Public Safety (Subcommittee of the City Council)

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES Wednesday February 12, 2014 American Ambulance 7:00 P.M. Committee Members Present Alderman Mark Bettencourt Alderwoman Sofee Noblick Alderman Bill Nash Administration and Staff Present Alan H. Bergren, City Manager Chief Tim Jencks, Taftville Fire Department Pat Daley, Norwich Police Captain./East Great Plain F.D. Asst. Chief Tom Ladd, Taftville Fire Department Gene Arters, Director OEM Deputy Chief William Haddam, Taftville F.D. Damian Rickard, American Ambulance SI Volunteer/Central Fire Departments and Others Chris LaRose, Norwich Public Utilities Ken Leo, Yantic Fire Department Kyle Seitz, Norwich Fire Department D. B., Taftville Fire Department I. Call to Order – Quorum Alderman William Nash called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. It was determined a quorum is present. II. Approval of Minutes - Minutes of January 8, 2013. Upon a motion of Alderwoman Sofee Noblick, seconded by Alderman Mark Bettencourt, the January 8, 2014 minutes were unanimously approved. III. Correspondence – a. Supporting documentation for the Dive Truck replacement b. An email from the Jill Brennan in the City Manager’s office (see attached) IV. Citizen Comment – Alderman Mark Bettencourt asks Gene Arters, OEM Director, about the coming storm. Gene Arters responds that this storm could produce anywhere from 3” to 18” of snow. He is anticipating about 3”-6” and then it will change over to a mix and then rain. Flooding will be possible since the storm drains are covered with snow. Chris LaRose from NPU informs Gene that the EOC is not down so it is still ready. They anticipate de-commissioning it after this storm. Chris LaRose from NPU also talks about an old lead service break on Washington Street that they have been working to repair in the cold and the snow. Public Safety Meeting Minutes February 12, 2014 Page 2 V. Old Business – a) Minicode Change Request – City Manager Alan Bergren confirms that this was dealt with at the City Council meeting. Two ordinances were passed. b) EOC Tabletop Drill – Chris LaRose with NPU states they are planning an Ice Storm Tabletop Drill exercise for April 1, 2014 from 1:30 to 5:30. There will be 2 operational periods and food will be provided. He is hoping the exercise will bring them to failure so they can learn from it. Gene Arters, OEM Director, adds that Governor Malloy is planning an EPPI Statewide Drill for Monday June 23, 2014. This drill will be a category 2 hurricane with shelter needs and Kelly will be fully functioning. It will be a full scale evacuation drill including pet shelter needs. After Hurricane Katrina it was realized that a lot of lives were lost because people wouldn’t leave their pets behind. This will be a full EOC event including unified command. c) City Radio on Fiber – The last two sections are on. Fire Headquarters is on. They’re adding Greenville. They are almost done. They need the right corrected invoice for tactical. The original scope changed so the cost came down. Also, City Cameras are done and turned over to PD. Pat Daley adds that the Public Notice signs are up in the areas of the cameras. Alderman Mark Bettencourt asks if the signs are necessary. Pat Daley replies that they’re not required but it is good practice. d) Tone/Encoder for EOC – Chris LaRose from NPU states that the hardware is set. They just need to get tactical to put it together. That will cost about $1,500 which will be taken from the leftover funds from the Fiber project. e) Cliff Street February 5, 2014 Meeting – Pat Daley states that there was a meeting scheduled but it had to be postponed due to a storm. The new date is March 5, 2014 at 6 pm at Otis Library. Alderman Mark Bettencourt mentions that the neighborhood didn’t feel there was enough notice about the meeting. The flyers weren’t put out early enough. Pat Daley states the weather affected the delivery of flyers. They hope to get the new date on the website and put out flyers sooner for this meeting. VI. New Business a) Dive Truck Replacement – Chief Jencks refers to the pictures of the current Dive Truck. He states that it is a 1977 vehicle and there are some cosmetic issues and they have done some welding to reinforce it. The roof leaks on the equipment and the team. They have had many issues recently. There is not enough room for the team and the equipment. Public Safety Meeting Minutes February 12, 2014 Page 3 It is rated at 10,200 lbs and they weighed it empty and it came in at 10,100 lbs. The ice equipment wasn’t in it when it was weighed. There is no heat in the back and the cabin heat is marginal. The door gaskets are rotted. They looked at several used trucks and they found a truck in Mystic for sale. He would like to make an offer of $20,000. It is a 1991 with 27,000 miles on it. It is bigger and is rated for 31,000 lbs. It fulfills their space needs and it is almost a self sustaining unit. The garage stated it needs an exhaust and 2 tires and Chief Jencks states that his crew can do the rest of the work. Chief Jencks states they have been getting calls to go further out and they are experiencing many issues due to the truck problems. He was hoping the Public Safety Committee would send this to the City Council for the funds so he can make an offer for the Mystic truck. He explains that they have 30 members over 2 departments. They do dive and flood (swift water) rescue. They are working on their Type II FEMA certification. If they get a call right now they aren’t sure they will be able to make it because of the condition of the current truck. Alderman William Nash asks Chief Jencks if he explored grant monies for this. Chief Jencks replies that they have received grant funding for training but there are not a lot of grants for Water Rescue Teams. He adds that he is working towards getting a grant for a brand new truck but that would take 2 years start to finish. He believes they can get 5 – 10 years out of this Mystic truck and he can continue his efforts for a new truck grant. Alderman William Nash asks if Fleet Maintenance gave him the estimated value. Chief Jencks replied that they did and the $20,000 was based on age, mileage, equipment size. They are hoping to be able to store the vehicle indoors. Gene Arters mentions that monies are becoming available because the WMCOG is being dissolved. 2011-2012 money is opening up. There is a meeting coming up. But the money may not come quick enough. It could take over a year. Chief Jencks replies that equipment funding doesn’t come from there. Alderman Mark Bettencourt motions to recommend the purchase of this vehicle to the City Council, seconded by Alderwoman Sofee Noblick. The motion passed unanimously. They ask City Manager Alan Bergren to find out what finance has. Alderman William Nash asks how long Mystic will hold the truck. Chief Jencks replies about a month. VII. Other – a. Ken Leo mentions that there are lights that are supposed to shine into the Cemetery behind Backus Hospital and only 1 of the 12 is working. Chris LaRose from NPU states that he will investigate and get them fixed. Public Safety Meeting Minutes February 12, 2014 Page 4 City Manager Alan Bergren reminds everyone that if they see something like that they should contact him and let him know. It is not always necessary to wait for a meeting to bring it up. VIII. Adjournment Upon a motion by Alderwoman Sofee Noblick, seconded by Alderman Mark Bettencourt, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:41 pm Respectfully submitted by Christine Averna