Administrative
Report
N.1., File # 23-5960 Meeting Date: 5/2/2023
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: PATRICK BUTLER, INTERIM FIRE CHIEF
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING CITY AND LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE
AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE OPERATING MODELS AND COSTS APPROVE A REIMBURSEMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE PHASE 2 FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR
THE PROVISION OF FIRE PROTECTION, PARAMEDIC, AND INCIDENTAL SERVICES FOR THE
CITY OF REDONDO BEACH BY THE CONSOLIDATED FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $30,000
PROVIDE DIRECTION TO STAFF ON THE SELECTION OF A CONSULTANT TO PERFORM A
COMPARATIVE DEPLOYMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE REDONDO BEACH
FIRE DEPARTMENT INCLUDING AN ANALYSIS, EVALUATION, AND REVIEW OF COSTS FOR
FIRE, EMS AND HARBOR OPERATIONS AS COMPARED TO THOSE PROPOSED BY THE
CONSOLIDATED FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OF THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, AND
PROVIDE DIRECTION ON THE CONTRACT SCOPE OF WORK
PROVIDE DIRECTION ON THE POSSIBLE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CITIZEN REVIEW
COMMITTEE TO HELP ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL ON THE CITY AND COUNTY FIRE AND
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE OPERATING OPTIONS AND COSTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the April 11, 2023 meeting, the City Council directed staff to proceed with a Reimbursement Agreement for Phase 2 of the feasibility study for the provision of fire protection, paramedic, and incidental services for the City of Redondo Beach by the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County (District).
Additionally, a referral was made to issue a Request for Qualifications and costs (RFQ) from consultants to provide a third-party deployment and organizational analysis of the Redondo Beach Fire Department as compared to the District’s proposed service options. On April 13, 2023, the RFQ was released to perspective consultants with a deadline of April 20, 2023. Three firms submitted proposals and, after careful review of each of their proposals, staff determined that each of the consultants offer quality services that would meet the objectives of the proposed scope of work. All three clearly defined their approach to the project, have excellent references and offered very similar timelines, processes, and costs to complete the project. A summary of the firms’ qualifications is provided below.
The next step is for the City Council to provide direction on the selection of the consultant, finalize the
N.1., File # 23-5960 Meeting Date: 5/2/2023
The next step is for the City Council to provide direction on the selection of the consultant, finalize the scope of work, and direct staff to prepare a contract for services that will be brought to Council for consideration of approval in a few weeks.
Lastly, the Council requested that a citizen’s review panel be explored to provide a feedback mechanism for meaningful public participation and an opportunity for Redondo Beach residents to engage and assist the City as the various public safety options involving the Redondo Beach Fire Department are considered. Direction is needed on the type of committee the Council would like to see formed.
BACKGROUND
Phase 2 of the District Fire Feasibility Study includes a survey of City facilities, vehicles, equipment and infrastructure to determine the cost to convert City Fire/EMS service to District Fire/EMS service.
The Reimbursement Agreement has been reviewed by the City Attorney’s Office and, if approved and signed, will be transmitted to the District for final approval and signatures by the Board of Supervisors. The District survey is expected to take approximately 6 weeks to complete and will produce a report for City review which will include conversion costs.
In addition to the County study, Council requested that staff engage third-party consultants to perform a Comparative Deployment and Organizational Analysis of the Redondo Beach Fire Department and the fire service/EMS options provided by the District. Below is a brief overview of the scope of work determined by input of the Council and City staff for the project, including each firm’s breadth of experience in this area:
Proposed Consulting Services Scope of Work:
1. A community risk analysis of Redondo Beach with a 5-to-10-year projection.
2. Evaluating and existing Harbor Patrol models operations in King Harbor as compared to Marina del Rey.
3. Response time analysis for both Fire and EMS calls under City and District coverage models.
4. Response time analysis of a temporary fire station location in north Redondo Beach. This may include determining the optimal locations for a temporary fire station, identifying response time targets for both fire and EMS calls, evaluating resource allocation and assessing operational efficiency.
5. Comparing dispatch center call processing and transfer times.
6. Evaluating the existing Fire Department deployment model and assess its strengths and weaknesses. Identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations for optimizing resource allocation and operational efficiency.
7. Conducting scenario analysis by simulating different deployment strategies and evaluating their potential impacts on response time performance, resource utilization and operational effectiveness. This may include evaluating the impacts of station closures, relocation of resources or changes in response protocols.
8. Analyzing demographic projections to determine its impact on fire EMS calls moving forward, taking into account the additional development of senior housing projects and other planned development in the City.
9. Review of current facilities, equipment and logistics.
10. Researching other cities that switched to the District 20 or 30 years ago and inquiring as to
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how the move impacted response times and cost increases over time.
11. Determining the impact of the City’s pension refinancing versus the District’s pension system costs.
12. Preparing a comprehensive report summarizing the findings of the analysis, including recommendations for improving the Fire Department deployment strategy. The report may include maps, charts and other visualizations to effectively communicate the results to stakeholders.
13. Presenting the findings and recommendations to the City leadership, stakeholders and other relevant parties. Facilitate discussions to address questions, concerns and feedback from stakeholders and incorporate any necessary revisions to the analysis based on their input.
14. Developing an implementation plan that outlines the steps, timeline and resources required to implement the recommended changes to the Fire Department deployment strategy. This may include identifying potential barriers and challenges and developing strategies to address them.
15. Establishing a plan for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the recommended changes to the Fire Department deployment strategy over time. This may include ongoing data collection, analysis and reporting to ensure that the changes are achieving the desired outcomes and making continuous improvements as needed.
16.Additional scope of work may be considered based on the project outcomes.
The following three firms (in alphabetical order) provided timely responses to the RFQ. Based on the review of their proposals, all three consultants clearly met the criteria for selection and provided comprehensive proposals, which are attached. Staff believes the scope of any of the initial proposals provided by these firms can be tailored to meet the Department’s needs and stay within the approved budget of $60,000. It is expected that the Comparative Deployment and Organizational Analysis will take between 4 and 5 months to complete.
AP Triton, LLC.
Established in 2014, AP Triton has a wide range of experience in the fire service, emergency medical services, special events and filming, fire prevention and life-safety programs. Their consultants have conducted numerous studies involving Master Plans, Community Risk Assessments/Standards of Cover, Strategic Plans, Fire Department Consolidation Studies, Comparative Deployment Analyses, EMS Systems Analyses, Staffing Studies, Agency Evaluations, Fire Station Location and Engineering Studies, as well as other Fire Service and EMS studies. The initial quote associated with the AP Triton proposal is $59,918.
Citygate Associates, LLC
Founded in 1990, Citygate Associates is comprised of both active and retired city managers, public safety chiefs and other department heads regarded as leaders in their respective fields with many years of local government experience and master- or doctoral-level degrees. Their project teams also include maritime experts who have conducted port, harbor and other marine evaluations.
Citygate has conducted numerous studies involving Master Plans, Community Risk Assessments/Standards of Cover, Strategic Plans, Fire Department Consolidation Studies, Comparative Deployment Analyses, EMS Systems Analyses, Staffing Studies, Agency Evaluations, Fire Station Location and Engineering Studies, as well as other Fire Service and EMS studies. The initial quote associated with the Citygate Associates proposal is $81,952.
Matrix Consulting Group, LTD.
The Matrix Consulting Group has worked with over 150 fire/EMS agencies over the firm’s 15-year Page 3 of 4 N.1., File # 23-5960 Meeting Date: 5/2/2023
The Matrix Consulting Group has worked with over 150 fire/EMS agencies over the firm’s 15-year history, conducting studies of staffing, management, standard of coverage and feasibility studies, among others. The Matrix Group has conducted numerous studies involving Master Plans, Community Risk Assessments/Standards of Cover, Strategic Plans, Fire Department Consolidation Studies, Comparative Deployment Analyses, EMS Systems Analyses, Staffing Studies, Agency Evaluations, Fire Station Location and Engineering Studies, as well as other Fire Service and EMS studies. The initial quote associated with the Matrix Consulting Group proposal is $56,000.
Citizens Review Committee
The final item under consideration is the creation of a committee of Redondo Beach residents to provide feedback and input to the City Council on the type and level of Fire Services provided to the community. The committee can be formal in nature or informal. One option is to form the committee by resolution and have the members selected by the City Council, similar to the structure used for the Charter Review Committee. The actions of this type of a committee would be subject to Brown Act noticing requirements and procedural guidelines. In the alternative, a committee could be appointed by the City Manager that would act more informally, similar to the structure utilized for the procurement and design of the City’s new website. Direction is needed on the type of committee the Council would like to have implemented.
COORDINATION
The City Attorney’s Office reviewed and approved the Reimbursement Agreement with the District as to form. The Fire Department coordinated with the City Manager’s Office on the preparation and issuance of the RFQ.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City Council appropriated $30,000 in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget to pay for the District’s Phase 2 Feasibility Study. The cost for the Reimbursement Agreement, estimated at $24,000, is expected to be within the approved budget.
The City Council also appropriated $60,000 in the FY 2022-23 Budget to pay for the third-party consulting services work. The cost of the contract, based on the received proposals, is expected to be within the approved budget.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
· Agmt - Reimbursement Agreement with the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County
· Proposal - AP Triton, LLC.
· Proposal - Citygate Associates, LLC.
· Proposal - Matrix Consulting Group, LTD.
· RFQ- City of Redondo Beach seeking Comparative Deployment and Organizational Analysis of the Redondo Beach Fire Department