2011-03-14 Study Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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2012. Chief Miner said they have been able to reduce the Uniforms & Safety Gear line item with fewer new hires needed. Previously they were hiring six new fire fighters a year. Chief Miner said the Capital outlay in the 2012 is for a breathing air compressor to replace the twenty-one-year-old unit they presently have. Mr. Glickert asked the Chief how long it took to bring up the fire and its particulars on the lap top. Chief said that was done instantly. Mayor Welsch asked if $50,000 was put aside for the air compressor and he said it has been in the budget for the last couple of years. Ms. Ricci asked why the Fire Department is charged for water, sewer, gas and electricity and the police department is not. Chief Miner said that charge is for Firehouse #2 which is building separate from City Hall so those charges can be broken out. Ms. Ricci thought that utilities should be allocated more accurately to individual departments. She asked Chief if he saw any needs in the near future that have not been met or that he anticipates might be difficult to meet. Chief Miner said they are good for FY 2012 but for FY 2013 they will need to look for another dispatcher or bring dispatching back in house by upgrading their system with CAD. North Central will no longer honor contracts when U City’s runs out in August 2012. At that time North Central will go up to 5 cents per assessed valuation which would cause the dispatching cost to go from $77,000 to around $300,000. Ms. Ricci asked how the North Central contract has been working out and Chief said it was not perfect but they did a good job. He said the police did a good job too with what they had in the past, but the police never had a CAD system. If dispatching came back in house, a CAD system would have to be added as an upgrade to the present system. Chief Miner said there were other options so they have several to choose from. Ms. Ricci asked if any of the in-house dispatchers were dedicated for just fire. Chief said there were not. Mr. Kraft asked when they would be getting a new fire truck. Chief Miner said they are looking at purchasing groups through government contracts. Mr. Kraft asked how long it takes to get a truck when once assigned and Chief said nine months to a year. Mayor Welsch asked if they were looking at another pumper in another couple of years. Chief Miner said they had it slotted for 2014. Mr. Sharpe asked how much it would cost if the City did it independently. Chief Miner said the present equipment would need to be upgraded and he was not sure of what that cost would be. He said the in the past in-house dispatchers were able to handle the calls and thought, with the given equipment, they should still be able to handle the fire work load. Chief said the North Central dispatchers were trained to give medical advice on the phone. Mr. Sharpe asked if the Fire Department was going to come back to the Council with advice. Chief Miner said there are several options since St. Louis County is putting in a new dispatch agency. Ms. Ricci said the fire department’s personnel numbers have been consistent although the department did lose some people the past couple of years. She asked if the City was adequately staffed for fire. Chief Miner said they were maintaining their staffing which reflects on insurance policies. He said they have the same thing as the police as there will be some savings on their payroll since it takes three to four months to replace a vacancy. Ms. Ricci asked if they were still all cross-