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Section Eight: Concentration of Resources will slide further out of compliance with the NFPA standard, and the service level provided to the community will be reduced. As was previously discussed, demand for emergency services varies significantly depending on the time of day. The Eugene Fire & EMS Department has attempted to improve in the area of medic unit response by modifying its deployment of units according to measurable peak demand periods. Peak activity ambulance deployment improves resource distribution through the practice of dynamic up-staffing during peak periods and down-staffing during statistically low call volume periods. Peak activity ambulances also improve resource concentration by providing extra resources within the system that are deployed into population concentrations such as the downtown core area during business hours. This is especially useful during hours when heavy traffic impedes responding apparatus. As the population of the community increases and response reliability decreases, adding units to existing fire stations is a method of increasing the concentration of resources that must be seriously considered. At the same time, additional units add to safety as well as increase overall coverage, service delivery, and response reliability, while decreasing response time. The safety of the public and firefighters must remain a priority when apportioning additional resources and planning for the future. With the ever-increasing challenges posed by rising costs and revenues that have not in recent years kept pace with the department's cost curve, fire managers are faced with constructing response plans that stretch response resources and personnel. The balance is to achieve efficiency while still meeting the safety standards such as the OSHA-mandated Two-In/Two-Out rule and NFPA 1710. In addition, there is the concept of deploying additional response resources during periods of peak activity to increase concentration of resources and response reliability, while decreasing response time. What makes this deployment model attractive is the matching of additional resources during periods of increased call volume, when needed, which also coincides with traditional periods of on-duty training and periods of high traffic congestion which slows response. At the same time the cost for staffing a peak activity unit is significantly less than staffing a statically deployed 24/7 response company or unit. This is the theory behind the deployment of single-role medic units within Eugene's system, but one that could also be applied to fire suppression response. In fact, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue has been successfully deploying such a unit for the past few years. Finally, the Eugene Fire & EMS Department's ability to concentrate resources is receiving some assistance from jurisdictions outside of our borders. As examples, automatic aid agreements that provide for mixed jurisdictional response packages on and around borders exist with the Springfield Fire & Life Safety Department to the east; Lane County Fire Protection District #1 to the south and west; and the Lane Rural Fire/Rescue District to the northwest. An automatic backfill agreement is also in place with the Santa Clara Rural Fire Protection District to the north. 70