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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-12-14 Fire Commission Minutes HAWAI‘I COUNTY FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES DECEMBER 14, 2011 WEST HAWAI‘I CIVIC CENTER CALL TO ORDER Chair Toby Taniguchi called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Toby Taniguchi, Chair Gregory Henkel, Commissioner Kimo Lee, Commissioner Byron Moku, Commissioner Luahiwa Namahoe, Commissioner Excused: Scott Stabo, Vice Chair Laurie Bass, Commissioner Kaloa Robinson, Commissioner Also Present: Gerald Kosaki, Acting Assistant Chief Lincoln S. T. Ashida, Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary Corporation Counsel Ashida introduced Ms. Josie Pelayo who will be serving as secretary for the Fire Commission. Ms. Pelayo is currently secretary to the Police Commission, and this month she has been with the commission for 18 years. APPROVAL OF ADDENDUM AND/OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA None; no action. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 9, 2011 Commissioner Namahoe moved to defer approval to the January 12, 2012, meeting in order for the commission to further review the minutes. Commissioner Moku seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS None; no action. CHIEF’S REPORT GERALD KOSAKI, Battalion Chief of Special Operations and Acting Fire Chief, in the absence of Fire Chief Darren Rosario, briefly summarized the ChiefÓs written report. Budget: The budget review meeting with County Finance is scheduled for January 13. The CIP budget is due January 5. They are requesting funds to replace or relocate the Kawailani station. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 14, 2011 Page 2 Alternative Funding and Grants: FY 2010 Assistance to Fire Fighters SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response): Received grant which will be used to produce a recruitment video. FY 2010 CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Tanker/Tender for Phala Fire Station: Tanker is completed and final payment will b December 16. Pahala personnel will be trained on this tanker truck. FY 2011 CDBG (Fire Apparatus for Phoa Fire Station): Request for bid went out, and they expect an award in mid-January. Capital Improvement Projects Makalei Fire Station: Roofing has started. They are 50% complete and expect completion by summer of 2012. Administration & Support Facility: Project is on hold until they can get alternative funding. Central Fire Station: They are looking at leasing from the State in the Lanikila Housing area. Kawailani Fire Station: Station needs to be relocated because of a widening of the Kawailani road area in 2014. Chief Rosario visi off of Ainaloa that is being offered by DLNR. KaÒ Public Safety Package: PunaluÒu Ocean Safety Tower: A temporary tower has been erected. Bids are with Finance. NÒlehu and Phala Volunteer Garages: It came in with missing parts. Public Works is handling this. PaÒauilo Volunteer Garage: Finance notified them that they cannot use private land. They are researching State land for lease. DPW ADA Compliance, HazMat Abatement: Construction representatives have started to map out construction details for the warehouse/dispatch/training room building. Pohoiki Radio Re-location: The tower was completed on December 5. It is located on Puna Geothermal land. Promotions and Hiring: Internal Recruitments: Assistant Fire Chief (Emergency Operations): Request to fill was approved. Assistant Fire Chief (Support Services): Request to fill was a Fire Equipment Operator: Written exam was held in November; 24 passed. Assessment will held in December. Fire Captain: Promotions scheduled for January 16, 2012. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 14, 2011 Page 3 Human Resources Technician: Jean Viernes will be promoted on December 16. Fire Equipment Mechanic: Open recruitment conducted December 4- 16. Emergency Operations Division : Operations: All six Battalion Chiefs are now in compliance of TA policies. Ocean view response time is the greatest due to distance for refueling. Five-gallon fuel containers will be stored at station 20 for topping off vehicles and reducing the number of trips to the base yard. They have two spare engines available, one at station 10 and the other at station 16. Rescue Boat 2-2 fuel tank is completed. They are repairing the electrical. Ethanol fuel has caused motor damage, and they are looking into using non-ethanol fuel. Tanker 11, Pahala, is scheduled for training on December 16. The Kona International Airport 2011 Triennual Emergency Response Exercise is scheduled for today. Company 7, Kailua, is participating A proposal for the use of an Emergency Response Guide for PGV was submitted. Special Operations: HazMat: Training completed in November with the Department of Health HEER. Liz Valdez of HEER supplied them with two sampling kits which sell for about $3,500 each. Training will be done at no cost to the department or the county. They learned how to put together their own kit with items from the drug store to save money. They are working on baseline medical screening for hazmat personnel, i.e., blood test for hazardous materials, before and after being on the Hazmat team. They are still looking for funding sources for the Multi Rae equipment with the wireless link. They are requesting assistance from the LEPC to assist with the purchase. A Clandestine Lab training sponsored by the State Public Safety Narcotics Division will be held in Honolulu on December 5-9. Special Operations Rescue: They are signing clients for the Project Lifesaver Program. It is a tracking device for persons with AlzheimerÓs or dementia. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 14, 2011 Page 4 They are identifying equipment to purchase with funds from the Sayre Foundation. An annual rescue training program to identify the core requirements of the program was completed. A MOA with the Coast Guard to be used for SAR missions has been reviewed and approved. Ten rescue personnel will be sent to the USAR training in Honolulu December 3-10. They will be learning things like structure collapse and rope techniques. Ocean Safety: The PunaluÓu tower has been erected, but still needs to be comp UV protection garments have arrived and will be distributed to safety personnel. The Sayre Foundation purchased equipment and dedication will be scheduled. Jr. Lifeguard grant purchases arrived and will be distributed to the respective districts. Masks and snorkels for the Water Safety Officers were purchased will be distributed within the next few weeks. The Chief attended a USLA (United States Live Saving Association) Board of Directors Conference and gained information regarding certification and other ongoing issues. Shark sighting protocol has been implemented. In the event of a shark sighting, a person would notify a lifeguard or call 911. New SOP and discipline procedures are now in consultation with HGEA. Support Services Division EMS Bureau: Storekeeper, Thomas Clark, was a recipient of the County Employee of the Year Award. They conducted a first in-house EMT refresher training. MICT applications have been submitted. The EMT class completed EMT basic internship in November. Training Bureau: Volunteer Training Section: 14 volunteer companies and 61 volunteers were trained in the East. 7 volunteer companies and 47 volunteers were trained in the West. Prevention Bureau: There was one investigation in MiloliÓi in which they used a canine. Auxiliary Services: Headsets were ordered for dispatch. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 14, 2011 Page 5 New Projects/Business They are currently working on new CDBG funding application for FY 2012. Application is being processed for a new 3,000 gallon Fire Appar Pahoa. Employee/Public Relations No updates. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner Moku moved to meet in executive session to consider the discipline of an employee where consideration of matters affecting privacy will be involved and a closed session is requested, and to consult with Corporation Counsel on questions and issues pertaining to the commissionÓs powers, duties, immunities, and liabilities pursuant to HRS 92-5 (a) (2) and (a) (4) and HawaiÒi County Charter Section 13-20(b). Commissioner Namahoe seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 11:13 a.m. Regular session reconvened at 11:33 a.m. NEW BUSINESS Formation of a Permitted Interaction Group to gather information recommendations to the full Commission concerning the salary of the Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief. Selection of permitted interaction group members. o Determination of scope of permitted interaction group. o No action was taken on this matter. ACTION ON EXECUTIVE SESSION MATTERS Consideration and Investigation of Complaint HCFC 11-02 from Michael Dubberstein dated August 10, 2011. Complainant alleged that Battalion Chief Jerry Lum used a raised tone and forceful verbiage towards him. The complainant later withdrew his complaint. However, the commission decided to continue on with the complaint process. Commissioner Namahoe moved to exonerate Battalion Chief Lum. Commissioner Henkel seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Discussion of ChiefÓs salary, including any recommendation to be made to the Hawaii County Salary Commission. Commissioner Henkel moved to c recommendation made by Chair Taniguchi in executive session. Commissioner Moku seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. COMMITTEE REPORTS Budget and Finance (Committee Chair Î Commissioner Taniguchi): No report. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 14, 2011 Page 6 Office Management and Staffing (Committee Chair Î Commissioner Stabo): No report. Rules and Policies (Committee Chair Î Commissioner Lee): No report. Public Relations (Committee Chair Î Commissioner Henkel): No r Training and Education (Committee Chair Î Commissioner Namahoe): No report. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Taniguchi announced that the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 10:00 a.m., in the Hilo Lagoon Centre Confer Aupuni Street, Suite 145, Hilo, HawaiÒi. Chair Taniguchi stated that he would like to schedule meetings in Waimea also instead of just Hilo and Kona. Ms. Pelayo will work on scheduling meetings in Hilo, Kona, and Waimea. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Moku moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Henkel seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned a SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: TOBY TANIGUCHI, CHAIR