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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/18/1993, 7 - CONTRACT EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES WITH CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY (CAL POLY) --- Date: ---.,May 18, 1993 °1N1��HI�IIIIIII��I ���II city of san lues oBispo - cr norms COUNCIL. AGENDA REPORT FROM: Bob Neumann, Fire Chief SUBJECT: Contract Emergency Response Services with.California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) CAO RECOMMENDATION: By motion, receive a report concerning the exploration of providing emergency response services to the University and authorize staff to negotiate a contract consistent with the parameters outlined in the report. BACKGROUND: In June of 1992, Cal Poly University approached the City of San Luis Obispo in preliminary discussions over the possibility of the City providing contract emergency response services for the main campus of the University. Cal Poly is the only state University remaining with its own Fire Department. Considerable financial difficulties have caused them to evaluate both the functions and need of having a Fire Department. The University determined that contractual arrangements seemed the most economical, and looked to both the County and City of San Luis Obispo as potential providers of emergency response. Through the summer and fall, both the County and the City Fire Departments provided the University with a number of options to effectively fulfill their emergency response needs. However, the University chose to reconfigure its Fire Department in lieu of employee lay-offs and contact with the County and City was dropped. This spring we have again been approached by the University. The increasing fiscal problems at the State level have resulted in the University's final decision to pursue this course of action to a completion. The City and the University have a long history of sharing fire-protection services. Approximately ten years ago, the City and the University entered into an "Agreement for Day-To-Day Mutual Aid for both automatic- and mutual-aid for fire protection. This agreement was desirable to maximize the effective use of resources to respond to fires and local emergencies that could develop beyond the control of either the City or the University. Over the years each party to the agreement has enjoyed the support of the other in many specific incidents. In November of 1992, due to budget restraints, the University was forced to terminate this Automatic Aid Agreement. DISCUSSION: Over the past nine months the University has explored a number of alternatives to their current system. They have talked extensively with both the City and County Fire Departments about a number of possible contractual arrangements. The University has decided to close their fire department at the end of this current fiscal year. They now desire to reach an agreement with the City of San Luis Obispo to provide emergency response services on the campus. -/ i "'H���ti►�►�il�lip q�ip� MY Of San LUIS OBISPO COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT At its 4-20-93 meeting staff advised Council of the University's request. Council directed to staff to return with a report on the basic parameters of an agreement. Preliminary discussions have centered around needs confirmed by the University to be beyond their capability that fallwithin the scope of agreement. These discussions have covered the following operational issues. Fine Suppression/Alarms: The CITY would provide personnel, equipment, materials, and supervision for suppression of structure and incident fires on the main campus of the university.. Fires to be suppressed include (but are not limited to): structure, rubbish, trash container, automobile, vegetation adjacent to structure and other such fires which, along with the above, are evaluated from the initial report to be of significance or beyond the capabilities of the University's response. Fire suppression would include those universally-accepted activities which bring an un-friendly fire under control and render the property safe from further damage. The UNIVERSITY would maintain.all campus alarm systems. University personnel would evaluate a reporting alarm prior to notifying CITY dispatch. The CITY would respond a first alarm assignment to water flow alarms in sprinidered buildings. The UNIVERSITY would screen all other alarms and would request CITY response when confirmation is made that a fire or other emergency is in progress. Pre-Hospital Emergency Care: The City would not provide medical response support to the University except on the following special occasions; • The locally provided ambulance service is not available or is significantly delayed in it's response to the University. • A mass casualty incident has occurred on the main campus of the University. The University understands that the County of San Luis Obispo is currently considering the development of a new "pre-hospital care" ordinance that may revise the current system of ambulance transportation in the County. The University agrees to cooperate with the City if the City should so choose to enter into the County's pre-hospital care emergency transportation system. Hazardous Materials The CITY would provide trained personnel as indicated by the Code of Federal Regulations 29 "First-Responder Capabilities" to the UNIVERSITY. It is the intent that the CITY would share in a joint command of any hazardous materials incidents based on the availability of responding UNIVERSITY personnel. ���v���I111111�P �lU city Of San LUIS OBISPO - MaGe COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Response to threat of or release of hazardous materials would include within the capability of CITY resources: evacuation of affected area, identification of substances, containment of substances, protective actions for people, environment and property. The University would provide technical support of qualified staff to assist the City with Hazardous Materials response. Supplies and materials normally associated with first response would be provided by the City. The UNIVERSITY would arrange for hazardous materials response beyond the capability of the CITY including the removal and disposal of the hazardous material(s). At such time as the proposed San Luis Obispo County Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team becomes operational, the CITY and the UNIVERSITY would work cooperatively to access this resource. Extrication Emergencies The CITY would provide personnel, materials, equipment and supervision for emergency extrication of students, faculty, staff, guests, and visitors on the main campus of the UNIVERSITY. Emergency Rescue includes: extrication of trapped persons from vehicles, machinery, cave-ins, collapse of structures, fire, and other significant situations which could require assistance. The UNIVERSITY recognizes that in an area-wide emergency, the CITY would prioritize it's response predicated on life safety. The CITY's response to elevator problems would be limited to situations confirmed by a UNIVERSITY employee that an emergency does indeed exist. Disaster Response The UNIVERSITY has developed and will maintain at a.high state of readiness, a multi-hazard disaster response plan. Included in this plan is the establishment and operation of a university Emergency Operations Center as well as annexes addressing the roles of operational units of the UNIVERSITY. For purposes of disaster response, the UNIVERSITY recognizes that there would be priorities which would dictate the CITY's response capabilities. Subsequent to priortizing emergencies based on life safety, the CITY would deliver available resources to assist The UNIVERSITY in it's mitigation efforts. If additional emergency response resources are needed, they would be accessed through the Mutual Aid system already in place. Unanticipated Calls For Service Special situations not specifically covered may arise that are deemed by the University to require resources beyond their capabilities. When those occasions happen the City would provide, at it's discretion, available resources. The University would compensate the City on an hourly basis, the 7- ""�,� iu►I�IIII�p ��Ih City O� San`WIS OBISPO - COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ; hourly amount to be agreed upon by both parties. The following are examples of special situations possibly requiring response. * Flooding/Storm Response * Pipe Line Ruptures/Water Control * Smoke Removal * Animal Rescues * Electrical Hazard * Radiological * Bomb Threats * Special Events/Crowd Control/Civil Disturbances * Menace Stand-by * Fire Prevention and Other Technical Assistance E%IPACTS: The campus is occupied at any given hour in the daytime by approximately 10,000 souls; about 3,000 at night. The matriculated full-time equivalent student body is about 14,000 and there are 2,100 support staff. The University, over the long term, has experienced a low fire-loss history with only one notable exception in the last decade. Based on our experiences, while operating under previous Automatic Aid Agreements and staffs review of Universityincident statistics, we anticipate approximately 40 - 50 calls for service per year. A preliminary survey of the physical plant at Cal Poly, to assess impacts of assuming contract protection responsibilities, was conducted in the company of University public safety employee, David Ragsdale. The following issues were evaluated as to their individual impact. Access: Perhaps the single greatest issue which would affect emergency response, is campus access. There are numerous areas of narrow streets and questionable or non-existent clearances. Building identification is difficult and access to locked areas requires many keys. Facilitating entry into affected areas would remain a University responsibility. Fnvflow: Fireflows in almost all areas of the campus are below standard, particularly for large volume defensive appliances. There are plans for upgrades over time, but these may well be deferred due to budget constraints that will probably persist throughout the 1990's and the current situation should probably be considered the best things are going to get for a while. Water mains in many areas of the campus core are old and small. Static pressure may be okay, but adequate defensive flows generally are not available. Hydrant Locations: Hydrants are few and far between. An unrefined estimate of hydrant density is something less than 15 hydrants per square mile overall (maybe 50 or 60 per square mile in the core) compared to about 130 hydrants per square mile in the City. �ti►I NI ����N�II III City Of San Lai$ OBispo - ASHIMe COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Fixed Fine Protection Systems: Most major buildings are relatively new and contain many fire-protection features as required by code. There are few fully-sprinklered buildings on campus. Alarm systems are mix-and-match where they exist. Some report to answering points, some are only local. Some can be defeated by occupants without consequence. Zoning and annunciation are essentially ineffective in most cases where systems exist. Hazardous Materials: Hazardous materials use and storage is probably not a significant concern, especially if City response were limited to awareness functions as defined by OSHA. The quantities were surprisingly low for the facilities and functions they support, and their storage, handling, and use is well regulated. The storerooms where they are kept for distribution are generally staffed with knowledgeable people. There are some 900 regulated radiation sources on campus. Pesticides and herbicides are well stored, and in reasonable quantities. The Crops Unit is probably the biggest toxicity hazard; the buildings are combustible, and run-off control might be challenging. Wildland Interface: The wildland interface is generally well-buffered, and potential for wildland fire intrusion into the campus core is acceptably managed. Outlying Campus Areas: Areas outside the campus core are not a particular concern from a strategic point of view. While they may create spectacular fires, the probability of losses beyond the involved structure is relatively low. Water supplies are the biggest problem here. There is also a problem of poor access in muddy weather in some of these outlying units. Tactical deployment of resources would likely be substantially more demanding than within the City for similar fires, and more time consuming and manpower-intensive. This would probably result in more defensive situations, and greater losses when fires do occur, since water supplies are not sufficient to support defensive operations in most areas. However, most major buildings are fire resistive construction and are well maintained. Also, fire is likely to be detected in its early stages by occupants. Both agencies recognize and agree that problem areas exist on campus which could greatly hamper the delivery of effective emergency response or mitigation efforts. These problem areas would be identified in any agreements with the understanding that the City response efforts would cope as best possible, but would not be held responsible for detrimental results occurring due to existing campus deficiencies. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City move forward in developing,a contract with the University for emergency response services. We reach this conclusion based on the following: j 111114111111ilIRMI City Of San LUIS OBISPO r MIsMs COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT • Existing deficient conditions on the campus would remain the responsibility of the University. • Significant revenue would be realized by the City. • The call-load would not have significant impact on the City's current fire suppression system and minimal additional expenses would be incurred. • Existing mutual aid agreements with the County of San Luis Obispo would require the eventual response of City resources to any significant incident on the campus. Therefore, to enter into a contractual agreement would be of the optimum benefit to both agencies. • The consolidation of duplicated services provides the most effective approach to maximizing the taxpayer's dollar. Staff anticipates that we would return with a final agreement for Council's review on June 15th. FISCAL IMPACT: Staff anticipates that revenues of$100,000 - $150,000 will be generated if a contract is established between the University and the City.