Public Safety (Subcommittee of the City Council)

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING THURSDAY, July 13, 2017 Taftville Volunteer Fire Department 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; and Captain Jim Veiga, Norwich Police Department. Volunteer/Central Fire Departments and Others: Yantic Chief Frank Blanchard; Norwich Chief Kenneth Scandariato, and Scott Merchant; Taftville Chief Timothy Jencks, Assistant Chief William Hadam, and Dan Auger; Laurel Hill Chief Aaron Westervelt; and East Great Plains Chief Keith Milton. Citizens Present: Marsades Ceasar. I. Call to Order and Quorum: Alderman Nash called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM. There was a quorum present. II. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of June 14, 2017 Alderman Nash motioned, seconded by Alderman Braddock, to approve the June 14, 2017 meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously. III. Correspondence: None. IV. Citizen Comment: None. V. Old Business: No radio update at this time. VI. New Business: a) Norwich Public Utilities Update: Chris LaRose reported the hydrant flush began June 27th and all will be completed by the end of July or first week of August. 190 hydrants were completed in the first ten days. NPU received minimal complaints from customers during that time. The tank demo at Mohegan Park is nearly complete and foundation work will begin in the next few weeks. Chris also reported the development of an out-of-service hydrant app for the FD iPad solution. In addition to being shown on the maps an automatic email will be sent when a hydrant is taken out of service, and when  it has been repaired and put back into service. Dave Poore from NPU will attend the August meeting and will provide a demo of the app at that time. b) Fire House Status Updates: Taftville: Chief Jencks reported a busy month with 48 runs including a structure fire. Truck 21 and 22 were out for DOT inspections and truck 22 had a pump problem, all other apparatus is status quo. Chief Jencks also reported a good team effort in assisting with Sailfest fireworks last Saturday night. East Great Plains: Chief Keith Milton reported having 75 calls last month and numerous members currently in training at the academy. Members have participated in the usual training including training with Norwich FD. Chief Milton reports trucks and apparatus were in for routine maintenance only. Occum: None. Norwich: Chief Scandariato stated there were 272 calls last month, 11% of those calls were overlapping. The average response time was 3m 6s. Squad A was down for repairs to brakes and chassis. Chassis needed to be ground down and recoated due to corrosion from road salt. Chief Scandariato also reported Dante, the newest recruit, has been working out very well. Soon the department will begin a few new internal personal development programs Emergency Operations Center: Chief Scandariato reported the local volunteer departments, public works, and NPU are continuing to work on the garage and have removed 120 cubic yards of trash so far. Trees located on the right of the garage will be removed soon as they are causing further damage to the roof. Chief Scandariato has received several quotes to repair the roof in the range of $16,000-$24,000 and said the roof is the number one priority among renovations needed at the property. Vehicles have been sent to auction to help offset the cost of repairs and both NPU and public works are assisting in performing some of the work needed. Laurel Hill: Chief Westervelt reports the two members attending instructor class in RI have completed their training and will be taking their tests next week. Another member has recently completed FF I training and will be taking the final exam soon as well. The department continues to assist with the EOC garage clean up. Yantic: Chief Frank Blanchard reported steady membership and said June was a very busy month with calls, many of them mutual aid. Last Saturday night was a notable cardiac ER call on Plain Hill Road which resulted in a saved life. The entire crew did a great job. Chief Blanchard reports standard apparatus maintenance. He also mentioned several wall AC units will need to be replaced soon. The current units are not designed for the infrastructure and are seriously taxed due to the recent heat wave. Norwich Police Department: Captain Jim Veiga reported the next opportunity for recruiting will be in October 2017. Three new cruisers will be  added to the fleet at the end of July then they will determine the next three to be replaced. The fleet currently has nine over 100k miles. American Ambulance: None VII. Other: Chief Scandariato approached the committee with a formal request for a public safety bond which has been vetted and approved by City Manager John Salomone to purchase a replacement boat. Alderman William Nash stated he has been asked by the city council to determine if the committee will be moving forward with the $3.2 million bond. Alderman Nash made a motion to bring the matter before the committee, seconded by Alderman Martin. Discussion ensued at length between all committee members regarding options available for both the boat grant and the $3.2 million bond. During this discussion Chief Scandariato stated for the record that talk of a “bent truck” used for back up at central is false. He states no such truck exists or has ever existed. Alderman William Nash agreed to contact Josh at the city mangers office tomorrow to clarify and determine if it is an option to amend the current bond in question or if the entire bond would need to be redone. Chief Scandariato stated, and reiterated, he is not asking for the boat replacement to be added to the bond. He only put forth the formal request to have the boat replacement need on record and it is not his intention to jeopardize what is already in the works. Alderman William Nash stated the deadline for the bond is July 17th, in order for the referendum to be included in this November’s election. Once he speaks to the city manager’s office regarding options to change the bond he will report his findings to the committee members immediately. Alderman William Nash, Alderman Gerald Martin, and Alderman H. Tucker Braddock agreed if the bond cannot be altered at this time the committee will recommend the city council move forward with the bond as is. VIII. Future Agenda Items: 2017 CT Firefighters Convention planning update to be given by Greg Schlough at August meeting. IX. Adjournment: Upon a motion by Alderman Nash, seconded by Alderman Braddock, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:48 PM. Respectfully submitted, Tia Marie Michaud Recording Secretary