RESOLUTION NUMBER: 6468-2022
CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL AUTHORIZING A BUDGET
AMENDMENT FOR THE AWARD CONTRACT TO MATRIX CONSULTING FOR FIRE AND EMERGENCY
SERVICES STUDY
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to proceed with the Fire and Emergency services study for FY 2022-23; and
WHEREAS, the original budget for this study in the Fire Department was $40,000; and WHEREAS, additional budget in the Fire DepartmentOperating Budgetis needed for such consultant services for the study of Fire and Emergency services study in the amount of $47,500; and WHEREAS, as reviewed by the Administrative Services Director, the following expenditure with a General Fund source is needed as shown on Table 1.
Table 1 - Adopted and Proposed Budget
EXPENDITURE Account No. ADOPTED PROPOSED
Consultant services 100-31-02-4210 $40,000. $47,500
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Sebastopol does hereby approve a budget amendment increasing the Contract Services account no. 100-31-02-4210 by an additional $7,500 for the Fire Department Operating Budget.
The above and foregoing Resolution was duly passed, approved, and adopted at a meeting by the City Council on the 2nd day of August 2022, by the following vote:
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by City of Sebastopol City Council following a roll call vote:
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
APPROVED:
Mayor Patrick Slayter
ATTEST: _______________________________________________________________ Mary Gourley, Assistant City Manager/City Clerk, MMC
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Larry McLaughlin, City Attorney
Proposal to Conduct a Fire and Emergency
Service Delivery Study
SEBASTOPOL, CALIFORNIA
July 5, 2022
Table of Contents
Cover Letter i
1 Understanding of Project 1
2 Work Plan and Methodology 4
3 Project Management 19
4 Experience 27
5 Price 31
6 Project Timeline 32
7 Evaluation 33
8 Client/References 34
1650 S. Amphlett Blvd., Suite 213 • San Mateo, CA 94402 • 650.858.0507 SF Bay Area (Headquarters), Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Irvine, Portland, St. Louis July 5, 2022
Larry McLaughlin
City Manager
City of Sebastopol
7120 Bodega Avenue
Sebastopol, CA 95472
Dear Mr. McLaughlin:
The Matrix Consulting Group is pleased to provide you with our proposal to conduct a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study for the City of Sebastopol. This proposal is based on our review of the request for proposals, background review of the City’s fire department and our experience working with hundreds of fire departments in California, elsewhere in the region, and across the United States. Our firm was founded in 2002 and each member of our team have over 30 years’ experience in fire service consulting and management.
The firm and project team have extensive experience conducting fire and emergency service studies, including the evaluation and assessment of the feasibility of organizational and governance alternatives. The table, below, provides a sample of other areas where we have conducted this type of work for clients (California clients in bold):
Contract Service
Evaluations
Feasibility
Studies
Consolidation
Analyses
Countywide
Studies
Campbell, CA
Indio, CA
Medina, MN
Orange County, CA
Pacific Grove, CA
Pomona, CA
Reno/Washoe Cty, NV
Sacramento, CA
Seminole, FL
Berlin, NH
Coral Springs, FL
Grants Pass, OR
Highland, CA
Jefferson County, OR
Parkland, FL
Sarasota County, FL
Scottsdale, AZ
Sterling, IL
Brooklyn Center, MN
Cleveland Suburbs, OH
Des Moines Area, IA
Keller/Westlake, TX
La Mesa/Lemon Grove, CA
Lincoln, Rhode Island
North Utah County, UT
San Rafael/Marin, CA
Saratoga/Sara. FPD, CA
Albemarle County, VA
Lee County, FL
Mercer County, CA
Mesa County, CO
Placer County, CA
San Mateo, CA
Santa Clara Cty, CA
Seminole County, FL
Stanislaus, CA
Our team’s fire and emergency medical service analytical experience in general includes over 400 projects throughout the country, including these examples of assignments (with California projects in bold):
matrix
consulting group
Amesbury, Massachusetts Dixon, California Pacific Grove, California Anchorage, Alaska Fort Lauderdale, Florida Peoria, Illinois Augusta, Maine Highland, California Portland, Oregon
Bedford, New York Indio, California Pueblo, Colorado
Bellingham, Washington Los Banos, California Reno, Nevada Boston, Massachusetts Monrovia, California Sacramento, California Chelsea, Massachusetts Monterey, California Steamboat Springs, CO Columbus, Ohio New Rochelle, New York Westport, Connecticut Dinuba, California North Kingstown, RI West Sacramento, California We are also conducting fire studies in North County (CA) and Phoenix (AZ).
The following points characterize our approach to conducting fire studies:
• All staff for our proposed team are extremely experienced, having themselves conducted up to hundreds of fire service and EMS studies. – The President of the firm, with 40 years of fire service analytical experience would manage the project. He is based in our Bay Area headquarters. – Our lead analyst, Robert Finn, has led the analysis of numerous fire department staffing studies across the country. He has been with the firm for over 10 years.
• We are a ‘fact based’ firm providing detailed data collection and analysis. • We work closely with our clients through interim reports and review meetings.
As President, I am authorized to represent the firm in negotiations and will serve at the contact person related to this proposal.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 650-858-0507 or via email at [email protected]. I can also be contacted at the letterhead address.
Richard Brady, President
Matrix Consulting Group
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 1
1 Understanding of Project
This section of our proposal demonstrates our understanding of the project as it relates to the City’s need for professional services, as well as an overview of our approach to completing the services presented in the RFP.
1. Background
To be prepared for disasters of many devastating forms, the City of Sebastopol is dedicating resources to analyze the provision of emergency services from the City as a whole, as well as from individual departments, including its Fire Department. As a result, the City’s Ad Hoc Fire Committee was formed and tasked to investigate all viable options for the future reliable funding and staffing of the Fire Department and making recommendations to the City Council toward meeting long-term planning needs, including funding, personnel, and leadership for the community.
The Ad Hoc Fire Committee has already met with various City Staff, other agency officials.
This information will be valuable and provide insights into the future of fire and emergency services.
The purpose of the City’s RFP is to determine a consultant’s ability to help achieve the following benefits:
• Increased efficiency and effectiveness.
• Enhanced or expanded services and supervision/training. • Avoidance of unnecessary costs.
• Standardization of services and programs.
Additionally, the study will include implementation plans for one or both options under consideration of the City and the Ad Hoc Fire Committee:
• Retention of the City’s Volunteer Fire Department with conversion to a 24/7 staffing model.
• Consolidation of the City’s Volunteer Fire Department with the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District.
The next section describes, at a high level, our approach to completing the assignment.
2. Approach
Our place in the government consulting industry is based on our experience and our
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 2
approach to project management and analysis. While more fully explained in later sections of the proposal, these strengths can be summarized as follows:
• Fire Service Analytical Experience: We have collectively completed over 400 fire service staffing, operational assessments and master plans that include all facets of fire, rescue, and emergency medical operations. Each member of our proposed team has experience conducting dozens of studies related specifically to fire operations, facility assessment, and master plans. Additionally, our team includes members who have served as former fire chiefs and worked through consolidation implementation.
• Fire Service Analytical Approach: Our detailed approach to providing consulting services is client centered, recognizing that each client environment is unique. Our methodology includes:
– Extensive interviews with staff and external stakeholders. – Detailed understanding of the fire, rescue, EMS operations and needs. – Fact-based analysis of workloads, service levels, and costs. – Extensive evaluation of current facilities, locations, and determination of facility and space needs.
– Collaboration with the client as the study proceeds, including obtaining buyin from staff and stakeholders for our recommendations. – Detailed reports that provide a discussion of our analysis, the recommendations developed, and an implementation plan to guide our client in making necessary changes over the planning horizon. • Project Management: One critical success in conducting a project of this size and complexity in an efficient, timely, and effective approach to project management.
The Matrix Consulting Group utilizes project management approaches that assures we have minimum impact on staff and their daily operations, while providing effective coordination of the project. All project work activities are defined in advance and tied to each project team member, deliverables, the schedule, and the budget. Our approach to project management keeps all parties apprised of current project status (formally and informally) and when to expect deliverables.
• Information Gathering: Equally important to the success of the project are the methods we use to collect, analyze, and present information in order to formulate
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 3
findings and develop and assure acceptance of recommendations. The Matrix Consulting Group has developed information-gathering techniques that enable us to gather data efficiently. They include the use of data checklists; interview guides to ensure we capture the necessary information required to understand operations and major operational areas; and observing operations to identify strengths and improvement opportunities. Additionally, we dedicate significant time conducting interviews with a wide variety of stakeholders to gain an understanding of perspectives on current services and challenges.
• Interaction: Continual communication between the client and project team is a critical component of a study. We will conduct numerous interviews with Fire Rescue staff. We will also meet with the elected officials, as desired. Additionally, we will have ongoing communication our clients on project status and to review deliverables.
• Quality Control: Our project manager designs and personally reviews all interim and final products before they are delivered to the client. This is done to ensure a quality document and that all services and analytical efforts outlined in our proposal have been fully completed.
• Implementation: Our projects result in implementable recommendations and solutions for our clients. We develop an implementation action plan that identifies the resources required for the implementation, degree of difficulty, and a time frame for successful implementation. The implementation action plan is critical, especially for recommendations that include significant capital and reoccurring cost. Finally, our team will be available for consultation during implementation.
Our approach results in approximately 85% of recommendations being implemented.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 4
2 Work Plan and Methodology
This section of our proposal contains descriptions and results of each proposed task.
Task 1 Project Initiation
To fully meet the core requirements of conducting this study – including evaluating current operating environment as well as short term and long-range needs for staffing and facilities related to an approach for fire and EMS services – the project team will need to develop an in-depth understanding of attitudes towards existing service levels and the unique characteristics of programs and community protection needs in the Department.
To provide this level of understanding, the project team will accomplish the following:
• Interview Ad Hoc Committee members, City Staff, other agency officials, other fire department personnel as well as any other identified key stakeholders • Interview the leadership, staff and volunteers of the Fire Department to obtain an initial understanding of the organization, major goals and recent trends as well as satisfaction with and improvement opportunities with current services provided. • Interview other regional stakeholders identified who are critical in developing strong background knowledge for the study, including finance, community planning, human resources, EMS leadership and the like. • Initial interviews will focus on determining individual attitudes toward current fire protection and EMS service levels, programs, and community protection needs, including the following:
– How services are currently funded.
– Adequacy of current funding levels and long-term funding needs. – Adequacy of existing service levels (e.g., response times, call results, etc.). – Any changes planned for current staffing levels or in the next five years. – How any regional services are currently provided.
– Issues regarding inter-relationships among other regional departments. – How current budgeting and financial reporting occurs. – Growth projections over the next five years in each service area. • We will also collect basic documents which "define" the City’s Volunteer Fire Department and the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District internally and externally
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 5
(e.g., budgets, financial plans, goals and objectives, policies and procedures, mission statements, overcall service trends, loss statistics, past studies, community plans, zoning maps, inventories, etc.).
TASK RESULT
Based on the results of these interviews and initial data collection, the project team will prepare an internal project team memo, which develops the tasks to be performed, the persons responsible, a timeline and potential obstacles discovered.
Task 2 Analyze the Current Situation in Each Fire Department/District In order to further our understanding of service delivery and service objectives of the agencies involved in this study, the project team will collect a variety of data to develop a descriptive profile of current operations, staffing, station locations, apparatus and deployment plans for both the Sebastopol Volunteer Fire Department and Gold Ridge Fire Protection District.
This analysis will allow the project team to provide our factual understanding of the current staffing, finances and how services are provided by the Department to their service area. During this assessment we will also examine the current demand for services and workload by station response area and apparatus. We will collect the following:
• Basic descriptive information such as:
- Organizational charts for each agency.
- Strategic or master planning documents.
- Any annual reports.
- Any awards or commendations received.
- Past or current emergency service studies or research. - Station and other facility locations.
- Apparatus and vehicle inventories.
- Budgets over the past 3 fiscal years.
- Capital assets owned by each agency.
- Deployment plans.
- Current response protocols for fire and EMS incidents. • Primary administrative documents including:
- Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG’s), policies and procedures.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 6
- Local collective bargaining agreements.
- Memoranda of understanding.
- Mutual and/or automatic aid agreements and how aid is utilized. - Community planning documents, including future land use information. - Local census and demographic data.
- Local Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data.
- Financial data: current and recent budgets, long-range plans, projections, capital improvement programs and debt.
- Current fee schedules and charges for services
• Information about personnel including:
- Number of personnel by rank and classification.
- Authorized versus actual staffing.
- Summary of staff roles and responsibilities.
- Staff schedules.
- Pay plans, fringe benefit descriptions and costs.
- Actual use of leave by classification.
- Actual use of overtime by classification.
- Training and certifications of each member, including fire status, EMS training status and certifications, hazardous materials, technical rescue, etc.
• Descriptive information about workload, call handling and performance from records management, NFIRS and CAD records including:
- Calls for service by type.
- Calls for service by time of day and day of week.
- Calls by unit.
- Dispatch processing time.
- Turnout time.
- Travel times.
- Total scene times.
- Total call duration
• Training approaches:
- Initial required training levels
- Fire and EMS in-service training.
- Targeted levels of training by person and by classification. - Use of dedicated or on-shift personnel for delivering training. • Fire Prevention records related to inspections, code enforcement, public
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 7
education, fire investigations and plan reviews.
• Current PSAP and dispatch provider(s) and related communications infrastructure.
We will use this information and data to conduct an evaluation of the current situation, which will include a detailed evaluation of the following components:
(1) Organizational Review
An organizational review of each agency will be developed to provide a general description of the community served and each agency. This overview will include information such as:
• Service area, population, geography and demographics. • History, formation and general description of each agency. • Current service delivery infrastructure.
• Governance, foundational policies and lines of authority. • Organizational design.
• Operating budget, funding, fees, taxation and financial resources. (2) Capital Asset and Capital Improvement Program Review The asset base in facilities and equipment will be reviewed and evaluated for each community. The relative condition and viability for continued use will be noted, to allow proper planning for future service delivery. The current Capital Improvement Plans for the replacement of capital assets will also be reviewed.
(2.1) Facilities
Stations and facilities will be evaluated based on their design and construction and how that relates to the ability of personnel to meet established performance standards.
Overall, each station and facility will be observed to ensure that:
• It offers a safe place for employees to operate.
• It is compliant with codes.
• It provides adequate facilities for employees to perform their required duties.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 8
• It is viable for conducting future operations.
• General location in relation to the risks in the service area is appropriate. • Ability to accommodate additional personnel, apparatus and equipment. (2.2) Apparatus / Vehicles
The apparatus and vehicles owned and operated by the agencies will be examined and an inventory list of existing apparatus and vehicles developed. The apparatus list will include:
• Type of apparatus
• Age and mileage/hours of operation
• Condition and current service status
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) compliance • Current replacement plans in place
The future needs of each agency’s service area will also be examined to determine if the current apparatus and vehicles will meet these needs.
(3) Staffing and Personnel Management
The staff resources and personnel management systems of each agency will be reviewed and evaluated to determine the current levels of administrative, support and operational position staffing levels. Critical staffing functions will also be examined to determine:
• How staff are distributed and deployed.
• How the utilization of companies is achieved.
• What human resource policies and procedures have been developed and whether any gaps exist.
• What types of personnel reports and record keeping systems are utilized in the agencies. Is there consistency or redundancy in the current systems? • What are the systems for recruiting, hiring, training and retaining personnel? • What are the current compensation and benefit packages for employees at each level of the organization?
This information is not only critical from the perspective of understanding current descriptive information but also setting the stage for future alternatives.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 9
(4) Service Delivery and Performance
The service levels and performance of each of the agencies will be evaluated individually as well as when operating as part of the larger regional response system or in mutual aid/automatic aid operations. Both fire and emergency medical response capabilities will be analyzed.
(4.1) Demand
The Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) records and Records Management System (RMS) reports will be utilized to determine the current demand for services in each service area and in the fire incident response system area. Each service provider will be analyzed by incident type, as well as time of day and day of week service demands. Calls will be analyzed to determine:
• Call Type
• Call location
• Call frequency
The project team will also conduct a basic risk assessment of each service area to determine if fire flows and staffing levels are able to adequately address these risks.
The service demands will be displayed geographically for each agency and the overall study area in the form of an ArcView GIS spatial analyst maps. The following maps serves as an example of a demand map:
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 10
(4.2) Distribution
The study of distribution involves locating first-due resources geographically to assure rapid deployment in minimizing and terminating emergency incidents. Existing facilities in the service area will be analyzed through the ArcView GIS software to determine the predicted effectiveness of first-due personnel in accordance with adopted service level objectives. The current 4 and 6:30 minute capabilities of a former client are shown below:
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 11
(4.3) Concentration
The study of concentration requires an analysis of the arrangement of multiple resources, to allow an effective response force to be assembled within adopted timelines. The ability for the current system to deploy and assemble an effective response force will be evaluated in the study area. An example of a concentration study map from a prior client is included below for illustrative purposes:
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 12
(4.4) Reliability
The study of reliability uses actual incident history and data to measure the historical performance in accordance with adopted performance standards. Reliability can be determined by answering five questions:
• Are established goals of performing within X minutes, Y percent of the time met? • Is there sufficient depth in the system to provide coverage for calls for service? • Are there frequent instances of multiple calls occurring simultaneously? Does this effect system performance?
• Are there predictable times when queued calls for service occur? • Is there extra capacity in the system or within individual units?
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 13
The project team will analyze the availability of staff and current workload and utilization of each company in the service area to determine actual or estimated failure rates based on the availability of data and show the impact on the ability to deploy an effective response force based on the findings.
(5) Support Programs
The Matrix Consulting Group will review the support programs present within each of the organizations for the critical areas of training, health and wellness, life safety services and communications.
(5.1) Training
The training and educational resources will be examined to ensure they are structured to provide the proper education and training for the agencies to achieve their stated mission. • Training records will be reviewed to determine the types and frequency of training provided to sworn, volunteers and civilian personnel.
• Training procedures, manuals and protocols will be reviewed to ensure they are current, up to date and reflect best practices.
• Training schedules will be reviewed to ensure there is both a short and long-term training plan in place.
• Training facilities will be examined to ensure they effectively support the training needs of agencies in the fire incident response system.
The result of this task will be a thorough assessment of training and staff development programs.
(5.2) Fire Prevention and Public Education
The fire prevention/life safety services will be reviewed to ensure the agencies operate effective programs geared toward fire prevention, life safety, hazard risk reduction and the detection, reporting and control of fires and medical emergencies. The programs will be reviewed to determine:
• What fire prevention codes have been adopted.
• What type of inspection programs are in place and what role suppression personnel have in the inspection program.
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• What type of public education programs are provided by the agencies. • What type of pre-incident planning and hazard identification programs are in place at the agencies.
• What the agency’s role is in the investigation of fires occurring in its jurisdiction.
Are outside agencies used to investigate certain fires? The result of this task will be a multi-faceted assessment of the totality of the fire prevention and development review program as it relates to the fire service. (5.3) Planning
The planning processes for each of the agencies will be reviewed to fully understand how planning is currently occurring. The planning components will be reviewed to determine:
• Is there and adequate planning process in place?
• What type of tactical planning is occurring?
• What types of operational planning efforts are occurring? • What is the strategic planning process, how often is the strategic plan updated? • Are there long-range plans for capital improvements or apparatus replacement? The result of this task provides an important step in understanding ‘organizational cultures’ and approaches to broad service delivery approaches.
TASK RESULT
At the conclusion of this task a descriptive profile will be submitted to the Fire Department/District and Ad Hoc Committee for review to illustrate the factual understanding of the current organization, governance and deployment of the Fire Department/District.
Task 3 Develop Options for Future Opportunities for Cooperative Efforts At this point in the study, the project team will be in a position to begin to evaluate the options of the Sebastopol Volunteer Fire Department converting to a 24/7 staffing model or consolidating with the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 15
(1) Organizational Options
The Matrix Consulting Group has developed an analytical methodology for the analysis of the feasibility for consolidation. This analytical approach will be based on the following:
• Utilization of state-of-the-art ArcGIS software.
• Utilization of a complete road network of the service area. • Use of the most detailed call for service data available. • After the data is compiled, various alternatives can then be tested to determine which may be the “optimal” solution for the service delivery system for the service areas in terms of converting to a 24/7 staffing model and opportunities for consolidation of the fire service delivery systems.
The methodologies described above, as well as other techniques, would be used to meet the study objectives, including addressing the following:
• How many stations are required and where should they be located to best meet identified service level objectives?
• How will deployment needs change within a 5-year planning horizon? What impact will trends in service delivery have on the number of stations and apparatus that are needed or can be supported?
• If some change in the number of stations is recommended, what are the specific benefits from that change?
• The number of personnel required, now and in the future.
The focus will be on the analysis of the organizational and financial feasibility of consolidation between the fire department and district. This sub-task will be devoted to:
• Develop a resource plan of full-time staff to support the recommended system distribution described above.
• Developing a detailed plan of administrative and support staffing for a consolidated agency including:
- Number and type of command positions
- Administrative support staffing considering needs related to financial management, payroll, personnel administration, and basic clerical support.
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- Training and IT support staff
- Facility and apparatus maintenance
- Fire prevention and public education programs considering plan check, inspections, public education and public information.
• Developing a proposed compensation plan for the consolidated agency including salary ranges by position; estimated benefit costs for retirement plan contribution; and insurance and related costs.
• Developing a detailed 5-year pro-forma annual operating budget including all expense items; overtime given deployment, availability, and minimum staffing targets; and provisions for apparatus replacement given the age, size and characteristics of the projected fleet.
• Converting the projected budget to the revenue necessary to support these operations and compare to current costs.
• Identifying the personnel/human resources issues associated with:
- Any transition to another organizational form.
- How to merge existing salary and fringe benefit packages. - Are there collective bargaining issues that need to be addressed? - How to handle cross-training of existing staff.
• Providing analysis and recommendations regarding governance models and organizational structure and the legal requirements for the consolidation of the Fire agencies.
• Providing analysis and recommendations regarding the interim steps necessary to implement each alternative.
(2) Financial Analysis
This task will focus on determining the current fiscal state of each Fire Department/District and determining opportunities to improve the financial resources available for providing emergency services.
The project team will work with finance personnel from each organization to develop detailed costing elements. This detailed financial information will be used as a baseline for costing any type of consolidation analyzed during the project. Any available funding mechanisms will be fully vetted for operating in the status quo as well as in a consolidated environment. The financial analysis will include:
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• A five-year financial forecast for each identified option. • Value assessment of any identified surplus equipment and apparatus. • Development of a fee schedule for a consolidated operation. • PERS method needed to collect any unfunded actuarial liability of the agencies.
TASK RESULT
This task result in the development of governance, organizational, staffing and financial considerations for each of the options available for providing fire and EMS services in the service areas.
Task 4 Development of the Project Report and Presentation of Study Results Completion of the above tasks will result in the project team developing a draft and final report to summarize the issue and study recommendations. The process will include:
• The Matrix Consulting Group will develop a detailed draft report for review and comment. The review is designed to ensure all elements required in the report have been adequately and factually addressed. The report will contain:
– General partnering strategies to improve service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness of the Fire and EMS system between the agencies. – Options for shared or consolidated services to develop a regional approach for providing fire and EMS services.
– Detailed fiscal analysis of all recommendations with budgets developed to illustrate the financial effects of any changes including transition costs, annual operating costs, long term liabilities and cost allocations. – Recommendations to improve the financial condition of each agency. • All analysis, findings, issues and recommendations from the previous tasks will be utilized in the development of the draft report. As each element had already been previously reviewed, there should be no surprises in the report. The draft and final report will fully address each of the points above, an executive summary and implementation strategies and timelines for all recommendations.
Once the report has been reviewed and the final edits completed, the Matrix Consulting Group will present the findings and recommendations of the final report at a joint meeting of the community leaders.
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TASK RESULT
The draft report will be reviewed with the Fire Department Ad Hoc Committee while in draft form. Once all reviews and any necessary revisions have been completed and the report is in final form, we will make a formal presentation to the Sebastopol City Council at a public meeting, if desired.
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3 Project Management
This section of our proposal provides a summary of our project management approach, introduces team members, and provides an overview of their qualifications.
1. Project Management Approach
The Matrix Consulting Group utilizes project management approaches that assures we have minimum impact on staff and their daily operations, while providing effective coordination of the project.
All project work activities are defined in advance and tied to each project team member, deliverables, the schedule, and the budget. Our approach to project management keeps all parties apprised of current project status (formally and informally) and when to expect deliverables.
We believe very strongly in the science of our craft, especially as it relates to fire and consolidation feasibility studies. Ensuring our projects meet the needs and timelines of our clients are accomplished through the following:
• The project manager and lead analyst develop general and project specific data collection plans and interview guides.
• All project work activities are defined in advance and tied to each project team member, deliverables, the schedule and the budget.
• We have frequent client review meetings to discuss the quality and direction of the project through interim deliverables and draft documents.
These project management approaches have resulted in all our projects being delivered at a high level of quality, on time and on budget.
1. Key Personnel
The members for our proposed team are extremely experienced, having themselves conducted up to hundreds of fire service studies. As the President of the firm, with 40 years of public safety analytical experience, Richard Brady would manage the project, assisted by a highly qualified team.
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• Richard Brady, President of the Matrix Consulting Group, has been providing management consulting services to municipalities for over 40 years across all governmental functions.
• Robert Finn, a Senior Manager with over 10 years of consulting experience, who previously served as the Chief of the Southlake (TX) Department of Public Safety Fire Department.
• Aaron Baggarly is a Senior Manager with over 14 years of experience. He has completed over 70 facility studies for all government facilities with an emphasis of large-scale facility master plans.
• Terry Lewis, a Senior Consultant, who has been a fire consultant for over 8 years.
He also has previous experience at all levels of the fire service, including as Chief of the Henderson, KY Fire Department.
• James Bouziane, a Consultant, has over 25 years of California Fire and EMS experience. James served as a Deputy Chief with the City of Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety and has extensive experience in all aspects of the fire service. • Ryan Peterson is a Consultant with the firm that specializes in GIS analysis and the deployment options for properly locating fire stations.
2. Team Qualifications
The following pages include detailed resumes for team members listed above.
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RICHARD BRADY
PRESIDENT, MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP
RICHARD founded Matrix Consulting Group in 2002 and our Canadian firm, MCG Consulting Solutions in 2017. He leads our Public Safety Practice which includes law enforcement and justice studies. He has served as the Project Manager or Lead Analyst on hundreds of public safety studies in his 40-year career. His subject matter expertise includes staffing and deployment, management effectiveness, and governance and transparency. Prior to his founding of these two firms, he served for over 20 years as a practice leader in two other firms, including Maximus.
Experience Highlights
Estacada Rural Fire District, OR: Richard served as the project manager for this engagement. He was responsible for leading all aspects of the project that examined the financial resources including revenues and expenditures. Key findings/ achievements of the project:
● Clear illustration that expenditures were going to exceed revenues in all cost and revenue projections
● If no additional resources were added and aggressive revenue projections used revenue and expenditures would equalize by FY 2023.
Davenport, IA: Richard served as the Project Manager for this project that examined the staffing and operations of both the Police and Fire Departments. Key findings/achievements include:
• Developing performance measures based on population density and risk profile
• Relocating a station to improve services in the northern areas of the City
• Creating a full-time training officer position.
Role on This Engagement:
Richard will serve as a project executive and advisor.
Relevant Clients:
MB
ON
AB
AZ
CA
CA
IA
TX
TX
MO
OH
OR
VA
NC
OR
OR
WA
WI
WI
OR
Winnipeg
Kawartha Lakes
Edmonton
Phoenix
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Davenport
Austin
Fort Worth
Kansas City
Columbus
Portland
Richmond
Raleigh
Grants Pass
Jefferson County
Tacoma
Glendale
Oshkosh
Portland
Years of Consulting: 40
Education:
BA, California State
University, East Bay.
PhD, Oxford University,
U.K.
Professional Association:
Association of Local
Government Auditors
International City-County
Management Association
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 22
ROBERT FINN
SENIOR MANAGER, MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP
ROBERT is a Senior Manager with the Matrix Consulting Group and previously served as the Chief of the Southlake (TX) Department of Public Safety. Mr. Finn has a strong educational background coupled with a successful track record that includes strategic planning, budgeting, change management, community relations, and building collaborative partnerships. Robert has over 30 years of fire service and consulting experience covering all aspects of the fire service industry.
Robert’s relevant experience includes serving the City of Southlake, Texas for 25 years in the following roles:
• Chief of Police (2008 to 2011)
• Chief of Fire Services (2004 to 2008)
• Lieutenant of Professional Standards (1999 to 2004)
• Lieutenant of Training (1995 to 1999) – Level II Instructor • Coordinator of Emergency Medical Services (1993 to 1995) • Firefighter / Driver / Paramedic (1987 to 1993)
Jefferson County, OR: Robert was the lead analyst on this study to look at the feasibility of consolidating fire and EMS services in the County.. Key findings/achievements include:
● Development of a tax rate for the new District
● Development of a 7 year financial plan for the new District ● Development of a capital improvement schedule
● Development of a staffing plan for the new District
Keller, TX: Robert was the lead analyst on this study to evaluate the feasibility of consolidating Keller Fire Rescue and the Westlake Fire Department. Key findings/achievements include:
• Illustration of short-term strategies to improve administration and support services.
• Long-term cost savings related to constructing a single fire station to serve the growing areas of the two communities
• Capital savings of $7million.
• Long-term operational savings of $3 million annually.
Role on This Engagement: Robert will be the lead analyst and Client Service Leader on this project. He served in this role on all the references previously provided.
Relevant Clients:
AK
CA
CA
CA
CA
CO
CO
CT
CT
GA
IA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MI
MN
NC
NY
OH
OR
OR
OR
TX
WA
WI
Anchorage
Big Bear
Huntington Beach
Mercer County
Monterey
Mesa County
Steamboat Springs
Greenwich
Westport
DeKalb County
Davenport
Billerica
Boston
Chelsea
Yarmouth
Sterling Heights
Medina
Raleigh
New Rochelle
Cleveland
Clackamas
Grants Pass
Jefferson County
Possum Kingdom
Bellingham
Oshkosh
Years of Experience: 30
Education:
MBA, and BS, Public
Safety Administration,
Grand Canyon University
Professional Association:
National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA)
International Association
of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
Center for Public Safety
Excellence (CPSE)
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 23
AARON BAGGARLY, AICP
SENIOR MANAGER, MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP
AARON is our lead facility planner on facility assessment, programming, space needs assessment, and facility master planning engagements. Relevant experience include:
• Completed over 70 facility studies for all government facilities with an emphasis on large scale facility master plans.
• Conducted facility condition assessments, space allocation review, architectural space programs, and space projections. • Develop facility master plans that address current and future spatial needs with a combination of new construction, adaptive reuse, and analysis for centralized and decentralized operations. • Conducted over 100 operational and staffing studies for local and public safety entities with a focus on fire operations.
Experience Highlights
Stafford County, VA: Aaron served as the facility assessor on this engagement which include assessment of 15 fire and rescue stations in the County. Key findings included:
• Several stations included several operational deficiencies such as a lack of drive through bays, proper vehicle exhaust systems, separate sleeping quarters, backup generators, etc.
• Assessed the facility mechanical systems, building exterior and interior, and site accessibility and security.
• Identified opportunities for consolidation of three volunteer and career stations to reduce future operational and capital cost.
Billerica, MA: Aaron evaluated the fire department facilities to determine their viability today and in the future. The following recommendations were made as part of this study.
• Evaluated each of the facilities for their current location, condition, and ability to serve the community.
• Recommendation relocation of Fire Station #3 to house the apparatus need to deploy from the station.
• Completed an architectural space program to identify the space types and total square footage for a new station.
Role on This Engagement:
Aaron will serve as a facility assessor and planner.
Relevant Clients:
AL
AZ
CA
CA
FL
FL
IA
IL
KS
MA
MN
MT
NC
NC
ND
NY
OR
SC
SC
TX
TX
TX
UT
WA
Gulf Shores
Buckeye
Napa County
Sunnyvale
Monroe County
Pasco County
Davenport
Will County
Valley Center
Yarmouth
Hennepin County
Billings
Mecklenburg County
Wake County
Red River Dispatch
New Rochelle
Benton County
Clemson
Univ of S.C.
Hays County
Kyle
San Marcos
Grand County
Redmond
Years of Experience: 14
Education:
BS, Appalachian State
University, Community and
Regional Planning, Minor
in GIS.
Professional Association:
American Institute of
Certified Planners (AICP)
American Planning
Association
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 24
TERRY LEWIS
SENIOR CONSULTANT, MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP
TERRY has over 30 years of fire service and consulting experience.
He previously served as the Chief of the Henderson (KY) Fire Department. Terry has a strong educational background coupled with a successful track record of leading an agency of 60 personnel in a community with 30,000 residents. Terry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience evaluating the staffing and operational needs of fire and EMS operations.
Terry’s relevant experience includes serving the City of Henderson, Kentucky as Fire Chief for 10 years. He began his career with the Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department where he advanced
through the ranks until being appointed as Chief of Henderson. He has experience in the following areas:
• Administration
• Fire Prevention
• Financial Management
• Operations
• Hazardous Materials
Experience Highlights
Grants Pass, OR: Terry was a technical analyst on this study to look at the feasibility of forming a fire district to provide services in the City. Key findings/achievements include:
• Determining legal requirements for forming the district. • Developing five-year financial projections.
•
• Deployment changes to improve gaps in coverage in the City.
Medina, MN: Terry was a technical analyst on this project aimed at an assessment of the current fire system which contracted for services with four fire departments. Key findings/ achievements of the project:
• Identification of consolidation opportunities.
• Staffing requirements for a JPA
• Development of deployment plan for a JPA
Role on This Engagement:
Terry will be a technical expert for fire/EMS operations.
Relevant Clients:
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CO
CT
CT
FL
GA
IA
MA
MA
MA
MI
MN
NC
NH
NY
OR
OR
OR
OR
Atherton
Big Bear
Butte County
Dixon
Huntington Beach
Mercer County
Monterey
Placer County
Steamboat Springs
Greenwich
Westport
Coconut Creek
DeKalb County
Davenport
Billerica
Boston
Chelsea
Sterling Heights
Medina
Raleigh
Berlin
New Rochelle
Clackamas
Estacada
Grants Pass
Jefferson County
Years of Experience: 30+
Education:
BS Fire Technology, AS
Accounting, University of
Cincinnati
Professional Association:
National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA)
International Association
of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
Center for Public Safety
Excellence (CPSE)
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 25
RYAN PETERSON
DATA/GIS ANALYST, MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP
RYAN is a Consultant with the Matrix Consulting Group,
specializing in emergency response planning and fire risk modeling. He has over nine years of experience conducting analysis for local and regional governments, having
previously worked for the City of Portland (OR), City of Beaverton (OR) and the Tri-County Metropolitan
Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet).
Relevant experience highlights, include:
• Data collection and analysis.
• Growth forecasting using GIS-based projections for
population, service needs and staffing requirements.
• Comprehensive workload and staffing analytics.
• Analysis and redistricting of operational boundaries
• Standards of Cover analysis, including community risk, deployment, concentration and system performance.
Experience Highlights
Grants Pass, OR: Ryan was a data analyst on this project that examined the staffing and deployment to develop a
community risk and standards of cover document.
Placer County, CA: Ryan was a data analyst on this project that examined community risk and development of a
standards of cover document. Key findings/ achievements of the project:
● Performed a CAD analysis that determined the current
workload of all fire departments serving the County.
● Development of a phased expansion of fire services over a 10-year planning period.
● Increase of staffing to 3 person engine companies in the suburban and urban areas of the County to improve
effective response force formation.
Role on This Engagement:
Ryan will serve as a data analytics and GIS analyst.
Relevant Clients:
Atherton, CA
Bellingham, WA
Birmingham, AL
Big Bear, CA
Billerica, MA
Boston, MA
Butte County, CA
Chelsea, MA
Cleveland, OH
Coconut Creek, FL
Columbia, MO
Columbus, OH
Davenport, IA
DeKalb County, GA
Fort Worth, TX
Greenwich, CT
Hennepin County, MN
Huntington Beach, CA
Kauai County, HI
Los Angeles, CA
Monterey, CA
Newburgh, NY
New Rochelle, NY
Oshkosh, WI
Portland, OR
Raleigh, NC
San Jose, CA
Steamboat Springs, CO
Sterling Heights, MI
Westport, CT
Years of Experience: 9
Education:
BS, University of Oregon,
Geography
Certificate, Portland
State University, GIS
Certificate of
Programing, Epicodus
Vocational School
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 26
JAMES BOUZIANE
CONSULTANT, MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP
JAMES has over 25 years of progressive experience leading, managing and providing vision and direction to the fire service. His focus is on ensuring the effective delivery of fire, EMS, and emergency management services to the community.
James has worked on several recent projects since joining the Matrix Consulting Group, including serving as an analyst on the North County (CA) fire study, Phoenix (AZ) fire study, Keizer (OR) fire study and Santa Clara County (CA) fire study.
Experience Highlights
Sunnyvale, CA: James served as a Deputy Chief with the City of Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety and has extensive experience in all aspects of the fire service. He worked at all levels of the organization, including public safety officer, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and Deputy Chief. He specifically led efforts for the Department in hiring, cultural awareness/diversity, training, and fire prevention.
North County FPD (CA): James was an analyst on this project that examined community risk and development of a standards of cover document and strategic plan for the North County Fire Protection District. Key findings/ achievements of the project:
● Improving the process and inclusion of personnel in policy revisions.
● Recommendations for improving turnout and travel time performance.
● Long-term funding options for the funding and infrastructure needs of the District to include facilities and apparatus.
Role on This Engagement:
James will serve as a project analyst.
Relevant Clients:
AZ
CA
CA
ID
OR
TX
Phoenix
North County FPD
Santa Clara County
Boise
Keizer
Cedar Hill
Years of Experience: 25+
Education:
BA Public Administration,
University of San
Francisco
MPA Public
Administration, Golden
State University
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 27
4 Experience
As described in this section and the proposal, we have the proven track record, experience and resources to fully perform the work associated with this project.
1. Description of the Firm
Founded in 2002, the Matrix Consulting Group was formed by senior government consultants who created it to pursue a service in which experienced people perform the work necessary to solve client problems and assisting them to prepare for the future. Our only business is the delivery of management analytical services to local government.
Our firm is incorporated in California and maintains two offices there. As a national firm, we also have offices in Portland (OR), Dallas area, St Louis area, Tampa area, and Charlotte (NC). We currently have 24 full-time and 4 part-time staff.
Recently, we created an international subsidiary, MCG Consulting Solutions, to better serve our international clientele. Our Canadian subsidiary has an office outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we have two employees.
The Matrix Consulting Group project team has conducted studies of more than 400 fire and emergency medical service agencies throughout the United States and in Canada.
Our services in police consulting are varied and include:
• Fire service staffing and deployment studies
• Master planning and strategic planning
• Standard of cover studies
• Feasibility assessments
The firm and project team have extensive experience conducting fire and emergency service consolidation feasibility and merger support, including the evaluation and assessment of organizational structures, asset location, financial models, and governance models. The table, below, provides a sample of other areas where we have conducted this type of work for clients:
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 28
Contract Service
Evaluations
Feasibility
Studies
Consolidation
Analyses
Countywide
Studies
Campbell, CA
Indio, CA
Medina, MN
Orange County, CA
Pacific Grove, CA
Pomona, CA
Reno/Washoe City, NV
Sacramento, CA
Seminole, FL
Berlin, NH
Coral Springs, FL
Grants Pass, OR
Highland, CA
Jefferson County, OR
Parkland, FL
Sarasota County, FL
Scottsdale, AZ
Sterling, IL
Brooklyn Center, MN
Cleveland Suburbs, OH
Clackamas, OR
Keller/Westlake, TX
La Mesa/Lemon Grove, CA
Lincoln, Rhode Island
North Utah County, UT
San Rafael/Marin, CA
Saratoga/Sara. FPD, CA
Albemarle County, VA
Lee County, FL
Mercer County, CA
Mesa County, CO
Placer County, CA
San Mateo, CA
Santa Clara City, CA
Seminole County, FL
Stanislaus, CA
Our team’s fire and emergency medical service analytical experience includes over 350 projects throughout the country, including these sample assignments:
Amesbury, Massachusetts Dixon, California Pacific Grove, California Anchorage, Alaska Fort Lauderdale, Florida Peoria, Illinois Augusta, Maine Highland, California Portland, Oregon
Bedford, New York Indio, California Pueblo, Colorado
Bellingham, Washington Los Banos, California Reno, Nevada Boston, Massachusetts Monrovia, California Sacramento, California Chelsea, Massachusetts Monterey, California Steamboat Springs, CO Columbus, Ohio New Rochelle, New York Westport, Connecticut Dinuba, California North Kingstown, RI West Sacramento, California We are currently completing fire studies for North County (CA) and Phoenix (AZ).
2. Similar Project Experience
The Matrix Consulting Group prides itself on providing reliable and timely services that are on time and on budget. The following former clients can attest to the quality of work for fire and consolidation feasibility studies recently completed by our firm.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 29
Dixon and Dixon Fire Protection
District, California
Standards of Cover and Strategic
Planning Study
Andi Horigan
Administrative Manager
(707) 678-7060
[email protected]
The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the City of Dixon to develop a long-range strategic plan and Standards of Cover/Community Risk Assessment for the City and Fire
Protection District.
The study examined the fire protection system and identify areas the Department could be more effective and efficient in serving the community. The study found opportunities to improve call processing and turnout times. Recommendations also included increasing minimum engine company staffing from 2 to 3 personnel, constructing a new station to serve the growing SW areas of the City and improving involvement of fire prevention in the planning process of the City.
Keller and Westlake, Texas
Feasibility Study
Mark Hafner
City Manager
(817) 743-4007
[email protected]
Keller and Westlake retained the Matrix Consulting Group to examine the feasibility of consolidating the fire and EMS Departments in the two communities. The Departments
current share several regional services, including emergency dispatch and police services.
The study found there were few operational benefits from consolidation, but there were opportunities for administrative consolidation. Long-term, the communities would benefit from constructing one station to serve the growing areas of
northwestern Keller and western Westlake. This showed
capital savings of $7 million and annual savings of $3 million.
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Staffing and Deployment Study
Mike Stanley
Fire Chief
(920) 236-5235
[email protected]
The firm examined the staffing, deployment and operations of the Fire Department. The study examined the current staffing, deployment, response capabilities, response times and
available resources of the Fire Department.
The study found issues regarding the capturing of call
processing times, issues with interfacility transfer costs compared to revenues, gaps in fielding an effective response force in some areas.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 30
3. Services Offered
We provide as wide range of services to local government, as the table below demonstrates.
Law Enforcement Financial Services Fleet Management
Staffing analysis Full cost allocation plans Program and operational analysis Patrol scheduling and deployment Cost of services Fleet replacement planning Patrol beat redesign User fees Fleet size and composition Community policing Development impact / Nexus Fleet maintenance Management studies Billable/hourly rates Contract feasibility and compliance Regionalized & consolidation feasibility Internal controls audits Technology and mgmt. reporting Overtime audits Community Development Parks, Recreation, and Libraries Projections and growth impact Permit streamlining Master and strategic planning Organization and staffing studies Staffing and program analysis Fire and EMS Permitting software decisions Customer service Master and strategic plans Customer service Park condition assessments Station location planning Service level standards
Staffing analysis Citywide and Countywide
Scheduling and deployment Administrative Organizational assessments Standard of coverage Organizational assessments Strategic planning Regionalized & consolidation feasibility Staffing analysis Staffing analysis Management studies Performance management Management analysis Contract compliance audits Shared services analysis Customer service Compliance audits Shared services
Emergency Communications Information technology
Staffing analysis Process improvement Higher Education
Operations analysis Strategic planning Administrative services Consolidation feasibility Campus security
Implementation assistance Public Works and Utilities Organizational and staffing analysis Organizational assessments University-city contract services Corrections and Justice Staffing analysis
Operational analysis Infrastructure assessments State
Staffing analysis Preventive maintenance needs Administrative services Needs assessments and master plans Fleet management Organizational and staffing analysis Community corrections alternatives Engineering analysis
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 31
5 Price
The Matrix Consulting Group is proposing to conduct the study at a not-to-exceed cost of $47,500, as described below:
Project
Manager
Senior
Manager Consultants Cost
Initiation/Interviews 8 24 16 $8,600
Current Situation 8 32 40 $13,200
Future Opportunities 4 24 24 $8,700
Draft / Final Report 8 32 40 $13,200
Total Hours 28 112 120 260
Hourly Rate $225 $200 $125
Total Professional Fees $6,300 $22,400 $15,000 $43,700
Project Expenses $3,800
Total Project Cost $47,500
Our usual practice is to invoice our clients monthly for time and materials up to the total project amount. We are also amenable to alternative invoicing arrangements.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 32
6 Project Timeline
In order to achieve the timeline desired by the City, the Matrix Consulting Group proposes to conduct this assignment over a period of 14 weeks but is committed to remain available to the City to assist with any issues related to the implementations of recommendations both short and long-term that are a result of this project.
The following table illustrates the project timeline as proposed:
1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14
Initiation
Stakeholder Input
Current Situation
Future Opportunities
Draft / Final Report
The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring each of the major tasks are completed according to the timeline established above.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 33
7 Evaluation
Ensuring the successful completion begins during the interview phase of the study where we obtain input from the key stakeholders regarding what a successful study means to them. We develop this initial input to ensure that stakeholder needs related to making informed decisions related to the changes recommended can be made.
We will also meet several times with the Ad Hoc Committee during the study process to ensure our facts are correct and proposed recommendations have been fully analyzed.
The draft report is also reviewed by the client and further edits made before it is finalized.
This ensures there are no surprises in the final report all areas of importance have been fully analyzed and have sufficient detail to allow change to be accepted and recommendations from the study implemented.
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 34
8 Clients/References
This section of our proposal provides information about the last ten (10) clients for which we have provided fire consulting services.
1. North County Fire Protection District (CA) – The final report has been accepted and a presentation to the Board scheduled for July 28, 2022. No recommendations or changes have been implemented to date.
2. Columbus (OH) – The final report has been accepted and the City is planning on expanding the scope of the study to include a comparative analysis of similar cities and recommendations to change how units are staffed and the types of units deployed to achieve cost savings while not reducing service levels to the citizens of Columbus.
3. Fremont (NE) – The City is moving forward with planning for the second station recommended in the report and increasing daily staffing levels to reduce the impacts of frequent call-backs on fire personnel.
4. Highland Beach (FL) – The town is moving forward with forming a town operated fire department vs. contracting with Delray Beach for services. Voters have approved a tax increase to fund the department and the Town is currently in the process of obtaining an EMS license to provide ambulance transport services in a fire-based EMS system.
5. Keller and Westlake (TX) – The City of Keller is working with the Town of Westlake to determine the next steps toward consolidating the fire departments. Currently a contract is in place for shared administrative services, but further efforts for consolidation have stalled due to the Town wanting to be the host agency, which the study found was not in the best interest of either organization.
6. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea (FL) – The Town is working with the volunteer fire department to renegotiate the contract with the VFD for services that improves service levels and accountability of the VFD to the Town.
7. Greenwich (CT) – The Town has contracted with an architectural firm to determine the needs and cost of converting the Round Hill fire station from a volunteer station to a career station, performance standards for call processing, turnout and travel times have been adopted and the response matrix policy revised to ensure
Proposal to Provide a Fire and Emergency Service Delivery Study Sebastopol, CA Matrix Consulting Group 35
the fire department is not over responding, by sending too many apparatus to low priority incidents.
8. Palm Desert (CA) – The City is continuing to work with CALFIRE to implement the staffing changes and plan for a 4th fire station to serve the City as a result of the recommendations in the Study.
9. La Quinta (CA) – The City is continuing to work with CALFIRE to improve capturing of response time performance data and has revised the staffing of engine companies to ensure a supervisor is assigned to all engines. Longer term they are using the planning analysis from the study to plan the timing and location of a 4th station to serve the City.
10. Sandwich (MA) – The Town is working with the Union to negotiate moving to a 3- platoon staffing plan to reduce overtime. There is also a plan to add one position on each shift to further reduce overtime by ensuring staffing will cover the use of leave by fire personnel.