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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-11-2004 Meeting I I I PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - September 13, 2004 I:I0P.M. PRESENT: Hons. Williams, Chairman; Sims, Co-Chairman; Beard and Boyles, members; Steve Shepard, Attorney; Fred Russell, Interim Administrator; Mike Blanchard, IT Department; Phil Wasson, 911 Director; Chief Carl Scott, Fire Department; Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission. ABSENT: HOll. Bob Young, Mayor. Also Present: Hons. Hankerson, Colclough, Mays, Cheek, Grantham, Commissioners. 1. Approve expansion ofEDMS to Phase II Departments. Ms. Beard: I so move. Ms. Sims: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. 2. Approve Municipal Code Corporation as the vendor to supply Augusta with an Agenda Management System to track agenda items, meeting schedules, and indexes, pending approval of contract by Information Technology Director & City Attorney. Mr. Boyles: I'd like to make a motion to approve. Ms. Sims: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. 3. Motion to approve contract with Sentinel Offender Services, LLC for State Court Misdemeanor Cases. Mr. Shepard: I was in conversation with the state court judge just a minute ago and he has asked that this be postponed until the next committee meeting. There are some alternatives that they want to discuss before coming before the Commission. Mr. Boyles: I so move. Ms. Sims: Second. Mr. Hankerson noted that there have been some complaints from citizens regarding the services. I Motion adopted unanimously. I 4. Discuss 911/Rural Metro/First Response. (Requested by Commissioner Hankerson) Mr. Hankerson: My complaint was made to the emergency management services. My wife became ill a week ago with chest pains and after calling for an ambulance, I was concerned about the response time. The nearest fire station is about four minutes from my home and no one responded from there. I took her to the hospital in my own car and asked 911 to cancel my call to them and notify the hospital that I was in route. Mr. Wasson: I have listened to the tape of the call and forty seconds after we picked up the phone, we notified the ambulance service that we had a female with chest pains at a specific address. The ambulance service responded and three minutes and thirty-five seconds into the call they said they were on the way from Station 16 at Phinizy and Old Louisville Rd. Sixteen minutes and one second into the call they notified dispatch that they were on scene. Within a minute they notified us that the person who had called for the ambulance had left. During the drive to Mr. Hankerson's house there was some discussion about specific directions as to how to get there. They were given specific directions and as a sidebar, Medic 6 stationed at Engine 6 would normally respond to that address and they were out with a severe respiratory distress patient at the time. Medic 9 on Wrightsboro Road was also involved with a medical call so that's the reason Medic 16 was the one that was sent. Fire response was not sent on this call pursuant to existing procedures on the type of call. The time for a response on this type of call in that area ofthe county is 14 minutes and 59 seconds and ifit takes them 15 minutes to get there, they're not in compliance with the standards established. In this particular situation the medic was not in compliance and an inquiry was sent to Rural Metro asking for an explanation. I received a response that appropriate action was taken regarding the employees for failing to meet response time. We have also had a discussion regarding what is called system status plan or posting and that plan has been modified. What we were using that night did not require a post whereby we would actually get the truck out of the station and put them somewhere. As of this morning we have pulled two ambulances out and placed them at a different location so they can get to a scene quicker. I Mr. Hankerson: I would think that severe chest pain would prompt a first responder to come and I am also concerned that the ambulance would have to come from so far away to the scene. I think some revisions need to be made so that it doesn't happen agam. Mr. Colclough: Evidently Rural Metro was very busy that night and I think a first responder should have been sent. Mr. Wasson: We were operating according to the policy sent to me in June. The memo specified the medical emergencies that would be responded to. I 2 I Mr. Colclough: I think the Administrator needs to look at that memo and it should be revised accordingly. Mr. Matt Paynter: We used the system that Mr. Wasson is using in his dispatch center and developed very specific guidelines for Fire Department response. We looked at each type of call and based on the responses we received to the questions asked by the dispatcher, we would know whether to respond or not. Mr. Hankerson: We need to look at revising these guidelines. Mr. Chairman: I would like to appoint a sub-committee to look at the matter of calls for fust response and I'd like to ask Mr. Colclough to chair it with Ms. Sims, Mr. Boyles and Ms. Beard to serve on it. Mr. Boyles: I move that we receive this as information and appoint the sub- committee. Ms. Sims: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. I Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission nwm I 3 I PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA COMMITTEE ROOM - September 13, 2004 l:lOP.M. I. Approve expansion ofEDMS to Phase II Departments. 2. Approve Municipal Code Corporation as the vendor to supply Augusta with an Agenda Management System to track agenda items, meeting schedules, and indexes, pending approval of contract by Information Technology Director & City Attorney. 3. Motion to approve contract with Sentinel Offender Services, LLC for State Court Misdemeanor Cases. 4. Discuss 91l/Rural Metro/First Response. (Requested by Commissioner Hankerson) I ~ .... - - - ...