Fire Study is Finally Released – Now What?

Feb. 4, 2019 – At its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 29th, the Township Committee announced that the release of the fire study is delayed again.  Unfortunately, on the very next day, a fire caused the total loss of a house at at 37 Blue Hills Drive (near the Village Elementary School).  On the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 31st, the long waited fire study was finally posted on Holmdel’s website for public consumption.

The study (excluding the SOP that was not attached) is 57 pages long.  Here is the link to the study for those interested in reading the full text:

Link to Fires Study

Summary

At a high level, the fire study presented the following findings:

1. Holmdel currently has a rating grade of 6/6X, a fair to middling grade, from the Insurance Service Office (“ISO”).  This rating (used by insurance companies to set our home insurance rates and is not normally made available to the public) is a score from 1 to 10 with 1 as the best possible score and 10 meaning the fire department did not meet ISO’s minimum requirement.

In one particular part of the calculations of the rating, Holmdel earned a low 17 credits out of a possible 50 credits.  The consultant specifically cited that Holmdel can improve the rating with (1) more personnel, (2) improve training, and (3) improve apparatus fleet. (p. 4-2)

Note: the consultant indicated that the score is “not uncommon for volunteer fire departments”.

2. There is a need for a centralized fire station location.

The consultant stated that: “Anecdotally, it was reported to me that responses to calls for assistance in certain areas of the township can greatly exceed the recommended on scene and operating time of 12 minutes recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard …”. (p. 4-4)

Citing a number of deficiencies, the consultant stated that the current fire station sites are not “equipped to be a main fire station”.(p. 4-4)

3. The current all-volunteer fire department, with approximately 35 active volunteers and only a few members that actually live in Holmdel, is not sufficient.  The Consultant stated that “our review of personnel response by time of day indicated that, in a majority of instances, insufficient people were available to conduct a firefighting operation.” (p. 4-7)

The consultant went on to say that his research indicates that Holmdel is “not conducive to providing a force of volunteer firefighters from within the population”. (p. 8-2)  If recruiting volunteers is not successful, it would be “appropriate and proper” for the Township to consider the creation of a full-time career staff to assist the existing volunteer staff. (p. 8-1)

4. There is an absence of a proper set of Standard of Operating Procedures (“SOP”). (p. 2-6)

5. Interestingly, in light of current Holmdel affordable housing plan, and perhaps stating the obvious, the consultant stated: “Residential development will continue to increase.  This will cause the number of fire responses to increase as well.More people and more homes always equates to an increased demand for services.” (p. 6-3)

6. The consultant suggested replacing one fire truck (Aerial 18-90) as soon as possible, replacing another fire truck (Engine # 18-75) this year, and refurbishing a third fire truck (Engine 18-78) also in 2019.(p. 7-6)

Notable Fires & Response Time

Among the findings, perhaps the most alarming one is the response time since, fundamentally, the success or failure of fire suppression depends heavily on putting water to the flames as soon as possible.  As noted in item 2 above, the National Fire Protection Association Standard recommended on the scene and operating time is 12 minutes.  However, for certain parts of Holmdel, Fire Company # 2’s response can greatly exceed this standard.

There have been several notable fires since the closing of Fire Company #1 in 2014.  Among them were the mansion on Hop Brook Lane, the house on Barrister Drive and now the house on Blue Hills Drive.

In the December 2015 fire that burned down a mansion under construction on Hop Brook Lane, Asbury Park Press, in a news article that disputed official times-stamp reports by the Township, reported a surveillance camera showed a 23-minute gap between the first police officers arriving and the first fire truck pulling up to the home.  It took another 25 minutes before firefighters were seen putting water to the flames.  See the link below to APP article:

Link to APP article

In the September 2018 Barrister Drive house fire and according to a press release by the Township, the first fire engine arrived at the scene 19 minutes after police received a call from a resident and found the house engulfed in flames.

Witnesses at the Blue House Drive house fire on Jan. 30, 2019 indicated that the first fire truck didn’t arrive on the scene response until more than 20 minutes have elapsed after the fire was first reported.

Reactions & Musings

1. The study had mixed reviews. Residents that were unaware, learned about the history and how we got to the current situation.  Other residents indicated that the troubling findings were as expected.  One resident indicated that the major findings could have been “written in 10 minutes by anyone with any knowledge of our situation”.  This is perhaps a little exaggerated, but the point is well taken that many of the findings were known and have been voiced by concerned residents over the past 4+ years.

2. According to the Jan. 2016 Asbury Park Press article (see Hop Brook Lane fire above), “Township officials say there are more than 50 active members in the volunteer department”.  So, the number of active volunteers has gone down significantly from 50 to 35 over the last 3 years.

3. Holmdel residents now have an official report by an independent consultant whose findings and suggestions should not be ignored.

4. At a minimum, there is no escaping that money will be needed to address the fire safety issues raised in the study – equipment, new location and/or retrofitting, training, staffing, etc.  Fire engines can cost around $500,000 each with “customization” (a ballpark figure).  A new fire station or the renovation of an existing site could easily cost hundred of thousands of dollars.  If we accept the study at face value, the Township might need $2 million or more in 2019 (again as a ballpark figure).

5. At the last Township Committee meeting, the first reading of an ordinance was adopted for the issuance of a $2.5 million bond for recreation improvements.  There is a public hearing for this bond issuance scheduled at the Feb. 12th Township Committee meeting.  There appears to be a cost of at least $120,000 just for the issuance of the bond.

In light of this fire study, does it make sense to look at the total financial need for the year 2019 (i.e., recreation improvements & fire safety improvements together) vis-à-vis the Township’s budget and then decide the optimal amount for a bond issuance?  To do this on a piecemeal or separate basis, the Township would incur additional bond issuance costs.

6. Back in the days, the old Bell Labs had their own fire department.  Some have mused whether the Bell Works could a possible site for a new fire station.

So, what’s next?

In the aftermath of the fires mentioned above, Township officials are quoted as saying actions will be taken.  For example, the APP (in the article cited above) reported that “Township officials praised fire coverage in Holmdel and said the plan to resurrect Fire Company 1 is part of improving safety perceptions.”  Specifically, one Township Committeeman was quoted as saying “My goal is to get it open by March 1”.

That article was dated Jan. 22, 2016, more than three years ago, and Fire Company #1 remained unopened today.    Let us all hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.

We should thank Committeeman Rocco Pascucci for all his efforts for the Fire and Emergency Services Study.  However, this is just a preliminary first step.  The important and real work is now in front of us.

Residents are encouraged to attend Township Committee meetings and ask questions.  The next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 12th, at 7:30 PM at the Town Hall, 4 Crawsfords Corner Road.

Stay tuned.  2019 is already showing signs that it will be a very interesting year!