Agenda - 10-03-2013 - 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 Orange County Chief's Associatior Local Spending Initiative ( "Buying Local "): The OCCA has always prioritized local and in -state vendors on equipment purchases, when possible. Newton's Fire & Safety Equipment, Inc. in Swepsonville has been the primary vendor for OCCA purchases. CW Williams and Co., LLC, of Rocky Mount, and Municipal Emergency Services, Inc., of Charlotte, have been other major vendors. Children's Fire Safety House: After a coordinated fundraising effort involving all departments, the OCCA purchased an educational fire safety trailer in 2005. The Children's Fire Safety House is available for use in community events countywide. Establishment & Enhancement of Countywide Mutual Aid System: The OCCA spearheaded the original countywide mutual aid system in 1994. This ensured a standardized, multi - departmental response to fires outside of municipal boundaries. a. In 2005, the OCCA signed an upgraded mutual aid compact, which provides for a three - department response to areas outside of municipal areas. • Policy Development: As independent corporate entities, the fire and rescue departments have relatively independent operational authority. Nevertheless, departments have found it beneficial to unify and develop shared response policies to streamline operations and mutual aid. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) represent the daily guidelines for departmental operations. Coordinated standards benefit departments by ensuring functional operations at mutual aid scenes. Residents in turn benefit from greater effectiveness. Major accomplishments are highlighted below, but a number of other practices have been initiated by one department and adopted by others through sharing in the OCCA. a. Station Numbering and Resource Typing, mid 1990s: Systematic identification of assets b. Plain Language Radio Communication Procedures, 1992: The OCCA mandated the use of "clear text" on the airwaves to replace 10- codes, a decade before this became a DHS mandate in the wake of September 11tH C. 2 in, 2 out SOP, 1998: The OCCA recommended this best practice response to structure fires. d. ICS protocols SOP, 2011: The Incident Command System (ICS) has been a standard procedure in the fire service for years, and forms a standardized, recognizable frame for organizing a response to major incidents. This policy standardized ICS protocols across departments. e. Accountability SOP, 2011: This allows for Incident Commanders from any agency to track all responders at an emergency scene using the same protocols. f. Mayday SOP, in progress: The OCCA is standardizing the way firefighters from all departments call for help in a life- threatening situation to ensure a consistent response. Major Resource Sharing: Around the country, many fire departments suffer from "one upsmanship," in which departments strive to outdo each other in equipment. The Orange County Chief's Association is proud of the quality apparatus and rescue equipment throughout Orange County, but has cooperatively planned to share major resources like air trucks, ladder trucks, and a heavy rescue truck. This restraint has allowed the fire and rescue departments to provide quality service at reasonable tax rates. Departments also use both the Caldwell training tower and the Chapel Hill training facility to conduct equipment testing and other training. 5