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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-12-12 Fire Commission Regular Minutes HAWAII COUNTY FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES DECEMBER 12, 2012 WEST HAWAI‘I CIVIC CENTER CALL TO ORDER Chair Toby Taniguchi called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Toby Taniguchi, Chair Kaloa Robinson, Vice Chair Laurie Bass, Commissioner Greg Henkel, Commissioner Carol Kitaoka, Commissioner Byron Moku, Commissioner Luahiwa Namahoe, Commissioner Excused: Kimo Lee, Commissioner A quorum was present. Also Present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief Renwick Victorino, Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Krug, Volunteer Fire Chief Lincoln Ashida, Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Moku moved to approve the agenda. Commissioner Henkel seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS (None) APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 14, 2012 Commissioner Namahoe moved to approve the regular session minutes. Commissioner Bass seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Commissioner Namahoe moved to approve the executive session minutes. Commissioner Kitaoka seconded the motion, and it carried unanimo FIRE CHIEF’S REPORT BUDGET: Chief Rosario reported that EMS overtime will be over budget. Their repeated requests to the State for additional funding were denie same position last year and the previous year, and the county wi overage. They also had two FAA mandates. The first was a mandatory retrofit to HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 12, 2012 Page 2 their helicopter with a newer EMS interior. The second was that the owner of the aircraft has to hire a Chief pilot. They requested additional funding from the State for both items, but were denied. Starting December 16, the department has hired a Chief pilot. The EMS chopper retrofit and the hiring of the Chief Pilot were both FAA mandates, and if they didnÓt do it, they would have to ground the aircraft. The county will have to pay for these costs. ALTERNATIVE FUNDING AND GRANTS FY 2011 CDBG Grant for Pahoa Apparatus: The apparatus was received with some minor damage sustained during shipping. It is now at a local vendor for repairs. The equipment for the three new trucks are in. Training for three apparatuses is scheduled for the third week in December. Thereafter, the trucks will be put in service. Along with this grant for Pahoa is also an apparatus request for Kawailani and Kaumana which will replace two old apparatuses FY 2012 CDBG Grant for Pahoa Tanker: This grant is for a 3,000 gallon tanker. The contract was awarded to Freedom Fire Equipment. They will schedule a preconstruction meeting with the vendor in January. This is the time they sit down with the vendor to go through each item in the bid specification and make sure they are on the same page of what their expectations are. It usually takes about six months for a tanker to be built and delivered. FY 2012 SAFER Grant: They have not yet received word from FEMA of award or denial. FY 2012 Assistance to Fire Firefighters Grant: They have not yet received word from FEMA of award or denial. FY 2013 CDBG application period is open and closes on January 1 department has completed about 60% of the grant application. It is for a rescue aerial quint for the Waiakea rescue company in Keaukaha. It is an aerial ladder that allows them to effectively execute rescues from multi-story structures as well as provide a 2,000 gallon elevated fire stream for major fires. The Waiakea fire district covers the pier, bulk tank fuel storage, and the airport. Its secondary response would be the downtown area. The quint would be a great asset for the entire county. Chief Rosario explained that the CDBG covers low to moderate income census tract areas. . Capital Improvement Projects Makalei Fire Station: It officially opened on December 1. From December 1 to today (12/12), they have had 17 calls. They average about two c KaÓu Public Safety Package: These are the two volunteer appara Chief Honda is in Ka`u today working on the stops for the roll up door. It should be completed today. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 12, 2012 Page 3 Hpuna Water Safety Tower: This is the life guard tower stand that they purchased to be placed on the north end of Hpuna Beach on the countyÓs jurisdiction. They are still waiting for DLNRÓs approval to put property. The State provides the grant to provide the water safety officers. Kawailani Station: In response to Vice Chair RobinsonÓs inquiry about the alterations to the garage to fit the new apparatus, Chief Rosario stated that Public Works is looking at two cost effective options. One would be to rebuild the back garage and the other would be to raise the roof. In the long term, they have a CIP request for a replacement fire station for Kawailani road is expanded and widened. Councilman Onishi is working on securing property off of Haihai Street. A fire station takes upwards of three years to be built. HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION Hiring and Promotions: Internal recruitments continue. They hired three fire radio dispatchers and three resigned. Two fire fighter recruits will be taking the physical agility test on December 21. They were unable to take the test due to two protected classes, pregnancy and military deployment. If they pass the test, they will go through the same process that the other recruits went through. Ocean Safety has two vacant positions. Four retirements are scheduled for this month and will be replaced with transfers. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DIVISION Operations: They are working on an Incident Management Team. It is a select group of dedicated individuals, not necessarily fire personnel, with special training and expertise to mitigate long-term incidents. This is being done statewide. They have an incident command trailer that is used as a command post. two, one for East and West HawaiÒi. Currently, the trailers are in Pahoa and Waimea. Civil defense has its own command trailer. Ocean Safety: They are working on replacing or repairing Act 190 signage for beaches. The County wants to put up signs for all unguarded beaches. However, they have no money budgeted for the signs. SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION EMS Bureau: They will be accepting two new ambulances, one for Pahoa and one for HonokaÒa. The ambulances come directly from the State Department of Health. They cannot be more than seven years old and have no more than 200,000 miles on the odometer. The replaced ambulance can become a secondary or spare medic. The average life of ambulances from stations such as Kailua, Central, or Pahoa is no more than three years. They have a lot of mileage, especially Pahoa. Pahoa runs about 150-300 miles per shift. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 12, 2012 Page 4 Training Bureau: The recruit class continues with training. They are also involved in community service projects. Volunteer Training Bureau: Volunteer Chief Wayne Krug introduced his assistant Derek Domingo. They had their captainÓs meeting on November 17 in Milolii. They formed a committee for future promotions of volunteer officers. They are trying to get a house in Paauilo for a volunteer station. Five shipped over from the Forestry Department. Their next meeting will be in Laupahoehoe on February 23 at 10:00. Chief Rosario reported that the AOK Association (Anekona, Ouli, Kanehoa) will go on line today. They purchased their own apparatus, a 5-ton military truck. They have to find a tank and pump for it. They have two trained drivers and a volunteer captain. Chief Rosario reported that there still is no movement with the Four Seasons and Kukio Resorts regarding their employees being allowed to leave their property. Prevention Bureau: Chief Rosario reported that their Prevention Bureau works daily on projects such as water requirements for new subdivisions. Their 3,000 gallon tankers are for districts that do not have infrastructure such as fire hydrants. They are heavily involved with public education. Auxiliary Services/Warehouse: Battalion Chief Michael Gahan of Auxiliary Services will retire at the end of the month. Personnel interested in the position are being allowed to shadow him in order to get an idea of what the job is like. Maintenance Shop: They continue to work on their computer connectivity issues with Information and Technology. The mechanics have two mandated days a month, and they are barely able to keep up with their nee NEW PROJECTS/BUSINESS: On November 7-10, 2013, they will host the HawaiÒi Fire ChiefÓs Conference at the Fairmont Orchid at Mauna Lani. This conference attracts the top leaders in fire service across the nation. EMPLOYEE/PUBLIC RELATIONS: They have a new Council and plan on meeting with them along with the senior council members to give them an overview of the Fire Department. COMMITTEE REPORTS Budget and Finance (Committee Chair Taniguchi): No report. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 12, 2012 Page 5 Office Management and Staffing (Committee Chair Taniguchi): No report. 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 2013 Meeting Schedule: Chair Taniguchi reported that they received the schedule for next year. Selection of Chair and Vice Chair of the Fire Commission for 2013: Chair Taniguchi asked if anyone was interested in the positions. No one expressed interest. Vice Chair Robinson nominated Toby Taniguchi as Chair again, stating that he has worked very hard in the position. Commissioner Moku seconded the motion, stating that his leadership has been all inclusive, and he has been very effective. Chair Taniguchi thanked the commissioners for their vote of confidence. The motion for Toby Taniguchi as Chair carried unanimously. Chair Taniguchi asked if anyone was interested as serving as Vice Chair. No one expressed interest. Chair Taniguchi temporarily relinquished his position as Chair to Vice Chair Robinson in order to make a nomination. Toby Taniguchi nominated Byron Moku as Vice Chair. Commissioner Kitaoka seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Moku asked the members to consider Kimo Lee as Vice Chair. He Chairs the HawaiÒi Island Burial Council and manages the process well. Commissioner Namahoe stated that since Commissioner Lee is the Chair of the Burial Council for 2013, they should table his consideration until 2014. Commissioner Taniguchi agreed. Commissioner Moku accepted the nomination as Vice Chair. The motion for Byron Moku as Vice Chair carried unanimously. Toby Taniguchi resumed his position as Chair. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner Namahoe moved that the commission meet in executive session to review Fire Chief RosarioÓs annual performance evaluation, to consider sensitive matters relating to public safety, and to consult with Corporation Counsel on que pertaining to the commission's powers, duties, privileges, immun pursuant to HRS 92-5 (a) (2) (4) (6) and the HawaiÒi County Charter Section 13-20 (b). Commissioner Henkel seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Executive Session convened at 11:35 a.m. Regular session reconvened at 12:30 p.m. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes December 12, 2012 Page 6 ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Taniguchi announced that the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 9, 2013, at 10:00 a.m., in the Mauna Kea/Mauna Loa Conference Rooms, North HawaiÒi Community Hospital, 67-1125 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HawaiÒi. Items for next monthly meeting agenda: Chair Taniguchi announced that any items for the next agenda should be given to him or Mrs. Pelayo. Collection of files and documents. Î Done. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Kitaoka moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Namahoe seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 12:31 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: TOBY TANIGUCHI, CHAIR