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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 12c - Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group Joint Powers Agreement DATE: February 19, 2019 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Michael E. Lang, Fire Chief By: Maria Lourdes A. Taylor, Sr. Management Analyst SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7245 APPROVING THE LOS ANGELES AREA REGIONAL TRAINING GROUP (“RTG”) JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT; AUTHORIZING THE CITY’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA REGIONAL TRANING GROUP AUTHORITY; AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT Recommendation: Adopt SUMMARY There are 30 fire departments within Los Angeles County and each Fire Chief has membership within the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association (“LAAFCA”), including the City of Arcadia. LAAFCA recognized the need for regional training more than a decade ago and established the Regional Training Group (“RTG”), which is largely supported by federal Homeland Security grant funds. LAAFCA is seeking support from all its participating agencies to create the RTG Joint Powers Agreement (“JPA”) to continue regional training far beyond the availability of federal grant dollars, and to enable the City of Arcadia to benefit from a multi-agency resource sharing and integration program to handle the most critical work in an event of a widespread emergency response. It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7245 approving the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group (“RTG”) Joint Powers Agreement; authorizing the City’s membership in the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group Authority; and authorizing the City Manager to execute the Joint Powers Agreement (see attached Exhibit “A”). BACKGROUND Several years ago, in keeping with the progressive approach of the Southern California fire service, LAAFCA established a vision to create and operate a nationally recognized regional training and education program through the establishment of the RTG. Through Resolution No. 7245 Approving the Los Angeles Regional Training Group (“RTG”) & Executing a Joint Powers Agreement (“JPA”) February 19, 2019 Page 2 of 3 this initiative, the RTG has proven to be quite successful at creating, conducting and evaluating regional training through multi-agency integration. The current RTG training platform is mainly funded through the federal government’s Homeland Security Grant Program (“HSGP”), with projects awarded based on priorities with a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (“CBRNE”) nexus. Over the years, the City of Arcadia has received grant assistance from the HSGP for its Urban Search and Rescue training and equipment expenses. By creating a JPA, the fire chiefs will be able to provide all areas of Regional Fire Service training and will not be limited to the restrictions of CBRNE-related training under the HSGP priorities. Through RTG’s regionalized training, emergencies will be handled more seamlessly and operations will improve. When a disaster strikes the Los Angeles region, no one department will be able to handle all calls for assistance in a widespread emergency response. Beyond the operational benefits, firefighter service delivery improvements to all communities within Los Angeles County, as well as preparation and response to terrorism or other large-scale disasters, have improved. DISCUSSION The JPA under consideration will ensure regional training continues even as the Homeland Security Grant funds diminish over time or are eliminated. In the past three years, there has been an estimated $20 million dollar reduction from this grant program that otherwise would have been available for projects such as the RTG, and there is no certainty that these dollars will return to levels that were once the norm. Additionally, through the JPA, members will be guaranteed participation in fire service regional training even if federal dollars expire. As an early adopter to the RTG JPA, the Fire Chief of each respective agency will become a board member and will determin e essential aspects of programming that will impact future training, including but not limited to:  Creating Bylaws and/or other guidelines;  Developing overall policy & strategies for regional training;  Developing a comprehensive plan for equitable fundin g;  Developing a budget ;  Creating committees and sub -committees, as needed ; and  Other related responsibilities as set forth by the JPA Board that will benefit all local fire departments that choose to form the RTG Authority. Fire department training remains the best insurance policy that any agency can provide to ensure the safety and operational effectiveness of its members and to the public they serve. The RTG Strategic Plan, solidified by the proposed JPA, will identify ways to further improve each participating agency’s preparation and emergency response from Resolution No. 7245 Approving the Los Angeles Regional Training Group (“RTG”) & Executing a Joint Powers Agreement (“JPA”) February 19, 2019 Page 3 of 3 human-caused and natural disasters; and ultimately will effectuate the LAAFCA’s vision for the training of the 9,000 professional firefighters within the Los Angeles region. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), as it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA. FISCAL IMPACT Adoption of Resolution No. 7245 has no immediate fiscal impact to the City. It is anticipated that establishing a budget and seeking funding from member agencies will be pursued once a JPA is formed, but potential costs are unknown at this time. Per the proposed JPA, any joining members have the option to withdraw within 180 days after the JPA Bylaws are adopted. There will be no cost for any member that withdraws within this time period and any monetary contributions made by the member will be reimbursed accordingly. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7245 approving the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group (“RTG”) Joint Powers Agreement; authorizing the City’s membership in the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group Authority; and authorizing the City Manager to execute the Joint Powers Agreement. Attachment: Resolution No. 7245 (including Joint Powers Agreement for the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group)