Ron Rowlett Michael Silva City of Vacaville Mayor, Member-At-Large Councilmember, District 3*

The lack of a consolidated digital communication system in Solano County hampers effective firefighting efforts. <b>RESPONSE TO FINDING 2</b> The City of Vacaville agrees with the finding. <b>RECOMMENDATION 2</b> The Board of Supervisors broaden efforts to fund and promote the establishment of a modern digital county-wide emergency communications system. <b>RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION 2</b> Fire communications in Solano County continue to be a major issue and a threat to firefighter safety. A consolidated fire dispatch center would address this issue by providing for better coordination between the fire agencies in the County, reduce the delay in dispatch time, and improve firefighter safety. The City of Vacaville is in support of a consolidated fire dispatch center and would be an active participant.

Although law enforcement and fire departments throughout the county have been working to establish a JPA to develop a consolidated communications system, there is little support from the county to finalize the efforts. <b>RESPONSE TO FINDING 3</b> The City of Vacaville agrees with the finding. <b>RECOMMENDATION 3</b> Expedite JPA agreement within the county and develop a plan to move forward. <b>RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION 3</b> The various agencies continue to meet to draft the JPA. The City of Vacaville continues to be a willing participant in the process.

A county fire department is needed to serve the unincorporated areas of Solano County. <b>RESPONSE TO FINDING 4</b> The City of Vacaville agrees with the finding. <b>RECOMMENDATION 4</b> Solano County establishes a county-wide fire department to serve the unincorporated areas of Solano County. RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION 4 The current model of rural fire districts in unincorporated Solano County has led to a lack of funding of those districts, which has resulted in a lack of modernization of fire service in those areas. City fire departments in Solano County have been funded to the level that allows them to stay current with modern day standards. Lack of funding has left the rural fire districts at a huge disadvantage, leading to a further gap between the city departments and fire districts which create issues with like-for-like mutual aid. Consolidation of the rural districts, along with adequate funding, will allow for the purchase of newer equipment and better training for the district firefighters. This will improve overall fire service in Solano County.

Only two agencies involved in the LNU fire produced after-action reports. <b>RESPONSE TO FINDING 6</b> The City of Vacaville agrees with the finding. <b>RECOMMENDATION 6</b> Solano County and cities within the county require all responding emergency agencies using public funding to produce after-action reports. <b>RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION 6</b> An after-action report was produced for the LNU Lightning Complex Fire by the City of Vacaville because its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated during the fire. The after-action report focused on EOC actions/decisions and used for training EOC personnel for future incidents. It was not required. Please let us know if you have any further questions. Sincerely, Kris Concepcion Fire Chief Vacaville City Council CC: Aaron Busch, City Manager Michelle Thornbrugh, City Clerk