REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 5, 2021
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Memorandum of Agreement with the City of Riverside for Participation in the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, California Task Force Six
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, approve Memorandum of Agreement with the City of Riverside wherein the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District will serve as a Participating Agency for California Task Force Six of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, effective upon signature by both parties and continuing until terminated as provided in the agreement.
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
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 this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County cost). In accordance with this Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), the City of Riverside (Riverside) will complete a cost reimbursement package for each applicable incident. The package will include response expenses incurred by the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) engaged in task force activities and will be part of an overall claim submitted to the United States Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). However, Section 3.3.2.5 of the MOA conditions Riverside’s financial commitments to SBCFPD on availability/receipt of funds by Riverside from FEMA or other sources. As a result, there is the potential that some services performed by SBCFPD will not receive full reimbursement, but instead, will be funded through SBCFPD’s existing revenue sources.
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 and tornadoes, floods, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. The National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System (the System), established under the authority of 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 28 US&R task forces within the continental United States, with eight located in the state of California. Each of the System’s task forces is comprised of a team of individuals specializing in search, rescue, disaster recovery, emergency triage, medicine, hazardous materials, logistics, and planning. The teams, which include technical specialists such as physicians, structural engineers and canine search teams, are deployed by FEMA to provide assistance at emergency and disaster sites. The US&R task forces are equipped and ready to be deployed within six hours in various response models.
Riverside, through an agreement with FEMA and the State of California, is the Sponsoring Agency for California Task Force Six of the US&R. As the Sponsoring Agency, Riverside (by and through the City’s Fire Department) is charged with, among other things, recruiting and organizing members for the task force. The recommended MOA with Riverside is for SBCFPD to become a Participating Agency in California Task Force Six.
In accordance with the MOA, SBCFPD agrees to commit the following staff to Task Force Six:
• Two Hazardous Materials Specialists
• Three Rescue Squad Specialists
This agreement is mutually beneficial because it allows task force resources to cross jurisdictional boundaries and provides County and SBCFPD residents access to specialists in search, rescue, disaster recovery, emergency triage, medicine, hazardous materials, logistics, and planning during emergency and disaster events. The service to our communities will be enhanced during these types of events, and a stronger partnership and a spirit of cooperation will be developed amongst these agencies. This agreement will also provide an opportunity for SBCFPD staff to gain additional urban search and rescue experience during emergencies or disasters, which, in turn, will benefit SBCFPD and County residents when responding to emergencies or disasters within SBCFPD and the County.
The MOA may be modified or amended only by another written agreement approved and executed by both parties. The MOA is an indefinite term agreement and shall continue in effect unless and until terminated as provided in the MOA. Specifically, the MOA may be terminated by either party upon 30 days written notice, except that Participating Agency may not terminate the MOA without the written consent of the Sponsoring Agency during any time interval when the Task Force has been placed on alert status or has been activated if the alert or activation affects participants of the Participating Agency. Pursuant to County Policy 11-04, only the Board of Directors may approve agreements with an indefinite term. The parties have also agreed that court venue under the MOA will be the Superior Court in Riverside County, California.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 10, 2021; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on September 16, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on September 19, 2021.