To: Board of Supervisors
From: County Administrative Office
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
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Resolution Authorizing Execution of Cooperative Fire Programs - Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement No. 1CA04863 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Regarding the Provision of Fire Protection and Dispatch Services Within Humboldt County and Memorandum of Understanding with Arcata Fire Protection District
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Waive the requirements of the Humboldt County Nuclear-Free Ordinance with regard to Cooperative Fire Programs - Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement No. 1CA04863 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection;
2. Adopt the attached resolution which authorizes the County Administrative Officer, or a designee thereof, to execute Cooperative Fire Programs - Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement No. 1CA04863 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection regarding the provision of fire protection and dispatch services within Humboldt County for the period of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, and any amendments thereto, along with any and all other certifications, agreements and documents required or deemed necessary or appropriate for the County of Humboldt to accept and secure its obligations thereunder;
3. Direct the Clerk of the Board to return one (1) fully executed certified copy of the attached Resolution to the County Administrative Office for submission to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection;
4. Direct the Human Resources Director, or a designee thereof, to provide the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection with any and all necessary certificates of insurance;
5. Approve, and authorize the Chair of the Board to execute, the attached memorandum of understanding with Arcata Fire Protection District regarding reimbursement of a portion of the costs associated with the dispatch services provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection;
6. Authorize the County Administrative Officer, or a designee thereof, to execute any and all subsequent amendments to the attached memorandum of understanding with Arcata Fire Protection District, after review and approval by County Counsel and Risk Management; and
7. Direct the Clerk of the Board to return one (1) fully executed original copy of the attached memorandum of understanding with Arcata Fire Protection District to the County Administrative Office for further processing.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Community Service Area No. 4 Property Assessment Fund 3970
General Fund
Arcata Fire Protection District
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to California Public Resources Code Section 4114, and other provisions of state law, the State of California, by and through the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (“CalFIRE”), maintains fire prevention and suppression forces, including, without limitation, equipment, personnel and facilities, necessary to prevent and extinguish forest fires.
For many years, the County of Humboldt has contracted with CalFIRE to provide fire protection services in Community Service Area No. 4 during the non-fire season. Community Service Area No. 4 includes the community of Westhaven, the unincorporated area surrounding the City of Trinidad and the unincorporated area adjacent to U.S. Highway 101 stretching approximately ten (10) miles north of Trinidad. The residents of Community Services Area No. 4 formed an assessment district to pay for fire protection services provided by CalFIRE on a year-round basis. The maximum benefit assessment was approved by property owners through an election conducted on May 6, 2003 (Item F-3). The maximum assessment per benefit unit is currently set at Twenty-Nine Dollars ($29) plus an annually adjusted inflation factor based on the Consumer Price Index.
CalFIRE has offered to continue to provide mutually advantageous fire and emergency services through Cooperative Fire Programs - Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement No. 1CA04863 (“Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement”). The proposed Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement contains two (2) separate service components. The first component pertains to the provision of fire protection services within Community Service Area No. 4. This portion of the Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement will fund the employment of three (3) firefighters, and operating expenses, at the CalFIRE station located in Trinidad. The second component of the Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement pertains to the provision of year-round fire department 9-1-1 emergency dispatch services (“dispatch services”) in support of the local fire protection districts within Humboldt County. This portion of the Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement will fund 2.33 full-time equivalent Communications Operators at the CalFIRE Emergency Command Center located in Fortuna.
The attached resolution authorizes the County Administrative Officer, or a designee thereof, to execute the Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement with CalFIRE regarding the provision of fire protection and dispatch services within Humboldt County for the period of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, and any amendments thereto, along with any and all other certifications, agreements and documents required or deemed necessary or appropriate for the County of Humboldt to accept and secure its obligations thereunder. It should be noted that the Board must waive the requirements of the Humboldt County Nuclear-Free Ordinance in order to adopt the attached resolution, since CalFIRE will not modify the Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement to incorporate the requirements thereof.
The County of Humboldt, in conjunction with Arcata Fire Protection District, has determined that approximately forty percent (40%) of the dispatch services provided by CalFIRE pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement will directly benefit Arcata Fire Protection District. As a result, Arcata Fire Protection District has offered to reimburse forty percent of the costs associated with the dispatch services provided by CalFIRE. The attached memorandum of understanding will allow the Humboldt County Administrative Office to accept up to One Hundred Thirty-Eight Thousand Five Hundred Eighty Dollars ($138,580) from Arcata Fire Protection District for the purpose of paying forty percent (40%) of the costs associated with the dispatch services provided by CalFIRE.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement with CalFIRE has a maximum amount payable of Six Hundred Fifty-One Thousand Five Hundred Twenty-Eight Dollars ($651,528) for the period of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, which is an increase of nearly Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000) from the prior year. The above-referenced maximum amount payable includes Three Hundred Forty-Nine Thousand Ninety-Three Dollars ($349,093) for the provision of dispatch services and Three Hundred Two Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Four Dollars ($302,434) for the provision of fire protection services. The Humboldt County Dispatch Cooperative has agreed to pay a twenty-five percent (25%) of the county share, which totals Fifty-One Thousand Five Hundred Twelve Dollars ($51,512), of the costs associated with the provision of dispatch services. In addition, Arcata Fire Protection District will cover forty percent (40%), which totals One Hundred Thirty-Eight Thousand Five Hundred Eighty Dollars ($138,580), of the costs associated with the provision of fire dispatch services pursuant to the terms and conditions of the attached memorandum of understanding. Approximately One Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars ($175,000) of the costs associated with the provision of fire protection services will be covered by the benefit assessment fees collected by Community Service Area No. 4. The remaining costs associated with the provision of fire protection and dispatch services, which total Two Hundred Eighty-Six Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Six Dollars ($286,436), will be covered by the Humboldt County General Fund.
As noted above, the costs associated with the fire protection and dispatch services provided by CalFIRE are increasing at a significant pace and are anticipated to continue to rise. As a result, the County Administrative Office, in collaboration with Natural Resources, will work with representatives of the local fire protection districts in the coming year to identify alternate service delivery options.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
The recommended actions support the Board of Supervisors’ Strategic Framework by creating opportunities for improved safety and health and providing community-appropriate levels of service.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Board discretion.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution Authorizing Execution of Cooperative Fire Programs - Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement No. 1CA04863 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Regarding the Provision of Fire Protection and Dispatch Services Within Humboldt County
2. Cooperative Fire Programs - Fire Protection Reimbursement Agreement No. 1CA04863 with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Regarding the Provision of Fire Protection and Dispatch Services Within Humboldt County for Fiscal Year 2020-2021
3. Memorandum of Understanding with Arcata Fire Protection District Regarding Reimbursement of a Portion of the Costs Associated with the Fire Dispatch Services Provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A