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C.4

To:	Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Board of Directors
From:	Jeff Carman, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Date:	February 10, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Contract with Cascade Healthcare Services, LLC for EMS Continuing Education

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 02/10/2015

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

Candace Andersen, Director
Mary N. Piepho, Director
Karen Mitchoff, Director
Federal D. Glover, Director

ABSENT:

John Gioia, Director

Contact:

Ben Smith, EMS Chief (925) 941-3513

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: February 10, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to execute a contract with Cascade Healthcare Services, LLC doing business as Cascade Training Center, in an amount not to exceed $130,000 for emergency medical services training for first responder personnel from March 1, 2015 through February 29, 2016.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Estimated annual cost savings of $70,800.

BACKGROUND:

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (District) provides fire, rescue, and emergency medical incident response services within its approximate 300 square mile service area. All District first responders (firefighters, fire engineers, and fire captains) are licensed as either Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or Paramedics.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

As such, the District has a significant responsibility to ensure its personnel obtain required continuing education hours and infrequent skills verification to renew and recertify their EMT and Paramedic licenses.

The District has two budgeted nurse-quality improvement/educator positions. One of those positions is assigned to manage EMS continuing education and training (“nurse educator”). That position is funded at $158,580 in FY 2014-15 but is currently vacant.

For a number of years, EMS training was delivered by the Contra Costa County Fire Training Consortium. This group was created to facilitate shared responsibility among fire agencies for developing curriculum and relevant supporting material. As the economy negatively affected the fire agencies in the County, participation dwindled. For example, the Pinole Fire Department and the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District each used to send a firefighter to Consortium meetings but later contracted with the District to use its nurse educator to provide classroom instruction. The Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District followed suit when their quality assurance nurse left and also contracted with the District for classroom instruction. The El Cerrito Fire Department provides their own training, the City of Richmond Fire Department has never participated in the Consortium, and the East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s participation is extremely limited.

Currently, the District and the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District are the only active participants in the Consortium. AMR, REACH, CALSTAR, and the Contra Costa County Health Services Department (CCCHSD) have also been participants in the past. At present CCCHSD is the only remaining participant in this group.

Consequently, the Consortium lacks the effectiveness that it once had due to a number of factors, and the District no longer has a nurse educator on staff.

Using contracted training instructors to conduct on-site, on-duty training appears to have several advantages. Along with providing all required certification training, the District will have expanded access to a wide variety of required and optional training by professional instructors. Having access to a cadre of experienced training instructors will also allow our current quality improvement nurse to return to focusing on oversight and review of patient care and audits of CPR annotated reports.

As indicated above, the District currently has a vacant, budgeted nurse educator position that will not be filled if this contract is approved. Furthermore, additional savings of over $30,000 per year are anticipated due to the reduction in overtime and course fees for personnel to attend required certification courses on non-duty days. The District also currently uses a third party for record keeping of continuing education hours and certifications. That service will be rolled into this contract for additional savings of approximately $10,000 per year.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

The District is required ensure its EMS personnel obtain a certain number of continuing education hours and infrequent skills verification to renew and recertify their paramedic and EMT licenses. If this contract is not approved, the District will have to obtain other education providers and/or pay overtime and reimbursement for course fees for employees to obtain the training on their own.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

No impact.