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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-06-30 Fire Commission MinutesHAWAI`I FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES JUNE 30, 2022 WEST HAWAFI CIVIC CENTER, BUILDING A, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 74-5044 ANE KEOHOKALOLE HWY., KAILUA-KONA, HI CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Kosaki called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. Present: Gerald Kosaki, Chair Gregory Henkel, Commissioner Corey Luke, Commissioner Shon Magsalin, Commissioner Gene Nakashima, Commissioner Carlene Wolf, Commissioner A quorum was present. Absent: Benjamin Agdeppa, Vice Chair Wesley Mattos, Commissioner Daniel Paleka, Commissioner Also present: Kazuo Todd, Fire Chief Eric Moller, Deputy Fire Chief Keyra Wong, Deputy Corporation Counsel Charisse Correa, Secretary PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS (None.) PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE FIRE COMMISSION • Commissioner Henkel motioned to adopt proposed amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Fire Commission 5(B)(1) and 8(a). Commissioner Wolf seconded, no discussion, it carried unanimously, and the motion has passed. DCC Wong stated that she will work with the Fire Commission's secretary to finalize the amended rules, it has to go to the County Clerk to sign, and it will become effective upon signature. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Commissioner Henkel motioned to approve the regular and executive session minutes of May 11, 2022. Commissioner Luke seconded, it carried unanimously, and the minutes were approved. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT Chief Todd stated that he attempted to go into a live stream, but he doesn't have an internet connection. He will record the meeting from his computer and will upload it to YouTube. He noted the plus side of holding meetings in Council Chambers is that if Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 30, 2022 Page 2 we're in a zoom meeting and a Fire Commissioner was unable to attend, they could participate remotely. Assuming there are no issues with the rules and regulations that allows members to attend through Zoom. Fire Chief Todd Highlighted items from his written report. A detailed report is on file. Atmospheric outlook for the Island of Hawaii: Chief Todd reported that they have been focusing on changes in the weather. The dry season has started and the potential for extreme fire behavior is now more prevalent. They want to make it known to personnel in the field that they need to be aware and should look to see what they can do in the community or be a part of the solution as opposed to just waiting for something to happen. La Nina is causing drought conditions and the potential for a similar large fire like the Mana Road fire exists at the moment. This will probably last for another five to six months, depending on weather conditions. Commissioner Henkel stated that something landed in his yard and was burning. It looked like a trash bag, made from paper, with a wire structure and a candle or something under it. He's concerned about the Fourth of July coming up and he knows they're illegal. Fire Chief Todd stated that area luminaries were banned in the State of Hawaii, as well as seven or eight other states. He shared some history, stating that their prevention bureau had seen them on sale and was concerned. They bought a variety, ran a study by igniting them in a large field, and reported what would happen when it hit the ground later. They were able to prove that it was still ignited by the time they came down. Chief Todd stated that he will be reaching out to the Prevention Bureau to make sure that when they do their inspections, they're making sure no importers are bringing them in. Area luminaries are not classified as fireworks, there's no regulation restricting their sale or transportation and technically they can be shipped by mail and purchased online. Our fireworks sellers should be aware that these are not allowed in the state and they shouldn't be the ones bringing them in. Chair Kosaki asked the Chief if there's a public campaign or public awareness that these items are illegal because a lot of people may be getting them, not knowing that they're illegal. Chief Todd stated they had a public media campaign about eight or nine years ago, but it's been long enough that it's probably not in the mind of everyone, considering the Fourth of July coming up, maybe we should put out press releases. He hasn't realized that they've been imported, this is the first he's heard of it, and will work with his staff to put together a press release. Commissioner Henkel stated that with the Fourth of July coming up, he's concerned about the amount of illegal fireworks already going off. As a combat veteran, it bothers him tremendously. He can handle it on the Fourth of July or New Years, but last night at 11:30 at night a random IED was going off. He estimates that there are tons of illegal fireworks coming into the state and on our island annually and there's a chance for somebody to use them for more nefarious reasons than celebrating and Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 30, 2022 Page 3 that concerns him. He asked if there is anything that the fire department can do to discourage this. Chief Todd stated that it's sort of a gray area, they are involved as far as the fire department is concerned. Chief Moller recently attended a meeting to deal with firework issues. A lot of it comes down to law enforcement because they are banned and illegal, they aren't coming in through your normal channels of firework sellers. There have been sales over social media sites. Usually, when their fireworks auditor comes across these types of things, they send links or other leads to the police department for follow-up because it comes back down to a legal issue and the fire department doesn't have any enforcement rights. Chair Kosaki stated that this is a challenge and it's a statewide issue. Highlights: ✓ Hawaii Fire Chief's Association 2022 Conference in December. The website is up and ticket sales are available. One of the big speakers will be Bobby Halton, who's a retired fire chief and is now the editor for Fire Engineering Magazine and is prevalent in the American Fire Service. ✓ They have been continuing with their tsunami preparedness training, following up with Civil Defense. Budget: Total spending through May 31, 2022, is at 94.01% with 92% of the fiscal year completed. • Alternative Funding and Grants: ✓ They are continuing to manage the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. ✓ USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, State & Private Forestry grant got extended through February 2023, they were not able to expend all the funds for this grant. ✓ They have been expending most of their money on their Hapuna Beach and Kua Bay funds. The state did not approve the ability to expend down on operating capital expenditures. Even though they don't have enough funding on the ocean safety side to fund their equipment needs and other expenditures, it's basically coming out of the fire budget. ✓ They're continuing to work on their CDGB-MIT grant, which is for about 1.8 million. They're in the process of getting an incident command vehicle specked out, a brush truck, and a trailer. ✓ They've been working on another grant, HIEMA HMGP funding, for hardening generators and a portable station. The portable station was denied, and the generators and station hardening (roof repairs) are still preceding. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 30, 2022 Page 4 Chair Kosaki stated in regards to the Kua Bay funding, they initially requested closer to $500,000, it was higher at that time because the initial funding included a lot of equipment needed. He asked, as an ongoing amount, if the amount is still the same or if the cost to operate the lifeguards there was lower than that. Chief Todd stated one of the issues is they're only allowed to expend on personnel costs right now. The excess money is not allowed by the state to be spent on anything but salaries. Chair Kosaki asked if they are having problems filling positions for ocean safety. Chief Todd stated that they only have a couple of vacancies. Human Resources: ✓ Fire/EMS Specialist III Stacy Domingo was promoted to Fire Captain (Emergency Communications). Fire Prevention Inspector II Royd Henderson was promoted to Fire Captain (Fire Prevention Bureau). ✓ Internal recruitments within the county include a Storekeeper (will be external), three Account Clerks, and a Clerk III. Open competitive recruitment for Fire Communication Officers. They filled the remaining three Water Safety Officer I positions. ✓ The Fire Fighter Recruit PAE is continuing and they are scheduled for July 23, 2022, at the Hilo High School track and pool. ✓ They are currently working with HR on the creation of new classifications for paramedics. This is part of Chief Honda's initiative to deal with the paramedic shortage. Chair Kosaki asked if the union was consulted regarding the new classifications. Chief Todd stated that they are still working on details, once they have a plan and it's finalized, they will be consulting with the union. Gerald Kosaki stated that in his opinion, he thinks it's a good idea to reach out to the union and get input before everything is finalized to avoid potential issues in the future. • Calls for Service: Chief Todd stated that total calls are pretty much on track this year to be just a couple percent higher than in previous years. They're seeing a return to the normal medical call volume. Updates: ✓ They have the new SCBA compressor in West Hawaii, all training has been completed and the unit has been placed in service. ✓ LEPC meeting was held on May 12, 2022. Approval granted for 6 Hazmat personnel to attend Chemical Safety Days workshops on Oahu. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 30, 2022 Page 5 Other Events: They arranged for Hydrogen Training at NELHA and Blue Planet Research Pu'u Wa'a Wa'a Ranch) on May 16, 2022, in preparation for Hydrogen Fuel Cell busses. Training and Education: ✓ The 50th fire recruit class has completed EMT training. They are currently back with the Training Branch. ✓ The 518t recruit class will be graduating in two weeks. It won't be open to the public because of restrictions at the site they are using. Those attending would include speakers and family members. ✓ Their fall 2021 MICT students are in their 3rd rotation of internship. They have seven personnel currently in the registration process for the upcoming Fall MICT class that will begin in August 2022. Operations: May 15-21 was EMS Week. This year's theme was "Rising to the Challenge." EMS Week duffel bag appreciation gifts from Queens Medical Center were distributed to all personnel. Training Branch: Over the last couple of months, they've had some joint training. Pohakuloa Fire and Emergency Services certified both 50th and 51st recruit classes in accordance with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) S130, S190, and L180 Basic Wildland Firefighter course. HFD also took advantage of it with their volunteer forces, as they're trying to build up the volunteers, and were able to get some training in. Fire Prevention Branch: For the month of May, the Fire Prevention Branch investigated six structure fires. The most concerning was another fire at Uncle Billy's Hotel that required an investigation. They are trying to work with the state who managed the parcel to deal with taking some mitigating efforts to block off and stop squatters from entering and starting fires. Other Highlights: AC2 and FASO both attended the Station Design Conference in Chicago. Chief Todd reported that it was a very informative conference, focused on the design of future fire stations. The land for the Central Fire Station has been approved by the State Land Board. They have four acres of land that have been set aside on Mohouli Street for the relocation of the Central Fire Station. Chief Todd stated that the new dispatch center is continuing at a pace, if you pass by on Mohouli Street, you'll be able to see the walls going up. Chair Kosaki asked how the Project Lifesaver Program is going. Chief Todd stated that sometimes it's popular and sometimes it's waning. Chair Kosaki said that he sees it's now under EMS, it used to be under rescue, and stated that he used to oversee the project and it was a good thing. Chief Todd stated that as long as the Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 30, 2022 Page 6 batteries are changed out, it's pretty quick to be able to use the equipment and find them if they wander off. Chair Kosaki explained what Project Lifesaver is, and stated that It's a tracking device for people that may get lost, like the elderly or people with dementia. They wear a tracking device in the event that they wander off. From the helicopter, they have a 5-mile radius they can pinpoint where the person is, and on the ground, they would have a one -mile to two-mile radius. He stated that it takes a lot of maintenance, you need to replace the batteries and make sure the equipment is functioning. He was wondering if there were any new developments over the years. Chief Todd stated that community paramedicine and FMS Ills have basically taken over the management of the program. The battery changes and maintenance are done by paramedic captains and they have been doing an amazing job. UNFINISHED BUSINESS • Discussion regarding scheduling Fire Commission meetings at Council Chambers: Chair Kosaki stated that if the commission wants to continue having it at Council Chambers, there are pros and cons to it. The Commission will be restricted to certain days that the chambers are available, but the meetings could be streamed and the commission would be able to have video conferencing. Ms. Correa asked if there will be closed captioning and if we will be ADA compliant. Chief Todd stated that he's recording the meeting, we aren't live because he doesn't have the bandwidth, and is running off the Wi-Fi. Once the video is uploaded to YouTube, it'll come with automatic subtitling and the entire transcript could be downloaded. Chair Kosaki asked about the available dates in Council Chambers for the remainder of the year. Ms. Correa stated July 21 in Hilo, August 25 in Kona, September 22 in Hilo, October 27 in Kona, November 17 in Hilo, and December 22 in Kona. Commissioner Henkel stated that he's under the impression at any of these meetings we will be able to live stream if we choose to. Chief Todd stated he doesn't know about live streaming, but we'll be recording and if you need to zoom into the meeting, you should be able to do so. Chief Todd stated that we could test it out at the next meeting. Chair Kosaki stated for clarification, that all meetings identified will be at Council Chambers, either in Hilo or West Hawaii. If something comes up, we could change the venue, but for planning purposes, they will be held in chambers on those dates. Ms. Correa will cancel all other previously booked venues at the conference rooms. Recess was called at 10:04 a.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:21 a.m. EXECUTIVE SESSION (CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC) Commissioner Wolf motioned to meet in executive session to work on the evaluation of the Fire Chief and may consult with the commission's attorney on questions and issues Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes June 30, 2022 Page 7 pertaining to the commission's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and liabilities pursuant to HRS Sections 92-5, (a) (2) (4) (6) and the Hawaii County Charter 13-20 (b). Commissioner Henkel seconded, no discussion, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 10:24 a.m. Motion to reconvene open session made by Commissioner Luke, seconded by Commissioner Henkel, and it carried unanimously, regular session reconvened at 11:31 a.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS The next meeting is scheduled for July 21, 2022, at 9:00 a.m., in the County Building, Council Chambers, Suite 1401, 25 Aupuni St., Hilo, HI. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn made by Commissioner Henkel, seconded by Commissioner Wolf, it carried unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 11:32 a.m. SUBMITTED BY: CHARISSE CORREA, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: GERALD KOSAKI, CHAIR