Public Safety Committee
March 26, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Damon Covington
City Administrator Chief, Fire Department
SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational
Report On MACRO Program
Operations
DATE: March 13, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive An Informational Report On The Progress Of The City Of Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders Of Oakland (“MACRO”) Program
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
Due the cancellation of the January 9, 2024, Public Safety Committee meeting, the Informational Report on MACRO Program Operations was postponed and re-scheduled to be presented at Public Safety Committee on March 26, 2026.
In the weeks that followed that previously scheduled meeting, the Oakland Fire Department (OFD) MACRO Program has achieved several noteworthy milestones that will be discussed at the committee meeting on March 26, 2024.
The milestone updates include:
MACRO Direct Phone Line
The Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO) Program is a community response program for non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls. The purpose of MACRO is to meet the needs of the community with a compassionate care first response model grounded in empathy, service, and community. MACRO's goal is to reduce responses by emergency services (Fire & Police), resulting in increased access to community-based services and resources for impacted individuals and families
Since the program officially launched in April 2022, all requests for MACRO services went thru the city’s standard 911 system, which starts at Oakland Police, and then if appropriate, the call is transferred to Oakland Fire Dispatch for a MACRO response to be generated. Residents and businesses also have had the option to email the MACRO staff at [email protected].
Jestin Johnson (Mar 14, 2024 12:30 PDT)
Mar 14, 2024
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational Report On MACRO Program Operations Date: March 13, 2024 Page 2
Public Safety Committee
March 26, 2024
However, starting in March 2024, MACRO now has a dedicated MACRO phone number for community members to use to request calls for service.
This milestone is a testament to the persistence of the Fire Chief, and a tireless crew of OFD leaders including Deputy Chief Demond Simmons, Dispatch/Communications Manager Dave Eberle, Medical Services Division Manager Vena Sword-Ratliff, MACRO Program Manager Elliott Jones and the dedicated personnel working in the Fire Dispatch Center and MACRO.
The Fire Department is pushing this number out broadly thru various communications channels and encourages elected officials and stakeholders to share this update with their constituents for awareness.
When to call MACRO
• MACRO teams respond to calls about homelessness, some behavioral or mental health calls, noise complaints and people being intoxicated (and nonviolent) in public.
• MACRO units do not respond inside anyone's home, to domestic violence calls or to any situations that appears dangerous or violent.
• MACRO requests are for quality-of-life concerns and not for emergencies or violent situations.
• If an immediate emergency response is required, please call 911.
How to Reach MACRO
Phone: (510) 44 MACRO | (510) 446-2276
To aid the dispatcher, callers should confirm that the situation is non-violent, non-emergent, no visible weapons and outside of a dwelling/residence or business.
Please do not call 211, 311, or 911 to get a MACRO response.
Email: [email protected]
When emailing MACRO please use this template:
• Email [email protected]
• Subject: "Request for Service @ Address/Location + Incident Type" • Body: Description of Incident, any relevant history and if possible, a picture.
MACRO response is still determined by available scheduled staffing. MACRO Responders are currently working 7am-2pm, with intermittent swing shift capacity until further notice.
Approximately 17 new responders have been hired in 2024 and will begin training in their new roles soon.
• Email MACRO@ oaklandca.g ov
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational Report On MACRO Program Operations Date: March 13, 2024 Page 3
Public Safety Committee
March 26, 2024
• Subject: "Request for Service @ Address/Location + Incident Type" • Body: Description of Incident, any relevant history and if possible, a picture.
MACRO response is determined by available scheduled staffing. MACRO Responders are currently in operation daily from 6am-2pm, with swing shifts 1pm-9pm Monday through Friday.
In-Person Meetings
Since the launch of the community advisory board in 2021-22, all the meetings had been held online (Zoom, and Teams).
In December 2023 the MACRO Community Advisory Board began having in person meetings.
The in-person meetings are facilitated by Jewel’d Legacy Group, a consultant for the Fire Department tasked with assisting in a range of duties associated with the MACRO program, including facilitating meetings and coordination with the advisory board. The meetings are held in City Hall and the conference room in Fire Administration, located on the 3rd floor of 150 Frank Ogawa Plaza.
The MACRO Community Advisory Board is now recruiting process for new members. The application period will be open until April 2024.
Staffing / Hirings
Approximately 17 new responders have been hired in 2024 and will begin training in their new roles. Once all the new hires have completed the Livescan background check process, then the official start date of the training academy will be announced.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational Report On MACRO Program Operations Date: March 13, 2024 Page 4
Public Safety Committee
March 26, 2024
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council accept this supplemental report, as part of Fire Department’s Informational Report On The Progress Of The City Of Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders Of Oakland (“MACRO”) Program
For questions regarding this report, please contact Elliott Jones, Program Manager of the MACRO Program, and Michael Hunt, Assistant to the Director of the Fire Department (Office of the Fire Chief).
Respectfully submitted,
Damon Covington
Chief, Oakland Fire Department
City of Oakland