City Council
December 5, 2023
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Damon Covington
City Administrator Interim Fire Chief
SUBJECT: CA Office of Traffic Safety Grant to
Oakland Fire Department
DATE: November 6, 2023
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To: (A ) Enter I nto An A greement W ith T he S tate Of C alifornia To Accept Office Of Transportation Safety (OTS) Grant Funds In The Amount Of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000); (B) Appropriate And Administer Said Funds; And (C ) Expend OTS F unds In A ccordance W ith T he C ity’s P urchasing Requirements For The Acquisition Of Vehicle Extrication Equipment For The Fire Department.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Modern vehicle construction requires new technology to allow fire department personnel to remove an occupant quickly and safely from a vehicle that has suffered significant damage from an accident. In significant incidents, delays in extracting a patient(s) from a vehicle that has been significantly damaged can result in a fatality. The goal of this grant is to allow the Fire Department to purchase modern vehicle extrication equipment that is environmentally friendly (battery powered), more portable and requires less time to set up for operation in comparison to legacy vehicle extrication equipment in current use.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
During the calendar year 2022, the Oakland Fire Department responded to several hundred vehicle accidents throughout the city. Many of these responses did not require fire department personnel to deploy power tools to assist with victim(s) removal from one or more vehicles.
However, a smaller portion of these responses required power tools to remove a trapped occupant.
Modern vehicles constructed today are comprised of different materials and technology compared to legacy vehicles. Today, we have a large mix of legacy and modern vehicles used by vehicle operators. When a modern vehicle is involved in a major vehicle accident, it will require new technology in the form of vehicle extrication equipment to assist in rapid extrication.
Contemporary vehicle extrication equipment components are both powerful and portable.
Jestin Johnson (Nov 16, 2023 16:24 PST)
Nov 16, 2023
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: CA Office of Traffic Safety Grant to Oakland Fire Department Date: November 6, 2023 Page 2
City Council
December 5, 2023
Additionally, vehicle extrication equipment manufactured today is environmentally friendly—they operate solely off battery power.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
As technology advances, the complexity of quickly and safely removing an occupant from a vehicle by firefighters will intensify.
Adoption of this resolution and acceptance of this grant funding aligns with the citywide priority of providing holistic community safety.
The aim of this agreement is to ensure that fire department members have access to technology that complements the comprehensive emergency service delivery offerings provided to the communities of Oakland.
This is the third grant that the California Office of Traffic Safety has awarded to the Oakland Fire Department.
Staff members in Fire Administration have provided representatives from the California Office of Traffic Safety with all required documents to satisfy initial paperwork and grant acceptance requirements.
Some Facts About Our Current Tools:
• 25-year-old technology tools were purchased in 2013.
• The tools operate with a power unit (a gas-powered hydraulic generator), and two 30-foot hydraulic hoses run a maximum of two tools at a time.
• The Power unit must be on level ground to operate, limiting where it can be used. • Tool set-up time is at least 5 min if the extrication is right next to the Truck • Can only work on one vehicle at a time because tools are "tethered" to the power unit • The power unit is a generator, it is loud, hindering communication on the scene
Facts About The New E3 eDarulic Tools:
• The cache is a cutter, spreader, combi-tool, two rams (same as current tool cache), and accessories
• Tools are battery-powered with hydraulic components, but no power unit or hoses are tethering the tools. They are cordless.
• Set-up of these tool is push-button ON and go, taking only a moment to start using tools • Tools are totally portable and can be carried any distance. Ideal for cars off the side of the road or down a hillside
• All 5 tools can be used simultaneously, which will shorten extrication times. Tools can be used on numerous cars because they don't have a shared power unit. • Most notable, these tools are much stronger than current tools. The current spreader is 22,000 lbs force, and the new eDraulic spreader is 147,000 lbs force. This is why we need these tools.
The cutters are also rated to cut ultra-high strength steel.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: CA Office of Traffic Safety Grant to Oakland Fire Department Date: November 6, 2023 Page 3
City Council
December 5, 2023
These tools, being portable, battery operated, and significantly stronger, will shorten the time it takes us to extricate victims and get them to the ER faster, which results in lives saved. We have told OTS we estimate we can reduce extrication times by 15 minutes, with these times, which is time saved in the victim's Golden Hour of survival.
The tools come with an "extension cord" in the event of a natural disaster, when battery power could become a concern on extended use. The 10 batteries per Truck provide approximately 10 hours of tool use.
The department does have first-generation eDraulic combo-tools (small cutter/spreader) on the trucks, that were purchased in 2013, however they went out of production in 2013 (they were old then) and are no longer supported or serviced by Hurst, so they have become obsolete.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this resolution will accept $100,000 of OTS grant funding and will be allocated to the Fire Department in the following manner:
Fund Grant Fund TBD
Organization Emergency/Suppression Shift A (20411)
Project TBD
This grant does not require a matching fund from the grantee so there will be no additional cost to the General-Purpose Fund.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
Representatives from Fire Administration, Local 55, and the department’s Vehicle Extrication Working Group collaborated on this initiative.
COORDINATION
The Office of the Fire Chief was consulted in the preparation of this report.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: The acceptance of the grant will reduce the need to seek financial resources from the department’s equipment line item on the most recent adopted budget for 2023 – 2025.
Environmental: The acceptance of the grant will satisfy the city’s effort toward moving away from gas-powered equipment used by city employees.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: CA Office of Traffic Safety Grant to Oakland Fire Department Date: November 6, 2023 Page 4
City Council
December 5, 2023
Race and Equity: There are no specific race and equity elements to consider regarding the acceptance of this grant.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To: (A) Enter Into An Agreement With The State Of California To Accept Office Of Transportation Safety (OTS) Grant Funds In The Amount Of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000); (B) Appropriate And Administer Said Funds; And (C) Expend OTS Funds In Accordance With The City’s Purchasing Requirements For The Acquisition of Vehicle Extrication Equipment For The Fire Department.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Deputy Chief Demond Simmons at 510.238.4054.
Respectfully submitted,
Damon Covington
Fire Chief