TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Dave Shew, Napa County Fire Administrator
REPORT BY: J.R. Rodgers, Napa County Fire Administrator
SUBJECT: Napa County Fire Department Volunteer Program
RECOMMENDATION
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Receive a presentation on the organizational structure of the Napa County Fire Department volunteer program and associated policies to support volunteers. (No Fiscal Impact)
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BACKGROUND
The Napa County Fire Department (NCFD) was established in 1932 and contracted with the California Division of Forestry (CDF) to provide fire protection and services to the unincorporated areas of Napa County. The department worked in cooperation with 10 volunteer and three city fire departments to provide comprehensive coverage to the County of Napa. The department has incorporated resources and personnel, with the County taking ownership of all firefighting resources and maintaining all volunteers on its books.
In 2023, the NCFD initiated a process of policy review and revision, setting the stage for the largest update to the organization since 1973. The updated framework and stipend policy will go into effect on July 1, 2024. The review process will include role realignment. Current role titles will be aligned with best practices and will reduce liability. The Volunteer Chief will now be called Volunteer Station Lead Captain, the Volunteer Deputy Chief will be called Volunteer Captain, and the Volunteer Captain will be called Volunteer Lieutenant. Volunteer Engineer, Firefighter, EMS Responder, and Support roles will largely remain the same. Some variations in this organizational structure will be accommodated to better align with different volunteer station memberships.
The role descriptions will be updated to reflect today's fire service, while overall responsibilities for stations, training, and station personnel will remain intact. Each person will enter into a volunteer agreement with the Napa County Fire Department, like all current county volunteers. The department will also create a newly formed Department Intent and Expectations Policy, an updated Code of Conduct in alignment with Napa County HR policy, and a newly created Professional Standards Policy with corrective action guidelines.
The Stipend Policy will be updated to allow firefighters to be reimbursed per call for trainings, surge capacity needs, extended events, and planned events, such as Red Flag warnings. The Memorandum of Agreement between each non-profit will be terminated. The Site Use Agreement will replace portions of the existing MOA. This will allow Napa County Fire to use non-profit owned station buildings. The Volunteer Agreement will change from an existing MOA with non-profit organizations to the individual volunteer members.
The department is committed to new Policy Sub-Committee of FSAC with annual policy review and an initial six-month check-in. The deployment process has included round table discussions with all station leads and in-person visits to all stations for deployment and Q&A. Ancillary policy review and onboarding processes will be completed from now until July 1. The new policies, organizational structure and stipend payments will be effective July 1, 2024.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Where is it budgeted? |
No fiscal impact FY 2023-24; Will be included Fiscal Year 2024-25 in Fire Fund 2100 |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
To improve Napa County Fire Department delivery of services to the public. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Potential increases in stipend payments, depending on the call volume. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Current organizational challenges will remain intact. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as define by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378(state CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.