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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-13-1999 Meeting I PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - December 13, 1999 5:00 p.m. PRESENT: F. Handy, Chairman, B. Kuhlke, W. Mays, S. Shepard, members, R. Oliver, Administrator, J. Wall, Attorney, R. Few, Fire Chief: D. Dlugolenski, EMA Director, SheriffC. Webster, R. Berry, Sheriff's Department, 1. Bonner, Clerk of Commission. ALSO PRESENT: S. Cooper, Augusta Chronicle, S. Eidson, Metro Spirit. The Clerk: We have one addendum item: Appoint Mr. Phil Wasson Interim 911 Coordinator responsible for all current 911 personnel in the Sheriff's Department and Fire Department with all 911 staff members maintaining their present rank. This position will report to the 911 Steering Committee with all employees being subject to the rules developed by the Steering Committee. No filled positions will be eliminated. Mr. Oliver: It has been asked that this item be withdrawn. ., /; i Mr. Kuhlke: I would like to have this item brought to the full Commission on next Tuesday. :1 Mr. Shepard: Second. Motion carried unanimously. Renew contract with Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) to act as a buyers agent for ARC in procuring natural gas under their Gas Aggregation Service (GAS) plan. Mr. Oliver: I ask that this item be deleted as it was dealt with in a prior committee and it's just a standard gas contract with GMA. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Shepard: Second. Motion carried unanimously. Presentation by G. W. Prince regarding the safety of downtown merchants and their business property concerning the Celebration 2000 event. I Mr. Prince representing Downtown Merchants: We, the downtown merchants are concerned with the preparedness of the city of Augusta during the Y2K celebration. I have a petition that was drawn up and I would like to read it. I) It is the consolidated understanding that the downtown merchants are opposed to the use of Broad Street for New Years festivities; 2) downtown merchants have been denied their rights to voice an .~:., opinion concerning the New Years festivities; 3) the City of Augusta failed to inform properly, prepare or counsel the downtown merchants regarding safety, security, insurance and any other additional risk that their merchandise, equipment, property and business may suffer. 4) it's the concern of the downtown merchants that the serving of alcohol combined with the Y2K threat could become a disaster; 5) the downtown merchants will hold the promoters in the City of Augusta responsible for any damage to their property due to the New Years festivities. The Richmond County officials through the newspaper say that nothing is going to happen. I .~i :. ~ Mr. Dlugo1enski: As Public Safety Chairperson of the Celebration 2000 Committee I would like to address some of the concerns. From the on set when the Committee was organized one of the first objectives that was set was the insured safety, the welfare and security of everyone living and working in the area and the participants. From the on set we have developed a comprehensive public safety plan that includes Emergency Management perspectives, Risk Management doing a risk analysis for any potential threats. The Sheriff's Department has looked at security, crowd control, access control and parking lot control, safety and security. The Fire Department will have First Responders, fire prevention and suppression teams. 'vVe have looked at emergency medical services as well as having two ambulances on duty plus two bike EMT's and the Red Cross. So if you take a look at every single aspect of public safety, emergency management and all those key other attributes like safety, security and the welfare, we have covered all the bases. We have a comprehensive plan that's well coordinated and well communicated. We have set up a command central location down at the Augusta Chronicle building. I can't stand here and say that nothing is going to happen. But we are prepared for any situation. I ;(~ ..,j ~. . ~ .....' , ..n >j ~j .,~ ~ '~'. .' Mr. Prince: If you have a hundred thousand people on Broad Street with policeman in their cars they will not be able to move if there is a problem or if there is a fire how will it be put out with the number of people expected? Our concern is crowd control, if there is a riot and we're wiped out, we lose everything. We want something solid that guarantees us that if we are wiped out or damaged, who will take care of our losses? Mr. Mays: Aside from those professional questions that have been raised in reference to law enforcement, fire protection, all the concerns of public safety. I) Would be to Mr. Wall, do we get into a situation in this case as it relates in comparison of where you hold an event at a building outside in terms of sponsorship in reference to liability insurance period. 2) If there isa petition with sixty names on it, has there not been dialogue with these business owners? Mr. Fish: John Fish, Assistant General Manager of Celebration 2000, 3315 Sugar Mill Road. At the beginning of the year, we decided that at the out set that everything we did would be in the open. We invited and had an open invitation to anyone that wanted to attend our planning meeting. We sent invitations to all the businesses on Broad Street in July to attend a meeting at the Ramada on Broad Street. We got the list of businesses from the Chamber of Commerce. Some people we left out because they were not on the I I Chamber's list. We also asked the businesses to give us feed back. We have been completely open and have invited questions at all times. Mr. Prince: Our question still has not been answered. Mr. Wall: The City does not have liability insurance. ':] Mr. Fish: Our lawyers are in the process of working on an event liability policy. The fire works are being sponsored by Channel 12, they have a liability policy for the fire works. The Regatta Association has the liquor license; they have an insurance policy for the alcohol. Our event liability license, I can't tell you right now everything that is covered under that. I can say that after having discussion with our lawyers, I don't think that it is going to cover every single business on Broad Street that night. Our license is going to cover any potential accidents that could occur that night, people who are attending the event, any accidents that occur on the stages, things of that nature. Our lawyers are unfamiliar with a policy that would allow us to cover every single business on Broad Street. Mr. Shepard: I would ask that Mr. Wall be able to brief the Commission next week in legal session on any liability insurance that we may have. I' i After further discussion, 1 Mr. Shepard: So move to receive as information. Chief Few: I don't know what may happen that day but I can tell you that we have done everything humanly possible to make sure that we have a safe day downtown. We can't guarantee that someone wouldn't do something out of the ordinary, but we have the safety of everyone in mind not only the participants on Broad Street but the rest of our conununity as well. Sheriff Webster: We have been preparing for this event for quite some time. And we want the people to feel that we are going to do the best job in the world to protect them during this event. We will have sixty people from 6th Street to 12'h Street on Broad Street. We will have twenty Suppression Units in the same area outside and around those people on Broad Street. We to are concerned about the rest of the county therefore, we will have everyone on call. Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Motion carried unanimously. I Transfer of $12,808 from object code 5111110-Perm. FIR Salary & Wages to the following accounts, 5311111-General Office Supplies, 5424320-Desktop Software, 5399999-0ther Supplies, 531311O-Food and 5237110 Education and Training (See attached letter for dollar total in each account) and approve moving expenses of EMA Director in amount of $2,315.15. I Mr. Dlugolenski: This request is being made to transfer funds from salary and wages to operating expenses into accounts that have a negative balance due to the hiring of the new EMA Director and approve the transfer of other funds needed to support items and mailings that will assist EMA and the Y2K conversion. ::i Mr. Oliver: This is coming out ofthe EMA budget and not out of contingency. It is in accordance with common practices done for other department heads. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. .; Mr. Shepard: Second. Motion carried unanimously. I': Approve incentive pay of $1,200 yearly for firefighters who have valid EMT certification and $1,800 yearly for firefighters who have valid paramedic certification. Firefighters who receive this incentive pay must adhere to the following guidelines: 1) to obtain EMT certification valid and current by successfully completing the required certification hours 2) must be able to assist the department Medical Director in teaching other firefighters 3) must maintain the medical jump bags on the fire apparatus to insure the necessary medical supplies are available. This is applicable to fire suppression personnel only with the rank of Captain or below and is not applicable to employees hired after September, 1996 with salary not to exceed top I "1 )~ ..":, '..;:.. ~:~:l :;:~ 'n Mr. Oliver: As you are aware our Fire Department is getting to the next level and part of that is the EMT training. What the Chief has come forward with and we are supportive of is that to encourage some of the firefighters that have been within the Fire Department to get EMT and paramedic certification and this will achieve doing that with the conditions that are delineated in the agenda item. Mr. Kuhlke: So move to get it on the floor. Mr. Handy: Second. Mr. Kuhlke: I'm just curious as to why you have to pay somebody if one of the requirements in your department is to continue your training to improve your situation if that's a part of your job? Mr. Oliver: It was not a requirement until the Chief got here and imposed that requirement when they were hired. Chief Few: It was not a requirement before 1996, but it is now. I I Mr. Kuhlke: For you to get these people to take this training you have to pay them? :i: Chief Few: This is an extra duty and it is customary in every department across the United States to compensate the EMT's. We try to make people cross train in extra duties. These courses are taken on the employee's time and they can be from six weeks to a year in training. :.1 Mr. Oliver: We checked with a number ofjtirisdictions and we determined that it was not uncoriunon for there to be a five-percent differential or increase in salary paid for this type of certification. ., I Mr. Shepard: Can you address some of the concerns raised by Mr. Etheridge. He said that there was not money in the budget and that we really need to evaluate the entire program before we do anything because this may have long-term effects on the entire organization. I Mr. Oliver: There is money in the budget. But if you get to a point where you have 250 or 280 firefighters, assuming that it gets to that level, with EMT certification it will have a budgetary impact. But currently there are sufficient funds. But this will ultimately put increased pressure on that budget. As I mentioned earlier however, most jurisdictions and many of them are running fire and ambulance response. At that particular point they are paying a five to ten-percent salary differential, that's pretty common. As it relates to Mr. Etheridge's concerns I agree, but he needs to come up with a policy that can be provided. Here is what he is alluding to, is to provide some kind of incentive that gives employees the will to go back and get that additional training beyond outside the work. Right now we pay people to go to training and Chief Few is not in this particular case. But to get people to go back and get training on their own is the most valuable training anyone can do for them. However, if we can provide an incentive to do that is the best thing and immediately we need to come up with a policy. However, organizational it is much harder to do, but this is something that he needs to do and he just hasn't had the opportunity to do that. But, I don't think that's a reason to penalize the Fire Department for doing that. Mr. Mays: What is the budgetary impact is it over or under at this point? Mr. Oliver: As of today the financial impact is $53,400 per year. This number will change as additional people get certified and get this stiphen, either retire or leave. Mr. Mays: That number has the Chief worked that sufficiently into his budget? Mr. Oliver: There are sufficient funds in the budget and I am in agreement with it. But in the future there potentially is a financial impact, it will handle it in the 2000 budget. I .i ."..i I Mr. Mays: If you give raises, particularly merit raises, that's not going to ever be a situation where everybody agrees on it. But this will be the next step of giving those people in that department an opportunity to earn a difference in a pay scale and to move to the next level, then I think we need to move with that in accordance that that comes with a work ethic, it comes with training. That we as the government are getting something out of it as well, they are putting in something they are also being trained and that we are making an investment in that personnel and we're not just doing that I think he adequately described it in our last meeting why he confined those raises to a particular department that would not share in that basis. I'm worried that if we do not move into the next step, one ofthe worse things that could happen is that you deal with pm of a department or part of a work force and then you change the rules in the middle of it so that you cannot move to the next step and bring other folks into where you want to try and make them come up. I think that if we don't do that, then I think that we cannot hold the department head responsible at that point. Ifwe're going to get to a point where there is money there that can be eamed based on a training and work ethic, thus making a better employee and giving us a situation where we have an option to go, even to a point of profitability, then I don't think we should handcuff that department head whether it's Chief Few or anybody else in terms of being able to bring those revenues in or have the potential to deal with those revenues. Not only will I support where you are at this point on what's on the motion. I would hope that we would deal with those that have come in before that point who have gone on a voluntary basis that did not qualify in reference to sharing in those educational funds that are there that did it on their free time, that's also another issue. I think we should support it ifit's in the budget to do so. ., , ~:~ Mr. Kuhlke: How many EMT's and paramedics do you need? I assume that your goal is for everybody in the department to become certified. But is there a practical number of people in the department that should have this classification? Chief Few: Every level would be good, but I would love to get to fifty percent. Mr. Kuhlke: I would like to amend the motion that we approve the request of as it is written and that's from Captain status. I'm not saying that we can't amend this at some point but this will get you started, won't it'? Chief Few: I'm almost to the point where I don't want to do it. Mr. Kuhlke: How many Battalion Chiefs do you have? Mr. Kuhlke: I'll change my motion to approve it as recommended by the Chief. Mr. Handy: Second. After further discussion, I I I. I Mr. Mays: I would like to make a snbstitute motion that the original proposal that was presented by the Chief to Mr. Oliver in budget form which Mr. Oliver says is in his budget. Mr. Handy: Second. Mr. Chairman: Substitute motion fails 2-2 with Mr. Shepard and Mr. Kuhlke voting no. Original motion fails 2-2 with Mr. Handy and Mr. Mays voting no. Approval to upgrade the position of Court Clerk, salary grade 37, to an Application Manager 1, grade 54, with position to work for Information Technology and positi<<.>n to be eliminated if revenues are insufficient to cover salary aud benefits after one year. Mr. Shepard: The Court Clerk and the IT Director indicated a few meetings ago that they needed additional time to work on this issue and asked that it held over to the December 27 meeting. I would like to make a motion that we hold it over to the next meeting. :~ Mr. Kuhlke: Second. :;1 Motion carried unanimously. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk ofComrnission /bb I , PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA COMMITTEE ROOM - December 13, 1999 3:30 P. M. 1. Renew contract with Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) to act as a buyers agent for ARC in procuring natural gas under their Gas Aggregation Service (GAS) plan. 2. Presentation by G. W. Prince regarding the safety of downtown merchants and their business properties concerning the Celebration 2000 event. 3. Transfer of$12,808.00 from object code 51 lillO-Perm. FT Salary & Wages to the following accounts, 5311111-GeneraI Office Supplies, 5424320-Desktop Software, 5399999-0ther Supplies, 5313110-Food and 5237110 Education and Training (See attached letter for dollar total in each account) and approve moving expenses of EM A Director in amount of$2,3l5.l5. 4. Approve incentive pay of$1,200.00 yearly for firefighters who have valid EMT certification and $1,800.00 yearly for firefighters who have valid paramedic certification. Firefighters who receive this incentive pay must adhere to the following guidelines: 1) to obtain EMT certification and keep this certification valid and current by successfully completing the required certification hours 2) must be able to assist the department Medical Director in teaching other fuefighters 3) must maintain the medical jump bags on the fire apparatus to insure the necessary medical supplies are available. This is applicable to fire suppression personnel only with the rank of Captain or below and is not applicable to employees hired after September, 1996 with salary not to exceed top of the range. I 5. Approval to upgrade the position of Court Clerk, salary grade 37, to an Application Manager 1, grade 54, with position to work for Information Technology and position to be eliminated ifrevenues are insufficient to cover salary and benefits after one year. I ~ , ADDENDUM PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA December 13, 1999 3:30 P. M. ADDITION TO THE AGENDA: I. Appoint Mr. Phil Wasson Interim 911 Coordinator responsible for all current 911 personnel in the Sheriffs Department and Fire Department with all 911 staff members maintaining their present rank. This position will report to the 911 Steering Committee with all employees being subject to the rules developed by the Steering Committee. No filled positions will be eliminated. -- -.