2024-08-22 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes August 22, 2024 Page 6 Regarding a memo he issued, referenced by Vice Chair Wolf, Chief Todd explained that the memo directed firefighters and companies to familiarize themselves with their district, including the locations and operations of hydrants and sprinkler systems. He emphasized that while it is not their responsibility to maintain the hydrants, knowing their district and understanding the hydrants is crucial. Chief Todd confirmed that he has no intention of retracting his statements, as they pertain to the necessity of being knowledgeable about the district rather than the maintenance responsibilities. Commissioner Mattos brought up an email he had received regarding a previous inquiry. At the last meeting, he had asked Chief Todd about volunteer involvement and EMS standby. Commissioner Mattos explained that the person who had raised concerns about EMS standby had provided documents indicating that some level of first aid or EMS standby was conducted. He clarified that he was not opposed to the volunteers. Chief Todd stated that he was unfamiliar with the documents mentioned and asked if they were included in the agenda. He also inquired whether the documents were related to a letter concerning dispatch. Commissioner Mattos was informed that this issue was probably a separate agenda item and could be discussed later. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Discussion on the Fire Chief's annual evaluation: DCC Wong mentioned that inquiries had been made about sending an electronic survey to department employees for feedback on the chief's performance. She is awaiting a response from HR and noted that the union's input might be needed and participation would be voluntary. Additionally, there was a request for HR to present best practices for performance evaluations. DCC Wong emphasized that the evaluation framework will depend on the questions and topics considered. Questions in the survey should be relevant to the chief's evaluation and aligned with the evaluation criteria to ensure meaningful feedback. Commissioner Cushnie suggested that involving HR would be beneficial. He noted that gathering feedback directly from employees at the stations is challenging due to existing rules. He is exploring ways to get input from those under the chief, as current feedback tends to be one-sided, coming only from the chief. DCC Wong agreed and will update the commission on HR's response. She will either send a memo before the next meeting or have DCC Salas-Ferguson provide additional information at the next meeting. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Correspondence No. 24-01: Correspondence received concerning dispatch operations: Vice Chair Wolf asked Chief Todd for comments on the received correspondence. Chief Todd explained that in 2023, they faced an unforeseen staffing shortage due to COVID-