NORWICH – Public safety issues were the main topic of discussion at Tuesday night’s meeting of the City of Norwich Finance / Personnel Committee, with a retirement in the police department and an update on ambulance equipment topping the list.
Police Chief Joseph Angelino addressed the committee, informing them that Assistant Police Chief Van Miles had submitted a letter stating his intentions to retire. “By the end of June, there will be no more Van Miles at the station,” Angelino told the committee.
Miles served as the Assistant Chief for just over a year, during which time, Angelino was acting as the chief of both the police department and the fire department. Angelino said Miles’ appointment as assistant chief couldn’t have happened at a better time, since it allowed him to focus on the fire department. “It’s going to be like having my right arm cut off,” Angelino said of Miles’ retirement.
Angelino then moved on to fire department issues. After reviewing the ambulance equipment, he told the committee that improvements might be needed in the next couple of years.
One issue the city may need to address is the lack of narcotics on the ambulances. “We have a need for narcotics on the vehicles; all we have is basic first aid,” Angelino said. He explained that in the past, if narcotics were needed, the department would call Superior Ambulance Service, but since Superior has cut back to only one ambulance in Chenango County, they are not as readily available as they once were.
Narcotics are required to be kept in locked boxes with an auditable system. Angelino told the committee he had found lock boxes that would recognize the key fob already used to gain entrance to the fire station. The boxes would cost $2,800 for three.
In addition, Angelino explained the fire department is currently using heart monitors on the ambulances that are 12 to 14 years old. Industry standards have changed, and new monitors have more leads, which show heart activity more accurately and allow thwe information to be printed out and given to the doctor when a patient is taken to the hospital.
The monitors currently on the ambulances have a trade-in value of $6,000 a piece, making the maximum total price of three new monitors $74,971, if the city were to buy the three monitors through Zoll, the company that has won the state contract. Zoll is allowing municipalities to pay the balance through 36 monthly payments, interest free.
“This is not a request to do anything at this time,” said Angelino. “I’m just telling you it will need to be done.”
Angelino explained the price of the monitors could be whittled down by purchasing different batteries and a shorter warranty.
Finance Director Bill Roberts explained although Zoll had won the state bid, the city could still formally go out to bid in an effort to get a better price.
“Is there anything out there the city could apply for to alleviate the cost of the heart monitors?” asked Fourth Ward Alderman Walt Schermerhorn.
Fire Captain Mike Ford responded, saying that he had already applied for a grant to help shoulder the cost, but no determination of funds would be announced until February.
Angelino reiterated the fact that no action needed to be taken at this time, but that the city needs to start looking at options for the future.