SR 12-18-2018 3G
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: December 18, 2018
Agenda Item: 3.G
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Bill Walker, Fire Chief, Fire Department
Subject: Adopt resolution approving membership within the Los Angeles Area
Regional Training Group (RTG) Joint Powers Authority
Recommended Action
1. Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution approving
the Santa Monica Fire Department’s membership in the Los Angeles Area
Regional Training Group (RTG) Joint Powers Authority (JPA)
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the JPA agreement and to take such
reasonable actions as may be required to implement the intent of the agreement.
Summary
There are thirty fire departments within Los Angeles County and each agency’s
Fire Chief is a member of the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association (LAAFCA).
LAAFCA is seeking support from all thirty fire departments within the County of Los
Angeles to create the Regional Training Group Joint Powers Authority (RTG JPA).
By doing so, the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs will develop a governance structure
that ensures an equitable and sustainable level of cost-effective standardized all-
risk training inclusive of all in-service related training that is not supported by
homeland security grants. The LAAFCA RTG vision of regional training has
become a reality and is a critical training resource for all of the member
departments.
Discussion
Fire agencies within the Los Angeles County Operational Area (LACOA) have
worked together for years to prepare for natural, technological and human-caused
disasters. The purpose of the JPA is to establish a separate organization for the
exercise of powers common to the members, which may include conducting
coordinated trainings and sharing resources, including but not limited to, facilities,
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equipment, and information, related to training firefighters and researching fire
prevention, protection, and safety techniques, issues, and information, and to
address emerging and existing fire protection and safety issues for the benefit of
their respective jurisdictions.
Through this initiative to develop regional training for the ever-changing fire service
environment, the RTG has proven to be quite successful at creating, conducting
and evaluating regional training through multi-agency integration. The outcomes
have been remarkable and are indeed a force multiplier in comparison to what a
local, independent fire department can accomplish within its own training
apparatus. By establishing the RTG JPA, the Los Angeles Region is developing
the next major cooperative nationally recognized Fire Service program which will
continue regional training far beyond the availability of federal grant dollars.
The RTG efforts have allowed individual agencies to make their dollars go further
by pooling resources and increased the capacity of first responders and specialty
teams to handle the most critical work required in the event of terrorism or other
disaster.
Through RTG’s regionalized training, emergencies are handled more seamlessly
thus increasing the fluidity of the operation. When a disaster strikes the Los
Angeles region, no one department will be able to handle all calls for assistance in
a widespread emergency response. Through this cooperation, the thirty fire
agencies in the region have built relationships by promoting trust with the goal of
achieving interoperability between all partner agencies. Beyond the operational
benefits, firefighter service delivery improvements to all communities within Los
Angeles County, as well as improvements in preparation and response to terrorism
or other large-scale disasters have improved.
By joining of the Joint Powers Agreement, agencies are guaranteeing participation
in fire service regional training even if federal dollars diminish. Additionally, by
becoming an early member in the RTG JPA, the Santa Monica Fire Chief will
become a JPA Board Member to assist in determining critical aspects of future
training such as:
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Creating bylaws and/or other guidelines
Developing regional training policy and strategies
Developing a comprehensive funding plan and operational budget
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial or budget impact to joining the RTG JPA. It is
anticipated that the JPA will seek funding from member agencies in the future, the level
of membership support is unknown at this tim e. Once the JPA has a funding strategy
in place the Fire Department will assess its ability to absorb the membership dues or
return to Council for an additional budget appropriation.
If membership dues are too expensive for the return on investment or due to the fact
that not enough jurisdictions join the JPA, Fire Department will return to Council to
propose cancelling membership in the JPA. Members of the JPA may submit written
notice of immediate withdrawal from the JPA within 180 days after the JPA Bylaws are
adopted.
Prepared By: Terese Toomey, Principal Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Resolution - Fire - Joint Powers Agreement - 12182018
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City Council Meeting: December 18, 2018 Santa Monica, California
RESOLUTION NUMBER ____ (CCS)
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
APPROVING THE SANTA MONICA FIRE DEPARTMENT’S MEMBERSHIP
IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA REGIONAL TRAINING GROUP AND
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE
A JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT
WHEREAS, the City recognizes the need to organize and establish a consolidated
area training group amongst other local fire departments to address fire protection and
safety issues for the shared benefit of local municipalities in the region and their residents;
and
WHEREAS, the City supports the efforts to establish, operate, and maintain a joint
powers authority for the purpose of integrating, sharing, and combining resources,
facilities, regional assets, and information related to training firefighters and researching
fire prevention, protection, and safety techniques, issues, and information; and
WHEREAS, a joint powers agreement creates a joint powers authority to conduct
coordinated fire protection and safety trainings, and to address emerging fire protection
and safety issues throughout the Los Angeles Area and other areas that appear to have
a connection or nexus to the Los Angeles Area; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to become a member of the Los Angeles Area
Regional Training Group (“RTG”) and to have a joint powers agreement with the RTG
memorializing its membership.
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NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City, through the Santa Monica Fire Department, shall endeavor
to become a member of the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group.
SECTION 2. The City Manager is authorized to execute a joint powers agreement
with the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group to effectuate its membership with the
group. The City Manager is further authorized to take any such reasonable actions as
may be required to implement the intent of this Resolution.
APPROVED AS TO FORM
_____________________
Lane Dilg
City Attorney
REFERENCE:
Resolution No. 11155
(CCS)