City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: October 6, 2026 FROM: FIRE DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: FACILITY USE AGREEMENT WITH PALO VERDE IRRIGATION DISTRICT FOR SWIFT WATER RESCUE TRAINING IN BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA ISSUE:
Consider approving a Facilities Use Agreement with the Palo Verde Irrigation District to allow California Task Force 6 (CA-TF6) and Riverside Fire Department personnel to conduct required annual swift water rescue refresher training. The training will take place between May 1 – May 31, 2027, on the Colorado River below the Palo Verde Dam in Blythe, California. This location has been utilized for several years and provides an ideal environment for conducting realistic swift water rescue training under controlled conditions.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve a Facility Use Agreement with the Palo Verde Irrigation District to allow California Task Force 6 (CA-TF6) and Riverside Fire Department personnel to conduct required annual swift water rescue refresher training on the Colorado River in Blythe, California, during May 2027; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to make minor and non-substantive changes to the agreement.
BACKGROUND:
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is a “multi-hazard” discipline trained to respond to a variety of natural, technological, and man-made emergencies or disasters. The City of Riverside Fire Department’s USAR team is the sponsoring agency for California Task Force 6 (CA-TF6) which is one of 28 National, and one of eight California USAR Task Force teams. These teams respond as either a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or California Mutual Aid resource during emergencies requiring highly skilled search and rescue personnel. Teams have previously been deployed to the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina, Super Storm Sandy, Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence, Michael, Lane, Hurricane Fiona, Hawaii Wildfire, Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, and most recently Kerr County Texas Floods.
DISCUSSION:
The Colorado River below the Palo Verde Dam has served for many years as the preferred training location for California Task Force 6 (CA-TF6) and Riverside Fire Department swift water rescue personnel. The site provides the river conditions necessary to safely conduct realistic rescue scenarios and maintain critical operational skills.
Personnel assigned to swift water rescue teams are required to complete annual refresher training to maintain operational readiness and compliance with applicable industry standards. Training includes boat operations, victim rescue, rescue swimming, communications, risk assessment, and incident management in moving water environments. This training directly supports the Fire Department’s ability to respond safely and effectively to swift water and flood-related emergencies within the City of Riverside while maintaining CA-TF6 readiness for state and federal disaster response.
Maintaining these skills is essential to the readiness of both CA-TF6 and Riverside Fire Department personnel. Trained personnel provide emergency response capabilities within the City of Riverside and Riverside County and may also be deployed throughout California through the California Mutual Aid System under the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). CA-TF6 personnel may also be activated nationally through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Response System.
Approval of the Facility Use Agreement will allow the Department to continue using a proven training venue and ensure personnel maintain the skills and qualifications necessary to support local, state, and federal emergency response missions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with approval of this Facilities Use Agreement.
Prepared by: Pat Hopkins, Division Chief
Approved by: Steve McKinster, Fire Chief
Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Finance Director
Approved by: Edward Enriquez, Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer
Approved as to form: James Johnson, City Attorney
Attachment:
06.10.26 Execution Copy – Palo Verde Irrigation District – 314499 (11) Palo Verde Agreement ● Page 3