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Home My WebLink About11/16/2010 08 Union Gap Interlocal Agreement for Fire / EMS [Emergency Medical Services] • BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No For Meeting Of November 16, 2010 ITEM TITLE Possible Expansion of Union Gap Interlocal Agreement SUBMITTED BY Charlie Hines, Fire Chief CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE Charlie L. Hines, Fire Chief — 576 -6747 SUMMARY EXPLANATION The Fire Departments of Union Gap and Yakima have a long and successful history of working together Some examples include cooperative firefighter recruit academy, regional technical rescue team, joint purchase of apparatus and automatic aid The current economic climate presents an excellent opportunity for us to "take the next step " Creating a partnership that consolidates Fire /EMS services offers the citizens of both cities a wide range of improved services that translates into quality and strength that extends well beyond the fire station Our recommendation is to take a progressive step to provide our stakeholders with a more effective Fire /EMS service by entering into a series of discussions among professionals and policy makers from our respective agencies to explore in detail the concept of a consolidation of fire services Resolution Ordinance Other (Specify) Contract Mail to (name and address) Phone Funding Source APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL. L Z City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION Approve BOARD /COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION COUNCIL ACTION • Administration 4351 q Fire Suppression � �': > Fire Investigation " .�. . & Education ' 401 North Front Street, Yakima, WA 98901 (509) 575 -6060 " • mmg Fax (509) 576 -6356 rncat!ons ' P f t DE Q �' www yakimafire.com s ue, YFD /UFGD Partnership Introduction The purpose of this report is essentially two -fold First, it is staff's intent to highlight the benefits of consolidating Fire /EMS services now delivered separately by the cities of Union Gap and Yakima into a joint response style delivery system Secondly, to provide a foundation upon which city management, labor, elected officials and ultimately the public can build upon The financial and corresponding operational challenges facing fire departments have been a compounding problem for over a decade Initially, the passage of Initiative 747 locked the percentage of property tax revenue received by cities This cap has hampered the ability of local governments to otherwise enhance revenues at a level that would keep pace with the increased operating costs to fund fire and ems services Unfunded state and federal mandates, equipment, fuel, health care, workers compensation costs have far outstripped available revenues Under the current operating structures and short of new revenues, this growing gap between 4 penses and resources has required fire departments into a position of reducing service levels in ler to maintain fiscal accountability The consequence is a significant reduction in the level of service provided to the community and an increased workload on the remaining personnel and apparatus This translates into a reduction in fire and emergency medical services to residents, diminished officer safety and increased liability to Cities These issues are not unique to Yakima or Union Gap They are, in fact being felt throughout the state and country Efforts to reduce the size and cost of government have forced fire officials to react. To survive in a form that will maintain the safety of our communities, those with foresight will need to respond proactively Consolidation with a compatible agency is one option to consider as a proactive step to help secure the future of fire and life safety services Forward There is a long and successful history of collaboration between UGFD and YFD working together for the public good Some examples • Joint purchase of a ladder truck • Automatic Aid (closest fire engine responds to the emergency regardless of City boundaries) • Common dispatching center • Administration of recruit firefighter exams • Cooperative firefighter academies 0 • Combined Technical Rescue Team • Integrated apparatus numbering system • Awarded grant applications for equipment • • Interoperable computer technology for emergency reporting system • Collaboration on in- service training • Chief Officer emergency response • Successful implementation of mutual aid on numerous occasions The principle benefits of a regional consolidation of Fire /EMS system are • No increase in taxes • Reduced operating costs • Increased efficiency and coverage • Depth of resources unmatched in Central Washington The consolidation of resources, the streamlining of overhead and a partnership in a regional protection system is beneficial for Yakima and Union Gap Fiscal Considerations The following are some of the services that would be provided by City of Yakima • Labor negotiations and contract administration • Workers compensation management • Human Resource Services (recruitment, testing, employee records, discipline, grievances, ADA compliance, L &I, Civil Service) • Payroll • Strategic planning • Vehicle purchasing and maintenance • Equipment/supplies purchase, inventory management and delivery • Community education • Information systems management • Emergency response mapping In all probability commercial properties located within Union Gap will see a significant savings in their fire insurance premiums This will be due to an improvement in the Washington Survey and Rating Bureau (WSRB) evaluation and subsequent grade An improved fire rating equates to an enviable recruiting tool for new businesses Citizens in both cities' will also realize savings on their fire insurance premiums And most importantly, fire and life safety service to both cities will be increased at no additional cost to either agency Personnel Should the City of Union Gap decide to partner with the Yakima Fie Department for Fire /EMS services, YFD is committed to making the transition of the Union Gap Fire departments operation and personnel to YFD as seamless as possible The YFD proposes to hire all UGFD employees based on their successfully passing a medical examination Utilizing documentation provided by Union Gap, the YFD will prepare calculations to match UGFD employee salary with the closest comparable pay on YFD's salary schedule 0 Resource and strategic decisions relevant to the City of Union Gap The YFD Fire Chief has the overall responsibility for leading the department. However,, recognizing that on -going liaison between the City and its Fire Department is essential, the current Union Gap Fire Chief will maintain a working relationship with the designated Union Gap representatives (Mayor, Council Member, etc) As proposed, the current UGFD Chief will become the Fire Marshal for both Cities Facilities and Apparatus There are several options in relating to City of Union Gap fire assets The City of Union Gap can retain ownership of their fire station Union Gap would be responsible for upkeep and maintenance of the facilities They would remain exclusively for use as fire stations OR The City of Yakima can take possession of the station Yakima would assume responsibility for upkeep and maintenance It would remain exclusively for use as a fire station with a reversion back to City of Union Gap in the event the partnership was to be dissolved s imilar concept could be utilized for fire apparatus Union Gap would set aside a negotiated ount of money annually for anticipated apparatus replacement. All fire apparatus and stations would display logos that identified them as a unified Union Gap and Yakima entity Summary - Creating a partnership that consolidates Fire /EMS services offers the citizens of Union Gap and Yakima a wide range of services that translates into quality and strength that extends well beyond the fire station It enables the use of existing administrative resources on a broader scale, increases purchasing power and maximizes the use of all emergency and support resources within both departments regardless of jurisdictional boundaries If approved, the citizens of Union Gap and Yakima would have a minimum of 21 professional firefighters at their service 24/7 In addition, the Union Gap/Yakima Fire Department would be able to bring the following service enhancements to the citizens of Union Gap 2 ladder trucks, Hazmat team and Arson investigators It is important to note that this proposal DOES NOT require an increase in taxes. Our recommendation is to take a progressive step to provide our stakeholders with a more efficient and cost effective Fire /EMS service by entering into a series of discussions among professionals and policy makers from our respective agencies to explore in detail the concept of a consolidation of UGFD and YFD Ill