title
ADOPT A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING POSITION ALLOCATIONS, FUNDING REALIGNMENTS, AND APPROPRIATIONS TO SUPPORT COUNTYWIDE AMBULANCE DISPATCH OPERATIONS
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve a resolution:
1. Approving eight (8) position allocations within the Fire Department General Fund Emergency Dispatch Center Sub-fund to support countywide ambulance dispatch operations, including one (1) Emergency Communications Manager position, five (5) Fire Telecommunicator I/II positions, one (1) Fire Telecommunicator Supervisor position, and one (1) Public Safety Information Systems Analyst position;
2. Approving an allocation within the Fire Department General Fund for one (1) Nurse position within the Fire Department Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division to maintain EMS oversight following implementation of countywide ambulance dispatch operations;
3. Approving an allocation for one (1) Program Manager I position within the Administrative Services Department General Fund to cover additional administrative workload associated with CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority operations;
4. Approving necessary reallocations of existing Fire Department positions between the Fire Department General Fund and the Emergency Communications Division sub-fund to ensure accurate alignment of staffing costs with revised operational responsibilities;
5. Approving an interfund loan of $1,112,000 from the City Workers’ Compensation Internal Service Fund (530) Reserve balance to the Fire Department General Fund (100) & Emergency Communications Division General Fund sub-fund (100-130), pursuant to City Council interfund loan policy 17.01-020, to fund the above-stated pre-operational staffing and additional technology costs associated with countywide ambulance dispatch. The interfund loan will be transferred upon execution of a minimum required distribution agreement with CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority, with $153,000 transferred to the Fire Department General Fund (100) and $959,000 to the Emergency Communications Division General Fund sub-fund (100-130). The interfund loan will be fully repaid with annual compound interest of 4.35 percent no later than June 30, 2030 by the Emergency Communications Division General Fund sub-fund (100-130);
6. Authorizing that any excess revenues distributed to the City pursuant to the CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority Joint Powers Agreement shall be reinvested in Stockton Fire Department operations and shall not be used to supplant baseline Fire Department General Fund appropriations or support non-Fire Department functions.
7. Authorize the City Manager to take necessary and appropriate actions to carry out the purpose and intent of this resolution.
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Summary
The CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority (CENCAL) is a joint powers authority formed by the City of Stockton, the City of Lodi, and the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority to provide regional ambulance transport and ambulance dispatch services within San Joaquin County. CENCAL has been selected by the San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Agency to provide exclusive ambulance transport services within exclusive operating area (EOA) Zones X and Y and to serve as the County’s designated emergency ambulance dispatch provider.
With this selection, the Stockton Fire Department’s (SFD) Regional Emergency Communications Center (Dispatch Center) will serve as CENCAL’s subcontracted provider of countywide ambulance dispatch, significantly expanding its operational scope and complexity. Implementation of this expanded role requires additional staffing, technology, and facility capacity to manage integrated dispatch operations across the County.
Staff recommends approval of the following position allocations within the SFD General Fund Emergency Dispatch Center sub-fund: one (1) Emergency Communications Manager, five (5) Fire Telecommunicator I/II positions, one (1) Fire Telecommunicator Supervisor, and one (1) Public Safety Information Systems Analyst.
Staff recommends approval of the following General Fund position allocations: one (1) Nurse position within the SFD Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division and one (1) Program Manager I classification within the Administrative Services Department.
Staff recommends approval of the following reallocations of existing position funding to align staffing costs with revised operational responsibilities:
• Modify the funding allocation of one (1) Administrative Fire Captain position from 100 percent Emergency Communications Division (ECD) sub-fund to a 10 percent ECD sub-fund and 90 percent SFD General Fund allocation.
• Modify the funding allocation of one (1) Deputy Fire Chief position from 100 percent SFD General Fund to a 50 percent SFD General Fund and 50 percent ECD sub-fund allocation.
• Modify the funding allocation of one (1) Division Chief position from a 60 percent ECD sub-fund and 40 percent SFD General Fund allocation to a 100 percent SFD General Fund allocation.
• Modify the funding allocation of one (1) Fire Department Administrative Manager position from 100 percent SFD General Fund to a 95 percent SFD General Fund and 5 percent ECD sub-fund allocation.
• Modify the funding allocation of one (1) Senior Administrative Analyst position from 100 percent SFD General Fund to a 95 percent SFD General Fund and 5 percent ECD sub-fund allocation.
Staff recommends an interfund loan of $1,112,000 from the City Workers’ Compensation Internal Service Fund (530) Reserve balance to the Fire Department General Fund (100) & Emergency Communications Division General Fund sub-fund (100-130), pursuant to City Council interfund loan policy 17.01-020, to fund pre-operational staffing and additional technology costs associated with countywide ambulance dispatch. The interfund loan will be transferred upon execution of a minimum required distribution agreement with CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority, with $153,000 transferred to the Fire Department General Fund (100) and $959,000 to the Emergency Communications Division General Fund sub-fund (100-130). The interfund loan will be fully repaid with annual compound interest of 4.35 percent no later than June 30, 2030 by the Emergency Communications Division General Fund sub-fund (100-130);
Staff further recommends that the City Council affirm its intent that any excess revenues distributed to the City pursuant to the CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority Joint Powers Agreement be reinvested in Stockton Fire Department operations and not be used to supplant baseline Fire Department General Fund appropriations or support non-Fire Department functions.
DISCUSSION
BACKGROUND
The San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SJCEMSA) serves as the County’s designated Local Emergency Medical Services Agency (LEMSA), exercising authority delegated by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Division 2.5. In this role, SJCEMSA administers the local EMS system, including designation of EOAs for ambulance transport and oversight of emergency ambulance dispatch.
In anticipation of an upcoming SJCEMSA request for proposals (RFP) for emergency ambulance transport services, the City of Stockton Fire Department (SFD), the City of Lodi Fire Department (LFD), and the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority (SSJCFA) began coordinated discussions regarding opportunities to strengthen regional EMS delivery and improve system coordination within San Joaquin County. As part of this planning effort, the agencies determined the formation of a joint powers authority (JPA) would provide a structured mechanism to pursue a regional ambulance transport and dispatch model.
On February 4, 2025, City Council Resolution No. 2025-02-04-1208 authorized the City of Stockton’s participation in CENCAL and approved a startup contribution of $1,515,700, repayable to the City by June 30, 2030.
On May 27, 2025, SJCEMSA issued RFP No. 24-32 for emergency ambulance transport services within EOA Zone X, which includes the cities of Stockton and Lodi and surrounding unincorporated areas, and EOA Zone Y, which includes the cities of Tracy and Mountain House and surrounding unincorporated areas. The RFP further specified that the contractor awarded EOA Zone X would serve as the LEMSA-designated emergency ambulance dispatch center for San Joaquin County.
On July 18, 2025, CENCAL entered into an agreement with American Medical Response (AMR) to collaborate on the submission of a proposal in response to SJCEMSA’s RFP. Under the agreement, if CENCAL were awarded one or both EOAs, AMR would serve as CENCAL’s ambulance subcontractor and provide emergency ambulance transport services within the awarded zone(s).
SFD coordinated with CENCAL to include SFD’s regional Dispatch Center as the proposed provider of emergency ambulance dispatch services. At the time of proposal submission, a formal agreement between SFD and CENCAL had not yet been executed; however, the parties had reached a mutual understanding regarding service levels and pricing structure.
On August 25, 2025, CENCAL, in coordination with AMR and SFD, submitted a proposal in response to the County’s RFP.
On September 25, 2025, CENCAL received a Notice of Intent to Award for the exclusive operating rights for ambulance transport services within EOA Zones X and Y and to provide countywide emergency ambulance dispatch services.
Present Situation
With CENCAL’s selection, SFD’s Dispatch Center will assume responsibility for countywide ambulance dispatch. To support this expanded role, staff have identified the need for additional personnel, technology and equipment, and facility modifications to accommodate increased call volume, operational complexity, and system integration requirements.
Emergency Communications Division Staffing
The expansion to countywide ambulance dispatch will substantially increase operational demands on the SFD’s Dispatch Center. Annual dispatch activity is projected to increase from approximately 78,000 to approximately 177,000 dispatches, significantly increasing call-taking volume, unit coordination, and real-time system oversight requirements. To support this expanded operational scope, staff has identified the need for additional operational leadership, frontline staffing, and technical support to ensure service continuity, operational readiness, and effective implementation of countywide ambulance dispatch.
Staff recommends the addition of an Emergency Communications Manager position to provide overall management of the Dispatch Center. This position would be responsible for division-level administration, strategic planning, policy development, performance measurement, and coordination with external agencies and governing bodies. As dispatch operations expand to a countywide model, this role provides centralized leadership to establish operational expectations, align resources with service demands, and ensure accountability at the program and system level.
Staff further recommends the addition of five Fire Telecommunicator I/II position allocations to address the substantial increase in call volume associated with countywide ambulance dispatch. These positions would perform call-taking, unit dispatching, and coordination of fire, EMS, and ambulance resources. Adequate staffing levels are necessary to maintain call-processing times, manage concurrent incidents, and sustain service levels during periods of peak demand.
An additional Fire Telecommunicator Supervisor position allocation is recommended to provide day-to-day supervision of dispatch personnel. This position would be responsible for shift supervision, workload balancing, real-time decision support for dispatch staff, quality assurance reviews, and enforcement of established procedures and protocols. This role provides the on-floor supervisory presence necessary to maintain operational discipline and service consistency in a high-volume, multi-discipline dispatch environment.
Staff also recommends the addition of one Public Safety Information Systems Analyst position allocation dedicated to the Fire Department to support the technical and operational integration of dispatch systems, including radio communications, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), and system status management technology. While the position will be allocated to and functionally embedded within the Fire Department, it will work closely with the City’s Information Technology Department to ensure system compatibility, cybersecurity compliance, and alignment with Citywide technology standards. As dispatch operations become more complex, dedicated technical support within the Fire Department is necessary to ensure system reliability and continuity of operations.
Implementation of countywide ambulance dispatch also requires targeted realignment of existing position funding to ensure staffing costs are appropriately aligned with revised operational responsibilities. These adjustments include modifying the funding allocation of a Deputy Fire Chief position to reflect shared General Fund and ECD responsibilities, returning one Division Chief position to full General Fund support, and making minor allocation adjustments to the Fire Department Administrative Manager and Senior Administrative Analyst positions to reflect limited support provided to ECD. Additionally, SFD will modify the allocation of one existing Administrative Fire Captain position between the ECD sub-fund to the SFD General Fund which will be overfilled with a Fire Services Administrator position.
CENCAL Executive Director and Emergency Medical Services Division Nurse
As part of CENCAL implementation, SFD’s current EMS Division Chief will transition to serve as Executive Director of CENCAL. In this role, the Executive Director will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of CENCAL, including oversight of contracted ambulance transport services, system performance monitoring, regulatory compliance, and implementation of CENCAL Board-adopted policies. This position is central to establishing consistent regional operations and accountability under the CENCAL governance structure.
The Executive Director position will be funded entirely by CENCAL on a reimbursement basis, with no ongoing salary or benefit cost to the City. While this transition strengthens CENCAL governance, it also results in the loss of a dedicated management position within the SFD’s EMS Division. SFD must continue to provide clinical oversight, training coordination, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance for its EMS program, separate from CENCAL’s operational responsibilities.
To maintain continuity of clinical oversight, staff proposes the establishment of a Nurse position within the SFD EMS Division. This position would provide dedicated clinical leadership, including support for EMS training, review of patient care documentation, coordination of quality improvement activities, protocol implementation, and ongoing compliance with County and State EMS requirements. Working in conjunction with existing paramedic leadership, the position would support ongoing clinical oversight of SFD’s EMS operations following the transition of the EMS Division Chief to CENCAL.
Funding capacity created by the full reimbursement of the Executive Director position by CENCAL will be used to support the proposed EMS Nurse position.
While the City maintains an existing Quality Improvement Coordinator classification that requires a Registered Nurse license, the classification has not been utilized by SFD in several years and may not fully align with the scope, responsibilities, or market conditions associated with the proposed EMS Nurse role. Accordingly, and pending coordination with Human Resources to evaluate classification applicability and compensation alignment, the EMS Nurse position is budgeted at the Budget Officer level for planning purposes. To avoid pre-operational staffing costs, hiring for the EMS Nurse position is anticipated to occur in FY 2026-27.
Administrative Services Department Program Manager I
CENCAL implementation will increase workload within the Administrative Services Department, particularly in accounting and administrative functions associated with use of the City’s enterprise resource planning system. While the precise scope of this workload will evolve as CENCAL operations mature, these functions will require additional administrative capacity beyond existing baseline responsibilities.
To address this need, staff recommends approval of a budget allocation equivalent to the fully burdened salary and benefit cost of a Program Manager I classification in the Administrative Services Department General Fund beginning in FY 2026-27. This allocation establishes the level of administrative support that CENCAL will fund annually as part of its operating costs and defines the maximum reimbursement amount payable to the City for administrative services.
Approval of this allocation does not require the City to fill a specific position or assign a particular employee to CENCAL-related work. The Administrative Services Department will retain discretion to determine how best to address the workload, whether through hiring, reassignment of duties, or absorption within existing resources, consistent with operational needs.
CENCAL will reimburse the City for administrative support costs incurred, up to the fully burdened salary and benefit cost of a Program Manager I classification. If the workload is absorbed within existing resources, the reimbursement will result in a net positive fiscal effect to the General Fund. In all cases, approval of this allocation results in no negative impact to the General Fund.
For purposes of fiscal transparency, the Financial Impact section of this report assumes the City hires an additional employee at the Program Manager I level, representing the most conservative scenario. Actual fiscal outcomes will vary depending on how the Administrative Services Department ultimately deploys resources.
Technology Improvements
Implementation of countywide ambulance dispatch requires technology that supports coordinated resource deployment, real-time situational awareness, and systemwide performance management. To meet these requirements, a dedicated system status management (SSM) platform is necessary to support dynamic ambulance deployment across the County. The SSM platform analyzes historical call demand alongside real-time operational conditions to inform where ambulance resources should be positioned throughout the day. This enables dispatch staff to actively manage coverage, anticipate demand, and adjust deployment as conditions change, rather than relying on static post assignments. The result is more consistent system coverage and more effective use of available ambulance unit hours.
To function effectively, the SSM platform must be integrated with the CAD system. This integration is accomplished through a CAD-to-SSM interface that enables real-time exchange of unit status, availability, assignments, and location data between systems. Without this interface, deployment recommendations would rely on delayed or manually interpreted information, limiting operational effectiveness and increasing dispatcher workload. The integrated platform provides dispatch staff with a single, current operational picture and ensures that deployment decisions are based on live system conditions.
Countywide ambulance dispatch also requires expansion of the Dispatch Center’s radio infrastructure. Installation of additional radio base stations is necessary to bring contracted ambulance provider radio traffic into the Dispatch Center and support direct dispatch and coordination of ambulance resources.
Use of Excess Revenues and Council Intent
The CENCAL Joint Powers Agreement provides that any excess revenues may be distributed to the member agencies in accordance with their respective pro-rata share. While the Agreement establishes the mechanics for distribution, it does not prescribe the specific internal use of such revenues by a member agency once received.
Staff wishes to clarify the intended purpose of any excess revenues distributed to the City of Stockton as a result of CENCAL operations. The intent of these distributions is to enhance and reinvest in Stockton Fire Department operations, particularly those operational, staffing, and infrastructure demands that are attributable to regional EMS delivery, emergency communications, and systemwide coordination responsibilities assumed by the Fire Department. Excess revenues are not intended to be used to supplant existing and/or baseline Fire Department General Fund appropriations, nor to be diverted to support other City departments.
Staff recommends Council formally recognize this intent and affirm the City’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits generated through CENCAL are reinvested in the Fire Department. This approach ensures that the financial benefits generated through regional collaboration are reinvested in emergency response services that directly serve Stockton residents, strengthening capacity, improving service reliability, and supporting the long-term sustainability of fire, EMS, and emergency communications operations for the community.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The financial impact associated with implementation of countywide ambulance dispatch includes one-time pre-operational costs in FY 2025-26 and ongoing operating impacts beginning in FY 2026-27. In FY 2025-26, the Fire Department requires a$1.11 million interfund loan from the Worker’ Compensation Internal Service Fund Reserves to cover staffing, and technology costs. Staff are working with CENCAL Fire and EMS Authority to execute a minimum required distribution agreement that will fully repay the interfund loan, at 4.35 percent annual compound interest, by June 30, 2030.
The City allocates funds from the General Fund to cover its share of the cost of emergency dispatch services provided by the Dispatch Center. Beginning in FY 2026-27, the total General Fund share of ECD operations is projected to decrease by approximately $1.396 million, a reduction that is anticipated to continue in future fiscal years.
FY 2025-26 Pre-Operational Phase
In FY 2025-26, pre-operational costs must be incurred in advance to recruit, hire, train, and equip personnel and to complete required system modifications prior to the commencement of expanded dispatch services.
Staffing costs total $775,000 and technology costs total $337,000, for a combined amount of $1.11 million. These expenditures will be funded through an interfund loan from the Workers’ Compensation Fund Reserve.
Table 1. FY 2025-26 Pre-Operational Cost Summary
|
Category |
Amount |
|
Staffing costs (new positions) |
$775,000 |
|
Technology costs |
$337,000 |
|
Pre-operational costs |
$1,112,000 |
|
|
|
FY 2026-27 and Ongoing Operating Impact
ECD’s annual operating costs are currently funded through fees from contracted emergency dispatch services provided to outside agencies and an annual funding allocation from the General Fund. In FY 2025-26, the General fund has a funding allocation of $3.8 million to fully cover ECD costs.
Beginning in FY 2026-27, the ECD General Fund allocation is projected to decrease to approximately $2.3 million. After accounting for additional General Fund expenses and offsetting revenues resulting from expanded dispatch operations, the total General Fund support is projected to decline by approximately $1.396 million. This projected reduction provides SFD with increased General Fund capacity that may be redirected to other identified departmental needs, within the SFD.
FY 2026-27 General Fund Impact Summary
Table 2. General Fund Costs
|
Category |
Amount |
|
Emergency Communications Division operations |
$2,308,000 |
|
Position reallocations |
$368,000 |
|
EMS Nurse |
$267,000 |
|
Program Manager I |
$176,000 |
|
Total General Fund Costs |
$3,119,000 |
Table 3. Offsetting General Fund Revenues
|
Category |
Amount |
|
CENCAL Executive Director reimbursement |
$(539,000) |
|
Program Manager I reimbursement |
$(176,000) |
|
Total Offsetting Revenues |
$(715,000) |
Table 4. Net General Fund Support
|
Category |
Amount |
|
Total General Fund costs |
$3,119,000 |
|
Less: Offsetting revenues |
$(715,000) |
|
Net General Fund support |
$2,404,000 |
Table 5. Estimated General Fund Reduction
|
Category |
Amount |
|
FY 2025-26 General Fund dispatch support (baseline) |
$3,800,000 |
|
FY 2026-27 Estimated General Fund support |
$2,404,000 |
|
Estimated General Fund Reduction |
$1,396,000 |