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SECTION 2. SCOPE OF PROJECT
The scope of this project was to provide an independent review of the services provided by CAL
FIRE to the City of Morgan Hill and the South Santa Clara County Fire District (SSCCFD). This study
provides a comprehensive analysis of CAL FIRE, including its organizational structure, workload,
staffing, deployment, training, fire prevention, emergency communications (911), and planning
and public education efforts. Local government officials often attempt to understand if their fire
department is meeting the service demands of the community, and commission these types of
studies to measure their departments against industry best practices. In this analysis CPSM
provides recommendations where appropriate, and offers input on a strategic direction for the
future.
Key areas evaluated during this study include:
■
Fire department response times (using data from the city/county computer-aided dispatch
system and its records management systems).
■
Deployment and staffing.
■
Organizational structure and managerial oversight.
■
Fire and EMS unit workloads.
■
CAL FIRE support functions (training, fire prevention/code enforcement/911 dispatch).
■
Essential facilities, equipment, and resources.
■
The working relationship with Santa Clara County EMS.