DATE: February 18, 2025
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
FROM: Matt Turturici, Fire Chief
Robert Marshall, Deputy Fire Chief
DEPARTMENT: San Mateo Consolidated Fire
SUBJECT: ADOPTING THE UPDATED EMERGENCY SERVICES COUNCIL
JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve the attached Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute the Second and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement for the San Mateo County (SMC) Operational Area Emergency Services Organization (“Organization”), also known as Emergency Services Council (ESC).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The ESC brings together local governments, special districts, and other entities to coordinate emergency planning and response, including for hazardous materials. The ESC engages in planning with respect to all phases of the emergency management cycle: prevention, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts, while also maintaining key public information systems like SMC Alert.
The ESC recently revised the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between all parties because of changes to the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management (DEM).
Foster City has a primary and an alternate representative to the ESC. The primary representative is Councilmember Niederhofer and the alternate is Councilmember Sullivan.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
The ESC last revised and restated the Joint Exercise of the Powers Agreement (“Agreement”) on November 17, 2014. Since the Agreement is updated as needed, it has become outdated following significant changes within the DEM, which now operates as a standalone agency separate from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
To accurately reflect the current responsibilities of the DEM and the ESC, the ESC unanimously approved the changes to the JPA. Foster City partners with ESC and DEM to receive services such as Hazmat Responses, Emergency Alert and Warning, and Training and Exercises for the whole Operational Area.
Key changes to the Agreement, include:
•Standardizing nomenclature;
•Updating agreement language; and
•Clarifying and defining the roles of:
oThe ESC
oThe ESC Finance Committee
oThe DEM
In addition to the MOU itself, a crosswalk detailing all of the changes is attached to this staff report.
To ensure that Foster City continues to receive these services, it is recommended that the City Council adopt the updated JPA MOU.
California Environmental Quality Act
This agreement amendment is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Public Safety and Social Equity
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Second Revised and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement Attachment 3 – ESC-JPA MOU Crosswalk