TENSIONS MOUNT OVER FIRE GEAR BIDDING PROCESS CAUSING DEBATES.Byline: Dan Laidman Staff Writer Frustration is growing among firefighters involved in a regional partnership to buy new protective gear, a partnership that, after more than two years, has become embroiled em·broil tr.v. em·broiled, em·broil·ing, em·broils 1. To involve in argument, contention, or hostile actions: "Avoid . . . in intense internal debate. The city of Los Angeles
 `rə), city (1990 pop. 92,575), seat of Ventura co., SW Calif., on the Pacific coast in a farm and oil region; inc. 1866. County
joined in 2003 to purchase new sets of coats and pants for their
firefighters, more than 7,000 in all.
But no gear has yet been purchased, fire unions in all three jurisdictions are expressing concern about the process and one major vendor has dropped out, claiming cost concerns have trumped safety. ``We get stuck in the quagmire of having an evaluation process that's going on and on and on,'' said Dave Gillotte, president of the Los Angeles County firefighters union. ``And all that's doing is extending the amount of time it takes to get the gear into the hands of the firefighters in the field.'' Chris Mahon, president of the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association, said he was concerned that the bid process weighs features of protective gear evenly with price. Such a cost stipulation An agreement between attorneys that concerns business before a court and is designed to simplify or shorten litigation and save costs. During the course of a civil lawsuit, criminal proceeding, or any other type of litigation, the opposing attorneys may come to an agreement ``could possibly allow us not to get what I think is the best for our firefighters,'' said Ted Nonini, treasurer for United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. Dave Lambertson, director of Los Angeles County's Internal Services Department, which serves as the purchasing agent Noun 1. purchasing agent - an agent who purchases goods or services for another agent - a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations for the consortium, said it has taken so long because so many agencies are involved. While group buying is common for other goods, he said, this is the first time it has been done locally with firefighter apparel. Local fire professionals are drawing up specifications for companies to meet rather than buying existing gear off the shelf. While that has added time to the process, Lambertson stressed that all three fire agencies have enough equipment in the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile . Battalion battalion Tactical military organization composed of a headquarters and two or more companies, batteries, or similar units and usually commanded by a field-grade officer such as a lieutenant colonel. Chief Don Frazeur of the City of Los Angeles Fire Department said he was confident firefighters would end up receiving safe gear. He acknowledged, however, that the process had been contentious. ``When you get a lot of different interest groups working together, it slows the process down,'' he said. ``And I think this has been fairly well politicized.'' The group purchase can be traced to the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Los Angeles firefighters who helped with recovery efforts wanted the city to try the coats used in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Frazeur said. The city had a contract to buy protective gear from Lion Apparel, and when it expired ex·pire v. ex·pired, ex·pir·ing, ex·pires v.intr. 1. To come to an end; terminate: My membership in the club has expired. 2. , Los Angeles began buying on a short-term Short-term Any investments with a maturity of one year or less. short-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss on the value of an asset that has been held less than a specified period of time. basis from Morning Pride, the supplier in New York. To negotiate its next long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. contract, the city joined with Los Angeles County and Ventura County to seek a better price while sharing knowledge. Morning Pride seemed likely to win the contract up until the end of 2004. Then consortium members learned that the company's patent for a key design feature expired in May 2005. The process was put on hold and the bid re-opened. Competitive bids are preferable to single-source contracts, Lambertson said, and with the patent expiration EXPIRATION. Cessation; end. As, the expiration of, a lease, of a contract, or statute. 2. In general, the expiration of a contract puts an end to all the engagements of the parties, except to those which arise from the non- fulfillment of obligations created other companies might be able to offer the same feature at a better price. Mary Grilliot of Morning Pride said the development came as a shock because a deal was so close and the garment in question had 13 important patents with only one nearing expiration. Two other leading manufacturers, Lion and Globe Firefighter Suits, submitted bids. Frazeur of the city Fire Department said it provided an opportunity for the consortium to develop specifications that included the best each company had to offer. However, Morning Pride dropped out of the process in late July because the company objected to the consortium putting equal weight on price and performance in weighing the bids. Grilliot said her company was accustomed to fire agencies choosing their products based entirely on quality and then conducting an audit to make sure the price was reasonable. Designing based on price is not appropriate for safety products, she said. ``Here we are, in a room, based on our business interests taking away the features (that are) in the best interest of firefighters, and our people said we just can't do it,'' Grilliot said. The consortium is now weighing bids only from Lion and Globe, both of which say they do not share Morning Pride's concern. ``Let's face it - it's a municipal bid process and everyone has to be concerned about the taxpayers' money,'' said Don Welch Welch , William Henry 1850-1934. American pathologist and bacteriologist who discovered the bacteria that causes gas gangrene. , president of Globe. John Nash, regional sales manager sales manager n → gerente m/f de ventas sales manager n → directeur commercial sales manager sale n → for Lion, said his company's garments are ``as safe as any gear out there'' and ``we intend to give taxpayers the best performance for dollars spent.'' The actual costs are unclear because the specifications could still change, but some involved in the process say the garments could cost in the $1,000 to $1,500 range. The consortium is considering a three-year contract with a possible two-year extension, and the departments would buy two sets of gear for each firefighter. Fire union officials acknowledge that higher-performing gear would cost more, but, they say, it could save taxpayers in the long-run by reducing injuries. ``We think it should be 100 percent performance based,'' Nonini said. ``I think that there would be a price difference, definitely. Do I think it would be huge? No.'' No matter what kind of gear emerges from the consortium process, Lambertson said, it would be of higher quality than the garments currently being worn by area firefighters, which meet national standards. ``It's not like we're inventing the first fire coat,'' he said. Dan Laidman, (213) 978-0390 dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com |
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