HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #11CITY OF
LAKE LLSINORE
DREAM EXTREME.
REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: GRANT YATES, CITY MANAGER
DATE: NOVEMBER 12, 2013
SUBJECT: DISCUSSION REGARDING FIRE STATION 60
Recommendation
Provide direction to the City Manager to:
1. Calculate direct and indirect costs, including overhead, on a sliding scale based
on the time and resources committed to fire service calls in the City of Canyon
Lake
2. Invoice the City of Canyon Lake for fire service calls on a monthly basis
Background
On Tuesday, November 5, the City of Canyon Lake's fire protection tax, Measure D,
was defeated. With its defeat, Fire Station 60 is projected to close as of December 5,
2013. This date is based on a letter written by the City of Canyon Lake to Cal Fire in
August 2013 requesting that staffing be suspended at Fire Station 60 within 120 days.
With the closure or a reduction in service at Fire Station 60, the City of Canyon Lake will
not have the resources available to provide mutual aid to other surrounding
communities, which in effect removes them from the regional fire protection system.
In the City of Lake Elsinore, public safety is the number one priority. Many residents pay
up to $450 a year to have the highest levels of service possible. Therefore, it is
essential that residents are not subsidizing services for another community and that
they continue to receive the highest levels of service.
The City of Lake Elsinore can use standard fire service cost recovery methodology,
specifically Assistance by Hire (ABH), to bill the City of Canyon Lake for all direct and
indirect costs for fire services. This is a standard practice in the industry and staff
recommends this approach if Station 60 closes or if there is a reduction in services
provided by the station.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 11
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Canyon Lake Fire Station 60
November 12, 2013
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Discussion
Based on the actions
Lake Elsinore invoices
call based upon ABH.
Fire Station 60 on Dec
and support from the
services rendered.
by the City of Canyon Lake, staff recommends that the City of
the City of Canyon Lake for each fire and /or emergency services
With the possible elimination of staffing or reduction of service at
:ember 5, the City of Lake Elsinore has the authority under ABH
Riverside County Fire Department to invoice Canyon Lake for
The City of Lake Elsinore will create monthly invoices in coordination with the Riverside
County Fire Department, who will generate a monthly list of actual calls for service in
the City of Canyon Lake using their Computer Aided Dispatch System. City staff will
then utilize this list to determine all direct and indirect costs based on the resources
allocated and the type of incident to create monthly invoices for the services rendered in
the City of Canyon Lake.
Fiscal Impact
Staff recommends a sliding scale be applied based on the calls for service generated.
For example, a simple medical aid call will be billed differently than a structure fire call,
which would require more resources. In addition to the direct costs for personnel, there
are many indirect costs that are related to the total cost of service. Some of these
indirect costs include dispatch, equipment, supplies, medic support, hazardous material
incident management, fleet support, communication and IT support, and Battalion Chief
oversight. In addition, there are also indirect costs related to operating a fire station
such as utilities, facility support costs, maintenance, and administrative overhead.
Based on the information above, the estimated hourly cost for one hour of service will
be approximately $1,000. This cost will increase based on the complexity and number
of resources allocated to each call for service.
Prepared by: Nicole Dailey
Management Analyst
Approved by: Grant Yates
City Manager
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