Agenda Item #13.8
For Council Meeting of: May 13, 2025
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: PAUL LOWENTHAL, DIVISION CHIEF FIRE MARSHAL
SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT UPDATING COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
It is recommended by the Finance and Fire Departments that the Council, by resolution, approve a Professional Service Agreement with AP Triton, LLC, Sheridan, Wyoming, for updating the City’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan, for a total contract amount not to exceed $139,799.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Fire Department submitted Purchase Requisition R168247 requesting Purchasing to bid and award one vendor with a two-year contract for professional service to update the City’s existing Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The CWPP is updated every five years. The last version was approved in 2020.
BACKGROUND
In December 2003 the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 was signed into law. The purpose of the Act is to reduce the threat of destructive wildfires while upholding environmental standards and encouraging early public input during review and planning processes. This legislation encourages communities to develop a CWPP to help reduce their risk to wildfire loss as well as create healthier natural ecosystems. The legislation allows communities to develop effective plans that are relevant to their conditions and can change as community capacity and other conditions change.
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires that State and local governments develop and adopt a LHMP to be eligible to receive federal grants pertaining to disaster preparedness.
From November 2015 to February 2016, City staff from multiple departments worked with the City’s consultant to create an updated plan. The team met four times during the period from November 2015 through January 2016.
On February 23, 2016, the public review draft of the LHMP was released for a 30-day public review period. On April 7, 2016, the Draft Local Hazard Mitigation Plan was submitted to California Department of Emergency Services (Cal OES).
Council adopted the plan on January 10, 2017.
In December 2017 Colin Close – Senior Water Resource Planner, Mike Prinz – Deputy Director Utilities Operations, Neil Bregman – Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and Scott Moon – Division Chief Fire Marshal created an application to develop a CWPP intended to be an annex to the LHMP, specific to the Wildfire section of the currently adopted plan (Steve Kral and Catherine Hall with Ernst and Young LLP also assisted in the application process prior to the approval and award). The application was reviewed by State and Federal officials and funding was awarded in June 2018.
In December 2018, the RFP process was opened to solicit applicants to provide proposals for the development of the CWPP.
In January 2019, four applications were reviewed and one candidate, Geo Elements, LLC was selected based on their prior fire service experience in developing CWPP’s, Wildland Fire Behavior Analysis, Community Wildfire Hazard Risk Assessments, Wildland Fire and Fuels Mitigation Strategy Development, Development of Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements at the State and local levels, Fire Management Planning, Fire Behavior Modeling GIS – Geospatial Analysis and Cartography and the cost to provide services. Geo Elements, LLC has provided projects for the communities of Montecito Fire Protection District, CA, Goleta Valley/San Marcos Pass Mountain Communities, Santa Barbara County, CA, California State Office, Bureau of Land Management, Dunsmuir, CA, City of La Verne, CA, City of Goleta, Santa Monica Mountain Communities, plus numerous other Federal, State and local projects.
In April 2019, contract award was awarded to Geo Elements, LLC.
In August 2020, Council approved the final CWPP.
In February 2025, the RFP process was opened to solicit applications to provide proposals for the update of the current CWPP.
In April 2025, contract award was awarded to AP Triton, LLC.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
On August 18, 2020, the Council awarded the professional service agreement to Geo Elements, LLC for the development of the Wildfire Annex to the existing local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP).
ANALYSIS
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires that State and local governments develop and adopt an LHMP in order to be eligible to receive Federal grants pertaining to disaster preparedness. The updated LHMP assesses and responds to the City's vulnerability to natural hazards such as earthquake, flood, fire, and drought.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the entirety of the CWPP update contract will come out of the PG&E Vegetation Management Project account (P05109). This is a one-time expenditure for the two-year contracts. There is no anticipated maintenance cost associated with these contracts.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, the proposed action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. In the alternative, the proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution/Exhibit A – Agreement, AP Triton, LLC
PRESENTER
Jared McDaniel, Assistant Fire Marshal
APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT FOR UPDATING THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN PAGE 3 OF 3