SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF A PURCHASE ORDER FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND ADOPTION OF RELATED APPROPRIATIONS.
1.
Approval
of a Purchase Order from the DHHS in the amount of $50,000 for the Five Year
Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) Continuation Planning for
Sustainment, Assessment of Response Capabilities and Demonstration of
Operational Readiness; and extending the time from 34 months to 155 months
2.
Adoption
of Appropriation Ordinance and Revenue Resolution amendments in the General
Fund to as following:
a.
Establish
a City-Wide appropriation in the amount of $50,000 for the Metropolitan Medical
Response System Continuation Planning Project.
b. Increase the Estimate for
State Revenue by $50,000.
BACKGROUND
In April 1997 the federal government began developing the Domestic Preparedness program throughout the cities of the United States. The 27 largest cities began the program of training, equipping and planning to respond to a weapons-of-mass-destruction/nuclear, biological, and chemical attack against an urban civilian target. San Jose was the first city to complete the Department of Defense training program and exercise program, creating the Bay Area’s first operational Metropolitan Medical Task Force (MMTF). It was also the first city to create an Incident Command System-compliant incident response plan.
Funding for the MMTF equipping was provided as follows: $300,000 value cache of lent equipment from the Department of Defense; $350,000 in purchasing authority for equipment and pharmaceuticals from Department of Health and Human Services; and, $250,000 for equipment from the Department of Justice.
In 1999 the federal government recognized that additional planning was needed for potential biological terrorist attacks. The Department of Health and Human Services provided a $200,000 contract extension to support the needed planning, including support for City staff time to create the additional plan elements, exercise the entire MMTF plan, and participate in federal planning and development meetings. The City was also awarded an additional $200,000 grant from the Department of Justice for protective equipment for police officers.
In 2000 San Jose completed the Metropolitan Medical Response System Plan in concert with other local agencies, including County of Santa Clara medical resources and private providers, such as hospitals and emergency medical transportation. A unique exercise design was developed by City staff and used in the exercise of the MMTF. As a result of the success of this training/exercise combination, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded San Jose a $30,000 contract extension to replicate the exercise, and to document it to allow other communities to follow that format. At that time the City of San Jose MMRS Plan was posted on the Department of Health and Human Services’ secure website and on the Department of Justice secure website to act as a model for other communities beginning the process of Domestic Preparedness. An article on the development of the MMTF/MMRS in San Jose was solicited by the Department of Justice and published as the lead article in their monthly newsletter.
The purchase order for $50,000 would fund staff time and exercise expenses to enable the MMTF Committee to determine the cost of sustaining the San Jose MMRS for the next five years. Spreadsheets and plans from this process will assist DHHS in developing a sustainable funding mechanism through the federal budget process.
1. Participation in the federal government’s Domestic Preparedness Program provides San Jose with resources to support the development and continuous improvement of its terrorism response capabilities. To date the City has benefited from acquisition of a variety of response equipment, such as a bomb robot, bomb suit with Level B respiratory protection, specialized emergency medical response equipment, and enhanced communications capabilities. Federal funds have also enabled City staff to hold exercises of their response capabilities every six months.
2. All equipment purchased through the MMTF/MMRS program is of dual use. For example, although the bomb robot was acquired to enable response into contaminated areas following a terrorist attack, it has actually been used to investigate and mitigate a bomb-related suicide event in San Jose. The specialized emergency medical supplies greatly facilitated the management of a multiple casualty event involving a train and a truck.
3. Sustainment of the MMTF/MMRS capabilities in San Jose requires the continued financial support of the federal government. City staff members have lobbied the federal agencies for sustainment funding. The proposed purchase order would fund staff time to ascertain the on-going sustainment needs and costs for the MMTF and MMRS in San Jose, providing a basis for requests for on-going federal financial support. A $50,000 contract extension would support staff time to develop a template for on-going sustainment needs, determine the areas where additional training or equipment is needed, and develop a strategy for on-going capability verification using exercises or real events. The work product would describe the federal support needed for the sustainment of the MMTF/MMRS for five years.
The San Jose Metropolitan Medical Response System
Committee includes San Jose Fire, San Jose Police, San Jose Office of Emergency
Services, San Jose RACES, County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner/Coroner,
County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, County of Santa Clara Emergency
Medical Services, O’Connor Hospital, and AMR Emergency Medical Transportation.
This memo was coordinated with the City Attorney and the Budget Office.
FRANCES EDWARDS-WINSLOW, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Emergency Services
LARRY D. LISENBEE
Budget Director
Attachment: Cost Proposal for Sustainment Purchase Order
City of San Jose
DHHS Purchase Order Response
Cost Proposal Breakdown
1. Direct Labor
Director of Emergency Preparedness 500 hours x $53.88 an hour = $26,940
Overtime for exercise staff 250 hours x $55 an hour = $13,750
2. Exercises: supplies, equipment $ 9,310
Total: $50,000