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Commissioner Okabe asked if the budget was set up to project the amount of <br />volunteers. <br />Chief Oliveira stated that there was an operation cost for the volunteer program. <br />What is not projected is if a community wants to create a volunteer program in <br />their district. The process to establish a volunteer unit is to go through the <br />Council representative for that district. The HCFD then points out whether they <br />will support a unit in their district. This will start a cost that was not budgeted and <br />will need to be accounted for either through a reapportion of funds or new funds <br />through the council. Once its established, the station will identify the operating <br />costs to sustain it for the fiscal year. <br />Commissioner Browne stated that as the population increases, the call volume <br />goes up and the volunteers cannot take the volume of calls. In his 21 years of <br />service,hesawVenturaCountygofromvolunteertoallpaid.Thepopulation <br />increases the desire for an all paid staff. <br />Commissioner Okabe asked whether a volunteer would be required to go <br />through the recruit training again. <br />Chief Oliveira stated that it is a competitive process by the Department of Civil <br />Service rules. Once the program is in place and there is a recognized curriculum <br />being administered to the volunteers, the department will give these individuals <br />credit toward the competitive process. <br />Commissioner Okabe asked whether the department had volunteers who <br />became paid firefighters. <br />Chief Oliveira stated that this had occurred and those individuals did go through <br />the entire process again. Recently, one of the three individuals who did not <br />make it to this class was a volunteer who did not pass the medical screening. <br />Commissioner Matsuda asked if the individual had a problem swimming and <br />could not make the time limit, would there be some kind of help to assist the <br />individual to meet that certain criteria? <br />Chief Oliveira stated that each component of the exam is based on a pass and <br />fail basis. The individuals are informed of what the physical components are. <br />Most individuals who fail do not train. <br />Commissioner Okabe asked whether the test was a national performance test or <br />if it was only administered on the Big Island. <br />Chief Oliveira stated that it was administered on the Big Island, Maui and Kauai. <br />As mentioned at the last meeting, the candidate physical ability test (CPAT) is <br />9 <br /> <br />