Agenda - 09-19-2006-7c - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

U Rod Visser said that they hope to have the selection of the consultant to come back at the January meeting, and then they could have results from the study back by April. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the rescue squad on Churton Street and said that it is in pretty bad shape. He thinks that the program is strapped financially. He hopes that part of this plan is to study the issue of rescue squad services and how the County can help them. He asked how much the County was giving them and it was answered $2,200 a month to offset expenses for utilities, etc. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he and Chair Carey did a walk through at the rescue squad and they have aging equipment and he is concerned about the expensive pieces of equipment that fire departments and rescue squads have.. He wants to make sure that purchasing decisions are being made in an appropriate manner.. He would suggest having someone like Mr. Segal to come in and look at these departments. He asked what they were looking for in a consultant and Jack Ball said that they would like to insure that a consultant had a background in fire and rescue services. Usually a team will come along with the consultant that has expertise in this area.. Chair Carey said that they should not assume that because an expert writes a report that everyone will agree on it. He wants to look at coming to some degree of consensus when the information is brought back. Commissioner Jacobs said that he went to the recent Chiefs Council meeting and they let him talk about this issue and there were a number of questions.. He said that although some people were skeptical, they saw some advantages such as the opportunity to have some of their firefighters be covered by County insurance, and the opportunity to have someone work as part of the Fire Marshall staff who could help them get their IPO ratings down. He thinks that it can be pursued in a way that is mutually beneficial. He would hope that the County's liaison to the Chief's Council is included with the consultant process. He would like to look at the possibility of having audits for the departments every few years. Chair Carey agreed that all of these issues need to be discussed, and to have recommendations come back in tiers. Commissioner Gordon asked if there was a written plan for either a natural disaster or terrorist attack. She said that everyone assumes that there is a plan, but she does not know the details of the disaster procedures, including evacuation procedures, Rod Visser said that there is a plan but there are updates that Emergency Management Specialist Eric Griffin will be working on in the next 6-8 months. He said that there was a study 3-4 years ago with several counties, including Orange County, and it pointed out that there would be problems with evacuation procedures. Jack Ball said that at their Triangle J meeting, his counterparts from Durham and Wake Counties spoke about a joint evacuation plan. There have also been some new federal requirements and they will be working on this. Eric Griffin said that they have met with their partners such as Red Cross and County departments, and they want this plan to be realistic and implemented in a timely manner, They will also have a regional approach. They are looking at non-traditional methods of evacuation such as a train system. The school systems are very heavily involved and willing to participate. They are also looking at Chapel HiII Transit, Orange Public Transportation, and taxis and private buses in the County. Commissioner Gordon asked if they were prepared to do something in the short term if something were to happen before the plan is finished. Jack Ball said that the multi-hazard plan is on the EMS website. Eric Griffin said that part of the plan is to get communication devices to the County Commissioners. Jack Ball said that the short-term plan is to provide the County