CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF JOINT DINNER MEETING
Monday, October 22, 2001
6:00 p.m.
Shoreline Conference Center
Highlander Room
Shoreline City Council
PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Hansen, Councilmembers Grossman, Gustafson, Lee, and Ransom
ABSENT: Councilmember Montgomery
STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Larry Bauman, Assistant City Manager; and Joyce Nichols, Community and Government Relations Manager
Shoreline Fire District
PRESENT: Fire District Commissioners Keeny, Kennison and Williamson
ABSENT: None
STAFF: J. B. Smith, Fire Chief
The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m.
Steve Burkett, City Manager, showed the City’s new video on the Aurora Corridor Project. The response from those present was positive.
Mayor Jepsen began a discussion of the Fire District’s questions about the Aurora Project.
Commissioners said that they discussed the project at their last board meeting. The consensus was that the project will make Aurora Avenue safer. It was noted that someone has been appointed to work with the City on future projects. The Fire District has written the City a letter stating its support for the Aurora Project.
Turning to a discussion of the impacts of Initiative 747, J.B. Smith, Fire Chief, said the impact to the Shoreline Fire District’s budget is $375,000, which is the difference between levying one percent versus six percent in 2002. Mr. Burkett responded that there will be a $1.7 million impact on the City of Shoreline over the next five years, since the loss compounds over time.
Regarding the Emergency Management Response System, Commissioner Keeny provided background on where the City was six years ago as a new city. He said the City and the Shoreline Fire Department have worked well together over the years to evolve and tailor the two organizations’ plans so that they mesh. He noted the success of the recent "Sound Shake" simulated earthquake drill.
Continuing, Commissioner Keeny suggested that now the two organizations need to go to the next level, with the City assuming the overall responsibility for coordinating an emergency response. The Fire District recommends that the City beef up its role as the overall coordinator, possibly even hiring a staff person to coordinate the effort. He felt the Fire District’s responsibility is to be the first on the scene and to evaluate the situation. Other jurisdictions (water, sewer, etc.) have their own roles as well.
Responding to Councilmember Lee’s question about how other cities organize their emergency response, Mr. Burkett said that usually the police and fire departments assume the lead roles. He said he is comfortable with the Fire Department taking the lead because it is already prepared to respond to emergencies. Mr. Burkett said both the City and the Fire District have the same goals, but he was unsure that the City could afford to designate a full-time staff person to this effort.
Commissioner Keeny pointed out that public education is another essential component of the equation. He said the Fire Department’s focus is fire prevention.
Chief Smith noted that the City hired a consultant early on to develop a plan, which was never used. Then the City hired another consultant and that is where the relationship between the two entities "took off." He said that during the recent "Sound Shake" drill, City staff did very well. However, everyone realized that more work needs to be done to be fully prepared. Chief Smith felt that a full-time staff person is required to do the work of emergency management.
Mayor Jepsen wanted to know more about what other agencies learned during Sound Shake.
Chief Smith said the City, the Fire District, and the School District were the entities participating at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to make sure there could be a coordinated effort in an emergency.
Mayor Jepsen suggested that perhaps funding for a full-time emergency management coordinator could be shared among the various districts. He emphasized the importance of coordinating with the School District and others.
Chief Smith said the Fire District’s purpose is to try to make sure the City is prepared. It has been dedicating resources to coordinating this effort.
Commissioner Keeny reiterated his preference to see the coordination start at the City. He noted a major component of the job is risk assessment.
Councilmember Lee could not support having a full-time employee working in this capacity at the City when each agency has someone in its own organization as well.
Responding to Councilmember Ransom’s question about what kind of skills such a staff person would need, Commissioner Keeny responded that there are many individuals who have the training to provide these services.
Councilmember Grossman pointed out the emergency response has two elements: the event itself and the recovery period. He felt it is not practical to have a full-time person doing this.
Deputy Mayor Hansen believed that a hierarchy of command is key to the program, as well as communication. He saw the development of the plan as a full-time job, but that has now been done. Maintenance of preparedness probably does not require this type of full-time effort.
Mr. Burkett concluded that every organization has the same problem--too many things to do and not enough resources to do them. He was optimistic that progress in preparedness is possible and necessary. He said he would name someone to be accountable to him and perhaps work with other cities in the area, notably Lake Forest Park. The Water District and the Sewer District also need to be involved.
Councilmember Gustafson summarized that everyone agrees preparedness is a high priority and something that needs to be done.
Mayor Jepsen concluded that the entities should keep talking to each other. A City Council workshop can be scheduled when the next steps have been determined.
The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
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Joyce Nichols, Community and Government Relations Manager