2022-09-22 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes September 22, 2022 Page 3 working on the paperwork for the safety specialist position and are almost completed with the ocean safety officers, in terms of converting them to full-time. Half of the ocean safety officers weren't interested in converting to full-time, the remaining ones will get to maintain their current schedule. HFD created FCO III unfunded positions, which were approved by the county council. They're still working on the accountant III position and the fire maintenance worker position. Chief Todd Highlighted items from the Chief's Report, a detailed report is on file. He apologized and noted that the numbers in the budget section aren't as thorough as they normally are. • Budget: OCE expenditures closed at 23%, not 3% as noted in the Fire Chief's Report. Total spending through August 31, 2022, is at 21%. He explained that it seems excessive because they have runovers from the previous year. Their current expenditure percentiles are in line with where they should be. They have seen additional expenditures for funding fuel, lubricants, and electricity. • Alternative Funding & Grants: Chief Todd stated everything remains the same and that he's looking to change the way the alternative funding and grants are listed on the report. His goal is to create a better and more holistic approach to grants. One of the reasons why they're looking to bring in the accountant I II position is to improve grant management. Chair Kosaki wanted to know who applies for the grants. Chief Todd stated that everyone does, it's not ideal. The goal is to shift some of the accounting work to the Accountant III position, he wants one person who specializes in grants and analytics, all grants would be managed through this one person. Chief Todd reported that HFD received the 2023 Department of Interior National Forest Service Grant for $154,000. HFD has also been approved for CBDG to submit an application for brush trucks for the volunteer fire stations and rapid response vehicles for Stations 5, 10, and 11 (Keaau, Pahoa, and Naalehu). Commissioner Magsalin stated that Laupahoehoe was put back in the corner because the bridges can't accommodate the trucks. She asked to please not forget about Laupahoehoe. Chief Todd stated they ordered a custom brush truck for Laupahoehoe, it arrived and after reviewing it, it was found that it was too heavy to go over the bridges. It's an issue that they are trying to address with a slightly different configuration of the brush truck. • Human Resources: Fire Captain —Written exam held on August 22, 2022, in Hilo and Kona; 12 candidates passed the written exam. Fire Equipment Operator— Written exam held on September 7, 2022, in Hilo and Kona; 22 candidates passed the exam. Fire/EMS II opened on August 21, 2022, and interviews were conducted. The Fire Inspector I position opened and closed; they have seven candidates. Clerk