Public Safety (Subcommittee of the City Council)

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES Wednesday, November 9, 2016 Yantic Fire Department 7:00 P.M. Committee Members Present: Alderman William Nash, Alderman H. Tucker Braddock, and Alderman Gerald Martin. Administration and Staff Present: Chris LaRose, Norwich Public Utilities; Chief Pat Daley, East Great Plains Fire Department/Norwich Police Department; Chief Ken Scandariato, Norwich Fire Department; and Gene Arters, Director, Office of Emergency Management; and Alderwoman Joanne Philbrick. Volunteer/Central Fire Departments and Others: Yantic Chief Frank Blanchard, Deputy Chief BJ Herz, Ryan Mocek, James Tramontozzi, Frank Cilley, Adam Herz, Robert Allen, Ellen Adelman, Chris Colenair, William Hayes, Michelle Hayes, Austin Deschamps, Ken Leo, Ron Stolz, Paul O'Connor, and Gregory Stott; Norwich Chief Kenneth Scandariato, Scott Merchant, Tracy Monton, and Ryan Flaherty; Taftville Chief Timothy Jencks, Assistant Chief William Hadam, Deputy Chief Tom Jencks, Hope Jencks, Daniel Auger, Richard Majcher Christian Griffin, Dwight Storms, Vincenzo DeJesus, and Jerromiah Payne; Laurel Hill Chief Aaron Westervelt, Ed Martin, Peter Clark, and Lieutenant Pete; East Great Plains Chief Keith Milton, and Rich Huntley. Citizens Present: Greg Schlough. I. Call to Order and Quorum: Alderman Nash called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. There was a quorum present. II. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of October 12, 2016 Alderman Nash motioned, seconded by Alderman Braddock, to suspend the approval of the October 12, 2016 minutes until the December meeting due to discrepancies. The motion passed unanimously. III. Correspondence: Chief Blanchard mentioned a letter he received from Dominion thanking the Yantic Volunteer Fire Department for their quick response to the equipment failure on Stott Avenue despite the occurrence of radio issues. City Manager John Salomone was copied on the letter. A copy of the letter will be included in next month’s minutes per Alderman Nash. Alderman Martin thanked Norwich Police Department for their work in catching the juveniles responsible for the mill arson fires. IV. Citizen Comment: None. V. Old Business: Alderman Martin requested any chiefs still needing to submit surveys do so now. Chief Milton brought forward the survey for East Great Plains Volunteer Fire Department. Chief Westervelt said he will submit Laurel Hill’s survey in the next few days. Alderman Nash reiterated the reason for the surveys is mainly due to equipment corrosion issues. He plans to have two representatives from each department participate in a subcommittee tasked with compiling survey data and identifying the top three heavy-hitter items. Then all fire house representatives will collectively opine how to best move forward as there is not enough money to replace every piece of equipment. He thanked all that took the time to complete the surveys. The goal is to take a more regional approach to have equipment assets scattered throughout the city to improve financial efficiency. All departments need to work together to achieve this. Alderman Nash reported they are looking to secure a $2m bond, and need to preliminarily identify four trucks needing replacement. This will not solve the problem for all trucks needing to be replaced but will at least give a four (4) truck head start. Alderman Braddock asked if this will be done through a referendum to which Alderman Nash replied that there will be a referendum held once the bond package is received. VI. New Business: a) Norwich Public Utilities Update: Chris LaRose reported NPU met with ISO on October 25, 2016. NPU presented hydraulic testing and ran several tests which had favorable results. The ISO requested 9 additional tests which be performed and results sent to them. Water supply levels are at 58% capacity. NPU is still asking for a 20% reduction in water use. While they are not overly concerned with running out, they ask for prudent water usage including minimizing the use of hydrants for training. There is a 233 day supply of water remaining. Alderman Braddock mentioned getting word of shortage out to citizens via NPU billing and newspaper. Chris LaRose said the governor issued a statewide press release. Western CT is in a state of severe drought, while our area is in a state of moderate drought. NPU is closely monitoring the situation. b) Fire House Status Updates: Yantic: Chief Blanchard reported the departments membership number remains the same as last month. Pump operating training class was completed with a total of 288 man hours, 11/15/16 is the final test date. Six (6) members attended fire academy training totaling 284 man hours. On 11/7/16 they will attend forcible entry training with East Great Plains Volunteer Fire Department. Also they are attending a live burn in Colchester this Sunday Taftville department will provide station coverage. The department visited many locations during fire prevention week. They decided to replace a pump as the repair would cost 3/4 the price of buying new. A budget has been submitted to the finance department. Apparatus is status quo. Chief Blanchard asked committee members to accompany him on a short tour after the meeting to see two issues, an underground storage tank and air conditioning. The Christmas party will be held 12/10/16 and all present were invited. Occum: Chief LaChapelle reported status quo. Ten (10) members will be attending weekend training pump class. They passed on all pump operations. Had two (2) CPR saves over the last week. Membership is the same as last month. Members will be attending mental health/suicide prevention training at United Community and Family Services. Taftville: Chief Jencks reported 67 runs last month. He attended the ISO meeting and turned in all requested information. The department had several mutual aid calls including Kleemans in Greenville. They visited numerous schools and daycare centers for fire prevention week and held a successful Halloween party, passing out more than 300 bags candy. Assisted with Walktober event. He is continuing with mill walkthroughs, and is in the building weekly, preplanning as always. Membership remains the same. NP1410 drills training. Apparatus is status quo, lost tower for a couple days due to alternator. They currently have several members in EMT training. He received blue prints on 11/8/16 for renovations, and plans to break ground in spring. Budget is still waiting for a few quotes. Laurel Hill: Chief Westervelt reports they have one (1) new member and one (1) potential member in the wings pending background check. They currently have two (2) members in Fire II. Their department assisted with Kleeman and YMCA fires. He attended the ISO meeting and supplied them with all requested info. They visited Veterans School for fire prevention week. No update on the former state hospital. Engine 61 same as last month, more issues have been identified. East Great Plains: Chief Milton reported they have added a couple new members since last meeting. They held flash fire training on top of regular monthly training. The department had 72-75 calls last month. They visited several schools and daycares for fire prevention week and attended Stanton School and VFW trunk or treat events. Station building renovations continue. Apparatus status quo. Chief Milton missed the ISO meeting but called and left message for them, waiting to hear back. Norwich: Chief Scandariato thanked all who helped with the recent downtown fires. There is currently one (1) vacancy to fill. They had 221 applicants, 141 passed test, 107 oral exam. Human Resources is compiling a list of applicants which will be divided into groups of ten (10) for chief interviews. The new hire is scheduled to attend fire academy in February 2017. He went with purchasing agent to view the low bidder and check condition which was great. The renovations will wait until spring, using federal funds first following Davis Bacon rules. Engine 4 has a blown injector. Lost $4,000 in equipment after Kleemans fire, hose was contaminated and replacement is on purchase. Also working closely with  Purchasing Department regarding the 70 windows which need to be replaced at headquarters. Potential $62,000 cost but is still seeking additional quotes. This is a capital issue - working with Public Works Director Ryan Thompson who will be handling the exterior while Chief Scandariato will handle the interior. Bob Seward also assisted. Chief Scandariato said we need to explore opportunities for departments to train together, and need to go over operations and develop better working relationships, starting with East Great Plains. ISO gave 30 day grace period, all attended meeting except East Great Plains. Chief Scandariato will follow up with ISO and request they contact East Great Plains Chief Milton. Confident all departments had the opportunity to put best foot forward. Will take given rating then work together to make improvements moving forward. Budget offset applied for $230,000 for SCBA upgrades. Two departments need Scott Pack upgrades which they put in budget but can "stay" due to grant application. Norwich Police Department: Chief Daley reported Kleemans and mill fires were both arson and thanked all for their assistance. New computers going into cars, new lockers being installed, lots of construction going on at station. Officers attended several trunk or treat events, many officers purchased candy with their own funds and passed out from their cruisers throughout the city. Police department had presence for Election Day but no issues to report. Sergeant Camp and Chief Scanlon recognized at dinner. Office of Emergency Management: Gene Arters mentioned Gov EPP1 drill. EOC activated until communications established. City planner to contact FEMA regarding revamping water sheds and maps. Meeting scheduled tomorrow with Millstone to lay foundation for upcoming mandatory drill. VII. Other: Taftville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jencks discussed the ongoing issues with current radio system. Met with four other department chiefs on November 3, 2016 regarding switching to high band. Radio vendor is available to perform survey of current system for $5,000. He believes it will cost approximately $150,000 or less to migrate the entire system to high band. Chief Scandariato voiced concerns, saying he has done research on his own in this regard. He said though the electrical and mechanical could sustain the upgrade it would still need to be built out. He also believes the cost would be more in the neighborhood of $200,000-$300,000 and there would still be coverage issues. Chief Scandariato requested emergency dispatch and stakeholders be consulted as this would raise procedural questions. He believes it would take 3-5 years to complete the process. They need to explore all pros and cons to be sure the needs of the city are being met in the best possible way. Discussion ensued between Chief Jencks, Chief Scandariato, Chief Blanchard, Alderman Martin, Alderman Nash, and Alderman Braddock. All agreed the next meeting with be scheduled by Chief Jencks and will involve public safety dispatch and stakeholders, among others. Greg Schlough was called upon by Alderman Nash to give a convention update. Greg reported a successful fundraiser was held over the last weekend however assistance is still needed with planning and fundraising as they are $50,000 short of goal. He is exploring the possibility of having the Tunnel to Towers mobile unit come for a weekend. The cost is $10,000 for two (2) days, and has the potential to bring 2-3k people into the city. They are also selling t-shirts marking Taftville Volunteer Fire Department’s 100 year anniversary for $17-$19 each if anyone would like one. Alderman Nash was approached by several people regarding a perceived lack of volunteer department exposure on the city website. Alderman Nash spoke to City Manager Salomone who said he would be happy to include more photos on the website. Send to his attention and he will have Josh Pothier include them. VIII. Future Agenda Items: 2017 Meeting Calendar: Alderman Nash motioned to keep the same monthly meeting day and station rotation as in 2016. The motion was seconded by Alderman Braddock and passed unanimously. IX. Adjournment: Upon a motion by Alderman Braddock, seconded by Alderman Martin, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:51 PM. Respectfully submitted, Tia Marie Michaud Recording Secretary