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Fire Department
DATE: September 3, 2013
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Kurt Norwood, Acting Fire Chief
By: Barry Spriggs, Battalion Chief
Yvonne Yeung, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE AND DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF MONROVIA FOR
THE JOINT USE OF A REGIONAL FIRE TRAINING CENTER AND
AUTHORIZE AN APPROPRIATION OF $75,000 FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE REGIONAL FIRE TRAINING CENTER
Recommendation: Approve
SUMMARY
The City of Monrovia has secured $850,000 in grant funding for the purchase of props
and equipment for a new, multi -use, regional fire training facility and has secured a
location in Monrovia where the project will be built. Monrovia is requesting that City of
Arcadia partner in this project by contributing $75,000 towards construction costs not
covered by the grant funds. A cooperative agreement is drafted between the City of
Arcadia and the City of Monrovia regarding construction costs, ongoing operational and
maintenance expenses, and general usage of the facility. It is recommended that the
City Council authorize an appropriation of $40,000 from the City's Capital Improvement
Fund and $35,000 from the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee
Training Fund towards the construction of the regional fire training center.
BACKGROUND
Presently, the Fire Department utilizes various locations in the City and the surrounding
areas to train and maintain the skill sets of fire suppression personnel, but each option
poses its own limitations. Space constraints, concerns over damaging City property,
and environmental restrictions have limited the locations and scope of training that can
be conducted. The Fire Department does the majority of its hose and ladder training in
the City's water yard on Orange Grove Boulevard. However, that site does not provide
any interior firefighter training opportunities or structures to simulate fire rescue
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September 3, 2013
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operations, such as forcible entry and above ground operations. Furthermore, distance,
logistics, and response times remain obstacles to utilizing training facilities outside of
the City —the closest one is located in the City of Alhambra.
Accordingly, the Fire Department has recognized the need for a local fire training facility
and has conscientiously explored funding and viable local sites for a training facility for
many years. Staff has pursued grant funds on numerous occasions to no avail. One of
the most recent efforts was a plan to build a joint -use training facility on the property of
the United States Forest Service, located at 701 North Santa Anita in Arcadia, utilizing
redevelopment funds with the Forest Service providing the land. Unfortunately, with the
dissolution of the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency, coupled with a change of direction of
the Forest Service, the proposal was abandoned.
DISCUSSION
The Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association ( LAAFCA) has identified a region -wide
need for fire training facilities in various locations throughout Los Angeles County and
has allocated State Homeland Security Grant Program ( SHSGP) funds for the purchase
of props and equipment for these facilities. Southland cities that had available land,
such as Alhambra, Glendale, Santa Fe Springs, Torrance, and Santa Monica, have
either already taken advantage of these grant monies or are in the process of utilizing
the funds. Los Angeles County Fire Department has also used these grant funds to
enhance their training facility in the City of Pomona.
Recognizing the need for a training facility in the East San Gabriel Valley area, LAAFCA
has approved $850,000 of SHSGP funds for this region. Monrovia Fire Department has
made land available for the project at Fire Station 102, located at 2055 South Myrtle
Avenue in Monrovia, and was able to secure the grant funds for a regional training
center. SHSGP guidelines state that the funds can be used on props and equipment
purchases only —the monies may not be used for land or any construction - related
expenses. The City of Monrovia has provided the land and is requesting that the City of
Arcadia partner in the project by contributing $75,000 in construction - related expenses.
This would include removing existing concrete, laying new concrete foundation, placing
in service a water reclamation system, and other infrastructure requirements that cannot
be paid for by grant monies.
The proposed Monrovia - Arcadia Multi -Use Fire Regional Training Center will be
conveniently situated to allow Arcadia Fire Department personnel the use of a state -of-
the -art training facility while maintaining acceptable coverage and response times when
responding to incidents within the City. In addition, the proximity and footprint of the
training facility will provide Arcadia Fire Department additional Insurance Services Office
(ISO) credits, which it did not receive at the last ISO evaluation in 2008. The additional
credits may assist the City in maintaining its Class I status.
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September 3, 2013
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The proposed training facility would provide props that will allow for training in areas
such as live fire structural firefighting operations, above - ground operations, firefighter
survival techniques, technical rescue, and urban search and rescue. Moreover, since
the proposed project is a multi -use joint regional training facility, the site would not be
limited to fire operations only. Additional use of the facility could potentially include
confined space entries and trench operations training for Public Works Services
Department personnel and tactical operation training for Police Department personnel.
Of the $75,000 that is requested of the City of Arcadia, a committee comprised of Fire
Department management and Arcadia Firefighters Association members has endorsed
utilizing $35,000 from the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee
Training Fund to help reduce the direct cost to the City. This fund contains State -
allocated training monies that the Arcadia Fire Department has accumulated based on
its members' total training hours. For the remaining $40,000, it is recommended that
funds be allocated from the Capital Improvement Fund.
The investment of $75,000 will allow the City of Arcadia to be a partner in a nearby
state -of- the -art, multi -use, regional training facility that is estimated to worth over $1
million in land, improvements, props, and equipment. Infrastructure construction,
purchasing, and erecting the props and equipment, and submission for grant
reimbursement must be completed before the 2013 SHSGP grant cycle ends in March
2014.
Finally, a cooperative agreement is drafted between the City of Arcadia and the City of
Monrovia regarding construction costs, ongoing operational and maintenance
expenses, and general usage of the facility. Of note, the two cities have agreed to
share ongoing maintenance costs of the facility, which should be minimal and can be
accommodated mostly through existing training budgets. In addition, the agreement
provides for revenue sharing when other agencies use the facility, which will lower the
ongoing operating costs.
FISCAL IMPACT
The funding request for this project was unanticipated at the time of preparing for the FY
2013 -14 budget. The request for appropriation is $40,000 from the Capital Improvement
Fund and $35,000 from the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee
Training Fund for a total one -time request of $75,000. Additionally, Arcadia Fire
Department will agree to share the ongoing cost of operation and maintenance of the
facility estimated to be $10,000 annually. Funds will be budgeted in future fiscal years
for the annual maintenance costs of the facility.
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September 3, 2013
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council authorize and direct the City Manager to
execute a cooperative agreement with the City of Monrovia for the joint use of a regional
fire training center and authorize an appropriation of $75,000 for the construction of the
regional fire training center.
Approved:
Dominic Lazzar
City Manager