MINUTES
INFORMATIONAL MEETING
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY
JULY 11, 2007
An INFORMATIONAL MEETING was held by the Board of Public Safety on Monday, July 11, 2007, in the Council Chambers in regard to the Fire Department’s Master Plan Part II.
Those in attendance included Mayor Ryan J. Bingham, members of the Board of Public Safety Christopher H. Cook, Richard L. Zaharek, James E. Potter, and Robert C. Zordan, Corporation Counsel Ernestine Yuille Weaver, Fire Chief John Field, and Deputy Fire Chief Jaye Giampaolo. Commissioners Douglas J. Benedetto and Michael Colangelo were absent.
Mayor Bingham called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m.
As noted on March 29, 2007 when the first part of the Master Plan was presented, Chief Field stated that it is broken down into four parts: Facilities, Apparatus or Equipment and Resources, Staffing, and Volunteers. The first two sections were discussed during the meeting held on March 29, 2007 and the second two sections will be reviewed during this meeting. (For the entire presentation of this meeting, please refer to Tape # 229.)
STAFFING #490
Chief Field stated that flexibility in staffing was obtained during their last round of negotiations by getting civilian dispatchers. As a result, they are able to adjust the number of people assigned to certain companies and spread out their resources more effectively amongst the four proposed companies. In order to man each of the four front line companies with three people and a captain in a fly car, the ideal number they would like to reach in this Master Plan is 13.
Even though NFPA suggests fifteen people, Chief Field used NFPA standards to come up with that number. He also looked at the International Accreditation Program, who makes you come up with your own number based on the needs of your city. They currently have 52 line personnel, minimum / maximum, which they are not proposing to change. At this time, they could do this pretty quickly and keep costs to a minimum by paying overtime for minimum / maximum. Administration consists of the Chief, the Deputy Chief and 1½ secretaries. He proposed that the ½ time secretary become full time to keep up with billing, etc. He also foresees the possibility of a second Deputy Chief to help with personnel and operational issues. Currently, they have one shift commander, a captain, three
lieutenants and nine firefighters on each shift. The proposal is to have one captain, four lieutenants, and eight firefighters per shift. He proposes having one officer at each one of the companies, have the incident commander, a captain in his own fly car, and eight firefighters to complement the two additional firefighters for each one of the companies.
Chief Field proposes additional staff to the three personnel under Fire Prevention, and have company officers become inspectors to help the Fire Marshal accomplish his requirements under the State Statutes.
The proposed staffing is as follows: One lieutenant and two firefighters will be assigned to a quint out of headquarters. Headquarters will man the shift commander. The fly car and a quint will respond from headquarters. The north end station will have the engine with one company officer and two firefighters, the west side station will have one company officer with the engine and two firefighters, and the east side station will have one company officer and two firefighters responding with the quint.
Chief Field proposed the training staff to remain at one. Company officers will be more involved in the training process. The training safety officer will develop the lesson plan and be the true division head to supervise and coordinate the training amongst the company officers to make certain it’s done appropriately, instead of actually doing the training. Obviously some of the training will have to be done by the Training Officer, per OSHA obligations.
VOLUNTEERS #910
Chief Field said the Master Plan provides the volunteers with an opportunity to get more involved. Each volunteer department will have a specific function or support role. Torringford will support special operations, Drakeville will deal with rural water supply, and Burrville will maintain the second ladder company. In order to be effective in their operations, the career and the volunteer departments have to get together as one system for the entire city, not just for their individual districts.
The volunteers are identified as a very valuable resource to the city. Perhaps if they become more involved, they can recruit more members and help supplement the career department even more.
SUMMARY #1170
In summary, Chief Field pointed out a few things that were required to get the Master Plan in action. He noted that the entire dispatch communication issue has to come together and civilian dispatchers have to be utilized. They have to start the negotiation process to get east side coverage and decide whether or not the city can utilize what’s currently in the east end or go about it in a different manner. One meeting has already taken place with Torringford, and more should follow. Once they get everything in order, personnel should be increased from 11 to 13 on a daily basis, so they can spread their resources more effectively and efficiently. Lastly, apparatus must be considered.
Chief Field pointed out that Torrington consists of 42,000 square miles and has approximately 40,000 citizens. He has always advocated that each citizen deserves the same response. He has always attempted to give everyone the same response and the same level of service; but until they have more resources, he needs to be effective and efficient with whatever resources he currently has.
The objectives displayed in the Master Plan are specific, measurable, and realistic. Changes won’t occur over night. He hoped the proposal will put everyone on the same page so they can move forward to obtain the same end result.
Commissioner Zordan asked Chief Field if east side coverage was ever discussed during Fire Service Coordination Committee meetings, and whether or not they were receptive.
Chief Field said it was minimally discussed, because the issue should be discussed with Torringford first because it specifically affects them. He was pleased with what came out of the first meeting, however, more meetings need to take place with Torringford, and the Fire Service Coordination Committee can be kept abreast of what is taking place.
Commissioner Potter said he thought the feelings from Torringford volunteers was that they will have no sense of value to be there if the city establishes an engine company in the east end. He said they were reluctantly receptive to the idea and wanted to know what the urgency was. Torringford was informed that they need to start somewhere and that they’d like to establish, at a very minimum, a place to keep an engine company during the day time hours when Torringford is unable to respond.
Commissioner Potter said he hoped giving the volunteers a special purpose would give them an incentive to supplement the city.
Commissioner Zordan asked Chief Field what would happen, if, for instance, they were counting on Drakeville as the rural water supplier and they weren’t available during the day.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo indicated that the volunteers wouldn’t be front line, but rather a support. They’re trying to find a place for the volunteers to hone in on the skills they can call their own. By narrowing the field, they can concentrate on one item. Drakeville especially has really stepped it up recently and is excited about being the rural water supplier.
Chief Field indicated that Drakeville is in the process of developing specifications for a tanker and they’ve included the city’s input in that process.
He explained that ten pumpers exist within the city and he would rather see the volunteers have one pumper and be supplemented by their specialty. Nothing will change in terms of going out on calls. At the same time, Chief Field believes the volunteers will see an increase in calls because they’ll be moving out of their districts to supplement the city with whatever their specialty is. If for some reason the volunteers can’t provide the services the city requests, they can still get assistance from our surrounding volunteer districts.
Commissioner Potter said he was reluctant to believe that headquarters will ever be replaced. A two-engine company system could still operate out of the Water Street Headquarters for another twenty years. Instead of having four stations, you could run two stations out of one building.
Chief Field said he would propose the west side station out of the mix and have an engine company and quint stationed at headquarters with a captain, incident commander.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo thought it was very important for the board to accept the Master Plan, whether they think it’s ever going to happen or not, so that when it does happen, they can immediately tell a developer that they have a plan and want to move forward.
Commissioner Potter said they could move forward with the same concept, but in one building to start with.
Chief Field said the important thing is for everyone to agree on the concept; to get the inside coverage where it belongs and add an additional engine company, or be more effective with the resources they currently have and spread them out further so they can cover the east side better. The Master Plan is flexible on how to get to the end result.
Commissioner Potter asked Chief Field if he could develop a map showing the primary and secondary responses at each station.
Chief Field said he could develop such a map.
Commissioner Potter asked if everyone was in agreement that the top of Kennedy Drive was the most likely place for an east side station.
Chief Field said Torringford West and Kennedy Drive were ideal locations and conducive to all the districts in town.
Commissioner Potter said he felt they should keep the 911 dispatch center at Police
Headquarters along with the EOC because most of the activity from 911 comes
through the Police Department.
Chief Field said if we’re going to spend millions of dollars on a new dispatch center, why can’t we add a bay for a fire station. If the Consultants come up with this conclusion, maybe it would be more cost effective to do the “two for one” thing.
Commissioner Potter said Chief Milano and Deputy Chief Maniago indicated that a supervisor needs to monitor the 911 calls because of their nature.
Chief Field believed a Public Safety Complex would be conducive to the EMS and perhaps a sub station of the Police Department would be conducive to their operations as well.
Regardless of whatever happens with headquarters, Commissioner Potter felt the city needed to build a separate garage to house all the hazmat trailers, etc.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo indicated that headquarters has a 50' x 100' area in the back corner of their lot that’s right for a building, which would be very inexpensive, but it depends on what will happen with headquarters.
In regard to apparatus, Commissioner Potter said he’d be willing to sell the existing ladder truck to get started with the quints. There were two options; either sell the ladder and put the money toward a quint, or place the ladder in Burrville because they are the volunteer department that’s recognized as having a spare ladder.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo said they could get half a million for their current ladder truck.
Commissioner Zaharek asked Chief Field if a quint would out reach the ladder truck?
Chief Field said no, their current ladder has far more ladder capabilities than a quint has. In trying to make their vehicles more diverse, and, at the same time looking at their response times, the ladder truck is a beast.
Commissioner Potter said they could sell the ladder, put the money toward a quint, and buy a good used bucket truck to house in Burrville.
Chief Field and Deputy Chief Giampaolo agreed that a cookie-cutter, 100' bucket would be good. Chief Field said Burrville doesn’t need a ladder with all the bells and whistles that their current ladder has.
Commissioner Potter asked Chief Field if the heavy rescue he was talking about would be bigger than TAC 9.
Chief Field said he thought it would be a little bigger than TAC 9, lengthwise.
Commissioner Potter mentioned the concern that TAC 9 could disappear for some period of time.
Chief Field said he had no doubt that TAC 9 would be activated and sent to New York City if there was ever another incident like 911.
Because Torringford is identified as a possible special operations company, Commissioner Potter asked Chief Field if it would make sense to get a rescue that would work for his daily operations and place TAC 9 at Torringford. That way, if the vehicle goes back to the state, it wouldn’t really affect what they do.
Chief Field said Commissioner Potter was correct.
Commissioner Potter said he’d like to see the command vehicle running a lot sooner than later.
Chief Field said that’s why he mentioned the proposal of replacing Utility 6, which he thought was scheduled to be replaced in the near future.
Commissioner Potter said he thought we should get into the practice of getting all staff vehicles on the same color scheme, with professional lettering.
Commissioner Potter thought it was in the best interest of the city for the city to buy the apparatus for the volunteers to be placed in their stations, if the volunteers were to be more involved in the Master Plan and in the daily operations of fire service and special types of operations. To purchase a piece of apparatus every twenty or twenty five years is an inexpensive investment in the city. He noted that Drakeville was looking to replace their tanker. The city would like to see them have a 3,000 gallon tanker, but they only have $30,000.00 to put toward the purchase of a vehicle. He thought they should use the $30,000.00 they have to modify their station in order to accommodate such a vehicle and the city should buy the tanker for them. The city would retain ownership but it would
be housed in their station for them to use. That’s the kind of discussion they should be holding.
Chief Field said he agreed.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo added that would increase the motivation and morale which they are looking to establish within these volunteer departments.
A 3,000 gallon tanker would cost in the vicinity of $250,000.00 to $300,000.00.
Chief Field said “I would think that, what I’m hearing that’s going to be coming out of Apparatus Replacement Program, that all becomes part of the system.”
Mayor Bingham said the money would still have to be budgeted. That amount of money can’t be budgeted in one year. It would have to be purchased at some point in the future.
Chief Field said he thought those vehicles should be established into the process, and budgeted either in his budget or in the Public Safety Miscellaneous budget.
Commissioner Potter said it was his understanding that the pool of money was going to be the bank, so if they were to buy a tanker for $300,000.00, they would buy it and budget it over the next 3, 4, or 5 years to pay the pool back.
Mayor Bingham said the pool of money, as it’s going to be established when we kick it back into gear, will be for vehicles that we retain ownership of now, not new vehicles. If new vehicles are added, we have to add to the pool.
Commissioner Potter said they could then budget $100,000.00 a year for the next three years to purchase a tanker for Drakeville.
Commissioner Zordan asked if they could just add the tanker to the Vehicle Replacement Program.
Mayor Bingham asked if it would be more feasible to lease or to lease purchase.
Commissioner Potter thought the consultant should be answering those questions.
Chief Field noted that somehow, it will need to get into the system and they’ll have to work at it.
Deputy Chief Giampaolo said there’s a certain amount of money currently going into Fire Service Coordination to purchase vehicles. Perhaps they could find a way to increase that amount and lease purchase a vehicle.
Mayor Bingham said those funds are separate from Vehicle Replacement. He would tend to agree with Deputy Chief Giampaolo with his suggestion because funds in Vehicle Replacement are set aside for vehicles maintained for city employees.
Commissioner Potter said “That’s what I’m saying, if this is the point we should be getting to. Is it, that all the vehicles we buy for the volunteers, that we should own, maintain, and place in their stations?”
The agreement we had when we set up a separate fund was at the end of their use, the city would gain back ownership. Not that we would own them while they drove them.
Commissioner Potter said adjustments and changes can be made to the plan as they move forward.
Mayor Bingham thought it would be financially beneficial for the city to purchase the vehicles and get them back when the volunteers are done with them, and not to include them under the city’s insurance.
JOLINE LeBLANC
ASST. CITY CLERK
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