Title
Resolution to Approve Participation in 2015 Assistance to Firefighters Regional Grant (AFG) from the US Department of Homeland Security ($767,142.00), Appropriate Matching Grant Funds ($41,763.55), and Establish and Appropriate Funding for the Project ($697,401.82) (Advanced Life Support Training) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
The attached resolution allows the continuation of the application process for a 2015 Assistance to Firefighters Regional Grant (AFG) from the US Department of Homeland Security and authorizes the acceptance of the grant if awarded.
The grant will provide advanced life support (ALS) medical training, required equipment for specified ALS vehicles, and ALS medical equipment to enable participating fire departments to provide continual education for trained personnel. Four Washtenaw Area Mutual Aid Association fire departments are working together in seeking the competitive grant to provide better and more immediate ALS services for their communities.
Immediate advanced medical care by the Fire Department has been identified as a need on emergency scenes especially on specialty scenes such as motor vehicle extrications, trench rescue, rope rescues, water rescues, and collapsed structures where only firefighters have access to critical patients.
This grant will allow for the enhancement of our Basic Life Support (BLS) emergency medical response to Advanced Life Support (ALS) response on a specified amount of responding emergency apparatus. This grant will also allow us to equip, maintain, and staff a total of six ALS first response apparatus in the participating communities. With the strategic location of our fire department stations, we are consistently on scene ahead of the current ALS crews provided by a third party ambulance service. The addition of having ALS care would enhance the overall emergency response system. Thirteen AAFD personnel will be trained as EMT-P and three front line apparatus will be equipped and certified as ALS within the AAFD.
Twenty-six personnel within the four departments will be trained by an accredited medical agency to acquire national and state paramedic level (EMT-P) licensure; additional required ALS pieces of medical equipment, such as a monitor/defibrillator and advanced airway management equipment will be purchased for front line apparatus to be certified by the County Medical Control Authority Board and the State of Michigan’s Public Health Department; ALS medical equipment such as advanced medical simulator manikins will be purchased for future in house training requirements to refresh and re-certify trained EMT-P personnel limiting the City’s future expenses attached to this medical service upgrade.
Recurring future expenditure costs incurred by the City due to this emergency medical service enhancement will be limited to the difference in replacement costs between the current Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) being carried on apparatuses today and the upgraded ALS required monitor/defibrillator which will have a five year warranty. The Fire Department currently does not have a replacement plan for this equipment and have relied on grant funding to replace AED equipment in the past.
The Fire Department currently pays each employee an annual ($600.00) or ($1200.00) medical specialty bonus for being licensed through the State of Michigan as either an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) or an ALS Paramedic (EMT-P) respectively pursuant to current union contract language. Therefore, thirteen personnel being trained from an EMT-B to an EMT-P level with these grant funds would be entitled to an additional $600.00 each annually. This increase of annual personnel costs would amount to ($7,800.00).
All four fire departments (City of Ann Arbor, City of Ypsilanti, Pittsfield Township, and Van Buren Township) will incur a portion of the 10% match to the grant ($69,740.18) determined by the number of personnel being trained and the number of vehicles being certified as ALS vehicles within each fire department. AAFD will incur 56% ($41,763.55) of the overall 10% match to the grant. If the grant is awarded, the AAFD matching funds would be appropriated from General Fund Balance to the Fire Service Unit without regard to fiscal year and a grant administration fund would be established.
Staff
Prepared by: Asst. Chief Ellen Taylor, AAFD
Reviewed by: Larry E. Collins, Fire Services Area Administrator / Fire Chief
Approved by: Tom Crawford, Interim City Administrator
Body
Whereas, Part of the city’s commitment is to provide its community the best quality emergency medical response services;
Whereas, The Ann Arbor Fire Department is applying for a regional grant on behalf of a total of three additional fire departments in need of providing Advanced Life Support (ALS) medical services to their communities (City of Ypsilanti, Pittsfield Township, and Van Buren Township);
Whereas, ALS medical services has become a high priority identified need during AAFD community focus groups held in efforts with a consulting firm to develop an updated department strategic plan.
Whereas, The fire departments need to train personnel and equip apparatus to required State Laws and County Protocols to provide the community ALS emergency medical services;
Whereas, The fire departments need to purchase ALS medical training equipment to afford the capability to continue training personnel who acquire a paramedic medical license for required continuing education by the State.
Whereas, The approval of continuing the application and accepting this regional AFG grant will provide a much better emergency medical service response that will allow the patients to be treated with advanced paramedical treatments in all fire emergency responses including specialty hazardous rescues and vehicle extrications in which the current ALS provider is very limited; and
Whereas, If the grant is awarded, the City will receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the amount of $697,401.82 to fund the training of personnel as EMT-P and to purchase required ALS medical equipment for apparatus and future training needs for four fire departments;
RESOLVED, That City Council approve the continuation of the regional application process for, and if awarded, accept, on behalf of the Ann Arbor Fire Department and three other fire departments a 2015 Assistance to Firefighters Regional (AFG) from the US Department of Homeland Security ($697,401.82) for the funds to train personnel in ALS training and purchase ALS equipment needed to equip ALS apparatus and to support future required ALS training.
RESOLVED, That City Council agree to the grant local funding requirement of and appropriate the necessary share of its ten percent (10%) matching funds of $41,763.55 from General Fund Balance to the Fire Unit budget to be available for expenditure for this Project without regard to fiscal year;
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator be directed to establish a Major Grant Fund for this Project and appropriate the matching funds and the grant award, if and when received, for expenditure during the life of this Project without regard to fiscal year;
RESOLVED, That if awarded the grant, the Mayor and City Clerk be authorized and directed to execute the grant award contract subject to approval as to substance by the City Administrator and approval as to form by the City Attorney; and
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator be authorized to take all necessary actions to implement this Resolution.