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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Packet - 8/19/2024CITY OF %�64TERLOO IOWA THE CITY COUNCIL OF WATERLOO, IOWA WORK SESSION TO BE HELD AT Harold E. Getty Council Chambers Monday, August 19, 2024 4:45 PM RULES FOR WORK SESSION PUBLIC COMMENT Iowa Code Chapter 21 gives the public the right to attend council meetings, but it does not require cities to allow public participation except during public hearings.The city council shall not receive any public comment during a work session. Roll Call. Agenda, as proposed or amended. Approval of Minutes of August 5, 2024, Council Work Session as proposed or amended. 4:45 p.m. Discussion of station -specific paging. Submitted by: Bill Beck, Fire Chief ADJOURNMENT Kelley Felchle City Clerk Page 1 of 16 August 5, 2024 COUNCIL WORK SESSION Harold E. Getty Council Chambers 4:15 p.m. Roll Call. Members present: Mr. Boesen, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Chiles, Mr. Simon and Ms. Wilder. Ms. Creighton -Smith arrived at 4:17 p.m. Mr. Feuss was absent. Nichols/Wilder to name Mr. Nichols as acting chair. Voice vote -Ayes: Five. Mayor Hart arrived and took the chair at 4:16 p.m. Mr. Nichols and Ms. Wilder released their motions. Agenda, as proposed or amended. Nichols/Wilder that the agena as proposed, be approved. Voice vote -Ayes: Six. Motion carried. Discussion of downtown parking. Bridgett Wood, Finance Director, presented an overview of the downtown parking study results as provided by our consultant, Fishbeck, and noted that the full survey is available on the city's website. The mayor and council members discussed the recommendations and cost of implementation with Bridgett Wood, and agreed on a reduction of the enforcement area and the use of kiosks for payments. Mayor Hart stated that additional details could be addressed at a later date. ADJOURNMENT Wilder/Simon that the council adjourn at 4:53 p.m. Voice vote -Ayes: Six. Motion carried. Nancy Higby, Deputy City Clerk Page 1 of 1 Page 2 of 16 Our goal here is to convince you of the need to change how our 911 dispatches are received at Waterloo Fire Rescue. Station -specific alerting is a system by which the right dispatch information gets to the right place without Tots of sets of ears hearing extraneous information. We'II cover the many ways in which a system might benefit us as individuals, but also as a department, a City, and most importantly as part of the served public. Page 3 of 16 We'II use an analogy: early firefighters had very minimal gear, which offered no protection whatsoever from inhaled smoke. A tremendous advance in the field was the development of self-contained breathing apparatus (which we call SCBA or an air mask). This allowed the firefighter to breathe clean air while also functioning in an otherwise inhospitable environment. We will argue that we can vastly improve the health of our firefighters if we can limit the calls they hear to only those that require their response. We suggest that City- wide alerting is to rubber boots and long coats as Station -specific alerting is to full turnouts and SCBA. Both bits of technology have become essential equipment in the fire service, and both make for better and more capable firefighters. Page 4 of 16 WFR station -specific alerting weroit ERROpa AIM SLEEP OS TM VKIWL'ab, SYGYlMnYIC KNIP P AND META -ANALYSIS 565 '® The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: new evidence from the United States A E Iln16e,I S Edda., G D ., 51N Mau 0•0.0s1•..,r.ra111,11.w.m In II>,.r...10e.alue. wrk xrr3 1e 111 iavhm.u+ g AMtaefmuhlicq cress a. Maauscrl 1 .vc 0I.+r.1e8e §rY q " Catastrophes. awtrou h s. Sleep. and Public Policy; Canseneus Report a'Nib, £4 A. R.Cl, Wl.4aon, Cp.rIn4470,0a �paDE� csL Disorders• Rare L Ba GlicedranRh'�r'" SeepDodos AP NOVO WON wur1p;cm �_ ",„"(ER1.0.0 Pdnc+Fles, SretVtotK and Jar Lag l0 MRPublic Access aRa Amber Menuecrlr NA.nIod ,rrw.ar.e form R. -.• .,nu,lP,.cnrrAux;l+rocx. The Impact of Sleep Attentions, Impairment duQ Hlynt rin nd Bright Lr8ht Exposure. on Mn< m, rura a. SLEEP ANC MINAS The Retationship between Nurse Work Schedules, Sleep Duration, and Drowsy Driving ...n.5.01. ,nx;rw. ,.IN.y,1.o,11.E ROM, PM, 111.11 RwWm.NR.., Nrx rer, oirner.or,..P. m,.r 151.4--.b..rm..ru;r n0Rq..d w •n, we,nys:,ms..,r Rtw,d.s,rn rn5•.+Y. akL 40..wdr..n+1.S+.n+dbq.w�'h'r+�+Y+'+e'sr.,,Iquvr+r. ,;v'.'4*4'.+n•r�.. i'rn,n4 •aqn nxe.Hx lMwee pw. uc xxvm. y' 14W.rpare, Mut rpen...ewe, r.ee ipirrartlOydr. trademe m.ron.r.�.r ro...mrw,aylrom.err.nH...e...rs 5.WarL NW, *1'wo aew.o...1.1+•alua �.r .w IMwM.1 ro•.wnr..du gr...y..w.s,r q eb Ir RN1..eue..yswa..ae.. rasl.lbC Pr.. M •p1 wain el nw om RO> F' W .ryyy Abundant evidence suggests that any effort to limit sleep disruption is well worth it, for the function of firefighters or really anyone else. Anyone having experienced an overnight with a newborn might agree! These papers are just a small sample of the vast literature on the adverse effects of delayed and disrupted sleep amongst shiftworkers and particularly amongst healthcare workers. Page 5 of 16 "334 and 303 for cardiac arrest at the Kwik Star on Cedar Bend." Stepping back, we'd like to visually compare how our current paging system behaves and how a station -specific alerting system would operate. [click for animation] The depicted system is what we're currently using. This particular call comes in, which requires an ambulance from Station 4 and a fire engine from Station 3. Yet, overhead speakers go off at every station, and everyone carrying a radio hears the page. All of our vehicles catch the call too. Everything rings across the City. We can vastly reduce the number of unnecessary sleep disruptions for firefighters if we can limit the calls they hear to only those that require their response. Page 6 of 16 Station -specific %Oh "334 and 303 for cardiac arrest at the Kwik Star on Cedar Bend." So here, we consider an overview of a generic station -specific alerting system [click for animation] For this call, overhead speakers go off only at stations 3 and 4, and those using their portable radios as wake aids at night would hear the alert at those stations, from the portable as well as the overhead speaker. Our chief officer (shown in the helmet) hears the call as well. Only those firefighters who are needed to act are the ones that hear this alert. Page 7 of 16 Breadth of impact b The benefits of station alerting are numerous and the impacts broad. It touches not only the individual firefighter, by improved physiological and mental health, [click] but it impacts the department as a whole, in part by our ability to recruit and retain the best applicants. [click] The system would also greatly impact our city government and taxpayers, through reduced health care costs and reduced exposure to other financial liabilities, [click ] and these positive impacts ripple out toward the public that we serve through enhanced customer service. We will briefly consider each of these levels of impact in turn. Page 8 of 16 for the Firefighter Lower risk of cardiovascular disease Lower risk of diabetes Lower risk of obesity Less irritability Decreased risk of anxiety Decreased risk of depression Lower risk of chemical dependence Lower cancer risk For the individual Abundant evidence suggests that inadequate and mistimed sleep is a contributor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, modulated through hormonal changes. The psychological effects of sleep deprivation are varied, and include irritability, depression, anxiety, and increased risk of chemical dependence. Cancer risks are elevated in the fire service, which may be directly related to circadian rhythm disruption, driven by a generalized weakening of the immune system. Eight of our members have been diagnosed with job -related cancers in as many years. Two individuals were forced into retirement as a consequence. Within the last ten years, the department suffered an active -duty death due to liver cancer, and another member battled brain cancer for a number of years, dying only months after his retirement. All of these risk factors improve if we can reduce unnecessary sleep disruption. Page 9 of 16 for Waterloo Fire Rescue Reduced absenteeism Enhanced productivity Improved recruitment Improved retention Improved morale Leadership development For WFR Sadly, our department has experienced a rash of brain drain, where some of our best talent has left, due in part to the lack of standard technology like station -specific paging. We are absolutely certain that the implementation of an alerting system will greatly benefit our ability to recruit the best and brightest and to keep them here. We have recently lost two of the best young paramedics in the state, who are now serving other communities in Iowa. Page 10 of 16 for the City of Waterloo Decreased legal liabilities Lower healthcare costs Fewer injuries Fewer job -related disabilities Fewer accidents For our city government and our taxpayers Healthier, more rested firefighters are not only better at their jobs but they also reduce costs for our taxpayers, as the risks of injury, disability, and accident decrease. The adverse effects of fatigue and sleep disruption are well studied and include drug -dosing errors and other forms of medical malpractice, accidental needle sticks, inattention and poor decision -making, as well as increased risk of injury and motor -vehicle accidents. Indeed, the level of cognitive impairment of fatigued healthcare workers is similar to having a blood -alcohol level at or above the legal limit. If we can prevent a single case of debilitating cancer... or if we can prevent one major collision... this system will have paid for itself. Page 11 of 16 for the Served Public Faster arrival times Better patient care Better patient outcomes Better patient satisfaction More consistent service For our served public Perhaps most importantly, these benefits ultimately reach our served public. Automated dispatch systems can shave off many tens of seconds if not a minute or more in sending apparatus to an emergent need. As soon as the call taker can resolve the address and nature of the incident, the system instantaneously alerts the necessary units without further intervention from the dispatcher. Not only does this save crucial seconds, but the system permits the dispatcher to attend to the distressed caller with fewer distractions. A station -specific alerting system can also handle many simultaneous calls, providing a consistent level of service despite dispatch being busy. For the public, we would expect better overall customer service from a better rested workforce. We should be able to offer better and more consistent patient care, better decision making, and better physical performance. This system will help ensure that the service rendered at 3:00 am is just as good as the service rendered at 9:00 am, when the firefighter has just began the shift. Page 12 of 16 State-w.id e trends • r+scer• -rnmrtsnn•g- 'S term Lase F:rt Dodar- 7 BWffs .aVllann: een oak Shenindoah 'Clans Creston. Mason •Clras es [iry•, - 4 a+ed h." fal'n wensirrar ,Cede tvr Marshalltown Gdnnell ako R lkn k kiskaloora r 1110 v f� oscotire 1.�.'£ 4M tPleahant R a:. huir L akc- :4> i p ,°• r'ti- IBurlingto i • Centerville' 9. _u11 kladis o e . ,.Cuantan .jasl-�Id 0' E. Let's turn to consider where we stand as a department. Red circles show all the agencies in Iowa with three or more stations. [click] Shown here in blue are the agencies of our size that have already upgraded to a station -specific alerting system. Note that Waterloo is the lone agency without this technology. Many of these other agencies have been using station -specific alerting for decades. Page 13 of 16 We should also be curious what impact station -specific alerting would actually have in reducing alerts heard overnight. Our current dispatch system alerts us (system- wide) about 10 times per night, as an average, shown as the gray bar. This plot also shows the number of alerts that we would hear if we were to implement station -specific alerting: most stations would hear about two alerts per night, for the calls for which those stations are actually needed. As a whole, the system would provide an 82% improvement in reducing the number of unnecessary alerts heard by crews. We used data from our department for the first 90 nights of 2024, for all calls between the hours of 2100 to 0700. Average number of alerts that would have been heard under SSP were: 3.4 (STA1, a 64% improvement), 2.5 (STA2, 75% improvement), 1.7 (STA3, 83%), 2.0 (STA4, 80%), 0.58 (STA5, 94%), 0.78 (STAG, 92%). Page 14 of 16 Crucially, even if we are to do nothing, our risk exposure continues to grow. Calls for service continue to increase at a rate of about 5% per year, increasing the number of alerts heard by our crews by the same amount. At that rate, we expect calls for service (and overnight disruptions) to double every 20 years. The implementation of station -specific alerting appears to be only viable means by which to truly future -proof this ever increasing demand for services. From bottom to top, our department is unanimous in its belief that station -specific alerting would provide a tremendous return on investment. This plot shows a continued trend toward greater and greater demand for service, over the last several years. There is a 5.4% increase in runs, on average, year over year in the last nine. [Data from 2014 to 2022 are from the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for 2022 (Waterloo Finance); Data from 2023 are from 2023 Report with Individual Stats (WFR)] Page 15 of 16 RACOM AN EASTERN COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY 213 SE 16th St Pella, IA 50219 Ph: 641-628-1724 Cell 641-780-1007 duane.vos@racom.net www.racom.net Proposal Prepared for: Waterloo Fire Department Address 425 E 3rd St City Waterloo State & Zip Code IA 50703 County Black Hawk Phone/FAX 3192914460 Contact Name Chief Bill Beck Contact E-mail mailto:bill.beckwwaterloo-ia.orq USDD G2 FSA System 1 Yr War/Maint ITEM QTY PART NO. DESCRIPTION UNIT EXTENDED 1 $ - $ - 2 1 Dispatch Primary Dispatch $ 88,933.00 $ 88,933.00 3 1 ST HQ Headquarters $ 96,612.00 $ 96,612.00 4 1 ST#2 Station #2 $ 80,650.00 $ 80,650.00 5 1 ST#3 Station #3 $ 66,343.00 $ 66,343.00 6 1 ST#4 Station #4 $ 67,090.00 $ 67,090.00 7 1 ST#5 Station #5 $ 60,164.00 $ 60,164.00 8 1 ST#6 Station #6 $ 66,343.00 $ 66,343.00 9 1 RTIC RTIC Station $ 60,164.00 $ 60,164.00 9 8 LTE LTE Network Backup option - SIM Card and Data Service by City* $ 3,000.00 $ 24,000.00 10 $ - $ - 11 $ - $ - 12 - Warranty includes telephone remote access support (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM MST). $ - $ - 13 - See Warranty Statement for complete details. Warranty on HDTV is manufacturers only, no other warr $ - $ - 14 - Any electrical hardware and labor costs required will be the responsibility of Waterloo FD $ - $ - 15 - Exact Scope to be defined after final design is determined. RACOM will assist Waterloo Fire in $ - $ - 16 getting a quote from a local preferred electrician. $ - $ - 17 - Wiring / cabling, cable pathway, backboxes installed by City / Electrician. $ - $ - 18 - Wiring provided with system by RACOM $ - $ - 19 - Extended Warranties year 2 - 5, and year 6 - 10 available $ - $ - 20 - City to provide Network Connectivity Dispatch to each Station $ - $ - 21 - *LTE SIM Card and data provided by City $ - $ - 22 - BHC CAD Vendor Interface Cost not included - needs to be verified. $ - $ - 24 $ - $ - 25 $ - $ - 26 $ - $ - 27 $ - $ - Terms of Purchase: Network Dispatch to Stations by City. Network and 16/4 Cabling, Cable pathway, back boxes installation provided by Building Contractor with RACOM support. Shipping Fees Estimated, Actual Invoiced. Year 1 Warranty and Support included at No Cost. Year 2-5 and 6-10 shown as options G2 MOBILE FSAS APP - Single Dev Lic - Up to 24 Lic-Per-ATX = $0.00 ea as long as system has support . Dispatch Cost included, with station alerting and paging for WFD. Quote expires 10/28/2024 Tax Rate Total Equipment Price Installation Subtotal Taxes Shipping Total $ 610,299.00 $ 610,299.00 $ 12,000.00 $ 622,299.00 System Description: Waterloo Fire Department USDD Primary Dispatch G2 Fire Station Alerting System. Proposal Presented By: D Vos Proposal Accepted By: Date: 8/9/2024 Date: Cty of Waterloo Foe Depalment USDD _Dlspatch_Statlons 1YR WAR Totals 08092024 - Printed 8/19/2024 Page 16 of 16