The Board of Supervisors of the County of Stanislaus Action Agenda Summary Dept: Chief Executive Office Board Agenda #

The County Board of Supervisors assume the leadership role of solving multiple problems in fire and life saving services. Response: Fire Agencies are independent and autonomous. Just as cities are governed by City Councils who operate independently of the County Board of Supervisors, each Fire District is governed by a local Board of Directors with both the responsibility and authority to direct the actions and activities of their respective agencies. The Board of Supervisors has appointed an ad-hoc Board Committee to meet with Fire Agencies to explore options that may be available to them. The intent of the Board is to support a forum for discussions that could lead to the development of solutions to address funding and operational issues. The Board has directed staff from the Chief Executive Office and Fire Warden's Office to work with and assist the fire agencies in their efforts to identify sustainable solutions to ongoing operational and funding issues.

There are varying response times and professional capabilities. Minimal standards cannot always be met. Response: Agree.

lncreasing population, new technology, legal mandates, rising equipment costs and unnecessary administrative staff duplication add to the financial burden. Response: Agree with clarification. lncreasing emergency call volume due to population growth, the rising cost of technology and equipment, and the burden of legal mandates such as ABI 127, AB2118 and SB1207 have all impacted the districts financially. However, of the 14 fire districts, more than half rely on all volunteers, including the chief, who may receive a small stipend. Most districts have very minimal paid administrative staff, if any.

New disaster planning requirements have expanded responsibilities and liabilities requiring closer coordination in the areas of planning and performance. Response: Agree.

City expansion by annexation has markedly weakened the financial base of some rural fire districts making it increasingly difficult for these districts to meet their responsibilities. Response: Agree. There are 13 fire districts with contiguous boundaries with six cities; these cities all have expanding spheres of influence. Where the city and districts spheres of influence overlap, the district's sphere will give way to that of the city, per LAFCO policy. Each annexation causes a shift in property tax revenue allocation; this loss in revenue erodes the district's ability to provide service to the remaining area.

State training mandates have made recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters more difficult. Costly full time staff must be used to fill the formerly volunteer positions. Response: Agree in part. There are several factors that have led to the decline of volunteer firefighters in this county as well as all over the United States. Recruiting volunteers has historically been based on the need for a community to protect itself. Most people lived and worked in the same community, this is no longer true. Recruiting firefighters must be a Consideration and Approval of Response to the 2006-2007 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Final Report continuous, on-going effort. Retaining volunteers is also becoming more difficult. Although the volunteer provides labor at no cost, there is a significant cost to equipping and training them. The hours needed to acquire the mandated training, as well as the personal commitment of time to respond to the ever increasing number of calls, is imposing a burden on the volunteer's personal and professional life. However, the cost of full time paid staffing is prohibitive to virtually all of the current volunteer departments. It is estimated that the cost to appropriately staff a station full time is between $900,000 and $1.5 million dollars per year. It is impossible to provide full-time fire service without an adequate funding base.

The merger of several smaller districts into fewer but larger areas would offer several benefits. Among them: Lower Administrative costs. The merger of many boards would lower total salary costs of both administrative and professional staff. More efficient deployment of expensive equipment. Some pieces of equipment would become unnecessary. More efficient location of fire stations. Given larger areas to protect, stations could be more efficiently placed. Standardized recruitment and training of personnel. All staff would be held to the same standards of training and competence. Better use of specialized staff. Specialist in such areas as hazardous materials and fire investigation could be more efficiently deployed. Response: Agree, in part and with clarification. Lower Administrative cost. Agree in part. The volunteer districts in Stanislaus County have a relatively small payroll for administrative and professional staff. Many provide a small stipend for their board members for meeting attendance and have part time administrative staff. Although combining administrative staff would not necessarily produce a significant cost savings, it would most likely increase the efficiency of the administrative function, and reduce the burden on the volunteer chiefs. More efficient deplovment of expensive equipment. Agree. If a regional plan were implemented, the resources may be deployed in a more efficient and effective manner. Antiquated equipment could then be retired. More efficient location of fire stations. Agree, in part. If a regional plan was developed, and funding was available, a plan could be implemented that would place full time staffed stations in strategic locations along with volunteer stations. Consideration and Approval of Response to the 2006-2007 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Final Report Standardized recruitment and trainina of personnel. Agree. The standardized recruitment and training of personnel is a critical component to the success of all fire agencies in the County, whether volunteer or paid. Better use of specialized staff. Agree with clarification. Currently specialists are being used to provide many of the special operations services. There is a regional hazardous materials response team, and swift water rescue team and confined space rescue teams have been organized. The Fire Warden's Office is currently recruiting a Special Operations Coordinator, through the Fire Authority, to coordinate these activities. Additionally, the City of Modesto Fire Department provides fire investigations regionally through a contract with the Stanislaus County Fire Authority.

There is need for an unbiased outside facilitator / mediator to work with all districts to change the current delivery system. Response: Agree. The Stanislaus County Fire Chiefs Association has made a request of the County to fund a comprehensive study of the fire service in Stanislaus County. LAFCO suggested, through their municipal service review, that there is a need for a study to evaluate alternative government structure for the districts and for strategic planning. It is widely recognized by the fire service, that forcing consolidation, mergers, or regional platforms will not lead to successful delivery systems. However, if an open process is established and departmentsldistricts chose to participate for appropriate reasons, then a well respected facilitator could provide benefit in achieving the objectives of those participating.

No government body has fully accepted the overall responsibility of addressing the need for change in fire and life saving services available to the citizens of Stanislaus County. Response: Agree, with clarification. No one governmental body in Stanislaus County has sole authority or responsibility for the provision of fire and life saving services. Six fire districts have passed resolutions formally requesting the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors to engage in strategic planning efforts and participate in the exploration of options to ensure the future of fire protection in this county.

The Civil Grand Jury believes that any consolidation should occur only after full consideration of financial impact, proper planning, and consultation / involvement from all concerned parties including the public. Response: Agree. Consideration and Approval of Response to the 2006-2007 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Final Report The following is the County's response to the recommendations of the Civil Grand Jury Report 07-34: 1. The County Board of Supervisors assume the leadership role of solving multiple problems in fire and life saving services. Response: Fire Agencies are independent and autonomous. Just as cities are governed by City Councils who operate independently of the County Board of Supervisors, each Fire District is governed by a local Board of Directors with both the responsibility and authority to direct the actions and activities of their respective agencies. The Board of Supervisors has appointed an ad-hoc Board Committee to meet with Fire Agencies to explore options that may be available to them. The intent of the Board is to support a forum for discussions that could lead to the development of solutions to address funding and operational issues. The Board has directed staff from the Chief Executive Office and Fire Warden's Office to work with and assist the fire agencies in their efforts to identify sustainable solutions to ongoing operational and funding issues. 2. The County Board of Supervisors work with the Stanislaus County Fire Chiefs Association and various district boards to achieve appropriate consolidation of present districts consistent with the most effective use of manpower and resources. Response: As indicated in the previous response, Fire Agencies are independent and autonomous and are governed by a local Board of Directors with both the responsibility and authority to direct the actions and activities of their respective agencies. The Board of Supervisors therefore does not have the authority to direct the consolidation of Fire Districts. The Board of Supervisors does support and will participate with Fire Agencies in the development of the most effective use of manpower and resources in the delivery of fire and emergency services throughout the County. To this end, the Board has directed staff from the Chief Executive Office and Office of the Fire Warden to work with and assist the fire agencies in these efforts. 3. The County Board of Supervisors share equally the cost of outside expert consultation andlor mediation with various districts. Consideration and Approval of Response to the 2006-2007 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Final Report Response: The Board of Supervisors supports the concept of retaining outside expert consultants to work with fire agencies and the County in an effort to define a sustainable fire and emergency service platform. The Board further supports, as recommended by the Grand Jury, the sharing of the cost of consultant services. Civil Grand Jury Case #07-40 (Stanislaus County Disaster Preparedness)- General: The 2006-2007 Stanislaus County Grand Jury conducted a review and assessment of the Stanislaus County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The purpose was to determine the scope and readiness of the County's plan to meet the needs of its citizens if and when a disaster occurs, such as flood, fire, earthquake, civil disorder, terrorism, agricultural terrorism, hazardous materials, et al. Findings: Finding #:I The County of Emergency Services coordinates citizenlcommunitylCounty disaster preparedness. Response: Agree. find in^ #2: The Emergency Operations Plan is an all-risk document that addresses natural and man-made disasters. It addresses four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. Response: Agree. The Emergency Operations Plan establishes the emergency management organization required mitigating any significant emergency or disaster affecting Stanislaus County. It identifies the policies, responsibilities and procedures required protecting the health and safety of Stanislaus County communities. The plan establishes the operational concepts and procedures associated with field response, County Emergency Operations Center activities and the recovery process Findinq #3: The Emergency Operations Plan does not address how to serve the needs of those relocated after a disaster in their region of residence. Response: Disagree. Care and Shelter responsibilities are identified within the Emergency Operations Plan with the Stanislaus County Community Services Agency (CSA) assigned primary responsibility. Stanislaus County through CSA coordinates with American Red Cross and other volunteer organizations to meet the care and shelter needs of disaster victims. American Red Cross has identified 65 pre-arranged facilities, which have a total capacity of 7,720. In an event that exceeds pre- identified care and shelter facility capacity, the Stanislaus operational Area (County) can mission task the State of California Office of Consideration and Approval of Response to the 2006-2007 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Final Report Emergency Services and request the fair grounds and other facilities be made available during a disaster event. The care and shelter facilities may be utilized for local residents andlor those relocated to the County after a disaster.