May 21, 2024
Fire Department
DATE: May 21, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Michael E. Smith, Interim Fire Chief
Aaron Osorio, Deputy Fire Chief
Richard Diaz, Emergency Service Manager
Subject:
Approve the Upgraded Service by Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle) to Provide the Platform for the City of Richmond’s
Emergency Notification System
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Expenditures will come from multiple account strings listed below. Funding for Fiscal Year 2023-24 is included in the Fire Department budget.
Account Strings: 11702022-400502-2A102; 11702022-
400201-2A102
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
Click or tap here to enter text.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Fire Department is seeking ratification and approval of a prior executed contract to upgrade the service and continue its existing agreement with Everbridge, Inc.
(Nixle) to provide the platform for the City of Richmond’s Emergency Notification System, which will address the
current need for prompt internal emergency notifications as well as emergency and non-emergency public
notification in multiple languages.
AGENDA
REPORT
May 21, 2024
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE AND RATIFY the upgraded service by
Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle) dated July 1, 2023, to provide the platform for the City of Richmond’s Emergency
Notification System, for a total amount not to exceed
$76,112.82, for a three-year term ending June 14, 2026, with a two-year extension option not to exceed an
additional $50,741.88 for the extended term – Fire
Department (Chief Michael E. Smith 510-307-8041/Chief
Aaron Osorio 510-307-8021/Richard Diaz 510-307-
8161).
On June 11, 2018, the City of Richmond entered into a sole-source Master Service Agreement with Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle). The service was to provide an emergency services notification platform to send alerts and advisories via SMS, email, web message, and landline. The City has been successful in pushing alerts and advisories to the community who opt-in to the system. Currently, the City’s Nixle database has 15,000 subscribers to text notifications and 7,000 subscribers to email notifications due to a long-term campaign. In addition, the City’s Nixle database has subscribers who live in our neighboring cities who can receive emergency notifications from us as hazardous incidents encroach upon them.
In July 2023, the Richmond Fire Department executed a contract for $76,112.82 to upgrade the service to include additional communication channels, users, and key features (e.g., unlimited mass notification and incident templates, map-based drawing, and selection tools) to its current service. Richmond Fire Department needs approval from City Council to approve and ratify its prior executed contract dated July 1, 2023, for upgraded services. The upgraded service is advantageous as the City of Richmond will have additional users who may be able to push alerts and advisories. The City’s previous service only allowed for one (1) designated user, whereas the upgraded service allows multiple designated users from the Police and Fire Departments.
Additionally, the upgraded service has map and rule-based capabilities where designated personnel may push different alerts and advisories based on specific geographic locations; as well as notifications to the public when they are entering an incident zone.
Department staff members are requesting approval of the prior executed sole-source agreement with Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle), in the amount of $76,112.82, for a three-year term, with an option of another two years to extend for both time and money. Nixle, an Everbridge, Inc. product, is an online emergency notification system designed to issue community alerts and advisories via text messages, emails, and phone calls to landlines for anyone who wishes to opt into the system.
Everbridge, Inc.’s acquisition of Nixle represents an expansion of features, which includes existing Nixle capabilities plus additional functionalities such as multiple languages, the ability for authorized City staff to issue an alert from a mobile device and possibilities of integration with our existing Communications Center dispatch system.
May 21, 2024
Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle) will be used by designated Police and Fire personnel to push alerts that are health and life-threatening. Similarly, community advisories will be used to push important information the community needs to remain at a safe distance from hazards or to avoid specific areas due to police or public works activities.
Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle) has been adopted by various entities in the State, including local governments, academic institutions, and private companies. In addition, Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle) fills a gap in the Contra Costa County Community Warning System (CWS).
Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle) pushes alerts and advisories to individuals who opt-in to the system, whereas CWS has generally focused on urgent actions to take, i.e., shelter-in- place, evacuations. The City has been using Nixle since 2018 and has been successful in pushing alerts and advisories. Contracting the City’s emergency notification will constitute another massive advertisement and pose a gap in our emergency notifications. The Richmond Fire Department asks City Council to approve and ratify its contract with Everbridge, Inc. (Nixle) executed in July 2023 for upgraded services.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Nixle Sole Source Justification
Attachment 2 – Nixle Master Service Agreement (2018)
Attachment 3 – Contract Executed July 2023