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ALL.I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD COMMUNITY SERVICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING FOR TODAY, WHICH IS MARCH 28TH AT 10:00 AM.
KRISTA, ARE WE COMPLIANT WITH FOYA? YES, SIR.
UH, WOULD YOU PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL? YES, SIR.
MR. AMES, DEAR MR. LENNOX, MR. HARKINS, MRS. BECKER IS ABSENT TODAY, SIR.
UH, WE HAVE BEFORE US THE, UH, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR OUR LAST MEETING ON FEBRUARY 28TH.
IS THERE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL MOVE TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED SECOND? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.
SO, UH, KRISTA APPEARANCE BY CITIZENS.
DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS THAT HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN COMING FORWARD TODAY? NO.
I HAVE NO CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE COMMITTEE TODAY.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON NOW TO NEW BUSINESS.
UH, THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA, UH, THE BUFORD COUNTY, SHERIFF'S QUARTERLY, UH, CRIME STATISTICS, UM, MAJOR ANGELA, UH, WELCOME MORNING THIS MORNING.
HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING? I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS PAGE BY PAGE THIS MORNING.
I THINK EVERYBODY'S PROBABLY HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW IT.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT IN THERE THAT YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO ASK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY OR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY, I'D BE HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU.
A GOOD REPORT SINCE YOUR LAST REPORT, HAVE YOU SEEN ANY UNFAVORABLE TRENDS, UNFAVORABLE TRENDS? WELL, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAD A CONVERSATION THIS MORNING WITH FIRE RESCUE DISCUSSING THE, UM, RE-EMERGENCE OF OUR OPIOID DRUG ACTIVITY HERE ON THE ISLAND AND IN BEAVER COUNTY.
UM, HISTORICALLY I THINK 2018 ISH, WE SAW A LOT OF OVERDOSE DEATHS AND OVERDOSE RESPONSE CALLS.
UM, BASED ON BASICALLY FENTANYL, THERE WAS, UM, THE DRUG FOLKS KIND OF CLAMPED DOWN ON SOME OF THE MANUFACTURING AND PRESCRIPTIONS.
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SELF KNOWN AGAIN BACK IN, IN OUR AREA.AND A LOT OF FOLKS BEGAN PRESSING ARTIFICIAL PILLS.
SO HYDROCODONE OXYCODONE AND THINGS LIKE THAT WERE BEING PRESSED OR BASICALLY, UM, MANUFACTURED AT THE STREET LEVEL, NOT BY FAR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.
AND THEY WERE USING, UM, DESIGNER DRUGS, SPECIFICALLY FENTANYL TO CREATE THE SAME FEELING THAT YOU WOULD GET FROM A PRESCRIPTION DRUG.
UM, THAT KINDA WENT AWAY FOR A WHILE, BUT IN THE LAST SIX OR EIGHT MONTHS, WE'VE SEEN A GREAT UPTICK AGAIN IN OPIOID RELATED DRUG OVERDOSES AND FENTANYL OVERDOSES.
UM, FENTANYL HAS MADE ITS WAY INTO OUR HEROIN, UM, SAMPLES THAT WE'RE PULLING OFF THE STREET.
UM, WE WERE DISCUSSING A CASE THAT WE'RE WORKING ALONGSIDE ANOTHER, UH, FEDERAL AGENCY WHERE WE HAD CON CONDUCTED CONTROLLED PURCHASES OF COCAINE AND METHAMPHETAMINES.
AND THE DEALER ACTUALLY GAVE US AN EIGHT BALL, WHICH IS ABOUT THIS MUCH OF FENTANYL AND SAID, SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THAT.
SO, UM, THE, THE DRUG TREND HAS DEFINITELY, UM, OPIOID RELATED OVERDOSES AS RE-EMERGE, UM, WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH NOW FOR THE LAST EIGHT OR NINE MONTHS CAR BREAK-INS I KNOW EVERY TIME I COME HERE AND TALK ABOUT THAT, UM, IF PEOPLE WOULD JUST LOCK THEIR DOORS AND LOCK THEIR HOMES AND TAKE THEIR KEYS OUT OF THEIR CARS.
AND OTHER THAN THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON.
FOLLOWING UP ON MR. LENNOX QUESTION, WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF DRUG USE AND ARE THERE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DRUGS IS, IS SPECIFICALLY AGE, AGE RELATE.
I'M REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UM, ARE THERE AREAS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO MORE DRUG USE THAN OTHERS? AND I'M REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT TOWN CAN DO.
SO, YEAH, I, I CAN'T SAY THAT WITHOUT DOING A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH, I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE RESPOND TO OVERDOSE DEATHS BEHIND GATED COMMUNITIES.
UM, WE RESPOND TO OVERDOSE DEATHS AND GAS STATION PARKING LOTS.
UM, WE DON'T SEE AS MUCH OF THE OVERDOSE RELATED ACTIVITY IN THE TRACK COMMUNITY AREA.
UM, SO I, I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD BE WHAT, UM, THE, THE LOWER INCOME HOUSING AREAS, UM, SANDWICHED TERRACE GARDENS, UM, THE OAKS, UM, BUT WE LIKE WE'VE RESPONDED TO OVERDOSE DEATHS AND INDIGO RUN.
WE'VE HAD OVERDOSE DEATHS IN HILTON IMPLEMENTATION.
SO I CAN I SAY THAT, THAT IT FALLS ON, ON ONE DEMOGRAPHIC VERSUS THE OTHER I CAN'T WITHOUT DOING ANY OTHER RESEARCH.
UH, ONE OTHER QUESTION, UH, THE TOWN IS FOCUSED ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS AT THIS POINT, AND THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION AMONG THE COMMUNITY WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT, UM, NOISE, ABUSE, PARTY ABUSE, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH LATE AT NIGHT, THEY CALL THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND TRY TO GET SOME ATTENTION.
UH, WHAT'S A REALISTIC EXPECTATION FOR OUR COMMUNITY REGARDING A RESPONSE TIME.
AND WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING OF NOISE COMPLAINTS, ARE YOU TALKING, BEING GENERATED BY BUSINESSES? ARE YOU TALKING GENERATED BY, UM, PRIMARILY, UH, UH, VISITORS WHO ARE IN A SHORT-TERM RENTAL ENJOYING THEMSELVES AFTER 10 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT? OKAY.
SO TYPICALLY WHAT OUR RESPONSE TO THAT WOULD BE, THIS WE'D RESPOND.
IF THE COMPLAINANT, I, THE PERSON THAT IS CALLING WANTS TO MEET WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT PRIOR TO THEN WE WILL ENGAGE THEM AND FIND OUT WHAT THE COMPLAINT IS.
WE'LL GO TO THE ORIGIN OF THE NOISE, TELL THEM TO TURN IT DOWN, TRY AND GAIN SOME COMPLIANCE, FIND OUT WHO'S IN CHARGE, AND THEN WE'LL LEAVE.
IT MAY BE A WARNING WRITTEN WARNING WOULD BE ISSUED, BUT TYPICALLY NOT.
IF THERE IS A REPEAT CALL, I, WE LEAVE THE AREA AND THEY CRANK THE MUSIC UP, WHICH IT HAPPENS.
WE ASK THAT THE COMPLAINANT OR THE PERSON THAT IS BEING DISTURBED BY THE NOISE OR THE PARTY MEET WITH THE DEPUTY, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO AGREE TO COME TO COURT AND BEAR WITNESS TO WHAT THEY'VE OBSERVED, WRITE A WRITTEN STATEMENT, AND THEN WE WOULD CITE THE PERSON THAT WAS IN CHARGE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, MAJOR, COULD YOU SHARE WITH US, UH, HOW YOU'RE DOING IN TERMS OF, UH, BEING FULLY STAFFED AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN TERMS OF RECRUITMENT AND WHAT IMPEDIMENTS YOU MAY BE FACING IN TERMS OF RECRUITMENT? OKAY.
SO CURRENTLY SOUTH OF THE BROAD RIVER, AND I CAN ONLY SPEAK OF THE PERSONNEL THAT I MANAGE.
UM, OUR SHIFTS ARE DOWN AT LEAST
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TWO PER TEAM.SO WE'RE DOWN EIGHT, AT LEAST SOMETIMES 10 LET'S THROW ON THE FACT THAT WE MAY HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE ON MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, WHICH WE HAVE TWO THAT ARE CURRENTLY DEPLOYED ON YEAR LONG TOURS.
UM, FOLKS THAT MAY BE INJURED, UM, AND DUTY RELATED INJURIES AND FOLKS THAT WE MAY HAVE AT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACADEMY, THAT KIND OF MAGNIFIES WHAT YOU LOOK AT ON PAPER AS 10 PEOPLE SHORT, IT MAKES IT 16 PEOPLE SHORT.
WE BACKFILL THOSE POSITIONS WITH OVERTIME SO THAT WE ACCOMMODATE THE NECESSITIES OF BOTH HILTON HEAD AND BLUFFTON.
SO WE POST OVER TIME, THE GUYS DO BUDDY SWAPS VACATION.
UM, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO FULFILL THE MISSION THAT WE HAVE AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
I THINK WE HAVE SIX PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING BEFORE OUR HIRING BOARD TODAY.
AND WE HAVE ACTUALLY MODIFIED OUR HIRING PROCESS SO THAT WE GET THEM IN THE FRONT DOOR EARLY, DO THE INTERVIEW, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT USUALLY HAPPENS ON THE TAIL END AFTER WE'VE SENT THEM FOR A MENTAL EVAL.
THEY'VE GONE THROUGH FIREARMS AND, UM, HEALTH SCREENING AND POLYGRAPH AND ALL THE OTHER STUFF.
UM, AND THE INTERVIEW IS USUALLY THE LAST THING WE DO THE INTERVIEW FIRST TO TRY AND WEED OUT.
SOME FOLKS THAT WE KNOW ARE NOT GOING TO BE GOOD QUALIFIED CANDIDATES BASED ON THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCES AND WHATNOT, SO THAT WE CAN FAST TRACK THE HIRING PROCEDURE.
WHAT USED TO TAKE TWO OR THREE MONTHS FROM THE TIME THAT WE RECEIVED AN APPLICATION UNTIL WE GOT A BODY IN THE DOOR IS NOW, UM, BEEN CRUNCHED DOWN TO FOUR WEEKS BEFORE WE CAN MAKE A CONDITIONAL OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT.
UM, LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, TRENDING NATIONWIDE IS SHORT-STAFFED, WE'RE NOT THE ONLY AGENCY THAT SHORT.
UM, A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE PERCEPTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT THESE DAYS AND THE WAY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS SEE US.
NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE, TAKE THAT ABUSE.
UM, A GOOD DAY IS, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
IF YOU HEAR IT ONCE A WEEK, IT'S, IT'S MADE MY WEEK.
YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY UPLIFTING, BUT WE'RE AT THIS POINT.
UM, A LOT OF THE YOUNG GUYS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM IN SOUTH CAROLINA, UM, HAS ADJUSTED ITSELF A LITTLE BIT FOR ME.
I STAYED 25 YEARS AND I'M GOING TO RETIRE AT, YOU KNOW, MY PERCENTAGE GOES UP, I'M MOVING INTO MY 26TH YEAR.
I DON'T HAVE TO BE HERE ANYMORE, BUT I ACTUALLY LIKED MY JOB.
UM, BUT THE YOUNGER GUYS ARE FACING, UM, A RETIREMENT SYSTEM, UM, THAT IS WORKING AGAINST THEM.
YOU KNOW, THERE THERE'S NO BENEFIT TO IT RIGHT NOW.
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING TO US THAT WANT TO BE POLICE OFFICERS WANT TO BE IN PUBLIC SAFETY AND THEY WANT TO DO THE JOB TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY.
UM, WE HAVE UPS STAFFED OUR RECRUITING.
UM, WE NOW HAVE SERGEANT RAUL AND SERGEANT SARACA THAT ARE BOTH AGGRESSIVELY RECRUITING.
UM, THEY'RE MAKING APPEARANCES AT THE MILITARY BASES WHEN THEY'RE DOING THEIR, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROPER TERM IS, THEIR EXIT INTERVIEW OR OF SORTS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT'S CALLED, BUT WE HAVE DEFINITELY TAKEN SOME STEPS HERE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, UM, AND REVISED OUR RECRUITING, UM, PROGRAM TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN BRINGING QUALIFIED CANDIDATES IN SO WELL ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY, WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WE THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
UM, I'M WEARING MY AFFORDABLE WORKFORCE HAT AT THE MOMENT.
WHAT DOES A DEPUTY REASONABLY HIRED EARN IN BUFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT? SO A RECENTLY HIRED DEPUTY, WE JUST IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, RAISE A STARTING SALARY TO THINK AROUND 47,000.
WITH THAT, YOU GET ADJUSTMENTS FOR, UM, BILINGUAL CAPABILITIES.
YOU GET ADJUSTMENTS FOR EVERY DEGREE LEVEL THAT YOU HAVE STARTING WITH AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE, GET A 3% BUMP BACHELOR'S DEGREE, GET A 6% BUMP MASTERS, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UM, IF YOU'RE HIRED WITH EXPERIENCE, THERE'S A SCALE THAT WILL ADJUST YOUR STARTING SALARY.
UH, WHAT WE HAVE FOUND RECENTLY IS THAT WE HAD EXTENDED AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT TO A DEPUTY THAT WAS MOVING HERE FROM THE NORTHERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES.
AND WHEN HE STARTED LOOKING FOR HOUSING, REALIZED THAT HE COULDN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE AND HE HAD TO DECLINE THE OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT.
UM, THE TOWN STIPEND, UM, DOES WONDERS FOR OUR FOLKS.
UM, IT'S STILL, YOU KNOW, FOR, UH, A 23 YEAR OLD PERSON THAT IS RARE INDIGO AND WANTING TO
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COME TO WORK HERE WITH STUDENT LOAN, CAR PAYMENT RENT IT'S, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME OTHER MEANS OF SUPPORT.YOU'RE GOING TO WORK YOURSELF TO DEATH WITH OVERTIME TO TRY AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, LIT FROM DAY TO DAY.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
AND WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO LIVE IN BUFORD COUNTY.
WE CAN'T LIVE OUTSIDE THE COUNTY.
SO AS A POINT OF REFERENCE, UH, SOMEONE MAKING $50,000 A YEAR CAN AFFORD, UH, ABOUT $1,300 A MONTH IN RENT.
IF YOU KNOW ANY, IF YOU KNOW ANY PLACES THAT ARE RENTING FOR $1,300 A MONTH, PLEASE SEND THEM MY WAY.
THE REAL PROBLEMS, PEDRO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANKS TO YOUR, ALL YOUR COLLEAGUES.
UH, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE, UH, FIRE AND RESCUE 2021 ANNUAL REPORT, CHIEF.
GOOD MORNING TO THE COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU, BRAD TATLOCK, FIRE CHIEF.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DEPUTY CHIEF BLANKENSHIP FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND JUST SECOND, BUT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, REAL QUICK TO, UH, CATCH YOU UP A LITTLE BIT.
SO, FIRST OF ALL, LAST WEEK WE WERE IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
WE HAD A MEETING BEFORE THE FIRE COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION AND WE RECEIVED A POSITIVE VOTE LAST WEDNESDAY.
SO WE WILL BE COMING FORTH WITH OUR AWARD AT A COUNCIL MEETING TOWN.
MANAGER'S GOING TO SET UP FOR US TO PRESENT THAT TO THE TOWN COUNCIL AT A FUTURE MEETING HERE, COMING UP.
THAT, UH, IT WAS A GOOD ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THE TEAM.
AND BEFORE WE GO INTO THE REVIEW OF 2021, I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT REAL QUICK.
UM, SINCE WE'RE IN PERSON AGAIN, UH, THAT WHAT FIRE RESCUE AND THE TOWN STAFF HAS DONE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
CAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES IT'S LOST A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED.
SO GOING BACK TO THE SUMMER OF 2020, WE DID, IF YOU RECALL, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO MOVE PAST THIS, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT IT REAL QUICK.
WE DID TWO MASS TESTING EVENTS, YOU KNOW, COORDINATED THROUGH TOM DUNN, THE TOWN HELD AT THE SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE ALL UNSURE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE KNEW WE HAD TO DO TESTING.
AND THAT WAS THE FIRST INITIATIVE.
SO WHEN WE MOVED INTO THE FALL OF 2020, AND I TALKED TO THE HOSPITAL AND WE SAID, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU NEED, YOU KNOW, TO SUPPORT THE HOSPITAL? THE COMMUNITY TESTING AT THIS POINT HAD RAMPED UP TO THE DRIVE-THROUGH TYPE TESTING AT THE HOSPITAL.
SO, UH, JEREMY CLARK AT THE TIME SAID, WE NEED STAFFING.
SO FIRE RESCUE PROVIDED TWO PERSONS AT THAT DRIVE THROUGH TESTING LINE FIVE DAYS A WEEK FROM LATE NOVEMBER OF 2020 THROUGH MARCH OF 2021.
AND WE STARTED THAT WITH A CONTRACT THROUGH D HECK, WHICH WE COULD NOT GET DONE.
EVENTUALLY THE TOWN MANAGER AT THE TIME SAID, JUST GO START HELPING THEM.
WE'LL WORRY ABOUT GETTING THE CONTRACT BECAUSE TOM DUNN WORKED ON THE CONTRACT WITH THE HEC FOR OVER A MONTH AND A HALF AND WE COULD NOT GET IT THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO EVENTUALLY WE DID AND WE GOT REIMBURSED FOR THAT FOR THAT TIME.
BUT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, REGARDLESS OF THE WEATHER, WE MADE SURE FIRE RESCUE HAD TWO PEOPLE SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY TESTING LINEUP AT THE HOSPITAL.
SO THEN THE VACCINES CAME OUT AND IN THE SPRING OF 21 AND THERE AGAIN, THE VACCINE STARTED, THEY MOVED THE VACCINE CLINIC OFF ISLAND, BUT WE DID WHAT WE COULD TO SUPPORT THAT.
AND THEN AS THE VACCINES BECAME MORE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SPRING OF 21, THE TOWN WITH TOWN SUPPORT, AARON WAS HERE, CAROLYN'S HERE.
WE DID NINE POP UP VACCINE SITES AT DIFFERENT SPOTS TO HELP SUPPORT THE VACCINE THROUGH THE SUMMER OF 21.
SO THEN WE MOVED INTO LATE SUMMER OF 21 AND HERE COME THE DELTA VARIANT.
AND AS I WAS LOOKING AT THE TRENDS OVERSEAS, YOU COULD TELL SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING.
SO WE STARTED REACHING OUT TO
SO THAT'S WHERE WE FINALLY, WE TALKED TO D HECK AND THROUGH SOME NEGOTIATIONS, WE, WE GOT THEM TO SHOW UP AND START TESTING ON MONDAYS AT STATION FOUR, IF YOU RECALL.
AND WE HELD THAT ALL THROUGH THE FALL AND IT WORKED PRETTY WELL.
THINGS JUST WHEN WE THINK THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER, HERE COMES A UPTICK IN THE, IN THE WINTER TIME.
SO THERE AGAIN WITH TOWN STAFF, AARON AND, UH, COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH CAROLYN, TOM DUNN, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, WE WERE ABLE TO GET WITH A PRIVATE VENDOR THAT SET UP IN CHAPLIN PARK AND ADMINISTERED THE TESTING THERE THROUGH WHEN IT STARTED TO DOWNTURN HERE IN FEBRUARY.
SO I JUST THINK, UH, FIRE RESCUE HAS BEEN OUT AT THE TIP OF THE SPEAR ON THAT WE'VE HAD OUR OWN FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, HAD ILLNESS.
WE WERE SHORT PEOPLE DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, LIKE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
WE WERE SHORT PEOPLE, WE WERE FORCING OVERTIME, THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS WERE SICK.
THEN WE HAD, WE HAD OUR MOST PEOPLE GO OUT DURING THE DELTA AND THEN IN THE WINTER DUE TO THE SPREAD.
I THINK WE'VE DONE A LOT TO SUPPORT
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COMMUNITY.WE'VE DONE A LOT AS FAR AS THE TOWN AND THE FIRE RESCUE AND FACILITIES THAT AS FAR AS ANY JURISDICTION IN OUR AREA, AS FAR AS GETTING OUT AND TRYING TO HELP WITH VACCINES, WITH TESTING.
SO I THINK I JUST WANTED TO RECAP THAT AND HATS OFF TO MY TEAM FOR ALL THEY'VE DONE OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN THAT TOO.
I THINK WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB FOR THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S BEEN UP AND DOWN, BUT, UH, I APPRECIATE WHAT EVERYONE'S DONE.
SO WITH THAT, BEFORE YOU LEAVE BRAD WE'RE TWO AND A HALF YEARS INTO THIS PANDEMIC AND THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MANUAL, IS THERE A CHAPTER CALLED PANDEMIC? UH, YES, THERE IS.
UH, THERE WAS ONE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, UH, YOU KNOW, IT PRIMARILY DEALT WITH WHAT ARE YOU, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO OPERATE WHEN YOUR STAFFING IS OUT? YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S, UH, A DIFFERENT TYPE OF FLU PANDEMIC, UH, BUT THERE IS A MANUAL WE'VE UPDATED THE MANUAL DURING THE PANDEMIC AND WE'RE GOING TO UPDATE IT AGAIN ONCE WE'RE REALLY CLEAR OF IT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES, BUT, UH, BUT YEAH, WE, THERE IS AN ANNEX.
WE'VE LEARNED A LOT THROUGH IT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA BE RESILIENT.
WE'VE SEEN WHEN WE SHIFTED GEARS A LITTLE BIT IN THE BEGINNING, WHEN EVERYTHING SLOWED DOWN AND WE'VE REOPENED AND HOW WE HANDLE IT AND TRY TO LIMIT THE SPREAD.
SO I THINK YOU'VE DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB.
LOOKING BACK OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST? UM, WHAT SURPRISED ME? I THINK JUST THE, UH, WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING SURPRISED ME.
IT WAS ONE, ONE TURN AFTER THE OTHER WHERE YOU STOPPED, YOU ADJUSTED, YOU KNOW, WE WENT FROM MASS TESTING TO COMMUNITY TESTING.
I THINK WHAT SURPRISED ME THE MOST WAS THE CONSISTENT UNCERTAINTY, UM, THAT WE LIVED THROUGH.
UH, AND I THINK THE JOB THAT YOU ALL DID AND THE BUFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE IN PUBLIC SAFETY GAVE ME A LOT OF CONFIDENCE, UH, IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE COMMUNITY WE LIVED IN.
SO TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND TO FIRE RESCUE, ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC JOB FOR GIVING THE COMMUNITY THE CONFIDENCE TO GET THROUGH THIS.
LIKE I SAID, I THINK WE, AS A TOWN GOVERNMENT AND AS FIRE RESCUE, WE DID A LOT TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY, HAD TO PUSH AND PULL THE STATE A LITTLE BIT AT THAT LEVEL TO GET SOME THINGS.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE DID WHAT WE COULD BASED ON OUR STAFFING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO I APPRECIATE THOSE COMMENTS.
I'M JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH OUR ANNUAL REPORT HERE FOR 2021 AND, UH, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STOP ME ALONG THE WAY.
UM, BUT I DO HAVE A PLACE FOR QUESTIONS AT THE END OF ALL RIGHT.
SO LOOKING AT A TOTAL INCIDENTS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021, UM, THE GRAPH ON YOUR LEFT THERE SHOWS, UM, A THREE-YEAR.
SO AS YOU CAN REMEMBER, FROM OUR LAST TIME, UH, WE MET WITH YOU GUYS, WE DID SEE A DECREASE FROM 2019 TO 2020 OF ABOUT 2.1, 6%.
UM, WE ATTRIBUTED THAT A LOT TO THE, UM, WHEN COVID FIRST STARTED IN EARLY 2020, WE REALLY STOPPED RUNNING CALLS FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS.
UM, WE REALLY SHUT DOWN WHEN, WHEN THE ECONOMY SHUT DOWN.
SO WE SAW A DOWNTICK, BUT THEN ONCE WE OPENED BACK UP, UM, EVERYTHING CAME BACK TO LIFE.
WE REALLY STARTED, UM, UH, RUN THE CALLS AGAIN.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE IN 2021, WE HAD A 13.1% INCREASE OVER THE YEAR 2020, AND THAT WILL REALLY SHOW, UM, WHEN WE GET INTO A GRAPH HERE IN A BIT ABOUT THE SUMMER MONTHS AND IN OUR TOURISM UPTICK ON THE RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE A 20 YEAR INCIDENT COUNT.
UM, WE STARTED TRACKING THIS LAST YEAR, UM, LOOKING BACK, UH, 2001 IS WHEN I STARTED.
SO I WANTED TO KIND OF LOOK AT WHAT WE WERE DOING BACK THEN WITH ROUGHLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF STAFFING AS WE'RE DOING TODAY.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, BLUE HERE IS OUR TOTAL CALL VOLUME.
YOU CAN SEE, AS WE GO THROUGH THE YEARS, THE, THE EMS REALLY JUST CONTINUES TO GROW.
WE RUN ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF FIRE CALLS AND OTHER RELATED CALLS, UM, OVER THE 20 YEARS, BUT EMS REALLY STARTS TO TAKE OFF.
AND I THINK THAT'S, UH, IN PART TO OUR AGING COMMUNITY HERE ON HILTON HEAD AND OUR INCREASED TOURISM.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE HERE IS THIS LITTLE, LITTLE BUMP UP FROM 2020 TO 2021 IN FIRE.
AND WHAT THAT REPRESENTS IS IN NOVEMBER OF 2021, WE STARTED RUNNING OUR, UH, YARD WASTE BURN DAY CHECKS THAT WE DO AS ACTUAL CALLS.
SO SOMEONE CALLS IN A YARD BURN, UM, THAT DAY WE ACTUALLY SEND A TRUCK OUT THERE TO, TO CHECK IT.
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY TRACKING THOSE AS CALLS NOW.
SO THIS WILL BE KIND OF BE OUR NEW NORM.
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LIKE I SAID, WE WERE ON JUST UNDER 400 OF THOSE, BUT THEY ARE A CALL TO US.WE DO RESPOND OUT, WE DO PROVIDE A PUBLIC SERVICE, SO THEY SHOULD BE CATEGORIZED AS CALLS.
WE HAD JUST NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE.
IT'S NOT CHEAP, UH, NOT FOR TODAY'S MEETING, BUT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO DO A BUDGET OVERLAY OF THAT CHART JUST TO SEE HOW YOU OPTIMIZED YOUR, UH, YOUR RESOURCES, BECAUSE I WOULD, I WOULD BET THAT IN YOUR RESOURCES DID NOT INCREASE BY 61%, BUT YOUR THROUGHPUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
I CAN DO THAT THOUGH, BUT NO, WE RUN ABOUT THE SAME OPERATING BUDGET, UM, FOR THE LAST MANY YEARS TOO.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN THE LAST FIVE YEARS I'VE BEEN UP HERE.
IT'S BEEN ROUGHLY THE SAME WITH ABOUT A 3% INCREASE.
TH THERE'S A GOOD STORY BEHIND THAT, THAT DATA GOOD, UM, CALLS FOR SERVICE BY DAYS OF THE WEEK 2021, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE GREEN.
UM, YOU CAN SEE, OBVIOUSLY IN 20.1, OUR CALLS WENT UP, UM, ACROSS, UH, EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
AND THEN, UM, BY SERVICE HOUR, YOU CAN SEE DAYLIGHT HOURS.
WE TEND TO RUN MORE CARL CALLS.
WE, WE, UH, TAIL OFF IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.
AND THIS JUST GOES TO SHOW TOO, THAT WE HAVE OUR COVERAGE CREW THAT RUNS FROM 7:00 AM TO 5:00 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ON A FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK.
SO WE HAVE AN EXTRA CREW ON DURING THOSE DAYLIGHT HOURS, UH, CALLS FOR SERVICE BY MONTHS.
SO HERE AT 2021, YOU'RE TRANSITIONING INTO THE ORANGE.
AND LIKE I SAID, IN 2020, YOU CAN SEE THIS DIP HERE IN APRIL.
UM, THAT'S WHEN THE SOCIETY SHUT DOWN, BASICALLY FOR COVID.
UM, AND THEN WE STARTED WORKING OUR WAY BACK UP THROUGH THE SUMMER MONTHS.
UH, WHEN WE OPENED BACK UP, WE SAW CONSISTENT NUMBERS FROM, UH, THAT WE WERE RUNNING IN 2019 AND THEN FAST FORWARD TO 2021 WHEN WE REALLY DIDN'T SLOW DOWN AND WE JUST KEPT GOING.
HE CAN SEE YOUR JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, UM, IS REALLY SPIKED.
SO 24 1 TOURIST SEASON, UM, AS WE LIKE TO CALL IT DURING THE SUMMER, REALLY, REALLY SPIKED OVER THE PREVIOUS YEARS AND LOOKING AT EVERYTHING, UM, HOW THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE.
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SIMILAR NUMBERS TO 2021, IF NOT MORE, UH, OUR FIRE RESPONSES, UH, BY PLANNING ZONE.
UM, SO OUR SEVEN STATIONS AND I LABELED THEM HERE.
I KNOW YOU GUYS LAST, LAST, LAST TIME, WHICH STATIONS REPRESENTED, WHICH COMMUNITIES.
UM, SO STATION ONE IN SHIPYARD, YOU KNOW, STATION FIVE HILTON HEAD PLANTATION, WHERE YOU CAN SEE, UM, THE BIG DIFFERENCE HERE IS 2021 LOOKS A LOT LIKE 2019 WHEN IT COMES TO FIRE RESPONSE, UH, 2020 WAS LOW BECAUSE DURING MOST OF 2020, WE STOPPED RUNNING FIRE ENGINES TO MEDICAL CALLS.
WE STARTED ASKING MORE QUESTIONS ON MEDICAL CALLS.
WE REALLY WANTED TO ALLEVIATE HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAD ON SCENE.
SO WE'RE ONLY SENDING, UM, MEDIC UNITS PRIMARY TO THOSE CALLS.
UM, WE'VE SINCE, UH, WENT BACK TO OUR NORMAL OPERATING AND YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT WE'RE PRETTY MUCH LOOKING AT THE SAME NUMBERS AS WE DID IN 2019, WHERE A STATE ENGINE ONE IN SHIPYARD AND ENGINE FIVE AT THE FRONT GATE, HILTON HEAD PLANTATION, UM, RUNNING THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR CALLS, UH, TOTAL INCIDENTS BY OUR SERVICE LEVEL.
SO FOR ACCREDITATION, WE GAUGE OUR RESPONSE ON FOUR DIFFERENT SERVICE LEVELS, FIRE, EMS RESCUE, AND HAZMAT.
THAT'S THE FOUR SERVICE AREAS THAT THEY FOCUS ON.
UM, SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO START PRESENTING OUR INFORMATION.
OBVIOUSLY, EMS, UM, IS ROUGHLY 78% OF WHAT WE DO.
THIS GRAPH SHOWS YOU EXACTLY WHY.
UM, FIRE WAS UP A LITTLE BIT IN 2021 RESCUE AND HAZMAT ALL WERE UP A LITTLE BIT, UM, FIRES CATEGORIZE, UH, 2020 ON SINGLE FAMILY.
WE WERE DOWN FROM 2020 WE'RE UP IN MULTIFAMILY, RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIALS.
WE'RE DOWN A BRUSHED WILD-LAND, WE'RE UP A LITTLE BIT ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, THAT IS OUR THINGS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ON FIRE WHEN WE ARRIVED.
SO SINGLE FAMILY, RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY ALL THE WAY DOWN TO VEHICLE FIRES.
UM, THIS IS OUR FIRE LOSS REPORT.
THIS IS JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER, DECEMBER OF 2021.
THIS IS, WE REPORT ANYTHING OVER $25,000 OF LOSS OR MORE SO YOU CAN SEE A LEGACY COURT.
THIS WAS A SINGLE FAMILY HOME.
UH, WE WERE, WE DID CONFINE IT TO THE ROOM OF ORIGIN, UM, WHERE YOU DON'T SEE THE FIRE SPREAD.
THESE ARE GONNA BE V ARE TWO VEHICLE FIRES.
THIS WAS A SINGLE WIDE MOBILE HOME.
AGAIN CAN FILE CONFINED TO THE BUILDING, BUT THAT WAS A TOTAL LOSS AS WELL AS OUR RIGHT PLACE CAN FIND, BUT IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS AS WELL.
UM, 18 OAK MARSH WAS ANOTHER SINGLE FAMILY, UH, 48 MUDDY CREEK.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS, IT WAS ORIGINALLY A SINGLE FAMILY THAT WAS ADDED ON TO MULTIPLE TIMES.
UM, I KNOW THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS ADDRESS.
UM, HAS BEEN THERE A LOT TOO, BUT IS BASICALLY BROKEN UP INTO SEVERAL DIFFERENT APARTMENTS THROUGHOUT, BUT THAT WAS A TOTAL LOSS.
I KNOW IT WASN'T A TOTAL LOSS.
WE SAVED A LITTLE BIT OF CONTENT ON THAT ONE.
THAT WAS A, UM, THAT WAS A MOBILE HOME.
AND THEN TWO 11 CAESAR PLACE, UH, THAT WAS
[00:40:01]
A TOTAL LOSS.THAT WAS A, UM, A HOUSE FIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOWNHOME AT CAESAR'S PLACE.
WE ALWAYS LOOK AT WHAT WE SAVE COMPARED TO JUST WHAT WE LOST.
SO WE HAD A LOT OF GOOD SAVINGS AND IN 2021, THE CHIEF IS HOW DO YOU CALCULATE THE LOSS VALUE? SO WE IT'S, WE USE, UM, THE PRE-INCIDENT VALUE.
WE USE THE COUNTY'S ASSESSED VALUES, UM, IF THEY EXIST.
SO UNFORTUNATELY MOBILE HOMES, UM, DO NOT HAVE THAT VALUE.
WE'VE TRIED TO GET IT FROM THE COUNTY.
SO THAT'S A BEST GUESSTIMATE OF WHAT THE PRE-INCIDENT VALUE IS.
AND THEN WE DO PERCENTAGES OF, OF THE OCCUPANCY AND IN ROUGHLY WHAT THEY CAN TELL US, YOU KNOW, FOR CONTENT LOSS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
BUT WE TRY OUR BEST TO USE, UM, HARD DATA THAT THE COUNTY PROVIDES IN OUR TAX RECORDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT FOR THE PRE-INCIDENT VALUE.
AND THEN IT'S JUST CALCULATED BY THE PERCENT LOSS.
UM, AS CHIEF, YOU KNOW, STATED EARLIER, UM, ACCREDITATION IS BIG IN OUR WORLD AND CFAI RE UH, REQUIRES THAT WE REPORT ON ALL OF OUR SERVICE LEVELS OF OUR TIMES.
SO WE REPORT ON FIRE, EMS, HAZMAT, AND RESCUE.
UM, I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THE FIRE AND THE EMS, UM, TOTAL RESPONSE TIME.
SO IN 2021, UM, THIS IS A GAP ANALYSIS OVER HERE TO THE RIGHT.
SO OUR BENCHMARKS ARE FOR ALARM HANDLING IS A MINUTE 20.
UM, WE, 98, 90% OF THE, AND THESE ARE ALL BASED ON 90TH PERCENTILES, UM, TO GET RID OF OUTLIERS.
SO WE ANSWERED THE CALL AND DISPATCH UNIT 22 SECONDS FASTER THAN OUR, UM, BENCHMARK.
SO AT 58 SECONDS, OUR TURNOUT TIME, UM, WE'RE OVER, WE'RE 26 SECONDS OVER.
THAT'S BEEN VERY CONSISTENT THROUGH THE FIVE YEARS, AS YOU CAN SEE, ONE WAY WE'RE LOOKING TO COMBAT THAT IS, UM, UPDATED TECHNOLOGY WITH OUR STATION ALERTING THERE'S A COUNTY-WIDE INITIATIVE RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S BEING FUNDED THROUGH THE CARES ACT MONEY AT THE COUNTY LEVEL THAT THEY ARE GOING TO PROVIDE NEW STATION ALERTING TO EVERY FIRE STATION WITHIN THE COUNTY.
SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THE BEEF COUNTY FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION AND EMD TO, UM, GET THAT RFP OUT AND GET THAT.
SO THAT WILL IMPROVE OUR TECHNOLOGY WITHIN OUR STATIONS.
SO RIGHT NOW OUR TECHNOLOGY IS 20 TO 30 YEARS OLD.
UM, IT'S GOOD FOR US, BUT IT CAN DEFINITELY BE BETTER.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GAPS THERE.
WE KNOW THAT FROM THE TIME THE DISPATCH HITS THE BUTTON TO THE TIME IT ACTUALLY COMES TO THE STATION, THERE COULD BE ABOUT A 10 TO 32ND DELAY, UM, OVER RADIO WAVES AND STUFF.
SO I THINK OUR TURNOUT TIME, THIS, THIS IS THE BEST REFLECTION WE CAN GET OF WHAT WE HAVE, BUT I THINK WE DO A BETTER JOB HERE.
OUR TRAVEL TIME, 26, OVER SECONDS OVER THAT'S ABOUT AS GOOD AS WE CAN GET IT.
WE'VE LOOKED FOR YEARS OVER, UM, EMERGENCY ACCESS GATES.
UM, I WOULD SAY WITH THE INCREASE OF TRAFFIC, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE TRAFFIC PREEMPTIONS AT EVERY TRAFFIC LIGHT, THAT CONGESTION, UM, I WATCHED AN ENGINE COMPANY RESPOND ON POPE AVENUE LAST SATURDAY AND PULLED OUT AND WATCH THE LINE OF CARS COMING DOWN, POPE AVENUE, LEAVING WING FEST, UM, THAT IMPACTS TRAVEL TIME.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN DO A WHOLE LOT BETTER THERE.
AND THEN OUR TOTAL RESPONSE TIME, WE'RE 15 SECONDS OVER.
SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT OUR BENCHMARK TIMES EVERY TIME WE UPDATE OUR SOC AND ANNUALLY TO ADJUST THOSE AS NEEDED, UH, CHIEF IN TERMS OF THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS.
DO YOU CONTROL THOSE WHEN YOU'RE ON THE ROAD? YES, THEY'RE AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED THROUGH GPS ON THE VEHICLE.
SO EVERY ONE OF OUR EMERGENCY VEHICLES HAS GPS ASSOCIATED AND AS YOU'RE APPROACHING THOSE SIGNALS, THEY AUTOMATICALLY CHANGE.
UM, AND THEN FOR EMS, UH, SAME THING, LAUREN, OUR ALARM HANDLING.
UH, WE DO VERY WELL TURN OUT TIME, TRAVEL TIME UNTIL THE RESPONSE TIME.
UM, WE'RE NOT MEETING OUR BENCHMARKS.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL CONTINUE, CONTINUALLY LOOK AT AND, UM, TRY TO IMPROVE.
BUT I DO THINK OVER THE NEXT YEAR WITH IMPLEMENTING OF NEW STATION, ALERTING OUR TURNOUT TEAM TIMES WILL BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
UM, AS I SPOKE EARLIER, OPEN BURNING THAT WE'VE NOW, UM, WE'RE CATEGORIZING IS, IS SERVICE CALLS FOR US.
WE HAD 370 REGISTERED PERMITS.
UM, LAST YEAR WE, WE INSPECTED, OUR CREWS, WENT OUT ON THOSE BURN DAYS AND INSPECTED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
UM, WE ISSUED 20 WARNINGS, SEVEN CITATIONS, AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE 493 ACTIVE PERMITS.
AGAIN, I DIDN'T PUT THE, THE, UH, THE PLANTATIONS IN HERE, BUT, UM, YOU CAN SEE WHEN IT COMES TO EMS STATION ONE AND STATION FIVE AT THE, AT THE FRONT GATE OF HILTON HEAD PLANTATION CONTINUED TO BE OUR TWO BUSIEST STATIONS.
MY ENTIRE CAREER HERE 20 YEARS.
UM, THAT'S BEEN, ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE.
THOSE ARE TWO HEAVY HITTERS WITH MAIN STREET CORRIDOR, BEING A LOT OF THE NURSING HOMES AND STUFF IN STATION ONE, HAVING A LOT OF MULTI-FAMILIES IN THE, IN THE REALLY THE TOURIST
[00:45:01]
DISTRICT.UM, BUT WHAT WE SEE HERE IS STATION FOUR CONTINUES EVERY YEAR TO UPTICK IN THIS.
UM, THEY'RE NOW OUR THIRD BUSIEST, UM, JUST SHY OF STATION ONE.
AND THAT'S WHERE LAST YEAR I CAME AND ASKED FOR THREE EXTRA POSITIONS ON THE LINE.
THOSE POSITIONS ARE GOING TO BE AT STATION FOUR TO NOW MAKE THAT A SPLIT CREW AS WELL.
SO WHEN THAT AMBULANCE DOES GOES OUT, DOES GO OUT THAT FIRE TRUCK STILL STAYS, STAYS AVAILABLE.
SO THE STATION FOUR WILL BE, UM, HOPEFULLY JULY 1ST, WHEN I CAN GET SOME MORE PARAMEDICS, UH, THROUGH GRADUATION STATION FOUR, WE'LL BE RESPONDING THE SAME WAY AS STATION ONE, THE STATION FIVE BAR.
SO EVEN THOUGH THAT MEDIC'S SO BUSY, THAT ENGINE IS STILL UP AND AVAILABLE.
STATION FOUR IS THE BACK OF THE HILTON HEAD PLANTATION.
AND THE REASON WE'RE SEEING THE UPTAKE IN THE CALL VOLUME THERE ON THE EMS SIDE IS LARGELY IN PART TO BAYSHORE.
UM, BAYSHORE, WE, WE AVERAGE A RESPONSE THERE EVERY SINGLE DAY, IF NOT MORE.
UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE CYPRESS AND THAT IT ALSO GOES TO OUR, OUR AGING COMMUNITY.
UM, PEOPLE LIVE LONGER HERE AND, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED PUTTING THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ASSISTED LIVINGS BACK IN THE, IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES AND THEY'RE FULL THEY'RE AWFUL.
AND, AND PEOPLE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING THAT PEOPLE ARE LIVING LONGER, WHICH REQUIRES US TO PROVIDE THEM MORE CARE, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.
UM, THIS IS EVERYONE THAT WAS, UM, THAT WE BASICALLY RESPONDED TO AND FILLED OUT AN ELECTRONIC CARE REPORT.
UM, SO BASICALLY THIS IS A, UH, A MEDIC UNIT RESPONSE THAT SOMETHING WAS THERE, THERE WAS A PATIENT THERE.
UM, IT WASN'T A NO-CALL SO, UM, 5,867 LAST YEAR.
BUT THE THING THAT WE REALLY WANT TO SHOW RIGHT HERE IS OUT OF THAT 5,867, 4,386 OF THEM, WE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL, NO LICENSED SIRENS.
SO I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT WE JUST RUN IT ON THE ISLAND, YOU KNOW, LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
AND I KNOW WE MESS UP TRAFFIC WHEN WE DO A LOT OF THAT IS TO GET THERE, TO GET TO THE PATIENT, TO SEE WHAT'S GOING WRONG.
BUT 4,386 TIMES OF THAT, THE PATIENT WAS STABLE ENOUGH TO WHERE WE COULD TRANSPORT THEM TO THE HOSPITAL WITHOUT RUNNING EMERGENT, WHICH I THINK SHOWS THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE WEIGHING THE RISKS, THE RISK BENEFIT, AND THEY'RE DOING A GOOD JOB, UM, LOWERING THAT RISK BY, BY NOT RESPONDING LICENSED SIRENS TO THE HOSPITAL.
JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, IT SAYS NO LIGHTS OR SIREN, BUT WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO THE PATIENT LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
SO IF IT COMES IN AND IT'S JUST A LIFT ASSIST, WHICH WE DO FIVE TO 700 TIMES A YEAR, UM, THOSE ARE CALLS THAT WE'VE ALREADY DETERMINED.
YOU DON'T RUN LIGHTS AND SIRENS TO.
SO THERE ARE SEVERAL CALLS THAT WE DON'T IN THIS.
THIS IS JUST THE DISPOSITION OF, TO THE HOSPITAL, UH, THE TOP 15 PRIMARY IMPRESSIONS LAST YEAR.
UM, THIS IS WHAT BASICALLY THE PARAMEDIC FOUND WHEN THEY GOT THERE, NOT WHAT THE CALLER SAID WHEN THEY CALLED NINE 11, THAT WHAT OUR PEOPLE FOUND WHEN THEY GOT INTO THE PATIENT, UH, GENERALIZED WEAKNESS, KIND OF A CATCH ALL 493 OF THOSE, UM, HEAD INJURIES.
WE CAN, I CAN TELL YOU, WE ALREADY HAVE TALKED TO THIS YEAR, THE, UH, COMING UP ON THE FIRST QUARTER, I THINK OUR, OUR NUMBER ONE PRIMARY IS GOING TO BE FALL WITH HEAD INJURIES.
UM, SYNCHRONY, FEIGNING ALTERED, MENTAL STATUS.
UM, THIS JUST KIND OF GOES DOWN THE LINE HERE JUST TO SHOW YOU WHAT WE'RE RUNNING TO MOST OF THE TIME, BUT A LOT OF FALLS, UM, A LOT OF INJURIES FROM FALLS.
CHIEF, WOULD YOU ELABORATE ON, UH, CHEST PAIN AND YOUR COMMUNICATION CHANNEL TO THE HOSPITAL? THERE'S THE VALUE WITH THE PUBLIC? YES.
SO I'M EVERY REALLY EVERY CALL WE GET, WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE HOSPITAL BEFORE WE GET THERE.
UM, SO WHEN IT COMES TO CHEST PAIN, CARDIAC ARREST, WE HAVE THE ABILITY IN THE FIELD TO BASICALLY DO A 12 LEAD EKG, TAKE AN IMAGE OF THE HEART AND ELECTRICAL IMAGE OF THE HEART.
AND WE CAN ACTUALLY SEND THAT TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE WE EVER GET THERE.
SO THAT'S ALL VIA CELL PHONE SERVICES.
UM, BUT OUR MONITORS CAN BASICALLY TALK TO THAT IN THE HOSPITAL.
SO IF WE CALL A CODE STEMI, WHICH IS, UM, AN ACUTE EMI, THAT INFORMATION CAN GET RELATED, THE ER DOCTOR CAN SEE IT.
THE CARDIOLOGIST CAN SEE IT BEFORE WE EVER GET TO THE HOSPITAL.
SO BASICALLY IF THEY LOOK AT IT AND THEY AGREE, THERE'S TIMES WHEN WE WILL PEOPLE STRAIGHT THROUGH THE EMERGENCY ROOM, RIGHT.
TO THE CATH LAB AND THEY'RE READY AND WAITING.
SO I THINK THAT'S A HUGE BENEFIT FOR A TIME-SAVINGS, UM, THOSE CRITICAL CALLS.
UM, WE LIKE TO REPORT OUR CARDIAC ARREST AND ATTEMPT TO RESUSCITATION.
SO FOR, UH, 20, 21, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER, BUT 2020, I DON'T KNOW THAT.
I DON'T THINK WE HAD ANY SAVED, SAVES FROM WITNESSED CARDIAC ARREST.
SO THAT WAS THE HEIGHT OF COVID THAT'S WHEN WE, OUR PEOPLE WERE SUITED UP IN THESE SPACE, UNIFORM LOOKING THINGS.
AND WE WENT IN, THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF BYSTANDER CPR HAPPENING DURING
[00:50:01]
THAT YEAR.UM, THEY WERE TOLD NOT TO DO STUFF, TOLD NOT TO GET NEAR PATIENTS.
WE DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY HAD COVID.
UM, SO 2021 COMES AROUND FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR.
WE'VE KIND OF SAW A LOT OF THE SAME STUFF, BUT THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR, WE REALLY STARTED DOING A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
SO WE ENDED UP WITH 18% SAVE RATE OVER IN 2021, WHICH IS STILL 8% OVER THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, WHICH IS STILL GREAT FOR WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH WITH COVID, BUT A TOTAL OF FIVE SURVIVORS, UM, OF THE YEAR.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, WE'RE ALREADY DOING BETTER IN 20, 22 THAN WE DID IN ALL OF 2021.
SO DEFINITELY GETTING BACK TO NORMAL, GETTING BACK TO WHAT WE DO OR IT'S OUR BREAD AND BUTTER.
IT'S WHAT WE'RE KNOWN FOR TWO OF OUR MEMBERS JUST WENT TO THE RESUSCITATION ACADEMY OUT IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON LAST WEEK.
AND THEY JUST, THEY COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW HEAL HAD, IS TALKED ABOUT IN THAT COMMUNITY OF, OF, UM, CARDIAC ARREST SAVES.
UM, AS CAPTAIN VEINS TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, UM, THE PATIENTS RECEIVING NALOXONE, WHICH IS THE NARCAN, UH, WHICH IS WHO WE GIVE, UM, THE MEDICATION WE GIVE TO ALL KNOWN OR UNKNOWN OVERDOSES.
UM, SO TO HER POINT, UH, 2018, WE REALLY SAW A DOWNTICK TO 39 TO 35, UM, UH, PATIENTS RECEIVING THOSE IN 2021, WE'RE BACK UP TO 67 IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 22.
I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER, BUT IT'S A LOT.
SO WE DEFINITELY ARE SEEING THE SAME THING THAT THEY'RE SEEING ON THAT SIDE.
WE WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEM ON THIS INFORMATION.
THEY RESPOND TO ALL OF THESE CALLS WITH US.
DO YOU TRACK HOW MANY CALLS FOR SERVICE YOU RESPOND TO ALONG WITH THE SHERIFF? WE DON'T KNOW IT'S WE DON'T TRACK HOW MANY CALLS ARE.
I MEAN, WE CALL THEM FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL.
WE CALL THEM FOR, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S AN UNSAFE SCENE, WE'LL ALLOW THEM TO GO IN FIRST EVERYTHING, BUT WE DON'T TRACK HOW OFTEN WE RUN TOGETHER.
I MEAN, THEY COME TO EVERY ONE OF OUR STRUCTURE FIRES.
THEY HA THEY HAVE AN ASPECT OF RESPONSE WITH A LOT OF WHAT WE DO, UH, INTER FACILITY TRANSPORTS, UM, AND THE, THE, THE HOSPITAL AIRPORT TRANSPORTS THAT WE'VE PROVIDE.
I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UH, EVERY YEAR.
SO WE REALLY SAW THE, UM, THE DOWNTICK IN OUR, UH, INNER FACILITIES BACK IN 2017.
WHEN WE BROUGHT IT UP TO THE HOSPITAL, THAT'S REALLY NOT A SERVICE.
WE THOUGHT WE SHOULD BE PROVIDING 2019.
WE WENT UP TO 71 AND WE STARTED HAVING THAT CONVERSATION AGAIN.
UM, WE WERE REALLY ON TRACK WITH, UM, WITH JEREMY.
UM, AND THEN, THEN HE LEFT AND WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTEN BACK IN THE CONVERSATION WITH JOEL.
UM, WE WERE GOING DOWN A ROUTE OF, HEY, WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS BUSINESS.
IT TAKES ONE OF OUR AMBULANCES OFF THE ISLAND FOR HOURS AT A TIME, CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO CHARLESTON OR SAVANNAH.
BUT ALONG WITH THAT, IT'S ALSO TAKING THAT FIRE ENGINE OUT OF SERVICE.
SO JOEL, UM, HAS, HAS TOLD US, AND I BELIEVE THE CONTRACT IS IN PLACE.
THEY HAVE CONTRACTED NOW WITH A PRIVATE AMBULANCE SERVICE TO PROVIDE A BETTER COVERAGE ON HILTON HEAD.
SO WE HAVE SEEN THESE NUMBERS AND, YOU KNOW, IN 2021, WE HAD 54 IN OUR FACILITY TRANSPORTS, UM, IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2022, I WOULD SAY WE'VE HAD FAR LESS THAN 10.
SO WE'RE DEFINITELY, WE'RE DEFINITELY TRACKING IT.
WE TRACK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
AND WE DID GIVE AN EXTENSIVE REPORT ON WHAT IT WAS, BUT WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THAT IMPROVE.
AND WE WANTED TO COME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC.
WE KNEW THE HOSPITAL WAS SHORT-STAFFED AS WELL.
UM, IN ALL THE PRIVATE AMBULANCES ARE, AGAIN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING.
WE ARE, THERE'S A NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE OF PARAMEDICS.
THEY'RE HAVING DIFFICULTY HIRING PEOPLE THE SAME AS WE ARE.
UM, BUT WE THINK THAT THIS IS AN AREA WE CAN, WE CAN REALLY IMPROVE, UH, WITH THE HOSPITAL AND TRY TO GET OUT OF THIS, THIS BUSINESS.
UM, YOU GUYS LAST TIME ASKED FOR A PERCENTAGE OF, OF THE CALLS WE RUN TO, UM, OUR LOCAL RESIDENTS COMPARED TO OUR TOTAL CALLS.
SO THE BEST WE CAN DO FOR HARD DATA IS THROUGH OUR PATIENT BILLING.
SO ANY MEDICAL CALL THAT WE RUN THAT WE ACTUALLY TREAT THE PATIENT.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE TRANSPORT THEM OR NOT.
IF WE ACTUALLY TREAT THEM, THEY GET A BILL.
SO 65% OF OUR PATIENTS THAT RECEIVE A BILL HAVE A 2 9, 9 TO SIX OR 2 9, 9, 2 8, UM, BILLABLE ADDRESS.
SO, UM, I WAS TALKING TO MS. HARKINS EARLIER, THIS DOESN'T REPRESENT THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE RUN TO.
SO THE FIVE TO 700 LIFT ASSIST, WE DO A YEAR THAT IS MOSTLY OUR RESIDENTS THAT SOMEONE HAS FALLEN IN THE SHOWER, SLIPPED OUT OF BED.
THEY DON'T RECEIVE A BILL FOR THAT.
SO THIS IS, UH, THIS IS REFLECTIVE OF BILLABLE, BUT NOT REFLECTIVE OVER THE OVERHAUL.
I WOULD SAY THE OVERALL IS, IS, IS DEFINITELY HIGHER THAN 65%.
AND THEN IN 2021, UH, WE, WE GENERATED 1.7, 7 MILLION, UM, FROM BILLING, IF YOU MONETIZE THAT, YOU CAN SEE WHAT A, WHAT A F A
[00:55:01]
VALUE THAT WE'RE GIVEN TO OUR, TO OUR VISITORS BY AN ORANGE.YEAH, WE GOT, I MEAN, WE, WE DO, I MEAN, WE, WE DO PROVIDE A VERY GOOD SERVICE TO OUR VISITORS.
I MEAN, WE PROVIDE FOR OUR RESIDENTS AS WELL, BUT WE DO PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE AND WE DON'T FOLLOW THEM AND BUILD THEM EITHER.
WE BOAT RESIDENTS, EVERYONE, EVERYONE GETS A BILL THAT, THAT IS TREATED ABSOLUTELY KEEP UP AT 1.7.
HOW MUCH DO YOU COLLECT? THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT WE COLLECTED LAST YEAR, WHICH IS, WHICH IS 80% OF WHAT WE BUILD, WHICH IF YOU LOOK NATIONAL AVERAGE WISE IS AMAZING, AMAZING, BUT THIS, AGAIN, TO OUR, TO OUR POPULATION, THAT MEDICARE, MEDICAID PICKS UP A GOOD MAJORITY OF THAT.
BUT NO, THAT IS ACTUALLY THE REVENUE THAT WE BROUGHT IN FROM, FROM BILLING, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 80%.
UM, AN AMBULANCE TRIP IS REIMBURSED BY GENERALLY, GENERALLY REIMBURSED BY INSURANCE, PRIVATE INSURANCE, AS WELL AS MEDICAID AND MEDICARE.
UH, OUR STAFFING IN 2021, UM, WE HIRED 17 NEW FIREFIGHTERS.
SO JUST TO REMIND YOU GUYS BACK DURING THE PANDEMIC, UH, REALLY ALL OF 2020, THE, UH, FIRE ACADEMY AND THE EMT CLASSES SHUTDOWN.
SO WE'RE A LITTLE BEHIND, THEN, THEN WE GOT A LOT BEHIND, CAUSE WE COULDN'T SEND PEOPLE TO SCHOOL FOR IT.
SO I'VE BEEN WORKING TO GET BACK.
UM, I'M CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR VACANT LINE POSITIONS, WHICH IS AMAZING.
CAUSE THERE WAS A TIME WHERE I THINK WE HAD 10 OR 12 VACANCIES.
SO WE'RE DEFINITELY GETTING BACK INTO THAT.
UM, LAST YEAR WE HAD FIVE RETIREMENTS, WE HAD 17 RESIGNATIONS AND I PUT THIS A LITTLE NOTE IN HERE CAUSE YOU GUYS ASKED LAST TIME OF WHERE, WHERE DO THEY GO? SO, UM, AN INFORMAL SURVEY WHEN THEY WERE LEAVING, UM, I ALWAYS ASK THEM SO 10 LEFT TO TAKE OTHER FIRE TO OTHER JOBS IN THE FIRE SERVICE.
WE HAD ONE LEAVE TO GO BE A DISPATCH, DISPATCHER LEAD TO GO BE A DISPATCHER SOMEWHERE ELSE, SOME MOVE BACK HOME, UM, TO BE CLOSER TO FAMILY AND TOOK FIRE DEPARTMENT JOBS.
UM, BUT 10 OF THE 17 DID LEAVE TO TAKE OTHER JOBS IN THE FIRE SERVICE.
UH, SOME INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS, IT WAS CHEAPER TO LIVE BACK HOME, THAT FAMILY THERE, UM, WHAT WE NO ONE LEFT BECAUSE HE COULDN'T FIND HE WAS LIVING IN, UH, THE ECONOLODGE IN BLUFFTON.
AND HE BASICALLY WAS LIKE, I, I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO FIND ANYTHING STARTING SALARY, 44 7 RIGHT NOW.
UM, CHIEF, WHAT P WHAT PERCENT OF YOUR EMPLOYEE BASE LIVES HERE ON THE ISLAND? UM, I THINK THE LAST TIME WE'VE RUN IT, IT RAN IT.
A DEPARTMENT WIDE TO INCLUDE ADMINISTRATION DISPATCH.
EVERYTHING WAS 31%, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO, HR WOULD HAVE TO ABOUT 30% LIBERAL ALERT LIVES HERE OR LIVES OFF ISLAND.
I'LL TELL YOU OUT OF MY SEVEN, I JUST HIRED FIVE.
UH, FOUR OF THEM ARE LIVING IN SAVANNAH OR POOLER.
THAT'S THE, THAT'S BECOME THE NUMBER ONE ANSWER OR THE QUESTION I GET WHEN I CALL THE HIGHER PEOPLE IS DO I HAVE TO LIVE ON THE ISLAND? AND HOW FAR CAN I LIVE? IT'S MORE AFFORDABLE TO LIVE IN, UM, YOUR VIEW AND THE CHASE VIEW IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL COMPENSATION PACKAGE.
HOW ARE WE COMPETITIVE? WE, WE SHY.
WE, WE, OVER, WE LOOK AT WHAT WE DO DOING FIRE AND EMS. WE'RE, WE'RE SHY.
I MEAN, I JUST HEARD CAPTAIN MEANS SAID THAT THEIR STARTING SALARIES NOW IS 47.
I THINK SO NOW I DON'T WANT TO COMPARE FIRE TO COPS, BUT YOU HAVE TO, I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE REAL, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LOOKING AT MILITARY, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE MILITARY PEOPLE, SO PEOPLE WANT TO GET AN EMERGENCY SERVICES, POLICE, FIRE, EMS. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME THING.
WE'RE, WE'RE JUST OVER WHAT A LOT OF NEIGHBORING DEPARTMENTS ARE RUNNING, BUT THEY'RE ONLY RUNNING FIRE.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO GET ON AN AMBULANCE AND, AND RUN MEDICAL CALLS.
SO I JUST THINK THE FACT THAT WE DO BOTH AND WE'RE AT THE WE'RE AT THE END OF THE ROAD, WE'RE ON AN ISLAND THAT QUITE FRANKLY, NONE OF US CAN AFFORD TO LIVE ON ANYMORE.
UM, I WOULD ALSO CONCUR IF YOU CAN FIND HOUSING AT $1,300 A MONTH, UH, SEND THAT MY WAY.
I'VE HAVE SOME PEOPLE THAT WOULD LOVE TO LOVE TO TAKE THAT.
UM, WE ARE, THIS SAYS WE'RE TO A DISPATCH POSITION SHORT.
WE ACTUALLY HAD, WE FILLED ONE, THEY STARTED TODAY.
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY JUST ONE SHORT THERE.
UM, AND THEN ONE FIRE INSPECTOR IS CURRENTLY VACANT AND WE DO HAVE APPLICATIONS OUT FOR THAT.
UM, A QUICK UPDATE TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, GO ONE, CREATE THE APPROPRIATE STAFFING MODEL TO FULFILL THE NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AGAIN, I'LL TOUCH ON THE FACT THAT, UH, WITH YOU GUYS AS APPROVAL OF THE THREE FTES LAST IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE STATION FOUR TO, UM, THAT, THAT SPLIT CREW STAFFING MODEL.
I CAN TELL YOU, UH, TO DATE, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE OF THE VACANT SHEEP VACANCIES AND THE SHORTAGE OF PARAMEDICS,
[01:00:01]
BUT WE CURRENTLY HAVE 10 PARAMEDICS IN SCHOOL, UH, SIX OF THEM GRADUATE NEXT MONTH.UH, SO THAT WILL ACTUALLY HELP OUT DRAMATICALLY IN WITH HOPES OF JULY ONE.
AND I CAN MOVE THAT STATION TO THAT SPLIT SPLIT CREW MODEL, A GOAL TO ENHANCE THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PERSONNEL TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR ORGANIZATION, THE COMMUNITY.
THIS WAS KIND OF PUT ON HOLD, UH, THROUGH COVID.
UM, BUT WE DID START IN DECEMBER OF 2021.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN TASKED WITH, UH, REVIEWING THE REQUIREMENTS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH FOR THE MOST PART, WHAT WE DO OUR BREAD AND BUTTER.
AND THEN, UH, THIS WORK GROUP WILL COMPLETE IN MARCH OF 2023, WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS GOAL THREE IMPROVE COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS PROMOTE OUR MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY.
THE WORK GROUP COMPLETED A TOWN WIDE SURVEY TO DETERMINE HOW PEOPLE PREFER OR CURRENTLY GET INFORMATION REGARDING THE TOWN OR FIRE RESCUE.
UM, CURRENTLY WORKING WITH HOSPICE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN DEPOT TO GET SMOKE ALARMS INTO HOMES AND DELIVER COMMUNITY RISK REDUCTION MESSAGES.
AND WE WILL WORK WITH LAW HAS LED TO PUBLISH SAFETY ARTICLES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT LAWS LAWS ALSO, UM, WE USED IT AS AN OUTREACH FOR OUR RECRUITING AND WE WERE SUCCESSFUL.
I KNOW WE GOT AT LEAST ONE, UM, APPLICANT THAT BASICALLY SAID, AND MY MOM SAW THIS IN LIES.
LA BASICALLY CAME TO ME AND SAID, YOU NEED TO DO THIS.
AND THEN WE CURRENTLY HAVE AN OUTREACH PROGRAM, UM, THROUGH THE SCHOOL, UH, THROUGH A PUBLICATION.
THE LAW IS LOW THAT THE MOM SAW AND IS PUSHING THE, THE, THE SON TO, TO REACH OUT TO US.
UM, UH, IF OUR RESCUE IS IMPLEMENTING A STANDING COMMITTEE, WHICH IS MEANS IS A COMMITTEE THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY.
THIS WAS A WORK GROUP TO GO THROUGH THE STRATEGIC GOAL, BUT THE WORK GROUP DECIDED THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO FOCUS ON ALL THE TIME.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A STANDALONE COMMITTEE THAT FOCUSES ON COMMUNITY OUTREACH, ENHANCED EMERGENCY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TO RECOGNIZE BEST PRACTICES AND REGULATIONS TO MEET ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS.
SO WE, UH, THE COUNTY RECENTLY, UM, IMPLEMENTED THE SE NET.
IT WAS INSTALLED IN JANUARY 12TH, WHICH PROVIDES THE CITIZENS OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND AND ALL OF YOU FOR COUNTY, A MORE REDUNDANT NINE 11 SYSTEM.
SO IF NOT ONE SYSTEM GOES DOWN, THIS IS A, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A NETWORK OF SYSTEMS THAT BASICALLY ALLOWS A REDUNDANCY.
AND IT ALSO MOVES US TO THE NEXT GENERATION NINE 11, WHICH ALLOWS A PICTURE AND TEXT COMMUNICATION.
SO IF YOU CAN'T CALL NINE 11, YOU CAN TEXT NINE 11.
UM, THIS WAS, UH, A COUNTY WIDE INITIATIVE.
UH, AS I ALLUDED TO EARLIER TO HELP WITH OUR TURNOUT TIME STATION, ALERTING WORK GROUP IS FORMED TO RESEARCH THE STATION OF LEARNING SYSTEMS AND THE BEST OPTIONS FOR OUR DEPARTMENT MOVING FORWARD.
THIS IS ALSO A COUNTY-WIDE INITIATIVE THROUGH THE CARES ACT.
UM, HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE IT IN OUR UPCOMING CAPITAL BUDGET, JUST IN CASE THAT FELL THROUGH.
UM, WE KNOW WE NEED TO REPLACE OUR SYSTEM.
UM, WE'RE HOPING AND PRAYING AND PRETTY SURE THAT IT'LL GO THROUGH, UM, THE, WITH THE COUNTY.
AND THEN CAT UPDATES IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN ONGOING AND HAVE HELPED TO IMPROVE THE WORKFLOW OF THE DISPATCHERS, PROVIDE MORE EFFICIENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
UM, THAT IS OUR, OUR CAD UPDATES.
AND WHAT WE USE IN THE TRUCKS IS A COLLABORATION WITH TOWN.
IT, UM, IN THE GIS DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE US REAL-TIME MAPPING, UH, GO FIVE, IMPROVE THE QUALITY MS. KAREN HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
WE'RE CURRENTLY FINALIZING A NEW PRO PROTOCOLS WITH OUR MAIN CONTROL PHYSICIAN WITH, UM, CHIEF BOOTH LAY RETIRING AND BASICALLY A WHOLE NEW DIVISION COMING IN THERE.
UM, WE, WE NEED TO LET THEM GET THEIR FEET UNDER THEM IN THE DIVISION.
SO, UH, THEY WILL HAVE THE PROTOCOLS FINALIZED, UM, IN, UH, THIS COMING FOURTH QUARTER OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
AND WE'RE GOING TO KICK OFF A WORK GROUP IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF A FISCAL YEAR 23.
AND THE LAST ONE ENHANCE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS SUPPORT THE MISSION TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES, UH, THE TECHNICAL OR THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE THAT WE HAVE, WHICH IS A STANDING COMMITTEE THEY'LL MONITOR ITS PROGRESS TO INVENTORY ALL ASSETS AND SIGN A TIMELINE FOR EACH PRODUCT, UH, HELP US BETTER MONITOR WHAT ITEMS NEED TO BE REPLACED.
THE COMMITTEE WILL REVIEW BUDGET ITEMS EACH OCTOBER TO ASSESS THE NEEDS GOING FORWARD.
IF OUR RESCUES USE THE NEW LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AS A CENTRAL LOCATION.
UM, THIS YEAR WE IMPLEMENTED A NEW LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, TOWN-WIDE, UH, RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR ALL OF OUR CALL LOGS AND A NEW STAFFING MANAGEMENT FOR OUR FIRE RESCUE LINE AND DISPATCH PERSONNEL, OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
I'M GOING TO KIND OF FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT, UH, CHIEF COVERED LAST MEETING THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR, I'M GOING TO, I'M GOING TO TRY TO JUST HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF BIG ONES AND WHAT WE DID IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR.
OBVIOUSLY THE BIGGEST ONE, UM, THAT'S BEEN LOOMING OVER OUR HEADS SINCE PRE HURRICANE MATTHEW, UM, STATIONED TWO, WE FINALLY MOVED INTO IN JUNE OF 2021, AND WE ARE HOLDING THE OPEN HOUSE, UH, ROUGHLY AROUND THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY THAT WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THAT OFF BECAUSE OF COVID.
BUT, UH, AGAIN, THANK COUNCIL FOR THIS.
UH, WE GET VISITORS EVERYDAY THERE FROM SEA PINES THAT LOVE IT.
UM, NOTHING BUT COMPLIMENTS, NOTHING BUT
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COMPLIMENTS.UM, WE COMPLETED THE RFP FOR THE PUMPER AND QUINT FLEET REPLACEMENT.
UH, KME WAS A FIRE APPARATUS WAS AWARDED THE CONTRACT AND CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN.
AND I'M GOING TO SAY CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN MATERIALS HAVE BEEN ORDERED.
WE ARE IN THE PIPELINE FOR THE BUILD, UH, CHIEF AND I IN THE COMMITTEE TRAVELED DOWN TO HOLDEN LOUISIANA FOR OUR PRE-BUILD PRE-BUILD MEETING.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, I WAS EXCITED WHEN I, WHEN I WENT, I WAS EVEN MORE EXCITED WHEN I LEFT.
THESE ARE GOING TO BE AMAZING TRUCKS, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE, I MEAN, THE PRIDE OF OUR FLEET AND REPRESENTING THE TOWN VERY WELL, ROLLING DOWN THE ROAD, BUT THIS IS THE PUMPER AND THE QUINCE, UH, CONCEPT.
AND ONCE I GET COLORED PICTURES, I WILL SHARE THOSE WITH YOU.
WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON GOALS OUTLINED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN, AS YOU SAW, WE FINALIZED OUR STANDARD TO COVER COMMUNITY RISK ASSESSMENT.
WE COMPLETED THE PEER TEAM VISIT FOR CFA OR CUTTER ACCREDITATION PROCESS, WHICH CHIEF ALLUDED TO, UM, WE DID RECEIVE LAST WEEK.
WE DID ABOUT, UM, AFTER THE FIRE PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED, THIS WAS MORE OF A COMMUNITY REACH, UM, OUTREACH PROGRAM.
SO WE DO THE FIRE IN THE STREETS, WHICH MEANS WE GO OUT AND WE PROVIDE COMMUNITIES WITH, UM, FREE SMOKE DETECTOR, INSTALLS SAFETY PLAN CHECKS.
SO WHAT WE IMPLEMENTED THIS LAST YEAR WAS AFTER WE HAVE A FIRE.
SO WE HAD THAT FIRE ON, IN CAESAR'S PLACE.
WE GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO AFTER, AND WE'D GO OUT AND WE DO THE, BASICALLY THE SAME THING.
WE EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON WHAT HAPPENED.
WE EXPLAIN FIRE RISK AND WE ALSO, UM, OFFER SMOKE INSTALLS.
UH, WE JUST DID ONE IN HILTON HEAD PLANTATION AFTER THE FIRE WE HAD.
AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO US HOW MANY PEOPLE HAD OUTDATED SMOKE DETECTORS.
SO WE ACTUALLY DID A LOT OF SMOKER, UH, SMOKE DETECTOR INSTALLS THAT DAY IN HILTON HEAD PLANTATION, UM, JUST BECAUSE THEY WORKED, BUT THEY'RE OUT OF DATE.
UM, THOSE HOMES WERE BUILT IN THE LATE SEVENTIES.
SO IT'S BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.
STEVE, JUST GOING BACK YOUR EQUIPMENT FOR A MOMENT, YOU TALKED ABOUT NEW EQUIPMENT, IS THE SUPPLY CHAIN AFFECTING ONGOING MAINTENANCE? ABSOLUTELY.
I WOULD SAY, UM, OUR FLEET IS STILL GREAT.
WHAT WE SEE THE ISSUE WITH NOW IS SUPPLY.
SO RIGHT NOW I HAVE A PUMPER THAT'S OUT OF SERVICE FOR ROUGHLY EIGHT TO 10 WEEKS, BECAUSE A DIGITAL READOUT ON THE PUMP PANEL THAT YOU NEED TO PUMP, THE FIRE TRUCK IS BROKEN, AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE EIGHT TO 10 WEEKS TO GET THE PART IN.