Board of Public Safety

Approved by the Board of Public Safety MINUTES Vol. 7, Page 626 February 5, 2025 BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY Vote: Unanimous REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom January 8, 2025 A REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Public Safety was held on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Attendance was in person and by Zoom. Present at the City Hall Auditorium were Mayor Elinor Carbone, Commissioners Joe McElroy, Doug Benedetto, Gregg Cogswell, and Glenn McLeod, Police Chief William Baldwin, Deputy Police Chief Bart Barown, Fire Chief Eric Borden, Deputy Fire Chief David Tripp, Trinity Health EMS Manager Jeff Ganung, and Fleet Manager Emil Castro. Also present were Torringford Volunteer Commissioners James Potter and Gary Delmonte, Drakeville Lieutenant Chris Beyus, and President Mike Whittaker. Commissioners Tylar Young and Darlene Battle joined via Zoom. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comment On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public. No one from the public wished to speak. Accept Minutes On a motion by Commissioner Cogswell, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted to accept the Regular Meeting Minutes from December 4, 2024. Commissioner Benedetto abstained. Police Department – Completion of Probationary Period On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McElroy, the Board voted unanimously to accept Officer Conrad Avallone as a regular member of the Torrington Police Department, after completing their probationary period effective January 12, 2025. On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Cogswell, the Board voted unanimously to accept Officer Brett Westner as a regular member of the Torrington Police Department, after completing their probationary period effective January 14, 2025. Purchase of two (2) Chevy Tahoe 4X4 Police Pursuit Vehicles On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McElroy, the Board, on the recommendation of the Vehicle Replacement Advisory Board and the Fleet Manager, voted unanimously to authorize the Mayor to act on behalf of the City to award, execute, and administer a contract for the purchase of the two (2) Chevy Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles 4X4 from Sullivan Northwest Hills, Torrington, CT in the amount of $146,582, having been previously approved by the City Council. This will be funded from the Vehicle Replacement Account, as further explained in the Purchasing Agent’s letter dated December 11, 2024. Commissioner Benedetto asked if the City was done with Fords, Mr. Castro said there had been a lot of problems with the Fords, so they were looking at the Tahoe or Durango. When comparing the two vehicles, the Tahoe came out on top. Commissioner Benedetto asked what vehicles they would replace; Chief Baldwin said the two supervisor ones. Police Department Reports On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to accept Police Chief Baldwin’s reports for November 2024. Commissioner Benedetto asked if there was an end in sight of the overtime, Chief Baldwin said the Police Department is working on that, plus a lot of the work is paid for through state grants. Fire Department Reports On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to accept Fire Chief Borden’s reports for November 2024. Commissioner Benedetto asked for the status of the ladder truck, Deputy Fire Chief Tripp said the car should be back by Friday. Commissioner Benedetto asked how much money had been put into this truck, Mr. Castro said he wasn’t sure but would get a total analysis for the truck and send it to the Mayor for distribution. Commissioner Benedetto would like the Board to be notified if a Truck will be out of service for an extended period. EMS Provider Reports On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to accept the EMS Provider Activity reports for November 2024. Commissioner Benedetto asked if the call volume has gone up on EMS calls, Mr. Ganung said the call volume is 500-800 calls a month, which is the same call volume as in the past. Trinity will pass a call if they do not have a transporting unit within one minute. Commissioner Benedetto asked if Trinity gets a lot of complaints about the care in the City, Mr. Ganung said he is not aware of it. Commissioner Battle joined via Zoom at 6:39 p.m. MINUTES Vol. 7, Page 627 BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom January 8, 2025 Tabled: Business by the Policy Subcommittee On a motion by Commissioner Cogswell, seconded by Commissioner McElroy, the Board voted unanimously to table business by the Board of Safety Policy Subcommittee. Commissioner Cogswell said the Policy Subcommittee had met recently and is scheduling another meeting, so hopefully there will be something to present to the Board in February. Business by Volunteer Fire Departments On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Volunteer Fire Departments. Drakeville Lieutenant Chris Beyus provided updates from the Department. He also said Drakeville submitted a second FEMA application to replace Engine 35. A tree burn will be held this Saturday, January 11, 2025, at the Drakeville firehouse. Drakeville President Mike Whittaker gave the Board the 2024 year in review for the firehouse. Torringford Commissioner James Potter provided a 2024 review for the Board. He also said that Torringford is struggling to maintain and recruit new members. Business by Department Heads On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McElroy, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by Department Heads. Police Chief Baldwin, Deputy Fire Chief Tripp, and EMS Manager Jeff Ganung gave the latest updates from their departments. Chief Baldwin introduced the Board to the new Police Department Social Worker Melissa Hurley. Mrs. Hurley introduced herself to the Board and said she has been in her new position for about five weeks. She has been working on getting to know the Officers and the Community. She told the Board that four citizens had come in for assistance. Commissioner Benedetto raised concerns with Chief Borden regarding recent comments made by the Firefighters' union on television. The union said inadequate staffing was compromising both firefighters and community safety. Commissioner Benedetto emphasized his safety concern and asked Chief Borden how he planned to address this issue. Chief Borden explained that the increased call volume was primarily due to new EMS responsibilities, which had already been discussed at length. However, he clarified that the union's focus during the TV segment was not on call volume but on NFPA 1710 standards. These standards recommend a minimum staffing level of 15 firefighters to respond to residential structure fires. Chief Borden stated that the union had long advocated for this staffing level, and he supported the goal. However, he acknowledged that achieving this staffing level would require community-wide fiscal support, a matter beyond his authority to resolve. Commissioner Benedetto also expressed concern that the additional EMS responsibilities were straining the department and its vehicles. Chief Borden disagreed, asserting that the department was successfully extending its services to the community, including life-saving EMS responses. Commissioner McElroy informed the Board that the Policy Subcommittee was still evaluating the impact of EMS calls and gathering information. He reiterated that the union's concerns were tied to meeting NFPA 1710 staffing standards for structure fires, rather than the overall volume of calls. Business by Mayor & Members On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Cogswell, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and Members of the Board of Public Safety. Commissioner McElroy would like to see a self-assessment from each department head for the last three years of what goals and objectives were met, and what the goals would be for the next three years. He would like to see February a Facilities conditions report for each Department. In March he would like a five-year plan, then in April he would like to revisit the Fire Department EMS plan, what are the goals and objectives for the future. Mayor Carbone clarified exactly what the Commissioner is looking for from the Chiefs. Commissioner McElroy explained that the EMS plan is different than the plan that is provided yearly, he will be looking for a plan for the upcoming years, will the Fire Department take over EMS, and what the future would look like. Mayor Carbone suggested reviewing the five-year EMS plan that must be approved and sent to the State, then making changes based on that plan. Commissioner McLeod added that the additional ambulance contract expires at the end of 2026, he thinks we should look at what the City will be doing at that point, whether it's extending, adding, or adding to the Fire Department. Commissioner Benedetto asked the Chiefs why the Fire Department responded to calls that Trinity was already going to. Chief Borden said it comes down to response time. There is a communication gap between the Fire Department and Trinity. Commissioner Benedetto’s concern is that they are sending the fire truck, fly car, and ambulance for non- critical calls. He agrees with responding to the critical calls, but the extra calls add to the wear and tear on the vehicles, to the point where they are put out of service. I don’t think this is practical and it needs to be fixed. Commissioner Cogswell explained the conversations in the policy subcommittee have been focused on LCD and how they dispatch calls. He thinks they should be part of the conversation because certain things an individual says will trigger the Fire Department response. He said maybe they should be part of the MINUTES Vol. 7, Page 628 BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom January 8, 2025 conversations. He suggested this conversation should be for the whole Board and not just the Policy Subcommittee. Deputy Chief Tripp said the slips and falls, if there is a head injury and/or trauma, the Fire Department is going. He also added that on August 7, 2024, the Board voted to accept the administrative policy 306.1 Fire Department & EMS Response, which we are responding to has been approved by the Board with one opposed. Commissioner Benedetto asked Trinity for a report of calls they hadn’t made and why they had to be dispatched to the Fire Department. Commissioner McLeod reminded the Board voted to have the Fire Department respond to EMS calls. The Policy Subcommittee is discussing the factors that affect the calls the Fire Department responds to. He also brought up communication, with the Board, they are there to work together. Commissioner Battle said the Subcommittee is still looking at issues, and to let them continue that. She agreed to look at the plan before deciding what to do next. She suggested looking at the policies and seeing what the goal is for the future. Agrees to have LCD come in and talk to the Board. Adjournment On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 7:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted by ATTEST: Heather Abraham, Asst. City Clerk CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK