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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2024-01-25 minutes 1 Public Safety Committee Meeting Call to Order The January 25, 2024, Public Safety Committee meeting was convened at 7:30 a.m. by Councilman Spicer. Attendance Present: Committee Members: Councilman Derrick Spicer, Councilman Scott Spencer, Councilman Jack Deeken, Councilman Mark Schwartz Guests: Fire Chief Matt Schofield, Chief of Police Eric Wilde, Emergency Medical Services Chief Eric Hoy, City Attorney Ryan Moehlman, City Administrator Brian Crane, Mayor Fitzwater (Virtual) Approval of Minutes Councilman Spencer motioned to approve the minutes from the December 1st meeting. Councilman Schwartz seconded the motion. Minutes approved. Discussion of Agenda Items PRESENTATION FROM THE GALLERY Nothing to Report. OLD BUSINESS Nothing to Report. NEW BUSINESS Presentation of the 2023 EMS Response Summary Chief Hoy stated there were 12,315 calls for services throughout 2023. This number is down from the peak of 2022, but the numbers are still higher than the 2018 pre-pandemic numbers which were at about 8,700 total calls. The winter months still tend to have a higher call volume due to the flu and other illnesses. Monday through Friday tend to have a higher call volume than the weekend. Councilman Schwartz indicated this may be due to the amount of State workforce commuters coming into the city during the work week. He suggested the state should reimburse the department for their increase in call volume. Chief Hoy added the department received a majority of funds through the County sales tax funds, which commuters contribute towards every day. Chief Hoy advised the high call volume impacts the workforce and community. Although the call volume has increased, the response time has stayed within the 90-second standard, averaging at 84 seconds. Arrival time as also stayed within the 9-minute standard, averaging around 7 minutes and 29 seconds. 2 Chief Hoy stated one of the main focuses on a call is to eliminate hazards. One of the ways the team eliminates hazards is to determine what kind of response and transport mode to initiate. Non-emergent and emergent response and transport modes are determined by if the team is able to stabilize a patient. The department has utilized training opportunities to optimize stabilization methods, decreasing the risk of emergent transportation, and ultimately keeping the patient and staff safer on the way to the hospital and decreasing hazardous travel. Chief Hoy advised the Medic 2 unit has more calls for service than any other apparatus throughout the year. He hopes to add another apparatus in that area which would benefit response times and overall care of the community. Chief Hoy stated the main types of calls for service for 2023 were opioid overdoses (143), traffic accidents (789), weapons offenses (22), and cardiac arrests (118) with the main transport destination to Capital Region Medical Center. In response to Councilman Spencer’s question regarding vehicle crash data, Chief Wilde advised personal data is recorded for individuals who are involved in a crash. The data has not been closely monitored to determine how many crashes involve non-resident personnel. Chief Hoy explained the top provider impression of calls was ‘Generalized Weakness’ which is determined if the patient doesn’t give specific symptoms. The second highest impression is behavioral or psychiatric episodes. Because of this, he stated Officer Hitt’s line of work is necessary for the community. Chief Hoy advised the department performed well above the standards for stroke and heart attack patients such as stroke screenings, hospital notification, and EKG applications. Councilman Spicer explained a second-hand experience with the department during a stroke incident. He thanked the department for the timely response and life-saving measures. Chief Hoy stated in February, American Heart Month, the department offered CPR classes for city employees. The CPR classes are very beneficial to the community because citizen interaction with cardiac arrest patients can be crucial to a patient's survival. Only 22% of cardiac arrest patients were given CPR by a bystander in 2023. Chief Hoy hopes to open more CPR classes in hopes of increasing that percentage. AT&T Communications Package Chief Wilde stated there is a possibility of adding a cell phone to each police vehicle for business use only. Officers have used personal cell phones in the past for return calls for cases and taking pictures for evidentiary purposes. Officers are discouraged from using personal phones, but there are cases where their phones must be used. Having a phone assigned to police vehicles would allow officers to give out the phone number to case-related clients, take evidence pictures, and access supporting mobile software such as FLOCK, Shield Force, etc. A vehicle phone would also minimize the risk of officer’s personal phones being hacked. Chief Wilde advised the funds for this project were allocated to the Software and Licensing Agreement account, but the finance department did not agree on the budget placement. Chief Wilde stated the funds are in the budget and the contract is ready, but the council needs to decide what account the funds will come from. The more cost-efficient, 2-year contract would cost $1699 for 34 phones per month. 3 Councilman Spicer agreed that a vehicle cell phone is necessary and officers shouldn’t have to use personal phones for work-related usage. In response to Councilman Spencer’s question regarding the Fire Department also purchasing vehicle phones, Chief Schofield stated it is a good idea, but it is not a purchase the department wants to make at this time. It is a possibility in the future. In response to City Administrator Crane’s question regarding officer cell phone stipends, Chief Wilde stated most officers do not get a cellphone stipend unless they are assigned to a specialty team. The cell phones will be treated as vehicle equipment and will be assigned to each vehicle, not each officer. Councilman Spicer motioned to approve moving the topic funds distribution to the full Council. Councilman Spencer seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Councilman Spencer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Councilman Spicer - Yes Motion to approve passed by a vote of 4 yeses. 911 Staffing Analysis Chief Wilde thanked Cole County and Chief Hoy for their efforts to coordinate the staffing analysis. The staffing analysis is ready to begin, but a date has not been set yet. The analysis should take about 90 days once started. Chief Wilde advised the staffing analysis will look into the current staffing situation in the police department and EMS 911 centers. It will also look at future staffing scenarios. The analysis will determine the number of staff needed for the current and future call volumes. After the staffing analysis is complete, the department will conduct a facility analysis to make sure the facility can effectively house the 911 staff. If the facility cannot house the staff, a 911 center will be built. In response to Councilman Spencer’s inquiry about Chief Wilde’s current facility concerns, Chief Wilde stated the current building has run out of space. There are no more offices or spaces to convert to offices for project managers and higher-ranking personnel. If a 911 facility were to be built, that would open up space for more offices, but the building will need expansion in the future due to the department's growth in personnel, evidence, etc. Upcoming MODOT Grant Cycle Application Chief Schofield stated when the Fire Department applied for the MODOT Grant, the department didn’t know what the threshold would be, it turned out to be a significant amount but under the required amount to be approved by council. The City Administrator has authorized the application. 4 Chief Schofield advised the money awarded in the past has been used to purchase traffic control devices, extraction tools, airbag lifting devices, etc. This year, the department wants to use the award to purchase Electric Vehicle fire suppression blankets and thermal interrupter plug in shunts. These blankets are placed over the vehicle or battery to suppress the spread of the fire or toxic gasses and chemicals emitting from the burning vehicle. Chief Schofield stated the department purchased smaller EV blankets for smaller lithium -ion battery fires such as those in scooters. These were purchased through an LEPC grant. Chief Schofield advised the committee will be notified if and when the grant will be awarded. Proposed Changes to the New Hire Process Chief Schofield advised the hiring ordinance has been in place for decades where and how an applicant can apply, and be placed on a waitlist for an extended period. Chief Schofield suggests changing the ordinance to a more flexible policy when hiring. Instead of making each applicant take tests they may have already taken, they can provide documentation stating they have met certification standards and what the results of the tests were (agility and aptitude tests). This would streamline the process of hiring already certified applicants and be more effective when recruiting and increase the candidate pool. Chief Schofield seeks the approval of the committee to move this topic to the Administration Committee meeting in February. Councilman Spencer moved to approve the revision of the ordinance and take the topic to the Administrator’s Meeting. Councilman Deeken seconds. Councilman Spencer – Yes Councilman Schwartz – Yes Councilman Deeken – Yes Councilman Spicer - Yes Motion to approve passed by a vote of 4 yeses. OTHER BUSINESS Fire Department Update Chief Schofield stated the department has been conducting ice rescue training since the cold weather has arrived. Training in cold weather can be difficult, but the department uses the weather to their advantage to knock out training they can. Chief Schofield advised the Apparatus Committee met on January 24th and discussed the ARFF truck project and the replacement Ladder Truck they got a tour of the new apparatus chassis. The new apparatus will be delivered in the summer after it has been fitted with a pump, tank, box and more equipment. Chief Schofield gave a brief staffing update, stating there was recently one fire driver resignation who took a position with a neighboring Fire Department. During the first week of February, the 5 department will promote someone to the fire driver position and hire a new recruit to bring the department to full staffing. Police Department Updates Chief Wilde gave a brief staffing update and thanked the committee and the staff for their efforts in recruiting. Two years ago, the department was 14 officers down. Because of the continuous recruiting efforts, incentives, and pay increases, the department is currently only 2 officers down. Two Police Officer interviews will be conducted next week that could bring the department to full staff. Four Jefferson City Police Department recruits will graduate LETI in February, making it the largest Jefferson City graduating class. Chief Wilde advised Sgt. Gary Campbell will retire in February after 28 years of service. Capt. Robert Clark has also announced his retirement for this spring. Chief Wilde thanked Capt. Clark and Sgt. Campbell for their time and dedication to the department. Chief Wilde advised the Jefferson City Police Foundation’s 3rd Annual Awards Ceremony and Police Officer’s Ball is scheduled for May 16th at Capital Bluffs Event Center. During this event, officers will be recognized for their hard work throughout the year. Ticket sales will be announced at a later date. Chief Wilde stated the department received a MODOT Grant which purchased two radar speed trailers. This equipment will analyze speed and collect data in high-speed complaint areas. Emergency Medical Services Update Chief Hoy gave a brief staffing update, stating the Battalion Chief has accepted a Chief position in the metro area. Chief Hoy congratulated the employee and stated the department is proud to lose an employee who is moving on to higher positions. With the loss of the Battalion Chief, the department will be promoting and hiring all positions leading to Battalion Chief. Chief Hoy advised weather conditions impact call volumes significantly and appreciates all departments sending out notifications for inclement weather. He referred to the fire apparatus video that has circulated around the state from the metro area, and stated that is the unfortunate reality when it comes to responding to calls in icy conditions. Two vehicles slid off the roadway during the icy condition with minor damages. Chief Hoy gave a brief update for the construction on E. McCarty Street. He advised Adam’s street will be partially closed and not accessible through the McCarty Street side next week due to construction. Emergency Management Update Nothing to Report Other Updates Nothing to Report Adjourn 6 Councilman Spencer motioned to adjourn the meeting, Councilman Schwartz seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned at 8:26 a.m.