el 1194
City of Redondo Beach
Analysis of Contracting Fire Services to the Consolidated Fire Protection District of the County of Los Angeles Fire prevention services for the City will be provided out ofthe District' s office in nearby Carson.
The current Redondo Beach fire prevention staff of 2. 5 full-time employees will be transitioned into the District. The District' s proposed costs only charge the City for 1. 75 fire prevention staff.
When capacity is needed beyond that, the District can distribute the workload to prevention staff covering nearby communities.
As the detailed fiscal review in Section 3 of this report will show, the proposed contract cost is less than the City' s budgeted cost due to the reduction of one City- based engine company and sharing other services with adjoining service areas. However, contained in the City' s Fire Department budget are large pension liability costs that run for 29 more years. These and other smaller " leave behind" costs to the City are not transferred or eliminated by contracting; they are an ongoing cost to the City. Therefore, the City' s Fire Department budget cannot simply be compared to the District' s proposal. The District initially proposed to provide fire services via contract to the City at an annual cost of$20,274, 822.
Table 2— Current Service Cost versus Proposed Contract
Current Fire
Fire
Added Cost
Component Department
Department
Difference
p
Budget
Budget
Contract
or( Savings)
Base Budget Comparison Before Adjustment for Leave- Behind City Costs 23, 184, 042 20, 274, 822 ( 2, 909, 220)
YEAR- ONE COUNTY CONTRACT
Net cost without the City reducing an engine in its own services and all other 23, 184, 042 27, 962, 079 4, 778, 037
leave behind adjustments that must be added to the District' s contract cost
TEN-YEAR COUNTY COST INCREASE AFTER STARTUP COSTS STOP
Year- four cost in present value dollars after startup costs are paid 23, 184, 042 24, 566, 135 Year- four through year- ten costs after startup 162, 288, 294 171, 962, 945 9, 674, 651 Three- year cost difference+ remaining seven years cost difference 4, 146, 279 13, 820, 930 The figures in the right column above show how a County contract is more expensive to the General Fund for the first year. Further, after all startup costs are paid by the end of the third year, a straight- line run- out to ten years still shows a total added expense of$ 13, 820, 930 for a County contract. Based on all cost differences, led by a significant pension" leave- behind" cost, a contract with County Fire is more expensive forfewer personnel on duty in the City limits considering the reduction of a three-firefighter engine company. Even if the City chose to reduce the engine company at a savings of almost$ 2, 000, 000 per year, the year- one and startup costs amortized over three years with a County Fire contract are still more expensive than the City' s total costs.
While the fiscal section of this report details all the cost differences, the largest reason the City' s fire budget is higher than the County' s costs, even after the County reduces one engine and shares Pa e3 rillh
Executive Summary g c I TYGATE
City of Redondo Beach
Analysis of Contracting Fire Services to the Consolidated Fire Protection District of the County of Los Angeles chief officer and Harbor Patrol costs, are the unfunded pension obligations alone that must be paid in addition to the District' s contract costs.
In the year- two through year-ten projections above, all costs use today' s present values. It is impossible for Citygate or City and County staffs to accurately predict personnel and operating costs for labor agreements not yet bargained, as well as other, inflation- driven costs for operating equipment or stations.
Table 3— Key City Leave- Behind Cost Obligations
Current Fire
Fire Difference
Department
Component Department Budget after (
Savings) I
Budget Cost
Contract
Debt payment tied to existing Lease Revenue Bonds( LRBs) for 2021 pension obligation payoff or other fire services debt not 3, 301, 399 3, 301, 399 absorbed by County Fire through 2049
CaIPERS pension unfunded accrued liability cost after 2021 373, 000 373, 000 payoff of liability with 2021 Lease Revenue Bonds( LRBs) Total 3, 674, 399 3, 674, 399
The City is to be commended for dealing with its unfunded pension liability and financing it at better terms. Further, it is a best practice to place these costs into each department' s budget.
However, many cities do not do this, and the District would not have been expected to look for it.
This possibly means that early, informal conversations with the District about a contract cost comparison were not fully informed if the contract cost was compared to the City' s Fire Department budget without the common understanding that the contract cost was only for operational costs the District would be providing.
CITYGATE' S FINDINGS
Finding# 1: The District' s proposal eliminates a three- person engine company, a command chief officer inside the City, and shares the County Baywatch boat crew in King Harbor.
Finding# 2: While Baywatch Redondo is based out of Fire Station 3 in King Harbor, the District' s boat has a larger response area and may not be available at times.
Finding# 3: Additional District resources, including a command officer, would come from adjacent fire stations close to the City.
Pa e 4
Executive Summary
CITYGATE g
City of Redondo Beach
Analysis of Contracting Fire Services to the Consolidated Fire Protection District of the County of Los Angeles Finding# 4: The District' s fire prevention proposal maintains a comparable level of fire prevention service for the City based on an initial understanding of the City' s workload data for fire prevention.
Finding# 5: City savings from the District' s contract cost are negated by it being unable to reduce all its Fire Department budget, due mostly to legacy unfunded pension liability cost payments.
CONCLUDING OBSERVATION
The City has received an implementable contract- for-fire- services proposal from the District.
While there are differences for deployment and headquarters inside the City limits, these are mitigated by the District' s regional shared services approach, which is proven to work well across the County.
There are other policy choices for the City Council to consider other than the bottom- line cost.
Contracting eliminates the City' s entire burden of managing fire services, freeing up City Hall capacity for other civic issues. The District provides an immense, integrated team to serve the City.
The City has a strong fire department that does not need a major overhaul. The City also has maximum control over the design and cost ofits fire services. The employees have chosen to work for and stay in the City.
It is impossible for any model to forecast City and District personnel costs many years into the future. Historic experience is that public safety cost increases track with general inflation at a minimum, and typically exceed it. If the City' s fire costs perspective were to " set aside" the pension liability payments from this analysis, the District contract costs are much closer to the City' s. However, its contract proposal fields six fewer dedicated personnel ( engine, Chief, Harbor Patrol) inside City limits in a shared model. For base operational costs, either agency could be more expensive in just a few years due to differing personnel cost changes.
Based on these intangibles in addition to the bottom- line, General Fund fiscal impact, the City has two capable, but different, fire service provision options before it.
Executive Summary Page 5
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Redondo Beach, CA
Fire Department Deployment and Organizational Analysis
Building Fire Risk
One of the primary hazards in any community is building fire. Building fire risk factors include building size, age, construction type, density, occupancy, and height above ground level; required fire flow; proximity to other buildings; built-in fire protection/ alarm systems; available fire suppression water supply; building fire service capacity; and fire suppression resource deployment distribution/ concentration), staffing, and response time.
The following figure illustrates the building fire progression timeline and shows that flashover, which is the point at which the entire room erupts into fire after all the combustible objects in that room reach their ignition temperature, can occur as early as three to five minutes from the initial ignition. Human survival in a room after flashover is extremely improbable.
Figure 3— Building Fire Progression Timeline
HOME FIRE TIMELINE
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Section 2— Standards of Coverage Assessment Page 31
c T' ' A T E
Redondo Beach, CA
Fire Department Deployment and Organizational Analysis
Medical Emergency Risk
Fire agency service demand in most jurisdictions is predominantly for medical emergencies. The following figure illustrates the reduced survivability of a cardiac arrest victim as time to defibrillation increases.
Fiture 4— Survival Rate versus Time of Defibrillation
100 —
80—
SURVIVAL REDUCED BY
60— 07- 10% EACH MINUTE
z a DEFIBRILLATION DELAYED
40 —
20—
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5 10 15 20 25
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The Department provides BLS and ALS pre- hospital emergency medical services with all response personnel trained to either the EMT or EMT- P level.
2. 4.4 Risk Assessment Summary
The Department' s overall risk for five hazards related to emergency services provided by the Department range from Low to Moderate, as summarized in the following table. See Appendix A for the full risk assessment.
Pa a 32 Section 2— Standards of Coverage Assessment
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KEY REQUIREVE\ TS FOR EVERGE\ CY SERVICES
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The minimum requirements for provision of emergency The requirements intend to provide effective, efficient, and safe services by career fire departments can be found in NFPA protective services to help prevent fires, reduce risk to lives and 1710, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire property, deal with incidents that occur, and help prepare for Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and anticipated incidents.
Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments.
The requirements are listed in NFPA 1710 for fire department NFPA 1710 addresses the structure and operation of service deployment based on the type of occupancy, along with organizations providing such services, which include fire the appropriate response staffing levels for each. The minimum suppression and other assigned emergency response staffing level for each occupancy is listed below. For the full responsibilities such as EMS and special operations. breakdown of staffing requirements by position, refer to the subsections specific to each occupancy in 5. 2. 4.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
1 Occupancy Type Single- Family Dwelling Occupancy Type Garden- Style Apartment Deployment: Minimum of 16 members or 17 i'= It Deployment: Minimum of 27 members or 28 if aerial device is used if aerial device is used
The initial full alarm assignment to a structure fire in The initial full alarm assignment to a structure fire in a typical 2000 ft2( 186 m2), two- story, single-family a typical 1200 ft2( 111 m2) apartment within a threedwelling without a basement and with no exposures story, garden- style apartment building must provide must provide for a minimum of 16 members( 17 if an
for a minimum of 27 members( 28 if an aerial device
aerial device is used). is used).
uwr• Occupancy Type: Open- Air Strip Mall
n- Occupancy Type: High- Rise
MI Deployment: Minimum of 27 members or 28 Deployment: Minimum of 42 members or 43 if aerial device is used if building is equipped with fire pump The initial full alarm assignment to a structure fire in The initial full alarm assignment to a fire in a building a typical open- air strip shopping center ranging from with the highest floor greater than 75 ft( 23 m) above 13, 000 ft2 to 196, 000 ft2( 1203 m2 to 18, 209 m2) in the lowest level of fire department vehicle access size must provide for a minimum of 27 members( 28 must provide for a minimum of 42 members( 43 if if an aerial device is used). the building is equipped with a fire pump).
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FACT SHEET 1
KEY REQUIREVE\ TS FOR EVERGE\ CY SERVICES
I \ \ EPA 1710 CONTINUED
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS Benchmarks Response Objectives
Fire departments that respond to fires in occupancies that 15 sec 95% of the time present hazards greater than those found in 5. 2. 4 must Alarm answer or deploy additional resources on the initial alarm as described 40 sec 99% of the time in 5. 2. 4.6. 64 sec 95% of the time
Even though fireground staffing levels have changed, NFPA Alarm processing or 1710 continues to require that engine companies be staffed 106 sec 99% of the time with a minimum of four on- duty members, as stated in 5. 2. 3. Turnout- Fire 80 sec In addition, 5. 2. 2. 2. 1 requires that the fire department identify Turnout EMS 60 sec
minimum company staffing levels as necessary to meet the deployment criteria required in 5. 2. 4 to ensure that a sufficient First due engine 240 sec( 4 min)
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number of members are assigned, on duty, and available to 90% of the time safely and effectively respond with each company. 360 sec( 6 min) Second- due engine
90% of the time
Additional changes to the 2020 edition of the standard include an update to the definition for career fire department and a Initial full alarm- Low/ 480 sec( 8 min) clarification of how to determine if the department would medium hazard 90% of the time fall under either NFPA 1710 or NFPA 1720, Standard for the 610 sec( 10 min 10 sec) Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Initial full alarm- High hazard 90% of the time
Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments.
Several new definitions relating to geographic areas based on population density have been added and the number of responders needed based on the type of incident and tasks Learn More to accomplish has been included. New requirements have
been added for mobile water supply tankers/ tenders and Visit nfpa. org/ 1710 for free digital access to the deployment and training of incident safety officers. Also, standard. material on wildland fire suppression has been expanded. Sign up on nfpa. org/ NFPA- Membership to:
RESPONSE OBJECTIVES
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Documenting the benchmarks and response objectives that Access exclusive content make up NFPA 1710 is crucial to capturing and tracking data Search content and connect with your peers to that would be helpful in ensuring the necessary allocation of share information and answer questions on NFPA' s resources. online community at nfpa.org/ xchange
NFPA 1710. Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppressar:
Operations. Emci cncy Medical Operations. and Special Operations to the Fobic hi, Career Fire Oepartrncntts IT' S A BIG WORLD.
HFPJ LET' S PROTECT IT TOGETHER:
2020 National Fire Protection Association/ lone 2020