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.
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