DECEMBER 1, 2004

ATTENDANCE: Betsy Bain, Chair; Fred Bondi; Richard McQuaid

STAFF: Michael Dolhancryk, Director of Emergency Planning

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Bain called the meeting to order at 8:17 p.m.

MINUTES

Chair Bain said that since a quorum was not present, this agenda item could not be voted on; discussion would be held at the next meeting.

REPORTS

ATT Language Line Report

Mr. Dolhancryk referred to the summary report showing usage of the ATT language line for the period January through October 2004, commenting that most requests were for a Spanish-speaking interpreter. He explained the process by which the line worked, and said that it has been heavily used. As a result, it has qualified for a discounted rate, and this would mean that usage of the line could be offered to Mr. Alvord and the DPW. In response to Mr. McQuaid, Mr. Dolhancryk said that Tagalog means Philippino.

EMS Activity Report

Mr. Dolhancryk said that the summary report was self-explanatory, and the information was provided by Norwalk Hospital, not by the EMS communications center. Chair Bain asked what was being done to analyze ambulance services and coverage. Mr. Dolhancryk said discussion continues between Mayor Knopp and Norwalk Hospital regarding the number of ambulances and their availability. These discussions arose as a result of complaints about ambulance response times, coverage and that not enough ambulatory vehicles are available.

Mr. Dolhancryk spoke briefly about the matrix study being undertaken by the City which reviews all delivery processes. He said that at present, a police officer responds to the emergency and remains until a paramedic arrives. This may change depending on the outcome of the study.

Alarm Activity Report

Mr. McQuaid commented that the billing process is different if an alarm call is made to a school, because they are permitted three false alarms before a charge is levied. He felt the bill should be sent to the Board of Education rather than to the school. Mr. Dolhancryk said that he was asked by Mayor Knopp to check into this. There might need to be a revision to the Fire Alarm Ordinance. Mr. Bondi said there seemed to be a large outstanding balance; Mr. Dolhancryk would discuss this with Chief Rilling. He said that since there is no alarm appeals board there is no way to dispute a charge.

Personnel Issues

· Replacement Hires / New Hires / Anticipated Hires

Mr. Dolhancryk said that a DPW employee transferred, but after two days, asked to return to his former department. He said there would be two qualified dispatchers beginning on December 6th. He said he intends to hire a supervisor and another dispatcher at the end of the month; both would be permanent employees. His goal is to employ 23 dispatchers; there are currently 16. Mr. Dolhancryk said he has given thought to implementing rotating shifts on a quarterly basis, and perhaps changing an employee’s hours. He said that Fire Department personnel rotate every two days. Mr. Dolhancryk said that one employee was terminated improperly and consequently filed an appeal; the individual has since accepted the severance package.

New Facilities Construction

Mr. Dolhancryk said that construction of the new police station is progressing nicely. The parking lot is paved and the front entrance is being worked on. He said he would ask Chief Rilling to set up a time for the committee members to tour the facility.

Grant Status

Mr. Dolhancryk said the delay in receiving the grant is due to the fact that the State changed the title of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and before anything could proceed, grant balances must be brought to zero. He said that grant money would still be awarded to the City, who is in the same position as other towns and cities throughout the State. The committee members discussed the grant for fire fighter equipment and for emergency vehicles. He said that this would also be addressed by the matrix study. He said that at present, 911 emergency calls to the Fire Department are not tracked. This would change in April 2005 when all data would be entered into the new computer systems. This would also allow for easier monitoring of calls. In response to Chair Bain, Mr. Dolhancryk said there is substantially more grant money available for police departments than for fire departments. Mr. Bondi said that Chief Rilling is successful at securing grant money. He urged Mr. Dolhancryk to seek whatever grants are available and follow up on them. Chair Bain said that she would continue to keep “grant status” as an agenda item. Mr. Dolhancryk said that Norwalk has a grant writer and that person is fed information from individuals surfing the Web. Chair Bain thought that the City Clerk had this responsibility, and asked to be kept aware of what is happening.

INFORMATION

FOI Exemptions for Homeland Security

Mr. Dolhancryk said he included articles that he thought were relevant. Mr. McQuaid said they were interesting and informative and asked Mr. Dolhancryk to continue including them.
EMPG Budget Increase and Approval

Mr. Dolhancryk said the State and the Federal Government fund the Emergency Management Program Grant 50/50. It was recently increased by $56 million, and the Government is allocating to States on an entitlement basis. The City was expected to receive an extra $22,000 in 2005. Mr. Dolhancryk said he requested a 7.5% increase to cover the cost of hiring a deputy police chief and an assistant fire chief.

Article, “Lock Down Drills in Hospitals”

Mr. Dolhancryk said this article was included for information only. Chair Bain suggested that the entire packet be mailed to those members not in attendance.

OLD BUSINESS

National Incident Management System

· Letter to Governor Detailing Requirements / Article Describing Specific Actions

Mr. Dolhancryk referred to the letter sent to governors of all states from Homeland Security regarding the NIMS program. He said the Committee would need to recommend a formal statement to the Common Council indicating that NIMS is the principal by which the City of Norwalk would operate. A presentation would be made to the Council at the beginning of 2005.

· What is ICS?

Mr. Dolhancryk said that ICS is a unified command system, and is the key to NIMS. He said training would begin the week of December 6th to Tom Hamilton, Chair Bain and Gerald Foley. Training sessions for the Fire Department and other departments in the City would be held after the first session was completed. Mr. Dolhancryk said that the incident command is a way to ramp up to take in more resources and control them; a way to establish order out of chaos.

NEW BUSINESS

Language Line Contract

Mr. Dolhancryk said that the system is currently being provided under a $3,000 purchase order/service agreement rather than by contract. Because of heavy usage on the line, he felt that better pricing could be obtained if the line were to be placed under contract. He said he was advised by Mayor Knopp to have this reviewed by the Law Department, but no information has yet been received. The current purchase order remains open pending a formal contract from the Law Department. Chair Bain said that this item would be put on the Committee’s January agenda, so that it could be sent to the Common Council for their approval.

OTHER MATTERS

There were no other matters the committee members wished to discuss.

** MR. BONDI MOVED TO ADJOURN.
** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carol A. Wiggins for
Telesco Secretarial Services

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