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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0959.001 2022-2024Mitchell D. Roth Halvor Gerald Kosaki, Chair Carlene Wolf, Vice Chair Brian Cushnie, Member Steven f firakarni. Member Corey Luke. Member Shon Magsalin. Member Wesley Mattes, Member Wayne Perrin Jr., Member COUNTY OF HAWAVI Fire Commission 101 Pauahj Street, Suite 9 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Phone: (808) 932-2950 Fax: (808) 932-2949 July 25, 2024 Mayor Mitch D. Roth County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni St. Hilo, HI 96720 SUBJECT: FIRE COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 Dear Mayor Roth: Attached is the Fire Commission's Annual Report for 2021. Sincerely, Gerald T. Kosaki, Chair County of Hawaii Fire Commission cc: Deanna Sako, Managing Director Heather Kimball, Council Chair Cornryt. NoA Sq. I Ref. To: Ref. Da,le JUL 3 .1 2024 Hawai'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. COUNTY OF HAWAII FIRE COMMISSION 2021 ANNUAL REPORT Corey Luke, District 9 VICE CHAIR Benjamin Agdeppa, District 8 MEMBERS Shon Magsalin, District I Kyle Keamo, District 2 Gerald Kosaki, District 35 Gregory Henkel, District 4 Daniel Paleka, District 5 Gene Nakashima, District 6 Wesley Mattos, District 7 Commission Overview and Purpose Pursuant to the authority set forth in the Hawaii County Charter section 7-4.6, the County of Hawaii Fire Commission (hereby referred to as the "commission") has the responsibility to uphold the powers and duties set forth below: 1. Adopt rules necessary for the conduct of its business and review rules for the administration of the department. 2. Review the annual budget prepared by the Fire Chief and make recommendations thereon to the mayor, the managing director, and the council. 3. Review the department's operations for the purposes of recommending improvements to the Fire Chief. 4. Evaluate at least annually the performance of the Fire Chief and submit a report to the mayor, managing director, and the council. 5. Review personnel actions within the department for conformance with the policies under Section 7-4.2 of this charter. 6. Hear complaints of citizens concerning the department or its personnel and, if necessary, make recommendations to the Fire Chief on appropriate corrective actions. 7. Submit an annual report to the mayor, managing director, and the council on its activities. Fire Commission Activities Membership and Meetings During 2021, the commission held a total of 9 meetings. 5 of those meetings were held in Hilo and 4 in Kona. The remaining meetings were not held due to either a lack of quorum or COVID-19 measures/concerns. Fire Chief Selection 2021 started with the Hawaii Fire Department operating under an interim Acting Fire Chief (Robert Perreira). The new Fire Chief(Kazuo Todd) was selected on April 14, 2021. Citizen Complaints During 2021, there was 1 complaint to the fire department that were heard and addressed by the commission. Annual Evaluation of the Fire Chief The commission did not complete the annual evaluation of the Fire Chief for the term of April 12, 2021, to December 31, 2021. Hawaii Fire Department Operations The Fire Chief submits a report to the commission for review and comment at our monthly meetings. At these meetings, the fire chief presents this report and fields any questions or comments that the commissioners have. Included in these reports is the budget and alternative funding, various types of incidents, personnel changes, and other operational concerns. Fire Commission Recommendations It is the Fire Commission's responsibility to evaluate the Fire Chief s performance and not interfere with the routine operations of the Fire Department. The Fire Commission provides recommendations to the Fire Chief and does not give direction. These are the recommendations of the Fire Commission: 1. Continue to seek alternative funding through grants and other sources to support the fire department's operations with needed equipment and staffing needs. 2. Continue to evaluate staffing needs and seek to expand manpower to provide resources to r� meet these requirements. 3. Continue to support the fire department's vehicle replacement program. 4. Support in department safety program with possibly creating positions such as an Incident Safety Officer (ISO) and Health Safety Officer (HSO). 5. Continue to provide training in the Incident Command System (ICS). 6. Continue to provide training with the Civil Support Team (CST). 7. Continue to improve the department's Fire Communication dispatch team. 8. Continue to improve our Ocean Safety operations. 9. Continue working on leadership improvement venues (National Fire Academy, FEMA tl Training, etc). Conclusion The Fire Commission strives to adhere to the County Charter while attempting, to provide advice to the Fire Chief. The new Fire Chief was hampered by the lack of transparency into the operations of the prior administration and not being given a transition plan. The Fire Commission draws it membership from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds. This is a sound practice as it creates an environment that encourages discussion and different points of view. The Fire Chief has been proactive in his approach to identifyingt-- areas for improvement and applying metrics where necessary so that progress can be measured. Reporting has been much more detailed when compared to 2020. Transparency is excellent and the Fire Chief has shown that he wants to answer Fire Commission questions in a timely manner and with appropriate detail.