REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: BILLY P. ALCORN, Fire Chief
Fire Department
SUBJECT
Title
***RESOLUTION - Adopting the 6th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution No. 2026-159 to reappropriate $72,300 of Amendment Two for the 2024 Regional Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Response and Regional Task Force Five (RTF5) training agreement A231012261 in FY 27 (Requires Five Affirmative Votes) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council adopt the 6th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution No. 2026-159 to reappropriate the Cal OES Agreement A231012261 award of $72,300 to the FY 2027 Fire Department budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Fresno Fire Department is the host agency for Regional Task Force Five (RTF 5) and is one of two Regional Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces that cover the Central Valley, including the counties of Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern.
As host agency for RTF5, Fresno Fire was awarded agreement A231012261 to provide training to ensure the requisite number of certified Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) personnel will be available to activate and deploy through the Cal OES Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System to provide mutual aid to larger or more complex USAR events in accordance with the California State Mutual Aid Plan. Cal OES recently revised agreement A231012261 with amendment two, funding an additional $77,250, bringing the total award to $324,450 between April 25, 2024, and June 30, 2028.
BACKGROUND
There are currently ten Regional Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces located throughout the State of California. These USAR Task Forces are comprised of twenty-nine people specially trained and equipped for large complex urban search and rescue operations. The multi-disciplinary organization provides five functional elements that include Supervision, Search, Rescue, Medical, and Logistics.
In April 2024, Agreement A231012261 was entered into between Fresno Fire Department and Cal OES for $169,950 to cover the cost of the necessary backfill for those staff attending required training. Amendment one dated April 17, 2025, added $77,250, bringing the total amended agreement amount to $247,200. Amendment two added an additional $77,250 bringing the total amended agreement amount to $324,450. The $77,250 for Amendment Two was approved and appropriated May 7, 2026 to the FY 2026 budget to cover training in May and June 2026. It has been determined the costs of those trainings were $5,000, leaving a remaining balance of $72,300 to be appropriated in the FY 2027 budget in order to continue the USAR and RTF5 education.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This item is not a project pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this item is not an award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the general fund.
Attachments:
6th Amendment to AAR 2026-159
Original Amendment 2 Agreement A231012261