STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Public Safety
AGENDA DATE: September 22, 2021
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): N/A
DEPARTMENT: Police Department
EXECUTIVE: Jon Fortune
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SUBJECT
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Authorize the (1) acceptance of a donated helicopter; and (2) execution of the donation agreement of an aircraft with an estimated value of $2,500,000.00 from Hillwood Development Company, LLC to the Dallas Police Department - Financing: This action has no cost consideration to the City (see Fiscal Information)
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BACKGROUND
The Dallas Police Department seeks to accept this donation agreement of an aircraft for our helicopter unit. The aircraft will be donated in an “As-Is, Where-Is” delivery condition.
The helicopter unit provides an aerial vantage on calls that cannot be duplicated. The crew is made up of sworn officers trained to help officers on the ground accomplish their missions and calls safely. Currently, the unit is staffed by nine sworn officers, operating on a 24/7 basis. On average, the unit responds to approximately 900 calls a month, averaging approximately 30 calls per 24-hour day, primarily for police and assisting the fire department, code enforcement, and city marshals.
Flying with this frequency means an aircraft is nearly constantly having to be taken in for maintenance. The Federal Aviation Administration mandates that the aircraft must be serviced at 100 flight hour intervals, with heavier maintenance being done at 600 and 1200 hour intervals. At current flight rates, the aircraft go into maintenance approximately every 2 1/2 weeks for several days at a time. Currently, the City has only two helicopters, which means the maintenance intervals cross over, and both aircraft are in maintenance at the same time. This leaves the City with no operational aircraft for multiple days at a time. Additionally, the current two helicopters are 15 years old, and like older models, suffer unexpected maintenance issues contributing to additional downtime. Adding a third additional aircraft will increase the dependability of the fleet. By having a third newer aircraft, 1/3 of the flying time can be put on the new aircraft, reducing the flight frequency and hours being put on the existing aircraft. This would also see a financial gain of pushing maintenance intervals out to less frequency since flight time would not add up as fast on individual aircraft.
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
This item has no prior action.
FISCAL INFORMATION
This action has no consideration to the City. In conjunction with the donation, the donor agrees to take commercially reasonable steps to assist the City of Dallas in transferring the existing engine maintenance program to the City, with any transfer fees or expenses for the existing maintenance agreement with Rolls Royce to be paid by the City.