HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007/12/11 Item 6
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA STATEMENT
~I'f:.. CITY OF
~CHUlA VISTA
December 11, 2007
Item~
SUBMITTED BY:
REVIEWED BY:
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF CHULA VISTA WAIVING THE COMPETITIVE
BIDDING PROCESS AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY
MANAGER TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS,
EXECUTE ANY LETTERS OF INTENT OR
MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING WITH CITY OF
SAN DIEGO FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT, AND
EXPEND ANY FUNDS NECESSARY RELATED TO THE
START-UP COSTS IN ORDER TO ACQUIRE
CONTRACTED FIRE AND MEDICAL DISPATCH
SERVICES FOR THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA
FIRE CHIEF ~Af
CITY MANAGER
ITEM TITLE:
4/5THS VOTE: YES
NO X
BACKGROUND
On December 4, 2007, the City Council approved City Manager's budget reduction plan,
which included the transfer of the Fire Department's Communications Center to another
outside agency in order to generate $740,000 in annual budgetary savings. Staff is
recommending that the competitive bidding process be waived and that the City Manager
be granted to the necessary authority to negotiate and develop a contract for Council
approval with City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department for the provision of fire and
medical dispatch services for the City of Chula Vista, in order to implement the budget
reduction plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Environmental Review Coordinator has reviewed the proposed activity for
compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act [CEQA] and has determined
that the activity is not a "Project" as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA
Guidelines because it does not involve a physical change to the environment; therefore,
pursuant to Section 15060[c][3] of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject
to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
December 11, 2007, 1tem~
Page 2
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopt the resolution walVlng the competitive bidding process and
authorizing the City Manager to enter into negotiations and execute any letters of intent
or memoranda of understanding for the purpose of acquiring fire and medical dispatch
services from City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department in order to implement the
budget reduction plan.
BOARDS/COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION
Not Applicable.
DISCUSSION
On December 4, 2007, the City Council approved the City Manager's budget reduction
plan, which included the proposal to contract the Fire Department's Communications
Center dispatch services to another outside agency. 1t is estimated that the City will
generate annual budgetary savings in the amount of 740,000 by contracting fire and
medical dispatch services.
In an effort to implement this proposal, and generate the estimated annual savings, the
City Manager is requesting Council authorization to waive the bidding process and
authorization to execute any letters of intent or memoranda of understanding for the
purpose acquiring contracted fire and medical dispatch services from City of San Diego
Fire Rescue Department. The City Manager is requesting this authorization for the
purpose of administering the initial phases of transferring fire communication dispatch
services to City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department, and negotiating a contractual
agreement for fire and medical dispatch services. The City Manager will return with a
contractual agreement for fire and medical dispatch services for final Council approval.
Sole Source Procurement/Bidding Process Waiver
Chula Vista Municipal Code section 2.56.070 requires that the contracts for all supplies,
equipment, and services, when the estimated cost exceeds $100,000, shall be awarded by
the City Council to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder submitting the best bid
in accordance with a competitive bidding process. Exceptions to this requirement may be
granted where there is a commodity or service available from only one known source as
the result of unique performance capabilities, compatibility requirements or market
conditions. The competitive bidding requirements may be waived by the City Council
when they are impractical, impossible, or the city interests would be materially better
served by a different purchasing process.
Staff is recommending that the formal bidding process be waived for the acquisition of
fire and medical dispatch services, and that the City Manager be authorized to enter into
negotiations with City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department. This recommendation is
based on the following service capabilities that are uniquely being offered to the City by
San Diego Fire Rescue Department:
. Dedicated dispatching staff to service City of Chula Vista calls for service
. Dedicated Fire Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) technology for improved
dispatch performance
December II, 2007, Item--k-
Page 3
. Automatic Vehicle Location teclmology to enable the dispatch of closest available
units to calls for service for improved response times
. Use of dispatching procedures that are similar to those employed by the Chula
Vista Fire Communications Center (CVFCC) to ensure continuity and
performance of dispatching services
These service capabilities were found to be necessary in order to mitigate the potential
loss of dispatch performance and lessen the public safety impact to the community that
could result from contracting fire and medical dispatch services. City of San Diego Fire
Rescue Department is uniquely positioned at this time to offer the service capability
necessary to mitigate the potential loss of dispatch performance and ensure the service
delivery to the City of Chula Vista. A thorough report that discusses these capabilities
and other findings that support the recommendation to contract fire and medical dispatch
services to City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department is contained in the Fire
Department's report memorandum to the City Manager. This is provided as attachment
A.
Authorization to Negotiate a Contractual Agreement
The City Manager is requesting the authority to enter into negotiations with City of San
Diego Fire Rescue Department for the purpose of developing a contractual agreement for
the acquisition of fire and medical dispatching services. Additionally, authority to
execute any letters of intent or memoranda of understanding is also being requested in
order to administer the initial stages of transferring fire and medical dispatching services
to City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department. The initial stages of transferring fire and
medical dispatching services to City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department will involve
the following:
. Administration of start-up costs for the development of CAD interfaces and
transfers of City communications equipment necessary for the transfer of
dispatching services. The tasks related to the start-up costs need to be completed
and in place before the transition. Start-up costs to transfer dispatching services to
City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department are estimated to be $400,035.
. An interim agreement to potentially acquire the services of City of San Diego Fire
Rescue Department personnel to work in the CVFCC in the event that CVFCC
personnel leave City employment before the transition is completed. The services
of City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department will be necessary in order to sustain
dispatch operations and service to the community.
Upon completion of negotiations with City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department, the
City Manager will return to Council with a contractual agreement for final Council
approval.
December 11,2007, Item----w-
Page 4
DECISION MAKER CONFLICT
Staff has reviewed the decision contemplated by this action and has determined that it is
not site specific and consequently the 500- foot rule found in California Code of
Regulations Section 18704.2(a)(I) is not applicable to this decision.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the General Fund as a result of adopting this
recommendation. The one-time start-up costs for transferring dispatching operations from
the City of Chula Vista to City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department will be paid from
projected salary savings from the closure of the Chula Vista Fire Communications
Center. Staff will return to obtain Council approval to transfer savings to appropriate Fire
Department budget accounts to pay for the one-time start-up costs as soon as such costs
are finalized.
ATTACHMENT A: Memo - Fire Communications Service Final Recommendation
J:\AttorneyIJDAWSON\Agenda StatementslWaiving the bidding pr(X;ess for Dispatch services.doc
Attachment A
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~ -~-
ellY OF
CHUlA VISTA
CHULA VISTA FIRE DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
DATE: November 8,2007
TO: David Garcia, City Manager
FROM: Douglas Perry, Fire Chief
SUBJECT: Fire Communications Service Final Recommendation
Staff has completed its research and assessment of the options that are
available to the City of Chula Vista Fire Department for the contracting of fire and
medical dispatch services. The Fire Department assessed the services provided
by Heartland Communications Fire Authority (HCFA) and San Diego Fire &
Medical Dispatch (SDFMD) as the two main agencies for the possible provision
of fire and medical dispatch services to the City of Chula Vista.
BACKGROUND:
HCFA was established in 1987 and provides public safety fire and medical
dispatch and communications services for 12 JPA (Joint Powers Agreement)
member agencies and 3 Contract agencies. Heartland currently dispatches
approximately 52,200 calls annually and handles nearly 118,500 phone calls.
SDFMD currently provides fire and medical dispatch service to 46 fire stations
within the City of San Diego and 3 fire stations in the City of Poway (as a contract
agency). SDFMD currently dispatches approximately 108,500 incidents annually
and processes nearly 140,000 emergency phone calls.
Findings/Recommendation:
Based on the assessment of these two agencies, I am recommending that fire
and medical dispatch services be contracted to San Diego Fire & Medical
Dispatch. This recommendation is based on the following findings:
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Technology
HCFA and SDFMD offer true fire based computer aided dispatch systems. Both
of these CAD systems offer capabilities that the City's CAD does not offer nor is
capable of offering even with significant enhancements. These capabilities
include the following:
· CAD Integrated Mapping
. CAD Driven MDC Mapping
· Multi-Fire Agency Operability
. End User Flexibility
. Resource Move-up
· Software Enhancement Capability
Both agencies are currently projected to be part of the regional CAD
Interoperability Project that will implement a CAD interface connecting the
following communication centers: HCFA, SDFMD, North Comm and Monte Vista.
The implementation of this interoperability project will help to eliminate the
current lag time and delays when requested automatic aid and other resources
from different fire communication centers. This interoperability project is
projected to be completed within the next 18 months. The City of Chula Vista is
not currently part of this project and would benefit from contracting with an
agency that will offer this service enhancement in the near future.
Further comparison of the HCFA and the SDFMD CAD systems revealed the
SDFMD CAD system offered additional enhanced technology and integrated live
routed mapping capabilities that distinguished it from HCFA as the preferable
agency. The enhanced technology that the City would benefit from by
contracting with SDFMD included the following:
· "Tier one" (CAD) - a CAD system that is highly customizable and able to
adjust to the changing needs of the agency. Advanced Life Support
Services (ALS) and Basic Life Support Services (BLS) dispatch tiers are
operational within San Diego's CAD. If Chula Vista Fire continues to
provide BLS or offers ALS level EMS (paramedic engine companies)
service in the future, San Diego's CAD is currently capable of those
service models.
· Automatic Vehicle Location with dynamic Live-Routing (AVL) - this
ensures that the closest, most appropriate unit is selected for the incident
and reduces response times as compared to static geographic based
dispatching that is currently in place with CVFCC and HCFA.
· Mobile Data Computers (MDCs) with Integrated Mapping - Provides
the responding units with instant incident information and live CAD map
routing. Units will receive turn-by-turn directions to the incident.
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Responding units will be able to see each other on the MDC map, which
enhances first responder safety. Additionally, units will be able to see who
will be first in to an incident aiding in command and control. This means
better customer service to our internal and external customers. We will get
to incidents faster with a higher degree of safety.
. CAD Driven Incident Timers - Alerts the dispatchers of key incident
times (Le. 20 minute clock), which can be relayed to the incident
commander at pre-determined time thresholds which enhances firefighter
safety .
. PRO QA EMD Software - San Diego will provide the exact same
automated triage service employed for dispatching of medical calls
currently employed by Chula Vista.
. Fire RMS - San Diego's current CAD system will allow for a closed record
download to Chula Vista Fire Department's existing FireHouse Records
Management Software (RMS) system with no disruption to the current
historical database.
. Remote CAD - This feature allows for CAD accessibility at special events
or incident command posts. It allows for a remote dispatcher to handle all
incidents related to an event without impacting the normal operation of the
dispatch center. It has been used in San Diego for Mardi Gras, Rock and
Roll Marathon, Street Scene and 4th of July.
. 3 C's Project - Communications, Command, and Control video
conferencing equipment is currently operational in San Diego's
Communications Center, fire headquarters, Department Operations
Center and the shift commander's vehicle. Capabilities for helicopter
downlinks and face-to-face meetings via this region-wide data link provide
for increased communication during a major incident.
. San Diego/AMR Interface - San Diego will add an American Medical
Response (AMR) CAD interface so there is no delay in dispatching AMR.
This will be an important feature as the City of Chula Vista contracts with
AMR for advance life support and ambulance transport services.
Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) Procedures
HCFA uses a manually operated flip-card EMD system that does not provide for
any call downgrading. HCFA has access to a CAD driven PRO QA software
system (similar to Chula Vista Fire Communications Center (CVFCC) and
SDFMD), but they have chosen not to implement this CAD driven option. The
manual flip-card system and lack of call downgrading will result in Chula Vista
Fire resources responding on calls that are currently downgraded through
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CVFCC. In many cases, these calls can be downgraded and handled by either
Advanced Life Support (ALS) or by Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance.
The elimination of call downgrading will increase the Chula Vista Fire
Department's overall call volume by 15 - 20% that will lead to the degradation of
available resources to respond to other 9-1-1 calls within the city. This is
significant as approximately 70% of the City's calls for service are medical
emergencies.
The JPA that governs HCFA would have to approve an operational change if
HCFA were to implement their CAD driven PRO OA software and provide for
pre-established and nationally recognized call downgrading. Currently there is
only one other agency within HCFA that has requested CAD driven PRO OA
medical dispatching and subsequent call downgrading. This implementation
would require a vote of the JPA members and board approval. On the other
hand, SDFMD will provide the exact same triage service currently employed by
Chula Vista, as their EMD procedures are similar. The current practice call
downgrading and the three current levels of service will be maintained. San
Diego's Medical Director, Dr. Jim Dunsford will support the City's EMD efforts.
Financial Impact
The City would generate ongoing annual budgetary savings if it contracted fire
and medical dispatch services. Analysis of the cost proposals received from both
agencies consisted of the initial start-up costs that would be incurred by Chula
Vista in order to transfer dispatch services, and the required annual ongoing
costs for contracting dispatch services. The contracting out of dispatch services
to HCFA or SDFMD will result in required one-time expenditures. The incursion
of these costs by the City will impact potential FY 2007-08 savings; therefore, the
majority of the savings would not be realized until FY 2008-09.
HCFA submitted two cost proposals to the City. The first cost proposal was for
the City to acquire dispatch services from HCFA as a contract agency. Under
this proposal the City would pay substantially less start-up costs, as the City
would forgo paying the initial JPA agency buy-in cost in the amount of $333k.
The total start-up costs under this proposal total $69k, but are offset by
substantially higher ongoing dispatch service cost of $781k. The total ongoing
yearly savings would be $418K if the City acquired fire and medical dispatch
services as a contract agency.
Under the second proposal submitted by HCFA, the City would acquire dispatch
services as a JPA agency member. Under this proposal, the City would have to
pay start up costs that would include the initial JPA agency buy-in cost in the
amount of $333k in addition to the other start up costs in the amount of $69k for
a total amount of $402k. The ongoing dispatch service cost under this proposal
is $523k and would result in an annual savings of $677k. As a JPA member, the
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City of Chula Vista would generate approximately 21.79% of HCFA's total call
volume. Per the JPA agreement, the City would be financially responsible for
approximately 21.79% of HCFA's annual operating expenses as well as any
future capital improvement related projects such as acquiring property, facility
construction, leasing of public buildings, equipment cost, staffing and vehicles
expenses.
As a JPA member generating 21.79% of HCFA's revenue stream, the City of
Chula Vista would receive 1 vote out of 13 overall votes on any managerial,
technological, financial and/or operational related issues or decisions. For
example, the City of Chula Vista's voting power would be the same as that of the
Bonita Sunnyside Fire Protection District, which has one fire station and only
pays approximately $56,000 compared to the potential City of Chula Vista
payment of $523k per year.
The cost proposal submitted by SDFMD consisted of one-time start-up costs in
the amount of $400k and ongoing dispatch service contractual costs of $460k.
The annual ongoing savings under this proposal are estimated to be $740k
exceeding the HCFA proposal by $62.7k. The majority of the one-time start-up
costs ($215.5k) for the SDFMD proposal consist of the costs related to relocating
the Regional Communication System (RCS) radio equipment from the CVFCC to
the San Diego Dispatch Center. This will enable the necessary communications
operability for SDFMD to provide dispatching services to the City of Chula Vista.
A summary of these costs is provided in the following table:
Table 1:
Financial Impact Summary:
Fire Dispatch Aaencv
HCFA San DieQo
Contract
Cost Summarv JPA Member AQencv SDFMD
One-time Start-UD Costs $402,065 $68,995 $400,035
Annual Onooino Costs $522,726 $781,081 $460,000
Total Costs $924,791 $850,076 $860,035
CVFCC Annual Costs 1,200.000 1,200,000 1,200.000
Estimated Onaaina Savinas $677 ,27 4 $418,919 $740,000
A more detailed summary of these costs and budgetary impacts is contained in
attachment 1.
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Other Benefits
The transfer of the Regional Communication System (RCS) Radio equipment
would provide for the continued use of our primary radio system. In addition, the
transfer of this equipment will result in a win/win situation for the City of Chula
Vista and the City of San Diego because both agencies would gain backup 800
KHz radio systems that would be operated out of one communication center with
one common CAD.
Moreover, if San Diego were to acquire RCS capabilities, this would lead to a
strengthening of regional fire communications. Based on the analysis of potential
savings SDFMD is the preferred agency for the contracting of fire and medical
dispatch services.
Staffing
Both HCFA and SDFMD have the adequate staffing resources to deliver fire and
medical dispatch services to the City of Chula Vista. Each agency will add staff
in order to support the additional call volume if they are awarded the contract to
dispatch for the City of Chula Vista. HCFA will add three additional staff
positions and SDFMD will add four additional staff positions if awarded the
contract. The staffing configuration for HCFA totals 18 and consists of the
following positions:
. 1 Communications Manager
. 1 Systems Manager
. 1 IT person
. 4 Dispatch Supervisors
. 8 Dispatchers
. 3 part time Dispatchers
Staffing for SDFMD totals 69 and consists of the following positions:
. 1 Communications Manager
· 3 Emergency Resource Officers (24 Hour Fire Captains)
· 2 Alternate Emergency Resource Officers
. 2 Fire Dispatch Administrators
· 5 Dispatch Supervisors
. 29 Fulltime Dispatchers
. 6 Part time Dispatchers
· 1 Quality Assurance Manager
· 11 Information Technology Services (ITS) Staff
· 8 System Status Controllers (Rural Metro EMT Dispatchers)
· 1 Administrative Secretary
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Although both agencies possess the necessary staffing resources to deliver
dispatching services, additional review of SDFMD staffing revealed that SDFMD
possessed additional staffing resources with enhanced service capability that
would benefit the City if it were to contract with SDFMD for dispatching services.
These included:
. Accreditation by the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch.
. A dedicated dispatch position whose only responsibility will be to dispatch
for the City Of Chula Vista.
. 24-hour Uniformed Emergency Resource Officers (Fire Captains) in the
SDFMD center to insure that the critical operational needs of field units
and Incident Commanders are continuously monitored and addressed in a
proactive manner.
Based on the analysis of staffing capabilities SDFMD is the preferred agency for
the contracting of fire and medical dispatch services.
Dispatch Performance/Service to the Customer
Analysis of dispatch performance as measured by the amount of time it takes to
dispatch a priority emergency call was the key component for evaluating the two
prospective agencies for the contracting of fire and medical dispatch services.
The evaluation of the average dispatch times was critical in order to gauge the
impact to call for service response times that would possibly result from the
contracting of dispatch services. Longer response times resulting from longer
dispatch times will have a direct negative impact on service delivery to the
citizens of the City of Chula Vista. Longer dispatch times will also affect the Fire
Department's ability to meet the Growth Management Oversight Committee
response time threshold of responding to 80% of the emergency response calls
for service within 7.0 minutes.
In order to estimate this potential impact, dispatch performance data from both
HCFA and SDFMD was requested. This data was analyzed to determine the
average dispatch time for each agency in order to compare against CVFCC
dispatch performance levels. For the purpose of this analysis, the dispatch time
was defined as the amount of time elapsed from the time an emergency call for
service is routed to the dispatch position, to the time the responding unit is
notified. The average dispatch times in seconds from each agency are
summarized in the following table:
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Table 2:
Summary of Average Dispatch Response Times:
FIRE DISPATCH AGENCY
CVFCC HCFA SDFMD
15 sec. 44 sec. 25 sec.
Comparison of the dispatch response times indicates that the dispatch time
performance will decrease if dispatching services are contracted to either HCFA
or SDFMD. Table 2 indicates that this decrease in dispatch performance is
estimated to be 29 and 10 seconds respectively, if dispatching services were to
be contracted to HFCA and SDFMD.
Thus being the case, the issue evolves into identifying which agency has the
lesser performance level gap and which agency is better positioned to mitigate
the performance gap. Determining which agency has the capability to decrease
this gap is important in order to mitigate longer total response times. Analysis of
the resource capabilities offered by HCFA and SDFMD revealed that SDFMD
was better positioned to mitigate a dispatch performance gap for the following
reasons:
· SDFMD will adopt the same dispatching procedures that are currently
employed at the CVFCC in order to ensure that City of Chula Vista first
response units are dispatched as they currently are.
· SDFMD will employ its AVL capabilities that will enable the closest first
response units to be dispatched to calls for service.
· SDFMD's CAD mapping capabilities will allow the Chula Vista Fire
Department the flexibility to continuously refine response routes to aid in
minimizing response times.
Ensuring Service Delivery
The recommendation to contract dispatching services from the CVFCC to
SDFMD will allow the City to transition a vital public safety function and generate
a substantial continual budgetary savings. The Fire Department estimates that
any potential impact to services to the community with respect to this transition
can be mitigated by the service level capability that will be acquired at SDFMD.
However, it will be necessary for the Fire Department to commit a measurable
amount of time and staff resources in order to ensure that this transition of
dispatching services is accomplished in a manner that results in optimal service
delivery for everyone affected. The customer relationship with SDFMD will also
have to be continuously monitored in order to sustain service levels for Fire
Department operations and the community. The new tasks that will have to
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undertaken in order to make this transition successful and sustain ongoing
operations includes the following:
. Handle dispatch inquiries - oversight and resolution of inquiries generated
by units in the field.
. Oversight of Chula Vista Fire Department interests specific to RCS
fleetmap.
. Oversight of portable and mobile radio cache, maintenance, programming.
. Handle operational issues - operational response issues that may arise
such as incorrect run cards, AVL issues, and changes to response levels.
. Manage technology and interface upgrades and improvements such as
future CAD enhancements, Data field enhancements for purposes of
reporting.
. Provide training for CVFD - initial and ongoing training with respect to
MDC's, AVL, and response procedures.
. GIS, Mapping and MDC information and upgrades - oversight of GIS
streetloads, mapping data, and MDC data uploads.
. Represent at monthly RCS meetings - maintain Chula Vista specific RCS
interests.
. Represent our cities interest during second alarm or larger responses -
operational decisions related to Chula Vista Fire Department needs during
significant emergencies. Coordination between dispatch and commanders
in the field.
. Attend regional operational meetings - represent interests specific to
Chula Vista on a regional basis such as radio communications, resource
requests, move-ups, strike teams, other operational policies.
. Assist in developing a zone 3 operations manual - ensure Chula Vista
Fire Department interests are met.
. Attend San Diego monthly FCC operational meetings
. Attend San Diego bi-monthly FCC zone chiefs meetings
In order to ensure that the transition and ongoing service delivery from SDFMD is
successfully accomplished; it is strongly recommended that the Deputy Fire Chief
position that is set to be reduced, be reinstated from the budget reduction list.
The reinstatement of this position to the budget will enable the Fire Department
to have the necessary staff resources to achieve the desired results by managing
risks that could potentially jeopardize the successful transition and the continual
important oversight of dispatching services. The reinstatement of this position
will also allow the department to continue to perform other important
management tasks that are necessary to support departmental operations.
Strong consideration of this recommendation is requested.
Additional Considerations
The recommendation to contract dispatch services will impact the citizens of the
community and fire operations. The City's current fiscal environment afforded the
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opportunity to weigh additional factors and potential opportunities concerning the
present and future status of the CVFCC. In addition to the analysis supporting
the recommendation to contract fire and medical dispatch to SDFMD, the
following factors with respect to the CVFCC were also assessed:
· The current fiscal environment will not afford opportunity for the Fire
Department to acquire a fire CAD that would enable the CVFCC to attain
full fire dispatch capability.
· The City lacks the financial resources to hire the two additional dispatch
supervisor positions necessary to attain the necessary staffing levels to
provide for the nighttime shifts.
· The City is currently not in line to receive the necessary state and federal
funding that would enable the CVFCC to attain the regional inter-
operability that would allow it to successfully compete for dispatching
contracts from other jurisdictions.
Mitigation of Investment Loss
In 2003, the initial capital investment outlay that was made by the City to
establish the CVFCC totaled $2.2 million. The Fire Department estimates that
approximately $923k of the equipment assets initially purchased for the
establishment of the CVFCC will remain in use by either the Fire or Police
departments if dispatch services are contracted to SDFMD. Three radio
consoles valued at $480k are among the most important assets that will continue
in service, as these will be relocated to SDFMD.
The Fire Department is confident that it can successfully execute the transfer of
fire and medical dispatching services to SDFMD if the direction is given to do so.
I am available to further discuss this recommendation at your convenience.
Attachment
Dispatching Services Contract Cost Comparison
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RESOLUTION NO. 2007-
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA WAIVING THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING
PROCESS AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO
ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS, EXECUTE ANY LETTERS
OF INTENT OR MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING WITH
CITY OF SAN DIEGO FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT, AND
EXPEND ANY FUNDS NECESSARY RELATED TO THE
START-UP COSTS IN ORDER TO ACQUIRE CONTRACTED
FIRE AND MEDICAL DISPATCH SERVICES FOR THE CITY
OF CHULA VISTA
WHEREAS, on December 4, 2007 the City Council approved City Manager's budget
reduction plan, which included the transfer of the Fire Department's Communications Center to
another outside agency in order to generate $740,000 in annual budgetary savings; and
WHEREAS, immediate implementation of the budget reduction plan is necessary to
generate the estimated savings; and,
WHEREAS, by its vote, the Council stated its desire and intent to outsource the Fire
Department's Fire Communications Center; and,
WHEREAS, the Chula Vista Fire Department staff evaluated the capabilities of two
outside agencies to provide contracted fire and emergency medical dispatch services to the City
ofChula Vista; and,
WHEREAS, based on its evaluation, Chula Vista Fire Department staff determined that
City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department uniquely possessed the service capability through its
technology, dispatching procedures, and the staff would be specifically dedicated to serve the
needs of the City ofChula Vista; and,
WHEREAS, the service capabilities possessed by City of San Diego Fire Rescue
Department are necessary to mitigate any loss of dispatch performance that may occur as a result
of contracting fire and emergency medical dispatch services to an outside agency where a loss in
dispatch performance would result in an adverse impact to the citizens of the community; and,
WHEREAS Chula Vista Municipal Code section 2.56.070 requires that the contracts for
all supplies, equipment, and services, when the estimated cost exceeds $100,000 shall be
awarded by the City Council to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder submitting the best
bid in accordance with a competitive bidding process, except where there is a commodity or
service available from only one known source as the result of unique performance capabilities,
compatibility requirements or market conditions, or the competitive bidding requirements is
waived by the City Council when they are impractical, impossible, or the city interests would be
materially better served by a different purchasing process; and,
J:\Attomey\RESO\FIRE\Waiving bidding process for Dispatch Services_12-11-07 revised.doc
Resolution No. 2007-
Page 2
WHEREAS, it has been determined that the transfer of the Chula Vista Fire
Communications Center to City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department is the most practical and
cost effective, yielding the estimated $740,000 annual budgetary savings and in the best interests
ofthe City as result of the service capabilities uniquely available through City of San Diego Fire
Rescue Department; and,
WHEREAS, it is anticipated that the annual contract to transfer the service will be
approximately $460,000 a year with a one-time start-up expense of $400,035 for installation of
communications equipment and development of computer aided dispatch (CAD) interfaces
necessary to successfully complete the transfer of dispatching services to City of San Diego Fire
Rescue Department; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT IS RESOLVED THAT the City Council waives the
competitive bidding requirements set forth in Chula Vista Municipal Code sections 2.56.070 and
2.56.080 as they relate to the transfer of the City's Fire Communications Center from City staff
to another agency because competitive bidding would be impractical given the short time frame
required to provide the budgetary savings needed; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City Council finds that
the City interests would be best served by entering into an agreement with City of San Diego
Fire Rescue Department as result of the service capabilities possessed by City of San Diego Fire
Rescue Department in the areas of technology, dispatching procedures, and dispatching staff that
will be specifically dedicated to serve the citizens of the City ofChula Vista; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City Council
authorizes the City Manager or his designee to enter into negotiations with City of San Diego
Fire Rescue Department to provide fire and emergency medical dispatching services, to execute
any letters of intent or memoranda of understanding, and to expend any funds necessary related
to the start-up costs required to negotiate and/or facilitate the transfer of fire and emergency
medical dispatching services from the City of Chula Vista to City of San Diego Fire Rescue
Department.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City Council directs the City Manager to
return to Council for final approval of a contractual agreement for fire and emergency medical
dispatching services with City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department.
Presented by:
Approved as to form by:
Douglas A. Perry
Fire Department
~~~
nn Moore
City Attorney
J:\Anomey\RESOIFIRE\Waiving bidding process for Dispalch Services_ \ 2.11-07 revised.doc
Douglas A. Perry
Fire Chief
Jim Geerlng
Deputy Fire Chief
(619) 409-5868
Jim Wenzel
Deputy Fire Chief
(619) 409-6482
Pablo Quilantan
Admin. Svcs. Mgr.
(619) 585-5693
Alicia Hernandez
Admin. Secretary
(619) 409-5837
Administration
Date: December 11, 2007
To:
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Douglas A. Perry, Fire Chief \)~~
From:
RE: Item #6 for December 11,2007 City Council Agenda
Please be advised that the Agenda Statement and Resolution submitted to you
on Thursday, December 6,2007, regarding the above-referenced item contained
reference to San Diego Fire and Medical Dispatch. We have been notified by
that agency that the proper and legal title of the agency is City of San Diego
Fire Rescue Department. It is the same agency. This memorandum is to
provide you with notice of the correct legal title. The resolution will be revised to
reflect the correct name, and processed accordingly.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
DAP:ah
447 "F" Street
Chula Vista, CA 91910
II
1IIItII...uAlU:,.".",.IWIk*"'Y
..
Currenl Condlllons
.The City of Chula Vista has partnered
with AMR to provide emergency medical
care since 1980.
.AMR responds to over 9,0009-1-1 calls
for service in Chula Vista annually.
.AMR consistently meets and beats the
response time requirements in our
contract. ..
lhe Chula Vista Fire DeparbDent and
American Medical Re.p...e:
PARTNERSII PUBLIC SAnTY
Dec......n2D.'
,.,.1IIIn.uMl6:htIMI6""""""
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Currenl Condlllons
Providing Peace of Mind
.AMR is required to operate 5
ambulances in Chula Vista.
.AMR currentiy has 7 ambulances
serving the people of Chuia Vista, a 40%
increase in resources since 2002 to
accommodate the growth and
development of the City.
}fi-~
,,,
During the October
2007 Firestorm, AMR
was proud to provide
enhanced First
Response Medical
Services to the City of Chula Vista,
allowing your fire crews to battle the
raging blazes.
..
-~
1
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""''''''_11I6:''''''''''''''''''''''
Providing Peace e' Mind
- From October 23 through October 27,
AMR deployed an average of 8
additional ambulances per day and
performed a total of almost 500 hours of
First Response coverage.
Providing Morelhan Medical Care
Since September 2006:
-AMR has donated over 200 hours of
ambulance service to community
events.
-AMR has provided almost 150 hours of
medical coverage for other special
events in the city.
..
..
,.,.""..,.M/I:""",,,,""IIII/I
1IINI/611f1U1llt1Ml:,."...,1II1f1t11fS6NI
Providing Morelhan Medical Care
AMR continues its
support of the Child
Link program,
participating in 26
events reaching a total
of approximately 5,200
children in the past
year. _
-AMR re-stocks the Chula Vista Fire
Department's medical supplies.
-AMR transports and disposes of
bio-medical waste at no cost to the city.
-~
2
Chula IIlsta andAMI:
Pann'l8ln Puhllc Sa""
Chula lIistJ/ audAMI:
Pann'l8ln Puhllc Sa""
-AMR performs all medical services, community
education and other functions with no subsidy
from the City of Chula Vista and at no cost to
the City.
-AMR automatically includes a Paramedic
Supervisor response to multi-patient and large
scale incidents.
.AMR automatically dispatches a Paramedic
Supervisor and ambulance response to
working structure fire incidents and upon
Incident Command request. ..
-All costs are borne by users of the EMS
system.
..
l/IIU_.MII:,.".,.."'''''''
C/lllfl1IIIU.AlII:,."..,.IIIfW/k,.,."
Ambulancl Ratl Prlmar
Ambulance Ratl Comparisons
Current Emergency
Ambulance Rate:
$512.66
Proposal: Ensure
continued excellence
and partnership with a
gradual rate increase to
$650.00.
$650.00 = Proposed Rate in Chula Vista
$447.62 - Current non-emergency rate in Chula Vista
-Substantial change from original straight-rate proposal
-3 years without rate increase within existing contract
$865.00 = Emergency Rate in San Diego
$963.74 = Emergency Rate in National City
$1,248.00 = Average Emergency Rate in California
-
-
3
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__..___co.
Risk Assumed by AMR
..
"-
. AMR's rate proposal includes a 7% increase
for the next five years, locking in our rates
independent of inflation, service additions and
City growth.
. The proposed increase will net only 2%
additional cash.
1IIIJ/II/III.Mdl/R:hII1IM6.""'IIIIa
".,.-.MId..".,.,.ItIMI&IIIIa
..
Summary
. More than a contractor - a Partner in Public Safety
. Provides for rates which will provide a sustainable
EMS system.
. Provides sensitivity to current year rate increase while
maintaining sustainability of public safety networl<.
. Shelters City from vagaries of Healthcare Finance
. Maintains rates in the lower 30% of rates in Southern
California and California as a whole.
Changing Trends - Changing RiskS
Growth in Transport Rates is declining
EMS delivery is becoming more evidence-based
Centers of Excellence and Consolidation of ED's are
impacting task times
-
4