SR-091608-1F~® lT Q Q
City of ~ City COUIICI~ ^\~rp®~
i Santa 6lonicu
City Council Meeting: September 9, 2008
Agenda Item: 1°~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jim Hone, Fire Chief
Subject: Evaluation of Santa Monica Fire Department Communication and
Dispatching Systems
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a contract with GeoComm to evaluate fire dispatching and communications
services options.
Executive Summary
The Fire Department wishes to retain the services of GeoComm to perform a
comprehensive study and make recommendations as to the most efficient means of
providing fire emergency dispatch and communications services that will ensure the
most efficient delivery of services to the community. Geocomm was selected through a
competitive process based on their experience in the evaluation of emergency dispatch
systems. Comparative .analysis, recommendations and a master plan will be submitted
to the Fire Department on or before November 30,.2008 at a total cost not to exceed
$95,000. Funds are available in the adopted budget.
Background
Up until January of 2007, the Fire Department dispatched its own fire resources from a
dedicated Communications Center located at the Public Safety Facility. The Center was
staffed with a civilian EMT certified Communication Operator and with a daytime
supervisor on-site four days per week. The UHF radio system had three channels of
which one was the designated emergency trigger channel. The center handled about
11,000 incidents per year or 30 incidents per day. The center consisted of 20 year old
outdated communications equipment that consistently failed to perform. In addition, it
became increasingly difficult to .acquire replacement parts for necessary equipment
repairs. To address deficiencies and determine the best method of emergency dispatch,
the department conducted an in-depth evaluation of the existing system and included
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comparison to other methods of service. delivery. This evaluation concluded with a
recommendation to join a regional .dispatch center. On January 23, 2007, the Fire
Department entered into a contract with the Los Angeles City Fire Department Regional
Dispatch Center (OCD) to provide emergency dispatch services. Due to unresolved
operational issues associated with OCD, Council directed Fire staff to conduct an
analysis of alternative dispatching and communication system options available to the
City and report back by mid-year with recommendations..
Discussion
The communication and dispatch evaluation will cover three objectives:
1. Review of industry standards and best practices and identify operational
concepts that meet the needs of the Fire Department;
2. Provide an operational assessment of current dispatch/communication services
provided by OCD including a review of deficiencies and identification of potential
corrective actions; and
3. Complete a comparative analysis of various communication and dispatch service
options (including, but not limited to, a changed OCD and return to an in-house
system), recommendations and a master plan for the optimal development of a
communication and dispatch system.
Contractor/Consultant Selection
The Fire Department prepared a Request for Proposal (RFP) to evaluate our dispatch
system as described above. The proposal was sent to 18 consulting-firms based on
recommendations of Fire Chiefs from the California Fire Chief's Association. The RFP's
were sent by email and followed up with a hard copy on July 10, 2008 with a submittal
deadline of 5:00 p.m. August 1, 2008. Additionally, the RFP was advertised on the City
web site as well as the Fire Department web site, santamonicafire.org..
Ten RFP's were received by the submission deadline and were distributed to a review
committee on August 4, 2008. The Committee consisted of staff from the Fire
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Department, Information Systems, City Managers Office and Finance. The committee
selected four {4) consultants to move forward to the interview stage of the process.
Interviews were held on August 19, 2008.The proposed prices ranged from $48,600 to
$199,975 with a median proposed price of $87,600.
Geocomm is recommended as the consultant best suited for this project. They have
over 20 years of experience in the development, design, and implementation of stand-
alone and joint public safety communications systems. They have extensive experience
working with municipal fire service and have staff members with technical expertise in
public safety communications equipment. They have completed numerous similar
projects. The interview panel agreed that Geocomm's team brought together strength in
the disciplines needed for the successful completion of this assignment.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The cost for consulting services provided by Geocomm is $87,600 and will be paid from
available funds to be transferred from CIP account M020594.589000 (Radio
Infrastructure Replacement) to account 01312.555060 (Professional Services).
Prepared by:
Cindy Tomlinson, Sr. Administrative Analyst -Fire
Approved:
Forwarded to Councils
Jim H-o e d'
Fire C, ref, Fire Department
P(kamont EN
City Manager
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Reference Contract No.
8968 (CCS)