* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:19] GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. I'M COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD. I WANNA WELCOME YOU ALL TO DISTRICT J. UH, SPECIFICALLY WE ARE IN THE BRADBURN VALLEY NEIGHBORHOOD OF DISTRICT J, UH, NEAR FONDANT. AND THIS, THAT, UH, WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE DEBUTING, UH, SOMETHING THAT MY OFFICE HAS BEEN WORKING ON WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR SOME TIME NOW. AND IT IS AN EVACUATION BOAT. UH, AS WE GET INTO HURRICANE SEASON, WE UNDERSTAND THAT RESPONSE TIMES ARE CRITICAL. UH, THIS PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE HOUSE BEHIND ME, UH, IS ONE THAT ROUTINELY FLOODS WITH HEAVY RAINS, UH, SO MUCH THAT THIS HOUSE IS BOARDED UP. NO ONE'S THERE ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME. UH, YOU'LL SEE, UH, A GREEN SPACE THAT CAN NO LONGER BE DEVELOPED ON BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH FLOODING. UH, AND THIS EVACUATION BOAT WILL GO A LONG WAYS TOWARDS, UH, HELPING RESIDENTS, UH, GET SAFE. UH, ALLOW OUR FIRST RESPONDERS IN THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THEM, UH, AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE, AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. UH, AND SO THIS IS AN INITIATIVE THAT WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL AND WE REACHED OUT TO THE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE SAID, WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT DO YOU ALL NEED, UH, THAT YOU CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE AS A PART OF YOUR FLEET? AND THEY SAID, UH, IN EVACUATION BOAT. UM, AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS IS A PRETTY EXPENSIVE ALLOCATION, ALMOST A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. UH, AND, UH, WE HAD TO FIND THE MONEY FOR IT. UM, BUT WE HAVE BEEN BUDGETING AND THINKING ABOUT THIS ITEM, UH, FOR SOME TIME. AND, UH, I WANT TO THANK CHIEF PENA, WHO IS HERE WITH ME. I WANT TO THANK, UH, CAPTAIN MORENO, WHO'S HERE WITH ME. UH, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT CHIEFS AND CAPTAINS THAT ARE BEHIND ME WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. UH, THEY HELPED US A LOT WITH UNDERSTANDING THE NECESSITY, UH, HOW IT'LL BE USED, UH, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IT WILL TAKE, UH, HOW QUICKLY WE CAN GET IT TOGETHER. AND SO IT'S BEEN A COLLECTIVE EFFORT, UH, AND I WANT TO THANK THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN THIS AREA, UH, FOR CONTINUING TO WORK WITH US TO FIND, UH, SAFETY MEASURES AND PRECAUTIONS THAT WILL, UH, DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. UH, SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOAT, UH, THAT'S BEHIND ME. UM, IT WILL BE ABLE TO SERVE NOT ONLY DISTRICT J, UH, BUT THE ENTIRE CITY OF HOUSTON. I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF PENA TO GIVE SOME ADDITIONAL REMARKS. CHIEF, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. AND, AND FIRST LET ME, UH, LET ME GO AHEAD AND THANK, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE FOR THEIR DILIGENCE AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO, UH, INVEST SOME OF THEIR COUNCIL DISTRICT FUNDS INTO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I ALSO WANT TO THANK MAYOR WHITMEYER AND HIS APPROVAL OF THESE, OF THESE FUNDS TO BE ALLOCATED FOR THIS LIFE SAFETY EQUIPMENT. BUT, UH, LOOK, ALL THE, UH, THE BANKS GO TO THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT ARE STANDING BEHIND US. THEY, UH, THEY'RE OUT HERE, UH, IN DISTRICT J. WE GOT CHIEF DAVIS AND CHIEF EK AND THEIR PERSONNEL THAT ARE OUT HERE THAT WILL PRIMARILY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND THE INITIAL DEPLOYMENT OF THESE, OF THESE BOATS, AS WELL AS CAPTAIN MORENO AND HIS AND HIS STAFF. UM, LOOK, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE WORK THAT, UH, THAT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE DOING AND ARE WILLING TO DO. WHEN WE, DURING HARVEY, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY, ESSENTIALLY ANY HIGH WATER ASSETS. UH, WE GOT OUR FIRST HIGH WATER VEHICLE THE DAY THAT, UH, HARVEY HIT ROCKPORT. AND, BUT SINCE THEN, WITH THE COMMITMENT FROM COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, UM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE OUR HIGH WATER VEHICLES TO 15. WE GOT, UH, OVER 20 BOATS. THIS IS A GREAT ADDITION THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD HAS, HAS, UH, BEEN WORKING ON, AS HE MENTIONED, FOR SEVERAL YEARS. UM, IT'S A HUGE INVESTMENT, BUT IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN THE RIGHT AREAS AS FAR AS PUBLIC SAFETY. IT'LL BE HOUSED OUT HERE IN DISTRICT J, BUT IT'S GONNA BE, HAVE DEPLOYMENT RESPONSIBILITIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND, UH, SO LOOK, WE'RE, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE THIS, THIS NEW ASSET. WE HAVE OUR PERSONNEL THAT ARE WILLING TO GET TRAINED AND, UH, BE EFFICIENT IN THE USE AND OPERATION OF THIS BOAT. AND, UH, LOOK. THANK YOU. THANKS AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS AND YOUR, AND YOUR DEDICATION TO, TO PUBLIC SAFETY, ESPECIALLY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, IN THIS REGARD. SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO CAPTAIN MORENO. HE'S OUR COORDINATOR FOR THE, UH, FOR THE MARINE GROUP. AND, UH, SO HE CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE BOAT AND THE ASSETS THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE RECEIVING. CAPTAIN. THANK YOU. MORNING. I'M CAPTAIN MORENO WITH THE, UH, DISTRICT 14 TACTICAL DEPLOYMENT DIVISION. THIS BOAT HAS BEEN COMING TWO YEARS NOW. UH, IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON. UH, TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, THIS BOAT IS GONNA OUTLAST US ALL. UH, THIS BOAT WILL BE HERE. IT HAS MORE ALUMINUM ON IT THAN OUR FIRE TRUCKS CURRENTLY DO. UM, SO WE'RE HAPPY WITH THE FLEET THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW FROM BOATRIGHT. UH, THAT BOAT, THOSE BOATS HAVE BEEN 30 YEARS OLD, AND WE SPENT 115,000 [00:05:01] LAST YEAR TO GET 'EM REFURBISHED, AND THEY LOOK BRAND NEW. SO HAVING THE GEN TWO OF THIS BOAT IS GONNA SERVE THESE CITIZENS A LOT LONGER THAN I'M GONNA BE HERE. UH, SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE COUNCILMAN POLLARD, MAYOR WHITMEYER FOR APPROVING THESE FUNDS. UH, HURRICANE SEASONS UP, UP UPON US. WE HAVE ANOTHER NAME STORMED RIGHT NOW. SO WE HAVE HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM CRISP, UH, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON FLOODS, AND WE KNOW HOW IT FLOODS, AND WE'VE BECOME VERY GOOD AT CHASING WATER. SO WE UNDERSTAND HOW THIS WATER FLOWS, AND THIS IS THE BOAT THAT'S GONNA BE, THAT'S NEEDED OUT HERE, UH, TO SERVE THE CITIZENS OUT HERE. WE WANNA TALK ABOUT HOW MANY EVACUATIONS. SO CURRENTLY THIS BOAT RIGHT HERE IS NUMBER 22 OF OUR EVACUATION BOAT FLEET. UM, WE HAVE 10, 10 SMALL ONES, AND THEN THESE BIG ONES RIGHT HERE. THESE BIG ONES ARE OUR PEOPLE MOVER. AND THIS IS WHAT WE REALLY NEED OUT HERE. UH, THESE BOATS ARE ABLE TO, UH, CARRY 12 PEOPLE AT A TIME. SO, UM, WE CAN, WE CAN MANAGE THE PEOPLE, WE CAN MANAGE THE SITUATION, AND IF THIS IS JUST GONNA ADD, AUGMENT TO THE FLEET AND MAKE OUR, OUR RESPONSE THAT MUCH BETTER. FANTASTIC. SO WE, WHAT WE WANNA FOCUS ON, ESPECIALLY THROUGH MY OFFICE, IS, IS THE OPERATIONS OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. UH, THE MORE RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE, UH, THE MORE ASSETS THAT THEY HAVE, UH, THE SAFER OUR CITY WILL BE. AND WE'VE COMMITTED, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, UH, DOLLARS TOWARDS THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, TO GO TOWARDS MAINTENANCE, GO TOWARDS OPERATIONS, GO TOWARDS EQUIPMENT, UM, AND ACTUALLY HAVE DONE SOME PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AS WELL. BUT NOTHING TO THIS MAGNITUDE. THIS WAS A, THIS WAS A BIG DEAL FOR OUR OFFICE AS, UH, CAPTAIN MORENO SAID. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR THE PAST, UH, COUPLE YEARS. UH, FINDING THE RIGHT TIME AND THE RIGHT AND HAVING THE DOLLARS NECESSARY TO BE ABLE TO PULL IT OFF. AND AS WE GO INTO HURRICANE SEASON, UH, WE WANT TO MAKE THIS A HIGH PRIORITY. SO I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR DEDICATION, FOR THEIR SERVICE, UH, FOR ALL THAT THEY DO, UH, FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, THEIR SACRIFICES ARE INVALUABLE. AND THIS IS SOMETHING, UH, THAT MY OFFICE IS ABLE TO DO, UH, JUST TO HELP THEIR, THEIR JOBS, UH, BECOME A LITTLE EASIER AND BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT THE RESIDENTS, UH, OF THIS AREA HAVE THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT, UH, TO KEEP THEM SAFE DURING HIGH WATER EVENTS. AND SO WE WILL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS, UH, THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. UM, QUESTION BE FOR ANYBODY, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW WHAT A DOES, BUT IN TERMS OF FROM OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AND WHAT DO THEY BOAT ALLOW YOU TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO RESTING OPERATIONS? BOY, SO DURING FLOOD OPERATIONS, OBVIOUSLY IT GETS, THE WATER GETS PRETTY DEEP. UH, WE'VE SEEN AREAS WHERE IT'S BEEN UP TO THE ROOF LINES. UH, OUR HIGH WATER VEHICLES CAN'T GO THROUGH THAT MUCH WATER, UH, 30 INCHES WITH THEIR MAXED OUT AT. AND SO AFTER 30 INCHES, WE TAKE THE BOATS IN AND WE START DOING OPERATIONS WITH THE BOATS. AND SO, UM, WE USE WHAT WE CALL THE MOTHERSHIP CONCEPT, AND THE BOATS WILL COME BACK TO THE HIGH WATER VEHICLES AND THE HIGH WATER VEHICLES WILL TAKE THE PEOPLE TO DRY LAND. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I WANT TO THANK THE RESIDENTS, UH, THAT ARE BEHIND ME. WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGING TIMES IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD REGARDING FLOODING AND HIGH WATER EVENTS. UH, WE'RE DOING ALL THAT WE CAN TO LISTEN TO YOUR ISSUES AND CONCERNS, FINDING WAYS TO PARTNER WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT ON, UH, INITIATIVES JUST LIKE THIS. AND SO, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO. AND, UH, GOD BLESS YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. NEXT QUESTION. OKAY. UM, AS FAR AS THE WATER RESCUE, AND THIS MAY BE A NUMBER, YOU MAY NOT EVEN KNOW, UM, YOU TALK ABOUT LEADING ANOTHER BOAT. YEAH. HOW MANY ARRESTS YOU THINK? SO LAST YEAR, LAST YEAR, THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO 240 WATER INCIDENTS. THAT'S ACROSS THE CITY OF HOUSTON, ACROSS THE CITY OF HOUSTON. DURING HARVEY, I BELIEVE IT WAS A THOUSAND. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . ANY MORE? QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS? ANYTHING? ALRIGHT. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. FIND SOME SHADE, . HEY. AND ALSO THAT'S 240 DURING THE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.