10C Action 2007 0604 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Fire Services Ad Hoc Report Page 4 of 5 EXHIBIT 5 May 3, 2007 13. In the last two years the Alameda County Fire Department has added a full time Public Information officer and full time Emergency Services Manager. The County Fire Department has required us to increase our payment for these overhead services while back here in the City we still do not have our full time fire inspector and are struggling to find money to put more cops on the street. The City paid 100% of the cost of an Emergency Services Manager until FY 2004~05 when the manager left and his responsibilities were doled out among departments, with much of the responsibilities falling to the Police Department. Given the importance of this position in assisting the City and community in preparing for a disaster, and the City's attrition of one of the Police Captain positions, the City urged AlCo Fire to hire an Emergency Services Manager. The City pays 30% of the cost of the Emergency Services Manager. The Council approved the addition of this staff in the FY 2006-07 budget, following review by the Finance Committee. 14. This past year, we paid the County Fire Department over $90,000 for truck maintenance, a cost that used to be handled in-house with our own vehicle maintenance crew. In the past, the City contracted out maintenance of the fire apparatus due to its specialized nature. The City does not employ mechanics with this type of expertise nor does it have sufficient staff to take on the additional work required to maintain the fire equipment. The hourly rate AICo Fire pays for equipment repair and maintenance is reasonable, and may be lower than rates the City would be able to negotiate. 15. The County Fire Department intends to build and operate a Maintenance Facility using a lease/purchase program to pay for the capital improvements. They cannot guarantee that they won't pass the capital costs on to us through their maintenance charge out rates. AICo Fire is exploring the possibility of a maintenance facility, but has not developed financial or business projections at this time. Information regarding this decision would be brought to the City for discussion and approval. 16. Our fire trucks and engine equipment have been sacrificed year after year to pay for the County overhead increases. We have equipment well past its useful life and the capital program reserves have been diverted to pay the additional operation expenses. The City made a decision in November 2004 to spend down the Fire equipment reserves to cover the additional cost of the contract. In FY 2006-07, the City will purchase a fire engine at a cost of approximately $500k with revenue received from back payment of First Responder Advanced Life Support (FRALS) funding. The purchase of a ladder truck is scheduled for FY 2007-08 and a decision has not been made yet whether the equipment will be purchased or leased. The purchase of equipment is ultimately a decision of the City Council.