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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0398.000 2024-2026C. Kimo Alameda, Ph.D. Mayor Gerald Kosaki, Chair Carlene Wolf, Vice Chair Brian Cushnie, Member Steven Hirakami, Member Corey Luke, Member Shon Magsalin, Member Wesley Mattos, Member Wayne Perrin Jr., Member COUNTY OF HAWAI`I Fire Commission 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 9 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Phone: (808) 932-2950 • Fax: (808)932-2949 C� June 30, 2025 ^'s+ O`.n � Mayor C. Kimo Alameda -nc% County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni St. ,l Hilo, HI 96720 SUBJECT: FIRE COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2024 Dear Mayor Alameda: ^Y A Attached is the Fire Commission's Annual Report for 2024. Sincerely, Gerald T. Kosaki, Chair County of Hawaii Fire Commission cc: Bill Brilhante, Managing Director Dr. Holeka Inaba, Council Chair Comm. No.y3 4 v Ref. To: Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Ref. Date JUL — 3 2025 COUNTY OF HAWAII FIRE COMMISSION 2024 ANNUAL REPORT CHAIR Gerald Kosaki VICE CHAIR Carlene Wolf COMMISSIONERS Brian Cushnie Steve Hirakami Corey Luke Shon Magsalin Wesley Mattos Wayne Perrin Rick Porter 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. I Fire Commission Activities Membership and Meetings During 2024, the commission held a total of 10 meetings. Five of those meetings were held in Hilo and five in Kona. The other two meetings were not held due to the transition or lack of a secretary for the commission. Citizen Complaints During 2024, there were no formal complaints to the fire department that was heard and addressed by the commission. Annual Evaluation of the Fire Chief The commission completed the annual performance of the Fire Chief for the term of January 2024 to December 2024. The evaluation period was changed to bring consistency with the calendar year. The results of this evaluation were submitted to the mayor, managing director, and the council. The evaluation format was changed to better evaluate the chief by the commission members. The Fire Chief was rated in six areas. These included Operational Management, Strategic Planning, Leadership and Personnel Management, Community Engagement, Administrative Responsibilities, and Risk Management, Safety, and Preparedness. The Fire Chief was rated on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being Almost Never, and 5 being Almost Always. The majority of responses averaged between 3 (Seldom) and 4 (Usually). 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 may have in regards to the departmental operations. Included in these reports is the budget and alternative funding, various types of incidents, personnel changes, and other departmental operations. Fire Commission Recommendations After reviewing the Fire Chief s reports and discussions in our meetings, we have come up with these recommendations: 1. Continue to seek alternative funding through grants and other sources to support the fire departments operations with needed equipment and staffing needs. 2. Continue to support minimum staffing needs and seek to expand manpower to provide for this. 3. Follow up on the fire department's operational needs with emphasis on Special Operations in technical rescue and hazardous materials (Hazmat) response. Items such as the rescue boat and hazmat monitoring equipment are being addressed from the prior year. 4. Continue ongoing support to the fire department's vehicle replacement program. 5. Support in department safety program. The fire department's safety officer continues to provide safety messages. There have been some safety concerns at the stations that has led to some criticism within the rank and file. We would like to see the Fire Chief to continue to promote safety and to possibly create or identify positions such as an Incident Safety Officer (ISO) and Health Safety Officer (HSO) for the well being of his personnel. 6. Continue to provide training in the Incident Command System (ICS) for all personnel and support an all -hazards Incident Management Team. 7. Continue to provide training with the Civil Support Team (CST) for our hazmat team and monthly rescue training of our rescue personnel. 8. Review MOAs, MOUs with other agencies to clarify jurisdictional responsibilities and to foster efficiency in inter -agency working relationships. 9. Improve the department's Fire Communication dispatch working conditions to aid in the retention of personnel. This area has always been a problem with staffing shortages and we have not seen a marked improvement thus far. 10. Continue to expand our Ocean Safety operations by expanding our rescue water craft coverage. 11. Improve communication and working relations with the various unions involved in the fire department such as the HFFA, UPW, and HGEA. Conclusion The Fire Commission strives to adhere to the County Charter while attempting to provide guidance and advice to the Fire Chief. Our goal is to ensure the safety of our personnel while providing a valuable service to the community. Funding is always an ongoing issue, but the Chief has been utilizing alternative funding well. We would like to emphasize that the Chief be more open to suggestion and be willing to take advice in the area of operations due to his limited experience in this area. We would also like to see him communicate more with the unions to improve departmental operations while maintaining consistency by instilling corrective action when applicable at all levels.