CC_Minutes_2019_0107 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday,January 7, 2019 Page 19 Mr. Dave Doucot,2700 block of Dellwood Mr. Dave Doucot stated he works for the Fire Department and will start to reach out to the people on the NextDoor site. He hoped the City Council will consider moving forward with the Phase II plan. State Representative Jamie Becker-Finn,3000 Block of Victoria Street Ms. Becker-Finn stated she was at the meeting in solidarity with the Fire Fighters and the work Fire Fighters do. She and Councilmember Laliberte had participat- ed in a Fire Ops 101, which she highly recommended because it gives a perspec- tive on the work the Fire Fighters do and the risks that are taken and the trauma faced every day. She also has to take an Oath to uphold the Minnesota Constitu- tion as an elected official and as a lawyer she has to read the Constitution and Ar- ticle One is the role of government to uphold the protection, security, and benefit of the people. She really thought what the Fire Fighters do is the heart of the se- curity, protection and benefit of the people. She stated if there is anything legisla- tively that she can help with she would be happy to help move this plan forward. Mr. Neil Sjostrom Union President for the Roseville Fire Fighters Mr. Sjostrom stated he is the president and member of the Roseville Fire Fighter Union Local 5051 and represented the fifteen full-time Fire Fighters of the Fire Department. He wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the accomplishments of Fire Chief O'Neill and Assistant Fire Chief Brosnahan. Their outreach efforts in the past year and the many opportunities that were taken to seek input from the community on the future of the Fire Department and urgent staffing needs. The time and effort spent on this topic is commendable and is something that should not be overlooked by Council or the community. The Fire Department finds itself in an extremely difficult position presently. One that should not be set aside or have decisions delayed. The issues presented can only be addressed by the City Council in a time sensitive fashion. The cost to tax payers of the community as- sociated with the presentation and the Departments and community needs are not lost on him nor are the needs something he takes lightly; however, neither is the safety of the Fire Fighters he represents or the community the Fire Fighters ulti- mately serve. It is these two factors that have him seated before the Council. Mr. Sjostrom stated he wanted to outline a couple of points. First, the Roseville Fire Department has the highest call to on duty Fire Fighter ratio of any depart- ment in the State of Minnesota. He noted this is not a statistic to brag about. He stated this statistic puts Roseville Fire Fighters at greater risk by increasing stress, fatigue, and burnout. Research has proven that fatigued, overworked Fire Fight- ers are far more likely to make mistakes or to become injured on an emergency incident then those who work in department with appropriate staffing to call rati- os. Second, Roseville Fire Department is not unique in the situation it currently finds itself in. It is a problem with the Fire Service on a national level. These problems are not unique, and the solutions being recommended are consistent with what is occurring in departments across the Metro Region locally and on a