On February 16, 2024, the City of West Covina entered into an agreement with the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena (the "Verdugo Cities") for Fire Department dispatching services through the Verdugo Fire Communications Center ("Verdugo"). The agreement provided an initial term from February 16, 2024, through February 15, 2026, with an option for the City to renew the agreement for one additional year through February 15, 2027. On October 7, 2025, the City Council approved exercising the one-year renewal option.

The purpose of the dispatching agreement was to ensure reliable and continuous Fire Department emergency communications services to the City of West Covina. Continuity of fire dispatch services is critical to maintaining effective emergency response operations and ensuring the safety of West Covina residents, businesses, and visitors.

Verdugo is a regional public safety emergency communications center that receives and processes Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) related 911 calls for thirteen (13) cities within Los Angeles County, including Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, San Gabriel, Montebello, Monterey Park, Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, Monrovia, Arcadia, and West Covina. Verdugo also provides dispatching services to the Hollywood Burbank Airport Fire Department.

The City's agreement with Verdugo ensures 24/7 fire dispatching services, providing timely emergency response and seamless regional coverage. Services have consistently been reliable and have met performance expectations, industry best practices and compliance standards. 

The Verdugo Fire Communications Center has provided the City of West Covina with professional and dependable Fire Department dispatching services since February 2024. Verdugo's operations are designed specifically to support fire and EMS emergency communications and provide coordinated dispatch services across participating regional agencies.

Verdugo's dispatch operations are supported by an established organizational structure that includes executive oversight, communications management, technical support, shift supervision, and trained Fire Communications Operators. This structure provides dedicated personnel to support emergency call processing, dispatching, staffing, training, quality assurance, and technology systems.
 
The Verdugo organizational structure includes:

Verdugo charges the City an annual cost per incident multiplied by the actual number of calls dispatched during the preceding term of service. Pursuant to the terms of the existing agreement and proposed agreement, the Verdugo Cities are permitted to increase the parte per incident dispatched by up to 5% per year, rounded to the nearest dollar. 

The annual costs per incident has been as follows:

Continuing the City's agreement with Verdugo Fire Communications Center will provide several operational benefits including:

The continued partnership with Verdugo allows the City to maintain an established dispatching relationship and avoid the operational disruption that would accompany the transition to another communications provider. Fire Department dispatching is a specialized service requiring integration with emergency response systems, communications infrastructure, CAD technology, radio systems, and regional mutual-aid operations. Maintaining an established regional dispatching arrangement supports continuity and reliability of emergency communications services. Given the specialized nature of fire dispatch services and the critical integration with the regional emergency response systems, competitive alternatives are limited. Continuing with Verdugo ensures continuity of service without interruption and preserves reliable fire dispatching capabilities essential to public safety. 

This procurement is exempt from competitive procurement requirements pursuant to Section 2-335(8) of the West Covina Municipal Code, which provides that purchases of goods and/or services obtained from or through an agreement with any governmental, public, or quasi-public entity are exempt from the competitive procurement requirements of the Municipal Code.

Pursuant to Section 2-330(a) of the West Covina Municipal Code, unless otherwise approved by the City Council, the maximum duration for any agreement for goods and/or services cannot exceed five (5) years. Prior to approving any agreement with a duration that exceeds five (5) years, the City is required to document the rationale for entering into the agreement and why such agreement is in the best interest of the City.

The proposed agreement with the Verdugo Cities for Fire Department dispatching services provides a term of three years, with two optional three-year extension periods, for a potential total duration of nine years. This structure provides the City with long-term stability and continuity in emergency communications services while preserving the flexibility to discontinue the agreement at the conclusion of each three-year term. To exercise the extension option, the City must provide written notice of its intent to renew at least 180 days prior to the expiration of the then-current term. Importantly, the proposed agreement also locks in the current annual, maximum rate increase of 5% for each three-year term, providing greater cost predictably and limiting the City's exposure to potentially higher rate increases over the life of the agreement. This combination of long-term service continuity, predictable cost increases, and the ability to opt out at the conclusion of each term provides a reasonable balance between fiscal responsibility and operational flexibility. Staff believes that continuing the City's established partnership with Verdugo will maintain reliable emergency dispatching services, preserve operational familiarity and coordination, and avoid potential costs, risks, and service disruptions associated with transitioning to another communications provider. Accordingly, staff believes that the proposed agreement, including the two optional three-year extension periods, is in the best interest of the City.