At the March 7 City Council meeting, chiefs of the Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD) and Mercer Island Fire Department (MIFD) presented their accomplishments and goals during annual report updates.

MIPD Chief Ed Holmes said that the department is looking forward to the completion of a new Emergency Operations Center in June. The center will feature updated technology to help the department respond to emergencies, from windstorms to larger events.

Operations Commander Dave Jokinen said that the department has seen an increase in property crime, but that the trend is felt regionally, not just in Mercer Island. The department has organized two new crime prevention programs — Paws on Patrol and Lock It or Lose It — to combat this trend proactively. Services Commander Leslie Burns said that community outreach and social media can play a role. She runs the “Mercer Island Police and Emergency Management” Facebook page, alerting residents to crime trends like the IRS phone scam and thefts from construction sites. The department has seen a 30 percent increase in identity theft since last year, Burns said.

MIFD Chief Steve Heitman said that his department is looking to use social media more. Other key objectives for the department include hiring and training new probationary firefighters, as the department is planning for the retirement of several employees. Last year, the fire department was able to reinstate the fire marshal position and complete Fire Station 92.

One statistic the department hopes to improve is its cardiac survival rating. The average rate in King County is 62 percent — the world’s highest. Mercer Island usually averages around 50 percent, but dipped to 33 percent last year.

Councilmember Dan Grausz said that he was concerned that the number of false alarms has increased, despite a new city ordinance imposing fines for repeat offenses. Councilmember Benson Wong said that he was pleased with the emphasis of both departments on training and best practices.