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Supervisor Frentzen and Supervisor Veerkamp recommending the Board direct the Chief Administrative Officer, in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Office and Health & Human Services Agency, provide a detailed report to the Board of Supervisors identifying all revenues and expenditures relative to the County’s emergency response system, and report back to the Board in 60 days.
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Over the past several years, fires in California have caused severe damage to our natural resources, people’s homes and businesses, as well as the loss of life. This is occurring at a time in which many of our rural fire districts are struggling financially. In addition, in many jurisdictions, including El Dorado County, the heavy rain and snowfall in 2017 caused significant damage to roads and other infrastructure.
In El Dorado County, the Office of Emergency Services is managed out of the Sheriff’s Department. The ambulance response system (Emergency Medical Services) and the Emergency Preparedness & Response program are managed out of Health & Human Services. Lastly, the Chief Administrative Office serves as the liaison to our local fire districts. Funding for these various programs comes from the General Fund, property taxes, special taxes, benefit assessments, ambulance billing fees, Public Health realignment and various grants, including:
• Sheriff’s Department:
• Office of Emergency Services (OES) manages the Homeland Security grants and Emergency Management Performance Grant
• Health and Human Services Agency
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) manages the Ground Emergency Medical Transport (GEMT) funds, as well as the Richie and Maddie funds
• Emergency Preparedness & Response manages the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP), Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI), and Pandemic Influenza grants
In the past six years, and possibly longer, the Board of Supervisors has not received a comprehensive report outlining the total revenues allocated to our emergency response system, allowable uses of each funding stream and how the funds are spent. In order to determine whether the County has an effective and efficient emergency response system in place, the Board must understand the funding framework and how the funding streams are used. Receiving such a report from staff will increase the Board’s awareness and serve as the first step in determining whether any adjustments should be made in resources or organizational structure.