PANAMA CITY — The Panama City Fire Department is hoping to enter into an agreement with Bay County Fire Services designed to improve efficiency and the city’s fire insurance rating.
The City Commission will vote Tuesday on the agreement, under which in exchange for permission for the county to use station 6 at 4931 Star Ave., Panama City will receive 25 years of free access to the Bay County communications system.
Communications is one of the key areas evaluated by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), which issues insurance fire ratings. Bay County’s system is rated a No. 1 while the Panama City Police Department communication is rated as a 3. City Fire Chief Alex Baird said the agreement may allow the city to receive a rating of 2 instead of 3.
The communications change does have practical applications as well. Baird said Bay County’s system is designed specifically for fire and emergency medical services and the change may cut down on confusion based on streamlining information. Also most departments in Bay County already use the county’s communication system, making mutual aid calls much easier. Lynn Haven is the only department with its own system. Bay County is currently the department Panama City coordinates with most often for calls north of Panama City.
“You won’t have to jump back and forth between radio channels,” Baird said. “There’s also a safety net that the dispatcher can respond to one channel.”
Bay County will also allow for an interface with the Spillman CAD program so the department can more readily access information.
Baird said Bay County likely will use station 6 for an EMS vehicle and maybe a fire truck.
ISO ratings for fire departments are part of the way homeowners and business insurance premiums are set. The lower the rating for the department the better the premium for insurance, although Baird said the biggest difference comes between levels 4 and 3.
Another change for department communications is the addition of tablets for field data collection. Baird said many buildings in town have had fire specific inspections and information has been logged that can be brought up in route to a call, detailed with specific hazards. Other information would include hydrant availability. The department is using left over grant money to pay for the tablets.
The fire department also is under consideration for a FEMA port security grant for $156,937. Baird said the grant would be used to provide the Joint Agency In Water Strike team with encapsulated dive suits in case of the need to dive in contaminated water. The JAWS team is primarily intended to be an evidence collection unit.
Also Tuesday, the police department is asking for the approval for 35 marked police vehicles, 14 unmarked police vehicles, and a crime scene vehicle from the Florida Sheriff’s Association. The total purchase is to not exceed $1,929,000 with annual payments for five years not to exceed $416,640.
The police department also is up for a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation, $364,781, for tablets and printers, again intended for more effective data collection.
Tuesday’s meeting is at 8 a.m. at City Hall, 9 Harrison Ave.