* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:05]
          IT'S 
          [CALL TO ORDER]
FOUR O'CLOCK. 
          WE HAVE QUORUM. 
          AND I'D LIKE THE CALL TO ORDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OF MONDAY, JUNE 1ST, 2026. 
          CHELSEA, IF YOU CAN HELP US WITH THE ROLE, PLEASE. 
          SURE THING. 
          CHAIR RON PRESENT. 
          COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT. 
          HERE. 
          COMMISSIONER GODWIN. 
          COMMISSIONER HOLMES. 
          PRESENT. 
          COMMISSIONER CIERA ARLO? NOT YET. 
          UM, VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ. 
          HERE. 
          UM, COMMISSIONER EDGAR? HERE. 
          COMMISSIONER ROGO? HERE. 
          COMMISSIONER RUTAN. 
          PRESENT. 
          COMMISSIONER SMITH. 
          ALL RIGHT, THANKS CHELSEA. 
          I BELIEVE WE HAVE 
          [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
SOME PUBLIC COMMUNICATION TODAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, MR. LEON, YOU'RE UP. 
          SO CARLOS LEON, FIRST AND FOREMOST S FOR LETTING ME FOLLOW UP MY NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 2025 AND MY JANUARY AND MAY, 2026. 
          TESTIMONY TO YOU REGARDING CAP METRO CRIMINALITY. 
          YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED AND REVIEWED PARTS ONE AND TWO OF MY BACKUP MATERIAL TO BE POSTED ONLINE FOR THE OFFICIAL RECORD ARCHIVE TO SEARCH AND DOWNLOAD FOR FREE AT CITY OF AUSTIN PUBLIC E-D-I-M-S SEARCH. 
          FIRST, PER THE CUSTOMER COMMENT REPORTS, MULTIPLE BLACKMAIL DRIVERS ARE, AGAIN, INTENTIONALLY NOT BOARDING OR TRANSPORTING ME TO NEITHER FOLLOW CONSTITUTIONAL LAW NOR DARYL JEMELE'S LETTER SAYING I'M NOT BANNED. 
          I REQUEST VIDEO OF EACH INCIDENT. 
          SOME I HAVE SOME I'M STILL WAITING FOR. 
          SECOND, MULTIPLE OLDER BLACK FEMALE DRIVERS ARE AGAIN, INTENTIONALLY REVERSE SEXUALLY HARASSING ME, CALLING ME CARLOS INSTEAD OF SIR, AS WELL AS REPEATEDLY TRYING TO FLIP THE TRUE LEGAL POWER RELATION OF ME, MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC OVER THEM PUBLIC SERVANTS BY ABUSIVELY TRYING TO EXERT POWER AND CONTROL OVER ME. 
          THEY DO NOT HAVE TO KRUGER KAREN FEMINIST FLIRT WITH ME TO TRY GASLIGHTING AND EMASCULATING ME WITH THEIR UPSIDE DOWN ASS BACKWARDS. 
          OBAMA, KAMALA EVIL LIKE OPERATOR 3 0 1 4 1 0 UNLAWFULLY RESTRAINING ME THIS MORNING BY INITIALLY REFUSING TO OPEN THE FRONT DOORS FOR ME TO EXIT AT MY DESTINATION. 
          STOP. 
          SHE ALSO REPORTED MY WHEREABOUTS AND ATTIRE TO RADIO DISPATCH AS SOON AS I BOARDED. 
          LIKE SHE'S PART OF THE APPARENT GANG STALKING NETWORK, MONITORING ME AND FOLLOWING ME AROUND ALL OVER AUSTIN DAY AND NIGHT. 
          THEY APPEAR TO BE EMBOLDENED BY A P D'S SPECIAL INVESTIGATION UNITS. 
          RECENT WRONG DETERMINATION THAT NEITHER DARRYL JAMELL NOR MILES TURIN VIOLATED ANY STATE LAWS. 
          THEREFORE, TO START HOLDING SIU ACCOUNTABLE, I REQUESTED ALL PUBLIC INFORMATION RECORDS RELATED TO THEIR COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE-BASED REPORT THAT I FILED WITH THEM ABOUT JAMEL AND TURPEN. 
          SIU BETTER NOT BE PROTECTING FORMER A PD COMMANDER JAMEL SINCE SIU SAID TO GO BACK TO KAT METRO WITH ALL THIS ESTABLISHING FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTING AN OFFICE OF CAT METRO OVERSIGHT SIMILAR TO THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER BECAUSE NEITHER CAT METRO'S PRESIDENT, CEO, DOTTIE WATKINS NOR CAT METRO'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPEARS WILLING OR ABLE TO STOP CAT METRO BUS DRIVERS FROM PASSING ME UP OR HARASSING ME. 
          THAT OVERLAPS WITH THE SICKO L-G-B-T-Q STALKERS STILL TRYING TO STARE ME DOWN AND START S**T AGAINST ME. 
          A STRAIGHT CHRISTIAN MAN. 
          THERE MUST BE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR THIS CRAP HERE IN AUSTIN. 
          I SAY PRAY FOR MY ENEMIES BECAUSE THEIR TARGETED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ME MUST NOT STAND. 
          IN JESUS' NAME I PRAY. 
          AMEN. 
          GLORY TO GOD, MR. CLEMENTE. 
          YEAH, MY NAME IS RUBEN VE CLEMENTE SENIOR. 
          AND, UH, THE REASON WHY I'M HERE, BECAUSE I'M STILL BEING HARASSED BY THE ORGANIZED CRIME UNIT,  POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHICH I'VE COMPLAINED 
          [00:05:01]
A MATTER OF FACT I JUST, TODAY I DID IT LAST WEEK, I FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST POLICE CHIEF LISA DAVIS, WHICH TODAY MY COMPLAINT SPECIALIST SAID THAT HE TALKED TO HIS SUPERVISOR AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT'S SIMILAR TO THE COMPLAINT I FILED BEFORE. 
          NOW I JUST MOVE INTO MY SIXTH LOCATION AND EXACTLY AS SOON AS I MOVE IN IS THE SAME FORM OF HARASSMENT AS THE OTHERS. 
          AND YES, I RECORD IT, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE NO DIFFERENCE. 
          I'M TIRED OF BEING HARASSED BY THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          AND TELL ME IF I'M WRONG, BECAUSE I ALREADY COMPLAINED TO MANLEY, CHAONG HENDERSON, ERIC FITZGERALD, YOUR SISTER, POLICE CHIEF, AND OF COURSE LISA DAY WITH THREE LETTERS. 
          THE LAST ONE THAT I GAVE TO THE CITY MANAGER FROM THE, UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION. 
          I WANT THIS TO STOP. 
          I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT USED IT. 
          AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MANPOWER WHEN I SEE THE YOUNGSTERS OUT THERE STEALING GUNS, SHOOTING PEOPLE, AND THEN GOING UP THERE AND, AND JUST GOING CRAZY. 
          AND YET I'M OVER HERE, A SENIOR OLDER PERSON, AND I GOT PROBABLY OVER, I THINK LIKE SIX OR SEVEN DOZEN. 
          THEY PROBABLY MORE 'CAUSE THEY ROTATE, YOU KNOW, AND I'M JUST TIRED. 
          I JUST MOVED AT THE END OF APRIL AND I'M GOING TO THE SAME THING OVER AGAIN. 
          THAT'S THE REASON WHY I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO FILE THIS. 
          I WANNA START GOING BACK TO GOING CITIZEN COMMUNICATION. 
          AND I'M ALSO GONNA START SENDING MY COMPLAINTS TO THE LOCAL NATION. 
          WHY YOU? I JUST COMPLAINED TO, UH, BENJAMIN CRUMP'S LAW FIRM TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE. 
          'CAUSE THIS IS A SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE NATIONWIDE. 
          PEOPLE NEED TO SEE HOW THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT CONDUCT THEMSELVES AND WHOEVER THE POLICE, THESE TWO OR THREE, THEY'RE JUST HIS FAULT OF THIS BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH. 
          I'VE BEEN HERE THREE TIMES LAST YEAR AND HE AM GOING THROUGH IT AGAIN. 
          AND ALL I WANT THEM TO STOP. 
          IF I'M BEING INVESTIGATIVE, THAT'S THEIR JOB. 
          BUT THIS IS NOT AN INVESTIGATION. 
          THIS IS TERRORIZING SOMEBODY AND I CAN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. 
          AND THE FIFTH, OKAY, THIS IS MY SIXTH, THE FIFTH ONE, I HAD ITEMS STOLEN FROM MY, FROM MY APARTMENT. 
          AND MY CAR WAS VANDALIZED. 
          AND THIS IS THE POLICE. 
          AND I ONLY, I DIDN'T EVEN RENEW MY LEASE BECAUSE IT WAS TOO MUCH. 
          AND HIM GOING TO THE SAME SITUATION. 
          AND THEY KNOW THAT I'M TELLING THE TRUTH. 
          THEY KNOW THAT. 
          THEY KNOW THAT. 
          DON'T YOU, CHIEF? YEAH. 
          HE KNOWS THAT. 
          AND I'M TIRED OF IT. 
          I DON'T WANT TO BE GOING THROUGH. 
          IT'S OVER. 
          IT'S OVER 20 YEARS NOW. 
          TWO DECADES. 
          IT IS TIRESOME WHAT THE WORLD THAT I'M DOING THAT, THAT THAT SYSTEM BEING FOLLOWED FOR 20 PLUS YEARS AND THEY'RE COMMITTING CRIMES AND I CAN'T HOLD 'EM ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE THE COURT TO THE ATTORNEY, I NEED A BADGE AND A NAME, WHICH I NEVER GET. 
          WELL, UH, IT'S THE END OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. 
          UM, GO OVER THE 
          [APPROVAL OF MINUTES  ]
APPROVAL MINUTES. 
          YOU HAVE A COPY IN FRONT OF YOU IF YOU WANNA LOOK THEM OVER. 
          UM, SEND CHANGES OR IF I CAN GET A WELL MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SECOND. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? SEEMS TO BE UNANIMOUS. 
          YEP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          RIGHT. 
          FIRST 
          [2. Quarterly Report from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Presentation by  Wesley Hopkins, Chief of Staff, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. ]
UP TO BAT IS A QUARTERLY REPORT FOR THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, UH, PRESENTATION BY MR. WESLEY HOPKINS, CHIEF STAFF. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS. 
          WES HOPKINS, CHIEF OF STAFF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. 
          SIR, WOULD IT BE EASIER IF I GRABBED THE CLICKER OR LOOK AT YOU? THANK YOU. 
          SET. 
          OKAY. 
          STARTING OFF WITH OUR CURRENT EMS DEPARTMENT STAFFING A NOTE THAT THIS IS FISCAL YEAR Q2, AUTHORIZED STRENGTH AT 714 FIELD SWORN 5 86. 
          PUT OUR SWORN VACANCIES IN 128 AT THAT ENTRY LEVEL POSITION IN BOTH FIELD AND COMMUNICATIONS. 
          52 FIELD MEDICS AND THREE COMMUNICATIONS MEDICS PUTS OUR Q2 AVERAGE AT A LITTLE OVER 16%. 
          THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE OUR LATEST ACADEMY GRADUATION, WHICH WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT HERE A LITTLE LATER. 
          AND JUST FOR REFERENCE, CADETS DO NOT BECOME SWORN UNTIL THEY GRADUATE THE ACADEMY. 
          OUR SWORN TOTAL VACANCY AS OF MAY 27TH OF THIS YEAR, SETS AT 105. 
          JUST FOR REFERENCE, UH, SWORN SEPARATIONS. 
          WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE HIGHEST SWORN SEPARATIONS AT BOTH THE FIELD 
          [00:10:01]
MEDIC, THAT ENTRY LEVEL POSITION, AND THEN CLINICAL SPECIALIST OR OUR PARAMEDIC LEVEL. 
          UH, WE'RE ALSO SEEING AN UPTICK IN, IN REAPPOINTMENTS AT THESE TWO RANKS AS WELL. 
          WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LEAVING THE ORGANIZATION AND THEN WITHIN THAT TWO YEAR MARK, WHICH IS ALLOWED UNDER OUR CONTRACT BEING REAPPOINTED BACK INTO THE ORGANIZATION, UH, NOTING THE ORGANIZATION'S CULTURE, OUR SCHEDULE, AND OUR ADVANCED PROTOCOLS IS THE REASON THAT THEY'D LIKE TO RETURN. 
          I WILL GET THIS CLICKER RIGHT HERE IN A SECOND, UH, SWORN TENURE AT SEPARATIONS. 
          UH, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE LION'S SHARE OF THOSE AT THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR MARK, FOLLOWED BY OUR LESS THAN ONE YEAR MARK. 
          UH, FOLKS THAT ARE NEW TO THE INDUSTRY, UH, MAY LEAVE FOR A DIFFERENT AGENCY. 
          AND WE ARE ALSO GONNA TALK ABOUT THERE, HERE IN A SECOND. 
          DUE TO COMPETITIVE PAY, UH, WE ARE SEEING SURROUNDING COUNTIES GROW THEIR EMS AGENCIES AT AS THIRD SERVICE MODELS AS WELL. 
          UH, BASTROP COUNTY AND HAYES COUNTY. 
          UM, OUR MEDICS LEAVING, UH, NOTABLY SITE BEING CLOSER TO HOME WHERE THEY CAN AFFORD TO LIVE. 
          AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ALSO SLOWER CALL VOLUME. 
          THAT CALL VOLUME IS KEY AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION LINE AND WHY THAT'S SO IMPORTANT AND HAVE INCLUDED SOME FISCAL YEAR 25 STATS FOR YOUR REFERENCE HERE ALSO IN THIS PRESENTATION. 
          GOT IT. 
          AIM THIS WAY. 
          OKAY. 
          I THINK I'M OKAY. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU SIR. 
          UH, VACANCY RATE SWORN AND CIVILIAN BROKEN OUT BY MONTH. 
          UM, I WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE, UH, SEEN AN INCREASE IN OUR CIVILIAN VACANCY RATE. 
          UH, ALSO JUST FOR REFERENCE, OUR JANUARY, 2026 HIRING PROCESS AND ANTICIPATION OF OUR JULY ACADEMY COMPLETED APPLICATIONS WAS 283, A MARCH, 2026 HIRING PROCESS IN ANTICIPATION OF OUR OCTOBER ACADEMY SETS AT 178 COMPLETED APPLICATIONS. 
          PUT A TOTAL OF COMPLETED APPLICATIONS FOR THAT SPRING, HIRING AT 461 FOR FIELD MEDIC, DIRECT HIRE, PARAMEDIC, AND COMMUNICATIONS. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          UH, EMS TURNOVER RATE BROKEN OUT BY MONTH AS WELL. 
          I WILL NOTE THAT OUR SWORN VACANCY AND TURNOVER RATE CONTINUES TO REMAIN BELOW THE EMS INDUSTRY AVERAGE ACROSS THE NATION, WHICH IS SETTING AT 30%. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND TALKING ABOUT OUR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS ACADEMY CLASSES. 
          SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE GOTTEN THIS SLIDE BEFORE YOU, BUT ACADEMY CLASS 10 25 IS CLEARED TO INDEPENDENT DUTY. 
          THEY'RE OUT IN THE FIELD WORKING IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM CADET CLASS OH 3 2 6, GRADUATED MAY 18TH, THAT WAS 33 FIELD MEDICS. 
          AND SO THOSE MEDICS WILL INCORPORATE INTO OUR VACANCIES, UH, IN THAT Q3 REPORT THAT I GIVE. 
          AND THEN TALKING ABOUT CADET CLASS OH 7 2 6, WHICH BEGINS JULY 27TH. 
          53 TOTAL CADETS PERSONAL BEST FOR US, 42 FIELD MEDICS, 10 DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALISTS, AND ONE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIC. 
          I WILL GIVE ONE CAVEAT. 
          I DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA START WITH 53. 
          I'VE PROCESSED FOUR DEFERRALS, TWO THAT ARE DIRECT HIRE THAT WANNA START IN OUR OCTOBER ACADEMY AS THEY GET FAMILIES BACK HOME, THEIR PARENTS SITUATED BEFORE THEY MOVE TO AUSTIN. 
          UH, KIDS FINISHING SCHOOL AND THEN JUST MAKING THE MOVE TO, TO AUSTIN, TEXAS. 
          WE DO EXPECT TO SEE CONTINUED SEPARATIONS, UH, AS THESE EMS AGENCIES ARE HIRING IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          WE'RE GONNA SEE THESE VACANCIES UPTICK A LITTLE BIT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF FISCAL YEAR 26. 
          BASTROP, ESD THREE AS THAT THIRD SERVICE MODEL IS HIRING 90 INDIVIDUALS. 
          WE DID MEET WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP AND THEY'RE TRYING NOT TO STRIP OUR AGENCY. 
          HOWEVER, THOSE THAT CAN RETIRE ARE FINDING THE OFFER APPEALING, BUT YOU COULD RETIRE FROM US, GO WORK FOR THEM, AND THEN HAVE A LITTLE SLOWER CALL VOLUME CLOSER TO WHERE YOU LIVE, WHICH IS WHY ACADEMY CLASS OH 7 2 6 AND 10 26 ARE GONNA BE PARAMOUNT TO TO OUR, TO MY ORGANIZATION. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          TALKING ABOUT OPIOID OVERDOSES, FISCAL YEAR 26 Q2. 
          I'LL POINT YOU TO THE ARROWS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN. 
          UH, BUPRENORPHINE BRIDGE ENROLLMENTS IS UP AT 89 PEOPLE ENROLLED. 
          ALSO UP IS OUR OPIOID USE DISORDER INTERVENTIONS AT 1054, AND I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT HERE IN A SECOND AS WELL. 
          AND THEN, UH, NOTING THAT 57% OF ALL OPIOID ALERTS WERE PERSONS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND WE ARE, UH, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT AS WELL AS A SECOND. 
          AS I'VE GIVEN YOU A SLIDE ON KIND OF POP-UP RESOURCE CLINICS, WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE I'VE GOTTEN IN FRONT OF THIS COMMISSION WITH SOME OF OUR, OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS. 
          SO I WANNA TALK THROUGH THAT AS WELL. 
          UH, PILL OVERDOSES ARE THE LION'S SHARE OF OPIOID ALERTS THAT WE RUN. 
          WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT SUMMER 
          [00:15:01]
SPIKE, WHICH WE TYPICALLY SEE THIS TIME OF YEAR. 
          AND I'M GONNA TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING TO PREPARE FOR THAT. 
          UM, OPIOID ALERTS ON THAT STAT GRAPH AT THE BOTTOM, THAT LIGHT GREEN, THOSE ARE OPIOID ALERTS IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM. 
          UH, AND I'VE SHOWED YOU KIND OF YEAR TO DATE GOING BACK AND THEN INTO Q2 ALSO, UH, THAT BLUE LINE IN THE STAT GRAPH IS NARCAN RESCUE KITS A GIVEN OUT, UH, EITHER USED BY A BYSTANDER AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS, AUSTIN FIRE OR AUSTIN POLICE. 
          AND THEN THAT TOP DARK GREEN LINE IS NARCAN RESCUE KITS DISTRIBUTED. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE THAT THAT STAT GRAPH, AS I'VE TALKED BEFORE, GOES OFF THE PAGE AS WE PAIRED DOWN THE SAMHSA GRANT AND SPENT THOSE MONIES AND GOTTEN NARCAN OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND THEN WE ARE PIVOTING TO THE OPIOID, UH, SETTLEMENT FUNDS. 
          AND SO OUR NARCAN FUNDING AND SUPPLY IN THE COMMUNITY DEFINITELY REMAINS HEALTHY. 
          BUT YOU'LL SEE THAT TOP PART OF THAT STAT CRAFT COME, COME DOWN AS WE'VE JUST FLOODED THE, THE COMMUNITY WITH NARCAN. 
          I THINK TOO, IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT OUR, OUR Q3 AND Q4 QUARTERLY REPORTS ARE GONNA BE TELLING TO SEE WHAT THIS SUMMER SPIKE LOOK LIKE AND HOW SOME OF THESE EFFORTS ARE, ARE, ARE COMBATING THAT. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          AND SO THE ARROWS ON THIS SLIDE INDICATE POSITIVE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITHIN OUR INTEGRATED SERVICES DIVISION. 
          AND SO OF THOSE OPIOID INTERVENTIONS, THAT 1054 UP OUR NARCAN RESCUE KITS DISTRIBUTED AT 650. 
          UM, ALSO UP IS BUPRENORPHINE BRIDGE DOSES AT 102 HUNDRED ONE, UH, PATIENTS CONNECTED TO MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT IS 58. 
          OPIOID USE EDUCATION UP AS WELL SITS AT 1 35. 
          AND THEN SOME VALUES THAT REMAIN FLAT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT THAT ARE NOT MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT OR OTHER SUBSTANCES SETS AT THREE ENROLLED IN ALCOHOL BRIDGE IS FIVE. 
          AND THEN CONNECTED TO PEER SUPPORT AT ONE. 
          SO THOSE THREE BOTTOM VALUES REMAIN RELATIVELY FLAT FROM Q1 TO Q2. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          TALKING ABOUT OUR POP-UP RESOURCE CLINICS AS WE REPAIR FOR THIS SUMMER SPIKE. 
          AND AS WE TALK ABOUT THAT 57% OF OPIOID ALERTS BEING PERSONS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          IF MEMORY SERVES IN Q1, IT WAS ROUGHLY ABOUT 47%. 
          SO WE HAVE SEEN THAT INCREASE FROM Q1 TO Q2 POPUP RESOURCE CLINICS IS WHEN OUR INTEGRATED SERVICES ARE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARA PARAMEDICS GO INTO THE COMMUNITY AND WE LEAD COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND WE SET UP IN ALLEYWAYS AND STRIP CENTERS AND AREAS WHERE WE ARE SEEING HIGH INDICATION OF OPIOID ALERTS BY ZIP CODE AND ALSO WHERE WE'RE SEEING, UM, HIGH UTILIZERS IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM. 
          AND SO WE'RE TARGETING THOSE GREATEST COMMUNITIES IN NEED. 
          SO IN Q2, WE CONNECT IN 180 PEOPLE TO 826 SERVICE INTERVENTIONS. 
          WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE IS HEALTHCARE THAT WILL ULTIMATELY END UP IN THE 9 1 1 CENTER. 
          IT COULD BE WOUND CARE, COULD BE PRESCRIPTION REFILLS, UM, IT COULD BE REPLACING YOUR ID THAT YOU'VE LOST, UM, EXPUNGING WARRANTS, UH, SIMPLE THINGS LIKE CLOTHES, SHOES AND SOCKS AND TOILETRIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          AND THEN ALSO THE DISTRIBUTION OF NARCAN RESCUE KITS AS WE PREPARE FOR THAT SUMMER SPIKE. 
          I KNOW THAT THERE QUESTIONS AT LAST MEETING REGARDING, UH, FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND THOSE CONTINUE TO BE DISTRIBUTED AT OUR PERKS. 
          AND THEN OUR HOMELESS OUTREACH STREET TEAM, UH, DEPLOYS THOSE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS TOO DURING THE WEEK AS THEY'RE ROUNDING WITH THE, WITH THE COMMUNITY AND PERSONS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE, WHICH I'VE GOTTEN IN FRONT OF YOU BEFORE THAT TALKS ABOUT HOW WE DIVERT LOW ACUITY CALLS TO SAVE AN AMBULANCE RESPONSE. 
          AND SO OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE IN FISCAL YEAR 25, UH, TOOK 28,000 CALLS PER YEAR AND SENT THEM TO THAT COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER TO TRY TO SAVE THAT AMBULANCE RESPONSE. 
          OF THOSE, WE DID HAVE TO SEND ABOUT 10,000 TO AN AMBULANCE RESPONSE, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT AS WE ARE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND OUR EXECUTIVE STAFF IS ROUNDING WITH PHIL CREWS, A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS ON MEMORIAL DAY WHEN MYSELF AND CHIEF LUCRE AND UH, THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF OPERATIONS ARE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, THERE WAS A VERY LOW LEVEL ASSAULT CALL THAT HAPPENED TO OCCUR RIGHT NEAR AN ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT AMBULANCE. 
          BUT BECAUSE AS YOU'VE SEEN BY THE NUMBERS FOR VACANCIES, WE HAVE A PLETHORA OF MEDICS THAT ARE CLEARED TO INDEPENDENT DUTY, WE'RE ABLE TO PUT THEM ON THAT BASIC LIFE SUPPORT TRUCK. 
          AND SO COMMUNICATION SENT THAT BASIC LIFE SUPPORT AMBULANCE, ALTHOUGH FARTHER AWAY TO THAT, NO LIGHTS AND SIRENS, A LOW PRIORITY CALL. 
          AND THE SECOND THAT I GOT ON SCENE WITH THEM, THAT ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT AMBULANCE GOT A VERY HIGH PRIORITY ONE CALL RIGHT IN ITS AREA. 
          AND SO AS WE'RE BEING MORE STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW WE, UH, WORK IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM AND AFFECT OUTCOMES IN THAT, THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THAT IS POSITIVELY, UM, HELPING OUR, OUR ORGANIZATION. 
          11,000 WILL RESOLVE WITHOUT AN AMBULANCE. 
          SO THIS EQUATES TO ABOUT 20% OF OUR TOTAL NINE ONE ONE CALL VOLUME. 
          AND SO ON AVERAGE, JUST FOR REFERENCE ABOUT AN AMBULANCE RESPONDS TO ABOUT 3000 
          [00:20:01]
CALLS A YEAR. 
          AND SO THIS REPRESENTS MORE THAN THREE AMBULANCES THAT WE'D HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO HANDLE THAT ADDITIONAL CALL VOLUME IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE. 
          SO THEY'RE DOING AMAZING WORK OVER THERE. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          I, I MIXED THIS UP FOR YOU ON THE AMBULANCE AUTO AID SLIDE. 
          I FIGURED Y'ALL WERE GETTING TIRED OF SEEING THE SAME TWO AMBULANCES SITTING BESIDE ONE ANOTHER. 
          . 
          UM, SO NOT ONLY DOES AMBULANCE AUTO AID, OBVIOUSLY WE ARE A PHASE TWO OF THE TELUS PROJECT. 
          THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S BEEN DOING IT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR EMS AMBULANCE AUTO AID. 
          SO THIS STRATEGIC PROJECT NOT ONLY IS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE AGENCIES TO RESPOND TO THE HIGHEST PRIORITY CALLS OR PARTY ONE ECHO CALLS, BUT ALSO ENSURES THAT FULL CAD INTEGRATION. 
          AND SO WE HAD AN RCA OR REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION THAT WENT TO COUNCIL ON MAY 21ST. 
          IT WAS APPROVED ON CONSENT, AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING KIND OF HOW FAR IN THE DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS EACH AGENCY'S GONNA RESPOND. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO WORKING ON THE ACTUAL OPERATIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OVER THE SUMMER. 
          AND THEN ALSO THE, THE TRAINING AND ORIENTATION FOR STAFF. 
          I PUT THIS MAP ON HERE BECAUSE IT SHOWS JUST HOW SOME OF THESE CALLS FALL ALONG THE 9 1 1 BORDER WHERE AUSTIN MAY, UH, JET INTO WILLIAMSON COUNTY AND AND VICE VERSA. 
          SO I THINK THIS MAP'S INCREDIBLY TELLING. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          UM, AT LAST COMMISSION MEETING, I KNOW I BELIEVE CHAIR YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT KIND OF, UH, EMERGENCY VEHICLE PREEMPTION. 
          SO I KIND OF TOOK SOME TIME TO TALK THROUGH KIND OF THE LEGACY SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE AND THE NEW SYSTEM. 
          AND SO WHAT I WILL SAY IS, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE AMBULANCE AND YOU LOOK AT THE LIGHT BAR BETWEEN THE TWO BLUE LIGHTS, THERE IS A LOWER LIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AMBULANCE THAT IS NOT ILLUMINATED AND THAT IS A STROBE. 
          AND WHEN THE AMBULANCE IS IN DRIVE, IT FLASHES AT A CERTAIN PATTERN. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL UP THERE, THERE'S, IF YOU'LL NOTICE AROUND TOWN, THERE ARE PHOTOS SENSORS ON THERE. 
          AND SO AS THE AMBULANCE GETS CLOSE TO THAT TRAFFIC SIGNAL, IT PICKS UP ON THAT STROBE FOR AMBULANCES, FIRE TRUCKS AND, AND POLICE CARS AS WELL. 
          UM, BUT THAT SYSTEM IS QUITE ANTIQUATED. 
          IT'S QUITE OLD. 
          IT'S BEEN AROUND IF MEMORY SERVES FROM THE LATE EIGHTIES, EARLY NINETIES, IT'S INCREDIBLY LABORIOUS TO MAINTAIN THE STROBES ON THE EMERGENCY VEHICLES GO OUT. 
          UH, THE PHOTO CELLS, DEPENDING ON UV LIGHT MAY FAIL. 
          AND THEN DEPENDING ON HOW THE EMERGENCY VEHICLE APPROACHES THE INTERSECTION, YOU MAY GET WASHOUT FROM THE SUN. 
          THEY HAVE HISTORICALLY WORKED BETTER AT NIGHT WHEN THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TRAFFIC VERSUS DURING THE DAY WHEN THERE IS A LOT OF TRAFFIC. 
          UM, THE OTHER THING THAT IT DOESN'T DO IS THAT YOU GOTTA GET REALLY CLOSE TO THE TRAFFIC INTERSECTION FOR IT TO RECOGNIZE THAT STROBE LIGHT. 
          AND SO A LOT OF TIMES THE LIGHT WILL CYCLE, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH TIME FOR THE TRAFFIC TO GO ANYWHERE AND THERE'S NOWHERE FOR THEM TO GO. 
          AND SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE PITFALLS ON THIS EMERGENCY PREEMPTION. 
          AND SO, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          I'M VERY HAPPY TO TALK THROUGH WHAT MODERN EMERGENCY VEHICLE PREEMPTION LOOKS LIKE. 
          UM, AMBULANCES AND FIRE TRUCKS HAVE, WELL, A WIFI NETWORK THAT ENCOMPASSES THEM. 
          IT'S HOW THE CARDIAC MONITORS AND ALL THE COMPUTERS TALK TO THE, THE CLOUD-BASED ENVIRONMENT. 
          AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, WHO GETS THE LION'S SHARE OF THIS CREDIT HAVE ALSO BEEN BRINGING TRAFFIC SIGNALS ONLINE. 
          AND SO THEY CAME TO US AND SAID, YOUR AMBULANCES ARE ONLINE. 
          YOUR FIRE TRUCKS ARE ONLINE AND OUR TRAFFIC SIGNALS ARE ONLINE. 
          CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO CYCLE THE LIGHT AS YOU APPROACH IT? OVER THE LAST YEAR, WE'VE DONE A ROBUST AMOUNT OF TESTING ON THAT AND, UM, AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT ACTUALLY CAN DO THAT. 
          UM, AND SO WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS SYSTEM IS THAT IT, I'LL USE THE AMBULANCE AS AN EXAMPLE. 
          NOT ONLY DOES IT SEE THE AMBULANCE, WELL BEFORE THE AMBULANCE EVEN SEES THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL, IT SEES WHICH DIRECTION IT'S GOING, AND IT MAY CYCLE MULTIPLE LIGHTS IN ENOUGH TIME TO ALLOW FOR TRAFFIC TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. 
          UM, IT MAY TAKE A RED LIGHT AND TURN IT TO GREEN, AND IT MIGHT TAKE A GREEN LIGHT AND MAKE IT GREEN A LITTLE LONGER. 
          BUT THEN BY THE TIME THE AMBULANCE GETS THERE, THEN THAT TRAFFIC HAS HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WAY. 
          AND SO, UM, WE ARE SEEING JUST AN INCREDIBLE, UH, BOOST IN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT AMBULANCES ARE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY AFFECT, UH, RESPONSE TIMES. 
          AND THEN ALSO FOR THE CREW. 
          THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO START AND STOP AS THEY GET ON THOSE, THOSE INTERSECTIONS. 
          AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT YEAR TO KIND OF REFINE THIS SYSTEM. 
          WE HAVE AMBULANCES, DISTRICT COMMANDERS ON THIS SYSTEM AS WELL FOR, FOR MY ORGANIZATION. 
          AND THEN WE WILL LOOK FOR OUR SINGLE UNIT RESPONDERS THAT THAT MAY NOT HAVE THAT WIFI BUBBLE AROUND THERE. 
          AND SO THAT'LL BE THE NEXT PART OF THIS PROJECT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND THEN JUST, JUST TALKING ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT OCCURRED, UH, THIS QUARTER, JUST BECAUSE IT'S A BUSY TIME FOR US, IT WAS NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK. 
          AND SO I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THESE NATIONAL EVENTS THAT IS BOTH NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK AND THEN EMS WEEK. 
          UH, BUT OUR 
          [00:25:01]
COMMUNICATION STAFF ARE BOTH CERTIFIED EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS AND THEIR EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCHERS AS WELL. 
          AND SO WHAT THEY DO IS PROVIDE CARE OVER THE PHONE WHILE YOU'RE STILL TALKING IN THE AMBULANCE OR THE FIRE TRUCK IS RESPONDING. 
          WE CALL THAT THE ZERO MINUTE RESPONSE TIME. 
          AND SO THESE CERTIFIED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, THEY MAY WELL VERIFY A CALLBACK NUMBER IN CASE THEY DIS DISCONNECTED. 
          THAT'S THE FIRST THING THEY DO. 
          THEN THEY VERIFY THE ADDRESS. 
          'CAUSE IF WE CAN'T GET TO YOU, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT, WHAT WE DO, WE NEED TO VERIFY THAT ADDRESS. 
          AND THEN WHILE THAT AMBULANCE IS ALREADY IN ROUTE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALREADY GIVING THOSE PRE-ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS. 
          UH, IN 2025, THEY DID 34,779 PRE-ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS THROUGH NINE ONE ONE SIX HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN CPR INSTRUCTIONS THAT MAY BE PULLING A LOVED ONE OFF A BED AND ONTO THE FLOOR. 
          SO YOU CAN DO EFFECTIVE CPR AND THEN TELLING THOSE CALLERS HOW TO DO CPR ON A LOVED ONE. 
          UM, IT'S AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT JOB, A 57 HEIMLICH MANEUVER INSTRUCTIONS AND SIX OBSTETRICAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS IN WHICH A BABY WAS DELIVERED PRIOR TO EMS ARRIVAL. 
          SO THERE, THERE'S A REASON WE CALL 'EM THE HEROES BEHIND THE HEADSETS. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THAT. 
          BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THEY DO. 
          THEY ARE THE ANSWERING POINT FOR ALL MEDICAL CALLS WITHIN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEY CALL A PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT. 
          AND SO THEY FILL CALLS THAT ARE SENT OVER FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, TRAVIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES LIKE LAKEWAY AND PFLUGERVILLE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AND THE A ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          THEY ALSO DO A MEDICAL TRIAGE FOR STAR FLIGHT, BUT ALSO SEVERAL OF THE CENTRAL TEXAS PRIVATE MEDICAL PROVIDERS AS THEY GO INTO AUSTIN AND MOVE CRITICAL PATIENTS LIKE ECMO PATIENTS AROUND THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. 
          UM, AND THEN OTHER AGENCIES, BECAUSE WE ARE AN ACCREDITED CENTER OF EXCELLENCE, THEY MAY TRANSFER SOME OF THESE PRE-ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS TO AUSTIN BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT HAVE THE TRAINING TO DO THAT. 
          AND SO THEY'RE PROVIDING THOSE PRE-ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOME CALLS THAT POTENTIALLY OCCUR OUTTA COUNTY. 
          UM, AND THEN THEY, THEY DISPATCH FOR STAR FLIGHT, LIKE I MENTIONED, OF THE PFLUGERVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS AMBULANCES OF THE CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE THAT HAS A, A PRIVATE THAT THEY'RE UTILIZING CURRENTLY. 
          AND THEN A LOT OF THE LOCAL ESDS SUCH AS NORTHLAKE, TRAVIS FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE WESTLAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ET CETERA. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, OUR COMMUNICATION CENTER IS ACCREDITED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS. 
          WE'RE THE 39TH ACCREDITED MEDICAL COMMUNICATION CENTER IN THE WORLD. 
          WE WERE FIRST ACCREDITED IN 2001 OF MORE THAN 350 WORLDWIDE. 
          UM, IT DOES REQUIRE OUR MEDICAL DISPATCHERS TO BE, UM, CERTIFIED AND SWORN. 
          UM, AND THEN THEY FOLLOW THESE RIGIDLY DEFINED PROTOCOLS. 
          AND THEN THEY HAVE A VERY SIGNIFICANT QAQI THAT THEY FOLLOW. 
          UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRACKED TO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS FROM PHONE PICKUP TO FIRST KEYSTROKE AND HOW THEY FOLLOW THOSE SCRIPTS AND INSTRUCTIONS. 
          UM, AND ANOTHER INTERESTING STAT, THEY DID 217,000 INBOUND AND OUTBOUND CALLS IN FISCAL YEAR 25 WITH 151,577 DIRECT 9 1 1 CALLS. 
          SO THEY'RE RIDICULOUSLY BUSY UP THERE, BUT THEY'RE DOING AMAZING WORK. 
          AND THEN JUST KIND OF BRINGING THIS HOME, UM, WE ALSO CELEBRATED NATIONAL EMS WEEK. 
          AND SO, UH, THIS YEAR'S THEME IS IMPROVING OUTCOMES TOGETHER. 
          AND SO THIS YEAR KIND OF FOCUSES AND HIGHLIGHTS ON KINDA THE HIGH TECH CLINICAL CARE THAT OUR PRE-HOSPITAL CLINICIANS ARE DOING, UH, WHICH IS WHOLE BLOOD AND, AND ULTRASOUND, AND THEN ALSO EMPHASIZING MENTAL HEALTH FOR OUR EMS PERSONNEL. 
          SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS A, A WORTHY HIGHLIGHT THIS YEAR FOR EMS WEEK. 
          AND I KNOW WE'VE TEASED AND WE WANT TO COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT KIND OF OUR WHOLE BLOOD PROGRAM. 
          WE ARE ABOUT EIGHT ADMINISTRATIONS AWAY FROM OUR THOUSAND 1000 BLOOD ADMINISTRATION. 
          AND SO AS WE HIT THAT MILESTONE, WE'LL BE TALKING THROUGH THAT. 
          UH, AND THEN ALSO, IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN 2026, OUR CLINICIANS PROVIDE ULTRASOUND. 
          THEY DO FAST EXAMS WITH ULTRASOUND. 
          THEY'RE ABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE CHEST CAVITY MAY HAVE BLOOD IN IT FROM A TRAUMATIC EVENT, WHICH MAY BE AN INDICATION TO GIVE WHOLE BLOOD, AND THEN THEY'RE ABLE TO PUT THAT AS PART OF THE PATIENT CARE RECORD. 
          SO SOME OF THIS TRAINING AND INVESTING WE'RE DOING WITH OUR PERSONNEL ON THE FRONT END IS VERY HELPFUL, WE THINK, FOR RETENTION, BECAUSE WHEN YOU GO TO OTHER AGENCIES, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO DO THIS. 
          BUT, UH, THE OTHER THING WE DID WAS, UH, JUST PROVIDE VARIOUS MEALS, UH, AT SURROUNDING HOSPITALS FOR OUR STAFF FOR EMS WEEK AND IN COMMUNICATIONS FOR TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK. 
          UH, WE, WE DEFINITELY GIVE THEM KIND OF SWAG AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UH, TO CELEBRATE EMS WEEK AND THEN OUR ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFAST PREPARED BY OUR EXECUTIVE STAFF. 
          THIS WAS A BUSY MONDAY FOR US. 
          WE PROVIDED THAT SOME MEALS FOR ONGOING AND OFFGOING CREWS, AND THEN WE ROLLED RIGHT INTO OUR ACADEMY GRADUATION. 
          SO IT WAS A, A GOOD EMS WEEK. 
          AND THEN JUST THE OTHER THING IN CLOSING I WANTED TO SAY WAS YOU DIDN'T MISS OUR ANNUAL AWARD CEREMONY. 
          WE HAVE HISTORICALLY DONE THAT IN MAY, BUT 
          [00:30:01]
WE PURPOSEFULLY DIDN'T DO IT IN MAY. 
          WE'RE GONNA MOVE THAT TO OCTOBER. 
          WE FOUND MAY AND MEMORIAL DAY, VERY DIFFICULT WITH A LOT OF OUR STAFFS, UH, HAS GR GRADUATIONS FOR SOME OF THEIR KIDS. 
          AND AS YOU GO INTO THAT WEEKEND, IT WAS HARD TO GET ATTENDANCE. 
          SO WE'LL BE MINDFUL OF AUSTIN. 
          SO CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL AND FORMULA ONE, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THAT INVITATION AS WE LOCK DOWN THOSE DETAILS AS WELL. 
          SO THAT CONCLUDES MY, UH, Q2 REPORT AND HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          YOU HAVE, UH, PHENOMENAL PRESENTATION AND I'M INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED BY EVERYTHING THAT YOU, UH, PRESENTED, EVEN THOUGH I'M A, A KID OF THE EIGHTIES AND I LOVE THEIR TECH. 
          I LOVE THAT THE MODERN PREEMPTION IS COMING INTO THE YEAR 2026. 
          SO MUCH APPRECIATED WITH THAT. 
          AND I LOVE THE STRENGTH OF CADET CLASS 0 7 2 6, UM, AND THE PROACTIVE NATURE OF THE POP-UP RESOURCE CLINICS WHERE Y'ALL ARE GOING, WHERE THE NEEDS ARE, ARE, UM, WARRANTED, AND THE THE PASSING OUT OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS IS VERY IMPRESSIVE. 
          I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION A LITTLE BIT TONGUE IN CHEEK. 
          UM, IS THERE ANY LIKE COOPERATION TALKS BETWEEN BASTROP EMS SEEING THAT THEY'RE RECRUITING SOME OF OUR POSSIBLE CANDIDATES? YES, AND NOT ONLY BASTROP SD THREE, BUT ALSO HAYES COUNTY, ESD NINE AS WELL. 
          AND SO WE HAVE MET WITH THEIR, THEIR, THEIR LEADERSHIP. 
          I THINK IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE, THERE'S, THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT I CAN DO ON THAT. 
          UM, I THINK THAT THAT, BUT CERTAINLY, UM, I THINK THAT AS OUR EMTS AND PARAMEDICS MAY FIND THAT WE HAVE SCHEDULED A SERIES OF TOWN HALLS WITH OUR STAFF. 
          UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO FEEL LIKE, UM, IF WE HAVE THOSE THAT SEPARATE, WE SHOULD REACH OUT TO 'EM IN A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD AND, AND RECOG MAKE SURE THEY RECOGNIZE WHAT A REAPPOINTMENT TO THE ORGANIZATION MIGHT LOOK LIKE. 
          UM, BUT I, I THINK THAT IT'S GREAT FOR EMS AND CENTRAL TEXAS TO GROW. 
          UM, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT WE WILL SEE AN UPTICK IN THOSE VACANCIES. 
          AND AS WE PRIME THE PUMP FOR THAT RECRUITING, HAVING, YOU KNOW, THOSE FOUR ACADEMIES A YEAR WITH AS MANY FOLKS AS WE CAN GET IN, BECAUSE I, IT, IT IS, IT IS HARD TO NAVIGATE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOLKS JUST, THIS IS A VERY BUSY 9 1 1 SYSTEM. 
          YOU HAVE TO COMMUTE INTO THE CITY. 
          SO WE'VE DONE A LOT WITH SCHEDULES AND PROTOCOLS AND TRIED TO DEFER THAT NINE ONE ONE CALL VOLUME ON LOW ACUITY CALLS JUST TO, TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KIND OF RETAIN THEM. 
          . 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          YES, SIR. 
          UM, ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT? UM, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE PARTICULARLY THE, THE DISCUSSION OF, UM, THE C FOUR PROGRAM. 
          AND I'M CONCERNED IF Y'ALL ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT BEING IMPACTED BY FUTURE BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS SINCE THE CITY'S BUDGET IS SO INCREDIBLY TIGHT. 
          UM, AND AS PART OF THAT, I'M WONDERING IF YOU'VE DONE ANY CALCULATION OF THE IMPACT ON FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONSES TO MEDICAL CALLS. 
          LIKE I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT JUST MATCHES UP EVENLY WITH HOW IT'S IMPACTING EMS OR IF, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SORT OF A SA SEPARATE BUDGET LINE. 
          I THINK PART OF OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE AS WE WENT THROUGH THE REPRIORITIZATION OF CALLS, I KNOW THAT THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR QUARTERLY REPORTS HAVE TALKED ABOUT THEIR REDUCTION IN CALL VOLUME THEY SEEN. 
          AND SO I THINK THE FIRST STEP IN THIS PROCESS WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PRIORITIES WERE ALIGNED, UM, AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT WE COULD TAKE COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE AND MAKE IT 24 HOURS A DAY AND THEN TAKE AS MANY OF THOSE PRIORITY FIVE CALLS AS WE CAN. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THIS COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE, AND WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT A, A RHYTHM WOULD BE TO REEVALUATE, IS THAT ENSURING THAT, UM, A LOT OF OUR, THAT PRIORITY FOUR CALLS THAT WE'RE APPROPRIATE WOULD GO THERE. 
          AND SO YOU MAY WELL SEE THAT DISTRIBUTION WHERE YOU MAY TAKE SOME PRIORITY FOURS AND MOVE THEM INTO THE PRIORITY THREE BUCKET TO ENSURE YOU HAVE THE BEST CHANCE TO GET 'EM OVER TO THE COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE. 
          AND THEN THAT HELPS THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE FIRST RESPONDING ON THOSE PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO CALLS. 
          RIGHT? AND THOSE PRIOR PRIORITY BUCKETS FOR, UH, THE FIRE FIRST RESPONSE HAS BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT. 
          WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD SPOT WITH THAT, ROUGHLY ABOUT TO 10% ON THAT PRIORITY ONE, AND THEN A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THAT ON PRIORITY TWO. 
          SO I THINK THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY LEANING INTO THAT AND I THINK WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, REALLY ANY OF YOUR PROGRAMS THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE AT KIND OF GAP FILLING IN OUR SYSTEM. 
          UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S TENSION. 
          I THINK CENTRAL HEALTH IS PLAYING A BIGGER ROLE AND, AND GONNA CONTINUE TO PLAY A BIGGER ROLE IN INDIGENT HEALTHCARE, BUT, UH, WE DON'T WANNA DROP THE BALL IN THE MIDDLE. 
          RIGHT, ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO KIND OF DIVE INTO THAT AND IF I CAN INCORPORATE SOME NUGGETS OR LESSONS LEARNED INTO MY NEXT QUARTERLY REPORT, I'LL CERTAINLY DO THAT. 
          THANKS. 
          [00:35:01]
QUESTION RAMIREZ. 
          YEAH, JUST A FOLLOW UP QUESTION ON THE C FOUR, CAN YOU REMIND US STAFFING WISE HOW MANY FOLKS YOU HAVE IN THE C FOUR AND YOU ARE NOW AND CONFIRM THAT YOU GUYS ARE NOW 24 HOUR AND CONSISTENTLY ABLE TO STAFF 24 HOURS? YES. 
          SO THAT IS A, A CREDENTIAL. 
          WE HAVE TAKEN THAT CLINICAL SPECIALIST OR THAT PARAMEDIC, THEY HAVE MOVED OVER TO C FOUR. 
          THEY ARE CONSISTENTLY, UH, 24 HOURS A DAY. 
          THEIR STAFFING DOES FLUCTUATE, BUT THEY'RE ON THE SAME SCHEDULE AS COMMUNICATIONS. 
          AND SO WE STAFF THE MOST CLINICIANS FOR THE COLLABORATIVE CARE LINE DURING THE PEAK CALL VOLUMES. 
          AND THEN AS THEY'RE DOING THOSE 24 HOUR SHIFTS, HOW THEY KIND OF REST IN THAT 24 HOUR SHIFT. 
          'CAUSE THEY'RE JUST ANSWERING CALLS. 
          BUT YES, THEY HAVE, THEY ARE AT, THEY ARE A 24 7 OPERATION AND THEY ARE GETTING THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF CALL VOLUME FOR THE STAFF WE HAVE OVER THERE. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE ALSO HAVE A COMMANDER WHO'S IN AN ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION. 
          HE'S NOT OUT IN THE SYSTEM, AND HE MANAGES THAT SECTION ALONG WITH CAPTAINS AS WELL. 
          SO NOT ONLY HAVE WE ADDED THE STAFF OVER THERE, BUT WE'VE ADDED THE RANK STRUCTURE JUST SO THAT THEIR VOICES AND ANY KIND OF MODIFICATIONS WE NEED TO MAKE ARE MAKING IT UP THE, THE CHAIN AND THE COUNT RIGHT NOW IS THAT I BELIEVE THE COUNT, LET, LET ME GET THAT EXACT NUMBER. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I WILL EMAIL THROUGH THE, YEAH, THROUGH THE CLERK THAT WOULD, AND GET YOU ALL THE RIGHT NUMBER. 
          I, I JUST DON'T KNOW IT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU SURE? WE CAN, UH, I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION ON THE OPIOID, UH, RESPONSES AS ALWAYS, AND I HOPE THAT THE, OUR LOWER NUMBERS IN APRIL WILL PAN OUT FOR BEING A LITTLE BIT LOWER IN THE SUMMER AS WELL. 
          I DID HAVE A CLARIFICATION THEN. 
          JUST A QUESTION. 
          SO IT KNOW THAT THERE ARE 89 PEOPLE ENROLLED IN THE, UH, BUPRENORPHINE BRIDGE PROGRAM, BUT THEN ON THE NEXT SLIDE, IT, IT HAD 58 PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THE MEDICATION ASSISTED THERAPY. 
          WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF HOW YOU'RE CATEGORIZING SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS ON THERE? LET ME GO BACK TO THAT SLIDE SO THAT I CAN BE CONVERSANT IN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          GIVE ME ONE MOMENT. 
          IT WAS MY SLIDE. 
          IT'S SLIDE EIGHT AND THEN NINE, SLIDE EIGHT. 
          THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL. 
          EIGHT, EIGHT AND NINE. 
          WHAT THAT EIGHT AND NINE? YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, I GOT IT RIGHT HERE. 
          UM, AND ASK THE QUESTION ONE MORE TIME, JUST SO I'M CLEAR. 
          SO ON SLIDE EIGHT IT MENTIONED THERE'S 8, 8, 9 PEOPLE WERE ENROLLED IN THE BRIDGE PROGRAM, UHHUH, , UM, BUT THEN ON THE NEXT SLIDE, 58 WERE CONNECTED TO THE MAP AND JUST SOME OF THE NUMBERS, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN THERE IN TERMS OF HOW YOU'RE, YOU ALL ARE COUNTING THOSE? YES. 
          LET ME GET CLARIFICATION ON THAT. 
          MY SENSE OF THAT IS THAT, UM, THAT THE, THE BREAKDOWN, I, I THINK WE ENCOUNTERED THIS LAST TIME WHEN I PRESENTED THIS, AND THERE'S A NUANCE IN THE DATA WHERE FOLKS MAY GO TO A DIFFERENT KIND OF A, IT MAY NOT BE THAT THEY NEED MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT, BUT LET ME, LET ME CLARIFY THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN THE FOLLOW UP ON THAT, ONCE WE DO GET THAT, I, I KNOW WE HAD TALKED IN THE PAST ABOUT HOW WE'RE TRACKING, UM, THE DURABLE RESPONSE TO THOSE, UH, FOLKS THAT ARE IN TREATMENT. 
          SO IF WE ABLE TO GET ANYTHING AT SOME POINT ABOUT THOSE WHO WE CONNECT, HOW MANY STAY IN THAT TREATMENT AND FOR WHAT, YOU KNOW, ARE WE SUCCESSFUL A MONTH, SIX MONTHS? THEN IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE NEED TO DO TO TRY TO INCREASE THOSE RETENTION RATES, I'LL, I'LL SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT, THAT DATA. 
          THAT'D BE AN INTERESTING OUTCOME DATA TO HAVE. 
          AND I KNOW YOU AND I ARE, WE DON'T THINK WE DO ENOUGH OUTCOME DATA MONITORING. 
          AND SO THANK YOU. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER SMITH? YEAH, JUST ON THAT OUTPUT DATA, IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD AN OVERLAY TO ALSO ANALYZE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF, UM, THAT DATA AS WELL. 
          DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT DOES. 
          WHAT SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I WOULD BE, I WOULD BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN RACE, ETHNICITY, AGE, UM, AND, UM, IF THEY HAD ANY, YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, INTELLECTUAL OR PHYSICAL DISABILITY, THOSE WOULD BE THE THINGS THAT I WOULD BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN. 
          CERTAINLY. 
          AND I THINK THERE MAY BE SOME LEGWORK WE HAVE TO DO, WHETHER THAT BE, UH, SOME AGREEMENTS TO GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THEM, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO WORK AT THAT AS THE NEXT GENERATION. 
          SO I'LL, I'LL, I'LL PUT THAT ON MY, ON MY PUNCH LIST. 
          YES. 
          DEFINITELY NOT SOMETHING THAT I KNOW CAN MANIFEST OUT OF THIN AIR JUST AS WE THINK OF THESE ITERATIONS AND CONTINUING TO MAKE THAT DATA AS BEAUTIFUL AS IT COULD BE. 
          UM, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT I WOULD WANNA SEE IN A REPORT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANYTHING FURTHER? I OKAY. 
          THANK YOU CHIEF HOPKINS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, WE'RE MOVING 
          [3. Discussion of Austin EMS Association budget and sworn staff priorities. Presented by James  Monks, President, Austin EMS Association. ]
ON TO THE AUSTIN EMS ASSOCIATION BUDGET AND SWORN STAFF PRIORITIES, UH, PRESENTED BY JAMES MONKS, PRESIDENT OF THE 
          [00:40:01]
AUSTIN EMS ASSOCIATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON Y'ALL. 
          HOW Y'ALL DOING? I APPRECIATE Y'ALL INVITING ME TO SPEAK THIS AFTERNOON. 
          UH, I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF GO OVER A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT AS WE'RE HEADING INTO THIS BUDGET. 
          AND, UM, MOST OF THESE ISSUES ARE GONNA BE THINGS THAT Y'ALL HAVE HEARD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PREVIOUSLY, BUT I JUST WANT TO REITERATE AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, CHIEF HOPKINS KIND OF GOING OVER SOME OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING UP AT COMM AND, UH, JUST OVERALL THE GENERAL RECRUITING, UM, ATMOSPHERE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, BUT REALLY I WANTED TO POINT OUT, UM, THE, THE CURRENT REVOLVING DOOR RECRUITMENT STRATEGY THAT WE, THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AFFECTING US AT A-T-C-M-S. 
          AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE'RE, UH, UNIQUE IN THAT, UM, IT'S A WIDESPREAD ISSUE IN EMS, BUT, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO OTE MS SPECIFICALLY, WE SHOULDN'T BE MAINTAINING, OR WE SHOULDN'T BE STRUGGLING THIS HARD TO MAINTAIN OUR STAFFING, IN MY OPINION. 
          UM, WE SHOULD BE THE MOST DESIRABLE EMS DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY TO COME AND WORK FOR, UH, WITH OUR CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTIONS, OUR UNION PROTECTIONS, UM, OUR HIGH CLINICAL STANDARDS, AND, UH, A LOT OF CAREER PATHWAYS. 
          UM, AND THAT JUST DON'T EXIST IN OTHER, UH, EMS DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, FRANKLY. 
          UH, BUT INSTEAD I'VE WATCHED OVER THE BETTER PART OF A DECADE, UH, AS WE'VE HAD PHENOMENAL MEDICS COME AND GO. 
          UM, THEY'VE HONED THEIR SKILLS AND THEY'VE BECOME EXPERTS AT THEIR CRAFT, BUT THEY MOVE ON TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          AND MOST RECENTLY, AS WE WERE DISCUSSING, UH, BASTROP AND HAYES COUNTY, UH, ARE THE MOST RECENT ITERATION. 
          BUT, UH, WE CONTINUALLY DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE, UH, FOR, WITH SURROUNDING AGENCIES. 
          IT'S BEEN ONGOING THE WHOLE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE, AND IT'S PROBABLY, UM, BEEN IN, BEEN A, BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THIS DEPARTMENT THE ENTIRE TIME IT'S BEEN IN EXISTENCE, HONESTLY. 
          UM, BUT THE ISSUE THAT HAS MOST BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT AFFECTS RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, BY OUR WORKFORCE IS OUR RETIREMENT, UM, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY OUR, OUR WORKLOAD. 
          UH, AUSTIN HAS THE LEAST ATTAINABLE RETIREMENT OUT OF ANY SIMILAR SYSTEM THAT I'VE LOOKED AT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. 
          UH, MOST OTHER AGENCIES ALLOW THEIR EMPLOYEES TO RETIRE AND COLLECT A PENSION AFTER ABOUT 20 TO 25 YEARS OF SERVICE, UH, EMPLOYEES FOR THE OTHER TWO AUSTIN, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, AUSTIN FIRE AND AUSTIN POLICE ALSO RETIRE, CAN RETIRE AND COLLECT A PENSION AT 25 YEARS SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GROUP B UNDER COORS AUSTIN MEDICS, UH, HAVE TO BE 30 YEARS OLD AND REACH AGE 62, OR HAVE TO MAKE 30 YEARS OF SERVICE AND THEN REACH AGE 62 IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO RETIRE. 
          AND SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THAT IF YOU HAVE A 25-YEAR-OLD COMING INTO THIS DEPARTMENT, UM, THEY'RE LOOKING AT 37 YEARS ON THE AMBULANCE, UH, THAT'S NOT AN ATTAINABLE RETIREMENT. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE CONSISTENTLY HEAR FROM PEOPLE. 
          YOU SEE THAT, UM, WE HAVE THE BIGGEST STRUGGLE, UH, WITH RETAINING PEOPLE ON THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR MARK. 
          AND, UH, EVEN LEANING INTO THE 10 YEAR MARK NOW, WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF MORE EXPERIENCED PROVIDERS LEAVE THE SYSTEM FOR, UH, MORE ATTAINABLE RETIREMENTS, MORE ATTAINABLE, UH, OR SUSTAINABLE WORKLOADS. 
          UM, AND SO ESSENTIALLY TELLING A 25-YEAR-OLD THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO SPEND ALMOST 40 YEARS ON AN AMBULANCE IS JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, GOING TO HELP WITH OUR RECRUITMENT STRATEGY. 
          AND IT'S, IT'S HAVING AN ACTIVE, UH, DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON, UH, HOW WE'RE ABLE TO RETAIN OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          AND SO MEANWHILE, WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT ARE VERY WELL HIGHLY TRAINED, VERY WELL QUALIFIED, UM, AND AFTER A FEW YEAR, FEW YEARS WITH AUSTIN, THEY'RE ABLE TO GO TO ESSENTIALLY ANY EMS DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY. 
          UM, THAT'S HOW WELL REGARDED THEY ARE. 
          UH, AND THEY CAN GO TO THESE DEPARTMENTS AND THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A MORE ATTAINABLE RETIREMENT, AND THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORKLOAD. 
          SO AS WE CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN FOLKS TO FILL OUR OPEN VACANCIES, WE'RE ALSO LOSING RESPECTED AND EXPERIENCED MEDICS TO OTHER AGENCIES BECAUSE OUR RETIREMENT, RETIREMENT IS SO UNATTAINABLE. 
          JUST LAST WEEK I HAD THE HONOR TO RECOGNIZE OUR FOLKS FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE RESPONSE TO THE BEAUFORT SHOOTING. 
          UH, ONE OF THE MEDICS THERE, UH, THEY RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR VALOR FROM BOTH A PD AND FROM OUR DEPARTMENT NEXT WEEK. 
          THAT DE THAT MEDIC IS GOING TO BE WORKING AS A SUPERVISOR FOR BASTROP COUNTY EMS. I HAD AN EXECUTIVE FROM ANOTHER DEPARTMENT EVEN TELL ME RECENTLY THAT YOUR PEOPLE TEST AND INTERVIEW SO WELL, IT'S EXPECTED ANYTIME WE OPEN A PROCESS THAT THEY WILL BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST. 
          THESE AREN'T NEW PEOPLE WHO JUST GOT HERE AND DECIDED IT WASN'T THE RIGHT FIT FOR THEM. 
          THESE AREN'T PEOPLE THAT ARE RETIRING AND MOVING ON TO THEIR NEXT GIG. 
          THESE ARE PEOPLE AT THE HEIGHT OF THEIR CAREERS, OFTEN WITH A DECADE OR MORE OF EXPERIENCE IN THEIR FIELD, AND THEY'RE MOVING ON BECAUSE AUSTIN ISN'T REMAINING COMPETITIVE ENOUGH TO RETAIN THEM. 
          EXCUSE ME. 
          PUBLIC SAFETY AND HEALTHCARE CAREERS SIMPLY AREN'T AS DESIRABLE AS THEY WERE 10 TO 20 YEARS AGO. 
          FRANKLY, THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE HAS ALSO CHANGED, AND ESPECIALLY AFTER COVID-19, FEWER PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO WORK THE LONG AND STRESSFUL HOURS THAT THESE JOBS ENTAIL. 
          THIS HAS EXACERBATED THE PRE-EXISTING 
          [00:45:01]
PARAMEDIC SHORTAGE. 
          AS HOSPITALS AND OTHER HEALTHCARE INDUSTRIES HAVE STARTED TO HIRE PARAMEDICS TO SUPPLEMENT THE NURSING SHORTAGE. 
          SO NOT ONLY ARE WE LOSING MEDICS TO OTHER AGENCIES, WE'RE ALSO LOSING MEDICS TO OTHER ASPECTS OF THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY. 
          SO UNTIL WE ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT MAKE OUR RETIREMENT UNATTAINABLE AND OUR WORKLOAD UNSUSTAINABLE, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO CHASE OUR TAILS, TRYING TO RECRUIT FOR POSITIONS THAT WE CAN'T KEEP FILLED. 
          THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN RECENT DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TRYING TO ADJUST OUR COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION OR THEIR OPERATIONS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES AND RESPONSE TIMES. 
          FROM EVERYTHING THAT I'VE OBSERVED, OUR EMS COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION IS REGULARLY RECOGNIZED BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY FOR THE EXCELLENCE OF THEIR WORK, SUGGESTING THAT A CONSOLIDATION OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS WILL SOMEHOW RESOLVE ANY ISSUES AROUND RESPONSE TIMES OR PATIENT OUTCOMES IS FRANKLY, I BELIEVE, MISINFORMED AND IT FAILS TO RECOGNIZE THE EXISTING COORDINATION BETWEEN OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS PERSONNEL. 
          I PROMISE THAT ADDING ANOTHER LAYER OF BUREAUCRACY WON'T IMPROVE RESPONSE TIMES, BUT ADDING MORE AMBULANCES WILL. 
          BUT WE CAN'T ADD AMBULANCES WITHOUT RECRUITING MORE MEDICS. 
          SO AS WE CAN ALL SEE, WE'VE COME FULL CIRCLE TO THE ROOT OF OUR PROBLEM. 
          NOW, I COULD TALK ALL DAY ABOUT WHAT WE COULD DO TO REDUCE THE WORKLOAD FOR OUR MEDICS TO MAKE THIS DEPARTMENT A MORE ATTRACTIVE CAREER PROSPECT, BUT I'LL KEEP THE SOLUTION SIMPLE. 
          WE NEED MORE RESOURCES AND A STRATEGY TO MITIGATE LOWER SEVERITY MEDICAL CALLS, WHICH THANKFULLY WE ARE LOOKING AT WITH, UH, THE INTRODUCTION OF C FOUR AND THE FLUSHING OUT OF THAT. 
          I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD UTILIZE MORE RESOURCES IN THAT REGARD TO CONTINUE, UH, SHAPING THAT PROGRAM AND HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT FOR, FOR OUR PATIENTS AND FOR THE SYSTEM. 
          UH, ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS I ALSO BELIEVE THAT CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IS, UM, OR, OR HOW IT ALL RELATES TO THE BUDGET, ESSENTIALLY. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          LATELY THE DISCUSSION SEEMS TO FREQUENTLY LEAVE OUT THAT OMS ONLY ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 10% OF THAT GENERAL FUND. 
          AND OF THAT, WE BRING ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR BUDGET BACK IN, UH, THROUGH REVENUE, MEANING THAT AUSTIN EMS ONLY REALLY ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT A LITTLE OVER SIX AND A HALF PERCENT OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UH, LOOSELY SPEAKING POINT BEING, UH, WE'VE BEEN RUNNING LEAN FOR THE ENTIRE TIME THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, WHICH IS ALMOST 10 YEARS. 
          UH, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LEVEL OF SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. 
          IF EVEN A PORTION OF OUR OWN REVENUE IS REALLOCATED BACK INTO OUR BUDGET, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO RELY ON YEAR TO YEAR FUNDING REQUESTS TO SOLVE THE SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN JUST DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES. 
          PROBLEMS THAT ARE GOING TO TAKE YEARS OF WORK AND STRATEGIC PLANNING TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS THAT LEND THEMSELVES WELL TO SOLUTIONS OR DON'T LEND THEMSELVES WELL TO SOLUTIONS WHEN WE'RE CONSTANTLY BATTLING, UH, FOR RESOURCES EVERY YEAR. 
          SO WITH THIS METHOD, WE COULD FIND A WAY TO FIX OUR PENSION, ADD STAFFING AND RESOURCES THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE SERVING AUSTIN WITH EXCELLENCE. 
          AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          UM, I ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION BECAUSE I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW. 
          HOW WOULD THAT 30 YEAR, UM, REQUIREMENT CHANGE? WHAT, HOW COULD WE CHANGE THAT? UM, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED, BUT, UM, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, AND WE HAVE SOMETHING IN OUR CONTRACTS, UH, IT'S CALLED A RETIREMENT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. 
          AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH THE CITY AND CO-WORKS ON HOW TO DEVELOP A PATHWAY FORWARD. 
          UM, HOW THE 30 YEARS COULD POSSIBLY CHANGE IS, UM, EITHER, YOU KNOW, THE OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN FLOWED TO ME IS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE THE, UH, PENSION AT THE LEGISLATIVE LEVEL, UH, WHICH IS GONNA CO REQUIRE QUITE A BIT OF TIME INVESTMENT AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENT. 
          UM, MY OTHER UNDERSTANDING AS FAR AS THAT APPROACH, THE BARRIER TO THAT APPROACH IS THAT THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF WHATEVER THE COST WOULD BE TO MOVE PEOPLE TO A SHORTER RETIREMENT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON THE GROUP E RETIREMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE, UH, ESSENTIALLY COVERED UP FRONT. 
          AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST BARRIERS THAT WE, WE SEE. 
          UM, A COUPLE OF OTHER SOLUTIONS THAT WE FLOATED, UM, TO THE CITY PREVIOUSLY IS LOOKING AT A, UH, EXPANSION INTO OUR 4 57, AND SO THAT WE COULD SEE MAYBE A CITY SPONSORED MATCH. 
          UM, AND WE'RE ALSO OPEN TO LOOKING AT, UM, FORMING A NEW SYSTEM OR TRYING TO FIND SOME WAY TO MAKE IT SO THAT WE HAVE, UH, A MORE DESIRABLE RETIREMENT. 
          THANK YOU MR. EGGER. 
          I JUST WANNA ASK A FOLLOW UP TO THAT. 
          IS THAT 30 YEAR THE VESTING IN THE PENSION PLAN, OR ARE YOU VESTED SOONER INTO THE PENSION? BUT IT'S JUST THE SERVICE TIME? IT'S THE SERVICE TIME. 
          SO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST LIKE ALL CITY, OTHER CITY EMPLOYEES UNDER COORS. 
          WE VEST AFTER FIVE YEARS AND THEN, UH, WE HAVE TO SERVE THE FULL 30 YEARS AND THEN REACH AGE 62. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO. 
          OH, COMMISSIONER BEHAR. 
          YEAH, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO FRAME THIS AS A QUESTION, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON, ON SORT OF HOW, HOW WE ADDRESS THE FINDING EMS MORE MONEY IN THE CURRENT, 
          [00:50:01]
UH, BUDGET ENVIRONMENT AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN WHERE IT, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THINGS ARE SORT OF ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK THAT DIDN'T USED TO BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. 
          MM-HMM. 
          UM, I MEAN, I'M, I'M TEMPTED TO ASK YOU GUYS HOW GOOD YOUR RELATIONSHIPS ARE WITH THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP OF THE STATE, BECAUSE IF THEY TOOK Y'ALL AS SERIOUSLY AS THEY TAKE THE POLICE, THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM. 
          UM, AND THAT'S ONLY HALF A JOKE. 
          LIKE, YOU GUYS COULD GET TO KNOW THE GOVERNOR, THAT WOULD BE FABULOUS. 
          UM, BUT DO YOU HAVE THOUGHTS ON LIKE, WAYS FORWARD CONSIDERING ALL THE HARD THINGS THAT THE CITY'S ALREADY BALANCING? UH, WELL I WON'T SPEAK, UH, SPEAK ON THIS WITH ANY TYPE OF AUTHORITY 'CAUSE I, I CAN'T, I COULDN'T A HUNDRED PERCENT SAY, BUT, UM, SOME THINGS THAT HAVE COME TO MIND ARE, UH, LOOKING AGAIN AT THE COUNTY'S STAKE IN THE SYSTEM. 
          UM, AND ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, UH, THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT WE'VE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. 
          UM, AND I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN REPEATED INVESTMENTS INTO THE DEPARTMENT, BUT PREVIOUSLY WE WERE, WE WERE PLAYING CATCH UP AND SO NOW WE'RE AT A, WE'RE KIND OF AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE WHERE WE ARE STILL TRYING TO PLAY CATCH UP, BUT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO FILL THINGS THAT WE'RE FIXING OUR PREEXISTING PROBLEMS. AND SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO KIND OF FIX THE PROBLEMS WHILE, UM, WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. 
          ESSENTIALLY WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD THE RACE CAR WHILE WE'RE ON THE HIGHWAY ESSENTIALLY. 
          UM, NOT THAT THEY'RE NECESSARILY COMPARABLE BUDGETS, 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW ACTUALLY HOW THE COUNTY'S BUDGET SIZE COMPARES TO OUR, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S BUDGET SIZE MM-HMM . 
          BUT ARE Y'ALL A SIMILAR PERCENTAGE OF THEIR BUDGET? UH, NEGATIVE. 
          I DON'T, I DON'T BELIEVE SO. 
          I WOULDN'T THINK SO, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS. 
          YEAH, MY MY MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN, UH, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY AND THE COUNTY ALLOCATES A CERTAIN, CERTAIN AMOUNT OR PERCENTAGE DEPENDING ON THAT AGREEMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT AGREEMENT'S BASED ON, LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OR I COULD GET, I COULD GET THOSE DETAILS FOR YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          I'M JUST CURIOUS. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          . 
          SORRY, . 
          NO, YOU'RE FINE. 
          MR. EGGER, YOU HAD, UH, I, I JUST WANNA GO BACK TO THE PENSION PIECE ONE MORE TIME. 
          ARE THOSE ACTUAL NEGOTIATIONS ABOUT MAKING CHANGES TO THE SET LAWS OF THE PENSION PLAN HAPPENING OR THEY'RE JUST A NICE IDEA? UH, SO THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. 
          UH, SO IT'S IN OUR CONTRACT AND ESSENTIALLY HOW IT'S LAID OUT IS THAT, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO DISCUSS THE PATHWAY FORWARD, BUT ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE NEED IS, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WE NEED. 
          ONE OF THOSE, UH, BITS OF INFORMATION WAS THE ACTUAL COST OR THE, UH, THAT WAS BEING WORKED ON BY COS ACTUARY. 
          AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE PRO WHERE WE'RE AT IN THE PROCESS CURRENTLY, REALLY. 
          UM, BUT YEAH, THAT WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY HARD CHARGING TO LIKE TRY TO FIND A SOLUTION ON HOW TO FIX THIS OR WHETHER WE'RE JUST KIND OF HAVING DISCUSSIONS IS, IS A GOOD QUESTION. 
          CAN I ASK A FOLLOW UP CHAIR? UM, IS THERE ANY OTHER EMS GROUP ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY THAT HAS THIS MODEL THAT YOU WOULD PREFER THAT CAN BE INVESTIGATED AS PART OF THIS AND BROUGHT FORWARD? I THINK WHAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY WAS, WAS ACTUALLY A PRETTY GOOD MODEL. 
          UM, EVERYBODY WHO'S ON THE, WHO IS CURRENTLY ON THE GROUP A, UH, RETIREMENT WITHIN OUR SYSTEM AND THEY STILL ARE HERE, UM, ARE ABLE TO RETIRE AFTER 23 YEARS OF SERVICE. 
          UM, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS ADJUSTMENTS WITH BOTH FIRE AND POLICE AND SO I THINK 25 YEARS IS, IS, UM, FAIR, BUT WE JUST BASICALLY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, UH, TAKE ALL THE FOLKS WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY ON GROUP B AND THEN ALSO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE. 
          AND WHILE ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE, HOW WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AT THE LEGISLATURE COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN. 
          I JUST, I WOULD JUST WANNA SAY, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO REALLY HAVE THESE SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS. 
          I HAVE, I KNOW I HAVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ON A, ON PENSION BOARDS AND PUBLIC PENSION BOARD. 
          THERE, THERE ARE WAYS TO DO THIS AND NOT, THERE IS A LOT OF PAPERWORK, BUT THE RECRUITING ISSUES THAT WE HEARD ABOUT TODAY ARE, ARE, ARE, THEY'RE TOTALLY RELATED TO THIS. 
          AND, UM, I I I JUST THINK IT'S GONNA BE BETTER FOR THE, FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND FOR THE, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IN GENERAL, UH, RATHER THAN HAVE BURNOUT ISSUES AND PEOPLE LEAVING AND, AND THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING NOW. 
          SO THANK, THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          COMMISSIONER RUTAN, UM, I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S A CONSENSUS WITHIN Y'ALL'S MEMBERSHIP OR IF YOU'VE SURVEYED SOME OF THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE LEAVING EARLIER IN TERMS OF WHAT WOULD BE MOST BENEFICIAL, LIKE IF YOU'RE TAKING LIKE A 4 57 B OPTION, WHICH MIGHT BE MORE PALATABLE TO THE CITY IN TERMS OF LONG TERM OBLIGATIONS VERSUS THE PENSION SIDE. 
          I MEAN, I KNOW WE'RE UNIQUE 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT A FIRE BASED SYSTEM, AS IS THE CASE IN HOUSTON OR OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE THOSE SETS OF RULES, BUT IS THERE A SENSE OF WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR RETAINING WELL, TRYING TO MAKE THAT FISCAL ARGUMENT? UH, YEAH, I THINK THE, I THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THE YEARS OF SERVICE MOST, MORE THAN ANYTHING. 
          AND, 
          [00:55:01]
UM, WITH THESE OTHER SYSTEMS, UH, YOU HAVE T-C-D-R-S AND YOU ALSO HAVE TMRS, WHICH MOST OF THESE OTHER AGENCIES ARE UTILIZING. 
          AND SO THEY, THEY HONOR THE YEARS OF SERVICE THAT YOU HAVE WITH AUSTIN, WITH CO AS WELL. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHAT'S REALLY, UH, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, EVEN HAVING A MORE DETRIMENTAL IMPACT FOR US BECAUSE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY CAN SPEND HOWEVER MANY YEARS HERE, BUT ON THE BACK END THEY CAN GO TO ANOTHER AGENCY, UM, ALL THEIR YEARS OF SERVICE WILL BE HONORED AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE A SHORTER PATH TO RETIREMENT. 
          UH, IT'S, IT'S REALLY HARD TO ARGUE WITH THAT, UM, STRATEGY. 
          HONESTLY, THEY'D BE INTERESTING FOR US TO SEE SOMETIME IT'S A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM, BUT SOME FISCAL ANALYSIS DISCUSSION OF TRYING TO BALANCE THOSE COMPETING FACTORS OF LOSS AND RETENTION VERSUS HOW MUCH, UH, SOME OF THE CHANGES WOULD, WOULD, WOULD COST. 
          UM, WOULD BE INTEREST. 
          INTERESTING TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          THAT'S THAT AND THAT'S PART OF, UH, SOME OF THE INFORMATION GATHERING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF IN THE PROCESS OF, OF WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. 
          'CAUSE UH, I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF, UH, UH, JUST THE AMOUNT OF HOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT WE'RE CYCLING THROUGH ON A REGULAR BASIS WITH OUR TRAINING ACADEMIES AND HOW MUCH WE'RE INVESTING INTO RECRUITING AND ALL THAT, UH, I'D IMAGINE THAT IT'D PROBABLY BE, UH, MORE FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE TO JUST RETAIN THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THAT'S, THERE ISN'T ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. 
          THANK GO. 
          THANK YOU MR. MONKS. 
          ITEM NUMBER FOUR, 
          [4. Wildfire Readiness Update. Presentation by David Skowron, Division Chief, Austin Fire. ]
WILDFIRE READINESS UPDATE BY, UM, DIVISION CHIEF OF AUSTIN FIRE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, UH, DIVISION CHIEF DAVID SCRAN IS OUR NEWEST DIVISION CHIEF OVER WILDFIRE. 
          HE'S BEEN IN THE ROLE FOR ABOUT THE LAST THREE AND A HALF, FOUR MONTHS. 
          SO HE'S DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB GETTING HIS FEET UNDERNEATH HIM AND GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE MISSION. 
          SO AT THIS POINT, I'LL TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE INTRODUCTION, CHIEF. 
          UH, THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS. 
          I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          UM, AGAIN, I'M DAVID SCOUR AND I'M, UH, DIVISION CHIEF OF THE AUSTIN FIRE OVER THE WILDFIRE DIVISION, AND, UM, PROVIDING THE, UH, THE BIANNUAL WILDFIRE UPDATE. 
          AS YOU KNOW, I'M REQUIRED BY COUNCIL RESOLUTION. 
          AND SO THE FIRST, UH, THE FIRST METRIC THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IS OUR NUMBER OF LOCAL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND IMPLEMENTED IN AUSTIN. 
          WE'VE, UH, COMPLETED AND IMPLEMENTED 26 OF THOSE. 
          UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE COMMUNITY LED INITIATIVES THAT AUSTIN FIRE FACILITATES AND SUPPORTS. 
          UM, WE'RE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF THIS NUMBER BECAUSE, UH, THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS ABOUT 100, UH, JUST A LITTLE OVER 100, UM, FIREWISE COMMUNITIES, WHICH HAVE LOCAL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS. 
          CURRENTLY, WE HAVE 26 OF THOSE. 
          WE'VE GOT A SOLID, UH, QUARTER OF THOSE IN THE STATE, AND THEN WE'VE GOT FOUR ON THE WAY THIS YEAR, UM, WITH ONE THAT'S JUST STARTED THE PROCESS AS WELL. 
          SO POTENTIALLY FIVE BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WHICH WOULD PUT US PRETTY CLOSE TO ABOUT A THIRD OF THE, UM, FIREWISE COMMUNITIES, UH, WITHIN THE STATE. 
          LET'S SEE IF WE GET NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, THE NUMBER OF LOCAL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN STARTED BUT NOT COMPLETED IS 21. 
          UM, SO THESE ARE, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS. 
          UM, BUT, UH, THEY EITHER, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING TOWARD BECOMING, UH, FIREWISE ADAPTED. 
          SO THOSE FOUR THAT WE'VE GOT THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE LAST SLIDE, PLUS THE ADDITIONAL ONE THAT JUST GOT STARTED ARE, ARE INCLUDED IN HERE. 
          THESE ARE COMMUNITIES THAT WE ARE ENGAGED WITH, UM, BUT THEY MAY NOT HAVE, HAVE GONE ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO BECOME FIREWISE, UH, OR HAVE A, A LOCAL, UH, COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN. 
          UM, SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE, ARE NEVER GOING TO GET THAT, NEVER GONNA GO ALL THE WAY THERE, AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING. 
          UM, THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT THEY'RE ENGAGED AND THEY'RE DOING THE WORK TO MITIGATE THAT WILDFIRE RISK. 
          SO, UH, THAT'S THAT FOR THE MOST PART GONNA BE THE STRUCTURE IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A, IN A, UH, AN UPCOMING SLIDE. 
          BUT THAT'S WHERE, UM, FOLKS ARE GOING OUT IN THEIR, THEIR COMMUNITY. 
          UH, THEY'RE LOOKING AT, AT EITHER, EITHER OUR FOLKS ARE GOING OUT WITH THEM, OR WE'VE TRAINED SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THEIR COMMUNITY TO GO, GO OUT AND, UH, DO HOME EVALUATIONS FOR, UH, ACTIONS THAT THEY CAN TAKE THAT WILL REDUCE, UH, WILDFIRE RISK, WHICH IS, IS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST, UH, IMPORTANT THINGS THAT OUR, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN DO TO REDUCE RISK. 
          UM, THE PERCENTAGE OF HIGH RISK, UH, WILDFIRE URBAN INTERFACE AREAS IN WHICH IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL LOCAL, UH, CWPP PLANNING AREAS IS STILL ONGOING IS 46%. 
          SO WE'VE GOT, UH, 14% OF AUSTIN'S CLASSIFIED AS HIGH RISK. 
          [01:00:01]
UM, 54% OF THAT IS COVERED BY A LOCAL LEVEL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN. 
          SO WE DO HAVE A FIREWISE COMMUNITY THAT'S COVERING 54% OF THAT HIGH RISK AREA. 
          UM, BUT 46% ARE STILL IDENTIFIED AS OPPORTUNITY ZONES WHERE OUR FOLKS ARE WORKING TOWARD GETTING MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND, UH, WORKING TOWARD GETTING A-A-C-W-P-P IMPLEMENTED IF POSSIBLE. 
          BUT, UM, MOSTLY IT'S THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO AND, AND GETTING THOSE STRUCTURE IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS COMPLETED. 
          SO THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS THAT WE'VE DONE IS 29. 
          UM, OUR FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES FOLKS AND OUR FIRE RESILIENT LANDSCAPES FOLKS, UH, THEY ATTEND NUMEROUS, UM, COMMUNITY EVENTS. 
          SO THEY DO TABLING EVENTS, UM, EITHER ON THEIR OWN OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH AUSTIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OR AUSTIN PARKS, UM, AND OTHER EVENTS. 
          THEY LOOK FOR EVENTS TO, IN WHICH THEY CAN DO TABLING EVENTS AND GET COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UM, EDUCATION MATERIALS OUT AND SO FORTH. 
          UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO BEEN DOING, UM, UH, EVENTS WITH AUSTIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ON EVACUATION AND THE ALL HAZARDS PROTECTION PLAN IN WHICH WE'RE ALSO PUSHING THAT SIZE MESSAGE, THAT STRUCTURE IGNITION ZONE EVALUATION MESSAGE. 
          UM, THE NUMBER OF HOME ASSESSMENTS THAT WE'VE DONE IN QUARTER ONE AND QUARTER TWO IS 157. 
          UM, LAST YEAR WE DID TOTAL, UH, 538 SIZE EVALUATIONS. 
          WE HAVE A GOAL OF 500 FOR THIS YEAR. 
          IN 2024, WE DID 146, I BELIEVE. 
          I DON'T WANNA GIVE YOU THE WRONG NUMBER HERE, 176, I'M SORRY. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT TO DO ROUGHLY 500 THIS YEAR. 
          UH, WE'RE ESTABLISHING A, A, A, WE'RE WORKING WITH AUSTIN, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RIGHT NOW TO, UH, START A PRETTY AGGRESSIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO DRIVE THIS NUMBER. 
          AND THEN WE'VE RECENTLY HIRED, UM, WE FILLED TWO VACANCIES THAT WE HAD FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION SPECIALISTS, UM, WHO ARE GONNA BE TRAINED AND, AND, UH, GOING OUT AND DOING THESE STRUCTURED IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS. 
          UM, NUMBER SIZE TYPE AND LOCATION FUEL MI MITIGATION ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, PRIMARILY AUSTIN FIRE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THOSE, UM, THROUGH PRESCRIBED FIRES AND, AND SUPPORTING OUR PARTNER AGENCIES, AUSTIN WATER, AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICES, UH, AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION AND PRESCRIBED FIRES. 
          WE'VE HAD, UH, SOME PRETTY GOOD WEATHER FOR THAT THIS YEAR. 
          SO IN THE EARLIER MONTHS OF THE YEAR, WE HAD REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO DO A LOT OF PRESCRIBED FIRE EVENTS THAT ASSIST THOSE AGENCIES. 
          UM, SO WE'VE HAD 14 PRESCRIBED FIRES, OVER 1800 ACRES OF PRESCRIBED FIRES WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO FUELS MITIGATION WORK. 
          UM, AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT, UH, IN THE UPCOMING SUMMER MONTHS WHEN WE, WHEN WE DON'T, WHEN WE GET PAST KIND OF THIS RAINY SEASON THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, UM, RAMPING THAT UP AS WELL AND BEING ABLE TO ASSIST, UH, OUR PARTNER AGENCIES AND DOING THAT WORK. 
          AND THEN, UH, AUSTIN FIRE, AS YOU'RE AWARE, HAS BATTALION FIVE, WHICH IS A SPECIFIC DEDICATED, UH, WILDFIRE BATTALION. 
          SO THEY DO REGULAR EMERGENCY RESPONSE, UM, BUT THEN THEY GET, UH, ADVANCED TRAINING IN WILDFIRE RESPONSE PARTICULARLY. 
          AND SO OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS, WE'VE DONE 3,874 TRAINING HOURS WITH 610 HOURS RECEIVED, AND THAT THOSE RECEIVED HOURS ARE OUR FOLKS GOING OUT TO OTHER AGENCIES. 
          UM, SO FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE THE, THE BACHELOR OF WILDFIRE ACADEMY. 
          WE HAD FOLKS ATTEND THAT. 
          WE'VE HAD FOLKS ATTEND, UM, THE TARRANT COUNTY SAW CLASS. 
          AND, UM, AS WELL AS PARTICIPATING IN THOSE CLASSES. 
          WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINED UP, UM, TO WHERE THEY'RE TEACHING SOME OF THOSE CLASSES. 
          SO THEY, THEY GO OUT AS INSTRUCTORS AND THEN THEY COME BACK AND THEY INSTRUCT OUR FOLKS AS WELL. 
          UH, WE'VE HAD TWO ENGINE OPERATOR CLASSES, WHICH IS OUR BRUSH TRUCKS THAT SPECIALIZE WILDFIRE TRUCKS. 
          SO WE'RE TEACHING ALL MEMBERS OF THAT BATTALION FIVE TO GET THAT CERTIFICATION. 
          UM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT IS SOME ADVANCED WILDFIRE TACTICS. 
          UM, WE'VE DONE TWO PRESCRIBED FIRE PRACTITIONER CLASSES. 
          WE'VE GOT ANOTHER ONE PLANNED FOR LATER IN THE SUMMER, UH, THAT ENABLES OUR FOLKS TO, AGAIN, PARTICIPATE IN THOSE PRESCRIBED FIRES WITH OUR PARTNERS, BUT IS ALSO THE FIRST STEPS FOR US TO GET, UM, SOME, A VERY, A VERY ADVANCED TACTIC OF FIRING OPERATIONS, WHICH IS BACK BURNING, UM, FUELS IN ADVANCE OF A WILDFIRE. 
          AND SO, UH, THAT IS KIND OF A HIGH RISK TACTIC. 
          UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S AN ADVANCED TACTIC THAT'S VERY EFFECTIVE IN THE RIGHT FIRE. 
          AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARD RIGHT NOW 
          [01:05:01]
WITH THOSE PRESCRIBED FIRE PROTECTION CLASSES. 
          WE'VE ALSO DONE AN ADVANCED WILDFIRE CLASS. 
          AND THEN, UH, WE RECENTLY, UM, WORKED WITH THE TEXAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD TO DO, UM, AN EVENT CALLED FIRE FEST, UH, WHICH HAD KIND OF DUAL PURPOSES WHERE IT ALLOWED OUR FOLKS TO GET SOME, UM, TRAINING, IMPLEMENTING COMMAND AND CONTROL OF WILDFIRE EVENTS. 
          BUT THEN ALSO, UM, AT THE, THE LOWER RANK AND FILE LEVEL, JUST GOING THROUGH THE, THE, UH, THE BASIC TACTICS AND STUFF. 
          AND THEN, AND WE WORKED WITH, WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THE AIR INTERNATIONAL GUARD AND A GROUP OUT OF TEXAS A AND M CALLED ALIAS THAT ARE WORKING FOR AUTONOMOUS, UH, HELICOPTER AIR WATER DROPS. 
          AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. 
          APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION DIVISION CHIEF. 
          UM, MY ONLY QUESTION RIGHT NOW IS THE FIRE VALUATIONS. 
          YOU'RE ABOUT, I THINK IT SAID 1 57 FOR Q1 Q2, WHICH IS ON PACE TO BE UNDER THAT 500 NUMBER. 
          DO YOU FEEL THAT DURING THE SUMMER THERE MIGHT BE A JUMP TO GET YOU TO THAT? SO, UH, WE'RE OVER 200 RIGHT NOW. 
          I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NUMBERS FOR WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE, THE MEANTIME. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, THE PRESENTATION JUST COVERED Q1, Q2. 
          WE ARE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND THOUGH. 
          YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT ON THAT. 
          UM, I ANTICIPATE THAT WE'RE GONNA HIT OUR MARK BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE HIRED TWO ADDITIONAL WILDFIRE MITIGATION SPECIALISTS, UM, WHO'S WHO ARE GONNA HELP US BE ABLE TO DO MORE OF THOSE. 
          WE'VE IMPLEMENTED A DIY SIZE TOOL ON OUR, UH, THE WILDFIRE HUB. 
          AND AGAIN, WE ARE STARTING, WE'RE WORKING WITH AUSTIN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          WE HAVEN'T, HAVEN'T IMPLEMENTED IT YET, BUT WE'RE WORKING, THEY'VE, THEY'VE PROVIDED US A PRESENT, A PROPOSAL FOR A VERY AGGRESSIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT I'M ANTICIPATING. 
          WE'LL HAVE SOME, SOME RESULTS IN, IN DRIVING THOSE NUMBERS, SO WE GET MORE REQUESTS. 
          UM, WE'RE ALSO PARTICIPATING WITH THE FIREWISE ALLIANCE IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. 
          UH, THE MAYOR IS, UM, SPONSORING AND, AND, UH, PUTTING ON AN EVENT ON AUGUST 5TH WITH THE FIREWISE ALLIANCE. 
          AND ONE OF OUR GOALS THROUGH THAT EVENT, WHICH WE'RE SUPPORTING IS TO, TO REALLY DRIVE THAT, THAT MESSAGING OF THE VALUE OF THE STRUCTURE IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS. 
          AND, UM, I'M HOPING AND ANTICIPATING THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE SOME ADDITIONAL NUMBERS COME UP WITH THAT. 
          THANK YOU MR. OR VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ. 
          UM, I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A BIGGER PICTURE QUESTION. 
          I KNOW YOU'VE ONLY BEEN HERE A FEW MONTHS, SO I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. 
          UM, BUT WE GET THESE REPORTS EVERY SIX MONTHS OR SO, AND THE RESOLUTION ITSELF IS WHAT, 10 YEARS OLD. 
          UM, ARE THERE NEW METRICS THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT, UM, TO ASSESS HOW EFFECTIVELY WE ARE DOING WILDFIRE MITIGATION AS A CITY? BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE METRICS HAVE BEEN FLAT FOR A LONG TIME. 
          THEY'VE BEEN SIMILAR. 
          I, I LOOKED AT THE PAST THREE PRESENTATIONS, AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE RISE, UM, POST LA FIRES, UM, AND IT, IT, EVERYTHING ELSE HAS BEEN PRETTY FLAT. 
          UM, AND WE'RE NOT SEEING A LARGER ADOPTION OF FIREWISE COMMUNITIES OR THOSE CWPP IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT, LIKE WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE, UM, FOR A LONG TIME. 
          SO IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT? SHOULD WE BE REVISING, UM, THIS RESOLUTION OR MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO LOOK AT SOMETHING ELSE TO ASSESS? UM, SO IT, HAVING BEEN IN MY ROLE FOR ONLY A FEW MONTHS, UM, AND, AND COMING INTO THIS PRESENTATION AND, AND THIS BEING MY FIRST, UM, FAMILIARITY WITH THESE PARTICULAR METRICS, I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH MY TEAM. 
          AND, UM, THE SHORT ANSWER IS, I, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY AN OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW, UH, FOR US TO, TO LOOK AT REVISING THESE AND COMING UP WITH SOME BETTER ONES. 
          UM, AND I'M GONNA TRY AND REMEMBER ALL THE FACETS OF YOUR, YOUR QUESTION. 
          UM, THERE IS SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE METRICS THAT WE HAVE IN TERMS OF, UH, LIKE IN PARTICULAR, THE, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE AUSTIN FIRE IN PARTICULAR, THERE'S, IT'S, IT'S HARD FOR US TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE HOW MUCH WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH SOME OF THE METRICS THAT WE DO HAVE BECAUSE, UH, A LARGE PART OF THAT'S NOT WITHIN OUR CONTROL. 
          UM, I DO THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, AND CURRENTLY THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN IS, IS UNDER REVISION. 
          AND I THINK, UM, ONCE THAT GETS REVISED, WHICH, WHICH, UH, THERE'S AN ANTICIPATED DATE OF MID TO END SEPTEMBER FOR THE REVISION ON THAT, IT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, TO REVISIT THESE METRICS AND, AND REEVALUATE THEM. 
          I, I DO THINK THAT'S 
          [01:10:01]
AN OPPORTUNITY. 
          I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU ON EXACTLY WHAT THE, THE BEST METRICS WOULD BE. 
          UM, SPEAKING TO YOUR, UM, YOUR POINT ABOUT THE EAST SIDE, THE EASTERN CRESCENT ENGAGEMENT, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, THAT'S ON THE AGENDA, I BELIEVE FOR THE, UH, AUGUST 5TH EVENT THAT I SPOKE ABOUT, IS TO HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT, UM, HOW WE BETTER REACH OUT TO THAT, UH, UH, PART OF TOWN AND THOSE COMMUNITIES. 
          UM, OUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH AUSTIN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ONE OF THE FOCUSES THAT WE WANT ON THAT IS, IS MORE, MORE ENGAGEMENT ON THAT ON IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT AS WELL. 
          SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THEY'VE HAD A, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT, THAT THEY CAN TARGET THE MESSAGE TO ZIP CODES IN THAT AREA. 
          UM, THAT I'M, I'M VERY HOPEFUL IS GONNA, IS GONNA DRIVE SOME ENGAGEMENT THERE. 
          WHERE ADDITIONALLY, UM, STARTING A, OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A NOVEMBER EVENT FOR NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER, WHICH I'M SURE YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH. 
          YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A KICKOFF EVENT ON THAT TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED RIGHT NOW FOR I THINK NOVEMBER 7TH AT THE VIRGIN, VIRGINIA BROWN RECREATION CENTER ON BLESSING AVENUE. 
          AND THE INTENT THERE WAS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOME MORE ENGAGEMENT, UM, ON, ON THE EAST SIDE IN, IN THAT EASTERN CRESCENT AREA. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT, UH, I CAN DO, UH, BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT TIME THAT WE UPDATE, UM, AND THROUGH THE COURSE OF REVISING THE, THE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE, THE, THE, THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY ONE, UH, CWPP IS, IS LOOK FOR FOR WHAT WOULD BE BETTER METRICS. 
          UM, SO, SO IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. 
          UM, IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY ON MY MIND AS BEING SOMEONE WHO'S NEW IN THIS ROLE AS WELL. 
          WELL, AND, AND THAT'S WHY I ASK SOMETIMES FRESH EYES ARE THE BEST EYES, UM, . 
          UM, AND SO JUST, UH, YEAH, IT'S JUST SOMETHING I'VE HAD ON THE MIND FOR QUITE SOME TIME. 
          LIKE, AND, AND THESE ARE USEFUL AND, BUT WE'VE, AS A CITY, I THINK WE'VE HIT A WALL WITH THESE METRICS. 
          AND SO MAYBE IT'S TIME FOR US TO LIKE REALLY, YOU KNOW, SORT OF REIMAGINE WHAT IT IS THAT WE NEED, UM, TO BE TRACKING SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE MOVEMENT, UM, AND MAKE IMPROVEMENTS. 
          YEAH, YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          I THINK THIS IS ONE OF MY CONCERNS THAT'S RELATED TO THE METRIC CONCERN IS THAT WHEN WE HEAR THESE REPORTS, THE THING THAT'S IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD, AND I KNOW IT'S ANYBODY WHO'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, A PUBLIC SAFETY NERD, IT'S PROBABLY IN THE BACK OF THEIR HEAD TOO, IS WE WATCHED MAUI BURN MM-HMM . 
          UM, WE WATCHED, UM, THE PALISADES, UM, BURN AND, UM, AND THEN MORE CENTRAL EASTERN PARTS OF LOS ANGELES, I WOULD SAY A CITY THAT IS INCREDIBLY AWARE OF ITS FIRE RISK AND DOES A LOT RIGHT TO PREVENT FIRES, ESPECIALLY WITH NEW CONSTRUCTION, RIGHT. 
          THAT YOU, YOU LITERALLY CAN'T LIGHT A ROOF ON FIRE IF IT'S A NEW BUILDING IN, RIGHT. 
          IN CALIFORNIA, UM, YOU KNOW, IS HOW MANY SUBSTANTIAL POPULATIONS ARE AT, AT SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF, UM, YOU KNOW, A MASS CASUALTY EVENT. 
          IF WE HAVE THE PERFECT FIRE IN THE WRONG PLACE. 
          LIKE THAT'S WHAT'S IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD IS, AND AND RELATED TO THAT IS, UH, WHETHER ROLLING WOOD, UM, AND WESTLAKE ARE DOING A COMPARABLE JOB IN THE FIREWISE DEPARTMENT. 
          'CAUSE THERE'S THIS BIG SPACE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF WEST AUSTIN THAT'S LIKE, ARE ARE THOSE GUYS DOING ANYTHING? BECAUSE IF THEY'RE NOT, THAT'S A LOT OF TURF, RIGHT? UM, AND IT, THE ROADS GO, THE ROADS DON'T STOP AT THE CITY LIMITS LINES, PEOPLE ARE GONNA GET STUCK BECAUSE, UM, THOSE ROADS ARE SO NARROW AND THERE ARE SO FEW OF THEM, RIGHT. 
          UM, I DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION AS FAR AS ROLLING WOOD IN WESTLAKE. 
          I, I DO KNOW THAT OUR COUNTY PARTNERS ARE, ARE ENGAGED. 
          UM, THE, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY FIRES MARSHAL'S OFFICE, UH, DOES DO STRUCTURE IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS. 
          I I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, TO WHAT EXTENT AND, UH, BUT I DO KNOW OUR COUNTY PARTNERS ARE VERY ENGAGED AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY ENGAGED IN, IN WILDFIRE. 
          IT'S, IT'S A TOP OF MIND FOR THEM AS WELL. 
          AND THEN ANY WILDFIRE EVENT, UM, AS YOU, YOU, YOU POINTED OUT, WE, WE DO HAVE AUTO AID AGREEMENTS MM-HMM . 
          WITH ALL THE, THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES IN THE, IN THE, THE AREA AND, UH, MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS AS WELL. 
          AND ANY WILDFIRE EVENT IS GONNA BE AN EVENT THAT, THAT REQUIRES OR ANY SUBSTANTIAL EVENT. 
          SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ONES THAT, THAT YOU REFERENCED, MAUI AND SO FORTH, UM, IT'S GONNA BE AN ALL HANDS ON, IT'S A TRUE ALL HANDS ON DECK WITH NOT JUST, UH, ALL THE AGENCIES IN THE COUNTY, BUT WE'RE TALKING ALSO STATE AGENCIES AND SO FORTH. 
          YES. 
          PARTICIPATING. 
          NO, NO, I'M VERY AWARE. 
          I MEAN, PART OF THE REASON I KNOW A LOT ABOUT THIS IS BECAUSE I LIVED THROUGH SEVERAL, SEVERAL WILDLAND 
          [01:15:01]
FIRES AS A KID. 
          OKAY. 
          INCLUDING LIKE REPORTING ONE TO 9 1 1 THAT WAS BEHIND OUR HOUSE THAT NO ONE HAD SAID ANYTHING ABOUT YET. 
          AND THEN WATCHING THE POLICE OR THE FIRETRUCK TAKE THE WRONG ROAD TO TRY TO GET THERE AND THEN HAVE TO BACK UP AND TAKE THE RIGHT ROAD TO TRY TO GET THERE. 
          UM, MAYBE THAT'S A LITTLE CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, BUT, UM, BUT I, I, YOU KNOW, I WORRY THAT WE'RE WATCHING THESE EVENTS HAPPEN OTHER PLACES, AND IT WOULD ABSOLUTELY BREAK MY HEART IF THAT OPPORTUNITY ZONE, AS IT'S CALLED IN EAST AUSTIN THAT'S SITTING THERE WITH LIKE NO FINALIZED FIREWISE COMMUNITIES IS THE PLACE WHERE WE HAVE A BIG FIRE. 
          AGREED. 
          UM, WE ARE MAKE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT I MENTIONED AS FAR AS REACHING OUT TO THE, THE EAST SIDE. 
          UM, YEAH. 
          HAS ANYBODY THOUGHT ABOUT ACTUALLY LIKE, PAYING PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO RUN, LIKE THE COMMUNITY SIDE OF THAT PROGRAM? BECAUSE THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WEST SIDE AND THE EAST SIDE IS THERE ARE A LOT FEWER PEOPLE OVER THERE WITH FREE TIME. 
          THAT'S NOT LIKE FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT, UM, TO HELP. 
          THAT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A ROAD THAT, THAT WE'VE GONE DOWN. 
          OKAY. 
          NO. 
          UM, BUT I'LL, I'LL MAKE A NOTE ABOUT IT. 
          WE'LL HAVE TO EXPLORE THAT. 
          I DON'T MEAN TO PROJECT MY ANXIETIES ON YOU GUYS, BUT NO, TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD. 
          , THANKS. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? NO, THANK YOU. 
          DIVISION CHIEF. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT ITEM IS 
          [5. Discussion regarding The Sobering Center. Presentation by Laura Elmore, Executive  Director, The Sobering Center.]
THE SOBERING CENTER'S PRESENTATION BY LAURA ELMORE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SOBERING CENTER. 
          IT'S ON NOW. 
          . 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. 
          UM, I THINK THE INVITATION WAS MOSTLY TO DO AN UPDATE, BUT I THINK THAT THAT, UM, THERE'S ALSO SOME COMMISSIONERS THAT I DON'T KNOW, SO I'M GONNA GIVE KIND OF SOME CONTEXT BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY, UM, A LITTLE BIT ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF WHAT YOU NORMALLY HEAR ABOUT. 
          UM, WE HAVE INCREDIBLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH, UM, A PD AND EMS, BUT WE'RE ALSO KIND OF A SEPARATE ENTITY FROM THE CITY. 
          AND SO WE HAVE A LARGE CONTRACT WITH THE CITY, BUT WE'RE NOT PART OF THE CITY. 
          SO I THINK THAT SOMETIMES WE GET KIND OF FORGOTTEN IN THAT  A LITTLE BIT OF A FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS. 
          SO, UM, OH, I HAVE THE CLICKER. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WHAT IS OUR MISSION? OUR MISSION IS TO ENHANCE BOTH PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          THIS COMES UP A LOT, WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE PUBLIC HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          AND I WOULD SAY WE'RE BOTH, OUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE A PLACE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PUBLICLY INTOXICATED, TO SOBER UP AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO JAIL OR THE EMERGENCY ROOM, AND THEN WHERE APPROPRIATE TO TRY TO CONNECT THEM TO SOME KIND OF LONGER TERM CARE. 
          WE WERE FOUNDED IN 2018, SO WE'RE ACTUALLY PRETTY NEW. 
          AND WE HAVE EVOLVED OUR MODEL QUITE A BIT, WHICH I'M GONNA TELL YOU ABOUT. 
          UM, SINCE WE OPENED IN 2018, WE'VE DONE MORE THAN 16,000 INTAKES. 
          UM, MAY OF 2026 WAS OUR HIGHEST NUMBER OF INTAKES EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE AGENCY, WHICH WAS 325 IN A MONTH, WHICH IS A LOT FOR US. 
          THAT'S MORE THAN 10 A DAY. 
          UM, WHEN WE INTAKE SOMEBODY TOO, IT, WE ARE KIND OF WITH THEM FOR QUITE A LONG TIME, RIGHT? SO IT'S NOT JUST AN INTAKE, IT'S AN ADMISSION, WHICH SOMETIMES IS A SHORT STAY AND SOMETIMES IS A VERY LONG STAY. 
          SO IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          I'LL TELL YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. 
          THERE'S A FEW PHOTOS UP THERE SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, UM, WHERE WE'RE LOCATED AT 12TH AND SABINE. 
          UM, THAT'S OUR INTAKE ROOM AND, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF OUR DORM. 
          OOPS. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, QUICK REMINDER THERE. 
          THIS IS A DIVERSION PROGRAM. 
          SO THE, THE POINT IS THAT, UM, IT MAY, OUR MAIN REFERRAL PARTNERS BEING A PD AND EMS CAN USE US INSTEAD OF THE JAIL OR THE ER. 
          THE IDEA IS THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A TIME SAVER FOR THEM. 
          IT'S SUPPOSED TO, UM, BE ABLE TO REFOCUS THEM ON THINGS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE GRAVE THAN PUBLIC INTOXICATION. 
          UM, SO WE ARE A DIVERSION PROGRAM. 
          THE PERSON WHEN THEY COME TO US IS NOT GOING TO RECEIVE A FINE OR A CITATION. 
          THERE'S NO MEDICAL BILLS, THERE'S NO COST TO SUIT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SERVICE. 
          UM, IT IS VOLUNTARY. 
          SO, UM, I THINK A LOT OF ON THE GROUND WORK IS DONE BY THE FIRST RESPONDERS TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHO'S A GOOD FIT AND WHO'S NOT, OR WHO'S WILLING TO KIND OF GO. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, WE ARE A 24 7 OPERATION. 
          WE'VE BEEN KEEPING THAT PLANE IN THE AIR FOR A LONG TIME, SO EIGHT YEARS ALMOST. 
          UM, WE ARE A HIPAA PROTECTED FACILITY, SO THERE'S COMPLETE CONFIDENTIALITY ONCE WE ADMIT SOMEBODY, NOBODY GETS TO KNOW THEY'RE THERE. 
          UM, AND WE DON'T, WE CAN'T GIVE OUT ANY INFORMATION WITHOUT A RELEASE OF INFORMATION OR A WARRANT SIGNED BY A JUDGE. 
          UM, OUR GOAL AT THAT POINT, ONCE SOMEBODY'S SAFELY SOBERED, IS TO SIT, HAVE THEM SIT DOWN WITH A COUNSELOR OR A SOCIAL WORKER OR A PEER RECOVERY COACH AND CHAT WITH THEM ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IS THIS A ONE TIME THING 
          [01:20:01]
OR IS THIS MORE OF A CHRONIC ISSUE? IF THIS IS MORE OF A CHRONIC ISSUE, THEN WE WANNA TALK ABOUT TREATMENT, LONG-TERM PLACEMENT OPTIONS. 
          UM, THERE WE DO TRY TO ASSIST WITH COORDINATING THEM GETTING HOME. 
          MAYBE THAT'S A SAFE RIDE FROM A FAMILY MEMBER. 
          MAYBE THAT'S AN UBER ONCE THEY'VE SOBERED UP. 
          UM, BUT WE ARE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT PEOPLE LEAVING THERE IN, IN, IN A FORM OF INTOXICATION. 
          OKAY, SO, UM, WE ARE NOT SERVING ANY KIDS IN OUR FACILITY. 
          YOU'VE GOTTA BE 18 OR UP TO GO. 
          UM, THERE IS A REQUIREMENT OF A SUSPECTED ALCOHOL OR DRUG INTOXICATION THAT SEEMS OBVIOUS, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF HARD TO KNOW. 
          YOU DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT SOMETIMES MIGHT BE PSYCHOSIS, WHAT MIGHT BE, UM, AN ALLERGIC REACTION. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE LOOK TO SEEM ON ALCOHOL OR DRUGS, AND WE DON'T REALLY NECESSARILY ALWAYS KNOW YOU CAN DO A BLOOD ALCOHOL, YOU KNOW, CONTENT ON SOMEBODY. 
          UM, BUT YOU CAN'T, WE DON'T HAVE A LAB AND NEITHER DO THE FOLKS THAT ARE THE FIRST RESPONDERS. 
          SO WE'RE NOT, WE DON'T REALLY KNOW LIKE WHAT KIND OF SUBSTANCES ARE ON BOARD, WHAT THAT PERSON HAS INGESTED, IF THEY'VE BEEN DRUGGED, UM, IF YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THEY'VE HAD TO DRINK OR USE. 
          UM, SO WHEN THEY COME IN, WE'RE TRYING TO ASSESS THAT. 
          AND WE'RE, WE'RE STAFFED WITH MEDICS. 
          OUR MEDICS WORK FOR THE SOBERING CENTER. 
          THEY DON'T WORK FOR EMS, ALTHOUGH I'VE SORT OF BECOME A TRAINING GROUND FOR EMS. I THINK THAT ANYBODY GOING TO EMS IS LO I'M LOSING THEM . 
          SO I HAVE TO TALK TO CHIEF HOPKINS ON THE SIDE ABOUT THAT. 
          BUT, UM, BUT THAT WORKS OUT FOR EVERYBODY. 
          I, I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN TURN OUT SOME GOOD MEDICS THAT WILL ACTUALLY END UP AT AUSTIN. 
          TRAVIS COUNTY EMS. UM, I THINK THAT WE HAVE A REALLY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE WE'RE MORE OF A FACILITY. 
          I, I REFER TO US AS A STATIONARY AMBULANCE. 
          UM, WE SHARE A MEDICAL DIRECTOR WITH EMS RIGHT NOW. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IN THE SOBERING CENTER, UM, WITH THE PARTNERSHIP OF EMS THAT MOST SOBERING CENTERS CANNOT DO. 
          UM, SO ADMISSION CRITERIA WHEN THEY COME IN, THEY'RE ASSESSED BY A MEDIC. 
          UH, WE'RE CHECKING FOR HEAD INJURIES, UM, ANY OPEN WOUNDS, UM, SEIZURES, ANY KIND OF OBVIOUS INTERNAL BLEEDING AND SUICIDAL AND HOMICIDAL IDEATION. 
          SO WE'RE DOING A QUICK SCAN FOR DOES THIS PERSON REALLY BELONG IN A HOSPITAL AND THERE'S NO WAY TO DIVERT THEM FROM A HOSPITAL? ARE WE ABLE TO CARE FOR THEM HERE WITH THE STAFFING THAT WE HAVE? SO THAT'S HOW WE DECIDE ON WHO IS ADMITTED. 
          UM, OUR RATE, I JUST LOOKED AT THE DATA FOR THIS PAST MONTH. 
          OUR, OUR NON-IT RATE WAS 8% THIS MONTH. 
          SO THERE IS LIKE A SECTION OF PEOPLE WHO WILL GET TO OUR DORM, NOT MAKE IT IN. 
          AND THAT'S BECAUSE EITHER THERE'S A BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM IN TRIAGE WHERE A PD HAS SAID, NOPE, THIS ISN'T GONNA WORK. 
          UM, OR THERE IS A MEDICAL ISSUE. 
          AND THE PRIMARY, UM, NON-AD ADMITS ARE GONNA BE MEDICAL BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING TO TRANSFER THEM TO THE HOSPITAL FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. 
          SO SOMETIMES WE'LL TRANSFER THEM OVER TO THE DEL SETON EMERGENCY ROOM, THEY'LL GET EVALUATED BY A DOCTOR, AND THEN THEY CAN EVEN RETURN THEM TO THE SOBERING CENTER, SO THEY'RE NOT TAKING UP AN ER . 
          UM, SO THIS IS OUR PROCESS OF CARE. 
          UM, THE CLIENT IS TRANSPORTED TO US BY, UM, USUALLY LAW ENFORCEMENT OR EMS. THOSE ARE OUR TOP TWO REFERRAL PARTNERS RIGHT BEHIND EACH OTHER IN TERMS OF NUMBERS. 
          RIGHT AFTER THAT IS THE DELL SETON EMERGENCY ROOM. 
          RIGHT AFTER THAT IS INTEGRAL CARE'S PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY SERVICES THAT THOSE DYNAMICS HAVE CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY. 
          UM, THE NUMBERS IN TERMS OF OUR REFERRAL PARTNERS, A HUGE CHANGE THAT WE MADE, UM, WHEN I CAME ONTO THE SOBERING CENTER IN 20 20, 1 OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE CHANGED WAS, DO WE ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE LIGHTS AND SIRENS TO GET TO THE SOBERING CENTER OR COULD THERE BE OTHER REFERRAL PATHWAYS? SO STILL WE WANT TO BE A PRIMARY SOURCE FOR A PD AND EMS, BUT NOW WE ALSO HAVE ALMOST A HUNDRED OTHER REFERRAL PARTNERS THAT WOULD INCLUDE CAPITAL METRO. 
          THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY. 
          THAT WOULD INCLUDE OTHER HOSPITALS IN THE AREA THAT WOULD INCLUDE INTEGRAL CARE, PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY SERVICES. 
          THAT WOULD INCLUDE SOBER HOUSES, TREATMENT CENTERS, UM, LOTS OF COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFITS, SAFE ALLIANCE, LIFEWORKS PLACES WHERE SOMEBODY MIGHT SHOW UP PUBLICLY INTOXICATED. 
          WE WANNA TRY TO AVOID CALLING 9 1 1 IF WE CAN'T FOR TO SAVE THEIR TIME, BUT ALSO TO NOT ESCALATE THE SITUATION IN AN UNNECESSARY WAY. 
          SO ONCE THEY GET TO US BY WHATEVER REFERRAL PARTNER THEY GET TO US, THE INTAKE MEDICS DO A SCREENING, WE DECIDE WHETHER IT'S SAFE FOR THEM TO STAY, THEY COME IN, UM, WE MONITOR THEM FOR THEIR SAFE, SOBERING, UM, THOSE MONITOR FOLKS. 
          OUR TECHS USUALLY, USUALLY WE HAVE ABOUT THREE MEDICS ON A SHIFT. 
          AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE EITHER, UM, PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST OR A SOCIAL WORKER OR SOMEBODY IN THOSE ROLES. 
          AND THEN OUR EXPERT COUNSELORS OR SOCIAL WORKERS WILL CONDUCT THAT ASSESSMENT I MENTIONED TO FIGURE OUT IS THIS A BAD WEDDING EXPERIENCE OR IS THIS A CHRONIC ADDICTION LIKE LIVING ON THE STREETS TYPE OF ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH LONGER TERM CARE. 
          IN TERMS OF A BAD NIGHT, WE DEFINITELY SEE THAT WE HAVE COLLEGE STUDENTS, WE HAVE TOURISTS, WE HAVE PARTYERS, WE HAVE FESTIVAL GOERS, AND THEN WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO'VE LIVED ON THE STREET FOR 25 YEARS AND HAVE AN ONGOING ADDICTION AND A TON OF HEALTHCARE PROBLEMS. AND WE SEE BOTH. 
          SO THOSE COUNSELORS ARE THERE TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE IS WHICH, OR IS IT SOMEWHERE IN 
          [01:25:01]
BETWEEN. 
          AND THEN WHAT ARE OUR NEXT STEPS TO GET THEM AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CARE. 
          UM, WE FOUNDED IN 2018, WE WERE FOUNDED THROUGH AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY. 
          SO LIKE I SAID, WE ARE A 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. 
          WE'RE A SEPARATE ENTITY FROM THE CITY AND THE COUNTY. 
          HOWEVER, THE AGREEMENT, UM, STATES THAT THE COUNTY WILL PROVIDE THE FACILITIES, UM, WHICH IS THE FORMER MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE. 
          SO 12TH AND THIR, UH, SABINE. 
          AND THEN THE CITY WOULD PROVIDE THE OPERATIONAL FUNDS. 
          SO WE HAVE A LARGE CONTRACT WITH THE CITY FOR THE OPERATIONAL STAFFING, AND THEN THE COUNTY PROVIDES THE BUILDING. 
          UM, WE RENEWED THAT ILA IN 2024. 
          IT WAS A FIVE YEAR, UM, AGREEMENT THAT, AND THEN I HAD TO GO PRESENT TO CITY COUNCIL AN OUTCOMES ANALYSIS, A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, AND THEN THEY RENEWED THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE COUNTY IN 2024. 
          UM, HOW'S IT GOING? SO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMS ARE NO LONGER THE ONLY PATHS THAT I MENTIONED. 
          WE HAVE MANY, MANY OTHER REFERRAL PARTNERS. 
          PATIENTS ARE NOW ABLE TO HOLD OVER FOR SERVICES. 
          THIS IS SOMETHING WE CREATED IN 2021. 
          UM, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT YOU TYPICALLY WOULD COME SOBER UP AND LEAVE IN ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT HOURS. 
          IN THE OLD MODEL OF THE SOBERING CENTER IN 2021, WE HAD A PATIENT PICKED UP BY EMS 75 TIMES IN 135 DAYS. 
          ONE PATIENT, I BET YOU CHIEF HOPKINS COULD TELL YOU HOW MUCH THAT COSTS . 
          IT'S A LOT. 
          IT'S A LOT. 
          SO ONE GUY THAT EVERYBODY KNEW WHO HE WAS, RIGHT? BECAUSE SOMETIMES HE WAS STEALING WINE FROM THE SEVEN 11, HE'D GO TO JAIL, SOMETIMES HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS ON A PARK BENCH. 
          HE HAD TO GO TO A HOSPITAL. 
          SOMETIMES HE WAS PUBLICLY INTOXICATED, BUT LUCID ENOUGH TO COME TO US. 
          WE SAW HIM EASILY A DOZEN TIMES BEFORE HE WOULD EVEN TALK TO US. 
          WE WOULD PASS OUT, SLEEP IT OFF, GET UP, GO OUT AND DRINK. 
          SOMETHING I THINK THE PUBLIC DOES NOT UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOU CAN DIE FROM ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL. 
          YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIE FROM METH WITHDRAWAL, YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIE FROM CRACK. 
          EVEN THOUGH THOSE THINGS ARE VERY ILLEGAL AND VERY SCARY, ALCOHOL IS AN INCREDIBLY TOXIC SUBSTANCE. 
          SO HE WAS TO THE POINT OF SO PHYSICALLY ADDICTED THAT IF HE DIDN'T GO OUT AND DRINK, HE WAS GONNA GET SICK OR HAVE A SEIZURE OR DIE. 
          SO THAT SUMMER, HE PROBABLY, AT THE END OF, I DON'T KNOW, A DOZEN VISITS TO US, SAID, OKAY, I'M READY NOW TO GO TO DETOX HAS TO GO TO A MEDICAL DETOX. 
          THERE'S NOT AN OPTION FOR HIM NOT TO GO TO MEDICAL DETOX. 
          BUT THERE IS NO SUCH THING IF YOU ARE INDIGENT OR HOMELESS OR HAVE NO INSURANCE, YOU CANNOT ACCESS MEDICAL DETOX ON A SUNDAY MORNING AT 8:00 AM IT'S NOT A THING. 
          IT DOESN'T EXIST. 
          SO, UM, WHAT WE DID WAS WE HELD HIM AT THE SOBERING CENTER FOR FIVE DAYS. 
          WE'VE HAD NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE. 
          WE ARE NOT A LICENSED RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FACILITY. 
          WE ARE NOT A DETOX . 
          WE ARE, WE DON'T HAVE A KITCHEN. 
          UM, WE FED HIM ENSURE SHAKES AND PRETZELS FOR FIVE DAYS, AND OUR MEDICS MONITORED HIM EVERY 15 MINUTES FOR FIVE DAYS. 
          AND THEN WE PUT HIM ON A BUS TO TYLER BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE TREATMENT BEDS WERE. 
          UM, HE CAME BACK HERE, 90 DAYS SOBER, LIKE A DIFFERENT HUMAN BEING. 
          AND WE WERE LIKE, OH, OKAY. 
          SO PROBABLY WE SHOULD TRY TO DO THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 
          WE'RE GONNA DO 3000 INTAKES IN A YEAR. 
          WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA GET 3000 PEOPLE INTO TREATMENT, BUT WE ARE GONNA GET ABOUT 250 PEOPLE INTO TREATMENT. 
          AND THAT'S A HUGE DEAL GIVEN THAT THE NUMBER OF TREATMENT BEDS ARE DISAPPEARING IN TEXAS, UM, NONPROFIT TREATMENT CENTERS ARE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS ALL OVER THE STATE. 
          SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY, IT'S JUST TREATMENT IS JUST REALLY NOT AN OPTION. 
          UM, SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO TREAT ADDICTION, WHICH IS A CHRONIC LONG-TERM ILLNESS WITH AN EMERGENCY ROOM MODEL. 
          AND REALLY A LOT OF THE TREATMENT IS BEING DONE BY EMS. UM, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING WITH THE BU STUFF. 
          THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING WITH, UM, EVERY CREATIVE THING THAT EMS IS DOING IS ADDRESSING THAT BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION EXCEPT PEOPLE TO DIE FROM ADDICTION ON THE STREET. 
          BRIDGE MEDS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT. 
          THAT'S A PARTNERSHIP WE CREATED WITH EMS. UM, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE ARE NOT A DETOX. 
          HOWEVER, IF WE CAN GET A DOC TO WRITE A PRESCRIPTION FOR LIBRIUM, UM, THEN WE CAN MONITOR THEM AND THEY CAN DO A STEP DOWN ON LIBRIUM IN THE SOBERING CENTER. 
          IF THERE IS, UM, UH, OCCASIONALLY WE WILL HAVE THE CHIP MEDICS FROM EMS COME IN AND DO BU IN OUR SOBERING CENTER. 
          SO WE HAVE THE FACILITY WHICH IS SAFE AND CLEAN AND HAS, YOU KNOW, MEDICS TO MONITOR. 
          SO SOMETIMES CHIP IS LOOKING TO INDUCT ONTO BPE, BUT THIS PATIENT IS LIKE, I WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE THIS HOMELESS CAMP, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO. 
          LET'S BRING HIM TO THE SOBERING CENTER. 
          AND THEN WE WORK WITH CHIP LIKE THAT. 
          AND WE ALSO DO HAVE CHIP COME OUT AND DO THE ASSESSMENT TO START LIBRIUM. 
          SO WE HAVE, UM, QUITE A, AN AMAZING AND INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH EMS THAT IS ACTUALLY A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PARTNERSHIP THAT MOST SOBERING CENTERS DO NOT HAVE. 
          SO I'M PRETTY PROUD OF THAT. 
          UM, THE BRIDGE MEDS THING IS, IT'S A DUCT TAPE SOLUTION, . 
          AND UM, I ACTUALLY THINK THAT THAT QUESTION THAT CAME UP EARLIER ABOUT MAT AND BUPRENORPHINE, IT MAY BE FROM TIM, WAS THAT, UM, I BET THAT'S PART OF THAT IS, UM, 
          [01:30:01]
THAT YOU MIGHT BE DOING BU IN THE WOODS, RIGHT? OR LIKE, UM, ON THE STREET IN AN ALLEYWAY. 
          AND THEN GOING INTO ACTUAL MAP TREATMENT WOULD REQUIRE THEM ACTUALLY ENGAGING WITH A CLINIC AND HAVING A DOCTOR AND DOING LONG-TERM CARE. 
          THAT'S HOW I WOULD INTERPRET THAT DATA IF I AS JUST A TOTAL BYSTANDER, I HAVE NO IDEA IF THAT'S CORRECT. 
          BUT WHAT I'VE SEEN ON THE GROUND IS THAT, IS THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING A LOT OF ON THE FLY, ON THE GROUND IN THE STREETS, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE OFF OF OPIATES ONTO SOME OTHER SUBSTANCE THAT IS MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT. 
          BUT A LONG-TERM TREATMENT, EITHER IN INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT OR RESIDENTIAL, ARE SO HARD TO COME BY THAT IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CONNECT PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          SO OUR CONNECTIONS TO TREATMENT, AND I WOULD BET EMS IS CHIP CONNECTIONS TO TREATMENT ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY SMALL NUMBERS BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR IT HERE. 
          UM, SO WHAT'S NEXT FOR US IS THAT WE ARE, WE HAVE RENOVATED THE BUILDING. 
          WE DECIDED THAT IT'S LIKE PROBABLY BEEN A YEAR SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. 
          UM, WE DECIDED THAT THE BUILDING WASN'T REALLY BEING UTILIZED. 
          WELL, IT'S, IT'S THREE STORIES. 
          IT'S THE OLD MORGUE, IT'S PROBABLY HAUNTED. 
          UM, AND SO THE HOST TEAM WAS ON THE THIRD FLOOR, THE HOMELESS OUTREACH STREET TEAM. 
          THEY MOVED TO WHERE THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT IS. 
          SO WE MOVED OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF UP TO THE THIRD FLOOR AND THEN WE RENOVATED THE WHOLE SECOND FLOOR FOR OUR HOLDOVER PROGRAM. 
          SO THAT'S FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TREATMENT, WANT TREATMENT, HAVE NOWHERE TO GO, HAVE NO WAY TO PAY FOR IT. 
          INSTEAD OF US LIKE TRYING TO DUCT TAPE IT TOGETHER, WE CREATED A SECOND FLOOR WITH 14 BEDS. 
          THE COUNTY FUNDED THAT ENTIRE THING, ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF RENOVATING THE BUILDING, SETTING IT UP. 
          CENTRAL HEALTH IS PAYING FOR THE OPERATING FUNDS ON THAT SECOND FLOOR. 
          SO WE ARE JUST NOW GETTING IT OPEN. 
          UM, WE'RE ALMOST FINISHED STAFFING IT AND WE'RE CURRENTLY BRINGING OUR HOLDOVERS UPSTAIRS DURING THE DAY TO DO PROGRAMMING. 
          AND THEN THEY SLEEP DOWNSTAIRS WHERE WE HAVE FULL 24 7 OPERATIONS UPSTAIRS, THOUGH WE HAVE NATURAL LIGHT COMING IN. 
          WE HAVE PLANTS IN THE WINDOWS, THEY HAVE PRIVACY, THEY HAVE A CURTAIN, THEY HAVE A STORAGE THING, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN BED. 
          SO IT'S NOT LIKE AS MUCH OF A CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT AS THE FIRST FLOOR. 
          SO THAT IS ABOUT TO BE ANY DAY NOW. 
          UM, FULLY OPERATIONAL AND WE'LL DOUBLE THE CAPACITY OF THE CENTER. 
          UM, A COUPLE THINGS THAT I'M HAVEN'T DONE A LOT OF TALKING ABOUT PUBLICLY, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GUYS KNOW BECAUSE OF YOUR ROLE. 
          UM, THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE CITY, DR. 
          ESCOT, HAS INFORMED ME THAT THEY DO NOT WANT TO SERVE AS OUR MEDICAL DIRECTOR ANYMORE AND THAT WE NEED TO FIND A NEW MEDICAL DIRECTOR. 
          SO I AM HUSTLING ON THAT. 
          IT IS NOT AN EASY THING TO FIND. 
          UM, IT'S A 24 7 DEAL . 
          SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE OUR ON-CALL, WE'RE WE'RE DOING WITH EMS OR WITH UM, ECMO. 
          SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT, TRYING TO FIND THAT SOLUTION. 
          AND UM, PRETTY SOON WE'LL BE TRANSITIONING MEDICAL DIRECTORS THAT'S MAYBE IMPORTANT TO THIS COMMISSION. 
          UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS, UM, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT MENTIONED EARLIER CENTRAL HEALTH KIND OF COMING IN TO PICK UP SOME COSTS ON THINGS. 
          WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH CENTRAL HEALTH WE'VE HAD FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW, WHERE THEY ARE PAYING FOR ANY OF THEIR PATIENTS WHO ARE IN OUR FACILITY FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS. 
          THEY COME IN AS A PAYER FOR THAT PERSON. 
          THAT PERSON IS STAYING FIVE DAYS, SEVEN DAYS UNTIL WE CAN FIND THEM A TREATMENT OPTION. 
          THEY'RE PAYING FOR THAT. 
          THEY'RE ALSO STARTING TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS OF CONTRACTING TO PAY FOR TREATMENT BEDS, WHICH THEY HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE. 
          THAT'S TAKEN YEARS AND YEARS OF ADVOCACY TO GET TO THAT POINT. 
          BUT THEY'RE HERE NOW. 
          SO, UM, WE HAVE BEEN APPROACHED BY CENTRAL HEALTH FOR THEM TO BASICALLY MAKE THE SOBERING CENTER A PART OF CENTRAL HEALTH, UM, WHICH WOULD CHANGE ENTIRELY OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY. 
          UM, THAT IS A VERY, VERY EARLY DIALOGUE HAPPENING AT THE BOTH BOARDS LEVEL. 
          UM, BOTH, BOTH OF THOSE ENTITIES ARE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS, BOTH HAVE BOARDS APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT. 
          SO I DON'T HAVE A TON OF ANSWERS ABOUT THAT IN TERMS OF TIMELINE, BUT IT'S MOVING. 
          UM, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR YOU GUYS TO KNOW ABOUT THAT, WHICH I'M THINKING THAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT RELATED TO BUDGET, IS THAT WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE OUR BUDGET LEVEL. 
          WE DON'T NEED MORE MONEY. 
          WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING. 
          WE'RE NOT EXPANDING PROGRAMS. UM, THE CITY COUNCIL HAS REPEATEDLY ASKED, WHY ISN'T CENTRAL HEALTH PAYING FOR THIS? THIS IS A HEALTHCARE SERVICE. 
          UM, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A HEALTHCARE SERVICE BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS HAD MEDIC STAFFING IT AND WE'VE ALWAYS HAD A MEDICAL DIRECTOR. 
          UM, AND WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ESPECIALLY ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A MEDICAL CRISIS. 
          HOWEVER, THE MORE WE EVOLVE THE MODEL TO MEET COMMUNITY NEED, THE MORE IT LOOKS LIKE A HEALTHCARE SERVICE, THE MORE IT LOOKS LIKE TREATMENT AND IT'S HEADING IN THAT DIRECTION. 
          CENTRAL HEALTH IS INTERESTED IN BUILDING A TREATMENT CENTER, A DETOX, A CONTINUUM OF CARE, AND THEY WANT THE SOBERING CENTER TO BE PART OF THAT CONTINUUM, WHICH DELIGHTS ME TO KNOW IT. 
          SO I'M THRILLED ABOUT IT. 
          UM, BUT IN TERMS OF BUDGET, 
          [01:35:01]
I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN BEFORE BUDGET , I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO JUST STAY WITH THE CITY FOR ONE MORE FISCAL YEAR. 
          BUT WHAT I'M HOPING IS IF THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE CAN SEE THAT THERE'S A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, THIS PIECE IS GONNA GO AWAY OFF OF THE CITY BUDGET THAT THEY JUST DON'T MESS WITH IT. 
          THAT'S KIND OF ALL I'M ASKING AT THIS POINT, IS JUST LEAVE IT LEVEL SO WE CAN MANAGE THE TRANSITION. 
          'CAUSE IT WILL BE A HUGE PROJECT. 
          UM, AND JUST, I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, BUT UM, I'M THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF THE NATIONAL SOBERING COLLABORATIVE, WHICH IS A GROUP OF SOBERING CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY LOOKING AT BEST PRACTICES AND STANDARDS OF CARE. 
          UM, WE WERE PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE TOOLKIT ON HOW TO USE SOBERING CENTERS. 
          AND UM, AUSTIN WAS HIGHLIGHTED AS A CASE STUDY ON THAT. 
          UM, AND LIKE I SAID, PEOPLE ASK ME ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EMS. HOW DID YOU GET THAT? HOW DID YOU DO THAT? LUCKILY, I DIDN'T. 
          I INHERITED IT. 
          EMS HAS BEEN AT THE TABLE FROM THE BEGINNING, UM, AS A PARTNER, UM, AS A, A DONOR OF SUPPLIES, AS A, UM, AND JUST IN AND OUT. 
          WE HAVE, WE'RE JUST CROSS REFERRING ALL THE TIME. 
          SO WE, UM, ARE WELL KNOWN FOR THAT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          AND, UM, TOMORROW THE WHOLE CITY OF NASHVILLE IS COMING TO SEE OUR SOBERING CENTER 'CAUSE THEY WANT A SOBERING CENTER JUST LIKE OURS. 
          SO I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, THIS IS JUST A LITTLE SNAPSHOT OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          THIS USED TO BE LIKE HOT OFF THE PRESSES INFORMATION 'CAUSE IT WAS A FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN AND NOW IT'S ALMOST 2027. 
          SO WE'RE ALMOST FINISHED WITH ALL OF THESE GOALS NOW. 
          AND I KIND OF ALREADY COVERED THOSE THINGS. 
          SO LET ME OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS. 
          PHENOMENAL PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU MS. OMAR. 
          UM, I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND THE ALTERNATIVE TO JAIL TIME. 
          UM, THE STORY YOU TOLD ABOUT YOU HELPING THAT PERSON FOR FIVE DAYS, YOU'RE DOING THE LORD'S WORK, AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL FOR DOING THAT. 
          I AM, UM, GLAD THAT THERE'S RENOVATION PROJECTS GOING ON. 
          LIKE I DON'T WANNA SEE Y'ALL MOVE TO BASTROP AS WE'RE HEARING. 
          SORRY CHIEF COULDN'T HELP THAT. 
          BUT, UM, I KNOW YOU WON'T, BUT, UM, JUST THANK YOU FOR NO, WE'RE NOT GOING VERY FAR FROM THE TRAVIS COUNTY JAIL. 
          YEAH. 
          SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE MOVING INTO BASTROP. 
          THAT'S ALL I HAVE. 
          UH, COMMISSIONERS QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? I HAVE A QUESTION. 
          I DON'T, UM, IS THE, THE DESIRE TO, FOR ECMO TO NO LONGER BE, UM, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, IS THAT DRIVEN BY FINANCES? IT'S THEIR DESIRE, NOT MINE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT'S DRIVEN BY CAPACITY. 
          CAPACITY FOR THE NUMBER OF DOCTORS ON CALL DOCTORS. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THE, THE FACT THAT IT, THE EVOLUTION OF THE MODEL LOOKS LESS AND LESS LIKE AN AMBULANCE. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S MORE, IT'S A DIFFERENT SCOPE. 
          YOU COULD PROBABLY MAKE AN ARGUMENT EITHER WAY, BUT THAT IS WHAT I'M BEING TOLD. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONER? COMMISSIONER SMITH? I'M WONDERING IF WE HAVE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA RELATED TO THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE SERVED BY THE SOBERING CENTER VERSUS THOSE WHO GOT THE HOLDOVER PROGRAMS VERSUS THOSE WHO WEREN'T ABLE TO ENTER THE DOORS AND WHERE EXACTLY THAT LIVES. 
          WE SEND ALL OF OUR DEMOGRAPHIC DATA TO THE CITY EVERY QUARTER. 
          UM, 'CAUSE WE HAVE A CONTRACT THAT LOOKS KIND OF LIKE A SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACT, ALTHOUGH IT'S A DIFFERENT BUCKET THAN THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS TYPICALLY. 
          BUT YEAH, WE DO HAVE THAT DATA. 
          UM, I COULD TELL YOU, I CAN TELL YOU THE DEMOGRAPHICS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, NOT, I COULDN'T BREAK IT DOWN BY SAFE, SOBERING VERSUS HOLDOVERS VERSUS NON-AD ADMITS. 
          BUT WE ARE, WE, WE LOOK AT A PIE CHART OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS FROM, UM, ALL LIKE FROM RACE AND ETHNICITY TO GENDER TO AGE, TO KIND OF ALL OF THOSE PIECES IN, IN SOMEWHAT BY ZIP CODE. 
          ALTHOUGH IT'S VERY UNRELIABLE DATA BECAUSE EVERYONE IS VERY INTOXICATED  IN TERMS OF LIKE, WHERE DO THEY LIVE, RIGHT? SO IT'S EASIER FOR US TO SAY HOMELESS OR NOT HOMELESS THAN IT IS FOR US TO SAY THIS IS ZIP CODE OR THAT ZIP CODE. 
          UM, BUT WE TEND TO SERVE, LIKE IN TERMS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY, WE TEND TO SERVE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO THE POPULATION OF AUSTIN, ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY ELEVATED GROUPS WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR. 
          SO WE'RE SERVING ABOUT 33 TO 35% LATINO AND ABOUT 15% BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN. 
          AND THEN THE REST REALLY IDENTIFY AS CAUCASIAN. 
          GENDER WISE. 
          IT ALMOST NEVER CHANGES. 
          IT'S ALMOST EXACTLY 75% MEN ALWAYS SINCE WE OPENED. 
          IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT. 
          UM, HAVE LOTS OF THEORIES ABOUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS ABOUT WHY MEN VERSUS WOMEN, RIGHT? WHY, UM, SUBSTANCE OF CHOICE OVER NOT, UM, WE SEE SO MUCH MORE ALCOHOL AND METH AND STIMULANTS LIKE COCAINE AND CRACK THAN WE SEE OPIATES. 
          AND THAT'S NOT BECAUSE OPIATES IS NOT A PROBLEM IN THIS COMMUNITY. 
          IT'S BECAUSE OPIATES IS A MORE PRIVATELY INTOXICATING 
          [01:40:02]
SUBSTANCE, RIGHT? SO YOU'RE NOT LIKELY TO GET THE ATTENTION OF A PD AT A PARTY WITH OPIATES. 
          YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO BE ALONE OR ISOLATED OR, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          SO I, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF ROOM TO EVEN TALK ABOUT SHOULD WE BE DOING MORE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SORT OF PRIVATELY INTOXICATED THAN PUBLICLY INTOXICATED. 
          BECAUSE YOU CAN ALSO TAKE A LOT OF RISKS IN CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS TO BE PUBLICLY INTOXICATED, RIGHT. 
          THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE IN OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS. 
          UM, BUT YEAH, THAT, THAT, UM, ALL THAT DATA EXISTS WITH, UM, WELL OUR CONTRACT MANAGEMENT HAS CHANGED. 
          IT WAS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH THEN IT WAS EMS, NOW IT'S DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT. 
          SO THEY HAVE ALL OF THAT DATA, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THAT DATA. 
          SO IF THERE'S SPECIFIC LIKE TIMEFRAMES YOU WANT OR YOU KNOW, BREAKDOWNS BY THE PROGRAMS, I'M, I CAN FIGURE THAT OUT. 
          I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'LL HAVE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF NON-AD ADMITS BECAUSE THEY LEAVE AND WE CAN'T ALSO ALWAYS GET THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA. 
          BUT I DO HAVE NON-IT DATA BY WHY THEY DIDN'T ADMIT. 
          AND THEN I DO ALSO HAVE AN OUTSIDE RESEARCHER CAME IN AND LOOKED AT SOME OF OUR OUTCOMES AND PUT KIND OF AN EQUITY LENS OVER IT TO KIND OF SEE LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE LEAVING AGAINST STAFF ADVICE. 
          YOU KNOW, ARE THOSE PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO BE FROM THIS RACIAL GROUP OR THIS GENDER GROUP OR THIS AGE GROUP? SO WE HAVE SOME OF THAT DATA AS WELL. 
          UM, AND NOT ALL OF IT IS IN OUR CONTROL BECAUSE WE WAIT FOR A REFERRAL FROM THE OUTSIDE. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT WE WANTED TO SEE LIKE, ARE PATIENTS BEING TREATED EQUITABLY ONCE THEY'RE IN OUR CENTER, ONCE THEY'VE ADMITTED, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T CONTROL WHAT THE REFERRAL PARTNERS DECIDE IN TERMS OF ARE THEY TAKEN INTO JAIL OR THE HOSPITAL. 
          BUT ONCE WE THEY GET TO US, DO THEY HAVE SIMILAR OUTCOMES IN TERMS OF LIKE, WHO GETS TO STAY IF THEY WANNA STAY AND WHO LEAVES AGAINST STAFF ADVICE? SO WE DO HAVE A PRETTY DETAILED REPORT AROUND THAT AS WELL. 
          IF, UM, IF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED, I CAN DEFINITELY SEND ALL THAT OVER. 
          I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT. 
          YES. 
          THAT SOUNDS LIKE SUCH INTERESTING DATA. 
          THAT SOUNDS LIKE SUCH INTERESTING DATA AND THESE LIKE UNDERLINING ASSUMPTIONS OR POSSIBLE LIKE, UM, METRICS OR, OR METHODOLOGY SHOULD I SAY THAT WE COULD BE USING TO SOLVE THE ISSUE. 
          I THINK YOU HAVE SOME REALLY COOL DATA AND I WOULD LOVE, UM, I WOULD RATHER NOT. 
          I MEAN, COMMISSIONERS, IF YOU GUYS HAVE SOMETHING SPECIFIC, OBVIOUSLY THROW IT IN. 
          BUT I WOULD RATHER NOT CLOSE YOUR UNIVERSE. 
          I'D RATHER YOU GIVE ME THE FULL REPORT AND THEN NEXT TIME YOU COME BACK TO SOMETHING YOU FOUND REALLY INTERESTING, LIKE, HEY, I SAW THIS TREND OF, YOU KNOW, THIS SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHIC DURING THIS TIME AND THIS IS WHAT I THINK THIS, YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO HEAR YOUR EXPERTISE MM-HMM . 
          UM, IN RELATION TO KIND OF WHAT THAT DATA COULD BE TELLING US ABOUT HOW WE COULD BE EVEN BETTER, EVEN BETTER ALL STARS IN THIS SPACE. 
          LET'S, LET'S GET TO THE, THE PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE SPACE AS WELL. 
          'CAUSE WE ARE CREATING SOMETHING THAT IS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MAGNIFICENT. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I AM A TOTAL NERD FOR IT. 
          I'LL SEND YOU SOME STUFF THAT I HAVE AND IT'S PRETTY DENSE STUFF THAT WE CAN DIG INTO, YOU KNOW. 
          UM, BUT YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO DO THAT. 
          AND WE ALSO HAVE, UH, VIA OUR CONNECTION WITH THE NATIONAL SOBERING COLLABORATIVE, THERE'S A RESEARCHER THAT IS AN EXPERT IN THIS AREA THAT HAS PUT IN A PROPOSAL TO THE ARNOLD FOUNDATION IN HOUSTON, THE, WHICH IS NOW CALLED ARNOLD VENTURES, I THINK, WHICH HAS PASSED THE INITIAL FUNDING STAGE AND WHAT WE WOULD BE INCLUDED AS ONE OF THOSE, UM, EVALUATION SITES. 
          AND IT WOULD BE SPECIFIC TO, UM, SOME HOSPITAL OUTCOMES AND EMS OUTCOMES BECAUSE THE NATIONAL SOBERING COLLABORATIVE IS REALLY TRYING TO GET OTHER CITIES', EMS SYSTEMS TO PARTICIPATE THE WAY THAT THEY PARTICIPATE HERE. 
          PART OF THE ISSUE IS A REIMBURSEMENT ISSUE. 
          THEY, THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T GET PAID TO BRING TO US, THEY GET PAID TO BRING TO A HOSPITAL, RIGHT? SO OUR EMS JUST SYSTEM IS JUST ONE OF THE MOST PROGRESSIVE IN THE COUNTRY. 
          AND THEY JUST HAVE BEEN AT THE TABLE WITH US AS A PARTNER FROM THE BEGINNING. 
          AND I THINK THERE MIGHT HAVE EVEN BEEN INITIAL GRANT FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT. 
          UM, BUT I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYMORE. 
          IT'S JUST, WE'RE JUST HERE, WE'RE, WE'RE AT THE TABLE. 
          AND IT'S JUST PART OF LIKE WHAT OBVIOUSLY MAKES SENSE FOR THE PATIENT, RIGHT? UM, BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          AND THERE'S LOTS OF STATES WORKING ON LEGISLATION AROUND IT BECAUSE THERE'S ORDINANCES AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S RULES ABOUT WHO YOU CAN HAND OFF TO. 
          IT'S LIKE THE MEDICS HAVE TO HAND OFF TO A MEDIC. 
          THEY CAN'T HAND OFF TO A PEER COACH. 
          AND SO THERE'S, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF WHAT I WAS SAYING EARLIER ABOUT, WELL, WE ARE A HEALTHCARE SERVICE. 
          WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN THE WAY EMS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE TO TAKE IF TO TAKE EMS REFERRALS OR TO DO HOSPITAL DIVERSION, WE HAVE TO BE A HEALTHCARE SERVICE OF SOME KIND. 
          UM, ANYWAY, I DIGRESS. 
          I WILL SEND YOU SOME NERD STUFF. 
          COMMISSIONER CAN, UM, TWO QUESTIONS. 
          ONE SHORT TERM, ONE LONGER TERM. 
          SO SHORT TERM IN TERMS OF THE BUDGETARY COMPONENTS, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE FOR HOW LIKELY IT IS THAT, OR HOW, HOW RECEPTIVE CITY STAFF IS TO MAINTAINING FUNDING AT A BASELINE LEVEL? UM, I AM, I AM BEING TOLD THAT THEY ARE GOING TO PUT JUST COPY PASTE FROM LAST YEAR'S BUDGET TO THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. 
          I, I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN. 
          [01:45:01]
I, YOU, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY OF IT, I, THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ISSUE WHERE OUR BUDGET ENDS UP CUT AND GOES BACK TO SOME OLD NUMBER FROM AN OLD SPREADSHEET FROM LIKE 2016. 
          AND THEN I HAVE TO GO TO COUNCIL TO AMEND THE BUDGET EVERY SINGLE YEAR. 
          I'VE NEVER NOT BEEN TO COUNCIL WITH THIS BUDGET THIS YEAR. 
          THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER SAID, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. 
          YOUR BUDGET'S GONNA BE IN THE DRAFT CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET. 
          SO I JUST HAVE TO TAKE HER WORD FOR IT AT THIS POINT, UM, AND, AND HOPE THAT IT'S THERE IN JULY. 
          AND IF NOT, THEN I'LL, YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE ME AT COUNCIL TRYING TO MAKE THAT MONEY LEVEL BECAUSE I JUST DON'T WANNA DISRUPT IT. 
          I JUST, I REALLY CAN'T DO THE DISRUPTION , UM, WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING LIKE A MERGER OF A MAJOR ORGANIZATION. 
          SURE. 
          AND IF YOU COULD SEND US ANY OF THOSE PAST DETAILS, JUST SO WE CAN HAVE THOSE AND ADVOCATE ON THAT END, THAT WOULD BE USEFUL. 
          UM, AND THE SECOND QUESTION, LONGER TERM, I, I KNOW THIS IS ON YOUR RADAR, BUT JUST THINKING THROUGH, IF THERE IS MORE MERGER WITH INTEGRAL HEALTH MAKING OR CENTRAL HEALTH, MAKING SURE THAT THAT DOESN'T LOSE THE BENEFITS OF THE CLOSE INTEGRATION WITH EMS AND SOME OF THAT FIRST RESPONDER, I THINK HAS REALLY BEEN ONE OF THE VERY SUCCESSFUL THINGS. 
          YEAH. 
          AND BALANCING THAT SORT OF SHORT TERM HEALTH VERSUS LONG TERM HEALTHCARE MM-HMM . 
          UM, AND I'LL BE INTERESTED IN HEARING DOWN, DOWN THE ROAD AS YOU, AS YOU PURSUE THAT MORE, JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN WHAT WE'RE DOING THAT'S EXCELLENT. 
          AS A, AS WELL AS BUILD ON WHAT YOU GUYS WANNA DO AND NEED TO DO. 
          YEAH. 
          THAT, THAT'S A WAS A HUGE PART OF THE CONVERSATION IS IT'S A HUGE DEAL BREAKER IF THE FIRST RESPONDERS CAN'T USE THE SOBERING CENTER. 
          LIKE WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT OF IT? RIGHT? UM, IT'S NOT JUST A, A PLACE TO SHOW UP. 
          IT'S LIKE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S MEANT TO BE PART OF A, A A, A COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY. 
          SO, UM, AND PART OF CENTRAL HEALTH'S, UH, STATUTE STATES HOW THEY CAN SPEND THEIR MONEY AND THEY HAVE TO SPEND THEIR MONEY ON INDIGENT HEALTHCARE. 
          THEY CAN'T SPEND IT ON JUST EVERYTHING. 
          RIGHT? THAT'S PART OF WHY TO INTEGRATE WITH CENTRAL HEALTH, WE WOULD HAVE TO BECOME A PROGRAM OF CENTRAL HEALTH BECAUSE IF WE ARE DIRECTLY THE PROVIDER, THEN WE CAN OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, WHICH MEANS SERVING WHOEVER A PD AND EMS DECIDE THEY WANNA BRING TO US VERSUS DOING A MAP ELIGIBILITY OR SOMETHING IN THE BACK OF AN AMBULANCE, WHICH IS LIKE OBVIOUSLY NOT DOABLE. 
          SO THAT WAS A HUGE PART OF THE BEGINNING OF THAT CONVERSATION WAS LIKE, THIS CAN'T WORK UNLESS WE HAVE THE SAME KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH EMS AND A P THAT WE HAVE NOW. 
          OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE A MEDICAL DIRECTOR TRANSITION. 
          I THINK THAT'S GONNA CHANGE THINGS A LITTLE BIT, BUT HOPEFULLY NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ON THE GROUND. 
          ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? OH, QUESTION. 
          JUST A QUICK FOLLOW UP QUESTION. 
          WILL THE TRANSITION TO CENTRAL HEALTH IMPACT COST FOR THE CITY FOR USE OF THE SOBERING CENTER? THAT HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THEY WILL TRY TO NEGOTIATE SOMETHING WHERE THE CITY WOULD PUT SOMETHING IN FOR THE COST, YOU KNOW, TO USE IT YEAH. 
          OR HAVE THE FIRST RESPONDERS USE IT BECAUSE IT, WE HAVE DOCUMENTED COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS TO IT. 
          SO IT DEFINITELY SAVES THE COMMUNITY DOLLARS, IT SAVES THE CITY, IT SAVES THE COUNTY IN TERMS OF JAIL BEDS. 
          IT SAVES THE HOSPITALS QUITE A BIT OF MONEY TOO. 
          SO THAT'S PART OF WHY CENTRAL HEALTH IS BEING BROUGHT INTO THE TABLE. 
          UM, BUT MAYBE THE CITY WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF FINANCIAL PART TO IT, BUT IT WOULD GO LIKE TO CENTRAL HEALTH DIRECTLY. 
          IT WOULDN'T BE LIKE ME TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR THE FULL BUDGET TO BE PART OF THE CITY. 
          SO IT WOULD BE EASILY, IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE A HUGE COST SAVINGS TO THE CITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CENTRAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM . 
          ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? NOPE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          OKAY. 
          MOVING ON TO 
          [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND IF VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ CAN HELP ME WITH THIS, UM, THAT'D BE APPRECIATED. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE AUSTIN POLICE ASSOCIATION COMING NEXT MONTH TO DO A SIMILAR PRESENTATION LIKE WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH EMS AND WITH FIRE THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS LEADING UP TO BUDGET. 
          UM, UH, WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM THAT, UM, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT FLOATED. 
          UM, THAT ALSO I THINK, UM, CONNECTS TO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT COMMISSIONER SMITH HAS BEEN ASKING ABOUT, JUST WITH REGARDS TO, UM, PREPARATION FOR HEAT, UM, AND, UM, UM, PREPARATION FOR HEAT AND OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY OUR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY. 
          UM, WHICH WOULD BE, AND THE REASON IT CONNECTS TO WHAT, UM, COMMISSIONER SMITH HAD ASKED FOR IS 
          [01:50:01]
WE ARE WORKING ON GETTING HE SO, WHICH IS NO LONGER CALLED, HES A, BUT HES A, UM, HSO AND THE OFFICE OF RESILIENCY, UM, HERE TOGETHER SO WE CAN HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH ALL OF THE AGENCIES PRESENT. 
          UM, SO I'M EXCITED TO HEAR THAT. 
          UM, THAT'S IN THE WORKS FOR NEXT MONTH AS WELL. 
          UM, AND ASIDE FROM THAT, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT ELSE IS ON THE AGENDA, BUT OF COURSE WE HAVE ROOM FOR REQUESTS AND MORE. 
          MR. SMITH? YES. 
          UH, CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM RELATED TO THE COMMISSION'S PRIOR RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING SEXUAL ASSAULT FORENSIC EXAMINATION SERVICES AND THE BROADER PUBLIC SAFETY ROLE PLAYED BY SAFE. 
          UM, I SUPPORTED OUR PRIOR RECOMMENDATION BECAUSE I BELIEVED IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ENSURE CONTINUITY OF SERVICES AND REDUCE THE RISK OF SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE WITHIN THE SYSTEM. 
          I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE DIVERSIFICATION AND SYSTEM RESILIENCE ARE IMPORTANT GOALS. 
          UM, HOWEVER, SINCE THAT RECOMMENDATION WAS ADOPTED, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION HAS BECOME AVAILABLE THAT I BELIEVE WARRANTS FURTHER DISCUSSION SPECIFICALLY SAFE, UH, THROUGH THEIR CEO HAS CLARIFIED THAT IT DID NOT SEEK TO EXIT THE FORENSIC EXAMINATION SPACE, UM, AND REMAINS WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN A MULTI PROVIDER MODEL IF SUSTAINABLE FUNDING CAN BE IDENTIFIED. 
          UM, SO SAFE ALSO STATED THAT, UM, IT WOULD SUPPORT ANY MODEL THAT PROTECTS SURVIVORS PRESERVES TRAUMA INFORMED CARE, AND INSURERS TIMELY ACCESS TO FORENSIC EXAMINATIONS AND ADVOCACY WHILE REMAINING OPEN, OPEN TO CONTINUING ITS OWN FORENSIC ROLE WITHIN SUCH A MODEL. 
          AND I DO THINK THAT DISTINCTION REALLY MATTERS. 
          I THINK IT'S AN AND RATHER THAN AN OR WE FIND OURSELVES WITH, AS WE GET MORE INFORMATION. 
          UM, IT, FOR THIS FUTURE AGENDA ITEM, I WOULD SPECIFICALLY, UH, LIKE TO INCLUDE THE LONG-TERM ROLE OF SAFE WITHIN A MULTI, UH, PROVIDER FORENSIC EXAMINATION SYSTEM. 
          UH, HOW THEIR SURVIVOR ADVOCACY SERVICES WILL BE MAINTAINED REGARDLESS OF WHERE EXAMINATION OCCURS. 
          WHETHER TRAUMA-INFORMED SURVIVOR NAVIGATION SERVICES, UM, CURRENTLY PROVIDED THROUGH SAFE ARE ADEQUATELY FUNDED AND PROTECTED DURING ANY TRANSITION. 
          UH, THE BROADER IMPACT, UH, THE BROADER PUBLIC SAFETY IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS POTENTIAL LOSS OF SAFE OPERATED PROGRAMS, AND WHETHER BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED REGARDING, UH, PROGRAMS CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED AS BEING AT RISK DURING THE UPCOMING BUDGET CYCLE, INCLUDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER SERVICES. 
          MY GOAL IS NOT TO REVISIT OUR PRIOR RECOMMENDATION. 
          MY GOAL IS, IS TO ENSURE THAT AS NEW INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, THE COMMISSION FULLY UNDERSTANDS, UH, THESE IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS AND MAKES, YOU KNOW, FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL. 
          I ALSO WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT, UM, I THINK WE WERE ALL PRETTY JARRED AT HEARING THAT DATE, UH, FOR THE FIRST TIME AT OUR LAST MEETING. 
          UM, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT, UH, BUT FOR ME BEING EXTREMELY TRIGGERED , UM, I, I WISH TO EXPRESS. 
          SO I WANTED TO AT LEAST PUT IT ON RECORD TODAY AND HUMBLY REQUEST THAT WE DO TAKE IT UP, UM, ON A FUTURE ITEM. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER SMITH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A REQUEST. 
          WE HAD THE, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY DEFENDER'S OFFICE HERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, THAT WE WERE GONNA DO A FOLLOW-UP ITEM SO THAT WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET THAT ON OUR RADAR TO GO OVER A PD PROCEDURES, UM, FOR DISCLOSURE OF, UM, BODY CAM FOOTAGE AND OTHER SUPPORTING DATA THAT'S NEEDED BY THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE. 
          UM, I THINK THAT WAS TWO MONTHS AGO THAT WE DID THAT. 
          AND SO IF WE WAIT ONE MORE MONTH, IT WILL BE THREE MONTHS. 
          UM, AND SO I'D LIKE TO PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA, IF NOT FOR JULY. 
          FOR AUGUST. 
          I HAVE MORE OF A, I GUESS IT'S AN INQUIRY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE HEAR FROM MR. LEON VERY REGULARLY, UM, BUT WE'VE ALSO HEARD FROM, UM, MR. RIVERA CLEMENTE NOW SEVERAL TIMES, LIKE MULTIPLE TIMES LAST YEAR AND THEN TODAY. 
          UM, AND I'M WONDERING IF, IF, IF WE HAVE A WAY, UM, TO JUST KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW, FOLLOW UP WITH SOMEBODY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON UNDERNEATH THESE COMPLAINTS AND FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S SOMETHING LEGITIMATE IN SOME OF THEM AND, AND YOU KNOW, LIKE WHAT OUR ROLE IS BECAUSE IT, IT FEELS LIKE WE JUST KIND OF LISTEN TO PEOPLE VENT AND, AND WE GET THEM, YOU KNOW, ON CLOSED CIRCUIT TV. 
          UM, BUT IT, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN THAT. 
          AND I'VE HAD THAT QUESTION AND I'VE ASKED, UH, VICE CHAIR RAMIREZ AND, UM, UM, SO PLEASE, SO I WILL SAY WHAT I SAID TO 
          [01:55:01]
CHAIR DURAN IS THAT WE ALL HAVE THE ABILITY AND WE HAVE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION. 
          WE ALL HAVE THE ABILITY TO FOLLOW UP INDIVIDUALLY AND TALK TO THEM MORE, UM, TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE ARE THREADS THAT WE CAN, UM, PICK UP FOR THEM AND ADVOCATE FOR. 
          UM, I DO KNOW THAT, UM, THE CHIEFS HAVE LET US KNOW VIA OUR MEETINGS, UM, OUR, OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS THAT THEY DO FOLLOW UP WHEN THERE ARE THINGS THAT CAN BE FOLLOWED UP ON, UM, CHIEF HENDERSON WOULD MAKE IT A POINT TO COME BACK AND LET US KNOW WHEN THERE WAS, WHEN THAT WAS HAPPENING. 
          IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR THE CHIEFS TO FOLLOW UP ON AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE TO US, WE WOULD APPRECIATE THAT, UM, AS PART OF THEIR UPDATES WHEN THEY COME TO US. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M HAPPY TO PICK UP A THREAD WITH, UM, WITH ONE, WITH, WITH OUR, WITH OUR FREQUENT PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UM, AND REACH OUT AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO. 
          BUT I THINK IT JUST REQUIRES SOME INITIATIVE FROM US IN BETWEEN MEETINGS TO DO THAT. 
          AND I, UM, I MEAN, I RECOGNIZE, 'CAUSE I USED TO WORK AT THE A CLU THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THERE ARE SOME SQUEAKY WHEELS OUT THERE THAT, THAT MAYBE ARE A, A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU KNOW, PRONE TO READING SITUATIONS, UM, IN INACCURATE WAYS, RIGHT? OR SEEING THINGS AS HOSTILE THAT AREN'T, AREN'T NECESSARILY INTENDED AS HOSTILE OR THAT WERE HOSTILE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, BUT IT, IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF A, A WAY TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, I, I'M JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT MR. RIVERA CLEMENTE MIGHT HAVE, UH, HAD A SERIOUS CRIMINAL ISSUE 20 YEARS AGO AND FOR SOME REASON THAT'S JUST FOLLOWING HIM AROUND, FOR EXAMPLE. 
          UM, BUT I, I, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER RUAN. 
          UM, FROM TODAY, UH, I'D BE JUST IN SEEING A RESOLUTION FOR SUPPORTING STABLE FUNDING FOR THE SOBERING CENTER. 
          THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE FAIRLY TIMELY, I THINK, GIVEN THE, THE TIMING ON THAT. 
          UM, BUT SOMETHING TO CONSIDER FOR NEXT MONTH IF POSSIBLE. 
          UM, AND THEN I'D BE INTERESTED AT SOME POINT, AND WE ALLUDED TO THIS A LITTLE BIT IN THE PRESENTATION FROM EMS AND THE UNION REPRESENTATIVE, BUT SOMETHING, SOME MORE FORMAL PRESENTATION ON THE PENSION ISSUE AND BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS AND SORT OF FUNDING OPTIONS ON THERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELL, IF THAT'S ALL WE HAVE, I THINK WE CAN ADJOURN AT 5 58. 
          UM, WISH EVERYONE A SAFE START TO THIS SUMMER AND GHOSTERS, GO  AND HAPPY PRIDE. 
          I.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.