August 26, 2025
Fire Department
DATE: August 26, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Aaron Osorio, Fire Chief
Rico Rincon, Deputy Fire Chief
Michael Schlemmer, Project Coordinator
Den Mark Marcelo, Admin Services Coordinator
Subject:
Contract With Medical Priority Consultants, Inc. dba
Priority Dispatch for Software Maintenance
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed total three-year expenditure of $27,000 is included in the approved fiscal year 2025-2026 budget,
Fire Department (Account String: 01204022-400209).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Richmond Fire Department is seeking ratification
and approval of a prior executed contract to continue its existing agreement with Medical Priority Consultants, Inc. dba Priority Dispatch for the maintenance of the ProQA
and AQUA software used for 911 medical emergency
dispatching and quality assurance.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE and RATIFY the service contract by Medical
Priority Consultants, Inc. dba Priority Dispatch dated April 1, 2023, for the maintenance of the ProQA and AQUA
software used for 911 medical emergency dispatching
and quality assurance, for a total amount not to exceed $27,000, for a three-year term ending March 31, 2026,
with a two-year extension option not to exceed an
additional $24,000 for the extended term – Fire
Department (Chief Aaron Osorio 510-307-8021/Chief
Rico Rincon/Michael Schlemmer 510-307-8046/Den
Mark Marcelo 510-307-8038).
AGENDA
REPORT
August 26, 2025
DISCUSSION:
The Richmond Communications Center utilizes software from Priority Dispatch (“Vendor”) to assist with 911 medical emergency call-taking, dispatching, and quality assurance. The Richmond Fire Department (“Department”) is requesting that City Council approve a sole-source contract to continue the maintenance and updates for the software.
In April 2010, the City of Richmond purchased Priority Dispatch ProQA and AQUA software and licenses on behalf of the Police Department’s Communications Center.
ProQA is used during the course of an emergency medical call to guide the dispatchers through the process of collecting vital information from the caller and choosing the appropriate dispatch levels. The AQUA software application is used for quality assurance and provides assistance in the areas of data entry, record keeping, and reporting functions required by the State and other agencies. The vendor also provides card sets as a backup resource for dispatching in the event ProQA is temporarily unavailable, allowing the Communications Center to take and dispatch medical emergency calls until ProQA is online again.
As part of this purchase, the City is required to renew its maintenance agreement annually to ensure critical updates are received. On April 1, 2023, the agreement was renewed, but the Department needs approval from the City Council to approve and ratify the maintenance agreement.
Department staff members request approval of the prior executed sole-source agreement with Medical Priority Consultants, Inc. dba Priority Dispatch, in the amount of $27,000 for a three-year term, with an option of another two years to extend. The ProQA and AQUA software are proprietary to the vendor, and the vendor solely transacts directly to the customer. No other vendor can provide technical expertise or updates to the software applications used by the Richmond Communications Center.
SYNERGISTIC POLICIES:
The service contract with Medical Priority Consultants, Inc. dba Priority Dispatch, is vital to ensuring that emergency calls are handled properly and efficiently. It also aligns with the goals and priorities set by the City Council to improve public safety and enhance operational efficiency.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Standard Contract
Attachment 2 – Sole Source