BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bethlehem City Council on Tuesday voted to approve a contract with the Center for Public Safety Management LLC to conduct an objective and comprehensive fire and EMS apparatus, protection and efficiency study.

The study will analyze and evaluate apparatus, equipment, maintenance, station locations, response patterns, and staffing for both the fire and the EMS bureaus for a cost of no more than $82,740, according to city documents.

The comprehensive study will also analyze call volume, staffing and paramedic responses.

For its selection process, the city issued a request-for-proposal for services. Proposals were reviewed, discussed and graded by a committee. Then, finalists were chosen to interview.

“CPSM has the reputation, capacity, experience, and professionalism to meet the request,” council documents say about Center for Public Safety Management.

According to officials, the upcoming study differs from recent assessments by the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters, which focused primarily on staffing.

According to that data, the city is facing staffing shortages that some say raise coverage concerns.

For his part, Councilmember Bryan Callahan continued to advocate for hiring more city firefighters and supported finding money in the budget for new hires as the budget season progresses.

ICE warehouse

In other news, commenters from Tuesday’s meeting addressed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent purchase of a nearly 520,000-square-foot warehouse in Upper Bern Township, Berks County.

The warehouse joins dozens of facilities purchased across the country, expected to be converted into immigration detention centers.

The warehouse located on Mountain Road, about a mile from Interstate 78, could house up to 1,500 beds.

Councilmember Hillary Kwiatek offered support for those who might be worried, scared or angry about the purchase and the potential detention center.

“Our city and our valley is full of really good people who care and want to protect their neighbors and do the right thing … I just wanted to point that out,” she said.

License plate readers

In related news, speaker Alex Miller discussed the city’s use of Flock Safety license plate readers.

According to its website, Flock Safety’s “end-to-end hardware and software suite unites cities, law enforcement, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods in a nationwide public-private safety network.” The technology is used by more than 6,000 communities, 5,000 law enforcement agencies, and 1,000 businesses, the site says.

In recent news, such readers have been linked to concerns about data privacy, with several states enacting legislation to protect personal information.

Speaker Harry Faber agreed with Miller, stating, “Bethlehem needs to be the shining star, the guiding light in opposing fascism in the Lehigh Valley, not just another cog in the machine.”

According to Police Chief Michelle Kott, the department is the sole owner of the data gathered through the license plate recognition program and sharing that data is “not something we’re in the practice of.”

Kott acknowledged reports of other departments that decided to release unredacted information, but to her, “it makes no sense.”

She said the Flock cameras capture short bursts of a license plate on a passing car, and that information can be stored for up to 90 days.