[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6575608,"mediaKeyId","3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317","parentId",3085820,"title","Committee approves minutes, remote participation and forwards board vacancy recommendations to council","audioSeconds",249,"startMs",1369000,"endMs",1618000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317&start=1369&end=1618","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317/thumbnail_1369000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6575608/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Committee-approves-minutes-remote-participation-and-forwards-board-vacancy-recommendations-to-council","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575608-07ceedad9f0637b28daf591c90085029/orig.mp4?Expires=1770512273&Signature=QZEUNb2nMFHYQ9Yz8hLvrdyVKnCKRI~PPI08wHRtV-GSkVralXpp1uuvlhg~~0IrAxjtmahO-Z02ZmPGg4lf0r9yuDwYrZefdpO7Aa1UJcX-SW-eEf--IKqTtl8Hby0hyv8yslvPZVtXTQLu2XbKIKvjRqMGMJBkuJ295yhqdXkKqkVzlJMxPe-NgbDeGU5FhcWflVDExoYSsA~wotqFItSs6J8BLHL7Ioz8PMdBGEiHH-gVlASirLhWn15YQwjVyYSqR0sEZzCSmcNOXnlKgunvIjnE41phsMxUBflbL1K3hhj9TOOp9yVZQLloq6EAw6ucNVX3yyTWUquaoOFDug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Richmond City","date","2025-04-22T00:00:00Z","article","The Public Safety Standing Committee voted on several procedural items early in the meeting.

The committee approved the minutes from the March 25, 2025 meeting as presented; no roll call was recorded in the transcript for that approval beyond the clerk’s announcement that the minutes “stand approved as presented.”

The committee voted to allow Committee member Sarah Abubakar to participate electronically under council rules. The motion to permit electronic participation was moved and seconded; recorded votes in the transcript show Miss Newbill voting “Aye” and Chair Trammell voting “Aye.” The motion carried.

The committee voted to forward multiple advisory board reappointments and vacancy recommendations to full council with a recommendation to approve. The staff list presented reappointments and vacancies for several advisory bodies (towing and storage advisory, towing and recovery operator slots, Community Criminal Justice Board, Richmond Ambulance Authority vacancy and others). The motion to forward the board recommendations was moved, seconded and adopted by recorded vote: Committee member Sarah Abubakar—Aye; Miss Newbill—Aye; Chair Trammell—Aye. The motion was announced as approved and forwarded to council.

No substantive policy changes or funding decisions were made by these procedural votes at the committee level; the board appointment recommendations were forwarded for council consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Richmond City - Public Safety Standing Committee on 2025-04-22 1:00 PM - To access the meeting via Microsoft Teams, please use the following link: https://tinyurl.com/PS-APRIL22 or dial *67-804-316-9457 and enter ID: 410 271 382#. - Apr 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Public Safety Standing Committee approved previous minutes, allowed an electronic participation request and forwarded several board vacancy appointments to city council with recommendation to approve.","taxTitle","Richmond City (Independent City), Virginia","taxId",5755,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6575612,"Interim fire chief reports Q2 response times, station upgrades and expanded recruit diversity",714,2905000,3619000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317&start=2905&end=3619","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317/thumbnail_2905000.jpg","/articles/6575612/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Interim-fire-chief-reports-Q2-response-times-station-upgrades-and-expanded-recruit-diversity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575612-f2a030f6c5ebdda39f3a6363993b7588/orig.mp4?Expires=1770512273&Signature=CCla5DySVVX~45xJrEbYvyGA0dKv1aU~gzW~VT0Rfv47pLT~VofWs6XOJMt67Z~ZV0~tZCFKA~uVZm5kVXewJXS67jO6zA95P2eSElZIW62xXcRDrkeZoPqsNla3IhvvwkIzrfjLg7odbQEqEKIQthIhg2Nst1b16-oiQp8xzHmTaxFWsZPsgl16Jf13XLOCRqxY6OewFycdAgaHPwp4-Tr0CF4k5UPHPWjdXly22Q3ZaMxEazpbZFryqm6DZeMF6Q8J0TXA0I-F8BcVii9gBEcVn~bNzh8bpA6W8JxJ~y0-4621WDha2XIqQWfj6fyUaY9ZkeOGaoUIeLS17jTeEA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jeffrey Siegel, interim chief of the Richmond Fire Department, presented the department’s second‑quarter FY25 performance to the Public Safety Standing Committee, detailing incident counts, response times, specialty calls, fleet status and training updates.

Siegel reported the department responded to 293 fire incidents and 5,222 emergency medical service incidents during the quarter. Median turnout time for all incidents was 49 seconds, median travel time was 3 minutes 23 seconds, and median total response time was 4 minutes 36 seconds. For the ninetieth percentile, Siegel gave turnout as 1 minute 27 seconds, travel time 7 minutes 1 second and total response 8 minutes 38 seconds.

For EMS calls specifically, the median turnout time was 54 seconds, median travel 3 minutes 34 seconds and median response 4 minutes 52 seconds; ninetieth percentile times for EMS were quoted as turnout 1 minute 32 seconds, travel 6 minutes 39 seconds and response 8 minutes 17 seconds.

Specialty responses for the quarter included eight water‑related calls (water rescues, watercraft rescues and searches), 69 technical rescue calls and nine hazardous‑materials responses. The fire investigations unit reported 14 arson‑related investigations; Siegel said the bureau’s arson case clearance rate was 57.14 percent for the period.

Siegel described fleet and facility status: the department maintains roughly 20 frontline engines and eight frontline truck companies (about 28 frontline apparatus total), with reserve units that in some cases date back to 1998. He said the department has five new engines on order (three expected in May–June and two more by fall 2025) and additional command vehicles in preparation that should be equipped and deployed in spring/early summer.

On facilities, Siegel said the city has about 25 fire stations with an average age of 37 years. Station 12 is in its final punch‑list stage and is expected to be completed “any week now,” and Station 21 is on track for a fall completion; both new stations include decontamination facilities, gyms, privacy features and community meeting space. Siegel said Station 12 won a design award from an industry organization.

Siegel highlighted training and recruitment: the fire academy class included a notably high number of women. He said “17 of the 29 recruits” in the presented class were female and later referred to the active class headcount as “about 24 recruits,” creating an internal inconsistency in the presentation; he and council members framed the program as moving the department above national averages for female career firefighters.

Siegel also noted the canine investigator Ernie remains in service pending replacement through a federal partnership with the ATF that has been delayed by federal budget constraints, and that the department continues regional coordination for water rescue with neighboring jurisdictions.

Committee members praised the training, the station design and the recruit class composition. Several members requested hard‑hat tours of the new stations. No formal motions or budget votes were taken during the presentation.","Interim Richmond Fire Department Chief Jeffrey Siegel reported Q2 FY25 response metrics, apparatus status, station construction updates and a recruit class with a higher percentage of female firefighters.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6575617,"Committee presses for apples‑to‑apples comparison of Richmond Ambulance Authority and emergency communications data",847,1803000,2650000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317&start=1803&end=2650","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317/thumbnail_1803000.jpg","/articles/6575617/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Committee-presses-for-applestoapples-comparison-of-Richmond-Ambulance-Authority-and-emergency-communications-data","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575617-a46308e9933f27aa5d3456ff366318b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770512273&Signature=MNo0lGB7IrnYvKUPioCkgSFIpmjdV3G37-7vcFtQdyDsYiP0D2z9ktYyJs0KGTKjlgClYBlsNnxp6oSSlI8fn-1kt7-i0YKp7Q9wyFf6nq420eV4R99Z5hLu-wMTVanGmD6czgqGF9tQ-sZagrG-2QR1oZ-yhI~Yj~J1IOAZ5aOIKSehYd3UTgj7IpNA8YabHNtVawhdqIoEIuLRW8eaR72er72QNyiU0p-q09DRLerjZJDgwvDd7zIfKSx7QMEKXhT~EhdfbDaJ7JM1SoUz9HWbhR1bZZCwxAydKklzLuyp1z-0RDJzs78o~y8Gbtvewe0jDLypLUhqwmusuYDZ3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Public Safety Standing Committee pressed city staff and the Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) for a joint, side‑by‑side analysis of call‑answer and dispatch data after members said separate postings of data did not allow a fair comparison.

Chip Decker, chief executive officer of the Richmond Ambulance Authority, presented the RAA’s accreditation and call‑answer statistics and said RAA meets internal and International Academy of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) standards for call taking and determinant assignment. Decker told the committee the RAA’s FY25 total expenses are about $26,000,000, with a city subsidy “currently set at $7,100,000,” and that the communications center portion of the RAA budget is about $1,900,000.

Committee member Sarah Abubakar said the committee had requested a combined presentation “to bring one presentation, a side by side comparison,” and that posting each agency’s data separately did not provide an “apples to apples” picture suitable for analysis. “If DEC is not willing to do that math, and it sounds like RAA is willing to do that math to get us to an apples to apples comparison,” Abubakar said, she would accept RAA’s analysis but asked for the joint product from both agencies.

Mr. Willoughby (staff) said Director Tory May provided the department’s data and that staff believed the request was for the raw data rather than for a joint presentation. The exchange prompted public expressions of frustration from the committee about repeated requests over multiple months.

The committee asked staff to coordinate a side‑by‑side comparison and set an expedited timeline. Council staff identified Steve Taylor to coordinate between RAA and the Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response; committee members asked for the comparative analysis to be produced within two weeks to allow follow‑up questions and avoid repeating the same discussion at the next monthly meeting.

No formal vote on policy or budget changes occurred during the discussion; the request was for a joint data presentation and analysis to inform future committee deliberations.

Direct quotes in the discussion came from Committee member Sarah Abubakar, RAA CEO Chip Decker, and staff identified as Mr. Willoughby. The committee did not record a formal deadline enforcement mechanism beyond the staff coordination request at the meeting.","The committee asked the Richmond Ambulance Authority and city emergency communications staff to produce a side‑by‑side comparative analysis of call-answer and dispatch data within two weeks; staff agreed to coordinate.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6575622,"Resident tells committee Haystackwood residents face violent incidents, alleges RHA negligence",114,1643000,1757000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317&start=1643&end=1757","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085820-0004fac365ca41badf80614fc709a317/thumbnail_1643000.jpg","/articles/6575622/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Resident-tells-committee-Haystackwood-residents-face-violent-incidents-alleges-RHA-negligence","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575622-effb95901c5b3bea4733991daf45b6e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770512273&Signature=MCPVWZXpSEjrfvLWmvUi-w3FuIat6GTmSzul1IZgsWn-Fe3CVSHi7qZGLUp7R3guGQHDepeCyDBkx5vHsRU-uxJiKHqoQuUWUUEOR-g5SG098VyaF8riZjZvD9Qq5quVX0Zo8~XhVm2nioWjepwsGg-cpddsC-poZSXWuytA152i~vtJ4U6jxKOyRcBh8EMuUvfGct4Z6TLcOFnveamHwwQGCrpx6BnLGLnzgq~B2TZ30D-7fbslUbxZZwGOZ30DtvjgeO4HwIz3g1xlg7td5kaIcUtNOy~0DlHzP5yU0tHDUwagxYz~N3kNJhZZRxeCVSHK-MotoWiztQEwzPqWVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Latonya Tucker, a registered virtual speaker during the Public Safety Standing Committee meeting, called attention to worsening safety conditions at the Haystackwood property she identified as managed by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Tucker said she had documented “instances of armed standoffs between neighbors, explicit threats of violence, and continuous disturbances that go unchecked,” and that efforts to alert RHA executives and property managers had produced little change. “Security patrols are brief and superficial,” she said, and she described the situation as “a desperate call for intervention.”

The speaker said she submitted a petition to CEO Steven Nesmith requesting “necessary safety improvements,” and asked the committee for support to enforce changes before “another life is lost.” Committee members acknowledged her comments and thanked her for speaking.

The remarks came during the committee’s public comment period and did not include any formal staff report or motion by the committee. The committee did not take an immediate vote or provide a formal directive on record during Tucker’s remarks.

Because the comments were public testimony, they represent resident concerns rather than findings by the city or the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority; the committee did not present a staff response or timeline for follow-up during the same meeting.

The committee proceeded to other agenda items after the public comment period closed.","A resident urged the Public Safety Standing Committee to intervene at Haystackwood, alleging armed standoffs, threats and inadequate responses by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves minutes, remote participation and forwards board vacancy recommendations to council

Interim fire chief reports Q2 response times, station upgrades and expanded recruit diversity

Committee presses for apples‑to‑apples comparison of Richmond Ambulance Authority and emergency communications data

Resident tells committee Haystackwood residents face violent incidents, alleges RHA negligence