CC Minutes - 11/28/01 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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information and instinct on deployment in the context of the resources the department had. Mr. Meisner said he did not think that the document should indicate that the task was complete and on- target because staff had not yet determined the effectiveness of distribution. He added that was not an objection to deployment. Mr. Johnson suggested that Chief Hill write a memorandum discussing the rationale for current deployment patterns. Ms. Phelps said that the department did an analysis to determine whether the foot patrol was effective, given community needs and resources. She thought that the department was 95 percent of the way to what Mr. Meisner was requesting. When the analysis work is complete, the Police Department will provide the council with a report on foot patrol deployment. Noting frequent sector head assignment changes, Ms. Nathanson asked if changing assignments frequently benefitted the City or negatively impacted the City's ability to achieve its goals. Chief Hill responded that the department preferred to maintain its sector lieutenants, but changes were required for a variety of reasons, including shifting lieutenants more toward watch responsibility, or the minute-by-minute activities, rather than on more programmatic responsibilities. Mr. Johnson noted the impact of September 11 on the Police Department in terms of its training requirements and the request from the Department of Justice for assistance in interviewing men from the Middle East. He said that one thing after another had consumed command staff's time since that date. Chief Tallon discussed the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department's progress on the work plan activities under the goal Safe Community. Mr. Pap~ noted that there had been no fire events in the south hills during a very dry time. Chief Tallon agreed, saying that the City had done some public education and the community had been lucky. Ms. Nathanson said there were a few small events that could have gotten out of hand if the department had not responded quickly. Ms. Taylor asked how fireworks regulations could be implemented before fireworks sales began. Chief Tallon responded that in any given year, conditions could mandate City action. Referring to the previous summer's conditions, Chief Tallon said he would have recommended to the City Manager, even if fireworks sales had begun, to halt fireworks sales if conditions warranted. He said that the subject was a touchy one, but the department sometimes had to make such difficult decisions. He noted that both Skinner Butte and Spencer Butte parks had been closed for a period of time during the summer. Mr. Kelly was pleased to hear about progress on the work activity related to analyzing building materials for fire danger. He requested a progress report on the Lane Rural Ambulance situation. Chief Tallon indicated a report was forthcoming. He said the board had made a very bad decision, and he believed prehospital care would be affected. He appreciated the City Manager and council's strong support of the department. He added that he thought Eugene worked well with other jurisdictions, particularly Springfield. He described some of the training Eugene conducted MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 2 Goals Process Session