HomeMy Public PortalAbout2023-08-31 minutes 1
Public Safety Committee Meeting
Call to Order
The August 31, 2023, Public Safety Committee meeting was convened at 7:30 a.m. by
Councilman Spicer.
Attendance
Present: Committee Members: Councilman Scott Spencer, Councilman Jack Deeken,
Councilman Mark Schwartz, Councilman Aaron Mealy (virtual)
Guests: Fire Chief Matt Schofield, Chief of Police Eric Wilde, Cole County Sheriff John
Wheeler, Emergency Medical Services Chief Eric Hoy, City Attorney Ryan
Moehlman, Fire Division Chief of Preventions Jason Turner, Missouri State
Representative Dave Griffith
Approval of Minutes
Councilman Spencer motioned to approve the minutes from the June 27th meeting. Councilman
Deeken seconded the motion. Minutes approved.
Discussion of Agenda Items
OLD BUSINESS
Nothing to Report.
NEW BUSINESS
Police Department Parking Lot Additions
Chief Wilde advised he has worked with Matt Morasch in proposing different parking lot ideas
for the area where the church was demolished. The Police Department Training Room is a highly
requested training area by many different agencies and events. The proposal to add parking
spaces next to the existing parking lot located next to the training room will give parking access
to those who are attending classes or events at the department. The existing parking lot is
overcrowded and used by city employees. This proposal will create 15 paved parking spots
deemed as Police Department visitor parking.
In response to Councilman Spencer’s question regarding future campus expansion, Chief Wi lde
stated the parking lot would not affect future building projects. City Attorney Ryan Moehlman
added the project has been talked about in the past and would be a good investment for the future
of the Police Department. Chief Schofield also added he and Chief Wilde have discussed other
uses for the area, and a parking lot was the best fit project.
Chief Wilde stated the project will cost about $50,500 from the Capital Improvement Sales Tax
fund.
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In response to Councilman Deeken’s question regarding accessibility to the court, Chief Wilde
stated the parking lot would only be accessible to Police Department visitors and employees due
to the amount of traffic the department received for the classroom. The court currently has
metered parking, and whether or not the meters will be removed is unknown.
Councilman Spencer made a motion to approve the support of taking the project to the City
Council. Councilman Deeken seconded the motion.
Roll call vote:
Councilman Mealy – Yes
Councilman Spencer – Yes
Councilman Schwartz – Yes
Councilman Deeken – Yes
Motion to approve passed by a vote of 4 yeses.
911 Communications Update
Chief Schofield stated the agency directors began discussing the integration of communications
and 911 centers about five years prior. Initially, the Fire Department collaborated with the Police
Department to join communications which created the current communications section in the
Police Department in the early 1980s. Capital Region then transitioned their ambulance service
to Cole County, which added more workload to EMS and their dispatch.
Chief Wilde advised the steps to integrate have already been implemented and are in process.
The departments need to look to the future to build a stronger communications system. The
technology has improved significantly, allowing the current communications section to upgrade
to a better CAD system.
Chief Wilde stated in the last three years, on average there are 120,000-130,000 calls for service
each year, 14-15 calls every hour. These calls result in creating an incident for each call. The
Police Department is responsible for about 60% of those calls and Cole County Sheriff for 32%
of calls. Cole County EMS has also seen an increase in calls. 67% of incidents occur within the
city and 33% within the county. Chief Wilde added he uses this benchmark data to set goals such
as phone call answering times. Currently, the goal to answer the phone is 10 seconds 98% of the
time. He also looks at the performance of each dispatcher based on the time it takes to answer
calls and assess them monthly. A majority of the dispatchers reach an answering time of under
10 seconds 96% of the time. It is important to note not all calls received are emer gency calls.
Some calls are administration or informational calls.
Chief Wilde advised there has also been discussion about building a combined 911 center.
Currently, the communications section consists of 4 consoles, 2 training consoles, and a
supervisor cubicle. This area is very small and compact with all the equipment. If equipment
were to be upgraded, the area would need to be expanded. Councilman Spencer suggested Chief
Wilde give council members a tour of the area, to which Chief Wilde agreed.
The ideal shift assignment is 1 Jefferson City Police Operator, 1 Jefferson City Fire Operator, 1
Cole County Sheriff Operator, and 1 call taker per shift. Since the department is short-staffed, the
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section has adjusted to 12-hour shifts to compensate for busy hours. During some hours of the
day, there are only three operators.
Chief Wilde stated the mission of the integration of communication systems is to provide the
most effective, efficient, and prompt public safety communications to best serve the citizen s and
communities of central Missouri. The goal is to improve public safety communications to save
lives in the communities of Central Missouri. He stated to achieve this goal, the department must
do many things including ensuring adequate leaves of staffing, providing universal training to all
operators, securing adequate funding, identifying appropriate facilities and locations, and
exploring long-term opportunities. There is also a backup center located at Fire Station 3 and a
mobile EOC that is utilized in emergency situations.
In response to Councilman Spencer’s questions regarding standards for the 911 center, Chief
Wilde advised most standards fall under the APCO guidelines. His goal is to become a fully
accredited 911 center under such standards.
Chief Wilde gave a brief update on what he calls, “Lines of Effort” which is a timeline chart of
past, current, and future projects to be completed in order to complete the integration of
communication systems.
In response to Councilman Schwartz’s question regarding the total price for the whole project,
Chief Wilde stated he cannot give an accurate price on the total project. Many things need to
happen in order to get the total numbers, including a staffing and facility analysis. These studies
will give insight into future staffing scenarios. As of right now, the department does not have
room for expansion for increased staffing, so a facility analysis is needed as well. Chief
Schofield added it is important to give the committee accurate cost numbers. These studies will
aid in suggesting recommendations and will give the committee resources to help make the
decision if a 911 center is applicable or not.
Councilman Schwartz inquired if the State has given any input into the 911 center. The Capital
utilizes its own police force but relies on the city for fire or EMS emergencies. Councilman
Schwartz suggests the State should reimburse the City for those resources being used, and
suggests the City ask the State to invest in potentially a new facility.
Chief Schofield thanks the County and City for the leaps and bounds they have made to help
move the project along. Chief Hoy added he is proud of what the department directors have done
thus far. He stated it doesn’t look like much progress has been made, but the changes that have
been made have saved lives which is very significant. They have built a reliable system, are
confident they are delivering adequate services, and should be proud of everyone involved.
Sheriff Wheeler also added each department is moving forward for the citizens. The Sheriff’s
Department has discontinued its New World system in the past but has recently repurchased the
system again because of its reliability. Each department is working towards all new systems
together, and it is a continuing project that will always be improved for the interests of the
citizens.
Councilman Spencer thanked each department for working together for the interest of the
citizens. The needs have been ongoing for years. There needs to be a way to get ahead of the
system because the city will soon be outdated again.
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Chief Hoy stated he has been communicating with commissioners about finding other means of
funding for the project. Sheriff Wheeler stated the committee should look at the number of state
representatives that commute to Jefferson City during the work day. The population almost
doubles, which doubles the need to assist the community.
Chief Wilde concluded by stating the committee needs to consider what level of funding is
appropriate after the staffing and facility analysis. The committee will vote for approval when
the analyses are complete.
FEMA FY22 Assistance to Firefighters Grant
Chief Turner advised the AFG for Firefighters Assistance grant was awarded last week for a total
of $97,000 with a 10% match from the city. The department will use these funds for new rescue
supplies. Chief Blomberg has been assigned to work on the project. The project will be on the
consent agenda at the Tuesday City Council meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Fire Department Update
Chief Turner stated there were 49 applicants for the firefighter position, 20 of whom have signed
up for testing. Chief Blomberg is currently working on conducting the tests. The hiring roster
will then be established.
Chief Turner advised the department is currently working on special events such as the air show
on September 14-15-16th. The department will be assisting with fire safety during the show to
ensure compliance with FAA rules.
Chief Turner stated the department is still searching for an ARFF vehicle. The department asked
the state for $1 million to replace the 33-year-old vehicle they currently own, but only received
half of the funds they asked for. A scaled-down, new vehicle is between 550,000-600,000 this
would be a bare-boned vehicle, but the department would make it work. The department has also
looked into used vehicles, but everything they have seen is out of date, broken, or has the same
problems as the current vehicle. The department has discussed carrying the funds over and
waiting for additional funding. The alternative to the ARFF vehicle is a scaled-down version,
which is not ideal, but the department needs a new vehicle. This will be a line item for additional
funding and a 10% match ($50,000) by the City.
Chief Schofield advised State Representative Griffith has been with the department supporting
the project for three years. He thanked State Representative Griffith for his efforts in the project
and getting approved by the state legislature. State Representative Griffith encouraged the
committee to visit the vehicle at the airport. He stated it currently takes 15 minutes to get the
vehicle out of the garage. If an emergency happened at the airport, there would be 15 precious
minutes lost just trying to move the vehicle. He stated the State Government has a responsibility
to protect those assets. The vehicle that was $800,000 three years ago is now $1 million. As the
prices increase, the community needs to decide whether or not to purchase a new vehicle.
Chief Schofield stated the purchase of the vehicle would be a part of the 25/75% Capital
Improvement Sales Tax, and the city would match 10%. Councilman Spencer stated funds are
tight, but he is relying on the Fire Department to find a good course of action. 10% is significant
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in the budget, but the department needs the vehicle. He looks forward to hearing about it more in
the upcoming budget meeting.
Chief Turner stated the department is at full staff with one employee in recruit class and one
employee has been deployed to help with the Hurricane destruction in Florida.
Chief Turner advised Tunnel to Towers 5k will be held on September 16th.
Chief Turner stated the department is currently undergoing annual pump and ladder testing.
Police Department Updates
Chief Wilde congratulated the Fire Department on their victory at the Guns and Hoses hockey
game. It was a great game with a great turnout from the community.
Chief Wilde advised he has been the Chief for about one year now. He is happy to say there are
many ongoing projects such as the Body Worn Camera project that are nearing completion. He
will host a media event next week to announce the project is complete and going well. The
elevator project is also complete.
Chief Wilde stated the department was able to automate a lot of systems within the last year. All
reports were done on paper in the past, but the department has purchased a program that will
automate most reports, making it easier to attain numbers and run numerical reports. This system
will go live next week.
Chief Wilde advised these don’t sound like a lot of projects, but they take a lot of time to get
them up and going. The department received funds last year for a locker room renovation, and
the department will initiate that project soon. Chief Wilde thanked the committee for the funding
and all the hard work they have put in through the budget season.
Emergency Management Update
Chief Hoy advised the department was 80 calls ahead from the month of July. He also stated
COVID-19 is a topic of discussion lately. The department has not seen a large increase in
COVID-19 cases at this point in time. The department is equipped, trained, and ready for a
upraise in numbers.
Chief Hoy stated Capital Region has started utilizing a “diversion status”. When the hospital is
overwhelmed with patients, they utilize this status and do not accept ambulance patients unless it
is a life-threatening case. EMS is monitoring the use of this status. Chief Hoy also stated area
residents rely heavily on hospitals for primary care, leading to overcrowding.
Chief Hoy advised the department will take delivery of 2 new ambulances in November, these
are the 4th and 5th new ambulances added since last year, a $1.5 million total investment. The
department is very happy with the performance of the new apparatus.
Chief Hoy stated there is currently 1 new staff member. The department wants to add a flex
position to compensate for the overtime shifts.
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In response to Councilman Mealy’s question regarding NARCAN trends, Chief Hoy stated there
was a large influx of opioid overdoses at the beginning of the year where NARCAN was used.
There has been a decline in cases since then.
Other Updates
Adjourn
Councilman Mealy motioned to adjourn the meeting, Councilman Deeken seconded the motion.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:31 a.m.