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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 4.C 01/07/2019DATE: TO FROM: January 7, 2019 Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council through City Manager Leonard C. Thompson, Fire Chief'�� SUBJECT: Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of One Demonstration Emergency Type I Ambulance from Braun Northwest Inc., Chehalis, WA in the Amount of $209,816.57 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of One Demonstration Emergency Type I Ambulance from Braun Northwest Inc., Chehalis, WA in the Amount of $209,816.57. BACKGROUND Emergency medical service requests are on the rise in Petaluma and that equates to significant wear and tear on ambulances and other front-line vehicles. In FYI 6/17, the number of patients treated and transported to hospital facilities was 3,276. That number rose to 3,689 in FY17/18, an increase of 12%. Two full-time Advanced Life Support (ALS) and one part-time, non -sworn Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances provide these patient transports. With the increased number of patients with Kaiser health insurance and the creation of specialty trauma and cardiac centers, many patients from the Petaluma area are transported outside of the City to hospitals in Santa Rosa and Marin County. During FY 17/18, nearly a quarter (23% or 859 total) of all patients transported by Petaluma Fire Department ambulances were transported to hospitals outside of Petaluma. This is an average of over two times per day when a Petaluma ambulance provides an outside -the -City transport with a total roundtrip mileage of 40-50 miles, resulting in roughly 40,000 additional miles on Petaluma's ambulances per year. The two primary ALS ambulances average 25,000-30,000 miles per year and the part-time BLS unit averages 10,000 miles annually. In February of 2017, Petaluma Fire Department started the BLS ambulance program in response to the increasing call volume and transports, the increased need to transport patients to hospitals outside the City, and the increased dependence on outside ambulances which was resulting in delays of patient care and transports. The BLS ambulance is staffed 2-4 days per week for 10 - hours a day, and only transport patients from the 9-1-1 system that are evaluated by Petaluma paramedics and are determined to require BLS care. This is especially helpful when the transport is to a hospital outside of the Petaluma area and the ALS ambulance will be unavailable for other calls for roughly an hour. Even with the part-time BLS program, on an annual average, 235 times per year an ambulance responding from outside the City is needed to assist in emergency ALS care and transport resulting in delays in patient care. The part-time BLS program is a necessary stop -gap until a third full-time ALS ambulance can be placed into service, which is currently a Petaluma City Council goal. DISCUSSION The current ambulance replacement cycle for the two front-line ALS units is approximately six years per ambulance. This cycle is met by staggering the purchases of a new unit every three years. The goal is to replace front-line ambulances when they've reached 100,000-125,000 miles. This gives them 4-6 years of additional useful life as a "reserve" unit or in the part-time BLS ambulance program. When units go into reserve status it is important for them to remain mechanically sound and reliable to have them available during planned events such as routine maintenance, during times of high demand, local 9-1-1 system overload, local disaster, mutual aid support for community events, unplanned mechanical failure, etc. While in reserve status for an additional 4-6 years, units typically see an additional 25,000-50,000 miles of service. The City currently has five ambulances: two in "front-line" status with paramedic transport and firefighter capability, two in "reserve" status and one much older unit that is outfitted as part of the BLS program. The current "reserve ambulances" each have roughly 125,000 miles on them. The BLS ambulance is a 2003 model year and has 254,000 miles on it. It had an engine and transmission replacement many years ago as a reserve unit prior to being placed into service as a BLS resource. It is far past its useful life as a reliable unit. Instead of replacing the 2003 ambulance with a new unit for the BLS program, the Department will replace it with a 2015 front-line ambulance that currently has 62,000 miles on it. This will ensure a reliable unit for the BLS program that should last many more years in that capacity. This will also assist in re- establishing the staggered purchase replacement schedule for the two front-line ALS units and avoid having to purchase two or more ambulances at one time. The 2012 and 2013 reserve units which each have over 125,000 miles will remain in reserve status. The newly purchased ambulance will become a front-line ALS unit. In order to meet the immediate need to replace the BLS ambulance, by replacing it with a current front-line unit, and to work within the City's funding parameters, the Fire Department recommends purchasing one base model demonstration (demo) unit which is readily available in the coming months (possible delivery date of early February) at a slight discount over the cost of purchasing a custom built ambulance that would then become a front-line unit. A new unit built to the Fire Department's custom specifications would normally be purchased through a formal, competitive bidding process, would require a fabrication -to -delivery time schedule of nearly a year and would increase the proposed cost by thousands of dollars over the demonstration ambulances. The opportunity to take possession of a vehicle through a demo purchase is essential to getting the unit in the station and on the street in the shortest amount of time. In addition, because of the relatively few demo vehicles available, as well as the demand for them, demo ambulances come and go too quickly to be considered in a standard bid process. Purchase of the identified demo vehicle has been considered under Petaluma Municipal Code Section 4.04.050: "The procedures set forth in Sections 4.04.080 and 4.04.090 may be dispensed with only }4,hen an emergency requires that an order be placed with the nearest available source of supply, when the commodity can be obtained from only one vendor or when purchase is pursuant to Section 4.04.100. " This item meets the nearest available/sole source of supply exception stated in the purchasing ordinance because of the factors stated below. There is an available demo unit located near our area that is identical to the City's last two purchased ambulances and meets the Fire Department's requirements. Utilizing a vendor that can provide very similar products to what is already in use provides consistency to crew members who are not always assigned to the same rig. Similar platforms, with similar configuration and tool locations, create a second -nature comfort and the stress of moving between rigs is eliminated. The nearest identified vendor for immediate availability of a suitably equipped demo ambulance is Braun Northwest, Inc. Their demo ambulances meet the dual Firefighter/Paramedic specifications and are a direct match of size and type to the one it will replace. This proposal meets City Council's "Financial Stability - Improve and Enhance Fiscal Stability and Sustainability" goal, by utilizing demonstration (slightly used) vehicles. FINANCIAL IMPACTS The total cost for the one Braun Northwest ambulance is $209,816.57, and includes the base ambulance cost, tax and essential equipment (emergency medical equipment, radios, etc.). 90% of the cost ($188,834.91) is due upon delivery with the remaining 10% ($20,981.66) due and owing 30 days after delivery. This requested purchase will be funded via the Vehicle Replacement Fund. The majority of the funding needed has already been budgeted ($175,000). A budget adjustment will be necessary to make up the difference ($34,816.57). That adjustment will be brought forward in conjunction with Mid -Year Budget Adjustment documents. ATTACHMENT(S) 1. Resolution. Attachment 1 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF ONE DEMONSTRATION EMERGENCY TYPE I AMBULANCE FROM BRAUN NORTHWEST INC., CHEHALIS, WA IN THE AMOUNT OF $209,816.57 WHEREAS, calls for medical service and patient transport is on the rise and the Fire Department has identified an immediate need for one emergency Type I ambulance; and WHEREAS, the funding for the desired demonstration emergency Type I ambulance is available from the Vehicle and Equipment Replacement Fund; and WHEREAS, one demonstration ambulance has been located at Braun Northwest Inc., Chehalis, WA, the closest available supplier of vehicles which meet all of the Petaluma Fire Department specifications for dual role Firefighter/Paramedic emergency response, and which can be delivered by February of 2019; and WHEREAS, demonstration ambulances are one -of -a -kind vehicles, already fabricated for show and demonstration purposes; and WHEREAS, this item meets the nearest available/sole source of supply exception as stated in Petaluma Municipal Code Section 4.04.050 as it provides that "The procedures set forth in Sections 4.04.080 and 4.04.090 may be dispensed with only when an emergency requires that an order be placed with the nearest available source of supply, when the commodity can be obtained from only one vendor or when purchase is pursuant to Section 4.04.100"; and WHEREAS, there has been increased mileage and usage put upon all front-line and reserve vehicles due to a 12% increase in patient transports between FY 16/17 and FY 17/18 and the fact that nearly a quarter of all patients transported by Petaluma Fire Department ambulances in FY 17/18 were taken to hospitals outside of Petaluma; and WHEREAS, this higher call volume and additional mileage has further necessitated the demand for newer, dependable vehicles to rely on to respond to emergency incidents; and WHEREAS, a current 2015 front-line Advanced Life Support ambulance would be moved to a Basic Life Support ambulance and allow for an older 2003 reserve model to be taken out of service. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council: 1. Authorizes the purchase of one demonstration emergency Type I ambulance from Braun Northwest, Inc., Chehalis, WA in the amount of $209,816.57.