1. Call to Order & Minutes | 0:24
- Chair opened with light remarks about construction noise and gratitude for city services.
- Quorum confirmed; minutes from previous meeting approved by motion/second without objection.
2. Public Safety Update (Part 1) – Firefighter Alan Green | 0:49
👨🚒 Speaker: Alan Green, Fire & Life Safety Educator
- Shared personal “why” for fire prevention: firefighter safety, community safety, and community engagement.
- Serves also as Chair of Community Risk Reduction & Outreach for the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters.
- Community Risk Reduction (CRR):
- Defined as a proactive strategy beyond traditional fire prevention.
- Covers hazards from fires to public health issues (e.g., youth gun violence).
- Involves community assessments (“boots on the ground”), planning, and action.
- Six CRR steps: Identify risk → Prioritize → Develop strategies → Draft plan → Implement → Monitor/modify.
- Five E’s of CRR: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency response, Economic incentives.
- Introduced “Empowerment” as an unofficial sixth “E”: Information must lead to action.
- Leading Cause of Residential Fires: Cooking (nationally & locally).
- Chattanooga Data:
- 2023: 222 structure fires; 42 (19%) from cooking.
- 2024: 304 structure fires; 73 (24%) from cooking.
- Highest concentration: Zip 37421 (14 cooking fires in 2023; 12 in 2024).
- Highlighted real case: Resident Carrie Harris saved by new smoke alarms after a candle-related fire.
- Emphasized collaboration, grants, and partnerships for prevention efforts.
Council Q&A | 25:27
- Clarified firefighters on CRR team are compensated via “special assignment.”
- Grants available via US Fire Administration, Red Cross programs, and other nonprofits.
- New reporting system (NFRIS) to improve fire data tracking.
- Council asked for emailed presentation and grant planning to avoid funding barriers.
3. Flood Response & Recovery Report | 30:35
🌀 Presenters: Multiple departments, coordinated by Darren and city staff.
- Meteorology (Brian Smith) | 33:32
- Sept. storm: 5.5 inches of rain in 3 hours; rates up to 9 inches/hour.
- Not a river flood, but a rare flash flood event; compared only to historic Saudi Daisy rainfall.
- Fire Department ICS Response (Chief Boatright) | 37:52
- National Incident Command System framework used.
- Battalion chiefs centralized command, coordinated multi-agency resources (Bradley, Cleveland, Red Bank, etc.).
- Over 100 firefighters deployed; 50+ rescue calls answered; 35 citizens rescued.
- Police Department (Chief Chambers & staff) | 1:17:02
- CPD responded to 427 calls for flooding/trapped individuals.
- Used drones, special ops, and off-duty call-ins.
- Fatality confirmed: man ignored barricades on East Brainerd Rd, swept away.
- Two patrol cars damaged; one totaled.
- Wastewater Response (Mark, Moccasin Bend) | 49:51
- Plant treated 230 million gallons during storm.
- Power outages at Citico pump station and others; most restored quickly.
- Highlighted long-term Consent Decree projects: 40M gallons storage to be online by 2027.
- Public Works (Jeremy Wood) | 1:02:35
- 100+ calls on day one; 15 crews deployed; over 300 staff in recovery ops.
- Flood identified as 200–500 year event.
- Assessment teams dispatched during storm for real-time FEMA documentation.
- Community Development (Cedric Henson) | 1:10:18
- Opened Chris L. Ramsey Center as shelter; 21 evacuees first night.
- Coordinated with Red Cross & volunteers; clothing pantry at John A. Patton.
- Planning “framework of opportunity” for future events (integrated NGOs, VOAD, city services).
- Next Steps & Debrief (Steve Wilson) | 1:20:34
- Mayor’s Office now has EOC checklist for role clarity.
- Future: more training, after-action meetings, and adoption of Survey123 for FEMA reporting.
- Threshold for state/federal aid: $1.6M; damage assessments ongoing.
- Residents should call Land Development Office or Hamilton EMA for inspections; also contact insurance.
4. Council Discussion | 1:24:02
- Concerns raised about cleanup in Belvoir & South Brainerd neighborhoods.
- Requests for TDOT accountability on I-24 construction flood impacts.
- Clarification sought on FEMA/TEMA assessment process to avoid missed households.
- Questions on public space debris removal and long-term wastewater capacity.
