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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016-03-31 minutes 1 Public Safety Committee Meeting Call to Order The March 31, 2016, Public Safety Committee meeting convened at 7:32 a.m. by Councilman Graham in Councilman Mihalevich’s absence. Attendance Present: Committee Members: Councilman Carlos Graham, Councilman Ken Hussey, and Councilman Mark Schreiber. Guests: Administrator Steve Crowell, City Counselor Drew Hilpert, Fire Chief Matt Schofield, Police Chief Roger Schroeder, Cole County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Farr, and Fire Division Chief Jason Turner. Approval of Minutes Councilman Hussey made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 25th meeting. Councilman Schreiber seconded the motion. Minutes were approved. Discussion of Agenda Items OLD BUSINESS Firefighter Resignation/Retirement/Testing/Hiring Update Chief Schofield advised the fire department had completed their current recruiting process. Sixty applicants progressed through all phases of the written and physical tests. Twenty-four applicants were interviewed, with three given offers of employment contingent upon results of their physical and background examinations. They are expected to begin employment on April 18 th, at which time they will be given two to three weeks of on-the-job training. Upon their employment, the fire department will return to 73 uniformed personnel. Senior Fire Captain Charles Skornia will retire April 10th after 35 years of service. Jack Riley, who is the most recently employed firefighter, has resigned to take a job elsewhere. The retirement of Captain Skornia will create two promotional opportunities, and a promotional process will begin in the near future. Councilman Graham asked Chief Schofield to provide to him a diversity breakdown of the most recent pool of firefighter applicants. NEW BUSINESS MoDOT $1,200.00 Youth Alcohol Enforcement Campaign Grant Chief Schroeder explained this is a no-match pass-through grant which originated with the Missouri Department of Transportation and which is passed through the University of Central Missouri-Missouri Safety Center. The grant period is from May 5-16, 2016, for special enforcement of purchasing of alcohol by youth. Councilman Hussey made a motion to send the 2 grant to the full council for approval. Councilman Schreiber seconded the motion. Motion approved. State Office of Homeland Security Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Grant Chief Schroeder advised this no-match grant is provided through a homeland security program and will run from September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2018. Captain Wilde attended a meeting at SEMA from which the grant evolved. The grant money will be used to purchase radios that are compatible with the MOSWIN system. The intent of MOSWIN is to have a state- wide radio system, but this would be very expensive to implement. The police department currently has a few MOSWIN compatible radios and will work toward acquiring additional radios. Councilman Hussey made a motion to send the grant to the full council for approval. Councilman Schreiber seconded the motion. Motion approved. Acceptance of HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) Grant This is a $30,400 no-match grant that is shared with the Columbia Police Department and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department. The police department’s share of the grant is $10,1 33. Chief Schroeder advised the police department works closely with the DEA and has an officer assigned to work with the agency. The grant money pays for the annual lease of a vehicle, and fuel, cell phone, and other investigative expenses for the officer. Councilman Hussey made a motion to send the grant to the full council for approval. Councilman Schreiber seconded the motion. Motion approved. Fire Mutual Aid Agreement During Bridge Construction Chief Schofield advised this is a Resolution authorizing the city administrator to enter into an Automatic Aid Agreement. This agreement will allow the City to request another agency, the Holts Summit Fire Protection District, to respond simultaneously to any emergency situation in the North Jefferson City area during the Missouri River Bridge construction project. This would occur in the event that the Jefferson City Fire Department is unable to promptly access the jurisdiction due to the ongoing construction. The JCFD would continue to respond and manage the incident. The mutual aid agreement would ensure there is no delay or disruption in emergency services during bridge construction. Chief Schofield explained the distinction between an automatic aid agreement and mutual aid. Mutual aid occurs when an agency asks for the assistance of another agency after an assessment of the incident has been made. The automatic aid agreement is entered into for a specific time frame for a specific reason and allows for neighboring resources to be dispatched automatically at the time a call is received. There is no financial commitment or obligation associated with this automatic aid agreement. Councilman Hussey made a motion to take the Automatic Aid Agreement to the full council in the form of a Resolution. Council Schreiber seconded the motion. Motion approved. OTHER BUSINESS Chief Schofield, in response to a request from Councilman Mihalevich, provided the committee with a synopsis of the needs for Fire Station 2 on East McCarty Street. Councilman Graham asked if Chief Schofield could set up some times for the council members to tour the fire station 3 to assist them in making a better assessment of the needs. After discussion, it was decided to hold the next Public Safety Committee Meeting at Fire Station 2 and invite all council members to attend and tour the facility. Chief Schroeder advised the department’s HVAC system replacement was completed on Tuesday, March 29th. The communications operators, who were housed in Fire Station 3 during the final phase of the HVAC installation, are now back in the police department building. He expressed his appreciation to Chief Schofield for the gracious treatment of the operators while in his facility, and stated this was another example of excellent teamwork. Chief Schroeder was pleased to report that the project was completed on time and on budget. There were very few change orders, and department personnel are pleased with the project. Chief Schroeder stated the police department takes policing the capital city very seriously. He recently attended a meeting at the Capitol with members of the Capitol Police, Highway Patrol, Cole County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI to discuss agency directions should an active shooter situation occur. They were given a tour of the facility followed by a tabletop exercise. All the local law enforcement agencies continue to work together. Chief Schroeder advised that he and Chief Schofield continue to create a greater bond between their two departments. One example are the medics that the fire department provides to the police department’s SWAT team. As a hiring update, the police department has two police officer and one communications operator vacancies. Chief Schroeder is in the process of interviewing police officer candidates. The hiring process started with 50 candidates and 5 are being interviewed. Chief Schroeder will finish those interviews today. There are no acceptable candidates remaining in the hiring process for communications operator. The position will be re-advertised and the process started again. Chief Schroeder reiterated the importance of this position. Cole County Emergency Management Coordinator Farr stated Cole County and Jefferson City are completing work on FEMA’s five-year Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan revision will be presented to the County Commission next week for finalization. It will then be given to FEMA. Police Sergeant Chad Stieferman offered information on the active shooter/armed intruder which has been incorporated into the revised plan. Mr. Farr said he was very pleased with the participation in the revision. Applications for flood relief were due to FEMA by March 21st. Mr. Farr advised 21 residents filed for assistance. This is the first time since the flood of 1993 that FEMA has offered grants to individuals for assistance. The annual statewide tornado drill was held on Thursday, March 17th. The annual Severe Weather Spotter class will be held tonight. This class is open to the public, and has averaged 120 participants in the past two years. Mr. Farr stated the class has outgrown the police department training room and will be held at the Capital West Christian Church Event Center. James Kramper from the St. Louis National Weather service will be the guest speaker. A two-day emergency exercise involving the 13 counties of Region F was completed yesterday. Adjourn Councilman Hussey made a motion to adjourn. Councilman Schreiber seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 a.m.