Date:

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Place:

Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Derek Dang, Chair

Councillor Ken Johnston, Vice-Chair

Councillor Greg Halsey-Brandt

Councillor Bill McNulty

Absent:

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt

Also Present:

Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT

1.

Community Bylaws – August 2011 Activity Report

(File Ref. No. 12-8060-01) (REDMS No. 3360528)

Wayne Mercer, Manager, Community Bylaws, distributed copies of Page 6 (attached to and forming part of these Minutes as Schedule 1) of the staff report entitled “Community Bylaws – August 2011 Activity Report” and noted that this page was accidentally omitted from the agenda package.

In reply to queries from Committee, Mr. Mercer advised that (i) the increase in parking violations over the summer months may be attributed to a full complement of parking officers; (ii) property use inspectors have been proactively identifying abandoned / vacant homes, and as such the number of identified abandoned homes have increased since 2010;  and (iii) parking meters have been hardened in an effort to counter meter vandalism.

It was moved and seconded

That the Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report dated October 4, 2011, from the General Manager, Law & Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

RCMP's Monthly Report – July and August 2011 Activities

(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 3353471)

Deanne Burleigh, Operations Officer, Richmond RCMP, commented on the number of robberies over the summer months, noting that cell phone thefts continue to be a concern.  Also, Ms. Burleigh spoke to the number of residential break and enters, citing a combination of factors as the cause.

In reply to a query from Committee, Ms. Burleigh advised that each Watch is tasked with foot patrols of a respective zone and are advised of ‘hot spots’.

Discussion ensued regarding the number of tickets issued in 2011 for speeding ten kilometres over the posted limit, and it was requested that the figures for 2010 be provided to Council.

It was moved and seconded

That the OIC’s report entitled “RCMP’s Monthly Report – July and August 2011 Activities” dated September 23, 2011, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

Lafarge Canada Inc. – Confined Space Rescue, Fee-for-Service Agreement

(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 3367245)

In reply to queries from Committee, Tim Wilkinson, Deputy Chief – Operations, provided the following information:

§          

Lafarge has trained a number of their staff in the provision of confined space rescue as required by WorkSafe BC;

§          

Lafarge will provide the equipment necessary for confined space rescues; and

§          

it is anticipated that site visits be conducted in conjunction with training exercises.

Discussion ensued regarding the financial impact of the proposed agreement and Mr. Wilkinson stated that the City would receive new revenue of approximately $14,300 annually, plus twelve site visits per year at $250 per visit.  He noted that there have been no confined space rescues required at Lafarge in the past ten years and as such, Richmond Fire-Rescue does not anticipate incurring costs associated with the proposed fee-for-service agreement.

It was moved and seconded

That the Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager Law and Community Safety be authorized to negotiate and execute on behalf of the City, a fee-for-service agreement for the provision of confined space rescue services by the City’s Fire Rescue Division to Lafarge Canada Inc.’s operations at 7611 No. 9 Road on the terms and conditions outlined in the staff report titled “Lafarge Canada Inc. – Confined Space Rescue, Fee-for-Service Agreement” dated September 23, 2011.

CARRIED

4.

Fire 20/20 Recruiting and Retaining for Diversity Workshop – Status Report

(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 3363641)

In reply to queries from Committee, John McGowan, Fire Chief, Richmond Fire-Rescue and Kim Howell, Deputy Chief – Administration, stated that (i) Richmond Fire-Rescue (RFR) would shift its focus to community outreach in an effort to educate the public on its day-to-day operations; (ii) RFR is conducting an inventory of the number of different languages spoken by their staff; and (iii) RFR has discussed Smart Meters with BC Hydro only in relation to electrical safety.

It was moved and seconded

That the Fire 20/20 Recruiting and Retaining for Diversity Workshop Status Report, dated September 26, 2011 from the Fire Chief, be received for information.

CARRIED

5.

FIRE Chief Briefing

(Oral Report) 

(i)

School Fire Drills

Mr. McGowan provided background information and highlighted that RFR supported over 40 schools in Richmond with fire drills.

(ii)

Seat Belts

Mr. McGowan noted that a media release on the importance of wearing seat belts was forthcoming and would act as a good reminder to the public.

(iii)

Firefighter Exchange

Mr. McGowan provided background information and stated that RFR would be exchanging a member with the Melbourne Fire Department for one year.

(iv)

Fire Prevention Week

Mr. McGowan spoke of Fire Prevention Week, commenting on a number of different initiatives and open houses.  He noted that “Protect Your Family From Fire” was this year’s fire prevention theme.

6.

RCMP/OIC Briefing

(Oral Report) 

(i)

Detachment Opening

Ms. Burleigh advised that Richmond RCMP have completed their move to the new detachment and are fully operational.  She noted that the command post currently set up at the old detachment will remain there until November 2011.

(ii)

Halloween

Ms. Burleigh commented on various joint efforts currently underway with City departments in preparation for Halloween.

Discussion ensued and it was noted that the Seniors Advisory Committee has shown interest in participating at a Community Crime Reduction meeting.

7.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Great BC Shakeout Earth Quake Drill October 20, 2011

Deborah Procter, Manager, Emergency Programs, spoke of the Great BC Shakeout Earth Quake Drill scheduled to take place at 10:20 a.m. on October 20, 2011.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:35 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 Wednesday, October 12, 2011.

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Councillor Derek Dang

Chair

Hanieh Floujeh

Committee Clerk