2025-06-26 Fire Commission Regular Minutes

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Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 26, 2025 Page 4 Recess was called at 11.33 a.m., and the meeting reconvened at 11.46 a.m. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Review and Discuss Guidelines for Fire Commissioner Station Visits. The commission reviewed a draft internal memo outlining the process for station visits. Suggestions were made to improve the language related to visit requests and to clarify that commissioners shall not interfere with departmental administrative matters or operations. The item will be continued to the next meeting. Chair Kosaki and DCC Salas-Ferguson will revise the draft, incorporating the suggested edits into a revised draft for review and approval at the next meeting. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Employee Feedback Evaluation Process: The commission discussed a preliminary questionnaire designed to gather feedback from department employees on the department head's performance. A key point of discussion was whether to create different surveys for different ranks or a single, anonymous survey that allows respondents to select their rank category. The item will be continued to the next meeting. Commissioner Cushnie will refine the questionnaire and research best practices, including potential standardized survey options such as those offered by Gallup. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Commission Secretary Position: The Commission discussed options to address the secretary position, including providing an assistant to help alleviate the workload or reinstating a dedicated secretary for the Fire Commission, as was done in the past. Budget considerations were also discussed. The Commission agreed to draft a letter to the Mayor, Fire Department, and Human Resources outlining possible solutions, including funding a dedicated secretary for the Fire Commission in accordance with the Charter. The letter will also request a formal backup and contingency plan for times when the secretary is unavailable. This item will be continued to the next meeting. NEW BUSINESS The Commission reviewed the draft 2024 Annual Report and discussed whether to accept it as is or make amendments. Chair Kosaki called for a motion to accept the report as written and begin work on the 2025 report, which would include the annual budget, a pie chart, and new additions such as the opening of the new dispatch center.