REGULAR CALLED MEETING of the PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION August 5, 2024 at 4:00 PM AUSTIN CITY HALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM #1101 301 WEST 2ND STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Public Safety Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Christi Vitela, 512- 974-2792, christi.vitela@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Nelly Paulina Ramírez, Chair Timothy Ruttan, Vice Chair Rebecca Bernhardt Paul Hermesmeyer David Holmes AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Pierre Nguyễn Kristy Orr Angelica Reyes Michael Sierra-Arévalo Yasmine Smith The first five speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on June 3, 2024. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on July 1, 2024. 1. 2. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin Fire Department, including an update on allowing a single stairway for multifamily development up to five stories. Discussion of Workers’ Compensation insurance program with Public Safety Unions and City of Austin representatives. Update from Public Safety Commissioner on their attendance of the Austin Police Department Police Chief interview panel. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Approve a Recommendation to Council to provide funding for the SAFE Forensic Nursing Program. Approve the formation of a Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) Working Group to devise recommendations in support of the CSCRM’s project objectives until completion. WORKING GROUP UPDATES Update from Austin Police Department Training Academy Working Group and discussion on the review to date and plan. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Christi Vitela …
Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, June 3, 2024 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, June 3, 2024 The Public Safety Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Monday, June 3, 2024, at City Hall Building, Boards and Commissions Room, 301 W 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Ramírez called the Public Safety Commission Meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Nelly Paulina Ramírez, Chair Rebecca Bernhardt Paul Hermesmeyer David Holmes Angelica Reyes Michael Sierra-Arévalo Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Cory Hall-Martin Pierre Nguyễn Kristy Orr Timothy Ruttan PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Stephanie Ryan – Austin Police Academy and Change APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on May 6, 2024. The minutes from the meeting on 05/06/2024, were approved on Commissioner Bernhardt’s motion, Commissioner Hermesmeyer’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Nguyễn was off the dais. Commissioner Smith was absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Department. Presentation by Angela Carr, EMS Division Chief, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Department. 1 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, June 3, 2024 3. Public Safety Departments Budget Presentations with Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services, Austin Fire Department and Austin Police Department and union representatives. Presentations by James Mason, Assistant Chief, Austin Police Department; Michael Bullock, President, Austin Police Association; Carlos Ledesma, Assistant Director, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Department; Selena Xie, President, Austin EMS Association; Dr. Ronnelle Paulsen, Assistant Director, Austin Fire Department and Bob Nicks, President, Austin Fire Fighters Association. 4. Community Investment Budget Presentation with Equity Action and Austin Justice Coalition. Presentations by Kathy Mitchell, Senior Advisor, Equity Action and Chris Harris, Director of Policy, Austin Justice Coalition. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Approve a Recommendation for Fiscal Year 24-25 Public Safety Department Budgets. The following amendment was made by Commissioner Hermesmeyer and seconded by Commissioner Sierra-Arévalo. The amendment was to add the following to the Austin Fire Department’s Unmet Needs section: “$601,000 for two FTE positions to coordinate pursuit of national accreditation, approximately $300, 000 for FTE positions for shift commander aides, $1.9 million per year per apparatus for staff for two aerials (16 FTEs per apparatus) and a one-time $200,000 for equipment, and approximately $40,000 for the electronic medical records software for the Public Safety Wellness Center.” The amendment was approved on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Hall-Martin was off the dais. …
Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, July 1, 2024 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 1, 2024 The Public Safety Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Monday, July 1, 2024, at City Hall Building, Boards and Commissions Room, 301 W 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Vice Chair Ruttan called the Public Safety Commission Meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Timothy Ruttan, Vice Chair Rebecca Bernhardt Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Nelly Paulina Ramírez, Chair Angelica Reyes Michael Sierra-Arévalo Yasmine Smith PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on June 3, 2024. Action was taken on the item but later reconsidered. The motion to approve minutes from the meeting on 06/03/2024 was made by Chair Ramírez, seconded by Commissioner Bernhardt failed on 4-0 vote. Commissioners Sierra-Arévalo and Smith abstained. Commissioners Hermesmeyer, Holmes, Nguyễn and Orr were absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Public Safety Quarterly Report including update on the open data portal, Austin Police Department. Presentations were made by Chief Greenwalt, Assistant Chief, Austin Police Department and Monica Spiritas, Business Intelligence Consultant, Austin Police Department. 1 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, July 1, 2024 3. Presentations by Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Fleet Mobility Services on Public Safety Vehicles. Presentation was made by Rick Harland, Assistant Director, Fleet Mobility Services. 4. Discussion of Forensic Nursing with representatives from The Safe Alliance (SAFE) and Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (SARRT). Presentations were made by Nikhita Ved, Vice President of Community Services, SAFE and Shelli Eggers, managing attorney, Texas Legal Services and co-chair of Austin Travis County Sexual Assault Response. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Discuss and approve the formation of an Austin Police Department Cadet Training Academy Recommendations Working Group. The motion to approve the formation of an Austin Police Department Cade Training Academy Recommendations Working Group tasked with reviewing the progress the APD Training Academy has made based on the Kroll report and recommendations by Office of Police Oversight, talking to stakeholder groups and bringing back possibly multiple recommendations to establish tracking and continuity was made by Chair Ramírez, seconded by Commissioner Smith and approved on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Hermesmeyer, Holmes, Nguyễn and Orr were absent. Chair Ramírez, Commissioners Smith and Sierra-Arévalo agreed to be part of the Working Group. 6. Approve the Public …
AUSTIN FIRE Public Safety Commission Meeting FY24 Q3 Assistant Chief Tom Vocke 1 S i n g l e S t a i r w a y Council Resolution No. 20240502-094 proposes an amendment to the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) to allow a single stairway for multifamily developments up to five stories. AFD, DSD and ATCEMS found the following potential safety risks: • Hindered Evacuation Tactics • • Obstructed Emergency Medical Services Insufficient and Aging Water Infrastructure in Residential Areas Proponents of the Resolution often cite Seattle as a successful use case. The "Seattle Special" was first allowed in the 1970' s because of excellent water supply, response times, emergency communications, and fire prevention and enforcement. Austin cannot match Seattle in two of the four categories (response and water supply). • Seattle has 1 ladder for every 2.7 engines. Austin has 1 ladder for every 3.8 engines • Seattle's fire arriving engine arrives within 4 minutes 76% of the time vs Austin’s 57% • Seattle's full first alarm arrives within 8 minutes 95% of the time vs Austin’s 12% • Seattle has "very good" hydrant infrastructure • Washington State Association of Fire Marshals has concerns of extending beyond Seattle 2 C r o w d S t r i k e O u t a g e o n J u l y 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 In the late evening hours on July 18th 2024, Fire Dispatch experienced CAD outage due to a faulty update to cyber security software (CrowdStrike) thru Windows operating devices. During the outage Fire Dispatch in collaboration with other COA agencies transitioned to a hybrid of limited CAD use with paper dispatching to continue operations. As a result, despite the technology challenges, not a single call for assistance was missed or dropped by AFD Dispatch. Incidents of note include two working box alarms, a vehicle rescue, a request for assistance for a cardiac arrest, and a wilderness taskforce. Command and Support teams were activated to assess and repair inoperable systems and coordinate resources. Within 7 hours all critical systems had been re-established. 3 N o w O p e n : S t a t i o n 1 • Station 1 reopened on July 30, 2024. • Engine 1 and Ladder 1 have been at 314 W 11th. • Engine 13 has been at Station 6 at 1705 S. Congress …
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION August 5, 2024 Date: Subject: SAFE Forensic Nursing Motioned by: Seconded by: WHEREAS, The Austin Public Safety Commission is tasked with providing recommendations to the Austin City Council which will be adopting the FY24-25 Budget in August 2024; and WHEREAS, in September 2019, the City Manager’s Office contracted the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), in conjunction with the Women’s Law Project and the Wellesley Centers for Women, to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the way sexual assaults reported to the Austin Police Department (APD) are investigated and processed; and WHEREAS, sexual assault lawsuits were filed and settlements were approved for Smith et. al. vs City of Austin and Senko et. al. vs City of Austin; and WHEREAS, on November 14, 2022, the final PERF report was released, Austin Police Department (APD) Review, Reported Sexual Assault Comprehensive Evaluation, and included comprehensive findings and over one hundred recommendations; and WHEREAS, the Austin Police Department worked with the Austin/Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (SARRT) to address the PERF recommendations and take actions, including revisions to APD policies and procedures; and WHEREAS, the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) was established in early 2023 to coordinate the full response to the PERF report, and includes representatives from APD, SARRT, nonprofit and community organizations, survivors and survivor advocates; and WHEREAS, the CSCRM identified SAFE’s forensic nursing program1 as an additional funding consideration that would greatly impact its ability to make progress; and WHEREAS SAFE is critically short-staffed due to underfunding and below market compensation, not all sexual assault victims are able to have evidence collected and preserved 1 https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=424223 and receive the medical help they need, and in 2023, 144 victims were turned away and 56 were scheduled for a time later than their dispatch due to a lack of availability of nurses and advocates; and WHEREAS, SAFE (Stop Abuse for Everyone) and members of SAART briefed and provided materials2 to the commission on the forensic nursing program in July 20243; and WHEREAS, the Commission for Women passed a recommendation in support of both the CSCRM and SAFE Forensic Nursing Program in April 20244; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Public Safety Commission recommends that Austin City Council allocate investments in the FY24-25 Budget to fund $328,000 via Austin Public Health for forensic nursing compensation, to support additional positions and fund all forensic nursing staff at competitive market …
Overview of Workers Compensation at the City of Austin Public Safety Commission August 2024 1 History of Workers Compensation in Texas • A form of workers compensation started in Texas in 1913 or so, with many changes through the 100+ years of its existence in Texas. • What is it generally? • Workers Compensation (hereafter “WC”) provides benefits to workers that are injured or become disabled as a result of their job. • Texas is the only state where WC is optional for an employer, though it is mandatory for public employers and those entities that have a contract with a public employer. 2 Workers Compensation at the City of Austin • Most private companies pay an insurance company an annual premium to handle their WC claims, much like they pay for car insurance and liability insurance. • If you meet the eligibility requirements to be self-insured in Texas, you can provide WC insurance without purchasing private insurance. • Unlike most private entities that go out and purchase WC insurance, and most public entities in Texas do not purchase private WC insurance, they are instead self-insured. • Self insured employers have the same rights and responsibilities as those that purchase private insurance. 3 Workers Compensation at the City of Austin • The City of Austin is self insured for WC for its employees. • While most Cities in Texas are self insured, there are still administrative logistics that are very detailed that must be complied with for processing worker’s compensation claims. • There are various 3rd Party Administrators (hereafter “TPA”) that provide an expertise in processing WC claims, and the City has had various TPA’s process WC claims over the years. • The current TPA for the City of Austin is “Sedgwick”. 4 Workers Compensation at the City of Austin • At the City of Austin, Sedgwick is the TPA for all employees, not just the public safety personnel. • However, as is expected, WC claims are higher for the departments where more physical exertion is required as opposed to desk jobs. • Our highest raw number of claims comes from the public safety departments. 5 State of the current contract with Sedgwick • Our current contract with Sedgwick is set to expire in March of 2025, and the COA had conducted a RFP process to find a new TPA for a new multi year agreement. • However, we have …
Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, August 5, 2024 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, August 5, 2024 The Public Safety Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Monday, August 5, 2024, at City Hall Building, Boards and Commissions Room, 301 W 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Ramírez called the Public Safety Commission Meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Nelly Paulina Ramírez, Chair Rebecca Bernhardt Paul Hermesmeyer David Holmes Pierre Nguyễn Kristy Orr Michael Sierra-Arévalo Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Timothy Ruttan, Vice Chair Yasmine Smith PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Carlos León Patrick Jones Sonja Burns APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on June 3, 2024. The minutes from the meeting on 06/03/2024, were approved on Commissioner Bernhardt’s motion, Commissioner Nguyễn’s second on an 8-0 vote. Commissioner Smith abstained. Commissioner Reyes was absent. 2. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on July 1, 2024. 1 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, August 5, 2024 The minutes from the meeting on 07/01/2024, were approved on Commissioner Bernhardt’s motion, Commissioner Nguyễn’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Reyes was absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin Fire Department, including an update on allowing a single stairway for multifamily development up to five stories. The presentation was made by Tom Vocke, Assistant Chief, Austin Fire Department. 4. Discussion of Workers’ Compensation insurance program with Public Safety Unions and City of Austin representatives. The presentations were made by Deven Desai, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Office of the City Auditor; Susan Sinz, Director of Human Resources, Human Resources Department; Bob Nicks, President, Austin Firefighters Association; Selena Xie, President, Austin EMS Association; Michael Bullock, President, Austin Police Association; Chris Juusola, Lieutenant, Austin Police Department; Dennis Ferris, President, Austin Police Retired Officers Association; and Dawn Hirsch, Firefighter, Austin Fire Department. 5. Update from Public Safety Commissioner on their attendance of the Austin Police Department Police Chief interview panel. Postponed. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Approve a Recommendation to Council to provide funding for SAFE Forensic Nursing Program. The following amendment was made by Commissioner Smith and seconded by Commissioner Hermesmeyer. The amendment was to remove “for forensic nursing compensation” from the final clause. The amendment failed on a 4-5 vote. Those voting aye were Commissioners Hermesmeyer, Holmes, Sierra-Arévalo and Smith. Those voting nay were Chair Ramírez, Vice …
