The National City Fire Department will roll out a pilot program that fire officials say will better assist residents in the northeastern area of the city.
The one-year program that will be staffed by a two-person squadron stems from a 2009 Service Standards of Response Coverage Deployment study that showed the northeast portion of National City had a coverage gap compared to the rest of the city when it comes to response times.
The coverage gap area includes parts north of Plaza Boulevard and east of Highland Avenue.
Response times for Fire Station 34 at 16th and D streets has an average response time of 7 minutes and 26 seconds to calls within the northeast. Fire Station 31 at 24th Street and Euclid Avenue has an average response time of about 7 minutes and 35 seconds to calls in the northeast.
“These times are well above the national standard and clearly demonstrate the coverage gap previously identified by the 2009 Citygate study,” said Frank Parra, director of emergency services.
The national standard for response times by the National Fire Protection Association is 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
The study, conducted by Citygate recommended the city build a fire station in northeast National City. But to save the city about $4 to $5 million in construction costs, city and fire officials opted for a two-person fire squadron, Parra said.
Parra said residents in the northeast area receive emergency services from both the National City Fire Department and the San Diego Fire Department as that area borders the two cities. The average response time for a San Diego Rescue Unit to arrive to an emergency in northeast National City is 7 minutes and 46 seconds.
But, Parra said, the San Diego Fire Department unit that attends to that area is also one of the busiest in San Diego and cannot be relied upon to be available when needed, thus extending response times for a call.
“We are often asked of our residents how come their local fire department isn’t on scene when there is an emergency,” he said.
Parra said coverage gap has become compounded by marked increase in call volume. Since 2009 there has been a 67 percent increase in calls for service.
In 2009, the fire department responded to 4,928 calls and in 2015 the total number of calls was 8,759.
One reason for the increase in emergency calls is the increase in National City’s population, Parra said.
Parra said he worked jointly with the National City Firefighter Association who is supportive of the model.
The squadron will operate out of a mobile home at El Toyon Park Recreation Center for 24-hours a day, seven days a week by a two-person crew.
Parra said the squadron will provide limited but necessary services such as advanced life support, limited fire suppression, incident command, and ancillary support functions during larger emergencies.
Parra said restructuring the current fire department’s personnel deployment model would staff the squadron.
He said two fire department members –one fire captain and one firefighter certified as a paramedic – would be assigned to the squadron, utilizing existing personnel. Parra said to do this; the department will be promoting three fire engineers to the rank of fire captain and three firefighters the rank of fire engineers.
The estimated cost of restructuring the department with promotions is $150,000, Parra said.
Parra said departmental promotions are temporary for the duration of the pilot; three personnel would staff Engine 34 and 31.
