2021-05-12 Fire Commission Minutes

Home

Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of May 12, 2021 Page 2 Roll call vote for Benjamin Agdeppa as Vice Chair: Agdeppa, Henkel, Luke, Magsalin, Paleka. The 5 votes carried. • Discussion regarding having online access/participation in Fire Commission meetings: Chief Todd suggested having the Fire Commission meetings in the Council chambers in order for fire personnel to watch the meeting. He will do research and get back to the commission at the next meeting. Deputy Corporation Counsel Yoshimoto stated that meetings in Kona and Hilo could be held in the Council chambers. They could also have Zoom meetings as long as the governor's proclamation still stands. There needs to be protocols for executive session meetings. Commissioner Nakashima stated that with Zoom, there has been connectivity issues. Chair Luke stated that they will continue this at the next meeting. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT Chief Todd stated that he would like to do his report similar to what they do at Police Commission meetings where staff gives a report in their respective area. Chief highlighted items from his detailed written report and questions were answered. Budget: FY 2020/21: Their County budget has spending through April 30th at 76.52% with 83.28/% of the fiscal year completed. OCE purchases have been halted except for critical needs. Spending has been forecasted to go into the red by $35,000. CARES funding has been used for some purchases. The written report is separated by County and State because EMS funds come from the State. The State also funds Kua Bay and Hapuna, but they cut 50%, and the County will have to fund the rest. The Sayre Foundation provides a lot of their equipment. AC Okinaka stated that Kua Bay always has a minimum of two staff. Commissioner Henkel stated that Hapuna Beach and Kua Bay are the most dangerous beaches in the State. • Alternative Funding and Grants: The Daniel R. Sayre Foundation did a blessing for the new off-road tanker for the South Kohala Station. They got a State grant for $60,998 for training in mental health first aid for EMS and Ocean Safety. Human Resources Division: For internal recruitment within the Fire Department, written exams are scheduled for Fire Captain and Fire Equipment Operator. For open -competitive recruitment, they have 60 Fire Fighter Recruit candidates for the agility exam. They are awaiting a referred list from Human Resources for Fire Radio Dispatch I. They received 7 eligible candidates from HR for Accountant IV. Prevention Bureau reorganization and reclassification is still in process. Chief Todd stated that his long-term goal is to be a training department. • Emergency Operations Division (Reported by AC Okinaka.) ✓ Battalion 1 & 2: Numerous incidents were detailed in the written report. ✓ Training: All personnel had CPR training.