2019-07-10 Fire Commission Regular Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of July 10, 2019 Page 4 Chair Henkel felt that their oversight is in the hiring and firing of the Chief. Commissioner Susman stated that a kid associated with the fire service can be coached. In interviews, he has seen someone regurgitating information. They have to be accountable. Mr. Brilhante stated that from what he has seen of the Fire Department, they are one of the most progressive departments in the county. They bring in others from other jurisdictions to sit in on promotions. He was in the Fire Department when it was under the Mayor, and it is much different now. A kid who has a parent with knowledge of the Fire Department, and they talk about the process and has knowledge of the Fire Department, maybe they are a better candidate because they know the process. At the end of the day, the panel and the Chief makes the decision. The selection of the candidate is not the end for onboarding. When they get hired, there is a 12 -month probation, and they can cut them lose. They want to be sure they have the best candidates. The interview process shows all the secondary assessments when they rank a candidate. It is not 100% perfect, but until they see something better, that's the process they will use. Ms. Schoen again stated that complaints can be brought to the Merits Appeals Board. In response to Chair Henkel's request to see their audit of the Fire Department's hiring process, Mr. Brilhante stated that they can provide it to Ms. Schoen. Commissioner Susman expressed concern about their accountability as noted in the Charter and the department's hiring process. Ms. Schoen stated that the commission, as a body, needs to determine if they are appropriately reviewing the personnel actions of the department. Deputy Chief Lance Uchida will give a presentation on the promotions process at the next meeting. Commissioner Susman again expressed concern about the promotions process as noted in the Charter. Mr. Brilhante stated that they see to it that interview questions are related to skillset. It has to articulate the areas of responsibility or effectiveness. When they audit the packet, they ensure that the questions relate to the skillset. His staff doesn't determine the skillset. They leave it up to the Fire Department, same as for Police, Public Works, and Finance. They use the same process of skillset and interview questions. Commissioner Susman asked how to address high degree of education. Mr. Brilhante stated that the fire fighter prerequisite is two specific college courses.