PSC 08-08-2013 CUPERTINO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, August 8, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A
I. CALL TO ORDER
Commissioner Nguyen called to order the regular meeting of the Cupertino Public Safety Commission
at approximately 7:04 p.m. on Thursday, August 8 2013 in the Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room
A, located at 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CalFornia 95014.
11. ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present: Daniel Nguyen
Andy Huang
Robert McCoy
Nina Daruwalla (late)
Commissioners Absent: Lily Lim
Staff Present: Captain Ken Binder, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Battalion Chief Ron Vega, Santa Clara County Fire Department
Risk Kitson, Cupertino Public& Environmental Affairs Director
Staff Absent: None
Others Present: None
Ill. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
There were no Oral Communications to discuss at this regular meeting.
IV. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
There were no written Communications to discuss at this regular meeting.
V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. July 11, 2013
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: Huang SECONDED: McCoy 3 to 0
Commissioner Huang motioned to approve the minutes of July 11, 2013; Commissioner McCoy
seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to approve the minutes of July 11, 2013 with the
following corrections per Commissioner Nguyen:
(VI, 5):a countywide drill at Moffett Field on...
(VI, 5):and Ken Ericksen suggested...
(VIII, 2): There were six Priority One calls for service with an average response time...
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VI. OLD BUSINESS
1. Discussion of Walk/Bike/Carpool (WBC)to School project, ongoing (Nguyen/Lim)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0
The commissioners reiterate that schools begin session in two weeks so each commissioner
should speak with PTA groups and principals to make them aware of the PSC's programs.
Commissioner Daruwalla mentions the upcoming annual Safety Night at Garden Gate School at
the end of September. She asks Captain Binder if the Sheriffs Office will again attend and make
presentations. Captain Binder affirms that he will ask the new Traffic Investigator, Deputy Chris
Torres, to make a presentation like he did last year as a motorcycle deputy, and other items like the
bomb truck and/or K9 units may be available. Commissioner Daruwalla says that she will need a
list of topics Deputy Torres will speak about scon for event planning.
2. Boltage Program progress/updates (Nguyen/Lim)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0
Captain Binder submits an email he received from Commissioner Lim, informing the PSC that the
new contact for the Boltage Program at Kennedy Middle School is Manonmani Ramadess.
3. Report on Surveys to Schools (Nguyen)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0
Commissioner Nguyen states that he is almost done compiling statistics from the last Survey and
will bring a draft cover letter to the next meeting in preparation for the next Survey, which will take
place the week of October 14, 2013.
4. Discuss participation in the Alert SCC Program and the CAS Program (Huang)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0
Commissioner Huang reports that as of August 2, 2013, Cupertino has 1,206 people signed up for
CAS and 5,424 signed up for AIertSCC. Currently, Cupertino is in the lead among the cities within
the County, at 13% of the population signEA up for AIertSCC. Palo Alto is a close second.
Commissioner Huang also reports teaching more emergency preparedness classes, mostly in
Mandarin, and increasing AIertSCC sign-ups. However, he adds at a later point that there are
currently 1,818 people following the City on Twitter and 1,742 following the City on Facebook,
which effectively indicates that local social media is at least 500 people ahead of the CAS system.
Commissioner Huang asks Mr. Kitson about the legal status and policies for CAS. Mr. Kitson
answers that there is a working policy based on the County's standard utilization practices,
however it still needs official approvals such as from the City Attorney. In practice, Mr. Kitson
reports that the City has found the need for a spectrum of notification solutions to fit different
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situations. For example, the recent gas leak in Cupertino was better handled through Twitter
because it was resolved before an official City notification could be produced. The City will likely
use CAS during large-scale emergency events. He confirms that CAS is already in use, though
mainly to notify key groups such as city staff, school administrators, and some agencies like Apple.
Commissioner Huang asks if the city will add commissioners to the list. Mr. Kitson says that he will
present the question to the city attorney. When Commissioner Nguyen presses Mr. Kitson for a
copy of the draft interim policy, Mr. Kitson holds that when the policy is fully approved he will share
it.
5. Discuss CERT items relevant to the PSC (McCoy)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0
Commissioner McCoy reports there is a CPFJAED training class tonight at City Hall. The CERT
Drill on October 26 will focus on notification via CAS, social media, radio and TV regarding the
dam. CERT recently did outreach at Target's National Night Out, and they are working with the
County OES to develop a web-based EOM:,. In addition, CARES completed a critical care
assessment drill in 90 minutes via visual inspection.
6. Discuss Pulse Points App (McCoy)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: Huang SECONDED: Daruwalla 4 to 0
Commissioner Huang motions to support the adoption of the PulsePoint program for the City of
Cupertino in Santa Clara County; Commissioner Daruwalla seconded the motion; votes taken, all in
favor to support the implementation of the PulsePoint App.
Richard Price, President of PulsePoint Foundation, gives a presentation about the PulsePoint App
that Commissioner McCoy has brought to the attention of the PSC. Mr. Price has a history of 33
years in the Fire Service of San Ramon Valley, and understands how important a quick response is
during cardiac events. He explains the purpose of the App is to increase the survivability of cardiac
arrest by alerting CPR-trained citizens to nearby cardiac arrests and directing citizens to nearby
AED units. Essentially, this App dispatches nearby citizens to begin CPR or apply an AED while
victims wait for the professionals to arrive. He likens this App to fire extinguishers, as a way that
citizens can augment the existing emergency services system but not replace it.
If a city chooses to implement this App, an interface is built between the 911-dispatch center and
an Amazon cloud. When a call is made to 911, the App calculates many things instantly, such as
victim's location, whether it is a public location or a home, which subscribers are currently nearby,
where the nearest AED units are, etc. It only sends notifications if the victim's location is a public
place. Through the App, the closest subscribers receive a text message with a distinct tone and
visual alerts, which then auto-loads a map with colored dots to show where they are, where the
victim is, and where the AEDs are located. Tapping on any AED dot will provide exact location
directions and a picture. The subscribers' privacy is secure because each person becomes a
randomized token with no identifying information; the App uses GPS to track subscribers for
logistical purposes but all users remain anonymous. The victims also remain anonymous so there
are no HIPAA conflicts. The App is free to download, and requires users to opt-in twice to location
software. On average, there are four subscribers notified for each event, because only subscribers
within a reasonable walking distance are alerted to each event. Opportunistic criminals would not
find this app very useful. Mr. Price points out that it is of no concern whether a citizen responder is
trained in CPR because current guidelines are so simple that 911 dispatchers often talk people
through it during a call and AED units verbally call out step-by-step instructions to users.
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PulsePoint also maintains a live Twitter feed "at1000livesaday"covering all kinds of emergencies to
keep subscribers engaged and interested, since people may go a long time without being near
enough to an event to receive a notification.
After each event, the activated subscribers receive anonymous surveys to glean why some
responded and others did not, what happened during a response, etc. Through this statistical
collection, PulsePoint Foundation has discovered so far that about 23% of subscribers respond,
17% perform CPR and 32% find an AED but only 11% apply the AED. Also, 60% of subscribers
currently are off-duty professional responders. Based on the feedback received through the
surveys, PulsePoint has already undergone 1,350 updates. This App has placed #5 in the Apple
Store and has received numerous awards including the Fire Service Award for Excellence, Best
Use of GPS/Location Technology, the AHA's Heart of Gold Award, and an EMS Innovator Gem
Award through the Journal of Emergency Mecicine. There will be a three-year double blind clinical
trial using this App beginning soon in Toronto, Canada; on average, they see ten cardiac arrests
per day. The PulsePoint Foundation also has an impressive list of Board Members who are proven
leaders in their respective fields. As a non-profit, PulsePoint Foundation is an organization of over
thirty volunteers.
The City's responsibility is to provide PulsePoint with detailed locations for all known AED units that
are publically accessible. PulsePoint has excellent technology and support staff to put everything in
place and help develop a marketing plan. For instance, there is a prepared public service
announcement for TV commercials, available to use and/or customize, and Mr. Price states he is
willing to make additional presentations to any group about the App. The associated costs include
the price to build a custom interface and a $5,000.00 per year fee to cover insurance, attorney fees
and technical maintenance. The annual fee is per CAD interface, not per city, so if multiple cities
use the same CAD system they could spread the cost among them. Commissioner Nguyen
suspects that the County has not moved forward on this because no city relying on the County's
CAD system has voiced interest yet. Captain Binder offers that he meets regularly with the director
at County Communications and will contact him to recommend implementation on behalf of
Cupertino's PSC. Mr. Price reiterates that PulsePoint Foundation is happy to help but each city or
county must initiate the project. He adds that once installed, the App mostly runs itself, but the time
requirement up front varies depending on how easy or difficult it is to build an interface for a
homegrown CAD system. PulsePoint offers technicians to assist in building the interface, but the
project requires someone already familiar with the local CAD system.
Mr. Price suggests a few important implementation steps. One step is to organize the stakeholders
and make sure all interested parties are involved such as the fire chief, EMS director, elected
officials, non-profit associations, etc. The commissioners think a good place to start is the City
Manager Meeting. Another step is to make contact with El Camino Hospital, which has pledged to
cover the costs associated with implementing the App in any Santa Clara County city, making sure
to thank them for their funding and reach out for their assistance. Commissioner McCoy volunteers
to make contact. The next step is to establish the connection between the CAD system at the
dispatch center and PulsePoint, to build a custom interface. Captain Binder states that he will
request and recommend to the County that technical steps begin on this project. Meanwhile, the
commissioners have already begun compiling a comprehensive list of all publically accessible AED
units across the city so the data will be ready to populate the App. Commissioner Daruwalla
suggests contacting the Chamber of Business to find out which local businesses maintain AED
units, and to contact the District Offices of local schools to locate on-campus AED units. Mr. Price
agrees that it is best to list all known AEDs without worrying about campus access rules or local
business hours. Finally, Mr. Price recommends building consensus Countywide among leaders in
support of this App and developing an effective communication outreach plan to market it to
potential subscribers. This may include a launch party and a press conference.
Mr. Kitson believes this App would complement the Cupertino citizen corps program (CERT), and
that it would help citizens use the training they have received. Moreover, as backend software,
there is no impact on operations already in place. B.C. Vega adds that he has seen this App enable
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San Jose residents to help each other and highly recommends it. He also mentions there is a
County department that registers or certifies local AED programs and may help locate units.
Commissioner Huang notes that the expired c ty owned AED units he located are now current.
VII. NEW BUSINESS (McCoy)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0
There is no discussion of New Business items at this regular meeting.
VIII. REPORTS
1. Santa Clara County Fire Department
B.C. Vega reads a statement prepared by the Fire Chief regarding technical issues due to system
upgrades. Therefore, the July and August Fire Reports are delayed until September. The Fire
Department recently went through a comprehensive information technology strategic plan moving
from County ISD to an independent network.
B.C. Vega does offer an anecdotal story regarding his personal response to the gas leak in
Cupertino on July 3, 2013. A construction cre'N accidentally ruptured a large gas main early in the
morning and the Sheriff's Office evacuated four surrounding businesses. Normally PG&E handles
repairs because they maintain all system maps, but the Fire Department had no ETA for PG&E, so
the Hazardous Materials team of the Fire Department decided to clamp the pipe.
Commissioner Nguyen asks if B.C. Darbro gave B.C. Vega the info sheet documenting how the
standards are set for fire response times. B.C. Vega does happen to have a copy and allows more
copies to be made for the commissioners. Commissioner McCoy offers that the crew of Engine
One were very personable at Target's National Night Out, answering questions and handing out
stickers to children.
2. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Captain Binder begins with a few announcements. Target's National Night Out was well attended;
the Sheriff's Office brought the bomb truck with bomb suit and robot, the classic 1956 Ford, and a
motorcycle unit. There will be a drug take-back program at the Cupertino Senior Center on
September 16, 2013 from 9:OOam till 12:OOpm. Mr. Kitson will have the City Council recognize Tom
Sanford at a meeting, so the PSC must write up some information about all he has done to base
the Commendation on. There is now a social media flyer for the Sheriff's Office, put together by the
new Public Information Officer, which you can scan and then follow the Sheriff's Office on Twitter or
Facebook. Commissioner McCoy asks if people may report crimes that way, but Captain Binder
says that it would be the least efficient method because it is not monitored constantly for feedback.
Captain Binder then reviews the July report. There were two Priority One calls for service with an
average response time of 5.92 minutes. One call incorrectly came in as a kidnapping at Vallco and
was soon downgraded to a disruptive child, but it affected the average. There were 376 Priority
Two calls averaging under 6 minutes of response time and 401 Priority Three calls averaging under
10.5 minutes. All were within the set targets. In selected crimes, July saw 2 robberies, a decrease
to 8 residential burglaries, 9 commercial burglaries, and 20 vehicle burglaries. There were 7 grand
thefts and 5 auto thefts (although this includes recovered vehicles). Vandalism decreased to 4,
identity theft remained at 10, simple or aggravated assaults totaled 2 and there were no reported
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sexual crimes. There were 6 incidences of dornestic violence, which is a small number considering
a population of 60,000 residents which increases sharply during working hours.
The combined Patrol and Traffic citations totaled 372 moving violations, 148 additional speeding
violations and 501 other violations. DU Is decreased from 13 to 10, injury accidents decreased from
10 to 7, property damage accidents totaled 4.1, and there was one DUI accident. Captain Binder
adds that the new Crossroads Accident program is in use at West Valley Patrol to track accident
statistics and allow residents to order their accident reports online.
3. Commission Reports
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 4 to 0
Commissioner McCoy reports that the Teen Commission, Bicycle/Pedestrian Commission, and the
TICC had no meetings. Commissioner Nguyen reports on the Mayor's Meeting. The Fine Arts
Commission has chosen award recipients and plans to publish a coffee table book later this year of
all city owned art installations. The Library Commission reiterated that Measure A ballots are out
and would continue the existing parcel tax which funds 20% of the library budget. Also, they have
four qualified candidates for Poet Laureate this year. Parks and Recreation is conducting an in
depth survey and opening a new dog park at the end of the year. The Planning Commission is
focusing on the Apple project and a General Plan amendment to add office space within Cupertino.
The TICC is still insisting that CAS be utilized for public surveys.
Commissioner McCoy asks the PSC for a response to the email he received from Peter Friedland
of the TICC regarding whether a PSC representative can attend an all day workshop on August 24,
2013 to brainstorm about future technology for the city. After discussion, the commissioners
conclude that no one is available at this time and longer notice is necessary for the PSC to produce
what a representative would present.
Commissioner Huang adds that he heard from an AT&T representative regarding the issues with
tower coverage, stating only that there are no updates and they are still working on it.
IX. FUTURE AGENDA FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING
1. Walk/Bike/Carpool to School Project, ongoing
2. Boltage Program progress/updates
3. Report on Survey to Schools
4. Discuss progress on participation in AlertSCC and CAS Programs
5. Discuss CERT items relevant to the PSC
6. Discuss "Pulse Point"App
X. ADJOURNMENT
This regular meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
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XI. NEXT MEETING
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
SUBMITTED BY:
Jennifer Roth
Executive Assistant
West Valley Patrol Division
Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff
August 20, 2013
APPROVED BY:
Daniel Nguyen, Commission Chair Date