[FY 2024 Budget Workshop: Houston Fire Department]
[00:00:20]
I WANNA WELCOME THE FIRE CHIEF, MR. SAMUEL PENA, WHO WILL PROVIDE THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT PROPOSED BUDGET, AND ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE IN CHAMBER COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND COUNCIL MEMBER PECK.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON CAYMAN.
EVAN SHABAZZ, CISNEROS KNOX CHAIR, DAVE MARTIN, VICE MAYOR PRO TIM CAST X TATUM ROBINSON AND PLUMBER AND COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAZZ.
AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ IS ONLINE VIRTUALLY IN CHAMBERS.
WE ALSO HAVE CHIEF MCLEOD, CHIEF WEST.
CHIEF WELLS CHIEF GARCIA, CHIEF GALVAN, AND WE HAVE THE CFO MS. MCHENRY.
GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE, AND GOOD MORNING TO THE COMMITTEE.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, ALONG WITH, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, OUR CFO, MR. ROCHELLE MCHENRY AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMAND STAFF.
UM, FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS SAN PEN.
I'M THE FIRE CHIEF FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND BECAUSE I AM THE LAST, UH, PRESENTATION, I'D LIKE TO TAKE JUST A FEW MOMENTS, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT THE, THIS ADMINISTRATION AND THIS BODY HAS, UH, FOCUSED ON OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
UM, WE DO HAVE A LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE AS A PART OF OUR PRESENTATION, BUT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE, UM, WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE, NOT ONLY BY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE, OF THE ORGANIZATION IN TERMS OF, OF THE MAJOR EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN OUR CITY, BUT ALSO THE NEARLY $150 MILLION OF INVESTMENTS THAT THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL HAVE MADE OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS INTO THE OPERATIONS EQUIPMENT AND HEALTH AND SAFETY INITIATIVES FOR OUR PERSONNEL.
UH, ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE PULLED DOWN NEARLY $19 MILLION IN NON-TRADITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES, GRANTS, DONATIONS, AND, AND OTHER AREAS, UH, TO HELP US MEET THE NEEDS AND SERVE THE, THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SEVEN YEARS AGO, THE FLEET WAS IN DIRE STRAITS.
UH, WE WERE SPENDING TONS OF MONEY MAINTAINING VEHICLES THAT HAD OUTLIVED THEIR, THEIR USEFUL LIFE.
WE WEREN'T PROVIDING THE TOOLS AND THE EQUIPMENT THAT, UH, THAT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
AND, UH, I'M NOT SAYING I'M NOT CLAIMING VICTORY YET BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.
THE, UH, THE NEW TRUCKS TO DELIVERY TIME FOR THOSE IS, HAS GONE FROM A YEAR TO TWO OR THREE YEARS IN DELIVERY.
THE COST ESCALATION HAS INCREASED ENORMOUSLY, NEARLY 70% IN SOME, SOME IN SOME AREAS, BUT, UH, BUT REALLY THE FOCUS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS HAS ALLOWED US TO REPLACE ABOUT 50% OF THE ENTIRE FLEET.
WE'VE, UM, WE'VE ORDERED ONCE, ONCE WE RECEIVE THE ORDER FOR FY 23, THE AVERAGE AGE OF OUR ENGINES AND LADDERS IS GONNA BE SEVEN YEARS, AND THE AVERAGE AGE OF OUR AMBULANCES IS GONNA BE FOUR YEARS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE REPLACED THE WHOLESALE, THE LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES FOR OUR LIFE SAFETY BUREAU.
UM, WE'VE PROVIDED, UM, AND THAT WAS AS A RESULT OF THE LEASE PROGRAM THAT WAS IMPLEMENTED A FEW YEARS AGO.
UM, RECOMMENDATION FROM, FROM THIS BODY, REALLY FROM THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS.
UM, IN ADDITION, WE FOCUSED ON THINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTING OUR PERSONNEL, UM, MEDICAL PHYSICALS AND CANCER SCREENINGS.
THOSE WILL BE COMING ONLINE THIS CALENDAR YEAR.
UM, WE'VE UPGRADED AND, AND MODERNIZED FIRE STATIONS WITH EXHAUST SYSTEMS, GEAR WASHERS, AS WELL AS PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, UH, FOR, FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS.
UM, IN TERMS OF SERVICE, THE, UM, THE DEPARTMENT HAS INCREASED MODESTLY THE NUMBER OF ASSETS TO ADDRESS THE, THE DEMAND.
WE'VE ADDED AN, AN ADDITIONAL HAZMAT UNIT TO THE SYSTEM.
WE ADDED FIVE PEAK TIME AMBULANCES TO THE SYSTEM AS WELL, AN 80 MEMBER WATER STRIKE TEAM, AND 15 HIGH WATER VEHICLES.
AND ALTHOUGH WE STILL NEED, UH, A LOT OF HELP IN THOSE AREAS, I THINK THAT, UH, WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THESE LAST SEVEN YEARS HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY, UH, BENEFICIAL FOR THE SERVICE OF OUR, OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR.
I WANT TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN, IN THIS RESPECT.
UM, SO WITH THAT, IF WE CAN START THE PRESENTATION.
THIS IS OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION.
THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, UH, IS DIVIDED INTO
[00:05:01]
FOUR MAIN DIVISIONS.THE OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF EMERGENCY RESPONSE ADMINISTRATION, AND SUPPORT AND PREVENTION AND HOMELAND SECURITY DIVISIONS.
THESE ARE THE MAIN MANAGERIAL AREAS OF THE ORGANIZATION THAT HELPED THE, THE CHIEF MANAGE THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATION FOR THE ORGANIZATION.
AND, UH, I WANNA PAUSE HERE REALLY BRIEFLY AND ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, AND THANK MEMBERS OF THE COMMAND STAFF WHO HAVE, UH, REALLY WORKED TIRELESSLY OVER THESE LAST SEVEN YEARS OVER WITH DEALING WITH REALLY CHALLENGING ISSUES, UM, BUT DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO, TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND THE MEMBERS THAT THEY, THAT THEY LEAD.
WE HAVE ASSISTANT, UH, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CHIEF RODNEY WEST WITH US EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, UH, MICHELLE MCLEOD, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CHIEF WELLS, UH, JUSTIN WELLS, AS WELL AS ASSISTANT CHIEF, MICHAEL MEIR, MICHAEL RA, MATT WHITE, ASSISTANT CHIEF SHELBY WALKER, ASSISTANT CHIEF MICHELLE BENTLEY, ASSISTANT CHIEF CLAY FRI, AND OUR FIRE MARSHAL ALFREDO MARTINEZ.
I WANNA GIVE THEM A SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE.
SO, IN PRESENTING OUR OUR BUDGET PROPOSAL UNDER THE NEW FORMAT, WE HAVE ROLLED OUR ENTIRE OPERATION INTO FIVE PROGRAMS. THE MAJORITY OF OUR BUDGET IS ALLOCATED, UH, AND FTES ARE ALLOCATED DIRECTLY TO THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE PROGRAMS, FOLLOWED BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE PROGRAM, WHICH ENCOMPASSES THE CHARGEBACK FOR SERVICES, FOR FLEET FINANCE AND HITS, AND ALL CONTRACTUAL AND GRANT MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS.
THE COMMUNITY FIRE PREVENTION AND RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM IS MADE UP, UH, OF THE LIFE SAFETY AND ARSON BUREAUS ARE PERMITTING AND INSPECTION FUNCTIONS, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FUNCTIONS, AS WELL AS OUR SPECIAL EVENTS FUNCTIONS.
THE FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM INCLUDES THE FUNCTIONS THAT ARE IN PLACE, PRIMARILY TO SERVE DIRECTLY THE FIREFIGHTERS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.
AND THE EXECUTIVE SERVICE PROGRAM INCLUDES THE COMMAND STAFF FUNCTIONS, PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS, UH, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE.
THIS SLIDE SUMMARIZES THE DEPARTMENT'S ALIGNMENT TO THE MAYOR'S PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES.
AS LAID OUT IN THE STRATEGIC GUIDING DOCUMENT, THE MAJORITY OF THE FUNDING IS ALLOCATED TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY AS DEFINED IN THE, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
BUT AS YOU'VE HEARD BEFORE, AND, AND AS WE'LL DISCUSS, UH, LATER IN LATER SLIDES, NEARLY 90% OF OUR BUDGET IS ALLOCATED TO PERSONNEL COST.
THE NEXT FEW SLIDES ARE GONNA COVER HOW OUR GENERAL FUNDS ARE ALLOCATED BY PROGRAM.
AND WITHIN EACH PROGRAM, WE'LL POINT OUT TO THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT WE'LL ACHIEVE WITH THE ALLOCATED DOLLARS.
NOW, WE DIDN'T LIST EVERY SINGLE INITIATIVE OR PERFORMANCE MEASURE INTO THE, UH, PRESENTATION, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO ANY OTHER METRICS OR INITIATIVES, UH, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTER THE PRESENTATION.
THIS IS THE EXPENDITURE PROGRAM, UH, EXPENDITURE BY PROGRAM SLIDE, AND SUMMARIZES A COST ASSOCIATED WITH EACH PROGRAM AND COMPARES OUR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET WITH OUR PROPOSED 24 REQUEST.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S 24 PROPOSED BUDGET IS $593.3 MILLION, AND OVERALL, WE HAVE A VARIANCE OF 6.32 INCREASE FROM FISCAL YEAR 20 THREE'S CURRENT BUDGET.
THE INCREASE IS, UH, ATTRIBUTED PRIMARILY TO THE 6% INCREASE, UH, PAY INCREASE FOR ALL CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL, 3% PAY INCREASE FOR CIVILIAN PERSONNEL, CHARGEBACKS, UH, CHANGES IN THE CHARGEBACK AMOUNTS, AND THE ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN HEADCOUNT FOR FISCAL YEAR 24.
THE LARGEST DOLLAR INCREASE SHOW SHOWN IS THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM.
THIS IS, UH, OUR LARGEST PROGRAM, BOTH IN TERMS OF BUDGET AND FTES.
OF THE $31.8 MILLION THAT WE SEE HERE, APPROXIMATELY 26.8 IS ATTRIBUTED TO CLASSIFIED PAY RAISES RELATED, UH, AND RELATED FRINGE BENEFITS, AS WELL AS INCREASES IN CLASSIFIED HEADCOUNT, UM, I'M SORRY, CLASSIFIED HEALTH AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION.
AND THAT EXPENDITURE IS $3.7 MILLION.
THERE'S A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT ACCOUNT, UH, THAT ACCOUNTS FOR INFLATION, AS WELL AS THE TUITION FEE FOR A THIRD PARAMEDIC CLASS THAT WE WILL BE, UH, PURSUING.
AND WE GOT APPROVAL THROUGH THE FY 24 PBJ PROCESS.
INCLUDED IN THIS, IN THIS INCREASE IS THE TWO ADDITIONAL FTES IN TO SUPPORT THE EMS QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IN THE COMMUNITY FIRE PREVENTION RISK, UH, REDUCTION PROGRAM.
THE OVERALL INCREASE IS $1.1 MILLION.
THIS INCREASE IS ATTRIBUTED TO CLASSIFIED PAY RAISES AND RELATED FRINGE, AS WELL AS A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE OVERTIME FOR LIFE SAFETY INSPECTORS TO PERFORM SAFETY INSPECTIONS AND STANDBYS.
THE FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY, UH, INCREASES IS ABOUT $365,000.
43% OF THE TOTAL IS ATTRIBUTED TO, AGAIN, CLASSIFIED AND CIVILIAN SALARY INCREASES.
AND THE BALANCE INCLUDES BUDGET INCREASES FOR CLEANING AND SANITARY SUPPLIES, PROTECTIVE GEAR BREATHING APPARATUS, UH, REPAIR AND SUPPLIES OF,
[00:10:01]
OF OTHER PROTECTIVE GEARS AND SERVICES.IN OUR EXECUTIVE PROGRAMS, WE HAVE AN INCREASE OF 12.56%.
THIS INCLUDES THE SALARIES IN FRINGE FOR ALL HFD EXECUTIVE STAFF, THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS OFFICE, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION, UH, OFFICE AS WELL.
THE INCREASE, UH, IN THIS PROGRAM IS THE CLASSIFIED BASE PAY OF 6% AND 3% FOR THE HOPE INCREASE.
OUR LAST PROGRAM IS THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES PROGRAM, WHICH, UH, INCREASES BY $1.2 MILLION.
THIS PROGRAM CONTAINS ALL OUR, OUR INTERFUND CHARGEBACKS ACCOUNT FOR FINANCE, AGAIN, FLEET HR HITS, AND THE INCREASES IN THIS PROGRAM ARE FOR CLASSIFIED BASE PAY AS WELL.
THE FOLLOWING SEVEN SLIDES WILL DETAIL HOW EACH OF OUR MAIN PROGRAMS, UM, AND THE PROPOSED OVERALL BUDGET FUNDING FOR EACH AND THE OVERALL OUTCOMES WILL BE ACHIEVED WITH THE ALLOCATED FUNDS.
THE FIRST PROGRAM IS EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE PROGRAM, WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGIC PRIORITY.
APPROXIMATELY 94% OF OUR FTES ARE ALLOCATED TO THIS PROGRAM.
IT INCLUDES THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE, SPECIAL OPERATIONS TRAINING, AND DISPATCH FOR, FOR OUR DEPARTMENT, THE FISCAL YEAR, 23 ESTIMATES AND THE 24 TARGETS OUTCOMES ARE LISTED HERE IN THIS CHART.
NOW, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS HERE ARE NO LONGER GONNA BE PRESENTED AS AVERAGES AS WAS DONE IN THE PAST.
WE'RE, WE'RE NOW GONNA BE REPORTING THE 90TH PERCENTILE MOVING FORWARD.
THIS IS WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS, IS MOVING TOWARDS, AND IT ALSO REPRESENTS WHAT WE ARE PRESENTING IN OUR ACCREDITATION DOCUMENT.
SO, THE ISSUES WE'RE HAVING WITH, WITH THE AVERAGES AND WHY THE INDUSTRY'S MOVING AWAY FROM 'EM IS THAT AVERAGES WHEN CALCULATED CON, UH, CONTAINS SOME, SOME OUTLIERS THAT KIND OF DISTORT THE REAL PERFORMANCE.
UM, AVERAGES CAN ALSO MEAN THAT HALF THE TIME YOU'RE DOING WORSE.
SO WE WANNA PRESENT THE, THE, UH, AT THE 90TH PERCENTILE.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU SEE HERE THE 300 AND AND 100 SERIES, IF WE WERE TO BE PRESENTING AVERAGES, THE NUMBERS WOULD BE SIX AND SEVEN MINUTES RESPECTIVELY.
SO, BUT AGAIN, THIS, UH, THE 90TH PERCENTILE REPRESENTS WHAT IT'S COMMUNICATING IS THAT 90% OF ALL USERS CAN EXPECT A RESPONSE NO WORSE THAN WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING HERE.
AND I THINK THAT'S A BETTER METRIC FOR US TO BE, UH, PRESENTING OUR, OUR PERFORMANCE.
UM, THERE ARE SOME ITEMS THAT ARE, THAT ARE AFFECTING THE PERFORMANCE, ESPECIALLY, UH, AT THE CALL PROCESSING TIME.
THE, THE LIMITATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY, THE LIMITATIONS IN PERSONAL STAFFING AND RESOURCE CAPACITY, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE ISSUES THAT, THAT, UH, WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, AND THANKS TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, COMMITTEE CHAIR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, WE'RE WORKING ON, ON UPGRADING THE CAD SYSTEM.
UM, I'M HOPING TO GET THE BALL MOVING AS FAR AS WE CAN BEFORE THE END OF THE THIS ADMINISTRATION, UM, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S MUCH NEEDED.
AND, UM, AND THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER FOR US TO DO AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL THE OTHER TECH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES THAT, UH, THAT WE CAN.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT WE ARE DOING AS AN ORGANIZATION IS, UM, IF YOU SEE, WE HAVE BROKEN UP THE FIRE FIRST UNIT, EMS FOR HEART PROBLEMS, CHEST PAINS, THOSE, THOSE, UH, CRITICAL TYPE CALLS AS OPPOSED TO THE 300 SERIES, WHICH ENCOMPASSES ALL EMS CALLS, INCLUDING THE VERY BASIC, UH, TRAUMA UP TO THE ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT NEEDS.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS THERE IS NO NEED FOR US TO, TO TREAT EVERY SINGLE CALL AT THE SAME PRIORITY.
WE'VE MADE SOME INTERNAL, UH, CHANGES TO SOME OF THE CALL TYPES THAT IF PRIMARILY THE CALL RESULTS IN A, IN A TRANSPORT AND IT'S A NON-CRITICAL CALL, WE WILL NO LONGER BE DEPLOYING THE FIRST AVAILABLE UNIT.
UM, WHICH MEANS THAT THE PERSON MAY BE WAITING A LITTLE BIT LONGER, BUT WHAT THEY ACTUALLY NEED IS AN AMBULANCE AND NOT A FIRE TRUCK, RIGHT? SO WE'RE TRYING TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT WE SEND BOTH THE FIRETRUCK AND AN AMBULANCE TO, TO THESE CALL TYPES.
IT'S A BETTER USE OF OUR RESOURCES.
IT'S MORE EFFICIENT USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY AND RESOURCES, AND, AND WE'RE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION.
UM, AGAIN, WE'RE LIMITED BY TECHNOLOGY.
THE, THE TOOL THAT'S GONNA ALLOW US TO DO THAT MORE EFFICIENTLY IS A PRIORITY DISPATCH SYSTEM, WHICH CAN BE BOLTED ONTO THE NEW CAD WHEN THAT COMES ONLINE.
AND SO THERE'S A, THESE ARE, WE NEED STEPPING STONES, RIGHT, TO GET TO, TO GET US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE, BUT WE'RE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION.
SO, CONTINUING WITH THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM, WE'RE PROJECTING 383,000
[00:15:01]
INCIDENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 24 WITH AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 1,050 INCIDENTS PER DAY.THE DEMAND IS PRIMARILY IN THE EMS, UH, CALL TYPE.
WE'VE ADDED FIVE PEAK TIME UNITS AT AN ADDITIONAL COST OF $1.9 MILLION A YEAR TO FULLY STAFF THOSE 12 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
UM, AGAIN, THIS IS THE BEGINNING TO TRY TO MEET THE, UH, THE INCREASING DEMAND.
BUT IN FUTURE BUDGETS, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION OF ADDING ADDITIONAL TRANSPORT UNITS AND TECHNOLOGY TO HELP US MEET THAT NEED.
THE PARAMEDIC CLASSES, UM, WE HAD SEVERAL, WE WENT ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF WITHOUT ANY PARAMEDIC CLASSES THAT WERE CANCELED DURING THE PANDEMIC.
THAT REALLY PUT US BEHIND IN OUR ABILITY TO TRAIN AND, AND STAFF CREDENTIAL PARAMEDICS FOR ATTRITION.
UM, WE, UH, IT TAKES ABOUT A YEAR, THE PROCESS, ABOUT A YEAR TO GET A PARAMEDIC, UH, CERTIFIED AND, AND OUT IN THE STREETS.
SO WE'RE PROJECTING THE, UH, AN ESTIMATE OF ENDING, UH, 365 FOR FISCAL YEAR 23, AND WE'RE TARGETING TO GET 368 BY, BY, UH, FISCAL YEAR 24.
WHAT WE ACTUALLY NEED IS 432 IN THE SYSTEM TO EFFICIENTLY, UM, RELIEVE AND, AND, UH, STAFF OUR UNITS.
SO NEXT FISCAL YEAR, WE, UH, WE WILL BE ASKING FOR A FOURTH PARAMEDIC CLASS.
UM, IF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES THAT PROVIDE THE TRAINING CAN INCREASE THE CAPACITY TO ACCOMMODATE FOR THAT.
OKAY, SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE AT CAPACITY.
WE'RE ASKING FOR 75, UH, THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR, WE'RE HOPING TO GET ANOTHER 25 FOR A TOTAL OF A HUNDRED PER YEAR.
UM, THEN THE LAST PERFORMANCE MEASURE HERE IS, UH, AGAIN, WITH HURRICANE SEASON COMING UP, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, UH, WE DO HAVE OUR WATER STRIKE TEAM OF 80 MEMBERS STAFFED UP.
WE DO HAVE, UM, ALL HIGH WATER VEHICLES AND BOATS THAT ARE, THAT ARE OPERATIONAL AND MAINTAINED AND, AND READY TO BE DEPLOYED AND AUGMENT WHAT, UM, WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE.
THE COMMUNITY FIRE PREVENTION AND RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM ALIGNS WITH THE MAYOR'S SAFETY AND COMPLETE COMMUNITIES PRIORITIES.
MAJOR SERVICES IN THIS PROGRAMS ARE THE CAUSE AND ORIGIN INVESTIGATION PROGRAMS, THE LIFE SAFETY BUREAU, INSPECTORS PERMITTING PLAN REVIEW, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS THE JUVENILE FIRE STOPPERS AND COUNSELING PROGRAMS. UM, THE OVERALL CLEARANCE RATE FOR, FOR ALL AGENCIES IN, IN THE COUNTRY, ACCORDING TO FBI STATISTICS, IS APPROXIMATELY 23% FOR CITIES WITH A POPULATION OF 1 MILLION OR MORE.
THE CLEARANCE RATE IN THOSE MUNICIPALITIES IS ABOUT 12.7%.
SO OUR PERSONNEL ARE DOING AN OUTSTANDING JOB IN A, IN A VERY ACTIVE SYSTEM.
UH, THEIR CLEARANCE RATE IS 22%.
WE'RE, UM, WE'RE TARGETING TO, TO HIT THAT SAME PERCENTAGE.
AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM WITH, WITH EFFORTS OF, OF TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED TO, TO DO THEIR JOB.
THE INSPECTION ACTIVITIES, UH, WILL BE ATTAINING, ARE PRESENTED HERE.
A FEW YEARS AGO, WE IMPLEMENTED A RISK-BASED INSPECTION PROGRAM, UM, TO BETTER MANAGE THE ENTIRE INVENTORY OF, OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS THAT WE HAVE IN, IN THE, UH, IN THEIR, IN OUR JURISDICTION.
BUT WE REALLY SHOULD BE VISITING THESE, THESE PUBLIC BUILDINGS ONCE A YEAR.
UM, IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE'RE WE'LL NEED TO INCREASE SOME CAPACITY.
I DO STILL SUPPORT THE BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WAS PRESENTED LAST YEAR OF, OF SEEKING TO, UH, SEE IF WE CAN BRING ON CIVILIAN INSPECTORS TO DO, UH, TO PURSUE THE EXPIRED PERMITS AND THE LOW LEVEL TYPE OF INSPECTIONS TO AUGMENT OUR ABILITY TO, TO VISIT THESE PUBLIC BUILDINGS EACH YEAR.
THE JUVENILE FIRE SETTERS, OR FIRE STOPPERS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN WHO HAVE A MISUSE FIRE.
THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM, AGAIN, IS TO PREVENT FIRES, TO PREVENT INJURIES AND DEATH AS A RESULT OF, OF, UH, THESE ACTIVITIES.
UH, THE PROGRAM WAS ACTUALLY STARTED BY THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE IN THE STATE, AND IT'S EXPANDED TO VARIOUS MUNICIPALITIES OF WHICH WE, UH, WE DO PARTICIPATE.
CONTINUING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND FIRE PREVENTION RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM, THE GET ALARM HOUSTON PROGRAM, UH, AIMS TO INSTALL SMOKE DETECTORS WHERE THEY'RE MOST NEEDED.
THE PROGRAM INCORPORATES PRIVATE BUSINESSES, THEIR DONATIONS, UH, AND ASSISTANCE IN INSTALLING THESE PROGRAMS, AND WE DO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE.
THEY ARE, UM, THEY'RE GIVEN TO LOW INCOME AND, AND PEOPLE THAT ARE UNABLE TO OBTAIN, UM, ALARMS, PEOPLE THAT ARE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED OR SENIORS ON FIXED INCOME.
SO WE WILL GO OUT THERE AND INSTALL THESE SMOKE DETECTORS FOR THEM.
OUR FIRE PREVENTION AND, AND PUBLIC EDUCATION, UH, DIVISIONS ALSO GO OUT AND CANVAS NEIGHBORHOODS AFTER, AFTER MAJOR FIRES AND PROVIDE THIS, UH, THIS ASSISTANCE IF IF NEEDED.
THE FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY, UH, PROGRAM ALLIANCE WITH THE MAYOR'S PUBLIC'S, UH, MAYOR, PUBLIC SAFETY
[00:20:01]
PRIORITY, I'M SORRY, THE PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY.AND THE MAJOR SERVICES HERE, UM, ARE ALSO FOCUSED ON PERSONNEL SAFETY AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND SERVICEABILITY.
WE HAVE OUR, WE HAVE ACHIEVED A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR, OF OUR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT TO BE INSPECTED ON TIME AS REQUIRED BY, BY NFBA STANDARD AND THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON FIRE PROTECTION.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING TO COMPLETE A, THE HOST TESTING FOR OUR FIRE TRUCKS.
AND YOU SEE THE, UH, THE NUMBER OF LINEAR FEET THAT WILL BE, THAT WILL BE TESTING, AS WELL AS TESTING OUR GROUND LADDERS, AND PROVIDING THE NFPA COMPLIANT PHYSICALS AND CANCER SCREENINGS BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
SO WE'VE LISTED A NUMBER OF 875.
WE HAVE, UH, 3,700 FIREFIGHTERS, BUT IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, BECAUSE THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS HAS TAKEN US SO LONG, IT WON'T BE READY TO GO UNTIL ABOUT S UH, OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER.
SO BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WE, UH, WE'LL MEET THE 875 TARGET HERE.
EXECUTIVE SERVICES, UH, THE EXECUTIVE SERVICE PROGRAM, THIS ONE IS ALIGNED TO THIS, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY, STRATEGIC IN THE STRATEGIC DOCUMENT.
UM, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IS, IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE ORGANIZATION'S, UH, FISCAL STABILITY AND, AND OUR ABILITY TO EFFICIENTLY SERVE OUR, OUR COMMUNITY.
EACH YEAR, OUR ATTRITION IS ABOUT 170.
WE'VE MAINTAINED THAT ATTRITION FOR OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND THAT'S AS A RESULT OF ALL TYPES OF, OF, UH, VACANCIES.
THAT'S RETIREMENTS, THAT'S, UH, UH, RESIGNATIONS, MEDICAL SEPARATIONS, DISCIPLINARY SEPARATIONS, EVERYTHING ABOUT 170.
IN FISCAL YEAR 20, WE FELL BEHIND OUR RECRUITMENT TARGET.
AFTER PROPOSITION B WAS VOTED ON, WE HAD TO CANCEL FOUR ACADEMY CLASSES THAT YEAR, WHICH MADE US LOSE OUR, OR MISS OUR RECRUITMENT TARGET BY 280 FIREFIGHTERS THAT YEAR.
UM, SINCE THEN, WE'VE, UH, WE'VE BEEN APPROVED 350 FIREFIGHTERS PER YEAR TO TRY TO MAKE UP NOT ONLY THE NORMAL ATTRITION, BUT TO MAKE UP WHAT WE LOST IN 2019 AND 2020.
AND, UM, AS IT STANDS TODAY, OUR HEAD COUNT IS 30, ABOUT 3,700 FIREFIGHTERS.
WE'RE ABOUT 230 FIREFIGHTERS BELOW OUR OPTIMAL LEVEL.
UM, IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THAT, THE MAYOR HAS APPROVED THE 25% PAY RAISE OVER THE LAST, UH, COUPLE YEARS FOR THE CADETS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, HE'S APPROVED THIS YEAR A $5,000 INCENTIVE FOR CADETS THAT THAT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE, THE CURRICULUM.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT, UH, ATTRACTS MORE INDIVIDUALS, BUT WE'RE HAVING THE SAME RECRUITMENT ISSUES THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE NATION ARE, ARE HAVING.
WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES, UH, IN, IN THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT WE CAN.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES PROGRAM ALIGNS WITH THE MAYOR'S SOUND FISCAL MANAGEMENT PRIORITY.
SO WE CONTINUE TO, TO SEEK EFFICIENCIES IN OUR OPERATIONS.
EARLIER WE DISCUSSED THE OPERATIONAL CHANGES THAT WE MADE TO OUR DEPLOYMENT MODEL.
UH, WE ALSO ENTERED INTO A LEASE PURCHASE MODEL FOR REPLACEMENT OF LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES.
UM, WE CONTINUOUSLY SEEK GRANTS OR OTHER NON-TRADITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES TO HELP US MEET THE ORGANIZATIONAL'S NEEDS.
AND THE GOAL IS TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF, OF TAXPAYERS' MONEY, WHILE ENSURING THAT WE MEET THE SERVICE EXPECTATIONS OF THE, OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND THIS CAN BE IN VARIOUS, UH, UH, WAYS, VACANCY SAVINGS, UM, ENSURING THAT WE'RE DILIGENT IN SECURING THE MOST BENEFICIAL CONTRACTS FOR GOODS AND SERVICES, UH, CONTINUOUSLY SEEKING OUT, UH, TO AUGMENT OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
UM, THIS INCLUDES APPROPRIATELY MANAGING THE GRANTS THAT WE ARE, THAT WE'RE AWARDED IN TERMS OF REVENUE.
WE'VE IMPLEMENTED A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE FOUND IN THE LONG TERM, UH, OR THE LONG RANGE FINANCIAL REPORT.
THIS INCLUDES THE ADJUSTMENT TO THE EMS TRANSPORT FEE IN 2019 TO BETTER MATCH THE COST OF DELIVERING SERVICE.
ALSO IMPLEMENTED A TREATMENT, NO TRANSPORT FEE.
WE IMPLEMENTED A LIFT ASSIST FEE AS PART OF THE ORDINANCE, AND THIS YEAR WE'LL BE ADDING TWO FTES TO THE MS DIVISION TO AID IN IMPROVING THE QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY, UH, AND DOCUMENTATION INPUTS FOR, FOR OUR, UH, ORGANIZATION, AMONG OTHER THINGS.
ON THE EXPENDITURES BY FUND, THE OVERALL, OVERALL, WE HAVE A VARIANCE OF 6.32 INCREASE IN FISCAL YEAR 20 THREE'S CURRENT BUDGET TO OUR PROPOSED BUDGET.
AGAIN, THE INCREASE IS ATTRI ATTRIBUTED PRIMARY TO THE 6% PAY INCREASE FOR CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL, 3% INCREASE FOR CIVILIANS, UH, THE CHARGEBACK ADJUSTMENTS, AND THE ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN HEADCOUNT.
THIS SLIDE ILLUSTRATES THE FUNDING ALLOCATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF PERSONNEL VERSUS NON-PERSONNEL EXPENSES.
UM, AND IT FURTHER BREAKS DOWN THE RESTRICTED AND NOT RESTRICTED COST.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE LION'S SHARE OF
[00:25:01]
OUR BUDGET IS IN PERSONNEL COSTS.OF THE 593.3 MILLION, 523 MILLION OF THAT IS COMMITTED TO PERSONAL EXPENDITURES WITH 98% OF THE PERSONNEL BUDGET DEDICATED TO CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES, AND 2% TO CIVILIAN EXPENDITURES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
OF THE 12% IN THE OTHER CATEGORY, 67% ALMOST IS DEDICATED TO THE RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS.
UM, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE FUNDS ARE ALLOCATED TO ACCOUNTS FOR FINANCE, HR HITS PRIMARILY, THIS LEAVES US APPROXIMATELY $23.3 MILLION TO FUND ALL OF THEIR OPERATIONAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SERVICE DELIVERY.
12.2% OF THAT IS FOR TELEMETRY, THE ANNUAL PHYSICALS FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL TUITION FOR EMT AND PARAMEDIC SCHOOL, AND THE ANNUAL CERTIFICATION, UH, COST FOR THE TCFP FOR OUR PERSONNEL.
5.4% OF THE BILLING AND COLLECTIONS IS RELATED TO EMS BILLING PROVIDERS, 5% FOR MEDICAL SURGICAL SUPPLIES AND OTHER AMBULANCE UH, NEEDS.
7.4% IS DEDICATED TO OTHER OPERATIONAL NECESSITIES AND, AND INCLUDES FUNDING FOR CLOTHING, SEBA, REPAIRS, GEAR CLEANING AND STRETCHER, AND DEFIBRILLATION MA UH, DEFIBRILLATOR MAINTENANCE.
AND FINALLY, WE HAVE A 3.3% DEDICATED TO OTHER SUPPLIES.
THAT INCLUDES ITEMS SUCH AS CLEANING AND SANITARY SUPPLIES FOR THE FIRE STATIONS, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED FOR TRAINING OXYGEN ON AMBULANCE AND, AND HAZMAT PHONE FOR CERTAIN INCIDENTS.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS, UH, THE EXPECTED OVERALL REDUCTION IN THE DEPARTMENT IN REVENUES OF 2.18% OR $2.3 MILLION.
THE LARGEST REDUCTION IS IN THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM.
THAT DECREASE IS DUE TO ANTICIPATED REDUCTION IN THE AMBULANCE SUPPLEMENTAL, UH, PAYMENT PROGRAM.
WE'VE SEEN AN ANNUAL REDUCTION OF THE, IN THAT PROGRAM YEAR OVER YEAR, THE $2.3 MILLION NET OF THE EXPECTED DECREASE ON OUR AMBULANCE SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAM OF 3.1 MILLION, WHICH IS CAUSING A DECREASE IN BOTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND THE EXECUTIVE PROGRAM.
THIS IS OFFSET AGAINST THE EXPECTED INCREASES IN AMBULANCE FEES OF ABOUT 750,000, UH, THE INTER FUND FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES OF $1.3 MILLION.
THAT'S THE CHARGEBACK FOR THE SERVICE AT THE AIRPORT, PRIMARILY FOR FIREFIGHTING, BOTH OF WHICH CAN BE FOUND IN THE EXECUTIVE SERVICE PROGRAM AS WELL.
THE, UH, SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAM, THE AMBULANCE SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAM, THAT PROGRAM CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST VOLATILE REVENUE SOURCE DUE TO THE, UH, THE UNKNOWN NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THAT PROGRAM EVERY YEAR.
WE'RE ALSO EXPECTING A DECREASE IN REVENUE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAM.
THE, UH, REDUCTION IN REVENUES IS EXPECTED, UH, FOR THE NATURAL RE NATURAL DISASTER REIMBURSEMENT, AS WELL AS THE YEAR OVER YEAR DECREASE FOR THE RESALE OF THE RENTAL VEHICLES.
WE'RE ALSO SEEING A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE COMMUNITY FIRE PREVENTION RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM OF ABOUT 183,000.
THIS IS BASED ON THE INCREASED NEED FOR INSPECTORS STANDBY.
THIS SLIDE IS A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF OUR ANNUAL REVENUES.
UH, THE DECREASES EACH YEAR ARE DIRECTLY RELATED, AGAIN, TO THE DECREASE IN THE AMOUNT RECEIVED BY THE AMBULANCE SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENT, UH, PROGRAM.
AND THESE ARE OFFSETS SOMEWHAT BY THE INCREMENTAL INCREASE IN AMBULANCE FEES.
SO IN 2022 TO 23, WE SAW A REDUCTION OF $7.3 MILLION IN THE A SPP FUND, A SPP FUND AND $2.1 MILLION IN THE CARES ACT PROVIDERS RELIEF FUND.
FROM FISCAL YEAR 23 CURRENT TO FISCAL 23 ESTIMATE, WE SAW ANOTHER REDUCTION OF $4.4 MILLION IN THE A SPP FUND IN FISCAL YEAR 23 TO 24, WE'RE ANTICIPATING A $3.1 MILLION REDUCTION IN THAT SAME, IN THAT SAME PROGRAM.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT'S THE, THAT IS THE MOST VOLATILE, UM, REVENUE SOURCE.
AND AGAIN, IT DEPENDS ON, I MEAN, THE, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THE POOL HASN'T CHANGED, BUT THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS IN THERE DOES FLUCTUATE AND THE CALCULATIONS FLUCTUATE.
SO WE ARE, WE'RE BOUND BY BY THAT.
SO THE, UH, LARGEST REVENUE SOURCE IS THE AMBULANCE TRANSPORT FEE AND ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 53% OF OUR REVENUES.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT'S THE AMBULANCE, SUPPLEMENTAL AND PAYMENT PLAN, PLUS THE FIRE PERMITS, HAZMAT FEES AND OTHER, AND OTHER CHARGES THAT WE HAVE.
AGAIN, THE MOST, UH, THE MOST VARIABLE REVENUE SOURCE IS THE A SPP.
AND AGAIN, THE, THE WAY THEY CALCULATE AND HOW MANY PEOPLE PARTICIPATE OR AGENCIES PARTICIPATE AS IS AFFECTING THE,
[00:30:01]
THE OVERALL ALLOTMENT AND ALLOCATION FOR, FOR RECIPIENTS.QUESTIONS, CHIEF, THANK YOU, UH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, AGAIN, TO YOUR ENTIRE, UH, TEAM AND STAFF.
WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU ALL PUT IN DAY IN AND DAY OUT, UH, TO KEEP US SAFE.
AND THEN SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PRESENT PRESENTATION, UH, CAN YOU GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK AND ELABORATE ON WHERE WE ARE? UM, POST SUPREME COURT WITH THE, UH, WITH THE PROP B? SO, PROPOSITION B HAS, WAS, UH, STRUCK DOWN BY THE SUPREME COURT.
UM, AND THAT IS, UM, I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S A DONE DEAL.
THE OTHER CASE THAT WAS, THAT WAS HEARD AT THE SUPREME SUPREME COURT WAS THE IMPASSE LAWSUIT FROM 2017.
THAT ONE HAS BEEN SENT BACK TO THE DISTRICT COURT FOR, FOR LITIGATION, AND THAT PROCESS IS, WILL CONTINUE ON.
UM, YEAH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE STAND AT THIS MOMENT.
UH, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR CDSF DOLLARS, AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, I WAS LOOKING AT A CHART THE OTHER DAY THAT SHOWED THE AMOUNT OF CDS DO CDSF DOLLARS THAT COME FROM DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT GO TO THE, TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WHAT, WHAT WAYS CAN WE, UH, COLLABORATE MORE ON, ON THINGS THAT YOU ALL NEED AS A DEPARTMENT THAT THE COUNCIL OFFICES CAN MAYBE ASSIST WITH? I KNOW FROM THE DISTRICT J OFFICE, SOMETIMES IT SEEMS MORE DIFFICULT TO ALLOCATE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAN OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
UH, AND SO WE END UP JUST TRYING TO GIVE LIKE A LUMP SUM TO EACH DEPARTMENT.
OR A SUBSTATION WITHIN OUR DISTRICT.
BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY, UM, FEEDBACK ON WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN POSSIBLY, UH, ALLOCATE MORE DOLLARS TOWARDS THE HOUSTON, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT COUNCIL MEMBER? WE'LL TAKE CARE OF EVERY DOLLAR THAT YOU, UH, THAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER, THAT'S FOR SURE.
UM, I DO WANT TO THANK EACH ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, BECAUSE YOU ALL AT, AT DIFFERENT POINTS HAVE REACHED OUT AND, AND OFFERED YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICT FUNDS FOR A VARIETY OF, OF EQUIPMENT AND, AND SAFETY TOOLS FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS DIRECTLY TO THE FIRE STATIONS IN YOUR, IN YOUR DISTRICT.
UM, WE'RE TRYING TO, TO CENTRALIZE THE ALLOCATE OR THE, UM, THE, THE ALLOCATION RIGHT OF, OF THOSE DOLLARS AND, AND THE NEEDS FOR EACH FIRE STATION, BECAUSE WE WANT TO FOCUS ON TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOB.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IF, IF WE GO DIRECTLY TO THE FIRE STATIONS, A LOT OF THOSE THINGS ARE, ARE QUALITY OF LIFE, UH, ITEMS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT TO USE COUNCIL DISTRICT FUNDS FOR, BUT TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THAT DIRECTLY GO TO LIFE SAVING, UH, FUNCTIONS, THOSE, UM, WE DO HAVE A LIST.
CHIEF RICH IS OUR FACILITIES PERSON.
HE IS THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR ALL THESE.
HE HAS A RUNNING LIST AND NEEDS FOR EACH FIRE STATION.
HE WILL CHECK THE FIRE STATIONS IN THOSE DISTRICTS FOR THE COUNCIL, UH, MEMBER TO SEE WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE AND PRIORITIZE THOSE, UH, THOSE ALLOCATIONS.
SO WE WILL WORK INTERNALLY, COUNCIL MEMBER, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, TO MAKE IT AS EFFICIENT AS WE CAN FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE DOLLARS APPROVED TO BE ALLOCATED TO, TO THE OPERATIONAL NEEDS OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AND, UM, I KNOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN AMENDMENT THAT WAS PROPOSED IN THE PAST FOR CIVILIANS TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME WORK, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE RETIRED FIREFIGHTERS? IS THERE ANY PROGRAMS IN PLACE WHERE A RETIRED FIREFIGHTER CAN COME BACK AND DO, UH, DAYTIME TASK OR THINGS THAT, UH, WOULDN'T, WOULDN'T HAVE TO, TO BE A, A FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE? ABSOLUTELY.
AND, AND EVEN, UM, IN THE INSPECTION AREA, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED IS, IS SOMEBODY THAT HAS SOME EXPERIENCE IN, IN WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, FOR FIRE INSPECTIONS.
IF THIS, IF THIS AMENDMENT COMES TO FRUITION, AND, AND WE DO HAVE A GROUP OF CIVILIAN INSPECTORS THAT CAN DO THE JOB, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT, UH, THAT I'M GONNA LOOK AT IS THAT POOL OF RETIRED FIREFIGHTERS.
THEY HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, THEY HAVE THE CERTIFICATION, THEY HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, THEY HAVE THE EYE FOR WHAT, UH, OUR FIREFIGHTERS IN THE FIELD WILL BE LOOKING FOR IN TERMS OF, OF THE INSPECTION AND SAFETY, UH, ITEMS THAT, THAT NEED TO BE LOOKED AT.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE CIVILIAN, UH, WORKFORCE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS, IS IS SMALL.
THOSE JOBS STILL NEED TO BE DONE.
I MEAN, THERE ARE A LOT MORE JOBS THAT NEED TO BE DONE, AND CIVILIANS CAN DO THOSE THINGS AS OPPOSED TO CLASSIFIED MEMBERS, BECAUSE THAT'S THE MOST INEFFICIENT USE OF OUR, OF OUR MEMBERS AND OUR RESOURCES.
SO, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO BRING ON ADDITIONAL,
[00:35:01]
UH, CIVILIAN WORKFORCE AS OPPOSED, YOU KNOW, TO COMPLETE THOSE TASKS.AND, UH, WHERE WE CAN FIND OPPORTUNITIES, WE'LL, WE'LL TRY TO CAPITALIZE ON IT.
CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, TO YOU, TO THE ENTIRE EXECUTIVE TEAM ON DOWN, UM, THE OUTSIDE FACTORS THAT YOU ALL HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE PAST FEW YEARS AND HOW YOU ALL HAVE MANAGED TO SUCCESSFULLY RUN AND OPERATE, UM, THE DEPARTMENT, UH, I AM EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH.
SO JUST THANK YOU, UH, DESPITE WHATEVER CHALLENGES ARE COMING, RIGHT? MM-HMM
Y'ALL ARE FINDING WAYS TO WORK WITH THAT.
UM, AS IT RELATES TO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, YOU MENTIONED AT THE TOP ABOUT GRANT FUNDING, RIGHT? I MAY HAVE MISSED IT.
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OVERALL BUDGET IS SUPPLEMENTED THROUGH GRANT FUNDING, UH, VERSUS OTHER DOLLARS? HOW MUCH ARE WE, DEPENDING UPON GRANTS, HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT? AND DO WE SEE ANY OF THAT CHANGING? UM, I WILL GET YOU A DEFINITE, UH, NUMBER PERCENTAGE.
I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T WANNA MENTION ONE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I, WE HAVE NOT DONE THAT CALCULATION.
ALL I, I'LL SUBMIT THAT QUESTION.
BUT, UH, I, I, I CAN ASSURE YOU COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL, UM, GRANTS OR DONATIONS OR OTHER FUNDING SOURCES THAT ARE, THAT WILL AUGMENT OUR, OUR ABILITY TO, UM, TO GET THE THINGS WE NEED AND MOTION TO EXTEND
UM, I DON'T THINK THE CHAIR TIMED THEMSELVES.
SO AS I, AS I MENTIONED, UH, BEFORE, OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, WE PULLED DOWN NEARLY $19 MILLION IN GRANTS AND DONATIONS AND OTHER THINGS.
AND THAT'S GONE TO EQUIPMENT, THAT'S GONE TO MEDICAL PHYSICALS, THAT'S GONE TO APPARATUS.
UM, SO JUST A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT, THAT, UH, AGAIN, WHEN WE CANNOT GET 'EM DIRECTLY THROUGH EITHER CAPITAL OR, OR THE OPERATIONAL DOLLARS, UM, THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY HERE IN HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE FOUND IS THAT IT, IT IS A VERY GENEROUS COMMUNITY.
AND SO ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS DO THE LEGWORK AND GET OUT THERE AND, AND, AND ASK.
AND Y'ALL DO A GREAT JOB WITH YOUR GRANT HUNTING YEAH.
SO I, I JUST WANNA SPOTLIGHT THAT.
AND IF I CAN GO BACK IN QUEUE, PLEASE.
AND, AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING A LOT OF THOSE COME WITH GRANT MATCHES OBLIGATIONS.
AND, AND THE COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE IN OUR PURSUIT OF THESE, OF THESE ADDITIONAL GRANT FUNDS.
STAFFER, CAROLYN, EVAN SHABBAT'S OFFICE.
THANK YOU CHIEF FOR ALL THAT YOUR OFFICERS DO.
UM, AND WE ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS AND PROVIDING INFORMATION ON HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS.
COUNCIL LADY EVAN SHABAZZ HAS A QUESTION ABOUT ON PAGE FOUR, YOUR STAFF PSYCHOLOGIST PROGRAM, BECAUSE YOUR FRONTLINE FIREFIGHTERS SEE AND EXPERIENCE THINGS, MOST OF US CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE.
SHE ASKS ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THAT PROGRAM AND DOES IT MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS? WELL, LOOK, UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE, THE GOOD WORK THAT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE DEPARTMENT DO.
THEY, AND, AND THEY, EVERY SINGLE DAY, THEY'RE OUT THERE, UM, DOING AN OUTSTANDING JOB FOR, FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT PTSD AND MENTAL HEALTH, UH, ISSUES ARE, ARE REAL THING IN THE FIRE SERVICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY INDUSTRY.
AND, AND RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, THE PROGRAM IS, IS, UH, IF YOU TALK TO DR.
SALTERS, WHO IS OUR STAFF PSYCHOLOGIST, SHE'LL TELL YOU THAT, THAT SHE'S OVERWHELMED.
UM, SHE HAS A LOT OF BUSINESS, RIGHT? OUR FOLKS, WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO SEEK OUT THOSE, THOSE CONTACTS.
BUT, UH, WE DO NEED TO STRATEGICALLY INVEST MORE IN NOT ONLY STAFF PSYCHOLOGISTS, BUT ADDITIONAL TRAINING TO AUGMENT AND INCREASE THE NUMBER OF CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL THAT, THAT ASSIST OUR STAFF PSYCHOLOGIST IN, IN MAKING THOSE CONTACTS WITH THEIR PERSONNEL AND, AND PROGRAMS FOR OUR FOLKS TO, TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING THE TREATMENT THAT THEY NEED AND, AND THE VISITS THAT THEY NEED.
RIGHT? A LOT OF TIMES IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN AVERT SOME DISASTER OR TRAGEDY BY, BY JUST HAVING THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE.
I'M PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE THEM INTERNALLY IN THE ORGANIZATION, BUT, UM, BUT STRATEGICALLY, WE DO NEED TO LOOK FOR, FOR AN INCREASE IN CAPACITY IN THAT RESPECT.
HAVE YOU INCLUDED IN YOUR BUDGET ESTIMATES SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF THAT PARTICULAR AREA? WE DID INCREASE THE, UH, OR WE DID ASK FOR, FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF, OF THAT PROGRAM.
UM, WE DO HAVE, DO WE HAVE THREE STILL? STILL? THREE, TWO, WE HAVE THREE ALLOCATED IN PBJ PROCESS.
SO JUST TO GOT CLARIFICATION, WE DID, SO WE DO HAVE TWO, BUT WE ASKED FOR
[00:40:01]
THE THIRD ONE DURING, FOR, IN THE, UH, THROUGH THE PBJ PROCESS.AND WE'RE HOPING TO, UM, WAITING ON THAT, ON THAT, UH, ANSWER BACK.
BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THREE IS, IS, IS A GOOD START.
UM, BUT WE CAN ALSO USE ADDITIONAL, UM, TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND, AND OTHER RESOURCES THAT, UH, THAT GO DIRECTLY TO THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS.
UM, CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, AND, AND ALL THE INFORMATION.
UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, UH, BEING A COUNCIL MEMBER, I KNOW THAT WAY BACK UNDER THE PARKER ADMINISTRATION, SHE HAD REACHED OUT TO ME IN REGARDS TO MY DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS, UH, UH, FOR DOING SOME RENOVATIONS AT THE JANKEY TRAINING FACILITY.
UH, SO I DID PUT 140,000 BACK THEN, UM, UNDER THE PARK ADMINISTRATION.
AND SINCE THEN, PURCHASED SAWS AND, UM, RECENTLY, UH, PURCHASED SOME EQUIPMENT, UH, HAZMAT EQUIPMENT THAT WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED BY THE EAST SIDE HAZMAT FIRE STATION.
UH, SO, UH, GO GOING THROUGH BERNITA, UH, AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ABLE TO, OR COUNCIL IS ABLE TO GET, GIVE, UH, DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, CHIEF YOU HAD MENTIONED, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PRESENTATION, I BELIEVE YOU SAID 50% OF THE FLEET.
NOW, IS IT 50% OF THE FLEET HAS BEEN REPLACED, OR IS IT, OR IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPLACED? NO, 50% OF THE FLEET HAS BEEN REPLACED.
BUT YOU'RE STILL WAITING FOR MORE EQUIPMENT TO COME? ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
WE, SO THAT WOULD INCREASE, INCREASE IT MORE THAN 50%, OR IS THAT PART OF THE 50%? SO 50% IS WHAT WE HAVE ACTUAL.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE EXPECTING A RECEIPT OF THE, WHAT WE ORDER FOR FISCAL YEAR 23, THAT WILL BRING THE ENTIRE AVERAGE OF OUR FLEET DOWN TO ABOUT SEVEN YEARS.
UM, AND, BUT WE WILL MAKE ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION, UM, REQUEST FOR, FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
THAT'S ALSO IN OUR, IN OUR BUDGET.
AND, AND THEN YOU MENTIONED, UH, THERE THE, UM, THERE WAS A 25% SALARY INCREASE FOR THE CADETS MM-HMM
AND THEN A $5,000 SIGN ON BONUS FOR CADETS.
HPD HAS A $10,000 SIGN ON BONUS.
SO, UH, DO YOU FEEL THAT'S COMPETITIVE NOW TO BE OUT THERE? UH, I, I KNOW THAT H HP D'S HAVING TO GO OUT TO OTHER CITIES TO, TO RECRUIT, ARE, ARE WE DOING THE SAME? WE'RE DOING THE SAME THING.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, OUR FOLKS ARE, ARE TRAVELING A LOT, AND TO TRY TO GET PEOPLE INTO, INTO THIS ORGANIZATION, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, BUT IT'S JUST NOT ONE THING.
IT'S NOT JUST THE ENTRY, UH, PAY FOR, FOR CADETS.
IT'S ALSO THE, THE COMPETITIVENESS IN SALARIES ONCE THEY GRADUATE.
NOW, THIS FISCAL YEAR WILL, WILL, UH, ALLOCATE THE ADDITIONAL 6% OF THE 18% THAT WAS APPROVED A FEW YEARS AGO THAT IS GONNA BEGIN TO BRING US UP TO, TO A COMPETITIVE LEVEL IN THE MARKET.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, EVERY YEAR WE GO WITHOUT A CONTRACT, WITHOUT THE ASSOCIATION ACCEPTING PAY RAISES, WE FALL FURTHER BEHIND AND IT MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT TO RETAIN.
RETENTION IS, IS THE OTHER HALF OF THAT EQUATION, RIGHT? RIGHT.
CAN, CAN YOU PUT ME BACK IN THE QUEUE, PLEASE? SURE.
UM, CHIEF, JUST TO CHANGE DIRECTIONS FOR A MOMENT, UM, I, I ALWAYS LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT WHEN ALL OF THE DIVISIONS ARE AMAZING, BUT I REALLY LOVE WORKING WITH THE WILDFIRE, UH, RESPONSE DIVISION.
JUST, AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THE TYPE OF SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE, AND I THINK IT'S, UH, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FLEXIBILITY AND INGENUITY THAT YOU ALL IN COMMAND HAS BROUGHT TO THE DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE, I MEAN, I WAS OUT AT A CONTROL BURN AND SOME OF THIS, SOME OF THE, UM, FIREFIGHTERS GOT A CALL TO HEAD OUT RIGHT TOWARDS, I, I THINK IT WAS WEST TEXAS AT THE TIME.
WE DO A LOT OF PARTNERSHIP RESPONSES, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE STEPPED UP, UM, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, EXCUSE ME, IN RESPONDING TO WILDFIRES AND EVEN INTERNATIONALLY, I BELIEVE.
AS WELL, WITH SOME EFFORTS, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT, RIGHT.
AS WE FO AS WE KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE.
NEITHER IS ANOTHER CITY OR STATE.
DO WE GET REIMBURSED FOR THOSE COSTS? WE DO.
AND THAT WAS PART OF THE, UM, REVENUE AND, AND, UH, EXPENDITURE REDUCTIONS AND, AND FLUCTUATIONS.
UM, WE DO GET REIMBURSED WHEN WE ARE PART OF EITHER THE TA TEXAS TASK FORCE ONE DEPLOYMENTS OR TIFF, UH, DEPLOYMENTS.
WE DO GET REIMBURSEMENT FOR, FOR THOSE.
UM, OUR PRIMARY MISSION CONTINUES TO BE EMERGENCY RESPONSE HERE IN THE CITY, BUT I AGREE WITH YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER THAT, UH, LOOK, THE RISK THAT EXISTS HERE IN HOUSTON ARE UNIQUE.
WE HAVE EVERYTHING FROM WILD LAND TO URBAN, TO PETROCHEMICAL TO EVERYTHING.
AND, AND, UH, EVEN THOUGH THE MAJORITY OF OUR CALLS ARE, ARE EMS TYPE RESPONSE, WE DO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY AND OBLIGATION, I THINK TO AT LEAST HAVE A SMALL CONTINGENCY THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, DEDICATED AND EXPERTS IN
[00:45:01]
THOSE OTHER AREAS.AND, YOU KNOW, THANKS TO THE COMMAND STAFF, UH, AND THEIR ADVOCACY AND THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, ANALYZING WHAT THE RISKS ARE AND STARTING TO, TO, UH, DIRECT RESOURCES TOWARDS THOSE RISKS IS, UH, HAS BEEN CRITICAL.
AND, UH, BUT WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF THINGS THAT, UH, NORMALLY IN THE PAST HADN'T BEEN FORMALIZED AND IMPLEMENTED AS PART OF A, UH, OPERATIONAL PROGRAM.
WELL, I WANNA THANK Y'ALL FOR THAT, BECAUSE AGAIN, AS WE SEE MORE EXTREME WEATHER RIGHT.
BOTH DROUGHT AND FIRE AND FLOOD, UM, OUR STATE'S GONNA DEPEND ON, YOU KNOW, OUR TOP FIRE DEPARTMENT YEAH.
AND THE STATE TO HELP RESPOND TO THOSE.
UM, AS IT RELATES TO, UH, YOU MENTIONED IT, WHAT WILL DEPEND ON A NEW CAD SYSTEM AND BEING ABLE TO ATTACH TO THAT CAPABILITIES FOR DISPATCH THAT, UH, LESSEN THE NEED TO SEND, LET'S SAY, MULTIPLE ASSETS OUT VERSUS ONE, YOU KNOW, VEHICLE.
DO WE HAVE A CALCULATION OR WAY TO CALCULATE WHAT THAT COST IS NOW? SO WITHOUT RIGHT.
THE APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TO DO DISPATCH THE WAY THAT WE NEED TO FOR THIS NEXT GENERATION MM-HMM
UM, IS THERE A COST AFFILIATED WITH SENDING OUT MULTIPLE VEHICLES? OH, DEFINITELY.
THERE'S A COST TO EVERY TIME WE DEPLOY, ESPECIALLY THE HEAVY APPARATUS.
THAT'S A, THAT'S A HUGE COST, AND IT'S VERY INEFFICIENT.
LOOK, WE, WHEN YOU CALCULATE THE COST OF PERSONNEL, WE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE ON THOSE APPARATUS, ON THOSE HEAVY ON THE LADDER TRUCKS.
WE GET ABOUT A MILE TO THE GALLON OF FUEL ON THOSE THINGS.
UM, NOW THEY COST ABOUT $1.4 MILLION A PIECE.
AND THE WEAR AND TEAR ON THOSE THINGS FOR A TWISTED ANKLE IS, IS, IS JUST SILLY.
IT'S JUST THE, THE MOST INEFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES.
SO WE NEED TO MOVE AWAY FROM THAT.
WE HAVE TO, UM, SPEAK ON THE COST OF IT.
I DID LOOK INTO A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHAT THE PRIORITY DISPATCH SYSTEM WOULD COST THE, UH, BACK IN 2020, THE COST FOR THE SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES NOT ONLY THE SOFTWARE, BUT THE, UH, UH, SERVICE AGREEMENTS, THE TRAINING, THE, UH, QA QI, IT WAS ABOUT $500,000, UH, A YEAR OR $700,000 FOR A SEVEN YEAR PROGRAM.
THOSE ARE GONNA, THOSE COSTS ARE GONNA BE ESCALATING NOW, I IMAGINE.
BUT STILL, THE BENEFITS THAT WE GET THE OFFSETS IN, IN WEAR AND TEAR AND APPARATUS REPLACEMENT OF THE APPARATUS, UH, AVAILABILITY OF UNITS AND JUST A BETTER WAY OF DOING BUSINESS IS, UH, WILL COMPLETELY OFFSET THE COST OF ANY TECHNOLOGY.
UH, BACK IN QUEUE, I KNOW GALLEGOS HAS SOME COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS.
UH, CHIEF, UH, IN REGARDS TO, UM, HOW MANY AMBULANCES DID YOU SAY WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN SERVICE? WE HAVE 103 AMBULANCES THAT ARE, THAT OPERATE 24 HOURS, AND WE HAVE FIVE AMBULANCES THAT ARE BROUGHT ON, UM, IN ADDITION TO THOSE 24 HOUR UNITS FOR, I'M SORRY, IF, IF THEY'RE NEEDED OR NO, NO, NO.
WE, WE, UH, WE'VE STAFFED THEM UP FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR 12 HOURS A DAY FROM 8:00 AM TO 8:00 PM MM-HMM
AND THAT'S OUR PEAK, UH, TIME USE.
SO IN TOTAL, DURING THE PEAK TIME HOURS, WE HAVE ABOUT 108 OR 109, UH, EMS UNITS IN THE SYSTEM.
FIVE OF THOSE UNITS ARE, ARE SQUAD UNITS OR PARAMEDIC UNITS? UH, THEY'RE IN PICKUP TRUCKS.
UM, IF THEY GET TO THE SCENE AND, AND THEY REQUIRE TRANSPORT AT THE A LS LEVEL, THEN THEY'LL JUMP ON THE AMBULANCE AND TRANSPORT.
BUT, UM, IF NOT, THEN THEY'RE BACK IN SERVICE.
SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS ADD MORE CAPACITY COUNCIL MEMBER, BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING A 10% INCREASE PER YEAR STRICTLY.
THAT WAS GONNA BE MY, MY NEXT QUESTION IN REGARDS TO A A, A PERFECT HOUSTON HFD DEPARTMENT, HOW MANY AMBULANCE DO YOU NEED? LOOK, I'LL NEED AN ADDITIONAL 15 AMBULANCES IN 15, 15 AMBULANCES AT LEAST TO BEGIN ADDRESSING THE, UH, THE ISSUE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, I'LL NEED A, AN INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY, BOTH IN THE CAD PRIORITY DISPATCH SYSTEM, AND OUR ABILITY TO DISPATCH BY VEHICLE LOCATOR RIGHT NOW, AN ALARM HITS, AND THEY WILL DISPATCH THE CLOSEST STATION, EVEN THOUGH AN AMBULANCE CAN BE DRIVING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SCENE.
SO, UM, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO, TO LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO BETTER USE OUR, OUR RESOURCES.
THAT'S GONNA GIVE US, UH, ADDITIONAL CAPACITY.
IT'S GONNA IMPROVE OUR PERFORMANCE.
UM, AND IT'S GONNA IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY'RE BEING DEPLOYED ON THINGS THAT, THAT THEY MAY NOT NEED TO GO EMERGENCY MM-HMM
UM, AND, BUT THE WAY THE SYSTEM IS BUILT, THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT IT'S A CRITICAL CALL UNLESS IT'S PROVEN OTHERWISE.
AND THE WAY WE PROVE OTHERWISE IS TO GET TO THE SCENE.
BUT BY THAT TIME, WE'VE ALREADY EXPENDED THE RESOURCES AND, AND PUT IT IN PLACE.
[00:50:01]
THE QUEUE, PLEASE? QUICK QUESTION ON THE TECHNOLOGY.UM, CAN SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGY BE SEPARATED BY A COUNCIL DISTRICT? OR IS THE TECHNOLOGY JUST A WIDESPREAD FOR THE CITY? IT'S AN OVERALL SYSTEM, UH, APPROACH.
COUNCIL MEMBER, BECAUSE, SO THE, EVEN THOUGH THE STATIONS ARE SPREAD OUT, AND EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT HAS A NUMBER OF STATIONS, IT'S A SYSTEM WIDE, UH, APPROACH.
IT'S A, UM, SO YOUR FIRE RESOURCES DON'T ONLY RESPOND TO YOUR DISTRICT.
THEY CAN BE CALLED OUT TO THE NEXT.
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS A LOT, IS IN THE VERY BUSY AREAS.
THOSE UNITS ARE, ARE CONSUMED QUICKLY, AND THEN THEY'RE BACKFILLED FROM FURTHER AWAY FROM OTHER STATIONS, WHICH IS CAUSING A DOMINO EFFECT IN THE, IN THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, THANK YOU CHAIR.
AND JUST TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THOUGH, GIVEN SOME OF THESE TECHNOLOGICAL NEEDS, I'M SURE AS DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS CHIEF, IF WE PULLED TOGETHER, WE MAY BE ABLE TO, AND I'D BE ABLE TO MM-HMM
AND I'D BE HAPPY TO KIND OF HELP FACILITATE THAT PARTNERSHIP.
I KNOW WE ALSO, WHEN YOU ASK, SO LIKE IN OUR DISTRICT, WE HAVE HELPED FUND WORKING WITH GSD PRIMARILY MM-HMM
RIGHT? SOME OF THE PLUMBING FOR OUR LOCAL FIRE STATIONS.
SOME OF THOSE KINDA LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT WE CAN DO.
BUT IF WE WANNA HAVE A BROADER CONVERSATION CHIEF, AND I'M SO GLAD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE AGAIN, ALL OF, I MEAN, I LOOK AT OUR CAD RIGHT NOW AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE THIS VISION OF DUCT TAPED CORDS TOGETHER.
DO YOU HAVE AN OVERALL, I I'M GONNA JUST ASK GENERALLY, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY NEEDS, I HEARD CAD, VEHICLE LOCATOR, PRIORITY DISPATCH.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER TYPES OF SMART TECHNOLOGY, WHETHER IT'S WITH, UM, PERMITTING AND INSPECTIONS, RIGHT? MAPPING TOOLS SO THAT WE HAVE A BETTER INTEGRATION OF, UM, THE LAYOUT OF BUILDINGS IN CASE SOMEONE'S RESPONDING.
WHAT ARE THOSE NEEDS GENERALLY? AND IS THERE JUST KIND OF AN OVERALL, LIKE HAS CAD BEEN FULLY FUNDED YET? I KNOW THE FIRST PHASE OF IT HAS BEEN, BUT WHAT ARE THE LINGERING COSTS THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF? RIGHT.
SO THE COMPLETE FUNDING OF THE, OF THE CAD SYSTEM AND, AND ITS REPLACEMENT, UM, THE BOLTING ON OF NOT ONLY THE MEDICAL PRIORITY DISPATCH DISPATCH SYSTEM, BUT FIRE DISPATCH SYSTEM, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICE.
THERE ARE PROGRAMS FOR THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT, THAT WE'D HAVE TO HAVE WITH, WITH CHIEF NER AND HIS AND HIS STAFF.
UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE ARE, UM, ASSET TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES THAT, THAT WOULD HELP US DO OUR JOB MORE EFFICIENTLY.
THE INSPECTION OF BUILDINGS AND REPORTING OF, OF THOSE INSPECTIONS AND, AND EXPIRED PERMITS AND STUFF, THE CHASING AFTER THOSE AND, AND, AND MAKING US AWARE OF WHO IS, WHO'S, UH, NOT IN COMPLIANCE.
THOSE TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE OUT THERE AS WELL, THAT NEED THAT, UH, NEED TO BE BROUGHT ON TO THE ORGANIZATION.
IT, UM, IT WILL IMPACT NOT ONLY THE REVENUE, BUT ALSO THE SAFETY IN OUR ABILITY TO, TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT THOSE AREAS THAT NEED TO BE, UH, INSPECTED.
AND IF, IF THERE WAS A BALLPARK WITH THAT, AND WE CAN SUBMIT THAT, RIGHT? I'M SORRY, WE CAN SUBMIT THE QUESTION, BUT IF THERE'S A BALLPARK OF, YOU KNOW, HERE'S HD'S WISHLIST OF TECHNOLOGY, WHAT THOSE COST OR JUST AN OVERALL YES, WE NEED A, YOU KNOW, 5 MILLION OR $20 MILLION INVESTMENT IN HFD D TECHNOLOGY.
UM, AND I'M NOT EVEN LOOKING BEHIND ME, BUT I CAN, I CAN FEEL THEIR HEADS NODDING YES, BECAUSE THEY'VE, THEY'VE BEEN ASKING FOR, FOR THESE THINGS.
AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, WE PRIORITIZE WHAT WE'RE GONNA REQUEST WITHIN THE TARGET OF OUR BUDGET, BUT CERTAINLY THERE ARE NEEDS THAT WOULD MAKE US TECHNO, UH, TECHNOLOGIES THAT WOULD MAKE US MORE EFFICIENT, RIGHT? MM-HMM
AND LA IF I CAN JUST FINISH UP, UM, COUNCILOR GALLEGOS WAS ASKING ABOUT VEHICLES AND AMBULANCES.
I HEARD SOME GREAT FEEDBACK THAT THE ELECTRIC, UM, EMS MM-HMM
CABS SEEM TO BE DOING RELATIVELY WELL.
DO Y'ALL HAVE A SENSE OF HOW THOSE ARE PERFORMING RIGHT NOW? THE GENERATORS? UH, YEAH.
I MEAN, THOSE ARE, IT, IT'S A GAME CHANGER FOR US, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS SAFETY GOES AND, AND THE EFFICIENCY, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD AMBULANCES THAT WERE SO OLD AND THEY HAD THE OLD, UM, UH, GAS GENERATORS AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE FUMES WERE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE CUMULATIVE.
AND SO THIS IS A MUCH, UH, BETTER WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR, FOR OUR FOLKS.
AND, UM, REALLY IN AREAS WHERE WE CAN LEVERAGE THE, THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, THE EV, UH, AND, AND ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY.
WE WILL LOOK FOR AREAS TO, TO AUGMENT OUR RESOURCES WITH IT.
SO THERE'S A ALSO A HEALTH AND SAFETY ASPECT TO THIS YES, DEFINITELY.
UM, SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THAT.
AND, UH, I'M WRAPPING UP, I PROMISE CHAIR.
UM, AS YOU TALK ABOUT RECRUITMENT MM-HMM
UH, I WAS JUST COUNCIL MEMBER PECK AND I WERE RECENTLY AT ONE OF THE GRADUATIONS, AND I DID WANNA SPOTLIGHT THE ATTENTION THAT HFD IS GETTING WITH RECRUITMENT.
WE HAD ONE YOUNG MAN, UM, THAT WAS ALL
[00:55:01]
THE WAY FROM NEW YORK.AND WE ASKED HIM WHY, I THINK Y'ALL REMEMBER THIS, WHY HE CHOSE HOUSTON.
AND HE SAID, BECAUSE IT'S THE TOP CALIBER OF, UM, FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE NATION.
SO I, I THINK WE ARE DOING SOME THINGS RIGHT IN BRINGING REALLY GOOD PEOPLE, UM, TO THE DEPARTMENT.
WELL, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, THANKS TO, TO STAFF AND, AND THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT PUT ON THE UNIFORM EVERY DAY, WE WE'RE DOING A LOT OF THINGS RIGHT.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, UM, OUR JOB IS TO SUPPORT THOSE THAT ARE SERVING OUR PUBLIC.
AND, AND THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF, OF THIS BUDGET HEARING AND, AND THE REQUESTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO BE AS EFFICIENT WITH THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE AND LOOKING FOR OPERATIONAL, UH, EFFICIENCIES.
UM, BUT WE'RE QUICKLY BEING OUTPACED AS FAR AS THE DEMAND, ESPECIALLY IN EMS. AND, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AS THE POPULATION AGES IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT NUMBER'S JUST GONNA GO UP.
SO WE NEED TO, TO START DOING DIFFERENT THINGS TO START ADDRESSING THAT, THAT DEMAND.
UH, GOING BACK IN REGARDS TO TECHNOLOGY, I WANT TO THANK YOU, CHIEF AND, UH, YOUR STAFF IN REGARDS TO TECHNOLOGY, UH, OF THE, UH, MONITORS AND THE CAMERAS THAT WE'RE PLACING AT, UH, TARGETED CROSSINGS IN REGARDS TO THE TRAINS, UH, THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, IN REGARDS TO, UH, THE, UH, SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY.
UM, INITIALLY IT, IT, IT, IT, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES WERE PROVIDING THIS, UH, MONITORS AND WHAT HAVE YOU, BUT, UH, JUST RECENTLY I HAD A MEETING TO GET AN UPDATE.
I KNOW THAT, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO MAYBE BUY THESE MONITORS POSSIBLY, OR PURCHASE SOME, UH, AND I'M WILLING TO DO THAT WITH MY DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS.
AND I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE UP TO ALMOST 20 MONITORS TARGETING.
UH, MOST OF THEM ARE IN THE EAST END WHERE WE DO HAVE MORE TRAINS.
UH, BUT WE ARE ALSO PLACING SOME IN OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
AND I'M GONNA REACH OUT TO THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SEE IF THEY'RE WILLING TO PUT SOMEBODY FROM THEIR DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS.
I KNOW THAT STATION 18 HAS BEEN A, UH, A MODEL IN REGARDS TO THE TV CAMERA TO SEE WHERE THE, WHERE IF THERE IS A TRAIN WITHIN THAT TRIANGLE OF TRACKS, UH, WHERE AS, YOU KNOW, KEEPS, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FROM GOING TO EMERGENCIES DUE THE FACT THAT AT TIMES IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN, BUT IT DOES HAPPEN WHERE ALL THREE SIDES ARE BLOCKED BY TRAINS.
UH, SO, SO, UH, THIS, THIS, UH, UH, PROGRAM HAS, HAS BEEN VERY, VERY BENEFICIAL IN MY OPINION.
I MEAN, IN REGARDS TO GETTING THE ATTENTION FROM THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, WE NOW HAVE THAT DATA, UH, THAT THE RAILROADS DID NOT WANT TO SHARE WITH US IN REGARDS TO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE A RECORD OF A TRAIN BLOCKING LOCKWOOD FOR SIX HOURS YEAH.
UH, AND BEFORE WE COULDN'T GET THAT FROM, FROM THE RAILROADS, BUT NOW WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
UH, SO WE SHARE IT WITH THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, AND THEREFORE THEY'VE ACTUALLY HAVE PROVIDED US WITH SOME MONITORS.
SO, UH, SO IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM AND, UH, I I, I, I'M WILLING TO PUT SOME MONEY THIS, THIS GO ROUND IN REGARDS TO THOSE MONITORS, AND I'LL REACH OUT TO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE THESE MONITORS TO SEE IF THEY'RE WILLING TO DO THE SAME.
UM, IN, IN REGARDS TO THE EEMS CLASSES, UM, DID YOU SAY, HOW MANY DO WE HAVE THIS YEAR? EMS CLASSES? YEAH, SO WE'RE GONNA BASIC EMT TRAINING, WE'RE GONNA, WE'VE BUDGETED TO, TO TRAIN ALL 350 THAT WE HOPE TO HIRE THIS YEAR.
AND WE HAVE THREE PARAMEDIC CLASSES THAT WE'VE REQUESTED FOR THIS COMING FISCAL YEAR.
SO IT'S 75 PARAMEDICS, UM, NEXT FISCAL YEAR, IF THE COLLEGES CAN INCREASE THEIR CAPACITY, WE, WE HOPE TO GET A HUNDRED PARAMEDICS TRAINED NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
AGAIN, WE WANNA TRAIN UP AS, AS MANY AS WE CAN TO GET TO THE 432 NUMBER THAT, THAT WE NEED TO EFFICIENTLY RUN THE SYSTEM.
AND THAT'S JUST TO, TO STAFF WHAT WE HAVE NOW MM-HMM
WE DO NEED TO INCREASE CAPACITY, SO WE'LL NEED ADDITIONAL PARAMEDICS FOR THOSE ADDITIONAL TRANSPORT UNITS THAT WE HOPE TO BRING ONLINE.
AND, AND, AND WHEN YOU SAY THE COLLEGES, IS IT JUST HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS PROVIDING THIS TRAINING OR? YEAH.
SO WE WERE, UH, WE HAD INITIAL CONTRACT WITH LONE STAR COLLEGE.
UH, WE'VE, THEN, WE'VE SINCE EXPANDED THAT TO THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE AS WELL.
SO NOW WE HAVE BOTH OF THEM ONLINE.
UM, AND AGAIN, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RESILIENCE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE AREA THAT, UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE SOME STRIDES IN, BUT THEY NEED SOME TIME TO BUILD THAT PROGRAM UP AND GET THE, THE NEEDED INSTRUCTORS AND AND MATERIALS TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE THE PARAMEDIC CLASS TRAINING.
AND, AND, AND HOW MANY FIRE CADET CLASSES DO WE HAVE SCHEDULED FOR THIS YEAR? WE HAVE FOUR ACADEMY CLASSES SCHEDULED COUNCIL A MEMBER FOUR.
AND THAT IS OUR, YOU KNOW, THE, THE REASON WE'RE AT 350 AND NOT 500 IS BECAUSE THAT'S, WE'RE AT THE TOP END OF OUR CAPACITY.
WHAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE IN TRAINING THROUGH GETTING THROUGH THE TRAINING IS 350.
[01:00:01]
AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE MM-HMMFOR THE ALLOCATION THAT YOU MADE FOR, TO THE TRAIN ACADEMY FOR THE BATHROOMS AND, AND THOSE AREAS.
BUT WE KNEW DO NEED ADDITIONAL CAPACITY THERE, WE NEED, UH, ADDITIONAL, UH, CLASSROOMS, UM, DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE ALLOCATED ONE ADDITIONAL LARGE CLASSROOM, BUT WE NEED ANOTHER ONE.
AND WE NEED TO SERVICE OUR, OUR BATHROOMS AND FEMALE FACILITIES, UH, TO ACCOMMODATE FOR THOSE ADDITIONAL, ADDITIONAL TRAINEES.
AND, AND, AND YOU MENTIONED CIVILIAN INSPECTORS.
DO WE CURRENTLY HAVE CIVILIAN INSPECTORS? NOT ON THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT YOU'RE, YOU'RE SAYING IT WOULD BE BEST TO MAYBE HAVE THE CIVILIAN INSPECTORS TO GO OUT AND INSPECT? I'M SORRY.
YOU, YOU, YOU, DID YOU SAY YOU WOULD PREFER HAVING CIVILIAN INSPECTORS TO GO OUT AND INSPECT BUILDING? I WOULD LIKE TO AUGMENT, I WOULD LIKE TO AUGMENT WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, I THE CLASSIFIED NUMBERS, BECAUSE THOSE CLASSIFIED MEMBER, UH, MEMBERS AND THOSE INSPECTORS CAN DO THE, THE HIGH HAZARD INSPECTIONS LIKE THE HAZMAT INSTANCE, THE, UH, APARTMENTS, THE SCHOOLS WE FOCUS ON, ON THOSE AREAS.
AND WE, WE CAN ALLOW THE, THE CIVILIAN INSPECTORS TO DO THE LOWER LEVEL TYPE OF INSPECTIONS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PET SHOPS AND, AND THOSE TYPES OF, UH, MM-HMM
BUSINESSES AS WELL AS PURSUE THE EXPIRED PERMITS, UH, THE FEES FOR THE EXPIRED PERMITS.
SO THAT WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT, A MORE EFFICIENT WAY OF DOING IT.
AND, AND WHERE WOULD YOU PERCEIVE THAT THESE CIVILIAN INSPECTORS GET TRAINED? SO, AGAIN, WE WOULD, IF WE COULD WRITE THE, THE JOB SPECIFICATION TO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE AND THE CERTIFICATION, UM, WE CAN, I, I BELIEVE THERE'S A POOL OF, OF PEOPLE THAT CAN, UH, MEET THAT NEED, OR WE CAN JUST PROVIDE THE TRAINING MM-HMM
IF, UH, IF THE CERTIFICATION IS EXPIRED, THEY HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, BUT NO CERTIFICATION, WE CAN PROVIDE THE TRAINING JUST LIKE WE DO OUR NORMAL INSPECTORS.
UM, AND I DO WANNA THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR, FOR CHAMPIONING THAT, THAT TRAIN BLOCKING THE ACCESS ISSUE.
YOU AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX STADIUM AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN AND ALL THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE, UH, REALLY PUSHED THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS A, IT IS A, A RISK, IT'S A SAFETY CONCERN FOR US, OUR FIREFIGHTERS, THEY, THEY WILL, THEY WILL ANNOTATE EVERY TIME THEY'RE BLOCKED AND THEY HAVE TO REROUTE.
AND WE'RE AVERAGING ABOUT 90 INSTANCES A MONTH IN, IN VEHICLES THAT ARE EMERGENCY VEHICLES, THAT ARE IN RESPONSES AND ARE, AND ARE BLOCKED BY, BY, UH, STALLED TRAINS.
SO, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THE, UH, THE FOCUS ON THAT IS GONNA BE CRITICAL IN, IN THE SERVICE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR QUESTIONS, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, AGAIN, TO YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE STAFF.
I THINK YOU'VE SEEN A COMMITMENT AROUND THIS BODY AS IT PERTAINS TO TECHNOLOGY.
UM, I THINK THAT'S THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE.
FINDING WAYS THAT WE CAN UTILIZE SOFTWARE, UH, TO MAKE YOUR JOBS MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT.
UM, IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO ALWAYS HAVE TO RECRUIT AND THEN RETAIN, AND THEN ALL OF THE DYNAMICS OF JUST DEALING WITH PERSONNEL.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE TECHNOLOGY, UH, IN PLACE THAT CAN SUPPLEMENT MM-HMM
I THINK THAT'S GONNA TAKE US A LONG WAYS.
AND THAT'S JUST NOT YOUR DEPARTMENT, BUT ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS.
UM, BEING ABLE TO BE REALLY INNOVATIVE IN OUR APPROACH AND UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY.
UH, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE WHAT WE MUST DO, UH, TO BE SUSTAINABLE, UM, AS A CITY.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR EFFORTS, YOUR PRESENTATION, AND, UH, THAT WILL COMPLETE THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT'S, UH, FY 2024 BUDGET.
AND THAT WILL ALSO CONCLUDE OUR BUDGET PRESENTATIONS OVERALL.
HURRICANE SEASON IS AROUND THE CORNER.
MAKE SURE YOU PREPARE AND BE POOL WATER SAFE PLEASE.
AND JUST, JUST A REMINDER, UH, YOUR QUESTION, DEADLINES FROM ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO POST ON SHAREPOINT IS BY, UH, CLOSE OF BUSINESS TOMORROW.
ALL DEPARTMENTS SHOULD ANSWER BY NOON ON TUESDAY.
YOUR COUNCIL AMENDMENTS ARE DUE BY THE 31ST, WHICH IS WEDNESDAY.
I KNOW YOU HAVE MANY TO GO TO, GO OVER, BUT, UH, YEAH, DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO.
WE'LL, WE MAY JOIN IN ON A COUPLE.
UM, OVERALL, THANK EVERYONE FOR YOUR, YOUR EFFORTS IN BEING HERE AND YOUR PARTICIPATION.
I KNOW THIS SOMETIMES TAKES A WHILE, BUT IT IS, IT IS FOR THE, FOR THE GOOD OF THE CITY AND, UH, WE ARE OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED.