The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District ("District") provides fire, rescue and emergency medical incident response services within the City of San Pablo (“City”). The District's Station 70 is located within the City at 13928 San Pablo Avenue ("Station 70"), and is currently staffed by one (1) fire captain, one (1) fire engineer and one (1) firefighter; at least one of which is a paramedic. Station 70 currently has the capacity to house one three-person company. Following the recent passage of sales tax Measure K, a special tax, the City is required to spend the proceeds of Measure K to enhance the emergency medical incident response services provided in the City. The City and District have negotiated an agreement under which an additional two-person squad will be operated out of Station 70 and staffed 24 hours a day. The City will pay for the squad vehicle, the costs of personnel, equipment and fuel for the squad, and the costs associated with constructing housing or other accommodations at Station 70 for the squad personnel.
Under the agreement, the District must staff Station 70 with a two-person squad comprised of a fire engineer and a firefighter, at least one of which will be a paramedic (the "EMS Squad"), in addition to the existing three-person company comprised of a captain, a fire engineer, and a paramedic. The EMS Squad will be housed at, and permanently assigned to Station 70, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This obligation will remain for so long as Station 70 is in existence.
Initially, the District will purchase, and the City will pay for, a new squad vehicle at a cost not to exceed $175,000. The EMS Squad will be equipped with firefighter protective clothing, a cardiac monitor, a defibrillator, necessary radios and communications equipment and other equipment the District determines is necessary to its duties (the "EMS Squad Equipment"). The EMS Squad Equipment will primarily be provided by the District from its surplus equipment supply. The remaining EMS Squad Equipment will be purchased by District after it provides the City with a list of EMS Squad Equipment that is necessary and in addition to the District supplied EMS Squad Equipment. The District will invoice the City for the cost of any new EMS Squad Equipment it purchases.
The EMS Squad personnel will be assigned at the sole discretion of the District. Notwithstanding that the EMS Squad is located at Station 70 in the City, the EMS Squad will be used in the same manner that the District would use it if the City were not funding the EMS Squad. At the District's discretion, the EMS Squad may be assigned to provide emergency services at any location as deemed necessary by the District. The EMS Squad will not provide EMS transportation services.
To house the EMS Squad, the District will determine a design to add a double wide modular housing unit approximately 1,200 square feet in size (with sleeping quarters, bathroom, etc.), a breezeway, walkway, and portal into the existing Station 70, and the necessary site improvements for the new structure to serve as additional housing for the EMS Squad (the "EMS Squad Housing Design"). The housing improvements to Station 70 are contingent on and subject to appropriate review under the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"). The District shall act as lead agency for the EMS Squad housing construction, obtain all permits, approval, and entitlements necessary for the EMS Squad housing, and prepare environmental clearance for the remodel project pursuant to CEQA. The City will assist in expediting plan review and the issuance of permits and entitlements within the jurisdiction of the City. The District will contract for the construction of the EMS Squad housing according to the EMS Squad Housing Design. The City will fund all reasonable costs of the EMS Squad housing at Station 70 with the exception of upgrades to the current structure and emergency generator. However, the District shall be responsible for competently managing the project and shall be liable for any contractor claims arising out of the project which could have been reasonably avoided by the District.
In addition to the start-up costs, the City will pay the District for the staffing and operation of the EMS Squad in the maximum amount of (a) $1.2 million annually for the first three years of this Agreement, and (b) $1.5 million annually for the fourth and fifth years of this Agreement. However, if the City’s governing body fails to appropriate sufficient funds in any fiscal year for payments due under this Agreement that are in excess of Measure K funds received, and if other funds are not available for such payments, then the City shall give the District immediate written notice, and the District may thereafter terminate this agreement.
The term of the Agreement is five years and may be extended for another five years.
The District will not enter into this Agreement with the City for enhanced emergency medical services.
To provide greater clarity, the Board directed that the Station 70 EMS Squad Agreement be amended as follows:
On page 1, Section A. EMS SQUAD, Subsection 1. EMS Squad Personnel shall now read: "During the term of this agreement and for as long as the District keeps Station 70 open, the district shall minimally staff Station 70 with a two-person squad comprised of a fire engineer and a firefighter, at least one of which will be a paramedic (the “EMS Squad”), which is in addition to the existing three person squad comprised of a captain, a fire engineer, and a paramedic. The EMS Squad will be housed at, and permanently assigned to Station 70, 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
APPROVED as amended; and