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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-05-08 Fire Commission Regular Minutes HAWAI‘I COUNTY FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES MAY 8, 2013 NORTH HAWAI‘I COMMUNITY HOSPITAL CALL TO ORDER Chair Taniguchi called the meeting to order at 10:20 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Toby Taniguchi, Chair Byron Moku, Vice Chair Laurie Bass, Commissioner David De Luz, Jr., Commissioner Carol Kitaoka, Commissioner Mapuana Waipa, Commissioner Absent: Kimo Lee, Commissioner Luahiwa Namahoe, Commissioner Also Present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief Wayne Krug, Volunteer Fire Chief Lincoln S. T. Ashida, Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary Recess was called at 10:21 a.m., at which time Chair Taniguchi i Commissioners Mapuana Waipa of Council District 3 and David De Luz, Jr., of Council District 5. The meeting reconvened at 10:22 a.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Vice Chair Moku moved to approve the agenda, noting that the day is Friday, not Wednesday as written on the agenda. Commissioner Bass seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS - None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 19, 2013 Commissioner Bass moved to approve and file the minutes. Commissioner Kitaoka seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. FIRE CHIEF’S REPORT Chief Rosario highlighted and expounded on items on his written report. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 8, 2013 Page 2 BUDGET Fiscal Year 2012-13: Chief Rosario stated that he is confident they will end the year on a positive note. Overages have been in salaries and wages because of overtime due to shortage in firefighters, paramedics, and maintenance. A lot of the maintenance and repair work is backlogged because of the furloughs. They have had to farm out work to private vendors. They are at 83.5% of their total budget which is targeted at 83.33%. Fiscal Year 2013-14: The next budget hearing is scheduled for May 13. Public safety is always a hot topic area for the County Council. The Mayor, after meeting with him and the Finance Department, put the HonokaÒa apparatus replacement back into the budget. There was no funding for the Keaau apparatus, and conse council members called him to discuss this. A 3,000 gallon tanker is in the budget. They want to put a tanker in each fire district to cover water needs. The new fire code that went into effect last year called for all homeowners that do not have water supply via hydrants to have a certain size water tank, fire department connection to the water tank, and access for a fire apparatus to the tank. This put a large cost burden on the community. Fire Prevention Chief Andrade did a lot of research and found an alternative that if they provide 3,000 gallon tankers in the fire districts, that would satisfy that code requirement. They are working with the Mayor to get a new tanker with each budget year. Right now they have four tankers. The next tanker will be placed in West HawaiÒi. Funding for two full time water safety officers for PunaluÓu Beach Park is in the budget. They have 6 wooden towers that need to be replaced. They took a lot of heat for this in the newspapers, but the wooden towers no longer fit the role of todayÓs water safety officers. If they purchase 6, then can crate three together and save on shipping costs. The towers afford them to have two WSO on the beach, instead of only one in the wooden tower. It is designing for the future. He was surprised by the backlash. This is more about the safety of the public. They received an additional full-time mechanic. He is trying to work with the shop to have a roving mechanic to work at the stations, especially the west side. It is the first nd step in getting a 2 battalion maintenance shop on the west side. This new position will be staffed in Hilo. If the new hire comes out of Kona, he is open to working with everyone so as not to have someone drive to Hilo everyday. They requested an increase in their overtime budget. For almost a decade they have gone over budget. They do not have a separate line item for emergencies. It all comes under overtime. Holiday pay comes under overtime. All their supplemental requests have been restored. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 8, 2013 Page 3 Chief Rosario further stated that he would like the commissionÓs support at their budget hearing before the County Council. The Keaau apparatus i beyond its recommended lifespan, and needs to be replaced. Chair Taniguchi stated that before going before the County Council, the commissioners will work with the Chief on the main talking points. ALTERNATIVE FUNDING AND GRANTS FY 2012 CDBG Grant for Pahoa Tanker: The chassis is being built in Atlanta by Peterbilt Company, and will be delivered to Freedom Fire Equipme for assembly. FY 2012 Assistance to Fire Firefighters Grant Application: Thi awarded for a fire fighter training black out obstacle course. The purpose is to teach fire fighters to not panic while simultaneously working their way out of situations such as equipment entanglement in low to zero visibility situations. They have a one year period for the grant and are working with t business in the State of HawaiÒi. FY 2013 CDBG Grant for Waiakea Quint: This grant is for a ladder apparatus for Keaukaha, and they are waiting on HUD (federal Housing & Urban Development) to release funds to the county. The actual build time of the Quint depends on who is awarded the contract. For Pierce Manufacturing it takes 8-12 months and depends on the number orders that the vendor has in its queue. This would be a custom order. Capital Improvement Projects: A current overview of ongoing projects may include but not limited to: Kawailani Fire Station Replacement: They continue to work with Council Member Onishi and DLNR on land acquisition. Hpuna Water Safety Tower: They finally got approval from the State to place the tower on the beach and are expecting to have it delivered to tomorrow. Public Works will do the finishing work of the placement. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES UPDATE: Chief Rosario reported that he continues to visit the stations, and has had very good discussions. His visit to North Kohala lasted about three hours. ItÓs a good opportunity to get back in the field and get a birdÓs eye view. He continues to work with council members on the budget. HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION Recruitments HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 8, 2013 Page 4 Internal recruitments: A blanket requisition was put in for all eligible positions so that they can fill positions quickly. Open-competitive recruitments: Thirteen fire fighter recruits will be hired for the nd 42 class. They are waiting for a referral list from Human Resources for the temporary WSO position. They received a referral list for the Accountant IV position. Labor Relations: A WSO II termination arbitration hearing has been rescheduled for June. They received notice of intent for arbitration for two suspensions of a WSO II. They have never disciplined anyone without a fair hearing. Discipline is progressive. Ratification meetings for UPW and HGEA are scheduled for the latter part of this month; employees will attend. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DIVISION Operations: Fire fighter recruit graduation will be on May 18. They will be assigned to stations on May 20. They are doing an Incident Management Team Training which includes all support agencies from across the state such as DOFA, State Crash Fire, HPD, and fire departments from the other counties. This is a group of individuals who hold specific management functions for large incidents. Oahu already has an Incident Management Team which is used for e as the Honolulu Marathon, UH football games, and other large events. With the Boston incident, they ramped up their support for the upcoming Honu and Ironman races. Special Operations Hazmat: They continue to work with Civil Defense to procure new equipment. Hazmat equipment is very costly. They are still waiting for the revised Hazmat SOGs that was submitted to Corporation Counsel. Commissioner Kitaoka stated that they had an incident at the courthouse which they thought involved pepper spray. They aired out the place, but when the firemen came, they were told they did the wrong thing. She asked how they, at the Judiciary, could be trained to know what to do. Chief Rosario stated that they could request to have someone come out to do training. Rescue: They are trying to step up their dive training and certification. Diving is always an area where they could have significant injury or fatality. One individual has completed an instructor diver training program on Oahu. He will now do specific rescue dive certification courses for their personnel. This ups the certification required for their rescue specialist. It also gives them the opportunity to do more critical tasks. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 8, 2013 Page 5 Ocean Safety: The biggest thing is that the budget calls for two additional Water Safety Officers for PunaluÓu and the Jet Ski Program which will not happen in this fiscal year. The Jet Ski Program has about a $180,000 startup cost which includes salaries. Safety Committee: The committee continues to meet. He responded to their concerns. SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION EMS Bureau: They continue to be involved in the community. They just completed the annual HawaiÒi HMS Information System (HEMSIS) Conference which was held in Keauhou. It is put on by the State but they assisted. Their crew did a remarkable job of putting on the conference. They showcased what they could do as a fire based EMS. They took the entire conference onto the luau lawn of the Sheraton Resort. They did two simultaneous alarms Î a swimmer in distress and an onlooker who fell from a cliff. They did rescues for both victims. This was very well received by the conference attendees. Commissioner De Luz stated that they need to show the Council and the public that they are a multi-functional department. Chair Taniguchi stated that not only do they do fire, rescue, water safety and EMS, they are the only county in the state with a volunteer contingent. Chief Rosario stated that in his initial budget hearing, he talked for about an hour on what the Fire Department does. Chief Rosario further reported that 14 fire fighter recruits are finishing up the clinical phase of EMT training. North HawaiÒi Community Hospital was officially deemed a Level III Trauma Center. This means they will stabilize a trauma victim before being shipped to Queens Hospital. st Training Bureau: The 41 recruit class will finish this week. They will start their nd 42 recruit class on May 1. Volunteer Training Bureau: Volunteer Fire Chief Krug reported that with the dry weather, they are starting to get brush fires, especially in Hawaiian Paradise Park and Paauilo. They received 5 engines from the California Division of Forestry. The garage checked them out. Four have gone out, and one is still being worked on. Their next captainsÓ meeting will be on Saturday, June 15, at 10:00 a.m., at the Central Station training room. They will be attempting to address problems with their pagers. The meeting will be hosted by the PepeÓekeo Krug further reported that they have 250-275 volunteers. They are regular folks who are willing to go out day and night to help the fire department. HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 8, 2013 Page 6 Chair Taniguchi related to the new commissioners, the Volunteer elected for a term of two years. Training is provided by fire captains. He encouraged all commissioners to attend the volunteer captainsÓ meetings. Chief Rosario stated that the trucks from the Department of Forestry are 4 x 4 trucks with a tank. They are a little bigger than the brush trucks. The trucks are going to Fern Acres, Naalehu, Ocean View, and PuÓuanahulu. The truck that is currently at PuÓuanahulu will go to Kona Village. They continue to work out issues with the volunteer station at the Four Seasons where management is not allowing their workers to leave their property. Chair Taniguchi stated that the equipment is public property for the publicÓs benefit. Commissioner De Luz suggested that the Chief and Commissioner Moku give a presentation to HLPC, HawaiÒi Leeward Planning Conference. It includes all the major landowners. Chief Rosario stated that he has not taken direct action on this matter because Captain DeSa, who is assigned to this, has been o volunteers there are very good, dedicated people; and management is on the mainland, not on the property. Vice Chair Moku stated that they need to talk Ðface- to-faceÑ with the resort manager. Prevention Bureau: They recognized that there are unspent fireworks out in the community. They started a pilot program that allows the community to bring their unused fireworks to the fire stations. They disposed of the fireworks at the county landfill in a controlled setting. They received over four pallets of fireworks. Dispatch: They continue with their radio project. Auxiliary Services/Warehouse: The battalion chief assessment w Three personnel who applied for the position are now doing the work on a temporary assignment. This gives them hands on experience. Maintenance Shop: The award to build the two new pumpers for Waimea and North Kohala stations was given to KME Manufacturing of Pennsylvania. NEW PROJECTS/BUSINESS: Nothing more to report. EMPLOYEE/PUBLIC RELATIONS: Nothing more to report. Chief Rosario explained the incident log. He pointed out changes to the log that was distributed. Commissioner De Luz stated that they need to look for more partners to assist them with more funding. They may have to look for industries that have high value in some of these facilities. Chief Rosario stated that they have been blessed with donations from private HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 8, 2013 Page 7 parties and organizations such as the Ironman, the Sayer Foundation, and the Mauna Lani Resort. COMMITTEES – REPORTS/UPDATES Budget and Finance (Committee Chair Taniguchi): No report. Office Management and Staffing (Committee Chair Taniguchi): No report. Rules and Policies (Committee Chair Lee): No report. Public Relations (vacant): Training and Education (Committee Chair Namahoe): No report. New Appointments of Chairs to Committees: Chair Taniguchi appointed Vice Chair Moku to the Public Relations Committee. Recess was called at 11:53 a.m. The meeting reconvened at 11:59 a.m. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner De Luz moved to meet in executive session to consider discipline and charges of employees 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, privileges, immunities, and liabilities pursuant to HRS 92-5 (a) (2) (4) (6) and HawaiÒi County Charter Section 13- 20(b), specifically for Complaint No. HCFC 13-01. Vice Chair Moku seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 12:01 p.m. Regular session reconvened at 1:06 p.m. Investigation of Complaint No. HCFC 13-01: Complainant alleged that an off-duty lifeguard drove recklessly by him and then yelled at him in trying to provoke a fight, harassed, slandered, and threatened him. Commissioner De Luz moved to refer the complaint to Chief Rosario for further investigation and to report his findings to the commission at the next meeting. At that time the commission will make a determination on the complaint. Commissioner Kitaoka seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Corporation Counsel Ashida stated that he would draft a letter to the Chief, the complainant, and the employee of what was decided at this meeting. ANNOUNCEMENTS HawaiÒi County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes May 8, 2013 Page 8 Chair Taniguchi announced that the next meeting is scheduled fo 12, 2013, 10:00 a.m., West HawaiÒi Civic Center, Building G Conference Room, 74- 5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona, HawaiÒi. Chair Taniguchi stated that any items for next monthÓs agenda should be send to him or Ms. Pelayo. Collection of files and documents. Î Done. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Moku moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Kitaoka seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 1:12 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: TOBY TANIGUCHI, CHAIR