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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 1h - Fire Communication ServicesROPER MINA 21192 DATE: June 17, 2014 STAFF REPORT Fire Department TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Kurt Norwood, Fire Chief By: Yvonne Yeung, Senior Management Analyst SUBJECT: FIRE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE VERDUGO CITIES FOR FIRE DISPATCH SERVICES Recommendation: Approve SUMMARY The Arcadia Fire Department currently participates in a regional fire dispatch services system with Verdugo Fire Communications Center ( "VFCC "). VFCC is jointly owned and operated by the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena ( "Verdugo Cities "). The current agreement is due to expire on June 30, 2014. It is recommended that the City Council authorize and direct the City Manager to execute a Fire Communications Service Agreement with the Verdugo Cities for fire dispatch services through June 30, 2017, with two optional three -year renewal periods. BACKGROUND Since 1999, the Arcadia Fire Department has contracted with VFCC for the dispatching of emergency fire and medical response. In addition to serving the City of Arcadia, VFCC also serves the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, and South Pasadena, as well as the Burbank - Glendale- Pasadena Airport Authority Fire Department. At the State level, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) divides the 58 counties in California into six mutual aid regions. Region I encompasses five counties, including Los Angeles County, which is further subdivided into six operational areas, Areas A through G. All agencies served by VFCC are part of Area C. In 2006, all Area C agencies, except the Sierra Madre Fire Department, entered into a Unified Response Automatic Aid Plan to simplify and combine the numerous existing mutual and automatic aid agreements. The Unified Response Automatic Aid Plan provides a Fire Communications Services Agreement June 17, 2014 Page 2 of 3 borderless fire response area within Area C where the closest fire apparatus would be dispatched to an incident regardless of the agency origin of the apparatus or the city in which the incident is located. In addition, the Plan provides Arcadia with additional fire apparatus and fire personnel to incidents that would otherwise exhaust the Arcadia Fire Department's daily staffing level. DISCUSSION Current dispatch technology and the regionalization approach provided by VFCC allow the Fire Department on average to meet industry standards for response times. When 911 is dialed in Arcadia, the call initially goes to Arcadia Police dispatch and is immediately transferred to VFCC once it is determined it is a fire or medical incident. VFCC sends a pre -alert to the stations and apparatus, followed by a full dispatch with text to a computer and printer. Vehicle locators in the system then determine the closest resource to be dispatched. The biggest advantage of contracting with VFCC for fire dispatch services is to be a participant of the Unified Response Automatic Aid Plan. VFCC serves 13 agencies in Area C of Los Angeles County with a combined population of over 825,000 residents, covering an area of 134 square miles. Together, the 13 agencies have 44 fire stations and over 180 emergency response vehicles. Additional benefits of 13 fire agencies combining resources and participating in VFCC include: • Economy of scale and cost - savings of personnel, computers, phones, and dispatch and radio communication systems • Centralization of the Unified Response Automatic Aid Plan and coordination of the State Master Mutual Aid Plan • Fast access to the Governor's OES resources through Resource Ordering and Status System, a national system for dispatch of mutual aid resources • Participation in the Interagency Communication Interoperability System (ICIS) digital trunked radio system • Multiple radio frequencies licensed through the Federal Communications Commission to allow sufficient radio communications on major incidents and /or multiple incidents with the region • Enhanced response time when fire stations are alerted automatically through computer -aided dispatch (CAD), which provides a hard -copy printout and displays dispatch information on mobile computer terminals • Vehicle Locaters to monitor the closest resources when dispatching for incidents • In -depth statistical analysis of fire and rescue incidents using data captured by the CAD system Another significant benefit of contracting with VFCC is the professional services provided by the dispatchers that are specifically trained in fire and rescue incidents and terminology. VFCC dispatchers are Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD) who can provide vital emergency medical information to the 911 caller prior to Paramedic and EMT arrival on scene. Fire Communications Services Agreement June 17, 2014 Page 3 of 3 Finally, it is worth noting that the Arcadia Fire Department jointly operated an in -house dispatching center with the Arcadia Police Department prior to contracting with VFCC. Due to the inherent differences between police and fire incidents, it was determined that each department would be better served with dispatching services unique to the department. If the Fire Department were to maintain its own dispatch center 24/7, 365 days a year, it is anticipated that personnel cost alone of hiring multiple Emergency Medical Dispatchers would be greater than the $287,114 that is budgeted for this agreement for Fiscal Year 2014 -15. In addition, there would be substantial initial and ongoing costs for the purchase, maintenance, periodical upgrade, and the licensing of dispatch equipment, radio frequencies, and software. Moreover, establishing our own dispatch center would also have negative impacts on our participation in the Unified Response Automatic Aid Plan within Area C and it would cause delay in activating the State's Master Mutual Aid Plan. FISCAL IMPACT The cost of the proposed contract for FY 2014 -15 is $287,114. The annual contract cost is determined by the charge per incident dispatched ($64.26) multiplied by the actual number of calls dispatched during the preceding calendar year (4,468 in 2013). During the term of this agreement, the charge per incident dispatched may be increased each fiscal year by an amount not to exceed 5% per incident. Sufficient funds have been allocated in the FY 2014 -15 Fire Department's operating budget (Account No. 001 - 2201 - 6160). RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council authorize and direct the City Manager to execute a Fire Communications Service Agreement with the Verdugo Cities for fire dispatch services through June 30, 2017, with two optional three -year renewal periods. Approved: Dominic Lazza City Manager