Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Fire Medical

To:	David Corliss, City Manager
From:	Mark Bradford, Fire Chief
Date:	June 15, 2010
Re:	Purchase of Structural Firefighting Boots

Please include the following item on the City Commission consent agenda for consideration at the June 22, 2010 meeting:

Background:

The Fire Medical department issues and maintains one pair of structural firefighting boots for each uniformed member of the department.  In 2008 the department Health and Safety Program Team (HSPT) initiated an evaluation of firefighting boots.  After reviewing some independent research and contacting other fire departments in our region as well as nationally it became readily apparent that we were not utilizing the safest and most effective boots available. The HSPT made a unanimous decision to recommend to executive staff that leather boots be formally evaluated, purchased and issued as soon as feasible.  Several different boots were requested and a field evaluation lasted over six months followed by an administrative evaluation to ensure the boots met necessary requirements and were cost effective. 

Bid Status: 

The Fire Medical Department solicited bids (#B1023) for supplying the Department with leather structural firefighting boots.  The Notice to Bidders set out the specifications for the boots and the quantity requested.  The Department received six bids from suppliers.  The submitted bids were reviewed and analyzed to determine the low bids for the responses meeting the Department’s specifications.  One bidder did not meet specifications and was eliminated, all other bidders met specifications and the low bid was selected.

Bid Detail:

Vendor	Total Bid
Casco Industries	$25,152.90
Conrad Fire Equipment	$25,585.00
Galls	$25,809.00
Ed M. Feld Equipment Co.	$26,597.50
Municipal Emergency Services	$32,829.00

City Funding and Employee Contribution:

The bid award will be funded from the FY 2010 Fire Medical Operating Budget. In addition each employee will be using $68.84 of their annual shoe allowance as a method to begin the change from rubber to leather. The actual total cost to the city will be $15,225.00 with the employees paying $9,928.90.

Action Request: 

Fire Medical Department staff requests approval from the City Commission to authorize the City Manager to award Casco Industries a total of $25,152.90 for the purchase of leather structural firefighting boots.