Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 10-02-2014 Fire APPROVED 11/6/2014 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT MEETING WITH THE ORANGE COUNTY CHIEF'S ASSOCIATION October 2, 2014 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a joint meeting on Thursday, October 2, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Vice Chair Earl McKee, Mark Dorosin, Alice M. Gordon, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Chair Jacobs COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley 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: Brad Allison, Fire Chief, Caldwell FD, Dan Jones, Fire Chief, Town of Chapel Hill Jeff Borland, Fire Chief, Cedar Grove FD, Phillip Nasseri, Fire Chief, White Cross FD Jeff Cabe, Fire Chief, Orange Rural FD, John Stroud, Fire Chief, North Chatham, FD Pete Hallenbeck, Deputy 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 VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPTS. — CHAIRS, BOARD OF DIRECTORS Buddy Hartley, Caldwell BOD President, Bill Waddell, Orange Grove, BOD President Wayne Paschall, Eno BOD President, Shawn Garrard, Eno BOD Vice-President Matt Heinz, Orange Rural BOD President, Fred Stipe, SORS BOD President Howard Pratt, New Hope BOD President, Tony Blake, White Cross BOD President, FIRE CHIEFS/BOD CHAIRS ABSENT: Ronnie McAdams, Efland BOD President, Travis Crabtree, Fire Chief, Town of Carrboro, Matt Heinz, Orange Rural BOD, Chad Woods Cedar Grove BOD, Brian Vaughn North Chatham BOD President Welcome and Introductions — BOCC Vice Chair Earl McKee Commissioner McKee called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. He welcomed everyone and said that Chair Jacobs sends his regrets that he is unable to attend tonight. Introductions were made. Steve McCauley thanked the Board of County Commissioners for this meeting. He said the departments are working on trying to get a few parcels into the 6 mile radius. 1. Status Updates � Emerqency Medical Services/9-1-1 Update Jim Groves said an assessment was done years ago and adopted by the Board. He said the study came out with 19 recommendations to improve services. He said he is proud of the progress that has been made, although there is more to be done. He presented the following PowerPoint slides: 911/EMS Assessment update October 2, 2014 ACRONYMS ALS —Advanced Life Support (Intermediate / Paramedic) AVL—Automatic Vehicle Location BLS — Basic Life Support (Medical Responder/ EMT) CAD — Computer Aided Dispatch EMD — Emergency Medical Dispatch 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 Operations EMS Statistics Call Volume Comparison By Year ■ 2014 = 8,763 (year to date) ■ Projecting 11,864 for 2014, w/o severe weather or significant event ■ 2013 = 12,369 ■ Reduction in call volume is because the number of move-ups is now limited with the addition of M-9 (Orange Grove FD) as well as the geographic dispersion of our co-located units. ■ 2012 = 13,445 Average Response Time Comparison By Year (Chute + Travel) rd ■ 2014 = 8:50 (year to date). 3 Quarter was 8:19! ■ 90th percentile is 14:55 (first time below 15 minutes!) ■ 2013 = 9:00 ■ 2012 = 10:30 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 ■ Co-located at Orange Grove FD EMS Recommendations R-3a&b Use SORS for BLS and bring on BLS ambulance (on-going) ■ EMD data does not support implementation currently ■ Discussions to utilize SORS from 6pm-6am for BLS calls with EMS supervisor "chasing" calls. ■ If Alpha or Bravo turn into something more serious, the EMS supervisor can be there to provide ALS patient care EMS Recommendations R-4 Assess Fire Department capabilities for First Responder(on-going) ■ With the EMS co-location initiatives with the Fire Departments, this recommendation may become null R-5a Implement Fire Department First Responder Initiative (on-going) ■ With the EMS co-location initiatives with the Fire Departments, this recommendation may become null ■ Working with the Orange County Medical Director to enable Fire Departments that wish to provide ALS (EMT Intermediate) to do so. Implementation may begin 15/16 R-5b QRV Initiative (null) ■ Offered as an alternate recommendation to R-5a EMS Recommendations R-6 Staff& Equip six (6)ALS ambulances (on-going) ■ OCES is requesting one new (1) ambulance each year to replace older units ■ Monitoring effectiveness of program each year ■ Intent is to not over-purchase or over-staff ■ Call volume and response times drive units and staffing ■ M-5 6:OOam-6:OOpm (co-located at Orange Rural Phelps Road Station) will become a 24 hour unit in 15/16 (if current data holds true) EMS Recommendations R-7 Hire Paramedic Level Shift Supervisor 24/7 (Complete) ■ Four (4) Assistant Supervisors implemented 1/1/2014 ■ Asst. Supervisors will be reclassified to Supervisors on 1/1/2015 ■ This tiered approach enables the Asst. Supervisors to be mentored for one year before being released R-8 Prepare a space needs assessment (90% complete) ■ Stewart Cooper Newell awarded contract on 10/1/2013 ■ Staff inet with firm the week of 10/7/2013 to begin space needs assessment ■ Draft space needs assessment presented to OCES on 3/5/2014 ■ Revised space needs assessment presented to OCES on 5/20/2014 EMS Recommendations R-9 Identify nine (9) strategic locations for future EMS base (in-process) ■ Integral part of the Stewart Cooper Newell discussions ■ Co-location or co-build with Fire Departments may require modification of this recommendation due to the success of the co-locations thus far ■ Orange Rural ■ Orange Grove ■ Carrboro ■ New Hope ■ Hillsborough/Orange Rural (potential co-build in 15/16 and 16/17) ■ In 14/15 CIP ■ Chapel Hill (co-location/co-build in 15/16 and 16/17) ■ In 14/15 CIP 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 (not started) ■ Co-build with Chapel Hill and Hillsborough/Orange Rural ■ In 14/15 CIP for year two (2) and three (3) ■ Stand-alone EMS station in 14/15 CIP for year five (5) R-12 Advertise, bid, construct EMS facilities (not started) ■ Based on outcome of R-8, R-10 and R-11 Jim Groves said there are two primary move-up locations — Hampton Pointe, and Martin Luther King. He said a new technology will be implemented over the next year that will take a year's worth of call data as well as current calls and use this to predict where the next call will likely come from. Commissioner porosin asked clarifying questions about the call volumes on slide 4. Jim Groves said this number is not a reflection of the calls, but it is a reflection of when units are actually responding to a call. He said this number also includes EMS move-ups, which is when units are moved to a staging location in preparation for a potential call. He said these move-ups have been reduced. Commissioner Pelissier asked for an explanation of the effectiveness of having more Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicles. Jim Groves said the goal is to stay at 13 ambulances, so when a new vehicle is ordered an older vehicle is sold to keep this number. He said there is little difference in the effectiveness of adding more units or replacing older units. . Commissioner Pelissier said this decision is based on the number of calls. Jim Groves said yes. He said this is gauged by a "unit hour utilization" analysis. Jim Groves reviewed the following PowerPoint slides: 9-1-1 Operations 9-1-1 Communications Statistics Call Comparison by Year ■ 2014 (year to date) ■ Incoming = 70,371 (year to date) ■ Project over 93,000 calls by the end of year ■ Average Dispatch Time = 1:33 ■ New NFPA 1221 Standard (July 2013) is 1:36 ■ 9-1-1 Call Answer Time = % answer time < 15 sec = 99.06% ■ New NFPA 1221 Standard (July 2013) is < 15 sec 95% ■ 2013 (Changed CAD from Logisys to SunGuard OneSolution in July 2013) ■ Incoming = 87,007 & Average Dispatch Time = 1:25 ■ 2012 (Logisys CAD) ■ Incoming = 83,476 & Average Dispatch Time = 1:52 9-1-1 Recommendations R-13 Hire full time Data Systems Manager(complete) ■ Craig Blackwood was promoted to Data Systems Manager ■ Mr. Blackwood retired 9/27/2013 ■ Mr. Kevin Medlin was promoted to Data Systems Manager on 10/18/2013 R-14 Hire full time Training/QualityAssurance Officer(complete) ■ Josh Robinson promoted from Telecommunicator to Training/QA Officer 9-1-1 Recommendations R-15 Hire additional Training/QA Officer(complete) ■ Ms. Laurie Piche was hired and began employment on 4/21/2014 R-16 & 17 Hire Telecommunicator positions (in-process/on-going) ■ Hired four (4) new Telecommunicators in January, 2014 ■ Completed interviews 6/5/2014 and made offers to four (4) candidates ■ With these (4) candidates on-board, 9-1-1 still has 10 Telecommunicator vacancies due to attrition/retirement/performance ■ Telecommunicator advertisement open through November 2014 to fill vacancies ■ Five (5) additional Telecommunicator positions are proposed in the plan to be added FY 16/17 and seven (7) more Telecommunicator positions in FY 18/19 ■ The proposed staffing need in FY 18/19 may be reduced based on operational efficiencies realized by new technology implementation in the 9-1-1 Center 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 (complete%n-going) ■ 9-1-1 Users Group re-activated ■ Members of each response organization are represented ■ Information shared during Chiefs Association meeting Jim Groves said the average job lifespan for telecommunicators is 18 months. He said this hiring is a continual evolving process. He said the training is being revised to make it easier to onboard employees. Commissioner Price asked about the subject of the non-emergency 911 calls and where these are referred. Jim Groves said staff does not keep records of this. He said the after-hours phone at the police station comes into 911. He said the calls are often just questions. Commissioner Price said she wonders if these calls are coming in due to the fact that there is no longer a live person available for 411 service, or just because it is after hours. Jim Groves said it is a little bit of both. He said there are 311 systems that act as a one stop shop for County services, but this is incredibly expensive, and it should not go in the 911 center. Commissioner Price said if there is ever a way to track these non-emergency calls, it would be helpful. Jim Groves said Emergency Services has just gotten a new phone system, and it may be able to flag these types of calls. He will look into this. Commissioner Gordon asked if the response times for the southern part of County are similar. Jim Groves said the response times are better down in the southern part of the County because of co-location. Commissioner Gordon asked Jim Groves what he thought are the two most important things that have been done this year, and what are the two most important things to see going forward. Jim Groves said last year the co-location with the fire departments was the most important thing that happened. He said settling in on the new automated dispatch of the CAD was the most important progress with the 911 system. He said moving forward, the most important priority is the continued professionalism, leadership and training of staff. Tony Blake asked if staff is going to implement text to 911. Jim Groves said yes. He said this is a topic at the next board meeting. He said the implementation will be slow as staff makes sure to have a good outreach program that teaches people how to properly use this. Jeff Borland arrived at 7:41 pm. Dan Jones asked how Orange County's salaries for telecommunicators compare to the surrounding market. Jim Groves said Orange County is slightly lower than the surrounding areas. He said there has been discussion about addressing this. Dan Jones asked if it is it time to do a market study on the salaries for telecommunicators. He said it does not pay for Orange County to train these folks and then have them leave for higher pay in surrounding areas. Commissioner McKee said he was confused, like Commissioner porosin, on the volume of calls listed on the PowerPoint slides. He said it would be helpful to differentiate the terminology to clarify this. Commissioner porosin said it would also be good if staff could disaggregate the calls to designate the number and type of non-emergency calls, as well as the calls that require an ambulance. � Update on Coveraqe for Insurance Issues (Remaininq Areas Outside Six (6) Road Miles Jason Shepherd, Orange County Fire Marshall said there are still several districts that contain class 10 homes that are outside of the 5 mile district. He said these departments will be speaking tonight. Pete Hallenbeck, Eno Fire Department Deputy Chief, said he has identified all of the parcels that are class 10. He said it will be necessary to have three service districts or work with three departments. He said real estate needs to be given to Cedar Grove, Orange Rural and Orange Grove. He said contact needs to be made with the citizens on Shade Tree Lane, as this road is impassable. He said that area needs to be covered by Orange Rural fire but the road must first be made passable. He said last year there were 96 parcels that were class 10, and by the end of this effort this will be reduced to 6 parcels. He said these 6 remaining parcels are too far to be served by any department. Bill Waddell, Board of Directors President of Orange Grove Fire Department, said the district has two sets of properties that are beyond six miles. The first is 11 buildings off of New Hope Road, and these are within 5 miles of Orange Rural, and they will be contacting Orange Rural to contract with them to cover these areas. He said there are also three vacant lots at the end of Jo Mac Road. He said these do not have residences on them, so they are not a focus. He said there has been discussion about fire roads, which are two lane gravel connections between paved roads that are recognized by the N.C. Department of Insurance. He said this will allow some homes that are just beyond 5 miles to be put within 5 miles. Commissioner Rich asked if this will bring the 10 class rating down. Bill Waddell said anything beyond a 6 mile radius is a 10 rating. He said any properties between a 5 and 6 mile radius have a 9E rating. He said this is what most areas have been rated in the past. Commissioner Rich asked if this rating still correlates to a high insurance rate. Bill Waddell said yes. He said most of the fire departments in the County who have had inspections have brought down their ratings to a 7, and even a 6 in some cases. He said this cuts the insurance by at least 40 percent. He said the more homes within 5 miles, the less the insurance will be for those homeowners. Commissioner Rich asked what a normal rating would be. Bill Waddell said 3. He said from an insurance standpoint, a 3 is the same as a 5 for homeowners. Jason Shepherd said the best a homeowner can receive on insurance is a class 6 rating. He said ratings below this only benefit industrial type businesses. Jeff Cabe said insurance considers any property located more than 5 miles from a certified fire station to be a high risk. He said companies will give a break in insurance to properties that are within 5 miles of a station. He said fire departments go through a rigorous test that assigns them a risk classification that also affects the rate. Commissioner Rich asked about the difference in rate for a class 9 and a class 10. Jeff Cabe said most agencies won't write a 10. He said his house went down 40 percent on homeowners insurance when it went from a 9 to a 6. He said the shifts taking place do not affect the fire department rating, but they are intended to help reduce homeowner rates. Commissioner Rich asked if the station switches cost the fire department anything. Jeff Cabe said according to the County Attorney there has to be monetary compensation. He said the stations are meeting the letter of the law in this area. Phillip Nasseri, White Cross Fire Chief, said there are several homes that are outside of 6 miles and several hundred that are between 5 and 6 miles in the eastern district. He said the second station will be complete on Neville Road by the end of the month, and it will give 237 homes up to a 40 percent reduction in rates. He said there are 32 addresses on the western side that are rural farmland, and he is working with Orange Grove to cover these, which should give them at least a 9E rating or better. He said everyone is already going to these parcels, but the hope is that these shifts will give homeowners a better rate. Bill Waddell said they are working with White Cross on these issues. He said there is one road with a few homes that will be beyond 6 miles from either station. Jeff Cabe said they have pockets like this as well, and the roadway infrastructure contributes heavily to this issue. Commissioner Rich asked if homeowners who sell these homes have to tell new buyers about the rating or fire situation. Jeff Cabe said the information is public record, but he doubts many people know to ask about it. Tony Blake said re-drawing the lines is part of the equation, but the other part is making sure that EMS dispatches the primary department first. He asked if this information has been updated. Jeff Cabe said no lines are being moved, so nothing changes on the run cards. Tony Blake said it seemed to him that the primary station had to be dispatched first in order to receive the classifications. Commissioner McKee said these are items that can be discussed in more detail at their Fire Chief's Council meeting. Commissioner Gordon asked if the drawing of the lines has to do with the insurance purpose or if it is more about the kind of unit that is dispatched. She asked what is involved in mutual aid. She asked for an explanation of the differences in insurance costs. Phillip Nasseri said the departments are still sending all trucks that are needed and there is no change in mutual aid. He said the only change is the order on the piece of paper to allow a better insurance rate. Commissioner Gordon asked him to confirm that it was not true that only the primary station sends all of the equipment and everyone else sends a truck. Phillip Nasseri discussed a specific example scenario. He said the departments would send everything that was needed to provide the best service. Commissioner Gordon gave an example where the station for Chapel Hill was three miles away and North Chatham was 5 miles away. Phillip Nasseri said all three departments would be dispatched — Carrboro, Chapel Hill and North Chatham. Commissioner Gordon said it appears that residents are getting the same service; and this is just a discussion of the insurance rates. Jason Shepherd said the insurance companies are there to make money, and for residents outside of 5 miles, the charge is higher even though the service is the same. Commissioner Gordon said this is important for people to know Phillip Nasseri said their service delivery is always the same. Jason Shepherd said that once the department of insurance certifies station 2 in White Cross, it will take a maximum of 120 days to find out when the new rating will take effect. He thanked the fire departments and the Board of Commissioners for their work and support. Commissioner McKee said he has noted two items where Orange County can help. He said one of these is the issue of trees overhanging the road on Shade Tree Lane. He wonders if the County can prod the community to open this for better access. He said the other issue to look into is the fire road connections. Jason Shepherd said he is planning to talk to neighborhood associations about the dangers of fire departments not being able to reach certain homes due to impassable roads. 2. Traininq � Collaboration with Durham Technical Community Colleqe Durham Tech Public Safety Department Dean and Department Head, Randall J. Egsegian, introduced himself. Commissioner McKee said this is an open discussion on training issues. Phillip Nasseri said there have been some communication issues and a lack of funding for training. He said departments have sometimes had difficulty getting classes, or there has been a lack of instructors for much needed classes. He said the hope is that this will turn around with Randall Egsegian stepping into this position. Phillip Nasseri said more funding is needed for Fire/EMS training classes. He asked the Board of County Commissioners and Commissioner Price (who is on the Durham Tech Board of Directors) to help this move forward in this area. He would like to see more funding shifted to the fire side and the continuing education. He said these are life and death decisions, and it would be good to have the best possible training. Commissioner Price said the board of trustees has discussed this, and there have been assurances that this will be taken care of. She said she will bring this up again at an upcoming meeting. She said part of the problem is that Durham Tech has a policy that requires a minimum number of students for a class to be offered. Phillip Nasseri said that has not been a problem in a very long time. He said the department usually exceeds the required minimum number. He said every year fewer classes are offered, which makes it difficult to receive money from the state to fund the program and build back up the classes. He said this is a snowball effect that has resulted in less and less funding. Commissioner Price said the funding cuts come from the state in an odd way. Phillip Nasseri said he is aware of this. Commissioner Price said the funding is based on the whole year. Phillip Nasseri said he wants to figure out a way to stop the snowball effect of cuts happening every year. Commissioner Price asked who is coordinating with Durham Tech. Phillip Nasseri said every department has their own training protocols, and each department has a point of contact that works with Durham Tech. Jeff Cabe asked about Commissioner Price's comment about the state's weird problem with funding. He said other community colleges have many more classes and training facilities than Durham Tech, and he asked if this funding formula penalizes Durham Tech. He said this is one of the most affluent Counties in the state with the highest tax rates, and he asked if that money is not coming back. Commissioner Price said what she is hearing now goes beyond a funding issue. She asked who she can put in contact with the powers that be at Durham Tech. Commissioner McKee said since the Durham Tech representative will be meeting with the Fire Council in the near future maybe those details can be fleshed out then. Commissioner Price said she just wants to know if there is there someone for her to contact. Bonnie Hammersley said she and Jason Shepherd will contact Durham Tech and Jim Groves to work with them in concert with the fire departments. Commissioner Price said there is a history to be aware of. Jim Groves said the Durham Tech representative will be at next fire chief's council, and they look forward to having him there. Phillip Nasseri said the point that Jeff Cabe was trying to make is that community colleges in much more rural areas with smaller populations have built facilities to train first responders. He said the question is what it will take to support Durham Tech to get training that is currently available elsewhere. Commissioner porosin said part of this is about classes being offered, and the other part is the need for an actual training facility. He asked if that training facility would be part of the community college or a separate entity by Orange County. He asked if it could be a source of revenue generation if it was a separate entity. Jeff Cabe said the state pays for FTE training. He said the community colleges usually have these training facilities. He said the department of insurance does not allow others to compete with the colleges. He said there are county and city training sites that are built to train the residents in those cities, but these are big ticket items that take a lot of maintenance and staff. He said most rural areas use the community college. Jeff Cabe said this discussion is about two different things, and the first is getting state approved instructors to come and teach classes to people who want to be firefighters and EMTs. He said this is the Durham Tech discussion and the training center is a separate discussion. b) Opportunity for County Training Facility Commissioner McKee said there has been talk about Orange County building a training facility. Dan Jones said they have a small tower for training as well as a two story burn building. He said this is a small facility that is shared with mutual aid neighbors. He said there are discussions ongoing about relocation of that facility and the fire station that adjoins it, as both are in bad shape. He said what is really needed is a second small training facility with a burn facility and a rescue tower on one or two acres, somewhere north of I-85. He said a small training center would cost a half million to a million dollars, not counting the cost of land. He said there has also been discussion of a regional training center for specialized training. Commissioner porosin said the Board is considering a bond, and maybe this could fit into that. Commissioner McKee said there was discussion about property in the Schley area and the possible use of part of that parcel as a training facility. He said this might be worth a re- look. 3. Open Discussion a) VIPER Radio Svstem Jim Groves said there was a recent meeting to talk about the Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders (VIPER). He said it is the state 800 MHz system that is currently in place, and it is falling short of ineeting everyone's needs. Pete Hallenbeck said when looking at radio coverage you want to know the coverage, the capacity for communication, and the redundancy, or what happens when things fail. Jim Groves said this current system was built as a NC Highway Patrol radio system, used in the center of a roadway while sitting in a vehicle. He said the coverage is lacking in situations where you are inside a building or chasing someone. Jim Groves said years ago the system was stable, but now the state has added additional counties, and it has reduced the capacity. He said earlier this year there was an outage of VIPER that took the entire state down. He said this caused the County to scramble, and it showed that there is no redundancy built into the system. Dan Jones said the state sold them a bill of goods with this system in an effort to get the federal funds needed by creating the required interoperability. He said the state convinced the counties that this would solve their radio problems. He said it is an excellent system for the highway patrol because they do not go inside buildings or use portable radios very much. He said the system follows the interstate and highways, and it has many limitations that were not fully explained. He said it doesn't work for local agencies, fire departments and EMS. He said it leaves firefighters, police officers and emergency workers in a structure with no radio contact with the outside. Dan Jones said the County, departments and cities have spent a lot of money buying 800 MHz radios for a system that does not work very well. He said it is now time to replace the radios and this a good time to do something new. He said there are a lot of other options, including 700 MHz systems, or going back to UHF or VHF. He said a lot of money could be spent to build more towers on the 800 MHz system, but he has come to the conclusion that pouring additional money into supporting the statewide VIPER system does very little for the County. It only bolsters the state system, and if money is going to be spent it should have local benefit. Dan Jones said another limit of the VIPER system is that it will not allow any of the public works departments on the radio system, which requires there to be two separate radio systems. He said in an emergency, there is a need for communications with these public works departments. He said the timing is now to look at what is the best option to meet these local needs. Matthew Mauzy (South Orange Rescue Squad-SORS) said his department has experienced the same problems as everyone else. He said they have especially had issues at large events such as UNC football games. He said troopers coming in for a large event are tuned to their local stations, and this causes the tower utilization to skyrocket. He said this presents a problem when trying to transmit calls from the event venue. Matthew Mauzy said this is the time to evaluate what the most responsible way to go with this. Commissioner Price said she attended a meeting of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) and saw a presentation about First Net. She asked about this. Matthew Mauzy said First Net is the next coverage beyond a national radio system. He said this brings in other types of communication, such as video. He said this is not very applicable as a replacement for radio coverage. He said it is something to keep an eye on, but it will not meet their communication needs in the next five years. Commissioner Price asked about the use of 4G cell phones by first responders. Jeff Cabe said using a cell phone would work well for EMS or law enforcement, but it is not practical for firefighters in a full turnout gear and a heated room. He said his question is what model can be followed and function in emergency situations when the power has been out for two weeks. He said this is even an issue with VIPER when the power goes out at the center in Raleigh. He said it would be great to be able to communicate with other areas, but Orange County is a lower tier. He said this means if an emergency occurs, the higher tiers will take channels from them. He said the County needs a system that allows for the ability to talk with the call center and each other in the event of an emergency. Commissioner Pelissier said she and Commissioner Price were under the impression that First Net would solve all of their problems with VIPER. She asked if the options being considered will fit in with First Net in the long run. She said it was her understanding that everyone would be using First Net in the future. Dan Jones said the First Net presenters seem to be using the same marketing concept that VIPER used. He said at this time this technology is still conceptual, and he has not heard anything about how the hardware will work and who will build the infrastructure. He said until there is more information about what First Net is and how it ties into the local systems he would not want to plan their future around this. Commissioner Gordon asked what would be needed to build a radio system to address the problems. She asked about the method for interoperability. She said this is an urgent issue because of the possibility of unforeseen disasters, and public health and safety communications are critical. Bonnie Hammersley said Jim Groves has already done some work on suggestions for the replacement of the VIPER system. She said it will be important to have input from all of the fire departments moving forward in the decision making process. She said at the next Board of County Commissioners meeting there will be discussion about this process of moving away from the VIPER system. Jim Groves said First Net is just a public private relationship using existing infrastructure and making it a little more resilient to give more coverage in certain areas. He said this is really just a wireless broadband type network. He said only phones with a special chip can be used on the system, and this will require a fee. Jeff Cabe said he would not completely abandon the VIPER system, as it does have some benefits across the state. He said the County needs something to merge with it or piggyback onto it. Commissioner McKee said he is hearing that the County needs to look comprehensively at what it has and what it needs in determining which direction to go. He said there is no reason not to revive the Emergency Services work group to look at the options going forward. � Emerqency Medical Services Co-location Jim Groves said it has been over a year since the first co-location. He said in his opinion it has been incredibly beneficial, and EMS is learning a lot more about what emergency response is all about. Bill Waddell said this has been a great contribution to the wellbeing of their residents, and response times have improved. Jim Groves said the relationship with Carrboro has been a great asset. Commissioner McKee said he pushed this idea in the Emergency Services work group, and he knew there would be challenges to overcome. He said the departments have gone out of their way to make this work. c. False Alarm Discussion Jason Shepherd reviewed the following background information from the abstract: Many times the Fire Departments are dispatched to false alarms, often occurring at the same address. The Fire Departments and Orange County Emergency Services (OCES) Fire Marshals Division has limited options to encourage a facility owner to correct an issue with a faulty alarm system (or homeowner/employee error in activating/deactivating the system). Jason Shepherd said the fee schedule is basically for fire inspection fees, and there is no enforcement authority over the local business owner to repair fire alarm systems in a timely manner. He said he has come up with a proposal that will be submitted with the next budget. He said this will propose a fee schedule for false alarm activations. He said there are not a lot of false alarms in Orange County, but the ones that do occur happen at two particular institutions. He said in 2011 it was suggested that the County enhance fire inspection fees to bring in more revenue. He said at the time, the division elected not to charge any more for inspections, but some of the optional permits were changed to mandatory permits. He said this did not take into account the issues with the false alarms. He said his proposal will allow enforcement of properly maintained fire alarm systems. He said three or more activations within a month would result in a $100 fee, and anything over three would add an additional $25 charge. He recommends that the revenue for this should go to the Jaycee Burn Center. Commissioner porosin asked Dan Jones if the program in Chapel Hill includes non- profits or if there are exemptions. Dan Jones said there are no exemptions in their program. He said the revenue goes into their general fund. Jim Groves said Jason Shepherd needs some leverage for residents to come into compliance, but Orange County could also be the ones paying that fee since County Buildings have had some false alarm issues. Jason Shepherd said the County is currently being charged for multiple fire alarm activations from the Town of Hillsborough. He said he is encouraging asset management to keep up with the maintenance on these fire alarm systems. Dan Jones said every time there is an alarm it ties up law enforcement and fire equipment and prevents that resource from being available to other calls. He said there is also wear and tear on equipment and the safety aspect of putting equipment on the road. He said the schools often do not maintain their alarm systems, and this results in a lot of calls. Commissioner Price said when Emergency Services presents this item to the Board of County Commissioners she would like to know how much it costs to respond to false alarms. She asked if the suggestion would be for a fee or a fine. Jason Shepherd said it could be called either one. He said he is just going to rearrange the existing fee schedule to accommodate some of the recommendations. He said this will include out of service sprinkler and fire alarm systems. Commissioner Rich said it is not encouraging to hear that the schools are not maintaining their alarm systems. She asked if this is true in the County, and if fining has made them more aware. Dan Jones said it has made the institutions more aware of the issue and the need to do more maintenance work on their systems. He said this is also true for the University system. He said when you touch someone's pocket book they realize it is better to maintain the system than to pay a civil penalty. Jeff Cabe said Orange Rural covers all of the County schools except for Gravelly Hill and Efland Cheeks. He said the biggest offenders are Cedar Ridge, Orange High, Grady Brown and Hillsborough Elementary. He questioned whether it would it be reasonable to adopt Chapel Hill's policy County-wide, as this would mean everyone is treated the same. Jason Shepherd said Chapel Hill's policy was based on a one year study, and he does not feel comfortable waiting that long. Dan Jones said there are so many false alarms allowed per year before you get to a fine. He said power outages do not count against this. Pete Hallenbeck said another cost to consider is the wear and tear on volunteers who have to respond to calls at three in the morning. Mike Tapp said he was instrumental in bringing this up to the Fire Chief's Council because of repeat problems at the Emerson Waldorf complex. He agrees that there is an impact on volunteers, and another consideration is the mutual aid that has to be sent from other departments. Phillip Nasseri said another consideration for use of those fees is to help fund a training facility. Commissioner McKee asked if there are any down sides to the fees, other than public relations. Dan Jones said it is not great for public relations, and it is another fee, which people tend to resent. He said theoretically it should reduce their false alarms and the revenue should dwindle away. Commissioner McKee said that effect should be the focus, rather than revenue generation. Dan Jones said the reaction of different entities is interesting. He said the University has gotten busy right away fixing some of their systems and becoming more code compliant. He said they have even looked at ways to pass the fees along to construction contractors in the event that they set off the alarms. He said the other approach taken by the hospital was to estimate the fees and put a line item in the budget to pay it. Jason Shepherd said the fee system used by Chapel Hill only benefits the fire department, as it has no enforcement authority on state property. He said it basically provides persuasion to do better maintenance on their fire alarm systems. Jeff Cabe noted that there are penalties for responding to a call without the proper number of people on the truck, which means you need to have 4 people at the station and be ready to respond to calls even when you know they are historically false alarms. � Other Jim Groves said the Ebola flyer is in front of them, and the public preparedness coordinator would like to meet with the individual departments to talk about preparedness and prevention. Commissioner McKee said he has noted the issues with Shade Tree Lane, the policy around false alarms, as well the entire VIPER discussion. He wants to make sure these concerns are addressed. He expressed appreciation to the chiefs for taking time to meet and for the spirit of cooperation. Dan Jones said there is noticeable difference in the interactions, and there have been clear improvements in Emergency Services and the 911 center. He said the changes made based on the study are bringing forth results. Jeff Cabe brought the following items the Board's attention: • Support is needed from the Board as the fire departments move forward with a training facility. Land has been identified, and help may be needed with planning permits. • These meetings are very beneficial. • Training for Active assailants will be popping up in budget items. This is not a typical fire department function, but it needs to be on the radar, and it may require special equipment. • He suggested some sort of Fire/EMS appreciation event on a County level. • Departments are using cellular data and paying non-profit prices of$40 per month. He asked if there is a way for fire departments to tap into the contract prices offered to the County Commissioner Rich asked if there are there any female firefighters on these departments. Several departments answered yes. Mike Tapp said he would like to continue this dialogue each year. He appreciates the opportunity to have this meeting on an annual basis. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Rich to adjourn the meeting at 9:33 p.m. Earl McKee, Vice Chair Donna Baker Clerk to the Board