City Council Committee Agendas

Public Safety Meeting April 5 2017 Minutes: The January minutes were approved (1st by Hudson, 2nd by Ragan). I. Statistical Review o The 2016 call review revealed the majority of all calls are medical in nature, but 122 calls were fire calls. In 2017, the department will work on improvements in coding to provide improved statistical analysis in 2017. o City of Mount Vernon follows the national standard when looking at calls by time of day. The peak call volume is between 900 and 2100 hours. o Additional statistics the department examines are hydrant inspections, occupancy or business inspections and response times. II. Hydrant Improvement Program  The department had developed an initial hydrant replacement program based on priorities assigned: i. Waterline upgrades– replace hydrants on waterline upgrades scheduled by PUD. ii. Repair issues – replace (or repair) hydrants identified during annual inspections by fire crews. iii. Obsolete hydrants (older than 1976)– hydrants where parts are no longer available for repair. iv. 4” port size – hydrants which have a 4” port barrel limiting water flow. v. Waterline is the wrong type (ie PVC) – waterlines that have been identified that will not support new hydrants if needed. III. Effective Reponses Force – 2 in 2 out  Optimal response is 15-16 personnel.  Mount Vernon has 7 personnel available to respond on a daily basis. We rely on our Mutual Aid partners (Big Lake, Clear Lake, Burlington, McLean Road, Cedardale) and department call back to fill the numbers to reach the 15 -16 personnel who are optimal within the first 12 minutes.  Full staff is 11, but due to Kelly Days, vacations, holidays and other staff requirements average personnel is 7-9 on any given day.  Education and Fire Prevention methods are the best way to combat the initial fire call. IV. Miscellaneous Updates o The State Department of Health came out on March 30th to inspect for our ALS license application. We passed the inspection and just waiting on our paperwork to through. o FEMA Public Safety and Prevention grant is opening soon. The department is looking at applying for a micro grant ($25,000 or less) and will focus on Car Seat training and materials and bike helmets. The matching funds will be approximately $1,250 or 5%.  Police Department Update V. Introduction of Outreach Coordinator  Erin was introduced to Council providing her background and experiences.  She has spent the first month meeting the mental health provider community, toured the City to learn where the homeless live, and meeting with similar positions in Everett and Snohomish to learn some best practices.  Currently into the next stage of meeting the homeless community. Currently has met 18 homeless persons in the City. Meeting Adjourned: 6:49 pm.