REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt a Resolution for Reimbursement of Response Costs under the California Fire Assistance Agreement
Report
BACKGROUND
The California Office of Emergency Services, the State of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and various Federal Fire Agencies responsible for providing wild land fire protection for federal lands have operated for approximately 64 years under the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement, with the purpose of coordinating resources of Federal, State and local agencies (Mutual Aid Providers) to effectively respond to wild land fires and other emergencies.
The California Fire Assistance Agreement (CFAA) governs the operational and administrative protocols that enable local agencies to deploy personnel, fleet, and apparatus to emergency operations throughout the state and receive reimbursement for costs associated with their support.
The City of Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety has participated as a Mutual Aid Provider since the inception of this program. In order to adequately recover the costs of deployment of its personnel and equipment, the Department of Public Safety performs an annual review of existing budgeted rates for personnel, and calculates the effective rate for each class of employee to be utilized in an event ("Average Actual Rates"). CFAA requires that those Average Actual Rates be on file with the Office of Emergency Services ("Cal OES").
On January 23, 2015, Cal OES notified all Mutual Aid Providers in the State of California that the CFAA Committee had performed both a 5 year review of the recitals portion of the CFAA as well as an annual review of its exhibits. An overhaul of the rates, methodologies and formulas of the agreement took effect on January 1, 2015.
The newly crafted Exhibit A of the CFAA (page A-5, Clause A-15 "Formula for Suppression Personnel Using Average Actual Rates") specifies the formula for reimbursement of any personnel dispat...
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