1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: March 1, 2022
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Eric Garcia, Fire Chief
BY: Sana Arakelian, Fire Administrator
SUBJECT: Approval of the Automatic Aid Agreement for the Exchange of Fire Protection, Specialized, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services between the City of Los Angeles and the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Automatic Aid Agreement for the Exchange of Fire Protection, Specialized, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Between the City of Los Angeles and the Cities Of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
Since 2003, the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena (Tri-Cities) have maintained an automatic aid agreement with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) to enhance emergency response services in areas of each city that are not easily accessed by existing fire stations. When an emergency arises, a neighboring city may have response resources closer to the incident than the city in which the emergency occurs. To maintain high levels of service to these areas, the Tri -Cities and LAFD entered into an automatic aid agreement which allows the city with the closest resources to disp atch those resources. The areas providing and receiving augmented services are in the northeast portion of Los Angeles and the northeast portion of the San Fernando Valley.
DISCUSSION
In totality, there are 22 geographical areas in need of augmented services. The Tri-Cities will provide augmented fire and emergency medical services (EMS) response along with wildland, swift water and technical rescue services when requested to 17 of the 2 2 geographical areas of Los Angeles. In exchange for those services, LAFD will provide
2 augmented fire and EMS response to the Tri -Cities when requested, along with swift water, technical rescue and helicopter support to 6 of the 22 geographical areas.
All other standard provisions of the Automatic Aid Agreement for the Exchange of Fire Protection, Specialized, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services between the City of Los Angeles and the Cities of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena (Agreement) have stayed the same as the version executed in 20 19. The Burbank Fire Department ( BFD) will continue to assist LAFD by providing augmented services to areas such as the Villa Cabrini Development, Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Lakeside Country Club and Golf Course, and areas along the 134 Freeway between the western edge of the Burbank/Los Angeles border and the intersection of the 101 and 134 Freeways. In return, LAFD will continue to augment BFD’s resources by providing water dropping helicopters for up to two hours per incident. Additionally, upon request , LAFD will provide a full response to brush and structure fires as well as swift water rescues.
The Agreement will be for a 3-year term commencing on April 1, 2022 and ending on March 31, 2025. The Agreement will be reviewed annually at or above the start of each new fiscal year to update the helicopter rates and/or any operational components.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no negative impact to the General Fund budget. The terms of t his Agreement are intended to achieve as much cost neutrality as possible. Each agency will absorb the cost of providing their respective mutual aid resources. The City of Burbank will only incur fees from the LAFD for the use of helicopters should it exceed 2 hours. These specialized aircraft are costly to operate and anything beyond 2 hours surpasses reciprocity.
CONCLUSION
LAFD and the Tri-Cities have enjoyed a successful and mutually beneficial automatic aid relationship for nearly 20 years. The benefits of this relationship have allowed all municipalities involved to provide higher levels of service to their communities and optimize the use of resources. The use of LAFD’s air resources has played a major role in BFD’s ability to effectively mitigate wildfires in Burbank. The 2017 and 2019 wildfires in Burbank reinforce the importance of maintaining mutually beneficial automatic aid relationships. As such, staff rec ommends the City Council approve the Automatic Aid Agreement for the Exchange of Fire Protection, Specialized, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services between the City of Los Angeles and the Cities of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment 1 – Automatic Aid Agreement for the Exchange of Fire Protection, Specialized, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Between the City of Los Angeles and the Cities Of Burbank, Glendale , and Pasadena