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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 12a - Community Connect Program DATE: September 20, 2022 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Barry R. Spriggs, Fire Chief By: Chen Suen, Deputy Fire Chief Maria Lourdes Taylor, Sr. Management Analyst SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7458 ENCOURAGING CARETAKERS WITHIN THE CITY OF ARCADIA TO REGISTER WITH THE CITY’S COMMUNITY CONNECT PROGRAM Recommendation: Adopt SUMMARY The City of Arcadia’s (“City”) Community Connect Program (“Community Connect”) is a free and secure program where Arcadia residents can voluntarily share vital household information online so that the Arcadia Fire Department (“AFD”) can adequately respond and assist more effectively during an emergency. It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7458 encouraging caretakers within the City to register with the City’s Community Connect Program. BACKGROUND At the February 7, 2022, City Council Meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Paul Cheng recommended that the City Council and City Staff explore emergency services and resources for senior residents, and requested that this matter be placed on a future agenda for further discussion. The City Council concurred. At the May 17, 2022, City Council Meeting, the City Council further discussed options for community connection during emergencies; and elected to focus on Community Connect. The City Council directed the Fire Department to explore and put into action three goals: 1) Present Community Connect to the Senior Citizen’s Commission; 2) Present to and educate other community groups about the program; and 3) Work with the City Attorney’s Office to draft a Resolution either requiring or encouraging caretakers and their care recipients to register with Community Connect. Adopt Resolution No. 7458 Encouraging Caretakers within the City to Register with Community Connect September 20, 2022 Page 2 of 5 Community Connect is delivered by First Due, a leading software company that provides AFD with pre-incident information for Arcadia residences and businesses, including building information, features, and potential hazards. Community Connect is a feature of the application that allows Arcadia residents and businesses the opportunity to voluntarily share vital life-safety information with AFD online. The feature allows the opportunity to share as much information as participants are comfortable with sharing. Registration with Community Connect is free and secure through the City’s website at ArcadiaCA.gov/Connect. Once registered, the user can update their information online at any time. Some examples of information that participants can provide to Community Connect include, but are not limited to, designated family meeting places, emergency contact information, family functional needs, pet information, and other essential data. Firefighters can access this information while responding to a home or a business and can better understand the specific needs of each residence or facility. DISCUSSION As highlighted previously, the City Council directed the Fire Department to develop a plan for community connection during emergencies that consisted of three goals. With the assistance of the Recreation and Community Services Department (“Recreation Department”), the Fire Department accomplished these goals by presenting the Community Connect program to the Senior Citizen’s Commission; educating various community groups about the program; and finally, as proposed in this report, by working with the City Attorney’s Office to draft the attached Resolution No. 7458 that encourages caretakers within the City to register with Community Connect. To further delineate how the Community Connect goals were successfully executed by the Fire Department, in collaboration with other City Departments, the following outreach and proactive community activities are shown below: Goal 1: Presentation to the Senior Citizen’s Commission Coordinating with the Recreation Department, the Fire Department was invited to speak and present information about Community Connect at the Senior Citizen’s Commission regular meeting that was held on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. The Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief provided details of the program and answered questions from the Commission about Community Connect. Goal 2: Presentations to Other Community Groups Since the City Council meeting on May 17, 2022, the Fire Department has reached out to several community groups to present information on Community Connect and assist residents with registering for the program. These meetings include: Adopt Resolution No. 7458 Encouraging Caretakers within the City to Register with Community Connect September 20, 2022 Page 3 of 5 District 5 Neighborhood Watch Meeting On July 23, 2022, Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief presented information to several community members, including details of the Community Connect program to the Neighborhood Watch group within District 5. National Night Out at Arcadia’s “Concert in the Park” Summer Series Program On August 4, 2022, the Fire Department, in partnership with the Recreation Department and with the assistance of Boy Scout Troop 111, hosted a junior firefighter obstacle course and an information booth at Arcadia’s National Night Event. Information regarding Community Connect and other Fire Department-related programs were provided to the public. Highlanders Homeowners’ Association Meeting On August 18, 2022, the Fire Department, along with the Public Works Department, presented information on wildfire prevention and water conservation, respectively. As part of the Fire Department presentation, information about Community Connect was shared with community members. Community Center Outreach On two separate dates, August 15 and 30, 2022, the Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief, hosted by the Recreation Department at the Community Center, assisted Arcadia senior citizens to register with Community Connect and supplied additional information about the benefits and use of the program. Homebound Resident Outreach On August 25, 2022, a member of the Recreation Department and the Fire Department visited several homebound seniors to provide information and help them register with Community Connect. This service was initially requested by a few seniors who were homebound and had mobility issues. Senior Health and Informational Fair On September 2, 2022, the Recreation and Community Services Department held their annual Senior Health and Informational Fair at the Arcadia Community Center. The Fire Department organized and staffed an informational table at the fair providing seniors with the variety of resources and services that the Fire Department offers. Several seniors also registered with Community Connect during the event. Adopt Resolution No. 7458 Encouraging Caretakers within the City to Register with Community Connect September 20, 2022 Page 4 of 5 Goal 3: Proposed Resolution No. 7458, Encouraging Caretakers and their Care Recipients to Register with Community Connect The Fire Department worked with the City Attorney’s Office to explore options through a resolution either requiring or encouraging caretakers and their care recipients to register with Community Connect. After conducting research on case law, it was determined by Best Best & Krieger that requiring caretakers and their care recipients to register with Community Connect would be difficult and likely against public policy. The most feasible option is to encourage participation in the Program. This can be accomplished by adopting the proposed Resolution No. 7458 that is being presented to City Council for consideration. Resolution No. 7458 not only encourages caretakers within the City and their care recipients to register with Community Connect to support AFD’s crucial life- safety response during an emergency, the Program also includes City business owners and other residents. Conclusion Over the past four-month period and with the collective efforts of the Fire Department and Recreation Department, the Arcadia Community Connect program achieved a 14% increase in users. With the adoption of Resolution No. 7458 along with the City’s ongoing efforts to educate Arcadia residents, and in particular seniors and their caretakers, the Fire Department strongly believes that the number of users will continually increase. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT The proposed actions do not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), based on Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, as it can be seen with certainty that they will have no impact on the environment. Thus, these matters are exempt under CEQA. FISCAL IMPACT Adopting Resolution No. 7458 has no direct impact on the General Fund. Outreach work will continue within the normal work programs of the Fire Department and Recreation and Community Services Departments. There may be additional long-term cost implications should the City Council desire to expand outreach and promotional efforts outside of normal Departmental activities. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7458 encouraging caretakers within the City of Arcadia to register with the City’s Community Connect Program. Adopt Resolution No. 7458 Encouraging Caretakers within the City to Register with Community Connect September 20, 2022 Page 5 of 5 Attachments: Resolution No. 7458 Community Connect Information Flyer 1 RESOLUTION NO. 7458 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, ENCOURAGING CARETAKERS WITHIN THE CITY OF ARCADIA TO REGISTER WITH THE ARCADIA COMMUNITY CONNECT PROGRAM WHEREAS, during an emergency, it is critical for the City of Arcadia Fire Department (“Department”) to have access to as much information as possible regarding City households in order for the Department to respond as quickly and effectively as possible to the emergency; WHEREAS, First Due, a leading software partner to some of North America's largest emergency service organizations, provides a “community connect” solution that enables individuals to voluntarily submit their own life-safety information; WHEREAS, the City of Arcadia (“City”) has partnered with First Due to establish the Arcadia Community Connect Program (“Community Connect”) to allow City residents and businesses to voluntarily submit their own life-safety information that will be accessible to the Department; WHEREAS, Community Connect is a voluntary service available to all City residents and businesses; and WHEREAS, access to the information provided via Community Connect will enable the Department to respond more effectively to emergency calls, especially with respect to calls involving individuals who require caretakers, such as seniors. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, DOES FIND, DETERMINE AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The City of Arcadia hereby encourages all City business owners and residents, especially caretakers within the City and their care recipients, to support efforts to assist the Arcadia Fire Department’s emergency response services by registering for 2 the Arcadia Community Connect Program and voluntarily provide crucial life-safety information to the Department. SECTION 2. The City of Arcadia hereby directs the Arcadia Fire Department to promote the Arcadia Community Connect Program to City businesses and residents, with a particular emphasis on promoting the program to caretakers within the City and their care recipients. [SIGNATURES ON THE NEXT PAGE] Attachment