Public Safety (Subcommittee of the City Council)

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES Wednesday, September 9, 2015 Taftville Fire Department 7:00 P.M. Committee Members Present: Alderman William Nash and Alderman Mark Bettencourt Administration and Staff Present: John Bilda, Interim City Manager; Chief Tim Jencks, Taftville Fire Department; Chief Scandariato, Norwich Fire Department; Chief Bob LaChapelle, Occum Fire Department; Gene Arters, Emergency Management Director Volunteer/Central Fire Departments and Others: Chris LaRose, Norwich Public Utilities; Officer Ferace, Norwich Police Department; Ken Leo, Yantic Fire Department; William Hadam, Taftville Fire Department; Tom Jenks, Taftville Fire Department; Greg Schlyl, Taftville Fire Department; James West Taftville Fire Department; Jennie Lavone, Taftville Fire Department; Brian DeSilva, Taftville Fire Department; Brandon Rafuse, Taftville Fire Department; Sue Bolen, Red Cross I. Call to Order – Quorum Alderman William Nash called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. There is a quorum present. II. Approval of Minutes - Minutes of June 10, 2015 Alderman Mark Bettencourt motioned, seconded by Alderman Bill Nash, to approve the June 10, 2015 minutes. The minutes were unanimously approved. III. Correspondence – None. IV. Citizen Comment – None. V. Old Business a) Little League Complex Update Mr. Bilda reported that the Town has looked into two different options. The option to use Public Works personnel to demo the area is the better option of the two. b) Marina Safety Update Chief Scandariato reported that he reached out to Mike Valentine at the marina as tasked by the committee. He noted that he contacted him on 4 separate occasions, but he has not received any response from the marina on the subject. The committee asked Mr. Bilda (City Manager’s Office) to coordinate with Chief Scandariato for communication information and to reach out to the marina directly to try to work this issue out with them versus an ordinance. However, the committee noted that if they are not willing to discuss we will need to look into the ordinance. VI. New Business a) American Red Cross Smoke Detector Program Presentation Sue Bolen, Red Cross, presented information to the committee on a program that is intended to help reduce deaths related to home fires and helping families prepare by doing home fire safety and smoke alarm installations. The Red Cross does not charge for this service. The program started in SE CT on April 26, 2015 and as of yesterday they installed their 1,000th smoke  detector in SE CT. Sue noted that she would like to work with the fire chiefs/police to canvas the areas as a team. If anyone is in need of this service she stated that the best thing to give them is a flyer (handed out at meeting) that has all of their contact information listed. This program is for renters as well as owners and there is no set limit to the number that can be installed per house. Alderman Nash asked Officer Ferace to share this information via the DARE program and to incorporate into next month’s Fire Safety Month at the schools. b) NPU Update Mr. LaRose reported on the following items: Expects to put the antenna on the radio system (moved from Recreation Center to the Senior Center) in mid-October and hydrant testing/flushing/calibration will occur on Thursday and Monday. c) Fire House Status Updates Chief Tim Jencks, Taftville Fire Department: Reported on the 150th Town Anniversary Celebration, fire responses, training drills, and the air conditioning issue at the station. Chief Bob LaChapelle, Occum Fire Department: Reported on membership, and an issue on Railroad Avenue (one way street) as far as accidents and the need for signage. Alderman Nash asked Officer Ferace to look into this issue. Chief Scandariato, Norwich Fire Department: Reported that he met with programmers and a formal report will be coming out soon and that a firefighter from the academy will start in December. Gene Arters, Emergency Management Director: Reported on training exercises and volunteers. Officer Ferace, Norwich Police Department: Reported that there were 8 DUI arrests made over Labor Day weekend, there was also a homicide (2nd this year) and officers are being safe and vigilant due to the recent attacks on police officers. VII. Other – Chief Scandariato reported that Mary Ann Dixon retired. VIII. Future Agenda Items  Little League Complex Update  Marina Safety Update IX. Adjournment Upon a motion by Alderman Bill Nash, seconded by Alderman Mark Bettencourt, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:36 pm. Respectfully submitted by Jennifer Kayser, Recording Secretary