HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 019-94 RegFireSvcRESOLUTION NO. 19 - 94
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN
ENDORSING A CITY & COUNTY REGIONAL FIRE SERVICE DELIVERY STUDY
WHEREAS, fire service is a critical public safety service that is
essential to protection of public property and personal safety of
citizens; and
WHEREAS, an essential element of each community's fire protection
system is the assistance fire departments provide to one another when it
is needed; and
WHEREAS, events of recent years such as the Oakland & Berkeley
Hills fire have clearly demonstrated the importance of unified training
and immediate fire service responsiveness to major disasters; and
WHEREAS, the Alameda County Fire Chiefs' Association has proposed
that the Cities and the County further study opportunities to increase
the regional response capabilities of the fire service in the County;
and
WHEREAS, the City of Dublin's contribution to this study would be
limited to the provision of in-kind services in the form of providing
information about the City's existing fire protection resources and
requirements; and
WHEREAS, one of the purposes of the study will be to specify any
additional benefits that the City of Dublin and the Dougherty Regional
Fire Authority might receive from becoming a part of a regional fire
service delivery system.
WHEREAS, it is understood that Phase III of the proposed study, as
outlined in the work plan, will not proceed until authorized by the City
Managers/Fire Chiefs Committee and until the results of Phases I & II
have been reported to the Cities and the County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Dublin does hereby endorse and approve of the conduct of a city and
county regional fire service delivery study.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 14th day of February, 1994.
AYES:
Coucilmembers Burton, Houston, Howard, Moffatt, and
Mayor Snyder
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
a: resol 9. agenda/fl 4
Revised January 24, 1994
WORK PLAN FOR AN ALAMEDA COUNTY
REGIONAL FIRE SERVICE DELIVERY STUDY
BACKGROUND
The primary purpose of the Alameda Regional Fire Service Delivery Study is to present
individual fire departments with a regional alternative to existing community based service
delivery systems. The study will be conducted under the guidance of a joint committee of fire
chiefs and city managers. It is anticipated that Alameda County will fund the cost of the study
and will engage the services of consultant(s) as required. Through the Fire Chiefs Association,
a technical assistance team comprised of fire department representatives will be designated to
assist with various parts of the work such as the fire protection survey.
This Work Plan is based on the study goals and objectives that were developed by the f'tre chiefs
and managers and includes the following components or phases of work:
A survey of existing fire protection resources and responsibilities within the
county.
Identification of specific opportunities and options to create one or more regional
fire and emergency medical response systems within the county.
An assessment of the implications and impacts of regional fire service delivery
for existing communities.
After the basic components of this Work Plan have been reviewed and approved by the City
Managers/Fire Chiefs Committee, individual tasks for each component will be developed to
guide the work. Employees will be kept apprised of and involved in the study through regular
communications with their representatives.
PHASE I- FIRE PROTECTION SURVEY
The purpose of the fire protection survey is to define and describe existing fire service programs
in a way that permits an analysis of regional service delivery potential. The survey will include
a comprehensive overview of existing:
1. Service areas including boundaries and protection requirements.
2. Resources including apparatus, staffing, stations and other facilities.
Revised January 24, 1994
Inter-jurisdictional service arrangements in areas such as mutual and automatic
aid, hazardous materials response, and training.
Dispatch services (note: a companion study of dispatch services is also in the
planning stages).
5. Labor relations policies including pay and benefit data.
Financial resources and obligations including annual revenues, operating and
capital costs and debt.
Based on the results of the Fire Protection Survey, an evaluation of current service delivery
practices will be completed. This analysis will cover such items as:
a. current operating policies, procedures and practices;
b. redundancies in staffing, fire stations and other facilities and fire apparatus;
identification of areas where cost savings, improved productivity and utilization
of human resources, equipment and facilities are likely to occur;
d. the extent of overlap for the service districts for each fire station;
comparison of labor relations agreements, policies, compensation practices and
key operating practices that affect the work environment of employees.
PHASE II - REGIONAL SERVICE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Alternatives to the existing mode of fire protection will generally fall into two categories. These
are single purpose regional agencies such as fire districts and regional joint service delivery
agreements that include varying degrees of functional coordination and consolidation of
resources.
This phase of the study will identify and evaluate the several other regional models that now
exist and identify any models that might be more appropriate for Alameda County. Other
models will be studied as to:
1. Background. How did these models evolve and why?
Service. How is service provided and how do the service programs impact
individual communities? How have service levels been affected?
3. Funding. What is the cost of service? How are costs shared? Have agencies
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'Revised January 24, 1994
experienced more or less cost? What type of funding arrangements are used to
pay for regional service costs?
e
Policy & Administration. How are service level policies developed (i.e. what is
the process, who participates, how are decisions made)? How is the fire service
program administered and how does the cost of administration compare to the
cost in Alameda County?
One or more regional fire service option(s) will be developed for Alameda County. The options
for Alameda County will be developed in sufficient detail for policy discussion and will be
described in terms of:
1. Legal structure and policy control (governance).
2. Operational characteristics (deployment of resources).
Service. (how would service levels as well as responsibility and access to service
be impacted).
Predicted fiscal consequences (is service likely to cost more or less over time and
why).
Practicality and difficulty for converting existing service programs into the
regional option.
PHASE HI - APPLICATION OF REGIONAL MODEL(S)
This phase of the study will examine the advantages and disadvantages of the regional service
delivery option(s) in terms of their impacts on individual communities and fire departments. The
purpose of this phase of wo~-~c iS to present information that will permit individual communities
to decide if they should join a regional service delivery program.
service response capability (i. e. effective utilization of resources and response to
day-to-day as well as catastrophic incidents);
compatibility with existing regional or joint service delivery efforts (e.g. training,
dispatch, hazardous materials response);
c. cost;
d. fire prevention and education services;
e. changes in local control over services;
f. relationship of the fire department to the community;
ge
~evised January 24, 1994
An analysis of all relevant financial information that will enable the cities and the
County to determine if any specific regional proposal will be financially feasible;
PROJECT REPORTING & REVIEW PROCESS
All aspects of the study will be documented. Status reports coveting at a minimum each of the
three major phases as outlined above will be submitted to and reviewed by the Project
Committee as the study progresses. Status briefings for the Mayors Conference or other
appropriate groups will also be prepared periodically.
A comprehensive final project report will be submitted coveting all phases of work at the
conclusion of Phase III. The report will be suitable for presentation to the individual cities and
the County.
The final report will include a suggested process for the cities and the county to make decisions
about if, when and how to pursue specific regional service delivery options.
TIIVIING
All phases of the study will require approximately nine months to complete as follows:
Phase I: Fire Protection Survey 3 months
Phase II: Identification of Regional Models 2 months
Phase III: Application of Regional Models 4 months
4
WORK PROGRAM FOR CITIES OF
DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, PLEASANTON, SAN RAMON
& ALAMEDA COUNTY
TWIN VALLEY FIRE SERVICE PROJECT
February 7, 1994
P~patN~d
The Davis Company
9161~ 5150
WORK PROGRAM
TWIN VALLEY FIRE SERVICE PROJECT
II.
BACKGROUND
The cities of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and San Ramon have initiated a process to
evaluate alternatives for jointly providing some or all fire services within the TWin Valley
area. Recently, Alameda County acted to form a single fire protection district sewing
all unincorporated areas of the county including unincorporated areas adjacent to the
Twin Valley cities. The project has reached a point where technical assistance is needed
to evaluate specifxc proposals for joint service among the cities and the county. The
agencies want to reach fundamental decisions about local efforts to share services and to
specifically determine what, ff any, economies and ef~eiencies might be achieved prior
to conclusion of the countywide Regional Fire Service Delivery Study later this year.
OB~ECT~.yB
To identify and evaluate the joint service "options' that may be available to the cities.
To determine the operational practicality and fiscal implications of specific proposals for
shared s~rvice delivery that have previously been developed within the Twin Valley fire
departments; and to report those findings to the cities m~d the county.
III.
END. rPRODUCTS
The intent of this Work Plan is to help the cities, the county and their fire departments
sort through the practical fiscal and operational implications of specific joint f~re service
delivery options by providing the products listed below.
An Assessment Of ~peei~c.Advantages and Disadvantages of Joint Fire Service Delivery
A range of options have been under discussion by the fire departments. Based on these
preliminary efforts the project consultant will prepare an assessment of current city and
county fire service program and a comparison of these programs to the available options
in the following areas:
t. Training
2. Fire Prevention
3. Incident Command and Response
4. Hazardous Materials Response and Enforcement
Management and administrative support services (including dispatch
services)
6. Facilities
Upon concluding the assessment the consultant shall present findings and
recommendations in the form of one or more comprehensive management memorandums
concerning each of the service areas outlined immediately above and additional service
areas should they be added to the scope of work. The project consultant shall coordinate
all work with the Fire Chiefs of the Twin Valley fire departments and the City
Managers, including the County Fire Chief and County Administration as required.
The total cost to perform the specific tasks above is $25,500 for professional services
plus actual out-of-pocket expenses for travel, printing, postag~ and phones/facsimile. The
estimated total cost for both expenses and services is $26,500. All work will be
completed within twelve weeks.