City of Morgan Hill Public Safety Master Plan

Station 3-Treehaven (3050 Hecker Pass Hwy.) is a metal building with two bays that was built in 1981. This facility is 2,100 square feet in size. This station has been identified for relocation and expansion in the District’s Development Impact Mitigation Plan. The schedule for this relocation is based on the allocation of sufficient funding. Station 4- El Toro (18300 Old Monterey) . This is a substantial building that was constructed in 1975 and has been renovated a number of times in recent years. This is a two-bay, pass-through facility that is 3,610 square feet in size. Station 5 – Dunne Hill (2100 E Dunne Ave). This is a substantial, well-maintained facility that was constructed in 1978. The building has been renovated and upgraded recently. It is a two-bay, single deep, pass-through facility that is 2,476 square feet in size. Assessment of Fire Station Locations CAL FIRE serves an estimated population of 80,568 people and a total service area in excess of 320 square miles. The two City of Morgan Hill stations have primary service responsibility within the city boundaries, which encompass an area of 12.8 square miles. This gives each fire station an estimated service area of approximately 6.4 square miles. The District’s three stations have primary responsibility for a very expansive service area that is estimated to be 320 square miles; however, the majority of the service population in the District resides in the areas generally adjacent to the Highway 101 corridor, which runs an estimated 24 miles from Metcalf Road in the north to the Santa Clara/San Benito County line in the south. Much of the service area in the District that extends outward beyond a one to two mile distance from the 101 corridor is made up of uninhabited canyons and mountainous terrain. The District also operates a fourth station in the Pacheco Highway Pass area, which operates in this rural part of the District and sees limited call activity. In an ICMA Data Report on comparative performance measurement, ICMA evaluated survey information from 76 municipalities with populations ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 people. In this grouping the average fire station service area was 11 square miles. 15 The median service area for this grouping of communities was 6.67 square miles per fire station. 16 In addition, NFPA and ISO have established indices in determining fire station distribution. The ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, Section 560, indicates that first-due engine companies should serve areas that are within a 1.5-mile travel distance. 17 The placement of fire stations that achieves this type of separation creates service areas that are approximately 4.5 square miles in area, depending on the road network and other geographical barriers (rivers, lakes, railroads, limited access highways, etc.). The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) references the placement of fire stations in an indirect way. It recommends that fire stations be placed in a distribution that achieves the desired minimum response times. NFPA Standard 1710, Section 5.2.4.1.1, suggests an engine placement that achieves a 240-second (four-minute) travel time. 18 Using an empirical model called the “piece-wise linear travel time function,” the Rand Institute has estimated that the average emergency response speed for fire apparatus is 35 mph. At this 15 Comparative Performance Measurement , FY 2011 Data Report - Fire and EMS, ICMA Center for Performance Measurement, August 2012. 16 Ibid. 17 Insurance Services Office. (2003) Fire Protection Rating Schedule (edition 02-02). Jersey City, NJ: Insurance Services Office (ISO). 18 National Fire Protection Association. (2010). NFPA 1710, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments . Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association.

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