AgdaPkt 2010-04-12 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.2C Page 1 REPORT To the Honorable Mayor and City Council From the Cit Mana er April 12, 2010 SUBJECT Funding Received From Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program for Fire Department Mobile Radios RECOMMENDATION Amend by Resolution the Budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10 to appropriate $167,866 in anticipated grant revenue from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. BACKGROUND The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that all non-Federal public safety agencies using wide band 25 kHz radio systems migrate to narrow band 12.5 kHz channels by January 1, 2013. Most current public safety radio systems, including all fire agencies in San Mateo County, use 25 kHz channels. All Redwood City Fire Department vehicles are currently equipped with 25 kHz mobile radios that are used to communicate with the fire dispatch center as well as between other fire units. Agencies that do not meet the FCC January 1, 2013 deadline face the complete loss of mobile radio communication capabilities. The Redwood City Fire Department, in conjunction with the Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD), the Menlo Park Fire Protection District (MPFPD), and the Belmont/San Carlos Fire Department (BSCFD) has been approved for a Regional Grant through the FEMA AFG Program. The Redwood City Fire Department is the Host Agency for the administration of this grant. This grant will fund the purchase of narrow band mobile radios that will allow the Department and the other participating agencies to meet the FCC's January 1, 2013 deadline. ALTERNATIVES The Council may choose not to approve this resolution, in which case the Redwood City Fire Department, as well as the other participating agencies, would be required to forfeit the grant funds. The Federal mandate necessitates the purchase of these radios prior to the January 1, 2013 deadline. In the absence of the AFG grant, funding for this mandate would come from the Fire Department's general fund budget. FISCAL IMPACT The Redwood City Fire Department, as Host Agency, has been awarded a total grant package of $176,619. The Federal grant share is 80 percent, or $141,296, of the approved amount. The local agencies participating in the grant will provide the remaining 20 percent of the cost, or $35,323. Of this amount, the Redwood City Fire Department is responsible for $8,753. These funds are available in the Department's approved budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10. The balance of the local agency share, $26,570, will be reimbursed to the City by the other participating agencies.