DATE: April 4, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chen Suen, Fire Chief
By: Richard Oishi, Acting Deputy Fire Chief
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7488 AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2022-23
GENERAL FUND BUDGET AND AUTHORIZING A SUPPLEMENTAL
BUDGET APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURCHASE OF PARAMEDIC
SUPPLIES IN THE AMOUNT OF $25,000, OFFSET BY A $5,000
REDUCTION IN THE NATIONAL OPIOID SETTLEMENT/CALIFORNIA
JANSSEN AGREEMENT FUND AND A $20,000 REDUCTION IN THE
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (“ARPA”) FUND; AND APPROVING A CHANGE ORDER TO THE PURCHASE ORDER WITH LIFE-ASSIST, INC.
CEQA: Exempt
Recommendation: Adopt and Approve
SUMMARY
As part of the City’s Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget adoption, the City Council allocated $98,300 to purchase paramedic field supplies. Included in this budgeted amount is a purchase order with Life-Assist Inc. that was approved by the City Council last year in the amount of $80,000. As the City recovers from the Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and other contributory factors such as the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services’ (“DHS”) change in its EMS equipment requirements, and the Fire Department’s continued increase in medical responses, it has become necessary to request a change order for additional funds.
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7488 amending the Fiscal Year 2022-23 General Fund Budget and authorizing a supplemental budget appropriation for the purchase of paramedic supplies in the amount of $25,000, offset by a $5,000 reduction in the National Opioid Settlement/California Janssen Agreement fund and $20,000 in the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) fund, and approving a change order to the Purchase Order with Life-Assist, Inc.
DISCUSSION
Adopt Resolution No. 7488
Budget Appropriation & PO Change Order to Life-Assist, Inc.
April 4, 2023
The Arcadia Fire Department has been providing paramedic ambulance service to the Arcadia community since the early 1970s, with quality pre-hospital care for medical and trauma-related emergency calls. A critical component of providing this service is ensuring that an adequate and necessary inventory of paramedic supplies is readily available in stock.
The Fire Department maintains an inventory of paramedic field supplies, including medications, intravenous fluids, assorted needles, bandages, splints, tape, gloves, oxygen masks, EKG paper, electrodes, and other miscellaneous medical supplies.
These items are used on a regular basis during the medical treatment of a patient and emergency operations. The Fire Department also maintains in its inventory additional paramedic field supplies to mitigate larger-scale incidents in the event of a disaster.
Traditionally, paramedic field supplies are re-stocked using a private medical supplier. To sufficiently maintain the Fire Department’s daily inventory of its paramedic supplies, the City Council allocated $98,300 in funding to the Fire Operating Budget in FY 2022-23.
As the City of Arcadia responds to higher calls for service from the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic, a noticeable increase in both call volume for emergency medical services and the use of paramedic supplies has occurred. Within the span of a few months (July 2022 to December 2022), emergency medical service calls increased 19%, from 1,982 calls for service to 2,354, when compared to the same time frame in 2021. This unplanned and prolonged increase in calls for service creates the need for additional supplies.
Additionally, the following supplies and procedures experienced a notable increase in use during this time:
Item July 2021 to
December 2021
July 2022 to
December 2022
Percentage
Increase
Intravenous Procedures 422 678 38%
Oxygen Procedures 180 215 20%
Bag-Valve-Mask Procedures 38 46 21%
Fentanyl 56 66 18%
Albuterol 46 56 15%
Narcan 10 21 110%
Further, during the annual EMS update in July 2022, DHS required two changes: (1) All EMS provider agencies are to train, purchase, and implement iGel advanced airways and management packs; and (2) All Fire Department’s cardiac monitors must have parts and service maintenance in place. As these new requirements were instituted after the FY 2022-23 Citywide Budget Adoption, these costs were not included nor anticipated in the Fire Department’s current Operating Budget.
Adopt Resolution No. 7488
Budget Appropriation & PO Change Order to Life-Assist, Inc.
April 4, 2023
For this report, the Department is requesting a change order to increase the purchase amount for Life-Assist, Inc. by $12,000. Life-Assist Inc. is also the Department’s largest supplier of emergency medical materials, with a current Purchase Order amount of $80,000. In addition, smaller Purchase Orders need to be increased to acquire necessary general or specialized paramedic supplies and equipment such as oxygen, and cardiac monitoring devices’ parts and service maintenance, as required by the Los Angeles County’s DHCS.
The table below shows the proposed $25,000 supplemental budget appropriation and the corresponding budget impact as well as a change order request to increase Life-Assist, Inc.’s Purchase Order amount:
PO by Vendor
Purchase Type
Current
PO Amount
Additional $
Request
Life Assist General paramedic supplies $ 80,000 $ 12,000 Zoll Medical Cardiac monitors 18,000 2,000
Airgas Oxygen 8,500 3,000
Bound Tree Medical General paramedic supplies NEW 5,000 Other EMS Products –
as needed
Miscellaneous paramedic
supplies
NEW 3,000
Total Requested Increase $ 25,000
It is vital that the Fire Department remains diligent in ensuring that its emergency medical supplies are sufficient and readily stocked. Therefore, it is recommended that the City Council approve the requested modifications.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
A supplemental budget appropriation in the amount of $5,000 is being requested from the monies in the National Opioid Settlement/California Janssen Agreement to fund the purchase of these essential medical supplies. A primary purpose of the settlement monies is for opioid remediation or abatement. Funding the acquisition of medical supplies directly used to prevent overdose deaths and mitigate opioid harm is an allowable use of the funds. Prior to this approval, there is roughly $36,700 in unallocated settlement funds, with an additional $21,340 to be received annually over 18 payments. Therefore, sufficient funding is available for this request.
Adopt Resolution No. 7488
Budget Appropriation & PO Change Order to Life-Assist, Inc.
April 4, 2023
As the City recovers from its response to the COVID-19 pandemic during this fiscal year, there had been a 19% increase in the overall EMS call volume, more specifically a 38% increase in Advanced Life Support (ALS) calls, resulting from a notable increase in the use of paramedic supplies by the Fire Department. A supplemental budget appropriation in the amount of $20,000 is being requested from the City’s ARPA funds to adequately fund the remaining cost of these essential medical supplies. The purchase of these medical supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is an allowable use of these funds.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action does not constitute a project and is, therefore, exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); adopt Resolution No. 7488 amending the Fiscal Year 2022-23 General Fund Budget and authorizing a supplemental budget appropriation for the purchase of paramedic supplies in the amount of $25,000, offset by a $5,000 reduction in the National Opioid Settlement/California Janssen Agreement fund and $20,000 in the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) fund; and approve a Change Order to the Purchase Order with Life-Assist, Inc.
Attachment: Resolution No. 7488