June 24, 2025
Fire Department
DATE: June 24, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Aaron Osorio, Fire Chief
Rico Rincon, Deputy Fire Chief
Subject:
Contract Amendment No. 2 with Matrix Consulting Group
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Total expenditure for the Community Risk Assessment/Standards of Cover (CRA/SOC) should not
exceed $35,000. Funding is included in the Fire
Department budget (Account String: 01204022-400201).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
May 7, 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Matrix Consulting Group is contracted to conduct the Advanced Life Support (ALS)/Paramedic First Feasibility Study for the Richmond Fire Department. The
Department aims to identify additional opportunities for operational improvement, reduce community risk, and
establish benchmarks to support the implementation of
long-term operational goals through Community Risk
Assessment and Standards of Cover (CRA/SOC).
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE the second amendment to the contract with
Matrix Consulting Group to increase the limit by $35,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $74,500, and
provide further analysis to develop Community Risk
Assessment and Standards of Cover – Fire Department
(Chief Aaron Osorio 510-307-8021/Deputy Chief Rico
Rincon 510-307-8041).
AGENDA
REPORT
June 24, 2025
DISCUSSION:
Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover (CRA/SOC) is a critical component in evaluating and improving the operational effectiveness of the Richmond Fire Department (“Department”). By assessing past performance, current deployment strategies, and future service demands, the Department aims to identify opportunities for operational improvement, reduce community risk, and establish benchmarks to support the implementation of long-term operational goals.
The Community Risk Assessment will provide an all-hazards analysis of the service area, identifying risks, threats, and vulnerabilities in alignment with national standards such as NFPA 1300. In addition, the Standards of Cover will evaluate the Department’s operations and performance against industry standards and best practices, including an assessment of services provided, capital assets, system performance, population growth, and inter-jurisdictional response capabilities. Together, these assessments will help guide the Department in achieving short-term service goals while outlining long- term strategies and policy recommendations to enhance overall emergency response capabilities.
The Department intends to amend the contract with the Matrix Consulting Group ("Vendor") to provide further analysis and develop Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover (Attachment 1 and 2). The vendor was previously directed by the City of Richmond to conduct the City's Emergency Services Data and Analysis Report on March 15, 2022. The report was published on March 6, 2023, detailing an in-depth analysis of the emergency services system and dynamics of the department. Similarly, the vendor was authorized by the City of Richmond on May 7, 2024, to conduct an Advanced Life Support/Paramedic First Responder Feasibility Study to explore the potential for the Department to transition into a paramedic-level service provider.
Since the vendor has already conducted several analyses of the Department, it will be in the best interest of the City to amend the contract to save lead time, cost, and duplication of any baseline studies that are needed for this project. The vendor proposes delivering its findings within two months, which will involve a series of interviews with the Department, as well as review and evaluation of the department’s organization, staffing, deployment, workload, performance and CAD data.
In accordance with this matter, City staff has updated the sole-source documentation to reflect the revised scope of services and adjusted the contract limit, to increase the limit by $35,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $74,500 (Attachment 3). In addition, City staff requests for approval to amend the contract with Matrix Consulting Group to increase the contract limit and provide further analysis and produce Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover documents (Attachment 4).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Original Contract
June 24, 2025
Attachment 2 – First Contract Amendment
Attachment 3 – Sole Source
Attachment 4 – Proposed Second Contract Amendment