2024-10-24 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes October 24, 2024 Page 7 made. Once all responses are submitted, she will compile the results. The finalized instructions and deadline will be emailed to the commission. The commission reviewed and discussed Chief Todd's self-evaluation and appendices. Chief Todd pointed out that at the end of his self-assessment, there is a letter addressed to the commission explaining some overlap in the questions. He emphasized that his goal in working with the commission is to create a strong evaluation process for the Fire Chief, not just for himself but for future chiefs as well, which will benefit the department overall. He hopes the commission holds chiefs to the highest standards. In the spirit of transparency, he has already shared his self- evaluation with the entire department, and it will soon be sent to the mayor's office and county council. He stated that whether the commission chooses to make their evaluation public is up to them, but he has nothing to hide. He encourages the commission, if they are willing, to make their results public individually. If they have comments, they should be able to stand behind their name and make them. He has no objections to making the evaluations public. Additionally, he mentioned that he sent a brief survey to the department for feedback and suggestions for improvement. He believes that the best evaluation process will benefit the department in the long run. Chief Todd mentioned that he feels certain areas of the evaluation didn't receive enough attention, particularly since the department is not only a fire department but also includes EMS, volunteer, and ocean safety. He also noted that health and safety is another aspect that could be better addressed in the evaluation. Chair Kosaki noted that the self-evaluation is very comprehensive, with 60 questions. He suggested that commissioners look at the totality of it, look at each one, and narrow it down to each section at a time rather than trying to read through the whole thing and try to decipher if the chief is doing what he says he's doing. When you do it that way it can cloud your thoughts. Commissioner Hirakami agreed, emphasizing that the evaluation should be based on the key sections rather than every individual question. The goal of the evaluation is to set objectives and improve performance quality. Chair Kosaki's suggestion would help simplify the process. Chair Kosaki also reminded the commission to consider the chief's reports at each meeting and the successes and challenges they bring up. Commissioner Hirakami expressed his agreement with the chief's perspective on being accountable for one's comments, stating that it promotes transparency rather than hiding behind anonymous comments. DCC Wong asked Chief Todd to clarify the relationship between the appendices and the self-evaluation. Chief Todd explained that there are two types of documents: references and appendices. The references include links to documents that are not