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Hawaii Fire Commission <br />Regular Session Minutes <br />July 27, 2023 <br />Page 2 <br />for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant, however, there has <br />been no communication or response received yet regarding the status of this grant <br />application. There's a 50% likelihood of securing Port Security funding, specifically <br />allocated for a boat. Additionally, the Sayre Foundation has essentially provided the <br />entire funding necessary to acquire a new boat. This project is fully funded, and they <br />are aiming to acquire a second boat by December, which will serve as the primary <br />boat out of Kailua-Kona. All repairs for rescue boat seven have been completed <br />except for the legs, which have been placed on order. The anticipated timeline is for <br />the entire work to be finished by the end of August, and the boat back on the line at <br />the start of September. HFD has successfully concluded one USDA Forest Grant <br />and is currently in the process of finalizing the second one, intended for the <br />acquisition of a brush truck. The bid for the truck has been approved at $177,000, <br />and the procurement process is progressing. They're pushing forward for five <br />additional brush truck acquisitions, with the same specifications. Among these, two <br />trucks are being procured through the Community Development Block Grant <br />(CDBG), having already secured the award, while the remaining three are being <br />sourced from CDBG-MIT. <br />Commissioner Mattos wanted to know the reasoning behind allocating new trucks to <br />volunteer stations. Chief Todd explained that the USDA Forest Service Grant is <br />100% for volunteers. HFD wouldn't be eligible for it if they didn't have volunteers in <br />the department. Those two grants are almost $400,000 and this year's grant will <br />possibly be half a million. Among the six trucks currently discussed, three are <br />designated for volunteer stations, and three at paid stations. <br />Alternative Funding & Grants (cont.): They're continuing with the Assistance to <br />Firefighters Grant. HFD received about half a million dollars for extractors, which <br />they're in the process of installing. The first purchase went through, and there is <br />anticipation of receiving a substantial shipment of cabinet dryers and washers this <br />month. The finalization of the state lifeguard contracts for Hapuna and Kua Bay from <br />the previous year has been completed. Each of these locations was allocated <br />$100,000. While every effort was made to utilize these funds to their fullest extent, <br />the complete expenditure was hindered due to the delayed allocation of funds. <br />Presently, there's an ongoing initiative to acquire a new lifeguard tower for Kohanaiki <br />by utilizing fair share funds through CIP, which aligns with the expansion of services <br />in that area. <br />Personnel Report: The Fire Captain assessment has been completed, involving a <br />total of seven candidates. These candidates have been evaluated and ranked, <br />although the official ranking will not be released until September. Three potential <br />candidates have been identified for HazMat specialists. Regarding the Fire Safety <br />Specialists, an open competitive recruitment process has taken place, resulting in <br />referred names. There's a likelihood of progressing with the next steps within the <br />coming month. One candidate has been selected for the Fire EMS Recruit position, <br />set to begin on August 1 st, with the next recruit class that is expected to have <br />