Fremont City Council Meeting: 09/20/22 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Fire Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
STAFF REPORT (ID # 4706) DOC ID: 4706
Updated: 9/16/2022 12:44 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 1
ACCEPT AND APPROPRIATE AFG GRANT FUNDS FOR PARAMEDIC TRAINING - Accept and Appropriate Assistance to Firefighters Grant Funds for $663,623 for Paramedic Training
Contact Persons:
Name: Donna Do Zoraida Diaz
Title: Management Analyst II Deputy Fire Chief
Div/Dept: Fire Department Fire Department
Phone: 510-494-4200 510-494-4200
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Staff seeks City Council authority to accept a grant in the amount of $663,623 and enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to appropriate and use the funds to train Fremont firefighters to advance from Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) to Paramedic.
BACKGROUND: The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an important component of a larger coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards. Since 2001, the AFG Program has helped to provide critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources needed to firefighters and other first responders. As of September 2, 2022, the AFG Program has awarded approximately $168 million of the fiscal year 2020 funds to first-responder organizations that needed support to improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types.
The grant award is based on a competitive process that is overseen by fire service subject matter experts. Grants are awarded to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the AFG Program. The program is to enhance, through direct financial assistance, the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel and to provide a continuum of support for emergency responders regarding fire, medical, and all-hazard events.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: Standards of Coverage are critical in determining current and desired service levels. Therefore, in March 2020, the Fremont Fire Department retained Citygate Associates, LLC (Citygate) to conduct a Standards of Coverage Assessment (SOC) which revealed that treating critical patients requires ten tasks best achieved with two or more paramedics.
In 2021 the department responded to 10,591 EMS incidents that required significant paramedic invention. The most extreme examples are those incidents are list below:
Staff Report (ID # 4706) Meeting of September 20, 2022 Updated: 9/16/2022 12:44 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 2
1. 191 cardiac arrests
2. 196 cardiac problems
3. 680 respiratory
4. 1056 traumatic
5. 279 overdoses
These significant medical emergencies demonstrate that a minimum of two paramedics per company daily would facilitate positive medical outcomes. Currently, retirements and other labor market factors have resulted in minimum staffing levels of Paramedic Firefighters in the Fremont Fire Department. Increased call volume coupled with long response times from ambulance providers places tremendous pressure on department staff. With personnel deployed on incidents throughout the state during wildland season, the impacts fall on the paramedics who are present, many of whom are mandated several days in a row to meet staffing requirements. During a recent lateral recruitment effort, only 10 percent of applications were Paramedics. As a result, the Department is looking to train internal candidates to advance from Emergency Medical Technician to Paramedic to reduce staffing strains and fatigue.
In January 2022, the Department submitted a proposal to the AFG program to cover the tuition fees, supplies, and associated personnel costs to send six current EMT-level personnel to paramedic training. Depending on the program, the training typically includes a 13-month program with a didactic and lab portion, clinical rotations, and field internships.
On August 31, 2022, the department was notified that the grant was awarded in the amount of $663,623, with a matching requirement of $66,362. This grant funding will allow the City to increase our paramedic staffing model and provide a level of service consistent with the community’s changing demographics. These funds must be used by the end of the grant term on August 29, 2024, with no financial obligation to continue the program after the performance period.
FISCAL IMPACT: Staff recommends that the City Council accept the AFG Grant award and recognize and appropriate the AFG Grant revenue in the Federal Operating Grants Fund (Fund 199). The matching fund requirement of 10%, or $66,362, will be met with the Fire Department’s FY 2022/23 adopted operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: N/A
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Accept the Assistance to Firefighters Grant in the amount of $663,623.
2. Recognize the grant revenue and appropriate it in the Federal Operating Grants Fund (Fund 199).
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all necessary agreements or documents in connection with the grant award.