 610 of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) was chartered in Iowa City on February
7, 1939. Local 610 has maintained continuous affiliation with the IAFF since that initial charter.
The Second World War had a much greater impact on the ICFD than The Great Depression. Personnel
remained at the same level and there were no new vehicles purchased. However, like the rest of the
country, the post war era was a time of great expansion. The chief’s vehicle was finally replaced on March
18, 1947, and on September 5, the 1922 pumper was replaced by a 1000 gallon per minute 1947 American
LaFrance engine.
The department took delivery of its first aerial apparatus on July 6, 1948. The 85 foot American LaFrance
was too long to fit into the old City Hall, so a new station, Station #2, was opened on January 13, 1949 to
accommodate its length. Station #2, located at 315 South Gilbert Street also housed the 1934 Seagrave
pumper and the department’s panel truck. It was staffed with four firefighters. During these years, the
department also grew in numbers of personnel. By 1950 the department had grown to 21 members. The
increase was due partly to the increased need for people to fill two stations and partly because of the
institution of the “Kelly Day.”
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Image 53 Iowa City's First Aerial Apparatus
From 1929 until 1947, firefighters had worked 24-hour shifts, every other day. Starting on April 1, 1947,
on your “Kelley Day”, which was one of every 16 days worked, you did not report for duty. This extra
day off was increased over the years to one in twelve in 1952, one in ten in 1957, and one in eight in
1964. The Kelley Day was finally eliminated on January 1, 1966 when the department went to a three
shift, 56-hour per week “California Swing” staffing solution.
In 1957, a new Pirsch engine was delivered. In 1960, the current Fire Station #1 on South Gilbert Street
was built and on January 1, 1961, the fire department moved into its new quarters.
Image 54 ICFD Fire Station #1 on South Gilbert Street
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Iowa City grew in population through the 1950s and 1960s and the fire department grew with it. A second
station was opened at 301 Emerald Street on August 23, 1968. The cost of Fire Station #2 was $61,700.
Additional personnel were hired to staff the new station, bringing the total strength to 35.
Image 55 ICFD Fire Station #2 (opened on August 23, 1968)
Fire Station #2 was demolished in 2007 and a new station with 10,300 square feet and three bays designed
to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria was built at that location for a total
cost of $2.07 million.
April 7, 1969, was probably the most tragic day in the history of the ICFD. Seven firefighters were badly
injured in an explosion at Mercy Hospital. Several were hospitalized as a result. Fire Chief Dean Bebee had
to return temporarily to shift work to help bring the department up to needed staffing levels. Lieutenant
Robert Hein received the worst injuries of any of the firefighters. Lieutenant Hein was in a coma for
several months. He was never able to return to work and he died on October 15, 1971 as a result of his
injuries. Robert Hein is buried at St. Joseph Cemetery. Robert and Letha Hein had 16 children.
Image 56 Lt. Robert Hein
The department purchased a new ladder truck in 1970. The American LaFrance truck had a 100-foot
aerial ladder and a 1500-gallon per minute pump. The truck was put in service at Station #1. The old aerial
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was moved to Station #2 where it was kept in reserve. On February 12, 1972, the southeast fire station,
Station #3, was opened. Nine additional firefighters were hired to staff this station. Station #3 remains in
service today.
Image 57 Fire Station #3 (opened February 12, 1972)
On August 18, 1977, the department hired Linda Eaton, its first female firefighter. The department gained
brief notoriety when Linda had her first child and sought rights to nurse the baby on duty. To her, it
wasn’t about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) or feminism at all – it was about her son’s health. But in
1979, a breastfeeding firefighter brought the nation to the door of the ICFD: to see just how far and how
fast the world was changing. During her brief career, sex discrimination complaints and lawsuits were
central to the dramatic transformation of workplace policies that began across the U.S. during the 1970s.
Her struggles against sex discrimination are documented in a PhD thesis
by Sharon Marie Lake entitled, “The Accidental Feminist: Iowa’s
Breastfeeding Firefighter and the National Struggle for Workplace
Equity.” Eaton’s last day as an Iowa City firefighter was May 27, 1980.
Two weeks prior to her resignation the city council voted to appeal the
Iowa Civil Rights Commission’s ruling that ordered the city to permit
Linda Eaton to nurse her baby twice a day at the fire station until she
weaned him. The city’s decision was disheartening to Eaton and in her
letter of resignation she stated, “I guess quitting is my last gesture of
good faith to my fellow comrades that they may know I never meant
them or the profession harm or dishonor.”
Image 58 Des Moines
Register (January 27, 1979)
This drawing accompanied
an editorial in support of
Linda Eaton.
The 1980s brought many more changes to longstanding traditions in the fire service. The delivery of
emergency medical services and hazardous materials response was formalized. Public education activities
were given new emphasis, new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards were
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born, the Incident Command System was developed, and an 800 MHz trunked radio system allowed
police and firefighters to talk to one another.
The ICFD was unanimously awarded Accredited Agency status by the Commission on Fire Accreditation
International (CFAI) at the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) commission hearings in Denver,
Colorado, on August 14, 2008. Agency accreditation is a voluntary process. The ICFD joined 128 agencies
worldwide to obtain CFAI Accredited Agency status. Some of the many benefits to accreditation are:
Assessments that are based on organizational performance
A focus on outcomes rather than outputs
A self-assessment process that empowers the agency to identify strengths and weaknesses
The use of empirical-based data
Allows for the establishment of a plan for improvement
Encourages continuous quality improvement
Encourages the development of organizational procedural
documents
Third party review of the organization to ensure safe
operations, effectiveness, and efficiency.
The ICFD was re-accredited in Chicago, Illinois, on August 14, 2013.
The department was severely tested during the flood of 2008 with the ICFD training center falling victim.
At the crest of the flood, water was roughly 42 inches deep throughout and around the building.
Approximately 800 hours of labor was spent restoring the training center to use only to eventually lose the
site permanently in 2014, when the adopted city strategy of
providing room for the river to flood returned the site of the
training center to a wetlands park. The flood of 2008
threatened to close all bridges linking the east and west sides
of the city. ICFD personnel staffed two additional companies
on the west side of the river to ensure a safe and effective
response to fire emergencies there and elsewhere in the city.
Image 59 Flood of 2008 with ICFD training center pictured (tan
building on right)
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The ICFD instituted a pass/fail fitness exam for new hires, known as Candidate
Physical Ability Test (CPAT) in 2010. The top scores from the written exam are
afforded the opportunity to proceed to the CPAT. The fitness exam has been used
twice since to formulate new hire certified lists.
The CPAT has been reviewed and utilized by fire departments throughout the U.S.
and Canada
Also in 2010, two public safety answering points (PSAP), formerly operated by the
city and the county, were consolidated into one Joint Emergency Communications Center (JECC). A
state-of-the-art P25 compliant digital 800 MHz radio system provides interoperable communications for
all fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical service providers in Johnson County.
Image 60 Joint Emergency Communications Center (opened 2010)
Two new 2011 Pierce Impel pumpers were placed into service in 2011. Each one is equipped with a 1500
gallon per minute pump. One of the pumpers was assigned to Station #3 and the other was assigned to
Station #4. A 2011 Pierce Velocity Quint was placed into service this same year at Station #2. Iowa City’s
first quint is equipped with a 75-foot aerial ladder, giving it extra capabilities. The cost of the three
apparatus was $1.9 million.
Image 61 Three New Fire Apparatus (purchased in 2011)
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The department took delivery of a new Rescue One 1660 Connector boat in 2011. The boat is equipped
with a light bar, emergency lighting, a vinyl top, and a cover. The boat is a larger version of the Jon boat it
replaced.
Image 62 Rescue One Connector Boat (purchased in 2011)
On August 1, 2011, the ICFD went live with Mobile Data Computer applications in all apparatus. Eleven
apparatus were outfitted with Hub-Data911 mobile computer systems equipped with mobile software
solutions for vehicular environments. Tac10 fire mobile software provides unit connectivity to the Joint
Emergency Communications Center that allows each unit to manually stamp status changes and receive
dispatch information electronically. Internet access via cellular services provides access to occupancy
information, incident data, fire pre-plan information, and fire inspection data. Incident mapping and
AVL/GPS functions are also provided via the MDCs.
Fire Station #4 is located at the intersection of North Dodge Street and Scott Boulevard. The 13,300
square-foot station opened on Monday, October 3, 2011, at 0700 hours and responded to its first call for
service at 0705. Station #4 is providing faster service to the growing northeast side of Iowa City. The
additional satellite station came with nine new firefighters and is equipped with an engine, a rescue truck,
and a reserve engine. The building features drive-thru apparatus bays, a first for Iowa City. The building
also includes a geothermal HVAC system, generous use of ambient day lighting, water-efficient fixtures,
and other features designed to achieve gold certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED), a green building certification system. Total project cost was approximately $3.2 million.
The project was made possible thanks to a Culver/Judge I-Jobs project grant totaling $2.2 million.
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Image 63 Iowa City Fire Station #4 (opened October 3, 2011)
Blue Card Command System is a training program designed to help fire officers and future officers
sharpen their tactical decision-making skills, time and resource
management, and communications skills with computer-aided fire ground
simulations. In 2011, the ICFD was awarded an $18,000 Assistance to
Firefighters Grant (AFG) to be used toward the Blue Card Command
Training Program. The City of Iowa City contributed $4,337 toward the
project. The ICFD was able to certify one member as a Blue Card trainer
and an additional 23 members completed the online and simulation classes
to become certified users. The department has since certified one more trainer and institutionalized the
Blue Card Command System training department-wide. Blue Card Command is a training and
certification system that trains company and command officers on how to standardize local incident
operations across their organization.
Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) plays an
important role in the underwriting process at insurance companies. PPC is
important to communities and fire departments with the issuance of a respected
benchmark that is used by many departments as a valuable tool when planning,
budgeting, and justifying fire protection improvements. ISO is the leading supplier
of data and analytics for the property/casualty insurance industry. Most insurers use PPC classifications
for underwriting and calculating premiums for residential, commercial, and industrial properties. A
community’s investment in fire mitigation is a proven and reliable predictor of future fire losses. The
ICFD’s PPC improved from Class 3 to Class 2, on a scale from 1 to 10, effective November 1, 2012. ISO
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states that out of 48,980 communities nationwide that have received classifications, only 659 have been
rated Class 2 and 57 are Class 1 as of August 15, 2012. ISO was formed in 1971 as an advisory and rating
organization for the property/casualty insurance industry to provide statistical and actuarial services.
iStation is a web portal built on the Microsoft SharePoint platform designed to enhance fire department
communications and provide easy access to information through a user-friendly interface. The iStation
platform was customized to meet ICFD specifications and went live on February 1, 2012. Forms and
policies, meeting minutes and agendas are well catalogued in easy-to-access folders. Maintenance requests
are smartly initiated and tracked for facilities, apparatus, and equipment. iStation automatically launches
with boot-up on every fire department computer, giving firefighters direct communications through the
use of announcements, conference call items, duty rosters, and a master calendar of events.
Following 35 years of service and nearly 18 years as fire chief, Andy Rocca retired on May 13, 2013. Chief
Rocca was a progressive leader. He grew the department during his tenure and realized significant
upgrades to all programs, apparatus, and equipment. On August 2, 2013, John Grier was promoted to fire
chief and on December 31, 2013, Administrative Secretary Brenda Miller retired. Brenda had been the
department’s secretary for 22 ½ years. The position was not reauthorized and the department remains
without an administrative secretary today.
Image 64 Fire Chief Andy Rocca (retired May 13, 2013)
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Current Legal Boundary of Service Area
The ICFD legal boundary of service area is equal to the community boundaries. Iowa City is located on
both sides of the Iowa River in a rich agricultural area in southeast Iowa, in the heart of the Midwest, just
south of the Coralville reservoir. This location, 25 miles south of Cedar Rapids and approximately 55
miles west of Davenport and the Mississippi River, is within easy reach of many of the major Midwest
metropolitan centers, lying 300 miles north of St. Louis, a little over 200 miles west of Chicago, and 250
miles east of Omaha. The city covers 25.28 square miles in the central portion of Johnson County.
Map 24 Mutual Aid Box Alarm System for Johnson County
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Current Organization, Divisions, Programs and Services
The ICFD provides an integrated all risk response to the community. The department has four functional
areas of responsibility:
1. Administration and Support – The fire chief is the highest-ranking administrative officer in the
ICFD. As such, the fire chief is the administrator of all activities the department carries out. In the
addition, the fire chief conducts all responsibilities set out by Federal or State laws, city ordinance,
and the requirements of the city manager, mayor, and the Iowa City City Council. The deputy fire
chief assigned to administration and support is the second in command officer in the ICFD. The
deputy fire chief is responsible for Homeland Security initiatives, fire service accreditation, special
projects, and other duties as assigned. Fire Administration and Support provides essential support,
such as: emergency management, public information, planning, budgeting, performance measures,
logistics and support services, and human resource management. The battalion chief assigned to
Administration and Support is responsible for buildings, grounds, calendar administration, the
Health & Safety Committee, station wear, physicals and immunizations, and other duties as
assigned.
2. Community Risk Reduction / Fire Prevention – The battalion chief assigned as the fire marshal
is in charge of the fire prevention bureau and as such reports to the fire chief. The fire marshal is
directly responsible for organizing all community risk reduction activities, including fire/arson
investigation, code enforcement inspections, public education, and the maintenance and purchase
of hardware and software for computers.
3. Emergency Operations – The emergency operations division works a three-shift system. Each
duty shift is comprised of 24 hours and consists of one battalion chief, one captain, four
lieutenants, and 14 firefighters. The division is directly responsible for fire suppression, emergency
medical response, hazardous materials response, special operations rescue operations, and other
duties assigned to them. One battalion chief is assigned emergency operations chief to coordinate
and manage emergency operations.
4. Training and Equipment – The assigned battalion chief and the training officer plan, develop,
and coordinate in-house training activities with the assistance of a training committee. The
division is directly responsible for training in the areas of emergency medical services, rescue, fire
suppression, and hazardous materials. The purchasing of apparatus, equipment, and personal
protective equipment is managed by the battalion chief assigned to training and equipment. The
repair and maintenance of apparatus, tools, and equipment is also assigned to the training and
equipment battalion chief.
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Figure 7 ICFD Organizational Chart
Fire Stations, Training Facilities, Apparatus, Equipment and Staffing
The department currently operates from four fire stations and maintains a staff of 64 uniformed
personnel. The department’s minimum daily staffing is 16 firefighters and officers with a maximum of 20.
Firefighters respond on three engine companies, one quint company, one truck company, and one
battalion chief’s vehicle. Minimum staffing on each apparatus is three personnel. Station 1 is staffed with a
minimum of seven personnel, of which two are officers. Stations 2, 3, and 4 are staffed with a minimum of
three personnel at each station, of which one is an officer or acting officer.
Fire Station #1 is at 410 E. Washington Street. One engine company, one truck company, and one
battalion chief respond from this location. Station #1 houses the administration, emergency operations,
and training divisions – fire chief, deputy fire chief, battalion chief, fire marshal, and training officer.
Station #1 has a conference room, and a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) repair room and
compressor. Living quarters are located on the second floor with a designated exercise area and separate
bathroom/shower facilities for male and female personnel.
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Image 65 ICFD Station #1
Station #1 was remodeled in 1990, which improved the amount of space for administrative use and
classroom space for training. The second-floor kitchen was remodeled in 2012. Nine company officers
share four workstations for the completion of reports. The engine room consists of three bays to house six
pieces of emergency equipment. Five additional staff vehicles are parked adjacent to the station in the
public safety area of the municipal parking lot.
Fire Station #2 is located at 301 Emerald Street. The designated hazmat station, one quint and one
hazardous materials response apparatus respond from Station #2. It has taken on the function of storing
supplies and equipment for the county hazmat team. Station #2 has added off-street parking. Living
quarters include a large kitchen, living room, exercise room, locker room, six private sleeping rooms,
storage cubicles, and separate male/female bathroom/shower facilities. There is a small conference
room/library, as well as multiple work stations for the firefighters to utilize.
Image 66 ICFD Station #2
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One engine company responds from Station #3, located at 2001 Lower Muscatine Road. As the designated
public education station, storage of public education supplies and props is provided here and within a 130
square foot outbuilding. Living quarters include four bedrooms, an exercise room, male and female
bathroom/shower facilities, a small kitchen, and a large storage room.
Image 67 ICFD Station #3
Fire Station #4 is at 2008 N. Dubuque Road. One engine and one heavy rescue vehicle are cross staffed and
respond from this location. Station #4 is the designated rescue/EMS station, with equipment and supply
storage provided for these specialty areas. Personnel assigned to Station #4 are well trained in the entire
gamut of technical rescue. Living quarters include six bedrooms, an exercise room, male and female
bathroom/shower facilities, and an office for the lieutenants, a conference room, a large kitchen, living
room, and a basement classroom.
Images 68 ICFD Station #4
The ICFD’s training center was demolished and the property was returned to park land in 2015, due to the
possibility of flooding. The department is currently seeking budget authority to secure a new site that can
be developed into a fire department training center. In the meantime, the Coralville training center is
available for the department to use on occasion. The department has requested and been granted overtime
monies to sometimes send personnel to that site for hands-on training. The Coralville training center is
too far away to train there and provide timely emergency response service to Iowa City.
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The ICFD operates a combination of three engines with 1500 gallon per minute pumps, each carrying 750
gallons of water and 30 gallons of structural firefighting foam, one ladder truck with a 2000 gallon per
minute pump and 200 gallons of water, and one quint equipped with a 1500 gallon per minute pump, 500
gallons of water, a full complement of hose, ground ladders, and light rescue equipment. A heavy rescue,
hazmat unit and water craft are cross staffed by on-duty personnel. One incident command vehicle
operates out of Station #1. A tow vehicle and a tech rescue trailer operate out of Station #4. An all-purpose
Gator, three water craft, and five staff vehicles are assigned to Station #1. The department maintains four
reserve engines.
Image 69 Engine 1
Image 70 Truck 1
Image 71 Quint 2
Image 72 Engine 3
Image 73 Engine 4
Image 74 Rescue 4
Image 75 Command Van
Station #1 is staffed with a minimum of seven personnel, of which two are officers. A captain or a
lieutenant will be the officer assigned to Truck 1. Stations #2, #3, and #4 will be staffed with a minimum of
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three personnel at each location, of which one will be an officer or acting officer. Minimum staffing is 16
and maximum staffing is 20. Note that E-4 personnel also operate R-4.
Table 6 Emergency Response Staffing
STATION 1 STATION 2 STATION 3 STATION 4
ON-DUTY BC E-1 T-1 Q-2 E-3 E-4 R-4
20 1 4 4 4 4 3* 0
19 1 4 4 4 3 3* 0
18 1 4 4 3 3 3* 0
17 1 3 4 3 3 3* 0
16 1 3 3 3 3 3* 0
*E-4 personnel also operate R-4
C. Current Levels of Service with Delivery Programs
Fire Suppression
Fire suppression services provided by the Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) include responses to
building fires involving single-family dwellings, multi-family buildings, commercial and residential high-
rise buildings, and commercial and industrial buildings. Other fire suppression services provided include
responses to fires involving mobile property, to include passenger and road freight transport vehicles, rail,
water and recreational vehicles, as well as fires involving heavy equipment and small private aircraft. Fire
suppression services for natural vegetation, landfill, and dumpster (rubbish) fires are also provided.
Image 76 Structure Fire: Iowa Avenue (September 24, 2011)
The department currently operates from four fire stations and maintains a staff of 64 uniformed
suppression personnel. The department’s minimum daily firefighter staffing is 16 firefighters and officers
(maximum of 20) responding on three engines companies, one quint company, one truck company, and
one battalion chief command vehicle. Minimum staffing on each apparatus is three personnel.
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The ICFD responds to all emergency incidents with predetermined apparatus assignments. The
assignments are based on potential incident severity, past experience, and the associated risk-to-benefit
analysis as determined by the department. ICFD Operational Guideline No. 125.04, Dispatch Protocols,
defines and assigns apparatus accordingly. Building fires of moderate risk are assigned three engine/quint
companies, one truck company, the battalion chief, one Johnson County Ambulance Service (JCAS)
Adam unit, and administrative chief officers as necessary to fill effective response force requirements.
High and special risk building fires receive an additional engine with the first alarm. High and special risk
building fires include (upon request) activation of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to
provide additional predetermined units for call-up and/or change of quarters. A change of quarters is
available to maintain response-ready units in ICFD stations. Second or greater alarm resources are also
predetermined within the MABAS document. Low risk fires such as trash or vehicle fires are handled by
one engine/quint company.
The City of Iowa City has a 28E agreement with surrounding communities to provide fire protection and
other emergency services. The MABAS, adopted in November of 2001, is a preplanned mutual aid system
used to deal with emergencies exceeding department resources. MABAS contains predetermined response
of personnel and equipment to five alarm levels. In 2015, the ICFD received mutual aid on 24 incidents
and provided mutual aid on 8 occurrences. Auto Aid agreements with agencies to our east and west were
enacted to provide the quickest possible service to incidents on Interstate 80. In 2015, auto aid was
provided 12 times and received 4 times.
Figure 8 Auto Aid/Mutual Aid Given and Received (2015)
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Image 77 Water Rescue Operations on the Iowa River
All fire apparatus are equipped to meet typical fire suppression activities encountered by the ICFD. The
type and amount of equipment carried on apparatus is based on past experience. Other determining
factors include National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards relating to apparatus and
equipment, as well as Insurance Services Organization (ISO) guidelines. Equipment on all apparatus is
standardized and/or similar, including that on reserve apparatus.
Rescue
Technical rescue includes incidents where a successful operation requires the rescuer(s) to employ special
knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques. In comparison to firefighting, which generally requires large
numbers of personnel, technical rescue requires fewer personnel, but a sizeable amount of specialized
equipment and skills training.
Image 78 ICFD Technical Rope Rescue Training Evolution
using ropes, pulleys, harnesses, belay devices, and various hauling implements.
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Image 79 ICFD Confined Space Training Evolution
involving a subset of technical rescue operations comprised of the rescue and recovery of victims trapped in a confined
space.
The entire range of technical rescue includes auto and machinery extrications, confined space rescue,
trench and building collapse, high-angle rope rescue, and water and ice rescue. Rescue operations include
many non-emergency services, such as carbon monoxide investigations, smoke and odor investigations,
and miscellaneous requests for public assistance.
Image 80 ICFD Connector Boat Pairing
with a second Connector boat for a river rescue/recovery operation
The ICFD has three rescue technician level trained responders available on-duty at all times to respond to
technical search and rescue incidents as specified in NFPA 1670: Standard on Operations and Training for
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Technical Search and Rescue Incidents. The responders have the ability to identify hazards, use equipment,
and apply advanced techniques specified in NFPA 1670 that are necessary to coordinate, perform, and
supervise technical search and rescue incidents. All ICFD members are trained to the Operations Level of
NFPA 1670 to support and participate in technical search and rescue incidents. As with fire incidents, the
ICFD respond with specific apparatus assignments based on incident severity, past experience, and the
associated risk-to-benefit analysis as determined by the ICFD. As with all other risks, a low risk event will
receive a response that includes three personnel. Moderate risk events are provided a minimum of 10
personnel; high risk events a minimum of 16 personnel; and special risk events a minimum of 16
personnel with a Special Operations Rescue Team call-back and the resources available through the
Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS). Mutual aid partners have been trained to the
Operations Level of NFPA 1670 by ICFD Special Operations Rescue Team (SORT) personnel to support
and participate in special risk incidents.
Image 81 ICFD Trench Rescue Training Evolution
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Medical
The ICFD provides a first responder medical care at the Basic Life Support (BLS) level. All firefighters are
trained and certified as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT); 16 are certified paramedics. The ICFD is
a non-transport agency. Transport service is provided by the Johnson County Ambulance Service (JCAS).
Iowa Code Section 147A.4, subsection 2, establishes requirements for the certification of emergency
medical care providers. The Iowa Department of Public Health establishes the rules and requirements
concerning prerequisites, training, and experience for determining when individuals have met these
requirements. Additionally, a program that desires to provide emergency medical care in the out-of-
hospital setting must apply to the department for authorization to establish a program for delivery of the
care at the scene of an emergency, during transportation to a hospital, in the hospital emergency
department, and until care is directly assumed by a physician or by authorized hospital personnel.
EMS certification is for a period of two years. EMTs must obtain 24-hours of Continuing Education
Hours (CEH) to renew certification. At least one-half of the total CEH must be designated as formal
hours. Providers must also have a current course completion card for cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) that includes CPR, automated external defibrillation (AED) and obstructed airway procedure for
all age groups.
The primary focus of the EMT is to provide basic emergency medical care and transportation for critical
and emergent patients who access the emergency medical system. The EMT possesses the basic knowledge
and skills necessary to provide patient care and transportation. EMTs function as part of a comprehensive
EMS response, under medical oversight. EMTs perform interventions with the basic equipment typically
found on an ambulance. The EMT is a link from the scene to the emergency health care system.
Paramedics are individuals who have successfully completed a program of training that used, as a
minimum, the 2005 National Education Standards for the Paramedic or completed the EMT-P to
Paramedic transition requirements and successfully completed the testing requirements. The Paramedic is
an allied health professional whose primary focus is to provide advanced emergency medical care for
critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical system. This individual possesses the
complex knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and transportation. Paramedics function
as part of a comprehensive EMS response, under medical oversight. Paramedics perform interventions
with the basic and advanced equipment typically found on an ambulance. The Paramedic is a link from
the scene into the health care system.
The Iowa Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services Emergency Medical Care Provider Scope of Practice
document, dated April 2015, lists the following sets of skills for EMTs and Paramedics.
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Assessment
Skill EMT Paramedic
Blood Chemistry Analysis X
Blood Glucose Monitor X
Blood Pressure X X
Blood Oximetry X X
Blood Sampling - Capillary Tube X
Blood Sampling - Venous X
Central Line Monitoring X
EKG - Multi lead (Interpretive)X
Pulse Oximetry X
Table 7 Airway and Breathing Skills
Table 8 Assessment Skills
Table 9 Emergency Trauma Skills
Table 10 Pharmacological Intervention Skills
Table 11 Medical/Cardiac Care Skills
Airway and Breathing
Skill EMT Paramedic
Airway - Manual X X
Airway - Oral X X
Airway - Multi-Lumen X
Airway - Esophageal/Traacheal X
BiPAP/CPAP X
Bridge Airway Devices X
Capnography/ETCO2 X
Chest Tube-Monitoring X
Crichothyrotomy - Percutaneous X
Endotracheal Intubation - Nanal/Oral X
Gastric Decompression - NG or OG tube X
Needle Chest Decompression X
Obstruction - Direct Laryngoscopy X
Obstruction - Manual X X
Oxygen Delivery (including humidified)X X
PEEP Therapeutic X
Suctioning - Upper Airway X X
Ventilations - Bag Valve X X
Ventilations - via Mouth X X
Ventilations - Manually Triggered X X
Ventilator - Automatic Transport X X
Suctioning - Tracheobronchial X
Emergency Trauma Care
Skill EMT Paramedic
Cervical Stabilization - Manual X X
Extremity Stabilization - Manual X X
Extremity Splinting X X
Eye Irrigation X X
Hemorrhage Control X X
PASG X X
Spinal Immobilization X X
Pharmacological Intervention
Skill EMT Paramedic
Autoinjector - Self/Peer Rescue X X
Autoinjector - Epinephrine X
OTC Medications X X
Patient Assisted Meds X X
Aerosolized/Nebulized X
Buccal X
Endotracheal tube X
Inhaled - Self administered X
Intramuscular X
Intranasal X
Intravenous push X
Intravenous piggyback X
Nasogastric X
Oral X
Rectal X
Subcutaneous X
Sublingual X
Blood Administration X
Central Line Access X
IO Insertion X
IV Fluid Infusion X
Peripheral IV Insertion X
Thrombolytic Administration X
Medical/Cardiac Care
Skill EMT Paramedic
Assisted Delivery X X
Cardioversion X
Carotid Massage X
CPR - Manual/Mechanical X X
Defibrillation - Manual X
Defibrillation - Automated X X
Transcutaneous Pacing X
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All fire apparatus carry Automatic External Defibrillation (AED) units for restoring heart rhythms and
personnel are recertified in the use of AEDs quarterly. Shift EMS coordinators facilitate monthly
continuing education training that incorporates both hands-on and online training.
Image 82 ICFD Performing Vehicle Extrication,
the process of removing a vehicle from around a person who has been involved in a motor vehicle accident.
The ICFD responds to calls for emergency medical services with specific apparatus assignments.
Apparatus assignments are based on potential incident severity, past experience, and the associated risk-
to-benefit analysis as determined by the ICFD. Both low and moderate risk events are minimally provided
one unit with a minimum of three personnel with BLS capabilities. High risk events are minimally
dispatched to provide 10 personnel with BLS capabilities and special risk events will minimally be
dispatched to provide 16 personnel. The Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) will be
utilized to augment resource needs as determined by the incident commander. All Johnson County
Mutual Aid Partners are trained EMS first responders and can assist in that capacity.
Hazardous Materials
The ICFD’s hazardous materials response service was established in 1988. At least three hazmat technician
level trained responders are available and on-duty at all times. The ICFD is prepared to respond to and
mitigate the release of hazardous materials. All personnel are trained to the hazardous materials
technician level and front line engine companies are equipped with basic tools to perform defensive
operations in the event of a minor release. Minor release might include fuel spills at a local filling station, a
fluid cleanup resulting from a motor vehicle accident or a carbon monoxide release within a structure. All
apparatus carry the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG), the NIOSH Pocket Guide, shovels, and
binoculars. Additionally, all engine companies carry oil dry. All carbon monoxide events will get a
response from the local utility company, Mid-American Energy.
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Image 84 Confined space training exercise.
Image 83 ICFD Hazardous Materials Response Technicians
donning personal protective equipment.
Members of the ICFD take part in hazardous materials training on the company and department level.
Company training topics concentrate on basic hazmat response competencies. Quarterly department
training is multi-company to include specialty classes and scenarios. Probationary firefighters must
demonstrate proficiency with hazmat competencies within their first year of employment to realize
technician level certification. The competencies are based on the NFPA 472: Standard for Competence of
Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents.
Response and mitigation of larger, more complex incidents is accomplished in partnership with the
Johnson County Hazardous Materials Response Team (JCHMRT). The JCHMRT is a combination team
comprised of Iowa City firefighters, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, volunteer firefighters from
departments within Johnson County, technical specialists, and
civilians. The team is under the autonomy of the Johnson County
Sheriff and is directed by a six-person executive board. The board is
made up of team members. Two are appointed, one by the Iowa City
Fire Chief and one the by Johnson County Sheriff. The battalion
chief assigned to emergency operations is the fire chief’s appointed
board member. The county EMA director is the sheriff’s
appointment. The remaining board positions are voted on by the
team.
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The JCHMRT utilizes a hazmat response unit that is housed at ICFD Fire Station #2. The apparatus is a
walk-in rescue body design that is fully stocked with hazmat response supplies. Upon receipt of a call for
service, the hazmat unit will be brought to the scene by those assigned to Fire Station #2, if available, or by
off-duty ICFD personnel or by JCHMRT volunteer members.
Station #2 is the department’s hazardous materials response specialty station. All personnel assigned to
this station are members of the JCHMRT. Station #2 personnel are the department’s specialists and are
responsible for delivering hazmat training to all personnel. Personnel assigned to Station #2 are sent to
outside hazardous materials training classes. The department is currently using the Michigan State Police
Academy in Lansing, Michigan for the training. The training ensures Station #2 personnel are afforded
contemporary, standards-based training.
Image 85 Hazardous materials functional exercise at the University of Iowa
The ICFD responds to hazardous materials incidents with specific apparatus assignments. Assignments
are based on potential incident severity, past experience, and the associated risk-to-benefit analysis as
determined by the ICFD. All low risk hazmat incidents will be dispatched as a single engine/quint
company assignment with a minimum of three personnel. Moderate risk events will be provided a
minimum of 13 personnel. A scene size-up to determine potential release and/or degree of toxicity,
flammability, or radiation will dictate a callout for the JCHMRT. High-risk events dictate a full team call-
out of the JCHMRT. A callout is done via the Johnson County Emergency Communications Center
(JECC). All level A or B entry requirements will necessitate the assistance of the JCHMRT. High-risk
events will be provided a minimum of 16 personnel. Special risk events will be provided a high-risk
assignment of 16 personnel minimally and may require other specialists such as the Iowa WMD Taskforce
and/or the 71st Civil Support Team to safely mitigate the incident. The Johnson County Mutual Aid Box
Alarm System (MABAS) can be utilized to provide additional resources for hazardous materials response.
All Johnson County Mutual Aid Partners are trained to the hazardous materials operations level.
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Specialized Services
Project Safe Place is a national youth outreach program that educates thousands of young people every
year about the dangers of running away or trying to resolve difficult, threatening situations on their own.
All ICFD fire stations are designated as Safe Place sites.
Safe Place is administered based on department policy in the following
manner: A youth in crisis walks into a local fire station and tells the first
available ICFD employee that they need Safe Place help. The employee
identifies a comfortable place for the youth to wait while they call the Safe
Place contact phone number. The Safe Place contact calls the ICFD back to identify the volunteer or staff
member that will come to meet the youth. Generally, within 20-30 minutes, the Safe Place volunteer or
staff person arrives to talk with the youth and transport the youth to the agency for counseling, support, a
place to stay, or other resources as needed.
Community Risk Reduction Services
Safety Village is an open-air classroom constructed on school
property. A two-week summer camp is held each year to teach injury
prevention to 5, 6, and 7-year-old children.
The ICFD provides community risk reduction services under the
direction of the Iowa City Fire Marshal. It is within the mission of the
ICFD to ensure a high quality of life for residents and guests of the
city through the protection of life, property, and the environment.
The department works toward this purpose through public education programs and events and through
the application and enforcement of fire and life safety codes and ordinances.
Image 86 Iowa City Firefighters routinely provide station tours and public relations activities
Fire Station #3 is the designated public education specialty station. The nine people assigned to this
specialty station have primary responsibility for public education and life-safety education outreach
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services. The department engages every member of the ICFD in education outreach programs in one form
or another. The ICFD has established partnerships with several local and state agencies that work together
to reduce risk to the citizens of Iowa City. Those agencies include but are not limited to: the State Fire
Marshal, the University of Iowa, Kirkwood Community College, the University of Iowa Hospitals and
Clinics, Mercy Hospital, the UI Burn Treatment Center, the Johnson County Emergency Management
Agency, the City of Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services Department, and the Iowa City
Community School District.
Iowa City firefighters provide fire safety education to college
students at the University of Iowa.
The ICFD and Mercy Hospital Iowa City have served as co-lead
agents for SAFE KIDS Johnson County, a childhood injury
prevention coalition aimed at preventing unintentional injuries to
children for over 20 years. Safe Kids is a
global organization dedicated to protecting
kids from unintentional injuries, the
number one cause of death for children in the United States.
Fire and life safety code adoption and enforcement is under the direct supervision
of the fire marshal. The fire marshal is assisted by all members of the department with code enforcement
responsibilities. Regularly scheduled inspections of all commercial and university properties and new
construction plan reviews are important pieces of the program. A group of three bureau inspectors, one
from each shift that are assigned to the truck company receive extra training in code enforcement and
origin and cause determination. The “bureau inspectors” perform specialized inspections and conduct
origin and cause investigations that exceed company officer capabilities.
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D. Current Deployment and Coverage Areas
Points of Service Delivery
All fire departments in Johnson County are dispatched centrally by the Johnson County Joint Emergency
Communications Center (JECC).
Map 25 Johnson County Fire Districts and Station Locations
Iowa City fire stations are located at:
Fire Station 1: 410 E. Washington Street
Fire Station 2: 301 Emerald Street
Fire Station 3: 2001 Lower Muscatine Road
Fire Station 4: 2008 N. Dubuque Road
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Map 26 ICFD Fire Stations and Districts
The Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) provides service to all areas within the geographical boundaries of
Iowa City.
Minimum Deployment Resources
Station #1 will be staffed with a minimum of seven personnel, of which two will be officers. A captain or
lieutenant shall be the officer assigned to Truck 1. Stations 2, 3, and 4 will be staffed with a minimum of
three personnel at each location, of which one will be an officer or acting officer. The recommended
distribution of staff personnel is as follows:
Table 12 Station and Apparatus Staffing
STATION 1 STATION 2 STATION 3 STATION 4
ON-DUTY BC E-1 T-1 Q-2 E-3 E-4 R-4
20 1 4 4 4 4 3* 0
19 1 4 4 4 3 3* 0
18 1 4 4 3 3 3* 0
17 1 3 4 3 3 3* 0
16 1 3 3 3 3 3* 0
NOTE: *Indicates E-4 personnel also operate R-4.
The ICFD operates a minimum of three engines with 1500 gallon per minute pumps, each carrying 750
gallons of water and 30 gallons of structural firefighting foam, one ladder truck with a 2000 gallon per
minute pump and 200 gallons of water, and one quint equipped with a 1500 gallon per minute pump, 500
gallons of water, a full complement of hose, ground ladders, and light rescue equipment. A heavy rescue,
hazmat unit and water craft are cross staffed by on-duty personnel.
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Figure 9 Personnel and Resources
All public safety agencies in Johnson County are dispatched centrally by
the Johnson County Joint Emergency Communications Center. The
communications center is appropriately staffed with call takers and
dispatchers for law enforcement and fire/emergency medical call types.
Image 87 Johnson County Joint Emergency Communications and Emergency Operations Center
Sixty-four uniformed personnel are assigned to four major divisions within the ICFD: Administration and
Support, Fire Prevention / Community Risk Reduction, Training and Equipment, and Emergency
Operations. The ICFD provides an integrated all risk response to the community. The city covers 25.28
square miles in the central portion of Johnson County. The US Census Bureau reports the 2014
64 Uniformed Personnel
4 Fire Sta4ons
3 Engine Companies
1 Quint Company
1 Truck Company
1 Cross-Staffed Rescue Company
1 Incident Command Vehicle
1 Tow Vehicle
1 Technical Rescue Trailer
1 Public Educa4on Trailers
1 All Purpose Gator
2 Water Cra]
4 Reserve Engines
6 Staff Vehicles
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population of Iowa City to be 73,415, creating an overall population density of 2,904 people per square
mile. The city includes 304 road miles of streets. Response areas for the four fire districts within Iowa City
are shown in the following map.
Map 27 MABAS Response Areas
Table 13 Approximate Road Miles in Each Fire District
District Sub-District Miles Total
1-4 35.36
1-2 21.85
1-3 18.73
1
75.94
2 2-1
87.35
3-4 32.6
3-1 58.24
3
90.84
4-1 22.57
4-3 28.09
4
50.66
E. Summary of Community Response History
The 2008 ICFD Commission on Fire Accreditation International Final Report dated March 6, 2008,
included the following strategic recommendation: “The department should develop methods and
procedures to better utilize the data in the information systems to align department activities and increase
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knowledge and efficiency.” The recommendation has been addressed over the years by including a
calendar year data review as part of an annual Spring Planning Meeting. The day-long analysis of data and
the adjustment of goals and objectives that’s followed has contributed to a culture of continuous
improvement.
Figure 10 Total Number of Incidents (2006-2015)
The department has experienced a 63% increase in the total number of calls for service in the nine-year
period from 2006 to 2015.
3684
4143 4257 4155
4473 4643
5178
5531
5799
6016
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
5500
6000
6500
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Total Number of Incidents
2006-2015
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F. Community Priorities, Expectations, and Performance Goals
Mission Statement
“The mission of the Iowa City Fire Department is to protect our community by providing progressive,
high quality emergency and preventive services.”
Community Service Priorities
The rankings of the programs and services as provided by community members at the community forum
that was conducted on November 12, 2015, are as follows:
Table 14 Program Ranking
PROGRAMS RANKING SCORE
Fire Suppression 1 363
Emergency Medical Services 2 311
Technical Rescue 3 268
Hazardous Materials Mitigation 4 169
Community Risk Reduction 5 166
Domestic Preparedness Planning and Response 6 159
Fire Investigation 7 124
Public Education 8 92
Community Service Expectations
On November 12, 2015, a community forum was conducted by the Center for Public Safety Excellence at
the Iowa City Public Library to gathering feedback from the community.
The purpose of gathering feedback from the community runs parallel to a business collecting feedback
from its customers. The governmental entity, like the business, cannot truly operate efficiently and
effectively without understanding the true nature of expectations, concerns, and strengths of its customer
base. In government, that customer base is the constituency served. Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD)
solicited the feedback and input from a diverse demographic representation of its population. This report
delivers the methodology employed and the findings from the responses provided by the community
participants.
When analyzing the received feedback, priority and thematic approaches are used to get to the heart of
what is the most important to the community respondents. While all responses in the raw-data form are
important, the analysis brings to the forefront an understanding and focus for the agency. It is important
to note that all feedback from the community is important as it applies to various areas of the department.
The department is best served by conducting greater internal analyses of the provided feedback to
formulate future objectives and strategies for continuous improvement.
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Methodology and Findings
Program and Service Prioritization
Participants were provided with an instrument to determine the prioritization of the core programs and
services provided by the ICFD. In the instrument, participants are asked to do a “direct comparison”
between two different services as to which, in the participant’s mind, takes priority in each specific
comparison. Each service is directly compared to another service and this continues until all services are
compared to all other services. Responses were then tabulated together to formulate the combined
stakeholder result as listed in the table. This quantitative and cumulative approach provides the
department with a numerical prioritization ranking. It is understood that this snapshot of information
contains some bias as to the specific respondents.
Additionally, the data can be impacted by cognitive dissonance. Because of cognitive dissonance, the
responses may be shifted in priority due to shifting personal biases or impacts from external sources. For
instance, there may be a shift toward more prioritization for Domestic Preparedness in a region recently
impacted by a natural disaster. It is hard to determine if cognitive dissonance impacts the prioritization in
a non-normal way without further researching the external impacts and exposures provided to the
respondents. Therefore, the department must consider the role of cognitive dissonance and its potential
impact on the prioritization when analyzing the overall feedback provided.
Community Expectations
Analysis of the community expectations is based on the prioritization of the data. Respondents were asked
to place their expectations in a priority manner with the number-one expectation receiving the highest
weight and the number-five expectation receiving the lowest weight. With this weighting in mind, the
prioritization works to bring the highest priority expectation to the top of the list. As stated previously, all
responses are important. However, focusing on those responses that create the highest priority assists the
agency and governing body in its decision-making process. While there were 58 total thematic responses,
the top 15 are presented since they carried the heaviest weight overall. However, the inclusion of all the
expectations in the department’s decision-making process remains important.
Analysis of the respondent data provides that the top 15 prioritized expectations give the majority basis
for the community responses. They are:
1. A timely response to all emergencies with highly trained personnel, to include adequate apparatus
and equipment. The ICFD should respond as quickly as possible to the scene of a fire.
2. Well-trained personnel. With such a large menu of services, a great deal of time, money, and effort
need to go into the training of members to be able to safely respond and handle any and all
situations.
3. Well-equipped personnel. The firefighters need to have access to the most modern, safe
equipment, apparatus, gear, and other support items to handle any and all types of responses.
4. Educate building owner and public about fire safety. Education to the public.
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5. I expect professional behaviors on scene and off scene; especially after an incident.
Professionalism.
6. Enough people available to safely and quickly respond to emergencies. The staffing levels are
important so that multiple alarms can be handled. Provide more staff and equipment for growing
community.
7. The department needs to communicate with the community on a regular basis. Community
transparency and accessibility. Open communication paths.
8. Effective oversight of fire code compliance, occupancy compliance. Insure compliance with fire
code in public buildings as well as emergency equipment in residential structures.
9. Planning and resources for large-scale emergencies.
10. In the public eye - I expect friendly, informative firefighters who will answer questions, thrill a
small child with their kindness, and offer common courtesy. Approachable, friendly, courteous,
and knowledgeable staff/personnel.
11. The ICFD should be run as efficiently as possible without compromising the level of service they
provide. Cost effectiveness and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars.
12. Work closely with business owners, including landlords, to evaluate and counsel on life safety
issues for physical structures and grounds planning.
13. Work with other emergency responders. Calls for service / training. ICFD should work well with
the other emergency responders in Iowa City, surrounding communities and Johnson County.
14. Work seamlessly with community partners to accomplish goals and objectives.
15. A department that is engaged with the community.
Areas of Concern Identified by the Community Stakeholders
(No particular order or priority given to the concerns that were identified by community stakeholders)
I’m concerned about the number of firefighters now in relationship to how large the city has grown. I
don’t think the number is up-to-date with Iowa City’s size.
Equipment – Does the department have everything it needs to respond to all types of emergencies?
I know that training is essential. I’m quite concerned there is no replacement plan for a new training
center since we lost the other one. This is something that must be addressed soon.
How will the loss of the current training facility be handled? New facility? Work with Coralville?
Question of proximity to Iowa City.
Are there ways to better coordinate among jurisdictions and agencies? Example: Place ambulances
at ICFD stations. Cross-training?
Funding issues. Can we afford to keep up with state-of-the-art?
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Inadequate training facility. The loss of an amazing training ground to flooding and FEMA buy-out
put the firefighters and the community at risk.
The number of multiple alarms and the increasing size of the city (annexing and new developments)
jeopardize the department, the members, and subject the community to more losses.
The lack of diversity of personnel. Minorities need to be represented. The department does a good job
with female personnel.
What is the long-term role of the department in EMS?
Positive Comments and Strengths Provided by the Community Stakeholders
(No particular order or priority given to the comments and strengths that were identified by community
stakeholders)
I love the fact that the fire department is accredited. I know how much time and work this takes.
Thank you for doing this. It gives me even more confidence in the ICFD.
I have always felt the firefighters have been professional and prepared both on-scene and off-scene.
Having quality staff and officers makes a world of difference in morale and satisfaction among the
firefighters. The staff is excellent.
Thank you for spending the dollars to send firefighters off to specialized training across the country.
The National Fire Academy training has helped countless Iowa City firefighters become even better
firefighters!
The willingness to seek community input speaks highly of the department and the city.
I think the fire department does an amazing job. They respond quickly when called and are
competent in every way.
They are visible in the community as resources and not just during emergencies.
Personally, I have not needed the services of the department. Professionally, they have been called to
our place of business where they were thorough and attentive to our needs.
All Iowa City firefighters I have dealt with have been very impressive while performing their duties.
Great community image!
Great job of getting feedback from the community and always seem to be working to improve.
Performance Goals
NOTE: The following benchmark goals and objectives were developed to comply with the 2013
Community Risk and Emergency Service Analysis / Standard of Cover. The work undertaken now (2016)
to reevaluate community risks and write a new Standard of Cover has changed some or all of the
community service level benchmark goals and objectives. In summary, these performance objectives are
historical.
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Community Service Level Benchmark Objectives
Fire
Objective: For all fire incidents, the Iowa City Fire Department shall arrive in a timely manner with
sufficient resources to stop the escalation of the fire and keep the fire to the area of involvement upon arrival.
Initial response resources shall be capable of containing the fire, rescuing at-risk victims, and performing
salvage operations, while providing for the safety of the responders and general public.
Distribution Performance Measure for Fire – All: The first engine (or truck or quint with engine
capabilities) staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall arrive within 6 minutes 20 seconds
total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 7 minutes 20 seconds total
response time in suburban population areas, for 90% of all requests for emergency service.
Concentration Performance Measure for Fire – Low and Moderate (Unconfirmed): The second
and third due engine (or truck or quint with engine capabilities) staffed with a minimum of six
personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive within 10 minutes 20 seconds total response time in
metropolitan and urban population areas; 12 minutes 20 seconds total response time in suburban
population areas, to have a minimum of 10 personnel on scene for 90 percent of all requests for
emergency services. The department will not enter an IDLH environment until the arrival of
minimal personnel to meet critical tasking objectives.
Concentration Performance Measure for Fire – Low and Moderate (Confirmed): The second,
third, and fourth due engine (or truck or quint with engine capabilities) staffed with a minimum of
nine personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive within 10 minutes 20 seconds total response
time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12 minutes 20 seconds total response time in
suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 13 personnel on scene for 90 percent of all
requests for emergency services.
Concentration Performance Measure for Fire – High: The second through fifth due units staffed
with a minimum of 12 personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive within 10 minutes 20 seconds
total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12 minutes 20 seconds total
response time in suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 16 personnel on scene for 90
percent of all requests for emergency services.
Concentration Performance Measure for Fire – Special: To the resources identified in high risk
response add the preplanned mutual aid resources available through the Johnson County Mutual
Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS). Iowa City’s four fire districts are divided into 12 boxes. Each
box can escalate, depending upon the needs of the incident commander’s incident action plan to a
5th alarm, with each alarm bringing additional apparatus and personnel. Mutual aid resources will
be necessary to assemble an effective response force capable of addressing the critical tasks
necessary to control a special risk event.
EMS
Objective: For all emergency medical incidents, the Iowa City Fire Department shall arrive in a timely
manner with sufficiently trained and equipped personnel to provide medical services that will stabilize the
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situation, provide care and support to the victim and reduce, reverse, or eliminate the conditions that have
caused the emergency while providing for the safety of the responders. Timely transportation of victim to
appropriate medical facilities shall be accomplished in an effective and efficient manner when warranted.
Distribution Performance Measure for EMS – All: The first unit (with BLS capabilities) staffed
with a minimum of three personnel shall arrive within six minutes total response time in
metropolitan and urban population areas; seven minutes total response time in suburban
population areas, for 90% of all requests for emergency service.
Concentration Performance Measure for EMS – Low and Moderate: Same as Distribution
Performance Measure.
Concentration Performance Measure for EMS – High: The second and third unit with BLS
capabilities staffed with a minimum of six personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive within 10
minutes total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12 minutes total
response time in suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 10 personnel on scene for 90
percent of all requests for emergency service.
Concentration Performance Measure for EMS – Special: The second through fifth due units
staffed with a minimum of 12 personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive within 10 minutes total
response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12 minutes total response time in
suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 16 personnel on scene for 90 percent of all
requests for emergency services. Mutual aid resources may be necessary to assemble an effective
response force capable of addressing the critical tasks necessary to control a special risk event.
Preplanned mutual aid resources are available through the Johnson County Mutual Aid Box
Alarm System (MABAS).
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Rescue
Objective: For all incidents where rescue of victims is required, the Iowa City Fire Department shall arrive in
a timely manner with sufficient resources to stabilize the situation and extricate the victim(s) from the
emergency situation or location without causing further harm to the victim, responders, public or the
environment.
Distribution Performance Measure for Rescue – All: The first unit (engine, truck, quint, or rescue)
staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall arrive within six minutes twenty seconds total
response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; seven minutes twenty seconds total
response time in suburban population areas, for 90% of all requests for emergency service.
Concentration Performance Measure for Rescue – Low: Same as distribution performance
measure.
Concentration Performance Measure for Rescue – Moderate: The second and third due engine,
truck, rescue or quint staffed with a minimum of six personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive
within 10 minutes 20 seconds total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12
minutes 20 seconds total response time in suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 10
personnel on scene for 90 percent of all requests for emergency services.
Concentration Performance Measure for Rescue – High: The second through fifth due units
staffed with a minimum of 12 personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive within 10 minutes 20
seconds total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12 minutes 20 seconds
total response time in suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 16 personnel on scene for
90 percent of all requests for emergency services.
Concentration Performance Measure for Rescue – Special: To the resources identified in high risk
response add the preplanned mutual aid resources available through the Johnson County Mutual Aid Box
Alarm System (MABAS). A call-back of off-duty Special Operations Rescue Technicians (SORT) will
bring added staffing. One or both groups may be necessary to provide an effective response force capable
of addressing the critical tasks necessary to control a special risk event.
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Hazardous Materials
Objective: For all incidents where hazards involving hazardous materials are involved, the Iowa City Fire
Department shall arrive in a timely manner with sufficient resources to stabilize the situation, stop the
escalation of the incident, contain the hazard where applicable, and establish an action plan for the
successful conclusion of the incident without causing further harm while providing for the safety and security
of the responders, public, and the environment.
Distribution Performance Measure for Hazardous Materials – All: The first unit (engine, truck,
quint, or rescue) staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall arrive within six minutes 20
seconds total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; seven minutes 20 seconds
total response time in suburban population areas, for 90% of all requests for emergency service.
Concentration Performance Measure for Hazardous Materials – Low: Same as distribution
performance measure.
Concentration Performance Measure for Hazardous Materials – Moderate: The second, third, and
fourth units staffed with a minimum of nine personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive within
10 minutes 20 seconds total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12 minutes
20 seconds total response time in suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 13 personnel
on scene for 90 percent of all requests for emergency service.
Concentration Performance Measure for Hazardous Materials – High: The second, third, fourth
and fifth unit staffed with a minimum of twelve personnel and the battalion chief shall arrive
within 10 minutes 20 seconds total response time in metropolitan and urban population areas; 12
minutes 20 seconds total response time in suburban population areas, to have a minimum of 16
personnel on scene for 90 percent of all requests for emergency service.
Concentration Performance Measure for Hazardous Materials – Special: To the resources
identified in high risk response add a full team call-out of the Johnson County Hazardous
Materials Response Team (JCHMRT). The preplanned mutual aid resources available through the
Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) may also be added. The JCHMRT will
be necessary to assemble an effective response force capable of addressing the critical tasks
necessary to control a special risk event.
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G. Community Risk Assessment and Risk Levels
Risk Assessment Methodology
Methodology (Probability/Consequence/Impact of Event Risk)
In community risk assessment, the goal is to quantify risks so that response assignments can be
appropriately configured based upon a measured level of threat. For emergency response, it is important
to ensure that allocated resources match the degree of risk that is present. The Iowa City Fire Department
(ICFD) has chosen a particular methodology to develop a systematic approach to the management of
resource deployment. In all cases, the simpler the output, the easier it will be to use. The department has
chosen a three-axis methodology that includes the elements of probability, consequence, and impact.
Once each element is assigned a score, Heron’s formula is utilized to calculate an overall risk level.
There is always a probability that an event will occur. The frequency of those occurrences can be
measured. Probability speaks to the predictability of an event occurring, and through the quantification of
historical data, provides a method of projecting the frequency of future events. Likewise, there are always
consequences to an event, which range from low to high. A fire in a nursing home may be an infrequent
event, but it carries an extremely high consequence to life and property. Individuals not capable of self-
preservation i.e. patients, injured healthcare workers, employees or visitors, must be rescued from the
immediate area of fire origin. A fire in a healthcare facility that results in a loss of life to those that are least
able to care for themselves would affect the community psyche for many, many years. Impact measures
the effect of an event on the fire department. Impact is the measured “drain effect” regarding adverse
service area resource availability and coverage caused by emergency incident mitigation demand. Here
again, the range is from low to high.
Certain tools are utilized to measure probability, consequence, and impact. It is possible to project call
trends using historical data. Future demand for services is impacted by growth and development. An
increase in population density will, for example, affect the frequency of certain services as will the
construction of senior housing. The distribution of calls by type, time, location, and resource can be used
to determine trends, which can be projected into the future. Using historical data, it is possible to create
service demand data for various planning areas and then project for future demands. The third axis aims
to quantify fire department impact. Two considerations with respect to impact include: the amount of
resources that are required to mitigate the event; and the remaining capacity that then exists to protect the
area and be available for subsequent deployment.
To properly identify the elements affecting risk, a common set of rules are required. Specific incidents are
assigned numbers for each element to include probability, consequence, and impact. The assigned
numerical values can range from two to ten and can only be even numbers. The first value will represent
the threat, the second the consequence, and the third will be assigned according to department impact.
Measurements are provided according to group types. The classification groups are: fire, emergency
medical services (EMS), hazardous materials (hazmat), and technical rescue. Measurements are provided
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for all classifications of events. Likewise, categories are defined that include: low risk, moderate risk,
high/special or maximum risk. Within each of the 16 planning areas, all five of the risk classifications are
assessed using the probability, consequence, and impact methodology. By using this form of methodology,
risks were identified in each planning area based on past incident data (probability), the potential loss of
life and/or property (consequence), and the measured commitment of fire department resources to the
event (impact).
Rules related to the score assigned to the threat category are primarily considerate of their historical
frequency as well as their potential to occur. A score of 2 would reflect an incident that rarely occurs or
has a very low potential, like once each year. Conversely, an incident that occurs daily or has great
potential to exist would be assigned a score of 10.
Table 15 Ranking Probability
Score Threat Definition
2 Occurs rarely or has very low potential – annual basis
4 Occurs somewhat rarely or has low potential – every six months
6 Occurs often or has potential to occur – monthly
8 Occurs frequently or has frequent potential – weekly
10 Occurs very often or has great potential – daily
Assigning a score to the consequence of an incident has multidimensional considerations. Included within
this category are consequences related to the financial, life loss, and emotional impacts that an incident
could contain. Rules related to scoring this portion of the formula can best be visualized by a table as
shown below.
Table 16 Ranking Consequence
Score Financial Life Loss Emotional
2 No financial loss No loss of life No emotional impact
4 Minor financial loss Potential loss of single life Very low emotional impact
6 Moderate financial loss Loss of a single life Moderate emotional impact
8 Significant financial loss Loss of a single life with potential
loss of multiple lives
Significant emotional
impact
10 Very high financial loss High probability of multiple life loss Very high emotional impact
The third risk evaluation element embodies the impact that a particular response has on the agency. This
is important because the more resources that an incident requires directly effects the agency’s capabilities
related to the current event as well as the department’s ability to respond to subsequent calls for service.
Rules assigned to this category directly correlate to the resources assigned to the incident. A single
company incident will receive a score of two. This score will increase by two points each time an
additional unit is assigned to the response. A structure assignment of two engines, a ladder, and a
command vehicle will receive a score of eight.
Table 17 Ranking Impact
Score Impact Definition
2 Single Company Response
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4 Two Company Response
6 Three Company Response
8 Four company Response
10 Five (or greater) Company Response
Planning Areas/Zones
The first recorded instances of the delineation of small geographic entities based on population,
topography, and housing characteristics were the sanitary districts. The sanitation districts of the early 20th
century were used to analyze and compare the effect of population, topography, and housing on the
mortality rate of the inhabitants. The idea eventually led to the delineation of tracts for the tabulation of
census data. The goal of the criteria has remained unchanged over time; that is, to assure comparability
and data reliability through the standardization of the population thresholds for census tracts, as well as
requiring that their boundaries follow specific types of geographic features that do not change frequently.
For these reasons, the ICFD chose the use of census tracts as planning areas in preparing its first Standard
of Response Coverage document in 2007. The City of Iowa City includes 16 census tracts. Incident
response data is automatically populated by computer-aided dispatch (CAD) with the assigned census
tract number. The boundaries are well-defined and descriptive population demographics and other
descriptive data are readily available to assist with meaningful analysis. Having used census tracts as
planning areas for nearly ten years, the department finds the census tract boundary continuity and the
resulting census tract data comparability over time to be desirable.
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Today, planning areas for the ICFD include the following:
Map 28 ICFD Planning Areas/Risk Management Zones
Sixteen Census Tracts or Risk Management Zones (RMZ)
The risk management zones (RMZs) are census tracts that provide descriptive information via the census
bureau for analysis and planning. Incident tract numbers are captured in the Records Management
System (RMS) and provide for easy analysis.
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Map 29 2013-2015 Emergent Call Density
Geocoding of incident data remains a priority goal for the ICFD. The CAD is currently capturing
approximately 62% of our incidents for GIS mapping. The department has manually populated the
balance of 2013, 2014, and 2015 incident data. A University of Iowa Mechanical Engineering student
intern has been utilized to provide incident heat maps for this publication and for future analysis.
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Map 30 Iowa City Fire Districts
Four Fire Districts
The four fire districts align with the four fixed facility fire stations. The district boundaries are closely
associated with transportation routes and travel distance to the nearest fire station. District boundaries are
defined by parcels of land that are programmed into the CAD for automatic population of unit
assignments.
Table 18 Approximate Road Miles in Each Fire District
District Response District Miles Total
1-4 35.36
1-2 21.85
1-3 18.73
1
75.94
2 2-1
87.35
3-4 32.6
3-1 58.24
3
90.84
4-1 22.57
4-3 28.09
4
50.66
TOTAL
304.79
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Map 31 Iowa City Response Districts
Eleven Response Districts
The eleven response districts are configured to provide a fast and efficient response to events requiring
more than one unit. Eight of the response districts are designated 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 2-1, 3-1, 3-4, 4-1, and 4-3.
The first number corresponds to the district and the second number indicates which neighboring district
provides the second-due unit. Response districts 10, 20, and 30 are linked to high and special risk
occupancies within districts, 1, 2, and 3. Building fires in these districts receive an additional engine on the
first alarm assignment. District 4 has no high or special risk occupancies, therefore there is no response
district 40. The CAD is pre-programmed to assign units according to the incident location, the
classification of risk (fire, EMS, hazmat, and tech rescue), and the category of risk (low, moderate, high, or
special).
At its annual Spring Planning Meeting on April 14, 2016, the ICFD elected to rely more heavily on the 11
response districts for planning purposes, particularly as it relates to emergency response and mitigation.
Performance data that is tied to the response districts will have greater use and application because it is
more familiar. Department employees are intimately familiar with response districts but only vaguely
familiar with census tracts.
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Incident response data for this study will be displayed according to the four response districts. Most of the
descriptive data is collected and conveyed by census tracts. Rather than apportion the department’s
calculations of descriptive data to the response districts, which sacrifices accuracy, the agency has chosen
to display descriptive information within this document according to the census tracts that overlay the
four fire districts and eight response sub-districts.
The map below conveys the above in that the 16 census tracts (RMZs) are color coded to reflect
population density while the heavy black lines separate the eight response sub-districts.
Map 32 Population Density Estimates by RMZ
Iowa City’s current population is estimated to be 73,415. Its 2010 population of 67,894, is said to have
increased by 8.13%. Iowa City’s median age is 25.9 years and the overall population density is calculated to
be 2,713.
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At Risk Groups
Generally, at risk populations include 17,464 children (those under 18 years), 405 of which have a non-
institutionalized disability, 6,065 seniors (65 years or older), with 1,924 having a non-institutionalized
disability. It is assumed that these groups are more likely to require assistance during times of disaster and
therefore are considered to be more “at-risk” than the remaining population.
Map 33 Population >65 years old by RMZ
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Total population of children less than five years of age is estimated to be 7,613, with RMZ distributions as
shown in the map below.
Map 34 Population <5 years old by RMZ
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Housing Characteristics
The total number of housing units in Iowa City is 30,002. Of the 28,843 occupied housing units, 13,872
are owner-occupied and 14,971 are renter-occupied. The average household size of owner-occupied units
is 2.32. The average household size of renter-occupied units is 2.10. The median (dollars) value of owner-
occupied units is $185,500.
Map 35 Averaged Assessed Property Value
Figure 11 Real Estate Market Trends in Iowa City
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Map 36 Iowa City Single Family and Multi Family Dwellings
The U.S. Census Bureau describes the Iowa City workforce in 2014, as follows:
Private wage and salary workers: 63.5%
Government workers: 32.6%
Self-employed in own business: 3.7%
Iowa City occupations in the 2014 database are stated accordingly:
Management, business, science, and arts occupations: 46.1%
Service occupations: 20.8%
Sales and office occupations: 20.3%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations: 9.5%
Iowa City’s current unemployment is said to be 3%
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Map 37 Commercial Structures in Iowa City
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Urban Planning
The Urban Planning Office of the Neighborhood and Development Services Department advises the
Planning and Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Historic Preservation Commission, the Iowa
City Council, and the general public on planning and land development issues. Through its work with
developers, residents and other city departments, the Urban Planning Office encourages orderly growth,
redevelopment where appropriate, and preservation of historic properties and environmental resources.
Map 38 Iowa City Zoning
The Comprehensive Plan is often referred to as a roadmap for directing growth and change over time. It
describes a broad vision for the kind of community Iowa City should be and the steps necessary to get
there. The Comprehensive Plan guides decisions on planning and development issues as they arise and
evolve as amendments are made.
The City of Iowa City adopted an updated Comprehensive Plan in May 2013. The new plan, Iowa City
2030, sets a foundation for moving our community forward on a path to sustainability. A sustainability
assessment completed in the summer of 2013 provides baseline data that may be used to set measurable
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targets and goals in areas such as energy and water conservation, resource management and community
wellness.
The district planning process involves extensive citizen participation focusing on ten distinct areas of the
community. Detailed plans have been developed for eight of the ten planning districts. These plans
address the unique issues and opportunities in each district. Once adopted by the City Council, the district
plans become part of Iowa City's Comprehensive Plan. The most recently adopted plan is the Downtown
and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan, shown below.
Map 39 Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan
The Riverfront Crossings District is 76 acres in size, and designed to accommodate up to 900 residential
units and up to 220,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail/office space. The plan envisions a neighborhood just
south of downtown featuring a waterfront park with walking and biking trails, access to the Iowa River for
boating and fishing, a variety of housing options near shopping, restaurants, jobs, a state-of-the-art recital
hall and recreational facilities, just a short walk to downtown Iowa City and the University of Iowa
campus.
Low to Moderate Income
Low to moderate-income (LMI) populations are considered 80% of the median income for the area.
Using a median income per household for the city of $53,482, the LMI for a household was calculated to
be $42,786. An LMI RMZ is designated when 51% or more of the population falls below the LMI.
LMI RMZs
RMZ 6 63.72 %
RMZ 11 71.60 %
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RMZ 16 84.17 %
RMZ 21 91.8 %
Map 40 Low to Moderate Income Populations
Minority Concentrations
Minority concentrations were calculated using the 2014 American Community Survey (ACS) data. A risk
management zone (RMZ) that qualifies as having a minority concentration is defined as containing at
least 10% or more minority populations. Iowa City’s population that define themselves by one race totals
97.4% of the population. Of those, 81% are white, 8% are Asian, 5.8% are black, 0.3% are American Indian
and Alaska Native, 0.3% are Native Hawaiian, and 2% are some other race.
Minority RMZ
RMZ 4 22.08 % Asian residents in RMZ 4
8.0 % Asian residents in the city
Impact of Increased Urban Development
The frequency and severity of flooding has increased in recent years, partly as a result of increasing urban
development. As more land becomes covered with impermeable surfaces such as buildings, parking lots,
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and roads, water cannot drain into the soil and surface runoff increases, thereby causing acute local
flooding.
Map 41 Iowa City 100 and 500 Year Floodplains
Flood Hazard Areas
There are areas of residentially used floodplain on the east side of the Iowa River that extend beyond the
Iowa River. Ralston Creek, a central feature of the residential neighborhood located between Court Street
and Muscatine Avenue, runs through a large portion of town, and impacts a number of neighborhoods,
most of which were built in the second quarter of the 20th Century.
The southeast district is bounded by Court Street on the north, Highway 6 on the south, and extends from
1st Avenue and the Sycamore Mall area on the west to the city's growth area boundary located just east of
Taft Avenue. It contains residential neighborhoods with a mix of housing types, including single-family
homes, townhomes, condominiums, apartments, and elderly housing.
The southeast side of the city has seen new development over the past 20 years and a substantial amount
of this development has been multi-family. There are industrial properties in this area as well. The
majority of homes on the west side of the river are post WWII. While Ralston Creek is viewed as an asset
and an amenity for the Court Hill Neighborhood, it is also prone to flash flooding, particularly during
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heavy local rain events. Residents and business owners with property along the creek should be aware of
dangers posed by flooding, not only to property, but also to public safety.
Iowa City’s floodplain management ordinance, intended to discourage and restrict new development in
flood hazard areas, has been in place since 1977. However, in response to the devastating floods of 1993
and 2008, the city re-examined these regulations and expanded the definition of “flood hazard” to include
the “100-year” and “500-year” floodplains. Almost all property along Ralston Creek in Court Hill
Neighborhood is developed.
Image 88 Ralston Creek during a rainstorm (April 2013)
The city applied and received Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funds
through the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) in 2009 and 2010 to replace some
housing demolished and converted to permanent green space.
Image 89 Normandy Drive Waterfront
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Image 90 Iowa City Flood of 2008
The Ralston Creek watershed is located on the east side of Iowa City. Its southern and lower branches are
urbanized. The north branch sub-basin is largely agricultural, but has undergone new development as
Iowa City has continued to expand. Hickory Hill Park is located at the downstream end of the north
branch sub-basin and a bridge on Rochester Avenue that crosses the creek constrains flood flows. The
regional storm water detention basin for the north branch of Ralston Creek is in Hickory Hill Park. The
south branch of Ralston Creek flows into the regional storm water detention basin located east of Scott
Boulevard in Scott Park. These regional basins are able to serve most of the northeast district. Developers
in this district are not required to provide on-site storm water detention facilities, as long as sufficient
capacity remains within the two regional storm water basins. Although a 100-year storm water route
needs to be provided through each property, not having to provide storm water detention facilities on
individual properties allows for more compact development to occur within the district.
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Medical Care Facilities
Iowa City is home to several important medical care facilities, including University of Iowa Hospitals and
Clinics, Mercy Hospital, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. These facilities along with
skilled nursing, assisted living, urgent care centers and other out-patient care facilities present a unique
life safety risk in that they house people who are of limited mobility or non-ambulatory. Evacuation of
patients requires additional emergency response resources and well trained facility staff. The following
map shows the locations of these important community resources and care facilities.
Map 42 Iowa City Medical Care Facilities
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Places of Worship
Unfortunately, even places of worship have been the scene of crisis situations. Churches, mosques and
other places of worship have a unique challenge when it comes to security and safety. Places of worship
want to be open and welcoming to the community while also protecting the people and property inside.
Map 43 Iowa City Places of Worship
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Gas Transmission and Hazardous Liquid Pipelines
The following map is provided by the National Pipeline Mapping System. Hazardous liquid pipelines that
traverse the Iowa City metropolitan area are shown in RED and gas pipelines are shown in BLUE. The
Magellan Pipeline Company above ground liquid tank field in Coralville is also shown in RED.
Map 44 Hazardous Liquid Pipelines and Gas Pipelines
Risk Assessment
Fire Suppression Services
The chart below demonstrates a moderate increase in fire responses since 2011. Fire responses, which
characterized less than 4 percent of the department’s total call volume in 2015, represent a smaller
percentage of the total calls for service when compared to non-fire responses. Nonetheless, fire responses
pose an elevated risk to safety because of the hazardous nature of fire.
Figure 12 Fire Responses (2011-2015)
203
183
206
241
173
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
All Fires, 2011 - 2015
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Building Fires
Building fires present a greater threat to life and property and the potential for much larger economic
losses. Iowa City has modern fire codes and fire suppression requirements in new construction and
building renovations, coupled with improved firefighting equipment, and training and techniques, to
lessen the chance and impact of major urban fires. Most building fires occur in residential structures, but
the occurrence of fire in a commercial or industrial facility could affect more people and pose a greater
threat to those near a fire or fighting the fire.
Figure 13 Building Fires (2011-2015)
In 2005, the ICFD chose the Risk, Hazard, and Value Evaluation (RHAVE) methods to identify,
categorize, and analyze fire risk for all 21,139 buildings within Iowa City. The ICFD chose the RHAVE
process to identify the city’s hazardous areas, as well as analyze risks, potential risks, and identify the city’s
needs in terms of response time and service required.
Building Occupancy Risk Assessment
In most communities, the majority of losses occur in the smallest percentage of emergencies that reach the
significant destruction or loss ranges. The objective of risk assessment technique is to reduce serious loss
in a very unusual event in the community. This involves trying to keep routine emergencies from
becoming serious loss situations.
In 2005, the ICFD initiated the RHAVE program to identify potential hazards and level of risk within
Iowa City. The RHAVE process is administered by the Fire Prevention Bureau. In 2012, a database
platform was formulated to provide greater flexibility in sorting data and creating reports. The software
analyzes the data to calculate an Occupancy Vulnerability Assessment Profile (OVAP) score. Six factors
are considered in the formula. The building score includes type of construction, exposure hazards, and
access to the building, how tall the building is, and square footage. The life-safety factor includes things
such as occupant load, occupant mobility, fire alarm equipment, and the existing system. The risk score
includes the probability and consequence of a serious fire incident based on regulatory oversight, human
activity, and experience. The consequence score quantifies the department’s capacity to control, the
hazards within a building, and combustible fire load that is present. The water demand score determines
the required fire flow for the building and the fire flow that is available at the closest fire hydrant. The final
56
38
39
42
44
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
Building Fires, 2011 - 2015
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factor included in the OVAP formula involves the potential impact a large fire or loss would have on the
community. The program groups the occupancy according to the OVAP score. A building is considered a
high risk if the score is greater than 50, a significant risk if the score is from 40-49, a moderate risk if the
score is from 16-39, and a low risk if the score is 15 or less.
While risk factors all have some common thread, the rationale of placing occupancy within any risk
assessment category is to assume the worst. For example, fire flow as a risk assessment criteria or
requirement is based on defining the problem that will occur if the occupancy is totally involved, and
therefore creates the maximum demand upon fire suppression services.
RHAVE is made up of seven sections: Building Score, Life-Safety Score, Risk Score, Consequence Score,
Water Demand Score, Value Score, and the final OVAP score. Each section has different categories that
are scored from zero to five. The ICFD’s goal is to objectively evaluate all the city’s occupancies so there is
a full and complete understanding of the demands placed upon its fire department.
Map 45 Number of Structures by RMZ
Building Score
Building Score is composed of six different categories: exposure separation, type of construction, stories,
access, and square footage. Exposure separation is defined by how far the building being evaluated is from
the next closest building. The closer the two buildings are to each other, the higher the ranking.
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Construction type is determined by the materials of which a building is constructed. The more hazardous
the construction materials used, the higher the score a building receives. Buildings are also evaluated by
how tall, or by the number of stories constructed. If a building is one to two stories tall, it receives one
point. If a building is seven to nine stories tall, it receives four points toward the total OVAP score. Access
sides to the building being evaluated include all doors except garage doors and do not include windows.
The lower the number of sides of access, the higher amount of points an occupancy receives.
Map 46 Structures' Density by RMZ
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Life-Safety Score
Life-Safety Score is composed of four different categories: occupant load, occupant mobility, warning
alarm, and egress system. Occupant load is determined by how many people a building can hold. If there
is an occupant load ranging from zero to ten, one point is awarded. If there is an occupant load greater
than 300, five points is awarded. Occupant mobility is based on how high a building is and the state of the
occupants inside. The occupants inside a building could be awake ambulatory, asleep ambulatory, or non-
ambulatory/restrained. Warning alarm is determined by the type of alarm present in a building. No alarm
system present would receive five points, while an automatic-central station alarm would only receive one
point. The last category, egress system, has two options: conforming and non-conforming. Most
occupancies in Iowa City have a conforming egress system.
Map 47 Population Density per Structure
Risk Score
Risk Score has three different categories: regulatory oversight, human activity, and experience. Regulatory
oversight determines if a building is highly regulated with mandatory compliance (industrial, one point),
highly regulated with inspections scheduled (commercial, two points), regulated with inspections
scheduled randomly (residential, three points), etc. Human activity is based on who has access to the
building in question and how accessible the building is for bystanders. All buildings have the same
experience score, which is an annual event (four points).
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Consequence Score
Consequence Score has three different categories: capacity to control, hazard index, and fire load.
Capacity to control determines if a building is on fire and how much damage that building will do to the
surrounding area and buildings. If the fire can be controlled within the building of origin, one point is
awarded. However, if the fire building is hazardous to firefighting activities, five points are awarded.
Hazard index gives more points to buildings with greater hazards. Fire load is broken down as light (one
point), ordinary hazard group I (two points), ordinary hazard group II (three points), extra hazard group I
(four points), and extra hazard group II (five points).
Water Demand Score
Water Demand Score is composed of two categories: required fire flow and fire flow available. The
required fire flow is determined from a fire flow spreadsheet. The fire flow spreadsheet considers seven
different factors: construction coefficient, building area, occupancy factor, exposure factor, if the building
has a wood roof, and whether or not the building has sprinklers. Once a fire flow is determined from the
fire flow spreadsheet, points are awarded to the score. The lower the required fire flow, the lower the
points that are achieved. Fire flow available is determines whether the required fire flow that was
calculated is present at the closest fire hydrant.
Value Score
Value Score has one category: property value. The point system for property value starts at 1.0 and
increases in increments of 0.1 to reflect an increase in property value. If a building is a personal/family
loss, one point is awarded. If a building is an irreplaceable loss to the community, it is awarded 1.4 points.
Property loss due to fires totaled $3.1 million and $1.6 million in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Figure 14 Property Loss Due to Fire (2011-2015)
173 241 206 183 203
$2,861,590
$4,902,937
$2,752,997
$3,173,230
$1,620,764
0
1000000
2000000
3000000
4000000
5000000
6000000
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Map 48 Average Assessed Property Value Excluding Government and University
Once all the hazard information is entered, an Occupancy Vulnerability Assessment Profile (OVAP) score
is calculated. Final OVAP scores are categorized as follows:
Figure 15 OVAP Categories
Maximum - 60 or more
High - 50 to 59
Significant - 40 to 49
Moderate - 16 to 39
Low - 15 or less
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The final OVAP score is an accumulation of all the previous scores from each category, which determines
an overall score for each building. A building is considered “maximum risk” if the score achieved is
greater than 60 and a “high risk” if a building achieved a score from 50-59. A building is considered
“significant risk” if the score achieved is from 40-49. A building is classified as “moderate risk” if the score
achieved is from 16-39 and “low risk” if the score achieved is 15 or less. The largest OVAP score achieved
was 71 for the Iowa Memorial Union. Using the RHAVE process, Fire Administration identified 3
“maximum risk” buildings, 44 “high risk” buildings, 215 “significant risk” buildings, 20,840 “moderate
risk” buildings, and 30 “low risk” buildings. As a result of this analysis, the city is said to be comprised
mainly of structures having a “moderate” risk profile as defined above. OVAP hazard statistics show that
nearly 99 percent of the 21,139 occupancies reviewed were assigned a moderate risk level. The graph and
associated table below summarizes the overall results of the fire risk analysis.
Figure 16 Occupancy Hazard Statistics
Table 19 Total Occupancy Hazard Statistics
Table 20 Total Structures by Type of Use and Risk Class
Maximum 60+ High 50-59 Significant 40-49 Moderate 16-39 Low 0-15
3 44 215
20,840
30
Occupancy Hazard Sta4s4cs
Risk Level & OVAP Score
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+3 191 0.0
High 50-59 44 2,372 0.2
Significant 40-49 215 9,248 1.0
Moderate 16-39 20840 482,321 98.6
Low 0-15 30 329 0.1
Average Score 23.4 21,132 494,461 100
CLASS Commercial Government Multi-family Residential Single-family Residentrial University
Maximum Risk (60+ OVAP)0%0%0%0%100%
High Risk (50-59 OVAP)14%2%2%0%82%
Significant Risk (40-49 OVAP)54%5%15%0%26%
Moderate Risk (16-39 OVAP)10%0%27%62%1%
Low Risk (15 or Less OVAP)10%87%0%3%0%
Page 133
Figure 17 Risk Category by Type of Structure
Map 49 High Risk Buildings (based on 2013 Community Risk and Emergency Services Analysis / SOC)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Commercial Government MulG-family
ResidenGal
Single-family
Residentrial
University
Risk Category by Type of Structure
Maximum Risk (60+ OVAP)
High Risk (50-59 OVAP)
Significant Risk (40-49 OVAP)
Moderate Risk (16-39 OVAP)
Low Risk (15 or Less OVAP)
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Attributes of a Building in Maximum Risk Category
The “Maximum Risk” category required an OVAP score equal to or greater than 60. There are only three
occupancies placed in maximum risk, making it the smallest category of the five. The “High Risk”
category has an OVAP score of 50-59. There are 44 occupancies in this category; however, 82% of the
occupancies are university buildings and 14 percent are commercial buildings. Generally, buildings in
those two categories have occupancy loads of 300+ people, require water flows more than 6000 GPM, and
are valuable pieces of property. A majority of these buildings don’t have the needed water flow available
from the closest fire hydrant. All the Maximum Risk structures as identified by RHAVE analysis are
university buildings.
Map 50 High Risk Buildings by RMZ
Page 135
Attributes of a Building in Significant Risk Category
The “Significant Risk” category has an OVAP score ranging from 40-49. These occupancies are large with
some having square footage of around 40,000. The height of the buildings varies from one story to six
stories tall. In this category, the type of fire alarm system a building has is starting to become a factor. A
lot of these buildings have no alarm system or some type of manual alarm system. The hazards in this
category range from common hazards to multiple and complex hazards. Property value of these buildings
is becoming a factor as well. This includes moderate economic impact/severe causality exposure, severe
economic impact/tax base or job loss, and irreplaceable loss to community if these buildings are damaged
or destroyed. The majority of buildings - 54 percent - in this class are commercial buildings with
university buildings comprising 26 percent of this class.
Map 51 Significant Risk Structures by RMZ
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Attributes of a Building in Moderate Risk Category
The “Moderate Risk” category has an OVAP score ranging from 16-39. This category is the most diverse
when it comes to occupancy type. Occupancies with “moderate risk” have various characteristics.
Because this category is so diverse, it is hard to pinpoint any distinguishable characteristic that separates
occupancies in this category from occupancies in the other four categories. Most of these buildings are
large, have small exposure separations, a large occupant load, common hazards, mixed hazards, and
industrial hazards.
Almost all the residential occupancies in Iowa City fall into the 15-39 OVAP score category. Single-family
residential being the predominant category comprises 62 percent of this class. Multi-family residential
comprises 27 percent. These residential occupancies include apartments, zero-lot-lines, multi-family
dwellings, single-family dwellings, and condominiums. Most residential occupancies range from 21-26
with very minute differences present to cause that range. Occupancies in this category have common and
mixed hazards, an occupancy load no greater than 50 people, have access on most sides of the building,
and square footage under 15,000 feet.
Map 52 Total Multi-Family Structures by RMZ
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Attributes of a Building in a Low Risk Category
The “Low Risk” category required an OVAP score equal to or less than 15. There are 30 occupancies in
this category. All buildings in this category have access points on all sides, are less than 7,500 square feet,
are no taller than two stories, and have the lowest fire load, hazard index, and water demand available.
Table 21 Average OVAP Score by RMZ
RMZ Average OVAP Number of Structures Total Value
1 22.42 1,470 41,996
4 22.55 1,822 41,090
5 23.32 2,314 53,978
6 24.61 761 18,725
11 23.78 1,002 23,834
12 21.77 784 17,072
13 22.21 1,470 32,655
14 22.44 1,731 38,835
15 21.75 1,217 26,471
16 24.19 871 21,070
17 24.87 1,612 40,083
18 23.1 2,896 66,876
21 31.46 677 21,293
23 23.94 861 20,608
104 29.75 224 6,663
105 22.82 1,017 23,213
Map 53 Average OVAP Score by RMZ
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Table 22 RMZ Classifications as Identified by RHAVE
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 21
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+2 128 0.3
High 50-59 9 481 1.3
Significant 40-49 79 3,388 11.7
Moderate 16-39 586 17,281 86.6
Low 0-15 1 15 0.1
Average Score 31.46 677 21,293 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 23
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+1 63 0.1
High 50-59 23 1,260 2.7
Significant 40-49 20 894 2.3
Moderate 16-39 817 18,391 94.9
Low 0-15 0 - 0.0
Average Score 23.94 861 20,608 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 104
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 25 1,049 11.2
Moderate 16-39 198 5,599 88.4
Low 0-15 1 15 0.4
Average Score 29.75 224 6,663 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 105
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 4 168 0.4
Moderate 16-39 1012 23,033 99.5
Low 0-15 1 12 0.1
Average Score 22.82 1,017 23,213 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 12
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0
High 50-59 1 50 0.1
Significant 40-49 1 44 0.1
Moderate 16-39 782 16,977 99.7
Low 0-15 0 - 0
Average Score 21.77 784 17,072 100
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Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 13
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 1 43 0.1
Moderate 16-39 1469 32,612 99.9
Low 0-15 0 - 0.0
Average Score 22.21 1470 32,655 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 14
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 3 134 0.2
Moderate 16-39 1722 38,642 99.5
Low 0-15 6 60 0.3
Average Score 22.44 1731 38,835 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 15
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 0 - 0.0
Moderate 16-39 1215 26,451 99.8
Low 0-15 2 20 0.2
Average Score 21.75 1217 26,471 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 16
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 11 473 1.3
Moderate 16-39 860 20,597 98.7
Low 0-15 0 - 0.0
Average Score 24.19 871 21,070 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 17
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 2 102 0.1
Significant 40-49 21 924 1.3
Moderate 16-39 1589 39,058 98.6
Low 0-15 0 - 0.0
Average Score 24.87 1612 40,083 100
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Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 1
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 9 382 0.5
Moderate 16-39 1850 41,459 98.8
Low 0-15 14 155 0.7
Average Score 22.42 1873 41,996 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 4
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 1 50 0.1
Significant 40-49 4 175 0.2
Moderate 16-39 1817 40,864 99.7
Low 0-15 0 - 0.0
Average Score 22.55 1822 41,090 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 5
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 4 168 0.2
Moderate 16-39 2309 53,800 99.8
Low 0-15 1 10 0.0
Average Score 23.32 2314 53,978 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 6
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 14 617 1.8
Moderate 16-39 745 18,089 97.9
Low 0-15 2 20 0.3
Average Score 24.61 761 18,725 100
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ11
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0
High 50-59 8 429 0.8
Significant 40-49 6 257 0.6
Moderate 16-39 988 23,149 98.6
Low 0-15 0 - 0
Average Score 23.78 1002 23,834 100
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Fire Risk Factors
According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), older adults are more vulnerable in a fire than the
general population due to a combination of factors including mental and physical frailties, greater use of
medications, and elevated likelihood of living in poverty-like or fixed income situations. As shown in the
map below, RMZ 105, RMZ 4, and RMZ 6 have populations with the highest number of individuals aged
85 years and older. Employing probability, consequence and impact methodology, it is significant that the
U.S. Census Bureau estimates that older adults comprise 12 percent of the population and growing. It is
estimated that the older population will rise sharply between 2010 and 2030, the years when the baby
boom generation will be in retirement. By 2030, the Department of Health and Human Services
Administration on Aging estimates adults aged 65 and over will comprise 20 percent of the U.S.
population.
Map 54 Population >85 by RMZ
Occupancy Hazard Statistics RMZ 18
Risk Level OVAP Score # of Structures Value %
Maximum 60+0 - 0.0
High 50-59 0 - 0.0
Significant 40-49 13 533 0.4
Moderate 16-39 2881 66,321 99.5
Low 0-15 2 23 0.1
Average Score 23.1 2896 66,876 100
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In terms of consequence, the elderly continue to experience a disproportionate share of fire deaths.
According to the USFA, older adults represented 12% of the U.S. population, but suffered more than 30
percent of all fire deaths. The relative risk of individuals aged 65 and over dying in a fire is 2.6 times
greater than that of the general population. The risk worsens as age increases: the risk is 1.7 for adults aged
65 to 74, but soars to 4.7 for those over age 84. With this in mind, it is notable that Iowa City has several
multi-family residential structures referred to as retirement communities, which are home primarily to
older adults.
Map 55 Population >65 by RMZ
Likewise, according to the USFA, people in poverty-like or fixed income situations are more vulnerable to
fire risk. Using probability and consequence methodology, this fire risk level conclusion can be drawn
from numerous studies and data compiled by the USFA. The probability aspect, and therefore the
predictability of this impact on the community, can be measured by quantifying the portion of the
community living in poverty-like or fixed income situations. The map below shows the distribution of
low-to-moderate-income and minority populations by RMZ.
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Map 56 Low to Moderate Income and Minority Concentrations by RMZ
The City of Iowa City Housing Authority (ICHA) offers programs that provide housing at a reduced rate
for those meeting the annual gross income eligibility requirements, with priority given to families who
qualify for local working preference, are elderly, or have a household member that is disabled.
Special Housing
The U.S. Census defines disabled persons as those with impaired mobility, including the blind. The
number of disabled persons in a district has important planning and social implications, which affect the
demand for specialized access and EMS demands.
According to census data the most stable group is the age set of 65 years and older with an increase of
four-tenths of one percent as a percentage of total population. These people are often life-long residents of
Iowa City. The U.S. Census states that 14.5% of Iowa City households include individuals 65 years of age
and older. As shown by the maps, senior population is not evenly distributed across the city. The largest
number (249) of Iowa City’s 85+ seniors, as well as 1,084 of the total 65+ population lives in RMZ 105.
This increasing demographic is realized daily by EMS providers, but its effect on fire operations must not
be overlooked. As this population shift continues so will the demand for housing that meets the lifestyle
demands of active senior citizens and those in need of much more advanced care. According to the
National Fire Protection Association, once a person reaches 65, the risk of being killed or injured by fire
doubles compared to the general population. Many communities are seeing a building boom of senior
care housing that is much different than that of a generation ago, which resembled a sterile hospital
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environment. Many of these new facilities have senior citizens with very different needs all living at a
facility that might possess a single street address. It is only through thorough pre-planning that fire
departments will be able to identify these occupancies and establish appropriate rescue and fire
suppression strategies.
One of the objectives of the ICFD training program is to have firefighters demonstrate a basic
understanding of different types of senior communities and facilities. Firefighters will also gain an
understanding of facility operations and built-in fire protection systems at these facilities and to educate
staff, as well as the senior occupants on fire and life safety principles.
Children and Fire
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 52% of child fire deaths affect those under the age of 5. Iowa
City’s population age 5 or under is 7,613. Escaping from fire can be difficult for very young children
because they lack the motor skills and mental capabilities needed to quickly escape a burning building.
The number of fire injuries are also highest in the under age 5 bracket. Boys are at a higher risk of death
from fire than girls; African-American children are at an increased risk of death from fire. ICFD
prevention campaigns urge parents and caregivers to install and maintain working smoke alarms, to safely
store matches and lighters out of the reach of children, and to practice a fire escape plan with small
children. The US Census Bureau indicates 6% of housing units in Iowa City have children less than 6 years
of age.
Map 57 Population <5 by RMZ
Accessible Units
The Iowa City Housing Authority (ICHA) has 37 accessible units in its inventory. All 37 units are
currently occupied. Households receiving HCVP rental assistance needing accessible units have also
utilized the private market.
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Map 58 Density of Incidents in Relation to Special Housing
Historical Buildings
Structure fires also pose a risk to the community’s history. When fire
strikes a historic structure, the consequences may not only be
devastating to the building itself, but also to the community as a
whole. This is especially true if fire destroys any one-of-a-kind artifacts
found within.
Fire, caused by workers using hand
torches to remove asbestos from the
building during an exterior repair project, destroyed most of the gold
dome of Iowa’s Old Capitol on Tuesday, November 20, 2001. The
building was built in 1840. It served as the last capitol of the Iowa
territory - from 1842 to 1846. The fire caused an estimated $5.9 million in
damage. Restoration of the building took four and a half years and approximately $9 million to complete.
Iowa City is home to 68 properties on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Special Type Incident: Iowa City Landfill Fire
On May 26, 2012, the ICFD responded to a fire call at the Iowa City Landfill, located at 3900 Hebl Avenue,
one mile west of Highway 218 in Iowa City. The fire started at the working face of the landfill where
garbage was dumped earlier in the day. The fire quickly spread to the exposed landfill liner system, which
includes a drainage layer of approximately 1.3 million shredded
tires. Once the fire was in the drainage system, strong south winds
spread it quickly along the west edge of the landfill cell. Landfill
staff used bulldozers to cut a gap in the shredded tire layer to
contain the fire, but the fire spread across the gap before it could be
completed. Staff regrouped and cut two additional fire breaks to
halt the rapidly moving fire.
Protecting the health and safety of the public and workers on-site
remained the number one priority for the City and all cooperating agencies as the tire shreds continued to
burn. Also of primary concern was keeping the fire from spreading to adjacent landfill cells and to a
portion of the new cell which was successfully isolated in the days following the fire's ignition. On June 1,
2012, Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek signed a local disaster declaration. The declaration facilitated access to
state and federal resources, including advanced air quality monitoring and thermal imaging technology to
assist with mitigating the incident. The Johnson County Health Department partnered with the State
Hygienic Laboratory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and subject matter experts with the
University of Iowa to monitor air quality throughout the region. Officials with the United States
Environmental Protection Agency actively partnered with local and state officials on issues related to air
quality. On Tuesday, June 12, 2012, environmental restoration contactors completed a stir, burn, and
cover strategy to finally contain the fire and stop the burning. Heavy equipment was in operation for a
period of nine days. The City estimated the loss to be $4 million.
Fire Risk Level Conclusions
A careful assessment and analysis of fire risk within the community has revealed a number of valuable fire
risk conclusions. The use of existing RHAVE data and OVAP scores allows the agency to analyze the
vulnerability and risks of specific structures. This evaluative process will be made more complete by
integrating the three-axis risk methodology which considers the probability, consequence, and impact of
incident types throughout the community. The three-axis approach promotes a comprehensive analysis
which then allows for appropriate scoring and categorizing of each type of incident as low, moderate, high
or special. Clearly, the community faces a very real fire potential and risk scenario, as demonstrated by the
previous discussion of fire risk as it relates to probability and consequence.
Historical fire suppression response frequency and loss data speaks to the potential (probability) of future
fire occurrences within the community. Differing population densities within planning areas (RMZs) also
have a direct correlation to fire potential. Another reliable predictor of future fire potential is the
prevalence of at-risk populations within the community (i.e. children, older adults, people living in
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poverty-like or fixed income situations). It is fair to say the city contains risk characteristics allowing for
the prediction of future fire occurrences within the community.
Single family residential structure fire events are classified as moderate fire risk while multi-family
residential and commercial structure fire events are classified as high fire risk because of their significant
potential life and/or property loss scenarios. The OVAP-style hazard approach used within the fire risk
analysis clearly demonstrates that factors such as occupant load and mobility, size, property value, and
capacity for fire control, have an unmistakable relationship to potential fire loss. Iowa City’s youthful
median age and the risk taking behavior frequently associated with young people living away from home
for the first time exaccerbate risk and probability. Moderate risk fires minimally require three engine
companies (or two engines and one quint depending on incident location) a ladder company, and a
battalion chief for a total of 13 shift personnel.
High risk events and special risk events affect the community in terms of loss of life and/or significant
property, but also may have an important economic or historic impact to the community. They will also
certainly impact the department because of the large allocation of resources to such events. In fact, very
large fire occurrences are certain to bring the department to the point of resource exhaustion. Therefore,
the conclusion drawn is that increased fire risk warrants an increased concentration of fire suppression
resources. High risk fires are allocated an initial response of three engine companies, one quint, a ladder
company and a battalion chief to provide a response force of at least 16 personnel. A callback of off duty
personnel will follow and the Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) may be utilized
to bring additional resources as required.
Certain fire occurrences are extraordinary in nature, and due to their low frequency of occurrence and
potentially high consequence to the community, are classified as a special fire risk. Examples of special
high risk fires include: fires in high-rise buildings, hospitals, university research facilities, large assembly
occupancies, and heavy manufacturing. Special risk fires will exhaust the ability of on duty crews to
mitigate the incident. The Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) will be utilitzed to
assemble additional resources to mitigate the incident. Experiential data suggests a MABAS third alarm
will provide 50 personnel within 45 - 60 minutes of the alarm. The MABAS agreement provides two more
alarm levels, for a total of five alarms. Each alarm can be ordered with or without a change of quarters.
The change of quarters request provides one engine and four personnel to each of Iowa City’s four fire
stations. A second alarm will produce, on average, 16 off-duty ICFD personnel and two administrative
chiefs to the incident; a third alarm will add four apparatus, 16 personnel, and one chief; a fourth alarm
will add four apparatus, 16 personnel, and one chief; and a fifth alarm will add four apparatus and 16
personnel, and one chief.
Other types of fire occurrences have been identified that are probable within the community; however,
they carry much less risk-and are of a lesser consequence to the community. These events, such as
appliance fires, flue fires, outbuilding fires, transport vehicle fires, and single family dwellings are
classified as either low or moderate fire risk. Fewer resources are allocated to this type of fire risk level, and
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the impact to the department is less as well. Fires involving passenger vehicles, rubbish or vegetation are
included in this category.
The risk level classifications found on the following pages are designed to match risk with the appropriate
response force necessary to perform the critical tasks dictated by the specific incident type. In other
words, an effective response force must be assembled to perform the needed actions (critical tasks) to
control the incident and prevent its further escalation.
Grass Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 8.485
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Dumpster Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 12.33
Open Burning Investigation
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 12.33
Vehicle Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 8
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 16.25
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Large Vehicle Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 6
SCORE 26.53
Fire Alarm
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 10
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 20.2
Residential Structure Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 44.18
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Multi-Family Dwelling Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 67.17
Small Commercial Structure Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 53.74
Large Commercial Structure Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 67.17
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High Rise Structure Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 81.24
Light Manufacturing
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 59.4
Heavy Manufacturing
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 73.48
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Hospital
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 81.24
Research Facility
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 73.48
Nursing Home Fire
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 73.48
Scoring Results:
Low Risk = 0-25
Moderate Risk = 26-50
High Risk = 51-70
Special Risk = 71-100
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Fire Critical Task Analysis
According to the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, to create standard levels for response
in the mitigation actions, an assessment must be conducted locally to determine the capabilities of the
arriving companies and individual responders to achieve those critical tasks. When identifying critical
tasks, responder safety must be a priority.
An effective response force (ERF) is the number of staff necessary to complete all the identified tasks
within a prescribed timeframe. Deployment standards specific to NFPA 1710 were considered when
determining critical tasking. The following tables show critical tasks and associated risk with the ERF for
the incident.
Table 23 Fire Critical Tasks
Fire Risk: Low
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command/Safety 1
Fire Attack 1
Pump Operations 1
TOTAL 3
Fire Risk: Moderate
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Fire Attack 2
RIC 2
Pump Operations/Water Supply 1
Ventilation/Ground Ladders 2
Search and Rescue 2
Back Up Line 2
TOTAL 13
Admin Chief (ICS) 1
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Fire Risk: High
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Attack Line 2
2nd Attack Line 2
Pump Operations/Water Supply 1
Back-Up Line 2
RIC 2
Search and Rescue 2
Ventilation/Utilities 2
Utilities/Exposure Protection 1
TOTAL 16
Admin Chiefs (ICS) 2
Fire Risk: Special
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Command Aid 1
Safety 1
Division Supervisors 2
Staging 1
Attack Line 2
2nd Attack Line 2
Pump Operations/Water Supply 2
Back-Up Line 2
Rapid Intervention 2
Search and Rescue 2
Ventilation/Ground Ladders 2
Utilities/Exposure Protection 4
Aerial Operations/Other 4
On Deck 2
Level 1 Staging 6
Level 2 Staging 14
TOTAL 50*
Admin Chief (ICS) 2
*Equates to MABAS Alarm Level 3
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Emergency Medical Services
The most common type of call for service in Iowa City - like most fire departments across the United
States - is EMS response. EMS incidents are a significant risk to the community. Iowa City sees an increase
in EMS calls nearly each year. In 2015, the ICFD responded to 3,609 EMS incidents and in 2014 the ICFD
responded to 3,352 incidents. In six years, EMS response has increased by 30 percent.
The following chart breaks down the department’s EMS responses over the past five years. A 311 is a
medical assist incident and a 321 is an EMS incident involving direct patient care, excluding motor vehicle
accidents with injuries.
Figure 18 EMS Responses (2011-2015)
Figure 19 EMS Incidents by RMZ
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
311s 1579 1566 1635 1728 1873
321s 962 1251 1555 1518 1623
0
500
1000
1500
2000
311s
321s
1 4 5 6 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 23 104 105
2011 134 276 87 76 117 79 77 201 65 193 217 373 338 111 36 158
2012 193 302 122 86 130 60 71 225 72 227 224 420 347 137 59 141
2013 204 279 123 106 177 100 73 346 88 192 234 502 395 125 49 195
2014 172 315 126 98 124 57 71 336 74 231 199 564 456 138 56 225
2015 197 357 177 102 120 56 73 361 91 238 274 533 507 172 38 191
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
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Consistent with the probability and consequence methodology discussed earlier, the hot-spot map below
identifies the areas within the community with the greatest EMS density. The frequency of EMS responses
is greatest in the areas of the community with higher population densities and with special housing units
discussed earler.
Map 59 Fire and EMS Incidents (2015)
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EMS Risk Factors
Similar to fire risk, areas of the community characterized by populations living in poverty-like conditions
account for a greater service demand for EMS, as compared to other areas of the community. This
problem has been exacerbated by the increasing income gap between the well-off and the poor in the U.S.,
and cutbacks in income support programs for low-income households. According to the 2010 Census, 4.7
percent of Iowa City’s population is living below the poverty level.
The city’s population is growing older. According to the 2014 Census estimate, 8.6 percent of the total
population are 65 years of age or older. The Census Bureau estimates that the number of older adults
within the community will rise dramatically between now and the year 2030. For our purposes the
population of older adults is considered at-risk due to the population’s often non-ambulatory nature,
chronic medical conditions, increased use of medications, and elevated likelihood of living in poverty-like
or fixed income situations.
Dense populations of older adults can impact risk and the subsequent demand for EMS services within the
community. Subsequent high demand for EMS services has an obvious high consequence to the
community, due to the elevated levels of resources that must be allocated to meet this demand.
Unmistakably, these resources, once deployed, are unavailable to meet any other service needs of the
community as seen in the number of overlapping incidents that can adversely affect response time. When
a response unit is unavailable, the response time to an emergency in their first due area will be longer
because a more distant unit will have to respond.
Figure 20 Overlapping Incidents (2011-2015)
As mentioned earlier, Iowa City is home to several concentrated populations of older adults living in
multi-family dwellings and “retirement communities.” Further, the city has a number of other facilities
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which fall under the “assisted living” designation as well as the “24–hour-care skilled nursing facility”
designation.
EMS Risk Level Conclusions
Medical Emergency (BLS)
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 10
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 20.19901
Medical Emergency (ALS)
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 10
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 32.12476
Traumatic Injury (BLS)
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 8
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 16.24808
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Traumatic Injury (ALS)
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 8
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 6
SCORE 44.18144
Lift Assist
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 4.898979
DOA
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 4.898979
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MCI <10 Patients
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 54.33231
MCI >10 Patients
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 73.48469
CO Exposure
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 55.42563
Scoring Results:
Low Risk = 0-25
Moderate Risk = 26-50
High Risk = 51-70
Special Risk = 71-100
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EMS Risk Level Classifications
The following risk level conclusions are established:
Low Lift and invalid assists are considered low risk. Also identified as a low risk are
incidents involving people who may have obvious morbidity. Incidents involving
any Basic Life Support (BLS) treatment are considered low risk.
Moderate Emergent EMS incidents, either illness (medical) or injury (trauma) are considered
moderate risk. These incidents include CPR in progress and all Advanced Life
Support (ALS) single patient incidents.
High Multiple patient ALS incidents, MCI events involving 10 or fewer patients and
multiple patient carbon monoxide incidents are considered high risk. (Vehicle
entrapment is categorized within risk classifications for rescue.)
Special Multiple patient/MCI events involving more than 10 patients are considered special
risk.
EMS Critical Task Analysis
According to the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, to create standard levels for response
in the mitigation actions, an assessment must be conducted locally to determine the capabilities of the
arriving companies and individual responders to achieve those critical tasks. Service delivery deployment
related to NFPA 1710 was considered when determining critical tasking related to EMS. When identifying
critical tasks, responder safety must be a priority.
An ERF is the number of staff/tasks necessary to complete all the identified tasks within a prescribed
timeframe. The following tables show critical tasks and associated risk with the ERF for the incident.
All incidents which fall within the EMS risk category low or moderate will be dispatched as a single
company response. If pre-arrival or on-scene information warrants, the first arriving officer may special
call additional resources. Risk category High will receive a minimum of 10 personnel; Risk category
Special will receive a minimum of 16 personnel with additional resources made available through the
Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System.
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Table 24 EMS Critical Tasks
EMS Risk: Low
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command/Safety/Documentation 1
Patient Care 2
TOTAL 3
EMS Risk: Moderate
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command/Safety/Documentation 1
Patient Care 2
TOTAL 3
EMS Risk: High
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Patient Care 6
Hazard Control 1
Triage 1
TOTAL 10
EMS Risk: Special
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Patient Care 12
Hazard Control 1
Triage 1
TOTAL 16*
*In the event of an extraordinary special risk EMS incident the Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System
(MABAS) will be utilized to assemble additional personnel and apparatus as stated in the fire critical task analysis.
Mutual aid companies are certified first responders and are qualified to assist and support the ICFD in accomplishing
its mission.
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Hazardous Materials Services
Hazardous materials and hazardous wastes are a concern for the city because a sudden accidental or
intentional release of such materials can be dangerous to human health and safety, damage property, and
affect the quality of the environment. The most likely occurrences of such releases are in the following
areas: transportation routes, business and industry,
university labroatories, agriculture, and illegal dumping.
All personnel are trained to the hazmat technicial level, as
outlined in NFPA 472. Agency apparatus are equiped
with operations level equipment. Any incident that is
beyond that of defensive operations, requires the callout
of the Johnson County Hazardous Materials Response
Team (JCHMRT). This team is comprised of agency
personnel assigned to Station #2 as well as individuals
sponsored by area volunteer fire departments, various
departments within Johnson County government, and area businesses with an interest in hazardous
materials response. Total team membership is 30 personnel. The team response apparatus, HazMat 1, is
owned by the county but is stationed at Iowa City Fire Station #2. HazMat 1 carries equipment required
for a technician level response.
HazMat Risk Level Conclusions
Fluid Cleanup
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 8
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 16.24808
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CO Incident - No Injuries
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 12.32883
Natural Gas Leak - Exterior
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 4
SCORE 19.79899
Natural Gas Leak - Interior
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 44.18144
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Lab Release
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 55.4256
Transportation Release
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 65.96969
Rail Accident
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 59.39697
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Facility Leak
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 67.17142
WMD Event
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 73.48469
Scoring Results:
Low Risk = 0-25
Moderate Risk = 26-50
High Risk = 51-70
Special Risk = 71-100
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HazMat Risk Level Classifications
The following risk level conclusions are established:
Low Incidents include investigations with carbon monoxide, natural gas or other
commonly encountered hazardous materials such as gasoline and anti-freeze. An
ERF of 3 personnel is necessary to complete the critical task assignments of low risk
HazMat incidents.
Moderate Incidents include HazMat spills and gas leaks to include methane and propane.
Incidents will include investigations inside a structure for hazardous materials. An
ERF of 13 personnel is necessary to complete the critical task assignments of
moderate risk HazMat incidents.
High Incidents include cases where a full team roll-out of the Johnson County Hazardous
Materials Response Team is required. Incidents include a large quantity
transportation accident release, an unknown chemical release from a lab, or a
chemical release at a manufacturing facility. An ERF of 16 personnel is necessary to
initiate the critical task assignments of high risk HazMat incidents. Specific and
detailed task assignments would be determined by the incident commander or team
leader.
Special Incidents include events requiring full team activation plus additional HazMat
specialists to initiate the critical task assignments associated with a special risk
HazMat incident. Special risk incidents include any large-scale HazMat event,
natural or manmade such as a significant train derailment, a dirty bomb or a WMD
event. An ERF of 22 personnel is necessary to initiate the critical task assignments.
A team roll-out of the Johnson County Hazardous Materials Team will be required
and requested via the Joint Emergency Communications Center (JECC). Additional
state resources such as the Iowa WMD team and 71st Civil Support Team may be
special called through Johnson County Emergency Management. NOTE: The ICFD
conducted a WMD type exercise that included both specialty teams in the summer
of 2012.
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HazMat Critical Task Analysis
According to the CFAI, to create standard levels for response mitigation, an assessment must be
conducted locally to determine the capabilities of arriving companies and individual responders to achieve
critical tasks. When identifying critical tasks, responder safety must be a priority.
An ERF is the number of staff/tasks necessary to complete all identified tasks within a prescribed
timeframe. The following tables show critical tasks and associated risk with the ERF for the incident.
Table 25 HazMat Critical Tasks
HazMat Risk: Low
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command/Safety/Documentation 1
Investigation/Monitoring 2
TOTAL 3
HazMat Risk: Moderate
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Documentation 1
Entry Team 2
Backup 2
Hazard Control 2
Pump Operator 1
Support/Decon 3
TOTAL 13
HazMat Risk: High
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Documentation/Research 2
HazMat Group Supervisor 1
Entry 2
Entry 2 2
Backup 2
Decon 2
HazMat Support 3
TOTAL 16
Admin Chief (ICS) 1
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HazMat Risk: Special
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
HazMat Group Supervisor 1
Documentation 1
Staging Manager 1
Entry 2
Entry 2 2
Backup 2
Decon 2
Research 2
General HazMat Support 3
Technical HazMat Support 4
TOTAL 22*
Admin Chiefs (ICS) 2
* Six (6) additional on-duty ICFD technician level personnel may be assigned to the incident. In the event of a
particularly difficult or complicated HazMat incident, the Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS)
will be utilized to attain the same quantity of personnel and apparatus as stated previously in the fire critical task
analysis. Mutual aid companies are certified as operations level providers in hazardous materials response and are
qualified to assist and support the ICFD in the performance of its duties.
Rescue Services
Although the frequency of technical rescue incidents in Iowa City does not compare to that of fire and
EMS, it was still necessary to identify rescue service risks, due to the high consequential nature they
present. These risks were divided into the following technical rescue disciplines: vehicle extrication,
confined space rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, rope rescue, and water/ice rescue.
Vehicle Extrication: Given the amount of highway and roadway lane miles traversing Iowa City, coupled
with the prevalence of traffic collisions, there is a potential vehicle extrication risk to the community.
Vehicle extrication is defined as the process of removing a vehicle from around a person that has been
involved in a motor vehicle accident, when conventional means of exit are impossible or unadvisable.
Vehicle extrication risks were identified based on the most recent
published crash data from federal and state agencies, and by using trend
analysis of the department’s response to traffic collisions with vehicle
extrications from 2008-2010 as a method for predicting future
occurrences. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) reported 5.5 million motor vehicle collisions resulting in 1.5
million injuries and 30,797 fatalities across the United States in 2009.
Locally, 22 incidents involving the extrication of a victim from a vehicle
were performed in the years 2011 – 2015.
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Confined Space: There are many workplaces in the city that contain spaces considered as "confined,"
simply because their dimensions and configurations hinder the activities of employees who must enter,
work in, and exit them. Examples of confined spaces include, but are not limited to, the following:
underground vaults, tanks, hoppers, storage bins, manholes, pits, silos, sewage digesters, process vessels,
tunnels, and pipelines. Generally, workers enter into these spaces for the purpose of inspection, testing of
equipment, maintenance, and cleaning.
Although an exact number of confined spaces and permit-required confined
spaces are not kept on record with the state of Iowa or the City of Iowa City,
confined space risks were identified based on national and state-level
occupational fatality statistics and site hazard planning conducted during pre-
planning, business inspections, and training.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a confined space as any space that
has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and is not specifically designed for continuous employee
occupancy. Spaces that meet OSHA’s definition of a “confined space” and contain health and safety
hazards are called "permit-required” confined spaces. These spaces have one or more of the following
characteristics: contains (or has the potential to contain) a hazardous atmosphere; contains a material that
has the potential to engulf an entrant; has walls that converge inward or floors that slope downward and
taper into a smaller area which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant; or contains any other recognized
safety or health hazard, such as unguarded machinery, exposed live wires, or heat stress.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, a majority of confined space rescues occur as a result of
exposure to toxic environments and asphyxiation. Annually, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports
approximately 350 fatalities (335 in 2013, 390 in 2014) from exposure to harmful substances and
environments. Although the frequency of responding to confined space rescues is inherently low, as
evident from the data listed above, it must be considered because the hazards certainly exist within the
community. Therefore, it is reasonable to presume that because the hazards exists in many different forms
throughout the community, the risk potential is real and therefore the probability to respond to future
occurrences cannot be overlooked. One instance of confined space rescue in the years 2011 – 2015, was
recorded locally.
Trench Rescue: Trench rescue is defined as the process of rescuing
a victim that has become entrapped in a trench as the result of a
cave-in or collapse at a construction site. OSHA defines a trench as
a narrow underground excavation that is deeper than it is wide, but
less than 15 feet wide. Trench excavation sites pose a significant
level of risk to the community because of their prevalence
throughout the city. Routinely, private contractors and public
works employees are working in and around trenches while
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performing maintenance and repair to utilities and/or installing new utilities.
Trenching and excavation work presents serious risks to all workers involved, but the greatest risk is that
of a trench cave-in. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
when cave-in accidents occur, they are much more likely to result in worker fatalities than other
excavation-related accidents.
Similar to confined spaces, occupational accidents producing injuries and fatalities happen regularly at
construction sites, including trench cave-ins and falls. According to OSHA, construction site accidents are
very prevalent across the nation and report high consequences to human life, listing 885 fatalities in 2014.
The number of fatal work injuries in
construction in 2014 was the highest reported
total since 2008. According to a 2015 Bureau of
Labor and Statistics report, the fatality rate for
excavation work is 112% higher than the rate for
general construction. Although the frequency of
responding to trench rescue incidents is
inherently low - as it is with other technical
rescues - it must be considered because the
hazard exists, as well as the potential for fatal
consequences. Based on the aforementioned statistical data, it is reasonable to presume there is trench
rescue risk associated with excavation work being performed locally in the construction industry, and
therefore the potential exists to respond to trench rescue incidents in the future. Four cases of
trench/below grade rescue were performed locally in the years 2011 – 2015.
Structural Collapse: Structural collapse rescue is defined as the process of locating and removing trapped
and often injured victims from partially or totally collapsed structures. The collapse of a structure is
usually the result of a natural or man-made disaster. Natural disasters resulting in structural collapse are
most often caused by natural events such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Man-made disasters
resulting in structural collapse are usually the result of human intent, error, negligence, or an engineering
failure of a man-made system. Although modern building codes have greatly reduced the risk of being
hurt or killed in a man-made structural collapse disaster, they cannot totally eliminate the risk altogether
because of the unpredictable nature of disasters. However, while the probability of a building collapse as
the result of a disaster is low, the consequences can be tragic and necessitate the identification of the risk
in the City.
Due to the fact that natural disaster data is more prevalent
than man-made disaster data, structural collapse risks were
identified based on statistical weather data. Iowa ranks
eighth in the United States for tornado frequency, averaging
49.2 tornadoes per year, 1991-2015. Based on those statistics,
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it is reasonable to presume that there is a potential for a natural disaster to occur in the future within the
City of Iowa City; therefore, the same potential exists for structural collapse.
Iowa Avenue following EF2 tornado (April 15, 2006)
Rope Rescue: Rope rescue is defined as any rescue attempt that requires the use of rope and related
equipment to safely gain access to, and remove patients from, hazardous geographic areas with limited
access such as steep embankments, high rise buildings, or any type of above or below grade structure (i.e.
embankments, cell towers, bridges, spillways, silos, water towers, high rise structures). Given the fact that
most of these hazardous areas have already been identified earlier in the document, the potential for rope
rescue risk must be considered. However, despite the amount of hazards within the city, rope rescue
emergencies happen very infrequently. In fact, the ICFD has only responded to one incident in the last
four years. Also, statistical data for rope rescue incidents is not compiled by any local, state, or federal
agency, thus making it nearly impossible to quantify rope rescue risk. Therefore, although rope rescue
incident data is lacking to show possible trends, the ICFD has identified rope rescue risks based on site
hazard planning conducted during pre-planning, business inspections, and training as a method for
predicting future occurrences.
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Water/Ice Rescue: Water related activities, bodies of water (lakes, ponds, creeks, etc.) and containers of
water (pools, etc.) pose risk to the community. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about
ten people die every day from unintentional drowning. Of these, about one in five people who die from
drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive
emergency department care for nonfatal
submersion injuries. Drowning is
responsible for more deaths among chldren
1-4, than any other cause except congenital
anomalies (birth defects). Among those 1-
14, fatal drowning remains the second
leading cause of unintentional injury-
related death behind motor vehicle crashes.
Iowa City owns three commercial
swimming pools. The CDC data also shows
that males, children, and minorities are most at risk. According to the CDC, nearly 80 percent of people
who die from drowning are male. The data continues by saying between 1999 and 2010, the fatal
unintentional drowning rate for African Americans was significantly higher than that of Caucasians
across all ages. The disparity is widest among chilfren 5-18 years old. The disparity is most pronounced in
swimming pools; African American children 5-19 drown in swimming pools at rates 5.5 times higher than
those of caucasians. Factors identified by the CDC, such as the physical environment (i.e. access to
swimming pools) and a combination of social and cultural issues (wanting to learn how to swim and
choosing recreational water-related activities), may contribute to the racial differences in drowning rates.
The CDC continues by noting that current rates are based on population and not on participation. If rates
could be determined by actual participation in water-related activities, disparity in minorities’ drowning
rates compared to Caucasians would be much greater.
The ICFD responded to six “water-ice rescue” incidents in the years 2011 to 2015. Although the historical
occurrence may be considered low locally, the potential life-threatening consequence, especially to males,
children and minorities, is unacceptable in any community.
Rescue Risk Level Conclusions
A careful assessment and analysis of rescue risk within the community has revealed numerous valuable
rescue risk level conclusions. Clearly, the community faces a very real rescue potential and risk scenario,
as demonstrated by the previous discussion of rescue risk as it relates to probability and consequence.
Rescue risk potentials were classified by type, to include the technical rescue disciplines of vehicle
extrication, confined space rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, rope rescue, and water/ice
rescue. Historical rescue response frequency data speaks to the potential (probability) of future rescue
occurrences within the community. Each rescue type’s potential is substantiated by the widespread
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presence of structures and areas within the community that carry with them specific hazards. Certainly,
the city’s large number of roadway lane miles create a vehicle extrication potential. Similarly, for example,
the prevalence of industrial occupancies and bodies of water in the community illustrate confined space
rescue and water/ice rescue potentials, respectively.
Traffic injury accidents with extrication, industrial accidents, vehicles colliding with buildings, and
water/ice rescues are classified as a high rescue risk because of their inherent probability of occurrence, as
well as for their significant potential loss scenarios. In addition, the level of difficulty of these rescues is of
an elevated nature, making potential negative consequences more likely.
Many rescue occurrences are exceptional in nature, and due to their low frequency of occurrence and
potentially high consequence to the community, are classified as a special rescue risk. Examples include:
structural collapse, rope, trench, confined space, and high angle rescues. Understandably, also included in
this risk category is a natural disaster mass casualty incident (MCI), such as a tornado strike, a man-made
disaster, or a downed aircraft. Of course, the level of difficulty in mitigating such an event is extraordinary,
making potential negative consequences much more likely.
High risk rescue and special risk rescue occurrences affect the community in terms of significant injury or
loss of life, but also may have an important economic impact to the community. They will also certainly
impact the department because of the large allocation of resources to such events. In fact, large MCI
occurrences are almost certain to bring the ICFD to the point of resource exhaustion. Therefore, the
conclusion can be drawn that increased rescue risk means an increased concentration of (need for) rescue
resources. Dispatch protocols are constructed to provide a minimum of 10 personnel to a moderate risk
incident, 16 to a high risk incident, and 16 plus SORT and MABAS resources to a special risk rescue
incident.
Special rescue risk incidents have the potential to bring with them very complex problems which would
likely require the technical skill set of the departments special operations response team (SORT). The
SORT is activated anytime the department arrives at a confirmed trench or structural collapse rescue
incident. The activation will trigger a response from off duty personnel as SORT membership is spread
across all three shifts. Should the incident exceed the capability of the SORT, a request for the state’s urban
search and rescue team could be made. This team is located in both Cedar Rapids and Sioux City and
would be requested through the county emergency management coordinator.
All risk level classifications found on the following page are designed to match the risk with the
appropriate response force necessary to perform the mitigation actions called for by the specific incident
type. In other words, an Effective Response Force (ERF) must be assembled (concentration of resources)
within the proper timeframe to perform the needed actions (critical tasks) to control the incident and
prevent its further escalation.
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Confined Space Standby
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 8
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 16.25
Motor Vehicle Accident
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 8
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 25.92
Elevator Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 8
Consequence to community 2
Impact on Fire Department 2
SCORE 16.25
Confined Space Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
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Consequence to community 8
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 59.4
Low Angle Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 6
SCORE 26.53
High Angle Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 53.74
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Trench Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 73.48
Vehicle Extrication Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 6
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 6
SCORE 44.09
Emergency Building Collapse
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 10
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 73.48
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Water Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 4
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 44.18
Ice Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 36.77
Tower Rescue
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 10
SCORE 45.52
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Wide Area Search
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 6
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 36.77
Wilderness Search
Heron's Formula
RISK SCORE
Probability of occurrence 2
Consequence to community 4
Impact on Fire Department 8
SCORE 25.92
Scoring Results:
Low Risk = 0-25
Moderate Risk = 26-50
High Risk = 51-70
Special Risk = 71-100
Rescue Risk Level Classifications
The following risk level conclusions are established:
Low Removal from stuck elevators and confined space standby notifications are
considered low risk.
Moderate Rescues involving a motor vehicle accident with a trapped occupant as well as low
angle situations are considered moderate risk. Included too are any rescues located
on or near the city trail system, low angle rescues, and ice rescue, or water rescue.
High Rescue involving confined spaces or high angle situations are considered high risk.
Special Rescue involving structural collapse or trench collapse is considered special risk.
Natural and man-made disasters are considered Special Risk. Special risk incidents
will cause the Special Operations Rescue Team (SORT) to be activated.
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Rescue Critical Task Analysis
According to the CFAI, to create standard levels for response mitigation, an assessment must be
conducted locally to determine the capabilities of arriving companies and individual responders to achieve
critical tasks. NFPA 1670 was considered when assessing the operational criteria related to rescue task
analysis. When identifying critical tasks, responder safety must be a priority.
An ERF is the number of staff/tasks necessary to complete all the identified tasks within a prescribed
timeframe. The following tables show critical tasks and associated risk with the ERF for the incident.
Table 26 Rescue Critical Tasks
Rescue Risk: Low
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command/Safety 1
Rescue Operations 2
TOTAL 3
Rescue Risk: Moderate
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Rescue Operations 3
Support Operations 3
Stabilization 1
Patient Care 1
TOTAL 10
Rescue Risk: High
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Attack Line 1
Pump Operations/Water Supply 1
Rescue Group Supervisor 1
Rescue Operations 2
Support Operations 6
Patient Management 1
Hazard Control 2
TOTAL 16
Admin Chief (ICS) 1
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Rescue Risk: Special
Critical Task Number of Staff
Command 1
Safety 1
Attack Line 1
Pump Operations/Water Supply 1
Rescue Group Supervisor 1
Rescue Operations 2
Support Operations 6
Patient Management 1
Hazard Control 2
TOTAL 16* + SORT + MABAS +
USAR
Admin Chiefs (ICS) 2
* The total ERF will be higher depending on the number of off-duty SORT members that respond to the callback.
Additional support personnel will be requested via the Johnson County Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).
Mutual Aid personnel have been trained by the ICFD to support and provide assistance to the SORT.
H. Historical Perspective and Summary of System Performance
Distribution Factors
The following distribution study results demonstrate the department’s initial incident intervention
capabilities to provide quick deployment to minimize and terminate average, or routine emergencies.
Area per first-due company
The table expresses the size or area of each fire district in square miles. Fire district #2 is the largest of the
four districts and district #1 is the smallest.
District
1 4.6
2 8.7
3 7.2
4 5.6
APPROXIMATE AREA IN EACH FIRE DISTRICT
Square Miles
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Number of road miles per first-due company
This table provides an approximate number of road miles currently built within each fire district along
with a percentage of the total road miles. Fire district #4 has the least number of road miles to date. Fire
districts #2 and #3 contain a strikingly similar number of road miles.
Catchment Areas
Map 60 Potential Distribution Gaps
APPROXIMATE ROAD MILES IN EACH FIRE DISTRICT
District Miles % of Total
1 75.94 25%
2 87.35 29%
3 90.84 30%
4 50.66 17%
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In addition to the city’s growth boundary, which is the geographical area currently serviceable by the
sanitary sewer system, the map above displays a 1 ½ mile radius around each of the four fire stations. The
areas that are outside of a colored circle represent potential gaps in the distribution of first-due resources
due to excessive travel time.
Population served by first-due company
Table 27 Population Served by First Due Company
The number of people living in a fire district will influence call volume.
Projected Coverage Area as Defined by Travel Time
Map 61 ICFD Estimated 4-Minute Response Area
District Approximate Population
1
2
3
4
28,780
17,185
17,489
9,749
POPULATION SERVED BY FIRST-DUE COMPANY
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Computer modeling of estimated travel times during peak hour traffic are shown above. The model uses
the 2010 Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) Traffic Model. Experiential
data has closely mirrored the computer modeling estimates depicted here.
Areas Outside of Draft Performance Objectives
The two charts that follow provide first-due benchmark response performance figures for each of the 16
Risk Management Zones (RMZ). The first chart displays fire and special operations type incidents and the
second chart EMS incidents. Fire and special operations incidents are afforded 80 seconds to turnout
whereas EMS incidents are held to 60 seconds turnout. The left side of the table combines incident data
from 2011-2015, while the right side of the chart looks at calendar year 2015 data, the most recent year for
which data was available. The columns marked “Service Reliability” display the percentage of incidents
that met the service delivery objective as defined by NFPA 1710: Organization and Deployment of Fire
Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career
Fire Departments.
Table 28 Fire and Special Operations NFIRS Incident Types: All 100s, 322, 323, 324, 372, 411-431
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Table 29 EMS NFIRS Incident Types: 311, 320, 321
A low percentage within the service reliability column indicates improvements are necessary to meet
response time goals as defined by NFPA 1710. The goal is to achieve the first unit arrival response time
objective 90% of the time. To be clear, the charts above do include the three elements of response time:
alarm processing, turnout time, and travel time.
Concentration Factors
A study of concentration factors is conducted to include an analysis of the arrangement of fixed facilities
so the “initial support force” and the “effective response force” can be assembled at the site of an incident
within the adopted public policy timeframes. Is the spacing of multiple resources arranged close enough
together so that an initial response force can be assembled on-scene within adopted public policy
timeframes? The “effective response force” is that which will most likely stop the escalation of the
emergency for each risk type. Concentration measures include all the following:
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Number of Calls Per First-Due Company
Figure 21 Total Incident Calls by District (2011-2015)
Growth and development in fire district #4, which opened in October of 2011, is just beginning.
Significant land is available for development when the owner(s) are ready to do so. Call volume in fire
district #1 remains fairly constant while districts #2 and #3 (single engine companies) continue to see
incremental growth.
Sta4on 1 Sta4on 2 Sta4on 3 Sta4on 4
2011 2107 1029 1415 87
2012 2124 1165 1369 520
2013 2089 1192 1622 627
2014 2262 1246 1667 624
2015 2214 1469 1799 500
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500 Total Incidents by District, 2011 - 2015
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Call Density by Response Grid
Map 62 Emergency Call Density (2013-2015)
The map above displays the density of emergency calls for service from 2013-2015. In calendar year 2015,
37% of all calls for service were in District 1, 25% were in District 2, 30% in District 3, and 8% in District 4.
It is interesting to see how closely the percentage of emergency calls for service mirrors the percent of total
population within the fire district. The table below addresses 2015 calls for service and compares the
percentage of incidents with the percentage of the population.
Table 30 Calls for Service (2015)
District % of Incidents % of Population
1 37 39
2 25 23
3 30 24
4 8 13
2015 CALLS FOR SERVICE
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Areas Served by Specialty Units
Iowa City operates one ladder truck (Truck 1) and one heavy rescue (Rescue 4). Truck 1 responds out of
Station #1 and Rescue 4 responds out of Station #4. Both provide service to all parts of the city. The
following tables detail the number of responses by Truck 1 and Rescue 4 in calendar year 2015 to each of
the sub-districts and to our mutual aid partners of Coralville, West Branch, and Solon.
Figure 22 Truck 1 Responses by Sub-District (2015)
Figure 23 Rescue 4 Responses by Sub-District (2015)
1
138
48
87
31
63
10
62
27
1
7
7
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Coralville
1-2
1-3
1-4
10
2-1
20
3-1
3-4
30
4-1
4-3 Truck 1
10
15
1
9
71
1
3
24
2
18
5
1
19
3
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Coralville
1-2
1-3
1-4
10
Solon
West Branch
2-1
20
3-1
3-4
30
4-1
4-3 Rescue 4
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Arrival Sequencing of Units
Figure 24 Incidents and Arrival Sequencing by Sub-District (2015)
The chart above displays arrival sequencing for calendar year 2015. In sub-district 1-2, engine 1 was first-
due and Quint 2 second-due, a total of 1,010 times in sub-district 1-2; similarly, engine 1 was first due and
engine 3 was second-due, 399 times in sub-district 1-3. Sub-districts 10, 20, and 30 represent high and
special risk occupancies which include an additional engine on the initial dispatch (4/1/1). Sub-district 40
has not been created because district 4 currently has no high or special risk occupancies.
ERF (Effective Response Force)
Total response times for 90% of all code 3 moderate risk fires and special operations events are shown
below. The column on the right lists total response times for 90% of all code 3 low and moderate risk EMS
events by year.
Table 31 Total Response Times for 90% of all Code 3 Moderate Risk Fires and Special Operations Events (2011-2015)
Moderate Risk
(3,1&1) FIRE & SPECIAL OPS EMS
Year 1st Unit ERF 1st Unit
2011 8:04 14:15 8:55
2012 7:51 12:24 8:27
2013 7:21 13:49 7:57
2014 7:44 14:08 7:33
2015 7:03 14:20 7:34
The chart above is system-wide. Detailed analysis of response time performance within each response
district and for all risk levels are shown below and in the Appendices. The ICFD has imposed numerous
programs and campaigns to reduce total response times. The quality of the community’s distribution
network will be viewed within a historical context using data from the previous five years. The
1010
399
536
266
1359
108
1137
629
33
161
338
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1-2 1-3 1-4 10 2-1 20 3-1 3-4 30 4-1 4-3
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distribution network includes department apparatus responding from their respective fire stations within
the city.
Reliability Factors
Figure 25 Overlapping Incidents (2011-2015)
Distribution reliability is only as good as the availability of the response resources within it. If units are
unavailable to respond to incidents because of a high emergency workload, then reliability may be in
question. The table above conveys an increase in call volume over time as well as an increase in the
number and percentage of incidents that overlap. Overlapping incidents are emergency events that
commence before a previous emergency incident is concluded.
4643
5178
5531
5799
6016
917
1288
1226
1314
1613
19.8%
24.9%
22.2%
22.7%
26.80%
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Incidents 4643 5178 5531 5799 6016
Overlapping 917 1288 1226 1314 1613
Percent 19.8% 24.9% 22.2% 22.7% 26.80%
Overlapping Incidents
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Table 32 First In other than First Due, by District (2011-2015)
District First-In 2011 *2012 *2013 *2014 *2015 Total
1 2 54 11 10 19 8
1 3 64 11 7 9 2
1 4 13 15 13 17 4
Total 131 37 30 45 14 257
2 1 56 3 52 36 71
2 3 8 2 4 5 2
2 4 - 1 2 1 -
Total 64 6 58 42 73 243
3 1 76 46 55 45 86
3 2 7 1 3 - 6
3 4 12 29 45 30 27
Total 95 76 103 75 119 468
4 1 2 18 16 9 13
4 2 - 1 - 1 -
4 3 1 9 12 8 10
Total 3 28 28 18 23 100
Total by Year 293 147 219 180 229
Percent of All Calls 6.3% 2.8% 4.0% 3.1% 3.8%
Responded code 2 or code 3 from the out-of-district station
*Incident type 381 (Rescue standby) excluded
When all first arriving units are in their respective station locations, the department considers the
distribution of resources to be statistically reliable. The ICFD has a total of five fire companies in four
fixed facilities. If the first-due company is not available and a fire unit from another station responds, total
response time generally suffers due to increased travel time. The department monitors daily activity and
makes every effort to ensure that at least one company is available in each district. Table 32 displays those
occasions by year and by fire district that required a response from a more distant fire station.
Table 33 First Due Response Reliability, by Station (2015)
Response Reliability - 2015 1st Due
Unit
1st Unit Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4
E1 / T1 2200
(99.4%) 71 86 13
Q2 8 1396
(95%) 6 0
E3 2 2 1680
(93.4%) 10
E4 / R4 4 0 27 477
(95.4%)
Total 2214 1469 1799 500
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Figure 26 First Due Response Reliability, by Station, and Total Calls (2015)
Table 33 and Figure 26 convey the number of calls by station and the percentage of incidents that were
handled by the company assigned to the station. Note that Station #1 is staffed with two companies
(Engine 1 and Truck 1).
Baseline Performance Tables
Response time performance is the definitive measurement of service reliability. Even though resources
may be located appropriately in a distribution network and available to respond to calls for service, the
potential to be unreliable still exists if the resources are unable to arrive at emergency incidents within
predetermined response time parameters (i.e. benchmark or baseline 90th percentile measures).
The term “benchmark” refers to a standard by which something can be measured. The term “baseline”
refers to the assessment and measurement of current service delivery practices relative to benchmark. To
correctly identify potential gaps in overall service reliability, the ICFD has chosen to evaluate its
performance reliability in relation to benchmark or target measurements.
99.4%
95%
93.4%
95.4%
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
StaGon 1 StaGon 2 StaGon 3 StaGon 4
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Table 34 Baseline: Low Risk Fire Suppression
Table 35 Baseline: Moderate Risk Fire Suppression
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Table 36 Baseline: High Risk Fire Suppression
Table 37 Baseline: Special Risk Fire Suppression
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Table 38 Baseline: Low/Moderate Risk EMS
Low/Moderate risk EMS incidents: either illness (medical) or injury (trauma) are considered low or
moderate risk. The ERF is the number of staff/tasks necessary to complete all the identified tasks within a
prescribed timeframe. For Low/Moderate risk EMS incidents, the ERF is fulfilled with the arrival of the 1st
unit.
Table 39 Baseline: Low Risk HazMat
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Table 40 Baseline: Moderate Risk HazMat
Table 41 Baseline: Low Risk Technical Rescue
15 4 2 3 3 3
15 4 2 3 3 3
15 4 2 3 3 3
15 4 2 3 3 3
* Prior to the opening of fire station #4 on October 3, 2011, response zones consisted of fire districts 1, 2, and 3.
SYSTEM-WIDE
Low Risk - Technical Rescue - 90th percentile 2011
2015 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011*Target
Baseline Performance
1:55 1:26 1:30
Turnout Time Turnout Time 1st Unit 2:13 1:21 2:13 1:22 2:00
Alarm Handling Pickup to Dispatch 1:55 1:40 2:44 1:05
2:41 1:20
Travel Time
Travel Time 5:55 5:55 5:00 4:09 3:52 6:14 4:001st Unit
DISTRIBUTION
Travel Time
ERF
CONCENTRATION
ERF
CONCENTRATION
8:14 6:501st Unit On Scene
DISTRIBUTION
Response Time Total Response Time
Total
Total Response Time 8:14 7:50 9:57 5:56 7:47
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Table 42 Baseline: Moderate Risk Technical Rescue
Table 43 Baseline: High Risk Technical Rescue
5 1 0 2 2 0
5 1 0 2 2 0
5 1 0 2 2 0
5 1 0 2 2 0
5 1 0 2 2 0
5 1 0 2 2 0
* Prior to the opening of fire station #4 on October 3, 2011, response zones consisted of fire districts 1, 2, and 3.
SYSTEM-WIDE
2011*Target
Baseline Performance
Alarm Handling Pickup to Dispatch 1:34 1:11 -1:34 1:29
Moderate Risk - Technical Rescue - 90th percentile 2011
2015 2015 2014 2013 2012
-1:30
Turnout Time Turnout Time 1st Unit 1:59 1:01 -1:46 1:59 -1:20
Travel Time
Travel Time 4:34 4:20 -4:34 3:15 -4:00
6:00 7:57 -8:00ERF
CONCENTRATION
1st Unit
DISTRIBUTION
Travel Time 7:57 6:13 -
Response Time Total Response Time 12:29 12:29 -
Total
Total Response Time 7:54 6:32 -
9:29 11:41 -10:50ERF
CONCENTRATION
6:06 -6:501st Unit On Scene
DISTRIBUTION
7:54
2 0 1 0 0 1
2 0 1 0 0 1
2 0 1 0 0 1
2 0 1 0 0 1
2 0 1 0 0 1
2 0 1 0 0 1
* Prior to the opening of fire station #4 on October 3, 2011, response zones consisted of fire districts 1, 2, and 3.
SYSTEM-WIDE
High Risk - Technical Rescue - 90th percentile 2011
2015 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011*Target
Baseline Performance
-1:05 1:30
Turnout Time Turnout Time 1st Unit 2:09 -1:13 --
Alarm Handling Pickup to Dispatch 1:05 -1:00 -
2:09 1:20
Travel Time
Travel Time 2:41 -3:04 --2:41 4:001st Unit
DISTRIBUTION
Travel Time 8:04 -8:04 --6:22 8:00ERF
CONCENTRATION
10:50ERF
CONCENTRATION
5:55 6:501st Unit On Scene
DISTRIBUTION
Response Time Total Response Time 22:41 -15:58 -
Total
Total Response Time 5:55 -5:17 --
-22:41
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I. Evaluation of Service Delivery
The Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) uses an adopted methodology to establish service level objectives,
including specific time objectives for each major service component (i.e., fire suppression, emergency
medical services (EMS), special operations, hazardous material incidents, and technical rescue incidents)
and objectives for the percentage of responses that meet the time objectives. The service delivery
objectives are part of the National Fire Protection Association’s 1710: Standard for the Organization and
Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the
Public by Career Fire Departments.
Performance objectives are expressed in benchmark and baseline statements. Benchmark statements are
defined as a standard from which something can be judged. They can also refer to future performance
goals. Searching for the industry best practices will help define superior or benchmark performance for
which an organization can strive to meet. Baseline is defined as a database from which something can be
judged. It refers to current and historical performance of the agency. Baselines state what the agency is
doing, today. Benchmarks are statistics and data from other organizations that we use to compare the
ICFD’s baseline data. The ICFD will keep pace with evolving industry research and the publication of
updated standards to consider the impacts of changing expectations on existing benchmark targets
regarding current baseline performance and local needs and circumstances.
Performance Objectives – Benchmarks
Fire Suppression Services Program
First Arriving Unit Total Response Time for all risks: For 90 percent of all calls for fire suppression
services, the Total Response Time (TRT) of the ICFD’s first arriving unit, staffed with a minimum of three
personnel shall be: 6 minutes, 24 seconds. The TRT includes an alarm handling time of 64 seconds, a
turnout time of 80 seconds, a travel time of 240 seconds, for a total of 384 seconds (6 minutes, 24
seconds). The first arriving unit with a minimum of three personnel shall be capable of: providing 500
gallons of water and 1,500 gallons per minute (GPM) pumping capacity, initiating command, requesting
additional resources, establishing and advancing an attack line, flowing a minimum of 150 GPM,
establishing an uninterrupted water supply, containing the fire, rescuing at-risk patients, and performing
salvage operations. These operations shall be done in accordance with the ICFD’s administrative policies
and guidelines which includes the two in-two out rules of engagement, while at the same time providing
for the safety of all personnel and the community.
Effective Response Force (ERF) Total Response Time for the following fire risks:
For 90 percent of all calls for moderate risk fire suppression services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF
staff with 13 personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 10 minutes, 24 seconds.
For 90 percent of all calls for high risk fire suppression services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff
with 16 personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 12 minutes, 34 seconds for high risk events.
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For 90 percent of all calls for special risk fire suppression services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF with
16 personnel plus the call-back of off duty personnel and mutual aid assistance shall be 12 minutes, 34
seconds for special risk events.
The ERF shall be capable of the safety and control tasks identified in the tables below, while complying
with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements of two in-two out. These
operations shall be done in accordance with the ICFD’s administrative policies and guidelines, while at the
same time providing for the safety of all personnel and the community.
Table 44 Critical Tasks: Fire Risks - Low, Moderate, High, Special
Fire Risk: Low
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command/Safety 1
Fire Attack 1
Pump Operations 1
TOTAL 3
Fire Risk: Moderate
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command 1
Safety 1
Fire Attack 2
RIC 2
Pump Operations/Water Supply 1
Ventilation/Ground Ladders 2
Search and Rescue 2
Back-up Line 2
TOTAL 13
Admin Chief (ICS) 1
Fire Risk: High
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command 1
Safety 1
Attack Line 2
2nd Attack Line 2
Pump Operation/Water Supply 1
Back-up Line 2
RIC 2
Search and Rescue 2
Ventilation/Utilities 2
Utilities/Exposure Protection 1
TOTAL 16
Admin Chiefs (ICS) 2
Fire Risk: Special
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command 1
Command Aid 1
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Safety 1
Division Supervisors 2
Staging 1
Attack Line 2
2nd Attack Line 2
Pump Operations/Water Supply 2
Back-up Line 2
Rapid Intervention 2
Search and Rescue 2
Ventilation/Ground Ladders 2
Utilities/Exposure Protection 4
Aerial Operations/Other 4
On Deck 2
Level 1 Staging 6
Level 2 Staging 14
TOTAL 50*
Admin Chief (ICS) 2
*Equates to a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Level 3
Emergency Medical Services Program
First Arriving Unit Total Response Time for low and moderate risk EMS events: For 90 percent of all call
for EMS services, the TRT of the ICFD’s first arriving unit (with BLS capabilities), staffed with a minimum
of three personnel shall be 6 minutes, 30 seconds. The TRT includes 90 seconds alarm handling, 60
seconds turnout, 240 seconds travel, for a total of 390 seconds, or 6 minutes, 30 seconds. The first arriving
unit shall be capable of providing medical services that will stabilize the situation and provide care and
support to the patient.
Table 45 Critical Tasks: EMS Risk - Low and Moderate
Hazardous Materials Services Program
First Arriving Unit Total Response Time for all HazMat Risks: For 90 percent of all calls for hazmat
services, the TRT of the ICFD’s first arriving unit, staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall be 6
minutes, 50 seconds. The TRT includes 90 seconds alarm handling, 80 seconds turnout, and 240 seconds
travel, for a total of 410 seconds, or 6 minutes, 50 seconds. The first arriving unit shall be capable of
providing hazmat services to stabilize the situation, stop escalation of the incident, contain the hazard
where applicable, and establish an action plan for successful conclusion of the incident.
Effective Response Force (ERF) Total Response Time for the following HazMat Risks:
For 90 percent of all calls for moderate risk hazmat services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff with
13 personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be: 10 minutes, 50 seconds.
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command/Safety/Documentation 1
Patient Care 2
TOTAL 3
EMS Risk: Low and Moderate
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For 90 percent of all calls for high risk hazmat services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff with 16
personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 10 minutes, 50 seconds.
The ERF shall be capable of providing hazmat services to stabilize the situation, stop escalation of the
incident, contain the hazard where applicable, and establish an action plan for successful conclusion of the
incident.
Table 46 Critical Tasks: HazMat Risk - Low, Moderate, High
HazMat Risk: Low
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command/Safety/Documentation 1
Investigation/Monitoring 2
TOTAL 3
HazMat Risk: Moderate
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command 1
Safety 1
Documentation 1
Entry Team 2
Backup 2
Hazard Control 2
Pump Operator 1
Support/Decon 3
TOTAL 13
HazMat Risk: High
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command 1
Safety 1
Documentation/Research 2
HazMat Supervisor 1
Entry 2
Entry 2 2
Backup 2
Decon 2
HazMat Support 3
TOTAL 16
Admin Chief (ICS) 1
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Rescue Services Program
First Arriving Unit Total Response Time for all Rescue Risks: For 90 percent of all calls for rescue services,
the TRT of the ICFD’s first arriving unit, staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall be 6 minutes, 50
seconds. The TRT includes 90 seconds alarm handling, 80 seconds turnout, 240 seconds travel, for a total
of 410 seconds, or 6 minutes, 50 seconds. The first arriving unit shall be capable of providing rescue
services to stabilize the incident and extricate patients from the emergency situation.
Effective Response Force (ERF) Total Response Time for the following Rescue Risks:
For 90 percent of all calls for moderate risk rescue services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff with 13
personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be: 10 minutes, 50 seconds.
For 90 percent of all calls for high risk rescue services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff with 16
personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 10 minutes, 50 seconds for high risk events.
The ERF shall be capable of providing rescue services to stabilize the incident and extricate patients from
the emergency situation.
Table 47 Critical Tasks: Rescue Risk - Low, Moderate, High
Rescue Risk: Low
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command/Safety 1
Rescue Operations 2
TOTAL 3
Rescue Risk: Moderate
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command 1
Safety 1
Rescue Operations 3
Support Operations 3
Stabilization 1
Patient Care 1
TOTAL 10
Rescue Risk: High
Critical Task Number of Personnel
Command 1
Safety 1
Attack Line 1
Pump Operations/Water Supply 1
Rescue Group Supervisor 1
Rescue Operations 2
Support Operations 6
Patient Management 1
Hazard Control 2
TOTAL 16
Admin Chief (ICS) 1
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Performance Objectives – Baselines
Fire Suppression Services Program
First Arriving Unit Total Response Time for all Fire Risks: For 90% of all requests for fire suppression
services, the total response time of the first arriving unit, staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall
be 8 minutes, 44 seconds. The first arriving unit shall be capable of: providing 500 gallons of water and
1,500 gallons per minute (GPM) pumping capacity, initiating command, requesting additional resources,
establishing and advancing an attack line, flowing a minimum of 150 GPM, establishing an uninterrupted
water supply, containing the fire, rescuing at-risk patients, and performing salvage operations. These
operations shall be done in accordance with the ICFD’s administrative policies and guidelines, which
include the two in-two out rules of engagement, while at the same time providing for the safety of all
personnel and the community.
Effective Response Force (ERF) Total Response Time for the following Fire Risk Services:
For 90 percent of all calls for moderate risk fire suppression services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF
staff with 13 personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 14 minutes, 8 seconds.
For 90 percent of all calls for high risk fire suppression services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff
with 16 personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 33 minutes, 2 seconds for high risk events.
For 90 percent of all calls for special risk fire suppression services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF with
16 personnel plus the call-back of off duty personnel and mutual aid assistance shall be 32 minutes, 34
seconds for special risk events.
The ERF shall be capable of the safety and control tasks identified in the tables below, while complying
with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements of two-in two-out. These
operations shall be done in accordance with the ICFD’s administrative policies and guidelines, while at the
same time providing for the safety of all personnel and the community.
Emergency Medical Services Program
Total Response Time for all calls for EMS Services: For 90% of all calls for EMS services, the TRT (with
BLS capabilities), staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall be 8 minutes, 8 seconds. The unit shall
be capable of providing medical services that will stabilize the situation and provide care and support to
the patient.
Hazardous Materials Services Program
Fire Arriving Unit Total Response Time for all HazMat Risks: For 90% of all calls for hazmat services, the
TRT of the ICFD’s first arriving unit, staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall be 8 minutes, 21
seconds. The first arriving unit shall be capable of providing hazmat services to stabilize the situation, stop
escalation of the incident, contain the hazard where applicable, and establish an action plan for successful
conclusion of the incident.
Effective Response Force (ERF) Total Response Time for the following HazMat Risks: For 90 percent of all
calls for moderate risk hazmat services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff with 13 personnel to meet
critical task requirements shall be 13 minutes, 10 seconds. The ERF shall be capable of providing hazmat
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services to stabilize the situation, stop escalation of the incident, contain the hazard where applicable, and
establish an action plan for successful conclusion of the incident.
Rescue Services Program
First Arriving Unit Total Response Time for all Rescue Risks: For 90% of all calls for rescue services, the
TRT of the ICFD’s first arriving unit, staffed with a minimum of three personnel shall be 8 minutes, 14
seconds. The first arriving unit shall be capable of providing rescue services to stabilize the incident and
extricate patient(s) from the emergency situation.
Effective Response Force (ERF) Total Response Time for the following Rescue Risks:
For 90 percent of all calls for moderate risk rescue services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff with 13
personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 12 minutes, 29 seconds.
For 90 percent of all calls for high risk rescue services, the TRT for the arrival of the ERF staff with 16
personnel to meet critical task requirements shall be 22 minutes, 41 seconds for high risk events.
The ERF shall be capable of providing rescue services to stabilize the incident and extricate patients from
the emergency situation.
Performance Gaps – Baseline to Benchmark Time Gap
To better understand the tables that follow, explanations and definition of terms are provided:
BENCHMARK – A benchmark is defined as a standard from which something can be judged. It refers to
future performance goals. Searching for the benchmark or best practice will help the agency define
superior performance of the service.
BASELINE – A baseline is defined as a database from which something can be judged. It refers to current
and historical performance. It is the measurement of the actual performance to achieve the organization’s
goals and objectives.
Note: The baseline data presented here represents a compilation of city-wide response data from 2011-
2015. The statistical significance of the comparisons will vary with risk classification and category due to
the size of the data set. Namely, the fire suppression table includes 343 low risk fires, 102 moderate risk
fires, 26 high risk fires, and only 3 special risk fires; By comparison, the low/moderate risk EMS table
includes 14,188 incidents; hazmat has 118 low risk incidents and 35 moderate risk incidents; technical
rescue has 15 low risk incidents, 5 moderate risk incidents, and 2 high risk incidents.
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Table 48 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: Fire Suppression - Low, Moderate, High, Special
FIRE SUPPRESSION
Risk
Alarm
Handling Turnout
1st
Arriving
Travel
ERF
Travel
1st
Arriving
TRT
ERF TRT
Low BENCHMARK 1:04 1:20 4:00 6:24 BASELINE 2:23 2:00 5:40 8:44
Moderate BENCHMARK 1:04 1:20 4:00 8:00 6:24 10:24
BASELINE 1:46 1:40 5:10 9:34 7:41 14:08
High BENCHMARK 1:04 1:20 4:00 10:10 6:24 12:34
BASELINE 2:37 2:04 4:20 10:52 6:44 33:02
Special BENCHMARK 1:04 1:20 4:00 10:10 6:24 12:34
BASELINE 1:17 1:45 3:21 7:21 6:07 32:34
Table 49 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: EMS - Low/Moderate
EMS
Risk
Alarm
Handling Turnout
1st
Arriving
Travel
ERF
Travel
1st
Arriving
TRT
ERF TRT
Low/ BENCHMARK 1:30 1:00 4:00 6:30 Moderate BASELINE 2:06 1:50 5:21 8:08
Table 50 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: HazMat - Low, Moderate
HAZMAT
Risk
Alarm
Handling Turnout
1st
Arriving
Travel
ERF
Travel
1st
Arriving
TRT
ERF TRT
Low BENCHMARK 1:30 1:20 4:00 6:50 BASELINE 2:43 2:14 5:05 8:21
Moderate BENCHMARK 1:30 1:20 4:00 8:00 6:50 10:50
BASELINE 2:51 1:50 6:05 7:59 8:45 13:10
Table 51 Baseline-Benchmark Performance Comparison: Technical Rescue - Low, Moderate, High
TECHNICAL RESCUE
Risk
Alarm
Handling Turnout
1st
Arriving
Travel
ERF
Travel
1st
Arriving
TRT
ERF TRT
Low BENCHMARK 1:30 1:20 4:00 6:50 BASELINE 1:55 2:13 5:55 8:14
Moderate BENCHMARK 1:30 1:20 4:00 8:00 6:50 10:50
BASELINE 1:34 1:59 4:34 7:57 7:54 12:29
High BENCHMARK 1:30 1:20 4:00 8:00 6:50 10:50
BASELINE 1:05 2:09 2:41 8:04 5:55 22:41
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Areas of Program Delivery and Coverage Improvement
Response Time Performance
Computer modeling of estimated response times from the four fixed base fire stations suggest that
coverage deficits may exist in areas not serviced by a travel time of four minutes or less (depicted on the
map below).
Map 63 ICFD Estimated 4-minute Response Area
The analysis of response time data from 2011-2015, closely mirrors the computer projection. The delivery
of emergency services to the following Risk Management Zones (RMZ) requires improvement: 1, 4, 5, 13,
14, 23, 104, and 105. The travel time map shown below includes experiential data from 2013-2015 and
growth area boundaries.
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Map 64 Travel Time, First Unit On Scene, All Calls for Service
RMZ 1 includes a residential neighborhood known as the Peninsula. The Peninsula is in the far NW
corner of district 1-2 and thus requires longer travel times to arrive. If a 55-acre mixed use development in
the Forest View neighborhood of RMZ 1 moves forward the area will certainly require improvements to
the delivery of emergency services. RMZ 4 is at the western edge of district 2-1. It includes an expanding
residential development that is currently accessed via Rohret Road. Travel distance and travel times to the
SW corner of RMZ 4 are excessive. Due to its size and location, district 2-1 requires longer travel times to
put the first unit on scene as well as time to fill an effective response force assignment. The southern tip of
RMZ 5 has a residential loop (West Side Drive) that is difficult to reach in the desired timeframe. RMZ 13
and 14 are in eastern Iowa City, separated by Court Street, and just west of Scott Boulevard. RMZ 13 is in
district 4-3 (first-due service from Station #4) and RMZ 14 is in district 3-4 (first-due service from Station
#3). All of RMZ 13 and the northern reaches of RMZ 14 require service delivery improvements. RMZ 23
includes the Manville Heights neighborhood in district 1-2. Response time goals are difficult to meet in
the western portions of Manville Heights. RMZ 104 includes the airport and other commercial interests at
the southern end of district 2-1. It too is difficult to reach within the prescribed response time goals.
Lastly, RMZ 105 is east of Scott Boulevard and is serviced by both district 4-3 (north of Court St), and 3-4
(south of Court St). Both require travel times that exceed the community’s response time goals.
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Map 65 ICFD Risk Management Zones
Page 210
Map 66 ICFD Sub-Districts
Evaluating High and Special Risk Occupancies
The re-evaluation of community hazards and risks performed in this study has led the agency to enhance
its method of evaluating risk by adding an “impact” component to the quantitative analysis. Impact is the
“drain effect” regarding adverse service resource availability and coverage caused by the demands of
incident mitigation. The quantifiable considerations that pertain to impact or the drain effect include: the
required commitment of agency resources for the emergency event mitigation (based upon critical tasks),
and the residual coverage effect or challenge (reserve capacity left for area protection, deployment and/or
coverage). Acknowledging the drain effect in risk assessment methodology will increase the number of
occupancies the ICFD classifies as “high” or “special risk.” For example, fires involving multi-family
dwellings, commercial structures, and light manufacturing will be considered high risk occupancies.
High-rise buildings, hospitals, university research facilities, large assembly occupancies, nursing homes,
and heavy manufacturing will be considered special risk occupancies.
Assembling an Effective Response Force for High and Special Risk Events
The time that is required to assemble the required number of personnel to complete critical task
requirements for high and special risk events should be improved. The events are low in frequency but
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high in risk. The fire suppression tasks that are required at a typical fire scene vary greatly depending on
the risk level. Past practice has led the agency to assign resources conservatively on first alarm assignments
to keep at least one unit available for subsequent alarms. The results of this study suggest an additional
unit (4/1/1) should be added to all first alarm “building fire” assignments at high and special risk
occupancies.
Recommendations for Improved Effectiveness in Deployment and Coverage
Response Time – Fixed Facilities
Map 67 ICFD Existing and Proposed Stations with 1.5 Mile Radius
Page 212
Map 68 ICFD Existing and Proposed Stations with Estimated 4-Minute Response Area
Improvements in response time performance will eventually require the addition of two fixed facilities
and the relocation of Station #3. The completion of arterial connector streets (McCollister Blvd) will
improve the department’s ability to assemble an effective response force in areas served by those
connectors. Station #3 should be moved to a location south of its existing location to better serve the
growth area that is occurring in and around Alexander Elementary. Station #3 is ICFD’s second busiest
engine company therefore any change in its location will influence service delivery elsewhere. An
additional fixed facility is required at or near the intersection of E Court St and Scott Ct to better serve
RMZ 13, 14, and 105. With a preference for in-fill development, expansion west of US 27 (Avenue of the
Saints) is currently discouraged. When growth and expansion does move west of US 27 and near Hwy 1,
an additional west side fire station will be required to appropriately serve RMZ 4. The additional west side
facility should be positioned to improve service delivery to the Camp Cardinal area as well as the SW
corner of RMZ 4. An additional fire station on the city’s west side will improve first-due and
concentration response force baselines in all of district 2-1.
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Response Time – Alarm Handling, Turnout, and Travel Time
Modern fire station alerting systems contain features such as Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
integration, automatic text-to-speech conversion of incident notices, simultaneous broadcast to multiple
stations, and utilization of multi-media communications to notify responders. Time has always been of
the utmost importance when responding to emergencies. Responding quickly can make all the difference
in saving lives, reducing injuries and minimizing property damage. When lives and property are at risk,
every second of the emergency response cycle counts. Time saving improvements in call taking
procedures to include a modernized CAD system and agency accreditation for the Johnson County Joint
Emergency Communications Center should be pursued. The second part of response time is turnout time.
Elements that affect turnout time include: voice only notification versus dispatch to Mobile Data
Computer (MDC), fire response versus EMS response, daytime versus nighttime response, firefighter
crew proficiency in turning out, and the effects of station design and layout. Each of these elements should
be studied carefully and improved upon where opportunities exist. Improvements to travel time will
require technology-based solutions. Apparatus are already equipped with in-cab computers that include
automatic vehicle location (AVL) devices to track fire apparatus in real time using GPS. This technology
can provide valuable information and allow dispatchers to notify units that are closest to a received call for
service, thus reducing travel time. Traffic control preemption devices also utilize GPS technology to allow
emergency responders to reach their destinations as quickly and as safely as possible by controlling traffic
lights. Traffic preemption is said to improve travel times by up to 25 percent while reducing intersection
crash rates by up to 70 percent. The application and use of technology to reduce travel time and make
emergency response safer for the public and the responders should be pursued.
Reassigning High and Special Risk Occupancies
By incorporating the three-axis risk assessment methodology that adds “impact” to probability and
consequence in the calculation of risk, building fires involving multi-family dwellings, commercial
businesses, and light manufacturing need to be categorized high risk occupancies. Similarly, building fires
involving high-rise buildings, hospitals, university research facilities, large assembly occupancies, nursing
homes, and heavy manufacturing need to be categorized special risk occupancies. A reassessment of high
and special risk categories within the classifications of EMS, hazmat, and rescue should also be performed.
Assembling an Effective Response Force for High and Special Risk Events
To save lives and minimize property damage, fire suppression crews must arrive within an appropriate
timeframe and possess adequate resources to accomplish critical tasks. Given the current minimum
staffing of three persons on every apparatus, an additional engine company must be added to first alarm
dispatch protocols (4/1/1/) to minimally satisfy critical task requirements at high and special risk
occupancies. Four-person minimum staffing on every apparatus could satisfy critical task requirements
without adding an additional unit and the requisite travel time of adding a fourth engine to the response
could be eliminated. Dispatch protocols will need to be adjusted in the short term to fulfill critical task
requirements to high and special risk building fire occupancies by adding an additional engine.
Discussions on how to achieve additional staffing should continue.
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J. Performance Maintenance and Improvement Plans
Compliance Team / Responsibility
To ensure the Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) is meeting current service level objectives, continuous
monitoring of service level baselines must be conducted on a regular basis. The Compliance Team, made
up of the accreditation manager, command staff, and company officers, will review service level baselines
on a quarterly basis. Included in the review shall be a summary of the results of the service level objectives,
a comparison of current results to previous results and calculations of the difference in results between
time periods. Summary data and analysis will be communicated to line personnel.
Fire department response personnel and JECC dispatchers will be expected to close performance gaps by
focusing on internal process improvements and by training. Both groups will be held accountable for their
performance and effectiveness. The department will consider technological enhancements to further
improve outcomes. Finally, the department will explore solutions other departments have implemented to
close the gaps to gain from their lessons learned and avoid repeating mistakes.
Performance Evaluation and Compliance Strategy
In addition to the review of service level objectives, the command staff will review the response demands
within each zone and the identified risks within. The accreditation manager will determine if there have
been any changes within a planning zone, changes to service demands or changes in standards or
operations that impact the service level objectives or the Standard of Cover document. These reviews will
be conducted on an annual basis.
Compliance Verification Reporting
To aid in the collection and presentation of this information, the Compliance Team will work as a group
to assemble all required information and assist the accreditation manager in the interpretation of data and
considerations for improvement towards achieving targets (benchmarks). The final report will be
presented annually at the Summer Planning Meeting by the accreditation manager. Steps forward to
assure continuous improvement will be published in the fiscal year Annual Goals and Objectives, which
are submitted to the city manager and the elected officials for review and comment.
Constant Improvement Strategy
The nonstop improvement process must be perpetual, comprehensive, and resilient in order to help
ensure not only compliance, but that quality service is provided to the community. The ICFD is dedicated
to ensuring continuous improvement compliance as part of its commitment to the community. The fire
chief will direct the command and continuous improvement teams, while the deputy fire chief, serving as
the department’s accreditation manager, guides the continuous improvement effort.
K. Appendices, Exhibits, and Attachments
Apparatus Replacement Schedule
Heavy Apparatus
Replace Vehicle Equip. No. Model Yr. Vehicle Type Location Repl.Cost Life
FY 17 E-55 355 2001 Toyne Spartan Engine Trang. Ctr. $810,000 16 yrs.
FY 19 E-33 351 2003 Pierce Engine Station 3 $895,000 16 yrs.
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FY 20 Q-2 358 2011 Pierce Quint Station 2 $1.3M 9 yrs.
FY 22 T-1 T-1 2006 Pierce Aerial Station 1 $1.9M *16 yrs.
FY 25 E-22 354 2009 Pierce Engine Station 2 $1.1M 16 yrs.
FY 25 E-11 352 2009 Pierce Engine Station 1 $1.1M 16 yrs.
FY 25 E44 353 2009 Pierce Engine Station 4 $1.2M 16 yrs.
FY 26 R-4 391 2010 Pierce HD Rescue Station 4 $1.6M *16 yrs.
FY 27 E-3 356 2011 Pierce Engine Station 3 $1.4M 16 yrs.
FY 27 E-4 357 2011 Pierce Engine Station 4 $1.4M 16 yrs.
FY 29 E-1 381 2013 Pierce Engine Station 1 $1.5M 16 yrs.
Costs estimated at 5% per year, 16 year rotation: 9 years Front Line, 7 years Reserve
Light Vehicles
Replace Vehicle Equip. No. Model Yr. Vehicle Type Location Repl.Cost Life
FY 16 Travel Veh. 337 2009 Ford Escape Station 1 $22,500 7 yrs.
FY 17 Command 368 2009 Ford E350 Van Station 1 $55,000 7 yrs.
FY 18 Inspector 350 2011 Dodge Dakota Station 1 $38,000 7 yrs.
FY 19 F.M 373 2012 Chevy Impala Station 1 $37,000 7 yrs.
FY 19 Support 1 360 2012 Ford F550 Station 4 $88,500 7 yrs.
FY 20 TO Pickup 370 2013 Ford F150 Station 4 $40,000 7 yrs.
FY 22 Chief 369 2015 Ford Explorer Station 1 $38,000 7 yrs.
FY 22 D.C. 359 2015 Ford Explorer Station 1 $38,000 7 yrs.
Costs estimated at 5% per year for 7 years
Specialty Vehicles
Replace Vehicle Equip. No. Model Yr. Vehicle Type Location Repl.Cost Life
FY 16 Trench 374 2001 Trailer Station 4 $33,000 15 yrs.
FY 18 Safety Trl. 333 2003 Trailer Trng. Ctr. $60,000 15 yrs.
FY 20 Gator 334 2005 John Deere ATV Station 1 $32,000 20 yrs.
FY 26 Boat 1
2011 Rescue One 1660 Station 1
15 yrs.
FY 31 Trench
2016 Trailer Station 4
15 yrs.
Evaluated on a case-by-case basis, funded in the CIP or 3-year financial plan as capital outlay.
Updates July 2014
* Safety Trailer (333) replacement moved out from FY16 to FY18
* T1 and R4 both 16 year front line apparatus
Trailer 374 to be sold spring 2016
Gator 1 to be replaced FY 16/17 if funding allows
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Apparatus Maintenance and Repair
M&R Fuel Cost Total
CPM Miles Miles
Year FMS FY2015 FY2014 FY2013 FY2015 FY2014 FY2013 FY2015 FY2015 2/23/2016
E1 2013 2.8 $16,176.00 $8,914.00 $1,102.00 $6,407.00 $7,369.00 $753.00 $2.25 7190 19295
E3 2011 4.8 $18,314.00 $12,079.00 $3,177.00 $7,059.00 $8,878.00 $8,542.00 $2.12 8632 35226
E4 2011 3.6 $6,922.00 $2,107.00 $2,120.00 $3,796.00 $5,455.00 $5,296.00 $1.23 5610 25911
Q2 2011 4.5 $15,922.00 $21,792.00 $9,739.00 $7,327.00 $9,141.00 $9,606.00 $2.16 7363 31577
T1 2006 7.6 $18,135.00 $20,941.00 $6,205.00 $5,264.00 $6,537.00 $8,551.00 $4.05 4475 39036
R4 2010 2.7 $3,963.00 $268.00 $2,503.00 $625.00 $906.00 $1,047.00 $3.95 1004 9113
BC 2009 15 $4,678.00 $1,225.00 $755.00 $1,664.00 $2,255.00 $2,561.00 $0.69 6752 48393
E11 2009 4.8 $10,068.00 $2,457.00 $1,131.00 $802.00 $746.00 $1,275.00 $12.96 777 25817
E22 2009 4.6 $3,068.00 $438.00 $2,604.00 $2,256.00 $705.00 $950.00 $3.34 920 25964
E33 2003 9.6 $1,295.00 $5,115.00 $1,409.00 $458.00 $769.00 $460.00 $1.80 719 51930
E44 2009 4.8 $2,627.00 $5,661.00 $17,673.00 $430.00 $389.00 $6,443.00 $5.90 445 26721
E55 2000 12 $658.00 $2,430.00 $2,071.00 $61.00 $260.00 $243.00 $1.57 420 70166
Total $101,826.00 $83,427.00 $50,489.00 $36,149.00 $43,410.00 $45,727.00 44307
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Apparatus Replacement Analysis Worksheet
2/23/2016
HEAVY APPARATUS:
15 Years / 70,000 Miles MILEAGE METER MAINT. AGE CONDITION +/- 2.0 pts max TOTAL T-1 T1 2006 Pierce Dash Aerial 39,036 2.8 1.5 3.3 0.00 7.6
HEAVY APPARATUS:
16 Years / 70,000 Miles MILEAGE METER MAINT. AGE CONDITION +/- 2.0 pts max TOTAL 351 E33 2003 Pierce Inforcer 1500 51,930 3.7 1.9 4.0 0.00 9.6
352 E11 2009 Pierce Impel PUC 25,817 1.8 0.8 2.2 0.00 4.8
353 E44 2009 Pierce Impel PUC 26,721 1.9 0.8 2.1 0.00 4.8
354 E22 2009 Pierce Impel PUC 25,964 1.9 0.5 2.2 0.00 4.6
355 E55 2000 Toyne Spartan 1250 70,166 5.0 2.3 4.7 0.00 12.0
356 E3 2011 Pierce Impel PUC 35,226 2.5 0.9 1.4 0.00 4.8
357 E4 2011 Pierce Impel PUC 25,911 1.9 0.3 1.4 0.00 3.6
358 Q2 2011 Pierce Velocity Aerial 31,577 2.3 0.8 1.4 0.00 4.5
381 E1 2013 Pierce Impel PUC 19,295 1.4 0.5 0.9 0.00 2.8
391 R4 2010 Pierce Impel HD Rescue 9,113 0.7 0.3 1.7 0.00 2.7
LIGHT APPARATUS:
7 Years / 50,000 Miles MILEAGE METER MAINT. AGE CONDITION +/- 2.0 pts max TOTAL 337 2009 Ford Escape XLT 4x4 34,524 3.5 2.6 5.0 0.00 11.1
350 2011 Dodge Dakota 4x4 Ext
Cab 14,599 1.5 3.0 3.6 0.00 8.1
359 2015 Ford Explorer AWD 5,642 0.5 0.3 0.9 0.00 1.7
360 2012 Ford F550 XLT 4x4
Flatbed 4,377 0.4 0.6 2.3 0.00 3.3
368 2009 Ford E350 Extended Van 48,393 4.8 9.1 4.6 0.00 15.0
369 2015 Ford Explorer AWD 8,160 0.7 0.2 0.9 0.00 1.8
370 2013 Ford F150 4X4 Crew 13,977 1.0 0.2 1.7 0.00 2.9
373 2012 Chevrolet Impala LS 16,478 1.6 1.3 2.9 0.00 5.8
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Monthly Training Hours, 4/15 – 2/16
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
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Baseline Performance Tables by Fire District
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