Minutes 08-30-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner McKee said that this may be a bit overwhelming but it can be implemented over time. He said that this is a needed study and he would like to implement what they can as quickly as possible. He said that it is critical to get feedback from the Board of County Commissioners to the work group and then come back with a final report. Commissioner Hemminger said that she is concerned about some of the facilities and their placement because of lack of cell phone coverage in many areas of the County. She wants to be proactive with this report. Frank Clifton said that the telecommunications analysis is also going on right now, so there is a potential that this analysis will bring forward some cell towers that could be located. Commissioner Jacobs thanked Commissioner McKee and Commissioner Foushee for working on the Emergency Services work group. He made reference to the extra 15 seconds to take information when dispatching calls and he asked if ambulances would be added. He asked staff to come back with an implementation plan with the costs of adding ambulances. Steve Allan said that the key to feedback in those arenas is going to be important as to who you ask and has diverted this Board in the wrong directions for years. He said that the facility he quoted is bare bones. He said that he was impressed with Orange County in that it has asset management and all are involved in the decision making of the purchase of ambulances. He said that he was not prepared or asked to come up with the type of vehicle for Orange County to purchase. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the work group would be recommending the priority of order for these recommendations. Commissioner McKee said that it has not been decided yet, but his idea is to get feedback from Board of County Commissioners and incorporate it into study, and for the work group to come back with a general list of recommendations with what could be implemented the most quickly and with the least cost. Steve Allan said that he is still responsible as the County's consultant to meet with the fire chiefs, etc., and to have a public meeting to provide them with a presentation so the County Commissioners can provide him with suggestions and feedback. Commissioner Foushee said that it seems it would be easier for the work group to make suggestions in depth after hearing these comments and feedback from stakeholders and the public. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would like to see a recommendation from staff or have someone put these recommendations in priority order. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the methodology and said that she wanted to know more about the variability in the response times. She made reference to page 30 at the top and then again on page 112-113 with respect to response times. She asked about the data on the response times from other districts and if it is the fire departments responding, EMS, or both. Steve Allan said that, regarding the fire departments, how fast they respond is dependent upon how far away they are from the emergency. He said that everything in the data is average total response time for just EMS. Commissioner Gordon said that she would like to have one more input session from the Board of County Commissioners before the final report comes back to the Board. Commissioner McKee summarized the process of the Emergency Services work group up to this point. He wants to avoid this becoming a loop of a protracted discussion. He suggested that as the consultant goes forward with other stakeholders that the work group will incorporate feedback into the document and then the work group will review these and come back to the Board of County Commissioners with a consensus of a report of recommendations (generalized). This is a living document. He does not want to put this on a shelf.