To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Zach Curren, Fire Chief
Prepared By: Shuree Egloff, Principal Management Analyst
TITLE:
Title
Fiscal Year 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (Regional)
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution authorizing the Fire Chief to accept the 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant in the amount of $136,363.63, with a local match of up to $13,636.37, and to execute a Grant Agreement with FEMA and approving an increase in both revenue and expenditures in the Non-Recurring General Fund in the amount of $136,363.63, as documented in Budget Amendment No. 602P1.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The Fire Department applied for the FEMA 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (“AFG”) seeking funding to provide training at a regional level to reinforce Incident Command for type 3, 4 and 5 incidents. The primary focus is training on command-and-control tactical decision-making through simulations. The requested training meets NFPA 1021 - Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, NFPA 1500 Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, and NFPA 1561 Standard for Incident Management System and principals of Command. Additionally, the training provides critical information and experience for our command officers who respond to support our mutual aid departments. The Regional Application requested $150,000 for the nationally recognized "Calm the Chaos - Mastering Fire Ground Command" course presented by Battalion Chief (Ret.) Anthony Kastros. This course will present command with strategies and tactics to operate a safe and efficient emergency scene through a 32-hour workshop and three days of hands-on training and instructor lessons. This course will be offered to Officers within the City of Napa, Napa County, American Canyon, City of St. Helena, and City of Calistoga Fire Departments. The first phase of the training is the 32-hour workshop on Mastering Fireground Command. The workshop is extremely comprehensive, interactive, self-paced and covers a myriad of topics including but not limited to; interactive simulations with quizzes, modules for each fire/incident type, incident command post videos, exercises for size-up, communications and tactical decision making, additional lessons on tactics like VEIS, transitional attack, ventilation, and tactical review. Phase 2 of the training is the 3-day Train-the-Trainer workshop where staff will be performing drills and responding to rescue scenarios. This portion of the training provides hands on and instructor lesson plan implementation including engine pumping, hoseline deployment, smoke, SCBA, radios, search, ventilation, and victim profiling. Our need for fireground command and control training to enhance our company and chief officers’ capabilities, experience, and cohesion as a team is significant. The train the trainer portion will also allow our departments to continue to train our future officers in command. Collectively, all Napa County Fire Chiefs agree that the need exists to fully align and standardize our ICS and operational practices for incident management to increase service delivery and mitigate the risks and hazards faced by firefighters on the incident scene.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
Approval of the funding allocation will increase the Department’s Non-Recurring General Fund expense budget by $136,363.63. Total Federal funding is $136,363.63 plus the local match of $13,636.37 to be covered by all participating parties. The City of Napa is the Host Agency, and all participating parties agree to provide the required monetary match for the total cost of their requested items as detailed in the Regional Grant Application as required under the Regional Grant program guidelines. The total cash match of $13,636.37 will be determined among the parties and based on percentage of benefit. Based on the tentative number of participants, the local match is broken down as follows:
City of Napa 39% $5,318.18
City of Calistoga 18% $2,454.55
County of Napa 16% $2,181.82
American Canyon Fire Protection District 14% $1,909.09
City of St. Helena 13% $1,772.73
Local Match 100% $13,636.37
The City of Napa’s local match contribution will be covered by the Department’s operating training budget. Total FEMA approved project budget is $150,000, which will cover the costs of the Incident Command Training.
CEQA:
The Finance Director has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Agenda Report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution
ATCH 2 - Council Budget Amendment No. 602P1
ATCH 3 - FEMA AFG Award Letter
NOTIFICATION:
None