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192 <br />Council Meeting <br />January 30, 1989 <br />A major question before the Council is to decide whether or <br />not we can spend roughly the same number of dollars and have <br />our own department with our own equipment, while weighing the <br />virtues of communities sharing services. Mr. Reinert pointed <br />out that today we can not afford our own department. Mr. <br />Bisel agreed but added that presently we are paying <br />depreciation on equipment that is not exactly top quality. <br />Mr. Reinert asked Mr. Benjamin where the most complaints <br />regarding the JPA were coming from. He replied from Lino <br />Lakes, but added that we do have some very good points. Mr. <br />Reinert stated that the district has turned into a "we /they" <br />situation, a situation that he and the whole Council <br />regretted, and hoped to turn around. <br />Mr. Benjamin was asked what he felt was the district's <br />strongest point. He replied that it was the inherent <br />organization and manpower that presently existed. He felt it <br />is important that city councils have the power to cap this <br />commission's budget. <br />Mr. Neal raised the issue of rescue calls. Mr. Schumacher's <br />worksheet demonstrated how calls had raised significantly in <br />1985. The point was made that calls have a direct bearing on <br />the formula, and therefore the price we pay. Mr Benjamin <br />questioned the number of calls, but felt it may be a <br />combination of fire and rescue calls. <br />Mr. Benson questioned Chief Campbell on the process used by <br />County dispatch when calls are made. Chief Campbell stated <br />that protocol was established in 1985 when the district was <br />created. When an accident with injuries is reported, a call <br />from the County goes directly to the police and fire <br />department. The ambulance service will also be paged. This <br />may be an aspect we need to look at. Mr. Neal asked what is <br />the order in which service arrives to an incident. Chief <br />Campbell replied that in most incidents; police first, <br />ambulance second, and rescue third. Mr. Neal questioned <br />whether something internally can be done to eliminate this. <br />Mayor Benson inquired as to whether rescue should <br />automatically be dispatched. He added that maybe only one <br />truck should be dispatched. These are questions that are <br />hard to answer. There are times when situations of <br />"overkill" arise. Mr. Neal felt that_the police and fire <br />chief should work together to decide who should "roll ". <br />Mayor Benson stated that with rescue being such a large cost, <br />protocol should be tightened up, and guidelines and standards <br />be reviewed. Dollars could be saved by all three communities <br />if this could be managed. <br />Mr. Reinert questioned what other communities do in <br />circumstances such as these. Mr. Schumacher replied that <br />they generally just pay the bill. He had checked with <br />surrounding communities and found that they have high costs <br />in these areas as well. <br />Page 2 <br />1 <br />1 <br />