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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-12 Fire Commission Regular MinutesHAWAII FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 12, 2020 WEST HAWAII CIVIC CENTER KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Yamada called the meeting to order at 9:07 a.m. Present: Robert Yamada, Chair Benjamin Agdeppa, Commissioner Gregory Henkel, Commissioner Donna Payesko, Commissioner Marcella St. Ambrogio, Commissioner Ralph Yawata, Commissioner Absent: Kyle Keamo, Vice Chair A quorum was present. Also present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief Robert Perreira, Assistant Chief Craig Masuda, Deputy Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary 2. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS WILLIAM BERGIN, Battalion Chief for West Hawaii, came before the commission to speak on the Fire Chief Selection Process. He stated that this is the third selection process in his 25 years with the Fire Department. He asked the commission to fill the vacancies. He asked that during the selection process, they visit the stations which have three shifts. This would empower the men and women in the Fire Department and make them feel that they are part of the process. Recently, medics had to shut down due to budget constraints. Earlier this year they had 49 vacancies. When someone leaves, a replacement takes two years. They are going back to no training. He told the commission to make sure the next Fire Chief has the support to run the Fire Department to make it safer for personnel and the public. He asked the commission to add to its agenda the lawsuit brought on by former battalion chiefs over salary discrepancy between captains and battalion chiefs. He wants the next Fire Chief to handle it. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 8, 2020 Commissioner St. Ambrogio pointed out a non -substantive change on page 2 of the regular session minutes. Commissioner Henkel motioned to approve the minutes as amended. Commissioner Yawata seconded, and it carried unanimously. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes February 12, 2020 Page 2 Commissioner Yawata pointed out a non -substantive change on page 1 of the executive session minutes. Commissioner Henkel motioned to approve the minutes as amended. Commissioner Agdeppa seconded, and it carried unanimously. 4. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT Chief Rosario told new Commissioner Agdeppa that they could schedule a meeting so he could provide more information on the Fire Department. Chief Rosario highlighted items from his written report: Budget: Their current budget situation deals with lack of funding for overtime. They are not in a budget shortage because of anything they have done improperly. Next week, Accountant Lorenzo will present a report to the Finance Department. They have staffing shortages that the BC brought up. Moving forward, they started recruit classes. They now have three ongoing recruit classes. It takes about a year for them to get their boots on the ground because of their extensive training. They look forward to being fully staff. As he has brought up previously, they have tried to get the County Administration to hire 10 more recruits so that when someone retires, the boots are on the ground. The response he got was, "What would you do if you have more bodies than positions?" In response to an inquiry from Commissioner St. Ambrogio about transferring from another department, Chief Rosario stated that they have an Intergovernmental Program. Rules state that they have to drop back down to firefighter recruit. In Hawaii County, they have to be EMT qualified. The process is not hard, but they have to move when there is an opening for firefighter recruitment. Chair Yamada asked if they could separate manpower in their budget and show what it would cost for minimal levels. Chief stated that they already have separate budgets. He explained moving the firefighter recruit positions from vacant to temporary. They also do this for dispatchers. Recruiting and maintaining dispatchers is very difficult. Chair Yamada asked the Chief if he could comment on BC Bergin's concern about the lawsuit. Chief Rosario stated that it is still in the court system. Until the matter is resolved in the courts, the Mayor said he cannot do anything. Deputy Corporation Counsel Masuda stated that it is with the Appellate Court. Until the court decides, it is at a standstill. The Chief cannot make any statements because it is on appeal. Any statements the Chief makes is irrelevant. He will get the information for the commissioners. ✓ FY 2019/2020: Chief stated that this year, all overtime was taken out from all the departments' budget. The budget is separated into salaries and Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes February 12, 2020 Page 3 wages and all others. Every day, they have to make up for the budget shortfall. It is the Mayor's budget, and he delegates it to the Finance Director. For at least the past 10 years, the budget has been status quo. They put in supplemental requests for a lot of their apparatus. All departments have been a status quo. People look at overtime as negative, but they cannot cut overtime for required services. For 10 years, they have had the same overtime rate and have the same overtime dollar amount. They are not funded with the appropriate amount. Commissioner St. Ambrogio stated that for the past two years, she sat in County Council meetings when the Chief explained their needs. The Council knows pretty much all the events that are taking place that need to be covered. Even if they give a public statement, she doesn't think it makes an impact. Yet, the public expects services, so they can't back away. Commissioner Henkel asked if the current shortfall is because of the lower east zone eruption. Chief stated that they lost real property taxes because of that. ✓ FY 2020/2021: They are still waiting for the final budget from Finance. Alternative Funding and Grants: Chief Rosario stated that BC Bergin has contacts, and through his advocacy and hard work, an anonymous donor donated an apparatus worth approximately half a million dollars. This individual saw the benefit for the North Kona, South Kohala, and North Kohala areas, and is now donating another apparatus. BC Bergin also helped to get other equipment from other private donors. They are still waiting for word on the USDA USFS Wildland $50,000 matching grant. Application was submitted for the USFA FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant. They are working on the Shippers Wharf Grant which is for rescue boat repairs. • Human Resources Division: They have internal recruitment within the Department for Battalion Chief of Operations and WSO IV. They have Open - Competitive Recruitment for WSO I and Dispatcher I. They have Internal Recruitment within the County for HR Assistant. Emergency Operations Division: Chief Okinaka continues work on finalizing their Personnel Accountability Program. East Hawaii has seen an uptick in structure fires in Puna. In West Hawaii, they continue to monitor the Coconut Grove sinkhole. BC Kim of Special Operations took a voluntary demotion to Rescue Captain at the Waiakea Fire Station. With the passing of Captain Mahon, they lost their dive instructor. Two personnel were identified to manage the program. 0 Support Services Division Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes February 12, 2020 Page 4 ✓ Volunteer Training: Volunteer Commander Bertsch stated that he knows the Chief has been doing more with less, and the volunteers have also been doing more with less. The volunteers use a very small dollar amount of the Fire Department's budget. They don't request raises but do the work because they love to help. They are not there to take away from the career side. It takes him a year to put a volunteer firefighter in the field with proper screening and training. Chief Rosario has continually upped their game. He would like to give them concessions and incentives for the volunteer program. He wants to be able to entice volunteers into the career side. Their website is still not working. Their next commanders' meeting is scheduled for March 28 at Pu`uanahulu. Commissioner Payesko asked what they could do to help. Chief Rosario stated that they could advocate with the County Council. A lot of their equipment came from their contingency fund. Commissioner Payesko asked about giving them credit for their volunteer service when applying to the career side. Chief stated that that is handled by Human Resources. Commissioner St. Ambrogio suggested an advertising campaign for volunteer firefighters. Commander Bertsch stated that individuals looking to becoming a volunteer have always been via online searches. Chief Todd is working to get their volunteer site back online. Volunteers are part of the Fire Department, and when the budget is cut, funds for the volunteers and their equipment is also cut. AC Perreira of the Support Services Division stated that the volunteer's budget is at the same level they were at 20 years ago. They don't have enough funds for their medical exams. A lot of their training is done with grant funds. Volunteers do a lot for our community. ✓ Training: AC Perreira stated that the 47th Firefighter Recruit class graduated on February 1. Training for the 48th and 49th FF Recruit classes are being combined. ✓ EMS Bureau: AC Perreira reported that they are finalizing their FY 2020-21 budget contract with the State which is not status quo. They look at what they need, ask for that, and usually get what they ask for. They will be getting three new ambulances. They are moving forward with STEMI/PCI transports. This allows them to transport cardiac patients directly to Hilo Medical Center. Previously, they had to be transported to Honolulu. Hands Only CPR continues at the high schools. They did a class for State building personnel. MICT class continues with 6 personnel. ✓ Prevention Bureau: Their Smoke Alarm Program continues with the assistance of the Red Cross who are giving them an additional 500 smoke alarms. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes February 12, 2020 Page 5 ✓ Auxiliary Services: Equipment and supplies were prepped for recruits. New contract gear, i.e., helmets, visors, boots, have arrived. Spillman and Trello screens are being installed. They are looking into replacing the inactive Active 911 with Bryx which has no user fees. They hired 9 dispatchers and ended up retaining only 1. They are running ads and PSAs for dispatchers. The maintenance shop continues with repairs and maintenance. Construction of a new brush truck and apparatus continues. • New Projects and Business: AC Perreira reported receiving $150,000 from E911 for a generator. DPW is working on roof plans for the Pahala station. Retiling and repainting is being done at the Kea'au station. The County hired a new radio manager, and they have a list of things to go over with him. Other Departmental Activities: AC Perreira reported that the EMS Bureau is closely tracking the Coronavirus and keeping everyone updated and on what they need to do. They are keeping employees informed and stocking needed supplies. Chief Rosario reported that when reviewing construction of an apparatus, they send over a whole team consisting of the chief mechanic, an AC manager, and himself or the deputy because it's a million dollar equipment. Chief Rosario reported that regarding the Coronavirus, their guidelines come from the Governor's office. They have identified a cleaning solution that kills the virus. They have gowns, masks, and personal equipment that they would need. They are prepared if things change. They will get the new medics around June, a truck in April, and work on two apparatuses continues. Chief Rosario told the commission that he will work hard in assisting the commission with filling his position. Regarding BC Bergin's statement that some EMS units were shut down due to budget cuts, that was not accurate. They shut down some units because of the long hours they were working, and they needed to rest. They don't take shutting down something lightly, but safety is important. • Program of Work Update: No report. 5. CHAIR'S REPORT ON MATTERS OF INTEREST TO THE COMMISSION Commissioner Payesko reported that she and Commissioner Yawata attended the recruit graduation. She suggested that they all contribute towards a gift for the Aloha Exchange Club's Annual Firefighter of the Year Banquet. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes February 12, 2020 Page 6 6. EXECUTIVE SESSION (Closed to the public.) Commissioner Henkel motioned to meet in executive session to discuss personnel matters (Fire Chief Selection Process) and to consult with Corporation Counsel on questions and issues pertaining to the commission's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and liabilities. Commissioner Yawata seconded, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 11:14 a.m. Regular session reconvened at 12:19 p.m. (Open to the public.) 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Yamada announced that the commission's next monthly meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., in the Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi St., Hilo, Hawaii. 8. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:21 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: ROBERT M. YAMADA, II