Save Alameda Firehouses!

Minimum Fire Department Funding

Background. The City of Alameda is governed pursuant to a voter-approved Charter which establishes the organization of City government, by ordinances and resolutions of the elected City Council, and by policies adopted by the Council and other elected and appointed City officials. The Charter requires the City Manager to prepare for the City Council's consideration, and Council adoption of, an annual budget identifying available revenues and stating authorized expenditures for the fiscal year. The Charter authorizes the City Manager to determine staffing levels, equipment purchases and other administrative details, within the limits established by the City Council's annual approved budget.The Charter also provides for the City to bargain with its represented employees on wages and working conditions and, as to firefighters, provides that any disputes regarding wages and benefits that cannot be resolved by negotiations between the City and the firefighters union must be submitted to binding arbitration, although an arbitrator's award that is not acceptable to the City Council must be submitted to the City's voters for approval.

The Measure. This measure would amend the City Charter to limit the authority of the City Manager and City Council by imposing minimum numbers of firefighters and fire equipment that must be provided for each year, regardless of available funding. It would also, to the extent permitted by state law, remove these minimum staffing and equipment levels from the scope of issues which the City may bargain with the firefighters union. It does not affect the authority of the Manager and Council to budget for other City departments or to negotiate with unions that represent non-Fire Department employees, to the extent that funding is available. If the measure is approved by the voters and takes effect, the City will be required to provide funding for the following every year, unless the voters later repeal or amend the measure:

(i) at least 5 engine companies each comprised of a fire engine and at least 3 firefighters, at least 1 of whom must be an officer and at least 1 of whom must be a paramedic;

(ii) at least 2 fire truck companies each comprised of a fire truck and at least 3 firefighters, at least 1 of whom must be an officer; and

(iii) at least 3 paramedic ambulances staffed with only 2 firefighters, at least 1 of whom must be a paramedic.

The measure would also require the City to provide funding for a supervisory chief officer, who must be a uniformed firefighter on a 24-hour shift with authority to command the department, to be on duty daily.

Section 29-1. PURPOSE. The purpose of this Article is to establish minimum levels of apparatus and staffing deployment for the provision of fire protection and emergency medical services by the Alameda Fire Department in the City of Alameda.

Section 29-2. DEFINITIONS. For the purpose of this Article only, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below:

A. “Fire Apparatus” shall mean a fire department emergency vehicle used for rescue, fire suppression, or other specialized functions within the Alameda Fire Department.

B. “Specialized Apparatus” shall mean an Alameda Fire Department emergency vehicle that provides support services at emergency scenes, including command vehicles, hazardous materials decontamination vehicles, Technical Rescue vehicles, Fireboats or vehicles used to transfer equipment and personnel.

C. “Ambulance” shall mean a vehicle capable of transporting one or more patients to an appropriate medical receiving facility.

D. “Paramedic” shall mean sworn uniformed personnel licensed as a Paramedic by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority or its replacement or successor.

E. “Company” shall mean a group of sworn uniformed Alameda Fire Department employees: (1)under the direct supervision of an officer; (2) trained and equipped to perform tasks; (3) usually organized and identified as fire engine companies, fire truck companies, paramedic ambulances, or multi functional companies; (4) operating with one piece of fire apparatus (fire engine, fire truck, paramedic ambulance) except for multiple apparatus that are assigned to dispatch and arrive together, continuously operate together, and are managed by a single company officer; and (5) arriving at the incident scene on fire apparatus.

F. “Emergency Medical Care” shall mean the provision of treatment to patients, including advanced life support (at the paramedic level), and other medical procedures that occur prior to the arrival at a hospital or other health care facility.

G. “Fire Protection” shall mean the methods of providing for fire control or fire extinguishment.

H. “Fire Suppression” shall mean the activities involved in controlling and extinguishing fires.

I. “Hazardous Materials” shall mean a substance that presents an unusual danger to persons due to properties or toxicity, chemical reactivity, or decomposition, corrosivity, explosion or detonation, etiological hazards, or similar properties.

J. “Sworn Uniformed Personnel” shall mean a person involved in performing duties and responsibilities of a fire fighter or paramedic under the auspices of the City of Alameda.

K. “Company Officer” shall mean a supervisor of a company of Alameda Fire Department sworn uniformed personnel.

L. “Rescue” shall mean those activities directed at locating endangered persons at an emergency incident, removing of those persons from danger, treating the injured, and providing for transport to an appropriate health care facility.

M. “Special Operations” shall mean those emergency incidents to which the fire department responds that requires specific and advanced training and specialized tools and equipment.

N. “Staffing” shall mean a particularized number of Alameda Fire Department sworn uniformed personnel required in a particular company or for the purpose of operating a particular piece of apparatus.

O. “Supervisory Chief Officer” shall mean a sworn uniformed personnel on a 24 hour shift whose responsibility is to assume command through a formalized transfer of command process and to allow company officers to directly supervise personnel assigned to them.

P. “Alameda Fire Department” shall mean the public organization within the City of Alameda providing rescue, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and related activities to the public.

FIRE DEPARTMENT APPARATUS AND PERSONNEL. There is hereby imposed a minimum standard for deployment of Alameda Fire Department apparatus and personnel as follows:

A. Apparatus: The City Council of the City of Alameda shall, each and every fiscal year, provide, budget or obligate such funds as are necessary to provide for the daily deployment of five (5) fire engine companies, two (2) fire truck companies, and three (3) paramedic ambulances within the City of Alameda for the purpose of providing adequate fire apparatus and specialized apparatus for fire protection, fire suppression, emergency medical care, rescue, and special operations within the City of Alameda.

B. Personnel: All fire engine companies shall be staffed with a minimum of three (3) on-duty sworn uniformed personnel. Each fire engine company shall be led by a company officer who shall be considered a part of the fire engine company. Each fire engine company shall have a minimum of one (1) paramedic who shall be considered part of the company. All fire truck companies shall be staffed with a minimum of three (3) on-duty sworn uniformed personnel. Each fire truck shall be led by a company officer who shall be considered part of the company.All paramedic ambulances shall be staffed with two on-duty sworn uniformed personnel, one (1) of whom shall be a paramedic.

One supervisory chief officer shall be on duty daily

Put a STOP to placing Citizens and

Firefighters safety in Jeopardy!