City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: OCTOBER 6, 2026 FROM: FIRE DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: BAIN INCIDENT – COST SHARE AGREEMENT WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION AND COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ISSUES:
Approve the Cost Share Agreement between the City of Riverside, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), and County of Riverside on behalf of the Riverside County Fire Department for costs associated with the Bain Incident.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the Cost Share Agreement between the City of Riverside, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), and County of Riverside on behalf of the Riverside County Fire Department for the Bain Incident; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Cost Share Agreement, including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
On May 19, 2026, at approximately 11:22 a.m., the Bain Incident began within the Riverside area and required a coordinated multi-agency wildland fire response. The incident was managed under Unified Command with participation from the City of Riverside Fire Department, CAL FIRE, and Riverside County Fire Department.
The cost share period established for the incident began May 19, 2026, at 11:22 a.m. and concluded May 25, 2026, at 8:00 a.m.
Following the incident, representatives from the participating agencies developed a Cost Share Agreement to document each agency's financial responsibility for resources utilized during the incident. The agreement was developed in accordance with applicable statewide cooperative fire agreements and establishes the methodology for allocating suppression costs among the participating agencies.
DISCUSSION:
The Bain Incident Cost Share Agreement establishes a "You Order You Pay" methodology for allocating costs incurred during the incident.
Under the agreement, the City of Riverside Fire Department accepts financial responsibility for the City resources identified in Exhibit A. These resources include Riverside Fire Department engines, brush apparatus, a water tender, and incident management and overhead personnel utilized during the response.
Riverside County Fire Department is financially responsible for the resources identified in Exhibit B, and CAL FIRE is financially responsible for the resources identified in Exhibit C. The agreement provides that each participating agency will bear the costs assigned to it in accordance with the agreed-upon allocation.
Approval of the Cost Share Agreement formalizes the allocation of financial responsibility among the participating agencies and allows the agreement to proceed through the respective agencies' approval and execution processes.
The Fire Department is continuing to reconcile personnel, equipment, and other incident-related costs associated with the City's response to the Bain Incident. In addition, staff is pursuing reimbursement through the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program for eligible incident costs. Final eligible costs and reimbursement amounts will be determined through the applicable reimbursement and closeout processes.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is unknown at this point. Approval of the Cost Share Agreement establishes the City's financial responsibility for the Riverside Fire Department resources identified in Exhibit A of the agreement. Fire Department staff is currently reconciling the personnel, equipment, and other costs associated with these resources. Staff is also pursuing FMAG reimbursement for eligible Bain Incident costs. Final incident costs and eligible reimbursement amounts have not yet been determined.
No supplemental appropriation is requested as part of this action. Should additional budget authority be required following reconciliation of incident costs and available reimbursements, staff will return to the City Council for the appropriate budget action.
Prepared by: Brian Guzzetta, Deputy Fire Chief
Approved by: Steven McKinster, Fire Chief
Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Finance Director Approved by: Edward Enriquez, Assistant City Manager Approved as to form: James Johnson, City Attorney
Bain Incident Cost Share Agreement● Page 3