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NOW.[CALL TO ORDER]
HELLO EVERYBODY.TODAY IS SEPTEMBER 11TH, AND THIS IS THE REGULAR SEPTEMBER MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
UM, I BELIEVE WE HAVE QUORUM, SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED, UM, WITH A ROLL CALL.
UM, COMMISSIONER HOLMES PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER KOFF IS NOT JOINING US.
COMMISSIONER HALL MARTIN IS ALSO NOT JOINING US.
COMMISSIONER NGUYEN, I NEED TO UNLOCK YOUR IPHONE FIRST.
SORRY, MY PHONE IS GOING AWAY.
UM, UH, COMMISSIONER NGUYEN MIGHT BE JOINING US ONLINE.
IS HE ONLINE BY ANY CHANCE? OKAY.
COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT PRESENT.
AND WITH THAT, UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
DO WE HAVE ANYONE ONLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? SHE DOES NOT CALL.
IS SHE, UM, SPEAKING TO A SPECIFIC ITEM? NO.
SO WE'LL JUST TAKE, WILL WE JUST TAKE THEM IN BETWEEN WHENEVER THEY COME ON? SHE'S ABLE, IF SHE'S ABLE.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
ON TO THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.UM, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM ANYONE? I'LL MOVE THAT.
DO WE HAVE ANY DO CHANGES, ADDITIONS? LEMME JUST TAKE, GIMME 30 SECONDS JUST TO GLANCE OVER 'CAUSE IT WAS A LATE EMAIL OUT ON THE MINUTES.
WITH NO CHANGES, I'LL GO AHEAD AND I DO NEED TO TAKE A VOTE ON ADOPTING THE MINUTES, SO I'M GONNA GO AROUND THE TABLE.
AND I WILL, UM, VOTE YES AS WELL.
AND AFTER THAT WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO
[2. Staff Briefing to provide follow up responses to questions presented at August 3, 2023 meeting.]
STAFF BRIEFINGS.UM, I DID NOT CIRCULATE ADDITIONAL QUESTION, LIKE ANY FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS FROM THE AUGUST MEETING TO, TO ANYONE.
UM, BUT I DID WANT TO RESURFACE JUST SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN ON THE LIST FOR A WHILE AND THAT'S THE, UM, RESPONSE TO RESISTANCE REPORTS.
UM, I THINK I FIRST ASKED IN APRIL FOR WHEN THE 2021 AND 2022 REPORTS WOULD BE, UM, POSTED.
I THINK WE GOT AN UPDATE THAT 2021 IS COMING SOON.
UM, AND SO I JUST, IF WE COULD, UM, I JUST WANNA PUT ON THE RECORD SO THAT WE COULD RECIRCULATE THAT WITH FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS FOR NEXT MONTH.
UM, SO I, I BELIEVE I ASKED IN MAY ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF, UM, OVERTIME THAT, UH, SWORN OFFICERS WERE DEDICATING TO COVERING SHIFTS, UH, IN THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER MM-HMM.
UM, AND I DON'T BELIEVE WE'VE GOTTEN THAT DATA.
IT'S RELEVANT TO TODAY'S CONVERSATION.
UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN'T GET LOST.
THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT'S IN THE, I GUESS WE'LL SEE IF IT'S IN THE OVERTIME A P D REPORT, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS.
WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO, UM,
[3. Public Safety Quarterly Report given by Teresa Gardner – Austin Travis County EMS (Sponsors: Commissioners Ramírez and Bernhardt)]
I BELIEVE IT'S EM S'S TURN FOR QUARTERLY REPORT.I'M AN ASSISTANT CHIEF FOR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY E M S.
I WILL BE GIVING THE THIRD QUARTER REPORT FOR CHIEF GARDNER, WHO IS ABSENT THIS AFTERNOON.
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IF WE MOVE TO THE FIRST SLIDE, UH, WE'LL SEE THE CURRENT E M S DEPARTMENT STAFFING FOR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY E M SS.WE HAVE AN AUTHORIZED STRENGTH OF 665.
THIS IS THROUGH THE END OF JUNE, OF COURSE.
UH, AND WE HAVE A CURRENT ACADEMY THAT GRADUATES ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT HERE IN A SECOND.
IT PUTS OUR Q THREE, UH, Q THREE AVERAGE AT 20%.
AND I JUST GOT THE CLICKER, SO WE'LL SEE HOW THIS GOES.
YEAR TO DATE, UH, WE'VE HAD 29 THAT HAVE RESIGNED AND WE HAVE SEVEN RETIREMENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED, UH, BREAKING THIS DOWN BY A SWORN TENURE AT SEPARATION.
WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE MAJORITY OF THESE SEPARATIONS COMING FROM THE FIVE TO 10 YEAR RANGE, FOLLOWED BY THE ONE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE.
UH, VACANCY RATES, BOTH SWORN AND CIVILIAN.
CIVILIAN VACANCY RATE HOVERING AT 15% SWORN VACANCY RATE AT THAT 20%.
UH, WE WILL GRADUATE 30 CADETS ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND, 22 OF THOSE BEING EMTS AND EIGHT OF THOSE BEING PARAMEDICS.
OUR NEXT ACADEMY IS SLATED FOR OCTOBER WITH 16 EMTS AND ONE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIC.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE 21 MEDICS ARE IN OUR IN-HOUSE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM.
UH, THEY WILL COMPLETE THAT IN JANUARY AND BE ELIGIBLE TO CREDENTIAL AT THAT CLINICAL SPECIALIST LEVEL.
UH, E M S TURNOVER RATE, UH, ON THIS SWORN SIDE CONTINUES TO BE LESS THAN 1% OF BOTH IN MAY AND IN JUNE.
AND THEN GETTING TO OUR OPIOID OVERDOSE E M S DATA, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE BLUE LINE NOTATES OPIOID ALERTS, THE NUMBER OF OPIOID OR OVERDOSES WE'VE HAD IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
UH, THE GRAY LINE TRACKS THE NUMBER OF PILLS THAT WE'RE SEEING ON THOSE OVERDOSES.
UH, WE'VE ADDED A NEW LINE, WHICH IS THAT ORANGE LINE, WHICH IS THE ADOLESCENT AGE, WHICH IS UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
UH, MUCH LIKE I TALKED ABOUT WHEN I SPOKE TO YOU IN JUNE, WE'VE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OPIOID OVERDOSES.
UH, WE SAID WE'D HAVE THE SPRING AND SUMMER SPIKE, AND WE HAVE, UH, DEFINITELY SEEN THAT REACHING A RECORD HIGH IN AUGUST.
UH, WE'VE HAD OUR FIRST CONFIRMED CASES OF XYLAZINE DEATHS IN TRAVIS COUNTY, BUT POSITIVELY WE'VE ENROLLED OUR FIRST ADOLESCENT IN OUR BUPRENORPHINE BRIDGE PROGRAM TO DO, TO GET THEM INTO A MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT PROGRAM.
SO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF POSITIVITY THERE.
AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR OPIOID RESCUE KIT DISTRIBUTED BY AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY E M S.
AND SO THE GRAY LINE IS THE NUMBER OF, UH, NARCAN KITS THAT WE'VE DISTRIBUTED.
AND SO ONE OF THE CHANGES WE'VE MADE HERE AS OF LATE IS THAT WE'VE ALLOWED THOSE NARCAN RESCUE KITS TO GET ON OUR DISTRICT COMMAND VEHICLES.
THAT'S A POSITIVE BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME SOMEBODY OVERDOSES, THAT'S WHEN WE KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM.
AND SO GETTING THAT RESCUE KIT IN THEIR HANDS OF THE PATIENT AND THE FAMILY AND BYSTANDERS IS GONNA BE HELPFUL IF THEY HAVE A, A RELAPSE OR A SECOND OVERDOSE.
AND SO OPIOID RESCUE KITS PRIOR TO E M S ARRIVAL WAS AT A RECORD HIGH.
SO THIS ENCOMPASSES THE POLICE, FIRE FAMILY AND BYSTANDERS WAS 82 OUT OF 162 KITS.
SO NOT JUST BY THE MONTH, BUT FOR THIS THIRD QUARTER WE'VE HAD A GREATER THAN THAN 50% IN THAT NARCAN RESCUE KIT BEING UTILIZED.
AND THEN BREAKING IT DOWN TO JUST FAMILY AND BYSTANDERS.
UH, AGAIN, IT'S ANOTHER RECORD HIGH 37 OUT OF THE 162 KITS WERE WERE USED IN AUGUST OF, OF 2023.
UM, I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, BUT IN THIS QUARTERLY REPORT, I'M ACTUALLY GONNA BRING UP TWO OF MY COLLEAGUES AND, AND WE'RE GONNA GIVE A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER OR C FOUR LINE AS PART OF THIS REPORT.
UM, I DID HAVE A QUICK QUESTION JUST ABOUT THE BYSTANDER AND FAMILY USE OF THE RESCUE KITS.
UM, DO WE KNOW WHERE FAMILY MEMBERS, LIKE WHAT, WHAT ARE SOME PLACES THAT FAMILY MEMBERS AND PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY CAN PICK UP KITS? 'CAUSE THAT'S A, THAT'S A LARGE, THAT'S A LARGE AMOUNT OF KITS THAT ARE BEING USED.
AND SO JUST HAVING MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHERE THOSE ARE WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UH, WE ARE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING OUT OUR BREATHE NOW CAMPAIGN.
AND SO WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS IS THAT NARCAN IS PRETTY PRECIOUS RIGHT NOW IN HOW WE GET IT, AND IT ALSO EXPIRES.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING IT IN THE HANDS OF FOLKS THAT NEED IT.
UM, BUT WE CAN ABSOLUTELY KINDA GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU AND, AND NAVIGATE THAT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH, UH, NARCAN THROUGH, UH, THE HARM REDUCTION FOLKS, BUT ALSO COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS AND THEN POLICE AND FIRE AS WELL.
BECAUSE ON THOSE OVERDOSE CASES, WE, WE KNOW WE HAVE A PROBLEM THERE.
SO WE REALLY ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS
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THOSE.SO YOU, YOU, THERE AREN'T STANDARD PLACES WHERE YOU GUYS LEAVE THEM RIGHT NOW OR THERE ARE CORRECT.
WE, WE LEAVE THEM, UH, WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS IDENTIFYING BY ZIP CODE AREA, UH, BUSINESSES AND SHOPS WHERE OVERDOSE OCCUR BECAUSE IF WE'VE GOT MORE THAN ONE OVERDOSE AT A BUSINESS, THEN WE WANT TO DEFINITELY GET THAT TR STAFF TRAINED AND DEPLOY THOSE KITS OVER THERE.
AND SO WE ARE, WE ARE ON THE 10 YARD LINE OF, OF GETTING THAT ROLLED OUT.
UM, THE, UM, NEW DRUG, THE, UM, XYLAZINE XYLAZINE, I WAS GONNA BUTCHER THAT.
UM, UH, ARE PEOPLE TAKING THAT INTENTIONALLY OR IS IT LIKE FENTANYL AND SOME OF IT FALLS INTO THE CATEGORY OF UNINTENTIONAL INGESTION AND INTENTIONAL? I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT'S AN UNINTENTIONAL INGESTION.
I THINK THEY'RE PURPOSEFULLY USING IT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT, THAT WE KNOW IS THAT, UM, WE HAVE XYLAZINE BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE KIND OF A COMBINATION OF DRUGS WHERE YOU HAVE MAY HAVE XYLAZINE MIXED WITH FENTANYL AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WE THINK THAT THESE ARE ARE INTENTIONAL OVERDOSES.
UM, I JUST, AS WE WALKED IN AND I'LL INTRODUCE HIM INTO SECOND DIVISION CHIEF STEVE WHITE MENTIONED THAT WE HAD SOMEONE OVER THE WEEKEND THAT WAS ACTUALLY SMOKING FENTANYL.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE, THEY HAD A, A NARCAN RESCUE KIT ON SITE AND THEY DEPLOYED MULTIPLE, YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO FIRST RESPONDER GETTING THERE.
AND SO, SO THAT WAS A SUCCESS STORY FOR US.
SO CERTAINLY, UH, TACKLING THIS PROBLEM, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A DIFFICULT NEEDLE TO THREAD.
AND DO YOU, AND THIS, I'M SORRY TO ASK YOU THIS QUESTION 'CAUSE UM, ANYWAY, I JUST WANTED TO KNOW, IS THERE A DON'T USE ALONE HOTLINE THAT OPERATES FOR TRAVIS COUNTY? I DON'T KNOW IF HARM REDUCTION DEPLOYS THAT OR NOT.
DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THAT BY CHANCE? NO, NO.
I'LL, I'LL ASK THE FOLKS THAT.
OH, COMMISSIONER SMITH? YES, MA'AM.
UM, JUST FOR, UM, MY OWN, UM, DUE DILIGENCE, I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST THAT YOU LOOK INTO NOT ONLY BUSINESSES, BUT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ON THE FRONT LINE.
I KNOW SPECIFICALLY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER RESPONSE, THOSE THAT ARE OUTSIDE, UM, IN OUR UNHOUSED ARE LOOKING FOR ANY TYPE OF RELIEF.
AND SO WHILE THEY'RE DOING THEIR ACTIVITIES AS FAR AS GETTING, YOU KNOW, BLANKETS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE OUT TO PEOPLE, WE DO STUMBLE ACROSS SOMEONE WHO'S ACTIVELY, UM, IN, IN THAT SITUATION.
AND THEN I WAS ALSO WONDERING, ON SLIDE SEVEN, UH, WE KNEW WE WERE GONNA HAVE THAT PEAK IN THE SUMMER.
UM, CAN YOU TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT HOW WE'RE COMPARED TO NATIONALLY OR ARE, ARE WE KIND OF IN PAR WITH THAT SPIKE? OR IS OUR SPIKE HIGHER THAN OTHER CITIES PER CAPITA? IF YOU, IF YOU CAN, IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE THAT KNOWLEDGE, HOW DO WE STACK UP BASICALLY? YEAH, I THINK IT'S A FANTASTIC QUESTION.
I, I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA IN FRONT OF ME, BUT CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO LOOK AT.
WE REALLY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON THINGS LOCALLY HERE.
UM, WE CERTAINLY UTILIZE, UH, A, A PLATFORM CALLED OD MAP.
SO WE LOOK AT THINGS IN, IN TEXAS, I JUST DON'T HAVE THAT, BUT I'VE NOT LOOKED NATIONALLY AND I JUST DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME.
NO, NO, NO, NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE.
JUST MAYBE NEXT TIME IF I COULD HAVE A YELLOW LINE OR SOMETHING JUST SO I CAN TRACK THAT.
NATIONAL AVERAGE COMPARATIVELY.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA INTRODUCE TWO OF MY ESTEEM COLLEAGUES HERE.
I'VE GOT DIVISION CHIEF, UH, STEVE WHITE RIGHT HERE.
AND I'VE GOT COMMANDER GABE WEBER AND THEY RUN OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.
AND SO WE WANT TO GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THAT AND LET THEM TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING THERE.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL, UH, AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I WILL, UH, I WILL PASS THIS OVER TO YOU.
I'M A DIVISION CHIEF OVER AT INTEGRATED SERVICES HERE AT AUSTIN.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON.
I'M VERY EXCITED AND SOMETIMES I'LL START TALKING WITH MY HANDS WHEN I START TALKING ABOUT THE C FOUR.
UH, IT IS OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER.
UM, IT IS HOW WE ARE APPROACHING A MODERN DAY E M S, UH, IN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
WE SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME, MOST OF OUR TRAINING, UM, TRAINING FOR HIGH ACUITY PATIENTS, UH, THE LIFE AND DEATH, UM, PATIENTS WHERE OUR INTERVENTIONS ARE GONNA MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN IN THE SURVIVAL OF THAT PATIENT.
UH, FOR THIS CONVERSATION, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LOW ACUITY PATIENTS, UH, THROUGHOUT COVID AND, AND EVEN A FEW YEARS BEFORE COVID,
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WE'RE FINDING THAT OUR CALL VOLUMES ARE GOING UP BECAUSE WE ARE THE ACCESS POINT TO HEALTHCARE FOR MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.UH, THEY KNOW THAT IF THEY CALL 9 1 1, UH, WITH A MEDICAL COMPLAINT, THAT WE WILL SHOW UP.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER IS REALLY TAILOR OUR RESPONSE SO THAT WE GET THE RIGHT RESOURCE TO THE RIGHT PATIENT AT THE RIGHT TIME.
AND THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY ALWAYS THE BEST RESOURCE MAY NOT ALWAYS NECESSARILY BE AN AMBULANCE.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE LOW ACUITY PATIENTS THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING, WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME TRAINING FOR HIGH ACUITY PATIENTS THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO SPECIFICALLY TRAIN PARAMEDICS AND CREDENTIAL THEM, UH, FOR THESE LOWER ACUITY PATIENTS.
UH, IN 2019, WITH C OVID 19, THIS WAS YOUR COVID HOTLINE, THIS IS THE ORIGINS OF THE C FOUR TEAM.
UH, WHEN EVERYONE IN PUBLIC SAFETY WAS USING THIS COVID HOTLINE TO GET THEIR INFORMATION, WE MANAGED A LOT OF THE WORKFORCE AND PUTTING PEOPLE OFF SICK AND GETTING THEM BACK ON DUTY, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING, UH, THE MOST RECENT C D C GUIDELINES.
AND IN DOING THAT, WE EXTENDED THAT OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF, UH, PROBLEMS AND ISSUES THAT WE COULD DEAL WITH, UH, JUST OVER THE PHONE WITHOUT HAVING, UH, TO SEND A RESOURCE OUT TO THAT SCENE.
SO THEN IN 2021, WE WENT AHEAD AND CREATED THE, UH, INTEGRATED SERVICES DIVISION.
UH, THAT ENCOMPASSES NOT JUST THE C FOUR LINE, BUT ALSO OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS AND NOW OUR AIRPORT PROGRAM AS WELL.
SO WITH ALL THOSE TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER UNDER INTEGRATED SERVICES, WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY FOCUS ON THOSE LOW ACUITY CALLS, WHICH THEN FREES UP THE ACTUAL AMBULANCES TO RESPOND FOR THE HIGHER ACUITY CALLS.
ONE OF THE APPROACHES THAT THE C FOUR HAS TAKEN IS THIS MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO WHERE IT'S NOT JUST A PARAMEDIC.
WE TRY TO INTEGRATE OTHER HEALTHCARE SPECIALTIES AS WELL.
SO WHEN WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT RESOURCE FOR THIS PATIENT, IT MAY BE A PARAMEDIC, UH, IN A SINGLE PERSON RESPONSE UNIT, RESPONDING BY THEMSELVES.
IT MAY BE A, UH, PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT OR ONE OF OUR PARAMEDIC PRACTITIONERS, UH, GOING OUT TO ASSESS A PATIENT.
IT MAY BE ONE OF OUR PHYSICIANS GOING OUT TO ADDRESS A PATIENT.
AND IN ALL OF THESE CASES, THEY CAN COLLABORATE WITH EACH OTHER.
WE USE, UH, SOME PRETTY NEAT TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS US TO DO TELEHEALTH CONSULTATIONS TO, UH, GET PRESCRIPTIONS DELIVERED.
UH, AND AS WE SAW IN THAT PICTURE JUST A SECOND AGO, WE CAN EVEN DO STITCHES AND SMALL PROCEDURES OUT IN THE FIELD.
UM, SOME OF THE, UH, OTHER DISPOSITIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP INSIDE THE C FOUR ALLOW US TO SKIP THE HOSPITAL AS A STEP.
SO THERE ARE CERTAIN SITUATIONS WHERE LONG-TERM CARE IS NEEDED.
POST-ACUTE MEDICAL CARE, LIKE IN A SPECIALTY HOSPITAL, EVEN HOSPICE CARE, UM, WE CAN ADMIT PATIENTS DIRECTLY INTO THOSE PROGRAMS WITHOUT THEM HAVING TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL FIRST.
AN EMERGENCY ROOM IS SET UP MUCH LIKE AN AMBULANCE, IT'S SET UP FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY SICK AND CLOSE TO DYING.
SO, UH, IF WE CAN SKIP THE AMBULANCE PART, WE CAN SKIP THE HOSPITAL PART.
IT'S A MUCH BETTER OUTCOME AND THE PATIENTS ARE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING THE RESOURCE THAT THEY NEED DIRECTLY.
UM, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED IN THE C FOUR THAT'S SOMEWHAT NEW IS, UH, WE HAVE ALTERNATE DESTINATIONS.
UH, PREVIOUS TO THIS PROGRAM, THE HOSPITAL IS PRETTY MUCH OUR ONLY OPTION.
IF YOU, IF YOU WANTED TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE, YOU COULD ONLY GO TO A HOSPITAL.
UH, WE NOW HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH, UH, DIFFERENT CLINICS AND, UH, DIFFERENT PROGRAMS WHERE, UH, IF WE DO A TELEHEALTH WITH YOUR DOCTOR, WE WILL TRANSPORT YOU TO THE CLINIC AND YOU CAN SEE YOUR DOCTOR AT THAT TIME, UM, AND SKIP THE HOSPITAL ALTOGETHER.
AND THAT KIND OF DECISION IS MADE IN CONSULTATION WITH NOT JUST THEIR PRIMARY PHYSICIAN, BUT ALSO WITH ONE OF OUR PHYSICIANS AND THEN ONE OF THE PARAMEDIC NAVIGATORS.
SO IT OPENS UP A LOT OF AVENUES FOR PEOPLE TO STAY PLUGGED INTO THEIR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN SYSTEM, UH, INSTEAD OF HAVING A TREATMENT PLAN WITH THEIR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN AND THEN GOING TO A HOSPITAL.
AND THEN THAT TREATMENT PLAN CHANGES AND
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THEN THAT COMMUNICATION NEVER GETS SHARED.SO THEY GET A MUCH BETTER, UH, TREATMENT PLAN BY STAYING WITH ONE DOCTOR.
SO THE C FOUR RECEIVES, UM, PATIENTS THROUGH THREE MAIN ROUTES OF ENTRY.
ONE IS IF AN AMBULANCE IS ON SCENE WITH A PATIENT THAT THEY RECOGNIZE MAY NOT BE BEST SERVED IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM, THEY CAN CALL IN AND CONSULT WITH THE C FOUR, WHERE WE WILL TRY TO THEN CONNECT THEM OR PROVIDE RESOURCES.
UH, OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS ALSO CAN USE THE C FOUR, AND THAT RELATIONSHIP REALLY WORKS BOTH WAYS.
UM, OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS AND CASE MANAGERS DO A GREAT JOB OF CONNECTING PEOPLE TO RESOURCES, AND THEY ARE OFTEN THE RESOURCE WE TURN TO IN THE C FOUR, UH, FOR HELP.
BUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING RECENTLY IS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF 9 1 1 CALLS, UH, THROUGH OUR TRIAGE PROCESS THAT WE CAN SEND DIRECTLY TO THE C FOUR WITHOUT EVER SENDING AN AMBULANCE.
WE'RE GONNA SEND SOMETHING, IT MAY BE A PARAMEDIC IN A SINGLE RESPONSE UNIT, WE MAY BE ABLE TO SOLVE THEIR ISSUE OVER THE PHONE, UH, BUT IT'S GOING TO SAVE THAT AMBULANCE AS A RESOURCE FOR THOSE HIGHER ACUITY CALLS.
AND THEN THE C FOUR HAS BEEN CRITICAL IN, UH, ITS PARTICIPATION AND IN THE RESPONSE THAT IT HAS TO LARGE SCALE INCIDENTS.
WHEN WE HAD ALL OF OUR ICE STORMS, HURRICANES, UM, OUR HEAT WAVES, UH, THEY'RE REALLY IN A VERY GOOD POSITION OF OVERWATCH IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM TO SEE WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING IN AND OUT AND TO REALLY IDENTIFY SOME OF THE ISSUES AND THEN ADDRESS THEM.
ONE OF THE GREATEST EXAMPLES OF THAT IS DURING, UH, THE LAST WINTER STORM WHEN WE LOST POWER FOR A WHILE, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY PATIENTS THAT NEEDED OXYGEN BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY POWER.
AND THEN WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, FIND THAT OXYGEN, DELIVER THAT OXYGEN, TRACK THOSE BOTTLES, REPLENISH THEIR BOTTLES, AND GET THEM, UH, OVER THE HUMP UNTIL WE GOT OUR POWER RESTORED AND THEIR OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS COULD TURN BACK ON.
UM, THIS IS A QUICK HEAT MAP OF KIND OF WHERE THE C FOUR INTERACTS WITH THE, WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
AND YOU CAN SEE WE HIT THE ENTIRE CITY.
UH, WE ARE FOCUSED ON THE HIGHER POPULATION AREAS, UH, ALONG I 35, BUT WE HAVE A VERY, VERY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF PATIENT CONTACTS, UH, JUST EAST OF 35, UH, FROM ABOUT RUNDBERG ALL THE WAY DOWN TO WILLIAM CANNON.
ONCE WE GET DOWN INTO THE DOVE SPRINGS AREA, UH, WE'VE SEEN THAT THAT DENSITY LIGHTENS UP A LITTLE BIT.
UM, AND SO WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT IS WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS.
AND THEN WE WENT AHEAD AND WENT INTO THAT COMMUNITY LAST MONTH AND DID A POP-UP RESOURCE CLINIC TO TRY TO PROVIDE MORE, MORE RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY THAT MIGHT HAVE A HIGHER NEED.
UH, WE AVERAGED ABOUT THREE TO 400 PATIENTS A MONTH UNTIL WE, UH, STARTED THIS EXPANDED TRIAGE IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM WHERE WE WE'RE TAKING THESE LOW ACUITY CALLS OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
NOW WE'RE AVERAGING, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN 900 AND A THOUSAND CALLS, UM, COMBINED, THE C FOUR PROGRAM, UH, IS AVERAGING ABOUT 700 CALLS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO SEND AN AMBULANCE TO OFF THE SYSTEM, UH, WITH A GOAL OF TRYING TO REACH ABOUT A THOUSAND CALLS A MONTH THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO WITH AN ALTERNATIVE RESOURCE OTHER THAN AN AMBULANCE.
THE IMPACT HAS REALLY BEEN ON THREE DIFFERENT.
UM, THE IMPACT OF THE C FOUR HAS REALLY COME ABOUT, UH, IN THREE DIFFERENT AREAS.
THE FIRST ONE IS AMBULANCE AVAILABILITY, UM, THEN IN HOSPITAL AND EMERGENCY ROOM, UH, AVAILABILITY.
AND THEN THE FINANCIAL IMPACTS FOR THE PATIENTS.
WHEN, UH, WE TALK ABOUT AMBULANCE AVAILABILITY, WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, KEEP THOSE AMBULANCES FROM HAVING TO RESPOND TO THOSE CALLS BY USING SOME OTHER ALTERNATIVE RESOURCE, UH, IT REALLY HAS SOME DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS THAT WE WEREN'T REALLY CONSIDERING.
LIKE IT REDUCES THE USE OF LIGHTS AND SIRENS IN THE CITY.
UM, AND, UH, IT IS REALLY, UM, COOL AND INTERESTING TO WATCH HOW WHEN WE START TAKING OFF THESE LOW ACUITY, UH, CALLS THAT THE UTILIZATION HOURS START, UH, COMING DOWN ON THE UNITS.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT UTILIZATION HOURS HERE FOR JUST A SECOND, THESE ARE NOT HOURS IN A DAY.
THESE ARE UTILIZATION HOURS WHERE, UH, LET'S TAKE, UH, LAST MONTH FOR 831, THAT'S 831 HOURS THAT AN AMBULANCE OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
[00:25:01]
ABLE TO RESPOND IN THAT MONTH.BUT BECAUSE OF THE C FOUR PROGRAM, UH, TAKING THESE LOW ACUITY CALLS, AN AMBULANCE WAS AVAILABLE TO RESPOND FOR 831 MORE HOURS THAN IT WAS, UH, WITHOUT THE C FOUR PROGRAM.
SO THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT TIME SAVINGS NOW FOR EVERY PATIENT THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND OR TRANSPORT.
THAT ALSO HAS A SAVINGS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS.
AND FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023, UH, THE COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER HAS SAVED LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOMS IN THE CITY OVER 6,500 HOSPITAL BED HOURS.
HOW THAT AFFECTS, UM, E M S IS THAT OFTENTIMES WHEN WE GO AND WE TAKE A PATIENT TO THE HOSPITAL, THERE ARE NO BEDS FOR US TO PUT THAT PATIENT IN.
UH, WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
UH, SOME OF MY, UM, COHORTS IN, IN TENNESSEE, FOR EXAMPLE, THEIR AVERAGE HOLD TIME IN A HOSPITAL IS THREE HOURS.
SO THAT'S THREE HOURS THAT THEY DON'T GET THAT AMBULANCE BACK.
BUT IF THERE ARE BEDS AVAILABLE IN THE ER, THAT'S GONNA MAKE OUR TURNAROUND TIMES FASTER AND THOSE TRUCKS WILL BE BACK IN SERVICE AND AVAILABLE FOR CALLS EVEN SOONER.
AND THEN THERE'S A FINANCIAL IMPACT ON OUR PATIENTS.
IF WE DON'T HAVE TO GIVE THEM A BILL FOR A TRANSPORT AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY A BILL FOR WALKING INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, UH, THAT MONEY CAN ADD UP VERY, VERY QUICKLY.
UM, AND ABOUT 54% OF ALL THE PATIENTS THAT WE ENCOUNTER IN THE C FOUR ARE EITHER UNFUNDED COMPLETELY OR UNDERFUNDED IN THEIR, UM, HEALTH INSURANCE.
BUT IF WE ADD UP THE COST SAVINGS BETWEEN NOT TRANSPORTING THE PATIENT AND THE PATIENT DOESN'T GET THE BILL, THIS IS THE COST SAVINGS TO THE PATIENT BY NOT TRANSPORTING AND THEN THE BASE PRICE FOR JUST WALKING INTO EMERGENCY ROOM, NO TESTS.
THEY HAVEN'T SEEN A DOCTOR, NOTHING'S HAPPENED.
UH, FISCAL YEAR TO DATE, WE HAVE SAVED OUR PATIENT $6.8 MILLION.
WE HAVE A GOAL TO REACH $8 MILLION BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE VERY, VERY CLOSE.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE C FOUR? WELL, RIGHT NOW OUR HOURS OF OPERATION ARE FROM 7:00 AM TO 10:00 PM WE WOULD LIKE TO INCREASE, UH, THIS PROGRAM TO 24 HOURS A DAY.
WE THINK THAT THERE IS A NEED AND WE THINK THAT THE BENEFIT IS GREAT.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE CAN STAFF ONE TO TWO OF THESE SINGLE, UH, PARAMEDIC RESPONSE UNITS PER DAY.
WE WOULD LIKE TO INCREASE THAT OUT TO ABOUT FOUR.
UM, AND THEN A FURTHER INTEGRATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR, UM, CASE MANAGEMENT SIDE OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA MAKE IT EASIER FOR US TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO SERVICES.
UH, AND THEN WE WANT TO, UH, REALLY TAKE A LOOK ALSO AT OUTCOMES FROM THIS PROGRAM.
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRADITIONAL E M S AND PEOPLE GO TO THE HOSPITAL, IT'S VERY EASY TO GET OUTCOMES FROM THAT HOSPITAL.
WHEN WE ARE NOT TAKING THEM TO THE HOSPITAL, OUTCOMES BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT.
SO WE'RE, UH, WORKING WITH SOME PARTNERS AT UT, UH, THROUGH OUR MEDICAL DIRECTION.
UH, WE'RE GONNA START DOING, UH, SURVEYS FOR, UM, OUTCOME DATA TO SEE, FOR INSTANCE, DID YOU GO GET YOUR PRESCRIPTION? DO YOU FEEL BETTER? DID YOU HAVE TO CALL BACK AGAIN? THAT KIND OF DATA IS VERY HARD TO TRACK WHEN THEY'RE NOT TRANSPORTED.
SO, UH, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, HOW I KNOW THAT, UH, SORT OF THE NUMBER ONE CALLS FOR, UM, A F D ARE ALSO MEDICAL CALLS.
UM, IS THERE ANY SENSE OF HOW THIS PROGRAM AFFECTS, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF RESPONDING TO CALLS AND STAFFING? SO THESE ARE THE LOW ACUITY CALLS THAT KIND OF FALL IN BETWEEN TWO LAYERS.
UM, OUR OUR PARTNERS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPOND WITH US ON THESE HIGH ACUITY CALLS.
UH, AND THEN THEY ALSO RESPOND TO WHAT WE CALL LIFT ASSIST ASSIST, WHICH ARE ALSO LOW ACUITY.
THESE CALLS KIND OF FIT THAT, THAT MIDDLE GROUND IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO, AND THEY DON'T OVERLAP A WHOLE LOT.
UM, UH, THIS SECOND QUESTION IS A A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED.
UM, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME, UM, SKEPTICISM ABOUT, UM, THIS PROGRAM, UM, YOU KNOW, IN CITY HALL, UM, SORT OF COMING FROM THE, LIKE, THIS ISN'T OUR JOB PERSPECTIVE.
[00:30:01]
UM, AND, UH, AND I'M CURIOUS, UM, WHAT THE, UM, EFFORTS HAVE LOOKED LIKE OR WHAT Y'ALL THINK WOULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE, UM, IN TERMS OF, UM, CONNECTING, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, CENTRAL HEALTH, UM, UH, INTO THIS IN A WAY THAT, UM, MOTIVATED THEM TO GET BETTER AT THEIR JOBS.WELL, I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UH, I SPEND A LOT OF MY TIME ANSWERING THE QUESTION WHY E M S.
UH, I THINK THAT, UH, WE MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A PR PROBLEM AND THAT PEOPLE STILL IMAGINE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, UH, RESPONDING TO PURELY LIFE THREATS.
HOWEVER, UH, THE NUMBER OF CALLS, THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR CALL VOLUME THAT ARE TRUE LIFE THREATS STAY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS.
UM, MOST OF THE CALLS THAT WE ENCOUNTER ARE EITHER LOW ACUITY OR AN INTERMITTENT ACUITY WHERE WE CAN DO SOME GOOD.
UM, BUT WE'RE BEING USED AS AN ACCESS POINT TO THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
UH, WE USED TO BE TRANSPORT TO THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND NOW WE'RE A PART OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY COMING OUT OF COVID.
OUR CAREERS AND OUR TRAJECTORIES HAVE CHANGED.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HOW CAN WE BETTER SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, THIS IS HOW WE CAN DO IT, IS BY SHIFTING OUR FOCUS A LITTLE BIT AND SHIFTING OUR TRAINING, UH, TO DEAL WITH THESE LOW ACUITY CALLS AND, UH, WORKING WITH PARTNERS, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE CITY, IN THE COUNTY, UH, TO DEVELOP THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED TO HAND PATIENTS OFF TO.
UM, AND JUST TO EXPOUND ON THAT, WE ARE IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE THOSE AT THE BEGINNING OF FISCAL YEAR 24, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO COME BACK AND GIVE A REPORT ON THAT.
I THINK IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE OF US WHO WORK IN THIS WORLD WOULD BE SHOCKED THAT ANYBODY WOULD EVEN QUESTION THE VALUE OF IT.
SO ONE QUESTION FIRST AND THEN ANOTHER ASK, UM, DO YOU GUYS INTERFACE WITH PEDIATRIC PATIENTS? IS THAT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS, UM, PROJECT YET? WE DO.
AND IS THERE ANY MECHANISMS IN TERMS OF TO PROVIDE TRANSPORT WHEN THAT IS NECESSARY, BUT NOT NECESSARILY BY E M S TRANSPORT? WE LIKE TO TRANSPORT IN AMBULANCES.
UM, THERE ARE TIMES DURING, UM, YOU KNOW, CRISIS LIKE, LIKE IN IN THE ICE STORE WHERE WE WOULD NEED TO TRANSPORT WITH SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF AN AMBULANCE.
BUT IF YOU WERE GONNA GO TO A HOSPITAL, YOU'RE GONNA GO IN AN AMBULANCE.
I, I DO KNOW THAT'S A POTENTIAL AREA TO EXPLORE FOR AN ADDITIONAL COST SAVINGS.
I, WELL, IT, IT, IT'S A VERY COMMON, UM, CONCERN THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE BENEFICIAL TO PATIENTS AS WELL AS OUR E M S TRANSPORT SYSTEM.
UM, AND MY OTHER QUESTION IS, WHAT DO Y'ALL NEED FROM US AS A PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION TO HELP TO MOVE THIS PROGRAM FORWARD AND EXPAND IT UP TO 24 HOURS? SO IN THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET, WE ENDED UP, WE DO HAVE THE, THE FTES FOR THAT, AND WE'RE WORKING ON THAT FUNDING PIECE, MUCH TO YOUR QUESTION.
SO I THINK MORE TO FOLLOW ON THAT, LET US DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND CONTINUE THAT WORK.
AND WE'RE HAPPY TO COME BACK AND, AND, AND LET YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE, WHERE THIS, YOU KNOW, COMMISSION COULD BE HELPFUL.
WE, WE'VE GOT SOME WORK TO DO ON OUR SIDE.
NUMBER ONE, I WANNA COMMEND YOUR EFFORTS WELL DONE.
UM, AND NUMBER TWO, WITH THE DUE DILIGENCE ON Y'ALL SIDE MAKING C 4 24 HOURS.
'CAUSE I'M ALSO, I THINK IT'S BEAUTIFUL THE WORK YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
I'D BE, UM, PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN ENSURING THAT THERE'S ENOUGH MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DOLLARS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY KNOWS WHAT A WONDERFUL TRIAGE YOU ARE.
THAT IT'S KIND OF EMS PLUS NOW WE HAVE A DIFFERENT REALITY.
SO IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS, JUST MAKING SURE, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT DIALECTS, DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, A FULL REACHING, UM, UM, OUTREACH PROGRAM WOULD BE, UM, PREFERABLE.
AND THEN ALSO IN YOUR OUTCOMES, DID WE GET, DID YOU ALL GET MONEY FOR THE DATA PART OF WHAT YOU ALL WANT, THE SURVEYS AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF? SO WE DID GET SOME FINANCIAL IMPACTS TO OUR FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET ON OUR, ON THE DATA TEAM WITHIN E M S, WHICH WILL HELP WITH THAT AS WELL.
I WOULD BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES.
DID WE GET THEM INTO H M I S? YOU KNOW, I, I LOVE THE SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES, LIKE DID YOU GET YOUR MEDICINE FOR SURE.
BUT CONSIDERING YOU GUYS ARE SUCH AN AMAZING TRIAGE THAT PEOPLE DO LOOK TO, IT'D BE NICE IF WE COULD UNDERSTAND HOW THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF THE C FOUR ARE WORKING AS WELL FOR YOUR NEXT REPORT OUT.
CURRENTLY, EVERY PATIENT THAT WE INTERACT WITH GETS A FOLLOW-UP, UH, THAT IS, UH,
[00:35:01]
DETERMINED MOSTLY BY THE PHYSICIAN.THE PHYSICIAN CAN TAILOR IT FOR SIX HOURS, 12 HOURS, 24 HOURS.
UH, THIS WOULD BE A LONGER TERM OUTCOME FOLLOW UP.
YEAH, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING.
JUST A LONGER, YOU GUYS HAVE, YOU GUYS ARE SUCH A GREAT, UM, DATA CAPTURE, UM, BEING ON THE FRONTLINE LIKE THAT, IT'D BE REALLY COOL TO SEE OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME HOW THIS SPECIFIC INCISION IN OUR SOCIETY IMPACTS LONG-TERM INCOME OUTCOMES.
AND WITH THAT, I THINK I HAVE TO BE THE CLOCK WATCHER.
SO WE'RE MOVING ON
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING SOME MORE.
[4. Discussion of Austin Travis County EMS, Austin Fire Department and Austin Police Department’s overtime use (Sponsors: Commissioners Ruttan & Nguyễn)]
JUST GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT, UM, OVERTIME USE ACROSS ALL THE DEPARTMENTS.UM, I BELIEVE A P D HAS A PRESENTATION, E M S HAS A PRESENTATION AND FIRE, YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE A PRESENTATION, BUT, UM, I DID DISTRIBUTE, UM, THE OVERTIME AUDIT REPORT THAT YOU GUYS DID IN JUNE FOR EVERYBODY TO SORT OF LOOK OVER.
AND I'M HOPING WE CAN USE THIS AS A BASIS FOR SOME QUESTIONS.
AND SO WITH THAT, WHOEVER WANTS TO GO FIRST, I'LL LET YOU GUYS DECIDE.
WELL, I'M RIGHT HERE AND I HAVE THE CLICKER, SO I DON'T MIND TALKING ABOUT, UH, E M SS OVERTIME EXPENDITURES.
YOU KNOW WHAT, HERE, I'LL HAND IT DOWN IF IT'S EASIER IF IT'S ALREADY LOADED.
WELL GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY.
UH, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE A P D OVERTIME.
UH, SO THE FIRST SLIDE TALKS ABOUT A P D OVERTIME.
UM, AND ALL OF OUR A P D OVERTIME IS, IS LOCATED, UH, ONLINE IN OUR GENERAL ORDERS.
AND IT'S UNDER OUR SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT AND IT'S UNDER SECTION 9 49.
BASICALLY, WE USE OVERTIME FOR TWO MAIN, UH, FUNCTIONS.
UH, RIGHT NOW IT SAYS ON THE SLIDE 329 VACANCIES, BUT SINCE THIS SLIDE WAS UH, PUBLISHED, IT IS NOW 341 VACANCIES.
SO, UH, A LOT OF THOSE VACANCIES ARE FILLED TO BACKFILL THOSE OFFICERS.
'CAUSE EVERY TIME ANYBODY LEAVES AT ANY RANK, IT AFFECTS, UH, OFFICERS ON THE STREET.
SO WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO BACKFILL THOSE.
UM, WE ALSO USE BACK BACKFILL FOR OUR OVERTIME, RATHER FOR OUR DISPATCHERS AND NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS.
AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE, UH, HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE LEAVE THERE UNFORTUNATELY.
UM, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE ABLE TO, WE HAVE A PLAN TOGETHER AND WE'RE SLOWLY ENCROACHING AND GETTING BETTER ON THAT, UH, AS TIME TIME GOES ON AND GETTING PEOPLE BACK, BACK TO WORK AS DISPATCHER 9 1 1.
BUT THAT'S OUR TWO MAIN RESOURCES OR, UH, ALLOCATIONS FOR, FOR OVERTIME FOR A P D.
UH, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE A 24 7 OPERATE 24 7 OPERATION.
UH, AND WE USE OVERTIME TO FILL DAY EVENINGS AND NIGHTS.
UH, WE ALSO USE OUR, UM, UM, A P D OVERTIME TO STAFF SPECIAL EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY.
AND I'LL GET INTO MORE OF THAT.
AND THAT'S IN THE SECOND PRESENTATION.
AND THEN, UH, CURRENTLY WE DO NOT, UH, NO OFFICER IS REQUIRED TO WORK OVERTIME.
IT'S ON A, AND IT'S ON A BASIS WE CANNOT MANDATORY THEM TO DO SO.
UH, CIVILIAN STAFF, WE DO NOT MANDATORY THEM UNLESS WE GET TO A, UH, SITUATION, UH, WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE SO LOW ON LEVELS THAT WE HAVE TO HOLD PEOPLE OVER TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER 9 1 1 CALLS.
SO THEY DO, UNFORTUNATELY GET MANDATORY TO BE ABLE TO STAY OVER BECAUSE WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE ANSWER THE PHONES TO GET THE NINE ONE ONE CALLED OUT TO THE, TO THE OFFICERS.
UH, SO IF YOU LOOK AT, UM, AND, AND A LOT OF THESE, A LOT OF THIS WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE QUESTIONS THAT THAT CAME ACROSS.
UH, SO IT'S DETAILED AS WELL AS THE NEXT PRESENTATION IS VERY DETAILED.
UM, APPROXIMATELY 95% OF OUR WORKFORCE, OF OUR SWORN OFFICERS, AS WELL AS OUR, UH, NINE ONE ONE AND DISPATCHERS CALL TAKERS, UH, DO SOME FORM OR SOME TYPE OF OVERTIME, UH, IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR 40 HOURS, WHAT THEY WORK FOR, UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UM, MOST OF OUR OVERTIME IS PAID AT TIME AND A HALF.
UM, AND, BUT WE DO HAVE, UH, WE HAVE APPROVED, IT WAS UNDER CHIEF HAN, AND NOW CHIEF HENDERSON HAS CONTINUED US, IS TWO TIMES OVER OVERTIME.
UH, AND THAT'S DUE TO, DUE TO THE FACT THAT OUR SWORN AS WELL AS CIVILIANS ON THE NIGHT SHIFTS, WE WERE HAVING A VERY DIFFICULT TIME BEING ABLE TO FILL THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.
WE JUST WEREN'T GETTING ANYBODY TO SIGN UP.
SO, UH, WE STARTED OFFERING ON THE OVERNIGHT SHIFT HOURS, UH, TO BOTH THE CALL CENTER AND, AND, UH, POLICE OFFICERS ON THE STREET AND IT STARTED FILLING UP
[00:40:01]
AND WE'RE HAVING NO PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW, BEING ABLE TO FILL, BE ABLE TO FILL THOSE, UH, UH, THOSE VACANCIES OVER OVERNIGHT HOURS.UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, THESE ARE THE, THE NUMBER OF HOURS, UH, SWORN OVERTIME IS 3 4 6 6 71.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE TWO EXPENDITURES FOR, UH, THE SWORN DOLLAR AMOUNT AS WELL AS THE CIVILIAN OVER, OVER AMOUNT THERE.
UM, THESE DO NOT INCLUDE, UH, REIMBURSEMENT TIME.
UH, AND THAT'S KIND OF IN MY NEXT PRESENTATION WITH SPECIAL EVENTS.
BUT THE REIMBURSED OVER TIME IS LIKE WHEN VENDORS SPONSOR, UH, AND LIKE A C L OR, OR A RACE, AND THEY PAY US BACK, SO TO SPEAK, UH, FOR THE TIME THAT THE OFFICERS ARE THERE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES FOR BLOCKING A ROAD OR PROTECTION OR WHATEVER SECURITY, ET CETERA.
UH, SO THESE, THESE, THESE ARE JUST PURE OVERTIME HOURS THAT OFFICERS ARE DOING ON THE STREET.
UH, IN THIS SLIDE, UH, WAS ALSO ANOTHER REQUESTED SLIDE, BUT YOU CAN SEE OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS OF, UM, EXACTLY WHERE, HOW MUCH WE SPENT IN OVERTIME.
UH, AND IT'S, UH, DEFINITELY INCREASED IN THE AMOUNT OF COURSE TAKE OUT THE ANOMALY FOR, UH, UH, 2020.
BUT YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, IT, IT WENT FROM 14 AND NOW WE'RE UP TO RIGHT NOW CURRENT TO DATE.
WE DO, UH, THE GENERAL ORDERS DOES, UH, GOVERN HOW MANY HOURS AN OFFICER CAN WORK PER WEEK.
UM, ANY, THEY CANNOT EXCEED MORE THAN 76 HOURS IN ONE WEEK PERIOD, UH, WITHOUT OVERTIME OR WITHOUT A SUPERVISOR APPROVAL.
OF COURSE, WE ALL NEED TIME OFF AND IT'S JUST DANGEROUS IF WE GET TO THAT LEVEL.
UM, BUT, UH, BASICALLY IF THEY, IF THEY WORK REGULAR, THEIR REGULAR SHIFT FOR 40 HOURS, THEY CANNOT HAVE ANY MORE THAN 36 HOURS OF OVERTIME.
NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY CAN'T HAVE MORE THAN 36 HOURS BECAUSE WHAT SOME OFFICERS WILL DO AND CAN DO IS IF YOU TAKE, UH, VACATION FOR YOUR REGULAR, THEN YOU CAN WORK THAT TIME IN EXCESS OF 36.
BUT IT CAN'T, IT CAN'T GO ON BEYOND THE 76 HOURS, UH, IN, IN TOTAL.
SO, AND THE WAY WE MONITOR THAT IS ALSO THROUGH GENERAL ORDERS.
UH, EACH SUPERVISOR AS WELL AS THE OFFICER IS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN A LOG.
UH, AND THAT LOG, UH, DETAILS OUT HOW MUCH OVERTIME THEIR, THEIR, UM, UM, THEY'RE OCCURRING.
AND THEN A SUPERVISOR'S SUPPOSED TO, UH, REVIEW THAT WEEKLY AND THEY DO REVIEW IT WEEKLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT, NOT IN ABUSE OF THAT, OF GOING OVER THAT.
SO THAT'S HOW, THAT'S HOW THAT IS, IS, UM, MONITORED.
SO, UH, LOOKING FORWARD, UM, THERE HAS BEEN SEVERAL OVERTIME STUDIES, UH, THAT WERE DONE.
UH, AND I THINK THESE WERE BACK IN LIKE 2012, AND IT WAS THE PROOF REPORT AND THE MATRIX REPORT.
UH, HOWEVER, I'M TALKING TO DR.
CREN, I KNOW HE'S REVIEWED BOTH OF THESE.
UH, THERE WERE NO, UH, STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT.
AND HONESTLY, IT'D BE OUTDATED NOW BECAUSE THAT WAS ASSUMING FULL STAFFING AND OF COURSE WE'RE 341 OFFICERS DOWN RIGHT NOW.
SO, UM, NOT TO MENTION THE 150 SPOTS THAT WERE VACANT THAT COUNSEL HAD, UH, TAKEN AWAY FROM A P D.
SO, UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UH, UNDER CHIEF JACON AND NOW UNDER CHIEF HENDERSON, THAT WE DO HAVE AN AGGRESSIVE RECRUITING PLAN.
UM, HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE GRADUATED 19 OFFICERS THIS PAST FRIDAY.
UM, AND SO BASICALLY WE HAVE TWO CLASSES IN SESSION AT ALL THE TIME.
WE HAVE A CLASS OF, I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE IT'S 39, THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN IN SESSION.
AND THEN TODAY WE STARTED A CLASS OF 49 THAT STARTED THIS MORNING.
SO BASICALLY THERE'S ALWAYS TWO CLASSES IN, IN, IN SESSION AND GOING AND CONSTANTLY GRADUATING AND CONSTANTLY STARTING THE NEW ONE ON THE NEXT MONDAY TO KEEP CLASSES GOING, KEEP OFFICERS BACK ON THE STREET.
SO, UM, SO, SO THAT'S A GOOD THING AND WE'RE GONNA CONSTANTLY DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE WITHIN OUR POWER TO BE ABLE TO RECRUIT MORE OFFICERS.
UH, WE HAVE THE SIGNING BONUSES OUT THERE, UM, AND THEN BE ABLE TO AGGRESSIVELY GET THEM TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, COME AND JOIN A P D AND BE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR WONDERFUL CITY.
SO DO YOU WANNA ANSWER QUESTIONS NOW OR DO YOU WANT TO GO TO, I THINK IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, LET'S GET THROUGH ALL THE PRESENTATIONS AND THEN, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS WILL APPLY TO EVERYONE.
TALKING ABOUT, UH, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY E M S SWORN OVERTIME EXPENDITURES SINCE FISCAL YEAR 2018, UH, OVERTIME EXPENDITURES HAVE INCREASED OVER TIME.
UH, WE'VE SEEN SOME PAY INCREASES.
UH, WE'VE ALSO SEEN INCREASES IN VACANCIES CREATED BY NEW POSITIONS AND ATTRITION, WHICH HAVE ATTRIBUTED TO THAT.
UH, SWORN OTS INCREASED APPROXIMATELY 16% FOR FISCAL YEAR 23.
UH, PAY SCALES HAVE INCREASED FIRE MEDICS IN THIS, UH, IN THIS LAST YEAR AS WELL.
UH, WE WERE PAYING THE TWO X OR WE WERE PAYING THE, THE DOUBLE TIME FOR EXTRA DUTY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR, BUT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY DOING THAT
[00:45:03]
THERE IT IS.UH, THIS IS JUST A, A GRAPH THAT SHOWS THE OVERTIME PRE, UH, PERCENT OF ALL HOURS SINCE, UH, JANUARY OF 2019, UM, AS REQUESTED, CIVILIAN OVERTIME EXPENSES FOR FISCAL YEAR, UH, 2018 HAVE INCREASED AS WELL, UH, SINCE PRE PANDEMIC TIMES.
UM, INCREASED PAY RATE ON OUR NON-SWORN SIDE VACANCIES DUE TO ATTRITION ADDED POSITIONS.
UH, WE'VE ALSO HAD A FAIR AMOUNT OF ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS.
WE HAD OUR REVENUE COLLECTION OR A BUILDING BACKLOG THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO ADDRESS WITH INSURANCE PROVIDERS.
UH, E M S SCHEDULING OPERATIONS HAS GENERATED SOME CIVILIAN OVERTIME FOR US.
AND THEN JUST ADDITIONS IN, IN HUMAN RESOURCES WORKLOAD TO HELP OUR MEDICS, UH, CIVILIAN OVERTIME.
UM, EXPENSES JUST DUE TO PAY RATE AND VACANCIES IN OUR SCHEDULING HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THAT RISE AS WELL.
WE HAVE SOME DRIVERS OF OVERTIME, UH, AND EXTRA DUTY FOR OUR STAFF ON THE CIVILIAN.
SOME OPERATIONAL NEEDS LIKE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THE BILLING SIDE, SCHEDULERS, HUMAN RESOURCES, OUR SUPPORT STAFF, WHETHER IT BE LOGISTICS, OUR SUPPLY WAREHOUSE FOR, FOR MEDICAL SUPPLIES, UH, FLEET, ESPECIALLY DURING EVENTS TO KEEP ALL OF THE ASSETS THAT WE DEPLOY TO THOSE, YOU KNOW, ON, ON TRACK.
UH, MUCH LIKE THE CIVILIAN SIDE, THE SWORN SIDE VACANCIES HAVE BEEN A DRIVER OF THAT.
ON THE SWORN SIDE, UH, THE NUMBER OF OF SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, WE'VE HAD SOME PILOT PROGRAMS THAT HAVE GENERATED OVER TIME, UH, THE AIRPORT MEDICS THAT HAS SINCE BEEN FUNDED, SO, SO THAT'S NO LONGER AN AN OVERTIME DRIVER, BUT, BUT IT CERTAINLY WAS WHEN WE PULLED THIS, UH, DEPLOYING MEDICS ON, ON RAINY STREET TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OVER THERE.
AND THEN ALSO OUR CAST MED WHERE WE PARTNER WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, YOU KNOW, TO PUT MEDICS WITH OFFICERS FOR ANY KIND OF VIOLENCE DOWNTOWN, WHETHER THAT BE SHOOTINGS OR STABBINGS OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND THEN EMERGENCY CONDITIONS, WEATHER, UH, WINTER STORM URI MARA, UH, THIS HEAT WAVE.
AND THEN, UH, PANDEMICS AS WELL HAVE BEEN DRIVERS SWORN OVERTIME HOURS, UH, BY EXPENDITURE OF THE 245,356 HOURS ARE ENCOMPASSED IN THAT 12.5 MILLION SPENT IN OVERTIME FOR FISCAL YEAR 23.
UM, ALL OF OUR SWORN STAFF HAVE SOME AMOUNT OF CLOCKED OVERTIME.
OF COURSE, THEY'RE ON A 42 HOUR WORK WEEK, SO THAT'S GONNA GENERATE A LITTLE BIT OVERTIME.
UM, THEIR OVERTIME RATE IS PAID AT THAT 1.5 TIMES THEIR HOURLY RATE.
CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, EARLY PART OF THE YEAR WE DID PAY THAT TWO TIMES THE HOURLY RATE, BUT THAT PRACTICE HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.
UH, WE FOUND IT WAS HELPFUL FOR A WHILE AND THEN, AND THEN IT, IT WAS NOT HELPFUL FOR US.
AND WE DO HAVE SOME POLICIES, UH, AND GUIDELINES FOR OUR OVERTIME.
UM, WE HAVE NO DEFINED LIMIT OF OVERTIME, BUT OUR SUPERVISORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING THAT.
OUR FIELD AND COMMUN COMMUNICATION STAFF ARE BOTH ASSIGNED AN AN ON CALL PERSONNEL DAY.
IT'S ONCE A MONTH THAT'S PAID AT FIVE TIMES AN HOUR, UH, FOR THE DAY THEY REMAIN ON CALL.
IF THEY'RE CALLED IN, WE PAY THAT AT ONE AND A HALF TIMES THEIR HOURLY RATE BASED ON THEIR PRODUCTIVE HOURS ON THE WORK WEEK.
AND THEN WE DO HAVE A SCHEDULING OPERATIONS GUIDELINE THAT SAYS THAT PERSONNEL MUST HAVE AN EIGHT HOUR REST PERIOD BETWEEN A DUTY ASSIGNMENT.
UH, WE DO ALLOW OUR DIVISION CHIEFS TO APPROVE THAT ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.
IF YOU WERE PARTICIPATING IN, UH, SOME OVERTIME TO TRAIN CADETS, THAT WAS MAYBE AN HOUR OR TWO, THAT WAS A, A PRETTY EASY LIFT AND YOU WANTED TO PICK UP SOME OVERTIME, WE WOULD PROBABLY APPROVE THAT.
BUT IT IS ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, WORKLOAD AND, AND STAFFING CHANGES IN NEEDS.
UH, WE'VE REDUCED THE MANDATORY USE OF OVERTIME TO STAFF AMBULANCES.
UH, WE USED TO HAVE WHAT WE CALL AN CUMULATIVE OR CUMULATIVE LIST WHERE WE MIGHT CALL YOU IN ON TOP OF YOUR ON CALL DAY, UH, IF THINGS GOT DIRE AND WE NO LONGER DO THAT PRACTICE.
AND WE'VE ALSO WORKED REALLY HARD TO REDUCE OUR, OUR ON CALL DAYS FOR OUR MEDICS FROM TWO TO THREE TIMES A MONTH TO ONCE EVERY 28 DAYS.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, STAFFING IS NEEDED TO KIND OF AFFECT THESE OVERTIME DOLLARS BOTH ON THE COMMUNICATION SIDE AND IN OUR CLINICAL SPECIALTY, UH, VACANCIES.
UM, DID FIRE WANNA ADD ANY SORT OF OVERARCHING COMMENTS AND JUST IN TERMS OF HOW OVERTIME IS USED? UM, JUST ANY SORT OF, OF MAJOR POINTS.
I'LL JUST GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW.
SO OVERALL, UH, WE DO HAVE MANDATORY STAFFING.
WE HAVE MANDATORY STAFFING OF, OF FOUR PERSONS ON EACH TRUCK.
AND SO WE, UH, USE OVERTIME PRIMARILY TO FILL OUR TRUCKS.
AND SO EVERY DAY WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE OUR MANDATORY STAFFING.
AND SO THAT'S THE PRIMARY DRIVER.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN A LOT BETTER POSITION IN THAT WE ONLY HAVE 15 VACANCIES IN THE DEPARTMENT, SO THAT'S ALLOWED US TO, TO, UH, THE WAY OUR, OUR OVERTIME WOULD TYPICALLY WORK IS FOLKS WOULD SIGN UP ON THE LIST AND THEY WOULD BE PICKED BASED ON, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THEIR ABILITY TO BE UP, UM, WITH, WHEN WE DO HAVE TO RUN THE MANDATORY OVERTIME, IT'S, UH,
[00:50:01]
SET UP WITH THE SCHEDULE AND, AND FOLKS HAVE A DECENT IDEA AT THIS POINT, UH, WHETHER THEY WOULD BE PICKED FOR MANDATORY.BUT LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'RE REALLY NOT RUNNING INTO MUCH MANDATORY RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'RE, UH, WE'RE STAFFING, UH, BECAUSE OF OUR LOAD NOVEMBER VACANCIES.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT DRIVE SOME OVERTIME FOR US, UH, BEYOND, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT ARE MENTIONED BY, BY THE OTHER FOLKS IS, IS, YOU KNOW, WITH WEATHER EVENTS LIKE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE DRY WEATHER, WE'RE STAFFING, YOU KNOW, ON RED FLAG DAYS AND HIGH FIRE RISK DAYS, WE'RE STAFFING ADDITIONAL BRUSH TRUCKS.
SO WE MAY, YOU KNOW, PAINT ADDITIONAL 10 TO 12 TO 16 FOLKS TO STAFF BRUSH TRUCKS OR, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS TIME OF YEAR THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
AND SOMETIMES WE CAN, WE CAN UPST STAFF FOR OTHER EVENTS LIKE, YOU KNOW, A FREEZE OR, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT IN GENERAL, OUR, OUR PRIMARY DRIVER FOR OUR ADDED TIME IS, IS JUST STAFFING TRUCKS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND, AND, UM, WE DO SOME OTHER THINGS, THE RTFS, THE RESCUE TASK FORCES AND SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, UNFUNDED PROGRAMS. WE WERE AWARDING ADDITIONAL $2 MILLION THIS YEAR IN OUR BUDGET TO COVER SOME OF THOSE UNFUNDED PROGRAMS. SO, UM, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO, TO STAFF WITH, UH, WITHOUT PUTTING THE EXTRA BURDEN ON OUR FOLKS.
UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE CURRENTLY STILL WORKING.
OUR FOLKS DO WORK A 53 HOUR WORK WEEK STILL.
SO, UM, AND YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THE 53 HOURS WHEN WE HAVE TO DO MANDATORY OUTTA TIME, IT GETS, IT GETS TOUGH ON THE STAFF.
SO, UM, WE'RE GLAD WE ARE WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO FILL THE TRUCKS WITH THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE AND FOLKS THAT ARE SIGNING UP.
WE DO HAVE A, ANOTHER CADET CLASS SCHEDULED TO START IN JANUARY, SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL ALLOW US TO KIND OF STAY UP WITH THE STAFFING AS WE OPEN A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL STATIONS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS.
SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, AND REALLY EXCITED THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE, UH, BE ABLE TO STAND TO OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR.
UM, I THINK IF ANYBODY WANTS TO GIVE A PLUG FIRST, I THINK JUST KIND OF TO START OFF, UM, WE, OF COURSE WE'RE CURIOUS ABOUT EXPENDITURES, BUT WHEN WE LAST TALKED ABOUT SORT OF OVERTIME PAY A FEW MEETINGS AGO, UM, THERE WERE JUST CONCERNS ABOUT THE OVERALL HEALTH OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SWORN STAFF.
UM, THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT EVERYONE WAS HAVING TO WORK, UM, 76 HOURS IS A LOT
UM, AND JUST HOW THAT IMPACTS, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S ABILITY TO DO THEIR JOB WELL.
UM, AND JUST I THINK THAT WAS SORT OF THE BASIS FOR HAVING A FOLLOW UP.
AND SO WITH THAT, DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER SMITH? YEAH, RIGHT.
IN LINE WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, UM, NUMBER ONE, IF THERE ARE OTHER TRIGGERS OUTSIDE OF A SUPERVISOR WEEKLY DETERMINING IF YOU'RE WORKING TOO MANY HOURS THAT THE SUPERVISORS ARE TRAINED ON, RIGHT? YES, I THINK IT'S RIGHT.
IT DEFINITELY GIVES ME HEARTBURN IF SOMEONE'S WORKING CLOSE TO THAT 76 HOUR MARK, BUT EVEN IF SOMEONE'S DOING A PROLONGED 50 TO 60 HOURS, THAT'S ALSO A LITTLE BIT OF A WORRY FOR ME.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE'S ANY INTERNAL TRAINING, AND IT'S OKAY IF NOT, IF THERE ARE ANY TRAININGS OR TRIGGERS BY WHICH WE SAY, OKAY, WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND REALLY LOOK AT THIS PERSON HOLISTICALLY.
FOR, FOR ANY OF THE, FOR ANY OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
I LIKE ALL OF YOU TO ANSWER HONESTLY, I'LL GO FIRST.
UM, SO FOR US, WE DO HAVE A 48 HOURS.
SO WITH THE, THE SHIFT WORK WE DO AT A 24 HOURS, AT 48 HOURS, UH, THEY'RE KNOWN AS WHAT'S IN THE RED.
SO THE SUPERVISORS AUTOMATICALLY PUSH THEM TO THE END OF THE LIST, AND SO THOSE FOLKS WOULDN'T BE SELECTED.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A 96 HOUR OVER A ROLLING 10 SHIFTS WHERE WE TRY TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME THEY HAVE.
AND SO, UM, THE TRIGGERS ARE THERE, THE SHIFT COMMANDERS, UH, DO THE DAILY STAFFING AND THEY WATCH THOSE TRIGGERS.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME WE'RE ABLE TO STAY UNDER IT.
LAST YEAR WHEN THINGS WERE REALLY DIRE WITH COVID AND EVERYTHING, IT FELT LIKE WE WOULD GET INTO THAT, THAT DANGER AREA A LITTLE BIT.
BUT OVERALL, I THINK WE'RE ABLE TO MAINTAIN, UH, FOLLOWING THOSE TRIGGERS AND KEEPING OUR FOLKS, UH, YOU KNOW, STILL WORKING A LOT OF HOURS, BUT IN AN AREA THAT WE FEEL IS SAFE.
SO NO ADDITIONAL TRAINING, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE REASON WHY FIRST SHOW UP AND THEY GO THROUGH THERE EVERY SINGLE DAY BEFORE THEY, THEY GO OUT ON THE STREET, IS TO MAKE SURE THE, THE SUPERVISORS, THE CORPORAL SERGEANTS AS WELL AS THE LIEUTENANTS, YOU KNOW, EVALUATE EACH ONE OF THE OFFICERS AS THEY TALK TO 'EM, UH, AND GET THEM TO INTERACT AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE WITHIN SOUND MIND AND THEY'RE NOT TOO TIRED, ET CETERA, LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S JUST THE KEY AREAS ABLE TO BEING A SUPERVISOR TO BE ABLE TO DETERMINE IF THEY, THEY ARE OF RIGHT MIND TO BE ABLE TO BE OUT THERE ON THE STREET.
AND OF COURSE WHEN THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY HEAR 'EM ON THE RADIO, THEY, THEY, THEY SEE THEIR ACTIONS ON THE STREET AS WELL, YOU KNOW, ANY INDIVIDUAL CALLS AND IF THEY HAVE TO, THEY CAN PULL 'EM OFF, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, SEND THEM HOME OR WHATEVER.
BUT YOU KNOW, BESIDES THAT, THERE'S, THAT'S HOW THEY DETERMINE BESIDE THE LOG OF HOW, HOW THEY'RE WORKING, HOW MUCH THEY'RE WORKING.
SO, AND I'LL SAY MOST OF THE MAJORITY, NOT ALL, BUT MAJORITY OF THE OFFICERS SAY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE WORK 10 HOUR SHIFTS, THEY WORK A 10 HOUR SHIFT AND THEY GO HOME, THERE'S NOT THAT MANY THAT GO AFTER THAT 10 HOUR SHIFT TO GO WORK AN OVERTIME ISSUE.
I'M NOT SAYING ALL, BUT SOME MAYBE HAVE AN HOUR OR TWO GIG WHERE THEY GO AND WORK THAT AND THEN THEY GO HOME.
BUT MAJORITY OF 'EM ARE DOING THEIR 10 HOUR SHIFTS,
[00:55:01]
BUT THEN THEIR, THEIR OVERTIME IS DONE ON THEIR THREE DAYS OFF, SO THAT'S WHEN THEIR TIME IS BEFORE THEIR, THEIR NEXT CYCLE COMES FOR THE NEXT WEEK FOR THEIR 40 HOURS.AND THEN FOR E M S, AND WE REALLY RELY ON OUR FRONTLINE SUPERVISORS AS THEY DO THOSE STATION VISITS.
WE, WE LOOK FOR THINGS LIKE, ARE THEY CALLING OFF SICK FOR THEIR NORMAL DUTY ASSIGNMENT AND THEN PICKING UP OVER TIME.
AND SO THEN THEY PASS THAT UP TO THE SHIFT CHIEF WHERE WE'LL HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH THOSE EMPLOYEES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WORKING YOUR BASE SCHEDULE AND HOW YOU SCHEDULE THAT OVER TIME.
THAT THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE MECHANISMS THAT WE UTILIZE TO WATCH FOR THAT.
I KNOW, LIKE WHAT ABOUT ACTUAL, NOT ACTUAL, BUT WHAT ABOUT SUPPORTS? I HEAR CHECKING, BUT I DON'T HEAR RESOURCE PROVISION.
IS THAT PART OF WHAT WE DO IN, IN THOSE, AND THEN I CAN BE DONE.
SO, SO OUR PEER SUPPORT, UH, ARE WELL CONNECTED WITH OUR OFFICERS AND, UM, I'VE NEVER HEARD THEM NOT TURN DOWN A CALL OR BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO A SUPERVISOR'S REQUEST.
SO, UM, THAT'S ONE THING THAT, UM, THAT, THAT STARTED BY SEVERAL CHIEFS AGO OF THE PEER SUPPORT SYSTEM AND, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT TYPE OF, UH, SUPPORT, UH, PROGRAM IN PLACE.
SO THEY'VE BEEN VERY INFLUENTIAL.
IF SOMEONE'S HAVING PROBLEMS AND THEY'RE VERY CONFIDENTIAL, UH, THAT THEY CAN, THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF, THAT'S ALL A SUPERVISOR HAS TO DO TO GIVE A CALL AND THE SUPPORT'S THERE FOR THEM.
WE'VE GOT A VERY ROBUST PEER SUPPORT TEAM.
UH, WE HAVE TEAM LEADS ON THAT PEER SUPPORT, AND THEN ALSO THEY HAVE A, A NUMBER THAT THEY CAN CALL 24 HOURS A DAY THAT WE'LL, WE'LL ANSWER TO GET THOSE RESOURCES TO THOSE MEDICS SHOULD THEY NEED IT.
YEAH, FOR US, WE HAVE THE SAME, WE HAVE A, A GOOD PEER SUPPORT TEAM.
WE HAVE MEMBERS ASSIGNED TO EACH BATTALION AND EACH OF THE SHIFTS, UH, THAT, THAT ARE PEER SUPPORT CONTACTS.
AND SO FAIR, FAIRLY COMFORTABLE THAT FOLKS ARE REALLY CONNECTED AT THIS POINT.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT? OKAY.
UM, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, AND THIS IS A QUESTION FOR FIRE, UM, HAVE, DO Y'ALL HAVE A, AN ASSESSMENT OF SORT OF ON AVERAGE WHEN SOMEONE'S ON A 24 HOUR SHIFT, UM, HOW MUCH OF THAT TIME IS LIKE ACTIVELY IN THE FIELD VERSUS, YOU KNOW, TAKING CARE OF EQUIPMENT IN THE, UM, IN THE HOUSE, YOU KNOW, DOING OTHER STUFF? IT VARIES SO WIDE FROM STATION TO STATION.
WE HAVE STATIONS WHERE I'M, UH, CONFIDENT THAT A MAJORITY OF THE TIME THAT THEY'RE THERE IN THE 24 HOURS THEY'RE ENGAGED IN SOMETHING.
UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE STATIONS THAT ARE SLOW.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO AS AN OPTION IS IF SOMEBODY'S WORKING A 48, PUT 'EM AT A SLOWER STATION ON THE SECOND HALF, DOESN'T GUARANTEE ANYTHING, BUT IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE.
UM, BUT IT, IT, IT DOES VARY WIDELY AND IT VARIES WIDELY FROM SHIFT TO SHIFT TOO.
IT JUST, IT'S REALLY, THAT'S A REALLY DIFFICULT THING TO, UH, TO MEASURE.
BUT I, I, UH, I SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
YEAH, I'M JUST, I'M, I'M CURIOUS FROM A WELLNESS PERSPECTIVE.
AND ALSO I GUESS FOR AN EQUITY PERSPECTIVE, IF, IF DRAMATICALLY BETWEEN STATIONS, AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS TOO THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WORK AT BUSY STATIONS ARE PROUD THAT THEY WORK AT BUSY STATIONS AND, AND SO THERE'S THAT PART OF IT TOO.
SO YEAH, I'M AWARE OF THE FIREFIGHTER.
LIKE, I RUN INTO A BUILDING, I'M A TOUGH GUY, KIND OF
YEAH, WELL THAT'S A DIFFERENT ISSUE.
UM, UH, SO, AND I, I KNOW AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY SOMETHING I KNOW ABOUT FOR A P D, BUT I IT MAY COME UP FOR ALL THE AGENCIES.
UM, IS THERE ANY LIMIT ON HOW MUCH VACATION TIME SOMEONE IS ALLOWED TO USE AND THEN WORK ANYWAY? UM, AND BE GETTING OVERTIME? YEAH, SO THEY COULD TAKE 40 HOURS OF VACATION TIME AND STILL WORK THEIR 40 YEARS OVERTIME AND THE 36 THAT THEY CHOOSE TO DO.
SO NOW THAT'S AN EXTREME, I MEAN, RIGHT.
THAT'S PRETTY MUCH YOU'RE WORKING ALL THE TIME.
MOST OFFICERS DON'T DO THAT, BUT THAT'S POSSIBLE.
YOU CAN TAKE ALL 40 HOURS PLUS A 36 I, BECAUSE I WOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT FROM A WELLNESS PERSPECTIVE.
I KNOW Y'ALL GET, UH, AROUND WHOA, WHOA, UH, ABOUT FOUR WEEKS MAYBE OF VACATION A YEAR BETWEEN PERSONAL TIME AND WHAT GETS ALLOCATED ON A, UM, LIKE BIWEEKLY BASIS.
UM, BUT IF IF PEOPLE DON'T TAKE REGULAR VACATIONS, IT'S REALLY NOT GOOD FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
UM, ANYWAY, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER RUTAN? UM, SO OBVIOUSLY APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, THE KEY DRIVING OF ALL THIS IS, IS STAFFING ULTIMATELY.
UM, WE DO KNOW SOME PEOPLE LIKE HAVING OVERTIME AND DEPEND UPON THAT SO THAT, SIR, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE SOME COMPONENT OF THAT AND BALANCE.
I I, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT ONE THING ON THE M SS SIDE.
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL ARE THE ONLY DEPARTMENT THAT DOESN'T HAVE A SET POLICY IN TERMS OF OVERTIME.
UM, AND I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHY NOT, AND IF THAT'S
[01:00:01]
SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE WORKING TOWARDS.I KNOW WE DON'T NECESSARILY WANT TO BE TOO RESTRICTIVE.
AT THE SAME TIME WHEN THERE'S NOT POLICIES, IT DOESN'T PROVIDE THAT SORT OF HARD STOP OF SAYING, OKAY, WE REALLY NEED TO LIMIT, YOU KNOW, THE 76 HOURS ON THE POLICE SIDE OR ANYWHERE IN THERE.
AND, AND, AND I WORRY ABOUT THAT, UM, POTENTIALLY CONTRIBUTING TO BURNOUT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY HAS STAFFING ISSUES AND THEN CONNECTED WITH THAT, WITH THE MANDATORY OVERTIME, THE PROCESSES FOR THAT.
'CAUSE THAT'S A HUGE DRIVER WHEN PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH CHILDCARE FAMILY OBLIGATIONS IN TERMS OF QUITTING, UM, ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SAFETY BOARD FACING JOBS, WHICH ARE HARD ENOUGH, UH, CERTAINLY TO YOUR POINT.
UM, SO SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY EVALUATE, YOU KNOW, MUCH MY, MY COLLEAGUES, YOU'RE RIGHT, THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FOLKS THAT, THAT DO RELY ON OVERTIME AND WANNA WORK THAT.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS, UH, THAT I FAILED TO MENTION WAS WE UTILIZE A PROGRAM THAT WATCHES THOSE AMBULANCES, BOTH OUR 12 HOUR AMBULANCES AND 24 HOUR AMBULANCE AND LOOKS AT THE TYPES OF CALLS THEY RUN AND THE ACUITY AND IT THROWS UP A TRIGGER TO OUR SUPERVISORS TO SEE WHETHER THEY NEED SOME DOWNTIME ON THAT 24 HOUR SHIFT, WHICH GOES TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE BURNOUT, IF IT'S A BUSY 12 OR 24, AND NOT ONLY LOOKS AT THE NUMBER OF CALLS, BUT HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN IN STATION AND THE ACUITY OF THOSE CALLS.
'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE GREATER THE ACUITY, THE MORE STRESS THAT THAT INDUCES IN THEM.
AND SO THAT, THAT IS ONE SAFEGUARD THAT WE DO HAVE IN PLACE THAT OUR SUPERVISORS, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY.
IS THERE ANY THOUGHT POTENTIALLY CREATING ANY FORMAL OVERTIME POLICY DOWN THE ROAD? OR HAS THAT BEEN CONSIDERED AND REJECTED FOR SOME REASON? I, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S BEEN, BEEN REJECTED, BUT CERTAINLY IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONSIDER.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA, FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYBODY WATCHING AND EVERYONE HERE, IF, IF YOU GUYS COULD EXPLAIN TO US HOW LONG YOUR SHIFTS ARE.
UM, I, I HEARD 12 AND 24 FOR E M S I HEARD 24 AND SOMETIMES 48 HOUR FOR FIRE AND THEN POLICE 10 HOUR.
IS THAT A SHIFT? THAT'S CORRECT.
IS THAT CORRECT ON, ON ALL ACCOUNTS? ARE THERE ANY VARIATIONS THAT I'M NOT ACCOUNTING FOR? I MEAN, OUR, OUR TYPICAL SHIFT IS 24 AND IT WOULD BE 48 IF YOU SIGNED UP FOR OVERTIME.
SO, UH, AN OVERTIME SHIFT CAN BE AS LONG AS 48 TOTAL.
SO IT'S 24 HOUR SHIFTS THOUGH, BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT IN AND OF ITSELF, RIGHT.
THESE LONGER SHIFTS, THESE, THESE LONG 12 24, 10 HOUR SHIFTS.
IT'S NOT A EIGHT HOUR WORKDAY.
IT'S, UM, BY, BY SOME AUSTIN STANDARDS.
IT'S DEFINITELY NOT A SIX HOUR WORKDAY
UM, AUSTIN HAS VERY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE VERY DIFFERENT SORT OF WORK FROM HOME AND VERY DIFFERENT SORT OF SCHEDULES.
AND SO, UM, 10, 12, 24 HOURS ARE, ARE, ARE IN AND OF, IN AND OF THEMSELVES, LIKE EXHAUSTING LONG SHIFTS.
UM, AND ON AVERAGE, HOW MANY SHIFTS WOULD THAT MEAN THAT SOMEBODY WORKS BEFORE OVERTIME KICKS IN? UM, GO AHEAD.
SO FOR US, THEY, THEY HAVE THEIR 24 HOURS EVERY THREE DAYS, AND THEN ANYTIME THEY WORK OUTSIDE OF THAT, IT WOULD BE OVERTIME.
AND SO THE ONLY THING THAT'S DIFFERENT FOR US IS THAT WE DO HAVE, IF, IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE USING VACATION, THEY WOULD GET PAID STRAIGHT TIME FOR THE OVERTIME, UH, IN THE AMOUNT OF VACATION THAT THEY TOOK.
SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS TIME AND A HALF FOR OUR ADDED TIME THE WAY THINGS ARE SET UP.
UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, YOU SAID THAT THE WEEK FOR FIREFIGHTERS IS A 53 HOUR WEEK, CORRECT? IT'S, HOW DOES THAT WORK? WE ACTUALLY WORK A, WE WORK A 56 HOUR WEEK, SO IT'S ON A 19 DAY SCHEDULE.
SO WE WORK A 56 HOUR WEEK, AND THEN EVERY, EVERY THREE 19 DAY CYCLES YOU GET A A, A KELLY DAY, WHICH IS A DAY OFF.
UM, AND MOST OF OUR FOLKS SIGN UP AND WORK THEIR KELLY DAYS TOO, IF THEY WANT, BUT YEAH.
OUR, OUR FOLKS ARE PAID ON IT.
YOU DON'T GET OVERTIME UNTIL YOU HIT THE 50, 54TH HOUR IN YOUR 19 DAY CYCLE.
UM, SO FOR E M SS, OUR MEDICS ARE ON A 42 HOUR WORK WEEK, BUT WE LOOK AT WHAT WE CALL A UTIL UNIT, UTILIZATION HOUR ON THE AMBULANCES.
AND SO THERE'S SOME AMBULANCES THAT HAVE A LOWER CALL VOLUME THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR A 24.
AND THEN THERE'S SOME AMBULANCES THAT ARE, ARE JUST SO BUSY THAT THEY'RE A 12 HOUR TRUCK.
AND SO YOU MIGHT DO THAT 24 OR, UH, YOU KNOW, FROM 10:00 AM TO 10:00 AM UH, THE 12 HOUR, UH, MIGHT BE FROM SEVEN A TO SEVEN P OR SEVEN P TO SEVEN A AND THEN, UM, ON THOSE.
AND THEN WE HAVE DEMAND TRUCKS THAT WE CALL P LOAD UNITS THAT ARE 12 HOURS, THAT ARE THIS NINE TO NINE THAT ALLOW FOR THE DAY, THE BUSIEST PART.
UM, AND WE, WE DON'T ALLOW ANYTHING PAST A A 24 HOUR.
AND THEN THERE'S CERTAIN AMBULANCES THAT WE DEEM TOO BUSY, WE WILL NOT ALLOW 20 FOURS ON THERE.
THEY'RE ONLY RESTRICTED TO TO 12 HOUR SHIFTS.
AND FOR POLICE AND ON THE POLICE SIDE, OUR, OUR PATROL OFFICERS WORK FOUR DAYS A WEEK, 10 HOUR DAYS, UH, TO GIVE 'EM THEIR 40.
SO THEY ALWAYS HAVE THREE DAYS OFF A WEEK.
UH, WE'VE LOOKED AT OTHER MODELS, UH, D VARIOUS POLICE DEPARTMENTS WORK, EIGHT WORKS TWELVES, ET CETERA.
THERE'S PROS AND CONS TO EVERYTHING.
AND GOING TO A FIVE DAYS WORK WEEK, IF WE GO TO EIGHT HOURS AND WE GOT MORE PEOPLE ON THE STREET, WE GOT MORE OFFICERS THAT HAVE TO DRIVE IN.
IT'S JUST, IT'S A, A SCHEDULING NIGHTMARE.
SO THE FOUR DAYS A WEEK WORKS SEEMS
[01:05:01]
TO WORK REALLY WELL FOR US RIGHT NOW, UH, SPENDING PLACE FOR MANY YEARS.UH, I KNOW, I I WAS, WE WERE ON IT TOO.
UH, AND IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE THOSE THREE DAYS OFF A WEEK FOR SURE.
AND HONESTLY, IF YOU WORK AN EIGHT HOUR, TWO HOURS IS JUST NOT THAT MUCH LONGER.
IT JUST REALLY ISN'T IN, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS TOO, UM, WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT.
SO, AND IT CUTS DOWN ON TRAFFIC, ET CETERA, FOR OFFICERS HAVING TO DRIVE IN.
UM, SO, UH, I WANNA KIND OF FOCUS IN ON THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER 'CAUSE I'M, UH, KIND OF WORRIED ABOUT IT.
UM, UH, THE, WE, THE CITY COUNCIL OR THE, THE BUDGET FOR, UH, 20 23, 20 24 IMPLEMENTS A, A PAY INCREASE FOR THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER FOLKS.
UM, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THEY HAD A PAY INCREASE BEFORE THAT? UM, SO THAT'S A TRICK QUESTION BECAUSE, UH,
UM, AND THEN WITH OUR, CURRENTLY WE'RE UNDER, OR WE JUST PUT OUT A CAREER PROGRESSION PLAN, UH, WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST I KNOW OF FOR ANY, UH, CALL TAKER CENTER TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT TYPE OF, TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO RECRUIT MORE AND TO GIVE THEM INCENTIVES TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE ADDITIONAL TRAINING, UH, FOR THEIR ADVANCED AND THEIR MASTER, UH, PEACE OFF, OR NOT PEACE OFFICER, BUT TELECOM LICENSE, UH, TO GIVE THEM MORE PAY, UH, AND TO BE ABLE TO RETAIN IT AND RECRUIT, UH, MORE QUALIFIED PEOPLE.
UH, SO THAT'S A TRICK QUESTION 'CAUSE WE'VE HAD SEVERAL PAY RAISES RIGHT HERE IN RECENTLY, UH, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, HAD A LOT OF PRIORITY ON IT AS WELL AS THE CITY MANAGER.
THAT'S HELPED US BE ABLE TO WORK WITH HR AND TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM THE PAY BASED ON, YOU KNOW, CURRENT ENVIRONMENT, UH, LOCAL AGENCIES THAT ARE PAYING MORE THAN US.
AND FOR US NOT TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, STOP THE BLEED, SO TO SPEAK, OF PEOPLE LEAVING.
UM, HOW DOES THE, UM, HOW DID THOSE PAST, I GUESS, THE $18 PAY INCREASE AND THEN THE SUBSEQUENT ONES, UH, IMPACT RETENTION? DID IT HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT? YEAH, I, I THINK WE'VE DEFINITELY, UH, IN THE BEGINNING WHEN WE WERE AT THE $18 MARK, WE WERE SEEING A LOT OF PEOPLE LEAVE.
UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD SOME INDIVIDUALS, UH, NOT A LOT.
WE'VE HAD, UH, AT LEAST A HANDFUL COME BACK TO THE, TO THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION CENTER.
UH, AND NOW, UM, WE'RE RECEIVING HUNDREDS OF, UH, APPLICANTS EACH TIME WE POST.
NOT A LOT OF THOSE ARE, UH, UNEMPLOYMENT, UH, INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE TO APPLY.
BUT, UH, AND THEN BY THE TIME WE, WE GO THROUGH ALL THE, THE BACKGROUND CHECKS, ET CETERA, 'CAUSE THEY BASICALLY HAVE TO PASS THE SAME, IT'S TL SO THEY HAVE TO PASS THE SAME AS A PEACE OFFICER DO.
UM, BUT, UM, WE CONSTANTLY RIGHT NOW ARE HAVING, YOU KNOW, CLASSES IN SESSION TO BE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE ONTO THE FLOOR.
UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY REDUCED, UH, WE WE'RE IN THE FIFTIES, WE'RE DOWN IN THE THIRTIES NOW ON THE NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKER SIDE VACANCIES.
AND THEN ON OUR, OUR DISPATCHER SIDE WITH THE RELEASE, I THINK IT WAS EITHER LAST WEEK OR THIS WEEK COMING UP, WE WILL BE COMPLETELY FULL ON THE DISPATCHER SIDE.
SO STILL LONG WAYS AGO, WE'RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS, BUT WE'RE LOOKING BETTER.
AND I KNOW WE'RE REALLY, THE TEAM IS REALLY HR TEAM WHEN THEY GO OUT AND RECRUIT.
WE'RE REALLY PUSHING NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS PROGRESSION PLAN AND AS WELL AS WE'RE COMPETITIVE IN PAY COMPARED TO THE OTHER AGENCIES, UH, CALL TAKER CENTERS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO THE A P D.
UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FRAME THIS.
UM, I GUESS I, I LOOKED UP ONLINE THAT, UM, THE DOUBLE OVERTIME INCENTIVE, UM, WAS IMPLEMENTED MAYBE THE BEGINNING OF 2022.
UM, WAS THERE ANY ASSESSMENT DONE AT THAT TIME? ABOUT HOW MANY SWORN, UH, WERE COVERING NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER SHIFTS? UH, SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DOUBLE OVERTIME FOR PATROL OR DOUBLE TIME FOR DOUBLE OVERTIME FOR PATROL? FOR FOR PATROL OR COMMUNICATIONS OR BOTH? YEAH, BOTH.
I MEAN, I, WELL MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME UNDERSTAND IT IF I'M NOT GETTING IT RIGHT.
UM, THE THING THAT JUST REALLY CONFUSES ME IS WHY, WHY THE CITY OF AUSTIN WOULDN'T HAVE INCREASED PAY FOR THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES, UM, MASSIVELY YEARS AGO.
UM, BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED AT HOW OFTEN, UH, WE MIGHT BE COVERING NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER SLOTS WITH SWORN OFFICERS, UM, WHO ARE GETTING PAID AT LEAST TIME AND A HALF AND MAYBE DOUBLE TIME, UH, AT A RATE THAT'S ALREADY A, LIKE, JUST NOT EVEN IN THE SAME BALLPARK AS A NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER.
I DON'T UN I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD EVER DO THAT.
YEAH, I WISH I COULD ANSWER THAT.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY HR IN THE CITY IS, SETS THE RATES FOR OUR EVERYBODY'S PAY, SO I CAN'T ANSWER THAT PART.
UH, BUT I WILL TELL YOU, UH, FOR PATROL, WE, WE WERE NOT GETTING THE OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO WORK THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, WHICH IS THE HARDER HOURS, RIGHT? SO WE STARTED
[01:10:01]
OFFERING THE DOUBLE OVERTIME AND NOW IT, IT FILLS UP FOR US.UH, SO THAT'S, SO WE ALSO IMPLEMENTED THAT IN OUR COMMUNICATION CENTER BECAUSE WE WERE NOT GETTING THE FOLKS TO WORK OVERTIME.
UH, WE'RE NOW GETTING THE INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN THE OVERTIME HOURS.
UH, I WILL TELL YOU THE, THE HARD PART RIGHT NOW IS THE EVENING HOURS BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S GOING FOR THE DOUBLE OVERTIME.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR THAT, AT LEAST ON THE STREET, IS WE'RE HAVING, UNFORTUNATELY OUR DETECTIVES AND OFFICERS THAT ARE NOT SIGNED TO PATROL ARE TAKING THE BRUNT OF THAT.
THEN THEY'RE HAVING TO FILL THOSE, THOSE, THOSE SHIFTS WITH BACKFILL.
SO, UH, ON INSTEAD OF WORKING THEIR REGULAR TIME, THEY HAVE TO GO WORK, WORK OUT ON THE STREET AND HELP OUT A GREAT FOR US, GREAT FOR THE CITIZENS, UH, BAD FOR THEM 'CAUSE THEY STILL HAVE TO DO THEIR, THEIR NORMAL JOBS OF SEX CRIMES, HOMICIDE OR WHATEVER.
UM, I CAN'T TELL YOU THE REASON WHY THEY WEREN'T INCREASED.
UM, I THINK, UM, UNFORTUNATELY A NUMBER OF PEOPLE LEFT.
UH, AND THAT DEFINITELY CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF THE CURRENT CITY MANAGER AND THAT'S WHY THE IMPLEMENTATIONS WERE PUT IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO START RETAINING THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE AND THEN ALSO HELP TRY TO RECRUIT NEW, NEW INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS THE ONES COMING BACK.
UM, I WILL TELL YOU, ANY OF THE, THE SERGEANTS THAT WORK, UH, IN THE NINE ONE CALL CENTER, IT'S ALL FOR OVERTIME.
THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR REGULAR TIME.
THEY'RE DOING THEIR REGULAR JOB.
AND THEN WHEN THERE'S OPENINGS ON EVENING SHIFTS OR DAYS OR WHATEVER, UH, NOT THE NIGHT SHIFTS 'CAUSE THERE'S A FILL AND WE'RE NOT PAYING THEM DOUBLE TIME.
UH, THEY GO AND DO THAT OVERTIME.
A A LIKE AN OFFICER WOULD DO, BUT ABOVE THEIR 40 TO BE ABLE TO FILL A CALL TAKER.
SO THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING.
THEY'RE DOING THEIR NORMAL JOB AND THEN THEY'RE COMING TO DO THEIR CALL TAKER CENTER.
UH, WE DID TRAIN, UH, ABOUT 30 SERGEANTS TO BE ABLE TO DO IT.
AND I THINK A HANDFUL, AND IT DEPENDS ON THEIR SCHEDULE WHEN THEY CAN DO IT, BUT THEY DO COME IN, UH, I'VE KNOWN SOME SERGEANTS, UH, THEY KNOW THAT WE'RE DOWN TO MAYBE SIX PEOPLE THAT ARE ANSWERING CALLS AND THEY'LL JUST SHOW UP AND, AND SIT DOWN AND START, TAKE, PUT A HEADSET ON AND START WORKING.
SO, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN GOOD.
IT'S EXPENSIVE, BUT AT THE TIME WE NEEDED PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SIT IN THOSE SEATS AND BE ABLE TO TAKE CALLS.
UM, WHAT'S THE RATE OF PAY FOR SERGEANTS OR THE, LIKE STARTING PAY AND RANGE? IT, IT DEPENDS ON THEIR, THEIR, WE CAN GET THOSE NUMBERS FOR YOU, BUT IT DEPENDS ON THEIR, THEIR SENIOR, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEY'RE MAKING.
I HAVE A, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE.
UM, SO YOU MENTIONED, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN THE BACK OF IT, YOU MENTIONED THAT EVERYONE WORKS THEIR REGULAR SHIFT HOURS BEFORE THEY CAN GET ANY OVERTIME PAY.
IS THAT A POLICY ACROSS THE BOARD WITH A P D AND THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS? LIKE, CAN, CAN PEOPLE PICK UP OVERTIME PAY SHIFTS BEFORE THEY'VE COMPLETED THEIR 40, 42 AND 53 HOUR WEEKS? DOES THAT, DOES THAT QUESTION MAKE SENSE? LIKE IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE PICKING UP A PREMIUM EVENING SHIFT, RIGHT, THAT GETS PAID DOUBLE TIME, CAN YOU PICK UP A DOUBLE TIME SHIFT BEFORE YOU'VE COMPLETED 40 HOURS OF PAY? SO THEY WOULD'VE TO TAKE VACATION FOR THAT REGULAR TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT OVERTIME.
SO IF THEY WANTED TO, TO DO THAT, THEY JUST DON'T HAVE TO WORK.
THEY'RE 40 NO MATTER HOW THEY WORK IT.
BUT THEN THE OVERTIME IS IT THAT'S, THAT'S ON THEM ON HOW THEY WANNA DO THAT.
SO, SO, UM, AND JUST A QUICK JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING.
SO I'VE ONLY WORKED 32 HOURS AS A POLICE OFFICER.
UM, I WANNA PICK UP, UH, SOME EXTRA PAY.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT I GREW UP IN A HOUSEHOLD THAT RELIED ON OVERTIME PAY TO MAKE THE BUDGET WORK, RIGHT.
UM, UH, 32 HOURS OF PAY, UM, 32 HOURS OF WORK.
THERE'S AN OVERTIME EVENING SHIFT AVAILABLE, UM, LATER THIS WEEK AND, BUT I'VE ONLY WORKED 32 HOURS SO FAR.
I WOULD HAVE TO PICK UP EIGHT HOURS OF MY VACATION PAY TO HIT THAT 40 AND NOW I CAN PICK UP THAT 10 HOUR OVERTIME SHIFT.
EVERYBODY HAS TO WORK 40 NO MATTER WHAT.
AND IS THAT, THAT THE, THAT THE CASE FOR THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL? IS THAT HOW THAT WORKS? IT IS.
IT'S TRUE FOR E M S WITHIN THAT, WITHIN THAT WEEK, YOU'VE GOTTA HIT THAT, THAT 42 HOURS.
AND THEN ANYTHING ON TOP OF THAT IS OVERTIME AND, AND FIRE'S A LOT MORE COMPLICATED.
I COULD EXPLAIN IT TO YOU
AND IF YOU TOOK VACATION, YOU WOULDN'T EARN TIME AND A HALF FOR EVERY HOUR.
YOU COULD EARN STRAIGHT TIME, WHICH WOULD BE JUST SINGLE PAY BECAUSE THEY BACK OUT THE VACATION PART SO YOU DON'T GET TIME AND A HALF WHEN YOU'VE USED REGULAR VACATION DURING THE WEEK.
SO IT, IT'S REALLY COMPLICATED.
BUT IN, IN GENERAL, UM, YES, YOU CAN TAKE VACATION AND WORK, BUT YOU WOULD GET PAID STRAIGHT TIME FOR THE ADDITIONAL HOURS AND IT'S OVER THAT 19 DAY CYCLE, NOT JUST OVER A 40 HOUR WEEK.
SO IT'S, IT'S A LOT MORE COMPLICATED.
AND THEN JUST A REALLY QUICK FOLLOW UP QUESTION, WHICH IS JUST, UM, ALL SHIFT OR SHIFT SIGNUPS FOR EVERYONE VOLUNTARY.
LIKE, DOES EVERYBODY SIGN UP FOR SHIFTS? THEY WANT, ARE PEOPLE ASSIGNED TO SHIFTS? SO WE HAVE A SIGNUP THAT'S A DAILY LIST THAT YOU SIGN UP ON THE LIST AND THEN THEY ASSIGN YOU WHERE THEY WANT TO ASSIGN YOU FOR THAT DAY.
IF YOU'RE SELECTED AND IT'S A, THERE'S AN ORDER TO THE LIST, OKAY.
BASED ON KELLY DAYS AND THEN LOWEST PAID, THE HIGHEST PAID, THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS THAT CAN KICK YOU OUT, LIKE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED AND THINGS THAT CAN PUSH YOU.
IT'S A, IT'S A VERY COMPLICATED SYSTEM, BUT IN IN GENERAL IT IS
[01:15:01]
VOLUNTARY, UH, UNLESS WE CAN'T FILL OUR TRUCKS AND THEN IT, IT BECOMES MANDATORY.AND THERE'S A MANDATORY SCHEDULE LIST THAT WE HAVE TOO.
SO YOU WOULD KNOW WHEN YOUR MANDATORY DAY IS UP AND IF WE NEED SOMEBODY ON THAT DAY, WE WOULD PULL YOU.
WE HAVEN'T HAD TO USE THAT PROBABLY THE VERY MUCH THE LAST FOUR MONTHS.
UH, THERE WAS A TIME A YEAR AGO WHEN WE HAD A BUNCH OF VACANCIES WHERE THAT WAS A BIG DEAL WHERE WE WERE MAKING FOLKS WORK MANDATORY, UH, WITHOUT SIGNING UP.
BUT THAT'S NOT A COMMON PRACTICE FOR US RIGHT NOW WHEN WE DON'T HAVE VACANCIES.
SO FOR US, WE, WE CAN'T MANDATORY OR MAKE ANY OFFICERS WORK ANY OVERTIME.
UH, IT'S, IT'S BOUND BY STATE LAW.
UH, WE CAN ONLY MAKE THEM WORK THE 40 HOURS A WEEK, OTHERWISE THEY'RE UNEMPLOYED.
BUT ANYTHING OVER 40 WOULD HAVE, IF WE MANDATORY THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE BECOME, UH, AN EMERGENCY, A STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE CHIEF OF POLICE.
AND OF COURSE THERE'S PARAMETERS FOR THAT OF WHAT HE OR SHE CAN'T DO.
UH, BUT WE CAN'T MANDATORY ANY OFFICER TO WORK ANY OVERTIME THAT'S VOLUNTARY.
I'M, AND I'M SORRY, I WAS MAKING, I'M NOT ASKING IF PEOPLE CAN OR VOLUNTARY OVERTIME HOURS JUST SHIFT SIGNUPS, YOUR REGULAR WORK SHIFTS, IS IT LIKE, IS IT YOU PICK YOUR SHIFTS THAT YOU WANNA WORK? OR ARE YOU ASSIGNED TO SHIFTS? LIKE IS THERE A MASTER SCHEDULER THAT SITS THERE AND MAPS OUT EVERYONE OR DO YOU GET TO SIGN UP IN A LITTLE GRID WHERE YOU WANNA GO? SO ALL OF OUR OFFICERS ARE ON FIXED SHIFTS, UH, AND THEN IT'S ON A 28 ROTATION CYCLE.
SO THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THEY'RE WORKING EACH MONTH ALL THE WAY OUT THROUGH THE YEAR IS PLANNED OUT FOR IT.
AND THEY, THEY SHOW UP TO THE SAME SHIFT ALL THE TIME FOR THEIR 40 HOURS.
AND SO FOR OUR SHIFT SIGN UP, IT FOLLOWS A, A SHIFT BID AND THAT'S BY TENURE OR SENIORITY.
AND SO THEY SIGN UP FOR NOT ONLY THE, THE, THE SHIFT, IS IT A 24 OR A 12, THE ACTUAL AMBULANCE, AND THEN THE PARTNER THEY WANNA WORK WITH.
AND THEN PERIODICALLY WE DO WHAT'S KNOWN AS AN OPEN SEAT MOVEMENT AS PEOPLE PROMOTE UP OR GO TO DIFFERENT AREAS, THEN THEY BACKFILL THOSE.
IT'S JUST, I I, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT MORE TO LIKE FILLING SHIFTS THAN JUST GOING WHERE YOU WANNA GO.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I ASKED THAT QUESTION.
UM, AND I THINK THIS WILL BE OUR LAST QUESTION BEFORE WE MOVE ON.
UM, I JUST A CLAR CLARIFICATION.
UM, IS IT A COMMON PRACTICE WITH EITHER FIRE OR E M S, UM, FOR FOLKS TO USE VACATION TIME AND THEN, UH, WORK OVERTIME FOR US OR EXTRA HOURS? I THINK A LOT OF TIMES THEY, THEY WATCH IT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO PRESERVE THEIR TIME AND A HALF, SO THEY WANNA KEEP THEIR HALFTIME.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH IT BEING A 19 DAY CYCLE IN TWO AND A HALF WEEKS, UH, FOR THEM IT'S, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR FOLKS TO WORK.
UH, SOME HAVE SOME VACATION, UH, MAYBE THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST TWO WEEKS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WORK OVERTIME AT THE END OF THE CYCLE.
SO IT'S, IT'S NOT AN UNCOMMON THING.
BUT, UM, THE, THE WAY IT'S STRUCTURED THERE IS A, A, A SLIGHT INCENTIVE TO NOT WORK VACATION AND AT A TIME IN THE SAME CYCLE.
UH, PART OF YOUR PAY THAT WAY.
AND, AND, AND OUR MILEAGE VARIES, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT ON YOUR REGULAR SHIFT HAVE A FAMILY FUNCTION THAT YOU WOULD TAKE VACATION FOR, BUT YOU MAY NOT WANNA BURN THAT VACATION TIME.
SO YOU MIGHT SEE AN APPEALING SHIFT LATER ON IN THE WEEK THAT YOU WOULD COVER AND THEREFORE IT MIGHT BE A WASH, YOU MIGHT NOT WORK YOUR DAY, YOU'D SIGN UP FOR A SHIFT, BUT YOU WOULDN'T GET OVERTIME FOR THAT.
AND THEN O OTHER TIMES, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD JUST, YOU, YOU WOULD WANT THE OVERTIME SO YOU WOULD WORK YOUR SHIFT AND THEN, THEN MAYBE ANOTHER ONE IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
I, AND I BELIEVE, I MEAN YOU MENTIONED STATE LAW, UM, BEFORE, UH, BUT IN TERMS OF THE POLICY OF PAYING FOLKS AT THE TIME AND A HALF RATE OR THE DOUBLE TIME RATE, UM, BEYOND 40 HOURS A WEEK WHEN SOMEONE'S USED VACATION TO GET TO 40 HOURS A WEEK, UM, IS THAT IN THE CONTRACT OR IS THAT IN STATE LAW? THAT'S NOT IN STATE LAW.
I KNOW THAT THAT WAS LIKE SUPER FUN.
I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY, UM, HANGING IN THERE WITH ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS.
UM, I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE MORE, UM, AS TIME GOES ON, AS YOU KNOW, AS WE FIGURE THIS STUFF OUT AND AS EVERYBODY GETS STAFFED UP.
BUT WITH THAT, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO THE
[5. Discussion and action on recommendation to City Council regarding use of overtime and unsworn staff for event support (Sponsors: Commissioners Ramírez & Bernhardt)]
NEXT NUGGET OF OVERTIME, WHICH IS SPECIAL EVENTS.MR. RUSSELL, IS THAT YOU? OKAY.
I'M GONNA HAVE HIM COME UP AND JOIN US.
UM, AND I'LL HAVE HIM INTRODUCE HIMSELF AND, UM, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO MOVE THROUGH, MR. RUSSELL WILL BE HERE TO SORT OF JUST, HE'S FROM THE SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE, CORRECT? YES.
I WAS A CO-CHAIR OF THE SPECIAL EVENT TASK FORCE AS WELL AS THE PARKLAND EVENT TASK FORCE.
AND I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE TRAIL OF LIGHTS FOUNDATION, THE KITE VESSEL FOUNDATION.
I SIT ON THE BOARD OF THE VETERANS DAY PARADE, UH, NONPROFIT.
UH, AND I HELP OUT WITH SEVERAL OTHER, UH, EVENTS HERE IN TOWN.
AND I JUST THOUGHT HE WOULD BE SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVE FOR US AS WE TALK THROUGH SPECIAL EVENTS AND HOW OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT SUPPORT SPECIAL EVENTS.
UM, AND IF YOU GUYS JUST WANNA GO
[01:20:01]
AHEAD AND GET STARTED, I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS HAD SOME PRESENTATIONS AS WELL.AND I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT 30 MINUTES FOR THIS, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE THROUGH THIS ONE A LITTLE BIT MORE QUICKLY.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LET ME TOUCH YOUR TECHNOLOGY STUFF.
SO
SO THE, THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE AND THE OS FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR PRIMARY, UH, INVOLVEMENT IN SPECIAL EVENTS IS THROUGH THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, NINE, NINE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, UH, THAT WORK WITH SPECIAL EVENTS AS PART OF THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE.
UM, ONE THING THAT'S DIFFERENT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAN MAYBE SOME OF THE OTHER FOLKS THAT, THAT WORK AT SPECIAL EVENTS, A LOT OF OUR WORK IS DONE ON THE FRONT END OF THE EVENT AND THAT WE DO A LOT OF THE REVIEWS, THE PERMITTING, UM, LOOKING AT HOW THINGS ARE LAID OUT, THE MATERIALS USED, EXITING, AND ALL THE BIG THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE CONCERNS, UH, FROM A LIFE SAFETY STANDPOINT.
AND WE DO HAVE A FOOTPRINT AT A LOT OF THE EVENTS, UM, WHERE WE DO FIRE WATCH OR WE HAVE STANDBY.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, UH, AGAIN, THE MAJORITY OF OUR HOURS ARE SPENT ON THE FRONT END OF THE EVENTS.
AND SO, UH, MOST OF THE EVENTS OTHER THAN THE REALLY HUGE ONES, WE MAY ONLY HAVE ONE OR TWO FOLKS THAT ARE ACTUALLY WORKING THE EVENTS.
UM, FROM, FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW, WE TRY TO RECOVER EVERY HOUR OF OVERTIME THAT WE WORK IN AN EVENT.
WE WORK THROUGH, UH, THROUGH RECOVERING IT, UM, THROUGH THE FEES.
AND SO, UM, YOU CAN SEE HERE, I THINK I'VE COVERED MOST OF THIS STUFF ALREADY.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, A BIG PART OF OUR THING IS, IS LOOKING AT THE LIFE SAFETY OF THE EVENT.
UM, WHERE AM I POINTING THIS THING? OKAY.
SO YOU CAN SEE THIS, THIS IS SOME OF THE BIGGER EVENTS THAT WE WORK AT.
UM, WE DO A LOT OF THINGS THAT EVERYBODY ARE AWARE OF, EVERYBODY'S AWARE OF SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST AND, AND MOTOR GP, BUT WE ALSO DO A LOT OF OTHER THINGS.
UH, WE PERMIT ALL THE FIREWORKS AND ANY TYPE OF, UH, ANY TYPE OF WEDDING EVENTS THAT HAVE FIREWORKS, WHICH BECAME A BIG THING IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
WE ALSO PERMIT TENTS AND ALL THOSE THINGS AS WELL.
WE ALSO DO A LOT ON WEST CAMPUS.
UM, PARTYING, TEMPORARY CHANGE OF USES AT BUILDINGS ARE A BIG PART OF WHAT WE DO WITH OUR SPECIAL EVENTS.
UH, AND WE ALSO PERMIT, WE HAVE PUBLIC ASSEMBLY PERMITS FOR, UH, FOR ALL THE, ALL THE BARS IN AUSTIN.
UH, AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, NIGHT INSPECTIONS AND THINGS THAT WE DO ON AT THOSE LOCATIONS.
SO ALONG WITH THE CENTER FOR EVENTS AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT GO ON WITH SPECIAL EVENTS, UM, I THINK WE, WE FIRE WATCHED OR HAD FOLKS AT ABOUT 200 EVENTS LAST YEAR.
WE PROBABLY REVIEWED ABOUT 500 EVENTS.
SO WE ONLY STICK AROUND FOR THE EVENT IF THEY ABSOLUTELY NEED US.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE BIGGER EVENTS LIKE, UH, A C L AND SOME OF THOSE, WE HAVE A, A BIGGER FOOTPRINT THAT WE'RE DOING THERE.
UM, THE WAY OUR EVENTS ARE GO BACKWARDS, THE WAY THAT, UH, A F D, UH, BILLS FOR THE EVENTS IS, UH, WE, WE WORK AT, WITH THE CITY BUDGET OFFICE AND HAVE ESTABLISHED A COST RECOVERY, UH, UM, MODEL THAT WE USE, UH, THAT'S APPROVED BY COUNCIL.
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE BILL FOR THE HOURS.
SO WE BILL THE EVENT FOR THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT WE ACTUALLY WORK AT THE EVENT, AND ALL THE ADDED TIME AND SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS OF THINGS THAT ARE EXEMPT BY THE CITY AS CITY SPONSORED EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE RECOVER, UH, ALL THE ADDED TIME THAT WE WORK AT THE EVENTS.
UM, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ADDED TIME THAT WE WORK AT AT EVENTS IS LESS THAN 1% OF AFDS TOTAL ADDED TIME.
SO IT'S, IT'S A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF THE, OF THE OVERALL, UH, AMOUNT OF OVERTIME THAT AFD HAS.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, WE, WE DO, WE DO CAPTURE ALL OF THAT, UH, AT A TIME.
I THINK I'VE COVERED EVERYTHING IN HERE.
UM, GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
I THINK, AGAIN, WE'LL JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH EVERYONE SO THAT WE CAN PACE THROUGH QUICKLY.
I HATE TO BE SUCH A LIKE HOW TO IT KIND OF, BUT WE, WE, WE, IT IS OUR PRECIOUS RESOURCE TIME
THE OTHER ONE YOU PULL UP NEXT.
SO A LOT OF THIS, UH, LIEUTENANT MURPHY DID A GREAT JOB AND HIS TEAM BE ABLE TO PUTS THIS TOGETHER, WHO'S OUR LIEUTENANT IN OUR SPECIAL EVENTS.
UH, HE TRIED TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE, THAT WERE POSED.
[01:25:01]
THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF MORE DETAIL.AND A LOT OF YOU, YOU'VE ALREADY, YOU'VE HEARD AND YOU'LL HEAR AGAIN, BECAUSE WE'RE ALL GOVERNED UNDER THE SAME ORDINANCE.
UM, BUT THE, THERE'S A CITY ORDINANCE THAT GOVERNS SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
WE ALSO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, AND WE'RE A MEMBER OF THE, THE 11 DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, WHICH IS ACE, WHICH IS THE AUSTIN CENTER FOR EVENTS.
UM, PERMITS, UH, COME IN, COME INTO THEIR REQUEST FOR PERMITS, AND THEN THEY'RE REVIEWED BY ALL THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES, ET CETERA.
UH, WHICH I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND THEN THE, UH, THE RULES THAT ARE ADAPTED BY, BY THE CITY ORDINANCE.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEFINITION, IF YOU LOOK AT THE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEFINITION, UH, AND THIS IS WITHIN THE ORDINANCE, LIKE I SAY, I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO TOO MUCH OF THIS 'CAUSE YOU, YOU CAN ALL READ THIS AS WELL AS JUST PUBLIC INFORMATION.
BUT BASICALLY A, A SPECIAL EVENT IS, IS A HUNDRED OR MORE PEOPLE, UH, NOT EXCLUDING CITY HALL, APARTMENT EVENT CENTER, ET CETERA.
UM, BUT IT'S TEMPORARY IN NATURE AND IT CAN, IT CAN INVOLVE TEMPORARY FENCING, UH, TENTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
THAT'S, AND THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE DEFINITION FOR SPECIAL EVENTS.
YOU COULD, YOU COULD SEE BY THIS NEXT SLIDE THAT THE SPECIAL EVENTS ARE ALWAYS INCREASING IN AUSTIN.
UM, TAKING OUT, UH, COVID OF COURSE, 'CAUSE IT, WE CANCELED ALL THE, OR THE, ALL THE EVENTS WERE CANCELED THAT YEAR, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE ALREADY EXCEEDING 2022 AND WE WE'RE, WE'RE STILL IN, WE'RE STILL GOING.
UM, SO RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT AN OVER A A THOUSAND REQUESTS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS THAT THROUGH THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT ARE, THAT ARE, UM, OCCURRING.
UH, IF WE LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT TIERS, AND THIS IS DEFINED BY THE, BY THE, UM, BY THE ORDINANCE, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT FROM 21 TO 22 TO 22 TO 23, THAT EVENTS ARE INCREASING.
UH, AND THEY'RE BASICALLY DEVELOPED IN, INTO DIFFERENT TIERS, ONE THROUGH FOUR, FOUR BEING THE HIGHEST, LIKE A C L OR SOUTH BY ET CETERA, AS DOWN TO THE SMALL ONE.
AND IT DEPENDS HOW LONG IT IS, DEPENDS HOW MANY, IF IT INVOLVES A PUBLIC STREET, ET CETERA.
AND IT, IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH RESOURCES THAT EACH ONE OF THE AGENCIES AND OUR PARTNER AGENCIES ARE, ARE HAVING TO GIVE UP TO BE ABLE TO, UM, PROVIDE FOR THAT, FOR THAT EVENT TO, TO OCCUR.
UM, UH, I THINK WE'VE ALREADY HIT ON THIS, BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, THE NEW CAPACITY EVENTS, OBVIOUSLY, UH, THE WATERLOO, UH, THE MOODY AM AMPHITHEATER Q TWO STADIUM, UH, THE, THE ADDITION TO THE MEMORIAL STATE STADIUM, AS WELL AS THE MOODY SANMAR ON CAMPUS ALL PROVIDE FOR NEW EVENTS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE 'EM ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE DIFFERENT ANNUAL EVENTS, UH, THAT WE, WE ARE INVOLVED WITH.
THERE'S, THERE'S WAY MORE THAN THIS, BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT PRETTY MUCH HAPPEN EVERY YEAR THAT WE HAVE TO SUPPLY, UH, RESOURCE RESOURCES TO.
UH, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS POSED WAS, UH, THE NUMBER OF EVENTS THAT, UH, OUR, OUR A P D RESPONSE OR SPECIAL EVENTS RESPONSE TO AND YEAR TO DATE WE'RE, WE'RE 1,416 REQUESTS THAT WE PUT OUT FOR OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO, UM, UH, PUT IN FOR, UM, WE'VE POSTED OVER 9,000 POSITIONS.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FILL, UH, EIGHT OVER A LITTLE BIT OVER 8,000 OF THOSE POSITIONS.
SO AT LEAST ABOUT A 70% THAT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FILL THE VACANCIES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
UH, AND I'LL GET INTO THAT HOW WE'RE, HOW WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT HERE IN JUST A FEW, FEW MINUTES.
UH, REAL QUICKLY, DIFFERENT RES TYPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES THAT, UH, DURING SPECIAL EVENTS, UM, IT, IT COULD BE SWAT O TEAM, UH, I KNOW E M S TOUCHED ON THE RESCUE TEST FORCE OR A CAST TEAM.
UH, THEY, THEY ALSO PROVIDE THAT TYPE OF SERVICES, UH, TRAFFIC CONTROL, BARRICADE CONTROL, AS WELL AS THEY COULD BE DOING IN INTERIOR SECURITY, AS WELL AS BUBBLE ESCORTS.
IF THERE'S A V I P THAT NEEDS TO BE, UH, LIKE THE PRESIDENT, ET CETERA, BE ABLE TO MOVE FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER.
WE ALSO WE'RE ALSO INVOLVED IN THAT.
THERE'S TWO TYPE OF, AND THIS IS, UH, FUNDING THAT'S ADDRESSED THROUGH THE ORDINANCE.
THERE'S REIMBURSED AND THERE'S CO, CO CITY REIMBURSED IS REIMBURSED, UH, BY THE VENDOR.
UH, THEY PAID THE CITY BACK FOR THE SERVICES THAT THE CITY PROVIDES.
AND THEN THERE'S, UH, THE CO OR CO OR SPONSORED THAT WE ARE NOT PAID FOR BY THE VENDOR THAT THE CITY, UH, TAKES ON, THAT TAKES ON THAT, THAT PAYMENT OR THE RE OR THE COST FOR THE, THE SERVICES THAT ARE RENDERED FOR THAT EVENT.
UH, THE SPECIAL EVENT FEES ARE, UH, SET FOR BY THE ORDINANCE.
UH, THAT'S DONE IN, IN A YEARLY PROCESS THAT THE ORDINANCE DOES.
IT PAYS AT ONE AND A HALF TIMES, UH, OVERTIME RATE.
AND THAT THE, OUR SPECIAL EVENTS UNIT, UH, ACTUALLY DOES ALL THE INVOICES AND EVERYTHING THAT CHARGES, UH, WHEN IT'S REIMBURSED TO THE VENDOR.
UH, AND ABOUT 15% OF THE OVERTIME WORKED, UH, 50% IS, IS IN OUR, UH, OVERTIME BUDGET THAT'S WORKED FOR A P D.
UH, I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER THIS ONE, I'LL GO OVER THIS REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY.
BUT THIS IS OUR, YOU CAN SEE THIS IS OUR DIFFERENT FEE SCHEDULES THAT WERE, THAT'S DECIDED UPON IN THE ORDINANCE FOR WHAT THE OFFICERS AND DISPATCHERS, ET CETERA MAKE.
UH, SO THAT'S THERE FOR YOUR PLEASURE OF REVIEWING WHEN, WHEN YOU NEED TO.
AND THEN SOME OF OUR CHALLENGES ARE,
[01:30:01]
ARE OBVIOUSLY OUR VACANCY RATES.UH, THERE'S A LOT OF OVERTIME OUT THERE FOR OFFICERS TO WORK, SO IT'S HARD TO GET THEM TO SIGN UP FOR SPECIAL EVENTS.
UM, THE TWO TIME OVERTIME'S GREAT FOR PATROL AND IT'S GREAT FOR NIGHT SHIFT AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE.
BUT IT ALSO, YOU GOT A CHOICE.
YOU GOT 36 HOURS OF WORK, YOU'RE GONNA GO WORK FOR DOUBLE TIME, YOU'RE GONNA WORK FOR TIME AND A HALF.
SO MOST TIME THE OFFICERS WILL TAKE THE DOUBLE OVERTIME BECAUSE IT, IT'S OBVIOUSLY FRUITFUL, RIGHT? SO, UH, SO IT'S HARD TO BE ABLE TO GET, UH, INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO SIGN UP.
UM, THERE'S AN INCREASING NUMBER OF EVENTS, UH, IN VENUES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY OCCURRING EVERY YEAR AS YOU, AS WE JUST TALKED ABOUT.
AND OF COURSE, THE 36 HOUR RULE.
UM, SOME OF THE WAYS WE DO, WE DO, UH, WORK ON THAT WORK WITH THAT IS THAT CODE FOUR, UH, BASICALLY, UH, WHICH IS A, IS A CONTRACT THAT WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL.
UH, IT'S BASICALLY A OFFICERS THAT ARE ALLOWED TO WORK WITHIN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UH, THEY, THEY DO CONTRACT WITH THE CITY WHEN AND NECESSARY TO BE ABLE TO WORK THOSE, UH, THOSE SPONSORED EVENTS.
UH, WE DO, UM, WE HAVE LEANED ON OUR, UM, THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DIVISION A LOT WITH THE MO THEIR MOBILITY OFFICERS, UH, ALTHOUGH ONLY PEACE OFFICERS BY LOCK AND CAN DIRECT TRAFFIC.
UH, WE DO USE THEM ON CERTAIN BARRICADES IN AND INTERIOR WORK, BE ABLE TO REDUCE THEM HAVING A SWORN OFFICER THERE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO HELP WITH THAT.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, BECOMING REAL SUCCESSFUL.
UM, WE ARE, ARE, IT SAYS 13 HERE, BUT WE HAVE 14 A P D RETIREES, UH, THAT HAVE AGREED TO.
I THINK IT'S, UH, THE NEXT COUNSEL.
IT'S GOING FOR COUNSEL FOR APPROVAL.
UH, THOSE OFFICERS, UH, AND THEY PRETTY MUCH ALREADY SIGNED UP AND TAKEN ALMOST ALL OF THE A C L, UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING, UH, WHICH COMING NEXT MONTH, UH, TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO FILL THAT.
WE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FILL THEM AND THEY, THE RETIREE OFFICERS ARE COMING BACK AND TAKING ALL, ALL KINDS OF RESPONSIBILITY WITH THAT AND, UM, AND SIGNING UP FOR THE, THAT OVERTIME.
SO, UH, AND THEN THIS IS STRAIGHT FROM THE CITY ORDINANCE.
UH, I THINK I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS, IS THAT BASICALLY WHAT A PEACE OFFICER CAN AND CAN'T DO, UH, FOR TRAFFIC AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S THERE, THAT'S STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ORDINANCE.
SO I'LL SKIP THAT FOR TIME SAKES.
PRESENTATION NEXT PLEASE AND THANK YOU AGAIN.
I KNOW THAT THIS WAS A LOT OF STUFF, SO I APPRECIATE IT.
SO FOR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY E M S I'LL BE COVERING FOR DIVISION CHIEF PARKER, WHO HAD A, A LAST MINUTE, UH, ISSUE AND WASN'T ABLE TO BE HERE.
I ACTUALLY WORKED IN THE ACE OFFICE AND ACTUALLY WORKED ON THE SPECIAL EVENTS ORDINANCE WITH MR. RUSSELL.
SO CERTAINLY FEEL, FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THIS.
SO CERTAINLY FOR, FOR E M SS, WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS THAT WE TRY TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT ON THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
UH, WE TYPICALLY TAKE CARE OF THE, THE AMBULANCE TRANSPORT FROM THESE EVENTS, UH, AND THEN HAVE A FOOTPRINT ON THESE EVENTS SO THAT IF THEY DON'T NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, TREAT THEM IN PLACE AND THEY CAN POTENTIALLY CONTINUE ON WITH THE EVENT.
UH, THE LAST THING WE PROVIDE IS THAT KIND OF COMMAND AND CONTROL.
UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT INUNDATING THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM, WHICH WOULD HAVE AN EFFECT THEN ON POLICE AND FIRE AS WELL.
BUT WE ALSO DON'T WANT TO INUNDATE LOCAL AREA HOSPITALS WITH A LOT OF PATIENTS FROM ONE EVENT.
SO SHOULD THAT NEED ARISE, HOW WE DISTRIBUTE THOSE PATIENTS THROUGHOUT THE HOSPITAL NETWORK IS IMPORTANT.
UH, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY WE LOOK AT THE LARGE GATHERINGS THAT ARE A FOOTPRINT GREATER THAN THAN 5,000.
UM, AND THEN WE LOOK AT THE EVENT ON, ON KIND OF WHAT THE EVENT LOOKS LIKE.
IF IT'S A SPORTING EVENT THAT'S GONNA YIELD INJURIES, A LARGE VOLUME OF ALCOHOL SALES, UH, WHAT KIND OF WEATHER, AN EVENT THAT MAY OCCUR, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE SPRING OR FALL MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT IMPACT IN THE, IN THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER.
UM, AND THEN A LOT OF OUR EVENTS ARE, ARE LEGACY EVENTS.
THEY'VE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME.
SO WE LOOK AT THAT HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO SEE WHAT THE DRAW ON THE E M S 9 1 1 SYSTEM WAS TO TRY TO KEEP AMBULANCES AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, AND THERE SOME EVENTS THAT WE WORK WITH PROMOTERS, WHETHER IT'S A BOXING EVENT OR AN EVENT OUT AT S AMERICAS THAT REQUIRE THAT AMBULANCE ON SITE JUST FOR SOME OF THE, THE LICENSING THEY HAVE.
UM, BUT WE WORK, YOU KNOW, VERY COLLABORATIVELY IN THE ACE OFFICE, UH, TO SEE KIND OF WHAT THE EVENTS ARE ARE GONNA GONNA NEED.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FOR FOR THAT, THAT THAT TRIPLE WIN THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF THEY HAVE A MEDICAL TENT, DO THEY HAVE A PHYSICIAN IN THERE? CAN THEY SIT ON PATIENTS OR TREAT IN PLACE? AND THEN CAN WE FARM OUT THOSE TRANSPORTS, UH, DURING THE EVENT SO THAT, SO THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, PULLING AMBULANCES AGAIN OUTTA THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW, IT HELPS US MANAGE OUR, OUR RESOURCES.
UM, OVERALL WE WANT THE, THE WORK WITH THE PROMOTERS BECAUSE WE NEED THIS TO BE, YOU KNOW, EFFICIENT FOR THEM AND, AND TRY TO LOOK FOR COST SAVINGS.
YOU MIGHT NOT NEED THE NUMBER OF AMBULANCES OR STAFF ON SITE AT THE EARLY MORNING HOURS AT THE BEGINNING OF EVENT, BUT
[01:35:01]
YOU MIGHT NEED IT IN THE MIDDLE OF EVENT, UH, SUCH AS A C L WHEN, WHEN THINGS ARE, ARE REALLY HOPPING OVER THERE.UM, AND THEN THE LARGE EVENTS, WHETHER IT'S A C L FORMULA ONE AT CIRCULAR AMERICAS, WHAT KIND OF CONCERTS? UM, SOME OF THE RUNNING EVENTS THAT WE HAVE, THE THREE AND HALF MARATHON AND THE AUSTIN MARATHON, UH, FOR OVERTIME COSTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 22, ABOUT 7.5%, UH, OF ALL OVERTIME COSTS WAS DUE TO SPECIAL EVENTS.
OUR, OUR MEDICS REALLY ENJOY WORKING THESE EVENTS.
IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND, AND MEET PEOPLE.
UM, THERE'S ABOUT 251 UNIQUE EVENTS THAT WE STAFF AND THEN ABOUT 443 EVENT DAYS.
UM, OF COURSE EVENTS DON'T HAPPEN JUST ON ONE DAY.
SOME OF THE DAYS YOU MAY HAVE MULTIPLE EVENTS THAT WE TRY TO, TO NAVIGATE.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE SEEN THAT, UH, DECREASE IN FISCAL YEAR 23 AS WE TRY TO, YOU KNOW, ELICIT MORE KIND OF PRIVATE, YOU KNOW, FIRST AID TYPE RESPONSE IN THERE, WHETHER THAT BE AT CONVENTION CENTER HERE LOCALLY OR THE MOODY AMPHITHEATER, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, IN THE ACE OFFICE WE HAVE FOUR UH, FTES IN OUR BASE BUDGET.
WE'VE GOT A COMMANDER AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE EVENT IS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED.
SO WHEN OUR MEDICS SHOW UP, THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO, TO NOT PULL AN AMBULANCE OUT OF THE 9 1 1 CENTER.
UH, PERSONNEL COSTS ARE TYPICALLY, UH, REIMBURSED BY THE PROMOTER.
UH, WE HAVE A FEE SCHEDULE SET BY COUNSEL, WHICH WAS LAST REVIEWED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET.
UH, MOST OF OUR STAFF, 98% ARE VOLUNTARY OT FROM, FROM OUR MEDICS.
UM, SWITCH GLASSES BECAUSE IT'S THAT TIME IN LIFE.
UM, SO THE REASON WE BROUGHT THIS ITEM UP IS JUST BECAUSE AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OVER TIME AND AGAIN, HOW MUCH ARE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL WORKING? UM, JUST KIND OF LOOKING AT THIS, THESE PERCENTAGES, RIGHT? AF D AF D'S GOT 1% AD'S GOT 15%.
E M S HAS SEVEN AND A HALF PERCENT OF OVERTIME.
AND ALTHOUGH I CAN SEE THAT IT'S VERY ATTRACTIVE TO HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS COVERING THAT LARGE PERCENTAGE OF OVERTIME HOURS.
YOU KNOW, THE CONCERN IS WHAT IMPACT IS THIS HAVING ON THE OVERALL WOR HOURS THAT ARE BEING WORKED BY OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL.
AND SO WITH THAT, DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS? UM, MR. RUSSELL, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR IF WE, WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS OF MR. RUSSELL AS WELL IF WE THINK HE'S OKAY.
OKAY, SO IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE DO HAVE, OH, COMMISSIONER SMITH, I'M WONDERING IN DOLLARS WHAT THE 14 7.5 AND 1% ARE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE HOW MUCH MONEY THAT IS IN OVERTIME? CONSIDERING WE'RE DOING 1.5 IF NOT TWO TIMES THEIR BASE? UH, SO I DON'T HAVE THE ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT.
OF COURSE IT, A LOT OF IT'S REIMBURSED TO THE CITY, SO, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D HAVE TO DETAIL IT LATER.
I JUST, I DON'T HAVE THE DOLLAR AMOUNT.
AND DO WE BREAK EVEN ON THAT? OR IS THERE SOME PROFIT? OH NO, I THINK, UH, ACTUALLY IF WE CANNOT, WE FIRST WE PUT OUT OVERSIGHT OVER, EXCUSE ME.
FIRST WE PUT OUT THE OVERTIME TO OFFICERS MM-HMM.
SO WHEN WE HAVE TO GO TO DETECTIVES, WE GO TO SERGEANTS, AND NOW LIEUTENANTS THAT CAN MAKE OVERTIME 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT IN CONTRACT, THEY MAKE MORE MONEY.
SO THE, THE PROMOTERS ARE, ARE SET BY THE FEES THAT'S SET BY COUNCIL.
SO IF A LIEUTENANT'S WORKING AT THE CITY'S INCURRING THE COST FOR THE EXTRA AMOUNT THAT HAS TO COVER THAT FOR LIEUTENANT TO MAKE IT 'CAUSE THEY MAKE A HIGHER BASE PAY THAN AN OFFICER PAYS MM-HMM.
SO, AND THE, BUT THEY'RE ONLY BOUND, THE PROMOTER'S ONLY BOUND TO PAY THE, THE FEE SCHEDULE SET WITHIN, UH, THE SET BY COUNCIL.
SO THE CITY HAS TO INCUR THE COST OF THE DIFFERENCE.
JUST TO FOLLOW UP FOR YOUR QUESTION.
SO CERTAINLY FOR E M S, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO BREAK EVEN, THAT'S WHY WE DO THOSE YEARLY UPS ON THAT FEE SCHEDULE.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER TODAY, BUT WE CAN GET IT FOR YOU.
A LOT OF IT, YOU KNOW, HAS TO DO WITH, YOU LOOK AT THE RANK OF EMPLOYEE WORKING AND THEIR TENURE TO GET THEIR RATE.
UM, BUT CERTAINLY WE CAN LOOK AT THE FIXED RATE FOR COUNCIL THAT WE SAID AND, AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS FOR THAT SEVEN POINT HALF PERCENT.
SO I, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO, THE COST RECOVERY IS BASED ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE THINK THE AVERAGE PAY WOULD BE.
WE FILL MOST OF OUR POSITIONS AT THE EVENTS FROM OUR FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE.
SO THOSE ARE FOLKS THAT NORMALLY WORK A 40 HOUR REGULAR WORK WEEK.
SO IT'S NOT TYPICALLY ADDING ON TO THE STRESS OF THE FOLKS WORKING OPERATIONS.
SO COMMISSIONER RUTAN, I BELIEVE YOU HAD A QUESTION.
IS THERE ANY HISTORICAL DISCUSSION ABOUT INCREASING THE RATES CHARGED TO HIS FOR-PROFIT PROMOTERS TO ACTUALLY MAKE SOME MONEY? KIND OF CONSIDERING THERE'S EXTERNALITIES THAT PEOPLE ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW, 15% OF OVERTIME BUDGET IS GOING TOWARDS THESE AND SOME OF THE DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS ON PICKING UP OTHER SHIFTS
[01:40:01]
AND BURNOUT AND THINGS OF THAT.IS THERE ANY HISTORY OF TRYING TO INCREASE THOSE? IT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, THE CITY, THE CITY'S ONLY ALLOWED TO RECOVER AND NOT TRY TO PROFIT FROM, FROM THESE EVENTS.
SO WE'RE ONLY WORKING TO DO COST RECOVERY.
I, I CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THAT 'CAUSE WE LOOKED AT THAT DURING THE SPECIAL EVENT TASK FORCE AND THE CITY CAN ONLY CHARGE FOR COST OF SERVICE AND THEY CAN ONLY BE PASSED THERE.
SO THERE'S NOT A MARGIN OR SOMETHING TO PUT ON THERE.
UM, BUT CODE FOUR ACTUALLY DOES HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT.
IF YOU CONTRACT DIRECTLY WITH THEM, WHICH IS A PRIVATE COMPANY, UM, THEY WILL ACTUALLY PUT A MARGIN ON THAT, BUT THEY TAKE THAT TO GO TOWARD THEIR BOTTOM LINE THAT THEY'RE NOT PASSING IT ON TO THE OFFICER.
IS THAT A, IS THAT A STATE LAW THAT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S JUST LIKE A PARK.
UH, SO THE CITY CANNOT PROFIT FROM RENTING A PARK.
IT'S ONLY THE COST OF MAIN MAINTENANCE.
AND IS THERE, IS THERE AN OPTION WITHIN THAT STATE LAW? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE ESSENTIALLY LOSING MONEY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT, WE'RE CHARGING FOR THE MEDIAN PATROL OFFICER, BUT SOMETIMES THAT'S GONNA BACKFILLED, IS THERE AN OPTION TO ADJUST THAT RATE TO MAKE IT OKAY INSTEAD OF THE PATROL OFFICER, WE'LL MAKE IT A SERGEANT RATE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IS THAT A A, AN OPTION THAT'S ALLOWED WITHIN COUNSEL DISCRETION? SO I, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
DO I DO KNOW THAT WE, WE AS PROMOTERS, UH, PRODUCERS, WHATEVER WE'RE CALLED, UM, WE DO PAY THE SERGEANT RATE.
I THINK WHAT WE, WHERE WE STOPPED THOUGH, IS AT THE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER AND ABOVE RATE, AND PREVIOUSLY LIEUTENANTS AND COMMANDERS WEREN'T EVEN ELIGIBLE FOR THAT OVERTIME AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND IT UNTIL WE JUST PASSED, UH, UH, WHAT WE DID TRYING TO ENCOURAGE THOSE POSITIONS TO BE FILLED BY FOLKS THAT HAVEN'T HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OVERTIME IN THE PAST, UH, WORKING SPECIAL EVENTS.
BUT TO THAT POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS THAT ARE OFFICES.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA GET A LOT OF LIEUTENANTS AND COMMANDERS THAT ARE SIGNING UP FOR THAT KIND OF OVERTIME WORK.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE, UH, SET UP, UM, THIS RETIRED OFFICER CORPS, UM, NOT JUST, UM, TO FILL VACANT POSITIONS THAT AREN'T ABLE TO BE STAFFED BY PD ON DURING ANY GIVEN EVENT, BUT ALSO TO GIVE A BREATHER TO OFFICERS THAT ARE WORKING SO MUCH AND THEY'RE PICKING UP THE OVERTIME TO DO A DOWNTOWN SHIFT OR WHATEVER ELSE.
UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S TRIAGING THE IMPORTANCE, RIGHT, OF WHAT, WHAT POSITION IS BEST, UH, BARRICADE OR WORKING ANOTHER SHIFT ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY FOR TRUE PUBLIC SAFETY THINGS.
SO, YOU KNOW, FROM A CIVILIAN STANDPOINT, I'M ALWAYS GONNA ERR ON THE SIDE OF, WE'LL, WE'LL GO DO THAT AND LET'S FIGURE OUT THE BARRICADE PROBLEM AT A SPECIAL EVENT.
UM, AND TO THAT END, I THINK, UM, WHAT I SAW IS THAT THERE'S LARGE, IT, IT VARIES BY DEPARTMENT, BUT I SAW THAT A P D HAS, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND, UM, POSITIONS THAT ARE GOING UNFILLED FOR SPECIAL EVENTS AND WE HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS GOING ON, NOT LIKE WE HAVE A FOOTBALL GAME EVERY WEEKEND.
WE HAVE LIKE, THERE'S JUST LOTS OF SPECIAL EVENTS THAT GO ON THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, MY THOUGHT, AND I STILL NEED A SECOND FOR THIS RECOMMENDATION IF ANYBODY'S INTERESTED, IS JUST, UM, RECOMMENDING TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE SORT OF REVISIT, UM, HOW UNSWORN STAFF IS USED AS SPECIAL EVENTS, FIGURING OUT IF THERE ARE OTHER FUNCTIONS THAT DON'T NEED TO BE PERFORMED BY UNSWORN STAFF.
UM, BOTH TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF HOURS THAT OUR SWO SWORN STAFF HAS TO BE AT EVENTS, UM, TO HELP WITH THE STAFFING OF THESE EVENTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE SAFE.
UM, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, TO ALLEVIATE DEMAND ALTOGETHER ON OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES.
I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PARTS OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS ORDINANCE THAT ALLOW FOR SOME OF THE AGENCIES TO CONTRACT THIRD PARTIES FOR HELP.
UM, AND SO JUST KIND OF REVISITING SOME OF THIS ORDINANCE AND, AND, AND JUST SEEING IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE CAN SORT OF TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF.
AND SO WITH THAT, YEAH, I WOULD LIKE, I MEAN, I LOVE THIS, THIS IS A GOOD IDEA FOR SURE.
I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO ADD A JUST A LITTLE BIT LANGUAGE ON MONEY.
UM, I WAS IN A HOUSEHOLD WHERE YOU DON'T PARTY AND GET YOURSELF IN A PREDICAMENT BECAUSE YOU WANNA HAVE A GOOD TIME.
UM, SO I WOULD LIKE JUST, YOU KNOW, DEMAND ON PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES YEAR ROUND AND, UM, TO MITIGATE EXPENSES, UM, TO THE CITY OR SOME, SOME LANGUAGE AROUND, YES, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRST RESPONDERS AREN'T BEING PRESSED SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A GOOD TIME, BUT I ALSO DON'T WANT OUR PIGGY BANK TO GO INTO RED BECAUSE WE TRYING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME EITHER.
SO LANGUAGE TO THE EVENT, TO THE, UM, SOME ALONG THE LINES OF AND TO MITIGATE EXPENSES TO THE CITY.
[01:45:01]
WOULD THAT WORK? MM-HMM.AND THEN WITH THAT, IF YOU'RE, UM, AMENDABLE TO THAT FRIENDLY AND YOU TAKE IT AS A FRIENDLY YES.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SORT OF COMMENTS? I SEE COMMISSIONER N N JOINED US.
I DO KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER N I I KNOW YOU JUST JOINED AND I'M SORRY YOU WERE HAVING TECHNICAL PROBLEMS, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE HE'LL BE ABLE TO VOTE ON THIS RIGHT.
SINCE HE MOVED, JOINED AFTER 30 MINUTES IN THAT IS OKAY.
I'M SORRY THAT YOU HAD SOME TECHNICAL PROBLEMS. UM, OKAY.
WITH THAT, DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL, OKAY, SO CAN I GET, SHOULD WE JUST TAKE A VOTE THEN? WE'VE GOT A FIRST AND A SECOND.
AND I WILL REGISTER AS YES AS WELL.
IS THAT VOTE AMENDMENT COMMISSIONER? YES.
TO VOTE TO ACCEPT THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT? YES.
AND THEN WE'LL VOTE AGAIN FOR THE YES.
AND NOW A VOTE ON THE RECOMMENDATION AS A WHOLE.
AND I WILL VOTE FOR THAT AS WELL.
WE HAVE A PAST RECOMMENDATION.
AND I THINK YES, JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE YOU UP HERE, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOUR LENS WE SHOULD BE DOING? UH, NO.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUTTA THE SPECIAL EVENT TASK FORCE WAS, LOOK, WE, WE ALL LOVE SHINY NEW TOYS, RIGHT?
THE MOODY AMPHITHEATER IS INCREDIBLE.
UH, THE MOODY CENTER IS GREAT.
UM, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE STAFFING AT EVERY LEVEL FOR ALL THESE THINGS, WHETHER IT'S POLICE, FIRE, E M S, UM, SO WE JUST, WE ASK COUNCIL JUST TO BE COGNIZANT OF, YOU KNOW, NEXT TIME WE BUILD A NICE NEW THING, IT DOES HAVE A DRAIN OR IT DOES HAVE A TAX ON EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE TRY TO DO AND BASIC SERVICES THAT WE'RE OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE AS A CITY.
AND THEN SINCE I'M HERE, AND IF I MAY, UH, 'CAUSE I THINK THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO DO IT, UH, THIS IS GONNA BE A SHAMELESS PLUG.
I AM THE BOARD PRESIDENT OF THE POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE, UH, WHERE WE WORK WITH UNDERSERVED, UH, FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY PROVIDING THEM SPORTS LEAGUES AND, AND VARIOUS THINGS.
AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
UH, SO IF YOU'RE EVER UP FOR VOLUNTEERING
UH, THE POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE IS A, A GREAT PLACE TO SPEND SOME TIME.
IS THERE ANY APPETITE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE STRINGENT ON HOW MANY EVENTS WE HAVE? SO, SO WE, WE'VE LOOKED, WE KIND OF LOOKED AT THAT, RIGHT? UH, WHICH IS WHICH, IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE ORDINANCE AND THE GENESIS OF THE, UH, SPECIAL EVENT ORDINANCE CHAPTER FOUR 20, UM, IT WAS REALLY TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT ALL EVENTS WERE PUT IN THE SAME BOX, RIGHT? HAVING, HAVING THE DIA DE LOS MUERTOS UH, CELEBRATION IS NOT THE SAME THING AS SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, RIGHT? SO, AND THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH THE TIER SCENARIO, WHICH IS, LOOK, IF YOU'RE HAVING A BLOCK PARTY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, HALLOWEEN, WHATEVER, LET'S NOT, LET'S USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THIS INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, HAVING IT TREATED AS A C L OR TRAIL LIGHTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO I THINK THAT WAS THE IDEA BEHIND THAT WITHOUT, UM, WITHOUT SAYING, YOU KNOW, OKAY, NO MORE EVENTS.
SO THERE IS ALSO, HOWEVER, A, A MORATORIUM ON NEW DOWNTOWN EVENTS, UH, SO IN THE CITY CORPS, NO MORE EVENTS.
UM, AND ALSO I KNOW THAT FIRE IN PARTICULAR, UM, THROUGH THE AUSTIN CENTER FOR EVENTS DURING SOUTH BY, BY THEY'LL, THEY'LL HAVE A DEADLINE IN WHICH, WHICH YOU CAN NO LONGER SUBMIT AN APPLICATION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK OF ALL THOSE APPLICATIONS THAT COME IN ON AN ANNUAL BASIS,
[01:50:01]
VAST MAJORITY OF THEM, I WOULD SAY COME DURING THIS VERY SMALL WINDOW, UH, WHERE WE HAVE NINE REVIEWERS THAT HAVE TO REVIEW HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF APPLICATIONS.SO WHAT WE'VE STARTED DOING, I THINK THIS WAS FIVE YEARS AGO OR SO, WAS PUTTING A DATE IN WHICH NO MORE APPLICATIONS BEYOND THIS.
THE 30 DAY DEADLINE FOR US IS A BIG DEAL 'CAUSE IT ALLOWS US TO NOT GET OVERWHELMED WITH LAST MINUTE EVENTS BECAUSE THE, THE, THE OTHER TRUTH OF LAST MINUTE EVENTS IS THAT THEY'RE NOT VERY WELL PLANNED AND THEY END UP TAKING A LOT, A LOT OF YOUR TIME.
SO IT'S BEEN HELPFUL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT, THAT TOOL.
[6. Commission for Women and Public Safety Commission Joint Working Group Update (Sponsors: Commissioners Orr & Ramírez)]
QUICKLY THROUGH, UM, OUR, A QUICK ADDED ITEM THAT WE HAD, WHICH IS JUST AN UPDATE ON THE JOINT WORKING GROUP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN.UM, SUPER BRIEFLY, UM, BASICALLY FOLLOWING THE FINAL, UM, PERF REPORT OF NOVEMBER, 2022, WHICH IS THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM, WHICH SOUGHT TO UNDERSTAND HOW A P D HANDLES SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES AND FOCUSED ON VICTIMS' EXPERIENCES.
UM, ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT REPORT WAS TO CREATE A WORKING GROUP TO OVERSEE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
THAT PROJECT, THAT GROUP IS CALLED THE COLLECTIVE SEX CRIMES RESPONSE MODEL PROJECT.
UM, AND SO THAT IS UNDERWAY, THAT IS, THAT IS MOVING ALONG.
UM, THEY HAVE A QUARTERLY RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT TO THIS JOINT WORKING GROUP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN.
UM, AND I'LL BE, WILL BE COMMISSIONER OR AND I, WERE BOTH PRESENT FOR THAT.
UM, WE'LL BE REPORTING BACK TO YOU GUYS, UM, WITH WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT, HOW THINGS ARE MOVING ALONG.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE ARE 119 ITEMS CONTAINED WITHIN THE PROJECT SCOPE, UM, THAT THEY HAVE TO WORK THROUGH.
IT'S, IT'S A MASSIVE TASK LIST, UM, THAT THEY'VE STARTED TO WORK ON.
UM, I THINK 48% OF THOSE ITEMS ARE IN PROGRESS AT THIS POINT, UM, ACROSS FIVE DIFFERENT WORK REGIONS, POLICY, TRAINING, RESPONSE AND INVESTIGATIONS, DATA AND METRICS AND OUTREACH.
UM, AND SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF WHERE THINGS ARE.
THINGS ARE JUST KIND OF GETTING STARTED, UM, KIND OF PUTTING PROCESSES IN PLACE.
UM, WE'LL HEAR BACK FROM THEM IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
THERE IS A BRIEFING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL, I BELIEVE ON SEPTEMBER 19TH, IS THAT CORRECT? SEPTEMBER 19TH I THINK.
UM, AND SO YOU GUYS ARE OPEN TO, OF COURSE ENCOURAGED TO WATCH THAT AND SEE MORE, HEAR MORE DETAILS.
UM, AND I WILL CIRCULATE THE, THE PROJECT SCOPE LIST THAT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO US DURING THE WORKING GROUP MEETING SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE WANNA HEAR ABOUT SPECIFICALLY.
WE CAN OF COURSE ASK FOR A BRIEFING.
UM, BUT IN ADDITION, I THINK THERE WAS SOME INTEREST IN HAVING A JOINT COMMISSION MEETING WITH THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN, UM, EARLY NEXT YEAR TO JUST KIND OF DISCUSS ANY BUDGET CONSTRAINTS THAT THE PROJECT HAS AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO WITH REGARDS TO RECOMMENDATIONS AHEAD OF BUDGET SEASON.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
AS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UM, JUST FOR NEXT MONTH, I KNOW THAT WE ARE OVERDUE WITH A WILDFIRE READINESS UPDATE.UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO.
UM, I WAS HOPING, I KNOW THAT WE ALWAYS HEAR FROM A F D WITH REGARDS TO WHAT THEY DO.
I WAS HOPING THAT WE COULD HAVE A SLIGHTLY BROADER DISCUSSION TO INCLUDE, UM, SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S DONE ACROSS THE CITY TO HELP WITH WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN, UM, THE FUEL OPERATIONS DIVISION.
I KNOW THAT MITIGATING WILDFIRE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT JUST THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES AND SO I WAS HOPING THAT WE COULD HAVE SORT OF AN EXPANDED DISCUSSION SO THAT WE COULD UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS ACROSS THE CITY AND WHAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS CONTRIBUTE.
UM, AND IF ANYBODY HAS OTHER ITEMS, WE HAVE OUR SHORT LIST OF ITEMS THAT HAVE GOTTEN SECOND SO FAR THAT I'LL BE WORKING FROM.
BUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE WANNA GET ON THE RECORD, NOW'S THE TIME, NOT A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM.
BUT I DID WANNA MENTION JUST ONE THING BEFORE WE'RE DONE AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
I JUST, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS COMING UP AND I, I HAVE BEEN TO SOME GREAT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENTS IN THE PAST WHERE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO INTERFAITH BEFORE I WAS ENGAGED IN THIS COMMISSION WHERE I COULD MEET POLICE AND FIRE AND E M SS WHO WORK IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
I'VE ALWAYS FAILED TO SIGN UP IN TIME, ON TIME IN THE PAST TO HAVE MY
[01:55:01]
OWN EVENT, BUT THIS YEAR I ALREADY DID.AND UM, SEPTEMBER 17TH IS THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IF YOU WANNA PUT ONE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND OCTOBER 3RD IS THE, THE DAY OF IT.
SO JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYBODY.
I ALWAYS FORGET TO MENTION, SO THAT'S AWESOME.
THANK YOU FOR, FOR REMINDING EVERYONE OF THAT.
COMMISSIONER SMITH, THE ONLY OTHER THING IS THIS LIKE RUNNING LIST OF QUESTIONS WE HAVE FOR THEM
IT'D BE NICE IF WE COULD TALK THROUGH LIKE WHAT IS A SYSTEMATIC SUSTAINABLE WAY TO HARVEST QUESTIONS AND TRACK THEM.
COULD BE, UM, THAT'S DEFINITELY A LONGER CONVERSATION I UNDERSTAND, BUT IF WE COULD JUST START UNDERSTANDING WHERE ALL THE QUESTIONS ARE AND WHERE THEIR PROGRESS ARE, JUST SO WE CAN HAVE SOME, SOME CHECKS AND BALANCES.
WE CAN DEFINITELY PUT THAT ON FOR QUESTIONS.
THAT MIGHT JUST BE A, A GOOGLE WIKI OR SOMETHING OR A WIKI, LIKE A A SPREADSHEET MM-HMM.
I KNOW THAT BE PUBLIC CODE, YOU KNOW.
SO YOU MEAN QUESTIONS BETWEEN US THAT WE HAVE MM-HMM.
SO AS FAR AS FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK ON THE RECORD, WE DO HAVE AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA EVERY MONTH WHERE WE POST BACKUP.
I, I WAS DELINQUENT THIS MONTH AND DID NOT POST FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS TO ANYONE BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK WE HAD ANY NEW ONES.
BUT THE PRACTICES AFTER THIS MEETING BETWEEN MS. JACKSON AND I, WE SIT DOWN AND WE LOOK THROUGH ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASKED.
WE PUT THEM IN A FOLLOW-UP DOCUMENT AND THEY'RE DISTRIBUTED TO THE CHIEFS OF STAFF AND THEN THEY'RE POSTED TO OUR BACKUP IN THE FOLLOWING MEETING.
AND IS THAT LIKE ALL THE QUESTIONS WE'VE ASKED THUS FAR THAT AREN'T, HAVEN'T NECESSARILY BEEN ANSWERED? YES.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THOSE, THOSE LIVE.
UM, IF YOU GUYS ARE NOTICING THAT I'M MISSING ANYTHING OR THAT WE'RE MISSING ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE LIKE JUST HOW COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT DID WE, WE LOST TRACK OF THE 9 1 1 UM, STAFFING QUESTION.
SO IF YOU GUYS COULD JUST, YOU KNOW, LET ME KNOW WHEN I'M MISSING A QUESTION.
BUT WE DO HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE FOR THOSE RIGHT NOW.
THAT MAKES ME A LITTLE WORRIED THAT WE, SOMETHING FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS THOUGH.
YOU KNOW, LIKE IF THERE, AGAIN, THIS CAN BE A LONGER ITEM, BUT JUST HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT OKAY, IT'S NOT THE COMMISSIONER THAT HAS TO REMEMBER THREE MONTHS AGO I ASKED A SPECIFIC QUESTION BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW.
NO, I'M, I'M GAME FOR PROCESS.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S ME REMEMBERING SO TOTALLY.
OKAY, ANY ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS? COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT? SO, UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHETHER THIS IS ALREADY ONE OF MY AGENDA ITEMS. OKAY.
UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE AN UPDATE ON UM, STAFFING AND OVERTIME USE AT THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER IN PARTICULAR.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND FOR THAT? IT'S JUST HELPFUL IF WE GET SECONDS WHILE WE'RE ALL HERE AND WE DON'T HAVE THE CHASE.
SECOND, I LOVE MORE DATA THAN OKAY, THANK YOU.
ANYTHING ELSE? I THINK I'M GONNA LOOK AT MY LIST IF YOU GUYS WILL BEAR WITH ME FOR ONE SECOND 'CAUSE I HAD ONE ITEM I THINK THAT I WANTED.
AND THIS MIGHT BE FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, IT'S A TRAFFIC SORT OF VISION ZERO FOLLOW UP.
WE HAVEN'T DONE ONE OF THOSE IN A WHILE.
AND IN LIGHT OF THE I 35 SORT OF EXPANSION THAT'S GONNA BE HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE MASSIVE SORT OF
JUST KIND OF THINKING THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT VISION ZERO IS GONNA LOOK LIKE, LIKE IN, IN TERMS OF THAT AND HOW THAT'S GONNA IMPACT, I MEAN DRIVE TIMES FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL, LIKE GETTING ACROSS ALL OF THAT MADNESS.
I THINK IT'S ALREADY CRAZY GETTING ACROSS ALL THAT MADNESS.
SO JUST KIND OF HAD THAT ON THE MIND.
AND WITH THAT, I THINK WE ARE ACTUALLY AT FIVE O'CLOCK ON THE DOT.
DO WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY, WELL THEN THANK YOU EVERYONE.
THANK Y'ALL FOR THE WORK YOU DO.