To: Board of Supervisors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: Communications Center - UPS Units Purchase Request
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Acting as the governing board of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to execute a purchase order with Computer Discount Warehouse - Government (CDWG), in an amount not to exceed $266,838, subject to the terms of the Omnia Mesa cooperative agreement #2024056-01 for the purchase of universal power supply (UPS) units.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Budgeted. 100% CCCFPD EMS Transport Fund. The total purchase price is $242,579. This action is requesting total purchase authority of $266,838 to include a 10% contingency for unforeseen price or cost increases.
BACKGROUND:
On May 14, 2024, the Board of Supervisors awarded a construction contract to Thompson Builders Corporation for the construction of a new fire communications center and a new communications division offices building. This major remodel and construction of the new fire communications center are part of phase one of the overall project, which should be completed in the next few months.
As part of the remodel, the new center will include sixteen new fire dispatch consoles for Fire Dispatchers, with Ambulance System Status Controllers at each console. The equipment at each of the sixteen dispatch consoles is critical to the staff's ability to complete their duties while answering 911 emergency calls for service and subsequently dispatching the appropriate emergency fire and/or ambulance resources to our citizens.
The equipment at each console includes five computer monitors, a radio computer, a 911 phone computer, and other associated equipment. All of this equipment must maintain continuous power at all times, regardless of the power source. The first source of power is PG&E, referred to as primary power. The second source is universal power supply (UPS) devices, referred to as initial emergency backup power. The third source is an on-site generator, referred to as emergency generator backup power. All three of these power sources are essential to ensuring continuous power to the critical equipment at each dispatch console. The UPS power serves as a temporary but critical bridge, providing continuous power from the moment PG&E's primary power is lost until the emergency backup generator activates. The chosen UPS units have been thoroughly researched and will provide initial emergency backup power for up to thirty minutes if needed.
PG&E's primary power is generally reliable, but it can be interrupted for short or long periods during public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events, major wildfires, major wind or rainstorms, and earthquakes.
The board order seeks approval to purchase thirty-two (32) UPS units with extended battery packs and associated software and services for a total of $242,579 from Computer Discount Warehouse - Government (CDWG) under a nationally awarded Omnia Mesa contract #2024056-01. The identified UPS units provide the latest technology and trusted reliability for performance. Approval of this board order is critical to completing this project and to the future operations of the sixteen dispatch consoles in the new fire communications center.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The District would have to identify alternative means to acquire backup power for the emergency communications and computer systems. If this purchase order is not approved, the new fire communications center will not be completed properly, and the critical equipment at each dispatch console will not have consistent redundant power sources.