2019-12-11 Fire Commission Regular Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 11, 2019 Page 3 ➢ Recruitments: There were two fire captain promotions in Emergency Operations and two promotions for fire equipment operator. ➢ Internal Recruitment with the County: They received approval for a temporary Accountant I to handle all EMS fiscal matters. Emergency Operations Division ➢ AC -1: AC Okinaka attended a First Net Coverage study meeting at HPD. During a time of national disasters, everyone on First Net gets priority to phone calls. This is through ATT and is limited to first responders such as fire and police. Hawaii was selected as a startup. They participated in a radio system TRIC Package exercise in Waipi`o Valley to find better communication capabilities for areas with limited radio coverage. Attended demo by Company 1 covering Fire Attack Strategies and Tactics. The Personnel Accountability System (PAS) and Personnel Accountability Repot (PAR) SOPs are about ready for roll-out. They coordinated a Breast Cancer Awareness Duty T-shirt Fundraiser. ➢ Battalion 1, East Hawaii: They had a lot of search and rescues, some of which involved extended days. They had numerous structure fires. A mechanical equipment fire at a business in the Shipman Industrial area was due to high fuel load of recyclables. A private hydrant was out of commission. The Prevention Bureau will follow-up to ensure the hydrant is back in service and to inspect the fuel load placement. They do monthly fire hydrant checks. They also check areas on catchment tanks such as the Ocean View shopping areas. They had a structure fire in Hilo that involved plantation houses close to each other. A house in the middle caught on fire and houses alongside were damaged. Recruits were brought in to help. It was a hot and humid day, and a firefighter was taken to the hospital for dehydration. Commissioner Ambrogio asked if there was a program that reminds managers and landlords about fire hazards of brush around their property. Chief Rosario stated that they work on education. They provide owners with notification of what needs to be done to prevent fires. If they get non- compliance, the County could do the cleanup, but then would bill the property owner. ➢ Special Operations ✓ Hazmat: They received approval for updated equipment which are high cost, low use, but they must have for chlorine leaks. Their chlorine containment vessel was sent in for re -certification. ✓ Ocean Safety: The Spencer lifeguard tower, which is low use, was moved to Kua Bay which is used daily. They are working on an RFP for replacement tower.