GGS Meeting Minutes from January 14, 2020
/Called to Order: 7:04 p
October Minutes Posted Online
Treasurer’s Report: Carolyn Tognetti, Treasurer, reported on the current balance.
Report from Gilroy Fire Department:
Firefighter Jeff MacPhail: Thanked Councilwoman Marques, Vice-Chair of GGS, for supporting the needs of the fire fighters to keep our citizens safe.
He reported that Gilroy has 3 separate fire stations strategically placed around the city. Current Response time is 7 minutes 59 seconds to most areas of Gilroy. The goal is for 7 minutes 30 seconds. However Eagle Ridge, Mesa Ranch and Ridge, and Glen Loma Ranch response time is currently 12 minutes, which is unacceptable. Challenges arise from traffic, curvy, narrow streets, and spread of city contributing to not making the 7 minute 30 second goal. Four minutes and 59 seconds is the window of time in cardiac events to avoid tissue damage, irreversible damage, and possible death. Firefighters rely on citizens to perform CPR until they arrive.
The City has recently established a 2 person crew at Christmas Hill Park to serve and study how and why giant gaps are occurring. It is called the Alternative Service Program intended to decrease response time to Glen Loma and the west side. However, it is only staffed from 8 am to 8 pm. A lot of calls happen after 8:00 p.m. A Fourth Station is necessary with staffing of 3.per shift. Ambulance service is also a problem. Gilroy sometimes has to wait for an ambulance to come from San Jose. We should be a self-sufficient city as we are at the tail end of the county and a 35-minute response time from ambulances is not safe. Years ago response model was 4 minutes 59 seconds. Cell phones create longer response time as the call doesn’t go straight to Gilroy 911.
Service demand is higher than 3 fire stations can cover. Gilroy has almost 6,000 calls in a year. Cal Fire is stretched thin due to huge service area, so Gilroy can’t rely on them for assistance.
Questions and Comments: The City needs more money to fully staff a new fire station.
What about grants?- The city no longer has grant writers. The city is supposed to be currently looking into this.
When 1,100 units are built by Glen Loma then the new fire station has to be built.
Current General Plan states: “ensure that public safety and services required by new developments is payed for by new developments” but this is not happening.
NFPA Recommends: Roughly 1 firefighter for a 1,000 residents. Gilroy has a population of approximately 57,000 so we should have 57 firefighters but we currently have 35 Gilroy firefighters. The fourth station would give us: 12 additional firefighters on per day, plus 1 division chief- this is not acceptable as it should be 15 firefighters per day in Gilroy.
Homeless population has a significant number of calls.
Cities could use more than 9% of the property tax.
State is requiring more housing which requires more city services, but where is money coming from to pay for these services as well as water and land?
General Plan:
No proposed changes in language to committee yet. Staff will present proposed revisions at the Jan. 23 meeting. GPAC gets to review the plan, but most changes came from city staff.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:50 p.