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