Public Safety Committee Meeting

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA COMMISSION CHAMBERS CONFERENCE ROOM 4243 REMEMBRANCE RD. NW. MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2023 5:00 PM Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance 1. Committee Members: Mayor Carey (Chair), Thom Burke, Jessica Babcock, and Elaina Huizenga-Chase (Alternate) Discussion Items 1. Approval of Minutes from June 19, 2023 2. Fire Department Personnel Discussion Adjournment Page 1 of 4  PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MEETING MINUTES COMMISSION CHAMBERS MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2023 5:00 PM Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance Committee Members: Mayor Carey (Chair), Elaina Huizenga-Chase, and Jessica Babcock City Staff: Dave Pelton, Chad Host, Darrel Schmalzel, and Frank Wash Discussion Items Approval of Minutes Motion by Elaina A. Huizenga-Chase, seconded by Jessica Babcock to approve the December 19, 2023 meeting minutes. Motion Carried. Fire Department Personnel Discussion Fire Chief, Dave Pelton, presented to the committee on personnel changes and needs in the department. He stated that they are experiencing shortages in paid- on-call staff answering calls resulting in burn out of other staff members. Currently the department has 30 paid-on-call firefighters and 6 full time firefighters. He is requesting 2 additional full time firefighters and 1 additional fire inspector. Discussion took place; committee questions and comments were heard. A request was made by the committee for more data including comparable analysis from when full time staff went to a 12 hour shift, goals, and objectives. The committee will hold off on making a decision until more information is presented. Chief Pelton will gather the information requested to be presented at a meeting to be held in mid to late July. Adjourned at 6:18 PM Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes 6-19-23 Page 1 of 2 Page 2 of 4 Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes 6-19-23 Page 2 of 2 Page 3 of 4  WALKER FIRE DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR 7-DAY-A-WEEK STAFFING FOR FY 2023-2024 1. Request for three additional full-time staff for FY-2023-24 • Two additional firefighters for 7-days a week of 12-hour shifts (6a-6p) including all holidays. • One Fire Inspector for Fire Prevention/Inspections working M-F during business hours ( concentration on annual inspections but available to respond to large daytime calls). Benefits • Covers over 67% of calls for service while maximizing the utilization of available POC resources. • Enables increased mentoring capability for POC New Hires. • Supports goal of having 1st Engine onsite within 8-minute or less. • Enables a doubling of fire prevention tasks to be processed annually (these include inspections, violations, re-inspections, plan reviews, alarm follow-up, public education, etc. focus will be on annual inspections). • Additional certified inspector/firefighter during the business week to respond to large incidents. Why: • 49% Decrease in available paid-on-call firefighters. • 50% Decrease in responding paid-on-call firefighters across all three stations. • Trends indicate increased difficulty to muster adequate response to emergencies in a timely manner to meet minimum standards and best practices. • Inability to meet the requirement of annual fire inspections for all commercial occupancies in the City of Walker (currently 200+ inspections per year). Cost: Approximately $300,000 increase in Fire Department annual budget. 2. A workshop with the City Commission to discuss and form a shared vision for the Fire Department. Approve standards of practice for the fire department that are recognized and have established benchmarks for performance. • Create a shared vision. • Guidance to establish acceptable operational parameters and benchmarks. • Commission approved standards of practice. Page 4 of 4