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HomeMy WebLinkAbout31-Council Office . CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION From: Councilmember Chas Kelley Subject: Action of the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San Bernardino Restoring The Twelve Positions in the Fire Department That Were Eliminated by Action of The Mayor and Common Council on February 17, 2009. Dept: Council Office Date: April 30, 2009 Synopsis of Previous Council action: On February 17, 2009 the MCC adopted a resolution approving the City Manager's Modified Budget Strategy that included the elimination of up to twelve (12) sworn positions in the Fire Department by deleting vacancies and/or by attrition, thus removing the fourth person from most of the nine (9) engine companies that were then staffed with four fire fighters. Recommended motion: That the twelve positions in the Fire Department that were eliminated by Action of the Mayor and Common Council on February 17, 2009 are restored through the end of November, 2009 effective immediately, and that $1,056,000.00 from the General Fund Reserve be transferred to the Fire Department current budget to fund those positions through November 30, 2009. Contact person: Chas Kellev. Councilmember Phone: 5208 Supporting data attached: Staff Report Ward: 4th; 5th; 6th and 7th FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: $1.056.000.00 Source: (Acc!. No.) ( Acc!. Description) Finance: Council Notes: 75-0262 Agenda Item No.-3J Ij-'I- " Unchanged 6.1.06 F,IWILSONIAGENDA ITEMSIRFA CKeIley 4.29.09.wpd STAFF REPORT Council Meeting Date: May 4, 2009 To: Mayor and Common Council From: Chas Kelley, Council Member Fifth Ward Date: April 30, 2009 Re: Agenda Item Number 31, Restoration ofthe Twelve Positions in the Fire Department Eliminated by Action of the Mayor and Common Council on February 17, 2009 At the City Council meeting on April 20, 2009 a motion was made that would have restored twelve firefighter positions that were eliminated by vote of the Mayor and Common Council on February 17, 2009. That motion died for lack of a second. On April 10,2009 the implementation of the elimination of most of those positions took effect with the removal ofthe fourth person from most of the engine companies that were previously staffed with four firefighters. Since April 10, 2009 several incidents that potentially compromised the public safety have occurred as a result of the elimination ofthese positions. This information was not available in detail at the Council meeting on April 20, 2009. I want to repeat what State law demands and what national standards require: CAL OSHA requires that employers of Fire personnel shall ensure that at least two employees enter an area that is immediately dangerous to life or health and at least two employees remain outside that area (8 CCR 95144). The National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health program (NFP A 1500 9 8.4.7) requires that in the initial stages of an incident where only one crew is operating in a hazardous area at a working structural fire, that a minimum offour individuals shall be required, with two working a crew inside the hazard area and two working as a crew outside the hazard area where the two outside the hazard area are available for assistance or rescue. Because of the shortage of fire personnel currently assigned to emergency fire response vehicles, firefighters have had to wait for backup fire engines to arrive before they could enter buildings to search for victims in more than one instance since April I 0,2009. In each case, the time delay could have been fatal had victims been inside the buildings. It is only a matter of time before this game of "burning building roulette" results in the occurrence of serious injuries and deaths, according to fire-fighting experts. This still avoidable tragedy will be due to the delay in conducting searches of burning buildings. The wait for the arrival of back up engines has already resulted in buildings not being searched for as long as ten minutes. Given the short time period for a fire to "flash over," and the short period of time during which a brain may die from oxygen deprivation, it is clear that this new policy will result in tragedies. I'm asking the Mayor and Common Council to err on the side of caution and reinstate these vital positions for public safety by implementing the following funding actions: I. Transfer $1,056,000 from the general fund reserve to the Fire Department personnel budget immediately to fund the twelve positions through November 2009. 2. Place $1,056,000 of the $1.43 million "give back" being offered by the firefighters as their contribution to balancing the budget, in the general fund reserve. 3. Eliminate the Training Captain for an approximate savings of$135,000, and place that amount in the general fund reserve. 4. Impose fines for code violations, fines not presently being imposed despite repeated Council requests to do so, on landlords whose properties are not in compliance with Fire Department-enforced Codes. The approximate increased revenue of $1 00,000 over the next fourteen months to be placed in the general fund reserve. This will result in an increase to the general fund reserve of approximately $235,000 more than is in the general fund reserve prior to the budget transfer listed in item #1 above. -2- CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and Common Council FROM: Lori Sassoon, Acting City Manager SUBJECT: Clarification re:ltem #31 - Restoring funding for Sworn Firefighters DATE: April 30, 2009 COPIES: City Clerk; Fire Chief; City Attorney; Charles McNeely Mayor and Councilmembers, I need to correct some information contained in the staff report for this item. Page 2 of the staff report recommends that reserves be used to restore the sworn firefighter positions, and then that savings from the firefighters' "give-back" be used to replenish reserves. However, you will note that in our budget strategy, which was approved by the Mayor and Council on February 17, we have already assumed savings from both the deletion of 12 sworn vacancies AND the equivalent of a 10% reduction in salary for sworn fire personnel. This February 17 document is available on the City's website, should you need a copy: htto:/ /www.sbcitv.org/civica/filebanklblobdload.aso?B1obID=6787 So, while I am optimistic that we will reach agreement with our Fire Union, that agreement does not result in additional, unanticipated savings. Savings from both the deletion of the vacancies and the 10% employee "give-back" are already assumed, and those savings cannot be double- counted. Please let me know if you have any questions. 1JjLf) 0 1 4f-O I o !fa o.m... .