Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of October 23, 2018
Title
LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE SERVICES AND
MCCORMICK AMBULANCE QUARTERLY UPDATE
(Emergency Management Coordinator Brandy Villanueva)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council receive and file an update regarding Los Angeles County Fire Department and McCormick Ambulance services for the period of July 1, 2018 - September 30, 2018.
Body
Background:
Los Angeles County Fire Department provides fire services and McCormick Ambulance provides emergency transport services for the City of Hermosa Beach. These providers began delivering services on December 30, 2017.
Analysis:
During the third quarter of 2018 (July 1, 2018 - September 30, 2018), Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to 381 incidents with an average response time of 5:01 minutes. Los Angeles County Fire Department defines the Average Response Time as the time that the first-arriving units (excluding Lifeguard units) are en route and arrive at each incident and includes emergency and non-emergency calls. Dispatch and turn out time are not included in the Los Angeles County Fire Department average response time. Hermosa Beach Fire Department responded to 658 incidents during the third quarter of 2017. The average response time for the Hermosa Beach Fire Department was 6:04 and was defined as the time the call was dispatched to the time that the first unit arrived on scene which includes turnout time. Los Angeles County Fire Department received 277 less calls for service during 2018 compared to 2017. This decrease may in part be attributed to a decrease in the number of automatic aid responses dispatched to neighboring jurisdictions. Additionally, fewer calls for service were received during the 2018 Fourth of July holiday, which may have been because the holiday was on Wednesday this year and not part of a long three-day weekend. Staff will continue to monitor these trends and update Council as part of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s regular quarterly updates. Attachment 1 provides the incident type and average response times for Los Angeles County Fire, including the number of completed and cancelled transports for McCormick ambulance during the first three quarters of 2018.
Los Angeles County Fire Department continues to provide automatic aid to neighboring jurisdictions. Attachment 2 indicates that surrounding jurisdictions, labeled as Area G Cities have responded into Hermosa Beach to provide automatic aid 4 times during the quarter while Los Angeles County Fire Department, labeled as the Fire District has responded 62 times into Area G cities to provide automatic aid during the quarter.
Special Events
Los Angeles County Fire Department participated in pre-planning meetings and addressed staffing needs for Fourth of July, the July 2018 AVP tournament, Summer Concert Series, Labor Day Fiesta Hermosa, and Movies in the Park. Fire also coordinated with McCormick ambulance staff to ensure interoperable communications and rapid response times during these events. On August 15, 2018, Station 100 crew members joined City staff in celebrating annual selfie day. In addition, Los Angeles County Fire, Lifeguards and Hermosa Beach Police Department came together to participate in the Hermosa Heroes Pancake Breakfast on September 15, 2018. A Los Angeles County Fire representative also attends the Emergency Preparedness Advisory Commission Meetings.
Fire Station Construction
Monthly fire station construction meetings between the City and Los Angeles County Fire Department have been scheduled, which will be held the third Tuesday of every month from 2-4 p.m. in Council Chambers. Currently, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has completed seismic assessments on the building and working on the preliminary designs for the interior remodel of the station.
According to the City’s agreement with Los Angeles County Fire Department, the fire station remodel project will include the following elements:
• Demolition and removal of the second floor, including the installation of a new roof over the first-floor structure.
• Complete interior remodel of the first-floor structure. This design must adhere to strict/narrow County standards and must be approved by the LA County Firefighters Union based on negotiated contract terms.
• Building upgrades including electrical, utilities and seismic retrofitting within the approved scope of work.
• Landscaping surrounding the building.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department will generate a letter to the County Board of Supervisors for final approval of the project. City Council will have an opportunity to review these materials prior to submission to the County Board of Supervisors for final design approval. Planning and design of the station remodel is expected to continue until February 2019. Physical construction is scheduled to begin in March of 2019. City staff will provide the City Council with regular updates as to the progress of the project’s various stages.
Fire Prevention
Station 100 has completed the 2018 Annual Business Inspections by conducting 627 inspections. The table below represents the various outcomes of the inspections which include: Pass, Vacant, or Re-Inspection.
Film Permit
During the third quarter of 2018, Community Resources and Los Angeles County Fire Department have processed and approved 14 film permits.
McCormick Ambulance
McCormick Ambulance stationed an ambulance within the City boundaries for Fourth of July to prevent delays in incident response times. In addition, McCormick stationed an ambulance within the City all three days during Fiesta Hermosa. Coordinating response efforts with Los Angeles County Fire Department, EMT’s were stationed within the Fiesta Siesta tent managed by the HbCERT team and responded to incidents within the footprint of the Fiesta.
Fiscal Implications:
Funding for fire and ambulance services is included in the City’s Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget.
Attachments:
1. 2018 Los Angeles County Fire Incidents and McCormick Transports
2. 2018 Third Quarter Automatic Aid: July - September 2018
Respectfully Submitted by: Brandy Villanueva, Emergency Services Coordinator
Concur: Scott Hale, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Division Assistant Fire Chief
Concur: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager
Noted for Fiscal Impacts: Viki Copeland, Finance Director