MINUTES
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY
December 4, 2013
A REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Public Safety was held in the City Hall Auditorium on Wednesday,
December 4, 2013.
Those in attendance included Mayor Elinor Carbone, Corporation Counsel Raymond Rigat, Commissioners Douglas Benedetto, Darlene Battle, Richard Zaharek and Robert Conforti, along with Fire Chief Gary Brunoli, Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Pepler, Police Chief Michael Maniago, Deputy Police Chief Christopher Smedick and Officer Steven Pisarski. Torringford Volunteer Dept. Representative Charles Marciano and Drakeville Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Maccalous were also present. Commissioners Angelo LaMonica and Glenn McLeod were absent.
Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
PROMOTIONAL CEREMONY – B. Johnson
Mayor Carbone administered the oath of office to Sergeant Brett Johnson. Chief Maniago said Sgt. Johnson served on the Narcotics Unit, as a Field Training Officer and as the Honor Guard Coordinator during his seven years with the Torrington Police Department. Chief Maniago said that Sgt. Johnson recently completed Crisis Negotiation School and has served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps., and added that Sgt. Johnson is currently working on a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at the American Military University.
MINUTES
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Zaharek, the Board voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the Regular meeting held November 13, 2013.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public. There was no one present who wished to speak.
MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT
On a motion by Commissioner Battle, seconded by Commissioner Zaharek, the Board voted unanimously to accept Chief Maniago's recommendation to enter into a Mutual Aid Agreement with the Western Area Regional Chiefs of Police.
Chief Maniago said this will include Winsted, Torrington, Plymouth, Waterbury, Wolcott, Watertown, Middlebury, New Milford, Naugatuck, Cheshire and Southington. He said the towns that sign on will not be bound to respond to every call, but their Chiefs will have the option of agreeing to send personnel or not.
He said it is better to have this agreement in place now, instead of waiting for something to happen. Chief Maniago said that this agreement will allow more plans to be in place for certain types of emergencies that may arise, and will allow them to organize now instead of waiting for an incident to take place.
Commissioner Benedetto expressed concerns regarding the level of training that other Police Departments have. He said he would rather work with the State Police to see what they have to offer before signing this agreement. Chief Maniago replied that the towns involved meet the same State-mandated training requirements and he's more concerned about but having the resources available to handle a situation. He said it is about helping our neighboring towns that may be in need.
Commissioner Benedetto asked if State Police help has been considered, and Chief Maniago said it's not just about people coming here, it's about also responding to other towns, knowing what we're going to do and being prepared to do it.
Commission Benedetto said it's hard to sign a mutual agreement when we're not sure about another town's level of training. Chief Maniago said he cannot in good conscience say no to a request for help because he doesn't know what their training level is. This agreement is only getting everything prepared beforehand, he said, instead of waiting until a disaster takes place. Chief Maniago said it is not just about what Torrington's going to receive, it's about the help we will give to other towns as well.
Commissioner Benedetto said he is also concerned about the time it takes to go to Naugatuck or Wolcott.
Chief Maniago said it depends on the scope of the incident, as neighboring towns might be the only ones called. It will be all predicated on the size of the incident and what the needs are, he said, and it will be mostly personnel, and possibly cars, for traffic or crowd control.
Chief Maniago said that Corporation Counsel has favorably reviewed the agreement and noted that we are already liable for those who come into town. Atty. Rigat added that we have insurance coverage for that.
Commissioner Benedetto recalled an agreement with Winsted five years ago where our personnel sat for 10 hours. Chief Maniago said that was not mutual aid, but a regionalized CERT Team and a regionalized Accident Investigation Team. Because there were issues with that, he said, we no longer participate in the regionalization with them, but this mutual aid agreement is something totally different.
Commissioner Zaharek expressed a concern about incident documentation. Chief Maniago said there will be a command post with centralized record keeping, a scribe and a logistics officer.
Commissioner Conforti asked if the union needs to approve this. Chief Maniago replied that it goes through the Board of Public Safety, not the union. Mayor Carbone added that City Council will need to approve it as well.
Mayor Carbone asked the Board to reaffirm their initial vote to accept this agreement and they agreed.
POLICE CHIEF'S REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously accept Police Chief Michael Maniago's Report for October 2013.
Commissioner Benedetto asked about the 'status of the Glocks'. Chief Maniago said the Glocks came back with no identifiable issues.
Commissioner Conforti asked what could be done about the $298,000 in unpaid fines. Chief Maniago said this situation has been talked about for many years. He said collection agencies and vehicle booting have been tried, but the inability to register your car is what works best.
Commissioner Battle questioned the 54 parking meters that are not working. Officer Pisarski said the 9 volt batteries need to be replaced.
Commissioner Conforti asked if the municipal parking lot will get meters. Chief Maniago said it will have a kiosk.
OFFICER PISARSKI’S REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Zaharek, the Board voted unanimously to accept Officer Steven Pisarski's Traffic Division Reports for October 2013.
Commissioner Benedetto asked about a stop sign at Woodbine and Dewey Street. Officer Pisarski said he discussed this with the City Engineer as a new facility is being built for Community Health and Wellness.
FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Zaharek, the Board voted unanimously to accept Fire Chief Brunoli's report for October 2013.
Chief Brunoli listed the grant applications he has submitted to help with personnel, SCBA, an aerial device to replace Ladder 2, video conferencing for 8 City buildings, and GIS/AVL equipment.
Commissioner Benedetto asked about the evacuation plan for schools. Chief Brunoli replied that he will meet with the High School and East School. He said the schools hope to have all their plans completed by the first of the year. He said he has strived to standardize all the plans and it has been going very well.
Commissioner Benedetto asked when the replacement of Ladder 2 is due. Chief Brunoli said 2016/2017. He said he does not recommend delaying this replacement.
Commissioner Conforti remarked about the Volunteer Departments struggling to get new members. Chief Brunoli agreed and said that it affects the City's fire protection. He pointed out that his Year End Report includes response times for the past year that indicate they are all struggling.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Emergency Management Reports for October 2013.
DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Battle, the Board voted unanimously to accept Deputy Fire Chief Pepler's Reports for October 2013.
FIRE MARSHAL'S REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Zaharek, the Board voted unanimously to accept Fire Marshal Tim Tharau's Reports for October 2013.
DEPUTY FIRE MARSHAL'S REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to accept Deputy Fire Marshal Howe's Reports for October 2013.
Commissioner Benedetto asked if the Fire Safety Trailer needs to be replaced. Chief Brunoli said it's a 1997 and he is applying for a grant. All the trailers are stored outside, and the weather does a number on them, he said.
TRAINING OFFICER'S REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Battle, the Board voted unanimously to accept Training Officer Tripp's Report for October 2013.
EMS PROVIDER REPORT
On a motion by Commissioner Zaharek, seconded by Commissioner Benedetto, the Board voted unanimously to accept the EMS Provider Activity Report for October 2013.
Commissioner Benedetto then made a motion to accept the EMS Provider Activity Report for October 2013, seconded by Commissioner Conforti and unanimously approved. Commissioner Benedetto said he has a question for Mr. Rosa, but he's not at the meeting.
BUSINESS: DEPT. HEADS
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by Department Heads.
City Clerk Joe Quartiero announced the date correction for the January 2014 meeting. It will be moved from Wednesday to Thursday January 2nd at 6:30 p.m.
Officer Pisarski recommended that a stop sign be installed at the intersection of Woodbine and Dewey Streets, and asked that this approval be added to the agenda.
ADD TO AGENDA
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Battle, the Board voted unanimously to add to the agenda.
INSTALL STOP SIGN AT WOODBINE & DEWEY
On a motion by Councilor Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to accept Officer's Pisarski's recommendation that a stop sign be installed at the intersection of Woodbine and Dewey Streets.
Deputy Chief Smedick congratulated the Mayor and new Commissioners on their recent election.
Chief Maniago commended Officer Cobb for his recent outstanding work on a heroin and crack cocaine arrest. He said this is an example of the work his officers do every day with a high degree of professionalism, and concern for the community. Chief Maniago reported that one officer is graduating from academy on December 12th and going on to field training for 12 weeks, and said the next academy class starts Jan 4 with two recruits from Torrington.
Chief Brunoli noted his Year End Report was distributed this evening. He commended the Fire Police group for working together. He said there is new life in the Training Division with the new Training Officer. He commended Fire Marshal Howe for his Education efforts. He looks forward to the new Economic Development Director to see how the Fire Department can help provide service to the business community and what they can do to help draw people to the City. Chief Brunoli said they are working on improving their ISO rating which will help the entire community. They recently completed a tanker shuttle drill, flowing about 800 gallons per minute for 2.5 hours without stopping, when the minimum requirement is only 250 gallons per minute for 2.5 hours. He said his report includes the status of the
overall fire protection in the City, the concerns they have and the improvements they are trying to make.
Deputy Chief Pepler said the last month has been quite challenging in call volume and they have been stretched thin at times. He said the North End Association Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m.
BUSINESS: VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS
On a motion by Commissioner Battle, seconded by Commissioner Benedetto, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Volunteer Fire Departments.
Drakeville reported that they received a grant and purchased two new thermal imaging cameras.
Torringford announced their Christmas tree fundraiser, and that they are screening some new applicants.
BUSINESS: MAYOR & MEMBERS
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and members of the Board of Public Safety.
Commissioner Zaharek congratulated the newly elected, especially Mayor Carbone.
Commissioner Benedetto questioned Volkman Lane's parking issues and lack of signage. Officer Pisarski said he will look into it.
Commissioner Conforti acknowledged the letters of recommendation commending Officer Gavin, Officer Mumm and the entire police force. He congratulated Deputy Chief Pepler for completing his Fire III program.
Commissioner Battle said she was proud to read in the newspaper about the arrests made by Officer Cobb, and commended the police efforts for their efforts to resolve the drug situation.
Mayor Carbone reminded everyone that, in an effort to support our local retailers, there is free on-street parking on Main Street during the holiday season. She noted that there will be a parking kiosk on the corner of Main Street and City Hall Avenue. She said she is incredibly proud to be able to serve this City in this very important role and is looking forward to working with all the Commissioners bringing our City forward. Mayor Carbone said she is proud of the service that our Police Officers and Firefighters provide.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Zaharek, the Board voted unanimously to
adjourn at 7:12 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol L. Anderson, CCTC
Assistant City Clerk
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