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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-11-14 Fire Commission Regular Minutes HAWAI‘I COUNTY FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES NOVEMBER 14, 2012 PUNA CONFERENCE ROOM HAWAI‘I COUNTY BUILDING, HILO, HAWAII CALL TO ORDER Chair Taniguchi called the meeting to order at 9:37 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Toby Taniguchi, Chair Kaloa Robinson, Vice Chair Gregory Henkel, Commissioner Kimo Lee, Commissioner Byron Moku, Commissioner Luahiwa Namahoe, Commissioner Absent: Laurie Bass, Commissioner Carol Kitaoka, Commissioner A quorum was present. Also Present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief Wayne Krug, Volunteer Fire Chief Lincoln Ashida, Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Henkel moved to approve the agenda. Commissioner Namahoe seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF OCTOBER 10, 2012 Commissioner Moku moved to approve the regular session minutes. Commissioner Henkel seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Commissioner Namahoe moved to approve the executive session minutes. Commissioner Henkel seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes November 14, 2012 Page 2 FIRE CHIEF’S REPORT (Including but not limited to the items listed below.) BUDGET Chief Rosario reported that spending is in check except for overtime which is up due to MICT shortages. The new MICT candidates should lessen the overtime burden. They had three brushfires which needed manpower in Kona, Mana Road, and Volcano. That comes out of the fire budget. EMS is being funded by the State. They just submitted their budget proposal for 2013-14. Their last three budgets were status quo budgets. Commissioner Robinson inquired about having retired MICTs working as reserves like in the police department where retired police officers work as reserve officers doing special duty. Chief Rosario stated that because of the nature of their work, they cannot do it. ALTERNATIVE FUNDING AND GRANTS FY 2011 CDBG Grant for Pahoa Apparatus: The Pahoa apparatus was received at the end of last month. It had some cosmetic damage during shipping and will be repaired before going on line. It will also have to be licensed. FY 2012 CDBG Grant for Pahoa Tanker: The low bidder was the same company that built the tanker for Pahala (Pierce Manufacturing). It is for a 3,000 gallon tanker for Pahoa district. FY 2012 SAFER Grant: Have not received response. FY 2012 Assistance to Fire Firefighters Grant Application: Have not received response. Capital Improvement Projects: A current overview of ongoing projects may include but not limited to: Makalei Fire Station: It is a beautiful station in a beautiful location, and is a great asset for the Kona Community. They are still waiting for the phones to be installed. Ka’u Public Safety Package: Two doors were damaged and will have to be fixed before they take occupancy. It’s a big building where they can park the apparatus. Hpuna Water Safety Tower: They are now requesting a letter from Mayor Kenoi to put the tower on the beach. The legal paperwork from Corporation Counsel has been completed. It is at Station 14, and they will be able to move it with a forklift. Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes November 14, 2012 Page 3 HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION Hiring and Promotions: On November 16 Kazuo Todd will be promoted to fire captain in the Kona Prevention Bureau. They are working with Managing Director Bill Takaba, to establish eligibility lists so they can promote into positions more rapidly. None of the applications met the requirements for the fire inspector position. They will fill the position with a temporary assignment. Two recently hired fire radio dispatchers resigned. They put in a request to fill one position. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DIVISION Operations: They had a tsunami warning. They did a mandatory recall of the shift that was supposed to show up at 8:00 a.m. the next day. This is the third event that they had in the last four years. It used to be where everybody would show up for work, but they started a system of holding a shift back. They are fortunate that this last event didn’t have any need for rescue. The public evacuation went smoothly. Personnel were sent to Maui for ladder company training. Special Operations: BC Kosaki will be meeting in Nanawale to provide evacuation information to the community. Rescue: The Sayer equipment has been distributed. Rescue personnel have started to do rescue training. They got approval for the blue link capability so personnel can use their aircraft equipment to make contact with someone on a cell phone. SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION EMS Bureau: They assisted with the Ironman event in Kona. Two personnel were assigned to assist. Ironman has donated a lot to the Fire Department and to the community, and they wanted to be prepared to assist as needed. Training Bureau: They started a firefighter recruit class. Two people have already left. One left for personal reasons. Another was injured during training and was not able to compete the training. It was considered workers compensation. He was put back on the list. Volunteer Training Bureau: They are actively pursuing five apparatuses from California which will be a great asset to East and West Hawai‘i. They had an $80,000 SAFER grant for personnel to attend training, but only two people applied. They are now working with FEMA to use the money for equipment instead. Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes November 14, 2012 Page 4 Prevention Bureau: They delivered about 17,500 guides to keikis on the Big Island. They do this every year. They went out to inspect homes of the elderly. A grant allowed them to inspect 43 residences. They put in 201 smoke detectors. A big part of the fire department is prevention. They installed a smoke detector in the home of an 80-year old couple. That night the detector sounded due to a kitchen fire. Dispatch: The SolarCom Communication System was in place. However, it did not meet the requirements of the Fire and Police Departments, and they had to go to the next vendor. Auxiliary Services/Warehouse: They continue to receive equipment for the three new trucks, and are moving equipment to the new Makalei station. Makalei has five personnel assigned per shift. It’s a fire and hazmat company. The station was designed to hold as many as 15 personnel per shift. It is designed to hold 2- 3 companies if needed. If the State allows it, they would be able to have two medics. The Makalei station was designed for growth. Maintenance Shop: The mechanic’s computer connectivity has not yet been resolved. NEW PROJECTS/BUSINESS: The Hawai‘i County Fire Department will host the State’s Hawai‘i Fire Chief’s Conference in November 2013. It is the premier conference in which the country’s top educational people will be in attendance. 2012/2013 CDBG Update: They put in proposal for two trucks, a quint and a brush truck, and just got word that the Mayor accepted the proposal. The quint is a ladder truck with full pumping capabilities. They are looking for a 75 ft. ladder to support the multi-story buildings in Hilo. It will be a new apparatus for the Waiakea station. The county generally will go with the low bidder if it meets the specifications. The truck will be designed for the needs of the station and will replace the fire truck that’s there. Currently, only lower Puna, Ka’u, and Keaukaha fit the income criteria for this CDBG grant. It’s a grant that comes from HUD (housing and urban development). SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION Volunteer Bureau: Volunteer Fire Chief Wayne Krug reported that their October 13 Fire Prevention Demonstration was probably their best. They had two teams on the bucket brigade. All went well with the tsunami warning. The Laupahoehoe siren did not go off. They did a joint drill in Honoka‘a. They will have a fire captain’s meeting this Saturday at the Miloli’i Community Center. Chief Honda will attend in place of Chief Rosario. Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes November 14, 2012 Page 5 Chief Rosario reported that the volunteer company issues at the Four Seasons Resort are still ongoing. The Anekona, Ouli, Kanehoa (AOK) Association is still having gate issues COMMITTEE REPORTS Budget and Finance (Committee Chair Taniguchi): No report. Office Management and Staffing (Committee Chair Taniguchi): No report. Corporation Counsel Ashida stated that Commissioners Henkel and Robinson’s position will be vacant at the end of the year in addition to former Commissioner Stabo’s position. He will send the redistricting map to the commissioners. Rules and Policies (Committee Chair Lee): No report. Public Relations (Committee Chair Henkel): No report. Training and Education (Committee Chair Namahoe): No report. NEW BUSINESS Discussion on selection of Chair and Vice Chair of the Fire Commission for 2013. Chair Taniguchi stated that they would be voting for the Chair and Vice Chair at the next meeting. Interested persons should let him or Ms. Pelayo know so it could be placed on the agenda. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner Moku moved to meet in executive session to work on the annual evaluation of Fire Chief Darren Rosario, to consider sensitive matters relating to public safety, and to consult with Corporation Counsel on questions and issues pertaining to the commission's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and liabilities pursuant to HRS 92-5 (a) (2) (4) (6) and the Hawai‘i County Charter Section 13-20 (b). Commissioner Namahoe seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 11:08 a.m. Regular session reconvened at 1:55. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Taniguchi announced that the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at 10:00 a.m., in the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, Building G Conference Room, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona. Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes November 14, 2012 Page 6 Chair Taniguchi stated that items for next monthly meeting agenda should be brought to his attention. Collection of files and documents. – Done. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Henkel moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Moku seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 1:57 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: TOBY TANIGUCHI, CHAIR