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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Safety Cmsn - 05/12/2010 � .�^^� .I"1•'"'� � � CITY OF PALM DESERT , REGULAR � � . . PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETI G �, C ^v � � � � APPROVED MINUTES � ;., �� O cA 'r� ��. � ,�, •, � Wednesday, May 12, 2010 — 3:30 p.m. � � `� � � Administrative Conference Room z - �, � C �i '' � F � U I. CALL TO ORDER J , w � ~ � / � w Chairman Larsh called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.�.� � ¢ � - ., � � .� �. w � � � � o C > � � ^ ... II. ROLL CALL �' C '� � �- � ,v� '.:: c° ;i: �r �- r. ��„ a,. 0 � L.: � � ✓; '� �:c Present: Absent: U oy �% C-= � L � � �• c Commissioner James Butzbach Commissioner Gloria Kirkwood Chairman James Larsh Vice Chairman Rick Lebel Commissioner Martin Nethery III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Ms. Phyllis Harkins thanked the Public Safety Commissioners, the Palm Desert Police, CalFire, and city staff for their time, effort and support of the two extremely successful events at Palm Desert County Club. She added that the Association's Board of Directors was very appreciative of all the work that those organizations have done to help make its events successful. IV. PRESENTATIONS 1. Report on Mexicali Earthquake Damage — Russell Grance Building & Safety Director Russell Grance addressed the Commission. He stated that he was contacted by California Emergency Management Agency (Cal Ema) and California Building Officials (CALBO) requesting volunteers to travel to Mexicali to help with the aftermath of the earthquake. The City Manager gave his approval of the request and the City sent Mr. AI Jimenez, City of Palm Desert Building Inspector, to Mexicali. Mr. Grance introduced AI Jimenez to the Commissioners. APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 Mr. Jimenez put together a PowerPoint presentation to share with the Commissioners. Mr. Jimenez stated that the 7.2 magnitude earthquake took place on April 4, 2010, on Easter morning. He displayed a map showing the location of the earthquake and reported that it was 6.2 miles beneath the surface of the earth. The population in the area of the epicenter was approximately 35,000 people and 67,000 in Calexico, EI Centro and the Imperial County area. The earthquake lasted for a duration of 89 seconds, nearly 1 '/z minutes. There was 93 miles of road that was damaged. He said that made him think that the time in which the City would have to respond to such an event would certainly lessen with impassable roads. He showed pictures of the homes, buildings and common areas that he toured. He was dispatched 8 mi. north of the City of Calexico. There was major damage to Calexico's downtown commercial corridor. They had four to six square blocks that were blocked off the entire week he was down there. It was his understanding that the commercial corridor was still about 40% closed. Eighty-percent of the cities downtown historical area was damaged. Three of the water holding tanks were damaged, which was significant as all three tanks are needed to sustain the City's agricultural and domestic needs. Upon inquiry by Vice Chair Lebel, Mr. Jimenez could not confirm what economic impact the earthquake had on Calexico with regard to the shopping visa vie the Mexico side vs. the American side. He did, however, say that Calexico was very dependent on foot traffic. A very high volume of people walk across the border each day either to shop or on their way to work. The fact that the downtown was not accessible to these people will certainly create a significant economic impact for Calexico. Mr. Jimenez continued to show a collection of his photos while explaining the damages to each building. He was with a team of engineers, a building inspector, a firefighter and a fire engineer. He said the team made good assessments and learned new things from one another. There were 3 aftershocks of at least 5.0 magnitude within the first hour of the initial 7.2 quake. Within 6 hours after the event they experienced more than 90 aftershocks. There was a 5.3 within the epicenter 4 days after, all of which were reported either north of 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 Baja or Southern California and all between 3.0 and 5.1 To date, they continue to have earth movement. He spoke to Lorena Minor the Permit Technician in Calexico who reported that they have issued 75 building permits, which included demo or repair, alterations, and retrofit permits all directly linked to earthquake damage. He also had the opportunity to speak with one of his team members, Chuck Cortez, Building Inspector, who was still being called out to homes. Mr. Jimenez reported that he and his team concentrated on major structures, commercials, multi- family, schools, etc. They continue to do safety assessments of residences from this earthquake thirty days out. The Salt Lake City Herald Examiner reported cost estimates, which were mirrored by Imperial County officials, were $100 million dollars of damage in Calexico, and $300 million dollars of damage in Mexico. Mr. Jimenez shared his experiences with Mr. Grance and Mr. Grance has been proactive in implementing the things that were relevant to the City. Everyone in the City will be impacted by a disaster of this magnitude. This was an all inclusive event, not just a fire or police department, building or public works departments event; this was a "all hands on deck" event. Mr. Jimenez completed his report with a couple of reminders that he believed were important during an earthquake event. Remain flexible — the City of Calexico remained open for 10 days straight. They remain open on Saturday. City staff was volunteering at the local community assistant center helping anyone in need. Sensitivity — the City Council did not cancel its meeting the week of the earthquake as they understood that the business owners wanted back into their properties and homeowners were anxious and displaced. There will be people who may be displaced from their homes and we need to be sensitive to our residents concerns and problems. Awareness — there were individuals taking advantage of the situation in that they were forging documentation business owners needed from the City to reopen its businesses. Mr. Jimenez felt that this incident made him think that city officials and employees should 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 have special passes/badges to enter areas designed for authorized personnel. Communication — Mr. Jimenez appreciated the opportunity to speak with the Public Safety Commission on this matter. He believed that through communication everything was possible. There needs to be a seamless camaraderie between the City, the Police Department, Fire Department and other governmental officials. He felt this was critical in a time of a disaster. Mr. Jimenez stated that the Building & Safety Department was working on being prepared for the unexpected. Pretty much everyone in the department can issue a permit. People are going to be doing things they don't normally do so there is a need for cross training. Mr. Grance concluded that it was a good experience for his department to be able to help with the earthquake aftermath. He said Mr. Jimenez brought back some good and critical information that he could utilize to improve the processes the City has already in place. Working with GIS to improve department maps showing locations of critical and essential facilities like businesses, hotels, schools and cell towers. Communication is going to be one of many key vital links so his department is working on detailed areal map books for each of the inspectors zones. Gary Rosenblum added that the City has a contingency contract with Willdan Consultants to provide the City with additional building and safety consulting services. They will also provide the City with additional people who can do plan checking and inspections. 2. Smeal Truck— Dorian Cooley The meeting was adjourned to the parking lot of the Civic Center to look at the new Smeal Truck purchased by the Fire Department. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of the Public Safety Commission Meeting of March 29, 2010 Rec: Approve as amended. B. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for February and March 2010 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. C. Palm Desert Special Enforcement Team Monthly Report for March and April 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. D. Traffic Team Report for March 2010 -- Includes Traffic Collision Statistics for February 2010 and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Statistics for March and April 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. E. Business District Team Report— March and April 2010 F. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. F. Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force Report for March and April 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. G. Canine Report— March and April 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. H. Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force Report for March and April 2010 Upon motion by Commissioner Butzbach, and seconded by Commissioner Nethery, the remaining items on the Consent Calendar were approved as presented by a vote of 4-0. VI. CONSENT ITEMS HE�D OVER B. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Reports for February and March 2010 Commissioner Nethery requested that this item be pulled from the Consent Calendar. Commissioner Nethery said this was going to be an education for him because there were a lot acronyms used in the Fire Reports that he did not know. 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 Upon inquiry by Commissioner Nethery, Chief Cooley responded as follows: JAC Training — Joint Apprenticeship Commission — a State and Union proctor program that oversees minimal training standards for it's firefighters. This includes on-the-job training, in-house and outsourced training as well. All Firefighter II's and Engineers have to attend the JAC Program to become fully certified as firefighters. It takes 3 years for Firefighter II's and 2 additional years for Engineers. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Nethery, Chief Cooley responded that unfortunately more gated communities within a station's response area, the slower the response times will be. The engines almost have to stop for each speed bump, which slows their response time. Upon inquiry of Chair Larsh, Chief Cooley responded that the Fire Department can enter in any gate. That is also an issue with response time. If the gate is manned the engines can enter more quickly than if they have a gate with the Knox Box. Chief Cooley continued his explanation of acronyms: PIV — Post Indicator Valve — the shut off valve for the fire sprinkler system. SOG — Standard Operating Guide MCI — Multi Casualty Incident — we have specific protocols that address how we handle a multi station incident. S-212 — National Wildfire coordinating group acronym that is a course that trains on safety. RWTC — Roy Wilson Training Center Vice Chair Lebel stated that the term "accountability" was not an acronym, but an important word as well. Chief Cooley explained that over the years, they have had various means of accountability, which was tracking personnel on the scene. They are in the process of updating the accountability procedures with a new type of accountability tag wherein the men are tracked by way of their helmets. They can physically keep track 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 of where everybody is on an incident. If, heaven for bid, something goes wrong and they need to bail out of a building they can identify who is missing, if there is anyone missing people, and how many are missing before they begin their search. Chief Cooley apologized for the acronyms and said he is in the process of training his guys to write reports for the layperson. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the Fire Department Reports for February and March. Motion was seconded by Chair Larsh and carried 4-0. VII. NEW BUSINESS None VIII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None IX. OLD BUSINESS None X. REPORT ON CfTY COUNCIL ACTION (S) Stephen Aryan informed the Commissioners about the budget review of the Police and Fire Departments. The Fire budget had no significant changes from City Council. With regard to the Police budget, the City Council opted to keep both CSO I officers for this next fiscal year. They will be stationed at the Civic Center Substation once the move to the new Gerald Ford Station is completed. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Nethery, Mr. Aryan responded that the Council wanted the Police Station to be a permanent location as the Civic Center Substation. He said there will be a presence Monday through Friday. XI. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Citizens on Patrol Program 1. Monthly Report for April 2010 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 2. COPS Caller Newsletter Chair Larsh stated that the Citizens on Patrol Newsletter is just great and he hoped it was getting out to the public. He liked to see that the Sheriff and Police are using the COPS on calls. Vice Chair Lebel said that it was great that the City Council recognized Ruth Stevens. Frankie Riddle stated that a simple "thank you" for their time and service goes a long way. B. Legislative Update None C. Police and Fire Departments 1. Palm Desert K9 Statistics for 2009 — Stephen Aryan Mr. Aryan distributed the PD K9 Statistic report that he asked Lt. Shouse to prepare for the City Council. Commissioner Nethery stated that it looked like "Van Snapp" was doing a great job. Upon inquiry from Chair Larsh, Lt. Shouse responded that the Palm Desert Police Department did not work the Coachella Fest as the Indio Police Department had plenty of officers working that event, i.e., CBNTF and the Gang Task Force. These entities were at both events, the Coachella Fest and Stagecoach. Lt. Shouse updated the Commissioner regarding the construction of the new police station. The station was progressing nicely and nearing completion. They expected the building to be completed last week; however, that date has been pushed back about 2 months due to a problem with the glazer in the storefront window installation. There is a delay in getting materials. Right now we are looking at early July as a move in date. He suggested that after they get moved in they could host a Public Safety Commission meeting on its site. We could then take a tour of the station. 8 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 The Sheriff's Department is planning a "Grand Opening" big media event with dignitaries from all the local cities that the Riverside Sheriff's Department serves along with County officials. As far as an open house for the public , he thought that would probably serve as that event. He said he would speak with his bosses about organizing an event in the fall for our seasoned residents. In any event, he thought it would be good for the Public Safety Commission to come out and tour the facility. Chair Lash agreed with Lt. Shouse and requested that the September Public Safety meeting to held at the new Palm Desert Police Station on Gerald Ford. Lt. Shouse stated that they would like to get as many people over to the facility as possible to see it. The COP members will hold one of its meetings at the station as well as Project Area 4 Committee. Lt. Shouse reported that they were getting ready to close the Washington Street substation and will be out by June 30, 2010. As Mr. Aryan stated earlier, the Council has decided to fill the vacant CSO I position, and both CSO I positions will work out of the Civic Center substation. Upon inquiry by Chair Larsh, Lt. Shouse responded that the Council wants to retain the substation on Hwy 111. That substation is not open to the public; deputies only. There is a CSO I at that location one day a week just to maintain supplies. D. Staff Mr. Aryan distributed three items: the program on the California Law Enforcement Challenge; an article from the Desert Sun newspaper, and the Palm Desert Country Club's newsletter. Lt. Shouse stated that the California Law Enforcement Challenge was a document that the Office of Traffic Safety Grants (OTS) encourages all participating law enforcement agencies to submit. The different programs and features that the Department did the previous year are highlighted. The documents are judged and critiqued by OTS staff. Mr. Aryan reported that the article in the Desert Sun was on the Girl Scout Troops visit to Fire Station 33. A good time was had by all. 9 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 12, 2010 E. Public Safety Commission Chair Larsh reported that the Commission would go dark in the months of July and August. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Butzbach, Ms. Riddle responded that the COP members have their own facility on Joni Drive and will remain in that location. Commissioner Butzbach stated that the BrightSide issue on Earthquake Preparedness was put together in a very good way. It was direct, precise and an outstanding tool. It also gave the residents of Palm Desert an idea of what would be expected of them after an Earthquake event. XII. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Nethery moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:12 p.m., seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and approved by a 4-0 vote. � A , ,D�,c, 'Gc�r» Lori imbish, Recording Secretary 10