Matrix study says Norman fire calls rose about 79% since 2014; recommends new stations, staffing and safety positions

Matrix Consulting Group told the Norman City Council on Feb. 4 that the city’s fire department has seen a large jump in call volume and will need new stations, higher minimum crew sizes and dedicated administrative and safety staff to sustain response performance.

Robert Finn, senior manager with Matrix Consulting Group, summarized the firm’s fire findings, saying the “call volume for the fire department has increased, significantly … roughly 79% from about 11,000 to just over 19,000 since 2014,” driven primarily by medical-assist calls. Finn said a citizen survey included in the study found 47% of respondents felt service levels and speed of response had declined over the prior three years.

The study compared local performance to national benchmarks. While NFPA 1710 recommends a four-minute travel-time standard for career departments in many urban settings, Matrix said that standard was not attainable across much of Norman and advised the council to adopt locally calibrated targets (urban, suburban, rural) tied to the Center for Public Safety Excellence guidance. The consultants recommended targets of one minute for call processing (90% of calls), 1 minute 30 seconds for turnout and five minutes travel time for urban areas, with 6 minutes 30 seconds in suburban areas and 10 minutes in rural areas as planning benchmarks.

To address coverage gaps and the city’s growing “effective response force” needs, Matrix recommended phased station changes including a replacement/relocation of Station 5 and construction of a new Station 10 in the southern part of the city. The firm advised planning for three additional stations over time, estimating each new station would require roughly 15 staff (five per shift scheduled to achieve a four-person minimum on duty). Matrix also recommended increasing ladder-company minimum staffing to four personnel and raising minimum staffing at some rural stations by one person per shift over a three-year period.

Finn identified several administrative and safety priorities: hiring a full-time data analyst to improve use of response data, adding training staff (another full-time instructor), creating a health-and-safety officer position to oversee apparatus exhaust systems and gear decontamination, and increasing administrative support in fire prevention and training. He told the council that many older stations lack appropriate plumbing and facilities for effective gear washing and exhaust capture, and that exhaust systems need repair or replacement to reduce long-term health risk for firefighters.

Council members raised questions about firefighting foam and environmental contaminants, and fire staff said the department currently uses a “municipal green foam” they described as nontoxic and that a foam trailer for airport response has been requested for Station 7. The consultants and staff said more environmentally friendly foams are available and that the city has budget requests in place for protective equipment and a trailer.

Matrix emphasized that many recommendations should be phased to align with growth triggers and revenue: “as development occurs…that just tells you when you should add the additional resources,” Finn said. Council and staff discussed funding options — including continuing to use the public safety sales tax and exploring property-tax or district-based approaches — but took no formal action during the meeting.

The next step Matrix recommended was to integrate the staffing and facilities recommendations into the city’s budget cycle and to commission a facilities needs assessment to refine siting and cost estimates. The consultants provided order-of-magnitude estimates during the discussion (fire station construction roughly $7 million each) and asked the council to adopt performance reporting tied to the recommended response targets so the city can measure progress over time.

No formal vote was taken on the Matrix report in this session; the presentation concluded with council questions and direction to staff to include the findings in upcoming budget deliberations.