Turner douses study of HFD

A much-anticipated analysis of fire department operations essentially was dead on arrival Friday after it failed to identify cost savings and called for a multitude of investments, including three new fire stations.

Mayor Sylvester Turner promised to conduct another review of the $500 million department to supplement the $297,000 study, which came in roughly $1.7 million under budget.

“You get what you pay for,” Turner said. “I view this report as a starting point for what we need to learn more about. There will certainly be a second, more critical review by my own administration.”

The city solicited bids for the report two years ago amid concerns about resource allocation and a staffing shortage that increased overtime costs.

The 178-page report by

Facets Consulting praised the Houston Fire Department’s “high degree of dedication” and took aim at budget cuts made after the 2008 recession. It also criticized Houston’s voterapproved cap on property tax collections.

The analysis found that HFD firefighters arrived on scene within seven minutes in 9 out of 10 emergencies, missing the National Fire Protection Association’s four-minute response time objective. Advanced life support teams arrived in 12½ minutes for 90 percent of incidents, compared with the association’s eight-minute goal.

Long list of proposals

Facets made 48 recommendations, ranging from providing more training to adding a new hazardous materials unit in western Houston and maintaining the current four-shift work schedule.

To improve response times, Facets urged the city to expand its medical vehicle fleet and add fire stations in the Meyerland, Northline and Minnetex areas.

Turner stressed the city’s financial limitations.

“Having a second hazmat team? That requires more money. Building more stations? That requires more money. Another 35 ambulances? That requires more money,” Turner said. “And quite frankly, doing a more indepth study is going to require something more.”

Turner closed a $160 million budget gap this fiscal year but still faces $5.6 billion in unfunded pension obligations.

City Council’s public safety and homeland security committee is slated to take up the report Wednesday, and Turner said he expects the group to prepare an analysis by March.

Interim Fire Chief Rodney West and Emergency Medical Services Director David Persse did not weigh in on the specific recommendations.

“We look forward to working with the council members and the public safety chair to continue to improve our service to the citizens, continue to provide safety measures for members,” West said.

Persse added: “It’s a good report in that it points out things where we’ve come up short . ... There is work to be done. There’s always improvements that can be made.”

Turner criticized

Fire union President Alvin White criticized Turner for not embracing the recommendations.

“If this report had come back with a bunch of changes — dramatic savings — he would have been up there touting this report and how much they came in under budget,” White said. “But since it didn’t give him what he’s looking for, he wants to point fingers at the report as not being comprehensive enough. Typical city politics.”