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Home My WebLink About2014-03-12 Fire Commission Regular Minutes HAWAI‘I COUNTY FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES MARCH 12, 2014 WEST HAWAI‘I CIVIC CENTER 74-5044 ANE KEOHOKALOLE HIGHWAY, KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I CALL TO ORDER Chair Toby Taniguchi called the meeting to order at 10:11 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Toby Taniguchi, Chair Byron Moku, Vice Chair David De Luz, Jr., Commissioner Carol Kitaoka, Commissioner Kimo Lee, Commissioner Mapuana Waipa, Commissioner A quorum was present. Also present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief Wayne Krug, Volunteer Fire Chief Lincoln S. T. Ashida, Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary Chair Taniguchi recognized Todd Powers, Member of the United States Fire Service, who was in attendance. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS None. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Vice Chair Moku motioned to approve the agenda as distributed. Commissioner Waipa seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Vice Chair Moku motioned to accept and file the December 23, 2013, regular and executive session minutes. Commissioner Waipa seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Commissioner Kitaoka motioned to accept and file the minutes of February 12, 2014, regular and executive sessions. Vice Chair Moku seconded the motion. Discussion: A correction for clarity was made to circulated minutes, and the motion carried unanimously (with amendments). Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes March 12, 2014 Page 2 (Commissioner De Luz entered at 10:15 a.m.) FIRE CHIEF’S REPORT (Including but not limited to the items listed below.) Chief Rosario asked for feedback and suggestions on how his report is presented to the commission. When they are in Hilo, he will bring his operations personnel to give a report and answer questions and showcase equipment to the commission. He highlighted items from his written report: BUDGET STATUS FY 2013/2014: They continue to be on track. They were told they have to absorb the union raises from the current budget. They expect to be in the black by the end of the fiscal year but could have to cut back on some items such as training. New Accountant Lorenzo is doing a great job at monitoring the budget. FY 2014/2015: On April 2, the Fire Department will do their presentation to the full Council. He asked the commission for assistance during statements from the public. A lot of times Council members will ask why the stations are not staffed with more personnel. They are behind in NFPA staffing guidelines. They followed Mayor Kenoi’s directive of 5% cut. The Mayor afforded them supplemental budgetary resources. Commissioner De Luz suggested they give visual presentations to help the Council understand their needs. Chief Rosario said they will make a Power Point presentation. ALTERNATIVE FUNDING AND GRANTS FY 2012 Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant Application: They are looking forward to rolling out this Train the Trainer course for fire ground training. FY 2012 Assistance to Fire Fighters Prevention Grant Application: This grant is for smoke detectors for people at high risk, usually elderly. FY 2013 CDBG Grant for Waiakea Quint: The department received a no-cost grant deadline extension, and the quint is scheduled to be delivered to Hilo on August 1. Capital Improvement Projects: The Fire Administration Training Dispatch Center on Mohouli is in the design stage, but at this time there is no funding for construction. The Kawailani station relocation to Haihai St. is moving ahead (Chief Honda is currently working with DLNR and Council member Onishi). GOALS AND OBJECTIVES UPDATE Chief Rosario reported that he is actively working on revamping the department’s strategic plan. Twenty-eight volunteers from the department reviewed the mission and vision statement and core values; suggestions for improvement are being collected. They want to have an updated strategic plan out sometime in July. They’ve modeled Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes March 12, 2014 Page 3 and looked at other fire department’s strategic plans. He made contact with Glenn Furuya to bring his leadership course to his staff of officers. He signed up for the Leadership Works Program in September.They are also looking at Furuya’s communication class. Commissioner De Luz said Furuya’s course is worth the investment. He suggested follow-ups for retention value. Chief Rosario further stated that other than the monthly meetings, he is able to meet with any of the commissioners on a one-to-one basis at other times. HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION Recruitments Internal recruitments within the County: They had to repost the position for Assistant Chief of Operations to meet Human Resources requirements. Assessment was completed with the assistance of an outside source. Recruitment for the Fire Equipment Operator continues. Open-competitive recruitments: Recruitment for the Fire Equipment Mechanic continues. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DIVISION Special Operations Ocean Safety: Two lifeguards were hired for Punalu’u. They will now have coverage seven days a week. They received approval for five temporary hires for the summer. Hazmat: The SOG has been finalized. SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION They received an offer of a used tanker from Maui County. Training Bureau: The 22 recruits continue with training. Volunteer Division: Chief Krug reported that they are receiving first aid re- certification. They will be getting “three-in-one” brush boots. The captains’ meeting will be held in Volcano this Saturday. The city of Avalon is ready to ship the brush truck to Hawai‘i. Chief Krug further stated that after working as a volunteer for 18 years, he and his wife will be moving to Washington State to care for his mother-in- law. This is his final meeting. EMS Bureau: Two remounted ambulances were placed back in service at the Central and Waikoloa stations. Funding for two additional ambulances, one in Puna and one in Makalei, continues to advance in the State Legislature. The recruit class has entered the clinical and internship phase of training. They met with the “Braddahs” to discuss a media campaign and marketing PSA video for their Hands Only CPR. To date, over 2,000 people have been trained in Hands Only CPR. Commissioner De Luz suggested they ask the schools for video assistance. Prevention Bureau: The new inspectors completed their probationary period. Hawai‘i County Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes March 12, 2014 Page 4 Dispatch: A Fire Radio Dispatcher II resigned. They are currently recruiting for 6 positions, permanent and temporary. Training takes 6 months. Dispatch has a major turnover. They had a lot of young hires with young children, and the schedule did not work out for their family. They are considering using police dispatchers on overtime for fire call takers. Commissioner De Luz suggested working with Police Chief Kubojiri at ways to crossover between the Fire and Police Departments. Maintenance Shop: The mechanic position is being filled. The shop received a new computer, but it is still having connectivity issues. EMPLOYEE/PUBLIC RELATIONS They attended the Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. There was interest in home-based EMS. There was also interest in providing services for the homeless and getting them off the streets. They are working with the prosecutor on that issue. COMMITTEE REPORTS/UPDATES Budget and Finance (Committee Chair De Luz): No report. Office Management and Staffing (Committee Chair Taniguchi): No report. Rules and Policies (Committee Chair Kitaoka): No report. Public Relations (Committee Chair Lee): No report. Training and Education (Committee Chair Waipa): No report. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Taniguchi announced that the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. in the Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi St., Hilo, Hawai‘i. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:46 a.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: TOBY TANIGUCHI, CHAIR