04/02/2019

1

Annual Report on Implementation of Language Access

FDNY

April, 2019

04/02/2019

2

This annual report provides an update on the agency’s implementation of its Language Access Implementation Plan, as required by Local Law 30 (2017). The report covers activity between 2018-2019.

This report also addresses updates for agencies covered by Local Law 73 (2003).

LANGUAGE ACCESS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Name and title of Language Access Coordinator: Steven Ertrachter, Executive Director of Licensing. I. AGENCY MISSION AND BACKGROUND The Fire Department (FDNY) provides to the following:

- Responding to fires - Providing public safety - Responding to medical emergencies - Responding to disasters - Responding to terrorist acts - Performing inspections and testing - Providing certifications

FDNY protects the lives and property of NYC residents and visitors. The Fire Department advances fire safety through its prevention, investigation and education programs, as well as contributes to the City’s homeland security efforts. It responds to more than 278,000 fires and non-fire related emergencies and more than 1.3 million medical emergencies each year. FDNY maintains approximately 250 firehouses and ambulance stations. There were 240,527 Bureau of Fire Prevention inspection stops in FY 2018. In order to continue to comply with Local Law 30 (LL30), FDNY has continued its undertaking of translating popular documents for public in order to carry out its mission and protect the lives and property of New York City residents and visitors.

04/02/2019

3

II. AGENCY LANGUAGE ACCESS POLICY AND GOALS FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention certifies individuals and inspects various locations regulated by the NYC Fire Code. In addition to providing study materials to prepare for each exam, FDNY provides helpful information to numerous industries that face hazards on a daily basis. THE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED BY THE FDNY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC INCLUDE:

- Fire Suppression - Emergency Medical Service - Fire Prevention Inspections - Certificate of Fitness Licensing - Fire Safety Education - Fire Investigation

FDNY INTERACTS WITH THE PUBLIC:

• during emergency situations; • via inspections; • via field and/or by home visit; • over the phone and via electronic mail/fax; • through different Certificate of Fitness seminars, classes and/or examinations; • via public hearings, as well as other public events (such as forums, town halls, and during

fire prevention week). FDNY’s goal is to continue providing interpretation services to all customers who do not speak fluent English through the Language Line phone interpretation services. Important forms and pamphlets containing information are translated into Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, Arabic, French, Urdu, and Polish (the Local Law 30 required languages).

In addition, in the instances that FDNY employees speak the native language of the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) customer, they assist with interpreting basic information to provide the best possible customer service.

04/02/2019

4

III. LEP POPULATION ASSESSMENT To assist service providers in determining what steps are necessary to provide meaningful access to the LEP population they serve, the Department of Justice developed a four-factor analysis. FACTOR 1: EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AND FIRE SUPPRESSION FACTOR 2: FIRE SAFETY EDUCATION FACTOR 3: FIRE PREVENTION LICENSING AND CERTIFICATION FACTOR 4: HEADQUARTERS CASHIER AND OTHER "PUBLIC" SERVICES PROVIDERS MUST ASSESS THE: (1) LEP demographic to whom services are provided; (2) frequency of contact with LEP persons, the nature and importance of the services provided, and the resources available to the service provider.

BELOW ARE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE FDNY FACTOR 1: EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AND FIRE SUPPRESSION The FDNY can only estimate in the broadest sense the number of LEP persons to whom FDNY provides emergency services. One method of determining how many LEP persons we serve might be the following: 23% of the New York City's population identify themselves as LEP; therefore, we can extrapolate that 23% of our fire and EMS responses are to LEP persons. In addition, general statistics show that some of our services are more frequently provided in the City's minority and economically distressed communities that may have larger LEP populations. EMS uses the Language Line most frequently for Spanish, Chinese and Russian. FACTOR 2: FIRE SAFETY EDUCATION In 2018, Fire Safety Education staff and field personnel conducted over 9,000 presentations in:

• Community centers; • Senior center facilities; • Pre-school, elementary and high schools; • Firehouses; and • other places of assembly.

04/02/2019

5

FIRE SAFETY PRESENTATIONS

Borough CY18 FSE Presentations CY17 FSE Presentations Brooklyn 2708 2672

Bronx 1677 1271 Manhattan 1154 913

Queens 3045 2459 Staten Island 539 621

TOTAL 9,123 7,936 *Fire safety events increased by 14% in CY18

The total audience for their events was 563,482 people. Of that total, 934 elementary schools and over 248,980 children were reached. Fire safety presentations are done in schools throughout the city and specifically target neighborhoods that have experienced fatal fires. Before we visit a school, to determine the ethnic and language mix, our fire safety educators: (a) Consult a census map, and; (b) Discuss the student population with school personnel. Based on that information, FDNY brings language-appropriate materials. Applying the 23% analysis of LEP persons in the NYC means that 151,000 persons to which we made presentations are LEP. The majority of our fire safety events require some translated materials. Fire safety educators bring English and other popular language materials to all of our events, especially at the larger public events. FDNY inquire about language needs prior to events. At fire safety events following fatal or serious fires we assess the community needs by speaking to community organizations with whom we are coordinating these events. In schools, we primarily use English. The most frequent languages for which we see a need are Spanish, Russian and Chinese. FACTOR 3: FIRE PREVENTION LICENSING AND CERTIFICATION The Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP) has approximately 400 Fire Protection Inspectors who inspect equipment and component parts of buildings for permitting and licensing. They also observe system tests. BFP has distinct units responsible for different kinds of inspections. These include, among others:

- Bulk Fuel Safety Unit whose inspectors inspect motor fuel storage systems at gas stations;

- District Offices inspectors typically issue FDNY violations and track renewals / inspections for FDNY permit accounts;

- Explosives Unit inspects and issues permits for explosives, fireworks and special effects; - Fire Alarm Inspection Unit witnesses tests of new or altered fire alarm systems in the

commercial buildings; - Fire Suppression Unit witnesses tests of the sprinkler and standpipe systems;

04/02/2019

6

- Public Safety Unit that inspects high-rises and places of public assembly such as daycare centers, pre-K programs, etc.

We offer LEP assistance, on as needed basis, to the people while providing the above services. FACTOR 4: HEADQUARTERS CASHIER AND OTHER "PUBLIC" SERVICES. The ground floor of the FDNY Headquarters has FDNY employees that assist members of the public. Individuals come to the public section of the building to submit plans and/or paperwork, take exams for Certificates of Fitness, or request fire reports. To certain extent fees are associated with these services; they are paid at the cashier windows at this location. All of these employees are Fire Prevention personnel, except for the cashiers, who are FDNY Revenue Management employees. Several Cashiers’ Office employees speak Spanish and other languages. More than 90% of the customers the cashiers interact with are paying for a Certificate of Fitness exam or Qualification. The NYC Fire Code requires that certificate of fitness applicants have a reasonable understanding of the English language and be able to answer satisfactorily such questions as may be asked of such applicant upon his or her examination. While all the exams are given in English, we provide dictionaries and allow applicants to bring their own dictionaries for the Certificate of Fitness exams; and make every reasonable accommodation to LEP customers. Further, Certificate of Fitness unit provides 2 telephone lines to reach the Language Line. FDNY staff has been trained to use the Language Line. FDNY also has contracted services with several different vendors (ex. Geneva Worldwide) to professionally translate written materials (popular material from FDNY website as well as other useful brochures) into LL30 required languages. All of these materials can be found on our website, and they include information on:

• Portable fire extinguishers in your business • Obtaining a Certificate of Fitness from FDNY • Fire Safety in Commercial Cooking Locations • Carbon monoxide alarms and smoke detectors • Commercial Kitchen Exhaust System Cleaning • New portable fire extinguisher tags and commercial kitchen exhaust maintenance decal

program We expect to have materials translated on an ongoing basis and will continue translating FDNY resources into 2020. FDNY’s Public Certification waiting area has an electronic LCD monitor that plays a slideshow (loop); it’s installed to display relevant information in different languages for the applicants coming in and waiting to take an exam.

04/02/2019

7

One of the slides informs the applicants that if they have an English language difficulty; the exam may be read to them by one of the COF employees. Another slide shows that interpretation services are available free of charge, upon request.

Public Certification Unit hired greeters that are highly trained to provide customer service to all applicants, including LEP. We continue to display an electronic presentation of Language Access policies in 10 different languages. Voter registrations hard copies are available in 5 languages and are presented in the Certificate of Fitness Unit in the waiting room, upon request. Voter registrations electronic copies are available online in 11 additional languages. Further, Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP) field inspectors were all given smartphones before end of 2016. Field inspectors use these smart phones for the Language Line, as needed.

Recently, we also began accommodating individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf. Our goal is to work with Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to better assist applicants during testing.

04/02/2019

8

IV. PROVISION OF LANGUAGE ACCESS SERVICES TRANSLATION: FDNY provides language access services via multiple channels. FDNY Inspectors and employees who greet the public at the Public Certification Unit have access to the Language Line interpretation services.

TELEPHONE INTERPRETATION: FDNY employees can obtain an interpreter by the phone to assist LEP customers in their native language. The Language Line currently offers interpreters for over 100 languages. IN-PERSON INTERPRETATION: In addition some of the FDNY staff are multi-lingual and often voluntarily interpret in person for LEP customers who require basic assistance and are not fluent in English. FDNY commonly distributed documents are translated into the 10 designated languages.

POSTING OF MULTILINGUAL SIGNAGE ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF FREE INTERPRETATION SERVICES: Important forms are also translated into different languages to assist LEP customers. Our headquarters has stationary signs in the following seven languages: Spanish, Italian, Creole, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Korean that describe the services provided on the 1st floor. We will obtain more signs in accordance with Local Law 30. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND LANGUAGE ACCESS: FDNY also provides helpful emergency preparedness information which is translated to ten languages (as required by LL30). During fire or medical emergencies, FDNY staff has image cards to help customers identify common problems by pointing to a specific picture. See screenshots of the booklet on the following page. LANGUAGE ACCESS CONSIDERATIONS IN AGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: FDNY provides interpreters for rule hearings upon request. The interpretations will be provided by the language line. The hearing notice is provided in English language only. FDNY translated content online is often updated on FDNY website, as is our online video library. Priority in translating is given to the documents that are viewed and downloaded most frequently.

PLAIN LANGUAGE FDNY Certificate of Fitness Test Writers have been trained to write study materials and exams that are administered to the public in plain English language. The material is written in simple sentences that are easy to read and understand.

FDNY has hired a vendor that has a city-wide contract to write and proofread the translated pamphlets for small businesses owners. Field inspectors provide the materials with useful information in different languages to small business owners as well as to the public; as needed.

04/02/2019

9

04/02/2019

10

V. TRAINING All front line staff members who assist customers are trained. FDNY has many employees who speak numerous languages and volunteer their interpretation services as needed.

Supervisors trained their front line staff on how to properly assist LEP customers. In addition employees are trained on how to use the Language Line services through the special dual handset or via mobile phones in the field.

04/02/2019

11

VI. RECORD KEEPING AND EVALUATION Language Line provides reports upon request summarizing the call duration, the language interpreted as well as other metrics. Below is a record of calls per month to the language line associated with all Fire Department accounts using Local Law 30 ten required languages (for Intergovernmental Affairs, On Line Medical Control, Fire Prevention-Inspections, Fire Prevention-Customer Service, Fire Operations, and general 9-1-1 New York City Fire Department).

Estimation of minutes per month to the Language Line using Fire Department associated accounts (for Intergovernmental Affairs, On Line Medical Control, Fire Prevention-Inspections, Fire Prevention-Customer Service, Fire Operations, and general 9-1-1 New York City Fire Department in required Local Law 30 languages).

04/02/2019

12

When looking at statistical data, we noticed that the top 3 requested Language Line languages for the year we Spanish #1, Russian#2, and Mandarin #3, the rest of the languages fluctuated.

Further, 3,739 calls were placed to Language Line in the top 5 languages for the past 6 months to all FDNY accounts (Intergovernmental Affairs, On Line Medical Control, Fire Prevention-Inspections, Fire Prevention-Customer Service, Fire Operations, 9-1-1 New York City Fire Department).

Calls for Top 5 Languages

CALLS LANGUAGE 1950 SPANISH 661 RUSSIAN 547 MANDARIN 322 BENGALI 259 CANTONESE

During implementation, the Language Access Plan will be reviewed on as needed basis by the Language Access Committee. The Language Access Committee includes Steven Ertrachter, Jason Shelly, Marina Balber, and Igor Lyutin who meet to ensure each department continues to abide by the Language Access guidelines, and that new policies and procedures are adequately addressed. THE LANGUAGE ACCESS COMMITTEE WILL LOOK FOR: • Effectiveness of existing language assistance to LEP persons • Identifying additional written materials that require translation on the FDNY internet website • Identifying additional written materials that require translation at the headquarters • Fluctuations in a program’s LEP population • Correspondence from NYC residents regarding Language Access Line (such as: Have there

been compliments/complaints?)

Usage for Last 6 Months

04/02/2019

13

Outside vendors provide professional interpretation and translation services. Translated materials are proofread for accuracy before final draft. FDNY coordinator will be in constant contact with parties implementing the Language Access Implementation Plan. LL30 requires agencies to submit annual reports to track compliance.

MONTH CALLS MINUTES

18-Apr 274 1329

18-May 296 1553

18-Jun 224 1061

18-Jul 242 1151

18-Aug 223 1041

18-Sep 220 1039

18-Oct 282 1426

18-Nov 255 1430

18-Dec 232 1250

19-Jan 263 1299

19-Feb 254 1263

19-Mar 228 1191

911 NYC Fire Department Calls utilizing Language Line for Local Law 30 languages

04/02/2019

14

VII. RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND PLANNING • FDNY will continue the services with existing vendors. • FDNY will continue to translate most frequently used public information flyers into

Local Law 30 ten required languages. • All Fire Prevention staff that interacts with the public received or will receive customer

service training. • Since 2015, the FDNY Phoenix Society has organized Mandarin classes. These classes,

funded by the FDNY Foundation, are open to all active and retired FDNY members. These voluntary weekly classes are meant to facilitate communications between members of the Fire Department and the public, thus with a focus on conversation. Firefighters, EMTs and paramedics learn Mandarin through this initiative. We will consider what other programs can be offered going forward to expand knowledge and educate our staff.

• Additional funds will be required for more FDNY employees to attend the DCAS certified “writing in plain English” course. We are considering alternatives to that course.

• We will also require additional funds for translating English material into Local Law 30 required languages. Funding amount is not clear as the number of documents that need to be translated are increasing.

04/02/2019

15

VIII. OUTREACH AND PUBLIC AWARENESS OF LANGUAGE ACCESS SERVICES FDNY has continued to post translated materials on its website FDNY employees continue to distribute materials in different languages during public events. FDNY inspectors continue to deliver important fire prevention and regulation requirements translated in different languages to businesses during site visits and inspections.

04/02/2019

16

IX. LANGUAGE ACCESS COMPLAINTS All 311 complaints are routed through the Commissioner’s office and are directed to specific unit to address each issue. There has not been any complains or requests received via 311.

How members of public can submit language access complaints, questions, and requests

Agency 311 Data (CY 2018) Description of how complaints/requests were addressed

A language access complaint can be made by calling 311 and submitting an official request or complaint.

# of language access complaints received via 311: 0

# of requests for language access services via 311: 0

X. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN LOGISTICS

Language access goal

Milestones Responsible staff Deadline

Agency wide awareness

Issue FDNY directive to all staff

Language Coordinator

TBD

Provide agency-wide customer service training

Training new and non-new inspectors and non-inspectors-annually. Approximately 600 people.

Jesus Martinez (Bureau of Fire Prevention, Training)

Being implemented and conducted already

Identifying all commonly distributed documents

Working with all the units to identify commonly used materials

Language Access Committee

Ongoing

Translating commonly distributed documents into 10 LL required languages

Working with COF department to identify most commonly used public information

Language Coordinator

Ongoing

Tracking how language services are being provided

Working with coordinator for the 311 Language Access complaints and requests

Language Access Committee

Ongoing