Police & Fire Commission
July 10, 2007, 4:32 p.m.

Roll Call: Commissioners Meyer, Nuck, Rice, Schleihs and Taylor

Also Present: Police Chief Morris, Fire Chief Barnes, Mayor Andrew Halverson, Alderperson Randy Stroik, Alderperson George Hanson, Alderperson Roger Trzebiatowski, Alderperson Norm Myers, Jeanne Dodge, James Clark, Harvey Olson, Dr. Michael Curtis, Sandra Curtis, Dave Medin, and Don Jankowski

Index of these minutes:

2. People to be heard and announcements
3. Approval of Minutes: June 12, 2007
4. Confirmation of Bills
5. Fire Chief's Report
6. Police Chief's Report
7. Discussion regarding safe operation of county vehicles
8. Adjournment

2. People to be heard and announcements

None.

3. Approval of Minutes - June 12, 2007

Commissioner Nuck moved, seconded by Commissioner Rice, to approve the minutes of the June 12, 2007 meeting.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried.

4. Confirmation of Bills

Commissioner Nuck moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, to accept the confirmation of the June 2007 bills.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried.

5. Fire Chief's Report
Chief Barnes reported:

• The Chief briefed the Commission on the status of Station #2.
• Interviews were held on July 2nd for the Deputy Chief vacancy. The interview panel consisted of Dr. Bill Meyer, Deputy Chiefs Zinda and Kujawa, Mr. Dennis Elsenrath and the Chief. A conditional offer of employment was made to an applicant on July 10th. A thorough background investigation is currently underway. The Chief anticipates a starting date in mid-August.
• The Chief and the Mayor met with Plover representatives on June 13th to begin initial discussions of a potential joint aerial response. Work will progress on development of an operational plan.
• Current staffing was discussed.
• Engine #1 fire truck remains out of service and is receiving repairs for the leaking water tank and front axle mountings. The Chief is looking at August as the earliest return for the engine.
• The Chief expressed his sincere appreciation for the Commission=s support, as well as the support of Mayor Halverson and other city officials, for undertaking the non-represented pay plan issue.

Commissioner Meyer moved, seconded by Commissioner Taylor, to accept the Fire Chief=s Report for June 2007.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried

6. Police Chief's Report

Chief Morris reported:

• The contracts for the clerical union and police officers organization have both been resolved without mediation or arbitration in a timely fashion. The Chief attributes the success to many positive events over the past several years aimed at improving communications between the Department=s management and work force.
• The first major re-alignment of work areas took place in March. Patrol relocated to the old administrative support area, IB relocated to the old patrol area and the support sergeants relocated to the old IB area. The relocation committee consisted of Officers Stanislawski, Dean, Bink, Sgt. Skibba, and Lts. Carlson and Kudronowicz.
• Information technology projects scheduled for 2008:
  • Installation of in-car camera systems in all marked squads.
  • Development of a computer aided dispatch system with current records vendor.
  • Multi-camera downtown monitoring system.
  • Installation of a cell phone based infra structure to create a reliable data transfer connectivity between the cars in the field and the station.
  • Actualization of crime analysis in support of Problem Oriented Policing.
• In support of keeping the ground gained in creating a positive team atmosphere and maintaining a high level of employee commitment to achieving the goals of the SPPD, the department is reviewing the results of the Internal Survey Response and Resolution committee. In the future ISRR committees will meet periodically to ensure our processes remain intact and we are sustaining the highest practical level of general employee morale.

Commissioner Nuck moved, seconded by Commissioner Rice, to approve the Police Chief=s report for June, 2007.

Ayes, all; nays, none. Motion carried

7. Discussion regarding safe operation of county vehicles

The Portage County Public Safety/Emergency Management Committee was provided draft copies of Standard Operating Procedures dealing with Vehicle Operation Emergent Driving, Routine Driving & Non-Emergent Response, Response Mode Types, Unit Response Assignments for EMS and Patient Transport Response Mode Determination.

There are two pending Standard Operating Procedures, driver training and EMS Response Mode Determination. The Chief will forward a copy of these procedures to the Police and Fire Commission upon their completion.

Members of the Public Safety Committee voiced their concern regarding driving standards, driving training and patient safety. It was their opinion that the recent vehicle accident highlights a critical need for procedural safeguards for the safe operation of ambulance vehicles and the need for operator accountability.

Members of the Commission responded by saying the updating of existing Standard Operating Procedures and the enactment of new ones should address concerns regarding the continued safe operation of ambulances.

Discussion occurred regarding the ambulance service included driver training and experience, use of Drivecam technology and current response modes including the use of lights and sirens.

Commissioner Meyer stated the Stevens Point Fire Department had three reported accident in 34,000 runs. The national average, based on an article by Saunders and Heye, is 45.9 accidents per 100,000 "travels." The national average breaks down to 15.3 accidents per 33,000 travels, or, conversely, the Stevens Point data are about 9 accidents per 102,000 runs. With regard to the emergent pages and response types, in 2006 the Department had 2063 emergent pages and emergent responses. It also had 500 emergent pages with non-emergent responses.

Deputy Chief Kujawa noted that of the three accidents the Fire Department ambulance was involved in, only one of the three was the Fire Department vehicle operator=s fault. The other two accidents involved a deer/ambulance contact and a vehicle turning left in front of the ambulance traveling on Patch Street. Deputy Chief Kujawa explained how the February accident affected the paramedics and served as a learning opportunity.

The Fire Chief is meeting with Dr. Curtis to discuss the Standard Operating Procedure which deals with EMS Response Mode Determination.

President Schleihs will send the Portage County Public Safety/Emergency Management Committee the current drafts of Standard Operating Procedure 1072, Driver Training, and Standard Operating Procedure 4004.03, Response Mode Determination.

8. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.

The meeting minutes reproduced on this website are derived from the computer files used to produce the official minutes for the City of Stevens Point, but are unofficial. The minutes on this web site cannot be certified under s. 889.08, Wis. Stats., and cannot be considered prima facie evidence under s. 889.04, Wis. Stats. Certain tables, maps, and other documents that are a part of the official minutes are not included in the files reproduced on this website. Please consult the printed minutes, available in the City Clerk's Office, for the official text. The decisions made by City of Stevens Point boards, committees, and commissions (other than the Police & Fire Commission) are advisory only and are not binding on the city until affirmed at a meeting of the Common Council. Some of the minutes on this web site might not be approved by the Common Council as of today.