Public Safety (Subcommittee of the City Council)

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES Wednesday, April 12, 2017 American Ambulance 7:00 P.M. Committee Members Present: Alderman William Nash, Alderman Gerald Martin, and Alderman H. Tucker Braddock Committee Members Absent: None Administration and Staff Present: Chris LaRose, Norwich Public Utilities; Deputy Chief Christopher Ferace, Norwich Police Department; Damian Rickard, American Ambulance Director of Emergency Management; and Alderwoman Joanne Philbrick. Volunteer/Central Fire Departments and Others: Yantic Lieutenant Raymond Henry, Captain Chris Colonair, Paul O’Connell, Ray O’Connell, and Ron Stolz; Norwich Captain Michael Dziavit, and Lieutenant Mark Sicuso ; Taftville Chief Timothy Jencks, and Assistant Chief William Hadam; Laurel Hill Captain Pete Clark, and Megan McKeever; and East Great Plains Chief Keith Milton. Citizens Present: Brian Kobylarz. 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 January 11, 2017 Alderman Nash motioned, seconded by Alderman Braddock, to approve the March 8, 2017 meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously. III. Correspondence: None. IV. Citizen Comment: Citizen Brian Kobylarz of 16 Hobart Avenue asked the safety committee to readdress line painting near the boat launch which was missed when the lot was painted last year. Alderman Braddock and Alderwoman Philbrick are both on the Public Works & Capital Improvements Committee which is meeting tomorrow evening. They both agreed to follow up with Public Works regarding having this work completed. V. Old Business: No radio update at this time. VI. New Business: a) Norwich Public Utilities Update: Chris LaRose reported the reservoirs are at 100% capacity as of March 31, 2017. A system wide hydrant flush is scheduled for May. Notification of the flush will be sent to all the fire departments and also advertised in the newspaper for residents. Work will begin tomorrow to repair a sewer main collapse on Huntington Place and the road will be shut down and impassable until the repair is complete. Residents living on Huntington Place have been notified of the work and anticipated road closure. Chris also mentioned having switched from using chlorine gas to sodium hypochlorite in the water treatment process. Chris brought brochures for anyone who would like to participate in voluntary online safety training regarding natural gas for first responders. This is not to be used in lieu of regular required training but is a great additional tool. He will be contacting each fire department to speak further about training opportunities. b) Fire House Status Updates: Taftville: Chief Jencks reported 53 runs last month and membership is currently holding at 49. Trucks have been status quo with the usual maintenance issues. Chief Jencks expects the building addition will go out to bid in the next 30 days or so. Occum: None. Laurel Hill: None. Yantic: Chief Blanchard mentioned their annual banquet being held this weekend where they will be honoring member Ronald Stolz for his 60 years of dedicated service to the Yantic Fire Department. Chief Blanchard reported 52 calls last month and a total of 591 calls for the last fire department year which closed April 2, 2017. He also mentioned having an issue with the light tower on the rescue truck. East Great Plains: Chief Milton reported 77 calls and 48 active members. Members have attended the regular training and also the NPU safety training last month. They have had a couple trucks out for routine maintenance and expect to have the firehouse bay floors painted once the Taftville station is complete. Norwich: None. Emergency Operations Center: None. American Ambulance: None Norwich Police Department: Deputy Chief Chris Ferace reports the testing for the three open positions has been completed, the oral boards will be held next week, and he expects the positions will begin to be filled next month. The six week HVAC project at the station is ahead of schedule. Chris mentioned the three most recent hires have completed training, are currently scheduled on the midnight shift, and are doing well so far. VII. Other: Alderman Martin reminds everyone the next Survey Subcommittee meeting will be held Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 6:00pm the Yantic Fire Department. Dinner and beverages will be provided. Chief Jencks invited all to attend a Pasta Dinner being held Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at the Taftville Fire Department. Proceeds to benefit Sue Benoit, wife of Dick Benoit, who has recently experienced health issues. VIII. Future Agenda Items: None. IX. Adjournment: Upon a motion by Alderman Martin, seconded by Alderman Braddock, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:20 PM. Respectfully submitted, Tia Marie Michaud Recording Secretary