Public Safety (Subcommittee of the City Council)

Public Safety Committee Meeting Emergency Management November 10, 2010 Committee Members Present Alderman William Nash Alderman H Tucker Braddock Jr. Committee Members Not Present Alderwoman Jackie Caron Administration and Staff Present Alan H. Bergren, City Manager Chief Tim Jencks, Taftville Vol. Fire Department Assistant Chief Tom Jencks, Taftville Vol. Fire Department Chief Frank Blanchard, Yantic Fire Department Emergency Mgmt Dept Director, Roland Frechette Chief Aaron Westervelt, Laurel Hill Fire Dept. Ken Scandariato, Fire Chief Chief Robert Patton, Occum Fire Department Captain Timothy Menard, Norwich Police Department Volunteer/Central Fire Departments and Others Chris LaRose, Norwich Public Utilities Wayne McLaughlin, Norwich Public Utilities Bill Eyberse, Yantic Fire Department Ron Stoltz, Yantic Fire Department Ray O’Connell, Yantic Fire Department Damian Rickard, American Ambulance Roland Lambert, Occum Fire Department Paul O’Connell, Yantic Fire Co 1 Brian DeSilva, Taftville Fire Department I. Call to Order – Quorum Alderman William Nash called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. It was determined a quorum is present. II. Approval of Minutes Alderman H Tucker Braddock Jr. motions to approve the September 8, 2010 Public Safety Meeting Minutes. Motion was seconded by Alderman William Nash. All in favor, the motion passed. III. Correspondence Alderman William Nash asks if there is any correspondence. There is none. IV. Citizen Comment Alderman William Nash asks if there are any citizens wishing to comment. Ron Stoltz would like a letter drafted by the committee to get the Rail Road tracks on Sunnyside in Yantic repaired. Tires go up in the air and the trains haul explosive cargo. The RR Ties are coming out. It has been needed for several years now but the Rail Road company has been putting it off. The Rail Road just got stimulus finds so they can afford it. Plows don’t plow the tracks, they raise the plows creating additional problems in the wintertime. Public Safety Meeting November 10, 2010 Page 2 V. New Business There is no new business to discuss. VI. Old Business b. Vergason Avenue Gate Chief Blanchard says that there are no new updates at this time. a. Update on the SWOT report from the flood Alderman William Nash has received most of the SWOT reports from each department. Once he has them all he wants to form a group (2 or 3 non-department people) to evaluate them and put together a report that details what each department had and if there were any needs that can be filled now to prepare for future floods. Alderman Nash is hoping this will assist the committee to meet the needs of each department as well as utilizing the strengths of each department to fill gaps where needed. VII. Other Alderman William Nash asks if there are any other items to be brought before the board. Pat Daley expresses his thanks to all who were involved in the Friendly’s fire. It was a very smooth operation and the teamwork really made things go well. Chief Scandariato discusses the Friendly’s fire. He is not sure what the cause was and is waiting for the independent fire evaluation before putting anything in writing. Chief Scandariato also updates the committee on the Plain Hill and Orchard Street towers. Environmental upgrades have been completed, HVAC, security systems are in place. Damages have been repaired and a new amplifier is on order. Chief Scandariato also discusses the copper line system currently being used for their communications. There is a viable fiber optic system fully installed just waiting for the equipment to connect it all together. This would eliminate most of the communication issues, including dead areas and difficulties during rain and other storms. It will require an outlay of funds for the equipment but it would save money in the long run (no more leasing the use of the copper lines from AT&T) and help the departments work more efficiently and effectively. Alderman William Nash asks who would be qualified to do the actual connecting once the equipment is acquired. Pat Daley states that NPU has the personnel and ability to bring it all together. Alderman William Nash asks what type of delay will be involved in the transition. Chris LaRose states it would require a small amount of programming but it would be very quick and would not require any down time. Once the switch is made it would be instantaneous. Public Safety Meeting November 10, 2010 Page 3  Chief Scandariato states that there is no downside to the system other than an initial outlay for the final piece of equipment. He would like the board to try to press forward with obtaining the funding and the approval to get the equipment so the system can be upgraded. Alderman William Nash asks if there is pricing available for the equipment that is needed. Chris LaRose is going to forward the quotes to the board. The cost savings is in getting rid of the leased lines. Alderman H Tucker Braddock Jr. asks if it is possible to get an idea of the savings from the AT&T lease payments. Chief Scandariato states it is a line item in his budget and it is variable. It is a driving force that makes his budget fluctuate. He believes it might be prudent to spread these fees over all the departments since it is how they all communicate. A discussion about the process involved now that Emergency Management is located at NPU in the case of an emergency. Chris LaRose outlined the command center and radio rooms, as well as the enhanced computer abilities and mapping systems available. Alderman William Nash asks each department about their candidates, building, and space issues. All departments inform the board that with the move of Emergency Management and additional changes they are making good use of the space. Their buildings are being repaired and all is progressing nicely. They are all satisfied with the registrations for new candidates and that is also progressing nicely. Tim Menard states he is having issues with space in the Police Department due to the requirements for retention of files and evidence. The files have to be kept in hard copy and cannot be kept in electronic form only due to these retention requirements as well as being necessary for future cases. The files need to be available for use and hard copy is necessary. All evidence has to be held for many years and that storage is quite extensive. Tim Menard also states that new laws are going to require separate juvenile lockup facilities. They will need to be sight and sound separated from the adults and the juvenile group is now increasing to include 16 and 17 year olds. Alderman H Tucker Braddock Jr. asks for a list of damaged and broken equipment as well as shortages so the board can plan for their replacement in the next fiscal year. VIII. Adjournment Alderman H Tucker Braddock Jr. motions to adjourn at 7:35 pm. Alderman William Nash seconds the motion. Meeting adjourned. Respectfully Submitted By, Christine E Averna