2023-06-22 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 22, 2023 Page 3 Special Operations: ➢ HazMat: Bi-annual captain's meeting authorized for both HazMat and Rescue. Training announcement for Continuing Challenge went out. Finalized the specs for the new HazMat 4 apparatus and are currently building out a new equipment needs list and budgetary needs. ➢ Ocean Safety: Approval was received for new positions. Starting next fiscal year, they'll have a WSO V, Clerk III, 4 WSO Ills, and five lifeguard positions. There was a discussion regarding the minimum qualifications for the WSO V position. Chair Kosaki offered his help in providing input to whoever would be conducting the interviews. ➢ Rescue: Rescue Boat 7 is at the boat house for repairs. Additional issues were found and will be added to the overall repairs. At the same time, they're currently working on replacing the boat. Sayre Foundation has a new boat being built (Hoku) which is in Kona, it's expected to be completed sometime in December. They also have a Port Security Grant out for additional funding on top of that. Commissioner Mattos wanted to know what was wrong with the rescue boat. Chief Todd explained it was the driveshafts and the internal motor seized up, it rusted. He advised that he's doing his best to expedite repairs. Commissioner Mattos asked if there's a timeline, Deputy Chief Moller explained in more detail about the issues/repairs and stated they're hoping mid to late July. Commissioner Magsalin shared her experience in the hospital and asked if they have a system where they check their equipment daily. Chair Kosaki stated they check all their equipment daily. Chief Todd explained personnel have weekly checks on everything at their station, which includes every piece of equipment, vehicles, and hoses. There are also monthly and yearly checks. The boat falls into a grey area because it was sent to the mechanic shop and it was sitting there until the parts arrive. Commissioner Mattos stated Station 2 is near the mechanic shop. He would think the department would be accountable for a high -ticket item and make sure that it gets started while waiting for the parts. It would've saved time and money. Chair Kosaki stated regarding Rescue, the report says that TAs are included in SCUBA and swift water training. He asked if they are doing any other training such as wildland, repelling, confined space, etc. Chief Todd explained the budget and stated that in the future, he will look to see if it can be expanded further. At this time, he doesn't feel comfortable authorizing unlimited training until he can get more data from the budget.