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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - December 7, 2022 H-04CITY OF AGENDA ITEM HM4 s Lrim CALIFORNIA COUNCIL COMMUNICATION AGENDA TITLE: Adopt Resolution Approving Side Letter Agreement between the City and the Lodi Professional Fire Fighters to Provide Paramedic Incentives MEETING DATE: December 7, 2022 PREPARED BY: Human Resources Manager RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt resolution approving side letter agreement between the City and the Lodi Professional Fire Fighters to provide paramedic incentives. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The City of Lodi Fire Department provides medical services under the authority of the San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SJCEMSA), pursuant to Welfare & Institutions Code 17000, Health & Safety Code Section 1797 et seq., and California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 9. The Lodi Fire Department is authorized by SJCEMSA to provide Basic Life Support (BLS) to the citizens of Lodi. In order to provide BLS services, Fire department sworn personnel must be certified as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's). At its Shirt Sleeve meeting on October 5, 2021, Council received information from Fire Chief Ken Johnson, regarding the implementation of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) program within the Lodi Fire Department. An ALS program will provide a higher degree of medical life saving measures including urgent treatment to cardiac emergencies such as cardiac arrest, stroke, myocardial infarction, and other serious conditions, than is currently allowable under the Fire Department's BLS program. In order for SJCEMSA to authorize the Lodi Fire Department to be an ALS provider, the Fire Department must have a sufficient number of licensed and accredited Paramedics to provide ALS services. The Fire Department currently has four (4) state licensed Paramedics; however, these employees are not accredited paramedics by SJCEMSA. These employees will need to go through an accreditation process overseen by a Paramedic Accreditation Officer, authorized by SJCEMSA. Additionally, it is recommended that the Fire Department have members of the Fire Department who are Paramedic Accreditation Officers on staff who can oversee the accreditation process for Lodi Paramedics. The Fire Department recently applied for and received the 2021 FEMA Assistance to Firefighter (AFG) Grant in the amount of $930,928. The AFG grant will provide funding to send nine Fire Fighters to paramedic school and pay for overtime to backfill the positions. Pursuant to the September 21, 2022 Council Communication from Fire Chief Ken Johnson, the goal is to have 15 Firefighters and one Battalion Chief certified as Paramedics by the APPROVED: Stephen Schwabauer, City Manager end of fiscal year 2024 or the beginning of fiscal year 2025. This would allow all four engine companies to be staffed with a paramedic. The long-term goal is to have 30 paramedics, providing two on each engine company. The additional training, responsibilities, and duties required of licensed Paramedics is significant. The City desires to compensate employees for these additional duties and responsibilities by adding paramedic incentive pay. Staff conducted a study on additional compensation provided for Paramedic incentive pay with our comparative agencies. The proposed incentive will provide compensation to our staff to retain them and to improve our recruitment of new staff. City staff have bargained with the LPF and have tentatively agreed upon the following incentives: • Effective January 9, 2023, $50 per month stipend for the Paramedic Accreditation Officer (maximum 6 Accreditation Officers); • Effective January 9, 2023, $250 per month stipend for Fire Department personnel who are licensed Paramedics while they are seeking accreditation by SJCEMSA; • Effective January 9, 2023, $250 per month stipend for Fire Department personnel who are accredited by SJCEMSA until the City has been approved by SJCEMSA to implement ALS; and • Upon approval by SJCEMSA to implement an ALS program, an Eleven percent (11%) incentive shall be paid to Fire Department personnel who are accredited by SJCEMSA as Paramedics. Staff recommends that the Council approve the amendment to the LPF MOU by approving the attached side - letter agreement to provide paramedic incentives. FISCAL IMPACT: The total long term annual cost if staffed with 15 Paramedics would be approximately $200,000 at current salaries assuming a mix of Captain, Engineer and Firefighter. The estimated annual cost if all 15 Paramedics were at the Captain rank would be $240,000. There are currently three Paramedics who would qualify for the $2501month stipend until such time as the City is approved by SJCEMSA to implement the ALS program. The Fire Department does not expect to fill all 15 Paramedic positions until Fiscal Year 2023124 at the earliest. FUNDING AVAILABLE: Budget adjustments for Adele Post, Human Resources Manager Andrew Keys (Nov 21, ; . ) 16: Andrew Keys, Deputy City Manager Side Letter Agreement Amending the Memorandums of Understanding Between the City of Lodi and the Lodi Professional Firefighters January 1, 2023 — December 31, 2025 This Side Letter Agreement is entered into between the City of Lodi, a municipal corporation ("City"), and Lodi Professional Firefighters (LPF), and is effective as of January 1, 2023. RF.CITAT.R WHEREAS, the Memorandum of Understanding between LPF and the City has a term of January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025 (MOU), and WHEREAS, the Fire Department desires to implement an Advanced Life Support (ALS) program as approved by the San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SJCEMSA); and WHEREAS, the MOU does not include a provision for an incentive for Fire personnel who are certified and accredited Paramedics, and WHEREAS, representatives from the City and LPF have met and conferred in good faith to discuss a new incentive for employees certified and accredited as Paramedics and agreed to the following changes to the LPF MOU: NEW ARTICLE - PARAMEDIC INCENTIVE PAY Effective January 9, 2023, $50 per month stipend for employees who are certified by SJCEMSA as a Paramedic Accreditation Officer (up to a maximum of six (6) Accreditation Officers); Effective January 9, 2023, $250 per month stipend for Fire Department personnel who are licensed Paramedics while they are seeking accreditation by SJCEMSA; Effective January 9, 2023, $250 per month stipend for Fire Department personnel who are accredited by SJCEMSA until the City has been approved by SJCEMSA to implement an ALS program; and • Upon approval by SJCEMSA to implement an ALS program, an Eleven percent (11%) incentive shall be paid to Fire Department personnel who are accredited by SJCEMSA as Paramedics and the $250 per month stipend will be eliminated. The incentives are not stackable. The City will pay for or provide all licensing, accreditation, and continuing education fees and costs associated with paramedic licensure and accreditation for all employees in the ALS program. The City will pay for or provide required continuing education for licensed Paramedics accredited by SJCEMSA at no cost to employees. Employees who are licensed and accredited Paramedics will receive overtime compensation for completing approved continuing education classes outside their normal working hours. MOU terms and conditions not otherwise modified in this Agreement shall remain unchanged and shall remain in full force and effect through December 31, 2025. City of Lodi a municipal corporation Stephen Schwabauer Date City Manager Adele Post Human Resources Manager ATTEST: Olivia Nashed City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: Lodi Professional Firefighters Cameron Heberle President, LPF Date Vincent Wells Labor Relations Consultant Mastagni Holstedt, A.P.C. Date Janice D. Magdich Date City Attorney (t, Date Date RESOLUTION NO. 2022-303 A RESOLUTION OF THE LODI CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITY OF LODI AND THE LODI PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS THROUGH A SIDE -LETTER AGREEMENT ADDING PARAMEDIC INCENTIVE PAY WHEREAS, the Lodi City Council approved a successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lodi Professional Firefighters (LPF) on September 21, 2022 that has a term of January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025; and WHEREAS, LPF members are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) providing Basic Life Support (BLS) services within the City of Lodi; and WHEREAS, the Lodi Fire Department would like to enter into an agreement with San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SJCEMSA) to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) services to the City of Lodi citizens; and WHEREAS, Lodi Fire Department personnel must be accredited and licensed Paramedics through the State of California and SJCEMSA in order to provide ALS services; and WHEREAS, the City wishes to enter into a side -letter agreement amending the LPF MOU to provide incentive pay for employees who are accredited by SJCEMSA as Licensed Paramedics; and WHEREAS, it is recommend that Council approve the revisions to the MOU with LPF through a Side -Letter Agreement to provide Paramedic Incentive pay. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Lodi City Council that it does hereby approve the attached Side -Letter Agreement (Exhibit A) between the City of Lodi and LPF. Date: December 7, 2022 I hereby certify that Resolution No. 2022-303 was passed and adopted by the Lodi City Council in a regular meeting held December 7, 2022, by the following vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS — Hothi, Khan, Kuehne, Nakanishi, and Mayor Chandler NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS — None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS — None ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS — None OLIVIA NASHED City Clerk 2022-303 Side Letter Agreement Amending the Memorandums of Understanding Between the City of Lodi and the Lodi Professional Firefighters January 1, 2023 — December 31, 2025 This Side Letter Agreement is entered into between the City of Lodi, a municipal corporation ("City"), and Lodi Professional Firefighters (LPF), and is effective as of January 1, 2023. RECITALS WHEREAS, the Memorandum of Understanding between LPF and the City has a term of January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025 (MOU), and WHEREAS, the Fire Department desires to implement an Advanced Life Support (ALS) program as approved by the San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SJCEMSA); and WHEREAS, the MOU does not include a provision for an incentive for Fire personnel who are certified and accredited Paramedics, and WHEREAS, representatives from the City and LPF have met and conferred in good faith to discuss a new incentive for employees certified and accredited as Paramedics and agreed to the following changes to the LPF MOU: NEW ARTICLE - PARAMEDIC INCENTIVE PAY • Effective January 9, 2023, $50 per month stipend for employees who are certified by SJCEMSA as a Paramedic Accreditation Officer (up to a maximum of six (6) Accreditation Officers); ■ Effective January 9, 2023, $250 per month stipend for Fire Department personnel who are licensed Paramedics while they are seeking accreditation by SJCEMSA; • Effective January 9, 2023, $250 per month stipend for Fire Department personnel who are accredited by SJCEMSA until the City has been approved by SJCEMSA to implement an ALS program; and • Upon approval by SJCEMSA to implement an ALS program, an Eleven percent (11%) incentive shall be paid to Fire Department personnel who are accredited by SJCEMSA as Paramedics and the $250 per month stipend will be eliminated. The incentives are not stackable. The City will pay for or provide all licensing, accreditation, and continuing education fees and costs associated with paramedic licensure and accreditation for all employees in the ALS program. The City will pay for or provide required continuing education for licensed Paramedics accredited by SJCEMSA at no cost to employees. Employees who are licensed and accredited Paramedics will receive overtime compensation for completing approved continuing education classes outside their normal working hours. MOU terms and conditions not otherwise modified in this Agreement shall remain unchanged and shall remain in full force and effect through December 31, 2025. City of Lodi a municipal corporation Stephen Schwabauer City Manager Adele Post Human Resources Manager ATTEST: Olivia Nashed City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: Lodi Professional Firefighters Date Cameron Heberle President, LPF Date Vincent Wells Labor Relations Consultant Mastagni Holstedt, A.P.C. Date Janice D. Magdich Date City Attorney (t, Date Date