Agenda - Council - 08/28/2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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education. He stated that because he often has to respond to daytime calls, he is then not able to keep up with the supervisory/administrative duties of his position. He reviewed different policies and procedures that are in need of updating. He stated that currently there is no backup for himself and the Fire Marshall when they are out of the office. He stated that this position would align with three of the City's strategic initiatives. Councilmember Kuzma referenced the increase in calls and asked the type of calls. Fire Chief Kohner stated that nationwide, fire departments are responding to more medical calls and noted that 52 percent of the department calls are medical calls which include injury accidents. Acting Mayor LeTourneau stated that 56 percent of the calls for response occur during the daytime and asked if that trend has increased the past few years. Fire Chief Kohner stated that historically that figure has been around 45 percent and confirmed that the increase in calls has mostly occurred during the daytime hours. He stated that Ramsey is an aging community and therefore a majority of those calls for service occur during the daytime. Councilmember Riley asked if there would be a cost savings in having this new position to conduct the building inspections rather than using paid on -call employees. Fire Chief Kohner stated that in 2017 there was a cost of $9,800 for the paid on -call employees to assist with building inspections. Police Chief Katers provided information on the calls for service in the past ten years, noting the increase in calls for service each year. He stated that there are currently 25 sworn officers in Ramsey, providing background information on the community and comparing that to neighboring communities. He stated that the department continues to get a lot of calls for service, noting that the calls require a lot of follow-up and investigation time. He stated that he has had to take officers from patrol to assist with investigations. He noted that the department can whether shortages in the short-term but in the long-term that will affect morale and will have an impact. He reviewed some of the programs that have been implemented and go beyond basic calls for service, noting that if the calls for service continue to increase he will need to take from those community programs. He stated that the intent is to provide quality service to the community through a proactive partnership, noting that the community programs fulfill that mission and are critical in building relationships with the community. He explained that the department runs very efficiently and therefore when there is a loss, that impact is felt. He stated that the citizen survey provided high ratings to both the police and fire departments. He stated that public service is a primary service and is something the citizens expect. He noted that when things are going well you will not hear much from residents on public safety but when that level of service is not reached, there will be complaints. Councilmember Kuzma asked if additional equipment would be needed for two new officers. City Council Work Session / August 6, 2018 Page 4 of 9