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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-27-1999 Meeting I PUBLIC SAFETY COMl\1ITTEE COMNITTTEE ROOM - December 27, 1999 3:30 P.M. PRESENT: B. Young, Mayor, F. Handy, Chairman, B. Kuhlke, W. Mays, members, J. Brigham, R. Colclough, Commissioners, A. Cheek, Commissioner-Elect, R. Oliver, Administrator, J. Wall, Attorney, 1. Bonner, Clerk of Commission. ABSENT S. Shepard, Commissioner-member. MEDIA S. Cooper, Augusta Chronicle, S. Eidson, Metro Spirit, Channel 26 and Channel 6. ALSO PRESENT: R. Few, Fire Chief, C. Rushton, IT Director, M. A. Gibbs, Sheriffs Department, C. Scott, Operations Chief and M. Rodgers, Deputy Chief of Technical Services, Fire Department, F. Hall, Manager River Creek Apartments. Presentation by the Fire Department of the New Year's Eve!Y2K Preparedness Plan developed by Augusta Richmond County Fire Rescue. I Chief Few: I wanted to give you an idea and the cost of the New Year's Eve celebration. The cost will be S 11,460.32 for all the employees we have on the operation side. We have some other forces in place as well and I'll let two of my Deputy Chiefs speak on those. Deputy Chief Scott, Chief of Operations: Everything that you see in dus book as far as the operational plan for Y2K has been implemented within the Fire Department. We have had training with all of our employees. Our plans cover all areas of the celebration in the entire city of Augusta as well as the River Walk. We will also have a command structure in place to deal with each event. Each station will be prepared to handle any situation. There will also be a sub station under the Jessie Norman Amphitheater. Chief Few: We will also have twenty-five golf carts stocked wilh tire extinguishers and EMS equipment. The reason for that is that in the downtown area we will not be able to get trucks into that area. I Deputy Chief Rodgers, of Technical Services: We started back in June contacting all the people that had any dealings with the 911 Center asking for assurances that they would be Y2K compliant and that all their testing would be completed by this time. They all assured me that it would be and I have letters confirming that from them. Now what we've done is set up a three-tier system to back up our 911 system. We've located a bank of cellular telephones that will be located in the 911 Center and we will have additional personnel in to man these cell phones. We've put out a flyer that has all the numbers of the tire stations out to the public giving the location and the location of VHF radio system there in case they have a problem with their telephones and have an emergency and need assistance. The last option that we have built into this plan is to put I ten HAt\1 operators in ten of the fire stations through out the county in the isolated areas. We think we've come up with a workable plan. We've coordinated with the different people that we think we needed to coordinate with and we don't see any problems getting our units to any situations. Mr. Kuhlke: So move to receive this as information. Mr. Mays: Second. Motion carried unanimously. Approve $227,500 to purchase Mobile Computing SIW from New World. New World was low bidder to RFP #99-090; $672,500 to purchase Mobile Computing H/W off of state contract from Motorola; $45,500 to hire a System Administrator to support mobile computing system effective 7/1/00 at a pay grade of 52 (salary range $34,959 - $52,438) with position to work for Information Technology. (90% of funds to be supplied from Local Law Enforcement Block Grant LLEBG. 10% is currently in the SherifPs Department's 2000 budget request) Mr. Oliver; We have a grant that will permit us to buy eighty-six lap top computers to put in the patrol cars so that if an officer sees a license plate that looks suspicious they can run a check right then. I After a short discussion; Mr. Kuhlke: I'll make a motion that we approve this. Mr. Mays: Second. Motion carried unanimously. Discussion of River Creek Apartment fire. Chief Few: It is very difficult to talk about everything that happened at that tire because it is under in"estigation and we won't be able to talk much about it. When a fire gets into the attic of a structure it is very difficult for a tire department to control. With this fire the only difference we could make is protect the other buildings around it. I realized that we would not be able to save much of that building so we had to save the other complexes around it. This is a fire that gar a head start on the fire department. I blame no one. Ms. Fran HalL Manager River Creek Apartments, 2525 Center West Pkwy: The Chief has said that he cannot maintain the trucks, that's quite upsetting. I would like to know why they did not have a map of the apartment complex? When was the last time I I the tire hydrants at River Creek apartments were checked? The hose that exploded was the second hose on the scene. That's why there was no water on that building. When they hit the building with the water they hit it from where the fire started instead of setting up a line of defense at the end that was not engulfed in flames at that time. That's why we lost the second half of the building. They pushed the fire down the building instead ofpushing it back to what was already gone. Mr. Mays: I would like to make a motion that the questions that have been raised, that are a matter of the record, that we allow those questions to have a formal answer through the Administrator by way of the Fire Chief in reference to those that have been made in this public meeting, regardless of what the nature. Whether it's accusation or equipment, whatever the case maybe and put into a total formal report and I ask that those questions already asked be incorporated. I do think some where in this process there needs to be a check made on the water pressure of all the water hydrants. Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Motion carried unanimously. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. I Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission Ibb I I PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA COtvIMITfEE ROOM - December 27, 1999 3:30 P. M. 1. Presentation by the Fire Department of the New Year's Eve/Y2K Preparedness Plan developed by Augusta Richmond County Fire Rescue. 2. Approve $227,500 to purchase Mobile Computing S/W from New World. New World was low bidder to RFP #99-090; S672,500 to purchase Mobile Computing H/W off of state contract from Motorola; $45,000 to hire a System Administrator to support mobile computing system effective 7/01100 at a pay grade of 52 (salary range $34,959 - $52,438) with position to work for Information Technology. (90% of funds to be supplied from Local Law Enforcement Block Grant LLEBG. 10% is currently in the Sheriff Department's 2000 budget request) 3. Discussion of River Creek Apartment fire. I