Information Services Advisory Board

MINUTES

August 3, 2006, 5:30 p.m.

Town Hall Campus

Council Large Conference Room #10035

316 N. Academy Street, Cary, North Carolina

www.townofcary.org

 

 

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 5:34 p.m.

 

 

Present:  Donna Bravo, Terra Brown-Shelton, Lee Douglas, John Fitzpatrick, Dayna Guzik, Tangie Hofer, Nazi Kite, John Nolander; Staff liaisons Susan Moran and Teri Peralta; Guest Speaker Chief Alan Cain

 

Absent:  Frank De Vita, Mark Evangelista

 

 

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the July 6, 2006, meeting were unanimously approved.

 

 

Old/New Business

b.    At-Large Council Vacancy
The agenda items were considered out of order.  Ms. Moran stated that Council requested staff liaisons to draw attention to the At-Large Council Vacancy at the respective boards and commissions meetings.  She explained that anyone interested could find information on how to apply for consideration on the Town’s Web site, noting that the deadline for filing a Statement of Interest was 5 p.m. on Friday, August 25, 2006.

 

 

Old/New Business

a.    Emergency Notification, Information, and CERT

       Speaker:  Fire Chief Allan Cain

       Mr. Fitzpatrick, Acting Chair, welcomed Chief Cain to discuss emergency preparedness with the board.  Chief Cain discussed three initiatives the Town of Cary has taken to increase its emergency preparedness:

 

  1. First Imitative:  Capital Improvement Project
    The Town has currently funded a Capital Improvement Project to upgrade its 800 MHz radio and dispatch system, which will enhance effectiveness and improve the Town’s ability to communicate internally, care for those with special needs in community, and provide better interoperability with other agencies in surrounding communities, counties, and the State.

 

  1. Second Initiative:  National Incident Management System (NIMS) Compliance Plan
    Through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) there is a National Incident Management Compliance Plan in effect, which requires local governments to complete training as of September 30, 2006.  The Town of Cary is in the process of updating and converting their plans to meet NIMS.

 

  1. Third initiative:  CERT Training
    This past Saturday the Town kicked off its first CERT Training program.  This training spans two weekends, and 28 employees and citizens are participating in the program.  Training focuses on developing the skills needed to help people plan for and respond to emergencies in their homes, including preparing a 3-day emergency preparedness kit. The inaugural class will be complete next Saturday. The second class full and there is a waiting list for another class.  Participants in this program are a great asset to Town in emergency situations where neighborhoods may be cut off from communication.

 

Chief Cain explained some of the exercises and drills emergency personnel participate in on a regular basis, including an aircraft emergency drill and a mass casualty vehicle accident exercise in the last few years.  Ms. Moran noted a recent change in the organization wherein Chief Cain was named the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Town.

 

Ms. Hofer noted that September is National Emergency Preparedness month, and Ms. Moran stated that she would work with staff to promote that as well.  Ms. Kite suggested putting a link on the Town’s Web site during the month of September.

 

Chief Cain referenced the Biennial Survey, noting that there is room for improvement when it comes to citizen preparedness.  He expressed eagerness in working with programs like CERT Training to make the community more aware and more prepared.

 

Mr. Fitzpatrick thanked Chief Cain for his presentation to the board.

 

Statement of Findings

The board received Chief Cain’s report and acknowledged that September is National Emergency Preparedness month.

 

Citizen comments

There were no citizen comments.

 

Ms. Guzik left at 6:31 p.m.

 

Member comments

Mr. Fitpatrick offered comments that there was not enough information was provided to citizens concerning the Dynamic Message signs, to which Ms. Moran respectfully disagreed.

 

Ms. Hofer noted that the American Red Cross has a comprehensive Web site concerning the topic of emergency preparedness.

 

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:33 p.m.