Title
Recommendation to Authorize the Interim City Manager to Execute an Agreement, Substantially in the Form of the Attached Agreement, with the Alameda County Fire Department Regarding the Regional Emergency Communication Center and Fire Dispatch and Radio Services. (Fire 10032200)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) Fire Department has received dispatch services from Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC) since 2002. Initially with an informal memorandum of understanding and in 2012, ACRECC formalized the services provided to Alameda County jurisdictions, to include the City of Alameda Fire Department. Service have since continued to been provided from ACRECC.
The current agreement expires June 30, 2022, which necessitates a new five (5) year agreement. The agreement will provide for essential dispatch and radio services, which will continue to provide for the deployment and coordination of emergency resources in the City.
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the Interim City Manager to Execute an Agreement with the Alameda County Fire Department Regarding the Regional Emergency Communication Center Fire Dispatch and Radio Services with a total not to exceed amount of $2,100,000.
BACKGROUND
The Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC) is located at 7000 East Avenue, MS L-391, Livermore, CA 94551 and is operated by the Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) with oversight by an advisory committee. ACRECC delivers regional communications and dispatch services that optimize the deployment and coordination of emergency resources while providing superior customer service to the cities of Alameda, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Livermore, Newark, Pleasanton, San Leandro, and Union City; the communities of Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, and Sunol; the Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley, and Sandia National Laboratories, Camp Parks Combat Support Training Center, all of unincorporated Alameda County; and is the Dispatch/System Status Management Center for the Alameda County contracted ambulance transport service. In addition to dispatching services, ACREEC provides emergency medical pre-arrival instruction to 9-1-1 callers and has been designated as an accredited center of excellence by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. ACRECC dispatches over 250,000 calls for service annually throughout Alameda County.
The idea of a regional emergency communication system first evolved in the aftermath of the 1991 Oakland Hills fire. That fire was so widespread that mutual aid assistance was required from many neighboring jurisdictions. Unfortunately, their radios weren't always capable of monitoring each other's communication frequencies.
While improvements were made to the radio system, some fire officials felt the best solution would be to establish a unified dispatch center, able to monitor and broadcast to multiple departments from one centralized location. In 1999, a consultant recommended using Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) existing dispatching center. In 2002, ACRECC employees were hired to augment the LLNL fire department dispatch staff, and joint operations began.
ACRECC began providing the City with dispatch services in 2002 through an informal memorandum of understanding. In 2012, ACRECC formalized the services provided to Alameda County jurisdictions. On October 16, 2012, City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a five-year agreement with ACFD for the provision of emergency fire and medical dispatch services. The Agreement included an option to extend it for an additional five-year period upon mutual written agreement between the City and the County, the five-year agreement extension was executed on July 5, 2017 and expires on June 30, 2022.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21, the cost of the agreement was $363,723. For FY 2021-22, the cost of the agreement was $375,832.
DISCUSSION
The Agreement is for a five (5) year term to commence on July 1, 2022 and expires on June 30, 2027, with the option of a five-year extension with ACFD. Each fire agency that has contracted with ACFD has approved the same agreement with the same terms, including the option for the five-year extension.
Staff recommends approval of the Agreement with ACFD. Both the City and ACFD agree to the following as part of the agreement:
1. The Agreement is for five-year term commencing July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2027.
2. The cost of services are set forth in Section 11 of the Agreement. The total compensation payable by the City to ACFD for the services during the term of this agreement shall not exceed the sum of $420,000 per year (“not-to-exceed amount”).
3. The Agreement may be extended per Section 2 for an additional five (5) year period, upon mutual written agreement between CITY and ACFD.
ALTERNATIVES
• As Dispatch Services are an essential function for providing emergency services in the City of Alameda. Approval of this agreement is necessary to continue to provide for the deployment and coordination of emergency resources in the City.
• No alternatives can be recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost of services is directly based on the total number of calls dispatched by ACRECC and total numbers of calls dispatched for the City annually. Prior to April 1 of each contract year, ACFD provides the City with an estimate of the cost for services in the next contract year. The estimate is based on the City’s proportion of the total number of dispatch events in the previous fiscal year (July 1 to June 30), multiplied by ACRECC’s total operating costs, minus the revenue paid to ACRECC from the Alameda County EMS Agency and contracted transport ambulance provider for services provided on their behalf.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22, the cost of the agreement was $375,832. For FY 2022-23, the cost of the agreement is $371,271 (note a 1.21% decrease). The annual cost of the agreement will not exceed $420,000 and the total cost of the five-year extension will not exceed $2,100,000. The funds for the agreement are budgeted in the General Fund Fire Department account for dispatch services annually (10032210-52100).
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The action is consistent with the Alameda Municipal Code.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. This action is not a project pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21065 and CEQA guidelines section 15378.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the Interim City Manager to execute an Agreement, substantially in the form of the attached agreement, with the Alameda County Fire Department regarding the Regional Emergency Communication Center and fire dispatch and radio services with a total not to exceed $2,100,000.
Respectfully submitted,
Nicholas Luby, Fire Chief
By,
Monique Raqueno, Fire Admin Services Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Agreement - COA, ACFD - 2022
2. ACRECC FY 22-23 Final Budget
cc: Dirk Brazil, Interim City Manager