REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 20, 2025
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Agreement with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for Regional Urban Search and Rescue Training
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District:
1. Ratify the execution of Agreement with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in an amount not to exceed $169,950 for reimbursement of costs pertaining to San Bernardino County Fire Protection District employees attending Regional Urban Search and Rescue Training, with a term of April 16, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
2. Approve Amendment No. 1 to Agreement with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, updating the agreement to include Mobilization Exercises and updating provisions related to the trainings, increasing the reimbursement amount by $77,250, from $169,950 to $247,200, for costs pertaining to San Bernardino County Fire Protection District employees attending Regional Urban Search and Rescue Training, and extending the term one-year, for a total period of January 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026.
3. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer or the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to proceed with the following actions on behalf of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District related to the agreement with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services:
a. Act as signatories for reimbursement claims, performance reports, and other documents required to administer the agreement.
b. Approve any non-substantive amendments to the agreement, subject to County Counsel review.
4. Direct the Chief Executive Officer or the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to transmit copies of all non-substantive amendments to the agreement to the Secretary of the Board of Directors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of these actions will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as it is a cost reimbursement agreement. In accordance with this agreement, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) will reimburse San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) for the cost of employees attending training for Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) and Mobilization Exercises (MOBEX) related to the Regional US&R program. The original agreement has a not-to-exceed amount of $169,950; however, due to an increase in the budget available for this program, CalOES has increased the amount offered to SBCFPD by $77,250 for a total of $247,200. No budget adjustments are needed at this time.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Urban search and rescue is considered a multi-hazard discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of emergencies or disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, storms, tornadoes, floods, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. The National US&R Response System (System), established under the authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1989, is a framework for organizing federal, state and local partner emergency response teams as integrated federal disaster response task forces.
There are currently 12 Regional US&R Task Forces located throughout the state. These Regional US&R Task Forces are comprised of 30 people specially trained and equipped for large or complex urban search and rescue operations. The multi-disciplinary organization provides five functional elements that include Supervision, Search, Rescue, Medical, and Logistics. SBCFPD’s Regional US&R Task Force is Regional Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Six (RTF-6).
SBCFPD is requesting that the Board ratify the Agreement executed on April 16, 2024, with CalOES that allows SBCFPD to receive reimbursement for training costs as needed to certify SBCFPD staff as a US&R team. Due to a staff oversight, the agreement was executed without prior Board approval. SBCFPD staff have been reminded that all agreements require County Counsel review and Purchasing or Board approval.
Under the Agreement, CalOES will reimburse SBCFPD for staff to attend and complete any of the following training: Regional Task Force Leader, Regional Technical Search Specialist, Plans Team Training, Heavy Equipment Rigging Specialist, and Safety Officer courses provided by California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) or any mutually agreed upon US&R or other acceptable training/exercise that meets CSTI requirements/standards and is approved by the CalOES Contract Manager. Due to limited staffing, SBCFPD has not participated in any US&R trainings thus far. Recent changes and increases in staffing will allow US&R staff to participate in upcoming US&R trainings. This item is being presented for Board approval today as this is the first date available following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews.
Approval of Amendment No. 1 to the agreement with CalOES will allow SBCFPD to request additional reimbursement up to $247,200 from CalOES which will allow additional staff to attend US&R and MOBEX training in order to maintain competency and readiness when responding to multiple types of US&R incidents. The agreement includes but is not limited to the following updates: update to the provision regarding additional US&R trainings or continued education requirements, additional section added regarding MOBEX specific training and requirements for payment reimbursement, early termination provision added to the agreement, subcontractor provision added, updates to contact persons, and updates to the exhibits and attachments. Amendment No. 1 also extends the term one-year, for a total period of January 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026. Approval of this item will also allow the Chief Executive Officer or the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to execute documents related to the Agreement, submittal of the periodic reports, non-substantive grant amendments, subject to review by County Counsel. This delegation of authority is being requested due to the short turnaround timelines from CalOES that may not allow for enough time for the amendments to be presented to the Board, the delegation of authority will provide for administrative efficiencies and will ensure SBCFPD staff may continue to receive the US&R trainings that will protect SBCFPD and County residents during emergencies.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Richard Luczak, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 2, 2025; Finance (Ivan Ramirez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on May 6, 2025; County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 6, 2025.