CITY COUNCIL: Resolution Authorizing Participation in Initial Exploration & Analysis of Joint Fire Service Options

City Council
Agenda Item Summary

Name: Consideration of a Resolution authorizing participation in an Initial Exploration and Analysis of Joint Fire Service Options.

Description: At a November meeting, Mayors, City Managers and Fire Department Managers discussed the concept of joint fire services. The main discussion of the meeting was to review the current opportunities given the shrinking financial resources available to public agencies. The discussion centered on the potential of achieving organizational and operational efficiencies through some joint fire service options. The general consensus of the group was to participate in further discussions and analysis of achieving joint fire services.

Overall Cost:
City Funds: $0 with this action/unknown as to any future expense.
Grant Funds: N/A

Staff Recommendation: Adopt the Resolution.

Important Considerations: Joint fire services should only be considered if improvements occur through a joint management oversight and improvements to operational efficiencies.

Decision Record: Several discussions have occurred over the past three to four years regarding fire shared services. To date, no action has been taken by the Council to expand beyond the current fire administration contract with the City of Monterey.

Reviewed:

Rich Guillen, City Administrator Date

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
STAFF REPORT
TO: MAYOR McCLOUD AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: RICH GUILLEN, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
DATE: NOVEMBER 24,2009
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZING PARTICIPATION IN AN INITIAL EXPLORATION AND ANALYSIS OF JOINT FIRE SERVICE OPTIONS

RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the Resolution.

BACKGROUND
The concept of shared fire protection services has been studied and implemented to varying degrees in Monterey County for several decades. A 1981 Monterey County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) study concluded that significant opportunities existed for both cost avoidance and actual cost savings through a variety of approaches which would more closely integrate City of Monterey and Monterey Peninsula Airport fire services. The study recommended merging the Monterey Airport Fire Department into the City of Monterey Fire Department with the Monterey
Airport contracting with the City department for fire services. An additional study recommendation, improving joint training and operations among all Monterey Peninsula fire agencies, has been accomplished to a large degree through common performance standards, joint and multi-agency training, common equipment standards, automatic and mutual aid agreements, shared command and administrative services, and functional and actual consolidations and mergers.

In 1982, Monterey County Service Area #42 was reorganized into the Pebble Beach Community Services District. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) provided contractual fire services to PBCSD and the adjacent Monterey County Service Areas #39 and #43. These two County Service Areas were later reorganized into the Cypress Fire Protection District in 1993 with CDF continuing to provide contractual fire protection services to both agencies. Through shared personnel and other resources, this represents an effective and continuing example of a functional consolidation.

In 2000, the Carmel Valley Fire Protection District was reorganized to include the Mid Carmel Valley Fire Protection District and the Santa Lucia Preserve Community Services District. In 2005, the Naval Postgraduate School Fire Department was disbanded in lieu of concurrent jurisdiction fire protection from the City of Monterey.

The cities of Seaside and Marina also completed a fire service consolidation study in 2005 which concluded both jurisdictions could realize cost benefits by sharing a fire station in the Fort Ord reuse area and merging fire management functions, with an eventual benefit to full consolidation. Both City Councils endorsed moving forward with the recommendations; however the proposed consolidation failed to achieve final approval in 2007.

A 2007 fire service consolidation study by the cities of Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Camel-by-the-Sea concluded that consolidatiori of fire services aniolig the thee cities would provide both fiscal savings and enhanced operational and service-level efficiencies and effectiveness. The study recommended a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) as the best governance model, and further recommended merging the existing fire management staffs of the three cities to provide the capacity to conduct the longer range detailed analysis and planning necessary to achieve full consolidation. Monterey
subsequently began providing contractual duty chief services to both Pacific Grove and Camel in early 2008, and the Monterey and Pacific Grove fire departments were fully consolidated in December 2008 with Pacific Grove contracting with Monterey for fire protection services.

In October 2008, the Camel Valley Fire District hosted a meeting of all Monterey County fire agency policy and executive-level leaders to discuss opportunities for fire service partnerships. This meeting highlighted the current state and local economic crisis as a window of opportunity to identify common interests and explore common sense alternatives to reduce costs and maintain vital public safety services to our respective communities.

It should be noted that Monterey currently provides fire service to Sand City while Seaside provides for Del Rey Oaks.

This summary illustrates the numerous studies and efforts to date to improve the organizational, operational, and fiscal effectiveness and efficiencies of Monterey Peninsula fire services through joint operations and shared services.

STAFF REVIEW
An October 2009 Seaside Fire Department management and staffing study
recommended that Seaside conthe and expand their efforts with thk city of Monterey to include discussions regarding the feasibility of forming a sub-regional partnership to provide fire protection and EMS services. This became the nexus for a meeting of policy and executive leaders representing the cities of Monterey, Seaside, Pacific Grove, Marina, Camel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, the Presidio of Monterey, Monterey Peninsula Airport District, and Salinas Rural and Camel Valley Fire Districts in November 2009 to further discuss the concept of joint fire services. This
meeting highlighted the current window of opportunity to achieve fiscal and operational efficiencies by improving organizational efficiencies in the multiple small fire agencies within the greater Monterey Peninsula region. This discussion resulted in general consensus that the concept of a joint fire agency has sufficient merit to warrant further discussion and analysis.

The objectives of the proposed analysis include working cooperatively and
transparently with key stakeholders to:
Identify and frame the key issues and goals;
Define the scope and scale of a joint fire services agency;
Identify and explore shared governance options and associated costs; and
Develop guiding principles.

The anticipated outcome of this initial analysis is a preferred shared fire services governance alternative for Council's consideration and policy direction regarding further detailed planning. Staff anticipates completion of the initial analysis in early 2010.

Staff recommends that Council authorize staff to participate in an initial study and analysis of joint fire service options. The requested Council action does not commit the City to any proposed outcome, but rather provides the authority to participate in the analysis necessary to determine whether any of the potential joint service options could benefit Camel-by-the-Sea.

FISCAL IMPACT
Staff anticipates limited fiscal implications consisting primarily of staff time and resources within current budget allocations to complete the requested initial analysis.

The long-term fiscal implications of joint fire services are yet to be determined and will be presented to Council in a future report.

SUMMARY
The Council could choose not to pursue an analysis of joint fire services at this time.

The requested action, however, is consistent with the Council's goal of working to improve our residents' quality of life and explore agreements or consolidations with other local fire departments that would produce a higher level of service to the entire region by reducing duplicate overhead and better utilizing existing resources.

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION 2009-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA AUTHORIZING PARTICIPATION IN INITIAL EXPLORATION AND ANALYSIS OF JOINT FIRE SERVICE OPTIONS

WHEREAS, the City of Monterey has provided contractual fire protection and emergency medical response services to the City of Sand City since 1993; and

WHEREAS, the City of Monterey has provided contractual fire protection and emergency medical response services to the City of Pacific Grove since December 2008; and

WHEREAS, the City of Monterey has been providing interim contractual fire
administration and support services to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea since December 2008, and is actively engaged in efforts to secure a long-term agreement for fire protection and first responder emergency medical response services; and

WHEREAS, the City of Seaside recently completed a fire department management and staffing study which recommended that Seaside continue and expand their efforts with the City of Monterey to include discussions regarding the feasibility of forming a sub-regional partnership to provide fire protection and EMS services; and

WHEREAS, that said study concluded that consolidation of the three city fire departments is both operationally and fiscally feasible, and is a cost effective solution to improve the coordination, command, and control of fire services, with significant operational and servicelevel benefits; and

WHEREAS, other Monterey Peninsula jurisdictions have indicated a potential interest in a joint fire service partnerships; and

WHEREAS, the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea desires to fully explore the benefits and costs associated with various joint fire service options.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA DOES:

1. Authorize participation in an initial exploration and analysis of joint fire service options with the following goals:

a. Reduce or maintain response time for each community
b. Lower ISO rating for each community
c. Lower operating cost for each community
d. Increase the number of people and equipment available for response

PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA this 1st day of December 2009, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:

SIGNED:

_______________________
SUE McCLOUD, MAYOR

ATTEST:

_________________________
Heidi Burch, City Clerk