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grf <br /> REQUEST FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION Agenda Section: 3. <br /> WPM <br /> STAFF REPORT Report Number: 95-1 54flWS <br /> UL`JJ AGENDA SESSION DATE December 4, 1995 Report Date: 11 30 95 <br /> DISPOSITION <br /> Item Description: <br /> Discussion of Request for Enabling Legislation for Volunteer Firefighters <br /> Administrator's Review/Recommendation: <br /> - No comments to supplement this report <br /> Comments attached. <br /> Explanation/Summary (attach supplement sheets as necessary.) <br /> ,SUMMARY; <br /> Traditionally, the majority of the fire service in the United States <br /> combated fire through suppression efforts only. This has been a losing <br /> battle in terms of saving lives and property proven out by the worst <br /> fire statistics in the industrialized world. Other nations have been <br /> extremely successful in combating fire through prevention. Numerous <br /> examples exist worldwide, here in the United States and also in the <br /> State of Minnesota. For example, the City of Chicago has more fire <br /> deaths than the entire country of Austria. St. Paul Fire adopted a <br /> program in 1988 that reduced their annual fire deaths for children under <br /> the age of 5 from 2 .8 per year to zero. <br /> This department is committed to combating the fire problem equally <br /> through prevention and suppression. Prevention occurs in two forms; on <br /> the industrial/commercial side it requires adoption of sprinkler codes <br /> coupled with strong enforcement and inspection of fire codes. For <br /> residential structures, prevention occurs in the form of public fire <br /> education. This entails, among other things, school programs, senior <br /> programs, cable programming, newspaper articles, mall events, high risk <br /> programs such as mobile home parks, and neighborhood floods to name a <br /> few. <br /> The resolution before you would support this department's efforts to <br /> obtain legislation allowing us to recruit volunteer firefighters to <br /> perform these prevention functions. Presently, there is a state-wide <br /> system operated on a local level that enables departments to compensate <br /> suppression volunteers with a pension after vested years of service. <br /> This had proven to be extremely effective in retaining volunteers. The <br /> legislation this department is seeking is permissive to this department <br /> and the communities we serve, allowing us to place these prevention <br /> volunteers into the pension program. While the City has a required <br /> municipal contribution to this plan, long term goals include the ability <br /> to reduce the number of personnel as needs subside thereby reducing the <br /> required contribution. <br /> ' -7rIre.ejc...4.1.41- 1/ <br /> RECOMMENDATION; Nyle Zik nd�,` 'F re Chief <br />