Minutes 10-04-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Eno Fire Chief Bryan Baker said that many goals have been identified in the Emergency Services Work Group, and all of those directly affect their on-scene safety radio systems. Bill Waddell said that the only two his department has been looking at is 2b - computer aided dispatch and mobile data terminals. He said that the new approved OSSI system by the Board of County Commissioners is the Pagetracker system that they are starting to use as well as the interface with the new OSSI system. Commissioner McKee said that the developer of Pagetracker is in talks with OSSI and he is not sure where they are in that process. The system is probably adaptable to OSSI but that is up to the private companies. Bill Waddell said that if the OSSI system does not work he would hope the County would provide a mechanism that would be cheaper than the $7,000 per terminal. He said that this seems excessive. He said that the Pagetracker system is very useful and informative. Commissioner McKee said that the hope is that the two systems will be compatible. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if the IT Department would have any expertise with the interface of these two types of software. Michael Talbert said that he is not sure IT could help since the current software is 20 years old. The Pagetracker system is not interactive like the OSSI system, which gives feedback data that the 9-1-1 operators have available, which show up on the screens. The system is also much better at tracking calls and who shows up when, etc. Commissioner McKee said that the County needs a lot of input from the fire departments regarding response times. He does not want to set some unrealistic goals with regard to response times. New Hope Fire Chief Mike Tapp agreed with Chief Baker and said that their top two priorities are Goals I and II. He said that there is a situation in the New Hope Fire District where they are on the fringe area of Chapel Hill and Hillsborough and there are communication issues. Commissioner Yuhasz said that everyone recognizes that more towers are needed, but no one wants them in their backyard. He said that it is important that the fire departments have a presence at the public hearings for the tower proposals to let the public know the need. The Board agreed. Caldwell Fire Chief Brad Allison said that his department dropped their ISO ratings from a 9 to a 7. There are no pressurized hydrants at Caldwell and everything is done by water haul. There are also houses outside of the six-mile range. 2. Discussion on Insurance Service Office (ISO) Ratinqs New Hope Fire Chief Mike Tapp said that the New Hope Fire District also improved its rating from a Class 9 to a Class 6. There will be letters sent out to the homeowners in the district. Chair Pelissier said that the Board of County Commissioners know that all citizens appreciate this and the Board would like to recognize the fire departments on the reduction of the ISO ratings at the next Board of County Commissioners' meeting. Commissioner Gordon said that she is thinking about the area between 5-6 miles and whether there is any hope to get any change. Efland Fire Chief Kevin Brooks said that it is up to the legislature. Commissioner McKee said that it is his understanding that the only way to get it changed is to go to the legislature. The Board then went back to item #1: