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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - August 16, 2017 C-13CITY OF LODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION TM AGENDA ITEM AGENDA TITLE: Approve Response to 2016/17 San Joaquin County Grand Jury Report Regarding Countywide Dispatch for Fire; Two Are Not Always Better than One, Case No. 0616 MEETING DATE: PREPARED BY: August 16, 2017 Fire Chief RECOMMENDED ACTION. Approve response to 2016/17 San Joaquin County Grand Jury report regarding countywide dispatch for fire, Two Are Not Always Better than One, case no. 0616. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The San Joaquin County Grand Jury report focused on Emergency fire dispatch protocol, operations, and infrastructure within the San Joaquin County. The question of whether a single countywide fire dispatch center in San Joaquin County would improve public safety and reduce cost was explored. The 2016/17 Grand Jury made five (5) findings and two (2) recommendations which impact the City of Lodi's emergency fire dispatch services. The City of Lodi has 90 days to respond to the findings and recommendations. The deadline for the response is September 12, 2017 and requires Council approval. The attached letter responds to the Grand Jury's findings and recommendations. FISCAL IMPACT: Attachment APPROVED: None 00 Larry Rooney Fire Chief August 17, 2017 Honorable Jose L. Alva, Presiding Judge San Joaquin County Superior Court 180 West Weber Avenue, Suite 1306 Stockton, CA 95202 Re: City of Lodi Response to Grand Jury Report: Countywide Dispatch for Fire Dear Members of the Grand Jury and Honorable Presiding Judge Alva, The City of Lodi (Lodi) appreciates the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury's investment of time in preparing and has reviewed Report titled "Countywide Dispatch for Fire Two Are Not Always Better than One, 2016-2017 Case No. 0616" (Report). The Lodi City Council reviewed the Report and authorized this response at its regular meeting on August 16, 2017. COMMENTS ON BACKGROUND Lodi recognizes the Grand Jury had limited time to review and learn the different operational needs, requirements, standard fire ground procedures and practices that larger multi -unit fire agencies have in their urban/suburban response areas compared to the smaller one unit two person county fire units. Unfortunately these inherent limitations caused many of their conclusions to be mistaken and their findings to be flawed. While there are differences in the governance of the two fire dispatch centers in San Joaquin County, private "for profit" vs. a public agency, the report does not correctly characterize the provision of dispatch services by the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority (SJCRFDA). The Report characterizes Stockton's dispatch infrastructure as nearing "End -of - Life" without recognizing three important facts: 1) the technology used in dispatch operations has a very short life cycle; 2) aged out technology is a fact common to all agencies utilizing CAD technology; and 3) SJCRFD has an active and funded project to replace the technology. SJCRFDA is a joint powers authority formed to be the County's Regional Fire Dispatch Center. A center that has focused on continual improvement in providing the highest level of service to the residents of San Joaquin County. Our goal has always been to raise the bar in fire dispatch communications, improve efficiency, provide rapid professional response to emergencies, and enhance safety for the firefighters and the citizens we have the honor to serve. COMMENTS ON DISCUSSION The "Discussions, Findings and Recommendations" section of the Report states that the "vast majority of fire agencies are in favor of a single county wide emergency fire dispatch center". While this fact is true, it misses the point. Notwithstanding that there are a greater number of jurisdictions that favor Valley Regional Emergency Communication Center (VRECC); they comprise a collection of the smallest and often volunteer staffed jurisdictions in the County. Jurisdictions serving the vast majority of calls for emergency service in San Joaquin County (80%) favor staying with the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch model. Those jurisdictions include Lodi, Stockton, Manteca, Tracy, and the Lathrop/Manteca Fire District. If numbers alone weight the decision between VRECC and SJCRFD, they weight it toward the public dispatch model. Of course numeric alone is rarely dispositive of an argument. Therefore, it is significant to note that all five full time fire departments staffed with nationally credentialed Fire Chiefs support the public dispatch model. In addition, the Grand Jury fails to recognize that the small county service area fire districts are forced to prioritize cost over efficiency and public safety because they are an ill funded and long term financially unsustainable fire service model. Second, the report only discusses the Sonoma County REDCOM dispatch Center as an example. REDCOM, like VRECC is operated by AMR. The Grand Jury did not mention or consider the many successful public agency dispatch models that operate on the same platform as SJCRFDA. Sacramento County, Stanislaus County, Alameda County, and Contra Costa County all have high performing regional dispatch centers that were used as a model for our regional center here in San Joaquin County. While it is also true that VRECC (which is located in Stanislaus County) recently secured the accreditation referenced in the Grand Jury Report, that accreditation does not require dispatch centers to meet the national standards for call processing times. The Operation Agreement between the SJCRFDA and the City of Stockton requires Stockton dispatch to meet the national standards for call processing times or face fines, penalties, assessments, or termination of the Agreement. The Report discusses the vast differences in cost per call between VRECC and SJCRFDA. However, the Report fails to identify additional charges for maintenance of equipment and infrastructure imposed by VRECC. It also fails to recognize that VRECC's cost would go up considerably if the larger city fire agencies joined and brought with them an additional 80,000 calls for service annually. The need for additional office space, channels, frequencies, and dispatchers would drive up the cost considerably. Lodi and the other SJCRFDA members have spent millions of tax dollars over the last several years to upgrade our communications equipment to a state of the art P25 compliant UHF digital radio system that accommodates both police and fire with multiple repeaters throughout their cities. While we recognize that the previously referenced financial struggles of the smaller entities are likely the cause of this lower level of service, it simply does not make sense to force better funded agencies to suffer the lower VHF standard, especially when the expense of meeting the higher standard has already been incurred by SJCRFDA members. The Report notes that The City of Stockton CAD technology is aging, but fails to recognize that Stockton is replacing its CAD technology which, once completed by the end of this year, will allow Stockton dispatch and Authority member agencies to more seamlessly communicate and dispatch calls. Moreover, while we agree Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) technology is important, the Report does not recognize that Stockton's technology updates in progress contemplate and include the integration of AVL which will allow dispatch to track and dispatch the closest emergency vehicles to the call location greatly enhancing the level of service to our citizens. As stated above, the Grand Jury may not have been aware that the largest agencies in the County have already purchased and installed AVL equipment. Lastly, the Report identifies the difference in operation models and focuses on the fact that AMR is a "for-profit, non-governmental agency utilizing corporate employees." Unfortunately it appears the Grand Jury may not be aware that private company employees are able to strike in the event of a labor dispute. State law prohibits public agency emergency dispatcher employees from striking, meaning labor disputes will not disrupt the provision of emergency dispatch services provided by SJCRFDA. Moreover, the Report fails to recognize that a for profit model comes with incentives to reduce the level of service to maximize profits. The deployment of ambulances by AMR is a good example of this incentive. The north county is covered by a few ambulances that rotate based on call volumes and activities, and at times when calls in the south county are high, no ambulances are available or high response times occur. Conversely, the Lodi Fire Department serves the City of Lodi with a minimum of four full time units equipped to provide basic life support. Cost efficiency is certainly a laudable goal, but when it is the only goal, it can conflict with national standards and public expectations regarding response times to life threatening emergencies. FINDINGS Finding F1.2: The vast majority of fire agencies are in favor of a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center; they agree it would be in the best interest of the citizens and the County of San Joaquin. Response: While it is true that the majority of fire agencies in the County of San Joaquin prefer belonging to the Joint Radio User Group (JRUG) dispatched through VRECC, owned and operated by AMR, the five remaining fire agencies belong to the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority (SJCRFDA), are cities with either an urban or suburban response to emergency calls and represent 80% of the County call volume. SJCRFDA member agencies strongly support the public agency dispatch model. Most of the JRUG agencies are small county fire districts (with the exception the Cities of Ripon and Escalon) with one fire unit responding to considerably less calls for service annually within a smaller rural footprint. The smaller fire agencies prefer VRECC because they are forced to prioritize cost per call over call efficiency due to poor funding. VRECC, which dispatches AMR Ambulance for medical transport, supports the shortfall it costs to run the Salida dispatch center with subsidies in order to meet the County EMS transport contract requirement that AMR also provide fire dispatch. Smaller fire agencies require less support from dispatch than their more urban/suburban counterparts that have multiple units responding to a significantly higher call volume requiring a more complex level of coordination and logistics. The sheer number of calls that the five SJCRFDA member agencies run in a year, (over 80,000) representing over 80% of the emergency calls in the county, would greatly stress the VRECC dispatch system and its operation. If other agencies were to join VRECC it would require additional office space, dispatchers, dispatch equipment, radio channels, frequencies, and infrastructure thereby increasing the cost per call significantly. It is not at all clear that AMR would be financially able to continue to subsidize the cost of dispatching 80,000 additional calls if the larger cities were to join VRECC. Moreover, Lodi uses federally mandated modern UHF digital radio systems. VRECC utilizes VHF radio system to dispatch county fire agencies. The cost for the City of Lodi to abandon our newer UHF digital radio systems to revert back to the older non -P25 -compliant VHF system in order to be dispatched by VRECC is not a wise use of taxpayer dollars. The City of Lodi is well served by being dispatched through the City of Stockton fire dispatch center and is happy with the regional JPA that oversees dispatch operations. Each agency involved in SJCRFDA has one vote, giving each agency more oversight of the operations and expenditures incurred by the Stockton dispatch center. SJCRFDA has an operating agreement with the City of Stockton that requires Stockton to upgrade existing CAD equipment, and to maintain it throughout the term of the contract. Moreover, the surrounding county fire agencies dispatched by VRECC do not have the technology to communicate with our system. The City of Lodi has been lending UHF P25 compliant radios to the three smaller fire districts around us just to ensure that we can communicate during emergency situations. We also use dual band radios in our units that are programed so they can communicate on both systems (UHF & VHF). Providing enhanced interoperability on our emergency scenes within the surrounding jurisdictions, increases safety for both firefighters and citizens we serve. Finding F1.3: Th ere is disagreement as how to organize, operate and fund a single countywide fire dispatch capability. This has led to a failure to pursue creation of a single countywide fire dispatch center. Response: SJCRFDA was created with the goal of working toward a regional dispatch center that dispatches for all fire agencies and ambulance companies within San Joaquin County. SJCRFDA member agencies (City of Lodi, City of Manteca, Lathrop -Manteca Fire District, City of Stockton, and City of Tracy), comprising over 80% of the County's emergency call volume, have been advocates for a regional model that provides for the delivery of emergency and non -emergency dispatch services. All Countywide fire, ambulance, and law enforcement agencies are welcome to become a part of SJCRFDA. Finding F2.2: AVL on all fire vehicles and AVL capability at dispatch centers can reduce response times. Response: The City of Lodi is in complete agreement with this finding and has already purchased and installed AVL equipment on all of our fire units. When Stockton Fire's new CAD center is online (January 1, 2018) the City of Lodi will be fully operational utilizing AVL capabilities to assist in reducing response times to the citizens we serve. Finding F3.1: There is disagreement among San Joaquin County Fire Chiefs regarding EMS Policy 3202. Some believe EMS Policy 3202 does not allow responders to provide the level of service expected in their communities. Response: The Fire Chiefs who comprise the Board of Directors of the SJCRFDA have come to a consensus regarding EMS Policy 3202. Specifically, SJCRFDA members agree that each member's community through their elected representatives (City Councils and Fire Boards) have the sole authority for "Local Control" over their jurisdictions and have the sole responsibility to determine what level of response and fire department resources are required to meet the expectations of the citizens in the community it serves. This is not within the scope of the County EMS Director to determine. The County EMS Director is only responsible to ensure proper medical protocols are followed when medical treatment (ALS/BLS) is provided by the agency. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendation R.1.3: By Dec. 31, 2017 County EMS in collaboration with the City of Stockton, the Joint Radio Users Group and the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority develop a task force and provide a plan to consolidate into a single countywide emerge n cy fire dispatch center. Response: The City of Lodi would be happy to collaborate with the City of Stockton, JRUG, and SJCRFDA to develop a plan to work toward consolidation into a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center. There are several examples of public sector regional centers contiguous to San Joaquin County that can be used as model centers. However, it is Lodi's position that County EMS involvement in how local public agencies dispatch fire emergency response units overreaches the County's authority. Since the County is ultimately responsible for fire services provided by the smaller districts within the unincorporated areas of the County it has a strong incentive to favor the cost weighted VRECC model. The City of Lodi will work towards implementing this recommendation with an eye towards bringing the smaller fire agencies into the public dispatch model. Recommendation R2.2: By December 31, 2017 all county fire agencies, develop a plan to fund, purchase and implement AVL on all emergency fire vehicles. Response: All SJCRFDA fire agency members (including the City of Lodi) already have AVL equipment purchased, installed, and ready to go once Stockton has installed the new CAD system which is scheduled to be online January 1, 2018. Although the City of Lodi disagrees with the majority of the findings and recommendations in the Report, we thank the Grand Jury, for its efforts to explore the needs of the County's emergency dispatch system and for the opportunity to provide comments. Respectfully Submitted, ney, .Ed., EFO, C , _ PM City of Lodi Fire Chief, Chairman of the Board San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority. San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury Countywide Dispatch for Fire Two Are Not Always Better than One 2016-2017 Case No. 0616 Summary San Joaquin County Emergency Dispatch has changed considerably over the last 40 years. This report focused on emergency dispatch protocol, operations and infrastructure. The question of whether a single countywide fire dispatch center in San Joaquin County would improve public safety and reduce cost was explored. The Grand Jury's research and interviews determined that a countywide dispatch center would benefit the citizens of the county and provide cost efficiency. Glossary ACE Accredited Center of Excellence by the National/International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAEDIIAED). AMR American Medical Response. AVL Automatic Vehicle Locator- Identifies the exact location of emergency vehicles and routes the closest vehicle to the emergency. CAD Computer -Aided Dispatch. EMS Emergency Medical Services. EOL End -of -Life. Hardware and/or software no longer manufactured or supported. 97 EMT Emergency Medical Technician. Fire Agency A fire department or fire district. JPA Joint Powers Agreement is a formal, legal agreement between two or more public agencies that share a common power and want to jointly implement programs, build facilities or deliver services. JRUG Joint Radio Users Group, a JPA comprised of 13 San Joaquin County rural fire districts. LEMSA Local Emergency Management Services Agency. REDCOM Redwood .Empire Dispatch Communications Authority Emergency Medical dispatch center located in Sonoma County. A JPA run by AMR that dispatches for 44 fire agencies and eight ambulance services. Stockton Fire San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority, a JPA comprised of Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, Manteca and Lathrop -Manteca Fire Agencies. UHF Ultra -High Radio Frequency VRECC Valley Regional Emergency Communication Center, a JPA run by AMR that dispatches for 13 fire agencies and three ambulance services. Background From 1970 to 1990, Stockton Fire Department Regional Communications Division dispatched all fire and medical emergencies for San Joaquin County. Multiple private ambulance services provided ambulance transport. In the 1990s, American Medical Response (AMR) bought out many of the smaller ambulance companies and became the primary provider of ambulance service in San Joaquin County. In September 2002, the Stockton Fire Department initiated its own ambulance service. In 2003, county officials divided the county into three zones for ambulance service: Stockton, Lodi and Tracy. Exclusive contracts were awarded for each zone. Ambulance services could bid on one, two or all three zones to provide service. A request for proposal was developed by San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and issued to multiple vendors to provide ambulance service to these zones. In January 2006, the Board of Supervisors awarded AMR a five-year contract with a five-year renewal option to provide ambulance service and dispatch for all three zones. The AMR contract was renewed in 2016. 98 There are two fire dispatch centers in San Joaquin County. One center, located in Salida, CA, is known as Valley Regional Emergency Communications Center (VRECC) and is operated by AMR for the Joint Radio Users Group (JRUG). VRECC has upgraded its technology to "state-of-the-art" systems. The second center is operated by the Stockton Fire Department for San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority (Stockton Fire). A review of technology utilized by Stockton Fire revealed its' communications infrastructure is nearing End -of -Life (EOL). Reason for Investigation The Grand Jury chose to focus on emergency fire dispatch in San Joaquin County. The following issues were identified: • Lack of automatic vehicle locator (AVL) technology and automatic aid agreements between neighboring fire agencies can result in longer response times. • There are two fire dispatch centers operating in the county which utilize disparate technologies; one center's technology is nearing EOL. • Fire agencies disagree on the content of EMS Policy 3202. • Politics, egos and fear of change are- key obstacles to the fonnation of a single countywide dispatch center. Method of Investigation Materials Reviewed • California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid System -Mutual Aid Plan • California Emergency Medical Services Authority Website www.emsa.ca.gov • San Joaquin County Joint Radio Users Group Policy Manual • Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement San Joaquin County Joint Radio Users Group • San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Policy 3202, Medical Priority Dispatch System Response and Mode Assignments for Cards 1-34 and related materials • San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Policy 3109, City of Stockton Emergency Medical Dispatch Center Requirements • San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Policy Screening by Primary Public Safety Answering Points San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Policy Service Provider Dispatch Requirements • 2005-2006 San Joaquin County Grand Jury Report, "San Medical Services" • San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services website www.s jgov.org/ems • EMS Legal Update. [Jun. 6, 2016] "EMS use of red lights and sirens is a dangerous sacred cow" 3001, Guidelines for EMS 3101, Emergency Ambulance Joaquin County Emergency 99 • Emergency Medical Services Evidence Based System Design White Paper • Master Communications Plan, San Joaquin Operational Area, Jan. 7, 2005 • City of Stockton Legislative Text File #14-0363, Version 1 • Attachment A to File #14-0363, Management Partners Threshold Analysis- Regional Fire Dispatch Options • City of Stockton Legislative Text, File #16-2699, Version 1 • City of Stockton Legislative Text File #16-2885, Version 1 • REDCOM's Organizational Packet Interviews Conducted • EMS administrators • San Joaquin County Fire Chiefs • San Joaquin County and City of Stockton IT administrators • AMR management team • City of Stockton administrators • REDCOM operational staff Sites Visited • Valley Regional Emergency Communication Center, (VRECC) Salida, CA • Redwood Empire Dispatch Communications Authority, (REDCOM) Santa Rosa, CA • San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority, (Stockton Fire) Stockton, CA Discussions, Findings arid Recommendations 1.0 San Joaquin County Fire Dispatch, Stockton Fire or VRECC There are 18 fire agencies within the County of San Joaquin. These fire organizations are dispatched from two separate and distinct fire dispatch centers. The Fire Departments of Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, Manteca and the Lathrop -Manteca Fire District are dispatched by the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority JPA (Stockton Fire) dispatch center. This JPA is a public service agency led by the fire chiefs from each of the organizations it services. 100 Stockton Fire Dispatch Center- Stockton, CA The remaining 13 fire districts are dispatched by the Valley Regional Emergency Communications Center (VRECC) in conjunction with the Joint Radio Users Group (JRUG). JRUG has an oversight committee consisting of fire chiefs elected by its' members. VRECC is operated by AMR, a for-profit, non-governmental company under contract with the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). VRECC also dispatches all ambulance services for the entire County of San Joaquin. VRECC - Salida, CA 101 Stockton Fire Dispatch Center and VRECC follow the same Medical Priority Dispatch Protocols to determine the type of equipment and resources required. There are several operational differences and sources of contention between the two centers as reported below: • Stockton Fire Dispatch Center assigns dedicated dispatchers to major fire events to monitor fire broadcast channels. VRECC does not. • Stockton Fire is a public service agency utilizing public employees versus VRECC, which is operated by AMR, a for-profit, non-governmental agency utilizing corporate employees. • VRECC dispatches ambulances and fire equipment for both medical and fire emergencies. Stockton Fire dispatches only fire equipment for fire and medical emergencies. Both are mandated to follow San Joaquin County EMS Policy 3202 to dispatch for medical emergencies. • Stockton Fire Dispatch Center supports predominately urban city fire agencies while VRECC supports rural special district fire agencies. The vast majority of fire agencies are in favor of a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center; they agree it would be in the best interest of the citizens and the County of San Joaquin. County and city administrators and IT staff support this concept. There were significant differences of opinion as to how a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center would be structured. Existing dispatch centers utilize different operational procedures. Public verses private, oversight and cost were the major concerns expressed by fire chiefs. A long history of litigation between the County and the City of Stockton, politics and egos has hampered resolution of these differences. Several counties in the State of California have a single regional emergency dispatch center. One example is the Sonoma County REDCOM Dispatch Center. Oversight is provided by both a governing and an advisory board. The advisory board is composed of Local Emergency Medical Services Agency (LEMSA) and several fire chiefs served by the center. This is a collegial body that determines policy and approves or disapproves changes recommended by the agencies it serves. REDCOM provides emergency medical and fire dispatch capability to Sonoma and part of Mendocino Counties. It provides fire dispatch services for 44 fire departments of which 6 (Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Sonoma) are urban cities. The dispatch center is operated by AMR, the same for-profit, non- governmental company that runs the San Joaquin County VRECC dispatch center in Salida, CA. The REDCOM dispatch center has operated since January 2003; none ofthe concerns that were expressed in San Joaquin County have been an issue at REDCOM. On Mar 7, 2017, VRECC was approved as an emergency fire dispatch center of excellence by the National/International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. VRECC is now the 31st ACE accredited center in the world. VRECC is the only center in California with both Emergency Medical Dispatch and Emergency Fire Dispatch ACE certification. VRECC utilizes state of the art fire dispatch technology. A recent contract renewal between San Joaquin County EMS and AMR required updates to the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. Once the information received by the VRECC call taker is input into the CAD system, the CAD 102 determines which medical priority dispatch protocols to use, which organization should respond and how to respond. Technology installed on emergency vehicles and on the CAD system called automatic vehicle locator (AVL) is utilized to determine which vehicles are closest to the emergency location. CAD then selects the vehicles to respond and displays the best route on the call taker's computer. The CAD system utilized by Stockton Fire Dispatch Center has received two major upgrades since installation in 1995, yet remains seriously out of date. Due to lack of funding, the CAD infrastructure has not received all available upgrades. Many parts of this infrastructure are no longer manufactured, not available or EOL. In October 2016, the Stockton City Council approved approximately $600,000 to replace the Stockton Fire CAD. A contract was subsequently awarded. Replacement is scheduled to be completed between the fourth quarter of 2017, and the first quarter of 2018. The existing CAD and emergency vehicles that are dispatched by this center do not have AVL installed. The CAD system cannot track and dispatchers cannot see the closest location of emergency vehicles. The CAD replacement selected to be installed is an emergency medical module on the Stockton Police Department CAD system, which is projected to be EOL within four years of this replacement. It will be at least six months after the replacement CAD is installed before AVL will be available for all fire agencies dispatched by Stockton Fire Dispatch Center. The CAD systems at VRECC and Stockton Fire dispatch centers interface with one another. Because the CAD systems are manufactured by different companies, errors in what is communicated between these CAD interfaces occur daily. The CAD at VRECC is manufactured by Tri -Tech. Stockton Fire's CAD replacement is manufactured by Tiburon. These are two different CAD systems and errors will continue to occur. These CAD to CAD communication errors can result in serious public safety issues. Prior to the 2016 renewal of the County of San Joaquin EMS contract with AMR, the City of Stockton was offered a no -cost replacement for their obsolete CAD/AVL technology by EMS. There were conditions attached to this offer, which the City of Stockton Fire Department was hesitant to accept. The offer was turned down by Stockton Fire administration at least twice and is no longer on the table. Had the offer been accepted: • both centers would be utilizing the same "state-of-the-art" technology; • AVL would be available for all 18 fire districts in San Joaquin County; • possibility would exist that the Stockton Fire Dispatch Operations could operate remotely at its existing location; • each dispatch center would be able to back up the other dispatch center should there be an issue with either physical location; • both centers would be able to share identical system training; • it would have provided a first step towards operationally merging the two fire dispatch centers into one; and • it would have reduced capital and operating costs for all fire agencies based upon increased economies of scale. 103 VRECC charges JRUG fire agencies $23.77 per fire dispatch while Stockton Fire charges its member agencies $49.77 per fire dispatch. In a 2014 report for the Stockton City Council, Management Partners (a consulting company hired by the City of Stockton) determined that Stockton could save over $1.25 million annually by moving to VRECC and using AMR to dispatch their fire emergency calls. The Motorola core UHF and tower radios utilized by Stockton Fire Dispatch are no longer being manufactured, and in many instances patls are being purchased from third patlies,such as eBay. Federal regulations dictate that the existing core UHF radios be replaced. The City of Stockton will either have to negotiate with the County of San Joaquin to share in the ownership/cost of the County's UHF radio system, or will have to fund its own replacement infrastructure. The time needed to complete this migration is estimated to be between 12 and 24 months. A budget request to purchase new core radio and transmitter/receiver/repeater technology has not been presented to the Stockton City Council. Documentation provided by the City of Stockton describes replacement of this infrastructure by early 2017 and no action has been taken. Findings F1.1 The City of Stockton is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace their obsolete CAD technology with a solution that will be end of life in less than four years from the date of implementation. ::::.r- F1.2 The vast majority of fire agencies are in favor of a single countywide emt<rgency fire 1' dispatch center; they agree it would be in the best interest of the citizens and the County of San Joaquin. F1.3 There is disagreement as how to organize, operate and fund a single countywide fire dispatch capability. This has led to a failure to pursue creation of a single countywide fire dispatch center. F1.4 The City of Stockton has not developed a schedule to replace its outdated core UHF radio technology that supports city public safety agencies. This exposes the city to outages of the radio technology impacting public safety. *1 - Recommendations R1.1 By Oct. 1, 2017, the Stockton City Council complete an evaluation of financial and operational feasibility of Stockton Fire utilizing VRECC's CAD/AVL technology. R1.2 By Oct. I, 2017, the Stockton City Council determine the feasibility of cancelling or revising the existing contract to migrate the current Stockton Fire CAD technology to the Stockton PD dispatch CAD system. V R1.3 By. Dec. 31, 2017 County EMS in collaboration with the City of Stockton, the Joint Radio Users Group and the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority develop a task force and provide a plan to consolidate into a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center. R1.4 By Dec 31, 2017, the City of Stockton develop a plan to replace the existing core UHF radio technology that supports public safety with San Joaquin County core UHF radio technology. 104 2.0 Borders, Automatic Aid and Automatic Vehicle Locator Fire service in San Joaquin County is provided by 14 fire districts and four fire departments. A fire department is part of a city or county government, funded through the cities' or county's general fund. A fire district is usually independent of a city or county government and is funded by a pmiion of the property tax and a special assessment on properties within its district. Fire districts generally provide services to rural or unincorporated areas surrounding a city. Fire agencies do not only respond to fires, approximately 80 percent of calls received are for medical services. There are no laws requiring coordinated dispatch or coordinated agency efforts to a fire -related event. Therefore, fire agency borders exist and divide the county. Mutual aid agreements exist between fire agencies. Mutual aid is defined as: .. if the need for personnel or equipment is called in and it is convenient, other fire agencies will respond." An automatic aid agreement is defined as: "... the agency most in need receives all the help available. " Not all fire agencies in San Joaquin County have automatic aid agreements with their neighboring fire agencies. Automatic vehicle locator (AVL) technology identifies the exact location of emergency vehicles and routes the closest vehicle to the emergency. Not all fire agencies in San Joaquin County have deployed AVL technology on their fire vehicles. The Stockton Fire dispatch center does not suppmi AVL. A Joint Powers Agreement between all fire agencies for automatic aid would eliminate borders and could improve fire response times. An automatic aid agreement could increase efficiency by sharing resources such as training and equipment. Though a JPA between fire agencies would take effort and cooperation, it would not be unchal led territory. Other such agreements do exist and exploration in to these arrangements must be researched. Findings F2.1 Automatic aid agreements between neighboring fire agencies can reduce response times. F2.2 AVL on all fire vehicles and AVL capability at dispatch centers can reduce response times. Recommendations R2.1 By December 31,2018 have AVL deployed at the Stockton Fire dispatch center. 105 T II R2.2 By December 31, 2017 all county fire agencies, develop a plan to fund, purchase and implement AVL on all emergency fire vehicles. 3.0 San Joaquin County EMS Policy 3202 In 1980, the State of California created the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Authority. The EMS Authority sets standards for the provision of pre -arrival emergency care instructions at dispatch centers. They also set standards for the training and scope of practice for EMS personnel; basic life suppmi provided by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and advanced life support provided by paramedics. The day-to-day management of EMS is the responsibility of local and regional EMS agencies. The State Emergency Medical Authority allows local EMS agencies to coo,rdinate EMS activity based on community needs. The San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Authority is responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating emergency medical services and approving dispatch in San Joaquin County. The fire dispatch protocol for medical emergencies has been and continues to be, a contentious issue. EMS agencies may take into consideration local community needs when forming policy. Community needs in rural fire districts can be very different from those in large fire departments that serve a more densely populated area. San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Policy 3202 mandates how emergency medical calls are dispatched. The policy was revised to meet the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) Versionl3.x and the revision became effective Feb. 1, 2017. The policy revisions included lowering the fire agency response for some calls from Code_3 to Code 2. Code 3 is an immediate response using lights and sirens. Code 2 is emergency response using lights but no sirens. The revisions eliminated cetiain calls to which fire agencies can respond. Some fire agencies in San Joaquin County have been directed by their City Council or their Board of Directors to respond to all calls, which is not allowed by the revised Policy 3202. Finding F3.1 There is disagreement among San Joaquin County Fire Chiefs regarding EMS Policy 3202. Some believe EMS Policy 3202 does not allow responders to provide the level of service expected in their communities. 106 Conclusion The vast majority of fire agencies are in favor of a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center; they agree it would be in the best interest of the citizens and the County of San Joaquin. Most county and city administrators, as well as IT staff suppoti this concept. With such an ove..Whelming response, one should ask why no significant effort has been made to make this happen. While attempting to answer this question, the Grand Jury discovered; • Egos, politics, and fear of change have impeded improving public safety in our county. This is a significant leadership issue. Our citizens deserve better. • VRECC has additional emergency fire dispatch ACE accreditation that Stockton Fire does not have. Disparagement of VRECC emergency fire dispatch is unwarranted. • VRECC dispatch center has deployed "state-of-the-art" CAD and AVL technology. Stockton Fire has not. • Stockton Fire charges its JPA members twice the amount for fire dispatch than VRECC charges its JPA members. • There are operational differences between the fire dispatch centers. Intelligent individuals can and should disagree based upon their experiences. This is normal. Not negotiating to seek a common solution through compromise to improve public safety is not. REDCOM provides fire dispatch services for 44 fire departments of which six (Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Sonoma) are urbanized cities. The dispatch center is operated by AMR, the same for-profit non-governmental company that runs the San Joaquin VRECC dispatch center in Salida, CA. The REDCOM dispatch center has operated since January 2003; none of the concerns that were expressed in San Joaquin County have been an issue at REDCOM. The 2016-2017 Grand Jury has determined that a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center is needed in the County of San Joaquin. Leadership must address this challenge head on, overcome politics and egos and negotiate in good faith to create a single countywide fire dispatch center. Now is the time for county, city and special district leaders to join together "under one roof "in the interest of public safety. 107 Disclaimers Grand Jury reports are based on documentary evidence and the testimony of sworn or admonished witnesses, not on conjecture or opinion. The Grand Jury is precluded by law from disclosing such evidence except upon the specific approval of the Presiding Judge ofthe Superior Court, or another judge appointed by the Presiding Judge (Penal Code section 911, 924.1 (a) and 929). Similarly, the Grand Jury is precluded by law from disclosing the identity of witnesses except upon an order of the court for narrowly defined purposes (Penal Code sections 924.2 and 929). One grand juror did not participate in this investigation, which included reviewing material, interviews, site visits, preparation, writing or approval of this report due to a perceived conflict of interest. Response Requirements California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05 require that specific responses to all findings and recommendations contained in this report be submitted to the Presiding Judge ofthe San Joaquin County Superior Court within 90 days of receipt of the report. The agencies listed below shall respond to the following findings and recommendations within 90 days of receipt: The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors: Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation - R1.3 The Stockton City Council: Findings F1.1; F1.2; F1.3; F1.4; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendations R1.1; R1.2; R1.3; R1.4; R2.1; R2.2 The Manteca City Council: Finding F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 108 The Lodi City Council Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Tracy City Council Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Lathrop City Council Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Lathrop -Manteca Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Escalon Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Ripon Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Farmington Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 109 The French Camp Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Collegeville Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Montezuma Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3;F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Linden Fire District Board of DireCtors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Clements Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Woodbridge Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Liberty Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3;F22.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 The Mokelumne Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 110 The Waterloo Morada Fire District Board of Directors Findings F1.2; F1.3; F2.1; F2.2; F3.1 Recommendation R1.3; R2.2 Mail or hand deliver a hard copy of the response to: Honorable Jose L. Alva, Presiding Judge San Joaquin County Superior Court 180 West Weber Avenue, Suite 1306 Stockton, CA 95202 Also, please email the response to: Ms. Trisa Martinez, Staff Secretary to the Grand Jury at grandjury@sjcourts.org 111 Jennifer Ferraiolo From: Jennifer Ferraiolo Sent: Monday, August 21, 2017 2:30 PM To: Steve Schwabauer; Janice Magdich; Larry Rooney Subject: FW: Response to Grand Jury Report: Countywide Dispatch for Fire Attachments: GJresponse_Fire.pdf For informational purposes only, the Grand Jury response approved by Council last Wednesday was e-mailed today to the Grand Jury's staff secretary and mailed to the court. Jennifer M. Ferraiolo, MMC City Clerk P.O. Box 3006 Lodi, CA 95241-1910 (209) 333-6702 (209) 333-6807 FAX From: Jennifer Ferraiolo Sent: Monday, August 21, 2017 2:29 PM To: a randiuryPsicourts,orq Cc: Shelly Haynes (shaynessicourts.org) Subject: Response to Grand Jury Report: Countywide Dispatch for Fire Dear Ms. Martinez: Attached please find the City of Lodi's response to the Grand Jury's Report #0616 pertaining to Countywide dispatch for Fire. The original correspondence was mailed today to the court. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the same. As always, thank you for your assistance. Jennifer M. Ferraiolo, MMC City Clerk P.O. Box 3006 Lodi, CA 95241-1910 (209) 333-6702 (209) 333-6807 FAX 1 CITY COUNCIL DOUG KUEHNE, Mayor ALAN NAKANISHI, Mayor Pro Tempore MARK CHANDLER BOB JOHNSON JOANNE MOUNCE August 17, 2017 CITY OF LODI CITY HALL, 221 WEST PINE STREET P.O. BOX 3006 LODI, CALIFORNIA 95241-1910 (209) 333-6702 / FAX (209) 333-6807 yiyiw lodigpi gi yclerk(/ lodrgov_ Honorable Jose L. Alva, Presiding Judge San Joaquin County Superior Court 180 West Weber Avenue, Suite 1306 Stockton, CA 95202 STEPHEN SCHWABAUER City Manager JENNIFER M. FERRAIOLO City Clerk JANICE D. MAGDICH City Attorney Re: City of Lodi Response to Grand Jury Report: Countywide Dispatch for Fire Dear Members of the Grand Jury and Honorable Presiding Judge Alva, The City of Lodi (Lodi) appreciates the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury's investment of time in preparing and has reviewed Report titled "Countywide Dispatch for Fire Two Are Not Always Better than One, 2016-2017 Case No. 0616" (Report). The Lodi City Council reviewed the Report and authorized this response at its regular meeting on August 16, 2017. COMMENTS ON BACKGROUND Lodi recognizes the Grand Jury had limited time to review and learn the different operational needs, requirements, standard fire ground procedures and practices that larger multi -unit fire agencies have in their urban/suburban response areas compared to the smaller one unit two person county fire units. Unfortunately these inherent limitations caused many of their conclusions to be mistaken and their findings to be flawed. While there are differences in the governance of the two fire dispatch centers in San Joaquin County, private "for profit" vs. a public agency, the report does not correctly characterize the provision of dispatch services by the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority (SJCRFDA). The Report characterizes Stockton's dispatch infrastructure as nearing "End -of -Life" without recognizing three important facts: 1) the technology used in dispatch operations has a very short life cycle; 2) aged out technology is a fact common to all agencies utilizing CAD technology; and 3) SJCRFD has an active and funded project to replace the technology. SJCRFDA is a joint powers authority formed to be the County's Regional Fire Dispatch Center. A center that has focused on continual improvement in providing the highest level of service to the residents of San Joaquin County. Our goal has always been to raise the bar in fire dispatch communications, improve efficiency, provide rapid professional response to emergencies, and enhance safety for the firefighters and the citizens we have the honor to serve. COMMENTS ON DISCUSSION The "Discussions, Findings and Recommendations" section of the Report states that the "vast majority of fire agencies are in favor of a single county wide emergency fire dispatch center". While this fact is true, it misses the point. Notwithstanding that there are a greater number of jurisdictions that favor Valley Regional Emergency Communication Center (VRECC); they comprise a collection of the smallest and often volunteer staffed jurisdictions in the County. Jurisdictions serving the vast majority of calls for emergency service in San Joaquin County (80%) favor staying with the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch model. Those jurisdictions include Lodi, Stockton, Manteca, Tracy, and the Lathrop/Manteca Fire District. If numbers alone weight the decision between VRECC and SJCRFD, they weight it toward the public dispatch model. Of course numeric alone is rarely dispositive of an argument. Therefore, it is significant to note that all five full time fire departments staffed with nationally credentialed Fire Chiefs support the public dispatch model. In addition, the Grand Jury fails to recognize that the small county service area fire districts are forced to prioritize cost over efficiency and public safety because they are an ill funded and long term financially unsustainable fire service model. Second, the report only discusses the Sonoma County REDCOM dispatch Center as an example. REDCOM, like VRECC is operated by AMR. The Grand Jury did not mention or consider the many successful public agency dispatch models that operate on the same platform as SJCRFDA. Sacramento County, Stanislaus County, Alameda County, and Contra Costa County all have high performing regional dispatch centers that were used as a model for our regional center here in San Joaquin County. While it is also true that VRECC (which is located in Stanislaus County) recently secured the accreditation referenced in the Grand Jury Report, that accreditation does not require dispatch centers to meet the national standards for call processing times. The Operation Agreement between the SJCRFDA and the City of Stockton requires Stockton dispatch to meet the national standards for call processing times or face fines, penalties, assessments, or termination of the Agreement. The Report discusses the vast differences in cost per call between VRECC and SJCRFDA. However, the Report fails to identify additional charges for maintenance of equipment and infrastructure imposed by VRECC. It also fails to recognize that VRECC's cost would go up considerably if the larger city fire agencies joined and brought with them an additional 80,000 calls for service annually. The need for additional office space, channels, frequencies, and dispatchers would drive up the cost considerably. Lodi and the other SJCRFDA members have spent millions of tax dollars over the last several years to upgrade our communications equipment to a state of the art P25 compliant UHF digital radio system that accommodates both police and fire with multiple repeaters throughout their cities. While we recognize that the previously referenced financial struggles of the smaller entities are likely the cause of this lower level of service, it simply does not make sense to force better funded agencies to suffer the lower VHF standard, especially when the expense of meeting the higher standard has already been incurred by SJCRFDA members. The Report notes that The City of Stockton CAD technology is aging, but fails to recognize that Stockton is replacing its CAD technology which, once completed by the end of this year, will allow Stockton dispatch and Authority member agencies to more seamlessly communicate and dispatch calls. Moreover, while we agree Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) technology is important, the Report does not recognize that Stockton's technology updates in progress contemplate and include the integration of AVL which will allow dispatch to track and dispatch the closest emergency vehicles to the call location greatly enhancing the level of service to our citizens. As stated above, the Grand Jury may not have been aware that the largest agencies in the County have already purchased and installed AVL equipment. Lastly, the Report identifies the difference in operation models and focuses on the fact that AMR is a "for-profit, non-governmental agency utilizing corporate employees." Unfortunately it appears the Grand Jury may not be aware that private company employees are able to strike in the event of a labor dispute. State law prohibits public agency emergency dispatcher employees from striking, meaning labor disputes will not disrupt the provision of emergency dispatch services provided by SJCRFDA. Moreover, the Report fails to recognize that a for profit model comes with incentives to reduce the level of service to maximize profits. The deployment of ambulances by AMR is a good example of this incentive. The north county is covered by a few ambulances that rotate based on call volumes and activities, and at times when calls in the south county are high, no ambulances are available or high response times occur. Conversely, the Lodi Fire Department serves the City of Lodi with a minimum of four full time units equipped to provide basic life support. Cost efficiency is certainly a laudable goal, but when it is the only goal, it can conflict with national standards and public expectations regarding response times to life threatening emergencies. FINDINGS Finding F1.2: The vast majority of fire agencies are in favor of a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center; they agree it would be in the best interest of the citizens and the County of San Joaquin. Response: While it is true that the majority of fire agencies in the County of San Joaquin prefer belonging to the Joint Radio User Group (JRUG) dispatched through VRECC, owned and operated by AMR, the five remaining fire agencies belong to the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority (SJCRFDA), are cities with either an urban or suburban response to emergency calls and represent 80% of the County call volume. SJCRFDA member agencies strongly support the public agency dispatch model. Most of the JRUG agencies are small county fire districts (with the exception the Cities of Ripon and Escalon) with one fire unit responding to considerably less calls for service annually within a smaller rural footprint. The smaller fire agencies prefer VRECC because they are forced to prioritize cost per call over call efficiency due to poor funding. VRECC, which dispatches AMR Ambulance for medical transport, supports the shortfall it costs to run the Salida dispatch center with subsidies in order to meet the County EMS transport contract requirement that AMR also provide fire dispatch. Smaller fire agencies require less support from dispatch than their more urban/suburban counterparts that have multiple units responding to a significantly higher call volume requiring a more complex level of coordination and logistics. The sheer number of calls that the five SJCRFDA member agencies run in a year, (over 80,000) representing over 80% of the emergency calls in the county, would greatly stress the VRECC dispatch system and its operation. If other agencies were to join VRECC it would require additional office space, dispatchers, dispatch equipment, radio channels, frequencies, and infrastructure thereby increasing the cost per call significantly. It is not at all clear that AMR would be financially able to continue to subsidize the cost of dispatching 80,000 additional calls if the larger cities were to join VRECC. Moreover, Lodi uses federally mandated modern UHF digital radio systems. VRECC utilizes VHF radio system to dispatch county fire agencies. The cost for the City of Lodi to abandon our newer UHF digital radio systems to revert back to the older non -P25 -compliant VHF system in order to be dispatched by VRECC is not a wise use of taxpayer dollars. The City of Lodi is well served by being dispatched through the City of Stockton fire dispatch center and is happy with the regional JPA that oversees dispatch operations. Each agency involved in SJCRFDA has one vote, giving each agency more oversight of the operations and expenditures incurred by the Stockton dispatch center. SJCRFDA has an operating agreement with the City of Stockton that requires Stockton to upgrade existing CAD equipment, and to maintain it throughout the term of the contract. Moreover, the surrounding county fire agencies dispatched by VRECC do not have the technology to communicate with our system. The City of Lodi has been lending UHF P25 compliant radios to the three smaller fire districts around us just to ensure that we can communicate during emergency situations. We also use dual band radios in our units that are programed so they can communicate on both systems (UHF & VHF). Providing enhanced interoperability on our emergency scenes within the surrounding jurisdictions, increases safety for both firefighters and citizens we serve. Finding F1.3: There is disagreement as how to organize, operate and fund a single countywide fire dispatch capability. This has led to a failure to pursue creation of a single countywide fire dispatch center. Response: SJCRFDA was created with the goal of working toward a regional dispatch center that dispatches for all fire agencies and ambulance companies within San Joaquin County. SJCRFDA member agencies (City of Lodi, City of Manteca, Lathrop -Manteca Fire District, City of Stockton, and City of Tracy), comprising over 80% of the County's emergency call volume, have been advocates for a regional model that provides for the delivery of emergency and non -emergency dispatch services. All Countywide fire, ambulance, and law enforcement agencies are welcome to become a part of SJCRFDA. Finding F2.2: AVL on all fire vehicles and AVL capability at dispatch centers can reduce response times. Response: The City of Lodi is in complete agreement with this finding and has already purchased and installed AVL equipment on all of our fire units. When Stockton Fire's new CAD center is online (January 1, 2018) the City of Lodi will be fully operational utilizing AVL capabilities to assist in reducing response times to the citizens we serve. Finding F3.1: There is disagreement among San Joaquin County Fire Chiefs regarding EMS Policy 3202. Some believe EMS Policy 3202 does not allow responders to provide the level of service expected in their communities. Response: The Fire Chiefs who comprise the Board of Directors of the SJCRFDA have come to a consensus regarding EMS Policy 3202. Specifically, SJCRFDA members agree that each member's community through their elected representatives (City Councils and Fire Boards) have the sole authority for "Local Control" over their jurisdictions and have the sole responsibility to determine what level of response and fire department resources are required to meet the expectations of the citizens in the community it serves. This is not within the scope of the County EMS Director to determine. The County EMS Director is only responsible to ensure proper medical protocols are followed when medical treatment (ALS/BLS) is provided by the agency. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendation R.1.3: By Dec. 31, 2017 County EMS in collaboration with the City of Stockton, the Joint Radio Users Group and the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority develop a task force and provide a plan to consolidate into a single countywide e merge n cy fire dispatch center. Response: The City of Lodi would be happy to collaborate with the City of Stockton, JRUG, and SJCRFDA to develop a plan to work toward consolidation into a single countywide emergency fire dispatch center. There are several examples of public sector regional centers contiguous to San Joaquin County that can be used as model centers. However, it is Lodi's position that County EMS involvement in how local public agencies dispatch fire emergency response units overreaches the County's authority. Since the County is ultimately responsible for fire services provided by the smaller districts within the unincorporated areas of the County it has a strong incentive to favor the cost weighted VRECC model. The City of Lodi will work towards implementing this recommendation with an eye towards bringing the smaller fire agencies into the public dispatch model. Recommendation R2.2: By December 31, 2017 all county fire agencies, develop a plan to fund, purchase and implement AVL on all emergency fire vehicles. Response: All SJCRFDA fire agency members (including the City of Lodi) already have AVL equipment purchased, installed, and ready to go once Stockton has installed the new CAD system which is scheduled to be online January 1, 2018. Although the City of Lodi disagrees with the majority of the findings and recommendations in the Report, we thank the Grand Jury, for its efforts to explore the needs of the County's emergency dispatch system and for the opportunity to provide comments. Respectfully Submitted, Larry Rooney, M.Ed., EFO, CF()._Clxi'ul City of Lodi Fire Chief, Chairman of the Board San oaqUi IT County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority