2024-09-26 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes September 26, 2024 Page 4 • Support Services: o Emergency Medical Services: Captain Lam served as a keynote speaker at the Hawai'i Fentanyl Task Force Summit. At Waiakeawaena Elementary School, 140 staff members completed hands-only CPR and AED training. They have also launched a new online ordering system for EMS supplies, utilizing the same software as the fire side, but creating a separate site to avoid confusion. This system went live on September 1 st. Additionally, they are currently conducting their annual ambulance audits and license renewals. The Fall 2023 paramedic class has graduated, and a new fall class has begun, currently consisting of four students. Training sessions for Pulsara, a telehealth platform, have been held. Pulsara facilitates communication among EMS staff, hospitals, and specialists. The Community Paramedicine Program remains active, with 20 patient contacts made in August. Chair Kosaki inquired whether Pulsara was replacing Medicom. Chief Todd clarified that it is not. Deputy Chief Volpe explained that Pulsara is a telehealth platform focused on CVA and stroke awareness, allowing direct connections with neurologists at Queens Hospital for patient consultations and diagnostics. This system enables quicker and more accurate physician- based assessments, delivering critical information directly to the hospital to inform triage decisions o Training Services: The National Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification Training was conducted recently. The 53rd firefighter recruit class started on August 1st, with 13 firefighter recruits, one HFD Fire/EMS recruit, and one HI-DOT ARFF firefighter recruit. The Fire/EMS recruit has since resigned. The recruits engaged in training and had the opportunity to meet with Representative Jill Tokuda at the PTA. They have been sharing updates about the recruit classes on social media to showcase the training process, inform the public, foster community connections, and inspire the next generation of potential firefighters interested in joining the fire service. Chief Todd noted that over the past decade, there has been a decline in the number of candidates showing up for the written test. The most recent physical agility test saw only 88 participants, all of who had passed the written test. In previous years, around a thousand candidates would take the written test, with the top hundred scores moving on to the physical agility test, resulting in 100-120 participants. The overall number of applicants has decreased significantly. He also mentioned that he is currently collaborating with the training team to transition their existing physical agility test to a military-standard test. Chief Todd indicated that there are QR code links to the recruit videos included in the chief's report. Chair Kosaki inquired whether the department has a social media policy. Chief Todd explained that while there is a county social media policy and