O-2006-2892 - Laserfiche WebLink

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30 OBJ. 8.1.d: Provide and maintain adequate police protection for all citizens of La Porte. Since 2000, the Police Department has established working relationships with a number of Local, State, and Federal agencies to address narcotic issues and Homeland Security. As a member of the Community Defense Unit, the Department has been working closely with Federal agencies regarding anti- terrorism activities. In addition, the Department has created a Victim's Liaison Office that has assisted 1,330 of our citizens and awarded $124,785 in funds to those victims through the Attorney General's Office. GOAL 8.2: Maintain an excellent level of fire safety services provision and continue to fulfill the mission of the Fire Department. Since 2001, a 3-bay fire station was constructed in 2002 at the intersection of McCabe Road and South Broadway (Fire Sta. # 4). In 2006, the construction of a 4-bay fire station with a training classroom (Fire Sta. # 2) was completed at the intersection of Underwood Road and Spencer Highway. A bid of another 3-bay fire station at the intersection of North '"H" Street and Sens Road (Fire Sta. # 3) was awarded in March 2006. Design is also underway for the remodel of the existing Fire Station # 2 to house EMS personnel to accommodate future growth. OBJ. 8.2.a.: Continue to meet the expanding needs of the Fire Department by providing adequate resources and facilities. Much effort has been placed on recruitment and training of new volunteer firefighters, especially in Fire Districts One, Three, and Four. Continued use of and support for the Fire Training Facility has also kept the firefighters of this Department higWy trained. The Fire Training Facility is a well maintained and well utilized facility. Funds are budgeted each year for the continued maintenance of structures that were built to have fITes set in them and extinguished. This activity can be very destructive to any type building; however, our operational manual has helped to minimize the damage to the training structures. Regarding staffing levels, it is felt the system that is in place at this time will continue to serve us well for the next five to ten years. The Department maintains 12 career firefighters and one career supervisor split into three shifts to cover four stations. The bulk of our manpower is from volunteer firefighters who work side by side with the career firefighters. Having a number of volunteer firefighters as shift workers has been beneficial in providing manpower during all hours of the day and night. The only real issue is the possibility of not having enough shift workers available for daytime response. Should this occur the hiring of additional part-time career firefighters for daytime coverage may be necessary. The continued dedication of the Department's membership with fmancial support from the City Council will provide the community with a very functional department at a reasonable cost. The immediate goal for the future is to request a new survey by the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) sometime in 2006 in an attempt to lower our current rating of 4. Many of our efforts and improvements have been geared towards this survey to help the taxpayers in our city lower their fire insurance premiums, and to improve the overall safety and quality of life in our city.