MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on Tuesday, December 9, 2008, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

2.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

INTRODUCTION

3.

Phyllis L. Carlyle, General Manager, Law & Community Safety, introduced new RCMP personnel; Inspector Dan McKenna, Management and Administration Services Officer and Inspector Janis Gray, Operations Support Officer.  Background information on the two new Officers was provided.

LAW & COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT

4.

Emergency Exercise Program

(Report:  December 17, 2008, File No.:  09-5125-01/2008-Vol 01) (REDMS No. 2546111)

Deborah Procter, Manager, Emergency Programs, advised that in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics, a series of escalating emergency planning exercises have been scheduled for British Columbia.  Ms. Procter highlighted that staff have been actively involved in a training program of Incident Command and Emergency Operations Centre management and these exercises would help staff apply what is learnt in the classroom, in an emergency.

In reply to several queries, Ms. Procter advised that (i) in the event of an emergency, Council may be required to pass a resolution to declare a state of local emergency; (ii) should the requested funding for these exercises which is already included in the 2009 budget additional levels not be approved, other sources would be determined at a later date; (iii) these exercises are not part of an existing budget as they are above and beyond regular emergency planning operations, and are directly related to Richmond’s involvement in the 2010 Winter Olympics; and (iv) these exercises are regional in nature, including other lower mainland municipalities, as well as other levels of government.

It was moved and seconded

That the “Emergency Exercise Program” report (dated December 17, 2008) be received for information.

CARRIED

5.

Ms. Procter highlighted that the Evacuation Plan is a comprehensive tool that would help ensure the coordinated, safe and efficient evacuation of the community during an emergency.  The Plan addresses small scale evacuations as well as widespread evacuations, and considers all aspects of an evacuation including people with mobility restrictions, pets and livestock.  In addition, the Plan assists the Incident Commander through the decision-making process in determining whether the affected community should evacuate, given the hazard and its risk, the methodology for estimating the population of an at risk area, the number of citizens that might have transportation requirements, and the length of time that evacuation might take.

In reply to queries, it was noted that:

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there are no specific evacuation routes, as they depend on which areas are at risk;

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disaster response routes are intended for emergency personnel to get to and from a disaster quickly;

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the Site Commander is determined by the most qualified person or agency at the site;

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positions under the Emergency Operations Centre have three designated individuals as alternates;

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the Regional Emergency Planning Committee will be briefed by the City of Chilliwack on its recent state of emergency caused by major flooding;

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Richmond’s website has a lot of useful information regarding emergency services, however more community engagement is anticipated; and

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schools are responsible for their own evacuation plans.

It was moved and seconded

That the “Evacuation Plan” (as referenced in the report dated December 11, 2008) be approved.

CARRIED

6.

FIRE Chief Briefing

(Oral Report) 

(i)

New CAD Implementation

Please see Page 4.

(ii)

YVR Christmas Activity

Ron Beaman, Acting Fire Chief, advised that Richmond firefighters handed out coffee and hot chocolate to travellers at Vancouver Airport whose holiday plans had been disrupted by the recent record snowfall.  YVR staff joined Richmond firefighters and provided cookies. 

Fire Chief Beaman highlighted that as a result, Fire-Rescue members were interviewed by CBC Television, and received additional coverage from other local media.  Fire-Rescue response and services were not impacted by this activity.

A Council member requested that a letter of appreciation be sent to Richmond Fire Rescue for their participation in this endeavour, with a copy to the Vancouver Airport Authority.

7.

RCMP/OIC Briefing

(Oral Report) 

None.

8.

OTHER ITEMS

(i)

Sidewalk Snow Removal

In reply to a query, Wayne Mercer, Manager, Community Bylaws, advised that many complaints were received regarding the lack of snow removal on sidewalks during the recent snowfall.  Mr. Mercer noted that staff contacted businesses and properties subject to the complaints received and was pleased that all other parties cooperated.

(ii)

Banning the Sale of Animals in Pet Stores

In reply to a query, Mr. Mercer stated that the Animal and Control Regulation Bylaw No. 7932, would be reviewed in 2009, and changes to potentially ban the sale of animals in pet stores would be given consideration.

Councillor McNulty left the meeting (4:51 p.m.) and did not return.

9.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Extreme Weather Shelters

Ms. Proctor advised that due to the recent severe weather conditions, two extreme weather shelters were opened: the Salvation Army’s Richmond House, and the St. Albans Anglican Church.  In reply to a query, Ms. Proctor noted that shelters are compensated for certain expenses related to cleaning bed linens.

Discussion ensued and it was suggested that consideration be given to having social agencies distribute ‘comfort kits’ containing basic daily essentials such as a toothbrush and toothpaste, and literature on available services for those in need.

6.

FIRE Chief Briefing

(Oral Report) 

(i)

New CAD Implementation

With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, Deputy Chief John McGowan reported the following:

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Intergraph is a large multi-national company providing their Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD) software to several cities in Canada and the United States;

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CAD software is specifically designed for emergency services as it assigns and keeps track of all apparatus and incidents within the assigned jurisdiction;

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CAD software is multi-jurisdictional in that it can be tailored to Richmond’s needs, and scalable as it can grow with both the City and the region;

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Locution is an automated dispatching and Firehall alerting system that dispatches data to Fire Crews and uses a data network that provides faster, more efficient information, and a clearer message; and

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mobile workstations provide Fire Crews with (i) mapping information on streets, hydrants, property footprints, water access; (ii) dispatch information such as where, what kind of incident; (iii) property pre-plan information regarding hazards, sprinkler, alarm panel and utility locations, persons requiring assistance for evacuation; and (iv) the ability to change status information rather than having to radio the dispatcher to make such changes.

Discussion ensued and in reply to several queries, Deputy Chief McGowan stated that pre-plan information is gathered at the time of inspections.  People with mobility restrictions can contact Richmond Fire Rescue to advise them of such conditions and this information would be entered into the mobile workstation database.  It was also noted that mobile workstations are wireless, and in the event wireless connection is lost, alternate dispatching services are available and would be utilized.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:25 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, January 13, 2009.

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Councillor Derek Dang

Chair

Hanieh Floujeh

Committee Clerk