SR 11-15-2022 5J
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: November 15, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.J
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Danny Alvarez, Fire Chief, Fire Department
Subject: Award RFP to provide professional services to assist Los Angeles Area Fire
Chief’s Association Regional Training Group Fire Service Training Officer
hosted by Santa Monica Fire
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP #325 for professional services to Fire Resources LLC, to assist Los
Angeles Area Fire Chief’s Association Regional Training Group hosted by Santa
Monica Fire Department; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional service
agreement with Fire Resources LLC, in an amount not to exceed $370,000 for a
twenty-four month period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget
approval and state homeland security grant funding.
Summary
Each year, the Federal government allocates grant funding to enhance regional
preparedness for disasters, emergencies and other threats to homeland security. In
grant years 2020-2022, $370,000 was awarded to the Santa Monica Fire Department as
a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency
Management Agency's (FEMA) State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSP) grant.
The $370,000 has been awarded to Santa Monica Fire on behalf of the Los Angeles
Area Fire Chief’s Association (LAAFCA) to enter into an agreement with the training
officer consultant group Fire Resources to assist the Regional Training Group fulfill
LAAFCA’s regional training mission.
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The SHSP grant funds are administered by the County of Los Angeles on behalf of the
Los Angeles-Long Beach Urban Area, which includes Santa Monica. City Council has
already accepted the 2020 SHSP funds totaling $185,000, and the Fire Department has
a pending agreement to award the remaining funds from the 2021 SHSP grant in the
amount of $185,000. These funds have been granted to Santa Monica for the
engagement of professional services to assist the Los Angeles Area Fire Chief’s
Association Regional Training Group achieve its mission of fulfilling its homeland
security goals. The agreement with the selected consultant, Fire Resources, would be
for a term of two years.
Discussion
About the SHSP Grant Program
The focus of the SHSP program is to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in
major metropolitan areas. The Santa Monica Fire Department was asked to host funds
to assist the RTG with facilitating county-wide trainings that support Fire’s core public
safety missions as well as regional homeland security goals. The following are the ten
major regional homeland security focus areas of the SHSP grant program, known as
Investment Justifications (IJ):
lJ # 1: Strengthen Capabilities of the State Threat Assessment System;
IJ # 2: Protect Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources;
IJ # 3: Enhance Cybersecurity;
IJ # 4: Strengthen Emergency Communications Capabilities Through Planning,
Governance, Technology and Equipment;
IJ # 5: Enhance Medical and Public Health Capabilities;
IJ # 6: Preventing Violent Extremism Through Multi-Jurisdictional/Inter-
Jurisdictional Collaboration and Coordination;
IJ # 7: Enhance Community Resilience, Including Partnerships With Volunteers
and Community Based Organizations and Programs;
IJ # 8: Strengthen Information Sharing and Collaboration;
IJ # 9: Enhance Multi-Jurisdictional/Inter-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Incident
Planning, Response & Recovery Capabilities; and
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IJ #10: Homeland Security Exercise, Evaluation and Training Programs
The SHSP program directly supports the national priority of expanding regional
collaboration within the National Preparedness Goal, which defines what it means for
the whole community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies. The
SHSP grant is intended to assist participating jurisdictions in developing integrated
regional systems for prevention, protection, response, and recovery from natural or
man-made disasters.
The County of Los Angeles is the region's grant administrator for the SHSP grant and
allocates funds to the City of Santa Monica. A regional working group and approval
authority, made up of SHSP stakeholders from throughout the Los Angeles-Long Beach
Urban Area, are the governance bodies that determine which regional projects to submit
to DHS for grant funding.
The SHSP grant program is 100% federally funded by DHS and managed through the
State of California's Office of Emergency Services. There is no requirement of a local
match. The City of Santa Monica has received close to $20 million in federal security
grant funding since 2003. These funds have been used to purchase necessary
interoperable communication and infrastructure equipment, supplies, and training in
direct support of overall regional goals to promote effective information gathering,
sharing, and response to threats and/or acts of terrorism.
Agreement with Fire Resources, LLC
The City of Santa Monica Fire Department has been awarded funding to host a
professional services contract with a subject matter expert to assist in fulfilling the Los
Angeles Fire Chiefs’ Association Regional Training Group’s mission to provide unified,
innovative, quality training to enhance firefighter safety and responder effectiveness.
The contractor will develop, direct, and execute strategies to ensure effective delivery of
training to and for Los Angeles area fire service agencies and stakeholders. The
contractor will assist with, support, and further develop the training and response
readiness of Los Angeles area fire agencies for incidents of national significance
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including, but not limited to: acts of terrorism, natural disasters, public health threats and
other large-scale incidents that pose a threat to public or first-responder safety. The
contractor will perform detailed and comprehensive research, collaborate on, develop,
and disseminate periodic and regular finished reports, advisories, bulletins,
presentations, and briefings for executive and other fire service audiences on relevant
fire service issues.
Consultant Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Person or
Firm and Only Bidder
Fire Resources, LLC
Evaluation Criteria The proposal, Fire Resources LLC, was evaluated based on the
criteria in SMMC 2.24.190, including experience, understanding of
scope of services to be provided, quality control, training,
references, and compliance with City specifications.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFP Data
Date
Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter &
SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
8/19/2022 City's Online Bidding Site Santa Monica
Daily Press
4 09/07/2022
Justification to Award
An interview panel consisting of one SMFD Deputy Chief and two Chiefs from other
local Fire agencies interviewed the three parties who submitted proposals. Based on
this criteria and criteria in SMMC 2.24.190, staff recommends Fire Resources LLC as
the best qualified vendor to provide professional services to assist the Los Angeles
Area Fire Chief’s Association Regional Training Group based on their extensive
RFPs Received
Fire Resources, LLC Cisneros Business Services, LLC The Safe Community Project
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subject matter expertise in the Fire service, experience with similar projects, the
results of their reference checks, and their ability to provide the services within the
project budget.
Environmental Review
This is not a project for the purpose of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Miscellaneous Grants Fund to award a
professional services agreement with Fire Resources LLC to provide professional
services to assist the LAAFCA Regional Training Group.
Professional Service Agreement
FY 2022-23 Budget
Request Amount Department Account # Total Contract Amount
$185,000 20190001.555179 $370,000
Future funding in the amount of $185,000 will be appropriated to the 2021 State
Homeland Security Grant Fund account 20190001.55517A when the 2021 Grant
Agreement is accepted by City Council at a date in the near future. These funds have
been allocated by the State; the City is waiting for the formal contract agreement from
Los Angeles County. Future contract funding is contingent on Council budget approval
and future homeland security grant funds.
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Prepared By: Terese Toomey, Principal Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Fire Resources Oaks exp 9.27.23
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE NOTICE
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS, BIDDERS, PROPOSERS
AND OTHERS SEEKING DISCRETIONARY PERMITS, CONTRACTS,
OR OTHER BENEFITS FROM THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Santa Monica’s voters adopted a City Charter amendment commonly known as the Oaks
Initiative. The Oaks Initiative requires the City to provide this notice and information about the
Initiative’s requirements. You may obtain a full copy of the Initiative’s text from the City Clerk.
This information is required by City Charter Article XXII—Taxpayer Protection. It prohibits a
public official from receiving, and a person or entity from conferring, specified personal benefits or
campaign advantages from a person or entity after the official votes, or otherwise takes official
action, to award a “public benefit” to that person or entity. The prohibition applies within and
outside of the geographical boundaries of Santa Monica.
All persons or entities applying or receiving public benefits from the City of Santa Monica
shall provide the names of trustees, directors, partners, and officers, and names of persons with
more than a 10% equity, participation or revenue interest. An exception exists for persons serving
in those capacities as volunteers, without compensation, for organizations exempt from income
taxes under Section 501(c)(3), (4), or (6), of the Internal Revenue Code. However, this exception
does not apply if the organization is a political committee or controls political committees.
Examples of a “public benefit” include public contracts to provide goods or services worth more
than $25,000 or a land use approval worth more than $25,000 over a 12-month period.
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City
compiles and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any person or
persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an entity, rather than
an individual person, the information includes the name of every person who is: (a) trustee, (b)
director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the entity. Therefore,
if you are seeking a “public benefit” covered by the Oaks Initiative, you must supply that
information on the Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form. This information must be updated and supplied
every 12 months.
5.J.a
Packet Pg. 284 Attachment: Fire Resources Oaks exp 9.27.23 (5424 : Award RFP Training Professional Services on behalf LAAFCA)
FOR CITY USE ONLY:
Bid/PO/Contract # Permit #
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE DISCLOSURE FORM
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City compiles
and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any person or
persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an entity, rather
than an individual person, the information includes the name of every person who is: (a) trustee,
(b) director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the entity.
Public benefits include:
1. Personal services contracts in excess of $25,000 over any 12-month period;
2. Sale of material, equipment or supplies to the City in excess of $25,000 over a12- month
period;
3. Purchase, sale or lease of real property to or from the City in excess of$25,000 over a
12- month period;
4. Non-competitive franchise awards with gross revenue of $50,000 or more in any
12- month period;
5. Land use variance, special use permit, or other exception to an established land
use plan, where the decision has a value in excess of $25,000;
6. Tax “abatement, exception, or benefit” of a value in excess of $5,000 in any12- month
period; or
7. Payment of “cash or specie” of a net value to the recipient of $10,000 in any12-
month period.
Name(s) of persons or entities receiving public benefit:
Fire Resources LLC
Name(s) of trustees, directors, partners, and officers:
Sean A. Escontrias
Name(s) of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation, or revenue interest:
Sean A. Escontrias OR Fire Resources LLC
Prepared by: Sean A. Escontrias Title: President
Signature: Date:
Email: sean@fireresourcesLLC.com Phone:
9-27-2022
(310) 500-5530
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Packet Pg. 285 Attachment: Fire Resources Oaks exp 9.27.23 (5424 : Award RFP Training Professional Services on behalf LAAFCA)