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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-07-10 Fire Commission Regular MinutesHAWAII FIRE COMMISSION MINUTES OF JULY 2019 AUPUNI CENTER CONFERENCE ROOM 101 PAUAHI ST., HILO, HAWAII ALL TO ORDER9:04 a.m. Chair Henkel called the meeting to order at 9:04 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Gregory Henkel, Chair Ralph Yawata, Vice Chair Kyle Keamo, Commissioner Donna Payesko, Commissioner Bobbye St. Ambrogio, Commissioner Scott Susman, Commissioner Robert Yamada, Commissioner A quorum was present. Also present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief Melanio Lorenzo, Accountant Renee Schoen, Assistant Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS (None.) APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JUNE 12, 2019 Commissioner Yamada motioned to approve the minutes. Commissioner St. Ambrogio seconded, and it carried unanimously. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT Chief Rosario highlighted items on his written report: Budget and Finance ➢ FY 2018/19: Chief Rosario stated that it was a difficult year for the County due to the volcanic eruption and hurricane events. They lost a lot of property, but no lives. FEMA reimbursement is only 75%. Mr. Lorenzo reported that they ended with a $.47 balance, first time with a positive balance. They were able to transfer some expenditures to County Finance. They normally refund only 75%, but this year, they refunded 100%. ➢ FY 2019/20: Chief Rosario reported that overtime was reduced to zero, so right now the Fire Department does not have any funds for overtime. Overtime is contractual, so there would be grievances, and the County will mostly likely lose because it's in the contract. They still do critical mandatory overtime, and he has to approve all non -emergency overtime. All departments are going through this, but he believes, the Fire Department more so. They are staffed for everyday duties, but will not be able to accommodate requests from community Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of July 10, 2019 Page 2 organizations. They did get approval for new apparatus in Laupahoehoe and HOVE. They also got $15,000 funding for day-to-day station equipment. The Council's contingency fund was increased, so they are looking at funds for them. Alternative Funding and Grants ➢ 2018 CDBG: The Paradise Park brush truck apparatus delivery is expected in July. ➢ Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation: An anonymous donor is funding a new off-road tanker valued at $310,000 for Waimea and South Kohala. Planning for this year's awards dinner has started. Human Resources Division: Classification and recruitment positions in the written report were noted. Deputy Chief Uchida will give a presentation on the promotional process at the next meeting. Emergency Operations Division: East Hawaii had numerous rescue incidents. West Hawaii had several structure fires. ➢ Special Operation Hazmat: BC Kim has been working on more Confined Space training, securing funding for personnel to attend Continuing Challenge and replacing chlorine A & B kit gaskets. ➢ Ocean Safety: They took a tower from Spencer Beach Park which is only use don weekends, and moved it to Kua Bay which is more high risk. The will start the bid process for a new tower for Spencer. Support Services Division ➢ Training: The 47th recruit class participated in numerous activities including active shooter training. Nineteen members of the 46th recruit class graduated in June. ➢ Volunteer Training: AC Perreira attended the quarterly captain's meeting in June. DOT safety inspections were done for the year. Training and drills were done on the West Side. ➢ EMS Bureau: Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training which involves active shooter training was conducted. If there is an ongoing active shooter situation, Fire personnel will pull back until it is safe for them to move in. Six MICT candidates went through pre-screening, but they are not sure if a class will be held. ➢ Prevention Bureau: They continue with 24-hour shifts. Their Smoke Alarm Program continues with Red Cross assistance. They did three public education events and fire prevention outreach for other community agencies and the public. ➢ Auxiliary Services: The Active 911 Project for the volunteers is live. The RapidSOS/i911 Project continues. The Warehouse Labeling Project is 50% completed. Testing continues for the Mobile Data Terminal Project. The maintenance shop continues with repairs and service. They are having less repairs because of newer equipment. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of July 10, 2019 Page 3 • Public Relations: Commissioner St. Ambrogio reported that the Fire Department sent personnel to talk to her neighborhood watch volunteers about disaster preparedness. The fire fighter did an excellent presentation, and she truly thanked him for that. • New Projects/Business: The firefighters contract was approve for all four counties. • Other Departmental Activities: Deputy Chief Uchida will do a presentation on hiring and promotions at the next meeting. Fire Commission IDs were made. • 2019 Program of Work Update (None reported.) UNFINISHED BUSINESS Discussion on the commission's oversight of personnel matters of the Fire Department and compliance with the Hawaii County Charter and Hawaii Revised Statutes. Chair Henkel reported that a letter was sent to the Human Resources Director and Legislative Auditor inviting them to this meeting. He stated that Legislative Auditor Bonnie Nims called him and advised that they speak to Corporation Counsel on this matter. HR Director William Brilhante came before the commission. He stated that he's at this meeting because he is not sure what the commission was requesting. Chair Henkel stated that they want to know what their oversight is and the administrative duties of the Fire Department. Mr. Brilhante stated that he looked at the Charter and their duties. He would like to give them a general overview of the hiring process. In 2000, there was a reform that removed HR from being the central hiring center. They were allowed to delegate. The Fire Department's HR staff determines the minimum qualifications for the position. His staff handles all the new prospects, the new fire fighters. This is called onboarding. They determine if an applicant meets the MQs. The list of all applicants who meet the MQs is given to Jean Viernes, Fire Department's HR Specialist. It is not given to the Chief. They take extra precautions in securing the confidential process. He relies on his staff, and there is always communication between his staff and Fire HR. He briefly explained the process. He also mentioned that audits are being conducted of different department's hiring process. If the commission has concerns, they should bring it up with their Corporation Counsel. When you have 30 applicants for 1 opening, they know they will have 29 unhappy applicants. Chair Henkel stated that if someone from the public has this concern, he doesn't think it's appropriate for them to approach one of them. Ms. Schoen stated that the 29 applicants could make an appeal to the Merit Appeals Board. For employees, it is the grievance process. In response to the Chair's inquiry, Ms. Schoen stated that the Legislative Auditor has not done an audit of a board or commission. The majority of their time is doing financial audits. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of July 10, 2019 Page 4 Chair Henkel felt that their oversight is in the hiring and firing of the Chief. Commissioner Susman stated that a kid associated with the fire service can be coached. In interviews, he has seen someone regurgitating information. They have to be accountable. Mr. Brilhante stated that from what he has seen of the Fire Department, they are one of the most progressive departments in the county. They bring in others from other jurisdictions to sit in on promotions. He was in the Fire Department when it was under the Mayor, and it is much different now. A kid who has a parent with knowledge of the Fire Department, and they talk about the process and has knowledge of the Fire Department, maybe they are a better candidate because they know the process. At the end of the day, the panel and the Chief makes the decision. The selection of the candidate is not the end for onboarding. When they get hired, there is a 12 -month probation, and they can cut them lose. They want to be sure they have the best candidates. The interview process shows all the secondary assessments when they rank a candidate. It is not 100% perfect, but until they see something better, that's the process they will use. Ms. Schoen again stated that complaints can be brought to the Merits Appeals Board. In response to Chair Henkel's request to see their audit of the Fire Department's hiring process, Mr. Brilhante stated that they can provide it to Ms. Schoen. Commissioner Susman expressed concern about their accountability as noted in the Charter and the department's hiring process. Ms. Schoen stated that the commission, as a body, needs to determine if they are appropriately reviewing the personnel actions of the department. Deputy Chief Lance Uchida will give a presentation on the promotions process at the next meeting. Commissioner Susman again expressed concern about the promotions process as noted in the Charter. Mr. Brilhante stated that they see to it that interview questions are related to skillset. It has to articulate the areas of responsibility or effectiveness. When they audit the packet, they ensure that the questions relate to the skillset. His staff doesn't determine the skillset. They leave it up to the Fire Department, same as for Police, Public Works, and Finance. They use the same process of skillset and interview questions. Commissioner Susman asked how to address high degree of education. Mr. Brilhante stated that the fire fighter prerequisite is two specific college courses. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of July 10, 2019 Page 5 Chief Rosario stated that every interview and questions are never the same. The Deputy puts the questions together the day of the interview. They have a panel who makes the decision. If a person has a father who is a fire personnel, he can guide his son. That is not illegal. There have been fire personnel whose kid was not hired because he was not the best candidate. Chief Rosario explained the hiring process. Commissioner Susman stated that things need to be monitored. Commissioner Payesko stated Commissioner Susman wants to see the questions. She is not an HR expert. Their job is to make sure the process is working correctly. Mr. Brilhante stated that there is a certain degree of confidentiality. When the candidate comes before the candidate, that's the first time the questions are made known. There is a degree of confidentially. When they do an audit, they don't make the questions public. They have to ensure the confidentiality of the process. They don't want the questions floating around. Commissioner St. Ambrogio stated that the hiring process was a mystery to her. She is now comfortable to know that people are properly chosen, and she is comfortable with the process. As a commissioner, she is confident to refer people to HR or the Chief. She doesn't think it is the responsibility of the commission to tell people what the process is. If they have a question, that person should take that problem to the person who is trained. The commission should not be trained, but they should have knowledge of the process. An audit has another layer of positive thinking. Mr. Brilhante stated that he will be present at the next meeting to hear the Deputy's presentation. He is evaluated by the Merit Appeals Board. Chair Henkel stated that he wants to put this issue to rest. He's only been on the commission a few months, but this issue has been going on for a few years. After Deputy Chief Uchida's presentation at the next meeting, they can vote on whether or not they have confidence in the system. Ms. Schoen stated that they can vote as a body as to whether or not they are performing their duties according to the Charter. If not, and if they feel they need more information, they need to determine what information is needed to fulfill their duties. Commissioner Susman stated that he wants Ms. Schoen's confidential attorney-client document made public. Ms. Schoen explained her confidential letter to the commission and her reasoning. Commissioner Susman stated that the letter would be gone forever. Mr. Schoen stated that her position could be placed in the minutes. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of July 10, 2019 Page 6 Commissioner Yamada stated that Ms. Schoen is their Counsel. It is as if they are in executive session. He would not vote for making it public. Chair Henkel stated that he is not inclined to waive executive privilege. They can act on this at the next meeting. CHAIR'S REPORT ON MATTERS OF INTEREST TO THE COMMISSION (Nothing to report.) ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Henkel announced that the commission's next monthly meeting is scheduled for August 21, 2019, at 9.00a.m., in the West Hawaii Civic Center, Building G Conference Room, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:36 a.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: GREGORY HENKEL, CHAIR