Public Safety Committee
May 12, 2026
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Damon Covington
City Administrator Fire Chief
SUBJECT: Purchase Agreement with LN Curtis &
Sons, Inc.
DATE: March 30, 2026
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Approve A Resolution: 1) Authorizing The City Administrator To Enter Into A Purchase Agreement With LN Curtis & Sons, Inc., For The Purchase Of Firefighter Equipment For A Three Year Period, In An Amount Not To Exceed One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000), With Two One-Year Options To Extend The Agreement For Up To An Additional Five Hundred Thousand Dollars Per Year, For A Total Contract Amount Not To Exceed Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000) Over The Possible Five-Year Term; And 2) Waiving The Advertising And Competitive Bidding Requirements.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Approval of this Resolution will authorize the City Administrator to waive the competitive bidding requirements to establish a new contract with LN Curtis & Sons, Inc. so that the Oakland Fire Department (OFD) can ensure continued access to firefighting equipment and California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL OSHA) mandates:
wildland firefighting equipment and hose, wildland personal protective safety equipment, wildland fire suppression foam, and turnout gear advanced inspection and cleaning services. LN Curtis, located in Dublin, California, has been a long-term provider of equipment, safety footwear, and tool needs for the Department. Prior to its relocation in Dublin, LN Curtis & Sons, Inc. had its west coast warehouse located here in Oakland for over 40 years.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
In November 1990, LN Curtis began providing firefighting equipment and tools for the Oakland Fire Department. On October 14, 2003, the City Council approved Resolution No. 78140 C.M.S., which authorized the previous contract with the incumbent.
The City currently has a valid contract with LN Curtis for a dollar amount of $250,000 (all funds have been exhausted). This resolution seeks the approval of Council to increase the contract Jestin Johnson (May 1, 2026 11:16:31 PDT)
May 1, 2026
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Purchase Agreement with LN Curtis & Sons, Inc.
Date: March 30, 2026 Page 2
Public Safety Committee
May 12, 2026
amount to $1,500,000 over a three-year period with an option to extend for two-years at an annual cost of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for a possible five-year total contract not-to-exceed amount of $2,500,000.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
A local supplier of firefighting equipment and tools ensures that Oakland firefighters have access to equipment, tools, supplies, and safety gear in a timely manner when such items are needed through the City’s procurement process. The incumbent vendor, LN Curtis, has and continues to provide needed equipment and other miscellaneous items when required by the Department.
A full-service firefighting equipment vendor provides the following essential items to a fire service organization:
• Wildland personal protection equipment (PPE)
• Personal protective equipment advanced inspection and cleaning services (CAL OSHA mandate)
• Wildland fire hose
• Wildland fire suppression equipment and tools
• Wildland fire suppression foam
There are no other vendors in the immediate area who can meet the equipment needs for the Department and its obligation to incidents in the wildland urban interface (WUI) environment.
Based on the longstanding relationship between the vendor and the Department, staff recommends Council waive the multi-step proposal solicitation process and enter in a three- year agreement through 31 August 2025, with a limit of $3,000,000 with an option to extend up to two years for $1,000,000.
Adoption of this resolution is in alignment with the citywide goal of providing holistic public safety services to all communities across Oakland.
Past Performance Evaluation and Follow-Up
The incumbent has continually provided equipment needs to the Oakland Fire Department since 1990 and has been instrumental in ensuring Oakland firefighters are equipped with proper and sufficient equipment for all hazard types. Extending the length and dollar amount of the contract ensures the Department remains operationally ready for all emergency types, especially wildland fire incidents. The vendor has been a reliable equipment provider to fire departments across the United States.
Should a waiver of the multi-step proposal solicitation process not be granted, the City will be required to post an additional Request for Proposal RFP to select and contract with an equipment vendor. The fire department is unable to continue purchasing with LN Curtis due to no funds available in the current contract. The RFP process will begin in April 2026.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Purchase Agreement with LN Curtis & Sons, Inc.
Date: March 30, 2026 Page 3
Public Safety Committee
May 12, 2026
Rationale for Waiver of Request for Advertising and Bidding
Oakland Municipal Code Section 2.04.050.1.5 authorizes the City Council to waive the City's standard advertising and bidding process upon a finding that it is in the best interests of the City.
LN Curtis & Sons, Inc. (located in Dublin, CA), as they are the only vendor in Northern California that can readily provide a full selection of wildland firefighting equipment, tools, supplies, and safety gear; and therefore, is the only company capable of meeting the Department’s purchase needs.
FISCAL IMPACT
Sufficient initial funds for the purchasing agreement with LN Curtis & Sons, Inc. are available for Fiscal Year 2025-27 Biennial Adopted Budget for Firefighting equipment, tools, supply and safety gear services. Funding for future fiscal years may continue to draw from these same sources or may be provided through separate appropriations during the FY 2026-27 Midcycle and Biennial Budget adoptions. A breakdown of the appropriated project funding sources is included in Table 1. The annual planned allocation is shown in Table 2.
Table 1
Fund Source Organization Account Project Program Amount (Fund # and
Name)
(Org # and
Name)
(Account # and
Name)
(Project # and
Name)
(Program #
and Name)
$
General
Purpose Fund
1010
20816 –
Support
Services
20411-
Emergency/
Suppression
52912 – Clothing
52914 – Minor
Tools &
Equipment
52919 –
Supplies:
Miscellaneous &
Commodities
54919 –
Services:
Miscellaneous
Contract
100009 –
DP200
Administrative
Project
PS 16 –
Personnel
Resource
Management
PS 17 – Fire
Suppression
PS 26 –
Support
Services
$2,500,000
Table 2
(Fund #
and Name)
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total
General
Purpose
Fund 1010
$500,000 $500,000 $500,000 $500,000
$500,000 $2,500,000
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Purchase Agreement with LN Curtis & Sons, Inc.
Date: March 30, 2026 Page 4
Public Safety Committee
May 12, 2026
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No public outreach is required for the acceptance of this resolution.
COORDINATION
The Fire Department coordinated with the Finance Department and the Office of the City Attorney in the development of this report and resolution.
RACE AND EQUITY
By having access to a fire equipment vendor in Northern California, the Fire Department will continue to serve and ensure the safety to all the city of Oakland residents and particularly its most vulnerable populations.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Purchase Agreement with LN Curtis & Sons, Inc.
Date: March 30, 2026 Page 5
Public Safety Committee
May 12, 2026
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Approve A Resolution: 1) Authorizing The City Administrator To Enter Into A Purchase Agreement With LN Curtis & Sons, Inc., For The Purchase Of Firefighter Equipment For A Three Year Period, In An Amount Not To Exceed One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000), With Two One-Year Options To Extend The Agreement For Up To An Additional Five Hundred Thousand Dollars Per Year, For A Total Contract Amount Not To Exceed Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000) Over The Possible Five-Year Term; And 2) Waiving The Advertising And Competitive Bidding Requirements.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Deputy Chief Demond Simmons at [email protected]
Respectfully submitted,
Damon Covington
Fire Chief
Prepared by:
Demond Simmons, Deputy Chief
Fire Administration, Oakland Fire Department