[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER]
CALLED MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.UM, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME, UH, NEW COMMISSIONERS, UH, TIMOTHY RU RUTAN RUTAN AND DAVID HOLMES.
UM, AND I GUESS I PROBABLY NEED TO CALL THE ROLL.
UM, I AM HERE, UH, VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ HERE.
UH, COMMISSIONER SIERRA AVALO HERE.
UM, AND WE ARE READY FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
I DUNNO IF WE HAVE NO COMMUNICATION SIGNED UP.
TIME, UM, IN THE US UH, SO NO, UH, GENERAL PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.
[1. Approve the minutes of the PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING on November 7, 2022, December 5, 2022 and January 9, 2023. ]
APPROVING THE MINUTES.UM, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF MINUTES TO APPROVE THIS MONTH.
WE HAVE, UH, THE NOVEMBER MINUTES TO START WITH.
UM, AND DO, DO ANY, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY, UH, CORRECTIONS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NOVEMBER MINUTES? I JUST HAVE A PROCEDURAL QUESTION ON HOW, IF, YOU KNOW, LIKE, I CAN'T VOTE ON THE NOVEMBER MEETING CAUSE I WASN'T THERE.
HOW WE'RE GONNA MEET A QUORUM WITH ALL THIS? I THINK WE RAN INTO THAT PROBLEM LAST TIME.
OH, YOU BE NOTED AS IT STAYING IN KITCHEN ONE.
AND I THINK WE CAN DEEM THE MINUTES TO BE APPROVED.
I'LL ABSTAIN FROM THE VOTE, BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD, UH, IF YOU CAN.
AND ACCORDING TO ROBERT'S RULES, I THINK IT'S FINE.
IT'S JUST I DO NOTE THE EXS VOTE.
UM, YEAH, SO THAT'S DOWN TO THREE OF US.
I THINK WE'RE TECHNICALLY STILL OKAY.
I THINK BARRING ANY CHANGES, WE CAN JUST RIGHT.
MOVE, MOVE TO APPROVE THEM, I THINK.
UM, SO, UH, WE WILL DEEM THE NOVEMBER 7TH MINUTES APPROVED.
UM, AND MOVE ON TO THE DECEMBER 5TH MINUTES.
UM, UM, ANY CORRECTIONS OR CHANGES? NOPE.
COMMISSIONER KOFF ON PAGE TWO.
UH, NOTICE JUST SOME SPELLING.
UH, I THINK ABOUT THE THIRD PARAGRAPH DOWN, A NEW PROGRAM THAT ENGAGES SHOULD BE PROGRAMS AT A GROW
AND DOWN IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH, UH, THE VIDEO REVIEW STILL NEEDS INSTEAD OF NEEDS.
AND I THINK THAT IN THE NEXT LINE SHOULD BE DECADES OF TRAINING.
AND THEN ON THE PAGE THREE, UH, IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH, UH, COMMANDER LYONS RESPONDED THAT HE WOULD MEET INSTEAD OF MEETING WITH HIS ASSISTANT CHIEF.
AND THAT WAS THE ONLY THING I NOTED.
UH, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER KOFF.
UM, SHOULD WE RECONSIDER THOSE MINUTES NEXT MONTH? WE CAN APPROVED WITH EDITS.
WE WILL DEEM THOSE APPROVED WITH EDITS.
UM, SO, UM, THIS IS A VOTE ON APPROVING THE DECEMBER 5TH MINUTES WITH EDITS.
UH, COMMISSIONER CIERA ALO? YES.
UM, AND THEN THE JANUARY 9TH MINUTES, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
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SO WE CAN DEEM THOSE APPROVED, THEN WE NEED TO VOTE NOW.SO WE SHOULD VOTE ON BOTH THE NOVEMBER AND THE JANUARY MINUTES.
I'LL GO BACK TO THE NOVEMBER 7TH MINUTES.
UM, COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ? YES.
UH, COMMISSIONER HOUSEN LOOK ABSTAIN.
UH, COMMISSIONER KOFF ABSTAIN.
UH, COMMISSIONER RUTAN ABSTAIN.
AND COMMISSIONER HOLMES ABSTAIN.
AND THEN ONE LAST VOTE ON THE JANUARY 9TH MINUTES.
UM, COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ OR VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ? UH, YES.
UH, COMMISSIONER HOUSE INFL? YES.
[2. Public Safety Quarterly Report – Austin Fire Department AND Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services]
MOVE ON TO, UH, THE PUBLIC SAFETY QUARTERLY REPORT.AND WE ARE, UH, GETTING TO THIS MONTH, SUPER EXCITING,
UM, WE'LL START WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW, MY NAME IS ROB BYERS.
I'M THE CHIEF OF STAFF WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
GLAD TO HAVE YOU AS A PART OF THE, THE, THE COMMISSION.
UM, GIVEN THAT WE'RE DOING TWO IN A BIT OF COMPRESSED TIMEFRAME, I'LL, I'LL PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION, UH, AND FIELD SOME QUESTIONS AT THE END TO TRY TO MAKE THIS FLOW IN A, IN A FASHION THAT'S APPROPRIATE, GIVEN THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOUBLED UP SINCE WE MISSED THE, UH, MEETING LAST MONTH DUE TO THE WEATHER.
AND WE DO REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL, UH, GIVING US SOME LEEWAYS.
WE WERE, UH, WRAPPED UP IN A NUMBER OF THINGS IN THE MIDST TO THAT STORM AND, AND SHORTLY THE AFTERMATH.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE, THE, THE GRACE IN, IN, UH, GIVING US THE, THAT TIME BACK TO WORK ON THOSE THINGS.
WE DO APPRECIATE IT, UH, WITH OURS.
THE FIRST, UH, TWO TO SEVEN SLIDES ARE GONNA HAVE RESPONSE DATA ON 'EM.
I'LL GO OVER THEM BRIEFLY AS WE GO.
THERE'S NOT TYPICALLY A LOT OF QUESTIONS THERE, BUT SINCE WE HAVE NEW PEOPLE WANNA MAKE YOU AWARE OF THIS, THE, IT'S DIVIDED IN SOME AREAS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
SO FOR THE, THE, THE DISTRICT YOU REPRESENT, IT'LL PROVIDE YOU SOME, UH, INFORMATION THERE FOR, FOR YOUR AWARENESS.
SO IF WE GO ON TO SLIDE NUMBER TWO, AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS A COMPARISON OF LAST YEAR'S SAME QUARTER.
SO, UH, QUARTER FOUR OF 2021 VERSUS QUARTER FOUR OF 2022.
SO YOU SEE THE REFERENCES THERE, SIDE BY SIDE COLOR CODED.
UH, WHEN, UH, COVID OCCURRED, THERE WAS A A DOWN DROP IN, IN, IN THE CALL VOLUME.
WE'VE RETURNED BACK TO, UH, UH, POST OR PRE COVID SORT OF RESPONSE NUMBERS IS, UH, WITH THE, ALL THE ACTIVITIES YOU SEE AROUND THE CITY.
COULD YOU GO TO SLIDE NUMBER THREE? WHAT YOU'LL SEE HERE IS A BREAKOUT WITH THE CALL TYPES, UH, FOR, UH, WHAT WE RESPOND TO.
AND YOU'LL SEE TWO DIFFERENT VERSIONS.
ONE IS ALL CALL TYPES, NO MATTER WHETHER IT'S A PRIORITY, THREE LIGHTS AND SIRENS OR, OR PRIORITY ONE WHERE YOU DRIVE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, RIGHT? THIS IS ALL ENCOMPASSING FOR THAT.
AND YOU'LL SEE A PREDOMINANT NUMBER OF CALLS.
UH, I DO WANNA POINT OUT THE FIRE IS WHERE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, WE'RE ALL HAZARDS.
UH, AND, AND WE'RE THE FIRST RESPONDERS FOR MEDICAL CALLS IN, IN, IN, UH, UH, PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR, UH, PARTNERS WITH EMS. THE FIRE CALLS WHERE AN EM, WHERE A MEDICAL CALL WILL HAVE MAYBE A ONE UNIT RESPONSE, UH, FOR WHATEVER THAT MEDICAL CALL TYPE IS.
SOMETIMES TWO, THE FIRE CALLS ARE LABOR INTENSIVE.
YOU'LL HAVE UPWARDS OF 10 OR MORE FOR AN ACTIVE FIRE.
UH, AND THEY'RE ON SCENE FOR A CONSIDERABLE TIMEFRAME.
SO WHERE YOU SEE THE, THE BREAKOUT THERE WITH A LOT OF BLUE AND NOT A LOT OF RED, THAT'S NOT A TRUE REPRESENTATION OF THE, THE PERSONNEL HOURS ON SCENE, UH, UH, OF, OF WHAT'S TRANSPIRING.
JUST WANNA MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT IN CASE YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, NEXT SLIDE IF YOU WOULD PLEASE.
SO, EMERGENCY INCIDENTS, AGAIN, LIKE THE, THE PREVIOUS ONE, THIS IS NOW JUST THE, THE EMERGENCY ONE, SO PRIORITY THREE, SO IT BREAKS IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE THAT, UH, WITH THIS WE'RE, UH, UH, TRENDING UPWARDS AS FAR AS OUR, OUR CALL VOLUME GOES AS WE'RE TURNING BACK TO MORE OF A NORMAL LIFE.
NEXT ONE, AGAIN, THIS IS SIMILAR TO THAT LAST ONE WITH THE PIE CHARTS ON IT.
AND THESE ARE GONNA BE THE PRIORITY THREE CALLS, LIGHTS, AND SIRENS, WHERE IT REALLY IS A, A TRUE EMERGENCY AT HAND, UH, WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE SOMEONE'S SIGNIFICANTLY HURT OR IT'S THE, THE REPORTS OF FIRE ARE, ARE CLEAR AND SIGNIFICANT AND ALL THOSE UNITS ARE RESPONDING TO, TO HANDLE THAT SITUATION.
AND PLEASE STOP ME IF AT ANY POINT YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
I'M TRYING TO MAKE SURE TO, TO BALANCE TIME WITH, UH, THIS AS WELL.
SO THIS SLIDE RIGHT HERE, WE'LL SHOW YOU BY YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS OUR RESPONSE TIME, UH, LAST YEAR'S QUARTER FOUR VERSUS THIS YEAR'S
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QUARTER FOUR IN COMPARISON.OUR GOAL, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD, NO MATTER WHICH COUNCIL DISTRICT YOU'RE IN, IS TO ARRIVE ON SCENE IN FOR A FIRE CALL IN EIGHT MINUTES OR LESS 90% OF THE TIME.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE AS THE CITY HAS GROWN, I HAVE ANOTHER, UH, MAP THING HERE IN THE FUTURE TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A, A GOOD PICTURE OF, OF HOW THE CITY HAS GROWN.
UH, AND YOU CAN SEE A, A DIFFERENCE IN THERE FOR THAT.
BUT THAT'S WHAT THESE TIMES RELATE TO, RIGHT? FOR YOUR DISTRICT.
NEXT ONE IS A MAP THAT'LL SHOW YOU OUR RESPONSE TIMES, UH, AROUND THE CITY.
UH, GREEN, DARKER GREEN IS, IS MORE IN LINE WITH MEETING THAT RESPONSE GOAL AS, UH, THE COLORS CHANGE TO PURPLE BEING THE WORST IS, IS OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT MEETING THE GOAL.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN VERY BLESSED AND VERY GRATEFUL THAT THE, THE CITY HAS SUPPORTED US IN ADDING SOME STATIONS.
WE JUST BROKE GROUND ON ONE IN GOODNIGHT RANCH AND, AND, UH, LOOKED TO BREAK GROUND ON ANOTHER ONE HERE IN THE, IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE FOR THE YEARS OUT, UP IN CANYON CREEK, WHICH WILL BE FIVE STATIONS ADDED IN OVER A SIX YEAR TIMEFRAME.
WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT, ALONG WITH SOME RENOVATIONS.
UM, BUT THAT BREAKS THE MAPS OUT FOR YOU THERE.
AND AGAIN, YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICT INFORMATION IS ON THAT AS WELL.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS ONE'S VERY TELLING.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT VERY WELL ON THE PICTURE THERE, BUT IT'S TWO DIFFERENT MAPS, THE SAME EXACT, UH, DEAL, BUT, UH, TWO DIFFERENT TIME SHOTS.
ONE IS 2014, YOU NOTICE HOW SIGNIFICANTLY GREEN, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE CORE, UH, AND, AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND THEN YOU MOVE FAST FORWARD TO 2022 AND YOU SEE THAT IT'S NOT SO GREEN, UH, AS A CITY HAS GROWN, GOT DENSER, UH, VERTICAL GROWTH, ET CETERA, A A GREAT NUMBER OF THINGS, UH, HAS CREATED CHALLENGES FOR US TO, TO MEET THAT RESPONSE TIME.
AND THAT'S JUST A GOOD DEPICTION OF THAT OVER TIME.
SO WHAT AUTO EIGHT IS, UH, IS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN US AND OUR E S D PARTNERS.
E S D STANDS FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICTS.
AND WHERE WE'RE THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WESTLAKE HAS THEIR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UH, PFLUGERVILLE HAS THEIR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT, CEDAR PARK, ET CETERA, RIGHT? UH, IT USED TO BE THAT IN TRAVIS COUNTY WE HAD AN AUTO AUTOMATED AGREEMENT WITH ALL OF OUR TRAVIS COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENTS OR THE ESDS.
WE EXPANDED THAT, UH, A COUPLE YEARS BACK TO BE TRAVIS COUNTY AND WILLIAMSON COUNTY TO DO THAT.
THE DISPATCHING SYSTEM, UH, UH, THE CAD, UH, COMPUTER RATED DISPATCH HAD TO CONNECT, UH, CUZ THE, TO BE A TRUE AUTO AID, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE THE UNITS ARE.
THE, THE, TO BE ABLE TO SAY THIS IS THE CLOSEST UNIT IN RESPOND, WHICH IS EASY TO SAY, NOT SO EASY TO IMPLEMENT.
TECHNOLOGY IS NECESSARY TO TRANSLATE THE CAD LANGUAGE FROM WILLIAMSON COUNTY TO THE CAD LANGUAGE OF, UH, OF TRAVIS COUNTY, RIGHT? WILLIAMSON COUNTY AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND, UH, TELUS IS THE TRANSLATOR, UH, SOFTWARE, IF YOU WILL.
UH, THAT HAS NOW BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR THE BETTER PART OF SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS-ISH.
A AND STILL WORKING OUT SOME BUGS, RIGHT? TECHNOLOGY, UH, HAS ITS CHALLENGES.
IT, IT'S, IT'S A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR, OUR TWO COUNTIES TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONDING THE CLOSEST UNIT POSSIBLE TO A CALL, NO MATTER WHOSE, UH, EMBLEM IS ON THE SIDE.
IS, IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS.
UH, THERE'S A, A FEW DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVEN'T FULLY CONNECTED IN YET, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING ON AND ARE ENGAGED IN THE CONVERSATIONS AND EVEN IN SOME OF THE TRAINING AS WELL, SO THAT ONCE THE TECHNOLOGY PART IS TO THEIR SATISFACTION, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ABLE TO JOIN IN, IN A TIMELY FASHION.
AS WE'VE SHARED IN THE PAST, UH, WITH THE CONCERNS WITH OVERDOSES AROUND THE CITY, WE'VE ADDED, UH, THE CAPACITY TO CARRY, UH, NARCAN, IF YOU WILL, ON OUR UNITS, UH, NALOXONE.
AND IT REQUIRED, UH, COOLINGS, WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE RIGHT CONTAINERS TO HOLD ONTO IT.
SO IT'S TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE AND IT, IT HAS BEEN, UH, A GREAT TOOL FOR US TO USE.
YOU CAN SEE, UH, LAST YEAR IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, 201 CALLS MADE AND IT WAS USED 144 TIMES.
SO, UH, IT'S ONE OF THOSE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX THAT IS HELPING US TO TAKE CARE OF OUR COMMUNITY IN THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, IN A TIMELY FASHION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR HOPEFULLY IN THEIR SITUATION, TO IMPROVE THEIR OUTCOME.
THESE ARE OUR ARSON INVESTIGATORS.
THEY ARE FIREFIGHTERS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO TRAINED PEACE OFFICERS.
AND, AND, AND THEY'RE ALSO GIVEN SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRAINING TO GO THROUGH LOOKING FOR, UH, CAUSE DETERMINATION FOR FIRES.
AND WHAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF AND THE GREAT WORK THAT THEY DO IS A NATIONAL CLEARANCE RATE TO ACTUALLY DETERMINE WHAT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS, AND MAYBE EVEN ARREST SOMEONE IF IT WAS AN ARSON.
YOU KNOW, LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS.
UH, THEY'RE PHENOMENAL IN COMPARISON.
SO WE HAVE A, A GREAT GROUP THERE THAT DO A GOOD JOB OF TRYING TO TRULY DETERMINE WHAT THE CAUSE IS, UH, WITH A COUPLE OF, UH, UH, UH, DOGS TO
[00:15:01]
HELP 'EM WITH SNIFFING OUT FOR, FOR CHEMICALS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.DO AN ABSOLUTE PHENOMENAL JOB.
UH, WE HAVE A WILDFIRE DIVISION.
UH, THEY'VE BEEN AROUND, UH, KIND OF AS A, A STARTUP AFTER THE BASTROP COMPLEX FIRE, STEINER RANCH AND ALL THAT A LITTLE OVER A DECADE AGO.
AND, AND THEIR JOB IS TO DO A MULTITUDE THINGS, EDUCATE, UH, THE, THE, OUR, OUR COMMUNITIES GET THE, THE DIFFERENT SUBDIVISIONS TO BECOME FIREWISE COMMUNITIES, TO MAKE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE FOR FIRE PROTECTION, AND ALSO WORK ON EDUCATION, UH, TO HELP MITIGATE, UH, UM, THE, UH, THE, THE, THE FORESTRY AROUND US TO, TO MINIMIZE A WILDFIRE, UH, GROWTH IF YOU WERE TO CURRENT, TO, TO, TO, TO SLOW IT DOWN, TO HAVE IT, KEEP IT A SMALLER ONE, BETTER CHANCE TO EXTINGUISH IT.
UH, WITH THAT, THEY, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTING IN OUR DEPARTMENT, A RESPONDING TO THE INTERFACE THAT'S TRAINING, UH, OUR WHOLE DEPARTMENT'S GOING THROUGH AND WHERE YOUR HOMES ARE NESTLED UP IN THE GREEN BELTS, IF YOU WILL.
THE, THE CONCERN IS THEY'RE AT A GREATER RISK FOR WILDFIRE.
AND, AND AS FAR AS OUR COMMUNITY GOES OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST ONES FOR, UH, PROPERTY VALUE LOSS, RIGHT? AS FAR AS WILDFIRE RISK GOES.
AND SO THIS TRAINING WILL HELP OUR FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND IN A MORE TIMELY FASHION, IN, IN A WAY TO, TO DEAL WITH THOSE, UH, VERY COMPLEX FIRES THAT ARE IN THAT, UH, WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON, UH, ESTABLISHING AND, AND, AND GETTING UP AND RUNNING A WILDFIRE BATTALION.
AND THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, FOLKS THAT, IN ADDITION TO THAT RTI TRAINING, ARE WILDFIRE TRAINED AND ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE VERY UNIQUE WILDFIRE ISSUES WE HAVE ON OUR EAST SIDE AND OUR WEST SIDE, RIGHT? AND SO THAT, THAT'S SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE WORKING THERE.
NEXT SLIDE, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE.
UH, THIS IS OUR FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE.
YOU THINK OF, UH, THAT IN, IN THE TERMS OF A NUMBER OF THINGS.
ONE IS, UH, ALL NEW CONSTRUCTION.
EVERY PLACE YOU SEE A CRANE AROUND TOWN WHERE THEY'RE BUILDING SOMETHING, UH, THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND WE ARE A SUBPART OF THAT TO MAKE SURE ALL THE THINGS LIKE THEY'RE SPRINKLERS AND EXITING ARE ALL APPROPRIATE AMONGST GREAT A MULTITUDE OF OTHER THINGS FOR THEIR, THEIR BASIC PLANS.
UH, YOU'LL SEE SOME, SOME STATISTICS AROUND THE MOMENT.
THEY ALSO TAKE CARE OF SPECIAL EVENTS, AND AS, UH, THINGS HAVE TURNED BACK AND THE WEATHER'S NICE, UH, WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST, UH, UH, UH, EVENT, UH, STATUS HERE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN RIGHT NOW.
UH, YOU'VE GOT THE RODEO GOING ON SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST NASCAR.
FOLLOWING THAT, THE PGA TOURNAMENT AND, AND ON AND ON AND ON THROUGHOUT THE, THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR LAST YEAR, THEY, THEY HAD RECORD NUMBERS AT KODA WITH OVER 440,000 FOLKS IN ATTENDANCE OVER THE, THE THREE DAYS OF THE F1 RACE.
UH, YOU'VE GOT NOW THE, THE, THE SOCCER, UH, STADIUM BRINGING IN, AND THOSE GAMES ARE NOW GOING ON RIGHT NOW AS WELL.
AND OUR FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE IS WELL EMBEDDED IN ALL OF THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THINGS OCCUR IN A SAFE FASHION.
WHEN YOU TURN A CITY PARK OR A RESTAURANT INTO A CONCERT VENUE, IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS JUST MOVING THE TABLES AND HAVING A PARTY.
THERE'S COMPLEXITIES THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS DONE IN A SAFE FASHION.
AND OUR FIRE MARSHALS FOLKS DO A PHENOMENAL JOB THERE.
NEXT SLIDE, RIGHT HERE, WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE, THE PLAN REVIEWS, ET CETERA AND INSPECTIONS PERFORMED, THOSE GIVE YOU SOME, SOME, UH, DETAILS OF THE NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS THAT WE DO TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THINGS ARE BUILT IN A, IN A LIFE SAFETY, UH, FASHION, AND ARE SAFE FOR FOLKS TO OCCUPY NOW.
OUR NEXT SLIDE, WHEN I HIGHLIGHT THIS, THE COMPLIANCE ENGINE, YOU'LL SEE A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE IN THOSE BLUE, BLUE LINES.
SO US IN-HOUSE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT ONCE A BUILDING IS BUILT, THAT THINGS ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE MAINTAINED LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, SPRINKLERS ARE CHECKED EVERY YEAR, AND THAT THEY'RE KEPT UP TO DATE.
THE ALARM SYSTEMS ARE, ARE, ARE MAINTAINED AND INSPECTED IN APPROPRIATE FASHION BY THIRD PARTY FOLKS.
UH, WAS, WAS HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF, ESPECIALLY YOUR APARTMENT COMPLEXES WHERE MAYBE YOUR MANAGEMENT MIGHT CHANGE OVER REGULARLY TO KEEP THOSE CONNECTIONS WAS PROBLEMATIC.
SO ENTER THIS THIRD PARTY SYSTEM CALLED THE COMPLIANCE ENGINE AND THE, THE SYSTEM THAT THEY HAVE.
YOU CAN SEE NOW THAT OUR, WHERE WE HAVE A ROBUST PROCESS TO GET, UH, A CERTIFICATE OCCUPANCY TO, TO GET INTO A NEW BUILDING, THERE WAS NOT REALLY MUCH TO FOLLOW THERE AFTERWARDS TO MAKE SURE THE BUILDING WAS, WAS ALL THE SYSTEMS WERE KEPT UP SAFE.
NOW WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT, THAT FOLLOWS THROUGH ON THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S DONE.
AND, AND IT'S PHENOMENAL JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT AS BUILDINGS AGE, THAT THEIR SYSTEMS ARE STILL PROPERLY MAINTAINED ALONG THE WAY FOR THE SAFETY OF THOSE WHO OCCUPY.
I APOLOGIZE, I'M RUNNING LONGER THAN I ANTICIPATED.
OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UH, DOES A MULTITUDE OF THINGS.
UH, WE VISIT SCHOOLS, UH, TO, TO TALK ABOUT FIRE PREVENTION, FIRE SAFETY, GET LOW AND GO THOSE SORT OF
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THINGS.SO PEOPLE AREN'T, UH, YOUNG ONES AREN'T PLAYING WITH LIGHTERS.
THEY ALSO DO THINGS LIKE, UH, SMOKE ALARMS. OUR GOAL IS, UH, UH, ZERO FIRE DEATHS, RIGHT? AND SO IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS NOT ABLE TO, DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO, TO INSTALL A SMOKE ALARM, GIVE US A CALL ON THAT NUMBER RIGHT THERE.
WE'RE HAPPY TO COME DO THAT FOR 'EM.
BUT OUR, OUR GOAL IS THAT, THAT PEOPLE ARE, ARE ALERTED IN, IN THE CASE OF A, OF A FIRE AND ARE ABLE TO GET TO A POINT OF SAFETY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
SO THEY DO A GREAT JOB OF REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY IN THAT THE NUMBER OF WAYS.
THIS, UH, HERE WE GOT COVID, UH, HAS BEEN A HUGE CHALLENGE FOR US, UH, DURING THE ONSET OF IT TO KEEP OUR FIREFIGHTERS SAFE AND HEALTHY SO THEY CAN TEND TO THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
UH, WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE THAT FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, UH, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVING COVID IS, IS SMALL.
FIVE TO 10 IS KIND OF THE RANGE.
WE WERE AT A POINT AT, AT ONE TIME IN THE, IN THE MIDST OF COVID ON NOT ONE, BUT TWO OCCASIONS WHERE WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE OUT SICK WITH COVID.
AND THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT PART OF OUR WORKFORCE.
AND BE ABLE TO STILL MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY WAS A CHALLENGE.
SO WE DID A GOOD JOB OF KEEPING TRACK OF THAT AND OUR WELLNESS CENTER, WHICH TAKES US TO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES, UH, THAT A PHENOMENAL JOB OF OF KEEPING US TAKING CARE OF OUR WELLNESS CENTER IS, IS USED FOR A MULTITUDE OF THINGS.
USUALLY IT'S ONBOARDING OF APPLICANTS WHO'VE APPLIED FOR THE DEPARTMENT, RUN 'EM THROUGH THEIR MEDICAL BACK, BACKGROUND, HEALTH CHECKS, ET CETERA.
UH, WELL, DURING COVID, WE, WE REPURPOSED THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR INCUMBENT FORCE, KEEPING 'EM HEALTHY AND SAFE TESTING, FOLLOW UP TO GET 'EM, MAKE SURE THEY WERE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO RETURN BACK TO WORK, EVEN PROVIDING, UH, VACCINATION SHOTS, WHAT THEY STILL DO TODAY, UH, ON A, UH, APPOINTMENT BASIS.
UH, SO I WAS VERY FORTUNATE FOR US TO HAVE THAT AND, AND PHENOMENAL JOB THEY DID.
CUZ THERE WASN'T NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR HOW TO DEAL WITH COVID.
THEY DID A PHENOMENAL JOB OF TAKING CARE OF OUR WORKFORCE.
NEXT SLIDE IS GONNA TAKE YOU TO OUR SEPARATIONS.
UH, BY AND LARGE, MOST PEOPLE WHO JOIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, ENJOY A FULL HEALTHY CAREER AND GO ON TO RETIREMENT.
WE DID HAVE A, AN ANOMALY LAST YEAR WHERE THERE WAS A LARGE GROUP OF FOLK OR, UH, ABOUT 12 THAT LEFT WITH, UH, A HANDFUL OF YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT.
AND WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THEM, MOST OF THEM WERE PURSUING THINGS LIKE, UH, REAL ESTATE.
IT, UH, THERE WAS FAMILY ITEMS THERE WHERE THEY, THEY NEEDED TO GO, UH, ELSEWHERE TO TAKE CARE OF FAMILY ITEMS. SO WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE THAT BY AND LARGE, THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT JOIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STICK WITH THAT FOR A FULL CAREER.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST AT THE END OF OUR CURRENT HIRING PROCESS.
OUR HIRING PROCESS GOES FOR TWO YEARS, AND WE HAVE TWO CADET CLASSES IN PLACE.
THERE IS A TYPO ON THERE IN THE, THE TABLE.
UH, CLASS 1 35 STARTED IN OCTOBER OF 22, NOT GRADUATED, STARTED.
AND CLASS 1 36 ACTUALLY STARTED IN, UH, JANUARY.
CLASS 1 35 WILL GRADUATE AROUND MAY.
SO A LITTLE BIT OF A TYPO THERE.
RIGHT NOW THERE'S STILL ABOUT 85 PEOPLE TOTAL, TWO CLASSES COMBINED, ABOUT 85 PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS.
WE LOSE MAYBE ABOUT FIVE TO 10 PEOPLE PER CADET CLASS GOING THROUGH FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
ONCE THEY GET THROUGH THE CADET CLASS, THE VAST MAJORITY OF 'EM MAKE IT THROUGH THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD AND AT THE ONE YEAR MARK.
SO CADET CLASS FOR SIX MONTHS, PROBATION FOR SIX MONTHS AT THE ONE YEAR MARK, THEY BECOME CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTED.
AND USUALLY ONCE PEOPLE GET THROUGH THE CADET CLASS, UH, THAT'S VERY RARE THAT WE LOSE THEM DURING PROBATION.
IT HAPPENS FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT NOT VERY COMMON FOR THAT.
SO AS WE'RE FINISHING ONE RECRUITING PROCESS OR, OR, OR HIRING PROCESS, WE'RE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON ANOTHER ONE.
AND WITHOUT SOME OF THE RECRUITING TOOLS WE HAVE ARE PAST THE TORCH AND THE FIRE EXPLORER POST, UH, FOR DIFFERENT AGE GRAINS.
AND THE IDEA IS TO GET THEM INLET EXPERIENCE.
WHAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S LIKE THE, THE, THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE A PART OF BOTH OF THOSE, THOSE PROGRAMS. SO THEY GET TO ASK QUESTIONS, THEY GET TO PUT THEIR HANDS ON THINGS AND SEE WHAT THE JOB IS LIKE.
SO THEY MAKE FOR REALLY GOOD RECRUITING TOOLS FOR US, TRYING TO LOOK AT FOLKS THAT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, AS THEY'RE GROWING UP, NOT SURE WHAT THEY WANNA DO, DIDN'T THINK THE FIRE SERVICE WAS A POSSIBILITY OR THING FOR THEM, THEY NOT GET THE CHANCE TO BE EXPOSED TO IT, TO CONSIDER THAT AMONGST WHAT THEIR FUTURE OPTIONS MIGHT BE.
WE'RE REAL PROUD OF THOSE PROGRAMS. AND LAST SLIDE WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY WE'RE HIRING, UH, MARCH 15TH THROUGH THE 29TH.
IF YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO'S LOOKING FOR OR CURIOUS ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY CAN GO TO JOIN AFD.COM AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE THE INFORMATION WITH THEM ABOUT OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.
LOVE TO HAVE 'EM ON OUR TEAM WITH THAT.
IF THERE'S NO QUESTIONS FOR ME, I WILL PASS ON TO EMS. UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS FOR CHIEF FIRES? UH, VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ.
YEAH, I JUST HAD A QUICK QUESTION AS TO WHY THE COMPARE WHEN YOU HAD THE MAP COMPARISONS OF 2014 VERSUS 2022.
[00:25:01]
WHAT WAS, IS IT JUST IN, JUST SO IF I'M GONNA BE TRANSPARENT IN MY, IN MY OFFICE, I'VE GOT ALL THOSE MAPS IN 2014, JUST HAVING THE OLDEST ONE IN HAND.AND YOU THINK OF FAIR ENOUGH DAYS WHERE BROUGHT THOSE STICK FIGURES ON THE COURT AND BROUGHT UP THROUGH AND YOU'D SEE THE CHANGE IN MOVEMENT? THAT'S WHAT I HAD AS, AS, AS REFERENCE THERE.
SO IT WAS, IT WAS EASY TO HOLD ONTO TO, IN THE, THE YEARS WEREN'T AS IMPORTANT AS JUST SHOWING THE, THE, THE, THE CHANGE OVER TIME.
THE EARS THEMSELVES WEREN'T SPECIFIC TO ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT'S WHAT I HAD ON MY WALLS OF REFERENCE.
AND WERE, WERE THE RESPONSE TIMES IN TWEN, LIKE THE, THE TARGET RESPONSE TIMES THE SAME BACK THEN AS WELL? YEP.
EIGHT MINUTES 90% OF THE TIME.
UH, SINCE YOU SHOWED US THAT, I MEAN, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR SOLUTION TO IMPROVING THAT? I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY SOME THINGS LIKE TRAFFIC AND DOWNTOWN ARE MORE DIFFICULT THAN ADDING MORE FIRES STATION
THERE'S SOME COMPLEXITIES TO THAT.
I DON'T, UH, WE ARE WORKING ON SOME DIFFERENT ANSWERS.
I'M NOT PREPARED TO TO, TO SHARE AT THIS POINT, BUT WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOME, UH, AT SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS THAT MIGHT HELP US ADDRESS THAT.
MOST CERTAINLY, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PERIPHERY, THERE WAS SOME AREAS THAT WERE DARKER BEFORE BY THE ADDING THE FIVE STATIONS IN SIX YEARS.
THOSE WERE VERY HELPFUL TO THOSE COMMUNITIES.
UH, AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO GROW AND BECOME MORE DENSE, IT CREATES, UH, OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO ALTER OUR SERVICE DELIVERY TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TAKING CARE OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, UH, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT, UH, AS WE SPEAK TO SEE HOW WE CAN, UH, MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT, THAT, THAT ARE RESPONSIVE, UH, TO THE NEEDS OF THE CITY.
COMMISSIONER RUTA, I SAID THAT'S FANTASTIC, YOU KNOW, A ROOT CAUSE IN TERMS OF WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SUPPORT SOME OF THE RESPONSE TIMES.
I, I'D BE CURIOUS ABOUT A COUPLE OTHER THINGS.
WHEN YOU DEFINE FIRST ON SCENE, HOW IS THAT DEFINED? FIRST UNIT ON SCENE? FIRST UNIT ON SCENE.
SO WHEN THAT'S, UH, LIKE A FIRE, YOU GOT SEVERAL UNITS THAT ARE DISPATCHED, THE VERY FIRST ONE THAT'S ON SCENE WILL MARK THE START TIME TO THE FIRST UNIT ON SCENE.
ARE YOU GONNA SAY A MULTI-FAMILY BUILDING OR WITH INCREASED TENE AND HIGH RISES IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S TO THE FRONT DOOR OF THE ADDRESSES.
AND, AND EVEN THAT HAS SOME CHALLENGES TO IT.
SOME OF THE, THE, THE SOFTWARE THAT WE HAVE WILL SHOW YOU ON SCENE WHEN YOU GET IN PROXIMITY.
WELL, IF IT'S A, IF IT'S AN ACCIDENT ON A HIGHWAY, YOU COULD BE GOING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION HAVING A TURNAROUND, BUT BECAUSE YOU'RE IN PROXIMITY, IT, IT SHOWS YOU ON SCENE.
THAT'S WHY I POINTED OUT WITH THE, THE PIE CHART WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR CALLS ARE MEDICAL, AND IT WAS SUCH A SMALL SLIVER WITH THE FIRE THAT THE PIE CHART ITSELF DOESN'T TELL YOU THE FULL STORY.
YOU HAVE TO DIG INTO THE DETAILS TO, TO, TO, TO UNDERSTAND IT MAYBE, UH, UH, UH, UH, MORE THAN WHAT THE VISUAL WOULD TELL YOU.
AND YEAH, I WONDER AS AUSTIN DENSIFIES, HOW IT'S GONNA CHANGE THAT RESPONSE.
AND THEN I ALSO, WITH THAT, IS THERE ANY DATA THAT LOOKS AT, YOU KNOW, THE DECENT PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN TERMS OF RESPONSE TIMES FROM, I THINK IT WAS 2021 TO 2022 OR 2019? I CAN'T REMEMBER THE COMPARISON YEAR, BUT IS, DO Y'ALL COLLECT ANY HEALTH DATA ON THAT? YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE GOT A 32ND LONGER RESPONSE TIME, A MINUTE RESPONSE TIME, LIKE WHAT'S THE ACTUAL IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
ALSO A LITTLE BIT COMPLEX BECAUSE NOT ALL CALL TYPES ARE THE SAME, RIGHT? SO, UH, WE'D HAVE TO DO SOME DIGGING IN TO, TO, TO PULL THAT OUT.
AND THE, THE, THE REPORT ENTRY STUFF IS NOT AS ROBUST AS YOU WOULD THINK.
SOMETIMES WHEN WE GO TO IT, THERE'S BUTTONS THAT YOU PUSH, SAY, HEY, THIS WAS THE CALL TYPE YOU WENT ON.
IT VERIFIES IT SO IT'S EASIER TO FARM THE DATA OUT OF IT.
SOME THINGS, UH, AS LIFE MOVES ON AND, AND THE, THE SOFTWARE WAS CREATED SOME TIME AGO, WE HAVE TO DIG INTO WORD SEARCHES WITHIN THE NARRATIVES TO FIND THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND YOU CAN IMAGINE WITH A DEPARTMENT OF 1200 PEOPLE, NOT EVERYONE USES THE SAME TERMINOLOGY, UH, ON THERE.
SO SOME OF THE FARMING BECOMES A CHALLENGE AS WELL.
BUT I'LL LOOK IN TO SEE IF WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS TO THE, THE, THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES OVER TIME.
I, I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME AT THIS TIME OR FIRE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE, THE OUTCOMES OF INTEREST ARE, BUT MM-HMM.
UM, ON, ON MEDICAL CALLS, UM, DOES THE REPORTING BACK, UM, ON A MEDICAL CALL GO TO, I ASSUME THERE'S REPORTING BACK FROM BEING OUT IN THE FIELD TO SOME MEDICAL DIRECTOR OR SUPERVISOR AT A HOME BASE? IS THAT AN ACCURATE ASSUMPTION? EACH UNIT WILL FILL OUT THE REPORT FOR WHAT THEY DID ON, ON THE CALL, WHETHER IT BE MEDICAL OR FIRE.
AND, AND WE DO ALL WORK UNDERNEATH THE, THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR'S LICENSE.
SO WE GET SOME MEDICAL ION FROM THEM ON HOW, AS AN EMT, WHEN WE SHOW UP, HERE'S THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO, ET CETERA, AND WE WORK UNDER LICENSE TO, TO TAKE CARE OF SOMEONE.
AND AS EMS ARRIVES, THEY'RE ABLE TO, TO CONTINUE THAT CARE EVEN FURTHER WITH PARAMEDICS AND TO ULTIMATELY GET THE PERSON TO THE, THE HOSPITAL BRING OUT NURSES AND DOCTORS TO, TO, TO TAKE CARE OF THE SITUATION AS A WHOLE.
AND EACH OF US HAVE REPORTS THAT WE FILL OUT FOR WHAT WE DID, UH, IN THERE AND ALL THAT IS SHARED SO THAT PEOPLE GET THAT ALONG WAY TO SEE WHAT WAS DONE AND HOW THAT, TO HELP SOMEONE FURTHER.
I'M SURE, UH, CHIEF GARNER CAN ALLUDE ON THAT A BIT.
WELL, THAT'S WHERE MY QUESTION WAS GOING IS THAT YOU AND
[00:30:01]
AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS SHARE THE SAME ELECTRONIC SYSTEM SO THAT THEY CAN SEE YOUR RECORDS WHEN THEY GO IN.SO THE, THE, YOU'RE WORKING ON THE, THE, THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS ARE A WORKING CONFERENCE.
AND I, I, I FEEL LIKE I GOT THIS INFORMATION FROM SOMEBODY AT A, AT AUSTIN FLEET SERVICES, BUT, AND NOW I'M NOT REMEMBERING THE PHONE CALL VERY WELL.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S AN EFFORT AFOOT TO WORK ON TRAFFIC LIGHT SINKING TO SPEED UP EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES.
THAT'S, THE SYSTEM'S BEEN AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND OPTICON IS WHAT IT WAS CALLED IN THE PAST.
AND THERE ARE WAYS FOR, UH, YOU'D HAVE A, A STROBE ON THE FIRETRUCK THAT WOULD DING THE, THE, THE TRAFFIC LIGHT, SO IT WOULD KNOW TO TURN, SO YOU COULD NOT HAVE TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP FOR TRAFFIC.
UH, THERE ARE SOME NEWER VERSIONS OF THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW THE STATUS OF WHERE THOSE ARE.
IT'S BEEN A CONVERSATION FOR A WHILE, BUT I DON'T KNOW THE, THE CURRENT STATUS OF, OF ROLLOUT FOR IT.
UH, WE'LL MOVE ON TO EMS. GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'M TERESA GARDNER, THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EM S DEPARTMENT, AND I HAVE AN ABBREVIATED REPORT FOR YOU TODAY.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING US DO THIS KIND OF JOINTLY SO WE COULD KEEP EVERYBODY ON SCHEDULE AND, UM, WE APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, SO THIS, UH, REPORT WILL SPAN THE TIMEFRAME FROM OCTOBER 1ST, 2022 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST.
SO THE FIRST QUARTER OF OUR FISCAL CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
THIS IS AN ONGOING SLIDE THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, THAT JUST REFLECTS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, THREE DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, THE TOP LINE IS OUR, UH, NUMBER OF P OF INCIDENTS, EMS INCIDENTS.
SO THAT'S THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT COME INTO THE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.
UM, THE NEXT LINE THAT'S IN RED IS THE NUMBER OF PATIENT CONTACTS WE HAVE.
SO THAT'S IF WE HAVE SOMEONE OUT IN THE FIELD ON AN AMBULANCE OR A SINGLE MEDIC RESPONDER THAT COMES IN CONTACT WITH A PERSON.
THAT'S HOW MANY TIMES THAT WE'VE DONE THAT OVER, OVER TIME.
AND THEN THAT FINAL GRAY LINE IS OUR PATIENT TRANSPORTS.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT COME IN.
SOME OF THOSE ARE DUPLICATE CALLS, SOME OF THOSE ARE INFORMATION CALLS.
SOME, SOME ARE JUST NOT RELEVANT TO, UM, THE ACTUAL DISPATCH.
UM, THE SECOND LINE IS ANYTIME AGAIN THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, CONTACTS, THERE MAY BE REFUSALS, THERE MAY BE REFERRALS TO SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE DIDN'T TAKE 'EM TO THE HOSPITAL.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY OUR LAST LINE IS, IS OUR, UH, PATIENT TRANSPORT OVER TIME.
UM, SO OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT'S REMAINED RELATIVELY FLAT.
WE DO HAVE SEASONAL ANOMALIES WHEN, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE COMING UP INTO THE SUMMER, UM, IN THE SPRING WHERE IT STARTS TO INCREASE.
UM, MUCH LIKE OUR, UM, PREVIOUS REPORT, THIS IS OUR PARTY ONE COMPLIANCE BY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
AND, UM, AS WE TRIAGE CALLS IN THE, UH, COMM CENTER AND DISPATCH, THEY'RE BROKEN INTO PARTY ONE THROUGH PARTY FIVE.
PARTY ONE IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT, UM, CALL TYPE BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVE.
OUR GOAL IS TO, UH, BE ON SCENE WITHIN 9 59.
UM, AND THIS IS A PERCENTAGE OF TIME BY DISTRICT THAT WE, UH, MAKE THAT TIME.
AND THEN OUR NEXT SLIDE IS, UM, AS YOU SAW, THAT WAS A 90%, THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE MAKE, THAT 9 59.
THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE SHOWS THAT WHILE WE MEET WHAT TIMEFRAME, WE ARE MAKING 90 PERCENTILE WITHIN, UM, EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT.
SO IN SOME DISTRICTS WE ARE LESS THAN A MINUTE OFF IN THAT 90TH PERCENTILE, AND SOME WERE UP TO FOUR MINUTES, UH, DIFFERENCE IN THAT, THAT LITTLE ORANGE SECTION BELOW IS JUST A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PERCENTAGE OF PRIORITY ONE CALLS THAT ARE FOR THAT ENTIRE DISTRICT.
SO WE HAVE PRIORITY ONE THROUGH PRIORITY FIVE, AGAIN FOR CITYWIDE.
UM, AND THEN THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT ARE PRIORITY ONE IS THAT PERCENTAGE.
AS I MENTIONED, PARTY ONE THROUGH PARTY FIVE, WE START AT THE VERY BOTTOM IS THAT PARTY ONE, AND THIS IS JUST BREAKS DOWN PER COUNCIL DISTRICT WHAT PERCENTAGE OF CALLS WE'RE SEEING IN EACH DISTRICT THAT ARE PARTY ONE, WHICH ARE AGAIN, ARE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TO PARTY FIVE, WHICH ARE LOW ACUITY CALLS.
AND OUR NEXT SLIDE, THIS WILL GET INTO OUR, UH, STAFFING.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS, UM, THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2021.
WE'VE STARTED AN ACADEMY SINCE, SINCE THIS PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, OUR OVERALL VACANCY RATE AT THE TIME WAS 24%.
UM, AND WE HAVE STILL A NUMBER OF VACANCIES WITHIN OUR, UH, COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION.
AND WITHIN OUR CLINICAL SPECIALIST, UH, RANK IN JANUARY, WE DID START, UM, OUR FIRST LATERAL HIRE, UH, ACADEMY THAT IS HIRING PARAMEDICS DIRECTLY INTO THAT CLINICAL SPECIALIST.
UM, WE HAD A VERY SHORT TIMEFRAME THAT WE STARTED THAT UP, SO WE DID HAVE SEVEN THAT CAME IN, UM, THROUGH THAT LATERAL.
AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE SCHEDULED TO COME UP IN JULY.
[00:35:01]
UM, SO WE HOPE TO SEE MORE FILLING IN IN THAT RING.WE ALSO JUST CONCLUDED A, UM, HIRING PROCESS AND EXPECT TO SEE MORE OF COMMUNICATION MEDICS COMING IN.
AND WE HAVE SOME PLANS TO, UM, DO SOME INTERNSHIPS AND PROVIDE SOME TRAINING SO THAT WE CAN HOPEFULLY REACH MORE PEOPLE TO COME INTO THOSE PHYSICIANS, UM, IN, IN THE FUTURE.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THOSE ARE, ARE MOST SIGNIFICANT VACANCIES WITHIN THE COMMUNICATIONS SECTION AND THAT FIELD CLINICAL SPECIALIST.
THIS IS OUR SEPARATION DATA FOR, UM, THE LAST QUARTER.
UM, WE HAD HAD ONE RETIREMENT AND WE HAD, UH, 14 RESIGNATIONS.
UM, AND THEN GETS INTO ALSO THE NEXT SLIDE, THE TENURE.
UM, THE MAJORITY OF THESE WERE, WERE WITHIN THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION AT THIS POINT OF, UH, WHERE THEY WERE LEAVING, UH, WHERE WHY THEY WERE LEAVING, WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO, BUT, UM, IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT CHIEF BYERS MENTIONED.
WE SEE A LOT THAT GO INTO REAL ESTATE, OTHER HEALTHCARE POSITIONS, OR THEY'RE LEAVING THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSION ENTIRELY.
THIS IS OUR VACANCY RATE, UM, BY MONTH FOR BOTH SWORN AND CIVILIAN.
OVER THOSE PAST THREE MONTHS, UM, OUR CIVILIAN VACANCY RATE WAS AS HIGH AS 23.4%, AND THEN OUR SWORN VACANCY RATE, UH, CAME DOWN AFTER AN ACADEMY GRADUATION IN DECEMBER, 2022.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE THAT TREND DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
UM, WE HAVE AN ACADEMY THAT WILL GRADUATE IN, UH, APRIL OF THIS YEAR, AND WE'LL SEE SOME, SOME MOVEMENT ON THAT TOO.
AND OUR NEXT SLIDE, THIS, UM, IS THE TURNOVER RATE.
UH, DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, WE'RE SEEING ABOUT A 1% PER MONTH.
UM, ACTUALLY IN JANUARY WE HAD NO TURNOVER.
UM, SO WE ARE, UM, HOPING TO CONTINUE THAT TREND AND, AND SEE OUR, OUR TURNOVER RATE DECREASE.
UM, THIS WAS A REQUEST OF INFORMATION OF THE OPIOID, UM, OVERDOSES WITH WITHIN THE CITY.
UM, THIS BUILDS ON, UH, THE PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD A FEW MONTHS AGO FROM, FROM OUR GROUP.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE CONTINUE TO TREND UP.
UM, THERE IS A TREND, UM, DURING THE SPRING FOR IT TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE STARTING 2023, UH, BEFORE SPRING WITH A, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE.
THAT GRAY LINE, THEY STARTED TRACKING WHAT TYPE OF OVERDOSE IT WAS.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE IT'S, IT'S MARKED AS PILLS.
UM, THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED TO SEE THAT MARKET TO INCREASE IN FENTANYL OVERDOSES.
AND THIS IS OUR OPIOID RESCUE KIT INFORMATION.
UM, WE HAVE OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS THROUGH OUR, UH, PROGRAM THAT ARE ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE THESE KIDS OUT IN THE FIELD.
UM, ANYBODY WHO WANTS ONE CAN GET ONE.
WE IDENTIFY PEOPLE WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK, WHO MAY HAVE FRIENDS, FAMILY, UM, OR OTHER PEOPLE THAT, THAT ARE HIGH RISK.
AND, UM, THESE ARE THE KIDS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THEM.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER, HASSEN, JUST AN EASY ONE ON THE CADET CLASSES.
HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE IN THIS CURRENT CLASS AND WHAT'S THE NORMAL SIZE? OUR CURRENT CLASS HAS 30, UM, AND THAT'S A MIXTURE OF OUR ENTRY LEVEL MEDIC, WHICH IS THE EMT, UM, RANK.
AND THEN WE HAVE SEVEN THAT ARE THAT LATERAL, UH, CLINICAL SPECIALISTS.
SO ON AVERAGE WE'VE BEEN ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 30.
UM, AND IT JUST VARIES ON, YOU KNOW, THE, WE WE'RE RUNNING A, IN A HIRING PROCESS CONSTANT, WE HAVE TO CLOSE AT A CERTAIN POINT ON A DAY, BUT THE VERY NEXT DAY WE REOPEN A PROCESS.
UM, I THINK IN THIS LAST HIRING PROCESS, WE HAD THE SAME NUMBER OF 150 TO 200 APPLICATIONS.
UM, AND I BELIEVE WE'LL BE SEEN A ANOTHER CLASS OF 20.
SO I GUESS AFTER THIS NEXT CLASS, I DIDN'T DO THE MATH, I COULDN'T SEE THAT FAR.
UM, HOW MANY VACANCIES WE GO YOU HAVE, UM, AFTER THIS NEXT CLASS, IF, IF I ESTIMATE IT CORRECTLY, I BELIEVE THAT WE'LL BE AROUND 125 VACANCIES.
UM, GIVE OR TAKE, TAKE A FEW DEPENDING ON BOTH ATTRITION AND UM, GRADUATION RATE.
UM, CHIEF GARDNER, IS IT YOUR IMPRESSION THAT, UM, THE CHANGE IN SALARIES FROM THE NEW CONTRACT IS IMPROVING THE SITUATION? UH, IN TERMS OF VACANCIES OR, I MEAN, WHAT'S YOUR JUST GENERAL IMPRESSION OF THE TRAJECTORY? I THINK, WELL FIRST OF ALL, WE'LL BE GOING BACK TO BARGAINING AGAIN THIS YEAR.
AND UH, WE HAVE A ONE YEAR CONTRACT WHI WHICH, UM, DID IMPROVE SOME THINGS.
BUT I THINK THAT WE'LL BE SEEING, UM, HOPEFULLY SOME MORE MOVEMENT ON THAT.
UM, THERE ARE TRENDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT WE LOOK AT WHENEVER WE DO THAT, OF, OF HOW THAT'S IMPACTING.
UM, WE ARE STILL SEEING JUST NATIONWIDE,
[00:40:01]
THE TREND OF MORE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE EMS PROFESSION THAN ARE ENTERING.UM, SO WE, THAT IS A HUGE CHALLENGE FOR US THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE FACING.
UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT SOME OF THAT HAS HELPED A LITTLE BIT, SOME OF IT HAS NOT.
UM, AND THEN WE JUST CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THAT.
UM, BASICALLY CURIOUS, THIS THE SAME QUESTION, UM, THAT I ASKED FOR CHIEF HOURS.
IS THERE ANY DATA IN TERMS OF THE RESPONSE TIMES AND WITH THOSE ONES THAT ARE ABOVE THE TARGET IN TERMS OF PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES, UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK OR IS THERE AN ABILITY DOWN THE ROAD TO THINK ABOUT MOVING TOWARDS THAT? UM, WELL, INTERESTING ENOUGH, IN, IN EMS INDUSTRY, THERE IS A MOVE AWAY FROM MEASURING STRICTLY RESPONSE TIMES AND GOING TOWARDS JUST OUTCOMES.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT IF WE'RE INTERESTED IN SEEING ON AN ONGOING BASIS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GLAD TO TO WORK WITH YOU ON, ON GETTING THAT INFORMATION.
YEAH, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT OTHER COMMISSIONERS, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE ALL YEAH, THAT'S WHAT WE ALL CARE ABOUT IN THE END.
AND, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME CRITICAL ISSUES THAT WE CAN LOOK AT WITH EITHER STROKE, TRAUMA, UM, HEART ATTACK, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT, UH, WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT AT WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE.
UM, I OBVIOUSLY CAN'T SPEAK FOR DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ON THIS, BUT I WOULD THINK THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND A RESEARCH PARTNER AT UT.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A NEED FOR LIKE SURE.
UM, ALRIGHT, UH, I GUESS WE SHOULD MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT DISCUSSION ITEM,
[3. Discussion of winter/extreme weather event preparedness]
UM, WHICH IS EXTREME WEATHER EVENT PREPAREDNESS.UM, UH, IS, UM, MR. PARKER AND, UH, ASSISTANT CHIEF WADE AND ASSISTANT CHIEF, UM, STANKY OH, OH, AND WE HAVE, SHOULD WE START WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENT? OH, WELL IT'S, IT DOUBLES.
IT'S THE SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE.
I THINK IF WE CAN HAVE UM, UM, THE EMS ASSOCIATION AND THE AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION COME UP TO THE TABLE, THAT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT.
WE'D LOVE TO HEAR SOME IF YOU GUYS ARE IN THE ROOM.
UM, SO THAT WE CAN GET SOME COMMENT ON IT.
AND I THINK IN GENERAL, LIKE THIS, THIS AGENDA ITEM, I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO, WE GOT A PRESENTATION ON, YOU KNOW, WINTER PREPAREDNESS AFTER WINTER STORM, YURI, I THINK IT WAS A YEAR AGO, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
AND JUST KIND OF TO CHECK IN WHERE WE ARE WITH SOME OF THOSE OUTSTANDING ITEMS. THINGS THAT WE WANTED JUST, AND ALSO JUST KIND OF TALK MORE GENERALLY ABOUT, UM, WHAT WE NEED IF THERE HAVE BEEN ANY CHANGES IN WHAT WE NEED.
AND I KIND OF HAD MY BUDGET HAT ON
DID YOU WANNA START WITH US? YEAH, I THINK SO.
UM, WELL I JUST HAVE A COUPLE COMMENTS.
I THINK THEY'RE VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH EMS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL SAY, BUT I THINK, UH, YOU PROBABLY HEARD WE HAVE QUITE A PROBLEM WITH OUR GENERATORS.
WE'RE FINDING THAT MORE AND MORE NOW THAT WE'RE HAVING MORE POWER OUTAGES.
FOR THE LONGEST TIME WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A LOT, BUT WE KNOW FROM WINTER STORM URI AND THEN RECENTLY, RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS OF LAST YEAR, WE HAD, UH, SIGNIFICANT OUTAGES IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND UH, SOME OF THAT WAS CORRECTED FOR URI, BUT NOT A LOT.
SO THERE WAS SOME ONE TIME MONEY THAT COUNCIL, UH, ALLOCATED AND IT FIXED SOME ISSUES.
I'LL KIND OF TALK ABOUT THE CATEGORY IN WHICH IT FIXED THEM, BUT THERE'S STILL QUITE A FEW, UH, GENERATORS THAT ARE OUT.
AND SO WE'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO GET COUNCIL TO STUDY THIS AND COME BACK WITH ACTION PLAN FOR EACH, EACH PARTICULAR STATION.
SO, SO I DID A SURVEY OF OUR MEMBERSHIP AND WE SHOWED A LITTLE BIT DATA, DIFFERENT DATA THAN UH, MANAGEMENT, BUT IT'S, IT'S PRETTY MUCH IN LINE I WOULD SAY.
SO WE SHOWED ABOUT 27 STATIONS LOSING POWER DURING THE WINTER STORM LAST YEAR.
UM, AND OF THOSE 27 I ASKED THREE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, DID YOU HAVE A GENERATOR
ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR STATIONS, I THINK EMS IS PRETTY CLOSE TO THESE STAMP STATISTICS DID NOT HAVE A GENERATOR AT ALL.
SO OBVIOUSLY THEY DIDN'T, THEY DIDN'T HAVE BACKUP POWER.
ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR STATIONS HAVE RIDGE, BUT THEY'RE FAIRLY OLD AND THE MAINTENANCE IS, UH, IT HASN'T BEEN KEPT UP LIKE MAYBE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
AND SOME OF THOSE ARE SO OLD THEY PROBABLY NEED TO BE REPLACED.
AND THAT'S WHY I'M TALKING ABOUT NEEDS TO BE STUDIED IN A DIFFERENT
[00:45:01]
SOLUTION FOR ALMOST FOR EVERY STATION.AND THEN ABOUT A THIRD OF THE STATION SEEM TO HAVE FAIRLY GOOD GENERATORS, BUT THEY'RE NOT HOOKED UP CORRECTLY TO THE, TO THE STATION.
AND SO THAT'S A TRANSFER SWITCH PROBLEM.
AND SO FOR INSTANCE, STATION 31 HAD AN ISSUE WHERE I THINK THEY HAVE A, I'M NOT POSITIVE ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK THEY HAVE A FAIRLY GOOD GENERATOR, BUT IT WAS ONLY SUPPLYING THE GARAGE DOORS AND THE EMERGENCY LIGHTING, NO HEAT, NO HOT WATER, NO INSIDE OUTLETS, NO INSIDE LIGHTS.
AND SO THERE'S EACH STATION OTHER THAN THE ONES THAT JUST DON'T HAVE IT GENERATED AT ALL TWO THIRDS OF OUR STATION, EACH PROBLEM WILL BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
AND SO I'M ACTUALLY GOING AROUND COUNCIL RIGHT NOW AND TALKING ABOUT THAT AND SEEING IF WE CAN GET SOMEBODY TO SPONSOR A RESOLUTION TO STUDY THAT, COME BACK AFTER ABOUT A SIX MONTH PERIOD AND THEN IT'S GONNA BE A MULTI-YEAR FIX.
IT'S NOT GONNA BE SOMETHING WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIX QUICKLY, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO START, START ON SOON, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
THE OTHER THING WE NOTICED IS THAT, UM, WHEN WE HAD UNITS GO DOWN, NOT, I IMAGINE IT'S PROBABLY THE SAME WITH EMS ALSO IS WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN THEY'RE UNDER A LOT OF STRESS BECAUSE OF THE, THE TEMPERATURES AND THE RUN VOLUMES, YOU HAVE MORE, UH, MORE UNITS, UH, NEED REPAIRS, YOU KNOW, THEY GO OUT OF SERVICE AND, AND THEN SEE AT THE PULLING THE RESERVE FLEET, WHAT WE STARTED SEEING IS, IS THAT OUR RESERVE WAS VERY STRESSED AND SO WE PROBABLY NEED TO RETHINK THE AMOUNT OF UNITS WE HOLD IN RESERVE, MAYBE INCREASE THAT NUMBER CUZ WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EXTREME CONDITIONS HERE, RIGHT? AND, BUT WE'RE SEEING MORE EXTREME CONDITIONS IN AUSTIN THAN EVER SEEN BEFORE.
AND I SUSPECT IT'S GONNA KEEP UP WITH A LOT OF THE GLOBAL WARMING CHANGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND UH, THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK IS SIGNIFICANT IS WE HAVE QUITE A FEW STATIONS UNDER REMODEL RIGHT NOW AND THAT PUTS AN ADDITIONAL STRAIN ON THE SYSTEM.
SOME OF THOSE STATIONS ARE SHUT DOWN, SOME ARE IN AND STATES OF, UH, DISREPAIR.
AND WE'VE LOST, UM, WE'VE KIND OF, WE'VE KIND OF HAD FIVE PROJECTS STARTED AND THE BOND MONEY RAN OUT.
SO WE NEED SOME GAP FUNDING TO FINISH THOSE STATIONS.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, I WOULD CALL THAT A PRIORITY ALSO.
THAT'S ANOTHER THING WE'RE, WE'RE DISCUSSING WITH COUNCIL TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN THAT REGARD.
BUT SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE ISSUES, I THOUGHT I'D BRING 'EM UP HERE IN THIS FORMAT.
I COMPLETELY ECHO WHAT BOB WAS SAYING.
I THINK ESPECIALLY, UM, IN OUR FIELDS WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT AT THE STATIONS, A WE'RE NOT REALLY ABLE TO CHARGE, UM, OUR DEFIBRILLATOR BATTERIES, OUR RADIOS, AND A LOT OF OTHER EQUIPMENT THAT, UM, TRULY IS LIFESAVING AND WE'RE, UM, ADDING THIS ADDITIONAL STRESS TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS BY HAVING TO THINK ABOUT SWAPPING OUT BATTERIES, UM, UH, WITH OTHER AMBULANCES GOING TO PLACES WHERE THEY, WHERE THEY HAVE POWER.
UM, AND SO IT, IT REALLY IS AN ADDITIONAL LAYER THAT WE REALLY NEED TO WORK OUT.
I THINK ONE COMPLICATING FACTOR ABOUT E M S IS THAT MANY OF OUR STATIONS IN THE COUNTY, UM, BECAUSE THE COUNTY HAS NOT INVESTED IN INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, WE ARE IN, FOR EXAMPLE, APARTMENT COMPLEXES WHERE YOU CAN'T HAVE A BACKUP GENERATOR AND THEY'RE NOT REGISTERED AS EMERGENCY FACILITIES.
AND SO WE HAD SOME, UM, OF OUR STATIONS THAT WERE IN APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT HAD POWER OUT FOR A REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE DEFINITELY ASKING THE COUNTY TO ADDRESS.
UM, I THINK, UH, THE OTHER THING THAT, UM, TO GO ALONG WITH WHAT BOB WAS SAYING ABOUT THE INCREASE IN SEVERITY OF, UM, WINTER EVENTS AND ALSO LIKELY WE'LL SEE A LOT MORE SUMMER EVENTS, JUST EXTREME HEAT, UM, AND WILDFIRES IS THAT OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, REALLY NEEDS TO ADDRESS OUR LACK OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
UM, WE SHOULD HAVE, WE HAVE AN AMBU, WHICH CAN TAKE A LOT OF PATIENCE, BUT WE SHOULD ALSO HAVE A VEHICLE SPECIFICALLY FOR, UM, THESE TYPE OF EXTREME EMERGENCIES, UM, THAT CAN HANDLE A WHOLE RANGE OF ISSUES, UM, FROM UH, MASS SHOOTINGS TO WINTER EVENTS TO SUMMER EVENTS.
UM, ESPECIALLY IF, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE PROVIDING REHAB FOR FIREFIGHTERS, UM, AND ALSO, UH, DOING OUR OWN E EMS OUT THERE.
UM, AND THE LAST THING I JUST WANNA ADD IS THAT ORIGINALLY THIS TOPIC WAS GOING TO BE ABOUT THE COLD WEATHER SHELTERS AND THE, UM, AND EXPANDING THEM AND THEN THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED THE RESOLUTION BEFORE THIS MEETING.
UM, YOU KNOW, E EVEN THOUGH THAT RESOLUTION HAS PASSED, I I STILL JUST WANNA PUT IT OUT THERE THAT, UM, THE WHOLE POINT ORIGINALLY IS JUST TO TALK ABOUT HOW INACCESSIBLE THOSE COLD WEATHER SHELTERS ARE, ESPECIALLY FOR EMS. UM, IT MADE IT REALLY DIFFICULT FOR US TO TAKE PEOPLE DIRECTLY TO, UM, THE DIFFERENT SHELTERS BECAUSE YOU HAVE THIS NARROW REGISTRATION WINDOW OF TWO HOURS DOWNTOWN.
WE WERE TRYING TO FUNNEL PEOPLE THERE, BUT IT WASN'T REALLY CLEAR, UM, TO A LOT OF OUR FUEL FOLKS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AFTER 8:00 PM UM, COULD WE GO DIRECTLY TO ONE OF THE SHELTERS THAT WE KNEW ABOUT? AND SO, UM, WE REALLY HAVE BEEN CALLING ON THE CITY TO ALLOW REGISTRATION
[00:50:01]
DIRECTLY AT ALL THE DIFFERENT SHELTERS.UM, AND ALSO, UM, INCREASE THE THRESHOLD SO THAT, UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S LOWER FOR COLD WEATHER SHELTERS.
UM, AND ALSO OPEN THEM DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS WHEN IT GETS ABOVE A HUNDRED DEGREES.
SO, UM, WE, WE THINK IT'S PRETTY EASY ABOVE A HUNDRED, BELOW 34.
UM, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S BELOW 32.
UM, OR IF THESE OTHER CONDITIONS ARE MET.
CAN I ASK A QUICK QUESTION? SO DO THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS NOT KNOW WHAT THE COLD WEATHER SHELTER LOCATIONS ARE GOING TO BE IN ADVANCE OF THE REGISTRATION PERIOD? LIKE WHEN THEY'RE ASSIGNED FOR THE DAY? LIKE, CUZ I KNOW THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOESN'T NECESSARILY KNOW UNTIL THEY REGISTER AND THEN THEY GET TOLD.
BUT DO YOU GUYS KNOW IN ADVANCE WHAT THOSE LOCATIONS ARE GONNA BE FOR THE DAY? I MEAN, THEY DON'T SEND OUT THOSE LOCATIONS TO THE FIELD, BUT IF, IF, IF, IF AN AMBULANCE, UM, RECOGNIZES THAT IT'S SOMEBODY WHO NEEDS TO GO TO ONE, THEN THEY WOULD COORDINATE, UM, THROUGH OUR COMMUNICATION CENTER WHO THEN CAN COORDINATE THROUGH THE E O C AND GET PEOPLE ROUTED.
SO THE FIELD FOLKS DON'T DIRECTLY HAVE ACCESS, BUT WE CAN GO THROUGH OUR CHANNELS AND GET THAT, BUT IT IS PRETTY CUMBERSOME.
COULD I ADD TO THAT REALLY QUICKLY PLEASE? SURE.
AND AND REALLY THE SAME THING SELENA SAID, BUT YOU KNOW, WE OPENED A SHELTER JUST FOR TWO DAYS RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, CUZ REMEMBER IT WAS HIGH WIND, HIGH RAIN, REMEMBER IT WAS LIKE 70 DEGREES AND IT DROPPED 40 DEGREES IN A COUPLE HOURS.
AND SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE OPENED IT AND I LEARNED A LOT DURING THAT TIME.
A LOT OF THE THINGS LENA'S SAYING AND YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NOT VERY CUSTOM ORIENTED THE WAY WE DO IT.
SO IF A PERSON THAT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE GOOD MOBILITY AND THEY HAVE ALL THESE BELONGINGS WITH THEM, HAVE TO GO DOWN TO AND REGISTER AT THE ONE TEXAS CENTER FOR A TWO HOUR WINDOW, BUT IT GETS WORSE.
SO THEN THEY TAKE 'EM AND THEY PUT 'EM TO THIS PLACE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING.
AND THEN THE NEXT MORNING THEY MAKE 'EM LEAVE, RIGHT? AND THEN THEY GOTTA GO BACK TO ONE TEXAS CENTER TO REREGISTER TO GO AGAIN.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE SINCE YOU'RE ALREADY ADVERTISING WARMING CENTERS, WARMING SHELTERS DURING THE DAY, YOU COULD REGISTER THERE, PICK 'EM UP THERE AND, AND GIVE 'EM AN ARMBAND THE NEXT DAY.
I MEAN, I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A STAKEHOLDER GROUP, WHICH WHAT THE, WHAT THE RESOLUTION CONTEMPLATES, BUT IT'S, IT'S JUST NOT, NOT VERY GOOD.
IT'S PROBABLY REALLY LOGISTICALLY FEASIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE RUNNING IT.
BUT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE, I LOOK AT IT AS CUSTOMERS, IT'S, IT'S REALLY POOR.
UM, ANYWAY, THAT'S, THAT'S MY COMMENT.
AND IN ADDITION, UM, THE FACT THAT THEY ONLY ANNOUNCED IT THE DAY OF, AND SO THE RESOLUTION ASKED THEM TO ANNOUNCE IT A FEW DAYS BEFORE.
I MEAN, THERE'S TIMES WHERE WE CAN'T PREDICT WHAT THE WEATHER'S GOING TO BE, AND SO IT MAKES SENSE THAT THEY NEED TO OPEN IT THE DAY OF.
BUT, UM, WHEN DURING, I THINK IN MID-JANUARY WE HAD KNOWN FOR WEEKS THAT, UM, THAT THE TEMPERATURE IS GONNA BE LIKE 17 DEGREES AND EVEN IF IT HAD BEEN 10 DEGREES HIGHER THAN THAT AT 27 DEGREES, IT STILL WOULD'VE BEEN OPEN.
SO WHY WE DIDN'T LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THAT WAS GOING TO BE HAPPENING, UM, REALLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
AND, UM, I KNOW THAT ATX LEADERSHIP COUNCIL ALREADY HAD A WORK GROUP.
THEY HAVE ALL THESE RECOMMENDATIONS LAID OUT.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T EVEN NEED TO REINVENT THE WHEEL.
WE CAN JUST IMPLEMENT WHAT THEY SUGGEST.
WE'RE JUST EMPHASIZING THERE'S A NEED.
AND PLENTY OF PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO, TO HELP SOLVE IT.
UM, YOU, YEAH, IF YOU GUYS WANNA STAY ON HAND IN CASE WE HAVE QUESTIONS, WOULD THAT BE OKAY? YEAH, SURE.
HEY, I'M JUST PULING I'D BE CURIOUS IF ANYBODY HAS SOME HISTORY ON THIS, YOU KNOW, BEING, BEING NEW TO THE COMMISSION, BUT OBVIOUSLY HAVING OBSERVED THIS OFFICER FOR A WHILE, I MEAN, WHAT'S THE LOGIC MODEL FOR NOT DOING SOMETHING MORE CUSTOMER OR IN CUSTOMER SERVICE LOCATED ONLY HAVING A TWO HOUR WINDOW? WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD IS THAT, UM, THEY WANT TO HAVE THE CENTRALIZED LOCATION TO PROHIBIT, UM, UH, OVER OVERFLOW AT THE, AT THE SHELTERS.
UM, THAT'S THE BEST ANSWER I'VE GOT.
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE THOUGH BECAUSE WE ALREADY SEND ALL THESE CAT METRO BUSES TO ONE LOCATION AND SHUTTLE EVERYBODY OUT.
AND SO IF WE FIND OUT THAT ONE SHELTER IS FULL, WE CAN JUST SEND ONE BUS OVER.
SO I, I'VE NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD THE REASONING, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN.
AND ALSO JUST STAFFING, UM, REGISTRATION AT EACH OF THE SHELTERS, UM, WOULD BE CH THE CITY CLAIMS WOULD BE CHALLENGING OR MORE EXPENSIVE.
DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW WHAT, UM, OFFICE AND WHO IS IN CHARGE OF MAKING THOSE DECISIONS? UM, THE, IT'S A P H, UM, WITH CONSULTATION AND HOMELESS STRATEGIES DIVISION AND THEN THROUGH THE E O C, THEY ALSO, UM, ALL COLLABORATE TOGETHER.
AND THE OTHER THING REALLY QUICK, THERE'S NOT MUCH, UH, THERE'S REALLY NOT A SHELTER FOR FAMILIES.
THE, THE RULES ARE, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE, A LITTLE, LITTLE
[00:55:01]
STERILE AND A LITTLE LESS HUMANE THAN MAYBE THEY SHOULD BEAND WE HAD PRESENTATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS.
WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THOSE
I'LL LET YOU GUYS, UM, DECIDE AMONGST YOURSELF WHO WOULD LIKE TO GO FIRST IF THERE'S AN AN, AN ORDER THAT MAKES MORE SENSE FOR YOU GUYS.
I'M A DIVISION CHIEF FOR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS. UH, I OVERSEE SPECIAL EVENTS, SPECIAL OPERATIONS, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UM, THIS MORPHED A LITTLE BIT TO BE FROM JUST WINTER WEATHER TO, UH, OVERALL EXTREME WEATHER PREPAREDNESS.
UM, SO REALLY WE FOCUS ON TWO AREAS, OBVIOUSLY, PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE.
UM, ON THE PREPAREDNESS SIDE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE RESILIENCY OF BOTH OUR PERSONNEL, OUR VEHICLES, AND THE FACILITIES WE HAVE.
SO, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO OPERATE IN THE APPARATUS AND GO BACK ON THEIR DOWNTIME TO THE STATIONS AND BE ABLE SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN THE WAY THAT THEY EXPECT.
UM, ALSO ON THE PREPAREDNESS SIDE IS SENDING OUR PERSONNEL OUT TO OTHER AREAS TO SUPPORT DISASTER OPERATIONS, UH, THAT GAINS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, EXPERTISE IN MANAGING THEM HERE WITHIN, UH, THE CITY AND IN THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE.
UM, AND THEN LOOKING LONG TERM AT THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE USE TO SUPPORT, UH, BOTH OUR PERSONNEL AND THE PATIENTS THAT THEY'LL TRANSPORT.
UM, DURING THE ACTUAL OPERATIONS, WE'RE LOOKING TO PRESERVE THOSE SCARCE RESOURCES, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT OVER RESOURCING A SINGLE INCIDENT, UH, BECOMES PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT AS WE, UH, EXPERIENCE TRAVEL DELAYS RELATED TO, UH, FLOODING WIDE AREA FLOODING WHERE WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TRAVERSE THE NORMAL ROUTES OR IN ICE SITUATIONS WHERE, UH, NOT ONLY IS OUR SPEED LIMITS, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED, BUT ALSO, UH, CERTAIN ROADS, UH, BECOME IMPASSABLE.
AND THEN LEVERAGE THE SUPPORT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN FULFILL THEIR MISSION REQUIREMENTS.
SO WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN FREEZES IS GONNA BE SIGNIFICANTLY BUSY, UH, WITH, UH, WATER MAIN BREAKS, AND THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC BENEFIT, UH, TO PRESERVING OUR WATER SYSTEM.
SO, UH, REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF RESPONSES THAT THEY MAKE.
UM, SO ON THAT PREPAREDNESS SIDE, THERE'S, THERE'S REALLY THE EQUIPMENT AND THE PERSONNEL, THE, UH, GENERATORS FOR STATIONS, UM, WHETHER THOSE ARE FIXED, UM, TOWABLE GENERATORS THAT WE CAN BRING IN, UM, THAT ARE TRAILER MOUNTED, UH, WITH THEIR OWN FUEL SUPPLY.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, DURING COVID, WE PROVIDED ONE OF THOSE TO THE ISOLATION FACILITY TO MAINTAIN THE, UH, OPERATIONS THERE.
UM, AND WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED PLENTY ABOUT THAT EXTRA SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS, UH, FOR OUR CREWS, IF WE ALTER THEIR SHIFT SCHEDULES AS WE DID IN THE MOST RECENT JANUARY 31 STORM, UH, TO ENSURE THAT PERSONNEL ARRIVE TO WORK SAFELY, AND THEY CAN DO THAT, UH, TRADE OFF BETWEEN PERSONNEL SO WE CAN MANAGE THEIR CREW REST CYCLES, AND THEN, UH, MAKING SURE THE VEHICLES ARE ABLE TO OPERATE.
UH, WHEN DO YOU APPLY THEM? HOW DO YOU APPLY THEM AND WHAT DO THEY GAIN FOR YOU AND WHAT ARE YOUR STILL YOUR RISKS? OBVIOUSLY, DRIVING WITH TIRE CHAINS IS NOT THE PANACEA OF, UH, WINTER WEATHER OPERATIONS.
UM, THE FLEET SERVICES DEPARTMENT WORKS TO ENSURE THAT WE NO LONGER, UH, DURING THE WINTER, UH, USING BIODIESEL.
UH, SO WE DON'T HAVE GELLING OF OUR VEHICLES.
UH, SOME OF OUR VEHICLES ARE STORED OUTSIDE.
UM, AND SO THOSE THAT ARE OPERATIONAL 24 7, THOSE, UM, UNITS, UH, THEY RUN THE ENTIRE TIME BECAUSE THE DIESEL, UH, GETS CIRCULATED THROUGH THE ENGINE AND MAINTAINS ITS WARMTH THAT WAY.
UM, ON THE PERSONNEL SIDE OF PREPAREDNESS IS, IS, WE CALL THEM YAK TRACKS.
THEY ARE, YOU CAN TAKE THEM ON AND OFF OF YOUR BOOTS, BUT THEY PROVIDE SOME ICE STUDS LIKE, UH, TIRE STUDS FOR DRIVING ON ICE.
IT MAKES IT, IT EASIER TO WALK ON ICE.
IT'S, AGAIN, NOT THE SOLE SOLUTION TO IT.
UM, MAKING SURE OUR UNIFORMS THAT, UH, WE ISSUED A PERSONNEL ARE ASSESSED FOR THE EXTREMES, UH, NOT ONLY ON THE COLD SIDE, BUT ALSO ON THE, UH, SUN PROTECTION SIDE AND THE HEAT SIDE.
UH, FOR OUR PERSONNEL, PARTICULARLY WHO ARE WORKING, SAY UT FOOTBALL GAMES FOR EIGHT TO 10 HOURS OR AT AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL.
AND THEN, UH, WE, WE WORK TO PARTNER IN OUR ASSOCIATION.
OUR EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION IS ASSISTIVE WITH US FOR OUR PERSONNEL WHO HAVE TO COME IN ON SHORT NOTICE OR WHO HAVE TO REMAIN AT WORK UNEXPECTEDLY
[01:00:01]
TO HELP THEM WITH HOME NEEDS, WHETHER THAT'S PETS, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, CHECKING ON PIPES, ET CETERA.UH, WE'VE HAD A GOOD SUCCESS AND IT'S A, AN AREA WHERE IT'S EASY TO COLLABORATE WITH THEM.
UM, PARTICULARLY IN, UM, WET WEATHER OR FLOODING OPERATIONS AND FREEZE OPERATIONS, WE HAVE VEHICLE RECOVERY TEAMS, UH, THAT CAN GO OUT IN FOUR BY FOUR VEHICLES WITH THE APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT.
UM, FLEET SERVICES, UPST STAFFS THEIR PERSONNEL, UH, DURING THE HEAT WAVES TO FIX AIR CONDITIONING UNITS ON AMBULANCES.
THAT HELPS US KEEP THOSE UNITS IN SERVICE AND AVAILABLE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE'LL STAFF THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, AND THAT'S WHERE THE COMMUNITY'S RESPONSE, UH, GOES.
AND THEY REPRESENT THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE COMMUNITY RESPONSE.
OUR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER HANDLES THE TACTICAL RESPONSE.
SO IF WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF OXYGEN, FOR EXAMPLE, AT A CERTAIN FACILITY TO WORK THROUGH THAT PROBLEM.
UM, AND THEN THE JOINT OPERATING CENTER, WE CAN TYPICALLY STAFF UP WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THOSE ARE FOR RESOURCES THAT ARE SCARCE.
SO DURING WIDE AREA FLOODING SITUATIONS, UH, WHERE DO WE SEND RESCUE TEAMS WITH BOATS, UH, TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF, UH, SWIFT WATERS.
UM, PATIENT TEMPERATURE MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT IN THE WINTER, UH, HOWEVER WE SEE IT THE MOST IN THE SUMMER, JUST FOR OUR SHEER, UH, VOLUME OF HEAT THAT WE EXPERIENCE.
SO WE BOTH HAVE INVASIVE AND, UH, PASSIVE METHODS OF COOLING PEOPLE, AND WE WORK TO, UH, SOURCE THAT EQUIPMENT, UH, TO DO IT AS EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, ON THE PERSONNEL SIDE, WE HAVE, WE'VE EXPANDED OUR TEAMS A LOT TO INCLUDE, UH, COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER.
SO DURING WINTER STORM URI, THAT'S WHAT HELPED US WITH, UH, OUR DIALYSIS PATIENTS WHO COULD NOT BE DIALYZED FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
UH, WE HAVE COMMUNITY HEALTH AND ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT UNITS THAT CAN GO TAKE THE VOLUME OF THOSE LOW PRIORITY RESPONSES OFF THAT ARE NOT LIFE THREATENING, AND MAKE SURE THAT THE AMBULANCES ARE IN SERVICE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT.
UM, WE CAN ADJUST THE RESPONSE MATRIX THAT WE HAVE FOR THOSE LOW PRIORITY CALLS.
WE, UH, COLLABORATE WITH, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER'S OFFICE TO DO THAT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ANSWERING THE CALLS.
UM, WE HAVE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES OR DRONES, UH, THAT CAN GO OUT AND SEARCH FOR VICTIMS BEFORE WE SEND PERSONNEL INTO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OR UNKNOWN, UH, AREAS.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, PART OF THIS, UH, PREPARING THE DEPARTMENT IN RESILIENCY OF, UM, GETTING US PREPARED FOR OTHER DISASTERS.
WE SEND OUR PERSONNEL OUT TO BE THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AT MANAGING HEALTHCARE FACILITY EVACUATIONS LIKE YOU WOULD SEE IN A HURRICANE, SO THAT WHEN WE DO NEED TO EVACUATE A HOSPITAL HERE IN AUSTIN BECAUSE OF A CRITICAL SYSTEMS FAILURE, WE WOULD HAVE THE PERSONNEL, UH, ON DUTY WHO HAVE DONE THAT BEFORE AND KNOW WHAT THEY SHOULD EXPECT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, UH, THE SEVERE WEATHER CAUSES US THE INCREASED IMPACTS TO THE CALL VOLUME AND THE UNIQUE NEEDS, WHETHER IT'S, UH, SPECIFIC CALL TYPES THAT INCREASE LIKE FALLS OR, UH, JUST THE FACT THAT OUR CYCLE TIME FOR A SINGLE RESPONSE, UH, LENGTHENS.
SO THE, UM, THE OVERALL WORKLOAD OF OUR SYSTEM HAS INCREASED, OR IT'S A RESOURCE AVAILABILITY SIDE OF THE AMBULANCE AC UH, STRUGGLING AND BREAKING DOWN WHEN IT'S TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH 90 DAYS OF A HUNDRED PLUS DEGREE WEATHER.
UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING THE MOST OF.
UM, SO WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE MULTIPLE TEAMS. I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE, UH, THE MEDICAL INCIDENT STRIKE TEAM LEADER.
UH, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE ALONG WITH THE MEDICAL UNIT LEADERS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN EVACUATING WHOLE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, UM, THAT TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
TO DO THAT, WE DO HAVE THE AMBULANCE BUS.
UH, IT ALLOWS US TO MOVE UP TO 20 PATIENTS, UH, FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER.
IT'S NOT JUST MOVING 20 PATIENTS.
IT CAN BE FLEXED TO PROVIDE REHAB SUPPORT TO PERSONNEL OR, UH, MULTIPLE AGENCY SUPPORT AT A LONG-LASTING INCIDENTS.
THINK A, UH, BRUSH FIRE OR A WILD LAND FIRE.
UM, OUR DRONES HAVE THERMAL CAMERAS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
WE HAVE TWO DISTRICTS, UH, COMMANDERS WHO CARRY THOSE 24 7.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A SPECIAL OPERATIONS SECTION THAT CAN, UH, DEPLOY THEIR BOATS, UH, FIVE SWIFT WATER AND TWO DISTILLED WATER TO HELP, UH, EVACUATE PEOPLE OR TO, UH, PREVENT THAT
[01:05:01]
LOSS OF LIFE DURING ACTUAL FLASH FLOODING.UM, OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT, UH, THAT GAINING OF EXPERTISE THAT WE GO OUT AND DO, WE DO THROUGH THE TEXAS EMERGENCY MEDICAL TASK FORCE.
WE GET THE TRAINING AND WE GET THE EXPERTISE.
WE SEE THAT DEPLOYED THE MOST IN SEVERE WEATHER, UH, FOR TORNADOES AND FOR HURRICANES.
UH, SO OUR SEVERE WEATHER SEASON GENERALLY RUNS FROM APRIL TO THE END OF OCTOBER TO MATCH UP WITH BOTH OF THE SEVERE WEATHER SEASONS.
AND THEN WE HAVE MULTIPLE PERSONNEL WHO ARE ALSO ASSIGNED TO TEXAS TASK FORCE ONE.
UH, THEY DEPLOY, UH, TO DO A WIDE VARIETY OF MISSIONS, NOT ONLY, UH, MEDICAL, BUT SEARCH, UH, LOGISTICS, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD SEE HERE IN A LARGE SCALE INCIDENT THAT THEY GO OUT AND THEY GET THAT EXPERIENCE WITH THE TASK FORCE, AND IT'S INVALUABLE TO THIS DEPARTMENT AND TO THIS COMMUNITY.
DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'M HAPPY TO ADDRESS SOME.
UM, THIS MAY SEEM A LITTLE FAR OUT, UM, BUT I WAS REVIEWING, REVIEWING A SLIDE DECK TODAY ABOUT THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ONCOLOGY.
AND, UM, THE SORT OF BIG MESSAGE WAS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE MESSES UP EVERYTHING IN ONCOLOGY.
IT CREATES MORE, UH, CANCERS, BUT IT ALSO JUST DISRUPTS THE SYSTEM'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE CARE, RIGHT? PEOPLE DON'T GET, UM, SEEN, UH, TO DIAGNOSE CANCER AND THEIR TREATMENT ALL THROUGH THE TREATMENT PROTOCOL GETS DISRUPTED.
UM, AND, UH, UH, WATCHING YOUR PRESENTATION WAS REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE Y'ALL DO A LOT OF THINGS TO PROVIDE CONTINUITY OF CARE FOR A LOT OF FOLKS WHO ARE, UM, IN NEED OF RELATIVELY URGENT MEDICAL NEEDS DURING AN EMERGENCY.
UM, HAS THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSION WITH BIG PLAYERS LIKE FOLKS LIKE TEXAS ONCOLOGY, UM, TO START TO INTEGRATE, UH, THINGS LIKE CHEMO INTO THAT? NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF.
I, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO A GROUP, BUT WE DO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CHIEF MEDICAL'S OFFICE, UM, ON THOSE PARTICULAR PATIENT TYPES.
SO, UM, DIALYSIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE.
UM, ANYBODY WHO IS IN NEED OF THOSE TYPE OF TREATMENTS, LIKE CHRONICALLY ILL, UM, WE WORK WITH OUR MEDICAL DIRECTION ON HOW CAN WE NAVIGATE THIS PERSON TO THE BEST RESOURCE DURING A TIME LIKE THIS.
UM, SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD CON CONSULT WITH OUR MEDICAL DIRECTION ON, UM, ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.
YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THE PROBLEM WITH ONCOLOGY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S ONE THING TO FIGURE OUT WHEN SOMEBODY'S LIKE, SORT OF CLEARLY GONNA DEGRADE MM-HMM.
UM, AND WITH A LOT OF THINGS IN ONCOLOGY, YOU'RE SORT OF IN A GRAY AREA.
JUST ONE QUESTION I HAVE IS, YOU KNOW, FROM THE, UM, EMS SERVICE ASSOCIATION AND AUSTIN FIRE ASSOCIATION IDENTIFIED SOME NEEDS, YOU KNOW, THE FRACTIONS OF STATIONS AND WHATNOT WITHOUT GENERATORS, UH, AND OBVIOUSLY YOU ALL ARE DOING, YOU KNOW, AN EXCELLENT JOB OF THE RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE AVAILABLE.
WHAT MORE DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT HARDENED RESILIENCY? SO WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES THAT HAVE IMPACTED SERVICES.
YOU KNOW, IS IT A STATION HARDENING COMPONENT? IS IT A GENERATOR THING LIKE THAT WE ALL NEED? IF YOU'RE ASKING FOR WHAT I, I THINK CHIEF WADE MAY GET INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT WITH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HE'S GONNA TALK ABOUT.
I, I BELIEVE, UM, HE'S GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE GENERATORS, UM, AND SORT OF THE P PLANS FOR THAT.
IF I'M WRONG, CHIEF WADE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
YEAH, THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANIMATION UNLESS SOMEONE JUST SURPRISED ME WITH IT, BUT THAT'LL BE OKAY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, BRANDON WADE, AUSTIN, FIRE DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT CHIEF OVER OPERATIONS AND OUR LOGISTICS, UH, AS MY PARTNER SAID HERE, THAT, UH, THIS HAS KIND OF WENT OVER TO AN EXTREME WEATHER PREPARATION.
SO WE'LL DISCUSS THAT, UH, KIND OF GO ACROSS THE THREE THINGS THAT WE SEE IN THE FIRE SERVICE AS FAR AS THE EXTREME WEATHER AND HOW WE DEAL WITH IT EACH TIME.
SO AS WE LOOK THROUGH IT, PREPAREDNESS, PREVENTION, AND THEN THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH, OUR EFFORTS IS, IS TO WORK TO BUILD RESILIENCY WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY AND OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND WE KIND OF FOCUS ON SOME OF THE, THE FOUR BASIC THINGS THAT NATIONWIDE WE LOOK AT, WHICH IS, ONE, OUR RESPONSE IS PROTECTING LIFE SAFETY, TRYING TO STABILIZE THE INCIDENT, WHICH STOP THE BAD FROM HAPPENING AND, AND GET IT TO A STABLE AREA.
[01:10:01]
PROPERTY CONSERVATION, WHICH IS, UH, WE'LL GET INTO AND MENTION JUST LIKE, UH, BROKEN WATER PIPES AND LIKE, CAN WE STOP PEOPLE'S STUFF FROM BEING DESTROYED AND SAVE AS MUCH FORM AND THEN LAST SOCIETAL RESTORATION AND GET IT BACK SOMEWHAT TO A WHAT NORMAL IS.AND THAT'S WHERE WE OFTENTIMES ARE WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES, CODE ENFORCEMENT, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE INVOLVED TO HELP, UH, THE COMMUNITY GET BACK TO NORMAL, UM, OR AS MORE RECENTLY, PUBLIC WORK STREET AND BRIDGE, UH, TO GET THE COMMUNITY OPEN FOR PEOPLE TO BE MOVING.
UH, DURING THE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS, A F D WE BECOME CONCENTRATED REALLY ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND SUPPORT FOR OPERATIONS.
UM, AND ALMOST EVERYTHING WILL SHUT DOWN DURING EXTREME EMERGENCIES.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY SHUT DOWN, LIKE, WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING OUT AND RECRUITING.
EITHER WE'RE FLOODING OR THERE'S ICE, OR WE'RE NOT DOING COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
AND WHAT WE REALLY GET IS FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY RESPONSE AND HOW DO WE BUILD EVERYTHING TO SUPPORT THAT, TO, TO KEEP OPERATIONS RUNNING FOR THE GREATEST NEED THAT'S OCCURRING AT THAT TIME.
SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW THE, THE DEPARTMENT, UH, TRANSITIONS.
AND WE MAY HAVE A COMPLETE CALENDAR FULL OF TRAINING, UM, SPECIAL EVENTS THAT WE WOULD GO OUT TO WHEN WE HIT, LIKE WHAT WE WOULD CALL A RECON THREE.
WE SHUT THAT DOWN, SAY, NO UNITS ARE GOING OUTTA SERVICE.
WE'RE DEDICATED 100% TO OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO IF WE LOOK AT WINTER WEATHER DAYS, AND AS WE WERE DRAFTING THIS UP, WE WERE THINKING BACK TO 2021, AND THEN WE GOT A REPEAT, JUST, YOU KNOW, NOT AS MUCH SNOW, BUT A LOT MORE ICE.
UM, SO IT, IT KIND OF PLAYED RIGHT INTO, AS WE WERE BUILDING THIS.
SO JUST AS, UH, CHIEF PARKER SAID, WE ALSO, FOR, FOR MANY YEARS, WE HAVE HAD TIRE CABLES.
UH, WE USED TO OLD SCHOOL HAVE THE BIG CHAINS AND, YOU KNOW, CLUNKING DOWN THE ROAD.
NOW WE'RE USING CABLES, WHICH IS A LOT EASIER ON THE TIRES, ON THE PERSONNEL AND THE ROADS, UH, AS WE MOVE DOWN.
SO DURING WINTER STORM URI, WE HAD THEM TO GREAT SUCCESS.
I WILL SAY THAT WE HAD TO USE THEM SO LONG THAT THEY WERE BREAKING, BUT THROUGH VERY SMART FIREFIGHTERS, THEY CAN JUST ABOUT BUILD ANYTHING INSIDE A FIRE STATION.
AND THEY WERE PIECE MILLING THESE THINGS.
I'M PRETTY SURE THE, THE, YOU KNOW, UM, BAILING WIRE AND DUCT TAPE, THEY MADE IT WORK FOR A WEEK AND, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THEM.
WE PURCHASED ALL NEW TIRE CABLES AFTER WINTER STORM URI AND GOT 'EM BACK OUT TO THE STATION.
AND THEN AGAIN, THEY GOT USED JUST RECENTLY, WHICH WAS GREAT.
UM, DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, WE ARE BACK TO USING TRUE DIESEL THAT WAS WITH WORK THROUGH FLEET.
UH, WHEN WE IDENTIFIED WHAT MONTHS THAT, THAT WE COULD BE AFFECTED BY FLEET WAS VERY OPEN TO THE IDEA OF CHANGING INTO TRUE DIESEL FOR THE WINTER MONTHS, WHICH STARTS ROUGHLY DECEMBER, THEN WE DO JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, THEN WE, WE TRANSITION OUT, UH, ONCE WE GET OUT OF FEBRUARY.
BUT THEY HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC PARTNERS WORKING WITH THAT ONCE WE IDENTIFIED THAT.
UH, PROBLEM, UH, THE READINESS OF PORTABLE GENERATORS, WE UNDERSTAND AS, AS THE ASSOCIATIONS TALKED ABOUT IT, WE ARE SHORT ON GENERATORS.
UH, WE PRESENTED AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE LAST WEEK AND TALKED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF STATIONS WITHOUT GENERATORS.
UH, WE'RE ROUGHLY AT AROUND 60 PLUS PERCENT OF OUR FACILITIES THAT EITHER DON'T HAVE GENERATORS OR HAVE A BROKEN GENERATOR.
AND AS WE PRESENTED LAST WEEK, IF WE'RE TAKING A NATIONAL AVERAGE, UH, IT'S ABOUT 35% OF MOST DEPARTMENTS DON'T HAVE IT.
SO WE ARE ALMOST DOUBLE OF WHAT YOU WOULD SEE AS A NATIONAL AVERAGE.
UM, WE DID SAY IT IS NOT CHEAP.
IT, IT, UH, WILL BE COSTLY TO GO, BUT IT'S A GREAT BENEFIT, UH, I THINK FOR THE DEPARTMENT, UH, BOTH FIRE AND EMS TO HAVE THAT CUZ WE'RE OPERATING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
THEY DO NOT EXPECT THEIR FIRE AND E EMS AND POLICE TO SHUT DOWN JUST BECAUSE THERE'S AN EMERGENCY.
I WILL SAY TO THIS DATE, WE ARE, WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF, OF ALL THREE PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES.
THEY OPERATED OUT OUT OF THESE FACILITIES WITH NO POWER, OFTENTIMES, SOMETIMES FOR DAYS, SOMETIMES FOR A FEW HOURS, BUT THEY DID IT AND THEY STAYED RIGHT WHERE THEY WERE AT SERVING THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE ARE WORKING WITH, UH, COUNCIL AND, AND THE OTHER COMMITTEE AND TALKING WITH BUILDING SERVICES ABOUT WHAT'S THE PLAN TO GO FORWARD IN THE FUTURE, TO SECURE FUNDING, TO GET FULL ASSESSMENT.
AS, UH, CHIEF NICK STATED, EVEN SOME THAT HAD GENERATORS MIGHT NOT HAVE POWERED WHAT THE ELECTRICIANS THOUGHT THEY POWERED.
SO WE'LL HAVE TO PERFORM AN ASSESSMENT AND BUILD A TEAM TO, TO GO OUT AND DO THAT.
UM, FOR MORE, AS WE LOOK FOR FIRE BRANCH AT THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, THAT IS, WE SEND REPS TO THE E OOC TO COORDINATE WITH ALL CITY AGENCIES TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE AWARENESS OF WHAT'S GOING ON AND THE CITY.
AND THEY ALSO HAVE AWARENESS OF WHAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, IS SEEING.
AND THEN WE WILL ALSO SET UP A DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER WHICH DEALS MORE DIRECTLY WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE DEPARTMENT.
AS AS CHIEF, UH, PARKER SAID, THE TACTICAL SIDE, WHAT DO WE DO? DO WE
[01:15:01]
NEED TO CHANGE OUR RESPONSE PLANS? AND WE COMMUNICATE ANY OF THAT UP TO THE E O C SLIDE PLEASE.SO WE ALSO HAVE UPSTAFFING OF OUR BRUSH TRUCKS.
OUR BRUSH TRUCKS ARE SMALLER VEHICLES, FOUR WHEEL DRIVE.
TYPICALLY WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IS LIKE AN F THREE 50, BUT USUALLY THEY'RE ROUGHLY F FOUR 50.
THEY HAVE A WATER TANK ON THE BACK.
UH, AND THEY'RE OFTENTIMES USED IN, IN THE HOT WEATHER DAYS WHEN WE HAVE BRUSH FIRES AND GRASS FIRES.
UM, BUT WHAT WE DO DURING THE WINTER STORMS IS WE UPST STAFF THOSE, WHICH THEY'RE TYPICALLY NOT STAFFED.
WE ADD ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL FOR THE SHIFT.
THEY, UH, THEY WILL BE IN THOSE TRUCKS AND THEY, WE TRY TO RESPOND THEM ON AS MANY CALLS AS WE CAN.
AND THE REASON BEING IS IT'S A LOT EASIER TO DRIVE A TRUCK THAT'S FOUR WHEEL DRIVE THROUGH THAN OUR BIG FIRETRUCK.
UH, AND IF WE'RE SLIDING IN A FIRETRUCK, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG IN A FIRETRUCK.
NOT TO MENTION THOSE ARE LIMITED SUPPLY.
UH, AND WE NEED THE ENGINE COMPANIES, WE NEED THE LADDER COMPANIES.
AND SHOULD THOSE GET DAMAGED, UH, DURING AN ICE STORM WHEN WE COULD HAVE RESPONDED A SMALLER VEHICLE, UH, WE COULD BE POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT A UNIT OUTTA SERVICE FOR A YEAR OR MORE WITH HIGH EXPENSE.
SO WE SAW GREAT SUCCESS IN THIS PAST, UH, UH, STORM CUZ THERE WAS JUST SO MUCH ICE.
THEY RAN HUNDREDS OF CALLS, WHICH KEPT OUR FIRE TRUCKS AVAILABLE CUZ WE MADE QUITE A FEW, UH, FIRES AND, AND GREATER EMERGENCIES THAT NEEDED FOUR PERSON TRUCKS, UH, TO GO TO AND THE EQUIPMENT ON THAT.
SO THE UPSTAFFING OF OUR BRUSH TRUCKS WAS VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL.
AND I THINK SAVING OUR FLEET, UH, AND KEEPING OUR PERSONNEL AVAILABLE FOR THE NUMBER OF FIRES THAT CAME IN DURING THIS PAST WINTER STORM.
DISPATCH WILL ALSO UPST STAFF.
THEY PUT EXTRA DISPATCHERS CUZ WE'VE RECEIVED MORE CALLS COMING IN, UH, TO THE 9 1 1 CENTER.
AND ALSO WE HAVE FAR MORE TRUCKS OUT IN THE FIELD AND TRYING TO TAKE THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT'S GOING BACK AND FORTH.
SO OUR DISPATCH CENTER UP STAFFS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO ANSWER THE CALLS AND DISPATCH AND COMMUNICATE OUT WITH THE FIELD.
UH, OUR AFD FILLS, UH, FACILITY, UH, PERSONNEL.
THEY, WHILE THEY ARE CIVILIAN, UM, THE ONES THAT ARE GOING OUT AND FIXING IN THE STATION, UH, WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY STAY HOME IF YOU DON'T NEED TO GO WORK.
THEY COME TO WORK AND THEY ARE KEEPING OUR STATIONS GOING, UH, FROM BROKEN WATER PIPES.
UH, WHATEVER THEY THEY CAN FIX TO KEEP THAT STATION OPERATIONAL.
UH, THEY'RE OUT THERE FIXING AND MAKING SURE OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE AS COMFORTABLE AS THEY CAN BE, EVEN OUR GENERATORS SOMETIMES.
AND THEN LASTLY, REAL REALLOCATION OF STAFF PERSONNEL TO SUPPLEMENT THE OPERATIONS.
THAT'S US WHEN WE'RE SHUTTING DOWN, SAY COMMUNITY OUTREACH OR TRAINING FOR THE DAY, WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA NOT UTILIZE 'EM.
WE WANT TO MOVE THEM INTO A SUPPORT ROLE AND SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY.
UH, WHILE WE'RE DEALING WITH AN EMERGENCY SLIDE PLEASE.
SO WITH FLOODING, UH, THAT WE SEE, WE, UH, IN THIS AREA WE'RE PRETTY GOOD AT FLOODING WHERE ICE AND SNOW IS, IS CHALLENGING AND SOMETIMES THROWS NEW THINGS AT US.
UH, WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF FLOODING IN OUR SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION.
WE HAVE FIVE FRONT LINE, UH, SWIFT WATER BOATS AND THEN WE HAVE 10 STILL WATER.
SO OFTENTIMES THE STILL WATER IS JUST, THE COMMUNITY GOT FLOODED, THERE'S NOTHING MOVING FAST, BUT IT'S THREE FOOT OF WATER OR FOUR FOOT OF WATER.
AND ALL WE NEED TO DO IS EVACUATE INDIVIDUALS.
WE JUST NEED TO PUT PEOPLE IN BOATS AND BE ABLE TO, TO SLOWLY MOVE THEM TO SAFETY WHERE THE SWIFT WATER AS WE'RE TRULY GOING IN SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENTS.
AND YOU NEED SPECIAL OPERATORS TO DO THAT WITH, WITH TRAINING.
UM, SO WE HAVE FIVE SWIFT WATER BOATS AND 10 OF THE STILL WATER.
UH, WE CAN DO THE SAME WHERE WE CAN EITHER STAFF 'EM, CUZ SOMETIMES IT'S A NO NOTICE EVENT WHERE A SMALL STORM THAT WE THOUGHT WAS NOT GONNA BE MUCH, WE'D GET THREE INCHES OF RAIN IN 30 MINUTES.
AND, AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW, WE ARE STAFFING THOSE UNITS.
THEY, SO THEY CAN BE STAFFED WITH ON-DUTY RESOURCES THAT TRANSITION FROM THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS RESCUE COMPANY OR ENGINE COMPANY.
THEY WILL PUT THAT UNIT OUTTA SERVICE AND THEY WILL GO OVER INTO THE TRUCK WITH THE BOATS AND THEY ARE, ARE MOVING OUT TO THE SWIFT WATER CALLS AND THE WATER RESCUE INCIDENTS.
AND THEN THERE ARE THE NOTICE EVENTS WHERE WE KNOW A BIG STORM IS COMING AND WE COULD CALL THOSE OUR BLUE WATER DAYS.
WE KNOW A BIG STORM'S COMING, WE MAY UPST STAFF THOSE, JUST LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT THE BRUSH TRUCKS.
SO WE HAVE ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL ON DUTY AND NO FIRE TRUCKS HAVE TO GO DOWN TO STAFF IT.
AND THAT'S A VERY SUCCESSFUL MODEL THAT WE'VE USED FOR, UH, ANTICIPATED LARGE WEATHER EVENTS THAT, THAT COME OUR WAY.
UM, AFD AGAIN, WILL JUST, UH, STAFF A DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER THAT IS TO KEEP OUR LIMITED RESOURCES GOING TO THE RIGHT CALLS.
WE DON'T WANNA SEND A SWIFT WATER RESCUE BOAT TO A STILLWATER WHEN THERE COULD BE SOMEONE TRAPPED IN A CREEK OR, UH, OR A FLOODED STREET THAT IT'S MOVING.
WE WANNA PUT THE RIGHT RESOURCE TO THE RIGHT PLACE AND OUR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER HELPS ACHIEVE THAT.
WE WILL ALSO STAFF THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER.
SO WE WILL GO UP AND, AND SERVE AS THE FIRE BRANCH ROLE AT THE E OOC.
[01:20:01]
WITH THAT FIRE DISPATCH, SAME THING.LOTS OF CALLS DURING THESE EVENTS.
THEY UPS STAFF, UH, IN ANTICIPATION FOR IT TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE HANDLING 9 1 1 CALLS AND THE COMMUNICATIONS OUT IN THE FIELD.
WE WILL ALSO, AT TIMES, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALL THE TIME, BUT ON THE BIGGER FLOODS, WE BREAK THE CITY UP INTO WHAT WE CALL AREA COMMANDS.
AND BACK IN SOME OF THE HALLOWEEN FLOODS AND MEMORIAL DAY FLOODS THAT WE HAD FIVE YEARS AGO, ROUGHLY, WE WILL MAKE A COMMAND ELEMENT JUST FOR SAY, SOUTHEAST AUSTIN WHERE WE SEE THAT WHOLE REGION BEING FLOODED, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO LIMIT ALL RESOURCES FROM THE CITY GOING INTO ONE AREA.
SO WE LET AN INCIDENT COMMANDER RUN A BIG AREA OF TOWN AND THEY MANAGE, WE GIVE THEM RESOURCES AND THEY MANAGE IT.
SO THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD HEAR IS AREA COMMAND.
AND THAT ALLOWS US TO, TO KEEP COVERAGE AND RESPONSE IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY.
UH, SO WE JUST DON'T PUT 90% OF OUR RESOURCES IN IN ONE PART OF THE CITY.
AND THEN LASTLY, OUT OF THE, UM, EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, WE ARE KEEPING TRACK OF AND WORKING WITH HOMELAND SECURITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UH, WITH THE FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS. AND THEN THE STATE HAS BEEN WORKING ON A PIN, THE FLOOD.
SO WE CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IS CLOSE TO REAL TIME IN THE CREEKS AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, WITH THOSE SYSTEMS AS WELL.
SO THAT IS TYPICALLY IT CAN BE SPRING, BUT WE SEE A LOT OF THIS IN THE SUMMER.
UH, AND AGAIN, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE FACING WITH THE DROUGHTS.
AND THEN WHEN WE GET WIND, UH, AND IT HAS, HAS BEEN DRY AND HOT FOR A LONG TIME.
UH, WE WORK, AS WE SAID, CHIEF FIRES MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE A WILDFIRE DIVISION.
THEY HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC AND, AND GOT PUT INTO SERVICE ROUGHLY RIGHT AFTER 2011.
UH, SO WE'LL WORK WITH THE WIRE WILDFIRE DIVISION.
THEY PROVIDE A SITUATIONAL UPDATES.
UH, ONCE WE START GETTING INTO THAT SEASON ABOUT WHAT ARE THE DANGERS, WHAT ARE THE WATCH OUTS, WHAT CAN WE PREDICT? THAT MESSAGE GOES OUT TO OUR DEPARTMENT, UH, THROUGH OUR SHIFT ORDER.
SO EACH SHIFT, THE BATTALION CHIEFS WILL SEND THAT OUT.
UH, SO THEY HELP COORDINATE US AND LET US KNOW WHEN WILD, UH, RED FLAG DAYS ARE COMING, WHICH IS A HIGHER FIRE DANGER OR JUST A HIGH WILDFIRE DANGER.
WE'LL BASE SOME OF OUR RESPONSE MODELS OFF THOSE DESIGNATIONS.
WE WILL UPS, UH, UH, WHAT WE TAKE IS THOSE UNSTAFFED BRUSH TRUCKS OFTENTIMES, AND YOU MAY SEE IT WHERE IT'S NOT A HIGH WILDFIRE DAY OR RED FLAG DAY, BUT AS I SAID, THEY WERE UNSTAFFED.
WHAT WE WILL DO, JUST TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE READY ALL THE TIME IS, UH, WHILE OUR FIRE TRUCK HAS FOUR PERSONNEL ON IT, WE WILL TAKE TWO AND TAKE THE BRUSH TRUCK.
THEY GO ONTO THE BRUSH TRUCK AND YOU WILL SEE A FIRE TRUCK WITH A BRUSH TRUCK FOLLOWING BEHIND IT.
SO EVEN IF THEY'RE GOING OUT TO INSPECT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX, THEY'RE BRINGING THE EQUIPMENT FOR WILDFIRE WITH THEM DURING THOSE DAYS.
SO IF A WILDFIRE COMES IN, THEY'RE NOT TRYING TO RUN BACK TO THE STATION, GET THE BRUSH TRUCK AND THEN GO OUT, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN RESPONSE.
THEY BRING THAT WITH THEM SO THEY CAN RESPOND IMMEDIATELY FROM WHEREVER THEY'RE AT.
THEY WILL EVEN DO THAT ON INSTANCE, THEY MAY GO TO A MEDICAL CALL, BUT THEY'RE BRINGING BOTH TRUCKS CUZ AS WE KNOW, THEY COULD BE AT THAT MEDICAL CALL OR LEAVE AND A BRUSH FIRE COMES IN AND WE, WE WANT THE FASTEST RESPONSE POS POSSIBLE.
SO YOU, IF YOU EVER SEE, WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH THAT? IT'S PROBABLY A HIGH WILDFIRE DAY THAT, THAT WE'RE SH WHAT WE CALL SHADOWING.
AND UH, WE CAN ALSO, UH, UPST STAFF OUR BRUSH TRUCKS.
WE WILL DO THAT AS WELL ON RED FLAG DAYS.
WE WILL PUT BRUSH TRUCKS AND STAFF THEM WITH EXTRA PERSONNEL.
OFTENTIMES IT MAY BE FOUR CORNERS OF THE CITY, UH, SOMETIMES DEPENDING ON THE TOPOGRAPHY.
AUSTIN HAS HILLS AND TREES AND CEDAR INTO THE WEST AND, AND GRASS AND FLAT, UH, TO THE EAST.
THEY POSE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES.
SO DEPENDING ON WHAT OUR WILDFIRE DIVISION KIND OF GIVES US, AS IN THE SITUATIONAL REPORT, WE MAY PUT MORE RESOURCES TO THE EAST OR WE COULD PUT MORE TO THE WEST DEPENDING ON WHAT THE FIRE DANGER IS FROM THAT IS, UH, GIVEN TO US FROM WILDFIRE.
WE'LL ALSO, UH, WILDFIRE DIVISION, THEY HAVE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE VERY GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO ON BIGGER INCIDENTS.
THEY OFTEN REPORT OUT, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE STAFF, THEY WILL REPORT TO THE INCIDENT, THEY'LL REPORT TO THE COMMAND POST, THEY GIVE ADVICE, THEY KNOW HOW TO COORDINATE WITH STATE RESOURCES.
UM, THEY CAN GIVE US GREAT ASSESSMENTS.
SAME THING, DRONE FOOTAGE, DRONE COVERAGE AS IT, IT GOES UP.
SO WE WILL HAVE THEM COME OUT TO THE INCIDENT.
THEY ALSO WILL BRING EXTRA EQUIPMENT FOR US, BUT SOMETIMES WE'LL USE ATVS THAT HAVE SMALL TANKS AND THEY CAN GET REALLY INTO THE, THE BRUSH TO PUT OUT THE FIRE.
OUR WILDFIRE DIVISION WILL BRING THOSE OUT TO THE INCIDENTS.
SO WE USE THOSE QUITE A BIT AND THEIR EXPERTISE IN, IN EQUIPMENT.
AND THEN LASTLY, AS YOU SEE, FIRE DISPATCH AGAIN, WILL UPST STAFF ON, ON OFTENTIMES THOSE RED FLAG DAYS JUST SO WE CAN MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE COMMUNITY WHEN THEY'RE CALLING IN.
SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS THAT JUST ENCOMPASS, UH, I THINK ALL OF IT, UH, CHIEF PARKER MENTIONED THAT WE HAVE RESPONSE PERSONNEL THAT ARE ON AGENCIES WITH THE STATE THAT THAT RESPOND TO LARGE SCALE DISASTERS.
AND FOR US, YOU'LL SEE THAT WITH TEXAS TASK FORCE, TEXAS A AND M TASK FORCE ONE, UH, WHICH IS
[01:25:01]
THE URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE THAT GOES OUT IN OFTEN DOES, YOU KNOW, HURRICANE RESPONSE, FLOOD RESPONSE AND, UM, BUILDING COLLAPSES WIDE AREA SEARCH.AND THE EXPERTISE, AGAIN, WITH NOT ONLY BEING LEADERS ON THERE OR WORKERS, THEY, THE EXPERTISE THAT COMES BACK FROM THAT IS INVALUABLE.
AND WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED CHANGES RIGHT HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE IN, IN IMPACT ON CALLS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, UH, MANY FOLKS THAT ARE ON THE TEXAS INTERSTATE MUTUAL AID SYSTEM, WHAT IS COULD BE CALLED TIFFS.
AND THEY GO TO A LOT OF WILDFIRE DEPLOYMENTS ACROSS THE STATE.
AND AGAIN, THEY'RE GETTING REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE INTO HOW TO HANDLE LARGE SCALE BRUSH FIRES, GRASS FIRES, UH, WILD LAND FIRES.
AND THEY BRING THAT BACK HERE AND WE TAKE THAT TRAINING TO OUR MEMBERS AND, UH, AGAIN, IT PROVIDES INVARIABLE, UH, EXPERIENCE WITHOUT OUR COMMUNITY HAVING TO EXPERIENCE THE DISASTER.
UM, ALSO WE HAVE AN AUTO EIGHT AGREEMENTS WITH THE, OUR COUNTY PARTNERS AROUND US AS CHIEF FIRE MENTIONED EARLIER.
SO THAT HELPS US, US WHEN WE HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES COMMITTING, WE HAVE, UH, AUTO AID, IT ALSO HELPS THEM CUZ SOMETIMES THESE INCIDENTS HIT THEM AND WE'RE ABLE TO HELP THEM IN THAT RESPONSE.
BUT THAT GOES A LONG, LONG WAY TO BACKING US UP.
AND THEN DURING ANY OF THESE EVENTS, WE ALSO HOLD, UH, REGULAR EXECUTIVE TEAM UPDATES FROM THE E O C AND THE D O C PARTNERS TALKING TO THE EXECUTIVE TEAM, CHIEF BAY, UH, CHIEF BAKER, UH, CHIEF FIRES.
WHAT THAT DOES, IF THERE'S ANY SIGNIFICANT ROADBLOCKS AND WE'RE TRYING TO HANDLE IT, WE CAN'T GET IT.
WE'VE GOT THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL THAT CAN GO TO THEIR PARTNER AGENCIES AND SEE IF WE CAN WORK SOMETHING OUT AND, AND GET SOMETHING DONE.
SO THAT ENDS UP BEING VERY HELPFUL, UH, FOR THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP TO HAVE THAT, UM, THAT INSIGHT.
AND ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
OH, UH, COMMISSIONER KOFF, WE HAVE, UH, THANK YOU.
I CHIEF NICKS BROUGHT UP, UH, ABOUT THE RESERVE FLEET, AND I DID READ THE A F D AFTER ACTION REVIEW AFTER URI AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE RESERVE FLEET WAS PRETTY WELL DEPLETED, IF NOT COMPLETELY DEFEATED, DEPLETED,
UM, WELL, THE QUESTION IS, AND THEN CHIEF WADE I THINK BROUGHT UP ALSO, I MENTIONED WHEN, UH, AN APPARATUS IS OUTTA SERVICE, IT COULD BE AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, UH, ARE DOES A FD HAVE NEW APPARATUS ON ORDER, UH, TO TRY TO BUILD UP THE RESERVE FLEET? YEAH, SO WE DO HAVE A REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE, UH, IN PLACE WITH FLEET AND THEY HAVE DONE VERY WELL OF, OF HONORING THAT.
AND SOMETIMES THEY EVEN INCREASE THAT DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS, UH, TO A UNIT.
SO WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF APPARATUS ON ORDER, UH, BUT IT, IT'S STANDARD AS WE GO.
SO OUR ENGINES TYPICALLY GO 10 YEARS ON A FRONT LINE, FIVE YEARS INTO RESERVE FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS.
AND OUR LADDERS GO ABOUT 15 YEARS ON THE FRONT LINE AND FIVE YEARS IN RESERVE.
UH, WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW IN THE FIRE N EMS INDUSTRY IS IT'S TAKING A LOT LONGER TO GET APPARATUS IN.
UM, IT CAN TAKE NOW WHERE IT USED TO BE A YEAR TO HAVE SOMETHING BUILT.
IT CAN TAKE UP TO TWO YEARS TO HAVE IT BUILT AND DELIVERED.
AND THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME.
AND ANY ICE STORM CAN TAKE OUT THREE UNITS REALLY QUICKLY.
UH, AND WE ALL KNOW THE DELAYS IN GETTING ANYTHING FIXED.
UM, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN CONVERSATION WITH FLEET TO SEE THAT THERE'S CHANGES THAT NEED TO BE MADE AS, AS FAR AS, UH, THE TIMEFRAME.
DO WE NEED TO COMPRESS THAT? UH, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN VERY OPEN TO DISCUSSIONS OF WHAT, WHAT DO WE DO TO ENSURE OUR FLEET IS, UH, GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL, HEALTHY TO CONTINUE RESPONSE WITH IT.
IT, UM, SO YES, WE'RE, WE'RE IN ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, BUT WE ALSO, UH, HAVE A NUMBER OF FIRE ENGINES AND LADDERS THAT ARE ALMOST DELIVERED HERE.
AND WE HAVE SOME ALREADY ON ORDER.
I HAD A QUESTION AND I THINK IT'S ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ALL I KNOW WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM POLICE YET AND HAVEN'T HAD THEIR, BUT, AND MAYBE WE CAN ADDRESS IT WHEN WE GET TO POLICE AS WELL.
BUT, UM, YOU TALKED A LOT ABOUT UPSTAFFING DURING EMERGENCY EVENTS, AND SO HOW PREDICTABLE ARE IS THE EXTRA BUDGET THAT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS UP STAFFING ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS? AND LIKE HOW, IF, IF IT IS TO SOME EXTENT PREDICTABLE, HOW MUCH CAN WE START PLANNING FOR? I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S HAPPENING ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND SO DOES DO THE, DO THE DEPARTMENTS ALREADY, UM, INCORPORATE THIS KIND OF, OF STAFFING SORT OF BUDGET IN PERSONNEL, UM,
[01:30:01]
YEAR TO YEAR? AND IF NOT, LIKE IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN BE DOING? SO, AND, AND HOW MUCH MORE MONEY IS THAT? WELL, FOR THE EMS DEPARTMENT, I CAN SAY THAT IT IS NOT EXTRA MONEY THAT WE GET FOR THESE EVENTS.UM, WE ABSORB THAT COST THROUGH EITHER OUR VACANCY SAVINGS OR, YOU KNOW, ELSEWHERE WITHIN THE BUDGET.
SOME OF THESE, IF THEY ARE STATE FEDERAL DISASTERS, THERE IS SOME REIMBURSEMENT THAT WE CAN GET FOR THEM.
BUT CERTAINLY NOT ALL OF THAT, UM, COMES BACK TO US.
UM, SO NO, WE DON'T ADD ADDITIONAL, WE DON'T GET ADDITIONAL DOLLARS FOR, UM, PERSONNEL COSTS DURING THESE TYPES OF EVENTS.
LIKEWISE, FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE, UH, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING GOOD JOB OF REPORTING BACK TO THE CITY.
SO WE DO OUR BEST TO TRACK THIS.
AND THEN, UH, WHEN WE GET ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR, THERE'S A CHANCE TO LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE TRACKING ON OUR BUDGET, RIGHT? IF WE ARE TRACKING, IF WE'VE NOT ABLE TO SAVE ENOUGH TO, TO COVER THE COST OF THE, THE, THE INCIDENT EMERGENCIES THAT COME UP, THE WEATHER ONES, THEN WE WILL, UH, SEND A WRITTEN REPORT TO THE BUDGET OFFICE TO EXPLAIN THE SITUATION AND AS BEST OF THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING OF WHAT WE BELIEVE THAT PARTICULAR UPSTAFFING COST US FOR THAT, FOR THAT, UH, FOR THOSE EVENTS.
YES, CHIEF HENDERSON, CHIEF OF STAFF, AND THAT'S THE SAME FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE DO ATTEMPT TO HIRE TO 100% STAFFING PRIOR TO THE EVENT OCCURRING.
AND THEN THROUGH OUR VACANCY SAVINGS, WE'RE ABLE TO FUND THAT, THAT BACKFILL THAT'S NEEDED.
SO IT'S JUST HANDLED AS, AS LIKE MID-YEAR, LIKE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS IF NEEDED.
UM, SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY, I GUESS, AND I GUESS I JUST WONDER IF IT'S, IF WE'RE GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S NECESSARY TO START PROACTIVELY BUDGETING FOR, FOR THE, THIS KIND OF PERSONNEL SURGE, THESE PERSONNEL SURGES THAT ARE NEEDED.
SO TO CLARIFY, WHEN I SAY WE SENT A REPORT TO THE BUDGET OFFICE, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT WE GET A REIMBURSEMENT FOR, FOR THOSE, BUT IT'S A, AN ACCOUNTING OF, SO THAT IF WE FIND OURSELVES, UH, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, UH, OVER OUR BUDGET, THERE'S SOME EXPLANATION AS TO WHY.
UM, CHIEF STANKY, SORRY,
UH, ASSISTANT CHIEF STAN HUSKY, I'M OVER THE PART OF, PART OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT UNIT, UH, WITH ME IS SERGEANT SORETO, WHO'S ALSO OVER THE EMERGENCY, UH, MANAGEMENT UNIT.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK INTO, UH, APDS PREPAREDNESS FOR WEATHER EVENTS, UM, WE SWITCH TO, UM, A LIFE AND SAFETY ASPECT SO THAT THAT BECOMES OUR MAIN PRIORITIES.
UH, MUCH OF THE, UH, IN DEPTH EVENTS SUCH AS FLOODING, THE WILDFIRES IS GONNA BE PROLONGED.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE INTO A, A SECONDARY ROLE IN SUPPORT A F D AND EMS, UH, THROUGH THE E OOC OR D O C, WHICHEVER ONE'S SET UP.
UM, OUR MAIN PREPAREDNESS FOR, UH, ANY KIND OF, UH, EVENT WOULD BE IN OUR PREPAREDNESS BEFOREHAND.
SO DEPENDING ON THE EVENT, WE, WE GO THROUGH SWIFT WATER TRAINING, WE GO THROUGH, UM, OUR VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH CHANGE.
OUR, FORTUNATELY OUR EXPLORERS ARE A FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, SO THEY'RE REALLY, THEY HANDLE REALLY WELL AND THEY ICE, UH, ICE WEATHER.
BUT SOME OF OUR PREPAREDNESS IS THAT PRIOR TO ALL THESE EVENTS AT EACH OF OUR SUBSTATIONS, WE HAVE, WE EQUIPED THEM WITH, UH, MEALS, BLANKETS, COTS, UH, WATER, UM, ANY OTHER EMERGENCY, UH, EQUIPMENT THAT'S NEEDED AT LEAST TO SUSTAIN A LONG TIME OPERATION.
UH, DURING EVENTS SUCH AS THE ICE, THE SLASH ICE STORM, IT IS MANDATORY THAT EVERYBODY STILL REPORTS TO WORK, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE SECONDARY NON PATROL OFFICERS REPORT IN THEIR UNIFORMS, UH, IN CASE THEY'RE NEEDED FOR PATROL.
OFTEN, OFTEN IF, UH, WE HAVE THE NON PATROL OFFICERS REPORTING, WE'LL END UP, SINCE THE CAR SITUATION'S ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE LIMITED ON OUR CARS, THEN WE'LL START DOUBLING UP IN CARS.
SO THEY WON'T HAVE TO HAVE TWO OFFICERS AND TWO CARS GO TO SEPARATE, UH, ANY KIND OF INCIDENTS.
UH, BESIDES THAT, IF, IF THE SITUATION CALLS FOR, WE GO TO AF ALPHA BRAVOS, WHICH IS 12 HOURS ON AND 12 HOURS OFF, AND EVERY PERSON WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT IS ASSIGNED TO AN EITHER ALPHA BRAVO, BRAVO SCHEDULE.
SO WE HAVE 24 COVERAGE OR 12 HOUR COVERAGE, 24 HOURS A DAY UNTIL THE EVENT ENDS.
UM, PREPAREDNESS, UH, BEFORE THE EVENT, UM, WE WORK
[01:35:01]
WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND HESO TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN ABOUT THE EVENT.THE, UH, EXECUTIVE STAFF AND AP D STAFF, COMMAND STAFF IS UPDATED REGULARLY ON ANY EVENTS COMING IN.
WE GET EITHER HOURLY UPDATES, UM, AS LONG AS ALSO WITH OUR REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER.
WE'LL BE SENDING OUT HOURLY UPDATES ON ROAD CLOSURES, UH, STAFFING COLLISIONS, HOLDING, UM, JUST ANY KIND OF UPDATE ON A REGULAR BASIS UNTIL THE EVENT'S OVER.
UH, WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR, UH, THE CALLS THROUGH OUR REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER, UH, THROUGHOUT THE EVENT.
UM, AND, AND REALLY OUR, OUR RESPONSE IS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF EVENT, SO WE COULD GO INTO EACH KIND OF EVENT, IF WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE ICE ROADS, UH, WE WILL BE MONITORING ALL ROADS, AND IF A CERTAIN ROAD NEEDS TO BE EITHER ICED OR SHUT DOWN, WE'RE IN CONTACT WITH THE HIGHWAY, UH, D O T, AND, UH, WE REPORT THAT INCIDENT.
IF WE HAVE TO PHYSICALLY CLOSE DOWN AN ON-RAMP, WE'LL BE PARKING THERE UNTIL WE CAN GET SOME KIND OF BARRICADE UP.
UH, THE OFFICERS, ONCE THEY COME IN TO TOWN, UM, WE WANT TO KEEP 'EM IN TOWN.
SO WHEN THEY'RE OFF, UM, THROUGH THEIR ROTATION, WHETHER THEY'RE WORKING 12 HOURS ON, 12 HOURS OFF, THEN WE WILL, UH, ACCOMMODATE THEM IN TRYING TO GET A HOTEL SO THEY GET THEIR LODGE AND GET THEIR DOWNTOWN.
UM, THAT POLICY IS BEING WRITTEN UP RIGHT NOW, AND I KNOW THAT WAS PART OF OUR LAST CONTRACT NEGOTIATION, BUT WE'RE GONNA MA BE MAKING THAT A POLICY INSTEAD OF INCLUDING IT IN THE CONTRACT.
UH, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH THE COLD WEATHER SHELTERS.
UH, OF COURSE, PUBLIC HEALTH AS, AS WE STATED EARLIER, THEY'RE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR ACTUALLY ACTIVATING THIS SHELTER.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING A DIFFERENT APPROACH THIS YEAR COMPARED TO YEARS IN THE PAST.
SO THE PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, AS YOU GUYS WERE SAYING, THEY REPORT TO ONE TEXAS CENTER, UM, AND THEN THEY SHIP 'EM OUT TO THE VARIOUS SHELTERS.
THE FIRST THREE SHELTERS, UM, A SECURITY, UH, IS HIRED AN OFF, UH, A CONTRACT SECURITY THAT IS, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRAINED IN MENTAL HEALTH ASPECTS, SO IT'S JUST NOT A STRAIGHT SECURITY GUARD IF SOMEBODY ACTUALLY HAS SOME KIND OF MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING, UM, TO WORK IN THOSE SHELTERS.
AFTER THE THIRD SHELTER, THEN WE HAVE A SET PROTOCOL THAT OCCURS WITH AN APD, UM, FOR STAFFING THOSE SHELTERS.
AND THAT STARTS WITH OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT UNIT.
WE'LL PUT OUT A PAGE FOR OVERTIME.
IF, IF WE CAN'T GET ENOUGH, THEN WE'LL START WORKING THROUGH OUR SUPPORT SHIFTS.
AND THEN ALSO AT THE END OF OF THE DAY, OUR WATCH COMMANDER WILL ASSIGN PATROL.
SO, UH, AT ALL TIMES WE'RE, WE, IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE STAFFING OF THESE SHELTERS OCCURS, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THE SECURITY AND IF SECURITY CAN'T HAPPEN, IT FALLS BACK ON US.
SO WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE, THE, FOR ALL THE SECURITY ON THOSE.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? AND IF I COULD JUST ADD TO THAT, UM, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT KNOWING WHERE THE LOCATIONS ARE FOR THE WARMING CENTERS AND THE WARMING SHELTERS.
ANYTIME THERE IS A COLD WEATHER ACTIVATION, WE ALWAYS SEND OUT SITUATIONAL UPDATES, UM, EVERY SHIFT.
SO WHETHER IT'S DAYS, NIGHTS, OR EVENINGS, AT A MINIMUM, THERE'S GONNA BE THREE REPORT OUTS OF OUR CURRENT STAFFING LEVELS, ROAD CLOSURES, WHAT WARMING CENTERS ARE AVAILABLE, WHAT THEIR CAPACITY IS, AND THEN ANY KIND OF SITUATIONAL UPDATES RELATED TO TEMPERATURES AND WHAT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING OUT FOR, UM, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THE FIRE STATIONS, UM, AND THE NEED FOR GENERATORS.
AND I SUPPOSE THIS ALSO APPLIES TO EMS. UM, HAS THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT, UM, IMPLEMENTING SOLAR WITH BATTERY BACKUP AT ANY OF THE FIRE STATIONS? UM, EITHER AS THE PRIMARY OR, I MEAN, USING BOTH HAVING, YOU KNOW, GENERATORS AS A SORT OF SECONDARY OPTION, BUT USING SOLAR AND BATTERY BACKUP AS THE PRIMARY OPTION? YEAH, I, I DON'T THINK WE'VE EXPLORED THAT, AND I'M GONNA TURN BACK TO MY PARTNER, WES, WHO, WHO MAY HAVE DIFFERENT INFORMATION, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN THAT EXPLORED.
UM, IN TALKING WITH OTHER CITIES, THE TEXAS CITIES, UH, AND MANY OF THOSE THAT, THAT HAVE ALMOST FULL GENERATORS, NONE OF THEM HAVE THE SOLAR POWER WITH IT.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S JUST THE SH THE SHEER AMOUNT OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE POWERED A AS YOU GOTTA IDENTIFY THAT AS
[01:40:01]
SOME PLACES AS FUELING STATIONS, UH, WHAT THEY CALL COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT.AND SOME OF THE COMMUNICATIONS AT THE END OF DIFFERENT STATIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS.
AS, YOU KNOW, WE LEARN THE, THE, THE TERMS SUPER NODE, NODE AND AND COM SITES, RIGHT? AND SO I DON'T KNOW ALL THE CAPACITIES AND WHAT SOLAR COULD COVER, AND I HAVEN'T SEEN TOO MANY OPTIONS ON THAT.
IN TERMS OF THE, LIKE, DISCUSSION IN THE PLANNING, DO YOU, DO Y'ALL HAVE A, UM, IDEA OF WHAT THE SORT OF RESEARCH IS GONNA BE AROUND, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE BACKUP PLAN? YEAH, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CHIEF HOPKINS, UH, AND AS HE'S COMING UP IS, IS WE'VE DISCUSSED, UM, RIGHT BEFORE LAST WEEK AND, AND SOME MORE THIS WEEK OF, OF WHAT IT NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE.
WE, WE HAVE THE LIST OF WHO HAS A GENERATOR AND WHO DOES IT.
IF THEY DON'T HAVE A GENERATOR AT ALL, THAT MAKES IT SIMPLE.
UH, BUT WE HAVE TO PUT A PLAN TOGETHER, AS WE SAID, WITH BUILDING SERVICES, ELECTRICIANS, UH, AND EACH OF OUR AGENCIES TO GO OUT TO EACH SITE AND REALLY DO AN ASSESSMENT, UM, OKAY.
AND, AND LOAD TEST GENERATORS, SEE WHAT THEY POWER, AND THEN START PUTTING THE PLAN IN PLACE.
UH, AND WE'VE HAD SOME INFORMATION FROM BUILDING SERVICES OF OUR, OF THOSE IMPORTANT SITES, FUELING STATIONS, SO ALL CITY VEHICLES DURING AN EMERGENCY CONTINUE TO GO THE COMMUNICATION STUFF THAT'S A HIGH PRIORITY.
AND THEN WE WILL GO FROM THERE, AND I'LL LET WES SPEAK AS WELL WITH THIS.
WEST HOPKINS, I'M AN ASSISTANT CHIEF FOR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SITES IS THAT NATURAL GAS IS OUR PREFERRED METHOD TO FUEL THE GENERATORS.
THE AMBULANCE WHEN IT'S NOT RUNNING, NEEDS TO BE PLUGGED IN TO POWER A LOT OF EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING COMPUTERS AND REFRIGERATORS FOR WHOLE BLOOD MM-HMM.
AND SO WE REALLY THINK THAT A, A NATURAL GAS OPTION IS PROBABLY GONNA BE THE, THE BEST OPTION JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH POWER DEMANDED SOME OF THESE SITES, NOT TO MENTION STATIONS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH YEARS AND YEARS OF ADD-ONS, INCLUDING SERVER RACKS AND ALERTING JUST, JUST TAKES A LOT OF POWER TO, TO GET THESE STATIONS TO STAY ONLINE.
UM, CAN I ASK THE SAME QUESTION FOR, UH, AUSTIN, PLEASE, FOLKS? UH, WHAT NEEDS, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY SUBSTATIONS OR ANYTHING ELSE IN TERMS OF POWER GENERATION OR ANYTHING ELSE SIMILAR TO, I CAN'T SAY THAT WE DO.
I DON'T KNOW OF A TIME THAT WE'VE HAD OUR POWER GO OUT FOR A SUSTAINED POW AMOUNT OF TIME AT ANY OF OUR SUBSTATIONS.
AND SO, PARTICULARLY I KNOW AT OUR EAST SUBSTATION, WE ALSO HAVE OUR EVIDENCE LAB THERE, AND SO THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF REDUNDANCY THAT'S REQUIRED BECAUSE OF THE, THE NEED TO PRESERVE EVIDENCE.
AND SO I, I DON'T KNOW OF TIME, UH, CHIEF CHESKY THAT WE'VE LOST POWER AT OUR POLICE FACILITIES FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
AND, AND I KNOW THEY DO REGULAR TESTS OF THE GENERATORS, BUT I, I HAD, IS THERE ANYTHING FROM A WINTER PREPAREDNESS OR EXTREME SUMMER WEATHER THAT YOU ALL FEEL THAT YOU NEED THAT HAVE NOT BEEN GETTING SO FAR? I WOULD SAY MORE SO JUST A, A LEARNING FACTOR FROM US WHEN IT CAN, UH, CHIEF SANKY SPOKE TO THE POLICE EXPLORERS AND HOW THEY ARE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AND PERFORMED VERY WELL IN COLD WEATHER'S, ICY ROADS.
WE ARE NOT FINDING THE SAME IN OUR TAHOES.
AND SO WHEN IT COMES TO OUR TAHOES AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE ADEQUATELY EQUIPPED WITH CHAINS, THAT'S, THAT'S OUR BIGGEST ISSUE NOW.
JUST WE DIDN'T REALIZE AT THE TIME THAT WE PURCHASED THOSE VEHICLES, JUST THE HUGE DIFFERENCE IN, IN THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES.
WHAT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR FLEET IS TAHOES
THEY HAVE EXTRA EQUIPMENT AND STUFF LIKE THAT TO, TO DEPLOY.
SO THOSE ARE MAINLY RESERVED FOR OUR SUPERVISORS.
OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS.
SO I, UM, FOR A P D I WANTED TO ACTUALLY ASK ABOUT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DURING LARGE, UM, POWER OUTAGES.
YOU KNOW, WITH, WE HAD PARTS OF THE CITY THAT DIDN'T HAVE POWER FOR LARGE AMOUNTS OF TIME, LIKE HUGE MAJOR INTERSECTIONS, UM, THAT HAD MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS HAPPENING OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL DAYS OVER AND OVER AGAIN BECAUSE THERE WEREN'T LIGHTS WORKING.
UM, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DOES A P D DO TO ACCOMMODATE FOR MANNING AND LIKE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT WHEN WE HAVE LONG SUSTAINED PERIODS OF OUTAGES LIKE THAT, UM, TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS? CAN SOMETHING BE DONE? CAN SOMETHING BE CHANGED? IS THERE SOME SUPPORT THAT A P D NEEDS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT BEYOND PERSONNEL? I UNDERSTAND THAT PERSONNEL IS AN ISSUE,
[01:45:01]
UM, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAN BE DONE? I KNOW WE DO WORK WITH AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION.THEY DO A VERY GOOD JOB OF WHEN WE IDENTIFY A THAT'S ICED OVER, WE'LL MAKE THE NOTIFICATION, THEY'LL BRING THEIR SAND TRUCKS OUT ALSO, WE ALSO, UH, HAVE BLOCKING VEHICLES.
WE CAN PLACE PHYSICAL BARRICADES.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY SAFE FOR OFFICERS TO BE OUTSIDE THERE, THEIR CARS TRYING TO DIRECT TRAFFIC, UM, ON ICY ROADS.
SO THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE THAT IS EITHER THROUGH STANDING THE ROADS DOWN OR PLACING PHYSICAL BARRICADES TO TRY AND ASSIST TRAFFIC IN, IN NAVIGATING THOSE, THOSE ICY ROADS OR EITHER THOSE INTERSECTIONS WHERE THE LIGHTS ARE OUT.
MY NAME'S LUKE SERATO, APD MERCY MANAGEMENT.
IF I CAN ADD TO CHIEF'S ANSWER.
UM, JUST A COUPLE THINGS THAT WE NOTICED DURING THIS RECENT WINTER STORM WAS THAT WE HAD PRE-EXISTING SYSTEMS THAT REPORTED UNSAFE ROAD CONDITIONS AND COMMUNICATED THOSE IN REAL TIME TO SEVERAL OF OUR PARTNERS.
AND, UH, WE HAVE A UNIQUE ADVANTAGE THAT WE'RE NOT HOUSED IN ANY, UH, FIRE STATIONS OR EMS STATIONS.
OUR, OUR VEHICLES ARE OUR OFFICE WHEN WE'RE OUT THERE.
SO THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FROM A P D WAS OBVIOUSLY, UH, MUCH GREATER THAN THOSE THAT WERE HOUSED AND STATIONS WAITING TO RESPOND.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO REPORT IN REAL TIME MORE INFORMATION AND HELP COORDINATE SOME OF THOSE ASSETS.
SO WE, UH, WE IMPLEMENTED A SYSTEM AND WE JOINED OUR PARTNER AGENCIES AT THE EMS AND FIRE SO THAT WE COULD ALL COORDINATE AND BE AWARE OF ALL OF THE, UH, ACCESS ISSUES, UH, PARTICULARLY FOR MEDICAL RESPONSES, FIRE RESPONSES.
SO THEY WERE AWARE AND UP TO DATE WITH THE MOST, UH, RECENT ROAD CLOSURES.
AND THEN WE OBVIOUSLY COMMUNICATED THAT TO OUR STREET AND BRIDGE PARTNERS THAT WERE ABLE TO GET THOSE RESOURCES.
AND WE HAD A REAL DATA TRACKING SYSTEM THAT COULD LET US KNOW ONCE THOSE WERE BEING MANAGED, WHEN THEY WERE BEING TREATED.
AND IT'S A, IT'S A VERY COMPLEX SYSTEM WHERE THEY HAVE TO LET US KNOW WHEN IT CAN BE DRIVEN ON TO MAYBE HELP FURTHER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WHATEVER COUNTERMEASURES WERE, WERE DEPLOYED SO THAT THEY CAN BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE.
SO THE COMMUNICATION THAT WAS REQUIRED TO NOT ONLY TREAT, BUT ALSO TO RAPIDLY IMPLEMENT VEHICLE TRAFFIC SO THAT THOSE THINGS COULD BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE.
WERE, UH, MANAGED THROUGH OUR, UH, EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER AND OUR PERSONNEL THAT WE STAFF THERE.
I HAD, I HAD ONE MORE QUESTION, AND THEN I THINK I'M IT, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH THE TRANSPORTING OF PEOPLE, UM, THAT ARE NOT JUST EMERGENCIES, BUT LIKE IN COLD WEATHER SHELTER, WHEN PEOPLE LIKE YOU GO TO SOMEBODY'S HOME AND THEY, THEY OBVIOUSLY NEED DIALYSIS OR GONNA NEED CONTINUAL OXYGEN CARE, THE ACCESS TO OXYGEN, UM, WHO, WHO TRANSPORTS AND WHERE PEOPLE TRANSPORT LIKE THE, JUST THE, THE TRANSPORTING OF, OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IN EMERGENCIES.
THERE, THERE'S JUST A LARGER AMOUNT OF SITUATIONS, I GUESS, WHERE PEOPLE NEED TO BE TRANSPORTED.
IT'S NOT JUST FOR EMERGENT MEDICAL CARE.
AND SO WHO, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE AND, AND WHAT SORT OF CHANGES ARE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE FOR THOSE THAT INCREASE IN TRANSPORT THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? I, I THINK THERE'S MULTIFACTORS WITHIN THAT, AND CHIEF HOPKINS ACTUALLY OVERSEES A, A PART OF HIS DIVISION THAT, THAT FACILITATES THIS.
OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC PROGRAM, UM, IS REALLY ACTIVE IN IDENTIFYING PEOPLE WHO MAY BE MORE VULNERABLE IN THESE POSITIONS THAT NEED, UH, MORE ASSISTANCE DURING THAT.
UM, IN SOME CASES, WOMEN HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER OXYGEN TO PEOPLE AT HOME SO THAT THEY CAN STAY AT HOME.
UM, IN OTHER CASES WE DO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION EITHER THROUGH A SINGLE MEDIC, MAYBE AN ALTERNATIVE UNIT, UM, ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT UNIT, WHICH IS BASICALLY A VAN, UM, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE PEOPLE TO.
AND WE ALSO, UH, CAN USE CAP METRO IN, IN CERTAIN CASES FOR, UM, ASSISTING IN, IN TRANSPORTATION OF PEOPLE EITHER TO A DIALYSIS CENTER, UM, TO SOME OTHER SORT OF CLINIC THAT THEY NEED.
UM, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT RESOURCES.
IT'S A COORDINATED EFFORT THROUGH OUR INTEGRATED SERVICES, UM, THROUGH THE E OOC AND, AND IDENTIFYING WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE.
YEAH, I, I'D CONCUR ON THAT, THAT IF DURING THE ICE STORMS OF TWO YEARS AGO, UM, I THINK WE ALL KIND OF JUST PITCHED IN AND WHOEVER NEEDED TRANSPORT, I KNOW PD TRANSPORTED QUITE A FEW PEOPLE TO THE WARMING SHELTERS, ESPECIALLY OVER THE PROLONGED, SO WE, BETWEEN ALL THREE OF US, I THINK WE, WE, WE DO OUR BEST TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY GETS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.
UM, SO, UH, YEAH, WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES LEFT.
UM, SHOULD WE, UH, SHOULD WE SKIP THE BUDGET
[4. Discussion and possible action on 2023-2024 budget cycle process to be used by Public Safety Commission]
CYCLE ITEM? YEAH.UM, MY, MY HOPE FOR THE BUDGET CYCLE WAS JUST KIND OF TO TALK THROUGH, UM, SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE HAVE
[01:50:01]
COMING UP AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY INTEREST IN A WORKING GROUP, BUT I THINK WE CAN JUST PICK IT UP NEXT MONTH.THAT WAS REALLY, UM, HELPFUL AND, UM, I LEARNED A LOT
UM, AND I JUST REALIZED, UH, JANET SENT ME AN EMAIL AND I'M SUPPOSED TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT, BUT I'M NOT, UM, OH, OKAY.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
TALK ABOUT FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. YES.FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. CAN I ASK A PROCESS QUESTION AS IT SURE.
SO I KNOW THIS IS AN INFORMATIVE INFORMATION DISCUSSION, NOT AN ACTION ITEM THAT WE JUST HAD ABOUT THE LEONARD STORM, CORRECT? MM-HMM.
SO IT SEEMS AS IF ONE ACTION ITEM THAT WE SHOULD, THE AGENDA IS ENDORSING A PROCESS FOR MAKING SURE THERE'S ADEQUATE GENERATION AND POWER CAPACITY AT ALL OF OUR FACILITIES.
IF, IF WE FASHION, IF WE'D LIKE TO LIKE DRAFT A RESOLUTION OR A, UM, A RECOMMENDATION YES.
UM, WE CAN DO THAT AND PUT IT ON NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA FOR US TO VOTE ON IT.
WOULD, WOULD YOU LIKE TO VOTE, DRAFT A RECOMMENDATION? SURE.
SOMEBODY TELLS, TELLS ME HOW TO DRAFT ONE
UM, I KNOW, UH, I WANTED TO ADD THE, UM, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
GETTING A, A, UH, I GUESS AN UPDATE OR A PRESENTATION FROM THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
UM, I WANTED ACTUALLY TO RE, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE HAD ON THE LIST FOR A LONG TIME, BUT I WANTED TO RE-UP COMMISSIONER COFF'S REQUEST FOR AN UPDATE ON THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER.
UM, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO SORT OF TALK AGAIN ABOUT WHERE WE ARE WITH STAFFING AND JUST PROCESS.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A NEW, UM, AUTOMATED THREE 11 SORT OF PROGRAM THAT'S ROLLED OUT, AND SO JUST KIND OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT KIND OF IMPACT THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD ON THE AMOUNT OF INPUT THAT THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER IS HAVING TO DEAL WITH.
SO, UM, I WANTED TO RE-UP THAT.
UM, I ALSO, UM, HAD ONE OTHER ITEM, AND THIS CAN, DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IMMEDIATE, BUT, UM, I KNOW THAT QUITE SOME TIME AGO THERE WAS, UM, A COMMUNITY SORT OF FEEDBACK SESSIONS THAT WERE DONE THROUGH THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT ON, UM, THE DISABLED COMMUNITIES, UM, INTERACTIONS WITH POLICE.
UM, I THINK THAT REPORT WAS RELEASED AT SOME POINT MID LAST YEAR.
UM, AND SO I JUST KIND OF LIKE TO, UM, REVISIT THAT REPORT OR I DON'T THINK WE AS A COMMISSION ACTUALLY EVER VISITED AT ALL.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SORT OF SEE WHAT THAT REPORT WAS AND SEE WHAT KIND OF ACTIONS COME AFTER, UM, A REPORT LIKE THAT IS ISSUED.
UM, AND SO YEAH, I JUST KIND OF WANNA CHECK IN ON SOME OF THOSE FINDINGS AND WHERE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS WITH THAT.
UM, AND, UH, AND MS. JACKSON REMINDED ME THAT, UH, IN APRIL WE NEED TO HAVE ELECTIONS ON OFFICERS.
UM, AND OUR, OUR OFFICERS ARE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN VICE CHAIR
UM,
ANY, ANYWAY, AND, AND I I'VE BEEN CHAIR FOR LESS THAN A YEAR.
UM, I KNOW THAT I WOULD BE OKAY WITH NOT BEING THE CHAIR, IF ANYONE IS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT BEING THE CHAIR
UM, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FEEL, UM,
WHATEVER CAPACITY PEOPLE WANT ME BACK.
SO, SO, UM, BUT WE, WE, WE HAVE TO OFFICIALLY HAVE A VOTE IN APRIL.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE ANNOUNCING THAT.
UM, ALSO, UM, I HAVE ON MY LIST.
UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I HAD A VERY COLORFUL CONVERSATION WITH A LYFT DRIVER THAT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS SAFETY FOR UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS AT SOME POINT.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S APPROPRIATE THIS EARLIER, IF IT'S NOT TILL JUNE, UM, YOU KNOW, LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ON HOW THAT AFFECTS PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, UM, AND I DUNNO IF THAT'S, I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE WE
[01:55:01]
HAVE BRIEF FRANCO THAT, UM, WAS GONNA, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE EITHER JULY OR AUGUST.BUT WE'LL HAVE THAT ON THE AGENDA.
AND SIMILARLY, I'M JUST THINKING BACK TO THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT, I DON'T, I KNOW WE USUALLY DO 'EM ONCE A YEAR, I THINK, UPDATE ON THE
AND SO MAYBE WHEN THERE'S A, WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE IN THE SUMMERTIME OKAY.
TO DO SOMETHING ON THAT, TO SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT.
ANYTHING FROM PEOPLE ONLINE, JUST SINCE WE'RE DOING A BIG ALL RIGHT.
UM, WELL, UH, IT'S, IT'S 6:00 PM AND I WILL OFFICIALLY AND CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED.