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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-02-12 Fire Commission Minutes HAWAII COUNTY FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION - MINUTES February 12, 2003 Liquor Control Conference Room Hilo Lagoon Centre Hilo, HI CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Neil Brazier at 10:00 am. ROLL CALL: PRESENT:ALSO PRESENT: Stephen BowlesLincoln Ashida, Corporation Counsel Neil BrazierLanae Carter Dale FergerstromVelma Grant Rudolph HartDixie Kaetsu, Managing Director Louis KaoiwiLaurie Kaneta Karen MaedoMayor Harry Kim Laura WardDarryl Oliveira, Fire Chief Terry WallaceMartha Rodillas A quorum was present. EXCUSED: Natalie Flattes STATEMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS None. APPROVAL OF MEETING PROCEEDINGS Commissioner Bowles moved to accept the January 8, 2003, regular session minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Maedo and unanimously ca APPROVAL OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS Commissioner Kaoiwi moved to accept communication numbers 03-01 through 03-05. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Maedo and unanimously ca 1 CHIEFÓS REPORT Chief Oliveira apologized to the Commission regarding seeking input of the Sun Sun Lau site as a potential site for the offices of the Fire Administration. In the future, all CIP projects will be included in ChiefÓs report. The Sun Sun Lau lo evacuation zone and may not be the best location due to wave hei site next to the police station or DHHL property offered for training off of Railroad Avenue may be some possible sites. Concerns evolve around the s children on sidewalks, etc. Will continue to seek sites for Fire Administration offices. The ChiefÓs report will continue after the MayorÓs presentation. MAYORÓS PRESENTATION Mayor Harry Kim stated that the Fire Commission is very impressive. The Fire Administration has moved to 4 different locations since the 1960Ós. The initial plan was to have a Ðpublic safety buildingÑ which would house agencies of police, fire, civil defense and liquor. HPD ended up being the only focus. Civil Defense was to have been in a separate building. Having Central Fire Station evacuate during hurricanes and tsunami and dispatch is not practical and feasible. Sun Sun Public Works engineers looked at the site and we spoke with the Finance Director and the owner of Sun Sun Lau. Both were positive; facility structure was good; 4+ acres was ideal. It would cost $1million to design the facility and the sale price of the property is $1.5 million. The renovation of the facility would have included administration, training and dispatch. HFD said its feasible; good size, location. Good purchase for HFD for $2.5 million. There would have been room for expansion, however we failed on money for the bond. HFD would have had a permanent home with a good location. We have a good mobile command post. The emergency site is a complete communication system. With HFDÓs location now, because itÓs short-term, itÓs difficult to operate. HFD needs a central location that includes a dispatch office. Sun Sun Lau is a dun deal and will not be re-evaluated. We advised Mr. Low to seek his sale i There was an amendment to bring in the Kona Civic Center. Commissioner Bowles mentioned that the HFC were left out of the discussions and could have helped out if they knew about it. When Chief Oliveira was hired, he presented a Strategic Plan which the HFC have supported. HFD has been under equipped and under staffed. Chief OliveiraÓs request in supplemental budget is supported by the HFC. Chief Oliveira has done a masterful job which is a performance based plan. The HFC wants the Mayor to hear from them directly re the supplemental budget. The HFC feels that the revenue base is going in the right direction and we should be able to move forward with this plan. Mayor Kim apologized regarding the timing and lack of communication re the acquisition of the Sun Sun Lau facility. This mistake will not happen again. Mayor Kim spoke with Governor Linda Lingle. The Firefighters Union is under arbitration now for salaries and 2 wages. Negotiations for all bargaining unionÓs position is 0% ( Balancing the budget for the State is what weÓre going thru now. Last year there was a $10 million budget short. Our budget was cut three times. Real Property Taxes were raised and golf fees were increased. Services provided by the H did not grow. Because of the sacrifices made in the past 2 years and because of the Real Property Tax increase, the assessment of property value, this yearÓs budget (starting July 1) there has been no meetings called to cut the budget. A Ðsupplementary budgetÑ does not know what the revenues will be like. There are two basic budgets that will be submitted -- one is regular with no growing budget and the other is a supplemental budget -- in case there is extra revenue. A supplemental budget has been revised and reevaluated. Dixie Kaetsu and Bill Takaba have saved money. Project revenues are not sure because of the assessment that is not finalized. Mayor Kim stated that all bets are off if there is a war. If there is a war, we will immediately call a work meeting including revenue shortfall. Revenue projection is $2.8 million above whole. This does not include collective bargaining for the firefighters, police, HGEA and UPW unions. There goes the $2.8 million Î not much left over. Hopes there is no war; revenue projection if there is a bit more. Fire Department is shortchanged about 20 personnel and on review for OSHA violation responses. Does not know if there is an increase for the personnel of HFD. Other demands, include fire, police, park maintenance, etc. We need to look at other revenues; started with minimum tax rate change. Revenue increase would not be much. 20 personnel equal over $1 million. Public safety is hig Commissioner Wallace stated that the HFC is a special interest group and people in his district feel that emergency services are important. What are people willing to pay for? How much emergency services do they really want? Mayor Kim stated that there is no interference between him and the HFCÓs duties. Public support is needed. Oregon is in a tremendous financial problem. Their school year will be cut by 5 weeks. The public voted against it. Ther spending money; anyone can come and see no waste. Increase in r user fees, show where that money is going. If you do those two things, you have a good chance in working with the community. We need more fire and police protection from the community. Because of insurance purposes, fire protection is important. Some areas have no water, etc. It is our responsibility to see how we can get water to the residents. You will establish the basic needs of each department. Basic level of service package needs to be presented to the public. Your focus should be what you feel is needed and required of the HFC to the HFD. The money problem is the MayorÓs problem not the HFC. Commissioner Fergerstrom stated that the strategic plan outlines the minimum level of service needed. Mayor Kim stated that we will shoot for the minimum standards. You can see it by looking at population data, budget and pay scale. ItÓs up to the community to tell us 3 what they think of this plan because they need to pay for it. This is what the public needs and wants. Commissioner asked Mayor Kim about the Fire ChiefÓs salary. Mayor Kim stated that the Police Commission made a strong statement regarding the salary of the police chief and fire chief. Chief Oliveira has stated that he was satisfied with his salary. Mayor Kim asked the HFC to look at the salary recommendation to the Mayor. Commissioner Maedo stated that the HFC members did an outstanding presentation and will develop more points to support it. Mayor Kim stated that he has an opportunity to make the HFD a professional group. The HFD was closely aligned with politics. Our level of responsibility of trust and professionalism is a priority. The Mayor stated that he will never interfere in a promotion or hiring issue. It will be done legally and double checked by the Department of Civil Service. Commissioner stated that the salary will be for the ÐpositionÑ of Fire Chief. Commissioner Ward stated that the Salary Commission did not feel that the Fire Chief was as important as the Police Chief. When a disaster happens, the fire chief and police chief are equally important. Mayor Kim totally disagrees. The Hawai`i County Fire Department is different from all other departments across America. Do you think the fire department is of lesser value than the police department? DonÓt compare the responsibilities of any other department because it is not the same. Commissioner Fergerstrom stated that some people see the firefighterÓs as playing basketball. Police officerÓs put their lives on the line; goes on the street; gets spit at and punched; not the police chief. HFDÓs reorganization and being brought up to a standard that we deserve will change in itself. Mayor Kim stated that he comes from a time where the HFD was laughed at -- they did lift weights and played basketball. The average public is realizing that itÓs more than that. Minimum EMT level of capability. Mayor Kim has full confidence that we will get there; and ensured the HFC that he will not interfere politically. Commissioner Kaoiwi stated that he was privileged to sit through every promotion taken with the HFD. The process has come along way. He is proud to be associated with the HFD. Mayor Kim thanked the HFC and re-stated that he will not play politics. 4 Chair Brazier called for a recess of 10 minutes until 11:15 am. CONSIDERATION & DELIBERATION OF COMPLAINT: HFC 03-01 Complainant Velma Grant did a presentation regarding the incident that happened to her on January 24, 2003. Ms. Granted stated that she is present for the purpose of trying to get something resolved with firefighter Hiram Simeona aka ÐDUNAÑ. She regrets that he was not present today. On January 24, 2003, at 9:00 am, 911 was dispatched to her residence. Three paramedics came to the home. Ms. GrantÓs daughter made the call to 911. Ms. GrantÓs heart was rapidly out of control, beating. The paramedics came in and there was one paramedic that came around the side of her bed taking her vital signs, etc. During this time Ms. Grant noticed his name on his shirt that stated ÐWellsÑ. He wanted to administer nitro under her tongue. Ms. Grant was afraid and hesitated. He said, ÐDonÓt be afraid, itÓll be ok; it wonÓt hurt you.Ñ Ms. Grant felt that she could trust him. She heard a voice at the foot of her bed saying, ÐHurry up, hurry up, we donÓt have all day.Ñ Wells said, ÐTrust me, itÓs going to be ok.Ñ Ms. Grant trusted him. He administered oxygen and she felt better. They took her out to the ambulance and she was praying. They lifted her up into the ambulance. There was a paramedic at the rear doors, and he was saying, ÐYeah, yeah, yeahÑ in that kind of tone and rudeness. Ms. Grant looked at his shirt and it said ÐSimeona.Ñ She repeated the name and he said, ÐYeah, IÓm Simeona.Ñ Ms. Grant stated that she could feel her heart beating. He was saying things that were very disturbing and Ms. Grant asked him to go away. Wells then asked him to go away. Ms. Grant then saw Simeona go towards the front of the ambulance and her daughter was trying to get someoneÓs attention to see if she could ride in the ambulance. Simeona was trying to buckle Ms. GrantÓs daughter (Ms. Carter) seatbelt and she said, ÐNo, she could do it herself.Ñ Ms. GrantÓs grandson asked Simeona if his grandma is going to be ok, and he said, ÐI donÓt knowÈ donÓt ask me, IÓm not a doctor.Ñ Ms. GrantÓs grandson was dumbfounded and visibly shaken. Ms. Grant stated that sheÓs had experiences in the past with paramedics and never have had to deal with this kind of a problem/attitude/conduct. attentive and helpful and coming back to the Emergency Room to c everything is going good. Ms. Grant stated that she didnÓt know what was wrong with Simeona and his conduct is unbefitting of the officer. Ms. Grant stated that the complaint classifications that ÐDunaÑ brought the department into is disrepute and performance of duty. His behavior is rude and crude. Simeona has violated the rules of the Department and he should be reprimanded and consistently monitored. A written letter of apology is in order. Ms. Grant asked how many times has this happened in the past by this man or will hap involving him without someone coming forth and reporting it. Ms. Grant does not want the actions of one individual to spoil the whole bunch. ItÓs not everybody, itÓs just a bad incident that shouldnÓtÓ put a mark on the rest. Ms. Grant has had good incidents with the HFD. Ms. Grant asked the HFC to search their hearts and use the wisdom and knowledge to make the right decision. 5 Commissioner Brazier stated that this is isolated and that he understands that Ms. Grant does not want to get anybody in trouble. Ms. Grant was assured that the HFC will get together with Chief Oliveira and make some resolution of thi Ms. Grant stated that she would like to know the outcome and what happened because of this for her own self satisfaction. Commissioner Brazier stated that he will not be able to say was will be kept informed of the outcome of todayÓs meeting. Commissioner Fergerstrom stated that the HFC has received Ms. GrantÓs complaint and will ask the HFD to do an internal investigation. Any disciplinary action rests solely with the fire chief. The HFC can say that the complaint should be looked into or it should not be looked into. Corporation Counsel Ashida advised that the Fire Chief will investigate this independently of the HFC. The people need to express themselves. Only the Fire Chief can discipline this individual. Civil service rules and laws for employees may be protected. Ms. Grant will be notified by the HFC regarding what they will do. The HFC will make a recommendation to the Fire Chief today. Commissioner Fergerstrom stated that the role of the HFC is to oversee the HFD. The HFC looks for patterns and looks at how the HFD deals with compl wide basis. If the HFD does not respond, there are other avenues. Commissioner Bowles thanked Ms. Grant for coming forward. He stated that itÓs important for the HFC to hear this from the public. Guidance is offered to the Fire Chief and to make sure that the chief is doing the proper job. CHIEFÓS REPORT (continuation) Budget: specific items in supplemental budget with costs for items; prioritized list. Re-visited items. Passed out strategic plan Î wants to review it with the HFC. The Strategic Plan mirrors the supplemental budget and how the items are represented by the goals. Grants Î submitted the CDBG application - $170,000 request for design planning for a replacement station in Pahoa. Income specific areas Î Puna and Hamakua areas qualified for this grant. The Pahoa station that was constructed in 1969 needs improvement. County owns a 56-acre parcel behind the station. HFD received a $600 grant from Wal*Mart to be used for public education materials. Working with th the State Civil Defense in 4 year of funding. $591,000 to be shared with the departments of Police, Fire, Public Works and Civil Defense dealing with hazardous type materials. Large/remote incidents that has to go through dispatch; looking at getting portable unit to prevent this; easily transportable. Maintain communication 6 with home base and different agencies. Cost is $80,000 per unit Î one for HPD, Fire, Civil Defense. Having a backup for secondary communicatio CIP: Kalaua fire station Î asking to have project moved along faster - working with Planning Director Chris Yuen. Future projects Î replacement for Pahoa, Keaau, Paauilo- outdated, in less than ideal locations; unable to support the operations. Commissioner Bowles suggested that private people come in and make renovations to Sun Sun Lau then sell it to the department. Need to explore ways to get a building. Chief Oliveira stated that he has considered the concept with Brian Kajikawa and are looking at developing a contest with the developer for plans/sites; doing a turn-key project. Some facilities are out dated. Regarding Honokaa - waiting on land swap between State, County and KSBE. A parcel thatÓs only a few blocks away from the main station. Promotions & hiring: hired another mechanic; now have three mechanics on staff. Conducted interview selection and hiring. Next week candidates are going thru physical exam; starting on March 16. Panels were pleased with candidates that applied. Hiring 16 more personnel as of March 16. Delayed hire to start in summer. nd Offering the 2 group to start earlier, pending their drug screening, etc. There will be a pool of 16 candidates. Will be hiring two more fire dispa expedite internal recruitment positions. Civil service reform is taking place. Internal procedures are being worked on. Trying to do recruitment once a year for all positions. Operations division: provided with position descriptions for division chiefs. Working on two problems Î courier to West Hawaii and special duty/stand by duties. Problem solving team. Prevention bureau: two officers attending class to detect gas. Training division: preparing for recruit class. Mainland company conducted land and sea search rescue operations. Volunteer division: had blessing for Big Island Country Club station; running into problems for equipment for that station. There is no apparatus for this station. Waiting for community group contact; to give the personal protection. Fire Auxiliary Services Division: microwave system blessing upgrade Î Fire, Police, Civil Defense and Department of Public Works are involved. New projects: ÐProject KumiaiÑ is to establish community focus groups for natural disasters. A presentation by BC Neves for records management system; not put on line; never put into service. Department of Data System will be working with HFD. This will expedite process on collecting data. It is a very viable program; needs better management. 7 Legislative: sending personnel to testify for HOVE ambulance service. Public Relations: Members of HFD participated in the American Heart Walk and st they raised over $500 for the American Heart Association. There will be the 1 annual recognition dinner on March 16 - for promoted personnel, retirees, new hires. EMS week starts on June 1 - Coconut Island with a 5K run. Chief Oliveira stated that he returned from the Fire Academy - good class; sees a different perspective on the budget process. Commissioner Ward stated that the volunteer station in Kalaua is ready to have their blessing. HFD would rather their volunteers be recognized. Commissioner Ward met a fire investigator Î to investigate a fire (from the mainland). The investigator took no notes and made us look bad. The Fire Investigator from the mainland offered to do training for HFD. He does training with Honolulu Fire Department and has offered his services for HFD. InvestigatorÓs name is Tyson. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Golf Tournament at Hokulia - Sayre Foundation Î deferred Evaluation of Fire Chief Î has collected 7 evaluations; does not have NatalieÓs evaluation. COMMITTEE REPORTS Budget & Finance (Bowles/Hart) none Office Management and Staffing (Fergerstrom/Wallace) none Rules and Policies (Kaoiwi/Flattes) none Public Relations (Ward) none NEW BUSINESS Fire ChiefÓs Supplemental Budget Request 2003-2004 to Mayor (discussed earlier) Salary Commission Presentation re Fire ChiefÓs Salary: CommissionerÓs Ward and Fergerstrom did presentation before the Salary Commission. There were five members of the Salary Commission present and one member chose no there was no quorum. The Salary Commission is not educated about the duties of the firefighters Î ie MICT. The public does not know that the firefighters are paramedics. It is critical in getting the public to understand their duties. There will be new salary commission members starting in March. When the Police Commission approached the Salary Commission, they felt that they were pushed 8 into this decision. When HFC came in, they were at a disadvanta Commission would like a justification to increase in pay on perf is prepared because the ChiefÓs strategic plan is performance based. The HFC is willing to go with a 3-tiered process Î based on merit and with an evaluation plan. There needs to be a mechanism put in place for periodic raises. Commission encouraged the HFC to come back again. Commissioner suggested to go to the Salary Commission and to come up with a t Commissioners Ward & Fergerstrom will go before the Salary Commission next time and come up consistently with what will be successful. Perception will be changed; it will take time. Commissioner Bowles moved to adopt a 3-tiered position with the top tier being equal to the Police Chief with emphasis that the Fire ChiefÓs position is equal to the Police ChiefÓs position. This motion was seconded by Commissioner Wallace. Discussion: Commissioner Maedo stated not to use the $91K as the top tier, it can be used as the middle tier. The motion was amended to reflect Commissioner MaedoÓs input. The motion was re-stated by Commissioner Bowles: Give the Salary Commission a 3-tiered ndrd position in which the 2 tier is parity with the police chiefÓs current salary. The 3 tier should be 3 percent above and our basis is the inclusion of the Strategic Plan and performance based evaluation. This motion was seconded by Commissioner Wallace and unanimously carried. MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION It was moved by Commissioner Maedo that the Fire Commission go into executive session pursuant to Section 92-5(2), HawaiÒi Revised Statutes and Section 13-20(b), HawaiÒi County Charter. The motion was seconded by Commissioner unanimously carried. The regular session ended at 12:30 pm and went into executive session. ACTION ON EXECUTIVE SESSION MATTER Commissioner Maedo moved that HFC complaint 03-01 is sustained. seconded by Commissioner Kaoiwi and unanimously carried. PUBLIC STATEMENTS None. ANNOUNCEMENTS The next meeting is to be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. at the Paniolo Conference Room, Keauhou Shopping Center, Kailua-Kona. 9 Set agenda for March 12, 2003, meeting Î letter to Karen Maedo from COG for discussion. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 12:37 pm SUBMITTED BY: __________________________ MARTHA A. RODILLAS Secretary B&C:Fire Commission:Regular Session Minutes February 12, 2003 LS 10