[1. Call to Order]
[00:00:06]
TO CALL TO ORDER THE COMMUNITY SERVICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH.
UH, KRISTA, IN TERMS OF FOYA, ARE WE IN? YES, SIR, WE ARE.
IF YOU KINDLY DO THE ROLL CALL.
[4. Approval of the Minutes]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, APPROVAL OF MINUTES, UH, AT YOUR PLEASURE.WE CAN EITHER APPROVE THEM TOGETHER OR SEPARATELY.
THE FIRST IS THE REGULAR MEETING, JULY 25TH, AND A SPECIAL MEETING ON AUGUST THE 18TH.
MOVED TO, UH, APPROVE BOTH SETS OF MINUTES.
I NEED TO ABSTAIN FROM THE 18TH.
CHRIS, DID WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO APPEAR TODAY? NO, SIR.
WE DID NOT HAVE ANYONE SIGN UP, NOR DID ANYONE SUBMIT COMMENTS FOR TODAY'S AGENDA.
[6. a. Fire Rescue Mid-Year Report -Chris Blankenship, Fire Chief]
ON OUR AGENDA IS A FIRE AND RESCUE MIDYEAR REPORT, AND WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE THE NEW, UH, CHIEF CHRIS.AND AGAIN, UH, PUBLIC CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR PROMOTION.
CHRIS BLANKENSHIP, FIRE CHIEF FOR THE RECORD, AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
CHRISTA, CAN I, CAN WE CHANGE THAT VIEW UP THERE? CHRIS, I NOTICED THE FORMAT HAS CHANGED.
WHAT WAS BEHIND YOUR THINKING ON, ON CHANGING IT? I'M, I'M SORRY, SIR.
WHAT WAS THAT? THAT JUST FOR ME.
UH, I GIVE ALL THE CREDIT TO, UH, CHIEF JOISTER, UM, WHO HAS BEEN RUNNING OUR DATA, UH, FOR YEARS.
AND SHE CAME TO ME, UM, SHORTLY, ACTUALLY NOT, NOT TOO LONG AGO, AND SAID SHE WANTED TO CHANGE THE FORMAT OF IT.
UH, CHIEF TADLOCK HAD HIS WAY OF DOING IT.
UM, OUR TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED, OUR APPLICATIONS HAVE CHANGED.
UM, THIS IS, UH, A WAY FOR HER TO EAS MORE EASILY PULL THE DATA.
SO SHE, UH, PRESENTED THIS TO ME.
I LIKED IT, AND WE KIND OF ROLLED WITH IT.
SO YOU WILL, YOU WILL SEE A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE.
UH, CHIEF, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, WOULD YOU LIKE US TO WAIT TILL YOU'RE THROUGH? CAN HOLD QUESTIONS OR ASK THEM AS THEY'RE PRE PRESENT? ASK, ASK 'EM AS THEY COME IF YOU WANT, IF YOU'D LIKE.
SO THIS, UH, REPORT'S GOING TO COVER OUR JANUARY THROUGH JUNE OF 2022, UH, DATA.
UM, BUT FIRST I WANNA START OFF WITH, UM, KIND OF A, A YEAR IN REVIEW.
UM, COUNCILMAN LENNOX ASKED ME LAST YEAR WHEN I DID THE ANNUAL REVIEW, IF I COULD OVERLAY THE, UM, OUR ANNUAL BUDGET.
UM, I TALKED ABOUT OUR, OUR RISING CALL VOLUME OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS.
UM, SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT, OUR RISING CALL VOLUME, WHICH THAT IS, UH, CHART ON THE, ON THE LEFT IS WHAT I SHOWED YOU GUYS AT OUR, OUR ANNUAL REPORT.
UM, WE'RE UP ABOUT 60% OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS.
UM, WITH THAT, WITH THAT BIG, UH, WE CALL IT THE COVID SPIKE FROM 2020 TO 2021, UM, FINANCE ASSISTED ME, UM, WITH OUR ANNUAL BUDGET.
NOW, THESE ARE FISCAL YEAR BUDGETS, BUT I WENT WITH THE, THE, THE CALL VOLUME BASICALLY CO COINCIDES WITH, UM, THE FISCAL YEAR AS WELL.
SO, UM, BACK IN 2002, WE WERE JUST SHY OF A 10 MILLION BUDGET.
THAT IS OUR, OUR FULL OPERATING BUDGET TO INCLUDE OUR DAILY OPERATING EXPENSES AS WELL AS OUR, UM, SALARY AND BENEFITS.
SO, UH, 2021, YOU CAN SEE WE'RE UP ABOUT 16 MILLION IN OUR OPERATING, UM, IS A LITTLE UNBEKNOWNST TO ME, BUT SURPRISINGLY THAT, UM, THAT BUDGET AS WELL HAS INCREASED 60% OVER THE 20 YEARS.
UM, THAT IS MOSTLY DUE TO SALARY AND BENEFITS, UM, OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
IF YOU LOOK AT OUR DAY TO DAY AVERAGE, UM, OPERATING, UH, COSTS, THOSE HAVE STAYED PRETTY MUCH, PRETTY MUCH THE SAME, UM, AS OVER THOSE 20 YEARS.
SO, UH, ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS, UH, TAKE SALARY BENEFITS OUT OF THAT EQUATION.
AND OUR OPERATING COSTS OF OUR DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS ARE ROUGHLY COVERED BY OUR EMS REVENUES.
SO THE MONEY THAT WE'RE GETTING BACK FROM OUR EMS BILLING IS, IS COVERING OUR, OUR EVERY OPERATING COSTS.
WE, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN LEAN AND MEAN FOR, FOR MANY YEARS, AND I'VE TALKED WITH TO MANAGER WHEN HE, UH, PROMOTED ME.
UH, THAT IS SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT, UM, AND GOING INTO THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE NEED TO, TO CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING? YOU KNOW, OUR SERVICE IS, IS GOING UP, OUR SERVICE DEMAND IS GOING UP, UM, WITH OUR, UH, THE MORE TOURISTS WE HAVE, THE MORE CITIZENS WE HAVE EVERY DAY.
SO, UM, SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT AS A TEAM, UM, AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO BE AS SUCCESSFUL, IF NOT MORE SUCCESSFUL GOING FORWARD? YOUR, YOUR BUDGET'S GOING TO CHANGE NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT LEASE IN IT.
UH, SO IF YOU SEE AN UPTICK, DON'T BE SURPRISED.
SO WE'VE, UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY CARRYING THAT IN CAPITAL, BUT AS WITH
[00:05:01]
THE LEASE, THAT'LL, THAT'LL TRANSITION OVER TO, UM, OUR OPERATING, YOU KNOW, AND, AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT LIKE, OUR CAPITAL BUDGET IN THESE 20 YEARS, WE REPLACED EVERY SINGLE FIRE STATION.SO IF YOU LOOK AT OUR, OUR CAPITAL, AND WE REPLACED OUR FLEET TWICE, SO 10 TO 12 YEARS, THAT'LL MAINTAIN, BUT OUR NEXT 20 YEARS, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE REPLACED IN ANOTHER FIRE STATION.
I, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS KIND OF A SNAPSHOT OF, OF OUR, OF OUR PAST, AND IT'LL BE, IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT OUR FUTURE'S GONNA BRING.
UH, CHIEF, ANOTHER STATISTIC, UH, FOR THE FUTURE IS IF YOU START TRACKING OVER A 20 YEAR PERIOD, THE, UM, THE MEAN AGE OF THE POPULATION, BECAUSE THE HIGHER THAT IS, THE HIGHER THE INCIDENT RATE WILL BE FOR, FOR MEDICAL TRUE.
AND, AND, UM, IT, IT IS TRUE THAT OUR MEETING AGE IS RISING AT HILTON HEAD AND OUR, UM, OUR SERVICE IS DEFINITELY, YOU'RE SEEING OUR, UH, SERVICE DELIVERY TO THAT A THAT UPPER AGE GROUP GROWING UP.
I MEAN, I HEAR EVERY DAY ON THE RADIO WE'RE RUNNING TO A HUNDRED HUNDRED FOUR YEAR OLDS ON HILTON HEAD.
PEOPLE ARE LIVING LONGER DOWN HERE.
AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE MORE RETIREES WE GET, THE, THE HIGHER THERE'S HOPE, DEMAND IS, IS GOING UP, CHANGE.
SO WITH THAT, WE'LL GET INTO THE MIDYEAR REPORT.
SO, UM, YOU CAN SEE THESE ARE OUR RESPONSE.
UH, THIS IS ALL, ALL RESPONSES, UH, FOR THE MONTHS OF JANUARY THROUGH JUNE.
UM, IF YOU LOOK ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE THE TOTAL.
UM, SO COMPARED TO THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'RE UP ABOUT 600 CALLS FOR THAT FIRST, UM, FOR THAT FIRST SIX MONTHS, WHICH I, I HAVE, I, I TREND I LOOKED AT THE TRENDS OF THE DATA.
WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO BE OVER 9,000 CALLS THIS YEAR, WHICH WILL BE ANOTHER RECORD FOR US.
UM, WE COULD BE UP NEAR, UH, 10,000 BY, BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
SO IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE DEFINITELY KEEPING AN EYE ON.
OBVIOUSLY, THE, WHEN WE GET INTO THE SUMMER, THOSE CALLS PER DAY GO UP.
UM, WITH DOING THAT TRACKING FOR THE YEAR, IF WE MAINTAIN THOSE JANUARY AND FEBRUARY CALLS PER DAY, UM, WE WILL BE UP AROUND 95, UH, HUNDRED CALLS FOR THE YEAR.
CHIEF, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CALLS PER DAY, AT WHAT POINT DOES THE NUMBER BEGIN TO IMPACT YOUR ABILITY TO SERVE THAT NUMBER IN IE.
THAT YOU HAVE TO BEGIN ADDING EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL? SO, UM, SO GOOD, GOOD POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE SUMMER WE SEE IT'S THESE, THE DAYTIME.
THE DAYTIME IS WHERE WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING THE INCREASE.
SO AT NIGHT, WE STILL HAVE CALLS, BUT OUR, OUR DEMAND, UM, IS, IS NOT AS THERE AS IT IS DURING THE DAY.
SO I THINK IN THE FUTURE, WE DO HAVE THE, THE DAY TRUCK RIGHT NOW THAT RUNS FOUR DAYS A WEEK, UM, WITH, UH, AN ENGINE AND A MEDIC.
I THINK IN THE FUTURE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE ANOTHER DAY TRUCK ADDED, BECAUSE THAT IS, THAT IS WHERE OUR, OUR, WE NEED OUR, OUR, UH, OUR APPARATUS IS DURING THE DAY, NOT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, 24, 48 FOR THOSE GUYS, UM, SLEEPING AT NIGHT.
SO THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE COMING.
UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, FIRE HAD PALMETTO DUNES A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.
WE DUMPED THE ENTIRE ISLAND ON THAT FIRE.
SO EVERY FIREFIGHTER ON DUTY THAT DAY WAS AT THAT FIRE.
WE HAD BLUFF IN FIRE SET TWO ENGINES IN BEAVER COUNTY EMS, AND AN AMBULANCE OVER JUST TO COVER THE REMAINDER OF OUR CALLS DURING THAT TIME PERIOD.
SO WE, WE ARE SEEING THAT, I'M TRACKING THAT ACTUALLY WE STARTED THIS YEAR TO TRACK HOW MANY TIMES THAT'S HAPPENED, HOW MANY TIMES WE'RE CALLING FOR MUTUAL AID FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S DEFINITELY IN OUR DATA THAT WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT GOING FORWARD.
I DON'T KNOW YET WHAT THAT NUMBER IS, THOUGH.
UH, SO YOU CAN SEE, UH, STATION ONE AND SHIPYARD.
UM, DEFINITELY OUR, OUR, OUR BUSIEST, UH, STATION WHEN IT COMES TO, TO FIRE BASED CALLS, WHICH IS FIRE ALARMS, UH, FIRE, STUFF LIKE THAT.
UH, STATION SEVEN, MARSHALL AND ROAD COMES IN SECOND.
UM, AND THEN HILTON HAD PLANTATION THEN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, UH, STATION FOUR, UM, BEING OUR LOWEST.
AND I SAID THE BACK GATE, THE HILTON HAD PLANTATION.
UH, THESE ARE APPARATUS RESPONSES.
SO YOU CAN SEE MEDIC FIVE, THAT IS THE AMBULANCE THAT SERVES THE FRONT GATE OF HILTON HEAD, PLANTATION MEDIC.
ONE IS THE AMBULANCE THAT SERVES SHIP SHIPYARD AND THEN CORRELATES WITH ENGINE ONE IS THE ENGINE THAT SERVES SHIPYARD.
AND ENGINE FIVE IS THE ENGINE THAT SERVES, UH, THE FRONT GATE, HILLMAN PLANTATION.
AND THEN, UH, COMING IN STRONG IS OUR THIRD BUSIEST MEDIC, UH, IS MEDIC FOUR, WHICH IS THE BACK GATE.
AND WE'VE DEFINITELY SEE, UH, A RISE IN CALL VOLUME FOR THAT MEDIC UNIT WITH BAYSHORE, THE CYPRUS.
AND NOW WITH THE COTTAGES BEING BUILT ACROSS THE STREET FROM BAYSHORE, WE DEFINITELY THINK THAT THAT TREND IS GOING TO, UH, CONTINUE TO RISE TO, UM, YOU LAST YEAR YOU GUYS APPROVED, UH, THREE NEW PEOPLE IN THE BUDGET.
UM, AND THAT IS TO MAKE THAT STATION A SPLIT CREW LIKE WE DO AT ONE IN FIVE.
SO THERE'LL BE TWO GUYS IN THE ENGINE, TWO GUYS ON THE MEDIC.
SO WE CAN AT LEAST KEEP AN ENGINE UP WHILE THAT MEDIC IS OUT ON A CALL.
THIS IS OUR FIRE LOSS GREATER THAN 25,000.
UM, WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF FIRES THIS YEAR SO FAR.
UM, THESE, UH, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, WHERE, UM, OUR, OUR HIGHER LOSS ONES FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR, SO THE BIG BAMBOO RESTAURANT, UH, BACK IN JANUARY, WE HAD A $25,000 LOSS DUE
[00:10:01]
TO SOME, UH, EQUIPMENT FAILURE.WE HAD A SINGLE FAMILY HOME ON CLOVE HITCH, WHICH WAS A TOTAL LOSS THAT WAS IN HILTON HEAD PLANTATION.
UM, A SINGLE FAMILY HOME IN MITCHELLVILLE, WHICH I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT FIRE COMING UP.
NORTH FOREST BEACH, UH, WAS A BUILT IN GRILL ON THE BACK PATIO OF THAT HOME, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE OF THOSE TYPE FIRES AS WELL.
UM, THAT'S A $55,000 LOSS, UH, 40 WATERSIDE.
WE HAD TWO, UM, TWO INTENTIONAL ARSON FIRES IN THAT VACANT HOTEL, UM, AS A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS LOSS.
UH, THE TOWN IS WORKING WITH THAT CONTRACT OR THAT OWNER TO GET THAT BUILDING, UM, TO THE GROUND, I THINK BY MID-NOVEMBER.
SO AFTER MANY YEARS OF, OF THAT I SAW ON THE SOUTH END, UH, THAT WILL BE COMING DOWN, UM, ANOTHER SINGLE FAMILY HOME ON SQUIRE POPE, UH, $75,000 LOSS.
AND THEN THE, UH, MULTI-FAMILY AT EIGHT SOUTHWOOD, UH, PARK AT 213.
BUT THE, THE BIG THING, LIKE WE LIKE TO CELEBRATE IS, ASIDE FROM THAT, UH, CLOVE HITCH FIRE, WHICH WAS A TOTAL LOSS, UM, IS THE, THE VALUE SAVED.
SO, YOU KNOW, ON THAT FIRST ONE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE NORTH FORCE BEACH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, A OVER A $5 MILLION SAVE.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A $19 MILLION SAVED DOWN THERE ON A 48 0 4 SPEECH, A DETAIL.
DO YOU HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO INCLUDE COMMAS IN THIS GRAPH SO THAT IT'S EASIER TO YEP.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT, UH, THE, THE LOST FIGURE, IS THAT SOURCED THROUGH THE UNDERWRITER OR THE INSURANCE COMPANY THROUGH YOU, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH? WELL, CHIEF FESTER SPEAKS IN THAT, THAT'S HER AREA OF EXPERTISE AS THE FIRE MARSHAL JO HDA, FESTER FIRE MARSHALL.
UM, SO WE USUALLY FOLLOW UP WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANIES IF WE CAN GET THE LOSS FROM THEM.
UM, THE WAY THAT WE DO IT AT THE BEGINNING IS WE GO BASED UPON ITS, UH, THE TAX ASSESS VALUE, AND THEN WE HAVE A, UM, A CHART THAT IS DONE BY THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL THAT YOU PUT IN CERTAIN, UH, THE SQUARE FOOTAGE, WHAT ITS CONSTRUCTION TYPE IS HOW MUCH OF THE, UH, BUILDING WAS AFFECTED BY THE FIRE, AND IT COMES OUT WITH WHAT, UH, THE LOSS WOULD BE.
UM, AND SO LIKE, ALSO THE LOSS IS, IT ALSO INCLUDES, UM, IT'S THE CONTENTS ALSO THAT WE'VE VAL TRIED TO EVALUATE ALSO.
SO, UM, IT IS DONE THROUGH A, A, UM, PROCESS.
BUT WE DO TRY TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY ONCE THEY CAN GET IN THERE AND DO THEIR EVALUATION OF WHAT THEY TRULY VALUED IT AS.
CHIEF, WHO DOES THE ARSON INVESTIGATION? SO WE HAVE, UM, UH, CHIEF HISTORY AS A TEAM HERE, UM, ON THE ISLAND OF OUR FIRE INVESTIGATORS AND OUR, UM, SOME OF OUR LINE PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE TEAM.
WE DO INITIAL, WE'RE GONNA GET INTO THAT IN A FUTURE SLIDE OF OUR INVESTIGATIONS.
UM, ANYTIME THERE'S A FATALITY OR SUSPICION, BEAVER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, UM, AND SLED GET INVOLVED.
AND, UM, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO SUBSEQUENTLY, UM, ANOTHER INVESTIGATION DONE BY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES INVOLVED.
SO THAT, FOR INSTANCE, THE, THE FIRE AND PALMETTO DUNES WE ASSISTED WITH, UM, SLED AND, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT TO DO THAT INVESTIGATION.
THEY CAME TO THEIR CONCLUSIONS.
AND THEN NOW LAST WEEK, THE, ALL OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES THAT REPRESENTED ALL OF THE, THE PROPERTY OWNER, THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, AND THE VICTIM ALL CAME TOGETHER AND DID A JOINT INVESTIGATION AS WELL.
UH, OPEN BURNING WE'RE UP TO 506 ACTIVE PERMITS.
UM, WE ONLY ISSUED THREE CITATIONS IN 12 WARNINGS LAST YEAR.
WE DID INSPECT EVERY SINGLE, UM, REGISTERED BURN OUR MEDICAL INCIDENTS, UH, KINDA LIKE FIRE INCIDENTS.
YOU'LL SEE STATION FIVE STILL AT THE TOP, UH, 770 CALLS STATION ONE IN SHIPYARD.
UM, AND THEN THAT'S WHY I WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT.
STATION FOUR IS REALLY, IS REALLY GETTING UP THERE.
SO 20 YEARS AGO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT DATA, OF THAT 5,600 CALLS, HALF OF THE CALLS ON HILTON HEAD HAD SEVEN STATIONS.
HALF OF THE CALL, TOTAL CALLS WERE RUN BY TWO FIRE STATIONS.
THAT WAS STATION ONE AND SHIPYARD AND STATION FIVE ON, UM, JUST OFF OF MAIN STREET.
SO THAT'S DEFINITELY TRENDING, UM, SPREADING OUT A LITTLE BIT, UM, WITH THE OTHER STATIONS AND STATION FOUR AND STATION THREE, KIND OF PICKING UP A LOT OF THAT SLACK.
OUR TOP FIVE 15 PRIMARY IMPRESSIONS.
THIS IS, UH, THIS IS WHAT WE FIND ON MEDICAL CALLS WHEN, WHEN OUR PARAMEDIC ARRIVES ON SCENE AND EVALUATES THE PATIENT.
UM, THIS IS WHAT THEIR PRIMARY IMPRESSION IS.
SO GENERALIZED WEAKNESS, A LOT OF THAT IS THROUGH COVID, UM, INJURY OF HEAD.
SO OUR NUMBER ONE CALL IS FALL WITH INJURIES.
UM, OUR NUMBER ONE FALL IS HEAD INJURY.
[00:15:01]
SO SOMEONE FALLS DOWN, HITS THEIR HEAD, THAT'S A HEAD INJURY.UH, SYNC COULD BE FAINTING STATUS.
YOU CAN READ THROUGH THE REST THERE.
UH, SOMETHING WE ALWAYS REPORT ON IS PATIENTS RELIEVING, UH, RECEIVING NARCAN.
SO I KNOW THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE TALKS ABOUT THIS WHEN THEY GIVE YOU GUYS THE REPORTS.
UH, 2022, WE'RE AT 35 ALREADY, UM, FOR THE FIRST HALF YEAR.
SO WE'RE TRENDING TO BE ABOUT THE SAME AS AS 2021.
WE DID SEE THAT, UM, UPTICK DURING COVID, AND THAT WAS A NATIONAL TREND OF MORE OVERDOSES.
THERE'S A COUNTYWIDE PROGRAM GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAT WAS FUNDED THROUGH GRANT TO GO OUT AND EDUCATE AND, AND DELIVER NARCAN TO, UH, THE COMMUNITIES.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN ACTIVE ON HILTON HEAD AS WELL, CHIEF, OTHER THAN, UH, 2022.
ALL THE OTHERS ARE ANNUALIZED.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT NUMBER HAS DRASTICALLY COME DOWN.
SO WE SAW THE TREND GOING BACK UP IN 2019 OF US PROVIDING THE HOSPITAL WITH INTER-FACILITY TRANSPORTS TO OTHER, UM, HOSPITALS.
UM, I E USUALLY SAVANNAH MEMORIAL AND M U S C, UM, CAME DOWN DURING THE COVID YEARS, BUT WE STILL SAW, UH, SAW THAT TREND THAT WE WERE DOING TOO MANY.
UM, THE END GAME IS TO NOT DO ANY, I CAN TELL YOU THAT RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE EVERY TIME WE DO THAT SERVICE, WE'RE TAKING AN ENGINE COMPANY AND AN AMBULANCE OUT OF SERVICE FOR ANYWHERE FROM THREE TO FIVE HOURS OFF OF HILTON HEAD TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE.
SO WE MET WITH THEM EARLY IN THE YEAR.
UM, THEY DID, UH, GO UNDER CONTRACT WITH, UH, MED TRUST TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE BACK TO THEM.
UM, AND WE'VE SEEN THOSE NUMBERS COME DOWN.
17, I THINK IS STILL TOO HIGH FOR HALF OF THE YEAR, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH THEM.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE OUR FLIGHT CREWS HAVE COME DOWN TO.
SO, JUST SO I'M CLEAR, SO THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT FOLKS AREN'T BEING TRANSPORTED TO OUTSIDE FACILITIES, IT'S JUST THAT THERE'S A CONTRACTED, UM, COMPANY NOW DOING IT RATHER THAN OUR OWN.
THERE'S A, THERE'S A CONTRACTED COMPANY PROVIDING THAT SERVICE.
HOWEVER, WHEN THAT SERVICE IS BEING PROVIDED BY THAT CONTRACTED AMBULANCE, AND ANOTHER ONE COMES IN, YOU KNOW, WE, AND WE'VE, WE'VE STRENGTHENED OUR PROCESS.
SO WHEN THEY CALL US TO DO THAT, WE HAVE A SERIES OF QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK THEM, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU CONTACTED THIS COMPANY, THIS COMPANY, THIS COMPANY? MM-HMM.
IT FALLS OUTSIDE OF OUR SCOPE, WHETHER THEY'RE ON A VENTILATOR OR WHETHER THEY'RE ON A, SOME KIND OF MEDICATION DRIP THAT WE DON'T GIVE.
SO WE REQUIRE THEM TO, TO SEND A NURSE OR A RESPIRATORY ATTACK WITH US.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS, HAS BEEN BETTER.
SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT JUST BASICALLY PUSHING THE BURDEN OFF TO US THAT THEY'RE ALSO, YOU KNOW, KNOW, PUTTING SOME SKIN IN THE GAME AS WELL.
SO HOW WOULD WE GET THAT, THAT STATISTIC THAT THE OTHER CONTRACTED, UM, COMPANY, THE NUMBERS THAT THEY'RE TRANSPORTING, I CAN TRY TO GET THAT FROM THE HOSPITAL.
JUST CURIOUS ON A REGULAR, BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT JUST LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE, UM, WE'RE PROVIDING ALL OF OUR SERVICES AT HILTON HEAD WHEN THERE'S OTHER, UM, TRANSPORTATION MODES TAKING FOLKS OFF.
SO IT'S JUST A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE THAT I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT.
SO I DO KNOW THAT, UM, WE HAVE TALKED TO THOSE COMPANIES AS WELL, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN THE SAME BOAT.
THEY'RE STARTING PEOPLE, THEY'RE SHUTTING TRUCKS DOWN EVERY DAY.
UM, THE BULK OF, YOU KNOW, MED TRUSTS STARTED AS A LOCAL COMPANY HERE, AND IT WAS GREAT.
UM, THEY GOT BOUGHT OUT BY A, A LARGER COMP, WELL, IT WAS SHORELINE, THEY GOT BOUGHT OUT BY MED TRUSTS, WHICH IS OUTTA CHARLESTON.
SO THEY'VE KIND OF SHIFTED THE RESOURCES UP THERE.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH THE HOSPITAL TO SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF IF THERE'S MORE WORK FOR THEM DOWN HERE, MAYBE IT'S BETTER FOR THEM TO, TO MOVE MORE TRUCKS DOWN HERE.
WE ABSOLUTELY WILL GIVE UP THE, THE, UM, THE FLIGHT CREW TRANSPORTS TO THEM MM-HMM.
UM, SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE LUCRATIVE FOR THOSE COMPANIES TO, TO COME DOWN AND, YOU KNOW, AND TAKE THAT SERVICE AWAY FROM US.
SO WE HAD 34 CARDIAC ARREST, OUR 34 RESUSCITATION ATTEMPTS IN THE FIELD.
SO AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR CARDIAC ARREST SURVIVAL RATE, WE REALLY FOCUS ON THE WITNESS CARDIAC ARREST, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE ONES WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A POTENTIAL TO SAVE.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE UNWITNESSED, THAT IS SOMEONE, SOMEONE WAS FOUND UNCONSCIOUS, UNRESPONSIVE, NOT BREATHING, NO IDEA HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN DOWN, OUT OF THOSE 20 ATTEMPTS, WE DIDN'T SAVE ANY AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO.
UM, BUT OUT OF THE 14 THAT WITNESSED, USUALLY HAVE GOOD BYSTANDER CPR INITIATED BEFORE WE GET THERE.
WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE SIX OF THEM, WHICH IS 42%, UM, FOR THE, UH, FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR, WHICH NATIONAL AVERAGE IS STILL 10%.
SO WE'RE STILL, UM, WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
SO IT'S SOMETHING WE TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE IN.
UM, WE CELEBRATE THESE, THESE WINS AND, UM, IT REALLY MAKES OUR PEOPLE FEEL GOOD WHEN THEY CAN GO AND SAVE PEOPLE.
I JUST, I JUST TALKED TO SOME CHIEFS THE OTHER DAY IN CHARLESTON, AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE'S SHOCKED ABOUT OUR SAVE RATE BECAUSE THEY'RE LIKE, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 29 YEARS AND I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE SAVE.
[00:20:01]
YOU.THIS IS, THANK Y'ALL FOR DOING SOMETHING.
WE DEFINITELY CELEBRATE STILL, UM, SOME DIVISION REPORTS.
SO OUR FLEET MAINTENANCE SHOP ALWAYS BUSY.
UM, THEY'VE, UH, YOU CAN READ THROUGH THOSE, REPLACE SOME STAFF VEHICLES.
UM, YOU KNOW, OUR NEW, OUR NEWEST, UH, FACILITY TECH, OUR, UM, FLEET TECH, UH, UH, GOT SOME CERTIFICATIONS THIS YEAR.
I WILL SAY THAT OUR, OUR BIG STRAIN THIS YEAR WAS, UM, WAS BUYING VEHICLES.
UM, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT IT'S VERY HARD TO BUY VEHICLES RIGHT NOW.
SO WE, WE STILL, I THINK WE'RE WAITING ON TWO THAT WE, THAT WE ORDERED LAST JULY, AND THEY'RE STILL NOT IN.
SO, UM, STATE STATE PROCUREMENT, UH, CAME UP WITH SOME, SOME NEW WAYS OF DOING THINGS THIS YEAR, JUST RELEASED THEIR, THEIR NEW, UH, STATE CONTRACTS FOR, FOR BUYING FLEET VEHICLES AND STUFF.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT PROVES TO BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
BUT THOSE GUYS, UH, CONTINUE TO REMAIN TO REMAIN BUSY.
UH, CHIEF ON THE UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, WHICH IS YOUR BIGGEST, UH, UH, ACTIVITY IN TERMS OF, UH, VOLUME, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'RE LOOKING AT FROM A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE STANDPOINT TO TRY TO REDUCE THAT? YEP.
THAT IS, UM, THAT IS, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY 90% ARE, UH, FIRE APPARATUS FLEET.
SO ONCE WE GET THE NEW PUMPERS IN, YOU'LL DEFINITELY SEE THAT UNSCHEDULED REPAIRS COME DOWN.
SO AS THEY, YOU KNOW, THE OLDER THEY GET, THE MORE WORN OUT THEY ARE.
UM, AND THEY CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, PARTS AND PIECES BREAK.
SO I THINK AS YOU, AS YOU SEE THE NEWER FLEET COME IN, UM, THAT WILL DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY CHANGE.
UH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, TOM DUNN'S BEEN, UH, BUSY IS ALWAYS THIS YEAR.
UH, WE DID A TSUNAMI EXERCISE, UH, BECAME A A, A TSUNAMI AND STORM, UH, COMMUNITY.
WE RENEWED THAT, UM, SUPPORTED THE AIRPORT WITH THEIR, UH, THEIR TABLETOP EXERCISES, THE STATE FUELING EXERCISE.
UM, WE DID A TSUNAMI FUNCTIONAL EXERCISE.
JUST SO YOU GUYS KNOW, EVERY TIME WE DO AN EXERCISE, WE END UP HAVING SOMETHING.
SO I'M, I'M FULLY PREPARED FOR A TSUNAMI
SO NEVER THOUGHT IN A MILLION YEARS I, WE'D HAVE A TSUNAMI ON THE EAST COAST, BUT I'M SURE YOU'ALL SEE THE, UH, HEADLINES WITH ALL THE, THE, UM, EARTHQUAKES HAPPENING IN THE, UH, IN THE MIDLANDS.
SO, UH, GOOD PARTICIPATION THROUGH HIS, UH, PRESENTATIONS 483 PARTICIPANTS.
UM, AND WE'VE, UH, DISTRIBUTED OVER 500 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDES, AND I'M SURE YOU'LL BE HEARING MORE FROM HIM THIS WEEK.
UH, SAFETY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH, UH, TYPICALLY IS OUR TRAINING, UH, DIVISION.
SO WE DID IMPLEMENT A, UH, A TOWN, UH, FIRE RESCUE AND, UH, A FULL TOWN, UM, NEW SOFTWARE PROGRAM THIS YEAR, UM, FOR ALL TOWN EMPLOYEES.
UH, WE ONBOARDED 10 NEW FIREFIGHTERS AND DID THREE, UH, HAD THREE RECRUIT CLASSES.
SO YOU CAN SEE JUST SOME, SOME NUMBERS UP THERE TO, TO KEEP ABREAST OF OUR, UH, 9 1 1 COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION.
I THINK THE BIG THING HERE IS TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR MINIMUM STAFFING IS TWO PEOPLE UP THERE AND THEY, UH, HAD AN INTAKE OF 43,576 CALLS, WHETHER IT BE 9 1 180 ALARMS, POOL ELEVATORS, OUTGOING AND NON-EMERGENCY CALLS, UH, THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR.
SO THEY REMAIN, THEY REMAIN VERY BUSY.
UM, YOU CAN SEE INCOMING WIRELESS NINE ONE ONE CALLS, CELL PHONES.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE, UH, CONTINUE TO SEE TREND UP, UM, ADMINISTRATION DIVISION.
SO OUR FIRE INSPECTIONS, YOU SEE SOME DATA ON THAT, UM, HAD 1200, YOU KNOW, INSPECTION VIOLATIONS.
OUT OF THOSE 885 BEEN CORRECTED.
ARE MOST OF THOSE IN CONDOMINIUMS. AND THE REASON I WAS ASKING THE QUESTION IS SHIPYARD HAD THE MOST, UH, FIRE ALARM ISSUES.
IS THAT CONDOMINIUM OR NO, THAT, THAT, THAT'S USUALLY, UH, THE, THE SOUTH FORCE BEACH CORRIDOR OF THE COMMERCIAL.
JOHANNA MORE COMMERCIAL FOR, UM, FOR VIOLATIONS, INSPECTION VIOLATIONS.
UM, ALSO OUR INSPECTIONS PROGRAM, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE INSPECT EVERY YEAR.
SO WE INSPECT ALL OF THE PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES AND THE MULTI-FAMILIES EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
UM, THE OTHER BUSINESSES, WE, WE DO THEM OVER EITHER A TWO YEAR OR THREE YEAR PERIOD BECAUSE THERE'S OVER 3000 THINGS FOR US TO INSPECT ON THE ISLAND.
AND, UM, WITH ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT FIRE PREVENTION DOES, WE HAD TO COME UP WITH A SCHEDULE THAT WE DO THE THINGS THAT WE ARE HIGHEST HAZARD, WHICH ARE THE PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES BECAUSE THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THEM.
AND THEN THE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE SLEEP ARE THE SECOND.
UM, SO WE ALSO DO THE BUSINESSES BECAUSE WE'RE PART OF THE BUSINESS LICENSING PROCESS AS WELL.
SO ANYBODY WHO COMES IN FOR A NEW BUSINESS LICENSE, WE DO INSPECTIONS BEFORE THEY CAN BE APPROVED FOR THEIR BUSINESS LICENSE.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE VIOLATIONS ARE, UH, FOR.
BUT AS FAR AS THE MULTI-FAMILIES, WHEN WE DO MULTI-FAMILIES, WE DO THE COMMON AREAS OF
[00:25:01]
THEM.LIKE WE DON'T GO INTO EVERY SINGLE UNIT, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE OWNED BY INDIVIDUALS AND WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT.
BUT FOR LIKE, UH, HOTEL MOTELS, WE DO A SAMPLING OF THE ROOMS IN THEM TO CHECK THOSE.
AND IDEALLY WE'D LOVE TO INSPECT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE, UH, THE, THE COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS EVERY YEAR, UM, THAT WILL REQUIRE ABOUT DOUBLING HER DIVISION, UM, OF PEOPLE.
SO SOMETHING TO LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE.
UM, AGAIN, THIS IS WHY I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THAT, UM, THAT HOUSE FIRE WE HAD ON, UH, UM, MITCHELLVILLE.
SO, UH, THAT WAS, WE HAD, THAT'S CONSIDERED A DOCUMENT SAVED FROM A HOUSE FIRE WHERE WE INSTALLED SMOKE DETECTORS YEARS AGO.
SO AS THROUGH OUR SMOKE DETECTOR PROGRAM, UM, WE KNOW WHERE WE'VE INSTALLED EVERY SINGLE SMOKE DETECTOR.
SO WE WENT BACK AND WE'RE LIKE, MAN, THAT'S PRETTY FAMILIAR.
SO WE WENT BACK AND, AND FOUND WHERE WE HAD INSTALLED SMOKE DETECTORS IN THAT HOME.
AND THE SMOKE DETECTORS ARE WHAT NOTIFIED THE OCCUPANTS AND WE'RE ABLE TO, TO GET THEM OUT FOR THAT.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG SAVE FOR US.
SO, SO WE KNOW, SO OUR PROGRAMS ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD, IT'S A GOOD METRIC OF, YOU KNOW, KNOWING LIKE, IS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE GOOD AND COULD, SHOULD WE KEEP GOING? SO I THINK THAT ALONE, CAN I JUST REINFORCE THAT FOR ANYONE WHO'S LISTENING AND FOR THE MINUTES, FOR ANYONE WHO MIGHT READ THEM.
UM, SMOKE DETECTORS, SAVE LIVES.
I'M SITTING HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF A SMOKE DETECTOR, SO PLEASE, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE, INSTALL IT.
MAKE SURE THE BATTERIES ARE WORKING AND THEY'RE CONNECTED.
UH, GETTING BACK TO THE INVESTIGATION.
SO WE DID HAVE 65 TOTAL TOTAL FIRES.
UM, EVERY FIRE ON HILTON HEAD IS INVESTIGATED, WHETHER IT BE AT THE COMPANY LEVEL OF THE COMPANY OFFICER OR THE, THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATORS.
SO WE CONDUCTED 19 FULL FIRE INVESTIGATIONS.
THAT'S WHERE, UM, JODI'S PEOPLE COME IN AND, AND DO A FULL, UM, DEEP, DEEP ROOT CAUSE, UM, INVESTIGATION.
UM, AND THEN THE REST OF, OF THE 65, WE WE'RE PROBABLY DONE AT THE COMPANY LEVEL STAFFING UPDATES.
SO THIS HAS CHANGED SINCE I MADE THIS.
UM, SO ON JUNE 30TH, WE HAD SIX VACANCIES.
UH, WE CURRENTLY, IT SAYS WE HAVE TWO, UM, AS OF LAST WEEK, WE HAVE FOUR.
UM, IN THE COMM CENTER, WE HAVE TWO OPEN POSITIONS THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY, UM, IN THE TRYING TO FILL.
AND, UH, FROM THAT SIX MONTH PERIOD, WE HAD ONE RETIREMENT, UM, 10 RESIGNATIONS WHERE IT'S NOW SIX HAVE LEFT THE FIRE SERVICE.
OUR SEVEN HAVE LEFT THE FIRE SERVICE, AND FIVE HAVE RELOCATED TO TAKE OTHER FIRE SERVICE JOBS.
SO JUST LAST WEEK WE HAD ONE MEMBER, UM, YOUNG NEW SIX MONTHS, UH, LEAVE, JUST SAID, I CAN'T DO THIS.
I WANNA GET OUTTA THE FIRE SERVICE, WHICH WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THAT.
AND THEN ANOTHER FIREFIGHTER IS RELOCATING TO THE SUBURBS OF CHICAGO TO TAKE ANOTHER JOB UP THERE.
CHIEF COULD COULD YOU SHARE, UH, YOUR, YOUR COMMENTS THAT YOU SHARED WITH ME THE OTHER DAY ABOUT THE APPRENTICE, AN APPRENTICESHIP TYPE PROGRAM WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL? YEP.
SO, UH, LET ME GET TO MY NEXT SLIDE AND THAT'S GONNA BE PART OF THAT.
SO SOME ONGOING INITIATIVES WE'RE DOING, UM, WE, MARCUS HAS TASKED ME AND, AND MY TEAM'S, UH, EXCITED TO TAKE A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT OUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, UM, GOING FORWARD.
SO WE WILL SPEND THE NEXT THREE MONTHS GOING OVER THAT.
UM, WE'VE HAD ROUGHLY THE SAME ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY WITH CHANGE TO, TO LOOK AT THAT AND, UM, TO, TO DECIDE IF, IF WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IS, IS GOING TO, UH, TAKE US INTO THE FUTURE.
WE'RE GONNA REVIEW AND IMPLEMENT CHANGES, UH, TO OUR RESPONSE MODEL TO MEET THE INCREASING DEMAND AS WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.
UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING AT STATION FOUR.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT ALLEN WIDE.
UM, THE FIRE RESCUE PUMP AND QUINT REPLACEMENT PROJECT.
I WILL UPDATE YOU GUYS THAT THE MANUFACTURER, UM, TWO MONTHS AGO DID, UM, INVOKE, IT'S CALLED FORCE ON US AS PART OF THE CONTRACT.
UM, WE ARE DELAYED ABOUT SIX MONTHS ON THAT PROJECT, AND THAT'S DUE TO SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES.
SO IT'S STILL GOING, IT'S STILL GOING FORWARD.
UM, BUT WE ARE GONNA BE DELAYED ABOUT SIX MONTHS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVES, BOTH FIRE, RESCUE AND TOWN.
WE'RE GONNA FINALIZE OUR NEW EMS PROTOCOLS.
OUR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION COMMITTEE IS UP AND GOING.
IT IS, UM, IS BEING CHAIRED BY UH, UH, CAPTAIN BJ FERGUSON, UM, WHO'S A LOCAL NATIVE ISLAND RESIDENT CAPTAIN IN OUR ORGANIZATION.
UM, WE HAVE ABOUT 12 GOOD MEN AND WOMEN SERVING ON THAT COMMITTEE.
UM, THAT IS GOING TO GET US OUT IN THE COMMUNITY MORE IN SELLING OUR MESSAGE OF WHAT WE DO AND WHY IT'S GOOD TO COME WORK FOR US.
AS PART OF THAT, UM, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT, UH, SOME KIND OF JOB EXPLORATION INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.
UM, WE'VE ALWAYS HAD INTERNS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, I STARTED HERE AS AN INTERN AND WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I STARTED IN A, IN A CO-OP, UM, WHERE I WORKED FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UM, MY LAST TWO YEARS.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A PROGRAM LIKE THAT IMPLEMENTED HERE LOCALLY.
AND I THINK WE CAN GET SOME GOOD LOCAL TALENT OUT OF THAT.
AND THEN OUR COMMUNITY OR OUTREACH COMMITTEE IS STILL STRONG.
YOU'LL SEE US OUT AT EVENTS, UM, STILL GETTING OUR MESSAGE OUT, PASSING OUT OUR, OUR EM GUIDES, OUR RECRUITMENT,
[00:30:01]
UM, MATERIAL, AND, UH, JUST, JUST SELLING OUR MESSAGE OF WHAT WE DO.WITH THAT, I ASK YOU IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? I LIKE YOUR FORMAT.
Y'ALL JUST MADE HER DAY WITH THAT
UM, I'D SAY HALF OF MY DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW HAD NO EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY CAME HERE.
UM, WE HIRE EQUALLY EXPERIENCED VERSUS NON-EXPERIENCED.
A LOT OF THE YOUNGER, UM, AND EVEN LOCAL, THE KIDS THAT THAT HAVE HIRED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS GET IN IT.
THEY'RE LIKE, YEAH, YOU KNOW, THIS REALLY ISN'T FOR ME.
UM, I WAS JUST TALKING TO A GUY THIS WEEKEND ARE EXPERIENCED POOL IS REALLY FADING BECAUSE THE VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE IN AMERICA IS, IS DYING OUT.
AND WE'VE ALWAYS RELIED ON THOSE VOLUNTEERS FROM NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, ILLINOIS, OHIO TO TO WANT TO COME DOWN AND BE FULL-TIME FIREFIGHTERS DOWN HERE THAT HAVE MADE GREAT EMPLOYEES.
UM, SO WITH THE DYING OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE, WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING A DOWNWARD TREND OF OF APPLICANTS.
UM, WHEN I STARTED DOING NEW HIRING, UM, OR ASSISTING WITH IT IN 2007, WE HAD 350 ISH APPLICANTS AND WE'RE DOWN TO BE SURPRISED IF WE HAVE A HUNDRED.
AND, UM, AS I SIT WITH OTHER FIRE CHIEFS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, EVERYONE IS SEEING THE SAME THING.
UM, BLUFF IN GREENVILLE, COLUMBIA, CHARLESTON, EVERYONE, UM, HORRY COUNTY I THINK IS IS 30 MEMBERS LOW RIGHT NOW.
THEY JUST, THEY CAN'T FIND ANYONE.
I, I ATTRIBUTED TO, UH, THE FIRE SERVICE, YOU KNOW, AFTER NINE 11, IT WAS THE COOL THING TO DO.
EVERYONE WANTED TO BE A FIREFIGHTER.
YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN 20 YEARS SO THAT, THAT, THAT HAS FADED AND I THINK IT'S A DYING TREND, UM, OR DYING TRADE, KIND OF LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IS.
SO WE, WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO CELEBRATE IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S STILL A GOOD PROFESSION.
I DON'T EVER HIRE ANYONE, UM, SAYING LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, I'M HIRING YOU FOR A JOB.
IT'S A 28 YEAR COMMITMENT, AND YOU GOTTA HAVE PEOPLE THAT WANNA SERVE FOR THE LONG HAUL.
SO IF, UH, THE, UM, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA HERE AND THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE, IS THERE ANY, UH, VALUE OR MAYBE YOU ALREADY ARE EXPLORING, UH, SOME JOINT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES? WE'VE TALKED TO THEM.
UM, THERE IS ONE OF THE TECHNICAL COLLEGES, UM, HERE IN THE STATE DOES HAVE A PROGRAM.
UM, THEY HAVE A PARAMEDIC PROGRAM.
THIS ONE HAS AN EMT PROGRAM, SO THAT DOES HELP US.
I KNOW STATE FIRE IS TRYING TO GET MORE RECRUIT CLASSES, AND THAT'S THE OTHER THING TOO, WHICH HAS BEEN, WE'RE STILL, WE'RE STILL CATCHING UP FROM COVID BECAUSE OF THE SHUTDOWNS.
SO STATE FIRE SHUTDOWN, RECRUIT ACADEMIES, UM, ALL OF TCL, EVERYONE SHUT DOWN EMT SCHOOLS.
SO STATE FIRE JUST GOT SOME BUDGETING THIS YEAR TO, UM, INCREASE THEIR, UH, DELIVERY.
SO THEY'RE GONNA, INSTEAD OF HAVING FOUR CLASSES A YEAR, THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO HAVE EIGHT CLASSES A YEAR.
THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU GO STRAIGHT FROM, UM, THE FIRE ACADEMY, WHICH IS EIGHT WEEKS THAT MONDAY YOU COME BACK, YOU GO STRAIGHT INTO FIVE WEEKS AT EMT SCHOOL.
UM, IT'S JUST THE, THE, THE NEED ACROSS THE STATE IS, IS SO OVERWHELMING THAT THEY JUST CAN'T KEEP UP AND IT'S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO HAVE OUR OWN ACADEMY HERE.
WE WERE PARTNER PARTNERING WITH BLUFFTON.
THEY, THEY HAVE DECIDED THEY'RE NO LONGER GONNA DO IT.
I TALKED TO, UH, CHARLESTON AND NORTH CHARLESTON, UH, LAST WEEK AND WHO DO THEIR OWN.
AND THEY BASICALLY SAY BY DOING THAT YOU'RE SHUTTING DOWN ALL OTHER TRAINING.
SO IF WE WENT BACK TO THAT, THAT GRAPH OF, OF HOW MUCH TRAINING HOURS WE HAVE EVERY YEAR, THAT DRASTICALLY GOES DOWN WHEN YOU HOLD YOUR OWN ACADEMY, THEY JUST, THEY'RE TAKING UP THEIR FACILITIES, THEY'RE TAKING UP THE INSTRUCTOR TIME.
SO IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL.
SO QUESTION YOU, YOU ARE HAVING A CONTINUOUS CHALLENGE FINDING PEOPLE TO APPLY, UH, FOR THE JOB.
UH, IS THAT BECAUSE, UM, THEY JUST AREN'T INTERESTED IN THE PROFESSION OR THE TRADE AS YOU'VE PUT IT? OR ARE THERE HURDLES THAT WE, UM, IN THE TOWN HAVE TO OVERCOME? AND OBVIOUSLY I'M SPEAKING OF ONE OF THOSE, THE HOUSING ISSUE.
AT WHAT POINT DOES HOUSING BECOME A PART OF THE EQUATION TO SOLVE THE ISSUES THAT YOU'RE FACING? I THINK IT'S HUGE.
I THINK THE BIGGEST HURDLES ARE ARE ARE PAY AND WHERE, WHERE CAN I LIVE? SO OUR PAY, OUR PAY IS GOOD.
WE'RE COMPETITIVE, WE'RE BACK.
UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW A CERTIFIED FIREFIGHTER HERE, IF YOU START HERE, YOU'RE, WE'RE BACK TO, I THINK THE, THE HIGHEST PAID IN THE STATE, WHICH IS HOW IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO WHEN I STARTED.
[00:35:01]
AND ALSO I COULD COME HERE, I COULD BE PAID WELL AND I COULD LIVE ON HILTON HEAD AND THAT WAS GREAT.I COULD GO TO THE BEACH ON MY OFF DAYS.
HALF OF THE PEOPLE I'M HIRING ARE HAVING YOU LIVE IN SAVANNAH, POOLER, HARDY BILL AND IT'S JUST HOUSING IS A BIG PART OF THAT.
SO I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU GUYS ARE DOING WITH THEM WITH NORTH POINT AND THE, THE THE WHOLE HOUSING, UM, THING.
BUT IT'S, IT'S GONNA TAKE TIME AND IT'S GONNA BE HARD.
UM, BUT I DO THINK HOUSING IS A BIG THING.
THAT, THAT IS MY NUMBER ONE QUESTION.
DO WE HAVE RESIDENCY? SO IF THE TOWN BOUGHT SOME OCEAN FRONT HOUSES
BUT NO, IT'S, IT'S TOUGH CUZ PEOPLE, WHEN YOU'RE A FIREFIGHTER, YOU, YOU WANNA SERVE THE COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN THERE, THERE'S A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE TO COME HERE TO WORK EVERY THIRD DAY, IT'S A JOB.
RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
SO I THINK, I THINK THAT'S JUST GONNA BE CHALLENGES.
THAT'S THE EXCELLENT WAY TO FRAME IT.
SO I KNOW WE'VE SPOKEN, UM, IN THE PAST AND MAYBE IT'S TIME TO REVISIT THE CONVERSATION, UM, THE STIPEND THAT WE GIVE TO THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, WOULD THAT BE HELPFUL? I DON'T KNOW, SORT OF AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION? YEAH, IT IS AND, AND YOU KNOW, I, I'VE, I'VE HAD TALKS WITH, UM, WITH MARK ABOUT IT AND YOU KNOW, HE WANTS TO, AND I AGREE, HE WANTS TO PUT MORE, HE WANTS PUT MONEY IN THEIR POCKET, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW TO PAY, TO PAY BILLS AND STUFF AND, AND GET OUR, OUR SALARIES UP AND WE, AND WE'VE DONE THAT MM-HMM.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WILL DRAW THE ONES THAT ALREADY DON'T LIVE HERE BACK ONTO THE ISLAND.
UM, WILL IT MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO, UM, THAT ARE NEW, COMING HERE TO FIND SOMETHING, BUT, BUT THEN AGAIN, THE INVENTORY'S LOW.
I MEAN A TWO BEDROOM, TWO BATH ON HILTON HEAD RIGHT NOW, 3000 A MONTH, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 2,600.
SO EVEN A STIPEND I DON'T THINK COULD OVERCOME THAT.
SO THE, UM, THOSE WHO IT WOULDN'T DRAW BACK ONTO THE ISLAND WHO HAVE LEFT ANY FRAME IN TERMS OF WHAT MAYBE IT IS THAT THEY, THAT ARE THEY JUST CHOOSING ESTABLISHED TO LIVE ON HEAD AND THEY'RE ESTABLISHED, THEY'VE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE LIVED IN BLUFF AND THEY, THEY OWN, THEY OWN A HOME WITH MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE LAND MM-HMM.
SO I THINK ONCE YOU BECOME ESTABLISHED IN THE COMMUNITY, IT, IT'S HARDER TO, TO DRAW THEM BACK IN.
UM, YOU KNOW, WITH WHEN CHIEF LEAVES ON MONDAY.
UM, CHIEF FESTER AND I ARE THE ONLY TWO, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE CHIEFS THAT LIVE ON HILTON HEAD AGAIN.
SO THAT'S HARD THAT, THAT WANS ON OUR ABILITIES TOO BECAUSE WE, WE ARE ALL REQUIRED TO, TO COME IN AT TIMES AND, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR EVENTS AND STUFF.
PUTS PUTS A LARGER BURDEN ON US, BUT WE ACCEPT THAT CHALLENGE
UM, JUST CURIOUS CUZ IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT ARE INVOLVED THERE ARE BEING ESTABLISHED, NOT WANTING NECESSARILY TO CHOOSE HILTON HEAD AS YOUR HOME AND, UM, THE, THE EVER INCREASING PRICING.
AND I WANNA, AGAIN, I KNOW NOT ALL OF YOU ARE GONNA BE HERE THE NEXT TIME I I SPEAK TO YOU, BUT I WANT, I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR, UM, THE SUPPORT, CONTINUED SUPPORT.
UM, I, I TELL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, OUR, OUR COUNCIL IS, IS EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE OF US.
UM, IT'S FUNNY, AFTER CHIEF'S RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT WENT OUT, I GOT A, A CALL FROM THE FINANCE DIRECTOR OF MYRTLE BEACH AND HE SAID, HOW DID YOU ALL, HOW ARE YOU BUYING A WHOLE FLEET? AND I SAID, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? HE'S LIKE, WELL, THE PRICE TAG.
I SAID, WELL, I SAID, WE HAVE A A, A COUNCIL THAT JUST SUPPORTS US AND, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDS AND EVERYTHING.
SO I APPRECIATE AND WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU GUYS DO FOR US AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO.
I THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO YOUR TEAM.
[6. b. Consideration of a Resolution of the Town of Hilton Head Island Approving the Administrative Processes for the Town Council Appointed Boards and Commissions and for Elected Public Officials]
OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND APPROVING ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES FOR THE TOWN COUNCIL, APPOINTED BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIALS.MORNING, GOOD MORNING, KRISTEN.
UM, AS YOU'LL RECALL, BACK IN JULY, I WAS HERE SEEKING SOME FEEDBACK ON THESE PROCESSES.
WHAT I DELIVERED IN JULY WERE THE INITIAL REVIEW TOOK YOUR FEEDBACK THAT YOU PROVIDED, WHICH WAS WONDERFUL AND I APPRECIATE IT.
AND WE CONTINUED TO DO SOME RESEARCH AND CONTINUED TO RUN THROUGH AND UPDATE.
UM, WHAT I FOUND VERY, VERY SHOCKING DURING MY RESEARCH IS THAT WHILE MOST MUNICIPALITIES OR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE A STANDARDIZED NEW EMPLOYMENT ORIENTATION FOR NEW EMPLOYEES, VERY FEW ACROSS THE UNITED STATES HAVE ANYTHING FOR THEIR APPOINTED OR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
IT'S ALMOST AS IF YOU ARE ELECTED AND SAID, YOU KNOW, GO DO YOU WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.
[00:40:01]
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA CHANGE HERE AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR, UM, ELECTED OFFICIALS AS WELL AS THOSE THAT YOU APPOINT TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HAVE THE TOOLS AND THE RESOURCES HANDY AND RIGHT OFF THE BAT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.IF THERE'S ANYTHING I'VE LEARNED OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, ESPECIALLY WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU, IS THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION AND HAVE THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES RIGHT AT YOUR HAND.
SO A COUPLE THINGS THAT WERE INCORPORATED, UH, MR. LENNOX HAD TALKED ABOUT, UH, HAVING AN EXIT INTERVIEW AND WE INCORPORATED THAT INTO THE TOWN COUNCIL, UM, EXIT OR END OF TERM INTERVIEWS.
AND THAT'S SO THAT WE MAKE SURE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED OR ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED THAT WE CAN DO THAT.
WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY TO OUR CONS TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS AS WELL AS ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.
THOSE ORGAN THAT REQUIRES, UM, A, UH, COMMUNICATIONS PLAN THAT, UM, I WILL WORK ON A, OR THE TOWN CLERK WILL WORK ON EVERY JANUARY AND HAVE IT LAID OUT FOR THE WHOLE ENTIRE YEAR SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING RE UH, NEW VOLUNTEERS FOR OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
UH, OTHER THINGS THAT CAME UP WERE THE LETTERS AND EVERYTHING THAT GO OUT TO OUR VOLUNTEERS WHEN THEY APPLY FOR OUR BORDER COMMISSION.
WE DID DOUBLE CHECK ALL OF THE LETTERS AND WE MADE SURE THAT WE KEPT THE INFORMATION VERY CONSISTENT AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL APPLICATIONS REMAIN ON FILE FOR A MINIMUM OF THREE YEARS PURSUANT TO THIS STATE AND TOWN CODE.
BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA MAKE SURE THAT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS WE GO THROUGH THIS LIST AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE, UH, CONTACT INFORMATION THAT THEY HAVEN'T MOVED.
THAT WAS SOMETHING WE FOUND IS A LOT OF OUR VOLUNTEERS THAT HAD ALREADY SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS AND WE'RE ON OUR TALENT POOL, THEY'VE MOVED OUT OF THE MUNICIPAL LIMITS.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE MAINTAIN THAT.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE MATERIALS YOU WERE PROVIDED? UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, TAMMY, MR. ES.
KRISTA? UM, I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE COMMUNICATION PLAN.
UM, AND, AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD PLAN.
UH, WHAT ABOUT NEXT DOOR? SO OFTEN THE PEOPLE WHO, UH, RIGHT INTO NEXTDOOR HAVE A, A COMPLAINT AND THEN ARE, UH, REBUTTED BY SOMEBODY ELSE WHO FEELS DIFFERENTLY.
THAT TO ME SPEAKS OF ENERGY AND AND INTEREST IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND I JUST WONDER WHETHER OR NOT NEXTDOOR MIGHT BE AN AVENUE, I THINK DOOR WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD TOOL FOR US TO USE.
LET'S, LET'S, WE DO HAVE A NEXT DOOR ACCOUNT.
UH, WE, WE COMMUNICATE QUITE A BIT ON IT.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IF WE'RE, IF WE USE NEXT DOOR FOR THESE TYPES OF RECRUITMENTS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING, AS YOU INDICATED, UH, THE MOST ACCURATE AND ENERGIZED UPDATED INFORMATION FOR CITIZENS.
SOMETHING THAT CAME ACROSS, UH, THE LAST TIME WAS THAT WE, WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS ACTIVELY COMMUNICATING AS WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE HAVE TO DO NOW.
AND EVEN IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, JUST A, A COUPLE MINUTES, UM, FROM THE TOWN MANAGER DURING HIS ITEMS OF INTEREST, UH, EVERY QUARTER GIVING AN UPDATE AS TO WHAT'S ACT, WHAT'S OUT THERE, WHAT'S AVAILABLE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, AND HOW WE WANNA DO IT AS WELL.
I JUST, I'M SORRY THESE THOUGHTS ARE COMING TO ME IN THIS MEETING BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT YOU'RE SAYING.
IF WE HAVE RESISTANCE TO GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND, AND THE RESISTANCE COMES FROM A FINANCIAL PLACE, IS THERE ANY REASON THAT THE TOWN COUNCIL SHOULD BE CONSIDERING SOME SORT OF STIPEND FOR VOLUNTEERS? THAT, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT, BUT THAT'S AN IDEA THAT MAYBE WE OUGHT TO THINK ABOUT.
I WILL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT, UM, AND SEE WHAT OTHER, ESPECIALLY REGIONALLY WITHIN OUR AREA HERE AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE, WHAT'S HAPPENING.
I'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING QUITE A BIT WITH, UM, THE MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION AS WELL AS ICMA.
THEY HAVE BEEN AMAZING RESOURCES FOR US AND HAVE PROVIDED A LOT OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY.
MR. LENNOX SAYS, CHAIRMAN OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE,
[00:45:01]
MORE THAN APPROPRIATE.UH, I'LL BE ANXIOUS TO SEE HOW IT WORKS.
HOPEFULLY YOU CAN COORDINATE ONE ORIENTATION FOR EVERYBODY KNEW THAT YEAR.
THAT'S WHAT, IN SPEAKING WITH THE TOWN MANAGER, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO DO IS HAVE ONE BROAD ORIENTATION, MANUAL FOR APPOINTED AND ELECTED OFFICIALS AND THAT THE INFORMATION IS DISSEMINATED APPROPRIATELY.
I WISH WHEN I JOINED THIS GROUP,
UH, WE SORT OF HAD TO HIT THE BEACH RUNNING.
UH, THERE WAS, UH, ONE AREA THAT IF YOU COULD CLARIFY WHEN I WAS READING THIS, UH, IN THE EVENT THAT, UH, SOMEONE SITTING IN THE MAYOR, UH, ROLE, UH, FOR WHATEVER REASON CHOSE TO RESIGN, BECAME ILL, UH, THE, IT WAS VAGUE OR I THINK SILENT AS TO, UH, WHAT WOULD, HOW THAT WOULD BE TRIGGERED TIME WISE AND THEN, AND THE ROLE OF THE, IF THERE WERE LESS THAN 180 DAYS LEFT MM-HMM.
AND WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS THE, UH, THE GUIDELINES OR THE TIMING FOR A SPECIAL ELECTION SHOULD THAT COME UP.
AND IT IS, AS FAR AS THE ROLE OF THE MAYOR, THE POSITION OF THE MAYOR, IF THAT INDIVIDUAL WAS TO, UH, HAVE TO RELIEVE THEIR POSITION, THAT WOULD COME BACK DOWN TO THE MAYOR PROTE AND REMAIN, UH, WITH THE MAYOR PROTE THROUGH THE END OF THAT INDIVIDUAL'S TERM.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, IF, UH, MAYOR MCCANN CHOSE TO STEP DOWN TODAY, HE, HE JUST WAS DONE.
SO THAT WOULD COME BACK TO YOU AND THAT WOULD REMAIN, UM, WITH YOU THROUGH THE END OF YOUR CURRENT TERM, WHICH IS THE END OF, UH, 22.
AND, AND MAYBE THAT'S, THIS IS THE WRONG PLACE TO PUT THAT, BUT UH, THE DOCUMENT THAT YOU SHARED IS SILENT ON THAT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT QUITE A BIT.
UH, THE DEPUTY TOWN MANAGER, UH, OUR NEW GENERAL COUNSEL AND MYSELF IS REEVALUATING OUR TOWN CODE, SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS OF OUR TOWN CODE AND SEEING WHERE MAYBE WE HAVE DUPLICATIVE INFORMATION OR IN THIS CASE CONFUSING IN, IN INFORMATION THAT DOESN'T SPEAK TO, UH, A SPECIFIC ELECTED OFFICIAL.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? CHRISTO? EXCELLENT JOB.
UM, WELL, I, I WOULD UH, RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT THE COMMITTEE RECOMMEND MOVING THIS FORWARD TO FULL TOWN COUNCIL FOR FINAL CONSIDERATION.
I MOVE, WE ADOPT THE RESOLUTION AND FORWARD IT TO TOWN COUNCIL AS PRESENTED.