Denver Fire Department

2021 Budget

The Denver Fire Department is dedicated to: providing quality, timely, and professional emergency services to those who live in, work in, and visit the City and County of Denver;

respecting each other through trust, pride, diversity, integrity, and training; and working together to achieve the highest levels of preparedness, prevention, and

community involvement with a dedication to purpose.

Agency wide Expenditures & FTE Changes

2

1,010.00 1,047.00 1,062.00 923.00

40.00 45.58 47.00 43.000

500

1,000

1,500

2018 Actuals 2019 Actuals 2020 Revised 2021 Proposed

Total FTE

Uniform FTE Civilian FTE

140.3M147.4M 153.3M

124.1M

0

20M

40M

60M

80M

100M

120M

140M

160M

180M

2018 Actuals 2019 Actuals 2020 Revised 2021 Proposed

Total Expenses * 134 uniform positions moved to an Internal Services Special Revenue Fund to support Airport Operations

Year Over YearRevenue Change

37.2M 38.3M 36.7M

18.4M

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

35,000,000

40,000,000

45,000,000

2018 2019 Revised2020

Proposed2021

Annual Revenue

Annual Revenue

• $18.1M change in revenue due to moving all Airport Operations to a Special Revenue Fund

• $11M Intergovernmental agreements for Englewood, Glendale, Sheridan and Skyline

• $2M for Conveyance program• $1.8M for Inspection program• $1.7M for Fire Permit program• $1.9M for all other programs

3

Emergency Medical

Response

Life & Fire Safety

Fire Suppression

Budget Methodology

• Maintain essential services and programs when possible– Fire Response, Emergency Medical Response, Fire Safety through Permitting and Inspection

services

• Ensure employees can deliver services effectively and safely with adequate support, supplies and resources

• Consider all equity and social justice impacts to our community and department, and minimize or eliminate any negative effects

• Adjust services and supplies budget to meet essential spending and department needs

• Mitigate budget impacts by leveraging special revenue funds

CORE SERVICES

Fire Department Organizational Structure

Operations and Airport = Operational Budget Control Level

All other Divisions = AdministrationBudget Control Level

6

Personnel ($11,654,000)

Services & Supplies ($1,550,100)

Capital Equipment ($0)

Internal Services ($0)

Includes 42 uniform positions, 4 CSA positions, 24 recruits

Agency Reductions

Year Over YearBudget Change

7

51.5

M

116.

7M

56.1

M

118.

5M

56.7

M

125.

4M

54.6

M

120.

2M

0

20M

40M

60M

80M

100M

120M

140M

Administration Operations

2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Budget 2021 Budget

Year Over Year Full Time Employee (General Fund) Change

8

176.00

874.00

186.58

906.00

183.00

926.00

177.00

789.00

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

700.0

800.0

900.0

Administration Operations

2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Budget 2021 Budget

Freeze Vacant PositionsBudget Reduction

Expenditures FTE Duration-$4,108,400 36 Temporary

Temporary reduction in workforce without a reduction to authorized strength: Estimating 32 firefighter vacancies will be created by attrition for 2021, in addition 4 support positions already vacant (2-Fire Prevention Uniform, 1-Arson Uniform, 1 CSA Accounting Supervisor).

Effective Strength: number of hired positions that are fully trained

Adjusted Effective Strength: number of positions that are able to work considering injuries/modified duty

Authorized Strength: number of budgeted positions

Actual Strength: number of hired positions on payroll

DENVER FIRE STAFFING OPTIMIZATION

Fire Administration1. Fire Prevention Building Inspections, Plan

Reviews, Marijuana & Hazmat Unit, Conveyance, Fire Safety Permits and Licenses

2. Technical Services Dispatch, Communications, Facility Maintenance, Warehouse, Fleet

3. Administration Services Finance, Community Services/Public Information, Recruiting, Human Resources, Arson

4. Safety and Training Wellness, New Recruit Training, Safety Program

Fire PreventionKey Strategic Metric

11

Fire Safety Inspections: The Denver Fire Department conducts inspections of the City’s 24,000 commercial occupancies (businesses, schools, institutions, apartment buildings, etc.) to ensure that conditions at those properties are in compliance with the Denver Fire Code.

97% 98% 95%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Estimated

Percent of Annual Inspections Completed

Not Completed

Completed

The Denver Fire Department is evaluated at a top rating of “1” by ISO Mitigation, used by insurance

underwriters to set commercial and residential rates in a city. This high

rating results in lower insurance rates for residential and

commercial property.

Fire Administration ReductionsPersonnel Summary

Personnel Expenditures FTE

-$1,796,500 6 ( 3 CSA & 3 Uniform)

Strategies to reduce budget with minimal impact to core essential services:1. Redeploy support firefighter positions to reduce backfill and related overtime costs at fire

stations2. Temporarily freeze 4 support positions (1 Finance CSA, 1 Arson Technician-Uniform, 2 Fire

Prevention Technicians -Uniform)3. Utilize special revenue funds for personnel expenditures (2 positions - 2 CSA)

Equity & Mitigation Framework

Firefighters will be redeployed to Operations to ensure equitable coverage throughout the City.

Fire AdministrationCapital Equipment & Supplies

Replacement Capital Equipment

Description Financial Change

Heavy vehicle column lifts for fleet $68,000

Communications Equipment (Voc-alarm Rack Radios) 1 of 3 year

phased replacement plan $46,400

13

Services and Supplies Reductions-24% reduction of services and supplies ($840,000) to Administration control level

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

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Arson Communications Administration Fire Prevention Technical Services Training

Budget Reduction Percentage by Program

Recruit Academy and Equity Framework Summary

Budget Equity Framework SummaryThe manner in which we ensure equity to residents and/or customer – internal or external.• All proposals are equity neutral to our community and department. • Hiring of new recruits that are representative of our community has the greatest

impact on improving our membership diversity in our department. For example, half of our 30 newest members are either ethnic minorities or female.

Mitigating Actions to Deliver Service:The manner in which we continue to provide service with reduction in resources• Redeploying support members temporarily to fire stations will minimize the impact

to our core essential services of fire and emergency medical response. • This restructuring will reduce the need for overtime and lower personnel costs• Hosting one new fire academy of 24 recruits in 2021 will allow us to maintain

minimum staffing levels at a cost of $1,148,970.

Fire Operations

1. Fire Suppression Fire Station Staffing and Operations, Medical Unit, Wildland firefighting, Colorado Task Force

2. Airport (to be funded under special revenue fund beginning in 2021) DEN firefighting and rescue operations, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Fire Station Staffing and Operations

Fire OperationsKey Strategic Metrics

16

Fire Operation’s Core Services are measured by volume, 1-minute turnout time standard, and 4-minute response time standard when a crew has arrived on scene.

91% 91% 91%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Estimated

Percent of Calls within the 60-sec Turnout Time Standard

Turnouttime isthe timefromwhen acrew isassignedto thetime acrew isen route

75% 75% 77%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Estimated

Percent of Calls within the 4-minute Response Time Standard

Responsetime is thetime fromwhen acrew is enroute untilthe crewhas arrivedon scene

119,287

123,428

109,600

100,000

105,000

110,000

115,000

120,000

125,000

2018 Actual 2019 Actual 2020 Estimated

Number of Fire Suppression and Emergency Responses

Fire Operations ReductionsSummary

Personnel Expenditures FTE Services & Supplies

-$9,441,200 40 (1 CSA / 39 Uniform) -$400,000

Strategies to reduce budget with minimal impact to core essential services:1. Temporarily freeze positions planned to be vacated by retirements and separations2. Redeploy support positions to reduce backfill and related overtime costs at fire stations3. Reduce budgeted leave payout account by 2021 projected savings4. Utilize Special Revenue Funds for personnel expenditures (8 positions - 1 CSA and 7 Uniform)5. Adjusting services and supplies budget to meet essential spending and department needs

Equity FrameworkFirefighters will be redeployed to Operations to ensure equitable coverage throughout the City.

Overtime Savings –Support members to Suppression

Personnel Expenditures-$3,674,300 (Total department wide)

-$2,584,000 (operations level)

Redeploying fire uniform support staff to suppression with goal to reduce overtime expenditures. Savings realized will be the difference between overtime and straight pay rates.

Key Impacts:• Reduce overtime

costs for fire stations, maintaining critical emergency services.

• Resources pulled from support services

• Minimal revenue impact

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

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ArsonDispatch Administration Operations Fire Prevention Technical Services Training

Targeted Programs Reduced FTE’s

Budgeted Savings –Leave Payout Account

Personnel Expenditures-$1,500,000

Budgeted savings of $1.5m in our Leave Payout-Uniform account based on prior year utilization and projected sick balances that need to be paid in January 2021. As our membership gets younger, we have seen an increased frequency of using sick time as it is earned, rather than paying out unused time at the end of the year.

48,844 47,196 42,300

2.20M2.19M

2.01M

1.9M

2.0M

2.0M

2.1M

2.1M

2.2M

2.2M

2.3M

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

2018 2019 2020 Projected

Accumulated Sick Leave Payouts

Hours Sick Payouts

Denver Fire DepartmentAgency wide Expenditures �& FTE ChangesYear Over Year�Revenue ChangeBudget MethodologyFire Department �Organizational StructureSlide Number 6Year Over Year�Budget ChangeYear Over Year Full Time Employee (General Fund) ChangeFreeze Vacant Positions�Budget Reduction  Fire Administration Fire Prevention�Key Strategic MetricFire Administration Reductions�Personnel SummaryFire Administration�Capital Equipment & SuppliesRecruit Academy and �Equity Framework SummaryFire Operations Fire Operations�Key Strategic MetricsFire Operations Reductions�SummaryOvertime Savings – �Support members to Suppression�Budgeted Savings – �Leave Payout Account�