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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-05-25 Fire Commission Minutes HAWAII FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES MAY 25, 2023 HAWAII COUNTY BUILDING, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 25 AUPUNI ST., SUITE 1401, HILO, HI CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Kosaki called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Present: Gerald Kosaki, Chair Carlene Wolf, Vice Chair Gregory Henkel, Commissioner Shon Magsalin, Commissioner Wesley Mattos, Commissioner Gene Nakashima, Commissioner A quorum was present. Absent: Corey Luke, Commissioner Also present: Kazuo Todd, Fire Chief John Bertsch, Volunteer Assistant Chief Suzanna Tiapula, Deputy Corporation Counsel Charisse Correa, Secretary PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS (None) APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Commissioner Henkel motioned to approve the regular session minutes of April 27, 2023. Vice Chair Wolf seconded, no discussion, it carried unanimously, and the minutes were approved. • Commissioner Henkel motioned to approve the executive session minutes of April 27, 2023. Commissioner Nakashima seconded, no discussion, it carried unanimously, and the minutes were approved. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT Chief Todd highlighted items from the Fire Chief's Report. A detailed report is on file. • Highlights: Tools worth approximately $44,000 was donated. Hawaiian Paradise Park Fire Company (Station 18) received a battery-operated spreader, cutter, and set of rams to assist in the stabilization and extrication efforts in motor vehicle accidents. Volunteer Fire Station 9B at Anekona Estates held an open house. National Public Safety Telecommunications Week was held from April 9-15. Chief Todd explained the current crisis in dispatch with manpower, they have been in communication with HGEA for over six months on how they can move forward. Last week they signed an agreement with HGEA and raised the hourly rate for the dispatchers. They also reached out to HFFA regarding bringing in uniformed Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 2 personnel. On April 14t" the administration staff participated in DiSC training, which is a personality assessment tool. • Budget: Chief Todd referred to the Fire Chief's Report. Salaries show 104%, and he explained part of that is due to the salary raises. They are exactly where they're supposed to be, funding was transferred over and everything will end up even. • Alternative Funding & Grants: HFD applied for another Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant. They put in for another 12 firefighter positions through SAFER and got approval on that. The next USDA Forest Service Grant was submitted for $250,000, matched by next year's fiscal budget, which ends up being half a million, which they'll put towards volunteers and the purchase of three more brush trucks. Regarding the SAFER Grant, Chair Kosaki wanted to know where the positions will be allocated. Chief Todd explained it's for firefighter positions, he doesn't have the numbers in front of him, but explained there are two stations that run with three people on the engine. Chair Kosaki stated he read it was for six captain positions. Chief Todd explained that was for the current SAFER Grant which was already approved, it's been existing for a year and a half. They applied for a new SAFER Grant for another 12 firefighter positions. Chair Kosaki asked how long the SAFER Grant pays, Chief Todd replied three years. Chair Kosaki asked if they have a shortage of budget after the three-year period, what would be the plan, and would certain positions be unfunded? Chief Todd stated no and explained that the older SAFER systems were designed where you couldn't un-fund positions. Technically with the new SAFER Grant, he could fire everyone at the end of three years. The premise by which he got approval was that they would basically add those people into staffing after that three-year period. The goal would be to add 12 firefighter positions if approved. The next recruit class would start in February or August of next year. There are also grants for AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant). The AFG Grant they applied for was for training, to deploy a system similar to Blue Card. • Personnel Report: They're working on the Fire Captain and Fire Equipment Operator assessments. They aren't sure if there will be any openings for Fire Rescue Specialists, so it's been delayed until when it looks like it may be necessary. Fire Training Specialist was completed, and three candidates are moving forward, they will be working in the training area, to conduct training on a permanent basis, as opposed to paying personnel overtime to work there temporarily. They're currently working on the Fire Safety Specialist, skillsets need to be reviewed before they can submit the request to fill. Recruitment opened for Fire/EMS Recruit, they'll be conducting interviews, with the goal start date in August, along with the same recruit class. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 3 Regarding the three additional positions for the Fire Training Specialist, Chair Kosaki asked, what would they be doing during the off-time when there aren't any recruit classes. Chief Todd explained that there won't be any off-time. If there aren't any recruits, there's an entire department that needs training. There was a discussion regarding minimum staffing, overtime, and rank for rank, which is still implemented, it's under the bargaining unit (HFFA) and is required. Chief Todd reported that HFD is currently looking at replacing its current financial system and the Fire RMS system. • Personnel Report (cont.): Open recruitment is moving forward for Fire Fighter Recruits, Fire Communications Officer I, Accountant III, Clerk III (admin), and Human Resources Assistant was hired on May 1, 2023, and two people were hired for Water Safety Officer I (permanent hire). Chief Todd noted that HFD will be staffing Kohanaiki effective next year. Chair Kosaki confirmed Kohanaiki would be a County budget, and Chief Todd replied yes. The Tower 5 lifeguards will staff it, and that lieutenant will manage it, along with another three lieutenants. That plus the battalion chief equivalent position and a clerk will be added to Ocean Safety next year. • Total Calls for Service: Total calls for the calendar year is 10,397. The majority of their calls for service are for medical. The estimated number of calls for service at the end of the calendar year is 31,171. • Turn Out Times: Response times are still not where they want them to be. They're working on getting the data out to stations and trying to figure out how to make improvements. • Fire Impacts: Chief Todd referred to the Chief's Report and stated there weren't many acres burned in April. Initial data shows they will be entering a busy fire season. Data shows we're going into an El Nino year and ocean temperatures are hot. Some of the data he looked at shows that we're potentially up there with the sixth hottest years we've had for El Nino in terms of ocean temperatures, two of those six years were the years that hurricanes hit Kauai. They're expecting an active season, with either extensive rains or extensive drought, with the possibility of a lot of fire behavior. • Emergency Operations: ➢ Battalion 1 (East Hawaii): Lost hiker was found. Structure fire on Kapehu Street and a brush fire on Muliwai trail in the back of Waipio Valley. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 4 ➢ Battalion 2 (West Hawaii): There was a propane leak at Kawaihae Harbor. 6,000-gallon propane tank vented for 15 minutes, it did not ignite, it vented the whole tank. • Special Operations: ➢ HazMat: Working on replacing Supplied Air system. They don't have a Special OPS BC, it was requested in their supplemental budget but hasn't been approved yet. He just sent out a memo tasking the station commanders to set up meetings on a regular basis to discuss any orders that need to happen and what's going on. There was a discussion between Chair Kosaki and the Chief about the Rescue Training schedule and Swiftwater Certification. Chief Todd noted they are walking into a great fiscal year next year, the budget is up to 70 million, which is almost 40% higher than what it used to be. ➢ Ocean Safety: They're still moving forward with the WSO V and Clerk III positions which will go out for hiring. The junior lifeguard program is now funded, moving forward, HFD will receive $30,000 a year to run the junior lifeguard program. ➢ Rescue: They are in the process of putting in for Ports Security to get a new boat. The Force that was Rescue Boat 7 will now be based out of Hilo as a backup for Rescue Boat 2. The Radon is still being repaired, it just went in for engine work this week. When that goes out, it will be their primary boat. In the meantime, they're trying to purchase a Hoku to replace it. Chief Todd explained there are two ways to acquire this boat; through Port Security or the Sayre Foundation. As of right now, the Sayre Foundation raised $170,000 and Port Security would pay for 75%. The boat is expected to cost approximately $342,000 with the trailer and everything else. Chair Kosaki wanted to know if there was a timeline for Rescue Boat 7. Chief Todd stated it just went into the shop for repairs, the timeline is unknown, but he's hoping within the next month, it's been out of commission for two years now. His goal is to have at least two boats on either side of the island. Chair Kosaki asked if the Whaler at Rescue 2 was sold, and Chief Todd stated it yes, it was sold. Commissioner Mattos asked if the Radon was at a regular boat shop. Chief Todd stated it was at the boat house. He further stated that the mechanic position for their warehouse will be opening and, in the future, they could possibly do more work on their own. Currently, the mechanics are so backed up, it becomes hard for them to do specialty work. Chair Kosaki asked if the mechanics are still taking care of the jet skis, and Chief Todd stated yes. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 5 • Emergency Medical Services: MICT students have moved into their third rotation. EMR and CPR recertifications are continuing. Capt. Lam attended the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Atlanta, GA. The EMS Branch assisted with the CPR instructor recertification for the Hawaii Police Department. They're still doing hands-only CPR training with various high schools. • Training Services: Assisted in coordinating a station visit for Hawaiian immersion Daycare, Na Liko Poli Makua. Fire Captain Grant Baclig, conducted the entire presentation in Hawaiian because he went to immersion school himself. Attended a retirement ceremony for Dennis Nagao, ARFF Chief. • Volunteer Training Section: Volunteer Assistant Chief John Bertsch reported they just had their quarterly meeting on the 20th in Discovery Harbor. They're now doing oaths of office, recognizing years of service and retirement within the volunteer program. He noted that adding formality helps to motivate a lot of the new recruits, they are now 18% up and are continuing to grow. Chair Kosaki wanted to know the total number of volunteers. AC Bertsch stated about 165. Similar to the career side, it's a moving number, as soon as they get new people, there are others going out. AC John Bertsch reported they are 90% complete with their vehicle audit of volunteer fleets, which will be helpful to the chief and chief mechanic. They are currently updating their SOGs, making them more applicable. Chief Moller has done a fantastic job on that, it's currently with Corporation Counsel for review. Historically, the volunteer program has been primarily operations, they've realized that the department could utilize the expertise of other volunteers, where they could use them to provide additional training and education. He explained the executive officer program where individuals who may have retired from another fire department or HFD could be rolled into a program through the chief's office and utilized to help train personnel. They're also starting an auxiliary division that would provide support to the BC, get logistics, and provide support services. Chair Kosaki stated that would entail training them in ICS also, maybe they could manage the logistics or a portion of it. AC Bertsch agreed and explained through a grant, they're putting everyone through target solutions vector works. Commissioner Magsalin asked if Fire Commissioners can volunteer. Chief Todd stated his understanding is that there was a volunteer who applied to be a fire commissioner, but it was denied because he can't be the chief's subordinate and his boss at the same time, there could be a conflict of interest. He further stated if you were to volunteer as part of their group, it would be as a fire commissioner volunteering as a fire commissioner. It wouldn't stop you from helping, but you wouldn't be under his command structure, and they wouldn't have you doing firefighter roles. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 6 AC Bertsch advised if people in the community reach out to the commission, asking how they can help, direct them to the volunteer program. They're working hard to build their numbers and provide a pathway to the career side. Through the volunteer program, they could expedite people to get them hands-on training and introduce them to firefighting. Chair Kosaki asked AC Bertsch if he sees an increase in younger people interested in volunteering, hoping they can gain experience, and take the fire test. When they go in for the interview, that's a big plus. AC Bertsch stated yes, and explained that on the west side of the island (where he has more knowledge), many people who started in the program are now exemplary firefighters on the career side. Their goal is to help anyone in any way that they can to achieve their career goals. Recess was called at 10:17 a.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:28 a.m. • Fire Prevention: The Fire Prevention Branch investigated two structure fires in April. One public education presentation was conducted, and they've also posted public education information on their Instagram page regarding wildfire and home preparedness. On June 8th they'll be launching a big public education event. They participated (standby) in the Merrie Monarch Festival. Approximately 270 inspections/testing were completed for the month of April and 63 plans were reviewed. • Fire Communications Dispatch Center: Chief Todd reported they have a total of seven people in training, seven existing positions, and two vacancies. Out of those seven existing positions, one is out on long-term medical, one submitted their intent to leave service, this leaves them with five people actively working right now. This doesn't allow them to maintain their own dispatch center which is why they had to combine with police. • Information Technology: They're continuing with getting all the MDTs installed. They've been running into some issues, but it's been moving along. Their current eCommerce vendor is ending service and they're moving to another vendor for the warehouse's stocking and tracking. • Other Department Activities: Chief Todd reported that this week is EMS week. A Coin of Life presentation will be tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m., at Station 5 to recognize a police officer who assisted with CPR and helped save a patient. He's been meeting with the new Police Chief, Benjamin Moszkowicz on a regular basis. Chief Todd expressed that his long-term goal is to bridge the gaps and tie them in with police as much as possible with joint training etc. They are looking to build a new Fire Station in Keaau. His goal is to have a combined training center with police and fire. This could be at the location in Keaau or on Railroad, behind the transfer station area. They're still trying to move personnel out of Central Fire Station to start work on the building. It's currently being reviewed by their attorney, DPW, the Mayor, Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 7 etc. They're aiming for summertime, but it might take longer than that. There was a brush fire in Paauilo, and the public information that went out for that event did not meet the public's desire. He explained there's a disconnect between Civil Defense and HFD. He feels more information needs to be put out for the public, but CD doesn't agree. They will be having another public meeting regarding this. He asked for a Public Information Officer position within the Fire Department or within Civil Defense, considering they have all the tools necessary to put out information to the public. Chair Kosaki stated that HFD puts out information on social media occasionally, and he wanted to know the process of that. Chief Todd explained that he usually tells someone to put something out on social media. Chair Kosaki wanted to know the cause of the Hilo mechanical fire. Chief Todd explained that it's currently unknown, he's still waiting for the final report. Other Department Activities (cont.): Chief Todd met with Barbara Geringer, who is with the National Fire Service. There's opportunity there and he's hoping to obtain vehicles and/or funding. They received approval from HFFA to replace their rules and regulations manual. This will be available online, as well as target solutions. When he talks about the fire chief position, there are three areas that he primarily focuses on. One is the politics of it; meeting with the Mayor, finance directors, other directors, and the public and being the face of the department. One-third of the management of the department is the money side of things. Every solution/fix requires money. The last area is project management and this is one area he isn't currently happy with. He's looking to update their process and system to better track everything electronically. Chair Kosaki wanted to know how the USLA stats are submitted annually. Chief Todd stated he was unaware of that and will look into it. Budget: The first reading of the budget went in front of the County Council and has been approved. If nothing happens between now and June when the second reading goes through, these are some of the things they'll be looking at to get done in the upcoming year: Funding to replace uniforms, funding to replace both the tow vehicles for the boats, prevention also got funded to replace some of their vehicles, they received an additional $90,000 to replace 130 beds, funding for jaws of life, money for air lifting bags, funding to make up the difference for the SCBA compressor, $220,000 received to replace exercise equipment, funding was also received to replace the volunteer fire captains' vehicles, RMS software for Ocean Safety will now be funded with their budget instead of the Sayre Foundation, supplemental request for Ocean Safety equipment has been approved; the county is now funding $30,000 a year independent of the junior lifeguard program. The junior lifeguard program received $29,000 to be funded. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 8 Chair Kosaki asked if the junior lifeguard budget would allow them to participate in travel for the State competition. Chief Todd stated he would assume so, he will find out this year. Regarding the uniform change, Chair Kosaki asked if 100% would be paid for. Chief Todd explained the moment he makes it mandatory, the union would come back and say that if it's mandatory, you must pay 100% for replacement. Chair Kosaki stated whenever there's a uniform change, you're supposed to pay 100% anyway. Chief Todd stated not necessarily and explained that he changed the uniform, but he made it so it's optional; there's a new one, but you could still have the old one. He doesn't have to pay 100% because it's not mandatory. It will be mandatory effective July 1 st and anyone who purchased prior will be paid back the 25% difference. Chair Kosaki asked about the volunteer uniforms. Chief Todd explained it will basically be the same; the brush jacket, undershirt, and brush pants. They just don't issue the uniform shirts to anyone but the captains. The safety level of their gear needs to be exactly the same as paid personnel. Chair Kosaki stated it shouldn't look the same, Chief Todd explained that their undershirts say "volunteer." Chair Kosaki stated at the last meeting, it was reported that the volunteers will be trained to use SCBAs. Chief Todd explained that they're exposed to contaminants, and need to be provided with the proper equipment and training. Regarding rescue and hazmat and the new delegation of authority, Chair Kosaki asked what he expects to come out of their meetings. Chief Todd explained that he wants them to have meetings to discuss needs, issues, etc. He wants to make sure they are properly supported, but he needs a better understanding. These meetings are more about fidelity; to understand in depth on a fiscal and on a cycle basis. Recess was called at 11:14 a.m., the meeting reconvened at 11:21 a.m. EXECUTIVE SESSION (CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC) Commissioner Henkel motioned to meet in executive session to consider complaints against employees of the fire department, where matters affecting privacy will be involved, to work on the chief's evaluation, and for the purpose of consulting with the commission's attorney on questions and issues 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). Vice Chair Wolf seconded, with no discussion, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 11:21 a.m. Motion to reconvene open session was made by Commissioner Henkel, and seconded by Vice Chair Wolf, no discussion, and it carried unanimously, open session reconvened at 12:43 p.m. Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 25, 2023 Page 9 ACTION ON EXECUTIVE SESSION MATTERS • HCFC 23-01: Complaint in the non-acceptance category. Commissioner Henkel motioned to accept the Chair's decision to decline the investigation. The complaint was not filed within the 90-day period of the incident and the complainant does not allege an element of misconduct. Commissioner Mattos seconded, with no discussion, and it carried unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Kosaki announced the commission's next monthly meeting is scheduled for June 22, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., at the West Hawaii Civic Center, Building A, Council Chambers, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona, HI. Commissioner Magsalin asked if there was a deadline for them to submit their chief's evaluation. Chair Kosaki advised the commission to submit it to Ms. Correa by next week Thursday, June 1st. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:46 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: CHARISSE CORREA, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: GERALD KOSAKI, CHAIR