City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 23, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.G
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Matthew Hallock, Fire Chief, Fire Department
Subject: Authorization for Procurement Manager to Issue Purchase Order to Allstar Fire Equipment for Purchase and Delivery of Turnouts
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; and
2. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with Allstar Fire Equipment for the purchase of structural Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the Fire Department. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to the City’s Procurement Policy and is for an amount not to exceed $801,846, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Structural Personal Protective Equipment or Turnout gear is a critical element of personal protective equipment worn by firefighters when responding to emergencies. It protects the firefighter from heat and fire exposure, as well as chemicals, water, and debris. The Santa Monica Fire Department (“SMFD”) provides each firefighter with two sets of turnout gear (coat and pants) – a primary set and a reserve set when the primary set becomes contaminated following a fire or other significant exposure and requires cleaning. Staff recommends the issuance of a purchase order to Allstar Fire Equipment, Inc. (Allstar), the authorized distributor of LION turnout gear in California, for an amount not to exceed $801,846 over a four-year, eight-month period. This purchase will be made as an exception to the competitive bidding process via a cooperative purchasing agreement.
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Discussion
Firefighters wear personal protective equipment, such as turnouts, hoods, boots, gloves, and suspenders, to protect from harmful environmental conditions and physical injury during fire and rescue incidents. These hazards include physical, electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter. Annually, SMFD responds to over 18,000 calls for service, many of which require firefighters to don their turnout gear.
Turnout gear, which includes coat and pants, is a key component of the personal protective equipment. SMFD follows the standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (“NFPA”) which is an international non-profit organization that creates and maintains safety standards, codes, and guidelines to prevent death, injury, and property loss caused by fire, electrical, and related hazards. NFPA 1971 protects firefighting personnel by establishing minimum levels of protection from thermal, physical, environmental, and blood-borne pathogen hazards encountered during structural and proximity firefighting operations.
Each firefighter is provided two (2) sets of Turnouts; a primary set and a reserve set.
When the primary set becomes contaminated following a fire or other significant exposure and requires cleaning, the second set is immediately placed into service.
Turnout gear is replaced approximately every five (5) years, ensuring that all front-line turnouts are less than ten (10) years old. This equates to about 25 sets of turnouts purchased every year. Staff has also allotted 12 sets of Turnouts for each biennial Recruit Academy.
For the past several years, SMFD has utilized Turnouts manufactured by LION because LION Turnouts meet the Department’s performance and safety requirements and are NFPA 1971-compliant. LION Turnout gear systems directly support firefighter heatstress management, mobility, visibility, and durability during structural firefighting operations. In order to ensure compatibility with existing department gear and avoid additional gear costs associated with switching to a non-compatible vendor, SMFD is utilizing NPPGov, which is a national cooperative procurement organization, to procure LION turnout gear.
The League of Oregon Cities, in partnership with NPPGov, issued RFP #2555 for firefighting equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus, and protective gear. LION 3 of 4
First Responders PPE ranked #4 overall and was tied for #2 with other vendors for pricing. LION was awarded a contract with NPPGov, but because Allstar Fire Equipment is the exclusive distributor of LION in the State of California, staff recommends a purchase order be awarded to Allstar for LION equipment. The LION turnouts best meet the City’s required operational needs and ensure compatibility with existing department gear.
Staff recommends an agreement with LION with an initial term of four (4) years and eight (8) months to align with Allstar’s agreement with NPPGov. Staff also recommends that this initial term not exceed amount $801,846.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends Allstar Fire Equipment, Inc. to furnish and delivery LION turnout gear as an exception to competitive bidding per the Procurement Manager approved ECB #427, in accordance with the City’s Procurement Policy.
c. competitive procedures were followed by a governmental agency, federal, state, county, city, joint powers agency, special district, or cooperative purchasing agency and the goods or services are supplied to the City at the same or better price.
Environmental Review
The issuance of the purchase order is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the CEQA Guidelines, which states that CEQA does not apply “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The purchase order would provide for PPE supplies and would not result in physical effects. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the purchase order would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund to award a purchase order to Allstar Fire Equipment, Inc. for the purchase of Turnouts. While there is no financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the recommended action in FY 2025-26, this purchase order request will apply to purchases beginning in FY 2026- 4 of 4
27. Funds have been included in the FY 2026-27 Budget Plan which was approved by Council in the FY 2025-27 Adopted Biennial Budget.
Purchase Order Request
FY 2026-27
Request Amount
Future Years
Amount Department Account # Total Purchase Order Amount $186,038 $615,808 01190002.527530 $801,846
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Jonathan Tang, Principal Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Allstar Living Wage 5-19-26
B. Allstar Oaks Initiative 5-19-26
C. Allstar Levine Act 5-26-26