City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 24, 2023
Agenda Item: 5.I
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Wolfgang Knabe, Interim Fire Chief, Fire Department Subject: Approval of Urban Area Security Initiative 2020 Additional Grant Acceptance and Approve Third Contract Modification with Advanced Problem Solving Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to accept an additional award in the amount of $62,000 from the 2021 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) for homeland security projects in the Fire Department, and to approve all associated grant renewals.
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept the grant, grant modifications, and all associated grant renewals.
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a third modification to Contractual Services Agreement #10967, in an amount not to exceed $62,000 with Advanced Problem Solving, LLC, (“APS”) for video and curriculum development services for the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Regional Training Group (LAAFCA RTG) for the Fire Department on the same terms and conditions. This will result in a five-year amended agreement with a new total contract amount not to exceed $4,932,000, with future year funding contingent on council budget approval.
4. Adopt a finding of categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15322 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
5. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report.
Summary
The Fire Department receives various grants annually for the purpose of enhancing regional preparedness for disasters, emergencies, and other threats to homeland security. The City of Santa Monica was awarded an additional $62,000 that requires City Council approval in order to accept the funds. The funding will be used for 2 of 5
development and delivery of county wide nuclear threat courses as provided under contract #10967. To add this new scope to the contract, a third modification is required.
In the UASI 2021 grant cycle, the Fire Department was awarded funding totaling $1,177,692 to be used for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (“CBRNE”) equipment, hazardous materials training and equipment, urban search and rescue training and equipment, tactical emergency medical support equipment, and other related equipment, display training props, and programs for the training center and on behalf of the RTG.
Upon accepting the recently awarded, additional $62,000 from UASI 2021 grant funds, Santa Monica Fire’s total grant award for UASI 2021 is $1,439,692.
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize acceptance of additional 2021 UASI grant funds and the execution of a subrecipient agreement modification with the City of Los Angeles for a performance period of September 1, 2020, to May 31, 2023. The City of Los Angeles administers the UASI grant on behalf of the Los Angeles-Long Beach Urban Area, which includes Santa Monica. Staff also recommends that Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a third modification to the City’s existing agreement with APS in an amount not to exceed $62,000 and on the same terms and conditions. This modification will result in an amended agreement with a new total contract amount that does not exceed $4,932,000 over a five-year period. 3 of 5
Discussion
The UASI program directly supports the national priority of expanding regional collaboration within the National Preparedness Goal, which sets forth what is required for a local community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies. The UASI grant is intended to assist participating jurisdictions in developing integrated regional systems for prevention, protection, response, and recovery from natural or human-made disasters. These funds cannot be used for general purposes and must be specified at the time of application. Homeland security purchases must be preapproved by the state and align with grant guidelines.
Santa Monica Fire has accepted a request by Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs’ Association Regional Training Group (“RTG”) to coordinate and host the grant funding for the “Vista Forge” project which involves the development and delivery of county-wide Nuclear Threat Risk courses. These UASI 2021 grant funds in the amount of $200,000 were allocated to Santa Monica Fire on May 25, 2023. The RTG will be responsible for direct administration of the grant with SMFD oversight. Santa Monica Fire will host these funds on behalf of the region and the Vista Forge training delivery will be completed by Advanced Problem Solving (“APS”) under City contract no. 10967.
The UASI grant program is 100% federally funded from the Department of Homeland Security and managed through the State of California's Office of Emergency Services.
There are no ongoing costs related to the Fire Department’s grant funding.
Vista Forge is a United States Northern Command facilitated series of CBRNE progressive engagements designed to strengthen relationships with civil authorities, improve CBRNE response operations, and build local resilience within the response community.
The goals of the Vista Forge exercises are to develop partnerships with civil authorities, enable and integrate DoD response operations across the whole of government, build domestic resilience capabilities as a vital component of integrated deterrence, and collect a broad range of realistic data to assess and evaluate the adequacy of CBRNE response enterprise lifesaving (search & rescue, mass casualty decontamination, 4 of 5
medical stabilization) capabilities.
The Los Angeles/Long Beach UASI Vista Forge (LA/LB Vista Forge) Exercise will allow local jurisdictions to analyze their preparedness and interoperability with federal, military, state, and local agencies, and responders, receive targeted training from subject-matter-experts, and participate in Table-Top Exercises focused on key preparedness and operational topics during the first 72-hours following a nuclear detonation.
Environmental Review
The use of grant funds to fund emergency preparedness training is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15322 (Class 22 Educational or Training Programs) of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15322 exempts projects that consists of the adoption, alteration, or termination of educational or training programs which involve no physical alteration in the area affected or which involve physical changes only in the interior of existing school or training structures. Grant funds would support the administration of programs to ensure regional preparedness and therefore is exempt pursuant to Section 15322 of the CEQA Guidelines.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
5/23/2023
Attachment A
Authorization to accept the 2021 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Funds for Homeland Security Projects and enter into a Subrecipient agreement with the City of Los Angeles
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to accept a grant totaling $62,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency for the 2021 UASI program to fund training in direct support of overall regional goals to promote effective information gathering, sharing, and response to threats and/or acts of terrorism.
FY 2023-24 Grant Budget Changes
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Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account Number Amount Account Number Amount
20190001.40428F $62,000 20190001.55518F $62,000
Staff also seeks authority to approve funding from the Miscellaneous Grants Fund to increase the amount of contract # 10967 with Advanced Problem Solving, LLC by $62,000.
Contract Modification Request
Agreement #
Current
Authorized
Amount
Modified
Request
Amount
Account Number Total Amount
10967 $3,000,000 - 20190001.55518F $3,000,000
10967 Mod 1 $1,020,000 - 20190001.556530 $1,020,000
10967 Mod 2 $200,000 - 20190001.55518F $200,000
10967 Mod 2 $650,000 - 20190001.55518G $650,000
10967 Mod 3 $62,000 20190001.55518F $62,000
Total Revised Contract Amount $4,932,000
Prepared By: Terese Toomey, Principal Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. 03 UASI 2022 Staff Report 5.23.23 Item 5.K
B. APS Oaks exp 10.4.24
C. CSA 10967 Original Agreement
D. CSA APS through 12.5.23 Renewal