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