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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3843 City of Palo Alto (ID # 3843) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 6/17/2013 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: Fire Truck Purchase 2013 Title: Approval to Acquire a Tractor Drawn Aerial Ladder Truck for the Palo Alto Fire Department Through a Cooperative Purchase with the San Jose Fire Department in an amount not to exceed $1,200,000 From: City Manager Lead Department: Fire Recommendation Staff recommends that Council approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a purchase order with Pierce Manufacturing, Inc. c/o Golden State Fire Apparatus Inc. in an amount not to exceed $1,200,000 for the purchase of a tractor drawn aerial ladder truck. Executive Summary The Palo Alto Fire Department is requesting the approval to purchase a tractor drawn aerial ladder truck. This purchase would be acquired through the specifications and contract provided by the San Jose Fire Department, also known as a cooperative purchasing process. Cooperative purchasing is a mechanism in which contracts are not put out to bid, but rather are linked to a competitive bid process already conducted and approved by another agency. The concept being that the other agency had already conducted what would be duplicated. Background The Fire Department vehicle that is due for replacement is a 1998 Spartan Hi-Tech Quint Aerial Ladder Truck. This apparatus was acquired through a cooperative purchasing contract with the San Jose Fire Department (SJFD) in 1997. Under the City of Palo Alto’s vehicle policy, ongoing replacement of City fleet vehicles and equipment is determined by using guidelines based on estimating the useful life of the vehicles and equipment with consideration of age, mileage, and usage. Aerial Ladder fire apparatus are to be replaced at 15 years and/or 50,000 miles. The current ladder truck exceeds both the age City of Palo Alto Page 2 and the mileage guidelines stated in the policy. The City of Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 2.30.360 (exemptions from competitive solicitation requirements), supports the use of cooperative purchasing processes. If the City of Palo Alto exercises a cooperative purchase through the San Jose Fire Department (SJFD) contract, we will conservatively save 350-400 hours of labor including writing custom technical specifications, product demonstrations, specification review and processing, and bid reviews. Additionally, it is not uncommon for personnel to travel to agencies with similar apparatus to view and discuss specifications and needs. The cooperative purchase option greatly reduces the amount of time required to deliver the new apparatus. The standard bid process, from design to delivery, would take an estimated 18 months. Approximately 9-10 months of this process can be eliminated by taking advantage of the cooperative purchase option. Replacing the existing apparatus through cooperative purchasing allows us to avoid expensive repair and maintenance costs associated with aging, high mileage apparatus of this type. Discussion The SJFD specification for the tractor drawn aerial ladder truck meets our current and future operational needs; the Palo Alto Fire Department’s Apparatus Committee has researched and evaluated the specifications and made this determination. The Fire Apparatus Committee is comprised of seven members represented by Battalion Chiefs, Captains, Engineer Paramedics, Firefighters and Public Works Department Motorized Equipment Mechanics. The members have been tasked with identifying the most appropriate, functional, multi-use truck that will meet the changing needs of the community. The new truck will benefit the community’s all-risk emergency needs by:  Exceeding the capabilities of the current truck.  Increasing rescue and elevated firefighting abilities with a longer ladder; the reach increases from 75 feet to 100 feet.  Increasing the capabilities of a quick offensive all-risk fire attack and ventilation.  It will be capable to store additional equipment for vehicle extrication, technical rescue operations and water evacuation.  Better maneuverability in narrow and dense Palo Alto streets and neighborhoods. This purchase supports fleet standardization which lowers maintenance costs and increases efficiency. The City of Palo Alto’s Equipment Maintenance is familiar with the Pierce Arrow XT model and regularly stock parts to repair and maintain this apparatus. The mechanics that City of Palo Alto Page 3 work on our fire apparatus possess the tools, training and diagnostic software for this model apparatus. In the near future, the Fire Department will be implementing a new deployment model combining the apparatus functions of the Rescue Company and Truck Company into one apparatus and crew. The new ladder truck is the only apparatus capable of accommodating one more person and up to 25 percent more equipment. Every compartment on our current truck is full. We are not able to carry our full cache of cribbing, tools and supplies. Our new deployment model requires added space to accommodate current and future space requirements. The City is also experiencing an increasing number of large scale projects. The demand for space and the expense of land is driving buildings to be removed and replaced with taller structures. We are seeing an increasing number of new buildings that our current ladder truck (75 feet) cannot reach the roof and higher levels for rescue or fire suppression operations. The Stanford University Medical Center and the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospitals are two of several examples where the need for an effective aerial ladder truck, before and after construction, is necessary for access and rescue operations. Rescue operations are most prevalent during construction phases of buildings—both hospitals are 7-plus year projects. The purchase of a new truck will provide the community with a dependable, safe, state-of-the- art apparatus that will enhance community service. A ladder truck supports the City’s ISO rating of 2 which ensures low commercial and residential fire insurance rates. Audit of Vehicle Utilization and Replacement: This purchase is being conducted with full consideration for the Audit of Vehicle Utilization and Replacement which was conducted by the City Auditor and was brought before the Fleet Review Committee for approval. Resource Impact A total of $1,200,000 has been included in the Vehicle Replacement Fund’s Proposed FY 2014 Capital Improvement Program project VR-14000 for the purchase of the tractor drawn aerial ladder truck. Stanford will reimburse the City for 25 percent of the cost. The approximate surplus value of the existing vehicle is estimated at $60,000-$80,000. The old ladder truck will be declared surplus and sold to meet the highest benefit to the City. Environmental Review City of Palo Alto Page 4 This is not a project requiring environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).