2023-07-27 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes July 27, 2023 Page 3 approximately 25 members. Interviews were completed for the Accountant III position, leading to the promotion of Keiko Furukawa, effective July 16, 2023. Efforts are ongoing to fill her former role as an Accountant I, and concurrently, positions for senior and regular account clerks are also being addressed. Interviews have been conducted for the Clerk III position. The Department of Human Resources (DHR) has referred 56 names for the Water Safety I position. Tentatively scheduled for August, a performance appraisal exercise is in the works. This year, around 10 positions are anticipated to be added to the Ocean Safety division. Commissioner Magsalin wanted to know how many new positions were created since Chief Todd assumed the role of chief. Chief Todd explained he has been working on adding several new positions. He also noted the process of adding new positions has been challenging and time-consuming, often taking around a year to implement even after the funding is approved. Commissioner Mattos referred to the open recruitment for Fire Safety Specialists and Fire Communication Officers and asked who did those jobs before. Chief Todd clarified that the Fire Safety Specialist position was previously nonexistent within the department and Fire Communication Officers are dispatchers. Commissioner Mattos inquired about the rationale behind external recruitment for the Fire Safety Officer position, rather than considering internal promotions. Chief Todd explained that the Fire Safety Officer position falls under HGEA rather than HFFA, and he went on to discuss the challenges with firefighter positions being expensive and the high costs associated with fringe benefits. He pointed out that HGEA positions tend to have a smoother approval process. He noted that Safety Officer Position descriptions already exist within the county system due to the presence of safety officers in other departments. Commissioner Magsalin inquired about the existence of an independent IT section within HFD. Chief Todd clarified that among the positions established last year, one was specifically for an IT role within the fire department. This led to a subsequent conversation about tackling access rights concerns and exploring a cost-effective firewall solution. Commissioner Nakashima stated he hopes HFD gets its Public Information Officer (PIO) position. He expressed concern about the lack of effective communication during emergencies, particularly regarding road closures and fires. Chief Todd stated he's not sure if he will be getting a PIO anytime soon. Commissioner Nakashima advised him to work with the Police Department and Civil Defense. There was further discussion around the challenges with the present methods of information distribution and potential drawbacks of the Nixle/Everbridge alert system due to information overload, making it less effective. Chief Todd emphasized the importance of finding a balance between providing enough information and avoiding overwhelming the public with excessive notifications.