HomeMy WebLinkAboutE911 July 2024 Minutes
EAST CENTRAL REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL
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City & County Government Center, 520 3 Street
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Room 300 (3 floor)
Thursday, July 18, 2024
8:30 a.m.
Board members present: Larry Jensen (County Commission), Kelly VanderWal (County
Commission), Samantha Beckman (Assistant to the City Manager) and Michael Drake (BPD).
Others present: Drew Garry (BPD), Shawn Peterson (BPD), Marty Stanwick (SO), Dave
Jacobsma (Fire), and Shawn Plowman (County IT).
Members absent: Stacy Steffensen (Commission Dept. Director), Bob Hill (County Emergency
Management/Zoning) and Pete Bolzer (Fire Dept.).
Call to Order: Jensen called the meeting to order.
Approval of Agenda: VanderWal / Beckman moved to approve the agenda.
Approve Minutes: VanderWal / Beckman moved to approve the minutes of the May 16, 2024
meeting. All present voted aye. Motion approved. VanderWal/Drake moved to approve the
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minutes of the May 23 meeting. All present voted aye. Motion approved.
Approval of bills: Garry provided an overview of non-recurring bills Drake/VanderWal made a
motion to approve the non-recurring bills. All present voted aye. Motion approved.
Quarterly Numbers: Garry reviewed the quarterly numbers.
Old Business:
Update on staffing:
Sgt Peterson explained that last Monday, we welcomed two new dispatch hires. Once they
complete their approximately 15-week training, we will be fully staffed for dispatchers. However,
our lead dispatcher has taken another position within the city. We plan to promote someone
internally to fill the lead dispatcher role, which will then create another opening that we will need
to backfill. We are fully staffed for now, but a new dispatch position will open soon.
New Business:
Update on annual compliance review:
Sgt. Peterson explained that for a dispatch center to be considered a public safety answering
point (PSAP), it must meet numerous state administrative requirements. Part of the licensing
process involves an annual inspection by the state 911 coordinator or their designee, especially
for incentive PSAPs that receive state funding. This inspection includes a review of training and
procedure manuals, interviews with dispatchers, equipment checks, and an analysis of various
metrics.
In early June, the current state 911 coordinator, Jason, conducted a thorough review of our
operations, focusing heavily on procedures and training. We passed with no deficiencies for the
second year in a row. Jason was impressed with our operations and wrote a commendatory
letter, which is included in everyone’s packet. The Brookings 911 Center is not only meeting but
exceeding state standards.
Update on rural structure fire procedure:
Dave Jacobsma explained the new procedure for emergency responses. The host department
will be alerted first, followed by mutual aid being alerted with a second tone, regardless of the
incident's size. Previously, all departments were alerted simultaneously. Now, the host
department will decide whether to call off the mutual aid.
Update on Pictometry:
Shawn Plowman explained that for years, the county, city, BMU, and e911 have shared the
costs for aerial imagery of the cities. The police department (PD) was unaware of their access to
this imagery but paid for it as part of the agreement. Recently, there has been discussion about
the E911 board opting out of this cost-sharing agreement. This change would not affect access
to the imagery for the police but would remove the expense from the E911 board's budget,
resulting in a $10,000 to $11,000 decrease, which the other entities would absorb. The 911
dispatch has not used this imagery for about ten years. Drake stated opting out would be the
board's discretion and wanted to make the board aware of this in case they did want to go on
and have further discussions of whether it should be included in the E911 budget.
If this board decides to opt out of it, Plowman will write the contracts for the county, city, and
BMU for that cost-sharing.
Member Reports:
Drake/VanderWal made the motion to adjourn. All present voted aye. Motion approved.
Next meeting: Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 8:30 a.m.
Regular quarterly meetings are held in January, April, July, and October on the third
Thursday of the month. The budget discussion will be held in May.
Submitted by Chris Larson