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OF GARLAND PUBLIC[Public Safety Committee on December 19, 2023.]
SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING.WE HAVE COUNCILMAN BJ WILLIAMS. COUNCILWOMAN CARISSA DUTTON, AND I AM COUNCILWOMAN MARGARET LUT.
AND IT IS FIVE 30 AND WE SHALL BEGIN.
UM, DOES ANYONE, HAS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE MEETING MINUTES FROM OUR OCTOBER 10TH MEETING? YES.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE.
THAT MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS TODAY? I SEE NONE.
ITEM TWO B, FIRE CHIEF MARK LEE WILL UPDATE THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WITH STATISTICAL DATA ON FIREWORKS RELATED INJURIES AND FIRES.
I NOW GIVE YOU A BRIEF, UH, OPENING, BUT AS A REMINDER, WE TALKED ABOUT FIREWORKS TWO MEETINGS AGO NOW, AND AT THAT MEETING WE TALKED ABOUT THE ENFORCEMENT.
OUR TASK FORCE WILL BE IN EFFECT AGAIN THIS NEW YEAR'S EVE.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, SEIZING FIREWORKS AND THE QUESTION THAT CAME UP AT THE TIME WAS, WHAT IS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SEEING? SO THAT'S, UH, JUST AN UPDATE AND THAT'S WHAT MARK LEE'S HERE TO DISCUSS.
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE.
UM, WE HAVE CHANGED RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, UH, AS OF APRIL OF 2022.
SO, UH, THE DATA THAT YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IS, UH, FROM THAT PERIOD FORWARD.
UH, WE DID THE STUDY ON NOVEMBER 14TH, SO THAT'S THE END DATE.
SO APRIL OF FIRST OF 2022 TO MARCH 31ST, 2023.
WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT AN ANNUAL, UM, INCIDENTS THAT TOOK PLACE.
THERE WERE TWO THAT WERE FIREWORKS RELATED.
UH, FIRE CALLS, THERE WERE 21 FIRE CALLS, UM, AND ANOTHER 14 OF EVIDENCE.
FIREWORKS HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED BUT NO FIRE FOUND, AND I'LL GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS ON THOSE MOMENTARILY.
MORE RECENTLY, APRIL ONE TO OF 23 THROUGH NOVEMBER 14TH OF 23 MEDICAL CALLS, ONE FIRE CALLS SIX EVIDENCE FIREWORKS.
ALL THREE, UH, INJURIES FROM EACH YEAR'S TIME, TIME PERIOD OCCURRED ON OR ABOUT JULY 4TH.
SO JULY 4TH, JULY 7TH AND JULY 8TH.
UH, WERE THE THREE INJURIES OF ALL THE FIRES FROM APRIL 22 FORWARD THROUGH NOVEMBER 14 OF 23.
ONE WAS A HOUSE FIRE AND IT WAS OUT ON ARRIVAL.
AND THIS WAS A KID PLAYING WITH FIREWORKS IN HIS BEDROOM, SET HIS CLOSET ON FIRE AND THE PARENTS PUT IT OUT.
SO, UH, ONE FENCE BURNED TWO CARS, ONE IN WHICH THE FIREWORKS WENT OFF IN THE BACKSEAT.
AND THE OTHER ONE THEY WENT OFF IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK.
ALL OTHERS WERE OUTSIDE AND MOST WERE OUT BEFORE FD ARRIVAL.
AND THEY INCLUDED GARBAGE CANS, DUMPSTERS AND SMALL GRASS FIRES.
SO THAT IS THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS THAT WE HAVE RESPONDED TO, UH, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
DOES ANYONE ON THE COMMITTEE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO, I DON'T.
I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE ANY, ANY, ANY, ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU CHIEF, FOR THAT REPORT.
AND I MUST HAVE BEEN TALKING TO CHIEF BRIAN THAT, THAT MATCHED WITH THE CALLS AND THE INCIDENT, BUT THE CALL VOLUME OF OUR COMPLAINTS IS A, IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN WHAT THE INFORMATION THANK YOU.
HELPS US PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
'CAUSE WE GET TONS AND TONS OF CALLS ON 'EM.
YOU KNOW, CHIEF BRIAN AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT IN THE PAST.
UH, WE HAD OUR FIRE MARSHALS PERSONNEL, OUR, OUR ARSON INVESTIGATORS RIDING WITH PD ONE YEAR, UH, AND STILL COULDN'T KEEP UP THE TASK FORCE WORKS REALLY HARD TO CONTROL WHAT THEY CAN, WHERE THEY CAN, WHEN THEY CAN.
BUT, UH, THE ACTUAL FIRES BEING CAUSED BY FIREWORKS OR INJURIES, UH, CAUSED BY FIREWORKS THAT ARE REPORTED TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE VERY, VERY MINIMAL.
THERE MAY BE OTHER INJURIES THAT ARE GOING TO THE HOSPITALS DIRECT.
UH, SOMEBODY WITH A BURN FROM A SPARKLER AND THE PARENTS WANT TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL WITH THEIR KID, THEN WE'RE NOT EVER GONNA GET THAT CALL.
THANK YOU FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF THOSE NUMBERS.
'CAUSE UM, LIKE, UH, MR. WILLIAMS SAID THERE'S THE VOICES OF, UM, IRRITATION OF FIREWORKS I THINK IS A LOT LOUDER THAN THE ACTUAL
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ISSUE.I GUESS MAYBE LIKE THE, THE PANIC OF PEOPLE IS GREATER THAN THAT OF REALITY.
MAYBE THAT'S A BETTER WAY TO SAY IT.
YEAH, I CALL, I CALL IT A QUALITY OF LIFE.
PEOPLE WANT THEIR PEACE AND THEY WANT QUIET AND THIS INTERRUPTS THAT.
SO, SO, UM, DO WE THINK, UM, HAVING THE STATISTICS IN FRONT OF US THAT WHAT WE'RE POURING INTO THIS TASK FORCE, IS IT ONE, IS IT PAYING OFF TWO, IS IT WORTH THE EXPENSE OF WHAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO IT VERSUS WHAT WE'RE SEEING? WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I'M NOT GONNA SOLVE THE FIREWORKS ISSUE.
UH, I THINK WE PROBABLY DO DETER SOME FIREWORKS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT RECEIVED THE TICKET.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY'RE DETERRED.
UH, BUT THE NIGHTS THAT WE PUT THIS TASK FORCE OUT ARE OUR BUSIEST NIGHTS OF THE YEAR.
WE NEED THOSE VEHICLES THAT ENFORCEMENT OUT THERE NO MATTER WHAT.
UM, WE HAVE THEM FOCUSING ON FIREWORKS EARLY, BUT THAT DOES CHANGE THROUGH THE NIGHT TO WHERE THEY'RE DROPPING THIS FIREWORKS AND THEY'RE ANSWERING PRIORITY ONE CALLS.
AND SO WE NEED 'EM ADDRESSING FIREWORKS EARLY.
WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE A DENT, BUT AS THE PARTIES, THE DRINKING, THE, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON THESE EVENINGS START TO BUILD UP IN OUR CALLS, UH, WE NEED THAT STAFF OUT THERE TO HANDLE THOSE CALLS.
SO IT'D BE SAFE TO SAY THAT FOR THE BULK OF THE NIGHT, WE'RE MORE OF A LARGER FORCE VERSUS FIREWORKS ENFORCEMENT YEAH.
UM, SO WE'LL HAVE THE TASK FORCE OUT THERE THIS NEW YEAR'S EVE.
IT'S A TASK FORCE OF 12, BUT THAT TASK FORCE AROUND 11 O'CLOCK WILL CHANGE AS, AND IT'S ALL DEPENDENT ON THE PRIORITY ONE CALLS.
SO AS THE PRIORITY ONE CALLS START STACKING UP, THEY'RE GONNA BE ANSWERING THE PRIORITY ONE CALLS IS, UM, THE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS THAT YOU'VE GOT ON THE TASK FORCE, IS THERE ANY REASON WHY WE COULDN'T JUST HAVE THE ADDITIONAL MANPOWER OR DO WE NEED THE TASK FORCE TO KIND OF WARRANT HAVING THOSE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS? WELL, THE, THE TASK FORCE IS IN ADDITION TO THE TWO ADDITIONAL OFFICERS, RIGHT? SO, UH, UM, SO WE HAVE A NUMBER FOR OUR STAFFING, A MINIMUM NUMBER.
UM, WE WILL ALMOST DOUBLE THAT ON OUR BUSY NIGHTS.
AND SO AGAIN, THE TASK FORCE, THEIR FOCUS EARLY IS ON FIREWORKS BECAUSE THOSE PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO CALLS AREN'T COMING IN.
WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO IT.
UH, BUT ONCE IT SHIFTS AND START COMING IN, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS OUT THERE AS WELL AS, AS TASK FORCE OFFICERS.
I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD BALANCE OF OF, 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS OUT THERE, A LOT OF OFFICERS OUT THERE AND EARLY ON WE DON'T NEED THAT MANY FOR THE PRIORITY ONE AND PARTY TWO CALLS.
SO IT'S GOOD FOR THEM, IT'S GOOD FOR OUR GOALS FOR THEM TO FOCUS ON THE FIREWORKS, BUT THAT CHANGES THROUGH THE NIGHT.
I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION THEN I'LL LEAVE YOU ALONE.
UM, OUT OF ALL OF THE TICKETS THAT WE WRITE FOR FIREWORKS, DO WE KNOW WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THOSE ACTUALLY GET TAKEN CARE OF? UH, A HIGH PERCENTAGE AND WE LOOKED AT THIS, UH, MAY, MAY HAVE BEEN LAST YEAR, BUT A FAIRLY HIGH PERCENTAGE ARE TAKEN CARE OF.
VERY LOW PERCENTAGE GO TO WARRANTS.
WHAT TIME DO THOSE, UM, DO THOSE CALLS USUALLY OCCUR? DO YOU HAVE LIKE A TIMEFRAME? I DID NOT, UH, EXPLORE IT BY TIMEFRAME, BUT JUST, UM, MY HEURISTICS SAY IT'S, IT'S SUNSET TO 2:00 AM OKAY.
THE TRASH CAN FIRES ARE PROBABLY WHAT WE SEE THE MOST COMMON BECAUSE THEY SHOOT THEIR FIREWORKS, THEN THEY PUT THE FIREWORKS IN THE TRASH CAN, THEN THEY GO TO BED.
WELL THAT'S JUST SMOLDERING IN THAT TRASH.
AND SO SOMETIMES WE'LL SEE LATE AT NIGHT THEY IGNITE THE TRASH.
WELL, LIKE I SAID EARLIER TODAY, I WOULD MUCH RATHER HEAR FIREWORKS THAN GUNSHOTS, SO.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESENTERS? OKAY.
UM, THANK YOU CHIEF BRIAN AND CHIEF LEE.
REALLY APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED WITH OUR CURRENT POLICY OR YOU KNOW, WHAT, HOWEVER
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THINGS ARE BEING ARE OPERATING, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AND, UM, IN THE FUTURE.WELL, I, I THINK WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN.
I THINK COUNCIL UNDERSTANDS THAT I DO NOT HAVE A SOLUTION FOR GET, GET RID OF FIREWORKS OUT OF THE STATE OF TEXAS AND
BUT, UH, I, I JUST DON'T, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THAT THERE'S NO PERFECT SOLUTION FOR.
ALRIGHT, WELL IF THERE'S, YES SIR.
ONE THING, UH, MADAM CHAIR, I THINK, I THINK I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE REVISE THE AGENDA TO SHOW CHIEF LEE'S PRESENTATION 'CAUSE IT'S NOT LISTED HERE.
A LAURA, THAT WE REVISE THE AGENDA TO INCLUDE CHIEF LEE'S PRESENTATION.
AM I LOOKING AT THE WRONG ONE? MM-HMM.
THE, UH, YOU'RE LOOKING I DON'T, THOSE ARE OH, FUT.
I DON'T, MINE DOESN'T HAVE A B ON IT MATTER.
AM I LOOKING, I'M GONNA, LOOKING AT THE WRONG THING.
I'M, I'M, I'M SORRY IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY.
MY, MY APOLOGIES HAS BEEN A LONG DAY.
I WAS LOOKING AT THE MINUTES RATHER THAN THE AGENDA.
AND MY EXPERIENCE, LAURA'S VERY RARELY WRONG.
WE, WE'VE BEEN IN SOME LONG SESSIONS SINCE NOON, RIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL IN ATTENDANCE AND, UM, AS THERE ARE NO OTHER DISCUSSION POINTS, WE MOVE TO ITEM THREE, WHICH IS ADJOURN AT 5:41 PM MOTION FOR CHRISTMAS.