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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 10-03-2013 APPROVED 11/19/2013 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT MEETING WITH THE ORANGE COUNTY CHIEF'S ASSOCIATION October 3, 2013 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a joint meeting on Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Mark Dorosin COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: James Bryan COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Interim County Manager Michael Talbert and Assistant County Managers Clarence Grier, Cheryl Young and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) VOLUNTEER FIRE CHIEFS PRESENT: VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPTS. — CHAIRS, Brad Allison, Fire Chief, Caldwell FD BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bryan Baker, Fire Chief, Eno FD Mac Miller, Caldwell BOD President Dan Jones, Fire Chief, Town of Chapel Hill Bill Waddell, Orange Grove, BOD Jeff Borland, Fire Chief, Cedar Grove FD President Phillip Nasseri, Fire Chief, White Cross FD Wayne Paschall, Eno BOD President Jeff Cabe, Fire Chief, Orange Rural FD Jeff Roberts, Orange Rural BOD President John Stroud, Fire Chief, North Chatham, Jacques Morin, SORS BOD President FD Howard Pratt, New Hope BOD President Kevin Brooks, Fire Chief, Efland FD Matthew Mauzy, Chief, South Orange Rescue Squad (SORS) Mike Tapp, Fire Chief, New Hope FD Steve McCauley, Fire Chief, Orange Grove FD Jim Groves, Orange County Emergency Services Director Phillip Nasseri, Fire Chief, White Cross FD Kent McKenzie, Town of Carrboro FIRE CHIEFS/BOD CHAIRS ABSENT: Ronnie McAdams, Efland BOD President Chad Woods, Cedar Grove BOD President Tony Blake, White Cross BOD President, Brian Vaughn, North Chatham BOD President Travis Crabtree, Fire Chief, Town of Carrboro Welcome and Introductions — BOCC Chair Barry Jacobs Chair Jacobs welcomed everyone and said that Commissioner Dorosin sends his regrets because he is unable to attend tonight. Introductions were made. 1. Orange County Chief's Association Strategic Plan Update Fire Chiefs' Chief's Association President Steve McCauley thanked the Board of County Commissioners for this meeting and their working relationship. A) Goals Steve McCauley reviewed each of the following goals, as listed in the Orange County Chief's Association Strategic Plan: • GOAL I: Ensuring Viable and Reliable Voice and Data Communication • GOAL II: Improving the 9-1-1 Telecommunications System and Center • GOAL III: Encouraging the Adoption of Measureable Emergency Response System Benchmarks and Reporting Norms • GOAL IV: Setting Service Standard Goals for Volunteer Fire Departments • GOAL V: Planning for a Countywide Training Facility • GOAL VI: Preparing a Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment Plan • GOAL VII: Building Better Relationships with Key Stakeholders • GOAL VIII: Fostering Increased Public Awareness Steve McCauley said part of the objective for Goal I is to provide radio coverage with building penetration throughout the County. He said there has been funding provided to create additional channels to address this communications need. He said a second objective for Goal I is to encourage the development of a mobile data network. He said this would allow command to view the location of all units, as well as water sources and other environmental factors. He said Pagetrack is the preferred choice for this service, and he asked the Board for their support in implementing this. He said one objective for Goal II is to work with Orange County to ensure deployment of a state of the art 911 communications center that is able to dispatch calls in 90 seconds or less 90 percent of the time. Steve McCauley said one objective for Goal IV is to ensure all Orange County residents can receive the maximum fire protection and home owners' insurance savings by improving individual department ISO ratings. He said there are several departments on the wait list for ratings change. He said one objective for Goal V is to provide a modern, centrally located training facility for firefighters and emergency services personnel. He said the chiefs would like to ask the County to set aside land for this. He said the last six months have seen great improvements with the addition of Jim Groves. He said relationships have improved, and there has been dramatic change in emergency services. Chair Jacobs said the Board appreciates hearing good things about the Fire Chiefs Association's improved relationship with Emergency Services. Commissioner McKee noted that last Tuesday the Board of County Commissioners approved a position involving planning for emergency preparedness. He asked if this person would be able to help with Goal VI. Jim Groves said this is a shared position working with both DSS and Emergency Services, and working 50 percent with each. He said this position would be able to help conduct a new federal guide for Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA). He said this is high on the list of job priorities. Commissioner McKee asked if the fire chiefs see this as helpful in their preparedness of a multi-hazard plan. Jeff Cabe said the fire service in Orange County has historically worked with fires, and rescue squads dealt with everything else. He said the rescue squads are primarily gone, and the role of the fire department is more involved. He said, with the fire service contracts, the fire departments level of service expectation has been raised. He said that there are obstacles to overcome from 911 to the new CAD system, but Jim Groves has promised that a community risk assessment is coming. He said no one individually has the resources to do a countywide risk assessment. He said this is what the Fire Chiefs had in mind when the decision was made to get a risk manager involved. Commissioner Price noted that this report was completed in 2012, and she asked what other equipment is needed in 2013. Jeff Cabe said Orange County bought the dispatcher software for IPADS, and it has a lot of capabilities; however there is a learning curve. He said there is a section of this where the firefighters can see from the trucks, what the telecommunicators are typing into the system. He said past quotes were in the range of$6,000 per truck to implement this. He said this would be $60,000 for his department, and this does not include a monthly data plan. He said Pagetrack is currently used because it is more cost efficient, and it can be used with Google maps and any mobile device. He said the County is doing ok with that part of things. He said there are some radio penetration problems, and this is a state system. He said there is work being done toward a solution. He said, with the data issue, once you go out of population areas there is minimal cell service. He said if there was anything the Board of County Commissioners could do to increase the data penetration (cell service) in the northern areas of Orange County that would be helpful. He said there are penetration problems throughout the county with the landscape of this area. Chair Jacobs said the Board is working on adding towers in northern rural Orange County, and a tower for Walnut Grove has been approved. Commissioner Price asked what can be done to help make progress. Michael Talbert said there was a report done, and the County is entering year 2 of a 5 year plan. He said progress is being made, and most of the improvements needed are in the 5 year CIP. Dan Jones, Chapel Hill Fire Chief, said he will make suggestions on cell towers and equipment, as well as some suggested changes in direction later in the meeting agenda. Chair Jacobs said the County did offer a parcel in northern Orange for a countywide training facility a few years back, and the Chiefs Association was not interested at that time. He said he would like to bring this option forth again. He suggested Council and staff to get together, along with Dave Stancil, to discuss this further. Jeff Cabe said the reason for the original objection to this site was because it was not centrally located and had no water supply. Phillip Nasseri said efforts are being made to add substations to help with ISO ratings. B) Modified Fire Service Agreements/Contracts Michael Talbert noted that he started this Agreement before Jim Groves came. He said the Board of County Commissioners approved fire contracts for three fire service districts (Chapel Hill, Carrboro and North Chatham) on June 18th and those are in force. He said agreements for the more rural departments have not been signed, as these were found to need more clarity. He said the three contracts for the fire service districts were cancelled, making it imperative to get those in place July 1. He said the other contracts are still in force until new agreements are signed. Michael Talbert went through 4 basic changes to the new fire protection and emergency services contract, as highlighted below: Page 17 • 4. That from said special tax district the Board of County Commissioners will approve a Fire Protection District tax rate and Annual Budget for the fire Department. The County agrees to remit quarterly payments, by the 15th day of the first month of each quarter. The total quarterly payments to the fire department will equal the annual budget. • 5. "The Fire Department shall provide and furnish adequate fire protection services and shall provide the necessary equipment, personnel, and other resources as determined by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, Fire and Rescue Service Division, and the Insurance Service Office for all persons and property located within the District. Fire Department currently has an insurance rating of , and during the term of this Agreement will maintain at least a 9E insurance rating. Fire Department will furnish fire and rescue services free of charge to all persons and individuals within the District (excluding non-public commercial transportation). Fire Department shall strive to achieve an insurance rating of 8 (or better) by July 2014 and 6 (or better) by July 2016. This section does not preclude the Fire Department from charging a pre-arranged nominal fee when standing by for special events. Page 18 • 9. The Fire Department shall provide Rescue Services to all persons and individuals within the District. Rescue Services are defined as the removal, extrication, or freeing of individuals from vehicle confinement or danger. Such Rescue Services may be provided through mutual aid agreements or through third party contracts. Page 20 • 14. The Fire Department shall comply with the State of North Carolina purchasing procedures for local governments as identified in Attachment #1, as well as other procedures provided for by state law. Page 26 • Updated dollar thresholds for formal and informal bidding for fire departments Phillip Nasseri, Fire Chief, White Cross Fire Department asked if Orange Grove will need to continue doing its own audits. Michael Talbert said the intent is to piggyback with their current auditor to do all audits. Phillip Nasseri said White Cross is using federal funding for a station renovation, and this requires a more detailed audit. He asked if this would still be covered by the County. Clarence Grier said the County auditors use the single audit, so this would not be a problem. Mike Tapp said New Hope and Eno cover some areas of Durham County, which requires the submission of documentation from Durham County. He asked if Orange County will still accept this audit. Michael Talbert said if the whole department is being audited, then it will still be accepted. Chair Jacobs referred to item 5 on page 18, relating to nominal fees. He suggested the addition of the term rescue squad. Matthew Mauzy said this is a simple change, and there is a separate process and agreement for fire and rescue. Commissioner Price referred to item 9 and asked who will be responsible for trench and swift water rescue. Jim Groves said there are existing mutual aid inter-local agreements with other fire departments, including Durham County and other surrounding agencies. Commissioner Price clarified that 911 would still be called for dispatch of these situations. Matthew Mauzy said South Orange Rescue Service (SORS) also covers some of these other types of rescue. He said the area does not typically see a need for trench rescue. Jim Groves said Chapel Hill Fire and Rescue also has resources for these situations. Jeff Cabe said the County contracts show in section 1-b-3 that Orange Rural's contract is a little different. He said that Orange Rural has picked up some of the rescue services as well. He noted that trench rescue equipment is very expensive and rarely if ever used. Michael Talbert said this can be seen on page 37, item 9, and this is the main difference in their contract. Jeff Cabe said Orange County also has service agreements with other fire departments. He said some areas were also moved around to accommodate ISO issues. He said agreements have been made to cover district lines without building stations and buying trucks. 2. Orange County Emergency Services Update A) Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services & 911/Communications Center Operations Assessment Report B) 9-1-1 C) EMS D) Viper Tower Study Jim Groves said the Emergency Services work group consultant Steve Allen put together a 911 EMS assessment report with 19 recommendations. He said this report was approved and adopted by the Board and the work group. He said tonight's presentation will be a status update on this report. He answered questions as he reviewed each of the above topics with the following PowerPoint presentations: 911/EMS Assessment update October 3, 2013 Presented during the joint Orange County BOCC/Chiefs meeting ACRONYMS ALS - Advanced Life Support (Intermediate / Paramedic) AVL - Automatic Vehicle Location BLS - Basic Life Support (Medical Responder/ EMT) EMD - Emergency Medical Dispatch ■ Alpha-Bravo (BLS) and Charlie-Delta-Echo (ALS) EMS - Emergency Medical Service OCES - Orange County Emergency Services QA - Quality Audit and Improvement QRV - Quick Response Vehicle SORS - South Orange Rescue Squad VHF - Very High Frequency VIPER - Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders EMS EMS Statistics • Call Volume Comparison By Year nod 2013 through 2 Quarter = 6,384 (projected - 13k) 2012 = 13,445 2011 = 10,719 • Average Response Time Comparison By Year (Chute + Travel) nod 2013 through 2 Quarter (1:02 + 8:43) = 9:45 2012 (1:17 + 9:13) = 10:30 2011 (1:16 + 9:30) = 10:46 EMS Recommendations • R-1 Adjust M-5 and M-8 Coverage Hours (complete) Based on recent geographic call data (North/South) M-5 coverage remained 6am-6pm (unchanged) M-8 coverage changed to 6pm-6am • R-2 Add additional ambulance 9am-9pm (complete) M-9 added 8am-8pm based on recent geographical call data EMS Recommendations • R-3a&b Use SORS for BLS and bring on BLS ambulance (in-process) • EMD data did not support implementation • Re-visiting initiative to utilize SORS from 6pm-6am for BLS calls with EMS supervisor "chasing" calls. This accomplishes both recommendations. If Alpha or Bravo turns into something more serious, a Paramedic will be there to provide ALS patient care EMS Recommendations • R-4 Assess Fire Department capabilities for First Responder (complete) ■ Fire Departments have been providing Medical First Responder care • R-5a Implement Fire Department First Responder Initiative (complete) ■ Fire Departments are providing Medical First Responder care • R-5b QRV Initiative (not-applicable) ■ Offered as an alternate recommendation to R-5a Jim Groves said there is ongoing discussion about rebuilding OSI software to tailor district responses. He said some of the departments would like to be dispatched to Alpha and Bravo calls. Commissioner McKee said there was discussion about whether the QRVs would be best located in the rural or urban areas. He said a decision was never really made. Chief Dan Jones said some people did not think this was the best application of resources. He said the group thought that this should be studied further, with consideration of the impact of the other positive changes as those take effect. EMS Recommendations • R-6 Staff& Equip six (6) ALS ambulances (in-process) • OCES budgets for one new (1) ambulance each year inclusive of staff and equipment • Monitoring effectiveness of program each year • Intent is to not over-purchase or over-staff Call volume and response times drive units and staffing EMS Recommendations • R-7 Hire Paramedic Level Shift Supervisor 24/7 (in-process) ■ 13/14 budget approval for 4 Assistant Supervisors in January, 2014 0 14/15 budget request will move the Asst. Supervisors to Supervisors o This tiered approach enables the Asst. Supervisors to be mentored for one year before being released • R-8 Prepare a space needs assessment (in-process) • Selection committee chose Stewart Cooper Newell for award (10/1/13) • Staff meeting with firm the week of 10/7/13 or 10/14/13 to begin space needs assessment EMS Recommendations • R-9 Identify 9 strategic locations for future EMS base (in-process) • As part of Stewart Cooper Newell discussions • Co-location with existing Fire Departments • Orange Rural • Orange Grove • Carrboro • New Hope • Chapel Hill (potential future co-location/co-build) Commissioner Gordon asked for details on the potential joint location in the Town of Chapel Hill. Chief Jones said Chapel Hill is in the process of bringing forth recommendations to enter into public and private partnerships to rebuild 3 stations (#2 Glen Lennox, #3 Elliot Road/Franklin Street, and # 4 Weaver Dairy/MLK). He said the plan would be to sell these properties and return to the money to the tax roll to build new stations nearby. He said the other option is to enter a public/private partnership to co-locate a station in a commercial development on the same property. This second option would be modeled after 140 West on Franklin Street. He said Chapel Hill received authorization from the State Legislature to expand the area to facilitate co-location within the entire city limits. He said EMS is open to including the County in any project that might be appropriate for an EMS station. He said the only reason the town cannot work something out now is because the space in all fire stations is maxed out, and many trucks have to park outside. Commissioner Rich asked for more information about the training station at the intersection of MLK Boulevard and Weaver Dairy Road. She asked if this is still being used for live burns and rescue practice. Chief Jones said yes. He said the town is looking to move this training facility out toward the public works area and away from residences. Commissioner McKee referred to the second slide at the top of page three. He noted that the adjustment of hours for medic 5 and 9 occurred in conjunction with the location at Phelps and Orange Grove. Jim Groves said run times will likely be improved by the next report. EMS Recommendations • R-10 Obtain sites for development (not started) ■ Based on outcome of R-8 and R-11 • R-11 Procure EMS planning and design services (complete) ■ Selection committee chose Stewart Cooper Newell for award (10/1/13) ■ Staff meeting with firm the week of 10/7/13 or 10/14/13 to begin space needs assessment • R-12 Advertise, bid, construct EMS facilities (not started) ■ Based on outcome of R-8, R-10 and R-11 Hillsborough Town Commissioner Evelyn Lloyd asked about the contracts for ambulance purchases. She asked if it would be possible to look at smaller ambulances that would fit more easily into the smaller driveways being served. Jim Groves said the answer is yes, but the factors are cost and usability. He said these ambulances look huge; however the turn radius is tight, and these are higher performing units than the wheeled coach units. He said there are ongoing conversations, and options are being explored. 9-1-1 9-1-1 Communications Statistics • Call Volume Comparison By Year nd ■2013 through 2 Quarter • Incoming 911+ Admin (47,153 + 39,854) = 87,007 • Average Dispatch Time = 1:25 (1:11 non-EMD and 1:38 EMD) ■2012 • Incoming 911+ Admin (98,735 + 84,741) = 183,476 • Average Dispatch Time = 1:52 (1:10 non-EMD and 1:53 EMD) ■2011 • Incoming 911+ Admin (86,800 + 158,782) = 245,582 • Average Dispatch Time = 2:42 (no specific EMD data available) 9-1-1 Recommendations • R-13 Hire full time Data Systems Manager (complete) ■ Craig Blackwood was promoted to Data Systems Manager • Mr. Blackwood retired 9/27/13 • Position is being advertised internally. Expected to be filled by 10/18/13 • R-14 Hire full time Training/Quality Assurance Officer (complete) ■ Josh Robinson promoted from Tele-communicator to Training/QA Officer 9-1-1 Recommendations • R-15 Hire additional Training/QA Officer (in-process) ■ 13/14 budget approved to hire in January, 2014 • R-16 & 17 Hire Tele-communicator positions (in-process/on-going) ■ 13/14 budget approved to hire four (4) new Telecommunicators in January, 2014 ■ Developing new initiative to fill vacant Tele-communicator positions Jim Groves noted that the tele-communicator position has a high turnover rate, with the average time being 18 months. He said these are challenging roles to fill and keep. Commissioner Pelissier asked what happens after that 18 month period. Jim Groves said staff is good about warning people that this is a stressful job. He said it can be difficult to deal with, and it has a hard psychological impact on people. 9-1-1 Recommendations • R-18 Purchase AVL hardware for new EMS vehicles (complete) ■ All units outfitted with AVL ■ All new units will be outfitted with AVL • R-19 Provide informational meetings with emergency responders to share new software capabilities (in-process) ■ 9-1-1 Users Group re-activated o Members of each response organization are represented ■ Information shared during Chiefs Association meeting Bill Waddell, Orange Grove BOD President, asked about Pagetrack. He asked how far down the line this might be. Jim Groves said this is a robust system; however there are technology issues with the design of the system. He said the vendor has not been the best in the customer service and support, so there are efforts being made to arrange a face-to-face meeting to handle the issues. He said funds are being withheld due to the seriousness of the issues. He said there is a commitment to making Pagetrack work, but he focus now is on getting the system stable. He said this went live on July 9, and it was initially a go. He said there have been some hard lessons learned and the focus now is on working out the glitches. Commissioner McKee said it should also be noted that OSSI considers Pagetrack a competitor. Chair Jacobs addressed Michael Talbert and noted that the County has received bad publicity over poor call times in the past. He asked that the improvements be part of a press release after this meeting to inform the community of the investment and progress on this issue. Viper Site Coverage/Towers Draft Report Current Viper "Talk-In" (map) Proposed viper sites • Four (4) additional sites were selected to improve VIPER coverage within the County. These four sites are existing sites, and co-location was to be investigated. • Northeast portion of County— Caldwell area — existing guyed tower 7444 Bill Poole Road —AT&T Wireless • South-Central portion of County— Chapel Hill — existing monopole 1403 New Hope Trace — GTE Wireless • Southwest portion of County— Chapel Hill — existing monopole 4900 NC 54 West - SBA • Southeast portion of County— Chapel Hill — existing monopole E. Franklin St—WCHL or New Site near the Mall Proposed "Talk-In" Proposed VHF Paging Sites- page 211 • Two (2) additional Fire Paging sites were selected to improve coverage within the County. They are: • North portion of County— Cedar Grove Fire Station o 720 Hawkins Road — Existing Tower • Southwest portion of County— Orange Grove Fire Station o 6800 Orange Grove Road — Requires new tower Proposed VHF paging (map) Short story • Four (4) tower sites recommended for VIPER coverage • One (1) new tower site for VHF coverage • One (1) existing tower site for VHF coverage • Cost Example (GTE Wireless) ■ $1,000 credit application fee ■ $2,000 structural analysis ■ $2,000 inspection fee (if construction installation fee is waived) ■ $1,500 Closeout documentation fee ■ $2,500 per month, rental fee with 5 year initial term o Four (4) automatic renewal 5 year terms at 3% escalation Next steps 1. Present the final report to the BOCC during the January, 2014 work session 2. Develop a project management plan and implementation schedule 3. Incorporate the recommendations of the study into the Capital Investment Plan Jim Groves said VIPER stands for Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders, and it is a state initiated system. He said it was designed to provide interoperability throughout the state. Referring to the talk-in map slides, he noted that the green indicates a good signal; yellow indicates a fair signal; red indicates a poor signal; and gray indicates no signal. He noted that this applies to coverage outdoors only. Chief Jones said he would like to bring up an item for discussion regarding the possibility of having a stand alone system. He said this is a discussion that has been ongoing for a number of years. He said that the County is about to invest significant money into improving tower coverage and thus improving the VIPER system. He said this helps the state by adding infrastructure to their system. He said there are problems with the state VIPER system, including building penetration and the fact that the system is not controlled at the local level. He said there is now an opportunity to make a change, and this might be the most efficient time to look at their own systems. He said that a 700Mgz system with its own controller could use the same towers and radios. He said this system could still be compatible with VIPER for disaster situations where statewide communication is needed. He said this would mean investing money into our own system instead of a state system. Chief Jones said Durham County has gone this way and is still open to the possibility of working with Orange County. He said this provides a possibility of combining systems to improve cost and coverage. He suggested that radio consultants do the extra work to look into what it would take to convert to 700Mgz. He said it is already known that existing towers and new towers can be used. He said there would be some cost to add controllers. He said the added advantage of this is the ability to add public works, transit and other agencies to the system, which the state would not allow with VIPER. He said he has approached the city manager about this, and he has suggested governments in Orange County come together as a partnership to build this system. He suggested that the Board of County Commissioners could instruct staff to direct the consultants to go to this next step of looking at options. He said perhaps discussions could then be opened with Durham. He said this would mean that there would still be compatibility with VIPER; but there would no longer be a dependency or need to wait on the state infrastructure. Chair Jacobs said the Assembly of Governments (AOG) meeting with all the governmental entities is being held in November. He said this issue can be raised at that meeting, but he would like to see where staff stands first. Michael Talbert said he and Jim Groves have had some discussions about this, and there are benefits for the County. He said inter-operability with all of the other agencies is a huge plus. He noted that the state is dragging their feet in making improvements, such as adding channels, and there are definite limitations with the VIPER system. He said this route does provide more potential. He feels that Orange County staff could explore this option. Chair Jacobs asked if people would be interested in bringing this to the AOG meeting for discussion. Matthew Mauzy expressed his support and said this is a great time to look at this option. He said one limiting factor in the potential tower site location search was the conflict with existing state VIPER tower sites. He said a clean slate to develop tower locations would create the potential to put more green on the maps. Chief Jones asked if he understands correctly that 700 MHz has better building penetration than 800 MHz. Matthew Mauzy said yes. Chief Jones said there is currently a terrible problem with building penetration, which is a serious safety issue for fire fighters and police officers working indoors. Matthew Mauzy said switching to 700 MHz will not solve all problems such as schools and malls; however it could lead to better penetration into larger houses and into areas of the map where 800 MHz signals trail off. Jim Groves said the new radios now can include GPS and Bluetooth. He said this is a great asset, and this capability is not available with the VIPER system. Commissioner Price asked where this system has been successfully used already. Chief Jones said it is being used around the country, and that information could be found He said Durham County and Cary have their own system. Commissioner Price asked if Orange County would be able to contact Durham and Cary on this system. Chief Jones said there would be access to the VIPER system, so in theory there would be communication with anyone in the state. Commissioner Price asked if work would also have to be done with Alamance County since Mebane extends into Orange County. Jim Groves said that Alamance County would not have to be on board. He said that when Mebane Fire Department comes to Orange County there is communication through VIPER, so it would be simple radio programming issue. Commissioner Gordon said this sounds like a promising option. She suggested a systematic look at the pros and cons to present at the AOG meeting. She noted the increased coverage potential. She would like to see if their consultant could look at this, and she feels it is fantastic to have this kind of opportunity. Commissioner McKee said he is glad to see the discussion. He said the 700 MHz would not be a cure all, but it would cure the lack of control. Commissioner Pelissier said she heard about some new updates to VIPER, and she would like to make sure that a stand-alone system would not cost additional money if it has to be compatible with VIPER as it changes. Jim Groves said the P-25 system is the newest VIPER system and this would be compatible with the stand alone system. Commissioner Rich said she is encouraged with this proactive approach to make this a better system for the County. Chair Jacobs said the County is ready to work with other governmental entities for the betterment of the County. He said he hears everyone going toward a collaborative, cost effective, pro-safety direction, and he looks forward to hearing more about this. Jeff Cabe said if this system will cover the county, he would like to know if data can also be added. Michael Talbert said the County is currently looking at tower sites and encouraging private developers to install towers. He said that if towers are installed, these private developers may want to pay them to be on the towers. Commissioner Gordon asked how North Chatham and Mebane fit into this stand alone system. Chief Stroud said Chatham uses the VIPER system, and they are also looking at the 700 system. Jim Groves said Mebane has a dual system like Chatham. Chief Jones said if Chatham is thinking about moving to 700 MHz, perhaps a partnership could be established with them as well. He said these types of partnerships create lower costs for everyone. Michael Talbert expressed thanks to all of the partners who have assisted with the OSI system. 3. Open Discussion A. Field Relationships B. Radio Communications C. Unmet Needs D. Unified Development Ordinance Change E. Other Chair Jacobs said he heard something about the updated MAP (Master Aging Plan) and a new program for seniors. He would like an update on this. Kim Woodward, Paramedic Supervisor, said she went to the MAP public meetings and discussed a new initiative that Emergency Services (ES) has initiated, along with their partners at UNC and the Department on Aging. She said this initiative is to provide a fall prevention program for those persons over 60. She said ES receives about 11,000 calls for Emergency victims and 10% are falls. She said another 10% of those are falling more than once. She said there needs to be an initiative to prevent those first falls. She said senior paramedics and assistant supervisors have been trained to provide a home visit, and each of them has been trained in a fall preventative protocol. She said the protocol instructs paramedics to ask three basic questions. - Have you fallen in the past? Do you feel unsteady when you are walking? Are you fearful that you may fall? - She said if patients answer yes, they will be put into a database and contacted by a senior paramedic. She said 29 patients have currently been identified and ES and their partners are in the process of following up with phone calls and home visits to go through some fall prevention protocols. She said patients that opt in and sign a release form will be forwarded to the Department on Aging for follow up. She said the Department on Aging will then meet with these patients, and this will provide feedback to the paramedics. Commissioner Gordon asked about the origin of the base population. Kim Woodward said the patient criteria were anyone over 60 that EMS identifies as having fallen or having a fall risk. She said the paramedic who identifies this then asks the three questions and documents the responses into the database. She said the database generates a report that goes to the supervisors, who can enter the patients into WebEOC. Commissioner Gordon said she feels the protocol could include more questions regarding behaviors and environment. Kim Woodward said these three questions are asked during an emergency care situation, so things cannot be too complex. She said guidance is being provided from the Centers for Disease Control. She said more follow up questions are asked later in the process. Commissioner Gordon asked if the system is noting the reasons for the fall. Kim Woodward said there is a subset of the population who fall no matter what, but the subset that fall out of fear can be impacted with preventative measures. Commissioner Rich asked if the Department on Aging has classes that teach people how to fall correctly. Kim Woodward said she does not know, but she will find out. Chair Jacobs said he was thrilled to hear about this. He said this is the third Master Aging Plan, and there is an emphasis on aging in place. He said this is a key component to that concept. . . Kim said the name of the initiative is "Stay Up and Stay Active", and the goal is to keep people in their homes and out of hospitals and nursing homes. Commissioner Rich asked about the VIPER presentation coverage maps and what creates the "target" looking area in the Chatham County area. Bill Waddell said this is called the shadow effect. He said this is a result of the transmitter being so high in the air and creating dead spots below it. He said this has taught them not to put transmitters quite so high. Chief Jones said almost three years ago Chapel Hill came to the Board of County Commissioners with a long list of grievances and a lot of problems. He expressed thanks to the Board for taking the initiative to hire the Emergency Services consultant and taking the steps to move forward with many of these recent initiatives. He said there are improvements in ambulance availability, dispatching, and cooperation between agencies. He expressed appreciation for the effort that has gone into this, and he complimented Michael Talbert for his guidance, assistance and steady hand approach. He feels everyone is in a much better place now to solve many of these issues. Commissioner McKee said this is a two way street with the fire departments and with the Towns. Michael Talbert asked if the Board would like to mention the new UDO proposed changes. Chair Jacobs said there were citizen concerns with the siting of the new White Cross substation, and some residents felt that government facilities siting should have a public input process prior to moving forward. He said, in response, the Board is considering adding a public information meeting requirement to the UDO before the siting process moves too far forward. He said this may be required for the Board, as well as fire departments in the future. Phillip Nasserri gave a brief update on the information meeting for the White Cross sub- station and thanked the Board of County Commissioners for their support. Commissioner McKee said the positive of this meeting was that the residents were supportive of it. Fire Chief's Association President Steve McCauley thanked the Board again for this meeting. A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to adjourn the meeting at 9:58 pm. Barry Jacobs, Chair Donna Baker Clerk to the Board