2019 03 28 WS MinutesMINUTES OF THE REGULAR WORK SESSION OF THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN
March 28, 2019
The City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas met in a Regular Work Session on Thursday,
March 28, 2019, at 5:33 P.M., in the Hullum Conference Room of the Baytown City Hall, 2401
Market Street, Baytown, Texas with the following in attendance:
Laura Alvarado
Council Member
Robert Hoskins
Council Member
Charles Johnson
Council Member
David Himsel
Council Member
Chris Presley
Council Member
Heather Betancourth
Council Member
Brandon Capetillo
Mayor
Rick Davis
City Manager
Ignacio Ramirez
City Attorney
Leticia Brysch
City Clerk
Keith Dougherty
Sergeant at Arms
Mayor Capetillo convened the March 28, 2019, City Council Regular Work Session with a
quorum present at 5:33 P.M, all members were present with the exception of Council Member
Presley who arrived at 5:35 P.M.
1. DISCUSSIONS
a. Receive and discuss a presentation regarding the Baytown Fire Department's
Strategic Plan.
Chief Kenneth Dobson presented the item and stated that at their last presentation, he had
discussed the reorganization of the Fire Department and since that time, some of those changes
have been implemented as follows:
• Assistant Chief Dana Dalbey is over the Administration Section, which includes the Fire
Marshal's Office;
• Assistant Chief Aaron Smith is over the Logistics Section, which includes Apparatus,
Facilities and Training;
• Assistant Chief, Victor Medrano is over the Operations Section, which includes a Special
Operations Teams; and
• Assistant Chief Ronald Roberts is over what is a new section called Planning that
includes the Emergency Management Division, but also has the responsibility of the
accreditation process, maintaining the City's ISO "I" rating and really is looking into the
future and planning the growth of the City and the Fire Department.
City Council Regular Work Session Minutes
April 11, 2019
Page 2 of 4
Chief Dobson noted that the Fire Department is very busy; however, he wanted to focus on its
accreditation, and strategic plan. As it relates to the accreditation, the staff is working through the
Center of Public Safety Excellence, they are the group that does accreditation and professional
designations; such as Chief Fire Officer (CFO). Chief Dobson noted that he has been through
this process before with them and they are currently helping the department work through the
community driven strategic plan and standard of cover. This process will include: a
comprehensive self -assessment, quality improvement model that enables organizations to
examine past current and future service levels, and internal performance measures and compare
them to current research and industry best practices, the process leads to a more efficient and
effective emergency services organization. There are three main components to accreditation, (1)
the community driven strategic plan, (2) the committee risk assessment, standard of cover, and
(3) the self -assessment.
Chief Roberts presented information regarding the Fire Department Strategic Plan and noted that
staff started this process in July and finished it in October. Chief Roberts handed out the paper
document of the plan for the Council's review. Chief noted that this document is available to
anyone that wants a copy and will be on the Fire Department's website. He further noted that
this is a living — breathing document that will change over time as the Fire Department's critical
tasks and goals change.
Chief Dobson noted that the Fire Department is starting its community risk assessment —
standard of cover this month, and they hope to complete this task by the end of November. Items
considered in this assessment include: a risk based evaluation to help determine whether fire
station locations and distribution, quality of forces and fire service concentration or effective in
our community, heat mapping, etc.
Chief Dobson also noted that the last piece of the accreditation process is a self -assessment that
takes about six months to complete. They hope to start that in January and be done towards the
end of the year and it is a systematic process of assessing what the Fire Department is doing in
comparison to state standards, and the accreditation model. The accreditation model has 10
categories with 45 criteria, 52 performance indicators, and 86 of those are core competencies are
things that the Fire Department must meet.
The Council and staff discussed the graph and map of the standard of cover and the self -
assessment scoring system, along with overall strengths and weaknesses, and citizen
outreach. He noted that as the team works through this self -assessment they will identify needs
for improvement such as staffing, better utilization of resources, location of fire stations, number
of ambulances, and other capital and operational items.
Chief Dobson in response to a question stated that the Fire Department is always looking at its
staffing capabilities and noted that there are some challenges when vacations get stacked a little
bit, and there is the use of a little bit of overtime, in order to make sure that all shifts are covered
at all times.
City Council Regular Work Session Minutes
April 11, 2019
Page 3 of 4
Chief Dobson noted that the Fire Department hopes to have better utilization of the City's social
media and outreach programs to get information out to the public, as well as, to promote
volunteerism; however, that is something that will be looked into after this process is completed.
Chief Dobson noted that the Department is also addressing the marine program, and have
received a grant to purchase a fireboat to help with small fires, and search and rescue efforts.
Staff and Council discussed the tower truck. Chief Dobson noted that this community does not
need large and heavy trucks, and staff is working on a policy that identifies the best type of
apparatus and equipment for this city. He noted that in general, all apparatus purchases will go
through a review process and Chief Smith is going to oversee the review committee to better
discuss and identify what is really needed.
Chief Dobson answered questions regarding the plan forward and closed by noting that tradition
within the fire department at times can hold people back, but there are a lot of good traditions
that should be kept. He noted that they want to set the example for other departments by
protecting the staff and most importantly, by providing the best service to the community
through the new vision statement that reads as follows:
The department's 2023 vision is to be widely known for embracing excellence as
an internationally accredited department that is mission oriented. For those we
serve. We remain dedicated to out history are looking to the future by embracing
and managing for change. Because we have realized our community's
expectations we will continue to focus on efficiency through better management
of our physical resources. Thus proving we are good stewards of the things we are
entrusted through more effective administrative processes. We will break the
bonds of status quo and build a stronger department our teamwork. Through the
pursuit of greater quality training programs and opportunities will strengthen
department unity for us to personify who we are and why we exist. We will invest
in our greatest asset, our members, as we reach for better ways to recruit, retain,
and develop the best of the best. There are more progressive human resources
training and professional development initiatives. We will also demonstrate their
value by the pursuit of our health and wellness initiative, making sure that we
remain fit, healthy, and ready now and in the future. Altogether, this will enhance
our ability to serve and to fulfill our core values dedicated to the residents, visitors
and industrial partners.
The Council thanked the Fire Chief and his staff for all their hard work on this very important
endeavor.
It. Discuss any or all of the agenda items on the City Council Regular Meeting Agenda
for March 28, 2019, which is attached below.
City Council Regular Work Session Minutes
April 11, 2019
Page 4 of 4
Mr. Nathan Dietrich, Senior Planner for the Planning and Development Services Department
gave the Council a brief overview of items related to Ameriport, LLC / Chamber County
Improvement District No. 2, items Ta. - Te.
Mr. Tony Gray, Interim Health Director, gave the Council an overview of potential amendments
to the Animal Ordinance to allow for farm animals in certain residential areas depending on the
lot size.
2. ADJOURN
With there being no further business to discuss, Mayor Capetillo adjourned the March 28, 2019,
City Council Regular Work Session at 6:30 P.M.
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Leticia Brysch, City C
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