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To:	Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Board of Directors
From:	Jeff Carman, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Date:	June 16, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Purchase of Hurst eDraulic Extrication Tools

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 06/16/2015

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, Director
Candace Andersen, Director
Mary N. Piepho, Director
Karen Mitchoff, Director

ABSENT:

Federal D. Glover, Director

Contact:

Lewis Broschard, Asst Fire Chief, 925-941-3501

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: June 16, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, on behalf of the Fire Chief, to execute a purchase order with LN Curtis & Sons in an amount not to exceed $155,000 for five (5) sets of Hurst eDraulic extrication tools for rescue and emergency medical response.

FISCAL IMPACT:

No impact to 2014-15 budget. Funds for this purchase will be reallocated from a non-capital expenditure account to a capital expenditure account, but there will be no net increase to the District's 2014-15 budgeted expenditure appropriations.

BACKGROUND:

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (District) is charged with providing rescue and emergency medical services as one of its primary missions. A common type of rescue involves use of the “Jaws of Life” tool to perform extrications of patients from badly damaged vehicles. The equipment used for these extrications is specialized hydraulically operated rams, spreaders, and cutters capable of manipulating metal and structural elements of vehicles so that first responders can get to patients who are trapped and injured.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

The District’s current inventory of Hurst extrication tools is old and in need of replacement. The District did not have the funds to replace aging equipment over the last several years and the need for new replacement equipment has been building over the course of the recent recession. In addition, the new apparatus recently ordered by the District were specified to carry modern extrication equipment and older, larger, heavier equipment will not fit in the newly designed apparatus. The District needs to purchase new equipment to provide reliable extrication tools for the personnel assigned to our truck and rescue companies who perform extrication of patients from vehicles.

The new equipment is more efficient than our current toolsets as they are self-contained and do not need a remote power source to provide hydraulic pressure. The new tools can be deployed more quickly and effectively to save lives. The Hurst eDraulic ram, cutter, and spreader were selected to provide the essential functions of vehicle extrication for our District.

The five sets of tools (one ram, one cutter, and one spreader per set) would be placed on each front-line truck company in the District just as our current extrication equipment is already located. Truck companies are dispatched to vehicle accidents or other rescues where patient entrapment is suspected or confirmed.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Failing to acquire the five sets of extrication equipment would result in new apparatus not being able to carry certain tools necessary to perform vehicle extrication. In addition, existing older equipment would continue to serve in front-line service with less reliability and efficiency.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

No impact.