CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
DATE: SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 CONSENT CALENDAR
SUBJECT: APPROVE COOPERATIVE PURCHASE AGREEMENT NO. 26C175 WITH L.N. CURTIS & SONS AND NO. 26C176 WITH ALLSTAR FIRE EQUIPMENT, INC., FOR THE PURCHASE OF FIREFIGHTING
EQUIPMENT, SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS, AND
PROTECTIVE GEAR
FROM: Scott C. Stiles, City Manager
BY: Fire Department
SUMMARY:
This action will approve Cooperative Purchase Agreement No. 26C175 with L.N. Curtis & Sons in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 and Cooperative Purchase Agreement No. 26C176 with AllStar Fire Equipment, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 for the purchase of Firefighting Equipment, in accordance with NFPA 1970 Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural and Proximity Firefighting, Work Apparel and Self- Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services, and Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS).
RECOMMENDATION:
1) Approve Cooperative Purchase Agreement No. 26C175 (Attachment A) with L.N.
Curtis & Sons for the purchase of Firefighting Equipment, Work Apparel for Emergency Services, and Fire Hoses in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 for a five-year term commencing on September 9, 2026 through September 8 ,2031; 2) Approve Cooperative Purchase Agreement No. 26C176 (Attachment B) with AllStar Fire Equipment, Inc., for the purchase of Firefighting Equipment, Work Apparel and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services, and Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 for a five-year term commencing on September 9, 2026 through September 8, 2031;
3) Waive the requirements for disposition of surplus property outlined in Palm Springs Municipal Code Section 7.08 for Personal Protective and Rope Rescue Equipment replacements;
4) Authorize The City Manager or designee to execute all necessary documents.
City Council Staff Report
September 9, 2026 -- Page 2
Approve Cooperative Purchase Agreements 26C175 and 26C176 BUSINESS PRINCIPAL DISCLOSURE:
The Public Integrity Disclosures from L.N. Curtis & Sons and AllStar Fire Equipment, Inc. are included as Attachment C.
BACKGROUND:
The Fire Department is responsible for providing rapid, effective emergency response services, which requires equipping personnel with dependable life-safety gear. To ensure operational readiness and regulatory compliance, the department must systematically replace aging and expiring equipment.
A historical analysis has been completed over the last five years to determine the needed expense authority as outlined below.
L.N. Curtis and Sons
Equipment Type Expenses
Batteries $10,174.77
Foam $59,294.02
Hoses $139,454.48
Control System $8,217.68
Outfitting Equipment $140,722.77
PPE $4,647.02
Tools $87,943.70
Emergency Rescue Air Bags $15,890.63
Swiftwater Rescue Equipment $6,131.33
Flow-Meters $2,707.22
Extrication Equipment $43,531.56
Total 5-Year Spend $518,715.18
AllStar Fire Equipment
Equipment Type Expenses
Person Protective Equipment $66,155.22
Turnout Gear $336,219.00
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus $580,805.86
City Council Staff Report
September 9, 2026 -- Page 3
Approve Cooperative Purchase Agreements 26C175 and 26C176 Thermal Cameras $24,016.14
Helmets $14,312.42
Safety Equipment and Supplies $2,838.01
Total 5-Year Spend $1,024,346.65
The above five-year spend analysis includes FY25-26 which includes annual expenses of $175,242 with L.N. Curtis & Sons and $176,097 with AllStar Fire Equipment and is more closely reflective of current operational needs taking into consideration the following:
Equipment Lifecycle Needs
Protective Gear: Structural personal protective equipment (PPE), including turnouts, boots, and hoods, has a strict structural life span dictated by national safety standards per NFPA 1970. The Fire Department consistently purchases protective gear in line with a 10-year service life recommendation from NFPA. Firefighting Tools: Specialized extrication, ventilation, and water-flow tools require modernization to maintain emergency response efficiency.
Personnel Expansion
New Hires: Each new hire must be issued fully compliant, PPE and assigned dedicated SCBA equipment. Over the next five (5) years, through attrition, hiring 20-25 new employees. Currently the cost to outfit a new firefighter is approximately $15,000.
Surplus property, excluding PPE and rope rescue equipment, shall be disposed in accordance with Palm Springs Municipal Code Section 7.08.02 (6).
These cooperative purchase agreements will leverage pre-negotiated pricing to reduce administrative delays and secure competitive volume pricing for critical life-safety gear and equipment. The Fire Department has used these two vendors to purchase personal protective equipment (turnout pants, coats, boots, helmets, gloves, goggles, wildland safety gear), firefighting tools and equipment (fire hose, hose adapters, hose appliances, breaching and breaking tools, thermal imaging cameras, extrication equipment, extinguishing agents, rescue saws), Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and all parts associated with respiratory protection.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
In accordance with City of Palm Springs Municipal Code Section 7.03.09, “Special Procurement Methods,” Section 5, “Cooperative Purchasing Programs”, the City Council may authorize the acquisition of supplies or services through a joint powers or other cooperative purchasing program with a public entity or association of public agencies or City Council Staff Report
September 9, 2026 -- Page 4
Approve Cooperative Purchase Agreements 26C175 and 26C176 officials, provided that the vendor selected has been selected through a competitive process and the department finds that the competitive process is similar to that contained in Title 7 or adequate to protect the public interest, and that due to economies of scale, the nature of the product, or market conditions, the price of the supplies or services is likely to be less through the cooperative purchase than through the City’s independent purchasing pursuant to Title 7.
National Purchasing Partners (NPP) Gov is a public agency that conducts competitive solicitations and awards contracts to qualified vendors, allowing participating agencies to benefit from volume pricing and streamlined procurement processes. This cooperative purchasing arrangement provides competitive pricing and efficient procurement to support the operational needs of the City Departments through NPPGov Contract #PS26220 and PS26050 for the purchase of firefighting equipment, SCBA, protective gear and tools.
Staff evaluated the Fire Department’s current operational requirements, safety mandates, and procurement alternatives. The analysis identified that buying through the NPPGov cooperative contracts with L.N. Curtis & Sons and AllStar Fire Equipment, Inc. is the most efficient and cost-effective way to meet department needs. Approval of these Cooperative Purchase Agreements will reduce staff hours from the Fire Department, streamline the purchasing process and allow staff to purchase needed items in a timely manner.
Cooperative Procurement Justification
Price Verification: Staff verified that the NPPGov cooperative pricing matches or beats standard municipal volume discounts, saving significant taxpayer dollars on the $2,000,000 purchase.
Administrative Efficiency: A traditional, formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process takes roughly 90 to 120 days of staff time; using the pre-bid NPPGov contract cuts this administrative delay down to days.
Legal Compliance: This procurement method satisfies all local and state competitive bidding statutes, as the originating agency already publicly advertised, opened, and awarded the contract.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
The requested City Council action is not a "Project" as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a "Project" means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a "Project" does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
City Council Staff Report
September 9, 2026 -- Page 5
Approve Cooperative Purchase Agreements 26C175 and 26C176 ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING:
This item aligns with the following City Council Strategic Plan Broad Goal: Public Safety and Community Services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total financial impact for this approval is a combined not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the five-year terms. Adequate funds are available to support this expenditure, and the purchase will not require any additional appropriation or general fund impact beyond what is planned.
REVIEWED BY:
Department Director: Paul Alvarado, Fire Chief
City Manager: Scott Stiles
ATTACHMENTS:
A. LN Curtis-Palm Springs Cooperative Purchasing Agreement No. 26C175 B. AllStar-Palm Springs Cooperative Purchasing Agreement No. 26C176 C. Public Integrity Disclosure Forms