consent agenda and pulled fire rescue items

57:46Next order of business is the consent agenda. Uh right now I have to do it. Three polls, C twenty, C twenty one, C twenty four. And I will also pull C forty eight. Um Commissioner O so may have a motion for the remainder of the consent agenda.

58:03Second.

58:04All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. So Commissioner Morris, starting with C twenty. We always keep them all together.

58:12Yeah, we can c we can keep them all together. Um if we can. Um Mr. Biles, oh my I think we have the assistant chief here. Steve Caston's out today.

58:24Cool. Good morning. How are you? Hey, thanks for thanks for being here today. Um I just w I wanted to pull these three items um because they have to do with with fire rescue. And I think um going forward um Um

58:40I'll probably pull every item related to fire rescue going forward because we have a lot of questions. There's questions from the team members that are out there. Um JJ was um spoke today. So I think it in the best interests of our people that work for fire rescue as well as our citizens, it's important to talk about these things that are on the agenda. Normally these are on consent, and just for the the folks' sakes and the audience and at home, normally these are on consent because they are items that We feel we're gonna be deliberated and they're gonna get through with no problem

59:11and they're not controversial because they're for the good of all. Um but again since there's been so many questions the last several meetings from some of our friends in fire rescue, I think we need to pull these, discuss them, dis and discuss how they're going to assist them with their jobs and better call times. Yes, sir. So we can go if we can, could we start with uh C twenty and uh tell us what that's gonna do um for the benefits of the citizens of Pasco County.

59:39So C twenty is uh kind of a piggyback for a uh Uh board agenda item from last year. Uh we're we're increasing the amount of fire inspectors to improve uh life safety fire inspections, uh something that hasn't really been done in Pasco County um for many, many years. Um this is the uh first eight and actually Chief Rum is online too. If if I if I misspeak, Chief Rum, please uh jump in. Um This was this was his agenda item. It actually happened when I first kind of started here. But we're gonna add we're gonna start with the first eight fire inspectors, and once that becomes cost neutral uh based on fees and other things with the

1:00:10with C R R, uh we'll hire the remaining three. It was the BPI from last year out of cycle was for a total of eleven.

1:00:16Okay. So it's uh uh that's for more of the benefit of um not not just commercial but residential as well.

1:00:22But it primarily focuses so our our focus for the last several years has been new construction. We haven't been able to go out and do existing construction. Okay. Um now with the increase of the number of inspectors and this eight will allow us to try to do that.

1:00:34Okay. I'll move for approval approval.

1:00:36So

1:00:36I could All in favor say aye.

1:00:38Aye.

1:00:38Aye.

1:00:40Thank you.

1:00:43And uh talk about that equipment and what that's gonna do to uh provide our our citizens um better service.

1:00:50So C twenty one is a uh Penny for Pasco fund, um or funding from Penny for Pasco. Uh part of it is gonna help us establish what we're gonna call Decon Depot. Um as you know the board uh worked uh with between us and the the union for several years to accomplish um w what's a a premier state of the art um dec firefighter on scene decontamination program. It's it's unlike anything that happens in the entire world. Um Part of our our struggle so so far is a lot of that gear has to be sent out for washing, cleaning, other other services and

1:01:20purchasing of uh The DCON depot equipment will help us keep all that inside. It'll be a save to taxpayers' money. It'll also increase our efficiency as far as processing gear, getting it back to firefighters in a more timely fashion. The other part of it is uh there's high-rise hose in here, so with the increased number of hotels, um in order to fight a high-rise fire, you have to have specialized kind of equipment, specialized hoses, things like that. Um it'll help us to buy all of that equipment, extrication equipment. Which across the entire fleet will kind of standardize all the equipment. We don't want a firefighter

1:01:51on one engine that moves to another one the next day or his next shift and it's completely different. So this standardizes all the equipment. It brings again again more advanced tools for us for firefighting and rescue capabilities.

1:02:00Okay, great. Move for approval.

1:02:04Second. All in favor say aye.

1:02:06Aye.

1:02:06Aye. Aye. And C twenty four?

1:02:11Uh C twenty four is actually a uh fleet management uh agenda item but it uh speaks to uh rescues that'll be uh replaced. The re it calls for the replacements of uh rescue twenty five, rescue twelve and uh what is rescue twenty seven Uh we'll bring in three new ones. Um I understand this to be kind of a fluid process as far as the vehicle replacement procedures go in that's uh some of the vehicles, especially now with supply chain issues, things that would normally be surplused out or not getting surplused out. They're kind of being maintained for parts and other things as we try and keep our fleet

1:02:41up.

1:02:42So there's three replacements, but there's one.

1:02:46We're also adding new vehicles for uh new stages. Uh rescue three is one of them. Um the current rescue nine that we uh have been we just received is actually gonna be repurposed to rescue two thirty that will go in service hopefully May first. So

1:02:59this will be a new res there will be one new rescue in service. Yes,

1:03:02sir.

1:03:02Um to um Ms. Martinez's questions about adding new rescues. He mentioned earlier. So this is going to add a new one so that will help assist in cutting down So rescue

1:03:12230 will be yes, sir. Rescue 230, um rescue 30 is our highest uh utilized rescue in the in the entire fleet. Um they're they run about 45 to 50 percent on average, um which means about half of their day is uh running 911 calls, uh responding to 911 calls. So this will uh drastically hopefully uh reduce their their utilization by just adding that rescue. Um the delay in kind of getting that out it was approved for this fiscal year, the delay has been hiring the staff. Um we've got the this this class that's just finishing their orientation should be done right about the end of the month. Okay. And that's that's the may

1:03:42that's the reason for the May first.

1:03:44How

1:03:44many people

1:03:44in the new class?

1:03:45Uh this new class is thirty two right now.

1:03:47Thirty

1:03:47two. Yes sir.

1:03:48Okay. Okay. Great. So just another c a question for you. I was I received some um information from administration today um on new rescues and new engines. So I just want to clarify this. Hopefully you I'm I'm trying to put you on the spot. I'm just want to make sure I'm correct on these numbers that I'm seeing From FY17 to FY twenty two, um what I have here is there is a thirty one percent increase in the engine count and a thirty nine percent increase in rescue count. Is

1:04:18that correct?

1:04:19Uh yes, sir. I believe that some of that includes um spare vehicles that we have to keep for uh obviously

1:04:23preventative

1:04:23maintenance moving movement.

1:04:25We do that. So if one goes down, you always want to have a replacement, right? So there's some sitting on the side, always sitting on the sidelines. Yes, sir. Okay. Okay. Great. Well I really appreciate it. Move for approval.

1:04:34Sega. All in favor say aye.

1:04:36Aye.

1:04:36Aye. And Chief, while you're while you're here, just uh Commissioner Moore, thank you for bringing this to our attention. I want I want to say to our Uh firefighters, paramedics, uh first responders. We greatly appreciate your service. Uh we share the same passion you do to serve the citizens out here every step of the way. Uh what you do in the field with the resources you have currently. Uh is fantastic. We're working to help you get it better every step of the way, as fast as we can. We're gonna keep on working. I

1:05:07want to say from all my ears that the communication we've had back and forth has led to more and more improvement. Now that we've had this big Boost of the economy coming in. People want to come here. We want to work with you in the future. If that means we need to do a work workshop, we will want to do that with you as well. But I I encourage you to stay vote stay in communication with us. Let us work with you. Let us try to help you so you can be in a situation, be proud of where you are at, in a sense of knowing that all the resources are going that way. We don't want to see a situation

1:05:37where we are. you show up a minute after When needed. We want to make sure that you have that job satisfaction, that our people get that satisfied every step of the way. And I know I speak with this board, my previous boards. We want to serve these people just like you do. So keep working with us, we'll keep working with you. And thank you for your service. Okay. C forty-eight, I pulled it just because I appreciate

1:06:02your time.

1:06:03Thank you, Commissioner Moore. Um C forty eight I pulled it just because I own property around it, so can't vote on it. Uh I didn't ask the attorney on this one.

1:06:13That's

1:06:14So just

1:06:14you're you're able to uh if you I just don't want any if you think there's an implied conflict, you don't you can w abstain.

1:06:22Yeah, I just don't want to take a chance on it for any uh repercussions whatsoever, so I am pulling if so I can abstain from it. Uh so C forty eight. Move approval. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. And notice I abstain. Thank you.