City of Newark Approves Contract with Alameda County Fire Dept.

CITY OF NEWARK APPROVES A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT TO EXTEND FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES WITH ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

NEWARK, CA – The City Council unanimously passed a resolution on Thursday, December 10, authorizing the Mayor to execute a five-year agreement between the City of Newark and the Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) for continued fire and emergency response services.

ACFD has been providing services to the City since 2010. While the new contract will continue the existing relationship on mostly similar terms, provisions were added to address some of the parties’ concerns that developed over the years. These updates include:

• Expansion of the responsibilities and frequency of the Executive Management Oversight Committee (EMOC), including an obligation of the Fire Chief to consult with the EMOC before the Board of Supervisors take any action that would result in costs greater than $50,000 to the City of Newark.
• More defined contract language on retiree health care liability, including equal treatment in Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) calculations based upon the share of allocated staff for each contracting agency.
• The continued operation of all three fire stations in the City of Newark, staffed by three personnel per shift, as well as two positions at City Hall that administer fire inspections, prevention, and code compliance.
• A required, ongoing response time standard to arrive on scene after dispatch within 6 minutes at least 90% of the time.

This signing of the contract marks a major achievement between the City and the ACFD, as negotiations have been ongoing for five years since the conclusion of the initial contract term. The City noted that services provided by ACFD have been excellent. Recent examples include prompt suppression of a commercial fire on Cherry Avenue this past May; containment of a fast-moving vegetation fire at Jarvis Avenue/Lake Boulevard last year; increased staffing during July 4th, Red Flag Warnings, and periods of Civil Unrest; and providing EMS Services at Newark Days Celebrations.

City Manager David J. Benoun noted: “We appreciate ACFD’s dedication and professional service to the Newark community and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership.”

ACFD Chief William McDonald shared: “On behalf of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, we are thrilled to continue serving the Newark community. ACFD is committed to ongoing collaboration with our agency partners. The Department’s regional approach affords each member agency the highest quality and most comprehensive services. It is an honor to provide this important civic duty for another five years.”

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Media Contacts:

Jo Leal, Public Affairs Manager, Alameda County Fire Department: joanna.leal@acgov.org

Laurie Gebhard, Assistant to the City Manager, City of Newark: laurie.gebhard@newark.org