HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93010_1030 (2)Trexler said there were three departments not meeting the minimum level of
manpower, and he said another three were just at the minimum.
Trivette said the fire tax board needed to know from the board of commissioners
what level of fire protection to provide the citizens. He said many people had the
misconception that the firefighters were paid.
Webster voiced concerns about volunteer recruitment. He said that as the senior
firefighters aged out, there would probably be manpower shortages at some of the
departments. Webster said that unless young people "got firefighting in their blood at
an early age" that many of them preferred to use their spare time in second jobs to help
support their families.
Gallyon said the state was requiring "more and more paperwork" making it
difficult for the departments.
Trexler said many chiefs in the county were working a minimum of 20 volunteer
hours a week. He stressed the importance of having adequate fire department
manpower. Mr. Trexler said there was a "good response time at night, but in some
departments it wasn't good during the day." He said that as the population increased,
the problem would get worse.
Commissioner Williams asked Finance Officer Blumenstein what one penny on
the fire tax would yield, and she said $487,000, or a little less than a half -a -million
dollars.
EMERGENCY -SERVICES REPORT: Tracy Jackson (Director of
Emergency Services), Sidney Weisner (Animal Control Supervisor), David Martin
(Director of Communications), Lee Darnell (Director of Emergency Medical Services),
and Chuck Gallyon (Fire Marshal), listed the following needs for their departments.
Animal Control: additional personnel; more kennel space; updated software/hardware
Communications: additional persomrel; improved communication system; training and
certification programs for telecommunicators
Emergency Met: better training and appropriate equipment for responders; better
preparation for realistic threats and hazards; improved
communication/coordination between all of the emergency
management participants/agencies
EMS: additional facilities/vehicles/personnel/training/equipment; better
focus on employee recruitment, development, and retention
Fire Marshal: additional personnel/facility space; access to information technology
that can be shared with responders
Weisner voiced concerns over new and larger breeds of animals being brought
into the county.
Darnell said it took a "dynamic training system" to keep the paramedics up-to-
date. He said over 85% of the ambulances had over 100,000 miles on them.
Mr. Damell said there were nine vehicles in the fleet, with six primarily being used, and
the other three remaining for back-up. He noted that some of the bays were too small
for the newer vehicles.
Gallyon said 75% of the vehicles in his department had over 100,000 miles. He
said there had been an increased demand for plans review and inspections.
Martin said the call volumn in communications had increased by 225% since
1999. He said efforts were being made to improve the E-911 system in an effort to
recognize the location of cellular phone calls. Martin said there were four
telecommunicators on each shift, but at times, the staff was down to three people. He
noted that all of the employees were nationally certified, and they "did a super job."