STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date:
September 23, 2025
CONSENT
20 SUBJECT: EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH SOFTWARE
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to purchase of Emergency Medical Dispatch Software ProQA from Priority Dispatch Corp. in an amount not to exceed $126,961, via an agreement approved by the City Attorney;
2. Approve the sole source procurement in accordance with Laguna Beach Municipal Code Section
2.30.050, based on the proprietary nature of the ProQA software as detailed in the attached Sole Source Letter such that the acquisition of this software can only be acquired from one vendor; and
3. Find that the recommended action is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense).
Appropriation: Fund:
Submitted By: Niko King Approved: David A Kiff
Niko King, Fire Chief Dave Kiff, City Manager
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
This report recommends that the City Council authorize the purchase of ProQA Emergency Medical Dispatch Software from Priority Dispatch Corp. in the amount of $126,961 to enhance the City’s emergency communications and pre-arrival medical instruction capabilities. Funding is budgeted in the FY 2025–26 CAD/RMS Fund; no additional appropriation is required. An agreement effectuating the purchase shall be approved by the City Attorney.
This project aligns with the City public safety and emergency preparedness goals by improving dispatcher support and reducing response times. The project is categorically exempt from CEQA under Section 15301 (Existing Facilities).
DISCUSSION
Background
The City of Laguna Beach Emergency Communications Center responds to approximately 3,000 medicalrelated 911 calls for service each year. During these 911 calls, an emergency dispatcher must ask pertinent questions to triage the patient's needs and dispatch the necessary resources. ProQA Emergency Medical Dispatch Software (ProQA) creates a questioning flow path to guide the emergency dispatcher.
Along with the question flow path, ProQA will assist the emergency dispatcher in providing pre-arrival instructions for lifesaving measures to the reporting party. Pre-arrival instructions include bleeding control, CPR instructions, administration of an EpiPen, and Heimlich Maneuvers, among others.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH SOFTWARE
September 23, 2025
In addition, ProQA enhances service delivery and helps reduce the City’s litigation risk by providing consistent, evidence-based pre-arrival medical instructions developed and vetted by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.
Sole Source Justification
This purchase is proposed as a sole source purchase in accordance with Laguna Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) §2.30.050, which authorize sole source contracting when a product or service is uniquely available from a single provider. ProQA software is the exclusive product of Priority Dispatch Corp., and no other vendors offer equivalent systems that integrate the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch’s (IAED) medical protocols with computer-aided dispatch (CAD) platforms in real time.
Priority Dispatch Corp. is the only provider globally authorized by IAED to deliver the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), including ProQA software, QA review tools, and training programs. Their system is fully integrated with the City's CAD infrastructure, provides proprietary diagnostic tools (e.g., Agonal Breathing Detector Dx), and supports dispatcher-guided instructions such as CPR, EpiPen administration, and airway management.
The attached Sole Source Letter (Attachment 1) confirms that Priority Dispatch Corp. holds the exclusive rights to distribute and support the ProQA system and that no equivalent alternatives currently exist in the market. As a result, conducting a competitive bidding process would not produce comparable services.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
The total cost of the ProQA Emergency Medical Dispatch Software is $126,961. Funding is available in the FY 2025–26 CAD/RMS Project Account, and no additional appropriation is required. In accordance with Laguna Beach Municipal Code Section 2.30.070, this procurement is being conducted as a sole source purchase due to the proprietary nature of the ProQA system and the absence of comparable products.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The project has been reviewed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities). Section 15301 exempts the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private facilities involving negligible or no expansion of use. The proposed action involves the acquisition and implementation of software to improve dispatch operations within the City’s existing Emergency Communications Center. The project does not include construction or physical modifications that would result in environmental impacts.
The proposed purchase of the Emergency Medical Dispatch Software ProQA is exempt from the CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 (b)(3), the "common sense" provision of CEQA, which applies to projects which may have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment but that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. The proposed action will not result in any new development or physical changes, merely purchases computer software, and thus, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH SOFTWARE
September 23, 2025
Furthermore, none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply. Therefore, no further environmental review is required.
ATTACHMENTS
1.Priority Dispatch Corp. Sole Source Letter (Pg. 4)
Report Prepared By: Coordinated With:
Andrew Hill, Battalion Chief Jerry Soto, IT Manager