2021-06-09 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 9, 2021 Page 4 meet with customers rather than a BC. Chief Todd stated that they are running about 80 plans a month. Commissioner Paleka stated that he wants to see the numbers. Somethings need to be done, and they need to take care of the problem. Chief Todd stated that he would have the stats at the next meeting. AC Okinaka stated that when they initially moved to 24 hours, there was significant increase in plan reviews. ✓ Fire Communications Control Center: AC Smith stated that a FRD I is doing very well, and will begin TA to FRDII. ✓ Volunteer Commander Bertsch reported that once Covid lets up, they will try to get more volunteers. They are working on a service recognition program and pathway for leadership. They are working on a pathway for leadership and leadership training. They want to modernize the volunteer program. With regards to previous discussion on repairs of the rescue vessels, the Coast Guard comes from somewhere else, so they have to have a functional vessel. He suggested they get a new boat and then figure out how to fix the old boat. Chief Todd stated that one of their biggest problem when he came in was paying their bills, and one of the big ones was the boat. With their new accountant, Nikol, they have caught up with bills that went back 3 years. His goal is to have all chiefs financially literate. AC Okinaka stated that the boat has been down since he came on. They were having issues with no funds to pay the $25,000 to fix the rescue boat. They are now waiting for the repairer to schedule them in. The Boathouse is the only one who will do it. The Force is up and running. They decommissioned the Whaler. Anything over $1,000, they need a bid and need to follow their requirements. They hope to get the Raton up and running in a few weeks. They just did impeller work in August. They've done it twice, but it keeps going bad. They are working on a lot of problems. They work for the County, and following procurement guidelines takes time. Accountant Lonokapu stated that with the boat, they did an emergency procurement, and that took three days. Commissioner Henkel asked if they could use volunteers with boats. AC Okinaka stated that yesterday, a fishing boat helped them with a rescue. Chief Todd stated that they have hired bulldozers, so they could hire boats. Recess was called at 10:42 a.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:57 a.m. New Projects and Business: Chief Todd reported that the Hawaii Fire Department is now on Facebook. He gave a video presentation on recruitment, promotions, the management software that tracks progress, and the warehouse procurement