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Chief Administrative Office, Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Preparedness & Response Division, recommending the Board consider the following:
1) Receive and file a report from the El Dorado Hills Fire Department regarding defensible space inspection services provided by the Department to the County; and
2) Approve and authorize the Purchasing Agent to sign Agreement 6383 with the El Dorado Hills Fire Department (aka El Dorado Hills County Water District), to conduct community outreach and education and complete defensible space inspections in County Emphasis Areas in the amount of $250,020 with a term of April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, contingent upon final approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
FUNDING: General Fund.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
In May 2019, the El Dorado County Ordinance No. 5101, Chapter 8.09 Vegetation Management and Defensible Space took effect. The ordinance and development of the program was vested in the Chief Administrative Office, Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Preparedness and Response division (CAO-EMS/EP).
The program was first implemented in 2020. Due to challenges in recruiting and retaining staffing for defensible space inspections since the inception of the program, staff explored partnerships with the fire districts in which County Emphasis Areas were identified to conduct the inspections for the 2021 season. Ultimately, the County contracted with El Dorado Hills Fire Department to inspect the County Emphasis Area identified as Deer Valley in the jurisdiction of the Rescue Fire Protection District. El Dorado Hills Fire Department has a long, successful history of conducting fire prevention inspection services under the auspices of their vacant lot ordinance. Taking on the inspections under the ordinance for the County Emphasis Area was easily adapted into their existing program. The County has one allocation for a Sr. Defensible Space Inspector, which has been vacant for a number of...
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