The document provides an overview of the University City Fire & Rescue Department (UCFR) in University, Iowa. It details the department's administration, bureaus, fire stations, apparatus, vehicles and equipment, personnel, salaries, diversity statement, budget, finances, run data from the previous year, and fire prevention programs. The UCFR has 18 fire stations with 258 personnel serving a population of 210,000 over 90.60 square miles. It provides fire suppression, rescue, emergency medical services, fire prevention, code enforcement, training, and public education.

1. 1
OVERVIEW OF THE
UNIVERSITY CITY FIRE &
RESCUE DEPARTMENT (UCFR)
University City Fire & Rescue Department Telephone: (514)
911-0129
1000 Rescue Drive
University, IA 50436
City Demographics:
The city has 210,000 residents.
Population estimates base 210,00
0 Population, percent change over past two years 1.8
% Persons under 5 years, percent 7.1
%
Persons under 18 years, percent 24.0
% Persons 65 years and over, percent 20.4
% Female persons, percent 55.2
%
White persons, percent 60

2. % Black persons, percent 12
% American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent 1.0
% Asian persons, percent 10.0
% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 1.0
% Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 4.0
% Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 12
% Living in same house 1 year & over, percent, 80.4
%
Language other than English spoken at home, percent age
5+
16.6
% High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age
25+
89.0
% Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+ 23.5
% Veterans 22,99
4 Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+ 22.
1
Housing units 98,00

3. 5 Homeownership rate 51.5
% Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 38.2
% Median value of owner-occupied housing units $228,50
0 Households 94,06
6 Persons per household 2.4
1 Per capita money income in the past 12 months $25,82
1 Median household income $50,38
7 Persons below poverty level, percent 15.5
%
2
The City of University City has 18 fire stations staffed with 258
personnel.
The department’s jurisdiction is 90.60 square miles. The city
has 210,000
residents. Generally, fire suppression personnel work 24 hour
shifts. There
are 3 shifts. Administration, Fire Prevention and Training
personnel

4. generally work 8-5, Monday – Friday.
A local union chapter exists within the department. Through an
agreement,
the chapter became recognized by the department three months
ago.
Administration
o Fire Chief,
o Assistant Chief of Administration
o Assistant Chief of Operations
o Confidential Administrative Assistants (Fire Chief
Administrative
Assistant)
o Administrative Assistant (one for both Assistant Chiefs)
Fire Prevention Bureau
o Fire Prevention Chief [equivalent to Battalion Chief rank]
Administrative Assistant
Senior Fire Investigator
Fire Investigator-II

5. Fire Investigator -I
Senior Fire Safety Educator
Fire Safety Educator –II
Fire Safety Educator –I
Senior Fire Inspector
Fire Inspector-II
Fire Inspector-I
Fire Inspector-I
NOTE: All fire safety education personnel are civilians.
Training Bureau
o Chief of Training [equivalent to Battalion Chief rank]
Administrative Assistant
Senior Training Officer - [equivalent to District Chief rank]
Training Officer – II [equivalent to Captain rank]
Training Officer – II [equivalent to Captain rank]
Training Officer [equivalent to Lieutenant rank]
Training Officer [equivalent to Lieutenant rank]

6. Training Officer [equivalent to Lieutenant rank]
NOTE: All training personnel serve as Incident Safety Officer
when
needed.
3
Fire Apparatus, vehicle, and Equipment
Maintenance
o Maintenance Supervisor/Master
Mechanic
Administrative Assistant
Maintenance Technician-II
Maintenance Technician
Maintenance Technician
Fire Suppression, Rescue & Emergency
Medical Services
o Battalion Chief (one for each of the 3 shifts)
District Chief (3 per shift)

7. Each of the 18 fire stations has the following positions for
each shift
Captain
Lieutenant
Driver/Operator
Firefighter I
Stations 1, 4, 7, 10, and 14 have an ambulance,
rescue truck, and the following additional personnel
for each shift:
o Rescue Specialist –II [equivalent to Captain rank]
o Rescue Specialist –I [equivalent to Lieutenant rank]
NOTE: Rescue Specialists provide Advanced Life Support
(non-transport), water rescue, auto extrication, rope
rescue, and confined space rescue
Station 1 has a fully-equipped hazardous material apparatus.
Each
Suppression Lieutenant performs as a Haz-Mat Technician if
needed

8. The department organized as a career fire department in 1933.
The
department’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating is Class 3.
4
BASE SALARIES
Fire Chief $102,000
Assistant Chief – Administration $90,000
Assistant Chief – Operations $90,000
Confidential Administrative Assistant $31,000
Administrative Assistant $28,000
Fire Prevention Chief $75,000
Senior Fire Investigator $57,000
Fire Investigator-II $53,000
Fire Investigator-I $50,000
Senior Fire Safety Educator $40,000
Fire Safety Educator –II $36,000

9. Fire Safety Educator - I $32,000
Senior Fire Inspector $57,000
Fire Inspector –II $53,000
Fire Inspector – I $50,000
Chief of Training $75,000
Senior Training Officer $70,000
Training Officer –II $62,000
Training Officer – I $52,000
Maintenance Supervisor/Master Mechanic $55,000
Maintenance Technician-II $40,000
Maintenance Technician $33,000
Battalion Chief –Fire Suppression $75,000
District Chief – Fire Suppression $70,000
Captain –Fire Suppression $62,000
Lieutenant – Fire Suppression $52,000
Driver/Operator $46,000
Fire Fighter-I $39,000
Rescue Specialist –II $66,000

10. Rescue Specialist –I $56,000
5
Fire Department's Diversity Statement
Definition - As understood in the workplace today, diversity
implies
differences in people based on their identifications with various
groups.
Diversity involves the process of acknowledging differences
through action
and going beyond one's comfort zone to be inclusive of all. In
organizations,
this means developing a variety of initiatives at both the
management and
organizational levels and at the interpersonal levels.
Vision - The continued excellence of the University City Fire
and Rescue
Department is largely dependent upon the ability to attract,
develop, and
retain highly skilled, talented, and motivated members. An
essential element
in maintaining this quality of service is the recognition of the
value of a
diverse work force. Characteristics such as: age, culture,
ethnicity, gender,
race, religious preference, sexual orientation, and the

11. expression of unique
philosophies and ideas provide the opportunity to better
understand each
other. This understanding strengthens the efficiency and
productivity of the
University City Fire and Rescue Department, whose primary
objective is to
provide excellent service to a diverse community.
Mission- The mission of the University City Fire and Rescue
department is
to respond to fires, medical emergencies, disasters, and other
calls for
service, the University City Fire and Rescue Department
protects the lives
and property of its customers (residents and visitor).
Goals - The goals of the University City Fire and Rescue
Department with
regard to diversity are:
City Fire and
Rescue Department's rules and regulations regarding
employment.
backgrounds who
are committed to the continued excellence of the University
City Fire and
Rescue Department.

12. culture,
ethnicity, gender, race, religious preference, sexual orientation,
and the
expression of unique philosophies and ideas.
growth at
every rank in the University City Fire and Rescue Department.
and respect,
regardless of perceived differences.
6
Fire Department's Budgeting and Financial
Issues
The department’s fiscal year began on September 1 and ends on
August
31 of each year. The department receives funds from federal
grants.
These grants are managed three federal fiscal year that began on

13. October
1 and ends on September 30 of each year.
Purchasing
Items costing 0 - $200 must have a verbal quote from at least
two
vendors/manufacturers. Items costing $201 - $3,000 must have a
written
quote from at least two vendors/manufacturers. Items costing
more than
$3,000 must be purchased through the bidding system. The
purpose of the
bidding system is to help ensure the department has the
opportunity to
purchase the most cost effective product/service. The bidding
system also
helps ensure each vendor/manufacturer is given a fair
opportunity to market
his product/service to the department.
UCFR Benefit Package

14. The city provides 100% medical, dental and vision insurance to
all employees,
plus a $25,000 accident death benefit. The complete insurance
(medical,
vision and dental) package for each employee costs $11,950
yearly, with the
15% co-pay withdrawn from employee’s bi-weekly check for
employees with
families and dependents. The city pays 85% of the medical
insurance for an
employee’s family or dependents, which for this year a family
or employee
and child plan is $21,967, calculated at the same price.
While the city provides a great benefit with the insurance
package, 183
employees receive family and or dependent coverage as part of
their
employment package, the rest are just single employee coverage
plans.
The city also has 3% of the employees’ wages paid into FICA,
an additional
4% is paid to Medicare. The life insurance plan costs the city
$14.75 each
quarter for each employee. While workers compensation is
calculated at 25%
of the overall salaries and benefits line item. Unemployment is

15. paid into the
state system at 1.25% per employee’s annual pay.
The city charter requires that the department fund overtime at
30% of the
overall salaries of the grades of employees.
The city provides its own retirement system for all of its
employees. The
7
contract negotiated city provided contribution rate for sworn
fire service
personnel is 12% of the employees overall salary. While
civilian employees of
the department receive the same as other non-hazardous
employees 8% rate
of their overall salary.
Each sworn employee and civilian public education specialist is
provided
$1,000 per year for clothing allowance, and civilian
administrative employees

16. is provided $250 per year. The department pays $550 per
position for a
comprehensive medical physical, with the exception of the
administrative
assistants.
UCFR Run Data
Last year the department ran 27,982 responses. Fires equated to
415 of the
responses, 189 fires in structures (78% residential, 2%
healthcare, 5%
transient housing/lodging, 15% commercial), 81 in vehicles and
81 cooking
fires (55 contained to container). Rubbish and dumpster fires
comprised 74
responses while 37 calls were for unauthorized burning. The
UCFR responded
to 87 special incidents (36 water/ice rescues). There were four
severe
weather/natural disaster incidents, 2,749 false alarms were
transmitted.
People called 2,471 times for good intent calls, while 1,345
calls were for
service or assistance. Hazardous conditions with no fire resulted
in 498
responses, however, 52 responses were needed of an over

17. pressure, rupture
or release of a hazardous material. The department responded to
20,361 ems
and rescue related calls (including traffic accidents).
There were 16 fire fatalities in 11 fires, with 42 injuries to
civilians in 28 fires.
Of the fatal fires, the first fire resulted in the deaths of two
children and one
adults, with three other children injured. The second fatal fire
resulted in the
death of one individual with no other injuries reports. The third
fire resulted in
the death of one elderly man, with no other injuries. The fourth
fire resulted
in the death of two people of varying ages with injuries to six
others. The fifth
fatal fire resulted in the death of an elderly woman with injuries
to two
neighbors in the rescue attempt. The sixth fire resulted in the
death of a
young child, the sibling confessed to playing with matches.
The seventh fire was a result of food left on the stove at 1:00
am in the
morning, an occupant in the adjacent apartment was discovered
during

18. overhaul, still in her bed. The eighth fire resulted in the death
of an elderly
woman, cause improper heating in a cold snap. The ninth fire
resulted in the
death of an adult female, cause appears to be improperly
discarded smoking
materials, and there were 10 injuries to other occupants of the
apartment
building during the late night fire. The tenth fire resulted in the
death of three
children, as a result of the older sibling playing with matches.
The last fatal
fire was the result of unattended cooking by an intoxicated
male, who
perished during the fire.
8
There were 4 firefighters who suffered minor injuries on three
different fires,
and no firefighter deaths were reported.
Fire prevention and code enforcement conducted 23,617
inspections last

19. year. The staff conducted 2110 re-inspections of violations,
while 389
inspections resulted in code enforcement actions. As the
community is
continuing to grow, 1115 inspections were conducted on new
construction
projects. The public education branch logged individual contact
with 4,470
men, women and children during their open house, block party
and other
dedicated prevention program presentations. This past year was
the inaugural
year that all University City public schools participated in
“FIRE PREVENTION
MONTH” during October, prevention and education personnel
reached 5,704
children and teachers during that month.
Fire prevention programs in the city are designed to be all
inclusive during
community and neighborhood events. Each station has fire
prevention
materials on hand and are encouraged to perform station tours
and engage in
fire prevention activities in their first due areas.

20. Guidelines
· Your paper will be carefully researched 5 pages long
excluding the title page; double-spaced & typed in 12-point
font).
· It must include a review of a minimum of four scholarly
sources from relevant journal articles, book chapters or relevant
documentaries
· It must be properly cited within the essay using MLA or APA
citation format.
· If you cite direct quotations be sure to include author’s last
name and page numbers of the cited sources
· Your essay must be well organized with all the requirements
of an academic paper such as a title, introduction explaining the
significance of your topic and its relevance to Africana Studies
and ideas framed into a logical essay with supporting details
and a conclusion.
· Submissions may not be creative pieces, such as poems, short
stories, or plays.
Topic
· The concept of freedom and how people of African heritage
have had a quest for freedom, debated freedom and fought for it
has been driven by their experiences in various historical
events: slavery, colonialism, Jim Crow laws, Apartheid regime
in South Africa and women and men’s fight against gender
inequality, Workers fight for social justice etc.). Select one
example of a struggle for freedom from those listed above and
research information pertaining to the following:
· What led people to fight for freedom in the area you have
chosen?

21. · Who were some of the participants that played leading roles in
these struggles?
· Describe the tactics they used to fight for freedom and assess
their effectiveness.
· What were some of the major accomplishments (at least
three)?
· To what extent has society benefitted from this struggle?
· What more needs to be done in this specific area to create a
greater impact?
Scoring Rubric
Title/03
Introduction /10
Content & Analysis /50
Structure/Organization /10
Style, grammar, spelling /07
Conclusion /10
Citation & References/10
Total/100