CITY COUNCIL MEETING Olympia, Washington November 23, 2010 Authorization for the Purchase and Installation of the Fire Simulation System at the Fire Training Center (Resolution Waiving Public Bidding Requirements, to the extent applicable, and Awarding the Purchase and Installation Contract to WRG) CITY MANAGER S RECOMMENDATION: Move to approve the Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with WRG in the amount of $374,411.80 for the purchase and installation of equipment, declaring such item a special facility available for purchase and installation from a single source, and waiving competitive bidding requirements to the extent competitive bidding is required. STAFF CONTACT: Greg Wright, Assistant Fire Chief, Project Manager, 360.753.8466 ORIGINATED BY: PRESENTERS AND OTHERS NOTIFIED: ATTACHMENTS: BUDGET IMPACT/ SOURCE OF FUNDS: PRIOR COUNCIL/ COMMITTEE REVIEW: Fire None 1. Proposed Resolution $374,411.80 from the Fire Department s capital construction bond funds N/A BACKGROUND: The Fire Training Center is one component of the Fire Department s building program that was approved by voters in 2008, and the live fire simulator is the heart of the fire training tower currently under construction at the Fire Training Center. What is a Fire Simulator System? A fire simulator system creates actual fire situations within a specially designed room so that firefighters can train in a safe and orderly manner. A computer system, under the control of an instructor, monitors for other safety factors such as excessive heat or explosive situations. The room and structure are designed and constructed so that the fire does not destroy the training area. Fires can be started and stopped many times over to provide the most realistic training conditions possible. Safety A Primary Consideration A fire department design team, made up of members from all levels of the Olympia Fire Department and representatives from neighboring
departments visited training facilities in the Northwest equipped with fire simulator systems. Safety was a primary consideration. The WRG system protects firefighters during training with both manual and automatic safety interlocks. The system also has a rapid exhaust rate, a critical safety feature that allows smoke and heat to be removed from the training area quickly in the event of danger. Immediate removal of smoke and heat is the only way to convert the training area from a dangerous environment during a fire simulation back to a safe environment. In addition, a professional engineer at WRG is a member of the advisory committee for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) involved in writing guidelines for fire simulator systems. William Gee, founder of WRG, represents that the WRG fire simulator system meets all the requirements of more stringent NFPA guidelines that are currently being considered for adoption, and states that the WRG system exceeds current NFPA safety standards. As a part of the five year maintenance agreement included with this purchase, WRG will be required to update the system to any newly adopted NFPA standards at no additional cost to the City. Performance A Primary Consideration Creating a realistic fire situation is essential in preparing firefighters for the rigors of their job. The WRG system uses propane and theatrical smoke to produce a very realist flame. After experiencing a training event in the WRG system, the team concluded that the flame produced, amount of smoke, level of heat, and layering of those elements together best simulates a real fire situation. Assertions of Potential Deficiencies with the WRG System At the Council meeting of Tuesday, November 9, 2010, a citizen spoke during public comment and noted two instances where the citizen asserts that deficiencies were found with WRG systems. The first was an incident that occurred at the Lee Broadbent Training Center in St. Helens, Oregon where two firefighters were injured during training in February of 2008. A newspaper report describes the firefighters being injured in an initial training as they were exiting the burn room. Upon leaving, the door was closing, and the fire flashed through the outer room and out the balcony door. The firefighters were reportedly injured because they were no longer using their personal protective equipment, thinking they were safely out of the burn room. This was the initial use of that facility, a train the trainer event. Injuries were minor burns where firefighter protective clothing did not properly cover the firefighters. In speaking with WRG about this event, they stated that WRG and their product had been found not responsible by OSHA Oregon for the injuries. It is our understanding that the incident had little to do with the WRG equipment and instead was the result of a failure to understand and properly operate the system. The WRG fire simulator system purchased by the City includes training to ensure firefighters have a clear understanding of how to properly
operate the system. WRG will also provide draft operating procedures for the department to adopt to assure safe operation and use. The second issue was at the Consumnes CSF Fire Department training facility in Elk Grove, California, constructed in 2005. In a facility evaluation dated July of 2008, several system deficiencies were noted. Clearly, the facility is in poor condition, out of compliance with NFPA standards as of the date of evaluation, and appears to have lacked adequate maintenance. It is unclear if the noted deficiencies were present when the system was installed or if they developed over time. The report uses 2007 NFPA standards to evaluate a facility constructed in 2005. The WRG fire simulator system purchased by the City will be compliant to NFPA guidelines as of the date of purchase and will have a five year maintenance plan that requires WRG to perform any NFPA upgrades as part of the purchase. WRG: Training, Maintenance, and Customer Service WRG is a Northwest company with an international reputation for quality, service and innovation. The City checked references for WRG and, with the exception of the issues with the Consumnes Fire Department, all references have been positive. Having the company located in the area (Portland, OR) means they will be able to provide a high level of maintenance, customer support, and training that will be critical in the learning process associated with using this highly specialized system. This will help the City to ensure that the simulator is in top working condition and that those using the system are properly trained by WRG. ANALYSIS AND OPTIONS: Public bidding is not required for the purchase of equipment alone; however, where the purchase and installation of equipment is connected with a public works project, public bidding laws may apply. Under public bidding laws, specifically RCW 39.04.280, the governing body may waive competitive bid requirements for purchases limited to a single source and for purchases involving special facilities. WRG manufactured equipment is only available to be installed by WRG (a single source for installation), and a fire simulator system can also be considered a special facility. The WRG system has specialized features that public bidding was not designed to address. When the design team compared systems, the team determined that the WRG live fire simulation system was superior to other systems in its safety and operational features. It would be difficult to fashion public bidding criteria that would capture the specific safety and operational specifications required in a live fire training system. For these reasons, staff requests that Council approve the resolution declaring the live fire training system a single source purchase and a special facility, waiving competitive bid requirements, to the extent such bidding requirements are applicable.
Option 1: Approve the resolution for single source purchase and installation of a special facility fire simulator system, award the contract to WRG, and authorize the City Manager to sign all required documents to execute such purchase and installation. Implications 1. The Fire Training Center will have the most realistic, reliable and safest fire simulator available for fire fighter training. 2. The department will have local support from the manufacturer for this highly complex system. Option 2: Do not approve the purchase of WRG equipment and direct the Fire Department to solicit bids for a fire simulator system equipment and installation. Implications: 1. New specifications must be written to assure the highest level of safety to protect firefighters and obtain realistic live fire training system features, complicating and delaying the purchase of a live fire training system. 2. The live fire system obtained through a public bidding process may not meet the specialized performance needs of firefighters.
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