Public Safety (Subcommittee of the City Council)

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES Wednesday, October 11, 2017 Occum 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: Sergeant Tom Lazzaro, Norwich Police Department. Volunteer/Central Fire Departments and Others: Yantic Chief Frank Blanchard, Ken Leo, Ryan Mocek, James Tramontozzi, Adam Herz, Robert Alley, and Ron Stolz; Norwich Battalion Chief Tracy Montoya, Lieutenant Michael Dziavit, and Jake Manke; Occum Chief Robert LaChapelle, Lieutenant Scott Eggert, Frank Mankowski, Karen Mankowski, Jessica Strout, Paul Wedge, and Justin Lawton; Taftville Chief Timothy Jencks, and Deputy Chief Tom Jencks; Laurel Hill Captain Pete Clark, and Megan McKeever; and East Great Plains Chief Keith Milton. 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 September 13, 2017 Alderman Nash motioned, seconded by Alderman Braddock, to approve the September 13, 2017 meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously. III. Correspondence: Alderman Martin reported the City Council received an email on Monday, October 2, 2017 from retired Norwich fire Captain William Dennis regarding a reported fire occurring that evening in the Yantic Fire District. Alderman Martin also reported that response to the email was handled by Chief Frank Blanchard. A copy of the email from Mr. Dennis is attached to these minutes. IV. Citizen Comment: Greg Schlough spoke regarding the success of the 2017 Connecticut State Firefighters Association Convention and Parade held nearly one month ago in Taftville. He thanked all members of all departments, including those in several neighboring towns, for their assistance before, during, and after the convention. The 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit was escorted by all companies and was greeted on Route 2 by Lebanon and Bozrah fire departments displaying the flag as it traveled to Norwich. Mr. Schlough reported the mayor and city council members are very happy with the convention overall. He said it was an honor, and a humbling experience, to chair this event. V. Old Business: a) Apparatus/Equipment Financing: Chief Frank Blanchard emailed all chiefs regarding his department hosting an event Saturday, October 21, 2017 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at Yantic Volunteer Fire Department. All apparatus slated for replacement by the proposed bond will be present for citizens to view and ask questions about. He has designed a flyer to advertise the event and is posting the information on various social media sites. Alderman Nash mentioned he will be writing a letter to the editor regarding the importance of passing the bond. He strongly suggested all chiefs and members do the same. He is working with City Council President Pro- Tempore Peter Nystrom and City Manager John Salomone to ensure the funding of replacement apparatus is not a problem in the future. Alderman Braddock and Chief Blanchard discussed another opportunity for the public to view the apparatus and ask questions being held Saturday, November 4, 2017 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm on the Norwichtown Green. VI. New Business: a) Norwich Public Utilities Update: None. b) Fire House Status Updates: Yantic: Chief Frank Blanchard reported Yantic is hosting their 5th Firefighter I class with 14 enrolled, 6 of which are members of Yantic. Apparatus has been out for general maintenance only. Chief Blanchard expects the work needed at the station will be ready to go out to bid in 30-45 days. Occum: Chief Robert LaChapelle reported EMR class for all departments and six members attending training with Yantic this past month. He is getting the trailer in soon for fire prevention training. Chief LaChapelle also reported he has spent about 90% of the grant money and the house is looking very good at this point. Taftville: Chief Timothy Jencks reported apparatus out for regular maintenance with the exception of the 80 Pierce which water had a bad pump valve and will be needing body work done very soon. Taftville had training with Norwich and members participated in an annual water rescue re- certification. Their monthly breakfast will be held this coming Sunday and they are holding a benefit for a disabled member of the department on October 28th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Tickets are $10.00 per person and there will be baskets raffled as well. East Great Plains: Chief Keith Milton reported a busy month with 80 calls and the usual monthly training. Station renovations are ongoing with the bay floors being worked on currently. Chief Milton also mentioned the Ladies Auxiliary will be holding their annual 5k road race this coming Saturday at 9:00am.  Laurel Hill: Captain Pete Clark reported having hosted an event for fire prevention at Veterans School this month. They will be training with East Great Plains on the 24th. Norwich: Battalion Chief Montoya reported the foundation for the new building has been poured. He also reported all personnel taking their refresher training modules online, the new way, passed. Norwich Police Department: Sergeant Tom Lazzaro reported ten cars have had the new computers installed so far and they hope to complete the rest of the fleet in the next month. Upgrades to the building are continuing with new ceiling tiles and painting. Emergency Operations Center: None. American Ambulance: None. VII. Other: Alderman Nash entertained a motion by Alderman Braddock to cancel the November 8th meeting. The motion was seconded by Alderman Martin, and passed unanimously. The next meeting will be held December 13th. VIII. Future Agenda Items: None. IX. Adjournment: Upon a motion by Alderman Nash, seconded by Alderman Braddock, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:20 PM. Respectfully submitted, Tia Marie Michaud Recording Secretary