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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 11g - Fire Dispatch Services DATE: July 18, 2023 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Chen Suen, Fire Chief SUBJECT: RENEWAL OF THE FIRE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE VERDUGO CITIES FOR FIRE DISPATCH SERVICES IN THE AMOUNT OF $468,960 CEQA: Not a Project 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 expired on June 30, 2023; however, the Cities have remained operating under the prior terms and conditions. It is recommended that the City Council approve the renewal to the Fire Communications Service Agreement with the Verdugo Cities for Fire Dispatch Services, with two automatic, three-year contract renewals (or through June 30, 2032), in the amount of $468,960. BACKGROUND Since 1999, the Arcadia Fire Department has contracted with VFCC for the dispatching of emergency fire and medical responses. 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 and the 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 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 Verdugo Fire Communications Services Agreement July 18, 2023 Page 2 of 4 which the incident is located. In addition, the Plan provides Arcadia with additional fire apparatus and fire personnel for incidents that would otherwise exhaust the Arcadia Fire Department’s staffing capabilities. These additional resources, in part, contribute to Arcadia’s Class 1 status. DISCUSSION Current dispatch technology and the regionalization approach by VFCC allow the Fire Department to meet industry standards for response times. In Arcadia, 9-1-1 calls are initially routed to Arcadia Police Dispatch and then immediately transferred to VFCC once it is determined to be 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 838,000 residents, covering an area of 134 square miles. Together, the 13 agencies have 45 fire stations and over 180 emergency response vehicles. Additional benefits of 13 fire agencies combining resources and participating in VFCC include: • Economies of scale and cost-savings of personnel, computers, phones, 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 a national system for dispatch of mutual aid resources; • Participation in the Interagency Communication Interoperability System (“ICI System”) 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 times when fire stations are alerted automatically through computer-aided dispatch (“CAD”), which provides dispatch information on mobile computer terminals and mobile devices; • Vehicle Locators to monitor the closest resources when dispatching for incidents; and • In-depth statistical analysis of fire and rescue incidents using data captured by the CAD system. Verdugo Fire Communications Services Agreement July 18, 2023 Page 3 of 4 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 provide vital emergency medical information to the 9-1-1 caller prior to Paramedic and EMT arrival on scene. 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 their department. In addition, there would be substantial initial and ongoing costs for the purchase, maintenance, periodic upgrade, and licensing of dispatch equipment, radio frequencies, and software, if the City chose to leave VFCC and dispatch on its own again. Moreover, establishing the Fire Department’s own dispatch center would also have negative impacts on its 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. The most current Agreement with VFCC was approved by the City Council in September 2014 and ended on June 30, 2023, after two automatic, three-year renewals. Therefore, it is now necessary to either approve the renewal or to withdraw from the Agreement. A 90-day withdrawal period is available to VFCC or the City of Arcadia should either party decide to terminate the Agreement. To provide critical and uninterrupted emergency fire and medical dispatch services, it is recommended that the City of Arcadia renew its contract with VFCC through June 30, 2026, and allow for two automatic, three-year contract renewals. 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 The cost of the proposed contract for Fiscal Year 2023-24 is $468,960. The annual contract cost is determined by the charge per incident dispatched ($84.18) multiplied by the number of calls dispatched during the preceding calendar year (5,571 in calendar year 2022). 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 in the amount of $492,000 have been allocated in the FY 2023-24 Fire Department’s Operating Budget for this contract service. Verdugo Fire Communications Services Agreement July 18, 2023 Page 4 of 4 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council determine that this project is exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and approve the renewal of the Fire Communications Service Agreement with the Verdugo Cities for Fire Dispatch Services in the amount of $468,960. Attachment: Proposed Amendment No. 1 to the Verdugo Fire Communications Service Agreement AMENDMENT NO. 1 VERDUGO FIRE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITIES OF BURBANK, GLENDALE, AND PASADENA AND THE CITY OF ARCADIA This Amendment No. 1 to the Verdugo Fire Communications Service Agreement Between the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena, hereafter referred as VERDUGO CITIES and The City of Arcadia, hereafter referred as CONTRACTING CITY. RECITALS 1.Whereas on June 1, 2014, Parties entered into an agreement entitled Fire Communications Service Agreement between the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena and the City Arcadia for dispatching of emergency fire and medical response and for providing mutual aid services or automatic aid services to cities in the Verdugo System and other jurisdictions as designated by the State; 2.Whereas the agreement will expire on 06/30/2023 and the parties wish to extend the term of the agreement on the terms and conditions set forth below; 3.Whereas the Parties acknowledge that this Agreement is not a joint powers agreement subject to the provisions of California Government Code Sections 6500 et. seq. and the Parties intend that nothing in this Agreement shall be so construed. The Parties have no intent to create hereby a separate legal entity or public agency and no such entity is hereby created. NOW THEREFORE, the Parties agree as follows: AGREEMENT A.TERM. This Amendment No. 1 shall become effective on 07/01/2023 and remain in effect until 06/30/2026 or until terminated in accordance with the termination provisions in the Agreement, whichever occurs earlier. For consideration received, this Amendment will renew automatically for two terms of three years each, unless 90 days prior to termination of the term, one party provides written notice of intent not to renew to the other party. B.COSTS. The annual cost shall be the appropriate charge per incident dispatched ($84.18) multiplied by the actual number of calls dispatched during the preceding calendar year. Number of calls dispatched shall include incidents that occur within CONTRACTING CITY’s jurisdiction plus any additional responses to jurisdictions outside the Verdugo System that arise from aid agreements. Beginning 07/01/2024, the per incident charge may increase annually by an amount not to exceed 5% per incident. C. Except as stated above, all other items and conditions of the document remain unchanged and in full force and effect. WHEREFORE, the parties have caused this Amendment to be duly executed on this date set forth opposite their signature. Digital Signatures. A signed copy of this Agreement or any amendment thereto bearing a digital signature, shall be deemed to have the same legal effect as delivery of an original executed copy of this Agreement or such amendment thereto for all purposes, and each digital signature should be given the same legal force and effect as a handwritten signature. CITY OF ARCADIA CITY OF BURBANK ___________________________ By: Dominic Lazzaretto City Manager Name: Date: _______________________ Title: Date: ATTEST: ATTEST: City Clerk City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED AS TO FORM: Michael J. Maurer City Attorney By: Name: Title: City Attorney CITY OF GLENDALE CITY OF PASADENA By: By: Name: Name: Title: Title: Date: Date: ATTEST: ATTEST: City Clerk City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVE AS TO FORM: By: By: Name: Name: Title: City Attorney Title: City Attorney