2024-08-22 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes August 22, 2024 Page 8 Commissioner Hirakami also asked about call volume patterns and staffing. Chief Todd confirmed that call volume is highest during the day, which is why staffing is heavier during those hours. Although call volume drops from midnight to 0800 hours, major incidents can still occur. Commissioner Mattos noted that since he first started as chief, dispatch has been a recurring topic. He acknowledged Chief Todd's efforts and observed that the writer of the letter seemed unhappy with the current arrangements. Chief Todd confirmed that there is mixed feedback. He highlighted safety concerns with employees working alone. Commissioner Magsalin, drawing from her hospital experience, expressed an understanding of the challenges of working short-staffed and acknowledged the difficulties in finding solutions. Commissioner Cushnie added that one of the writer's complaints was that police dispatchers lacked training in taking medical and rescue calls. He asked how often HPD dispatchers handle such calls and whether there have been any negative outcomes. AC Chadwick stated he was unaware of any instances of that occurring and acknowledged that police dispatchers field the call in the initial stages until a fire dispatcher was freed up. He added that, despite the challenges of moving dispatchers to HPD, the collaboration between Police and Fire dispatchers has improved and proved beneficial. ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Luke announced the commission's next monthly meeting is scheduled for September 26, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., at the County Building, Council Chambers, Suite 1401, 25 Aupuni St., Hilo, HI. Commissioner Hirakami asked about a communication received too late to be included on the current agenda, referring to Commissioner Mattos' earlier concerns. He suggested addressing it at the next meeting. DCC Wong noted that any new topics should be sent to the chair for inclusion in the agenda, ideally 10 business days before the meeting. She suggested sending a quick email to the chair after the meeting to describe any agenda items you want to discuss in September. If the item requires the chief's input, make sure to provide any relevant documents and allow time for the chief to prepare for the discussion. Commissioner Magsalin asked for Daniel Volpe to introduce himself. He shared that he's originally from Las Vegas and moved to the Big Island 21 years ago and has been with the Hawaii Fire Department for 19.5 of those years. He's been in operations his entire career, started as a firefighter, became a paramedic in Kona for about three years, moved back to the east side, and was a paramedic for another four or five years. He was promoted to driver in Puna, later became captain in Central, and most recently was promoted in February to battalion chief in West Hawaii. With the recent opportunity