Dale Stuart, our Township Manager, will be commenting at the end of tomorrow’s Board of Trustees Meeting (very long agenda) on the status of planning by Fire Department to improve EMS and fire responses. This is according to comments today by Township Supervisor Mike Bailey. He did not reveal he contents of Mr. Sturt’s remarks.

The chain of command for operations is that Fire Chief / Emergency Manager Paul Strelchuk reports to Township Manager Dale Stuart who reports to the seven member Board of Trustees. Our understanding is that “Fire Management” is making the plans.  We take this to mean Township Manager Dale Stuart, Chief Paul Strelchuk and Assistant According to Township Supervisor Mike Bailey, Chief Lou Danek.

The meeting can be seen on Channel 17, on the Township website live or later on videotape.

 

This email was sent out today.

 

To:

Mike Bailey

Township Supervisor

Oakland Township

 

cc: Board of Trustees, Dale Stuart, Paul Strelchuk, Lou Danek

 

Subject: Request for Supervisor to add an agenda item at 12/12/17 Board of Trustees meeting – “Set deadline for initial report (description of problems) on fire and EMS response times”

 

I ask that you add an agenda item allowing a motion to be made at 12/12/17 Board meeting that “Fire Management should present, no later than the January 9, 2018 Board meeting, a description of the fire and EMS response time problems. This should include response time historical data to illustrate the problems and serve as a baseline to judge the effect of any changes in the “response protocol”

I am disappointed that a report Chief Strelchuk and Assistant Chief Danek are not included on the agenda for the 12/12/17 Board of Trustees meeting. After 27 months it seems that now is the time for the Board to set some deadlines for this ongoing work to improve response times.

But, how can any solutions be pursued until Fire Management and the Board agree on the problem to be solved or improvement to be made? Defining a problem (with data if possible) and getting agreement on the level of improvement desired and by when before pursuing solutions, is standard industry practice in today’s world. The attached Chapter 16 “Project Charter” gives very good guidance on this point.

We have been quite properly reminded that the “Board speaks through its motions”, when we have tried to hold the Board accountable for a statement from an individual Board member.

What follows is the entire Board record on this issue – one motion and two statements by individuals. The Board has assigned nothing specific to be done via a motion.

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES  AUGUST 25, 2015 – REGULAR MEETING  PAGE 4 of 5

“1. Chief Strelchuk – 10-Year Strategic Operating Plan

 

MOTION by Langlois, supported by Reilly to form a subcommittee regarding a 10-Year Strategic Operating Plan for the Fire Department consisting of Trustees Ferriolo, Giannangeli and Buxar.

 

Motion carried unanimously.”

 

*****************

 

Dale Stuart, Township Manager, 11-4-2017 Board of Trustees Meeting, Video Chapter 11

“Recently there have been comments regarding the response time experienced by the fire department while responding to medical issues and fires. It has been proffered that the Oakland County medical control board has set certain standards as to acceptable response times for an ALS unit. That is true; there are such standards. Fire Management is currently re-evaluating its response protocol and exploring ways to improve all fire tactical operations. This is an ongoing exercise and one that we take seriously and that has been ongoing for some time. There is no simple, easy or quick way to deal with the various issues; but as we get those prepared we will deal with the fire subcommittee and the Township Board to provide to you what options we think are available. “

 

*******************

 

Mike Bailey, Township Supervisor, 11-4-2017 Board Trustees Meeting, Video Chapter 12

“And as Township Manager Stuart indicated, the Board awaits input from Chief Strelchuk and Assistant Chief Danek as to their plan to improve our EMS and Fire response times. That’s a matter of record and they are challenged to come back and tell us, the fire subcommittee first, and then the board what things they are going to be doing in that regard.”

 

As always, I stand ready to assist Fire Management with problem definition and/or data analysis if invited.

Voters have a right to understand these problems now, so they can input to the Board the fire / EMS response times they desire.

 

Bob Yager

12/9/17

I Am Against Enforcement Section 16-111 of Proposed Revised Zoning Ordinance #16

At the Tuesday, 12/12/17 Board of Trustees meeting, I will be speaking against the unduly abrupt enforcement process detailed in section 16-111.  It says, “…enforcement shall follow the procedures set forth in Ordinance No. 80….”

Ordinance No. 80 says,  in 02.03.00 –“ (1) An authorized official who witnesses a person violate an ordinance, the violation of which is a municipal civil infraction, shall prepare and subscribe, as soon as possible and as completely as possible, an original and three copies of a citation.”

The above proposed enforcement process contradicts both –

1. the progressive enforcement process outlined by Township Manager Dale Stuart in remarks at Board of Trustees Meeting 10/24/2017 (Video Chapter 9). He said that, “Only after repeated attempts to get voluntary compliance do we resort to issuing a ticket for a court appearance.”

 

and –

 

2. the recommendation of the Institute For Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) advice to Municipal Lawyers below.

 

(Below is from Michigan Municipal Law, by ICLE Chapter 9,” Ordinance Enforcement.” Section 9.3 “Ordinance Examples”)

“Zoning. Municipalities can adopt and enforce zoning ordinances as authorized by the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, MCL 125.3101 et seq. Most zoning violations have been decriminalized and are prosecuted as civil infractions. The primary goal in the enforcement of zoning regulations is to obtain compliance with the zoning ordinance, so tickets are written when letters, personal visits, and warnings have been disregarded. The imposition of fines and costs by the court is a dissatisfying result if the underlying zoning violation is not corrected. Personal visits by zoning enforcement officers are very important in establishing the factual basis of an alleged violation and in obtaining compliance. Photographs of the condition of the property are critical, because visual evidence of an unpaved parking area, a porch built into a setback area, or a car parked on the front lawn are powerful evidence of the violation. Warning letters or notices advising the owner or occupant of a zoning violation help obtain compliance and are good evidence of delay in responding to requests for compliance. Unless required by local code, letters and notices of zoning violations do not have to be sent by certified mail.

A notice of a zoning violation may very well be an order or determination of the zoning official that can be appealed to the local zoning board of appeals before a citation is issued. The interpretation of the zoning ordinance usually is handled by the zoning board of appeals, if an appeal is filed to request the interpretation. The property owner or occupant does not have to wait for a ticket and a court hearing to receive an interpretation of the zoning ordinance. ”

 

I will also speak against the section that makes you a first offender, subject to a misdemeanor on a subsequent “violation”, even if your first ticket is dismissed. See below 16-111(1).

Here is the proposed section 16-111 that the Board will be voting on.

 

 

Feel free to support me in my remarks.

No, I am not running for anything. I just want fair and respectful treatment for me and my fellow citizens.

Bob Yager

12/8/2017

 

RochestreAn ad-hoc study committee has been asked by Rochester City Council to study how to provide future services and funding in light of a “development boom”. Specifically to study –

• Rescue operations
• The Department’s structure
• Response Times
• Equipment
• Expectations from the Public

The committee consists of

• Fire Chief
• City Manager
• 1 City Council Member
• 2 Residents

Calls have risen dramatically –

Year	Calls	Fire Stations	Firefighters / EMS (Paid-on-Call)	Budget
2008	520	1	27
2016	1626	1
2017 (estimated total calls))	1900	1	45	$1,330,000

Rochester is 3.83 square miles in area, about 10.4% of Oakland Township area. Population is estimated in 2016 at 13,017 with a 43% increase in seniors from 2008 to 2016.

Sources of information “Downtown Rochester”, December 2017, pages 35, 46 and Wikipedia census data.

 

Planning Commission will review the exact wording of the proposed changes to six sections of the Zoning Ordinance that they voted to make at their 11-7-2017 meeting. I am most interested in section 16-111 Enforcement. See the changes in “red line format” in the meeting packet here.

https://www.ecode360.com/documents/OA3183/public/405306789.pdf

Via the email seen at this link:  EMS Response Time Email to Board, 

I have suggested to our Board of Trustees that they take action aimed at improving our Fire Department EMS ambulance response time to meet the 6 or 8 minute Oakland County standard.
To that end I have asked them to make public their data at 12/12 meeting that would:
• Form a data base line for detecting improvement.
• Alert residents to the issue in a quantitative way.
• Further Board goals of transparency.
Below  is the limited data I have. This shows EMS response times for previous 6 months running in early 2016. I am suggesting that this graph be extended 19 months to the present to form a baseline to judge the effect of any improvement programs that are implemented.

For those willing to take a “deep dive” into this issue I refer you to this Oakland Township Sentinel webpage: “EMS Response Time Improvement Project” under the “Fire / EMS Dept.” Menu.

 

 

 

Fire Dept. Manpower  – What is the Current Fire / EMS Manpower Situation?

 

Details of Oakland Township staffing

Station#1 – Collins Rd.

1 Paramedic / Firefighter 24/7. This takes three full-time personnel each working (24×7)/3 = 56 hours per week each.

Station#2 – Rochester Rd.

1 Paramedic / Firefighter 24/7. This takes three full-time personnel each working (24×7)/3 = 56 hours per week each.

During daytime hours these two are also on duty at Station #2, if not attending county meetings.

Paul Strelchuk – Fire Chief

Greg Ball – Paramedic / Firefighter / EMS Coordinator

Greg does it all. He was driving the fire truck to our last fire on Bear Creek Ct.

 

This chart below shows the staffing per station for Oakland Township and four similar townships. This data was collected by the Fire Department and included in a 10-Year Strategic Plan that was never reviewed by the Board of Trustees and therefore neither accepted nor rejected.

The fire Department web page shows our Fire / EMS personnel qualifications and year of hire: http://www.oaklandtownship.org/township_departments/fire_department/personnel.php

 

 

 

 

 

It is my personal opinion, after discussions with the Oakland Township Fire Department since early 2014, that if residents understood how it is currently staffed and operated you would support and perhaps demand the hiring of 6 more full-time Paramedic/Firefighters so we can have a prompt, adequate, safe responses to medical emergencies, fires, auto accidents and other emergencies.

I will present my arguments in a series of articles over the coming weeks. Besides putting ourselves in danger, we are asking our Paramedic / Firefighters to do their jobs in a way that is too dangerous to them.

EMS

Let’s take a look at our Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Our Fire Department is licensed by Oakland County Medical Control Authority (OCMCA) as an ALS (Advanced Life Support) service. Think of this as bringing the emergency room to your house. The basic legal requirements to be licensed are:

1. A properly stocked ambulance (drugs, EKG, surgical equipment for inserting breathing tubes, etc.)
2. Two Paramedics or one Paramedic and one Emergency Medical Technician at all times on the ambulance
3. Arrive on scene within 6 minutes of being notified by dispatch (8 minutes if you think our population is below 500 per square mile or 18,400 people.)
4. Follow all OCMCA patient treatment protocols exactly
5. Have an EMS coordinator for training and item #6 below.
6. Review every response for compliance to patient treatment protocols

Our EMS /ALS service meets requirements 1 4, 5, 6; but fails to meet 2 and 3.

1. We have two properly equipped and stocked ALS ambulances, A-1 at Station #1 on Collins Rd. and A-2 at Station #2 on Rochester Rd.
2. We have only one person on the ambulance enroute to your medical emergency. This driver / Paramedic is unsafely multitasking. She is navigating, working the siren, looking for traffic, communicating with dispatch and possibly Crittenton Hospital and planning what to do for the patient on arrival. There should be a second person on this ambulance.
3. We get the two paramedics or one paramedic and one EMT on scene in 11.5 minutes, 5.5 minutes late, according to data collected between 10/1/15 and 5/31/16.

An ambulance leaves the fire station with one paramedic on board. He or she hopes to meet up with another paramedic or EMT at the scene – either a Paid-on-Call (who is not “on call”, but volunteers to respond if they can) or the second ALS ambulance from the other station. Except during the daytime, each station is manned by a single person. It takes 6 people to place one person in two stations 24/7. During the day the Chief and EMS Coordinator are also at Station #2.

4. I am confident, after numerous discussions that our Paramedic / Firefighters deeply care about people and spend a lot of time studying and practicing Oakland County patient treatment protocols to make sure they are prepared. Recently they cut open a neck to insert a breathing tube to save a gunshot victim. This is far beyond first aid.
5. We have an EMS Coordinator.
6. The EMS coordinator leads these reviews.

 

FIRES

 

For fires, our Paramedic / Firefighters must go into the structure to rescue people or to put out the fire and prevent a total loss of property. Two firefighters go in the burning structure as a team. Two firefighters must be outside ready to rescue them if needed. One more person needs to be outside and in command. This is the bare minimum.  Fifteen people are needed if the fire is to be extinguished.

Generally accepted standards set by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA)              are:

1. Four firefighters on scene in 4 minutes 90% of the time.
2. Fifteen firefighters on scene in 9 minutes, 90% of the time.
3. 80 additional seconds are allowed receive the call, suit up, and get on the truck.

I am unaware of any data on our degree of conformance to these standards. But with our one man per station, it is extremely unlikely that we comply.

 

AUTO ACCIDENTS

These require often multiple ambulances, at least one fire truck, and an emergency gear truck with jaws-of-life, etc. Two people can bring two of four needed vehicles, the rest depends on volunteer response and mutual aid from other communities.

 

DATA

We have suggested to Chief Strelchuk that there should be a monthly review of fire department data showing compliance or lack thereof and issues and plans. So far there has been no positive response to this suggestion.

 

FUTURE ARTICLES

We will provide future articles with more detail based on questions from readers.

Bob Yager

11-28-2017

Former Township Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Alice Tomboulian, once remarked that developers see Oakland Township as “a tough nut to crack”. By that she meant that our Zoning Ordinance #16 and associated ordinances contained the maximum legally defensible restrictions on what a developer can do; far more than surrounding communities. These tough ordinances are the results of members of the former Oakland Township Association, including Peggy Johnson, to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude.

Using these ordinances our Planning Commission and Board was able to approve no new development in fiscal 2016-2017 (March 31, 2016 to April 30, 2017).

The legally required Planning Commission annual report provides details. I have written-in details of Board of Trustees votes on Planning Commission recommendations in this Planning Commission annual report at link below. The Board was even tougher than the Planning Commission.

Planning Commission Annual Report 2016-2017

 

Residents –

Please voice your views on this matter to our 12^th District State Senator Jim Marleau via email (jimmarleau@senate.michigan.gov). Include your name and address.

Resident Anne Marie Rogers has been working on this issue and has extensive professional studies about the danger of such animal breeds. At this link is a recent letter she sent out to all State Senators.

SB-416 Letter