Agenda Item
DATE: 8/12/2025
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITYCOUNCIL
FROM: JOAN MALLOY, CITYMANAGER
SUBJECT: ADOPT A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENT WITH ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT (ACFD) FOR THE INSTALLATION OF AN ALERTING SYSTEM UPGRADE TO FIRE STATIONS NO. 31, NO. 32, AND NO. 33 IN THE AMOUNT OF $312,398.59, PLUS A TEN PERCENT CONTINGENCY FOR A TOTAL NOT-TO-EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF $343,638.45
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) for the installation of an alerting system upgrade to Fire Stations No. 31, No. 32, and No. 33 in the amount $312,398.59, plus a ten percent contingency for a total not-to-exceed amount of $343,638.45.
ACFD manages the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC) that is used for emergency dispatch across most of Alameda County. ACFD is also Union City’s fire and emergency response service provider and this upgrade to the alerting system is being installed across the County in all fire stations that are part of ACRECC.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
There is no direct alignment with the Strategic Plan.
BACKGROUND
The Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC) is located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and is operated by the Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) with oversight by an advisory committee.
ACRECC delivers regional communications and dispatch services that optimize the deployment and coordination of emergency resources and serves the cities of Alameda, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Livermore, Newark, Pleasanton, San Leandro, and Union City; the communities of Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, and Sunol; the Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley, and Sandia National Laboratories, Camp Parks Combat Support Training Center, all of unincorporated Alameda County; and is the Dispatch/System Status Management Center for ambulance service.
Union City contracted with ACFD for fire and emergency response services in 2010 and recently entered into an amended five-year agreement that will extend to June 30, 2030. Currently, ACFD is operating out of three locations:
Fire Station 31 — 33555 Central Avenue
Fire Station 32 — 31600 Alvarado Boulevard
Fire Station 33 — 33942 7th Street
The stations are owned by the City and provided to ACFD at no cost. ACFD is now proposing to upgrade all stations with a new station alerting system known as Phoenix G2, which is a product manufactured by the Honeywell International, Inc. Funds of $240,000 were provided to ACFD in FY 2023-2024 to pay for the new alerting system installation, with the expectation that it would be installed in FY 2024-2025. The initial cost estimate was $80,000 per station based on similar installations; however, after advertising the project for bid twice, it was clear that costs had increased substantially. Both bids were rejected by the County for various reasons. Ultimately, ACFD identified a certified vendor for the Phoenix G2 system that provided the most competitive cost and met the warranty requirements of the alerting system. This process delayed the installation and has required the City to commit additional funds of $103,639 that were included in the FY2025-2026 adopted budget for ACFD to cover the updated contract cost and provide a ten percent contingency.
DISCUSSION
The Honeywell Phoenix G2 alerting system is an alarm system at the fire stations that when triggered by the ACRECC dispatch center, strobe lights and speakers are activated. The current system is 20 years old, and the technology has reached its end of life. The installation is underway in several cities, including Fremont, Pleasanton, Alameda, and Livermore. Union City is expected to be scheduled soon and completed within this fiscal year.
The alerting system project involves pulling ethernet cables (with labels) within each of the City’s fire stations (see attached floor plan layout for each station in Attachment B), accompanying electrical work as required by the system manufacturer, installation of the alerting system speakers and lights, wall/ceiling patchwork, and other associated work as needed.
The project budget has been reviewed by the Public Works Department. ACFD will also pull building permits for the installation of the project to ensure it is built to code. The cooperative agreement allows ACFD’s contractor to work on the City’s three fire stations. ACFD will provide a Project Manager to oversee and coordinate the work with the City. The work is expected to commence this fall and be completed within this fiscal year.
FISCAL IMPACT
In FY 2023-2024, the City paid $240,000 to ACFD towards the project. An additional $103,639 has been included in the FY 2025-2026 budget for ACFD to cover the additional contract cost and provide a ten percent contingency. See the table below for a breakdown of project costs. The project cost is $312,398.59, plus a ten percent contingency, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $343,638.45. The project account number is 11022001-57130 (110 - General Fund; 22001 - Fire Operations; 57130 - Other Capital Equipment).
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) for the installation of an alerting system upgrade to Fire Stations No. 31, No. 32, and No. 33 in the amount $312,398.59, plus a ten percent contingency for a total not-to-exceed amount of $343,638.45.
Prepared by:
Joan Malloy, City Manager
Submitted by:
Joan Malloy, City Manager
AT
TACHMENTS: Description
Type
DraftResolutionResolution
ExhibitA-CooperativeAgreementExhibit
ExhibitB-BuilidngPlansExhibit
ExhibitC-ProjectBudgetExhibit
REVIEWERS: Department
ReviewerActionDate
CityManager’sDepartmentMalloy , JoanApproved8/3/2025-2:20PM CityManager’sDepartmentMalloy , JoanApproved8/3/2025-2:24PM