October, 2001 - Volume 86, No. 2
October Meeting to Consider
Infill & Fire Resolutions
October General Meeting
7:00 pm
Tuesday, October 2nd
Virginia Hospital Center -- Arlington
(Formerly Arlington Hospital) Conference Center
1701 N. George Mason Drive
Page 1 picture -- The U.S. Flag being hung off the crash-damaged Pentagon,
outlined in heavy black border with the caption, "In Memory of Our Fallen
Relatives, Neighbors and Friends"
In a world turned upside down by a disaster borne of terror, your County
and our Federation are carrying on.� We believe that by returning to these
civic activities, we might rededicate ourselves to this democratic
society -- where freedom is an ideal � a noble concept that no terrorist
could ever bomb, burn or fly an airplane into and ever hope to destroy.
Here�s our agenda for October:
~~ October General Meeting ~~
County Reports on Disaster Response
(tentative)
Presentation of Report & Resolutions by
Public Services Committee
Resolution on Proposed Zoning Changes Regarding Infill Development -
Follow-Up to September 19th Special Membership Meeting held to discuss
zoning changes.
As mentioned in last month�s The Civic Voice, many of the Federation�s
member groups have heard that the County is considering significant changes
in the County�s Zoning Ordinance Code that are intended to ease the impact
of �infill development� on Arlington�s established neighborhoods. At
September�s special meeting, we heard from an array of parties involved in
this issue. We began with an explanation by Ms. Monica Craven, Chairman of
the Zoning Ordinance Review Committee about the history of the issue.
County Staff members provided an overview of the objectives of the changes
and described in detail the three alternative groups of changes under
discussion. After laying the groundwork, proponents of the changes (Mr. Ted
Weihe and Ms. Nancy Iacomini) provided their rationale for supporting a
decrease in the lot coverage size for houses. Mr. Terry Schoman provided a
spirited description of impacts the changes may have on homeowners who may
wish to make future improvements (additions, decks). Finally, Ms. Carrie
Johnson, Chair of the Planning Commission, provided an explanation of when
and how the changes could be effected. Next, Federation members were able
to question the guests at length about the details and impacts of the
proposed changes. At evening�s end, members filled out a survey, indicating
their views on the issue, which the Federation�s Planning and Zoning
Committee is using to develop draft resolutions for the membership to
consider on October 2nd. The draft resolution is appended to the end of
this email and will be posted on the Federation�s web site at
�www.civfed.org.� If time permits, please look them over before the
meeting.
Civic Federation to Consider Legislative Package at November 13th Meeting
(Note the date change!)
The Legislation Committee, headed by Ms. Nancy Graham, completed it�s
deliberations on September 10th and has provided an advance copy of the
Legislative Package that we will consider at our November meeting and
ultimately pass along as guidance to our legislative delegation. Due to
space limitations, the draft package could not be inserted in this issue of
The Civic Voice. In order to give delegates a chance to discuss the issues
with their member organizations before November�s meeting, we will provide
the advance copies to delegates at the October gathering. Remember, unless
there is a rule change, the package will be considered as a whole (up or
down vote), followed by additional legislative items as the membership may
choose to add. If you have an additional item(s), you must bring 75 written
copies of the item and deliver them 15 minutes ahead of November�s meeting.
The Legislative Package will be sent via separate email.
PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE COMPLETES REVIEW � PROVIDES PUBLIC SAFETY
RESOLUTIONS AT OCTOBER MEETING
Beginning last Spring, the Public Services Committee undertook a
comprehensive review of County Public Services on behalf of the Federation.
As a first step, the committee developed a survey for Federation Member
Organization Presidents to complete and return. The returned surveys have
formed the basis for a series of initiatives their committee will be
pursuing in the coming year. Delegates will remember that last May, a
resolution was introduced on to the meeting floor, principally concerning
firefighter staffing. The Federation President referred the resolution to
the Public Safety Committee and asked them to make this their first topic
area to address. The Committee�s Chair, Ms. Tori Gorman, advises us that
the committee has developed three resolutions for the Federation to consider
at the October meeting. The draft resolutions are appended to the end of
this email and will be posted on the Federation�s web site at
�www.civfed.org.�
A NOTE FROM THE ACCF PRESIDENT
The disaster that occurred in our county on September 11th absolutely
beggars the imagination. The horror of what happened to our friends, our
neighbors, our closest relatives here in the Pentagon and in New York City
leaves me at a complete loss for words before the magnitude of this calamity
committed by others � those who would commit such evil acts. When I have
asked myself � �how do we deal with this?� � time and again the answer, for
me, lies in watching how our County�s Public Safety Staff has responded.
They instantly responded with magnificent determination to control the
conflagration, moving unhesitatingly to assist the survivors and continue to
assist the investigators who will determine the true identities of the
perpetrators. They did what they were trained to do and did it
superlatively. In turn, our citizens have responded equally well in their
own way. They have given blood, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars,
made lunches and written words of encouragement. We are a county that is
united behind the victims, our emergency personnel, our fellow citizens and
our country.
In the coming months, as our servicemen and women respond to these acts at
great risk to their lives and the security of their families, let�s remember
them in our thoughts, prayers, and deeds as well.
God Bless America. Jim
FLYER ON BACK COVER
Arlington's Day of Remembrance and Appreciation
October 7th, 6 p.m.
Washington-Lee High School Stadium
RESOLUTIONS UNDER CONSIDERATION AT OCTOBER 2001 MEETING
REPORT OF ZONING AND PLANNING COMMITTEE
Background From Committee --On September 19th the Civic Federation held a
special meeting to address potential changes to existing zoning that would
limit �coverage� for residential lots. Members heard presentations from a
guest panel and then completed a survey developed by the Federation�s
Planning & Zoning Committee. The 53 returned surveys were analyzed to
develop the resolution below that will be voted at the October 2nd Civic
Federation.
Proposed Resolution:
Whereas, Civic Federation survey results indicated that�
� An equal percent are for and against the current proposals while about 25%
are undecided. Delegates do not believe that the proposed changes will
prevent the homes cited as egregious examples of infill.
� About half of the delegates and others attending the meeting do favor some
sort of new coverage restrictions. However, only a third supported applying
restrictions to all R-5 thru R-20 properties.
� When asked to indicate support for specific options, none got support from
a majority. The top selection was restricting coverage based on lot sizes
(31%), followed by retaining the current limits (25%), no response (25%),
zoning districts with caps (19%), and zoning districts (13%).
� 50% of delegates are concerned that additional coverage restrictions will
hurt home values. Members want more information about how proposed changes
will reduce homeowners� flexibility for renovating and expanding existing
homes.
� A large majority does not agree with what is used to calculate coverage.
The most frequently cited example was inclusion of driveways.
� More people were concerned about oversize houses (44%) than pipestem
development (28%). Those concerned about pipestems preferred to limit this
development based on lot frontage minimums rather than on the lot geometry.
And whereas, the Civic Federation has passed prior resolutions supporting
efforts to control infill development, however the Civic Federation has not
reached consensus about the current proposals to limit infill.
Be it resolved that the Federation urges County staff and the Zoning
Ordinance Review Committee of the Planning Commission to:
1. Better define the characteristics of infill that are undesirable and
examine ways to control those characteristics.
2. Reexamine the Zoning Administrator�s lists for calculating coverage.
3. Provide data and examples about how various proposals for coverage
restrictions will impact existing homes in each of the zoning categories
(R-5, R-6, R-8, R-10, and R-20) and in different types of neighborhoods.
End of Resolution
RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED BY THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
Proposed Resolution: Importance of public safety services
Whereas, "public safety" includes those basic services (i.e., fire, police,
emergency communications, emergency medical services, court services, court
security, and the operations of our regional jail) that facilitate and allow
large numbers of citizens to live securely in a relatively compact urban
area such as Arlington County; and
Whereas, public safety services have been operating with fewer budgeted
resources than requested, and in some cases, at levels less than authorized
for several years; and
Whereas, public safety services employees have been working regularly
scheduled overtime shifts in order to provide required service levels within
the resource constraints placed upon them; and
Whereas, public safety services are having difficulty attracting, recruiting
and retaining qualified employees to maintain a stable and
adequately-staffed workforce.
Be it resolved, by the Arlington County Civic Federation that all concerned
organizations -- governmental, private and advisory (e.g., the Emergency
Medical Services Council) � are strongly encouraged to adopt solutions that
will ensure that all of Arlington County�s public safety departments meet
minimum national staffing standards and have the equipment necessary to meet
the County�s emergency service needs; and
Further, that the Arlington County Civic Federation urges the Arlington
County Board expand the charter of the Emergency Medical Services Council to
include review of the entire range of Fire Department Services and include
the functions of the Emergency Communications Center; and
Further, that the Arlington County Civic Federation recommends the County
Board develop, maintain and adhere to a specific long-term investment plan
that will ensure the community's public safety needs are well-preserved into
the future.
END of first resolution
Proposed Resolution: Improving the number of building fire inspections
Whereas, once commercial and government buildings are constructed and
occupied, it is the responsibility of the Arlington County Fire Department
(ACFD) to inspect all of them annually for fire code violations; and
Whereas, there are approximately 6,000 properties in Arlington that require
inspection every year, including child day care centers, schools, health
care centers and residential facilities for the frail elderly; and
Whereas, safety inspections are an effective way to prevent structural fires
and save lives; and
Whereas, building safety inspections are a primary line of defense against
fire, especially in buildings where suppression equipment cannot reach; and
Whereas, the County Board admits �current staffing levels are unable to
provide adequate inspection services that are required. Last year we were
only able to inspect and test 40 percent of all high-rise buildings; the
state law and County Code require 100 percent;� and
Whereas, currently 100% of fire inspections in high-rise buildings fail; and
Whereas, with the additional construction of high-rise buildings and
increased building density in Arlington County, the workload for the
inspections program is expected to expand. Without additional staff, the
number of inspections completed will decrease, endangering the lives and
property of people who live and/or work in Arlington County; and
Whereas, a December 2000 needs assessment study by the TriData Corporation
for the ACFD recommended that Arlington County add two inspectors, one per
year over the next two years, to meet the Fire Department�s inspection
responsibilities; and
Whereas, TriData is an internationally recognized expert in research and
management studies, and training and technical assistance in the areas of
fire protection, emergency medical services and emergency management; and
Whereas, the TriData study categorized the need to hire additional safety
inspectors as an �immediate� priority (the highest priority); and
Whereas, Arlington County is expected to close FY 2001 with a multi-million
dollar budget surplus, enabling the County to make significant headway in
hiring the personnel necessary to improve the number of inspections every
year, especially in high-risk, high-density high-rise buildings.
Be it resolved, that the County Board should reaffirm its commitment to the
health and safety of all Arlingtonians and the protection of public-use
property against fire by following the recommendations of the TriData study
and hire at least two full-time fire safety inspectors to the Arlington
County Fire Department.
Further, the Civic Federation requests that the Arlington County Board, in
conjunction with the ACFD, establish performance measures to monitor the
number of building safety inspections completed every year. These measures
shall include, but are not limited to:
� Percent of �inspectable� properties inspected per year, by category of
occupancy (e.g. Assembly, Business, Educational, High-Hazard, Mercantile,
etc);
� Number and percent of violations found, by category of occupancy;
� Number and percent of violations re-inspected, by category of occupancy;
� Number and percent of violations cleared, by category of occupancy;
� The number of emergency incidents of �inspectable� properties requiring an
ACFD response, and the estimated dollar loss and casualties associated with
them, by type of incident (e.g. fire, gas leak, etc.);
� An �Honor Roll� � the names and locations of �inspectable� properties that
have attained three consecutive years of �passing� grades in their annual
fire inspection; and
Further, the Civic Federation requests that these performance measures be
compiled in a single report that is updated and made public every year; and
Further, the Arlington County Civic Federation respectfully requests that
the Arlington County Board respond in writing to this resolution no later
than 30 days after adopting the FY 2003 Arlington County Budget. The
response should include a summary of actions taken by the County Board in
the FY 2003 budget to implement the recommendations made in this resolution.
END of second resolution
Proposed Resolution of the Arlington County Civic Federation: Meeting
minimal staffing recommendations for fire suppression units
Whereas, it is the mission of the Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) to
provide essential emergency services, including an effective response to
fire; and
Whereas, federal regulations require all firefighters to follow the �Two
In/Two Out Rule� when conducting interior structural firefighting. This
regulation states that the ACFD must ensure that at least two firefighters
enter an IDLH atmosphere and remain in visual or voice contact with one
another at all times (�Two In�) and at least two employees must be located
safely outside to provide backup (�Two Out�).
Whereas, because of the Two In/Two Out Rule, the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) mandates that a minimum acceptable fire company staffing
level shall be four members responding on or arriving with each engine and
each ladder company responding to any type of fire; and
Whereas, a first-arriving engine with four personnel can accomplish more in
the early stages of a fire than an engine company staffed with only three:
it can divide into two-person teams, meet the Two In/Two Out Rule, and
immediately begin firefighting operations; and
Whereas, time is most critical in regards to effecting a rescue or making
headway on controlling a fire, and four-person teams on firefighting
equipment allow for a quicker and more effective attack in many
circumstances; and
Whereas, meeting the four-man staffing requirement allows Arlington County
to maximize efficient use of its fire suppression equipment and allow the
County to rely less on mutual aid from other jurisdictions; and
Whereas, in Arlington County, eight (8) of the County�s fourteen (14) engine
and truck companies do not comply with the NFPA�s standards. As a result,
responding firefighters may have to wait for additional personnel to arrive
on-scene before interior structural firefighting can begin; and
Whereas, waiting for additional personnel in order to comply with the Two
In/Two Out Rule could endanger the lives of firefighters once they finally
commence interior structural firefighting and could further exacerbate
property loss; and
Whereas, a December 2000 needs assessment study by the TriData Corporation
for the Arlington County Fire Department recommended that Arlington County
increase the number of Fire Department FTEs to meet the NFPA staffing
standards; and
Whereas, TriData is an internationally recognized expert in research and
management studies, and training and technical assistance in the areas of
fire protection, emergency medical services and emergency management; and
Whereas, the TriData study categorized compliance as an �immediate� priority
by its research team (the highest priority) ; and
Whereas, Arlington County is expected to close FY 2001 with a multi-million
dollar budget surplus, enabling the County to make significant headway in
hiring the personnel necessary to meet this nationally recognized minimum
safety standard for firefighters; and
Whereas, the ACFD�s failure to meet national minimum staffing standards can
be attributed to a decade of neglect towards Arlington�s public safety
services by the County Board.
Be it resolved that the Arlington County Civic Federation strongly
recommends that the County Board provide the Fire Department with the budget
authority necessary to phase-in an increase in the number of FTEs required
over an appropriate period of time (no more than five years) until the
minimum national staffing requirements for fire suppression units have been
satisfied.
Further, the Civic Federation requests that the Arlington County Board, in
conjunction with the ACFD, establish performance measures to monitor the
emergency services provided by the AFDC. These measures shall include, but
are not limited to:
� Monthly mutual aid statistics for both the AFDC and outside jurisdictions
that provide fire services in Arlington County:
o Inbound: aid rendered in Arlington County by fire companies domiciled
outside Arlington County; and
o Outbound: aid rendered by the AFDC to jurisdictions outside Arlington
County
� Monthly average engagement times for both the AFDC and outside
jurisdictions that provide fire services in Arlington County, where
�engagement time� is defined as the elapsed time between receipt of an
emergency call and the responding unit�s ability to render physical aid; and
� The Number and type of emergency response calls, by month; and
Further, the Civic Federation requests that these performance measures be
compiled in a single report that is updated and made public every year; and
Further, copies of this report shall be distributed as follows:
� One (1) copy shall be posted on the Arlington County web site,
www.co.arlington.va.us;
� Three (3) copies shall be sent to every public library in Arlington
County;
� One copy (1) shall be sent to the president of every citizens� association
registered with the County;
� One copy (1) shall be sent to the President of the Arlington County Civic
Federation
� Additional copies shall be made available to the public upon request.
Further, the Arlington County Civic Federation respectfully requests that
the Arlington County Board respond in writing to this resolution no later
than 30 days after adopting the FY 2003 Arlington County Budget. The
response should include a summary of actions by the County Board in the FY
2003 budget to help the ACFD move towards compliance.
END of third resolution;
ACCF Officers
President Jim Pebley 703-525-0766 jim+
Vice President Dan Krasnegor 703-534-4024 dan+
Treasurer Frances Finta 703-528-2882 (no email)
Secretary Tim Wise 703-243-8345 tim+
Executive Committee
Chairman - Dan Krasnegor 703-534-4024 - dan+
Member - Robert Atkins 703-527-8859 - (voice or fax) - (no email)
Member - Mileva Hartman 703-841-9287 - mileva+
Member - Roger Meyer 703-671-3655 roger+
Member - Patrick Smaldore 703-528-3935 - patrick+
Member - Kim Smith -
kim+
ACCF Committee Chairs
Bylaws
Jean Mostrom, Chair 703-532-0452
Scott McGeary, Vice Chair 703-750-4704
Community Relations Jacqueline Mow 703-528-1112
Cultural Affairs
Environmental Affairs
Housing
Legislation
Membership
Frances Finta 703-528-2882 (no email)
Parks & Recreation
Planning & Zoning
William Gearhart 703-522-2276 bill+
Martha Moore 703-527-3782 martha+
Public Services
+
Revenues and Expenditures
Robert Atkins 703-527-8859 (voice or fax) no email
Schools
Special Events
Transportation
Adrienne Pilot 703-351-9464 adrienne+
Jerry Gideon 703-979-8507 jerry+
Newsletter Editorial Committee
+
News email: - civicvoice Fax: 703-486-0576 +
Web: - www.civfed.org (civfed.com works too)
Recipients of this newsletter are encouraged to forward to all and any
interested parties
Copies of the Newsletter are available for Download from the Civic
Federation website. (That is a paper version statement: this page is the Web version.) the Civic Voice is also distributed by email.
The paper version of the Civic Voice uses a freshly updated design introduced in 2001 by Cheryl Whitehead, who can be reached through email to cwhite229@erols.com. This Web version using the same text but posted within the style confines of our Web page design, is put up by Randy Swart. If you have comments or complaints about either version, please contact the editor, Jim Pebley
This page was last revised on: December 28, 2003.
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Arlington County Civic Federation
