Title
Recommendation to Accept a $457,839 Grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program for the Purchase of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Equipment, Amend the Fire Grants Fund Budget by $503,622, Including Required Matching Funds, for Fiscal Year 2015-16, and Authorize the City Manager or Her Designee to Purchase the Equipment. (Fire Grants 220)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Accept a $457,839 Grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program for the Purchase of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Equipment, Amend the Fire Grants Fund Budget by $503,622, Including Required Matching Funds, for Fiscal Year 2015-16, and Authorize the City Manager or Her Designee to Purchase the Equipment.
BACKGROUND
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate implements and administers the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). These grants provide financial assistance to help fire departments obtain equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.
In 2013, the City of Alameda Fire Department (Department) received an AFG award in the amount of $161,368 for the purpose of purchasing equipment for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) training and the Wellness Fitness Program.
In January 2016, the Fire Department applied for another AFG to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). On May 6, 2016, the Department was notified that the AFG application for $457,839 was approved. The grant requires a local match of $45,783.
DISCUSSION
The primary goal of the AFG Program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire-related hazards by providing direct financial assistance for critically needed resources to equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operations efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience.
The Department received the AFG award for the replacement of outdated SCBA equipment. The newest SCBA the Department has in its inventory was purchased in 2003 and is entering its 12th year of service. The oldest SCBA equipment was purchased in 1992 and is entering its 24th year of service. Currently, none of the Department’s SCBA’s comply with the 2007 Edition or prior of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981 or newer editions.
The Department uses SCBAs on a daily basis when responding to calls where there are toxins or hazards present. These responses include NFIRS Series 100 (fire), Series 200 (overpressure rupture, explosion, overheat), Series 400 (hazardous condition), and Series 700 (false alarm, false call). In 2014, the Alameda Fire Department ran a total of 779 calls that required SCBA use by at least four personnel. This was preceded by 777 calls in 2013 and 704 calls in 2012. As demonstrated by this call volume, the Department has a great need for updated personal protective equipment for its firefighters. The federal funding will yield a valuable safety benefit for Alameda residents and businesses and the firefighters who serve the community.
This AFG award will allow the City of Alameda to purchase 66 SCBA units for front line and reserve apparatus. Reserve apparatus are in a “turn-key” state, ready to be immediately placed into service for strike team deployment and for staffing by recalled members for larger incidents in Alameda. This quantity will ensure that the Department meets the requirements of NFPA 1710 for fire suppression deployment, allowing for a minimum of four SCBA units on all engines, ladder trucks, and the Department’s technical rescue unit, as well as two on each ambulance and one on the Battalion Chief’s vehicle. This amount includes an additional four SCBA units to be used as backup pieces during equipment service and repair.
The Fire Department proposes purchasing the SCBA equipment through the Bauer Compressors contract with the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC). HGAC’s procurement program is known as HGACBuy. It is a nationwide, government-to-government procurement service that has procured products and services for over 30 years. All contracts available to members of HGACBuy have been awarded by virtue of a public competitive procurement process compliant with state statutes.
The Alameda Municipal Code, Subsection 2-61-7, Joint Purchases with Public Agencies, provides authority for the City to use another government agency’s competitive bidding process to purchase materials, supplies, equipment, vehicles, and apparatus, “provided the purchase is the result of competitive bidding or proposal and is made in compliance with the competitive bid or proposal requirements of any participating agency or organization in a manner that is consistent with law.” In order to assure a cost-effective purchase, the Fire Department proposes to “piggy-back” onto the competitively bid Bauer Compressors contract with HGAC.
The grant performance period is one year, beginning on April 27, 2016 and ending on April 26, 2017.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The AFG is a matching grant program whereby the Department of Homeland Security awards a portion of the total project cost and the City must provide a match. The total cost of the SCBA equipment is $503,622. The grant will pay $457,839 of the total cost. A local match of $45,783 is required.
The grant revenues and expenditures of $503,622 will be budgeted for in the Fire Grants Fund (#220). The matching funds will be covered by the existing appropriations in the Fire Department General Fund Budget. At the end of the Fiscal Year 2015-16, any unspent appropriations will be re-appropriated in Fiscal Year 2016-17.
|
Fund/Account |
Amount |
|
General Fund |
|
|
Transfer out |
$45,783 |
|
Fire Grants Fund |
|
|
Transfer in |
$45,783 |
|
Federal grant |
$457,839 |
|
Equipment acquisition |
$503,622 |
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
There is no Municipal Code/policy document cross-reference.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is not a project for the purpose of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4), which states that a project does not include government fiscal activities which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.
RECOMMENDATION
Accept a $457,839 grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program for the purchase of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) equipment, amend the Fire Grants Fund budget by $503,622 for fiscal year 2015-16, and authorize the City Manager or designee to purchase the equipment.
Respectfully submitted,
Douglas Long, Fire Chief
By,
Darci Vogel, Fire Admin Supervisor
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. AFG Award Package - 05062016
2. SCBA Proposal