TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Ryan J. Alsop, Chief Executive Officer
REPORT BY: J.R. Rogers, Fire Administrator
SUBJECT: Agreement with Napa County Airport
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Memorandum of Agreement No. 260105B with the Napa County Airport and Napa County Fire Department for the lease of an unused hangar at 2500 Airport Road to use as a temporary fleet maintenance facility. (Fiscal Impact: $129,740 Expense; Fire Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
The Napa County Fire Department (NCFD) owns and operates over 90 pieces of rolling stock equipment. The equipment is maintained by a Fleet Equipment Manager (FEM) and three Heavy Equipment Mechanics (HEM) that are provided for within the Cooperative Fire Agreement with CALFIRE. Historically the HEMs have operated out of the CALFIRE Fleet Maintenance shop located in St. Helena in cooperation with the FEM and CALFIRE HEMs.
In 2018, the CALFIRE Fleet Maintenance shop caught fire and burned. The facility is now unusable. CALFIRE has sought to rebuild the facility in the same location, however for various reasons the rebuilding has been subject to delays. CALFIRE is on track to rebuild the facility in the coming years.
Without a facility, the HEMs have had to operate and fix equipment out of their service trucks, typically without cover and in the elements. This has limited them to light maintenance and requiring heavier duty equipment fixes to be outsourced to other shops and vendors. In Fiscal Year 2024-25 these services have cost more than $500,000, much of which could have been completed in house. This process has added to the overall expense and down time to apparatus often leaving the fleet with few reserve apparatus. Further the mechanics are subject to inclement weather, which also limits the abilities and timelines for equipment repair.
In November 2024, NCFD set out to find a suitable facility to lease on a short-term contract to use as the shop. The FY 2025-26 budget includes the cost of a rental facility. NCFD and the Napa County Airport have developed a short-term solution to allow the NCFD fleet to be repaired in a currently unused hangar while the CALFIRE Fleet Maintenance shop is rebuilt. This includes access to the airport and an approximately 13,000 sq ft hangar as a temporary shop. Some tenant improvements will be required that will be funded by NCFD. This will allow the HEMs to work indoors and at a central location providing the majority of fire fleet equipment needs inhouse.
REQUESTED ACTION:
1. Approve and authorize Memorandum of Agreement No. 260105B with the Napa County Airport and Napa County Fire Department for the lease of an unused hangar at 2500 Airport Road to use as a temporary fleet maintenance facility with an annual lease of $129,740.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Fire Fund |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Fire Department fleet priority |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
None |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If the Agreement is not approved Napa County Fire will continue to outsource fleet repairs at significant cost. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.