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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - May 20, 2015 C-11CAGENDA ITEM -, J CITY OF LODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION TM AGENDA TITLE: Resolution Implementing Portal -to -Portal Reimbursement for Office of Emergency Services Mutual Aid MEETING DATE: May 20, 2015 PREPARED BY: Fire Chief RECOMMENDED ACTION: Resolution implementing portal-to-portal reimbursement for Office of Emergency Services mutual aid. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) serves as the broker between local government fire departments and the requesting State and federal agencies for mutual aid responses. Financial reimbursement for the local government fire department's mutual aid responses are set forth in the 2015 California Fire Assistance Agreement (CFAA). The 2015 CFAA requires participating fire departments to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on file internally that describes the wages and benefits of all employee classifications that will respond to a mutual aid incident. The Lodi Fire Department has an MOU on file for its respective labor groups. Additionally, agencies are required to have resolutions on file that states that fire department personnel are paid for all hours, commonly referred to as portal-to-portal, and that our reimbursement procedures are in accordance to the 2015 CFAA. Adoption of this resolution will ensure our ability to recover costs related to mutual aid responses. The Lodi Fire Department adheres to the California Fire Assistance Agreement (CFAA) for reimbursement of out -of -county mutual aid responses. The CFAA has been revised with a new agreement being implemented in advance of the 2015 fire season. The new CFAA establishes new requirements to ensure adequate reimbursement for mutual aid responses. Adoption of this resolution is necessary to maintain compliance with the 2015 CFAA and to ensure that the City receives compensation for actual hours worked from the time of departure through time returned to the official duty station. The elected bodies of all California fire agencies that participate in out -of -county mutual aid are compelled to adopt resolutions in order to ensure proper payment. With increasing frequency, the State of California Fire Department, known as Cal Fire, and the United States Forest Service, continue to depend on local government resources to assist with large-scale wildland fires. Additionally, as California's growing population continues to expand r APPROVED:' } ~ ui p n ScHW bauer City Manager into the wildland areas, urban interface fire activity is expected to increase in frequency and severity. The Lodi Fire Department is a signatory contractor for Cal OES. Cal OES has assigned a fire engine to the City in the event of a major incident. Fire Department personnel are trained to respond to these types of emergencies statewide. Cal OES allows the Fire Department to utilize this equipment within the City when conducting drills, or during an emergency, both of which are great resources and provide an additional service to our community. The Fire Department has been compensated for Cal OES responses away from its normal duty station, from the time of departure, until our arrival back at our regularly assigned duty station. This practice is known as portal-to-portal compensation. This entire cost is reimbursed by Cal OES under the CFAA. When the Fire Department assigns personnel to a Cal OES incident, the Fire Department immediately calls off-duty firefighters to fill the voids and maintain the required staffing to serve the City of Lodi. The passage of the proposed resolution confirms past practice and provides the required documentation by the CFAA to ensure the Fire Department is properly reimbursed portal-to-portal. FISCAL IMPACT: This resolution, if approved and adopted, will satisfy the terms and conditions of the 2015 California Fire Assistance Agreement (CFAA) for continuance of the portal-to-portal reimbursement to the City of Lodi for out -of -county mutual aid incidents responses by Lodi Fire personnel. Portal— to-portal payment under the CFAA is designed to fully compensate the City for the cost of providing resources, including the overtime impact of filling shift vacancies in the City of Lodi Fire Department stations, while crews are deployed. Compensation associated to the CFAA for out -of -county mutual aid responses are credited to the Strike Team Operations 1041100. RESOLUTION NO. 2015-59 A RESOLUTION OF THE LODI CITY COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING -PORTAL -TO -PORTAL -REIMBURSEMENT FOR OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES MUTUAL AID WHEREAS, the City of Lodi Fire Department is a public agency located in the County of San Joaquin, State of California; and WHEREAS, it is the City's desire to provide fair and legal payment to all its employees for time worked; and WHEREAS, the City has in its employ Fire Department response personnel including: Fire Chief, Division Chief, Battalion Chiefs, Fire Captains, Engineers, and Firefighters; and WHEREAS, the City compensates its Fire Department response personnel portal-to-portal while in the course of their employment and away from their official duty station and assigned to an emergency incident, in support of an emergency incident, or pre -positioned for emergency response; and WHEREAS, the City will compensate its employees overtime in accordance with their current and applicable Memorandum of Understanding while in the course of their employment and away from their official duty station and assigned to an emergency incident, in support of an emergency incident, or pre -positioned for emergency response. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Lodi City Council that: 1. City Fire Department response personnel shall be compensated according to their current and applicable Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), or other directive that identifies personnel compensation in the workplace, for such personnel. 2. The City through its Fire Department will maintain a current salary schedule for all personnel covered by this Resolution. 3. Personnel will be compensated ,(portal-to-portal) beginning at the time of dispatch to the return to jurisdiction when equipment and personnel are in service and available for agency response. 4. The City of Lodi's reimbursement procedures for emergency services mutual aid are in accordance with the 2015 California Fire Assistance Agreement. 5. Fire Department response personnel include: Fire Chief, Division Chief, Battalion Chiefs, Fire Captains, Engineers, and Firefighters. Dated: May 20, 2015 hereby certify that Resolution No. 2015-59 was passed and adopted by the Lodi City Council in a regular meeting held May 20, 2015, by the following vote: COUNCIL MEMBERS — Chandler, Kuehne, Mounce, Nakanishi, and Mayor Johnson NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS — None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS — None ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS — None C e4';NN�IFER.RRAIOLO City Clerk 2015-59